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HORTICULTURE  IN  ALL  ITS  BRANCHES, 


POUNDED   BV 


W.  Bohinsoji,  Author  of  ''The  Wild  Garden^''  ''Englhk  Flon-cr  Garden,''  i]'c. 


"  2ou  see,  sweet  maid,  we  marry 
A  gentle  acion  to  the  wildest  stock 
And  maJcQ  conceive  a  bark  of  baser  kind 
By  bud  of  nobler  race:    This  is  an  art 
Which  does  mend  nature :  change  it  rather 
The  art  itself  is  nature  " — SJuikespeare, 


VOL.    XXVI. -CHRISTMAS,     1884. 


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


JAN.   S,  1885. 


JOHN     LEE, 


Tlw  Boyil  Vmeyard  Xursery,  Hainmcrmlth,  the  oldest  of  Zoiulon  nurserie/. 


THE    TWENTY- SIXTH     VOLUME     OF     "THE    GAKDEN" 


IS   DEDICATED. 


-Per 

Git 


W.  li.,  Jan.  1,  1S85. 


Jan.  3,  1885. 


THE  GARDEN  INDEX 


liTIDE^^      TO      -VOLTrnVLE       IXIIHZ-^I. 


Abelia  rupcitris,  358;  triflora,  4T 

Abies  Douglasi  Stairi,  5S ;  grandis,  482; 

select  kinds  of,  357 
Aciiieta  Huraboldti,  171 
Aciphylla  squarrosa,  390,  395,  427 
Acis  autumnalis,  208,  281] 
Actfca  spicata,  104 
Adder  bite3,  remedies  for,  274 
Adiantum  pedatum,376 
Adiantum  stems  as  stakes,  131 
Adiautums,  new,  172 
Aeri.iea  Honllettianum,  77,   372  ;  illus- 

tre,    34 ;   Liwrencire,    242 ;    Sauderia* 

num,  428 
JBsculus  parviflora,  219 
^thocarpus  purpurascens,  3  9 
African  Lily  in  Co.  Dublin,  331 
Agapanthui,     fasciated,     79  ;     seedinK, 

439;  umbellatus,    har<iiutS3    of,    281; 

whi'e,  the,  174,  310,  320 
Afferatums,  204 

Allium  macranthura,  520;  Semenowi,  181 
Alliump,  the  best,  3 
Alue  ciliaris,  391 
Alstrcemeria  aurantiaca,  43,  540 
AlstriL'merias,  55  ;  cultuxo  of,  223  ;  culti- 
vated, the,  540 
Amaryllis  blooms,  abortive,  45',  49^ 
Amaryllis  Comte  de  Germiny,  5il ;  Mrs. 

W.  Lee,  242 
Amaryllis  flowers,  472 
Amasonia  punicea,  241 
American  Apples,  16  ;  Blackberries,  195 
Amicia  Zygomeris,  231 
Ampelopsis  japonica,  455  ;  sempervlrens, 

475  ;  Veitchi.  437 
Anagallis  Phlllipsi,  96 
Androsace  lanuginosa,  156 
Anemone  alpina,  155 ;  alba,    31 ;  beds, 

carpeting,  244  ;  beds,  croppintr,  220 
Anemones,  alpine,  3  ;  Nelson's  Russian, 

30;  leedling,  3"6 
Anglesey,  November  flowers  in,  432 
AngTfecum  Chaiiluauum,  529 
Anp:uioa  eburnea,  4 
Animal  manure  for  gardens,  376,    403, 

419.  4fi4 
Annuals,  autumn-sown,  125,  181,  302 
Anthericum  Liliastrum,  ;i95 
Antbolyza  paniculata,  352 
Anthracite  coal,  63,    91,   312,   380,    414 

534 
Anthurium  Andreanura,  120,    163.    403; 

Chantrieri,  S5  ;  feriierense,  432  ;8chtr- 

zerianum,  542 
Antigonon  leptopus,  79 
Antirrhinum,  monstrous,  79  ;  Rousham 

Pet,  34 
Apheiandra  atrovirens,  124  ;  Margaritie, 

24 
Aphelandras,  note  on,  406 
Aphides  and  red  spider,  63 


Aphides,  species  of  93 

Apios  tuberosa,  104,  456 

Aponogeton  distachyon,  461 

Apple  and  Apple  culture,  415 

Apple  Congress  Report,  221,  410,  519] 

Apple  crop,  the  short,  2.0 

Apple  culture.  76.  123 

Apple  Devonsh're  Buckland,  518 ;  Hcary 
Morning,  518  ;  Dominie,  the,  444 ;  fair 
at  Exeter,  399  ;  Forge,  the,  273  ;  Jacobs' 
Strawbeiry,  26^;  King  of  the  Pippins, 
470  ;  Lord  Suftield,  81 ;  New  Hawthorn- 
den,  227;  Northern  Greening,  444  ;Tom 
Putt,  319.  379 

Apple  trees,  planting,  415  ;  pruning, 
416 

Apples.  American,  16  ;  and  Lilies,  332  ; 
and  Pears,  4S5 ;  storing,  305  ;  their  cul- 
ture, an  essay  on,  398  ;  as  ornamental 
trees,  5 ;  at  Sherborne  Castle,  4S4  ; 
dessert,  select,  504  ;  Nova Scotiau,  312; 
Peach,  190  ;  root  pruning,  415  ;  select 
list  of,  503';  worth  growing,  443,  4t0, 
484  ;  Belgian,  516  ;  synonyms  of,  517 

Atfuatic  plants,  6 

Aralia  Sieboldi,  527 

Arauearias  in  the  west  of  Scotland,  357 

Arbutus  Croomei,  506 

Arctotis  arborescns,  174 

Argemone  grandiflora,  437 

Arisiema  triphyllum,  104 

Aristolochia  gigas,  263  ;  omithccephala, 
220,  263 

Aristolochias,  138 ;  for  walls,  382 

Arum  Lilv,  the,  55 

Ash,  the  Blue,  224 

Aske  Hall,  notes  from,  146 

Asparagus  as  an  ornamental  plant,  231  ; 
for  market,  418  ;  planting,  9  ;  RU^rmer 
planting,  142  ;  transplanting,  106  ;  forc- 
ing, 534 

Asplenium  viride,  375 

Aster  cassubicus,  391  ;  Chapmanni,  306; 
diplostephoides,  96  ;  pyrenteus,  105  ; 
spectabilis.  371 

Asters,  a  few  good,  371 ;  names  of,  311 ; 
single.  343 

Athole  Woods,  the,  16G 

Athrotaxia  selaginoides,  409 

Athyrium  Kilix-f(i,'mina  f  ield-^ni,  374 

Auhrietia  deltoidea  ol>mpica,  520  ;  olym- 
pica,  432 

Aucuba  japonica,  propagating,  358 

Auricula  Col.  Champneys,  ?96.  315,  436 

Auriculas,  383  ;  aud  autumn  bloom,  497  ; 
alpine,  362  ;  at  Baskiu  Hill.  259  ;  di 
Eeased.  68  ;  late  in  autumn,  454 ;  notes 
on,  317  ;  raising  new.  474  ;  repotting, 
496  ;  top-dressing,  539 

Australian  forest  scene,  an,  20 

Autumn  bloom  of  Auriculas,  497 

Autumn  Mossoras,  270;  cultivation,  99; 
days,  253,  360 ;  flowers,  250,  268, 411 ;  in 
Scotland,  372  ;  leaves,  373  ;  annuals  in, 
125 ;  tints,  743 


Azalea  indica  Vervaeneana,  24 


Baden-Baden,  notes  from,  33 

Balm  of  Gilead,  99,  341 

Balsam,  Sultan's,  the,  6 

Banshee's  Rod,  the,  190 

Barkeria  Skinneri,  392 

Bartonia  aurea.  203 

Baskets,  Ferns  for,  1?5 

Baskets  of  flowers,  197 

Baskin  Uill,  Drumcondra,  173 ;  Auriculas 

at,  259 
Batatas  paniculatus,  201 
Bean,  a  good  forcing  56  ;  Ne  Plu9  Ultra, 

56  ;  Runner,  158;  Sacred,  the,  17  i 
Bedford  Park  Natural  History  Society,  14 
Beds  of  flne  foliage  plants,  437 
Beeches,  Weeping,  the,  38 
Beetroot  or  Mangold  fly,  the,  93 
Beeonia  Balmisiana.  86;  Beddomei,  24; 

Camerei,    106  ;    Felix    Crousse,    349  ; 

Gloirede  Sceaux.  464  ;  King  of  Kings, 

349  ;  Mad.  Arnoult.  147  ;  Mad.  Crousse, 

242  ;  Mad.  Linden,  464  ;  Margirita,  10  ; 

metalUca,  51  ;  Octavia,  242 ;  Queen  of 

Bedders.  193 ;  Rhum  Von  Erfurt.  77  ; 

Roezli,  72;   socotrana,  392;   Souvenir 

de  W.  Saunders,  193  ;  vircinalis,  31 
Begonias  and  Gloxinias  at  Fi.eading,  42 
Begonias,  flnefoliaged,  172  ;  hybrid,  351, 

431;    out  of  doors, '12,   141,  174;  two 

new,  174  ;  winter  flowerinsr,  324 
Belgian  Cucumber  culture,  59 
Belgian  fruit  exportation,  516 
Belgian  style  of  packing  fiuit,  451 
Belladonna  Lilies,  105,  390,  412;  planted 

out,  359 
Belmont,  Taunton,  notes  from,  403 
Belvedere,  2Gii 
Benthamia  frapifera,  8,  358 
Berberis    concinna,    219 ;    congestifolia 

var.    hakeoides,    124;    purple  leaved, 

the.  37 
Berkshire,  season  in,  420 
Berry-bearing  plants,  397 
Beschorneria  Decosteriana,  124 
Bessera  elegans,  193,  290 
Betula  alba  dalecarlica,  291  ;  alba  fasti- 

giata,  291 
Biders,  the  species  of,  497 
BigDOuia  Cherere,  5;0 
Bignonias,  the  species  of.  520 
Billardiera  longiflora.  190  ;   macrocalyx, 

457  ;  Sandeiiana,  264 
Bindweed,    variegated,  186,   203;   Japa. 

nese,  411 
Birch,  knot  in,  469 
Birch,  the,  and  its  varieties.  291 
Birdhill,  Strawberries  at,  17 
Black    Bryony    in    gardens,     436,    456 ; 

trausplautiug,  497 


Blackberries  in  Ireland,  339 ;  in  South 

Hants,  371 
Blackberry  jelly,  3  9,  379 
Meachini  Pampas  Grass,  SU 
Blight  on  the  Biassica  tube,  473 
Blue  Gum,  the,  426 
Bog  garden,  plants  for,  105 
Boilers  for  hothou-es,  462 
Bomarea  William&iie,  12 
Bomareas,  6 
Books— 

"  A  Dictionary  of  Gardening,"  439 

"Apple  Congress  Report."  519 

"  Diseases  of  Field  and  Garden  Crops,'* 
2.53 

"Mushroom  Culture  Simplified,"  412 

"  Plant  Lore.  Legends,  aud  Lyrics,''  336 

"  The  Plants  of  ihe  Aip%,"  479 
Boragolaxitto^a,  251 
Border  plants,  arrangement  of,  130 
Borders  for  Vines,  inside,  5-J  ;  manuring 

herbaceous,  341,  286 
Bougiinvillea  glabra,  151 
Bou^ainvideas,  note  on,  40G 
Bouvardias,  200  ;  in  summer,  51 
Brick  pits,  72 
Briers,  the,  322 
Brine,  syringing  with,  17 
Broccoli,  Autunia  Giant,  274;  origin  of 

the,  231 ;  winter,  142 
Broditeacoccinea,  12  :  volubilis,  20 
Brodiii^as,  the  best,  153 
Bromeliads  at  Kew,  128;  new,  72 
Broorarapes,  the,  244 
Broom,  Spanish,  the,  42;  white,  the,  8 
Broughtonia  saneuinea,  4 
Brugmansia  suaveolens,  284,  498 
Brunella  Webbiana,  33 
Bulb  catalogues,  239 
Bulb  field  in  Scilly,  281 
Bulb  planting  season,  the,  1S2 
Bulb  planting  tool,  230 
Bulbous  plants,  325 
Bulbs,  autumn  (lowering.  246;  Cape,  453; 

cheap,  384,  418;  Daffodil  planting,  229; 

deep    and     shallow     planted,      381  ; 

earthenware  rings  for,  66 ;  Italian,  270; 

Lily,  imported,  125, 152  ;  planting,  393; 

shallow  and  deep  planted,  457  ;  salts 

of,  194 
Bunches  of  Grapes,  large  and  small,  319 
Bur  Marigolds,  497 
Burghley,   kitchen    gardening   at,    489  ; 

Peach  s  at,  515 
Burnham  Beeches,  533 
Bush  fruits,  82,  159 


C. 

Cabbage  seed,  sowing,  9.  lOO 
Caladium<>,new,  172;  new  way  of  grow- 
ing, 401  ;  note  on,  406 
Calandrinia  umbellata,  94 


VI 


THE  GAKDEN  INDEX 


[Jan.  3,  1885, 


Calantlie    Sandhurstiana,    509  ;    V€stita 

cuprea  oculata,  529 
Calceolaria  fuchaiicfolia,  476 
Calceolarias,  herbaceous,  51 
CalifoniiaD  Conifer  forests,  246 
Calimtris  Alberti,  124 
Callip8>che  mirabilis.  85 
Caltha,  double,  the,  26S 
Calycanthus  tloridus,  39,  61 
Camellias,  70 ;  on  north  walle,  341 
Campanula    alliariefolia,    19;    Chimney, 
the,   456  ;    gaigauica,  367  ;    turbinata, 
119,  156;    turbinata  pelviformis,    77; 
hirsuta,  9t 
Campanulas  doubling,  68 
Canary  Creeper  in  autumn,  383,  393 
Canker  in  fruit  trees,  378  ;  in  Mar^chal 

Niel  Rose,  473 
Cannaa,  437 
Cape  bulbs,  453 
Cape  of  Good  Hope  plants,  502 
Cape  Pondweed,  6,  461 
Carasuata  angustifolia,  428 ;  sanguinea, 

•24 
Carnation  and  Picotee  show,  79 
Carnation  and  Picotee.  the,  315 
Carnal  ion    Cella,    34;    Chevalier,    428; 
Comte  de    Chambord,   85 ;    Gloire  de 
Nancy.     85 ;    Grand     Monan  h,     509 ; 
Grenadin,   31;    layering    hnife,    283; 
Martha,  34;  Mary  Moiris,  86;  Miss  J. 
Townsend,  123 ;  mounds,   427  ;  out  of 
doors,   130 ;  Pride  of  Penshurst,  151 ; 
Souvenir  de  la   Malmaison,  68,  317  ; 
White  Pink,  67 
Carnation  wall,  a.  511 
Carnations  and  Picotees,  41,  S9,  96,  154, 

230 
Carnations,  border,  119, 152  ;  culture  of, 

537 
Carnations,  80  ;  for  winter,   10 ;  propa- 
gating, 250;  seedling.  64,  85,  126,  151, 
157  ;  yellow,  204 ;  yellow  scentleBS,  296 
Carpenteria  californica,  S9 
Carriore,  M.,  401 
Carrot  culture,  401 
Carrot  fly,  the,  402 
Carrots  for  maiket,  158 
Caryopteris  mastacanthus,  317 
Castle  lUU,  Pine  growing  at,  484 
Castle  Menzies,  trees  at,  166 
Catalogue  nomenclature,  44 
Catalogue  of  garden  Koses,  207 
Catalogues  of  bulbs,  2;i9 
Catalpa  and  Rose,  392 
Catalpi  liungei,  164  ;  erubescens,  164 
Catalpas,  the,  164 
Cat'3-tail  Cereu?,  the,  499 
Cattleyaaurea,  392 ;  bulbosagrandiflora, 
509  ;  caluminata,  34,  492  ;  Gaskelliana, 
4.  77,  101,  171 ;  Gaskelliana  alba,  4,  34, 
107  ;  gigas.   392 ;  gigas    imperialis,  4  ; 
gigaaShuttlewortbi.  196;  Roihcliildi- 
ana,  264 ;  Sauderiana,  128  ;  Skinneri,  a 
giant,  107  ;  speci'^siasima,  331 ;  trioph- 
thalma,  42S 
Cattleyas,  unshaded,  46,  101 
Cauliflower  Martin's  Pretident,  261 
Ceanotbus  Gloire  de  Versailles,  462 
Ceanothuses  for  walls,  224.  382 
Cedars,  wintering  young,  369 
Cedars  of  Lebanon,  our  earliest,  192 
Cedronella  triphylla,  99,  341 
Cedrus  atlaniica,  357 
Celery  fly,  the,  40i;  maggot,  the,  3T0, 

464 
Celtis  Occident  alis,  353 
Celosias,  feathered,  352 
Centaurea    babylonica,    363  ;    macroce- 

phala,  94 
Cereus    flagelliformis,    499  ;     Lemairei, 
290 ;   paucispinus,  233  ;   triangularis, 
i89 
Ceropegia  Saundersi,  151 
Certificating  plams,  69,  124,  HO,  288 
t'ham.'ecladon  metallicum,  464 
Channel  Islinds,  jottings  from  the,  238 
Cheddar  Gorge,  the,  65 
Cheiranthus  Marshalli,  527 
Cheiranthus,  meaning  of,  292,  343 
Cheirifolia,  derivation  of,  283 
Chelsea,  Orchids  at,  73 
Cheltenham.  Orchids,  at,  548 
Chequered  Daffodils,  227 
Cherries,  select  list  of,  505 
Cherry,  double-fl-jwered,  219 
Cherry  trees,  standard,  191 
Chestnuts  in  Belgium,  516 
Chimonanthus  fragrans,  145 
Chirita  Mooni.  246 
Cbiswick  Gardens,  36 
Cbrysanthemum  Anais,  429 ;  cinerariie- 
folium,    321 ;  Criterion,  429 ;  corona- 
rium,  440 ;  culture  of,  70 ;  Fabias  de 
aiaderranez,  509  ;  Golden  Mdme.  Des- 
grange,  349 ;  grub  in,  63 ;  La  Purete, 
4-:9;  Lidy  Selborne,  337  ;  Mdnie.  Des- 
grange,  343.  359 ;  manures,  220  ;  roseum 
pictum,  429 ;  Society,  National,  102 ; 
Source  d'Or,  4lu  ;  sports,  49j  ;  Star  of 
Wyke,   429;    synonyms    of,  497;   Val 
d'Or,  472.  5C9  ;  W.  Robinson,  470;  alpl- 
num,    523  ;    synonyms,    533  ;    White 
Daisy,  626 


Chlora  perfoliata,  31 

Chbisya  temata,  176 

Christmas  flowers,  511 

Christmas  Roses  in  pots,  380  ;  not  seed- 
ing, oO 

Chrysanthemums,  Anemone  -  flowered, 
527  ;  at  Christmas,  529  ;  Daisy,  525 

Chrysanthemums,  325,  352,  426  ;  at  Fins- 
bury  I'ark,  363 ;  at  Uolmbury,  478  ;  at 
the  Temple,  409  ;  cultivated  species  of, 
440  ;  culture  of,  71  ;  early-blooming, 
183,  317,  343,  363  ;  hardy,  437  ;  in  pots 
V.  planted  out,  110  ;  in  small  pots,  58, 
63 ;  in  the  open  air,  454 ;  in  vases, 
471 ;  grubs  on,  94  ;  naturally  grown, 
462  ;  new  early,  290  ;  new  of  1884,  395  ; 
on  walls,  343  ;  out  of  doors,  475  ;  pom- 
pon, 449 :  single,  412,  471 ;  striking 
tops  of,  433 

Chrysocoma  Linosyris,  272 

Church  decoration,   188,  331 

Churchyards  for  recreation,  163 

Cineraria  maritima,  395 

Cladrastia  amurensis,  119 

Clarkia,  self  sown,  89 

Clearwing  moths,  the,  303 

Clematis  coccinea,  77,  105,  152;  Francois 
Morel,  321;  montana  and  flammula, 
204  ;  Proteus,  79 ;  aromatica,  96 

Clematises,  hjl)rid,  2  ;  note  on,  96 

Clerodendron  Ealfouri,  406,  542 

Clipping  in  girdeua,  374 

Clovenfords,  Grapes  and  Orchids  at,  271 

Coal,  anthracite,  91,  330,  414,  434 

Cob-nuts  and  Filberts,  407 

Cobrea  scandena,  283,  527 

Ctelogyne  bartata,  529  ;  Gardneriana,  529 

Colchicum  maximum,  394 ;  minimum, 
268;  Parkinsoni.  391 

Coleus  Countess  of  Dudley,  147  ;  yellow- 
Itaved,  600 

Colour  in  flower  gardens,  104 

Colour  of  trees  in  1884,  438 

Columbines,  3  ;  hybrid,  320 

Combeflshacre  House,  the  garden  at,  493 

Combinations,  natural,  30;  some  charm- 
ing, 95 

Comparettia  falcata,  50 

Conandron  ramondioides,  31 

Concentrated  manure,  33 

Conferences,  horticultural,  125 

Conifer  forests  of  California,  246,  275 

Cunifer  specimen?,  renovating,  531 

Conifers  at  The  Grange,  Kingston,  373 

Cauoabury  Square,  opening  of,  298 

Consider  the  Lilies,  2U0 

Continental  notes,  57,  401 

Convolvulus  leaf,  variegated,  106 

Coprosmi  Baueriana  variegata,  109 

Coreopsis  lanceolata,  460,  476,  527  ;  the 
genus,  460 

Cornwall,  notes  from,  531 

Coronilla  glauca  seedliog,  331 ;  Valen- 
tin a,  352 

Coryanthes  maculata  punctata,  4 

Corydalis  Semenovi,  2i0 

Corylopsis  himalayana,  321 ;  spicata, 
112 

Costus  igr.eus,  221,  548 

Cotoneaster  aftinis,  431 ;  frigida,  426 

Cottage  gardens,  productions  of,  178 

Cottagers'  Garden  Show,  148 

Cotton  Lavender  for  edging  bouquets, 
121 

Covent  Gardtn  Market,  57,  64, 146,  430 

Cow  Parsnip  at  Edinburgh,  11  ;  the 
Giant,  13 

Craigleith  Nursery,  the,  164,  307 

Cranberries,  American,  444,  452 

Cranmore  Hall,  notes  from,  356 

Crassula  pallida,  221 

Crat;e^U9  cordata,  39  ;  Pyracantha,  332 

Creeping  Forget-me-not,  the,  315 

Creepine  Jenny,  the  golden.  263 

Crinum  leucophyllum,  400  ;  Mooreanum, 
282  ;  PoweUi.  230  ;  origin  of,  252 

Crocus  Fleischeri,  294 ;  nudiflorus,  450 

Crocuses,  autumn  flowering,  351,  455 ; 
seedling,  391 

Crop,  Apple,  the,  310 

Crops,  rotation  of,  142 

Crotou  Marquis  de  I'Aigle,  85 

Crowea  latifolia,  632 

Crown  Daisies,  364,  457 

Crute's  patent  flower-pot,  304 

Crystal  Palace  Chrysanthemum  show, 
448 ;  fruit  show,  240  ;  new  Dahlias  at 
the,  249 ;  Rose  show,  34 

Cucumber  gi'owing  in  Belgium,  58  ;  roots 
diseased,  168 

Cucumbers,  winter,  402 

Culverwell,  Bath,  hardy  flowers  at,  457 

Ciipressus  Lawsoniana,  146  ;  Luwaoniana 
Fleeti,  428  ;  nutkaensis,  35S 

Cycads,  imported,  472 
Cyclamen  bulbs,  old,  72 

Cyclamen  culture,  462 

Cyclamens,  326  ;   early  in  winter,  130 ; 

hardy,  :U3 
Cydouia  japouica,  60 
Cymbidium  elegans,  469  ;  Mastersi,  490  ; 
afiine, 492 

Cyperus  alternifoliua,  418 
Cyprlpediums,  notes  on,  155 


Cypripedium  Calceo'us,  370;  cardinale, 
492 ;  caudatum,  73 ;  ciliolare,  264  ; 
Curtiai,  34  ;  Godefroyse,  351,  372; 
iusigne  violaceum  punctatum,  509 ; 
Liwrencianum,  372 ;  Lawrencianum 
maju",  176  ;  montanum,  73  ;  selligerum 
majus,  107 ;  spectabile,  4  ;  Spicerianum, 
24,  370;  hybridum  and  Dauthieri, 
529 

Cyrtominm  falcatum,  375,  376 

Cyrtopodium  Andersoni,  529 

Cytisuses,  note  on,  508 


Daisy  Chrysanthemums.  525 

Datfodil  book,  a  new,  426 

Daffodil  bulbs,  planting,  203,  229 

Datfodil  catalogues,  395 

Daffodil  notes,  362,  378,  381,394,  436,  455, 

496.  526,  538 
Daffodil,  reversions  of,  31 ;  seed,  how  to 
sow,    31 ;     Sir    Watkin,    183  ;    great 
Welsh,  394 
Daffodils    abroad,    239,    3*3,  383  ;    and 
Lilies,  228  ;  chequered,   227  ;    double, 
from  seed,  66,  330;  seeds,  455;  new, 
228 ;  planting,   205,  457,  476  ;  seeding 
of  double,  31  ;  double,  526 ;  precocious 
blooming,  528  ;  seeding  of,  538 
Dalilia  coccinea  nova>,  369 ;    Formosa, 
242  ;    picta  formosissima,  299;    Frau 
Emil  Heinick,  349 ;  La  Petite  Barbier, 
349 ;  Mrs.  Douglas,  193 
Dahlias  at  Slough,  229  ;    In  the    open 
ground,  230 ;  large  v.  small,  252  ;  late, 
412  ;  new,  219  ;  new  certificated,  241; 
pompon,  221  ;   self-sown,  250  ;   semi- 
double,   204,   245,  203  ;  show  of,   197  ; 
single,  134  ;  wintering,  411 
Daisies  io  Eunshine  and  in  shade,  105; 

Ox-eye,  27 
Daisy,  French  name  for,  470 
D^g;,tein,  flowers  in  bloom  at,  476 
Daphne  rupestris,  268 
Dark  days  in  the  garden,  494 
Dat  iS  of  flowering  of  plants,  141 
Datura  medeoloides,  352 
Davidsonia  pruriens,  289 
Decorations,  floral,  43,  69 
December  flowers  in  Isle  of  Wight,  454 
Decorations  for  tables,  102 
Delphinium  Gloire  de  Nancy,  34;  gran- 

diflurum   fl.-pl.,  155 
DelphiuiumF,  12,  204 ;     double,   culture 

and  selection  of,  224 

Dei  drobea,  flowerl-rss,  181 

Dendrubium     aduncum,     400;     chryso- 

toxum  superbum,  4  ;   Dearei,  12*1,  171 ; 

formosum  giganteum,  469;    Griftithia- 

nuni,  77  ;  Phalajnopsis,  349  ;  tauriuum. 

469  * 

Dendrochilum  Cobbianum,  529  ;  Fytchi- 

anum,  5'29 
Derbyshire,  November  flowers  in,  412 
Desfontainea,  propagating  the,  220 
Dessert  Apple,  a  new,  267 
Devon  and  Cornwall,  notes  from,  531 
Devonshire,  notes  from,  493 
Dianthus  alpinus,    184;  Atkinsoni,  157  ; 
Caryophyllus,     264  ;      hispanicus,     3 ; 
hispauicus  and  Atkinsoni,  30;  Ugnosus 
Presicent  Amiral  Greig,  264  ;  Napoleon 
lU.,  105 
Dichotricbium  ternatum,  246,  520 
Dictamnus  Fraxinella,  293 
Dielytras  in  pots,  176,  289 
Diervilla  triflda,  167 
Digitalis  hybrid,  34,  79 
Dimorphotheca  pluvialis,  120 
Dinner  table  decorations,  winter,  491 
Dioscorea  Batatas,  169  ;  retusa,  246 
Dipiadenia    amabills,     312  ;   boliviensis, 

42,  110  ;  Elliotti,  193 
Disa  grandiflora,  101,  106,  127,  171,  196  ; 

grandiflora  superba.  221,  492 
Disas  in  the  Isle  of  Wight,  176 
Disemma  Hahni,  203 
Dishonest  exhibiting,  400 
Divider,  a  simple  line,  6  8 
Dodecatheons,  526 
Dogwood,  variegated,  358 
Doronicima  Clusii,  19,  41 ;  plantagineum 
excelaum,  41,  537  ;  Harpur  Crewe,  637 
Dove  plant,  the,  286,  403 
Down  House,  Blandford,  Fir  avenue  at 
225  ' 

Doyle  Road  Nursery,  Guernsey,  550 
Dracfena  Cantleyi,  499  ;  Goldieana  from 

stem  cuttings,  110 
Dracrenas  and  their  culture,  261 
Dry  rot,  370 
Dry  weather  flowers,  2 
Drynmnia  marniorata,  24 
Dundee  International  show,  242 
Dunlop  House  Orchids,  the,  266,  308 
Dunster  Castle,  478 
Dutch  market  gardens,  150 
Eaglehurst  Cistle,  252 


Earthenware  rings  for  bulbs,  66,  105 
Earthworms  as  tree  planters,  90 
Eccremocarpus  scaber,  152 
Echeveria  secunda  glauca,  40 
Eehinops  Ritro,  151 
Edge  Hall,  Lilies  at,  28 
Edinburgh  Castle  Rock,  the,  313 
Edinburgh,  hardy  plants  at,  19  ;  summer 

show  at,  35 
EIrcagnusrotundifolia,  219 
Elms  and  wasps,  275,  374,  439 
Elstead,  Orchids  at,  530 
Endive  and  Lettuce,  403 
Endive,  culture  of,  142 
English  and  American  fruit,  450 
English  garden,  an  two  centuries  ago, 

243 
English  Irises,  a  feast  of,  40 
English  names,  378 
Epacrisea  and  their  culture,  109 
Epacrises,   hybrid,  63 ;  list  of  varieties, 

68 
Epidendrum  nemorale,  106 
Epiphyllum  Russelianum  Gaertneri,  520 
EppiDg  Forest,  450 
Eremurus  aurantiacus,  437  ;  himalaicus, 

41 
Erica,  best  species  of,  259 ;  codonodes, 

374  ;  Maweana,  85,  293 
Ericas,  hardy,  201 
Erigerou  aurantiacus,  254 
Erigerona,  the  beat,  254 
Eriogonum  umbellatum,  12 
Erodium     astragaloides,     185 ;    Campo- 

sianum,   185  ;    macradenum,  1S4  ;   tri- 

chomana?folium,  185 
Erodiums,  alpine  species  of,  184 
Eryngium  Oliverianum,  270 
Eryngiums,  270 
Erysimum  Peroffskianum,  130 
E3caUonia  leucantha,  411 ;  rubra,  371 
Eucomis  punctata,  285 
Eucharis  amazonica,  51. 121,  331  ;  planted 

out,  23  ;  inaecta  on,  10  ;  Sanderl,  462 
Eucholirion  corallinum,  498 
Eulalia  japonica,  204,  294 
Eulophia  scripta,  4 
Eupatorium  ageratoides,  268 
Eupatoriums.  472 
Euphorbia  punicea,  221 
Eurybia  Gunniana,  293 
Evelyn's  nomenclature,  266 
Evening  Primroses,  th"^,  480 
E/ergreens,    propagating,  214  ;  pruning 

in  autumn,  397 
Exeter  Apple  Fair,  399 
Exhibiting,  unfair,  369 
Exhibition  at  St.  Petersburg,  180  ;  garden 

scheme  for  an,  37  ;  New  Orleans,  19  ;  of 

bulbs    in    Haarlem,    452 ;    of    hardy 

flowers,  3 
Exhibitions,  arrangement  of,  239  ;  fraud 

at,  339,  379.  400,  443 
Exmouth,  the  climate  of,  490 
Exochorda  grandiflora,  propagating,  112 


Fallowfield  Orchids,  the.  492 

Fern,  a  good  window,  4S0 ;  jars  for,  433 ; 
Royal,  the,  405 ;  spores  raising,  157 ; 
spores  V.  seeds,  253 

Ferns,  369 ;  at  Rockvllle.  479  ;  best  cul- 
tivated, 62,  88,  167,  237,  257.  275,  297, 
322,  353  ;  for  baskets,  125 ;  hardy, 
select  kinds  of,  374  ;  native  extermina- 
tion of,  353  ;  raising  from  spores,  157  ; 
Tree,  326  ;  young,  444 

Ficus  repens,  537  ;  out-of-doors,  456,  527 

Field  flowers,  425 

Figs  casting  their  fruits,  472 

Finsbury  Park.  333 

Fir  trees,  remarkable,  42,  61 

Fiah  as  manure.  265 

Fishponds,  369,  458 

Flame  Flowers,  the,  396 

Floral  Committee  of  the  Royal  Horti- 
cultural Society,  the,  509 

Floral  decorations,  43,  522 

Floral  mimicry,  405 

Floral  monstrosities,  510 

Floods,  utilisation  of,  143 

Florist  and  Pomologist,  th?,  490 

Florists'  models  of  flowers,  314 

Florists,  winter  work  for,  495 

Flower  bed,  a  good  mixed,  184 

Flower  beds,  too  many,  69 

Flower  garden,  325 

Flower  gardens,  colour  in,  104 

Flower-pot,  a  new,  543 

Flower-pots,  434 

Flower  show,  a  pleasing  feature  at  a, 
265,  269 

Flowers  and  health,  190 

Flowers  at  Christmas,  511  ;  by  post,  511 ; 
at  Hawick,  252 

Footpath  Preservation  Soci-aty,  338 

Forest  in  Australia,  a,  20 


Jan.  3,  1885.1 


THE  GARDEN  INDEX 


TU 


Flowers,  autuirii,  250,  411 ;  autumn,  in 
June,  31 :  baskets  of,  107  ;  cut  arrange- 
ment of,  1  ;  dry  weather,  2  ;  evening 
and  twilight,  94  ;  hardy  border,  162 ; 
hardy,  notes  on,  31),  94,  104,  155,  272  ; 
indoors,  55  ;  native,  376  ;  of  the  tlelds, 
425  ;  properties  of,  1S4,  251  ;  rare 
hirdy,  12;  red,  white,  and  blue,  C9  ; 
of  \Vi  !ht,  475  ;  the  doubling  of,  190 
retro i^ect  on  hardy,  24S :  in  the 
I»Io 

Forestry  Exhibition,  the  International, 
3,  241,  260.  312,  232 

Forestry,  the  Journal  of,  332 

I'orests  of  California,  246 

Forge  Apple,  the,  273 

Forget- me  nots  in  bouquets,  352  ;  in  pots, 
320 

Forljs,  flat-tined,  88 

Fortingall.  trees  at,  166 

Fo-Ny  Grapes.  260,  273,  339,  361,  379  ;  brst 
flavoured,  the,  202,  226 

France,  notes  from,  313  ;  Orchid  show  iu, 
307 

Francoa  ramosa,  164 

Franliiucense  Tree,  the,  319 

Fraud  at  exhibitions.  339  413 

Fraxinus  aucubrefulta,  374  ;  quadnngu- 
lata,  224 

Freesias  from  seed,  312,  359,  418 

French  Marigolds,  500 

Fritillaria  imperialis  inodora,  369 ;  bu- 
charica,  520 

Fruit,  a  new,  107 

Fruit  and  vegetable  show,  78,  349,  353 

Fruit  borders,  shallow,  547 

Fruit  buds  ripening.  191 

Fruit  crop  reports,  108, 113,  131 

Fruit,  English  and  American,  450 

Fruit  exportation  from  Belgium,  516 

Fruit  gardens,  market,  407 

Fruit  gathering  and  storing,  305  ;  grow- 
ing for  m.arliet,  459  ;  paclung,  63.  416  ; 
rotten,  124  ;  soils,  451 ;  storing,  267 

Fruit  tree  culture,  191 

Fruit  trees,  canlcer  in,  378  ;  forms  of, 
123  ;  heading  down,  361 ;  in  pleasure 
grounds,  160  ;  in  pots,  123  ;  manures 
lor,  33S  ;  ornamental,  15  ;  soil  for,  S2  ; 
under  glass,  autumn  treatment  of,  201  ; 
summer's  growth  on,  260  ;  winter 
dressing,  484  ;  for  north  wall,  516,  518  ; 
pruning,  545 ;  pruning  and  dressing, 
518 

Fruits  and  seeds,  pntecting,  54 

Fruits,  bush,  82,  159,  506  ;  for  midh-ind 
counties,  f,02  ;  open  air,  226  ;  preser- 
vation of,  159 

Fruity  autumn,  201 

Fuchsia  Dominiana,  462 ;  Sir  Henry 
Pottinger,  332  ;  triphylla,  245,  307 

Fuchsias  by  the  sea,  179,  311 ;  finely 
grown,  163  ;  in  Wiltshire,  199 ;  large- 
flowered  double,  70 ;  planted  out  462  ; 
specimen,  306 

Funkia  grandiflora,  249;  subcordata 
grandiflora,  203 

Furze,  dwarf,  292 


a 


Gaillardias,  411,  50O 

Golega  ofiicinalis  alba,  105,  272 

f^aliura  purpureum,  297 

Gall  mites,  416 

lialtonia  candicana,  105  ;  from  teed,  68; 
princeps.  41 

Garden  aud  landscape  in  winter,  531 

Garden  Annual  for  1SS5,  the,  450,  470 

Garden,  art  in  the,  267 

Garden  crops,  acreage  of,  In  Britain 
410 

Garden,  dark  days  in  the,  494 

Garden  exhibition,  37,  126 

Garden  of  Hellebores,  a,  492 

Garden  picture,  a,  313 

Garden  plants,  new,  3=6 

Garden,  reclamation  of,  58  ;  renovating 
an  old,  220 

Garden  Roses,  103,  207 

Garden  soils  and  lime,  404,  476 

Garden  topics,  notes  on,  46, 126,   239 

Garden,  uses  of  sewage,  61 

Gardeners'  Benfvolem  Institution,  3  64 
369,  378,  390,  410,  449,  462,  510,  530 

Gardenias,  diseased,  498 

Gardening  in  Germany,  58;  in  India 
19  i;  m  Italy,  67  ;  in  the  ScUIy  Islands, 
261 ;  journals,  266;  leaf,  391 ;  market- 
ing in  Hants,  274 ;  Jlr.  Gladstone  on, 
167  ;  on  walU,  264  ;  periodicals,  the, 
510  ;  press,  the,  174  ;  wild,  at  Newry 
154  ;  changes,  430 

Gardens,  clipping  iu,  374  ;  contrasts  of 
two,  354  ;  Dutch  market,  150  ;  in  Ire- 
land, 269  ;  in  winter,  364  ;  of  the  Villa 
Tasca,  413  ;  on  railway  embankments 
81 

Gathering  and  storing  fruit,  305 

Gaultheria  nummulariiefolla,  294  ;  pro- 
cumbens,  394 


Genista  sagltt.alis,  41 

Gentiana  and  Sternbergia,  352  ;  bavarica, 
64  ;  brachyphylla,  104  ;  geli<ta,  94,  96  ; 
orientalis,  94  ;  ornata,  128 ;  pneumo- 
nanthe,  294  ;  septemtida,  04 ;  Walu- 
jewi,  67 

Gentians,  notes  on,  94 

Geranium  ibericum,  63  ;  ph.Tum,  2S3  ; 
pratense,  104 

German  gardens  in  spring  aud  summer, 
68 

German  peat  litter,  403 

Geum  montanum,  455  ;  rivalc,  mon- 
strous, 34 

Giant  Knotweeds,  the,  317 

Gilbert,  Richard,  332 

Ginger  plant,  the,  2S4 

Gladioli  at  .South  Kensington,  153  ;  early 
blooming,  66  ;  in  dry  weather,  245;  Le- 
moine's  hybrid,  149;  seedling,  471; 
varieties  of  and  culture,  294  ;  Cape,  528 

Gladiolus  Ardens,  12  ;  Colvillei,  152  ; 
hybridus  Lafayette,  77,  86;  Lady 
Carington,  147  ;  Sir  F.  Bolton,  212  ; 
St.  Gatien,  193  ;  The  Bride,  44  ;  Ville 
do  Versailles,  471,  512:  W.  Kelway, 
242 

Glass  structures,  erecting,  72  ;  material 
for,  425  ;  for  .Sydney,  61 ;  shading,  221, 
319 

Glazing,  new  methol  of,  91 

Globe  Artichokes,  477 

Gloriosa  superba,  268.  310 

Gloxinias  at  Edinburgh,  163  ;  Improved, 
498  ;  in  winter,  499 

Godetia?,  the  species  of,  480 

Golden  Chestnut  at  Tortworth,  373 

Gooseberries  on  walls,  149 ;  pruning,  160  ; 
prolific,  202  ;  caterpillar,  the,  123 ; 
crops,  ensuring,  158 ;  a  house,  SI  ; 
Speedwell,  203 

Gourds,  Snake,  319 

Govenitt  fasciata,  128 

Grape  crops,  the,  260 ;  culture,  11 ;  cul- 
ture and  rainfall,  46;  Duke  of  Buc- 
cleucli,  202 ;  growing,  extraordinary, 
491 ;  Hyacinths,  136,  167  ;  mildews, 
273  ;  Vine,  the  Parsley-leaved,  2 

Grapes  at  Clovenfords,  271 ;  at  the  Health 
Exhibition, 266  ;attacked  by  oidiumHal- 
sami,  610  ;  blue,  332  ;  colouring,  190  ; 
cracking,  190,  239  ;  for  market,  23, 1-26  ; 
foxy,  202,  226,  260,  293,  361,  379  ;  large 
and  small  bunches  of,  337  ;  JIadresfleld 
Court  cracking,  227  ;  Muscat  in  c  ol 
houses,  371,  460 ;  not  colouring,  54  ; 
prices  of  273  ;  shanking,  220,  2d0 ; 
shrivelled,  3u2  ;  thinning,  5 

Grass,  Pampas,  the,  632 

Grasses,  ornamental,  69 

Green  leaves,  425 

Greenhouse  climbers.  124 

Greenhouses,  detached,  337 ;  benches 
for,  70 

Greenhouse  plants  out-of-doors,  B27 

Grubs  iu  seeds,  479 

Gumming  Roses,  430,  435 

Gunnera  manicata,  261,  283 

Gynerium  jubatum,  411 

Gynura  aurantiaca,  130 

Gypsophila  paniculata,  294 


Haarlem  liulb  Exhiljition,  452 
Habeuaria  ciliaris,  196,  264 ;  rhodochili, 

128 
Habranthus  punctatua,  321 
Htemanthus  coccineus,  73 ;  £atherina3, 

321 
Hammersmith  Garden  Society,  530 
Hampshire  .Strawberry  fields,  15 
Hardy  flowers,  the  selection  of,  143 
Harpalium  rigidum,  527 
Harrow  Weald  Common,  530 
Harvest  festivals,  426 
Hawick,  florist's  flowers  at,  262 
Health  and  flowers,  190 
Heaths,  best  hardy,  259 
Heckfleld,  Ilower  gardening  at,  F94 
Hedgerows  and  wild  Roses,  639 
Hedychium  Gardnedauum,  220,  412 
Helianthemum,  the  genus,  420 
Helianthus     argyrophyllus,     433 ;    cali- 
fornicus,    331 ;    cucumenfolius,     174 ; 
dorouicoides,  281 ;  multiflorus  fl.-pl., 
272;  orgyalis,    384;  perennial  spec.es 
of,  245 :  rigidua,  272 

Hellebore  garden,  a,  493 

Hellebores,  notes  on,  457 

Hemlock  Spruce,  the,  '275 

Hepaticas,  culture  of,  24 

Heracleum  giguuteum,  12 

Herbaria  specimens,  preparing,  340 

Herbs,  dried,  56 

Heuchera  sangninea,  300 

Heucheras,  the  cultivated,  360 

Hesperaloe  yuccrefolia,  20 

Hibiscus   grandlllorus,    290 ;    militaris, 
244  ;  sjnacus,  267  ;  frionum,  147 

Highclere  gardens,  the,  147 


Highgate  Woods,  preservation  of,  630 
Hillsborough  Pernettyas,  the,  431 
HoUoway,  (irchids  at,  402 
Hollyhock,  diseases  of,  30 ;  culture  of, 

495 
Honeydew,  141 ;  on  lines,  34 
Hornet  clearwing,  the,  303 
Horticultural  conferences,  125 
Horticultural  progress,  221 
Horticulture,  lectures  on,  206 
Hothouse  boilers,  462 
Houses  for  fruit  growinf?,  72  ;  for  Peach 

culture,  73 
Hoya  roots  clubbing,  610 
Hoyas  and  their  culture,  644 
Huddersfleld,  park  at,  310 
Humea  elegans,  31 
Button  Hall,  107 

Hyacinths  in  water,  379  ;  diseased,  296 
Hyacinthus  candicans,  00,  119,  148,  272 
Hybrid  Gladioli,  new  French    for  18S4, 

314 
Hyde    Park   and  Kensington  Gardens, 

gardening  in,  100 
Hydrangeas,  blue,  275 
Hydrangea  petiolaris,  520 
Hypericum  empetrifolium,  24 
Hypocyrta  brevicalyx,  124 
Hypolepis  Millefolium,  172 


Iceland  Poppies,  13,  380 

Impatieus   flaccida.  So  ;    flaccida  alba, 

391 ;  Hookeriana,  452  ;  Jerdoniie,  391 ; 

Sultani,  5,  31S  ;  Walkeri,  391 
Inarching  Vines,  S3 
Indian  and  Chinese  Pinks,  384 
Indian  Bean,  the,  164 
Indian  Corn,  30 
Indian  gardening,  192 
Indian  Pinks,  29 
Indigofera   floribuuda,    144 ;  floribunda 

alba,  34  ;  Gerardiana,  219 
Indoor  plants,  326 
Industry,  a  new,  332 
Influence  of  the  stock  on  the  scion,  97 
Inodorous  manures,  146,  274,  324 
Insects,  injurious,  171 ;  wood-boring,  63 

Parsley,  635 
International  Inventions  Exhibition,  148 
Ipomiea  Bonanox,  312;    hispida,   411; 

new  white,  151 ;  rubro-ccjcrulea,  411, 

426,  462;  Thomsoni,  428;  Horstalliic, 

532 
Ireland,  gardens  in,  269 
Iris  bexagona,  400 ;  Ksempferi,  double, 

67  ;  Kajnpferi,  new  varieties,  34  ;  olbi- 

ensis,  455  ;  orchioides,  181 ;  reticulata, 

41 ;  forcing  the,  155  ;  verna,  93  ;  Widow, 

the,  102, 106 ;  (-Xiphion)  tingitana,  233 ; 

Kajmpferi,  512,  528  ;  l.-evigata,  628 
Irises,  aqu.atic,  528 
Irises  and  Pfeonies,  20 
Irises,  English,  40 ;  the  time  of,  65 
Ironstone  soils,  275 
Isle  of  Wight,  December  flowers  in  the, 

464 
Italian  gardening,  67 
Ivies,  good  distiucc,  224 
Ivy  on  trees,  374 

Ixias  and  their  culture,  71,  340,  380 
Ixora   Duffl,    174  ;    macrothyrsa,    222  ; 

Westi,  147 


Jacobs'  Strawberry  Apple,  319 

Jauiesia  americana,  19 

Japan  Hop.  476 

Japan  tjuince,  the,  60 

Japanese  Bindweeds,  411 

Japanese  Maples,  270 

Japanese  Pinks,  203 

Jars,  Fern.  433 

Jasminum  gracilUmum,  542 

Jersey,  Grape   growing   in,    46 ;   notes 

from,  160 
Jerusalem  Artichokes  flowering,  403 
Jerusalem  Sage,  the,  61 
Justicia  speciosa,  471 


E. 


Kajmpferia  Kirki,  42 ;  ornata,  464 

Kentiopsis  macrocarpa,  181 

Kew  Gardens,  378 

Kew,  imperial,  426 ;  notes  from,  103  ; 
Palm  house  at,  199,  2S1,  310  ;  rock 
garden  at,  44  ;  Water  Lilies  at,  20 

Kitchen  garden,  53 ;  at  Burghley,  489  ; 
hopeless,  the,  478;  notes  on,  63 

Knife  for  Carnation  layering,  2b3 

Kniphofla  foliosa,  452  ;  graudis,  151 

Kochia  scoparia,  266 


L. 


Labels,  zinc  garden,  33 

Lachenalia  tricolor,  162 

Lailia  elegans  alba,  124  ;  elegans  Dayana, 
176  ;  elegans  Tumeri.  392  ;  elegans  vari, 
128  ;  elegans  superbissima,  147 

Lagerstrcemia  indica,  286 

Laucea  tibetica.  34 

Lantana  Louis  Benoit,  312 

Lantanas,  384 

Lapageria  alba,  412  ;  leaves  of,  85  ;  Nash 
Court  variety,  268,  349;  rosea  splen- 
dens,  174;  rosea,  triplet  blooms  of, 
472 ;  shoots,  pinching,  500 

Lapagerias,  clustered,  301 ;  from  Gunton 
Park,  120 ;  note  on,  507 ;  red  aud 
white,  268 

Lastrea  Filix  mas  cristata,  374 

Lathyrus  Drummondi,  29,  42  ;  latif>ilius, 
85  ;  latilolius  albus,  67,  104,  272,  343, 
456 ;  latilolius  dalicatus,  77 ;  tnberosus. 
201 

Lavender,  395 

Laurel,  round  leaved,  470 

Laurustinus  hedges,  371 

Layering  Carnations,  knife  for,  283 

Leaf  fall  under  glass,  338 

Leaf  gardening,  384,  301 

Leaves  and  their  uses  in  gardens,  438 

Leaves,  large,  164 

Lebanon  Cedars,  our  earliest,  192 

Lecythis  Ollaria,  499 

Leea  amabills,  163 

Leeds'  Narcissi,  427,  528 

Leeks  and  yellow  Turnips,  344 

Leeks,  culture  of,  63 ;  Scotch,  402,  461 

Leschenaultiabiloba  major,  298 

Lettuce,  Daniels'  new  Cabbage,  344 

Lettuce  fly,  03 

Lettuces,  amongst  the,  535 

Lettuces  and  Endive,  403 

Lettuces,  summer,  9 

Leucanthemums,  the  species  of,  440 

Leneojum  autumnalis,  281 

Li  Chi  fruit,  the,  198 

Liboce.irus  decurrens,  357 

Ligustrum  japonicum,  174 

Lilies,  Belladonna,  106 ;  and  Orchids 
from  Liverpool,  4  ;  at  Edge  Hall,  23  ; 
at  Heatherbank,  Wej  bridge,  41 ;  at 
Kew,  110 ;  in  large  pots,  66 ;  in  the 
rain,  155  ;  potting,  358,  433,  408 ;  Scar- 
borough, 201,  307  ;  Torch,  the,  228; 
white,  66  ;  white  and  orange,  428 

Lilium  auratum,  245  ;  as  a  cottager's 
plant,  ISO  ;  bulbiferons,  469 ;  forms  of, 
318  ;  in  pots,  300 ;  watermg,  85, 163  ; 
caudidum,  297,  428 ;  croceura,  428  ; 
Hausoni,  31 ;  Harrisi,  2i),  64  ;  Hoveyi, 
180  ;  Kraitzeri,  216  ;  lancifolium,  200  ; 
longiflorum,  67  ;  neilgherrense,  245; 
phiBppiDense,  42  ;  speciosuni  album, 
206  ;  teuuifolium,  2  ;  testaceum,  85  ; 
tigrinum,  184 ;  tigrinum  splendens, 
161 ;  a  fine,  364 

Lilliputian  Pelargoniums,  318 

Lily,  Bermuda,  the,  141,  ISO ;  a  cotta- 
ger's, 337  ;  bulbs,  importing,  126,  162; 
failure  of,  383  ;  leaves,  spotted,  68  ; 
Neilgherry,  the,  245  ;  stem  fasciated, 
101 ;  the  African,  230  ;  white,  204,  313 

Lime  y.  garden  soils,  464 

Liuaria  anticaria,  436  ;  multipunctata, 
475  ;  criganifolia,  394;Peloria.  175; 
triornithophora,  12,  452 ;  vulgaris 
Peloria,  104 

Lindheimera  tex.ana,  94 

Lindley,  Dr.,  the  late,  239 

Line  divider,  Mark's,  352  ;  a  simple,  643 

Lithospermum  prostratum,  156,  314,  384, 

404 ;   propagating,  530 
Livistona  australis,  337 

Lobelia  fulgens  cardiualis,  396 ;  fulgena 

Victoria,  252  ;  urens,  C7 
Lobelias  from  seed,    364  ;  hybrid,  263 

tall,  384 ;  perennial,  203 
Locust,  Weeping,  the,  224 
London  graveyards,  167 
Louicera  Maacki,  321 
Lord  Suffleld  Apple,  304 
Low,  Mr.  Hugh,  101 

Luculia  from  seed,  512  ;  gratissima  as  a 
wall  plant,  529  ;  gratissima,  propagat- 
ing, 498 
Lupinus  arboreus,  294 
Lycaste  Skinneri.  4G9 
Lythe  Hill,  Rose  house  at,  491 
Lythrum  Grrofferi,  96 


M. 


M.agnolia  grandiflora,  268,  382 ;  macro- 

phylla,  12  :  parvirtora,  22 
Malva  umbellifera,  510 
Mandevilla  suaveolens,  10 
ilanettia  bicolor,  532  ;  cordifolia,  5i2 
Manetti  Rose,  the,  18 
Mangoes,  436  ;  varieties  of,  372 
Mangold  fly,  the,  93 


THE  GARDEN  INDEX 


[Jan.  3,  1885. 


Manure,  animal,  for  gardens,  37G,  403, 
419  ;  fish,  2(:5  ;  con<-entrated,  33 ;  in- 
odorous, 146,  237,  274, 324 

Manuring  herbaceous  plants,  279 

Maples,  Japanese,  270 

Marechal  Niel  Kose,  6J,  322 

Mareyrocarpus  seto&us,  155 

Market  fruit,  17 

Market  fruit  gardens,  407 

Market  fruit  growing,  450 

Market  garden  notes.  23,  15S  364,  418 

Market  gardening  in  Ilauts,  274;  in  Hol- 
land, 150 

Market  Peas,  56 

Mark's  line  divider,  3&2 

Marigold,  Cape,  the,  120  ;  Meteor,  3i3 

Marigolds,  Krtnch,  50U ;  French  and 
African,  280 

]Vlarrow  Pea,  a  perfect,  56 

Masdevallia  bella,  264;  Chimara,  370; 
leaves  diseased,  469;  triglochin,  172 

Maxillaria  Farrisonire  purpurea,  4 

Medinella  Trysmaniana,  31 

Jlelilot,  156 

Melon  growing,  160 

Melon  hybrid  cashmere,  273 

Melon  roots,  124  ;  roots  dtcayirg,  102 

Melons,  English,  11 ;  hardy,  58;  in  Eve- 
lyn's time,  11  :  judging,  46;  supports 
for,  126  ;  winter,  174 

Mendip  Jlills,  rocky  gorge  in  the,  65 

Menziesia  polifolia  alba,  119 

Mesembryanthemum,  119;  nightbloonv 
ing,  120 

Metropolitan  Playgrounds  Assoclafion, 
469 

Michaelmas  Daities,  an  avenue  of,  471 

Michaelmas  Daisy,  giant,  96;  the  Pyre- 
nean,  105 

Microsperma  bartoni  ides,  86 

Midland  countits,  hiirdv  friiits  for,  502 

Mianonette  seed,  244,  283  ;  winter  cul- 
ture of.  198 

Mildew,  Grape,  273 

Milla  biflora,  2'.=8,  294 

Miltonia  Candida  crandiflora,  288 

Mimuluses,  new,  71 

Mimicry  in  flowers,  465 

Jlistletoe  berries  fiom  fertilisation,  273 

Jlissing  plants,  351 

Mitchell  (D,  G.),  woika  of,  412 

Mites,  gall,  416 

Mock  Oranges,  small  flowered,  373 

Models  of  floiists,  363 

Montbretiacrocrifmieflnra,  151.  178;  ele- 
gans,  147  ;  Pott&l.  297,  316,  313 

Muon-flower.  the,  312 

Morina  Coulteriana,  174 

Moths,  the  clearwing,  303 

Moulding  Potatoes,  experiments  in,  4G9 

Mount  UEsher,  33 

Mountain  Ash  benies,  464 
Mulching,  too  much,  17.  f  4  ;  value  of,  33 
Munstead,  notes  from.  392 
Muhlenbeckia  varians,  294 

ilusa  coccinea,  432 

MuEcari,  the  species  of,  136 
Muf  cat  Grapes  in  c-  ol  housf  s,  371 
Mushroom  beds,  (3 
Mushroom  cultuiesimplifitd,  412 
Mubhroom  culture,  53tj 
Mushrooms,  bow  to  prow,  20fS 
Mutisia  brevitlova,  321  ;  deeurrens,  190, 
198.  224  ;  Pbilippi.  321  ;  veracolor,  321 
Myrtle,  ancient,  an,  432 


N. 


Nemea  of  plants,  English,  ?44,  378 

Natcissi  abroad,  378,  396;  autumnal, 
378 ;  cross-fertilising,  31  ;  Dammann's 
new,  181 ;  Leeds'  EeedJing,  427  ;  new, 
228  ;  raising  from  seed,  68  ;  replanting, 
149  ;  Umberto  x^t  and  Eef;ina  Margbe- 
rita,  455  ;  Letds',  528  ;  planting,  527 

Kaicissus  aureo-tinctus,  427;  bicidor 
H  orsefleldi,  3&1.  395,  436 ;  bicolor 
m^xirans,  42 r  ;  bulbs,  cost  of,  227; 
r  italogue?,  342 ;  inc^mparabihs  Sir 
Watkin,  436 ;  major  supeibus,  426; 
pnllidus  prtecox,  32i,  343;  poculifor- 
mis  elegans,  426 ;  princeps,  313,  364, 
427  ;  Sir  Watkin,  504  ;  traffic,  68 

Nash  Court  Lapageria,  the,  268 

Native  llowers,  376 

Nectarine  on  a  P^ach  tre*»,  220 

Nectarines  and  Peacbes,  441 

Nelumbium  luteum.  ^6  ;  specioEum,  172 

Nepaul  Beam  tree,  219 

Nephrodium,  the  gtnus,  62,  88,  157; 
Bausei.  244 

Nerine  ftlifolia,  331 

Nerines,  new.  331 

Neriums  and  Oleander?,  108 

New  England,  notes  from,  141,  370 

New  garden  plants,  356 

New  Orleans  Exhibition,  19 

New  South  Wales,  national  patk  for,  530 

New  Zealand  Flax  in  the  west  of  England, 
397 

New  Zealand  Flaxes,  420 


Newcastle,  new  park  at,  172 

Newry,  notes  from,  411;  open-air  flowers 
at,  432  ;  wild  gardening  at.  154 

Nicotiana  aftinis,  70,  106,  152,  313;  per- 
fume of,  220 

Kidularium  acanthocrater.  464 

Nierembergia  ri\'iilaris,  104 

Niphobolus,  the  genus,  ISiV 

Nomenclature  in  catalogues,  44 

Nomenclature  of  Palms,  84 

Notes,  •:53,  270,  376.  425;  by  a  working 
gardener,  140, 172;  from  Aske  Hall,  146  ; 
from  Cranmore  Hall,  355  ;  from  Devcn- 
shire,  493;  from  Jersey,  160:  from 
Kew,  103;  from  New  Englacd,  14', 
320 ;  from  Newry.  411  ;  from  the  Con- 
tinent, 57  ;  from  Wolverhampton,  90  ; 
ftn  Daffodils,  3bl,  436,  496,  538  ;  on  gar- 
den topics,  46  ;  on  hardy  floweis,  39; 
on  hardy  plants,  455;  on  tiees  and 
shrubs,  59  ;  from  Devon  and  Cornwall, 
631;    on  Daffodils,  52^ 

Nothocbhcna,  the  genus,  237,  257,  275 

Novemlrer  open-air  flower?,  412 

Nut,  the  Sapucaya,  499 

Nuts  in  Belgium,  516 

Nuts,  the  best  to  grow,  505 

Nymphffia  gigintea,  268;  zanzlbarensfs, 
12S,  472 


Oak,  sea' let,  the,  219 
ourxnAKv— 
Andeison-Henry,  Isaac,  288 
Bentham,  George,  244 
Bocket,  Mr.,  450 
Pohn,  Benry  G.,  194 
Ewing.  Mr.,  58 
I'Yettmgham,  Henry,  490 
Graham,  T.  D.  Cunningham,  266 
Hammond,  W.  Parker,  450 
Haves,  Francis  B.,  348 
Judd.  Daniel,  610 
Margies,  J.  H.,219 
Mendel,  Sam,   266 
Miles,  Mrs.,  450 
Roden,  Dr..  370 
Shaw,  C.  W.,550 
Toll,  George,  14 
Ochna  multiflora,  529 
October  alpine  flowers,  290 
October  npen  air  plants,  331 
Odontog'ossum,  a  gipantic  spike  of,  33?  ; 
adspersum,  4t9;  Andersonianum   fla- 
veolum,   509;  blepharicanthum,    286; 
crispum,  73,  49J  ;  defoimed,  73  ;  Ed- 
wardi,  124;  elegans,  276;  nebulosum 
guttatum,  24;    (Erstedi,   160;    Pesca- 
torei,    101;    Ptsiatorei    Vtitcbianum, 
112;   Fe-catorei  var  ,  4;  Roezli,  232; 
vexillarium,    4;    vexillarium    Cobbia- 
i  um,  107  ;  vexillarium  supeibum,  77  ; 
Miltonia-flowtred,  232 
(Eiiothera  Lamarckiana,  102,  106;  tana- 
cetifolla,    175  ;    the  species    of,   4S0 ; 
Youngi,  272 
Oidium  Bulsami,  510 
Oil  Inmp  stoves,  452, 490,  503 
Oifersia  cervina,  322 
Oleandra,  the  genus,  297 
Omphalodes  verna,  315 
Oucidium  incurvum  album,  42S  ;  latcei- 

num,  492 
Onion  fly,  56  ;  maggot,  iro 
Onion  Rousham  Park  Hero,  274,  403 
Onion  trials,  535 
Onions,  46  ;  culture  of.  (-2  ;  dis'"ased,  50  ; 

spring.  168  ;  storing,  310,  344 
Onions,  lurnips  and  Carrots,  344 
Onoclea  sens  bilis.  322 
Onosrra  frulicosnm,  395 
Onyobium  auratum,  3i,< ;  japonicum.  323 
Ophioglossum,  the  genns.  353 
Orchard,  forming  a,  502;  management 

of,  83,  122 
Orchards,  Grass,  502  ;  in  frait-sick  S'^i^a, 
451  ;  tilled,  503;  on  fruit-sick  soils,  515 
Orchid  show.athirtj -five  days',  in  France, 

307 
Orchid  importations,  126  ;  Puppet,  the, 

60  ;  sales,  335  ;  weevils,  370 
Orchids  and  Pelargoniums  together,  127 
Orchids  at  Chelsea,  73  ;  &*•  Cloven- 
fords. 271  ;  at  HoUoway,  492  :  at  >t. 
AT  ans,  431  ;  at  Sunbury,  490  ;  st  The 
Glen,  Lewlsham,  468;  Augu--t  flower- 
ing, 176;  auinmn.  in  America,  372; 
the  Dunlop  House,  SOS;  from  France, 
4t9;  from  Perth,  73;  hardy,  73,  335; 
imported  sal'^s  of,  432  ;  in  room  win- 
dows, 372  ;  manure  water  for,  227,  264  ; 
new  hybrid.  S7i ;  sale  of,  312  ;  Septem- 
ber. t86  ;  shows  of.  50  ;  small  snails 
on,  101  ;  Mr.  Pollett's,  32;  at  Chelten- 
ham, 518  ;  at  Elstead,  530  ;  notes  on, 
f29 
Orchis  foliosa,  73  ;    pyramidalis  cylin- 

drica,  79 
Ornithocephalus  grandiflorus,  369 
Orobus  niger,  526 


Osmund  Fern,  the  stately,  55 
Osmunda  regalis,  375  ;  the  genus,  404 
Othonna  cheirifolia,  283 
Ourisia  coccinea,  371,  395 
Ouvirandra  fenestralis,  6 
Ox-eye  Daisies,  27 
Oxalis  luteola,  389 
Oxalises,  exotic,  411 


P. 


Packing  flowers  in  cotton  wool,  141 
Parking  fru't,  53,  416  ;  Belgian  style  of, 

451 
Pioonies  and  Irisf  s,  29 
Pajonies,  Tree,  438 
P.'cony,  Moutan,  the,  95 
Palavia  flexuosa,  174 
Palermo  Gardens,  458  ;  Villa  Tasca  gar- 
dens at,  413 
Palm  house  at  Kew,  the,  1D9,  284,  310 
Palmettos,  the,  262 

Palms  in  small  pots,  418;  nomenclaturft 
of,  84  ;  on  rockwork,  500  ;  soil  for,  3^9 
Pampas  Grass,  532  ;    manuring,  475 
Pancratium  fragrans,  163;  mantimum, 

42,  131 ;  speciosum,  31"! 
Paudanus  furcatus,  412 
Pansies  in  Novemliftr,  432 
Pansy  Cliveden  Yellow,  2 
Papaver  nudicaule,  3S0,  510 
Pacna-rette,  the,  470 
Paris  market  pot  plan+s,  112 
Parks,  a  proposal  for  the,  ICO 
Farnassia  nubicola,  64 
Paronychia  argentea,  119 
Parrotia  persica,  374 
Parsley,  464;  winter,  402 
Parsley  and  Cariot  crops,  464 
Parsley  insects,  535 
Passiflnra  cccrulea  alba,  20  ;  foctic'a,  510  ; 

laurifolia,  20 
Passifloras  at  Kew,  20 
Passion  flower,  blue,  369 
Paterson.  Dr.,  testimonial  to,  372 
Pea.  White  Everlasting,  67, 343;  Wordsley 

Wonder,  100,  168 
Peach  Apples,  190 
Peach,    Hale's    Early,    305 ;   Stump  the 

World,  305 
Peaches  and  Nectarines,  444 
Peaches  at  Burghley,  515  ;  in  pots,  521 
Peaches,   big  flavourless,  379;  diseased, 
17;    large,   400;    new,    339;    packing, 
173;  seltct,  362;  standard,  11 
Pear    Brockworth    Park,    339  ;    Marie 
Louise.  444  ;  Pitmsston  Duches",  319, 
352,   518;    Seckle,  the,   200;     Beune 
Diel,  518;  Mdme.  Chaudy,  518 
Pear  trees,  diseased,  79 
Pears  and  Apples,  notes  on,  485 
Pears,  early,  180 ;  for  nrarket,  407;  remedy 
for  cracked,    123;  eelect  list  of,  £04; 
the  best,  4S3;  early,  524  ;  Belgian,  5i6 
Peas,  certificated,  148 ;  early  culture  of, 
9;    edible    podded,    168;    green,    in 
November.  464 
Peat  litter,  German,  369,  403  ;  as  manure,' 

IbS 
Pecomyia  Betrc,  93 

Pelargonium  Henri    Jacoby,    2.i2  ;    La 
Cygne,  428  ;    Madame    Ihibaut,    77  ; 
ilurrayanum,  41 ;  Volonte  Nationale, 
285 
Pelargoniums,  double,  10,  290 ;  for  pot 
culture,   131,    163  ;    for    winter,   72  ; 
Liliput,  318  ;  seedling.  10  ;  too  many, 
3;  unique,   163;  white  fltwcred,  110  ; 
winter  beddirg,   476  ;  wintering,  364, 
393 
Penshurst,  hardy  flowers  at,  456 
Pentacha'te  aurea,  24 
Pentapterygium  serpens,  233 
Pentstemons,   a  few  good.  220  ;  hybrid, 

205  ;  new,  172  ;  propagating,  106 
Peperomia  rosedfeflora,  131 
Pereskia  aculeata,  412;  Bleo,  151 
Peristeria  elatci,  40  3 
Permanganate  of  potash  as  a  plant  food, 

88 
Pernettyas  at  Hillsborough,  431 
Pbaius  bicolor,   £64  ;  loiidus,   26t  ;  tn- 

berculosus,  46 
Phalcenopsis  house  at  St,  Albans,  431  ; 
increasing  by  roots,   492  ;  Stuartiana, 
464 
Philadelpbus  microphyllus,    41  ;    small 

flowered  species  of.  373 
Pbilodendron  Selloum,  232 
Pblomis  fruticosa,  61 
Phloxes  at  Pink    Hill    NuTierv,    Edin- 
burgh,  120  ;    culture  of,  495  ;    good, 
228  ;  herbaceous,  S82  ;  in  August,  154 
Ph:>rmiura  tenax,  397 
Pbyllocalyx  edulin,  a  new  fruit,  107 
Physaiis  Alkekengi,  45G,  527 
Phytoptida?,  417 
Picea  Nordmanriana  attacked  hv  aphis, 

79;  blighted,  34;  pectinata,  409 
Picotees  and  Carnations,  41,  96 
Picotees,  natural  form  of  the,  126 


Picotee  Painted  Lady,  157  ;  Redbrae's, 

174 
Pig-styes,  ornamental,  368 
Pine-appies  for  market,  24 
Pine  growing  at  Castle  Hill,  484 
Pine,  Stone,  in  Italy,  the,  144 
Pinetums  a  mistake,  506 
Pink,  dwarf  white,  30 
Pinks,    alpine,    184;  for    forcing,     472; 
hybrid  alpine,  31;  Indian,  29  T  Indian 
and  Chinese,  384;  Japan,  203;  propa- 
gating, 250  ;  single  flowered,  86 
Pinguiciila  hirtiflora,  400 
Pinus  pinea  in  Italy.  144 
Pitcher  plants  at  Chelsea,  378 
Pits  and  frames,  73 
Plagiolirion  HorsmanI,  42 
plane,  evergreen,  an.  510 
Planer  tree  and  the  Zelkowas,  the,  3S 
Pianera  aquatica,  38 
Plant  bordus,  183 
Plant  certificating,  124 
Plant  Daffodils  now,  190 
Plant  food,   p-rmangnnate  of  potash,  88 
Plant-lore,  legends  and  lyrics,  336 
Plant  portraits,  recent,  24,  124,  181,  233, 

264,  321,  369,  400.  464 
Plant  portraits,  520 
Plantan  Lily,  the  white,  249 
Planting  flowers,  notes  on,  279 
Planting  in  hot  weather,  32 
Planting,  thick  and  thin,  383 
Plants,  alpine,  104  ;  aquatic,  5  ;  bog  gar- 
den, 106  ;  border  arrangement  of,  130 ; 
certificated  at  Ghent ,  288;  certificating, 
.^0,  140  ;  choice  hardy,  593;  culture  of 
herbaceous,  221  ;  dates  of  flowering  of, 
141 ;  for    forcing,     313  ;    for  shady 
situations,  96  ;     f-  r  walls,  129  ;    for 
windoivs,    270;     frosting,   312;   hard 
trown    best,  44  ;    hardy  borders  for, 
280  ;  hardy,  notes  on,  394  ;  hardy,  two 
fine.  3  ;  herbaceoup,  manure  for,  364  ; 
herbaceous,   propagating,   3C4  ;  large- 
ly aved,    56  ;  manure  for   herbaceous, 
316  ;  manuring  herbaceous,  279  ;  miss- 
ing, 351 ;  native  white-flowered,  184  ; 
noble  sub-tropical,  45  ;  of   the    Cape 
of  Good  Hope,  502  ;  oiling,  172  ;  old- 
fashioned,  names  of ,  243;  packing  in 
cotton  wool,  141  ;  sweet  smelling,  394  : 
Winter  flowering.  111,  476  ;  longevity 
of.  126 ;  certificated  at  Ghent,  449,  550 
Platycodon  pumilum,  85 
Pleasure  grounds,  shrubs  in,  112 
Plectrantbus  fii-tidus,  520 
Plum  Bonnede  Bry,  401 ;  Kelsej'sJapan, 

319 
Plums  f'  r  market,  407  ;  select  list  of,  504 
Plumbago  capensis.  176 
Plnmicria  lutea,  311 
1  oinsettia  puliheirima,  130;   pulcherri- 

ma  lutea,  512 
Poinsettias  and  their  culture,  544  ;  new, 

512 ;  in  the  open  air,  472 
Poison  Ivy  or  Poison  Oak,  89 
Polemouiuro  confertum.  297 
Polygala  Dalmaisiana,  220 
Polygonium  cuspidatum,   294;  vacciLi- 

folium,  331,  436,  47ft 
Pol>gO'iinms,  the  giant.  317 
Polypodium  vulgare  cam'^ricura,  375 
Polystichum  angulare  pro'iferum,  375 
Pomological  Society  of  France,  174 
Pontedtria  cra^sipes,  172 
Poppy,  Iceland,  the,  380 
Popular  weather  prognostics,  45 
Populns  BoUeana,  506 
Port  Eliot,  notes  from.  458 
Portraits,  plant,  24, 124,233,284,  321,369, 

464,  520 
Post,  flowers  by,  511 
Pots,  how  to  preserve,  290 
Pot,  Crute's  patent,  304 
Potato  crop,  the,  99,  168,  506,  231,  244 
Potato  disease,  the,  126,  470 
Potato  Ellinglonia,  330  ;  Exhibition,  In. 
ternational,  the,  310,  329;  fungus  of, 
79  ;  Harvester,   330 :   J.   Abbiss,   330 ; 
M.P.,  330;    Miss    Fowler,    330;   new 
species  of,  266  ;  Pride  of  Eydon,  330  ; 
sclerotia,   470;    Sharpe's  Victor,  100; 
White  Elephant,  206 
Potatoes,    274 ;  autumn    planting,    344, 
376;  do  they    wear  out?  205;  experi* 
ments  in  moulding,  469 ;  for  market, 
304  ;  kidney,  172,  205  ;  new  certificated, 
330  ;  Rivers'  Ashleaf,  205  ;  red  spotted, 
452,  510  ;  roguing.  56  ;  seed  in  winter, 
463 ;    new    varieties    of,     535 ;    seed 
storing,     536 ;    sprouted     and    non- 
sprouted,  535 
Potentilla    lanuginosa,    94;  nepalensls, 

104 
Pots  within  pnts,  461 
Preservation  of  fruits,  159 
Preston  Park.  450 

Primrose  ami  Polyanthus  seed,  lo4 
Primroses  from  seed,  80 
Prini'ila    obconica,     206;    Parryi,    390; 
poculiformis,    206  :  Rusb>i,    77  ;    sco- 
tica,    39;    sikkimensis,  119;   fituarti, 
297 
Primulas,  double,  culture  of,  528 


Jan.  3,  1885.] 


THE  GARDEN  INDEX 


Privet,  odour  of,  Gl 

Prognostics  of  weather.  45 

Promenica  Rollissoni,  392 

Propagating  notes,  326 

Propagating  Pentstemons,  108 

Properties  of  flowers.  251 

Protection  or  no  protection,  5,  5i,  76, 

123 
Pruning  v.  lifting  546 
Pruning,  winter,  545 
Prunopsis  triloba,  23:? 
Prunus  Pissardi,  77,  145,  173,  233,  275 
Pteris  serrulata  cristata  compacta,  319 
Pterostvrax  hispidum,  22 
Puccinia  Vincse,  34 
Puppet  Orchid,  the,  50; 
Pjgaera  bucephala,  172* 
Pyiacanth,  the,  22 

Pyrelhrum,  cultivated  species  of,  410 
Pjros  (Cydonia)  Maulei,  32i  ;  Sorbus,  51D 


Q. 


Qjisqualisindica,  19 


Rabbits  in  woods,  549' 

P^adishes,  autumn  and  winter,  168 

Itairifall  aad  Grape  culture,  the,  46 

Kailway  embankment  gardens  SI 

liamondiapyrenaica,  6;  pjr^naica  alba, 
129  ;  the  white,  296 

Kaspbeiriea,  autumn,  370,  518;  October, 
352 

Raspberry,  purple  flowering,  85 

Ravenia  Hildebranti,  400 

Red  spider,  the,  170 

Regent's  Park,  new  bridge  in,  176 

Keportsof  the  frrit  crops,  113,  131 

Repotting  Auriculas,  496 

Renanthera  cocciuea,  549 

Reseda  fruticulosa,  2S3,  190 

Retrospect  on  hardy  flowers,  248 

Rhododendron,  floe  tree,  296 ;  Auck- 
land!, 472  ;  Conqueror,  509  ;  Empress, 
77  ;  exoniense,  177,  19S  ;  multicolor, 
124  ;  multicolor  Curtisi.  433 

Rhododendrons,  choice  indoor,  108; 
hsbrid  greenhouse,  177,  [320:  cool- 
house,  545  ;  greenhouse,  532 ;  large 
standard,  521 

Rhubarb,  dried,  79 

Rhus  radicans,  370 ;  Toxicodendron,  89  : 
typhina,  292 

Ribes  apeciosum,  144,  220 

Right  path,  the,  55 

Rivina  humilis,  462 

Robinia  hispida,  61 ;  Paeudacacia  sem- 
perflorens,  151 

Roads  and  walks,  formation  of,  94 

Road  scrapings,  4  3 

Rock  garden  at  Kew,  the,  44 

Rock  Roses,  the,  420 

Rockets,  12  ;  double,  3  ;  white.  12 

Rocks,  natural  and  artificial,  30d 

Rockville,  hardy  Ferns  at,  479 

Rockwork,  evergret^n  plants  for,  475 

Rnmneya  Coulteri,  105,  119,  4t0,  427,  475 

Rondeletia  brevifolia,  512 

Root  pruning  v.  lifting,  546 

Rosa  Brunoniana,  64,  86 ;  mgoaa.  87; 
indica  odoratissima  Princess  Julie 
d'Aremberg.  3c9  ;  lucida  Rose  Button, 
77  ;  sulphurea,  2C0 

Rose,  a  new  Tta,  ^6;  Acacia,  the,  61; 
and  Catalpa,  392 ;  BanksUn,  the,  193  ; 
Celeste,  IS,  5S,  64;  Celine  Forestier, 
11;  cuttings,  striking,  232;  Etendard 
Jeanne  d'Arc,  12S;  Helen  Paul,  172  ; 
HymdQi^e,  377  ;  insects,  94  ;  La  Keine, 
376;  Longworth  Rambler.  470;  ila- 
dame  Eugene  Verdier,  77, 86  ;  Alanetti, 
the,  IS;  ilar^chal  Mel,  a  large,  474; 
Marechal  Niel,  cankered,  473  ;  Mrs.' 
Caroline  Swailes,  412  ;  season,  the,  321; 
show  at  the  Crystal  Palace,  34  ;  single 
Macartney,  the,  376 ;  Triomphe  de 
Rennes,  88:  Mdme.  Lambard,  5.2 

Roses,  a  rush  of,  10 ;  a  wilderness  of, 
G5;  amongst  the,  167  ;  autumn,  352; 
Banksian,  333;  budding  season  for 
103 ;  a  catalogue  of,  197,  207  ;  for  forc- 
ing, 474 ;  from  cuttings,  435  ;  garden 
163,  207  gummini,  400,  430,  435  ;  in 
Essex,  11  ;  in  the  west  of  England, 
219 :  new,  351 ;  old-fashioned,  18  ;  own 
roots,  S7  ;  planting,  435  ;  propagating, 
376;  piuning  cUmbin;?,  491;  raising 
seedLiog,  13  ;  rampant,  treatment  of, 
376  :  re-plinting,  322  ;  season  for 
planting,  414  ;  standard,  435  ;  Tei 
103  ;  Tea,  best  autumn  sorts,  414  ■  Tea' 
in  cottage  gardens,  376 ;  Tea,  out  of 
doors,  4 14 ;  Tea,  propagating,  41S  ;  Tea 
select,  220  ;  the  weather  and  the.  231  '; 
white,  18;  in  hedgerows,  539;  wlntir' 
530  '        .  . 

Rotation  of  crops.  1J2 
Roupelia  yrata,  StJ 


Royal  Botanic  Society,  143 

Rudbeckia  maxima,  233.  297  ;  Newmanni, 

272  ;  sweet  scented,  457 
Ruellia  macrantha,  632 
Runner  BeanGirtford  Giant,  205 
Running  to  seed,  55 
Rush,  the  bmded,  151 
Russelia  juncea,  600 
Ruta  patavina,  257 


S. 


Sabal  Palmetto,  262 ;  umbraculifera,  262 
Bagittaria  latifolia,  396 ;  montevidensis, 

391  ;  sagittifolii,  151,  203 
Salads;,  419 

Salisburia  adiantifolia,  382 
Salvia  discolor,  124  ;  Horminnra  violacea, 
436;    farinacea,   290;    farinacea    alba, 
311  ;  Piccheri,  380,  392,  4J6,  500  ;  pani- 
culata,  520 
Sulvias,  autumn  flowering,  334 
Sanseviera  zeylanica,  498 
Sanvitalia  procumbens  fl.-pl.,  230 
Saponaria  calabrica,  152 
Sapucaya  Nut,  the,  499 
Sarraceoia    flava     in     the    open,    73 ; 

Wiigleyana,  349 
Sarracenias  at  Kew,  123;  out-of-doors, 

155 
Savoy,  Gilbert's  Universal  530 
Saxifraga  Burseriana  Boydi,  19  ;  pnrpu- 
rascens,  394 ;  Stracheyi,  71 ;   ptltata, 
545 
Saxifrage,  great  Califomian,  the,  545 
Saxifrages,  autumn-tloweriug,  363 
Scale,  white,  destruction  of,  63 
Scarborough.  December  flowers  at,   532 
Scarborough  Lilies,  201,  312,  360 
Scarlet  Runner  Beans,  old  roots  of,  9 
Schizostylis  cuccinea,  372,  392,  452 
SciUy,  bulb  fltld   in,  231 ;   vegetation, 

some  features  of,  313 
Scilly  Islands,  gardening  in  the,  261 
Scion  and  stock,  97 
Scirpus  Taberuremontaui,  151,  251 
Sclerotia  in  Potatoes,  470,  510 
Scolopendrium  vulgare  crispuai,  375 
Scone  and  Lynedoch,  166 
Scotch  Fir  avenue  at  The  Down  House, 

225 
Scotti'-h  ArboriculturalSocietv,  165 
Scotland,   hardy   fruit     in,    273 ;  notes 

from,  196 
Scutellaria  Lehmanni,  ISO 
Scuticaria  Steeli,  308 
Sea  Buckthorn,  the,  352,  374 
Sea  Hollies,  270 
Sea  Lavenders,  annual,  94 
Stakale  from  seed,  478 
Season  for  tidying  up,  425 
Sedum    formosum,    39 ;  Sempervivum, 
181 ;  Sieboldi  a  Dee  flower,  3  3  ;  specta- 
bile,  391 
Sedums,  note  on,  120 
Seed  gathering,  302 
Seeds,  buried,  vitality  of,  5:0  ;  grubs  in, 

479 
Seeds  v  Fern  spores,  258 
Selaginelia    caualiculata,  380  ;  grandis, 

361 
Senecio    Doronicam,  27  ;  macroglossus, 
90,  532  ;  pulcher,  120,  204.  214,  251,  283, 
296,  371,  428,  457 
September  hardy  flowers,  268 
September  Orchids,  286 
Service  tree,  the,  519 
Sesia  tipuliformis,  303 
Sewage,  garden  uses  of,  61 
Shakespeare's  Mulberry,  244 
Shamrock  Pea,  the,  396 
Shanking  Grapes,  260 
Shetlieldia  repens,  245 
Sherburne  Casile,  Apples  at,  434 
Shrubs,     autumn  flowering,    195  ;    con- 
tinuous blooming,  61 ;  forrockeiies,  61 ; 
in   pleasure    grounds,    112;    summer 
pruning  of,  22 
Sileue  Schalta,  233 
Silver  Fir  disease,  the,  409 
Single  French  Marigolds,  311 
Slugs,  depredations  of,  185 
Snaiie  Gourds,  the,  319 
Snowflake,  autumu,  the,  251 

SOCIETISS— 

Auricula  and  Carnation,  510 

CATnation  and  Picotee,  79 

Crystal  Palace  Chrysanthemum,  448 

Crystal  Palace  fruit  show,  329 

Dundee  International,  242,  265 

English  Arooricultural,  510 

Ghent  Horticultural,  288,  419,  550 

Manchester  Botanical,  490 

National  Auricula,  490 

National  Carnation  and  Picotee,  490 

National    Chrysanthemum,    4U9,    429, 

490 
National  Dahlia,  23 
National  French  Horticultural,  530 
Natiooal  Rose,  13,  410 
Royal  Botanic,  143,  372,  412,  530 
Royal  Caledonian,  2i:8,  550 


SoniETlES— 
Royal  Ho^ticultura^   19,  34,   77,   107, 
147,  172,   193,  240,  287,  332,  349.  383, 
42H,  469,  508 
Royal  Horticultural  of  Ireland,  449 
Soils  and  lime,  464 

Soils,  fruit  sick.  451, 515 ;  garden,  manage- 
ment of,  476;  ironstone,  2i4,  275; 
shallow,  improving  473 
Solanum  Commersoni,  286  ;  Fendleri, 
'26tj;  from  cuttings,  163;  Jamesi,  24  ; 
jasminoides,  283,  307  :  jasminoides  for 
walls,  383  ;  Maglia,  266 ;  Ohrondi,i266  ; 
boreale,  206 
Solomon's  Seal,  2;  forcing  the,  226;  in 

autumn,  270 
Soneiiiasand  their  allies,  432 
Soot  water  for  plants,  253 
Southwark  P;irk,  450,  530 
Souvenirs  of  travel,  55 
Sparmannia  roots,  clubbing,  510 
Spathoglottis  Fortunei,  176,  195 
Specimen  Conifers,  renovating,  534 
Specimen  of  trees  and  shrubs,  373 
Specimens  for  herbaria,  preparing,  341 
Spider,  the  red,  170 
Spinach  Beet,  lOO 

Spinach,  cultu'e  of,  142  ;  winter,  231 
Spirjei   ariJefolia,    61;   bella,    219 ;  bul- 
lata,  77  ;  crespitosa,  85 ;  Donglasi,  61, 
224  ;  Filipendula.  152;  grandifiora,145  ; 
palraata,   lOS,   126,    204;  palmata  for 
forcing,  499 ;    palmata  purpurea,  34  ; 
palmata  splendens,  12 
Spores,  raising  Ferns  from,  157 
Spores  y.  seeds,  258 
Spring  flower  gardening,  153 
Spruce,  blue,  the,  38 
St.  Albans,  Orchids  at,  431 
St.  Anne's,  Clontarf,  512 
St.  Nicholas  House,  Scarborough,  473 
St.  Petersburg  Exhibition,  ISO 
Standard  Rases,  435 
Stanhopea  tigrina,  50 
staphylea  colchica.  321 
Statice  echioides,  £4  ;  Suwarowi,  41,  106, 

ISO,  283 
Statices,  annual,  94 

StephanHis  floribunda,  19';  not  flower- 
ing. 390,  392 
Sternbergia  lutea,  352 
Stigmaphyllum  ciliatum,  19 
Stipa  pennata,  155 
Stock  and  scion,  97,  200 
Stocks  for  grafting,  5o7  ;  for  market,  153 
Stokesia  cyanea,  263 
Stone  Pine,  the,  144 
Storing  fruit.  267 
Stoves,  oil  lamp,  452 
Straffan  House,  notes  from,  50 
Strawberries,  a  feast  of,  64  ;  American, 
141  ;   at  Birdhill,   17  ;  collected  by  a 
hedgehog,   126:    for  market,   24;  for 
next  year,  6  ;  late  305  ;  layering,  17  ; 
mulching,    77  ;    planting,    260  ;    and 
heigehogs,  123;  early  forced,  545 
Strawberry  beds,  making,  52 
Striwberry,   Black  Prince,  123,  127,  190, 
202  ;  Burghley  President,  17,  52  ;  crops, 
loss  of,  11 ;  culture,  notes  on,  15  ;  fields 
iu    Hampshire,    15  ;    Jucunda,    102   ; 
plants  after  forcing,  17  ;  supports,  54, 
82  :  Vicomtesse  Hericartde  Thury,  339 
Street  trees,  15,  412 
Streptocarpus    biflorus   and   Saundersi, 

91  ;  Kirki,  321;  Rext,  123 
Streptosolen  Jamesoni,  6,  245 
Strelitziaregina,  193 
Structures,  glass,  72 
Struthiopteris  germanica,  375 
Stuartia  virginica,  143 
Styrax  japonica,  79 
Sub-tropical  plants,  nob!e,  45 
Sultan,  Sweet,  154 
Sumach,  Smooth,  the,  212 
Summer  heat  ami  light,  239 
Summer  mulching,  value  of,  33 
Sun  Roses,  the,  420  ;  double,  19 
Sunbury,  Orchids  at,  490 
Sauttowers,  big,  201 ;  fine,  137  ;   peren- 
nial, 245 
Sweet  Pea,  the  white,  456 
Sweet  Peas,  new,  34 
Sweet  Sultan,  154 
Swertia  bimaculata,  352 
Sydney,  glasshouses  for,  64 
Synonyms  of  Apples  547 
Synonyms  of  ctirysanthemums,  497 
Syriuga  Emodi,  Si,  219 


T. 

Table  decoration  in  winter,  491 ;    plants 

for.  183 
Tacsjnia  as  a  room  plant,  539 
Tagetes  lucida,  96 
Tasca  Villa  gardens,  458 
Taymouth,  trees  at,  165 
Tea  Roses,  103;  propagating,  413 
Temple  Chrysanthemums,  the,  4l9 
Terrace  wall,  a.  Ill 
Thames,  pollution  of  the,  163 


The  Glen,  Lewishara,  Orchids  at,  468 
The  Grange,  Kingston,  Conifers  at,  373 
Theory  and  practice,  55 
Thinning  and  shouldering  Grapes,  5 
Thorn,  Paul's  Scarlet,  61 ;    Washington 

the,  39 
Thorns,  late  flowering,  145 
Thunbergia  alata,  198 
Tiger  Iris,  the,  190 
Tiger  Lily  growth,  204 
Tigridia  Pavonia,    433;    Pavonia    alba, 

147 
Tigridias,  403  427;  wintering,  475 
Tillandsia  Lindeni  vera,  512 
TinnEca  sithiopica,  109 
Tobacco  juice,  vaporised.  539 
Tomato,  Chis wick  Red,  205  ;   Hacuwood 

Park.  478  ;   Kine  Humbert,  231,  390  ; 

new,  100  ;  Nisbet's  Victoria,  274 
Tomatoes  and  wasps.  362,  379,  40 » 
Tomatoes  for  market,  23  ;  from  Burghley, 

205  ;  iu  the  open,  163  ;  note  on,  304  ; 

out  of  doors,  168,  403 
Tool  for  bulb  plan.ing,  2>0 
Torch  Lilies,  the,  228 
'I'ortworth,   Golden    Chestnut   at,   373 ; 

Peaches  in  open  air  at,  372 
Town  trees,  332,  452 
Toxicophlaja  Thunbergi.  133 
Tree  colour  in  1334,  433 
Tree  leaves,  536  ;  and  their  uses,  438 
Tree  Pn?omes,  6,  433 
Tree  Poppy,  the,  lu5,  427,  475 
Tree  roots  in  Vine  borders,  82 
Trees  and  earth  worms,  9J 
Trees  and  shrubs,  specimens  of,  373 
Trees,  fruit  canker  in,  373 
Treei  and  Ivy,  374 
Trees    and  shrubs,   notes  on,    59,   219 ; 

variegated.  107  ;  planting,  634 
Trees,  deciduous,  149;  in  streets,  412 
Trees,  fruit,  pruning,  il3,  545 
Trenching,  digging,  and  manuring,  323 
Tresco  Abb'y  gardens,  333 
Trials  of  Onions,  536 
Trichinium  Mangiest,  151 
Trichomaues  floribundum,  276 
Trientalis  europ.xa,  529 
Triteleias,  359 

Tritoma  nobilis  152  ;  Uvaria,  398 
Trop;eolum  cteruleumroseum,  230  ;  digl- 

tatum,  401 
Tuberoses  finely  grown,  64 
Tulipa  Gesneiiana,  317  ;  primulina,  400 
Turnips  and  Leeks,  344 
Tydjeas  in  flower,  499 


U. 

Ulex  nanus,  292 
Umbilicus  ramosissimus,  276 
Unfair  exhibiting,  369 
Utilisation  of  floods,  143 


Vallota    purpurea,  286,  310.   359,    3"0; 

from  seed,  284  ;  seeding,  39) 
Vanda  Batemanni,   107 ;    co^rulea,    370, 

49';  gigantea,  32  ;  Sanderiana,  41,  369  ; 

Sanderiana,  a  huge,  171  ;  Sanderiana 

var.,  372  ;  tricolor  VVarneri,  286 
Variegation,     sympathetic,     223,     296 ; 

transferatde,  175,  320 
Vegetable  food  273 
Vegetables  for  market,  418  ;  forced,  478  ; 

new  certificated,  172 ;  raised  beds  lor, 

419 
Vegetation,  state  of,  12 
Veitch  memorial  prizes  for  Carnations,  80 
Ventilated  flower-pots,  336 
Verbascum  olympicum,  320 ;  phlomoides, 

106 
Veronica  chathamica,    42 ;    corymboga, 

456;    Hulkeana,   103;  salicifolia,   107, 

152 :  Traversi,  12 
Veronicas  for  the  seaside,  384 
Viburuum    Opulus,  267  ;  Tinus    aureo- 

marginatum,  423 
Victoria  regia,  new  crimson,  13 
Villa  Tasca,  girdena  of  the.  413,  453 
Vine  borders,  faulty,  397  ;  inside,  t7,  54, 

123  ;  need'ess   watering   of,    16  ;  tree 

roots  in,  32 
Vine  coccus,  the.  79 
Vine  culture,  experiments  in,  434,  515 
Vines,  air  roots  on,  46  ;  low  night  tem- 
peratures lor,   160,    190;  manure   for 

young,  444  ;  on  walls,  glass  copings  for, 

202  ;  ornamental,  253  ;  warts   on,  444  ; 

no  manure  for,  460 
VioU  Mrs.  Gray,  364,  393 
Violas,   dividing,   3 '4  ;  propacrating,  251 
Violet  Comte  Brazza's  white,  3  il,   390; 

double  Russian,    67 ;  Mar,'uerite    de 

Savoie,  437  ;  Prince  Consort,  352 ;  Marie 

Louise,  544 
Violets,   373  ;  and  drought,  396  ;  Marie 

Louise     and     Neapolitan,    396,    412  ; 

Venice  and  Patrice,  282 


THE  GARDEN  INDEX 


[Jan.  3,  1885. 


Vitia  humulitolia,  359 
Vriesia  brachystachya,  512 ;  Duvaliana. 
464  ;  feutstralis,  3(9  ;  hierogljphica,  10 


W. 


Wales,  open-air  flowers  in,  412 
Walk,  aqu'et,  140 
Walks  and  roads,  formation  of,  95 
Walks,  cleaning,  326 
Wall  gardening,  264 

Wall  plants.  129  ;  ornameLtal,  382  ;  pro- 
pagating, 316 
Wallflowers  in  pots,  319 
Walls,  fruit  trees  on,  516 
Walnut  crop,  the,  332 
Walnut,  large-frnited,  470 
Walnuts,  importation  of,  517  ;  large,  480 
Warts  on  Vines,  444 
Warwick  Piiory,  453 
Wasps  among  Grapes,  339 
Wasps  and  Kim  trecp,  275,  374,  439 
Wasps  and  Tomatoep,  379,  4C0 


Virgin  Bower,  the,  201 

Wasps'  nests,  188;  destroying,  339 

Water  Elder,  the,  27 

Water  Lilies  at  Kew,  20,  392 

Water  Lily,  a  white,  41 ;  Zanzibar,  the, 

174 
Watsonia  angusta,  204 
Weather  prognostics,  45,  102 
Weather,  watering  in  dry,  150 
Weevils  attacking  Orchids,  370,  469 
Weigela  Candida,  112 
Welneck,  at,  US 

Wellingtonia,  the  first  planted,  221 
Welsh  flowers  in  Decf  mber,  472 
Westminster,  window  gardening  in,  19 
What  to  plant,  374 
Wheeler's  nursery,  302 
When  and  what  to  plant,  356 
Wild  garden,  weeds  in  the,  40 
Wild  gardening  at  Newry,  154 
Wilderness  of  Hoses,  a,  65 
Willdenovia  teres,  312 
Windflowers,  eeedling,  306 
Window  gardening  in  Wefetmintler,  19 
Windows,  Orchid  culture  in,  o72 
Windsor  Forest,  35S 


Winter  decoration  of  dinner  tables,  491 

Winter  dressing  of  fruit  trees,  4S4 

Winter- flowering  plants,  470 

Winter  flowers,  early,  331 

Winter,  gardens  in,  354,  531 

Winter  landscape,  the,  531 

Winter  pruning,  545 

Winter  meeting  of  the  Eoyal  Horticul- 
tural Society.  19 

Winter,  preparing  for,  453 

Winter  work  for  florists,  495 

Wisley,  November  flowers  at,  432 

Wistaria  sinensis,  3S2 

Witley  Court,  107 

Wood,  lipening  the,  339 

Wood  ashes  for  slugs,  190 

Woodlice  in  Orchid  houses,  220 

Woodplumpton,  notes  frrm,  90 

Wood  Sorrels,  exotic,  411 

Woods,  rabbits  in,  549 

Woodstock  garden?,  Co.  Kilkenny,  223 

Work  during  the  week,  145,  169, 175,  10^, 
222,  263,  2S5,  308,  309,  329.  34S.  367. 
3S7,  407,  424,  447,  467,  489,  508,  521,  549 

Worts,  St.  John's,  20i 

Wynnstay,  open-air  flowers  at,  450 


Y. 


Yam,  the  Chinese,  169 

Yellowstone  Park,  waterfall  In  the,  408 

Yucca    grandiflora,  252  ;  Whiplei    vio* 

lacea,  124 
Yuccas,  hardy,  95 


Zauschneria  califomica,  268 

Zebra  Rush,  the,  251 

Zelkovacrenata,  38 

Zelkowas  and  Planer  trees,  the,  38 

Zenobia  sneciosa,  64  ;  speciosa  pulveru- 

lenta,  110 
Zephyr  flower,  the  white,  270 
Zephyranthes,  the,  270 
Zinc  garden  label,  32,  41 
Zingiber  officinale,  2S4 
Zinnias,  296 
Zygopetalum    forcipatmn,    392     roBtra- 

tum,  171,  492 


Jan.  3,  1885.] 


THE  GARDEN  INDEX 


ENGRAVVNGS. 


Aois  autumnalls         2S1 

Alstro-'Uieria  fturantiaca       ..        ..  540 

Alstrtijineria  Pelegrina         ..        ..  041 

Arbutu3  Unedo  Crooin-^i      ..        ..  505 

Aster  pyrenfflus          ,.        ..        —  105 

Australian  Gum  tree 21 

Avenue  of  Scotch  Firs          . .        . .  225 

BalmofGilead           341 

Beetroot  or  Mangold  fly      . .        . .  93 

Begonia  Carrierei       3 .5 

Betula  alba,  catkins  of        ...        ..  293 

Betula  alba  pendula             „         ..  295 

Bit  lU  popul  folia 295 

Biden3  humilis           . .        . .        „  497 

Bi-ch,  Weeping,  the  ..        „        ..  291 

Brodixa  c^co  ne.^        153 

Bulb-planting  tool 230 

Barnham  B.eches 533 

Californian  Coniferrc  region           ,.  217 

Carnation  Pink           67 

Catalpa  bignonioldes 164 

Cits-tail  Grass,  the 63 

Cedar  of  Lebanon,  the  first  plante  1 

in  France        192 

Cedronelld  trlphylla  ..        ..        „  341 

Centiury  and  C'>w-lip          ..        ..  425 

Chrysanthemum  carinitutn  ..  440 
Chrysauthemum    carinatnm   Eur- 

rldgeanuni 440 

Chryaanthemum  frutescens  Etoile 

d'Or 415 

Chrysanthemum  Inod  jtum  plentsa'- 

mum 441 

Chrysanthemum  maximum  . .  . .  437 
Chrysanthemum(  Pyrethrnm)i-oseum  443 
Chrysanthemum  (Pyrethrum)  Tchl- 

hatchewii      443 

Chrysanthemuai  (Pyrethrum)  uligi- 

nosum           412 

Chrysanthemum  sinense      ..        ..  441 

Chrysanthemum  White  Daisy        ..  425 

Columbines  in  the  rock  garden      ..  320 

Comparettia  falcata 50 

Conifera?  in  CUlifornia          ..        ..  247 

Continental  garden,  a          ..        ..  354 

Coreopsis  aristosa       . .        . .        _  460 

Coreopsis  coronata 461 

Coreopsis  Drummondi          . .        . .  461 

C  ireopsis  tinctoria 461 

CorydilisSemenjyi 2S0 


Cowslip  and  Centaury          . .        . .  425 

Crute's  flower-pot  ..            304 

Currant  clearwing  moth,  the         ,.  803 

Cypripedium  caudatum        . .        . .  72 

D  anthus  chinensis 3S4 

Disi  grandillora  superba    _        «  495 
Dlsa  gratdiflora  superba  at  Purdjs- 

burn 493 

Doronicum  Harpur  Crewe  . .        . .  537 

Edinburgh  Castle  Rock,  the         ..  313 

Erica  Maweana          259 

Erodium  petrccum 186 

Eucalyptus  in  Australian  forest    «  21 

Fern  spore  raising,  diagram  illus- 
trating   157 

Fern  spores,  diagrams  of     ..        ..  25S 
Fernery    at   St.    Nicholas    House, 

Scarborough ».  485 

Floral  wreath,  a         43 

Flowers,  quaint,  a  bunch  of           . .  405 

Funkia  graudiflora 219 

Funkia  Sieboldi,  group  of    ..        ..333 

Oaillardia  lanceolata 601 

Gaillardia  pulchella  Aurora  Boreal's  601 

Gaidar dift  pulchella  flm')riata       ..  600 
Gaillardia     pulchella     grandillora 

maxima          501 

Gailardia  pulchella  Lorenziana    ..  600 

Gall  mites         417 

Galls  on  Lime  leaf 417 

Garden,  a  Continental          ..        ..  35 1 

Garden,  aspects— bedding  out        . .  345 

Gilbert,  Richard         333 

Ginger  Plant,  the        284 

Glazing,  new  method  of      ..        ..  91 

Gourds  on  pig-stye 368 

Grass,  the  Cat's  tail,  and  others    . .  69 


Hepatica  angulosa 
Heuchera  americana  . 
Heuchera  macrantha . 
Hornet  clearwing,  the 


..  25 

..  seo 

„  361 

_  303 


Horticultural  HaU  at  Phlladtlphia       27 

Iris  iKvigita 533 

Iris  orchioii£s <        ..    181 


Iris     ticulata 155 

Irlssibirlca       _        304 

Ixia  flowers,  a  bunch  of       ..        ..  71 

Kew  Palm  hou^e,  view  in    . .        . .  199 


Lebanon  Cjdar  in  the  Jardiu  des 

Plantes           192 

Leucojum  autumn.ale..        ..        _  281 
Lilium  iiuratum  at  St.  Anne's, 

Clontarf         513 

Lilium  candidum        428 

Lilium  croceuui          ,,        ..        —  428 

Lime  leaf  galls 417 

Lindheimera  texana 94 

Li«istona  australis                ..        -.  337 

Lobelia  hybrida          203 

Mangold  fly,  the         ..        ..        _  93 

Mendip  Hills,  rock  gorge  in  the    . .  65 

Mites,  gall        417 

Aluacari  comosum  monstrosum     ..  137 

Muscari  moscha'um 137 

New  Zealand  Flax 3;7 


Odontoglossuin  Phalamopsis 
(Enothera  biennis 
CEnothera  grandiflora  . 
Oenothera  Lamarckiaua 
CEootheta  linearis 
Ojinothera  macrocarpa 
Oenothera  sp3ciosa 
(Eaothera  taraxacifolia 
Omphalodes  verna,  an  edging  of 
Onoclea  seusibilis 
Osraunda  regalis 
OvinghamParsonagehouse  .. 
Ox-eye  Daisies  in  Grass 


Palm  house  at  Ke^,  view  in  the 
Palmettos,  group  of    . . 
Paris  flower  show,  a  . .        — 
Pegomyia  Eetx  _ 
Pentstemcm  Murrayanus 
Philadelphus  hirsutu  1 
Philadelphus  niicrophyllua , . 
Plileum  pratense 
Phormium  tenax 


232 
4S0 
482 
4S2 
481 
410 
482 
430 
315 
323 
405 
355 
23 


199 

262 
269 

93 
229 
375 
373 

69 
397 


Picotee  flowers,  the  florist's  ideal . .  89 

Pine,  Stone,  the          144 

Pinus  Pinea 144 

Polygonum  cuspidatum        ..        ..317 

Primula  obconica       _        ..        ..  200 

Pteroatyrax  hispidum          . .        . .  23 

Puppet  Orchid,  the 60 

Ramondia  pyrenaica  alba    ..        ..  129 

Rhododendron  exoniense    . .        . .  177 

Rhododendron  multicolor  Curtisi . .  433 

Rocks,  a  group  of  natural    . .        . .  306 

Romneya  Coulteri,  fruit  of  .        _  400 

Rosa  Brunoniana        87 

Rose  on  Catalpa        393 

Royal  Fern,  the         405 

Saxifraga  peltata        645 

Scotch  Fir  avenue   at  The  Down 

House 225 

Sesla  tlpuliformis       303 

Solomon's  Seal,  spray  of  ..  . .  236 
St.  Anne's,  Clontarf  ..  ..  513-517 
St.  Nicholas  House,  Scarborough  473,  488 

Statice  echioides         94 

Stit  :hwort  and  Wood  Anemones  „  377 

Stone  Pine,  the _  144 

Stove  at  St.  Nicholas  House          _  477 

Stuartia  virglnica 144 

Sub  tropical  plants,  noble    . .        . .  45 

Terrace  wall  with  bickground  ol 

foliage Ill 

Tinn.Ta  .-ethiopica 109 

Tool  for  planting  bulbs        ..        ..  2M 

Tree  Ferns,  group  of  .        ..        _  45 

Veronica  salicifolia    _        ..        ..107 
Villa  Tasca,  Palermo,  gardens  of 
the       _        ..        ..    413 


Wall  with  creeping  plants  at  St. 

Nicholas  House       477 

Warwick  Priory  ..        ..        453,468 

Wood  Anem  mes  and  Stitchwort  . .    377 

Yellowstone  Park,  waterfall  in      _    408 
Zingiber  otticinale      . .        . .         . .    284 


COLOURED     PLATES. 


ALSTRCEIIERIA  AURANTIACA 
AQUILEGIAS,  HYBRID,  GROUP  OF 

BIGNONIA  CHEEERE 

BROWALLIA  JAMESONI        —        

CHRYSANTHEMUM  CORONARIUM 

CISTUS  FORMOSUS       

COLUMBINES,  GROUP  OF  HYBRID 

COREOPSIS  LANCEOLATA      

DIANTHUS  ALPINUS 

EPACRIS,  NEW  VARIETIES  OF         

ERIGERON  AURANTIACUS 

ERODIUM  MACRADENIUM 

GAILLARDIA  ARISTATA  GRANDIFLORA 

GRAPE  HY^ACINTHS,  GROUP  OF 

HELIANTHEMUM  FORMOiUil        

HEPATICAS,  GROUP  OF  


540 
320 
520 
6 
440 
420 
320 
4G0 
184 
08 
2r)4 
184 
500 

ir.G 

420 
24 


HEUCHERA  SANGUINEA       

IXIAS,  GROUP  OP  

LBSCHENAULTIA  BILOBA  MAJOR  

MUSCARI,  FOUR  SPECIES  OF  

ODONTOGLOSSUM  ELEGANS  

0D0NT0GL05SUJI  ffiRSTEDI  

ODONTOGLOSSUM  PESCATOREI  VEITCHIANUM 
ODONTOGLOSSUM  UOEZLI  YAK.  ALBUM 

CENOTHERA  MARGINATA      

PAPAVER  NUDICAULE  VARS 

PHAIUS  TUBEUCULOSUS 
PRIMULA  OBCONICA  ... 
ROMNEYA   COULTERI... 
SENECIO   MACROGLOSSUS 
STREPTOSOLEN  JAMESONI 


3G0 
340 
298 
136 
276 
160 
112 
232 
480 
380 

46 
206 
400 

i)0 
6 


Xll 


THE  GARDEN  INDEX [j.,^.  3,  igss. 


JOHN     LEE. 

Op  Mr.  Jo!in  L33,  to  whim  this  voluma  of  The  Garden  is  dedicated,  little  need  be  said,  widely  kiia.rn  as  he  is,  and  niiicli  respected,  and 
hale  and  hearty  in  his  retirement,  after  fifty-foar  years'  active  work  in  connection  with  the  Rjyal  Vineyard  Nursery,  Hammersmith,  the 
only  one  now  remaining  on  the  Great  Wesiern  London  Road,  on  which  at  one  time  there  were  so  many.  Even  the  Royal  Vineyard  itself  has 
been  greatly  curtailed,  the  railway  having  encroached  on  it  on  the  eastern  side,  and  on  the  south  fora  charming  Rose  garden  has  been  substi- 
tuted a  row  of  villa  residences.  The  offices,  however,  still  occupy  the  old  spot,  and  there  is  yet  a  remnant  of  the  nursery  left — a  nursery 
coeval,  it  may  be  said,  with  the  history  of  modern  gardening.  Mr.  Lee's  father  died  in  1824,  leaving  him  at  18  years  of  age  the  sole 
manager  of  a  large  and  important  business  (his  brother,  the  late  Mv.  Charles  Lee,  being  still  at  school),  and  how  well  he  succeeded  in 
carrying  it  on  goes  without  the  saying.  The  ground  on  which  the  nursery  stands  was  formerly  a  vineyard,  and  wine  was  actually 
made  there  as  late  as  the  middle  of  the  last  century. 

A  thatched  house  was  built  in  the  grounds,  the  upper  part  of  which  was  used  as  a  dwelling  bouse  and  for  selling  the 
wine,  and  the  cellars  for  storing  it.  This  house  was  fornu-rly  occupied  by  Worlidge,  and  the  most  celebrated  of  his  works  were 
executed  here.  The  site  was  warm  and  well  sheltered,  and  Mr.  James  Lee,  the  founder  of  the  nursery,  was  not  blind  to  its 
advantages.  James  Lee,  like  so  many  nursery  gardeners,  was  a  Scotchman.  He  was  born  at  Selkirk  in  1/15,  the  year  of  the 
rebellion,  and,  again  like  many  other  Scotchmen,  turned  his  face  southward  to  seek  his  fortune.  When  he  first  came  to  London 
he  was  employed  at  Syon,  and  afterwards  at  Whitton,  by  the  Duke  of  Argyll.  About  1745  he  entered  into  partnership  with 
Mr.  Lewis  Kennedy,  gardener  to  Lord  Bolton,  at  Chiswick,  and  commenced  a  nursery  on  the  ground  occupied  by  the  old 
vineyard.  He  was  a  good  botanist,  and  wrote  an  "Introduction  to  Botany"  based  on  the  works  and  writings  of  Linnreus.  Lee's 
"  Introduction  to  Botany"  went  through  five  editions,  and  was  for  years  in  high  repute,  and  liCe  is  frequently  quoted  or  referred  to  as  an 
authority  by  Loudon  and  others.  He  died  in  17!'5,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eiglity  years,  his  partner,  Mr.  Keiuiedy,  having  died  previously. 
The  nursery  was  carried  on  by  the  sons  of  the  two  partners  till  1817,  when  it  became  the  undivided  property  of  a  second  James  Lee, 
the  son  of  the  author  of  the  Introduction,  who  died  in  1824,  leaving  two  sons,  John  and  Charles.  John,  the  subject  of  our  present 
memoir,  continued  to  manage  the  establishment  uutii  Charles  was  old  enough  to  help  him,  when  the  two  carried  it  on  conjointly  till 
1876,  when  John  retired,  and  William  Lee,  the  son  of  Charles,  became  associated  with  his  father,  and  succeeded  him  in  the 
management  of  the  business. 

Lee's  nursery  had  and  continues  to  maintain  the  highest  rank.  By  it  many  new  plants  were  introduced  into  this  country. 
By  the  introduction  of  the  Fuchsia  alone  the  firm  have  surely  earned  the  gratitude  of  every  window  and  cottage  gardener. 
They  maintained  a  collector  in  America,  who  sent  home  several  new  Oaks  and  other  plants,  and,  in  conjunction  with  the  Empress 
Josephine,  they  also  had  another  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  from  whom  they  received  many  new  Heaths,  Ixias,  and  other  South 
African  plants.  They  had  also  the  first  China  Rose,  in  1787.  Besides  their  grounds  at  Hammersmith,  on  the  north  side  of  the 
High  Road,  they  have  also  nurseries  at  Ealing,  Isleworth,  Hounslow,  and  Feltham. 


JUJ,7  6,  18?i. 


THE     GAKDEN. 


VOL.     SXVI, 


V 


Ml 


^^^m 


:^ 


ARRANGEMENT  OF  CUT  FLOWERS. 
When  will  cut-flower  exhibitions  alter  their  stereotyped 
character  ?  We  begin  to  despair  o£  ever  seeing  a  de- 
parture from  the  conventional  track.  At  the  evening 
fCte  in  Regent's  Park,  the  other  night,  there  was  the  same 
unmeaning  style  carried  out  in  all  but  a  few  instances. 
Whether  this  state  of  things  is  due  to  a  lack  of  originality 
on  the  part  of  the  competitors,  or  to  the  encouragement 
given  by  the  judges,  it  is  hard  to  say.  It  was,  however, 
evident  last  Wednesday  evening  that  there  was  an  incon- 
sistency on  the  part  of  the  judges,  for  whilst  simplicity 
of  arrangement  was  encouraged  in  one  case,  complicated 
arrangement,  which  everybody  by  this  time  is  well-nigh 
tired  of,  met  with  an  equal  amount  of  favour. 

It  is  evident  that  competitors  at  these  shows  have  not 
yet  learned  the  art  of  simplicity  of  arrangement,  for  there 
was  not  one  out  of  the  twenty  tables  in  the  competition 
that  was  not  too  elaborate,  consuming  a  vast  amount  of  effort 
that  might  have  been  put  to  a  more  useful  purpose.  It 
,  _.  was  generally  admitted,  however,  that  the  judges  selected 

iif  the  least  bad  for  the  highest  award.     The  chief  merit  of 

the  table  selected  was  its  originality.  Instead  of  the 
usual  trumpet-shaped  vases  tier  above  tier,  of  which  every- 
one is  tired,  the  central  arrangement  consisted  of  a  flat 
receptacle  lightly  furnished  with  a  plant  of  an  elegant 
Palm,  surrounded  by  Fern  fronds  and  studded  with  flowers 
of  The  Bride  Gladiolus,  Miss  JolifEe  Carnation,  and  a  few 
other  flowers  which  would  have  been  better  left  out.     The 

secondary 
arrange- 
m  e  n  t  s 
were  quite 
novel. 
They  con- 
sisted of 
•^  i   the  globu- 

lar masses 
of  the  new 
Japanese 
Har  e  's- 
foot  Fern 
(Davallia 
^^J^t^^^®?ilW^-li,?»j^^.  "S^  1  Mariesi), 

^4!   '■'-  '  4  beset     all 

over  with 
luxuriant 
fronds. 

-3SKL~~    --!-.—  -  -  These 

,:L        "        .    -         ,•".,'5/''^       „ '^  werestnd- 

""  y  ded     with 

w/^^  flowers   of 

Odonto- 


fA 


-<■>' 


FA^/^^ 


^.<>- 


glossum  Alexandra,  the  whole  having  a  pretty 
effect,  although  lacking  that    simplicity    which 
is  always  so  much  admired  by  people  of  good 
taste.      The    other   prizes   fell    to    those   whose 
tables  were  of  the  usual  trnmpet-above-trumpet 
composition,  taking  as  many  hours  to  furnish  as  it 
should  minutes.     Then  there  was,  of  course,  the 
usual  display    of  the  chinaware  merchant,  who 
seems   to  regard  flowers  in   quite  a  secondary 
light,  and  cares  only  to  display  his  goods.    There 
was,  moreover,  the  competitor  who  believes  in 
the   aid  of    flat   mirrors   to   imitate  water   and 
other    puerile  devices,  and  one    actually  went 
so  far  in  the  way  of  violating  good  taste  as  to 
have  "  made-up  "  small    birds     in   imitation  of 
stuffed  birds.     Such   combinations  ought   to  be 
vetoed,  but  then  they  serve  as  a  contrast  to  others 
who  show  better  taste.    The  way  in  which  poor 
flowers  are  contorted  and  otherwise  maltreated  at 
these  displays  is  terrible  to  behold.    The  wiring  of 
flowers  ought  surely  to  be  abolished.    A  flower 
loses   half  its  charm  if  seen  in  such  a  crippled 
condition.     This  display  of  bad   taste   in  flower 
arrangement  would  not  matter  much  were  it  not 
that  the  public  are  apt  to  regard   these  exhibi- 
tions in  the  light  of  a  school  in  which  the  best 
taste  is   displayed.    Would-be   floral   decorators 
should   take  a  few  lessons  in   colour  harmony 
before  they  begin  to  practise  their  art ;  then  per- 
haps we  should  not   see  such  inharmonious  mix- 
tures as  are  now  common,  particularly  among  the 
coloured    bouquets,    wreaths,  &c.      Baskets  and 
vases  were  not  so  bad,  and  a  few,  especially  those 
arranged  with  one  or  two  kinds  of  flowers,  such  as 
the  English  Irises,  were  really  pretty.     One  com- 
petitor had  a  bowl  of  English  Irises  mixed  with 
Grasses,    but    if  the    foliage    of  the    Irises  had 
been  used  instead  of  that  of  the  Grasses,  a  much 
better  effect  would  have  been  the  result ;   another 
had   Iceland  Poppies,  yellow  and  white,  symme- 
trically arranged  with  Grasses  and  Ferns.     Put  a 
handful  of   flowers  out  with  good  long    stalks 
lightly  in  a  bowl,  and  surround    them  by  bold 
silvery  foliage,  such  as  that  of  the  common  horned 
Poppy,  and  the  arrangement  would  have  received 
approbation.     As  regards   the  arrangements  for 
alcoves,  recesses,  arches  forsideboards,&c.,  they  did 
not  comprise  a  single  commendable  example,  and 
some  were  simply  hideous,  one  strikingly  remind- 
ing one  of   a  Punch-and-Judy  show-box    set   in 
greenery.     The  arrangements  for  ball-rooms  had 
two  or  three   exponents,   none   good— all   being 
formal  in  the  extreme;  better  arrangements  can 


THE     GARDEN 


[July  5,  1884 


be  seen  any  day  in  the  florists' shops  in  Covent 
Garden  Market ;  one  competitor  had  an  imposing 
display  so  arranged  that  one  side  of  it  exactly 
reflected  the  otheri  even  to  the  minutest  detail. 
But  enough,  we  think,  has  been  said  to  show  that 
the  art  of  artistic  flower  arrangement  sadly  needs 
reform. 

Flower  Garden. 

HYBRID  CLEMATISES. 
Abe  not  raisers  of  these  fine  hardy  flowers  in  a 
general  way  working  in  a  wrong  direction  ?  The 
great  aim  now  seems  to  be  to  produce  large- 
flowered  kinds,  and  very  fine  some  of  these  are, 
but  as  they  mostly  have  much  of  the  lanuginosa 
type  in  them,  they  are  too  tender  to  become 
favoured  of  the  million.  They  require  too  much 
culture  to  be  of  any  great  service  as  outdoor 
climbers,  and  many  of  them  do  not  flower  well 
under  circumstances  in  which  such  a  typical  hardy 
continuous  flowering  form  as  Jackmanni  proves 
eminently  satisfactory.  C.  Jackmanni  is  a  perfect 
model  of  what  an  outdoor  Clematis  should  be,  and 
of  its  colour  there  is  no  other  variety,  and  I  do  not 
see  how  there  ever  can  be  another  to  surpass,  or 
for  the  matter  of  that  equal  it.  What  a  treasure 
the  new  white  kind  will  be  if,  as  is  said,  it  is  a 
counterpart  in  all  but  colour  of  Jackmanni.  Let 
us  hope  that  it  will  prove  to  be  a  real  companion 
plant  to  it ;  then  we  shall  have  two  colours  in 
reliable  hardy  varieties,  and  shall  only  require  a 
good  red  to  complete  a  trio,  which  for  utility  as 
hardy  outdoor  flowers  would  stand  almost  unique. 
But  although  a  good  red-flowered  kind  may  not 
yet  be  forthcoming,  there  is  every  reason  for 
expecting  it,  and  I  cannot  help  thinking  that  if 
those  engaged  in  raising  new  Clematises  had  per- 
sistently directed  their  eiforts  in  this  direction,  it 
would  have  been  obtained  long  ere  now.  It  is 
not  as  if  an  entirely  fresh  departure  in  colour 
was  needful  before  this  desirable  result  could 
be  obtained.  On  the  contrary,  we  have  in  Viti- 
cella  rubra  grandiUora  quite  a  lovely  shade  of  red, 
which  one  would  think  would  soon  under  the 
hybridist's  hands  become  intensified.  It  is  strange 
how  rarely  one  sees  this  showy  and  most  distinct 
Clematis  ;  it  is  one  of  the  very  best  that  can  be 
planted  for  outdoor  decoration,  so  hardy  and  free 
flowering  is  it.  I  can  scarcely  think  that  its  good 
qualities  have  been  taken  into  account  by  those 
who  have  improved  the  Clematis  probably  on 
account  of  the  comparatively  small  size  of  the 
flowers.  But  really  what  has  size  of  bloom  to  do 
with  effectiveness  ?  Very  little,  as  we  may  every 
day  see  in  the  flower  garden.  Can  anything  be  much 
more  brilliant  than  a  bed  of  Phloxes  ?  and  yet  as 
compared  with  many  things  the  individual  blooms 
are  small  indeed.  It  is  just  the  same  with  the 
Clematis  we  want  in  the  open  air.  We  want 
masses  of  effective  colour,  and  this  is  just  as  well 
furnished  by  flowers  4  inches  across  as  by  those 
double  that  size.  Indoors  it  is  rather  different ; 
there  we  are  more  apt  to  look  to  size  and  beauty  of 
form  in  individual  flowers,  and  even  the  tenderest 
of  kinds  will  thrive  well  with  but  little  trouble 
under  glass.     The  proper  way  would  be  to  make 

Two  DISTINCT  CLASSES,  the  One  really  hardy, 
vigorous,continuous,  free-flowering,  and  thoroughly 
trustworthy  for  outdoor  culture ;  the  other  suit- 
able only  for  indoors.  Then  purchasers  would 
know  what  to  select,  which  they  do  not  at  present, 
unless  they  have  some  knowledge  of  the  kinds,  for 
very  hardy  and  tender  varieties  are  all  cata- 
logued together.  Considering  what  a  fine  break 
was  obtained  in  Jackmanni,  and  how  long 
that  fine  kind  has  been  in  cultivation,  it  is 
really  a  matter  for  surprise  that  so  very  few 
thoroughly  reliable  kinds  should  have  been  ob- 
tained. As  a  fact,  out  of  the  large  number  of 
varieties  in  cultivation,  the  out-door  popular  ones 
may  be  said  to  be  represented  by  less  than  half-a- 
dozen  kinds :  Jackmanni,  Lady  Eovill,  rubella, 
rubro-cosrulea,  and  violacea  about  comprise  the 
list.  The  last  two  are  hardly  wanted  if  you 
have  the  three  first,  and  this  is  the  trio  of  Clema- 
tises which,  as  near  as  caq  be,  represents  the 


worth  of  this  flower  for  open-air  culture,  and  of 
these  three,  one.  Lady  BovUl,  is  confessedly  some- 
what tender.  It  wants  growing — which  the  other 
two  do  not,  for  they  will  hold  their  own  amongst 
a  rather  rampant  vegetation,  and  in  ordinarily 
favourable  circumstances  they  will  increase  in 
beauty  from  year  to  year.  This  is  the  ideal 
Clematis,  and  until  other  colours  are  worked  up 
to  this  standard,  comparatively  little  has  been 
done  to  render  the  Clematis  a  popular  garden 
flower.    I  may  be  told  that  many  of  these 

Fine  kinds  of  Clematises  maybe  seen  doing 
well  in  not  a  few  places  in  the  open.  I  am  aware 
of  that,  but  they  can  only  do  well  out-of-doors 
under  exceptionally  favourable  circumstances 
either  as  regards  climate  or  skilful  attention. 
Can  anyone  say  that  such  kinds  as  lanuginosa  Can- 
dida, Lady  Londesborough,  Lady  Caroline  Ne- 
ville, Otto  Froebel,  &.C.,  are  often  seen  in  good 
condition  in  villa  gardens  ?  and  it  is  only  the 
frequent  presence  of  any  plant  in  good  health 
in  small  gardens  which  really  proves  its  popularity 
and  suitability  for  our  climate.  J.  C.  B. 


LILIUM  TENUIFOLIUM. 

For  what  may  be  termed  intrinsic  beauty  there 
is  no  other  Lily  that  approaches  this,  and  though 
all  Lilies  are  stately,  this  is  the  only  one  that  is 
really  graceful.  While  L.  auratum  and  giganteum 
represent  the  opposite  extreme  in  point  of  size, 
and  while,  like  all  others,  they  are  beautiful,  it 
must  be  admitted  that  in  addition  to  their  being 
somewhat  tender,  they  are  also  rather  coarse  in 
all  their  parts.  On  the  contrary,  L.  tenuifolium 
is  not  only  very  fine  and  delicate  in  all  its  parts, 
but  is  the  hardiest  of  the  whole  Lily  family.  I 
have  not  yet  seen  a  description  of  this  Lily 
that  did  it  anything  like  justice.  It  is  usually 
described  as  being  from  12  inches  to  15  inches  in 
height,  with  from  three  to  five  flowers  ;  while 
the  fact  is,  that  when  fairly  established  it  will 
grow  3  feet  or  more  in  height,  and  yield  from 
fifteen  to  twenty  flowers,  often  more.  Neither  is 
anything  ever  said  about  its  wonderful  fragrance, 
which,  though  different  from  that  of  L.  auratum, 
being  more  spring-like,  is  fully  as  intense,  and  on 
a  warm  sunny  morning  is  almost  oppressive.  An- 
other fact  not  mentioned  is  the  delicacy  and 
beauty  of  its  foliage,  which  is  not  at  all  inferior 
to  that  of  some  of  the  finer  Ferns  for  a  month  pre- 
vious to  blooming.  Grown  in  masses,  no  plant 
makes  a  better  display,  and,  as  an  old  gardener 
once  said,  "  It  is  worth  growing  for  its  foliage 
alone,  but  when  crowned  with  its  orange-coloured 
buds  and  brilliant  scarlet  flowers,  it  is  the  per- 
fection of  beauty."  This  is  high  praise,  but  having 
grown  this  Lily  for  many  years  I  can  confirm  all 
that  is  here  said  of  it,  and  I  may  add  that  it  ap- 
pears so  like  a  rare  gem  from  the  Tropics,  that  it 
is  not  easy  for  the  uninitiated  to  believe  it  to  be  a 
native  of  the  wintry  plains  of  Siberia.  It  begins 
to  flower  in  June,  and  the  bulbs  are  thoroughly 
ripe  and  ready  for  removal  by  the  last  of  August. 
I  frequently  find  some  that,  not  satisfied  with 
flowering  in  June,  get  uneasy  and  flower  again  in 
the  last  of  September  or  in  October,  though  these 
late  blooms  are  not  so  highly  coloured  as  the  early 
ones.  Now  that  bulbs  of  this  Lily  can  be  had  at 
a  reasonable  pries,  they  should  be  planted  in 
bedding  quantities,  or  as  they  succeed  Tulips 
in  their  time  of  flowering  they  may  be  planted 
together,  and  the  result  will  be  a  pleasant  surprise 
to  those  who  are  strangers  to  the  effect  that  such 
a  mixture  would  produce.  A  bed  of  them  CO  feet 
long  and '4  feet  wide  would  make  a  show  that 
would  not  be  speedily  forgotten. 

Close  planting. — There  are  two  advantages 
in  planting  this  Lily  closely ;  first,  it  is  not  so 
easily  disturbed  by  the  wind,  as  plants  massed 
together  support  one  another;  secondly,  one  gets 
a  more  effective  display  of  its  wonderful  scarlet 
colour.  Many  of  the  bulbs  will  send  up  two  or 
three  stalks  each,  but  without  increasing  the 
number  of  bulbs,  being  different  in  this  respect 
from  any  other  Lily  with  which  I  am  acquainted. 
In  the  whole  Lily  family  there  is  no  other  one  that 
will  bear  nearly  such  extrenje  cold,  but  it  wijl  not 


grow  in  water.  For  garden  culture,  drainage, 
plenty  of  sand,  and  a  slight  elevation  of  the  bed — 
remembering  that  however  much  many  other 
Lilies  enjoy  shade,  tenuifolium  does  best  with  all 
the  sunshine  it  can  get — will  insure  success  with 
this  Lily  and  make  it  one  of  the  most  satisfactory 
kinds  grown.  It  should  be  planted  as  early  as 
October— earlier  if  bulbs  can  be  bad— and  should 
be  covered  with  about  3  inches  of  soil.  For  pot 
culture  few  Lilies  are  as  good,  and  none  are  better. 
Being  by  nature  an  early  bloomer,  it  responds 
readily  to  ordinary  good  treatment.  It  requires 
more  sand  in  the  potting  compost  than  most  other 
Lilies,  and  after  the  shoots  make  their  appearance 
they  should  have  air  to  give  the  foliage  substance 
and  sunshine  to  make  the  flowers  brilliant.  If  the 
bulbs  are  over  1  inch  in  diameter  (and  very  few 
of  this  species  are),  three  in  a  7-inch  pot  will  be 
plenty.  Of  the  ordinary  size  five  may  be  planted 
in  a  7-lnch  pot,  bearing  in  mind  that  if  they  be- 
come too  much  crowded  while  growing  to  cut  out 
some  of  them.  The  earlier  they  can  be  potted  the 
sooner  they  will  flower.  With  the  convenience  of 
a  greenhouse  they  may  be  had  in  January,  and 
even  earlier.  Of  its  capabilities  in  this  direction 
there  is,  however,  yet  something  to  be  learned, 
but  I  have  had  ordinary  imported  bulbs  in  bloom 
the  first  week  in  February  in  a  common  window. 

The  effort  to  produce  seeds  wastes  the 
vitality  of  the  bulbs,  and  such  bulbs,  while  not 
satisfactory  for  garden  purposes,  are  comparatively 
worthless  for  forcing ;  therefore  the  capsules 
should  be  pulled  off  the  moment  the  flowers  fade. 

New  York.  E.  Huftelen. 


Oliveden  Yellow  Pansy.— I  have  in  ray 
garden  a  bed  of  this  I'ansy  which  commenced  to 
flower  early  in  February,  and  it  is  now,  at  the  end 
of  June,  as  gay  with  flowers  as  it  has  ever  been  ; 
indeed,  ever  since  the  middle  of  March  it  has  been 
a  solid  mass  of  the  brightest  yellow.  Although 
one  of  the  oldest  of  bedding  Tansies,  this  is  still 
one  of  the  best.  The  plants  under  notice  appear 
as  if  they  will  go  on  flowering  all  the  summer. — 
J.  C.  C. 

Solomon's  Seal. — I  was  just  a  little  sur- 
prised on  reading  Mr.  Groom's  paragraph  (p.  509) 
to  see  this  described  as  having  "  great  arched 
spikes  of  pure  white  bells."  Is  there  really  a  pure 
white  variety  ?  or  does  Mr.  Groom  refer  to  the  old 
greenish  white-flowered  kind  ?  A  variety  having 
flowers  as  white  as  those  of  Lily  of  the  Valley 
would  be  a  great  gain,  and  yet  is  it  not  Keats 
who  refers  to  its  bells  even  as  little  green-tipped 
lamps  of  light  ? — B. 

Border  Pink  Lady  Fitzhardinge.-  A 

very  free,  useful  kind  with  large  flowers  of  a  deep 
pink  colour,  shading  away  a  little  paler  to  the  out- 
side ;  petals  rather  deeply  fringed,  very  sweetly 
scented,  a  plant  of  strong  constitution  and  easy  to 
raise  from  cuttings.  It  was  raised  some  years  ago 
from  seed  in  Lord  Fitzhardinge's  garden  at  Cran- 
ford  House,  Hounslow.  The  "  old  Yorkshire  Pink  " 
of  nurseries,  which  I  have  not  seen,  I  am  told  is 
much  like  it. — G.  J. 

The  Parsley-leaved  Grape  Vine   has 

long  been  cultivated  in  this  country ;  it  was  at 
one  time  cultivated  a  good  deal  for  its  fruit.  At 
present,  however,  it  seems  to  have  fallen  into  un- 
merited neglect ;  as  a  fine-foliaged  plant  for 
covering  walls  or  arbours  it  is  one  of  our  best  of 
deciduous  climbers.  Another  remarkable  variety 
of  the  Grape  Vine  is  the  Claret  Grape  (Vitis  vini- 
fera  foliis  rubescentibus),  the  leaves  of  which 
assume  a  deep  claret  colour  in  autumn.  When 
clothed  in  its  autumnal  garb  this  is  one  of  the 
most  ornamental  climbers  of  which  English  gar- 
dens can  boast. — N. 

Dry  weather  flowers.— The  following  are 
flowering  satisfactorily,  notwithstanding  the  long- 
continued  drought,  viz. ;  Delphinium  formosum 
and  several  of  the  new  double  varieties  of  this 
useful  hardy  plant,  Canterbury  Bells,  Veronicas, 
Pit'onies,  Centranthus  ruber,  East  Lothian  Stocks, 
Sweet  Williams,  Antirrhinums,  and  Pinks, 
amongst  which  I  must  make  special  mention  of 


July  5,  1884.] 


THE     GAKDEN 


that  nsefal  variety  Mrs.  Sinkins,  which  is  a  solid 
mass  of  the  purest  white ;  Gladiolus  byzantinus 
and  The  Qaeen,  Campanula  pulcherrima,  Foxgloves, 
Pansies,  Violas,  Erigeron  speciosum,  Gaillardias, 
Pyrethmms,  and  Erodiums. — J.  C.  C. 

Diantbus  hlspanlcus. — I  should  be  ob- 
liged if  any  of  your  readers  could  give  some  in- 
formation respecting  this  Pink — when  it  was  in- 
troduced, and  whether  it  was  ever  generally 
known  ;  it  was  given  me  by  a  Scotch  friend  as  a 
brilliantly  coloured  kind  among  others,  and  labelled 
accordingly.  A  year  or  two  ago  a  great  autho- 
rity on  hardy  plants.  Dr.  Lowe,  when  looking  over 
our  collection,  said  "You  have  Dianthus  hispanicus, 
which  has  been,  I  believe,  lost  for  thirty  years, 
but  it  should  have  dark  stems."  In  looking  at  a 
healthy  plant  in  the  border  we  found  that  the 
stems  were  dark.  It  has  been  much  admired  in  our 
garden,  and  when  grown  in  full  sun  the  colour  is 
most  brilliant.— Geoeqe  F.  Wilson,  Heathtrlank, 
Weybridge. 

Too  many  Pelargoniums.— Last  summer 
I  saw  in  front  of  a  small  villa  eight  large  beds 
filled  with  zonal  Pelargoniums,  which  occupied 
the  whole  of  the  available  space.  When  I  first 
saw  them  it  had  been  fine  for  some  weeks,  and 
the  plants  were  in  a  full  blaze  of  bloom,  making, 
of  course,  a  grand  show,  but,  to  my  mind,  any- 
thing but  a  pleasing  one,  so  woefully  lacking  was 
it  in  the  one  great  desideratum  in  flower-garden 
arrangements,  viz.,  variety.  I  passed  that  way 
again  a  fortnight  later,  and  what  a  change  was 
there,  a  week's  heavy  rain  having  washed  nearly 
all  the  brightness  and  beauty  from  those  beds.  I 
could  not  help  thinking  that  the  owner  of  that 
garden  must  then  have  envied  his  neighbour  op- 
posite, whose  little  plot  was  as  gay  as  ever  with 
common  Marigolds,  Indian  Pinks,  and  several 
other  such  bright,  rain-proof  flowers. — J.  C.  B. 

Double  Daffodils  from  seed.  —  Has 
"  J.  C.  B."  (p.  509)  any  knowledge  of  new  varieties 
of  double  DafEodils  having  been  raised  daring  the 
present  century  ?  In  1883  Mr.  Harrison  Weir  gave 
me  some  roots  of  double  poeticus,  stating  that 
they  were  raised  from  seed  the  first  year ;  the 
flowers  were  small  and  distinct  looking.  This  past 
season  the  flowers  were  much  larger.  I  shall  pay 
particular  attention  to  this  plant,  and  see  whether 
in  future  years  it  possesses  any  character  different 
from  the  ordinary  double  variety.  Dr.  Brown,  of 
Hull,  sent  to  the  Daffodil  Conference  a  doable 
form  of  N.  nanus,  and  in  a  letter  to  me  stated  that 
he  had  raised  it  (one  bulb  only)  from  seed.  Some 
of  your  readers  may  know  of  double  Daffodils 
coming  from  seed,  and  will  make  known  the 
same.  When  "J.  C.  B."ha3  broken  open  the  seed 
pod  of  N.  Telamonius  plenus,  will  he  kindly  say 
how  many  black  seeds  he  found  ? — P.  Bare. 

Two  fine  hardy  plants.- Oneisacommon 
Male  Fern,  4  feet  high  and  as  much  through,  with 
more  than  100  rich  green  fronds — a  graceful  mass 
of  foliage  such  as  I  have  rarely  seen,  and  which 
the  majority  of  choice  and  rare  exotic  Ferns  can 
never  produce.  The  other  is  the  yellow  Flag  Iris 
(I.  Pseudacorus),  10  feet  high  and  6  feet  through, 
as  noble  an  object  as  can  well  be  conceived,  the 
long  bright  green  leaves  recurving  gracefully, 
and  lit  up  by  numerous  bright  yellow  flowers. 
There  grows  not  a  more  stately  hardy  flower  than 
this  Iris  when  highly  developed,  and  where  it  can 
have  a  place  on  the  water  margin  it  should  be  al- 
lowed to  remain  undisturbed.  These  two  plants 
are  growing  side  by  side  close  to  a  pool  of  water, 
and  the  roots  descending  into  it  is  undoubtedly 
the  cause  of  such  exceptional  development. — 
J.  C.  B. 

Alliums,  as  a  rule,  are  a  class  of  plants  seldom 
recommended  for  their  beanty,  either  for  rockwork 
or  for  the  flower  border ;  yet  to  banish  them  alto- 
gether would  be  to  deprive  our  gardens  of  a  few 
really  handsome  plants,  and  plants,  too,  that  can 
always  take  care  of  themselves  without  extending 
beyond  their  allotted  space.  Their  smell  if  bruised 
is  against  them,  and  although  the  Neapolitan  Al- 
lium (A.  neapolitanum),  the  flowers  of  which  are 
beautiful  and  fragrant,  is  sometimes  used  in  bou- 
quets, this  objection  to  it  is  always  more  or  less 


felt.  It  is,  however,  a  pretty  border  plant,  and  in 
company  with  A.  cceruleum,  Moly,  scorzonerrefo- 
lium,  and  pedemontanum,  undoubtedly  useful 
and  decorative ;  the  last  especially,  with  its  nu- 
merous purple,  drooping.  Tulip-like  flowers  is  good 
enough  for  pot  culture.  A.  giganteum,  a  species 
of  recent  introduction,  is  well  named,  growing,  as 
it  does,  even  taller  than  the  well-known  A.  sicu- 
lum.  Its  leaves  are  flat,  strap-shaped,  and  of  a 
light  glaucous  green,  and  the  flowers,  though 
small  individually,  are  of  a  purplish  colour  and 
collected  in  countless  numbersinto  a  large  globular 
head  from  2  inches  to  3  inches  in  diameter.  This 
sort  is  a  decided  acquisition. — D.  K. 

Alpine  Anemones.  —  I  observe  that 
"  F.  W.  B."  includes  Anemone  Pulsatilla  amongst 
Anemones  readily  increased  by  root  cuttings.  The 
long  tap  root  of  this  species  has  hitherto  deterred 
me  from  making  the  experiment,  and  the  more  so, 
as  the  seed  invariably  ripens  in  abundance  and 
germinates  freely  in  a  cool  greenhouse  temperature 
if  sown  in  a  pot  or  saucer  and  covered  over  with 
a  sheet  of  glass  till  the  young  seedlings  are  well 
up.  In  October  last  year  I  treated  the  seed  of  A. 
sulphurea  in  the  same  manner.  The  young  plants 
began  to  appear  in  about  two  months,  and  though 
of  very  slow  growth,  some  are  now  ready  for 
pricking  out  into  separate  pots.  It  is  after  this 
that  my  difficulty  begins.  Either  from  mismanage- 
ment or  from  the  damp  of  Devon  they  perhaps 
flower  once,  and  then  begin  to  die.  I  intend  next 
winter  to  treat  them  like  Androsaces,  and,  while 
admitting  air,  to  exclude  wet  and  damp  by  the 
use  of  bell-glasses  partially  raised  from  the  ground. 
This  treatment  I  intend  for  alpina,  sulphurea,  and. 
palmata  ;  Pulsatilla  requires  no  special  carey 
"  F.  W.  B."  does  not  mention  A.  rivularis,  a  pretty 
plant,  and  one  which  increases  by  self-sown  seed- 
lings.— T.  H.  Abchee-Hind,  South  Devon. 

Double  Rockets.- In  addition  to  what  Mr. 
Tymons  has  said  about  these,  allow  me  to  make  a 
few  observations  which  may  be  useful  to  beginners. 
Rockets  cannot  be  grown  in  very  sandy  soil ;  they 
do  not  only  like,  but  absolutely  want,  a  good,  rather 
heavy  loam,  if  expected  to  grow  well  for  a  length 
of  time.  The  situation  should  be  sheltered  from 
hot  sun  and  parching  winds.  After  flowering  I 
only  cut  the  flowers  off,  and  wait  some  four  weeks 
before  I  cut  the  plants  down  to  an  inch  from  the 
ground.  When  some  fresh  growth  is  produced 
they  should  be  supplied  with  some  good  soil,  to 
which  they  will  take  readily  and  make  fresh  roots 
when  the  autumnal  rains  set  in.  About  September 
they  may  be  taken  up  and  divided  into  as  many 
bits  as  possible,  provided  some  roots  are  attached 
to  each  piece,  which,  if  replanted  at  once,  will 
bloom  well  next  year.  This  is  exactly  Mr.  Tymons' 
method,  only  by  my  plan  making  cuttings  is  done 
away  with,  thus  simplifying  their  culture.  Before 
winter  sets  in  a  dressing  with  half-rotten  manure 
will  be  found  to  be  beneficial  in  protecting  the 
tender  roots  and  in  strengthening  the  plants. 
The  French  white  sometimes  sports  to  a  pale 
purple  or  mauve  colour.  —  Max  Leichtlin, 
Baden-Baden. 

Columbines. — I  am  not  at  all  surprised  at 
"  J.  C.  C."  (p.  486)  not  being  able  to  get  Aquilegia 
ccerulea  true,  as  nearly  all  plants  of  it  which  are 
distributed  are  raised  from  seed,  and  Colum- 
bines are  very  sportive,  too  much  so,  unfortunately, 
especially  as  regards  this  lovely  species,  as  the 
danger  is  it  may  not  be  kept  true,  and  any  degene- 
racy or  change  of  colour  (it  could  not  well  be  im- 
proved) would  be  much  regretted  by  all  who 
know  or  have  seen  it  in  bloom.  The  only  way  to 
preserve  its  true  character  is  to  isolate  the  plants 
that  are  intended  to  bear  seed,  or  have  it  saved 
from,  as  when  anywhere  near  others,  the  bees  are 
sure  to  carry  the  pollen  from  flower  to  flower  and 
inoculate  all,  and  their  doing  this  accounts  for 
the  great  variety  of  colours  and  forms  one  soon 
gets  in  a  garden  where  many  are  grown.  "  J.  C.  C. ' 
is  fortunate  in  not  having  his  plants  of  A. 
cffirulea  die  away,  as  they  provokingly  do 
in  most  places,  and  here,  where  our  soil  is 
light  and  where  most  other  sorts  do  well,  we 
cannot  keep  them  more  than  three  or  four  years. 
I  doubt  also  if  they  are  as  deep  in  colour  and 


good  as  they  were,  but  the  cold,  dry  season  may 
have  had  something  to  do  with  this,  as  Columbines 
like  a  moist  genial  atmosphere  ;  they  improved 
wonderfully  immediately  after  the  rain  and  the 
warm,  damp  air  that  followed.  It  is  somewhat 
surprising  that  as  the  generally-considered  deli- 
cate A.  ccerulea  does  so  well  with  "  J.  C.  C  ,"  he 
should  have  any  difficulty  with  the  more  robust 
A.  glandulosa,  but  the  insects  he  mentions  as  at- 
tacking the  crowns  are  probably  the  cause  of  his 
failure.  I  think  if  he  were  to  try  a  dressing  of 
soot  and  lime  (my  panacea  for  Insects),  he  would 
find  it  do  much  good,  as  sprinkled  or  thrown  over 
the  crowns  it  not  only  wards  off  such  enemies  as 
attack  plants,  but  it  acts  as  a  stimulant,  and  does 
in  that  way  a  great  deal  of  good.  To  be  effectual 
the  lime  should  be  fresh  and  air-slaked  in  a  dry 
shed,  as  then  it  is  much  more  caustic  and  strong. 
—8.  D. 


NOTES  or  THE  WEEK. 

Gardeners'  Royal  Benevolent  Insti- 
tution.— The  forty-first  anniversary  dinner  of  this 
institution  was  held  on  Wednesday  evening  last, 
at  The  Albion,  Aldersgate  Street.  Mr.  George 
Lambert,  F.S.A.,  occupied  the  chair.  After  the 
usual  toasts  several  gentlemen  spoke  in  the  in- 
terests of  the  institution,  of  the  good  it  had  done 
and  is  still  doing,  and  strongly  urged  every  one 
connected  with  gardens  and  gardeners  to  support 
it.  Then  followed  the  secretary's  report  and  the 
statement  by  the  treasurer,  who  announced  that 
the  total  subscriptions  of  the  evening  amounted  to 
upwards  of  £1000.  The  chairman's  list  amounted 
to  £'A'AO,  and  that  of  the  treasurer  to  £.50.  Towards 
this  amount  the  chairman  subscribed  100  guineas. 
This  festival  was  in  every  way  the  most  successful 
that  the  institution  has  yet  held. 

Hardy  flower  exhibition. — It  has  long 
been  a  complaint  that  at  London  exhibitions 
hardy  flowers  were  not  shown  in  good  condition 
even  by  those  who  grow  them  well,  but,  true  as 
this  may  have  been  in  the  past,  there  has  sorely 
been  exhibitions  of  hardy  flowers  at  South  Ken- 
sington this  season  fit  to  satisfy  everybody.  First, 
there  was  that  grand  show  of  the  Narcissus  family 
in  April,  and  since  then  almost  without  interrup- 
tion there  has  been  a  continual  feast  of  hardy 
flower  beauty  provided  in  the  conservatory  at 
South  Kensington,  and  the  display  will,  we  under- 
stand, be  continued  until  the  autumn.  It  is  evi- 
dent that  an  entire  reaction  has  set  in  with  regard 
to  hardy  flower  showing,  for  not  only  have  the 
habitual  exhibitors  shown  this  year,  but  outsiders 
have  also  caught  the  infection.  In  addition  to 
the  well-known  names  of  Ware,  Barr,  and  Hooper 
we  have  those  of  Veitch,  Kelway,  and  Walker,  all 
of  whom  have  seemingly  striven  to  outvie  each 
other  in  the  extent  and  interest  of  their  displays. 
There  probably  never  has  been  such  an  extensive 
exhibition  of  hardy  perennial  flowers  as  that 
which  Mr.  Ware  has  made  at  South  Kensington 
during  the  past  few  weeks  from  his  nursery  at 
Tottenham.  It  well  shows  what  a  wealth  of 
beauty  there  exists  in  this  class  of  plants.  We 
understand  that  the  display  from  Mr.  Ware's  nur- 
sery will  be  maintained  at  South  Kensington 
throughout  the  season. 

The  Edinburgh  International  Forestry 
Exhibition  was  formally  opened  on  Tuesday  last 
by  the  president,  the  Marquis  of  Lothian.  It  pro- 
mises to  be  of  vast  extent  and  thoroughly  repre- 
sentative of  the  object  to  which  it  is  devoted.  It 
is  as  yet,  however,  in  a  very  incomplete  state,  and 
will  probably  be  so  for  some  time,  as  many  of  the 
foreign  exhibits  have  not  arrived.  The  buildings 
and  other  works  are,  however,  finished.  Among 
the  principal  home  exhibits  are  some  fine  speci- 
mens of  English  timber,  chiefly  of  Oak,  from  the 
forests  of  Windsor  and  Dean,  including  a  slab  of 
Heme's  Oak.  There  are  also  numbers  of  logs, 
showing  the  effects  of  cutting  off  branches  close  to 
and  at  a  distance  from  the  main  stem.  From 
Morton  Ha)l  there  is  an  elegant  library  table, 
showing  a  cliarming  combination  of  home-grown 
woods.     In  the  construction  of  thii  piece  of  furni- 


THE    GARDEN 


[July  5.  1884. 


ture  it  is  said  that  no  fewer  than  10,000  piece3  of 
wood  have  been  used,  consisting  of  117  different 
varieties.  The  Madras  Forest  department  exhibits 
a  valuable  collection  of  gums  and  resins,  and  there 
is  also  a  fine  collection  of  polished  timber  belong- 
ing to  the  Andaman  and  Nicobar  Islands,  sent  by 
Col  Cadell.  The  Maharajah  of  Johore  sends  many 
fine  specimens  of  timber,  both  in  a  natural  state 
and  manufactured.  Among  other  exhibits  the  most 
complete  are  those  of  Denmark  and  Norway. 
Besides  specimens  of  Pine  and  other  kinds  of 
timber,  this  section  contains  models  and  pictures 
of  methods  of  lumbering.  The  Cape  Colony,  New 
Brunswick,  and  Californian  exhibits  are  also  in 
position.  These  include  a  gigantic  shell  trunk  of 
a  Californian  red-wood  tree.  Being  40  feet  in 
circumference  and  12  feet  or  H  feet  high,  the  in- 
terior of  it  makes  a  goodly-sized  room.  Amongst 
open-air  exhibits  is  a  model  of  the  Queen's  Bal- 
moral cbrUet,  built  of  the  finest  Scottish  Fir,  and 
numbers  of  rustic  houses  and  conservatories.  The 
Lawson  Keed  Company ;  Messrs.  Little  and  Ballan- 
tyne,  Carlisle;  Dickson  and  Sons,  Chester;  Veitch 
an^  Son,  Chelsea;  and  other  nurserymen  have  had 
large  plots  allocated  to  them  in  the  open  field  west 
of  the  main  building.  These  spaces  they  have 
planted  with  ornamental  trees  and  shrubs. 


Orchids. 


Anguloa  eburnea.~A  flower  of  this  rare 
and  chastely  beautiful  Orchid  has  been  sent  to  us 
by  Messrs.  Thomson,  Clovenfords,  who  rightly 
think  highly  of  it.  It  is  one  of  the  purest  white 
Orchids  in  cultivation,  there  being  not  a  trace  of 
colour  in  the  flowers,  and  on  account  of  the  solidity 
of  the  sepals  they  have  the  appearance  of  being 
carved  out  of  ivory.  In  habit  of  growth  it  resem- 
bles A.  Glowesi,  uniflora,  and  others. 

Odontoglossum  vexillarium,— A  series 
of  beautiful  varieties  of  this  Orchid  come  from 
Dr.  Faterson,  Bridge  of  Allan.  They  differ  from 
each  other  chiefly  in  the  depth  of  colour,  some 
being  almost  pure  white,  others  a  very  deep  rose, 
■while  others  again  have  extreme  light  and  dark 
shades  represented  in  the  same  flower,  and  one  is 
particularly  remarkable  for  the  large  size  of  the 
labellum,  which  measures  3  inches  across. 

Coryanthea    tnaoulata  punctata.  — A 

flower  of  this  singular  Orchid  has  been  sent  to 
us  by  Mr.  Macdonald,  of  Woodlands  House,  Perth. 
In  addition  to  its  being  spotted,  as  in  the  typical 
C.  maculata,  the  flower  of  punctata  is  covered 
with  minute  dots.  The  curious  formation  of  the 
labellum,  somewhat  resembling  a  pouch,  is  the 
most  remarkable  part  of  the  flower,  which  is 
otherwise  similar  to  that  of  a  Stanhopea. 

Dendrobium  chryeotoxum  super- 
bum. — This  variety  is  much  superior  in  every  re- 
spect to  the  typical  form,  the  flowers  being  larger, 
the  colours  brighter,  and  the  spike  generally  more 
floriferous.  A  remarkably  fine  spike  of  this 
variety,  carrying  fifteen  flowers,  has  been  sent  to 
us  by  Col.  Charlton  from  his  garden  in  the  Isle  of 
Man,  and  from  the  same  collection  come  flower- 
spikes  of  D.  Calceolus,  one  of  the  oldest  and  best 
known  of  Dendrobiums,  and  still  one  of  the  hand- 
somest. 

Cattleya  Gaskelllana.— We  have  received 
several  flowers  lately  of  this  new  Cattleya,  which 
appears  to  be  flowering  simultaneously  throughout 
the  country.  Among  the  flowers  received  is  one 
from  Mr.-J.  Waddell,  Shenley  House,  Bletchley. 
This  flower  may  be  best  described  as  being  inter- 
mediate betweeen  Cattleya  Warneri  and  C.Mossise, 
the  sepals  a  deep  liac,  the  lip  frilled  and  light  at 
the  margins,  and  rich,  clear,  yellow  throat,  and  a 
large  blotch  of  the  richest  amethyst  on  the  lobe. 
From  what  we  have  seen  of  the  flowers  sent  to  us 
and  those  we  have  seen  lately  in  Mr.  B.  S.Williams' 
nursery  and  Mr.  Lee's  garden  at  Downside.Leather- 
head,  we  gather  that  this  Cattleya  is  as  variable 
as  the  other  new  Sanderian  Cattleya,  viz.,  C.  Per- 
civahana.  One  or  two  of  Mr.  Lee's  varieties  now 
jn  flower  are  superb,  while  others  are  poor  forms. 


The  chief  value  of  this  Cattleya  will  be  on  account 
of  its  flowering  after  the  Warneri  forms  are  past 
and  before  the  autumn  C.  labiata,  thus  filling 
the  gap  in  the  Cattleya  flower  season. 

Broughtonla  sanguinea.— Of  this  un- 
common little  Jamaican  Orchid  Mr.  Soper  sends 
us  a  flower-spike  from  his  garden  in  the  Clap- 
ham  Pioad,  where  he  grows  it  very  successfully 
on  suspended  blocks  in  a  warm  moist  house,  in 
wliich  Aerides,  Vandas,  and  other  warm-house 
Orchids  thrive  to  perfection.  It  is  a  very  neat 
and  pretty  Orchid,  with  flowers  about  an  inch 
across,  of  a  deep  rose-purple  finely  pencilled  with 
deeper  lines,  and  with  a  yellow  centre.  As  the 
spikes  are  slender  and  droop  gracefully,  the  plant 
has  a  pretty  effect  in  an  Orchid  house. 

Purple  Maxlllaria  Harrleonise  — A  very 

remarkable  variety  of  the  well-known  Maxillaria 
Harrisonia)  has  been  sent  to  us  by  Mr.  Walker, 
Southampton  Lodge,  Oakleigh  Park,  Barnet.  The 
flowers  of  this,  instead  of  being  of  the  ordinary 
whitish  colour,  are  of  a  uniform  violet-purple  or 
rather  plum  colour,  except  the  labellum,  which  is 
darker.  They  differ  also  somewhat  in  shape,  the 
spur  being  much  more  attenuated  than  usual. 
This  is  quite  as  remarkable  as  the  pure  white  va- 
riety sent  to  us  a  few  years  ago  by  Messrs.  Thom- 
son, of  Clovenfords. 

White  Cattleya  GaBkelliana.— Mr.  U. 
B.  Crawshay,  of  Rosefield,  Sevenoaks,  writes  to 
say  that  he  has  a  white  variety  of  the  new  Cattleya 
Gaskelliana  in  bloom,  which,  if  as  large  and  finely 
shaped  as  other  flowers  of  this  Cattleya  which  we 
have  seen  this  season,  must  be  a  lovely  variety. 
Mr.  Crawshay  also  states  that  he  has  now  a  gor- 
geous C.  Sanderiana  in  bloom,  and  he  sends  us  one 
of  the  largest  and  finest  flowers  of  C.  Warneri  we 
have  seen,  the  flower  being  some  8  inches  across, 
with  deep  lilac  sepals  and  a  most  beautifully 
coloured  lip. 

Cattleya  gigas  imperlalls.— An  exceed- 
ingly fine  bloom  of  this  gorgeous  Cattleya  has 
been  sent  to  us  by  Mr.  H.  W.  Elliott,  of  Selly 
Oak,  near  Birminghem.  It  is  8.|  inches  across  the 
sepals,  which  are  very  broad  and  of  a  deep  rose- 
pink.  The  lip  is  very  fine,  being  2.4  inches  across, 
of  an  intensely  deep  maroon-crimson,  frilled  and 
lighter  coloured  at  the  margins,  and  with  a  large 
blotch  of  pale  yellow  in  the  throat.  This  impe- 
rialis  variety  is  indeed  a  splendid  Orchid  when 
represented  by  such  a  bloom  as  this.  A  late- 
flowering  form  of  C.  Mendeli  is  likewise  sent. 

Odontoglossum  vexillarlum.— The  cul- 
ture of  this  queenly  Orchid  is  seemingly  well 
understood  by  Mr.  Douglas,  of  Great  Gearies, 
Ilford,  judging  by  the  specimens  which  he  sends 
— the  produce  of  one  small  bulb.  These  consist 
of  four  spikes,  carrying  in  the  aggregate  twenty 
flowers,  representing  a  large-flowered  form  of  good 
colour.  Mr.  Douglas  also  has  a  plant  of  this 
Orchid  bearing  no  fewer  than  110  flowers — a  grand 
specimen.  He  also  sends  a  very  dark  crimson 
blotched  form  of  0.  Roezli,  as  well  as  the  lovely 
white  form. 

Eulophia  scripta.— Flowers  of  this  un- 
common and  pretty  Orchid  have  been  sent  to  us 
by  Mr.  White  from  Mr.  Dorman's  collection, 
Laurie  Park,  Sydenham.  They  measure  three- 
quarters  of  an  inch  across,  and  are  heavily 
blotched  and  spotted  with  brown  on  a  yellow 
ground.  The  flower-spike  is  invariably  branch- 
ing, and  Mr.  Dorman's  plant  carries  a  spike  with 
fifty  flowers  upon  it.  Accompanying  the  speci- 
mens of  this  Orchid  is  a  flower  of  Odontoglossum 
crispum  with  two  lips,  a  curious  monstrosity,  and 
two  forms  of  Epidendrum  vitellinnm,  one  flower 
representing  the  typical  species,  the  other  the 
large  variety  ma  jus. 

Odontogloasum    Peacatorel   var.— A 

sixteen-flowered  spike  of  a  most  remarkable 
variety  of  this  Orchid  has  been  sent  to  us  from 
Mr.  F.  Yates'  garden  at  Higher  Feniscowles, 
Blackburn,  by  Mr.  Newsham,  his  gardener,  who 
states  that  the  plant  has  been  in  flower  for  the 
past  five  weeks,  and  has  therefore  lost  a  good  deal , 


of  its  colour.  It  is  certainly  an  uncommon  variety, 
almost  as  remarkable  as  the  varieties  Veitchianum 
and  Schroederi.  The  flowers  are  above  the  average 
size,  and  each  of  the  sepals  are  profusely  blotched 
with  plum-purple  on  a  white  ground,  as  is  also 
the  broad  labellum.  An  appropriate  name  for  it 
would  be  either  guttatum  or  pardinum,  as  it  is 
assuredly  worth  a  varietal  name. 

Cyprlpedium  speotabile.— I  send  you 
some  cut  flowers  of  this  Lady's  Slipper  taken  from 
the  same  plants  as  in  former  seasons.  If  a  fair 
start  is  made  with  this  Cypripedium,  there  is  no 
more  difficulty  in  flowering  it  well  year  after  year 
than  in  the  case  of  any  other  herbaceous  plant. 
Peat  and  sand,  a  moist  situation,  and  shelter  from 
wind  are  the  only  essentials  ;  some  may  fancy  a 
little  shade  for  it,  but  that  does  not  matter  if  the 
roots  are  kept  moist.  Until  just  lately  a  fair 
amount  of  Grass  and  young  Bracken  was  allowed 
to  grow  amongst  about  a  score  of  plants  of  it,  but 
these  are  giving  place  to  a  spreading  patch  of  the 
dwarf  Equisetum,  which,  it  is  hoped,  may  not  only 
keep  the  roots  cool  and  help  to  hold  up  top-heavy 
growths,  but  be  in  harmonious  contrast  with  the 
heavy-looking  foliage.  Caterpillars  are  apt  to 
take  possession  of  the  soft-folded  foliage  of  these 
Orchids  if  not  watched  and  dislodged.— J.  WOOD, 
WoodriUe,  Kirltstall. 

*«*  Very  fine  specimens,  ranging  from  15  inches 
to  2  feet  in  height,  and  furnished  with  large, 
highly-coloured  flowers. — Ed. 

Lilies  and  Orchids  from  Liverpool.— 

I  send  a  flower-spike  of  Lilium  rubesccns  (Wash- 
ingtonianum  pnrpureum)  with  twenty  flowers  on 
it ;  I  have  others  with  as  many.  I  also  send  a 
flower-spike  of  Epidendrum  bicornutum,  one  of 
three  on  the  plant ;  the  spike  has  had  altogether 
thirty  flowers— that  is,  sixteen  which  have  flowered 
and  faded,  beginning  at  the  bottom,  and  eleven 
flowers  and  three  buds  now  on  it.  This  habit  of 
gradual  opening  of  the  flowers  makes  this  beautiful 
species  very  useful.  The  spike  which  I  send  began 
to  open  at  the  end  of  April,  and  if  not  cut  would 
doubtless  have  outlasted  the  month  of  June.  The 
dry  sunny  season  has  been  very  favourable  to  Cat- 
tleyas  flowering,  and  in  the  open  ground  it  has 
been  favourable  to  some  Lilies,  but  not  to  others. 
For  instance,  Lilium  auratum  is  very  fine,  several 
flower-spikes  having  thirteen  and  fifteen  bads, 
and  the  stems  of  great  thickness  and  about  5  feet 
6  inches  high,  planted  in  fine  peat,  but  without 
shade,  which  is  unnecessary  in  this  climate  except 
a  few  low-growing  plants  to  shade  the  ground. 
On  the  other  hand,  Lilium  pardalinum  is  not  grow- 
ing so  tall  as  usual.  We  have  one  fine  clump  con- 
sisting of  about  eighty  flowering  spikes  which  are 
now  only  from  5  feet  to  6  feet  high.  Last  year 
they  grew  to  7  feet  or  8  feet.  Most  alpine  and 
herbaceous  plants  have  done  better  in  the  drought 
than  usual,  but  have  required  watering.  Pansies 
and  Columbines  have  suffered,  also  all  kinds  of 
Primula.— E.  Harvey,  12,  i?!!rrs(f«fc  Road,  Aig- 
hvrth,  IAverj)ool. 

*f*  The  Lily  sent  by  Mr.  Harvey  was  a  re- 
markable specimen.  The  flowers  were  arranged  in 
loose  tiers,  about  five  being  on  each  whorl.  When 
developed  so  finely  as  this  was,  this  is  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  of  all  Lilies,  and  one  which  pos- 
sesses a  beauty  peculiar  to  itself,  inasmuch  as  no 
other  kind  has  such  a  variety  of  tints  on  the  same 
spike.  Epidendrum  bicornutum,  too,  is  rarely 
seen  in  such  fine  condition  as  that  represented  by 
the  spike  sent  to  us  by  Mr.  Harvey,  who  evidently 
knows  the  requirements  of  this  species,  which  is 
reputedly  difficult  to  grow  and  flower  successfully. 
The  spike  in  question  carried  no  fewer  than  six- 
teen flowers,  arranged  in  a  rather  dense,  rounded 
spike,  on  which  there  are  scars  indicating  fallen 
flowers,  making  in  all  twenty-nine.  The  pure 
white  wax-like  texture  of  the  flowers  of  this  Epi- 
dendrum renders  it  one  of  the  loveliest  of  all 
Orchids,  and  the  minute  dots  of  purple  with  which 
the  flowers  are  copiously  marked  add  much  to 
their  beauty.  This  species  is  successfully  grown 
and  flowered  at  Kew,  but  this  is  the  only  place 
about  London  where  we  have  seen  it  really  finely 
flowered.— Ed. 


Jut.Y 


1884. 


THE     GARDEN 


Fruit  Garden. 


STRAWBERRIES  FOR  NEXT  YEAR. 
There  is  not  so  much  difficulty  in  obtaining  a 
fair  crop  of  Strawberries  the  firot  season  as  some 
imagine.  The  only  thing  required  is  to  get  plants  as 
early  as  they  can  be  had.  I  do  not  mean  to  say 
that  a  full  crop  need  be  expected  the  first  year; 
but  if  the  beginning  is  right  and  the  soil  suitably 
prepared,  a  fair  measure  of  success  may  be  reaped. 
We  must  bear  in  mind,  however,  that  some  soils 
are  more  favourable  to  the  growth  of  Strawberries 
than  others ;  therefore,  equal  success  must  not  in 
all  cases  be  looked  for.  The  first  step  is  to  secure 
the  plants,  which  should  be  obtained  from  the 
earliest  runners,  and  no  time  must  now  be  lost  in 
setting  about  the  work.  Runners  laid  in  pots 
make  the  best  plants.  Get  some  i-inch  pots,  fill 
them  with  good  loam,  and  place  a  runner  in  each 
pot ;  lay  a  stone  on  the  runner  to  keep  it  in  its 
place,  and  remove  the  point  beyond  the  pot.  The 
soil  in  the  pots  must  have  water  as  often  as  it 
gets  dry,  which  will  be  every  day  in  dry  weather'; 
any  neglect  in  getting  the  plants  rooted  as  quickly 
as  possible  will  tell  unfavourably  later  on,  and 
the  plants  will  make  but  slow  progress  if  their 
roots  are  in  a  dry  soil.  In  about  three  weeks  the 
layers  should  have  sufficient  roots  to  enable 
them  to  be  removed  from  the  parent  plants, 
and  in  doing  this  they  should  be  cut  off  close  to 
the  pat ;  they  should  then  be  placed  in  a  cold 
frame  or  in  some  other  shady  situation  until  they 
can  bear  full  exposure  to  the  sun.  Four  or  five 
days  ought  to  suffice  for  this  hardening  process, 
but  such  plants  as  are  deficient  in  the  way  of 
roots  may  remain  in  their  shady  quarters  a  few 
days  longer. 

Varieties  — It  is  not  difficult  to  name  a  dozen 
good  varieties,  but  it  is  not  so  easy  to  make  a 
selection  that  will  suit  all  situations,  as  it  is  well 
known  some  sorts  grow  and  fruit  better  in  some 
soils  than  others ;  the  selection  must  therefore, 
to  some  extent,  be  left  to  the  reader.  I  will,  how- 
ever, name  a  few  sorts  likely  to  suit  most  kinds 
of  soils  and  positions.  For  the  earliest  crop  Black 
Prince  is  still  unsurpassed ;  it  is  very  hardy  and 
almost  a  certain  bearer.  I  have  grown  this  variety 
for  more  than  twenty  years,  and  I  have  never 
known  it  to  fail ;  its  greatest  drawback  is  its 
small  size.  Keen's  Seedling  is  next  in  point  of 
earliness ;  it  produces  large  fruit  and  is  a  good 
bearer.  Sir  Joseph  Paxton  is  perhaps  the  most 
popular  Strawberry  grown  ;  its  fruit  is  bcJth  large 
and  handsome.  Vicomtesse  Hericart  de  Thury  is 
an  early  and  a  deservedly  popular  kind.  The 
best  mid-season  sorts  are  President,  Dr.  Hogg, 
Sir  C.  Napier,  and  British  Queen.  In  the 
ferrugineous  soils  in  the  wealds  of  Sussex  I 
have  seen  the  British  Qaeen  thriving  in  the  most 
satisfactory  manner,  and  under  such  conditions  it 
is  undoubtedly  the  best  Strawberry  in  cultivation. 
For  the  latest  crops  the  selection  may  include 
Frogmore  Late  Pine  and  Elton  Pine. 

The  preparation  of  the  ground  should  be 
of  the  most  substantial  character.  It  should  be 
trenched  2  feet  deep  where  the  staple  is  sufficiently 
deep  to  allow  of  the  bottom  soil  being  brought  to 
the  surface,  but  where  the  lower  stratum  is  crude 
and  heavy  it  had  better  be  left  at  the  bottom,  but 
well  stirred  up  as  the  work  goes  on.  In  soils  not 
already  rich  in  manurial  matter  plenty  oE  well- 
rotted  manure  should  be  added,  taking  care  that 
a  good  layer  of  it  is  placed  6  inches  or  8  inches 
below  the  surface  to  induce  the  roots  to  get  down 
out  of  the  way  of  drought,  for  although  the 
Strawberry  is  not  naturally  a  very  deep-rooting 
subject,  it  will  find  its  way  down  out  of  the  reach 
of  an  ordinary  dry  time  if  the  lower  layer  of  soil 
is  well  moved  and  manure  is  incorporated  with  it. 
In  dry  sandy  soils  manure  should  be  used  spar- 
ingly ;  clay  or  a  good  mellow  loam  laid  on  the 
surface  4  inches  thick  and  mixed  with  the  staple 
will  be  more  beneficial  than  the  best  hotbed 
manure.  For  all  light  soils  cow  manure  is  more 
suitable  than  that  from  stables,  being  cooler. 

The  planting  out  should  not  take  place  later 
than  the  second  week  in  August,  but  i£  it  can  be 


done  earlier,  every  day  gained  will  be  an  advan- 
tage to  the  crop.  If  the  ground  has  been  recently 
prepared,  it  will  be  desirable  to  mark  out  the  rows 
and  well  tread  the  space  which  the  plants  are  to 
occupy.  As  a  matter  of  course  it  is  best  to  plant 
in  dull  weather,  and  when  the  land  is  neither  too 
wet  nor  too  dry,  but  if  the  plants  have  plenty  of 
roots  when  put  out,  and  receive  water  afterwards 
as  often  as  they  require  it  until  they  get  esta- 
blished, there  is  no  need  to  wait.  The  distances 
at  which  the  plants  should  stand  apart  will  de- 
pend a  good  deal  on  the  character  of  the  soil.  In 
general  Strawberries  are  too  much  crowded  to 
secure  fine  fruit ;  in  strong  soil  the  rows  should 
be  .'to  inches  apart,  and  the  plants  18  inches 
asunder  in  the  rows,  with  the  exception  of  Black 
Prince,  which  may  tie  18  inches  apart  each  way. 

The  after-management  should  consist  in 
renewing  a  portion  of  the  stock  every  year,  as 
young  plants  always  produce  the  largest  fruit. 
When  a  plantation  has  stood  four  years  on  the 
same  ground  it  should  be  destroyed.  In  light  dry 
soils  a  fork  or  spade  should  never  go  near  the 
beds  ;  hand-weeding  or  a  Dutch  hoe  to  cut  up  the 
weeds  is  the  heaviest  implement  that  ought  to 
go  near  them,  and  as  far  as  possible  all  runners 
should  be  cut  oS  as  fast  as  they  are  made.  Every 
autumn  not  later  than  November  a  layer  of  rich 
manure  should  be  spread  on  the  surface  between 
the  plants,  and  early  in  April  all  Strawberries 
growing  in  light  soils  should  have  the  surface  be- 
tween the  plants  well  trodden  to  make  it  firm  for 
the  roots.  I  know  of  an  instance  in  which  this 
annual  treading  has  turned  comparative  failure 
into  complete  success.  In  fact,  excellent  crops 
are  now  produced  every  year  where  there  were 
only  insignificant  crops  before,  and  these  only  in 
the  wettest  of  years.  To  keep  the  fruit  clean  and 
free  from  grit  I  find  long  litter  laid  between  the 
plants  in  April  the  best  material  to  use  for  that 
purpose,  and  I  think  short  Grass  from  the  lawn 
about  the  worst,  as  it  adheres  to  the  fruit  in  wet 
weather.  In  regard  to  watering,  no  crop  repays 
attention  better  than  Strawbarrie.^.  The  present 
season  has  given  good  proof  of  this,  for  the  long 
drought  which  we  have  had  has  converted  what  in 
an  ordinary  season  would  have  been  a  full  crop 
into  a  very  poor  one,  i  e.,  where  the  plants  have 
not  been  attended  to  in  regard  to  root  moisture. 
In  our  own  case  we  have  neglected  other  work  to 
keep  the  watering-pots  going,  the  result  being 
that  the  plants  have  been  able  to  swell  off  the  first 
set  of  fruit  to  a  good  size,  and  a  fair  proportion 
of  the  remainder  also  promises  to  be  good;  but 
notwithstanding  all  our  labour  the  crop  will  not 
be  so  large  as  it  would  have  been  had  we  had  more 
rain  during  the  early  part  of  June.  J.  CO. 


bear  no  more  frost  than  that  of  Peaches,  I  can 
give  an  instance  that  proves  it.  Within  a  short 
distance  from  where  I  write  there  are  several 
Peaches  that  have  been  planted  out  in  an  open 
garden,  with  big,  bushy  heads  a  dozen  feet 
through  ;  they  have  been  large  enough  to  bear  for 
ten  years,  and  every  season  are  full  of  bloom,  yet 
all  the  bloom  has  been  killed  each  year  during 
the  time  named  but  one,  and  then  there  was  not 
a  score  of  fruit  on  the  whole  ;  whereas  the  Goose- 
berries in  the  same  garden,  many  of  which  are 
growing  within  a  few  yards  of  the  Peaches,  have 
every  season  borne  fruit  enough  to  weigh  their 
branches  to  the  ground.  Can  better  proof  be  ob- 
tained that  Peach  blossoms  are  more  tender  than 
those  of  the  Gooseberry  ?— T.  Baines. 

I  am  glad  to  find  that  my  short  note  on  no 

protection  (p.  46 1)  has  been  the  means  of  eliciting 
so  much  valuable  correspondence,  which  in  the 
end  must  do  good.  In  my  own  case  it  would  be  a 
very  expensive  affair  to  protect  our  best  Apricot 
trees,  as  they  are  trained  to  a  wall  18  feet  high, 
and  being  in  an  exposed  position  the  material 
used  would  be  a  constant  source  of  trouble.  When 
I  took  charge  of  the  gardens  here  in  September, 
1882,  I  found  most  of  the  wall  trees  in  a  very 
rough  condition.  Some  of  them  apparently  had  not 
been  touched  during  the  summer,  and  some  had 
spurs  projecting  from  the  wall  over  a  foot  in  length, 
rendering  the  wall  almost  useless  to  the  trees.  My 
method  of  mending  matters  has  been  very  nearly 
that  advised  by  "  J .  G.  H."  (p.  5 1 2),  the  result  being 
that  we  had  a  plentiful  crop  of  fruit  on  both 
Apricots  and  I'lums.  Trees  so  treated  afford  in  a 
great  measure  theirown  protection,  as  the  stronger 
branches  shelter  the  smaller  and  weaker  ones, 
thus  tnabling  one  to  dispense  with  costly  glass 
copings.  Where  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  use 
the  latter  I  think  it  would  be  cheaper  to  erect  un- 
heated  houses,  in  which  a  crop  of  the  tenderer 
kinds  of  hardy  fruits  would  be  assured.— Wm. 
Wilkinson,  HUovghton  Lodge,  Brovgli. 

In  the  remarks  I  made  (p.  492)  on  protect- 
ing Peach  trees  in  spring,  I  did  not  mean  it  to  be 
understood  that  protection  itself  was  a  direct  pre- 
ventive of  insect  attacks,  as  Mr.  Baines  implies, 
but  that  protection  assists  the  trees  to  make 
healthful  growth — in  itself  the  best  means  of 
warding  off  insect  attacks.— W.  Watson,  Kaglc- 
h  nnt. 


PROTECTION  OR  NO  PROTECTION  '/ 

"  J.  S.  W."  seems  to  cling  to  the  belief  that  the 
cold-resisting  power  of  bloom  or  newly-set  fruit 
is  no  greater  in  the  case  of  trees  treated  in  a  way 
best  conducive  to  the  formation  of  fully-ripened 
wood  the  year  previous  than  in  that  of  trees  man- 
aged in  a  way  less  capable  of  securing  the  maxi- 
mum amount  of  solidity  in  the  young  wood. 
"  J.  S.  W."  says  that  the  amount  of  frost  which 
will  destroy  the  flowers  of  the  native  Gooseberry 
will  kill  those  of  all  other  hardy  fruits,  a  circum- 
stance well  known,  but  this  is  putting  the  matter 
wrong  end  first.  Apricots  and  Peaches,  the  fruits 
in  question,  are  indigenous  to  parts  of  the  world 
where  there  is  less  cold  than  they  have  to  contend 
with  in  this  country,  and  their  flowers  are  in  the 
same  degree  more  tender.  "  J.  S.  W."  says  a  given 
amount  of  cold  will  kill  the  flowers  of  all  fruits 
alike.  But  frost  that  will  kill  the  bloom  of 
Peaches  will  not  kill  that  of  Gooseberries  I  know 
to  a  certainty,  from  the  fact  of  Gooseberries  grown 
on  a  vacant  space  on  a  Peach  wall  carrying  a  full 
crop  when  the  Peach  bloom  was  all  killed,  both 
being  in  flower  at  the  same  time.  I  have  fre- 
quently, too,  seen  places  where  the  Peach 
crop  was  killed  when  Gooseberries  in  a 
much  less  favourable  position  escaped.  If  any- 
one required  convincing  that  "J.  S.  W 
wrong  in 


Thinning  and  ehouldeiing  Grapes  — 

Permit  me  to  tell  Mr.  Bristole  (p.  47U)  that  the 
roofs  of  the  vineries  here  are  so  steep,  that  not  only 
Alicantes,  but  many  other  kinds  of  Grapes,  such 
as  ■\'enn'a  Black  Muscat,  Muscat  of  Alexandria, 
Mrs.  Pince,  Raisin  deCalabre,  Lady  Downes,  Black 
Hamburgh,  and  others,  have  some  of  their  shoul- 
ders above  the  level  of  the  nearest  wire,  and  in 
such  positions  that  neither  the  wire  itself  nor  any 
cross  matting  can  be  of  any  use  in  shouldering. 
Now,  I  do  not  wish  to  increase  the  length  of  stem 
between  the  fruiting  lateral  and  the  shoulder,  as  I 
have  always  understood  that  in  the  opinion  of 
good  judges,  shortness  is  a  point  in  favour  of 
the  cultivator.  I  can  assure  Mr.  Biistole  that  the 
sticks  used  in  shouldering  are  by  no  means  diffi- 
cult to  remove  when  the  bunches  are  required  for 
use.  I  simply  grasp  them  with  the  scissors  and 
take  them  out  in  the  same  way  in  which  they  are 
put  in,  or  if  jammed  in  any  way,  I  snip  them  in 
two  and  remove  each  piece  separately. — John  C. 
Tallack. 

Apples  as  ornamental  trees  — I  have 
been  much  interested  in  the  observations  of  your 
correspondents  on  the  subject  of  ornamental 
Apple  trees  in  your  May  numbers.  These  I  have 
only  seen  on  my  return  from  the  Mediterranean 
through  Switzerland,  where  my  enthusiasm  for 
fruit  trees  as  garden  ornaments  has  been  again 
aroused  by  the  beauty  of  the  fields  in  consequence 
of  the  standard  Pear  and  Apple  trees  which  adorn 
them.  I  gather  from  the  valuable  communications 
of  your  correspondents  that  those  who  care  as 
much  for  grace  and  picturesqueness  in  the  Apple 
tree  itself  as  for  beauty  of  blossom  and  perfection 


assertinrth't  Gooseberry  bloom  will  |  of  fruit  cannot  do  better  than  plant  the  Oranga 


THE     GARDEN 


[Jt'LV 


1884. 


Goff  or  Blenheim  Orange.  If,  however,  it  is 
wished  that  these  other  requisites  should  have  f  ul 
consideration — and  the  last,  that  of  fruit  bearing, 
it  would,  of  course,  be  folly  to  overlook— the  trees 
most  to  be  desired  are  the  Keswick  and  other 
Codlins  as  early  bloomers ;  Court  Pendu  Plat  as 
a  late  flowerer;  Hambledon  Deux  Ans  or  Pyle 
llusset,  Sioux  Pippin,  Trosley  Pippin,  Hawthorn- 
den,  Lord  SufEeld,  and  Sharp's  Apple.  There  is 
one  point  of  great  importance  to  those  who  wish 
to  introduce  Apple  trees  on  their  lawns,  but  which 
your  correspondents  do  not  appear  as  yet  to  have 
touched  upon — viz  ,  to  what  extent  and  for  how 
long  it  would  be  necessary  to  put  up  with  the  bare 
turfless  earth  under  each  tree.  Another  point  is 
the  proper  distance  which  the  finest  and  more 
freely  growing  trees  should  be  kept  apart  in  order 
to  ensure  their  perfect  development. — A.  W.  T. 


NOTES. 


Aquatic  plants  are  now  becoming  more 
generally  appreciated,  and  this  is  especially  true 
of  the  small-growing  kinds.  Salvinia  natans, 
Azolla  (pinnata)  caroliniana,  Trian^a  bogotensis, 
Pistia  stratiotes,  and  Myriophyllum  proserpinoides 
are  all  worth  a  place,  and  may  all  be  easily  grown 
in  small  pans  or  inverted  bell-glasses  in  a  stove 
temperature.  During  the  summer  months  the 
Azolla,  Salvinia,  and  Myriophyllum  grow  freely 
enough  in  tubs  or  sheltered  open-air  tanks.  A 
friend  to  whom  I  gave  Salvinia  last  season,  used 
it  with  excellent  effect  as  a  substitute  for  the  sprig 
of  flower  or  leaf  in  finger-glasses.  And  they  may 
all  be  grown  during  the  summer  months  in  a  bowl 
in  the  drawing-room  window. 

Ouvirandra  fenestralis  is  well  known  as 
one  of  the  most  rare  and  curious  of  all  aquatics. 
Its  cultivation,  however,  is  not  always  a  success. 
The  following  are,  I  think,  essential  to  its  well- 
being;  1.  Pure  soft  rain  or  river  water.  2.  Pure 
fibrous  peat,  and  a  little  silver  sand  as  compost. 
8.  A  pot  as  small  as  possible.  4.  The  water  to  be 
refreshed  twice  daily,  morning  and  evening,  by 
watering  overhead  with  a  fine-rosed  watcrpot. 
5.  Dense  shade  ;  direct  sunlight  is  fatal  by  brown- 
ing the  leaves  and  favouring  the  growth  of  con- 
ferv!E.  0.  An  opaque-sided  pan  or  slate  tank  to 
grow  it  in.  7.  Temperature  of  water  never  below 
C0°.  8.  A  large  body  of  compost  at  the  bottom 
of  the  pan  or  tank  is  bad,  as  when  planted  out  in 
this  it  is  difljcult  to  remove  the  plant  if  the  earth 
around  it  becomes  vitiated  or  sour.  Our  plant  is 
re-potted  five  or  six  times  a  year,  the  water  being 
then  thoroughly  renewed  and  the  pans  cleaned 
thoroughly.  So  treated  it  grows  freely  year  after 
year. 

Bomareas  are  deserving  of  a  word  of  praise. 
As  warm  greenhouse  plants  they  are  alike  beauti- 
ful and  seiviceable.  In  general  habit  of  growth 
and  form  of  flower  Comarea  Carderi — one  of  the 
beit  — is  singularly  like  the  Lapageria ;  but  in- 
stead of  beingshrubby,I!omareasare  climbing.soft- 
wooded  plants,  nearly  related  to  Alstrojmerias,  but 
far  more  luxuriant.  Grown  in  large  pots.or  planted 
out  in  a  border  of  good  loamy  soil,  they  grow 
freely  ;  and  once  well  established  afford  a  profu- 
sion of  their  rosy,  bell-shaped  flowers.  Some  of 
the  newer  kinds— as  B.  Carderi,  B.  conferta,  and 
B.  Shuttleworthi — are  excellent  roof-climbers, 
and  deserve  a  place  wherever  choice  climbing 
plants  are  admired.  B.  conferta  is  a  noble  object, 
as  seen  strong  and  healthy,  bearing  a  pendent 
mass  of  twenty  or  thirty  crimson-red  blossoms. 
They  do  best  when  planted  out  in  good  loam  and 
peat  in  an  intermediate  temperature,  and  so 
treated  rival  even  the  Lapagerias. 

The  Sultan'a  Balsam.- Of  new  decorative 
plants,  one  of  the  prettiest  and  most  useful  is 
Impatiens  Sultani.  It  flowers  freely,  and  is  remark- 
ably easy  of  propagation  and  culture  in  a  warm 
house.  Even  the  cuttings  keep  on  flowering ;  and 
quite  small  plants  C  inches  in  height  are  gay  with 
bright  rosy  flowers,  each  the  size  of  a  shilling. 
I  saw  it  iisBd  in  a  very  effective  manner  the  other 
day  as  a  front  row  to  a  group  of  flowering  Orchids. 


Dwarf  plants  of  it  were  arranged  alternately  with 
those  of  Pilea  muscosa  nana,  and  the  effect  was 
singularly  pretty.  By  keeping  up  a  stock  of  young 
plants,  which  is  most  easily  done,  it  may  be  had 
in  flower  all  the  year;  but  it  is  during  the  autumn 
and  winter  months  that  its  bright  rose-coloured 
blossoms  are  most  effective  and  useful.  Those 
who  have  it  not  should  make  a  note  of  it  at  once 
as  a  "good  thing." 

The  Tree  Peeony. — How  is  it  that  the  now 
numerous  and  beautiful  varieties  of  Pjeonia  Moutan 
are  so  seldom  seen  in  our  gardens  ?  Apart  from 
its  use  as  a  haU-hardy  perennial,  too,  this  Piconia 
deserves  attention  for  pot  culture,  and,  for  the 
spring  or  early  summer  decoration  of  the  warm 
greenhouse  or  conservatory,  I  know  of  no  other 
plant,  excepting  the  Kose  itself,  which  is  so  beau- 
tiful and  at  the  same  time  so  fragrant.  This  plant 
is  said  to  grow  wild  in  Northern  China,  and  is 
largely  cultivated  by  the  Chinese  florists,  who  have 
raised  numerous  very  distinct  seedling  varieties 
Other  very  handsome  seedlings  have  been  raised 
in  this  country,  and  also  on  the  Continent,  espe- 
cially at  Ghent ;  so  that  a  good  collection  may 
now  be  formed  of  nearly  all  shades  of  pink,  flesh, 
purple,  straw  colour,  yellow,  crimson,  and  white, 
and  some  of  these  are  very  delicately  perfumed. 
It  is  difficult  to  imagine  more  attractive  pot  plants 
than  these,  and  their  culture  is  as  simple  as  that 
of  an  Azalea  or  other  Chinese  shrub. 

Hardy  plants  for  forcing.— There  are  a 

good  many  sides  to  the  hardy  plant  question,  and 
one  well  worth  looking  at  is  their  importance  and 
adaptability  for  forcing  into  bloom  early  in  the 
year.  Hyacinths,  Tulips,  Crocus,  Lily  of  the 
Valley,  Solomon's  Seal,  Tea  Roses,  Lilac,  Deutzia, 
Spiraii,  Narcissus,  Scilla,  Helleborus  niger.  Tree 
Piconias,  and  many  other  things  equally  familiar 
are  perfectly  hardy.  Seeing  that  hardy  plants  are 
so  adaptable,  the  question  naturally  arises  whether 
we  make  the  most  of  them  in  this  way.  There  is 
a  desire  for  variety  abroad,  and  those  who  would 
profit  most  by  it  should  keep  an  eye  on  hardy 
bulbs  and  experiment  on  their  forcing  qualities. 

Oape  Pondweed. — Aponogeton  distachyon  is 
not  uncommon  in  good  gardens  as  a  hardy  aquatic 
plant.  We  force  a  dozen  or  two  of  its  Artichoke- 
like tubers  every  winter,  and  find  them  a  great 
addition  to  the  winter  blossoms  of  the  inter- 
mediate house  or  conservatory.  Pans  of  earthen- 
ware 2  feet  in  diaffeler  and  8  inches  in  depth 
hold  three  tubers.  We  plant  in  sound,  lumpy  loam 
surfaced  with  sand.  A  layer  of  loam  3  inches 
thick,  covered  with  half  an  inch  of  sand  after 
the  tubers  are  planted,  is  ample,  after  which  fill 
up  with  clean  water  to  the  rim,  and  keep  it  fresh 
by  raining  a  potful  of  water  over  the  pan  every 
morning.  We  plant  early  in  November,  and  have 
plenty  of  flower-spikes  from  Christmas  until  April. 
In  May  we  place  the  plans  under  a  warm  south 
wall,  emptying  out  the  water,  and  here,  exposed 
to  air  and  sunshine,  the  earth  is  baked  dry.  The 
tubers  thus  are  induced  to  rest  from  May  until 
planting  time,  and  start  into  growth  as  readily  as 
Roman  Hyacinths.  Having  a  quantity  of  small 
tubers  the  size  of  Walnuts,  we  this  season  tried 
some  of  them  in  G-inch  pots,  three  tubers  in  each. 
The  pots  were  placed  in  saucers,  and  the  loam  was 
kept  saturated  by  watering  overhead  ;  thus  treated 
in  a  temperature  of  45°  to  C5°,  they  have  flowered 
well,  from  seven  to  fifteen  spikes  being  fully  ex- 
panded at  once.  For  permanent  results  and  large, 
well-developed  spikes  for  cutting,  however,  pan- 
culture  in  water  is  best ;  and  to  all  who  have  to 
provide  choice  and  uncommon  flowers  for  finger- 
glasses  or  vases  in  the  drawing-room  during  the 
winter  months  I  can  confidently  recommend  this 
charming  water  weed.  The  drying-off  or  baking 
process  is,  however,  very  essential  in  order  to 
obtain  a  good  simultaneous  development  or  crop 
of  spikes  and  fresh  green  leaves  at  the  desired 
season. 

Ramondia  pyrenaioa — This  is  just  now 
one  of  the  gems  of  our  collection,  growing  in  a 
pocket  between  two  granite  boulders  on  the  top  of 
a  low  brick  wall.  It  has  at  times  been  so  dry  that 
its  leaves  have  looked  like  old  leather,  but  now 


since  the  rain  has  come  it  has  spread  out  new  fo- 
liage, and  fairly  bristles  with  its  sturdy  spikes  of 
lilac  or  lilac-purple  Potato-like  blossoms.  We  find 
this  plant  rather  variable  in  habit,  length  of  spike, 
and  in  depth  of  colouring.  Our  best  form  above 
alluded  to  came  from  Biarritz— I  think  it  was  along 
with  Asplenium  septentrionale,  and  both  were  the 
gift  of  Mr.  Neill  Fraser,  of  Edinburgh.  Growing  on 
a  low  wall  top,  the  plant  is  fully  exposed  to  winds 
and  morning  and  evening  sunshine,  but  the  hottest 
of  midday  sunshine  is  warded  off  by  the  overhang- 
ing branches  of  a  spreading  Chestnut  tree.  The 
Vernal  Sandwort  (Arenaria  verna)  sent  from  Mat- 
lock by  Mr.  Wolley  Dod  is  also  firmly  established 
on  the  same  wall  and  flowers  very  freely  every 
year.  Vekonica. 


Garden   Flora. 

PLATE  447. 
STREPTOSOLEN  JAMESONL* 
A  BEAUTIPCL  summer-flowering  plant  for  the 
cool  greenhouse,  and  one  which  will  doubtless 
soon  become  popular  because  of  its  usefulness 
and  its  free-growing  and  free-flowering  character. 
Although  to  many  this  plant  will  appear  to  be  a 
new  introduction,  it  was  cultivated  in  various 
gardens  in  this  country  some  35  years  ago,  when 
it  was  made  known  through  Messrs.  Veitch,  and 
figured  in  several  botanical  works  under  the  name 
of  Browallia  Jamesoni.  It  appears,  however,  to 
have  been  lost  soon  after  its  introduction,  and,  so 
far  as  we  know,  it  did  not  re-appear  until  about 
two  years  ago.  A  comparison  of  the  accompany- 
ing figure  with  the  plate  in  the  Botanical  Maga- 
zine, t.  4C05,  will  show  considerable  difference 
both  in  habit  and  in  the  form  and  colour  of  the 
flowers,  and  these  again  differ  somewhat  from  the 
figure  in  Jlier's  "  Illustrations,"  upon  which  the 
new  genus  Streptosolen  was  founded.  From  these 
facts  it  may  be  concluded  that  the  plant  is  of 
variable  character,  a  conclusion  strengthened  by 
the  specimens  of  this  plant  in  the  Kew  herbarium. 
S.  Jamesoni  is  the  only  species  of  the  genus  at 
present  known.  For  its  recovery  we  are  indebted 
to  M.  Andro,  who  found  it  in  Ecuador  in  1882, 
and  succeeded  in  importing  it  into  France,  where 
it  is  rapidly  becoming  a  favourite  either  as  a 
hardy  plant  in  the  southern  part  of  that  country 
or  as  an  ornament  for  the  cool  greenhouse.  In 
this  country  it  requires  the  treatment  adopted  in 
the  management  of  Bouvardias.  Cuttings  of  it 
strike  freely  at  any  time,  spring  being  the  most 
favourable.  By  striking  them  parly  in  the 
year,  and  growing  the  young  plants  on  all  summer 
and  the  following  winter,  and  preventing  them 
from  flowering,  good  shapely  specimens  may  be 
had,  and  these  will  produce  an  abundance  of 
flower  during  the  following  summer.  When  well 
managed  this  plant  grows  into  a  compact  shrub 
of  about  4  feet  in  height.  The  leaves  are  covered 
with  a  downy  pubescence,  and  are  arranged  alter- 
nately along  the  branches.  On  first  opening,  the 
Brunstelsia-like  flowers  are  pale  yellow  (probably 
the  figure  in  the  Botanical  Maguzinev/as  prepared 
from  a  plant  with  newly-opened  flowers),  but 
they  afterwards  change  to  a  brilliant  cinoamon- 
red.  They  are  borne  in  dense  racemes  on  the 
ends  of  the  branches,  well-grown  plants  producing 
racemes  each  consisting  of  between  thirty  and 
forty  flowers.  A  sandy  loam  with  a  little  leaf- 
mould  or  rotten  manure  added  is  a  compost  suit- 
able for  it. 

The  genus  Browallia,  to  which  the  above  plant 
has  been  referred,  now  comprises  only  herbaceous 

*  Drawn  in  Messrs.  Canuell  and  Sons'  nursery,  Swanley, 
March  25,  1881. 


BROWALLIA  (  STREPTOSOLEN)  JAMESC  ■ : 


Jur 


1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


annuals,  o£  which  several  species  are  cultivated 
for  their  showy  flowers.  B.  elata  is  frequently 
grown  as  a  pot  plant ;  seeds  of  it  are  sown  in  a 
warm  house  in  July  and  the  young  plants  are 
potted  singly  into  fi-inch  pots  and  treated  like 
Sjhizanthus,  along  with  which  they  are  generally 
grown.  The  flowers  of  this  species  are  useful  for 
cutting,  as  they  keep  fresh  in  water  for  several 
days.  It  is  also  used  a?  a  bedding  plant  and  for 
the  front  row  in  the  herbaceous  border.  The 
flowers  are  of  various  shades  of  blue,  and  some- 
times pure  white.  15.  demissa  is  another  useful 
kind  with  blue  flowers.  Other  cultivated  spe- 
cies are  E.  grandiHora,  a  stout  herb  with  pale 
blue  Vinca-like  flowers,  B.  abbreviata,  and  B. 
speciosa.  All  the  Browallias  are  natives  of  the 
Feruvian  Andes.     They  prefer  a  light  eandy  soil. 

B. 


SEASONABLE   WORK. 


FLOWER  GARDEN. 

Tobacco  plants. — Of  all  annuals  suitable  for 
flower  borders,  and  for  grouping  in  masses  in  the 
sub-tropical  garden,  the  Tobaccos  or  Kicotianas 
are  probably  the  most  rapid  growers  and  the  most 
easily  raised.  They  have  aleo  the  additional  merit 
of  being  comparatively  hardy,  and  can  be  planted 
out  earlier  than  any  of  the  other  kinds  of  plants 
usually  classed  as  sub-tropical.  Seeds  sown  on 
a  slight  hotbed  in  March,  and  the  young  plants 
potted  off  singly  as  soon  as  they  can  be  handled, 
and  given  ordinary  frame  culture,  will  be  large  to 
plant  out  in  May.  The  best  varieties  are  Tabacum 
and  its  variegated  variety  and  wigandioides.  In 
good  soil  all  three  kinds  attain  a  height  of  8  feet, 
and  have  broad  massive  foliage  and  long  spikes  of 
pink  blossoms.  They  flower  so  freely,  that  to  pre- 
vent premature  exhaustion,  it  is  necessary  to  re- 
duce the  flower-spikes  to  about  a  couple  on  each 
plant,  as  well  as  to  prevent  them  from  seeding,  by 
frequently  picking  off  the  bad  flowers.  Under  this 
simple  culture  they  will  retain  their  effectiveness 
till  very  late  in  autumn.  If  planted  in  groups, 
each  plant  should  not  be  allowed  a  less  space  than 
a  feet. 

Bedding  PLANTS. — Thonghitisyet  early  to  form 
an  opinion  as  to  whether  or  not  such  tender  plants 
as  the  Coleus  and  Alternantbera  will  fill  out  their 
allotted  space,  the  moment  there  is  a  doubt  in  the 
matter  will  be  the  time  to  set  to  work  to  cover 
the  ground ;  dwarf  Sedums,  dibbled  in  amongst 
them,  quickly  do  this,  the  mixture  so  formed  being 
infinitely  preferable  to  bare  plots  of  earth.  In  the 
case  of  succulent  arrangements  keep  the  flowers 
picked  off  Echeverias  and  other  ground-work 
plants  associated  with  them,  such  as  Sedums  and 
Saxifrages,  but  the  small  flowers  of  Mesembryan- 
themum  coridifolium  variegatum  harmonise  so 
well  with  succulents,  that  they  should  be  left.  It 
will,  however,  be  necessary  to  occasionally  pick  off 
the  seed-pods  in  order  to  keep  the  plants  in  free 
growth.  The  most  pleasing  bed  we  have  at  the 
present  time  is  an  arrangement  of  large  succu- 
lents, consisting  of  Yuccas,  Agaves,  and  large- 
growing  Echeverias  and  Sempervivums,  the  whole 
being  in  a  setting  of  the  large,  mauve-flowered 
Mesembry anthem um  contpicuura,  and  the  only 
attention  it  has  ever  had  or  needed  since  planting 
has  been  the  keeping  of  the  Mesembryanthemum 
pegged  under  the  taller  plants.  In  rain  or  sun- 
bhine,  in  fact,  in  all  weathers,  these  succulent 
arrangements  are  equally  pleasing,  and  worthy  of 
adoption  on  that  ground  alone,  not  to  mention 
their  desirability  on  the  score  of  variety.  Keep 
the  under  growths  of  sub-tropical  plants  neatly 
pegged  down,  and  in  cases  in  which  such  under- 
growths  have  been  deemed  unnecessary  the  beds 
should  be  kept  mulched  with  Cocoa  fibre  or  leaf- 
soil.  For  the  present  the  flowers  should  be  kept 
picked  off  Cannas,  Castor-oils,  and  the  like,  and 
all  that  need  tying  and  staking  should  receive 
that  attention  before  any  injury  accrues  from  its 
neglect. 


General  work. — During  favourable  weather 
the  weeding  and  rolling  of  walks  will  well  repay 
all  the  labour  that  can  be  afforded  in  that  direction. 
Shrubberies  and  mixed  flower  borders  will  also 
require  more  than  ordinary  attention  anent  the 
destruction  of  weeds,  and  the  mowing  necessary 
to  ensure  a  close,  velvety  turf  is  just  now  inces- 
sant. Roses  need  washing  for  the  destruction  of 
blight;  bad  flowers  should  be  picked  off  once  a 
week,  and  the  growths  of  any  that  have  done 
flowering  should  be  shortened.  Daisies,  Pansies, 
Primroses,  Polyanthuses,  Violas,  Pinks,  and  other 
spring  flowers  may  now  be  propagated  by  division, 
cuttings,  or  seeds ;  they  all  do  best  in  partial 
shade ;  a  border  having  a  north  or  east  aspect  is 
in  every  way  suitable.  Any  strong  plants  there 
may  be  to  spare  will  do  good  autumn  service  in 
the  mixed  borders  amongst  Roses. 


INDOOR  PLANTS. 
Double  Primulas. — The  advantages  which 
these  possess  over  the  single  kinds  where  flowers 
for  bouquets  are  much  in  demand  are  their  greater 
duration  when  so  used  and  their  continuous 
habit  of  blooming,  especially  the  white  and  dis- 
tinct pink  kinds,  such  as  Gilbert's  seedlings,  that 
deserve  to  be  grown  extensively ;  not  only  are 
their  flowers  individually  much  larger  than  those 
of  the  old  sorts,  but  the  habit  of  the  plant  is  more 
vigorous.  Every  attention  should  now  be  given 
them  in  the  way  of  pot  room  and  plenty  of  light, 
with  no  more  shade  than  is  required  to  break  the 
sun's  rays  and  prevent  the  foliage  from  assuming 
a  sickly  hue.  If  seeds  of  the  single  varieties  were 
sown  at  intervals  of  about  two  months,  there  will 
be  a  good  prospect  of  a  continuous  succession 
from  autumn  up  to  spring,  and  to  have  the  stock 
in  such  order  as  will  enable  it  to  produce  a  full 
crop  of  flowers  there  must  be  no  want  of  atten- 
tion, especially  in  giving  more  root  room  as  re- 
quired. Plants  of  the  last  sowing  should  be  en- 
couraged to  make  growth,  so  as  to  admit  of  their 
being  got  into  their  blooming  pots  before  the 
season  is  too  far  advanced  to  allow  them  to  attain 
size  enough  to  flower  well.  On  no  account  allow 
the  stock  of  either  double  or  single  kinds  to  stand 
too  close  together  from  the  first,  for  where  this 
occurs  the  leaf-stalks  get  drawn  out  weakly,  a 
defect  that  cannot  afterwards  be  remedied.  The 
best  place  for  Primulas  in  summer  is  in  ordinary 
frames  facing  northwards  at  the  north  side  of  a 
low  north  wall  with  their  heads  close  up  to  the 
glass.  Thus  situated  they  %vill  get  plenty  of  light, 
but  not  under  the  full  force  of  the  sun.  The 
lights  should  be  well  tilted  up  back  and  front  in 
the  daytime,  and  a  piece  of  garden  netting  should 
be  put  on  the  glass  in  the  middle  of  the  day  when 
the  weather  is  bright. 

Heliotropes.— These  must  be  kept  close  to  the 
glass  when  subjected  to  the  warmth  requisite  to 
bring  them  into  flower  during  autumn  and  winter ; 
consequently,  where  they  will  have  to  be  brought 
on  in  low  pits,  small  plants  such  as  can  be  grown 
up  from  spring-struck  cuttings  occupying  C-inch 
or  8-inch  pots  should  at  once  be  placed  in  such, 
regularly  pinching  off  the  flowers  as  they  appear. 
This  is  necessary  in  order  to  direct  all  their 
strength  to  the  formation  of  growth.  Large  old 
Heliotropes  are  most  useful  where  there  are  means 
of  giving  them  the  requisite  room,  as  where  these 
exist,  if  encouraged  with  a  little  warmth  after  the 
weather  gets  cold,  they  will  go  on  blooming  for 
months.  With  large  examples  of  this  description 
it  is  not  so  necessary  to  keep  all  the  flowers  nipped 
off  now  as  in  the  case  of  small  ones,  but  means 
must  be  taken  to  keep  them  growing  freely  by  the 
aid  of  sufficient  pot  room  and  fretiuent  applica- 
tions of  manure  water. 

Perpetual  flowering  Carnations. — The 
later  flowering  stock  of  these  will  now  be  in  fine 
bloom,  and  should  be  assisted  with  manure  water 
once  a  week,  which  will  induce  them  to  push  up 
strong  shoots  from  the  bottom  that  will  flower 
later  on.  Plants  that  have  been  forced  early 
should  have  their  old  flowering  shoots  well  short- 
ened back,  so  as  to  encourage  the  young  shoots, 
which  in  free-growing  varieties  are  always  making 


their  appearance ;  they  should  then  be  turned 
out  of  the  pots  without  disturbing  the  balls  of 
roots  more  than  what  occurs  in  removing  the 
draining,  and  be  planted  out  in  prepared  soil, 
not  too  light,  but  with  sand  enough  in  it  to  admit 
of  their  being  taken  up  and  potted  in  the  autumn 
without  much  breakage  of  their  roots  ;  they  must 
have  an  open  situation  fully  exposed  to  the  sun, 
and  not  be  allowed  to  suffer  through  want  of 
water.  If  well  managed  they  will  produce  many 
more  flowers  than  younger  plants,  and  will  not  be 
so  leggy  or  unsightly  as  where  the  old  stems  are 
allowed  to  grow  up  without  cutting  back.  Young 
plants  struck  from  cuttings  in  the  winter  or  spring 
must  have  all  the  attention  which  they  require,  or 
it  is  useless  to  expect  more  than  a  meagre  pro- 
duction of  flowers.  Move  them  as  soon  as  neces. 
sary  out  of  the  small  pots  they  occupy  to  others  a 
couple  of  sizes  larger,  using  good  strong  new  loam, 
to  which  has  been  added  a  little  leaf-mould  with 
some  sand,  hut  not  so  much  as  is  required  by 
most  soft-wooded  plants,  as  if  the  soil  is  too  light 
they  will  not  be  unlikely  to  refuse  to  move 
altogether. 


FRUIT. 
Peaches.— When  all  the  fruit  has  been  taken 
from  the  early  house,  go  over  the  trees  and  remove 
the  shoots  which  have  performed  their  oflice  and 
can  now  be  spared  with  advantage  to  the  young 
growths  intended  for  next  year's  fruiting.  Tie  in 
and  regulate  the  latter,  allowing  plenty  of  room 
for  free  developement  of  foliage  and  the  free  ad- 
mission of  light  and  air.  Syringe  regularly  with 
pure  water  where  the  foliage  is  clean,  and  add 
soft  soap  or  Gishurst  compound  on  dull  evenings 
to  keep  it  clear  of  spider.  Keep  the  inside  borders 
regularly  supplied  with  water,  and  renovate  the 
mulching  where  the  trees  show  signs  of  weakness 
or  exhaustion  from  heavy  cropping,  but  carefully 
guard  against  forcing  them  into  a  vigorous  growth 
when  they  should  be  going  to  rest.  The  ventila- 
tors may  now  be  left  open  by  night  and  day,  and 
when  the  buds  are  well  made  up,  the  roof  lights, 
it  possible,  may  be  taken  off,  painted,  and  stored 
away  ready  for  use  early  in  the  autumn. 

Succession  houses.— If  time  is  an  object  the 
trees  in  succession  houses  may  now  be  subjected 
to  a  higher  temperature  than  would  have  been 
safe  before  the  fruit  commenced  its  last  swelling, 
but  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  nothing  in 
the  way  of  quality  is  gained  by  it,  increased 
size,  colour,  and  flavour  being  the  true  tests  of 
merit.  We  prefer  a  temperature  ranging  from 
(U)°  at  night  to  75°  by  day,  with  plenty  of  air  and 
full  exposure  by  drawing  the  lights  off  when  the 
weather  is  very  fine  after  the  end  of  June.  Where 
good  soft  water  can  be  obtained  the  trees  may  be 
syringed  every  morning  until  the  fruit  has  at- 
tained its  full  size  and  shows  signs  of  changing 
for  ripening,  but  on  no  account  should  the  after- 
noon syringing  be  performed  when  there  is  danger 
of  the  foliage  remaining  wet  after  nightfall.  If 
the  roots  are  confined  to  internal  borders,  and  llio 
latter  are  well  drained,  liberal  supplies  of  water 
at  the  mean  temperature  of  the  house  will  be 
needful  in  this  and  later  houses ;  but  where  they 
run  outside,  heavy  waterings,  combined  with  good 
mulching,  will  keep  them  in  a  satisfactory  state. 

Late  houses — See  that  the  wood  is  thinly  and 
evenly  laid  in  in  late  houses  and  wall-cases,  par- 
ticularly where  no  heating  apparatus  has  been 
provided  for  ripening  it  up  in  the  autumn  ;  pinch 
the  points  out  of  gross  shoots  where  they  are 
likely  to  rob  the  fruit  or  weaker  parts  of  the  trees, 
and  elevate  all  that  can  be  raised  to  the  influence 
of  sun  and  light  as  the  work  proceeds.  Syringe 
well  twice  a  day,  leave  the  ventilators  constantly 
open,  and  mulch  the  roots  with  some  non-conduct- 
ing material  to  counteract  the  drying  influence  of 
constant  currents  of  air ;  but  guard  against  the 
use  of  over- rich  manure,  which  will  force  the  trees 
into  vigorous  growth  late  in  the  season. 

Figs  under  glass.— Our  early  forced  trees 
are  now  swelling  up  the  second  crop  of  fruit,  and 
a  few  of  the  most  forward  Figs  are  beginning  to 
ripen,    The  fruit  has  been  well  thinned  to  insurq 


8 


THE     GARDEN 


[July 


1884. 


good  size,  and  the  roots  have  been  liberally  sup- 
plied with  warm  liquid  to  keep  the  trees  in 
growth.  From  the  first  week  in  June  stopping  is 
discontinued,  as  it  is  from  the  young  growths 
now  being  made  that  next  year's  first  crop  will  be 
obtained.  When  all  the  best  fruit  has  been 
gathered  the  lights  will  be  taken  off  the  roof,  the 
shoots  will  be  well  cleaned  if  insects  are  present, 
and  the  trees  will  be  allowed  to  go  gradually  to 
rest.  In  our  best  house  a  large  tree  of  Brown 
Turkey  is  ripening  hundreds  of  fine  Figs.  This 
tree  is  planted  out  against  a  rough  stone  wall 
forming  the  north  side  of  a  span-roofed  pit.  The 
shoots  are  trained  upwards  to  the  lidge,  thence 
downwards  to  the  south  front.  The  winter  prun- 
ing consists  in  cutting  away  barren  shoots  which 
have  reached  the  extremity  of  the  trellis  to  make 
room  for  summer  growths,  and  as  these  are  never 
stopped,  a  suocessional  growth  of  wood  and  fruit 
is  secured  until  the  time  arrives  for  withholding 
stimulants.  The  shade  produced  by  the  foliage 
having  caused  the  stems  of  eighteen  years'  growth 
to  throw  a  complete  network  of  roots  over  the 
surface  of  the  old  limestone  wall,  we  keep  them 
packed  Orchid  fashion  in  the  pieces  of  turf,  from 
the  floor  line  4  feet  upwards,  and  feed  copiously 
with  warm  liquid,  which  is  poured  on  at  the  top 
every  other  morning,  or  as  often  as  the  turf  roots 
and  projecting  stones  show  signs  of  becoming  dry. 
We  ought  to  siy  the  wood  never  becomes  gross, 
neither  does  the  fruit  drop  at  the  usual  critical 
period  of  its  growth,  two  striking  proofs  that  this 
heat  and  moisture-loving  tree  is  most  decidedly  at 
home  when  planted  where  rich,  stimulating  food 
can  pass  quickly  away  and  the  air  is  not  excluded 
from  the  roots. 

STRiwuERRlES  IN  POTS — Young  plants  in- 
tended for  early  forcing  should  be  placed  in  their 
fruiting  pots.  Small  pots,  0  inches  in  diameter, 
are  quite  large  enough  for  the  first  batch,  but  for 
the  general  stock  a  larger  size  may  be  used  with 
advantage,  if  only  to  economise  time  in  watering. 
See  that  the  fruiting  pots  are  clean,  dry,  and  well 
crocked,  for,  much  as  the  Strawberry  enjoys  a 
strong,  rich  soil  with  plenty  of  moisture,  it  soon 
becomes  unhealthy  in  a  pot  from  which  water  can- 
not pass  away  freely.  Tot  the  plants  singly,  with 
the  crowns  well  up  above  the  soil  when  all  is 
finished,  and  place  them  on  a  hard  surface  in  a 
light,  airy  situation  convenient  to  water,  and,  if 
possible,  free  from  worms.  Avoid  crowding  the 
plants  together  or  setting  them  near  trees,  as  it  is 
important  that  the  leaf-stalks  be  kept  short  and 
stout,  and  that  good  single  crowns  in  preference 
to  double  ones  be  thoroughly  ripened  before  the 
autumn.  Water  well  with  water  which  has  been 
exposed  to  the  atmosphere,  and  keep  the  beds  of 
concrete  or  ashes  on  which  they  are  placed  well 
moistened,  but  avoid  wetting  the  tender  foliage 
in  bright  weather  or  at  any  time  with  water  that 
is  colder  than  the  mean  temperature  of  the  air. 
Remove  all  weeds  and  runners.  Apply  lime  water 
if  worms  gain  a  lodgment,  and  rearrange  occa- 
sionally, as  they  require  more  room,  and  to  prevent 
the  plants  from  rooting  into  the  ground.  With 
many  growers  it  is  the  practice  to  avoid  the  use 
of  small  pots  altogether  by  filling  the  fruiting  pots 
up  to  within  three-quarters  of  an  inch  of  the  rim 
and  then  pegging  the  runners  tightly  down  on  the 
surface.  The  drawback  to  this  plan  is  the  esta- 
blishment of  a  colony  of  worms  during  the  time 
the  pots  are  standing  on  the  quarters,  and  the  time 
occupied  in  watering  in  dry  weather.  The  plants, 
however,  make  excellent  heart  buds,  which  ripen 
well,  and  the  check  which  follows  shifting  from 
3-inoh  pots  to  fruiting  pots  is  overcome. 


ORCHIDS. 
East  India  house. — We  find  Odontoglossum 
Roezli  to  succeed  best  in  this  house,  but  in  the 
coolest  end,  there  being  a  difference  of  at  least 
5°  between  the  two  ends ;  our  plants  of  it  are 
placed  very  near  the  glass,  and  when  making 
growth  are  as  freely  supplied  with  water  as  the 
cool  house  species.  They  have  just  passed  through 
the  flowering  period,  and  are  again  starring  to 
grow.    Some  of  them  were  repotted  about  mid- 


winter, and  have  done  well  ;  these  will  not  be  dis- 
turbed now,  but  all  that  were  repotted  at  this 
time  last  year  will  be  potted  again ;  the  roots 
should  not  be  disturbed  more  than  what  may 
happen  in  removing  the  decayed  and  sour  com- 
post. For  these  we  fill  the  pots  with  drainage  up 
to  within  3  inches  of  the  rim.  They  should  be 
cleared  from  thrips  before  repotting.  Some  of  the 
Cattleyas  grown  in  this  house  will  now  be  push- 
ing up  their  flowers  from  the  recently  formed 
pseudo-bulbs ;  amongst  these  we  place  C.  gigas, 
which  flowers  best  when  placed  very  near  the 
glass  in  the  coolest  end  of  this  house.  Cattleya 
Dowiana  requires  very  similar  treatment.  It  does 
well  with  the  pots  placed  inside  a  basket.  C. 
superba  is  grown  in  quite  the  warmest  end,  but 
this  should  be  on  a  block,  or,  what  is  better, 
fastened  to  a  bit  of  the  stem  of  a  Tree  Fern. 
We  find  Cattleya  Warneri  to  succeed  better  in 
this  house  than  in  a  cooler  temperature.  Our  best 
plant  of  it  has  been  grown  here  for  many  years 
and  always  flowers  well.  Any  Dendrobiums 
starting  into  growth,  as  many  of  them  do  at  this 
time,  should  be  repotted  as  they  require  it ;  give 
them  plenty  of  heat  and  moisture,  and  occasionally 
syringe  them  overhead.  The  smaller-growing 
species  should  be  placed  near  the  glass  ;  those 
that  are  taller  will  do  in  the  centre  or  on  the  side 
stages.  Saccolabiums  are  now  beginning  to  make 
fresh  roots  ;  if  any  of  them  require  robust  setting 
or  repotting  it  ought  to  be  done  at  once.  These 
Orchids  dislike  being  disturbed,  and  if  the  potting 
material  has  become  decayed,  it  may  be  best  to 
carefully  pick  it  out  from  amongst  the  ro^ts  and 
substitute  fresh  material.  They  do  not  require  any 
peat  amongst  the  Sphagnum,  but  crocks  and  char- 
coal are  necessary  to  keep  it  open.  We  find  it 
answers  well  to  have  dried  Sphagnum  that  has 
been  's^ell  washed  previous  to  drying  to  work  in 
amongst  the  roots,  finishing  off  with  live  material 
chopped  fine  and  that  has  been  mixed  with  a  little 
pounded  charcoal  as  well  as  the  lumpy  portions  of 
it.  We  always  wash  the  leaves  with  soapy  water 
before  potting. 

Cattleya  house. — If  any  Cattleyas  really 
quire  repotting,  it  should  be  done  now,  but  were 
are  of  opinion  that  January  is  the  best  time  for 
performing  the  operation.  Most  of  ours  are  being 
left  until  that  time.  Recently  imported  plants  are 
dealt  with  differently.  Some  pot  the  plants  at  once 
in  the  usual  compost,  and  as  a  rule  roots  are 
very  soon  emitted  from  the  base  of  the  last  formed 
pseudo-bulbs.  The  best  way,  perhaps,  of  treating 
all  such  plants,  including  Lajlias,  is  to  pot  them 
in  clean  crocks,  and  as  soon  as  the  roots  have 
begun  to  push,  remove  some  of  the  crooks  and 
replace  them  with  the  usual  compost ;  the  roots 
run  into  it  at  once,  and  before  it  becomes  tainted 
by  repeated  waterings.  Many  new  and  notable 
additions  are  constantly  being  made  to  Cattleyas, 
and  as  there  is  always  much  pleasure  in  watching 
the  development  of  new  forms,  it  ought  not  to  be 
forgotten  that  as  a  rule  flowering  sheaths  are  most 
likely  to  be  formed  when  the  plants  are  placed 
near  the  glass.  We  had  six  plants  of  C.  gigas  in 
one  house  placed  on  the  stage  ;  they  were  not  more 
than  3  feet  from  the  glass,  but  not  a  flowering 
growth  was  formed  upon  one  of  them  until  they 
were  all  suspended  from  the  rooE  close  to  the 
glass  ;  now  they  are  all  forming  flowering  sheaths. 
Odontoglossum  hastilabium,  an  inmate  of  this 
house,  is  usually  much  punished  by  the  long  time 
during  which  its  flowers  remain  on  it.  We  have 
had  single  spikes  last  for  three  months  and 
longer ;  one  even  lasted  six  months.  Carefully 
attend  to  the  plants  in  the  way  of  giving  water  at 
the  roots,  and  maintain  a  moist  growing  atmo- 
sphere. They  are  now  making  new  growths  and 
pushing  out  young  roots. 

Cool  house. — The  instructions  recently  given 
as  to  the  general  treatment  of  this  house  will  do 
for  the  next  two  months.  We  have  not  had  very 
hot  weather,  consequently  no  extra  precautions 
have  been  necessary ;  indeed  the  rather  cool, 
moist  atmosphere  has  suited  the  occupants  of  this 
bouse  well.  We  would  rather  not  repot  many  of 
the  Masdevallias  and  Odontoglossums  at  this  sea- 
son, but  it  may  be  necessary  to  do  so ;  in  that  case 


we  are  careful  to  disturb  the  roots  as  little  as 
possible,  and  are  also  very  careful  not  to  let 
them  suffer  from  want  of  water  afterwards.  Cool 
house  Orchids  are  rapidly  increasing  in  numbers 
and  interest,  and  the  house  need  not  be  alto- 
gether filled  with  Odontoglossums  and  Masde- 
vallias ;  a  few  of  the  finest  Dendrobes  may  find 
a  home  there.  D.  Jamesianum  and  the  nearly 
allied  D.  infundibulum  make  the  best  growths 
in  the  warmest  end  of  the  cool  house :  in  potting 
and  watering  deal  with  them  much  the  tame  as 
is  done  with  Odontoglossums ;  they  like  to  be  near 
the  glass.  Besides  Oncidium  macranthum  alluded 
to  in  last  calendar,  another  really  pretty  species 
does  best  in  this  house,  at  least  during  the  sum- 
mer months,  viz.,  0.  cheirophorum  ;  it  is  bestgrown 
in  pots,  but  the  pots  may  be  placed  in  baskets  and 
suspended  from  the  roof.  Amongst  Cattleyas  the 
lovdly  C.  citrina  succeeds  well  on  blocks  or  in 
shallow  pans.  In  either  case  it  is  best  suspended 
from  the  roof.  Lailia  majalis  and  L.  autumnalis 
are  good  subjects  for  this  house.  They  will  do 
very  well  it  they  can  be  placed  in  a  corner  where 
they  can  get  a  few  hours'  sun  each  day,  as  they 
will  not  form  flowering  growths  if  they  are  too 
closely  shaded.  Cultivators  know  that  certain 
plants  must  be  placed  in  the  lightest  part,  others 
near  the  ventilators,  and  others  again  at  a  dis- 
tance from  both.  To  grow  Orchids  well  in  any 
department  it  is  necessary  that  their  habits  and 
the  conditions  under  which  they  are  found  in  their 
native  habitat  should  be  known  and,  if  possible, 
adhered  to  when  under  cultivation. 


KITCHEN  GARDEN. 


Keep  the  hoe  constantly  going  among  growing 
crops,  and  prick  out  Bro:;coli,  Savoys,  and  winter 
greens.  If  ground  for  them  is  not  likely  to  be 
early  at  liberty  we  always  sow  as  late  as  possible, 
so  that  the  plants  do  not  get  drawn  while  they 
stand  in  the  seed  beds.  Early  Potatoes  now 
occupy  the  ground  where  we  intend  to  plant  our 
spring  Broccoli ;  therefore,  with  us  pricking  out 
the  plants  will  be  a  necessity,  otherwise  we  prefer 
planting  from  the  seed  bed.  Keep  Tomatoes  well 
nailed  to  the  walls.  Encourage  tbem  to  become 
strong  healthy  plants,  so  that  their  fruit  may  be  a 
sure  and  profitable  crop.  On  Globe  Artichokes 
recent  winters  have  left  their  mark,  but  last  two 
winters  being  mild  ones  have  helped  them  wonder- 
fully. We  are  well  watering  our  stock  of  these, 
and  will  not  forget  to  duly  protect  them  next  win- 
ter. All  Celery  for  late  .spring  use  should  now  be 
pricked  out.  Keep  early  Celery  in  the  trenches 
growing  by  giving  it  daily  a  slight  damping.  It 
should  be  kept  constantly  growing. 


Trees  and  Shrubs. 


The  ■whit©  Broom  — Few  shrubs  are  more 
effective  at  present  than  this  Broom.  Plante.d 
singly  or  in  clumps  with  a  dark  background,  and 
at  a  proper  distance  from  drives  or  roads,  it 
looks  well,  the  quantity  and  continuity  of  its 
flowers  being  all  that  could  be  desired.  It  has 
one  fault,  viz.,  a  loose,  straggling  habit  of  growth 
which,  however,  may  to  some  extent  be  rectified 
by  planting  closely  and  in  large  masses.  It  ia 
quite  hardy,  of  easy  culture,  and  succeeds  well  in 
an  ordinarily  good  soil  and  situation. — A,  D. 
Webster. 

Eenthamla  fragifera.— I  enclose  a  sprig 
of  Benthamia  fragifera  sent  to  me  by  Mr.  Rogers 
from  his  nursery.  Red  Lodge,  Southampton.  The 
tree  is  16  feet  or  18  feet  high,  wide-spreading,  and 
bushy  ;  it  has  been  growing  there  twenty  years, 
and  has  never  flowered  before  ;  the  fruit,  which 
should  follow,  is  first  lilac  and  then  red  and  some- 
thing like  that  of  an  Arbutus,  but  larger.  Mr. 
Rogers  has  also  in  his  nursery  now  a  very  fine 
Araucaria  imbricata  covered  with  catkins,  not 
cones,  hanging  down  in  clusters ;  another  has 
large  cones  standing  up  at  the  ends  of  the 
branches.  Last  winter  has  helped  many  rare  and 
tender  plants  to  flower  and  show  what  they  are, 


July 


1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


and  the  climbing  Eoses  are  masses  of  flower  in 
the  tops  of  high  Fir  trees. — B.,  Jiassett  ]yood. 


Kitchen    Garden. 


EARLY  PEAS  AND  THEIR  CULTURE. 
I  AM  tempted  to  make  a  few  remarks  on  Peas, 
and  especially  early  Peas,  because  in  many  places 
it  is  just  as  important  to  have  a  good  succession 
ot  Peas  as  it  is  to  be  able  to  grow  Orchids  pro- 
perly. I  have  been  turning  over  the  pages  of 
Mcintosh's  "  Practical  Gardener,"  published  in 
182S,  and  I  must  admit  that  we  have  not  learned 
a  great  deal  in  the  way  of  improved  cultivation 
since  that  time.  We  have,  however,  much  better 
material  with  which  to  work.  The  Early  Frame, 
Nimble  Tailor,  and  Charlton  were  the  best  early 
Peas  fifty-six  years  ago.  Gardeners  of  old  were 
careful  cultivators  of  kitchen  garden  crops,  even 
without  the  stimulating  effects  of  public  competi- 
tion. The  system  of  culture  pursued  by  them  in 
the  case  of  Peas  was  to  sow  the  first  crop  on  an 
early  border,  fully  exposed  to  the  sun,  about  the 
end  of  October.  Mcintosh  says  :  "  In  cold,  wet 
ground  draw  the  soil  up  into  ridges  a  foot  high, 
and  sow  on  the  top  of  them."  Another  system 
was  to  sow  thickly  in  a  bed,  where  the  plants 
could  be  protected  with  a  glass  frame  during 
Bevere  weather.  Pieces  of  turf  were  placed  under 
them  to  facilitate  their  removal  into  rows  in 
spring.  An  improvement  on  that  system  is,  I 
think,  to  sow  in  shallow  boxes,  the  plants  being 
more  easily  removed  from  these  into  drills  when 
the  time  comes  to  plant  them  out.  la  this  way 
a  week  may  be  gained.  About  the  end  of  February 
or  early  in  March  is  a  good  time  to  plant  them  out 
if  the  weather  is  favourable.  Since  I  came  to  the 
south  I  have  given  up  sowing  Peas  in  autumn  or  in 
the  early  winter  months.  IE  the  ground  is  in  good 
condition  we  make  the  first  sowing  in  January  ;  it 
not,  on  the  first  favourable  opportunity  afterwards. 
I  have  found  sowings  made  on  the  1st  of  February 
better  than  earlier  ones.  The  young  plants 
seem  to  grow  on  without  check,  and  produce  a 
much  more  prolific  and  vigorous  growth.  In  wet 
districts  the  soil  ought  to  be  deep,  but  not  very 
rich,  as  under  such  conditions  they  run  too  much 
to  straw.  I  have  found  that  the}'  seldom  grow  too 
strongly  in  our  dry  district  sown  on  rich  deeply- 
trenched  soils  ;  and  in  poor  soils  they  do  not  grow 
sufficiently  to  produce  a  crop.  Take  the  present 
season  as  an  example.  Our  crop  of  early  Peas 
has  had  no  rain  since  they  were  3  inches  or 
i  inches  high,  with  the  exception  of  one  week  in 
which  we  had  occasional  showers.  The  ground 
on  which  they  were  sown  was  trenched  18  inches 
deep,  and  two  layers  of  manure — one  at  the 
bottom  of  the  trench,  and  the  other  from  6  inches 
to  9  inches  under  ground — were  applied.  In  such 
a  dry  season  without  this  manure  they  would  not 
hive  grown  sufficiently  to  have  produced  a  good 
crop.  We  sow  in  open  quarters  about  the  middle 
of  February  in  order  to  obtain  a  succession. 

Varieties — This  season  I  made  a  trial  of  early 
Peas  in  a  favourable  position  and  on  good  ground. 
The  haulm,  considering  the  dry  season,  made 
vigorous  growth.  They  were  sown  in  single  rows 
3  feet  G  inches  apart  on  the  18th  of  February. 
The  variety  first  ready  to  gather  was  Veitch's 
Extra  Early,  the  haulm  of  which  was  3  feet  10 
inches  high ;  the  leaves  considerably  blotched, 
and  10  pods  on  a  stem.  I  also  picked  three  of  the 
best  pods,  and  counted  seven,  eight,  and  nine 
Peas  in  them.  The  distance  between  the  longest 
joints  was  5  inches.  They  were  ready  to  gather 
on  June  16.  The  Shah  had  haulm  -1  feet  8  inches 
high,  the  leaves  blotched,  and  1 1  pods  on  a  stem  ; 
the  three  best  pods  had  seven,  seven  and 
eight  Peas  in  them;  the  distance  between  the 
longest  joints  was  5.J  inches.  This  is  a  white 
wrinkled  Marrow  Pea  sent  out  some  years  ago  by 
Mr.  Laxton,  and  is  the  earliest  Marrow  Pea  I  have 
yet  seen.  When  cooked  it  is  excellent  in  flavour. 
It  was  ready  to  gather  on  June  21.  Early  liird, 
sent  on  trial  by  Mr.  W.  Sutton,  of  Kenilworth,  is 
an  excellent  early  blue  Pea  of  the  Kentish  Invicta 


type.  The  stem  grew  5  feet  4  inches  high,  leaves 
very  slightly  blotched,  and  there  were  fifteen  pods 
on  a  stem  ;  the  three  best  pods  had  eight,  nine, 
and  ten  Peas  in  them.  Distance  between  the 
joints  5|  inches ;  leaves  and  pods  dark  green  in 
colour.  It  is  an  excellent  type  of  early  Pea,  and 
is  ready  to  gather  on  June  21.  William  I.,  also 
sent  out  some  years  ago  by  Mr.  Laxton,  grew 
5  feet  7  inches  high,  and  had  sixteen  pods  on  a 
stem,  with  six,  seven,  and  nine  Peas  in  a  pod.  It 
was  ready  to  gather  June  24.  Distance  between 
the  joints  6i  inches ;  Peas  and  pods  dark  green, 
but  not  at  afl  of  good  flavour  when  cooked.  This 
is  certainly  its  one  fault. 

Field  Peas. — Kentish  Invicta  is  the  most 
popular  early  kind  for  field  culture  in  our  district. 
It  bears  a  good  crop,  does  not  produce  too  much 
haulm,  and  is  of  good  flavour.  In  our  trial  ground 
it  grew  5  feet  4  inches  high,  had  fifteen  pods  on  a 
plant,  and  one  branch  on  the  stem,  which  none  of 
the  above  had.  The  three  best  pods  contained  six, 
seven,  and  seven  Peas  in  them,  and  the  longest 
space  between  the  joints  was  5  inches.  It  was 
ready  to  gather  June  24.  Day's  Early  Sunrise  has 
also  been  brought  forward  very  prominently  for 
field  culture  during  the  last  few  years.  It  was 
our  dwarfest  Pea,  not  being  more  than  3  feet  6 
inches  high  and  having  a  stout  vigorous  stem  and 
3.J^  inches  between  the  joints.  There  were  twenty- 
one  pods  on  one  stem,  and  five,  six,  and  seven 
Peas  in  a  pod ;  ready  for  use  June  26.  Early 
Kenilworth,  sent  with  Early  Bird,  had  two 
branches  on  the  stem  ;  its  height  was  5  feet  8 
inches.  It  bore  ten  pods  on  a  stem,  and  had  eight, 
nine,  and  nine  Peas  in  the  best  three  pods.  Its 
fault  is  too  much  length  of  stem  between  the 
ground  and  the  first  pods.  It  is  the  latest  of  the 
early  Peas  we  have  tried,  and  owing  to  its  branch- 
ing habit  it  should  be  sown  thinner  than  the 
others.  Earliest  of  All,  raised  by  Mr.  Laxton  and 
sent  out  by  Messrs.  Hooper,  was  sown  with  the 
others,  but  it  was  our  own  saved  seed,  and  it  has 
sported  in  an  unaccountable  manner,  probably 
owing  to  the  row  of  it  being  next  to  a  tall  grow- 
ing late  sort,  as  it  is  more  like  William  I.  than  the 
original  Earliest  of  All.  J.  Douglas. 

Grezt  Geariet  Garilcns,Ilford. 


PLANTING  ASPARAGUS. 
Owing  to  the  lengthened  drought  which  we  have 
had,  those  in  the  habit  of  transplanting  Asparagus 
when  it  is  in  active  growth  are  doubtless  in  the 
same  position  as  myself —all  behindhand,  for  few 
would  care  to  move  such  a  succulent  plant  as 
Asparagus  in  such  hot,  dry  weather  as  we  have 
lately  experienced.  I  do  not,  however,  despair  of 
yet  being  able  to  get  the  usual  plantations  made, 
although  I  would  rather  plant  in  June  than  in 
July;  nevertheless,  under  the  circumstances  I 
do  not  consider  the  middle  of  July  too  late,  pro- 
vided suitable  weather  comes  either  before  or  by 
that  time.  By  summer  planting  I  get  a  more 
regular  plant,  there  being  fewer  losses  than  in 
early  spring.  In  practice  a  vigorous  healthy 
plant  will  come  up  as  strongly  the  next  year  as 
plants  one  year  older,  and  will  remain  longer  in 
health,  there  being  no  mutilated  roots  to  die  away 
and  invite  disease  or  afford  a  lodgment  for  insects. 
Summer  planting  is  also  useful  in  another  way— it 
gives  more  time  to  prepare  the  soil  and  for  the  ma- 
turation of  other  crops  before  the  ground  is  wanted ; 
in  fact,  I  believe  that  Asparagus  may  be  planted 
from  June  to  August  with  greater  safety  than  at 
any  other  time  ot  the  year.  How  quickly  the 
plants  establish  themselves  after  removal  is  sur- 
prising. There  must  not,  of  course,  be  any  delay 
when  the  work  of  planting  is  begun.  The  ground 
should  be  thoroughly  prepared  some  weeks  pre- 
viously and  made  fine  on  the  surface,  in  order  that 
there  may  be  plenty  of  friable  soil  to  fill  in  round 
the  roots. 

The  prepabation  of  the  plants  is  a  simple 
matter ;  the  seed  should  be  sown  thinly  in  drills 
on  a  rich  piece  of  ground  where  a  fine  tilth  has 
been  prepared,  for  it  is  necessary  that  the  roots 
should  lift  with  as  little  mutilation  as  possible, 
and  this  they  cannot  do  it  the  staple  consists  of 


large,  hard  lumps.  Nothing  is  gained  by  sowing 
the  seed  before  the  beginning  of  April  ;  if  sown 
earlier  there  is  risk  of  its  rotting  in  the  ground. 
I  like  to  wait  until  the  tops  have  grown  5  inches 
or  6  inches  before  transplanting,  for  the  plants  must 
have  time  to  make  sufficient  roots  to  enable  them  to 
bear  removal.  All  being  ready,  on  a  suitable  moist, 
quiet  day  the  plants  may  be  lifted  with  a  trowel 
and  transplanted  without  doing  the  roots  any 
eerious  injury.  If  only  one  or  two  hundred 
plants  are  put  out  it  would  not  be  a  serioua 
business  to  shade  them  with  evergreen  branches. 
In  every  case  if  the  weather  should  become  sud- 
denly hot  and  dry,  water  must  be  given  them  until 
they  get  established.  Unless  the  soil  is  very  wet 
at  the  time  of  planting  we  make  it  a  rule  to  water 
directly  afterwards,  and  then  we  place  a  thick  coat 
of  half-rotten  manure  between  the  rows.  This 
mulching  keeps  the  soil  about  the  roots  sufficiently 
moist  for  several  days  without  additional  water- 
ings. The  only  further  trouble  the  beds  give  that 
season  is  keeping  them  free  from  weeds.  One 
caution  here  is  needful,  that  is  not  to  plant  too 
deeply.  I  prefer  to  draw  out  a  drill  2  inches  deep 
and  carefully  spread  out  the  roots,  allowing  the 
crowns  of  the  plants  to  be  an  inch  under  the 
surface. 

The  winter  treatment  ot  such  plants  is  very 
simple.  Early  in  November  the  stems  should  be 
cut  down  close  to  the  ground,  and  then  a  layer  2 
inches  thick  of  rotten  farmyard  manure  should 
be  put  on  the  bed,  and  on  the  manure  about  an 
inch  in  thickness  of  fresh  soil.  The  same  treat- 
ment should  be  given  the  next  year,  which  will 
have  increased  the  thickness  of  the  soil  on  the 
crowns  to  the  depth  required.  In  succeeding  years 
the  beds  will  come  to  be  managed  in  the  ordinary 
way.  Those  who  have  to  deal  with  a  light  soil 
may  not  find  it  necessary  to  adopt  the  piecemeal 
plan  of  increasing  by  degrees  the  depth  ot  soil  on 
the  surface,  but  in  heavy  soil  it  becomes  a  neces- 
sity to  do  so,  because  when  the  plants  are  young 
they  have  not  the  strength  of  older  ones  to  push 
through  4  inches  or  5  inches  ot  heavy  soil. 

J.  C.  C. 


Old  roots  of  Scarlet  Runner  Beans 

will,  if  stored  like  Dahlias,  planted  out  early  and 
staked  at  once,  placing  some  evergreen  twigs  to 
screen  the  young  growths  from  cold  winds,  yield 
a  supply  of  pods  considerably  sooner  than  seed- 
lings. Hut  for  general  crops  I  like  the  latter  best, 
as  their  growth  is  more  vigorous  and  lasting ; 
however,  as  the  Runner  Bean  is  such  a  useful  vege- 
table, both  roots  and  seeds  may  be  used,  each 
having  their  special  advantages. — J.  G.,  Hants. 

So'wing  Cabbage  seed.— In  this  locality 
it  is  a  very  general  practice  to  sow  Cabbage  seed 
in  June,  so  as  to  have  plenty  of  thrifty  young 
plants  ready  for  filling  up  Potato  ground  in  July 
and  August,  and  by  this  means  an  abundant 
supply  of  young  Cabbapes  is  secured  tor  winter. 
The  early  small-hearted  kinds,  like  Early  York 
and  the  Rosette  Colewort,  are  great  favourites  in 
private  as  well  as  in  market  gardens,  as  they  can 
be  set  thickly  on  the  ground  and  produce  a  quan- 
tity of  useful  vegetable  food  from  a  small  area ; 
as  frost  is  seldom  severe  enough  in  this  district  to 
injure  Cabbages,  they  to  a  great  extent  take  the 
place  of  the  hardier  kinds  of  Kales  so  much  grown 
in  the  colder  parts  of  the  kingdom.— J.  G., 
Hants. 

Summer  Lettuces— There  can  be  no  ques- 
tion that  Lettuces  to  be  crisp  and  succulent  require 
to  be  grown  without  check  from  the  first  sprouting 
of  the  seed  until  pulled  up  for  use,  and  the  best 
way  to  ensure  such  a  condition  is  to  sow  the 
seed  where  it  is  to  remain  and  avoid  trans- 
planting, for  while  the  plants  are  getting  over  the 
check  occasioned  therefrom  they  will,  if  left  un- 
disturbed, be  nearly  fit  for  use.  The  best  plan  is 
to  sow  rather  thinly  in  drills  1  foot  apart,  and  as 
soon  as  the  plants  are  large  enough  to  handle  to 
thin  them  out  partially,  and  by  pulling  out  the 
largest  for  mixed  salads  as  they  become  fit  for  use 
a  succession  ot  crisp  Lettuces  may  be  kept  up 
with  very  little  trouble.     The  main  thing  is  to 


10 


THE    GARDEN 


[Ji'r.\ 


1884. 


have  a  deeply  cultivated,  well-enriched  piece  of 
ground  dug  up  some  considerable  time  before  it  is 
wanted  for  sowing,  in  order  that  the  surface  may 
get  mellow  and  friable,  for  on  loose,  freshly-dug 
soil  it  is  useless  to  expect  Lettuces  to  grow  freely 
in  dry  weather.  A  sowing  of  the  Brighton  White 
Cos  and  All  the  Year  Round  Cabbage  Lettuces 
made  about  once  a  fortnight  will  yield  a  constant 
supply,  and  if  the  same  course  is  adopted  with 
Radishes  and  Mustard  and  Cress,  there  need  be  no 
fear  of  the  salad  supply  running  short,  even  during 
the  driest  periods  of  the  year.  Transplanting 
should  be  looked  on  as  an  evil  to  be  avoided  as 
far  as  possible  in  the  case  of  such  things  as  salad- 
ing,  in  which  the  quicker  the  growth  the  better 
the  produce. — James  Geoom,  GospoH. 


Indoor  Garden. 


CARNATIONS  TO  FLOWER  IN  WINTER. 
A  COEEESPONDBNT  asks  if  Carnations  other  than 
the  perpetual  flowering  kinds  can  be  made  to  flower 
in  winter  if  the  flower-stems  are  removed  early  in 
the  year.  It  would  not  be  quite  safe  to  say  that 
they  would  not  flower,  but  the  instances  in  which 
satisfactory  results  would  be  obtained  would  be 
but  few,  whether  the  plants  were  placed  in  a  warm 
house  or  not.  It  is  usual  with  experienced  growers 
o£  Carnations  to  pinch  oflf  the  flower-stems  as  soon 
as  they  can  be  perceived  some  time  in  April. 
Their  object  in  doing  this  is  to  obtain  stronger 
layers  than  would  be  produced  if  the  plants  were 
allowed  to  flower.  These  layers  seldom  attempt 
to  flower,  and  when  they  do  the  flowers  usually 
open  in  September  and  October.  In  a  large  col- 
lection there  are  always  some  plants  that  will 
produce  late  blooms,  but  when  much  out  of  the 
usual  season  they  are  not  of  good  quality.  Nearly 
all  the  self-coloured  Carnations  will  submit  to 
forcing,  the  Clove-scented  varieties  included,  but 
I  would  not  care  to  force  them  to  produce  blooms 
earlier  than  April.  It  would  be  useless  to 
do  so  when  perpetual  flowering  kinds  can 
be  produced  with  so  much  less  trouble  all 
through  the  winter  and  early  spring  months. 
Seedlings  from  a  good  strain  yield  very  satisfac- 
tory results  in  the  way  of  late  bloom.  Sow  a 
pinch  of  good  seeds  in  April  and  grow  the  plants 
well  either  in  the  open  ground  or  in  boxes  out  of 
doors.  Plant  three  good  strong  plants  in  a  10- 
jnch  pot  in  February.  Grow  them  on  out  of  doors 
in  summer,  moving  them  under  glass  wlien  the 
flowers  open,  and  if  these  are  cut  when  fully  ex- 
panded others  will  be  produced  far  into  the 
autumn,  and  even  winter,  if  the  plants  are  placed 
where  the  flowers  are  near  the  glass,  and  in  a 
minimum  temperature  of  not  less  than  55°.  Some 
named  varieties  (they  are  few  in  number)  have  a 
tendency  to  produce  flowers  late  in  autumn 
and  in  winter.  A  very  fine  scarlet  bizarre 
named  James  Mcintosh  will  always  flower  a 
second  time  late  in  the  autumn,  and  if  layers  do 
not  start  into  flower  before  they  are  potted  they 
will  do  so  afterwards.  Indeed,  this  variety  will 
generally  produce  a  second  bloom  from  October 
to  Christmas.  It  may  be  stated  that  all  the  strong 
layers  which  are  taken  from  the  parent  plant  and 
potted  in  September  would  start  at  once  into 
flower  if  they  were  kept  in  a  warm  house  during 
winter,  but  the  flowers  would  not  open  until 
•April.  J.  Douglas. 


Seedling  Pelargoniums.— The  difficulty 
experienced  by  Mr.  Murphy  (p.  490,  Vol.  XXV.) 
in  inducing  seedling  Pelargoniums  to  bloom 
during  the  first  season  is  one  which  may  be  over- 
come, more  particularly  as  regards  zonals.  It  is, 
of  course,  an  advantage  to  be  able  to  ascertain  the 
merits  of  seedling  plants  during  the  first  year  of 
their  existence,  as  it  frequently  saves  the  trouble 
of  wintering  varieties  which  mav  prove  to  be  of 
no  value,  while  in  the  case  of  'meritoriouskinds 
an  early  knowledge  that  they  are  so  is  of  import- 
ance, in  order  that  their  propagation  may  be  pro- 
ceeded with.  Mr.  Murphy's  failure  in  inducing 
his  seedlings  to  bloom  during  the  first  season  may 


be  ascribed  to  two  canses,  viz.,  the  late  sowing  of 
the  seed,  i  e.,  during  January  or  February,  and 
secondly,  the  planting  of  the  seedlings  in  highly 
manured  soil.  In  order  to  flower  such  plant 
during  the  first  summer,  or  at  all  events  during 
the  early  autumn  months,  the  seed  should  be  sown 
as  soon  as  it  is  ripe,  or,  say,  not  later  than  the 
last  week  in  September.  It  should  be  sown  in 
pots  or  shallow  seed-pans  filled  with  light  soil, 
and  should  be  placed  in  a  pit  or  other  structure 
slightly  shaded  during  bright  sunshine,  or  the 
surface  of  the  pot  or  pan  may  with  advantage  be 
covered  with  a  pane  of  glass  until  the  seeds  have 
vegetated,  when  it  should  be  removed.  The  seeds 
may  be  sown  moderately  thick,  pressed  slightly 
into  the  soil  with  a  flat  piece  of  wood  or  the 
bottom  of  a  small  flower-pot,  and  slightly  covered 
with  fine  soil.  As  soon  as  the  first  rough  leaves 
have  been  developed,  the  seedlings  should  be 
pricked  off  into  other  pans  containing  similar 
soil  to  that  in  which  the  seed  was  sown, 
and  should  not  be  placed  too  closely  together, 
as  in  these  pans  they  may  be  wintered.  They 
should  then  be  placed  near  the  glass  in  an  ordi- 
nary greenhouse  temperature.  Towards  the  end 
of  February  they  may  be  potted  singly  in  3-inch 
pots  filled  with  light  rich  soil ;  keep  the  pit  or 
other  structure  which  contains  them  somewhat 
close  and  warm  until  they  have  become  esta- 
blished in  their  pots.  Soon  after  the  end  of 
March,  in  ordinary  seasons,  the  protection  of  a 
cold  pit  will  be  all  they  will  require  until  the  last 
week  in  May,  when  zonal  and  Ivy-leaved  varieties 
may  be  planted  out  in  a  bed  of  light  friable  soil 
in  an  open  situation  fully  exposed  to  the  sun. 
They  should  be  supplied  with  water  during  very 
dry  weather  and  treated  in  all  respects  the  same 
as  ordinary  bedding  plants;  by  the  middle 
or  end  of  August  most  of  them  will  be  in 
bloom,  when  cuttings  of  desirable  varieties 
may  be  at  once  inserted  in  order  to  secure  stock 
as  soon  as  possible.  Seedlings  of  the  show  and 
fancy  sections  of  the  Pelargonium  may  for  a  time 
be  treated  as  has  been  recommended,  but  being 
less  hardy  than  the  zonals,  they  should  be  flowered 
in  pots  under  glass  instead  of  being  planted  out, 
and  should  consequently  be  shifted  into  their 
blooming  pots,  which  may  be  some  5  inches  in 
diameter,  early  in  May.  They  should  be  placed 
in  a  light  and  airy  situation,  such  as  in  the  front 
of  a  greenhouse  or  other  suitable  structure,  where 
most  of  them  will  produce  flowers  more  or  less,  as 
well  as  show  their  distinctive  characteristics  as  to 
habit  of  growth,  &c.,  during  the  late  summer  or 
early  autumn  months  of  their  first  season. — P. 
Grieve. 


Vriesla  hleroglyphlca — This  was  lately 
exhibited  before  the  French  National  Horticul- 
tural Society.  It  is  described  as  being  a  fine 
addition  to  this  tribe  of  plants,  the  leaves  being 
transversely  striped  with  irregularly  formed  bands, 
which  are  of  a  deep  green  above  and  brown  under- 
neath. It  has  been  put  into  commerce  by  the 
International  Horticultural  Company. — J.  C.  B. 

5216.— Eucharis  Insects —I  am  sorry  that 
"J.  S."  found  my  suggestion  as  to  drowning  the 
mites  of  no  use.  I  tried  it  myself  afterwards  in 
a  small  way,  but  with  little  result.  Have  you 
tried  cleaning  the  bulbs  with  a  stiffish  brush  and 
some  insecticide,  such  as  soft  soap  and  tobacco- 
water  or  sulphur?  Water  at  a  temperature  of  130° 
to  140°  Fahr.  will  kill  most  insects,  and  does  not, 
I  believe,  injure  the  foliage  of  plants.  If  it  would 
not  hurt  the  bulbs,  I  should  immerse  them  for  a 
minute  or  two  in  water  of  that  temperature.  It 
might  be  tried  at  first  experimentally. — G.  S.  S. 

MandeviUa  euaveolens.— The  large  white 
Convolvulus-like  fiowers  of  this  make  it  an  at- 
tractive greenhouse  climber  during  the  summer 
months,  that  is  to  say  when  in  a  thriving  condi- 
tion ;  but  it  is  frequently  met  with  so  much 
infested  by  red  spider  and  other  insect  pests,  that 
the  greater  part  of  its  beauty  is  spoilt.  Climbing 
plants  are,  as  a  rule,  a  most  neglected  class,  for 
when  trained  to  roofs,  subjects  underneath  them 
often  prevent  their  being  syringed  when  neces- 


sary, and  in  the  hot  and  dry  atmosphere  so  clcsa 
to  the  glass  they  soon  become  an  excellent  breed- 
ing ground  for  insects, — Alpha. 

Begonia  Margarita —This  is  the  name  of 
a  seedling  Begonia  raised  by  M.  Bruant,  of 
Poitiers,  near  Vienne,  France,  and  which  seems 
likely  to  prove  of  great  decorative  value.  It  is 
the  result  of  crossing  B.  metallica  with  B.  echi- 
nosepala,  the  latter  being  the  seed-bearer.  It  is 
said  to  be  of  extraordinary  vigour,  forming  in  a 
short  space  of  time  enormous  tufts  covered  with 
flowers  all  the  winter.  Plants  put  in  the  open 
ground  in  July  and  potted  up  in  autumn  make 
fine  bushy  specimens,  about  3  feet  high  and  2^ 
feet  through.  This  hybrid  Begonia  branches  out 
from  the  base  of  the  stems,  which  are  upright, 
rigid,  and  strong.  The  bronzy  green  and  purple 
foliage  clearly  indicates  that  one  of  its  parents  is 
metallica,  whilst  the  inflorescence  most  resembles 
that  of  echinosepala. — J.  C.  B. 

Double  Pelargoniums.— I  find  these  to  be 
most  useful  at  this  season  in  a  cut  state ;  they  do 
not  shake  to  pieces  like  the  single  varieties,  and 
their  colours  are  equally  bright  and  cheerful.  A 
cool  airy  house  suits  them  best,  for  although  they 
are  not  as  a  rule  very  satisfactory  in  the  open  air, 
they  only  require  the  shelter  of  a  glass  roof  ot 
bring  them  to  the  highest  state  of  perfection.  0!d 
plants  in  medium-sized  pots  yield  enormous  quan- 
tities of  bloom  if  potted  in  good  sound  loam,  and 
a  sprinkle  of  Standen's  manure  keeps  them  from 
getting  exhausted.  As  long  as  they  keep  on 
growing  they  are  sure  to  keep  on  flowering.  What 
are  termed  semi-doubles  are  perhaps  the  best;  they 
are  not  so  stiff  and  formal  as  when  fully  double, 
and  consequently  they  open  more  perfectly;  in 
damp  weather  the  very  double  sorts  are  liable  to 
decay  in  the  centre  before  the  outer  blooms  ex- 
pand. Now  is  a  good  time  to  increase  the  stock 
for  next  season's  flowering ;  they  strike  freely  in 
2J-inch  pots,  and  if  shifted  into  4-inch  ones  in 
September,  they  will  make  sturdy  plants  by  the 
end  of  the  year.  It  is  a  mistake  to  over-pot  Pelar- 
goniums ;  they  flower  best  when  the  pots  are 
filled  with  roots.  A  slight  shade  from  full  sun- 
shine, plenty  of  fresh  air,  and  careful  watering 
are  the  main  points  needed  to  ensure  a  full 
supply    of    these    useful    fiowers. — J.     Gboom, 

GoSl>OTt. 


Rose  Garden. 

A  RUSH  OF  ROSES. 

At  last  Roses  have  come  into  bloom  with  a  rush. 
Hardly  has  the  wind  veered  round  out  of  the  east- 
north-east  till  they  have  opened  by  wholesale.  If 
not,  the  more  haste  the  less  speed — the  more  haste 
the  lees  size  assuredly.  The  average  size  is  smaller 
than  the  normal  measurement  in  this  respect.  But 
as  the  shows  are  now  upon  us,  these  may  correct 
our  individual  notions  considerably.  With  a  con- 
tinuance of  hot  weather,  the  Rose  harvest  pro- 
mises to  be  short  as  well  as  tolerably  abundant. 
The  form  of  the  Roses  which  threatened  to  be 
specially  faulty  at  first  has  also  much  improved. 
The  want  of  size  is  now  the  chief  failing,  and 
this  may  be  accounted  for  in  two  ways ;  the  frosty 
nights  and  extremely  hot  and  dry  days  both  tended 
to  starve  the  blossom  buds  and  to  prevent  that 
gradual  bud  filling  which  results  in  a  maximum 
size.  On  the  heels  of  this  long  spell  of  ungenial 
Rose  weather  have  come  a  few  days  of  forcing 
warmth,  which  has  opened  the  buds  prematurely 
as  regards  the  due  preparation  of  the  plants.  The 
season  is  really  far  advanced,  but  the  Roses  are 
exceptionally  backward,  at  least  have  been  so  up 
to  the  last  moment.  A  more  than  usual  per- 
centage of  buds  also  seems  to  burst  in  the  opening. 
This  seems  to  arise  from  the  cold  frosty  nights 
setting  the  buds  fast,  to  use  an  expressive  East 
Anglicism.  The  outer  petals  hold  together  as  if 
they  were  gummed  ;  this  tightness  of  the  covering 
petals  often  causes  the  buds  to  burst  all  at  once, 
and  such  Roses  are  useless  for  showing.  It  is  a 
useful  and  safe  plan  slightly  to  blow  or  otherwise 
relieve   such  adhering  petals.     The   buds    may 


1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


11 


open  a  little  sooner  in  co  nsequence,  bat  then  they 
will  open  regularly  into  well-formed  blooms. 

D.  T.  Fish. 


Rose  Celine  Forestier.— I  quite  agree 
with  the  estimate  formed  of  this  Rose  in  a  recent 
number  of  The  Garden.  It  is  hardy,  vigorous, 
and  free  flowering.  It  appears  to  do  well  on  most 
soils,  but  is,  I  think,  most  at  home  on  a  sunny  wall, 
as  it  should  be  pruned  much  in  the  way  of  Gloire 
de  Dijon.  I  used  to  grow  this  Eose  in  pots  for 
forcing  and  liked  it  much  for  that  purpose.  Well 
grown  it  has  a  very  pleasing  appearance  as  a 
standard,  the  foliage  being  abundant  and  of  a 
pleasing  shade  of  green.  Those  who  have  large 
conservatories  to  embellish  should  make  a  point  of 
growing  a  few  standard  pot  Eoses.  They  have  a 
fine  appearance  amongst  other  things,  and  they  do 
not  need  half  the  trouble  generally  given  them. 
Liberal  waterings  and  good  feeding  through  the 
summer,  with  occasional  top-dressings  with  some 
concentrated  stimulant  from  the  time  they  start 
into  growth,  will  keep  them  healthy  and  vigorous 
for  several  years  without  the  trouble  of  annually 
repotting. — J.  C.  B. 

Roses  at  the  horticultural  show  held  in 
connection  with  the  exhibition  of  the  Essex  Agri- 
cultural Society  on  the  12th  and  13th  nit.  afforded 
abundant  illustration  of  the  extreme  latsness  of 
the  season.  There  was  only  one  collection  of 
thirty-six  Eoses,  and  of  these  the  flowers  cut  from 
the  open  might  have  been  counted  on  the  fingers 
of  one  hand.  The  classes  of  twelve  and  of  seven 
were  patches  of  coloured  leaves,  without  shape  or 
character,  rather  than  Eoses.  Even  Marechal 
Niel  and  Gloire  de  Dijon  were  conspicuous  by 
their  absence.  Messrs.  Paul  &  Son,  of  Gheshunt, 
had  a  walk  over  for  the  thirty-six,  and,  as  already 
remarked,  most  of  these  were  obviously  from  under 
glass,  and  the  latter,  excepting  in  a  very  few  cases, 
seldom  equal  out-of-door  blooms.  The  following 
were  the  varieties  staged  by  these  excellent  growers : 
Dupuy  Jamain,  Mrs.  Bosanquet  (a  Eose  seldom 
seen  on  a  prize  stand),  Eugene  Furst  (very  round, 
almost  ball-shaped,  of  a  deep  velvety  crimson 
colour),  Jean  Ducher,  Madame  Nachury,  Violette 
Bouyer,  Avocat  Duvivier,  InnooentePirola.Auguste 
Eigotard,  La  France,  Souvenir  de  Thfirfese  Levet, 
Madame  Lacharme,  Dr.  Andry,  Madame  Levet, 
Abel  Grand,  Edouard  Morren,  Jules  Finger,  Per- 
fection de  Monplaisir,  Madame  Angfele  Jacquier, 
Bernardo  Jacobea,  Juno,  George  Baker,  Caroline 
Kuster,  Glory  of  Cheshunt,  Catherine  Mermet, 
Climbing  Edouard  Morren,  Madame  Montet, 
Madame  Luizet,  Souvenir  d'un  Ami,  Fisher 
Holmes,  Comtesse  de  Serenye,  Alfred  Colomb, 
Marie  Van  Iloutte,  Senatenr  Vaisse,  and  Gloire 
de  Dijon.— D.  T.  Fish. 


NOTES  ON  GAEDENING  TOPICS. 
I  HAVE  slightly  altered  the  title  of  these  "  notes, 
because  I  obser^'e  my  original  title  has  been  vir-' 
tually  appropriated  elsewhere  by  another  writer, 
who,  although  his  professed  occupation  is  "  think- 
ing," could  not,  I  suppose,  "  think  "  of  a  title  of 
his  own. 

English  Melons.— A  friend  of  mine  who 
has  had  opportunities  of  judging  says  that 
Melons  raised  from  imported  seeds  from  the  typi- 
cal races  of  the  East  surpass  our  home-raised 
varieties  in  flavour  and  general  excellence  the 
first  year,  but  afterwards  deteriorate.  This  inte- 
rested me,  because  I  have  grown  Melons  fre- 
quently from  seeds  sent  to  me  by  famous  travellers 
trom  the  home  of  the  Melon  in  Persia  and  Merv 
andother  places,  and  when  tested  fairly  beside  Eng- 
lish varieties,  they  have  always  proved  inferior  in 
flavour.  I  noticed  that  they  are  always  very  dis- 
tinc  t  in  foliage  and  also  in  general  character.  We 
have  a  Melon  from  seeds  gathered  from  varieties 
of  onoted  excellence  on  the  banks  of  the  Oxus 
&fg.wing  now  among  our  own  kinds,  and  nearly  as 
di  erent  looking  from  the  latter  as  a  Cucumber 
plant,  but  the  quality  of  the  fruit  has  yet  to  be 
determined.  Many  years  ago  Knight  held  that  the 
Persian  varieties  deteriorated  in  this  country,  but 
he  changed  his  opinion,  and  "succeeded    com- 


pletely in  rendering  the  original  quality  here- 
ditary "  as  long  as  he  subjected  the  plants 
to  high  and  proper  culture.  I  suppose  many 
of  our  English  Melons  have  a  very  long 
home  pedigree  if  it  could  be  traced,  and  the 
really  good  sorts  are  excellent.  What  the 
flavour  of  a  Melon  ought  to  be  I  do  not  know, 
but  hitherto  judges  have  always  awarded  the  palm 
to  those  fruits  which  were  sweet  and  juicy;  if 
large,  all  the  better.  The  peculiar  flavour  of  the 
Melon,  apart  from  these  qualities,  is  not  accept- 
able to  some  people  at  all.  Green-fleshed  Melons 
are  as  a  rule  the  most  luscious  and  best  flavoured, 
and  are  most  grown  for  that  reason,  but  the  qua- 
lity of  a  Melon  is  very  much  improved  by  being 
eaten  cool  and  on  a  warm  day,  and  I  attribute  much 
of  the  excellence  attributed  to  the  Melons  of  the 
East  by  travellers  to  the  conditions  under  which 
they  are  enjoyed.  West  Indians  say  that  well 
ripened  English  Pine-apples  are  better  than  those 
grown  in  the  plant's  native  country.  Why,  there- 
fore, should  Engish-grown  Melons  be  worse  than 
those  grown  abroad  ? 

Melons  in  Evelyn's  time.— Evelyn  in  his 
"  French  Gardener,"  printed  over  200  years  ago,  is 
great  on  Melons,  describing  them  as  "  the  most 
precious  fruits  that  our  kitchen  gardens  afford." 
Evelyn  has  always  been  credited  as  being  a  par- 
ticularly trustworthy  authority  on  all  subjects  on 
which  he  wrote.  His  garden  at  Sayes  Court  was 
the  most  scientifically  managed  of  the  time,  and 
contained  many  choice  plants,  which  attracted 
much  admiration  on  account  of  the  fine  order  in 
which  they  were  kept.  When,  therefore,  he  tells 
us  that  he  grew  Melons  on  hotbeds  in  the  open 
air  with  the  assistance  of  mats  and  "  glass  bells  " 
(probably  cloches),  and  that  they  "  aflforded  him 
a  store  of  excellent  and  high-tasted  fruit  every 
year,"  one  wonders  if  our  climate  was  better  then 
than  now,  or  if  it  was  that  Melons  were  earlier 
and  hardier  in  those  days.  The  last  is  probably 
the  true  explanation,  because  he  dwells  on  the 
disadvantages  of  the  climate  and  "  the  storms  of 
bail  such  as  crack  all  the  bells,  and  to  prevent 
which  some  were  provided  with  covers  made  of 
straw  to  clap  over  the  glasses  at  night  to  prevent 
this  accident."  Evelyn  was,  however,  only  ac- 
quainted with  the  red-fleshed  Melons,  which  are 
now  reckoned  the  hardiest,  for  among  other  qua- 
lities good  Melons  were  to  be  of  a  "vermilion  hue 
within,"  and  to  "have  the  flavour  of  that  pitchy  mix- 
ture wherewith  seamen  dress  their  cordage."  He 
procured  his  seeds  from  "  Lyons,  Tours,  Anjou, 
Champagne,  and  other  places  where  men  emulate 
one  another  who  shall  have  the  best  Melons  " — 
another  reason  for  supposing  that  Evelyn's  Melons 
were  a  hardier  race  than  any  we  have  now.  The 
Vine  growers  about  Thomery,  in  France,  still  grow 
Melons  exactly  in  the  way  Evelyn  describes,  and 
I  have  seen  good  crops  nearly  ripe  there  in  August. 
Are  those  hardy  French  Melons  at  all  known  in 
this  country,  and  what  are  their  qualities  ?  It  is 
worth  while  enquiring. 

Failures  in  Grape  culture.— There  are 

degrees  of  failure,  but  anyone  may  be  said  to  have 
failed  whose  crops  go  back  from  their  original 
excellence.  That  success  with  growers  fluctuates 
in  an  unaccountable  degree  is  a  well-established 
fact  which  has  greatly  exercised  the  minds  of 
cultivators  for  many  years.  The  Vine  under  glass 
in  this  country  is,  we  all  know,  a  remarkably 
long-lived  plant,  as  constant  and  fertile  as  it  is 
long-lived,  and  it  is  needless  to  name  examples, 
for  they  will  occur  to  everyone.  What  is  it,  then, 
that  causes  so  many  failures  in  Vines  in  the  full 
flush  of  youth  and  vigour  ?  and  what  is  the  reason 
of  so  many  renewals,  replantings,  and  border- 
makings,  and  alterings,  all  fraught  with  so  much 
cost  to  an  employer,  that,  as  some  have  been 
known  to  remark,  it  would  have  been  cheaper  for 
them  if  they  had  "contracted  with  a  Solomon  ora 
Webber  from  the  beginning  to  provide  a  supply 
of  Grapes  1 "  To  avoid  the  appearance  of  invidi- 
ousness,  an  example  that  happened  many  years 
ago  will  suffice  to  illustrate  the  case  of  many  other 
cultivators.  A  grower  astonished  visitors  at  a  noted 
show  by  the  excellence  of  his  Grapes  from  the 
first  crop  on  young  Vines.    Ths  next  year  and  the  I 


next  there  was  a  visible  deterioration  in  quality, 
and  on  the  fourth  year,  I  think,  I  remember 
looking  at  the  Grapes  with  some  others,  wondering 
what  had  come  over  them  to  cause  them  to  be  so 
absolutely  poor  and  necessitate  complete  renova- 
tory  measures  extending  over  the  whole  of  the 
vineries,  the  Vines  having  barely  more  than 
reached  the  top  of  the  rafters.  The  good  quality 
of  the  earlier  crops  caused  other  gardeners  to  copy 
the  same  practice  which  had  produced  them,  and 
not  a  few  of  these  have  since  had  to  record  a  simi- 
lar experience.  An  enlightened  student  of  such 
matters,  from  an  unbiased  and  abstract  point  of 
view,  told  the  writer  the  other  day  that  the  true 
secret  of  successful  Grape  culture  and  Vine 
border-making  was  yet  to  be  discovered,  and 
thought  more  correct  information  was  probably  to 
be  derived  from  examples  in  which  Vines  happened 
to  have  found  a  naturally  suitable  soil  than  from 
those  in  which  the  borders  had  been  arti- 
ficially prepared,  and  he  instanced  the  re- 
markable and  constant  crops  of  Muscats  from 
the  Vines  of  Messrs.  Lane  at  Berkhamstead 
and  some  other  examples  of  good  crops  of  fine 
fruit  from  Vines  many  years  old  growing  in  com- 
mon soil,  only  tilled  as  for  other  crops.  After  all, 
Lindley  was  right  when  he  selected  such  examples 
as  the  Hampton  Court  Vine  in  order  to  estimate 
aright  the  conditions  of  successful  Vine  culture, 
and  it  would  almost  look  as  if,  after  having  ex- 
hausted all  our  theories  and  practice  on  the  sub- 
ject we  are  coming  round  to  the  "  first  principles  " 
laid  down  by  one  who  was  not  a  practical  grower 
at  all. 

Standard  Peaches.—"  J.  C.  C. "  is  clearly 
in  error  in  thinking  that  we  must  "  mutilate  the 
branches  of  these  to  an  extent  that  is  both  un- 
sightly and  injurious  to  the  trees  "  in  order  to  have 
properly  ripened  fruit.  The  large  ten  or  twelve- 
year-old  trees  at  White  Hill,  500  miles  further 
north  than  where  "  J.  C.  C.  "  practises,  are  living 
refutations  of  his  argument.  Let  alone,  the 
standard  Peach,  like  the  Apple,  turns  an  umbrella- 
shaped  head  out  to  the  light  with  all,  or  the  best 
portion  of,  the  leaves  and  spurs  on  the  outside, 
and  with  judicious  disbudding  and  very  little 
tying  down  of  the  points  of  the  long  branches 
this  can  be  insured.  If  I  had  my  will,  I  would 
never  again  plant  a  wall  or  trellis-trained  Peach 
under  glass  for  crops  to  be  ripe  after  this  season 
of  the  year.  A  roomy-topped  glass  house  placed 
against  a  high  back  wall  and  the  trees  planted 
against  the  wall,  allowing  their  heads  to  grow 
out  standard  shape,  would  perhaps  be  the  best 
arrangement  for  securing  a  sunny  exposure  for  the 
trees  if  the  wall  faced  south,  as  it  should  do,  but 
a  lofty  span  would  also  answer.  If  some  one 
would  try  the  experiment  on  a  good  scale  where 
it  could  be  seen,  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  plan 
would  be  generally  adopted. 

Loss  of  Strawberry  crops.- The  plan 
suggested  in  The  Garden  (p.  514)  of  supporting 
Strawberries  out-of-doors  with  Hazel  sprays  is  a 
good  one,  I  have  no  doubt,  and  applicable  in  small 
gardens,  but  the  great  objections  to  all  such  con- 
trivances is  the  cost  of  application  in  large  gar- 
dens. This  is  why  the  Strawberry  crinoline  wire 
invented  a  few  years  ago  never  became  popular. 
If  some  handy  means  could,  however,  be  found  to 
keep  the  fruit  off  the  ground,  it  would  be  an  im- 
mense boon  to  Strawberry  growers.  Wide  plant- 
ing to  some  extent  prevents  loss  from  wet,  but 
that  is  a  sacrifice  itself,  and  even  then  great  quan- 
tities of  fruit  rot  in  wet  weather  owing  to  the 
foliage  growing  over  the  fruit.  Sometimes  more 
than  half  the  crop  is  lost  through  wet  at  the  cri- 
tical gathering  period,  and  the  mischief  done 
by  slugs  and  blackbeetles  on  some  soils  is  also 
great.  Propping  the  Strawberries  up  off  the 
ground  prevents  injury  from  all  these  causes,  but 
the  plan  is  impracticable  on  a  large  scale  in  quar- 
ters covered  by  nets  and  where  gathering  is  free 
quent,  and  I  have  never  seen  it  attempted  except 
on  a  small  scale  to  save  a  few  good  berries  perhaps. 
Of  late  years  the  common  blackbeetle  has  done 
a  good  deal  of  damage  in  gardens.  Here  it  is  far 
worse  than  the  slug,  boring  into  and  hollowing 
outnearly  every  good  berry  that  lies  close  to  the 


12 


THE     GARDEN 


[July  5,   1884. 


ground  and  always  taking  the  fine  ones  as  well  as 
the  ripest.  A  mnlchiDg  of  straw  or  manure 
greatly  facilitates  its  increase,  affording  just  the 
right  kind  of  shelter,  but  without  mulching  the 
fruit  gets  so  dirty  by  spattering  during  rain  as  to 
become  unfit  for  any  purpose.  Naturalists,  I  be- 
lieve, maintain  that  this  beetle  does  not  attack 
fruit,  but  they  are  in  error.  Market  gardeners 
gather  their  fruit  as  fast  as  it  gets  ripe,  and  so 
save  much  of  it,  but  in  private  gardens  where 
there  is  no  need  to  do  that,  the  fruit  not  being 
consumed  so  quickly,  the  rain  and  such  pests  have 
full  play. 

State  of  vegetation.— Not  for  years  have 
we  seen  outdoor  vegetation  looking  so  well  at 
this  season.  The  foliage  of  the  deciduous  trees  is 
magnificent  and  of  good  substance,  thanks  to  the 
sunny  weather  we  have  had.  The  only  exceptions 
are  the  Horse  and  Spanish  Chestnuts,  which  have 
smaller  and  not  quite  ai  good  foliage  as  usual, 
owing,  I  think,  to  the  frosts  in  April.  Hereabout 
the  rusty  appearance  of  the  Horse  Chestnut  is  very 
marked,  and  the  flowers  have  also  been  poor  and 
imperfect.  All  other  trees  look  well  and  the  growth 
of  the  Grass  in  some  places  has  been  extraordinary 
notwithstanding  the  drought.  I  could  gather  arm- 
fuls  of  the  Meadow  Foxtail  nearly  5  feet  long  in 
our  young  plantations  between  the  trees,  and 
otherGrasses  areproportionatelylongerthan  usual. 
As  to  fruit  crops,  we  shall  have  Apples,  a  few 
Cherries,  plenty  of  Strawberries,  and  a  much  re- 
duced crop  of  Gooseberries,  Currants,  and  Rasp- 
berries, thanks  to  the  frosts  which  destroyed  the 
fine  promise,  and  these  will  be  about  all.  Mostly 
all  kinds  of  vegetable  seeds  have  done  well  so  far, 
but  less  than  3  inches  of  rain  during  the  last  two 
months  is  too  little,  and  drought  is  beginning  to 
tell.  J.  S.  W. 


PLANTS    IN    FLOWEK. 


Gladiolus  ardene. — I  send  you  a  spike  of  this  Gl-idio- 
lus,  and  I  think  you  will  agree  with  me  in  sayin'.;  tliat  it 
ia  superior  in  point  of  colour  to  any  of  its  class.  It  is  per- 
fectly hardy,  but  propagates  very  scantily.— F.  J.  IIuukht, 
J^ountain  Street,  Guernsey. 

*,•  Avery  fine  Gladiolus,  orange- scarlet  in  colour,  of  the 
brightest  description.  When  seen  en  mass£  it  must  be  very 
aftL-ctive.— Ed. 

Magnolia  macrophylla.— Our  large  plant 
of  this  has  two  dozen  flowers  on  it  this  year  just 
now  fully  expanded  and  in  prominent  bud.  The 
fully-developed  flowers  are  rather  over  a  foot 
across,  the  petals  falling  well  back  as  the  bud  ex- 
pands. Taking  into  account  the  large  flowers 
and  huge  leaves  of  this  Magnolia,  it  looks  just 
now  more  in  keeping  with  the  inmates  of  the 
Palm  house  at  Kew  than  as  a  companion  to  the 
Chestnuts,  Beeches,  and  Limes  by  which  it  is 
surrounded. — E.  B. 

Rockets.— Mr.  John  Gray,  Eglinton  Castle, 
Irvine,  sends  us  a  photograph  of  his  border  of 
Scotch  Rockets.  It  is  283  feet  in  length,  6  feet  in 
width,  and  contains  over  1100  plants,  each  averag- 
ing five  spikes  of  bloom.  The  latter  is  still  in 
good  condition,  but  the  long  dry,  hot  weather  has 
been  rather  against  it.  The  perfume  of  this  bed 
of  Rockets— probably  the  largest  in  the  country 
— is,  after  a  slight  shower,  said  to  be  delightful. 

Rare  hardy  flo"wers.— The  following  plants 
are  now  among  the  most  noteworthy  in  flower  in 
the  Hale  Farm  Nursery,  Tottenham — viz.,  Lilium 
Hansoni,  L.  polyphyllum  (a  beautiful  variety), 
L.  concolor  coridion,  L.  parvum,  L.  pardalinum 
pumilum.  Iris  juncea,  Sparaxis  pendnla,  S.  pul- 
cherrima.  Iris  ochroleuca  gigantea,  I.  Monnieri 
(very  fine),  and  Stropholirion  volubile.  We  never 
remember  to  have  seen  this  nursery  so  richly 
stocked  with  flowers  as  it  is  at  present. 

Tuberoua  Begonias.  —  Some  enormous 
donble  flowers  have  been  sent  to  us  by  Mr. 
Mounsdon,  of  Sefton  Park,  who  says  he  possesses 
a  large  collection  of  both  single  and  double  varie- 
ties ;  some  of  the  blooms  sent  measure  4  inches 
across  the  dense  rosettes  of  petals.  Some  are  deep 
scarlet,  others  salmon-pink,  while  one  is  a  delicate 
blush.    These    fine    double    Begonias   are    very 


showy,  but  they  are  too  "  lumpy  "  for  many  peo- 
ple. The  great  strides  that  have  been  made  in 
their  improvement  is  most  remarkable. 

Erlgonum  umbellatum.— I  send  you  a 
flower  of  this  plant,  which  is  not  much  known. 
It  is  said  to  be  hardy,  but  of  this  I  have  had  no 
proof,  as  I  possess  but  one  specimen,  grown  in  a 
cold  house.  The  blossoms  are  sub-everlasting, 
remaining  bright  for  some  time  in  a  dried  state, 
though  in  this  respect  not  so  durable  as  the  Heli- 
ohrysums. — J.  M.,  Ckarmouth,  Dorset. 

*,*  A  pretty  Californian  perennial  plant  allied 
to  Polygonum,  and  perfectly  hardy.  The  colour  of 
the  flower  clusters,  a  clear  chrome-yellow,  renders 
the  plant  attractive. — Ed. 

Spiraea  splendens.— Of  this  pretty  shrubby 
variety,  Mr.  Stevens  brings  us  from  his  garden  at 
Byfleet  some  beautiful  flowering  sprays,  which 
show  how  attractive  this  shrub  must  be  at  the  pre- 
sent time.  It  bears  some  resemblance  to  S.  cal- 
losa,  but  the  flower  clusters  are  not  so  broad,  but 
denser  and  of  higher  colour,  which  is  bright  car- 
mine-red. It  is,  we  believe,  a  garden  hybrid  be- 
tween S.  callosa  and  one  of  the  salicifolia  section 
of  the  genus.  It  is  one  of  the  best  of  its  race 
and  can  be  recommended  for  general  cultivation. 

Veronica  Traveral.— As  an  evergreen 
shrub  this  Veronica  is  quite  distinct  from  the 
other  varieties  commonly  met  with,  being  denser 
in  growth  and  more  regular  in  outline.  It,  how- 
ever, often  fails  to  flower  as  freely  as  the  larger 
growing  sorts,  but  such  cannot  be  said  of  a  speci- 
men in  the  herbaceous  ground  at  Kew,  every 
shoot  of  which  is  now  thickly  furnished  with 
spikes  of  blossom,  white  in  colour  with  the  ex- 
ception of  a  tinge  of  mauve.  This  Veronica  is 
among  the  hardiest,  yet  it  will  not  survive  any 
very  severe  winters,  but  generally  if  cut  to  the 
ground  it  quickly  recovers  and  grows  again  freely. 
As  seen  at  Kew  it  is  certainly  a  very  attractive 
flowering  plant. 

Llnaria  triornithopora.— Some  specimens 
of  this  uncommon  Linaria  have  been  sent  to  us 
by  Mr.  Rawson,  of  Fallbarrow,  Ilowness,  Winder- 
mere, which  show  what  a  beautiful  plant  it  is 
when  well  grown,  the  flowers  being  a  deep  lilac, 
pencilled  with  yellow,  white,  and  a  variety  of 
other  colours;  they  are  set  in  whorls  at  short 
intervals  on  stiff  erect  stems,  and  have  a  singular 
appearance.  Mr.  Rawson  remarks  that  "  the 
shades  of  colour  vary  much,  and  that  the  plant  is 
much  taller  than  stated  in  the  note  in  last  week's 
Garden  (p.  526).  I  have  it,''  he  adds,  "  in  a  cool 
house  nearly  4  feet  high,  and  out-of-doors  it  grows 
quite  2  feet.  It  stood  out  all  last  winter  in  the 
seed  bed."  It  is  certainly  a  plant  that  deserves 
to  be  more  generally  known  than  it  is,  both  for 
greenhouse  culture  and  the  open  border,  but  it  is, 
we  believe,  only  of  biennial  duration. 

Brodlsea  cocclnea. — When  well  grown, 
this  singular  Californian  bulbous  plant  is  really 
very  showy  in  the  open  border  at  this  season. 
Some  uncommonly  fine  spikes  of  it  come  from  the 
New  Plant  and  Bulb  Company's  nursery  at  Col- 
chester, where  its  culture  is  evidensly  well  under- 
stood, as  we  have  rarely  seen  better  examples. 
The  deep  crimson-green-tipped  blossoms  drooping 
in  graceful  clusters  from  the  top  of  tall  slender 
stems  have  a  very  pretty  effect.  Another  Brodia-a 
has  also  been  sent  from  the  same  nursery,  viz., 
B.  congesta  and  its  white  variety,  the  latter  a  new 
and  rare  variety,  not  quite  white,  but  very  pretty. 
Among  other  plants  sent  bv  Dr.  Wallace  are 
Crinum  aquaticum,  Lilium  Krameri  and  L.  tes- 
taceum,  Cyclobothra  alba  and  Brodiaea  stellaris, 
a  little  species  like  a  miniature  form  of  B.  laxa, 
and  purple  in  colour. 

■White  Rockets. — I  send  you  two  sorts  of 
Rockets — one  is  the  true  Scotch,  received  from 
Eglinton  Castle  last  year,  the  other  the  common 
French  kind.  As  you  will  observe,  they  are  totally 
different;  the  Scotch  only  grows  about  a  foot  high 
here,  is  very  close  in  the  spike,  pure  white,  and 
smaller  and  more  compact  than  the  French.  One 
kind  is  often  substituted  for  the  other ;  both  are 
good,  but  the  Scotch  is  in  Koqkets  what  the  true 


old  Siberian  Larkspur  is  amongst  Larkspurs  — 
quite  a  gem.  Everyone  should  eultivate  these 
lovely  border  plants ;  they  make  a  grand  show 
when  planted  so  as  to  form  patches  from  2  feet 
to  3  feet  through,  and,  associated  with  tall  Lark- 
spurs, Irises,  Columbines,  Lychnises,  especially 
L.  viscosa  splendens.  Campanulas,  Cheiranthus 
Marshalli  and  alpinus,  Saponaria  ocymoides,  Gla- 
dioli, and  hosts  of  other  things,  they  are  most 
effective. — J.  Ckook,  Farnhorongh  Orange. 

Delphiniums  are  now  among  the  glories  of 
the  open-air  garden,  their  tall  massive  flower- 
spikes  consisting  of  blues  of  various  shades  tower- 
ing above  all  other  plants.  A  very  fine  selection 
of  seedlings  as  well  as  named  sorts  has  been  sent 
to  us  by  Mr.  T.  S.  Ware,  from  his  nursery  at  Tot- 
tenham, showing  what  grand  varieties  there  are 
now  among  these  valuable  flowers.  All  the  spikes 
sent  are  uncommonly  fine,  some  being  as  much  as 
4  feet  and  5  feet  high  and  furnished  densely  half 
their  height  with  blossoms.  We  have  singled  out 
the  best  from  the  numerous  sorts  sent.  These  are 
named  Blue  Giant,  deep  blue  with  tall  massive 
spikes  ;  Lifeguardsman,  clear  blue  ;  George  Taylor, 
pale  blue  ;  Leonce  Bart,  pale  blue,  black  centre  ; 
Hendersoni,  a  loose  spike,  rich  azure-blue  ;  Mdme. 
Le  Bihan,  double  bluish  lilac,  white  centre ;  C. 
Glyn,  bright  blue  with  light  centre  ;  Lord  Mayor, 
very  fine  bright  violet-bine.  These  are  the  finest 
in  the  series,  but  none  were  poor.  No  garden  can 
be  considered  furnished  now-a-days  if  these 
superb  plants  are  wanting.  Rightly  placed  in 
bold  groups,  no  plants  can  possibly  produce  a  finer 
effect  for  several  weeks  during  summer. 

Nierembergia  rivularls.— It  is  surprising 
to  see  how  luxuriantly  this  little  hardy  plant 
grows  at  Munstead  under  treatment  quite  opposite 
to  that  usually  adopted.  Instead  of  being  in  a 
moist  position  it  is  planted  on  a  dry  knoll  in  light 
soil.  Here  it  is  spreading  in  all  directions  and  is 
now  beautifully  in  flower.  It  seems  as  if  this  little 
plant  needs  to  be  divided  often  so  as  to  prevent  it 
growing  into  dense  matted  tufts  which  seldom 
yield  flowers.  Miss  Jekyll's  success  with  it  is 
worthy  of  note,  and  those  who  have  cushion-like 
tufts  of  it  that  never  yield  flowers  would  do  well 
to  try  it  on  the  Munstead  plan.  Near  the  spot 
the  "  White  Cup  "  is  growing  on  there  is  a  broad 
mass  in  full  flower  of  the  Bird's-eye  Primrose 
(Primula  farinosa),  with  stems  as  much  as  a  foot 
high  terminated  by  broad  clusters  of  flowers.  This, 
again,  is  a  plant  that  is  said  to  need  a  moist  soil, 
as  in  a  natural  state  it  generally  affects  boggy 
places.  Near  this  pretty  Primrose  group  is  a  mass 
of  Campanula  pulla  a  yard  or  more  square,  and 
studded  with  hundreds  of  beautiful  drooping  bells 
of  a  rich  deep  purple.  These  three  plants  are  just 
now  among  the  most  interesting  among  the  mul- 
titudes of  beautiful  plants  now  in  flower  at 
Munstead. 

A  ne'W  Botnarea  (B.  Williamsse). — The  first 
flowers  we  have  seen  of  this  beautiful  new  species 
are  those  which  have  been  sent  to  us  by  Mr. 
Richardson,  curator  of  the  Liverpool  Botanic  Gar- 
den, to  whom  belongs  the  credit  of  having  flowered 
this  plant  for  the  first  time  in  Europe.  This  new 
species  is  one  of  the  finest  of  a  genus  rich  in 
beautiful  garden  plants  of  the  older  species.  It 
most  resembles  B.  Carderi,  but  is  finer  as  regards 
colour.  The  flowers  are  about  2  inches  in  length  ; 
the  three  outer  sepals  are  of  a  soft  rose-pink, 
white  on  their  inner  surfaces,  and  copiously  spotted 
with  blackish  purple.  The  three  inner  sepals  are 
half  white  and  half  pea-green,  the  lower  part  being 
bordered  by  heavy  blotches  of  black.  The  flowers 
are  borne  in  the  same  way  as  in  B.  Carderi,  that  is, 
in  a  wide-spreading  branching  umbel.  The  cluster 
sent  by  Mr.  Richardson  consists  of  twelve  flowers 
borne  on  the  end  of  a  long  slender  shoot,  furnished 
with  broad  luxuriant  foliage.  We  welcome  this 
new  plant  as  a  real  acquisition  to  beautiful  green- 
house pillar  or  roof  plants,  one  that  everyone  may 
grow,  as  its  culture  is  by  no  means  difficult.  It 
was  one  of  the  series  of  new  Bomareas  discovered 
and  introduced  to  this  country  by  Messrs.  Shuttle- 
worth,  Carder,  &  Co.,  of  Park  Road,  Clapham,  who 
are  now  distributing  them. 


Jt(,Y  5,  1884.] 


THE     Gx^RDEN 


13 


Iceland  Popplea. —  These  bave  for  some 
.time  past  been  one  of  the  glories  of  the  garden  at 
Munstead.  Those  who  have  only  seen  weakly  tufts 
of  this  charming  Poppy  would  like  to  see  it  as  re- 
presented there,  not  in  solitary  tufts,  but  in  beds 
several  yards  square  entirely  filled  with  vigorous 
plants  flowering  in  the  greatest  profusion.  They 
are  of  various  colours,  in  fact  every  intermediate 
bhade  from  clear  yellow  to  almost  pure  scarlet. 
The  orange-red  shades  are  extremely  brilliant,  and 
a  number  of  flowering  plants  together  light  up 
the  whole  surroundings.  There  is  also  a  pure 
white,  but  Miss  Jekyll  is  inclined  to  regard  thii 
as  being  different  from  the  yellow  and  orange-red 
forms.  It  is  certainly  less  robust,  bat  very  chaste 
and  lovely.  These  "  Munstead  I'oppies  "  are  re- 
markable for  large  size,  being  fully  twice  the  ordi- 
nary size,  a  circumstance  doubtless  due  to  liberal 
cultivation.  Mi.ss  Jekyll  saves  her  own  seed,  and 
thus  raises  abundance  of  seedlings  which  are 
grown  on  into  large  tufts,  by  which  means  she  is 
enabled  to  produce  very  large  quantities  of  blos- 
soms. A  bed  of  Iceland  Poppies  seen  on  a  sunny 
morning  in  June,  with  their  cup-like  flowers  glis- 
tening like  satin  in  the  sun,  is  one  of  the  most 
charming  sights  a  garden  can  ailord. 

Naw  crimson  Victoria  regia. — There 
is  now  flowering  in  Mr.  Dickson's  garden  at 
Cherkley  Court,  near  Lsatherhead,  a  remarkable 
new  Water  Lily  from  the  Amazon,  almost  identical 
with  Victoria  regia,  except  the  colour  of  the 
flowers,  which  instead  of  being  a  pale  rose  is  a 
deep  purple-crimson,  much  deeper  than  the  rose- 
coloured  variety  of  Nympha;a  alba.  The  seeds  of 
this  plant  were  received  by  Mr.  Dickson  last 
year  direct  from  the  Amazon.  It  is  therefore  pro- 
bable that  this  is  the  only  place  in  which  this 
plant  has  flowered  in  Europe.  It  is  growing  in 
a  circular  tank  in  the  conservatory,  but  it  is 
not  large  enough  to  hold  this  new  Lily  com- 
fortably, as  the  huge  leaves  crowd  one  over  the 
other  to  the  very  edge  of  the  tank.  The  upturned 
rim  of  the  leaves  in  this  case  seems  to  be  much 
deeper  than  in  that  of  the  original  Victoria,  but 
the  flowers  are  of  the  same  form  and  quite  as 
large.  The  flowering  of  this  plant  is  a  most 
interesting  occurrence  ■  both  to  cultivators  and 
botanists ;  it  remains  to  be  seen  whether  it  is  a 
distinct  species  or  merely  a  variety  of  the  original 
Victoria,  but  whether  .species  or  variety  it  is  a 
valuable  gain.  Mr.  Dickson  is  apparently  par- 
ticularly fond  of  aquatics,  as  he  has  made  special 
provision  for  their  culture  in  the  spacious  and 
handsome  conservatory  attached  to  his  residence. 
At  the  present  time,  besides  the  new  Victoria 
just  alluded  to,  there  are  noble  groups  of  the 
Nelambium  speciosum,  the  Sacred  liean  of  India, 
bearing  s'lveral  large  and  beautiful  flowers,  and 
also  the  rare  Pontederia  (Eichornea)  azurea, 
figured  in  The  Garden,  Vol.  XVII.,  p.  L'20.  This 
is  growing  in  the  same  tank  as  the  Victoria. 

The   giant    Cow   Parsnip    (Heracleum 

giganteum)  is  just  now  the  chief  attraction  in  Mr. 
Hankey's  pretty  Surrey  garden  atOaklands,  Cran- 
leigh.  We  have  seen  many  gigantic  specimens  of 
Cow  Parsnip,  but  the  one  which  Mr.  Hankey  is 
fortunate  to  possess  is  by  far  the  largest  that  we 
have  seen.  Its  flower-siems  cannot  be  less  than 
II  feet  or  l.">  feet  in  height,  and  these  carry  huge 
clusters  of  flowers  above  and  prodigious  leaves 
below.  _  A  plant  of  such  noble  stately  growth  as 
this  is  is  not  half  enough  appreciated  in  gardens. 
At  Oaklands  it  occupies  the  further  end  of  a  mo3t 
charming  nook,  embowered  in  foliage  and  backed 
up  by  trees.  Under  such  circumstances  it  is  seen 
to  the  very  best  advantage.  It  is  seemingly  a 
favourite  plant  with  Mr.  Hankey,  as  he  pays  great 
attention  to  it  and  takes  care  to  have  successional 
plants  to  take  the  place  of  the  old  plants,  which 
die  after  flowering.  A  word  of  caution,  however, 
is  necessary  with  regard  to  this  plant ;  it  is  apt  to 
become  a  troublesome  weed  if  care  is  not  taken  to 
prevent  it  ripening  and  dispersing  its  seeds.  One 
flower-head  ripens  suthcient  seeds  to  stock  dozens 
of  gardens.  In  this  pretty  garden  there  are  num- 
bers of  other  interesting  plants,  noteworthy  among 
them  being  some  remarkably  flne  varieties  of 
Campanula  persicifolia,  the  finest  we  have  seen ; 


a  pure  white  form  has  large  bell-like  flowers 
which  contrast  charmingly  with  the  original  pur- 
ple kind.  A  beautiful  wall  garden,  or  rather  acom- 
bination  of  a  rock  garden  and  wall  garden, 
though  only  made  and  planted  a  year,  fairly  teems 
with  interesting  and  beautiful  plants,  all  in  luxu- 
riant health  and  copious  bloom,  the  result  of  care- 
ful selection  and  attention.  A  hardy  fernery,  too, 
abounding  in  a  wondrous  collection  of  varieties, 
is  alone  worth  a  long  journey  to  see. 


Societies. 

NATIONAL  ROSE  SOCIETY. 
July  1. 
TitE  Rose  show  season  waa  inaugurated  on 
Tuesday  last  at  South  Kensington  by  a  magnifi- 
cent assemblage  of  this  queenly  flower,  brought 
together  under  the  auspices  of  the  National  Hose 
Society.  The  display  made  on  this  occasion  was 
as  extensive  as  ever,  but  it  needed  only  a  cursory 
glance  to  reveal  the  fact  that  the  present  Rose 
season  is  not  by  any  means  so  good  as  last  year. 
The  late  spring  frosts,  protracted  spells  of  easterly 
winds,  and  dry  warm  weather  are  doubtless 
accountable  in  a  great  measure  for  the  somewhat 
inferior  quality  of  the  flowers,  though  it  must  be 
admitted  that  the  day  was  somewhat  too  early  for 
numbers  of  exhibitors  who  probably  will  show 
better  a  fortnight  hence.  The  blight  and  mildew- 
breeding  weather  seemed  to  be  the  theme  of  com- 
plaint among  rosarians  on  Tuesday,  particularly 
among  those  whose  roscries  are  situated  in  dry 
and  warm  localities.  The  weather,  however, 
combined  with  the  early  date,  seemed  to  have  just 
suited  those  exhibitors  who  won  the  first  prizes, 
as  in  the  majority  of  cases  they  far  outdistanced 
their  competitors  as  regards  quality  of  bloom. 
Teas  and  Noisettes  were  throughout  the  show 
much  better  than  usual,  both  from  nurserymen 
and  amateurs  ;  they  were  superior  even  to  the 
Hybrid  I'erpetuals,  particularly  the  deep-coloured 
sorts,  of  which  there  was  a  conspicuous  absence  of 
good  blooms. 

As  usual,  the  schedule  was  thoroughly  re- 
presentative, and  was  so  framed  as  to  give  every 
cultivator  a  chance  to  compete,  whether  in  a  large 
or  small  way.  There  were  no  fewer  than  twenty- 
feven  classes,  and  these,  without  exception,  were 
represented  in  some  cases  by  as  many  as  twenty 
exhibitors.  Judging  by  the  extent  of  the  show, 
there  must  have  been  as  many  as  five  thousand 
blooms  exhibited,  but  for  all  this  there  was  quite 
a  lack  of  absolute  novelty,  and  the  gold  medal 
offered  by  the  Society  for  a  seedling  Rose  not  in 
commerce  was  not  awarded.  The  show  was  held 
in  the  conservatory,  a  capital  place  for  a  show  of 
this  description,  as  there  was  ample  room  for  the 
crowds  of  visitors  to  inspect  the  blooms.  The 
whole  of  the  building  was  filled  with  Roses. 

Nurserymen's  Olasaes. 

Each  of  the  six  classes  set  apart  exclusively  for 
nurserymen  was  well  represented,  there  being  even 
in  the  principal  class  for  six  dozen  single  trusses 
five  competitors.  The  first  prize  in  this  class  con- 
sisted of  £^  and  the  much-coveted  Challenge 
Trophy,  a  handsome  piece  of  plate,  which  is  held 
by  the  winner  for  the  ensuing  year.  The  winners 
of  this  prize  were  the  Messrs.  Paul,  of  Cheahunt, 
who  were  particularly  successful  throughout  the 
entire  exhibition.  As  this  Challenge  Trophy  col- 
lection was  considered  the  most  important  in  the 
show,  we  append  the  names  of  the  sorts  which 
Messr?.  Paul  showed,  the  blooms  being  for  the 
most  part  of  fine  quality,  and  some  of  superlative 
merit :  - 

Tea  and  Koisette  varieties. 


Souvenir  d'EliaC  Vardon 

Devoniensis 

Niplietos 

Marcchal  Niel 

JCiii  Ducher 


I  Souvenir  de  la  Mblmaison 
Mdme  C'amile 
Innocente  Piro'a 
Perle  dea  Jaidins 
Alba  rosea 


LiGUT  COLOrRED  HYBRID  PERPETUAIS. 


Mdrae.  Hippolyte  Jamaiu 
La  France 
Mdme.  Lacharmo 
Captain  Christy 
Mdnip.  Fanny  Qlron 
Ehe  Morel 
M.  Nomaa 


Merveille  de  Lyon 
tjiieen  of  England 
Abel  Grand 
I'ride  of  Waltham 
Mdme.  Eugene  Verdier 
Lady  Marv  FUzwliliam 
tiueen  of  Queeua 


Park-coloured  Hybrid  PEni'KTDALS. 


Duchesse  de  Caylus 
Mdme.  Tlitreae  Levet 
ririi.'h  Brunner 
I'rince  Arthur 
Charles  Lefebvre 
Fidouard  Morren 
L)r.  Andry 
Charles  Darwin 
Senateur  Vaisae 
Victor  Verdier 
Pierre  Nottinsj 
Reynolds  Hole 
Etienne  Levet 
Marguerite  de  St.  Amand 
Conitesse  d'Oxford 
Duke  of  Teck 
Boildieu 

M.  Alfred  Dumeanll 
Grandtur  of  Cheshunt 
Maurice  Beinardin 
Conite  Rambeau 
Xavier  Olibo 
U.Schultheis 


M.  E.  v.  Teas 
Mra.  G.  Paul 
Aiitoiue  Ducher 
Mdlle.  Prosper  Laugier 
Duke  of  Edinburgh 
Mdme.  Isaac  Perrifere 
Abel  CaiTitre 
Due  da  Rohan 
Countess  of  Rosebery 
Louis  Van  Houtte 
Alfred  Colomb 
Frangois  Michelon 
Mrs.  Charles  Wood 
Star  of  Waltham 
Nardy  Fibres 
Mrs,  Baker 
Edouard  Andrd 
A.  K.  Williams 
Henri  Ledechaux 
Sultan  of  Zanzibar 
Pride  of  Waltham 
Horace  Vernet 


The  other  prize  winners  in  this  class  came  from 
widely  separated  localities— viz.,  Colchester,  Salis- 
bury, and  Hereford  ;  their  collections  were  excel- 
lent, particularly  that  from  Mr.  li.  Cant,  of  Col- 
chester, who  usually  heads  the  prize  list.  He  had 
among  his  six  dozen  blooms  some  exceptionally 
good,  but  on  the  whole  not  so  uniformly  fine  as 
the  Cheshunt  collection.  Mr.  Cant,  however,  re- 
versed the  order  of  things  in  the  class  for  four 
dozen  trebles,  he  being  first  and  Messrs.  Paul 
second.  This  first  prize  collection  of  trebles  in- 
cluded the  following  fine  selection  of  sorts  : — 
Hybrid  Perpetuals. 

Exposition  de  Brie 

Duke  of  Teck 

Ville  de  Lyon 

Xavier  Olibo 

Mdme.  Ferdinand  Jamin 

Duke  of  Wellington 

Mdme.  Gabriel  Luizet 

Annie  Laxton 

Marquise  de  Castellane 

A.  K.  Williams 

Mdme.  Cli^mence  Joigneaux 

Mdme.  Lacliarme 

I'rince  CamiUe  de  Rohan 

Baroness  Rothschild 

Frangois  Michelon 

Countess  of  Oxford 

Victor  Verdier 


Duke  of  Edinburgh 

La  Fiance 

^ntoing  Dacher 

M.  Noman 

J.  Hopper 

Mdme  Ducher 

Dr.  Jewell 

Duchesse  de  VaUombrosa 

Prince  Arthur 

Mdlle.  Rlarie  Finger 

liuildieu 

Marguerite  de  St.  Amand 

Horace  Vernet 

General  Jacqueminot 

Ju'es  Margottin 

Merveille  de  Lyon 

Etienne  Levet 


Souvenir  d'un  Ami 
Marcchal  Niel 
Niphetos 
Devoniensis 
Innocente  Pirola 
Jean  Ducher 


Tea  and  Noisbtte  varieties. 


Mdme.  Caroline  Kuster 
Catherine  Merniet 
Souvenir  d'Elise 
President 
Anna  OUivier 


Tea  VARIETIES.— The  class  for  eighteen  trusses 
of  Teas  or  Noisettes  was  represented  by  five  only, 
the  finest  being  from  Mr.  B.  Cant,  who  had  an 
excellent  collection,  consisting  of  the  following : — 


Catherine  Mermet 
Mdme.  Willermoz 
Devoniensis 
Souvenir  d'Elise 
Mdme.  Bravy 
Innocente  Pirola 
Wdme.  Angtle  Jacquier 
Mdme.  Margottin 
Perle  des  Jardins 


Moir6 

Mdrae.  Cusin 
Marechal  Niel 
Rubens 
Niphetog 

Marie  Van  Houtte 
Anna  OUivier 
Souvenir  d'un  Ami 
Mdme.  Caroline  Kust  r 
The  next  best  collection,  from  Cheshunt,  was 
likewise  an  excellent  one,  and  the  third,  from  Mr, 
Prince,  of  Oxford,  contained   the  finest  Tea  Rose 
in  the  whole  of  the  nurserymen's  classes.     This 
was  a  splendid  bloom  of  Jean  Ducher,  perfect  in 
form,  of  large  size,  and  richly  coloured.    It  won 
the  silver  medal. 

The  second  division  in  the  schedule,  consisting 
of  three  classes,  was  set  apart  for  nurserymen  not 
competing  in  the  preceding  three  classes.  The 
most  successful  exhibitors  in  this  division  were 
Messrs.  Curtis,  Sandford,  &  Co.,  of  Torquay,  who 
won  the  first  prizes  in  the  class  for  forty-eight, 
as  well  as  for  twenty-four  trusses.  In  both  cases 
their  blooms  were  of  exceptionally  high  quality, 
large,  and  well  coloured.  Their  selection  of  forty- 
eight  varieties  included  the  following: 


General  Jac(iueniinot 
Star  of  Widtham 
Alfred  Colomb 
Duke  of  Edinburgh 
A.  K   Williams 
Lcrd  Bacon 
Ltclia 

Jlerveille  de  I  yon 
Beauty  of  Waltham 
Duchess  of  Bedford 
Mdmo.  Charles  Wood 


Mdme.  Lacharme 
D.ivid  Pradel 
Baroness  Rothschilc 
Mane  Baumann 
La  France 
Reynolds  Hole 
Marie  Rady 
Jean  Ducher 
Frantjois  Michelon 
Captain  Christy 
Le  Havre 


14 


THE    GARDEN 


rjti.v 


1884 


Id  this  collection  the  judges  found  the  finest 
Hybrid  Perpetual  bloom  among  the  nurserymen's 
exhibits.  This  was  a  splendid  bloom  of  General 
Jacqueminot,  one  of  the  oldest  and  best  known 
of  high  coloured  Hybrid  I'erpetuals.  It  was 
perfect  in  form,  of  exceedingly  rich  colour,  and 
with  petals  of  great  substance.  A  bloom  of  Marie 
Eady  on  the  same  stand  was  scarcely  inferior. 
The  Teas  in  this  division  were  good.  The  best 
of  the  seven  collections  of  twelve  blooms  shown 
was  that  from  Mr.  F.  Cant,  who  had — 

Catherine  Mermet 
Mdnie.  Welche 


Souvenir  d'Eiiee 
•Souvenir  d'un  Ami 
Devoniensia 
Mari^chal  Niel 
Eubeus 


Marie  Van  Houtte 

Moir6 

Jean  Ducher 


Amateurs'   Glasses. 

With  the  exception  of  a  few  collections,  the 
amateurs'  exhibits  were  below  the  average  this 
year;  indeed  some  of  the  blooms  thown  were 
much  below  mediocrity,  and  not  up  to  an  exhibi- 
tion standard.  The  most  successful  exhibitor  was 
Mr.  Haywood's  gardener  (Mr.  Ridout),  of  Wood- 
hatch  Lodge,  Keigate,  who  usually  shows  so  ad- 
mirably. On  this  occasion  he  won  the  first  prize, 
the  Challenge  Trophy,  offered  by  nurserymen,  for 
forty-eight  single  trusses  and  twelve  trebles.  In 
both  cases  his  collections  were  a  long  way  ahead 
of  his  competitors,  and  his  selections  were  excel- 
lent.    His  best  blooms  consisted  of — 


Captain  Christy 
Etienno  Levet 
Eugenie  Verdier 
Horace  Vernet 
Milme.  Gahriel  Luizct 
Abel  Grand 

Manjuise  de  Castellane 
Duclieeae  de  Morny 
lady  Mary  Fitzwilliam 
La  France 
Le  Havre 

Countess  of  Kosebery 
M.  Neman 
Lady  Sheffield 


Mrs.  Laxton 

Jean  Pernet 

E.  Y.  Teas 

Beauty  of  Waltham 

Abel  Carrii're,  and  a  sport 
from  Mdnie.  C.  Joipneaux 
(flaked  slifihtly  witli  car- 
mine) 

Ducliesse  de  Vallombrosa 

Edouard  Morren 

Countess  of  Oxford 

^Idrae.  Lacharnie 

Chas.  Lefebvre 

Alfred  Colomb 


There  were  some  capital  collections  of  Tea  Eofes 
shown  in  this  division,  the  finest  being  that  from 
Mr.  Hollingsworth,  of  Maidstone.  The  next  divi- 
sion was  set  apart  for  exhibitors  not  competing  in 
the  preceding  classes.  These  classes  also  were  ad- 
mirably represented,  the  chief  prize  winners  being 
Miss  Watson  Taylor,who  showed  the  best  six  trusses 
and  the  best  dozen  Teas  ;  and  Mr.  Femberton,  of 
Eomford,  who  had  the  finest  two  dozen  single 
trusses.  Then  followed  the  four  classes  provided 
for  small  growers,  who  could  show  twelve,  nine, 
and  six  trusses  respectively  of  Hybrid  Perpetualp 
and  half-a-dozen  trusses  of  Teas.  There  wasagood 
display  in  these  classes,  and  some  were  really  fine 
collections,  notably  that  from  Mr. West,  of  Reigate, 
who  had  the  best  dozen  trusses  among  thirteen 
competitors.  The  best  half-dozen  Teas  in  this 
division  came  from  the  Rev.  F.  Page  Roberts,  of 
8cole,  Norfolk,  who  also  showed  the  finest  18 
trusses  of  Teas  in  the  extra  classes,  winning  the 
handsome  piece  of  plate  offered  for  the  first  prize 
by  the  Rev.  J.  A.  Williams.  This  collection  of 
eighteen  Tea  varieties  was  without  exception  the 
finest  in  the  whole  show,  every  bloom  being  large 
and  well  coloured,  thus  indicating  that  Mr.  Page 
Roberts  must  be  in  just  the  right  locality  for  Tea 
Rose  culture  during  a  dry,  warm  season.  This 
collection  being  so  fine,  we  give  the  names  of  the 
sorts  shown,  which  were  as  follows  : — 


Van  Houtte,  while  the  only  other  competitor  had 
Mar6chal  Niel.  The  class  for  a  dozen  white  blooms 
was  a  fine  one,  and  equal  first  prizes  were  awarded 
to  Mr.  Cant  for  a  dozen  superb  blooms  of  De- 
voniensis,  and  to  Messrs.  Curtis  &  Co.  for  a  dozen 
exceedingly  fine  trusses  of  the  new  white  Hybrid 
Perpetual  Merveille  de  Lyon,  and  Niphetos  took 
the  third  prize.  The  best  crimson  Rose  was  Marie 
P,aumann,  the  next  best  A.  K.  Williams,  to  which 
the  third  prize  was  awarded.  Star  of  Waltham, 
B.  Y.  Teas,  and  Charles  Lefebvre  were  also  shown 
in  this  class.  There  were  no  fewer  than  twenty 
collections  of  a  dozen  blooms  shown  in  the  class 
for  Roses  of  any  variety.  The  best  among  this 
number  was  La  France,  the  next  Captain  Christy, 
and  the  third  Marguerite  de  St.  Amand.  Other 
Roses  shown  well  in  this  class  were  Catherine 
Mermet,  from  Mr.  F.  Cant  (highly  commended), 
Merveille  de  Lyon,  Mons.  Neman,  Baroness 
Rothschild,  Caroline  Kuster,  Queen  of  Queens, 
Etienne  Levet,  while  La  France  was  shown  by 
seven  competitors. 

New  Roses. — There  were,  as  already  stated, 
no  very  remarkable  new  varieties,  such  as  there 
were  last  year,  when  Mr.  Bennett  won  the  gold 
medal  with  his  superb  new  Hybrid  Perpetual  Her 
Majesty.  The  gold  medal  on  this  occasion  was 
not  awarded,  as  there  was  but  one  sort  shown, 
that  being  from  Messrs.  Paul,  of  Cheshunt.  It 
was  a  dark  Hybrid  Perpetual,  which  may  probably 
develop  into  a  valuable  variety.  There  were  four 
collections  in  the  open  class  for  twelve  new  varie- 
ties sent  out  since  1881.  The  first  prize  was 
awarded  to  Messrs.  Paul,  of  Cheshunt,  who  had 
the  following  sorts  : — 


Marie  Guillot 
Catherine  Mermet 
Caroline  Kuster 
Marie  Van  Houtto 
Tnnocente  Pirola 
Mdme.  Lambard 
Mdme.  Margottin 
Souvenir  de  Paul  Nf^Ton 
Souvenir  d'un  Ami 


Baron  Nathaniel  de  Roths- 
child 
Etoile  de  Lyon 
Mdme.  Melanie  Vigneron 
Pride  of  Waltham 
Comtease  de  Paria 


H.  Schulthels 
Lady  Mary  EilzwlUiam 
I'lrich  Brunner 
Queen  of  Queens 
Merveille  de  Lyon 
Grandeur  of  Cheshunt 
Helen  Paul 

Messrs.  Curtis,  Sandford,  &  Co.  were  second  with 
the  following : — 

riiich  Brunner  (very  fine) 
Comte  de  Flandres 
Baron    Nathaniel  de  Roths- 
child 
Mdme.  Marie  Garnier 
H,  Schullheis 


Andr^  Gill 
Merveille  de  Lyon 
Earl  of  Pembroke 
Admiral  Seymour 
Duchess  of  Connaught 
Comtesse  de  Paria 


Mr.  B.  Cant  was  third  with — 


Comtesse  de  Pembroke 
Lecocq  Dumesnil 
Marguerite  de  Romance 
I'lrich  Brunner 
Mdme.  V.  Bruel 
Miss  Edith  Gilford  (Tea) 


EtoUedeTyon(Tea) 
Mdme.  Eerthier 
Merveille  de  Lyon 
H.  Schultheis 
Edouard  Gautier 
Leon  Say 


BEDFORD  PARK  NATURAL    HISTORY  AND 

GARDENING  SOCIETY. 
The  final  meeting  for  the  season  of  this  society 
was  held  on  the  28th  ult.,  in  the  Club  Theatre, 
Bedford  Park. 

In  place  of  the  usual  meeting  for  discussion,  the 
members  were  invited  to  send  floral  exhibits  to 
compete  for  two  prizes  offered  by  the  committee, 
one  for  the  best  bouquet  of  wild  flowers,  and  one 
for  garden  flowers  grown  in  Bedford  Park.  The 
show  proved  a  very  attractive  one,  although  of  a 
miscellaneous  character.  The  tables  were  loaded 
with  nosegays  of  wild  fioweas,  garden  bouquets, 
and  pot  plants,  many  of  which  contained  finely 
grown  flowers,  and  displayed  considerable  artistic 
taste  in  arrangement.  The  prize  for  garden 
flowers  was  awarded  to  Mr.  1).  J.  Ebbetts,  of 
Blenheim  Road,  for  a  large  bunch  of  hardy  flowers 
boldly  massed  with  sprays  of  Solomon's  Seal 
and  Royal  Fern,  and  Mrs.  Swinley,  the  Rev. 
J.  W.  Horsley,  Mrs.  Leigh,  and  Mr.  R.  Read  were 
highly  commended  for  bouquets  of  distinct  cha- 
racter. The  wild  flower  prize  was  awarded  to 
Master  Charlie  Codd  for  a  naturally  ar- 
ranged vase  of  flowers  and  Grasses  col- 
lected in  the  neighbouring  brickfields ;  and 
Mrs.  P.rooke,  Miss  Viner,  and  Mr.  Atherley  Jones 
were  honourably  mentioned.  A  short  address  was 
then  given  on  the  origin  and  distribution  of  our 
garden  flowers,  and  on  the  various  ingredients  in 
soils  favourable  to  their  growth.  The  committee 
is  to  be  congratulated  on  the  growth  of  this 
society,  for  the  number  and  variety  of  the  exhibits 
and  the  attendance  at  the  show  (upwards  of  400) 
were  all  that  could  be  desired,  and  such  efforts  as 
this  are  well  worth  imitating  in  other  districts 
where  nothing  of  the  sort  has  been  yet  attempted. 
This  society,  which  was  commenced  in  a  very 
modest  way  by  half-a-dozen  residents  on  the 
Bedford  Park  estate  about  a  year  ago,  has  now 
become  a  very  popular  institution,  and  numbers 
considerably  over  100  members.  The  object  in 
starting  this  society  was  an  association  for  the 
friendly  interchange  of  information  in  matters  of 
natural  history  and  the  encouragement  of  the 
cultivation  of  such  flowers  and  fruits  as  are 
adapted  to  the  place  after  the  manner  of  old 
English  gardens,  and  an  especial  desire  is  to  pro- 
mote inexpensive  gardening,  and  to  revive 
active  interest  in  the  cultivation  of  simple  and 
old-fashioned  flowers. 


Messrs.    Cooling  showed  the  other  collection 
which  consisted  of — 


Helen  Paul 
Queen  of  Queens 
Comtesse  de  Camando 
Comte  de  Flandres 
Comte  Adrien  de  Germlny 


Mdlle.  Mould 
Anicet  Bourgeois 
Lady  Sheffield 
Archduchesse  d'Autiiche 
Gloire  de  Bourg-ia-Reine 
Violette  Bouyer 

The  amateurs'  class  for  six  new  Roses  was  re- 
presented by  five  collections.  The  best,  from  Mr. 
Girdlestone,  contained — 


Anna  OUivier 

Souvenir  d'Elise  Vardon 

Mdme.  Camille 

Perle  de  Lyon 

Mdme.  Bravy 

Jean  Ducher 

Mdme.  Welche 

Mdme.  Hippolyte  Jamain 

Niphetos 

The  other  extra  class  included  prizes  for 
baskets  of  cut  Roses  arranged  for  affect,  but  there 
were  but  two  shown,  and  these  were  considered  by 
the  judges  to  be  so  inferior  that  they  withheld  the 
first  and  second  prizes,  awarding  only  the  third. 

Open  Claases. 

Among  these  there  were  three  set  apart  for 
Roses  of  particular  colours,  viz  ,  yellows,  crimsons. 


Violette  Bouyer 

Comtesse  Henriette  Coombes 

Comtesse  de  MaillyNesle 

Mr.  Pemberton  was  second  with 


Princess  of  Wales 
tJlrich  Brunner 
Miss  Edith  Gifford 


May  Paul 
Mdme.  Perri^re 
Helen  Paul 


Pride  of  Waltham 
Archduchess  Elizabeth 
Mdme.  Montet 


And  Mr.  A.  Cheales  was  third  with- 


Helen  Paul 
Earl  of  Pembroke 
Reine  Maria  Pia 


Princess  of  Wales 

May  Paul 

LoM  F.  Cavendish 


Best  single  tbussks  in  the  show. — In  the 
nurserymen's  classes  the  finest  Hybrid  Perpetual 
was  General  Jacqueminot,  from  Messrs.  Curtis, 
Sandford  &  Co.  The  best  Tea  was  Jean  Ducher, 
from  Mr.  Prince.  Among  the  amateurs  Mr.  Gir- 
dlestone showed  the  best  Hybrid  Perpetual,  having 
a  superb  bloom  of  Marie  Finger;  and  the  best 
Tea  was  found  in  the  Rev.  Page  Roberts'  collec- 
tion,   viz.,    a    very    fine    specimen   of    Souvenir 


OBITUARY. 
We  have  to  record  the  death,  at  the  early  age  of 
49,  of  Mr.  Geo.  Toll,  of  358,  Stretford  Road,  and 
Hullard  Hall  Nursery,  Manchester,  an  event  which 
took  place  on  the  23rd  nit.  He  had  been  ailing  for 
some  months  past,  but  kept  about  and  attended  to 
his  business,  though  with  much  less  vigour  than 
formerly.  Towards  the  last,  however,  his  com- 
plaint (cancer  in  the  throat)  assumed  a  severe 
form  and  rapidly  completed  its  work.  He  took  to 
his  bed  on  Friday,  June  20,  and  three  days  after- 
wards was  dead.  By  his  special  request  a  number 
of  his  more  intimate  friends  amongst  gardeners 
attended  his  funeral. 


and  whites.     The  best   yellow    was  Marie  Van    d'Elise  Vardon.    To  each  of  these  exhibitors   a 
Hontte,  the  next  Marfechal  Niel,  the  third  Marie  |  silver  medal  was  awarded. 


Names  of  plants.— r.  Fox.—I,  apparently  Cattleya 
intermedia ;  2,  Dendrobium  Pierardi. A.  A'.— Iris  versi- 
color ;  Armetia  cephalotes  var. ;  Dianthus  atrombens ; 
Anemone  rivularis. J.  L.  S.  Amhurst.—Sa\'\tTagA  Coty- 
ledon pyramidaUs D.  A.  W.  J.— Certainly  not  the  Rose 

of  Sharon,  which  is  Hypericum  calycinum,  but  we  cannot 

name  your  specimen. Subscriber.--!,  Buddleia  globosa  ; 

2,  Lonicera  Ledebouri. A,  Rawson. — Linaria  triornitho- 

phora. Q.  B.—A.  curious  monstrous  form  of  the  Snap- 
dragon, very   uncommon. W.    Spencer.— I,   Staphylea 

pinnata ;   2,  Campanula  persicifolia  alba ;  3,  Campanula 

persicifolia :  4,  Galega  persica J.  T.  11.  (Edinburgh).— 

Narcissus  biflorus. F.  W.  B.— Calochortus  pulchellus.— 

T.  li.  S.— Odontoglossum  cordatum  ;  Oncidium  incurvum. 
A.  ir.-^EquIsctum  Telmateia  ;  Sidalcea  malva:flora  (pink) ; 

Philadelphus  granditlorus  (.Syringa).. R.  C— I,  Mertensia 

sibirica ;  2,  variety  of  Spanish  Iris  ;  3,  Maranta  fasciata  ;  4, 
cannot  name  without  seeing  flowers. —  J.  J.— A  variety  of 

Campanula  Medium  (Canterbury  Bell). G.  Y.  it  Co.— 

The  red  is  Mimulus  cardinalis,  the  pink  is  a  variety  of  the 

same  called  rosea. Z.  B.  Watson.-l,  Lonicera  brachy- 

poda   reticulata ;    2,    species   of    Ribes ;    3,    Cheiranthus 

alpinus;    4,  Cydonia   japonica. 0.    W.—l,   Escallonia 

macrantha  ;  2,  appearently  Iris  spuria  ;  3,  Campanula  per- 
sicifolia ;  4,  variety  of  a  perennial  Delphinium. T.  M.— 

1,  Dianthus  deltoidea  ;  probably  D.  Sequieri ;  2,  seems  to 
be  a  pale  form  of  D.  ceesiua.    Specimens  of  all  very  poor. 


TTTE     GARDEN 


15 


No.  660. 


SATURDAY,  July  12   188*. 


Vol   XXVI. 


"  This  l«  an  Art 
Which  does  mend  Katore  ;  change  It  rather :  bat 
The  am  rrsEiP  is  'Satvrs."— Shakespeare. 


THE  HAMPSHIRE  STRAWBERRY  FIELDS. 
The  Strawberry  harvest  is  now  at  its  height,  and 
the  atmosphere  is  redolent  with  the  perfume  of 
this  luscious  fruit.  From  within  a  few  miles  of 
Botley  Station  over  lOflO  tons  of  Strawberries  are 
annually  gathered  for  the  metropolitan  markets, 
to  say  nothing  of  what  are  sold  in  the  locality.  The 
crop  this  year  is  not  so  heavy  as  that  of  last 
season,  owing  to  the  protracted  drought  having 
seriously  affected  the  lightest  and  shallowest  soils. 
One  thing  has  been  particularly  noticeable  this 
year,  and  that  is  the  way  in  which  the  plants  in 
some  beds  have  continued  to  thrive  and  look  luxu- 
riant even  during  the  most  trying  periods  of  the 
drought,  while  plants  in  other  beds  side  by  side 
and  on  exactly  the  same  kind  of  soil  have  drooped 
and  languished,  and  their  produce  has  been  small 
and  flavourless.  On  enquiry,  I  have  invariably 
found  that  the  luxuriant-looking  beds  are  the 
result  of  deep  cultivation,  the  effect  this  year 
being  much  more  pronounced  than  in  more  genial 
seasons,  when  the  plants  find  moisture  near  the 
surface.  The  soil  is  naturally  light  in  character, 
but  of  considerable  depth,  and  I  find  that  those 
growers  who  thoroughly  break  it  up  by  trenching 
from  2  feet  to  3  feet  deep  are  well  repaid  this  year 
for  their  labour,  while  those  who  planted  on  soil 
dug  over  in  the  ordinary  manner  one  spit  deep 
hive  but  very  light  crops.  The  reason  is  obvious  ; 
in  the  trenched  ground  the  roots  strike  down 
deeply,  and  find  moisture  during  even  the  driest 
periods,  but  on  simply  dug  ground,  after  reaching 
the  hard  unbroken  subsoil,  they  strike  out  horizon- 
tally, and  during  protracted  droughts  fail  just 
when  the  strain  of  swelling  the  crop  is  most 
trying  to  the  plants. 

It  is  curious  to  note  how  the  soil  varies  even  in 
the  same  field,  some  parts  being  black  peat,  others 
yellowish  loam,  and  close  by  light  shingly  soil  full 
of  stones,  But  i£  deeply  broken  up.  Straw- 
berries luxuriate  in  all  of  them,  the  subsoil  just 
suiting  them.  I  find,  too,  that  owing  to  this 
variable  character  of  the  soil  the  season  of  gather- 
ing, brief  at  the  best,  is  extended ;  from  the 
lightest  and  most  stony  land  the  earliest  fruit  is 
gathered,  as  the  sun's  rays  warm  this  kind  of  soil 
much  more  rapidly  than  the  stiffer  loams ; 
on  the  other  hand,  the  stiffer  kinds  of  soil  pro- 
duce the  finest  crops  and  the  longest  in  bearing. 
But  when  the  disparity  in  the  price  of  the  fruit  is 
considered,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that 
growers  are  anxious  to  get  it  into  market  as  early 
as  possible. 

The  first  consignments  of  1-lb.  punnets  usually 
realise  from  2s.  to  2s.  Gd.  per  punnet,  but  the  price 
rapidly  drops  down  to  6d.  each,  and,  as  the  sup- 
ply becomes  general,  to  3d.,  and  when  the  market 
gets  glutted  to  2d.  per  lb.,  a  losing  price,  after 
paying  for  punnets  and  expenses  attending  car- 
riage and  marketing,  to  say  nothing  in  regard  to 
cultivation — a  heavy  item.  The  remedy  for  this 
glutting  of  the  markets  with  such  a  perishable 
fruit  as  the  Strawberry  is  obvious,  viz.,  to  convert 
the  fruit  into  jam,  for  which  the  demand  is  un 


limited.  A  company  is  even  now  in  course  of 
formation  to  procure  the  necessary  capital  and 
appliances;  therefore,  as  soon  as  London  market 
prices  fail  to  pay,  the  growers  will  have  a  ready 
outlet  for  the  rest  of  their  crop  on  the  spot.  Now, 
after  the  best  fruits  have  been  picked,  great  quan- 
tities of  small  fruit,  really  the  best  for  the  purpose 
of  preserving,  are  allowed  to  rot  on  the  ground.  As 
a  preliminary  step  until  the  works  can  be  esta- 
blished, it  is  proposed  to  convert  the  fruit  into 
pulp  by  a  process  that  ensures  its  being  kept  in 
good  condition  until  it  can  be  finally  converted 
into  jam. 

Should  jam-making  prove  to  be  a  successful 
undertaking,  a  great  impetus  will  be  given  to  the 
cultivation  of  Strawberries  in  South  Hampshire. 
Small-fruited  varieties  like  the  Grove  End  Scarlet 
will  doubtless  be  planted  by  acres  solely  for  pre- 
serving, while  at  present  only  varieties  that  travel 
well  by  rail,  such  as  Sir  Joseph  Paxton  and  Presi- 
dent, are  favourites.  We  cannot  hope  to  compete 
with  Kent  and  other  great  fruit-growing  counties 
successfully  in  Apple,  Cherry,  or  Plum  culture,  but 
we  can  take  the  next  best  course,  and  grow  what 
we  find  the  soil  and  situation  eminently  adapted 
for,  viz.,  the  Strawberry.  That  grown  solely  as  a 
dessert  fruit  already  affords  employment  for  hun- 
dreds of  hands,  and  occupies  hundreds  of  acres, 
and  with  the  means  of  converting  the  surplus 
fruit  into  a  useful  article  of  food,  for  which  we 
are  still  sending  vast  sums  of  money  abroad,  we 
shall  not  only  benefit  the  locality,  but  be  doing 
national  work.  Home-grown  fruits  for  preserving, 
in  spite  of  adverse  seasons,  are  making  rapid  ad- 
vances, and  I  anticipate  a  great  future  for  this 
industry.  James  Gboom. 

Gosjjort. 

ORNAMENTAL  FRUIT  TREES. 
The  use  of  fruit  trees,  such  as  Apples  and  Pears, 
for  decorative  purposes  in  pleasure  grounds  has 
been  favourably  spoken  of  in  The  Garden  on 
several  occasions,  and  the  only  wonder  is  that 
these  fruits  are  not  more  generally  employed  in 
this  way  than  they  are,  especially  in  small  places, 
such  as  villa  residences  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
towns,  where  from  the  limited  extent  of  the  ground 
attached  thereto  many  large-growing,  deciduous 
trees  and  also  evergreens  are  often  wholly  unsuited, 
frequently  encroaching  upon  smaller  growing 
things,  which  in  many  cases  are  of  greater  import- 
ance. Such  trees  as  Elms,  Limes,  Planes,  Poplars, 
and  Beeches,  intermixed  with  evergreen  and  de- 
ciduous shrubs,  over-shade  them  in  a  few  years 
with  their  branches,  and  equally  injure  them  by 
extracting  from  the  soil  all  that  should  go  to  the 
support  of  the  weaker  growers,  the  outcome  of 
which  is  that  the  lower-growing  things,  frequently 
indispensable  for  privacy,  are  destroyed  ;  whereas 
if  a  collection  of  smaller  trees,  such  as  Apples 
and  Pears,  combined  with  others  of  a  strictly 
ornamental  description,  that  do  not  attain  a 
large  size,  had  been  planted,  the  grounds  would 
have  maintained  the  character  that  they  were 
intended  to  have,  but  which  was  destroyed 
by  want  of  judgment  in  the  original  planting.  As 
already  indicated,  I  would  by  no  means  advise  the 
planting  to  be  confined  wholly  to  fruit-bearing 
trees,  as  their  presence  alone  would  be  objection- 
able in  several  ways — from  the  similarity  in  their 
habit  of  growth  and  the  utilitarian  character 
which  their  presence,  if  used  alone,  would  convey ; 
I  bat  where  judiciously  introduced  the  advantage 
of  combining  ornament  with  usefulness  is  mani- 


fest. This  is  CO  ideal  picture,  as  I  have  frequently 

met  with  places  in  which  these  fruits,  as  well  as 
Plum=,  have  been  freely  used  with  the  joint  ad- 
vantage of  giving  the  required  appearance  with  a 
quantity  of  useful  fruit.  So  far  as  many  of  the 
small  classes,  of  residences  are  concerned,  with 
their  half  acre  of  ground  or  less,  such  as  exist  in 
vast  numbers  in  the  suburbs  of  London,  in  not  a 
few  cases  the  builder  has  encroached  on  the  do- 
main of  the  fruit  grower,  and  has  had  sense 
enough  to  take  some  trouble  in  preserving  the 
trees.  This  may  be  seen  in  the  direction  of 
Fulham,  Putney,  Barnes,  and  other  localities 
where  Apples  and  Pears  were  largely  grown,  and 
where  the  healthy,  good-sized  trees  existing  have 
been  turned  to  good  account  in  the  way  just  indi- 
cated. T.  Baines. 


Fruit  Garden. 

NOTES  ON  STRAWBERRY  CULTURE. 
Which   are  the   best    vAKiEriES    of    Straw- 
berries for  all  soils  or  for  particular  localities  are 
questions  not  easily  answered,  and  yet  the  future 
success  is  largely  influenced  by  the  choice   made. 
What  should  be  grown  either  in  pots  or  the  open 
ground  ought  to  be  determined  according  to  the 
requirements  or  intentions  of  the  growers.     Some 
there  are  who  crop  heavily,  but  the  fruits  are  too 
small  for  marketing,  or  both  small  and  too  soft 
for  travelling,  while  others  may  yet  be  large,  and 
therefore  more  saleable,  although  of  very  indif- 
ferent quality,  especially  when  ripened  in  heat. 
The  rather  small  Black  Prince  is  still  one  of  if  not 
the  earliest  we  have,  and  a  few  may  well  be  grown 
on  an  early  border,  and  to  succeed  this  for  home 
use  the  old  Keen's  Seedling  is  profitable.    Alice 
Maud,  another  fairly  early  sort,  is  a  very  heavy 
cropper,  travels  and  sells  well,  and  is  therefore 
largely  grown  for  the  markets.     It  is,  however,  of 
indifferent  quality,  and  I  do  not  recommend  it  for 
private  gardens.     Sir  Harry  somewhat  resembles 
it,  being  a  very  heavy  cropper  and  of  a  bright  red 
colour,  and  this  again,  though  attractive  in  ap- 
pearance,  is   somewhat   sour  and   disappointing. 
Vicomtesse  Huricart  de  Thury  is  much  too  vigor- 
ous in  growth  for  garden   culture,  but  is   well 
adapted  for  forcing,  being  the  only  variety  that 
ripens  to  perfection  in  heat.     In  the  open  ground 
it  forms  too  much  foliage,  and  as  a  consequence 
the  crops  are  neither  early  nor  good  in  quality. 
La  Grosse  Sucree,  where  it  can  be  induced  to  grow 
freely,  produces  early  and  heavy  crops  of  fine 
highly-coloured  fruit,  the  quality  also  being  good. 
It  forces  well,  but  the  seeds  being  much  imbedded 
in  pulp,  this  variety  cannot  be  classed  as  a  good 
traveller.     Sir    Joseph    Paxton    is,    and    always 
will  be,    a    very  popular  sort  with    all    classes 
of  growers.    Young  plants  of  it  produce  fairly 
early    crops    of     extra    fine    fruit,    while    the 
older  plants  yield  immense  quantities  of  useful- 
sized  fruit ;  in  fact,  there  is  no  variety  I  am  ac- 
quainted with  to  equal  it  in  this  respect.     It  is 
also  well  adapted  for  forcing,  and  in  all  cases  the 
handsome,  firm  fruits  travel  well,  sell  the   most 
readily,  and  are  fairly  good  in  quality.   President, 
again,  is  much  grown  both  in  the  open  air  and 
pots,  and  forms  a  good  succession  to  Sir  Joseph. 
It  crops  heavily,  is  the  most  perfect  in  shape  of 
all    Strawberries,  travels   well,   and  is  of  good 
flavour.     Sur  Charles  Napier  where  it  succeeds  is 
much  liked,  but  it  appears  either  fickle  or  of  deli- 
cate constitution.    On  some  soils  it  crops  heavily, 
and  the  fruits,  possessing  more  acidity  than  the 
majority  of  Strawberries,  are  prized  by  many  ac- 
cordingly ;  it  is  particularly  good  for  pot  work. 
Dr.  Hogg    succeeds  admirably  with  me,  and  in 
some  respects  I  consider  it  the  best  sort  we  have 
for  the  main  crops.  It  forms  but  little  superHuous 
foliage,  crops  freely,  and  the  extra  fine  fruits  are  of 
the   best  quality  and    travel   well.      The    older 
British  Queen  also  does  well  here,  especially  when 
the  plants  are  about  three  years  old,  and  this  is  a 
Strawberry  but  few  would  think  of  refusing.   Un 


16 


THE     GARDEN 


[July   12,  1884. 


fortunately,  it  is  wonderf  ally  fickle,  objecting  to 
grow  at  all  in  some  gardens,  and  in  others  requir- 
ing to  be  planted  every  year.  It  is  good  for  pot 
culture.  Eleanor  or  Oxonian  is  the  best  cropping 
late  variety  I  am  acquainted  with,  and  during 
some  seasons  the  fruits  are  fine  and  good  in  quality. 
James  Veitch,  Oscar,  Cockscomb,  and  Marguerite 
all  grow  to  a  great  size,  but  none  of  them  are 
liked  here,  and  I  am  not  particularly  favourably 
impressed  with  the  quality  of  a  few  newer  varie- 
ties I  have  tasted  this  season  ;  in  fact,  I  am  very 
well  satisfied  with  the  old  sorts. 

Preparing  pot  plants. — Several  methods  are 
adopted  in  preparing  the  requisite  number   of 
plants  for  forcing,  all  of  which  doubtless  answer 
the  purpose.     We  are  all  inclined  to  consider  our 
own  particular  practice  the  best,  but  though  I  give 
the  preference  to  the  plan  of  layering  direct  into 
the  fruiting  pots,  I  have  had  good  experience  with 
other   plans,  and  am   therefore  in  a  position  to 
comment  on  each.     The  most  general  plan  is  to 
layer  the  runners  into  3inch  pots  directly  after 
the  fruit  is  picked  from  the  plants,  cutting  them 
off  when  established,  shifting  the  best  or  as  many 
as  are  required  into  5-inch  or  6-inch  pots,  and 
forming  new  beds  with  the  remainder.     My  objec- 
tions to  this  method  lie  in  the  fact  that  we  must 
wait  till  the  crop  is  gathered  and  the  nets  off, 
many  of  the  best  runners  being  then  past  the  age 
for  quickly  rooting.    Then,  again,  the  trampling 
incidental  to  the  layering    and  subsequent  daily 
waterings    greatly  injure  the  permanent  plants, 
especially  if  the  soil  be  naturally  close  and  heavy. 
Plants  thus  obtained   sometimes  remain  in  the 
small  pots  till  badly  root-bound,  and  as  a  conse- 
quence are  much  weakened,  besides  being  slow  to 
become  established  in  the  fruiting  pots.     Some 
growers  prefer  to  detach  the  runners  before  they 
have  lost  their  first  roots,  placing  them  in  small 
pots  under  glass  to  become  established,  and  then 
pot  them  oil.     This  plan  I  am  inclined  to  favour 
in  preference  to  layering  in  small  pots,  but  would 
either  prick  out  the  runners  on  beds  of  good  soil, 
much  as  we  would  Celery  plants  or  in  ordinary 
bedding  Pelargonium   boxes,  keeping  close  under 
glass    till     established,     and    then    giving    all 
light     and     air     po.iUble     to      prevent      their 
becoming  weakly.      In  this  fashion  if  the  runners 
are  placed  about  4  inches  apart  each  way,  they 
can  each  be  removed  with  a  good  ball  of  roots  and 
will  more  quickly  re-establish  either  in  the  pots  or 
in  the  open  ground.     Where  much  short  mulching 
manure  is  used  on  the  beds  there  is  seldom  any 
necessity  to  layer  the  runners,  as  a  sufficient  num- 
ber of  strong  plants  well  rooted  into  the  manure 
can  always  be  depended  upon,  unless  the  beds  are 
unduly  trampled  in  the  picking  operations.  Plants 
thus  easily  procured  are  of  the  best  description 
either  for  planting  out  or  pot  culture.    The  plan 
of  preparing  pot  plants,  which  we  consider  the 
most  economical,  and  which  is  invariably  attended 
with  good  results,  is  that  of  layering  the  runners 
direct  into  the  fruiting  pots.     This  plan,  however, 
is  not  particularly  well  adapted  if  the  runners 
have  to  be  got  from  the  permanent  beds.     Ours 
are  obtained  either  from  a  single  row  of  plants 
planted   close  to    a  pathway    or    a    small    bed 
is  formed   with  a  number  of  previously  forced 
plants.    The  former  are  not  allowed  to  fruit,  and 
in  both  cases  we  secure  a  number  of  early  runners 
which  are  fixed  on  the  pots  of  soil  before  they 
have  formed  any  strong  roots.    If  the  runners  lose 
their  first  roots  they  seldom  root  readily  after- 
wards, hence  the  necessity  for  early  layering,  as 
the  plants  cannot  well  be  too  strongly  rooted  in 
any  case.     Various  sizes  of  pots  are  used,  ranging 
from  6  inch  to  7-inch  and  even  8-inch  pots,  but 
unless  the  runners   are   strong  and   layered    or 
potted  off,  I  prefer  the  smaller  sizes. 

A  COMPOST  consisting  of  three  parts  of  strong 
turfy  loam  to  one  part  of  partially  decayed  stable 
manure,  with  a  sprinkling  of  soot  and  half-inch 
bones  suits  Strawberries.  It  is  a  mistake  to  use 
dirty  pots,  neither  should  they  be  carelessly 
drained.  Ours  have  a  little  of  the  roughest  ma- 
nure placed  over  the  crocks,  and  on  this  a  thin 
layer  of  soot  to  prevent  the  ingress  of  worms. 
The  latter  are  act  to  be  troublesome  where  the 


plan  of  layering  direct  into  fruiting  pots  is  adop- 
ted, and  unless  they  are  got  rid  of  with  the  aid  of 
lime  water,  they  are  apt  to  choke  up  the  drainage 
to  the  great  injury  of  the  plants.  The  soil,  whether 
a  shift  is  given  or  the  pots  are  filled  at  once  for  the 
runners,  ought  to  be  firmly  rammed,  otherwise  the 
greater  portion  of  the  roots  will  reach  the  drain- 
age, and  the  good  soil  be  next  to  useless.  Nothing 
is  gained  by  leaving  well-established  runners  con- 
nected with  the  parent  plants,  and  the  sooner  they 
are  removed  and  stood  thinly  on  beds  of  ashes  in 
the  full  sunshine  the  better.  At  no  time  should 
they  suffer  for  want  of  water,  but  care  must  be 
taken  not  to  over-water  those  in  large  pots  before 
they  are  well  rooted,  otherwise  the  fresh  un- 
occupied soil  may  quickly  become  sour  and  un- 
suitable for  the  roots.  It  ought  perhaps  to  be 
stated  that  the  old  forced  plants  from  whicli  we 
layer  runners  generally  yield  a  serviceable  crop  of 
Strawberries  in  the  autumn,  but  further  remarks 
on  this  subject  and  on  planting  generally  must 
be  deferred  till  another  time.  W.  I.  M. 


AMEPJCAN  APPLES. 
For  the  following  valuable  remarks  addressed  to 
exporters  of  American  Apples  by  Messrs.  John  S. 
Martin  &  Co.,   New   York,  we  are  indebted  to 
Messrs.  Draper,  Covent  Garden  : — 

Before  the  Apple  growers  and  packers  in  New 
York  State  shall  have  made  their  barrel  contracts 
for  the  crop  of  1884,  we  desire  to  present  for  their 
consideration  some  suggestions  which  may  be  of 
interest  and  use.  A  few  years  ago  New  Y'ork 
State  Apples  occupied  the  leading  position  in  the 
trade.  They  were  considered  both  In  local  and 
foreign  markets  as  the  best  produced  in  the 
country  and  commanded  higher  prices  than  the 
product  of  any  other  State  either  east  or  west.  Of 
late  years,  however,  there  has  been  a  material 
change  in  this  respect.  The  State  fruit  has  steadily 
lost  its  prestige  with  the  trade,  and  goods  packed 
in  the  Western  and  North-eastern  States,  as  well  as 
in  Canada  and  the  provinces,  have  steadly  gained 
in  popularity  and  have  commanded  decidedly  the 
highest  prices.  The  quality  of  the  fruit  raised  in 
this  State  is  certainly  equal  to  any  raised  in 
the  country  ;  its  decline  in  favour  is  due,  first  to 
the  style  of  package  used,  and  second  to  the 
manner  of  packing  the  fruit. 

The  New  York  State  Apple  barrel  now  generally 
in  use  contains  about  2  J  bushels  ;  it  is  made  with 
flat  hoops  and  has  the  unfortunate  characteristic 
of  appearing  smaller  than  it  really  is.  Most  of 
the  western,  eastern,  and  northern  packers  use  a 
full  three-bushel,  round-hoop  barrel.  To  this 
difference  is  mainly  due  the  popularity  of  the 
latter  when  in  competition  with  State  fruit.  Now 
if  a  "  pony  "  barrel  of  Apples  could  be  sold  at  the 
same  price  as  a  full  three-bushel  barrel  it  would 
be  manifestly  to  the  interest  of  growers  to  use  the 
former ;  but  that  is  not  the  case.  There  is  a  very 
strong  prejudice  among  Apple  dealers  for  three- 
bushel,  round-hoop  barrels,  and  this  prejudice 
is  so  great  that  they  even  over-estimate  the 
actual  difference  in  the  quantity  of  fruit  con- 
tained. The  prices  realised  for  full  three- 
bushel,  round-hoop  barrels  are  not  only  higher 
than  those  obtainable  for  equal  quality  in 
smaller  packages,  but  the  difference  in  price 
is  far  greater  than  the  actual  difference  in 
quantity  contained  would  justify.  During  the 
past  season,  when  Eastern  Baldwin  in  round- 
hoop  flour  barrels  were  selling  at  IBs.  per  barrel. 
State  barrels  containing  Apples  of  equal  quality 
were  unsaleable  above  ISs. — nearly  17  per  cent, 
less,  while,  considering  the  State  barrel  as  holding 
two  and  three-quarter  bushels,  the  difference  in 
quantity  is  only  8  1-3  per  cent.  Furthermore,  the 
use  of  the  three-bushel  barrel  would  effect  a  con- 
siderable saving  to  State  packers  in  cost  of  barrels, 
labour  of  packing,  and  freight. 

The  unpopularity  of  the  style  of  barrel  used  at 
present  in  this  State  is  especially  marked  in  the 
export  and  local  shipping  trades.  Shipping  and 
export  orders  almost  always  call  for  three-bushel, 
round-hoop  barrels,  and  can  be  filled  with  no  other 
style.  Some  of  the  principal  Apple  dealers  of  this 
city,  finding  by  past  experience  that  they  cannot 


profitably  handle  the  State  fruit  as  it  has  lately 
been  put  up,  are  driven  to  the  necessity  of  going 
to  other  States,  west,  east,  and  north,  to  purchase 
fruit  where  it  is  packed  in  a  manner  suitable  to 
the  requirements  of  their  trade. 

In  regard  to  packing  the  fruit,  there  is  also 
much  room  for  improvement,  and  the  fault  in  this 
respect  is  not  entirely  confined  to  State  packers. 
A  large  part  of  the  receipts,  especially  during  the 
last  two  seasons,  have  been  "  stuffed,"  the  middle 
of  the  barrels  containing  inferior,  trashy  fruit, 
topped  off  with  a  few  layers  of  good  Apples. 
Buyers  soon  find  this  out,  and  the  poor  Apples 
bring  no  more  than  they  are  worth.  The  stock 
should  be  closely  graded,  the  primes  and  seconds 
being  packed  separately  and  plainly  marked.  Only 
one  variety  should  be  packed  in  a  barrel,  and  the 
kind  and  grade  neatly  stencilled  on  the  head. 
The  top  layer  should  show,  on  opening  the  barrel, 
a  fair  average  of  the  quality  throughout  the  pack- 
age. Brands  which  are  packed  in  this  manner 
very  soon  acquire  a  reputation  among  buyers,  and 
command  prices  which  amply  repay  packers  for 
their  care  and  honesty. 

We  are  convinced,  by  careful  observation  of  the 
market,  that  if  State  growers  will  adopt  the  three- 
bushel,  round-hoop  barrel  for  their  crop,  and  pack 
their  fruit  honestly  and  with  careful  selection, 
they  will  obtain  much  more  money  for  their  pro- 
duct than  they  otherwise  can.  Their  fruit  will 
be  much  more  saleable,  and  will  speedily  regain 
the  prestige  with  the  trade  which  it  occupied  a 
few  years  since. 


I 


NEEDLESS  WATERING  OF  VINE  BORDERS. 
LiNDLEY,  in  his  "Theory  and  Practice   of  Hor- 
ticulture,"   says,   "If    you  tell  a  gardener  that 
if    he    pours  water  into  a   tub  with  a  hole  in 
the  bottom  of  it  the  water    will    run    out    as 
fast  as  it  is  poured  in,  he  will  probably  believe 
you,  but  other  equally  self-evident  prepositions 
he  will  receive  with   incredulity."    This    saying 
of  Lindley's  always  comes  to  my  mind  when  I  read 
the  deluges  of  water  poured  on  the  Vine  border, 
and  how  one  grower   emulates    another  in  the 
quantities  which  he  can  pour  on  in  a  given  time. 
I  believe  in  giving  Vines  more  water  than  they 
used   to  have,  and  I  advocated  copious  water- 
ings amongst  the  first  many  years  ago,  but  I  re- 
cognise a  limit  to  the  good  of  it,  and  regard  much 
of  the  labour  incurred  in  such  excessive  waterings 
as    perfectly    useless,  as    I    shall    try  to  show. 
Some    years    ago    I    was    much     amused     by 
reading  an   account   of   the  quantity    of   water 
given  to  a  Vine  border  because  it  showed  that  the 
waterer  was  doing  what  Lindley  said  was  done  in 
the  case  of  the  tub.     The  dimensions  of  the  bor- 
ders were  given  and  the  quantity  of  water  sup- 
plied at  one  time,  from  which  it  could  be  easily 
demonstrated  by  a  simple  arithmetical  rule  that 
the  bulk  of  water  was  nearly  equal  to  the  bulk  of 
the  borders,  and  that  hence  a  large  proportion  of 
it  was  poured  on  with  no  other  result  than  causing 
it  to  run  out  at  the  hole  in  the  bottom,  otherwise 
into  the  drains.    A  Vine  border  can  hold  only  a 
certain  quantity  of  water  in  suspension  at  the  satu- 
ration point  even,  and  by  far  the  largest  propor- 
tion of  that  is  parted  with  in  a  few  hours  even  in 
the  natural  ground.   Consequently,  giving  so  much 
water  as  some  say  they  give  is  sheer  waste  o£ 
means,  as  a  very  little  knowledge  of  hygrometrical 
principles  would  convince  anyone ;  but  those  who 
periodically  record  the  fabulous  quantities  which 
their  friends  and  themselves  pour  on  their  borders 
never  look  at  the  subject  in  that  light,  and  coiise- 
quently  their  measurements  are  of  no  practical 
value  whatever.     I  proved  the  matter  to  myself 
once  in  this  way,  and  made  an  accurate  note  of  it. 
I  took  a  flower-pot  of  the  capacity  of  about  one 
cubic  foot,  the  nearest  I  could  get  at  least,  and 
filled  it  full  with  soil  from  a  Vine  border  that 
needed  watering.    The  pot  was  then  set  in  a  basin 
on  an  inverted  pot,  the  basin  being  to  catch  the 
water  which  ran  through.    One  and  a-half  gallons 
(6  quarts)  of  water  were  then  poured  on  the  soil 
through  a  moderately  fine  rose,  and    after  the 
water  had  ceased  to  drip  actively  from  the  bottom, 


July  12,  1884.) 


THE     GARDEN 


17 


I  measured  what  had  mn  through,  and  found  it 
to  be  exactly  1  gallon,  2  quarts  having  been 
retained  in  the  soil,  which  appeared  thoroughly 
saturated.  To  make  sure,  however,  I  poMred  this 
gallon  of  water  on  to  the  soil  a  second  time,  waited 
till  dripping  ceased,  measured  again,  and  found 
it  to  have  decreased  in  quantity  by  about  half  a 
pint  only.  Next  I  turned  the  soil  out,  and  found 
it  to  be  saturated  to  excess  in  every  part  and  much 
remaining  to  run  out  to  reduce  it  to  a  natural 
degree  of  moisture.  It  did  not  occur  to  me  to  soak 
the  pot  before  trying  the  experiment,  and  as  it 
was  as  dry  as  a  burnt  brick  I  have  no  doubt  it  ab- 
sorbed a  pint,  thus  leaving  the  quantity  held 
by  the  soil,  with  still  a  lot  to  drain  out,  to 
a  little  over  three  pints.  The  remainder  of  the 
H  gallons  represented  wasted  water  and  wasted 
labour.  I  do  not  think  much  harm  is  done  to  the 
roots  by  giving  more  water  than  the  soil  can  hold, 
and  where  water  is  plentiful  and  easily  applied  it 
is  best  to  give  plenty,  but  it  is  of  no  use  simply 
pouring  it  down  the  drains,  thereby  wasting  the 
strength  out  of  the  soil.  In  my  experiment  the 
water  which  ran  through  was  the  colour  of  beer, 
and  no  doubt  contained  mannrial  elements. 

J.  S. 


be  adduced  to  prove  the  difficulty  of  keeping  roots 
inside  than  Mr.  Baines'  remarks  in  The  Garden 
last  week  (p.  532),  and  I  have  filed  them  for  future 
use  on  that  subject.  J.  S.  VV. 


INSIDE  VINE  BORDERS. 
Mr.  Baines  has  added  new  facts  to  this  subject, 
in  his  remarks  on  the  borders  at  Lambton,  that 
prove  in  a  remarkable  manner  the  truth  of  my 
contention,  some  time  ago,  that  in  order  to  induce 
roots  to  take  to  inside  borders  permanently  much 
coaxing  and  care  are  needed.  The  borders  at 
Lambton  are,  according  to  Mr.  Baines,  about 
equally  inside  and  outside,  and  have  been  planted 
fourteen  years.  The  outside  and  inside  borders 
were  made  at  the  same  time,  and  for  several 
seasons  after  the  Vines  came  into  bearing  the  ex- 
tremities of  the  inside  roots  were  annually  lifted 
and  new  soil  given  them.  Very  well !  According 
to  this,  which  is  good  practice,  these  inside  borders 
cannot  have  been  completed  more  than  a  few 
years  and  ought  now  to  be  in  good  heart, 
for  a  Vine  border  ought  certainly  to  last  twenty 
years  at  least,  as  no  doubt  the  outside  bor- 
ders at  Lambton  will  do.  But  what  do  we 
find  ?  Mr.  Baines  adds  concerning  these  almost 
newly-finished  inside  borders  :  "  Early  during  the 
past  winter  the  Vines  in  this  range,  in  the  houses 
containing  a  mixed  lot  of  sorts,  had  all  their  in- 
side roots  lifted  and  new  borders  given  them  ;  in 
the  house  devoted  to  Muscats  half  the  border 
was  re-made,the  other  half  to  be  done  next  winter  ; 
when  lifted  these  borders  were  found  to  be  a  com- 
plete mass  of  roots,  much  fuller  than  the  outside 
borders,  which  they  have  always  had  the  same 
chance  of  going  into.'  Now  the  question  which 
will  occur  to  every  grower's  mind  who  reads  this, 
and  which  I  want  to  put  as  directly  as  possible  to 
Mr.  Baines,  is,  Why  have  those  inside  Vine  borders 
had  to  be  completely  re-made  almost  as  soon  as 
they  were  fairly  completed,  if  Mr.  Baines'  descrip- 
tion of  them  is  correct  ?  But  that  is  not  all.  Not- 
withstanding the  few  roots  said  to  be  in  the  out- 
side borders,  we  are  told  at  the  end  that  they 
alone  have  been  equal  to  the  task  of  carrying  the 
Vines  and  crops  through,  "  as  in  their  absence 
the  liberties  that  have  been  taken  with  the 
inside  roots  would  have  told  on  the  season's 
crop  1  "  To  sum  up  Mr.  Baines'  account,  the 
outside  roots,  which  have  not  been  coaxed  or 
meddled  with  from  the  first,  have  been  doing  all 
the  work,  while  the  inside  roots  were  being 
"  lifted  annnally  at  their  extremities,"  and  finally 
altogether.  I  am  not  now  criticising  Mr.  Hunter's 
practice.  No  doubt  he  had  good  and  sufficient 
reasons  for  what  he  did.  I  only  go  by  Mr.  Baines' 
description,  which  in  other  and  similar  cases  has 
not  always  been  quite  correct.  All  I  can  say  is  if 
Mr.  Hunter  does  not  himself  believe  that  Vine 
roots  prefer  outside  to  inside  borders,  he  was 
educated  in  a  school  in  which  such  a  thing  was 
thoroughly  believed  and  still  is ;  but  it  is  for  Mr. 
Baines  to  explain  how  the  annual  coaxing  of  the 
roots  and  re- making  of  the  inside  Vine  borders,  which 
he  describes,  in  any  way  supports  his  theory  about 
inside  roots.    No  better  evidence  could  possibly 


LAYERING  STRAWBERRIES. 
Now  is  the  time  to  do  this,  and  I  would  advise 
all  plants,  whether  for  pot  culture  or  for  planting 
in  open  quarters,  to  be  layered,  as  it  gives  them  a 
capital  start,  and  is  an  advantage  in  every  way. 
It  is  a  common  plan  to  layer  them  all  in  small  pots, 
and  many  pots  are  required  to  do  this  where  large 
quantities  of  plants  are  needed.  Indeed,  to  layer 
them  all  in  pots  often  creates  such  a  demand  for 
pots  that  it  cannot  be  met,  and  consequently  only 
a  few  are  layered  for  special  purposes.  It  is,  how- 
ever, easy  enough  to  layer  Strawberries  without 
any  pots  at  all.  Nor  are  they  in  my  opinion  the 
best  for  the  reception  of  Strawberry  runners  ;  in- 
deed, I  prefer  turf  to  them.  Turves  which  have 
been  stored  for  a  time  and  which  have  no  grass 
on  them  are  the  best.  They  should  be  cut  up  into 
little  squares  G  inches  in  diameter,  and  a  Straw- 
berry runner  should  be  pegged  into  the  centre  of 
each  piece.  Two  or  three  hundred  pieces  may  be 
cut  up  in  a  shed,  put  in  a  wheelbarrow, 
and  taken  out  to  the  Strawberry  quarters.  A 
number  of  small  pegs  should  also  be  at  hand 
and  a  trowel.  The  latter  is  used  to  let  each  piece 
of  turf  into  the  ground  between  the  rows  ;  then  a 
small  hole  is  formed  in  the  centre  of  each  piece 
of  turf,  into  which  the  roots  of  the  layers  or 
runners  are  put;  then  they  are  pressed  together  and 
pegged  down  to  keep  them  firm  in  the  turf.  In  a 
tew  days  the  roots  will  find  their  way  into  the 
turf,  and  in  eight  or  ten  days  after  layering  the 
turf  will  be  one  mass  of  healthy  young  roots,  and 
the  plants  ready  for  either  potting  to  fruit  the 
following  spring,  or  to  plant  in  beds,  borders  or 
new  plantations  of  any  kind.  The  roots  being  all 
in  the  small  piece  of  turf  without  any  twisting 
round,  as  in  the  case  of  pot-layered  plants,  start 
into  growth  when  moved  more  freely  than  pot 
plants.  I  advocate  this  system  from  two  impor- 
tant points,  viz.,  economy  of  labour  and  decided 
advantage  to  the  plants.  J.  MuiB. 


Market  fruit. — I  went  into  a  shop  in  Bond 
Street  the  other  day  and  asked  the  owner  if  he 
had  any  really  well  flavoured  Strawberries  in  the 
place.  He  said  he  had  only  Paxtons;  he  had  a 
poor  opinion  of  their  flavour  himself,  but  they 
"  marketed  "  well,  and  the  public  liked  them.  I 
hope  that  all  who  have  the  pleasure  or  penalty  of 
growing  their  own  supplies  will  at  least  take  care 
that  what  is  grown  is  worth  eating,  and  not  merely 
kinds  that  "  market "  well.  What  is  Mr.  Laxton 
about  ?  Can  no  one  raise  better  flavoured  Straw- 
berries than  those  we  already  have  ? — J.  D. 

Ill  effects  of  syringing  with  brine.— 

A  lady  lately  asked  me  to  look  at  her  bush  fruits, 
which  had  previously  been  syringed  with  a  solu- 
tion of  common  salt  for  the  purpose  of  killing  the 
Gooseberry  caterpillar.  They  presented  a  pitiful 
appearance.  The  foliage  looked  as  if  a  fire  had 
been  lit  underneath  each  bush  and  had  charred 
all  around  it.  This  was  the  work  of  a  handy  man 
—not  a  gardener,  I  am  pleased  to  be  able  to  say. 
The  caterpillars  were  certainly  killed,  but  as  there 
was  no  foliage  left  to  ripen  the  young  wood,  the 
bushes  will  probably  be  killed  too. — W.  J.  Murphy, 
CUmmel. 

Too  naucli  mulctllng.— Some  time  ago  we 
had  some  I'each  trees  bearing  very  heavy  crops, 
and  as  we  desired  that  these  should  swell  as 
quickly  and  be  as  satisfactory  as  possible,  we  put 
a  thick  coating  of  juicy  manure  over  the  surface 
of  the  soil  above  the  roots,  but,  to  our  surprise, 
when  the  fruit  should  have  been  swelling  it  did 
not  do  so — indeed,  was  quite  at  a  standstill. 
"  Stoning,"  some  might  tay.  No  ;  the  heavy 
mulching  stopped  the  action  of  the  roots.  On 
removing  this,  and  forking  up  the  surface  soil  to 
admit  air  and  sun,  the  fruit  began  to  swell  rapidly, 
and  the  crop,  quite  checked  at  one  time  through 
too  much  top-dressing,  now  promises  to  be  a  very 
good  one.— Cambeian. 


Strawberry  plants  after  foroirg.— It  is 

customary  to  plant  out  such  plants  as  have  been 
forced  in  pots,  and  the  sooner  it  is  done  the  better 
chance  is  there  of  obtaining  a  good  crop  from  them 
the  following  year.  But  it  generally  happens  that 
they  are  more  or  less  infested  with  red  spider, 
especially  the  late  crops,  and  the  presence  of  this 
pest  in  any  quantity  has  a  seriously  deterrent 
effect  on  after-growth,  especially  when  hot,  dry 
weather  prevails  after  planting.  Red  spider  may 
be  eradicated  by  dipping  the  plants  in  a  solution 
of  soft  soap  at  the  rate  of  2  ozs.  to  the  gallon,  add- 
ing a  2i-inch  potful  of  black  sulphur  to  4  gallons 
of  water.  Stir  well  when  using,  so  that  the  sulphur 
is  kept  well  mixed  with  the  water,  as  it  is  naturally 
of  a  heavy  nature  and  gradually  sinks  to  the 
bottom.  The  soft  soap  sticks  the  sulphur  on  so 
that  ordinary  rains  do  not  wash  it  off,  and  no  in- 
sect pest  that  I  am  acquainted  with  can  withstand 
black  sulphur,  but  I  would  caution  anyone  against 
using  it  under  glass  or  on  tender  foliage.  I  once 
dusted  some  Grapes  for  mildew  with  it  and  nearly 
every  berry  was  badly  rusted.  In  the  open  air, 
however,  and  on  leaves  so  tough  as  those  of  the 
Strawberry  in  a  mature  state,  there  is  but  little 
danger,  and  in  any  case  it  is  better  to  injure  a  few 
leaves  that  way  than  to  allow  the  whole  plant  to 
be  crippled  by  red  spider.  When  badly  infested 
by  this  pest  they  seldom  do  much  good,  not  start- 
ing freely  into  growth  until  the  cool  nights  of 
autumn  have  loosened  its  hold  on  the  foliage,  and 
then  the  time  is  too  short  for  them  to  make  any 
great  amount  of  growth. — J.  C. 

Strawberries  at  Blrdhlll.— Permit  me  to 
add  a  few  lines  supplementary  to  the  excellent 
notes  of  "  J.  C.  C."  (p.  5)  with  reference  to  the 
heaviest  croppers.  First,  as  to  propagation.  Mr. 
Gough's  gardener  at  Birdhill  has  anticipated  the 
very  proper  suggestion  of  your  correspondent  to 
set  about  the  rooting  of  the  runners  "  at  once,"  as 
already  his  are  established  in  convenient  triangu- 
lar sods  of  loam.  The  general  tendency  of  late 
years  is  to  depend  to  a  considerable  extent  on  first 
year's  plants.  By  having  the  young  plants  ready 
to  transfer  rooted,  say  to  where  early  Potatoes 
were  dug  out,  or  from  which  Cauliflowers  were 
removed  in  the  present  month,  they  are  fairly  on 
their  course  by  August,  and  make  very  fine  stools 
before  growth  has  ceased  in  November.  I  have 
been  through  many  gardens,  and  none  will  be  jeal- 
ous when  I  say  I  saw  no  Strawberries  like  his  this 
year,  and  some  of  the  finest  were  from  last  year's 
plants.  Rather  strange,  your  correspondent  does 
not  mention  James  Veitch  in  his  list  of  varieties. 
Here  it  is  a  fraction  larger  and  heavier  than  Pre- 
sident, which  is  the  only  one  that  comes  near  it  in 
these  respects,  and  Mr.  Gough  grew  last  year  all 
Cannell's  best  varieties  from  Kent  and  some  old 
local  kinds.  I  was  curious  to  weigh  some  fine 
specimens  grown  here  of  James  Veitch  and  found 
seven  berries  to  turn  the  scale  at  one  pound. 
President  came  next.  This  result  was  without 
any  extra  forcing  or  liquid  manuring.  The  soil 
and  situation  are  all  that  need  be  desired  ;  but 
except  early  propagation  is  resorted  to  and  plenty 
of  space  allowed,  this  success  cannot  be  expected. 
Another  variety  that  crops  very  heavily  at  Lord 
Donoghmore's,  Knocklofty,  and  not  mentioted,  I 
may  add,  is  Marguerite  ;  while  the  flavour  is  even 
more  satisfactory  than  that  of  Jsmes  Veitch. — 
W.  J.  MuBPHY,  Clonmel. 

SHORT  NOTES.— FRUIT. 

Diseased  Grapes  (J-  W.  n.  BradbriiU/el—Yo-ar 
Gr.ares  are  .affected  by  the  ailment  termed  spot,  a  result  o£ 
bad  health,  caused,  as  most  cultivators  fay,  by  sudden 
chills.  The  better  plan  is  to  cut  away  the  altected  berries 
and  carefully  regulate  the  temperature  of  the  house. 

Strawberry  Burghley  President.— Mr.  Gilbert, 
of  Burghley,  has  sent  us  fiuits  of  a  Strawberry  bearing 
this  name.  Some  of  them  measure  2}  inches  across,  and  in 
flavour  are  excellent.  If  the  fruits  sent  are  fair  samples  of 
tlie  crop,  the  variety  must  become  a  favourite. 

DlBeased  Peaches  (S  S.)  —The  cause  of  the  mildew- 
like disease  on  your  Poaches  is  very  obscure.  In  the  first 
instance  it  may  arise  from  a  chill,  dampness,  dry  air,  or  the 
contact  of  some  object.  The  disease  is  usually  (as  ill  youi- 
case)  accompanied  by  a  microscopic  fungus  named 
G^reosporium  Ucticolor.  We  know  of  no  remedy ;  tho  in- 
jury is  often  but  slight.  In  bad  cases  the  fruit  should  be 
gathered  and  destroyed.- W.  G.  S. 


18 


THE    GAEDEN 


[July   12,  1884. 


Rose  garden. 


RAISING  ROSES  FROM  SEED. 

Upon  this  undertaking  but  few  have  entered,  a 
fact  which  need  surprise  no  one,  seeing  that  the 
results  to  be  obtained  from  it  are  not  of  a  very 
enthusiasm-inspiring  character.  It  has  already, 
however,  been  shown  by  the  large  number  of 
new  Roses  raised  in  this  country  that  there  is  a 
rich  reward  for  those  who  can  work  on  well-defined 
lines.  Now  is  the  time  to  help  the  plants  to  pro- 
duce good  well-ripened  seed ;  select  the  largest 
hips  on  the  strongest  branches,  and  remove  all 
other  buds  that  are  showing.  It  is  useless  to 
depend  on  any  particular  flowers  to  form  seed. 
There  should  be  several  of  each  sort  or  colour  set 
apart  for  that  purpose,  nor  must  the  trees  on  which 
they  are  growing  be  allowed  to  exhaust  themselves 
too  much  by  maturing  too  many.  It  is  not  neces- 
sary to  remove  all  flowers,  except  such  as  are  in- 
tended to  produce  seed, butitis  essential  to  husband 
alittle  of  the  strength  of  the  plant  for  seed  bearing. 
It  is  also  desirable  to  place  a  conspicuous  mark 
on  the  flowers  selected,  to  prevent  their  being 
removed  with  other  dead  ones.  The  dry  atmo- 
sphere this  year  seems  to  favour  the  setting  of  the 
flowers  ;  therefore  there  is  every  likelihood  of 
plenty  of  seed.  It  will  be  found  that  dark  flowers, 
as  a  rule,  produce  more  hips  than  light-coloured 
ones,  and  very  double  flowers  comparatively  few. 
Amongst  dark  Roses  that  produce  hips  rather 
freely  I  may  mention  Marechal  Vaillant,  Madame 
Charles  Wood,  and  General  Jacqueminot,  but  such 
very  full  flowers  as  Madame  Lacharme,  Captain 
Christy,  La  Reine,  and  Anne  de  Diesbach  are 
poor  seeders.  The  most  prolific  seed  bearer  with 
which  I  am  acquainted  is  ISaronne  Prevost,  and 
amongst  kinds  with  white  flowers  Boule  de  Neige. 
Having  marked  the  flowers  from  which  it  is  hoped 
to  obtain  seed,  there  is  nothing  else  to  be  done 
but  to  watch  their  progress  towards  maturity. 
This  will  require  patience,  and  the  more  of  this 
exacted  the  better  will  be  the  hopes  of  securing 
seed.  In  a  general  way,  if  the  hips  show  signs  of 
ripening  before  the  beginning  of  November,  they 
do  not  contain  good  seeds,  but  there  is  nothing 
gained  by  leaving  them  on  the  plants  after  that 
time.  They  may  therefore  be  cut  oil  with 
a  few  inches  of  the  stem  attached  to  them ; 
the  stems  may  then  be  stuck  into  a  pot 
of  moist  soil,  and  the  pot  set  in  the  green- 
house, where  they  may  remain  until  the  hips 
get  the  colour  of  a  well-matured  Orange  when  the 
seed  is  ripe.  It  should  then  be  taken  out  of  the 
hips  and  kept  in  a  saucer  under  a  thin  covering  of 
dry  sand.  Disappointment  must  not  be  felt  if 
every  hip  does  not  yield  good  seed.  I  have  never 
known  all  of  them  to  do  so  One  half  of  the  hips 
may  be  full  and  the  other  halt  empty,  and  some 
may  furnish  none  at  all. 

The  seedlings,  too,  will  in  all  probability  be 
as  various  as  the  contents  of  the  hips.  So  far  as 
my  experience  goe.s,  semi-double  flowers  will  be 
the  greatest  in  number.  I  have  not  succeeded  in 
raising  varieties  superior  to  those  which  we  already 
possess,  but  Baronne  Prevost  and  General  Jacque- 
minot have  reproduced  themselves  so  nearly  that 
they  could  not  be  distinguished  except  by  experts. 
Out  of  a  batch  of  .seedlings,  too,  there  is  sure  to  be 
some  with  single  flowers  of  more  or  less  value,  and 
the  fortunate  raiser  of  a  deep  crimson,  apure  white, 
or  a  delicate  pink  will  be  certain  to  meet  withreward 
— i.e.,  if  equal  in  quality  to  Paul's  new  single 
scarlet,  which  is  fast  making  its  way  to  the  front 
When  a  distinct  variety  in  each  colour  is  ob- 
tained we  may  hope  for  still  greater  departures 
in  both  form  and  colour,  as  there  is  less 
difficulty,  according  to  my  experience,  in  manipu- 
lating single  flowers  for  the  purpose  of  fertilisa- 
tion than  double  ones.  There  is  not  a  large 
percentage  of  vigorous  growers  obtained  from  a 
single  batch  of  seedlings.  Many  of  them  come 
very  weakly,  and  the  dark-coloured  sorts  more 
so  than  the  light  ones.  In  such  a  case  it  is  im- 
possible to  decide  on  the  merits  of  the  flowers 
produced. 


Sowing  the  seeds. — I  have  always  sown  in 
deep  pans  in  February,  and  kept  the  pans  in  a 
temperature  of  about  55°  until  the  weather  made 
it  warmer  naturally,  and  I  have  always  found  that 
the  plants  came  up  very  irregularly,  some  appear- 
ing at  the  end  Df   six  weeks,   while  of   others 
nothing  was  seen  for  from  ten  weeks  to  twelve 
weeks  longer.     There  is  therefore  some  diSicnlty 
in  dealing  with  the  young  plants,  but  to  let  them 
remain  in  the  seed-pan  until  all   are  ready  for 
removal  entails  a  loss  of  time ;  so  I  recommend 
that  when  any  of  them  has  grown  to  a  height  of 
i  inches,  they  should  be  carefully  lifted,  potted 
singly,  and  placed  in  a  cool  warm  house  for  two 
or  three  weeks  to  get  them  established  ;    then 
afford  them  a  cold  frame.     If,  however,  1  was  de- 
sirous of  securing  the  earliest  and  best  results, 
I  would  have  a  hotbed  made  of  a  good  body  of 
leaves  ready  to  sow  the  seed  on  at  the  end  of  March  : 
on  this  I  would  put  a  two-light  frame  and  9  inches 
of  good  soil  on  the  leaves  to  receive  the  seed, 
which  should  be  in  lines  4  inches  apart  each  way. 
In  five  or  six  weeks  the  first  plants  would  be  peep- 
ing through  the  soil,  and  as  the  season  would  be 
advancing  warmer  weather  would  enable  the  cul- 
tivator to  increase  the  quantity  of  air  and  moisture 
afforded  them,  but  the  frame  should  be  kept  closed 
at  night  up  to  the  end  of  June,  and  the  young 
plants  should  be  shaded  from  very  bright  sun- 
shine.    To  encourage  a  quick  growth  both  plants 
and  the  inside  of  the  frame  should  be  syringed  at 
closing  time.     After  the  end  of   June  more  air 
should  be  admitted    both    night  and  day  for  a 
month,  after  which  the  lights  may  be  removed 
altogether,  but  the  roots  must  be  attended  to  as 
regards  moisture.  During  winter  the  lights  should 
be  put  on  the  frame,  and  a  lining  of  leaves  or 
litter  should  be  put  round  the  sides  and  ends  to 
keep  out  severe  frost.     The  lights,  too,  should  be 
covered  in  frosty  weather.     The  plants  ought  not, 
however,  to  be  coddled,  but,  on  the  contrary,  should 
have  plenty  of  air  in  mild  weather.     The  weather 
must  decide  when  they  are  fit  to  bear  removal  in 
spring.  Generally  speaking,  it  will  be  safe  to  move 
them  bythemiddleof  February,but  if  it  should  be 
very  cold  it  will  be  better  to  wait  a  fortnight  longer; 
then  lift  them  carefully,  put  them  in  3-inch  and 
5-inch  pots,  according  to  the  sizes  of  the  plants, 
and  replace  them  in  the  frame,  keeping  them  close 
for  a  fortnight  and  the  lights  covered  at  night. 
Another  way  is  to  prepare  a  place  for  the  frame 
on  a  south  border  where  the  soil  is  moderately 
rich,  and  after  placing  the  frame  on  it  take  up  the 
plants  and  put  them  in  the  frame  in  lines  8  inches 
or  10  inches  apart,  according  to  their  numbers. 
For  the  next  few  weeks  keep  the  frame  rather 
close,  and  only  give  air  in  mild  weather.  In  April, 
as  the  sun  increases  in  power,  more  air  may  be 
admitted,  and  this  treatment  should  be  continued 
in  suitable  weather  until  they  can  bear  the  lights 
o2  during  the  daytime,  which  will  be  about  the 
middle  of  May,  and  at  the  end  of  that  month  the 
frame  should  be  taken  quite  away.     At  that  time 
many  of  the  plants  should  be  making  good  pro- 
gress, and  the  strongest  may  be  expected  to  flower 
during  the  summer.  Those  put  in  pots  may  remain 
in  the  frame,  but  it  is  desirable  that  they  be  all 
shifted  into  6-inch  or  7-inch  pots  as  they  fill  the 
others  with  roots,  for  it  is  impossible  to  judge  the 
merits  of  the  flowers  if  the  plants  are  confined 
to  small  pots.  The  most  satisfactory  way,  however, 
is  to  plant  them  out  and  let  them  flower  at  their 
own  time.  J.  C.  C. 


THE  MANETTI  ROSE. 
Few  probably  think  of  growing  this  as  an  orna- 
mental plant,  and  yet  I  doubt  if  the  choicest 
variety  in  cultivation  can  produce  a  more  pleasing 
cfflect  than  this  single  kind  does  when  allowed 
unrestricted  freedom  of  development.  I  have  been 
much  gratified  lately  with  the  quite  charming 
appearance  of  several  large  bushes  of  the  Manetti 
growing  in  our  village  churchyard.  One  ought  not, 
perhaps,  to  be  gratified  when  a  choice  Rose  dies, 
but  I  certainly  own  to  feeling  pleased  that  the 
death  of  several  good  varieties  gave  birth  to  a 
form  of  beauty  such  as  few  double  Roses  could 
produce.     The  soil  of  onr  churchyard  is  not  rich, 


and  when  some  years  ago  the  experiment  was 
tried  with  the  view  of  inducing  good  Hybrid  Per- 
petuals  to  grow  and  bloom  there  in  a  border  some 
12  inches  wide  with  no  more  nourishment  than 
the  soil  itself  naturally  furnished,  the  plants 
refused  to  grow,  bloom,  or  even  live  under  such 
disheartening  circumstances.  Luckily,  however, 
they  were  on  the  Manetti,  which  evidently  found 
the  position  congenial  to  it,  and  quickly  grew  up 
into  large  bushes,  some  10  feet  high  and  nearly  as 
much  through,  and  which,  not  knowing  the  knife, 
have  grown  as  Nature  intended  them  to  do.  They 
are  therefore  just  as  irregular  in  outline  as  the 
common  Dog  Rose  of  our  hedges.  Even  although 
they  have  nothing  but  the  poorest  of  soils  to  grow 
in,  they  show  no  signs  of  declining  vigour,  but 
promise  to  be  things  of  beauty  for  many  a  year  to 
come.  Looking  at  these  Rose  bushes,  so  healthy, 
so  full  of  pretty  bloom,  so  happy  in  adverse  cir- 
cumstances, and  all  this  with  absolutely  no  care, 
I  could  but  think  that  in  trying  after  what  is  too 
often  the  unattainable  we  neglect  the  most 
simple  and  effective  means  of  embellishing  our 
gardens.  There  are  so  many  plants  which,  grown 
on  Nature's  plan  only,  giving  them  the  position 
they  like  best,  and  leaving  them  alone,  would 
prove  80  highly  satisfactory,  that  the  wonder 
would  seem  to  be  that  we  should  often  take  so 
much  pains  for  such  a  slight  recompense.  The 
Manetti  is  not  the  only  single-flowered  Rose  which 
is  suitable  for  growing  as  untrained  unpruned 
bushes.  There  is,  for  instance,  the  Ramanas,  al- 
luded to  in  a  recent  numberof  The  Garden,  and 
many  others.  How  fine  a  sunny  bank  would  look 
dotted  with  them,  or  better  still  planted  in  irre- 
gularly formed  groups.  This  is  a  phase  of  wild 
gardening  which  deserves  the  attention  of  those 
who  have  space  for  carrying  it  out,  and  Roses  on 
the  grass  would  form  a  charming  feature  in  any 
garden.  John  Coenhill, 

Byfleet,  Weylridgf. 

Old -fashioned  Roses.  —  Mrs.  Maxwell 
Williams  has  sent  us  a  charming  collection  of  these 
from  Kirkconnell,  New  Abbey,  Dumfries.  Though 
many  of  them  are  little  more  than  semi-double,  they 
are  very  beautiful  and  some  of  them  as  highly 
coloured  as  General  Jacqueminot.  It  is  to  be  hoped 
that  these  old  Roses  may  long  exist  in  old-fashioned 
gardens  if  not  in  new  ones. 

■White  Roses. — In  addition  to  the  sweet- 
smelling  white  flowers  named  in  The  Garden  of 
May  3  by  "J.  CO.,"  the  following  white  Roses 
may  be  useful — viz ,  White  Provence,  Comtesse 
Murinais  (Moss),  Old  White,  Madame  Plantier, 
Madame  Hardy,  Madame  Legras,  White  Scotch, 
and  Hybrid  Perpetual  Mrs.  Bellenden  Ker,  which 
is  almost  white.  These  are  all  very  sweet  scented. 
— D  J. 

Rose  Celeste — Will  "  Veronica  "  kindly  put 
me  right  as  to  the  character  of  this  Rose? 
I  purchased  two  Roses  for  the  old  Maiden's  Blush, 
which  I  think  must  be  that  variety.  The  Maiden's 
Blush  is  merely  a  blush  sport  of  the  old  white  or 
alba  Rose,  differing  from  its  parent  only  in  colour 
and  slightly  weaker  growth.  In  the  cottage  gar- 
dens here  are  Roses  which  are  intermediate.  The 
Rose  which  I  think  must  be  Celeste  has  not  the 
decided  alba  foliage,  and  is  a  much  dwarfer  bush, 
but  the  principal  difference  is  that  the  wood  is 
without  prickles.  The  only  description  I  have  of 
Rose  Celeste  is  in  these  words:  "A  beautiful 
Rose  in  bud  ;  afterwards  its  charms  diminish  "^ 
which  is  an  apt  description  of  the  flowers  of  my 
plants.  The  opening  buds  are  more  beautiful  than 
those  of  the  Maiden's  Blush,  but  when  the  flowers 
expand  the  deepening  of  the  colour  towards  the 
centre  disappears,  as  well  as  the  flesh  tint ;  the 
pink  on  the  flower  takes  a  disagreeable  shade,  be- 
comes irregular,  and  sometimes  freckled  ;  the 
outer  petals  bend  back,  while  the  inner  ones 
remain  cup-shaped,  giving  the  flower  the  profile 
of  two  shallow  cups  bottom  to  bottom.  The 
Maiden's  Blush,  on  the  contrary,  keeps  its  colour 
until  fully  expanded,  and  remains  a  blush  Rose, 
only  assuming  a  peach  shade  when  old.  In  Mr. 
W.  Paul's  catalogue  Celeste  and  the  Maiden's 
Blush  are  named  as  identical. — J.  D. 


I 


July  12,  1884.J 


THE     GARDEN 


19 


WINDOW  GARDENING  IN  WESTMINSTER. 
Tub  eighteenth  annual  flower  show  in  connection 
with  the  Society  for  I'romoting  Window  Gardening 
amongst  the  working  classes  in  the  united  parishes 
of  St.'jlargaret  and  St.  John,  Westminster,  took 
place  on  the  8rd  inst.  beneath  a  marquee  in 
Dean's  Yard.  The  increase  in  the  number  tf  ex- 
hibitors and  the  improved  character  of  the 
exhibits  testified  to  the  good  that  has  been  done 
by  the  dean,  the  rectors  of  the  two  parishes,  and 
the  incumbents  of  the  district  churches,  in  foster- 
ing a  love  of  flowers,  and  the  praiseworthy  enjoy- 
ment attending  their  cultivation.  This  year  the 
number  and  quality  of  the  flowers  showed  that  the 
movement  is  still  healthily  progressing.  Fifteen 
prizes  of  lOs.,  7s.  Cd ,  5s ,  and  33.  were  given 
for  Fuchsias,  Pelargoniums,  and  other  plants, 
divided  into  two  classes  ;  the  first  being  for  work- 
ing men  and  women  who  have  no  space  but  their 
window-sills  or  by  encroaching  on  their  already 
deficient  room  accommodation,  and  the  second  for 
children  in  schools.  In  addition  to  the  general, 
there  were  126  local  prizes,  varying  from  5s.  to  25., 
apportioned  among  the  nine  parochial  districts 
into  which  'Westminster  is  divided.  These  local 
prizes  were  for  the  same  plants  and  divided  into  the 
same  classes.  A  thousand  or  more  exhibits  were 
tastefully  arranged  on  a  standoocupying  the  centre 
of  the  pavilion,  and  exceedingly  meritorious  they 
were  considering  the  difficulties  under  which  they 
had  been  grown.  In  addition  to  the  plants  for 
exhibition  there  was  an  excellent  display  of  cut 
flowers,  including  some  magnificent  Roses  kindly 
given  by  thenobility  for  presentation  to  exhibitors. 
The  Earl  of  Shaftesbury,  after  presenting  the 
awards,  with  a  few  kindly  words  to  each  recipient, 
said  at  one  time  there  was  a  good  number  of  such 
shows  in  London,  but  they  had  fallen  off.  He  was 
happy,  however,  to  find  that  they  were  now  reviv- 
ing. He  had  already  attended  two  or  three  this 
season,  and  he  had  three  or  four  more  in  prospect, 
and  he  was  glad  of  it,  because  he  delighted  in  the 
objects  which  actuated  their  promoters.  He  knew 
of  nothing  that  was  more  beneficial  to  the  mind 
and  taste  than  flower  culture. 


NOTES  OF  THE  WEEK. 

The  Board  of  Management  of  the  World's 
Industrial  and  Cotton  Centennial  Exposition,  to 
be  held  in  New  Orleans  during  the  winter  and 
spring  of  1881-5,  announce  to  all  persons  inte- 
rested in  horticulture  and  pomology  throughout 
the  world  that  they  have  organised  a  department 
of  horticulture,  for  thepurposeof  making  the  most 
comprehensive  po.ssible  exhibition  of  the  valuable 
fruits  and  plants  of  all  nations.  The  organisation 
of  this  exhibition  has  been  placed  in  the  hands  of 
a  committee  appointed  by  the  Mississippi  Valley 
HorticuUural  Society,  consisting  of  Mr.  I'arker 
Earle,  Cobden,  Illinois ;  Mr.  P.  J.  Berckmans, 
Augusta,  Georgia  ;  and  Mr.  Chas.  W.  Garfield,  of 
Michigan.  In  order  to  provide  proper  facilities 
for  so  important  an  exhibition,  a  large  and  beauti- 
ful building,  coloured  lithographs  of  which  have 
been  sent  to  us,  is  now  being  erected.  Its  walls 
and  the  greater  portion  of  the  roof  will  be 
covered  with  glass,  and  specially  adapted  to  the 
exhibition  of  both  fraits  and  plants.  This  building 
will  be  600  feet  in  length,  and  will  have  an  aver- 
age width  of  114  feet.  It  will  furnish  table  room 
for  25,000  plates  of  fruit  and  40,000  feet  of  space 
for  the  exhibition  of  plants.  Apartments  with  suit- 
able heating  arrangements  for  the  care  of  green- 
house and  stove  plants  will  be  provided.  Exten- 
sive space  has  also  been  assigned  to  this  department 
in  the  beautiful  grounds  adjacent  to  the  horticul- 
tural building  for  the  planting  of  large  exhibits 
of  trees  and  plants.  The  Government  of  Mexico 
will  fill  five  acres  or  more  of  this  space ;  the  states 
of  Central  America,  the  state  of  Florida,  and  many 
other  states  and  nations  it  is  expected  will  exhibit 
here  their  sylvan  and  floral  wealth.  A  varied  and 
liberal  schedule  of  premiums  for  fruits  and  plants 
has  been  prepared,  and  exhibitors  from  every  state 
and  nation  may  feel  assured  that  this  exhibition 
will  be  managed  throughout  in  the  most  liberal 


spirit.  This  schedule,  containing  regulations  for 
the  horticultural  portion  of  the  exhibition,  may  be 
had  on  application  to  any  of  the  Board  members 
whose  names  we  have  just  given. 

Boyal  Horticultural  Society's  ■win- 
ter committee  meetings. — It  has  often  occurred  to 
me  that  these  are  twice  too  few,  being  one  month 
between  each,  and  I  have  at  last  determined  to  ask 
my  brother  Orchid  growers  to  help  me  in  making 
a  petition  to  the  Society  to  hold  its  meetings  of 
floral,  if  not  fruit  and  scientific,  committees  twice 
a  month  in  winter  as  in  summer.  There  are  many 
doubtless  who  would  have  had  plants  to  exhibit 
for  certificates  of  the  various  denominations  had 
there  been  a  second  meeting  in  each  month  who 
like  myself  have  been  obliged  to  wait  another  year 
for  it,  and  then  perhaps  some  one  else  blooms 
the  plant  and  gets  it  certificated  before  the  owner 
who  bloomed  it  a  year  ago,  but  whose  plant  was 
not  shown  from  want  of  a  chance  of  doing  so. 
Personally  speaking,  I  have  two  years  in  succession 
bloomed  a  plant  in  January  just  too  late  to  catch 
the  meeting,  and  of  course  in  a  month  the  flowers 
were  faded  and  utterly  unfit  for  exhibition.  This 
is  experienced  by  many  I  know,  and  if  they  and 
all  others  will  write  to  me  who  approve  of  the 
action  I  purpose  to  take,  I  will  get  a  petition  for- 
mulated and  send  it  around  to  them  for  their  sig- 
natures, begging  the  Society  to  commence  with 
1885  by  holding  fortnightly  meetings  of  the 
various  committees  throughout  the  year.  In  the 
interests  of  all  concerned,  and  those  of  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society  itself,  I  think  it  would  be  a 
great  step  forward.  I  hope  that  those  interested 
in  fruit  culture  will  also  second  me ;  if  they  do,  I 
shall  be  very  much  gratified  to  see  I  have  also 
struck  their  nail  on  its  head. — Dk  B.  Crawshay, 
liosefield,  Sevenoalts,  Kent. 


PLANTS    IN    FLOWEK. 


Sweet  Williams  —We  have  received  from  Mr.  Baylor 
IJartlaud  e.xauiples  of  white  Sweet  AVilliams,  single  and 
double.  Both  are  handsome  aud  suitable  for  bouquets, 
especially  the  double  kind. 

Doronicum  Clusli. — How  good  this  plant 
has  been  this'season  no  one  who  has  not  seen  it 
can  form  an  idea.  The  warm  and  dry  weather  has 
enabled  it  to  fully  develop  its  large  and  brilliant 
golden  blooms.  Flowering  abundantly  and  for  a 
long  time  in  succession,  it  is  a  most  useful  plant 
for  the  back  line  of  herbaceous  borders,  as  it  grows 
about  4  feet  high. — J.  T.  Poe,  liihvrston. 

Saxifraga  Burseriana  Boy di  is  a  bright 

primrose-yellow  form  which  I  saw  the  other  day 
in  Jlr.  Munro's  Abercorn  Nurseries,  near  Edin- 
burgh, It  is  very  free  flowering,  and  more  easily 
grown  than  the  type.  It  was  raised  by  Mr.  Boyd, 
of  Cherrytrees,  near  Kelso,  about  three  years  ago. 
Some  of  the  plants  from  the  same  batch  of  seed- 
lings have  the  habit  and  white  flowers  of  S. 
Rocheliana,  so  this  yellow  Saxifrage  may  possibly 
be  a  hybrid  between  S.  Burseriana  and  S. 
Rocheliana,  but  whatever  its  origin,  it  is  a  distinct 
and  beautiful  rock  plant. — C.  M.  O. 

Gentiana  bavarica. — I  send  some  flowers 
of  this  Gentian  which  were  grown  in  my  garden 
at  Floore.  I  have  taken  some  trouble  in  culti- 
vating this  plant,  and  almost  venture  to  hope  that 
Ihaveat  last'succeeded.  You  will  see  that  the  flower- 
stems,  besides  being  a  good  length,  are  also  stout 
and  strong,  and  the  flowers  are  a  fair  size  and 
splendid  in  colour.  The  hot  weather  has,  however, 
caused  them  to  fade  very  much.  The  plants  have 
been  growing  for  three  or  four  years  on  a  raised 
stony  bed,  under  which  is  a  thick  layer  of  peat. — 
E.  G.  LODEB. 

"■»*  Evidently  well  grown  ;  but  the  flowers  were 
quite  withered  up  when  they  reached  us. — Ed. 

Two  handsome  climbers.— I  send  you 
some  flowering  shoots  of  (Juisqualis  indica  and 
Stigmaphyllum  ciliatum  from  Earl  Annesley's 
garden  ;  they  are  planted  against  the  back  wall 
of  a  Gardenia  house,  and  have  been  flowering  for 
nearly  two  months.   The  Stigmaphyllum  is  nearly  \ 


over,  but  the  Quisqualis  will  continue  flowering 
on  for  the  next  three  months  to  come.  Both  are 
beautiful  climbers  that  one  seldom  meets  with ; 
they  succeed  very  well  in  a  temperature  of  about 
50°  during  the  winter  months. — T.  Ryan,  Casilc 
ncllan. 

*^*  The  Quisqualis  has  ample  foliage,  some  6 
inches  long  and  2  inches  wide,  and  handsome 
terminal  and  axillary  spikes  of  flowers  which 
change  from  white  to  red.  They  are  borre  on 
long  slender  stalks,  and  have  a  very  graceful 
appearance.  Of  the  Stigmaphyllum  some  account 
was  given  in  The  Gakden  recently.  It  does  not 
seem  to  travel  well,  for  it  had  lost  all  its  pretty 
yellow  flowers  when  it  reached  us.  Both  ate  in- 
teresting climbers,  especially  the  Quisqualis,  and 
should  be  much  more  common  in  gardens  than 
they  are. — Ed. 

Jamesia  americana.— This  is  a  plant 
seldom  seen  outside  botanical  gardens,  j  et  it  is 
just  now  among  the  most  attractive,  being  in  full 
flower.  It  is  a  native  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  and 
forms  a  dwarf  bush,  every  shoot  of  which  is  ter- 
minated by  a  drooping  cluster  of  pure  white 
blossoms,  borne  in  such  numbers  that  the  whole 
plant  appears  at  a  distance  to  be  a  mass  of  white. 
It  is  interesting  also  from  being  a  shrubby  mem- 
ber of  the  order  Saxifragacefe.  It  is  quite  hardy, 
provided  it  is  in  a  well-drained  spot. — Alpha. 

Campanula  alliarisefolia.— This  is  a  most 
distinct  and  desirable  member  of  a  very  numerous 
family,  and  one  that  is  not  met  with  as  often  as 
its  beauty  deserves.  An  established  plant  of  it  in 
the  herbaceous  border  here  has  been  for  some 
time  a  striking  object,  with  numerous  stately, 
erect  spikes  of  well-formed  bells  of  the  purest 
white.  The  flo-^'er-stems  are  about  3  feet  6  inches 
in  height  and  the  spike  of  bloom  2  feet  G  inches, 
resembling  the  bloom  of  the  white  Foxglove.  The 
foliage,  too,  is  handsome  and  distinct,  forming  a 
pyramid  of  large  cordate  leaves. — J.  T.  Poe,  Eiver- 
ston. 

Double  Sunrose. — I  send  you  flowers  of  a 
seedling  Helianthemum.  I  fancy  the  yellow  shade 
of  the  double  flowers  would  prove  effective  on  a 
good-sized  plant,  but  what  appears  to  be  most 
noticeable  are  the  flowers  in  from  fives  to  tens  on  a 
spray.  I  grow  some  18  kinds  of  the  Sunrose,  and 
few  that  I  know,  either  double  or  single,  show 
colour  in  more  than  three  or  four  on  one  spray  at 
the  same  time.  The  specimens  sent  have  also 
lasted  longer  than  the  ordinary  run  of  these  fuga- 
cious flowers  ;  they  have  endured  two  days'  thun- 
der storms,  and  consequently  are  spoiled.  The 
plant  has  large  leaves,  and  came  self-sown  in  a 
pot  of  Convolvulus  soldanelltefolius  —  J.  Wood, 
Kirlistall. 

*^*  The  flowers  sent  were  not  in  a  condition  to 
enable  us  to  judge  of  their  merits. — Ed. 

Hardy  plants  near  Edinburgh.— In  Mr. 

Munro's  nursery  hardy  plants  of  special  interest 
may  always  be  found.  Amongst  Irises  I  noticed 
I.  pallida,  perhaps  the  loveliest  of  all ;  I.  versi- 
color, a  small  Iris  resembling  the  latter  in  habit 
and  size  of  blossom,  but  blue,  not  purple  ;  I.  flor- 
entina,  I.  ccerulea,  I.  tomiolopha,  of  somewhat 
dwarf  habit ;  and  a  very  tall  Iris  (possibly  I. 
ochroleuca),  the  leaves  of  which  Mr.  Munro  says 
sometimes  reach  several  feet  in  height  in  a  favour- 
able position.  The  flowers  are  yellow,  but  it  is 
not  in  blossom  just  now.  The  old  Highclere  Mule 
Pink  raised  by  Dean  Herbert  is  to  be  found  here, 
also  a  very  pretty  Pink  for  rockwork,  Dianthua 
Simsi  fl.-pl.  Amongst  other  good  rock  plants  is  a 
bright  rose-coloured  Thrift  (Armeria  grandiflora), 
a  variety  which  makes  a  good  companion  to  the 
rare  A.  cephalotes  alba,  but  of  dwarfer  habit  and 
prettier  foliage. — C.  M.  O. 

Stephanotis  floribunda.— From  Mr.  B.  H. 
Vertegans,  Chad  Valley  Nurseries,  Edgbaston, 
Birmingham,  comes  a  charming  wreath  of  JsUepha- 
notis,  and  along  with  it  the  following  remarks  : 
"  So  much  having  been  said  and  written  about  the 
varieties  of  Stephanotis,  I  have  sent  you  a  spiay 
off  the  same  plant  from  which  I  sent  a  cluster 
some  three  years  ago,  to  show  you  that  it  still  re- 
tains its  free  blooming  character.     It  now  covers 


20 


THE     GARDEN 


[July  12,  1884. 


the  north  side  of  a  span-roofed  house  40  feet  by 
18  feet,  and  is  covered  with  clusters  of  flowers 
similar  to  those  sent.  I  think  when  it  is  known 
that  a  temperature  of  from  40°  to  55°  during  win- 
ter is  sufficient  for  this  delightful  climber  many 
will  be  induced  to  grow  it  who  at  present  are 
under  the  impression  that  a  stove  temperature  is 
necessary."  Nothing  could  be  finer  than  the  15 
inches  of  spray  sent,  closely  furnished  with 
flowers.  Mr.  Vertegans  proposes  to  call  this 
Stephanotis  the  Chad  Valley  variety. 

Hesperaloe  yuccse folia.— This  interesting 
and  rather  handsome  plant  is  again  flowering  in 
Mr.  Ware's  nursery  at  Tottenham,  where  it  is  re- 
presented by  several  strong  plants  bearing  spikes 
of  Aloe-like  flowers  some  4  feet  in  height.  The 
singular  appearance  and  structure  of  the  entire 
plant  has  suggested  the  opinion  that  it  represents 
the  characters  of  Agave,  Yucca,  and  Aloe  merged 
in  one — in  fact,  Torrey,  who  found  it  in  Mexico, 
called  it  a  Yucca  ;  and  Dr.  Gray,  who  described  it 
in  the  "  Proceedings  of  the  American  Academy," 
named  it  Aloe ;  whilst  Engelmann  found  in  its 
flowers  characters  that  suggested  those  of  an 
Agave.  In  addition  to  its  botanical  interest, 
Hesperaloe  yuccfefolia  possesses  ornamental  and 
lasting  characters,  which  should  be  sufficient  to  re- 
commend it  for  garden  purposes.  The  habit  and 
foliage  are  not  unlike  those  of  Yucca  filamentosa, 
and  the  flower-spike,  which  is  tall  and  branch- 
ing, bears  numerous  reddish  tubular  flowers,  which 
are  produced  so  freely  and  last  so  long,  that  it 
may  be  said  to  bear  flowers  during  about  half  a 
year.  In  addition  to  its  growing  in  a  cool  green- 
house it  is  also  planted  out  on  the  rockery  in  the 
Tottenham  Nurseries,  and  so  far  it  has  shown  no 
signs  of  any  ill  effects  from  exposure.  We  may 
therefore  hope  that  it  will  ultimately  prove  to  be 
hardy  enough  to  stand  out  of  doors  altogether  in 
a  sheltered  sunny  position. 

Water  Lilies  at  Kew. — Attractive  as  was 
the  collection  of  these  beautiful  aquatics  in  the 
Water  Lily  house  at  Kew  last  year,  the  display  of 
flowers  and  vigour  of  the  plants  are  far  better  this 
season.  No  doubt  the  removal  of  the  tall  Grasses 
and  other  large  plants  which  last  year  were  stood 
rather  thickly  about  the  tank  in  which  the  Water 
Lilies  grow  has  been  conducive  to  this  season's 
success  with  the  Lilies,  for  where  an  abundance 
of  sunlight  is  not  obtainable,  the  satisfactory  cul- 
tivation of  Nymphmas  is  almost  impossible.  With 
the  exception  of  the  noble  Paper  Reed  (Papyrus 
antiquorura),  which  is  planted  out  in  a  large  bed 
in  the  centre  of  the  tank,  and  is  now  in  fine  con- 
dition, there  is  nothing  but  Nymphaeas  and  other 
aquatics  in  the  tank,  and  the  effect  is  much  more 
pleasing,  because  of  its  being  less  crowded  than  it 
was.  There  is  now  a  large  sheet  of  water  covered 
with  the  leaves  of  the  Water  Lilies,  above  them 
rising  the  large  beautiful  flowers  of  a  rich  collec- 
tion of  species  and  varieties.  Unfortunately  for 
the  public,  the  majority  of  these  flowers  are  closed 
by  mid-day,  from  9  o'clock  to  11  o'clock  in  the 
morning  being  the  time  when  the  whole  of  the 
kinds  may  be  seen  fully  expanded.  The  following 
are  now  in  flower,  viz. :  N.  stellata,  N.  s.  scutif  olia,  N. 
s.  cyanea,  N.  s.  zanzibarensis,  N.  Lotus,  N.  L.  dentata, 
N.  L.  rubra,  N.  L.  Ortgiesiana,  N.  L.  Devoniensis, 
N.  odorata  var.  rubra,  N.  Daubenyana,  N.  ampla, 
N.  alba  var.  candidissima,  and  several  varieties 
not  yet  named.  The  yellow-flowered  species,  N. 
flava,  has  not  yet  commenced  to  bloom,  although 
the  plants  are  in  good  health.  In  the  same  house 
the  Nelumbiums  are  now  bearing  many  flowers. 
Altogether  this  house  is  exceptionally  attractive 
just  now. 

Lilium  Harrisl. — A  fine  specimen  of  this 
Lily,  now  in  flower  in  the  Cape  house  at  Kew,  has 
a  stout  stem  3  feet  high  bearing  five  flowers  of  the 
purest  white,  and  each  one  measuring  8  inches  in 
length  and  nearly  the  same  in  width.  That  it  is 
identical  with  L.  longiflorum  var.  eximium  may 
now  be  considered  a  settled  point,  Mr.  Baker 
having  expressed  his  opinion  that  there  is  no 
difference  between  the  plants  bearing  the  two 
names,  so  far,  at  least,  as  the  Kew  plants  may  be 
considered  to  represent  the  true  L.  Harrisi  of 
gardens.  Unlike  the  old  and  common  type  L.  longi- 


florum, which  both  in  England  and  in  its  native 
country,  Japan,  as  well  as  in  China  and  India,  is 
one  of  the  best  known  and  most  useful  of  Lilies, 
the  above  variety  is  not  satisfactory  unless  treated 
as  a  cool  greenhouse  plant.  In  addition  to  its 
large  size  and  purity  the  variety  eximium  is 
specially  useful  for  early  forcing,  as  has  been 
proved  this  year  by  several  market  growers,  by 
whom  large  quantities  were  had  in  flower  as  early 
as  February  and  March,  a  fact  which,  taken  to- 
gether with  plants  of  it  being  in  flower  at  the  pre- 
sent time,  shows  its  value  for  growing  in  succes- 
sional  batches  for  cut-flower  and  decorative  pur- 
poses. Another  remarkable  and  valuable  character 
possessed  by  this  variety  is  that  of  producing 
several  secondary  stems  from  those  first  matured, 
and  these  flower  quite  as  profusely  as  the  first 
produced  stems.  That  the  merits  of  this  Lily  for 
garden  purposes  are  of  an  exceptionally  high  order 
has  been  proved  within  the  last  two  years,  during 
which  time  large  quantities  of  bulbsot  it  have  been 
imported  under  the  name  of  L.  Harrisi.  It  is  a 
plant  that  deserves  to  have  a  place  in  every  garden 
where  its  simple  requirements  can  be  met.  Is  L. 
Wilsoni  the  same  as  L.  Harrisi  ? 

Fassinoras  at  Kew.— Amongst  the  nume- 
rous species  of  Passiflora  there  are  many  beautiful 
flowered  kinds,  but  rarely  met  with  except  in 
botanical  collections.  At  Kew  the  number  of 
species  represented  is  exceptionally  large,  and  it 
may  be  said  that  many  of  them  are  not  such  as 
would  find  favour  with  [any  but  specialists.  We 
noted  a  few  weeks  ago  the  flowering  of  P.  quadran- 
gularis,  which  up  to  the  present  time  has  con- 
tinued to  produce  its  large  handsome  blossoms  in 
the  Palm  house.  In  the  same  house  the  rare 
flowering  P.  laurifolia  is  now  in  bloom.  From  the 
axils  of  its  Portugal  Laurel-like  foliage  the  rather 
large  green-petalled  flowers  are  produced,  and 
with  the  exception  of  the  colour  of  the  petals  there 
is  a  close  resemblance  between  these  flowers  and 
those  of  the  first  mentioned  species.  P.  hy  brida  is  a 
rose-coloured,  large-flowered,  and  very  floriferous 
kind ;  P.  Belloti  very  much  resembles  P.  quad- 
rangularis;  P.  racemosa,  sometimes  called  P. 
princeps  and  P.  ca3rulea  alba  are  other  note- 
worthy species  which  are  now  in  flower  at  Kew. 
The  Australian  kinds,  P.  cinnabarina  and  P.  incar- 
nata,  are  represented  in  the  Cape  house,  and  in  the 
porch  leading  to  the  Water  Lily  house  a  strong 
plant  of  P.  edulis  is  bearing  a  large  crop  of  Green 
Gage-like  fruit.  P.  ccerulea  is  represented  in 
various  houses,  as  well  as  out-of-doors,  by  plenti- 
fully flowered  plants,  thus  demonstrating  the  value 
of  this  kind  for  general  cultivation,  for  whether  in 
a  tropical  house  or  out-of-doors  it  appears  to  be 
quite  at  home.  We  should  like  to  see  the  beauti- 
ful P.  vitifolia  under  the  same  happy  conditions 
as  those  above  mentioned.  This  species  grows 
freely,  but  its  rich  cinnabar  red  flowers  are  not 
always  freely  produced.  An  intermediate  house 
would  most  likely  prove  the  most  suitable  place  for 
it. 

Brodlsea  volubllis. — Along  with  the  species 
of  Brodifea  mentioned  in  our  last  week's  issue  as 
being  in  flower  at  Colchester,  we  saw  the  other 
day,  in  the  Tottenham  Nurseries,  a  clump  of  B. 
volubilis,  which  is  not  only  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  plants  of  the  genus,  but  one  which 
may  be  said  to  be  the  most  singular  of  the  large 
Liliaceous  order  of  which  it  is  a  member.  From  a 
bulb  and  tuft  of  radical  foliage  of  similar  cha- 
racter to  those  of  other  members  of  the  genus  a  tall 
flower-stem  is  developed,  which  in  thickness  may 
be  compared  to  a  goose-quill.  It  is,  however,  the 
anomalous  length  and  twining  nature  of  this  stem 
that  give  the  plant  such  an  extraordinary  appear- 
ance. The  Tottenham  plants  are  surrounded  by 
a  Pea-stick-like  hedge,  and,  twisting  round  and 
round  the  twigs  and  stems  of  this,  the  flower-stem 
is  prolonged  until  it  reaches  the  top,  where 
the  Allium-like  head  of  flowers  is  expanded. 
Measuring  along  the  stems,  some  of  them  were 
over  8  feet  in  length,  and  we  learn  that  flower- 
stalks  more  than  12  feet  long  have  been  produced 
at  Tottenham.  The  purpose  which  this  strange 
behaviour  is  apparently  intended  to  serve  is  to 
enable  the  plant  to  send  its  flowers  beyond  the 


shade  of  any  shrubs  beneath  which  it  grows,  so 
that  fertilisation  may  take  place  in  sunlight. 
In  the  whole  vegetable  kingdom  we  are  acquainted 
with  but  one  other  plant  that  possesses  a  character 
resembling  that  of  the  above  Brodia;a,  and  that  is 
Vallisneria  spiralis,  which,  as  everyone  knows, 
has  a  very  long  spirally-twisted  flower-spike,  by 
means  of  which  its  flowers  may  be  prolotiged  many 
feet  from  the  bottom  of  deep  water  streams  until 
they  float  on  the  surface,  where  fertilisation  is 
accomplished.  In  our  opinion  this  Brodiasa  is  a 
truly  wonderful  plant,  and  in  addition  to  this  it  is 
a  handsome  flowering  species  of  a  popular  genus 
of  garden  plants. 


Trees  and  Shrubs. 

IN  AN  AUSTRALIAN  FOREST. 
All  the  world  has  heard  of  the  big  trees  in  Cali- 
fornia of  which  Americans  so  proudly  boast,  telling 
us  that  they  are  the  biggest  trees  known  ;  but  it 
is  not  everybody  who  believes  that  our  Australian 
colonies  can  point  to  trees  in  the  moist  and  rich 
valleys  of  the  Australian  Alps  that  far  surpass 
the  Californian  giants  in  height,  though  in  girth 
they  fall  far  short,  as  the  Eucalyptus  trunk  does 
not  swell  out  towards  the  bottom  of  the  bole,  and 
its  bark,  which  in  most  species  is  annually  shed, 
is  as  thin  as  that  of  the  AVellingtonia  (I  beg  our 
American  cousins'  pardon).  Sequoia  gigantea  is 
abnormally  thick.  A  glance  at  the  annexed 
illustration  will  show  the  beauty  there  is  in  an 
Eucalyptus  forest,  and  yet  there  are  folk  who  would 
try  and  persuade  us  there  is  little  or  nothing 
beautiful  in  a  Gum  tree.  Australia  is  a  country 
of  extremes  ;  there  are  tracts  of  hideous  desola- 
tion, huge  waterless  plains  which  it  is  death  to 
attempt  to  cross,  for  a  thousand  miles  may  be 
traversed  without  meeting  one  rivulet,  and  for  all 
this  there  are  regions  where  the  soil  is  so  rich  and 
the  rainfall  so  abundant,  that  vegetation  may  be 
found  still  perpetuating  the  exuberant  growth  and 
beauty  of  the  epoch  that  filled  our  coal  measures. 
It  is  a  pretty  thought  that  the  Myrtle  we  so  prize, 
and  which  grows  wild  so  abundantly  in  Southern 
Europe,  is  the  sweet  and  sole  representative  in  our 
hemisphere  of  the  great  family  of  Eucalyptus,  or 
Gum  trees,  which  reaches  to  such  a  colossal  height 
in  the  southern  hemisphere,  and  all  who  have 
smelt  and  appreciated  the  scented  air  of  an 
Australian  forest  enjoy  doubly  the  touch  of 
astringency  in  the  perfume  of  a  crushed  Myrtle 
spray. 

Comparisons,  as  Mrs.  Malaprop  tells  us,  are 
"  odorous,"  so  we  will  not  do  more  than  hint  at  the 
bareness  and  desolation  round  the  mighty  boles  of 
the  Californian  Sequoias,  whose  tufted  branchlets 
cling  so  closely  to  the  mighty  mast,  that  verdure 
or  shade  there  is  none,  so  to  say.  "  How  different  in 
an  Australian  forest  where  the  giant  white  or  blue 
Gums  grow."  True  it  is  that  the  trunks  tower  up, 
may  be,  250  feet  before  they  branch  into  a  head 
that  looks  small  to  those  who  are  down  below,  yet 
that  head  would  be  gigantic  were  it  nearer  our 
eyes ;  true,  also,  thatthe  leaves  hang  vertically  (as 
do  the  branchlets  of  the  Sequoia),  and  so  but  little 
filtering  of  the  intense  sunlight  is  accomplished  by 
them ;  but  then  instead  of  barrenness  beneath,  we 
first  have  towering  Sassafras  trees  with  dense  ever- 
green foliage  and  delicate  Azara-like  sprays  of 
growth,  tipped  with  tiny  pink  bells ;  next  come 
tall  evergreen  shrubs  with  large  and  shining  leaves, 
as  handsome  as  any  Bay  tree  or  Portugal  Laurel ; 
and  yet  again  the  feathery  heads  of  Tree  Ferns 
(Alsophila  or  Dicksonia)  fill  up  the  vacant  spaces 
between  each  tree,  till  the  wonder  is  how  so  much 
can  grow  together.  In  their  turn,  the  Tree  Ferns 
are  clad  with  Mosses  and  Filmy  Ferns,  so  that  as 
you  struggle  through  this  tangle,  the  last  remain- 
ing survivors  of  vegetation  of  former  epochs 
explain  mutely  how  in  the  struggle  for  existence 
the  most  perfect  beauty  exists  only  where  the 
conditionsjof  Hfe  remain  as  they  were  first  created ; 
destroy  but  one  link,  or  introduce  some  too  robustly 
constituted  European  weed,  and  slowly,  but  surely, 
all  this  old  world  beauty  disappears.  It  is  well, 
then,  toobtain  and  to  keep  anything  that  may  give 
an  idea,  however  small,  of  that  thing  of  beauty — 


Jcr.Y   12,   1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


•21 


TEUNK  OF  A  LARGE  GUM  TEEE  AS  SEEN  IN  AN  AUSIEALIAN  FOREST. 


22 


THE     GARDEN 


[July   12,  T884. 


an  Australian  forest.  In  using  the  expression 
"  old  world,"  I  would  explain,  for  fear  of  being 
misunderstood,  that  Australia  west  of  the  Alps  or 
Blue  Mountains,  with  the  most  trifling  exceptions, 
has  never  been  submerged,  hence  it  is  that  the 
plants  of  our  coal  measures  survive  there  alone. 

Another  strange  feature  in  the  Australian  forests 
is  the  indestructibility  of  the  fallen  trees,  owing  to 
the  hardness  of  their  wood,  so  that  whole  valleys 
may  be  found  where  the  fallen  trunks  of  past  ages 
bridge  over,  as  it  were,  with  a  false  bottom,  the 
streams  that  flow  hidden  beneath.  Covered  with 
Hymenophyllums,  and  even  big  Tree  Ferns,  the 
traveller  walks  on  boldly  in  ignorance  of  the  pit- 
fal  below,  till  a  slip  or  a  chance  peep  into  an  open- 
ing reveals  to  him  the  insecurity  of  his  position. 
Such  moist  and  dark  recesses  are  the  haunt  of 
many  a  snake,  and  woe  be  to  that  stranger  who 
unwarily  should  fall  into  those  airless  and  slimy 
regions.  Perhap',  save  for  this,  it  were  too  like 
Eden.  E.  H.  W. 


NEW  MAGNOLIA. 

It  may  be  of  interest  to  your  readers  to  know  that 
we  have  just  flowered  a  new  Magnolia.  It  some- 
what resembles  M.  parviflora,  but  is  sutticiently 
distinct  to  establish  it  as  a  species.  It  has  a  more 
cordate  leaf  and  longer  footstalks  than  parviflora. 
The  upper  side  of  the  leaf  of  the  latter  is  smooth, 
while  that  of  the  new  one  is  velvety.  On  the 
underside  of  the  leaf  of  the  new  one  there  are 
brown  hairs,  and  the  veins  are  more  prominent. 
The  flower  is  about  the  same  size  as  that  of  parvi- 
flora, but  the  petals  are  more  transparent  and 
clear  pearly  white,  while  those  of  parviflora  are 
creamy.  It  has  not  so  much  of  the  Banana  fra- 
grance as  parviflora,  and  some  might  think  its 
perfume  more  delicate.  The  calyx  is  broader  and 
shorter  than  in  parviflora ;  the  pistil,  too,  is  of  a 
delicate  very  light  green,  longer  and  thicker 
than  that  of  parviflora.  The  centre  cluster 
of  stamens  is  bright  carmine  without  that  dark 
vermilion  at  their  base  and  the  white  and  carmine 
markings  on  the  underside,  which  make  parviflora 
80  beautiful.  The  differences  I  have  noted  between 
these  two  plants  are  suflicient  to  make  each  a  dis- 
tinct species,  and  either  of  them  may  safely  be 
said  to  be  unsurpassed  among  hardy  flowering 
trees.  In  colour,  form,  and  fragrance  they  ap- 
proach nearly  perfection.  Both  these  species  were 
introduced  here  from  Japan  by  Mr.  Thomas  Hogg, 
who  brought  us  many  things  which  are  each  year 
developing  their  character.  Among  them  were 
some  twenty  varieties  of  Japan  Maples,  which  grow 
here  with  the  greatest  luxuriance.  Acer  carpini- 
folium,  one  among  these,  is  very  interesting,  both 
to  the  amateur  and  botanist,  but,  like  many  other 
good  things,  it  is  very  impatient  of  propagation. 
To  Dr.  Hall  we  were  indebted  for  Magnolia 
stellata,  which  we  first  sent  to  Europe,  and  which 
is  becoming  quite  a  favourite.  After  that  we  sent 
Magnolia  hypoleuca  to  Belgium.  We  hope  to  be 
able  soon  to  send  to  Europe  these  last  and  various 
other  charming  things.  S.  B.  Parsons. 

Flushing. 

SUMMEK  PRUNING  OF  SHRUBS. 
Sheubberies,  to  a  greater  or  less  extent,  come, 
in  the  majority  of  instances,  under  the  care  of 
the  gardener.  Some  allow  their  occupants  to 
grow  uncontrolled  after  planting,  and  this  may 
be  admissible  in  woodland  drives  or  in  extensive 
pleasure  grounds,  but  it  will  not  suit  in  a  limited 
space,  or  where  the  surroundings  are  of  a  formal 
character.  In  many  cases  shrubs  are  about  the 
last  things  to  be  attended  to  in  the  busy  time  of 
spring  and  early  summer.  If,  however,  they  are 
to  be  kept  attractive  and  each  subject  separate 
from  its  neighbour,  as  should  be  the  case  in  the 
mixed  shrubbery,  pruning  must  be  systematically 
carried  out  at  least  annually,  and  in  many  cases 
much  of  tener,  or  the  plants  will  soon  get  unshapely 
and  over-grow  each  other.  Let  us  separate  the 
shrubs  with  which  we  intend  to  deal  into  those 
grown  principally  for  flowering,  many  of  which 
are  deciduous,  and  those  grown  for  their  evergreen 
or  ornamental  foliage.    In  the  first  named  section 


some  knowledge  is  necessary  as  to  habit  and  time 
of  flowering  before  cutting  is  commenced.  We 
prune  and  thin  fruit  trees  or  bushes  to  keep  them 
within  bounds  and  to  increase  the  quantity  of 
fruits,  which  first  of  all  have  to  be  preceded  by 
flowers  ;  why  not,  then,  apply  the  same  system  to 
shrubs?  Probably  the  majority  of  shrubs  make 
their  flower  growth  the  previous  year;  consequently 
to  cut  back  late  in  autumn  or  before  flowering 
takes  place  in  spring  simply  destroj's  the  whole  of 
the  flowers  for  that  season.  As  soon  as  possible 
after  flowering  is  over  is  the  best  time  to  prune 
all  shrubs  belonging  to  this  class,  thinning  the 
branches  where  crowded  and  removing  the  old 
wood  that  has  borne  the  flowers  to  make  room  for 
the  growth  of  new  shoots  for  the  succeeding  year. 
Forsythias,  Deutzias,  Weigelas,  shrubby  Spirseas, 
Genistas,  Lilacs,  Viburnums,  and  many  others 
may  be  so  treated.  It  allowed  to  grow  at  will,  as 
perhaps  some  would  recommend,  their  shape  and 
limits  are  soon  outgrown  and  measures  much  more 
severe  have  eventually  to  be  taken.  Berberis 
Darwini  may  be  kept  somewhat  dwarf  and  yet 
flower  very  freely  if  planted  young  and  the  lead- 
ing growths  are  either  shortened  or  tied  in 
annually,  but  allow  these  to  grow  up  and  the 
plants  soon  become  unsightly  at  the  bottom.  When 
the  plants  get  old  and  are  cut  down  strong  shoots 
are  produced  which  do  not  flower  well  for  some 
time.  Evergreen  shrubs  now  in  flower  are  Zeno- 
bia  speciosa  and  its  variety  Z.  s.  pulverulenta. 
The  chief  distinction  belonging  to  them  U  found 
in  the  leaves.  Those  of  the  species  are  pale  green 
and  rather  smaller  than  those  of  the  varnety  ;  the 
latter  being  of  a  distinct  glaucous  colour.  The 
flowers,  which  are  in  racemes,  are  white  and  bell- 
shaped  and  produced  on  the  wood  of  the  previous 
year ;  this  should,  therefore,  be  removed  annually 
after  flowering  in  the  same  way  as  others  pre- 
viously noticed.  Zenobias  grow  to  a  height  of  .3 
feet  or  4  feet.  They  succeed  well  in  peaty  soil 
and  should  be  planted  preferably  in  a  group  by 
themselves. 

The  growths  of  EHonoDEUDRONS  cannot  be 
cut  away  without  reducing  the  number  of  flowers 
for  the  next  year.  On  the  other  hand,  if  allowed 
to  grow  thickly  in  clumps  without  cutting,  the 
inner  and  under-growths  soon  have  to  succumb  to 
the  stronger  ones.  For  clumps  of  these  to  be 
kept  low  the  common  R.  ponticum  should  be  used, 
as  its  flowers  are  not  of  so  much  importance  as 
those  of  better  kinds,  and  the  plants  soon  thicken 
again  after  severe  cutting,  should  that  be  neces- 
sary. Hybrid  varieties  are  too  good  for  this 
treatment;  consequently,  positions  should  be  given 
them  where  they  can  be  allowed  to  grow  up, 
merely  thinning  a  little  and  removing  superfluous 
shoots  with  the  seed-pods,  should  the  latter  be 
practicable,  after  flowering  is  over.  Formal 
clumps  of  Rhododendrons  may  often  be  met  with, 
but  the  plants  do  not  often  show  themselves  so 
well  individually  as  when  grown  somewhat  more 
naturally  as  single  specimens.  The  height  of  the 
plants  in  clumps  should  be  in  proportion  to  the 
length  and  width  of  the  clump,  and  they  should 
gradually  rise  from  the  edge  to  the  middle. 
Nothing  looks  worse  than  to  see  plants  at  3 
feet  up  projecting  over  those  at  the  edge. 
No  doubt  there  are  many  clumps  somewhat  similar 
to  this  in  different  places  at  the  present  time,  and 
those  in  charge  of  them  may  be  wondering  what  is 
to  be  done  in  order  to  restrict  them.  In  our  case 
many  were  severely  cut  into  shape  last  year,  and 
were  of  necessity  very  unsightly  for  some  time, 
but  they  are  now  well  furnished  with  foliage  to 
the  Grass  edge,  and  this  year  but  little  cutting 
will  be  required.  If  annual  pruning  with  the 
knife  had  been  practised,  the  necessity  for  such 
severe  measures  would  have  been  obviated.  Other 
clumps  in  a  similar  state  are  being  treated  in  the 
same  way  this  year,  and  those  cut  a  month  ago  are 
breaking  out  freely.  The  earlier  they  are  taken  in 
hand  the  better,  in  order  that  the  young  growths 
may  get  well  ripened  before  winter,  but  where 
much  pruning  has  to  be  done  some  have  to  wait 
until  their  turn  comes.  Hardy  Azaleas  do  not 
grow  so  strongly  as  Rhododendrons;  consequently 
they  are  not  so  difficult  to  keep  within  bounds.  In 


that  case  pruning  is  but  little  required,  as  they 
form  themselves  into  fairly  good  shape  if  allowed 
suflicient  room.  The  same  remarks  apply  to 
Ledums,  Kalmias,  and  Pieris  (Andromeda)  flori- 
bunda. 

Flovi'ERIng  shrubs  have  not  produced  such  a 
wealth  of  flowers  and  clean  foliage  this  year  as 
they  did  last ;  the  spring  frosts  destroyed  a  great 
quantity  of  bloom  before  it  opened,  and  nearly 
everything  with  us  has  since  been  infested  with 
blight  and  insects  of  various  descriptions.  Most 
of  the  evergreen  and  ornamental-foliaged  section 
previously  mentioned  may  with  advantage  be  cut 
over  occasionally  in  summer,  or  pruned  as  each 
subject  may  require  according  to  the  position 
which  it  is  meant  to  occupy.  A  sloping  bank  of 
the  smaller-leaved  sorts  of  common  Laurels  looks 
well  when  the  plants  are  established  and  are  cut 
over  evenly  with  the  knife  two  or  three  times 
during  the  summer.  Dwarf  clumps  of  these  may 
be  treated  in  a  similar  way,  and  the  plants,  except 
they  are  very  old,  break  well  when  cut  back  hard. 
Berberis  Aquifolium  is  also  well  adapted  for  cer- 
tain positions,  but,  as  a  rule,  it  does  not  transplant 
successfully  except  when  young.  Aucubas  grow 
somewhat  flat  and  uneven  if  allowed  to  have  their 
own  way;  remove  and  thin  some  of  the  growths 
and  the  plants  will  be  greatly  improved  thereby. 
Golden  Elders  are  extremely  effective  in  summer 
planted  at  intervals  between  other  shrubs  or  in 
masses.  They  might  be  used  extensively  where 
only  a  summer  display  is  required,  as  Elders  are 
unfortunately  deciduous.  They  transplant  very 
easily  and  may  be  kept  quite  dwarf  by  pinching 
out  the  points  occasionally  in  summer.  The  leaves 
are  of  a  bright  golden  colour  if  in  an  open,  sunny 
position.  Silver  Elders  are  very  liable  to  revert  to 
the  green  form,  but  so  far  as  I  have  seen  the  golden 
Elder  has  shown  no  signs  of  reversion. 

In  mixed  shrubbery  borders  each  plant 
should  have  sufficient  room,  and  those  in  the  front 
line  should  be  of  a  dwarf-growing  character,  or 
such  as  can  be  kept  dwarf  without  being  unsightly. 
Pruning  should  all  be  done  with  the  knife,  or 
special  shears  for  the  purpose  that  cut  in  the  same 
way  as  secateurs.  Where  these  are  used  none  of 
the  leaves  left  are  injured,  and  much  of  the  cutting 
cannot  be  detected  by  outward  appearances.  Sum- 
mer pruning  of  trees  is  chiefly  limited  to  removing 
growths  from  side  branches  that  take  a  lead,  and 
are  apt  to  injure  the  top  growth.  Deodars  may  in 
many  cases  be  greatly  improved  by  shortening 
some  of  the  branches  that  grow  in  this  way,  but 
great  care  must  be  taken  in  doing  it  to  keep  the 
trees  symmetrical.  The  same  remarks  apply  to 
many  other  trees  in  large  collections.         J.  G. 

Surrey. 


PTEROSTYRAX  HISPIDUM. 
Some  beautiful  flowering  sprays  of  this  rare 
Japanese  shrub  have  been  sent  to  us  by  Canon  Ella- 
combe  from  his  garden  at  Bitton,  where  it  thrives  to 
perfection,  but  the  flowers  are  not  quite  up  to  the 
average  this  season,  owing  to  the  check  which  they 
received  from  frost  in  April.  The  plant  itself  is, 
however,  perfectly  hardy  and  grows  luxuriantly. 
The  accompanying  illustration  represents  a  flower- 
raceme  of  this  pretty  shrub.  The  blossoms  are 
pure  white,  something  like  those  of  the  Snowdrop 
tree  (Halesia)  in  shape,  and  the  racemes  hang 
gracefully  amidst  broad  healthy  foliage.  It  is  to 
be  regretted  that  such  a  valuable  shrub  should  still 
be  rare  in  gardens. 


The  Pyracantha  is  grown  more  for  its 
berries,  which  are  retained  throughout  the  winter, 
than  for  its  flowers,  but  the  latter  are  by  no  means 
unattractive ;  indeed,  some  bushes  of  the  variety 
Lelandi  grown  in  rather  poor  soil  have  been  this 
season  objects  of  great  beauty,  owing  to  the  pro- 
fusion with  which  their  blossoms  have  been  pro- 
duced. The  berries  of  this  variety,  too,  seem  to 
be  more  ornamental  than  those  of  the  common 
kind.  The  plants  under  notice  were  struck  from 
cuttings,  a  circumstance  which  would  partly  ac- 
count for  their  great  floriferousness,  even  when 
small.     I'his  mode  of  propagation  is  to  be  pre- 


JuLT   12,   1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


23 


ferred  to  seeds.  Cuttings  formed  of  the  half- 
ripened  wood,  if  kept  close  in  a  cold  frame,  soon 
emit  roots.  They  may  be  put  in  at  almost  any 
season  of  the  year,  provided  the  young  shoots  are 
not  too  succulent. — T. 


Indoor  Garden. 


SPIR.EA  JAPONICA. 
Op  flowering  plants  few  indeed  are  more  useful 
than  this.  We  force  it  into  bloom  in  January,  and 
have  a  constant  succession  of  it  until  the  middle 
of  July.  For  cutting  for  vase  decoration  we  find 
nothing  more  useful  especially  in  early  spring,  the 
flower-heads  being  graceful  in  form  and  of  that 
pure  white  which  harmonises 
so  well  with  all  other  shades 
of  colour.  There  is  nothing 
flimsy  about  the  blooms  ;  they 
invariably  open  well,  remain 
a  long  time  in  good  condition, 
and  are  not  easily  injured 
by  transit  in  a  cut  state. 
This  Spira:ais  suitablefor  either 
the  greenhouse  or  the  herba- 
ceous border.  Our  early  plants 
of  it  adorn  both.  As  to  its  cul- 
ture.no  plant  can  be  more  easily 
grown  ;  it  is  perfectly  hardy,  it 
will  succeed  exposed  to  the  sun 
from  morning  till  night,  or  it 
will  thrive  and  bloom  profusely 
without  being  exposed  to  a 
single  ray  of  sunshine.  Our  lat- 
est plants  now  coming  into 
bloom  are  growing  along  the 
bottom  of  a  north  wall  where 
they  are  constantly  in  the 
shade,  but  these  shade-grown 
plants  would  never  force  into 
flower  early  in  spring.  To  ac- 
complish this  it  is  of  the  great- 
est importance  that  the  plants 
be  grown  strongly  in  the  early 
part  of  the  season,  and  that  they 
have  their  crowns  thoroughly 
matured  before  the  winter  sets 
in.  It  is  generally  asserted  that 
foreign  crowns  force  more 
readily  and  are  better  matured 
than  home-grown  ones.  Better 
matured  they  may  be,  but  it 
would  be  impossible  for  them 
to  force  more  satisfactorily  than 
the  home-grown  plants  when 
properly  cultivated.  Large 
plants  in  10-inch  and  12-inch 
pots  are  most  useful  for  late 
spring  and  Easter  decoration, 
but  for  January  flowering  small, 
well-developed  crowns  in  6-inch 
and  7-inch  pots  are  best. 

When  plants  of  this  Spiraea  be- 
come too  large,  a  number  of  them 
should  be  divided  and  potted 
into  small  pots  early  in  the 
season,  or  after  they  have  done 
blooming.  These  should  have  a 
good  rich  sandy  soil  in  which 
to  grow.  Until  the  end  of 
May  they  should  be  afforded  the  protection  of 
a  frame  ;  after  that,  until  the  autumn  they  should 
occupy  a  warm,  sunny  position,  and  if  the  pots  can 
be  plunged,  so  much  the  better.  This  will  keep 
the  roots  cool,  which  is  an  advantage,  as  they  can- 
not bear  anything  like  roasting  or  dryness  at  the 
root  in  summer,  and  one  of  the  main  points  in 
their  culture  then  is  to  keep  them  constantly  well 
supplied  with  water.  The  earliest  developed  and 
best  matured  crowns  should  always  be  used  for 
forcing  first;  weak  ones  or  those  only  recently 
done  flowering  would  never  be  satisfactory  if 
forced  in  December  to  bloom  in  January.  When 
plants  have  been  forced  year  after  year  for 
a  few  seasons,  thus  impairing  their  constitutions 
to  some  extent,  it  is  well  to  give  them  a  rest  and 
turn  them  out  into  the  borders,  where  they  should 
be  allowed  to  go  on  in  their  own  way  for  a  year 


or  two  before  being  repotted.  Plants  which 
bloomed  in  January  last  for  the  first  time  may  be 
allowed  to  bloom  again  at  the  same  time  or  there- 
abouts the  following  year,  but  they  should  not  be 
forced  more  than  this  for  some  time  afterwards. 
They  will,  however,  bloom  freely  later  in  spring, 
or  they  may  be  turned  out  and  rested  in  the  open 
borders.  It  is  no  hard  matter  to  force  them  into 
flower  from  the  new  year  onwards.  A  temperature 
of  70°  and  plenty  of  moisture  will  do  it,  and  a 
succession  of  flowers  may  be  kept  up  by  introducing 
a  few  plants  into  heat  every  two  or  three  weeks. 
In  April  and  May  plants  in  pots  will  come  into 
flower  without  any  artificial  heat  if  they  have  the 
protection  of  a  glass  light,  then  those  growing  in 
ordinary  borders  succeed  them,  and  finally  those 


stronger  than  they  would  do  under  the  best  system 
of  pot  culture. — J.  C.  B. 


behind  the  north  wall  finish  up  a  seven  months'! 
supply  of  Spirsa  bloom.  J.  MuiR. 


5215. —  Eucharls    amazonlca    planted 

out. — I  should  advise  "  Enquirer  '  not  to  run  the 
hot-water  pipes  through  the  bed  of  soil  in  which 
the  Eucharises  are  to  be  planted.  They  would 
not  serve  any  good  purpose,  but  would  dry  the 
earth,  and  probably  at  some  time  destroy  or  injure 
some  of  the  roots.  If  the  arrangement  of  the 
pipes  admit  of  it,  the  bed  of  soil  should  be  ju-t 
over  them — not  necessarily  close  to  them,  but 
where  the  warmth  from  them  would  gently  pass 
into  the  compost.  This  would  give  all  the  requi 
site  bottom-heat,  and  in  well-prepared  compost 
with  judicious  watering  there  would  be  no  doubt 
as  to  the  bulbs  growing  and  fiowering  well — much 


MARKET  GARDEN  NOTES. 

Gbapes. — The  fate  of  the  Black  Hamburgh  as  a 
market  Grape    appears  to  be  sealed,  and  it  is 
probable  that  in  the  course  of  a  very  few  years  not 
a  plant  of  it  will  be  found  in  the  market  gardens 
around  London.     Formerly  it  was  grown  to  come 
in  from  November  to  January,  but  in  some  seasons 
it  was  a  matter  of  considerable  difficulty  to  keep  it 
thus  long,  and  it  was  only  on  thoroughly  well  cul- 
tivated Vines  that  it  was  practicable  to  do  so  in 
a  general  way.     For  the  mid-winter  supply  Black 
Alicante  has   quite   supplanted  it,  and  only  those 
who  are  not  aware  of  the  merits 
of  this  Grape  would  ever  think 
of  growing  Hamburghs  for  cut- 
ting in  the  early  winter  months. 
The  AUcante  appears  to  be  of 
as  easy  culture  as    the  Ham- 
burgh.    It  is  of  greater  value 
and    keeps   longer    with    less 
trouble.    Unlike  Lady  Downes 
and  Gros  Colmar,  it  does  not 
require  any  great  outlay   for 
firing  to  ripen  it,   but  comes 
along    with    about    the    same 
treatment  that    Black    Ham- 
burghs demand.     A  friend  of 
mine  grew  the  two  kinds   in 
the  same  house,  and  they  did 
equally  well    with    the    same 
treatment,  a  fact  which  occa- 
sioned me  some  surprise,  as  I 
took  it  for  granted   that   the 
Black  Alicante  required  a  longer 
season  of  growth.     But  I  re- 
member having  seen  these  two 
varieties  growing  side  by  sidein 
the  open  air  on  the  Continent, 
and  they  ripened  at  just  about 
the  same  time.     But  the  mar- 
ket  Grape    of    the    future  is 
undoubtedly  Gros  Colmar,  the 
imposing  appearance  of  which 
puts  in    the    shade  all   other 
cultivated      kinds     of     black 
Grapes,  and  the  higher  price 
which    it  realises    more   than 
compensates  for  the  extra  skill 
and   expense    involved   in   its 
culture.     It  is  probable  that  in 
time  this  will  be  almost  the 
only  black  Grape  grown  for  the 
London  markets,  for  in  Covent 
Garden   intrinsic  worth  is  as 
nothing  compared  with  appear- 
ance.     Size   and    colour  out- 
weigh flavour  there  both  in  the 
matter  of  Grapes    and    other 
fruits.     I  am  informed  on  good 
authority  that  the  Messrs.  Roch- 
ford    are    erecting    seventeen 
vineries,  each  100  feet  long,  to 
be  filled  with  Gros  Colmar,  a 
fact  which   suSiciently  shows 
the  favour  in  which  this  Grape 
is  now  held  by  those  who  best 
know  the  requirements  of  the 
London  markets,  and  is  a  sign  that  Grape  culture 
in  experienced  hands  still  gives  good  returns.    Mr. 
Ladds,  however,  who  seems  determined  to  exceed 
all  others  in  the  magnitude  of  his  operations,  is,  I 
believe,  about  to  build,  or  is  actually  engaged  in 
the  erection  of,  a  grapery  over  700  feet  in  length. 
I  do   not   know  with    what    kinds   it  is   to    be 
planted,  but  undoubtedly  with  long  keeping  kinds. 
This,   I  believe,   will  be   the  largest    vinery    in 
England. 

Tomatoes. — The  old  saying  that  "when  one 
gate  shuts  another  opens  "  appears  to  be  a  truism 
in  the  case  of  market  culture,  for  in  my  recollec- 
tion several  important  sources  of  revenue  have 
closed  to  those  engaged  in  growing  for  profit,  but 
the  loss  of  which  has  been  compensated  by 
other  equally  lucrative  ones  springing  up  in  their 
place.     Thus  we  have  witnessed  the  decline  and 


24 


THE    GARDEN 


[JvLY  12,  1884 


fall  of  Cherry  forcing  and  Fine  culture,  whilst  the 
Tomato,  at  an  almost  sudden  bound,  has  attained 
such  popularity  and  is  grown  in  such  quantities 
as  would  never  have  been  thought  possible  only  a 
very  few  years  ago.  The  fact  of  one  grower  alone 
having  made  preparations  for  sending  six  hundred 
tons  of  house-grown  Tomatoes  into  market  this 
season  is  a  proof  that  the  culture  of  this  esculent 
has  become  one  of  the  most  important  of  garden- 
ing industries  at  the  present  time.  Whether  the 
supply  will  not  in  time  so  far  exceed  the  demand 
as  to  cause  the  prices  obtainable  to  be  too  low  to 
prove  remunerative  is  another  matter  ;  at  the  pre- 
sent moment  it  would  seem  that  Tomato  growing 
under  glass  is  a  profitable  affair. 

Pines— I  mention  these  merely  to  observe  that, 
in  spite  of  what  has  been  said  to  the  contrary, 
there  is  no  longer  any  chance  of  Pines  being  pro- 
fitably grown  for  market.  I  should  have  thought 
that  the  very  fact  of  market  gardeners  generally 
abandoning  the  culture  of  any  particular  fruit 
— such  a?  Pines,  for  instance — would  be  convinc- 
ing proof  that  it  could  not  be  made  to  pay.  No 
market  grower  will  relinquish  the  production  of 
any  one  thing  until  circumstances  drive  him  to  do 
so,  and  your  readers  may  rest  assured  that  Pine 
culture  in  this  country  as  a  market  industry  is 
dead — done  to  death  by  foreign  competition,  a 
fate  which  possibly  awaits  many  other  things  now 
largely  grown  in  England.  I  do  not  know  of  any 
market  gardener  in  the  neighbourhood  of  London 
who  now  makes  a  speciality  of  Pine  culture,  with 
the  exception  of  Messrs.  Wilmot,  and  they,  I  be- 
lieve, now  do  comparatively  little  in  that  way, 
and  rely  principally  upon  a  private  connection  for 
disposing  of  their  produce,  and  yet  it  is  not  so 
very  long  since  I  have  known  these  growers  send 
in  twenty-five  Pines  into  Covent  Garden  in  a 
single  morning. 

Outdoor  Strawberries.— From  what  I  hear, 
the  open-air  crops  are  again  good  this  year, 
although  I  should  think  that  the  yield  is  not  likely 
to  be  so  heavy  as  last  season,  owing  to  the  con- 
tinued drought.  The  cold  nights  and  drying 
moistureless  days  of  the  latter  part  of  May  much 
retarded  the  ripening,  so  that  fiuit  was  excep- 
tionally scarce  during  the  first  three  weeks  in 
June.  It  is  curious  what  changes  take  place  in 
market  culture  in  a  few  years.  A  short  time  back 
one  did  not  hear  particular  mention  made  of  such 
a  place  as  Southampton  in  connection  with  Straw- 
berry culture.  Now  from  the  neighbourhood  of 
that  town  come  the  main  supplies  during  the 
earliest  period  of  the  outdoor  season.  As  soon  as 
the  Southampton  fruit  comes  in  the  price  drops 
immediately  to  Is.  per  pound.  We  always  know 
what  to  expect  when  an  advice  from  the  salesman 
says,  "  Southampton  Strawberries  coming  in." 
There  are  such  immense  plantations  now  in  that 
district,  that  even  the  first  gatherings  amount  to 
tons  daily,  and  the  fruit  is  in  a  general  way  very 
good.  The  development  of  Strawberry  culture 
has  given  to  Covent  Garden  a  larger  amount  of 
early  fruit  than  was  the  case  a  few  years  ago 
by  the  opening  up  of  localities  where  it  ripens 
a  week  or  ten  days  before  the  main  crops  come 
in  from  the  neighbourhood  of  London,  from  Kent, 
and  Esses.  At  one  time  there  used  to  be  an 
interval  between  the  Cornwall  fruit,  the  late 
house  and  frame  fruits,  and  the  main  crops,  but 
this  is  now  bridged  over  by  favoured  districts  in 
various  places,  and  which  are  continually  being, 
as  it  were,  discovered.  Thus  there  is  not  eight 
miles  from  here  a  Strawberry  grower  who  can 
pick  fruit  almost  as  early  in  the  open  as  we  can  in 
cold  frames  carefully  covered  up  at  night,  and  this 
year  his  early  contributions  realised  4s.  per  lb.,  a 
handsome  price  for  outdoor  fruit,  and  which  would 
make  the  fortune  of  any  grower  who  had  enough 
ground  of  that  description.  But  these  very 
warm  situations  are  nearly  always  of  limited  ex- 
tent. Where  the  fruit  ripens  thus  early  the 
ground  is  of  peculiar  configuration,  being  per- 
fectly sheltered  from  cold,  cutting  winds,  yet 
lying  well  up,  forming  a  slope  and  open  to  the 
sun  all  the  day  through.  The  soil,  too,  being 
light,  favours  precocity.  Such  a  combination  of 
favourable  circumstances  but  rarely  occurs  ;  bnt 


there  are  doubtless  thousands  of  places  of  a  nature 
peculiarly  favourable  to  the  early  or  sure  pro- 
duction of  some  kind  of  hardy  fruit  now  either 
lying  waste  or  of  but  little  value  to  the  owner.  1 
know  of  land  near  here  given  over  to  rabbits 
because  it  would  not  grow  corn  and  roots  so  well  as 
it  might,  but  which  is  one  of  the  best  situations 
for  Apples  and  Plums  I  ever  saw,  being  naturally 
well  drained  and  sheltered.  J.  C.  B. 


RECENT  PLANT  PORTEilTS. 

Drymoxia  marmorata  {Botaniciil  Magazine, 
plate  6763). — A  double  plate  of  a  very  handsome 
plant,  probably  a  native  of  Guiana,  which  flowered 
in  the  establishment  of  Mr.  Bull  in  June,  188.S, 
but  all  trace  of  its  origin  has  been  unfortunately 
lost.  It  has  handsome  marbled  foliage  with  con- 
spicuous yellow  tubular  flowers,  much  resembling 
those  of  some  of  Gesneriaceje,  and  issuing  from 
bright  rosy  bracts  or  calices.  It  seems  to  be  a 
very  free  flowerer,  and  should  be  a  desirable  addi- 
tion to  all  collections  of  large-growing  stove  plants. 

Hypericum  empetrifohum  {Botanical Maga- 
zine, plate  6764).— This  pretty  half-hardy  little 
St.  John's  Wort,  which  is  a  native  of  Greece,  has 
been  already  figured  on  plate  178  of  this  work 
under  the  erroneous  name  of  H.  Coris,  the  true  H. 
Coris  being  also  recently  figured  on  plate  6563. 
The  two  varieties  are  quite  distinct  in  habit, 
though  almost  alike  in  flower. 

Caraguata  sanguinea  {Botanical  Magazine, 
plate  6765). — This  handsome  Bromeliad  is  a  native 
of  New  Granada,  and  was  first  seen  by  its  intro- 
ducer, M.  B.  Andre,  in  May,  1876,  when  on  one  of 
his  botanical  excursions  in  the  Western  Cordilleras 
of  the  Andes  of  New  Granada.  None  of  the  first 
gathering  reached  Europe  alive,  but  it  was  suc- 
cessfully introduced  in  1880,  and  has  been  pro- 
pagated, and  will  shortly  be  distributed  by  M. 
Brnant,  of  Poitiers.  The  present  portrait  was 
drawn  in  November  last,  from  a  plant  presented 
to  the  Kew  collection  by  M.  Andre. 

SOLAKUM  Jajiesi  {Ilotanical  Magazine,  plate 
G766). — A  small.white-fiowered,  herbaceous,  tuber- 
bearing  I'otato,  a  native  of  Arizona  and  Mexico, 
which  may  possibly  be  the  means  of  improving 
and  rendering  disease-proof  our  cultivated  species. 
Experiments  are  now  being  made  with  this  and 
other  wild  sorts  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic,  the 
results  of  which  are  looked  forward  to  with  much 
interest. 

Begonia  Beddomei  {Botanical  Magazine, 
plate  6767). — This  is  a  native  of  Assam,  and  is 
another  addition  to  the  already  large  group  of 
Asiatic  Begonias  more  or  less  nearly  allied  to  the 
well-known  B.  Rex.  This  variety  has  pretty  pale 
pink  flowers,  but  is  principally  remarkable  for  the 
pellucid  character  of  the  leaf,  the  red  under  sur- 
face of  which  is  in  certain  lights  visible  through 
the  tissue,  and  the  white  spots  on  the  upper  surface 
have  a  beautiful  silvery  lustre. 

Cypripedium  Spicebianum  {Selgique  Horti- 
cole  for  October,  1883). — A  carefully  drawn  por- 
trait of  this  beautiful  Bornean  Lady's  Slipper, 
introduced  in  1878,  and  now  pretty  well  known, 
and  to  be  found  in  most  good  collections. 

Aphelandea  Margarita  {Beh/ique  Hortieole 
for  November,  1883).— A  beautiful  and  distinct 
new  species  of  these  handsome  stove  plants,  de- 
sirable both  for  its  bunches  of  bright  fiery  orange 
flowers,  and  also  for  its  exceedingly  handsome 
dark  green  foliage,  which  is  beautifully  and  evenly 
variegated  with  pale  yellow  bars,  and  of  a  bright 
rose  colour  underneath.  It  is  of  a  dwarf  and 
compact  habit  of  growth,  resembling  A.  pumila 
in  that  respect,  and  has  been  introduced  by 
Messrs.  Jacob  Makoy,  of  Liege. 

Azalea  isdica  Vervaexiana  {Illustration 
Horticcle,  plate  523).— A  very  handsome  seedling, 
raised  by  M.  Joseph  Vervaene,  with  large  semi- 
double  carmine  flowers  distinctly  blotched  and 
margined  with  pure  white. 

Odontoglo.ssum  nebulosum  var  guttatum 
{Illustration  Hortieole,  plate  524).— A  beautiful 
and  deeply- spotted  form  of  the  comparatively 
well-known  0.  nebulosum,  which  has  been  intro- 


duced from  Mexico  by  the  Compagnie  Continen- 
tale  d'Horticulture  of  Ghent. 

PENTACH.STE  AUREi  (Regel's  Garienflora, 
plate  1153). — A  small  and  slender-growing  her- 
baceous plant,  with  hair-like  foliage,  and  bearing 
on  the  top  of  each  stem  a  pretty  semi-double 
yellow  flower  of  medium  size  and  good  substance. 

W.  E.  G. 


Garden   Flora. 


PLATE  448. 
A  GROUP  OF  HEPATICAS.* 
The  genus  Hepatica,  although  consisting  of 
but  few  really  good  species,  is,  nevertheless, 
extremely  rich  in  single  and  double  varie- 
ties, many  of  which  are  very  brilliant  spring 
flowers.  In  the  annexed  plate  we  have  a  group 
of  single  forms  showing  considerable  diversity  in 
the  way  of  colour.  A  pure  white  kind,  not  repre- 
sented in  the  plate,  has  flowers  nearly  an  inch  in 
diameter,  with  bright  and  very  conspicuous  red 
stamens ;  Barlowi,  with  exquisite  mauve-coloured 
flowers,  is  also  large  and  pretty  distinct;  H. 
ccerulea  is  a  free  flowering  deep  blue,  singls,  and 
very  handsome  kind,  as  is  also  the  double  form  of 
it ;  H.  rosea  is  an  extremely  free  flowering  sort,  of 
which  there  is  a  larger  form  called  graudiflora  in 
which  the  colour  is  more  intense ;  H.  lilaoina,  a  pale 
lilac,  is  very  pretty  and  distinct ;  H.  angulosa, 
although,  perhaps,  not  so  free  flowering  as  some 
of  the  others,  has  flowers  of  a  very  large  size ;  in- 
deed, they  are  not  infrequently  as  large  as  a  crown- 
piece.  It  is  easily  distinguished  from  the  above 
by  its  creeping  roots  and  large,  hairy,  from  three 
to  five-lobed  leaves,  which  are  again  divided  into 
smaller  lobes  or  notches.  It  grows  from  6  inches 
to  12  inches  high.  The  flowers  are  sky-blue  and 
very  handsome.  It  grows  in  woods  and  along 
hillsides  in  Canada.  H.  acutiloba  has  been  quoted 
as  a  variety  of  H.  triloba,  which  it  probably  is, 
but  it  has  distinct,  acute-pointed  lobes,  varying 
from  three  to  five,  and  variously  coloured  flowers, 
which  are  very  pretty  and  distinct.  The  different 
varieties  of  Hepatica,  though  really  easy  of 
culture,  are  by  no  means  always  seen  in  good 
order  in  gardens.  Their  main  requirements  are  a 
cool  aspect,  a  sheltered  position,  and  complete  or 
partial  shade.  In  their  alpine  homes  they  are 
found  on  the  sides  of  rocky,  wooded  ravines, 
mostly  facing  north  and  east,  protected  by  the 
depth  of  the  valley,  and  rarely  getting  direct  sun- 
light. They  delight  in  cosy  nooks  close  up  to 
rocks  or  stumps  —  conditions  that  should  be 
imitated  for  them  in  cultivation.  Given  these 
requirements,  they  will  succeed  in  a  variety 
of  soils.  In  the  Alps  they  grow  mostly  in, 
a  rich  dark  loam,  that  has  a  natural  annual  top- 
dressing  of  decayed  leaf-mould,  but  in  gardens 
they  also  do  well  in  light  and  peaty  soil,  the 
foliage  acquiring  great  size,  enduring  throughout 
the  winter  and  accompanying  the  next  spring's 
bloom.  Many  beautiful  varieties  are  in  cultiva- 
tion, embracing  a  wide  range  of  colouring,  from 
pure  white  through  faintest  lilac  to  deep  purple, 
and  from  palest  pink  to  a  full  rose-colour.  Those 
from  the  Pyrenees  are  much  more  variable  in 
colour  than  those  from  the  Alps,  but  none  are 
finer  in  a  mass  or  larger  in  individual  flower 
than  the  common  blue  Hepatica  of  alpine  woods. 
In  collecting  plants  on  steep  gradients  it  is 
curious  to  notice  how  all  the  roots  grow  uphill,  as 
if  the  better  to  resist  a  surface  rush  of  water, 
snow,  or  rolling  stones. 

»  Drawn  In  Mr,  Ware's  Nursery,  Totteuham. 


JiT.y   1-2,  1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


25 


SEASONABLE   WORK. 


FLOWER  GARDEN. 

Bedding  plants. — Bedded-out  plants  are  now 
beginning  to  grow  freely,  and  increased  diligence 
will  be  needed  to  keep  them  in  neat  form ;  peg 
them  out  to  cover  the  ground  at  the  earliest 
moment,  and  water  liberally,  bat  not  too  fre- 
quently ;  they  will  then  root  deeply  and  be  unin- 
jured by  a  few  days'  drought  should  circumstances 
prevent  water  being  applied.  AUemantheras  and 
other  delicate  kinds  would  be  greatly  assisted  by 
a  syringing  at  sunset  on  warm  evenings  and  a 
light  surface  mulching  of  Cocoa  fibre  or  leaf-soil. 
Keep  all  bad  and  seeding  flowers  ofE  Violas,  Ver- 
benas, Calceolarias,  and 
Petunias;  this  attention, 
combined  with  a  good 
watering  once  or  twice 
a  week,  will  suffice 
to  keep  these  usually 
quickly  exhausted  plants 
in  vigorous  condition 
throughout  the  season. 
Carpeting  plants  and 
nndergrowths  require  to 
be  gone  over  once  a 
week  ;  Sedums  and  si- 
milar kinds  should  be 
pressed  out  with  the 
fingers  to  prevent  a 
tufty  growth,  while  the 
creeping  kinds  should 
be  pegged  or  pinched, 
and  stronger  growers, 
such  as  Mentha  and  Vero- 
nica rupestris,  clipped. 

Hekbaceous  plant 
BORDEKS.  — As  respects 
gaiety,  these  at  the  pre- 
sent time  are  in  marked 
contrast  to  the  bedders, 
and  deserve  all  the  la- 
bour as  to  keeping  them 
in  order  that  can  be 
afforded  them.  Without 
such  attention  it  is  need- 
less to  expect  results  at 
all  proportionate  to  those 
had  from  bedding  plants ; 
hence  their  being  so 
often,  but  unjustly,  de- 
signated weedy  and  un- 
satisfactory. Fill  up  va- 
cancies by  planting  out 
seedling  biennials  for 
flowering  next  year,  such 
as  Sweet  Williams,  Can- 
terbury Bells,  Geums, 
Columbines,  Delphi- 
niums, and  other  favour- 
ite kinds.  Should  the 
weather  become  dry, 
they  will  need  watering 
about  twice  a  week  till 
well  established.  Other 
appropriate  positions  for 
these  kinds  of  hardy 
plants  are  the  margins  of 
shrubberies  in  any  part 
of  the  dressed  grounds ; 

but  before  planting  them  the  shrubs  should  be 
trimmed  and  the  ground  about  them  freed  from 
weeds,  and  the  spots  for  the  plants  should  be 
forked  up,  adding  where  convenient  either  well- 
decayed  manure  or  fresh  soil. 


Lilies  (when  these  are  to  be  had,  no  one  need  seek 
for  the  Amazonian  Lily),  in  conjunction  with 
flowers  of  the  German  Iris,  chiefly  in  shades  of 
blue,  two  or  three  colours  of  Cornflower,  some 
spikes  of  London  Pride,  and  the  same  of  Spiraji 
japonica.  These,  with  the  common  Oat  Grass, 
Quaking  Grass,  and  Turk's-cap  Lily,  were  sufli- 
cient  to  form  a  pleasing  arrangement.  For  the  cor- 
nucopia we  had  Spiriea  again  with  London 
Pride,  Cornflower,  and  some  Grasses.  A  few  ten- 
der Fern  fronds  were  certainly  used,  but  had  the 
Meadow  Rue  (Thalictrum  minus)  been  at  hand, 
leaves  of  it  would  have  been  used  in  preference 
to  the  Ferns.  The  blooms  of  the  Water  Lily  when 
wanted  were  closed  ;  but  this  obstacle  can  easily 
be  got  over  by  passing  the  thumb  and  finger  up 


light  and  pretty.  The  following  Grasses  are  also 
quickly  coming  into  beauty,  viz.,  Agrostis  pul- 
chella  and  nebulosa,  Briza  gracilis  and  maxima, 
and  other  kinds  will  soon  succeed  these.  The 
various  forms  of  Liliums  now  in  flower  we  have  not 
included  in  the  above,  though  all  of  these  are 
beautiful ;  the  perfume  emitted  by  them  is,  how- 
ever, somewhat  powerful,  and  when  used  a  few 
only  at  a  time  ought  to  be  chosen.  They  are  fine 
subjects  for  large  vases  in  entrance  halls  or  cor- 
ridors, where  the  whole  spike  can  be  advan- 
tageously used  to  good  purpose. 


FLORAL  DECORATIONS. 
What  a  wealth  of  hardy  flowers  we  have  now  in 
full  beauty  I  From  these  any  who  delight  in 
artistic  decorations  can  draw  an  almost  endless 
variety.  We  recently  filled  a  stand  with  hardy 
flowers  alone  that  would  almost  vie  with  the 
choicest  inmates  of  our  stoves  and  greenhouses.  It 
was  arranged  as  a  centre-piece  for  a  dinner-table ; 
it  had  a  base  somewhat  over  2  feet  in  diameter, 
from  which  arose  a  single  cornucopia  with  a  slen- 
der stem.  ■  For  the  bottom  we  used  white  Water 


Hepatiea  angulosa  (see  p.  24 J. 


each  petal  very  carefully,  and  reflesing  them  till 
the  flower,  fully  open,  is  exposed  to  view.  Treated 
in  this  manner.  Water  Lilies  will  not  again  close 
at  night,  as  is  their  usual  custom.  Since  arranging 
this  stand  we  observe  that  several  valuable  addi- 
tions, all  hardy,  have  expanded,  such,  for  instance, 
as  Chelone  barbata  and  the  blue  and  white  forms 
of  Catananche  ccerulea,  the  latter,  we  think,  the 


INDOOR  PLANTS. 
Balsams. — These  quick-growing  plants  very 
soon  fill  their  pots  with  roots,  and  where  it  is  in- 
tended they  should  grow 
large  they  must  have 
proportionately  large 
pots,  but  it  is  of  little 
use  shifting  them  when 
the  bloom  buds  are  much 
advanced  ;  in  that  case 
all  that  can  be  done  is 
to  use  manure  water.  A 
diligent  outlook  must  be 
kept  for  aphides  on  all 
such  plants,  without 
which  they  are  likely  to 
get  infested,  and  their 
foliage  being  tenderdoes 
not  well  bear  Tobacco 
smoke.  Quassia  water, 
made  by  pouring  boiling 
water  on  Quassia  chips 
and  letting  them  remain 
in  it  for  a  day  or  so,  is  a 
good  preventive,  its  bit- 
ter properties  being  dis- 
tasteful to  most  kinds  of 
insects.  Aphides  rarely 
make  their  appearance 
on  plants  syringed  with 
Quassia  water  once  a 
week  or  so. 

Chhtsatjth  emums. — 
These  should  now  be  in 
their  blooming  pots,  and 
all  that  are  strong  should 
be  stopped  for  the  last 
time.  It  is  a  mistake  to 
stop  the  shoots  so  often 
or  so  late,  as  is  some- 
times practised,  as  when 
that  is  done,  and  the 
summer  happens  to  be  a 
short  one,  the  flowers  set 
so  late  as  to  have  insuf- 
ficient time  to  get  fairly 
formed  before  it  is  neces- 
sary to  take  the  plants 
indoors,  and  where  large 
flowers  are  required  stop- 
ping interferes  with  their 
production.  A  few  sticks 
should  be  placed  to  each 
plant  in  time  to  prevent 
its  being  broken  by  wind. 
As  soon  as  the  roots 
fairly  enter  the  new  soil, 
manure  water  ought  to 
be  used  once  or  twice  a 
week.  The  idea  that  Chrysanthemums  should  not 
have  any  stimulants  given  them  until  the  flowers 
are  set  is  a  mistake,  it  being  impossible  to  keep  the 
lower  leaves  on  them  without  it,  even  where  the 
attention  in  the  matter  of  water  is  such  as  to 
prevent  their  ever  suffering  through  drought. 

Dkac.enas. — Whatever  propagation  is  to  be  yet 
done  with  these  it  should  no  longer  be  delayed. 
The  crowns  of  all  the  stove  varieties,  as  well  as 
most  of  the  greenhouse  kinds,  will  strike  readily 


prettier.     Besides  these  there  are  Spiriea  Aruncus 

(the  Goat's-beard)  and  S.  palmata ;  also  Irises  of    

many  shades  of  colour,  and  than  which  nothing  j  in  water  in  stove  heat,  and  the  leaves  attaclied 
arranges  better  beside  the  blossoms  of  the  white  i  suffer  less  when  they  are  struck  in  this  way  than 
Water  Lilies.  The  shrubby  Spirrea  (S.  arijefolia)  ^if  the  rooting  process  is  effected  in  soil  or  sand, 
is  also  now  in  bloom,  and  will  be  quickly  followed  j  The  crowns  to  be  so  dealt  with  should  be  taken  off 
by  S.  Lindleyana.  Both  of  these  are  excellent  in  the  usual  way,  but  may  be  left  a  little  longer, 
while  they  last.  An  annual  now  in  flower  with  us  that  is,  so  many  leaves  need  not  be  removed, 
is  another  favourite,  viz.,  Gypsophila  elegans,  very    ihey  may  then  be  put  four  or  six  together  in  any- 


26 


THE     GARDEN 


[Jri,Y  12,  1884. 


thing  in  the  shape  of  small  jam-pots,  keeping  the 
pots  well  supplied  with  water  until  the  crowns  are 
well  rooted,  after  which  they  must  be  potted  and 
kept  close  for  a  week  or  two  until  they  have  got 
established.  This  will  be  found  a  better  method 
of  dealing  with  the  tops  of  these  plants  than  that 
which  is  usually  followed.  The  stems  composed 
of  the  hard  wood  are  best  shaken  out  of  the  pots, 
taking  off  the  bottom  root  pieces  already  formed 
and  potting  them  singly.  The  stems  may  then 
have  all  the  roots  cut  off  as  well  as  the  leaves, 
and  should  be  laid  flat  down  on  the  propagating 
bed,  covering  them  entirely  with  about  half-an- 
inch  of  soil.  Thus  managed  they  will  push  up  a 
crop  of  young  shoots  from  the  eyes  that  can  be 
taken  off  when  they  have  made  three  or  four  small 
leaves. 

Greenhouse  plants. — The  system  of  turning 
free-growing  greenhouse  plants  into  the  open 
ground  in  summer  has  much  to  recommend  it, 
provided  the  selection  made  for  such  treatment 
is  confined  to  plants  naturally  able  to  bear  the 
root  disturbance  inseparable  from  the  transfer 
from  the  open  ground  to  pots  before  winter,  and 
enough  attention  is  given  through  the  summer  in 
the  way  of  preparation,  so  as  to  avoid  the  check 
otherwise  calculated  to  result  in  serious  injury. 
The  plants  chosen  for  this  mode  of  summer 
management  should  be  free  rooters ;  amongst 
these  are  autumn-flowering  Veronicas,  Salvias, 
white  and  yellow  Paris  Daisies,  Solanums,  Chry- 
santhemums, and  Callas ;  in  all  cases  the  soil 
ought  to  be  free,  open,  and  not  over  rich ;  the 
former  condition  is  needful  to  admit  of  the  plants 
being  taken  up  with  a  thick  mass  of  roots  near 
home,  i  D.,  well  packed  together  about  the  collar, 
as  opposed  to  the  long  straggling  fibres  which 
plants  of  most  kinds  have  a  disposition  to  make  in 
heavy  strong  soils.  Nor  should  the  material  be 
over-rich,  as  if  so  growth  will  be  over-luxuriant ; 
the  plants  will  attain  too  much  tize,  which  will 
make  them  less  easily  accommodated.  To  still 
further  keep  them  within  a  reasonable  size  it  is 
well  to  cut  back  the  roots  with  a  spade  once  or 
twice  during  the  summer ;  this  restricting  ope- 
ration is  the  more  necessary  in  dripping  seasons 
when,  as  a  rule,  all  strong  growing  things  are 
liable  to  get  into  an  over-luxuriant  condition. 
When  the  roots  are  in  this  way  shortened  it  causes 
them  to  break  back,  and  to  make  many  more 
feeding  fibres  than  they  otherwise  would.  The 
work  should  be  done  with  judgment.  Where  there 
is  a  disposition  in  the  plants  to  get  too  large  or 
luxuriant,  the  root-severing  should  be  carried  out 
before  too  much  progress  has  been  made,  or  the 
leaves  will  suffer,  and  if  the  soil  is  at  all  dry 
enough,  wr.ter  must  be  given  to  prevent  the  leaves 
flagging,  and  in  all  cases  where  root  shortening  is 
thus  effected  they  must  be  cut  back,  so  as  to  keep 
the  balls  within  the  size  of  the  pots  they  are  ulti- 
mately to  occupy.  Where  Chrysanthemums  are 
grown  in  this  way  due  attention  must  be  given  to 
tying  the  shoots  up  before  they  get  so  long  as  an 
be  in  danger  of  breaking  with  the  wind.  The 
advantage  of  planting  out  in  this  manner  is  that 
much  less  attention  is  required. 

Ericas. — As  these  go  out  of  flower,  the  seed- 
pods  should  be  immediately  picked  off;  inatten- 
tion to  this  until  the  seeds  have  had  time  to  grow 
has  most  exhausting  effects  on  the  plants,  inter- 
fering much  with  the  season's  growth.  The 
favourite  yellow  E.  Cavendishi  requires  different 
management  from  the  generality  of  the  species, 
inasmuch  as  after  flowering  it  will  bear  keeping 
close  and  warm  for  some  weeks  to  further  growth. 
This  treatment  is  best  carried  out  in  the  case  of 
old  plants  that  have  bloomed  and  are  not  over- 
vigorous,  and  unless  so  used  for  a  time,  would  not 
flower  oftener  than  each  alternate  year.  Plants 
that  were  potted  in  the  spring  and  are  now  getting 
established  in  the  new  soil  should  have  more 
water,  but  on  no  account  give  it  oftener  than  the 
soil  gets  dry.  See  that  all  plants  now  out-of- 
doors  have  the  sides  of  the  pots  protected  from 
the  full  force  of  the  sun,  either  by  standing  them 
near  enough  together  to  give  this  protection  to 
each  other,  or  fastening  pieces  of  old  canvas  or 
some  such  material  on  each,  and  it  heavy  rains 


occur,  means  must  be  taken  to  keep  them  from 
getting  too  wet,  either  by  covering  with  loose 
lights  or  canvas,  or,  these  failing,  laying  the  plants 
down  on  their  sides. 

Mtrtles. — There  are  many  who  care  for  fra- 
grant-leaved plants  quite  as  much  as  flowers,  and 
although  old-fashioned,  independent  of  their 
sweet-smelling  foliage,  the  flowers  of  Myrtles  are 
pretty.  Myrtles  strike  readily  from  cuttings,  and 
where  the  stock  is  deficient,  it  is  well  to  put  some 
in,  choosing  shoots  that  are  about  half  ripe  and 
not  too  strong ;  if  these  can  be  slipped  off  with  a 
heel,  they  will  root  more  easily.  Put  six  or  eight 
together  in  small  pots,  keeping  them  moist  and 
close,  but  not  in  heat  until  the  base  of  the  cut- 
tings are  callused  over,  after  which  they  will  bear 
being  warmer.  Myrtles  are  naturally  erect-grow- 
ing plants,  and  to  keep  them  bushy  they  should 
be  well  cut  back  every  year,  by  which  means  they 
may  be  kept  fully  furnished  with  green  foliage 
down  to  the  base.  When  the  plants  have  attained 
a  moderate  size  they  are  better  out-of-doors  in  the 
summer.  The  ordinary  double- flowered  old  variety 
and  the  small-leaved  Jenny  Reiohenbach  are  both 
good  kinds ;  the  last  especially  is  very  pretty  in 
bouquets,  and  gives  to  arrangements  of  flowers  of 
this  kind  a  perfume  which  the  other  materials  of 
which  they  are  composed  are  not  unusually  defi- 
cient. 

Lantanas. — These  plants,  though  not  so  much 
grown  as  they  once  were,  can  easily  be  made  very 
useful  in  greenhouses  and  conservatories  during 
the  summer  and  autumn  months  at  a  season  when 
there  is  insufficient  variety.  Their  continuous 
di.sposition  to  flower  causes  the  plants  to  get  into 
an  exhausted  state  unless  they  have  adequate  pot 
room  to  meet  the  free  production  of  roots  natural 
to  them  ;  this  can  to  some  extent  be  met  by  the 
regular  use  of  manure  water.  Where  wanted  to 
bloom  freely  late  in  the  autumn  a  sufficient 
number  should  now  be  stood  out-of-doors  with 
their  pots  plunged  in  ashes,  in  all  cases  keeping 
them  freely  syringed  daily,  and  stopping  any 
shoots  that  grow  too  luxuriantly. 

Rose  cuttings. — Tea  Koses  for  pot  culture  of 
most  varieties  are  best  grown  on  their  own  roots, 
and  where  a  considerable  stock  is  required  cut- 
tings should  be  put  in  annually.  Shoots  of  me- 
dium strength  in  a  half  ripened  state  taken  off 
now  and  put  five  or  six  together  in  4-inch  pots  in 
sandy  soil  and  stood  on  a  moist  bottom  in  a  close, 
cold  frame,  kept  moist,  and  shaded  when  necessary 
for  three  weeks,  will  in  this  time  get  callused  over 
at  the  bottom,  after  which,  if  submitted  to 
a  humid  heat,  they  will  soon  root  freely  ;  whereas 
if  placed  in  heat  »-ithout  first  having  time  to 
callus,  many  will  damp  off.  Young  stock  of  the 
Tea  varieties  struck  in  the  spring  should  be  kept 
under  glass  all  the  summer,  as  well  as  the  ensuing 
winter  ;  in  fact,  it  is  a  question  if  this  section  of 
the  Rose  family  is  not  better  kept  wholly  under 
glass.  It  is  so  much  their  nature  to  be  continu- 
ously growing  more  or  less  during  the  greater 
portion  of  the  year  that  they  do  this  out-of-doors, 
and  with  a  glass  covering  they  are  never  quite  at 
rest  ;  neither  does  it  seem  that  rest  is  necessary 
for  them,  as  plants  so  treated  go  on  for  an  inde- 
finite time  increasing  in  size  and  retaining  their 
vigour.  The  great  thing  is  to  feed  them  well  by 
the  repeated  use  of  manure  water,  and  to  keep 
them  completely  free  from  aphides,  red  spider,  and 
mildew  ;  if  any  of  these  pests  are  present  they 
do  injury  in  a  very  short  time  which  it  takes  long 
to  repair. 

Campanulas. — The  drooping  C.  fragilis  makes 
one  of  the  prettiest  basket  plants  for  a  green- 
house or  window  that  can  be  grown  ;  it  is  easily 
managed,  and  little  subject  to  the  attacks  of 
insects.  By  placing  a  portion  of  the  stock  out-of- 
doors  in  the  spring  and  keeping  the  rest  in  a 
greenhouse,  the  season  of  their  blooming  will  be 
lengthened.  This  species  will  succeed  in  small 
pots — 6-in.  or  8-in.  are  large  enough — and  they 
will  do  two  or  three  years  without  re-potting ;  but 
when  thus  treated  they  should  have  manure  water 
in  the  spring  from  the  time  they  begin  to  grow 
up  to  their  season  of  flowering,     C.  pyramidalis 


will  now  be  coming  into  bloom,  and  should  have 
manure  water  regularly  until  the  fl;owers  open. 
Young  plants  raised  from  seed  sown  early  in  the 
spring  ought  to  be  pricked  off  in  the  open  ground 
in  a  bed  of  ordinary  soil  to  which  have  been  added 
some  leaf-mould  and  sand,  keeping  them  well 
watered  in  dry  weather,  for  on  their  getting  strong 
before  autumn  depends  their  ability  to  make 
handsome  specimens  next  year. 


FRUIT. 

Pines.— The  pit  in  which  the  early  started 
Qaeens  have  been  grown  may  now  be  renovated 
with  fresh  leaves  or  tan,  and  filled  up  with  the 
most  forward  fruiters  from  the  second  batch.  Let 
each  plant  be  made  firm  at  the  base  by  packing 
with  a  few  pieces  of  fresh  turf  ;  secure  the  fruit  in 
an  upright  position  by  tying  above  and  below  to 
stout  sticks,  and  plunge  lightly  at  first,  until  it  is 
seen  whether  the  new  material  will  become  too 
hot  or  not  for  the  roots  now  coiling  round  the 
pot's  inside.  The  greatest  length  of  days  having 
been  reached,  a  high  temperament,  with  a  corre- 
sponding supply  of  moisture,  may  now  be  advan- 
tageously given  to  them,  and  liberal  supplies  of 
generous  liquid  or  guano  water  maybe  used  when 
the  roots  require  feeding;  the  evaporating  pans 
may  also  be  replenished,  and  the  surface  of  the 
bed  syringed  with  the  same,  in  order  to  keep  up 
the  requisite  supply  of  atmospheric  moisture.  As 
the  re-arrangement  of  this  pit  will  make  room  in 
other  compartments,  a  general  turn  over  will  bring 
together  the  next  batch  of  starters,  from  which 
fine  autumn  fruit  may  be  expected,  and  afford 
facilities  for  shifting  strong  successions  still  oc- 
cupying small  pots.  See  that  the  balls  are 
thoroughly  moistened  before  they  are  potted  ;  use 
the  soil  in  a  dry,  rough  state,  and  ram  it  firmly  to 
prevent  water  from  passing  through  and  leaving 
them  dry  in  the  centre.  Be  careful  in  the  selec- 
tion of  medium-sized  pots,  using  the  largest  for 
Rothschilds  and  Cayennes  and  the  smallest  for 
Queens,  Jamaicas,  and  that  excellent  variety  Lord 
Carington.  Shade  slightly  from  bright  sun. 
Syringe  the  walls  and  dew  the  plants  overhead  on 
fine  afternoons,  but  guard  against  heavy  root 
watering  until  they  have  taken  freely  to  the  new 
soil. 

Apricots  are  a  fairly  good  crop,  and  require  a 
deal  of  thinning,  but  unfortunately  the  Apricot 
is  a  badly  treated  tree,  inasmuch  as  it  is  frequently 
burdened  with  such  heavy  loads  of  fruit  that  it  is 
no  uncommon  thing  to  see  them  forcing  each 
other  off  the  branches.  Where  after  repeated 
thinnings  the  trees  are  still  heavily  cropped,  the 
surplus  fruits  should  now  be  taken  off  and  used 
for  tarts  ;  leaders  should  be  nailed  in  and  laterals 
pinched  back,  but  not  too  close  on  south  walls ; 
the  borders  may  then  receive  a  little  more  good 
mulching,  followed  by  a  heavy  watering,  and 
little  more  will  be  needed  until  the  fruit  begins 
to  ripen. 

Plums  and  Cherries.— If  any  of  the  Bigar- 
reau  and  other  late  kinds  of  Cherries  are  still 
hanging  on  pot  trees,  they  will  be  the  better  for 
removal  to  a  cool,  airy  place  where  they  can  be 
effectually  protected  from  sun,  rain,  and  birds, 
and,  space  being  limited,  the  very  early  kinds  of 
Plums  may  be  placed  out-of-doors  to  ripen.  The 
finer  varieties,  including  the  Gages,  Jefferson's, 
Coe's  Golden  Drop,  Coe's  Late  Red,  Ickworth 
Imperatrice,  and  others,  which  are  so  much  im- 
proved by  being  grown  and  ripened  under  glass, 
may  then  be  re-arranged  for  the  season.  It  any 
of  the  second  growths  are  starling  away  freely, 
as  they  often  do  after  the  stoning  is  complete,  let 
them  be  stopped  at  the  third  or  fourth  joint,  other- 
wise they  will  rob  the  fruit  of  food,  and  shade  it 
from  bright  sunshine,  of  which  these  kinds  can- 
not have  too  much  provided  they  are  properly 
supplied  with  air  and  water.  Look  well  to  the 
mulching,  add  more  as  it  is  required ;  feed  well 
with  good  liquid,  and  syringe  twice  a  day  with 
clean  soft  water  until  the  fruit  begins  to  change 
for  ripening.  If  any  of  the  early  pot  Cherries 
from  which  the  fruit  has  been  gathered  require 
potting,  it  is   a  good  plan  to  give  them  a  shift 


Jur,v    12,   1884. 


THE     GAKDEN 


27 


before  they  are  taken  out  of  the  house,  and  as  the 
la'.ter  will  now  be  kept  like  a  warm  orchard  house, 
the  soft  humid  atmosphere  will  favour  the  rapid 
formation  of  fresh  roots.  When  new  growth  has 
set  in  no  time  must  be  lost  in  getting  them  re- 
moved, first  to  a  sheltered  shady  place  for  a  few 
days,  thence  to  a  dry,  open  situation  where  they 
can  be  plunged  and  mulched  to  save  watering.  As 
stone  fruit  trees  of  all  kinds  enjoy  a  firm,  resist- 
ing, calcareous  soil,  the  compost  in  which  they  are 
potted  should  be  firmly  rammed  and  the  shift 
should  be  large  enough  to  admit  of  good  drainage 
beneath  the  ball  and  plenty  of  room  above  it  for  a 
liberal  supply  of  water. 

Peaches  and  Nectabines. — When  all  the 
young  growths  actually  required  for  forming  the 
trees  have  been  nailed  or  tied  in  the  final  thin- 
ning of  the  fruit  will  follow  without  delay,  as  it 
rarely  happens  that  fairly  treated  trees  lose  many 
at  stoning  time.  Where  timely  attention  is  paid 
to  the  selection  of  the  fruit  for  the  crop,  prefer- 
ence should  always  be  given  to  the  finest  on  the 
upper  sides  of  the  shoots,  and  taking  the  whole 
area  of  the  wall  covered  with  foliage,  about  one 
Peach  to  every  square  foot  will  be  found  quite 
suflioient  for  ordinary  trees  to  carry.  From  this 
time  forward  the  principal  work  will  be  keeping 
the  foliage  clean  and  free  from  insects,  the  most 
troublesome  of  which  are  black  fly  and  red 
spider.  The  first  may  be  destroyed  by  the  per- 
sistent use  of  Tobacco  water,  and  the  second 
makes  but  little  headway  where  the  borders  are 
well  mulched  and  the  engine  is  vigorously  applied 
at  the  close  of  the  day.  The  proper  balance  of 
the  trees  must  also  be  kept  in  view,  otherwise 
foreright  and  gross  shoots,  while  robbing  the 
fruit,  will  greatly  interfere  with  the  extension  of 
the  leading  branches,  and  as  these  never  require 
stopping  where  there  is  wall  space  to  fill,  growths 
which  will  be  taken  out  after  the  fruit  is  gathered 
may  be  shortened  back  to  let  in  light  and  air,  so 
essential  to  the  proper  ripening  of  the  wood. 

Strawberries. —  Young  plants  intended  for 
making  new  plantations  should  be  taken  away 
from  the  parent  stools  and  removed  to  a  cool  shady 
situation  as  soon  as  the  small  pots  are  nicely  filled 
with  roots.  If  the  ground  upon  which  they  are  to 
be  planted  can  be  cleared  of  the  spring  crop, 
which  generally  consists  of  early  Peas  or  Potatoes, 
lose  no  time  in  getting  it  well  limed,  manured, 
and  broken  up  to  a  depth  of  18  inches  or  2  feet, 
add  another  dressing  of  manure,  fork  it  in  near  the 
surface,  and  tread  firmly.  Set  out  the  lines  2  feet 
6  inches  apart,  see  that  the  balls  of  the  young 
plants  are  thoroughly  wet  when  they  are  turned 
out,  and  place  them  1.5  inches  from  each  other  in 
the  rows.  Where  new  heavy  soil  is  plentiful  and 
can  be  spared,  give  a  little  if  only  a  6-inch  pottul, 
to  each  plant,  see  that  the  balls  are  firmly 
embedded  and  covered  to  protect  them  from 
drought.  Give  a  good  watering  to  settle  the  soil, 
and  mulch  with  a  little  short  manure. 


freshens  the  soil  and  sweetens  it,  too.  Uudersuch 
circumstances  the  young  seedlings  always  cjme 
up  strong  and  healthy. 


Flower   Garden. 


OX-EYE  DAISIES. 
A  FRIEND  of  mine  took  some  white    Stocks   to 
Covent  Garden  market  a  week  or  two  ago.    "  They 
are  very  good,''  the  salesman  said,  "  but  we  cannot 


KITCHEN  GARDEN. 
Potatoes  when  lifted  will  leave  ground  vacant 
for  the  earlier  kinds  of  Broccoli,  which  we  plant 
as  we  clear  the  ground.     We  let  the  Potato  tubers 
lie  for  an  hour  after  they  are  dug  in  order  that 
they  may  get  quite  dry  and  be  in  the  best  condition 
for  use.     Sow  at  once  the  latest  crop  of  Peas.  We 
grow  William  I.  and  Unique,  both  good  early  and 
late  varieties.    We  have  just  finished  planting  our 
stock  of  Celery,  excepting  a  row  or  two  for  very 
late  use.     Should  the  present  dry  weather  last, 
young  Asparagus  plantations  will  be  benefited  by 
being  mulched  with  short  litter  and  having  a  good 
soaking  of  manure  water.     Keep  the  beds  clean 
by  hoemg  and  weeding ;  in  fact,  time  may  now 
be  profitably  spent  in  using  the  hoe  amongst  all 
growing  crops.   We  have  now  got  well  into  July— 
an  important  month  for  the  kitchen  gardener. 
Eudive  and  Coleworts  should  be  sown  at  once. 
That  important  crop,  winter  Lettuces  and  Cab- 
bages of  all  varieties,  must  be  sown  this  month. 
The  land  should,  therefore,  be  got  ready  for  them 
without  delay.     Our  early  Pea  land  is  always  used 
for  seed  purposes,  well  cultivated,  but  never  dug 
at  all.     We  put  on  2  inches  of  burnt  refuse,  which 


get  much  for  them ; 

they  are  only  Gil- 

liflowers ;    but     if 

you  have  some  Ox- 
eye   Daisies,  send 

them  on  ;   we  can 

get    you     a    good 

price   for   them  I" 

(vide    page     509). 

Supposing    that 

the  above  extract 

is  true  —  and  we 

have     no     reason 

to  doubt  it  —  the 

fact     is     a    most 

remarkable      one. 

But      the     swing 

of  the    pendulum 

was     a     thing    to 

be  expected,   and 

all  our  tendencies 

to  -  day    lead    to- 
wards the  natural, 

instead  of  towards 

the     artificial    of 

yesterday.     If    it 

be   true  that  Na- 
ture     never     yet 

betrayed  the  heart 

that    loved      her, 

the      obverse      is 

quite      as       true, 

for  she  never  yet 

failed    to    punish 

those     who      dis- 
obeyed her  canons. 

For      years      the 

"  florist  proper  '' 
has  tried  to  coerce 
us  into  the  be- 
lief that  double 
Roses,  Chrysan- 
themums, Dahlias, 
and  Daisies  a- 
mong  other  flow- 
ers were  better 
than  the  single 
kinds.  Against  this 
dogma  many  be- 
sides myself  have  set  their  faces,  and  the  result  now- 
a-day  is  that  we  have  single-flowered  races  of  our 
popular  garden  flowers  not  to  the  exclusion 
of,  but  in  addition  to  the  double  forms.  The 
question  at  issue  is  not  whether  double  or  single 
flowers  of  any  species  or  race  are  best,  but  whether 
both  double  and  single-flowered  races  are  not 
better  than  either  grown  and  praised  by  a  clique 
to  the  exclusion  of  the  other.  We  are  not  of  those 
who  say  the  ''  florist  proper  "  of  yesterday  was  ever 
wrong  in  an  absolute  sense,  but  that  he  was  too 
narrow  and  restricted  in  his  views  has  of  late  years 
been  most  abundantly  evident.  After  all,  the 
world  is  wide  enough  for  all  tastes,  and  there  is 
ample   room  f  jr  beauty  the  most  varied  in  our 


Ox-eye  Daisies  in  a  h?dge. 


gardens  of  to-day.  A  lady   told  me  only  yesterday 
of  the  flower  beauty  a  short  London  season  had 
afforded  her,  and  especially  referred  to  the  beauty 
of  a  few  roots  of  the  common  Dandelion,  which  a 
noted  artist  had  deliberately  planted  in  his  town 
garden  for  its  early  colour  alike  in  blossom  as  in 
downy  seediness.  But  then  this  painter  is  a  cul- 
tured man,   and  the  extreme    beautv    so    often 
evident  in  common  things  was  not  thrown  away 
upon  him.    I  often  think  there  are  some  amongst 
us  who  admire  and   purchase  and  cultivate  the 
wild  flowers  of  other  countries  to  the  neglect  of 
those  equally  lovely  in  our  own  fields  and  woods 
at  home,  and  I  know  that  some  of  my  friends 
have  bitterly  repented  the  numerous  half-crowns 
squandered  upon  alpine  weeds  and  other  '•  new  " 
hardy  plants  offered  for  sale  during  the  past  few 
years.     But  there  is  a  time  for  all  things,  and  for 
plants,  as  for  dogs,  a  day  of  popularity  is  in  store, 
and  so  just  now  the   Ox-eye  Daisies,  which  have 
often  been  in  clover  in  a  literal  sense,  are  now 
loved  and  cherished  for  their  own  simple  andcheer- 
ful  beauty  alone.     I  have  just  been  into  the  fields, 
and  every  unmown  meadow  and  hedge-bank  is  a 
fluttering  mass  of  big  white  Daisies,  and  warm, 
dry  Potato  patches  are  fairly  aglow  with  Corn 
Marigolds.     Cotton    Grass,  bright  as   burnished 
silver,  gives  a  sheen  to  the  marshes  where  the  red 
cattle  are  just  now  shoulder  high  among  the  reeds 
and  yellow  Iris  flowers.     It  is  all  very  well  for 
us  to  smile  at  that  wave  of  good  taste  which  in 
some  measure,  no  doubt,  really  was  made  a  trifle 
ridiculous   by  lerthetes   of  the   "utterly  utter" 
type;    but     as    we    prefer    honey    to    stinging, 
so    let  us    take    to    ourselves    what    was     true 
and  good  of  it,  leaving  the  vulgar  imitation  to  its 
fate.     And  what  I  now  have  to  say  is,  that  many 
of  our  native  Daisy  flowers,  if  grown  with  the 
same  care  and  attention  given  to  a  double  Dahlia 
or  a  double  Pink,  will  prove  to  be  really  welcome 
additions  to  even  the  best-kept  garden.    A  friend 
of  mine  (whose  name  I  will  give  to  anyone  who 
doubts  my  statement),  who  knows  most  of  the 
best  exotics  and  grows  them  better  than  most  of 
us,  took  the  trouble  to  select  a  root  of  the  common 
Daisy  (Bellis  perennis),  and  he  planted  this  in  a 
deep,  rich  border  in  the  garden.     The  result  sur- 
prised him,  and  there  were  visitors  who  admired 
it,  little  dreaming  it  was  a  descendant  of  that  im- 
mortal "  bonnie  gem "  slain  by  a  poet's  plough- 
share !     That  a  representative  of  a  hardy  flower 
nursery  failed  to  recognise  this  particular  speci- 
men as  the  "  common  Daisy  "  is  not,    perhaps, 
much  to  be  wondered  at,  so  bravely  did  the  rosy 
beauty  bear  the  honours  to  which  she  was  not 
born.     It  is  so  with  the  common  Ox-eye,  the  Corn 
Marigold,  the  blue  Chicory,  and  some  of  the  wild 
Hieraciums  or  Hawk-weeds.      If   they    are   well 
planted,     and    if     space    be    given    them    on 
a     sunny    border,     they   are     beautiful     beyond 
description,  and   scarcely  recognisable    by  those 
who   only  know    them    as    uncultivated   weeds. 
What      a      blue      cloud      the      Cornflower     can 
spread  over  a  dry  bank  is  now  well  known,  since 
someone  was  inspired  to  send  a  big  bunch  or  two 
of  its  blossoms  to  Covent  Garden  Market,  where 
also  great  clusters — sheaves,  I  may  say — of  golden 
and    white      Ox-eye    Daisies     have    long    since 
followed  them.     But  we  have  many  other  beauti- 
ful hardy  flowers,  although  we  do  not  value  them 
quite  so  much  as  is  desirable.     You  cannot  open 
"  Harper's  New  Jlonthly  "  without  finding  out  how 
far  ahead  of  us  cultured  America  is  in  this  matter. 
"Nature's  Serial  Story  "is,  indeed,  a  pretty  one,  as 
illustrated  so  daintily.    After  all,  every  blossom 
that  blows  is,  or  has  been,  a  wild  flower  somewhere 
in  this  world,  but  what  we  especially  plead  for 
are  the  Ox-eye  Daisie.s,  those  star-like  fairies  of 
our  own  dewy  fields.  F.  W.  B. 


Seneclo  Doronlcum  is  very  prett.v  in  flower  bord-jrs 
just  now.  It  has  a  compact  habit  of  j^rrowth,  rarely  exceed- 
ing a  f.Mt  in  heiiht.  The  stems  are  niany-tlowered,  aiid  the 
indivitlual  flowers  are  large,  dark  orange,  and  very  showy 
The  lower  leaves  are  long  and  taper  gradually  to  tlie  foot- 
stallc,  whifh  is  sh.irt ;  the  upper  ones  are  steni-c'aspinj-  op. 
posite,  and  of  a  bright  shining  green.  Even  when  out  of 
flower  these  evergi-een  leaves  in  dense  tufts  look  well  It 
likes  a  sunny  place  on  the  rockery.  It  is  propagated  by 
means  of  offsets  produced  round  tlu  base  and  which  strike 
freely  in  a  cool  frame.— D.  K. 


2S 


THE     GARDEN 


[July  12,   1884. 


EARTHENWARE  RINGS  FOR  BULBS. 
Mb.  H.  D.  Palmek  has  evidently  hit  on  a  most 
excellent  plan  for  preserving  bulbs  in  borders,  and 
one  that  is  likely  to  be  followed  by  many  who 
are  fond  of  this  class  of  plants,  as  most  growers, 
like  himself,  are  continually  annoyed  by  the  losses 
which  they  sustain  in  having  their  bulbs  uprooted 
and  often  destroyed  by  careless  digging  of  the 
borders.  Not  only  are  they  disturbed  at  that  time, 
but  they  are  frequently  injured  when  ripe  and 
resting  without  foliage  by  planting  other  plants 
over  them,  when  the  trowel  gets  driven  into  the 
crowns,  and  they  afterwards  become  choked  by 
the  roots,  which  in  dry  seasons  seem  to  feed  on 
the  bulbs  and  suck  out  their  moisture.  To  try  and 
prevent  any  of  these  evils  we  have  for  years  been 
using  stout  galvanised  wire  pins,  made  with  a 
single  stem  to  go  into  the  ground,  but  having  the 
top  bent  so  as  to  form  a  sort  of  handle,  to 
prevent  their  being  driven  into  the  ground. 
These  answered  fairly  well,  but  somehow  they 
got  displaced  and  stuck  in  elsewhere,  but  when  or 
how  no  one  appears  to  know,  although  I  have  no 
doubt  it  is  done  when  digging.  If  the  rings  Mr. 
Palmer  speaks  of  can  be  made  strong  enough  to 
resist  ordinary 
rough  usage,  they 
will,  I  think,  be 
of  great  value, 
as,  besides  pro- 
tecting the  bulbs 
by  so  unmistak- 
ably marking  out 
their  where- 
abouts, they  will 
form  walls,  as  it 
were,  to  raise  the 
soil,  when  so  de- 
sired, above  the 
ordinary  level, 
which  is  a  great 
gain  in  the  cul- 
ture of  some  bulbs 
where  the  ground 
is  of  a  cold  or 
wet  nature,  as 
that  within  and 
just  round  the 
rings  may  be  spe- 
cially prepared  by 
an  admixture  of 
peat,  leaf-mould, 
and  sand,  or  it 
may  be  dug  out 
and  replaced  al- 
together with 
fresh,  to  suit  the 
particular  bulbs 
to  be  placed  with- 
in the  ring. 

The  hardest 
ware  I  have  seen 
is  that  used  for 

sanitary  purposes,  the  pipes  for  which  are  glazed, 
which  seems  to  add  greatly  to  their  strength,  as  it 
takes  a  very  hard  knock  to  break  them.  If  these 
could  be  made  into  G-inch  lengths,  and  sold  at 
about  the  same  rate  per  foot  as  they  now  are, 
there  would,  I  believe,  when  their  utility  and 
value  became  known  to  gardeners,  be  a  great  de- 
mand for  them,  as  hardy  plants  of  all  kinds  are 
cared  for  and  grown  more  now  than  ever  they 
were.  Perhaps  some  of  our  enterprising  potters 
will  start  the  manufacture  of  these  earthenware 
rings  and  advertise  them,  or  the  makers  of  the 
strong  glazed  pipes  referred  to  may  be  induced  to 
take  the  matter  up,  and  as  no  sockets  are  required, 
but  just  6-inch  plain  pieces  of  one  size  throughout, 
they  would  be  easy  to  form  and  get  into  and  out 
of  the  kUn.— S.  D. 

I  have  read  Mr.  Palmer's  suggestions  with 

regard  to  these  rings  carefully,  and  I  must  say  I 
fail  to  see  their  utility,  while  they  would  cost  a 
lot  of  money  in  a  large  place.  I  recognise  the 
need  of  marking  the  spot  where  certain  plants  are 
growing,  but  how  are  the  earthenware  rings 
going  to  help  me  to  find  them  when  the  rings  are 
to  be  buried  in  the  soil  and  I  am  to  depend  on  the 
"  ring  of  the  spade '  against  the  earthenware  to 


learn  where  the  rings  are,  seeing  that  I  never  put  a 
spade  or  a  fork  in  the  soil  where  my  plants  and 
especially  my  bulbs  are  ?  The  indications  of  the 
whereabouts  of  any  plant  should  be  above  ground 
and  not  below  it,  and  if  we  only  had  a 
good  permanent  label  of  some  kind  it  would 
answer  the  purpose  perfectly.  How  Mr.  Palmer's 
bulb  and  other  border  plant  clumps  get  dug  in 
half  and  the  bulbs  scattered  over  the  border  is 
more  than  I  can  tell,  unless  it  is  done  in  the 
digging,  and  I  feel  sure  had  he  never  adopted  such 
a  barbarous  practice  as  slicing  his  border  plants 
up  by  the  spade  in  such  an  indiscriminate  manner, 
the  rings  would  never  have  occurred  to  him. 
Neither  Daffodils,  nor  Crocuses,  nor  Hyacinths, 
nor  any  of  the  bulbs  he  mentions  have  the  habit 
of  scattering  themselves  in  the  way  he  states, 
unless  dug  up  and  divided  in  utter  carelessness, 
and  roots  that  never  die  below  the  surface  will 
always  show  their  whereabouts  themselves.  Gar- 
deners have  quite  enough  of  work  and  bother  with- 
out putting  girdles  round  all  their  hardy  plants, 
and  afterwards  adopting  the  condemned  practice 
of  digging  the  border  with  a  spade  to  find  where 
the  girdles  are.     Let  me  advise   Mr.  Palmer  to 


Ox-eye  Daisies  in  Grass. 

cease  digging  his  bulb  borders,  which  no  conside- 
rate plantsman  would  think  of  doing,  and  to  hoe 
and  rake  their  surface  the  last  thing  in  autumn 
when  he  clears  away  the  dead  stems,  and  they  will 
show  themselves  where  they  are  in  due  time,  and 
will  keep  to  the  same  spot.  Creeping  subjects 
like  the  Lily  of  the  Valley  will  not  be  confined 
by  the  rings,  but  will  push  over  the  tops  of  them 
and  under  them  just  as  if  they  were  not  there. — 
S.  W.  

LILIES  AT  EDGE  HALL. 
The  cultivation  of  Lilies  in  the  open  ground  of 
the  mixed  flower  border  is  a  subject  in  which  all 
gardeners  are  interested,  and  during  the  last  three 
years  I  have  compared  the  results  of  planting  in  a 
bed  covered  with  removable  lights  and  in  beds  of 
unprotected  soil ;  and  though  our  experience  pro- 
gresses rather  slowly,  we  are  learning  something 
every  year.  In  the  first  place,  we  are  learning 
that  no  Lilies  make  a  better  return  for  the  room 
they  take  than  those  hybrids  or  varieties  of  L. 
croceum,  known  as  L.  unbellatum,  the  effect  of 
which  in  the  mixed  border  during  June  and  July 
is  grand.  These  ought  to  be  mentioned,  because 
I  have  found  gardens,  otherwise  well  stocked,  in 


which  they  are  quite  unknown,  and  as  they  require 
no  care,  there  is  no  excuse  for  their  omission.  I 
need  not  speak  of  the  varieties  of  L.  pyrenaicum, 
which  at  the  best  are  not  very  good,  but  will  pass 
on  to  L.  oolchicum,  which  is  most  commonly  sold 
under  the  name  of  L.  Szovitzianum.  This  is  a 
lover  of  stiff  soil,  and  does  decidedly  better  in  the 
open  air  than  under  cover ;  thus  its  cultivation  is 
the  easiest  possible.  It  does  not  increase  fast  by 
multiplication  of  root,  but  produces  seed  in  abund- 
ance, and  seedlings  begin  to  flower  at  about  four 
years  old.  It  likes  the  shelter  of  surrounding 
herbaceous  plants,  and  the  stalk  can,  with  this 
help,  support  itself  without  any  tying.  I  give  no 
specially  prepared  soil  to  this  Lily,  but  dig  in  some 
coarse  sand  with  each  bulb,  and  by  adding  two  or 
three  handfuls  of  bone-dust,  I  find  that  the 
vigour  of  growth,  not  only  of  this,  but  of  most 
Lilies,  is  greatly  increased.  The  stalks  grow 
about  6  feet  high,  and  produce  in  the  best  speci- 
mens from  twelve  to  twenty-five  flowers.  The 
colour  varies  from  rich  golden  yellow  to  pale 
straw  colour,  and  the  anthers  and  spotting  of  the 
leaves  vary  greatly  in  the  same  batch  of  seed- 
lings.    L.  Hansoni  does  equally  well  in  the  open 

bed  and  under 
cover.  This  year 
it  has  flowered 
equally  well  in 
both,  the  stalks 
having  produced 
from  twelve  to 
twenty  flowers 
each ;  but  I  have 
more  than  once 
had  the  flowers  in 
the  unprotected 
ground  in  j  ured  by 
late  frosts  about 
the  time  the  buds 
were  first  visible. 
It  seems  to  like 
the  mixture  of 
peat  and  sandy 
loam  generally 
recommended  for 
Lilies.  L.  Hum- 
boldtiis  justcom- 
ing  into  flower, 
whilst  L.  Wash- 
ingtonianum  is 
nearly  over  I  re- 
gret to  say  that 
neither  of  these 
can  be  said  to 
succeed  well  here 
without  protec- 
tion from  wet  in 
winter.  L.  Hum- 
boldti,itistrue,in 
some  cases  grows 
vigorously  and 
makes  fine  heads 
out-of-doors,  but  it  seldom  completes  its  flowering 
to  the  end  of  the  spike.  Indeed,  in  the  case  of  both 
of  these  Lilies,  whether  grown  in  or  out-of-doors, 
I  have  found  it  an  advantage,  when  the  number  of 
buds  on  a  stalk  exceeds  thirty,  to  break  off  the 
upper  part  of  the  stalk  as  soon  as  it  can  safely 
be  done.  If  half  the  buds  are  removed  in  this  way, 
the  flowering  of  the  remainder  becomes  much 
finer.  I  ha^e  had  Several  beads  this  year  on  which 
I  counted  upwards  of  fifty  buds,  but  the  number 
has  been  reduced  to  about  twenty-five.  Both 
these  Lilies  seem  to  like  something  stronger  than 
pure  peat  to  grow  in,  and  should  have  half  the  soil 
sandy  loam.  The  many-flowered  variety  of  L. 
Washingtoniannm  known  as  rubescens  is  by  far 
the  best.  The  other  with  larger  flowers  which 
continue  nearly  white  seldom  requires  disbudding. 
The  Martagons  proper  show  a  decided  preference 
for  strong  soil  and  like  a  damp  shady  place.  All 
the  kinds,  including  the  dark  dalmaticum,  grow 
very  vigorously  here,  having  an  ugly  habit  of  pro- 
ducing fasciated  stems,  which  is  difiicult  to  pre- 
vent. I  find  L.  canadense  a  troublesome  Lily  ;  it 
dies  out  in  my  peat  beds.  The  variety  L.  c.  rubrum, 
the  neatest  of  all,  has  flowered  now  for  three  sea- 
sons in  my  well-drained  mixed  beds,  but  has  made 


July  12,  1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


29 


no  increase.    I  may  say  nearly  the  same  of  L. 
snperbum.     It  continues  to  come  up  year  after 
year  thinly,  but  in  an  uncertain,  capricious  sort  of 
way,  as  if  it  did  not  feel  at  home.     I  do  not  con- 
sider it  a  first-class  Lily,  the  colour  being  dull  and 
the  heads  liable  to  be  destroyed  by  spot  when  in 
full    flower.     L.  pomponium    of    the    Maritime 
Alps  is    a  good  Lily  in  a    well-drained    alpine 
bed.     It  succeeds  better   in    loamy  soil  than  in 
peat.    I  had  this  year  a  fine  bead  with  seven- 
teen flowers  where  the  bulbs  have  been  established 
for  three  years,  but  in  pure  peat  beds  the  bulb 
degenerates  and  dies  out.     L.  chalcedonicum  is 
a  very  good  Lily  where  it  does  well.     It  seems  to 
like  a  sheltered,  damp  situation  and  a  moist  soil, 
but  not  too  strong.    1  find  that  here  the  tendency 
of  this  Lily,  as  of  several  others,  is  to  lose  its 
leaves  before,  or  at  least,  too  soon  after  flowering, 
showing  that  the  conditions  of  growth  are  some- 
how unsatisfactory.    The  point  of  the  shoot  seems 
sensitive  of  late  frost  and  suflters  from  it,  so  that 
the  flowering  is  injured.     L.  pardalinum  and  its 
variety  californicum  are  the  specialities  of  the 
peat  beds  here.     The  plants   of  the  former  grow 
7  feet  or  8  feet  high,  increase  rapidly,  and  produce 
on  each  head  from    five  to  fifteen  flowers.    L. 
californicum  seldom  exceeds  5  feet,  or  ten  flowers 
on  a  head,  but  the  flowers  are  larger  and  of  a  much 
richer  colour.     I  think  this  Lily  well  suited  for 
general_  cultivation  in  the  mixed  border,  but  at  its 
best  it  is  inferior  to  L.  tigrinum,  which  no  coaxing 
will  make  grow  in  this   soil.     I  have  nothing  new 
to  say  about   L.    auratum.     English    conditions 
rarely  suit  it  well,  and  the  flowers  in  many  gardens 
only  open  to  be  destroyed  by  unseasonable  rains.  I 
find,  however,  that  in  a  covered  frame  it  is  just  as 
unsatisfactory  as  in  the  open  border,  and  if  I  had 
my  choice  between   the    orange  L.  nmbellatum 
and  L.  auratum,  and  might  not  grow  both  of  them, 
I  would  certainly  prefer  the  former  for  garden 
decoration.    Nothing  makes  one  more  dissatisfied 
with  the  English  climate  than  the  behaviour  of  L. 
auratum.     L.  giganteum  ought  not  to  be  omitted. 
Where  the  soil  is  light  and  deep  its  cultivation 
ought  to  be  easy.    I  grow  it  in  peat  beds  in  a 
sheltered  place,  and  have  now  two  fine  specimens 
in  flower.     I  find  no  special  attention  required  for 
it.     L.  testaceum  is  not  an  effective  Lily,  and  is 
unusually  poor  this  time,  owing  to  the  cold  winds 
in  spring  and  the  drought.    I  cannot  boast  of  any 
new  discovery  by  which  L.  candidum  can  be  made 
to  do  well  where  the  natural  conditions  are  un- 
suitable.   It  does  best  here  grown  amongst  the 
Gooseberry  bnsh€;s.     The  varieties  of  L.  elegans 
will  not  do  on  a  cold  subsoil.     L.  Parryi  does  well 
in  the  covered  bed,  but  has  hardly  been  tried  out 
of  doors.     L  Leichtlini  is  a  failure  in  both  places. 
L.  longiflornm  and  L.   Browni  flower  well  only 
under  glass,  and  a5  for  L.  Krameri,  it  seems  about 
the  most  unsatisfactory  of  all,  for  out  of  many 
dozens  of  imported  bulbs  I  have  bought  hardly 
one  has  been  induced  to  flower  here  under  any 
conditions.  C.  Wollet  Dod. 

Edge  Hall,  Malpas. 


of  the  day,  either  in  the  morning  or  after  part, 
but  not  all  through  the  day.  It  wants  a  good 
deep  soil  to  grow  in.  It  forms  long,  fleshy  roots, 
which  penetrate  deeply  into  the  soil,  and  nothing 
seems  to  suit  it  better  than  a  good,  deep,  sandy 
loam  with  some  manure  and  leaf-mould  mixed  with 
it  at  the  time  of  planting.  It  must  have  some- 
thing to  attach  itself  to  in  the  same  way  as  the 
Clematis,  and  then  be  allowed  freely  to  go  ahead. 
How  its  peduncles  are  crowded  with  rich  salmon- 
carmine  flowers  was  seen  from  the  cut  specimens 
shown  by  me  at  the  meeting  of  the  Royal  Horti- 
cultural Society  on  the  8th  inst.  Under  a  hot 
sun  the  blossoms  burn  somewhat — a  peculiarity 
not  confined  alone  to  this  species  of  perennial 
Latbyrus.  In  dull  weather  it  maintains  its  cha- 
racter much  better.  I  must  support  the  reputa- 
tion of  this  fine  species.  For  a  few  years  past 
I  have  endeavoured  to  induce  some  of  the  flower- 
loving  public  to  take  it  up,  but  without  much 
success.  E.  Dean. 

Haliny,  W. 


LATHYRUS  DRUMMONDL 
I  HAVE  at  the  present  moment  a  plant  of  this 
Everlasting  Pea,  planted  out  in  1882,  growing 
against  a  west  wall,  that  being  well  established 
has  put  forth  three  very  strong  leading  shoots; 
these  made  side  growths  almost  as  strong,  and 
these  in  turn  have  put  forth  abundance  of  lateral 
growths,  and  flower-stems  are  thrown  out  in  the 
greatest  plenty.  Only  let  anyone  get  it  established 
in  suitable  soil,  and  they  will  have  no  cause  to 
complain  of  its  scarcity  of  flower.  And  it  is  mar- 
vellous to  what  great  lengths  its  shoots  will  travel ; 
my  plant  already  covers  a  space  of  from  12  to  15 
superficial  feet,  and  it  has  by  no  means  done  grow- 
ing. It  is  trained  to  some  galvanised  wire  netting  • 
the  leading  shoots  are  tied  in  position,  and  they 
instantly  put  forth  laterals.  The  consequence  is 
a  good  succession  of  flower  is  provided,  more  so 
than  in  the  case  of  L.  grandiflorus  and  L ,  latif olius 
My  plant  is  against  a  wall  fully  exposed  to 
the  sun,  which  is  too  hot  for  it;  a  preferable 
one  would  be  a  moist  and  shady  spot,  where 
the    snn  would    shine    upon    it    some    portion  | 


IRISES  AND  PiEONIES. 
FouE  boxes  of  these  charming  flowers,  containing 
about  three  dozen  bunches  of  each,  arrived  here 
the  other  day  from  Haarlem.  Next  to  seeing  these 
plants  growing  in  masses,  this  mode  of  pre- 
senting them  in  bunches  is  perhaps  the  most 
effective.  I  have  long  been  aware  of  the  atten. 
tion  bestowed  on  Peonies  by  the  bulb  growers  of 
the  Low  Countries,  but  three  dozen  superb  varieties 
in  bunches  of  threes  gives  one  a  more  vivid  idea  of 
the  perfection  to  which  the  Pseony  has  been 
brought.  The  size,  form,  and  colour  of  several 
of  these  is  really  magnificent,  while  the  perfume 
is  also  soft  and  sweet  in  not  a  few  of  them. 
The  Pa;ony  is  one  of  our  finest  subjects  for  the  old- 
fashioned  herbaceous  border,  and  has  improved  so 
much  of  late  years  as  to  deserve  a  bed,  border,  or 
even  garden  all  to  itself.  Such  a  garden  might 
have  central  beds,  or  a  protecting  boundary  line, 
or  hedge  of  tree  Pjeonies,  and  beds  of  different 
coloured  forms  and  varieties.  The  pure  white  or 
very  slightly  tinted  ones,  and  the  deepcrimsons  and 
rich  glossy  purples  are  among  the  most  striking, 
though  the  infinite  variety  of  pink,  rose,  and 
peach-coloured  Pasonies  are  also  extremely 
beautiful. 

As  to  the  Irises,  there  are  no  hardy  and  but  few 
tender  flowers  to  match  their  extreme  beauty  and 
rich  variety  of  colour,  form,  and  fragrance.  Almost 
their    only    rivals     in    these    respects    are    the 
more  choice  Orchids,  and  they  can  hardly  be  said 
to   exceed    the  Irises    in    richness,  variety,  and 
beauty.     The  whites  and  yellows  are  among  the 
most  striking.     The  following  descriptions  are  by 
no  means  exhaustive.     They  are  mere  suggestions 
as  to  prevailing  colours.  Some  of  the  flowers  would 
take  half  a  page  to  exhaust  their  many-coloured 
features  of  interest,  and  only  those  who  have  ever 
attempted  it  can  know  how  utterly  impossible  it 
is  to  describe  the  Iris.     Paul  Grevy  is  white  and 
yellow ;    Czar    Peter,    purple    and    yellow ;    Mr. 
George,    brown    and     orange ;     L'Unique,     pale 
purple;  Gezers,  yellow  and  purple;  D.  T.  Fish, 
blue,  striped  with  orange;    Solfaterre,  rich  soft 
yellow ;  IVAdmiration,  purple  with  yellow  centre ; 
British  Queen,  exquisitely  delicate,   pure    white 
tipped  with  yellow  ;  Baron  Dim,  rich  blue  shaded 
crimson ;  Vulga,  dark  purple ;  Aristemas,  purple 
and  yellow ;  Earl  of  Leicester,  rich  yellow  and 
orange ;    Bazaine,    purple    with    yellow    centre ; 
Diano,  soft  yellow ;    Asdrubal,  purple   and   yel- 
low ;  Dorotti,  purple  ;  Orange  Queen,  very  choice ; 
La  Citroni&re,  rich  citron;  Incomparabilis,  blue; 
J.  G.  Veitch   very  beautiful ;   Renaissance,  rich 
purple  and  yellow;  La  Joyeuse,  orange  and  pur- 
ple ;   La   Dame   Blanche,   white  ;     La   Hautesse, 
light  coloured  ;  Desdemona,   rich  purple ;  Fene- 
lon,  delicate  blue ;  Prince  of  Asturias,  rich  blue 
and  yellow ;  Ma  Chfere,  delicate  yellow ;  Venus, 
dark    purple ;     Ornement,    brown    and     yellow ; 
Comte  Zichy,  bluish    grey  ;    France,    rich  purple 
and  orange ;    Medley,  very  delicate   blush  and 
white ;   Formosa,  blue  ;   Minerva,  very  light  and 
delicate. 
In  striking  contrast  to  the  infinite   variety  of 


Irises  are  the  massive  substance  and  the  enor- 
mous size  of  the  Pasonies.  Not,  however,  that 
they  are  by  any  means  all  of  one  size  or  form,  but 
quite  the  reverse.  Not  a  few  are  selfs  ;  some 
coloured  ;  others  are  splashed,  mixed,  and  flaked 
in  the  most  peculiar  and  striking  way ;  some 
have  guard  petals  of  complementary  or  contrasting 
colours,  and  in  others  the  central  and  other  petals 
are  riven  into  shreds  and  fragments,  hardly  two 
flowers  being  alike  either  in  form,  size,  or  colour. 
Comte  de  Nanteuil  is  a  rosy  salmon,  reflexed  ;  M. 
Rousselon,  large,  rosy  lilac,  with  tuft  of  carmine 
in  centre ;  Washington,  dark  violet  outer  petals, 
with  c'ear  salmon  centre ;  Artem'se,  soft  rose, 
very  large,  shaded  flower ;  Triomphe  de  I'Exposi- 
tion  de  Lille,  bright  flesh,  imbricated  ;  Mdme. 
Chaumy,  very  fine,  soft  rose,  with  clear  edges  ; 
Paul  Verdier,  bright  carmine-rose,  very  fine  ; 
Mdme.  Lemoine,  white,  slightly  suffused  with 
pink ;  Carnea  elegans,  very  delicate  ;  Princesse 
Mathilde,  soft  pink,  shaded  ;  Ne  Plus  Ultra,  deep 
pink  ;  Engfinie  Verdier,  delicate  pink  ;  Victor  Le- 
moine, dark  crimson ;  Chinensis  purpurea,  very 
deep  crimson  ;  Lady  Anna,  deep  and  pale  pink  ; 
Henry  Duvay,  crimson  ;  Mdme.  Furtado,  deep 
rose  colour  ;  Josephine  Parmentier,  deep  pink ; 
Ab&le  de  Royat,  deep  rose ;  Zoe  Calot,  light  deli- 
cate pink  ;  Mdme.  Harroguez,  crimson  variegated  ; 
Purpurea  superba,  brilliant  crimson  ;  Comte  de 
Gomer,  cupped,  purple ;  Papaveriflora,  f  ure 
white,  with  a  few  flakes  of  blight  pink;  Jules 
Calot,  large,  light,  mottled  red  ;  Mathilde,  delicate 
peach ;  Fulgida,  very  dark  red  ;  Rose  d'Amonr, 
very  delicate  pink ;  Vicomte  de  Forceville,  light 
red ;  L'Avenir,  rose ;  Queen  Perfection,  white 
and  light  yellow  ;  Louis  Parmentier,  deep  pink  ; 
Pulcherrima,  tinted  white  and  pink  ;  Bois  Duval, 
rich  deep  crimson ;  George  Cuvier,  very  deep 
pink;  Mens.  Boucharlet,  deep  pink,  variegated; 
Comtesse  de  Brisson,  pale  variegated  pink. 

D.  T.  Fish. 


INDIAN  PINKS. 

The  bright  tints  of  these  and  the  great  ease  with 
which  they  may  be  grown  recommend  them  to  all 
who  have  a  garden  to  embellish  through  the 
summer  and  autumn,  for  if  desired  we  may  have 
them  in  bloom  from  early  summer  onwards  ;  it  is 
simply  a  matter  of  sowing  at  the  right  time.  If 
sown  in  May  in  the  open  ground  they  will  flower 
well  in  autumn,  and  will  be  amongst  those  flowers 
which  best  withstand  the  washing  rains  that  often 
occur  at  that  season.  The  following  year  they 
will  form  grand  patches,  and  will  make  an  excel- 
lent show  at  an  early  period,  coming  into  bloom 
long  ere  bedding  plants  can  prove  effective.  But 
these  Indian  Pinks  may  be  classed  amongst 
bedders  if  so  desired,  as  if  raised  in  warmth  in 
March,  hardened  off,  and  planted  out  in  May,  they 
will  make  a  brave  show  through  July  and  August. 
Those  whose  needs  in  the  matter  of 

Summer  bedding  plants  exceed  their  con- 
venience for  wintering  them  would  do  well  to 
bear  Indian  Pinks  in  mind,  as  all  that  is  needful 
in  their  case  is  a  slight  hotbed  to  raise  them  on, 
and  a  cool  frame  to  prick  them  out  in  afterwards. 
They  should  never  be  potted,  but  be  pricked  out 
2  inches  or  3  inches  apart  in  boxes  or  pans.  If 
put  into  pots  they  are,  being  strong  rooted,  apt  to 
fill  them  with  a  mass  of  fibres,  and  when  planted 
out  the  ball  becomes  dry,  so  that  the  plants  are 
slow  in  starting  away  and  seldom  make  the  free 
rapid  growth  that  they  should  do.  They  quickly 
throw  up  flower-stems,  but  the  first  of  these  should 
be  picked  off,  as  this  induces  the  quick  production 
of  side  stems,  and  until  the  plants  gain  strength 
and  get  a  good  grasp  of  the  soil,  they  cannot  well 
yield  good  blooms.  Sometimes  green  fly  attacks 
them,  and  when  such  is  the  ca.'^e  dip  them  in  a 
solution  of  soft  soap  or  in  some  insecticide  before 
planting,  for  it  is  difficult  to  eradicate  this  pest 
when  once  the  plants  are  in  the  open  ground,  the 
difficulty  being  in  the  case  of  low-growing  spread- 
ing plants  to  get  to  the  undersides  of  the  leaves. 


Indian  Pinks  are  not  particular  as  to  soil;  they 

thrive  well  in  anything  between  clay  and  pure 

tint  and  marking  and  the  varied  forma  of  the '  sand,  and  even  in  the  latter  they  may  be  made  to 


30 


THE    GARDEN 


[July   12,  1884. 


do  well  if  well  enriched  previous  to  planting,  and 
mulched  afterwards  with  some  rotten  manure 
But  a  sunny  situation  is  indispensable  ;  they  love 
warmth  and  light  more  than  the  generality  of 
flowering  plants,  and  they  suffer  but  little  in  ex- 
posed, wind-swept  places  where  tender  plants 
would  be  almost  sure  to  fail. 

Fob  autumn  flowering  seed  should  be  sown 
tinder  a  handlight  late  in  March,  sowing  thinly,  so 
that  the  young  plants  have  good  breathing  room 
until  it  is  time  to  plant  them  out.  As  soon  as 
they  are  fairly  up  remove  the  protector  on  all 
favourable  occasions,  and  they  will  develop  into 
fine  sturdy,  bushy  little  specimens  by  the  middle 
of  May.  Plant  6  inches  apart  if  a  bed  is  to  be 
filled  with  them,  or  put  them  three  in  a  group  in 
the  border,  placing  them  at  the  above  distances 
and  you  will  get  a  blaze  of  bloom  just  at  a  time 
when  the  inclemency  of  autumn  has  made  its 
mark  on  flowering  plants  generally.  It  is  indeed 
at  that  time  that  Indian  Pinks  show  their  true 
value,  for  the  cold  nights,  pelting  showers,and  misty 
days  of  our  autumn  months  are  bravely  withstood 
by  these  gay  and  charming  flowers,  which  is  more 
than  can  be  said  of  so  many  things  used  for  the 
embellishment  of  our  gardens  through  the  summer 
months.  There  remains  yet  one  and  a  most 
simple  method  of  raising  Indian  Pinks  which  will 
suggest  itself  to  many,  but  which  I  ought  to  men- 
tion. This  consists  in  sowing  in  the  open  border  at 
the  same  time  and  in  the  same  manner  as  prac- 
tised for  hardy  annuals.  In  light  soils  the  seed  may 
be  sown  the  last  week  in  March,  and  the  plants 
from  this  sowing  will  bloom  fairly  in  autumn,  but 
the  reward  therefrom  is  reaped  the  following 
year  in  handsome  specimens  a  foot  or  more  across, 
the  energies  of  the  plants  not  having  free  play  the 
first  season,  and  so  much  of  youthful  vigour  being 
retained  by  them,  they  thus  take  a  higher  develop- 
ment than  in  any  other  way.  J.  C.  B. 


NATURAL  COMBINATIONS. 
Accident  often  teaches  us  useful  lessons  in  plant 
grouping  as  well  as  in  other  things,  a  remark  with 
the  truth  of  which  I  was  forcibly  struck  the  other 
day  when  looking  at  the  following :  The  first  com- 
bination which  met  my  view  was  that  of  an  Ayr- 
shire Hose  on  a  pole,  from  which  it  festooned  in 
all  directions  ;  near  the  base  a  self-sown  seedling 
Spiraja  callosahad  grown  up  nearly  6  feet  high,  and 
its  red-tinted  young  shoots  just  peeped  through  the 
masses  of  snowy  flowers,  and  very  pretty  the  com- 
bination looked.  The  next  was  a  big  bush  of  a 
red-coloured  Scotch  Rose  ;  into  this  Bambusa  aurea 
striata  had  crept  and  taken  full  possession,  send- 
ing out  in  all  directions  beautifully  coloured 
yellow  and  green  foliage  on  slender  stems  2 
feet  to  4  feet  high.  My  third  illustration  is  the 
following  ;  By  the  side  of  a  little  pool,  and  about 
a  foot  above  it,  I  saw  a  dense  4-foot  bush  of  Acer 
polymorphum  atropurpurenm  completely  set  in 
a  mass  of  Equisetum  sylvaticum  ;  the  latter  had 
been  originally  planted  close  to  the  water,  but, 
not  liking  its  quarters,  it  went  up  to  the  ledge  on 
which  the  Acer  stands  and  took  possession  of  it 
with  the  most  charming  result.  Other  combina- 
tions consisted  of  a  mass  of  Erica  vulgaris,  through 
which  red  Helianthemums  were  creeping,  and  in 
the  centre  grew  a  fine  plant  of  the  Lady  Fern. 
Lomaria  alpina  and  Campanula  pumila  alba 
were  originally  planted  at  no  great  distance  from 
each  other,  and  both  by  the  side  of  a  rocky  stream  ; 
the  former  has  crept  away  in  all  directions 
many  feet  round  and  amongst  the  stones,  and  the 
Campanula  has  crept  in  amongst  it,  the  dark 
bronzy  fronds  of  the  Fern  with  the  snowy  bells 
of  the  latter  producing  a  most  interesting  effect. 
A  bush  of  Spiraea  opulifolia  lutea,  6  feet  high  and 
9  feet  wide,  has  been  taken  full  possession  of  by 
Lathyrus  rotundifolius,  the  purple  flowers  of 
which  completely  wreath  it,  and  with  good  effect. 
A  wide  mass  of  Oriental  Poppies,  with  their  gor- 
geous scarlet  flowers,  has  been  invaded  by  three 
or  four  white  Foxgloves,  and  the  result  may  be 
easily  imagined.  A  fine  clump  of  Iris  versicolor 
has  been  surrounded  by  the  common  variegated 
Reed,  and  the  pretty  blue  flowers  of  the  former 


amongst  the  white  striped  foliage  of  the  latter 
have  a  very  pretty  appearance.  A  collection  of 
Heaths  was  planted  originally  on  a  rocky  knoll, 
with  a  plant  of  the  blue  Gromwell  in  front.  The 
centre  plant  of  the  Heath  group  is  Erica  vulgaris 
tomentosa ;  it  is  fully  2  feet  high  and  as  wide. 
The  plants  composing  the  group  all  touch  each 
other,  and  the  Gromwell  has  crept  about  along  the 
front,  back  through  the  Heaths,  and  up  through 
the  centre  plant,  and  now  it  forms  a  deep  blue 
setting  to  the  whole,  with  little  bits  of  blue  ap- 
pearing all  over  the  surface  of  the  Heaths,  and 
very  lovely  this  combination  is.  A  blue  Pansy  has 
crept  up  through  a  golden  Thuja,  and  shows  itself 
about  2  feet  from  the  ground  in  a  curious  and 
pretty  way.  A  bit  of  Tropjeolum  speciosum  has 
run  up  an  Ivy-covered  wall,  and  has  shot  out  from 
it  7  feet  from  the  ground — a  dense  crimson  patch 
in  a  setting  of  the  deepest  green.  Finally,  an 
Ayrshire  Rose,  originally  planted  at  the  top  of  a 
Grassy  slope,  has  crept  down  the  slope  and  up  the 
Hollies,  Laurels,  Sec,  associated  with  it,  and  now 
forms  a  perfect  avalanche  of  snowy  flowers  fully 
30  feet  deep  and  wide.  T.  Smith. 

DOUBLE  DAFFODILS  SEEDING. 

In  reply  to  "  J.  C.  B."  (p.  509),  I  may  say  that 
perfectly  double  Narcissi  can  never  bear  perfect 
seeds,  for  the  simple  reason  that  both  style  and 
stamens  are  included  in  the  doubling  process.  It 
is  just  possible,  however,  in  a  semi-double  flower 
that  the  style  may  not  be  included  in  the  process 
of  doubling,  and  then  if  it  be  fertilised  with 
pollen  from  single  flowers,  of  course  seeds  may  be 
produced,  but  all  I  say  is  that  I  never  saw  them. 
It  would  have  been  better  if  "  J.  C.  B."  had 
waited  until  his  one  "  pod  "  of  seed  had  ripened, 
and  he  had  seen  his  chickens  hatched  ere  he  wrote 
to  us  of  the  possible  brood.  For  instance,  after 
he  tells  us  (p.  .509)  that  "one  bulb  carries  a  fine 
large  pod  of  seed,"  he  directly  adds,  "  I  cannot  of 
course  assert  that  good  seed  will  be  obtained."  In 
a  word,  he  has  seen  a  cash-box,  and  so  he  assumes 
that  it  contains  current  coin,  which  either  may  or 
may  not  be  good.  Again,  "  J.  C.  B."  speaks  of 
N.  Telamonius  as  if  it  were  a  double  Daffodil.  N. 
Telamonius  is  a  single  kind  wild  on  the  banks  of 
the  Arno  River,  near  Florence,  and  which  may 
bear  perfect  seed.  The  common  double  Daffodil 
of  gardens  (Van  Sion  of  the  Dutch)  is  N.  Tela- 
monius fl.-pl.  I  presume  "J.  C.  B."  means  to 
refer  to  the  double  form  throughout  his  remarks, 
and  not  to  single  N.  Telamonius.  If  this  is  so, 
what  I  say  at  the  beginning  of  these  remarks  holds 
good.  A  semi-double  Narcissus  may  possibly 
seed  ;  a  perfectly  double  one  can  neverdo  so  ;  and 
as  yet  we  have  no  proof  of  doubles  in  any  degree 
having  yielded  good  seeds.  F.  W,  B. 


DIANTHUS  HISPANICU6  AND  D.  ATKINSONI- 

These  two  splendid  mule  Pinks  are  now  in  full 
flower  here.  If  either  can  prove  a  thorough-bred 
pedigree,  I  will  apologise  for  calling  them  mules. 
D.  Atkinsoni  is  the  taller  and  more  brilliant  in 
colour  of  the  two,  having  abundance  of  tlowers 
of  a  most  vivid  crimson,  twice  the  size  of  those  of 
D.  barbatus,  which  it  resembles  in  habit.  Many 
of  the  readers  of  The  Garden  can  probably  tell 
its  history.  I  believe  that  Mr.  Nelson,  in  whose 
garden  at  Aldborough  it  was  kept  till  his  death, 
had  it  from  the  raiser.  I  had  it  from  the 
garden  at  Munstead,  to  which  it  came  from 
Captain  Nelson.  D.  hispanicus  was  given  to 
me  by  Mr.  G.  F.  Wilson,  who  now  asks 
for  its  history,  which  I  have  been  trying  to 
investigate.  In  Pritzel's"  Index  Iconum,"ed.  1855, 
I  find  two  figures  of  the  plant  mentioned,  one  in 
Asso's  "  Synopsis  of  the  Plants  of  Aragon,"  pub- 
lished at  Marseilles  in  1779;  the  other  in  Will- 
kom's  "  Plants  of  Spain,"  published  at  Leipsic  in 
1852.  The  titles  of  these  books  might  favour  the 
idea  that  the  plant  is  native  in  Spain,  but  I  regret 
that  neither  book  is  within  my  reach.  On  the 
other  hand,  I  have  searched  several  full  catalogues 
of  the  genus  Dianthus  without  being  able  to  find 
this  species  mentioned,    Neither  Loudon  in  his 


"  E  ncyclopajdia,"  nor  Don.who  described  125  species 
of  Dianthus,  includes  this.  The  latter  mentions  a 
variety  hispanicus  of  D.  pungens,  but  the  descrip- 
tion shows  it  to  be  a  different  plant  from  this.  In 
Sweet's  "Flower  Garden '' I  find  two  varieties  of 
Pink  figured  which  bear  some  resemblance  to 
this.  One  is  D.  latifolius  (vol.  i.,  tab.  2),  which  in 
the  colour  and  the  size  of  the  flowers  comes  near 
hispanicus  :  the  other  is  D.  aggregatus  (series  2, 
vol.  2,  tab.  1G())  ;  both  of  these  are  treated  as  either 
varieties  or  hybrids  of  D.  barbatus.  Our  D.  his- 
panicus is  about  a  foot  high,  the  stalk  is  very  dark, 
as  in  the  dark-flowered  forms  of  D.  barbatus.  Th3 
flowers  are  very  large  and  very  deep  crimsoa. 
Both  these  Pinks  are  difiicult  to  increase,  as  the 
plants  are  nearly  all  flower- stalk  and  makef;w 
shoots.  I  have  not  yet  found  ripe  seed  on  eit  ler 
of  them.  It  is  probable,  therefore,  that  they  will 
continue  to  be  scarce.  C.  Wolley  Doo. 

Bdgr  Ball,  Malj/as. 


Indian  Corn. — Although  this  may  not  ripen 
well  or  even  form  cobs  in  this  country,  it  will 
grow  luxuriantly  in  any  part  of  it,  and  its  great 
Reed-like,  graceful  growths  form  the  most  effective 
of  all  greeneries  for  large  vjse  decoration.  A 
handful  or  two  of  this  Corn  sown  in  a  gojd  part 
of  the  garden  will  soon  produce  growths  many 
feet  high,  and  to  large  beds  or  borders  in  which 
vegetation  of  elegant  growth  exists  this  may  be 
added  with  advantage — J.  MuiE. 

CbrlstmaB  Roses  not  seeding.— Doubt- 
less want  of  fertilisation  is  often  the  cause  of 
Christmas  Roses  not  seeding,  but  I  can  scarcely 
think  that,  as  a  correspondent  suggests,  that  has 
been  so  in  my  case.  For  several  years  I  have  set 
the  blooms,  but  the  results  are  invariably  the 
same,  the  pods  swell  up  and  the  seeds  form,  attain- 
ing almost  full  size,  and  then  just  when  they 
ought  to  mature  the  whole  head  of  seed  shrivels 
up.  I  have  thought  the  cause  might  be  a  defi- 
ciency of  lime  in  the  soil,  for  Box  edging  does  not 
grow  very  vigorously,  whilst  Rhododendrons 
flourish  almost  as  well  as  in  peat.— J.  C.  B. 

Hollyhock  disease.— In  my  mini  this 
disease  has  always  hitherto  been  associated  with 
a  poor  dry  soil,  but  this  season's  experience 
proves  the  contrary,  Fourteen  years  and  more 
ago  we  used  to  have  Hollyhocks  towering  over  the 
tops  of  walls  14  feet  high,  but  owing  to  the 
disease  of  late  years  we  have  not  been  able  to 
grow  them  at  all.  This  season,  however,  notwith- 
standing the  long  drought  which  we  have  had,  we 
have  some  plants  growing  in  a  very  poor  soil 
thriving  vigorously  and  showing  very  little  disease 
on  the  leaves ;  how  is  this  to  be  accounted  for  1 — 
J.  C.  C. 

Nelson's    Russian    -Anemones. —  Dr- 

Marsh,  Egford,  Frome,  a  friend  of  the  late  M  r 
Nelson, of  Aldborough,  grows  this  class  of  Anemone 
extensively  for  winter  iiowering,  and  very  valuable 
and  beautiful  they  prove  to  be.  They  can  be 
raised  readily  from  seed,  which  should  be  sown 
directly  it  is  ripe,  and  if  the  seedlings  are  pricked 
out  early,  manj'  of  them  will  flower  the  following 
winter.  I  saw  Dr.  Marsh's  Anemones  several 
times  last  winter,  and  was  much  impressed  with 
their  beauty  both  in  the  open  ground  and  in  a  cut 
state.  The  older  plants  produce  much  the  strong- 
est blooms,  which  are  semi-double,  and  the  colours 
varied  and  rich.  Their  requirements  are  of  the 
simplest  description,  as  the  seed  germinates  in  a 
cold  frame  or  in  the  open  ground,  and  the  plants 
appear  to  thrive  anywhere. — I. 

D'warf  •white  Pink.— This  is  one  of  the 

sweetest  and  most  pleasing  of  Pinks  throughout 
May  and  June.  Its  flowers  are  as  white  as  driven 
snow,  and  they  are  produced  in  countless  profu- 
sion. Small  plants  of  it  are  useful  and  attractive, 
but  large  ones  are  much  more  so,  and  the  best  of 
all  wajsof  growing  it  and  enjojirg  it  is  to  allow 
it  to  grow  year  after  year  without  being  disturbed 
until  each  plant  has  become  a  huge  ma^s  a  number 
of  feet,  even  yards,  in  diameter  ;  then  the  grower 
will  be  in  possession  of  a  sweet  old-fashioned 
flowering  plant  worthy  of  the  name.    This  Pink, 


July  12,   1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


31 


besides  being  suitable  for  massing  near  the  mar- 
gins of  herbaceous  borders,  also  succeeds  admirably 
on  rookwork  or  on  the  summit  of  a  big  stone  or 
root.  When  cut,  its  flowers  look  poor  it  mixed 
sparingly  with  others,  but  by  themselves  a  large 
handful  makes  a  beautiful  posy. — J.  MuiR. 

Autumn  flowers  In  June.— The  month 
of  June  which  has  just  closed  has  been  in  this 
district  unusually  warm,  and  with  the  exception 
of  the  first  few  days  remarkably  dry.  From  the 
8th  to  the  27th  but  0  30  inch  of  rain  fell,  and  the 
mean  maximum  temperature  in  the  shade  was  over 
70°,  the  mean  minimum  nearly  50°.  The  warm 
dry  weather  has  had  the  effect  of  driving  single 
Dahlias  and  other  August  flowers  into  premature 
bloom.  Several  varieties  are  in  blossom  here  now 
and  in  other  neighbouring  gardens  ;  also  Clematis 
rubella  on  an  arch,  which  does  not  usually  flower 
till  August.  With  the  exception  of  the  hay,  field 
crops  have  suffered  considerably  from  the  drought, 
the  straw  being  very  short,  and  Potatoes  having 
made  but  little  growth.  The  rain,  however,  of 
Saturday  night  and  Sunday  has  been  most  wel- 
come.— G.  P.,  Mviihston-n,  Co.  Dublin. 

Carnation  G-renadin.  — When  better  known, 
this  must  inevitably  become  a  very  popular  border 
plant.  There  are  several  beds  planted  with  it  in 
the  Messrs.  Caraway's  Durdam  Down  Nursery, 
near  Bristol,  and  for  brilliancy  of  colouring  and 
utility  I  consider  that  this  Carnation  far  excels 
anything  belonging  to  its  class  for  the  open  ground. 
The  whole  of  the  plants  are  necessarily  raised  from 
seed,  as  owing  to  their  remarkable  floriferousness 
no  cuttings  can  be  had.  As  a  consequence,  they 
vary  rather  in  habit  as  well  as  in  flower — some 
being  double,  others  single — but  all  are  of  a  bril- 
liant scarlet  colour  and  equally  pleasing.  Messrs. 
Garaway  raise  their  seedlings  of  it  early  in  spring, 
and  at  the  present  time  have  a  great  number  of 
strong,  stocky  plants  already  well  established  in 
the  open  ground.  All  seedling  border  Carnations 
are  apt  to  flower  so  very  abundantly  as  to  prevent 
the  formation  of  growth  for  producing  a  display 
of  bloom  the  following  season ;  hence  the  necessity 
for  making  annual  sowings. — W.  I.  M. 

How  to  sow  Daffodil  seed.— In  Septem- 
ber select  a  deep  broad  Fern  pan,  and  in  that 
place  charcoal  drainage,  over  which  place  some 
chopped  Moss  from  an  old  wood.  Press  it  well 
down.  One  inch  of  Moss  will  be  ample.  On  this 
place  leaf-soil  and  sand  shaken  into  the  Moss,  and 
in  this  composition  sow  the  Daffodil  seeds,  and 
after  a  day  or  two  give  a  slight  sprinkle  of  water 
from  a  heavy  rose.  The  seeds  thus  bedded  in 
natural  Moss  and  soil  should  be  placed  in  a  cool 
position  (a  cold  frame)  until  spring,  when  they 
will  appear.  As  they  grow  keep  constantly  putting 
in  light  rich  soil  and  leaf-mould  until  the  whole 
pan  is  full  to  the  rim  of  foliage.  In  this  position 
the  young  bulblets  may  remain  for  two  years,  after 
which  they  can  be  shaken  out  and  planted  in  an 
easterly  aspect  to  catch  the  morning  sun ;  shade  for 
a  couple  or  more  days,  when  you  may  look  for  your 
reward.  This  method  is  the  result  of  practical 
experience,  assisted  by  that  very  old  book,  "Hale's 
Eden."— William  1!aylor  Haktlasd,  Cork. 

Seeding  of  double  Dafifodlls.— Allow  me 

to  state,  in  reply  to  Mr.  Barr  (p.  3),  that  I  have 
gathered  the  pod  of  seed  of  the  large  double 
Daffodil,  and  there  were  eighteen  seeds  in  it,  to 
all  appearance  the  perfection  of  development,  and 
I  should  be  much  obliged  if  Mr.  Barr  could  inform 
me  as  to  the  best  time  to  sow  them,  as  I  am 
anxious  to  succeed  with  them,  the  more  especially 
as  the  seeding  of  Telamonius  seems  to  be  uncom- 
mon. Strange  to  say,  although  I  have  never  before 
seen  a  pod  of  seed  on  the  old  double  Daffodil,  I 
have  found  another  small  one  containing  six 
seeds,  and  I  can  only  surmise  that  the  flower  must 
have  been  accidentally  fertilised  by  obvallaris, 
which  was  growing  near  it.  I  have  no  knowledge 
of  double  Daffodils  having  been  raised  from  seed, 
and  this  was  the  principal  object  in  fertilising 
Telamonius  plenus,  and  to  ascertain  whether  the 
progeny  would  come  double.  Moreover,  I  thought 
that  I  might  by  chance  get  a  double  obvallaris, 
which  if  it  united  to  the  precocity  of  the  latter  the 


general  features  of  Telamonius  would  be  a  gain. 
What  I  wish  to  know  is  whether  I  ought  to  sow  at 
once  or  not. — J.  C.  B. 

Three  hybrid  alpine  Pinks.— Dianthus 

alpinus  x  D.  Heddewigi,  raised  by  Mr.  Anderson- 
Henry,  is  certainly  one  of  the  finest  alpine  Pinks 
in  cultivation,  but  its  free-flowering  habit  makes 
its  propagation  very  difficult.  The  blossoms  are 
bright  crimson,  nearly  IJ  inches  across,  on  flower- 
stems  about  3  inches  high.  It  is  now  in  blossom 
at  the  Edinburgh  Botanic  Gardens,  as  are  also  two 
other  hybrids  raised  by  Mr.  Lindsay,  Dianthus 
alpinus  x  deltoides,  bright  rose,  very  free-flower- 
ing, not  quite  1  inch  across,  with  slight  traces 
of  the  markings  which  are  so  well  defined  in  the 
petals  of  D.  deltoides.  These  markings  are,  bow- 
ever,  sometimes  to  be  seen  more  or  less  distinctly 
even  in  the  typical  D.  alpinus.  The  third  hybrid, 
D.  alpinus  x  D.  barbatus  (lately  described  by 
"  Veronica  ")  has  not  the  dwarf  habit  of  the  former 
kinds,  being  sometimes  1  foot  high.  It  is  there- 
fore as  well  suited  to  the  mixed  flower  bed  as  to 
the  rock  garden.  It  flowers  freely,  and  the  curious 
mixture  of  pure  white,  pale  pink,  and  bright  rose- 
coloured  blossoms  varying  according  to  their  age 
is  very  effective. — C.  M.  Owen. 

Daffodil  re'verslons. — Probably  some  may 
think  we  have  heard  enough  about  Daffodils  for 
a  season,  but  seeing  that  there  is  a  committee  ap- 
pointed to  receive  information  concerning  them, 
it  becomes  everyone  who  has  observed  reversions 
to  make  them  known.  I,  for  one,  shall  not  be 
surprised  if  it  should  turn  out  that  the  seasons 
have  more  to  do  with  reversions  than  the  soil. 
Of  the  double  poeticus  one  with  me  became 
single,  and  the  flower  different  from  poeticus 
recurvus.  That  this  was  a  genuine  change  from 
double  to  single  I  have  no  doubt.  This  bulb  is 
carefully  marked.  I  also  had  a  flower  of  poeticus 
recurvus  that  became  double,  but  I  regret  to  say 
the  bulb  in  that  case  is  not  marked.  The  next 
thing  I  have  to  mention  is  perhaps  more  interest- 
ing, viz.,  that  of  a  double  kind  seeding.  The 
variety  is  albo-aureus  (silver  and  gold)  ;  the  forma- 
tion of  the  flower  is  similar  to  that  of  capax,  but 
the  colour  is  different.  The  pod  was  seen  by  one 
of  our  leading  growers  when  partly  developed, 
and  the  ripe  seed  was  gathered  in  the  presence  of 
three  well-known  amateur  florists.  I  may  mention 
that  the  formation  of  the  pod  was  quite  different 
from  that  of  the  seed-pod  of  any  single  variety 
which  1  have  seen.  This  bulb  is  also  carefully 
marked.  I  had  also  a  poeticus  plenus  that  formed 
a  seed-pod,  but  the  seed  did  not  come  to  maturity. 
Many  singles,  however,  do  the  same. — J.  Walker, 
Whitton. 

Humea  elegans. — This  is  a  useful  plant  in 
many  ways ;  it  is  equally  well  adapted  for  the 
greenhouse,  conservatory,  and  for  the  summer 
flower  garden.  Its  strong,  upright  stem  attains  a 
height  of  6  feet,  and  even  8  feet,  and  throws 
out  quantities  of  graceful  drooping  sprays,  rival- 
ling in  beauty  our  most  ornamental  Grasses. 
Single  plants  of  it  are  often  used  as  a  central 
figure  in  a  circular  bed,  and  right  well  they  answer 
for  that  purpose,  but  it  would  be  doing  this  plant 
a  great  injustice  to  confine  it  to  such  positions. 
There  are  various  ways  of  propagating  this  Humea. 
One  of  them,  and  a  good  one,  is  to  raise  the  young 
plants  from  seed.  This  may  be  sown  now,  or 
almost  at  any  time  in  spring  or  summer.  Young 
plants  of  this  season's  production  will  not  come 
to  perfection  this  year,  but  will  grow  on  without 
flowering  until  next  spring.  The  feed  is  very 
small,  and  in  many  cases  much  of  it  does  not  ger- 
minate freely,  but  a  little  extra  attention  will 
always  insure  some  plants,  and  a  great  heat  is  not 
required  to  grow  them  in  at  first ;  on  the  contrary, 
they  will  succeed  from  the  beginning  in  a  green- 
house temperature.  They  delight  in  a  sandy  soil, 
and  from  the  first  should  be  grown  in  a  mixture 
of  this  kind.  Plants  1  foot  high  or  so  may  be 
grown  in  a  3-inch  pot,  bat  these  will  not  be  of 
much  decorative  value  ;  when,  however,  they  come 
to  be  potted  in  8-inch,  10-inch,  and  12-inch  pots, 
they  will  be  of  the  greatest  use.  When  growing 
in  such  pots  in  the  greenhouse  in  spring,  they  need 


not  be  turned  out  of  the  pots  if  taken  into  the 
flower  garden  in  summer ;  on  the  contrary,  they 
should  be  plunged  in  the  pots  and  then  they  can 
be  conveniently  lifted  and  taken  into  the  green- 
house for  decorative  purposes  again  in  the  winter. 
Those  who  possess  one  or  two  large  plants  of  this 
Humea  now  should  take  some  of  the  side  shoots 
from  them  at  once.  Make  cuttings  of  them,  pot 
them  singly  in  2i-inch  pots,  and  plunge  them  in 
a  gentle  bottom  heat ;  these  young  plants  will  be 
found  most  useful  from  early  next  spring  on- 
wards.— Cambbian. 

Conandron  ramondioidea— One  of  the 

most  interesting  and  beautiful  little  plants  that 
have  come  under  my  notice  lately  is  this  Conan- 
dron. It  was  introduced  to  this  country  from 
Japan,  and  may,  with  a  little  extra  care  in  getting 
it  fairly  established,  prove  hardy  enough  to  stand 
our  average  winters.  It  is  nearly  related  to  the 
Eamondia,  but  unlike  that  or  the  Haberlea  rho- 
dopensis,  to  which  it  is  also  related,  it  is  deciduous 
in  winter,  the  leaves  dying  off  in  autumn,  and 
leaving  a  tuft  or  crown  of  brown  silky  hairs,  which 
keep  the  young-undeveloped  leaves  from  cold,  and 
at  the  same  time  ward  off  damp  and  wet.  The 
root  is  tuberous  and  from  it  spring  the  leaves, 
which  are  all  radical,  having  long,  sometimes 
short,  petioles  or  leaf-stalks.  The  leaves  are 
generally  about  6  inches  long,  oblong  or  elliptic, 
bright  green,  shining,  and  more  or  less  wrinkled, 
They  are  regularly  toothed  and  very  handsome. 
It  is  even  more  floriferous  than  the  Eamondia  and 
Haberlea  where  the  necessary  supply  of  moisture 
is  given,  an  essential  item  in  the  successful  culti- 
vation of  the  Conandron.  In  fact,  nearly  the 
same  position  that  suits  Eamondia  will  be  found 
to  perfectly  agree  with  it.  The  flowers  are  white, 
varying  in  the  different  varieties  to  deep  blue  or 
violet,  They  are  borne  on  loose,  many-flowered 
cymes  about  the  size  of  a  sixpence,  and  are  very 
charming.  It  inhabits  moist  rocks  in  the  moun- 
tainous districts  of  Japan. — D.  K. 

Orosa-fertilislng  Narcissi. — At  p.  510 
"J.  C.  B.'  thinks  it  necessary  to  apply  pollen  to 
the  stigma  more  than  once  in  order  to  make  sure 
of  Narcissi  seeding.  I  do  not  think  that  this  is  at 
all  necessary  if  care  is  taken  to  apply  the  pollen 
at  the  right  time,  i.e.,  just  when  the  stigmas  are 
in  a  receptive  condition.  This  juncture  can  only 
be  known  by  experience  and  observation.  Even  if 
the  quantity  of  seeds  in  each  pod  is  actually  in- 
creased in  number  by  repeated  crossings,  it  does 
not  follow  that  numerical  increase  is  an  advan- 
tage. Instead  of  a  mass  of  small  seeds  in  a 
pod,  struggling  for  life  and  crushing  each  other 
out  of  shape — instead  of  competition  and  actual 
mechanical  obstruction  to  full  development,  I 
would  much  prefer  a  smaller  number  of  seeds,  and 
these  few  large  and  of  good  quality.  In  a  word, 
quality  of  seed  is  preferable  to  mere  quantity, 
especially  in  the  case  of  slow-growing  bulbs,  as 
Narcissi  generally  are  when  reared  in  this  way. 
Of  all  Narcissi  I  find  the  best  seed-bearers 
naturally  to  be  N.  Bulbocodium,  N.  Pseudo-nar- 
cissus, N.  muticus,  and  N.  obvallaris.  These  kinds 
seed  here  and  elsewhere  without  any  artificial 
assistance.  N.  montanus  (poculiformis,  galanthi- 
folius)  has  just  produced  ripe  seeds  with  Mr.  T. 
Archer  Hind,  in  Devon.  The  most  potent  of 
pollen  seems  to  be  that  of  N.  montanus  and  N. 
Pseudo-narcissus,  and  the  late  Mr.  Backhouse 
found  forms  of  the  last  named  to  seed  freely 
fertilised  with  pollen  of  N.  Tazetta  States 
General. — E. 


SHORT  NOTES.— FLOWER. 


Windflowers,— In  his  note  on  these  "  F.  W.  B."  en- 
quires if  Anemnne  ;ilba  is  still  in  cultiv.ation.  I  have  .nsked 
tlie  same  question  myself  for  some  years.  I  see  an  Anemone 
alhida  in  llessrs.  Eoozen's  (of  Overveen)  list.  It  is  a  white 
flowering  variety  and  may  be  the  one  wanttd  — Kubv. 

Lllium  Hansonl.— Ill  this  pretty  Lily  the  le.aves  are 
in  wliorls,  as  in  the  common  Martagon,  and  its  nodding 
blooms  are  of  a  deep  golden  yellow  spotted  more  or  less 
with  crimson.  A  prominent  feature  is  the  thiclv,  m.issive 
appearance  of  the  petals  which,  from  their  solidity,  appear 
to  be  carved  out  of  wax  This  Lily  possesses  a  vigorous 
constitution  and  is  perfectly  hardy  where  free  from 
stagnant  moisture. — H,  P. 


32 


THE    GARDEN 


[July   12    1884 


Orchids. 


MR.  POLLETT'S  OKCHIDS. 

In  the  neighbourhood  of  Biokley  and  Chislehurst 
there  are  hundreds  of  villa  gardens,  the  owners  of 
which  seem  to  vie  with  each  other  in  Iseeping 
them  in  good  order.  A  few  of  them  are  of  large 
size  and  well  kept  up.  To  the  latter  class  belongs 
that  of  Mr.  H.  M.  Tollett,  who  has  during  the  last 
few  years  been  gathering  together  quite  a  unique 
collection  of  Orchids.  The  houses  in  which  they 
are  grown  are  not  large  nor  numerous,  but  well 
built  and  furnished  with  all  the  most  recent  im- 
provements.    Let  us  first  enter 

The  Cattleya  house,  a  span-rooted  structure 
with  stages  on  each  side.  This  house  is  large 
enough  to  admit  of  the  full  development  of  plants 
of  medium  size.  When  amateurs  read  of  a  little 
less  than  a  small  fortune  being  paid  for  a  plant  of 
Cattleya  Trian.-c,  an  Aerides,  an  Odontoglossum, 
or  a  Cypripedium,  they  are  apt  to  look  at  their 
own  slender  resources  and  to  exclaim,  "  Orchid 
culture  will  not  do  for  me.'  Those  impressed 
with  notions  of  this  kind  might  learn  a  lesson  at 
Mr.  PoUett's— so  at  least  I  thought  when  admiring 
a  few  beautiful  varieties  of  Cattleya  Mendeli  in 
the  form  of  handsome  healthy  plants  with  two  or 
three  spikes  on  each,  one  with  a  handsome  crimson 
margin  to  the  labellum.  These  plants  were  pur- 
chased for  7s.  6d.  each  two  years  ago,  and  if  sold 
by  auction  now  they  would  fetch  from  £2  to  £5 
each.  Thus  by  skilful  management  an  amateur 
may  enjoy  the  most  beautiful  of  flowers  and  at 
the  same  time  add  to  his  capital.  I  am  acquainted 
with  an  amateur  who  purchased  some  Odon- 
toglossum crispum  at  Stevens's  for  less  than 
a  shilling  a  piece,  and  in  two  or  three  years 
he  found  that  two  of  the  plants  were  worth 
I'-IO,  while  the  whole  of  them  had  increased 
in  value  twenty,  thirty,  and  forty-fold. 
On  the  other  hand,  if  a  person  is  wealthy  and 
willing  to  pay  a  high  price  for  unique  plants,  if 
kept  in  good  growing  condition,  they  too  will 
increase  in  value.  In  the  Cattleya  house  in  ques- 
tion I  also  noticed  a  very  fine  form  of  C.  Mossia; 
belonging  to  the  white  petalled  type.  The  sepals 
were  very  faintly  flushed  with  rose,  the  throat  was 
rich  orange,  and  the  lip  prettily  fringed.  Plants 
of  Odontoglossum  vexillarium  grown  in  pans 
suspended  from  the  roof  were  also  doing  remark- 
ably well.  At  one  time  we  grew  our  0.  vesil- 
lariums  in  this  way,  but  I  found  that  the  plants 
required  too  much  attention.  We  found  watering 
them  more  difficult,  and  they  did  quite  as  well,  or 
perhaps  better,  in  pots  set  on  the  stage  with  the 
Cattleyas.  O.  Roezli  was  also  doing  well  in  the 
Cattleya  house.  Probably  it  will  be  found  as  the 
plants  increase  in  age  that  they  will  require  a 
temperature  5°  higher  than  usual  to  keep  up 
their  stamina.  Oncidium  pulvinatum  in  thia  house 
had  very  long  spikes  of  yellow  and  brown  flowers 
of  small  size  and  very  numerous.  As  they  last  a 
long  time  in  good  condition,  this  plant  is  well 
worth  a  corner  in  any  collection. 

The  cool  house  is  also  span-roofed,  and  ad- 
oins  the  Cattleya  house.  It  contains  many  rare 
and  fine  examples  of  various  species  and  hybrids 
of  Odontoglossums,  Masdevallias,  &c.  There  is  a 
fine  healthy  plant  of  Odontoglossum  elegans,  sup- 
posed to  be  a  hybrid  between  0.  cirrhosum  and  0. 
Halli.  The  bulbs  seem  to  be  ii  i,ermediate  between 
the  two  parents,  while  the  flowers  also  favour 
both.  The  ground  colour  is  pale  yellow  ;  the 
sepals  and  petals  thickly  blotched  and  spotted 
with  reddish  brown.  This  rare  plant  was  found 
in  an  importation  of  0.  cirrhosum.  Mr.  PoUett 
is  also  gathering  together  some  of  the  finest  forms 
of  0.  crispum  (Alexandras),  which  will  in  time 
form  by  far  the  finest  portion  of  the  collection, 
while  the  best  forms  of  0.  Pesoatorei  will  not 
suffer  by  comparison.  Of  Oncidium  Kogersi  there 
was  a  very  fine  specimen  with  three  large  branch- 
ing spikes— very  beautiful  when  compared  with 
the  other  occupants  of  this  house.  The  long 
spikes  of  Oncidium  macranthum,  too,  on  which 
large  golden  blossoms  are  sparsely  placed  in 
triplets,  seldom  fail  to  please  the  most  exacting  of 


connoisseurs.  Masdevallias  also  form  an  important 
feature  in  this  well-furnished  house.  Their  quaint, 
and  in  most  instances  elegant,  forms  are  most 
interesting.  The  best  forms  of  M.  Harryana  cannot 
be  excelled  in  brilliance  by  any  flower  yet  known. 
One  of  the  finest  of  all  is  the  Bull's  Blood  variety. 
Mr.  PoUett  has  a  brilliant  and  well-marked  form 
under  the  name  of  versicolor  which  I  had  not 
seen  before ;  it  takes  its  name  from  the  distinct 
shades  of  colour  which  it  possesses  on  the  lateral 
sepals.  M.  amabilis  is  not  greatly  esteemed, 
but  a  bright  little  plant  of  it  with  half-a-dozen 
flowers  made  good  its  claim  to  a  nook  even  in 
this  select  collection.  The  large-flowered  form  of 
M.  Veitchiana  might  claim  to  be  the  neplus  ultra. 
for  size  and  colour.  M.  rosea  has  not,  perhaps, 
proved  itself  to  be  all  that  was  expected ;  it  is, 
however,  a  quaint-looking  flower ;  it  is  both  ele- 
gant and  beautiful,  as  seen  here  in  a  compact 
mass  with  .S2  flowers  open  on  it.  M.  Chimera  had 
flowers  fully  15  inches  across;  the  peculiar  struc- 
ture of  this  flower  and  its  distinct  colour  recom- 
mend it  to  cultivators.  M.  Shuttleworthi  and  M. 
Wagneri  are  both  interesting  and  beautiful  in 
their  way.  These  and  several  others  form  part  of 
Mr.  PoUett's  collection. 

The  warmest  house  also  contains  some  well- 
grown  examples  of  the  species  and  varieties 
usually  found  in  such  a  house.  I  noticed  in  flower 
a  beautifully  spotted  variety  of  Saccolabium  gut- 
tatum,  and  was  told  it  was  part  of  Loddiges' 
original  variety.  Some  of  the  varieties  and  species 
of  Saccolabium  are  amongst  the  most  beautiful  of 
Orchids.  S.  retusum,  for  instance,  is  now  both  rare 
and  beautiful.  Most  of  them  like  the  warmest 
house.  They  like  plenty  of  light  and  succeed 
either  in  baskets  or  pots.  They  require  light  to 
make  them  flower  freely.  The  insect  pests  that 
do  most  mischief  is  thrips,  which  can  be  destroyed 
by  fumigating  or  washing  the  leaves  with  Tobacco 
water.  A  fine  form  of  Cypripedium  Lawrencia- 
num  had  large  blossoms,  and  a  plant  of  this 
species  was  of  very  large  size.  The  leaves  are  the 
most  beautifully  marked  of  all  the  C.  barbatum 
type,  and  it  is  also  proving  itself  to  be  a  very 
vigorous  growing  species.  If  Orchids  are  to  be 
grown  to  give  satisfaction  they  must  be  kept  clean 
and  in  good  health,  which  is  their  condition  here. 
Indeed,  they  could  not  be  otherwise  under  the  care 
of  such  an  ardent  lover  of  plants  as  Mr.  PoUett  is. 

J.  D. 


Vanda  gigantea. — The  flowering  of  this 
noble  Burmese  Orciiid  is  a  comparatively  rare 
occurrence ;  even  in  the  richest  collections  its 
blossoms  are  seldom  seen.  A  very  fine  spike  of 
it  has  been  sent  to  us  by  Col.  Charlton,  who  re- 
ceived his  plants  direct  from  Burmah.  The  flowers 
he  has  sent  to  us  are  as  large  as  those  of  V. 
Batemanni  and  somewhat  similar  in  shape.  The 
colour  is  yellow,  blotched  heavily  with  chestnut- 
brown.  It  is  therefore  not  very  showy.  The  spikes 
are  long  and  drooping.  It  is  one  of  the  noblest 
of  the  genus,  the  leaves  being  very  broad  for  a 
Vanda,  and  though  the  growth  is  massive  it  is 
elegant. 


PLANTING  IN  HOT  WEATHER. 

This  should,  if  possible,  always  be  done  on  dull 
days.  When  ground  is  prepared  and  everything 
is  in  readiness,  a  large  number  of  plants  may  be 
shifted  into  their  new  quarters  in  the  course  of  a 
few  hours.  It  sometimes,  however,  happens  that 
such  a  favourable  occasion  does  not  present  itself, 
and  there  is  but  the  option  of  planting  in  a  dry 
time  or  of  waiting  on  the  chance  of  a  change,  and 
risking  the  injury  which  crowding  or  a  root-bound, 
starved  condition  brings  about.  By  choosing  those 
portions  of  the  day  freest  from  the  sun's  influence, 
the  work  of  transplanting  may  be  comfortably  and 
satisfactorily  accomplished,  and  here  it  may  be 
said  that  the  morning  is  a  good  time,  but  that  the 
evening  is  better,  for  with  a  good  watering  given  in 
the  form  of  a  refreshing  shower,  and  if  sprinkled 
once  or  twice  during  the  following  day,  their  foli- 
age will  scarcely  show  signs  of  the  removal.  An 
excellent  plan  when  plantina;  out  in  hot  weather 


is  to  stick  in  a  branch  of  evergreen  on  the  sunny 
side  of  each  plant  or  group  of  plants,  leaving  it 
there  until  they  show  signs  of  having  fairly  grasped 
the  soil.  There  is  a  great  difference  between  ihe 
progress  of  plants  which  have  received  these  atten- 
tions and  such  as  have  more  or  less  taken  their 
chance  when  more  favourable  atmospheric  condi- 
tions supervene.  Although  for  a  time  there  is  no 
apparent  benefit,  the  plants  are  gathering  strength 
and  are  making  a  quantity  of  roots,  the  result 
of  which  is  a  strong  and  robust  growth. 

In  transplanting  no  care  or  labour  shouM 
be  grudged  that  wiU  preserve  intact  all  the  root.s, 
for  it  must  be  said  that  want  of  scrupulous  atten- 
tion in  this  respect  is  a  too  common  error,  the 
greatest  oilenders  being  naturally  young  gar- 
deners, whose  experience  does  not  allow  of  their 
realising  that  a  dried  or  mutilated  root  means 
serious  loss  of  vital  energy  never  again  to  be  fully 
restored.  How  often  have  I  seen  joung  seedlings 
or  cuttings  lying  on  the  potting  bench  for  an 
hour  or  more  at  a  time,  their  roots  in  full  exposure, 
or  in  planting  the  plants  perhaps  just  laid  into  a 
box  or  basket  open  to  the  air  whilst  the  operator 
leisurely  committed  them  to  the  soil.  I  speak  all 
the  more  feelingly  upon  this  matter  because  I 
know  that  ninety-nine  gardeners  out  of  the  hun- 
dred have  at  some  time  in  their  lives  committed 
this  mistake.  I  know  I  did,  and  when  at  one  time  I 
had  half-a-dozen  young  learners  with  me  one  of 
my  greatest  troubles  was  to  get  them  to  realise 
that  a  root  preserved,  however  small,  was  strength 
and  progress  gained.  When  a  young  cultivator 
once  perceives  the  importance  of  roots  and  their 
action,  his  progress  in  plant  culture  really  begins, 
and  not  before  that.  In  planting  in  the  open  there 
is  nothing  so  good  as  an  ordinary  galvanised  iron 
pail,  as  it  is  air-tight,  and  if  covered  with  a  piece 
of  cloth  the  plants  may  be  kept  fresh  and  the 
roots  moist,  no  matter  how  drying  the  wind  or 
unfavourable  generally  the  weather  may  be. 

One  great  mlstake  in  planting  is  to  rake  the 
soil  finely  after  planting,  as  in  the  course  of  a  tew 
days  it  then  forms  a  hard  crust,  and  if  the  plants 
are  set  out  in  a  rounded  bed,  the  greater  portion 
of  the  water  given  runs  ofi  to  the  sides.  The  best 
way,  I  think,  is  to  cut  down  straight  with  a  trowel, 
spread  out  the  roots  on  the  side  of  this  little 
trench  and  press  firmly  round  the  collar,  leaving 
the  soil  rather  crumbly  on  the  surface.  Then 
the  water  penetrates  easily,  and  goes  where 
it  is  wanted  to  go.  This  kind  of  planting  is  not 
so  neat  as  when  the  surface  is  made  smooth,  but 
whoever  wishes  for  good  specimens  will  be  ready 
to  make  a  sacrifice  in  this  respect  if  such  is  need- 
ful. There  is  often  too  great  an  incUnation  to 
make  neatness  the  primary  consideration  in  gar- 
dening operations,  and  plants  have  often  to  suffer 
therefrom.  J,  C.  B. 


ZINC  GARDEN  LABELS. 
I  AM  very  desirous  at  this  time  of  the  year,  when 
there  are  not  many  important  gardening  matters 
to  talk  about,  to  say  a  few  words  about  garden 
labels.  From  experience  I  know  that  if  a  gar- 
dener has  one  perplexity  more  than  another  it  is 
that  of  labels.  Proper  labelling  and  lasting  labels 
are,  in  my  opinion,  of  the  very  first  importance  to 
the  horticuUurist  as  well  as  to  the  amateur. 
Wooden  ones  painted  or  unpainted  are  good  for  a 
little  time,  but  invariably  they  become  obliterated, 
if  they  do  not  rot  away.  We  shall  never,  I  am 
sure,  succeed  with  wood  as  a  material  for  labels, 
and  after  many  trials  my  conviction  is  that 
nothing  surpasses  zinc  either  for  durability, 
legibility,  or  economy,  and  I  hope  to  see  the  day 
when  wood  is  wholly  disused  and  zinc  adopted 
both  by  amateurs  and  the  trade.  It  is  my  inten- 
tion, as  briefly  as  possible,  to  show  how  cheaply 
and  how  readily  these  may  be  made,  and  if  I  am 
right  in  what  I  say,  there  is  no  reason  why  florists 
should  give  us  an  inferior  label  when  they  can, 
with  as  little  trouble  and  expense,  supply  us  with  a 
permanent  and  indelible  metal  one  with  the  plants 
we  purchase.  And  now  I  will  proceed  to  show 
how  to  set  to  work.  Procure  first  of  all  a  sheet  of 
No.    13    zinc    of   the    Veille    Montagne   make, 


July   12,   1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


33 


which  at  tha  present  price  will  cost  4s.  4d.,  apiece 
of  wood  with  a  straight  edge,  and  a  four-sided 
sharpened  biadawl.  The  zinc  is  96  inches  long  ; 
carefully  mark  both  edges  into  4-inch  lengths, 
apply  the  straight  edge  to  the  opposite  marks,  and 
then  thoroughly  score  the  metal  half-a-dozen 
times  with  the  bradawl ;  after  this  it  will  break 
freely  by  bending  it  backwards  and  forwards. 
You  will  now  have  twenty-four  pieces  of  zinc 
36  inches  by  4  inches,  4  inches  being  the  length  of 
the  label.  Now  make  each  of  these  pieces  into 
half-inch  widths,  and  score  the  metal  as  before 
desctibed,  and  break  ofiE  with  the  thumb  and 
finger.  If  you  are  very  clever,  you  will  prepare  a 
piece  of  wood  4  inches  in  width  and  put  a  saw 
groove  in  the  end  of  it  to  save  your  fingers  this 
duty.  This  makes  1728  good  serviceable  labels  at 
a  (o-t  for  the  material  of  3d.  per  100.  I  need  not 
say  that  by  varying  the  dimensions  labels  of  any 
size  may  be  made  ;  nor  need  I  say  that,  however 
awkward  the  amateur  may  be  to  start  with,  he 
will  soon  become  an  expert  in  label  making.  A 
pair  of  tinman's  "snips,"  costing  33.  6d.,  will 
enable  him  to  point  the  labels  or  shape  them  in 
any  way  if  he  is  at  all  particular  as  to  appear- 
ances, or  to  cut  those  which  he  fails  to  sufficiently 
scratch.  The  small  surface  of  the  label  intended 
to  be  written  upon  should  be  slightly  rubbed  with 
emery  clotli  to  remove  the  grease  used  in  the 
mannfactare. 

Where  possible  to  prepare  work  beforehand,  it 
is  always  desirable  to  write  the  labels  before  the 
planting  takes  place  ;  then  liquid  ink  can  be  used. 
What  I  have  adopted  is  a  sixty-grain  solution  of 
nitrate  of  silver,  to  be  procured  of  any  chemist ; 
with  this  a  quill  pen  must  be  used,  but  for  those 
who  have  one  there  is  nothing  like  a  gold  pen. 
However,  we  cannot  always  prepare  work  to  the 
fore  (and  here  comes  in  the  charm  of  a  zinc  label), 
and  it  is  desirable  to  write  the  label  impromptu. 
Then  the  lunar  caustic  pencils  sold  by  all  chemists 
can  be  used,  taking  the  precaution  of  slightly 
damping  the  surface  before  writing  upon  it. 
Having  shown  my  brother  labourers  in  the  craft 
how  to  make  a  handy  and  permanent  label  at  the 
smallest  possible  cost,  I  hope  to  see  the  days  of 
wooden  labels  numbered.  It  all  is  not  so  clear  as 
I  have  wished  to  make  it,  I  shall  be  happy  to  reply 
to  all  enquirers.  W.  H.  Cullingpord. 

7,  Phillimore  ffa/rdens,  Kensington. 


VALUE  OF  SUMMER  MULCHING. 

The  parching  north-cast  winds,  with  which  we 
have  been  afflicted  for  some  considerable  time 
past,  have  so  dried  the  ground  that  nearly  all 
plants  are  suffering,  and  many  are  looking  very 
distressed  from  want  of  moisture,  and  though 
water  may  be  given  it  seems  to  have  but  little 
effect.  Under  such  circumstances  the  best 
remedy  is  to  mulch,  which  should  never  be  neglected 
during  summer,  as  not  only  does  it  save  an 
immensity  of  labour,  but  it  acts  most  beneficially 
on  the  roots  and  helps  the  crop.  When  trees  get 
a  check  from  want  of  moisture  in  the  soil,  the 
fruit  is  almost  sure  to  crack  after  a  heavy  rain- 
fall, and  especially  is  this  the  case  with  Pears  and 
Cherries.  Even  if  there  were  no  splitting  after  a 
dry  time  like  the  present,  the  fruit,  if  not 
assisted,  would  be  small,  and  those  who  are  so 
fortunate  as  to  have  a  crop  left  after  the  late 
frosts  will  find  it  greatly  benefited  by  at  once 
giving  a  good  mulching,  and  then  a  thorough  soak- 
ing of  water  or  sewage.  In  the  case  of  pyramid 
Prar  or  Apple  trees,  it  is  a  good  plan  to  draw 
the  earth  away  from  the  stem  with  a  hoe,  so  as  to 
make  a  basin-like  receptacle  for  the  water  or  sew- 
age to  be  poured  in,  as  then,  though  filled  again 
wuh  the  mulching,  which  should  be  of  half  rotten 
manure,  there  is  no  waste,  for  the  liquid  cannot 
escape,  but  quickly  soaks  in  and  down.  With 
regard  to  Peaches  and  Nectarines  and  other  wall 
trees,  the  way  to  manage  them  is  to  break  up 
the  border  by  pricking  through  the  crust  with  a 
fork,  when  the  manure  should  be  spread  on  and 
a  watering  given,  but  the  thing  to  bear  in  mind 
is  to  see  that  each  plant  has  a  thorough  soaking, 
as  that  does  far  more  good  than  the  little  and 


often,  which  entices  the  roots  up  near  the  surface, 
where,  if  neglected  for  only  a  short  time,  they  are 
apt  to  perish. 

To  GROW  PINE  Roses  without  a  mulching  is 
quite  out  of  the  question,  but  as  fresh  manure  is 
objectionable  on  beds  in  certain  positions,  that 
which  is  more  rotten  and  less  unsightly  should  be 
chosen  instead.  Horse  droppings,  free  from 
straw,  are  as  good  as  anything  that  can  be  had, 
as  they  soon  go  to  pieces  and  lie  light,  and  if  they 
have  been  used  for  a  Mushroom  bed  so  much  the 
better,  as  they  become  disintegrated,  and  form  a 
most  capital  mulch,  through  which  water  or 
sewage  passes  quickly,  and  which  does  not  again 
escape  in  the  form  of  evaporation — a  circum- 
stance easily  accounted  for  by  its  non-conducti- 
bility,  and  this  is  why  Cocoa-nut  refuse  is  so 
valuable  as  a  mulching.  Sifted  leaf-mould  is  also 
useful  for  the  same  purpose,  and  it  has  this 
advantage,  that  it  may  be  mixed  with  the  soil 
without  danger,  whereas  Cocoa-nut  fibre  is  almost 
sure  to  generate  fungus,  and  should  never  be  dug 
in  when  done  with,  but  cleared  off  and  carried 
away  to  be  burned. 

Vegetables. — Not  only  may  fruit  trees  and 
plants  in  or  coming  into  bloom  be  vastly  assisted 
by  being  mulched,  but  vegetables  of  most  kinds 
are  equally  benefited  by  being  cared  for  in  the 
same  way ;  indeed,  for  Peas  and  Scarlet  Runners 
mulching  is  most  essential ;  without  it  the  latter 
drop  their  blooms  wholesale  without  setting,  and 
Peas  get  mildewed  and  are  unable  to  goon  bearing 
and  filling  their  pods.  With  a  mulching  and  a 
soaking  of  sewage  now  and  then,  it  is  surprising 
what  vigour  may  be  thrown  into  them,  and  how 
indifferent  they  seem  to  heat  or  drought,  which 
under  such  conditions  do  not  appear  to  affect 
them.  S.  D. 


CONCENTRATED   MANURES. 

One  hardly  likes  to  say  anything  that  may  cast  a 
doubt  on  the  value  of  artificial  manures,  but, 
speaking  for  myself,  I  can  unhesitatingly  say 
that  I  have  no  difficulty  in  fixing  a  limit  to  the 
good  they  do,  and  any  one  else  may  do  the  same 
if  they  will  take  the  trouble  to  ascertain  what 
plants  they  permanently  benefit  and  what  they 
injure.  I  would  emphasise  the  word  permanently, 
because  it  is  on  that  the  chief  value  of  these 
manures  should  rest.  My  opinion  is  that  they  are 
valuable  only  for  annual  plants.  When  used  with 
care,  they  may  be  made  to  do  good  service  in  the 
case  of  plants  of  fairly  vigorous  growth  that  are 
to  be  thrown  away  as  soon  as  they  go  out  of 
flower.  I  may  mention  Primulas,  Mignonette, 
Cinerarias,  and  zonal  Pelargoniums  as  plants  to 
which  artificial  manures  may  be  given  with  ad- 
vantage, and  if  judiciously  applied  surprising 
results  may  be  obtained.  On  the  sort  of  plants 
here  indicated  the  inexperienced  may  practise 
without  doing  permanent  injury,  but  on  hard- 
wooded  plants  much  harm  may  be  done  by  an 
injudicious  use  of  stimulants.  In  fact,  they  re- 
quire to  be  dealt  with  in  a  very  cautions  manner. 
The  tendency  of  these  manures  to  show  the 
effects  of  the  first  application  in  a  very  short 
time  is  not  the  least  of  the  evils  attending  their 
use,  as  it  increases  the  desire  to  use  them  more 
and  more  freely  ;  consequently,they  are  sometimes 
used  in  excess,  and  an  early  collapse  of  the  plants 
operated  upon  is  the  result  before  the  cultiva,tor 
is  aware  what  has  caused  the  mischief.  When 
applied  to  hard-wooded  plants  in  small  quan- 
tities, and  at  the  most  not  more  than  twice  a 
year,  they  may  not  do  harm  to  snch  subjects  as 
Azaleas,  Camellias,  Clerodendrons,  AUamandas, 
and  a  few  other  strong-growing  plants,  but  if 
used  oftener  than  that  there  is  great  risk  of  the 
plants  gradually  getting  into  ill  healh  after 
three  or  four  years  of  such  treatment. 
Practically,  I  do  not  think  there  is  anything  very 
injurious  to  plant  life  in  any  of  these  compounds, 
i  I'.,  provided  the  proper  quantity  is  given,  but  for 
the  most  part  we  have  to  guess  at  the  quantity, 
and  we  are  still  more  unenlightened  as  to  what 
plants  they  will  benefit  and  what  not.  On  this 
point  I  hold  a  very  decided  opinion,  because  I  have 


many  times  proved  that  some  races  of  plants  will 
bear  more  than  others.  For  instance,  Roses  will 
bear  stronger  doses  extending  over  a  longer  period 
than  any  other  class  of  plants  with  which  I  am  ac- 
quainted. On  the  other  hand,  Fuchsias  will  only 
bear  very  moderate  supplies  at  long  intervals,  or 
both  leaves  and  flowers  will  drop.  Again,  all  the 
plants  I  have  operated  upon  will  bear  a  larger 
quantity  if  mixed  with  the  soil  when  potted,  than 
when  put  on  the  surface  and  watered  in.  On  the 
whole,  I  look  upon  the  plan  of  mixing  manure  with 
the  soil  as  the  most  satisfactory.  It  is  less  spas- 
modic in  its  action,  and  plants  of  all  kinds  are 
benefited  thereby  for  a  longer  time.  No  one  could 
be  mistaken  as  regards  the  action  of  any  of  these 
manures,  even  if  they  have  not  exceeded  the 
quantity  the  vendors  recommend  for  particular 
sized  pots,  as  after  the  first  application  the  plant 
to  which  they  have  been  applied  (I  mean  where 
applied  on  the  surface)  will  require  more  water 
than  it  did  before,  and  the  larger  the  quantity  and 
oftener  it  is  applied  the  more  water  will  the  plants 
want,  which  plainly  shows  that  the  manure  is 
forcing  in  its  action,  and  if  the  needful  supply  of 
moisture  is  not  given  the  result  will  be  the  reverse 
of  what  is  expected.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  certain 
plants  may  be  grown  at  express  speed  to  a  large 
size  in  a  short  time  by  the  aid  of  these  manures, 
all  other  things  being  equal ;  but  unless  such 
stimulating  agents  are  used  cautiously,  not  many 
plants  can  sustain  an  active  life  for  a  lengthened 
period  under  their  influence.  As  to  the  value  of 
any  particular  compound,  I  may  say  that  I  have 
tried  a  good  many  of  them,  and  although  their 
composition  may  vary  somewhat,  they  are  all  of 
about  equal  merit  for  horticultural  purposes. 

J.  C.  C. 

MOUNT  USSHER. 
Yesterday  I  saw  a  charming  old  garden  at 
Rathnew-^an  old  mill  house  surrounded  by  beds 
and  borders  of  the  finest  and  choicest  of  hardy 
flowers.  TropEeolum  speciosum  is  just  now  setting 
the  old  house  on  fire  and  clambering  up  fences  or 
twining  out  to  the  tips  of  Escallonia  branches  and 
then  dangling  in  mid-air  like  a  swarm  of  bees,  so 
thickly  set  are  its  clusters  of  buds  and  blossoms. 
The  garden  is  a  small  one ;  the  Vartry  River  nearly 
brings  the  trout  to  the  kitchen  door,  and  on  the 
other  side  the  old  mill  race  or  stream  is  fringed 
with  rocky  banks,  where  many  flowers,  rare  else- 
where, are  quite  at  home,  Platycodon  grandiUorum 
among  the  number.  Flowering  shrubs  are  an 
especial  feature,  and  tall  Delphiniums  of  eternal 
blue,  softest  azure,  or  dark  as  indigo  are  noble  as 
seen  contrasted  with  white  Phloxes  or  with  Wis- 
taria leaves  now  bathed  in  golden  green.  The 
place  is  full  of  odd  corners  happily  filled ;  a  giant 
Saxifraga  peltata  growing  near  the  little  stream 
shaded  by  a  bridge  is  a  picture.  Roses  are  every- 
where, and  in  a  sunny  yard  Clematis  and  Ivy  fight 
for  wall  and  roof  space.  Woodbine  scents  the 
air,  and  butterflies  hold  their  earliest  ball  in  this 
sunny  old  place  among  the  white  Lilies  and  Irises 
and  a  thousand  other  delightful  flowers.  Cer- 
tainly the  garden  is  sheltered,  and  then  the  Wick- 
low  climate  is  proverbial,  but  to  these  natural  ad- 
vantages good  taste  and  some  labour  of  love  have 
been  added  to  good  purpose,  and  the  result  is  a 
garden  paradise.  F.  W.  B. 


NOTES  FROM  BADEN-BADEN. 
Brunellia  Webbiana  is  a  plant  for  everybody's 
garden,  far  superior  to  B.  grandiflora.  Its  large 
beautiful  violet  flowers  are  produced  in  numerous, 
dense,  showy  spikes.  Shining  like  glittering  gold, 
Grindelia  robusta,  a  neat  showy  perennial,  bears 
varnished,  bright  yellow.  Aster-like  flowers.  Lac- 
tuca  dubyaca,  from  the  Himalayas,  is  a  more 
modest  plant,  yet  it  merits  a  place  in  every  good 
collection  ;  its  flowers  are  sulphur-yellow,  beset 
with  bristles.  An  edging  of  Erythraea  diffusa, 
with  thousands  of  its  shining  deep  rosy  flowers, 
is  admired  by  every  visitor ;  it  is  a  low  trailing  or 
creeping  plant,  every  branch  of  which  produces  a 
flower-stem  only  4  inches  in  height.  Knautia 
magniflca  is  a  beautiful  rose-coloured  perennial 


THE     GARDEN 


[.Tii.Y  12,  1884. 


Scabious,  discovered  a  few  years  ago  by  Professor 
Orphanides  in  Greece ;  it  is,  however,  quite 
hardy.  Aster  diplostephioides,  for  the  introduc- 
tion of  which  we  are  indebted  to  Mr.  Elwes,  is  a 
Himalayan  perennial  of  first-rate  properties  ;  its 
flowers  are  large  and  numerous,  the  rays  being 
bright  lavender,  the  disc  black,  and  the  anthers 
orange,  all  blending  harmoniously,  and  producing 
a  very  good  effect.  This  is  as  desirable  a  plant 
as  Senecio  pulcher.  Max  Leichtlin. 

Baden-Baden. 


Societies. 


EOYAL  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 
July  8. 
Some  very  fine  out  Roses  and  hardy  flowers  were 
exhibited  on  this  occasion.  OE  the  former, 
Messrs.  W.  Paul  and  Son  were  the  largest  exhibi- 
tors, one  whole  table  being  occupied  with  their 
productions,  for  which  a  silver-gilt  Knightian 
medal  was  awarded.  Messrs.  Veitch  also  furnished 
some  six  boxes  filled  with  grand  blooms  of  A.  K 
"Williams,  Marie-  Baumann,  Souvenir  d'Elise,  and 
others.  Along  with  these  Roses  the  same  firm 
exhibited  several  boxfuls  of  cut  blooms  of  Iris 
Kffimpferi,  all  of  which  were  fine  in  form  and 
varied  in  colour.  One  boxful  of  beautiful  blooms 
of  Carnations  was  also  shown  by  the  same  growers. 
Along  with  these  also  were  shown,  basketfuls  of 
a  variety  of  Andromeda  speciosa,  a  fine  bold 
kind  with  large  drooping  spikes  of  clear  pure 
white  bells.  Behind  these  were  staged  some  dis- 
tinct colours  of  large-flowered  Campanulas  of  the 
calycanthema  type.  A  silver  Knightian  medal 
was  awarded.  Messrs.  Ware,  of  Tottenham,  had  an 
unusually  large  and  varied  assortment  of  cut 
flowers  of  hardy  herbaceous  plants  and  cut  speci- 
mens of  the  best  varieties  of  Lilies  now  in  season. 
Of  the  latter,  L.  dalmaticum  was  conspicuous  on 
account  of  its  rich,  dark  colour.  Cut  Roses  were 
shown  by  the  same  firm,  among  which  were  two 
boxfuls  of  Rosa  rugosa  rubra  and  its  white  variety. 
A  silver-gilt  Banksian  medal  was  deservedly 
awarded  to  this  collection.  Messrs.  Kelway 
and  Son  staged  a  varied  assortment  of  hardy 
flowers,  among  which  the  early-flowering  forms 
of  Gladiolus  were  in  good  condition.  Aquilegia 
Skinneri  and  Delphiniums  were  also  prominent, 
and  there  was  likewise  a  fine  boxful  of 
Tea-scented  Roses  in  good  condition,  and  single 
and  double  Pyrethrums.  To  this  collection 
a  silver  Banksian  medal  was  awarded.  Mr.  Chas. 
Turner  had  some  fine  Carnations  and  Picotees. 
Among  the  former  a  purple  flake  variety  named 
Florence  Nightingale  was  conspicuous.  Some  few 
kinds  of  new  Melons  were  shown,  but  none  pos- 
sessing sufficient  merit  to  gain  an  award.  Mr. 
House,  of  Peterborough,  exhibited  his  Perfect 
Marrow  Pea  grown  in  the  open  field  without  being 
staked,  for  which  purpose  this  variety  is  evidently 
well  suited  ;  the  pods  were  well  filled  and  of  good 
size.  Two  kinds  of  Apples  were  also  shown. 
The  exhibits  placed  before  the  floral  committee 
were  not  numerous,  but  some  productions  of 
considerable  merit  were  shown. 

First-class  certificates  were  awarded  to 
Cattleya  GA8KELLIANA  ALBA,  a  distinct  form, 
well   flowered  and  cultivated  in  a  shallow  Orchid 
pan.      From   Mr.  Crawshay's    garden,   Rosefield, 
Sevenoaks. 

Aerides  illustrb. — Somewhat  like  A.  Schroe- 
deri  in  growth,  with  brighter  flowers  borne  on  a 
semi-erect  spike ;  a  fine  variety.  From  Sir  Trevor 
Lawrence's  collection. 

Cypeipedium  Curtisi. — An  improved  species 
with  distinct  markings.  From  Sir  Trevor  Lawrence. 
Cattleya  caluminata. — Partaking  in  a  mea- 
sure of  the  C.  AclandiiB  type  ;  rather  more  robust, 
but  not  so  vigorous  as  C.  Leopoldi.  I'lowers  freely 
spotted  on  both  sepals  and  petals  on  a  pale  pink 
ground  ;  lip  like  that  of  C.  Leopoldi.  A  first-class 
variety.    Also  from  Sir  Trevor  Lawrence. 

Indigofera  floribunda  alba. — A  hardy 
shrub ;  very  distinct ;  beautiful  both  in  foliage  and 
flower.     From  Messrs.  Veitch  &  Sons. 


Medinilla  Trysmakiana. — A  kind  withered 
panicles,  differing  both  in  colour  and  habit  frc  m 
M.  magnifici.  Sup  rosed  to  be  identical  with  M 
amabilis.     Mfss's.  Veitch  &  Son«. 

Spib^a  purpurea. — In  the  way  of  S.  p almata 
but  with  smaller  foliage  veined  with  purple,  dwarf 
habit,  and  free  flowering.  From  open  ground. 
Messrs.  Veitch  &  Sons. 

Iris  Earl  Granville,  I.  Princess  Maud,  and 
I.  Mary  Anderson,  all  of  the  I.  Kampferi  type, 
but  quite  distinct,  the  former  having  very  large 
flowers.     All  from  Messrs.  Veitch. 

Carnation  Celia. — Shown  as  a  border  variety, 
and  stated  to  possess  the  property  of  retaining 
the  colour  of  its  flowers  in  the  sun.  Pale  pink. 
B'ine  flower.     Messrs.  Veitch. 

Carnation  Martha.— Distinct  as  regards  mark- 
ings, flowers  rather  small,  presumably  belonging 
to  the  tree  section. 

Delphinium  Gloire  de  Nancy. — A  double 
kind  with  pale  blue  or  lavender-coloured  flowers, 
of  no  particular  merit  in  colour  against  older 
kinds.     From  Mr.  Bealby. 

Votes  of  thanks  were  awarded  to  Mr.  Crawsbay 
for  a  fine  form  of  Cattleya  gigas,  shown  as  C. 
Sanderiana. 

To  Mr.  Vanner,  of  Chislehnrst,  for  Vanda  San- 
deriana, bearing  an  erect  spike  with  eight  flowers 
of  fine  size  and  in  fresh  condition. 

Begonia  virginalis  — A  double  white  with  fine 
flowers  and  dwarf  in  habit.     From  Messrs,  Laing. 

Sweet  Peas  from  Mr.  Eckford,  and  one  or  two 
new  Roses  from  W.  Paul  &  Son  were  also  shown, 
but  no  award  given. 

Scientific  committee.  —  Professor  M. 
Foster  in  the  chair. 

Lansia  tihetica. — Mr.  Lider  exhibited  this  plant, 
figured  in  "  Hooker's  Journal,"  1857,  but  which 
does  not  appear  to  have  flowered  in  England  be- 
fore. Ranunculus  cortusifoUus. — He  also  showed 
this  fine  species  and  a  white  Orcliis  resembling  0. 
pyramidalis  in  form.  It  came  from  Rev.  H. 
Crewe's  collection;  al.so  Gentiana  bavarica,  finely 
grown  plants  with  deep  violet-blue  blossoms,  and 
he  also  brought  specimens  of  Plantago  major  and 
lanceolata  with  foliaceous  bracts,  a  well-known 
monstrosity. 

Monstrous  Geum  fivale. — Mr.  Boulger  described 
a  form  of  this  plant  with  a  foliaceous  calyx,  corolla 
of  three  rows  of  petals,  stamens  reduced  in  num- 
ber and  proliferous  ;  instead  of  a  pistil  the  pro- 
longed axis  bearing  a  normal  fiower.  This  form 
was  described  by  Dr.  Hill  in  1758. 

Chlora  perfoliafa.— Mr.  Boulger  noticed  that 
this  plant  opens  its  flowers  at  9  a.m.  and  closes 
them  about  4.30  p.m.,  and  a  specimen  which  was 
placed  in  his  vasculum  with  closed  blossoms  was 
found  to  be  opened  at  the  usual  hour,  though  in 
the  dark. 

Report  on  Potato  euUii/re  at  CMsn-ick. — Dr. 
Masters  reported  that  the  second  visit  to  Chiswick 
of  the  sub-committee  had  been  made,  and  that, 
though  the  disease  was  present  in  the  garden  it 
had  not  yet  reached  the  experimental  plot.  The 
second  series  were  earthed-up  in  the  manner  as 
directed  by  Mr.  Plowright. 

Puccini'i  Vincie.—'M.T.  W.  G.  Smith  exhibited 
plants  of  Periwinkle  attacked  by  this  fungus, 
which  does  not,  as  a  rule,  appear  to  be  very 
common. 

Boneydem. — Mr.  Bennett  called  attention  to 
the  fact  that  the  Limes  are  very  abundant  in 
Honeydew,  and  the  question  was  again  raised  as 
to  the  part  aphides  play  in  its  production.  The 
general  opinion  (as  expressed  previously  when  the 
question  was  raised)  was  that  it  is  more  due  to 
the  intense  heat  causing  an  alteration  in  the  starch 
into  a  sugary  substance. 

Indigqftra  floribunda  alba. — This  plant  was  ex- 
hibited by  Mr.  Veitch,  but  as  it  had  not  the 
peculiar  irritability  of  the  stamens  characteristic 
of  species  of  Indigofera  as  described  by  the  Rev. 
G.  Henslow  in  the  Journal  of  the  Linnean  Society, 
it  was  referred  to  Dr.  Masters  to  ascertain  the 
correct  name. 


Ficea  Kordmanniana  a'tad'ed.  hi/  aji/iis — A 
horticulturist  forwarded  blanches  of  this  tree  at- 
tacked by  aphides,  which  were  desciibed  as  com- 
mitting great  destruction  amongst  plants  of  this 
species  and  also  of  Abies  grandis.  It  was  referred 
to  Mr.  MacLachlan  for  examination  and  report. 

Dried  lihdiarb  staViS. — Mrs.  Jones  forwarded  a 
sample  of  Rhubarb  from  which  nearly  all  the 
juice  had  been  expressed  and  dded.  She  recom- 
mends its  use  in  winter  as  a  preserve.  It  was 
referred  to  the  secretary  for  exami  nation  and  report. 

Hybrid  Digitalis. — Mr.  A.  Dean  sent  specimens 
of  a  supposed  hjbrid  between  D.  purpurea  and  D. 
lutea.  The  late  Professor  Henslow  described  a 
natural  hybrid  between  these  species,  the  blossoms 
of  which  were  decidedly  intermediate  in  colour. 
Those  sent  by  Mr.  Dean  appeared  to  be  much  yel- 
lower and  with  less  purple.  It  was  given  to  the 
Rev.  G.  Henslow  for  examination  and  report. 

Monstrous  Antirrhinum. — The  seedling  Snap- 
dragon Rowsham  Pet,  forwarded  to  the  last  meet- 
ing by  Mr.  James  King,  of  Aylesbury,  who  received 
a  certificate  for  it,  appears  to  have  a  tendency  to  the 
"  peloric  "  or  regular  condition.  The  calyx  is  quite 
normal.  The  corolla  has  the  two  lateral  petals  deve- 
loping small  labial  yellow  ridges,  thereby  imitating 
the  anterior  or  lip  petal.  Each  of  the  two  posterior 
petals  constituting  the  hood  are  bifurcated  above, 
while  the  corolla,  instead  of  being  personate  and 
closed,  is  widely  expanded,  the  lobes  forming  an 
irregular  corrugated  rim.  The  four  stamens  are 
abnormally  twisted,  and  bear contabescent anthers. 
The  position  of  tlie  normally  absent  fifth  stamen 
on  the  posterior  side  is  occupied  by  two  staminodia 
with  petaloid  crozier-shaped  structures,  somewhat 
resembling  the  petals  of  Aconitum,  together  with 
a  short  filiform  structure  between  them  ;  the  pistil 
is  normal. 


CRYSTAL  PALACE  ROSE  SHOW. 

This  exhibition  was  held  on  Saturday  last,  not,  as 
in  previous  years,  in  the  centre  transept,  but  in  a 
large  tent  erected  for  the  purpose  at  the  end  of 
the  lower  terrace.  The  arrangement  of  the  exhi- 
bits was  good,  and  Roses  were  plentiful,  but  not 
so  good  as  usual.  The  best,  however,  that  could 
be  obtained  were  there,  and  the  show,  notwith- 
standing the  season,  was  undoubtedly  a  success. 
Five  classes  were  set  apart  for  amateurs,  and  the 
remainder,  twenty-three  in  number,  were  open  to 
amateurs  and  the  trade  alike.  In  the  class  for 
seventy-two  varieties,  single  trusses,  there  was  a 
good  competition,  Mr.  B.  R.  Cant,  of  Colchester, 
easily  taking  the  first  prize  with  an  evenly  matched, 
well  grown  collection ;  the  finest  blooms  in  it 
were :  Abel  Carrif^re,  Duke  of  Teck,  Catherine 
Mermet,  John  Hopper,  Madame  Welch,  Comtesse 
de  Nadaillac,  very  fine  Tea ;  Souvenir  de  Paul 
Neron,  Moiret,  Marie  Baumann,  extra  fine ;  Devoni- 
ensis,  a  superb  Rose  ;  Auguste  Neumann,  Caroline 
Kuster,  alto  very  fine  ;  Lord  Macaulay,  a  fine 
bloom  for  this  variety  ;  Charles  Lefebvre,  Madame 
Marie  Verdier,  Reynolds  Hole,  Maicchal  Niel,  a 
grand  bloom  ;  Madame  Isaac  Perri^re,  a  fine  and 
distinct  Rose ;  Ma.ie  Van  Houtte,  Souvenir 
d'Elise,  Boule  d'Or,  Niphetos,  Le  Havre,  Marie 
Rady,  &c.  Messrs.  Paul  &  Sons,  who  were  second, 
had  a  really  good  collection  of  clean,  well-grown 
and  neatly  staged  blooms.  Particularly  fine  were 
A.  K.  Williams,  Boule  d'Or,  Souvenir  d'Elise 
Vardon,  Mons.  E.  Y.  Teas,  and  Count  Raimbaud. 
Messrs.  Kejnes,  Williams  &  Co.,  of  Salisbury, 
were  third.  In  Class  2,  forty-eight  varieties, 
three  trusses  of  each,  Mr.  B.  B,  Cant  was  again 
placed  first.  He  had  particularly  fine  blooms 
of  Niphetos,  A.  E.  Williams,  Catherine  Mermet, 
and  La  Boule  d'Or.  Messrs.  Paul  &  Sons  were  a 
good  second,  and  on  their  stands  the  old  General 
Jacqueminot  was  very  fine ;  Lady  Mary  Fitz- 
william  was  also  in  fine  form ;  Alfred  Colomb, 
Devoniensis,  and  S.  R.  Hole  were  likewise 
good,  the  latter  being  rich  and  glowing  in 
colour.  In  Class  3,  24  Roses,  3  trusses  of 
each,  Mr.  B.  R.  Cant,  of  Colchester,  was 
awarded  the  first  prize,  but  he  was  subse- 
quently disqualified,  owing  to  a  clause  in  the  sche- 
dule which  does  not  permit  exhibitors  in  Classes 


Jui.v   \2    1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


1  and  2  to  exhibit  in  3  and  4.  Messrs.  John 
Jefferies  &;  Sons,  of  Cirencester,  were  therefore 
placed  first ;  the  best  two  blooms  on  their  stands 
were  Countess  of  Oxford  and  Madame  Gabriel 
Luizet.  Of  2t  Hoses,  1  truss,  Mr.  F.  Cant  was 
first,  with  a  really  good  stand,  in  which  La  Boule 
d'Or,  Duke  of  Edinburgh,  Duke  of  Teck,  and  Jean 
Ducher  were  in  good  form.  Messrs.  J.  Burrell  & 
Co.,  Howe  House,  Cambridge,  were  second,  and 
amongst  their  blooms  Lady  Mary  Fitzwilliam, 
Nardy  Frfires,  Countess  of  Oxford,  Duke  of  Wel- 
lington, rich  in  colour,  and  some  others  were  good. 

Tea  and  Noisette  Roses  were  shown  in  trebles, 
and  a  most  beautiful  group  of  blooms  was  staged, 
Mr.  B.  R.  Cant  being  first,  with  large  and  clean 
flowers,  the  best  of  which  w«re  La  Boule  d'Or, 
clear-shaded  yellow,  with  cupped  petals  ;  Com- 
tesse  de  Nadaillac,  yellowish  buff,  large  and  fine; 
and  Anna  Ollivier.  Mr.  F.  Cant,  who  was  second, 
had  Souvenir  dElise  (very  fine),  Devoniensis, 
Marie  Van  Houtte,  Madame  Willermoz,  and  others. 
Messrs.  Paul  ..t  Sons,  who  were  third,  had  Rubens, 
Jean  Ducher,  and  Etoile  de  Lyon,  fine,  but 
Madame  Cusin  was  not  in  good  form.  In  the 
class  of  yellow  Roses,  3  trusses  of  each,  Mr.  B.  R. 
Cant  w.ns  again  first;  he  had  only  eight  varieties, 
but  they  were  good.  They  consisted  of  Etoile  de 
Lyon,  Marechal  Niel,  Madame  Hippolyte  Jamain. 
Madame  Jlargottin,  Jean  Ducher,  Madame  Welch, 
Marie  Van  Houtte,  and  La  Boule  d'Or.  In  white 
Boses  l\Ir.  B.  R.  Cant  was  again  first,  with  Rubens, 
Merveille  de  Lyon,  Madame  Bravy,  Niphetos, 
Devoniensis,  and  Innocente  I'irola.  For  pink 
Roses  Messrs.  I'aul  &  Sons  were  first,  with  16 
varieties,  the  best  of  which  were  Captain 
Christy,  Lady  Mary  Fitzwilliam,  Madame 
Gabriel  Luizet,  Pride  of  Waltham,  and  others. 
In  crimson  Roses  Mr.  P.  R.  Cant  was  first  with 
Horace  Vernet,  Xavier  Olibo  (rich  dark  crimson), 

A.  K.  Williams,  Beauty  of  Waltham,  Charles  Le- 
febvre,  and  Duke  of  Wellington.  For  velvety 
crimson  kinds  Mr.  B.  R.  Cant  was  again  first  with 
Abel  Carrii^re,  Prince  Camille  de  Rohan,  Prince 
Arthur,  Reynolds  Hole,  Horace  Vernet,  Mdme. 
Charles  Maurice,  Sultan  of  Zanzibar,  and  Duke  of 
Wellington.  In  the  class  for  eighteen  trusses  of 
any  Tea  Mr.  B.  R.  Cant  held  the  highest  place 
with  fine  blooms  of  Souvenir  d'Elise;  second,  the 
Rev.  J.  Page  Roberts,  The  Rectory,  Scole,  Norfolk, 
with  an  almost  equally  fine  exhibit,  consisting  of 
the  same  variety  ;  Mr.  G.  W.  Piper,  The  Nurseries, 
Dckfield,  was  third  with  smaller  blooms  of  the 
same  variety.  The  next  class  was  for  eighteen 
trusses  of  Marie  Baumann,  and  Mr.  B.  E.  Cant 
was  first  with  fine  blooms  in  good  condition.  For 
eighteen  trusses  of  Captain  Chri>ty  or  similar 
coloured  H.  P.,  Mr.  Bennet,  of  Sl.epperton,  was 
first  with  Lady  Mary  Fitzwilliam  ;  Messrs.  Paul 
&  Sons  were  second  with  Captain  Christy  ;  and 
Messrs.  Cooling  &  Son  third  with  La  France. 
Messrs.  Paul  &  Sons  received  a  second  prize  for 
eighteen  trusses  of  any  Rose  of  the  Prince  Camille 
de  Rohan  type,  the  variety  being  Abel  Carriere. 
In  the  class  for  eighteen  trusses  of  Francois 
Michelon  or  other  Rose  of  that  type,  Mr.  Grant, 
of  Ledbury,  was  first  with  Marquise  de  Castellane ; 
second,  Mr.  B.  R.  Cant,  with  Marie  Verdier  ;  third, 
Messrs.  Bunyard,  with  Francois  Michelon.  For 
the  same  number  of  trusses  of  A.  K.  Williams 
Mr.  B.  R.  Cant  was  first,  Messrs.  Paul  &  Son 
second,  and  Mr.  John  House,  of  Peterborough, 
third.  In  the  class  for  eighteen  bunches  of  W.  A. 
Richardson,  three  trusses  to  a  bunch,  Mr.  House 
was  the  only  exhibitor,  and  was  awarded  the  first 
prize.  In  the  class  for  eighteen  bunches  of  Moss 
Roses  the  first  prize  was  awarded  to  Messrs.  Paul 
&  Sons,  who  had  good  examples  of  White  Bath, 
Little  Gem,  Salet,  Mdme.  E.  Orry,  Cristata,  Lanei, 
Comtesse  Murinais,  Gloire  des  Mousseuses.  In 
the  class  for  eighteen  trusses  of   Niphetos   Mr. 

B.  R.  Cant  was  first,  Messrs.  Keynes  second,  and 
Mr.  Piper  third.  Messrs.  Paul  were  awarded  a 
second  prize  for  eighteen  bunches  of  Rosa  poly- 
antha  in  variety. 

In  the  amateurs'  class  there  was  a  fairly  good 
competition,  the  flowers,  considering  the  diflSculties 
that  had  to  be  overcome  this  season,  being  in 
capital  condition.     In  the  class   for   forty-eight 


varieties,  distinct,  single  trusses,  the  first  prize 
was  awarded  to  Mr.  J.  W.  Grant,  Hope  End,  Led- 
bury, whose  varieties  were  George  Moreau,  Hippo- 
lyte; Jamain,  Duchesse  de  Vallombrosa,  Due  de 
Rohan,  Baroness  Rothschild,  Countess  of  Oxford, 
Innocente  Pirola,  Duke  of  Edinburgh,  Ulrich 
Brunner  fils.  Exposition  de  Brie,  Mad.  Sophie 
Fropot,  Marie  Rady,  La  France,  Alfred  Colomb, 
Niphetos,  Dupuy  Jamain,  Mons.Woolfield,  Horace 
Vernet,  Marguerite  de  St.  Amand,  Victor  Verdier, 
M,idame  Hippolyte  Jamain,  istienne  Levet, 
Elie  Morel,  Due  de  Montpensier,  Marie  Verdier, 
Charles  Darwin,  Pride  of  Waltham,  Fisher 
Holmes,  Madame  Gabriel  Luizet,  Perle  de  Lyon, 
Capt.  Christy,  Baron  de  Bonstetten,  Anna  Ollivier, 
Louis  Van  Houtte,  Senateur  Vaisse,  Franoois 
Michelon,  Victor  Verdier,  Marie  Baumann,  Marie 
Van  Houtte,  A.  K.  Williams,  Marquise  de  Castel- 
lane, John  Stuart  Mill,  Caroline  Kuster,  Mrs. 
Jowitt,  Le  Havre,  and  Comtesse  de  Serenye. 

For  24  varieties  Mr.  Budd,  Bath,  was  first  with 
Louis  Van  Houtte,  IVIarquise  de  Castellane,  Duke 
of  Wellington,  Capt.  Christy,  Fisher  Holmes, 
Violette  Bouyer,  Horace  Vernet,  Frangois  Miche- 
lon, Duke  of  Connaught,  Lady  Sheffield,  A.  K. 
Williams,  Heinrich  Schultheis,  Duke  of  Edinburgh, 
I'ride  of  Waltham,  Le  Havre,  La  F^rance,  Alfred 
Colomb,  May  Quennell,  Countess  of  Oxford,  Sir 
Garnet  Wolseley,  Madame  Gabriel  Luizet,  and 
Prince  Arthur. 

For  24  varieties,  three  trusses  of  each,  the  first 
prize  was  awarded  to  Mr.  J.  Davis,  Salisbury,  who 
had  Caroline  Kuster,  Madame  Sophie  Fropot, 
Charles  Darwin,  Marguerite  de  St.  Amand,  Marie 
Baumann,  Madame  Lacharme,  Cheshunt  Hybrid, 
Duke  of  Edinburgh,  Marquise  de  Castellane,  Horace 
Vernet,  Lady  Mary  Fitzwilliam,  A.  K.  Williams, 
Mdlle.  Thert^se  Levet,  La  France,  Alfred  Colomb, 
Mons.  Noman,  Beauty  of  Waltham,  Lord  Macau- 
lay,  Duchesse  de  Vallombrosa,  Prince  Camille  de 
Rohan,  Duchess  of  Bedford,  and  Princess 
Beatrice.  Mr.  J.  Brown  gained  a  first  prize  for 
twelve,  the  varieties  being  Pride  of  Waltham, 
Horace  Vernet,  Dr.  Andry,  Marie  Rady,  Eugene 
F'urst,  A.  K.  Williams,  Xavier  Olibo,  Le  Havre, 
Leon  Renault,  Pierre  Netting,  and  La  France. 

For  12  Teas,  three  trusses  of  each,  the  Rev. 
F.  Page  Roberts  was  first  with  Mdme.  Hippolyte 
Jamain,  Madame  Margottin,  Catherine  Mermet, 
Caroline  Kuster,  Niphetos,  Jean  Ducher,  Boule 
d'Or,  Madame  IJravy,  Marechal  Niel,  Innocente 
Pirola,  and  Perle  des  Jardins. 

In  addition  to  the  Roses,  prizes  were  offered  for 
agroup  of  tuberous  Begonias  in  bloom,  and  Messrs. 
Laing  k  Co.,  of  Stanstead  Park,  showed  a  collec- 
tion which  surpassed  all  their  previous  efforts  in 
that  direction.  It  contained  many  new  seedlings 
of  sterling  merit.  The  plants  were  arranged  with 
due  regard  to  harmony  of  colour,  and  a  few  were 
suspended  in  baskets.  The  single  sorts  consisted 
wholly  of  the  best  kinds.  The  best  doubles  were 
The  Czar,  rich  crimson  ;  Prince  of  Wales,  perhaps 
the  best  double  crimson  :  Dr.  Duke,  a  very  large 
red  flower ;  and  Canary  Bird,  clear  orange-yellow. 
Messrs.  Laing  received  first-class  certificates  for 
the  following  new  Begonias  :  Golden  Queen,  a 
single  variety  with  the  largest  flowers  of  any  yel- 
low kind  yet  raised ;  White  Perfection,  undoub- 
tedly the  best  white  variety  yet  raised,  the  flowers 
being  circular,  of  large  size,  and  good  substance  ; 
Rose  Perfection,  a  rich  clear  rose,  flowers  also 
of  good  form  and  substance ;  Mr.  A.  Forbes,  a 
large  scarlet  flower  with  a  suffusion  of  white  in  the 
centre ;  Alba  plena  with  very  double  flowers, 
forming  pretty  rosettes  of  pure  white.  A  first- 
class  certificate  was  also  awarded  to  Mr.  Charles 
Turner,  of  Slough,  for  garden  Pink  Captain 
Kennedy.  It  has  large  full  flowers  with  heavy 
purple  lacing.  Mr.  Charles  Turner  gained  a  first 
prize  for  twelve  Carnation  blooms,  the  best  being 
Tom  Power,  Wm.  Skirving,  Tim  Bobbin,  Sybil, 
Master  Fred,  Jim  Whittaker,  Lady  Gardiner, 
Sarah  Payne,  John  Keet,  Harrison  Weir, 
and  Ben.  Simonite.  Mr.  J.  Douglas,  gardener  to 
F.  Whitbourn,  Esq ,  Great  Gearies,  Ilford,  was 
second.  Mr.  Turner  was  first  for  Picotees  with  a 
seedling,   Thomas  Page,    Mrs.   Rudd,    Prince  of 


Orange,  Ann  Lord,  Lord  Valentia,  Clara  Penson, 
Janira,  Mrs.  Lord,  Constance  Heron,  seedling  and 
Emily ;  also  for  twelve  Pinks,  the  sorts  being 
Borard,  Lustre,  Mildred,  Shirley  Hibberd,  Eury- 
dice,  Bertram,  Victory,  Captain  Kennedy,  Con- 
stance, Dr.  Masters,  Harry  Hooper,  and  Mi- 
nerva. Besides  this  stand  of  Pinks  Mr.  Turner 
exhibited  a  large  collection  of  named  varieties 
which  were  greatly  admired. 

In  the  extra  classes  was  a  very  fine  collection 
of  out  Rose  blooms  exhibited  in  round  baskets  by 
Messrs.  Wm.  Paul  ana  Son,  of  Waltham ;  and 
from  Messrs.  Rivers,  of  Sawbridgeworth,  came  a 
remarkably  fine  collection  of  Peaches,  Nectarines, 
Plums,  and  Cherries,  the  whole  gathered  from  pot 
trees. 


EDINBURGH  SUMMER  SHOW. 
July  9  and  10. 
The  summer  show  of  the  Royal  Caledonian  Horti- 
cultural Society  is  generally  a  very  good  one,  cut 
Roses  being  one  of  the  principal  features,  but  this 
season  it  appears  the  Scotch  Koses  are  not  nearly 
up  to  the  mark,  and  the  show  as  a  whole  was  con- 
sidered by  haiitves  as  being  very  scanty  and  in- 
ferior to  those  of  previous  years.  It  was  held,  as 
usual,  in  theWaverley  Market,  a  capital  place  for  a 
flower  show,  so  far  as  abundant  space  is  concerned, 
but,  on  the  other  hand,  it  does  not  admit  of  a  varia- 
tion of  surface ;  consequently  the  shows  from  a 
picturesque  point  of  view  are  not  to  be  compared 
with  London  shows  held  at  the  Regent's  Park  and 
other  important  places.  Poor  as  the  show  was 
considered  to  be,  there  was  much  to  interest  one, 
and  there  were  some  really  fine  collections,  parti- 
cularly the  miscellaneous  groups  and  hardy  plants. 
One  of  the  most  important  groups  of  miscellaneous 
plants  was  that  from  the  nurseries  of  Messrs.  Ire- 
land &;  Thomson,  who  took  the  first  prize.  This  was 
really  arranged  tastefully — not  in  the  conventional 
sloping-on-all-sides  style.  Bold  plants  of  highly- 
coloured  Crotons  and  graceful  Palms  rose  from  the 
centre  from  a  carpet  of  greenery,  and  the  whole  was 
enlivened  with  a  not  too  abundant  admixture  of 
flowering  plants,  conspicuous  among  which  were 
some  choice  flowering  Orchids.  Orchids  seem- 
ingly are  beginning  to  be  known  and  appreciated 
in  Scotland,  as  this  firm  is  doing  a  good  trade 
in,  not  the  commoner  kinds  only,  but  really 
first-rate  varieties.  One  of  the  finest  Odonto- 
glossum  crispums  that  we  have  seen  was  in  this 
group,  large  in  flower  and  spotless,  except  the  lip. 
0.  vexillarium  and  0.  citrosmum,  together  with 
late-flowering  plants  of  Cattleya  Mendeli  and  a 
fine  form  of  Warneri  and  Dendrobium  Bensonia: 
were  among  the  most  noteworthy  Orchids.  The 
plant  that  most  attracted  us,  however,  was  Eon- 
deletia  semula,  a  species  which,  though  not  new,  is 
very  seldom  seen.  It  is  different  from  any  other 
cultivated  Rondeletia,  and  more  resembles  a  Bou- 
vardia,  particularly  B.  strigosa ;  the  flowers  are 
tubular,  and  of  a  rich  carmine-crimson.  A  large 
and  profusely  flowered  plant  of  this  was  a  beau- 
tiful object.  Another  rarity  was  the  new  Abronia 
sinuosa,  with  elegant  foliage  like  that  of  a  minia- 
ture edible  Fig.  A  new  Maiden-hair  Fern,  a  seed- 
ling from  A.  tenerum  and  named  A.  Mackenzii,  is 
a  most  charming  variety,  with  pea-green  fronds 
with  the  pinna;  larger  and  more  divided  than  those 
of  A.  tenerum.  A  wonderfully  fine  specimen 
of  Nepenthes  Mastersiana,  with  pitchers  nearly 
a  foot  in  length  and  very  highly  coloured. 
At  the  opposite  end  of  the  building  an  extensive 
and  interesting  group  was  picturesquely  arranged 
by  Messrs.  Dicksons  k  Co.,  Waterloo  Place.  We 
were  pleased  to  see  that  the  plan  of  arranging  the 
plants  in  little  colonies  or  groups  of  one  kind  is 
being  followed  more  generally,  instead  of  the  in- 
congruous mixtures  one  usually  sees.  The  back- 
ground of  the  group  was  formed  of  tall  Tree  Ferns, 
huge  Himalayan  Ehododendrons,  Screw  Pines, 
New  Zealand  Flaxes  (variegated),  and  bold  foliaged 
plants  of  a  like  character.  For  example,  there  were 
gatherings  of  Pelargoniums  round  the  bases  of  the 
Palms,  groups  of  cut  Eoses,  Delphiniums,  night- 
flowering  Tobaccos,  white  Gladioli,  Harrison's 
Musk,  Lobelias,  English  Irises,  the  whole  form- 
ing a  harmonious  group.    The  specialities  in  the 


36 


THE    GARDEN 


fJuLY  12,   1884 


group  were  a  fine  Eacharisgrandiflora  (amazonica) 
with  about  a  score  oE  spikea,  show  and  fancy 
Pansies,  Pinks,  and  Marigolds,  among  the  latter 
being  the  annual  Cape  Marigold,  Dimorphotheca 
(Calendula)  pluviatilis,  which  has  large  white 
Daisy-white  flowers  and  purple  exteriors.  From  the 
Comely  Bank  Nurseries,  one  of  the  oldest  and  most 
noted  of  Scotch  nurseries,  Messrs.  Cunningham  & 
Fraser  had  a  large  and  most  interesting  group  of 
a  miscellaneous  character.  Some  of  these  were 
the  following  :  Blandfordia  nobilis,  not  often  seen  ; 
Davallia  Novfe-Zelandia^,  Microlepia  anthriscse- 
folia,  two  charming  Ferns  for  the  greenhouse. 
Messrs.  Methven's  large  group  in  the  competitive 
class  included  a  great  variety  of  Crotons  and 
other  fine-foliaged  plants  interspersed  with  such 
interesting  plants  as  Urceolina  pendula.  Messrs. 
Laird's  group  was  a  very  fine  one  and  well  ar- 
ranged. It  was  made  highly  attractive  by  large 
and  well-flowered  plants  of  Gloxinias  and  Pelar- 
goniums. 

The  best  gardener's  table  was  an  uncommonly 
fine  one.very  tastefully  arranged  by  Mr.  Buchanan's 
gardener.  The  style  of  arrangement,  too,  was 
good.  From  a  carpet  of  Maiden-hair  Ferns  arose 
numerous  choice  Orchids,  such  as  Dendrobium 
Dearei,  Odontoglossum  vexillarium,  Cattleyas, 
Phaltenopsis.  The  plan  of  arrangement  adopted 
by  this  exhibitor  should  serve  as  a  pattern  to 
others  who  arrange  plants  at  the  Edinburgh 
shows. 

FiNB-POLlAOED  PLANTS  included  some  un- 
commonly fine  Tree  Ferns,  notably  one  of  Lomaria 
gibba,  with  a  stem  fully  3  feet  high  and  a  huge 
spreading  head.  Coleuses  were  shown  grandly, 
there  being  huge  pyramids  5  feet  high.  Cala- 
diums  were  as  fine  as  we  are  accustomed  to  see 
them  at  the  Crystal  Palace  shows,  the  pair  from 
Mr.  Grossart  being  the  finest  stove  and  green- 
house Ferns  which  we  have  seen  about  Edinburgh  ; 
and  the  hardy  forms  are  only  to  be  compared 
with  the  grand  collections  that  are  shown  as  a  rule 
at  the  Manchester  shows.  Three  very  fine  speci- 
mens of  Filmy  Ferns,  viz.,Trichomanes  reniforme, 
T.  radicans,  and  Hymenophyllum  nitidum  were 
shown  by  an  amateur — Mr.  Anderson,  a  letter 
carrier,  to  whom  much  credit  is  due. 

Orchids. — There  was  a  fair  show  of  these,  the 
finest  group  of  four  being  from  Mr.  McDonald's 
garden  at  Woodlands,  Perth,  who  had  Cattleya 
Skinneri,  very  fine  with  ten  flowers ;  Cattleya 
gigas,  with  a  spike  of  four  flowers  ;  Odontoglossum 
Uro-Skinneri,  with  three  spikes.  Among  other 
plants  was  a  very  fine  form  of  Vanda  suavis  from 
Mr.  Grossart.  The  best  two  Orchids  came  from 
Mr.  Norrie's  garden ;  they  were  Odontoglossum 
vexillarium  and  Phalfenopsis  grandiflora.  A 
specimen  of  Epidendrum  prismatocarpum,  with 
twelve  spikes,  was  sent  by  Mr.  P.  Walker,  Bonny- 
bridge.  I31etia  Shepherdi,  an  exceedingly  highly 
coloured  variety,  and  Barkeria  elegans,  one  of  the 
prettiest  of  the  genus,  we  noticed  in  the  miscel- 
laneous groups. 

Hardy  plants  were  a  much  admired  and  highly 
interesting  feature  of  the  show,  being  far  finer 
than  we  are  accustomed  to  see  them  about 
London.  Miss  S.  Hope,  of  Wardie  Lodge,  con- 
tributed most  conspicuously  to  the  display,  her 
group  occupying  a  large  space.  Among  the  plants 
we  noted  as  being  very  fine  were  Campanula  turbina- 
ta  alba ;  C.  alpina,  a  tuft  of  this  rare  species  a  foot 
across  ;  C.  pnmila,  a  foot  across  ;  Saxifraga  Mc- 
Nabiana,  Dianthus  sinensis  fl.-pl.,  Campanula  tur- 
binata,  and  C.  carpatica  alba.  Mr.  Robertson 
Munro  showed  a  highly  interesting  and  well- 
grown  collection  as  follows :  Campanula  G.  F. 
Wilson,  a  pretty  new  hybrid  between  C.  pulla  and 
C.  pumila ;  Armeria  cephalotes  alba,  very  rare ; 
Inula  Hookeri,  large  and  showy  ;  Sidalcea  malvse- 
flora.  Orchis  maculata  superba,  Highclere,  mule 
Pink ;  Primula  floribunda.  Carnation  Grenadin, 
Pentstemon  centranthitolius.  Ascot  Pink  (for  a 
cutting  Pink  Mr.  Eobertson  considers  this  the 
best  of  all),  TriteleiaMurrayana,  very  fine;  Cam- 
panula nitida,  Teucrium  pyrenaicum,  Houstonia 
coerulea.  Orchis  foliosa,  with  fifteen  spikes  ;  Cam- 
panula grandis  alba.  White  Martagon  Lily,  and 
Dianthus  alpinus,  a  specimen  a  foot  across  covered 


with  flowers.  Saxifraga  pyramidalis  had  a  class 
all  to  itself,  and  certainly  such  a  beautiful  plant 
deserves  the  distinction.  There  were,  however, 
but  two  exhibitors  of  two  plants,  the  best  being  a 
pair  fully  a  yard  in  height,  the  other  representing 
the  typical  form,  having  pyramidal  spikes  of  pure 
white  flowers. 

Cut  flowers  contributed  largely  to  the  exhibi- 
tion. As  we  before  remarked,  the  Roses  were  not 
very  fine  from  Scotch  growers,  but  some  admirable 
blooms  came  from  Messrs.  Hugh  Dickson,  of  Bel- 
fast, who  seemed  to  secure  the  chief  of  the  prizes. 
Mr.  Smith,  of  Stranraer,  likewise  showed  creditable 
blooms,  but  not  equal  to  those  we  see  about 
London.  Pansies,  Violas,  and  other  florists'  flowers 
which  are  made  such  a  speciality  of  by  some  of 
the  Edinburgh  nurserymen  were  shown  well. 
Messrs.  Cocker  had  a  fine  stand  of  Violas,  the 
blooms  being  set  up  well  with  foliage,  and  Messrs. 
Dicksons  and  Co.,  Waterloo  Place,  won  the  first 
prizes  for  show  and  fancy  Pansies,  both  very  un- 
commonly fine.  Stove  and  greenhouse  cut  flowers 
were  adnxirably  shown  by  Messrs.  •  Ireland  and 
Thomson,  a  very  fine  form  of  Anthurium  Scherzeri- 
anum  and  Swainsona  Oiborni  being  the  most 
noteworthy  on  the  stand.  Pinks,  single  as  well  as 
double,  were  shown  by  Messrs.  Dicksons  and  Co., 
the  singles  being  the  more  novel ;  some  indeed 
think  them  prettier  than  the  doubles,  and  they 
seemed  to  be  admired  the  most. 

Fruit  and  vegetables. — There  was  a  fair 
display  of  both  fruit  and  vegetables,  though  not 
so  large  of  course  as  at  the  September  show.  Some 
very  fine  Black  Hamburgh  Grapes  (two  bunches) 
were  sent  by  Mr.  Johnston,  of  Glamis  Castle,  for 
the  first  prize,  and  some  equally  fine  Muscats  of 
Alexandria  were  shown  by  Mr.  Boyd,  who  also 
showed  excellent  Black  Hamburghs.  The  other 
black  Grapes  of  other  kinds  were  Madresfield 
Court,  very  fine.  Strawberries  were  few,  but  ex- 
cellent, particularly  those  from  Mr.  J.  Lament, 
who  took  the  first  prize  with  very  fine  fruits,  the 
Duke  of  Edinburgh  variety  being  prominent  in 
both  collections.  Peaches  and  Nectarines  were 
good,  Elruge  being  first  among  Nectarines,  and 
Royal  George  among  Peaches.  Cherries,  Figs,  and 
Melons  were  represented  as  fine  as  could  be 
wished.  The  only  collection  of  fruit  from  Mr. 
McKelvie  was  a  credit  to  the  Broxmouth  gardens, 
every  dish  being  excellent.  Vegetables  were 
numerous  and  of  high  quality,  particularly 
the  collections  of  twelve  sorts  from  market  gar- 
deners about  Edinburgh. 


CHISWICK  GARDENS. 


Some  remnant  of  the  old  glory  which  gathered 
about  these  gardens  thirty  years  ago  may  be 
said  to  have  shone  forth  on  Thursday,  the  3rd 
inst.,  when  the  annual  exhibition  of  the  Chis- 
wick  and  Turnham  Green  Horticultural  Society 
was  held  there.  The  Grass  plot  on  the  south  of 
the  council  room,  now  rich  with  verdure,  formed 
an  excellent  site  for  the  show  tent,  and  visitors 
had  the  privilege  of  roaming  about  the  gardens 
and  examining  the  many  objects  of  interest  seen 
there.  Each  succeeding  year  a  series  of  valuable 
plant  trials  take  place  here,  and  it  is  not  too 
much  to  state  that  they  are  always  carried  out 
in  the  most  complete  and  reliable  manner,  and  if 
the  results  are  not  always  satisfactory  to  those 
who  send  samples,  they  are  what  would  occur 
elsewhere.  In  looking  through  the  glass  houses 
recently,  one  could  not  but  note  the  activity 
and  hopeful  promise  that  everywhere  prevailed. 
The  great  vinery  is  in  excellent  condition,  and 
there  is  a  good  promise  of  fruit.  The  same  re- 
mark holds  good  respecting  the  long,  narrow  vinery, 
where  there  is  a  rare  growth  of  foliage  and  a  pro- 
mise of  a  heavy  crop  of  fine  bunches.  The  large 
stove  house  contains  a  very  fine  collection  of  Toma- 
toes in  pots  fast  coming  into  fruit.  One  of  them, 
the  Chiswick  Red,  one  of  the  Pear-shaped  types, 
is  very  early  and  wonderfully  prolific.  It  may  be 
seen  growing  upright  from  a  pot,  and  also  against 
the  roof  of  the  house,  and  in  both  positions  it  is 
indeed  all  that  can  well  be  desired.  Unhappily, 
disease  is  beginning  to  attack  the  plants,  affect- 


ing stems  and  leaves  alike.  The  large  Fern  house 
is  full  of  healthy  specimens  of  that  class  of 
plants,  also  Palms  and  other  ornamental-foliaged 
plants.  In  the  small  span-roofed  house  usually 
devoted  to  Pelargoniums  there  is  an  excellent 
trial  of  Adiantums,  quite  a  representative  collec- 
tion having  been  gathered  together. 

There  is,  as  usual,  a  fine  lot  of  tuberous-rooted 
Begonias,  and  near  these  a  very  fine  collection  of 
Ivy-leaved  Pelargoniums.  Among  these  Gloired'Or- 
leans  is  well  deserving  special  mention,  being  such 
a  good  grower  and  so  very  free  and  so  handsome 
in  appearance.  There  is  also  a  good  collection  of 
the  double  and  single  zonal  Pelargoniums.  To- 
renia  Fournieri  is  a  conspicuous  object,  and  so  is 
a  group  of  the  useful  Impatiens  Sultani.  There 
is,  moreover,  a  collection  of  Begonias  of  the  Rex 
type,  including  as  many  as  fifty  varieties.  Of 
Caladiums  there  is  a  large  number,  including  the 
newest  put  into  commerce  by  Messrs.  Van  Houtte 
and  others.  The  large  Rose  house  is  in  good  con- 
dition and  producing  plenty  of  bloom. 

Out-of-doors  every  plot  of  ground  is  occupied 
by  some  interesting  crop.  There  is  no  slackening 
of  the  work  of  producing  new  Peas,  something  like 
seventy  samples  having  been  sent  to  Chiswick  for 
trial.  Of  Potatoes,  there  are  many  reputed  sorts. 
Some  are  for  the  inspection  of  the  fruit  com- 
mittee, others  for  the  committee  of  the  Interna- 
tional Potato  Show,  and  altogether  there  are  about 
150  samples.  Of  Cauliflowers,  there  are  some  fifty 
samples,  but  the  prevailing  drought  is  unfortu- 
nately  unfavourable  for  the  accuracy  of  the  trial. 
Of  Broccoli,  there  are  some  sixty  samples ;  and  of 
Maize,  about  thirty  varieties.  Anyone  interested 
in  Indian  Corn  will  have  an  excellent  opportunity 
for  comparing  the  diiferent  varieties.  There  is 
also  a  trial  of  Capsicums. 

The  hardy  fruit  crop,  once  so  full  of  pro- 
mise, is  unfortunately  a  failure.  There  are  but 
few  Apples,  and  it  is  worthy  of  note  that  Blen- 
heim Orange  is  one  of  the  best  bearers  this  season. 
Pears  and  Plums  are  also  a  failure.  The  trees 
here,  as  ehewhere,  are  much  blighted,  and  some 
drenching  showers  are  still  badly  needed.  Cordon 
Apple  trees  appear  tp  be  suffering  from  an  attack 
of  American  blight ;  indeed,  Apple  trees  generally 
appear  to  be  much  infested  with  this  pest  during 
the  present  summer. 

In  the  flower  way  there  is  much  to  interest. 
Foremost  is  a  large  and  full  collection  of  single 
Dahlias  sent  by  Mr.  T.  S.  Ware,  of  Tottenham. 
Then  there  is  a  full  collection  of  Asters,  but  the 
dry  weather  interferes  with  the  proper  develop- 
ment of  the  plants.  As  usual,  there  are  many  beds 
of  Pelargoniums,  to  show  the  adaptability  of  cer- 
tain varieties  for  bedding  purposes.  There  are 
also  beds  of  the  leading  varieties  of  Lantanas ; 
there  are  some  very  fine  Antirrhinums,  Pyrethrums, 
and  Potentillas.  There  is,  as  usual,  a  large  col- 
lection of  bedding  Pansies  and  Violas,  and  a  very 
fine  lot  of  Clapham's  strain  of  Mimulus.  The 
new  form  of  Calendula  oflioinalis  Meteor,  named 
Prince  of  Orange,  is  showing  itself  to  good 
advantage,  and  a  collection  of  single  forms  sent 
by  one  of  the  Italian  seed  houses  will  be  inspected 
with  interest.  E.  D. 


Pelarpronlum  (Constant  i?cadcr).— Pretty,  but  of  no 
commercial  value. 

Carnations  (R.  r.).— All  apparently  very  good,  especi- 
ally the  striped  sorts  and  the  rosy  pink  kind. 

Sweet  Williams  (W.  CmiduieU).—FTeity,  as  all  Sweet 
Williams  are,  but  nothing  uncommon. 

Strawberry  {^.  j1.).— Apparently  Sii'  Joseph  Paxton, 
but  we  ar«  not  sure,  as  the  fruit  had  got  smashed  through 
bad  packing. 

Boses  (J.  W.  and  W.  T.).— Roses  can  only  be  named 
with  any  degree  of  certainty  by  a  specialist  who  has  a  col- 
lection at  hand  with  which  to  compare  them.  The  col- 
lection of  old-fashioned  kinds  is  extrem~ly  interesting, 
especially  the  single  white,  which  is  well  worth  careful 
attention. 

Names  of  plants.— .4.  T.  K— Quamoclit  (Ipomnca) 

coccinea. J.  Jf.— Geranium  sanguiueum. C.  i.  —  As- 

trantia   helleborifolia K.    A.    S.— Veronica   incana, 

Buphthalmum  grandiflorum,  Iris  fulva,  Dianthus  deltoides 

var  albus. Hiss  r.— Thalictrum  rugosumvar. Mnnel 

S.  W.—Tbe  flower  sent  is  that  of  a  variety  of  Hemerocallis 
flava,  of  which  several  distinct  garden  forms  are  to  be  met 
with. 


THE     GARDEN 


37 


No.  661.  SATURDAY,  July  19,  ISS*.  Vol.  XXVI. 


"  This  Is  an  Art 
Which  does  mend  Nature  :  change  It  rather :  but 

The  art  itself  is  Nattoe."— SAo*e«p«ar«. 


SCHEME  FOR  A  GARDEN  EXHIBITION. 
The  public  are  so  tired  of  ordinary  flower  shows, 
which  have  not  done  their  proper  part  of  im- 
proving  gardens,  that  a  true  garden  exhibition 
might  be  of  the  greatest  delight  and  use  to  the 
English  nation.  The  following  scheme  suggests 
what  might  be  done  at  South  Kensington  : — 

Flower  gardens,  of  varied  character  and  careful 
design,  executed  by  experts,  such  as  a  bedded-out 
garden,  with  special  reference  to  tender  plants 
which  grow  well  in  the  London  air  ;  rock  gardens ; 
coloured  leaf  borders,  as  at  Battersea. 

Japanese  gardens  artistically  formed  by  Japan- 
ese artists,  showing  their  splendid  Irises  and  other 
summer-blooming  plants  ;  their  methods  of  stak- 
ing, watering,  sheltering  in  Japan,  where  there 
are  no  greenhouses. 

A  real  Chinese  garden,  by  Chinese  artists. 
Dutch  gardens,  with  the  bulbs  in  their  seasons 
in  rotation,  and  method  of    propagating  these 
bulbs. 

Hardy  plant  borders,  reproducing,  as  near  as 
may  be,  those  of  known  excellence,  with  a  special 
view  to  improvement  of  London  squares  and 
parks,  and  also  flower  gardens  generally. 
A  sweet-scented  garden  of  open-air  plants. 
A  night-blooming  garden.  Some  plants,  mostly 
deliciously  scented,  only  bloom  at  night,  and  are 
quite  hardy,  doing  well  in  London.  To  this  might 
be  added  a  hothousefnl  of  Cereuses  and  other 
night-blooming  plants. 

A  garden  all  of  one  colour  ;  another  of  another 
colour  ;  also  possibly  a  garden  of  plants  all  bloom- 
ing in  one  particular  month. 

A  hardy  Bamboo  and  Palm  garden. 
English  cottage  gardens. 

London  villa  gardens,  with  plants  known  to 
grow  perfectly  in  London. 
Improved  Rose  gardens. 
Rhododendron  and  Azalea  gardens. 
Hardy  climbers.     Very  few  of  these  are  used 
when  their  quantity  and  variety  is  considered. 
A  garden  of  fine-leaved  hardy  plants. 
Water  gardens.     There  are  many  superb  hardy 
water  plants  in  the  hands  of  a  few  connoisseurs 
which  would   be  obtainable.     This  would   be  an 
entirely  no%'el  feature,  and  a  verj'  popular  one. 
Also  tropical  water  gardens  with  the  wonderful 
variety  of  coloured  Nymphajas  and  Nelumbiums. 
Ferneries,  hardy,  cool,  and  stove. 
Gardens  of  flowering  shrubs  and  ornamental 
trees.     The   flowering  shrubs  are    in  such    vast 
quantity ;  and  yet  only  a  few,  and  those  not  often 
the  best,  are  seen  in  our  English  shrubberies. 

Plants  for  the  decoration  of  rooms  and  houses 
both  from  London  and  Paris  growers.  There  are 
plants  not  known  in  Covent  Garden  which  are 
eminently  suited  for  this  purpose.  The  mode  the 
Japanese  adopt  for  household  decoration  would 
be  very  novel  and  instructive. 

A  tropical  garden  with  flowering  trees  from 
Chatswortb,  Kew,  and  other  great  conservatories. 
Orchids  growing  on  the  tree  stems,  undergrowth 
of  Lianes  and  Ferns. 


Orchids  shown  in  various  ways  ;  all  flowering 
hot-house  and  cool-house  plants. 

Lily  gardens,  such  as  could  be  exhibited  by 
Mr.  G.  F.  Wilson  and  other  enthusiasts  in  this 
special  branch  ;  also  gardens  of  beautiful  families 
of  plants. 

Winter  gardens,  conservatories,  improved  hot 
and  greenhouses,  but  all  furnished. 

Fruit  gardens  on  various  systems,  both  home 
and  Continental. 

An  orangery.  At  Margam  there  are  Orange 
trees  in  tubs  centuries  old,  and  many  other  mov- 
able trees  in  all  parts  of  the  country. 

Flower  markets,  such  as  those  in  Paris. 

Small  and  well-arranged  fruit  and  vegetable 
markets,  such  as  are  required  in  various  parts  of 
London. 

The  great  flower  shows  of  the  year  to  be  held 
here,  Daffodils  in  their  turn.  Tulips,  Rhododen- 
drons, Roses,  and  so  forth. 

Gardens  illustrating  the  cultures  of  the  great 
nurserymen  of  Europe  and  America;  as,  for  ex- 
ample, the  Gladioli  of  Souchet,  the  trees  of  Simon 
Louis,  the  special  cultures  of  Vilmorin  and  An- 
drieux,  the  Camellias  of  Rovelli,  the  fine-leaved 
plants  of  Truffaut,  the  Oleanders  of  the  Paris 
nurserymen,  the  Roses  of  England  and  France, 
the  fruits  of  America,  the  plants  of  Belgium,  and 
the  evergreens  of  Britain. 

Collections  of  fruits  and  vegetables  from  various 
countries. 

Restaurants  in  which  garden  products  could  be 
obtained,  as  they  never  are  in  ordinary  restaurants, 
and  in  which  the  various  excellent  ways  by  which 
garden  and  cereal  products  are  cooked  in  other 
countries  could  be  shown. 

In  the  Scilly  Isles,  Cornwall,  and  west  of  Ireland 
there  are  many  fine  plants  which  have  never  been 
seen,  except  in  a  meagre  condition,  in  England, 
such  as  Philesias,  Zenobias,  or  Embothriums. 

Window  gardens  and  gardening  on  house-tops. 

We  beg  to  propose  that  the  following  persons, 
among  many  others,  be  asked  for  their  assist- 
ance : — 


Rev.  Canon  Hole 
Rev.  Canon  Ellacomlie 
Col.  Stuart  Wortley 
Rev.  H,  Ewbank 
Professor  Foster 
Captain  Nelson 
Mr.  Archer  Bind 
Sir  C.  Strickland 
Dr.  Masters 
Mr.  Kingsmill 
Mr  George  5Iaw 
Rev.  WoUey  Dod 
Mr.  Gumbleton 
Mr.  C.  Ingram 
Mr.  Brockbank 


Mr.  Burbidge 

Mr.  Harvey 

Mr.  Poe 

Miss  Jekyll 

Mr.  Wliitbliead 

Mr.  Krelage 

Mr.  H.  J.  Klwes 

Mr.  Mangles 

Mr.  G.  F.  Wilson 

Mr.  Baker,  o€  Heavitree 

Mr.  J.  Stevens 

Mr.  Loder 

Mr.  K.  H.  Woodall 

Mr.  Bateman 


This  scheme  is,  so  far,  only  the  proposal  of  the 
three  undersigned —  A.  F.  Baeeon, 

William  Robinson, 
Feank  Miles. 

*^,*  In  giving  place  to  this,  we  believe  that  such 
an  exhibition,  properly  organised,  would  be  de- 
lightful in  itself  and  help  in  the  right  way  gar- 
dening generally ;  but  it  is  well  to  say  here  that 
anything  like  the  management  illustrated  in  the 
present  Health  Exhibition  could  do  little  good  to 
horticulture.  As  an  example,  let  us  glance  at  the 
very  important  department  of  cookery,  in  a  health 
exhibition  of  first  importance.  B^rom  some  expe- 
riments we  have  made  in  the  "  National  "  Cookery 
Department,  we  think  that  department  the  thin- 
nest imposition  that  has  ever  assumed  the  dignity 
of  "  national."  It  is  announced  at  a  stall  in  the 
grounds  that  "  all "  the  soups  of  the  National 
Cookery  Department  are  made  from  some  foreign 
canned  stuff !  This  in  itself  is  not  encouraging, 
considering  the  frequent  notices  we  read  of  deaths 
from  canned  meat,  fish,  and  vegetables.  That  in 
a  "  national  "  cookery  house,  held  in  the  capital  of 


beef-eating  Britons,  the  soups  should  be  made 
from  such  material  is  a  sufficient  illustration 
of  the  view  the  managers  take  of  their  responsi- 
bility as  teachers  of  cookery — nathmal,  too,  for- 
sooth ! 

The  usual  British  mistake  of  paying  no  attention 
to  the  waiting  began  the  misery. '  An  over- worked 
woman  trying  to  cover  three  times  the  amount  of 
table  whichshe  should  in  fairness  have  to  wait  upon ; 
an  evening  paper  was  nearly  got  through  before 
the  soup  was  brought.  The  poorest  forms  of  vege- 
tarian soups  were  rich  and  delicate  in  flavour  com- 
pared with  this.  Then,  after  a  weary  interval, 
came  a  bit  of  meat  and  a  spoonful  of  Potatoes. 
On  enquiring  for  other  vegetables,  the  diner  was 
informed  none  were  allowed.  But  the  rash  expe- 
rimenter replied,  "  I  am  willing  to  pay  extra  if  you 
can  bring  me  any.''  "  Oh,  we  never  have  any  here," 
said  the  flying  maid. 

In  this  show  one  of  the  best  opportunities  of 
teaching  much  useful  information  about  cookery 
has  been  wholly  lost.  It  would  have  been  easy  to 
persons  with  the  power  and  influence  of  the  officials 
here  to  secure  good  representative  cooks  from  each 
country  in  Europe.  The  sway  which  third-rate 
French  cookery  has  now  in  various  countries  is  a 
misfortune  alike  for  health  and  cookery.  Good 
English  cookery  has  in  some  ways  distinct  advan- 
tages, and  there  are  various  countries  in  Europe 
where  the  art  of  making  wholesome  and  excellent 
food  out  of  simple  inexpensive  materials  is  well 
carried  out,  as  in,  say,  the  Italian  treatment 
of  the  many  forms  of  macaroni  and  of  rice, 
and  the  excellent  and  peculiar  Dutch  way 
of  dealing  with  vegetables  and  fruits.  It 
would  be  well  if  our  people  learnt  some  of  these 
things,  and  the  true  way  is  through  cooks  of 
each  country.  We  might  have  had  a  middle- 
class  French  cook,  not  simply  the  tahle  d'liiite  or 
restaurant  cook,  but  the  true  country  French  cook 
— the  best  of  his  race.  We  might  also  have  had 
Italian  cookery  illustrated — and  the  Italians  are 
excellent  cooks— and  the  German  and  the  Dutch, 
instead  of  which  all  is  thrown  in  the  hands 
of  one  well-known  restaurant  firm,  and  thus  we 
get  the  common  Crystal  Palace  or  Alexandra  Park 
fare,  aided  by  our  precious  National  School  of 
Cookery  and  its  rubbish.  If  the  question  of  price 
be  urged  in  extenuation  of  the  badness  and 
meanness  of  the  cookery  in  this  school,  we  suppose 
this  "  national "  department  is  responsible  for 
fixing  the  price  as  well  as  for  the  rest  of 
the  management.  There  are  many  thousands 
willing  to  pay  a  fair  price  and  such  as  they 
must  give  elsewhere  in  this  not  very  economical 
metropolis.  Why  do  anything  at  all  in  this  most 
important  matter  if  not  as  well,  say,  as  one  could 
get  it  in  a  third-rate  City  or  Strand  restaurant 
urging  no  pretensions  for  our  instruction,  "  na- 
tional "  or  individual  ?  We  see  some  good  names 
in  connection  with  the  cookery  department,  in- 
cluding that  of  Sir  Henry  Thompson,  who  assuredly 
knows  what  good  cookery  ought  to  be,  and  we 
cannot  believe  the  gentlemen  whose  names  are 
thus  used  have  been  allowed  to  have  any  direction 
in  the  matter. 

Now,  the  same  mode  of  "directing"  a  garden 
exhibition  would  certainly  have  equally  miser- 
able results.  We,  who  have  never  had  any 
connection  with  such  orticial  undertakings,  and 
never  shall  have  any,  may  perhaps  say  so  much  in 
the  interest  of  the  subjects  themselves,  reserving 
our  usual  freedom  of  action  (and  illustration),  in 
case  that  gardening  should  come  in  for  any  such 
treatment  at  South  Kensington  as  the  (in  relation 
to  health)  still  more  important  subject  of  cookery 
has  this  year  received.  We  shall  be  happy  to 
insert  any  comments  our  readers  may  wish  to 
make  on  the  above  suggestion  for  a  garden  as 
distinct  from  a  mere  flower  exhibition. — Ed. 


Purple  Berberia. — The  purple-leaved  variety 
of  the  common  liarberry  is  a  very  desirable  deep- 
tinted  shrub,  especially  when  in  a  sunny  spot,  as 
then  not  only  the  foliage,  but  the  young  shoots  are 
of  a  deep  purple  colour.  When  standing  in  the 
foreground  of  a  mass  of  the  common  kind,  as  ob- 
served by  me  the  other  day,  it  appeared  unusually 


38 


THE    GARDEN 


[July  19,  1884. 


conspicaous,  owing  to  the  light  green  of  its  sur- 
roandings.  This  Barberry  can  be  increased  to 
almost  any  extent  by  means  of  suckers,  which  are 
produced  freely. — W.  T. 


Trees  and  Shrubs. 

THE  PLANER  TREE  AND  THE  ZELKOUAS. 
In  The  Garden  of  October  27  last  there  is  an  in- 
teresting article  on  these  trees  by  Mr.  George 
Nicholson,  of  the  Royal  Gardens  at  Kew,  and  as 
the  editor  asks  for  information  concerning  any 
living  trees  of  the  same  kind  other  than  those  re- 
ferred to,  I  beg  to  call  attention  to  a  remarkable 
tree  at  Wardour  Castle,  near  Tisbury,  in  Wiltshire, 
the  seat  of  Lord  Arundell  of  Wardour,  which,  in 
spite  of  some  doubt,  I  take  to  be  the  I'lanera 
aquatica,  which  has  passed  under  the  name  of  P. 
Gmelini  and  other  synonyms. 

The  tree,  which  is  still  in  full  vigour,  grows 
close  to  the  south  angle  of  the  old  castle,  which 
is  distant  about  half-a-mile  from  the  modern 
mansion,  and  it  springs  from  the  ground  in  three 
distinct  masses,  two  of  which  at  once  separate 
into  four  large  stems,  and  the  third  into  five,  and 
all  these  stems  again  spread  into  numerous 
branches,  but  the  three  masses  undoubtedly  form 
one  tree,  and  this  has  a  total  circumference,  close 
to  the  ground,  where  the  girth  is  the  smallest,  of 
38  feet  5  inches.  The  front  and  back  of  the  base 
of  the  tree  are  nearly  flat,  and  the  ends  only  are 
rounded,  and  the  long  axis  from  end  to  end  is 
about  17  feet,  and  the  height  of  the  tree  at  least 
70  feet.  The  bark  is  smooth,  like  that  of  the  Beech, 
but  rather  darker  in  colour  ;  the  tree  throws  up 
suckers  from  the  horizontal  roots,  but  has  not  been 
known  to  flower;  and  it  is  stated  by  the  gardener 
that  the  wood,  when  green,  sinks  in  water,  and 
to  this  circumstance  is  probably  due  the  name 
of  "iron  wool,'  by  which  the  tree  seems  always 
to  have  been  known  at  Wardour.  The  wood  of 
the  Planera,  I  should  add,  is  described  by  Spach 
as  "  ponderosum." 

The  geological  formations  in  the  neighbour- 
hood consist  of  the  Portlan  1  beds  oE  the  upper 
oolite  (to  which  belong  th;  adjacent  Chilmark 
quarries,  which  furnished  th J  stone  of  Salisbury 
Cathedral)  and  of  chalk,  gault,  and  upper  green- 
sand  of  the  upper  cretaceous  system  ;  and  the  tree 
probably  grows  in  the  disintegrated  sand  of  the 
upper  greensand  series.  The  sand  is  fairly  moist, 
and  there  is  a  large  pond  at  a  slight  distance  from 
the  old  castle. 

It  may  be  mentioned  that  the  timber  at  Wardour 
is  very  fine,  the  Oaks,  Tulip  trees.  Cedars,  and 
Canada  Hemlock  Spruce  attaining  a  considerable 
size,  and  many  Silver  Firs  having  a  girth  of  14 
feet. 

And  now  comes  the  question  as  to  whether 
the  tree  is  the  Planera  aquatica  or  the  Zelkoua 
crenata.  A  spray  lately  brought  from  Wardour 
was  taken  by  me  to  the  botanical  department  of 
the  British  Museum  at  South  Kensington,  and 
compared  by  Messrs.  Britten  and  Ridley,  of  that 
department,  with  a  spray  from  Ohio  of  the  P. 
aquatica  in  the  herbarium  there,  which  formed 
part  of  the  collections  of  Thomas  Nuttall,*  and 

*  Thomas  Nuttall  was  an  English  botanist,  who  travelled 
extensively,  and  resided  for  many  years  in  North  America 
and  was  the  author  of  "The  Genera  of  North  American 
Plants,  and  a  Catalogue  of  the  Species  to  the  Year  1817  " 
(Philadelphia,  1818,  2  vols  ,  8vo),  and  the  work  contains  a 
short  notice  of  the  P.  aquatica,  though  it  was  not  quoted 
in  Mr.  Nicholson's  paper.  He  was  also  the  author  of  a 
supplement  to  V.  A.  Michaux's  "  North  American  Flora  " 
and  which  supplement  was  published  in  Philadelpliia  in  3 
vols,  in  1842  u. 


was  named  and  localised  by  him,  and  the  two 
sprays  were  considered  to  correspond ;  and  in  con- 
firmation of  that  opinion  I  should  mention  that 
the  tradition  at  Wardour  is  that  the  tree  there  was 
sent,  when  quite  young,  from  North  America  as  a 
present  from  Cecil  Calvert,  the  second  Lord 
Baltimore,  the  founder  of  Maryland,  to  the 
second  Lord  Arundell  of  Wardour,  whose  sister  he 
married.  The  exact  date  of  the  transmission  of 
the  tree  is  not  known,  but  the  colony  of  Maryland 
was  founded  by  the  second  Lord  Baltimore  under 
a  royal  grant  dated  in  June,  1632,  and  his  wife 
died  in  May,  1049,  at  the  age  of  34.  It  is  doubt- 
ful, as  I  must  admit,  whether  the  second  Lord 
Baltimore  was  ever  in  the  colony,  but,  as  it  was 
administered  by  a  member  of  his  family,  the  cir- 
cumstance cannot  affect  the  tradition,  which  is 
confirmed  not  only  by  the  present  Lord  Arundell 
of  Wardour,  who  was  born  in  1831,  but  also  by  his 
cousin,  Sir  Frederick  A.  Weld,  the  present  governor 
of  the  Straits  Settlements,  who  was  born  in  1823, 
and  who,  when  a  boy,  spent  much  of  his  time  at 
Wardour. 

On  the  other  hand,  a  second  spray  was  compared 
at  the  Kew  herbarium  by  Messrs.  Oliver  and 
Nicholson  with  dried  specimens  of  the  Planera 
and  Zelkoua  crenata,  and  declared  to  belong  to 
the  latter,  and  it  certainly  did  not  correspond  with 
the  Kew  specimen  of  the  Planera,  which  was  less 
crenate,  while  the  Wardour  tree  undoubtedly 
agrees  in  foliage  with  the  living  Z.  crenata  ad- 
joining the  herbarium,  and  with  the  general  de- 
scription of  the  tree,  which  attains  a  much  larger 
size  than  the  Planera. 

At  the  same  time  it  must  be  remembered  that 
the  two  trees  so  closely  resemble  each  other,  that 
the  Z.  crenata  was  treated  as  a  variety  of  the 
Planera  until  it  was  separated  from  it  by  F.  A. 
Michaux*  in  1830  ;  that  the  foliage  of  the  Planera 
may  slightly  vary  in  different  specimens,  and  that 
the  tree,  under  favourable  conditions,  may  attain 
a  larger  size  in  a  new  locality  than  in  its  native 
site,  while  the  family  tradition  is  strongly  in 
favour  of  the  Wardour  tree  being  a  Planera. 

In  regard  to  this  tradition,  I  would  remark  that 
Sir  F.  Weld's  evidence  may  be  considered  as  going 
back  to  about  1840,  while,  according  to  Loudon, 
the  Z.  crenata  was  only  introduced  into  England 
and  planted  at  Kew  and  Syon  in  1760  (the  same 
year  in  which,  according  to  F.  A.  Michaux,  it  was 
introduced  into  France).  Now,  if  the  Wardour 
tree,  assuming  it  to  be  the  Z  crenata,  was  also 
planted  in  1700,  it  would  in  1840  have  been  only 
eighty  years  old,  and  it  would  appear  highly  im- 
probable that  the  idea  of  its  importation  from 
America  in  about  1640  should  have  originated  in 
1840  with  regard  to  a  tree  then  only  eighty  years 
old.  It  seems  to  me  far  more  likely  that  the  tree 
was  an  old  and  large  one  in  1840,  and  that  it  is  in 
fact  the  Planera,  and  was  sent  from  America  in 
accordance  with  the  tradition.  It  has,  moreover, 
far  more  the  appearance  of  an  age  of  240  years 
than  of  half  that  period. 

We  do  not  appear  to  have  any  description  of 
the  general  appearance  of  the  Planera  as  growing 
in  Ameiica  or  any  drawing,  beyond  that  of  a 
spray,  and  the  non-production  of  flowers  on  the 
Wardour  tree  is  much  to  be  regretted.     It  may  be 


•  F.  A.  Michaux's  paper  was  read  before  the  Paris  Aca- 
d^mie  des  Sciences  on  December  30,  1830,  but  was  not 
printed  in  its  "M^moires,"  but  as  a  separate  pamphlut 
only.  It  is  singular  that  Spach,  in  his  "  Note  sur  lea 
Planera"  of  1841,  makes  no  mention  of  Michaux's  paper, 
but  treats  himself  as  the  author  of  the  separation  of  the 
two  trees,  and  of  the  new  name  of  Zelkoua,  or  rather  Zel- 
kova,  as  it  is  called  by  him. 


hoped,  however,  that  the  attention  now,  for  the 
first  time,  drawn  to  it  may  lead  to  a  sure  identifi- 
cation. 

A  photograph  has  lately  been  made  of  the  tree, 
with  a  separate  one  of  its  lower  portion,  by  Mr. 
Owen,  a  photographer  at  Salisbury,  and  copies 
have  been  left  by  me  at  Kew,  the  botanical  de- 
partment of  the  British  Museum,  and  the  Linnean 
Society,  and  Mr.  Owen  will  doubtless  be  happy  to 
supply  copies  on  application.  In  order  to  furnish 
a  scale  on  the  photograph  itself  a  6-foot  rod  was 
placed  against  the  tree,  and,  as  it  in  no  way  de- 
tracts from  the  artistic  effect,  I  hope  that  the 
plan  may  be  adopted  in  all  photographs  of  trees. 
LIntortunately,  the  Wardour  tree  is  much  shaded 
by  others,  so  that  the  photograph  is  not  so  dis- 
tinct as  I  had  hoped.  WiNSLOW  Jones. 

Junior  Athena-um  Club. 

*,*  We  hope  in  some  future  issue  to  give  an 
engraving  of  this  very  interesting  tree. — Ed. 


Syringa  Emodl.— This  Himalayan  Lilac  is 
additionally  valuable  owing  to  its  flowering  late 
in  the  season.  It  forms  a  large  stout-growing 
bush  or  small  tree,  the  flowers  of  which  are  white 
or  sometimes  tinged  with  lilac,  and  borne  in  erect 
panicles.  A  plant  studded  with  these  spikes  of 
blossoms  is  very  ornamental.  They  are  also 
strongly  scented — indeed,  too  much  so  for  close 
acquaintance,  but  at  a  distance  the  odour  is  not 
unpleasant.  It  thrives  as  well  as  the  common 
kind  in  ordinary  garden  soil,  and  is  quite  hardy. — 
T. 

The  blue  Spruce. — European  tree  lovers 
seem  to  have  lately  given  the  name  blue  Spruce 
to  the  Abies  pungens  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
This  tree  is  unfortunate  in  its  names.  At  first  it 
was  supposed  to  be  Abies  Menziesi.  When  doubts 
arose  as  to  its  identity  with  the  Pacific  coast 
species  of  that  name,  it  became  Abies  Menziesi 
Parryana— that  is,  a  mere  variety  of  Menziesi. 
Subsequently  Dr.  Engelmann  regarded  its  differ- 
ences wide  enough  to  elevate  it  to  the  rank  of  a 
species,  and  it  became  Abies  pungens.  Prof. 
Parlatore  does  not  regard  the  differences  between 
Pinus  and  Abies  worth  generic  distinction.  With 
him  they  are  all  Pinus.  As  the  Table  Mountain 
Pine  is  Pinus  pungens  under  the  law  of  priority, 
a  botanist  who  follows  Parlatore  will  insist  on 
giving  our  friend  from  Colorado  a  new  name. 
Now  as  to  its  common  name  "  blue  Spruce,"  Abies 
Engelmanni  of  the  same  region  and  many  other 
Abies  are  just  as  "  blue  "  as  this  is,  and  confusion 
will  certainly  arise  from  its  name.  Worse  than 
all,  a  variety  of  Abies  nigra  has  been  known  for 
a  hundred  years  or  so  in  European  gardens  as 
Abies  ccerulea,  which  has  been  translated  "  blue 
Spruce." — Gardeners'  Monthly. 

The  Weeping  Beeches.— It  may  not  be 

generally  known  that  there  are  two  thoroughly  dis- 
tinct varieties  of  the  common  Beech,  very  diiferent 
in  size  and  habit,  and  yet  both  very  desirable  trees. 
One  forms  a  most  picturesque  tree,  generally  of 
very  bold,  irregular  outlines.  There  is  a  very 
noble  specimen  of  this  form  in  the  Knap  Hill 
Nursery.  In  many  places  on  the  Continent, 
notably  in  some  of  the  old  gardens  in  Holland 
and  Belgium,  very  fine  examples  exist.  One  of 
the  most  noteworthy  is  a  specimen  in  the  Botanic 
Gardens  at  Leyden.  At  5  feet  from  the  ground 
the  trunk  of  this  tree  is  of  such  a  thickness,  that 
a  man  with  outstretched  arms  can  barely  clasp  it. 
At  Meynell  Langley,  near  Derby,  there  is  a  still 
finer  tree ;  the  trunk  at  4  feet  from  the  ground 
was  9  feet  in  circumference  some  seven  years  ago  ; 
the  diameter  of  the  branches  90  feet  north  and 
south,  74  feet  east  and  west,  thus  giving  a  cir- 
cumference of  about  240  feet.  The  second  form 
of  the  Weeping  Beech  to  which  I  have  alluded  is 
more  fitted  for  covering  arbours,  rustic  seats,  &g.  ; 
it  grows  somewhat  like  an  umbrella  in  shape,  and 
neither  attains  the  size  nor  assumes  the  boldly 
picturesque  and  irregular  aspect  of  the  other. 
— G. 


Jur.Y  19,    1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


39 


The  Lentisous-leaved  Ash.  —  i'raxinus 
lentiscifolia,  although  introduced  to  this  country 
a  century  and  three-quarters  ago,  is  by  no  means 
a  common  tree  in  gardens,  although  it  is  certainly 
one  of  the  most  elegant  of  all  the  Ashes.  A  few 
years  ago  I  was  agreeably  surprised  to  find  a  good 
sized  specimen  of  it  in  a  garden  close  to  a  large 
cotton  factory  in  a  northern  manufacturing  town, 
and  it  seemed  to  suffer  less  from  the  proximity  of 
the  forest  of  huge  chimneys  in  its  immediate 
vicinity  than  a  host  of  commoner  trees,  native  and 
introduced.  It  is  a  native  of  Syria,  and  attains  a 
height  of  from  80  feet  to  50  feet.  A  weeping  form 
is  also  in  cultivation  ;  this  has  slender  pendulous 
branches,  and  is  one  of  the  most  elegant  of  weep- 
ing trees.  F.  lentiscifolia  is  sometimes  met  with 
under  the  names  of  F.  xanthophylla,  F.  tamarisoi- 
folia,  and  F.  oxyphylla,  &c. — N. 

The  WaehiDgton  Thorn.— This  is  the 
English  name  given  by  Dr.  Asa  Gray  in  his 
"  Manual  of  the  Botany  of  the  Northern  United 
States  "  for  Crattegus  cordata,  and  it  is  used  here 
in  preference  to  Loudon's  one  —the  Heart-shaped- 
leaved  Thorn.  It  is  one  of  the  most  distinct  and 
handsome  of  the  Thorns,  and  is,  besides,  perhaps 
the  latest  of  all  to  bloom.  At  the  present  time, 
after  nearly  all  the  other  species  are  past,  good- 
sized  trees  are  now  in  full  flower  at  Kew.  The 
broadly  ovate  or  triangular  somewhat  heart-shaped 
leaves  are  of  a  deep  shining  green  ;  the  small 
scarlet  fruits  ripen  in  October.  It  is  a  native  of 
Virginia,  Kentucky,  &c ,  and  the  trunk  attains  a 
height  of  from  15  feet  to  25  feet.  Although  long 
ago  introduced  to  British  gardens  (Loudon  gives 
the  date  of  its  introduction  to  this  country  as 
1738),  it  is  far  too  seldom  met  with  in  cultivation. 
The  attention  of  planters,  however,  only  requires 
to  be  called  to  this  handsome  little  hardy  tree  to 
ensure  a  due  recognition  of  its  merits — G. 

Calycanthus  floridUS  (  Constant  Header). 
— The  flowers  sent  by  you  are  those  of  the  Carolina 
Allspice  (Calycanthus  floridus),  an  old  and  well- 
knawn  dwarf  hardy  shrub.  Any  nurseryman 
ought  to  be  able  to  supply  it,  as  although  it 
cannot  be  propagated  by  means  of  cuttings,  nor 
do  seeds  of  it  ripen  in  this  country,  yet  it  is  readily 
increased  by  layering  the  shoots  in  the  way  usually 
practised  for  the  maj  irity  of  plants  of  a  similar 
character.  There  are  few  gardens  where  a  shrub- 
bery exists  in  which  this  plant  is  not  included,  its 
hardiness,  accommodating  nature,  and  the  sweet 
odour  of  its  purplish  brown  flowers  making  it  in 
every  way  a  suitable  subject  for  the  front  row  in 
a  border  of  shrubs,  and  even  as  a  dwarf  specimen 
shrub  for  standing  isolated  on  the  outside  of 
lawns,  &o.  It  flowers  from  spring  to  midsummer. 
Perhaps  if  it  could  choose  its  own  position,  this 
plant  and  its  two  relatives,  G.  occidentalis  and  C. 
lividus,  would  prefer  a  low,  moist  situation  where 
a  little  shade  would  be  available  during  bright 
weather  in  summer.  Notwithstanding  this  pre- 
ference for  moisture  and  a  little  shade,  the  Caly- 
canthuses  will  grow  in  almost  any  soil  and  posi- 
tion, the  one  golden  rule  to  observe  in  respect  to 
their  health  being  to  let  them  alone  when  once 
they  are  established,  as  they  do  not  like  to  be  dis- 
turbed at  the  roots.  C.  floridus  is  a  shrub  of 
4  feet  in  height,  and  bears  sweet-scented  flowers 
of  rather  leathery  texture  and  about  IJ  inches 
across.  C.  occidentalis  is  larger  in  all  its  parts, 
and  C.  lividus  is  like  the  first  mentioned,  except 
that  its  flowers  are  yellowish  green.  The  generic 
name  refers  to  the  character  of  the  flowers,  in 
vvhich  the  calyx,  instead  of  being  green,  is  exactly 
similar  to  the  petals  both  in  form  and  colour,  the 
two  whorls  combining  to  make  up  the  almost 
double  flowers  which  belong  to  the  Calycanths. 
The  vernacular  name,  Carolina  Allspice,  has  been 
given  to  C.  floridus  by  the  North  Americans,  in 
whose  country  it  and  its  brethren  are  native.  The 
wood,  roots,  and  leaves  when  bruised  have  a 
camphor-like  smell,  and  the  aroma  of  the  bark 
has  caused  it  to  be  used  as  a  substitute  for  Cin- 
namon. The  flowers  have  a  sweet  Quince-like 
odour.  It  is  noteworthy  that  the  only  nearly 
related  plant  to  the  North  American  Calycanthuses 
is  the  Chimonanthus  fragrans  of  Japan,  and  these 
two  genera,  which  comprise  in  all  four  species,  are 


the  only  plants  included  in  the  natural  order  Caly- 
canthace.'e.  In  nurserymen's  catalogues  numerous 
names  for  Calycanthuses  may  be  met  with,  such 
as  C.  macrophyllus,  C.  asplenifolius,  C.  ovatus,  &o., 
but  these  are  merely  slightly  varying  forms  of 
one  or  other  of  the  species  above  mentioned.—  B. 


Flower   Garden. 


EAST  LOTHIAN  STOCKS. 
Amongst  Stocks  for  spring  flowering  none  are 
better  than  these.  They  are  fairly  hardy,  and 
when  planted  in  good  soil  flower  in  great  profu- 
sion and  continue  to  do  so  for  many  weeks.  A 
peculiar  feature  belonging  to  this  class  of  Stocks 
is  that  as  soon  as  the  centre  spike  begins  to  fade 
the  side  branches  extend  with  greater  vigour  than 
before,  and  make  even  a  greater  display  than  the 
first  flowers.  There  are  three  distinct  colours  of 
this  Stock  which  come  remarkably  true  and  pro- 
duce a  good  percentage  of  double  flowers,  viz , 
white.purple,  and  soarlet,thelast  being  very  bright. 
For  flowering  next  spring  the  seed  should  be  sown 
this  month.  I  like  to  sow  in  the  open  in  a  well- 
prepared  piece  of  ground,  taking  care  to  make 
the  surface  rather  fine  for  the  reception  of  the 
seed.  Drills  are  then  made  by  pressing  the  angles 
of  a  square  rod  into  the  soil,  thus  securing  a  uni- 
form depth.  A  drill  as  ordinarily  understood 
would  be  too  deep  ;  a  depression  made  a  quarter 
of  an  inch  deep  is  all  that  is  required.  As  soon  as 
sown  the  seed  should  be  covered  with  finely  sifted 
soil,  and  if  dry  it  should  be  watered.  In  dry 
weather  it  is  best  to  shade  the  seed  bed  with  a  few 
evergreen  branches,  a  practice  which  not  only 
saves  watering,  but  keeps  the  soil  moist  about  the 
seeds,  so  that  they  vegetate  quicker  than  in  a  me- 
dium that  is  sometimes  wet  and  sometimes  dry.  If 
seeded  thinly,  there  will  be  no  necessity  to  move 
the  plants  until  they  are  large  enough  to  go  out  to 
where  they  are  to  flower.  They  are  excellent  sub- 
jects for  lines  or  masses.  To  be  effective  in  mixed 
borders,  they  should  be  put  in  clumps  of  from 
seven  to  nine  plants  according  to  the  width  of 
the  border.  In  whatever  position  they  are  planted 
they  should,  however,  stand  'J  inches  apart  each 
way ;  if  nearer  to  each  other,  the  flower-spikes 
will  be  weak.  In  order  to  secure  a  good  bloom, 
they  ought  to  be  in  the  places  in  which  they  are 
to  flower  by  the  middle  of  October.  I  find  that 
here  in  Somerset  I  lose  more  plants  during  winter 
from  damp  than  from  frost,  and  to  obviate  this 
I  have  to  sprinkle  some  dry  earth  between  the 
plants  about  twice  during  the  winter.  Early  in 
spring  I  take  advantage  of  the  first  few  dry  days 
to  move  the  surface  soil  with  a  small  hoe.  This 
admits  air  more  freely,  and  tends  to  keep  the  sur- 
face drier  than  it  otherwise  would  be. 

Stocks  of  this  class  are  also  admirable  subjects 
for  supplying  cut  flowers  during  autumn  and  win- 
ter, when  they  can  be  properly  accommodated. 
For  this  purpose  the  seed  should  be  sown  in  the 
open  early  in  April,  and  as  soon  as  the  plants  are 
large  enough  tohandlethey  should  be  transplanted, 
in  order  that  they  may  be  kept  short-jointed.  To 
effect  this,  the  most  suitable  conditions  are  a 
moderately  rich  soil  and  plenty  of  room  between 
the  plants.  About  the  beginning  of  June  they 
should  be  large  enough  to  move.  If  the  weather 
should  be  very  dry  it  may  be  necessary  to  water 
them  a  few  times  in  order  to  get  them  established, 
but  when  they  have  well  taken  hold  of  the  soil 
they  will  give  no  further  trouble  during  the 
summer.  In  September,  whether  the  summer  has 
been  favourable  to  good  growth  or  not,  they  should 
be  taken  up  and  potted.  If  strong  and  showing 
flower  take  them  up  early  in  the  month,  but  if  not 
fairly  vigorous  it  will  be  better  to  wait  another 
three  weeks  in  order  to  give  them  time  to  gain 
more  strength.  They  should  be  taken  up  with  as 
little  injury  as  possible  to  the  roots.  The  strongest 
may  be  put  in  7-inch  pots,  but  a  size  less  will 
serve  for  the  greater  number  of  them.  As  soon  as 
potted  shut  them  up  in  a  close  frame  or  pit.  Keep 
the  soil  in  the  pots  fairly  moist,  and  damp  the 
leaves  once  a  day  with  the  syringe.  At  the  end 
of  a  week  give  a  little  air,  and  gradually  increase 


it  as  they  get  established.  In  a  warm  brick  pit 
they  will  continue  to  flower  all  the  winter  if  there 
is  an  absence  of  long  spells  of  cold  weather,  but 
the  best  place  for  them  is  an  airy  shelf  in  a  house 
that  receives  a  little  assistance  from  fire-heat  to 
keep  up  the  temperature  in  severe  weather. 

J.  C.  C. 

NOTES  ON  HARDY  FLOWERS. 
During  the  recent  hot,  dry  weather  one  of  the 
freshest  and  most  pleasing  objects  here  was  a 
neglected  bed,  one  side  of  which  was  edged  with 
Festuca  glauca,  the  grass  of  which  was  finely 
coloured  and  each  clump  well  flowered.  Oxalis 
Valdiviana,  self-sown,  formed  a  golden  sheet 
round  a  heap  of  Mimulus  cardinalis,  the  latter 
quite  i)  feet  high  and  well  flowered.  A  2-foot 
patch  of  White  Cup  (Nierembergia  rivularis)  has 
been  weeded  clear  of  the  Oxalis,  and  its  cups, 
almost  set  in  the  earth,  but  not  lacking  foliage  to 
keep  them  clean,  have  become  beautifully  mixed 
with  the  pretty  dusky  Aca^na  Novae-Zelandias- so 
much  like  a  Selaginella  ;  then,  as  if  to  show  us  how 
to  plant  beds  and  not  to  overdo  them  with  the 
stronger  colours,  one  finely-flowered  seedling  of 
the  charming  blue  Flax  (Linum  perenne)  has 
established  itself  at  one  corner.  There  is  not  the 
least  bit  of  art  in  beds  of  this  kind  ;  in  fact  they 
are  the  outcome  of  neglect,  yet  they  give  ns  all  the 
pleasure  which  our  gardens  are  intended  to  give, 
and  it  requires  some  courage  to  pull  them  to 
pieces  and  set  them  in  order.  As  in  beds  of  the 
same  form  and  quality  of  soil  some  rather  un- 
usual things  for  our  Yorkshire  climate  are  grow- 
ing, I  may  state  that  they  are  raised  4  inches  or 
5  inches,  and  the  Festuca  proves  a  capital  plant  for 
keeping  up  the  sides  and  imparting  a  trimness  to 
them.  The  soil  is  rich,  rather  dark  coloured,  and  also 
very  light.  Some  four  years  ago  Asparagus  was 
growing  on  the  site,  and  besides  the  richness  from 
manure  there  are  likely  yet  to  be  considerable 
saline  properties  in  it.  Aciphylla  squarrosa,  various 
Oxalises,  a  few  Ixias,  Veronica  Traversi,  Saxifraga 
Stracheyi,  Lithospermum  prostratum,  Tritoma, 
Libertia,  Jaborosa,  and  Ivesia  unguiculata  all 
succeed  under  these  conditions,  but  Andromedas, 
Menziesias,  and  Onosma  taurioum  refuse  to  grow. 

Primula  scotica  for  the  past  two  or  three 
weeks,  planted  in  pans  in  scores  together  rather 
close,  has  been  exquisite.  I  find  it  in  no  manner 
particular  as  regards  shade  ;  in  fact,  the  shallow 
pans  in  which  it  is  growing  have  been  fully  ex- 
posed to  the  midday  sun,  and  the  position  one 
where  the  plants  had  to  contend  with  more  than 
an  ordinary  amount  of  drying  currents.  The  bog- 
loving  P.  farinosa  has  done  equally  well  under 
similar  treatment.  With  their  roots  in  peat,  loam, 
and  sand,  topped  with  grit,  and  a  daily  drench 
given  in  dry  weather,  they  need  nothing  more. 
The  more  sunshine,  the  more  water,  and  the  more 
progress. 

Sedum  fahinosum  is  worth  growing  (very 
distinct  from  glaucum).  It  is  a  striking  rock 
plant,  keeping  close  to  the  ground,  and  bear- 
ing an  abundance  of  white  flowers ;  though 
when  closely  examined  it  is  seen  to  be  a 
rather  coarser  species  than  brevifolium,  it  is  in 
effect  quite  as  good  for  the  rockery,  perhaps 
better,  for  it  is  freer  in  flowering  and  much  hardier. 
It  is  a  truly  pleasing  Stonecrop,  and  the  large 
quantity  of  bloom  which  it  bears  gives  off  a  whole- 
some scent  like  that  of  a  rick-yard  in  harvest  time. 

Sempervivums  have  had  a  good  time  during 
the  sunny  weather.  They  have  both  flowered 
well  and  shown  character  in  their  foliage,  the  tints 
vieicg  with  those  of  the  flowers.  A  rather  funny 
and  interesting  discovery  was  made  a  short  time 
since.  Five  kinds  of  the  webbed  or  tomentose 
class  are  grown  here,  and,  being  desirable  sorts, 
have  been  increased  until  they  made  quite  a  show. 
It  was  noticed  that  all  the  downy  material  from 
some  of  the  rosettes  had  disappeared,  and  thsit  the 
latter  were  sometimes  displaced.  Suspicion  fell  on 
a  pair  of  robins  and  a  pair  of  wrens,  both  nesting 
near  the  Houseleeks  ;  at  last  the  wrens  were  seen 
picking  the  fleece  from  a  6-inch  pot  of  S.  Laggeri. 
Could  they  be  using  it  for  lining  their  nest,  or  was 
it  mischief  ? 


40 


THE    GARDEN 


[July  19,  1884. 


SiLENE  ELiZABETHiE  has  behaved  handsomely 
this  year.  I  had  come  to  consider  this  about  one 
o£  the  most  fickle  amongst  all  the  alpines  which 
I  grow.  I  have  had  more  than  one  plant,  and  for 
foar  or  five  years  could  scarcely  get  a  flower.  It 
was  carefully  lifted  from  place  to  place  until  at 
last  it  was  set  in  a  bed  (well  raised)  of  loam, 
lightened  with  leaf-mould,  and  in  the  full  sun- 
shine. A  little  plant  with  two  weak  crowns  made 
fine  growth,  and  has  had  half-a-dozen  flowers- 
large,  beautiful,  and  lasting ;  there  are  now  on 
it  some  fine  pods  of  seed.  So,  after  all,  there  may 
be  nothing  diflficult  about  its  culture,  but  I  feel 
pretty  confident  that  it  must  have  perfect  ex- 
posure. 

Some  Serapias,  notably  neglecta,  are  now  in 
bloom.  The  roots  were  only  received  last  year 
from  Italy ;  therefore  they  have  not  been  fully 
tested.  We  shall  see  what  kind  of  new  roots  they 
form — if  they  are  equal  or  not  to  those  imported. 
It  may  be  said  that  the  foliage  and  flowers  look 
healthy.  The  tubers  or  knobs  were  potted  in  the 
dusty  material  collected  from  a  sandstone  road. 
For  a  time  (two  months)  they  were  kept  quite 
dry,  in  order  that  if  possible  they  might  be  brought 
into  accordance  with  our  later  season.  As  cold 
weather  came  on  they  were  plunged  in  the  open 
in  coal  ashes,  and  in  that  position  they  are  now 
flowering.     Last  year  I  wrote  about  some 

Dahlias  which  were  left  out  all  the  winter,  and 
Slid  I  should  try  more.  I  have  done  so,  and  though 
the  shoots  were  late  in  appearing,  since  they  did 
appear  they  have  made  remarkable  progress.  They 
are  much  superior  to  the  best  young  plants  I  have 
seen.  The  numerous  shoots  are  nearly  2  feet  high, 
and  possess  great  substance.  All  that  was  done 
c  insisted  in  cutting  off  the  tops  level  with  the 
eirth  about  a  week  after  the  frosts  had  stopped 
their  progress,  and  two  oi-  three  shovelfuls  of  fine 
coal  ashes  were  heaped  over  them.  I  do  not 
wish  to  hint  that  the  Dahlia  is  hardy,  but  if 
in  this  way  labour  can  be  saved  and  nothing  of 
much  value  risked,  it  may  sometimes  be  useful  to 
practice  it.  I  ought  to  add  that  my  soil  is  rather 
light  loam  where  I  grow  the  Dahlias,  and  the  site 
thoroughly  drained.  J.  Wood. 

Waodfille,  Kirhstall,  Yorks. 


WEEDS  IN  THE  WILD  GARDEN. 
At  this  time  of  the  year  many  of  our  country 
friends  allow  the  weeds  to  have  their  own  way  to 
au  alarming  extent.  It  is  surprising  how  near  the 
windows  of  fine  houses  one  sees  meadows  of  rank 
Nettles,  Jlercury,  and  other  ill-smelling  and 
obnoxious  weeds.  We  have,  perhaps,  been  instru- 
mental in  inducing  many  to  devote  a  little  atten- 
tion to  wild  gardening,  and  we  regret  to  see  some 
of  these  persons  have  earned  a  lecture  on  weeds 
The  garden,  so  prettily  occupied  by  Primroses, 
Snowdrops,  Bluebells,  and  various  spring  flowers, 
is,  in  many  cases,  allowed  to  become  villainous 
with  Nettles  and  their  friends  as  soon  as  the 
summer  growth  comes  on.  The  foolish  ideas 
psople  have  about  weeds  are  to  blame  for  this.  It 
is  supposed  that  nothing  can  be  done  with  the 
weeds  except  in  the  winter,  when  we  can  "  get  at 
their  roots,"  and  no  sufficient  attention  is 
bestowed  to  destroying  the  tops.  An  ordinary 
crop  with  weeds  one  may  hoe,  but  fouler  weeds  in 
the  shrubberies  are  apparently  not  so  easily  dealt 
with,  and  therefore  they  are  allowed  to  rob  both 
flower  and  tree  at  their  will,  and  make  the  ground 
dry  and  exhausted.  The  labour  of  removing 
them,  however,  is  anything  but  formidable  if  they 
are  attacked  in  the  right  way,  and  one  good  way 
is  with  an  old  scythe  which  will  mow  them  down 
to  the  bottom,  and  in  midsummer,  too,  in  all  their 
pride  of  growth.  It  is  surprising  how  much  may 
be  cleared  away  by  a  man  with  a  scythe  in  a  few 
hours.  We  speak  now  of  shrubberies  rankly  over- 
grown with  weeds.  We  lately  had  to  deal  with 
one  of  such  in  which  early  Primroses  and  many 
pretty  flowers  were  withering  in  the  ground 
beneath  the  weeds.  The  foliage  of  the  spring 
flowers  being  mostly  matured,  it  was  possible  to 
Qut  the  rank  growth  down  without  touching  them. 
In  many  cases  they  had  withered  quite  so  that  if 


they  had  been  cut  by  the  scythe  not  the  least 
injury  would  have  happened  to  them.  Whereplants 
of  fine  summer  growth,  like  Ferns,  grow,  they  are 
easily  avoided  ;  and  here  a  little  picking  or  careful 
slashing  with  a  long  billhook  will  do  the  work. 
With  one  or  two  years'  attention  of  this  sort  the 
gross  weeds  must  get  so  weak  that  very  little 
attention  would  afterwards  be  required.  Cutting 
down  in  autumn  when  they  have  perfected  their 
growth  is  almost  useless,  and  digging  out  the 
roots  almost  futile  if  the  root  buds  are  allowed 
to  get  strong.  But  plants  cut  down  in  their  full 
growth  and  before  they  have  seeded  make  feeble 
root  provision  for  the  following  year,  and  are  then 
very  much  more  easily  dealt  with  at  the  root. 
But  whatever  we  do  in  winter  we  should  never 
fail  to  cut  down  the  weeds  without  mercy  in 
summer,  where  there  is  the  possibility  of  the 
plant  seeding,  as  well  as  its  power  of  laying  up 
sap  and  root  for  another  year.  What  seems  a 
hopeless  task  is  in  reality  a  very  easy  and  pleasant 
one  ;  for  some  enjoy  sweeping  down  these  armies 
of  ill-smelling  weeds  so  quickly  as  they  may  be 
cut  down  by  a  scythe. 

The  plan  should  be  just  the  same  for  the  ground 
which  has  nothing  in  it,  but  which  is  intended  for 
planting,  as  for  that  occupied  by  wild  flowers.  In 
case  the  ground  is  intended  for  planting,  the 
sooner  after  the  weeds  are  cut  down  it  is  trenched 
up  the  better,  as  then  the  double  attack  both  on 
tops  and  roots  will  go  very  far  towards  their  total 
destruction.  The  spaces  in  this  last  case  should 
be  well  dug  or  trenched  and  weeds  deeply  buried, 
the  ground  being  kept  open  and  free  until  autumn, 
when  it  may  be  planted  with  whatever  is  thought 
most  suitable  for  it.  The  ground  containing 
flowers  may  perhaps  require  a  second  going  over 
in  the  autumn.  Some  strong  growing  plants, 
when  fully  established,  keep  the  weeds  away,  or 
nearly  so,  reducing  the  labour  in  this  respect  to 
almost  nothing.  But  at  first,  in  making  a  wild 
garden,  a  little  constant  attention  is  necessary  in 
fighting  against  the  weeds.  It  is  not  only  that 
some  of  our  common  weeds  rob  the  plants,  but 
many  of  them  smell  most  offensively.  They  pre- 
vent the  free  flow  of  air  and  the  wholesomeness 
of  the  spot,  and,  in  short,  make  the  wild  garden 
the  very  opposite  of  what  it  might  be  as  a  pleasant 
retreat. — field. 


ECHEVERIA  SECUNDA  GLADCA  IN  BLOOM- 

What  a  mistake  it  is  to  destroy  the  flower-stems 
of  this  succulent,  and  grow  it  for  the  sake  of  its 
foliage  alone.  It  is  really  one  of  the  prettiest  and 
most  distinct  of  flowering  plants,  and  those  who 
destroy  the  blooms  deprive  themselves  of  a  large 
amount  of  enjoyment.  We  have  two  rows  of  it 
bordering  a  path  60  feet  in  length,  and  everyone 
who  sees  it  admires  the  show  of  bright  colour  made 
by  its  flowers.  Each  plant  carries  some  four 
flower-spikes,  so  that  on  the  thickly-set  plants  they 
form  a  serried  line,  not  too  regular,  for  the  spikes 
branch  out  in  different  directions.  Now  that  the 
Box  edging  has  become  green,  the  contrast  between 
its  lovely  verdure  and  the  rich  orange-scarlet  of 
the  Echeverias  is  both  striking  and  pleasing. 
To  obtain  a  good  display  of  bloom,  the  plants 
must  be  got  out  early ;  the  end  or,  indeed,  the 
beginning  of  May  is  too  late.  They  must  be 
planted  quite  by  the  middle  of  April,  and  then 
they  get  good  root-hold  by  the  time  when  they 
begin  to  throw  up  their  flower-stems,  which  then 
push  up  strongly.  A  good  watering  occasionally, 
if  very  dry,  in  May  and  a  little  manure  of  some 
kind  help  them.  Ours  had  a  top-dressing  of 
Clay's  Fertiliser  when  planted,  and  they  seem  to 
have  enjoyed  it.  Many,  I  think,  take  more  pains 
in  wintering  Echeverias  than  is  needful.  Expe- 
rience has  taught  that  they  keep  just  as  well,  or 
better,  without  earth  than  with  it.  Ours  are  shaken 
clear  of  it,  and  laid  in  boxes  in  a  draughty 
shed,  and  they  look  all  right  in  spring  and  quickly 
come  into  growth.  Those  who  may  be  short  of 
glass  accommodation  and  have  shed  room  will  find 
that  they  will  keep  well  in  such  places,  just  covering 
in  severe  frosts  and  giving  all  the  air  possible  in 
mild  weather.  By  the  middle  of  March  they  should 
be  brought  into  the  open  air,  as  from  that  time  a 


mat  or  two  thrown  over  them  at  night  will  quite 
guarantee  their  safety,  and  thus  treated  they  will 
become  very  strong  and  hardy.  I  advise  those 
who  grow  Echeverias  for  summer  bedding  to 
manage  them  in  this  way  and  grow  them  for 
bloom  as  well  as  for  their  foliage.  I  am  sure  that 
the  result  will  give  much  satisfaction. 

J.  C.  B. 


A  FEAST  OF  ENGLISH  IRISES. 
These  have  the  best  of  the  Spanish  Irises  in  the 
size  and  striking  character  of  their  leaves  and  the 
boldness  and  height  of  their  towering  stems.  Few 
plants  are  more  truly  in  character  or  strikingly 
suggestive  within  sight  or  sound  of  water.  In 
such  positions  the  root-stocks  run  with  a  freedom 
and  grow  with  a  stoutness  and  vigour  seldom 
found  in  common  beds  or  borders.  These  Irises 
also  go  well  with  Ferns.  Amass  of  rockwork  or 
portion  of  a  bank  clothed  with  Ferns  and  Fox- 
gloves, with  groups  of  English  Iris  at  its  base, 
and  the  latter  rising  out  of  a  pool  or  lake 
of  water  half  clothed  with  a  few  Water 
Lilies  and  other  aquatic  plants,  form  a  picture  of 
life  and  beauty  most  difficult  to  equal — almost 
impossible  to  excel.  The  English  Iris  is  by  no 
means  particular  about  soil  or  position,  though 
it  pays  well  for  good  culture  and  rich  soil,  as  may 
readily  be  seen  by  comparing  the  size  and  colours 
of  those  grown  in  Belgium  and  Holland  with  the 
general  run  of  those  met  with  in  English  gardens. 
No  doubt,  as  a  rule,  there  is  more  variety  on  the 
Continent,  but  even  the  same  sorts  are  seldom 
met  with  in  the  same  perfection  in  this  country. 
I  have  just  had  an  opportunity  of  comparing 
flowers  growa  in  Holland  with  others  grown  at 
home.  The  difference  is  very  great  indeed,  though 
of  course  hardly  any  Iris  can  be  more  striking 
than  the  old  Susiana,  which  has  been  exceptionally 
fine  this  season ;  but  then  the  latter  only  thrives 
here  and  there,  and  in  many  gardens  it  actually 
refuses  to  grow.  Possibly  some  of  the  darker 
strains  among  the  fine  collection  sent  may  owe 
some  of  the  richness  and  fulness  of  colouring  to 
the  addition  of  some  of  the  black  blood  of  this 
striking  species,  though  it  seldom,  so  far  as  I 
am  aware,  has  ripened  seeds  in  this  country. 
The  following  are  among  the  finer  English 
Irises  that  I  have  been  able  to  examine, 
and  borders  and  beds  of  these  would  make  not  a 
few  Orchids  look  poor  indeed  ;  and  yet  the  Irises 
are  perfectly  hardy,  so  cheap  as  to  be  within  reach 
of  all,  and  anyone  with  a  yard  of  ground  may 
grow  from  one  to  half  a  dozen  of  them. 

Select  English  Irises. — Rossignante,  dark 
purple  with  golden  veins ;  Paul  Kruger,  rich  violet ; 
elegans,  pale  violet;  Garibaldi,  pale  blue,  splashed 
with  dark  blue;  Shirley  Hibberd,  white,  streaked 
and  tinged  with  mauve  ;  Moore,  very  dark  purple ; 
La  Grandesse,  lilac,  spotted  and  tinged  with 
violet-red;  Madame  Van  der  Hoop,  rich  purple; 
Miss  Patti,  pale  bue,  streaked  with  darker  purple  ; 
Amalia,  pure  white,  tinged  with  mauve ;  Her 
Majesty,  mauve,  streaked  and  tinged  with  dark 
violet ;  Anna,  pale  mauve ;  Second  Vice  Roi, 
violet,  tinged  with  dark;  Regulus,  pale  blue, 
with  very  dark  centre  petals ;  Tamare,  pale  blue  ; 
La  Fierze,  rich  blue,  streaked  with  dark  blue  and 
white ;  Mont  Blanc,  pure  white,  very  large  and 
fine;  D.  T.  Fish,  pale  violet  with  deeper  centre; 
La  Persigny,  dark  purple  ;  Laurens  Koster,  soft 
mauve ;  Emious,  mauve  and  dark  spotted ;  General 
Pell,  dark  mauve  streaked  with  violet-red  ;  Aurora, 
mauve  and  red ;  Rossini,  large,  rich  dark  blue ; 
Castor,  red  and  mauve ;  Blanchard,  pure  white, 
chaste,  not  so  large  as  Mont  Blanc ;  Leviathan, 
rich  royal  blue ;  Lord  Canning,  pale  blue,  with 
violet-red  centre  petals  ;  L'Unique,  pale  blue,  soft 
dark  ;  Oratius,  dark  blue ;  Florida,  pale  blue  with 
dark  blue  centre ;  Tilly,  white  streaked  and  spotted 
with  red-mauve ;  Medusa,  mauve,  streaked  with 
dark  ;  Pyrene,  dark  mauve  ;  Diana,  white  streaked 
with  red-violet.  From  this  meagre  description  it 
will  be  seen  that  the  colours  are  sufficiently  rich 
and  varied.  What  the  change  and  what  would 
mostly  be  reckoned  improvement  in  form  is  even 
more  striking.  The  old  ragged  beauty  of  this 
free-and-easy  Iris  of   the  olden  time  has  given 


Jui,Y  19,  1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


41 


place  to  compact  blooms  a  good  deal  like  the 
Eucbaris  amazonlca  in  form  and  character.  While 
this  may  not  add  to  the  beauty  o£  the  Iris  as  a 
bed  or  bolder  flower,  it  adds  immensely  to  its 
usefulness  for  bouquet  work  and  general  decora- 
tive purposes,  and  in  the  near  future  it  is  probable 
that  the  English  and  other  Irises  may  become  as 
popular  for  decoration  as  the  Eucharis,  Stephanotis, 
Bouvardia,  and  Orchids  are  now.      D.  T.  Fisir. 


Genista  eagittalis.  —  This  low-growing 
member  of  the  Broom  family  is  just  at  home  in  a 
sunny  part  of  tlie  rock  garden,  where  it  is  now  a 
mass  of  golden  blossoms,  and  from  the  number  of 
buds  yet  to  open,  it  appears  likely  to  continue  in 
beauty  for  some  time.  Even  when  out  of  flower, 
the  peculiarly  winged  branches,  but  sparely  fur- 
nished with  leaves,  have  an  uncommon  appear- 
ance.— T. 

Doronicum  Clusil. — Under  this  name  I  re- 
ceived from  a  botanic  garden  the  plant  I  noted 
last  week  (p.  19),  but  the  Itev.  C.  Wolley  Dod,  a 
well-known  authority  on  hardy  plants,  writes  to 
say  that  he  considers  my  plant  to  b3  D.  planta- 
gineum  var.  excelsum.  It  is  to  be  found  in  certain 
catalogues  and  nurseries  as  D.  Clusii,  and  lest  any 
mistake  should  occur  I  think  it  well  to  acquaint 
your  readers  of  this  fact.  The  true  D.  Clusii  is  a 
dwarf  plant  of  very  different  habit. — J.  T.  Poi', 
Riverston. 

Bremurus  hlmalalcua.— This  very  hand- 
some and  perfectly  hardy  Indian  Asphodel  has 
bloomed  very  finely  in  my  garden  during  the 
months  of  May  and  June,  and  was  described  in 
your  columns  at  the  time  by  my  friend  Mr.  .Smyth, 
to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  my  plants,  raised  by 
him  from  seed  sent  to  him  from  India  by  a  friend 
some  thirteen  or  fourteen  years  ago.  The  flower- 
stems  were  over  4  feet  in  height,  and  quite  2  feet 
of  this  was  a  solid  column  of  pure  white  flowers, 
each  about  the  size  of  a  florin.  I  have  just  saved 
some  good  seed  of  this  fine  plant,  and  shall  be 
happy  to  send  some  to  any  reader  of  The  Garden 
who  likes  to  send  me  a  stamped  and  addressed 
envelope. — W.  E.  Gumbleton,  BeJgrove,  Qiicens- 
torvn,  Ireland. 

Iris  reticulata,  so  often  mentioned  with 
praise  in  The  Garden  early  in  the  year,  should 
now  be  lifted  and  replanted,  that  is  if  the  plants 
have  stood  three  years  in  the  same  place,  as  I  find 
they  are  much  improved  by  being  removed  and 
thinned  out.  Those  desirous  of  possessing  this 
charming  Iris  should  procure  it  and  plant  it  at 
once  if  possible.  At  any  rate  the  planting  of  it 
should  be  completed  in  August.  The  dry,  cool 
weather  of  last  spring  just  suited  it.  We  had  it 
in  flower  from  the  4th  of  February  right  on 
through  March.  I  never  saw  it  finer.  The 
bed  in  which  it  is  growing  here  is  partially 
shaded,  but  I  should  add  that  the  late  Mr.  J.  G. 
Nelson  always  grew  his  plants  of  it  in  full 
sunshine;  his  soil  at  Aldborougb  was  stronger  and 
of  a  more  retentive  character  tlian  ours.  He  never 
trusted  bulbous  plants  in  the  mixed  herbaceous 
border,  unless  it  was  something  that  would  in- 
crease rapidly,  and  that  could  take  care  of  itself. 
On  the  contrary,  he  devoted  a  border  or  borders 
entirely  to  bulbs,  and  always  planted  them  in  lines 
1  foot  apart,  and  from  4  inches  to  6  inches  asunder 
in  the  rows.  As  he  used  to  say,  planted  thus  "  they 
are  easily  kept  clean,  and  one  knows  exactly 
where  to  find  them,"  especially  with  a  label  in  the 
front  of  each  row.— Wm.  Allan,  Gunto7i. 

Lilies  at  Heatlierbank,  Weybridge  — 
Having  been  absent  from  my  garden  for  three 
weeks,  I  have  looked  over  our  Lily  beds,  and  send 
a  few  remarks  on  Mr.  Wolley  Dod's  interesting 
article  on  Lilies  (p.  28).  I  will  begin  with  the 
one  with  which  he  ends,  L.  Krameri.  I  think 
with  this  Lily  it  is  more  a  question  of  climate  than 
anything  else.  Probably  Edge  Hall  garden  is  too 
cold  for  it ;  both  here  and  at  Wisley  it  gives  no 
trouble,  blooms  and  increases  in  both  shade  and 
sun  in  many  different  soils.  We  have  it  both  in 
loam  and  mixtures  of  peat ;  it  seems  to  like  both 
equally  well.  L.  candense  grows  well  with  us 
in  peat  soil  and  likewise  in  mixtures  with  loam. 


L.  Szovitzianum  has  been  very  fine  grown  in  loam ; 
L.  testaceum  is  now  finer  than  we  have  ever  had 
it  before  ;  L.  Parryi  has  bloomed  well ;  L.  gigan- 
tenm  flowered  at  our  cottage  garden,  but  was  not 
to  compare  with  the  splendid  plants  at  Mr. 
M'Intosh's,  where  this  Lily  seems  quite  at  home. 
L.  pardalinum  is  fine,  but  not  equal  to  what  I  have 
feen  at  Mr.  Wolley  Dod's ;  L.  candidum  is  good 
at  our  cottage  garden,  but  not  as  fine  as  last  year. 
I  think  that  the  April  frosts  weakened  it.  L.  aura- 
tum  suffered  both  from  the  April  frosts  and  from 
the  long  drought — we  cannot  give  artificial  water- 
ing. The  finest  flower  we  have  out  is  the  blue 
Poppy,  Meconopsis  Wallichi.  This  is  finer  than 
I  have  ever  seen  it.  Our  best  plant  is  more  than  .5 
feet  high  on  a  loamy  bank  ;  the  strength  of  growth 
appears  to  have  developed  its  colour.  We  never 
had  it  so  good  a  blue  before.  We  have  been 
planting  recent  gleanings  from  the  Highlands, 
among  them  Cornus  suecica,  which  my  son  found 
on  a  high  hill ;  the  flowers  of  this  were  very 
pretty.  It  is  planted  where  Cornus  canadensis  is 
thriving,  and  I  hope  that  we  shall  succeed  with  it. 
— Geobge  ¥.  Wilson. 


ZINC  GARDEN  LABELS. 
Knowing  somewhat  of  the  utter  futility  of 
wooden  tallies  in  a  large  garden,  I  read  Mr.  W.  H. 
Cnllingford's  remarks  with  much  interest.  I  now 
wish  to  say  that  by  far  the  most  practical  and 
eflicient  zinc  label 


1 


I  ever  saw  is  that 
used  by  Mr.  J.Clarke 
in  the  gardens  at 
Wemyss  Castle, 
Fife,  N.B.  It  may 
be  made  of  any 
convenient  size  re- 
quired, and  the 
shape  may  be  va- 
ried according  to 
taste,  but  the  prin- 
ciple is  that  of  a 
hairpin  fixed  to  a 
visiting  card.  A 
piece  of  stout  zinc 
or  galvanised  iron 
wire  a  foot  in  length 
is  bent  into  a  hair- 
pin-like shape,  and 
this  is  soldered  to  a 
bit  of  sheet  zinc  at 
the  back.  The  name 
may  be  written 
either  with  lunar 
caustic  pencil  or 
with  a  solution  of 
nitrate  of  silver.  Any  handy  man  can  make  them, 
and  they  are  not  only  sightly,  unobtrusive  in  colour, 
and  efficient  for  their  purpose,  but  also  practically 
indestructible.  F.  W.  E. 

*^  This  label  resembles  Mr.  Ewbank's  label 
figured  in  The  Garden  some  time  ago,  and  which 
we  here  reproduce  to  show  the  form.  The  top  of 
Mr.  Ewbank's  label  is,  however,  wood  ;  that  of  Mr, 
Clarke  zinc. — Ed. 


Carnations  and  Picotees. — These  are  now 
the  flowers  of  the  season,  and  next  Tuesday  the 
society  specially  devoted  to  tlieir  interests  will 
hold  its  annual  show  of  them  in  the  conservatory 
at  South  Kensington.  Those,  however,  who  wish 
to  make  selections  of  the  best  sorts  should  see 
good  collections  of  them  growing  and  flowering 
in  borders.  There  is  no  lack  of  these  plants  about 
London,  but  the  largest  and  best  displays  of  them 
are  those  in  the  Royal  Nurseries  at  .Slough,  where 
Mr.  Turner  has  no  fewer  than  8000  plants,  that 
will  be  in  flower  during  the  next  three  weeks,  and 
in  the  Royal  Exotic  Nursery,  Chelsea.  Particular 
interest  attaches  to  Messrs.  Veitch's  collection,  as 
it  shows  what  can  be  done  in  the  midst  of  a 
populous  district.  The  border  Carnations  in 
Messrs.  Veitch's  nursery  are  unusually  fine,  special 
attention  having  been  paid  to  raising  new  sorts. 


PLANTS    IN    FLOWEK. 


NOTES  OF  THE  WEEK. 


The  Council  of  the  Meteorological  Society  have 
issued  a  valuable  work  entitled  "  Rainfall  Tables 
of  the  British  Isles  for  1866-80,"  compiled  from 
the  records  of  36G  stations,  by  Mr.  G.  J.  Symons. 
In  the  preface  it  is  said  that  these  tables  "  com- 
prise a  more  complete  record  of  rainfall  than  has 
hitherto  been  given  for  any  country  during  an 
equally  long  period."  It  is  published  by  Stanford, 
Charing  Cross. 

Overdoing. — In  the  Edinburgh  public  gardens 
they  have  discovered  that  the  giant  Cow  Parsnip 
is  an  effective  plant,  and  therefore  they  have  put 
it  everywhere  !  from  the  little  garden  at  Waver- 
ley  Maiket  to  the  further  end  of  Prince's  Street, 
in  valley  and  on  hill.  By-and-by  we  may  look 
for  the  extermination  of  the  Scotch  Thistle  by  a 
ten  times  more  voracious  plant — foul  smelling 
into  the  bargain, 


A  white  Water  Lily  which  has  been  sent  to  us  by 
Mr.  Kingsmill  measures  8  inches  across.  The  wliite  Water 
Lily  seems  to  vary  in  size  a  good  deal. 

Abelia  triflora. — Mr.  Gumbleton  sends  us  a 
specimen  of  this  handsome  shrub,  which  he  grows 
very  successfully  at  Queenstown  against  an  out- 
side wall.  The  flowers,  which  are  pinkish,  are 
gathered  in  small  clusters  at  the  tips  of  the  twigs, 
and  are  sweet-scented.  There  is  a  large  bush  of 
the  same  shrub  against  one  of  the  walls  at  Kew, 
which  is  always  an  attractive  object  at  this  sea- 
son. 

Pelargonium  Murrayanum.— Mr.  Spinks 
sends  us  specimens  of  this  favourite  old  Pelargo- 
nium still  so  much  prized  in  old-fashioned  gar- 
dens. The  flowers  are  small  and  not  so  symmetri- 
cally shaped  as  florists  like  them  to  be,  but  they 
are  produced  numerously  in  clusters,  and  their 
colour,  a  soft  mauve-pink,  renders  them  very  at- 
tractive. This  Pelargonium  is  very  floriferous,  and 
flowers  after  most  others  are  oVer. 

Vanda  Sanderiana.— The  gigantic  speci- 
men of  this  new  Vanda  in  the  nurseries  of  Messrs. 
James  Backhouse  &  Son,  at  York,  is  now  develop- 
ing no  fewer  than  fourteen  flower-spikes.  This 
specimen  forms  a  compact  luxuriant  mass  about 
18  inches  high,  with  eight  stems  and  eighty  or 
ninety  leaves,  and  when  in  full  flower  will  afford 
such  a  sight  as  has  seldom  been  seen  in  the  way 
of  Orchids. 

Statlce  Suwarowi. — This  new  species  does 
not  appear  to  find  much  favour  as  yet  among 
those  who  have  tried  it  in  this  country.  One  of 
our  correspondents  writes  as  follows  concerning 
it :  "I  send  you  specimens  of  this  Statice  to  show 
how  poor  it  is  in  colour.  I  have  many  well-grown 
plants  of  it,  and  all  are  of  the  same  colour,  and 
they  must  therefore  go  to  the  rubbish  heap." 
There  may  be  good  and  bad  varieties  of  this  plant, 
and  perhaps  readers  who  have  grown  it  will  give 
us  their  opinion  regarding  it. 

PhlladelphuB  microphyllus.— This  is  the 
tiniest  Mock  Orange  we  have  yet  seen.  It  is  a 
North  American  shrub  recently  introduced,  and 
Mr.  Gumbleton  sends  us  two  or  three  little  flower- 
sprays  of  it.  It  seems  to  be  twiggy  in  growth. 
The  leaves  are  very  small,  as  also  the  white 
flowers,  which  are  borne  solitary  at  the  tips  of  the 
branchlets.  Mr.  Gumbleton  says  the  flowers  are 
very  sweet  scented.  It  is  interesting  to  have  in 
the  garden  a  Tom  Thumb  among  Syringas  as 
well  as  a  giant,  which  the  P.  grandiflorus  may 
be  called. 

Qaltonla  (Hyacinthus)  prlnceps.— This 
resembles  G.  candicans  in  every  respect  except  in 
the  width  of  the  leaves,  which  are  narrower  in 
G.  princeps,  and  in  the  colour  of  the  flowers,  which 
are  greenish  white  instead  of  the  pure  ivory  white 
of  G.  candicans.  G.  princeps  flowered  at  Kew  in 
the  Cape  house  last  spring,  and  is  now  again  in 
flower  on  a  south  border,  where  a  collection  of 
hardy  ornamental  and  other  bulbs  is  being  formed. 
Besides  the  Galtonia,  there  are  in  flower  on  this 
border  Bravoa  geminiflora,  Hymenocallis  Harrisi- 
ana,  Crinum  latifolium,  C.  capense,  and  several 
other  bulbous  plants. 


42 


THE    GARDEN 


[Jri,y   19,   1884. 


Lathyius  Drummondi.-  I  am  glad  to 
find  Mr.  R.  Dean  writing  in  favour  of  this  uncom- 
mon colonred  Everlasting  I'ea.  I  have  never  seen 
it  growing  in  any  nursery  I  have  visited,  with  one 
exception,  though  it  is  to  be  found  occasionally  in 
catalogues.  Everyone  who  has  seen  it  this  year 
in  the  garden  here  has  been  struck  with  its  beauty, 
and  various  were  the  enquiries  as  to  its  name  and 
where  it  could  be  procured.  Last  year  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  distributing  seed  of  it  to  a  large  num- 
ber of  applicants  in  reply  to  an  offer  made  through 
The  Gaeden,  and  I  shall  be  glad  to  do  so  again 
this  season,  when  the  seed  is  ripe,  if  any  of  your 
readers  will  send  me  an  addressed  and  stamped 
envelope.— J.  T.  Pcu,  Mi-crst  n,  Kenagh. 

Llllum  phillpplnense.  -The  exceptionally 
long  flower-tube  of  this  beautiful  Lilydistinguis-hes 
it  from  some  of  the  forms  of  L.  longiflorum,  one 
of  which  (L.  Harris!)  we  noted  last  week  as  being 
in  flower  at  Kew.whereseveral  plants  of  the  Philip- 
pine kind  may  now  be  seen  in  great  beauty.  In 
height  of  stem,  width  of  foliage,  and  size  of  bulb 
there  is  a  marked  difference  between  this  species 
and  L.  longiflorum  ;  notwithstanding  this,  there 
are  good  reasons,  both  as  regards  the  form  and 
colour  of  the  flowers  and  the  general  appearance 
of  the  whole  plant,  for  classing  it  with  the  longi- 
florum group,  which  is  confined  toChina  and  Japan, 
with  the  exception  of  L.  philippinense,  the  native 
country  of  which  is,  as  tbe  name  denotes,  the 
Philippine  Islands.  L.  philippinen.^e  bears  flowers 
nearly  1  foot  long  and  pure  white  ;  it  thrives  only 
in  a  warm  grcenhouEe. 

Dlpladenia  boliviensis.— An  example  of 

the  floriferousness  and  beauty  of  this  not  very 
common  stove  climbing  plant  is  afforded  by  a  very 
fine  specimen  of  it  from  Mr.  Hans  Niemand's  nur- 
series at  Edgbaston,  where,  we  are  told,  a  plant 
covers  an  area  of  120  square  feet  under  the  roof  of 
a  house  facing  the  south.  The  plant,  which  has 
been  smothered  with  flowers  for  quite  four  months, 
seems  likely  to  continue  in  bloom  until  September. 
The  flowers  measure  about  2  inches  across,  are 
funnel  shaped,  and  pure  white,  except  the  centre, 
which  U  orange-yellow.  The  shining  deep  green 
foliage,  too,  set->  off  the  flowers  to  advantage.  The 
latter  are  extremely  valuable  in  a  cut  state,  and 
particularly  useful  for  bouquets  and  wreaths.  It 
is  a  plant  that  can,  without  hesitation,  be  recom- 
mended as  a  desirable  and  easily-grown  stove 
climber. 

Veronica  chathamica.  —  A  pretty  New 
Zealand  species,  shrubby  like  other  Veronic.as  of 
the  V.  speciosa  race,  to  which  chathamica  evidently 
belongs.  The  leaves  are  about  an  inch  long,  densely 
arranged  on  the  branches  which  are  terminated 
by  close  conical  clusters  of  small  flowers,  first 
mauve-purple  and  afterwards  quite  white.  Some 
flowering  twigs  of  this  pretty  little  novelty  have 
been  sent  to  us  by  Mr.  Gumbleton,  from  his  gar- 
den at  Belgrove,  Queenstown.  Mr.  Gumbleton 
says  it  has  a  trailing  habit  and  is  quite  distinct.  An- 
other pretty  Veronica  has  aho  been  sent  us.  This  is 
V.  Girdwoodiana,  likewise  a  shrubby  plant  of  erect 
growth.  The  leaves,  which  are  narrow  and  small, 
are  set  thickly  and  crosswise  on  the  twigs.  The 
flowers  are  bright  purple  about  as  large  as  those  of 
our  common  Speedwell  (V.  Chamaedrys),  and  are 
profusely  borne,  so  that  even  a  small  plant  is  at- 
tractive. 

The  Spanish  Broom  (Spartium  junceum). 
— After  midsummer  this  liroom  commences  to  un- 
fold its  large  golden  blossoms,  a  succession  of 
which  is  often  kept  up  till  autumn  sets  in.  During 
the  latter  part  of  the  summer  it  is  one  of  the  most 
ornamental  of  flowering  shrubs,  especially  where 
planted  in  close  proximity  to  masses  of  foliage 
which  serve  as  a  setting  to  the  brightly  coloured 
blossoms.  This  P.room  succeeds  well  in  almost 
any  soil  not  too  mucli  saturated  with  moisture. 
It  holds  its  own  fairly  well  in  hot  and  dry  spots. 
I  once  saw  it  planted  pretty  freely  among  Rhodo- 
dendrons, which  it  overtopped  with  its  long  flexi- 
ble shoots,  and  after  the  Rhododendron  blooms 
were  over  the  masses  of  gold  dotted  here  and  there 
amongst  the  green  leaves  served  to  enliven  the 
otherwise    sombre  appearance  of  the    bank  on 


which  both  grew.  This  Broom  ripens  seeds  in 
quantity,  from  which  plants  may  readily  be  raised 
if  sown  in  beds  in  the  open  ground. — W.  T. 

Plaglollrion  Horsmanl.— For  the  intro- 
duction of  this  new  genus  we  are  indebted  to 
Mr.  Horsman,  in  compliment  to  whom  it  has  been 
named,  and  who  has  brought  us  examples  of  its 
pure  white  flowers.  It  is  by  no  means  so  showy 
as  Eucharis  amazonica  or  Candida,  but  it  is,  never- 
theless, a  very  interesting  plant,  and  good  culti- 
vation may  yet  improve  it  both  in  size  and  ef- 
fectiveness It  is  a  native  of  the  United  States  of 
Colombia.  In  bulb  and  foliage  it  resembles  Eu- 
charis grandiflora.  The  scape  is  erect  and  about 
18  inches  long,  and  the  flowers  are  borne  in  a 
rather  dense  head,  twenty-two  flowers  and  buds 
being  on  that  now  before  us.  The  flower-stalk, 
ovary,  and  tube  are  green,  the  narrow  spreading 
segments  of  the  perianth  whitish  and  arranged  in 
a  fan-like  manner — that  is,  five  of  them  are  almost 
upright,  the  other,  along  with  the  stamens,  curving 
downwards.  It  flowers  during  the  summer  months, 
and  the  treatment  usually  given  to  Eucharis  will 
doubtless  suit  it.  Along  with  the  Plagiolirion 
came  very  fine  flowers  of  Milla  biflora  and  a  spike 
of  a  green- flowered  Eucomis. 

Ksempferla  Klrki.— This  handsome  Ginger- 
wort,  better  known  by  the  name  of  Cienkowskia 
Kirki  (it  having  been  placed  amongst  the  Ktemp- 
ferias  by  the  authors  of  the  "Genera  I'lantarum"), 
is  just  now  very  attractive  in  the  Begonia  house 
at  Kew,  where  several  plants  of  it  in  pans  ar.d 
pots  are  flowering  freely.  The  inconvenience 
caused  by  the  alteration  of  the  name  is  amply 
compensated  by  the  removal  of  a  very  "hard" 
name  from  what  is  a  really  beautiful  garden  plant 
Judging  by  the  Kew  plants,  we  should  fay  the 
cultivation  of  K.  Kirki  is  simple  enough,  all  that 
is  neces.tary  being  a  long  winter's  rest  for  the 
Ginger-like  tubers,  and  starting  them  into  growth 
in  spring  in  a  warm  bouse,  using  a  light  rich  soil, 
and  supplying  them  with  plenty  of  water  while 
they  are  making  leaves  and  blooming.  A  coloured 
plate  of  this  plant  was  given  in  The  Garden 
in  1881.  In  the  stove  at  Kew  there  are  several 
other  species  of  Kiempferia  which  are  either  re- 
markable for  attractive  leaf  coloration,  for  pretty 
flowers,  or  for  the  economical  properties  belonging 
to  their  roots,  which  are  purple  outside  and  white 
within,  and  possess  an  aromatic  fragrance. 

Alstrcemeria  aurantiaca.— Mr.  Spinks 
sends  us  from  the  Royal  Nurseries,  Edgbaston, 
some  uncommonly  fine  flower-stems  of  A.  auran- 
tiaca and  the  variety  aurea,  the  first  having 
flowers  of  a  rich  reddish  orange-yellow,  the  colour 
of  aurea  being  clear  yellow.  "These  flowers,''  says 
Mr.  Spinks,"  are  cut  from  plants  on  a  border  on  the 
south-west  side  of  one  of  the  houses  22  yards  long 
by  3  feet  wide.  I  planted  them  twelve  months  last 
March  ;  they  are  now  a  mass  of  flowers,  and  for 
cutting  nothing  of  the  same  colour  can  equal  them. 
They  last  a  very  long  time  in  good  condition,  the 
heavy  rains  not  injuring  them  in  the  least."  This  is 
a  plant  that  should  be  grown  by  everyone  who 
has  a  warm  sheltered  border.  It  merely  requires 
slight  protection  in  winter  with  some  loose  litter, 
and  in  spring,  just  as  the  shoots  appear,  a  good 
dressing  of  rotten  manure.  The  result  of  this 
treatment  is  certainly  a  sight  not  soon  to  be  for- 
gotten at  this  time  of  year.  In  very  cold  inland 
districts  this  plant  may  require  sheltering  during 
winter,  but  we  have  met  with  it  in  many  places 
growing  in  light  soils,  where  it  receives  no  pro- 
tection whatever.  It  is  one  of  the  showiest  of 
hardy  perennials.  It  is  the  tender  kinds,  such  as 
A.  pnlchella  and  others,  that  require  such  warm 
and  sheltered  places.  No  better  place  for  these 
can  be  had  than  the  foot  of  a  south  wall. 

Pancratium  maritimum.— The  flowering 
of  this  plant  (the  Sea  Daffodil)  is  of  rare  occur- 
rence in  this  country,  and  we  do  not  remember 
having  seen  or  heard  of  its  being  in  blossom  in 
English  gardens  for  many  years  until  the  other 
day,  when  we  saw  a  plant  of  it  in  flower  in  the 
Cape  house  at  Kew.  P.  maritimum  is  a  native  of 
the  countries  bordering  the  Mediterranean,  and  is  I 
found  in  greatest  abundance  where  the  sand  is  I 


warm  and  deep  and  in  close  proximity  to  the  sea ; 
in  fact,  we  are  inclined  to  believe  that  the  salt 
has  something  to  do  with  the  health  of  this  plant. 
Herbert's  suggestion,  viz.,  to  plant  the  bulbs  of  P. 
maritimum  in  deep  pots  of  coarse  sand,  and  then 
to  stand  the  pots  on  a  hot  flue  in  a  warm,  unshaded 
house,  has  been  followed  at  Kew,  a  little  salt 
having  been  mixed  with  the  sand  before  planting. 
The  scape  on  the  Kew  plant  is  about  15  inches 
long,  and  bears  a  head  composed  of  eleven  flowers 
and  buds,  which  open  two  or  three  together  and 
last  for  about  two  days.  The  flowers  are  Daffodil- 
like, the  cup  being  rather  ragged  and  deep  for  a 
Pancratium  ;  they  are  dull  white  and  green  in 
colour.  P.  maritimum,  P.  illyricum,  P.  carolinia- 
num,  and  P.  rotatum  (now  a  Hymenocallis)  are 
hardy  enough  in  this  country  if  planted  at  the 
foot  of  a  wall  with  a  south  aspect ;  but  although 
P.  maritimum  grows  well  enough  under  such  con- 
ditions, it  will  not  produce  flowers.  Altogether 
there  are  now  about  a  dozen  species  of  Pancra- 
tium, all  of  which,  with  the  above  exceptions,  are 
tropical  and  thrive  only  in  a  warm  house.  P. 
speciosum  and  P.  oaribieum  are  the  best  known  of 
the  tropical  kinds,  and  both  of  these  may  now  be 
seen  in  fine  flowering  condition  in  the  Palm  house 
at  Kew. 

Begonias  and  Gloxinias  at  Beading. 

— For  many  years  now  Messrs.  Sutton  have  had 
grand  displays  of  these,  but  it  may  safely  be 
averred  that  the  display  this  season  greatly  excels 
that  of  any  previous  year.  The  rapid  rate  at 
which  tuberous  Begonias  have  attained  to  so  high 
a  state  of  perfection  generally  can  have  no  better 
illustration  than  by  a  sight  of  the  large  stock  now 
to  be  seen  in  the  houses  at  Messrs.  Sutton's  seed 
grounds  ;  the  foliage  is  leathery  and  massive,  and 
the  flower-stems  stout  and  well  thrown  up,  whilst 
as  regards  size  of  flower,  that  of  the  major  part  is 
quite  4  inches  across,  and  there  are  many  larger 
than  that,  and  yet  perfect  in  form  and  substance, 
reminding  one  of  the  petals  of  a  Lapageria. 
With  respect  to  colours,  there  are  primrose,  pure 
white,  flesh  colour,  rose,  magenta,  crimson,  and 
deep  scarlet — these  last  in  abundance,  but  the  two 
first — primrose  and  white—  are  evidently  favoured 
colours.  Named  sorts  are  grown  in  limited  quanti- 
ties only, the  great  bulk  being  seedlings  of  last  year, 
and  not  a  whit  behind— many  better— than  the 
named  kinds  ;  one  therefore  wonders  why  naming 
of  certain  varieties  should  continue,  unless  it  be 
to  land  us  in  respect  to  Begonias — as  we  are  already 
in  regard  to  single  Dahlias — in  complete  bewil- 
derment, a  remark  also  equally  applicable  to 
Gloxinias.  These  Messrs.  Sutton  have  discon- 
tinued naming,  and  that  they  are  justified  in  doing 
so  the  magnificent  array  of  plants  now  in  full 
blossom  affords  an  excellent  illustration.  To  say 
that  in  every  particular  they  are  quite  equal  to  the 
Begonias  is  not  unduly  overrating  their  excel- 
lence. Why,  there  are  hundreds  of  plants  raised 
from  seeds  sown  only  last  January  that  now  have 
foliage  entirely  concealing  the  pots,  mostly  5-inch 
size,  and  with  from  four  to  six  flowers  now  open 
on  each  plant.  All  who  can  should  go  and  see  for 
themselves;  they  will  receive  a  kindly  welcome 
and  may  get  a  hint  or  two  on  other  Eubjects  be- 
sides Begonias  and  Gloxinias. — W.  W. 


A  remarlsable  Fir  tree. — The  Garten  Zei- 
tniig  for  January,  1884,  describes  and  illustrates  a 
very  curious  Fir  tree  now  growing  in  a  park  at 
Sonderhausen.  The  tree  is  a  large  one,  being  up- 
wards of  100  feet  in  height,  the  trunk  some  10  feet 
in  circumference,  and  said  to  be  179  years  old. 
But  it  is  not  the  age  nor  the  dimensions  which 
render  this  tree  noteworthy,  but  an  abnormal  de- 
velopment of  one  of  the  main  branches,  which, 
much  thicker  than  the  rest,  gives  birth  as  it  were 
to  a  second  tree,  which  springing  from  it  forms  a 
veritable  cone-shaped  tree  not  less  than  25  feet 
high  and  some  3  feet  through.  It  is  just  as  if  one 
tree  were  growing  on  another,  and  naturally  pre- 
sents a  very  strange  appearance.  It  is  supposed 
that  a  wound  made  in  the  branch  by  a  squirrel  or 
an  insect  has  caused  a  bud  to  develop  which  has 
produced  this  secondary  tree. — J.  C,  Byjleet. 


Jur.T    10     1884. 


THE     GARDEN 


43 


GAEDEN  IN  THE  HOUSE. 


FLORAL  DECORATIONS. 
It  is  almost  depressing  to  read  the  account  of  the 
arrangements  of  out  liowers  at  the  evening  futein 
Regent's  Park,  so  ably  criticised  in 
the  leading  article  of  The  Garden 
for  July  5  ;  it  gave  one  a  vivid  picture 
of  the  dreary  monotony,  the  stereo- 
typed ugliness,  and  the  vulgar  display 
which  prevailed.     I  have  often  visited 
these   floral   shows    in    the   hope    of 
meeting  with  something  natural  and 
harmonious,  and  again  and  again  gone 
away    in   despair.     The    remarks    of 
the  writer  of   the  paper  in  question 
on   the   "china-ware   merchant,  who 
seemed    to   regard  flowers   in    quite 
a  secondary  light,  as  but  a  medium 
for  the  exhibition  of  his  goods,"  was 
singularly  telling.    Then,  again,  as  to 
fat  mirrors.   What  a  delusion  to  ima- 
gine they  can   ever  faintly    be  sup- 
posed to  imitate  water  !     I  have  some- 
times  seen   them  adorned  with  little 
white    china    swans,    though   I  am 
almost  ashamed   to  mention  such 
puerilities.     The    trumpet-shaped     ,, 
glass  vases  have  been  repeated  ad  ^rS 
nauseam.    There  was  never  any   ^J 
merit  in  the  design,  and  if  there  ^ 
had   been,  we  have  had  far  too 
much  of  them.  It  is  fair  to  suppos  e 
(as  the   writer  says)  that  "the 


the  year.  Look  at  the  hedges  overgrown  with 
"  the  wilding  Rose  "  and  "  well-attired  Woodbine  " 
in  fall  blossom.  See  that  mass  of  Foxgloves  of 
many  shades,  from  crimson  down  to  creamy- 
white,  speckled  with  faint  dashes  of  colour.   How 


bv^#« 


public  are  apt  to  regard  these  shows  in  the  light  of 
a  school  in  which  the  best  taste  is  displayed." 
Poor  public,  I  grieve  for  you  !  But  leave  these  vain 
shows,  go  out  into  the  woodlands,  and  see  how 
Nature  arranges  her  decorations  at  this  time  of 


nuons    endeavour 


stately  they  stand 
amid  the  tangle  of 
broad  Fern  leaves  and 
slender  Grasses  !  Look 
at  the  pond  in  which 
many  water  plants  and  tall 
Reeds  are  faithfully  mir- 
roied,  but  whose  reflections 
are  broken  and  dispersed  by 
the  carpet  of  lovely  Water 
Lilies,  yellow  and  white,  with 
their  broad  velvet  leaves 
which  spreadover  its  unruffled 
surface.  Consider,  I  pray,  the 
flowers  of  the  field,  how  they 
grow.  Nature  laughs  at  our 
poor  faltering  efforts,  and 
^llows  how  flowers  ought  to 
look.  She  arranges  her  de- 
corations with  no  niggard 
hand,  and  deigns  to  tell  us 
what  lovely  effects  may  be 
produced  out  of  homely  ma- 
terials in  the  hands  of  a 
true  artist.  She  says  again 
and  again  :  "  Eschew  for- 
mality, but  cultivate  grace. 
Let  that  grace  be  a  copy — 
perhaps  faint,  but  still  in 
some  sense  a  reflection — of 
my  loveliness."  It  is  related 
in  classic  story  how  a  Titan 
once  fought  with  Zeus.  The 
struggle  was  longand  unequal, 
but  whenever  in  the  conflict 
the  mortal  combatant  touched 
the  earth  he  conquered.  In 
like  manner  we  in  our  stre- 
after    the    beautiful    prevail 


whenever  we  bid  adieu  to  conventional  designs 
and  formal  plans  and  return  to  Nature.  T.ut  from 
the  general  to  particulars.  One  great  fault  in 
floral  arrangements  is  the  omission  of  the  foliage 


peculiar  to  each  flower.  This  once  laid  aside,  you 
cannot  replace  it  by  any  addition  of  Jlaiden-hair 
or  other  Ferns,  beautiful  as  these  are  in  themselves 
and  useful  as  they  may  be  to  help  to  fill  up  what 
is  lacking.  I  see  this  is  alluded  to  in  the 
article  to  which  I  refer.  The 
writer  says  :  "  If  the  foliage 
of  the  Irises  had  been  used 
instead  of  the  Grasses,  a  much 
better  effect  would  have  been  the 
result."  I  will  mention  a  few 
flowers  which  look  lovely  arranged 
with  their  own  leaves.  First 
the  Christmas  Rose,  that  pale 
child  of  winter  whose  fair  pre- 
sence comes  to  cheer  us  amid  Ja- 
nuary's snows,  itself  spotless  as 
they.  There  is  no  way  to  my  mind 
of  arranging  this  welcome  gift 
of  the  new-born  year  like  that  of 
placing  it  in  a  bowl  or  vase  inter- 
spersed with  its  own  leaves.  A 
few  years  ago  a  lovely  picture 
hung  on  the  walls  of  the  Grosvenor 
Gallery  in  the  winter  exhibition. 
1  forget  the  artist's  name,  but  it 
he  had  been  till  then  unknown 
to  fame,  he  must  ere  this  have 
achieved  it.  Here  is  the  painting.  A 
bank  of  Christmas  Roses  with 
their  glossy  leaves  of  bright  green 
and  russet-brown  standing  out 
against  the  background  of  a  dull 
leaden  sky  and  surrounded  by 
new-fallen  snow.  I  could  not  for- 
get it  for  days.  One  may  well 
imagine  that  after  all  poets  and 
painters  are  Nature's  best  interpre- 
ters, and  that  their  mission  is  to 
reveal  her  charms  and  explain 
her  teaching  to  the  heedless  and 
common-place  throng.  After  I 
had  seen  that  picture  I  deter- 
mined never  to  use  any  foli- 
age but  its  own  for  the  Christ- 
mas Rose. 

I'rimroses,  again,  are  never  so 
lovely  as  when  enclosed  in  a  framework  of  their 
beautiful  leaves.  It  is  almost  a  sacrilege  to  add 
anything  else.  Later  on  the  "  golden  host  of 
Daffodils  "  should,  as  a  rule,  have  a  background  of 
their  own  slender  foliage,  attention  being  paid  to 
the  vase  in  which  they  are  placed.  Antique  china 
jugs  or  some  of  the  exquisite  vases  produced  by 
the  Worcester  and  Staffordshire  manufactories  are 
highly  to  be  recommended.  Glass  is  less  suitable 
for  a  variety  of  reasons.  What  can  be  more  effec- 
tive than  a  posy  of  different  kinds  of  Narcissi,  with 
their  own  leaves,  in  a  blue  and  white  or  dark  green 
vase  of  old  pattern  ?  or  a  blue  bowl  of  different- 
coloured  Roses,  with  no  other  flowers  ?  or  Clema- 
tises of  different  shades,  not  broken  off  short,  but 
gathered  in  long,  graceful  sprays  ?  Mignonette 
and  Sweet  Peas  look  well  together,  and  so  do  Fox- 
gloves and  Canterbury  Bells,  with  their  almost 
endless  ?ina>ices  of  colour.  These,  by  reason  of 
the  scantiness  of  their  own  leaves,  should  have  a 
background  of  variegated  Maple.  Branches  of 
Lime  in  flower  or  a  piece  or  two  of  the  Copper 
Beech,  too,  lend  variety  to  a  charming  bouquet. 
When  flowers  may  be  suitably  mixed,  I  would 
venture  to  suggest  they  should  never  be  massed 
indiscriminately  together,  but  placed  with  some 
regard  to  colour  and  style.  For  instance,  where 
a  mural  decoration  is  required  (vases  with  the 
wall  as  a  background),  support  with  large  sprays 
of  the  proper  foliage.  All  through  the  changing 
year  this  maxim  applies.  Do  not  separate  the 
flower  from  its  own  surroundings.  Nature  has 
given  to  each  its  own  peculiar  foliage  best 
calculated  to  heighten  its  charms.  Do  we 
know  better  than  so  consummate  an  artist  ? 

With  regard  to  large  arrangements  of  flowers, 
the  Berberis,  the  Portugal  Laurel,  and  the  common 
Laurel,  with  many  others  form  a  good  background 
and  likewise  a  charming  contrast  to  the  gay 
blossoms  in  front.  The  Hydrangea  is  most  effec- 
tive at  this  season.  Two  large  sprays  with  leaves 
and  a  few  crimson   Roses   fill  a  tolerably  large 


44 


THE     GARDEN 


[Jui,Y  19,  1884. 


vase,  together  with  the  branches  of  Berberis. 
Time  would  fail  me  to  enlarge  on  this  subject. 
I  can  but  throw  out  a  few  hints  and  leave  the 
subject  for  a  f  ature  paper.  W.  N. 


HAKD-GROWN  PLANTS  BEST. 
With  the  greatly-increased  demand  for  plants 
suitable  for  use  in  dwellings  that  has  come  about 
in  recent  years,  there  has  naturally  been  a  run  on 
fine-leaved  kinds  ;  for  although  such  as  bear  at- 
tractive flowers  are  not  less  prized  than  they  used 
to  be,  still  the  bloom  of  most  things  is  of  short 
duration  when  the  plants  are  subjected  to  the  dry 
and  often  gas-impregnated  atmosphere  of  a  living 
room.  Elegant  forms  of  leaf  plants,  such  as 
Palms  and  Ferns,  will  no  doubt  always  be  appre- 
ciated as  they  deuerve  to  be,  but  in  addition  to 
this  a  certain  amount  of  colour  beyond  that 
afforded  by  plants  with  green  leaves  is  wanted, 
and  this  is  secured  by  the  use  of  those  with  varie- 
gated foliage,  so  far  at  least  as  to  much  reduce 
the  number  of  the  more  fugative  flowering  kinds 
required.  Unfortunately,  most  of  the  plants  with 
brightly  coloured  leaves  are  species  that  require 
a  considerable  amount  of  artificial  heat  in  order 
to  grow  them  well,  and  on  that  account  they  do 
not  keep  in  good  condition  so  long  in  the  cool, 
dry  atmosphere  of  a  house  as  they  would  if  they 
were  naturally  able  to  thrive  under  cool  treatment, 
yet  the  way  in  which  even  stove  plants  are  able 
to  bear  such  trying  treatment  as  is  unavoidable 
when  thus  used  very  much  depends  on  how  they 
have  been  grown  previously. 

The  coloured-leaved  Dracaenas,  of  which  the 
old  D.  terminalis  may  be  taken  as  the  most 
familiar  representative,  and  which  are  so  much 
employed  for  the  purpose  under  notice,  will  not 
only  live,  but  make  growth  in  an  ordinary  living 
room  during  the  warmer  half  of  the  year,  provided 
the  plants  have  previously  received  treatment  such 
as  to  impart  strength  and  solidity  to  their  foliage, 
whilst  such  plants  as  Cyperus  alternifolius  varie- 
gatus,  the  variegated  form  of  Curcnligo  recurvata. 
Begonias  with  variegated  foliage,  Coleus,  Acaly- 
pha,  Pandanus  variegatus  and  P.  Veitchi,  Pani- 
cum  variegatum,  and  C'rotons  will  last  for  a  con- 
siderable time  ;  even  Caladiums,  notwithstanding 
their  naturally  soft  leaves,  will  keep  in  present- 
able condition  for  two  or  three  weeks  in  a  room 
in  summer  when  they  have  had  suitable  treatment 
beforehand.  Than  these  no  plants  with  which  1 
am  acquainted  better  serve  to  illustrate  the  dif- 
ference that  exists  in  the  same  kind  of  plants 
when  grown  in  a  way  that  enables  them  to  bear 
up  under  hard  usage  as  compared  with  the  soft, 
flabby  condition  in  which  these  plants  are  often 
seen  through  being  grown  in  a  manner  conducive 
to  such  a  state. 

Those  who  are  in  the  habit  of  seeing  horticul- 
tural shows  will  have  noticed  that  Caladiums 
often  look  the  most  uncomfortable  of  all  plants 
in  the  show,  drooping,  after  standing  a  few  hours 
out  of  the  place  in  which  they  have  been  grown, 
much  as  if  they  had  been  frozen.  Caladiums  are 
now  being  grown  for  Covent  Garden  Market,  and 
the  way  in  which  the  leaves  keep  up  erect  and 
crisp,  even  when  exposed  to  a  drying  wind,  would 
surprise  those  who  continue  to  treat  these  and 
other  plants  of  a  like  character  under  the  old 
enfeebling  conditions  of  bottom-heat,  which,  more 
than  anything  else,  induces  soft  foliage,  incapable 
of  bearing  the  trying  usage  which  plants  are  now 
required  to  undergo.  The  debility  caused  by  this 
treatment  is  equally  apparent  in  the  flowers  borne 
by  plants  so  managed,  which  do  not  last  half  the 
time  they  would  do  were  they  to  receive  better 
treatment.  The  way  in  which  soft-grown  plants 
brought  on  in  bottom-heat  are  now  shunned  by 
buyers  in  Covent  Garden  has  resulted  in  the  prac- 
tice of  thus  virtually  raising  them  being  given  up 
by  the  growers.  T.  Baines. 

Gladiolus  The  Bride.— Mr.  Pettigrew,  of  Cardiff 
Castle,  t'ViiU-ntly  knows  the  value  of  this  chastely  beautiful 
Gladiolus,  seeing  thit  one  of  his  houses  is  well  stocked 
with  it.  A  number  of  bulbs  massed  together  in  6-inch  and 
8-iiich  pots  were  bearing  good  spikes  of  bloom,  which, 
mixed  amongst  Pelargoniums  and  other  bright  flowers, 
produced  a  fine  effect.— Cambrian. 


THE  ROCK  GARDEN  AT  KEW. 
It  is  satisfactory  to  observe  that  although  it  is 
only  a  little  over  two  years  since  the  rock  garden 
at  Kew  was  commenced,  the  progress  made  to- 
wards what  may  be  called  a  good  garden  of  its 
kind  has  been  both  rapid  and  successful.  That  a 
rock  garden  was  necessary  for  the  proper  cultiva- 
tion and  display  of  the  vast  collection  of  hardy 
plants  at  Kew  is  abundantly  shown  by  the  pre- 
sent state  of  the  plants  in  this  new  addition  to 
the  hardy  plant  department  as  compared  with  their 
appearance  when  grown  in  the  flat  worn-out  beds 
in  which  the  principal  portion  of  such  plants 
used  to  be  grown  at  Kew.  Before  proceeding  to 
describe  this  new  garden  it  may  be  well  to  con- 
sider for  a  moment  the  style  of  garden  that  would 
best  fulfil  the  requirements  of  an  establishment  so 
much  frequented  by  the  public  as  Kew  is.  To 
construct  a  rockery  on  the  same  plan  as  has  been 
followed  in  the  formation  of  almost  all  the  rock 
gardens  with  which  we  are  acquainted  might  per- 
haps have  resulted  in  a  much  more  imposing  gene- 
ral efEeot  than  is  presented  by  that  at  Kew,  but 
it  could  only  have  been  accomplished  at  the 
sacriflce  of  the  convenience  of  those  who  frequent 
Kew  for  purposes  of  study,  and  more  especially  of 
the  thousands  who  throng  the  place  during  the 
summer  months.  It  was  therefore  necessary,  in 
order  that  the  public  might  enjoy  the  full  benefit 
of  such  a  garden,  that  the  plan  should  be  one  that 
would  admit  of  the  near  approach  of  the  visitor  to 
almost  every  plant,  and  at  the  same  time  one  that 
would  provide  those  conditions  that  are  essential 
to  the  well-doing  of  the  plants  themselves.  So 
far  as  it  is  possible  to  judge  at  present,  both  these 
conditions  have  been  fulfilled,  crowds  of  visitors 
being  able  to  pass  through  the  whole  and  examine 
the  plants  with  the  least  discomfort  to  themselves 
or  risk  of  injury  to  the  collection. 

There  is  a  fitness  in  the  term  rock  garden  as 
applied  to  this  new  attraction  at  Kew.  It  is  not 
merely  a  rockery  in  the  sense  of  a  position  suitable 
for  alpines  and  other  delicate  little  plants,  but  it 
is  this  and  the  wild  garden  combined  in  one— a 
high,  round-backed  mound  20  yards  across  and 
clothed  with  I'.ox  bushes  intermixed  with  tall  Fox- 
gloves ;  a  dark  Pine  shaded  recess  girdled  with  a 
deep  belt  of  Ferns,  beneath  which  in  a  moist 
peaty  alcove  are  crowded  L-lies,  Cypripediums, 
Heaths,  and  a  host  of  other  peat-loving  plants  ;  an 
excellent  imitation  of  a  ruined  wall,  crowned 
with  Yuccas,  Thistles,  and  Verbascums,  and  hav- 
ing all  sorts  of  wall  plants  hanging  from  its  cre- 
vices ;  a  bog  filled  with  Spiraeas,  Primulas,  Rushes, 
Gladioli,  Rodgersia,  and  other  bog  plants— these 
are  some  of  the  features  in  the  Kew  rock  garden,  and 
they  might  also  be  said  to  belong  to  the  wild  garden 
quite  as  much  as  to  a  rockery.  A  union  of  two 
such  distinct  styles  is  only  possible  when  done  on 
so  large  a  scale  as  at  Kew.  It  is  an  arrangement 
replete  with  interest  because  of  the  ever-changing 
character  of  both  rocks  and  plants,  which  present 
a  totally  difi^erent  picture  at  every  turn.  The 
imposing  effect  thusproduceddoesnotdetractfrom 
the  charm  of  the  purely  rock-loving  plants.  On 
the  contrary,  the  wants  of  these  have  been  care- 
fully provided  for,  and  alpines  in  endless  variety 
everywhere  meet  the  eye,  peeping  out  from  the 
protecting  moisture-giving  stones,  or  hanging  over 
the  projecting  roots  from  the  old  tree  stumps, 
which  afford  a  happy  home  for  many  of  the 
smallest  gems. 

The  base  of  the  Kew  rock  garden  is  a  serpentine 
path  518  feet  long  and  S  feet  wide,  with  banks 
and  mounds  on  each  side.  "  This  path  was  first 
laid  out  in  a  winding  course,  so  as  to  bring  in  as 
natural  features  the  picturesque  trees  with  which 
the  ground  was  studded.  The  general  idea,  which 
was  finally  worked  upon,  was  that  of  the  rocky 
course  of  a  stream,  such  as  may  be  met  with  in 
some  of  the  side  valleys  of  the  Pyrenees.  Such 
streams  dry  up  after  winter,  and  are  bounded  by 
rock-piled  banks,  amidst  the  crevices  of  which  a 
copious  summer  vegetation  springs  up.  Above 
the  rocks  grow  evergreen  shrubs  wherever  the  soil 
is  of  sufficient  depth.  The  path  at  the  bottom 
represents  the  dry  bed  of  such  a  stream.  On 
either  side  fragments  of  rock  are  piled  up  in  a 


manner  as  little  artificial  as  was  possible  to  a 
height  of  about  5  feet.  Above  this  the  view  is 
limited  by  shrubberies  of  Box  and  Rhododendron 
rising  to  a  varying  height."* 

Planted  amongst  these  Rhododendrons  and  Box 
bushes  are  the  Foxgloves  already  mentioned,  many 
species  of  Lilium,  Rhubarb,  and  other  tall-growing 
plants,  which  break  the  monotony  that  would 
otherwise  be  caused  by  these  formal  shrubs. 
Along  the  top  of  the  banks  and  outside  the  shrubs 
are  Yuccas,  Verbascums,  Kniphofias,  Spirreas,  Pent- 
stemons,  Silphiums,  Centaureas,  and  many  other 
plants  of  striking  aspect.  Entering  the  path  at 
the  north  end  and  proceeding  onwards,  one  meets 
with  a  host  of  Sedums,  Lythrnms,  Pinks,  Andro- 
saces,  Piimulas,  Hypericums,  and  other  small- 
growing  plants,  which  nestle  under  the  shade  of 
or  creep  about  over  the  weather-beaten  Cheddar 
limestone,  granite,  sandstone,  and  other  kinds  of 
rook.  These  stones  are  so  arranged  as  to  provide 
the  nooks  and  crannies  which  are  necessary  to  the 
healthy  existence  of  strictly  alpine  plants.  Re- 
cesses occur  all  along  the  level  of  the  path,  and 
these  are  filled  with  colonies  of  Alliums,  Saxi- 
frages, Hellebores,  Gentians,  Irises,  Gladioli,  and 
numerous  other  moisture-loving  plants.  Dianthus 
birtus  forms  a  beautiful  cap  to  a  large  flat-topped 
tree  root,  as  also  do  some  of  the  Silenes.  Draping 
the  roots  of  trees  are  C  eraniums,  Erodiums,  Tro- 
pseolums,  Potentillas,  Clematises,  &c.  Veronica 
Hulkeana  grows  and  flowers  in  the  most  perfect 
manner  between  boulders  of  granite,  and  numerous 
other  species  of  New  Zealand  Veronicas  are  equally 
happy  in  similar  positions.  Popular  plants  may 
be  observed  growing  side  by  side  with  rarities  and 
"  miffy  "  subjects,  and  every  available  spot  is  filled 
with  objects  of  beauty  and  interest.  The  colonies 
are  one  of  the  finest  features  belonging  to  this 
garden,  as  they  present  in  large  masses  some  of 
the  most  striking  of  hardy  plants. 

At  the  foot  of  the  wall  previously  mentioned  a  col- 
lection of  British  Orchids  is  being  established,  and 
some  of  these  have  already  become  at  home  under 
the  special  treatment  provided  for  them.  The 
bog  garden  is  enclosed  between  two  rugged  walls 
whose  faces  are  draped  with  various  plants,  and 
whose  further  ends  join  so  as  to  form  a  shaded 
nook,  over  the  top  of  which  water  trickles  in  a 
natural  manner,  and  winds  its  way  through  and 
over  the  peat  bed  in  which  the  bog  plants  are 
planted.  In  such  a  place  Spirasa  palmata  is 
happier  than  we  ever  saw  it  when  not  treated  as  a 
semi-aquatic,  whilst  for  companions  it  has  the  rare 
Myosotidium  nobile,  Sarracenias,  striped  Rushes, 
Orchises,  Ramondia  pyrenaica.  Gladiolus  palustris, 
Ourisia  coccinea,  and  Rodgersia  podophylla.  Mov- 
ing on  towards  the  south  end,  we  pass  healthy 
groups  of  Gentians,beds  filled  with  choice  Narcissi, 
Irises,  and  Hellebores,  until  we  come  to  the 
fernery,  which  is  one  of  the  most  delightful  spots 
in  the  whole  arrangement.  Shelter  and  shade  are 
afforded  by  tall  Hollies  and  Limes,  and  here 
springing  up  from  amongst  Moss-covered  stones 
are  the  Ferns  of  our  own  island,  as  happy  as  if 
they  were  in  a  Devonshire  lane.  Towering  above, 
and  looking  over  the  whole,  are  various  Conifers, 
a  pendulous  form  of  Wellingtonia  being  conspicu- 
ous, with  Yews,  Chestnuts,  Limes,  and  Maples 
here  and  there  all  along  the  length  of  the  rockery. 
Altogether  the  arrangement  is  good,  and  no  doubt, 
with  a  few  alterations  which  will  suggest  them- 
selves as  time  goes  on,  this  rock  garden  will  be 
one  of  the  most  interesting  additions  that  have 
lately  been  made  at  Kew.  W.  B. 


Catalogue  nomenclature.— How  is  it  that 
your  great  nurserymen  in  their  catalogues  of  alpine 
flowers  take  not  the  slightest  notice  of  authors  ? 
This  is  the  cause  of  much  confusion.  For  example, 
there  are  two  Primula  alpina,  one  of  Schleicher 
and  another  of  Reichenbach ;  two  P.  visoosa,  one 
of  AUioni  and  another  of  De  Candolle ;  two  P. 
integrifolia,  one  of  Pollini  and  another  of  Linno  ; 
two  P.  intermedia,  one  of  Hegetschneuler  and 
another  of  Portenschlag ;  and  many  more.  Of 
course,  one  never  knows  what  one  orders  if  no 

*  Kew  Report  for  18S2. 


Ji;i,Y   19,    18d4.] 


THE     GARDEN 


45 


authors'  names  are  given  in  the  catalogues,  and 
it  would  be  a  step  in  the  right  direction  if  this 
state  of  things  could  be  altered. — 0.  F. 


NOBLE  SUB-TROPICAL  PLANTS. 

With  the  aid  of  Palms,  Cycads,  Tree  Ferns,  and 
Musas,  it  is  possible  for  us  to  reproduce  in  our 
large  glass  structures  some  of  the  most  striking 
scenery  of  tropical  countries.  Out-of-doors,  too, 
we  have  been  shov?n  in  Battersea  Park  that  by 
certain  combinations  of  striking  and  distinct 
tropical  and  semi-tropical  fine-foliaged  plants  in 
sheltered  positions,  a  considerable  charm  may  be 
added  to  our  gardens.  Flowers  do  not  give  that 
appearance  of  grandeur  and  repose  which  belong 
to  the  noblest  of  our  cultivated  fine-leaved  plants, 
and  particularly  to  those  that  belong  to  the  orders 
just  mentioned.  It  would  be  impossible  to  pro- 
duce by  means  of  flowering  plants  the  grandeur 
and  beauty  with  which  most  of  us  are  familiar  in 
the  Crystal  Palace,  the  large  house  at  Chatsworth, 
and  the  Palm  stove  and  temperate  house  at  Kew. 
Here  flowers  would  fall  short  of  the  effect  created 
by  a  tasteful  combination  of  huge  plumose, 
feathery,  and  fan-like  leaves,  which  are  either 
arranged  in  enormous  heads  on  tall,  stout  trunks, 
or  nestle  thickly  together  upon  the  apes  of  a  short 


Group  of  nvbie  sub-tropical  plants. 

stem.  Unfortunately,  we  are  unable  to  use  such 
giants  as  are  here  described  in  the  sub-tropical 
garden  in  summer,  owing  to  the  havoc  that  would 
be  made  amongst  their  fragile  foliage  by  strong 
winds  and  heavy  rains.  Some  of  the  Cycads  are. 
however,  stout  enough  to  bear  our  stormiest 
summer  weather,  and  these  might  be  used  for  out- 
of-door  arrangements  for  at  least  one-third  of  the 
year.  Many  Palms,  too,  some  of  the  dwarfer  Tree 
Ferns,  and  even  JInsas  might  be  employed  in  pro- 
ducing a  new  and  tropical  effect  in  the  more 
sheltered  parts  of  the  garden  during  the  warmer 
portion  of  the  year.  Thecontrastformed  by  placing 
such  plants  amongst  those  that  are  hardy  with 
us  always  adds  materially  to  the  charm  of  our 
gardens,  giving  the  whole  what  is  termed  a  tropi- 
cal appearance.  We  have  no  forms  of  foliage 
that  bear  any  resemblance  to  the  leaves  of  the 
plants  just  mentioned,  and  indeed  it  may  be  said 
of  Palms,  Musas,  Tree  Ferns,  and  Cycads  that 
the}'  are  the  most  characteristic  forms  of  tropical 
vegetation  with  which  we  are  familiar.  It  is  in- 
teresting to  observe  the  total  absence  from  the 
flora  of  nearly  all  countries  north  of  the  Tropics  of 
any  representatives  of  these  four  families  of  giant 
foliage  plants.  Palms,  Musas,  and  Cycads  con- 
stitute three  distinct  natural  orders,  whose  geo- 
graphical range  is  almost  exclusively  tropical, 
whilst   of  Ferns  the  species  found  In  northern 


countries  are  all  dwarf  and  creeping  in  habit ;  not 
one  of  them  possesses  anything  like  a  stem  such  as 
belongs  to  what  we  call  Tree  Ferns.  In  countries 
south  of  the  Tropics,  however,  some  of  the  noblest 
of  arborescent  Ferns  flourish  in  great  abundance. 
Not  only  in  New  Zealand  and  Tasmania,  but  even 
as  far  as  the  Straits  of  Magellan  and  Campbell 
Island,  and  in  South  Chili,  Tree  Ferns  are  found 
wild,  and  from  some  of  these  countries,  and  more 
especially  from  New  Zealand,  a  large  proportion 
of  the  splendid  arborescent  Ferns  that  grace 
European  gardens  has  been  obtained.  The  enter- 
prise of  the  plant  collector  has,  however,  done 
much  to  equalise  the  distribution  of  these  children 
of  the  south,  so  that  one  might  almost  say  that 
the  number  of  them  cultivated  in  northern 
countries  equals,  if  it  does  not  surpass,  the  number 
of  specimens  that  exist  in  a  wild  state.  B. 


POPULAR  WEATHER  PROGNOSTICS. 
L.VST  year  in  the  Quarterly  Journal  of  the  Royal 
Meteorological    Society  there    was    published   a 
very  interesting  paper  by  the  Hon.  R.  Abercromby 
and  Mr.  W.  Marriot  on  "  Popular  Weather  Prog- 
nostics," in  which  those  prognostics  only  were  dealt 
with  which  are  associated  with  primary  cyclones, 
or  such  bad  weather  as  can  usually  be  predicted 
some  little  time  in  advance,  and  which  is  often  of 
considerable  duration ;    lately  another  paper  by 
the  Hon.  K.  Abercromby  has  been  published  in 
the  same  journal,  in  which  popular  predictions  of 
other  states  of  the  weather  are  reviewed.    These 
are  grouped  under  the  following  heads  :  Diurnal, 
sun,  moon,  stars,  rain,  snow,  hail,  wells,  under- 
ground springs,  &c.     I  may  as  well  state  here  that 
when  the  word  cyclone  is  used  no  allusion  is  meant 
to  the  violent  tropical  cyclones,  bat  to  those  of  a 
milder  type,  which  often  visit  our   shores,  fre- 
quently spoken  of  as  depressions,    because    the 
barometer  is  always  lowest  about  the  centre  of 
the  storm.     An  anti-cyclone,  as  its  name  implies, 
is  just  the  opposite  to  a  cyclone ;  it  usually  brings 
fine  weather,  and  the  barometer  is  highest  about 
its  centre.     Diurnal  prognostics  are  explained  as 
"  those  which  relate  to  weather  changes  in  relation 
to  the  time  of  day."    The  first  alluded  to  is  "  a 
high    dawn    indicates   wind ;    a    low  dawn    fine 
weather."    This  is  shown  to  be  sometimes  true, 
but  to  frequently  fail  owing  to  the  capriciousness 
of  clouds  and  mist.     The  next  is  the  well-known 
saying,  of  which  there  are  so  many  versions  :  — 
The  evening  red  and  the  morning  grey 
Is  the  sign  of  a  bright  and  cheery  day; 
The  evening  grey  and  the  morning  red, 
rut  on  your  hat,  or  you'll  wet  your  head. 
This  is,  I  imagine,  one  of  the   oldest  recorded 
weather  prognostics,  for  in  St.  Matthew's  Gospel, 
chap,  xvi ,  verse  2,  our  Saviour  alludes  to   it   as 
well  known  in  his  day :     "  When  it  is  evening  ye 
say  it  will  be  fair  weather,  for  the  sky  is  red,  and 
in  the  morning  it  will  be  foul  weather  to-day,  for 
the  sky  is  red  and  lowering."     The  truth  of  this 
prediction  is  explained  as  follows,  to  take   the 
morning  first.     In  really  fine  weather  there  is 
generally    so   much   mist  in  the  early  morning, 
"  that  the  sun  does  not  break  through  at  once,  and 
thus  there  is  little  or  no  bright  colour.     If  the  sky 
was  dirty  from  a  cyclone    front,  the    morning 
would  also  be  grey,  but  it  would  also  be  watery 
and  could   not  practically  be  mistaken ;  "  but  if 
from  a  cyclone  of  such  moderate  intensity  as  only 
to  form  clouds,  or  from  the  clouds  of  an  approach- 
ing thunderstorm  there  are  no  morning  mists,  then 
the  red  of  dawn  will  be  reflected  on  them  and  the 
sunrise  will  be  red.  As  neither  of  these  conditions 
are  those  of  settled  weather,  the  prognostic  is  a 
good  one.    "  Sometimes  when  there  is  too  much 
wind  for  mist  to  form,  the  sky  is  cloudless  and 
the  red  which  must  precede  dawn  flushes  up  into 
the  sky  and  indicates  a  fine  day  ;  under  these  cir- 
cumstances the  red  may  last  till  the  sun  is  fairly 
above  the  horizon."    In  the  case  of  sunsets  :     "  In 
dry  cloudless  weather  as  the  sun  begins  to  set  the 
light  tint  becomes  yellow,  then  orange,  which 
quickly  passes  into  red  on  the  western  portion 
of  the  horizon  only ;  still  later  the  red  disappears, 
and  there  is  sometimes  an  afterglow  of  yellowish 
grey.     This  kind  of  red,  therefore,  is  associated 


with  settled  fine  weather.  If,  on  the  contrary,  the 
sky  is  grey  and  dirty  from  a  cyclone  front,  there 
is  no  development  of  colour  at  all.  "  The  sun  goes 
pale  to  bed,"  as  the  popular  saying  runs,  then 
as  of  course  the  cyclone  comes  on,  rain  will  certain- 
ly fall.  When  the  sun  sets  in  a  sky  free  from  haze, 
but  more  or  less  covered  with  cloud  at  more  than 
one  altitude,  then  a  gorgeous  display  of  colouring 
is  generally  the  result,  which  is  so  frequently  the 
case  in  fine  weather,  some  clouds  not  only  reflect- 
ing the  rays  they  receive  direct  from  the  sun,  but 
also  reflected  light  from  other  clouds  ;  hence  the 
variety  of  tints.  The  ordinary  theory  of  sunset  co- 
lours is  that  atmospheric  impurities  begin  by  absorb- 
ing the  blue  rays  first,  or,  which  I  believe  is  more 
correct,  by  the  blue  waves,  which  are  of  a  much 
shorter  length  than  the  red  ones,  being  reflected 
so  that  they  do  not  reach  our  eyes,  while  the  longer 
and  red  waves  are  not  so  diverted.  Professor 
Tyndall  has  shown  that  the  usual  blue  of  the  sky 
is  due  to  the  scattering  of  the  rays  of  light  when 
they  oass  through  an  atmosphere  laden  with  very 
small  impurities,  such  as  fine  dust  or  minute 
particles  of  condensed  vapour.  The  saying 
that  "  at  sunset,  red  opposite  the  sun  is  a  sure 
sign  of  rain,"  is  usually  true.  The  old  rhyme,  "  a 
rainbow  in  the  morning  is  the  shepherd's  warning, 
a  rainbow  at  night  is  the  shepherd's  delight,"  is 
also  generally  a  true  prediction,  for  "  if  the  weather 
was  showery,  so  as  to  give  a  bow  in  the  morning,  it 
is  known  from  the  nature  of  diurnal  variation  that 
the  wind,  rain,  and  general  severity  of  the  weather 
will  increase  till  about  2  p.m.,  and  then  grow  finer 
towards  evening."  "If,  on  the  contrary,  a  bow  was 
seen  in  the  evening,  diurnal  variation  will  naturally 
make  a  drier  night,  and  by  the  next  day  the 
cyclone,  with  the  rear  of  which  the  showers  were 
probably  associated,  will  most  likely  have  passed 
away."  Some  persons  believe  implicitly  in  the 
hours  of  noon  and  3  p.m.  bringing  lasting  changes 
if  the  weather  happens  to  change  at  those  times, 
and  in  changes  at  other  hours  being  but 
of  short  duration.  These  predictions  cannot  be 
relied  on.  "In  cyclones  a  wet  or  cloudy 
morning  often  has  a  short  break  about  10  a.m.  ;  the 
weather  then  has  a  marked  tendency  to  break 
again  about  4  p.m.''  "  If  the  weather  improves 
about  noon  in  spite  of  natural  diurnal  increase, 
the  cyclone  is  probably  passing  off  ;  and  if  the  im- 
provement should  take  place  at  3  p  m.,  the  gain 
will  continue,  either  from  diurnal  diminution  of  a 
not  very  intense  cyclone,  or  from  the  passage  of 
the  cyclone,"  but  the  author  is  unable  to  explain 
why  a  clearing  about  2  p.m.  should  not  hold.  The 
following  prognostics  are  said  to  be  "  tolerably 
trustworthy,  though  subject  to  frequent  failure:" 
"  Rain  at  seven,  fair  at  eleven  ;  rain  at  eight,  fair 
late."  "  Kain  before  seven,  fine  before  eleven." 
"  If  the  rain  fall  on  the  dew,  it  will  continue  to 
fall  throughout  the  day." 

"  Much  twinkling  of  the  stars  is  a  sign  of  rain ;" 
this  is,  on  the  whole,  a  good  prognostic,  and  is  ex- 
plained by  the  atmosphere  in  unsettled  weather 
being  then  composed  of  strata  varying  in  tempera- 
ture and  moisture.  "  Rain  with  a  south-east  wind 
is  expected  to  last  some  time."  This  is  not  always 
correct.  "Sometimes  when  the  intensity  of  a 
cyclone  is  very  great  there  is  a  south-easterly  gale 
in  front,  and  then  the  prognostic  fails."  But  some- 
times the  cyclones  coming  in  from  the  Atlantic 
are  arrested  by  an  anti-cyclone  over  Scandinavia, 
and  remain  over  England  for  a  day  or  two ;  under 
these  circumstances  a  north-east  wind  is  developed, 
and  the  rain  which  accompanies  the  cyclone  con- 
tinues while  the  cyclone  lasts.  It  is  a  popular 
idea  that  in  deep  wells  the  level  of  the  water  rises 
before  rain,  or  that  the  surface  is  agitated  and  the 
water  discoloured,  and  that  they  frequently  dis- 
charge large  quantities  of  air,  and  that  springs 
flow  more  rapidly  or  become  discoloured.  These 
prognostics  are  in  the  main  correct,  and  may  be 
explained  by  the  fact  that  the  pressure  of  the 
atmosphere  is  considerably  less  just  before  heavy 
rain,  as  is  shown  by  the  usual  fall  in  the  barometer, 
the  lower  pressure  allowing  air  to  pass  more  freely 
out  of  fissures  in  which  it  is  often  compressed  ;  for 
the  same  reason  drains  and  cesspools  often  smell 
worse  than  usual  before  bad  weather.     A  sudden 


46 


THE    GARDEN 


July   10,   1884. 


redaction  in  pre-sure  often  causes  an  unusual 
escape  of  imprisoned  gas  in  coal  mines,  and  bad 
explosions  are  often  the  result.  Anyone  who  may 
wish  for  further  details  on  this  subject  will  find 
them  in  the  Quarterly  Journal  of  the  Royal 
Meteorological  Society  for  last  January. 

G.  S.  8. 


NOTES  ON   GARDEN  TOPICS. 
Judging  Melons  —At  the  Royal  Horticul- 
tural Society's  .Show  what  an  interesting  ceremony 
the  judging  of    Melons  at  the  fruit  and  vegetable 
show  on  June  24  must  have  been  !     There  were 
seventeen  Melons  staged — a  puzzling  quantity — 
and  the  jurors  determined   the  qualities  of  the 
winning  examples  without  the  assistance  of  the 
only  sense  that  could  guide  them  to  a  right  deci- 
sion— viz.,  the  taste ;  the  fruits  were  neither  cut 
nor  tasted,  the  report  says.     I  am  told  also  that 
there  was  nothing  to  choose  between  the  appear 
ance  of  many  of  the  exhibits,  so  that  the  only 
qualified  organ  brought  into  play  by  the  judges 
must  have  been  their  noses,  and  the  nasal  organ 
that    could    distinguish  a  firs^,  second,  or  third 
degree  of  excellence  in  seventeen  fruits  must  have 
been  an  unusually  keen  one  of  its  kind,  other- 
wise one  can   but  think  that  such  judging  must 
have  been  a  complete  farce,  and  nothing  else — 
heads  I  win,  and  tails  you  lose.     The  names  of  the 
owners  of  the  noses  in  question  ought  to  be  re- 
corded.  The  flavour  of  a  Melon  can  only  be  deter- 
mined by  tasting,  for  the  best  Melons  by  no  means 
always  smell  best,  and,  besides,  a  Melon  has  other 
qualities  than  sweetness ;  it  may  be  dry,  and  far 
irom  luscious  as  well.  How  did  the  sense  of  smel! 
determine  all  these  things  /     Naturalists  say  that 
"  to  civilised  man  the  utility  of  tlie  sense  of  smell 
is  comparatively  small ;  but  that  it  is  occasionally 
much  increased  when  other  senses  are  deficient" — 
common  sense,  for  example  ;  but  who  would  dare 
to  charge  the  wise  men  who  judged  the  Melons 
on  June  24  with  any  such  differences  / 

Air-roots  on  Vines.— These  appear  to  be 
unusually  abundant  this  season,  judging  from  the 
frequent  allusions  to  them  in  all  the  papers. 
Whether  air-roots  do  any  harm  or  not  may  be  a 
matter  of  dispute,  but  no  one  will  deny,  I  think, 
that  air-roots  are  at  least  roots  in  the  wrong  place. 
The  Vine  is  not  an  Orchid,  neither  does  it  produce 
air-roots,  except  under  glass.  We  never  heard  of 
nor  saw  any  anywhere  else  at  least.  They  are  the 
result  of  artificial  culture  therefore,  and  the  main, 
if  not  the  only,  cause  of  them  is  a  too  moist  atmo- 
sphere. A  steaming  basin  of  water  set  below  a 
joint  will  cause  air-roots  to  appear  on  any  Vine. 
The  jDrobability  is,  however,  that  for  every  air- root 
produced  on  a  Vine  stem  there  is  less  root  action 
and  growth  in  the  roots  proper.  If  the  organised 
matter  from  the  foliage  is  put  out  anywhere  else 
than  in  the  soil,  it  is  certain  to  be  destroyed  in 
time  (air-roots  perish  annually),  and  is  therefore 
matter  and  force  lost.  If  growers  would  regard 
air-roots  as  an  abnormal  growth  and  as  indicating 
impaired  root  action  where  most  root  action  ought 
to  be,  we  should  hear  less  about  them.  Those  who 
avoid  the  steaming  practices  of  past  times  are  not 
troubled  with  air-roots  on  their  Vines. 

Unshaded  Oattleyas. — A  contemporaryi 
discussing  Messrs.  Backhouse's  practice  with  Cat- 
tleyas,  urges  that  it  is  necessary  to  be  careful 
to  submit  only  such  species  to  the  direct  sunlight 
as  are  naturally  benefited  by  it,  but  neither  the 
writer  referred  to  nor  anyone  else  but  Messrs. 
Backhouse  have  ever  told  us  that  Cattleyas  should 
be  allowed  to  go  entirely  without  shading  from 
strong  sunlight.  A  sight  of  Messrs.  Backhouse's 
large  houseful  of  Cattleyas  has,  however, 
apparently  converted  some  growers  to  the  practice. 
At  the  York  Nurseries  the  Cattleyas  are  not 
shaded  in  the  least.  During  all  the  sunshine  we 
have  had  lately  they  have  been  fully  exposed,  and 
I  believe  there  is  not  such  a  generally  healthy 
collection  in  the  world.  Discussing  this  subject 
with  one  of  the  representatives  of  the  firm  the 
other  day,  he  said,  "  Our  plants  never  receive  any 
shade,  but  our  Cattleya  house  is  much  larger  and 
more  airy  than  most  Orchid  houses,  and  that  may 


have  something  to  do  with  it."  This  does  not 
tally  with  the  notion  that  "  small  houses  are  best 
for  Orchids,"  as  some  good  authorities  maintain  ; 
but  many  cultivators,  not  of  Orchids  only,  hold 
that  the  internal  capacity  of  the  house  has  a  good 
deal  to  do  with  the  well-being  of  the  inmates,  and 
the  tendency  is  to  favour  roomy  and  rather  lofty 
structures  as  being  both  more  f  ffectually  heated 
and  ventilated  and  not  so  likely  to  induce  scorch- 
ing. Under  sudden  vicissitudes  of  weather,  sun- 
shine and  cloud  the  temperature  does  not  fluctuate 
so  greatly  in  large  houses,  it  is  said,  and  probably 
with  truth,  and  that  itself  would  explain  a  good 
deal.  Only  those,  however,  who  can  devote  houses 
to  Orchids  alone  can  do  as  Messrs.  Backhouse 
does.  Those  who  grow  stove  plants  and  Orchids  in 
the  same  bouse  must  compromise  matters,  but  it  is 
something  learned  to  know  that  Cattleyas  succeed 
better  without  shade  than  \%'ith  it. 


daily  is  just  about  equal  to  the  quantity  which  is 
supposed  to  have  fallen  at  the  flood  which  sailed 
Noah's  ark  over  Mount  Ararat !  Big  waterers,  make 
a  note.  J-  S.  W. 


Garden   Flora. 


The  rainfall  and  Grape  culture— Ithas 

been  said  and  thought  that  the  best  Grapes  are 
generally  found  in  this  cDuntry  when  the  rainfall 
was  heaviest,  and  some  statistics  furnished  from 
time  to  time  to  prove  this,  have  certainly  given 
a  great  impetus  to  the  watering  of  Vine  borders. 
If  the  theory  holds  good,  such  localities,  for  ex- 
ample, as  Drishaig  and  Portree,  in  the  Highlands, 
and  Stye  and  Sleathwaite,  in  the  Lake  district, 
should    be    noted    for     their     Grapes,     as    at 
all    these    places    as   much    rain    falls    in    one 
month   sometimes  as  falls  in  twelve  months   in 
other  parts   of    the    kingdom.     Facts,  however, 
begin  to  contradict  the  rainfall  assumption.     It 
may  be  that  gross  Vines  and  large  bunches  are 
favoured  by  a  dripping  climate,  but  the  largest 
bunch  came  from  Midlothian,  where  the  rainfall 
is  the  least.     Taking  general  excellence  as  the 
test,  however,  and  looking  at  the  productions  that 
appear  at  the  exhibitions  and  the  places   they 
come  from,  it  will  be  found  that  the  rainfall 
theory  will  "not  hold  water."    Nor  was  it  rea- 
sonable to  suppose  it  would  when  we  reflect  that 
oat-door  Grape  culture  in  England  has  never  suc- 
ceeded anywhere  but  in  the  driest  spots  where  the 
rainful  is  lightest,  as  in  Norfolk,  for  example. 
Besides,  a  heavy  rainfall  means  dull  skies  and 
less  sunshine,  conditions  which    all   cultivators 
know  are  the  reverse  of  favourable  to  the  culture 
of  the  Grape.     "  Corn  and  wine  "  have  from  time 
immemorial  been  associated  together  as  the  pro- 
ducts of  a  fertile  soil  and  sunny  skies,  and  in  our 
own    country    it    may   be   safely  asserted    that 
where  the  one  succeeds  best  the  other  will  also, 
but  that  is  not  where  most  rain  falls. 


Grape  gro'wing  in  Jersey. — The  Chronicle 
has  a  reporter  in  Jersey  just  now  who  must  belong 
to  a  past  age,  when  shibboleths  and  secrets  of 
culture  were  believed  in,  and  who  would  have 
done  well  to  have  gathered  some  knowledge  of 
Grape  culture  at  home  and  other  matters  relating 
to  the  subject  before  allowing  himself  to  be 
crammed  on  the  subject  at  Jersey.     We  are  told 

that  "  Mr. 's  system  of  fertilising  his  Vines 

to  their  high  state  of  bearing  and  size  and  delicacy 
of  fructification  is  a  secret,  but  at  the  same  time 
he  will  so  far  disclose  it  as  to  tell  you  that  one 
year  he  uses  lime,  a  second  well-rotted  stable  and 
poultry  manure,  and  a  third,  fourth,  and  fifth  an 
artificial  compost  prepared  by  himself  at  home — 
how  and  with  what  he  is  '  mum '  about,  and  rightly 
so.  His  former  experience  as  a  chemist  has 
taught  him,  and  the  lesson  is  to  his  interest.  He 
is  a  free  water-giver  to  his  Vines,  and  has  erected 
at  a  very  considerable  expense  a  pumping  appa- 
ratus, from  the  tank  of  which,  placed  in  a  tower 
80  feet  high,  about  100  tons  of  water  can  be 
pumped  daily."  How  considerate  of  the  grower 
and  former  chemist  to  part  with  a  portion  of  his 
"  secret "  to  his  visitor,  who,  if  he  had  put  his 
own  figures  (which  he  gives)  together,  would  have 
found  that  the  crops  that  astonished  him  were 
often  excelled  at  home.  One  of  the  "  secrets  " 
appears  to  be  the  pump  which  pumps  up  the  100 
tons  daily.  The  cultivator  is  a  "  free  water-giver  " 
surely.  The  area  of  his  glass  is  given  at  less  than 
a  quarter  of  an  acre,  and  taking  no  account  of  the 
copious  rainfall  of  the  Channel  Islands, the  1 00 tons 


PLATE  449. 
PHAIUS  TDBERCULOSUS.* 
Since  Mr.  Ellis  introduced  that  wonderful  Orchid 
Angr:ecum  sesquipedale,  from  Madagascar  some 
thirty  years  ago,  there  has  not  been  imported  from 
that  island  a  more  remarkable  plant  than  the 
lovely  Orchid  of  which  an  illustration  is  herewith 
given.  When  some  two  or  three  years  ago  the 
first  living  plants  of  it  were  successfully  imported 
by  M.  Leon  Humblot,  they  made  quite  a  stir 
among  orchidists.  Everyone  wanted  it,  and  the 
comparatively  few  plants  of  it  that  were  disposed 
of  at  Stevens's  fetched  fancy  prices.  Since  that 
time  it  has  been  the  aim  of  a  good  many  Orchid 
growers  about  London  to  thoroughly  master  the 
cultivation  of  this  new  Madagascar  Orchid,  which 
is  unquestionably  one  of  the  most  beautiful  ever 
yet  discovered.  The  collector's  highly-coloured 
descriptions  and  brightly  painted  sketches  at  the 
time  when  the  plant  was  introduced  and  sold  had 
a  wonderfully  fascinating  effect  upon  Orchid 
growers,  and  when  the  first  living  flowers  were 
produced  at  Burford  Lodge,  the  interest  in  the 
plant  was  increased  still  more,  and  everybody  in- 
terested in  Orchids  were  trying  their  utmost  to 
flower  plants  of  it.  But,  alas  !  almost  everyone 
seemed  to  fail  in  even  enticing  it  into  vigorous 
growth,  and  it  has  long  since  been  relegated  to 
the  list  of  "  mifiy  "  plants  that  are  scarcely  worth 
troubling  about. 

There  is,  hovrever,  some  hope  yet  that  this 
charming  plant  may  prove  amenable  to  garden 
treatment,  inasmuch  as  it  has  been  successfully 
grown  and  flowered  at  a  few  places  about  London. 
The  most  successful  cultivator  appears  to  be  Mr. 
Billiard,  gardener  to  Mr.  Sillem,  at  Lawrie  Park, 
Sydenham.  During  last  February  three  of  Mr. 
Sillem's  plants  flowered;  two  bore  five,  the  other 
three  flowers.  Two  distinct  forms  were  represented 
amongst  the  Lawrie  Park  plants,  one  being  much 
deeper  and  richer  in  colour  than  the  other.  Both 
these  for  ms  are  shown  in  the  annexed  plate,  which 
was  drawn  in  Mr,  Sillem's  garden  from  the  plants  in 
question.  As  to  the  extreme  loveliness  of  the 
plant,  the  plate  amply  speaks  for  itself,  and  its 
habit  of  growth  is  also  suggested.  The  plant  has 
a  sort  of  creeping  rhizome  about  as  thick  as  one's 
finger,  and  from  the  tips  as  well  as  the  sides  of 
this  tufts  of  long  plicate  leaves  are  produced  simi- 
lar in  size  and  form  to  those  shown  in  the  plate. 

Culture. —  Various  recipes  have  been  given 
from  time  to  time  for  the  successful  culture  of 
this  plant,  but  we  cannot  do  better  here  than  re- 
commend the  line  of  treatment  so  successfully 
followed  by  Mr.  Billiard.  "  Our  plants,"  he  says, 
"have  been  grown  on  the  north-west  side  of  a 
span-roofed  house,  close  to  the  glass,  in  a  tempera- 
ture from  05°  to  70°.  We  keep  the  sun  from  them 
as  much  as  possible.  They  are  potted  in  equal 
parts  of  peat  and  Moss,  with  plenty  of  crocks  and 
charcoal  as  drainage.  When  making  their  growth 
they  require  an  abundance  of  water  at  the  roots. 
We  find  it  necessary  to  frequently  sponge  the 
plants,  as  red  spider,  thrips,  and  green  fly  are  par- 
ticularly fond  of  them.     Last  year   from  three 


♦  Drawn  in  Mr.  Sillem's  garden,  Lawrie  Park,  Sydenhaai, 
February  20,  1884. 


THE     GARDE M. 


PTJA- 


■^TTT^ERCULOF 


July   10,  1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


47 


plants  we  had  three  spikes,  on  which  eighteen 
flowers  opened.  This  year  from  the  same  plants 
we  have  had  five  spikes,  which  gave  us  twenty-four 
flowers  in  all."  This  new  Madagascar  Phaius  must 
now  be  regarded  as  the  finest  of  the  genus  yet  in- 
troduced to  gardens.  The  few  others,  however, 
are  highly  important  garden  Orchids,  and  probably 
there  is  not  a  more  generally  cultivated  Orchid 
than  the  old  Chinese  P.  grandifolius,  or  P.letia 
Tankervilliaj,  as  plantsmeu  of  the  old  school  still 
call  it.  It  is  so  well  known  as  to  need  no  de- 
scription here.  Another  noble  Phaius  is  P. 
Wallichi,  from  the  Khasya  hills :  it  has  large 
bold  foliage  and  tall  spikes  of  buff  coloured 
flowers.  1'.  irroratus  is  also  a  beautiful  Orchid, 
unfortunately  too  scarce  ;  and  again  there  is  the 
P.  bicolor,  the  very  handsome  plant  that  was  re- 
cently certificated  as  new  at  South  Kensington 
under  the  name  of  P.  luridus.  P.  P.lumei  and  its 
variety  liernaysi,  still  so  rare,  are  to  be  met  with 
in  some  of  the  richest  collections  ;  also  P.  Dodg- 
soni  and  P.  callosus.  The  three  Thunias,  T.  alba, 
T.  JIarshallise,  and  T.  Bensonije,  are  often  placed 
under  the  genus  Phaius,  but  for  garden  pur- 
poses they  are  abundantly  distinct.  The  Phaiuses, 
therefore,  are  important  garden  plants,  and  their 
value  is  enhanced  by  the  fact  that  they  are  all  of 
easy  culture,  with  the  exception  of  P.  tubercu- 
losus  and  one  or  two  other  Madagascar  species 
that  have  not  yet  been  successfully  cultivated  in 
this  country.  W.  G. 


SEASONABLE   WORK. 


FLOWER  GARDEN. 

Castor-oil  plants. — To  those  in  search  of  sub- 
tropical effects  in  the  summer  garden,  and  yet  lack 
the  convenience  for  wintering  large  growing  sub- 
tropical plants,  the  varieties  of  Ricinus  or  Castor- 
oil  plants  will,  indeed,  prove  a  boon.  Their  rapid 
and  stately  growth,  large  foliage,  and  the  ease 
with  which  they  are  raised  all  tend  to  enhance 
their  value  for  the  purpose  just  named.  The 
varieties  armatus,  Obermanni,  viridis,  and  macro- 
phyllus,  when  sown  in  Slarch  and  grown  on  with- 
out check,  attain  a  height  of  8  feet  by  August.  The 
seeds  should  be  sown  singly  in  3-inch  pots ;  they 
quickly  germinate  in  a  temperature  of  65°,  and 
should  be  given  this  heat  till  they  need  potting 
into  larger  pots,  then  a  temperature  of  C0°  will  be 
ample.  By  the  beginning  of  May  they  will  be 
ready  to  pot  into  8- inch  pots,  and  at  the  end  of 
that  month  may  safely  be  planted  out  in  their 
summer  quarters.  Deep  tilth  and  well-rotted 
manure  are  necessary  to  ensure  vigorous  growth. 
The  deep  bronze  foliage  and  red-stemmed  variety 
Gibsoni  is  not  so  strong  a  grower  as  the  kinds  just 
named,  a  circumstance  which  makes  it  all  the 
more  valuable  for  use  as  an  outer  line  to  beds  of 
the  strong  green-foliaged  sorts.  This  kind  also 
bears  pinching  well,  and  may,  therefore,  be  grown 
in  the  form  of  a  bush. 

General  work. — At  present  there  is  but  little 
to  be  done  that  calls  for  special  remark,  the  prin- 
cipal requirements  being  the  preservation  of  neat- 
ness by  regularly  mowing  lawns,  clipping  edgings, 
and  weeding  and  rolling  walks.  Keep  bedding 
plants  well  supplied  with  water,  removing  all  use- 
less flowers  at  least  once  a  week.  Trailing  kinds 
will  require  the  same  periodical  attention  as  to 
regulating  their  growth,  either  by  pegging  down 
or  training  to  sticks,  as  the  case  may  be.  Single 
Dahlias  and  other  tall  growers  planted  as 
"  sentinels  '  amongst  lower  growing  plants  may 
need  a  portion  of  their  growth  curtailed,  both  to 
preserve  symmetry  and  to  prevent  them  from 
encroaching  too  much  on  dwarfer  plants.  Keep 
carpet  beds  trim.  Herniaria  glabra  rarely  needs 
clipping,  and  this  merit  renders  it  the  best  of  all 
plants  for  forming  a  green  groundwork,  edgings, 
and  intersecting  lines  in  this  class   of  bedding. 


The  dwarf  Sedums  and  Saxifrages  only  require 
the  flowers  to  be  kept  off  them  and  to  be  pressed 
down  with  the  hand  to  make  them  spread 
evenly.  On  herbaceous  borders  old  flowers 
of  Pyrethrnms,  Mallows,  Delphiniums,  Spiireas, 
and  many  others  need  cutting  off ;  sticks  also 
should  be  taken  away,  and  the  ground  about  such 
plants  should  be  pointed  over.  Roses  are 
in  full  bloom,  and  almost  daily  now  there  are 
numbers  of  decaying  flowers,  that  for  the  benefit 
of  the  plants  would  be  better  off.  Shorten  also 
vigorous  shoots,  keep  the  plants  well  watered  and 
washed,  and  then  expect  a  good  autumn  bloom. 

PROPAGATING. 

Hard-wooded  plants,  such  as  Heaths,  Epa- 
crises,  Chorozemas,  Boronias,  and  similar  subjects, 
may  in  most  cases  be  struck  from  cuttings  during 
the  summer  months,  although  among  them  are  to 
be  found  some  that  require  great  care  in  order  to 
ensure  success.  The  best  cuttings  are  the  young 
shoots  that  push  forth  after  flowering,  especially 
if  the  plants  have  been  cut  back  ;  but  even  then 
it  is  better  to  take  shoots  of  weak  growth  than 
stout  succulent  ones,  which  are  very  liable  to 
decay.  As  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  keep  them 
perfectly  air-tight,  bell-glasses  should  be  used  for 
that  purpose,  and  the  size  of  the  pots  will  of 
course  depend  upon  that  of  the  glasses  employed. 
In  preparing  the  pots,  invert  a  small  one  over  the 
hole  in  the  bottom  ;  then  fill  up  with  broken 
crocks  till  within  1  inch  of  the  top.  The  crocks 
should  be  clean,  and  gradually  diminish  in  size 
from  the  bottom  to  the  uppermost  layer,  to  facili- 
tate which  a  good  practice  is  to  pass  them  through 
sieves  of  different  sizes,  and  keep  each  lot  sepa- 
rate. The  top  portion  should  be  those  that  pass 
readily  through  a  sieve  with  ^^-inch  mesh,  but,  as 
the  dust  must  be  extracted  from  them,  one  still 
finer  must  be  employed.  A  space  of  half  an  inch  or 
1  inch,  according  to  the  size  of  the  cuttings,  must 
be  left  for  the  soil,  which  should  consist  of  two- 
thirds  peat  and  one-third  sand,  the  whole  finely 
sifted.  The  pots  being  firmly  filled  with  the  above 
to  within  a  little  of  the  top,  a  thin  layer  of  sand 
should  be  added  and  the  whole  slightly  watered, 
using  for  this  purpose  a  fine-rosed  pot. 

In  taking  the  cuttings,  where  not  too  long, 
all  that  is  necessary  is  to  strip  them  off  and  re- 
move the  bottom  leaves  to  the  extent  necessary 
for  insertion,  but  if  too  long  to  be  treated  in  this 
way  the  top  only  must  be  cut  off  at  the  length 
required.  In  removing  the  leaves  a  sharp-pointed 
pair  of  scissors  must  in  some  cases  be  used,  or  in 
others  let  the  top  part  of  the  cutting  be  held 
firmly,  but  gently,  in  the  left  hand,  and  let  the 
leaves  be  .stripped  off  one  by  one  with  the  right 
hand.  This  effects  a  saving  of  time,  but  should 
only  be  used  when  the  leaves  come  clean  away 
from  the  bark  without  tearing  or  injuring  it  in  any 
way  ;  if  they  hurt  the  bark,  of  course  the  scissors 
must  be  used  to  remove  them.  Before  putting  in 
the  cuttings  press  the  bell-glass  slightly  in  its 
place ;  the  imprint  in  the  sand  will  serve  as  a 
guide  in  inserting  them,  otherwise  they  may  be 
put  in  too  near  the  edge,  and  thus  get  pressed 
down  by  the  glass.  Put  them  in  rows  at  a  suffi- 
cient distance  to  stand  clear  of  their  neighbours, 
and  take  care  that  they  are  made  thoroughly  firm, 
especially  at  the  base.  When  a  potf  ul  has  been 
put  in,  a  thorough  watering  must  be  given  to  cause 
the  sand  to  form  a  smooth,  unbroken  surface.  This 
watering  may  either  be  done  with  a  fine-rosed 
watering-pot,  or  if  the  cuttings  are  so  small  and 
slender  that  the  weight  of  the  water  alone  would 
cause  them  to  overbalance,  the  better  way  is  to 
set  the  pot  when  completed  in  a  pan  of  water,  not 
of  sufficient  depth  to  float  over  the  surface, 
but  still  enough  to  enter  by  the  bottom  and 
give  the  soil  a  good  soaking.  After  watering 
leave  the  glasses  off  for  a  little  time  to  dry  the 
foliage,  then  put  them  in  securely  and  shade  from 
sunshine.  Where  there  is  not  a  propagating  house 
for  this  class  of  plants,  the  next  best  place  is  a 
cold  frame,  one  or  two  lights  of  which  may  be 
partitioned  off  for  that  purpose,  and  treated  ac- 
cordingly. The  bell-glasses  must  be  wiped  and 
removed  for  a  little  while  each  morning,  and  a 


strict  watch  must  be  kept  for  the  least  symptoms 
of  decay,  on  the  approach  of  which  a  little  more 
air  may  be  given,  but  not  more  than  is  necessary, 
as  the  soil  soon  dries,  and  frequent  waterings  are 
hurtful.  If  attended  to  in  this  way  a  fair  measure 
of  success  may  be  reasonably  anticipated,  but  of 
course  constant  care  in  the  matter  of  shading, 
watering  when  required,  and  drying  up  super- 
fluous moisture  will  be  necessary  till  they  are 
rooted.  When  that  happens  give  air  by  degrees, 
and  gradually  harden  them  off  ;  then  pot  in  small 
pots  and  grow  on,  taking  care  to  stop  them  when 
necessary,  as  the  foundation  of  a  good  plant  is 
formed  when  in  a  young  state. 


INDOOR  PLANTS. 


Conservatory. — Now,  when  the  whole  of  the 
spring-flowering  hard,  as  well  as  most  soft-wooded 
plants  that  bloom  during  the  earlier  part  of  the 
season  have  done  flowering,  stove  plants  in  bloom 
will  come  in  most  usefully  to  take  their  places,  as 
if  associated  with  the  hardier  kinds  of  Palms, 
Tree  Ferns,  Cjcads,  and  other  fine-leaved  plants, 
and  tastefully  arranged,  they  have  a  very  fine  ap- 
pearance, and  will  make  a  display  equal  to  that 
which  existed  in  spring.  Where  many  of  the  oc- 
cupants of  conservatories  are  permanently  planted 
out,  such  a  re-arrangement  as  is  here  recommended 
can  only  be  partially  effected.  At  this  time  of 
year,  when  insects  increase  very  fast,  corresponding 
attention  must  be  paid  to  destroj'ing  them,  or  it 
will  be  impossible  to  keep  the  stock  in  a  healthy 
condition.  Sponging  by  hand  is  a  slow  process, 
and  seldom  more  than  partially  effective.  It  is 
much  better  where  it  can  be  done  to  take  the 
plants  out  of  the  houses  and  syringe  them  freely 
with  insecticide,  as  if  the  work  is  well  done,  all 
the  interstices  in  the  leaves  and  bark  where  the 
eggs  and  larvae  are  hid  are  reached.  Care  should 
be  taken  to  keep  roof  plants  as  free  as  can  be 
from  such  insects  as  brown  or  white  scale  or 
mealy  bug,  for  where  these  exist  to  any  extent  on 
climbers  overhead  they  are  certain  to  be  commu- 
nicated to  every  plant  underneath  them  on  which 
they  will  live.  It  is  well  as  far  as  possible  to 
select  climbers  for  roof  decoration  that  do  not 
afford  acceptable  food  to  these  pests,  for  although 
there  are  but  few  plants  on  which  some  or  other 
of  the  numerous  insects  existant  will  not  live,  yet 
there  is  much  difference  in  this  respect. 

Lilies. — Wherea  good  stock  of  these  are  grown 
in  pots  they  are  most  useful  in  conservatories ; 
plants  of  L.  eximium  that  have  done  flowering 
must  be  well  supplied  with  water  so  long  as  the 
foliage  remains  green  ;  they  may  then  be  planted 
out  in  well  prepared  soil,  as  they  are  not  likely  to 
bloom  much  a  second  time  where  at  all  forced 
until  they  have  had  a  season  or  two  to  recruit 
their  strength.  L.  auratum  and  other  species  re- 
quire to  be  similarly  attended  to  in  the  matter  of 
water,  also  to  be  kept  free  from  aphides,  as  on  the 
retention  of  the  leaves  until  the  bulb  growth  is 
fully  completed  depends  their  well-being  in  future. 
L.  giganteum,  though  mostly  planted  out  in  the 
open  ground,  will,  if  well  managed,  attain  a  larger 
size  and  produce  more  flowers  in  a  pot ;  but  it 
does  not  usually  increase  so  well  in  this  way  by 
the  production  of  suckers.  Where  this  fine  Lily  is 
grown  in  pots,  we  have  found  it  best  to  turn  it  out 
of  them  immediately  the  blooming  is  over,  giving 
plenty  of  water  if  dry  weather  ensues.  Plants  of 
the  different  varieties  of  L.  speciosum  should  have 
the  stems  supported  by  sticks  before  they  get  too 
far  advanced,  and  in  carrying  out  this  operation 
with  Lilies,  care  ought  to  be  taken  not  to  injure 
the  bulbs  ;  through  want  of  caution  in  this  much 
mischief  is  often  done. 

Abutilons.— A  suflScient  stock  of  these  should 
always  be  kept  up.  Independent  of  their  decora- 
tive value  as  pots  plants,  their  continuous  habit  of 
flowering  is  not  surpassed  by  many  things  which 
are  as  easily  grown.  Their  ability  to  flower  through 
the  winter  if  accommodated  with  a  little  extra 
warmth  is  a  still  further  recommendation.  The 
white  variety  Boule  de  Neige  is  so  useful  for  cut- 
ting, that  it  deserves  a  place  everywhere  where 
winter  flowers  are  in  demand.     It  blooms  in  a 


48 


THE     GARDEN 


[Jri.Y    lil,   1^84. 


very  small  state ;  plants  of  all  the  varieties  struck 
from  cuttings  put  in  now  and  wintered  in  small 
pots  will  make  useful  blooming  stock  next  summer. 

Genistas. — Small  or  medium-sized  examples 
of  these  are  much  more  useful  than  large  speci- 
mens ;  their  easy  propagation  and  the  little  diffi- 
culty involved  in  their  after-treatment  is  such  as 
to  make  them  deserving  of  much  more  general 
cultivation  than  they  receive.  Presuming  that  the 
plants  are  now  out-of-doors,  any  shoots  that  show 
a  disposition  to  outgrow  the  reit  should  be  cut 
back,  but  no  attempt  ought  to  be  made  to  keep 
them  too  formal  by  pinching  in  the  whole  of  the 
branches,  as  is  sometimes  done,  which  gives  them 
an  over-stiS  appearance.  In  the  case  of  young, 
thriving  examples  of  these  Genistas,  where  the 
pots  are  small  and  have  got  full  of  roots,  they 
should  be  frequently  supplied  with  dressings  of  light 
manure  or  manure  water,  and  as  they  are  liable  to 
the  attacks  of  red  spider  they  ought  to  be  syringed 
every  evening  in  dry  weather. 

Feens. — Where  there  are  large  structures  de- 
voted to  Ferns,  and  a  portion  of  the  larger  species 
are  planted  out,  attention  from  time  to  time  should 
be  given  to  keeping  the  larger  growing  kinds  from 
encroaching  too  much  upon  the  weaker-habited 
sorts.  This  is  especially  needful  where  many  of 
the  stronger  sorts  with  creeping  rhizomes  exist. 
These  if  strong  and  not  checked  soon  extend  in 
all  directions;  this  can  be  corrected  by  cutting  the 
fronds,  which  so  far  reduces  strength  as  to  prevent 
their  spreading  too  fast.  The  rhizomes  or  creeping 
stems  may  also  be  shortened,  which  will  cause 
them  to  break  back  and  induce  a  closer,  more 
compact  condition.  One  of  the  mistakes  com- 
mitted in  the  cultivation  of  the  tree  species  of 
Ferns  is  giving  them  too  much  root  room,  either 
when  planted  out  or  when  grown  in  pots  or  boxes  ; 
in  both  cases  when  accompanied  by  more  artificial 
heat  than  requisite  it  invariably  induces  a  greater 
extension  of  the  fronds  than  is  admissible  within 
the  limits  of  a  plant  house,  unless  where  it  is 
much  larger  than  usual,  the  result  being  that  the 
strong  growers  smother  the  weaker  ones,  and  the 
interest  attached  to  tlie  collection  is  reduced  by 
the  smaller  number  of  kinds  grown.  But  where 
plants  of  these  larger  growing  kinds  have  had  their 
roots  confined  within  a  limited  space  for  any  con- 
siderable length  of  time  they  should  have  frequent 
soakings  with  manure  water  during  the  growing 
season ;  when  sufficiently  supplied  in  this  way 
they  can  be  kept  for  years  in  a  satisfactory  con- 
dition. Liquid  manure,  or  moderate  dressings  of 
some  of  the  light  manures  now  so  much  in  use  for 
applying  to  the  surface  of  pot  plants,  answer  well 
for  most  of  the  small-growing  kinds  of  Ferns, 
such  as  the  Adiantums,  Pteris,  Davallias,  and 
others  of  a  like  character.  In  Fern  culture  no 
more  artificial  heat  should  be  used  than  is  abso- 
lutely necessary,  for  it  not  only  makes  the  fronds 
nnduly  tender,  but  also  renders  them  much  more 
susceptible  to  thrips.  Where  these  are  present  it 
is  best  to  dip  or  syringe  with  tobacco  water,  as 
when  fumigation  is  resorted  to  strong  enough  to 
kill  the  thrips  it  usually  is  more  than  the  plants 
can  bear. 

FRUIT. 
Cheeeies.— If  any  of  the  trees  require  pot- 
ting, let  them  be  well  cleansed  and  shifted  as 
soon  as  they  are  clear  of  fruit.  Use  good  friable 
loam  and  lime  rubble  in  a  rather  dry  state ;  ram 
it  very  firm,  leaving  plenty  of  room  for  water  and 
mulching  when  all  is  finished,  and  return  them  to 
the  house  for  a  week  or  two.  If  the  balls  are 
thoroughly  moist  at  the  time  they  are  potted,  one 
good  watering  to  settle  the  soil,  followed  by  daily 
syringing,  will  most  likely  suffice  for  the  time  they 
are  kept  under  glass ;  but  while  guarding  against 
getting  the  new  soil  too  wet  equal  care  must  be 
exercised  in  preventing  the  roots  or  foliage  from 
suffering.  If  large  trees  of  late  kinds  are  still 
carrying  fruit  which  it  is  desirable  to  keep  for  any 
special  purpose,  some  kind  of  shading  will  be 
needed  for  the  front  of  the  wall  case,  and  a  good 
covering  of  rotten  manure,  while  keeping  the  roofs 
cool,  will  be  ready  for  washing  in  as  soon  as  the 
crop  is  gathered. 


Plums.  —When  the  early  kinds  in  pots  show 
signs  of  changing  for  ripening  discontinue  syring- 
ing, but  keep  tbem  well  supplied  with  water,  and, 
if  convenient,  separate  them  from  others  which 
are  less  forward.  Keep  all  the  pots  well  mulched 
with  good  rotten  manure  and  supply  the  roots 
with  diluted  liquid  at  every  watering.  Use  pure 
soft  water  for  syringing,  as  Plums  show  every  spot 
of  matter  left  by  the  sediment  from  that  which 
contains  lime.  Ventilate  freely,  as  Plums  do  not 
make  rapid  progress  in  a  high  temperature,  and 
the  free  admission  of  air  adds  greatly  to  the  beauty 
of  the  bloom  on  the  fruit.  See  that  established 
trees  of  Jefferson,  Golden  Drop,  and  others  are 
thoroughly  mulched  and  supplied  with  water. 
Keep  the  foliage  free  from  aphis  by  fumigation, 
amd  syringe  twice  a  day  in  fine  weather. 

Late  Peaches. — Where  it  is  thought  desirable 
to  retard  the  ripening  of  fruit  in  the  latest  houses 
until  September  or  October,  all  the  ventilators 
should  be  set  open  by  night  and  by  day  until  the 
flowers  begin  to  open,  and  again  after  the  fruit  is 
set  in  order  to  delay  the  stoning  process.  It  Is 
hardly  necessary  to  say  that  the  houses  from  which 
this  late  fruit  is  obtained  should  have  hot-water 
pipes  running  round  the  sides  for  keeping  out 
frost  when  the  trees  are  in  blossom,  and  again  for 
supplying  dry  heat  after  the  crop  is  gathered  ; 
otherwise  such  excellent  kinds  as  Walburtou  Late 
Admirable,  Barrington,  Sea  Eagle,  and  Prince  of 
Wales  Peaches,  Stanwick  Elruge  Nectarine  (which 
never  cracks),  Victoria  (which  few  can  ripen  on 
open  walls),  and  Albert  Victor  cannot  be  expected 
to  ripen  their  wood  and  perfect  their  buds  before 
the  winter  sets  in.  Some  years  ago,  when  we  had 
a  number  of  large  trees  in  pots  and  tubs,  we  used 
to  make  it  a  practice  to  place  suitable  kinds  out- 
of-doors  in  a  sunny,  sheltered  situation  about  the 
end  of  .June,  but  fresh  arrangements  now  enable 
us  to  gather  quite  as  late  from  vigorous  young  ex- 
tension trees  trained  under  the  roof  of  a  house  in 
which  we  winter  standard  Bays  and  Aloes.  The 
latter  were  taken  out  for  the  summer  before 
syringing — never  a  heavy  item  in  cold  houses — 
affects  their  growth.  The  dry  fire-heat  after  they 
go  back  to  their  winter  quarters  seems  to  suit  all 
round  alike,  and  the  constant  watchfulness  so 
essential  to  success  in  pot  culture  is  avoided. 
Many  people  are  impressed  with  the  idea  that 
the  planted  trees  give  the  finest  fruit,  but 
we  have  not  found  it  so,  particularly  during 
the  time  the  planted  trees  are  extending  ;  indeed. 
Peaches,  fSectarines,  and  Pears  of  the  largest  size 
may  be  grown  upon  pot  trees  when  they  are  kept 
under  glass,  and  constant  feeding  of  the  highest 
quality  is  judiciously  given  to  them. 

Melons. — Plants  in  pits  and  frames  swelling 
off  fruit  will  now  take  an  abundance  of  water  at 
the  roots.  During  unfavourable,  cold,  wet  seasons 
it  is  not  advisable  to  water  overhead  in  these 
structures,  where  the  plants  are  more  subject  to 
canker  than  when  grown  in  houses,  and  spider 
does  not  make  so  much  headway  ;  but  advantage 
may  be  taken  of  a  fiue  afternoon  for  flooding  the 
bed  with  water  at  a  temperature  of  85°  to  90° 
without  wetting  the  foliage,  and  closing  about 
half-past  three,  when  the  atmospheric  moisture 
will  produce  conditions  highly  favourable  to  the 
rapid  development  of  the  fruit.  Pay  particular 
attention  to  the  preservation  of  the  old  leaves,  as 
they  cannot  be  interfered  with  without  producing 
a  check,  and  give  them  full  exposure  to  sun  and 
light  by  cutting  away  all  lateral  growths  and 
keeping  the  glass  clean.  Elevate  the  fruit  on  in- 
verted pots  on  a  level  with,  but  not  above,  the 
foliage,  as  some  kinds  are  liable  to  become  dis- 
coloured when  they  change  for  ripening  if  night 
airing  is  neglected.  Attend  well  to  the  linings 
by  turning  and  renovating  with  fresh  manure 
before  the  heat  in  the  bed  shows  signs  of  declining, 
cover  with  good  dry  mats,  and  give  a  chink  of 
night  air  to  prevent  an  accumulation  of  rank 
steam  and  condensation  of  moisture  on  the  fruit. 
Refer  to  previous  calendars  for  directions  as  to 
the  management  of  Melons  in  houses  and  heated 
pits.  Get  out  young  plants  before  they  become 
pot-bound,  and  make  a  good  sowing  of  some  quick- 
fruiting  kind  for  coming  in  in  October.   Meantime 


prepare  a  light,  well-ventilated,  efficiently-heated 
pit  for  the  reception  of  the  plants.  If  bottom- 
heat  pipes  are  provided,  the  fruiting  pots  should  be 
plunged  within  their  influence  when  extra  warmth 
is  required  for  setting  and  ripening  the  fruit, 
but  until  the  nights  become  longer  fermenting 
material  will  produce  a  moist  heat,  in  which 
Melons  will  revel  through  the  early  stages  of  their 
growth. 

C'ucuMBEES. — If  a  heated  compartment,  per- 
haps now  filled  with  Melons,  will  be  at  liberty  in 
about  three  weeks,  the  present  time  will  be 
favourable  for  sowing  a  few  seeds  of  Telegraph 
or  some  other  favourite  kind  for  autumn  fruiting. 
Be  careful  to  thoroughly  cleanse  the  house,  as 
Jlelons  invariably  leave  an  unwelcome  legacy  be- 
hind them.  Also  prepare  the  necessary  ferment- 
ing material  for  giving  bottom  heat.  Have  it  well 
worked  before  it  is  taken  in,  and  <iefer  plunging 
the  fruiting  pots  or  making  the  ridges  until  all 
danger  of  burning  the  soil  has  passed  away.  Make 
frequent  additions  of  light,  rich  turf  to  the  roots 
of  plants  which  have  been  in  bearing  for  some 
time,  feed  copiously  with  clear  liquid,  and  water 
occasionally  with  warm  clarified  lime  water  to 
keep  the  hills  free  from  worms. 

Frames.— Cucumbers  in  these  now  in  full  bear- 
ing will  require  unremitting  attention  if  they  are 
to  be  kept  in  good  order  for  any  length  of  time. 
Dress  them  over  three  times  a  week,  and  earth  up 
with  lumps  of  rich  turf  and  old  lime  rubble  as  the 
roots  find  their  way  to  the  surface.  Attend  to  the 
linings,  as  want  of  bottom  heat  is  often  the  fore- 
runner of  canker  and  mildew  in  frames  where  the 
plants  have  been  started  well  and  afterwards  ne- 
glected. When  the  oldest  plants  show  signs  of 
exhaustion  take  one  or  two  lights  in  hand,  cut  out 
all  the  fruit  and  old  leaves,  peg  the  Vines  down 
on  the  hills,  pack  the  joints  with  pieces  of  fresh 
turf,  and  keep  the  frame  close,  moist,  and  shaded 
until  new  growth  sets  in. 

Vines. — Early  houses  from  which  all  the  Grapes 
have  been  cut  may  now  have  the  ventilators  left 
constantly  open,  and  the  syringe  must  be  freely 
used  to  keep  the  foliage  clean  and  healthy  until 
the  wood  is  quite  ripe.  Keep  inside  borders  in  a 
moist  growth-encouraging  state  by  the  frequent 
use  of  diluted  liquid,  and  add  more  mulching  out- 
side to  protect  the  surface  roots  now  working 
freely  in  the  top-dressing.  If  the  Vines  are  in  a 
healthy  state,  lateral  growths  will  soon  be  abun- 
dant and  valuable,  but  they  must  not  be  allowed 
to  run  wild,  otherwise  they  will  do  harm  by 
crowding  the  main  foliage  now  filling  up  and  per- 
fecting the  buds  from  which  the  next  year's  crop 
of  fruit  is  to  be  obtained.  Now  all  the  thinning 
is  finished  it  will  be  advisable  to  go  over  the 
bunches  in  late  houses  with  the  scissors  for 
the  last  time  and  remove  a  few  of  the  smallest 
berries  where  they  are  likely  to  bind,  for  if  once 
allowed  to  become  jammed  their  removal  cannot 
be  accomplished  without  leaving  marks  which 
will  be  visible  when  the  Grapes  are  ripe.  If  not 
already  done,  put  on  more  mulching  and  give  all 
the  inside  borders  a  heavy  watering  with  warm 
liquid  or  guano  water,  fill  the  evaporating  pans 
every  morning,  and  damp  the  borders  with  the 
same  after  closing  for  the  day.  The  agreeable 
change  to  warmer  weather  will  at  last  enable  us 
to  reduce  fire-heat,  but  nights  are  still  cold,  and  a 
gentle  circulation  to  admit  of  giving  air  at  night 
and  on  dull  days  will  be  needful  until  the  earth 
gets  much  warmer  than  it  is  at  the  present  time. 
When  Muscats  have  passed  the  stoning  process 
and  are  safe  from  scalding,  the  house  may  be 
closed  early  and  the  heat  may  range  as  high  as 
90°  for  a  time  to  swell  the  berries.  The  ventila- 
tors must,  however,  be  again  opened  for  the  night, 
and  then  fire-heat  will  do  good  service  in  prevent- 
ing the  temperature  from  falling  below  70°. 
Hamburghs  and  other  kinds  which  do  well  under 
Hamburgh  treatment  may  range  a  few  degrees 
lower — say,  0.5°  to  68°  at  night ;  but  instead  of 
trying  to  maintain  these  figures  in  a  dull,  stag- 
nant atmosphere,  it  will  be  much  the  best  to  warm 
the  pipes,  and,  with  the  exception  of  the  afternoon 
closing,  keep  up  a  constant  circulation  of  air  by 
night  and  day.    When  newly-planted  Vines  have 


JuLV   10,  1884. 


THE     GARDEN 


49 


grown  to  the  top  of  the  house  the  leaders  may  be 
stopped,  also  the  laterals,  from  the  base  up  to  the 
bud  to  which  it  is  intended  to  prune  in  the  win- 
ter ;  but  above  the  pruning  bud  a  free  rambling 
growth  may  be  encouraged  to  cover  the  whole  of 
the  trellis  and  back  wall.  Keep  the  inside  borders 
well  mulched  and  watered  with  pure  water,  and 
carefully  preserve  all  the  main  leaves  by  a  liberal 
use  of  the  syringe  once  or  twice  a  day.  Give  an 
abundance  of  air  from  the  time  the  temperature 
begins  to  rise  until  it  declines  in  the  afternoon, 
then  close  for  an  hour  or  two,  and  re-open  the 
ventilators  for  the  night. 

Pot  Vines  intended  for  early  forcing  will  now 
be  changing  to  a  bright  nut-brown  colour,  and  the 
buds  at  the  base  of  the  leaves  will  be  filling  up. 
If  the  canes  are  very  strong  it  is  not  likely  that 
they  will  become  too  prominent,  but  great  assist- 
ance may  be  rendered  to  them  by  shortening 
back  the  laterals  to  one  eye  for  the  present,  and 
by  keeping  the  main  leaves  clean  and  healthy  to 
the  last.  See  that  the  roots  do  not  want  for 
water,  and  gradually  check  them  if  they  have 
been  allowed  to  find  their  way  into  the  plunging 
material.  Ventilate  freely,  shut  up  with  plenty 
of  sunheat  every  afternosn,  and  maintain  a  circu- 
lation of  air  through  the  night. 

Ohchaed  houses. — By  this  time  the  latest 
Peaches  and  Nectarines  will  have  passed  the 
stoning  process,  and  many  of  the  early  and  mid- 
season  kinds  will  have  commenced  their  last 
swelling.  As  no  more  fruit  will  drop,  it  will  be 
well  to  look  each  tree  over  and  see  that  it  is  not 
carrying  more  than  it  is  capable  of  bringing  to 
maturity,  and  at  the  same  time  to  stop  all  sub- 
laterals  to  increase  the  size,  and  turn  aside  the 
foliage  to  insure  the  perfect  colouring  of  the 
fruit.  Keep  the  trees  regularly  fed  with  good 
liquid  and  guano  water.  Mulch  any  that  may 
require  it  with  good  rotten  manure,  and  syringe 
well  with  tepid  soft  water  about  6. .SO  every  morn- 
ing and  again  after  the  house  is  closed  for  the  day. 
Trees  growing  in  internal  borders  may  also  be 
stopped,  to  prevent  the  force  of  sap  from  passing 
by  the  fruit ;  mulch,  and  well  water  with  water 
of  a  stimulating  character  or  otherwise,  according 
to  the  strength  of  the  growths  and  the  crop  of 
fruit  they  are  carrying.  The  insects  to  which 
these  trees  are  now  subject  are  spider  and  brown 
scale ;  the  first  can  make  little,  if  any,  progress 
under  good  culture,  and  the  second  must  be  kept 
in  check  by  brushing  with  a  short,  stumpy  brush 
before  it  passes  from  the  wood  to  the  leaves. 

Early  houses. — The  principal  work  here  will 
be  good  syringing  to  keep  the  foliage  clean  and 
healthy,  and  feeding  with  weak  liquid  to  plump 
up  the  buds  before  the  leaves  fall.  If  directions 
contained  in  former  papers  have  not  been  followed 
up,  lose  no  time  in  getting  the  forward  kinds 
potted  and  started  into  fresh  root  growth  before 
they  are  placed  in  the  open  air.  Many  people  are 
afraid  to  pot  a  fruit  tree  when  in  full  leaf,  but 
they  need  not  hesitate,  as  fresh  healthy  trees  under 
glass  start  into  free  root  growth  at  once,  and  are 
fit  for  removal  to  the  open  air  within  three  weeks 
of  the  performance  of  the  operation.  The  princi- 
pal points  in  the  management  of  a  newly  potted 
tree  are  a  close,  moist,  atmosphere,  a  temperature 
that  will  not  excite  the  prominent  fruits  buds,  and 
moderate  watering  until  the  roots  begin  to  work 
freely  in  the  new  soil. 


ORCHIDS. 
East  India  house,— The  weather  at  present 
is  very  favourable  to  the  occupants  of  this  house  ; 
requiring,  as  they  do,  a  high  temperature  all  the 
year  round,  it  is  very  seldom  that  the  temperature 
can  be  kept  up  sufficiently  high  without  the  aid 
of  artificial  heat.  It  does  not  require  much  just 
now  with  the  night  temperature  up  to  50°  and 
.55°  as  a  minimum.  The  temperature  of  the  house 
runs  up  to  9U°  in  the  afternoon  when  the  blinds 
are  drawn  up,  and  it  does  not  fall  rapidly.  At 
one  time  we  used  to  damp  up  the  house  between 
seven  and  eight  on  the  evenings  of  warm  summer 
days,but  we  fancy  this  is  unnecessary  work,  and  pro- 
bably the  moisture  evaporated  causes  the  tempe- 


rature to  fall  more  rapidly  than  it  otherwise  would. 
It  is  a  good  plan  to  sprinkle  water  about  the  first 
thing  in  the  morning — say  about  six  a.m.  Admit 
more  air  as  soon  as  the  temperature  rises  a  few 
degrees,  and  if  the  sun  strikes  directly  on  the 
glass,  let  down  the  blinds  before  seven.  There  is 
not  much  danger  of  plants  being  injured  by  over- 
watering  at  this  season  ;  more  likely  they  would 
suffer  if  allowed  to  become  over-dry.  Those  who 
enquire  how  often  a  plant  should  be  watered 
should  also  take  into  consideration  its  size. 
A  large  specimen  potted  in  peat  and  Sphag- 
num might  not  require  water  for  two  weeks, 
while  a  very  small  one  of  the  same  kind 
ought  to  have  it  two  or  three  times  a  week.  Others 
require  a  daily  supply.  We  have  now  reached  the 
season  of  the  year  when  Orchid  flowers  are  not 
over-plentiful.  Although  the  recent  additions  of 
new  species  and  varieties  of  all  kinds  of  Orchids 
to  our  collections  has  greatly  increased  the  num- 
ber and  variety  of  Orchid  blooms,  we  find  that 
some  varieties  and  species  of  Cattleyas  do  better 
here  than  in  the  Mexican  house,  such,  for  instance, 
are  C.  Do  wiana,  C.  gigas,  and  C.  superba.  All  these  do 
well  on  pieces  of  Tree  Ferns  when  they  are  recently 
imported.  After  a  time,  probably  tliree  years, 
they  should  have  a  further  supply  of  food.  This 
is  done  by  placing  the  block  in  a  pot  and  filling 
it  round  with  clean  crocks  and  charcoal,  keeping 
the  roots  well  out  of  the  peat  and  Sphagnum, 
which  should  be  placed  over  the  top  of  the  drain- 
age. C.  superba  may  be  exempted  from  this  treat- 
ment, as  it  succeeds  best  if  always  kept  to  the 
blocks;  when  potted  they  should  still  be  kept 
near  the  glass.  Some  of  the  Zygopetalums  do  best 
in  the  warmest  house  ;  Z.  rostratum,  for  instance, 
is  also  one  of  them  that  succeeds  well  potted 
in  peat  and  Sphagnum.  All  plants  now  making 
roots  freely,  such  as  the  Angrtecums,  should  re- 
ceive a  plentiful  supply  of  water  at  the  roots,  and 
be  kept  free  from  insect  pests. 

Cattleya  house  — Under  careful  management 
the  flowers  of  Odontoglossum  vexillarium  last  a 
long  time  in  beauty  on  the  plants,  although  they 
speedily  fade  when  cutand  placed  in  water.  When 
some  of  our  large  specimens  with  more  than  100 
flowers  on  a  plant  had  been  in  flower  for  nearly  a 
month,  we  cut  the  spikes  from  tlie  plants  to  save 
them  from  exhaustion.  Probably  the  cause  of  the 
degeneration  of  many  large  specimens  is  owing  to 
their  being  exhausted  by  over- flowering.  We  also 
moved  the  plants  into  the  cool  house,  as  the  tem- 
perature in  the  Mexican  house  with  all  the  shades 
and  blinds  down,  and  plenty  of  air  circulating 
through  it,  stood  at  97°  in  the  afternoon,  we  could 
keep  the  cool  house  down  to  90°  at  the  same  time. 
This  excessive  heat  has  been  continued  for  some 
days,  and  is  trying  to  cool  Orchids,  although  the 
Cattleyas  seem  to  like  it.  We  had  a  discussion 
some  time  ago  about  the  best  time  to  repot  Orchids. 
We  have  potted  0.  vexillarium  at  all  times,  and  they 
seem  whenever  they  are  repotted  to  be  making 
roots.  Three-fourths  of  the  plants  were  potted 
last  year  on  November?.  We  have  repotted  them  in 
previous  years  in  September,  they  have  grown  away 
each  time  without  a  check  to  their  growth,  and  we 
have  no  doubt  that  each  plant  potted  now 
will  do  equally  well.  We  potted  all  that  were  not 
done  in  November  on  the  3rd  of  the  present  month. 
Cattleyas  are  taking  advatage  of  the  warm  weather 
and  are  making  roots  freely  from  the  base  of  the 
young  growths.  C.  Trianic  is  in  advance  of  the 
C.  Mossiai  and  C.  Mendelli  type  in  this  respect, 
but  all  of  them,  including  Lajlia  purpurata,  are 
rooting  freely.  The  C.  Aclandi:e  type  should  be 
kept  out  of  the  way  of  slugs  ;  they  make  so  few 
roots,  that  if  the  few  they  do  produce  are  eaten  off 
the  plants  cannot  but  be  much  injured.  They  do 
best  suspended  near  the  roof  glass  on  blocks  or 
in  baskets,  and  in  the  winter  time  they  like  more 
heat  than  some  of  the  others;  they  will  do  well 
during  summer  in  the  Cattleya  house.  If  anj'  of 
the  Cypripediums  require  repotting  they  may  now 
be  attended  to  ;  the  flowering  period  is  mostly 
over  of  the  C.  barbatum  group,  C.  villosuiii,  and 
some  others.  The  very  handsome  C.  Dominii 
flowers  later  and  is  the  more  valuable  on  that  ac- 
count ;  we  have  three  plants  of  it  now  in  flower 


and  they  are  greatly  valued  ;  it  does  well  in  this 
compartment  now,  but  in  winter  must  have  the 
warmest  position,  or  may  be  placed  in  the  warmest 
house. 

Cool  house.-  The  difliculty  in  such  hot  weather 
as  we  are  at  present  enjoying  is  to  keep  the  house 
sufficiently  cool.  Those  who  have  their  plants  in 
a  lean-to  house  with  a  north  aspect  have  an  advan- 
tage over  those  who  have  their  plants  in  a  span- 
roofed  house  exposed  to  all  the  points  of  the  com- 
pass. We  do  not  throw  the  ventilators  wide  open 
during  the  hottest  part  of  the  day  to  admit  the 
drying  air  with  a  rush,  but  by  keeping  the  wall 
ventilators  open  in  the  front  and  the  top  lights 
well  open  under  the  shading  the  air  is  admitted 
in  such  a  way  that  it  is  made  moist  before  it 
reaches  the  plants.  Also  by  damping  the  internal 
walls,  paths,  and  stages  two  or  three  times  a  day, 
there  Is  a  considerable  evaporation  which  reduces 
the  temperature  each  time  the  operation  is  per- 
formed. It  is  necessary  to  keep  all  the  occupants 
of  the  house  well  supplied  with  water.  A  surfac- 
ing of  nice  green  growing  Sphagnum  will  insure  a 
healthy  condition  of  the  plants  if  the  above  instruc- 
tions as  to  ventilation,  Sec,  are  attended  to.  A 
word  or  two  may  be  written  about  Lycaste 
Skinneri.  It  succeeds  well  in  the  cool  house 
all  the  year  round,  and  water  may  be 
applied  to  it  as  freely  as  it  is  done  to  Odonto- 
glossum Alexandra?.  We  have  not  yet  seen  such 
well-grown  plants  of  this  useful  Orchid  as 
Mr.  Ward  used  to  produce  at  Leyton  some  ten 
years  ago.  They  were  grown  at  a  considerable 
distance  from  the  glass  in  a  lean-to  north  house. 
They  had  plenty  of  water  at  all  seasons,  and  not 
only  did  the  plants  grow  into  large  specimens  in 
an  incredibly  short  space  of  time,  but  as  many 
as  from  nine  to  a  dozen  flowers  were  produced 
from  one  bulb.  Like  the  Odontoglossums,  the 
plants  were  constantly  surfaced  with  live  and 
green  Sphagnum  Moss.  Green  fly  increases  on 
the  flowers  during  the  present  drying,  hot  weather ; 
it  must  be  removed  with  a  fine  brush.  Thrips, 
which  also  seem  to  increase  freely  during  such 
weather,  must  be  destroyed  by  dipping  the  plants 
in  diluted  Tobacco  water,  afterwards  sponging 
the  leaves  well  with  clean  tepid  rain  water. 


KITCHEN  GARDEN. 
Disease  in  the  early  section  of  Potatoes  has 
made  its  appearance  in  some  places.  Cutting  off 
the  tops  underneath  the  surface  is  a  better  way  of 
saving  the  tubers  than  lifting  at  this  busy  season  ; 
therefore  lose  no  time  in  doing  this,  as  delays  are 
dangerous,  and  no  Potatoes  are  more  likely  to  be 
affected  than  Myatt's.  Champions  and  other  late 
sorts  are  as  yet  all  right.  We  are  now  busy 
gathering  bush  fruits  and  Strawberries,  the  latter 
a  heavy  crop.  When  the  weather  is  damp  we  fill 
up  every  available  inch  with  springand  autumn 
Broccoli,  leaving  the  Kales  till  later  on.  Oar  first 
[lanted  Brussels  Sprouts  are  1  ft.  high  and  growing 
strongly.  Keep  the  ground  free  from  weeds 
among  all  crops,  hoeing  or  using  the  cultivator  as 
the  case  may  be.  Among  Peas,  John  Bull  is  a 
trifle  longer  in  the  pod  than  most  others,  and  good 
in  quality.  If  one  has  it.  Standard,  and  a  kind 
called  Marie,  and  Omega  for  use  in  August  and 
September,  few  others  will  be  needed.  If  Endive 
is  not  yet  sown  it  may  be  put  in  now  ;  nothing  is 
gained  by  sowing  very  early,  as  the  young  plants 
generally  run  to  seed.  Shallots  are  ripening  fast ; 
ours  are  planted  in  drills  filled  with  burnt  refuse, 
and  in  this  no  grubs  or  other  \-ermin  ever  attack 
them,  not  even  mildew,  and  the  result  is  a  clean, 
healthy  crop. 

Tree  posms.— Dr.  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes,  in  a,  recent 
letter  to  the  Ciucinnati  tree-planters,  says—"  I  have  written 
many  verses,  but  tlie  best  poems  I  liave  pi-oduced  are  the 
trees  I  planted  on  the  liillside  which  overlooked  the  broad 
meadows,  scalloped  ami  ronnded  at  their  edges  by  loops  of 
the  sinuous  Housatonic.  Nature  lluds  rhymes  {or  them  in 
tlie  recurring  measures  of  the  seasons.  Winter  strips  them 
of  their  ornanieLts  and  gives  them,  as  it  were,  in  proee 
translation,  and  summer  reclothes  them  in  all  the  splendid 
plirases  of  their  leafy  language.  Wliat  are  these  .Mapk's 
and  Ileeches  and  Birches  ttnt  odes  and  idylls  and  madri- 
gals? What  are  these  Pines  and  Firs  and  Spruces  l>ut 
liymns,  too  solemn  for  the  maiiy-hued  raiment  of  their  gay 
deciduous  neighbours  ?'' 


50 


THE    GARDEN 


[July   19.   1884. 


STRAFFAN  HOUSE 
Yesterday  I  went  with  a  friend  to  Kildare  for 
an  hour  or  two,  and  this  place  delighted  him.  You 
get  a  pretty  peep  at  the  house  itself  from  the 
bridge  which  crosses  the  Liffey,  and  a  glimpse  of 
the  Lime  trees  in  the  park  also.  I  first  saw  StrafEan 
on  a  sunny  day  in  early  spring,  when  the  river 
reaches  were  quite  aglow  with  crimson  Dogwood, 
but  now  all  is  green,  and  the  Rose  harvest  is  most 
beautiful.  Crimean  Snowdrops  and  Apennine 
Anemones  are  asleep  under  the  Lime  trees  on  the 
lawn,  but  hardy  flowers  of  many  kinds  are  now 
gay  and  bright.  Delphiniums,  Clematises,  Phloxes, 
and  Geraniums  are  brilliant,  so  also  a  thousand 
other  budding  things.     The  place  is  rich  in  shrubs 


specimen  of  Drynaria  (Polypodium)  diversifolium. 
Water  Lilies  below  and  climbing  Lilies  (Gloriosas) 
above.  Filmy  Ferns  of  delicate  beauty,  and  tropical 
twiners  of  many  a  hue  find  here  a  genial  home 
One  could  say  much  more  than  this,  for  in  all  truth 
the  garden  at  Straffan  is  an  ideal  one. 

F.  W.  E. 


Orchids. 


THE  PUPPET  ORCHID. 

(COMPAEETTIA     FALCATA  ) 

The  Comparettias  are   Orchids   but  rarely  seen 
now-a-days  in  collections,  though  several  species 


and  in  fine  trees.  The  Holly  Ferns  on  the  island 
by  the  river  are  of  astonishing  size  and  vigour, 
so  also  are  Lastrea  cristata  and  the  plumy  Ostrich 
Ferns,  and  here  in  the  Grass  wild  Orchises  are 
quite  at  home.  Just  now,  however,  the  Rose 
queen  is  supreme ;  Roses  on  walls,  in  beds,  bor- 
ders, and  on  pillars  ;  Roses,  trained  and  untrained, 
everywhere.  A  plant  of  Clematis  lanuginosa  on 
the  gardener's  cottage  is  now  a  picture  2d  feet 
high,  and  covered  with  its  great  pale  lilac  stars. 
StrafEan  is  one  of  the  most  hospitable  of  gardens  ; 
all  things  beautiful  are  welcomed  there.  It  may 
be  a  rare  Fern,  a  curious  Orchid,  or  a  little  gem 
from  the  Alps  or  Pyrenees,  a  new  vegetable,  or  a 
finer  fruit.  It  is  all  the  same ;  the  best  of  care  and 
culture  are  freely  given,  and  in  few  gardens,  even 
if  more  favoured  in  some  ways,  are  better  results 
obtained.  The  Disas  at  Stratfan  are  quite  a  fea- 
ture in  August,  and  are  even  now  sending  up  their 
spikes  most  luxuriantly.   Here,  too,  is  a  wonderful 


were  introduced  from  South  America  and  de- 
scribed and  figured  years  ago.  Perhaps  the  finest 
of  all  the  species  in  size  isC.  macroplectron,apale 
rosy  form  introduced  only  two  or  three  years  ago. 
The  one  we  now  illustrate  has  rosy  purple  flowers 
on  gracefully  arching  spikes,  and  was  figured  and 
described  long  ago  in  the  Jiotanical  Magazine,  t. 
4980,  and  I  think  a  figure  is  also  given  in  Paxton's 
"  Flower  Garden,"  published  in  1850-3.  Planted 
in  fibrous  peat  in  a  shallow  pan  and  suspended 
from  the  roof  of  a  warm  Cattleya  house,  this  plant 
grows  freely,  and  its  long  spurred  blossoms  are  so 
peculiar  in  form,  that  as  seen  dancing  in  the  breeze 
in  the  Mexican  forest  one  can  readily  understand 
why  the  name  of  "  Puppet  or  Marionette  Orchid  ' 
should  be  applied  to  it.  F.  W.  B. 


Stanhopea  tlgrina  {J.  C.).— A  very  flue  variety,  ciuite 
equal  to  tliat  known  in  some  coUtctious  aa  superba.  The 
flowerj  are  not  only  unusually  large,  but  the  colours  rich. 


ORCHID  SHOWS. 

TO   THE  EDITOR  OP  THE   GARDEN. 

Sir, — I  don't  like  to  see  the  managers  of  ex- 
hibitions, professedly  more  or  less  scientific  and 
intellectual,  lending  themselves  to  anything  which 
looks  like  gulling  the  public.  I  don't  like  to  see 
even  a  willing  public  swallowing  the  bait.  And, 
though  I  am  too  old  a  hand  and  too  cunning  even 
to  nibble  at  an  artificial  Orchid,  I  don't  like  to  find 
myself  among  a  shoal  of  such  gaping  gudgeons, 
much  less  to  let  my  pet  plants  take  a  stand  in  such 
equivocal  company.  If  I  went  to  the  opera  and 
heard  five  orchestras,  each  playing  a  separate  act 
of  "Norma"  at  the  same  time,  it  would  not  be  very 
satisfactory.  If  I  went  to  Ascot  and  saw  a  jockey 
riding  three  horses  at  once,  I  should  think  it  a 
spectacle  fitter  for  a  circus  than  a  racecourse. 
One  does  not  expect  to  meet  with  such  follies  in 
common  life,  and  if  they  happen  to  us,  we  either 
resent  them  with  a  ijuid  ino  quo,  or,  in  a  fit  of 
good  humour,  laugh  at  and  forget  them.  But 
when  we  talk  of  the  Botanical  Gardens,  and  are 
promised  something  first-rate  as  a  flower  show,  our 
heads  are  apt  to  get  a  scientific  twist,  and  to  be 
filled  with  thoughts  of  the  beautiful  and  the 
natural — of  the  wonderful  things  that  bud  and 
blossom  we  know  not  how,  and  of  the  tyrannical 
control  that  the  hand  of  man  has  shown  in  sub- 
jecting them  to  his  caprices.  We  don't  imagine 
that  we  are  going  either  to  the  Egyptian  Hall  or 
to  some  suburban  fair,  and  have  no  notion  of  an 
exhibition  of  legerdemain,  nor  ever  dream  of  being 
treated  with  a  sight  of  Dutch-toy  Siamese  twins. 
Credulous  idealists,  you  have  for  the  moment  for- 
gotten that  where  there  is  a  show  there  must  be 
showmen,  and  that  showmen,  in  catering  for  a 
public  badly  trained  and  with  extravagant 
caprices,  are  apt  to  fall  into  ways  which  shock  an 
expert.  What  is  wanted  in  a  flower  show  is 
neither  bulk  nor  eccentricity,  but  choice  things  and 
genuine  things,  or,  as  we  say  in  a  common  way, 
"  little  and  good  '' — rules  and  arrangements  that 
everybody  understand  and  follow,  and  the  as- 
surance that  we  shall  find  those  rules  observed.  I 
only  wish  we  could  get  all  this,  and  then  I  could 
satisfy  the  innocent  curiosity  of  my  country 
cousins,  who  come  up  in  the  season  and  ask  me  to 
show  them  the  marvellous  productions  of  Nature 
that  I  sometimes  talk  to  them  about  at  my 
Christmas  visits  to  their  charming  little  paradise 
outside  the  Bradshaw  boundaries,  and  as  yet  not 
sophisticated  by  interparochial  exhibitions.  I 
flatter  myself  I  can  tell  a  Potato  from  a  Parsnip, 
and  I  never  call  a  bunch  of  Boses  a  specimen 
Rose,  nor  a  bed  of  Tulips  a  plant.  If  I  did,  people 
would  be  very  likely  to  say  that  I  was  more  simple 
than  themselves,  or  even  something  more  un- 
courteous. 

Well,  we  get  to  the  show,  and  I  begin  my  task 
as  cicerone.  Orchids  are  strange  things.  Of 
course  they  find  a  place  at  the  exhibition.  As 
curiosities  not  very  common  in  country  collections 
we  turn  to  them.  They  are  fine  objects  for  mar- 
velmongers.  They  are  comparatively  novelties  as 
the  pets  of  amateurs,  very  costly,  little  under- 
stood by  the  people,  and  capital  things  for  fun- 
pokers  to  cram  the  goie-movches  with.  Cousin 
A  exclaims,  "  What  a  magnificent  '  specimen 
plant!'"  Not  so  fast,  if  you  please.  Hold  your 
admiration  for  a  minute ;  let  us  examine,  and 
make  use  of  the  bit  of  arithmetic  left  us  from 
our  school  days.  Certainly  two  and  three  make 
something  else  than  one.  There  are  five  spikes 
and  the  "  specimen  plant "  has  made  five  new 
bulbs.  Finely  arranged,  but  Nature  did  not  do 
it.  Who  is  to  blame  for  the  trick  7  "  Must 
satisfy  the  public  taste,'  says  one  of  the  com- 
mittee, "and  how  else  are  we  to  make  up  our 
Daniel  Lamberts— so  many  single  gentlemen 
rolled  into  one  ?  "  We  turn  away  disappointed, 
but  do  find  some  genuine  specimen  plants.  One 
alone  in  its  pot  and  its  glory  is  sufficient  for  us. 
We  prize  the  honest  pot,  and  the  exhibition  prize 
goes  to  "  Danielus  Lambertus  Compositus."  On 
going  back  to  look  at  the  label  on  the  prize  pot 
we  note  it  marked  as  an  Epidendrum,  which 
naturally  suggests  the  reflection  that  somebody 
deserves  the  gibbet.   Now,  is  it  possible  that  com- 


Jur-Y  19.   1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


51 


mittees  and  judges,  so  demure  in  manners,  so 
phraseologically  irreproachable,  so  exact,  as  mem- 
bers of  Truefitt,  to  an  unit  in  the  number  of  hairs 
in  the  pet  curl — is  it  possible  they  can  self-acquit- 
tingly  acquiesce  in  these  equivocations  ?  One 
can  put  up  with  and  laughat  a  good  practical  joke 
from  a  set  of  roystering  boys.  But  proverbial  bo- 
tanical innocence  throws  us  off  our  guard  against 
juvenile  tricks  on  such  an  occasion.  It  would 
make  the  goddess  blush  carnation,  and  give  up 
all  the  Floralia  till  Regeccial  purity  once  more 
reigned  in  Regent's  Park.  Can  they  be  deceived  ? 
No.  They  would  not  lend  an  ear  to  a  drill-ser- 
geant who  tried  to  persuade  Ihem  that  his  com- 
pany doing  the  goose-step  was  a  specimen  soldier. 
Then,  being  neither  cajoled  themselves,  nor  wil- 
ling accomplices  in  the  deceptions  of  others,  why 
not  carry  out  their  laudable  ambition  to  make  a 
grand  show  in  a  purely  legitimate  way  ?  In  so 
doing  they  would  disarm  prejudice  and  make  sure 
of  all  co-operation  that  is  worth  having. 
■  Only  begin  and  go  on  in  this  fashion.  Make 
schedules  liberal  enough  to  suit  all  classes  of  ex- 
hibitors. The  rules  and  regulations  once  an- 
nounced, allow  no  evasions  of  them.  Let  us  have 
a  class  of  "  specimen  plants,'  but  let  it  be  under- 
stood that  such  a  specimen  must  be  a  single  plant, 
alone  in  its  pot,  shown  as  it  was  grown,  and  in  no 
way  falsified  by  additions  or  any  unfair  tempering. 
This  would  give  a  chance  to  many  amateurs  who 
have  neither  time  nor  space  to  cultivate  largely, 
but  who  often  have  the  luck  to  produce  growths 
of  extraordinary  interest.  They  would  then  with 
their  one  phenomenon  confidently  avail  them- 
selves of  the  opportunity  of  getting  it  under  notice 
and  be  proud  if  it  were  pre-eminent.  And  other 
amateurs  would  send  ungrudgingly  out  of  their 
abundance,  and  feel  a  gratification  in  helping 
to  make  an  honest  show  a  success.  Then  there 
might  be  another  class  of  flowers  grouped  in 
pots,  each  with  limited  and  well-defined  num- 
bers of  plants,  giving  an  occasion  of  skil- 
ful combination  to  those  who  had  many  choice 
specimens  at  command.  This  is  a  kind  of  exhibit 
upon  which  there  would  be  no  great  difficulty  in 
putting  a  sufficient  check.  To  please  those  who 
like  things  in  a  grandiose  style,  and  have  a  mul- 
titudinous assemblage  of  Orchids  under  growth,  a 
class  might  be  opened  in  which  they  could  serve 
themselves  of  pots  of  all  dimensions,  so  as  to  de- 
monstrate what  effect  can  be  produced  by  masses 
of  plants  put  together  artistically,  and  bring  out 
to  view  the  beauties  of  harmony  and  contrast.  In 
this  way  all  might  be  contented  and  have  an  oppor- 
tunity of  wholesomely  ministering  to  their  own 
ambition  and  the  pleasure  of  visitors.  At  the 
same  time,  with  the  exact  rules,  the  rigid  com- 
pliance with  those  rules,  and  all  arranged  in  such 
a  way  as  to  be  fairly  seen  and  estimated,  the  com- 
mittee would  gain  credit  and  abundant  assistance, 
the  judges  would  know  what  they  were  about,  and 
be  able  to  make  and  give  their  decisions  upon  pre- 
cise and  strongly-marked  lines,  so  as  to  satisfy 
competitors  and  guide  the  public,  and  the  sight- 
seers would  obtain  what  they  came  for — pleasure 
and  instruction  in  noting  intelligently  the  charac- 
teristics of  specimens  and  bouquets,  and  tlie 
beauties  of  the  amalgamation  of  masses.  Better 
borrow  a  leaf  from  Manchester  and  do  something 
of  this  kind.  Better  make  an  auto-da-fe  of  all  old 
peccadilloes,  cut  the  acquaintance  of  all  botanical 
Fagans,  and  begin  afresh  by  acting  fairly,  calling 
a  spade  a  spade,  showing  the  people  what  is  true 
as  well  as  new,  and  rewarding  honesty  instead  of 
letting  temptation  dangle  in  the  sight  of  sinners. 
If  not,  they  may  be  quite  sure  that  our  country 
cousins  will  go  home,  and,  with  their  provincial 
imitative  propensities,  soon  shame  them  into 
reformation  by  exaggerated  caricatures,  unless 
indeed  they  have,  before  that  ridiculous  sort  of 
castigation  arrives,  succumbed  under  the  incubus 
of  their  charlatan  partnership. 

J.  T.  Peacock. 
Sudhiiry  House,  Ilan.mcrsmith. 


INDOOR  Garden. 


The  QsiTden.— General  Index  to  the  first 
tn-entri  vols,  now  ready,  strongly  bound,  price 
12s.  M. 


BEGONIA  METALLICA. 
This  is  one  of  the  very  best  of  Begonias  either  for 
summer  or  winter  use,  and,  in  addition  to  its 
flowers,  its  bronzy  leaves  make  it  a  desirable  plant 
for  grouping  along  with  others  in  the  intermediate 
house  during  winter  and  in  the  cool  greenhouse 
during  summer.  The  flowers,  which  are  of  a  light 
rosy  colour,  are  set  upon  stalks  sufficiently  long  to 
show  them  up  well  above  the  foliage.  Young 
healthy  plants  of  this  Begonia  growing  in  4|-inch 
or  (j-inch  pots  will  be  found  to  last  a  long 
time  in  flower  when  used  in  rooms  or  in  windows, 
and  small  neatly-grown  plants  of  it  are  suitable 
for  dinner-table  decoration,  the  bronzy  foliage 
looking  well  upon  the  white  table-cloth.  The 
flowers,  too,  when  cut  are  very  useful.  In  order 
to  keep  up  a  supply  of  flowering  plants  all  the 
year  round  recourse  must  be  had  to  cuttings.  A 
few  put  in  early  in  February  will  yield  a  plentiful 
supply  of  flowers  during  the  summer  and  autumn 
if  grown  in  a  cool  house  or  pit,  and  few 
plants  can  be  found  to  grow  and  flower  more 
freely  in  a  shady  conservatory  heavily  draped  with 
climbers  than  this  Begonia.  Another  supply  of 
young  plants  should  be  raised  from  cuttings  put 
in  about  the  middle  of  July,  and  kept  growing  on 
in  a  pit  or  house  as  close  to  the  glats  as  possible. 
Pick  off  the  flower-stems  as  they  appear,  which 
will  induce  the  plants  to  grow  more  vigorous  and 
healthy.  In  the  end  of  October  or  beginning  of 
November  place  them  in  the  coolest  end  of  a 
plant  stove  or  intermediate  house,  and  if  in  good 
healthy  condition  they  will  be  ia  full  flower  by 
Christmas,  and  will  keep  up  a  supply  of  bloom  for 
six  or  eight  months.  We  have  now  some  old  plants 
which  have  been  in  bloom  about  fourteen  months. 

This  variety  of  Begonia  will  be  found  to  be  suit- 
able for  planting  out  against  the  back  wall  of  a 
warm  house,  or  to  train  up  pillars  or  rafters.  In 
order  to  obtain  strong  healthy  plants  which  will 
yield  a  supply  of  flower  in  a  short  space  of  time, 
select  cuttings  from  old  plants  which  had  been 
previously  cut  down.  Cuttings  made  of  shoots 
growing  from  the  base  of  old  plants  will  be  found 
to  root  freely.  Let  them  be  t  inches  long,  strike 
them  in  light  soil,  consisting  of  equal  portions  of 
good  turfy  loam  and  fibrous  peat,  sifted  through  a 
tine  sieve,  mixed  with  plenty  of  sharp  silver 
sand.  Fill  4iinch  pots  with  this  compost, 
pressing  it  firmly  into  the  pots,  put  a  little 
clean  silver  sand  on  the  surface,  and 
water  through  a  fine  rose.  The  cuttings  may 
then  be  inserted  round  the  sides  of  the  pots. 
Place  the  latter  in  a  propagating  pit  or  house, 
and  when  rooted  pot  them  off  singly  in  3-inch 
pots,  using  the  same  compost  as  for  the  cuttings, 
with  a  portion  of  leaf-mould  added,  but  with 
less  sand.  After  potting  place  the  plants  in  the 
same  temperature  as  before  until  they  get  well 
established,  when  they  may  be  transferred  to  a 
cooler  house  and  be  shitted  into  larger  pots.  They 
will  soon  grow  into  useful  flowering  plants.  When 
the  pots  get  full  of  roots  they  will  be  greatly 
benefited  by  being  fed  either  with  liquid  manure 
or  with  some  other  fertiliser.  Under  this  treat- 
ment strong,  vigorous  plants  full  of  bloom  will  be 
the  result.  Wm.  Chkistison. 

Woodham  Hall,  Woldng. 


BOUVARDIAS  IN  SUMMER. 

BOUVARDIAS  are  most  valued  in  winter,  but,  if 
desired,  they  can  be  had  in  just  as  good  condition 
in  summer,  when  I  find  them  to  be  very  useful  in 
a  cut  state,  and  also  as  decorative  plants  in  pots. 
The  double- flowered  kinds  surpass  the  single  sorts 
as  regards  endurance.  Oar  plants  blooming  now 
were  struck  last  summer.  They  were  then  potted 
off  into  small  pots  and  good  sturdy  growth  en- 
couraged. They  v/ere  stopped  once  or  twice  before 
winter,  which  they  passed  on  a  light  shelf  in  a 
warm  greenhouse.  In  February  we  potted  them 
in  5-inch  and  6-inch  pots.  They  were  then  kept 
in  gentle  heat  for  a  little  time  to  encourage  free  | 
growth,  and  they  are  now  good  bushy  plants,  full  j 
of   flowers.     Besides  those  grown   for  flowering! 


now,  we  had  a  quantity  of  old  plants  that  had 
flowered  early,  and  that  were  kept  for  propagating 
from.  These  yielded  a  crop  of  cuttings,  after 
which  they  made  plenty  of  young  shoots,  and 
were  gradually  hardened  ofif.  About  a  month  ago 
we  planted  them  out  in  a  warm,  sheltered  border 
prepared  for  their  reception  by  giving  it  a  liberal 
dressing  of  manure  and  decayed  leaf-mould. 
Being  kept  well  supplied  with  water,  they  soon 
became  established,  and  are  already  showing  great 
numbers  of  bloom-buds,  of  which  a  succession  will 
be  kept  up  till  frosts  set  in.  In  this  way  each 
summer  we  gather  great  quantities  of  bloom  from 
a  small  bed  of  these  plants.  Cuttings  sometimes 
fail  to  strike  after  the  season  is  as  far  advanced 
as  this,  though  in  early  spring  they  struck  root 
readily.  This  is  owing  to  the  shoots  becoming  too 
firm  in  texture,  and  therefore,  instead  of  taking 
cuttings  from  the  strong  vigorous  shoots  that  are 
produced  out  of  doors  or  in  a  cool  house,  a  few 
plants  should  be  placed  for  a  little  time  in  a 
warmer  structure,  when  the  slightly  attenuated 
growth  produced  under  such  circumstances  will 
strike  readily.  The  cuttings  must  be  kept  in  a 
close  case  and  prevented  as  much  as  possible  from 
flagging  till  rooted.  The  sorts  which  we  grow  are 
B.  jasminoides,  pure  white  and  fragrant ;  elegans, 
scarlet,  a  good  free  growing  kind,  and  one  of  the 
hardiest ;  flavescens,  yellowish ;  Dazzler,  bright 
cerise  ;  Humboldti  corymbiflora,  long  tubed,  pure 
white,  and  highly  fragrant ;  The  Bride,  when  first 
expanded  nearly  white,  but  afterwards  changirg 
to  flesh  colour :  Queen  of  Roses,  bright  pink, 
sturdy  in  habit ;  Vreelandi,  white ;  longiflora 
flammea,  reddish  rose,  and  very  free  flowering ; 
rosea  oculata,  a  very  floriferous  pale  flesh-coloured 
kind.  To  these  must  of  course  be  added  the  two 
double-flowered  varieties,  Alfred  Neuner,  white 
and  President  Garfield,  pink.  H.  P. 


HERBACEOUS  CALCEOLARIAS. 
As  these  require  a  reasonable  amount  of  care  in 
order  to  grow  them  properly,  some  trouble  should 
be  taken  to  select  the  seed  from  a  good  strain, 
and  as  there  are  several  sources  from  which  it  can 
be  obtained,  there  is  no  excuse  for  growing  infe- 
rior flowers.  I  find  that  if  the  seed  is  sown  any 
time  in  July,  strong  plants  may  be  obtained.  Al- 
ways sow  in  a  rather  large  and  deep  seed-pan,  be- 
cause a  small  and  shallow  one  requires  constant 
watering  to  keep  the  soil  moist.  The  pan  need 
not  be  drained  so  carefully  as  for  plants  that  have 
to  remain  in  it  all  the  winter,  and  the  soil  should 
consist  chiefly  of  loam  with  some  sand  added  and 
both  should  be  run  through  a  rather  fine-meshed 
sieve  together ;  after  the  pan  is  filled  with  soil  it 
should  have  a  good  watering  before  the  seed  is 
sown  ;  then  cover  the  seed  very  lightly  with  fine 
sand.  A  slate  should  be  placed  over  the  pan,  which 
should  be  set  in  a  vinery.  After  the  third  day  it 
will  be  necessary  to  watch  the  pan  narrowly,  and 
as  soon  as  the  plants  appear  the  slate  must  be 
taken  off.  The  cooler  the  quarters  after  this  time 
the  better.  Light  without  the  sun  shining  on  the 
seedlings  they  must  have,  or  they  will  make  but 
poor  progress ;  a  cool  shady  greenhouse  or  cold  pit 
where  the  pan  can  stand  on  a  cold  bottom,  such  as 
a  bed  of  soil,  is  what  they  like.  It  will  be  neces- 
sary to  water  very  carefully  and  only  give  enough 
to  keep  the  soil  regularly  moist.  In  six  weeks 
from  the  time  when  the  seed  is  sown  the  plants 
should  be  large  enough  to  prick  out.  For  this 
purpose  some  fresh  pans  should  be  prepared  by 
filling  them  with  fine,  rather  light,  sandy  soil, 
into  which  the  plants  may  be  put  about  2  inches 
apart  each  way,  taking  them  back  again  to  their 
old  quarters.  They  may  be  allowed  to  remain  in 
the  pans  until  the  leaves  touch  each  other,  when 
they  will  want  more  room  both  for  roots  and 
leaves.  The  next  move  must  be  into  4-inch  pots, 
which  should  be  clean  and  well  drained. 

The  same  soil  will  be  suitable  for  this  and  all 
subsequent  pottings.  It  should  consist  of  three 
parts  good  fibrous  loam  and  one  part  leaf-soil  or 
well-rotted  farmyard  manure,  with  some  coarse 
sand  or  road  grit  added.  As  these  plants  require 
a  free  and  open  medium  for  the  roots,  the  compost 
had  better  be  used  rather  dry  than  wet,  for  i£ 


52 


THE     GAEDEN 


[July  19,  It'Si- 


potted  in  a  soil  that  wUl  run  together  in  a  mass 
the  roots  will  not  take  to  it  in  a  kindly  manner. 
The  most  suitable  place  for  them  during  winter 
and  until  they  come  into  flower  is  a  brick  pit,  in 
which  the  pots  can  stand  on  a  bed  of  ashes  and 
the  tops  of  the  plants  be  about  12  inches  from 
the  glass.  They  do  not  require  any  artificial 
heat  ;  in  fact,  they  are  always  better  without 
it,  and  bottom -heat  they  greatly  dislike. 
With  a  good  lining  of  either  leaves  or  manure 
placed  close  to  the  walls  of  the  pit  and  plenty  of 
external  covering  on  the  glass,  there  will  be  no 
difficulty  in  keeping  out  the  severest  frost,  and 
they  will  take  no  harm  if  shut  up  for  six  weeks  or 
more  if  the  weather  should  be  severe.  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  it  is  better  to  keep  them  covered  up  in 
frosty  weather  than  to  expose  them  to  a  fluctuat- 
ing temperature.  On  all  occasions  when  the 
weather  is  mild  they  must  have  plenty  of  air.  In 
regard  to  root  moisture,  it  is  only  necessary  to  say 
that  they  require  as  much  as  they  can  make  use 
of  so  long  as  the  soil  does  not  get  overcharged. 
With  a  good  substantial  soil,  clear  water  is  all  that 
is  required  to  secure  healthy  plants  and  good  heads 
of  bloom. 

In  regard  to  shifting  the  plants  into  larger 
pots,  it  is  essential  that  they  should  have  more 
root  room  as  soon  as  they  have  filled  the  pots  full 
of  roots  in  which  they  are  growing  until  they  are 
put  intothose  in  which  they  are  to  flower.  In  our 
own  practice  we  shift  from  4  inches  into  6  inches, 
and  from  these  into  8-inch  sizes,  which  are  the 
largest  we  use,  and  which  will  be  found  suitable 
for  many  purposes.  To  obtain  good  specimens  in 
the  last-mentioned  size,  they  ought  to  have  their 
last  shift,  if  the  weather  is  mild,  about  the  end  of 
December.  Green  fly  is  sometimes  troublesome, 
but  it  can  be  got  rid  of  by  fumigating  with  To- 
bacco. J.  0.  C. 


5215. — Eucharis  amazonica. — In  forming 
beds  on  which  to  plant  out  this  Eucharis  the  pipes 
ought  to  be  covered  so  as  to  keep  them  from 
coming  in  contact  with  the  soil,  and  it  is  better  in 
every  way  if  they  do  not  touch  anything,  as  by  so 
doing  not  only  is  the  heat  obstructed,  but  the 
pipes  suffer  injury  from  rust  and  scaling  oil  of 
the  iron.  To  avoid  this  proper  bearers  should  be 
placed  on  each  side  of  the  bed,  where  they  may 
be  formed  by  building  up  loose  bricks,  one  on  the 
other,  to  the  desired  height ;  then  slates  may  be 
laid  across,  reaching  from  wall  to  wall,  where  to 
get  them  to  rest  firm  and  solid,  they  should  be 
bedded  on  moist  mortar,  but  before  doing  this  the 
pipes  should  be  thoroughly  painted,  as  they  cannot 
be  got  at  afterwards.  The  best  kind  of  paint  to 
use  is  oil  and  lamp-black,  which  forms  a  sufficient 
body  to  preserve  the  iron  without  stopping  radia- 
tion. With  the  pipes  covered  andattended  toin  the 
way  referred  to,  all  will  be  ready  for  putting  in 
the  diainage,  which  should  consist  of  a  couple  of 
inches  or  so  of  creeks,  cinders,  or  gravel,  and  to 
prevent  the  interstices  becoming  filled  up,  a  layer 
of  leaves  or  half-rotten  litter  should  be  laid  on  the 
top.  The  proper  soil  to  use  for  filling  up  the  bed 
is  a  mixture  of  leaf-mould  and  loam,  or  refuse 
peat  and  loam,  with  plenty  of  sharp  sand  to 
keep  the  whole  open.  Having  got  so  far,  the 
next  thing  is  to  turn  out  the  plants,  which,  if 
well  rooted  and  healthy,  are  best  planted  entire, 
as  then  there  is  no  check  or  disturbance,  and  they 
go  right  on  growing  at  once.  To  start  them  fairly 
it  is  necessary  to  give  a  good  soaking  with  tepid 
water,  and  keep  them  well  syringed  twice  daily  ; 
they  always  thrive  best  when  they  have  their 
leaves  wetted,  and  the  doing  of  it  wards  oS  insects, 
which  are  sure  to  assail  them  if  the  air  imme- 
diately about  them  becomes  at  all  dry.  We  have  a 
bed  arranged  and  treated  precisely  as  I  now  re- 
commend, and  the  plants  have  improved  wonder- 
fully since  they  have  been  in  it,  and  now  fiower 
finely  twice  in  the  year.  When  growing  and 
blooming  we  give  them  plenty  of  water  and  frequent 
doses  of  liquid  manure,  after  which  they  are  kept 
drier  for  a  short  time  to  give  them  a  rest.  Ours 
are  under  the  hip  or  back  lights  of  a  Cucumber  or 
Melon  house,  where  they  get  shade,  and  the 
position  just  suits  them,  although  during  winter 


they  would  be  quite  as  well  if  they  were  a  little 
nearer  the  glass,  as  then  the  flowers  would  possess 
more  substance. — S.  D. 

Heliotropes  for  winter   bloom.— In  a 

large  trade  establishment  where  cut  flowers  were 
much  in  request,  we  used  to  grow  a  quantity  of 
Heliotropes  in  ii-inch  and  C-inch  pots  to  come  in 
during  November  and  December.  The  cuttings 
were  put  in  in  April,  and  grown  along  in  the  ordi- 
nary way,  getting  them  hardened  off  as  early  as 
possible,  and  allowing  them  the  advantage  of  full 
exposure  to  the  sun  and  a  free  circulation  of  air 
through  the  summer,  so  that  by  late  autumn  they 
formed  compact  little  bushes  with  from  twenty  to 
thirty  flower-heads.  An  important  point  is  to  keep 
them  well  pinched  back  during  the  summer,  pick- 
ing off  all  flower-buds  as  they  form,  but  discon- 
tinuing the  stopping  from  the  beginning  of 
September,  and  taking  care  that  the  plants  are 
housed  before  they  can  get  touched  by  frost. — 
J.  C.  B. 

Fruit  Garden. 

FORMING  STRAWBERRY  BEDS. 
The  time  has  arrived  when  steps  should  be  taken 
to  either  improve  the  Strawberry  supply  or  to 
make  proper  provision  against  any  falling  off 
either  in  quality  or  quantity.  Strawberries  are 
not  like  various  other  fruits,  which  go  on  fruiting 
for  many  years  with  but  little  trouble  on  the  part 
of  the  cultivator  ;  on  the  contrary,  they  are  an 
expensive  crop,  especially  on  some  soils.  I  have 
known  cases  in  which  they  have  continued  to  be 
profitable  without  renewal  for  many  years,  but,  as 
a  rule,  three  good  crops  from  the  plants  are  all 
that  it  is  wise  to  take  from  them.  The  first  sea- 
son, or  that  following  planting,  the  earliest  crops 
and  the  largest  fruits  are  otjtained ;  the  second 
season  heavy  crops  of  generally  good  fruit  are  pro- 
duced ;  while  during  the  third  season  extra  heavy 
crops  result,  but  the  majority  of  the  fruits  are  of  a 
size  fit  only  for  preserving.  In  order,  therefore, 
to  always  have  Strawberries  in  perfection,  both  as 
regards  earliness  and  quality,  heavy  and  extra 
heavy  crops,  we  must  plant  a  bed  and  destroy  a 
bed  annually,  none  being  left  to  impoverish  the 
ground  after  having  perfected  three  crops.  I 
have  had  to  manage  a  garden  in  Middlesex  within 
ten  miles  of  London  in  which  Strawberries  could 
not  be  induced  to  perfect  more  than  one  good 
crop  of  fruit.  I  was  told  that  such  was  the  case, 
but  I  did  not  believe  it  till  I  had  tested  the  truth 
of  the  assertion.  In  this  case  we  had  to  take 
extra  pains  in  securing  strong  early  plants,  and 
these,  being  liberally  treated,  grew  to  a 
good  size,  and  yielded  very  five  crops  the 
next  season,  when  they  were  rooted  up.  I  have 
also  known  cases  in  which  two  years  were  the 
limit,  while  in  others  four  good  crops  may  be 
taken  before  the  plants  are  destroyed.  In  all 
and  every  case  it  is  imperative  that  a  new  planta- 
tion be  annually  formed  to  the  extent  of  the 
whole,  half,  one-third,  or  one-quarter,  according  to 
circumstances,  of  the  space  annually  devoted  to 
them.  I  have  already  commented  upon  the 
various  plans  adopted  in  preparing  the  runners 
for  planting,  and  will  now  give  my  ideas  as  to 
the  best  methods  of 

Preparing  the  ground.  It  is  generally  con- 
sidered the  correct  thing  to  deeply  trench  for 
Strawberries,  and  it  is  this  that  makes  the  crop 
expensive.  This  trenching  may  be  necessary  in 
some  cases  in  which,  perhaps,  the  soil  is  light  and 
shallow,  but  after  having  practised  in  eight  widely 
separated  counties,  I  can  safely  assert  that  trench- 
ing is  quite  unnecessary,  and  in  some  cases  it  has 
proved  actually  disadvantageous.  Consequently, 
no  one  need  be  deterred  from  commencing 
Strawberry  culture  on  either  a  large  or  small  scale 
on  the  score  of  expense.  Trenching  is  thought  to 
be  the  only  sure  method  of  encouraging  deep 
root- action,  and  thus  to  a  certain  extent  render- 
ing the  moisture-loving  Strawberry  less  depen- 
dent on  the  watering-pot  in  case  of  dry 
weather  setting  in.  It  is  an  old,  valueless  notion, 
however,  and  one  which  will  not  bear  to  be  closely 


scanned.  Here,  for  instance,  on  our  fairly  heavy 
land  no  trenching  is  ever  resorted  to  for  Straw- 
berries, yet  I  defy  anyone  to  grow  heavier  or  better 
crops  than  have  been  picked  here  for  three  succes- 
sive seasons.  Moreover,  I  have  observed  that  the 
heaviest  crops  of  fine  saleable  fruit  are  grown  in 
the  open  fields,  the  soil  of  which  is  only  mode- 
rately heavy  and  is  only  ploughed  up.  A  friend 
of  mine  in  Essex  has  about  twenty  acres  of  ground 
alwaj-s  cropped  wit"h  such  Strawberries  as  Alice 
Maud,  Sir  J.  Paxton,  President,  Doctor  Hogg,  and 
British  (,)ueen,  and  with  him  a  failure  never  hap- 
pens. If  they  fail  in  any  way  it  is  in  realising 
remunerative  prices  when  the  supplies  are  extra 
heavy.  If  trenching  were  necessary,  growing 
Strawberries  for  the  markets  would  be  a  bad  specu- 
lation. The  Strawberry  is  really  a  surface-root- 
ing plant,  and  should  be  treated  accordingly. 
Given  a  deep,  loose,  and  perhaps  rich  soil  and  the 
result  will  be  a  superabundance  of  foliage,  with 
but  poor  crops  of  inferior  fruit.  On  the  other  hand, 
if  planted  in  firm  enriched  ground,  and  the  roots 
are  encouraged  to  keep  near  the  surface  by  means 
of  moisture-holding  fertilising  mulohings.they  will 
form  sturdy  foliage  and  well- matured  crowns,  fol- 
lowed by  abundance  of  strong  bloom  trusses. 
Moreover,  if  the  roots  are  near  the  surface  they 
receive  all  the  benefit  of  the  top-dressings,  whereas 
if  deeply  buried  they  make  but  few  fibres,  and 
much  of  the  manure  is  wasted.  If  the  ground  is 
trenched  at  all  it  should  be  done  at  least  six 
months  before  bein{j  planted  with  Strawberries, 
and  this  will  give  time  for  it  to  settle  considerably. 
Such  early  trenched  ground  may  with  advantage 
be  utilised  for  a  crop  of  early  Potatoes,  the  latter 
apparently  deriving  more  benefit  from  trenched  or 
double-dug  old  garden  soil  than  any  other  crop 
with  which  I  am  acquainted.  Our  Strawberries 
are  grown  in  three  different  positions,  so  as  to 
afford  a  long  succession,  and  in  each  case  they 
invariably  follow  a  crop  of  early  Ashleaf  Potatoes. 
Directly  the  latter  are  clearedoff  and  the  ground 
levelled,  a  little  short  manure  is  forked  into  the 
surface ;  the  Strawberries  are  then  planted  and 
mulched,  and  the  ground  is  never  dug  again  till 
three  crops  of  Strawberries  and  one  of  Broccoli 
have  been  cleared  off  it.  Many  object  to  manuring 
the  surface  soil  before  Strawberries  are  planted, 
preferring  in  some  cases  to  bury  the  manure 
deeply  for  the  future  wants  of  the  plants,  as  well 
as  to  avoid  too  strong  growth  the  first  season.  For 
my  part  I  prefer  to  give  the  plants  a  good  start, 
especially  seeing  how  much  importance  is  rightly 
attached  to  the  first  crop. 

Where  and  how  to  plant  are  the  next  points 
to  be  considered.  Those  who  have  sheltered 
raised  borders  at  their  service  may  well  utilise  one 
or  part  of  one  of  these  for  the  very  earliest  supply. 
From  such  positions  we  have  sometimes  been 
enabled  to  pick  good  ripe  fruit  from  ten  to  fourteen 
days  earlier  than  from  the  open  ground.  In  this 
manner  we  are  able  to  turn  out  the  plants  in  pots 
or  pits  much  earlier  than  would  otherwise  be  the 
case,  and  most  gardeners  fully  realise  what  a  relief 
this  early  riddance  is  to  over-crowded  houses. 
Failing  these  early  borders,  we  should  grow  a  few 
early  Strawberries  in  frames,  as  has  been  lately 
suggested  by  an  able  contributor  to  The  Garden. 
Earliness  being  the  primary  object,  and  seeing  that 
youngplants  are  invariably  the  first  toy  ield,  I  should 
consider  it  unwise  to  leave  the  plants  to  crop  a 
second  year  either  on  the  raised  wall  borders  or  in 
the  temporary  beds  intended  to  be  covered  with 
frames.  Directly  they  have  perfected  the  best 
part  of  their  crops  and  have  yielded  a  number  of 
early  runners  they  should  be  cleared  off  and  a 
fresh  plantation  made  with  the  strongest  and  best 
rooted  runners  procurable.  To  succeed  these  we 
plant  a  breadth  of  early  and  second  early  varieties 
on  the  upper  or  warmest  open  position  in  the 
garden,  and  for  the  latest  crops  the  lowest  and 
coolest  quarter  is  selected  and  main  crop  and  late 
varieties  are  planted.  In  some  gardens  Straw- 
berries will  al-'O  succeed  well  on  north  borders, 
but  here  in  i  liese  positions  they  are  flavourless, 
and  Goosebei  ries  are  planted  instead.  In  every 
case  the  ground  is  well  levelled,  heavily  trampled, 


July  19,  1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


53 


and  well  soaked  with  water,  or  if  poor  with  liquid 
manure  prior  to  planting.  As  before  stated,  we 
prefer  plants  that  have  either  rooted  into  the 
manure  employed  for  mulching  or  have  been 
rooted  in  frames  or  boxeF.  These  move  with  a 
good  ball  of  healthy  fibres  and  take  to  their 
quarters  much  more  readily  than  those  layered  in 
pots  and  which  are  oftentimes  much  root-bound. 
In  whatever  manner  the  runners  are  rooted  they 
ought  to  be  thoroughly  moistened  prior  to  plant- 
ing, be  put  out  with  a  trowel  very  slightly  below 
the  level  of  surrounding  soil,  and  be  firmly  fixed 
with  the  handle  of  the  trowel.  A  good  watering 
should  follow,  and  if  possible  a  mulching  of  strawy 
manure  or  short  grass.  Supposing  all  this  to  be 
properly  carried  out  either  in  July  or  early  in 
August,  a  valuable  crop  should  be  obtained  the 
following  summer.     Many  err  in  not 

Giving  plenty  of  room  to  Strawberries.  Thick 
planting  may  answer  for  one  season,  but  subse- 
quently they  unduly  shade  each  other,  and  inferior 
produce  is  the  result.  All  our  strong  growers, 
with  the  exception  of  those  on  the  warm  border, 
are  planted  in  rows  30  inches  apart,  and  the  plants 
stand  18  inches  asunder  in  the  rows,  these  dis- 
tances admitting  plenty  of  light,  air,  and  sunshine 
to  reach  all  alike ;  and  there  is  also  a  pathway 
between  every  two  rows,  without  any  damage  by 
trampling  accruing  to  the  spreading  clusters  of 
fruit.  As  these  spaces  appear  rather  excessive,  it 
is  advisable  to  crop  between  the  rows  when  first 
planted  with  either  Lettuces,  Endive,  or  Tripoli 
Onions,  and  this  may  be  done  without  injury  to 
the  Strawberries,  but  it  is  seldom  that  it  can  be 
done  after  the  first  spring.  Some  good  growers 
manure  freely  and  plant  double  the  number  of 
plants  in  the  rows  intended  for  a  three  years'  per- 
manency, cutting  out  every  other  plant  directly 
after  the  first  crop  is  matured.  This  plan,  how- 
ever, is  not  commendable  where  manure  is  scarce, 
as  such  a  number  of  plants  quickly  impoverishes 
the  ground.  The  variety  Dr.  Hogg,  not  forming 
strong  foliage,  may  be  planted  in  rows  about 
2  feet  asunder,  while  those  fruited  only  one  year 
may  be  set  rather  more  thickly.  In  districts  where 
large,  rough,  but  thin  stones  are  available  much 
may  be  done  in  the  way  of  forwarding  Strawber- 
ries by  forming  raised  beds.  These  may  be  en- 
closed with  the  stones  set  up  edgewise,  and  may 
be  •  i  feet  wide,  so  as  to  take  three  rows  of 
plants — one  in  the  middle  and  one  near  each 
edge.  Such  beds  require  occasional  nearly 
complete  renewal  of  the  soil,  but  in  spite 
of  this  they  are  strikingly  profitable,  and  may 
well  be  formed  in  low-lying  cold  or  badly-drained 
gardens.  Old  or  forced  plants  may  be  put  out  in 
rows  30  inches  asunder,  or  if  required  to  furnish 
early  runners  for  layering,  a  distance  of  3  feet 
may  be  given  them.  They  should  be  thoroughly 
soaked  before  they  are  planted  ;  the  whole  of  the 
balls  should  be  buried,  and  the  soil  firmly  rammed 
about  them.  They  also  require  to  be  occasionally 
heavily  watered  till  well  established,  as,  should 
the  old  balls  once  become  dry,  they  are  not  easily 
moistened  again. 

FOECED  PLANTS  of  the  earliest  varieties — 
notably  Vicomtesse  Huricart  de  Thury — fre- 
quently yield  heavy  crops  of  fruit  in  the  autumn, 
and  some  of  the  latest  well  repay  lifting,  re-pot- 
ting, and  placing  in  a  moderately  warm  house  to 
ripen  the  fruit.  In  fact,  where  there  is  plenty  of 
house  room,  it  is  an  easy  matter,  with  the  help  of 
the  Vicomtesse,  to  have  ripe  Strawberries  nearly 
or  quite  all  the  year  round.  Those  old  pot  plants 
which  are  not  lifted,  or  which  do  not  fruit  heavily 
in  the  autumn,  will  yield  enormous  crops  of  fair- 
sized  fruit  during  the  following  summer,  but  they 
very  seldom  repay  being  preserved  for  another 
season.  W.  I.  M. 

Strawberries  {J.  Coofc).— The  varieties  you  send  can 
only  be  named  with  certainty  by  some  specialist  who  has  a 
collection  at  hand  for  comparison. 

Strawberry  Burghley  President.— Noting  your 
approval  of  this  strawberry,  may  I  ask  that  Mr.  Gilljert 
would  give  n.s  its  liistory  ?  Is  it  merely  tliat  well-known 
kind  Presitientthat  Mr.  Gilbert  has  re-christened  Burghley? 
or  is  it  a  seedling  of  his  own  raising?  I  presume  it  is  the 
latter ;  and  if  so,  when  is  it  to  be  put  into  commerce  ?— 
H.  W. 


PACKING  FRUIT. 
The  fairly  cheap  light  goods  rates  and  quick  de- 
livery have  naturally  brought  about  a  great  in- 
crease in  the  transmission  of  perishable  commodi- 
ties, such  as  fruit  by  rail.  Beyond  supplying  family 
wants  when  away  from  the  home  establishment 
where  the  fruit  is  grown,  many  gardeners  have 
now  to  send  their  spare  fruit  to  market,  and  on 
good  packing  in  both  cases  depends  mnch  of  its 
worth  when  it  reaches  its  destination.  Yet,  not- 
withstanding that  much  has  been  said  and  written 
on  this  subject  of  late  years,  and  details  given 
about  the  best  means  of  packing  soft  fruits,  such 
as  Grapes,  Peaches,  Strawberries,  and  others  that, 
in  order  to  have  them  of  good  quality,  require  to 
be  ripe  before  'gathering,  it  frequently  happens 
that  the  condition  of  these  after  reaching  their 
destination  is  anything  but  satisfactory.  I  have 
often  thought  that  everyone  who  has  this  sort  of 
work  to  do  should,  once  at  least,  see  his  fruit 
unpacked  after  it  had  travelled  far  enough  to  test 
the  packing.  These  remarks  do  not  apply  to  the 
packing  of  Peaches,  Nectarines,  Apricots,  Straw- 
berries, and  others  that  are  gathered  the  greater 
part  of  a  week  before  they  are  ripe,  but  to  ripe 
fruit  when  gathered.  No  one  will  need  to  be  told 
that  such  fruits  as  Apricots,  Peaches,  Figs,  and 
Strawberries,  when  ripe,  require  much  more  care 
in  packing  than  when  forwarded  in  a  state  that 
makes  them  less  liable  to  bruise. 

The  prizes  given  now  yearly  by  Messrs. 
Webber,  at  South  Kensington,  for  packing  soft 
fruits  have  done  something  to  show  the  right  line 
upon  which  to  proceed.  For  Grapes,  moderately 
deep  boxes  that  will  hold  say  not  more  than  from 
20  lbs.  to  25  lbs.  are  best.  A  good  thick  layer  of 
Moss  should  be  put  at  the  bottom  to  act  as  a  bed, 
and  the  sides  should  be  similarly  well  padded  with 
Moss  pressed  firmly  together ;  the  whole  thould  be 
lined  with  soft  tissue  paper,  leaving  a  cavity  for 
the  bunches  in  the  centre,  in  which  they  should  be 
placed  so  as  to  fill  the  space  full  enough  to  avoid 
the  berries  rubbing  against  each  other.  Many 
packers  put  nothing  on  the  top  of  the  bunches,  as 
whatever  is  laid  on  them  removes  more  or  less  of 
the  bloom,  and  unless  there  is  a  layer  of  Moss  or 
other  material  put  between  the  paper  and  the  lid, 
so  as  to  keep  them  close  down,  the  paper  is  use- 
less. If  the  box,  however,  was  to  be  turned 
on  one  side  or  upside  down,  the  covering  over 
the  top  would  save  the  injury  that  otherwise 
would  be  sure  to  occur.  Peaches  and  Figs  if  ripe 
are  most  liable  to  injury  in  transit.  Shallow 
boxes  that  will  hold  one  layer  of  Peaches  or 
Nectarines  are  evidently  the  best,  and  there  should 
be  a  sufficient  bed  of  Moss  in  the  bottom  and 
round  the  sides  and  a  lining  of  thin  paper;  each 
fruit,  too,  should  be  enveloped  in  tissue  paper, 
and  if  as  ripe  as  it  should  be,  a  piece  of  wadding 
should  be  put  round  each  outside  the  paper.  With- 
out this  latter,  if  the  box  happens  to  get  on  its 
side  or  end,  the  weight  of  the  two  or  two  and  a 
half  dozen  fruits  which  it  may  contain  will  so 
press  on  these  that  are  undermost  that  they  will 
be  sure  to  be  much  bruised.  A  thin  piece  of  paper 
over  the  fruit  and  a  layer  of  Moss  between  it  and 
the  lid  finish  the  packing. 

Cake  shocld  be  taken  that  the  boxes  are 
not  too  shallow  to  admit  of  enough  Moss  in  the 
bottom  and  over  the  top  to  prevent  the  jolting  in 
transit  doing  mischief.  In  the  late  competition  at 
South  Kensington  the  Peach  boxes  used  by  two  of 
the  competitors  were  too  shallow  to  be  depended 
on  for  carrying  the  fruit,  if  ripe,  safely ;  in  the 
case  of  one  the  inside  depth  was  3  inches,  the 
other  about  2|  inches ;  neither  of  which  allows 
enough  Moss  underneath  to  make  the  fruit,  if  ripe, 
secure  against  bruising.  Mr.  Coleman,  who  took 
the  second  prize,  had  his  Peach  boxes  4  inches 
deep,  which  is  not  too  much  to  keep  all  safe. 
The  same  applies  to  boxes  for  Strawberries ; 
they  should  be  deep  enough  to  admit  of  a 
sufhcient  bed  underneath  as  well  as  a  covering 
beneath  the  lid,  laying  each  fruit  on  a  leaf  of 
the  plant,  which  keeps  it  from  touching  those 
next  it ;  a  good  layer  of  leaves  on  the  top  under 
the  lid  keeps  the  whole  cool.  I  have  found  Figs 
to  travel  best  in  a  shallow  bos  that  will  take  one 


layer  of  fruit,  each  wrapped  in  a  Vine  leaf,  and 
the  box  lined  bottom  and  ends  as  for  Peaches, 
with  Strawberry  leaves  in  moderate  thickness  over 
them ;  the  shape  of  the  leaves  is  such  that  they  do 
not  lie  closely  together,  thereby  allowing  air  to 
circulate  amongst  them,  and  so  help  to  prevent 
the  fruit  moulding — an  evil  to  which  ripe  Figs  are 
liable  ;  the  lid,  too,  should  not  fit  too  tightly. 

T.  BAINE8. 


FRUIT  TREES  IN  POTS. 
In  last  volume  of  The  Garden  (p.  531)  "S.  W, 
deprecates  the  culture  of  fruit  trees  in  pots.     He 
says  "  he  never  saw  a  houseful  of  pot  trees  at  one 
time  carrying  a  good  or  even  a  mediocre  crop  all 
over."  Allow  me  to  say  that  I  have  grown  scores  of 
Peaches  and  Nectarines  in  pots  in  the  same  house 
for  eighteen  years  in  succession,  and  never  once 
failed  to  obtain  a  full  crop.     As  to  quality,  we  had 
Peaches  lOi^  inches  in  circumference  from  three 
and  four-year-old  trees,  and  they  carried  cif  first 
prizes  both  at  South  Kensington  and  the  Crystal 
Palace.     On  one  occasion,  when  I  counted  fifty- 
four  dishes  of  Peaches  in  competition,  a  dish  of 
our  Peaches  from  a  tree  the  third  year  from  the 
bud  gained  the  first  prize.     Surely  that  is  a  suffi- 
cient answer  to  "  S.  W."  when  he  asks  for  proof 
in  the  way  of  results.     If  fruits  set  badly  or  are 
not  of  good  quality,  it  is  not  the  system  that  is  to 
blame.     I  have  no  interest  whatever  in  advocating 
the  pot  culture  of  fruit  trees,  but  I  have  derived  a 
great  deal  of  pleasure  from  it,  and  almost  regret 
that  it  cannot    be    followed    out    in    our    new 
garden   to   the  same  extent  that  it  was  possible 
to  do  in  the   one   which  we    have    lately    left. 
Trees   in   pots    require  a   good   deal   of    atten- 
tion  from  the  time  when  the  fruit  commences 
stoning    until   it  is    ripe — a  period    of   nine  or 
ten  weeks.     During  the  remaining  forty  weeks 
the   labour  is  not  at  all  exacting,  and  it  is  a 
great  convenience  to  be  able  to  turn  the  whole 
of    the  trees   out-of-doors   when   the  season   for 
fruits  is  over,  and  transform  the  orchard  house 
into  a  winter  garden,  in  which  Chrysanthemums 
and  other  winter-flowering    plants  can  be  kept 
from  October  until  the  end  of  January.     "  S.  W.'' 
turns  up  the  dark  side  of  the  picture  ;  I  prefer  the 
bright  side.     The  pot  culture  of  fruit  trees  has, 
perhaps,  been  practised  longer  at  Sawbridgeworth 
than  elsewhere,  and  grand  fruits  are  still  obtained 
there  from  pot  trees.     Mr.  Rivers  sent  to  the  late 
Crystal  Palace  show  a  collection  of  fruits  the  whole 
of  which  had  been  grown  on  pot  trees.  There  were 
nine  varieties  of  Cherries,  of  a  quality  that  could 
not  be  surpassed.     Early  Rivers,  a  seedling  raised 
at  Sawbridgeworth  from  Early  Purple  Guigne,  was 
the  best ;  the  fruit  was  glossy  black,  of  the  largest 
size,  and  rich  in  flavour.     Black  Hawk  was  also 
large  and  well  ripened.    Bigarreau  de  Schreken,  a 
new   black  variety  of    large    size,  was    rich   in 
flavour.    Jlay  Duke  was  very  fine  for  that  old  sort. 
Bigarreau  Napoleon  was  large  and  well  ripened. 
The  others   consisted  of   Ludwig's,  Gros  Ccfuret, 
Monstreuse  de   Mezel,  and  Emperor   Francis,   a 
new,    large,    and    fine    Cherry.      Two    or    three 
dishes   of   Early  Transparent  Gage    Plum   were 
also  very  fine.     The   following   Nectarines   were 
exhibited  in   good   condition — viz,,    Pine  Apple, 
Rivers'  Orange,  Victoria,  Humboldt,  and  Goldoni, 
the    last    one    of    the    most     recent     of     the 
Sawbridgeworth  seedlings.  It  is  distinct  and  more 
delicate  in  flavour  than  any  of  the  other  yellow- 
fleshed  kinds,  although  it  will  probably  not  grow 
so  large  as  Pine-apple  and  Humboldt.     Peaches 
were  represented  by  Exquisite,  and  I  may  say  in 
passing  that  it  is  one  of  the  most  shy  setters  in 
cultivation,  but  here  it  was  from  pot  trees,  and  it 
was  the  same  variety  to   which  I  have  already 
alluded  as  taking  the  first  prize  against  fifty-four 
dishes,  most  of  them  from  planted-out  trees  in 
Peach  houses.     Princess  of   Wales   was  another 
large  and  fine  Peach.    Gladstone,  the  Nectarine 
Peach,  and  Sea  Eagle  were  also  shown,  the  last 
probably  the  best  late  Peach  yet  raised.    It  ripens 
about  the  same  time  as  Barrington,  and  is  much 
superior  to  it.  I  may  add  that  whatever  knowledge 
I  possess  on  this  and  kindred  subjects  is  the  result 
of  practical  experience.  J.  Douglas. 


54 


THE    GARDEN 


[July   19,  1884. 


GRAPES  NOT  COLOURING. 
When,  on  the  28th  of  May  last,  I  entered  my  pre- 
sent situation,  I  found  two  vineries  (lean-to)  with 
a  good  south  aspect,  but  with  borders  very  much 
neglected.  In  vinery  No.  1,  the  early  house, 
Black  Hamburghs  are  planted  inside  with  pro- 
vision for  the  roots  to  make  their  way  outside. 
The  inside  border  has  the  appearance  of  having 
had  at  some  time  a  superficial  dressing  of  loam. 
The  outside  border  is  in  a  very  neglected  state 
To  all  appearance  these  Vines  have  been  planted 
a  quarter  of  a  century,  and  they  have  every  ap- 
pearance of  having  been  heavily  cropped.  The 
present  crop  is  very  heavy  and  the  bunches  and 
berries  unusually  large.  Nearly  four  weeks  ago 
Ihcy  began  to  colour,  but  the  process  stopped. 
The  result  is,  not  a  single  bunch  in  this 
house  is  fit  for  the  table.  Is  the  deficiency 
as  regards  colouring  owing  to  heavy  crop- 
ping or  to  the  neglected  state  of  the  border  ? 
Vinery  No.  2  is  also  planted  with  Rlack  Ham- 
burgh, the  roots  being  wholly  outside.  In  May 
last  the  berries  in  this  house  were  about  the  size 
of  Peas.  During  last  month  the  weather  was 
very  hot  and  dry,  and  the  border  began  to  crack. 
I  had  it  twice  thoroughly  watered  with  three  parts 
soft  water  and  one  part  water  taken  from  an  old 
cesspool.  The  wood  of  the  Vines  in  this  house  is 
fast  approaching  maturity,  but  there  are  no  signs 
of  the  bprries  colouring.  The  larger  the  latter 
get  the  more  unhealthy  do  they  look.  I  am  most 
anxious  about  them,  lest,  like  the  Grapes  in  house 
No.  1,  they  should  not  colour  properly.  Will  some 
of  your  readers  kindly  favour  me  with  their 
opinion  as  to  the  cause  of  the  berries  not  colour- 
ing 1  D.  McK. 


such  that  in  half  that  time  it  is  as  far  worn  out 
and  unsuited  to  the  roots  as  in  other  cases  where 
the  quality  is  good  it  would  be  in  half  a  century, 
and  this,  I  think,  will  be  the  verdict  of  others  who 
have  had  much  experience  in  Vine  growing. 
"  J.  S.  W."  says  it  is  for  me  to  explain  how  the 
Lambton  Vines  support  what  I  have  said  on  the 
subject  of  Vine  roots  in  outside  and  inside  bor- 
ders. If  further  proof  in  support  of  my  views 
were  wanted,  there  are  few  who  will  not  see  that 
the  condition  of  these  Lambton  Vines  is  exactly 
to  the  point. 

Everything  requisite  had  been  done  for 
them,  outside  as  well  as  inside,  and  still  they  show 
clearly  by  their  presence  inside  in  so  much  greater 
quantities  than  outside  that  if  well  treated  they 
will  take  as  freely,  if  not  more  freely,  to  the  inside 
border  than  to  the  outside.  The  unmistakable 
drift  of  "  J.  S.  W.'s  "  latest  communication  is  that 
too  much  has  been  done  for  the  roots  of  the 
Lambton  Vines  to  admit  of  their  fairly  repre- 
senting the  matter  under  discussion  ;  but  that  is 
begging  the  question.  "J.  S.  W."  expresses  ap- 
proval of  the  way  in  which  the  Lambton  Vines 
have  been  treated,  yet  he  objects  to  the  result  of 
the  treatment,  viz.,  the  quantity  of  roots  in  the 
inside  borders,  as  not  being  a  case  that  goes  to 
prove  that  when  well  treated  they  will  not  desert 
the  inside  border  for  the  outside. 

T.  Baines. 


INSIDE  VINE  BORDERS. 
"J.    S.    W."    tries   (p.    17)    to    shift   his  position 
in   regard  to  Vine   borders,    finding   that  which 
he  first  held  to  be  untenable.     Anyone  unpre- 
judiced cannot  fail   to  see  that  the    condition 
of  the  roots  of  the   Lambton  V^ines,  in  both  the 
inside  and  outside  borders,  which  were  correctly 
described   in  the   last  volume  of   The   Garden 
(p  532),  was  an  additional  instance  to  those  pre- 
viously brought  forward  in  my  favour,  and  which 
collectively  have  proved  that  "  J.  S.  W.'s  "  original 
statement,  that  the  roots  would  not  remain  in  an 
inside    border  if    they  could  get  out,  is  wrong 
Unable  to  reconcile  his  opinion  with  the  profuse 
mass  of   roots   present   in   the   inside  borders  at 
Lambton,  "J.  S.  W. "  now  alleges  that  much  care 
and  coaxing  have  been  bestowed  on  them.     Does 
he  mean   to   say  there  has    been  too  much  or 
more   than    the    crops    which    the    Vines    have 
borne    have   amply  repaid  1      If    so,    how  does 
he    reconcile  his    statement    in    the   next    sen- 
tence,   where    he    expresses    approval    of    the 
treatment  to  which   Mr.   Hunter  had  subjected 
them?     "J.S.  W."  attributes  the  cause  of    the 
roots  in  the  outside  border  being  fewer  than  in  the 
inside  to  their  not  having  been  coaxed  like  those  in- 
side.    Those  who  are  in  the  habit  of  seeing  what 
goes  on  at  Lambton  and  are  acquainted  with  Mr. 
Hunter's  practice  will  not  require  to  be  told  that 
all  that  is  needful  outside,  as  well  as  in,  is  done  for 
them.     The  course  followed  is  that  which  all  good 
gardeners  recognise  as  right,  viz  ,  giving  the  most 
to  sustain  the   roots   where  they  exist   in    the 
greatest    quantities.      "J.    S.   W."    triumphantly 
points  to  the  outside  roots  doing  all  the  work, 
whilst  the  extremities  of  the  roots  were  annually 
lifted  and  new  soil  given  them,  and  further,  this 
season,  he  says,  they  carried   the  crop  through 
when  the  inside  borders  have  been  re- made. 

Grape  GROWERS  who  have  had  to  do  with  lifting 
the  roots  in  one  border  when  they  occupy  two  are 
not  likely  to  be  misled  by  one  sided  views 
of  this  kind,  knowing  from  experience  that 
it  does  not  require  an  extraordinary  amount 
of  undisturbed  roots  to  sustain  the  Vines 
in  their  first  stages  of  growth  before  the 
lifted  roots,  where  plentiful,  as  in  the  new  borders 
at  Lambton,  get  into  action.  "  J.  S.  W."  says  a 
Vine  border  should  last  twenty  years  at  least. 
This  depends  upon  the  character  of  the  soil  of 
which  it  is  made.    I  know  places  where  the  soil  is 


STRAWBERRY  SUPPORTS. 

The  various  expedients  that  have  been  suggested 
at  different  times  for  keeping  Strawberries  from 
being  spattered  by  grit  and  for  preserving  them 
from  the  attacks  of  slugs  have  not  in  many  cases 
been  adopted.  One  reason  of  this  is  doubtless  the 
expense,  but  to  my  mind  there  is  a  still  more  sub- 
stantial reason,  which  is  that  when  the  fruit  is 
supported  at  any  distance  from  the  ground  it  does 
not  attain  the  same  dimensions  as  if  it  had  been 
left  undisturbed.     It  may  be  difficult  to  explain 
why  this  should  be  so,  but  the  fact  holds  good 
that  unless  the  work  is  carried  out  with  the  greatest 
care,  and  the  fruits  only  removed  an  inch  or  two 
above  the  soil,  they  will  not  grow  to  so  large  a 
size  as  those  close  to  the  ground.     Such  is  my  ex- 
perience after  having  tried  various  plans  to  keep 
the  fruit  clean  and  out  of  the  reach  of  slugs.    It 
seems  that  when  the  fruit  is  near  the  ground  the 
temperature,  if  not  higher,  is  more  uniform  than 
when  there  is  a  current  of  air  passing  between  it 
and  the  soil,  and  probably  the  degree  of  moisture 
which  doubtless  is  considerably  greater  near  the 
ground  than  elsewhere  has  something  to  do  with 
its  more  rapid  swelling.     It  appears  to  me  that 
directly  one  suspends  the    fruit  in   the  air  by 
artificial  supports  we  place  it  in  an  unnatural 
position  which  it  resents  by  refusing  to   swell 
to  its  natural   size.    No  doubt  there  is  a  right 
and  a  wrong  way  in  using  supports.     The  right 
way   is,    there   cannot   be   a    doubt,    only   just 
to     lift     the     fruit     clear      of      the     ground. 
I  am   quite   convinced   it   is   wrong  to   have   a 
greater    space    than   2    inches    between    it    and 
the  earth,  and,  further,  if  any  supports  at  all  are 
to  be  used,  they  should  be  put  to  the  fruit  some 
days  before  it  begins  to  colour,  in  order  that  its 
surface  may  have  time  to  get  hardened  by  ex 
posnre  before  it  commences  to  ripen.     The  skin  of 
Strawberries  is  like  that  of  Melons — very  tender 
when  just  on  the  point  of  ripening,  and  a  sudden 
removal  from  the  shade  of  the  leaves  to  strong 
sunshine  would  result  in  the  surface  of  the  fruit 
being  scalded  on  the  side  exposed  to  the  sun. 
Whether  we  shall  ever  get  a  suitable  Strawberry 
support,  and  one  at  the  same  time  cheap  enough 
to  use  on  a  large  s;ale,  is  doubtful.     We  have  not 
made  any  progress  in  that  direction  for  the  past 
quarter  of  a  century.     The  nearest  approach  to 
any   serviceable  invention  were  the    Strawberry 
tiles  registered  more  than  thirty  years  ago,  but 
they  never  found  their  way  into  many  gardens. 
These  tiles  were  set  round  the  plants,  and   for 
rather  small  single  ones  they  did  very  well,  but 
where  the  plants  grew  vigorously  it  required  three 


then  they  could  not  be  got  near  enough  to  shelter 
some  of  the  earliest  and  best  fruit. 

As  regards  the  now  common  practice  of  using 
long  litter  for  the  purpose,  one  can  hardly  say  a 
word  against  it,  seeing  that  it  is  available  in 
large  quantities  in  most  gardens,  and  it  is  a  fairly 
good  makeshift  if  laid  on  in  good  time,  so  that  it 
can  be  well  cleansed  from  all  impurities  by  the 
rain,  but  it  is  not  the  best,  nevertheless,  and  those 
who  would  like  to  have  Strawberries  sent  to  their 
table  in  the  cleanest  possible  manner  without  any 
great  outlay  should  allow  their  gardeners  to  take 
a  lesson  from  the  small  market  growers  of  Kent, 
or  rather  that  portion  of  it  that  lies  between 
Dover  and  Canterbury,  where  there  are  great  num- 
bers of  small  growers  of  this  fruit,  who  select 
every  sunny  bank  or  sideland  piece  of  ground  that 
faces  south  for  the  production  of  early  crops. 
These  growers  do  not  attempt  to  put  anything 
over  the  surface  until  the  fruit  begins  to  swell. 
They  then  get  clean  wheat  straw,  and  with  a 
chaff-cutter  properly  adjusted  the  straw  is  cut 
into  lengths  of  about  3  inches,  and  this  is  strewn 
sufliciently  thick  all  over  the  surface  to  keep  the 
fruit  clean ;  but  this  is  not  its  only  advan- 
tage, for  slugs  do  not  like  it ;  in  dry  wea- 
ther it  is  too  harsh  and  the  ends  too  sharp 
for  them.  It  is  certainly  the  best  material 
for  the  purpose  with  which  I  am  acquainted. 
There  is  the  cost  of  the  straw,  which  might  not 
amount  to  a  large  sum  certainly,  but  the  long 
litter  now  so  much  used  may  be  had  for  the  carting 
in  most  places,  and  that  makes  all  the  difference. 
In  a  large  garden  a  score  or  two  of  trusses  of  straw 
would  not  be  too  much,  which  means  an  addi- 
tional outlay  that  might  cause  some  demur,  and 
for  the  most  part  the  gardener  has  enough  to 
answer  in  that  way,  and  gladly  escapes  all  that  he 
can  when  they  do  not  concern  matters  abso- 
lutely nece.'^sary  to  carry  on  his  work. 

J.  C.  C. 


Too  mucli  mulohing. —  "  Cambrian's  " 
Peach  border  that  was  injured  by  too  thick  a  layer 
of  juicy  manure  being  laid  on  it  is  similar  to  what 
I  have  in  several  places  noticed  where  fresh  cow 
manure  was  in  like  manner  applied  with  a  view  to 
benefit  the  plants  by  enriching  the  soil  and  keep- 
ing it  moist,  but  the  result  of  which  was  that  the 
close  mass  excluded  air,  and  kept  the  surface  in  a 
soddened  state.  I  should  rather  suppose  that  the 
thickness  of  the  mulching  had  not  so  much  to  do 
with  the  mischief  as  its  density,  which  naturally 
brought  about  the  result  complained  of.  Mulching 
with  moderately  light  material  I  have  always 
found  best.— T.  B. 

Protecting  fiults  and  seeds.— We  have 
three  miniature  double  mirrors  suspended  in  a 
triangular  form  from  a  piece  of  silk  thread ;  these 
mirrors  are  hung  on  a  bent  rod  at  equal  distances 
apart,  according  to  the  size  of  the  plantation  to 
be  protected.  These  are  continually  revolving, 
and  on  a  bird  coming  near  it  immediately  sees 
itself  from  one  or  the  other  of  them,  and  becom- 
ing alarmed  does  not  attempt  to  alight,  but  flies 
off  at  once.  We  have  two  quarters  of  Straw- 
berries, one  at  each  end  of  the  garden  ;  one  is 
covered  with  netting,  the  other  is  protected  by 
the  mirrors  only,  and  I  have  not  seen  a  bird 
alight  where  the  mirrors  are  since  the  plan  was 
adopted.— J.  W.  M. 

Proteotion.orno protection. — Mr  Baines 
has  quite  misread  my  remarks  on  this  subject.  I 
did  not  say  that  frost  which  will  kill  Peach  blos- 
som will  also  always  kill  Gooseberries,  as  Mr. 
Baines  puts  it,  but  that  what  would  kill  Goose- 
berries would  kill  Peaches—  quite  another  thing. 
Nor  did  I  say  that  "  the  cold-resisting  power  of 
bloom  is  no  greater  in  the  case  of  trees  with  fully 
ripened  wood  than  in  others,"  but  the  contrary. 
What  I  do  say  is,  that  Peach  blossom  will  perish 
under  from  4°  to  0°  of  frost,  no  matter  what  the 
previous  treatment  may  have  been,  and  I  daresay 
poor,  weak  bloom  will  succumb  to  less.  This  is  a 
specific  statement  in  reply  to  Mr.  Baines ;  can  he 
controvert  it  1  What  gardeners  want  to  know 
first  is  the  maximum  amount  of  frost  which  Peach 


and  sometimes  four  tiles  to  go  round  them,  and  !  blossom  will  endure.     Once  they  know  that,  they 


July   1!),    1884,1 


THE     GARDEN 


55 


can  shape  their  practice  accordingly  ;  but  on  this 
point  Mr.  Baines  is  very  vague,  and  yet  he  should 
be  able  to  put  it  into  figures,  ai  I  have  done,  and 
then  by-and-by  perhaps  we  could  test  the  matter 
practically  and  see  who  is  right  and  who  wrong. 
There  must  be  a  limit  to  the  power  of  endurance 
of  blossoms;  will  Mr.  Eaines  say  what  it  is  ?  — 
J.  S.  W. 


NOTES. 

Flowers  Indoors  —A  little  bit  of  modern 
Venetian  glass  on  my  table  makes  a  pretty  bowl 
for  Roses  and  their  own  fresh  green  leaves.  But 
the  red  gold  bowl  is  on  a  stem  of  opal,  and  a  few 
slender  sprays  of  common  black  Bryony  are 
wreathed  around  it  in  quite  a  pretty  way.  A 
figured  Japanese  jar  holds  flowering  Grasses  and 
white  Ox-eye  Daisies,  while  an  old  brown  jug, 
always  sacred  to  golden  blossoms,  is  now  a  pic- 
ture, having  a  great  sheaf  of  Corn  Mirigolds 
placed  in  it  just  as  they  were  cut.  Purple  Canna 
leaves  and  an  armful  of  white  Lilies  also  make  a 
good  arrangement,  and  some  terra-cjtta  vases  on 
the  floor  are  filled  entirely  with  the  great  spread- 
ing heads  of  Eryngium  giganteum.  Irids,  both 
golden  and  purple,  never  look  batter  than  with 
their  own  straiglat-sword-like  leaves — nay,  I  have 
come  to  think  that  other  foliage  or  greenery  than 
their  own  is  wrong  for  all  blossoms. 

Theory  and  practice  —It  his  b3en  the 
fashion  to  separate  handwork  from  headwork  as  if 
the  two  were  incompatible.  One  was  for  labourers 
and  mechanics,  the  other  for  prof essional  and  lite- 
rary people ;  one  was  for  the  poor,  the  other  for 
the  rich.  But  we  are  gradually  learning  that 
their  harmonious  vmion  is  the  only  means  of 
the  perfection  of  either.  Ruskin  says  truly  ;  "  We 
want  one  man  to  be  always  thinking  and  another 
to  be  always  working,  and  we  call  one  a  gentle- 
man and  the  other  an  opsrator;  whereas  the 
workman  ought  often  to  be  thinking  and  the 
thinker  often  to  be  working,  and  both  should  be 
gentlemen  in  the  best  sense.  The  mass  of  sooiety 
is  made  up  of  morbid  thinkers  and  miserable 
workers.  It  is  only  by  labour  that  thought  can  be 
made  healthy,  and  only  by  thought  that  labour  can 
be  made  happy,  and  the  two  cannot  be  separated 
with  impunity," 

The  right  path— "Nothing  can  be  great 
which  is  not  right.  Nothing  which  reason  con- 
demns can  be  suitable  to  our  minds.  To  be  driven 
by  external  motives  from  the  path  which  our 
own  heart  approves,  to  give  way  to  anything  but 
conviction,  to  suffer  the  opinion  of  others  to  rule 
our  choice  or  overpower  our  resolves,  is  to  submit 
tamely  to  the  lowest  and  mist  ignominious 
slavery,  and  to  resign  the  right  of  directingour  own 
lives."  It  is  so  with  gardening.  'We  are  all  too 
apt  to  do  what  is  popular — what  is  supposed  to  be 
pretty  or  what  is  fashionable  ;  but  the  only  way 
to  permanent  success  is  to  do  what  is  right.  In 
gardening,  as  in  all  things,  we  must  search  and 
straggle  for  the  right  way,  and  then  keep  on 
straight,  despite  either  sneers  or  praise. 

White  liiliea.— Clumps  of  Madonna  Lilies 
and  pale  blue  Delphiniums  alternate  on  either  side 
of  a  broad  walk,  and  just  no s-  form  a  picture  good 
to  see.  Beneath  them,  asleep  in  the  hot  sunshine, 
lie  buried  Snowdrop  and  Crocus,  Soilla  and  Nar- 
cissus, in  great  patches  or  in  slender  lines,  but  the 
glory  of  a  well-stocked  garden  just  now  consists 
in  the  sheaves  of  the  old  white  Lily,  than  which 
no  flower  can  well  be  sweeter  or  fairer.  I  know 
some  cottage  gardens  in  country  villages  on  the 
cold  Leicestershire  clay  where  this  old  white 
Lily  luxuriates,  but  it  is  not  everywhere  at  home. 
I  think  Mr.  Wilson  says  somewhere  in  these  pages 
that  it  is  with  him  one  of  the  most  difficult  of  all 
Lilies  to  manage,  although,  as  we  all  know,  it  is 
one  of  the  very  oldest  of  all  garden  flowers.  It 
was  ever  a  favourite  with  the  religious  painters, 
who  placed  it  in  their  pictures  of  the  Madonna 
but  there  is  doubtless  some  still  older  legend 
which  may  account  for  this  general  usage  as  well 
as  for  the  name.   However  this  may  be,  one  thing 


is  certain,  viz.,  that  as  seen  at  its  best  no  other 
Lily  can  be  finer  than  Lilium  oaudidum. 

Permanent  seed  beds.— Having  many 
hardy  and  half-hardy  seeds  to  raise  every  year,  we 
have  found  a  way  to  grow  them  which  is  at  once 
less  trouble  and  more  successful  than  the  old  pot- 
and-pan  system  of  sowing  in  cold  frames.  Our 
present  plan  is  to  sow  on  prepared  beds  in  the 
open  air.  "  Ah  !  "  says  our  friend  on  the  cold  clay, 
or  he  of  the  harsh  marl,  "  it  is  all  very  well  on 
your  light,  sandy  soil,  but  here  our  seeds  so  treated 
either  rot  or  are  killed  by  drought.'  My  opinion 
is,  that  our  plan  may  be  made  a  success  anywhere. 
A  sunny,  sheltered  corner  in  a  yard  is  selected. 
The  bed  may  be  of  any  size,  and  may  either  be 
edged  with  12-inch  boards  placed  on  edge  or  by  a 
wall  of  turf  sods.  The  bed  is  then  filled  with  the 
refuse  earth  from  the  potting  benches,  to  which 
leaf-mould  or  rotten  manure  and  sand  are  added. 
The  whole  is  made  firm  and  raked  even,  and  on 
such  a  bed  we  sow  all  our  hardy  seeds  as  soon  as 
they  are  ripe.  We  never  keep  seeds  in  packets  or 
store  them  away  to  be  forgotten  in  dusty  drawers. 
Seeds  sown  as  soon  as  ripe  germinate  quite  readily, 
as  a  rule,  even  during  mild  winter  weather.  The 
pot-and-pan  difficulty  is  banished,  and  cold  frames 
are  free  for  other  stock.  If  some  seeds  do  not 
grow  the  first  year,  they  are  in  the  soil  and  are 
not  thrown  away,  as  so  often  happens  under  the 
pot-and-pan  method. 

The  time  of  Irises  — After  the  latest  Daf- 
fodils and  before  the  earliest  of  Roses  comes 
the  first  fresh  flush  of  Iris  blossoms.  Of  course  in 
some  gardens  you  can  pick  Iris  flowers  all  the 
year  round,  or  say  Iris  stylosa  at  Christmas,  and  I. 
reticulata  blooms  along  with  the  earliest  of  Scillas 
and  dwarf  Daffodils,  and  wherever  the  grassy 
leaved  I.  ruthenica  does  well  its  buds  pop  up  at 
nearly  all  seasons.  But  the  time  of  Irises  begins 
with  the  first  blooming  of  the  bearded  I.  germanica, 
is  carried  on  by  the  Spanish  and  English  kinds, 
and  ends  with  a  flush  of  the  great  butterfly-like 
blossoms  of  the  Japanese  race  (I.  K;empferi) 
These  lait  are  bold  and  beautiful  wherever  they 
luxuriate,  and  will  bear  comparison  with  the  finest 
of  Cattleyas  in  breadth  of  petal  and  in  subtle 
colouring.  The  same  may  be  said  for  the  broad- 
leaved  I.  pallida,  the  flowers  of  which  are  enor- 
mous, delicate  in  colouring  and  possessing,  more- 
over, a  subtle  whiS  of  fragrance  at  certain  times  of 
the  day.  Taken  as  a  class,  the  rhizomatous  Irids 
like  good  turfy  loam,  deep  and  rich,  whereas  the 
Xiphionor  bulbous  Irids  rarely  do  well  except  in 
light,  warm,  sandy  soils. 

Souvenirs  of  travel. —  Some  travellers 
bring  pictures,  carvings,  orcimeosto  remind  them 
of  the  pleasant  places  they  have  visited ;  I  am 
content  with  a  Fern  root  or  two,  which  may  be 
carried  quite  safely  in  a  spare  sponge  bag,  and 
which  to  my  mind  are  even  more  directly  associa- 
tive and  suggestive.  This  delicate  Asplenium  was 
gathered  in  the  Val  Acanzas  in  sight  of  Monte 
Risa;  that  rare  Polypody  is  a  native  of  Monte 
Christallo,  in  the  Dolomites ;  this  Holly  Fern 
was  found  on  the  summit  of  the  Simplon  half 
buried  in  the  snow,  that  in  the  Fuscheranal,  on  the 
route  across  the  Pfaudlscharte  to  the  mighty 
Pasterze  glacier  ;  from  the  cool  depths  of  the  well 
in  the  convent  courtyard  at  Padua,  where  Giotto's 
frescoes  are  still  dimly  visible,  came  this  tuft  of 
fragile  Maiden-hair,asold, perhaps, asthe  frescoes. 

The  stately  Oamund  Fern  is  a  relic  of  an 
unforgotten  visit  to  Mr.  Froude  and  the  Kerry 
coast ;  the  Oak  and  the  Baech,  and  the  Parsley  and 
the  Hart's-tongue,  and  the  hay-scented  and  the 
green  Asplenium  marinum  (which  first  saw  the 
light  in  a  cave  at  Colonsay)  are  reminiscences  of 
English  lake  and  Western  Island.  One  or  two  of 
them  are  already  perfectly  developed  ;  others  have 
only  begun  to  stir  the  soil  above  their  heads.  But 
in  each  and  ail  an  inscrutable  [and  irresistible 
force  is  at  work,  a  power  so  potent  that  even  the 
hard-trodden  sod  is  moved  aside  by  a  slender 
needle-like  shaft  which  the  faintest  breeze  will 
bend— a  miracle,  indeed,  before  which  science  is 
mute.  Thus  writes  a  correspondent  of  d'om/ 
Words  for  July,  who  must  be  at  heart  a  gardener. 


for  all  true  gardeners  prefer  plant  souvenirs  to  any 
other. 

The  Arum  Lily. — Although  long  in  cultiva- 
tion, this  plant  (Kichardia  a3thiopica)  still  remains 
at  once  one  of  the  most  gracefully  classical  and 
effective  of  all  decorative  plants  whatever.  It  is 
nearly  hardy ;  in  mild  localities,  or  where  it  is 
planted  in  water  over  2  feet  in  depth,  perfectly 
so,  but  even  in  the  coldest  of  gardens  it  is  worth 
preserving  indoors  during  the  winter  for  the  sake 
of  plunging  it  out  in  shallow  tanks  or  ponds  dur- 
ing the  summer  months.  Plants  for  early  bloom- 
ing in  a  warm  greenhouse  should  now  be  separated 
into  single  crowns  and  planted  out  in  a  sunny 
position  out-of-doors  in  a  well-manured  trench.  S  o 
treated,  strong  flowering  crowns  are  produced, 
which  may  be  taken  up  and  potted  in  October  and 
removed  indoors.  Such  plants  may  be  bloomed 
almost  any  time,  according  to  the  temperature  iri 
which  they  are  placed.  To  obtain  large  spathes, 
they  should  either  be  potted  in  loam  and  rotten 
manure,  or  be  liberally  supplied  with  stimulants 
in  a  liquid  form.  Starved  plants  in  small  pots  will 
bloom  at  1  foot  to  18  inches  in  height,  but  well- 
fed  specimens  in  large  pots  may  be  (J  feet  high, 
with  their  spathes  white  as  ivory  and  large  in  pro- 
portion. As  a  window  plant  it  deserves  notice. 
I  know  of  two  old  plants  of  it  which  have  been 
many  years  in  the  same  window  ;  they  have  woody 
stems  6  inches  in  height,  and  these  plants  are 
nearly  always  in  flower. 

Running  to  seed. — "  No,"  said  an  amateur 
the  other  day  ;  "  much  as  I  love  Canterbury  Bells, 
they  have  a  serious  drawback  to  me.  No  sooner 
do  their  flowers  expand  than  the  July  sun  scorches 
them  up,  and  as  the  plant  runs  to  seed  it  becomes 
absolutely  shabby."  I  am  afraid  this  is  a  true  bill 
on  hot,  dry  soils.  In  small  gardens,  where  only  a 
few  things  are  grown,  it  is  easy  to  snip  away  the 
dead  flowers,  but  in  large  gardens  this  is  impos- 
sible. Here  we  find  they  flower  well  and  retain 
their  beauty  long  if  grown  under  tree  shade. 
We  have  many  other  flowers  which  spoil  very 
rapidly  if  allowed  to  run  to  seed.  Foxgloves  and 
Delphiniums  are  well-known  examples.  The 
remedy  is,  as  we  have  said,  to  cut  away  all  decay- 
ing blossoms,  and  if  this  is  done  many  plants 
otherwise  most  fugacious  endure  fresh  and  fair  for 
weeks  instead  of  days.  Where  the  soil  is  hot  and 
sandy,  a  mulching  of  well-rotted  manure  or  Cocoa- 
nut  fibre  is  useful,  or  even  short  Grass  froni  the 
lawn-mower  may  be  so  utilised,  and  occasional 
waterings  with  liquid  manure  will  then  prove  most 
effectual.  One  thing  is  clear,  if  plants  are  ex- 
pected to  keep  on  blossoming,  running  to  seed 
must  be  prevented  at  all  cost. 

Rose  Celeste. — As  seen  side  by  side,  no  one 
could  possibly  confuse  this  variety  with  Rosa  alba 
or  the  old  Maiden's  Blush.  Just  as  I  now  write  a 
friend  sends  me  a  big  cluster  of  its  deliciously 
perfumed  rosy  buds  and  broad  glaucous  leaves. 
What  an  exquisite  Rose  it  is  I  and  its  ricn  fra- 
grance is  most  exquisite  also — pure  and  fresh  as 
the  ottar  of  Cashmere  !  That  this  lovely  old  variety 
is  not  better  known  is  little  short  of  a  calamity, 
seeing  that  but  few  other  Roses  in  the  bud  stage 
are  more  lovely  or  so  sweet.  I  must  ask  Mr. 
George  Paul  to  assist  us  in  looking  up  and  culti- 
vating all  these  lovely  old-fashioned  Roses  when 
he  can  spare  time,  and  then  we  must  have  a  Rose 
conference,  at  which  single  as  well  as  double  kinds 
will  have  a  place  accorded  them.  I  think  I  know 
half  a  hundred  of  these  single  and  semi-double 
old-fashioned  Roses,  but  none  fairer  or  more 
deliciously  sweet  than  this  in  its  earlier  stages 
of  blossoming. 

Alstroemerias.  —  These  showy  Amaryllids 
are  far  too  rarely  seen  in  even  the  best  of  collec- 
tions. Once  well  planted  they  are  most  luxuriant, 
but  being  tender  they  should  have  a  warm  po.si- 
tion  near  plant-house  walls,  and  if  the  natural  soil 
is  stiff  and  heavy,  sand  should  be  largely  added.  A. 
aurantiaca  grows  with  us  5  feet  in  height,  each 
leafy  wand  terminated  by  an  umbel  of  ten  to 
rwenty  vivid  orange  flowers.  Pale  yellow  and 
to.sy  pink  species  are  also  very  lovely  on  warm 
sunny  borders  just  now,  but  none  are  so  striking 


56 


THE    GARDEN 


[Ji'f,Y  !0,   1884. 


as  this  orange-blossomed  kind.  For  cutting  they 
are  invaluable,  as  they  endure  fresh  for  a  long  time 
in  water  indoors.  I  wish  someone  who  knows 
these  lovely  blossoms  well  would  write  us  a  de- 
scriptive list  of  all  the  species,  and  tell  us  some- 
thing of  the  numerous  beautiful  seedlings  and 
hybrids  raised  years  ago  in  Continental  gardens. 
Here  with  us  all  the  kinds  we  have  seed  freely  and 
are  easily  increased  in  that  way  as  well  as  by  di- 
viding their  thong-like  roots. 

Big  leaves. — Handsome foliagedplantsif  well 
placed  and  luxuriant  in  growth  add  immensely  to 
the  interest  and  variety  of  even  the  best  of  gar- 
dens. Polygonum  sachalinense  is  now  10  feet 
liigh  waving  in  the  wind.  Saxifraga  peltata  in  a 
mass  6  feet  across  or  more,  each  of  its  little  um- 
brellas bronzed  by  the  sun,  is  also  a  noble  object. 
Its  first  cousin,  Eodgersia  podophylla,  is  even  yet 
more  effective  and  quite  beautiful  when  its  young 
foliage  seems  as  if  made  of  wrinkled  bronze  instead 
of  delicate  cellular  growth.  Centaurea  babylonica 
and  Verbascum  olympicum  are  well  worth  a  place 
for  their  woolly  foliage,  so  also  are  Ligularia 
Kasmpferi  and  L.  macrophylla,  while  all  the  species 
of  Acanthus  are  of  noble  port  when  well  grown. 
Wherever  old  ruins  abound  a  few  masses  of  A. 
spinosus  and  of  the  larger-leaved  A.  mollis  deserve 
a  place  amongst  them.  As  twining  plants  Aris- 
tolochia  Sipho  and  A.  tomentosa  suit  well  dead 
trees  or  trellis-work,  and  even  the  Crimean  Bind- 
weed (Calystegia  sylvatica)  is  handsome  as  a 
fine-foliaged  plant,  apart  altogether  from  its  great 
white  trumpet  flowers.  Veronica. 


Kitchen    Garden. 


MARKET  PEAS. 
Of  the  many  crops  grown  by  market  gardeners 
Peas  are  one  of  the  most  uncertain  ;  they  oftener 
fall  victims  to  climatal  influences  than  any  other 
commonly  grown  vegetable.  This  is  especially 
true  of  early  crops,  of  which  nothing  can  with 
certainty  be  said  until  they  are  quite  ready  to 
gather.  But  the  prices  sometimes  realised  for 
early  Peas  are  so  tempting  as  to  induce  growers 
generally  to  annually  incur  the  risk  which  their 
culture  involves,  and  when  a  man  has  any  large 
area  of  ground  to  fill  up,  the  complete  or  partial 
loss  of  a  few  acres  is  not  so  great  a  matter  ;  as  the 
ground  is  cleared  early  and  can  be  used  for  other 
things  that  same  season,  it  is  naturally  in  the  in- 
terest of  him  who  grows  Peas  largely  to  begin  the 
season  as  early  as  possible.  This  has  been  a  bad 
year  for  early  Peas,  cutting  winds  and  frosty 
winds  accompanying  the  flowering  season  to  the 
extent  of  almost  or  quite  ruining  them  in  many 
places.  Where  anything  like  a  crop  was  secured  it 
was  a  profitable  one,  and  I  hear  of  as  much  as 
il(l  per  acre  having  been  given.  This  is  a  good 
price  and  yields  a  handsome  profit  to  the  grower, 
but  it  was  far  otherwise  in  many  cases,  the  crop 
being  scarcely  worth  picking.  Taking  the  Pea 
season  as  a  whole,  it  must  be  termed  a  bad  one, 
the  frosts  and  unkind  weather  having  crippled 
both  early  and  late-sown  crops  to  a  considerable 
extent,  and  the  prolonged  drought  forced  them 
along  in  many  cases  to  premature  ripening  and 
caused  such  a  glut  as  to  bring  the  price  very  low. 
Somegrowers  in  this  district  market  their  own  Peas, 
but  in  the  majority  of  cases  they  are  bought  on 
the  ground  by  dealers,  and  one  of  these  told  me 
lately  that  he  lost  £iO  by  one  lot  he  bought. 
"  You  know,"  he  said,  "  there  is  a  good  deal  of  hit  or 
miss  with  us ;  sometimes  we  make  a  good  bargain, 
at  others  we  lose  money  ;  "  and  then  he  told  me  of 
a  crop  of  Day's  Early  Sunrise,  which  ran  out  to 
seventy  sacks  to  the  acre,  a  really  extraordinary 
crop,  and -from  which  .£19  per  acre  was  cleared, 
free  from  all  expenses.  This  Pea  is  finding  much 
favour  now,  as  it  fills  out  the  last  formed  pods,  and 
branches  and  bears  near  the  ground — points  in 
which  many  otherwise  excellent  kinds  are  defi- 
cient. But  questioned  as  to  what  he  should  con- 
sider the  best  Pea  for  general  purposes,  the  indi- 
vidual above  referred  to  unhesitatingly  replied, 
"  Kentish  Invicta,  the  best  market  Pea  grown, 
because  it  fills  very  well  and  keeps  good  in  colotir." 


The  soil  in  this  neighbourhood  is  too  light  for 
late  crops  ;  they  can  only  be  grown  on  deep,  rather 
holding  loam, but  it  suits  early  and  mid-season  ones 
admirably.  In  about  a  fortnight  gathering  will 
be  at  an  end  here.  A  good  crop  has  been  worth 
about  £7  an  acre,  which  is  not  a  bad  price,  but 
which  is  unfortunately  reduced  by  years  of  partial 
failure.  One  fault  that  many  make  who  should 
know  better  is  in  sowing  too  thickly  ;  the  rows  are 
often  not  more  than  18  inches  apart,  so  that  in  a 
good  growing  time  they  grow  into  each  other,  and 
by  their  very  luxuriance  deprive  the  pods  of  the 
power  of  swelling  upas  they  should.  A  field  be- 
longing to  a  friend  of  mine  afforded  this  year  an 
illustration  of  the  folly  of  sowing  so  thickly.  The 
rows  were  set  2  feet  apart,  and  as  the  fore  part 
of  the  season  was  so  dry  and  ungenial,  the  fields 
presented  a  very  meagre  appearance,  and  it  was 
thought  that  there  would  be  but  a  thin  crop.  But 
I  thought  differently,  and  I  made  the  observation 
that  in  the  case  of  garden  Peas  one  would  never 
think  of  putting  the  rows  so  close  together  as  to 
risk  their  being  crowded.  Why,  then,  should  field 
Peas  be  an  exception  to  this  rule  ?  for  although 
allowance  might  of  coarse  be  made  for  the  extra 
amount  of  light  and  air  which  a  field  crop  enjoys 
over  those  in  the  confined  precincts  of  a  garden, 
they  ought,  nevertheless,  not  to  quite  touch  in  the 
rows.  The  result  has  proved  the  truth  of  my  rea- 
soning, for  a  change  of  weather  occurring,  the 
plants  nearly  filled  up  the  allotted  space,  and  one 
of  the  pickers  told  me  that  he  scarcely  ever  saw  a 
better  crop.  Now,  if  they  had  been  sown  G  inches 
closer  in  the  rows,  they  would  have  grown  into 
one  another,  and  the  lower  pods  would  have  been 
smothered  before  they  could  have  filled.  An- 
other rather  important  detail  appears  to  be  the 
"laying"  of  the  haulm  when  about  half  grown. 
This  operation  consists  in  bringing  the  haulm  over 
to  one  side,  so  that  it  lies  all  in  one  direction 
and  to  a  great  extent  covers  the  ground.  The 
advantages  claimed  are  that  the  haulm,  by  cover- 
ing the  soil,  acts  as  a  mulch  toils  own  roots,  and 
that  the  plant  generally  is  better  enabled  to  pro- 
fit by  favourable  climatal  influences. 

The  gathering  is  done  by  regular  "  Pea  pod- 
ders."  These  "  podders  "  suddenly  make  their  ap- 
pearance on  the  approach  of  the  Pea  season.  Where 
their  home  is,  if  they  have  one,  and  what  they  do 
in  winter  is  a  mystery.  They  migrate  in  fami- 
lies, either  singly  or  two  or  three  together.  They 
pick  by  the  bushel,  and  as  every  child  works  as 
soon  as  it  can  walk,  they  in  a  general  way  can 
earn  good  money.  One  of  them  told  me  that  in 
a  good  crop  he  had  picked  as  mnch  as  a  bushel  an 
hour  the  day  through.  A  great  difficulty  expe- 
rienced with  these  men  is  to  keep  them  regularly 
to  their  work,  for  as  soon  as  they  have  a  few  shil- 
lings in  hand  they  are  apt  to  frequent  the  next  public 
house,  not  returning  to  their  work  until  their 
funds  are  again  at  vanishing  point.  This  some- 
times occasions  considerable  loss,  as  in  a  hot  time 
and  when  the  crop  is  fully  grown  it  will  seriously 
deteriorate  in  value  in  the  course  of  a  few  days  ; 
and  as  the  price  varies  from  day  to  day,  a  good 
market  may  thus  be  lost  or  only  partially  taken 
advantage  of.  t'rom  6d.  to  Is.  a  bushel  is  given 
for  picking,  the  lowest  price  being  that  given  for 
ordinary  fine  mid-season  crops,  8d.  being  the 
ordinary  price  when  the  crop  is  somewhat  thin. 
It  is  only  in  the  case  of  early  crops,  when  the  pro- 
duce is  valuable  and  naturally  Hot  so  much  of  it, 
that  Is.  per  bushel  is  given,  but  a  good  crop  at 
6d.  is  that  by  which  the  most  money  can  be  earned. 
As  before  mentioned,  it  is  only  on  rather  retentive 
soils  that  late  crops  of  Peas  should  be  sown  ; 
where  the  natural  staple  is  light  it  is  folly  to  do 
so,  as  the  haulm  becomes  dried  up  before  the  half 
of  the  pods  are  swelled  up.  There  is  a  large 
grower  in  this  neighbourhood  who  holds  some  700 
acres  of  land,  but  who  has  quite  finished  gather- 
ing ;  and,  indeed,  there  are  few  late  Peas  grown 
about  here,  as  it  is  only  here  and  there  that  the 
soil  is  of  a  holding  nature.  The  kinds  mostly 
favoured  for  late  crops  are  the  Fortyfold  and 
Yorkshire  Hero.  At  one  time  Champion  of  Eng- 
land was  the  main  crop  Pea  here  ;  now  one  rarely 
sees  it,  and  yet  I  am  told  by  those  who  should 


know  that  it  is   not  to  be  beaten  in  a  general 
way.  J.  c.  B. 


Perfect  Marrow  Pea.  —  Mr.  House,  of 
Peterborough,  has  sent  ns  a  sample  of  this  Pea, 
which  seems  to  be  a  very  good  one.  The  pods, 
though  not  very  long,  are  uncommonly  well  filled 
with  Peas  of  large  size  and  good  colour.  They 
were  gathered  from  the  open  field,  where  they  have 
been  grown  without  extra  manure  and  without 
stakes.  The  parents  of  this  Pea  were  Champion  of 
England  and  Ne  Plus  Ultra,  and  it  has  the  early 
qualities  of  the  Champion  and  the  fine  colour  and 
flavour  of  Ne  Plus  Ultra. 

ODion  fly  (Anon). — Your  Onions  are  at- 
tacked by  the  grubs  of  the  Onion  fly  (Anthomyia 
ceparnm).  Take  up  very  carefully  with  a  spud 
or  trowel  all  the  infested  bulbs  and  destroy  them 
by  burning  them  or  burying  them  deeply.  Be 
sure  you  do  not  have  any  of  the  grabs  in  tha 
ground.  As  there  is  more  than  one  breed  of  this 
insect  it  is  very  important  to  prevent  the  grubs 
undergoing  their  transformation.  The  Onions 
which  are  attacked  may  easily  be  known  by  the 
leaves  flagging  and  turning  yellow.  Watering 
once  or  twice  with  soap-suds  or  one  part  of 
paraffin  oil  to  IG  parts  of  water  kept  well  mixed 
has  been  found  very  useful.  In  dry  weather  use 
rather  less  oil  to  prevent  burning  the  plants. 
Water  the  bulbs  without  a  rose.— G.  S.  S. 

"  Roaulng"  Potatoes.  -We  find  it  neces- 
tary  in  order  to  keep  our  stocks  of  Potatoes  pure 
to  go  over  them  when  in  full  growth  and  clear 
out  any  that  are  not  true;  this  we  have  to  do 
about  once  in  three  years,  and  even  with  this  care 
we  find  more  rogues  than  we  like  to  see.  There  is 
very  little  difference  in  this  matter  with  regard 
to  varieties  ;  if  the  stock  is  examined  when  grow- 
ing there  is  sure  to  be  some  found  that  have  ran 
away  from  the  original  type.  If  we  had  not 
adopted  this  plan  many  years  ago,  our  old  favourite 
variety  of  Ashleaf  would  by  this  time  have  been 
unrecognisable.  Now,  although  it  has  been  grown 
in  the  same  garden  for  thirty  years,  it  is  as  true  in 
character  as  it  ever  was.  We  keep  it  true  by  dig- 
ging out  such  as  show  any  divergence  from  the 
type.-J.C.C. 

Dried  herbs. — This  is  the  proper  time  to 
harvest  a  full  supply  for  winter  use.  Most  of  the 
kinds  of  garden  herbs  are  now  coming  into  flower, 
and  they  are  then  at  their  best  for  drying.  A 
rather  cool,  airy  place  is  best  for  the  latter  pur- 
pose. Cut  them  when  dry,  and  spread  them  out 
on  the  shelves  of  the  Apple  store  or  in  any  similar 
place  until  they  get  thoroughly  dry  ;  then  tie  them 
up  in  bunches,  and  hang  up  in  an  open  shed 
where  the  fresh  air  can  circulate  freely  around 
them  ;  if  in  a  confined  atmosphere  they  soon  get 
mouldy  in  damp  weather.  Such  varieties  as  Sage, 
that  can  be  had  in  a  fresh  state  at  all  times  of  the 
year,  are  not  so  much  prized  in  a  dried  state  as 
the  herbaceous  kinds,  but  it  is  a  good  plan  to  pro- 
vide a  store  of  all  sorts  now  that  growth  is  abun- 
dant, and  when  the  cutting  off  a  portion  of  it 
causes  a  succession  of  young  fresh  leaves  and 
shoots  to  push  out,  thereby  keeping  up  an  unfail- 
ing supply.  Such  kinds  as  Sorrel,  if  allowed  to 
get  seedy,  take  a  long  time  to  produce  a  fresh 
supply  of  green  leaves  fit  for  use,  but  by  cutting 
over  a  few  plants  every  week  during  the  grow- 
ing season  there  need  never  be  a  scarcity. — 
J.  G.  H. 


SHORT  NOTES.— KITCEEN. 


A  good  forcing  French  Bean.— Anyone  who  has 
not  grown  >fe  Plus  Ultra  would  do  well  to  give  it  a  trial. 
It  has  done  remarkably  well  with  me,  coming  into  use 
within  seven  weeks  from  the  time  of  sowing,  and  keeping 
longer  in  good  condition  than  any  other  Bean  with  which  I 
am  acquainted.    It  is  very  prolific  and  good  in  habit.— 

T.   WOODFIELD. 

Diseased  Onions  (C.  n*.  H.).-  The  plants  are  attacked 
hy  one  of  tlie  mildews  peculiar  to  Onions,  named  Perono- 
spora  Schleideniana,  often  common  in  dry,  hot  weather, 
spring-sown  plants  being  most  affected.  Cures  are  un- 
known ;  careful  trenching  and  earthing  .and  autunui  sow- 
ing arc  said  to  be  preventives.  All  diseased  material  should, 
jf  possible,  be  burnt.— W.  G.  S. 


July    IV,   ISS4. 


THE     GARDEN 


COVENT  GAKDEN  A  NUISANCE. 

There  was  once  a  time  when  Covent  Garden  was 
a  fashionable  resort.  Its  coffee  liouses  were  af- 
fected by  men  about  town.  Its  hotels  were  the 
dearest  and  the  most  exclusive ;  and  under  its 
colonnades  ladies  used  to  promenade  as  they  do 
now  by  the  Serpentine,  and  shop  as  they  do  in 
Bond  Street.  All  this  we  know  from  old  prints 
and  other  contemporary  records.  Even  in  times 
comparatively  recent — let  us  say  sixty  years  ago — 
Covent  Garden  had  not  commenced  to  be  a  public 
nuisance,  and  in  the  Garden  itself  and  in  the  ad- 
jacent streets  were  to  be  found  some  of  the  best 
shops  and  the  oldest  tirms  in  London.  The  down 
fall  of  the  neighbourhood  is  not  to  be  e.xplained 
away  by  the  lamiliar  story  of  the  tide  of  fashion 
setting  towards  the  west.  During  the  same  period 
there  have  been,  of  course,  immense  architectural 
alterations  between  the  site  of  Temple  Bar  and 
the  commencement  of  Cockspur  Street ;  but  the 
general  character  of  the  Strand  has  altered  very 
little.  It  still  does  very  much  the  same  kind  of 
business,  and  is  visited  for  the  same  purposes  and 
objects.  But  from  the  district  that  surrounds 
Covent  Garden  the  old  occupants  and  those  of 
their  class  have  been  driven  away.  Nobody 
lives  there,  or  stops  there,  or  carries  on  business 
tbere,  if  he  can  possibly  help  it.  It  is,  indeed,  not 
too  much  to  say  that  the  Duke  of  Bedford's  over- 
grown market  will  ruin,  if  it  has  not  ruined  already, 
almost  the  entire  district  bounded  by  the  Strand 
on  the  south,  Drury  Lane  in  the  east.  Long  Acre 
on  the  north,  and  St.  Marlins  in  the  west. 

To  judge  of  the  extent  of  the  evil,  one  must 
visit  Covent  Garden  on  a  market-day — Saturday 
preferably.  Soon  after  midnight  heavy  vans  begin 
to  roll  in.  They  have  come  from  all  the  home 
counties,  and  many  of  them  have  been  journeying 
the  entire  day.  They  are  filled  with  huge  crates, 
hampers,  and  baskets.  Some  of  them  are  wheeled 
np  against  the  kerb.  Others  unload  at  once.  As 
the  small  hours  creep  on  the  traffic  increases.  You 
wonder  where  all  the  vehicles  can  possibly  have 
come  from,  and  how  their  contents  are  to  be  dis- 
posed of.  Minute  by  minute  the  arrivals  multiply. 
At  first  only  the  Market  itself  is  occupied,  but 
before  sunrise  Henrietta  Street,  .lames  Street, 
Russell  Street,  and  Southampton  Street  are  all 
blocked.  Their  whole  roadway  is  occupied  up  to 
the  footpath  on  each  side.  Meantime  the  crowd 
of  porters  and  runners  grows  thicker  and  thicker. 
The  two  outer  arcades  are  completely  filled  up  with 
tier  upon  tier  of  loaded  boxes  and  baskets.  There 
is  just  a  narrow  gangway  on  each  side,  through 
which  salesmen  and  purchasers  can  elbow  their 
way.  It  is  an  interesting  sight,  and  at  first  a 
pleasant  one.  One  moment  you  pass  an  immense 
consignment  of  Strawberries,  and  the  very  air  that 
you  breathe  is  loaded  with  the  fragrance  of  the 
fruit.  Then  you  come  across  large  boxes  of  cut 
flowers,  the  heavy  scent  of  which  hangs  round  you 
like  the  exhalations  of  a  perfume  factory.  In 
endless  confusion,  filled  everywhere  about,  lie 
Bananas  in  their  strange  clusters,  huge  wrinkled 
Melons,  downy  Apricots,  and  bright  Tomatoes, 
neatly  packed  in  rows,  barrels  of  Potatoes,  stacks 
of  Cabbages  and  Cauliflowers— stacks  that  would 
literally  fill  a  room — and  an  illimitable  profusion 
of  the  commoner  English  fruits,  lint  by  this 
time  the  Market  itself— that  is  to  say,  (be  central 
building— is  stored  till  it  can  hold  no  more,  and 
the  roadway  and  pavement  that  surround  it  are 
besieged.  Wherever  wares  can  be  deposited  they 
are  put  down,  and  as  the  railway  vans  begin  to 
come  in  with  the  produce  of  the  early  trains  there 
is  an  absolute  block.  It  is  almost  impossible  to 
describe  the  scene,  and  it  is  difficult  to  realise  how 
the  work  is  got  through.  The  porters,  however, 
are  very  numerous ;  they  know  the  Market 
thoroughly,  and  fruit  is  a  light  burden.  Inciden- 
tally, I  should  wish  to  say  a  word  for  the  Covent 
Garden  porters,  and,  indeed,  for  all  those  who  do 
business  in  the  Market.  The  manners  of  Billings- 
gate are  lawless  and  aggressive  in  the  extreme.  A 
Billingsgate  porter  will  tread  on  yoiir  toes,  or 
drive  a  case  of  fish  against  you,  or  knock  off  your 
hat  and  trample  on  it,  out  of  pure  wantonness. 
Respectable  and   inoffensive  people  visiting  the 


place  out  of  curiosity  will  be  hustled  and  even 
pelted  with  offal.  The  dialect  in  use  is  proverbial. 
Its  manners  are  open  to  objection.  Billingsgate, 
in  short,  is  a  land  of  the  Cyclopes.  Covent  Gar- 
den, by  comparison  at  any  rate,  is  a  land  of  the 
Phieacians.  Perhaps  something  is  due  to  ducal 
influence.  Perhaps  traffic  in  fruit  and  flowers  may 
have  a  humanising  influence.  Anyhow,  you  are 
treated  courteously,  and  need  not  hear  bad  lan- 
guage unless  you  go  in  search  of  it.  Indeed,  as 
soon  as  the  congestion  has  passed  its  worst,  one 
may  see  women  singly  or  in  groups  making  their 
domestic  purchases,  and  shop  girls  on  their  way 
to  business  bargaining  for  a  flower. 

All  this,  however,  is  the  prettier  side  of  the 
picture.  It  is  pleasant  to  enjoy  the  sight  and 
smell  of  fresh  flowers  and  fruit,  and  to  see  people 
busy,  certainly  cheerful,  and  apparently  prosperous. 
But  the  condition  of  the  streets  and  thoroughfares 
round  about  the  Market  is  another  matter.  Horses 
stand  there  in  the  carts  for  hour  after  hour,  and 
the  roadway  and  pavement  are  covered  with  mire 
and  litter  and  refuse  of  every  kind.  Under  foot 
is  an  indescribable  compound  reminding  you  at 
once  of  the  stable,  the  piggery,  the  dust-bin,  and 
the  manure  heap.  Here  and  there  the  horses  are 
fetlock  deep  in  this  unsavoury  filth.  Everywhere 
the  footpath  is  dangerous.  On  rainy  or  foggy 
days  the  state  of  things  is  beyond  description. 
On  hot  days  the  smell  is  intolerable.  There  is 
nothing  so  sickly  or  unwholesome  as  the  smell  of 
decomposing  vegetable  matter,  and  under  a  warm 
son  bruised  vegetable  refuse  decomposes  almost 
immediately.  Soon  after  sunrise  on  a  hot  day, 
such  as  those  we  have  lately  suffered  from,  the 
streets  round  the  Market  and  the  Market  itself 
smell  as  we  are  told  only  a  Turkish  bazaar  can 
smell.  Every  imaginable  odour  seems  to  be  com- 
bined, but  the  one  that  prevails  above  all  others  is 
that  of  sulphuretted  hydrogen,  which  is  produced 
by  rotting  Cabbage  leaves  in  far  more  liberal 
volume  than  by  stale  eggs,  and  is  of  all  common 
gases  perhaps  the  most  deleterious. 

The  complaints  of  the  inhabitants  are  uniform 
and  very  freely  expressed.  In  the  first  place  they 
find  their  business  affected  by  the  block  of  traflic. 
On  busy  days  carts  will  be  standing  as  far  as 
Garrick  Street,  Long  Acre,  and  Drury  Lane  for  hour 
after  hour,  utterly  unable  to  get  near  the  Market. 
It  is  not  until  noon,  or  even  later,  that  the  streets 
are  passable.  Thames  Street  on  Monday  morning 
is  not  worse  than  Russell  Street,  Catherine  Street, 
and  Drury  Lane  on  a  Saturday.  The  obstruction 
is,  perhaps,  at  its  height  between  nine  and  ten, 
but  it  lasts  with  more  or  less  severity  till  late  in 
the  afternoon.  This,  of  course,  is  most  injurious 
to  trade,  to  say  nothing  of  inconvenience  and 
annoyance.  Secondly,  I  was  assured — and  I  could 
easily  believe  it— that  in  summer  the  whole  neigh- 
bourhood is  unhealthy,  and  that  the  children  more 
especially  are  always  ailing.  Lastly,  and  very 
reasonably,  the  inhabitants  object  to  have  market 
ouvert  held  on  the  pavement  in  front  of  their 
houses — for  Covent  Garden,  be  it  understood,  is 
by  no  means  limited  to  the  square  itself.  In  the 
square  there  is  simply  not  room  for  the  traffic  that 
has  to  be  got  through.  It  flows  over  into  the  ad. 
jacent  streets,  and  the  whole  area  is  one  vast  fair. 
In  one  place  rows  of  women  are  seated  on  the 
pavement,  making  up  flowers  into  bunches.  In 
another  the  footway  is  obstructed  by  hampers  of 
garden  produce,  over  which  buyer  and  seller  are 
higgling.  Even  on  a  first  visit  the  picturesqueness 
of  the  thing  soon  wears  off.  It  becomes  tedious 
and  monotonous.  To  those  who  are  compelled  to 
endure  it  day  after  day  it  must  be  intolerable. 
We  are  told,  of  course,  that  as  soon  as  the  work  is 
over  the  refuse  is  all  carted  away  and  the  streets 
thoroughly  swept  and  cleansed.  This  is  true,  no 
doubt.  But,  practically,  it  is  not  till  late  in  the 
afternoon  that  the  real  business  of  the  market  is 
over  aid  order  is  restored.  Then  the  fashionable 
world  goes  to  buy  hot-house  fruit  and  choice 
exotics  at  fabulous  prices  in  the  central  arcade,  or 
to  give  many  times  their  value  for  Ferns  and 
Japanese  goldfish  and  little  green  lizards  and 
piping  bullfinches.  All  is  now  quiet,  and  cool, 
and  pleasant.     The  place  is  transformed  as  if  by 


magic.  A  duke  might  reasonably  be  proud  of  it. 
In  the  morning  I  declare  unhesitatingly  that  it  is 
a  place  of  which  all  those  who  are  concerned  with 
its  management  and  administration  ought  to  be 
heartily  ashamed. 

The  reason  of  all  this  is  sufficiently  obvious. 
The  Market  is  not  large  enough.  But  It  is 
practically  the  only  market  of  its  kind,  and  the 
revenue  from  its  tolls  more  than  compensates  the 
duke  for  the  inevitable  depreciation  of  the 
adjacent  property.  Were  it  forbidden  to  levy  toll 
except  in  the  Market  itself  things  would,  one  in- 
habitant assured  me,  be  better.  But  the  property 
is.  the  duke's.  He  chooses  to  treat  his  market  as  if 
its  area  were  indefinite,  and  there  is  nobody  to 
interfere  with  him.  The  people  who  suffer  most 
directly  are,  with  very  few  exceptions,  his  own 
tenants,  and  his  influence  is  everywhere  perceptible. 
I  called  the  attention  of  a  sergeant  of  pc'-'ce  to  a 
van  which  had  been  standing  in  Southatiipton 
Street  for  three  hours.  "  You  see,"  he  explained, 
"  it  is  here  to  unload."  I  suggested  that  a  van 
would  not  be  allowed  to  stand  for  three  hours  in 
the  Strand.  He  admitted  that  the  Strand  "  was 
different."  "  But  here,"  he  said,  "  it  always  has 
been  so,  ever  since  I  knew,  and  I  suppose  it  always 
will.  Who  " — and  here  he  lowered  his  voice —  "  is 
to  interfere  with  the  duke  ?  " 

As  I  plodded  about  under  the  scorching  sun, 
through  mud  and  slime  and  putrid  market  stuff, 
and  filthy  smells,  as  I  saw  the  roadway  blocked  in 
every  direction,  the  pavement  greasy,  and  the 
worn-out  horses  waiting  wearily,  I  somehow  kept 
on  mechanically  repeatingto  myself,"  Who  is  to  in- 
terfere with  the  duke  .' "  I  emerged  into  the  Strand. 
There  the  pavement  was  clean  and  bright,  the  road- 
way in  good  order,  and  the  ceaseless  flood  of  traflic 
under  perfect  control .  And  again  I  seemed  to  hear  the 
sergeant  ask,  "  Who  is  to  interfere  with  the  duke  ?" 
To  anyone  ignorant  of  our  ways  it  would  seem 
monstrous  that  in  the  very  heart  of  London  one 
man  should  be  able  to  make  a  whole  district  un- 
wholesome for  the  best  part  of  a  day,  to  stop  its 
traffic,  to  monopolise  its  streets  and  pavements, 
and  to  derive  an  immense  income  from  what  is 
most  emphatically  a  public  nuisance,  and,  more,  a 
public  danger.  It  is  difficult  to  see  why  Covent 
Garden  should  be  where  it  is.  But  one  thing  is 
clear.  Were  it  the  size  of  the  new  meat  market 
in  Farringdon  Street  it  would  even  then  be  only 
equal  to  the  traffic  now  forced  into  it ;  and  were 
it  in  the  hands  of  a  few  small  speculators  it  would 
r^ost  undoubtedly  be  dealt  with  as  a  public 
nuisance,  which  it  is. — Times. 

*,*  The  best  way  out  of  the  present  state  of 
things  seems  to  us  to  be  the  creation  of  a  vege- 
table market  elsewhere,  confining  Covent  Garden 
to  fruit  and  flowers.  There  are  some  fine  open 
spaces  not  far  removed.  Why  not  a  night  and 
early  morning  market  on  the  Thames  Embank- 
ment ? — Ed. 


NOTES  FROM  THE  CONTINENT. 
Gardenikg  in  Italy. — Near  the  little  village 
of  Sant  Osso,  which  lies  at  the  foot  of  the  Mont 
Sumano,  one  of  the  most  interesting  localities  in 
Europe  to  lovers  of  alpine  flowers,  a  horticultural 
establishment  has  been  founded  which  promises 
to  exercise  a  most  important  influence  on  garden- 
ing in  Italy,  and  which  may  render  good  service 
to  horticulture  generally.  Senator  Eossi,  an 
enthusiastic  amateur,  conceived  about  a  year  ago 
the  idea  of  creating  a  pomological  school,  but,  not 
content  with  this,  he  has  extended  his  operations 
so  as  to  embrace  fruit,  flowers,  and  vegetables  of 
all  descriptions.  The  amount  of  land  devoted  to 
this  purpose  is  about  five  thousand  acres,  the  whole 
of  which  is  encompassed  by  walls,  and  which  is 
divided  into  two  portions  by  one  of  the  principal 
roads  of  the  district,  and  is  so  near  a  railway  that 
a  special  branch  from  it  will  be  brought  into  it, 
which  in  the  case  of  such  an  extensive  area  will 
naturally  confer  great  advantages.  Nothing,  in- 
deed, seems  to  have  been  neglected  to  render  this 
model  pomological  and  horticultural  farm,  as  the 
founder  terms  it,  a  success.  Thus  there  are  houses 
for  the  workmen,  covered  places  for  soils   and 


58 


THE     GARDEN 


[July    lit,   IS84. 


manure,  immense  reservoirs  for  water,  glasshouses 
of  all  kinds,  including  an  extensive  range  for 
Grape  forcing,  all  communicating  with  each  other, 
and  so  arranged  that  the  workmen  never  need  go 
into  the  open  air,  witli  a  complete  system  of  heat- 
ing and  water  laid  on,  a  chemical  laboratory, 
museum,  class  rooms,  semi-subterranean  rooms  for 
preserving  fruits  and  vegetables,  extensive  piggeries 
for  making  manure,  a  complete  system  of  irrigation, 
the  ground  being  portioned  out  into  squares  of 
3260  feet,  divided  by  roads,  along  the  borders 
of  whicli  flow  streams  of  water,  and  which  form 
highways,  thus  dispensing  with  the  vehicles 
usually  employed  for  purposes  of  transport,  la 
addition  to  this  the  electric  light  is  being  fitted 
up  in  every  part  of  the  grounds,  so  that  any  kind 
of  work,  such  as  transplanting,  which  it  would  be 
difficult  to  perform  satisfactorily  in  the  daytime, 
may  be  accomplished  at  night.  The  whole  of  the 
soil  has  been  trenched  to  the  depth  of  1  yard,  more 
than  one  thousand  workmen  being  employed 
thereon.  Amongst  the  principal  features  of  this 
truly  gigantic  undertaking  may  be  mentioned 
8000  square  yards  of  walls  furnished  with  fruit 
trees  and  provided  with  shelter  against  spring 
frosts,  1500  acres  of  eating  Grapes,  which  a 
reservoir  containing  1200  cubic  yards  of  water  and 
the  continual  flow  from  Mount  Sumano  guarantee 
against  drought ;  a  vineyard  containing  50,000 
Vines,  a  fruit  garden  of  30,000  trees,  a  trial 
ground  of  200  acres,  and  some  300  acres  of  Aspara- 
gus. Accommodation  is  also  provided  for  ninety 
pupils  clothed  in  uniform,  some  of  which  will  be 
maintained  at  their  own  expense,  whilst  others 
will  receive  a  subsidy  from  the  various  communes 
and  provinces  of  which  they  may  be  natives.  So 
far  as  I  am  aware,  this  "  garden  farm  "  will  for 
size  and  completeness  of  design  have  no  counter- 
part in  Europe,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the 
energy  and  skill  displayed  in  its  formation  will 
meet  with  the  reward  it  so  richly  merits. 

Habdy  Melons. —  "J.  S.W."  is  right  in  sur- 
mising that  the  Melons  commonly  grown  in  France 
are  of  a  hardier  nature  than  those  in  favour  in 
this  country.  The  hybrid  kinds  so  much  grown 
in  England  would  be  of  but  little  use  for  open-air 
culture  in  France,  where,  although  the  climate  is 
favourable  to  this  fruit,  it  naturally  has  to  combat 
more  unfavourable  conditions  than  under  glass. 
The  kind  mostly  grown  for  market  purposes  is  the 
Prescott.  It  is  a  large  Melon  of  rather  fine  appear- 
ance, and  it  is  mainly  on  this  account  that  it  is 
valued,  as  it  forms  a  large  number  of  seeds,  the 
eatable  portion  not  being  in  proportion  to  the 
size,  but  the  French  are  no  wiser  than  we  are  in 
that  respect ;  they  please  the  eye  before  the  palate. 
Another  point  in  favour  of  this  variety  is  its  thick 
skin,  for  Melons  have  to  bear  an  amount  of  rough 
usage  in  France  to  which  they  are  strangers  with 
us.  Perhaps  no  fruit,  not  even  excepting  the 
Grape,  is  so  popular  with  the  French  as  the 
Melon,  and  one  of  the  strangest  sights  to  an  Eng- 
lish gardener  is  the  waggon-loads  of  Melons 
brought  into  the  provincial  markets  and  fairs  of 
Northern  France  At  these  fairs,  which  last  many 
of  them  from  a  month  to  six  weeks,  many  thou- 
sands of  this  fruit  are  sold  at  so  low  a  price  as 
3d.  each,  but,  considering  the  heat  of  the  cli- 
mate and  the  luscious,  refreshing,  and  at  the  same 
time  satisfying,  nature  of  the  Melon,  there  is  no 
wonder  that  it  should  find  favour  with  the  thirsty 
workman,  who  perhaps  toils  some  fifteen  hours  in 
the  close  vitiated  atmosphere  of  a  workshop  or 
factory.  A  fact  probably  new  to  many  of  your 
readers  is  that  the  French  generally  flavour 
their  Melons  with  salt  and  pepper,  and  a 
real  Melon  lover  will  gravely  assure  yon  that 
this  is  the  only  and  true  way  of  bringing  out 
its  flavour.  A  Melon  eaten  in  any  other 
way  than  this  is  not  what  it  should  be.  Another 
variety  much  grown  is  the  Erode  hutif,  a 
netted  red-fleshed  kind  of  medium  size,  but  of 
free  growth,  and  bearing  most  freely.  I  have 
grown  this  on  a  south  border  in  spent  hotbeds, 
planting  out  in  May  under  cloches,  and  have  had  as 
many  as  twenty  Melons  ripe  at  a  time.  But  the 
hardiest  and  most  universally  popular  kind  is  the 
Nolrde  Carmes,  very  productive  and  good  flavoured, 


and  easy  of  cultivation.  This  is  mostly  grown  in 
private  gardens,  the  flesh  being  orange-coloured, 
melting,  juicy,  and  delicately  perfumed.  In 
favoured  districts  of  the  south  of  England  this 
Melon  would  probably,  in  fine  summers,  succeed 
in  the  open  air,  especially  if  a  start  were  given  it 
by  means  of  a  gentle  bottom  heat  when  planted 
out  in  May. 

Cucumber  culture  in  Belgium.— It  is  only 
on  warm  soils  that  Cucumber-growing  is  attempted 
in  the  open,  warm  borders  being  chosen  by  pre- 
ference. In  default  of  these,  raised  beds  are 
thrown  up  somewhat  rounded  towards  the  middle, 
so  as  to  ensure  the  roots  against  stagnant  moi.<- 
ture  and  to  better  enable  the  sun  to  thoroughly 
warm  the  soil.  A  drill  is  drawn  in  the  middle  of 
the  bed  some  4  inches  deep,  and  this  is  filled  with 
liquid  manure,  and  the  following  day  the  drills 
are  half  filled  with  soil  and  the  seeds  sown  therein, 
covering  them  lightly.  This  is  the  plan  generally 
followed  in  the  case  of  seeds  of  a  light  descrip- 
tion, but  when  of  a  cold  moisture-holding 
nature,  the  liquid  manure  gives  place  to 
a  couple  of  inches  of  thoroughly  decomposed 
manure.  When  well  started  into  growth  the 
plants  are  thinned  out  to  about  8  inches  apart. 
So  that  the  beds  may  be  well  and  regularly  covered 
with  vine,  the  plants  are  trained  alternately  to 
the  right  and  left,  being  stopped  when  they  have 
filled  half  the  space  allotted  to  them.  In  this 
manner  crops  in  favourable  years  are  obtained, 
but  Cucumber  culture  in  the  open  is,  although  not 
so  hazardous  as  in  this  country,  necessarily  some- 
what uncertain,  but  a  good  crop  probably  pays 
better  than  almost  any  other  that  can  be  grown 
on  the  space. 

German  gardens  in  spring  and  summer. — 
Those  who  may  have  passed  a  winter  in  Germany 
will  have  remarked  how  bare  and  devoid  of  warmth 
and  colour  the  gardens  are  at  that  time.  It  is  true 
that  there  are  a  few  Conifers  which  thrive  fairly 
well  there,  and  one  seldom  enters  a  garden  of  any 
size  without  seeing  some  good  specimens  of  the 
sombre  Norway  or  the  white  Spruce,  but  we  miss 
there  the  rich  hue  of  the  Rhododendron  and  lose 
the  pleasing  variegation  of  the  Aucuba  and  the 
lively  tints  of  such  graceful  Conifers  as  Lawson's 
Cypress,  the  Decdar,  and  others.  There  is  sadly 
wanting  that  variety  of  form  and  colour  so  cha- 
racteristic of  a  well-planted  English  garden  ;  but 
many  would  think  that  this  deficiency  was  atoned 
for  by  the  wealth  and  variety  of  bloom  during  the 
late  spring  and  early  summer  months.  A  walk 
through  any  of  the  public  gardens  at  that  time  is 
a  treat,  for  naturally  German  gardeners  cherish 
and  endeavour  to  develop  the  capabilities  of  such 
ornamental  trees  and  shrubs  as  can  be  depended 
on  to  withstand  their  climate.  Moreover,  as  a 
compensating  advantage,  it  wonld  seem  that 
flowering  trees  and  shrubs  generally  bloom  with 
greater  prodigality  and  attain  larger  dimensions 
than  with  us.  Deutzias,  Weigelas,  Philadelphuses, 
Lilacs,  Prunuses,  Thorns,  &c.,  display  such  a  lavish 
profusion  of  flowers  as  one  does  not  often  see  in 
our  own  gardens.  The  greater  heat  in  summer 
and  the  fine  clear  autumn  is  probably  the  cause  of 
this  greater  floriferousness ;  but  we  should  do 
well  to  imitate  the  Germans  in  their  love  for  such 
things  as  fear  not  winter's  icy  blast,  and  which, 
ever  vigorous  and  enduring,  yearly  delight  us  with 
their  pretty  flowers,  and  which,  needing  little  or 
no  care,  but  seldom  disappoint  our  expectations. 
Extensive  shrubberies  and  woodland  walks,  now 
too  often  occupied  with  a  tangled  mass  of  the 
commonest  trees  and  evergreens,  might  be  beauti- 
fied by  a  more  free  use  of  those  numerous  flower- 
ing trees  and  shrubs,  so  many  of  which  appear  to 
be  scarcely  known  to  the  majority  of  English  gar- 
deners. J.  C.  B. 


Narcissus  traflBlc— buyer ',  beware  I— 

The  rage  for  this  family  is  by  no  means  an  un- 
mixed good.  Already  our  lanes  and  orchards  show 
the  effect  of  the  indiscriminate  raid  which  has 
been  made  upon  them.  Thousands  of  Lent  Lilies 
are  annually  bought,  mostly  by  dealers,  compara- 
tively few  being  for  private  gardens  direct,  and  in 
the  majority  of  cases  these  are,  I  fear,  planted  in 


cultivated  ground — only  to  die.  It  is  not,  how- 
ever, this  evil,  great  as  it  is,  which  suggests  my 
present  communication.  The  point  to  which  I 
would  direct  attention  is,  that  dealers  wonld  do 
well  to  purchase  only  of  owners  or  occupiers,  ard 
scrupulously  to  employ  their  own  men  in  collect- 
ing the  bulbs.  Under  the  present  system  the  roots 
are  supplied  by  irresponsible  parties,  and  the  result 
is  wholesale  plunder,  not  only  of  the  fields  and 
lanes,  but  of  private  gardens.  Thos  it  may  li  >pptn 
that  a  dealer  unwittingly  receives  back,  as  tte 
result  of  robbery,  the  identical  bulbs  which  he  lias 
a  few  months  previously  sold  to  one  of  his  cuS'^ 
tomers.  Not  many  nights  ago  such  a  raid  was 
made  upon  my  grounds  ;  patch  after  patch  of  gar- 
den varieties  was  taken,  evidently  by  practised 
hands.  For  a  moment  they  were  deceived  by  the 
decayed  foliage  of  Colchicums  and  Irises,  but 
these  were  promptly  discarded  and  left  behind. 
Lilium  Szovitzianum,  however,  was  too  much  for 
their  virtue,  even  on  the  Sunday  morning  when 
the  robbery  took  place,  and  it  shared  the  fate  of 
the  Narcissus,  and  was  transferred  to  the  col- 
ector's  sack. — T.  H.  Archeb-Hind,  Sovih  Divon. 


OBITUARY. 


We  have  to  record  the  death  of  Mr.  EwiNG,  long 
gardener  at  P.odorgan,  Anglesey,  and  the  inventor 
of  glass  walls,  which  at  one  time  were  thought  to  be 
a  step  in  the  right  direction  ;  but  which  after  trial 
were  abandoned  as  useless.  He  died  from  failure 
of  the  heart's  action  at  the  age  of  67. 


QUESTIONS. 


5217.— Lime  water. — Will  some  Orchid  grower  kindly 
say  if  lime  water  may  l>e  used  for  the  destruction  of  Email 
Hat  snails,  and  not  also  destroy  the  Orcliids  which  are 
infested  by  them  ? — S.  N. 

6218.— Celery  fly.— Our  Chrysanthemums  are  being  at- 
tacked by  the  Celery  Hy  or  grub ;  can  anyone  kindly  inform 
me  of  any  remedy  otlier  than  picking  off  the  atfected  leaves 
and  burning  them  ?  Would  dusting  with  soot  stop  its 
ravages?— G.  C. 

5219.— "S7arlegated  Thistles  — Amongst  a  packet  of 
seeds  presented  by  the  editor  of  a  French  paper  to  his  sub- 
scribers is  the  Chardon,  a  handsome  vaiiegated  Thistle. 
Will  any  reader  of  The  Garden  say,  as  a  vegetable,  how  it 
is  to  be  used  ?— M.  L-  W. 

5220.— Diseased  Melon  steme.— The  stems  of  my 
Melons  are  decaying  at  every  joint  from  which  I  have 
removed  the  largest  leaves.  I  should  ba  glad  if  .any  expe- 
rienced grower  of  Melons  would  tell  me  if  I  have  done 
wrong  in  cutting  the  leaves  off  the  stems  that  bore  the 
fruit.    What  is  the  cause  and  cure  of  the  evil.— W.  S. 

6221.— ChryBanthemumsin  small  pots.— I  bought 
some  Chrysanthemums  last  autumn  in  6^  inch  pots,  in 
which  they  flowered.  This  spring  I  cut  tliem  down,  also 
cut  the  roots,  and  repotted  them  in  the  same  pots ;  they  are 
looking  well.  Would  they  answer  in  the  same  sized  pots 
another  season,  or  not?  and  what  size,  if  larger  ?— MYRTLE 
Grove. 

5222. — Abies  Douglas!  Stal'i.— Is  this  variety  of,*the 
Douglas  Fir  raised  some  years  ego  at  Castle  Kennedy  doing 
any  good  in  the  south?  I  have  some  good  plants  of  it 
about  8  feet  to  10  feet  high  which  have  been  in  great 
beauty  for  some  weeks — a  perfect  sheet  of  white  ;  the 
colour  is,  however,  beginning  to  go  off  a  little  now. — 
W.  H.  M  ,  Mun:hes,  Dalbeattie. 

5223.— Garden  reclamation. — Will  someone  kindly 
give  a  few  hints  as  to  the  best  means  of  stocking  a  front 
garden  overshadowed  with  heavy  trees  and  facing  the 
north  ?  There  is  Grass  and  a  border,  now  a  mass  of 
Bracken  and  weeds.  Is  there  anything  h.ardy  that  would 
clinib  to  give  a  little  colour  to  the  Ivy  ?  it  looks  so  gloomy 
and  wretched.  Also  wanted  suggestions  for  rapid  climbers 
for  a  south  oriel  window.  I  have  only  got  the  place  for 
three  years  ;  I  should  like  to  put  Roses,  Clematises,  &c  , 
over  all  unsiglitly  walls,  but  do  not  know  what  to  get.  Any 
suggestions  will  be  welcome. — AMATEUR. 


Names  of  plants.— .4.  J.  H.—l,  Phlomis  fruticosa; 

2,  Watsonia  Meriana  ;  3,  Campanula  Scheuzeri. Law- 

renny  —Appears    to    be  Oncidium    carthaginense  ;  your 
example  of  erect  and  drooping  flowers  on  tee  same  plant 

an  uncommon  occurionce. B.  hendermn. — Lilium  tes- 

taceum. K.  A.  s. — Lysiniachia  clethroides  ;  L.  ciliatum 

(yellow) ;  Campanula  pnsilla  alba  ;  apparently  Allium  cari- 

natum J.   N. — 1,  F'uchsia  procumljens;   2    Coccoloba 

platyclada  ;  3,  Cheilanthes  hirta Constant  t.ead'-r. — 1, 

Selaginella  Kr.iussiana  ;  2,  S.  Kraussiana  aurea ;  3,  Selagi- 

uella  Mertensi  variegata. Mrs.   £oifey.-Galega  otfici- 

nalis. T.  W,  0. — We  were  unable  to  name  the  specimen 

you  sent  two  weeks  ago. — -J.  W,  E.—l,  Brodirea  grandi- 
flora ;  2,  cannot  name  without  flowers,  possibly  a  Narthex. 

P.  O. — Campanula  barbata  alba  ;    Senecio  abrotanl- 

folins. iJi7(ern.  —  I'hyteuma    orbiculare. S.    ii.— 1, 

next  week  ;  2,  Gnaphalium  supinum  ;  3,  Callitriche  platy- 

carpa ;  4,  Lamium  incisum  ;  5,  Cratagns  tanacetifolia. 

R.  R.  (T.- 2,  Lilium  colomblanum  ;  3,  Chenopodium  album. 


THE     GARDEN 


59 


No.  662.  SATURDAY,  July  26.  1884.  Vol   XXVI. 


"  Thi^  is  nn  Art 
'V^^^cll  dues  mom)  X.itiire  :  clianee  it  rather  :  but 
The  art  itself  is  7lxiVR¥.."—Shal-espeare. 


TOO  MANY  FLOWER  BEDS. 
How  seldom  does  one  find  a  good  spread  of 
velvety  turf  undisturbed  by  flower  beds,  more  or 
less  intricate  in  pattern,  in  many  cases  suggesting 
the  idea  that  the  object  in  view  has  been  to  find 
how  many  beds  could  be  crowded  into  a  given 
space.  I  have  lately  seen  some  examples  of  an 
opposite  character  in  both  large  and  small  gar- 
dens. In  the  former,  what  above  all  else  arrested 
attention  was  a  charming  expanse  of  green  turf 
from  which  majestic  trees  rose  in  stately  grandeur, 
their  lower  branches  resting  on  the  Grass,  yet  there 
was  no  lack  of  flowers,  for  around  the  mansion  large 
masses  of  gay  colours  charmed  the  eye,  and  the 
contrast  helped  to  heighten  the  effect  of  both  the 
flower  and  flowerless  portions.  One  cannot  have 
too  many  flowers,  but  we  certainly  do  not  want 
them  dotted  over  the  whole  place,  and  the  worst 
of  it  is  that  owners  of  small  gardens  copy  implicitly 
examples,  good  or  bad,  which  they  find  in  larger 
ones.  Happily,  the  latter  are  becoming  im- 
proved. In  villa  gardens  if  the  Grass  be  cut  up 
into  fragments,  the  most  enjoyable  portion  of 
them  is  practically  lost  and  their  apparent  size 
considerably  reduced.  I  lately  came  upon  quite  a 
small  town  garden  in  which  the  owner  had  wisely 
massed  his  flowers  by  the  margin  of  the  one  walk 
that  surrounded  it ;  the  centre  was  an  unbroken 
Grass  plot,  green  through  copious  waterings  during 
the  late  drought.  An  ancient  Apple  tree  gave 
shelter  and  shade  in  summer,  a  wealth  of  rosy 
blossoms  in  spring,  and  useful  fruit  in  autumn. 
The  turf  formed  the  most  enjoyable  resort  both  for 
young  and  old,  and  the  enclosing  walls,  a 
necessity  in  town  gardens,  were  aglow  with  various 
flowering  climbers,  while  at  their  base  was  a  wide 
border  for  hardy  flowering  plants.  This  was  a 
garden,  which,  though  small,  was  enjoyable.  Asa 
rule,  we  get  too  much  gravel,  bare  earth,  and 
edging  tiles.  What  we  want  are  flowers  concen- 
trated, and  the  Grass  as  much  unbroken  as  the 
space  at  disposal  will  permit.  J,  G.  H. 


pretty,  were  not  nearly  so  effective  as  those  of 
many  old  species.  That  this  particular  Primula 
was  certificated  is  not  a  matter  for  serious  com- 
plaint. The  fault  lies  in  the  rule  which  the  commit- 
tee would  seem  to  have  set  up  not  being  carried  out 
consistently.  For  instance,  side  by  side  with  this 
Primrose  was  a  new  Cattleya  named  Gaskelliana, 
undoubtedly  a  variety  of  the  highest  merit  and  of 
great  value,  on  account  of  its  time  of  flowering 
filling  up  a  blank  in  the  Cattleya  season.  Two 
plants  of  it  were  shown  and  both  were  cer- 
tificated :  moreover,  a  white  variety  of  the  same 
Cattleya  was  [certificated  on  the  last  occasion 
Now  the  point  is  that  this  same  Cattleya 
was  exhibited  last  year  as  fine  as  could  be  seen 
by  Mr.  Thomson,  of  Clovenfords,  but  because  it 
was  new  and  the  committee  did  not  happen  to 
knew  it,  it  was  overlooked,  some  members  of  the 
committee  going  so  far  as  to  say  that  it  was  but 
a  mere  variety  of  C.  Mossia;.  These  are  but  two 
instances  of  the  inconsistency,  of  which  complaints 
are  justly  made.  If  these  certificates  are  to  be 
be  of  any  value  to  the  outside  public  as  a  means 
of  determining  plants  of  merit,  surely  a  little 
more  deliberation  is  necessary  on  the  part  of  the 
floral  committee. 


CERTIFICATING  PLANTS  AT  SOUTH  . 
KENSINGTON. 
A  STRANGE  inconsistency  seems  at  times  to  in- 
fluence the  body  of  experts  appointed  to  award 
the  certificates  to  plants  at  the  Royal  Horticul- 
tural Society's  meetings  at  South  Kensington.  It 
sometimes  happens  that  a  plant  of  sterling  merit 
is  passed  over  with  scarcely  a  remark ;  at  other 
times  a  plant  of  unproved  merit  is  honoured  with 
a  first-class  certificate,  simply  because  it  is  new,  or 
because  the  major  portion  of  the  committee  have 
a  particular  leaning  towards  the  class  to 
which  the  plant  belongs.  At  the  meeting 
on  Tuesday  last  one  of  the  plants  certi 
ficated  was  a  little  Primrose,  a  native  of 
North  America,  named  Primula  Rusbyi.  On  the 
label  it  was  stated  by  the  exhibitor  that  he  re- 
ceived it  only  three  weeks  ago,  and  that  conse- 
quently the  plant  could  not  be  expected  to  be  in 
good  condition,  nor  was  it,  as  anyone  present 
could  see.  It  was  a  weak  plant  which  had  made 
an  effort  to  send  up  a  few  flowers  which,  though 


Trees  and  Shrubs. 

NOTES  ON  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 
As  the  planting  season  is  again  coming  round,  a 
few  notes  on  some  ornamental  trees  and  shrubs 
suitable  for  pleasure  ground  and  park  decoration 
may  prove  useful.  Planting  may  be  done  from 
October  till  March,  but  I  would  prefer  the  first  or 
the  last  of  the  months  named,  as  the  weather  is 
generally  changeable  and  trying  during  the  short- 
est days  ;  I  know,  too,  from  experience,  that  plant- 
ing between  intervals  of  frost  is  often  injurious  to 
the  plants.  In  dealing  with  a  quantity  of  trees,  I 
planted  part  of  them  in  favourable  weather  in  Oc- 
tober with  the  best  results ;  others,  again,  were 
put  in  in  January,  and  much  loss  occurred  ;  while 
with  the  remainder,  planted  in  March,  I  had 
greater  success.  Much,  however,  depends  on  the 
subjects  operated  on  and  their  condition.  Small 
plants  of  the  hardiest  kinds  are  not  so  easily 
killed  at  any  time  ;  but  large  tender  ones  have  to 
be  dealt  with  most  carefully.  In  established  places 
there  is  often  a  good  deal  of  transplanting  and 
thinning  out  to  do  at  various  times  in  a  number  of 
years,  and  by  doing  this  at  the  proper  season, 
very  large  plants  may,  as  a  rule,  be  shifted  with- 
out injury;  but  it  is  a  mistake  to  buy  very  large 
plants  at  a  distant  nursery  in  the  hope  of  securing 
immediate  effect  with  success.  I  am  referring 
now  to  such  plants  as  large  Hollies,  evergreen 
Oaks,  and  evergreens  generally.  Large  deciduous 
trees  can,  as  a  rule,  be  more  successfully  trans- 
ferred than  evergreens.     In 

Lifting  any  kind  of  tree,  especially  when  the 
leaves  are  on  it,  the  roots  should  never  be  divested 
of  soil  ;  on  the  contrary,  as  good  a  ball  as  possible 
should  be  retained.  Where  trees  are  treated  as  in 
properly  conducted  nurseries,  the  roots  can  always 
be  had  in  a  compact  ball ;  being  often  lifted  and 
transplanted  when  young,  the  roots  become  matted 
in  a  very  confined  space,  and  plants  of  this  kind 
may  always  be  moved  with  safety.  Crowding  the 
roots  into  a  small  hole  is  a  great  mistake.  This 
may  not  kill  the  plant  outright,  but  it  will  check 
it  for  years  to  come.  When  lifted,  the  roots  should 
never  be  long  exposed  to  the  influence  of  sun  or 
wind.  This  is  one  of  the  very  worst  things  that 
can  happen  to  them,  and  should  be  strictly  avoided. 
When  plants  are  brought  in  from  a  nursery,  it  is, 
of  course,  impossible  to  plant  them  all  at  once ; 
but  the  first  attention  they  require  is  to  cover  up 
the  roots  with  damp  Moss,  straw,  or  soil.  As  to 
pruning  and  cutting  generally,  the  period  named 
in  which  planting  may  be  done  also  answers  for 
these  operations.  We  begin  cutting  our  bushes  in 
October,  and  go  on  from  time  to  time  as  the 


weather  and  other  work  will  allow  until  March 
That  this  time  is  ri^ht  we  have  annually  ample 
proof  in  the  luxuriant  manner  in  which  the 
trees  grow  afterwarus.  It  is  only  hedges.  Laurel 
banks,  and  upright  growing  bushes  near  the  edges 
of  walks  on  which  we  use  the  shears,  the  knife  or 
bill-book  being  the  favourite  for  all  natural-grow- 
ing bushes.    As  regards 

The  variety  of  trees  and  shrubs  suitable  for 
gardens,  page  after  page  might  be  filled  with 
rames  without  exhausting  the  subject,  but  I  will 
just  direct  attention  to  a  few.  Wellingtonias 
should  only  be  planted  sparingly  and  in  sheltered 
places.  Here  we  have  them  70  feet  high,  with  stems 
14  feet  in  circumference,  and  we  have  others  in  a 
small  state  planted  by  the  hands  of  royalty  to 
commemorate  a  State  visit.  In  each  case  they 
indicate  a  suitableness  for  large  spaces.  The 
variegated  form  of  the  Wellingtonia  is  pretty,  but 
not  so  free  in  growth  as  the  type.  With  this  tree, 
as  in  the  case  of  all  other  outgrowing  and  spread- 
ing conifers,  it  is  a  mistake  to  plant  it  too  near 
the  edges  of  pathways,  as  they  soon  interfere  with 
the  traflic,  or  have  to  be  cut,  thus  spoiling  their 
symmetry.  The  Araucaria,  or  Chili  Pine,  is  a  tree 
prized  by  many,  and  it  is  alike  suitable  for  the 
villa  front  or  park.  We  have  sometimes  seen  it 
planted  in  woods  where  only  its  top  could  be  seen 
from  an  elevation ;  but  in  such  places  it  is  lost. 
It  is  only  seen  to  advantage  when  isolated.  It 
makes  a  noble  specimen  on  a  lawn,  and  it  should 
be  planted  in  rich  deep  soil,  as  in  poor  material  it 
loses  its  bottom  branches  and  becomes  unsightly. 
Spruces  of  different  kinds  require  plenty  of  space 
in  which  to  develop  their  beauty  and  true  charac- 
ter, and  they  are  thus  unsuitable  for  small  gardens. 
They,  however,  become  grand  trees  when  planted 
singly  in  favourable  situations  ;  the  best  of  them 
are  the  white  Spruce,  Abies  Douglasi,  canadensis, 
orientalis,  nigra,  and  Morinda.  The  Cedars  also 
require  much  space  in  which  to  grow  out  properly, 
and  where  this  can  be  given  them  they  are  well 
worth  attention.  The  Deodar,  the  silver  or  Atlas 
Cedar,  and  the  Cedar  of  Lebanon  are  valuable  and 
good  kinds.  In  the  Biotas,  or  Chinese  Arbor-viljes, 
we  have  a  grand  class  of.  beautiful  shrubs,  suit- 
able for  gardens  of  all  sizes.  Orientalis,  orentalis 
aurea,  orientalis  elegantissima,  and  orientalis 
semper-aurescens  are  the  choicest  varieties.  Cryp- 
tomeria  japonica  and  C.  elegans  are  both  orna- 
mental, and  may  be  planted  in  large  or  small 
grounds.  The  largest  tree  of  elegans  here  is 
;iO  ft.  high,  and  about  as  much  in  diameter,  but  it 
has  now  several  leaders,  and  as  the  branches  are 
bending  down  and  growing  outwards,  we  do  not 
anticipate  that  it  will  grow  much  higher.  As  it 
is,  however,  it  is  most  attractive,  and  it  will  suc- 
ceed cither  inland  or  near  the  sea.  Some  fine 
plants  with  which  I  am  acquainted  grow  in  the 
strongest  sea  air.    Amongst 

Cypresses  are  some  of  the  handsomest  of  all 
conifers,  and  they  do  remarkably  well  in  all  cli- 
mates and  situations.  The  best  known  of  them 
is  Cnpressus  Lawsoniana,  a  most  elegant  and 
graceful  Cypress  ;  and  C.  erecta  viridis,  C.  macro- 
carpa,  C.  sempersirens,  C.  erecta  lutea,  and  C. 
erecta  elegantissima  are  all  choice  sorts.  The  two 
last-named  are  new  and  very  attractive.  Semper- 
virens  forms  an  erect  and  conspicuous  object.  Of 
Junipers,  the  Chinese  variety  is  perhaps  the  best 
known  ;  it  is  not  only  useful  for  planting  here  and 
there  on  lawns  and  about  shrubberies,  but  it  is 
also  serviceable  for  forming  edges.  J.  communis 
is  commoner.  The  chinensis  aurea  is  a  beautiful 
golden-leaved  kind ;  Sabiniana  forms  a  low- 
spreading  bush,  and  virginiana  is  often  termed 
the  red  Cedar,  owing  to  its  rich  colour.  In  the 
Picea  tribe  we  have  some  grand  forms  of  trees, 
and  the  best-known  type  of  these  is  probably  P. 
nobilis,  one  of  the  best  of  all  Firs.  They  require 
plenty  of  room  in  which  to  develop,  and  are  well 
worth  every  care.  P.  amabilis,  P.  grandis,  P.  magni- 
fica,  P.Nordmanniana,  P.  Pinsapo  all  form  magnifi- 
cent trees.  Amongst  the  Pinus  we  have  a  class  more 
noted  for  producing  valuable  timber  and  affording 
cover  and  shelter  than  forming  handsome  land- 
scape objects.  Pinus  austriaca  is  a  very  hardy 
variety,  and  one  which  will  succeed  on  land  bor- 


60 


THE    GARDEN 


[July  Sfi,  1884. 


dering  the  sea.  PinuB  Laricio,  or  Corsican  Pine, 
is  the  red  deal  of  commerce.  Of  P.  Cembra  we 
have  some  good  specimens  here,  as  well  as  of 
Strobus  or  Weymouth,  and  insignis.  Thujas  are 
favourite  subjects  for  small  gardens ;  they  grow 
compactly,  and  make  attractive  bushes  when  quite 
small.  T.  gigantea  grows  very  tall,  but  Lobbi  is 
dwarfer  and  more  ornamental,  and  should  always 
be  selected  in  the  first  instance.  I'licata  is  the 
dwarfest  of  them  all.  Closely  resembling  these 
in  many  respects  are  the  Thnjopsis,  or  broad- 
leaved  Arbor-vitaes,  among  which  the  best  are 
borealis,  compacta,and  dolobrata.  These,  as  well  as 
the  American  Arbor- vitals,  make  beautiful  hedges. 
The  Ketinosporas,  or  Japanese  Cypresses,  should 
be  included  in  all  collections  of  conifers, 
being  objects  of  great  beauty.  Ericoides,  filifera, 
obtusa  aurea,  and  plumosa  aurea  are  charming 
Borts,  and  all  fuitable  for  even  the  smallest  gar- 
dens. I  have  seen  them  in  flower  beds,  and  also 
well  grown  in  tubs  and  large  pots.  Finally,  we 
have  the  Yews,  and  these  are  so  well  known  as  to 
need  little  or  no  recommendation.  The  common 
Yew  is  suitable  either  for  a  tree  or  a  hedge.  The 
variegated  variety  of  the  Irifch  Yew  is  a  lovely 
object  amongst  masses  of  dark  green-leaved  plants, 
or  by  itself  on  a  lawn. 

EVERGEEENS  consist  of  such  subjects  as 
the  Aucuba,  one  of  the  most  accommodating 
of  all  shrubs.  It  is  very  hardy,  and  will  Sourish 
even  in  towns,  and  almost  in  semi-darkness 
Japonica  maculata  is  the  golden  spotted  kind, 
luteo-carpa  the  yellow  berried,  and  viridis  the 
quite:  green  kind.  The  variegated  one  is  the 
greatest  favourite,  and,  since  male  varieties  have 
been  introduced,  it  can  be  made  to  bear  dense 
clusters  of  beautiful  red  berries.  In  buying 
Aucubas  a  male  plant  should  always  be  secured, 
and  this  should  either  be  planted  near  the  female, 
or  it  may  be  kept  in  a  pot  and  transferred  from 
tree  to  tree  when  both  are  in  bloom.  If  left  for  a 
day  or  two  in  the  midst  or  under  the  plants  on 
which  it  is  desired  to  put  berries,  the  object  will 
be  accomplished.  The  Arbutus,  or  Strawberry 
tree,  is  a  lovely  object  where  it  succeeds ;  it  thrives 
best  in  a  mild,  humid  climate,  and  it  may  be 
called  a  true  seaside  subject.  It  produces  very 
beautiful  crenm-coloured,  bell-shaped  flowers,  and 
its  fruit  has  all  the  appearance  of  ripe  Straw- 
berries ;  but  in  severe  winters  the  birds  rob  our 
trees  as  fast  as  the  fruit  ripens,  and,  when  very 
hungry,  we  have  noticed  them  eat  the  green 
fruit.  The  Sweet  Bay  is  another  valuable  ever- 
green, which  requires  mudi  tlie  same  atmospheric 
conditions  as  the  preceding  in  order  to  insure 
free  and  rapid  growth.  We  have  bushes  of  it 
here  60  feet  high  and  as  much  in  diameter.  They 
seed  freely,  and  are  very  pretty  when  covered  with 
purple  berries.  I  would  not  advise  everybody  to 
plant  this  Evergreen  extensively,  but  it  should  be 
tried  everywhere.  The  Berberises  constitute 
another  class  of  beautiful  flowering  and  berry- 
bearing  bushes.  Darwini  is  the  best  sort  for  the 
pleasure  grounds  ;  its  golden  clusters  of  bloom  in 
spring,  and  its  deep  coloured  purple  fruits  after- 
wards, never  fail  to  please.  Box  needs  no  com- 
ment. Its  value  as  an  edging  plant  is  fully  known, 
and  as  a  bush  it  has  much  to  recommend  it.  In 
the  Cotoneasters  we  have  another  valuable  addi- 
tion to  hardy  berry-bearing  plants.  C.  micro- 
phylla  is  the  one  so  often  seen  on  walls,  and 
brightening  up  the  surroundings  in  winter  with  its 
dense  crops  of  bright  red  berries.  C.  Simonsi  is 
a  larger  fruited  sort,  and  one  which  makes  a  beau- 
tiful bush.  Some  of  the  old,  as  well  as  the  more 
recently  introduced,  Euonymuses  are  amongst  the 
most  beautiful  of  all  our  choice  Evergref  ns.  They 
are  valuable  maritime  shrubs,  and  of  all  the 
bushes  with  which  I  am  acquainted,  none  are 
more  at  home  in  the  centre  of  a  town,  or  in  the 
most  smoky  of  atmospheres.  They  are  suitable 
for  walls,  and  are  equally  beautiful  in  the  form  of 
a  bush.  We  have  not  seen  hedges  of  them,  but  I 
believe  they  would  be  excellent  for  that  purpose. 
E.  ovata  aurea  is  the  golden  sort,  and  E.  japonica 
argenteo  variegata,  the  silver-leaved   kind. 

Amongst  Hollies  there  is  great  variety,  and 
numbers  of  them  should  be  included  in  all  orna- 


mental plantations.  In  transplanting  them  it  is 
of  the  utmost  importance  that  they  should  be 
lifted  with  a  ball  of  soil  attached  to  the  roots.  In 
forming  hedges  of  them  only  small  plants  should 
be  used,  but  isolated  plants  may  often  be  lifted 
when  6  feet,  8  feet,  and  10  feet  high.  Ilex  aqui- 
foUa  is  the  common  green  kind,  and  the  Hedge- 
hog, Silver- leaved,  Golden  Queen,  yellow-berried, 
Handsworth,  and  latifolia  are  the  names  of  a  few 
worth  attention.  Kalmias  are  very  pretty,  but  they 
must  have  peat  in  order  to  insure  their  doing 
well.  Laurels  have  been  planted  to  excess  in 
the  majority  of  instances.  They  are  about  the 
least  ornamental  of  all  our  Evergreens,  and  should 
never  be  given  a  front  place  or  be  planted  any- 
where, except  as  screens.  Laurustines  are  orna- 
mental at  all  times,  and  when  covered  with 
clusters  of  pure  white  flowers,  as  they  generally 
are  throughout  the  winter,  they  speak  for  them- 
selves. The  Mahonia  is  one  of  the  best  of  all 
Evergreens  for  planting  as  undergrowth,  and  for 
very  shady  places  I  can  name  nothing  more  useful ; 
its  yellow  flowers  and  purple  berries  are  also  very 
attractive.  The  common  Evergreen  Oak  is  a  useful 
subject  to  have  in  park  or  pleasure. ground,  and  so 
are  the  other  varieties,  including  Fordi,  Suber 
(the  Cork  tree),  concordia,  and  the  Turkey  and 
scarlet  Oaks.  The  Rosemary  is  a  pretty,  sweet- 
scented,  old-fashioned  plant,  but  it  is  only  suitable 
for  a  mixed  bed.  Skimmia  japonica  and  S.  fra- 
grans  are  beautiful  in  foliage  and  attractive  when 
covered  with  red  berries  in  winter.  They  eeldom 
grow  tall,  but  make  fine  plants  when  placed  near 
the  edges  of  clumps  of  other  bushes.  Rhododen- 
drons, I  need  not  say,  should  be  planted  every- 
where, but  I  would  forbid  the  introduction  of  such 
a  variety  as  the  ponticum  anywhere,  except  as 
game  covert.  There  are  now  so  many  brilliant 
varieties  amongst  the  hybrids  that  they  alone 
should  be  used  for  ornamental  purposes.    Of 

Flowering  and  ornamental  deciduous 
TREES  and  shrubs  want  of  space  forbids  me 
saying  much,  but  every  well-planted  place,  no 
matter  what  the  size  of  it  may  be,  must  include 
some  of  them,  and  from  the  endless  variety  a 
selection  should  be  made  of  the  best.  I  never  see 
a  Maple  or  write  of  one  without  being  reminded 
of  the  wonderful  specimens  of  these  trees  to  be 
seen  at  Eastnor  Castle ;  and  to  judge  of  Maples 
by  such  specimens  as  are  growing  there,  they  must 
at  once  be  pronounced  the  choicest  of  deciduous 
trees.  They  may  be  had  to  represent  bushes  of 
silver,  bushes  of  gold,  and  bushes  of  burning  fire. 
They  are  quite  hardy,  very  free  growing,  and 
should  be  introduced  everywhere.  The  Acacias 
are  very  beautiful  when  in  bloom  in  May  and 
June,  and  their  prettily  cut  leaves  retain  their 
verdure  throughout  the  summer.  The  Almonds 
are  amongst  the  first  of  the  trees  to  bloom 
in  fpring,  and  when  in  full  flower  at  that 
time,  as  they  invariably  are,  they  have 
a  warm  and  delightful  appearance.  Aralia  japo- 
nica, spinosa,  and  pentaphylla  are  noble  foliaged 
plants,  and  have  a  grand  appearance  mixed  with 
Evergreens.  The  deciduous  Berberries  have  the 
peculiaiity  of  growing  well  in  the  poorest  soils 
and  most  obscure  situations,  and  are  very  beauti- 
ful either  in  flower  or  fruit.  The  weeping  Birch, 
and,  above  all,  the  purple-leaved  Birch,  should  on 
no  account  be  omitted  from  lists  or  selections  of 
trees.  The  Catalpas  have  a  graceful  habit,  beau- 
tiful flowers,  and  ornamental  leaves.  Amongst 
Cratseguses,  or  Hawthorns,  there  are  many  fine 
subjects  ;  their  flowers  never  fail  to  please,  while 
their  berries  or  Haws  are  equally  valued  in 
autumn.  The  Cytisus,  or  Laburnums,  are  another 
grand  class  of  flowering  trees ;  but  few  of  the 
best  varieties  appear  to  be  known,  the  common 
yellow  flowering  one  being  almost  the  only  one  to 
be  seen  in  the  majority  of  gardens ;  but  the 
white  and  purple  flowering  Cytisus  should  also  be 
introduced,  as  it  is  exceedingly  lovely  when  in 
bloom.  The  Pyruses  are  all  showy  flowering 
trees,  and  the  Deutzias,  especially  crenata  candi- 
dissima  and  its  double  variety,  are  beautiful  sub- 
jects. The  purple-leaved  Filbert  is  a  plant  which 
should  be  oftener  seen  than  it  is,  its  dark  leaves 
being  most  effective  in  tree  groups.  Hydrangeas 
are  often  considered  to  be  too  tender  for  general 


planting  throughout  the  country ;  but  they  are 
such  gorgeous  plants  in  autumn  that  they  de- 
serve to  be  tried  in  every  possible  way.  Here  20° 
of  frost  have  not  materially  injured  our  plants. 
Lilacs  are  more  common,  but  it  is  a  pity  that  the 
best  varieties  of  them  are  not  more  taken  advan- 
tage of  than  they  are.  The  Philadelphus,  or  Mock 
Orange,  has  conspicuous  flowers,  which  are  very 
sweet-scented.  When  speaking  of  Pyruses,  I  for- 
got Maulei,  the  finest  of  all  of  them,  and  with  it 
should  be  included  the  mountain  Ash,  but  none 
bears  such  handsome  fruits  as  Maule's  variety. 
They  are  almost  as  large  as  Golden  Pippin  Apples, 
and  they  are  very  bright  and  attractive  in  colour. 
Amongst  other  classes  from  which  a  selection 
should  be  made  may  be  mentioned  the  flowering 
Currants,  Snowberries,  Viburnums,  Weigelas,  and 
the  Spirajas.  J.  MuiB. 

THE  JAPAN  QUINCE. 

(CTDONIA   JAPONICA.) 

During  the  dull  days  of  winter,  when  trained  to 
a  wall  so  that  a  slight  protection  is  afforded  it,  this 
Quince  frequently  supplies  almost  the  only  bit  of 
bright  colour  to  be  found  anywhere  out-of-doors, 
and  so  continuous  are  its  blooming  qualities,  that 
it  will  often  flower  for  months  at  a  time.  This 
Quince  makes  a  desirable  wall  plant,  a  handsome 
isolated  bush,  and  it  may  even  be  used  as  a  hedge. 
The  plants  best  suited  for  walls  are  those  that 
have  pushed  away  three  or  four  strong  shoots, 
rather  than  bushy  plants,  as  when  secured  to  the 
wall  they  continue  to  mount  upward,  while  the 
dwarfer  bushes  are  sometimes  a  long  while  in 
making  a  start.  Where  any  number  of  these  plants 
are  grown  it  will  be  easy  to  select  the  most  suit- 
able for  whatever  purpose  they  may  be  required. 
They  thrive  best  in  good  loamy  soil,  so  that  when 
planting  against  a  wall,  should  the  soil  there  not 
be  of  that  character,  it  would  be  better  to  remove 
a  portion  of  it  and  incorporate  with  the  remainder 
a  little  more  suitable  material,  combined  with 
some  decayed  manure.  Young  plants  thus  treated 
will  grow  freely,  and  soon  cover  a  good  space.  No 
pruning  will  be  required,  unless  it  be  to  remove 
superabundant  shoots.  This  Quince  is  better 
suited  for  dwarf  walls  than  high  ones ;  indeed, 
should  the  height  of  the  wall  be  over  6  feet,  some 
other  subject  had  better  be  chosen. 

As  an  inhabitant  of  the  shrubbery,  or  as  an  iso- 
lated bush  in  a  sheltered  part  of  the  garden,  it 
will  flower  from  early  spring  till  well  on  into  the 
summer ;  indeed,  occasional  bloomp  are  produced 
at  almost  all  seasons.  Owing  to  their  different 
shades  of  colour,  combined  with  their  free-flower- 
ing habit,  the  different  varieties  of  Cydonia 
deserve  a  place  in  any  garden,  however  small.  The 
scarlet  kind  makes  a  good  hedge,  and  a  showy  one 
when  the  plants  are  in  flower.  They  should 
be  tied  to  wires  till  about  a  yard  high ;  then 
they  should  be  allowed  to  grow  at  will,  except 
the  shortening  here  and  there  of  a  few  straggling 
shoots.  If  the  soil  is  good,  the  plants  will  soon 
form  themselves  into  a  dense  hedge  about  4  feet 
high,  and  will  be  very  ornamental.  A  few  of  the 
best  varieties  are  coccinea,  glowing  red ;  alba, 
blush ;  atro-purpurea,  rich  crimson ;  Gaylardi, 
salmon-rose ;  nivalis,  pure  white  ;  and  the  old  and 
well-known  typical  form.  Maule's  Cydonia,  or 
Pyrus,  is  later  in  expanding  than  the  Japan 
Quince,  the  blooms  generally  opening  about  the 
beginning  of  April,  when  they  are  borne  in  such 
profusion  as  to  quite  hide  the  shoots.  After  the 
principal  flowering  in  spring,  occasional  blossoms 
are  produced  throughout  the  summer  and  autumn. 
The  fruits  of  this  Quince  are  about  the  size  of 
small  Apples  and  of  a  bright  golden  colour,  suf- 
fused with  red  on  the  sunny  side.  The  flowers 
are  of  a  bright  orange-scarlet  colour.  The  propa- 
gation of  the  Japanese  Quince  and  its  varieties  is 
very  simple  ;  they  produce  suckers  freely,  that  can 
with  care  be  detached  when  rooted  ;  but  where  it 
is  not  possible  to  do  this,  a  few  shoots  may  be 
layered  or  cuttings  put  in.  The  most  suitable 
shoots  for  this  latter  purpose  are  the  thin  weak 
ones,  produced  from  the  centre  of  the  bush,  and 
as  they  often  originate  below  the  surface  of  the 
soil,  as  much  of  the  buried  portion  as  possible 


Jui.Y  26,  1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


61 


should  be  taken,  for  roots  are  produced  from  that 
part  quicker  and  with  far  mor  certainty  of  suc- 
cess than  if  the  cutting  were  taken  from  the 
upper  part  of  the  plant.  Another  method  of  in- 
crease is  by  means  of  root  cuttings  ;  they  should 
be  divided  into  pieces  about  3  inches  or  4  inches 
long,  and  dibbled  in  a  bed  of  sandy  soil.  Maule's 
r^rus  can  be  propagated  in  the  same  way;  but 
my  experience  is  that  success  is  more  certain, 
especially  in  the  matter  of  cuttings  of  the  shoots 
than  in  the  case  of  the  Japanese  Quince. 

H.  P. 

Spiraea  DouglSBi. — This  plant,  of  which  a 
coloured  plate  was  recently  given  in  The  Garden, 
is  now  perhaps  the  most  ornamental  of  any  in  our 
nursery  borders.  A  double  line,  some  50  yards  in 
length,  of  the  pink  and  white  forms  is  now  in  full 
bloom,  and  certainly  has  a  very  pleasing  as  well 
as  a  taking  appearance.  Single  plants  of  it 
throughout  the  grounds,  some  over  8  feet  in 
height  and  nearly  as  much  through,  are  all  that 
could  be  desired,  and  they  associate][well  with  the 
Hydrangea,  Fuchsia  Riccartoni,  and  other  shrubby 
plants  now  in  flower. — A.  D.  Webstee,  Penrhyn 
Castle,  Aorth  Wales. 

Continuous  blooming  shrubs.— Among 
the  most  persistent  of  flowering  shrubs  stands  the 
different  varieties  of  Pyrns  japonioa,  many  of 
which  are  still  in  bloom,  though  they  commenced 
flowering  soon  after  Christmas.  This  Pyrus  or 
Cydonia  is  far  more  frequently  trained  to  a  wall 
than  allowed  to  form  a  bush,  but  in  this  shape  it 
should  find  a  place  in  every  garden.  Its  near  ally, 
Maule's  Pyrus,  still  bears  some  of  its  brightly- 
coloured  blossoms,  and  though  it  does  not  com- 
mence blooming  quite  so  soon  as  P.  japonica,  it  i- 
cqnally  worthy  of  a  place  among  select  flowering 
shrubs,  and,  indeed,  among  fruiting  ones  too,  for 
in  autumn  the  bright  orange-coloured  fruits  are  in 
some  places  borne  in  great  numbers,  while  in 
others  they  are  seldom  seen. — W.  T. 

Rose  Aoacia  (Robinia  hispida). — By  mid- 
summer flowering  trees  and  shrubs  are  but  sparselj 
represented  compared  with  their  numbers  during 
the  earlier  part  of  the  season  ;  therefore  one  thai 
blooms  now,  and  which  frequently  maintains  a 
succession  of  flowers  for  some  time  to  come,  well 
deserves  a  word  in  its  favour.  Such  is  this  Acacia, 
or  rather  Robinia,  which  is  generally  met  with 
grafted  standard  high,  a  form  in  which  its  racemes 
of  large  pea-shaped  rose-coloured  blossoms  are 
seen  to  good  advantage,^especially  when  the  plants 
are  young.  It  is  generally  increased  by  grafting 
on  the  common  False  Acacia,  with  which  it  readily 
unites. — W.  T. 

The  Jeruealem^Sage  — A  good  proportion 
of  South  European  shrubs  can  hardly  lay  claim  to 
being  considered  quite  hardy,  but  the  Jerusalem 
Sage  (Phlomis  fruticosa),  at  any  rate  in  some  of 
the  midland  and  southern  counties,  has  withstood 
a  number  of  severe  winters  without  being  injured 
It  is  a  compact-growing  Evergreen,  with  grey- 
green  leaves  and  large  whorls  of  handsome  yellow 
flowers,  which  are  at  the  present  time  being 
freely  developed  in  many  London  gardens. 
Loudon  well  says  that  the  remarkable  appearance 
of  the  foliage  is  sufticient  to  recommend  it  for 
cultivation  independently  altogether  of  its 
flowers. — N. 

Remarkable  Fir  trees.— "J.  C."  in  the 
last  number  of  The  Gabden  (p.  42)  alludes  to  a 
remarkable  tree  at  Sonderhausen,  described  in  the 
Garten  Zeifung,  which  reminds  me  that  there  is 
a  Spruce  Fir  in  Gatton  Park,  near  Reigate,  which 
grows  in  a  somewhat  similar  manner.  This  tree, 
if  I  am  not  mistaken  (but  I  have  not  seen  it  for  the 
last  few  years),  stands  at  the  edge  of  a  small 
clump  of  trees,  and  must  be  about  .50  feet  high, 
perhaps  more.  One  of  its  lowest  branches  on  its 
northern  or  external  side,  after  growing  for  some 
15  feet  in  an  almost  horizontal  direction  like  the 
other  branches,  rather  suddenly  assumes  a  vertical 
one,  and  becomes  as  it  were  a  second  tree  some 
30  feet  in  height,  bearing  horizontal  branches  like 
the  parent  stem,  the  side  towards  which  is  not 
60  well  furnished  with  branches  as  the  other, 
which  is  exposed  to  light  and   air.    The  branch 


which  has  assumed  this*  unusual  growth  is  much 
larger  than  its  less  ambitious  compeers.  For  a 
Fir  tree  to  have  two  leaders  is  far  from  uncom- 
mon, tut  this  is  rather^a|di£Eerent  case.  From  the 
description  of  the  tree  at  Sonderhausen  1  suppose 
the  branch  does  not  turn  up  to  form  a  second  tree 
like  the  one  at  Gatton,  but  remains  horizontal  with 
the  tree  growing  vertically  from  it.  I  have  seen 
this  description  of  growth  in  England,  but  cannot 
remember  where.  I  thought  I  had  a  drawing  of 
it  in  my  late  father's  note- books,  but  am  unable  to 
find  it.— G.  S.  S. 

Shrubs  for  rookeries. — Rockeries  have 
often  two  or  three  grave  faults.  First,  they  are 
built  of  stones  too  small ;  secondly,  the  stones  are 
of  too  even  a  size ;  and  last,  too  few  shrubs  are 
used  to  fill  up  spaces  among  the  smaller  her- 
baceous subjects,  all  of  which  tend  to  give  a 
rockery  a  monotonous  and  flat  appearance.  The 
stones  should  be  of  good  size,  all  of  the  same  kind, 
and  belonging  to  the  strata  of  the  district,  and 
however  irregularly  placed,  they  should  all  lie  in 
the  line  of  the  strata — that  is  to  say,  they  should 
lie  the  same  way  as  they  are  found  in  the 
quarry,  especially  if  large.  This  gives  the  rockery 
a  much  more  natural  look,  and  it  matters  little 
how  the  stones  are  flung  down  if  this  rule  is  ob- 
served. If  it  is  not,  an  artificial  aspect  is  pro- 
duced, and  is  easily  discerned.  It  will  greatly 
help  to  give  the  place  a  natural-looking  appear- 
ance if  good  patches  of  Blackberry  bushes.  Heath, 
common  Junipers,  or  other  low  native  or  other 
shrubs  are  placed  at  the  top  or  back  and  here  and 
there  between  the  stones.  The  Bilberry  (Vac- 
cinium)  is  a  beautiful  rockwork  plant.  It  may  be 
torn  from  the  rocks  or  ground  in  large  masses  and 
planted  at  any  time  in  leafy  soil,  and  it  will  not 
fail  to  grow.  By  the  judicious  use  of  this  plant 
I  have  seen  rockeries  look  as  if  they  had  been 
made  and  furnished  for  years,  though  just  newly 
planted.  There  are  few  neater  and  prettier  dwarf 
shrubbery  plants  than  the  Bilberry,  with  its  fresh 
green  foliage  and  pretty  bell-like  flowers.  It  helps 
to  fill  up,  too,  while  the  stock  of  plants  is  being 
increased,  but  a  large  proportion  of  the  rockery 
should  be  covered  by  it  at  all  times,  to  give  diver- 
sity of  outline  as  well  as  shade.  It  thrives  best 
on  bare  rocks  and  hard  surfaces,  provided  some 
leaf  soil  is  shaken  in  amongst  it  now  and  then. 
The  double  Furze  [is  another  good  shrub  for  the 
purpose,  and  so  are  Pernettyas,  Andromedas, 
Daphnes,  hardy  Azaleas,  Kalmias,  Menziesias, 
the  evergreen  Rhododendron  hlrsutum,  and  any 
other  dwarf  and  hardy  shrubs.  All  such  should 
be  planted  before  anything  else.  Much  of  the 
beauty  of  many  of  the  Derbyshire  and  Yorkshire 
cliffs  is  due  to  the  verdant  masses  of  Bilberry 
bushes  growing  knee-deep  in  the  fissures  of  the 
rocks,  filling  up  every  nook  and  cranny,  and  sub- 
sisting on  their  own  dihrh  for  no  one  can  say  how 
long.— W.  S.  J. 

SHORT  NOTES.— TREES  AND  SHRUBS.^ 


Barberry  under  trees  (Mrs,  A.  C.  P.).— The  best 
Barberry  tbat  you  can  have  for  this  purpose  is  the  common 
Berberis  {M<ihouia)  Aquifolium,  which  would  in  time  form 
a  dense  mass  hiRh  enough  to  afford  the  protection  you 
erquire. 

Oalycanthus  floridus  (p.  39). — This  does  not  require 
shade  and  moisture.  I  have  large  plants  of  both  it  and 
occidentalis,  and  they  show  a  steady  tendency  to  push  out 
sunwards.  C.  occidentalis  is  not  very  difficult  to  strike. — 
H.  N.  ElIacombe,  Bitton. 

The  odour  of  Privet.— I  find  the  smell  of  thecommon 
Privtt  very  sickly  when  in  flower,  and  intend  to  cut  it  all 
away.  It  seems  to  have  no  particular  value  fur  a  garden  or 
shrubbery,  and  in  quantity  the  smtU  of  its  flowers  would, 
I  should  say.  be  injurious.  Asa  hedge  plant  I  have  nothing 
to  say  against  it.— J.  W. 

Splreea  arteefoUa.— This,  probably  the  tallest  and 
mos'  effective  of  all  the  Spiraeas,  is  now  in  full  flower,  and 
those  who  require  their  shrubljery  borders  to  look  gay  in 
the  month  of  July  should  be  on  the  outlook  for  this  very 
sho^vy  and  easily-grown  plant.  It  flowers  most  profusely 
and  grows  vigorously  in  almost  all  kinds  of  soils  and  situa- 
tions.—J.  C.  C 

Paui'8  scarlet  Thorn.— This  fine  Thorn  has  bloomed 
finely  this  season,  and  is  just  beginning  to  be  appreciated 
now  that  plants  of  it  have  attained  sufliicient  proportions 
to  be  effective.  It  surpasses  everything  amongst  Thorns 
that  I  have  seen  as  regards  colour.  Every  garden  ought, 
therefore,  to  possess  a  few  plants  of  it,  less  or  more  accord- 
ing to  the  space  to  be  devoted  to  such  subjects.— Taunion. 


GARDEN  USES  OF  SEWAGE. 

Ip  it  were  possible  to  estimate  the  value  of  all 
the  sewage  water  which  in  many  cases  could  at  a 
trifling  outlay  be  made  available  for  the  garden, 
but  which  now  runs  to  waste,  polluting  streams 
and  carrying  pestilence  in  their  course,  there  is 
no  doubt  that  the  aggregate  amount  in  figures 
would  prove  astounding.  I  do  not  include  in  this 
consideration  large  cities,  or  even  towns,  but  at- 
tached to  these  are  suburban  districts  and  many 
country  seats  where  the  proprietors  have  to  pro- 
vide a  proper  system  of  drainage,  audit  is  to  these 
that  my  remarks  apply.  In  many  cases  sewage 
might  be  brought  to  the  garden  by  gravitation, 
and  where  such  is  the  case,  all  must  admit  that  it 
is  throwing  money  away  to  allow  it  to  run  to 
waste  in  any  other  direction.  Whether  it  would 
pay  to  bring  it  to  the  garden  where  mechanical 
means  have  to  be  employed  will  in  a  great 
measure  depend  upon  circumstances.  In  the 
case  of  large  mansions  where  difflcultics  are 
not  great,  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that 
sewage  would  repay  any  reasonable  outlay.  As 
to  its  value  for  garden  crops,  my  experience 
was  gained  some  years  ago  in  a  large  villa 
garden  in  a  south-west  suburb  of  London, 
where  the  owner  had  to  provide  his  own  drainage 
for  his  house  and  stables.  In  this  case  there  were 
no  serious  obstacles  in  the  way  of  bringing  it  to 
the  garden  by  gravitation.  The  main  drain  which 
received  the  sewage  and  also  the  rain  water  from 
the  roof  of  the  house  and  other  buildings  was 
taken  to  a  convenient  spot  in  the  kitchen  garden 
where  a  large  tank  was  constructed,  into  which 
the  drain  was  led,  an  overflow  drain  being  of 
course  provided.  A  neat  iron  pump  was  fixed 
with  a  length  of  pipe  attached  to  reach  the  sewage. 
This  offered  a  convenient  means  of  getting  up  the 
sewage  ;  once  in  two  years  the  liquid  was  pumped 
clean  out,  and  then  all  the  solid  matter  was  taken 
out,  mixed  with  soil,  and  used  asj[a'[dressing  for 
various  crops. 

The  KITCHEN  GARDEN  received  most  of  this 
manure,  both  solid  and  liquid,  especially  such 
crops  as  Cauliflowers  and  Kidney  Beans.  In 
dry  weather  in  April  and  May,  Cauliflowers  are 
immensely  benefited  by  a  few  soakings  of  sewage. 
Kidney  Beans  are  much  benefited  by  it  towards 
the  end  of  the  summer  when  somewhat  exhausted 
through  carrying  heavy  crops.  Peas  in  full  bear- 
ing can  hardly  have  too  much  of  such  a  stimulant 
in  dry  weather.  Where  practicable  it  is  always 
desirable,  before  applying  the  liquid,  to  loosen  the 
surface  2  inches  or  3  inches  deep,  as  that  prevents 
the  water  from  flowing  away  from  where  it  is 
wanted.  We  never  neglected  to  use  sewage 
freely  on  Onion  beds  from  the  middle  of  June  to 
the  end  of  July,  and  the  result  was  always  an 
addition  to  the  weight  of  the  crop.  Vegetable 
Marrows  we  began  to  water  with  sewage  twice 
a  week  after  they  got  well  into  bearing,  and  the 
produce  was  something  surprising.  Globe  Arti- 
chokes being  much  in  request,  we  always  made  it 
a  point  to  thoroughly  soak  the  soil  round  them 
once  a  week  with  sewage  for  some  considerable 
distance,  the  result  of  which  was  that  the  plants 
kept  throwing  up  a  regular  supply  of  large  heads 
quite  to  the  end  of  the  season. 

In  THE  FRUIT  GABDEN  We  derived  much  benefit 
by  the  frequent  application  of  sewage,  especially 
in  the  case  of  Strawberries.  Having  a  deep  soil 
naturally  well  drained,  sewage  was  used  for  these 
in  the  most  liberal  manner,  and  the  crops  secured 
quite  made  amends  for  the  outlay.  I  have  never 
before  nor  since  known  beds  of  Strawberries  con- 
tinue so  long  in  bearing  as  those  to  which  sewage 
was  applied.  As  soon  as  the  plants  commenced  to 
flower  we  began  to  apply  sewage  water,  giving 
them  twice  a  week  sufiicient  to  penetrate  down  to 
the  lowest  roots,  and  this  treatment  was  continued 
until  the  first  fruits  began  to  show  colour.  To 
Peach  and  Nectarine  trees  on  open  walls  it  was 
annually  given  as  soon  as  the  fruit  began  to  swell. 
That  the  trees  were  benefited  by  it  was  proved  by 
the  large  and  highly  coloured  fruit  which  they  pro- 
duced. It  was  also  given  freely  to  Peach  and 
Nectarine  trees  in  pots  as  soon  as  the  fruit  began 
to     swell,     and     for     sciiic    time    after     the 


62 


THE    GARDEN 


[JutY  20,    li-g4. 


fruit  was  gathered  ;  conseqaently  our  trees 
continued  to  possess  the  most  vigorous  health. 
The  best  crops  of  Grapes  I  ever  grew  in  pots  1 
grew  in  the  garden  in  question,  I  never  could 
grow,  asfome  say  they  can,  the  same  weight  of 
Grapes  in  a  pot  as  the  soil  in  which  they  were 
grown,  but  I  believe  I  am  quite  within  the  mark 
when  I  say  that  I  grew  half  the  quantity,  and  all 
concerned  were  well  satisfied.  Since  I  have  been 
minus  the  sewage  pump  in  the  garden  I  have  never 
grown  so  great  a  weight  of  Grapes  in  pots  as  I  did 
with  it.  The  quantity  of  water  which  pot  Vines 
require  when  carrying  a  full  crop  is  known  to 
many,  but  few  would  credit  the  quantity  that 
these  Vines  received.  It  was  my  practice  to  fill  a 
large  water-barrow,  take  it  into  the  vinery,  and  let 
it  remain  there  at  least  twelve  hours  before  I  used 
the  liquid.  It  was  then  given  to  the  Vines  as  they 
required  it,  which  was  sometimes  twice  a  day  in 
bright  weather  in  April,  as  I  only  used  12-inch 
pots  and  they  soon  got  dry  under  a  powerful  sun, 
and  the  constant  strain  made  upon  the  roots  for 
moisture. 

Fob  impoverished  lawns  it  is,  considering 
its  cost,  the  best  and  surest  fertiliser  with  which  I 
am  acquainted.  The  Grass  at  the  end  of  the  lawn 
farthest  from  the  house  was  thin  and  poor,  caused 
by  the  soil  being  poor,  the  subsoil  for  a  consider- 
able depth  being  nothing  but  gravel.  Every  year 
in  March  we  began  to  put  sewage  water  freely  on 
this  part,  and  by  continuing  the  applications 
once  or  twice  a  week  all  through  the  summer  we 
could  maintain  a  nice  green  sward  equal  to  that 
of  the  best  part  of  the  lawn  where  the  soil  was 
rich  and  deep.  For  Camellias  in  pots  sewage 
water  is  a  capital  stimulant;  in  fact  there  is  hardly 
anything  grown  in  a  garden  that  would  not  be 
benefited  by  it  it  judiciously  applied. 

J.  C.  C. 


Ferns. 


BEST  CULTIVATED  FERNS.  ' 
(  Continiicd  from  page  oOO,  Vol.  XXV.) 
Nephkodium  floridanum. — This  robust  grow- 
ing greenhouse  species  is  one  of  the  most  striking 
of  all  our  cultivated  North  American  Ferns.  Its 
native  habitat  extends  from  Florida  to  Louisiana, 
where  it  is  found  abundantly  in  wet  woods.  Its 
fertile  and  barren  fronds,  produced  from  a  stout, 
fleshy,  creeping  rhizome,  which  keeps  well  above 
the  surface  of  the  ground,  being  entirely  dissi- 
milar, give  the  plant  a  peculiar  appearance.  Both 
kinds  are  leathery  in  texture  and  dark  green  in 
colour  on  their  upper  surface,  while  their  under- 
sides are  much  lighter.  It  is  specially  well  adapted 
for  planting  in  any  damp  part  of  a  cool  rockery, 
and  should  be  planted  in  some  loose  material. 

Fronds  fertile,  much  larger  than  the  others.  Fructifi- 
cation very  singular,  inasnunh  as  the  upper  half  only  is 
fertile,  and  that  pa't  of  the  frr^ud  is  pinnate  :  whereas  the 
lower  half,  which  is  always  sterile,  is  pionatifid.  Entirely 
barren  frond-,  much  more  erect.  Finnic  lanceolate-acu- 
minate in  shape  and  set  quite  close  to  the  rachis.  .Sori 
very  conspicuouja 

N.  GLANDULOSDM.~A  strong- growing  Hima- 
layan species,  which  does  very  well  under  cool 
treatment.  The  place  most  suitable  for  it  is  a 
cool  rockery  or  the  conservatory,  in  both  of  which 
it  cannot  fail  to  prove  very  attractive,  owing  to 
the  extreme  variations  of  its  peculiarly  shaped, 
leathery,  pinnate  fronds.  The  latter  sometimes 
bear  broad  sterile  pinnaj  and  contracted  fertile 
ones  alternately,  while  at  other  times  both  sterile 
and  fertile  pinna;  are  exactly  similar  and  found 
on  the  same  fronds,  which  also  possess  another 
distinctive  character  not  found  in  any  other 
member  of  the  genus,  and  which  consists  in  their 
margins  being  coarsely  serrated  and  covered  on 
both  sides  with  small  glandular  tubercles. 

Fronds  coriaceous  and  glabrous  on  both  sides  ;  pinnate, 
with  pinnas  alternate,  sessile,  about  6  inches  long,  and 
about  air  inch  broad,  gradually  acuminated,  and  covered 
with  smaU  glandular  tubercles  on  both  sides.  Fronds  about 
18  inches  in  height.    Sori  very  large. 

N.  GoLDiEANUM.— This  truly  magnificent  North 
American  species  generally  requires  greenhou.'0 
temperature,  although  it  has  proved  it.=elf  to  be 
thoroughly  hardy  in  many  places  in  this  country 


where  planted  in  a  tolerably  sheltered  spot.  It  is 
deciduous  in  habit,  and  found  mostly  in  deep 
rocky  woods  from  Canada  and  Maine  to  Indiana, 
Virginia,  and  Kentucky.  During  the  growing 
season  its  beautiful  massive  bipinnate  fronds, 
which  are  abundantly  produced  from  a  very  suc- 
culent rootstock,  reminding  one  forcibly  of  that 
of  Aspidium  marginale,  give  the  whole  plant  a 
striking  appearance.  It  is  undoubtedly  one  of  the 
very  finest  and  largest  growing  species  of  North 
American  origin,  and  one  which  produces  a  very 
good  effect  when  planted  out  on  rockwork,  where 
its  fronds  have  sufficient  space  in  which  to  attain 
full  development.  It  is  a  kind  which  cannot  well 
be  mistaken  for  any  other  sort,  and  which  particu- 
larly delights  to  grow  in  partly  decayed  vegetable 
matter  mixed  with  an  equal  quantity  of  sand. 

Pinnic  alternate  and  loosely  set;  their  segments,  somewhat 
acute,  have  their  edges  crenate  or  more  or  less  distinctly 
serrate,  with  sharp,  incurved  teeth  Sori  seldom  or  never 
found  on  the  two  or  three  lowest  pinnse ;  on  the  others 
they  are  .arranged  in  a  row  much  nearer  the  mid-veins  than 
the  margins. 

N.  HIBSUTUM. — This  greenhouse  Fern  is  un- 
doubtedly one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  the  already 
numerous  New  Zealand  species  in  cultivation,  and 
one  of  the  most  remarkable  as  well  as  one  of  the 
prettiest  of  the  whole  genus  to  which  it  belongs. 
It  is  exceedingly  useful  for  growing  in  Fern  cases 
in  rooms  where  it  delights  in  the  company  of  the 
Todeas ;  for  although  not  a  Filmy  Fern,  it  can 
only  be  induced  to  thrive  under  conditions  favour- 
able^to  their  growth — a  surprising  circumstance, 
as  not  only  is  its  texture  very  leathery  and  in  no 
way  similar  to  theirs,  but  its  beautiful  tripinnate 
fronds  are  clothed  throughout  with  numerous 
small,  bristle-like  dark  brown  hairs,  and  also  the 
stiff  wiry  stalks  on  which  they  are  borne.  It  is  a 
plant  of  medium  growth  and  very  graceful  in 
habit  and  colour,  the  latter  a  rich,  dark,  glossy 
green.  It  has  a  peculiar  dislike  to  close  or  strong 
soil,  and  loam  should  be  carefully  avoided ;  the 
compost  in  which  it  thrives  best  is  a  mixture  of 
peat,  chopped  Sphagnum,  and  silver  sand  in  about 
equal  parts,  and  it  should  be  grown  in  the  darkest 
and  closest  part  of  the  greenhouse. 

Fronds  tripinnate.  with  pinnre  and  pinnules  set  very  close 
together,  the  latter  being  particularly  acute,  and  the  pinna; 
terminating  in  a  very  sharp  and  elong.lted  point.  Sori 
most  copious  on  the  fertile  fronds,  where  they  are  situated 
on  the  middle  of  all  the  veinlets,  forming  a  sort  of  a  doulde 
or  sometimes  triple  row  to  each  pinnule  and  of  a  very  dark 
colour. 

N.  HOOKEEI  is  a  very  handsome  East  Indian 
species  and  not  so  often  seen  in  collections  as  it 
really  deserves.  It  is  a  most  accommodating  plant 
of  a  cheerful  pale  green  colour  and  medium 
growth.  It  seldom  reaches  over  20  inches  in 
height,  and  is  a  species  which  requires  no  special 
treatment.  It  thrives  equally  well  in  a  stove  or 
in  a  greenhouse,  but  it  is  very  partial  to  a  shady 
place  and  likes  abundance  of  water  at  the  roots. 

Fronds  pale  treen,  pinnate,  and  of  a  very  peculiar  shape 
on  account  of  the  lower  pair  of  pinn:c  being  very  small,  liut 
lengthening  upwards  and  tapering  to  a  point  towards  the 
extremity  of  the  frond ;  these  pinux  have  their  margins 
obtusely  crenate  and  closely  set  along  the  rachis. 

N.  JAVANICUM  (Polypodium  villosum)  — This 
is  an  exceedingly  fine  stove  Fern  from  the  Malay 
Islands,  well  adapted  for  planting  out  on  a  warm 
rockery  where,  on  account  of  its  great  size  and 
large  fronds,  which  rise  boldly  with  their  stalks  in 
tufts  direct  from  the  root,  which,  with  age,  forms 
a  short  and  very  stout  caudex,  it  forms  a  most  de- 
corative plant.  The  fronds  remain  a  long  time  on 
the  plant ;  they  are  of  a  very  coriaceous  character 
and  hairy  throughout,  but  particularly  underneath 
where  pellucid  globular  glands  are  also  copiously 
found.  The  whole  plant  is  of  a  rich  dark  green 
colour  and  very  striking  when  fully  grown,  al- 
t'lough  the  fronds,  when  only  partly  developed, 
are  densely  clothed  with  brown  chaffy  scales, 
which  when  fully  grown  are  confined  to  the  back 
and  margin  of  the  stalks. 

Pinn.T  sessile  or  attached  to  the  rachis  and  slightly  auri' 
culate  at  their  base  ;  they  measure  fi-oni  5  inches  to  8  inches 
in  length  and  are  linear  in  shape,  gradually  and  trnely  acu- 
minated, with  apex  entire  and  the  rest  pinnatifid  more  than 
half  the  way  down. 

N.  JUGLANDIPOLIUM  (Aspidium  nobile).  —  A 
North  American  Fern  of  very  distinct  and  striking 


habit,  resembling  in  general  aspect  the  well-known 
LastreaSieboldiorthepopularCyrtomiumFortunel, 
both  of  which,  however,  are  thoroughly  Japanese 
species  and  cannot  possibly  be  mistaken  for  the 
American  plant.  Although  in  cultivation  this 
greenhouse  Fern  always  remains  a  plant  of  com- 
paratively low  stature,  dried  specimens  of  it  show 
that  it  naturally  attains  a  large  size,  for,  although 
specimens  frem  Texas  are  only  equal  in  this  re- 
spect to  the  cultivated  plants,  some  dried  fronds 
of  it  gathered  in  Venezuela  and  Mexico,  where  it 
is  also  said  to  grow  abundantly,  measure  over  30 
inches  high.  Its  pretty  and  evenly  pinnate  fronds, 
which  urider  cultivation  seldom  exceed  a  foot  in 
length,  are  borne  on  short,  round,  green  stalks, 
very  chaffy  when  young,  with  scales  of  the  same 
colour  as  those  which  cover  the  crown,  but  much 
narrower ;  these,  however,  gradually  wear  off  as 
the  fronds  get  matured. 

Pinnsc  4  inches  to  6  inches  long  by  I  inch  wide,  opposite, 
and  closely  S't,  generally  five  to  seven  on  each  side  of  the 
rachis,  besides  a  separate  terminal  pinna  larger  than  any 
of  the  others.  Soii  dorsal  on  the  veins  and  form  a  row  each 
side  of  the  midrib.  Outside  of  each  of  these  rows  is  a  second 
one  less  complete,  and  outside  of  this  are  often  found  a  few 
scattered  sori,  very  much  in  the  same  way  as  in  Cyrtommms. 
N.  LINEATUM  (Aspidium  obscurum).— This  very 
bold-looking  stove  species  from  Ceylon  is  parti- 
cularly adapted  for  planting  out  in  the  warm 
rockery  where  it  proves  very  effective  if  only  on 
account  of  the  very  cheerful  light  green  colour  of 
its  beautifully  arching  foliage.  Its  particularly 
robust  fronds,  ovate  in  shape  and  reaching  nnder 
cultivation  to  some  80  inches  in  height,  are  pro- 
duced from  a  thick,  fleshy  crown. 

Pinna;  5  inches  to  7  inches  in  length  by  IJ  inches  in 
breadth  ;  veins  on  their  upper  side  furnished  with  a  few 
distant  long  hairs,  while  their  under  surface  is  shghtly 
pubescent  or  suhglabrous  ;  the  terminal  pinna;  always  of 
larger  dimensions  than  the  others.  Sori  small  and  situated 
on  the  middle  of  each  vein. 

I'ELL^EA. 


Kitchen    Garden. 

KITCHEN  GARDEN  NOTES. 
Onions.— I  do  not  remember  ever  having  seen 
so  many  "  patchy  "  beds  of  Onions  as  there  are  this 
season  ;  in  fact,  I  can  only  point  to  one  good  bed 
in  this  neighbourhood,  and   that  unfortunately  is 
not  in  the  garden  under  my  care.     A  great  diffi- 
culty was  experienced  in  getting  the  ground  into 
good  order  for  the  reception  of  the  seeds,   and 
owing  to  the  cold  and  wet  state  it  was  in  it  proved 
most  unfavourable  to  the  germination  of  old  or 
inferior  seeds  especially.     Then  just  as  the  sprout- 
ing stage  was  reached,  or  about  the  22nd  of  April, 
we  experienced  cold  dry  winds  and  severe  frosts, 
and  this  proved   most  destructive,  especially  to 
those  only  lightly  covered  with  soil.     Onion  seeds, 
as  a  rule,  are  seldom   covered  with  more  than  a 
quarter  of  an  inch,  but  for  the  future  I  shall  take 
particular  care  that  the  drills  are  drawn  deeper 
than  they  hitherto  have  been.    The  seed  sown  in 
the  bed  above  alluded  to  was  covered  fully  an  inch, 
and  I  find  that  all  the  seeds  that  grew  here  were 
buried  r^uite  as  deeply.     When  buried  deeply  it  is 
thought  that  the  young  Onions  are  less  liable  to  be 
attacked  by  maggot,  and  it  is  quite  certain  that  it 
does  not  injuriously  affect  their  bulbing.     In  our 
case  we  considered  it  advisable  to  sow  more  seed, 
besides  transplanting  a  considerable  number,  and 
in  this  way  we   shall  have  a  lighter   crop  than 
usual,  though  yet  sufficient  to  meet  our  demands. 
Where,  however,  the  supply  will  not  be  equal  to 
the  demand,  it  is  advisable  to  grow  more  Leeks 
than  usual,  and  also  to  pay  particular  attention  to 
the  crops  of  autumn-sown  Onions,  both  as  regards 
those  of  the  latter  now  rapidly  maturing  and  the 
sowing  of  early  sorts  for  the  spring  supply.    At 
present  the  white  Tripoli  only  should  be  used, 
this  being  the  worst   keeper,  while  extra  pains 
should  be   taken    with   the    ripening    of    better 
keepers,  such  as  Brown  Globe  and  Giant  Rocca. 
Early  in  August  any  of  the   two  latter  that  are 
erect  and  stiff  should  have  their  necks  twisted 
and  the  tops  brought  down,  thus  hastening  matu- 
ration.    As  soon  as  the   tops  change  colour   the 
crop  should  be  lifted  and  laid  together  on  a  dry 
bottom  in  the  full  sunshine,  or,  better  still,  be 


Jur.Y  2(5,   1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


63 


spread  about  on  the  dry  shelves  or  floorBof  vineries. 
Properly  ripened  they  will  keep  till  Christmas,  and 
thus  admit  of  the  better  keeping  spring-sown 
Onions  being  preserved  for  later  use  ;  whereas,  if 
if  they  remain  on  the  ground  too  long,  or  be 
stored  on  a  damp  bottom,  they  will  commence 
rooting  afresh  and  be  of  comparatively  little 
service.  The  second  week  in  August  in  most 
locilities  is  quite  early  enough  to  sow  Onions  in- 
tended to  stand  through  the  winter.  White  Queen 
is  the  earliest  to  bulb,  and  this  little  favourite  may 
be  grown  rather  thickly,  say  in  rows  about  9  inches 
apart,  and  be  thinned  out  as  required.  To  succeed 
this  the  White  Naples  is  the  best.  The  Giant 
Madeira  is  a  very  fine  white  later  sort,  and  Large 
Globe  Tripoli  and  Giant  Kocca,  or  the  latter  only, 
may  well  complete  the  list.  These  larger  sorts  are 
sown  thinly  in  drills  about  12  inches  apart,  and 
not  much  interfered  with  till  the  spring. 

Leeks  should  be  more  extensively  grown  in  the 
southern  counties  than  they  are,  as  whether 
Onions  are  plentiful  or  not  they  will  be  found 
to  be  of  great  service,  and  to  be  appreciated 
either  for  soups  or  as  a  vegetable.  Our  chef  would 
rather  we  failed  with  Onions  than  with  Leeks.  For- 
tunately, Leeks  are  easily  grown, and  are,  perhaps, 
the  hardiest  vegetable  we  have.  If  we  want  early 
and  extra  fine  produce  the  seeds  should  be  sown 
in  heat,  the  plants  pricked  off  on  shallow  beds  of 
soil  and  manure,  and  otherwise  treated  similar  to 
Celery — i.e.,  grown  in  trenches  and  carefully 
moulded  up.  For  ordinary  purposes  the  seed 
should  be  sown  on  a  good  early  border  early  in 
March  thinly,  in  drills  about  6  inches  apart,  and 
any  time  in  July  they  will  be  fit  to  plant  out. 
Here  they  are  usually  grown  on  east  borders  and 
follow  either  Broccoli  or  Savoys.  Directly  the 
latter  are  cleared  off  the  ground  is  heavily  dressed 
with  good  short  manure  and  deeply  dug.  During 
June  or  early  in  July  the  winds,  sun,  and  rain  will 
have  brought  this  rough  ground  into  condition, 
and  as  it  is  much  liable  to  become  hard  baked, 
this  is  anticipated  by  being  raked  down  after  a 
soaking  rain,  thus  enabling  us  to  plant  the  Leeks 
at  any  time.  When  the  plants  are  sufficiently 
strong  or  about  IS  inches  in  height  they  are  fit  to 
plant.  We  proceed  by  first  drawing  drills  length- 
ways and  15  inches  apart;  holes  are  then  made 
with  a  dibble  12  inches  asunder,  6  inches  deep, 
and  about  2  inches  in  diameter.  Into  each  of 
these  holes  a  plant  is  dropped,  and  no  fixing  is 
given  beyond  what  is  accomplished  with  the 
watering-pot.  This  deep  planting  appears  to  suit 
Leeks,  as  they  gradually  fill  out  the  holes  and  con- 
tinue growing  tViroughout  any  ordinarily  cold 
winter.  No  moalding  up  is  necessary ;  the  soil 
gradually  works  in  around  the  stems  and  insures 
their  being  properly  blanched.  Ayton  Castle  and 
Musselburgh  are  good  serviceable  varieties,  one  in 
my  estimation  being  equally  as  good  as  the 
other. 

ToUNG  Cabrots. — These  are  always  accept- 
able, and  this  season  we  are  sowing  greater 
breadths  than  usual,  owing  to  the  partial  failure 
of  the  spring-sown  seeds.  From  what  I  can  learn, 
Carrot  seed  was  not  harvested  in  good  condition, 
and  this,  coupled  with  the  cold  state  of  the  ground, 
has  resulted  in  a  good  many  failures.  Those  who 
have  not  already  sown  seed  of  a  good  early  sort 
should  do  so  at  once,  both  on  a  good  light  piece 
of  open  ground  and  also  on  a  sheltered  border, 
where  part  of  the  breadth  can  be  covered  with  a 
frame  or  frames,  from  which  they  can  be  drawn 
in  all  weathers.  We  prefer  the  Nantes  Horn,  and, 
failing  this,  should  sow  either  the  French  Horn 
or  Sutton's  Champion  Short  Horn.  The  drills  may 
be  drawn  about  9  inches  apart,  and  if  the  soil  is 
at  all  dry  a  good  soaking  of  water  should  be  given 
prior  to  sowing.  The  seed  is  best  sown  thinly 
covered  with  fine  light  soil  to  which  wood  ashes 
have  been  freely  added,  and  the  seedlings  should 
only  be  lightly  thinned  out.  With  a  very  little 
trouble  we  are  thus  enabled  to  have  sweet  young 
Carrots  during  the  whole  of  the  winter,  and  these 
this  season  will  serve  to  eke  out  the  poor  supply 
of  old  ones. 

Savoys. — Where  many  vegetables  are  required, 
Savoys  should  be  extensively  planted,  especially 


the  smaller  sorts,  such  as  Little  Pixie,  Tom  Thumb, 
and  Early  Dim.  The  two  former  may  be  planted 
about  1 5  inches  apart  each  way,  and,  supposing  the 
ground  to  be  in  fairly  good  condition,  a  large 
number  of  very  good  heads  may  thus  be  obtained 
from  a  comparatively  small  piece  of  ground.  The 
Early  Ulm  and  also  the  Dwarf  Green  Curled  we 
plant  about  1.5  inches  apart  each  way,  and  the 
Drumhead  for  the  latest  supplies  are  given  another 
3  inches  each  way.  Jlore  space  than  this  given  to 
Savoys  would  be  a  mistake,  as  it  is  not  a  few  large 
close  heads  of  inferior  quality  that  should  be 
grown,  but  rather  a  much  greater  number  of 
smaller  and  more  tender  heads. 

When  to  sow  Cabbages.  —  Every  district 
seems  to  have  its  own  particular  date  on  which 
Cabbage  seed  to  stand  the  winter  should  be  sown, 
and  the  sooner  fresh  arrivals  discover  this  date 
and  act  upon  it  the  better  it  will  generally  prove 
for  them.  In  this  neighbourhood  the  right  time 
to  sow  is  about  July  20,  and  the  favourite  variety 
is  Wheeler's  Imperial,  but  EUam's  Early  Spring  is 
much  superior  to  it,  and  the  larger  Heartwell 
Marrow  is  also  much  liked.  It  should  be  stated 
that  ours  is  a  cold,  heavy  soil  and  the  plants  must 
be  put  out  early,  or  they  make  no  progress  before 
winter.  Where  the  soil  is  light  and  the  district 
naturally  favoured,  the  first  week  in  August  is 
soon  enough  to  sow,  as  if  the  plants  are  raised 
much  earlier  they  are  almost  certain  to  run  to 
seed  prematurely.  W.  I.  M. 

Mushroom  beds. — The  Mushrooms  which 
I  sent  for  your  inspection  some  little  time  ago,  and 
of  which  you  spoke  favourably,  were  gathered  from 
an  open-air  bed  made  up  in  spring  on  the  ridge 
system.  In  the  cultivation  of  Mushrooms  outside, 
if  any,  position  has  a  great  deal  to  do  with  the 
matter,  the  best  being  a  shady,  sheltered  corner 
away  from  the  drip  of  trees,  but  well  enclosed  with 
walls  or,  better  still,  hedges.  In  such  a  place  the 
beds  do  not  get  dried  up  by  the  sun  or  parching 
winds,  but  remain  for  a  long  time  without  any 
heavy  waterings ;  still  in  dry  weather  the  litter 
covering  them  should  be  slightly  sprinkled  every 
evening,  as  that  tends  to  encourage  the  growth  of 
fine,  fleshy  Mushrooms.  We  put  more  material  in 
our  beds  than  most  people,  as  the  more  bulk  the 
longer  they  appear  to  remain  in  bearing,  and  we 
always  like  to  surface  the  beds  with  best  pasture 
loam.  The  preparation  of  our  material  is  not 
different  from  that  of  other  people,  but  we  are 
very  careful  not  to  have  it  too  dry,  and  to  make 
the  beds  very  firm. — Chas,  Bennett,  Beshorough, 
Cork.  

Garden  destroyers. 


APHIDES  AND  KED  SPIDER. 

Will  "G.  S.  S."  kindly  say  if  it  has  been  satis- 
factorily proved  how  many  distinct  forms  of 
aphides  there  are  in  this  country  ?  I  have  an  idea 
there  are  only  two  really  distinct  species,  viz.,  the 
green  and  black  aphis,  and  that  the  many  difiie- 
rent  shades  of  green  as  seen  in  the  aphides  of  the 
Rose,  Peach,  Plum,  Currant,  Lime  are  all  merely 
difEerent  forms  of  the  common  green  fly,  and  that 
the  various  hues  may  be  attributed  to  the  different 
plants  on  which  the  insects  feed.  This  seems  the 
more  probable,  as  all  these  latter  forms  are  alike 
distinct  from  the  black  aphis  in  their  inability  to 
resist  insecticides.  The  grey  aphis,  too  plentiful 
just  at  present  on  Plum  and  Currant,  would  seem 
to  have  an  especial  liking  for  the  nnder-sides  of 
the  leaves,  as  it  is  usually  found  there.  The  Black 
Currant  has  not  escaped  injury  this  year,  the 
bushes  in  some  parts  being  smothered  with  aphides. 
Again,  is  the  black  aphis  of  the  Bean  and  Cherry 
one  and  the  same  insect  ?  and  the  same  question 
may  he  asked  in  reference  to  the  black  or  dark 
brown  aphis  that  gives  considerable  trouble  in  the 
Camellia  house.  It  is  not  so  easy  to  destroy  as  the 
green  and  grey,  and  I  thought,  therefore,  the  two 
must  be  closely  allied  to  the  Bean  and  Cherry 
fly.  The  more  intimately  we  are  acquainted  with 
the  various  forms  of  aphides  the  better  shall  we  be 
able  to  cope  with  them,  and  this  will  be  some 


advantage  in  a  season  like  the  present,  when  fruits, 
flowers,  and  vegetables  are  alike  damaged  by  their 
attacks.  Whilst  on  the  subject  of  garden  de- 
stroyers, I  should  also  like  to  ask  if  there  are  two 
species  of  red  spider.  I  have  never  noticed  in- 
doors the  very  dark  red  kind,  nearly  the  size  of  a 
pin-head,  that  is  common  on  out-door  trees  about 
this  time.  Is  it  the  originator  of  the  myriads  of 
pests  that  give  so  much  trouble  in  the  Peach, 
Strawberry,  and  Melon  houses,  or  a  distinct  species  ? 
I  have  watched  red  spider  pretty  closely,  and  have 
always  found  indoors  that  the  colony  was  the 
production  of  the  tiny  red  insect  not  larger  than 
an  impression  made  on  paper  with  the  point  of  a 
pin.  Is  the  scarlet  individual  of  pin-head  dimen- 
sions the  queen,  so  to  speak,  of  this  mighty  army, 
or  only  a  worker  f  E.  B. 

Lettuce  fly  {M.  H.). — I  have  very  carefully 
examined  the  earth  forwarded,  but  could  find  no 
flies  or  grubs  amongst  it.  The  grubs  attacking 
your  Lettuce  and  Carnation  roots  are  very  probably 
those  of  the  daddy-longlegs  or  some  nearly  allied 
species ;  t'ney  may  be  trapped  by  burj'ing  small 
slices  of  Potatoes  or  Turnips  near  the  plants  about 
an  inch  below  the  surface,  and  examining  them 
every  morning.  A  small  stick  stuck  into  each 
piece  wUl  show  where  it  is  buried.  If  you  will  send 
some  of  the  grubs  in  a  small  box  containing  some 
damp  Moss  they  will  travel  safely. — G.  S.  S. 

"Wood-boring  insects  {R.  C,  Gahisboro"). 
— The  insect  you  forwarded  is  a  female  specimen 
of  the  giant  Sirex  (Sirex  gigas).  Though  very 
formidable-looking,  it  is  quite  harmless,  except  to 
timber.  The  female  bores  with  her  long  ovipositor 
into  Pine  logs  and  unhealthy  Fir  trees,  and  lays 
her  eggs  just  beneath  the  bark,  and  the  grubs 
bore  into  the  solid  wood.  There  are  frequently 
in  unseasoned  timber  some  of  these  grub.~,  which 
undergo  their  transformations  in  it,  and  appear  in 
due  time  as  perfect  insects,  sometimes  to  the 
astonishment  and  alarm  of  those  who  find  them. 
— G.  S.S. 

5218.  —  Chrysanthemum  grub.  —  This 
troublesome  pest,  like  most  out-door  insects,  seems 
unusually  plentiful  this  year.  Paris  Daisies 
(Chrysanthemum  frutescens)  are  so  badly  affected 
by  it  in  some  places  as  to  be  all  but  destroyed.  I 
have  tried  both  lime  and  soot  dusted  on  the  leaves 
in  quantities  as  much  as  the  plants  would  bear 
with  little  or  no  effect.  A  good  outlook  should  be 
kept,  and  as  soon  as  any  leaves  are  seen  to  be  at- 
tacked, the  grubs  should  be  sought  for  ;  they  can 
easily  be  seen  lying  between  the  upper  and  lower 
cuticle,  and  crushed,  as  if  allowed  to  get  to  any 
considerable  head,  the  plants  are  not  only  dis- 
figured, but  much  injured. — T.  B. 

Destruction  of  white  scale.— Those  who 
have  had  this  formidable  enemy  to  deal  with 
know  something  of  its  voraciousness  and  its  ten- 
dency to  rapid  multiplication.  Lately  it  appeared 
among  our  stock  of  Pines,  probably  introduced 
with  two  or  three  suckers  which  we  obtained,  and 
in  a  very  short  time  it  got  established  on  the 
greater  portion  of  the  stock.  This  being  during 
the  short  winter  days  when  the  syringe  could  not 
be  applied  safely,  we  puffed  a  quantity  of  dry  lime 
and  soot  among  the  plants  and  over  the  surface 
of  the  beds.  This  kept  the  scale  in  check,  and 
when  blinks  of  sun  came  out  we  dewed  the  plants 
by  means  of  a  fine  syringe  with  soot  water  made 
with  lime  the  colour  of  sherry.  Under  this  treat- 
ment the  whole  stock  is  now  clear  of  scale  and  in 
perfect  health.  Many  years  ago  I  had  to  deal 
with  a  larger  stock  of  Pines  completely  coated  with 
mealy  bug.  After  trying  numerous  cures  no  im- 
provement was  made  till  I  adopted  the  lime  and 
soot  cure.  I  syringed  it  copiously  among  the  stock, 
and  all  became  clean  and  healthy.— Experi- 
mento. 


Anthracite  coal.— Can  tlus  lie  used  in  ,->  saiMle 
bailer?  and  will  it  last  as  long  as  the  other  sort  o(  ooul  (  I 
flud  that  many  now  burn  coke.  I  should  like  someone  who 
has  tried  anthracite  coal  to  answer  these  ([uestions.  I  cer- 
tainly think  that  if  coke  could  be  depended  upon  as  keep- 
ing a  fire  Ions  enough,  it  is  to  be  preferred  to  common  coal 
as  it  makes  no  smoke  — S.  C, 


64 


THE     GARDEN 


[July  26,  1884. 


NOTES  or  THE  WEEK. 

The  Midland  Eailway  Company  have  decided  to  offer 
premiums  to  their  officials  at  country  stations  for  the  best 
kept  station  gardens— a  step  undoubtedly  in  the  right 
direction. 

Gardeners'  Royal  Benevolent  Insti- 
tution.— We  have  been  requested  to  Ennounce  that 
the  annual  simultaneona  collection  in  aid  of  the 
pension  augmentation  fund  of  this  institution 
will  take  place  on  Monday,  the  28th  instant.  Col- 
lecting cards  have  been  issued  to  every  gardener 
whose  name  is  in  the  horticultural  directories, 
and  if  any  who  may  be  disposed  lo  assist  the 
committee,  and  who  have  not  received  a  card, 
will  apply  to  Mr.  Cutler,  14,  Tavistock  Row, 
Covent  Garden,  he  will  send  one  by  retu.n  of 
post.  It  has  been  determined  by  the  committee 
that  the  collection  shall  cease  on  the  30th  Novem- 
ber next.  An  appeal  from  the  committee  to  all 
the  nurserymen,  seedsmen,  &c.,  throughout  the 
United  Kingdom  has  also  been  made.  The  com- 
mittee earnestly  hope  that  the  gardeners  of 
England  will  cheerfully  respond  to  their  endea- 
vours to  raise  the  pensions  of  this  society  to  the 
annual  amount  of  £20  and  J16  respectively. 

A  feast  of  Strawberiiea.  —  Mr.  C.  M. 
Ilovey,  of  Boston,  the  well-known  raiser  of  Hovey's 
Seedling,  Boston  Pine,  and  other  Strawberries, 
invited  the  other  day,  according  to  the  Massachu- 
setts Plo)ighman,  a  few  friends  to  enjoy  with  him 
a  walk  through  his  garden  and  partake  of  the 
delicious  fruit  with  which  his  name  will  ever  be 
associated.  Who,  indeed,  could  decline  such  an  in- 
vitation ?  It  was  of  all  things  interesting  to 
accompany  him  about  his  thirty-five  acres  of  cul- 
tivated grounds,  and  listen  to  his  talk  as  he  came 
close  to  every  specimen  shrub  and  flower,  some  of 
them  transplanted  from  foreign  soil,  others  of  his 
own  origination  or  improvement.  The  garden  ex- 
cursion over,  the  company  was  called  on  to  enter 
the  hospitable  home  of  the  owner.  Here  was  shown 
the  trowel  which  Mr.  Hovey  used  in  the  ceremony 
of  laying  the  corner-stone  of  the  grand  Horti- 
cultural Hall  in  Boston.  Also  the  thirty-six  vol- 
umes of  the  Miigazine  of  Horticulture,  which  he 
edited— a  special  library  of  itself,  and  a  monu- 
ment to  his  industry  and  ability.  On  the  tables 
was  spread  a  feast  of  Strawberries,  and  all  were 
invited  to  test  every  one  of  the  several  varieties, 
each  indicated  by  its  proper  label,  and  finally  to 
try  the  Hovey  Seedling.  He  said  he  cared  for  no 
Strawberry  to  eat  with  cream  unless  it  was  the 
Hovey  Seedling,  a  variety  raised  as  far  back  as 
1833,  and  still  one  of  the  best  of  American  Straw- 
berries. A  number  of  hours  having  been  thus 
passed  in  the  most  enjoyable  manner,  the  party 
finally  took  leave  of  their  contented  and  enthusi- 
astic entertainer,  who  even  now  at  the  ripe  age  of 
seventy-four  has  not  lost  a  particle  of  the  zeal  of 
his  earlier  years,  nor  any  of  his  former  love  for 
horticulture. 

Qlassbouses  for  Sydney.— Messrs.  Dennis 

&  Co.,  of  Chelmsford,  have  been  instructed  to 
send  to  the  Botanic  Gardens,  Sidney,  New  South 
Wales,  two  ranges  of  span-roofed  houses  all 
20  feet  in  width,  one  adapted  for  stove  plants  and 
the  other  for  Orchids.  In  each  case  a  central  tiered 
stage  is  provided,  as  well  as  side  s'.ages,  next  the 
glass,  the  latter  so  arranged  with  slate  sides  and 
perforated  slate  bases,  that  plunging  and  propagat- 
ing operations  may  be  easily  carried  on  in  them. 
The  same  firm  are  also  commissiored  to  supply  the 
heating  apparatus  for  these  houses  ;  it  consists  of 
a  single  large  Dennis'  patent  horizontal  tubular 
boiler  with  valves  and  connections  so  arranged 
that  each  part  of  each  house  can  be  treated  sepa- 
rately and  independently. 

Oovent  Garden  Market.— The  respon- 
sible agent  of  the  Duke  of  Bedford  writing  to 
The  Lancet  says—"  The  whole  of  the  Market  is 
regularly  swept  twice  a  day,  and  many  of  the 
gangways  thrice  or  of  tener.  The  contractor's  men 
and  carts  are  in  constant  attendance.  A  large 
sum  IS  paid  for  the  cleansing,  but  the  work  is  ex- 
ceptionally heavy,  and  is  required  to  be  well  done. 
Ail  the  sanitary  arrangements  within  the  Market 
are  under  the  direct  supervision  of  the  estate  sur 


veyor,  and  the  costly  latrines  erected  a  year  or  two 
ago  are  admitted  to  be  the  best  of  their  kind  in 
London.  I  am  privileged  to  know  many  of  the 
medical  men  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  I  am  not 
aware  that  the  state  of  health  among  the  sales- 
men and  their  servants  is  otherwise  than  satis- 
factory. Obviously  a  market  that  is  limited  in 
size,  that  at  certain  seasons  is  in  use  throughout 
almost  the  whole  twenty-four  hours,  over  which 
the  traffic  never  ceases,  and  in  which  all  the  com- 
modities sold  give  out  refuse,  presents  peculiar 
difficulties  in  the  way  of  management.  There 
must  inevitably  be  periods  of  apparent  confusion 
and  untidiness.  These  periods  frequently  occur, 
and  the  more  frequently  dniing  such  seasons  as  the 
present,  when  fruit  and  vegetables  are  continually 
arriving  from  the  suburbs  of  London,  the  south  of 
England,  the  Channel  Islands,  and  the  Continent, 
But  no  expense  is  spared  to  secure  efficient  con- 
trol, and  especially  to  have  as  prompt  a  clearance 
of  all  refuse  as  the  business  of  the  Market  will 
permit.  For  the  proper  cleansing  of  the  streets 
leading  to  the  Market  quadrangle  the  Strand  Dis- 
trict Board  is  wholly  responsible,  the  traffic  being 
regulated  by  the  police.  The  public  crowd  their 
vehicles  into  these  approaches,  and  by  their  con- 
tinuous occupation  hinder  the  contractor  employed 
by  the  District  Board  from  efficiently  doing  his 
work.  Added  to  this  is  the  circumstance  of  shop- 
keepers blocking  up  the  roadway  with  their  mer- 
chandise, instead  of  keeping  it  within  their  shops. 
These  are  matters  that  are  entirely  under  the  con- 
trol of  the  police.  The  cross  traffic  is  an  occa- 
sion of  much  inconvenience,  but  the  police  alone 
can  deal  with  this  difficulty.  Although  Covent 
Garden  Market  is  private  property,  yet  from  its 
popularity  and  use  it  has  acquired  a  quasi-public 
character,  and  therefore  is  open  to  criticism  ;  but 
that  criticism  should  be  reasonable  and  truthful. 


PLANTS    IN    FLOWEE. 


Tuberoses.— We  have  received  from  Mr.  W.  Balchln, 
Hassocks  Nurseries,  Hassocks,  Sussex,  some  flue  spikes  of 
Tulieroses.  Host  of  them  average  from  twenty  to  thirty 
flowers  on  a  spike,  and  some  have  thirty-six  flowers.  Tlie 
spikes  sent  were  cut  from  single  bulbs  grown  in  S-inch  pots. 

Seedling  Carnations.— A  gathering  of  some  uncom- 
monly flue  seedling  Carnations  has  reached  us  from  the 
raiser,  Mr.  Payn,  Earl's  Court,  Tunbridge  Wells.  They  are 
too  numerous  to  describe  ;  suffice  it  to  say  that  their 
colours  are  varied  and  rich,  and  some  are  uncommonly 
bright  and  beautiful. 

Gentiana  bavarloa.— We  have  seen  this 
lately  quite  happy  in  a  moist  spot  in  the  rock  gar- 
den at  Floore.  Hitherto  it  has  been  rare  in  cultiva- 
tion, being  rightly  supposed  to  be  more  difficult  to 
grow  than  the  other  alpine  Gentians.  Its  great 
beauty,  however,  warrants  earnest  attempts  t9 
grow  it.  The  long  rest  under  the  snow  in  its 
native  turf  is  a  condition  not  easy  to  imitate,  nor 
the  moist  banks  of  delightful  turf  by  the  alpine 
rills  in  which  its  iridescent  blossoms  are  seen. 

Lllium  Harris!.— I  send  you  a  spike  of  what 
is  called  the  Easter  Lily.  The  spike  is  from  a 
bulb  given  me  by  Messrs.  Wrench,  and  has  been 
grown  in  the  orchard  house.  It  is  evidently  a 
tropically  developed  form  of  L.  longiflorum.  I 
also  send  a  spike  of  L.  longiflorum  albo-margina- 
tum  with  two  flowers.- G.  F.  Wilson,  Heather- 
bank,  Weyhridge. 

*,*  The  spike  of  Lilium  Harrisi  is  certainly  very 
fine,  being  over  a  yard  high,  and  carries  several 
large  white  flowers  and  buds,  which  keep  opening 
even  after  the  spike  has  been  cut  some  days.  It  is 
certainly  a  noble  Lily.  The  variegated-leaved 
form,  too,  is  a  well  developed  specimen. — Ed. 

Zenobia  apeciosa.— Some  beautiful  flower- 
sprays  of  this  charming  shrub  have  been  sent  to 
us  by  Mr.  Latham,  from  the  Birmingham  Bo- 
tanic Garden,  who  justly  considers  it  to  be  one  of 
the  most  desirable  of  all  summer  flowering  shrubs 
of  low  stature.  The  sprays  sent  are  literally  loaded 
with  tiny  white  wax-like  flowers.  This  plant  is 
the  type  of  the  pretty  Zenobia  pulverulenta 
figured  in  The  Garden  a  short  time  since,  and 
which  only  difiers  in  the  leaves  being  covered 
beneath  with  a  mealy  white  powder.    Every  gar- 


den should  contain  one  or  the  other  of  these  beau- 
tiful shrubs. 

Gentiana  septemflda.—  Among  a  gather- 
ing of  Gentians,  Mr.  Wood,  of  Kirkstall,  sends  us 
some  fine  specimens  of  this  lovely  species — one  of 
the  finest  of  the  genus.  It  grows  about  a  foot  high, 
and  its  flowers,  which  are  about  as  large  as  a  full- 
sized  thimble,  are  of  the  richest  cobalt-blue  im- 
aginable, and  exquisitely  fringed  inside.  Other 
species  sent  are  G.  asclepiadea  (2  feet  high),  G. 
gelida,  and  G.  cruciata.  With  regard  to  these  Mr. 
Wood  writes  as  follows  :  "  In  all  cases  these  Gen- 
tians have  been  grown  with  a  little  shade,  as,  for 
instance,  on  the  north  side  of  stronger  growing 
tall  Gentians,  or  behind  dwarf  Roses.  I  have 
quite  come  to  believe  that  this  section,  comprising 
G.  gelida,  septemflda,  aflinis,  and  others,  are 
the  better  for  a  slight  screen  in  a  sloping  sunny 
garden  like  mine." 

Parnasaia  nublcola.— This  Himalayan 
Grass  of  Parnassus  is  now  flowering  on  the 
rockery  at  Kew.  Although  it  may  not  come  up 
to  our  own  native  P.  palustris  in  profu-^iion  of 
flowers.  It  very  far  exceeds  it  in  size  and  effective- 
ness. P.  nubicola  is  the  strongest  growing  of  all 
the  Indian  species,  is  well  adapted  to  our  climate, 
and  an  important  addition  to  hardy  bog  plants. 
It  may  be  grown  with  fair  success  in  pots  for  one 
or  two  years,  but  needs  renewing,  as  it  suffers  con- 
siderably from  drought.  It  grows  robustly  if 
planted  in  the  shady  corner  of  a  bog  or  natural 
swamp.  Its  leaves,  which  are  all  radical,  are 
borne  on  footstalks  about  3  inches  long,  and  its 
creamy  white  flowers,  which  vary  from  1  inch  to 
2  inches  in  diameter,  are  produced  singly.  It  seeds 
freely,  and  the  sooner  they  are  sown  after  they 
are  ripe  the  better. — K. 


Rose  Garden. 

Marecbal  Niel  on  open  walls.— It  ap- 
pears to  be  clear  that  we  cannot  tell  whether  this 
Ro?e  will  thrive  or  not  in  any  position  until  it  has 
been  tried.  1  have  lately  seen  a  healthy  plant  of 
it  covering  a  large  space  on  the  wall  of  a  cottage 
facing  the  east,  and  flowering  as  well  as  anyone 
could  desire,  with  the  roots  growing  underneath 
a  stone  pavement,  and  not  a  foot  of  soil  visible  on 
the  surface.  There  are  many  places  where  it  will 
not  thrive  ;  but,  as  I  have  just  said,  no  one  can 
tell  whether  it  will  do  so  or  not  until  it  has  been 
tried.— J.  C.  C. 

Rose  Celeste. — This  was  well  shown  by  one 
exhibitor  at  the  Rose  show  at  Wirksworth  on  the 
17  th.  inst.  A  centre  piece  with  its  lovely  buds 
arranged  on  the  base  of  a  stand  covered  with  Sela- 
ginella  apoda  had  a  charming  effect,  and  the  buds 
of  the  same  Rose  plentifully  worked  up  in  a  pair 
of  bouquets  showed  how  valuable  this  variety  is 
for  such  work.  A  basket  of  Roses  2  feet  in  dia- 
meter formed  the  chief  attraction  of  the  show.  It 
contained  lovely  bunches  of  Celeste  with  its  tell- 
ing foliage,  and  also  fine  buds  and  foliage  of 
another  good  old  Rose  rarely  met  with,  viz.,  the 
JIacartney,  and  another  white  Rose  of  globular 
form  and  very  sweet,  thus  showing  that  these 
good  old  Roses  are  still  to  the  fore.  I  am  anxious 
to  hear  of  an  old  Rose  now  lost  or  nearly  so,  viz., 
Rosa  kamtschatica. — Admirer. 

Bosa  Brunonlana  — In  all  probability  this 
is  merely  a  geographical  outlying  form  of  the 
South  European  Rosa  sempervirens.  It  is,  how- 
ever, a  much  stronger  grower  than  any  form  of 
that  species  at  present  cultivated  in  gardens.  It 
is  a  native  of  the  Himalayan  region,  and  is  hardier 
than  a  good  many  plants  from  that  part  of  the 
world  ;  even  if  its  long  vigorous  growths  are  now 
and  then  cut  back  by  very  severe  winters,  shoots 
several  yards  in  length  are  soon  developed  from 
the  root-stock.  To  see  it  in  its  full  beauty,  a  few 
plants  should  be  placed  in  the  mixed  shrubbery 
or  in  the  woodland  border  or  wild  garden,  and 
allowed  to  ramble  at  will  over  low  or  thinly- 
foliaged  trees.  The  enormous  heads  of  pure  white 
scented  blossoms  are  freely  produced,  and  a  suc- 
cession of  them  is  borne  for  a  long  time.  To  sum 
up  its  merits,  Eosa  Brunoniana  is  about  as  well 


July  2r>,    1S84.] 


THE     GARDEN 


05 


able  to  take  care  of  itself  in  a  semi-wild  con- 
dition as  any  of  our  native  Briers  or  Brambles. — 
N.  

A  WILDERNESS  OP  ROSES. 
WHENempIoyed  in  a  large  garden  at  the  foot  of  the 
South  Djwns,  I  was  called  upon  to  take  an  active 
part  in  the  formation  of  what  was  there  termed  a 
wilderness  of   Roses,  and  I  was  fortunate  enough 
to  see  all  the  details  brought  to  a  successful  issu?, 
and  alio  to  have  opportunities  afterwards  of  see- 
ing it  in  all  its  wild  beauty.     It  must  be  under- 
stood, however,  thit  I   am  writing  of  tliirty  years 
ago,  at  a  time  when  Hybrid  Perpetual  Uoses  were 
only  just  beginning  to  make  headway-    not  mono- 
polising, a'?  they  do  now,  nearly  every  part  of  the 
garden.      I    am    writing,   too,   of  a    time   when 
Bourbon      Roses     were    in     high 
favour  as  autumn   bloomers ;   also 
when  we  had  hedges  and  lines  of 
the  Provence  and  Scotch  varieties, 
beds    of    China   Roses,   and   huge 
pillars  of  the  Ayr.'^hire  kirds  that 
gave    us    garlands     of     blossoms 
stretching  from    pole    to  pole— a 
sight  seldom  seen  now-a-days  It  is 
of  these  old  Roses  and  the  parti- 
cular way  in  which  we  then  grew 
them  that  I  now  wish  to  direct  at- 
tention in  the  hope  that  I  may  in 
some  way  assist  a  revival  of  this 
form  of   Rose  growing.     Our  first 
step    was   to  secure  the  plants — 
not  altogether  an  easy  ta%k,  for 
orders  had  been  given  not  to  use  a 
budded  or  grafted  plant,  the  aim 
being  to  secure  Roses  that  would 
defy  frost,  and  that    when  once 
planted    would    last    a    lifetime, 
60    that    only    Roses      on     their 
own    roots     were    available    for 
the    purpose ;     we    therefore   set 
to  work  to  strike  some  from  cut- 
tings and    to    raise    others  from 
suckers.     Every  garden    of    note 
for  miles  round  was  hunted  over 
in  order  to  secure  cuttings  of  a'l 
the  old  Roses  which  it  was  pos- 
sible to    obtain.     The    work  was 
begun  early  in  September.     One 
corner  of  a  large  frame  ground 
was  set  apart  for  the  purpose — 
just  the  right  position.     On   two 
sides  of  it  was   a  wall,   and  at 
the    ends    Privet    hedges.      This 
space  was  marked   out  into  beds 
i  feet  wide  with  a    2-foot   alley 
between    them ;     2    inches    or    3 
inches  of  road  grit  were  spread  over 
the  surface  and  lightly  forked  ir. 
This    grit    was    put    on    for    the 
purpose  of  promoting  root  forma- 
tion.    Those  varieties  which  were 
to  be  obtained  from  cuttings  were 
taken  in    hand    first;     these    in- 
cluded   the     China    Roses,    Ayr- 
shires,    and   Sempervirens  group. 
The    cuttings    were     made     into 
lengths    of    about    6    inches,  or 
according  to  the  number  of  buds 
on    the    branch.      We    were  careful    to     have 
them  long   enough    to  get    two   buds  with   the 
leaves  intact  above  the  ground,  and  with  not  less 
than  4  inches  buried  in  the  soil,  for  it  is    im- 
portant that  the  cuttings  be  long  enough  to  be 
made  firm.  As  fast  as  the  cuttings  were  made  they 
were  put  in.  A  straight  cut  was  made  with  a  spade 
and  the  soil  drawn  out  so  as  to  form  a  narrow 
trench.     At  the  bottom  of  this  a  layer  of  coarse 
sand  was  placed,  on  which  the  base  of  the  cut- 
tings rested.     The  soU  was  then  put  back  in  its 
place  and  carefully  rammed  round  each  cutting 
for  unless   firm   planting   is  secured  the   greater 
proportion  of  the  cuttings  will  die   before  they 
strike  root.     It  is  also  important  to  take  care  not 
to  injure  the  leaves  left  on  the  cutting— not  that 
the  cutting  would  not  emit  roots    even  it  they 
were  removed,  but  cuttings  put  in  with  the  leaves 
fresh  and  uninjured  form  roots  sooner  than  those 


without  leaves.  The  chances  are  that  cuttings 
furnished  with  leaves  would  form  roots  before 
the  end  of  the  year,  while  those  without  them 
would  only  form  a  callus,  and  remain  in  that 
condition  until  the  spring.  As  fast  a.s  the  cut- 
tings were  put  in  they  had  sufficient  water  to 
settle  the  soil  about  them,  and  if  a  bright  or 
windy  day  occurred  during  the  first  ten  days  or 
so  a  few  green  branches  were  laid  lightly  on  the 
beds,  to  afford  them  a  little  shelter.  The  varieties 
dealt  with  by  means  of  suckers  were  the  Scotch, 
Provence,  and  Boursault.  The  more  difficult  sorts 
to  propagate,  such  as  the  Hybrid  Bourbons,  in- 
cluding Coupe  de  Hebe,  Paul  Ricaut,  and  Charles 
Lawson,  and  the  China  varieties,  such  as  Blairi 
No.  2,  Brennus,  and  Madame  Plantier,  as  well  as 
the  Moss  Roses,  were  all  obtained  from  a  nursery. 


A  rocky  gorge  in  the  Mendip  btUa. 


Getting  SUCKEBS.-Thispart  of  the  business 
was  not  taken  in  hand  until  the  middle  of  Octo- 
ber, as  it  was  not  desirable  to  disturb  the  roots  of 
the  old  plants  in  getting  out  the  suckers  before 
they  had  done  growing  for  the  season.  We  ex- 
perienced no  difficulty  in  getting  plenty  from  the 
Scotch  Roses,  but  the  Provence  and  Boursault 
gave  us  more  trouble.  We  lifted  them  with  a  light 
three-tined  fork,  and  got  them  with  a  growth 
several  inches  in  length  under  the  surface.  Every 
sucker  indeed  was  carefully  traced  and  secured 
with  roots  where  there  were  any,  and  severed  witli 
a  sharp  knife  as  near  the  stem  as  possible;  they 
were  then  planted  in  beds  by  the  side  of  the  cut- 
tings. Both  cuttings  and  suckers  were  allowed  to 
stand  one  year,  and  then  they  were  planted  out, 
and  while  they  were  developing  roots  and  branches 
we  had  ample  time  for  the  preparation  of  the 
ground.     The  size  of  the  rosery  was  about  half  an 


acre,  and  it  was  surrounded  by  trees  and  shrubs 
on    three    sides,    and    the    park    on   the  other. 
The  earth  taken  from  the  walks  was  placed  in 
heaps,  and  some  old  butt-end  i  of  trees  were  so 
placed  as  to  form  mounds  5  feet  and  G  feet  high. 
Distributed  here  and  there  were  climbing  Roses 
on  Larch  poles  7  feet  and  8  feet  in  height,  and 
when  some  of  the  Ayrshires  had  reached  the  top, 
they  were  allowed  to  grow  in  their  own  way  with- 
out pruning.     A  large  bed  of  mixed   Noisettes 
were  also  permitted  to  grow  with  very  little  prun- 
ing.    Referring  more  particularly  to  the  planting, 
I   may  mention  that   the   pillars  were  generally 
planted     with     the     Ayrshire     varietie,",     which 
had    to    be    trainel     to    supports    in    the    first 
place:    but    after   they   had  covered  them,   they 
were    only    attended     to    once    a    year   just    to 
keep  them  within  bounds,  all  for- 
mal training  being  avoided.     The 
rooteries  were  planted  with   vari- 
ous   climbing    sorts    of    rampant 
growth,    and    they   were  allowed 
to     grow    in    the     most     natural 
manner    with    a    little    thinning 
out  of  the  branches  in  after  jears. 
In  the   beds   on   Grass  every  sort 
was     treated     according     to     its 
habit    and    requirements  ;    for  in- 
stance,   the     Scotch,     York     and 
Lancaster,  White  Unique,  and  Cab- 
bage Roses    had    very  little  prun- 
ing ;  bat  the   China  varieties  re- 
quire some  of  the  old  wood   cut 
out  every  winter  in  order  to  induce 
them  to  flower  satisfactorily. 

Tub  configuration  ok  tub 
GROUND  and  every  part  of  the 
arrangement  were  of  the  most 
informal  character,  but  descrip- 
tion fails  to  convey  an  adequate 
idea  of  the  charming  character 
of  this  rosery.  It  reminded  one 
of  a  wil  ierncss  of  Roses  dropped 
down  from  the  clouds,  not  the 
faintest  indication  of  such  a  spot 
being  given  until  one  was  close 
upon  it.  The  walk  leading  to  it 
was  fringed  with  shrubs  and  trees 
on  both  sides,  and  many  were  the 
exclamations  of  surprise  uttered 
by  those  who  saw  it  for  the  first 
time.  Ihe  keeping  of  the  ground 
was  quite  in  character  with  its 
contents  :  there  was  no  attempt 
to  have  it  dressy.  Th?  walks  were 
gravelled  and  kept  free  from 
weeds,  and  the  Grass  was  mown 
with  scythes  about  three  times 
during  the  summer.  The  dis- 
play made  by  the  Ayrshire  Roses 
on  the  rooteries  was  magnificent. 
There  are  not  many  varieties  in 
this  section,  but  their  colours  in- 
clude pure  white,  dark  crimson, 
and  pale  pink,  sufficient  when 
freely  blended  together  to  produce 
a  grand  effect.  Of  the  behaviour 
of  the  other  sorts  I  need  say  but 
little.  I  may,  however,  remark 
that  the  soil  was  a  heavy  loam 
bordering  on  clay,  and  the  growth  which  the 
Roses  made  was  of  the  most  satisfactory  character. 

J.C.  C. 


THE  CHEDDAR  GORGE. 

It  is  by  no  means  necessary  to  always  go  abroad 
for  examples  of  the  picturesque  in  the  way  of 
natural  rock  gardens,  though  the  horrors  perpe- 
trated in  garden  rocks  everywhere  through  the 
land  would  lead  one  to  suppose  a  dangerous 
ocean  separated  us  from  a  group  of  natural  rocks, 
or  a  hillside  with  Fern-fringed  boulders.  In  the 
mountainous  parts  of  the  country  no  one  need  go 
far  to  seek  rock  gardens.  The  Yorkshire  and 
Derbyshire  moors,  too,  have  thousands  of  acres  of 
lovely  rock  bog  gardens,  occasionally  rising  into 
bold  and  picture.-que  rock  walls.  Even  in  non- 
mountainous    Sussex   and   Kent    good  groups  of 


66 


THE     GARDEN 


[July  2G,  1884. 


rocks  crop  out  of  the  earth,  garlanded  now  and 
then  on  the  steeper  slopes  by  Ferns  and  Ivy  that 
have  clung  around  them  for  ages,  and  always  so 
grouped  or  exposed,  that  they  are  instructive  or 
suggestive  to  those  who  take  an  interest  in  rock 
gardening.  For  boldness  and  an  alpine  severity 
and  massiveness  we  have  never  seen  anything  in 
England  so  remarkable  as  the  Cheddar  rocks.  They 
resemble  more  a  cleft  in  the  Maritime  Alps  than 
what  one  would  look  for  among  the  green  fields  of 
Western  England.  But  though  the  effect  is  very 
picturesque,  and  even  stupendous  here  and  there 
from  our  point  of  view,  the  lessons  of  the  rocks  are 
not  so  eloquentas  in  many  a  less  famed  spot, where 
the  rocks  crop  out  just  enough  to  be  seen  above 
the  Heath  and  P'urze,  as  in  so  much  of  Anglesey  and 
in  Derbyshire,  and  even  here  and  there  in  the 
southern  counties.  The  illustration,  though  good, 
does  not  well  show  the  bold  and  fine  look  of  the 
rocks  in  various  parts  of  the  gorge. 


open  when  placed  in  water.  There  is  a  purple 
variety,  which,  although  more  hardy  and  very 
pretty,  is  not  equal  to  the  white  kind.  Of  cardi- 
nalis,  there  are  scarlet  and  rose-coloured  varieties, 
both  of  which  should  be  grown.  All  these  flower 
with  us  in  June  and  July.  J.  C.  C. 


Flower   Garden. 

EARLY  BLOOMING  GLADIOLI. 
Fob  some  few  years  past  I  had  lost  sight  of  these 
very  useful  flower.s  until  the  present  season,  when 
I  commenced  their  cultivation  again  with  a  few 
kinds.     They  have  proved  so  useful,  and   have 
been  so  much  admired,  that  I  hope  next  year  to 
renew  my  acquaintance  with  the  whole  of  this 
section  of  Gladioli.    In  the  matter  of  cultivation 
they  are  in  every  way  more   satisfactory  to  deal 
with  than  the  hybrids  of  gandavensis,  as  all  the 
roots  of  medium  size,  if  properly  harvested,  will 
invariably  flower,  and  there  will  be  few,  if  any, 
losses  if  planted  in  suitable  soil.     I  have  never 
been  so  successful  in   dealing  with    any    of    the 
Gladiolus  family  as  hardy  plants,  as  some  aver 
they  are,  and  I  could  never  satisfactorily  explain 
whether  the  corms  died  through  cold  or  damp. 
I   shall  not,  therefore,   risk   them  in   the    open 
ground  during  winter,  but  they  are  easily  dealt 
with  in  a  dried  state.    As  soon  as  the  leaves  turn 
yellow,  the  corms  may  be  taken  up  and  laid  out 
in  a  dry  shed  for  a  week  or  two  to  ripen.     When 
the  foliage  has  become  quite  withered,  the  stems 
may  be  cut  off  close  to  the  bulbs,  and  then  each 
sort  should  be  put  separately  in  a  flower-pot,  with 
a  layer  of  silver  sand  over  them  ;  the  pots  may  be 
then  stowed  away  in  some  dry  shed,  where  they 
can  be  kept  cool,  and  only  just  secure  from  frost. 
As  to  soil,  they  like  it  rather  light  and  rich.     In- 
deed, like  other  members  of  the  family,  they  do 
not  object  to  a  fair  proportion  of  manure,  provided 
it  is  not  fresh.  Good  hotbed  manure,  or  that  from  a 
farmyard,   which  is   thoroughly    rotten,   is    the 
right  sort  for  them,  it  well  incorporated  with  the 
soil  to  a  depth  of  10   inches  or  12  inches.     As 
they  flower  early  in  summer,  a  warm  position  is 
necessary  for  them,  and  they  enjoy  full  sunshine 
nearly  all  day.    The  position  of  ihe  beds  in  which 
they  are  grown  should  be  changed  every  year,  as 
they  do  not  thrive  so  well  the  second  year  if  grown 
in  the  same  soil.   These  Gladioli  are  not  so  tender 
as  to  absolutely  require  any  nursing ;  but  I  find 
the  best  results  to   be  obtained  by  potting  the 
corms  in  February,  and  planting  them  out  about 
the  second  week  in  April.     Those  who  have  warm, 
dry  borders  may  plant  with  safety  in  the  open  air 
by  the  middle  of  March.     The  corms  should  be 
placed  about  3  inches  under  the  surface,  and  as 
they  are  not  strong-rooted  subjects  the  soil  should 
be  made  rather  fine  about  them.     They  may  be 
planted  in  clumps  ;  five  corms  in  a  clump  9  inches 
across  will  have  a  very  good  effect.  Our  soil  being 
somewhat  cold  and  retentive  of  moisture,  we  put 
four  bulbs  in  a  6-inoh  pot  early  in  March,  and 
then  place  them  in  a  cold  pit  until  the  middle  of 
April,  when  they  are  planted  without  being  dis- 
turbed.    The    varieties   which  I    have  grown   at 
different  times  are  byzantinus,  a  crimson-purple 
kind,  with  a  shaded  white  throat — useful,  but  not 
nearly  so    handsome    as    some  others ;    Colvillei 
albus,  a  very  charming  variety,  the  base  of  the 
petals  being  delicately  shaded  with  green  ;  it  is, 
in  my  opinion,  the  best  of  the  whole  section,  and 
invaluable  in  a  cut  state,  as  the  unespanded  buds 


DOUBLE  DAFFODILS  FEOM  SEED. 

"  F.  W.  B. ''  now  says  that  it  was  "  perfectly 
double  Daffodils  " — that  is,  flowers  bearing  neither 
stamens  nor  pistils — to  which  he  referred,  and 
that  such  can  never  produce  seed.  It  would  in- 
deed be  little  short  of  marvellous  if  they  did,  but 
it  is  far  otherwise  with  flowers  which  being  in 
the  common  acceptation  of  the  word  double,  yet 
are  not  entirely  devoid  of  organs  of  reproduction. 
"  F.  W.  K.  "  asserts  that  only  semi-double  Daffo- 
dils have  pistils.  What,  then,  is  Telamonius 
plenus  ?  is  it  a  double  flower,  or  is  it  not  ?  It  is 
popularly  termed  and  is  catalogued  as  the  "  large 
double  Daffodil,"  and  it  is  a  (lower  of  this  which 
has  given  me  a  pod  of  seed.  Therefore  your  cor- 
respondent is  mistaken  in  supposing  that  double 
varieties  can  never,  under  any  circumstances,  be 
fertile.  Moreover,  I  would  not  have  "  F.  W.  B." 
suppose  that  my  flower  was  imperfectly  double; 
on  the  contrary,  I  carefully  selected  the  fullest  I 
could  find,  and  that  which  gave  seed  was,  curiously 
enough,  the  finest  of  all,  being  crowded  with 
petals,  forming  a  perfect  rosette,  and  it  really  re- 
quired a  sharp  eye  to  detect  the  pistil.  In  our 
light  loam  Daffodils  show  no  tendency  to  become 
single :  on  the  contrary,  they  come  unusually  full. 
"F.  W.  B.''  evidently  thinks  that  in  my  "single 
pod  "  I  have  found  a  mare's  nest,  but  such  is  not 
the  case ;  on  the  contrary,  the  cash-box  con- 
tained genuine  coin.  Your  correspondent's  advice 
not  to  count  my  chickens  before  they  are  hatched 
is  good,  but,  thanks  to  Mr.  Baylor  Hartland's  hints, 
I  am  now  in  hopes  of  raising  a  healthy  brood,  and 
shall  await  the  result  with  some  curiosity.  With 
respect  to  cross-fertilisation,  "  B."  does  not  appear 
to  have  read  my  former  note  very  carefully,  else 
he  would  not  say  that  I  consider  repeated  applica- 
tions of  foreign  pollen  absolutely  necessary.  What 
I  said  was  that  by  fertilising  several  times  the 
chances  of  success  were  much  increased.  It  is  all 
very  well  to  say  that  one  has  only  to  take  the 
flower  at  its  proper  season,  but  how  can  one  know 
to  a  certainty  when  this  is  the  case  ?  A  few  hours 
only  may  make  all  the  difference,  and  there  are 
other  considerations,  such  as  the  state  of  the 
weather,  vigour  of  the  plant,  &c.,  to  be  taken 
into  account.  J.  C.  B; 


culture.     To  grow  my  Delphiniums  7  feet  to  8  feet 
high,  and   Phloxes  in  proportion,  and  yet  have 
the  smaller    things    good,  I   find  I   must  resort 
to  the  "  barbarous  practice  "  of  digging  amongst 
my     herbaceous     material      in    order    that     I 
may  feed  the  poor  things  with   food    that    will 
enable   them  to  do  what  I   want;  and,  to  pre- 
vent the  slicing  '■  S.  W."  talks  about,  I  use  my 
ring,  as  the  spade  that  before  would  have  sliced 
the  unmarked  clump  now  is  arrested  and  turned 
aside.     Again,  my  rings  insure  my  clumps  being 
of  uniform  size,  and  when  I  see  evidence  of  over- 
crowding then,  and  only  then,  do  I  take  them  up, 
turn  out  the  bulbs,  replace  those  that  I  want,  and 
put  the  rest  away  as  profit,  and  so  the  balance  of 
bulbous  plants  in  the  border  is  kept  even  with 
no  loss  and  half  the  trouble.  In  spite  of  "  S.  W.'s  " 
remarks,  I  intend  to  continue   my  ring  culture, 
and  my  increasing  wealth  of  bulbs  must  compen- 
sate me  for  his  attack  on  a  system  which  he  has 
never  tried  and  an  apparatus  which  he  has  never 
seen.  "  S.  W."  is  blest  if  his  Gladiolus  bulbsdo  not 
breed  as  mine  do.    I  give  bushels  of  corms  away 
from  a  bit  of  my  kitchen  garden  where  I  tried  to 
eradicate  them,  and  when  I  dig  them  up  there 
are  so  many  little  corms  left,  that  the  next  year 
the  spot  is  as  thick  as  ever.  I  have  now  given  it  up 
and  use  it  as  a  store  for  gift  purposes.     The 
clumps  confined  in  rings  are  easily  gone  over  and 
all  the  little  corms  picked  out.     As  to  the  cost  of 
the  rings,  I  can  safely  say,  even  at  the  high  price 
which  I  give  for  them,  the  increase  of  bulbs  in  a 
couple  of  years'  time  will  pay  for  the  first  cost,  and 
as  with  ordinary  care  they  will  last  a  lifetime,  I 
do  not  think  they  are  a  bad  investment.     They  are 
also  very  suitable  for  forcing  Strawberries  in  on  a 
fixed  shelf  or  stage  set  on  cut  turf  or  a  shallow 
bed  of  soil.     In  conclusion,  I  may  say  that  as  an 
amateur  who  has  had  to  grope  about  and  buy  his 
experience  I  wrote  the  results  of  that  experience 
for  the  use  of  other  amateurs,  who,  like  "  S.  D." 
in    the   same   number  of   The   Garden,  seems 
to  see  the  use  of  the  despised  ring,  and  who  evi- 
dently has  experienced  the    same   troubles  that 
have  come  to  my  lot.     I  may  be  wrong,  but  per- 
haps amateurs  may  have  a  different  lot  of  troubles 
from  those  which  fall  to  the  lot  of  the  profes- 
sional "  plantsman."    At  all  events,  they  are  often 
willing  to  go  to  extra  trouble  and  extra  expense 
in  order  to  insure  the  lives  of  their  pets,  whereas  the 
professional  man  can  insure  it  by  his  extra  staff 
and  all  in  the  day's  work. 

Mayland,  (Mchesler.  H.  D.  PALMES. 


EARTHENWAP.E  RINGS  FOR  BULBS. 

"  S.  W."  says  he  has  read  my  letter  on  this  subject 
(p.  485,  Vol.  XXV.)  carefully,  which  I  doubt,  as  he 
has  misunderstood  nearly  all  I  have  written,  and 
understood  more  than  I  meant  to  convey.  In  the 
first  place,  I  never  gave  him  to  understand  that  I 
had  any  bulb  beds.  I  am  a  poor  amateur  and 
cannot  afford  such  costly  luxuries.  Again,  I  dis- 
tinctly said  that  I  adopted  the  plan  of  earthen- 
ware rings  to  protect  and  confine  bulbs,  &c  ,  in 
order  that  I  might  be  able  to  dig  with  more  safety 
amongst  them.  My  words  were,  "Their  locality 
does  not  need  marking,  for  when  the  spade  is  at 
work  the  ring  proclaims  its  existence,  and  so  is 
easily  avoided."  Replenishment  from  the  bulb 
nurseries  is  unnecessary  where  the  earthenware 
rings  are  used.  You  only  have  to  buy  new 
sorts,  and  with  ordinary  care  you  will  never  run 
out  of  bulbs  once  you  have  put  a  ring  fence  of 
earthenware  round  them.  Had  I  unlimited  bulb 
beds,  I  should  not  need  rings,  but  I  distinctly 
stated  that  in  order  to  grow  bulbs  at  all  I  have  to 
grow  them  in  "  mixed  borders  "  that  have  to  sup- 
port a  certain  number  of  perennial  bulb  clumps  ; 
and  also,  owing  to  the  fact  that  all  parts  of  my 
garden  are  "  on  view  "  from  my  drawing-room 
windows,  I  am  obliged  to  keep  every  inch  at  work 
all  the  year  round,  and  so  my  mixed  borders  have 
to  support  their  permanent  crops  and  a  host  of 
spring  things  that  are  planted  in  November  and 
removed  in  May,  and  their  place  filled  up  with 
summer  plants.     This  system   necessitates    high 


LILIES  IN  LARGE  POTS. 
Tho.?e  who  may  never  have  grown  Japan  Lilies 
in  the  form  of  large  specimens  can  scarcely  realise 
the  full  worth  of  these  fine  flowers.  When  you 
have  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  specimen  some 
.5  feet  high,  with  a  dozen  or  more  flower-stems 
bearing  between  one  and  two  hundred  flowers, 
you  may  conclude  that  you  have  about  developed 
the  capabilities  of  the  Lily  as  a  pot  plant.  But 
such  a  result  is  not  obtainable  by  means  of  dried 
off  or  imported  bulbs ;  they  must  be  home-grown, 
so  that  when  potted  in  the  autumn  they  retain 
every  root  made  the  previous  year ;  moreover,  they 
should  be  almost  or  quite  as  large  as  a  cricket 
ball,  and  then  a  single  bulb  will  bear  nearly  thirty 
flowers.  Lilies  thus  grown  are  noble  objects 
indeed,  crowded  with  dark  lustrous  foliage  to  the 
rim  of  the  pot  and  thickly  studded  with  large 
blooms  perfect  in  form  and  colour.  Nothing  can 
be  better  than  such  plants  for  conservatory  deco- 
ration during  the  autumn  months. 

Early  potting  is  imperative  not  later  than  the 
middle  of  November.  All  the  old  soil  should  be 
shaken  away  and  about  a  dozen  good  bulbs  put 
into  a  12-inch  pot,  giving  good  drainage  with  some 
rough  material  on  that,  and  finishing  oil  with  a 
sprinkling  of  soot  to  keep  worms  out.  Let  the 
compost  be  quite  sweet.  A  good  mixture  consists 
of  loam  and  peat  in  equal  parts,  with  a  little  leaf- 
soil  and  some  white  sand.  Just  bury  the  bulb, 
leaving  one-third  of  the  depth  of  the  pot  for  top- 
dressing,  and  give  a  moderate  watering,  and  store 
in  a  cold  frame  for  the  winter,  looking  to  them 
now  and  then  to  see  that  the  soil  does  not  quite 


July  26,   1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


67 


dry  up.  There  is  a  great  advantage  in  plunging 
the  pots,  as  the  compost  is  thereby  retained  in  that 
unvarying  condition  which  most  facilitates  root 
formation.  If  the  soil  is  well  moistened  when  the 
pots  are  plunged  they  do  not  need  any  water 
through  the  winter,  and  by  the  end  of  March  the 
roots  will  have  formed  a  network  round  the  pots. 
Then  the  shoots  will  push  through  with  great 
strength  when  the  growing  time  arrives.  The 
best  place  for  them  up  to  June  is  a  deep  pit, 
elevating  them  on  large  pots,  and  gradually  lower- 
ing them  as  they  increase  in  stature.  Watering  is 
a  very  important  detail  in  the  culture  of  Lilies  in 
large  pots,  as  owing  to  the  larger  quantity  of  soil 
there  is  much  danger  of  its  becoming  sour  before 
the  whole  of  it  is  thoroughly  permeated  with 
active  fibres.  My  rule  is  to  let  the  soil  get  nearly 
dry  before  watering,  and  then  give  just  enough  to 
moisten  it  through,  by  which  means  it  is  main- 
tained in  as  free  a  condition  through  the  earlier 
stages  of  growth  as  when  first  used.  It  must,  how- 
ever, be  home  in  mind  that  the  glass  is  but  to  serve 
as  a  protection  against  climatic  changes,  and  that 
every  daj'  when  the  weather  is  fine  the  lights 
must  be  drawn  oif .  I  do  not  know  of  any  plant 
which  more  quickly  resents  undue  confinement 
than  Japan  Lilies,  and  as  they  are  to  go  into  the 
open  air  later  on,  they  should  make  as  much  of 
their  growth  from  the  time  they  start  in  full 
exposure  as  possible.  From  June  a  sheltered 
cool  position  is  what  they  need.  I  find  they  do 
remarkably  well  where  they  get  the  sun  up  to 
12  o'clock,  but  I  also  find  that  the  leaves  come 
larger  in  a  north  aspect. 

In  tying  up  the  shoots  do  not  bring  them  all 
up  straight,  but  rather  train  them  out  at  different 
angles,  so  that  the  natural  manner  of  growth 
may  ba  preserved.  Thus  the  general  good  ap- 
pearance of  the  plants  is  much  enhanced,  and 
in  addition  to  the  large  bulbs,  some  of  varying 
sizes  are  added,  working  them  in  round  the  edge 
of  the  pot.  These,  of  course,  do  not  grow  very 
strong,  some  of  them  not  more  than  a  few  inches 
high,  but  they  form  a  solid  mass  of  verdure 
quite  overlapping,  and  in  a  great  measure  obliterat- 
ing, the  pot,  but  withal  having  so  much  of  irregu- 
larity as  would  characterise  a  group  of  Lilies 
growing  naturally.  By  the  time  the  buds  are  all 
developed  the  pots  will  be  crammed  with  roots, 
and  then  in  fine  weather  they  will  need  a  good 
soaking  of  water  once  a  day.  If  they  do  not  get 
as  much  moisture  as  they  need  the  lower  leaves 
turn  yellow,  and  the  flowers  do  not  come  to  their 
full  size,  but  I  may  here  remark  that  exactly  the 
same  effect  is  produced  by  overwatering,  the  decay 
of  the  roots  naturally  causing  a  stoppage 
in  the  supplies.  In  a  word,  Lilies  need  not 
only  care,  but  discrimination  in  this  respect, 
and  he  who  waters  most  intelligently  will, 
all  other  conditions  being  equal,  best  succeed 
in  producing  fine  specimens.  Up  to  the  time  that 
the  buds  are  beginning  to  develop  the  top-dressing 
which  has  been  applied  when  the  stems  are  about 
a  foot  high  will  suffice  to  maintain  the  vigour  of 
the  plants,  but  from  that  time  an  occasional  dose 
of  liquid  manure  will  increase  the  size  of  the 
blooms  and  deepen  the  hue  of  the  foliage.  The 
water  should,  however,  be  no  more  than  coloured, 
as  Lily  roots  are  far  too  tender  to  admit  of  strong 
manurial  ingredients,  and  every  third  watering  is  j 
often  enough  to  apply  it.  If  these  simple  in- 1 
structions  are  followed  handsoi/ie  specimens  more 
than  a  yard  through  and  some  5  feet  high  will  be 
obtained,  a  result  which  amply  repays  all  labour 
and  care  incurred.  J.  C.  B. 


In  summer  water  should  be  given  freely  from  the 
time  when  it  begins  growing  till  it  has  done 
flowering. — P.  Bare. 

*j,*  Handsome,  but  not  so  much  so,  we  think, 
as  the  type  in  its  best  form. — Ed. 


WHITE  CARNATION  PINK. 
In  raising  Carnations  from  seed  a  considerable 
proportion  of  single  flowers  must  be  expected,  a 
number  of  which,  lanky  and  poorly  coloured,  will 
be  worthless  from  a  garden  point  of  view,  though 
some  of  good  habit  and  bright  colour  will  prove 
valuable  for  rock  and  wall  gardening.  But  occa- 
sionally among  the  singles  and  semi-doubles  come 
a  freak  that  proves  a  highly  desirable  garden 
flower,  such  as  the  white   Carnation  Pink  here 


^JJ*  >'^ 


Double  Iris  Ksempferi  -I  send  for  your 
inspection  a  double  Iris  Kiempferi  var.  E.  Har- 
vey. It  has  twelve  petals,  and  is  constant,  as  I 
named  it  in  1881.  In  the  same  year  I  flowered  a 
second  double  E.  Harvey,  bat  neither  before  nor 
since  have  I  flowered  others  really  double.  I 
flowered  this  year  a  great  many  duplex  varieties, 
that  is  with  six  petals.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that 
this  truly  beautiful  Iris  is  not  more  successfully 
grown  than  it  is,  as  it  forms  a  succession  to  all  the 
other  species.  I  find  it  does  best  in  the  fall  sun, 
and  where  the  ground  is  dry  or  tending  that  way. 


Carnation  Pink.    Flotnrs  {natural  size)  pure  white. 

engraved.  It  came  originally  in  a  batch  of  Car- 
nation seedlings,  and  was  at  once  conspicuous  from 
Its  dwarf  habit  and  early  flowering.  So  early, 
indeed,  that  as  soon  as  the  common  white  garden 
Pink  goes  out  of  flower,  this  little  Carnation  takes 
up  the  running  and  continues  till  the  blooming 
season  of  the  later  garden  Pinks,  that  in  their  turn 
are  followed  by  the  true  Carnations.  The  flowers 
are  pure  white,  semi-double,  of  true  Carnation 
substance,  and  heavily  Clove  scented.  The  stalks 
and  calices  are  also  Carnation-like  in  their  solidity 
and  glaucous  colour.  On  the  other  hand,  it 
resembles  the  garden  Pink  in  its  early  blooming, 
shortness  of  stalk,  multitude  of  flower,  and  manner 
of  growing,  like  it,  spreading  into  broad  sheets 
and  enduring  three  and  four  jears,  whereas  with 
as  on  a  very  light  soil  Carnations  at  two  years  old 
are  worn  out.  G.  J. 

West  Surrey. 


Double  Russian  Violet.— I  have  sadly 
neglected  the  cultivation  of  this  Violet,  bat  I  am 
reminded  of  its  existence  by  coming  across  a  few 
old  plants  of  it  under  a  wall  facing  the  west, 
struggling  to  live  and  to  pat  forth  a  few  flowers. 
Only  a  year  or  two  ago  I  had  this  variety  in  good 
condition  from  the  beginning  of  May  until  the 
middle  of  June.  Unfortunately,  it  is  not  a  vigor- 
ous grower,  but  the  flowers  are  very  double  and 
sweet-scented.  It  is  the  latest  Violet  to  flower 
with  which  I  am  acquainted,  and  so  hardy  that 
no  weather  injures  it. — J.  C.  C. 

White  Everlasting  Pea  —A  neighbour  of 
mine  has  some  large  clumps  of  this  in  his  garden. 
They  are  more  than  (j  feet  high,  and  are  smothered 
with  ivory-white  flowers,  affording  a  charming  con- 
trast to  equally  large  specimens  of  the  pink- 
flowered  kind.  How  is  that  this  beautiful  white 
Pea  is  so  little  grown  ?  One  often  sees  the  type 
in  the  form  of  large  etYective  bushes,  but  its  white 
variety  appears  to  be  but  little  known.  It  is,  how- 
ever, quite  as  hardy  and  almost  as  vigorous  as  the 
pink-flowered  variety.  Its  value  for  cutting  is 
great,  and  all  that  is  needful  to  do  is  to  plant  it 
well  and  leave  it  alone,  as  the  longer  it  is  esta- 
blished the  more  freely  it  flowers.  Of  the  many 
hardy  white  flowers  in  cultivation  I  do  not  know 
of  a  finer  one  than  this  Everlasting  Pea.— J.C.  B. 

Lobelia  urenB  is  a  rare  instance  of  a  native 
plant  having  but  one  habitat  in  this  country,  and 
that  a  very  circumscribed  one  ;  this  happens  to  be 
within  a  few  miles  of  Charmouth.  There  is  nothing 
particularly  attractive  in  the  plant,  the  flowers  of 
which  are  violet  shaded  pink ;  the  interest  belong- 
ing to  it  rests  in  its  extreme  rarity,  so  far  as  re- 
lates to  Great  Britain.  It  is  found  growing  on  old 
moist  pastures  in  fibrous  loam  of  a  somewhat  peaty 
character;  fine  specimens  of  it  reach  a  height  of 
2  feet,  but  the  majority  are  considerably  below 
that  altitude.  It  appears  and  disappears  within 
three-quarters  of  a  mile,  and  seems  never  to  have 
spread  further.  How  it  got  there,  and  why  it 
should  keep  there,  are  questions  which  probably 
will  never  be  elucidated.— J.  M.,  Charmouth, 
Dorset. 

Lilium  longlflorum. — I  find  the  flowers  of 
this  lovely  Lily  to  be  invaluable  in  a  cut  state. 
It  makes  a  useful  succession  to  L.  candidum.  I 
lift  and  divide  the  roots  just  after  the  plants  have 
done  flowering,  say  some  time  in  August ;  our 
soil  is  a  light  sandy  loam  and  suits  Lilies  of  this 
class  admirably  without  any  addition  whatever  in 
the  shape  of  artificial  mixtures.  The  position  in 
which  I  have  found  them  to  do  best  is  between 
rows  of  bush  fruits  in  a  cultivated  orchard  where 
they  get  both  shelter  and  partial  shade.  Here 
heads  of  L.  candidum  have  often  from  twenty  to 
thirty  magnificent  flowers  expanded  at  one  time, 
and  even  thus  sheltered  they  need  careful  support 
lest  their  weight  overbalances  them,  as  then  they 
break  short  off  at  the  root.  L.  longiflorum  is  now 
in  perfection  out-of-doors,  and  is  certainly  one  of 
the  most  magnificent  of  Lilies  ;  its  long  trumpet- 
like flowers  are  of  ivory  whiteness.  In  places 
where  this  Lily  does  not  thrive  well  planted  out 
permanently  it  should  be  grown  in  pots  in  a  cool 
house,  but  where  the  soil  is  light  and  well  drained 
it  will  succeed.  After  repeated  trials  I  find  that 
bulbs  of  all  kinds,  and  Lilies  in  particular,  should 
not  be  kept  out  of  the  ground  at  any  time  longer 
than  is  absolutely  necessary  for  replanting.— J.  G., 
Hants. 

Walujew'd  Gentian —In  a  trade  catalogue 
which  I  picked  up  the  other  day,  Gentiana  Walu- 
jewi,  a  species  found  and  recently  figured  by  Dr. 
Kegel  in  the  "  Gartenflora,"  is  described  as  "  a  very 
rare  and  beautiful  species  from  Asia,  habit  erect, 
flowers  bright  yellow,  spotted  with  blue."  That 
the  species  is  rare  no  one  will  doubt,  but  from  a 
gardening  point  of  view  its  beauty  is  questionable. 
It  has  flowered  with  n?,  and  the  predominant 
colour  instead  of  being  bright  yellow  is  a  very  dis- 
agreeable greyish  white,  with  a  few  faint  bine 
spots.  It  seems  nearly  related  to  the  commonly 
grown  G.  cruciata,  but  having  fewer  whorls  of 
flowers,  and  altogether  a  much  inferior  garden 
plant.  Another  point  against  its  general  adoption 
in  gardens  is  the  lapse  of  time  that  occurs  between 


68 


THE    GARDEN 


[July  26,  1884. 


raising  the  seedlings  and  their  flowering  ;  indeed, 
although  perfectly  hardy  it  is  really  a  shy  flowerer, 
and,  unless  it  improves,  wholly  unworthy  of  no- 
tice.—  D.  K. 

Kaisiag  Narcissi  from  seed.— I  have  no 

personal  experience  as  regards  this  matter.  Mr. 
E.  Morse,  Epsom,  raised  a  batch  of  poeticus 
ornatus  frura  seed  which  he  sowed  in  a  pan  at  a 
d^-pth  of  2  inches  in  September,  18-0,  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1881,  the  plants  appeared,  and  were  planted 
out  in  August.  In  March,  188i,  they  commenced 
flowering.  This  information  is  encouraging  to 
the  host  of  amateurs  who  are  now  venturing  on 
the  enterprise  of  raising  advanced  types  of  Daffo- 
dils, and  as  the  materiaU  are  abundant  at  their 
bands,  good  work  should  be  accomplished.  And 
the  more  so  if  one  of  our  experienced  hybridisers 
would  give  a  few  simple  rules  to  be  observed,  such 
as  how  to  manipulate,  and  when  and  in  what  state 
of  the  atmosphere. — P.  Barb. 

Souvenir  de  la  Malmaison  Carnation. 

— A  number  of  plants  of  this  fine  Carnation, 
exhibited  by  Mr.  Kirk,  gardener  to  Mr.  Dobree,  of 
Byfleet,  at  the  recent  show  of  the  Byfieet  Horti- 
cultural Association,  well  illustrated  its  decoratire 
value.  The  plants  in  question  were  admirably 
grown  and  the  flowers  large,  and,  what  is  some- 
what rare,  perfectly  developed,  being  free  from 
that  greenish  tinge  which  is  indicative  of  an  un- 
propitious  season  or  of  a  want  of  cultural  skill. 
The  delicate  hue  and  large  size  of  the  blooms  ren- 
der this  Carnation  one  of  the  fairest  flowers  in 
cultivation,  and  it  seems  strange  that  compara- 
tively it  should  be  Eo  little  grown.  One  would 
think  that  it  would  be  found  in  most  gardens 
Perhaps  the  difficulty  which  many  experience  in 
accurately  hitting  off  its  requirements  is  the 
cause  of  this  neglect,  and  it  sometimes  happens 
that  climatal  influences  operate  so  prejudicially 
as  to  prevent  the  flowers  from  attaining  the  deli- 
cacy of  tint  and  high  development  indispensable 
to  a  due  appreciation  of  its  merits.  A  fine  dry 
season  is,  I  think,  in  its  favour,  and  for  this  rea- 
son, probably,  it  is  much  more  universally  grown 
on  the  Continent  than  with  us,  the  long  periods  of 
fine  weather  there  experienced  being  congenial  to 
the  opening  of  the  flowers.  But  we  know  how 
greitly  care  and  skill  can  combat  adverse  climatic 
conditions.  Those  who  might  have  seen  Mr. 
Kirk's  plants  would  probably  have  thought  that 
any  reasonable  pains  would  be  well  spent  in  the 
cultivation  of  this  beautiful  Carnation. — J.  C  B. 


The  ■white  Lily  (L,  candidnm)  —This  lovely 
Lily,  unquestionably  the  finest  of  the  hardy  sec- 
•ion,  grows  with  exceptional  luxuriance  about 
Gosport,  large  clumps  of  it  being  seen  in  nearly 
every  cottage  ganlen.  The  soil  is  very  light  and 
stony,  and  consequently  well  drained.  One 
autumn  I  took  up  some  old  clumps  of  it  that  had 
not  been  disturbed  for  year?,  and  planted  the 
largest  bulbs  singly  between  rows  of  Eed  Currant 
bus-hes,  and  they  appeared  to  enjoy  the  shelter 
and  shade  thus  afforded  them,  as  they  not  only 
produced  the  finest  spikes  of  bloom  I  ever  saw, 
but,  what  is  perhaps  of  greater  importance  con- 
tirlering  the  i-ize  and  vigour  of  the  bulbs,  ihey  re- 
tained their  lower  leaves  on  the  flower-stems  quite 
green  until  new  leaves  were  pushing  up;  whereas 
in  hot,  sunny  positions  the  leaves  on  the  flower- 
stems  are  usually  withered,  even  before  the  flowers 
fade.  I  would  recommend  admirers  of  this  deli- 
cate and  stately  flower  to  try  a  portion  of  their 
stock  in  various  aspects  and  positions,  and  I  feel 
sure  that  a  partially  shaded  one  will  give  the 
best  results.  liiiefly,  this  Lily  likes  a  porous, 
light  fandy  soil,  thelter  from  scorching  sun-rays 
and  violent  winds,  and,  above  all,  transplanting 
when  the  old  leaves  begin  to  fade,  or,  rather,  just 
as  new  ones  are  about  to  push  up.  The  resting 
period  is  very  brief.— J.  G. 


SHORT  NOTES.— FLOWER. 


Geranium  iberlcum— Of  hardy  Geraniums  this  is 
one  of  the  moat  effective  for  the  herljaceous  borders.  The 
bloom,  a  pleasant  shade  of  blue,  is  proLfuced  in  great  pro- 
fusion on  established  plants  ;  the  habit  is  good  and  tulty  ; 
the  foliage  handsome  and  bold,  all  making  it  worthy  of  a 
good  place  in  borders.—,).  T.  Foe,  Eivcntcv. 

Campanulas  doubling.— I  send  you  a  Campanula 
which  has  become  double.  Many  clumps  of  single  sorts 
have  flourished  here  tor  years  without  ever  till  now  showing 
a  double  flower.  It  has  had  no  treatment  different  from 
the  others,  and  has  taken  me  by  surprise.  My  Campanulas 
grow  between  3  feet  and  4  feet  high,  and  produce  masses  of 
bloom.— Anne  Galloway,  Carse  Bridje  House,  Ailui. 

Spotted  Lily  leaves  (^l.  I»'.)  —There  is  but  little 
mildew  on  the  spotted  leaves.  3  he  spots  were  probably 
caused  by  a  hot  sun  shining  on  rain  drops  resting  on  the 
leivts,  and  the  few  tfireads  of  mildew  are  growing  on  the 
injured  places.  The  name  of  thefurgusis  Polyactis  cimrea. 
The  mildew  which  causes  putrescence  in  Lilies  is  quite 
diffeient;  that  is  Ovularia  elliptica,  and  when  it  appears 
all  diseased  material  should  be  carefully  gathered  toEcther 
and  burnt.— W.  G.  S. 

Galtonia  candicans  from  seed.— I  have  fifty  or 
sixty  phints  of  Galtonia  candicans  jn-t  coming  into  flower. 
They  were  gioivn  from  seed,  which  I  sowed  under  glass, 
part  of  it  as  soon  as  it  was  ripe  (about  September,  1882)  and 
part  .about  February.  1-83.  I  pricked  the  seedlings  out 
into  a  siortll  bed  about  May,  1883,  and  they  have  remain' d 
there.  It  is  said  that  they  flower  about  the  fourth  year 
from  seed,  so  I  thought  a  short  record  of  what  I  had  done 
might  be  interesting.-  A.  S.  W. 

Dlsea-tel  Auriculas  (G.  W.,  Hawick)  —The  plant 
sent  is  atticked  by  the  somi  subterranean  aphis  or  plant 
louse  named  Tr.ma  auricula;,  which  first  appealed  in 
Britain  about  seven  years  ago.  It  sometimes  proves  very 
destructive  to  Auriculas,  and  should  be  kept  m  check 
lobacco  powder  or  water  in  which  soft  soap  has  been  dis- 
solved are  considered  to  be  good  remedies.  This  pest  has 
been  r.-ferrrri  to  several  times  in  baci  volumes  of  The 

uARDSN,  —  vV,  o 


Garden   Flora. 


PLATE  4.5(1. 
HYBRID  EPACRISES. 
The  accompanying  plate  represents  some  of  the 
most  beautiful  of  garden  Epacrises,  of  which, 
thanks  to  the  skilful  hybridist,  we  now  possess  a 
host  of  great  value  for  decorative  purposes.  Since 
the  introduction  of  the  first  species  from  Australia, 
now  almost  a  century  ago,  Australian  Heaths,  as 
they  are  sometimes  called,  have  always  held  a 
foremost  position  amongst  garden  plants,  and 
although  not  now  so  generally  grown  as  they  were 
a  little  time  back,  in  the  days  when  hard-wooded 
plants  were  everywhere  popular,  they  are  une- 
clipsed  by  the  majority  of  greenhouse  subjects 
now  cultivated,  and  will  find  favour  long  after 
many  of  these  are  discarded.  As  is  the  case  with 
their  African  cousins,  the  Ericas,  the  original 
species  of  Epacris  have  been  employed  by  the 
h3btidist  with  such  good  effect  as  to  obtain 
from  them  a  race  of  superior  kinds  for 
garden  purposes,  and  the  species  have  therefore 
almost  totally  disappeared  from  cultivation,  as 
will  be  seen  by  the  list  of  cultivated  kinds  here- 
with appended.  That  the  species  would  freely 
intercross  is  evident  from  the  difficulty  expe- 
rienced by  botanists  in  circumscribing  them  by 
any  definite  characters,  as  nearly  the  whole  of  the 
twenty-six  species  known  seem  to  pass  into  each 
other  by  small  gradations.  Of  these  twenty-six 
species,  all  but  four  are  found  only  in  the  cooler 
regions  of  Australia,  these  four  being  natives  of 
the  adjoining  country.  New  Zealand.  There  are 
no  Ericas  in  Australia,  their  place  being  filled  by 
the  Epacrises. 

As  regards  cultivation,  Epacrises  require  a  little 
extra  attention,  the  special  treatment  necessary  for 
Ericas  being  with  slight  variation  suitableforthem. 
As  their  propagation  is  a  somewhat  tedious  and 
slow  operation,  it  is  always  best  to  begin  in  the 
cultivation  of  Epacrises  by  obtaining  from  some 
nursery,  where  they  are  well  grown,  nice  stocky 
little  plants  in  4-inch  or  5-inch  pots,  early  spring 
being  the  most  favourable  time  for  this.  In 
February  or  March  all  the  winter  flowering  kinds 
should  be  cut  in  hard,  the  whole  of  the  flowering 
growths  being  removed  to  within  an  inch  or  two 
of  the  base,  and  the  stronger  of  the  barren  ones 


pinched  back.     By  placing  plants  thus  treated  in 
a  warm,  light  greenhouse  and  keeping  them  moist 
about  the  tops,  and  withholding  water  for  a  little 
while  from  the  roots,  they  will  at  once  break  freely 
into    growth,   when    those   plants   which   require 
more  pot  room  should  be  repotted,  using  for  this 
a  mixtuie  of  good  peat  and  silver  sand,  five  parts 
of  the   former   to  one    of   the   latter.     Careful- 
ness  to   provide   good  drainage    should   not   be 
overlooked.     The  soil  must  be  pressed  in  firmly 
about   the  old   ball,   which  ought  not  to  be  dis- 
turbed  beyond  removing  the  drainage  from  the 
bottom.     AVarmth,  moisture,  and  all  the  sunlight 
possible  should   be  allowed   these  newly  potted 
plants  as  well  as  those  which  do  not  require  a 
shift  into  a  larger  pot.     The  object  of  this  extra 
amount  of  warmth  and  moisture  for  Epacrises  is 
to  induce  them  to  make  strong  and  long  growths, 
and  if  the  sunlight  and  ventilation  are  properly 
attended  to,  the  first  step  towards  well  furnished 
free  flowering  specimens  by  the  end  of  the  year  is 
thus  secured.     As  the  growth   matures   more  air 
may  be  admitted,  until  by  the  end  of  July  the 
plants  may  be  removed  into  a  frame  where  they 
can  be  exposed  during  warm  weather.     Finally  in 
August  a  position  altogether  exposed,  but  if  pos-r- 
ble  where  the  mid-day  sun  would  be  excluded  from 
them,  will  be  a  suitable  one  for  Epacrises  treated 
as  above.    In  no  case  should  the  young  growths  be 
stopped  after  April,  unless  it  be  those  kinds  which 
flower  in  spring,  and  therefore  are  later  in  starting 
into  new  growth.  It  is  only  the  stout,  long  shoots 
which  have  been  properly  matured  and  ripened 
through  exposure  in  autumn  that  flower  well,  and 
if  the  shoots  are  late  they  neither  grow  stout  nc«- 
long,  nor  do  they  ripen  properly,  so  that    late 
stopping  for  Epacrises  is   not  advisable.     Close 
pruning,  an   early  starting  into  growth— under 
conditions  such  as  are  favourable  to  quick,  yet 
sturdy  development — and  exposure  to  air  and  sun- 
light   in   the  autumn  are  the    conditions  most 
favourable  to  the  successful  cultivation  of  Epa- 
crises.    For  the  erect  growing  kinds  the  prun- 
ing in   spring  should  be  severer  than   is  neces- 
sary  for    those    kinds    whose    shoots  are    more 
or  less  pendent,  such  as  miniata,  Eclipse,   and 
grandiflora.      These    flower  in  spring,  and  their 
shoots  do  not  grow  to  such  a  length  in  one  year 
as  do  those  of  the  others.     Beyond  this  the  treat- 
ment for    the    last-mentioned    kinds    should   be 
similar   to    that   advised    for  the  others.    It  is 
hardly     necessary     to     point     out     that     with 
Epacrises,  as  with  Heaths    and  the  majority  of 
other  hard-wooded  plants,  the  use  of  the  watering- 
pot  must  not  be  more  frequent  than  would  be 
sufficient  to  keep  the  soil  moist  without  its  ever 
becoming  soddened  or  sour.     When  water  is  given 
let  it  be   in  sufficient  quantity  to  permeate  the 
whole  of  the  soil,  and  do  not  give  more  until  the 
soil  is  nearly  dry  again  ;  on  the  other  hand,  avoid 
the  other  extreme  of  excessive  drought,  which  is  at 
least  as  disastrous  to  hard- wooded  plants  as  too 
much  water.     During  the  winter   many  of  the 
Epacrises  will  bloom,  and  they  may  then  be  placed 
in  the  conservatory  or  cool  greenhouse  until  they 
have  done  flowering.     All  through  the  winter  a 
light,  airy  house  or  frame,  from  which  frost  is  just 
excluded,  will  answer  for  Epacrises.    After   they 
have  flowered  the  above  routine  may  be  again 
commenced.     If  flowers  are  wanted  early,  any  of 
the  kinds  of  Epacris  may  be  subjected  to  forcing 
without  the  slightest  injury  to  them,  as  they  force 
freely  without  being  at  all  weakened  by  extra  heat 
and  moisture  in  winter.     All  the  kinds  are  useful 


NEW  VARIETIES  OF  EPACRIS. 


Jvhv  2(;,   1884, 


THE     GARDEN 


C9 


for  cut- flower  purposes,  as  their  liowers  last  for  at 
least  a  week  when  placed  in  water,  and  the  grace 
and  beauty  of  the  thickly-crowded  flower-shoots 
render  them  of  great  value  for  decoration.  The 
following  list  comprises  a  selection  of  the  most 
distinct  and  useful  kinds,  those  marked  thus  * 
being  what  are  considered  most  beautiful ;  the 
italics  denote  the  true  specie?,  and  the  remainder 
are  of  garden  origin  :  — 

•Lady  Panmnre,  white 
ItGvigata,  while 
lineata,  rose,  pale  tipped 
*Lowi,  red,  white  tipped 
magniflca,  rose 
•miuiata,    rosy  red,    vhite 

tipped 
*m.  splendens,  rosy  red  and 

white 
*ModeI,  rose 
•Mout  Blanc,  wliite 
•-Mrs,  Pvui,  rose 
inultiflora,  red  and  white 
"nivalis,  white 
'ouosmsetiora,  white 
•o.  flore-pleun,  white,  double 
pallida,  flesh  coloured 
picturata,  rose 
'Queen  Victoria,  white 
racemosa,  carmine 
"rubella,  purplish  rose 
rubra  superba,  red 
salmonea,  liyht  salmon 
*Suuset,  purplish  red 
♦ITie  Bride,  wliite 

vaiiegata,  rose  and  white 
I  "Vesta,  white,  pink  tipped 
*  Vesuvius,  scarlet 
*^■isc.  untess  llill.  scarlet 
I    Waltoni,  flesh-coloured 

B. 
*t*  Oar  plate  was  drawn  in  Messrs.  Veitch's 
nursery,  King's  Eoad,  Chelsea,  last  March.  All 
the  varieties  shown  in  the  plate  are  new.  Their 
names  are  Diadem,  the  deep  rose-pink  spike  in 
the  centre  of  the  plate ;  Princess  Beatrice,  the 
sort  to  the  right  of  the  centre  spike,  and  the  sort 
below  it  is  Rose  Perfection.  The  white  kind  is 
Her  Majesty,  while  the  deep  pink  spike  above  it 
is  called  The  Premier. — Ed. 


•alba  odorata,  white,  sweet 

scented 
*ardeuti  sinia,  crimson 

Attlcana,  rosa  and  white 
'Butter.ly,     carmine      and 
white 

campanulata,  lilac  rose 

carminata,  carmine 

Copelandi,  scarlet 

coruscans,  dark  red 

del  cata,  rose  and  white 

densiflor*,  rose  and  white 

Devoniana,  crimson 
^Eclipse,  scar'et  and  white 
•Fireball,  deep  scarlet 

fu'gens,  red 

gi-andiflora,  red  and  white 

rubra,  red  and  white 
•hyacintliiflura,  rose 
*h.  carminata,  carmine 
*h.  candidis^ima,  white 
*h.  fulj^ens,  scarlet 
•h.  rosea,  rose 
•ignea,  rosr- 
"impreasa,  rose 
•i.  caruea,  deep  pink 
•i.  coccinea,  scarlet 

Kiuj^hoiTii,     carmine    and 
white 
•Lady  Alice    Peel,     salmon 
and  white 


Red,  white,  and  blue  flowers.— What  I 
regard  as  three  of  the  very  prettiest,  best  flower- 
ing, hardiest,  and  altogether  showiest  flowers  of 
the  hardy  border  about  midsummer  are  the  bright 
rosy  red  summer  Pink,  the  white  variety  of  the 
same  plant,  and  the  Myosotis  sylvatica,  really  the 
best,  taken  all  in  all,  of  the  Forget-me-nots.  Those 
who  are  fond  of  plenty  of  pleasing  colour  in  their 
beds  in  early  summer  cannot  do  better  than  plant 
plenty  of  these  three.  We  have  all  the  best  hardy 
plants,  but  I  must  say  that  the  borders  and  rockery 
are  never  so  bright  and  gay  as  when  these  are  in 
flower.  None  of  the  colours  are  glaring,  but  they 
impart  a  sunny  brightness  to  a  garden  that  pleases 
the  eye.  There  are  several  varieties  of  the  rosy- 
coloured  fringed  Pink,  and  all  are  good.  Both 
it  and  the  white  have  the  same  free  habit  of 
growth,  and  both  literally  produce  sheets  of  bloom. 
The  plants  grow  fast  too.  Cuttings  of  the  young 
tops,  inserted  under  a  handlight  or  a  cloche  in 
June,  will  be  ready  for  planting  out  in  autumn, 
will  flower  the  following  summer,  and  the  second 
year  will  produce  a  mass  nearly  a  yard  across. 
Afterwards  they  will  require  to  be  shorn  in  to 
keep  them  within  bounds,  but  they  will  live  for 
many  years.  There  are  numerous  varieties  of  the 
summer  Pink,  but  it  is  the  common  type  that  is 
here  meant,  of  which  one  of  the  best  is  Highland 
Queen.  There  is  only  one  really  good  white,  the 
common,  old-fashioned  variety.  The  blotched 
variety  is  also  good.  The  Forget-me-not  men- 
tioned (M.  sylvatica)  is  a  strong  growing  variety 
of  the  common  Forget-me-not,  and  is  well  adapted 
for  garden  culture.  It  grows  about  a  foot  high, 
comes  in  flower  in  May,  and  with  us,  at  least,  is 
not  over  till  August.  It  thrives  in  a  dry  or  moist 
soil,  and  produces  an  astonishing  quantity  of 
flowers  of  a  beautiful  turquoise-blue,  and  when 
associated  with  the  Pinks  above  mentioned,  the 
general  effect  is  rich  and  pleasing  in  the  highest 


degree.  For  Ibis  reason  we  grow  more  of  tl  ese 
three  jlants  than  of  any  other  single  speci3s. — 
J.  8.  

GARDEN  IN  THE  HOUSE. 


ORNAMENTAL  GRASSES. 
As  recently  observed  by  a  writer  in  TiiE  Garden, 
many  Grasses,  even  common  ones,  are  worthy  cf 
being  grown  for  their  ornamental  qualitie.=, 
especially  for  table  decoration.  Besides  the 
difl'erent  uses  enumerated  by  the  writer  in  ques- 


tion, we  grow 
some  kinds  in 
pots,  and  employ 
them  for  the  em- 
bellishment of  the 
conservatory, 
where  their  light 
delicate  forms 
harmonise  in  a 
pleasing  manner 
with  those  of  the 
ordinary  occu- 
pants of  such 
structures.  The 
kinds  which  we 
principally  grow 
for  this  purpose 
are  the  different 
sorts  of  Quaking 
Grass  (IJriza), 
some  of  the  smal- 
ler sorts  of  Agros- 
tis  (especially  A. 
pulchella),  Lagu- 
rus  ovatus,  whose 
white  cotton-like 
heads  of  flowers 
are  very  distinct 
and  pretty,  and 
the  lovely  Fea- 
ther Grass  (Stipa 
pennata).  For 
this  purpose  we 
sow  the  seeds 
early  in  spring  in 
(i-inch  pots,  and 
then  place  them 
in  a  frame.  A 
slightheat  will  as- 
sist their  germi- 
nation,but  it  must 
not  be  continued 
after  they  are 
above  ground, 
otherwise  weak 
and  attenuated 
growthwillbethe 
result.  As  soon  as 
ours  show  them- 
selves plentyof  air 
is  given  whenever  possible,  and  as  the  pots  become 
full  of  roots  we  give  thera  a  little  manure  water 
occasionally.  In  other  respects  they  get  but  ordi- 
nary care  and  attention,  the  principal  point  to  be 
considered  being  to  see  that  they  do  not  get  too 
dry  at  the  root,  for  if  that  happens  the  foliage 
soon  wears  a  sickly  hue  and  the  beauty  of  the 
Grass  becomes  lost.  The  Brizas  are  especially 
susceptible  of  drought.  In  sowing  the  seed 
care  most  be  taken  not  to  sow  too  thickly.  The 
Quaking  Grass  and  Lagurus  dislike  being  trans- 
planted,   though     the    Agrostis   and   Stipa  will 


I'/ie  Cat'n  tail  and  other  Grasses. 


succeed  very  well  if  pricked  off  in  Utile  clumps 
when  about  an  inch  high.  The  beaidid  Hordeum 
jubatum  is  also  very  pretty,  but  it  does  not  last 
long ;  its  flower-heads  soon  drop  to  pieces.  We 
sow  a  few  rows  of  a  great  many  Grasses  in  the 
open  ground,  and  find  them  extremely  useful  in  a 
cut  state.  P. 


FLORAL  DECORATIONS. 
No  ONE  with  any  pretensions  to  good  taste  can 
raise  the  slightest  objection  to  the  views  so  ably 
expressed  by  "  W.  N."  on  the  arrangement  of  fo- 
liage with  flowers  for  decorative  purposes,  unless 
he  happens  to  have  the  misfortune  to  possess  some 
practical  experience  of  the  difficulties  connected 
with  floral  decorations.  Artists  in  oil  or  water 
colours,  in  pencil  or  pen  and  ink,  are  either  igno- 
rant, or  write  as  if  they  were  ignorant  of  the  facts, 
first,  that  flowers  and  foliage  will  not  revive  after 
they  have  been  a  certain  time  out  of  water,  and 
secondly,  that  if  put  into  water  within  that  period, 
they  will  only  last  fit  to  be  seen  for  a  certain  time. 
Let  us  call  the  first  period  of  time  the  drooping 
interval,  and  the  second  period  of  time  the  reviving 
interval.  The  length  of  the  former  of  these 
intervals  has  an  important  influence  upon  the 
length  of  the  latter  interval,  since  flowers  put  into 
water  soon  after  they  are  cut  revive  more  quickly 
than  those  kept  some  time  out  of  the  water,  and 
also  last  longer,  unless  they  happen  to  belong  to 
the  orders  Labiatse  and  Scrophulariaceic,  many  of 
which  have  the  objectionable  habit  of  dropping 
their  flowers.  There  is  another  fact  too  often  over- 
looked, which  is  that,  generally  speaking,  the 
foliage  of  a  plant  will  not  when  cut  last  so  long 
as  the  flowers,  by  which  I  mean  that  the  drooping 
interval  is  shorter  and  also  that  the  reviving 
interval  is  shorter.  The  remarks  of  "  W.  N.'  are 
based  upon  the  arrangements  at  the  last  evening 
fete  at  the  Botanic  Gardens  in  Regents  Park  ;  Itt 
me  therefore  take  the  case  of  exhibitors  from  a 
distance  who  had  to  decorate  dinner-tables  there. 
Many  a  table  has  been  shown  there  by  persons 
living  as  far  off  as  fifty  miles  from  London.  Sup- 
posing that  they  were  able  to  cut  their  leaves  so 
late  as  five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  it  would  be 
nearly  noon  before  they  could  be  put  into  water; 
then  everything  must  be  arranged  for  the  judges, 
by  which  time  the  leaves  that  have  survived  the 
drooping  interval  would  be  about  at  their  best. 
From  that  time  onwards  faded  leaves  would  be 
more  and  more  numerous  every  hour,  until  the 
time  arrives  for  the  public  to  be  admitted,  when 
there  would  not  be  a  single  table  fit  to  sit  down 
to  dine  at.  It  is  not  that  decorators  object  to 
use  leaves  off  the  same  plants  that  provide 
them  with  their  flowers  ;  it  is  that  they  know 
from  their  own  experience,  or  from  the  experience 
of  others,  that  those  leaves  are  useless  to  them, 
since  they  will  not  last  the  time.  I  am  not  alone 
in  having  seen,  in  many  a  private  house,  arrange- 
ments of  flowers  far  more  lovely  and  natural  than 
were  ever  seen  at  any  flower  show,  and  this 
cannot  be  helped.  Where  flowers  are  put  into 
water  at  once,  where  the  drooping  interval  is  a 
question  of  minutes  instead  of  hours,  then  ar- 
rangements may  be  carried  out  which  are  impos- 
sible at  flower  shows.  All  the  fine  writing  in  the 
world  will  not  make  a  leaf  last  half  an  hour  longer 
than  the  period  at  which  it  usually  begins  to  fade, 
and,  therefore,  those  who  are  required  to  arrange 
flowers  and  foliage  which  must  look  well  at  the 
end  of  even  six  hours  after  they  are  cut  naturally 
take  Fern  fronds,  which  they  know  will  last  well, 
in  preference  to  what  they  know  will  fade.  I  wish 
I  could  spare  the  time  to  examine  and  report  on 
the  lengths  of  these  drooping  and  reviving  inter- 
vals with  many  kinds  of  foliage  which  decorators 
would  be  only  too  glad  to  use.  If  some  of  those 
who  write  so  glibly  about  artistic  and  natural  ar- 
rangements would  kindly  give  some  illustrations 
of  combinations  not  often  seen,  stating  first  how 
long  was  the  time  that  the  leaves  were  ont  of  the 
water,  and  secondly  how  long  it  was  after  they 
were  put  into  water  before  they  began  to  fade, 
they  would  be  doing  good  service,  and  find  their 
opinions  more  valued  than  they  are  at  present. 
Tonhridge.  W.  THOMSON. 


70 


THE     GARDEN 


[July  2(),    1884. 


INDOOR  Garden. 


CHRYSANTHEMUM  CULTURE. 

Many  treat  Chrysanthemums  as  plants  requiring 
but  secondary  attention  compared  with  other  sub- 
jects with  which  they  have  to  deal.  Others  neglect 
them  in  their  younger  stages,  omitting  to  pinch  at 
the  proper  time  or  to  keep  them  growing  bj-  pot- 
ting them  on  as  required.  As  has  been  recently 
stated  in  The  Garden,  Chrysanthemums  should 
by  this  date  have  been  placed  in  their  flowering 
pots.  If,  however,  they  have  been  growing  in  pots 
sufficiently  large  to  afford  all  they  require,  the 
final  potting  may  still  be  done  with  every  chance 
of  success,  provided  it  be  not  longer  delayed. 
Aphides  and  earwigs  often  attack  the  points  of 
the  young  shoots  and  the  flower-buds  in  their 
early  stages.  The  former  should  be  destroyed  by 
fumigating  or  syringing  with  an  insecticide  as 
soon  as  detected,  and  the  latter  must  be  carefully 
looked  for  and  hand-picked.  Chrysanthemum 
flowers  are  invaluable  in  a  cut  state  and  the  plants 
for  decoration  during  the  later  months  of  the  year. 
If  good  results  are  to  be  obtained  they  must  re- 
ceive liberal  treatment  from  now  until  the  flower- 
ing period.  The  principal  growths  are  made  in 
July  and  the  two  following  months,  a  somewhat 
cooler  and  moister  atmosphere,  especially  at  night, 
being  suitable  for  their  development.  It  is  sur- 
prising what  large  plants  can  be  obtained  from 
cutting.?  put  in  in  February  it  kept  growing  on 
and  finally  potted  in  the  beginning  of  July. 

Large  specimens.— In  order  to  obtain  these, 
some  place  three  plants  in  a  pot  of  12  inches  or 
more  in  diameter.  Such  pots  are  much  too  large 
for  Chrysanthemums  generally,  as  they  do  not 
succeed  nearly  so  well  as  when  somewhat  restricted 
at  the  root  and  are  well  fed  when  most  nourish- 
ment is  required,  viz ,  from  the  time  when  the 
buds  are  formed  until  they  begin  to  open.  No 
advantage  is  gained  by  having  three  plants  in  a 
pot ;  one  will  in  most  cases  grow  quite  as  large  if 
liberally  treated.  Pots  from  8  inches  to  10  inches 
in  diameter  are  sufliciently  large  in  which  to  grow 
good-sized  plants,  and  these  are  much  to  be  pre- 
ferred for  moving  about  and  for  use  in  positions 
where  larger  pots  would  be  unsuitable.  Some  may 
think  it  immaterial  whether  clean  or  dirty  pots 
are  used,  but  this  is  a  mistake.  All  plants  succeed 
best  when  placed  in  clean  pots,  and  a  notable  dif- 
ference may  be  observed  in  the  case  of  Chrysan- 
themums where  both  clean  and  dirty  pots  have 
been  employed.  The  loam  used  for  them  should  be 
rich,  rather  heavy  than  otherwise,  and  mixed  in  the 
compost  as  broken  np.  A  good  proportion  of  cow 
manure,  not  too  fresh,  is  probably  the  best  form 
of  manure  that  can  be  used  for  them,  as  it  tends 
to  keep  the  roots  cool  and  moist.  An  addition  of 
a  little  soot  greatly  assists  in  keeping  the  leaves 
good  in  colour.  The  plants  should  be  placed  rather 
low  do  wn,  allowing  room  for  a  top-dressing  later  on. 
Plants  intended  for  large  specimens  should  be 
placed  from  2  feet  to  3  feet  apart  in  an  open  posi- 
tion, fully  exposed  to  the  sun,  but,  if  possible, 
sheltered  from  strong  westerly  winds  that  are 
generally  prevalent  in  autumn.  A  temporary 
stake  should  be  put  to  each  plant  when  potted, 
and  this  must  be  replaced  by  a  permanent  one 
when  the  plants  are  established,  Beds  of  ashes 
are  best  suited  for  plunging  Chrysanthemums  in, 
as  all  superfluous  water  can  escape  freely  through 
them.  It  is  very  important  that  the  plants  have 
a  plentiful  supply  of  water  at  all  times,  and  a 
good  overhead  syringing  every  morning  and  even- 
ing will  be  found  beneficial.  Some  recommend 
applying  manure  water  at  nearly  all  stages,  but 
it  often  tends  to  produce  a  much  more  sappy 
growth  than  is  desirable.  It  is  better  to  add 
sufficient  manure  at  potting  time  to  sustain  the 
plants  until  the  flowers  are  formed,  when  manure 
water  or  artificial  manure  of  almost  any  reason- 
able strength  may  be  applied  without  injury, 

Small  plants.— Any  duplicates  that  may  be 
left,  especially  of  the  better  varieties,  are  worth 
plantmg  out  in  the  reserve  ground  for  future  pro- 
pagation, or  in  the  mixed  border,  where  they  will 
produce  a  quantity  of  flowers  if  the  autumn  be 


inild.  The  tops  from  su?h  plants,  if  put  in  as  cut- 
tings about  the  middle  of  August,  will  root  and 
flower  freely  in  comparatively  small  pots  at  the 
usual  time.  The  best  system  is  to  place  four  or 
five  cuttings  each  in  3-inch  pots ;  place  them  in 
any  frame  where  they  can  be  kept  close  until 
rooted,  afterwards  potting  on  bodily  into  5-inch 
or  6-inch  pots.  The  smaller  flowered  varieties  are 
best  suited  for  growing  in  this  way. 

Standakd  Chrysanthemums  should  receive 
their  final  potting  earlier  than  those  grown  as 
bushes,  as  a  considerable  time  is  taken  up  in 
forming  the  stem.  Some  growers  may  have  their 
bush  plants  in  a  forward  condition  at  the  present 
time,  but  it  is  a  questionable  advantage,  as  the 
soil  becomes  exhausted  sooner  than  in  the  case  of 
those  potted  at  a  later  period,  and  if  great  care  be 
not  taken  the  majority  of  the  lower  leaves  will 
fall  before  the  flowers  expand.  If  large  plants 
with  plenty  of  flowers  are  to  be  obtained,  no 
further  pinching  must  now  be  practised.  Let 
growers  be  induced  to  give  Chrysanthemums  the 
attention  to  which  such  plants  are  entitled,  and 
they  will  be  amply  rewarded,  if  the  season  be  fa- 
vourable, with  a  profusion  of  flowers  during 
autumn  and  winter.  J.  G. 


BENCHES  FOR  GREENHOUSES. 
We  have  of  late  had  in  America  quite  a  discussion 
on  benches  for  greenhouses.  Mr.  Feter  Henderson 
simply  covers  the  bench  with  common  rooflng  slate 
instead  of  lath,  and  puts  a  thickness  of  cement  on 
the  slate.  My  bench  costs  much  less  and  I  find  it 
to  be  equally  good.  Boards  and  other  timber  are 
cheap  with  us,  and  I  can  build  my  bench  as  cheaply 
as  the  commonest  board  bench  can  be  built.  Gar- 
deners who  have  seen  my  benches  are  adopting 
the  plan,  and  all  who  see  them  or  have  tried  them 
are  in  favour  of  them.  First,  I  make  the  posts  or 
supports  of  3-inch  by  4-inch  Hemlock  Spruce.  I 
cut  them  to  length,  and  dip  the  end  in  a  pot  of 
paint.  This  end  I  rest  on  a  brick,  the  brick  being 
bedded  above  the  surface  of  the  ground.  I  next 
notch  into  the  post  1  inch  deep  for  a  cross  bearing 
3-inch  by  l-inch  joist.  On  this  cross  bearer  I  lay 
my  hot-water  pipes  up  close  to  the  under  side  of 
the  bench.  This  gives  good  bottom-heat  to  the 
pots.  I  next  lay  on  the  top  of  the  posts  length- 
ways of  the  bench  a  3-inch  by  4-inch  joist.  Then 
I  cross  the  bench  from  this  joist  to  a  back  support 
with  4-inoh  by  l|-inch  Spruce  strips  placed 
16  inches  apart.  On  these  Spruce  strips  I  nail 
common  masons'  laths,  such  as  are  used  for  a  lath 
and  plaster  partition  in  a  house.  The  laths  should 
be  a  little  distance  apart  so  as  not  to  touch  each 
other.  I  next  cover  these  laths  with  1  inch  of 
cement  concrete,  formed  of  equal  parts  of  cement 
and  coarse  sharp  sand.  Then  I  cover  the  bench 
with  from  1  inch  to  4  inches  of  coarse  sand.  In 
the  4  inches  of  sand  I  plunge  the  pots,  and  I  get  a 
hotbed  heat  in  this  way  for  the  roots.  I  have 
benches  built  on  this  plan  for  three  years,  and  the 
laths  are  not  discoloured.  If  water  settles  on  any 
part,  I  open  holes  between  the  laths  and  between 
the  cross  supports.  The  cost  is  the  same  as  that  of 
a  common  Hemlock  board  bench.  I  always  put  a 
0-inch  board  strip  on  the  edge  at  the  back  of  the 
bench,  1  inch  from  the  side  of  the  house,  and  I 
turn  up  the  cement  against  this  strip.  This  keeps 
the  moisture  of  the  bench  from  rotting  the  house, 
and  allows  the  hot  air  to  come  up  on  the  back  of 
the  bench.  On  the  front  of  the  bench  I  nail  a  board 
in  the  usual  way.  Under  my  benches  by  the  side 
of  the  path  I  grow  Ferns  and  Caladiums  to  use 
for  cut  flowers.     They  grow  finely. 

Brooklyn,  N.T.  F.  Scholes, 


Nicotians  aflaaia.— This  is  an  interesting 
plant  in  more  points  than  one.  In  the  first  place, 
the  flowers  close  up  in  the  daytime  until  two  or 
three  days  old,  and  then  they  remain  open  until 
they  fade.  It  has  also  the  singular  property  of 
only  emitting  its  fragrance  at  night,  when  it  is 
very  powerful.  It  is,  moreover,  an  excellent  plant 
for  house  decoration,  as  it  does  not  require  so 
much  light  as  some  other  plants,  and  it  will  last  in 
good  condition  for  six  weeks.    A  plant  of  it  whioh 


I  had  in  a  sitting-room  for  several  weeks  in 
spring  had  the  stem  cut  down  to  within  8  inches 
of  the  pot,  and  then  it  was  placed  on  the  green- 
house stage.  After  a  few  weeks'  rest  it  began  to 
grow  again,  and  to  push  forth  three  branches  from 
the  stem,  which  very  soon  came  into  flower.  It 
was  taken  again  to  its  place  in  the  sitting-room, 
where  it  bloomed  even  better  than  at  first.  I 
have  also  had  plants  in  flower  raised  from  seed 
sown  early  in  the  spring,  and  these,  with  a  little 
management,  may  be  made  to  flov?er  again  in  the 
autumn,  or  even  later,  with  the  assistance  of  a 
little  warmth. — J.  C.  C. 

Large-flowered  double  Fuchsias.  — 
For  small  pots  these  Fuchsias  are  by  no  means 
well  suited,  and  even  for  pillar  plants,  in  the  con- 
servatory or  in  similar  structures,  some  of  the  free- 
growing,  small,  or  medium-blooming  kinds  make 
a  better  and  more  lasting  display  than  kinds  with 
abnormally  large  flowers,  yet  these  latter  are 
worth  growing  for  the  sake  of  variety  ;  indeed, 
admirers  of  huge  blooms  view  them  with  special 
interest.  It  is  now  many  years  since  a  tall,  strag- 
gling kind,  with  large  dark-coloured  flowers, called 
Norfolk  Giant,  made  its  appearance  ;  but  the 
blooms  were  borne  so  sparingly  that  it  never  be- 
came popular.  More  recently  we  have  had  Cham- 
pion of  the  World,  an  upright-growing  variety, 
with  a  large  double  corolla  of  a  dark  purple  colour. 
The  stalks  of  the  flowers  in  the  case  of  small  plants 
of  this  sort  are,  however,  too  long  to  set  o2  the 
blooms  to  the  best  advantage ;  but  better  results 
are  obtained  when  the  plant  has  plenty  of  room 
in  which  to  develop  itself.  This  is  an  English 
raised  variety:  but  one  from  the  Continent  (Phe- 
nomenal) is  about  its  equal  as  regards  size,  and  of 
rather  more  sturdy  growth  ;  still,  even  it  is  better 
suited  for  a  pillar  than  for  a  pot  plant,  though  in 
8-inch  or  10  inch  pots  it  flowers  fairly  well,  the 
huge,  massive  blooms  being  then  very  striking. 
Anotlierfree-growingkind  isNouveau  Mastodonte, 
a  sort  with  a  purple  corolla  flaked  with  red,  and, 
like  the  two  preceding,  of  upright,  vigorous  growth. 
Among  light-coloured  flowers  there  are  none  with 
massive  blooms ;  but  amongst  those  with  white 
corollas,  Madame  Jules  Chretien  forms  a  good 
companion  for  those  just  named.  Of  a  less  vigor- 
ous constitution,  and  therefore  better  suited  for 
pot  culture,  may  be  named  Avalanche  and  Miss 
Lucy  Finnis  among  sorts  with  white  corollas,  and 
Alphonse  Daudet  and  Avalanche  among  dark 
kinds.  The  fact  of  two  standard  varieties  being 
named  Avalanche  will  show  the  great  confusion 
that  crops  up  through  each  raiser  naming  his 
plants  according  to  individual  fancy. —H.  P. 

Oamellias. — Wehaveexperiencedconsiderable 
trouble  this  year  in  keeping  our  Camellias  free 
from  fly,  vigorous  syringings  daily  with  an  occa- 
sional fumigation  being  absolutely  necessary.  This 
fly  must  be  nearly  related  to  the  Cherry  pest,  for 
it  is  a  troublesome  customer  to  dislodge  when 
it  once  gains  even  a  slight  footing ;  its  manner  of 
attack  also  strikes  me  as  very  similar  to  that  of  the 
black  fly.  The  very  bright  weather  which  we  have 
had  has  burned  a  few  leaves  at  the  apex  of  the 
roof,  where  we  cannot  ventilate  thoroughly  ;  the 
exceptional  amount  of  sunshine  which  we  have 
had  will,  however,  be  conducive  to  an  early  ripen- 
ing of  the  wood  ;  indeed.  I  find  the  young  growth 
already  getting  firm  and  the  foliage  leathery.  The 
variety  called  Woodsi  should  find  a  place  in  all 
houses  where  plenty  of  bloom  is  required.  It  is 
very  free  and  bright  in  colour,  in  the  latter  respect 
something  in  the  way  of  conspicua,  but  the 
flower  is  much  better  shaped.  It  has  also  the 
merit  of  standing  rather  longer  after  it  is  cut  than 
other  varieties.  Our  plant  of  conspicua  is  re- 
markable as  having  come  from  Napoleon  I.'s  gar- 
den in  Corsica.  It  is  a  fine  variety,  and  where  it 
can  have  plenty  of  room  should  not  be  omitted 
when  a  selection  of  Camellias  is  made  for  planting. 
The  varieties  that  flower  very  freely  with  us  and 
which  can  always  be  depended  on  when  planted 
out  to  grow  quickly  into  strong  bushes  are  the  old 
Double  White,  the  French  White,  Woodsi,  con- 
spicua, Bealii,  Chandleri,  and  Donkelaari.  Our 
smaller  plants  are  eximia,  fimbriata.  Lady  Hume's 
Blush,  and  I  think  Saccoi  Nova.     These  form  a 


July  26,  1884. 


THE     GARDEN 


71 


selection  which,  although  deficient  in  quality  com- 
pared with  newer  varieties,  are  not  behindhand  as 
regards  quantity  of  flowers.  They  give  as,  in  fact, 
a  constant  supply  for  nearly  six  months. — E.  B. 


IXUS  AND  THEIR  CULTURE. 

The  genus  Isia  as  defined  by  botanists  is  com- 
posed of  about  a  score  of  distinct  species,  most  of 
which  have  been  in  cultivation  at  some  time  or 
other  in  gardens  in  this  country.  As  in  the  case  of 
Crocuses,  Tulips,  Narcissi,  and  other  genera  of 
bulbous  plants  which  have  been  long  cultivated 
for  their  ornamental  flowers,  the  Isias  have  been 
crossed  ?nd  recrossed  one  with  another,  both  natu- 
rally and  artificially,  to  such  an  extent  as  to  have 
given  rise  to  what  are  termed  numerous  garden 
forms,  and  in  by  far  the  majority  of  these  the  dis- 
tinguishing characters  of  the  original  species  are 
no  longer  traceable.  It  may,  however,  be  interest- 
ing to  mention  those  species  which  have  played 
the  most  important  part  in  the  production  of  these 
garden  varieties. 

Species. — In  the  early  volumes  of  the  Bota- 
nical Magazine  no  fewer  than  seventeen  species  ol 
Ixiaare  figured,  that  is  if  we  include  the  Morphixias 
with  the  Ixias,  as  is  done  in  the  "  Genera  Planta- 
rum."  These  are  I.  polystachya,  flowers  medium 
size,  pure  white ;  I.  flexuosa,  flowers  small  and 
variable  in  colour ;  I.  hybrida,  flowers  white  with 


A  hunch  <if  ixia  jloicers. 

a  purple  eye  ;  I.  fucata,  a  slim  species  with  grassy 
leaves  and  a  two-flowered  spike  of  small  whitish 
flowers  ;  I.  aristata,  flowers  large,  deep  rose  with  a 
pale  eye  ;  I.  lutea,  flowers  orange-red  ;  I.  patens, 
flowers  large,  of  a  uniform  deep  crimson  colour  ; 
I.  speciosa,  flowers  large,  incurved,  deep  crimson 
within,  paler  on  the  outside  ;  I,  maculata,  flowers 
large,  variable  in  colour,  but  always  with  a  blotch 
of  deep  purple  at  the  base  of  each  petal  ;  1.  colu- 
mellaris,  flowers  medium  size,  petals  narrow, 
bright  red  with  a  purple-maroon  blotch  at 
the  base ;  I.  viridiflora,  flowers  large,  emerald- 
green,  the  eye  almost  black,  anthers  yellow ;  I. 
monadelpha,  flowers  large,  blue,  purple,  yellow,  or 
white,  but  always  dark- eyed,  anthers  united  to  the 
top;  I.  curta,  flowers  large,  petals  broad  and 
rounded,  red  with  a  zone  of  purple  at  the  base. 
The  following  are  what  have  been  called  Jlor- 
phixia :  I.  capillaris,  flowers  medium  size,  tubular, 
blue,  purple,  or  red ;  I.  linearis,  leaves  narrow 
and  hair-like,  flowers  singly  on  drooping  scape, 
campanulate,  pale  rose  ;  I.  aulica,  flowers  medium 
size,  turbinate,  flesh  coloured  ;  I.  paniculata, 
flowers  on  tall  spikes,  tube  very  long  and  slender, 
creamy  yellow  (this  is  often  called  I.  longiflora). 
Besides  these  there  are  I.  anemonnjflora,  a  large- 
flowered  species,  of  variable  colour ;  I.  campanu- 
lata,  and  one  or  two  others.  The  whole  of  the 
above  are  supposed  to  be  good  species,  but  how  far 
their  characters  would  hold  good  compared  with 
the  hosts  of  wild  forms  known  to  exist  in  their 


native  country  (the  Cape)  we  need  not  stay  to 
discuss.  Certain  it  is  that  few  of  them  come  true 
from  seed,  and  that  they  all  cross  and  recross  with 
the  greatest  freedom,  so  that  by  cultivating  a  selec- 
tion of  the  most  distinct  in  a  bed  or  frame  to- 
gether and  raising  plants  from  their  seeds  nume- 
rous varieties  may  be  obtained.  Under  these  cir- 
cumstances, it  might  be  well  to  class  them  under 
the  heads  of  three  races,  as  is  proposed  by  Mr. 
Baker,  in  the  following  manner  :  Group  1,  flowers 
with  a  large  blotch  at  the  base  of  each  petal ; 
group  2,  flowers  without  a  blotch  on  the  petal ; 
group  3,  the  Morphixias.  As  will  be  seen  by  the 
description  of  the  flowers  of  the  above  species,  the 
genus  Ixia  is  rich  in  colours,  almost  every  shade, 
from  white  to  purple,  and  green  to  yellow  and 
blue,  being  represented. 

Garden  forms.— In  many  of  these  the  varie- 
gation in  the  flowers  is  of  the  most  strikingly 
beautiful  description,  so  that  in  a  bed  of  mixed 
Ixias  we  find  an  endless  variety  of  shade  and 
colour.  Both  at  the  Cape  and  in  the  Scilly 
Islands,  in  France  and  in  the  Netherlands, 
Ixias  are  grown  on  a  large  scale  for 
the  supply  of  the  bulb  market.  In  England  the 
cultivation  of  these  plants  out  of  doors  does  not 
meet  with  much  favour,  owing  to  the  unfitness  of 
an  average  English  season  for  their  growth  and 
the  production  of  flowers.  In  a  few  nurseries, 
however,  and  in  some  private  gardens  in  the 
south  very  fair  success  has  been  met  with  in  the 
out-of-door  management  of  Ixias.  A  warm,  sandy 
border  under  a  south  wall,  or,  better  still,  a  raised 
bed  with  sides  of  turf  or  boards,  so  that  protection 
from  autumn  rains  is  possible,  are  the  most  suit- 
able positions  for  the  cultivation  of  Ixias.  In 
this  protection  from  heavy  rains  during  the  time 
the  bulbs  are  at  rest  lies  the  the  secret  of  success 
in  the  outdoor  cultivation  of  Ixias,  and,  indeed, 
of  by  far  the  majority  of  Cape  bulbous  plants.  It  is 
during  the  heavy  rains  at  the  Cape  that  the  country 
is  made  gay  by  the  myriads  of  bulbous  plants 
which  under  the  influence  of  warmth  and  mois- 
ture spring  up  and  flower  everywhere.  After  the 
rains  come  a  period  of  drought,  when  all  the 
flowers  are  over  and  the  leaves  withered,  and  the 
bulb  lies  resting  and  preparing  for  the  return  of 
the  moist  season.  The  protection  above  men- 
tioned is  therefore  necessary  if  we  would  have 
our  planted-out  Cape  bulbs  flower  a  second  year. 

Outdoor  management.— The  points  to  be  at- 
tended to  for  the  outdoor  management  of  Ixias 
are  as  follows  :  Plant  the  bulbs  late  in  autumn 
in  a  well-drained  sandy  soil,  burying  them  to  the 
depth  of  6  inches.  Protect  from  heavy  rains  all 
winter  and  from  severe  frosts.  Early  in  spring 
the  leaves  will  begin  to  peep  up  above  the  soil, 
when  rain  will  be  no  longer  harmful.  The  cold 
winds  and  nipping  frosts  of  an  English  spring  are 
against  the  well-doing  of  Ixias,  so  that  protection 
from  these  will  be  necessary  if  a  gocd  crop  of 
perfect  flowers  is  to  be  insured.  From  Jlay  until 
the  middle  of  July  the  display  of  flowers  produced 
by  Ixias  treated  in  the  above  manner  ought  to  be 
most  satisfactory.  The  ripened  seeds  may  be 
gathered  and  sown  in  frames,  and  the  bulbils 
produced  annually  may  also  be  removed  and  used 
to  extend  the  stock  of  these  plants. 

As  POT  PLANTS  for  the  decoration  of  the  con- 
servatory and  cool  greenhouse,  Ixias  may  be 
employed  with  gratifying  results.  The  bulbs 
should  be  potted  in  autumn,  placing  about  half- 
a-dozen  bulbs  in  a  5-inch  pot  in  a  mixture  of  loam 
and  leaf-mould.  A  cool  frame  with  an  ash  bottom 
is  a  suitable  place  for  these  pots  to  stand  in  until 
the  spring;  the  soil  meanwhile  should  be  kept 
moist,  and  more  especially  after  growth  has  com- 
menced, or  brown  and  unsightly  foliage  will  result. 
When  the  flowers  show,  a  position  exposed  to  full 
sunlight,  and  where  the  plants  may  be  protected 
from  cold  at  night,  is  necessary.  When  properly 
managed  there  is  no  floral  picture  that  surpasses 
a  group  of  Ixias  of  various  colours,  and  as  the 
bulbs  are  always  cheap,  it  is  worth  while  buying 
a  fresh  stock  annually  for  pot  purposes,  planting 
the  bulbs  in  a  sheltered  border  out-of-doors  as 
soon  as  they  have  flowered.  Philip  Miller 
cultivated  a  collection  of  Ixias  at  Chelsea,  and, 


judging  by  the  cultural  notes  which  he  published 
in  his  dictionary  concerning  them,  he  must  have 
understood  their  requirements  quite  as  well 
as  they  are  understood  at  the  present  day. 
He  says  :  "  All  the  sorts  multiply  very  fast  by 
ofEsets,  so  that  when  once  obtained,  there  will 
be  no  occasion  to  raise  them  from  seeds,  for  the 
roots  put  out  offsets  in  great  plenty,  most  of  which 
will  flower  the  following  season,  whereas  those 
from  seeds  are  three  or  four  years  before  they 
flower.  These  plants  will  not  thrive  through  the 
winter  in  the  open  ground  in  England,  so  should 
be  planted  in  pots  and  placed  under  a  frame  in 
winter,  where  they  may  be  protected  from  frost, 
but  in  wild  weather  should  enjoy  the  free  air ; 
but  they  must  be  guarded  from  mice,  which  are 
fond  of  their  roots,  and  if  not  prevented,  will 
devour  them.'  B. 

Saxifraga  Stracheyi.— Owing  to  its  flower- 
ing very  early,  this  is  a  useful  plant  for  greenhouse 
decoration  during  the  first  months  of  the  year.  It 
is  one  of  the  large-leaved  Saxifrages,  by  some 
called  Megaseas.  The  flower-stems  are  much 
branched  and  spreading,  while  the  individual 
blossoms  are  large  and  white,  with  a  reddish 
centre,  but  when  grown  under  glass  they  are 
almost  wholly  white.  The  entire  flower-stem  only 
reaches  a  height  of  6  inches  or  8  inches.  Our  plants 
were  grown  in  6-inch  pots,  and  about  Christmas 
removed  to  the  shelter  of  a  frame,  where  without 
any  heat  whatever  they  came  finely  into  flower 
by  the  end  of  January.  Grown  in  this  way,  the 
flowers  do  not  suffer,  as  they  sometimes  do,  from 
cutting  winds  when  allowed  to  expand  in  the  open 
ground. — T. 

The  new  Mimuluses  certificated  by  the 
Royal  Horticultural  Society  some  time  ago  are 
very  pretty.  The  variety  named  M,  grandiflorus 
is  in  general  character  much  the  same  as  Harri- 
son's Musk,  a  plant  now  extensively  grown,  but 
the  flowers  are  wholly  of  a  clear  rich  yellow.  We 
have  some  specimens  of  it  in  5-inch  pots  one  mass 
of  bloom,  and  much  admired.  In  another  variety 
(ruber)  the  colour  of  the  flowers  is  a  reddish  buff, 
but  in  other  respects  it  resembles  the  last  named, 
and  is  equally  floriferous.  Both  the  above  are 
strongly  Musk-scented,  and  are  classed  with 
Mimulus  moschatus  ;  but  a  third  kind  belongs  to 
the  large-flowered  type  of  Mimulus,  in  which  the 
scent  is  wanting.  The  flowers,  which  are  of  good 
size,  are  well  shaped,  and  their  colour  a  uniform 
rich  glowing  crimson,  very  different  from  the 
quaintly  spotted  types  with  which  we  are  all  so 
familiar.  The  large  golden- flowered  Musk  is  said 
to  be  a  desirable  bedding  plant ;  time  may  be 
needed  to  prove  its  adaptability  for  this  purpose, 
but  no  doubt  can  be  entertained  of  its  value  as  a 
pot  plant  for  greenhouse  decoration.  Its  propaga- 
tion and  requirements  are  simple  in  the  extreme, 
the  essential  point  being  never  to  allow  the  plants 
to  become  very  dry.  A  border  of  fairly  good  soil 
in  not  too  hot  and  dry  a  spot,  it  devoted  entirely 
to  the  different  sections  of  Mimulus,  would  keep 
handsome  and  attractive  throughout  the  summer. 
— R.  P. 

5221.— Chrysanthemums  are  amongst  the 
freest  rooters  of  all  cultivated  plants,  and  al- 
though to  some  extent  with  them,  as  with  most 
things  that  will  bear  their  roots  confining,  much 
may  done  by  constant  manurial  feeding,  such  as 
by  giving  manure  water  regularly  ;  still,  there  is  a 
limit  in  the  extent  to  which  this  can  be  carried, 
with  a  possibility  of  seeing  the  plants  according 
to  their  kind  in  anything  like  the  condition  to 
which  they  are  capable  of  being  grown.  The 
Chrysanthemums  mentioned  as  having  been  pro- 
cured last  autumn  in  o^t-inch  pots  had,  no  doubt, 
been  late  struck  shoots,  or  shoots  that  had  been 
layered,  and  when  rooted  put  in  the  pots,  by 
either  of  which  methods  they  would  bloom,  the 
flowers  being  proportionately  fewer  than  if  the 
plants  had  been  struck  earlier  and  grown  on  with 
as  much  room  as  they  required.  They  were  thus 
in  a  very  different  condition  last  season  from 
that  at  present:  To  have  made  the  best  of  the 
plants  after  the  old  flower-stems  had  been  cut 


72 


THE    GARDEN 


[July  20,   1884. 


away,  as  stated,  cuttings  should  have  been  made 
and  struck  of  the  young  shoots  that  would 
spring  up,  and  have  been  grown  on  for  bloom- 
ing this  autumn ;  or  the  means  of  striking  these 
not  being  at  hand,  the  plants  after  having  the  old 
shoots  cut  away  and  their  roots  reduced  in  the 
way  named  by  "  Jlyrtle  Grove,"  should  have  been 
put  in  7-inch  or  8-inch  pots,  and  when  those  were 
full  of  roots  in  others  i  inches  or  5  inches  larger, 
giving  them  plenty  of  liquid  manure  as  soon  as 
they  were  well  established  ;  in  this  way  they  would 
have  made  large  specimens,  producing  quantities 
of  flowers  proportionate  to  the  more  or  less  free- 
bloomiog  disposition  of  the  varieties.  Where 
small  plants,  such  as  those  in  question  are  repre- 
sented to  have  been  last  year,  are  wanted,  they 
can  only  be  had  satisfactorily  by  late  striking,  or 
layering  in  the  way  I  have  indicated.  Old  plants 
will  not  conform  well  to  being  kept  in  such  little 
pots.— T.  B. 

Begonia  Boezll. — As  a  winter  bloomer,  this 
Begonia  possesses  great  merit.  It  is  seen  to  best 
advantage  when  grown  in  the  form  of  good-sized 
specimens ;  it  is  tall  in  growth  and  branches 
sparingly,  so  that  in  small  pots  it  has  a  leggy 
appearance,  while  when  strong,  the  numbers  of 
shoots  sent  up  from  the  base  give  it  a  better 
developed  appearance.  In  common  with  most  of 
its  class,  a  moderately  rich  and  open  soil  suits  this 
Begonia  perfectly.  We  use  a  compost  consisting 
of  two  parts  turfy  loam,  and  one  part  each  of 
leaf-mould  and  decayed  manure,  with  a  fair 
admixture  of  sand.  Its  propagation  from  cuttings 
is  not  so  simple  a  matter  as  that  of  most  other 
kinds.  Leaves  will  not  grow,  and  even  when 
cuttings  of  the  shoots  are  put  in,  many  of  them 
frequently  damp  oil.  The  most  successful  way  to 
strike  this  Begonia  is  to  take  the  young  shoots  that 
are  produced  after  a  plant  has  been  cut  back.  Put 
them  singly  into  small  well-drained  pots  of  sandy 
soil,  and  keep  them  close  in  a  stove  temperature 
till  rooted.  In  selecting  the  cuttings  great  care 
must  be  exercised,  as,  if  too  succulent,  they  will 
damp  off  at  once,  and  when  allowed  to  get  hard 
they  will  stand  for  months  without  rooting.  This 
Begonia  may  also  be  increased  in  great  numbers 
from  seed,  provided  the  blooms  are  fertilised  arti- 
ficially ;  but  seedlings  vary  somewhat  in  the  hue 
of  the  blossom,  and,  if  raised  from  the  deepest 
coloured  type,  many  of  them  will  be  much  paler 
than  the  original,  so  that  in  order  to  perpetuate 
the  best  variety,  cuttings  are  to  be  preferred.  Its 
lanky  habit  forbids  its  use  as  a  decorative  plant 
in  a  small  state,  for  in  a  5-inch  pot  it  runs  up 
slender,  with  a  few  leaves  and  flowers  on  the  top, 
the  whole  then  being  by  no  means  of  a  prepossess- 
ing appearance.  Such  a  desirable  plant,  as  a 
matter  of  course,  has  already  attracted  the  atten- 
tion of  hybridisers,  and  a  couple  of  varieties 
announced  as  novelties  by  M.  Lemoine,  of  Nancy, 
said  to  be  the  result  of  a  cross  between  B.  Roezli 
and  the  popular  B.  semperflorens,  should  be  decided 
acquisitions,  as  a  dwarfer  and  more  branching 
character  might  be  expected  from  them.  The 
names  of  the  above-mentioned  two  are  B.  semper- 
florens gigantea  rosea  and  carminata,  the  differ- 
ence being  in  the  colour  of  the  flowers. — H.  P. 


SHORT  NOTES.— INDOOR. 


GLASS  STRUCTURES. 
We  know  of  no  subject  upon  which  the  owner  of 
a  garden  has  so  much  need  to  reflect  carefully 
before  building  as  upon  the  erection  of  glass 
structures,  otherwise  much  expense  may  be  in- 
curred to  little  purpose.  The  planning  and  arrange- 
ment of  such  structures  are  often  bad.  The  first 
and  main  error  commonly  committed  consists  in 
beginning  without  any  notion  of  the  extent  to 
which  the  range  of  glass  may  finally  reach ;  the 
result  is  that  first  one  house  is  dotted  down  in  one 
place,  and  another  in  another,  until  the  end  is  a 
higgledy-piggledy  arrangement,  causing  an  in- 
finite amount  of  trouble  and  loss.  If  owners  of 
gardens  only  knew  how  much  better  and  cheaper 
it  is  to  have  everything  handy  and  convenient, 
they  would  scruple  less  about  the  little  extra  cost 
of  such  provision  at  the  outset.     It  is  just  as  easy 


Pelargonluma  for  winter  bloom  —From  now 
until  housing  time  tlipse  should  have  tlie  sunn'est  situation 
at  conim.ind,  for  on  tliis  mainly  depends  the  future  flower- 
beaiin"  power  of  the  plants.  The  last  week  in  July  is  late 
enough  to  shift  for  the  last  time,  as  it  is  very  important 
that  the  pots  be  full  of  roota  by  autumn.— J.  C.  B. 

Old  Cyclamen  bulbs.— Now  is  the  time  to  shake 
away  all  the  old  soil  and  repot.  Let  the  soil  be  free  and 
well  sanded  and  give  good  drainage.  Water  very  mode- 
rately and  shade  from  hot  sun.  An  easier  way  is  to  lay  them 
iu  a  cold  frame,  allowing  them  to  make  their  growth  there 
and  potting  up  in  September.  -  J.  C,  ByHeet. 

Ne'W  Bromellads.— .3?^chmea  disticantha  and  a  hybrid 
Pitcairnia  were  recently  exhibitei  by  M,  Ed.  Andr6  before 
the  French  National  Horticultural  Society.  The  first  comes 
from  the  province  of  St.  Paul,  in  Brazil.  Tlie  latter  is  the 
result  of  a  C'oss  between  Pitcairnia  Alteusteini  and  coral- 
llna,  and  has  been  named  P.  Maroni  by  M.  Andr6.  'I  he 
foliaae  is  intermediate  between  the  two  parents,  and  the 
flowers  are  of  a  flue  red  bordered  wi'h  white.  —J.  CoKNHILL. 


Cypripediuvi  caudatum.  Grown  at  Clovenfords.   Length  of 
tail-like  sepals,  33i  inches.    (See  p.  73.) 


to  set  to  work  in  the  right  way  as  the  wrong,  no 
matter  whether  the  garden  be  large  or  small.  It 
is  impossible  to  give  instructions  that  will  apply 
everywhere,  so  much  depends  upon  circumstances; 
but  in  erecting  glasshouses,  whether  few  or  many, 
they  should  at  least  be  all  near  to  each  other,  and 
attached  to  each  other  if  practicable,  so  that  the 
whole  of  them  can  be  walked  through  without 
going  out  of  doors  ;  and  the  range  should  also  be 
attached  to  a  shed  behind  or  near,  which  can  be 
entered  by  a  back  entrance  from  the  houses,  and 
in  this  shed  all  potting  and  other  conveniences  in 
connection  with  plant  culture  should  be  provided, 
including  the  means  of  keeping  the  potting  room 
at  a  suitable  temperature  in  cold  weather.  An 
unhealed  potting  shed  is  an  almost  useless  struc- 
ture at  certain  seasons  of  the  year.  All  doors  and 
paths  should  be  of  good  width,  sufficient  to  admit 


a  wheel  or  hand  barrow,  so  that  everything  may 
be  loaded  and  unloaded  indoors  without  risk. 
Water  should  be  provided  in  every  house  by 
means  of  cisterns  and  ball  taps,  and  ready  means 
should  be  at  hand  for  heating  the  water  to  any 
desired  degree.  These  things  may  just  as  well  be 
done  as  not ;  and,  if  seen  to  at  the  beginning  in  a 
methodical  way,  do  not  cost  half  so  much  as  when 
they  have  to  be  done  afterwards.  When  they  are 
not  done,  the  inconveniences  and  mishaps  in  the 
management  arising  therefrom  afterwards  are 
likely  to  be  both  worrying  and  costly. 

Pits  and  feames — These  are  the  simplest 
kind  of  garden  structures,  but  they  are  put  to  a 
multitude  of  useful  purposes,  and  in  small  gardens 
often  represent  the  whole  of  the  glass  available 
for  everything  The  simplest  kind  of  frame  con- 
sists of  a  square  or  oblong  box  of  any  size,  about 
twice  as  deep  at  the  back  as  at  the  front,  so  that 
it  slopes  gently  to  the  sun.  The  sides  and  ends 
of  such  frames  may  be  fitted  with  bolts  and 
catches,  so  that  they  may  be  taken  to  pieces  and 
put  together  again  in  a  few  minutes,  according  to 
circumstances.  When  not  in  use  in  winter,  they 
can  be  conveniently  stored  in  a  dry  place.  The 
size  of  a  frame  must  depend  upon  what  is  to  be 
grown  in  it.  For  Cucumbers  and  Melons  that  are 
planted  out  for  a  time,  and  which  spread  over  the 
ground,  the  width  should  not  be  less  than  5  feet 
or  6  feet,  and  the  length  according  to  the  demand 
for  plants.  Any  joiner  can  make  an  endless  frame 
by  making  the  back  and  sides  in  lengths,  that  can 
be  pieced  together  as  wanted,  and  the  end  put  on 
anywhere.  For  small  plants  the  frame  may  be 
only  3  feet  wide,  but  it  matters  little  whether  it 
be  wide  or  narrow  so  long  as  so  much  space  is 
needed,  only  wide  frames  need  long  lights,  and 
these  are  heavy  and  inconvenient,  and  cause  more 
breakage ;  of  course,  frame  lights  are  movable. 
Frames  of  this  kind  are  very  useful,  but  it  is  not 
economy  to  use  them  very  extensively.  They  do 
not  endure  so  long  as  pits  built  of  bricks  do,  and 
they  are  not  so  convenient  either,  and  cannot  be 
heated  very  easily. 

Brick  pits. — These  may  be  the  same  shape  as 
wooden  frames,  only  they  are  built  deep  to  hold 
fermenting  materials,  and  are  often  heated ;  the 
lights  also  lift  off  and  on.  This  kind  of  pit  is, 
however,  going  out  of  fashion.  They  are  incon- 
venient, as  they  can  only  be  entered  or  attended  to 
by  lifting  the  lights  off,  which  is  not  desirable  in 
cold  weather,  and  the  breakage  of  glass  through 
lifting  the  lights,  airing,  and  by  wind  is  far  greater 
than  in  the  case  of  fixed  roofs.  Besides  it 
is  found  that  a  pit  with  a  fixed  roof,  which 
can  be  entered  by  a  door,  and  all  the 
work  connected  with  it  done  inside  far  more 
conveniently  and  speedily,  costs  scarcely  more 
than  the  frame  ;  it  is  consequently  superseding  it 
for  most  all  purposes.  Sach  pits  must  have  a 
narrow  inside  path,  and  must  be  built  a  little 
wider  in  consequence,  but  the  back  wall  can  be 
utilised  for  shelves,  so  that  really  little  space  is 
lost,  while  all  the  work  and  watering  can  be  done 
and  to  much  better  and  more  profitable  purpose. 
Pits  of  this  kind  may  be  partially  sunk  in  the 
ground,  say  from  1 8  inches  to  2  feet  or  even  more, 
and  they  may  be  lean-to  or  span-roofed,  and  are 
suitable  for  growing  Cucumbers,  Melons,  bedding 
plants,  pot  Vines,  Tomatoes,  Orchids,  and  stove  or 
greenhouse  plants.  There  is  hardly  anything  in- 
deed which  may  not  be  grown,  nur.^ed,  or  propa- 
gated in  such  small  structures,  which  are  excellent 
feeders  for  the  conservatory  or  show  house.  As  a 
rule  there  are  far  too  few  of  them  in  gardens. 
When  they  are  made  on  the  lean-to  principle,  they 
should  face  southwards,  and  run  with  their  ends 
north  and  south  when  span-roofed.  Lean-to  pits 
are  best  adapted  for  the  early  forcing  of  fruits 
and  flowers,  as  they  get  the  sun  most  in  the  winter 
time,  and  are  more  easily  heated.  Of  course, 
houses  of  large  size  are  built  on  the  same  lines  as 
are  here  described  ;  but  I  am  speaking  of  what 
are  known  as  pits,  in  which  the  inmates  are  near 
the  glass,  and  which  are  just  lofty  enough  to 
allow  a  person  to  walk  upright  at  the  highest  part, 
and  from  about  6  feet  to  10  feet  wide.  It  is  in 
such  pits  that  most  of  the  plants  are  grown  in 


Jut.Y  2(),   1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


73 


nurseries  for  sale,  as  well  as  a  great  deal  of  the 
marketable  produce  that  appears  at  Covent  Garden 
and  elsewhere.  They  are  cheap  and  suitable  for 
the  purpose. 

Fruit  houses. —  Although  we  now  know  so 
much  about  the  wants  of  such  subjects  as  the 
Vine,  Peach,  Fig,  and  other  fruit  trees,  there  is 
still  much  diversity  of  opinion  on  the  subject  of 
the  size  and  shape  of  house  best  suited  to  their 
culture,  although  there  need  not  be.  What  we 
have  to  consider  first  is  the  habit  of  the  tree  to  be 
grown  under  glass  ;  that  settled,  the  kind  of 
house  and  its  arrangements  are  easy.  But,  un- 
fortunately, this  way  of  looking  at  the  subject  is 
not  always  thought  of.  Take  the  Vine,  for  example. 
It  is  a  most  accommodating  plant  in  the  matter 
of  training,  as,  owing  to  its  habit,  it  can  be 
provided  with  the  same  space  in  a  low  house  as  in 
a  lofty  one,  although  for  other  reasons  lofty,  airy 
houses  are  best.  It  does  not  matter  whether  the 
Vine  be  trained  upwards,  or  downwards,  or  hori- 
zontally, and  hence,  unless  there  are  too  many 
plants  for  the  space,  a  low  pit  will  just  hold  as 
large  a  Vine  as  a  lofty  house,  wherein  the  Vine  is 
led  up  the  rafters  to  the  apc.x.  If  we  remem- 
ber correctly,  the  famous  Vine  at  Hampton 
Court  has  two  main  limbs,  which  run  the  whole 
length  of  the  house,  equidistant  from  the  top  and 
bottom  and  from  each  other,  and  the  secondary 
limbs  are  led  upwards  and  downwards  from  these, 
so  as  to  cover  the  roof  in  every  part,  and  all  are 
equally  vigorous.  A  vinery,  therefore,  whether 
span-roof  or  lean-to,  may  be  either  large  or  small, 
according  to  circumstances,  and  no  difficulty  will 
be  found  in  training  the  Vine  to  fill  it.  We  are 
acquainted  with  fruitful  vineries  not  more  than 
10  feet  by  G  feet  and  9  feet  high,  that  have  been 
going  on  for  about  thiry  years  with  the  same 
Vines,  that  look  as  well  now  as  ever.  The  advan- 
tages of  large  houses  for  vineries  are,  that  they 
can  be  heated  more  economically,  maintained 
at  a  steadier  temperature,  and  ventilated  more 
perfectly. 

Houses  fob  Peaches  and  other  stone  fruits 
must,  however,  be  made  on  a  different  principle. 
The  Peach,  Plum,  Cherry,  or  Apricot  can  be  grown 
quickly  and  successfully  only  in  one  way  when 
trained  on  a  trellis  or  wall,  and  that  is  upright  or 
in  an  oblique  direction  upwards,  and  hence  must 
have  room  to  run  out  their  branches  in  that  direc- 
tion, else  difficulties  will  arise  in  a  few  years 
Trees  can  be  and  are  sometimes  trained  horizon- 
tally, but  the  plan  takes  so  many  years  to  form  a 
tree,  and  needs  so  much  skill  and  attention,  that 
we_  advise  no  one  to  try  it.  Now,  a  Peach  tree 
trained  flat  on  a  wall  or  trellis  will  grow  20  feet 
high  and  spread  to  40  feet  in  width  in  a  few  years, 
and  to  find  that  space  for  it,  allowing  for  the 
lower  branches  to  be  depressed,  the  house  must 
be  both  high  and  broad  ;  but  whether  the  trees  be 
trained  on  the  back  wall  or  on  a  trellis  close  to 
the  glass,  it  need  not  be  more  than  a  few  feet 
wide,  for  we  advocate  the  trees  being  confined 
either  to  the  one  or  the  other.  Trees  both  back 
and  front  is  a  bad  anangement,  though  a  common 
one,  and  nothing  is  gained;  for  the  front  trees 
have  to  be  shortened  by  a  half  or  more  to  let  the 
light  into  the  back  ones,  which,  owing  to  the  shade 
of  the  front  trees,  cannot  be  trained  lower  than  a 
few  feet  from  the  top  of  the  wall.  Hence  neither 
set  can  have  room  to  grow  to  anything  like  their 
natural  size,  and  the  result  is  repression  of  the 
growth,  with  its  attendant  consequences  and 
drawbacks,  which  only  those  who  have  tried  both 
plans  fully  understand.  Peach  houses  should, 
therefore,  be  1 2  feet  high  at  the  back,  but  16  feet  or 
18  feet  is  much  better,  and  20  feet  is  not  a  whit  too 
high.  Of  course,  when  the  trees  are  trained  close 
utiderjhe  glass,  this  lengthjof ^branch  can  be  got 
with  a  wall  of  any  height,  just  according  to  the 
angle  of  the  roof,  which  angle  should  not,  however, 
b3  much  under  or  above  40°.  S.  W. 


find  it  to  do  well  along  with  the  ordinary  run  of 
cool  greenhouse  plants,  potted  in  a  mixture  of 
loam,  peat,  and  sand.  Its  foliage  is  decidedly 
ornamental,  and  the  large  heads  of  flowers  sur- 
mounted by  yellow  tipped  stamens  are  very  attrac- 
tive.—J.  G.  H. 


Haamanthus  cocoineus  is  one  of  the  good 
old-fashioned  flowers  that  one  seldom  meets  with 
now-a-day,  yet  it  is  l>y  no  means  easy ^to  cultivate, 
and  a  few  plants  of  it  in  pots  7  inches  or  8  inches 
in  diameter  are  very  useful  in  conservatories.     I 


ORCHIDS. 


OECHIDS  AT  CHELSEA. 

In  a  large  collection  of  Moth  Orchids  an  occa- 
sional flowering  spray  may  be  found  of  Phalainopsis 
grandiflora  almost  at  any  time,  but  it  is  unusual 
to  see  it  in  quantity  about  the  middle  of  July.  In 
the  house  devoted  to  these  Orchids,  however,  at 
Messrs.  Veitch's  there  are  at  the  present  time  at 
least  a  hundred  sprays  laden  with  large  snowy 
blossoms.  They  usually  display  their  peerless 
charms  when  flower  and  bud  are  alike  destroyed 
by  the  murky  fogs  of  a  London  winter.  It  was 
therefore  a  pleasant  surprise  to  admire  them  on  a 
stifling  hot  day  in  July,  with  the  temperature 
cooler  than  that  outside.  It  is  surprising  to  see 
how  freely  the  pretty  Cypripedium  Spicerianum 
grows  in  the  lightest  part  of  this  PhalaiQopsis 
house.  This  Lady's  Slipper  evidently  likes  the 
warmest  house,  and,  like  the  charming  C.  niveum, 
the  plants  do  not  like  to  be  inserted  too  deeply 
into  the  potting  material.  They  may  easily  be 
choked  by  the  mistaken  kindness  of  those  who 
do  not  quite  understand  how  to  pot  them.  Cypri- 
pedium Robelini,  also  in  flower  in  this  house,  is 
nearly  allied  to  C.  Isevigatum,  but  the  older 
species  is  the  better  of  the  two ;  the  new  one, 
which  is  smaller  in  all  its  parts,  is,  however,  very 
pretty ;  probably  when  the  plants  have  become 
established  and  have  made  two  or  three  years' 
growth  in  our  hothouses  the  flowers  may  become 
larger. 

In  another  house  there  are  some  distinct  and 
handsome  forms  of  Aerides  in  flower.  We  always 
look  for  the  long  gracefully  arching  spikes  of  A. 
suavissimum ;  its  fragrant  large  showy  flowers  are 
ever  welcome  in  July  and  August.  A.  espansum 
Leoniaj,  a  recent  introduction,  is  now  beautifully 
in  flower,  its  long  pendulous  spikes  being  densely 
furnished  with  very  prettily  spotted  flowers.  A. 
HouUetianum  is  very  distinct  as  regards  the  pecu- 
liar tints  of  its  flowers  ;  it  is  probable  that  both 
these  may  be  forms  of  the  old  and  well-known  A. 
Larpenta3.  In  this  house  were  suspended  in 
baskets  good  masses  of  Angrjecnm  falcatum, 
crowded  with  their  unique  snow-white  blossoms. 
This  is  a  Japanese  species  and  the  only  one  that 
succeeds  well  in  a  low  temperature. 

The  large  new  span-roofed  Cattleya  house  is  still 
gay  with  the  last  blossoms  of  C.  Mendeli  and  C. 
Mossiaj,  while  the  later  flowering  C.  gigas  and  the 
various  forms  of  it  introduced  under  other  names 
are  coming  into  flower  or  have  developed  their 
large  handsome  blossoms.  C.  Sanderiana  and  C. 
imperialis  are  both  of  the  C.  gigas  type.  Some 
growers  find  considerable  difficulty  in  flowering 
these  handsome  species  and  varieties.  No  doubt 
some  are  of  a  more  floriferous  habit  than  others, 
but  in  order  to  obtain  good  flowering  sheaths  the 
plants  should  have  a  good  season  of  rest  by  being 
kept  cool  and  rather  dry  at  the  roots,  and  when 
they  start  into  growth  they  ought  to  have  more 
heat  than  the  ordinary  run  of  Cattleyas,  and  be 
placed  near  the  glass.  This  house  seems  to  be 
admirably  adapted  for  the  growth  and  develop- 
ment of  Cattleya  guttata.  The  variety  Leopoldi 
had  formed  growths  about  3  feet  in  length,  and 
one  of  these  was  crowned  with  a  handsome  spike, 
consisting  of  fourteen  very  dark,  densely-spotted 
and  blotched  flowers.  This  is  a  very  free- flowering 
variety,  and  distinct  from  any  other  belonging  to 
the  genus.  Large  masses  of  it  have  been  recently 
introduced,  and  it  is  a  plant  well  adapted  either 
for  exhibition  or  for  adding  a  distinct  feature  to 
the  Cattleya  house.  C.  amethystoglossa,  also  in 
flower,  is  equally  desirable  ;  it  is  of  the  C.  Leo- 
poldi type.  They  are  easily-grown  plants,  and 
should  be  potted  in  the  same  way  as  other  Cat- 
tleyas. J.  D. 


Cypripedium  oaudatum.— The  annexed 
engraving  of  C.  caudatum  represents  a  reduced 
sketch  of  an  extraordinarily  fine  spike  of  the  long- 
tailed  Lady's  Slipper  Orchid,  which  we  received  a 
week  or  two  ago  from  Messrs.  Thomson,  Tweedside 
Vineyard,  Clovenfords,  who  grow  all  kinds  of 
Orchids  uncommonly  well.  The  tail-like  sepals  of 
the  flowers  here  represented  were  of  unusual 
length,  being  3.S.|  inches  from  the  centre  of  the 
flower  to  the  tip  of  the  tail.  The  spike  had  a 
singular  appearance,  and  moreover  represented 
the  highest  coloured  variety,  named  roseum. 

Cypripedium  montanum.— A  native  of 
Western  Orfgon,  &c  ,  grows  from  10  inches  to  20 
inchc?  high;  flowers  white  and  veined  with 
purple.  This  was  first  called  C.  parviflorum  and 
afterwards  C.  occidentale,  by  which  name  it  is 
known  in  some  nurserymen's  catalogues.  It  is 
readily  forced  like  C.  speotabile,  and,  unlike  this 
and  other  species  of  North  American  Cypri- 
pediums,  is  deliciously  fragrant.  It  is  the  only 
fragrant  Lady's  Slipper  in  North  America  except 
C.  californicum,  a  species  not  yet  in  cultivation. 

Odontoglossum  crlspum..— I  send  you  a 
flower  of  a  very  fine  variety  of  this  Orchid.  The 
flower  is  from  a  fine  spray  of  twelve  flowers,  all 
being  like  the  one  enclosed.  They  are  spotless, 
except  on  the  lip,  and  some  flowers  on  the  middle 
of  the  spike  are  even  larger  than  the  one  I  send 
you;  they  are  fully  4 1  inches  across.  I  may  add 
that  these  flowers  have  been  expanded  fully  four 
weeks.  This  plant,  like  many  of  our  best  varieties, 
is  among  the  early  importations.  A  great  many 
of  the  recently  imported  plants  of  crispum  appear 
to  be  crossed,  and  not  the  species  pure  and  simple. 
—A.  F.  Gordon,  Ihe  Knoll,  Shipley. 

Orchids  from  Perth.— I  send  you  a  spike 
of  Dendrobium  Schrcederi,  which  I  think  is  very 
good  ;  also  a  spike  of  Cattleya  superba  splendens 
from  one  of  my  four  plants  which  took  the  first 
prize  at  Edinburgh.  I  also  send  you  a  spike  of 
Cattleya  Eldorado,  a  pretty  little  Orchid  with  a 
delightful  perfume,  and  a  small  spike  of  Vanda 
tricolor,  the  Glen  variety.  Some  of  my  Vandas 
not  more  than  8  inches  high  have  flowered  this 
season  well  under  cool  treatment.  They  have 
been  grown  for  the  last  fifteen  months  along  with 
the  Odontoglossums. — W.  Macdonald,  Woodlands 
House,  Perth. 

*^*  Admirable  specimens  of  first-rate  Orchids. 
The  Dendrobium  is  a  lovely  species,  with  racemes 
of  creamy  white  and  lemon-yellow  flowers.  The 
variety  of  Cattleya  superba  is  indeed  lovely — much 
richer  than  ordinary,  and  the  variety  of  Vanda 
tricolor  remarkable  both  for  large  size  and  rich 
colour. — Ed. 

Hardy  Orchids. — What  a  majestic  appear- 
ance the  Madeira  Orchis  (0.  foliosa)  has  when 
grown  alongside  our  native  kinds  and  in  good 
loamy  peat  and  a  partially  sheltered  situation. 
Here  it  has  attained  a  height  of  about  3  feet,  and 
seems  yearly  on  the  increase.  The  Lawson  Seed 
and  Nursery  Company,  of  Edinburgh,  who  grow 
this  Orchid  in  immense  quantities,  have  used  it 
with  good  effect  in  decorating  their  outdoor  por- 
tion of  ground  at  the  Forestry  Exhibition. 
Amongst  our  native  kinds  the  pyramidal  Orchis 
(O.  pyramidalis)  is  in  fine  form  at  present,  as  is 
also  O.  maculata,  Habenaria  bifolia,  Herminium 
Monorchis,  and  Liparis  Loeseli,  the  two  latter 
kinds  increasing  from  year  to  year.  Of  foreign 
kinds  the  various  forms  of  Serapias  are  all  that 
could  be  desired,  and  at  present  there  is  in  flower 
S.  neglecta,  S.  cordigera,  and  the  curious  S.  lingua. 
Some  of  these,  notably  S.  neglecta,  have  been 
established  for  a  couple  of  years  in  their  present 
position,  and  appear  as  strong  as  when  imported 
from  Italy.  Another  interesting  foreigner  now  in 
full  bloom  is  0.  globosa,  which,  from  its  deep 
colour,  ease  of  growth,  and  lasting  qualities, 
should  be  allotted  a  shady  comer  in  gardens  where 
hardy  plants  are  grown.— A.  D.  Webster,  Llan- 
degai,  Bangor. 

Deformed  Odontoglossum  —  Mr.  Crawshay,  ot 
Roaefleld,  Sevenoaks,  sends  us  a  deformed  flower  of  O. 
crispum.  The  llower  has  the  normal  numl>er  of  sepals, 
hut  two  distinct  lips,  with  tlie  rudiments  of  a  third  attached 
to  the  lowermost  sepal.  A  normal  ilovver  occurred  on  tho 
same  spike. 


74 


THE    GARDEN 


[Jui,Y  26,  1884. 


SEASONABLE   WORK. 


FLOWER  GARDEN. 

General  work. — The  height  of  the  flower- 
garden  season,  every  branch  of  it,  having  now 
been  reached,  it  will  be  well  to  make  note  of  the 
best  arrangements,  in  order  that,  if  thought  de- 
sirable, they  may  be  repeated  another  year  ;  also 
to  note  errors  of  arrangements  and  kinds  of 
plants  that  have  failed  to  give  satisfaction,  that 
the  one  may  be  rectified,  and  the  other  excluded 
next  season.  Perfection  of  keeping,  both  as  to  turf 
beds,  walks,  and  all  the  surroundings,  should  now 
be  the  one  great  aim,  for  however  perfect  the  ar- 
rangements and  flowers  may  be,  weeds,  decay- 
ing flowers,  and  long  Grass  will  mar  their  effects. 
Our  own  routine  at  this  season  is  something 
like  the  following :  Beginning  with  shrubbery, 
clumps.  Rhododendrons  and  Azaleas  are  freed 
from  seed-pods,  suckers  are  pulled  off,  straggling 
shoots  cut  in,  weeds  destroyed,  and  verges  cut  fort- 
nightly ;  fernery  and  rock  garden  weeding,  cutting 
in  shrubs  that  encroach  on  walks  or  over  the 
Fern?,  cutting  off  old  flower-stems  on  rockwork, 
clearing  rusty  fronds  off  Ferns,  and  weeding  out 
any  of  the  common  kinds  to  give  room  to  the 
best  varieties.  The  common  Bracken  we  find  very 
troublesome,  owing  to  the  soil  having  been 
brought  from  land  where  it  grows  naturally,  every 
particle  of  root  with  a  joint  soon  making  a  large 
plant.  Sub-tropical  beds  are  looked  over  weekly, 
in  order  to  keep  the  plants  well  up  to  their  sup- 
ports, and  for  the  present  the  flowers  are  kept 
picked  off  Castor-oils,  Cannas,  Tobaccos,  and  any 
of  the  plants  that  we  wish  to  grow  large  rather 
than  flower.  The  under-growths  are  either  pegged 
down  or  are  kept  dwarf,  and  spreading  by  re- 
peated stopping,  according  as  may  be  needed,  by 
the  kinds  of  plants  used.  When  no  such  under- 
growth plants  are  employed,  the  beds  are  kept 
mulched  either  with  leaf-soil  or  decayed  manure. 
On  the  parterre  there  is  always  much  to  be  done 
by  way  of  trimming  of  formal  bedding  arrange- 
ments. Mentha,  Mesembryanthemums,  Herniaria, 
Sedums,  and  Saxifrages  require  to  be  clipped  or 
pressed  down  at  least  once  a  week ;  Verbenas, 
Petunias,  and  the  like  to  be  pegged  down ;  and 
part  of  the  flowers  should  be  picked  off  Calceo- 
larias and  all  the  seeding  flowers  of  Violas ;  they 
are  also  kept  mulched  with  rotten  manure,  and 
under  such  treatment  never  wane,  either  as  re- 
gards vigour  or  flower,  in  the  driest  season.  Roses 
are  gone  over  once  a  week  for  the  purpose  of  cut- 
ting off  bad  flowers  and  shortening  long  shoots. 
Climbers  are  twisted  or  tied  to  their  supports,  and 
those  on  walls  syringed  to  keep  them  free  from 
insects.  Mowing  and  clipping  turf  verges  and 
clipping  Box  edgings.  Privet,  Laurel,  and  Yew 
hedges  complete  the  round  of  flower  garden  labour 
at  the  present  time. 


INDOOR  PLANTS. 


Pelargoniums.— Such   of  the  large-flowered 

varieties  of  these  as  were  stood  out  in  the  open 
air  after  flowering  and  have  sufficiently  matured 
their  thoots  should  be  headed  back  ;  but  though 
it  is  desirable  to  get  this  operation  completed 
without  delay,  as  upon  its  being  early  carried  out 
depends  the  time  when  they  will  bloom  next 
year,  still  heading  down  should  never  be  at- 
tempted until  the  bases  of  the  shoots  have  attained 
a  woody  condition  and  are  quite  hard.  If  the 
plants  are  already  as  large  as  it  is  desirable  to 
have  them,  all  the  shoots  should  be  cut  down  to 
within  two  or  three  eyes  of  where  they  were 
shortened  to  last  year,  letting  the  earth  in  the 
pots  get  quite  dry  before  they  are  cut  in ;  if  this 
is  not  done  many  of  the  roots  will  perish.  After 
cutting  down  they  should  be  put  in  a  cold  pit  or 
frame,  and  kept  moderately  close  to  induce  them 
to  break  ;  no  water  should  be  given  them  until 
they  have  broken,  but  a  slight  moistening  over- 
head every  afternoon  will  be  an  advantage. 
Should  it  be  desirable  to  increase  the  stock  of  any 
kind,  cuttings  ought  to  be  put  in.  Many  who 
have  the  management  of  private  gardens  are  now 
beginning  to  appreciate  the  merits  of  the  deco- 


rative kinds ;  their  profuse  flowering  disposition 
and  compact  habit  make  them  most  useful,  and  if 
well  managed  they  make  pretty  blooming  plants 
in  one  year  from  the  time  the  cuttings  are  struck. 

Fuchsias. — In  the  pot  culture  of  Fuchsias  the 
system  often  followed  of  keeping  old  plants  on 
for  a  number  of  years  is  quite  a  mistake,  as  they 
usually  get  bare  and  naked  at  the  bottom,  and  are 
deficient  in  the  fresh  vigorous  character  which 
young  stocks  possess.  If  small  specimens  of  the 
freest  blooming  kinds  are  grown,  pretty  plants 
can  be  had  by  midsummer  ;  but  where  really  fine 
examples  are  required  either  for  exhibition  or  for 
home  decoration  to  bloom  from  July  to  the  end 
of  September,  there  is  no  method  by  which  they 
can  be  had  equal  to  that  of  striking  cuttings 
about  the  end  of  July,  and  keeping  them  growing 
slowly  in  an  intermediate  temperature  through 
the  winter;  treated  so,  they  can  be  had  from 
i  feet  to  .5  feet  high  and  3  feet  through,  furnished 
with  shoots  bearing  a  profusion  of  flowers  and 
healthy  foliage  that  will  all  but  hide  the  pots. 
For  this  system  of  cultivation  cuttings  should  at 
once  be  put  in,  selecting  shoots  for  the  purpose 
that  are  free  as  regards  growth  and  not  producing 
flower-buds,  as  if  the  latter  are  used  they  will 
strike  slowly  and  make  slow  progress  afterwards. 
Where  large  examples  are  wanted  early  in  the 
season  old  plants  will  answer  best;  when  these 
have  been  flowering  for  a  considerable  time  they 
will  begin  to  get  exhausted.  Where  such  is  the 
case  they  may  be  turned  out-of-doors  to  harden  a 
little  for  a  fortnight,  and  then  have  their  shoots 
shortened  in  to  about  half  their  length,  placing 
them  in  a  close  house  or  pit,  syringing  well,  and 
as  soon  as  they  begin  to  push  growth  freely 
keeping  them  regularly  supplied  with  weak 
manure  water  ;  managed  in  this  way  they  will 
again  start  away  and  flower  until  late  in  the 
autumn.  A  matter  of  importance  in  Fuchsia 
growing  is  to  keep  them  freely  syringed  regu- 
larly two  or  three  times  a  week,  being  careful 
to  get  the  water  well  to  the  undersides  of  the 
leaves,  without  which  they  are  all  but  certain  to 
become  infested  with  red  spider ;  freedom  from 
this  pest,  accompanied  with  the  seed-pods  being 
picked  off  as  soon  as  formed,  is  the  only  means  of 
keeping  these  plants  flowering  freely  the  length 
of  time  they  are  capable  of. 

Celosia  ptkamidalis. — At  no  season  is  this 
elegant  plant  of  more  use  than  when  late,  so  as 
to  be  in  flower  up  to  the  end  of  the  year.  If  small 
stock  newly  vegetated  are  not  already  at  hand,  a 
pinch  of  seed  should  at  once  be  put  in  ;  the  plants 
resulting  from  this  last  sowing  will,  if  well  cared 
for,  yet  succeed,  and  come  in  either  for  cutting  or 
intermixing  with  other  things.  Where  a  sufficient 
stock  of  this  Celosia  is  grown  they  help  to  brighten 
up  a  conservatory  or  greenhouse  better  than  most 
plants,  their  erect  form  of  growth  relieving  the 
even  surface  which  bushy  specimens  present. 
They  are  sometimes  affected  with  red  spider,  but 
this  pest  can  easily  be  avoided  if  the  syringe  is 
sufficiently  used. 

Hydrangeas.  —  The  panicle-flowered  variety 
of  Hydrangea  is  one  of  the  best  subjects  for 
forcing  or  bringing  on  slowly  in  a  cool  house  we 
have,  being  very  superior  to  the  old  variety.  Where 
it  has  been  so  used,  now,  when  the  blooming  is 
over,  the  plants  ought  to  be  turned  out  of  the 
pots  in  good  soil  in  an  open,  sunny  place,  have 
their  strongest  shoots  well  shortened  back,  and  if 
the  weather  becomes  dry,  be  well  supplied  with 
water ;  so  treated,  after  another  season's  growth 
they  will  be  ready  for  again  using  in  pots.  Plants 
of  the  ordinary  kind  that  have  been  used  for  pot 
work  should  be  similarly  turned  out  of  the  pots, 
have  the  old  bloom-shoots  cut  out,  and  the  young 
growth  usually  existant  at  the  base  of  forced 
stock  encouraged,  so  that  it  may  be  in  a  condition 
to  flower  next  season,  which  many  of  these  forced 
plants  will  do  if  well  cared  for,  although  in 
their  case  it  will  be  well  not  to  attempt  forcing, 
simply  letting  them  come  on  in  a  cold  bouse 
or  pit,  when  they  will  be  found  very  serviceable 
to  follow  the  early-flowered  examples.  Young 
stock  of  this  species  struck  from  cuttings  in  the 
spring  should  be  moved  to  the  pots  in  which  they 


are  intended  to  be  forced,  and  plunged  out-of- 
doors  in  the  full  sun,  well  attended  to  with  water 
so  as  to  ensure  stout  growth  and  get  it  well  ma- 
tured, on  which  their  ability  to  produce  flne  heads 
of  bloom  next  spring  depends. 

Chrysanthemums— Easy  as  these  beautiful 
autumn-flowering  plants  are  to  manage,  the  press 
of  other  work  in  the  busy  summer  season  often  is 
the  cause  of  their  being  so  little  attended  to  that 
a  fine  head  of  bloom  is  out  of  the  question.  The 
stronger  and  more  vigorous  the  plants  are  the 
more  sustenance  they  will  require  in  the  shape  of 
watering.  Now  that  the  pots  should  be  getting 
fairly  full  of  roots  they  are  best  plunged  in  ashes, 
as  then  the  .temperature  of  the  roots  is  more 
equable,  and  they  are  less  likely  to  suffer  through 
want  of  water.  If  the  best  display  obtainable 
for  a  long  period  is  required,  a  few  of  the  earliest 
blooming  sorts  should  also  be  cultivated.  These 
will  very  soon  be  showing  their  bloom  buds,  and 
will  bear  weak  manure  water  using  altogether. 

Destruction  of  bed  spider.— This  diminu- 
tive insect  is  one  of  the  most  troublesome  pests 
that  gardeners  have  to  contend  with,  as  it  cannot 
be  destroyed  by  fumigation  like  aphides.  Its  pre- 
sence is  invariably  followed  by  much  worse  conse- 
quences to  the  leaves  of  the  plants  it  gets  es- 
tablished on  than  with  aphides.  Many  people 
are  deterred  from  attempting  the  growth  of  such 
subjects  as  it  is  especially  partial  to,  which  ne- 
cessarily limits  the  variety  present  in  greenhouses 
and  conservatories  during  the  summer  months 
when  it  is  most  prevalent.  Yet  this  is  a  mistake, 
as  where  sufficient  means  are  taken  from  the 
spring  onwards  to  prevent  its  ever  getting  a  lodg- 
ment, there  is  no  danger  of  any  plant  being  in- 
jured through  it.  All  that  is  necessary  is  a  daily 
and  sufficient  use  of  the  syringe  with  clean 
water,  not  simply  sprinkling  the  upper  sides 
of  the  leaves  in  the  way  too  generally  deemed 
sufficient,  but  which,  in  most  cases,  is  wholly  use- 
less so  far  as  keeping  down  the  pest  which  instinct 
teaches,  both  for  protection  and  food,  to  keep  on 
most  plants  almost  entirely  to  the  undersides  of 
the  leaves ;  consequent  upon  this  no  amount  of 
water  that  only  reaches  the  upper  surface  can 
affect  it.  This  is  one  of  those  small  matters  in 
gardening  that  are  so  obvious  to  everyone  who 
has  any  knowledge  of  insect  life,  so  far  as  it 
affects  plants,  that  it  would  seem  all  but  unneces- 
sary to  mention  it  were  it  not  that  little  observa- 
tion is  needed  to  see  that  for  want  of  getting 
enough  water  continuously  through  the  growing 
season  to  the  parts  where  the  spider  takes  up  its 
quarters,  unlimited  numbers  of  plants  suffer  in 
a  way  that  makes  them  more  an  eyesore  than  an 
ornament. 


ORCHIDS. 
East  India  house. — There  will  not  be  such 
a  wealth  of  bloom  in  this  house  now  as  there  was 
a  few  weeks  ago.  The  temperature  of  our  house 
has  been  kept  about  5°  lower  and  the  atmosphere 
rather  drier  than  usual  to  prolong  the  bloom  as 
long  as  possible.  Now  we  will  keep  a  rather 
moister  atmosphere  and  will  take  advantage  of 
flne  weather  to  shut  up  earlier  in  the  afternoon 
in  order  to  keep  up  a  higher  temperature  by  sun- 
heat,  although  it  is  not  possible  to  do  so  altogether 
without  artificial  heat,  the  weather  during  the  last 
week  or  so  having  been  abnormally  cold.  Many 
are  giving  their  Orchids  a  greater  amount  of  sun- 
light than  has  been  usual  heretofore,  but  of  all  the 
sections  of  Orchids,  those  grown  in  the  East  India 
house  are  the  most  likely  to  suffer  from  too  much 
exposure  to  the  sun,  and  it  would  be  better  to 
shade  too  much  at  this  season  than  to  risk  scald- 
ing the  leaves,  a  misfortune  which  cannot  easily 
be  repaired.  Pay  particular  attention  to  Angrte- 
cums,  and  see  that  they  do  not  become  infested 
with  thrips  ;  if  they  are,  dip  the  leaves  or  wash 
the  pest  off  with  soapy  water.  We  have  alluded 
on  previous  occasions  to  the  shy-flowering  Gram- 
matophyllnm  EUisi,  a  striking  Orchid,  exhibited 
some  time  ago  by  Messrs.  Low.  All  their  plants 
had  been  grown  in  a  warm  house,  potted  in  shal- 
low pans  or  baskets,  and  suspended  close  to  the 


July  26,    1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


75 


glass.  Their  experience  is  that  this  species  re- 
quires to  be  kept  very  dry  after  growth  has  been 
completed.  When  the  next  growth  is  being  formed 
the  Ilower-spikes  come  up  with  it.  Cypripediums 
requiring  the  temperature  of  this  house  may  now, 
if  necessary,  be  repotted.  Most  of  them  do  best 
in  the  usual  potting  material,  that  is,  peat  and 
Sphagnum,  but  some  like  turfy  loam  to  root  into. 
The  pretty  C.  niveum  is  one  of  these,  and  one 
would  take  it  for  granted  that  C.  Spicerianum 
would  also  do  in  loam,  as  imported  plants  seem 
to  have  been  collected  off  a  bed  of  moist  loam.  C. 
(Stonei,  superbiens,  Lowi,  and  hybrids  from  these 
may  now  be  potted  in  peat  and  Sphagnum,  using 
plenty  of  drainage,  and  also  charcoal  and  crocks 
amongst  the  compost.  In  hot  weather  these  and 
other  Cypripediums  may  be  syringed  overhead. 

Cattleya  house.— Attend  to  watering  the 
plants  in  this  house  and  to  keeping  them  clean. 
"  How  often  do  you  water  your  Cattleyas  ?"  it  may 
be  asked.  To  this  question  it  is  not  possible  to 
give  a  direct  answer.  Some  plants  may  want 
water  once  a  week  or  in  two  weeks  ;  others  may 
require  it  almost  every  day.  Small  plants  sus- 
pended near  the  glass  require  it  very  often.  Large 
specimens  on  the  stage  do  not  need  water  oftener 
than  perhaps  once  in  a  week  or  ten  days  ;  all 
depends  on  whether  the  plants  are  resting  or 
making  growth,  and  whether  the  pots  are  well 
filled  with  roots  or  not.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that 
DO  definite  instructions  can  be  given  as  to  the 
quantity  of  water  which  the  plants  ought  to  have 
or  how  often  it  ought  to  applied.  The  earliest 
Dendrobiums,  such  as  D.  Wardianum,  have  now 
made  their  growth  ;  it  will  be  necessary  to  remove 
them  to  a  cooler,  drier,  and  more  airy  house.  If 
thi^  is  not  done  when  growth  is  completed  they 
will  start  again.  The  largest  proportion  of  our 
plants  have  been  removed  to  a  warmer  house,  as 
we  find  that  such  species  as  D.  Dalhousianum,  D, 
thyrsiflorum,  and  D.  suavissimum  take  all  the 
season  to  make  up  their  growths,  and  they 
have  not  time  to  complete  them  unless  they  are 
pushed  along  very  rapidly  during  the  growing 
period.  Vandas,  such  as  V.  suavis,  V.  tricolor,  and 
similar  species,  certainly  do  best  in  the  Cattleya 
house  temperature.  They  are  now  pushing  out 
fresh  roots  from  the  stem  above  the  Sphagnum. 
The  best  way  is  not  to  interfere  with  them,  but  to 
see  that  no  slugs  or  other  depredators  get  near 
them.  Most  of  the  plants  in  this  house  are  now 
making  growth,  and  require  a  moister  and  rather 
warmer  atmosphere  than  hitherto  to  aid  them  to 
do  so.  They  also  ought  to  have  as  much  light  as 
possible  without  allowing  the  sun  to  shine  directly 
upon  them.  The  temperature  of  the  house  may 
be  about  6.5°  at  night,  and  it  can  be  kept  up  to 
this  with  very  little  artificial  heat  indeed.. 

Cool  hou.se. — We  are  not  much  troubled  with 
thrips  in  this  house  at  any  season,  but  if  they  do 
appear  it  is  generally  during  the  summer  months. 
The  plants  should  be  frequently  examined  in  order 
that  they  may  be  destroyed  on  their  first  appear- 
ance. We  noticed  traces  of  them  on  some  plants 
of  Odontoglossum  cirrhosum,  but  they  have  been 
washed  with  Tobacco  water,  and  in  case  the  pest 
had  spread  further  the  rest  of  the  plants  were  also 
dipped  or  washed.  Green  fly  is  likewise  rather 
troublesome,  but  that  is  much  more  conspicuous 
and  more  easily  destroyed  than  thrips.  We  usually 
dip  the  plants  for  it,  or  if  on  the  flowers,  it  is 
brushed  off.  If  it  is  necessary  to  do  any  potting, 
let  it  be  done  without  disturbing  the  plants  more 
than  may  be  necessary.  If  it  should  be  thought 
essential  to  shake  all  the  compost  from  the  roots, 
as  it  sometimes  is,  we  would  rather  delay  the 
potting  of  such  plants  until  later,  or,  what  is 
better,  leave  it  until  January  orFebruaiy.  We 
have  shaken  the  roots  free  from  all  potting  mate- 
rial at  that  time  without  injuring  the  plants  in 
the  least,  but  have  seen  them  suffer  a  little  when 
this  has  been  done  in  summer.  The  usual  occu- 
pants of  the  cool  Orchid  house  do  not  like  the 
excessive  heat  of  the  summer  months,  and  it 
growth  is  checked  at  that  time,  they  may  be  seri- 
ously crippled,  and  some  of  them  may  even  die.  We 
keep  the  temperature  as  cool  as  possible  by  day, 
and  leave  the  ventilators  partly  open  at  night. 


FRUIT. 
Pines.— Plants  intended  for  starting  early  next 
year  will  now  be  rooting  freely  in  the  pots  they 
are  to  occupy  nntil  the  fruit  is  ripe.  As  the  prin- 
cipal point  in  the  management  of  this  batch  is  the 
early  maturity  of  stout  plants  in  medium  sized 
pots,  give  gentle  stimulants  at  each  watering  to 
help  them  on,  and  syringe  lightly  overhead  after 
closing  for  the  day.  The  general  stock  of  plants 
now  swelling  off  fruit  will  require  good  feeding 
with  diluted  liquid  and  plenty  of  atmospheric 
moisture  whenever  the  house  can  be  closed  at  the 
maximum  of  85°  to  90°  with  sun  heat ;  the  sur- 
face of  the  bed  and  the  axils  of  the  lower  leaves 
may  also  be  kept  moist  by  having  a  little  clear 
liquid  applied  with  the  syringe  at  nightfall. 
Remove  all  fruit  to  a  dry,  warm  place  to  ripen  up 
as  soon  as  it  begins  to  change  colour,  otherwise 
Queens  will  soon  go  black  in  the  pip  and  the  fruit 
will  not  keep.  Renovate  the  beds  in  succession 
pits  and  give  the  plants  more  room  as  they  in- 
crease in  size.  Keep  them  well  fed,  damp  all 
available  spaces  after  closing,  and  economise  fire 
heat  when  the  weather  again  becomes  favourable 
to  forcing  without  it.  Remove  suckers  from  old 
stools,  trim  and  pot  them  at  once,  and  plunge  in 
a  strong  bottom  heat  of  90°.  Use  the  soil  in  a 
rough,  dry  state,  make  it  very  firm,  and  give  a 
gentle  watering,  unless  the  plunging  material  is 
heavily  charge^  with  moisture,  when  watering 
may  be  deferred  for  a  week  or  two.  Keep  them 
close  and  moist  by  dewing  them  over  with  the 
syringe  on  fine  afternoons,  and  shade  from  bright 
sun  when  we  are  again  favoured  with  a  change  to 
sunny  weather.  If  any  of  the  spring  suckers 
have  not  been  shifted,  lose  no  time  in  getting 
them  into  larger  pots  as  they  become  ready.  At 
one  time  the  potting  of  Pines  was  a  biennial  ope- 
ration, but  now  growers  who  have  to  maintain  a 
steady  supply  of  fruit  find  it  best  to  shift  a  Pine, 
like  any  other  plant,  when  the  pot  it  occupies  is 
full  of  roots  and  fresh  food  is  absolutely  necessary 
to  its  progress. 

Vines. — Muscats  now  beginning  to  take  their 
last  swelling  should  have  their  internal  roots  well 
mulched  with  half-rotten  stable  manure,  the  am- 
monia from  which  will  be  found  inimical  to  red 
spider,  while  its  stimulating  properties  will  benefit 
the  foliage  and  draw  many  of  the  active  surface 
roots  to  the  influence  of  warmth  and  air,  so  essen- 
tial to  the  perfect  finish  of  this  valuable  Grape. 
Keep  a  sharp  look-out  for  scalding  in  the  Lady 
Downes  house  should  the  weather  continue  as  un- 
settled as  it  has  been  of  late,  and  counteract  its 
injurious  effectbymaintaining  a  night  temperature 
of  70°  with  a  little  top  air  and  by  ventilating 
freely  through  the  day.  To  insure  the  ripening 
of  this  and  all  the;  best  kinds  of  winter  Grapes  by 
the  middle  of  October,  the  above  figures  should  be 
continued  as  the  minimum,  with  a  corresponding 
rise  through  the  day,  and  if  these  cannot  be  se- 
cured from  solar  heat  alone,  steady  firing,  while  it 
increases  the  size  of  the  berries,  will  be  found 
more  economical  now  than  sharp  forcing  with 
double  the  amount  of  fuel  in  the  autumn,  when 
the  Grapes  should  be  sufficiently  advanced  to  re- 
quire cool  treatment,  and  the  Vines  will  derive 
great  benefit  from  comparative  rest. 

Houses  in  which  ripe  Grapes  are  hanging  will  re- 
quire just  enough  gentle  fire  heat  to  prevent  con- 
densation of  moisture  on  the  berries,  and  in  the 
event  of  their  being  wanted  to  keep  for  any  length 
of  time,  two  or  three  folds  of  fishing-net  thrown 
over  the  roof  will  break  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun, 
as  black  Grapes  soon  lose  their  colour  and  fresh- 
ness at  this  season.  It  may  also  be  necessary  to 
protect  outside  borders  from  extremes  of  heat  and 
drenching  rains  by  adding  more  non-conducting 
material,  or  by  drawing  tarpaulings  over  them 
until  all  the  Grapes  are  cut.  It  is  not,  however, 
a  good  plan  to  allow  Grapes  to  hang  longer  than 
is  absolutely  necessary,  as  late  hanging  is  almost 
as  great  a  tax  to  the  Vines  as  early  forcing  ;  but 
where  heavy  crops  have  to  be  kept,  the  cutting  of 
the  last  bunch  should  be  followed  by  liberal 
supplies  of  diluted  liquid  to  the  inside  borders, 
and  good  syringing  to  keep  the  foliage  clean  and 
healthy.   Encourage  newly-planted  Vines  to  make 


rapid  growth  by  closing  early  with  plenty  of  solar 
heat  and  moisture.  Keep  the  laterals  pinched  to 
one  or  two  buds,  stop  the  leaders  when  they  have 
filkd  two-thirds  of  the  trellis,  and  then  allow  an 
unrestricted  growth  up  to  the  end  of  the  season. 
Discontinue  the  use  of  stimulants  when  pot  Vines 
begin  to  ripen  up  their  wood,  but  do  not  let  the 
roots  feel  the  want  of  water.  Syringe  regularly 
to  keep  the  foliage  fresh  and  free  from  insects, 
ventilate  through  the  early  part  of  the  day,  and 
close  early  in  the  afternoon  with  plenty  of  dry 
sun-heat. 

Figs. — Maintain  a  steady  circulation  of  dry, 
warm  air  in  succession  houses  in  which  Figs  are 
now  ripening,  and  expose  the  fruit  to  the  full  in- 
fluence of  sun  and  light  by  cutting  away  all  use- 
less growths.  Add  fresh  mulching  as  the  roots 
find  their  way  to  the  surface,  and  keep  it  con- 
stantly moist  by  the  liberal  application  of  warm 
liquid  or  guano  water.  Gather  the  fruit  when  it 
is  quite  ripe  for  home  use,  and  before  it  attains 
that  state  if  intended  for  market.  When  the 
fruit  crop  has  been  taken  from  the  trees  in  the 
second  house,  take  out  all  the  wood  that  can  be 
spared,  apply  clean  water  to  the  foliage  twice 
every  day,  and  shut  up  with  strong  sun-heat. 
Young  trees  in  pots  and  tubs  will  require  con- 
stant pinching  to  keep  them  in  proper  form. 
Clean,  straight,  single  stems  look  and  answer 
best,  as  there  is  no  trouble  with  suckers,  and  the 
pyramidal  form  of  training  exposes  the  greatest 
number  of  Figs  to  the  sun.  Look  well  to  the 
trees  in  cold  houses  and  wall  cases,  as  they  will 
do  good  service  long  before  ripe  fruit  can  be 
gathered  from  open  walls.  Lay  in  no  more  wood 
than  is  actually  necessary,  pinch  the  points  out 
of  gross  shoots,  mulch,  feed,  and  syringe  well,  and 
shut  up  in  time  for  the  sun  to  raise  the  tempera- 
ture to  80°  on  fine  afternoons.  Pot  trees  intended 
for  forcing  should  now  be  fit  for  removal  to  a 
warm,  airy  house  where  they  can  thoroughly 
ripen  up  their  wood.  Syringe  the  foliage  to  keep 
it  clean,  withhold  stimulants,  and  drop  the  pots 
into  others  a  size  larger  to  protect  the  roots  from 
drought,  or  cover  them  up  with  spent  tan,  leaves, 
or  litter. 

Hakdt  fruits.- Peaches,  Nectarines,  and  Apri- 
cots which  have  not  been  nailed  in  must  have 
immediate  attention.  Fortunately,  with  the  ex- 
ception perhaps  of  Plums,  crops  generally  are 
fairly  good,  and  this  circumstance  will  have  a 
favourable  influence  in  keeping  the  growths  of 
the  current  year  within  bounds,  while  a  fine  au- 
tumn may  ripen  up  the  wood.  Before  nailing  is 
commenced,  stop  all  laterals  and  sub-laterals,  and 
pinch  the  points  out  of  growths  which  are  likely 
to  become  too  strong,  and  carefully  guard  against 
overcrowding  by  laying  in  a  single  shoot  that  will 
have  to  be  cut  away  in  the  winter.  If  mulching 
has  been  neglected,  the  use  of  strong  stimulating 
manure  which  does  a  great  deal  of  good  in  hot 
seasons  may  be  dispensed  with,  particularly  in 
cold  districts,  and  a  covering  of  fresh  stable  litter 
or  old  time  rubble,  an  excellent  covering  for  stone 
fruit  trees  borders,  substituted  with  advantage  to 
the  trees  and  comfort  to  those  who  have  to  work 
upon  the  borders  in  wet  weather.  Follow  up  the 
removal  of  breastwood  from  Plums  and  Pears  on 
walls  and  espaliers,  commencing  at  the  top  and 
working  downwards,  and  lay  in  no  more  wood 
than  is  wanted,  as  the  spurs  and  buds  will  require 
all  the  warmth  and  light  that  can  be  secured  to 
them.  Net  Morello  Cherries  to  protect  the  fruit 
from  birds,  but  first  of  all  see  that  the  tips  of  the 
shoots  are  free  from  black  aphis,  and,  if  necessary, 
repeat  the  dipping  in  Tobacco  water.  Prune  and 
net  Currants,  but  do  not  out  the  young  growths  too 
short,  as  a  moderate  quantity  of  foliage  protects 
the  fruit  from  sun  and  rain,  and  favours  its  keeping 
well  into  the  winter.  Strawberries,  a  heavy  crop, 
have  been  injured  by  wet,  particularly  where  the 
plants  have  not  been  well  trussed  to  keep  the  fruit 
quite  clear  of  the  ground.  Vicomtesse  Hericart  de 
Thury  and  the  good  old  Elton  are  two  of  the  best 
for  preserving  purposes.  Paxton  resists  wet  better 
than  President.  Oxonian,  Loxford  Seedling,  and 
Frogmore  Late  Pine,  now  coming  in,  are  at  the 
head  of  the  list  of  late  varieties.    We  plant  Oxo- 


76 


THE     GARDEN 


[July  20    1884. 


nian  extensively  on  north  borders,  and  find  it  the 
most  valuable  and  profitable  crop  we  can  grow. 
When  the  gathering  is  over  for  the  season,  beds 
that  are  to  be  retained  may  be  dressed  out  and 
well  mulched  with  rotten  manure  or  fresh  loam, 
which  is  equally  valuable  in  old  gardens.  Follow 
up  preparations  for  new  beds,  and  get  them 
planted  before  the  young  plants  become  pot-bound. 
If  Cherries  or  Currants  occupy  a  wall,  a  fishing 
net  supported  on  slanting  laths  running  from  the 
top  of  the  coping  to  the  margin  of  the  walk  pro- 
tects the  two  crops,  and  the  fruit  is  accessible  at 
all  times. 


KITCHEN  GARDEN. 
Tub  so-called  varieties  of  Cabbage  are  legion ; 
amongst  the  best,  Heartwell  takes  a  prominent 
place,  being  large  in  size  and  good  in  quality.  En- 
field Market  is  also  remarkably  good.  The  first 
sowing  should  be  made  about  this  time  in  shallow 
drills,  covering  the  seeds  with  burnt  refuse  ;  should 
the  land  be  dry,  water  the  drills  without  a  rose 
on  your  watering-pot.  Lettuces  and  Endive  may 
be  sown  at  the  same  time.  We  always  sow  small 
seeds  at  this  season  in  land  which  has  been 
broken  with  the  cultivator  rather  than  having  it 
dug  up.  The  land  for  Tripoli  Onions  can  hardly 
be  too  rich  ;  about  the  first  week  in  next  month 
is  the  right  time  to  sow  them.  Many  growers 
sow  in  drills,  and  transplant  either  in  autumn  or 
early  in  spring,  but  the  best  bulbs  we  ever  grew 
were  sown  in  4-foot  beds  and  duly  thinned,  leaving 
only  the  best  plants.  The  land  should  be  heavily 
manured  and  deeply  dug,  breaking  the  soil  as  the 
work  proceeds  ;  afterwards  tread  it  firmly,  rake  it, 
and  then  proceed  to  lay  out  the  beds.  Wherever 
there  is  room  plant  with  the  crowbar  any  kind  of 
good  Broccoli ;  everything  in  this  way  is  always 
useful  when  frost  visits  us.  Stir  the  ground 
among  all  growing  crops  with  the  cultivator, 
letting  in  the  air  and  killing  the  weeds  at  the 
same  time.  We  plant  Coleworts  12  inches  apart. 
The  site  is  that  just  cleared  of  Myatt's  Potatoes 
and  well  broken  up  with  cultivators  ;  then  drills  are 
drawn  and  well  watered,  the  only  preparation  the 
land  requires  ;  no  digging  or  manuring  is  done  ;  in 
fact,  if  kitchen  gardening  is  to  be  made  easy,  one 
must  step  out  of  the  beaten  track  and  find  others 
more  in  accordance  with  the  times  in  which  we 
live. 

FRUIT  Garden. 

APPLE  CULTURE. 
The  instructions  usually  given  on  this,  as  on  many 
other  cultural  subjects,  are  often  of  far  too  special 
a  character  to  suit  the  circumstances  and  situations 
of  growers.  The  first  thing  to  be  realised  is,  that 
scarcely  anywhere  in  the  British  Islands  does  the 
Apple  refuse  to  thrive  on  the  natural  stock,  which 
after  all  must  carry  the  trees  that  are  to  bear  our 
future  main  crops,  as  it  has  done  in  the  past. 
What  can  be  done  by  growing  Apples  from  cut- 
tings has  yet  to  be  proved  ;  but  as  a  large  raiser  of 
young  trees  pointed  out  to  us  lately,  Apple  trees 
from  cuttings  cannot — at  least  in  all  cases,  if  in 
many— be  depended  upon  like  those  which  are 
grafted,  and  as  grafting  forms  the  readiest  way  of 
propagating  young  trees,  he  failed  to  see  the  ad- 
vantage of  cuttings.  The  Crab  stock  raised  from 
seed  can  be  procured  with  facility,  and  as  soon  as 
an  Apple  shoot  or  two  is  grafted  upon  it  it  is  a 
tree  ready  for  planting,  and  soon  is  in  bearing. 

Soil.— Although,  as  has  been  said,  the  Apple 
grows  anywhere,  all  soils  are  not  alike  suitable  to 
it ;  but  almost  any  ordinarily  healthy  soil  can  be 
rendered  suitable.  The  constituents  of  the  wood 
and  fruit  of  the  Apple  are  found  to  consist  in  very 
large  proportions  of  lime,  potash,  soda,  and,  in 
much  less  proportion,  of  phosphoric  acid,  silica, 
peroxide  of  iron,  and  magnesia,  the  last  four  being 
usually  found  in  sufficient  quantity  in  ordinary 
soil,  so  that  the  elements  to  be  made  up  in  soils 
not  already  sufficiently  charged  with  them  are 
hme,  potash,  and  soda,  all  of  which  can  be  readily 
procured  and  applied  in  some  form  or  other.  The 
percentage  of  potash  in  the  Apple  fruit  is  over 


3.5  per  cent.,  of  soda  26 ;  and  in  the  leaves  and 
wood  the  proportion  of  potash  is  19,  and  lime  63. 
Marly  or  calcareous  soils  are,  therefore,  best 
for  the  Apple,  and  soils  not  naturally  of  that  cha- 
racter should  have  lime  and  marl  added  to  them. 
A  natural  loam  answers  best  generally,  but  old 
garden  soils  may  be  rendered  suitable  by  the 
application  of  lime  in  considerable  quantity,  and 
potash  and  soda  may  be  added  in  the  form  of 
wood  ashes,  either  dug  in  or  sprinkled  frequently 
on  the  surface  of  the  borders.  For  mostly  all  fruit 
crops  wood  ashes  are  of  great  value,  and  hence  the 
ashes  of  rubbish  heaps,  dead  branches,  burnt  soil, 
&c.,  should  always  be  collected  and  used  when 
such  manures  are  needed.  Probably  there  would 
be  fewer  Apple  failures  if  it  were  not  for  the  roots 
of  the  trees  getting  out  of  the  good  soil  prepared 
for  them  and  going  down  into  the  subsoil,  which, 
whether  hard  or  soft,  it  is  not  desirable  they  should 
enter.  If  rocky,  po<  r,  or  dry  and  bad,  the  conse- 
quences will  probably  he  canker,  blight,  and  other 
evils  ;  and,  if  soft  and  moist,  late  and  ill-ripened 
wood,  which  is  never  productive.  In  removing 
some  old  and  healthy  trees  here  once,  I  found  they 
had  all  been  originally  planted  in  as  good  a  way  as 
any  that  could  be  devised  to  give  the  roots  a 
lateral  direction  and  keep  them  out  of  the  subsoil, 
which  is  bad,  except  where  the  expense  of  con- 
creting or  flagging  the  border  is  gone  to.  Under 
each  tree  has  been  placed  a  broad  flag,  about 
2J  feet  from  the  surface,  and  all  round  this  pro- 
jected smaller  flags,  arranged  like  the  slates  on  the 
roof  of  a  house,  the  central  flag  forming  the  crown. 
The  roots,  of  course,  were  compelled  to  spread  out, 
and  could  not  penetrate  the  subsoil  till  they  had 
reached  the  outermost  edge  of  the  stones,  by  which 
time  they  were  disposed  to  keep  the  lateral  posi- 
tions, being  sub-divided,'small,  and  spreading.  In 
cold  and  late  districts,  infinite  trouble  and  dis- 
appointment would  be  prevented  if  the  roots  of 
fruit  trees  could  only  be  confined  to  the  surface 
soil  prepared  for  them,  for  in  that  case  they  would 
not  grow  over  luxuriantly,  would  need  little  or  no 
root  pruning,  and  would  not  become  unhealthy. 

The  most  favoueable  situation  that  I  can 
conceive  for  an  Apple  or  Pear  tree  in  a  cool  climate 
is  one  in  which  the  roots  could  not  penetrate 
deeper  than  18  inches  from  the  surface,  with 
nothing  but  suit.able  "soil  above  that  for  the  roots 
to  run  in.  The  late  Mr.  Charles  Mcintosh  and  his 
brother  James  both  practised  the  plan  of  planting 
their  Apple  trees  on  raised  mounds,  on  the  sur- 
face of  the  soil,  the  roots  being  little  more  than 
covered.  The  writer  was  familiar  with  many 
examples  so  planted  on  a  heavy  soil  in  Dumfries- 
shire, where  the  climate  is  cool  and  dripping,  and 
they  did  wonderfully  well  so  long  as  the  trees 
were  young ;  but  as  soon  as  they  got  their  roots 
down  deep,  then  troubles  began,  the  gi'owths  be- 
coming rank,  and  crops  more  precarious  in  conse- 
quence. Practically,  then,  what  any  cultivator  has 
to  do  to  secure  crops  of  Apples  or  Pears,  whether 
he  resides  in  the  north  or  south,  is  first  to  ascer- 
tain whether  his  soil  is  a  naturally  suitable  one  or 
not,  and  if  not,  to  make  it  so  by  the  simple  means 
described  above ;  and  next,  to  take  whatever 
means  he  finds  readiest  and  most  efficient  to  con- 
fine the  roots  to  the  soil  allowed  them,  and  so  keep 
them  under  control.  Market  growers  cannot  be 
expected  to  incur  much  expense  in  forming  fruit- 
tree  borders;  but  in  private  gardens,  where  a  few 
good  trees  would  provide  a  supply,  the  same 
objections  do  not  exist.  Suitable  sorts  for  the 
climate  and  locality  come  next.  Apples  and  Pears 
of  certain  kinds  are  produced  from  the  Land's  End 
to  John  0  Groats,  and  even  in  the  Shetland  Islands, 
but  only  certain  sorts.  We  can  suggest  no  better 
plan  to  the  intending  planter  than  to  apply  at 
the  nearest  respectable  nursery  where  fruit  trees 
are  kept  in  stock,  or  at  any  large  garden,  where  he 
will  surely  learn  what  varieties  do  best,  and  these 
he  should  plant  for  crops  till  his  own  experience 
teaches  him  how  he  may  extend  his  collection. 

Pruning.— By  common  consent  as  well  as 
necessity,  it  is  now  acknowledged  that  the  best  and 
most  productive  form  of  tree  is  the  common  stan- 
dard, with  the  round  natural  top  for  orchards,  and 
the  natural  bush  form  for  dwarfs.  Neither  require 


much,  if  any,  pruning  if  the  roots  are  rightly 
managed  and  kept  in  check,  and  absolutely  no 
training.  I  am  of  course  speaking  of  orchard  and 
standard  trees  generally.  It  is  of  the  utmost  con- 
sequence that  the  labour  of  culture  should  be 
reduced  in  the  case  of  the  market  grower  to  add 
to  his  profits,  and,  in  the  case  of  the  private 
grower,  to  make  it  worth  his  while  to  grow  his 
own  fruit ;  for  he  can  always  buy  better  than  he 
can  grow,  and  cheaper  as  well,  we  fear.  We  have 
long  been  familiar  with  the  culture  of  the  Apple 
and  Pear  in  the  best  private  gardens,  and  taking 
into  consideration  the  actual  wants  of  an  esta- 
blishment, and  the  time,  &c.,  spent  on  the  trees,  we 
are  sure  the  crops  did  not  pay.  Probably,  how- 
ever, the  quantity  of  fruit  trees  in  gardens  might 
be  reduced  by  one  half  if  better  and  more  reliable 
sorts  were  selected,  and  fewer  of  them,  thus  re- 
ducing the  labour  of  culture  and  increasing  the 
crop  at  the  same  time.  I  am  certain,  for  example, 
it  would  pay  anyone  better  to  plant  two  trees  of 
Lord  Suffield  or  Warner's  King  than  it  would  half 
a  dozen  of  other  and  less  certain  varieties  for  the 
same  reason ;  and  the  same  may  be  said  of  all  the 
really  good  Apples,  whether  of  general  or  local 
repute.  Plant  few  varieties,  plant  those  that 
bear  surely,  and  plant  large  sized  sorts.  As 
might  be  expected,  the  different  varieties  of 
Apple  vary  greatly  in  size,  the  largest  attaining  a 
diameter  of  Jnearly  6  inches,  while  the  smaller  kinds 
are  hardly  larger  than  Crabs.  Some  of  the  small 
kinds  are  of  excellent  quality,  though  not  better 
than  the  good  sized  sorts,  and  there  is  now  a  ten- 
dency to  discard  small  kinds,  at  least  in  culture 
for  profit,  as  the  fair  sized  fruit  is  preferred  by  the 
dealer  and  fetches  the  best  price.  Good  sized 
fruit  is  also  preferred  for  dessert  purposes.  In- 
deed, it  would  be  no  great  loss  if  nearly  the  whole 
of  the  small  Apples  were  expunged  from  the  list, 
as  they  virtually,  are  already  by  those  who  are  now 
engaged  in  planting  orchards. 

Planting. — Now  is  the  time  to  prepare  soil 
and  materials  for  planting  in  autumn,  which 
should  not  be  delayed  long  after  the  leaves  have 
fallen  ;  and  it  may  be  done  before  that,  provided 
the  wood  is  hardened.  All  manures  and  other 
mateiials  should  be  brought  to  the  place,  and  the 
ground  should  be  trenched  regularly  over  from 
2  feet  to  3  feet  deep,  the  lesser  depth  in  late  and 
cold  localities,  and  the  greater  in  those  that  are 
warmer  and  drier.  In  trenching,  the  common 
practice  of  simply  turning  the  ground  upside 
down,  and  burying  the  manure  in  the  bottom  of 
the  trench,  should  be  avoided,  and,  instead  there- 
of, the  soil,  lime,  ashes,  and  manure  should  be 
turned  over,  so  as  to  mix  all  thoroughly  from  top 
to  bottom,  levelling  the  surface  of  the  subsoil  as 
the  work  proceeds.  If  flags  are  used  to  place  be- 
low the  roots,  as  suggested,  they  may  be  laid  on 
the  subsoil  at  the  same  time  where  the  trees  are 
to  stand.  What  are  called  Yorkshire  greystone 
slates,  or  strong  blue  slate,  are  cheapest  and  best. 
They  should  be  laid  flat,  even,  and  close,  over- 
lapping, as  we  have  said,  from  the  centre  or  crown ; 
and  if  it  is  convenient  to  bed  them  roughly  in 
lime,  all  the  better.  This  is  an  excellent  and 
simple  plan  where  the  subsoil  is  bad,  as  it  effec- 
tually prevents  subsoil-rooting,  if  care  is  taken  to 
pack  each  slate  solid  beneath  with  earth,  so  as  not 
to  let  the  whole  weight  rest  on  the  lap,  in  which 
case  the  slate  may  crack  through  the  weight  of 
the  superincumbent  earth.  The  refuse  of  stone 
quarries  will  answer  well  enough,  and  these  may 
be  got  for  the  loading,  or  little  more,  in  some 
places.  J.  s.  W. 

PROTECTION,  OR  NO  PROTECTION. 
When  "  J.  S.  W."  first  stated  his  opinion  on  this 
subject  (Vol.  XXV  ,  p.  511),  he  said  Peach  bloom 
will  not  endure  more  than  2°  or  3°  of  frost ;  in  his 
latest  communication  (p.  54)  he  says  it  will  perish 
with  from  4°  to  6".  Will  he  kindly  tell  us  how 
such  contradictions  can  be  made  to  agree  ? 
"  J.  S.  W. '  asks  if  I  can  controvert  the  figures  he 
there  gives.  I  have  not  said  anything  about  the 
number  of  degrees  that  will  or  will  not  kill  Peach 
bloom  or  that  of  any  other  kind  of  fruit,  knowing 
from  observations  made  with  thermometers  hung 


July  2G.   1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


77 


on  the  walls  in  diflEerent  localities  over  a  series  of 
years  that  any  statement  of  the  exact  number  of 
degrees  of  cold  which  the  bloom  will  bear  is  not 
to  be  relied  on.  On  a  night  when  the  atmosphere 
is  heavy  with  moisture,  and  the  bloom  consequently 
damp,  less  frost  will  destroy  it  than  when  the  air 
and  the  flowers  are  dry.  At  p.  512,  Vol.  XXV., 
"  J.  S.  W."  says  that  a  given  amount  of  frost  will 
kill  Peach  bloom,  let  the  previous  treatment  of  the 
trees  have  been  what  it  may.  At  p.  51  he  admits 
that  poor  weak  bloom  will  succumb  to  less  frost 
than  where  the  wood  has  been  well  ripened.  This 
is  what  I  have  always  maintained ;  but  how 
"  J.  S.  W."  can  reconcile  his  opposite  statements 
is  hard  to  understand.  The  comparative  hardi- 
ness of  Gooseberry  bloom,  which  "  J.  S.  W."  intro- 
duced into  the  subject,  is  irrelevant,  and  proves 
nothing  one  way  or  the  other  as  regards  the  matter 
in  question.  The  exact  amount  of  frost  which  the 
bloom  of  Peaches  or  other  outdoor  fruits  will 
bear  cannot  be  determined.  As  I  have  said,  it 
varies  according  to  the  amount  of  moisture  in  the 
atmosphere  and  the  direction  and  force  of  the  wind 
Any  definite  statement  would  therefore  not  be  re- 
liable, nor  can  what  takes  place  one  season  be 
taken  as  a  reflex  of  others,  past  or  future.  Even  in 
the  present  spring  in  many  places  the  Peach  bloom 
escaped,  whilst  that  of  other  fruits  was  killed.  On 
a  long  trellis-covered  walk  filled  with  Fears  I  have 
had  a  full  even  crop  in  a  season  when  there  were 
7°  of  frost  on  two  nights  when  the  trees  were  in 
full  bloom.  In  another  spring,  after  a  damp,  sun- 
less summer  when  the  buds  were  not  ripened, 
most  of  it  was  cut  off  by  a  like  amount,  thus  show- 
ing the  difference  of  ability  between  well  and 
badly  ripened  buds  to  withstand  frost.  The  same 
rule  hold  good  with  Peaches,  to  which  fruit  the 
present  discussion  more  particularly  relates.  The 
amount  of  cold  which  the  bloom  will  bear  de- 
pends, as  I  have  shown,  on  conditions  that  are 
scarcely  ever  in  any  two  seasons  exactly  alike  ;  on 
this  account  "J.  S.  W.'s  "  figures,  expressing  the 
exact  amount  of  frost  which  he  says  will  kill  the 
bloom,  are  valueless.  Beyond  this  their  introduc- 
tion had  no  bearing  in  any  way  on  the  present 
discussion,  which  arose  out  of  some  remarks  I 
made  in  reference  to  a  fine  crop  of  outdoor 
Peaches  on  an  unprotected  wall  in  a  garden  at 
Koehampton,  where  this  spring,  as  in  numbers  of 
other  places  in  that  neighbourhood,  there  were 
registered  13^  or  14°  of  frost.  What  I  stated  is 
correct,  in  proof  of  which  the  trees  are  there  to  be 
seen.  Can  "J.  S.  W."  explainhow  the  crop  escaped 
there  and  in  other  places,  where  this  season 
Peaches  are  the  only  wall  fruits  not  killed  except 
Apricots,  which  were  set  before  the  frost  came  ? 

T.  Baines. 


Mulching    Strawberriea.— It   is  to    be 

regretted  that  excellent  crops  of  Strawberries 
should  often  be  completely  spoiled  through  not 
providing  some  clean  material  to  keep  the  fruit  off 
the  ground.  Stable  litter,  if  put  round  the  plants 
soon  enough  so  that  it  may  get  thoroughly  cleansed 
by  rain,  is  a  capital  makeshift  when  nothing 
better  can  be  got.  This  j  ear  we  cut  a  quantity  of 
long  coarse  Grass  out  of  a  plantation,  and  used  it 
green  ;  it  answered  admirably.  In  future  we  shall 
not  use  anything  else  when  it  can  be  obtained,  but 
should  we  fail  to  get  a  sufficient  quantity,  we 
shall  certainly  try  the  cut  straw  recommended  by 
"  J.  C.  C."  (p.  54).  We  were  puzzled  to  account  for 
the  fact  that  although  we  have  plenty  of  slugs  in 
other  parts  of  the  garden,  we  have  not  been 
troubled  with  them  on  the  Strawberry  beds,  the 
very  place  where  they  have  been  most  plentiful  in 
other  years.  After  reading  "  J.  C.  C.'s  "  excellent 
notes  on  this  subject,  we  examined  the  coarse 
Grass  on  the  beds,  and  found  that  it  was  very 
sharp  and  anything  but  pleasant  for  slugs  to  travel 
over.  We  tried  short  Grass  from  the  mowing 
machine,  but  did  not  like  it ;  it  stuck  to  the  fruit 
when  ripe,  and  was  almost,  if  not  quite,  as  bad  as 
grit.  Oak  bark  'from  the  tan-yard  is  a  capital 
thing  with  which  to  mulch  Strawberries  when 
it  can  be  got,  but,  unfortunately,  it  is  not 
every  gardener  who  can  get  it. — K.  McIntosh, 
Orimibij. 


Societies. 


EOYAL  HORTICULTURAL. 
July  22. 
The  exhibition  which  took  place  at  South  Ken- 
sington on  this  occasion  was  by  far  the  largest 
and  finest  that  has  been  held  in  the  Royal  Horticul- 
tural Gardens  this  year.  The  periodical  fruit  and 
vegetable  show,  held  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Health  Exhibition  committee,  was  an  excellent  one, 
the  exhibits  being  more  extensive  and  finer  than 
on  previous  occasions.  This,  combined  with  the 
usual  fortnightly  meeting  of  the  committees  and  the 
annual  show  of  the  Carnation  and  Picotee  Society, 
quite  filled  the  large  conservatory.  The  exhibits 
placed  before  the  floral  committee  were  not  nume- 
rous, but  consisted  chiefly  of  new  and  rare  plants, 
and  an  unusual  number  of  certificates  was 
awarded.   First-class  certificates  were  awarded  to 

ODONTOGLOSSUSI   VEXILLAKIUM    SUPEEBtm. — 

This  was  the  most  remarkable  plant  shown,  as  it 
is  probably  the  finest  variety  of  Odontoglossum 
vexillanum  that  has  ever  been  flowered  in  this 
country.  The  flowers  are  noteworthy  chiefly  for 
their  colour,  their  size  not  being  above  the  average. 
The  whole  flower  is  of  a  deep  rose-pink,  while  in 
the  centre  is  a  large  blotch  of  the  deepest  maroon 
crimson.  It  is  this  central  blotch  that  makes  the 
flower  so  particularly  striking.  Exhibited  by  Mr. 
B.  S.  Williams,  Upper  Holloway. 

Cattleya  Gaskelliana. — The  new  species  or 
variety  recently  introduced  by  Messrs.  Sander. 
The  flowers  seem  to  be  midway  between  C.  War- 
neri  and  C.  Mossiai,  some  forms  resembling  the 
former,  others  the  latter,  while  some  again  are 
more  like  C.  Triana;.  It  was  shown  on  this  occa- 
sion both  by  the  introducers,  Messrs.  Sander,  of  St. 
Albane,  and  Mr.  Crawshay,  Eosefield,  Sevenoaks. 
Both  plants  shown  represented  lovely  varieties, 
that  from  St.  Albans  being  much  the  darkest, 
almost  as  dark  as  a  Warneri.  Mr.  Crawshay's  va- 
riety was  remarkable  for  the  broad  and  beauti- 
fully coloured  lip  and  the  wide-spreading  sepals. 
This  Cattleya  is  undoubtedly  an  acquisition. 

Begonia  Ruhm  Von  Erfurt.  —  A  double 
flowered  variety  of  the  tuberous-rooted  race,  re- 
markable for  its  sturdy  dwarf  habit  of  growth,  its 
extreme  floriferousness,  and  the  brilliancy  of  the 
flowers,  which  are  of  vivid  scarlet.  It  stands 
out  conspicuously  even  among  the  multitudes  of 
tuberous  Begonias  now  in  cultivation.  Shown  by 
Messrs.  Cannell,  Swauley. 

Rose  Madame  Eugene  Verdiee. — A  Tea- 
scented  variety  of  great  merit,  possessing  all  the 
good  qualities  of  its  parent,  the  popular  Gloire  de 
Dijon.  The  flowers  are  extremely  beautiful  in  the 
halt  expanded  state,  the  shape  very  perfect,  and 
the  substance  good.  The  colour  is  a  rich  yellow, 
inclining  to  apricot  in  the  centre.  It  has  every 
promise  of  becoming  a  popular  Rose.  Shown  by 
Messrs.  Paul  &  Son,  Cheshunt. 

Pelargonium  Madame  Thibaut. — One  of 
the  Ivy-leaved  race  with  large  trusses  of  very 
double  flowers  of  a  glowing  carmine-rose.  It  is 
considered  to  be  one  of  the  finest  of  this  section 
yet  raised.  Shown  by  Mr.  W.  Bealby,  Roehampton. 

Lathyrus  latifohus  delicatus.— a  lovely 
variety  of  the  Everlasting  Pea,  the  colour  of  the 
flowers  being  a  delicate  pink,  shaded  here  and 
there  with  white,  and  exquisitely  pencilled  with 
deep  pink  veins.  This  is  a  valuable  addition  to 
hardy  perennial  flowers.  Shown  by  Mr.  R.  Dean, 
Kanelagh  Road,  Ealing. 

Rosa  lucida  Rose  Button. — A  most  charm- 
ing little  Rose,  quite  distinct  from  any  other,  it 
being  a  double-flowered  variety,  of  a  species  but 
seldom  seen  in  gardens.  The  flowers  are  small  and 
very  double,  and  are  best  comparable  in  size  and 
form  with  those  of  Azalea  rosasflora  or  A.  RoUis- 
soni,  as  it  is  otherwise  called.  The  colour  is  a  deep 
rose  inclining  to  purple.  It  is  extremely  floriferous. 
The  large  display  of  blooms  exhibited  by  Messrs. 
Veitch  was  the  admiration  of  everyone. 

Rhododendron  Empress. — A  superb  new 
seedling  variety  of  the  Javanese  race  and  distinct 


from  all  others,  inasmuch  as  the  flowers,  which  are 
large  and  finely  shaped,  possess  a  ring  of  pale 
pink  or  almost  white,  the  rest  of  the  colour  being 
a  salmon-pink  inclining  to  orange.  Exhibited  by 
the  raisers,  Messrs.  Veitch,  Royal  Exotic  Nursery, 
Chelsea. 

Campanula  turbinata  pelviformis.— A 
new  variety,  in  which  the  flowers  are  almost  flat 
instead  of  being  cup  shaped.  The  colour  is  a  pale 
lavender,  very  soft  and  pleasing.  The  plant 
appears  to  be  a  sturdy  grower  and  a  free  floweret. 
Shown  by  Messrs.  Paul  and  Son,  Cheshunt. 

Aeeides  Houllettianum. — A  handsome  spe- 
cies, and  until  recently  one  that  has  been  extremely 
rare.  It  belongs  to  the  same  section  of  the  genus 
as  the  well-known  A.  crispum,  the  flowers  of  the 
two  species  being  very  similar  in  form.  The 
colour,  however,  of  A.  Houllettianum  is  most  dis- 
tinct. The  sepals  and  petals  are  of  a  soft  fawn 
colour,  while  the  labellum  is  a  deep  rose-magenta. 
The  spike  is  long  and  pendulous,  and  deliciously 
fragrant.     Exhibited  by  Mr.  B.  S.  Williams. 

Gladiolus  hybhidus  Lafayette. — Avery  flne 
variety  of  the  new  race  of  hybrid  Gladioli,  ob- 
tained by  intercrossing  G.  purpureo-auratus  with 
varieties  of  the  gandavensis  race.  The  flowers  are 
larger  than  those  of  any  raised  previously,  but  are 
similar  in  form  to  those  figured  in  The  Garden, 
Vol.  XVII.,  p.  306.  The  upper  sepals  are  fawn 
colour,  the  lower  three  being  blotched  with  crim- 
son.    Shown  by  Messrs.  Veitch. 

Dendeobium  Grifpithianum. — A  handsome 
species,  best  described  as  having  the  flowers  of  D. 
chrysotoxum,  with  the  habit  of  growth  of  D. 
Farmeri.  The  bulbs  are  quadrangular,  and  the 
spikes  are  nearly  a  foot  in  length,  drooping  grace- 
fully from  the  top  of  the  bulb.  The  rich  yellow 
of  the  flowers  renders  the  plant  very  striking  when 
in  bloom.  A  fine  specimen  of  it  was  exhibited 
by  Messrs.  Sander  &  Co.  under  the  name  of  D. 
Guibertianum,  which  appears  to  be  a  synonym. 

Spir^a  bullata. — A  new  species  of  diminu- 
tive growth,  the  whole  plant  being  under  a  foot 
high.  The  stems  are  slender  and  crested,  furnished 
with  small,  wrinkled  leaves,  and  terminated  by 
flat  clusters  of  deep  carmine  flowers,  the  unex- 
panded  buds  being  crimson.  It  is  a  pretty  little 
shrub,  and  interesting  as  being  among  the  smallest 
of  the  genus.  Exhibited  by  Messrs.  Paul  ..t  Son, 
Cheshunt. 

Prunus  Pissaedi. — A  variety  of  P.  cerasifera, 
having  the  foliage  of  a  deep  purple-red.  If  a 
good  grower  and  perfectly  hardy,  it  will  prove 
a  valuable  addition  to  hardy  ornamental  decidu- 
ous trees.     Shown  by  Messrs.  Veitch. 

Primula  Eusbyi. — A  pretty  and  interesting 
species  said  to  be  from  North  America.  The  plant 
shown  by  Mr.  R.  Dean,  of  Ealing,  had  only  been 
received  by  him  three  weeks  ago  from  America, 
therefore  was  not  fully  developed.  The  leaves 
are  long  and  serrated,  the  flowers  like  those  of  P. 
farinosa,  but  twice  their  size.  The  colour  is  a 
rich  mauve-purple,  with  yellow  in  the  centre  of 
the  bloom. 

Clematis  coccinea.  —  Of  this  remarkable 
species  there  were  shown  some  uncommonly  fine 
flowering  sprays  cut  from  plants  in  the  open  air. 
The  flowers  were  not  only  twice  the  size  of  those 
usually  seen,  but  the  colour  was  very  much 
brighter,  being  of  a  vivid  crimson-red.  Possibly 
Messrs.  Veitch 's  plant  may  represent  a  finer 
variety,  though  good  culture  may  account  for  the 
difference. 

There  were  a  few  other  plants  of  interest  sub- 
mitted to  the  floral  committee.  Besides  the  plants 
certificated,  Messrs.  Veitch  showed  a  fine  group  of 
their  seedling  greenhouse  Rhododendrons  of  the 
Javanese  type.  These  comprised  the  best  of  the 
named  torts,  as  well  as  some  seedlings  of  great 
promise.  The  best  shown  were  Duke  of  Edin- 
burgh, Prince  Leopold,  Maiden's  Blush,  Princeste 
Frederic!,  Princess  Alexandra,  and  Taylori— all 
of  the  highest  merit ;  other  indoor  plants  in- 
cluded the  showy  Clianthus  Dampieri,  with  its 
singular  lobster-claw-like  flowers.  From  their 
Coombe  Wood  Nursery  Messrs.  Veitch  showed 
flowers  of  some  varieties  of  hardy  Ceanothuses, 


78 


THE     GARDEN 


[J.'i.Y  20,  1884. 


among  them  being  Gloire  de  Versailles,  Arnolcli, 
and  albidus— three  of  the  very  best  sorts.  Styrax 
japonica,  with  white,  bell-shaped  flowers,  was 
shown ;  also  Andromeda  japonica  and  Daphne- 
phyllum  glaucescens,  a  handsome-leaved  Japanese 
shrub,  presumably  a  hardy  evergreen.  A  large 
gathering  of  Iris  Kfempferi,  from  another  outdoor 
nursery  of  Messrs.  Veitcb's,  showed  the  splendour 
and  variety  of  colouring  that  exists  in  this  species 
alone. 

M.  Jacob  Makoy,  of  Liege,  sent  Croton  inimita- 
bile,  a  handsome  variety,  with  long  and  broad 
leaves  brightly  mottled  with  carmine,  yellow,  and 
green  ;_  also  Pavetta  montana,  with  large  clusters 
of  white  flowers,  and  Anthericum  latifolium  albo 
pictum,  apparently  the  same  plant  now  so  com- 
mon in  the  London  nurseries. 

Mr.  Philbrick,  of  Oldfield,  Bickley,  showed  a 
plant  of  the  rare  Oncidium  ajrochardium,  a  yellow 
flowered  species,  not  very  showy,  and  the  New 
Plant  and  Bulb  Company  showed  0.  prajstans,  a 
handsome  and  attractive  species,  with  a  large 
lip  of  clear  yellow  and  with  banded  sepals.  The 
same  firm  also  sent  cut  spikes  of  Montbretia 
crocosmseflora,  the  new  handsome  hybrid  between 
M.  Pottsi  and  Tritonia  aurea. 

Messrs.  Carter  exhibited  the  white  Rhodanthe 
Manglesi,  a  good  addition  to  half-hardy  annual 
plants,  and  useful  for  catting  for  winter ;  also  a 
new  dwarf  Nasturtium  with  crimson  and  yellow 
flowers  called  Beauty  of  the  Border.  The  new  In- 
vincible Carmine  Pea  was  shown  admirably  by 
Messrs,  Laing,  the  flowers  being  brighter  in  colour 
than  we  had  hitherto  seen  it.  Some  pretty  seed- 
ling Carnations  were  shown  by  Mr.  Mnndy,  of 
Basingstoke,  and  an  excellent  yellow  variety 
named  Pride  of  Rochester  came  from  Mr.  Bridges, 
of  Penshurst,  who  raised  it. 

Messrs.  Laing  took  the  opportunity  of  the  pre- 
sent occasion  to  display  their  magnificent  collec- 
tion of  tuberous  Begonias,  both  single  and  double. 
A  long  line  of  fine  specimens  of  these  stretched 
along  one  half  of  the  conservatory,  making  a  bril- 
liant show  and  winning  many  admirers.  Seldom 
has  there  been  seen  such  a  display  of  Begonias  at 
an  exhibition. 

Haedy  flowers  were  again  shown  admirably 
by  Mr.  Ware,  of  Tottenham,  and  an  interesting 
collection  in  pots  likewise  came  from  Messrs. 
Paul,  of  Cheshunt.  Among  Messrs.  Paul's  plants 
were  some  beautiful  panfuls  of  Campanulas,  chiefly 
of  the  turbinata  race,  there  being  the  pure  white, 
the  mauve,  and  the  deep  purple  varieties,  as  well 
as  the  type.  Other  Campanulas  included  the  rarely 
seen  C.  alpina  (true),  C.  linifolia  alba,  and  C. 
Tenori.  A  good  pot  specimen,  well  flowered,  of 
Omphalodes  Lucilife  was  shown;  also  the  varie- 
gated form  of  Euphorbia  amygdaloides  and  a 
golden  variegated  form  of  Herniaria  glabra,  a  low 
trailing  perennial. 

Mr.  Ware's  collection  was  as  usual  a  large  and 
most  attractive  one,  consisting,  as  it  did,  of  the 
cream  of  hardy  flowers  now  in  perfection  in  his 
nursery.  The  most  remarkable  flowers  were  the 
Lilies,  which  are  just  now  in  the  height  of  their 
flowering  season.  The  North  American  species, 
L.  pardalinum  and  varieties,  were  particularly 
beautiful,  as  they  grow  so  strongly  at  Tottenham. 
It  would  make  a  long  list  to  mention  the  names 
of  all  the  noteworthy  plants  shown  by  Mr.  Ware, 
as  the  group  contained,  we  imagine,  the  bulk  of 
the  midsummer  hardy  perennials  that  are  worthy 
of  cultivation.  Besides  these  there  was  a  large 
display  of  border  Carnations  in  great  variety, 
these  being  one  of  the  principal  classes  of  plants 
grown  in  the  Hale  Farm  Nursery. 

FRUIT  AND  VEGETABLE  SHOW. 
As  we  before  remarked,  this  was  a  large  and 
excellent  show,  the  quality  of  the  exhibits  being 
higher  than  on  any  previous  occasion  this  season. 
There  was  a  good  competition  throughout,  and 
but  very  few  classes  were  unrepresented.  The 
schedule  provided  for  a  comprehensive  show  so  as 
to  make  it  interesting  to  all  classes.  The  chief 
features  in  the  fruit  classes  were  the  flne  examples 
of  smooth-leaved  Cayenne  Pines,  notably  those  in 


the  class  for  four  fruits,  the  aggregate  weight  of 
which  was  HS  lbs.,  and  likewise  the  pair  of  fruits 
of  the  same  kind  in  another  class,  which  weighed 
17  lbs.  From  the  same  exhibitor  was  also  sent  a 
dozen  fruits,  all  of  uniform  excellence,  and  to 
which  an  extra  prize  was  deservedly  awarded. 
These  productions  were  from  the  gardens  of  Earl 
Fortescue,  Castle  Hill,  South  Molton,  Devon,  and 
were  a  credit  to  the  gardener,  Mr.  Nicholas. 

In  the  Grape  classes,  the  most  prominent  ex- 
hibits were  the  Madresfield  Court  Black  Muscats 
from  Mr.  Roberts,  of  Gunnersbury  Park  gardens, 
Acton.  These  were  grand  examples  of  first  class 
culture,  fine  bunches,  enormous  berries,  and 
well  finished,  and  no  symptoms  of  cracking 
were  to  be  seen.  In  the  Black  Hamburgh 
class,  Mr.  Taverner,  gardener  to  Sir  A.  K. 
Macdonald,  Bart.,  Woolmer  Lodge,  Liphook, 
repeated  his  previous  achievement  of  winning 
with  ease.  His  productions  were  perfect 
examples  of  this  Grape  and  splendidly  finished. 
Iq  the  vegetable  classes  some  first-class  produc- 
tions were  exhibited,  especially  in  that  for  the 
collections  in  which  Mr.  Haines,  gardener  to 
Earl  Radnor,  Coleshill  House,  Highworth,  this 
time  came  to  the  front  with  eight  strong  dishes. 
In  the  classes  for  Peas  and  in  the  special  prize 
classes  Mr.  Marriott,  of  Skirbeck,  Boston,  Lincoln- 
shire, was  simply  invincible,  winning  five  first 
prizes. 

Taking  the  classes  seriatim,  we  first  come  to 
that  for  collection  of  fruit  (Grapes  and  Pine- 
apples excluded).  In  this  class  there  were  four 
exhibits,  the  first  prize  being  awarded  to  Mr. 
Long's  gardener  at  Rood  Aston  Park,  Trowbridge, 
for  sixteen  dishes  of  general  excellence  through- 
out, all  the  fruit  ripe  and  fit  for  the 
table.  Pine-apple  and  Downton  Nectarines 
were  both  in  good  condition,  a  fine  scarlet  Premier 
Melon,  Blue  Gall  and  Early  Purple  Plums,  both 
good  for  the  season  and  very  fine.  Mr.  Gold- 
smith's second  collection  from  HoUanden,  Ton- 
bridge,  included  some  very  fine  fruit,  and,  on  the 
whole,  the  collection  was  of  more  taking  appear- 
ance than  the  first  prize  collection,  the  colour  being 
better  in  several  cases;  his  best  dishes  were  Negro 
Largo  Figs,  Moor  Park  Apricots,  two  good  dishes 
of  Nectarines  well  coloured,  and  one  good  Melon. 
The  third  prize  collection  sent  by  Mr.  Lee's  gar- 
dener, Hartwell  House,  Aylesbury,  contained  fine 
dishes  of  Lord  Napier  and  Humboldt  Nectarines, 
with  Hero  of  Lockinge  Melon.  Among  four  ex- 
hibits in  the  class  for  four  Pine-apples  the 
best,  as  already  noted,  came  from  Mr.  Nicholas, 
Castle  Hill  Gardens,  South  Molton,  the  second 
from  Mrs.  Vivian's  garden.  Singleton,  Swansea. 
In  the  class  for  two  Pine-apples,  four  exhibits 
were  again  shown,  Mr.  Nicholas  being  first  with 
his  smooth  Cayennes.  In  the  class  for  two  dishes 
of  Strawberries  four  collections  were  shown  ;  the 
first  from  Mr.  Edmonds,  Bestwood  Gardens,  Notts, 
with  very  fine  Duke  of  Edinburgh  and  Sir  Joseph 
Paxton ;  the  second  from  Brodsworth  Hall,  Don- 
caster,  consisting  of  Oxonian  and  Duke  of  Edin- 
burgh, the  latter  to  all  appearance  a  fine  late  kind. 
In  the  class  specially  devoted  to  the  Old  Hautbois 
Strawberry  no  meritorious  exhibit  was  produced. 
Among  twelve  single  dishes  Mr.  Goldsmith 
was  first  with  Sir  Joseph  Paxton.  For  Rasp- 
berries there_  were  six  collections  of  two  kinds 
each  shown,  "the  best  coming  from  Mr.  Walker, 
of  Thame.  Nine  collections  of  Gooseberries, 
no  limit  in  numbers  of  kinds,  were  shown, 
the  finest  being  from  Mr.  Nelson's  gardener, 
Hanger  Hill  House,  Ealing,  who  had  twenty-seven 
dishes  of  fine  fruits,  ripe  and  well  coloured.  The 
next  best  from  Mr.  Walker  contained  thirty  dishes, 
but  were  scarcely  so  fine  in  quality  as  the  first. 
Mr.  Goldsmith  showed  twenty  dishes  for  the  third 
prize.  The  finest  six  dishes  of  Gooseberries  came 
from  Mr.  H.  A.  Brassey's  garden,  Preston  Hall, 
Maidstone  ;  the  second  from  Mr.  Chadwick  ;  the 
sorts  Golden  Lion,  Chorister,  Beaumont's  Smiling 
Beauty,  Cossack,  Conquering  Hero,  and  Crown 
Bob  were  among  the  best  in  each  case. 

There  were  seventeen  couples  of  Melons  staged, 
the  first  being  from  Mr.  Wildsmith,  gardener 
to    Viscount    Eversley,    Heckfield    Place,  for    a 


pair  of  Scarlet  Invincible,  being  splendid 
fruits  of  this  iicw  Melon,  which  gained  a  first- 
class  certificate  in  1883  from  the  fruit  com- 
mittee. The  second  prize  was  taken  by  a  pair  of 
green-flesh  fruits  from  Mr.  R.  H.  C.  Neville's  gar- 
dener at  Wellington,  Grantham.  This  was  a  good 
class  throughout,  large  fruits  finding  no  favour 
with  the  judges,  whose  decision  on  this  occasion 
was  by  tasting.  In  the  class  for  the  best  two 
dishes  of  Peaches  (Bellegarde  and  Royal  Kensing- 
ton) were  from  Mr.  Coleman,  Eastnor  Castle  gar- 
dens, both  being  up  to  his  usual  high  standard  of 
excellence.  The  next  best  were  fine  Barringtons 
and  rather  smaller  Stirling  Castle  from  Mr.  Robins ; 
eight  other  collections  were  shown.  Among  single 
dishes  of  Nectarines  Mr.  Roberts  showed  the  finest, 
consisting  of  admirable  fruits  of  Lord  Napier, 
large  and  highly  coloured.  There  were  no  fewer 
than  fifteen  exhibitors  in  this  class. 

There  was  a  fair  competition  in  the  Grape 
classes.  The  Black  Hamburgh  class  brought  out 
seven  competitors,  Mr.  Taverner's  bunches  being 
far  ahead  of  the  rest.  The  class  for  bunches  of 
the  Duke  of  Buccleuch  variety  brought  out  three 
collections  only,  the  first  prize  being  awarded  to 
Mr.  C.  A.  Daw,  Homefield,  Ealing.  These  three 
bunches  were  well  finished,  clear  in  the  skin, 
uniform  in  berry,  but  small  in  bunch.  Mr. 
Robert's  second  best  bunches  were  rather 
larger.  The  Muscats  of  Alexandria  were  for 
the  most  part  unripe ;  all  the  six  collections 
shown  bore  evidence  of  wanting  a  few  more  weeks 
to  finish  them  to  perfection.  Mr.  Edmonds;  of 
Bestwood,  was  first  with  fine  bunches  that  were 
fairly  well  coloured  for  the  season.  The  class  for 
Madresfield  Court  Black  Muscats  was  only  repre- 
sented by  two  collections.  It  is  surprising  that 
this  fine  Grape  is  not  more  generally  cultivated, 
both  of  the  collections  shown  being  enough  to 
recommend  it  to  the  most  fastidious.  Mr.  Roberts 
first  prize  bunches  were  the  embodiment  of  per- 
fection, and  Mr.  Heath,  Northfield  House  gardens, 
Henley-on-Thames,  showed  some  good  bunches  for 
the  second  prize.  In  the  class  for  Grapes  of  any 
other  variety  there  were  five  competitors.  Black 
Alicante  in  splendid  condition  and  well  finished 
were  first.  These  were  from  Mr.  Wm.  Tidy,  Stan- 
more  Hall.  It  is  a  pity,  however,  to  see 
this  fine  autumn  Grape,  and  a  keeper,  too, 
brought  out  so  early  in  the  season  when  Grapes  of 
much  better  flavour  can  be  easily  had.  Foster's 
Seedling,  well  coloured,  and  the  same  kind  with 
unusually  fine  bunches,  came  from  Mr.  Herrin, 
Chalfont  Park  Gardens,  and  Mr.  Roberts  re- 
spectively. For  a  single  dish  of  Cherries  Mr. 
Coleman  was  first  with  Bigarreau  Napoleon,  fine 
fruits,  well  coloured,  the  second,  from  Mr.  Miles, 
being  apparently  the  Florence  Cherry  ;  eight  other 
dishes  were  shown.  The  class  for  Currants  brought 
forth  a  good  competition,  and  some  unusually  fine 
lots  were  put  up,  very  clean  and  bright  in  colour. 
The  best  among  fourteen  collections  came  from 
Mr.  Robins,  the  second  being  awarded  to  Mr.  Ross, 
of  Welford  Park  gardens,  with  scarcely  inferior 
fruit. 

The  vegetable  classes  were  well  filled,  and 
the  productions  bore  evidence  of  good  culture,  not- 
withstanding the  long  period  of  drought.  The 
best  collection  of  eight  kinds  was  shown  by  Mr. 
Haines.  He  had  very  fine  Nantes  Horn  Carrots, 
good  Trophy  Tomatoes,  Asbleaf  Kidney  Potatoes, 
and  Autumn  Giant  Cauliflower,  both  of  good 
quality,  and  a  fine  dish  of  Telegraph  Peas,  which 
we  consider  a  better  exhibition  kind  than  Tele- 
phone by  reason  of  its  deeper  green  pods.  Mr. 
Miles  was  second  with  an  excellent  collection,  in 
which  Italian  Tripoli  Onions  were  fine,  and  Cul- 
verwell's  Giant  Marrow  Pea  in  good  condition, 
the  third  prize  falling  to  the  lot  of  Mr.  Ward, 
gardener  to  the  Earl  of  Radnor,  at  Longford 
Castle,  Salisbury,  in  whose  collection  Tender  and 
True  Cucumber  and  Canadian  Wonder  French 
Beans  were  conspicuous.  Seven  other  collections 
were  shown,  most  of  which  possessed  considerable 
merit.  In  the  class  for  six  dishes  of  Peas,  Mr. 
Marriott  was  first,  two  of  the  best  kinds  being 
Telegraph  and  Evolution,  the  other  four  being 
also  of  the  large-podded  type.     In  the  special 


Jtr.Y  •2C>,   IMS4. 


THE     GARDEN 


79 


prize  class  for  Peas  wherein  prizes  were  offered  by 
Messrs.  Carter  .->c  Co.  for  their  introductions,  Mr. 
Marriott  was  again  the  winner  with  an  extra  fine 
collection,  the  stipulated  kinds  being  Stratagem, 
Telephone,  Pride  of  the  Market  (Carter's),  and 
Telegraph  (Culverwell's).  In  the  special  prize 
class  for  Mr.  J.  House's  prize  for  House's  Perfect 
Marrow  Pea,  Jlr.  Marriott  was  again  first,  and  like- 
wise for  Messrs.  Webb  &  Sons'  prizes  for  the 
Wordsley  Wonder  Pea,  a  variety  with  neat  com- 
pact pods,  and  again  first  in  the  special  prize  class 
for  Mr.  Thomas  Laxton's  new  Pea  Evolution,  a  pro- 
misingnew  kind.  In  the  Potato  class,there  werefour- 
teen  lots  shown  of  three  dishes  each,  Mr.  Jleads, 
gardener  to  Viscount  Barrington,  at  Beckett  Park, 
being  awarded  the  first  prize  for  three  clean  and 
uniform  dishes  of  Welford  Park  and  Woodstock 
Kidney  and  Henderson's  Prolific,  after  the  School- 
master type — a  good  class  throughout.  Mush- 
rooms in  five  dishes  were  shown,  Mr.  Hudson,  of 
Gunnersbury  House  gardens,  Acton,  being  first 
with  very  fine  samples.  Among  eighteen  dishes 
of  French  Beans,  those  from  the  gardens  of  Mr. 
^\'.  H.  Long  were  first,  the  kind  being  Canadian. 
\\  onder.  Of  thirteen  dishes  of  Tomatoes,  fine 
fruits  of  Vick's  Criterion  from  Mr.  Edwards,  Lip- 
hook,  Hants,  were  deservedly  first,  nearly  every 
other  dish  being  of  extra  good  quality.  Fourteen 
entries  for  smooth  Cucumbers  brought  forth  some 
better  samples  than  usual.  Tender  and  True, 
from  Mr.  Gilmour,  gardener  to  Et.  Hon.  G.  J. 
Goschen,  Seacox  Heath,  Hawkhurst,  being  first, 
whilst  in  the  class  for  prickly  samples  Mr.  Wood- 
ham,  of  the  Model  Farm  gardens.  North  Dul- 
wich,  won  easily  with  Pearson's  Long  Gun,  a  well- 
known  old  kind,  but  on  this  occasion  being  shown 
with  rather  long  handles.  Special  prizes  for  Broad 
r>san  John  Harrison  brought  eight  dishes,  the 
best  being  one  from  Mr.  Miles  with  well-filled  pods 

Soientiflc  committee.— Sir  J.  D.  Hooker 
in  the  chair. 

Miw  Coccus  — Mr.  Pascoe  exhibited  some  speci- 
mens from  vineries  in  Jersey,  together  with  two 
parasites  upon  them,  a  chalcis  and  an  unknown 
species.  The  coccus  produced  a  large  web.  The 
species  was  not  known. 

SarmrcnH  Jlai'a. — Mr.  G.  F.  Wilson  showed  a 
fine  specimen  of  this  plant  grown  in  the  open  by 
a  pond's  edge.  He  said  that  Dionaja  muscipula 
grew  at  the  same  place  and  had  stood  three 
winters.  He  also  showed  a  species  of  Lysimachia, 
which  always  comes  up  in  North  American  peat 
in  which  Cypripedia  are  imported.  It  was  referred 
to  Kew  for  name.  He  also  exhibited  Begonia 
diversifolia  from  Mexico.  It  had  pink  flowers  and 
innumerable  bulbils  like  the  Himalayan  species, 
by  which  it  was  propagated. 

OrchU pijramidalis  rar.  cylindrica. — Mr.  Kidley 
reported  that  this  was  the  name  of  the  species 
exhibited  by  Mr.  Loder  at  the  last  meeting.  It  is 
a  native  of  Greece  and  Dalmatia.  One  flower  was 
remarkable  for  having  two  labella. 

Fasciated  Agapanthns. — Mr.  Murray  said  that 
he  had  observed  a  number  of  plants  at  Calais  re- 
markable for  being  all  fasciated,  the  flowers  being 
normal.  Mr.  Wilson  observed  that  he  had  known 
a  case  of  L.  speciosum  being  constantly  fasciated. 

Large  foliage. — Mr.  Bennett  exhibited  leaves  of 
Aristolochia  Sipho,  remarkable  for  the  size  of  the 
leaves.  Sir  Joseph  Hooker  observed  that  the  fine- 
ness of  the  foliage  of  the  trees  at  Kew  was  very 
.  remarkable,  notwithstanding  the  dryness  of  the 
atmosphere  in  the  early  part  of  the  present 
summer. 

Antigonim  Upiopus. — Mr.  Lynch  exhibited  sprays 
of  blos.soms  illustrating  the  climbing  properties  of 
the  peduncles  and  pedicels  of  this  plant,  resem- 
bling the  Vine  and  Virginian  Creeper  in  this  re- 
spect, their  tendrils  being  homologues  of  flowering 
branches. 

Einhryo  httis  of  Cedar  —He  also  exhibited 
Feveral  of  these  top-shaped  structures,  not  uncom- 
mon in  the  Cedar  of  Lebanon. 

Proliferous  spelt  Wheat  — Mr.  Maclachlan  said 
that  he  had  seen  a  quantity  of  spelt  in  this  condi- 


tion on  the  Continent,  resembling  the  so-called 
Egyptian  Wheat,  a  variety  of  Kevetts. 

P.  Nordinanniana  attacked  hy  apliis. — Mr.  Mac- 
laclilan  also  reported  on  some  branches  sent  to  the 
last  meeting  by  a  horticulturist  whose  trees  are 
nearly  ruined.  They  were  infested  by  a  species 
of  Lachnus  ;  the  only  remedy  to  be  suggested  was 
to  syringe  with  a  fire  engine  with  some  antiseptic 
fluid,  as  the  trees  were  over  20  feet  high. 

Potato  fungus. — Mr.  Plowright  sent  specimens 
of  Potato  which  had  been  artificially  impregnated 
with  spores,  but  protected  on  a  portion  of  the  stem 
about  5  inches  from  the  base  with  cotton  wool,  so 
that  no  spores  could  attack  them  there.  A 
quantity  of  spore-charged  water  was  poured  upon 
the  foliage  and  upon  the  surface  of  the  earth  in 
the  pot.  In  four  days  (July  9)  the  fungus  deve- 
loped itself  on  the  foliage  and  stem  above  the 
cotton  wool.  It  gradually  extended  itself  until 
the  leaves  and  stem  were  entirely  destroyed,  ex- 
cepting the  parts  protected.  Four  tubers  were 
found,  one  diseased  and  three  healthy.  The  dis- 
eased tuber  remained  attached  to  the  stem  ;  the 
diseased  parts  of  it  were  farthest  away  from  its 
attachment,  so  that  in  this  instance  the  disease 
was  believed  by  the  experimenter  not  to  be  trans- 
mitted to  it  by  the  stem.  Mr  Murray  raised  the 
question  whether  this  conclusion  was  justified,  as 
the  tuber  had  not  been  cut  open.  The  specimens 
were  therefore  referred  to  the  sub-committee  ap- 
pointed to  carry  out  experiments  at  Chiswick  for 
further  examination  and  report. 

j\Iushrooms  replaced  hij  other  fimgi. — Mr.  B. 
Fitter,  of  Thirlmere,  Edgbaston,  forwarded  to  the 
secretary  some  fungi  which  had  made  their  ap- 
pearance on  Mushroom  spawn.  They  were  trans- 
mitted to  Mr.  W.  G.  Smith  for  examination  and 
report,  who  replied  as  follows :  "  The  fungus  on 
the  Mushroom  bed  is  Agaricus  cristatus.  It  has 
an  offensive  smell.  This  Agaric  is  capable  of 
ousting  the  Mushrooms  from  beds.  A.  fastibilis 
and  A.  dealbatus  do  the  same,  so  does  Xyl'aria 
vaporaria.  The  bedding  material  so  exactly  suits 
the  mycelium  of  these  fungi,  that  if  the  spores 
once  light  on  a  bed,  the  resulting  fungi  are  easily 
able  to  oust  the  rightful  possessor." 

Rhuharh  stalks  dried. — The  secretary  reported 
that  the  sample  sent  by  Mrs.  Jones,  of  Bedford, 
was  made  into  a  preserve,  but  proved  a  failure. 
The  stalks  consisted  of  little  else  than  woody 
fibre  and  were  uneatable,  while  the  syrup  partook 
of  a  poor  flavour  of  Rhubarb,  the  chief  value  of 
the  stalks  having  been  already  expressed. 

Clematis  Proteus.^This  variety  is  remarkable 
for  bearing  double  flowers  in  July,  but  a  month 
later  it  throws  up  only  single  flowers.  The  double 
flowers  were  exhibited  on  a  former  occasion.  Mr. 
Noble  now  sent  single  flowers  from  the  same  plant. 
It  is  of  a  pale  lavender  colour. 

Styrax  japovica. — A  little  known  species  was 
exhibited  by  Mr.  Veitch  with  flowers  not  unlike 
the  common  Syringa  (Philadelphus).  It  was 
figured  in  Siebold's  Flor.  Jap  ,  tab.  23. 

Black  Curra)it,pale-/riiitedvar.—'}ilr.  Plowright 
sent  a  branch  of  this  variety  for  information  as  to 
its  origin.     It  was  referred  to  Mr.  Barron. 

IJiseased  Pear  frees.- Specimens  of  branches 
attacked  by  some  disease  were  received  from  Mr. 
F.  Forster,  of  Daventry,  who  observes  of  it :  "  When 
the  tree  is  first  struck  in  a  fresh  place  the  bark 
gradually  thickens  and  looks  thick  and  full  of  sap, 
then  small  cracks  appear,  then  a  brown  spot,  and 
the  place  finally  cankers  away."  It  was  referred 
to  Mr.  Murray  for  examination  and  report. 

Primula  IlushyiQ') — A  plant  with  small  lilac 
flowers  was  sent  by  Mr.  K.  Dean,  of  Ealing,  re- 
ceived from  North  America.  It  received  a  first- 
class  certificate,  and  was  forwarded  to  Kew  to  as- 
certain the  correct  name. 

Begonia. — A  very  rich  coloured  Begonia  King 
of  Kings  was  sent  with  blossoms  of  Pelargonium 
Henri  Jacoby  for  comparison  as  regards  colour  by 
Mr.  Cannell. 

Teratology.—  The  Rev.  G.  Henslow  exhibited 
several  specimens  illustrative  of  metamorphoses 
in  flowers.      Double  purple  and  ivliite  llyacinths. 


— In  these  the  difference  appeared  to  be  that  in 
the  former  the  petals  are  multiplied  indefinitely, 
and  are  then  continued  into  a  small  green  mass  of 
minute  leaves  in  the  centre,  while  in  the  white 
the  transformation  is  not  so  complete,  open  car- 
pels being  found  in  the  centre.  Petahnd  carpels  in 
Hesptris  wtt<re«aJw.— On  dissecting  the  flowers  of 
the  plant  brought  by  Mr.  Loder  to  the  last  meeting 
Mr.  Henslow  found  some  transitional  states  well 
shown  of  carpels  partly  foiiaceous  and  green  and 
bearing  ovules,  the  other  part  being  petaloid. 
Monstrous  Begonias. —  Several  modifications  of 
the  flowers  of  Begonia,  c  y  ,  antheriferous  styles, 
absence  of  ovaries,  petaloid  styles,  superior  ovaries, 
ovuliferous  petals,  or  such  metamorphoses  being 
peculiarly  characteristic  of  Begonias.  Fuchsias 
with  pelatoid  anthers  and  with  foiiaceous  sepals. 
— The  petaloid  variety  of  anthers  is  called  "  sca- 
raraouche."  Virescent  petals  in  Rhododendrons, 
received  from  Mr.  Veitch.  Strawberry  with  vires- 
cent  carpels,  a  feature  characteristic  of  the  alpine 
Strawberry.  Foiiaceous  bracts  in  a  Heracleum, 
Ivy,  Aster,  and  multiplication  of  spathes  in  the 
white  variety  of  Anthurium  Scberzerianum.  Ane- 
mone with  petaloid  bracts  to  the  involucre,  and 
another  specimen  with  a  second  flower  in  the  axil 
of  a  bract  of  the  involucre. 

Hybrid  Digitalis. — The  secretary  also  reported 
on  some  hybrids  between  Digitalis  lutea  and  D. 
purpurea.  In  both  cases,  as  in  the  present  re- 
ceived from  Mr.  A.  Dean,  the  former  was  the 
female  parent.  The  figure  of  the  corolla  given  by 
Prof.  Henslow  is  of  a  darker  purple  than  any  of 
Mr.  Dean's,  though  he  reports  that  earlier  blossoms 
were  of  that  character.  There  is  some  varia- 
bility in  the  size  of  the  flowers,  some  being 
scarcely  larger  than  normal  flowers  of  D.  lutea 
(less  than  1  inch),  others  reaching  \\  inches,  but 
none  attaining  to  the  average  length  of  D.  pur- 
purea— 2  inches  to  2i  inches.  The  purple  spots 
characteristic  of  D.  purpurea  are  sparsely  scattered 
or  wanting ;  hence,  the  spikes  of  flowers  much 
more  resembled  D.  lutea  than  D.  purpurea. 

Antirrhinum  majus  (monstrous). — He  also  re- 
ported on  specimens  sent  to  the  last  meeting  by 
Mr.  Cannell.  There  was  some  slight  difference  in 
the  structure  of  the  two  kinds,  though  both  had  a 
very  similar  double  appearance.  In  one  with  a 
yellow  colour  prevailing  the  posterior  petal  was 
normal,  with  a  purple  apex,  but  the  four  usual 
stamens  had  petaloid  anthers,  the  latter  reproduc- 
ing the  orange  lips  characteristic  of  the  corolla. 
The  filaments  were  adherent  to  the  corolla.  The 
posterior  or  fifth  stamen  was  present  and  similarly 
constructed ;  this  was  accompanied  by  two  addi- 
tional and  narrower  filamentous  processes,  but 
without  anthers,  one  being  on  either  side  of  the 
posterior  stamen.  The  carpels  of  the  ovary  were 
separate,  the  apex  of  one  being  sometimes  petaloid. 
In  place  of  the  axile  placenta  was  a  petaloid 
structure  apparently  made  of  abortive  stamens, 
sometimes  free,  with  variously  formed  yellow  ap- 
pendages in  place  of  anthers,  and  sometimes 
joined  together.  This  contained  a  second  similar, 
but  more  rudimentary,  structure  within  it,  and 
which  was  succeeded  by  a  third.  The  purple  form 
was  not  very  dissimilar,  having  only  the  filaments 
free  from  the  corolla,  the  anther  lobes  being  ovate 
in  form,  orange  below,  and  dark  purple  above. 
The  ovary,  as  in  the  previous  case,  was  open,  and 
a  corolla  protruded  from  the  interior.  Ths  limb 
of  the  latter  was  approximately  regular,  with 
orange  papilla;  round  the  margin.  This  contained 
petaloid  structures,  apparently  representing  abor- 
tive stamens. 


CARNATION  AND  PICOTEE  SHOW. 
On  Tuesday  last  the  members  of  the  southern  tec- 
tion  of  the  National  Carnation  and  Picotee  Society 
held  their  annual  exhibition  in  the  conservatory  at 
South  Kensington,  a  circumstance  which  added 
largely  to  the  interest  and  attractiveness  of  the 
exhibition  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society.  The 
show  was  in  every  respect  excellent,  all  the  blooms 
being  of  high  quality.  The  various  classes  were 
all  well  represented,  though  it  was  apparent  that 
the  prizes  were  chiefly    taken   by  about    three 


80 


THE     GARDEN 


[July  20,  1884. 


exhibitors.  Mr.  Turner  was  never  in  better  form, 
as  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  he  took  the 
first  prize  in  every  class  in  which  he  exhibited.  The 
other  principal  prize-winners  were  Mr.  Douglas  and 
Mr.  Dodwell,  both  well-known  Carnation  growers. 
There  seemed  to  be  a  few  new  names  among  the  ex- 
hibitors in  the  minor  classes,  but  these  are  still 
far  too  few  compared  with  the  large  number  of 
Carnation  growers  even  about  London.  The  fact 
that  the  prizes  are  annually  taken  by  those  who 
hold  very  large  stocks  no  doubt  deters  many  cul- 
tivators of  small  collections  from  exhibiting. 

Caknatioks  — The  chief  class  for  two  dozen 
blooms  was  represented  by  only  five  collections,  a 
large  number  having  regard  to  the  fact  that  it 
requires  a  very  large  collection  to  cut  two  dozen 
blooms  of  the  highest  quality  in  about  as  many 
varieties.  Mr.  Turner  showed  a  superb  collec- 
tion of  blooms  for  the  first  prize,  every  flower 
being  simply  perfection.  We  give  the  names  of 
the  sorts  shown,  as  they  include  a  representative 
selection  of  the  finest  exhibition  sorts.  Dupli- 
cate sorts  were  allowed  in  this  class ;  there- 
fore there  were  not  two  dozen  distinct  sorts : 
Tim  Bobbin,  Wm.  Skirving,  Jessica,  Florence 
Nightingale,  Matador,  Squire  Penson,  John  Keat, 
Sir  G.  Wolseley,  Robert  Lord,  Mayor  of  Notting- 
ham, Mrs.  Bridgewater,  Mrs.  Barton,  Sybil,  Jas. 
Douglas,  Squire  Llewelyn,  Bob  Roy,  Master  Fred, 
and  A.  Medhurst.  The  other  exhibitors  in  this 
class  were  Messrs.  Douglas,  Dodwell,  Hooper,  and 
Hines,  who  were  placed  in  the  order  named. 
The  best  among  seven  collections  of  a  dozen 
blooms  came  from  Mr.  Douglas,  who  had  fine 
examples  of  the  following  sorts :  E.  S. 
Dodwell,  Florence  Nightingale,  George,  Miss 
Helen  Lodge,  W.  Skirving,  Rob  Roy,  John  Bay- 
ley,  Miss  Henderson,  J.  Douglas,  W.  M.  Hewitt. 
Of  the  eight  collections  of  six  blooms  the  best 
was  that  from  Mr.  Rowan,  of  Clapham— a  note- 
worthy fact,  seeing  that  this  exhibitor  grows  such 
fine  blooms  in  the  midst  of  a  populous  neighbour- 
hood. The  sorts  Mr.  Rowan  selected  were  Mars, 
Falcoubridge,  Master  Fred,  Miss  Erskine  Wemyss, 
George,  Florence  Nightingale. 

Single  specimens. — There  were  five  prizes 
offered  for  the  best  blooms  of  scarlet  bizarres  ;  a'.so 
for  crimson  bizarres,  pink  bizarres,  purple  flakes, 
scarlet  flakes,  and  rose  flakes.  There  were  no 
fewer  than  three  dozen  blooms  of  scarlet  bizarres. 
Among  these  the  sorts  Robert  Lord  was  first. 
Master  Stanley  second,  Robert  Lord  third, 
James  Macintosh  fourth,  and  a  seedling  fifth. 

Among  thirty  blooms  of  crimson  bizarres,  a  fine 
seedling  was  first,  A.  D.  Southgate  second,  J. 
Moore  third,  seedling  fourth,  B.  S.  Dodwell 
fifth.  Some  two  dozen  pink  bizarres  were  shown. 
W.  Skirving  was  first,  Squire  Llewelyn  second, 
W.  Skirving  third  and  fourth,  Squire  Llewelyn 
fifth. 

Among  a  score  purple  flakes,  Florence  Nightin 
gale  was  first,  second,  and  third.  Squire  Whit- 
bourne  fourth,  Florence  Nightingale  fifth.  Scar- 
let flakes  numbered  about  two  dozen.  The  first 
prize  was  taken  by  a  seedling,  Matador  second 
and  third,  a  seedling  fourth,  and  Matador  fifth. 
Oat  of  two  dozen  rose  flakes  the  best  was 
Jessica;  Mrs.  Bridgewater  was  second,  Jessica 
third,  Rob  Roy  fourth,  Jessica  fifth. 

PicOTEES. — Among  five  collections  of  two  dozen 
blooms  the  finest  was  from  Mr.  Turner,  whose 
sorts  were  J.  B.  Bryant,  Mrs.  Rayner,  Dr.  Epps, 
Juliette,  Louisa,  Mr.  Tutton,  Maude,  Ethel,  Mrs. 
Webb,  Muriel,  Lucy,  Her  Majesty,  Mrs.  Payne, 
Jessie,  Orlando,  Zerlina,  and  Duchess.  The 
next  class  for  amateurs  only  was  represented 
by  six  collections,  that  from  Mr.  Douglas  being  the 
finest.  He  had  Mrs.  Bower,  Mrs.  Payne,  Ethel, 
Constance  Heron,  Her  Majesty,  Prince  of  Wales, 
Jessie,  Zerlina,  Miss  Lee,  Clara  Penson,  Estelle, 
and  Mrs.  Chancellor,  all  admirable  blooms.  The 
best  half-a-dozen  blooms  among  nine  collections 
were  from  Mr.  Anstiss  from  his  Buckinghamshire 
garden.  His  sorts  were  SiUington's  Favourite,  Mrs. 
Dodwell,  Mrs.  Payne,  Her  Majesty,  Royal  Visit, 
and  Mrs.  Cbancellor. 


Single  specimens. — These  were  not  so  nume- 
rously shown  as  the  Carnations.  In  the  class  for 
red  heavy-edged  varieties,  the  sort  J.  B.  Bryant 
took  the  first  three  prizes,  Brunette  fourth,  and 
Princess  of  Wales  fifth.  Among  the  blooms  of 
red  light-edged  sorts,  the  best  was  Mrs.  Bower, 
which  also  took  the  second  prize,  Mrs.  Gorton  was 
third  and  fourth,  and  Violet  Douglas  fifth.  About 
a  dozen  purple-edged  sorts  were  shown,  Muriel 
taking  all  the  fine  prizes,  which  fact  says  a  good 
deal  for  the  high  quality  of  this  variety.  Among 
eighteen  rose  or  scarlet  light-edged  sorts.  Her 
Majesty  took  first  and  second,  Nymph  third,  Clara 
Penson  fourth,  Her  Majesty  fifth.  A  number  of 
rose  or  scarlet  heavy-edged  sorts  were  shown  ;  Mrs. 
Payne  was  first.  Royal  Visit  second,  seedling 
third,  Mrs.  Payne  fourth  and  fifth. 

A  score  or  more  of  rose  or  scarlet  light- edged 
sorts  were  shown.  SiUington's  B'avourite  was  first, 
Ethel  second,  Evelyn  third,  SiUington's  Favourite 
fourth,  and  Empress  Eugenie  fifth.  The  yellow 
ground  varieties  made  a  large  class,  there  being 
some  two  dozen  blooms  of  these.  Ne  Plus  Ultra 
was  first,  Janira  second,  Ne  Plus  Ultra  third  and 
fourth,  and  Mrs.  Cavell  fifth. 

The  miscellaneous  classes  for  selfs,  fancies,  and 
yellow  ground  varieties  were  represented  much 
more  numerously  than  usual.  Even  of  stands  of 
two  dozen  blooms  there  were  four  collections.  The 
best  of  these  was  from  Mr.  Turner,  who  had  a 
capital  selection,  all  first-rate  sorts.  Among  them 
were  the  following ;  Mary  Morris,  W.  P.  Milner, 
Flirt,  Lady  Cathcart,  Reverse,  Mrs.  Bridgewater, 
Edith,  The  Governor,  Elegant,  Sir  G.  Wolseley, 
Virgo,  E.  S.  Dodwell.  Jessica,  J.  Tomes,  Lady 
Stamford,  Matador,  Unexpected,  and  Florence 
Nightingale.  Mr.  E.  S.  Dodwell  showed  the 
best  dozen  blooms  in  the  class  for  fancies,  &o. ; 
the  sorts  were  Florence,  Ruby  May,  Mrs.  Cham- 
ness.  Miss  Erskine  Wemyss,  Dean  Wood,  and  Dot, 
besides  several  new  seedlings.  The  finest  collec- 
tion of  a  dozen  blooms  of  yellow  ground  sorts  was 
from  Mr.  Turner,  whe  had  Prince  of  Orange,  Dorfi, 
Mrs.  Cavell,  Janira,  Starlight,  Lady  Lascelles, 
Eleanor,  and  Mazzini. 

The  pot  plants  were  better  shown  this  year  than 
hitherto,  the  plants  being  seemingly  better  deve- 
loped, and  the  flowers  were  shown  to  better  ad- 
vantage, inasmuch  as  the  paper  collars  to  the 
flowers  have  at  last  been  set  aside.  There  were 
but  two  collections,  Mr.  Taylor  and  Mr.  Douglas 
being  the  exhibitors.  The  collections  of  Carna- 
tions and  Picotees  not  for  competition  made  quite 
an  exhibition  in  themselves.  For  instance,  Messrs. 
Veitch  exhibited  eight  boxfuls  representing 
over  300  blooms  of  Carnations  and  Picotees  all  of 
high  quality,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  they 
were  grown  in  their  nursery  in  the  King's  Road, 
Chelsea.  Messrs.  Veitch  also  showed  about  a 
dozen  new  varieties,  some  of  which  were  certifi- 
cated. Mr.  Smythe,  the  raiser  of  the  beautiful 
and  now  popular  Mary  Morris  Carnation, 
made  a  fine  display  of  this  variety,  and 
showed  it  to  perfection.  One  bowl  contained 
no  fewer  than  160  blooms,  which  made  quite  a 
glow  of  colour.  Messrs.  Cross  &  Steer  showed 
their  new  sorts.  The  Governor  and  Louisa  Ash- 
burton,  both  destined  to  become  among  the  most 
popular  of  sweet-scented  Carnations  ;  the  first  is 
a  delicate  blush,  the  latter  pure  white  and  exqui- 
sitely frilled.  Messrs.  Wood  &  Ingram,  of  Hunt- 
ingdon, sent  three  new  Picotees,  named  Queen 
Adelaide,  Dora,  and  Hon.  Mrs.  Duverley,  all  first- 
rate  sorts,  the  latter  being  particularly  fine,  with 
light  purple  edge.  A  large  group  of  Carnations 
of  all  sections  was  contributed  by  Messrs.  Paul  & 
Son,  Cheshunt. 

Veitch  Memorial  prize.— On  this  occasion 
the  trustees  of  the  Veitch  Memorial  prize  fund 
ofltered  the  medal  and  a  prize  of  .£5  for  the  best 
dozen  blooms  of  Carnations  and  six  blooms  of 
Picotees.  The  competition  was  confined  to  ama- 
teurs and  gardeners.  There  was  but  one  compe- 
titor ;  this  was  Mr.  Douglas,  who  had  a  superb  col- 
lection of  the  following  sorts— Carnations  ;  James 
Douglas,  T.  S.  Ware,  Jessica,  W.  Skirving,  Rob 
Roy,  Squire  Whitbourne,  H.  Cannell,  Miss  Gorton, 


Admiral  Curzon,  Florence  Nightingale,  and  James 
Crossland.  Picotees  :  Brunette,  Her  Majesty, 
Zerlina,  Constance  Heron,  Mrs.  Payne,  and  Mrs. 
Gorton. 

The  premier  Picotee  in  the  show  was  found  in 
Mr.  Turner's  collections,  a  very  fine  flower  of 
Muriel.  The  finest  Carnation  was  on  Mr.  Dod- 
well's  stands,  the  sort  being  Master  Fred. 

First-class  certificates  were  awarded  to  Mes-srs. 
Veitch  for  border  Carnations  Harvester,  Mrs. 
Glen,  Celia,  John  Burnet,  and  to  Rose  Perfection 
Pink. 

The  list  of  awards  appears  in  our  advertisement 
columns. 


LATE  NOTES. 


F  oae  {AriMi). — It  is  impossible  from  mere  buds  to  name 
your  Rose.  They  were,  too,  quite  withered  when  we  re- 
ceived  them. 

Pansy  blooms  {T.  J) — Pretty  mulberry- coloured 
semi-double  selfs,  but  single  Pansies,  in  our  opinion,  are 
handsomer  than  double  ones. 

Seedling  Dahlta  (F.  A.  B ).— A  very  good  variety 
indeed— quite  equal  to  the  best  named  Eorts.  No  doubt  it 
will  come  even  better  later  in  the  season. 

Double  Begonias  (G.  H.  Mou7isdon).—A  fine  selection 
of  varieties,  representing,  we  imagine,  some  of  the  best 
sorts  in  cultivation.  If  you  had  named  or  numbered  the 
blooms,  we  could  then  have  said  which  we  considered  the 
best. 

Seedling  Raspberry  (J.  Smith).— It  is  very  diflicult 
to  judge  the  merits  of  a  Raspberry  by  cut  fiuiting  twigs 
alone.  Yoxu*  seedling  requires  to  be  grown  side  by  aide 
with  the  rtnest  sorts  alr-eady  in  cultivation  in  order  to  teat 
its  distinctiveness. 

Watering  plants  (S.  7.) —We  do  not  lliinls  that 
water  containing  nitrate,  iodide,- and  bromide  of  silver, 
sulphate  and  oxalate  of  iron  and  potash,  and  soda  in 
ViWious  forms  would  be  useful  to  plants,  but  you  might  try 
its  effects  on  some  valueless  plant  by  way  of  expcnment. 

Primroses  from  seed.— It  is  important  that  the  seed 
of  Primroses  be  sown  the  moment  it  is  ripe.  I  know  of  but 
few  seeds  that  so  quiclily  lose  their  vitality,  and  this  is  the 
reason  why  bought  seed  generally  disappoints ;  whereas  self- 
sown  plants  ar-e  almost  always  to  be  found  where  old  stools 
have  bloomed  at  aU  freely. — J.  C.  B. 

Books  received.— We  have  received  the  following 
handbooks  published  under  the  auspices  of  the  Interna- 
tional Health  Exhibition  by  Clowes  &  Son,  Charing  Cross 
— viz  ,  "  Healthy  Nurseries  and  Bedrooms,"  by  Mrs  Glad- 
stone ;  "  Alcoholic  Drinks,"  by  Dr.  J.  L.  W,  Thudichum  ; 
"  Accidental  Injuries  ;  their  Relief  and  Immediate  Treat- 
ment," by  James  Cantlie  ;  "Diet  in  Relation  to  Health  and 
Work,"  by  Dr.  A.  Wynter-Blyth  ;  'Healthy  and  I'uhealthy 
Houses  "  by  W.  Eass:e,  C.E. ;  "  Healthy  lurnitine  and  De- 
coration," by  R.  W.  Edis,  Architect ;  "  Dress  and  its  Rela- 
tion to  Health  and  Climate,"  by  E.  W.  Godwin ;  "  In-. 
fectious  Disease  and  its  Prevention,"  by  Shirley  F.  Murphy  ' 
"  Uealth  in  the  Workshop,"  by  J.  B.  Lakeman  ;  "  Ventila- 
tion, Warming,  and  Lighting,"  by  Capt.  Douglas  Galton ; 
"Athletics"  (part  i.),  by  Rev.  E.  Warre  ;  "Days  and 
Hours  in  a  Garden  "  (2nd  edition) ;  Elliot  Stock,  Paternoster 
Row;  "  Greeidiouse  Management  for  Amateurs,  "Bazaar 
Office,  170.  Strand  ;  "Modern  Window  Gardening,"  hy  S. 
Wood.    Houlston  &  Sons,  Paternoster  Square. 

Names  of  plants. — >'.  H.  Fai^ncf.— Appears  to  be  a 

Cymbidium;  send  us  a  flower. Mrs.  M.  il.— Calystegia 

oculata A.  Elder.— \y  Crinum  pedunculatnm  ;  2,  Ascle- 

pias  curassavica. fj..^  .iT.-Lysimachia  ciliatum. L.  T. 

/)am's.— Plant  not  received. Tahiti.— Vin^  flower  ap- 
pears to  be  Chrysanthemum  a'pinum,  please  send  better 
specimen  ;  Salvia  Horminum  (purple  liracts) ;  bulbous  plant 
flower  had  quite  withered,  it  is  probalily  Crinum  peduncu- 

latum. H.  W. — 1  is  Coleus  Mrs.  George  Simpson  ;  cannot 

name  the  other. O.  T.  D.  P.—l.  Deutzia  crenata  tl.-pl.; 

2,  Polygonum  cuspidatum  ;  3,  one  of  the  numerous  double 
viirieties  of  Potent dla  ;  4,  Fotentilla  colorata — G  Bolas. — 
We  regret  not  being  able  to  assist  you  in  naming  the  Roses  ; 
you  will  understand  how  difficult  it  is  to  name  Ptoses  with- 
out means  of  comparison  ;  send  them  to  some  rosarian. 

Constant  Jtaader. —I,  Viburnum  Opulus  (Guelder  Rose)  ;  2, 
Tamarix  gallica  ;  3,  Spirrea  Nobleaua  ;  4,  Leycesteria  for- 
mosa.    Our  rule  is  to  name  but  four  plants  at  one  time  ; 

you  send  thirteen. Ma:. — Hieiacium  aurantiacum  ;  Ga- 

lega  officinalis  ;   Antennaria   margaritacea Brazil.— 1, 

Cattleya  crispa  ;  2,  C.  Forbesi ;  3,  C.  crispa,  a  rather  better 

variety  than  No.  1. H.  D.  E.—l,  Saccolabium  Blumei ; 

2,  cannot  name  ;  3,  apparently  Cattleya  Hariisonisc,  but 
cannot  be  certain  without  seeing   flowers  ;   4,  Oncidium 

flexuosum. J.  Baylis. — Your  Cattleya  appears  to  be  C. 

Sanderiana,  a  free-flowering  form  of  C.  gigas. .Anon. — 

Cannot  name  the  Rose  ;  Campanulas  sent  are  the  double 

purple  and  double  white  varieties  of  C    peraicifolia. 

4 .  fflder.—l,  Umbilicus  Semenovi ;  2,  Sedum  hybridum  ;  3, 

Potentilla  bifurca  (rare) ;  4,  P.  recta B.  F.  C— Vetch  is 

Vicia  sylvatica  ;  other  is  Centaurea  nigra  ;  3,  Betonica  offi- 
cinalis ;  4,  Poterium  Sanguisorba R.  I'cwu*/.- 1,  Cat- 
tleya Gaskelliana ;  2,  Chysis  Limminghei  ;  3.  Cattleya 
luteola,  a  rarity ;  4,   Dendr-obium  Pierardi ;  5,  not  sent 

6,   Masdevallia   Chima;ra. J.   Wood.—\,   cannot   name 

without  flowers ;  it  is  probably  Silphium  triternatum  ;  2, 
Hydrocotyle  americana  ;  3,  appears  to  be  Cephalai  ia  tata- 

rica. K.  A.  S.— Mazus  Pumilio  ;  Sedum  album  ;  Achillea 

Ptarmica  fl.-pl. ;  Lilium  pardalinuni. 


THE     GARDEN 


81 


«0.  663. 


SATURDAY,  Aug.  2,  1884, 


Vol.  XXVI. 


"  Tlii^  is  an  Art 
Which  does  menil  Xntnre  :  change  it  rather:  but 
The  art  itself  is  Nature."— SA(iA:Mji''rtn'. 


A  GOOSEBERRY  HOUSE. 

A  FEW  years  ago  it  was  decided  to  enclose,  in  a 
large  garden  near  here,  a  number  of  Gooseberry 
bushes  with  a  permanent  framework  covered  with 
wire  network.    A  long  border  against  a  high  north 
wall  was  selected  for  the  purpose,  the  wall,  be- 
sides supporting  the  framework,  being  also  covered 
principally  with  Gooseberry  trees.     This  Goose- 
berry house  was  from  the  first  a  great  success,  and 
became  one  of  the  features  of  a  generally  well- 
managed  garden.     Nowhere  else  have  I  seen  such 
exceptionally  heavy  crops  of  Gooseberries  as  there 
were  here,  and  the  position  also   favoured  late 
keeping,  so  that  the  owner's  table  was  better  sup- 
plied with  Gooseberries  than  is  generally  the  case. 
As  a  consequence  of  this  success  all  hereabouts 
who  could  afford  it  were  inclined  to  similarly  protect 
a  number  of  bushes  according  to  the  e.xtent  of  their 
gardens,  but  unfortunately  the  value  of  the  inven- 
tion, if  I  may  so  term  it,  was  more  apparent  than 
real,  as  they  soon  found  that  the  outlay   on   the 
protecting  materials  was  by  no  means  the  only 
expense    that    would    necessarily    be     incurred. 
This    permanent   protection    of   the    buds    first 
and  of  the  fruit  subsequently  from  birds  proved 
to    be   also    a    sure    method    of  preserving  the 
Gooseberry    caterpillars  from    harm — a  circum- 
stance quite  overlooked,  and  as  a  consequence  the 
bushes  were  partially  spoilt  before  those  in  charge 
were  aware  of  the  danger.    Where  the  bushes  are 
covered  in  so  as  to  be  inaccessible  to  small  birds 
they  are  certain  to  become  badly  infested  with  the 
caterpillar,  and  it  is  surprising  how  difficult  it  is 
to  eradicate.     Pounds  may  be  spent  upon  Fir-tree 
oil  and  other  well-known   remedies  during  one 
season  and  the  crops  preserved,  yet  sufficient  cater- 
pillars will  escape  to  stock  the  trees  as  badly  as 
ever  the  following  season.     Much  may  be  done  by 
handpicking,  but  this  must  be  resorted  to  early 
or  at  a  time  when  there  is  perhaps  already  too 
much  to  do.    Hot  water,  petroleum  and  water,  sul- 
phur, and  various  other  remedies  all  may  prove 
destructive  to  these  voracious  pests,  and  much  good 
may  also  be  done  by  mulching  the  ground  about 
the  bushes  early  in  spring  with  spent  bark  fresh 
from  the  tanneries,  or  by  making  the  ground  extra 
firm  about  the  bushes,  while  some  have  tried  the 
experiment  of  removing  the  surface  soil  during 
the  winter.  All  these  precautions,  whether  adopted 
with  the  view  of  preventing  as  many  caterpillars 
as  possible  from  gaining  winter  quarters  in  the  soil, 
the  egress  of  the  fly  in  spring,  or  the  destruction 
of  the  ohrysalids,  are,  I  firmly  believe,  only  parti- 
ally effective,  and  without  the  assistance  of  birds 
soon  rendered  futile.     Therefore  if    we   find  it 
necessary   to   protect   first  the   buds   and   then 
the   fruit   from  birds,  we   must   uncover   again 
from    the    time    when    the     leaves    appear    till 
the    fruit    commences    to    npen,    and    trust   to 
birds  to  keep  the  bushes  clean.    At  least,  this  is 
all  that  is  necessary  in  our  garden,  and  although 
we  have  fully  half  an  acre  planted  with  Gooseberry 
and  Currant  trees,  caterpillars  seldom  make  head, 
way,  except  on  the  wall  trees  near  a  much  fre- 


quented path.  Which  amongst  the  birds  are  our 
greatest  friends  I  am  unable  to  say,  but  I  have 
seen  hedge  sparrows,  house  sparrows,  tomtits,  and 
whitethroats  very  busy  among  the  bushes,  and 
believe  that  all  these  and  other  birds  not  generally 
insect-eaters  will,  during  nesting-time  when  other 
food  is  scarce,  destroy  many  kinds  of  maggots  aud 
insects.  Being  situated  near  a  well-wooded 
neighbourhood,  all  kinds  of  native  and  migratory 
birds  are  among  our  visitors,  friendly  and  other- 
wise, cuckoos  being  very  numerous.  It  is  a  com- 
mon notion  that  the  latter  exist  principally  on  the 
eggs  of  other  birds,  but  this  is  altogether 
erroneous,  as  probably  no  bird  that  visits 
us  or  wholly  dwells  with  us  eats  a  greater 
number  of  grubs  or  caterpillars.  They  are 
said  to  be  great  enemies  to  the  Gooseberry 
caterpillar,  but  I  have  never  seen  them  actually 
among  the  bushes.  Another  bird  for  which  I  have 
a  great  regard,  but  which  the  gamekeepers  too 
often  destroy,  is  the  common  sparrow-hawk.  These 
birds,  besides  preying  on  field  mice  and  small 
birds,  also  eat  many  grubs,  and  for  days  they  have 
been  clearing  the  Red  Currant  bushes  trained  to  a 
north  wall  of  caterpillars  that  infest  them.  Food 
must  be  either  scarce  or  the  caterpillars  to  thei^ 
liking,  as  they  venture  to  go  where  but  few  birds 
would  in  order  to  find  them.  In  a  town  garden 
near  here  the  protected  bushes  are  almost  denuded 
of  leaves,  those  unprotected  only  being  slightly 
attacked  by  caterpillars,  but  no  large  birds  ven- 
ture near,  and  sparrows  and  chaffinchs  are  be- 
lieved to  be  the  enemies  of  the  caterpillar  in  this 
case.  Probably  some  of  the  readers  of  The  Gar- 
den may  be  in  a  position  to  offer  a  few  instruc- 
tive notes  on  this  generally  interesting  subject. 
Marston,  Frame.  W.  Iggulden. 


RAILWAY   EMBANKMENT   GARDENS. 

Whatevek  blessings  we  derive  from  our  railways 
(and  they  are  many),  they  certainly  absorb  some- 
thing like  182  square  miles,  or  116,i80  acres,  of 
good  land.  There  is  always  one  and  sometimes 
two  sunny  sides  to  railway  embankments,  and  on 
these  Strawberries  enough  to  supply  the  whole 
country  might  be  grown,  besides  such  low-grow- 
ing fruit  trees  as  Gooseberries  and  Currants, 
whilst  on  the  margins  of  cuttings,  Cherries,  Plums, 
Apples,  and  Pears  might  be  advantageously  culti- 
vated. The  waste  land  on  the  sides  of  the  levels 
should  be  utilised  for  vegetables.  How  all  this  is 
to  be  profitably  done  is  the  difficulty.  An  infinites- 
simal  portion  of  this  scheme  is  now  carried  out  at 
country  stations  and  crossings.  Nearly  all  railway 
men  are  gardeners,  and  all  praise  to  them  for  the 
Roses  and  hardy  flowers  in  which  their  huts  and 
houses  are  frequently  embowered.  They  get  land 
near  home  from  their  employers  at  little  or  no 
rent,  and  on  that  the  off-duty  hours  are  spent.  In 
a  scheme  for  the  conversion  of  railway  banks  into 
fruit  gardens,  directors  and  managers  would  have 
to  be  appealed  to,  and  it  would  be  necessary  al- 
most in  the  first  instance  to  supplement  each 
platelayer's  gang  of  men  by  one  who  knew  some- 
thing about  fruit-tree  management— one  who 
could  utilise  his  time  when  not  fully  occupied  by 
railway  duty  (as  is  now  done  by  platelayers  in 
hedging  and  ditching)  in  attending  to  the  fruit 
trees.  It  is  not  generally  known  that  just  as  our 
coast  is  perambulated  every  night  by  coastguards- 
men,  so  the  whole  sixteen  thousand  miles  which 
we  have  of  railways,  mostly  consisting  of  double 
lines,  are  walked  over  each  morning  by  platelayers. 


One  or  two  garden  inspectors  would  be  re- 
quired on  each  railway  on  somewhat  the  same 
scale  as  telegraph  inspectors  now  are  ;  these  would 
have  to  superintend  the  laying  out  of  nurseries  on 
such  suitable  lands  as  are  to  be  found  on  every 
line,  and  to  direct  the  transport  of  the  trees  to 
the  places  required  to  be  planted.  After  such  a 
plan  as  that  here  sketched  had  been  fairly  started 
the  rest  would  be  easy ;  replacements,  prun- 
ing, and  gathering  the  fruit  would  not  be  diflicult 
Fruit  hampers  might  lie  empty  at  the  stations 
as  meat  hampers  do  now,  and  of  never-to-bc 
claimed  returned  empty  packages  there  is  no 
lack  ;  these  filled  with  fruit,  a  few  basketf  uls  daily 
from  each  station,  would  soon  so  change  tl.e 
markets  of  our  metropolis  and  large  towns, 
that  the  poor  could  eat  and  have  to  spare. 
Food  would  be  grown  where  now  there  is 
none;  it  would  be  grown  on  banks  inclined 
to  the  sun  at  such  an  angle  as  to  render 
the  conditions  equal  to  those  in  the  south 
of  Europe.  Especially  would  this  be  the  case  if 
the  planting  was  judicious,  so  as  to  secure  shelter 
from  cutting  winds.  Many  objections  to  this 
scheme  may  be  raised,  but  to  all  new  schemes, 
whether  good  or  bad,  objections  are  offered.  It 
may  be  said,  for  instance,  that  the  smoke  from 
passing  locomotives  would  be  adverse  to  success- 
ful culture  ;  thit  sparks  might  fire  the  fruit  bushes 
&c. ;  that  thieves  would  clear  off  what  remaired 
of  such  fruit  as  the  platelayers  did  not  eat ;  and 
that  the  shifting  character  of  many  of  our  cuttings 
would  be  against  the  plan.  These  are  amongtt 
the  principal  objections  which  occur  to  me  at  the 
moment.  The  first  and  second  I  would  dispose 
of  by  sayiBg  they  do  not  hold  good  at  present  in 
the  station-master's  garden  or  the  porter's  plot ; 
these  are  praiseworthy  examples  of  good  paying 
work.  As  to  thieves,  they  would  be  as  open  theie 
to  capture  as  elsewhere,  and  away  Irom  towns 
the  villager  so  disposed  can  grow  his  own,  or  if  too 
idle  can,  as  matters  stand  now,  steal  from  his  more 
industrious  neighbours  The  platelayer  under  tie 
eyes  of  the  gardener  representative  of  his  gang 
would  have  no  more  chance  of  getting  fruit  than 
he  now  has  of  stealing  scrap  iron  under  the  eyes 
of  his  ganger.  With  regard  to  shifting  ground, 
drainage  and  borings  would  be  used  then  as  now, 
and  the  garden  inspector  would  only  authorise 
the  planting  of  suitable  plots.  The  work  should 
be  begun  in  the  middle  of  railway  lines,  and  be 
gradually  extended  to  the  termini ;  by  this  means 
suitable  markets  would  be  reached  with  facility, 
and  thus  railway  gardening  economically  and 
efficiently  conducted  might  in  time  even  have  a 
favourable  effect  on  the  dividends. 

Sorsfortk,  iiear  Leeds.  R.  A.  H.  G. 


Lord  SufiQeld  Apple.— This  useful  early 
Apple  is  this  year  in  fine  condition  ;  in  fact,  as  a 
first  rate  culinary  fruit  I  think  I  may  safely  say 
that  it  is  equalled  by  but  few,  and  excelled  by 
none.  Its  even  outline  marks  it  not  only  as  one 
of  the  handsomest  of  Apples,  but,  what  is  of  equal 
importance,  there  is  no  waste  in  paring  it.  I  find 
that  rough,  deep-furrowed  Apples,  like  deep-eyed 
Potatoes,  soon  get  into  disrepute  when  smootv-- 
skinned  specimens  are  procurable.  Lord  Suffield 
is  just  the  Apple  for  dwarf  bushes;  its  fruits  are 
large  and  heavy,  and,  being  delicate  skinned,  they 
are  soon  damaged  if  blown  off  tall  standard.', 
while  from  dwarfs  if  they  drop  on  the  soft  earth 
little  damage  is  done,  and  in  a  general  way  they 
will  be  mostly  used  before  the  rough  gales  of 
autumn  set  in,  for  they  are  fit  for  use  by  the 
middle  of  July,  and  during  August  and  Septembir 
they  are  at  their  best     Those  who  contemplate 


82 


THE     GARDEN 


[Aug.  2,   1884. 


planting  Apples  in  the  autumn  should  make  a 
note  of  this  kind.  Young  bushes  come  into  a  fruit- 
ful state  very  early,  and  rarely  fail  to  carry  a  crop 
of  fine  fruit.  The  only  pruning  needed  is  pinching 
out  the  points  of  the  strongest  shoots  in  July,  and 
giving  a  very  slight  thinning  and  regulating  in 
winter. — J.  Geoom,  Gosport. 


Fruit  Garden. 


STRAWBERRY  SUPPORTS. 
I  r  is  not  in  a  season  like  this  that  the  value  of 
Strawberry  supports  can  be  so  fully  recognised  as 
when  the  weather  during  the  ripening  period  is 
rainy.  In  a  wet  time  not  only  is  the  fruit  when 
supported  preserved  against  the  attacks  of  vermin 
which  then  abound,  but  it  also  colours  and  ripens 
better.  P.ut  propping  up  the  berries  on  twigs,  as 
has  been  suggested,  often  results  in  their  being 
scorched  when  a  very  parching  period  of  weather 
supervenes.  This  is  more  especially  the  case  with 
respect  to  kinds  which,  being  very  firm  when  ripe, 
are  naturally  hard  and  seedy  in  the  immature  stage. 
Sir  C.  Napier  is  very  susceptible  to  injury  in  this 
way,  and  I  have  known  a  good  lot  of  fruit  of  it  to 
be  quite  spoilt  by  becoming  scorched  when  about 
half  grown,  through  the  hot  sun  shining  full  upon 
the  berries.  I  do  not  know  of  anything  much 
better  than  plain  tiles  for  laying  the  fruit  on,  as 
the  berries  are  not  then  lifted  up  from  the  pro- 
tecting influence  of  the  foliage,  and  in  a 
general  way  they  certainly  come  finer  than 
when  lying  on  litter.  "  J.  C.  C."  says  the  prop- 
ping up  should  be  done  some  days  before  the  fruit 
commences  to  colour,  but  to  reap  the  full  benefit 
from  the  operation  it  should  be  performed  as 
soon  as  all  the  berries  are  well  set.  If  the 
fruit  is  well  shaded  by  the  foliage,  this 
may  not  be  so  important,  but  where  the 
plants  do  not  grow  so  luxuriantly,  and  where 
the  fruit  is  more  or  less  exposed  to  the  sun, 
the  berries  will  often  scald  if  moved  out  of  their 
normal  position  after  they  begin  to  plump  up.  This 
is  especially  the  case  when  the  weather  suddenly 
changes  from  moist  to  very  hot.  Here,  where 
beetles  eat  or  spoil  nearly  every  fruit  which  lies 
on  the  ground,  we  are  obliged  to  support  them  in 
some  way,  and  I  remember  once  deferring  the 
laying  up  of  a  quantity  of  Marguerites  until  they 
were  three  parts  grown  with  the  above-mentioned 
result.  In  plantations  where  the  leaves  touch, 
over-propping  up  the  berries  is  without  danger, 
and,  I  feel  convinced,  increases  the  size  and  quan- 
tity of  the  fruit.  J.  Corniiill. 


TREE  ROOTS  IN  VINE  BORDERS. 
Amateur  Vine  growers  should  take  care  that  their 
Vine  borders  are  not  invaded  by  the  roots  of  trees 
or  shrubs,  for  if  that  takes  place  good  crops  of 
Grapes  will  be  at  an  end.  In  this  locality  we  have 
numerous  villa  gardens,  in  which  there  is  a  vinery 
that  serves  the  purpose  of  fruit  and  plant  house 
combined,  and  from  the  generally  restricted  space 
in  such  gardens  and  the  desire  to  grow  in  them  as 
great  a  variety  of  trees  and  shrubs  as  possible,  the 
latter  are  often  planted  in  dangerously  close 
proximity  to  the  Vine  border,  the  consequence  of 
which  is  that  the  roots  take  possession  of  it,  and 
quickly  use  up  all  the  nourishment  that  should 
support  the  Vines.  I  have  recently  seen  several 
cases  of  this  sort,  and  doubtless  there  are 
hundreds  of  others.  One  of  the  commonest  of 
intruders  in  this  way  is  Ivy,  which  is  so  frequently 
planted  to  cover  bare  walls.  I  lately  saw  a  huge 
stem  of  it  in  a  potting  shed  adjoining  a  vinery, 
and  doubtless  the  roots  were  contending  for  the 
mastery  in  the  border,  yet  it  had  never  occurred 
to  the  owner  that  there  was  any  danger  in  the  case 
of  Vines  from  such  subjects  having  their  roots 
close  to  the  Vine  border.  In  some  cases  a  wall  is 
built  to  keep  them  in  check,  but  this  seldom 
proves  effectual  for  any  great  length  of  time,  as 
the  roots  go  down  under  the  wall,  or  even  through 
it,  for  the  mortar  being  moist  offers  rather  an  in- 
ducement to  them  to  do  so  than  otherwise.  One  of 
the  surest  ways  of  telling  whether  the  roots  of 
neighbouring  trees  or  shrubs  have  penetrated  the 


Vine  border  without  actually  digging  down  to  ex- 
amine it  is  that  while  the  Vines  look  miserable, 
their  rivals  denote  extra  luxuriance.  As  to  the 
way  in  which  forest  tree  roots  penetrate  brick 
walls,  one  of  my  own  houses  affords  an  example. 
Into  the  wall  of  this  house  the  roots  of  a  large 
Elm  are  continually  forcing  their  way,  and 
shrubs  or  Ivy  are  equally  annoying.  Their  entry 
into  Vine  borders  must  be  stopped,  or  all  efforts  to 
grow  good  Grapes  will  be  useless.  As  regards  the 
cropping  of  Vine  borders  with  anything  else  but 
the  Vines,  it  cannot  be  too  often  or  too  clearly 
stated  that  all  that  is  taken  out  of  it  in  this  way 
is  at  the  expense  of  the  Vines,  and  where  there  is 
no  help  for  it,  the  loss  must  be  made  good  by  extra 
supplies  of  manure,  both  solid  and  liquid. 
iroiport.  James  Groom. 

BUSH  FRUITS. 
These  homely  fruits  have  again  been  plentiful, 
and  to  a  great  extent  compensate  for  the  scarcity 
of  wall  or  choice  fruits.  Owners  of  gardens,  either 
large  or  small,  should  therefore  pay  extra  atten- 
tion to  a  class  of  fruits  that  require  but  the  most 
ordinary  care  and  repay  it  better  than  kinds  that 
can  only  be  grown  by  skilled  gardeners,  and  whose 
produce  even  then  is  precarious.  This  year,  after 
the  most  brilliant  promise  of  fruit  on  record,  the 
Apple  only  is  yielding  really  good  crops  ;  yet  how 
frequently  do  we  find  Gooseberries  and  Currants 
neglected  and  all  the  resources  of  the  place 
lavished  on  Peaches,  Apricots,  &c.,  that  but  rarely 
give  satisfaction.  It  is  more  the  rule  than  the 
exception  for  bush  fruits  to  be  planted  under  the 
shade  of  large  orchard  trees,  where  they  continue 
to  yield  moderate  crops ;  whereas  if  given  really  good 
soiland  freeexposure  one-half  the  numberof  bushes 
would  yield  double  or  treble  the  quantity  of  fruit, 
and  of  so  much  better  quality,  as  to  be  hardly  re- 
cognisable as  the  same  kind.  Moreover,  there  is 
no  need  to  wait  weary  years  for  fruit,  as  is  the 
case  with  what  are  called  choicer  kinds.  During 
the  last  two  years  I  have  planted  quantities  of  the 
best  market  sorts,  and  in  nearly  every  case  they 
have  borne  fair  crops  the  first  year,  and  a  really 
heavy  crop  the  second — more,  in  fact,  than  the  value 
of  the  bushes.  It  is  useless  to  plant  rooted  cuttings 
simply  because  they  are  cheap,  and  to  expect  a 
crop.  Really  good  bushes  that  have  been  headed 
down  and  replanted  and  furnished  with  a  good 
head  of  fruitful  shoots  are  procurable  at  from  6d. 
to  9d.  each,  and  they  are  far  the  best  to  plant. 
As  regards  treatment,  the  soil  should  be  deeply 
trenched  and  well  manured  for  all  kinds  of  bush 
fruits  ;  they  should  be  planted  6  feet  apart  each 
way  for  Gooseberries,  and  Currants  and  Rasp- 
berries 4  feet  from  row  to  row. 

The  pruning  consists  in  keeping  the  centre  of 
the  bushes  open,  and  red  Currants  and  white 
varieties  can  hardly  be  too  closely  spurred  in.  But 
black  Currants  which  bear  the  finest  fruit  on  the 
young  wood  must  have  the  oldest  removed  every 
year  to  make  room  for  it.  Gooseberries  require 
some  young  wood  left  every  year,  but  I  am  no 
advocate  of  severe  thinning  ;  for  in  case  of  severe 
spring  frost,  the  topmost  branches  it  left  mode- 
rately thick  shelter  the  fruit  on  the  lower  portion, 
and  keep  it  free  from  harm.  As  to  position,  let 
black  Currants  and  Raspberries  have  the  most 
moisture.  I  lately  saw  a  very  fine  crop  on  bushes 
overhanging  a  running  stream  with  their  roots  in 
masses  like  Willows.  Manure  for  bush  fruits  can 
hardly  be  too  liberally  applied,  or  too  rich,  if  fine 
fruits  are  desired.  Even  the  oldest  and  most 
decrepit  looking  bushes  will  soon  recover  and 
make  healthy  wood,  and  carry  good  crops  if  libe- 
rally treated.  I  find  stye  manure  to  act  like  magic 
in  restoring  old  and  apparently  worn-out  bushes. 
Although  termed  bush  fruits,  both  Gooseberries 
and  Currants  are  well  adapted  for  wall  culture, 
and  scarcely  anything  that  I  have  tried  yields 
such  good  crops  on  walls  of  moderate  height  such 
as  are  used  for  dividing  villa  and  suburban  gar- 
dens. These  may  be  quickly  covered  by  planting 
healthy  young  plants  and  training  two  shoots  right 
and  left,  and  others  from  them  erect  to  the  top 
of  the  wall.  The  main  shoots  should  be  about 
9  inchesapart,  and  they  only  need  closely  spurring 


in  afterwards.  For  dessert  Gooseberries  and  red 
and  white  Currants  wall  treatment  is  invaluable, 
as  by  its  aid  and  that  of  a  fish  net  or  tiffany  they 
may  be  preserved  until  very  late  in  the  season. 
As  regards 

Varieties  for  dessert,  amongst  Gooseberries 
I  may  mention  Warrington,  Ironmonger,  Keens' 
Seedling,  and  Lancashire  Lad  (red) ;  Yellow 
Sulphur,  Golden  Drop,  Yellowsmith,  Green  Gas- 
coigne,  Green  Walnut,  Whitesmith ;  Snowball, 
and  Snowdrop,  white.  Currants — Raby  Castle, 
Warner's  Grape,  Knight's  Large  Red,  and  Mam- 
moth, red ;  White  Dutch,  white ;  Lee's  Prolific, 
Black  Naples,  and  Baldwin,  black  Raspberries — 
Carter's  Prolific  and  Fastolf,  red  ;  Antwerp  and 
Magnum  Bonum,  yellow.  Raspberries  for  autumn 
fruiting  are  very  useful  for  prolonging  the  season 
of  out-door  fruits ;  they  should  be  cut  down  close  to 
the  ground  in  winter,  as  they  bear  on  the  extre- 
mities of  the  young  shoots.  Of  varieties,  the  Belle 
de  Fontenay  and  October  Red  and  Yellow  are  the 
best  I  have  yet  tried.  J.  G. 

Gosj/ort. 

SOIL  FOR  FRUIT  TREES. 
During  these  last  few  years  the  rapid  growth  of 
the  market  fruit  trade  has  quite  revolutionised 
the  art  of  fruit  growing,  and  the  mysteries  that 
surrounded  many  of  the  most  important  details 
of  culture  have  been  swept  away.  Everything 
is  now  tested  on  its  merits.  I  well  remember 
that  much  of  the  heaviest  work  done  by  young 
gardeners  in  days  gone  by  in  large  forcing  esta- 
blishments was  the  making  and  re-making  of  fruit 
tree  borders,  not  only  for  glasshouses,  but  also 
wall  borders.  The  amazing  quantity  of  turf  and 
top-spit  soil  annually  used  in  some  gardens  I  could 
mention  was  out  of  all  proportion  to  what  is  used 
now,  if  measured  by  the  standard  of  results.  It 
is  not  my  intention  to  say  one  word  against  that 
ideal  composition  of  the  fruit  grower,  viz.,  fibrous 
turf,  but  that  first-rate  crops  of  fruit  can  be  pro- 
duced without  it  is  too  well  known  to  need  repeti- 
tion. There  cannot  be  a,  doubt  that  if  a  correct 
account  could  be  obtained  that  the  finest  Grape 
Vines  in  this  country  have  their  roots  spread  out 
far  and  wide  in  the  ordinary  soil  surrounding  the 
vinery,  it  is  obvious  that  the  fibrous  portion  of 
turf  and  top  spit  soil  is  soon  decayed,  even 
in  the  best  constructed  borders,  and  by  the  time 
the  Vines  reach  their  most  fruitful  age  the  soil 
will  have  lapsed  into  its  normal  condition — be,  in 
fact,  neither  better  nor  worse  than  the  ordinary 
arable  land  of  the  locality.  Many  most  successful 
fruit  growers  have,  indeed,  adopted  the  plan  of 
selecting  a  spot  where  the  ground  is  naturally 
good,  and  after  erecting  their  houses  they  merely 
trench  and  add  bones,  or  any  kind  of  manure  to 
the  soil,  the  same  as  for  any  other  garden  crop. 
The  roots  are  allowed  to  extend  at  will,  for  there 
are  no  unnecessary  brickwork,  paths,  or  other 
impediments,  and  consequently  the  roots  gain  in 
quantity  what  they  lose  in  quality  in  the  very  rich, 
but  restricted  root  spaces  called  borders,  and 
certainly  as  regards  quantity  of  fine  Grapes  pro- 
duced annually,  these  very  simply  made  borders 
will  hold  their  own  with  any  of  those  borders  that 
have  cost  double  or  treble  the  amount.  The  Vines 
in  them,  too,  promise  to  keep  healthy  and  fiuitful 
for  a  greater  number  of  years.  Monstrous  bunches 
will  certainly  not  be  thus  produced,  but  these  are 
not  the  aim  of  market  growers,  who  go  in  for  good 
saleable  examples,  not  huge  bunches. 

When  forced  fruits  were  a  luxury  to  be  en- 
joyed by  owners  of  extensive  gardens  only,  the 
soil  difficulty  was  not  felt,  but  now  glasshouses  for 
fruits  are  the  accompaniment  of  nearly  every 
dwelling  house  of  any  pretentions,  and  borders 
must  consist  of  what  can  be  obtained.  I  frequently 
find  that  where  the  arrangements  are  left  to  hot- 
house builders  that  they  go  in  for  bricks  and  mor- 
tar in  tmlimited  quantities,  and  therefore  to  all 
making  new  erections  I  would  say  do  without  any 
brickwork  partitions  whatever ;  let  your  Vine  or 
Peach  tree  roots  settle  the  question  of  inside  v. 
outside  borders  for  themselves,  and  let  them  run 
into  the  kitchen  garden  quarters  freely  if  they  will 
do  so.    If  other  things  grow  freely  there  depend 


Ait-  2,   1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


83 


upon  it  Vines  will  do  so,  and  once  tbey  get  a  finn 
hold  o£  the  soil,  but  little  further  trouble  need  be 
taken  as  regards  supplying  their  wants.  Many 
are  deterred  from  utilising  their  glasshouses  to 
the  extent  they  might,  simply  through  an  exagge- 
rated notion  as  to  the  value  of  turf,  bones,  and 
charcoal.  Fruit  trees  generally,  and  Vines  in 
particular,  will  grow  freely  in  any  fairly  good 
soil.  High  feeding  is  nnquestionably  the  fore- 
runner of  many  of  the  ills  that  Vines  in  prepared 
borders  are  heir  to. 

Peaches  and  Nectarines,  like  other  stone  fruits, 
are  by  some  great  authorities  on  fruit  culture 
stated  to  recjuire  very  special  kinds  of  soil,  but  I 
have  not  found  such  to  be  the  case  ;  for  instance, 
young  trees  in  nurseries  in  all  kinds  of  soils  almost 
invariably  grow  rather  too  strongly ;  in  fact,  the 
difficulty  is  not  to  get  them  to  make  wood,  but  to 
ripen  it,  and  I  well  remember  a  large  house  that  I 
not  many  years  ago  planted  with  large  trees 
lifted  from  the  open  wall  where  the  soil  was  the 
roughest  in  the  whole  garden.  Nevertheless,  the 
only  preparation  it  received  was  trenching  and 
adding  some  farmyard  manure  to  it,  and  very  fine 
crops  were  the  result.  Lately  I  have  seen  several 
instances  of  Peaches  that  were  gradually  dying 
away,  but  on  having  glass  roofs  put  over  them, 
they  grew  away  as  freely  as  could  be  desired, 
making  clean  healthy  wood  without  anything 
being  done  to  the  roots,  clearly  proving  that  the 
soil  was  not  at  fault  in  the  first  place  ;  and  there 
can  be  but  little  doubt  that  the  average  of  kitchen 
garden  soils  is  good  enough,  and,  in  many  cases, 
too  good  for  the  majority  of  the  fruits  we  grow, 
either  under  glass  or  in  the  open  air. 

Figs  I  miy  mention  in  particular  as  being 
generally  too  liberally  treated  as  regards  soil.  A 
hard  trodden  courtyard  is  the  place  for  a  fruitful 
Fig  tree,  and  in  trees  under  such  conditions  I  have 
seen  short-jointed  growths  that  annually  perfected 
fine  crops,  while  those  with  roots  in  loose,  rich 
earth  produced  little  but  leaves  as  large  as  those 
of  Rhubarb,  or  nearly  so.  Let  us  now  take  the 
Strawberry.  What  trouble  we  used  to  take  to  get 
good  stiii  loam  for  pot  plants  and  to  select  the 
best  site  in  the  garden  for  the  beds,  and  we  gene- 
rally had  good  crops.  But  my  faith  in  stiff  loam 
being  a  necessity  has  been  shaken  by  seeing  the 
marvellous  crops  produced  in  this  locality  on  soil 
that,  if  my  early  teaching  was  right,  is  quite  unfit 
for  Strawberries.  Much  of  it  is  so  light  that  it 
runs  through  a  fork  of  any  kind,  and  must  be  dug 
with  a  spade,  but  if  simply  loosened  a  good  depth, 
it  yields  the  finest  of  crops.  From  my  own  expe- 
rience I  can  confidently  say  that  the  soil  difficulty 
is  not  60  formidable  a  one  as  it  is  frequently 
represented  to  be,  and  I  would  advise  owners  to 
fairly  test  the  capabilities  of  their  gardens  before 
replacing  their  soil  by  some  special  mixture ;  if 
other  crops  grow  well,  fruit  trees  will  take  care 
of  themselves.  South  Hants. 


inarched  now  would  form  a  stem  before  winter 
quite  capable  of  bearing  a  good  number  of  bunches 
next  season.  Inarching  is  better  than  budding  ; 
indeed  it  is  the  best  way  of  uniting  two  varieties, 
and  anyone  may  accomplish  it.  In  fact,  such 
work  is  interesting,  and  to  see  black  and  white 
Grapes  growing  on  the  same  Vine  is  always  a 
source  of  wonderment.  Green  wood  unites  best. 
Old  dry  stems  generally  fail. 

Green  shoots  for  inarching  may  belong  to 
neighbouring  Vines  or  to  a  plant  in  a  pot.  In  the 
first  case  it  is  best  to  allow  a  shoot  to  grow  up 
from  near  the  bottom  of  the  stem  of  each  Vine. 
These,  if  not  checked,  will  soon  reach  the  top  of 
the  house,  but  they  may  be  inarched  before 
getting  that  length.  The  two  must  be 
brought  into  close  contact — so  close  that  they 
can  be  tied  easily  without  any  pulling  in 
opposite  directions.  A  small  slice  should  then 
be  taken  from  the  side  of  each.  The  best  place  to 
make  this  cut  is  between  the  buds.  The  cut 
should  not  be  more  than  a  quarter  of  the  thickness 
of  the  rod  in  depth,  but  it  may  be  from  3  inches 
to  4  inches  long.  The  cut  surfaces  must  corre- 
spond ;  they  must  be  fitted  edge  to  edge,  and  then 
bound  round  with  a  piece  of  pliable  bast  so  firmly 
as  to  be  immovable.  In  a  fortnight  or  eo  they 
will  be  partially  united,  and  as  the  shoots  swell 
the  ties  must  be  unbound  and  retied  not  quite  so 
firmly  as  before,  but  still  the  shoots  must  be  kept 
close  together.  In  loosening,  care  must  be  taken 
that  the  two  do  not  teparate.  Before  loosening 
the  main  ties  I  put  a  temporary  one  at  each  end 
and  this  keeps  all  secure.  It  is  seldom  the  two 
young  canes  thus  united  are  both  wanted ;  the 
one  introduced  is  generally  that  most  valued, 
and  should  therefore  have  most  attention.  A 
young  cane  of  considerable  dimensions  is  not 
always  wanted  in  connection  with  the  stock,  and 
therefore  any  ordinary  side  shoot  which  may  be 
found  on  all  Vines  will  do  just  as  well.  In  all 
cases  I  cut  or  pinch  away  by  degrees  all  the 
growths  and  leaves  on  the  shoot  inarched  in  order 
to  throw  the  whole  of  the  flow  of  sap  into  the 
newly  introduced  rod. 

A  Vine  in  a  tot  is  used  in  the  same  way  so 
far  as  connecting  the  scion  and  stock  goes,  but 
the  pot  generally  requires  to  be  placed  on  a  stand 
near  the  part  to  be  united,  and  inarching  should 
take  place  near  the  pot  so  as  to  secure  as  much  of 
the  plant  as  possible.  An  inarched  pot  Vine 
must  always  be  well  supplied  with  water  at  the 
root  until  a  union  has  taken  place,  and  I  always 
like  to  allow  the  pot  and  roots  to  remain  until 
the  end  of  the  season,  as  they  assist  in  developing 
the  top.  In  autumn  or  at  pruning  time  it  is  of 
the  utmost  importance  that  the  inarched  canes  be 
handled  carefully,  as  although  they  may  be  united 
the  least  twist  the  wrong  way  will  sever  them. 
The  only  way  to  prevent  this  is  to  keep  them  tied 
securely  until  all  danger  of  such  a  disaster  is  over. 

Cambrian. 


INARCHING  VINES. 
This  is  a  good  time  to  inarch  Vines,  an  operation 
which  may  appear  difficult  to  those  who  know 
little  about  it,  but  which  in  reality  if  easily  per- 
formed and  certain  in  its  results.  The  main  ob- 
ject in  inarching  Vines  is  to  substitute  good  va- 
rieties for  bad  ones  without  the  expense  of  rooting 
out  and  replanting  or  incurring  the  inconvenience 
of  waiting  some  years  after  planting  before  fruit 
is  obtained  in  any  quantity.  Let  us  suppose  a 
vinery  to  have  been  planted  some  years  ago  with 
half  late  and  half  early  varieties,  and  that  it  is 
now  our  wish  to  have  only  one  kind  in  the  house. 
In  such  a  case,  it  the  roots  are  in  good  condition, 
I  would  inarch  with  the  desired  kind  and  thereby 
not  lose  a  year's  crop.  Last  year  I  inarched  several 
Vines  for  a  friend.  A  young  cane  of  Gros  Colmar 
was  put  on  a  side  shoot  of  Foster's  Seedling.  The 
former  made  a  strong  rod  last  autumn  and  now 
it  is  finishing  oS  several  fine  bunches  of  fruit. 
Apart  from  this  if  I  wanted  to  introduce  a  new 
Grape  for  trial  in  order  to  have  fruit  quickly  I 
would  inarch  it  on  the  side  of  another  and  get 
fruit  the  following  season.  There  would  be  no 
diffiotUty  in  doing  this,  as  any  ordinary  Vine  rod 


ORCHARD  MANAGEMENT. 
The  general  treatment  of  orchards  is  bad  ;  nothing 
could  well  be  worse.  An  orchard  is  planted  and 
then  left  to  itself.  Often  the  ground  is  cropped, 
sometimes  without  manure ;  both  trees  and  grain 
are  thus  starved,  making  the  loss  a  double  one. 
The  trees  suffer,  showing  dead  branches,  and  some 
of  them  die.  Usually,  however.  Grass  is  substi- 
tuted for  grain  ;  this  is  less  exhaustive,  yet  the 
great  complaint  of  orchards  in  Grass  suffering 
proves  that  both  Grass  and  grain  are  too  much  for 
the  soil.  There  is  a  remedy  here  and  it  is  two- 
fold :  It  is  manure  and  underdraining.  The 
ditching  should  be  no  less  than  SJ  feet  deep — 
deeper  would  be  better,  as  the  roots  will  be  less 
apt  to  interfere  with  the  drain.  This  work  should 
be  done  before  the  orchard  is  set,  so  that  the  trees 
may  be  healthy  from  the  start,  and  have  a  vi- 
gorous growth.  Too  much  growth  at  this  time 
can  hardly  be  given  a  young  orchard.  Even 
if  continued  until  late  in  the  season,  so  that 
the  frost  kills  the  tips,  no  harm  will  re- 
sult to  the  trees.  It  is  better,  however,  to  have 
the  growth  suspended  before  frost  arrests  it,  and 
give  the  wood  a  chance  to  ripen.    This  is  done  by 


having  the  greater  part  of  the  force  of  the  manure 
expended  during  the  early  part  of  the  season,  ap- 
plying less  manure,  yet  sufficient  for  the  necessary 
growth  of  the  trees.  This,  experience  must  deter- 
mine on  account  of  the  variable  character  of  the 
soil.  The  best  time  to  apply  manure  is  in  the  fall, 
thus  giving  opportunity  for  its  strength  to  pene- 
trate to  the  roots  of  the  trees,  preparatory  to  an 
early  push  in  the  spring,  for  every  day  gained  then 
is  so  much  growth  gained  in  the  season,  and  so 
much  earlier  the  terminal  bud  will  be  formed.  At 
first,  crops  may  be  grown,  and  hoed  crops  are  the 
best.  A  rotation  of  Corn,  Potatoes,  root  crops,  &c., 
will  be  a  still  further  benefit.  Weeds  may  thus  be 
exterminated  which,  if  left  would,  with  their  long 
roots,  be  a  serious  drawback  to  the  trees.  Thuswhile 
the  young  orchard  is  growing,  the  land  can  be  put 
to  good  accaunt.  As  the  trees  advance,  more  ma- 
nure must  be  used  to  keep  up  the  enlarged  growth, 
as  the  roots  in  a  few  years  will  extend  pretty 
much  over  the  whole  ground.  After  this  it  is  de- 
sirable to  have  the  orchard  in  Grass.  Some  make 
a  lawn  of  it,  and  pretty  enough  it  is  if  given 
proper  management.  The  trees  of  an  Apple  or- 
chard should  be  no  less  than  10  feet  apart ;  farther 
would  be  better,  but  it  is  so  hard  to  get  people 
down  to  the  liberal  point  in  planting.  There 
should  be  space  between  the  trees  for  air  and  sun, 
as  well  as  among  the  branches ;  otherwise  with 
mature  trees  there  will  be  dead  branches.  Moss, 
mildew,  and  small  fruit,  with  a  loss  in  quality. 
With  full  sunshine  and  air  in  and  around  the 
trees,  health  and  brightness  of  limb  and  foliage 
will  result,  with  fruit  large,  clean,and  well  coloured. 

Different  fertilisers  may  be  used  to  keep 
the  sod  well  established,  which,  if  liberally  applied, 
will  be  sufficient  also  for  the  trees,  the  roots,  if 
near  the  surface,  and  they  generally  are,  getting 
the  larger  part  of  the  manure.  If  the  soil  is  deep 
and  rich,  so  that  the  roots  penetrate  well,  the 
Grass  gets  the  greater  share  of  the  benefit,  and  it 
needs  but  little,  as  the  clippings  from  a  lawn,  if 
kept  on  it,  go  far  to  make  it  self-sustaining. 
Passing  the  lawn-mower  over  frequently  and  re- 
gularly, the  clippings,  which  are  then  short,  will 
disappear  in  the  Grass  and  soon  decay,  thus  feed- 
ing the  soil  constantly.  Fine  stable  manure,  ap- 
plied in  the  fall  and  brushed  down,  will  soon  dis- 
appear in  the  spring.  If  superphosphate  does 
well  (which  trial  will  determine),  that  may  be 
sufficient,  the  efEect  extending  over  two  or  three 
years,  and  a  good  article  in  the  way  of  coarse- 
ground  bone  is  safe  for  three  years ;  it  should  be  ap- 
plied in  the  fall  for  effect  in  the  spring.  Where  the 
roots  of  the  trees  are  confined  to  a  shallow  surface 
soil,  manure  should  be  applied  every  fall,  and  in  the 
necessary  quantity,  which  experience  will  deter- 
mine. Too  heavy  manuring  would  push  the  wood 
growth  at  the  expense  of  the  fruit.  The  roots, 
having  direct  access  to  the  manure,  take  up  its 
strength  rapidly.  The  greatest  success  is  attained 
by  keeping  up  a  uniform  growth,  having  in  view 
a  proper  balance  between  the  wood  and  frait 
growth.  This  can  usually  best  be  done  by  fre- 
quent and  lighter  manuring,  though  good  results 
are  obtained  where  one  application  is  made  to  do 
service  for  two  years. 

Cultivating  a  mature  orchard  is  unnecessary 
It  may  be  kept  in  permanent  Grass,  either  for  pas- 
ture, meadow,  or  lawn.  If  kept  in  pasture,  the 
affected  fruit  will  be  eaten  by  the  stock  as  it 
drops,  thus  to  some  extent  arresting  the  propaga- 
tion of  injurious  insects.  If  it  is  decided  to  keep 
the  Grass  clipped,  an  early  crop  of  hay  may  be 
taken  and  the  sod  kept  shaven  after  that.  The 
crop,  if  of  the  early  and  strong  growing  Grasses, 
will  mature  sufficiently  to  be  removed  by  the 
middle  of  June.  This  may  be  done  with  June 
Grass  (Poa  pratensis),  which  stands  the  shade 
well,  and  is  a  good  lawn  Grass.  Orchard  Grass 
does  still  better  as  to  yield  and  endurance  of 
shade,  but  gives  a  rough  surface  to  the  ground, 
from  its  disposition  to  grow  in  tussocks.  Grass  is 
more  desirable  than  grain  in  an  orchard.  After 
the  trees  have  attained  size,  a  grain  crop  cannot 
be  made  profitable,  principally  on  account  of  the 
shade.  There  is  more  money  in  hay  and  pasture, 
and  least  in  a  lawn.— C'wn/ry  Qcntleman. 


84 


THE     GARDEN 


[Alg.  2,   1884. 


Indoor  Garden. 


NOMENCLATURE  OF  PALMS. 

The  following  list  of  Palms  is  taken  from  the  Kew 
Garden  Report  for  1882.  It  will  prove  a  valu- 
able aid  in  correctly  naming  the  numerous  species 
of  Palms  which  in  recent  years  have  found  their 
way  into  gardens.  The  compilation  of  an  accurate 
catalogue  of  Palms  under  cultivation  is  a  matter 
of  great  difficulty,  owing  partly  to  the  impossibility 
of  determining  them  till  they  flower,  and  partly  to 
the  practice  that  prevails  in  the  nursery  trade  of 
attaching  provisional  names  to  seedling  Palms 
which,  though  unrecognisable  both  as  to  genus  and 
species  when  in  that  state,  are  as  full  grown  plants 
well  known  under  older  names.  The  Kew  collec- 
tion is  the  oldest  of  any  note  ;  it  was  eclipsed  alto- 
gether between  the  years  1820  and  1845  by  the 
famous  collection  of  the  brothers  Loddiges,  at 
Hackney,  which  in  the  latter  year  contained  up- 
wards of  200  kinds,  but  which  was  dispersed 
shortly  afterwards.  Now  it  has  but  two  rivals, 
a  European  and  Asiatic  one,  namely,  the  magni- 
ficent collection  made  chiefly  by  Herr  Wend- 
land  in  the  Botanic  Gardens  at  Herrenhausen, 
Hanover,  and  in  the  palmetum  of  the  unrivalled 
Tropical  Gardens  at  Buitenzorg.  in  Java.  The 
Royal  Botanic  Garden  at  Calcutta  would  doubt- 
less hold  rank  with  these  were  it  not  for  the 
destructive  cyclones  which  have  on  several  occa- 
sions decimated  its  contents,  and  especially  struck 
down  its  Palms.  The  following  statistics  will  give 
an  idea  of  the  progress  made  in  the  introduction 
of  Palms  into  cultivation,  premising  that  before 
the  first  edition  of  Alton's  *' Hortus  Kewensis  *' 
only  two  were  generally  known  at  Kew,  the  dwarf 
Fan  Palm  (Chamairops  humilis)  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean, and  the  Date  (Phoenix  dactylifera),  both 
cultivated  in  the  Chelsea  Garden  about  1731,  and 
probably  earlier  elsewhere.  Palms  enumerated  in 
Miller's  "  Gardeners'  Dictionary "  (1731),  7 ; 
in  Alton's  *' Hortus  Kewensis,"  ed.  i.  (1779),  10; 
in  Aiton's  **  Hortus  Kewensis,"  ed.  ii.  (1813),  24; 
in  Loudon's  *'  Hortus  Britannicus  ''  (18H0),  131  ;  in 
Loddiges'  "Catalogue"  (1845),  210;  in  Wend- 
land's  "  Index  Palmarum  "  (1853),  287  ;  in  Buiten- 
zorg Botanic  Gardens  (1860),  273  ;  Herrenhausen 
Gardens  (1882),  445  ;  in  Kew  (1882),  420. 

In  the  following  list  (which  has  been  arranged 
alphabetically  instead  of  systematically,  as  in  the 
**Kew  Report  ")  the  names  that  have  the  mark  — 
after  them  are  not  now  considered  true  genera  or 
species.  In  some  cases  the  species  is  synonymous, 
or  is  a  variety  of  another — for  example,  Acantho- 
phfcnix  Herbsti  is  now  merged  into  A.  crinita. 
In  other  instances  the  5pecies  thus  marked  aie  to 
be  found  placed  in  another  genus — for  example, 
Areca  alba  is  now  named  Dictyosperma  album. 
Some  of  the  old  geneia,  tco,  have  either  been 
classed  with  other  genera  or  eliminated  from  the 
Order  according  to  its  latest  revision. 

Areca  erythropoda  =  Cyrto- 

stachys  Renda 
furfuracea  =Dic*yospeima 
glamiiformis,  Moluccas 
latisecta  =  Vinanga 
lutescens  =  Eyophorbe 

indica 
niadagascariensis  =  Dypsis 
iDoiiostachya  —  Baculana 
nobilis  =^  Kephrospeima 

Van  Houtteanum 
oleracea  =  Oreodoxa 
rubra  =  Acantho- 

phoeuix 
jubra  =  Dictyospernia 
sapida  =  Ehopalostylis 
Epeciosa— Hyophorbeama- 

ricaulis 
triandra,       Bengal       and 

AsBsm 

Verschaflfelti^  Hyopliorbe 

ArengaBonnetli,  East  Indies 

obtusifolia,  Java,  Sumatra 

aaccharifera. Malaya  Arch., 

Burmah,  &c. 
■Wighti,  Malabar 
Astrocaiyum     aculeatuni, 

Guiana 
argenteuni  =  A.  Malybo 
aureum,  Trinidad 
filare.     Bab.? 
Malybo,  Kew  Greuada 
niexic&nuni,  Mexico 
Muiu-Muru,  Brazil 


Acanthophoenix  crinita, 

Mauritius  and  Bourbon 
Herbsti  =:  A.  crinita 
rubra,       Mauritius      and 
Bourbon 
Acanthorhizaaculeata,  Cent. 
America 
arborea.     Eab.  ? 
Mocinni,  Cent.  America 
Acrocomia     aculeata  =  A. 
sclerocarpa 
cubensis  =^  A.  lasioFpatha 
sclerocarpa,      Brazil    and 

West  Indies 
lasiospatha,    South    Ame- 
rica 
Aiphanes  =  Martinezia 
Aucistropbyllum       secundi- 

flonim.  \y.  Africa 
Arcbontophanix  Alexandra;, 
Queensland 
Cunninghami,  Queensland 
and  N.  S.  Wales 
Areca  alba  ~  Dictyosperma 
album 
aurea  =  D.  aureum 
Alicia;,  Trop.  Australia 
Baueri  —  hhopalostylis 
borbonica  —  Dictyospeinia 

album 
Catechu,Trop.  Asia  (cult.  ?) 
concinna,  f  eylon 
crinita  —  Aranthophcenix 
Dicksoni  =  Pinanga 


Astrocaryum  rostratum, 
Brazil 
sclerocarpum  =  A.  aculea- 

tum 
vulgare,  Brazil 
Attalea    amygdalina,     New 
Grenada 
Cohune,      Honduras      to 

Guiana 
compta,  Brazil 
funifera,  Brazil 
grandis  —  Cocoa     botryo- 

phoia 
maracaibensis,  Venezuela 
spectabilia,  Amazon  River 
Bacularia  monostachya,  N. 

S.  Wales,  Queensland 
Bactris  baculifera,  hab.  ? 
Binoti.     Hab  ? 
Caraja.     Hab.  ? 
elaliur,  Amazon  Eiver 
elegans,  Brazil 
Maraja,  N.  Brazil 
minor =GulieIma  speciosa 
obovata.     Hab.? 
Plumeriana,  West  Indies 
simplicifrons,  Trinidad  to 
Brazil 
Beethovenia    eerifera  =  Ce- 

roxylon  andicola 
Bentinckia  Condapauna.Tra- 

vancore 
Borassus  flabelliformis,Trop. 
Africa     (cultivated     In 
.  India) 
Brahea  dulcis,  Mexico 
filamentosa  =  Washing- 

tonia  filifera 
glauca.     Hab.  ? 
lucida,  Mexico 
nobilis     Hab.  ? 
robusta  =  Wasliingtonla 

filifera  var. 
Eoezli.     Hab.? 
Calamus  adspersus,  Java 
andamanicus,      Andaman 

Islands 
asperrimus,  Java,  Assam 
australis,  Irop.  Australia 
calicarpus,  Malacca 
calolepis,  Java 
ciliaris,    Sumatra,    Java, 

Borneo 
cochiu-chinensiB,     Cochin 

China 
dealbatus  =  Acantho- 
phoenix rubra 
delicatuius,  Ceylon 
erectus,       Silhet,      Pegu, 

Chittagong 
fissus,  Borneo 
farinosus.    Hab.? 
Hagellum,  Sikkini,  Hima- 
laya 
floribundus,  I'pper  Assam 
heteroideus  var.  refractus, 

Java 
hyttrix,  Molucca?,  Java 
Jf jikinsianu?,    Assam,  Hi- 

mala>  a 
latifolius.  East  Indies 
leptospadix,  Khasia,   Sik- 

kim,  Assam 
Lewisianus,  Penaug 
marginatus,  Borneo 
melanodiffites,  Java 
montanus,  Sikkim  Hima- 
layas 
Mutlleri,  Trop.  Auctralia 
Is'ico  ai.     Bab.  ? 
Cxlejanus.     Hab.  ? 
lachystemonus,  Ceylon 
palcmbanicus,  Sumatra 
periacanthus,  Sumatra 
Kolang,  Bengal, Assam, Ac. 
Rcxiiuighi  =  C.  Kotang 
Koyleanus,  1  rop.Himalaya 
nulentum,  Java] 
Echizospathus,  Sikkim  and 

Khasia  Mountains 
secundiflorus  —  Ancistro- 

I  hyllum 
tf  nuis,  l.ast  Indies 
tricbrous,  Sumatra 
Ver&chaffelti  =r  Acantho- 

jbauix  crinita 
viminalis,  Celebes 
Wi}:hti,  Deccan 
Calyptiocalyx  spicatus,  Mo- 
luccas 
Calyfitn  yyne  elata.    Hab.  ? 
Ghiesbreghti,  Mexico 
sarapiguensis.     Hab.? 
tpicigera,  Guatemala 
Swartzi,  West  Indies 
Calyplronoma  =  Calyptro- 

yyne 
Caryota     Alberti,    Tropical 
Australia 
Blanooi,  Pbilijipines 
Cuniiugi,  Pbilii..pincs 
elegans.    Bab.  ? 
fmfuracea,  Java 
Griflithi  =  C.  soboUfera 
majeatica.    Hab.  ? 


Caryota  maxima,  Java 

oclilandra,  China 
obtusa,  TTpper  Assam 
Rumphiana,    Borneo    and 

Moluccas 
sobolifera,  Malaccalslands 
speciosa.    Hab.  ? 
urens,  Malay  Peninsula 
Catoblastus  priemorsus,  Ve- 
nezuela 
Ceratolobus       glaucescens, 

Java 
Ceroxylon     andicola,     New 
Grenada  and  Venezuela 
australe  =  Juania 
Chamtedorea        amazonica, 
Amazon  River 
Arenbergiana,   Guatemala 
Caspariana,  Guatemala 
concolcr,  Mexico 
corallina,  Venezuela 
Deckeriana,  Guatemala 
desmoncoides,  Mexico 
elatior,  Mexico 
elegans,  Mexico 
elegantissima,  Mexico 
Ernesti-Augusti,  New  Gre- 
nada 
fenestrata  =  Malortieagra- 

cilis 
fibrosa  —  Synechanthus 
formosa.    Hab.? 
fragrans,    New    Grenada, 

Peru 
geonoma?formis,       Guate- 
mala 
glaucifolia.  New  Grenada 
graminifolia,  Costa  Rica 
Lindeniaua,    Mexico    acd 

Guatemala 
Martiana,  Mexico 
mexicana  =  C.  Sartori 
microphylla,  Chiriqui 
oblongata,  Slexico 
pygnijca,  New  Grenada 
Ruizi,  Peiu? 
Sartori,  Mexico 
Bcandens,  Mexico 
simplicifrons  =  C.  Ernesti- 

Augusti 
atolonifera.    Hab.  ? 
tenella,  Mexico 
Weudlandi,  Mexico 
Chama'roxjs  acaulis  ~  Sabal 
AdauEoni 
arborescens  —  C.    humilis 

var. 
elegans  =  C.  humilis 
excelsa  =  Trachycarpus 
Fortunei  =  Trachycarpus 
humilis,  S.  Europe  and  N. 

Africa 
h.  var.  arborea 
bystrix  =  Rhapidophyllum 
Khasyana  =  Trachycarpus 
macrocarpa.     Hab.  ? 
Martiana  =  Trachycarpus 
Mocinni  =  A  canthorliiza 
Palmetto  =  Sabal 
Ritchieana  =  Nannorhops 
fctauracantha  =  Acantho- 
rhiza  aculeata 
Cocos  amara.  West  Indies 
australis,  S.  Brazil 
Blumenaui,  S.  Brazil 
Bouneti.     Hab.? 
botryophora,  Brazil 
Buta;i.    Hab.? 
campe&tris,  Brazil 
capitata,  Brazil  ? 
chilensia  =  Jufca;a  specta- 

bilis 
coniosa,  Brazil 
corouata,  Brazil 
elegantifsima  =  C.    Wed- 

delliana 
flexuosa,  Brazil 
insignis,  Brazil 
Mikaniana,  Brazil 
nucifera,  Tropics 
pernambucana,  Brazil 
plumoea,  Brazil 
Procopiana,  Brazil 
Romauzcthana,  S.  Brazil 
Sancona,  Brazil 
schizojdiylla,  Brazil 
Weddtlliana,  Brazil 
Yuramaguas,  Brazil 
Copeiuicia  eerifera,  Brazil 
tectorum,  Venezuela   and 
West  Indies 
Corypha  australis  =  Livistona 
eerifera  =  Coperuicia 
Gebanga,  Java 
umliraculifera,     S.    India 
and  Ceylon 
Cyphokentia     robusta  =  C. 
Viellaidi 
Viellardi,   New  Caledonia 
Cyrtostacbya  Renda,  Malay 

Archipelago 
Hpemonoiops  =  Calamus 
Deckeuia  nobilis,  Mauritius 
Desmoncus  granatensis,  New 
Grenada 


Desmoncus  major,  Trinidad 
minor,  West  Indies 
polyacanthus,  Brazil  and 
Guiana 
Dictyosperma  album,  Mau- 
ritius and  Bourbon 
aureum,  Rodriguez  Island 
rubrum,  Mauritius 
furiuraceum,  Mauritius 
Didjmosperma     distichum, 
Sikkim 
nanum,  Assam  and  Khasia 

Mountains 
porphyrocarpon,  Java 
tremulum,  Philippine  Isles 
Diplothemium      campestre, 
Brazil 
caudescens,  Brazil 
Drymophlreus      ceramensis, 
Ceram 
olivffifomiis,  Moluccas 
Rumphi,  Moluccas 
singaporensis,  Singapore 
Dypsis  Hildebrandti,  Mada- 
gascar 
madagascariensis,     Mada- 
gascar 
pinnatifrons,  Madagascar 
Elffis  guineensis,  W.  Trop. 
Africa 
melanococca,   Cent.  Ame- 
rica 
Erythraia  edulis,  California 
Euterpe    acuminata,    Vene- 
zuela 
antioquensis  =  E.  montana 
montana,  Isl.  of  Granada 
oleracea,  TYopical  Amt  rit  a 
Gaussia Ghiesbreghti.  Hab.? 

print  eps,  Cuba 
Geonoma  Garden.    Hab.? 
chiriquensis.    Hab.  ? 
cuneata,  Costa  Rica 
fenestrata  =  Malortiea 

gracilis 
Gliiesbreghtiana  =  Calyp- 

tropyne 
gracilis,  Costa  Rica 
macrostachys,  Amazon 
microspatha,  Amazon 
magnifica  =  Calyptrogyne 

Ghiesbreghtiana 
Martiana  :=  Asterogyne 
Pohliana,  Brazil 
princeps.    Hab.  ? 
pumila.  New  Grenada 
Schottiana,  Brazil,  Guiana 
Seemanni,  Nicaragua 
Spixiana,  Rio  Negro 
vaga,  Brazil  and  W.  Indies 
VerschafTelti  =  Calyptro- 
gyne Ghiesbreghtiana 
Glaziova  elegantissima  =  Co- 
coa Weddelliana 
insignis  =  Juania  ausiralia 
Martiana  =  Cocos  Weddel- 
liana 
Grisebachia  =  Howea 
Gulielma  speciosa  =  Bactiis 

minor 
Hedyscepe     canterburjana, 

Lord  Howe's  island 
Heterospathe  elata,  Amboy- 

na 
Howea    Belmoreaca,    lord 
Howe's  Island 
Fosteriana,    Lord    Howe"s 
Island 
Hjdriastele   Wendlandiana, 

Tropical  Australia 
Hyophorbe  aniaricaulis, 
Mauritius 
Ccmniersoiii  =  B.  indica 
indica,  Mauritius 
Verschaffelti.  Mauritius 
Ilyospathe  elata  =  Pigafetta 
an  aiicaulis  =  Hyophorbe 
pubigtra  =  Prestoea 
Hypba'ne    thebaica.    Upper 

Egypt,  Abyssinia,  &c. 
Iriartea  deltoidea,  Peru 
exorhiza  =  Socratea 
robusta  =  I.  deltoidea 
Juania  australis,  Juan  Fer- 
nandez 
Juba?a  spectabilis  =  Chili 
Kuntia  Belmoreana  =Howea 
canterburyana  =  Hedy- 

£cepe 
costata  =  New  Guinea 
elegans  =  Veitchia  Storcki 
Forsteriana  =  Howea 
gracilis  =  Xentiopsis  cli- 

vffiformis 
Lindeni  =  Kentiopsis  ma- 
crocarpa 
Luciana  =  Veitchia?   Fiji 

Islands 
Macarthuri  =:  Ptychosper- 

ma 
macrocarpa  =  Kentiopsis 
monostachya  =  Bacularia 
olivicformia  =  Kentiopsis 
robu&ta  =  Cyphokentia 
Viellardi 


Sentia    sapida  =  Rhopalos- 
tylis 

Storcki  =  Veitchia 
Viellardi  =  Cyphokentia 
AVendlandiana  —  Hydria- 
stele 
Kentiopsis  macrocarpa.  New 
(-■aledonia 
olivreformis,  New  Caledo- 
nia 
Korthalsia  Junghuhni,  Java 
scaphigera,  Andaman  Isls. 
Latania  aurea  =  L.  Verschaf- 
felti 
borbonica  =  Livistona  chi- 

nensis 
Commersoni,       Mauritius 

and  Bourbon 
glaucophylla  =  L.    Loddi- 
ges! 
Loddigesi,  Mauritius 
rubra  =  L.  Commersoni 
Verschaffelti,  Mauritius 
Leopoldina  pulchra  =  Cocos 

Weddelliana 
Licuala  acutiflda,  Singapore 
and  Penang 
amplifrons,  Sumatra 
elegans,  Sumatra 
grandis,  New  Britain 
horrida,  Java? 
peltata,  Bengal,  <tc. 
Rumphi,  Moluccas,  Borneo 
spinosa  =  L.  Rumphi 
Veitcbl  ihort.) 
Linospadix   monostachya  = 

Bacularia 
Livistona  altissima,  Java 
australis,  E.  Australia 
chinensis,  S.  China 
Diudei.    Hab.? 
Hoogendorpi.    Hab.  ? 
humilis,  Trop.  Australia 
inermis,  Trop.  Australia 
Jenkensiana,    Assam    and 

Sikkim 
Leichardti  =  L.  humilis 
mauritiana  =  L.  cliinensia 
occidentalis  =  Brahea  dul- 
cis 
olivajfoimis,  Java 
Ramsayi  =  L.  inermis 
rotundifolia.Malay  Islands 
subglobosa,  Java 
Lodoicea  seychellarum,  Sey- 
chelles 
Loxococcus  rupicola,  Ceylon 
Malortiea  gracilis,CostaRica 

intermedia,  Costa  Rica 
Manicaiia  saccifera,  Central 

and  S.  America 
Martinezia  Aiphanes,  Carac- 
cas 
c8ryota;folia,  New  Grenada 
djsticha.    Hab.? 
trosa,  West  Indies 
leucophtca  =  M.  disticha 
Lindeniana,  New  G^ienada 
MauritiaflexuoEa,  Brs'ziland 

Guiana 
Maximiliana  cariba^a,  Weat 
Indies 
Maitiana,  N.  Brazil   and 

Guiana 
regia  =  M.  Maitiana 
Medenia  Argun,  Nubia 
Metroxylou  aniicarum, 
Friendly  Islands 
elatum  =  Pigafetta 
vitiense,  Fiji  Islands 
Jlorenia    Clionta  =  Juania 
australis 
corallina  =:  Chamfcdorea 
Deckeriana  =  Chamasdorea 
fragrans  =  C'hamsedorea 
oblongata  =  C.  t^artori 
Nannorhops  Ritchieana,  In- 
dia, Afghanistan,  Persia 
Nenga  pumila,  Malay  Islands 
Weudlandiana=N.  jiumila 
Nephrospeima  Van  Houtte- 
anum, Seychelles 
Nipa  fruticans, Australia  and 

India 
Nunnezharia  geonomrc- 

formis  =  Chamredorea 
tenella  =  Chamiedorea 
(Enocarpus      Bacaba,      Rio 
Negio 
Batana,  Rio  Necro 
utilis^Euterpe  acuminata 
Oncosperma      faeciculatum, 
Ceylon 
filamentOEum,  Java 
Van    Houtteanum  =  Ne- 
phrospeima 
Orania  macrocladus, Malacca 

regalis.  New  Guinea 
Oreodoxa  acuminata  =  Eu- 
terpe 
pranatensis,  New  Grenada 
olerticea.  West  Indies 
regia.  West  Indies 
ventricosa  =  Gaussia 
Ohiesbreghti 


Arc.  2,   1884.] 


THE     GAEDEN 


85 


Phcenicophorium      seychel- 
larum  —  Stevensonia 
gramlifolia 
Phccnix  acaiilis,  Cent  India 
dactylifera,  North  Africa 
fariiiifera,  Deccan 
Hanceana,  China 
leonensis  =  P.  spinosa 
Ouseleyana,  Central  India 
paludosa,  Andanians 
recliuata,  S.  E.  Africa 
rupicola,  Sikkim  Ilinialaya 
spinosa,  W.  Trop.  Africa 
sylvestris,  India 
tenuis.     Hab.  1 
zeylanica,  Ceylon 
Phohdocarpus  Ihur,  Moluc- 
cas 
Phytelephas       macrocarpa, 
New  Grenada 
niicrocarpa,  Peru 
Picaf>^tta  elata,  Celebes 
Pinansa  cnronata,  Java 
Kulili,  Java 
latisecta,  Sumatra 
niaculata,  Singapore  ? 
malaiana,     Penang     and 

Malacca 
Nenga  =  Kenga  puraila 
patula.  Sumatra 
ternatensis,  Moluccas 
Veitchi,  Borneo 
Flectocomia  assamica.Assam 
elongata,  Java,    Malacca, 

Penang 
hiuialayana,     Sikkim    Hi- 
malaya 
spectabilis.    Hab,  ? 
Prestiea  pubigera,  Trinidad 
Pritchardia  aurea.    Hab.  ? 
filifera  =  Washingtonia 

fiiifera 
Gaudichaudi,      Sandwich 

Islands 
grandis  =  Licuala 
macrocarpa.    Hab.  ? 
Marti,  Sandwich  Islands 
pacifica,  Fiji  Islands 
Ptychosperma  AJexandrrc  = 
Archontophcenix 
coccinea  =  Cyrtostachys 

Ken  da 
Cuoninghami  =  Archonto- 

phoenix 
Drudei.     Hab.  ? 
filifera,  Fiji  Islands 
gracilis,  New  Ireland 
Macarthuri,  Tropical  Aus- 
tralia 
Eumphi,  Moluccas 
rupicola  =  Loxococcus 
Seemanni,  Fiji  Islands 
sicgaporensis  —  Drymo- 
phlajus 
Kaphia  longiflora,  W.  Africa 

Kultia,  JIadagascar 
Kavenia    Hildebrandtl,    Co- 
moro Islands 
Regelia  princeps  =  Steven- 
sonia grandiflora 
Rhaphidophyllum     hystrix, 

South- West  States 
Rhapis  cochinchineneis, 
Cochin  China 
flabelliformis,  China 
f.  var.  foliis  variegatis 
humilis,  Japan 
Sirotsik  =  R.  humilis 
Rhopalostylis  Baueri,    Nor- 
folk Island 
sapida,  New  Zealand 


Roscheria  melanochastea, 

Seychelles 
Sabal  Adansoni,  S.  W.  States 
Blackburniaua,  Bermuda 
CLurulescens,  West  Indies 
glaucescens,  Trinidad 
mauritiicformis,  Vene- 
zuela, Trinidad 
Palmetto,  S.  W.  States 
princeps.    Hab.  ? 
Saufordi.    Hab.  ? 
serrulata  —  Serenoa 
umbraculifera,  W.  Indies 
Sanuerus  =  Arenga 
Sagus  amicarum  =^  Metroxy- 
lon 
vitiensis  =  Metroxylon 
Scheelia  excelsa,  Venezuela 

Unguis,  Venezuela 
Seaforthia  eIegans=Archon- 
tophoenix  Cunninghami 
Serenoa  serrulata, S.W. States 
Socratea  exorlilza,    Guiana, 

Amazon  River 
Stachyophorbe  Deckeriana= 

ChamPedorea 
Stevensonia  grandifolia, 

Seychelles 
Syagrus  amara  —  Cocos 
botryophora  =  Cocos 
campestris  =  Cocos 
Sancoua  =  Cocos 
Synechanthus  flbrosus,  Gua- 
temala 
Teysniannia    altifrons,    Su- 
matra 
Trachycarpus    exce^sus, 
Japan 
Fortunei,  China 
khasyanus,     Khasia    Mts. 

and  Burmah 
Martianus,  Himalaya 
Thrinax  arborea  =  Acantho- 
rhiza 
argentea,  West  Indies 
barbadeusis,  Barbadoes  & 

Guadaloupe 
Chuco  =  Trithrinax  hrasi- 

liensis 
elegans  =  T.  radiata 
elegantissima  —  T.  radia 
excelsa,  Jamaica 
gracilis.    Hab.  ? 
Marti,  Cuba 
parviflora,  West  Indies 
Pumilio,  Jamaica 
radiata,  West  Indies 
tunicata  =  Brahea  dulcis 
Trithrinax  aculeata  —  Acan- 
thorhiza 
brasiliensis,  Brazil 
Veitchia  Joannis,  Fiji 
canterburyana  —  Hedy- 

scepe 
Storcki,  Fiji 
Verschaffeltia        splendida, 
Seychelles 
melanochajtes  =  Eoscheria 
Washingtonia  filifera,  South 

California 
Wallichia  caryotoides,  East 
Bengal,  Burmah,  &c. 
densiflora,  East  Nepaul 
disticha  =  Didymosperma 
nana  =  Didymosperma 
porphyrocarpa  =;  Didy- 
mosperma 
tremula  =  Didymosperma 
Welfia  regia,  New  Grenada 
Zalacca  edulis,  Java,  Moluc- 
cas 


PLANTS    IN    FLOWER; 


SHORT  NOTES.— INDOOB. 


Anthurlum  Chantrlerl.— This  was  exhibited  by 
M.  Chantrier,  of  Mortefontaine,  at  a  late  meeting  of  the 
French  National  Horticultural  Society  and  gained  a  first- 
class  certificate.  It  is  a  handsome  and  distinct  snecies. — 
J.  C.  B. 

Croton  Marquis  de  I'Algle.— This  is  a  new  kind 
raised  by  M.  Chantrier,  Mortefontaine,  the  foliage  of  which 
is  finely  coloured.  It  obtained  a  flrst-class  certificate  from 
the  l"rench  National  Horticultural  Society. — J.  C.  B. 

Watering  Lilium  auratum.— Many  of  the  failures 
which  occur  m  the  culture  of  this  Lily  when  groHTi  in  pots 
are,  I  think,  caused  by  overwatering.  If  once  the  soil 
becomes  close  and  the  roots  inactive,  free  growth  ceases. 
Until  the  flower  buda  are.well  formed,  the  soil  should  nearly 
become  dry  between  each  watering,  then  the  tender  fibres 
remain  healthy.— J.  C.  B. 

Lapagerla  leaves  (J.  i?.).— Your  Lapageria  is  badly 
attacked  by  thrips.  Two  or  three  good  fumigations  with 
an  interval  of  about  ten  days  between  them  will  rid  the 
plant  of  them  ;  or  if  not  too  large,  dip  the  plant  in  a  mix- 
ture consisting  of  1  lb.  of  soft  soap  and  half-a-piiit  of  stiong 
Tobacco  water  to  2  gallons  of  water.  Before  the  plant  is 
quite  diy  wash  it  clean  with  soft  water.  Repeat  the  ope- 
ration in  a  fortnight.  If  the  plant  be  too  large  to  dip, 
wetting  thoroughly  ivith  the  above  mixture  will  do  as  well 
—G.  S.  S. 


Carnation  Comte  de  Ctambord.— A  lovely  va- 
riety with  large  full  flowers  of  a  delicate  blush  tint  and 
deliciously  Clove-scented.  Of  this  a  handful  of  blooms 
comes  to  us  from  Mr.  Jones's  nursery  at  Lewisham,  picked 
from  two-year-old  plants  which  Mr.  Jones  states  carry  as 
many  as  200  blooms. 

Gloxinias.— At  the  Upton  Nurseries,  Chester,  may  now 
be  seen  Gloxinias  of  all  shades  of  colour  beautifully  in 
bloom.  They  belong  chiefly  to  the  erect  flowering  class, 
which  now  appears  to  have  almost  or  quite  superseded  the 
horizontal-flowered  race.  Diversity  and  richness  of  colour, 
combined  with  floriferousness  and  sturdy  growth,  render 
this  strain  an  exceptionally  fine  one. 

Oarnation  Gloire  do  Nancy.— A  bunch 
of  flowers  of  this  lovely  new  Clove  Carnation  comes 
from  Mr.  Ware,  in  whose  nursery  at  Tottenham  it 
is  now  in  great  beauty.  The  flowers  are  large, 
pure  white,  and  possess  a  delicious  Clove-like  per- 
fume. This  variety  is  strong  in  growth  and  a 
most  profuse  flowerer.  Though  the  excessive 
drought  in  early  summer  almost  dried  up  the 
plants,  they  have  withstood  it  bravely  and  flowered 
freely,  though  not  so  profusely  probably  as  they 
otherwise  would  have  done. 

Pink  Mrs.  "W.  M.  Weleh.— In  this  new 
Pink  we  have  one  of  the  most  beautiful  pure 
white  varieties  yet  raised  ;  indeed,  it  is  superior  in 
all  respects  to  all  other  white  Pinks  we  have 
yet  seen.  Its  flowers  are  large  and  full,  its  petals 
are  broad,  smooth,  and  of  a  thick  texture,  and  the 
plant  is  a  strong  grower  and  a  profuse  flowerer. 
Some  flowers  of  it  have  been  sent  to  us  by  Messrs. 
Dicksons  &  Co.,  Edinburgh,  who  raised  this 
variety  in  their  nursery,  at  Pilrig  Park.  The 
raisers  describe  it  as  more  resembling  a  Gardenia 
than  a  Pink  ;  the  comparison  is  appropriate. 

The  purple-flowering  Raspberry,  as  it 

is  called  in  Dr.  Asa  Gray's  "  Manual  of  the  Botany 
of  the  Northern  United  States,"  or  the  sweet- 
scented-leaved  Bramble,  as  Loudon  calls  it  in  his 
"  EncycloptEdia  of  Trees  and  Shrubs,"  has  long 
been  an  inmate  of  British  gardens,  but  is  never- 
theless far  too  seldom  seen.  It  is  a  charming  de- 
ciduous shrub  of  about  6  feet  in  height,  and  pro- 
duces in  British  gardens  a  succession  of  its  hand- 
some large  purple-red  flowers  from  .lune  until 
September.  It  is  an  excellent  plant  for  the  wild 
garden,  and  requires  no  attention  after  being 
planted. 

Krlca  Ma"weana. — A  charming  little  Heath 
and  one  of  the  best  of  the  hardy  varieties.  It  is 
in  the  way  of  E.  ciliaris,  but  the  flowers  are  larger 
and  the  spikes  more  massive.  The  colour  is  a 
rosy  'pink ;  therefore  soft  and  pretty.  It  is 
dwarf  in  habit  and  a  vigorous  grower.  It  is  a 
capital  plant  for  the  rock  garden  and  possesses  the 
rare  character  of  flowering  almost  throughout  the 
summer.  Some  bushes  of  it  have  been  highly 
attractive  for  some  weeks  in  the  rock  garden  at 
Messrs.  Paul's  hardy  plant  nursery  at  Broxboume, 
and  promises  to  be  in  bloom  for  some  weeks  to 
come. 

Seedling  Carnations.— Several  correspon- 
dents send  flowers  of  their  seedling  Carnations,  all 
beautiful,  and  some  decidedly  worth  naming,  but 
that  we  must  leave  to  specialists  who  have  means 
of  comparison.  Some  exceptionally  fine  seedling 
flowers  come  from  Mr.  Baylor  Hartland,  of  Cork, 
and  a  similarly  fine  gathering  of  blooms  has  been 
sent  to  us  by  Mr.  Underdown,  of  Colehays,  Bovey 
Tracey.  Some  of  the  yellow  ground  varieties  in 
this  gathering  are  strikingly  handsome.  Mr. 
Underdown  states  that  he  finds  these  Carnations 
invaluable  in  many  ways  when  cut,  and  for  this 
purpose  he  grows  them  in  borders  in  the  kitchen 
garden.  By  sowing  seeds  every  year  he  is  able  to 
keep  up  an  ample  stock  of  vigorous  plants. 

Platyoodon  pumilum. — This  is  a  variety  of 
the  older  P.  grandiflorum  and  decidedly  superior 
in  some  respects.  It  is  not  so  tall ;  therefore  is 
less  liable  to  be  broken  by  wind  as  the  typical 
form  is.  The  flowers,  too,  are  larger  and  of  quite 
asdeep  and  rich  a  purple  as  the  older  kind.  It  is  one 
of  the  numerous  fine  introductions  which  Messrs. 
Veitch  have  made  from  Japan  through  their  col- 
lector, Mr.  Maries.  This  plant  is  now  in  great 
beauty  in  the  rock  gardan.  in  Messrs.  Paul  and 


Son's  nurseries  at  Broxbourne,  where  it  thrives 
admirably  on  a  sloping  bank  in  good  loamy  soil. 
Whether  it  is  hardier  than  the  original  we  cannot 
say,  but  we  imagine  it  is,  seeing  that  it  comes 
from  a  colder  climate. 

Callipsyche  [mirabilis.— The  flower  of 
this  rare  bulbous  plant  is  very  curious  and  inte- 
resting, inasmuch  as  it  is  different  from  that  of 
any  other  plant  with  which  we  are  acquainted.  It 
may  be  said  to  consist  wholly  of  stamens,  which 
protrude  about  2  inches  beyond  the  sepals.  On  a 
flower-stem  sent  to  us  by  Mr.  F.  Horsman,  of  Col- 
chester, there  are  about  a  dozen  flowers  arranged 
symmetrically  in  a  semi-circular  manner  on  the 
top  of  the  stem.  The  whole  flower  is  a  pale  straw 
colour,  therefore  not  very  showy.  Mr.  Horsman 
observes  that  it  is  called  the  Umbrella  Flower. 
Its  bulb  and  growth  are  similar  to  those  of  the 
Eucharis.  This  species  is  comparatively  new.  It 
was  described  by  Mr.  Baker,  of  Kew,  and  figured 
in  the  "  Eefugium  Botanicum,"  tab.  168. 

Itapatiens  flaccida. — A  few  weeks  ago  we 
pointed  out  the  identity  of  the  Balsam  known  as 
the  white  variety  of  the  Zanzibar  species  with  the 
I.  flaccida  of  India,  figured  in  the  Botanical 
Magazine,  t.  5276.  Typical  I.  flaccida  has  alter- 
nate foliage,  the  petioles  of  which  along  with  the 
stem  is  purplish  in  colour.  The  flowers,  too,  are 
pale  purple,  in  size  resembling  those  of  the  white 
Balsam  just  referred  to.  In  the  Begonia  house  at 
Kew,  both  the  true  flaccida  and  its  variety  alba, 
and  the  Zanzibar  Balsam  may  now  be  seen  in 
flower.  In  the  same  house  the  shrubby,  rarely 
flowered  I.  Hookeriana,  and  that  little  gem 
amongst  Impatiens,  viz.,  I.  Jerdonise,  may  also  be 
seen.  These  indoor  Touch-me-nots  are  useful 
plants  for  summer  blooming,  and  as  they  are  easily 
kept  through  the  winter  by  means  of  seeds,  they 
should  find  a  place  in  all  indoor  collections. 

liillum  testaceum. — This  beautiful  Lily  is 
justly  a  favourite  in  gardens,  being  distinct  from 
any  other  in  point  of  colour.  It  is  also  graceful 
in  growth,  and,  above  all,  easily  cultivated.  Its 
peculiar  nankeen-tinted  flowers,  moreover,  are 
deliciously  fragrant — very  different  from  the 
powerful  and  unpleasant  odour  which  charac- 
terises the  scarlet  Turk's-cap  Lily,  which  is 
probably  one  of  its  parents,  the  other  being  the 
Madonna  or  common  white  Lily.  The  Nankeen 
Lily,  as  L.  testaceum  is  popularly  called,  combines 
the  characteristic  features  of  both  parents  in  a 
marked  degree,  and  there  is  no  probability  of  any- 
one mistaking  it  for  another  when  once  they  have 
seen  it.  This  Lily  is  apparently  grown  to  great 
perfection  at  the  Newton  Nurseries,  Chester,  whence 
Messrs.  James  Dickson  and  Sons  send  us  some  fine 
specimens,  carrying  as  many  as  a  dozen  flowers  on 
a  stem.  We  should  like  to  know  the  character  of 
the  soil  and  the  aspect  under  which  these  fine 
examples  have  been  produced. 

Spiraea  oaespltosa. — This  may  be  classed 
amongst  the  rarities  now  in  flower  in  the  collec- 
tion of  alpines  in  the  York  Nurseries.  It  is  a 
miniature  species,  not  attaining  more  than  from 
3  inches  to  4  inches  in  height.  It  forms  dense 
carpet-like  tufts — in  fact,  in  general  habit  it  resem- 
bles Globularia  nana,  except  that  the  foliage  is 
silvery  grey,  while  that  of  the  latter  is  dark  green. 
The  flowers,  which  are  white  and  very  small,  are 
borne  on  dense  little  spikes  supported  on  stems 
from  2  inches  to  3  inches  high.  The  plants  of  it 
at  York,  which  are  few,  are  all  in  good  health,  and 
it  is  to  be  hoped  that  seed  may  be  procured  this 
season.  It  may  perhaps  be  well  to  remark  that 
although  the  plant  is,  according  to  Dr.  Parry's 
statement,  always  found  in  crevices  and  fissures 
of  calcareous  rocks,  it  nevertheless  thrives  best 
when  planted  in  a  compost  suitable  for  the  growth 
of  hard-wooded  Ericas,  i.e.,  peat  and  white  sand 
particularly  well  drained.— B.  P. 

Lathyrus  latifollus.— The  varieties  of  this 
Everlasting  Pea  contribute  a  deal  of  beauty  to 
the  open-air  garden  at  this  season,  their  flowering 
being  just  at  its  height.  From  the  Botanic  Garden 
at  Edinbm-gh  Miss  Owen  sends  us  sprays  of  the 
white  variety  and  the  rich  crimson-purple-coloured 


86 


THE     GARDEN 


[Aug.  2,  1884. 


fort  called  splendens.  These  are  both  very  beau- 
tiful plants,  and  indispensable  in  any  garden,  large 
or  small.  We  were  much  struck  the  other  day 
with  the  luxuriance  of  this  Everlasting  Pea  in 
Messrs.  Paul's  hardy  plant  nursery  at  Broxbourne, 
where  it  is  grown  in  quantities  in  a  variety  of 
positions.  In  some  cases  it  is  trailing  over  the 
surface  of  the  border  ;  in  others  it  forms  a  charm- 
ing drapery  to  old  stumps;  but  the  most  beau- 
tiful examples  of  it  are  those  tumbling  over  the 
sides  of  huge  boulders  in  the  rock  garden.  Here 
its  beauty  is  displayed  to  advantage,  and  its  ele- 
gant growth  adds  to  the  beauty  of  the  flowers. 
We  found  here  the  new  pink  variety  delicatus, 
which  was  certificated  last  week  at  South  Ken- 
sington. It  is  a  lovely  sort,  forming  a  delightful 
contrast  to  the  deep  variety  splendens  and  the 
white. 

Gladiolus  Lafayette.— Since  we  figured  in 
The  Garden  some  years  ago  two  of  M.  Lemoine's 
hybrid  Gladioli,  raised  by  intercrossing  G.  pur- 
pureo-auratus  with  varieties  of  G.  gandavensis,  he 
has  made  great  progress  in  the  improvement  of 
this  distinct  and  beautiful  new  race  of  Gladioli. 
He  has  recently  distributed  several  fine  kinds, 
among  them  being  the  ore  named  Lafayette,  for 
which  Messrs.  Veitch  received  a  first-class  certifi- 
cate at  South  Kensington  last  week.  A  fine  spike 
of  this  new  variety  has  been  sent  to  us  by  the 
New  Plant  and  Bulb  Company,  Colchester,  together 
with  another  named  Eochambeau.  Lafayette  is 
much  the  best,  having  bold  flowers  as  large  as 
those  of  the  finest  Ghent  varieties,  but  quite  dis- 
tinct, the  sepals  being  more  hooded,  the  flowers  al- 
together more  resembling  those  of  one  of  the 
parents,  G.  purpureo-auratus.  The  colour  of  the 
upper  sepals  is  a  soft  creamy  white,  with  jnst  a 
suggestion  of  salmon-pink,  while  the  three  lower- 
most sepals  are  heavily  blotched  and  feathered 
with  deep  crimson,  shading  to  purple  and  bordered 
with  lemon-yellow.  Rochambeau  has  paler  flowers 
and  more  open  ;  therefore  more  resembles  a  gan- 
davensis variety. 

Miorosperma    bartonioldea.  —  In    the 

Cambridge  Botanic  Gardens  this  handsome  Cali- 
fornian  annual  is  grown  in  pots  for  the  decoration 
of  the  conservatory,  a  purpose  for  which  it  is  well 
adapted.  Sown  in  pots  early  in  the  spring,  and 
grown  in  a  close  frame,  this  plant  grows  rapidly 
into  specimens  of  from  1  foot  to  2  feet  in  height, 
freely  branched,  and  upon  these  there  is  a  con- 
tinuous display  of  large,  yellow,  bell  -  shaped 
flowers,  with  a  centre  crowded  with  hair-like  sta- 
mens, reminding  one  of  the  flowers  of  a  St.  John's 
Wort.  It  is  an  annual  worthy  of  general  cultiva- 
tion as  a  pot  plant  in  addition  to  its  usefulness  for 
the  open  border  in  sheltered  situations.  Unfor- 
tunately the  frail  nature  of  the  flowers  is  against 
their  being  used  in  very  exposed  and  rainy  dis- 
tricts, but  favourably  situated  this  plant  is  as 
beautiful  as  any  annual  with  which  we  are  ac- 
quainted. Under  the  name  of  Bartonia  aurea,  the 
above  plant  is  often  to  be  seen,  and  Mentzelia  is 
also  sometimes  attached  to  the  same  plant. 

Nelumbium  luteum.— This  rare  Water 
Lily  produced  flowers  at  Oxford  about  two  years 
ago  ;  it  flowered  again  in  the  Regent's  Park  Botanic 
Gardens  last  year,  and  now  it  has  again  developed 
its  yellow  blossoms  at  Cambridge  where,  Mr. 
I,ynch  informs  us,  the  treatment  to  which  it  has 
been  subjected  has  not  materially  differed  from 
what  is  usually  successful  in  the  case  of  the  rose- 
flowered  species,  N.  speciosum.  In  none  of  the 
above  instances  has  the  size  of  the  flowers  been 
anything  like  so  large  as  we  are  led  to  believe 
occurs  on  native  plants  in  the  Southern  States  of 
North  America  and  on  the  Jamaica  form,  which  is 
apparently  even  finer  than  the  American.  Possibly 
more  liberal  treatment,  or  rather  treatment  more 
congenial  to  the  plant  under  cultivation,  may 
have  the  effect  of  increasing  the  size  of  the  flowers. 
A  flower  which  we  saw  that  had  been  produced 
by  the  Cambridge  plant  was  about  as  large  as  a 
goose's  egg  and  not  quite  clear  yellow  in  colour. 
We  are  not  aware  whether  the  form  so  common  in 
some  parts  of  France,  and  from  which  we  believe 
the  Cambridge  plant  was  obtained,  produces 
larger  flowers  than  that  here  described  ;  if  so,  then 


we  hope  the  large  and  beautiful  variety  which  has 
won  for  this  Water  Lily  so  much  fame  will  soon 
find  its  way  into  our  gardens. 

A  new  Tea  Rose. — We  saw  a  few  days  since 
a  long  row  of  bushes  in  Messrs.  Paul's  nursery  at 
Cheshunt  of  the  new  Tea  Rose,  Madame  Eugene 
Verdier,  which  was  awarded  a  first-class  certificate 
last  week  at  South  Kensington.  Beautiful  as  it 
was  when  shown,  it  is  ten  times  more  beautiful 
when  seen  growing,  the  apricot-yellow  tint  being 
much  more  brilliant.  We  were  much  interested 
in  seeing  such  a  fine  new  Rose,  which  will  un- 
questionably become  as  popular  as  the  favourite 
Gloire  de  Dijon,  from  which  it  is  either  a  seedling 
or  sport.  It  posf,esses  all  the  luxuriance  of  growth 
that  characterises  Gloire  de  Dijon  ;  the  leaves  are 
broad,  of  firm  texture,  and  of  that  shining  deep 
green  tint  that  is  a  sure  indication  of  a  robust 
constitution.  It  is,  moreover,  a  free  and  perpetual 
flowerer,  inasmuch  as  the  bushes  are  still  beset 
with  buds,  that  will  continue  to  expand  until 
autumn.  This  row  of  plants  is  a  conspicuous 
object,  even  among  the  acres  of  Roses  to  be  seen 
in  the  Cheshunt  Nurseries.  The  colour  is,  we  con- 
sider, quite  as  fine  and  distinct  as  that  of  the  new 
American  variety,  W.  A.  Richardson,  which  has 
captivated  everyone  for  the  past  two  or  three 
seasons.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  Messrs.  Paul  will 
soon  be  able  to  distribute  this  fine  Rose. 

Roupella  grata.— The  Cream  Fruit  of  Sierra 
Leone  is  a  relation  of  the  Allamandas  and  Dipla- 
denias,  to  both  of  which  in  its  floral  characters  it 
bears  a  near  resemblance.  Were  it  as  free  a 
bloomer  as,  for  instance,  Allamanda  Hendersoni,  it 
would  soon  rise  to  the  top  rank  amongst  stove 
climbers,  but  the  comparative  rareness  of  its 
flowering  is  against  it,  notwithstanding  the  rich 
colour  and  delicious  odour  of  its  showy  flowers. 
We  saw  it  in  flower  at  Kew  two  summers  ago,  and 
again  it  is  in  fine  condition  just  now  in  the  Palm 
house.  The  following  brief  description  will  con- 
vey some  idea  of  the  character  of  this  distinct  and 
beautiful  plant :  Whole  plant  smooth  and  shining ; 
stem  erect  and  climbing,  soft ;  leaves  opposite, 
large,  tongue-shaped,  rather  succulent ;  flowers  in 
stemless  terminal  cymes,  from  eight  to  twelve 
flowers  in  each  "  head."  Flowers  in  shape  similar 
to  those  of  Allamanda  nerifolia,  cream-coloured, 
richly  sufEused  with  deep  crimson,  especially 
on  the  tube.  The  stamens  protrude  beyond 
the  corolla  tube,  so  as  to  form  a  sort  of  corona.  The 
flowers  remain  in  good  condition  either  on  the 
plant  or  when  cut  and  placed  in  water  for  about 
a  fortnight.  Cream  Fruit  appears  to  be  the  name 
by  which  this  plant  was  first  known,  and  which 
had  its  origin  in  the  occasional  use  made  of  the 
cream-like  juice  of  its  fruit. 

Begonia  Balmlslana.— Specimens  of  this 
distinct  looking  Begonia  have  reached  us  from 
several  sources  during  the  past  week  and  we  also 
saw  it  exhibited  by  Mr  G.  F.  Wilson  at  the  last 
meeting  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  under 
the  name  of  B.  diversifolia.  With  this,  however, 
it  has  no  relation,  the  true  B.  diversifolia  being 
along  with  B.  Martiana  included  under  B.  gracilis. 
We  also  saw  a  week  or  two  back  what  we  take  to  be 
the  same  Begonia  in  Mr.  Ware's  nursery,  and  we 
have  likewise  met  with  it  at  Kew,  always,  how- 
ever, without  a  name.  Flowering  specimens  of  it 
have  been  sent  to  the  Kew  herbarium  authorities 
to  name,  and  they  have  been  identified  with  B. 
Balmisiana(syn.,  B.populifolia),a  Mexican  species. 
As  a  flowering  plant  B.  Balmisiana  ought  to  find 
favour  in  gardens,  its  large  flesh-coloured  flowers, 
rather  numerously  produced  on  the  ends  of  the 
shoots,  being  of  good  substance  and  attractive. 
In  habit  it  is  distinct  from  any  cultivated  Begonia, 
The  stem  is  succulent,  rather  thick,  dark  red  in 
colour,  and  grows  to  a  height  of  about  2  feet.  The 
leaves  are  thick  and  fleshy  in  texture,  more  or  less 
kidney-like  in  shape  ;  edges  recurved,  dentate  ; 
nerves  palmate.  The  upper  surface  of  the  foliage 
is  rough  and  frosted,  whilst  on  the  under  side  is  a 
thick  layer  of  bladdery  scales  somewhat  similar 
to  what  may  be  observed  on  the  surface  of  the 
leaves  of  the  Ice  Plant  (Mesembry an themum  crys- 
tallinum).  The  lower  leaves  are  nearly  a  foot  in 
diameter,  the  upper  ones  gradually  decreasing  in 


size.  In  the  axils  of  the  leaves  clusters  of  little 
bulbs  or  buds  are  produced  similar  to  what  occurs 
in  B.  gracilis  and  Martiana. 

Single  flo'wered  Pinks. — Among&t  these,  a 
gathering  of  which  comes  to  ns  from  Messrs. 
Dicksons  &  Co.'s  Pilrig  Park  Nurseries,  Edin- 
burgh, may  be  found  a  deal  of  beauty,  hitherto 
not  much  known  in  gardens.  As  was  the  case 
with  Dahlias  a  few  years  ago,  single  Pinks  have 
been  quite  overlooked  in  our  eagerness  for  double 
varieties.  We  do  not  say  that  these  single  Pinks 
so  much  outdistance  the  double  forms  in  beauty 
and  elegance  as  the  single  Dahlias  do  the  doubles, 
but  we  consider  that  they  are  a  valuable  class  of 
border  flowers  capable  of  creating  most  beautiful 
eflfects  on  account  of  their  extreme  floriferousness. 
Although  their  flowers  are  not  so  large  or  so  showy 
individually,  they  make  a  showier  display  by  rea- 
son of  their  abundance.  A  short  time  ago  we  saw 
several  large  beds  of  these  single  Pinks  in  the 
Pilrig  Park  Nurseries  and  were  much  impressed 
with  the  beautiful  display  they  made.  Messrs, 
Dicksons  have  paid  great  attention  in  improving 
this  race  of  single  Pinks :  they  have  been  very  dis- 
criminative, and  eliminated  every  sort  that  did 
not  possess  merit  and  was  distinct.  They  have, 
therefore,  a  beautiful  selection  of  about  a  dozen 
kinds  which,  no  doubt,  will  soon  win  popularity. 
Several  of  the  varieties  sent  are  at  present  only 
known  by  numbers  ;  therefore  we  cannot  individu- 
ally describe  them.  Some  are  pure  white,  others 
heavily  and  lightly  blotched,  and  some  are  self- 
coloured.  One  of  the  most  striking  of  the  named 
sorts  is  that  named  Pilrig  Park,  which  is 
creamy  white  with  a  faint  blotch  of  carmine  at 
the  base  of  each  petal ;  others  are  the  counterpart 
of  the  finest  of  the  show  Pinks,  of  which  this  firm 
possesses  such  a  fine  collection. 

Oarnation  Mary  Morris.- The  universal 
popularity  which  this  Carnation  has  won  for  itself 
is  sufticient  proof  of  its  high  merits.  When  it  was 
first  exhibited  some  three  or  four  seasons  ago  it  at 
once  became  a  favourite ;  its  lovely  colour  and 
bold  large  flowers  captivated  all  who  saw  it. 
Beautiful  as  it  is  when  seen  at  the  shows,  how- 
ever, we  think  it  far  more  lovely  when  grow- 
ing freely  in  a  border,  particularly  when  seen  in 
such  quantities  as  may  now  be  found  in 
the  garden  of  its  raiser,  Mr.  H,  G.  Smyth, 
at  The  Nook,  Lower  Sydenham,  where  the 
other  day  we  saw  over  a  |  thousand  ex- 
panded blooms  of  it.  The  sight  of  so  many  blooms 
of  such  a  beautiful  Carnation  was  charming  in 
the  extreme.  Every  bed  was  a  glow  of  colour  of 
a  clear,  yet  deep  rosy  pink.  It  is,  indeed,  this  pe- 
culiar shade  of  colour,  which  everyone  admires, 
that  has  made  this  Carnation  so  popular  ;  but  in 
order  that  a  Carnation,  even  of  this  colour,  should 
be  first-rate,  it  must  possess  other  essential  pro- 
perties. It  must  be  a  vigorous  grower  and 
an  abundant  flowerer.  These  qualities  Mary 
Morris  possesses  in  a  remarkable  degree,  and 
combined  with  them  it  possesses  a  stout 
calyx  or  pod,  which  does  not  split,  so  that 
the  flowers  are  held  flrmly  together  without 
the  aid  of  the  tie  or  india-rubber  ring,  which  the 
generality  of  Carnation  blooms  require.  Mr.  Smyth 
has  been  singularly  fortunate  in  raising  such  a 
popular  variety,  and,  judging  by  what  we  saw  of 
his  other  seedlings,  there  is  every  likelihood  that 
next  season  he  will  be  able  to  distribute  a  variety 
with  brilliant  scarlet  flowers  possessing  all  the 
good  qualities  of  Mary  Morris.  This  new  scarlet  is 
named  H.  G.  Smyth.  Another  promising  variety  of 
sterling  merit  which  will  probably  be  made  public 
in  a  season  or  two  is  a  clear  sulphur-yellow  variety 
which  is  sure  to  become  popular,  as  yellow  Carna- 
tions are  by  no  means  so  plentiful  as  could  be 
wished.  This  trio  of  varieties,  the  rose-pink,  the 
scarlet,  and  the  yellow,  have  alaright  future  before 
them  as  regards  popularity.  As  an  instance  of  the 
floriferousness  of  Mary  Morris,  it  may  be  men- 
tioned that  Mr.  Smyth  has  cut  dozens  of  blooms 
and  brought  to  London  every  morning  for  sale  for 
several  weeks  past,  and  the  supply  will  continue  for 
at  least  some  weeks.  The  flowers  meet  with  a 
ready  sale  with  the  Covent  Garden  florists  on 
account  of  its  colour  and  lasting  qualities. 


Ai-G.  2,  1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


87 


Rose  Garden. 


EOSA  BRUNONIANA. 
This  Himalayan  species  is  of  great  value  in  the 
picturesque  garden.  Its  milk-white  flowers  are 
in  loose  clusters,  and  their  pure  colour  is  enhanced 
by  the  clear  yellow  group  of  stamens.  Its 
glaucous-looking  leaves  are  long  and  somewhat 
large,  having  nine  leaflets ;  they  are  strangely 
blue  and  pale  in  early  summer  and  droop  in  a 
graceful  and  peculiar  fashion.  It  is  a  vigorous 
grower,  but  as  its  habit  is  of  a  slender  and  rather 
rambling  character,  it  would  be  best  used  to  grow 
through  and  among  a  group  of  evergreen  shrubs, 
such  as  .lunipers,  for  some  such  informal  treat- 
ment. G.  J. 


OVVN  ROOT  ROSES. 
Having  a  good  many  of  the  newer  sorts  of  Hybrid 
Perpetual  Roses  not  tried  on  their  own  roots,  we 
have  been  busily  en- 
gaged lately  in  pat- 
ting in  as  many  cut- 
tings as  we  could  get 
for  the  purpose  of 
testing  their  beha- 
viour in  this  respect, 
and  if  I  describe  the 
way  in  which  we  hope 
to  convert  the  cut- 
tings into  plants  in  a 
few  months,  the  in- 
formation may,  per- 
haps, be  acceptable. 
We  have  begun  the 
work  thus  early  in 
order  that  the  plants 
may  be  strong  enough 
to  be  planted  out  next 
May.  In  a  general 
way  we  do  not,  how- 
ever, begin  propaga- 
ting Roses  from  cut- 
tings before  August, 
but  this  season,  ow- 
ing to  the  hot,  dry 
weather  that  occur- 
red during  June,  the 
wood  is  harder  and 
firmer  a  month  ear- 
lier than  usual  and 
in  suitable  condition 
to  form  roots  quickly. 
Lengthened  experi- 
ence has  shown  that 
very  hard  and  very 
Bof  t  growths  must  be 
avoided  in  selecting 
cuttings  at  this  time 
of  year,  and  the 
quickest  way  to  pro- 
mote the  formation 
of  roots  is  to  give 
them  bottom  -  heat. 

In  order  to  furnish  this  we  collected  together  the 
refuse  manure  found  about  the  frame  ground,  and 
with  the  aid  of  some  leaves  we  made  a  hotbed  on 
which  we  placed  a  frame.  After  the  bed  had 
stood  a  few  days  we  put  3  inches  of  soil  on  the  sur- 
face, in  which  to  plunge  the  pots,  and  I  find  there 
is  a  steady  bottom-heat  of  about  85°,  which,  owing 
to  the  character  of  the  fermenting  materials, 
promises  to  continue  for  some  time.  The  space  in 
the  frame  is,  however,  insuificient  for  the  number 
of  cuttings  which  we  intend  to  put  in  it, 
so  I  intend  to  utilise  another  frame  in  this  way 
from  which  a  crop  of  Melons  has  been  taken. 
There  is  not  much  heat  left  in  the  bed,  but  still 
there  is  a  nice  moist  temperature,  and  by  carefully 
husbanding  the  sun  heat  I  do  not  apprehend  any 
difficulty  in  rooting  all  the  cuttings  which  I  re- 
quire in  it,  but  of  course  not  so  quickly  as  on  a 
specially  prepared  bed. 

_  Selecting  the  cuttings— Up  to  the  present 
time  there  has  been  but  very  little  choice.  Owing 
to  the  drought,  our  Roses  made  but  little  growth 
beyond  flowering  shoots,  and  from  these  we  have 
been  obliged  to  take  our  cuttings,  although  we 


would  rather  have  had  them  from  shoots  which 
had  not  produced  any  flowers.  In  most  cases  we 
have  to  be  satisfied  with  one  cutting  from  each 
shoot.  In  making  the  cutting  we  cut  off  the  top 
down  to  a  good  wood  bud.  At  the  fourth  bud 
below  this  we  make  the  base  of  the  cutting,  re- 
moving the  two  lower  leaves  and  allowing  the  two 
top  ones  to  remain.  On  the  preservation  of  the 
leaves  left  I  attach  considerable  importance,  as  I 
am  satisfied  they  play  an  important  part  in  pro- 
moting early  root  formation.  Therefore,  both  in 
the  insertion  and  in  the  after  management  of  the 
cuttings,  every  care  is  taken  to  preserve  them 
from  injury,  and  to  keep  them  green  as  long  as 
possible. 

Potting.— Each  cutting  is  put  singly  in  a 
2^-inch  pot.  The  compost  which  I  use  consists 
of  three  parts  sifted  loam  and  one  of  sand.  The 
soil  is  pressed  firm,  so  that  the  cutting  may  rest 
on  a  firm  bed.  I  have  used  small  pots  this  year 
in  preference  to  putting  several  cuttings  in  those 


Flower  spray  of  Rosa.  Branmiana  (flowers  while). 


of  a  larger  size,  because  I  wish  to  convert  them 
into  plants  as  expeditiously  as  possible.  P.y  using 
single  pots  I  shall  do  so,  as  they  can  be  shifted  on 
into  larger  ones  as  soon  as  they  get  snfticiently 
rooted  without  disturbing  the  roots  ;  but  where 
there  are  numbers  of  cuttings  to  be  turned  out 
of  a  large  pot  and  separated,  some  of  the  roots 
get  more  or  less  injured,  thereby  causing  a  check 
to  their  growth.  Under  present  circumstances 
this  I  wished  to  avoid,  and  I  find  I  have  lost  but 
little  in  regard  to  space.  As  fast  as  the  cuttings 
are  potted  and  labelled  they  are  taken  to  the 
frame,  in  which  the  pots  are  plunged  to  their 
rims  in  the  soil.  Every  possible  despatch  is 
used  from  the  time  the  cuttings  are  taken  off 
until  they  are  put  in  the  frame,  for  if  the  leaves 
once  begin  to  flag,  they  require  a  good  deal  of 
coaxing  to  get  them  up  again.  They  are  well 
watered  as  soon  as  they  are  placed  in  the  frame, 
and  the  latter  is  kept  quite  close,  and  shaded  with 
a  thick  mat  from  7  a.m.  to  C  p.m.  every  day  for  a 
fortnight.  Darkness  seems  to  me  to  be  one  of 
the  essential  features  of  the  management  of  Rose 
cuttings  at  this  time  of  year,  but  the   shading 


should  be  gradually  reduced.  The  mat  that  has 
been  used  should  be  exchanged  for  a  piece  of 
tiffany  or  old  fish  net  at  the  end  of  a  month.  It  is, 
however,  necessary  to  shade  them  for  six  or  eight 
hours  in  very  bright  weather  up  to  the  middle  of 
September.  A  good  deal  depends  on  the  manage- 
ment as  to  what  progress  they  make.  If  the  shading 
is  carefully  attended  to,  the  soil  in  the  pots  kept 
uniformly  moist,  the  leaves  and  the  inside  of  the 
frame  syringed  with  water  when  the  shading  is 
taken  off  in  the  afternoon,  I  find  that  with  the  aid 
of  bottom-heat  we  can  root  them  in  six  or  seven 
weeks,  but  withcint  bottom-heat  they  will  take  two 
or  three  weeks  longer,  and  we  can  generally 
reckon  to  save  85  to  90  per  cent.,  which  is  a  fair 
return  for  the  labour  bestowed  upon  them,  which 
after  all  is  not  great.  As  soon  as  the  cuttings  are 
sufficiently  rooted,  they  will  be  potted  and  taken 
back  to  the  frame.  We  shall  prepare  a  compost 
for  them  consisting  of  three  parts  loam  to  one  of 
manure,  and  run  it  through  a  coarse  sieve,  and  we 
shall  use  4.V-in.  pots 
(with  two  "or  three 
crocks  for  drainage) 
in  which  they  will 
remain  until  they 
are  planted  out. 
Their  winter  quar- 
ters will  be  in  a 
large  unheated  house 
where  they  will  be 
secure  from  severe 
frost,  and  where  they 
will  only  require  an 
occasional  watering 
to  keep  the  soil  right 
about  their  roots. 

The  future 
HOME  of  the  plants 
will  be  in  two  long 
borders,  which  are 
about  10  feet  wide. 
These  spaces  we 
hope  to  divide  into 
C-foot  beds  and  to 
plant  each  bed  with 
one  variety  of  Rose, 
putting  nine  plants 
in  each,  and  then  peg 
down  the  growths. 
At  present  our  beds 
of  pegged  Roses 
are  in  mixed  varie- 
ties, which  are  very 
beautiful  when  in 
flower,  but  I  think 
groups  of  separate 
and  distinct  colours 
will  be  more  ef- 
fective. The  pre- 
paration of  the  soil 
will  take  place 
early  in  the  winter. 
As  the  subsoil  is  not 
of  a  kindly  character, 
we  shall  have  to  take  out  a  depth  of  12  inches 
of  the  bottom  and  substitute  a  more  suitable  com- 
post, for  Roses  must  have  a  depth  of  L'  feet  of 
good  earth  if  they  are  to  succeed  for  any  number 
of  years.  Early  in  May  the  plants  will  be  brought 
from  their  winter  quarters  to  a  cold  pit  or  frame 
where  they  can  be  gradually  hardened  off,  and 
finally  planted  about  the  end  of  that  month.  To 
put  them  out  earlier  would  be  to  run  the  risk  of 
the  tender  growth  being  injured  by  the  cold 
winds  that  frequently  occur  at  that  time  of  the 
year.  J.  C.  C. 


Rosa  rugoea. — In  the  early  part  of  the  sea- 
son this  Rose  was  thickly  studded  with  large 
showy  blossoms  which  were  succeeded  by  fruits, 
and  now  when  these  latter  are  still  increasing  in 
size  the  whole  bush  is  again  a  mass  of  bloom, 
large  clusters  of  flowers  being  formed  at  the  points 
of  every  shoot.  This  Rose  undoubtedly  ranks 
high  as  a  flowering  shrub ;  for,  apart  from  its 
being  almost  continuously  in  bloom,  its  foliage  is 
'  ery  handsome,  and  later  in  (he  season  the  large 
rrange-red  fruits  or  hips  render  the  plant  very 


88 


THE    GARDEN 


[Auc.  2,    1884. 


ornamental.  It  is  no  uncommon  occurrence  early 
in  autumn  to  see  a  bush  of  it  laden  with  bright 
fruits  and  at  the  same  time  studded  with  blossoms 
and  unexpanded  buds.  There  is  a  vanety  in  which 
the  flowers  are  white,  but  this  is  as  yet  compara- 
tively scarce.  Amongst  seedlings  of  the  white 
variety  1  have  not  been  successful  in  obtaining 
any  of  that  colour  ;  they  have  hitherto  all  been  red- 
flowered.  As  this  Rose  grows  freely  and  pushes 
up  quantities  of  suckers,  a  better  way  than  wait- 
ing so  long  for  seedlings  to  flower  is  to  take  off  a 
few  of  the  suckers  with  roots  attached  to  them  ;  if 
this  cannot  bedone,  a  branch  or  two  may  be  layered, 
a  way  in  which  it  will  root  freely.  Cuttings,  too, 
put  in  during  winter  strike  fairly  well.— W.  T. 

Triomphe  de  Rennes.— With  the  excep- 
tion of  MarC-chal  Niel,  Noisette  Roses  are  more 
neglected  than  they  deserve  to  be.  Most  of  them 
are  more  or  less  tender,  and  though  they  grovv 
freely  enough- indeed,  too  much  so— if  planted 
against  a  south  wall,  the  most  satisfactory  results 
are  not  attained  except  under  glass.  Kone  of 
them,  I  know,  can  come  near  this  Rose  in  waxy 
perfectness  of  shape  or  colour;  and  in  another 
respect  if  put  in  a  sitting  or  drawing-room  window 
where  there  is  a  full  circulation  of  air  and  the 
curtains  break  the  strong  rays  of  the  sun,  it  will 
scent  the  largest  room  deliciously  and  remain  per- 
fect for  a  long  time.— W.  J.  MUBrnv,  Clonmel. 


FERNS. 


BEST  CULTIVATED  FERNS. 
(Cmiinued  from  p.  62.  J 
Nephkodium  lucidum.— This  very  distinct 
species  is,  I  believe,  the  only  one  yet  in  cultiva- 
tion introduced  from  Madagascar,  although,  judg- 
ing from  dried  specimens,  there  exist  there  sorne 
very  handsome  forms  not  yet  imported  alive.  IS. 
lucidum  is  of  medium  growth,  and  better  adapted 
for  pot  culture  than  for  planting  out  on  the 
rookery,  as  its  habit  is  somewhat  stiff  and  its 
fronds  somewhat  crowded.  Although  during  the 
summer  months  it  will  stand  well  in  a  cool  house, 
it  requires  for  its  full  development  the  heat  of 
the  stove  all  the  year  round. 

Fronds  firm  in  texture,  teldoni  more  than  12  inches  in 
hei"ht  produced  from  a  short  creepmg  rhizome,  and  home 
on  I leuder  round  stalks  of  a  pecuUurly  dark  green  colour, 
OTite  d ilfe  -eut  from  that  of  their  leafy  portion  ;  they  are 
Snnate  with  pinn.x  alternate  and  about  fifteen  on  each 
sWe  and  measure  about  6  inches  in  the  middle;  their 
upper  portion  generally  piunatifid. 

N  MOLLB,  a  South  American  species,  is  often 
met  with  in  cultivation,  being  free  in  growth  and 
verv  prolific.    It  is  a  most  accommodating  l<ern, 
succeeding  equally  well  in  a  stove  or  in  a  green- 
house    It  does  well  either  under  pot  culture  or 
planted  out  in  the  rockery,  where  it  forms  a  capi- 
tal background  for  showing  off  to  advantage  other 
Ferns  of  greater  importance.  Of  this  species  there 
are  some  handsome  varieties  with  habits  totally 
different  from  the  parent,   as,   for  example,  >J. 
moUe  cristatum  and  ramosum.     In  these  two  va- 
rieti-s  the  whole  of  the  leafy  portion  of  the  frond 
is  turned  into  a  large  and  somewhat  coarse  crest, 
more  curious  perhaps  than  beautiful,  a  reinark, 
however  which  is  not  applicable  to  the  charmingly 
tasselled  variety  called  N.  molle  corymbiferum,  an 
interesting  and  truly  decorative  pla°t  of   more 
erect  habit  than  the  species  from  which  it  origi- 
nated  It  produces  branched  fronds  from  18  inches 
to  24  inches  long,  the  top  of  which  terminates  in  a 
large  cre>t  or  corymb ;  the  extremity  of  each  leaflet, 
which   are   all   singularly   contracted   and   much 
shorter  than  in  the  species,  is  also  ornamented  with 
a  similar  appendage,  but  of  smaller  size.    This,  on 
account  of  its  curious  form,  its  rapid  growth,  and 
its  pleasing  bright  green  colour,  has  taken  a  lead- 
ing place  among  plants  specially  grown  for  mar- 
ket.    When  subjected    to  cool    or  intermediate 
treatment  it  is  never,  to  my  knowledge,  attacked 
by  any  insect ;  it  is  only  when  grown  in  too  warm 
a  house  that  it  is  seen  covered  with  mealy  bug, 
from  which  pest  it  is  only  cleared  with  difliculty, 
as  the  texture  of  the  leaves  is  very  soft,  and  they 


do  not  stand  fumigating  or  dipping  inany  insecti- 
cide. 

I'ronds  in  N.  molle  very  soft  and  produced  in  abundance 
from  an  upright  caudex.  Under  cool  treatm^ut  tliey 
seldom  exceed  from  12  inches  to  16  mches  in  height,  tliougli 
it  is  not  rare  to  see  tliem  when  grown  in  heat  measuimg 
upwards  of  2  feet.  Pinna:  sometimes  opposite  and  some- 
times alternate,  very  deeply  lobed,  and  covered  with  a  soft 
down  of  a  glaucous  pale  green  colour. 

N.  MULTILINEATUM.— A  stove  species^  from 
Ceylon,  prepossessing  in  appearance  and  distinct 
in  character.  The  gracefully  arching  habit  of  its 
handsome  fronds  and  the  bright  green  colour  ot 
the  whole  plant  render  it  both  interesting  and  at- 
tractive. The  veins,  which  are  very  beautiful,  are 
conspicuously  shown  in  fully  developed  fronds.  It 
is  best  adapted  for  pot  culture,  and  should  be 
carefully  guarded  from  the  sun. 

Its  pinnate  fronds,  of  an  arching  character,  are  produced 
freely  from  a  creeping  caudex  of  a  succulent  nature;  th^y 
L-row  from  20  incliej  to  26  inches  in  height,  .and  measure 
about  8  inches  at  their  widest  psrt.  The  pinnro,  which  are 
somcwluat  closely  set  on  each  side  of  the  rachis  and  alter- 
nate, are  lanceolate  and  deeply  serrated. 

N.  NEVADEKSE  — This  is  one  of  the  few  North 
American  species  ahready  in  cultivation,  and  one 
which  never  fails  to  be  a  source  of  attraction 
wherever  it  is  grown.  An  important  feature  to 
be  observed  in  the  fertile  fronds,  and  which  has 
not  been  found  in  any  other  Fern  whatever, 
is  that  the  divisions  of  the  leaflets  are  closed  or 
folded  together  early  in  the  day  and  only  open  m 
the  afternoon.  Another  constant  character  quite 
peculiar  to  this  curious  species  lies  in  the  whole 
surface  of  its  fronds  being  copiously  dotted  with 
minute  shining  resinous  globules.  The  name 
Nephrodium  or  Aspidium  nevadense  was  given  by 
lloissier  to  another  and  quite  a  different  Fern  of 
Spanish  origin,  but  this  is  the  species  from  Sierra 
Nevada  of  Northern  California,  where  it  is  found 
growing  in  great  abundance  along  creeks  and  in 
moist  meadows,  where  it  shares  the  company  of 
the  swamp-loving  Darlingtonia,  and  therefore 
only  requires  greenhouse  treatment. 


Khizome  creeping  Fronds  from  2  feet  to  3  feet  long, 
standing  in  a  crown,  and  of  a  thin,  membraneous  texture, 
hrnceilate  in  outline,  and  pinnate.  P™"*^  1"'<;"-1^°«,';°- 
hite  shghtly  hairy  beneath,  and  sprinkled  with  minute 
resinous  particles.    Sori  situated  close  to  the  margins. 

N     KOVABOBACENSE.  —  Another     interesting 
greenhouse  species   found  abundantly  in   moist 
thickets  and  wet,  grassy  places  in  North  America, 
principally  from  New  Brunswick  and  Canada  to 
Virginia,  also  in  Ohio,  Kentucky,  and  North  Caro- 
lina    It  is  peculiarly  distinct  on  account  of  the 
very  slender  and  underground  creeping  rhizome, 
which  always  keeps  several  inches  in  advaiice  of 
the  developed  fronds,  and  the  youngest  portion  ot 
which  is  singularly  downy.    Another  peculiarity 
of  this  species  lies  in  the  singular  arrangement 
which  exists  as  regards  the  production  of  fronds. 
The  stalks  which  are  to  bear  those  of  the  coming 
year  form  little  stems  near  the  growing  extremity 
of  the  rootstock ;  whereas  the  stalks  which  support 
the  fronds  of  the  present  season,  on  the  contrary, 
stand  close  together  and  at  some  considerable 
distance  from  the  end  of   the  rhizome     There 
exists  also  a  variety  which  differs  from  the  above 
species  only  in  the  sweet  and  agreeable  odour 
emitted  by  its  slightly  more  rigid  and  narrower 
fronds     A  few  plants  of  it  dried  in  the  open  air 
will  perfume  a  room  deliciously  for  a  long  time. 
This  latter  variety   is  generally  imported  from 
Essex  County,  New  York. 

Kootstock  creeping,  elongated,  and  cord-like.  Stalks 
very  slender,  about  one-thTd  the  length  of  the  fronds,  and 
Inariugly  chaffy  at  first  Fronds  IS  mches  to  24  inches 
1  ng  m  "ut-^ly  ciliate,  and  lanceolate,  with  an  acurnmate 
apex  and  a  gradually  narrowed  base,  and  pinnate.  Pinnse 
sessiir  lanceolate.  Sori  minute  and  situated  near  the 
margin. 

PELE.a:A. 


Flat-tlned  forks.— I  find  these  to  be  prefer- 
able to  those  with  round  tines  for  many  purposes, 
especially  for  lifting  Potatoes  and  other  root  crops, 
as  they  are  not  so  liable  to  prick  the  tubers  as  the 
sharp  points  of  the  ordinary  steel  digging  fork. 
Their  dimensions  are  as  follows  ;  Handle,  i  feet, 
with  a  light  iron  hand-hold ;  blades  or  tines, 
four  in  number,  10  inches  long,  three  quarters  of 


an  inch  wide,  and  1 J  inches  between  the  blades.  A 
fork  of  this  kind  is  one  of  the  lightest  and  handiest 
tools  possible,  and  for  light  soUs  preferable  to  the 
ordinary  form  through  which  the  soil  when  dry 
runs  freely,  but  these  fl*t-tined  ones  act  as  a  safe 
medium  between  the  fork  and  the  spade.  Those 
who  may  not  have  yet  tried  them  will  find  them 
most  useful.  Employers  seldom  consider  how 
wasteful  of  manual  labour  it  is  to  have  tools 
heavier  than  is  absolutely  necessary.  It  is  impos- 
sible for  a  man  to  get  over  as  much  work  with  a 
heavy  tool  as  he  could  with  a  light  one.  There- 
fore to  have  the  best  of  its  kind  is  the  most 
economical  and  satisfactory  for  all  concerned  m 
the  long  run.— J.  G,  Jlants. 

PERMANGANATE  OF  POTASH  AS  A 
PLANT  FOOD. 
I  HAD  been  using  a  solution  of  this  for  some  time 
as  a  deodoriser  and  disinfectant,  and  as  such  re- 
commended it  to  a  friend.     For  convenience  sake 
he  kept  the  liquid  in  an  old  watering  can  in  the 
potting  shed,  near  to  which  was  growing  a  house- 
ful of  Pelargoniums  in  pots.   It  happened  one  day 
that  a  very  young  practitioner  watered  the  plants 
on  one  side  of   the  house  with  it,   dire  results 
being  of  course  anticipated.     Such  was  not  the 
casefhowever,  but  quite  the  reverse,  for  the  dosed 
plants  showed  increased  instead  of  diminished 
vigour.     On  this  being  named  to  me,  I  at  once,  as 
suggested,  commenced  a  series  of  experiments, 
using  an  unvarying  strength  of  as  many  crystals 
of  permanganate  as  covered  a  sixpenny-piece  to 
a  gallon  of  water  for  watering  the  soil  with,  but 
for  overhead  syringing  nsing  double  the  quantity 
of  water.     Rare  Ferns  in  a  Wardian  case,  i  feet 
by  2  feet,  have  been  syringed  once  a  week  tor 
some  time  with  this,  and  are  to  all  but  myself  a 
mystery  of  luxuriance.  From  Ficuses  to  Fuchsias, 
Aspidistras  to  Adiantums,  tender  Grasses,  seed- 
lings in  pans,  and  Roses  in  pots,  all  without  ex- 
ception  seem  to  derive  much  benefit  froni  its 
administration.     In  order  to  ascertain  its  fatal 
strength,   I  planted  two  plants    of    Tropseolum 
aduncum,  one  in   sand  saturated  with  a  strong 
solution  repeatedly  passed  through  it,  the  other  m 
the  liquid  itself,  covering  the  surface  with  cork  to 
keep  tie  roots  in  and  light  out.     Both  plants  are 
alive  and  vigorous  after  two  months. 

Both  manganese  and  potash,  the  components  of 
permanganate  of  potash,  are  essential  fixed  ele- 
ments in    the  structure  of    plants.     Manganese 
occurs  in  small  quantities,  and  although  its  bene- 
ficial properties  have  not  yet  been  definitely  as- 
certained, it  is  doubtless  taken  up  by  the  rootlets 
in  solution  with  other  matters.     Of  the  absolute 
necessity  of  potash  for  plant  food  there  is  not  a 
shadow  of  doubt.     In  short,  it  is  essential  to  the 
life  of  a  plant,  and   there    seems  to  be  no  end  to 
its  power  of  combining  with  other  substances,  in 
most  cases  rendering  matters  solvent  and  assimi- 
lable which  without  its  aid  would  have  remained 
useless.    The  liquid  permanganate  of  potash  cer 
tainly  looks  a  very  risky  thing  to  water  plants 
with,  bat  it  is  not  so,  for  Adiantums  dipped  over- 
head in  it  gave  no  unfavourable  result.     Poured 
through  a  pot  filled  with    pure  sand,  it  filters 
through  as  pure  colouriess  water  of  beautiful  soft- 
ness    For  flowers  in  vases  it  is  evidently  good ; 
the  water  does  not  require  changing  or    become 
offensive,  and  the  plants  preserve  an   unusual 
freshness  and  vigour.     I  have  used  it  for  some 
time  in  a  glass  button-hole  holder,  and  the  flower- 
stalks  seized  and  absorbed  the  colouring  matter 
in  about  an  hour.  This  was  especially  the  case  writh 
yellow  flowers;   the  flowers  in  it  seem  to  last 
almost  too  long,  a  week's  journey  with  the  same 
button  hole  being  rather  more  than  the  most  con- 
stant lover  of  flowers  would  like.     For  gardeners, 
a  tin  box  about  the  size  of  a  vesta  box  of  perm,  of 
potash    should  be  a  vadc  me.c-um,  as   cultivated 
plantso  ontain  more  potash  than  wild  ones  ;  it  is 
thus  always  handy  for  putting  a  pinch  into  a 
watering-can.     I  ought  not  to  omit  naming  that 
overhead  watering  with  this  liquid  is  disastrous 
to  our  common  enemy,  the  green  fly.    It  is  both 
cheap  and  useful  ;    a   little   goes   a  long   way  ; 
an   ounce  of  it,  costing  3d.  or  4d ,  about  fills 


Aug.  2,  1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


89 


an  egg-cup,  and,  as  I  before  stated,  four  gal- 
lons of  fertiliser  can  be  made  with  as  much  as 
could  be  held  on  a  sixpenny-piece.  Its  other 
well-tried  properties  as  a  deodoriser  and  disinfec- 
tant are  not  so  well  known  as  they  deserve  to  be  ; 
an  objectionable  drain  or  manure  heap  is  instantly 
set  right  by  a  bucketful  of  solution.  I  would  ad- 
vise your  readers  not  to  be  satisfied  with  my  par- 
ticular proportion  of  strength,  but  to  make  their 
own  experiments,  inasmuch  as  soils  vary  to  such 
a  degree,  that  what  would  be  perfection  of  strength 
on  one  soil  may  not  be  so  in  another.  Any  way 
successes  will  be  many,  and  failures  few,  if  any. 
Horsforth,iu-<vr  Leeds.  R.  A.  H.  (J. 


CARNATIONS  AND  PICOTEES. 
Though  generations  of  florists  have  striven  to 
mould  the  Carnation  and  Picotee  according  to  a 
set  model  or  standard  of  their  own,  they  have  as 


in  the  way  of  size  and  colour,  but  in  most  cases 
they  have  not  improved  the  constitution  of  the 
races  operated  on,  examples  of  which  may  be  seen 
in  what  are  called  the  show  Carnations  and  show 
Pelargoniums.  Every  tiower  that  the  florists  have 
taken  in  hand  has  been  improved  in  some  way  or 
other,  and  we  have  only  to  look  at  such  modern 
races  of  popular  flowers  as  tuberous  Begonias  to 
see  the  wide  strides  that  can  be  made  in  this  direc- 
tion in  a  comparatively  short  time  when  special- 
ists devote  their  attention  to  particular  objects. 
The  chief  fault  with  which  florists  can  be  charged 
is  adhering  to  too  formal  a  standard,  symmetrical 
shape  now-a-days  not  being  regarded  as  an  essen- 
tial element  of  true  flower  beauty.  After  all,  the 
great  flower-loving  public  is  the  best  judge  in  such 
matters,  and  its  opinion  is  decidedly  averse  to 
rigid  symmetry  in  outline,  which  is  synonymous 
with  formality.  Florists,  we  are,  however,  pleased 
to  observe,  are  now  making  concessions  as  regards 


This  annual  is  one  of  the  most  useful  plants  for 
cutting  we  have,  and  it  should  be  grown  in  every 
gar<len  where  cut  flowers  are  in  request,  supple- 
menting the  autumn  sowings  by  others  at  intervals 
from  the  middle  of  March  to  the  end  of  May. — 
J.  C,  Byfieet. 

Trees  and  Shrubs. 


Carpenteria  californica. — This  beautiful 
Calitornian  shrub  was  exhibited  at  the  recent 
fortnightly  meeting  of  the  National  Horticultural 
Society  of  France  on  the  26th  of  June  last  in 
Paris,  by  M.  Robert  Lavallee,  in  the  form  of  sprays 
of  bloom  cut  from  a  bush  growing  in  the  rich 
arboretum  at  the  Ch;i.teau  de  Segrez,  collected  by 
his  father,  the  recently  deceased  and  much 
lamented  Alphonse  Lavallee,  president  o£  the 
society.     This   fine  shrub  is  said  to  have  proved 


Tht  ficriHt's  ideal  Picotee.     Tiipe  0/  cut  common  in  garden  books  and 
periodicals  up  to  quite  recent  times;  an  exact  copy. 


Picotee  as  it  is.    Drawn  last  week  in  a  nursery  in  London. 


yet  failed,  happily,  to  produce  varieties  of  either 
of  these  flowers  that  could  be  termed  counterparts 
of  their  ideal  representations,  such  as  those  which, 
until  recently,  have  been  set  forth  as  model  Car- 
nations and  Picotees  in  books  on  florists'  flowers. 
The  annexed  illustration  is  an  exact  copy  of  a 
Picotee,  such  as  was  common  in  books  on  rtoricul- 
tnre  some  thirty  or  forty  years  ago,  and  the  ideal 
of  what  florists  consider  a  Picotee  should  be,  but 
somehow  the  flower  refuses  to  allow  itself  to  be 
so  dealt  with.  As  a  contrast  to  the  florist's  ideal 
flower,  we  give  an  illustration  of  an  average 
Picotee,  such  as  may  be  picked  from  a  bed  before 
it  has  been  tweezered  and  otherwise  sub- 
jected to  the  cunning  manipulations  which  ex- 
hibitors of  florists' flowers  consider  indispensable  in 
a  model  show  bloom.  Florists,  however,  deserve 
credit  for  what  they  have  done  with  regard  to  the 
improvement  of  various  races  of  popular  garden 
flowers.     They  have  given  us  infinite  variety  both 


their  conventional  rules.  At  the  last  Carnation  show 
we  noticed  that  the  absurd  circular  p3p5r  collars 
put  round  Carnation  flowers  on  plants  shown  in 
pots  were  suppressed— a  great  gain.  We  therefore 
do  not  despair  of  seeing  the  abolition  of  the  collars 
to  blooms  shown  in  trays,  and  in  time  other  im- 
provements equally  desirable. 

Self-sown  Olarkia.— In  order  to  thoroughly 
appreciate  this  useful  annual  it  should  be  sown 
about  the  beginning  of  August  where  it  is  to 
flower.  Leave  about  three  plants  in  a  patch,  with 
a  space  of  1  foot  between  them,  and  in  early 
summer  you  will  have  something  really  worth 
looking  at.  The  Clarkia  is  naturally  of  a  leafy, 
somewhat  compact,  much-branched  habit,  and 
when  the  plants  are  about  a  foot  high  they  should 
have  some  strong  sprayey  twigs  inserted  about 
them,  so  as  to  catch  the  main  shoots,  or  they  are 
apt  to  be  blown  about  and  broken  off  by  the  wind. 


hardy  at  Segrez,  and  is  now  blooming  there  pre- 
sumably for  the  first  time  in  Europe.  The  flowers 
are  said  by  the  Hemic  Ilorticole  (in  which  a 
coloured  portrait  of  this  shrub  will  shortly  be 
given)  to  be  pure  white,  but  irregular  in  form, 
some  having  four,  some  five,  and  some  six  petals. 
It  is  closely  allied  to  the  family  of  Philadelphus. 
— W.  E.  G. 

The  Poison  Ivy  or  Poison  Oak.— Under 
both  the  English  names  just  given,  Rhus  Toxico- 
dendron is  widely  known  through  the  Northern 
United  States.  It  is  a  deciduous  shrub,  which  is 
admirably  adapted  for  forming  a  summer  covering 
to  unsightly  buildings,  &c.,  and  perhaps  is  seen  to 
greatest  advantage  when  allowed  to  climb  at  will 
over  rocks  or  old  trees.  I  remember  seeing  it 
some  years  ago  in  a  neglected  old  shrubbery,  where 
it  had  taken  possession  of  some  old  Spruce  Firs, 
and  the  contrast  afforded  by  the  autumnal  tints 
of  its  large,  handsome  foliage  was  very  striking. 


90 


THE     GARDEN 


[Aug.  2.  1884. 


Tiie  novel  eifect,  accidentally  attained,  was  cer- 
tainly one  not  likely  to  be  forgotten  by  anyone 
with  any  particular  leaning  for  hardy  shrubs. — 
G  N. 

Earthworms  as  tree  planters.— As 
squirrels,  burying  Acorns  and  Nuts  in  the  autumn, 
ha  76  planted,  says  Nature,  many  an  Oak  forest 
an  1  Hazel  grove,  so  it  is  probable  that  the  earth- 
worms plant  many  of  the  Ash  and  Sycamore  trees 
that  we  see  perched  in  out-of-the-way  corners, 
where  it  is  diffionlt  to  explain  how  the  blown  seed 
can  have  got  covered  by  mould  enough  to  allow  it 
to  germinate.  If  an  overhanging  tree  drops  the 
seed,  or  the  wind  carries  it  anywhere  near  the 
worm's  feeding-ground,  it  is  dragged  in  and 
planted  in  leaf-mould,  and  kept  moist  till  spring 
time.  At  this  time  of  the  year  we  see  clusters  of 
Sycamore  seedlings  growing  up  together  out  of  the 
little  worm-hills  into  which  they  had  been  dragged 
heavy  end  iirst. 

NOTES  FROM  WOODPLUMPTON. 
Where  is  that  ?  the  majority  of  the  readers  of 
The  Garden  will  probably  ask.  Well,  Wood- 
plumpton  is  Smiles  from  Preston,  and  a  few  even- 
ings ago  I  had  an  unexpected  treat  there,  afforded 
by  an  inspection  of  a  varied  and  interesting  collec- 
tion of  herbaceous  plants,  the  property  of  Mr.  T. 
Miller,  a  name  well  known  to  the  majority  of  hor- 
ticulturists in  this  part  of  the  country.  Mr. 
Miller  has  had  his  fancies,  and  in  times  past  they 
were  in  favour  of  florists'  flowers,  but  circum- 
stances forced  him  to  relinquish  the  culture  of  all 
plants  that  required  great  attention  or  annual 
propagation.  Nothing  gave  him  more  trouble  than 
Gladioli,  to  which  for  some  time  he  clung  with 
tenacity,  but  at  last  the  disease  compelled  him  to 
abandon  them.  The  last  .£10  worth  failed  to 
survive  the  first  year.  He  has  now  the  whole  of 
his  garden  filled  with  hardy  herbaceous  plants, 
except  a  space  near  the  dwelling,  which  is  devoted 
to  a  selection  of  show  Gooseberries.  The  oldest 
tree  is  about  sixteen  years,  and  its  produce  a.s  well 
as  that  of  the  others  has  frequently  received  fir  t 
prizes,  no  mean  honour  in  a  class  in  which  there 
are  often  seventeen  prizes. 

The  garden,  which  is  one  of  the  most  informal, 
has  a  slight  declivity  to  the  south,  and  is  pro- 
tected on  the  north  by  an  orchard.  Beyond  these 
he  has  no  other  natural  advantages.  Good  drainage 
Mr.  Miller  maintains  is  of  the  utmost  importance 
for  the  most  delicate  plants,  and  he  declares  that 
he  has  lost  more  of  such  plants  in  mild,  wet  win- 
ters ttan  in  those  that  are  severe.  To  provide  for 
these  plants  and  to  break  the  fall  of  the  ground 
he  has  banked  up  the  soil  on  one  side  of  the  walk 
with  limestone  boulders  at  various  points  so  as  to 
form  plateaux.  Planted  near  the  inner  side  of 
the  stones,  dwarf  Phloxes  and  other  delicate  plants 
thrive  amazingly  and  hide  the  stones  in  the  mo»t 
natural  manner.  I  have  never  seen  a  better 
sample  of  Saponaria  ocymoides  than  that  which 
grew  here.  In  some  instances  the  natural  soil  has 
been  taken  out  and  replaced  by  a  few  brickbats 
and  a  soil  likely  to  tuit  the  individual  plant. 
The  first  class  of  plants  to  arrest  attention  at  the 
time  of  my  visit  were  the  Delphiniums,  some 
of  which  were  8  feet  high  and  bushy  in 
proportion.  These  formed  a  row  on  the 
northern  side,  which,  as  already  stated,  is 
bounded  by  an  orchard  which  formed  a  back- 
ground. The  first  Delphinium  I  came  to  was 
a  seedling  with  a  distinct  white  eye  and  deep 
blue  petals  of  extra  large  size-  a  striking  variety. 
Mr.  Miller  informed  me  that  he  raised  a  white 
one  a  few  years  ago,  but  it  succumbed  the  fol- 
lowing winter  after  flowering.  Some  Lilies  of  the  L 
tigrinum  class  were  5  feet  high  and  well  flowered  : 
L.  candidum  was  correspondingly  vigorous ;  L. 
Martagon  had  forty- six  flowers  on  a  stem  and 
Humboldti  seventeen.  Fine  breadths  of  Poten- 
t.llas  made  an  excellent  show,  and  the  I'yre- 
thrums,  which  have  a  bed  to  themselves,  showed, 
by  their  stout  headless  flower-stems  that  they  must 
hive  been  very  fine.  Nothing  astonished  me 
more  than  some  thriving  patches  of  Brodi;ca  con- 
gesta  and  its  variety  alba,  as  I  had  regarded 
t]iese  as  rather  tender  ;  and  clumps  of  Alsticeme- 
rias,  named  and  seedlings,  were  equally  extraordi- 


nary. The  Geranium  family  was  represented  by 
eight  distinct  clamps,  and  Campanulas  by  about 
a  dozen,  and  Veronicas  by  about  half  that  num- 
ber. Amongst  Michaelmas  Daisies,  carniolica  and 
Foitunei  were  finely  in  flower  ;  so  were  Galegas  of 
different  sorts.  Iris  anglica  was  at  its  best,  but 
the  whole  of  the  Spanish  kinds  were  over.  Coro- 
nilla  varia,  a  charming  plant,  seemed  likely  to 
make  a  show  for  two  or  three  months.  I  am  not 
a  great  traveller,  but  I  have  visited  a  few  gardens 
during  the  pjst  five  years,  and  I  have  not 
seen  Gypsophila  paniculata  so  good  as  I 
saw  it  here  except  one  which  I  had  under  my 
own  care  some  six  years  ago.  Everyone  who 
has  any  table  decorations  to  do  should 
cultivate  this  easily-grown  plant.  No  exotic  of 
my  acijaaintance  can  surpass  it  in  gracefulness. 
Spirica  (Astilbe)  aurea  has  no  rival  as  a  border 
plant,  or  for  cutting  for  drawing-room  embellish- 
ment (leaves  as  well  as  flowers),  or  for  furnishing 
the  conservatory  in  early  spring,  and  at  Wood- 
plumpton  the  colouring  of  the  foliage  was  remark- 
ably fine.  In  proximity  to  this  was  Spirjea  pal- 
mata,  bearing  multitudes  of  deep  crimson  plumes. 
Triteleia  laxa  and  Lychnis  Zamaa  were  strangers 
to  me.  The  former  has  purple  umbels,  and  the 
latter  heads  of  white  and  crimson  flowers.  L. 
chalcedonica  and  others  were  also  nicely  in  flower. 
Phlox  Her  Majesty  will  prove  a  boon  to  anyone 
in  search  of  a  white  flower  at  this  time  of  the 
year.  Mr.  Miller  confesses  to  having  lost  a  number 
of  plants  through  overlooking  their  individual 
wants  in  the  way  of  prepared  compost  and  in- 
creased drainage,  as  well  as  elevating  those  re- 
quiring it.  A  source  of  mischief  common  to 
many,  he  contends,  is  the  haste  made  to  cut  them 
down  as  soon  as  they  begin  to  look  shabby  in  au- 
tumn. He  maintains  that  the  hollow  stems  left 
convey  water  into  their  centres,  as  well  as  form 
harbours  for  slugs,  which  lodge  in  them  and 
emerge  in  spring  when  growth  commences.  At 
first  he  fortified  his  plants  with  the  usual  belt 
of  lime  and  soot ;  but  what  was  the  use  of  these 
when  the  enemy  was  within  the  fortress?  The 
plan  adopted  now  is  to  bend  over  the  taller  stems 
about  half-way  from  the  top,  so  that  they  are 
really  in  some  instances  converted  into  protectors 
from  frost.  Those  too  short  to  be  thus  treated 
are  left  untouched  till  they  commence  to  grow  in 
spring. 

Fruit  culture  in  pots.— Seeing  a  number 
of  extra  large  pets  standing  in  a  row  as  if  ready 
to  receive  their  occupants,  I  inquired  what  was 
going  to  be  done  with  them.  Mr.  Miller  said  he 
had  been  tempted,  after  reading  the  reported  ease 
with  which  a  long  succession  of  fruit  could  be  pro- 
duced from  pot  plants,  to  commence  their  culture, 
but  he  either  did  not  observe,  or  the  information 
was  not  supplied,  that  the  trees  required  water 
three  times  a  day  in  very  hot  weather,  or  the  fruit 
dropped,  and  as  his  duties  at  times  called  him 
from  home  from  morning  till  night,  he  had  on 
that  account  to  abandon  that  system  of  culture 
and  sacrifice  the  bountiful  harvest  which  others 
are  said  to  reap  from  that  source.  I  think,  how- 
ever, that  he  has  done  wisely ;  he  has  planted  the 
trees  in  the  house  in  which  they  stood,  and  well 
they  looked,  but  almost  barren.  So  I  estimate 
be  will  next  year  have  twenty  fruit  for  every  one 
he  has  now.  W.  P.  E. 


Garden   Flora. 


Hyacinthus  candicans  — This  is  now  in 

perfection  in  gardens  on  the  south  coast,  its  spikes 
of  drooping  bells  reaching  from  4  feet  to  5  feet 
high,  and  carrying  from  twenty  to  thirty  blooms 
each,  contrasting  well  with  the  early  varieties  of 
Gladioli.  We  plant  this  Hyacinth  out  along  with 
Lilies  between  rows  of  bush  fruits,  and,  beyond 
keeping  the  soil  clean,  it  receives  no  attention 
whatever.  We  grow  it  to  supply  cut  bloom,  and 
I  may  mention  that  as  the  flowers  open  in  succes- 
sion up  the  spike  the  most  economical  plan  is  to 
pick  them  off  singly  and  wire  them.  If  planted 
out  of  6-inch  pots  in  clumps  of  three,  I  find  that 
they  lift  with  a  good  ball  of  earth,  and  if  dropped 
into  8  inch  pots  make  fine  specimens  for  the  con- 
servatory, wbere,  with  but  little  care,  they  may  be 
had  in  bloom  for  several  weeks  in  succession. — 
James  Gboom,  Goqjort. 


PLATE  451. 
SENECIO  MACROGLOSSUS.* 
Only  a  very  few  of  the  vast  number  of  species  of 
Senecio  are  at  all  worthy  of  cultivation  as  orna- 
mental plants,  and  of  this  few  the  climbing  species 
represented  in  the  accompanying  plate  is  perhaps 
the  most  attractive.  S.  pulcher,  S.  speciosus,  S. 
macrophyllus,  S.  Ghiesbrighti,  and  S.  elegans,  with 
perhaps  a  few  others,  are  plants  of  more  or  less 
value  in  a  garden  sense,  owing  either  to  fine  leaf 
characters  or  to  the  beauty  of  their  yellow,  purple, 
or  white  flowers.  S.  macroglossus  is,  however, 
exceptionally  interesting  from  the  peculiarly  close 
resemblance  of  its  foliage  and  the  habit  of  the 
plant  generally  to  common  Ivy,  whilst  in  its  large 
pale  yellow,  graceful  flowers  it  possesses  a  beauty 
to  which  none  or  at  most  few  of  its  brethren  can 
lay  any  claim.  Seeing  that  the  introduction  into 
our  gardens  of  this  beautiful  Senecio  occurred 
nearly  ten  years  ago,  it  is  surprising  how  rarely 
one  finds  it  outside  botanical  gardens  in  this 
country,  though  on  the  Continent  we  are  told  it  is 
commonly  met  with,  and  is  not  unfrequently  seen 
gracing  the  windows  and  trellises  of  dwelling 
houses  in  various  parts  of  France.  In  Nice,  Men- 
tone,  and  other  favoured  districts  along  the  south 
coast  of  that  country  S.  macroglossus  and  its  near 
relation,  S.  mikanioides,  are  favourites  as  trellis 
plants,  and,  so  far  as  their  requirements  are  con- 
cerned, there  is  no  reason  why  both  species 
should  not  be  as  extensively  employed  in 
this  country  for  the  same  purpose.  For  draping 
pillars  or  rafters,  covering  trellises  round  windows, 
for  drooping  over  the  edges  of  large  vases,  and 
even  as  a  summer  plant  for  the  wild  garden,  and 
especially  for  clothing  old  tree  trunks,  &c,,  S. 
macroglossus  is  in  every  way  well  adapted.  At 
the  Cape  cf  Good  Hope,  the  native  home  of  this 
plant,  it  is  generally  found  clothing  the  trunks  of 
trees  to  a  great  height,  the  glossy  dark  green  of 
its  Ivy-like  foliage  forming  a  thick  drapery, 
through  which  the  large  yellow  star-like  flowers 
peep  in  great  profusion.  The  growth  of  the  stems 
is  very  rapid,  often  from  12  feet  to  20  feet  in  a 
single  season,  and  as  the  flowers  are  always  freely 
produced,  it  will  be  seen  in  what  a  number  of 
ways  in  the  embellishment  of  our  gardens  this 
plant  might  be  employed.  A  fine  specimen  of 
this  Senecio  may  be  seen  on  one  of  the  rafters  in 
the  succulent  house  at  Kew,  where  it  has  been  an 
object  of  much  interest  ever  since  its  introduc- 
tion. From  November  last  year  up  to  the  present 
time  this  plant  has  not  been  without  a  large 
number  of  flowers,  the  winter  months  being  the 
time  during  which  it  makes  its  greatest  floral 
display.  This  Kew  plant  is  growing  in  the  cool 
end  of  the  house,  immediately  over  the  heads  of 
the  Agaves,  Crassulas,  Sempervivums,  and  similar 
cool  house  plants.  Its  roots  are  planted  in  a  mix- 
ture of  loam  and  leaf-mould,  and  a  liberal  supply 
of  water  is  given,  both  at  the  root  and  overhead, 
all  the  year  round.  Cuttings  of  it  strike  freely 
at  any  time,  and  it  may  also  be  propagated  by 
means  of  seeds,  which  it  produces  in  abundance. 
The  flowers  of  this  Groundsel  are  well  adapted 
for  room  decoration  in  a  cut  state ;  they  are  of 
the  right  shape  and  colour,  and  their  lasting 
powers  are  all  that  need  be  desired.  S.  mikanioides 
(S.  scandens)  has  larger  leaves  and  smaller  flower- 
heads,  which  are  arranged  in  a  many-headed 
corymb.  yf.  W. 


*  Drawn  at  Kew,  May  1,  1884. 


,/' 


MACROGLOSSA. 


A  IT..  2,   1884] 


THE     GARDEN 


91 


NEW  METHOD  OF  GLAZING. 

Mr.  Desnis,  o£  Chelmsford,  lias  invented  a  new 
method  of  fixing  glass  in  the  roofs  of  horticnltural 
baildiugs.  A  cap  of  wood  or  zinc  covers  the  sash 
bar,  and  projects  on  each  side  about  half  an  inch. 
The  putty  is  placed  under  this  cap ;  the  sheet  of 
glass  is  then  pressed  against  it,  and  is  kept  in 
position  with  cork  cams,  as  shown  in  the  wood- 
cuts, care  being  taken  when  nailing  them  to  the 
bar  with  small  copper  nails  that  they  are  not  pierced 
through  their  centre,  but  at  some  point  a  slight 
distance  from  it.  By  turning  these  round  the 
necessary  pressure  is  obtained  to  keep  the  glass 
close  up  to  the  putty  strips.  Under  this  system 
the  glazing  can  be  done  from  the  inside.  With 
zinc  capping  both  putty  and  sash  bar  are 
sheltered  from  the  weather,  and  thus  the  house  is 
preserved  from  decay  longer  than  it  otherwise 
would  be.     The  sash  or  roof  bars  may  be  of  iron, 


Ur^ 

A 

fe5oBl 

feB          1 

\     .  emmi 

C 

c 

D 

-I                             r 

D 

A,  Sash  Bar;  B,  Glass:  C,  Cork  Cam: ;  D,  Copper  Nail  or 
Pin  ;  E,  Putty. 


and  may  be  fitted  with  a  cap  of  copper  or  of  zinc, 
and  putty  may  be  used  as  before  or  dispensed 
with,  and  the  glass  be  kept  in  position  by  metallic 
cams  instead  of  cork.  Under  the  glass,  metal 
guttering  (zinc  or  copper)  is  fixed  to  the  bars,  in 
short  overlapping  lengths,  for  the  purpose  of 
catching  any  drip  that  may  occur  from  rain  being 
driven  under  the  capping  by  wind.     The  difficulty 


hitherto  existing  in  putty  glazing,  that  of  requiring 
frequent  renewal  (the  result  of  exposure),  is  in 
this  system  avoided,  and  roofs  of  horticultural 
buildings  can  be  glazed  under  this  system  at  the 
same  cost  as  ordinary  putty  glazing  and  more 
rapidly. 


Anthracite  coal  (p.  63).— Our  experience 
with  this  and  gas-coke  is  that  both  may  be  used  in 
a  saddle  boiler  furnace ;  we  have  tried  both,  and 
our  verdict  is  in  favour  of  coke.  Anthracite  is 
more  difficult  to  kindle  and  to  maintain  a  slow  fire ; 
consequently,  not  so  economical  at  this  time  of 
year;  but  if  a  larger  body  of  fire  was  required,  as  in 
winter,  then  anthracite  would  have  some  advan- 
tages, as  it  produces  a  very  powerful  intense  heat. 
If  anthracite  and  coke  could  be  delivered  at  the 
same  prices  per  ton,  and  taking  into  consideration 


the  greater  bulk  of  coke  per  ton,  I  am  of  opinion 
coke  would  be  found  to  be  cheapest  and  best. — 
William  Cuvji-p,  MadrcsJicUl  Court. 


SEASONABLE   WORK. 


INDOOR  PLANTS. 

Alt.amandas. — Plants  of  these  that  have  been 
flowering  for  some  time  in  pots  will  be  strengthened 
if  an  inch  or  two  of  rotten  manure  is  put  on  the 
surface  of  the  soil ;  as  much  may  be  laid  on  as 
will  fill  the  pots  to  the  rim,  as  the  manure  being 
porous  will  not  interfere  with  the  watering,  and 
very  shortly  it  will  be  full  of  roots  that  will  be  of 
the  greatest  assistance  to  the  plants  in  enabling 
them  to  continue  blooming.  This  surface  dressing 
will  be  found  much  better  than  depending  alone 
on  the  use  of  manure  water. 

I.XOHAS. — Where  large  specimens  of  these  or 
other  subjects  of  a  similar  bushy  habit  have 
finished  their  first  blooming  they  may  be  cut  back 
freely,  reducing  them  to  one-third  or  so  of  their 
size.  If  plants  of  this  description  are  allowed  to 
keep  on  making  an  unlimited  number  of  growths 
they  will  be  proportionately  weak,  and  will  only 
bear  small  flowers,  while  if  well  headed  in  now 
and  the  whole  of  the  weak  shoots  cut  away,  they 
will  break  strongly  and  push  growth  that  will 
make  a  fine  display  of  bloom  next  spring.  By 
occasionally  catting  them  in  hard  in  this  way  the 
plants  may  be  kept  in  a  satisfactory  condition  for 
a  length  of  time,  producing  flowers  more  abun- 
dantly and  quite  as  large  as  younger  plants.  When 
they  have  broken  well  a  portion  of  the  old  soil, 
say  one-third,  may  be  shaken  away  and  replaced 
with  new  material. 

ACHIMENES  AND  GLOXINIAS.— The  latest  batch 
of  Achimenes  started  to  come  into  bloom  when 
the  earliest  are  over  ought  not  to  be  where  they 
will  have  more  warmth  than  is  just  suflioient  to 
keep  them  growing,  but  they  should  not  be  pushed 
on  into  flower  faster  than  can  be  helped ;  give 
them  sufficient  support  in  the  shape  of  sticks  and 
ties  to  prevent  the  shoots  hanging  about  in  a  loose, 
untidy  manner.  Seedling  Glo.xinias,  as  well  as 
the  last  potted  bulbs,  should  likewise  be  kept  as 
cool  as  they  will  bear.  If  the  earliest  flowered 
plants  have  been  kept  free  from  insects,  and  man- 
aged so  as  to  promote  healthy  growth,  they  will 
bloom  a  second  time,  and  will  be  much  assisted 
by  having  liquid  manure  given  everj'  other  time 
they  want  watering.  Gloxinias  are  not  now  pro- 
pagated much  by  means  of  cuttings,  fine  kinds 
being  readily  obtained  from  seed,  but  where  good 
named  sorts  are  grown,  or  any  extraordinarily 
good  formed  or  well  marked  seedlings  have  ap- 
peared, it  is  well  to  guard  against  losing  them  in 
the  winter  by  raising  some  young  bulbs.  The 
leaves  will  now  be  in  the  right  condition  for  pro- 
pagating, being  well  matured.  Put  three  or  four 
together  into  0-inch  or  7-inch  pots  filled  with  leaf- 
mould  and  fine  peat,  two  parts  of  the  latter  to 
one  of  the  former,  with  a  fourth  part  of  sand,  in- 
serting the  leaves  round  the  edges  of  the  pots.  By 
this  means  much  better  bulbs  will  be  secured  than 
by  cutting  the  mid-rib  of  the  leaf  and  placing  it 
on  the  surface  of  the  pot.  These  leaf-cuttings 
must  not  be  confined  over  much,  or  they  will  be 
liable  to  rot.  It  may  be  well  to  remark  that  the 
more  perfect  and  well  matured  the  leaves  are  the 
better,  as  the  longer  they  remain  green  and  fresh 
the  better  bulbs  they  will  make. 

StREPTOCARPUS  BIFLORUS  AND  S.  Sadndeesi. 
— These  are  most  useful,  long-blooming  plants, 
and  should  be  given  every  encouragement,  letting 
them,  if  possible,  have  a  position  on  a  front  stage 
close  to  the  glass,  or  on  a  shelf  overhead  if  there 
is  one.  If  located  in  a  situation  of  this  kind  they 
should  be  taken  down  and  syringed  frequently, 
for  if  this  is  not  done  they  are  liable  to  be  attacked 
by  thrips.  Their  flowers,  difiiering  as  they  do  in 
form  as  well  as  in  colour  from  those  of  the 
generality  of  other  plants,  are  extremely  service- 
able in  a  cut  state. 

Euphorbia  jacquini-eflora. — Attend  to 
stopping  the  shoots  of  this  as  needed.  The  amount 
of  stopping  advisable   will  be  regulated  by  the 


greater  or  less  strength  of  the  plants  to  be  ope- 
lated  on  ;  if  late  and  weak,  removing  too  much  of 
ihe  shoots  will  only  weaken  them  still  further,  but 
where  strong,  they  should  be  fairly  pinched  back 
or  bent  down.  Where  this  Euphorbia  is  planted 
out  and  employed  to  cover  a  back  wall,  it  will,  if 
strong,  be  an  advantage  to  stop  all  the  shoots,  as 
by  so  doing  there  will  be  a  much  greater  quantity- 
available  for  cutting. 

FRUIT. 
Peaches.— Should  we  have  a  change  to  dry 
weather  one  of  the  most  important  matters  in 
the  management  of  late  Peaches  under  glass  will 
be  the  liberal  application  of  water  to  the  roots 
and  foliage.  With  every  leaf  and  branch  spread 
out  and  trained  within  2  feet  of  the  glass  a  mere 
surface  watering  is  of  very  little  use  to  inside 
borders  at  any  time,  and  when  the  heavy  strain  of 
a  full  crop  of  fruit  is  in  force  a  watering  that 
does  not  reach  the  drainage  is  misleading,  and 
frequently  induces  the  premature  ripening  of  the 
fruit  before  it  has  completed  the  last  swelling.  To 
avoid  this,  let  all  inside  borders  be  heavily 
mulched  and  watered  until  the  latter  finds  its  way 
into  the  drains.  Sjringe  copiously  every  fine 
morning  and  again  about  four  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon, when  the  house  may  be  closed  for  two  hours 
to  swell  the  fruit.  Elevate  all  the  Peaches  that 
can  be  got  up  by  placing  short  pieces  of  lath  under 
them  and  across  the  wires  of  the  trellis.  Give 
night  air  much  or  little  according  to  the  intended 
period  of  ripening,  and,  if  portable,  draw  the 
lights  quite  off  for  a  few  hours  on  fine  settled  days 
to  infuse  colour  and  to  give  the  fine  flavour  which 
Peaches  grown  in  cold  or  warm  houses  never 
attain.  When  elevating  the  fruit  make  a  point  of 
shortening  back  every  shoot  that  will  be  taken  out 
after  the  crop  is  gathered,  for  the  two-fold  pur- 
pose of  increasing  the  size  and  letting  in  light  and 
air. 

Succession  houses. — As  these  are  cleared  of 
fruit  the  first  effort  will  be  copious  washing  to 
cleanse  the  foliage,  and  watering  to  set  the  roots 
and  laterals  in  action.  Then  will  follow  the 
annual  cutting  away  of  all  the  shoots  which  can 
be  dispensed  with  to  insure  the  proper  ripening 
of  the  trees.  If  they  are  aged  and  show  signs  of 
weakness,  fresh  mulching  and  stimulating  liquid 
may  be  advantageously  applied,  but  vigorous 
young  trees  will  do  well  with  plenty  of  pure 
water.  The  weather  up  to  the  present  time  has 
not  been  sufficiently  warm  and  settled  to  admit  of 
stripping  the  earl)'  house ;  but  in  the  event  of  a 
change  the  lights  may  be  taken  off  and  properly 
repaired  and  painted  under  cover,  when  the  ma- 
terial used  will  last  much  longer  than  it  would  do 
if  applied  when  the  houses  are  at  work  and  the 
wood  is  more  or  less  charged  with  moisture. 

Melons.  —  Where  efficiently  heated  pits  or 
houses  are  used  for  winter  Cucumbere,  the  last 
batch  of  Melon  plants  should  be  put  out  before 
the  end  of  this  month.  If  some  free,  quick 
turning-in  kind,  like  Eastnor  Castle  or  Improved 
Victory  of  Bath,  is  used,  the  crop  will  be  ripe  by 
the  middle  of  October,  which  is  quite  late  enough 
to  expect  really  good-flavoured  fruit  and  a  very 
good  time  for  putting  out  strong  plants  of  Tele- 
graph Cucumber.  Unless  the  weather  continues 
very  bad  no  fire-heat  will  be  needed  before  the 
female  blossoms  begin  to  open,  but  it  will  be 
necessary  to  plunge  the  pots  in  a  brisk  heat 
of  80°  to  90°  from  fermenting  leaves  or  tan, 
and  to  place  them  within  the  influence  of  the 
bottom-heat  pipes,  as  they  will  be  indispensable 
when  the  fruit  is  setting  and  ripening.  If  very 
late  fruit  is  wanted,  a  few  more  seeds  may  be  sown 
in  small  pots  and  shifted  into  the  fruiting  size 
as  soon  as  they  come  into  rough  leaf.  They  will 
then  grow  away  freely  without  a  check  and  will 
set  plenty  of  fruit  on  the  first  laterals.  If  12-inch 
pots  are  used,  allow  each  plant  to  carry  a  pair  of 
evenly  set  fruit.  Top-dress  when  they  begin  to 
swell  and  feed  at  every  watering.  Discontinue 
feeding  in  houses  in  which  the  fruit  is  ready  to 
change  for  ripening,  and  reduce  atmospheric 
moisture,  but  guard  against  producing  a  check  by 
allowing  the  foliage  to  flag  through  the  want  of 


92 


THE    GARDEN 


[Aug.  2.  1884. 


pure  water.  Keep  the  plants  thoroughly  under 
command  in  pits  and  frames.  Train  the  leading 
shoots  towards  the  extremities,  pinch  out  the 
points  when  1  foot  from  the  sides,  thin  out  the 
laterals,  and  fertilise  every  flower  as  it  opens.  Do 
not  be  in  a  hurry  to  stop  the  laterals,  as  a  sudden 
check  may  throw  the  fruit ;  when  quite  safe  re- 
move every  bit  of  useless  spray.  Feed  well  and 
water  overhead  with  water  at  a  temperature  of 
85^  to  90°  about  3  pm.  and  shut  up  for  the  day. 
Cover  up  at  night  and  give  a  little  air  to  let  out 
steam,  as  linings  must  not  be  neglected. 

Stawbeeries. — Young  plants  that  have  been 
recently  shifted  from  small  3-inch  into  fruiting 
pots  may  be  removed  from  partial  shade  to  a 
light,  open  spot,  free  from  worms  and  within  easy 
reach  of  water,  of  which  they  will  take  liberal 
supplies  until  the  time  arrives  for  storing  them 
away  for  the  winter.  In  placing  the  early  kinds, 
which  generally  occupy  very  small  pots,  the  latter 
may  be  made  to  shade  each  other  from  the  direct 
rays  of  the  sun  until  the  foliage  requires  more 
room,  when  every  alternate  plant  may  be  taken 
out,  or,  better  still,  the  whole  block  may  be  turned 
over  and  rearranged  to  prevent  them  from  rooting 
into  the  bed.  Up  to  the  present  time  the  weather 
has  been  more  favourable  to  the  rapid  production 
of  runners  than  the  formation  of  good  ripe  crowns  ; 
so  much  so,  that  a  thousand  7-inch  pots  filled  and 
placed  on  a  nursery  bed  in  this  garden  are  now 
half  filled  with  roots  and  occupying  their  summer 
quarters,  never  having  been  watered  with  the 
hand,  but  we  are  now  hoping  for  a  decided 
change,  otherwise  early  forcing  will  be  far  from 
satisfactory.  Should  the  weather  still  continue 
wet  and  unfavourable,  all  the  plants  should  have 
full  exposure  to  light  and  air  by  being  placed  in 
rows  on  planks,  platforms,  or  dwarf  walls,  as  it  is 
in  every  way  better  to  have  a  few  well-ripened 
plants  than  to  swell  expenses  by  wintering  a 
greater  number  than  can  be  properly  grown  and 
tended  through  the  summer.  When  the  potting 
of  the  forcing  plants  is  brought  to  a  close,  provi- 
sion must  be  made  for  another  year  by  planting 
out  the  surplus  runners  before  they  begin  to  suffer 
from  confinement  in  the  small  pots  in  which  they 
have  been  layered.  In  the  selection  of  a  site  the 
first  consideration  should  be  light  and  air,  as 
plants  which  are  shaded  and  drawn  cannot  be  ex- 
pected to  produce  good  runners.  Next  comes  the 
soil,  which  should  be  well  prepared  by  the  use  of 
manure  and  deep  trenching,  and  if  a  little  new 
heavy  calcareous  soil  can  be  placed  round  the  ball 
of  each  plant,  the  labour  will  not  be  thrown  away. 
If,  in  addition  to  the  foregoing  conditions,  a 
situation  near  water  can  be  selected,  its  import- 
ance should  not  be  over-looked ;  but  it  will  be 
better  to  incur  expense  in  carrying  water  than  to 
choose  an  unsuitable  site,  as  a  robust  stock  can- 
not be  raised  from  weakly  parents.  Growers  who 
have  not  been  in  the  habit  of  exchanging  runners 
with  distant  friends  and  neighbours  will  do  well 
to  tiy  the  experiment. 

Cucumbers  —  Where  the  Cucumber  house 
proper  is  devoted  to  the  growth  of  Melons  in  sum- 
mer, the  raising  of  young  plants  must  be  regulated 
by  the  time  at  which  it  is  likely  to  be  ready  for 
their  reception.  A  manure  pit  or  frame  with  fer- 
menting material  for  giving  bottom  heat  is  the 
most  suitable  structure  for  raising  and  growing  the 
plants  in,  as  they  can  be  kept  near  the  glass  until 
they  are  large  enough  for  shifting  into  the  fruiting 
pots.  Immediately  after  the  Melons  are  removed, 
clear  away  all  the  old  soil  and  plunging  material, 
thoroughly  cleanse  the  walls,  wash  the  glass,  and 
paint  the  woodwork  if  necessary ;  then  fill  the  pit 
to  the  usual  level  with  fresh  fermenting  leaves, 
plunge  the  fruiting  pots  and  introduce  the  com- 
post, but  defer  planting  until  the  heat  of  the  bed 
has  subsided  to  90°  and  the  soil  is  thoroughly 
warmed  through.  If  due  attention  is  given  to  early 
closing  with  solar  heat  and  moisture,  and  a  sweet 
bottom  heat  is  kept  up,  the  firing  of  houses  now 
in  full  bearing  may  be  discontinued.  Dress  the 
plants  three  times  a  week,  and  avoid  over-crowd- 
ing by  stopping  at  the  first  joint  beyond  the  fruit 
and  by  the  removal  of  a  few  of  the  old  leaves  and 
vines  as  they  can  be  taken  awaj  without  producing 


a  check.  Add  fresh  turf  to  the  hills  little  and 
often,  feed  copiously  with  warm  diluted  liquid, 
draw  the  lights  cfE  occasionally  when  warm  rain 
is  falling,  syringe  well,  and  shut  up  not  later  than 
three  o'clock  on  fine  afternoons. 

Fit  A  JiE.s.— Renovate  the  linings  back  and  front 
alternately,  and  cover  well  with  dry  mats.  Keep 
the  vines  and  foliage  regularly  thinned,  stop  close, 
and  guard  against  over-cropping.  Follow  up  the 
system  of  cutting  away  all  the  fruit,  old  leaves, 
and  vines,  as  the  plants  which  have  been  longest 
in  bearing  show  signs  of  failing  in  the  production 
of  fine  straight  fruit.  Peg  the  young  growths 
down  into  the  hills,  pack  with  pieces  of  fresh  turf 
and  keep  close  and  moist  until  fresh  roots  are 
ormed. 


FLOWER  GARDEN. 


Mulching. —  For  several  years  past  sundry 
small  plants  in  the  flower  garden  failed  to  grow  as 
swiftly  as  we  wished ;  notably  so  Alternantheras, 
Coleus,  and  other  tender  kinds,  and  also  some 
hardy  sorts,  Sedum  acre  elegans  being  among  the 
number;  and,  believing  them  to  be  dry,  frequent 
waterings  were  had  recourse  to,  but  with  in- 
different results.  Last  year  as  soon  as  planted 
some  of  the  before-named  plants  were  mulched 
with  Cocoa  fibre,  and  seldom  watered,  and  they  did 
remarkably  well.  This  year  all  have  had  this 
mulching,  and  have  not  been  watered  more  than 
half  a  dozen  times,  and  yet  the  growth  is  perfect. 

Clearing  off  seed-pods. — It  is  an  old  saying, 
and  a  true  one,  "  that  each  season  of  the  year 
brings  abundance  of  work."  At  present  attention 
mu-t  be  paid  to  picking  off  the  seed-pods  from  the 
best  varieties  of  Rhododendrons  and  Azaleas,  more 
especially  from  those  that  must  present  a  dressy 
appearance.  If  the  fullest  amount  of  growth  be 
desired,  remove  the  pods  at  once,  and  do 
not  fail  to  examine  the  base  of  the  plants 
to  destroy  the  stock  shoots,  scores  of  good 
varieties  of  Rhododendrons  being  annually 
ruined  by  neglect  of  this  simple  precau- 
tion. Plants  that  are  encroaching  on  walks, 
and  that  must  be  cut  back,  ought  not  to  be  clipped 
with  shears,  but  should  be  "  knifed  ''  in,  that  the 
inner  shoots  may  be  left  intact.  In  large  wood- 
land clumps  much  harm  is  sometimes  done  by 
allowing  the  plants  to  be  overrun  with  P.racken  ; 
a  rip-hook  is  the  handiest  implement  with  which 
to  clear  them. 

Bedding  Violas — The  notion  that  these  will 
not  do  well  in  the  south  is  a  mistaken  one ;  of 
course  certain  kinds  do  better  than  others.  The 
cornuta  section  always  does  well ;  Blue  Bell  never 
fails,  and  this  last  has  now  got  a  formidable 
rival  in  True  Blue ;  it  does  not  grow  so  compactly, 
but  with  a  little  additional  pegging  it  is  more 
effective  than  Blue  Bell ;  being  both  a  better 
shaped  flower  and  deeper  self-blue,  it  is  likely 
to  become  a  favourite.  Mrs.  Gray,  a  creamy  white 
variety,  is  as  floriferous  as  it  is  possible  for  any 
plant  to  be,  and  has  every  other  quality  to  ensure 
its  becoming  a  favourite.  We  have  it  as  an  under- 
growth for  pink  Pelargoniums  and  dark  Fuchsias, 
and  the  mixture  is  most  pleasing. 

CnRTSANTHEMUM  8EGETUM. — This,  the  Corn 
Marigold  of  our  fields,  though  common,  is  very 
beautiful,  and  grows  anywhere  and  flowers  abun- 
dantly. It  got  too  large  for  the  position  as- 
signed it,  and  so  we  have  pegged  it  down,  and  it 
is  now  branching  out  in  all  directions.  For  large 
borders  that  have  to  be  filled  quickly  with  few 
plants,  this  should  be  one  of  the  kinds  used.  It 
would  make  a  grand  plant  for  undergrowfh  to 
Ricinus  Gibsoni,  its  deep  yellow  flowers  contrast- 
ing well  with  the  deep  brown  foliage  of  the  Rici- 
nus. 


planted  out,  the  union  can  be  covered  with  soil 
and  the  plant  is  then  equal  to  being  on  its  own 
roots.  The  best  stocks  are  young  seedlings,  as 
nearly  related  to  the  scion  as  possible,  and  they 
should  be  potted  and  plunged  out  of  doors  till 
required.  When  the  stems  are  about  the  size  of  a 
straw  is  a  very  suitable  stage  at  which  to  perform 
the  operation.  For  the  different  kinds  of  Biota  the 
Chinese  Arbor-vitas  (B.  orientalis)  is  used,  and  the 
American  Thuja  occidentalis  for  the  different 
Thujas,  while  with  either  of  them  the  Retino- 
sporas  will  unite,  but  the  Chinese  is  the  best  stock 
for  the  majority  of  them.  Cupressus  Lawsoniana 
is  used  for  all  its  allies,  and  the  common  Yew  for 
the  Taxacea3.  The  different  kinds  of  Abies  must 
be  grafted  on  stocks  belonging  to  the  same  section ; 
thus  those  generally  employed  are  Abies  cana- 
densis for  the  Tsuga  group,  A.  Douglasi  for  that 
class,  and  the  Norway  Spruce  (A.  excelsa)  for  the 
others.  The  common  Silver  Fir  is  used  for  the 
Piceas,  and  in  grafting  the  various  Pinuses  both 
stock  and  scion  must  belong  to  the  same  section, 
i  e  ,  both  should  have  the  same  number  of  leaves 
in  a  sheath.  Where  conifers  strike  readily  from 
cuttings  grafting  is  not  recommended.  Moreover, 
amongst  the  larger  kinds,  as  a  rule,  neither 
grafted  nor  cutting  plants  make  such  fine  trees  as 
seedlings,  but  in  the  case  of  those  of  a  bushy 
habit,  when  grown  up  the  difference  between  the 
two  is  not  noticed. 

The  stocks  should  be  cleaned,  straggling  shoots 
shortened  back,  and  placed  in  a  cold  frame  till 
wanted,  in  order  to  get  the  sap  in  brisk  circula- 
tion. Side  or  veneer  grafting  is  that  generally 
preferred,  and  is  performed  as  follows:  Make  a 
slight  incision  in  the  stock  at  a  sufficient  height 
from  the  ground  to  accommodate  the  tying 
material,  the  incision  to  penetrate  a  little  deeper 
than  the  bark  ;  after  that  commence  about  an  inch 
above  and  make  a  sloping  cut  down  to  the  first, 
the  head  of  the  plant  not  being  touched.  The  scion 
must  be  cut  in  a  corresponding  slanting  manner, 
so  as  to  fit  exactly  the  place  of  the  piece  removed 
from  the  stock,  and  great  care  should  be  taken  to 
unite  properly  the  barks  of  both  stock  and  scion. 
The  scion  must  be  tied  in  its  place  carefully,  but 
firmly,  for  which  purpose  nothing  is  better  than 
what  is  known  as  grafting  cotton,  thick,  soft,  but 
strong  material,  as  if  the  bark  be  injured  in  the 
least  decay  takes  place.  When  finished  place  the 
grafted  plants  in  a  close  frame,  one  that  is 
thoroughly  air-tight  being  necessary,  and  shade 
heavily  during  sunshine.  If  kept  quite  close  and 
the  tying  has  been  done  securely,  no  wax  or  other 
composition  will  be  required,  and  the  progress  of 
the  union  may  at  any  time  be  ascertained.  Of 
course  they  must  be  watered  when  necessary,  but 
it  must  be  done  so  as  to  wet  only  the  roots,  as  if 
it  touches  the  wounded  part  the  chances  of  success 
will  be  lessened.  When  a  union  takes  place,  air 
must  be  given  slightly  at  first,  and  the  head  of  the 
stock  must  be  shortened  back  by  degrees  till  it 
can  be  removed  entirely,  leaving  the  scion  to  take 
its  place. 

If,  as  sometimes  happens,  signs  of  damping  are 
perceived  a  short  time  after  grafting,  give  air  for 
a  little  time,  but  only  just  long  enough  to  dry  up 
some  of  the  moisture.  In  grafting,  the  sharpest 
knife  should  be  used  only  for  removing  the  strip 
from  the  stock  and  in  preparing  the  scion,  as  if 
employed  for  cutting  the  cotton  in  tying  it  will 
soon  become  blunt. 


PROPAGATING. 
Now  is  a  suitable  time  for  grafting  choice  Coni- 
fer^B,  that  is,  where  stocks  are  established  in  pots, 
and  where  this  mode  of  propagation  is  preferred 
to  cuttings.  In  grafting,  smaller  pieces  can  be  em- 
ployed than  in  the  case  of  cuttings,  an  advantage 
where  the  variety  used  is  scarce ;  some  kinds,  too, 
root  with  difficulty,  while   if   grafted  low  when 


Artificial  manures.— There  is  doubtless 
much  that  is  true  and  useful  in  the  article  by 
"J.  C.  C."  on  this  subject  in  The  Garden  of  the 
12th  ult.,  but  it  is  indefinite,  as  the  words  artifi- 
cial manures  may  mean  such  a  variety  of  things. 
I  suppose  in  this  case  it  is  applied  to  some  mixture 
of  more  or  less  value  which  the  writer  had  used. 
I  believe  it  is  a  subject  well  worth  the  considera- 
tion of  gardeners.  Most  of  the  market  gardeners 
do,  I  expect,  use  these  manures,  but  I  fear  that 
many  do  not  know  their  value.  In  order  to  use 
them  properly  it  is  needful  to  bear  in  mind  that 
different  plants  require  very  varied  feeding. 
Liebig  has  lime  plants  and  potash  plants  ;  the 
labours  of  the  chemist  are  further  required   to 


Aug.  2,    1884.1 


THE     GARDEN 


93 


analyse  the  difierent  herbs,  vegetables,  and 
flowers,  so  that  one  may  know  what  to  supply  to 
each.  Phosphatic  manures  are  very  useful  for  most 
vegetables,  also  for  Grapes  and  probably  other 
fruits.  I'otash  helps  Potatoes,  Peas,  &c.  lioth 
these,  as  also  lime  and  salt,  are  generally  beneficial 
when  applied  with  discretian.  Asparagus  I  found 
to  be  helped  by  kainit,  which  contains  potash, 
salt,  &c.  Nitrogenous  manures,  on  the  other 
hand,  are  principally  stimulating,  and  if  applied 
alone  would  have  the  dangerous  effects  alluded 
to  by  "J.  C.  (.'.'  Having  had  some  experience 
both  in  field  and  garden,  I  make  these  remarks 
more  especially  to  draw  out  information  as  to  the 
opinions  of  others  who  also  have  tried  artificial 
manures. — C.  \V. 


Garden  destroyers. 


THE  BEETROOT  OR  MANGOLD  FLY. 

(PEGOMYIA   EET.B  ) 

This  insect,  which  is  one  of  the  most  destructive 
to  our  Beetroot  and  Mangold  crops,  is  compara- 
tively a  recent  pest.  Curtis,  in  his  work  on  "  Farm 
Insects.'published  in  1859,  mentions  it  as  a  new  in- 
sect to  him  :  "  A  gentleman  at  Cranford  who  is 
well  known  for  his  scientific  researches  has  made 
me  acquainted  with  a  fly  whose  larvre  mine  in  the 
leaves  of  the  Mangold  Wurtzel  "  and  it  appears  then 
to  have  been  hitherto  unknown,  as  Mr.  Curtis  says 
the  fly  "  exceedingly  resembles  Anthomyia ceparum, 
which  is  bred  from  putrescent  Onions,  but  as  I 
cannot  imagine  they  are  the  same  species,  I  must 
distinguish  them  by  naming  the  former,  and  shall 
call  it,  after  the  Beet  or  Mangold  Wurtzel,  Antho- 
myia bet«."  He  then  goes  on  to  say,  "  These  insects 
win  seldom  cause  any  loss  to  the  Mangold  Wurtzel 
crops  should  they  even  abound  to  any  extent,  but 
whether  they  would  prove  injurious  to  cattle 
when  the  leaves  are  given  them  as  food,  I  am  not 
prepared  to  say."  Unfortunately,  Mr.  Curtis's 
assertion  has  not  been  verified,  for  this  insect  is 
unquestionably  very  injurious  to  Beet  and  Man- 
golds, and  has  been  found  attacking  Spinach.  The 
damage  done  by  these  larvae  or  grubs  was  hardly 
noticed  until  1879;  since  then  it  has  become  very 
common,  and  has  spread  allovei  England,  and  has 
been  found  as  far  north  as  Dumfries.  This  shows 
how  carefully  garden  and  farm  crops  should  be 
watched,  and  notice  be  taken  of  every  insect  doing 
injury  to  it,  for  an  insect  may  at  present  be  far 
from  common  and  apparently  comparatively 
harmless,  bat  let  circumstances  favour  it  and  it 
may  become  a  very  abundant  and  troublesome 
pest.  This  grub  injures  the  leaves  by  mining 
between  their  upper  and  under  surfaces,  feeding 
on  the  parenchyma  or  intervening  substance, 
leaving  nothing  but  the  principal  veins  and  the 
skins.  When  leaves  are  badly  attacked  in  this 
way  the  injury  to  the  plants  is  very  considerable, 
as  the  leaves  cease  to  be  of  any  service  to  them  ; 
consequently  the  health  of  the  plant  suffers  and 
the  proper  growth  of  the  roots  is  prevented.  A 
sufferer  from  this  insect  reported  that  his  crop  of 
Mangolds  had  been  retarded  three  weeks,  and  that 
he  estimated  that  it  was  only  one-sixth  of  what  it 
ought  to  have  been  ;  it  turned  out,  however,  even- 
tually better  than  wasexpected.  The  loss  in  places 
in  Cumberland  in  1881  was  estimated  at  from  two 
to  ten  tons  per  acre,  and  in  parts  of  Dumfriesshire 
and  in  other  places  the  Mangold  crop  failed  from 
its  attacks. 

There  aee  two  broods  of  this  fly  and  its 
grubs,  and  probably  in  favourable  weather  there  is 
a  third,  so  that  it  is  most  desirable  to  destroy  if  pos- 
sible the  grubs  or  chrysalides  of  the  first  brood,  and 
so  prevent  the  plants  being  again  attacked.  The 
flies  appear  in  the  spring,  and  lay  their  eggs  in 
patches  on  the  undersides  of  the  leaves.  When 
the  young  grubs  are  hatched  they  at  once  eat  their 
way  into  the  leaves,  where  they  remain  feeding 
until  full  grown  ;  this  occurs  when  the  grubs  are 
about  a  month  old.  They  then  become  chrysa- 
lides, usually  leaving  the  leaves  and  burying  them- 
selves a  few  inches  below  the  surface  of  the  earth, 
but  sometimes  the  chrysalides  are  formed  in  the 
leaf.  The  flies  emerge  from  the  chrysalides  in 
about  ten  or  fifteen  days. 


The  second  brood  of  flies  lay  their  eggs  in 
the  same  manner  as  the  first,  and  the  subsequent 
transformations  are  again  gone  through,  and  in 
the  case  of  a  third  brood  yet  again.  The 
chrysalides  of  the  last  brood  remain  in  the 
ground  all  the  winter,  and  probably  some 
of  the  flies  hibernate.  In  garden  cultiva- 
tion if  the  leaves  of  P.eet  or  Spinach  are 
found  to  be  attacked,  the  best  thing  to  do  is 
to  pull  them  off  and  burn,  or  bury  them  deeply, 
and  not  merely  throw  them  on  the  rubbish  heap, 
for  if  the  grubs  be  nearly  full  grown  when  the 
leaves  begin  to  wither  they  will  leave  them,  and 
bury  themselves  and  become  chrysalides  as  if 
nothing  had  happened  ;  or  if  the  attack  has  only 


Fig.  1,  the  Mangold  fly,  ftmale  {magnified) ;  2,  the  Man- 
gold fly,  male  (magntned) :  3,  the  grub  {magwfied);  4, 
the  chriisxlis  (tuitural  kize)  ;  b,  tail  of  grub  {magnified); 
6,  portion  of  infested  Mangold  leaf. 

just  begun,  a  pinch  at  the  place  where  the  ernb  is 
will  be  sufficient,  and  if  the  leaves  be  pulled  off 
no  particular  care  need  be  taken  to  destroy  them, 
as  such  young  grubs  will  die  as  soon  as  the  leaves 
begin  to  wither.  If  young  plants  are  attacked 
before  they  are  thinned,  care  shou'.d  be  taken  in 
performing  that  operation  to  remove  such  plants 
as  show  signs  of  being  infested.  As  in  most  cases 
of  attacks  by  insects,  the  plants  should  be  kept  in 
as  vigorous  growth  as  possible.  Turning  over 
the  soil  near  the  plants,  when  the  chrysalides 
are  in  the  ground,  will  expose  them  to  the  weather 
and  the  birds.  As  regards  field  crops,  the  same 
methods  may  be  used  ;  but  as  picking  off  the  in- 
fested leaves  in  fields  is  very  expensive  work,  par- 
ticular care  should  be  taken  in  the  preparation  of 
the  seed  bed  and  in  the  use  of  the  most  suitable 
manure  to  render  the  plants  as  healthy  as  possible, 
as  they  will  then  be  better  able  to  withstand  their 
foes. 

This  insec  :  belongs  to  the  genus  Pegomyia,  in 
which  there  are  fi;'een  s;)ecief,  most  of  which 


burrow  into  the  leaves  of  different  plants,  causing 
large  blotches  or  blisters.  Many  authors  have 
placed  this  insect  in  the  genus  Anthomyia,  a  genua 
which  contains  several  species  whose  grubs  are  in- 
jurious to  cultivated  plants,  such  as  the  Onion, 
the  Cabbage,  and  the  so-called  root-eating  fly 
whose  grubs  may  be  found  in  the  roots  of  Cab- 
bages and  Turnips.  Pegomyia  bet^,  the  Mangold 
fly,  is  a  very  inconspicuous  little  insect.  The  males 
(fig.  2)  are  rather  more  than  two-tenths  ofaninchin 
length,  and  measure  more  than  four-tenths  of  an 
inch  across  the  wings ;  they  are  of  a  dull  ashy  grey 
colour,  with  the  antennsE,  thighs,  and  feet  black ; 
the  shanks  are  sometimes  yellowish.  The  eyes 
are  dark  brown.  The  thorax  and  body  have  darker 
brownish  grey  markings,  which  appear  to  vary 
very  much  according  to  the  direction  of  the  light, 
sometimes  being  very  distinct  and  at  other  times 
hardly  visible.  The  females  (fig.  1  )  are  rather  larger 
than  the  males,  measuring  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in 
length,  and  half  an  inch  across  the  wings  ;  they 
are  of  a  pale  ashy  grey  colour  with  black  antenna; 
and  feet  and  yellowish  legs.  The  first  pair  of 
thighs  are  blackish  on  their  upper  surfaces ;  the 
body  has  a  slight  yellowish  tinge  ;  in  both  sexes 
the  thorax  is  sparingly  covered  with  longish,  stiff, 
black  hairs,  and  the  body  tolerably  thickly  with 
short  black  hairs ;  the  legs  are  hairy ;  the  base  of 
the  wings  is  slightly  yellowish.  The  grub  (fig.  3) 
when  full  grown  is  about  three-eighths  of  an  inch 
long  and  is  widest  at  its  tail,  from  which  it  gradu- 
ally tapers  to  its  head,  which  is  pointed ;  its  colour 
is  a  transparent  greenish  white.  The  tail,  as  in 
the  grubs  of  many  flies,  is  furnished  with  several 
broad  projecting  points,  which  may  afford  some 
protection  to  the  two  spiracles  or  breathing  pores 
which  are  placed  among  them  (fig.  5).  The  chry- 
salis (fig.  4)  is  oval  and  of  a  dark  brown  colour; 
fig.  6  shows  a  portion  of  a  Mangold  leaf  mined  by 
these  grubs ;  the  blistered  portion  turns  a  light 
brown  colour.  G.  S.  S. 


SPECIES  OF  APHIDES. 
In  last  week's  Garden  (p.  63)  "  E.  B."  asks  me 
"  If  it  has  been  satisfactorily  proved  how  many 
distinct  forms  of  aphides  there  are  in  this  coun- 
try," and  goes  on  to  say  :  "  I  have  an  idea  there 
are  only  two  distinct  species.,  viz.,  the  green  and 
the  black  aphis."  I  can  most  confidently  assure 
"  E.  B."  that  all  entomologists  recognise  a  large 
number  of  different  species.  Mr.  Buckton,  the 
great  authority  on  these  insects  in  this  country,  in 
his  recent  work  on  British  aphides,  published  by 
the  Bay  Society,  describes  and  figures  no  fewer 
than  125  species  belonging  to  the  family  Aphidinae, 
besides  those  in  nearly  allied  families.  If  "  E.  B." 
would  examine  the  various  aphides,  from  dif- 
ferent kinds  of  plants,  under  a  good  microscope,  or 
consult  Mr.  Buckton's  work  just  alluded  to,  he  would 
soon  be  convinced  of  the  untenableness  of  his 
two  species  theory,  as  the  differences  between 
many  species  are  very  apparent.  "  E.  B."  also 
asks,  "  Is  the  black  aphis  of  the  Bean  and  Cherry 
one  and  the  same  insect  ? "  "and  the  same  question 
may  be  asked  in  reference  to  the  black  or  dark 
brown  aphis  that  gives  considerable  trouble  in  the 
Camellia  house."  The  Bean  and  the  Cherry  aphides 
are  unquestionably  different  insects,  and  have 
been  placed  by  Mr.  Buckton  in  different  genera— 
the  former,  which  is  also  known  as  the  black  fly, 
or  collier,  in  the  genus  Aphis  (A.  rumicis) ;  the 
latter  in  the  genus  Myzus  (M.  cerasi).  The  Ca- 
mellia aphis  is  quite  a  different  insect  from  either 
of  those  just  mentioned.  As  regards  the  question 
also  asked,  if  there  are  two  species  of  red  spider, 
I  may  say  that  the  Acari  or  mites,  to  which  family 
the  red  spiders  belong,  has  not  hitherto  been 
studied  as  they  should  have  been,  but  I  think  it  is 
very  clear  that  there  are  several  different  species 
which  pass  under  the  popular  name  of  red 
spider ;  but  I  was  not  aware  that  any  attained 
the  size  of  a  pin's  head.  I  imagine  the  species 
alluded  to  as  being  of  that  size  is  a  mite  of  a  very 
different  kind,  but  without  seeing  it  I  should  be 
very  sorry  to  suggest  to  what  genus  it  belonged. 
It  certainly  cannot  be  the  progenitor  of  any  of  the 
ordinary  forms  of  red  spider.  With  the  mites 
there  are  no  individuals  to  represent  the  workers 


94 


THE    GARDEN 


[Aug.  2,  1884. 


of  bees  and  wasps,  but  there  are  simply  the  two 


5218.— Chrysanthemum   leaf   grub. 

Nothing  disfigures  the  Chrysanthemum  more  than 
this  troublesome  pest,  and  when  once  it  gets  on 
the  plants  it  is  really  surprising  the  havoc  that  it 
plays  in  a  very  short  time  if  prompt  steps  are  not 
taken  to  eradicate  it.  "  G.  C."  will  not  find  dusting 
with  soot  of  much  use  to  stamp  it  out :  a  far  better 
plan  to  adopt  is  to  pick  all  the  afEected  leaves  off, 
lay  the  plants  on  their  side,  and  syringe  them  at 
night  twice  a  week  with  a  solution  of  soft  soap 
and  water  at  the  rate  of  two  ounces  to  the  gallon. 
This  will  keep  the  pest  at  bay.— H.  Parker,  Ecut 
Banh,  Sheffield. 

Rose  insects  {M.  Stnith).— The  insects  at- 
tacking your  Roses  and  other  plants  are  evidently 
various  species  of  the  genus  Psylla,  and  are  closely 
allied  to  the  aphides  or  green  flies,  and  may  be 
destroyed  by  the  same  means  and  many  might 
doubtless  be  caught  by  holding  under  the  bushes 
a  large  board  or  sheet  of  tin  newly  painted  or 
tarred,  and  shaking  the  bush  over  it.  Syringe 
the  trees  attacked  with  1  lb.  of  soft  soap,  1  lb. 
flowers  of  sulphur,  dissolved  in  8  gallons  of  water  ; 
be  sure  and  wet  the  undersides  of  the  leaves.  The 
perfect  insects  will  mostly  escape,  but  it  will 
render  the  leaves  distasteful  to  them,  and  will  kill 
the  larvas.  I  could  not  find  any  on  the  Rose  shoot 
forwarded  to  me,  but  being  active  insects  they  had 
no  doubt  escaped. — G.  S.  S. 


sturdy  habit,  and  grows  from  9  inches  to  1  foot 
in  height.  The  flowers,  which  are  borne  on  close, 
densely-set  spikes,  are  pure  white  or  slightly 
tinged  with  blue,  and  contrast  charmingly  with 
the  large  protruding  yellow  stamens.  The  spikes 
are  much  branched  above,  giving  it  almost  the 
appearance  of  Spiriea  Aruncus.  The  leaves  are 
oval,  spathulate,  and  very  thin  in  texture. 

D.  K. 


Flower  Garden. 

ANNUAL  SEA  LAVENDERS. 
The  value  of  Statices  for  ornamental  purposes, 
both  in  a  fresh  and  dried  state,  is  well  known. 
The  two  species  about  to  be  mentioned,  although 
only  of  annual  duration,  are  so  easy  of  cultivation. 


A  GOOD  TEXAN  ANNUAL. 
Among  annuals  lately  introduced  from  Texas, 
that  represented  in  the  annexed  illustration— 
Lindheimera  texana — stands  in  the  foremost  rank 
as  a  garden  plant,  both  as  regards  neat  habit  and 
large  showy  flowers.     Seeds  of  it  should  be  sown 


Statlce  echioides. 

that  they  may  be  treated  as  hardy  annuals.  Their 
seeds  should  be  sown  in  the  border  or  bed  in  the 
open  air  where  they  are  intended  to  remain,  and 
the  young  plants  should  be  thinned  out  when 
large  enough  to  handle.  S.  echioides,  the  rough- 
leaved  Sea  Lavender,  of  which  the  annexed  illus- 
tration is  a  fairly  good  representation,  as  a  small 
rockery  or  border  plant  is  one  of  the  prettiest  of 
the  group.  It  forms  rosettes  of  faultless  shaped 
spathulate  leaves,  the  lower  ones  tinged  with  red 
o  -  reddish  brown,  reminding  one  early  in  sum- 
mer of  the  coming  tints  of  autumn  ;  the  upper  ones 
are  a  beautiful  dark  shiny  green,  and  regularly 
covered  with  fine  whitish  spots,  which  show  the 
rosette  ofE  to  advantage.  The  Dower-stem,  which 
rises  nearly  a  foot  in  height,  is  much  branched 
and  literally  covered  with  bright  pink  flowers, 
making  on  the  whole  a  charming  picture.  It 
flowers  during  the  summer  months,  and  is  a  native 
of  Southern  Europe.  The  only  other  annual 
Statice  worth  mentioning  along  with  the  above  is 
S.  spicata,  a  really  fine  plant.     It  has  a  dense 


Litulheimfra  texuna. 

along  with  those  of  other  hardy  or  half-hardy 
annuals  in  spring,  and  that  gives  the  young  plants 
plenty  of  time  in  which  to  fully  develop  them- 
selves, and  though  a  late  flowerer,  as  are  nearly 
all  the  American  Composite,  it  commences  about 
the  end  of  July,  and  continues  in  bloom  until  cut 
down  by  the  autumn  frosts.  It  makes  a  first-class 
succession  plant  to  early  annuals,  and  sown  near 
them,  so  as  to  take  their  place  when  over,  the 
flowering  season  may  thus  be  considerably  ex- 
tended. The  leaves,  which  are  produced  in  tufts 
at  the  base  of  the  plant,  are  oval-shaped  and  tapar 
to  a  sharp  point ;  the  upper  ones,  which  are  oppo- 
site on  the  stem,  are  broader,  and  the  whole  plant 
is  densely  covered  with  stiff  white  hairs.  Although 
in  a  wild  state  it  seldom  attains  more  than  a  foot 
in  height,  good  cultivation  increases  its  height  to 
•2  feet  or  3  feet,  the  leaves  attaining  correspond- 
ing dimensions.  The  flowers,  which  are  bright 
yellow  or  orange,  the  latter  being  the  most  preva- 
lent colour,  measure  from  1  inch  to  2  inches  in 
diameter,  and  are  borne  plentifully  on  much- 
branched  heads,  consisting  of  from  three  to  six 
together,  backed  up  by  a  large  leafy  involucre.  It 
makes  a  fine  plant  for  shrubberies  or  dry  banks. 
The  only  other  species  belonging  to  the  genus  is 
L.  mexicana,  a  dwarf,  cut-leaved  plant,  with 
small,    inconspicuous    flowers  —  a    plant    to    be 


avoided. 


D.  K. 


NOTES  ON  HARDY  FLOWERS. 
Centaubea  macrocbphala.  —  Surely  the 
great-headed  Oentanrea  so  seldom  seen  must  be 
an  overlooked  plant,  and  yet  it  has  a  fine  flower, 
which  is  much  admired.  With  a  stately  stature 
from  about  3  feet  to  5  feet,  glistening  golden 
yellow  flowers  of  a  very  durable  character,  and 
foliage  that  keeps  fresh  and  ornamental,  it  is 
capable  of  filling  such  gaps  as  require  a  tall  yellow- 
flowered  subject  to  precede  the  Sunflowers.  The 
elobular  and  bulky  arrangement  of  scales  from 
2  inches  to  3  inches  in  diameter,  of  a  rich  chestnut- 
brown  colour,  also  plays  no  small  part  as  regards 
the  good  effect  of  the  bloom,  which,  seen  coming, 
first  in  little  tufts  from  the  crown,  and  at  last  in 
handsome  rounded  heads,  charmingly  fringing 
over  brown  fcales,  affords  a  distinctness  which  is 
most  desirable.  It  grows  iu  ordinaryloam,  but  if 
well  enriched,  improved  growth  is  the  result. 


Evening  or  twilight  flowers  might  well 
be  planted  for  their  special  properties  exhibited  at 
that  time.  I  only  wish  now  to  mention  a  little 
combination  of  a  few  dwarf  kinds  which  I  noticed 
the  other  day.  The  contiguity  of  the  plants  was 
accidental,  but  not  the  less  pleasing.  Their  effect, 
however,  during  the  day  is  not  great.  They  con- 
sist of  Clematis  coccinea,  kept  low  and  compact 
by  pegging ;  Cyananthus  lobatus.  Campanula 
Waldsteiniana,  and  Mountain  Avens  (Dryas 
octopetala),  scarlet,  deep  purple,  slaty  blue,  and 
white  respectively.  The  Clematis,  by  the  way, 
may  be  termed  a  closed  flower,  and  in  the  open 
garden  appears  to  do  finely  when  its  stems  are 
laid  on  the  ground  ;  and  who  has  not  been  struck 
with  that  free  flowering  Daisy,  Stenactis  speciosa  1 
its  mauve  or  pale  blue  heads  are  so  effective  in 
the  summer  twilight.  In  borders  this  is  both 
showy  and  neat ;  to  my  mind  it  is  worth  half  of 
the  autumnal  Starworts,  and  moreover  it  continues 
to  flower  up  to  the  period  of  their  flowering.  I 
have  noticed  that  one  plant  of  this,  which  somehow 
has  got  a  place  in  the  walk  gutter,  where  it  has 
been  for  three  years,  does  much  better  than  plants 
of  it  in  drier  positions. 

Gentians.— Quite  an  interesting  series  of  seed- 
ling Gentians  has  been  gathered  from  around  the 
established  plants  of  G  affinis,septemfida,gelida,* 
asclepiadea,  cruciata,  and  one  or  two  others.  Such 
luck  has  not  been  mine  before,  and  if  one  must 
wait  for  a  year  or  two  to  learn  what  kinds  they 
are  which  have  made  themselves  so  happy,  such 
watching  will  not  be  pleasureless.  Moreover,  it  is 
clearly  to  be  seen  already  that  the  seedlings  are 
not  of  the  more  common  species,  such  as  cruciata 
and  asclepiadea,  the  seeds  of  these  being  removed 
as  soon  as  ripe.  It  may  be  useful  to  know  that 
the  surface  of  the  soil  is  not  disturbed  after  the 
fall  of  the  seed,  but  merely  kept  clear  of  weeds. 
According  to  my  experience,  a  little  shade  from 
the  mid-day  sunshine  is  decidedly  favourable  to 
the  vegetation  of  self-sown  Gentian  seeds,  and 
hardly  less  so  to  the  development  and  preservation 
of  their  inimitable  flowers. 

Campanula  hirsuta  is  one  of  the  prettier 
Bellflowers,  but  it  is,  perhaps,  a  little  neglected, 
owing  to  its  lowly  habit.  It  is,  however,  a  distinct 
species.  Its  prostrate  flower-stems  produce  a  few 
bells  at  a  time,  but  they  continue  to  appear  for 
quite  two  months  on  the  moist  parts  of  rockwork. 
The  most  pleasing  feature  of  the  flowers  is  the 
angled  or  star-shaped  whiteness  in  the  bottom  of  the 
rather  wide  or  deeply  divided  bells,  and  the  flowers 
always  seem  to  look  right  at  you.  Another  ad- 
vantage in  this  otherwise  free  grower  is  that  it 
does  not  spread  immoderately  either  by  root  or 
seed,  and  slugs  do  not  graze  on  it,  as  they  do  on 
many  of  the  smooth-leaved  sorts. 

roTENTiLLA  LANUGINOSA  has  flowercd  with 
me  for  the  first  time,  but  it  did  not  require  one  to 
see  its  shining  golden  blossoms  to  create  respect 
for  it,  as  every  bit  of  it  is  beautiful ;  its  procum- 
bent and  woody  branches  are  of  a  ruddy  hue  and 
thickly  beset  with  white  silky  hairs  or  down.  The 
little  pinnate  leaves  with  oval  leaflets  are  the 
same.  The  clear  golden  flowers  are  produced 
singly,  and  are  nearly  an  inch  across ;  the  petals 
reflex  just  a  little;  and  as  the  centre  as  well  as 
the  other  seed  organs  are  all  of  a  fine  yellow 
colour,  the  flowers  are  effective.  The  height  of  my 
young  plant  is  only  l."i  inches.  For  comparison 
sake  it  may  be  termed  a  dwarf  sort  of  P.  fruticosa 
with  nearly  white  foliage. 

Calandrinia  umbellata  is  often  found  to 
fail  at  the  end  of  a  season's  bloom,  and  in  many 
gardens  it  is  justly  esteemed  as  of  but  biennial 
duration.  Here,  however,  one  plant  left  for  the 
purpose  of  testing  it  is  now  in  its  third  year, 
flowering  grandly.  It  is  in  a  stifiish  loam  raised 
and  well  drained ;  aspect,  east  and  south  ;  its  form 


*  Tlie  Gentiana  gelida  above  referred  to  ia  not  the  true 
yellowy  white-flowered,  or  what  is  doubtless  the  true  form, 
but  the  handsome  pale  blue  kind  commonly  going  by  the 
name,  and  only  a  variety  of  septemfida.  It  would  appear 
though  that  Chamisso  considers  gelida  and  septemfida 
but  varieties  of  the  same  species— viz.,  the  Gentiina  orieu- 
talis  of  Tournefort.  I  have  to  thank  Mr.  Dod  for  sending 
me  the  description  and  characters  of  the  Kew  specimens.— 
J.  WOOIi. 


Arc. 


1884.1 


THE     GARDEN 


95 


is  quite  arborescent  and  a  foot  across.  The  two 
past  mild  winters  may  have  favoured  it;  other 
plants  a  year  younger  are  also  in  good  form  and 
most  brilliant  during  sunshine.  I  find  it  to  trans- 
plant but  indifferently ;  plants  of  it  that  have 
flowered  rarely  do  so  again  if  moved,  and  accord- 
ing to  my  experience  often  die  the  first  winter. 
iVcHHlvilh;  Kir!istii!!,  Yorks.  J.  WOOD. 


HARDY  YUCCAS. 
Few  hardy  plants  have  a  more  stately  appearance 
when  in  flower  than  Yuccas,  one  or  more  species 
of  which  may  generally  be  found  in  the  majority 
of  gardens,  either  as  isolated  specimens,  planted 
in  masses,  or  associated  with  rockwork  or  water. 
Not  being  at  all  particular  as  regards  soil,  Y'uccas 
areadmirably  adapted  for  any  of  the  above-named 
positions.  The  common  Adam's  Needle  (Y. 
gloriosa)  and  its  varieties  are  probably  the 
hardiest  and  most  robust.  Old  plants  of  this 
species  grow  to  a  height  of  fi  feet  or  more,  and 
when  branched  form  heads  nearly  as  much  in 
diameter.  Yuccas  do  not  flower  at  any  definite 
age  or  size  :  one  in  a  group  may  produce  a  panicle 
this  year,  while  others  beside  it  under  precisely 
similar  conditions  may  not  do  so  for  a  long  time. 
There  is  one  advantage  in  this,  viz.,  that  those 
which  do  not  flower  one  year  may  be  strengthening 
to  flower  the  next.  That  the  whole  energy  of  the 
plant  is  required  to  sustain  a  panicle  of  flowers 
need  not  be  wondered  at,  seeing  that  they  often 
number  between  300  and  500.  Yucca  recurvifolia 
is  now,  I  believe,  considered  to  be  a  variety  of  Y. 
gloriosa,  and  as  regards  the  size  and  colour  of  its 
flowers,  which  are  greenish  white,  there  is  but 
little  difference  between  the  two.  The  panicles  in 
Y.  recurvifolia  are,  however,  much  more  branched 
than  in  Y.  gloriosa,  and  the  leaves  are  very  dis- 
tinct, being  gracefully  recurved,  as  the  name  indi- 
cates. This  plant  is  well  adapted  for  decorative 
purposes,  as  when  established  in  pots  it  will  bear 
a  larger  amount  of  rough  usage  than  will  most 
subjects  of  a  similar  description.  In  Y.  filamen- 
tosa  we  have  a  very  distinct  plant  from  either  of 
those  already  mentioned  both  in  the  leaves  and 
colour  of  the  flowers.  This  species  seems  to  have 
a  greater  tendency  to  flower  than  most  others, 
and  it  is  dwarfer  in  habit.  Its  flowers  are  of  a 
chaste  creamy  white  colour,  and  the  panicle  is 
branched  similar  to  that  of  Y.  recurvifolia,  thereby 
showing  the  flowers  off  well  individually.  The 
leaves  are  stiff,  and  furnished  with  hair-like  fila- 
ments on  either  side.  This  distinct  and  beautiful 
species  should  be  largely  grown  on  account  of  its 
dwarf  and  floriferous  habit.  Other  hardy  Yuccas, 
though  attractive  as  fine-foliaged  plants,  are 
seldom  seen  in  flower.  Those  above  mentioned 
are  tolerably  plentiful,  and  where  a  quantity  is 
grown  flower  more  or  less  annually.        J.  G.  K. 


SOME  CHARMING  COMBINATIONS. 

Now  and  then  the  eye,  as  it  wanders  round  the  feast 
of  flowers  spread  in  many  a  garden,  languidly 
admires  or  contemptuously  criticises  the  effects 
produced  intentionally  or,  as  it  were,  by  accident, 
and  then  at  once  the  eye  kindles,  the  languor  is 
dispelled,  and  the  cry  of  admiration  rises  to  the 
lips.  So  it  was  with  me  the  other  day.  Standing 
before  a  group  of  two  pots  of  Disa  grandiflora 
nicely  in  bloom,  backed  by  a  big  pot  of  dwarf 
Tuberose  with  many  pearly  heads  of  flower,  and 
surrounded  by  Ferns  and  variegated  I'anicum,  I 
thought  I  had  never  seen  anything  so  fair,  I  could 
almost  say  so  divine.  For  a  sparkling  effect  in  a 
room  or  in  a  greenhouse  at  this  season  it  is  diffi- 
onlt  to  find  anything  more  cheerful  than  pots  of 
Impatiens  Snltani  in  which  this  old  variegated 
Panicum  has  been  planted  to  cover  the  soil  and 
mix  with  the  clear  rose  flowers.  As  an  out-door 
effect,  and  one  that  is  novel,  I  would  recommend 
the  white  form  of  the  old  and  favourite  Everlast- 
ing Pea,  Lathyrus  latifolius,  with  which  a  strong 
plant  of  Clematis  coccinea  has  become  entwined. 
These  two  plants  seem  to  enjoy  the  same  condi- 
tions of  drought  and  heat  most  thoroughly,  and 
the  bright  red  buds  of  the  Clematis  contrast  most 
admirably  with  the  pure  white  of  the  Lathyrns. 


On  a  wall  close  by  long  flowering  sprays  of  the 
sweet-scented  Japanese,  or,  as  it  is  often  called 
Italian,  Honeysuckle  hang  down  in  company  with 
the  scarlet  trumpet  Honeysuckle — one  giving 
colour,  the  other  sweetness  and  creamy  tones  that 
lend  to  each  a  double  charm.  This  hot  season  has 
given  great  vigour  to  Bouvardia  Humboldti  corym- 
biflora  where  it  could  get  abundant  water,  and  its 
large  bushes  are  now  a  mass  of  buds  and  bloom 
with  tall  dark  masses  of  Lobelia  fulgens  rising  be- 
hind— a  combination  much  to  my  taste. 

One  garden  I  know  has  clumps  of  lemon-yellow, 
bright  scarlet,  and  royal  purple  Carnations  planted 
in  threes  all  down  a  long  walk,  bordered  by  Mig- 
nonette, backed  by  tall  buff  testaceum  Lilies,  and 
clumps  of  sweet  Pea.     Can  anything  be  sweeter  ? 

In  a  sheltered  nook  the  dainty  plumes  of  the  va- 
riegated Eulalia  japonica  are  expanding  thus  early, 
for  last  year's  stems  did  not  die  down,  thanks  to 
the  clement  winter,  and  so  for  once  we  have 
Lilium  auratum  flowering  finely  in  company  with 
its  neighbour  Grass  as  at  home.  Romneya 
Coulteri  and  the  large  pale  pink  bells  of  Crinum 
Powelli  seem  to  have  some  affinity  in  their  stateli- 
ness  and  delicate  colouring,  and  this  last-named 
Crinum  seems  both  hardy  and  free  flowering  as 
well  as  beautiful,  which  is  much  more,  than  can  be 
said  for  the  old  Crinum  capense,  which  is  at  best 
disappointing.  E.  H.  W. 


WALKS  AND  KOADS.* 
The  guiding  principle  in  locating  the  position  of 
roads  and  walks  should  be  utility.  Nature  forms 
no  roads  or  paths  ;  they  are  the  work  of  men  and 
animals,  and  would  undoubtedly  always  proceed 
in  straight  lines  from  point  to  point  if  obstructions 
of  various  kinds  did  not  interfere  and  cause  devia- 
tions. Necessity  will  therefore  suggest  where 
and  how  they  should  be  introduced.  So  far  as 
regards  roads  and  walks  to  and  from  buildings  or 
prominent  points  of  interest,  the  object  of  their 
introduction  is  snfliciently  apparent ;  but  in  ar- 
ranging or  laying  out  pleasure-grounds  and  lawns 
it  is  too  common  a  practice  to  introduce  walks 
merely  to  fill  up  the  ground,  under  the  erroneous 
idea  that  they  form  a  pleasing  variety,  or  that  a 
walk  is  in  itself  a  thing  of  beauty,  like  a  tree, 
which  it  is  not.  A  road  or  walk  should  always 
appear  to  aim  for  some  definite  object,  or  lead  as 
directly  as  practicable  to  points  of  suiBcient  im- 
portance to  show  their  utility. 

Unnecessary  boads  and  walks  should  be 
carefully  avoided ;  they  are  expensive  in  their 
construction  if  properly  made,  and  require  to  be 
kept  clean  and  neat.  Nothing  looks  worse  than  a 
weedy,  neglected  road  to  a  house,  or  walks  through 
pleasure-grounds  or  gardens.  They  detract  much 
from  the  beauty  of  the  surroundings,  no  matter 
how  intrinsically  worthy  they  may  be.  An  over- 
supply  of  roads  and  walks  is  always  a  serious  in- 
fliction, and  their  useless  introduction  is  a  sure 
evidence  of  the  work  of  a  novice  in  landscape 
gardening.  The  endeavour  to  introduce  the  beauty 
of  curved  lines  sometimes  prompts  to  a  deviation 
from  the  more  available  direct  course,  and  where 
it  can  be  done  without  too  great  a  sacrifice  of 
utility,  it  is  not  objectionable,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
produces  a  good  effect.  But  walks  or  roads  should 
never  be  turned  from  their  obvious  direct  course 
without  an  apparently  sufficient  reason.  A  change 
of  level  of  ground  surface,  a  tree,  or  a  group  of 
plants,  or  other  similar  obstruction,  will  induce 
and  seemingly  demand  a  change  of  line.  There 
are  many  locations  where  the  straight  line 
should  be  preferred  as  a  matter  of  taste  in 
design.  As  a  connecting  link,  or  as  de- 
fining a  point  between  the  strictly  architec- 
tural lines  of  a  building  and  the  irregular  surfaces 
and  outlines  of  natural  objects  contiguous  to  it,  a 
perfectly  straight  walk  is  in  the  best  taste,  and 
adds  greatly  to  architectural  effect ;  while,  on  the 
other  hand,  a  serpentine  or  frequently  curving 
walk,  following,  it  may  be,  all  the  projecting  and 
receding  lines  of  the  ground  plan  of  the  building, 
detracts  from  both  solidity  and  harmony  of  effect. 


So  also  a  walk  alongside  of  a  straight  boundary 
fence,  especially  in  limited  areas  where  both  the 
fence  and  walk  are  visible  at  the  same  time,  should 
not  curve  until  it  at  least  deflects  into  a  course 
directed  from  the  boundary  line  ;  and  yet  we  may 
occasionally  notice  a  zig-zag  walk  under  these  cir- 
cumstances, and  so  decidedly  crooked  that  one 
steps  first  on  zig  and  then  on  zag  in  the  attempt 
to  walk  over  the  pathway.  Most  people  are  aware 
of  the  beauty  of  straight  walks  and  avenues  of 
trees  when  properly  placed,  and  for  public  parks 
of  the  lesser  order,  such  as  in  small  squares 
in  ( ities,  they  are  both  effective  and  conve- 
nierit,  where  curving  walks  would  be  the  re- 
ver...e.  In  this  case  beauty  depends  upon  harmony 
rather  than  rpon  contrast,  and  more  than  either 
upon  utility.  When  roads  or  walks  are  carried 
over  irregular  surfaces,  the  natural  turnings  and 
windingsnecessary  to  follow  an  easy  grade  andkeep 
as  closely  to  the  original  surface  of  the  ground  as 
possible  will  usually  develop  pleasing  curves.  A 
little  studied  attention  to  this  question  as  to  the 
course  of  a  walk  or  road  will  increase  the  beauty 
of  curving  lines  by  adding  to  them  the  factor  of 
utility ;  deep  and  expensive  cuttings,  as  well  as 
troublesome  embankments,  may  also  be  avoided, 
and  easy  grades  and  economical  construction  be 
secured 

A  secondaey  road  branching  from  the  main 
road  should  leave  the  latter  at  nearly  right 
angles,  and  at  the  same  time  it  should  be  some- 
what narrower  than  the  principal  road,  so  as  to 
avoid  confusion  or  mistake.  Otherwise  the  roads 
leading  to  the  ice-house,  the  stable,  or  other  out- 
buildings may  be  mistaken  for  the  road  to  the 
dwelling.  All  these  roads  should  be  made  to  ap- 
pear subordinate.  In  laying  out  curving  or  wind- 
ing walks  or  roads  it  is  not  always  best 
to  follow  geometrical  rules,  or  to  set  the 
curves  out  to  any  regular  radius.  This  plan 
may  occasionally  prove  perfectly  satisfac- 
tory on  a  strictly  level  surface,  but  it  will  have 
quite  an  opposite  effect  where  the  ground  is  undu- 
lating. The  curves,  to  be  pleasing,  must  be  what 
is  known  as  "  eye-sweet, "  not  too  sudden  or  abrupt, 
and  properly  blended  at  their  points  of  junction. 


*  Paper  read  by  Mr.  Wm.  Saunders  before  the  District  of 
Columbia  Horticultural  Society. 


THE  MOUTAN  P.EONY. 
There  are  few  more  beautiful  objects  when  in 
flower  than  well-grown  examples  of  Moutans. 
There  are  both  double  and  single-flowered  varie- 
ties ;  but  I  think  those  with  I'ouble  blossoms  are 
the  most  effective,  although  there  is  a  greater 
depth  of  colour  in  the  flowers  of  the  single  kinds. 
In  habit  and  manner  of  growth  both  are  about 
equal,  and  one  can  only  wonder  why  they  are  not 
oftener  met  with  than  they  are.  They  should 
occupy  a  position  fully  exposed  to  the  sun,  and 
then  I  feel  sure  they  will  be  admired  by  everyone. 
When  it  is  wished  to  cultivate  these  plants  so  as 
to  form  them  into  handsome  specimens,  they  must 
be  planted  in  a  strong,  deep  soil,  sufficiently  well 
drained  to  prevent  any  accumulation  of  water 
about  their  roofs,  and  the  branches  must  be 
allowed  plenty  of  room  in  which  to  extend,  not 
that  the  Moutan  is  an  unruly  plant ;  but  if  it  is 
to  be  seen  under  the  most  advantageous  condi- 
tions, it  must  stand  clear  from  everything  else, 
and  then  its  neat,  sturdy  growth  and  handsome 
foliage  will  have  space  suflicient  to  show  off  to 
advantage  the  imposing  character  natural  to  it 
when  grown  under  favourable  circumstances.  It 
may  be  well  to  state  that  Moutans  are  not  fast- 
growing  subjects.  Probably  they  never  exceed  6 
feet  high  unless  drawn  up  by  being  overcrowded. 
They  are  admirable  plants  isolated  on  Grass  or  in 
mixed  borders,  and  their  blossoms  are  wonder- 
fully showy  when  used  in  floral  decorations  if  not 
wanted  to  last  more  than  one  day.  For  forcing 
nothing  in  the  way  of  hardy  plants  can  equal 
them,  provided  fair  sized  plants  can  be  had  for 
the  purpose.  On  several  occafions  we  have  had 
them  in  the  second  week  in  February  with  more 
than  a  score  of  flowers  on  a  plant,  and,  as  most  of 
the  blossoms  open  at  one  time,  they  are  strikingly 
effective.  There  is  a  delicacy  in  the  colouring  of 
the  flowers  when  forced  that  is  very  pleasing,  and 
certainly  uncommon  at  that  season  of  the  year. 


96 


THE    GARDEN 


[Aug.  2,  1884. 


Unfortunately,  the  plants  suffer  a  good  deal 
through  being  forced,  although  they  do  not  re- 
quire much  heat  to  bring  them  into  flower,  the 
blossoms  opening  freely  in  a  temperature  of  from 
55°  to  63°.  Even  that,  however,  appears  to  be 
too  much  for  the  wood  buds,  for  the  greater  por- 
tion of  them  invariably  perish.  What  effect  the 
same  temperature  might  have  on  them  a  month  or 
six  weeks  later  I  have  not  tried  ;  probably,  if  they 
were  brought  on  without  any  forcing,  the  wood 
buds  might  survive  and  flourish  when  taken  from 
under  glass.  It  is  this  loss  of  buds  which  injures 
the  plants  so  much,  and  from  which  it  takes  them 
three  years  to  recover.  To  have  plants  fit  for 
forcing  every  year,  three  sets  are  necessary,  in 
order  to  give  them  time  between  to  recoup  their 
strength.  When  they  have  been  forced  into 
flower,  it  is  necessary  to  carefully  harden  them 
after  they  are  brought  from  the  conservatory  and 
before  they  are  placed  again  in  the  open.  They 
should  be  planted  out  about  the  end  of  May  in  a 
good  rich  soil,  there  to  remain  until  they  are  in 
a  condition  fit  for  forcing.  J.  C.  C. 


Gentians  gelida. — It  appears  from  a  note 
on  p.  64,  headed  G.  septemfida,  that  Mr.  Wood, 
of  Kirkstall,  has  G.  gelida  in  cultivation.  If  he 
has,  a  living  specimen  would  be  a  great  boon  to 
the  collection  of  hardy  plants  at  Kew,  and  help  to 
put  an  end  to  the  endless  confusion  which  exists 
in  gardens  and  catalogues  between  this  species  and 
G  .  septemfida.  The  latter  is  a  variable  plant,  both 
in  form  and  colour,  but  of  several  hundreds  raised 
from  seed  and  now  in  flower,  all  are  of  some  shade 
of  blue,  and  all  have  the  secondary  divisions  of 
the  corolla  or  the  scales  multifid.  In  G.  gelida 
the  flowers  are  cream  coloured  and  the  corolla 
scales  bifid. — G.  Wolley  Dod,  JSflge  Hall. 

Anagallis  Phillipsi. — This  is  by  far  the 
most  beautiful  of  the  Pimpernels  which  have 
fallen  under  my  notice,  and  seems  to  be  practi- 
cally unknown.  It  has  flowers  upwards  of  an 
inch  in  diameter,  of  very  nearly,  if  not  quite  as 
beautiful  a  blue  as  that  of  Gentiana  verna  or  bava- 
rica,  while  it  is  as  easy  to  grow  as  these  are  diffi- 
cult. Seed  which  can  be  obtained  without 
difficulty  germinates  readily,  and  the  resulting 
plants  will,  with  slight  protection,  live  through 
the  winter,  and  afford  an  abundance  of  cuttings 
which  root  in  a  cool  shady  spot  in  a  few  days,  and 
commence  blooming  almost  before  they  are 
struck.  It  is  a  little  inclined  to  be  straggly  in 
habit,  but  is  in  other  respects  a  perfect  gem. — 
G.  P. 

Iris  verna. — A  native  of  the  Alleghanies, 
from  Virginia  southward,  4  inches  to  8  inches 
high,  and  with  very  beautiful  violet-blue  flowers. 
It  generally  grows  on  dry,  partially  shaded  hill- 
sides, but  it  does  equally  well  in  the  open  ground 
without  any  shade,  and  even  flowers  more  pro- 
fusely there  than  in  its  native  habitat.  It  sometimes 
grows  in  thick  masses  in  light  sandy  soil,  with  the 
flowers  so  numerous  as  to  completely  hide  the 
foliage.  The  flowers  are  very  delicate,  and  last  in 
perfection  only  a  very  short  time,  a  few  hours  at 
most.  This  species  appears  to  be  uncommon  in 
cultivation,  having  been  confounded  with  I.  cris- 
tata,  which  much  resembles  it  in  habit. — G. 

Clematises  are  this  year  blooming  grandly, 
forming  when  doing  well  masses  of  rich  colour 
such  as  few  other  hardy  flowers  are  capable  of 
producing.  Effective  as  Clematises  are  on  arch- 
ways and  trellises,  that  is  not  the  most  telling 
way  of  employing  them.  Grown  on  poles  they 
display  themselves  better;  they  may  be  trained 
round  stout  Pea  sticks  if  not  required  to  be  more 
than  some  4  feet  high.  1  lately  saw  some  fine 
specimens  on  poles  about  8  feet  high  standing  on 
the  lawn  in  front  of  a  large  villa,  and  very  hand- 
some they  looked,  contrasting  finely  with  the 
general  occupants  of  the  garden,  the  deep  rich 
tints  of  the  purple  kinds  standing  out  in  bold 
relief  from  the  green  Grass  and  the  more  sombre 
hues  of  conifers  and  other  evergreens. — J.  C.  R. 

Clematis  aromatica.— This  is  the  name 
adopted  by  the  late  M.  Alphonse  Lavallee  in  his 


"  Clematites  :\  Grandes  Flenrs  "  for  the  plant  which 
is  well  known  in  English  gardens  under  the  name 
of  C.  coerulea  odorata.  Whether  this  is  the  really 
correct  name,  or  whether  the  species  will  not 
prove  to  be  identical  with  one  previously  described 
under  other  names,  is  doubtful ;  this  question  will 
be  treated  by-and-by.  Like  so  many  garden 
plants,  particularly  shrubs  and  trees,  the  native 
country  and  origin  of  this  Clematis  is  unknown. 
It  is  not  so  handsome  a  plant  as  the  C.  Viticella, 
but  it  possesses  a  great  advantage  over  that  species 
in  the  delightful  fragrance  of  its  dark  blue  flowers ; 
moreover,  it  requires  different  treatment,  or  at 
least  does  best  under  different  conditions,  as  it  is 
a  smaller  and  less  vigorous  plant.  The  best  place 
for  it  is  the  stump  of  an  old  tree  or  against  an 
arbour,  where  it  can  be  allowed  to  develop  without 
let  or  hindrance,  and  can  be  protected  from 
stronger  growing  subjects  which  might  interfere 
too  much  with  a  weaker  climber  than  them- 
selves.— N. 

Tagetes  lucida. — This,  one  of  the  few  peren- 
nial species  of  this  popu'ar  genus,  has  special 
merit  as  a  garden  plant,  for,  unlike  many  of  its 
congeners,  it  has  a  very  agreeable  odour.  It  is  a 
native  of  Chili,  and,  like  other  plants  from  that 
sunny  clime,  notably  the  Eccremccarpus  scaber,&o., 
it  resists  the  cold  of  our  average  winters  very  well, 
seldom  getting  killed  except  in  very  damp  situa- 
tions. It  generally  grows  about  a  foot  in  height, 
is  shrubby  in  habit,  and  well  clothed  with  shining 
oval  leaves.  The  flowers  are  gathered  together  in 
umbels,  and  though  not  large  individually  pre- 
sent a  lively  appearance  throughout  the  greater 
portion  of  the  summer.  It  produces  seed  freely, 
or  it  may  be  propagated  by  cuttings  in  the  usual 
manner.  For  a  groundwork  under  large  sub- 
tropical plants,  few  plants  will  be  found  to  equal 
T.  lucida,  as  when  pinched^  back  it  forms  fine 
bushy  plants. — K. 

Giant  Michaelmas  Daisy.— The  Hima- 
layan A.ster  diplostephioides,  figured  in  the 
Jiotanical  Maijazinc  last  year,  is  undoubtedly  a 
grand  addition  to  Michaelmas  Daisies.  P.eing 
found  plentifully  at  an  altitude  of  from  8000  feet 
to  16,000  feet  from  Cashmere  to  Sikkim  in  moist 
situations,  it  will  doubtless  prove  as  hardy  with 
us  as  the  more  common  North  American  species. 
The  colour  of  the  flowers  does  not  differ  materially 
from  that  of  those  with  which  we  are  already 
acquainted,  a  light  purple  being  the  predominant 
shade,  but  they  are  very  large,  being  on  an  average 
quite  4  inches  in  diameter.  The  plant  itself 
ranges  from  1  foot  to  2  feet  in  height,  and  is  neat 
and  bushy  in  habit,  and  densely  covered  with 
glutinous  hairs,  which  hold  fast  all  intruders.  It 
is  easily  propagated  by  division,  and  as  it  also 
ripens  seed  freely,  the  time  may  not  be  far  distant 
when  a  clump  of  it  will  be  found  in  every  garden. 
— K. 

Lythrum  Graeflferi. — This  is  a  charming 
plant  for  trailing  on  the  ground  or  for  planting  on 
the  side  of  a  rockery  where  its  slender  growths  can 
hang  down.  It  is  also  well  adapted  for  green- 
house decoration  grown  so  that  it  can  be  sus- 
pended from  the  roof.  Probably  its  merits  for 
this  purpose  are  not  sufficiently  known,  or  it  would 
be  oftener  seen,  as  trailing  plants  for  hanging 
baskets  or  brackets  in  greenhouses  are  somewhat 
limited.  Cuttings  of  it  strike  readily  in  spring. 
They  are  best  placed  five  or  six  in  small  pots  and 
set  in  a  propagating  frame  such  as  that  used  for 
tender  bedding  plants.  When  ready  for  repotting 
they  should  be  transferred  bodily  to  the  pots  or 
baskets  in  which  they  are  intended  to  flower. 
Ordinary  5-inch  pots  may  be  used,  passing  a  wire 
round  them  under  the  rim  and  suspending  them, 
but  these  have  not  quite  such  a  neat  appearance 
as  others  specially  made  for  the  purpose.  The 
main  growths  hang  down  nearly  2  feet,  and 
lateral  growths  from  the  base  succeed  these.  The 
flowers,  which  are  purplish,  are  freely  produced 
from  the  axils  of  the  small,  narrow  leaves.  Being 
a  native  of  Southern  Europe,  it  is  almost  or  quite 
hardy.  A  few  plants  of  it  may,  however,  be  kept 
in  a  cold  frame  or  house  during  winter.  It  has 
been  flowering  lot  some  time  both  in  and  out  of 


doors,  and  is  still  likely  to  continue  to  do  so  for  a 
considerable  period. — J.  G.  K. 

522.3.— Plants  for  Shady  situations.— In 

addition  to  green-leaved  Ivies  there  are  the  large 
clouded  white  and  many  small-leaved  variegated 
kinds,  which,  intermixed  with  the  plain-leaved 
ones,  present  a  varied  and  pleasing  appearance. 
Kerria  japonica  and  Pyrus  japonica  thrive  and 
bloom  well  in  a  north  aspect;  also  Jasminum 
nudiflorum.  Where  the  sun  comes  but  little  is  not 
a  good  place  for  flowering  plants  generally,  but 
Violas  and  Pansies,  Primroses  and  Polyanthuses, 
alpine  Auriculas,  Daffodils,  Hyacinths,  Snowdrops, 
Tulips,  Grape  Hyacinths,  Crocuses,  Myosotis  dis- 
sitiflora.  Lilies,  London  Pride,  Dog's-tooth  Violets, 
Primula  Sieboldi,  and  the  common  Columbine  are 
amongst  the  best  that  can  be  grown  in  such 
places.  Then  if  some  of  the  more  free-growing 
hardy  Ferns,  such  as  the  Jlale  Fern  and  its  fine 
variety  cristata,  the  Lady  Fern,  the  Royal  Fern, 
the  Hart's-tongue,  &c.,  are  grouped  or  dotted  here 
and  there  in  conjunction  with  clumps  of  the  golden 
and  silver  variegated  Periwinkles,  a  tolerably 
bright  and  varied  appearance  will  be  obtained.  In 
the  matter  of  climbers  for  a  sunny  situation  there 
is  nothing  better  than  such  hardy  Clematises  as 
Jackmanni,  rubella.  Lady  Bovill,  and  Viticella 
rubra  grandiflora.  Well  stir  the  soil  to  a  depth  of 
18  inches,  adding  plenty  of  good  manure.  Pro- 
cure good  two-year-old  plants  and  set  them  out  in 
October.  In  Mareh  prune  them  back  to  three  pairs 
of  eyes  and  mulch  with  rotten  manure,  and  they 
will  make  a  good  growth  and  flower  well  the  first 
year. — J.  C.  B. 


NEW  CARNATIONS  AND  PICOTEES. 

The  exhibitions  of  the  Carnation  and  Picotee 
Society  are  generally  looked  forward  to  as  offer- 
ing excellent  opportunities  for  comparing  new 
flowers  with  old  ones,  and  for  noting  the  progress 
that  has  been  made  in  the  raising  of  seedlings 
during  the  past  twelve  months.  It  requires  some 
patience  and  a  certain  amount  of  quietude  to 
compare  the  new  varieties  with  the  older  ones  in 
the  same  classes;  but  this  has  been  accomplished. 

Caknations. — On  the  22nd  of  July  a  consider- 
able number  of  varieties  were  examined  and  the 
following  awards  were  made.  There  have  been 
so  many  good  varieties  added  to  scarlet  bizarres 
during  the  last  six  jears,  that  it  is  difficult  to 
obtain  anything  really  distinct  and  superior  to 
the  existing  varieties,  but  Joseph  Crossland  (Simo- 
nite),  grown  and  exhibited  by  Mr.  Douglas,  was 
thought  to  be  worthy  of  a  first-class  certificate 
and  first  prize  in  its  class.  It  is  an  early- 
flowering  variety,  richly  coloured,  the  flowers 
nicely  flaked  with  maroon  and  scarlet  on  a  good 
white  ground.  Mr.  Dodwell  obtained  the  second 
prize  in  this  class  with  a  distinct  and  good  variety 
of  his  own  raising,  named  H.  A.  Rolt ;  it  has  well 
formed  petals  with  broad  markings  of  light  scarlet 
and  maroon  on  a  good  white  ground.  There  were 
some  good,  large,  well-formed  flowers  in  the 
crimson  bizarre  class,  and  after  some  discussion 
the  first  prize  and  a  first-class  certificate  were 
awarded  to  a  seedling  of  Mr.  Dodwell's,  named 
Mrs.  Francis  Wbitbourne.  Its  flowers  are  of  the 
largest  size,  finely  formed  with  well  developed 
outer  petals,  which  are  beautifully  marked  with 
pinkish  red  and  purple  on  a  good  white  ground 
It  was  grown  and  exhibited  by  Mr.  Douglas. 
Crimson  King  (Dodwell),  also  exhibited  by  Mr. 
Douglas,  was  awarded  a  first-class  certificate  and 
the  second  prize  in  its  class.  This  is  a  very  richly 
coloured  variety,  perhaps  the  darkest  yet  raised. 
It  is  flaked  with  deep  reddish  crimson  and  maroon- 
purple  on  a  good  white  ground.  Mr.  Charles  Tur- 
ner, of  Slough,  was  the  only  exhibitor  of 

PicoTEES.  He  had  some  very  fine  flowers  in 
the  rose  and  scarlet- edged  class,  the  whole  of  them 
the  productions  of  the  Rev.  Charles  Fellowes.  The 
first  prize  and  a  first-class  certificate  were  awarded 
to  Duchess,  a  remarkably  fine  flower  of  large  size 
and  good  form,  resembling  Constance  Heron,  by 
the  same  raiser,  but  the  new  variety  is  better 
filled  up  with  petals  ;  the  white  is  very  pure  with 
a  rosy  red  edge.     Maude  obtained  the  first  prize 


Aug.  2,   1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


97 


and  a  first-class  certificate  in  the  light-edged 
class.  It  may  be  described  as  a  light  rose-edged 
Mary,  the  outer  petals  being  beautifully  formed 
with  a  delicate  wire  edge  of  bright  rose.  Juliet 
was  the  only  Bower  exhibited  in  the  purple-edged 
class  for  prizes.  It  belongs  to  the  light-edged 
section,  and  is  of  large  size,  the  petals  of  a  clear 
white  colour,  edged  with  light  purple. 

Messrs.  Veitch  are  doing  some  useful  work  in 
showing  the  good  effects  that  can  be  produced  by 
grouping  the  self-coloured  border  varieties  of 
Carnations  and  Prcotees  in  colours  in  their  Chel- 
sea nursery,  and  not  only  so,  but  the  extraordi- 
nary vigour  of  the  plants  and  perfect  development 
of  the  flowers  are  not  a  whit  behind  those  grown 
in  the  best  country  districts.  From  a  large  assort- 
ment of  border  flowers  they  exhibited  the  follow- 
ing were  selected  for  first-class  certificates : 
viz.,  Celia,  a  very  charming  variety  with  well 
formed  flowers  of  a  delicate  rose-pink  colour ; 
John  Barnet,  deep  rose-pink,  flowers  large,  with 
substantial  outer  petals  and  well  filled  centres ; 
and  Mrs.  Glen,  a  very  fine  primrose-yellow,  with 
broad,  well-formed  outer  petals, the  centre  full  and 
of  good  form.  Harvester  promises  to  be  one  of 
the  most  popular  of  border  flowers  ;  it  is  of  a  buff 
or  apricot  colour  in  the  way  of  Florence,  which  has 
nicely  fringed  petals,  while  those  of  Harvester  are 
smooth  and  well  formed.  The  same  firm  also 
obtained  a  first-class  certificate  for  a  very  distinct 
border  Pink  named  Rose  Perfection,  the  flowers  of 
which  are  self-coloured  and  of  a  deep  rose  tint, 
quite  distinct  from  any  other  Pink.  It  may  also 
be  well  adapted  for  forcing.  J.  D.  E. 


INFLUENCE  OF  THE  STOCK  ON  THE 
SCION.* 

De.  Stubtevant  said  it  seems  to  be  admitted  by 
many  of  our  best  botanists  and  leading 
pomologists  that  there  is  a  reciprocal  influ- 
ence between  the  stock  and  the  scion,  but 
to  what  extent  this  influence  is  exerted,  its  boun- 
daries, and  the  conditions  under  which  it  acts 
does  not  at  present  appear  to  be  well  defined. 
The  influence  of  bud  variations,  of  cross-fertilisa- 
tion, and  of  graft  hybrids  is  not  In  every  case  dis- 
tinguished from  the  effect  of  the  graft  and  stock 
upon  each  other,  and  hence  aconfusion.  It,  therefore, 
seemsproperto  bringtogetherall  the  asserted  cases 
where  the  stock  has  influenced  the  graft  and  rice 
versa,  in  order  that  the  evidence  for  making  up  our 
minds  may  be  more  fully  under  our  observation. 
Dr.  Sturtevant  then  proceeded  to  read  the  follow- 
ing instances  of  the  effect  of  the  stock  on  the 
scion  :  Mr.  Paul  Dudley,  F.R.S.,  who  resided  at 
Roxbury  in  1726,  spoke  of  a  Bergamot  Pear  tree 
from  which  a  scion  was  taken  and  grafted  into  a 
common  hedge  Pear,  but  the  fruit  did  not  prove 
so  good  as  the  original,  and  the  skin  was  thicker. 
In  1850,  Mr.  A.  C.  Hubbard,  writing  from  Michi- 
gan, said,  "  A  neighbour  of  mine,  who  is  a  very 
close  observer,  took  scions  of  the  Esopus  Spitzen- 
berg  Apple  and  grafted  over  a  tree  which  had 
previously  been  grafted  to  some  other  variety. 
The  fruit  from  this  tree  far  surpasses  any  other 
Spitzenberg  he  raises  in  flavour."  Mr.  B.  Hatha- 
way, a  nurseryman  and  fruit  grower  in  Michigan, 
writes,  "  The  result  of  my  experience  goes  to  show 
that  the  steck  has  an  influence  in  determining 
every  characteristic  of  the  fruit.  Although  not 
always  appreciable,  it  is  often  so  strikingly  mani- 
fest as  to  leave  no  room  for  doubt.  I  have  a 
Northern  Spy  on  Greening,  and  this  tree  always 
gives  me  my  largest  specimens,  though  pale  in 
colour ;  while  two  trees  close  by  grafted  on  Esopus 
Spitzenberg  always  give  fruit  highly  coloured, 
but  never  so  large."  He  also  states  that  he  has 
ten  root-grafted  Northern  Spy  trees  on  which  the 
fruit  is  always  alike,  and  forty  other  Spy  trees  on 
large  seedling  stocks  on  which  the  fruit  is  con 
stantly  and  markedly  varied.  Two  instances  are 
related  by  Mr.  H.  S.  Tyler,  of  Daltcn,  of  Baldwin 
grafts  from  the  samo  tree  following  the  charac- 
teristics of  the  trees  on  which  they  were  grafted 

*  "  lulluence  of  the  .St  ok  on  the  .Scion  and  vice  vena." 
liy  Dr.  Sturtevant,  in  Transactions  of  the  Maasachuaetts 
Horticultural  .Society. 


— one  a  seedling,  small,  sour,  high-coloured  Apple, 
keeping  very  late ;  the  other  sweet.  The  grafts 
were  so  changed  that  their  identity  was  doubtful, 
though  they  were  finally  decided  to  be  Baldwins. 
Mr.  P.  Barry  thinks  a  sweet  and  sour  Apple  might 
be  produced  by  grafting  a  Greening  on  a  sweet 
Apple  stock,  and  that  a  striped  Apple  might  be 
produced  by  grafting  a  red  Apple  on  a  green 
Apple  stock.  "  My  garden  contains,"  says  Knight, 
"  two  Peach  trees  of  the  same  variety,  the  Acton 
Scott,  one  growing  upon  its  native  stock,  and  the 
other  upon  a  Plum  stock,  the  soil  being  similar 
and  the  aspect  the  same.  That  growing  upon  the 
Plum  stock  affords  fruit  of  a  larger  size,  and  its 
colour  where  it  is  exposed  to  the  sun  is  much 
more  red,  but  its  pulp  is  more  coarse,  and  its 
taste  and  flavour  so  inferior,  that  I  should  be  much 
disposed  to  deny  the  identity  of  the  variety  if  I 
had  not  inserted  the  buds  from  which  both  sprang 
with  my  own  hand."  We  know,  says  Mr.  W.  C. 
Lodge,  that  a  few  of  our  best  native  varieties 
of  the  Pear  when  grown  upon  the  Quince  are 
more  perfect  than  upon  their  own  roots. 

Downing  says ;  "  A  slight  effect  is  sometimes 
produced  by  the  stock  on  the  quality  of  the  fruit. 
A  few  sorts  of  Pears  are  superior  in  flavour,  but 
many  are  also  inferior  when  grafted  on  the 
Quince,  while  they  are  more  gritty  on  the  Thorn. 
The  Greengage,  a  Plum  of  great  delicacy  of 
flavour,  varies  considerably  upon  different  stocks  ; 
and  Apples  raised  on  the  Crab  and  Pears  on  the 
Mountain  Ash  are  said  to  keep  longer  than  when 
grown  on  their  own  roots." 

A  writer  in  an  English  horticultural  paper 
says :  "  1  have  lately  seen  some  curious  cases  of  a 
modification  of  the  character  of  black  Grapes, 
alike  in  flavour,  size,  and  colour,  by  being  grafted 
on  the  White  Syrian  and  White  Nice,  notably 
Mrs.  Pince  had  its  bunches  and  berries  both 
grown  out  of  normal  character,  and  its  flavour 
spoilt  by  being  so  treated."  A  committee  of  the 
Southern  Californian  Horticultural  Society  re- 
ported that  the  Navel  Orange  budded  on  the 
Citron,  Lime,  and  China  Lemon  in  each  case 
showed  marked  and  distinct  characteristics  de- 
rived from  the  stocks. 

The  double  scarlet  Thorn  budded  on  the  Pear  in 
1866  grew  with  extreme  vigour  in  1867,  and 
flowered  abundantly  in  1868,  and  bore  fruit 
abundantly,  which  were  not  single-seeded,  but 
contained  from  two  to  four  seeds.  The  haws  had 
large,  open  eyes,  and  were  of  a  flattened  shape. 
The  trees  from  which  the  buds  were  taken  had 
flowered  previously  for  several  years,  but  had 
never  produced  a  haw.  .\fter  the  fruit  had  ripened, 
both  buds  and  stock  died.  Grafts  of  the  same  on 
Pear  stocks  pushed  splendidly  in  1868,  and  formed 
leaves  8  inches  across,  bore  haws  in  1869,  though 
less  abundantly,  but  with  seed  similar  to  that  of 
the  budded  plants,  and  then  died.  Paul's  Scarlet 
Thorn,  grafted  on  the  Pear,  grew  luxuriantly,  and 
the  individual  flowers  were  very  much  larger  than 
on  the  Thorn  stock,  but  of  less  vivid  colour.  The 
excessive  vigour  of  growth  of  the  Thorn  on  the 
Pear  seems  to  forbid  its  long  endurance.  Grafted 
on  the  Quince,  the  Thorn  made  nice  dwarf  plants. 
Pears  grafted  on  the  Hawthorn  showed  a  resem- 
blance to  it  in  form  and  other  points.  On  this  are 
made  the  following  remarks :  "  We  cannot  shut 
our  eyes  to  the  increasing  number  of  cases  of 
alleged  graft-hybridisation.  Very  few  of  these 
cases  have  been  submitted  so  the  rigid  scrutiny  of 
competent  observers;  nevertheless,  the  number  of 
the  alleged  cases  is  now  so  considerable  that  the 
necessity  for  inquiry  and  direct  experiment  be- 
comes urgent.  So  many  interests  are  involved  in 
this  question,  that  it  must  not  be  pooh-poohed  be- 
cause it  runs  counter  to  general  experience  and 
belief.  Admitting,  for  the  sake  of  argument,  that 
some  of  the  recorded  cases  are  what  they  pretend  to 
be,itmuststill  be  granted^thattheyarequite  excep- 
tional, but  this  very  circumstance  renders  further 
investigation  all  the  more  desirable.  In  our  search 
after  the  why  and  wherefore  of  the  exception 
we  may  perchance  be  able  to  light  upon  some  of 
the '  reasons  why'for  the  general  rule, itself  greatly 
standing  in  need  of  further  elucidation."  M.  Car- 
riere  twice  inserted  grafts  of  the  Aria  vestita  on 


Thorn  trees  growing  in  pots ;  and  the  grafts  as 
they  grew  produced  shoots  with  bark,  buds, 
leaves,  petioles,  petals,  and  flower-stalks,  all  widely 
differing  from  those  of  the  Aria.  The  grafted  shoots 
were  also  much  hardier,  and  flowered  earlier. 

Some  years  ago,  says  a  writer  in  The  Garden, 
we  grafted  the  Styrian  or  Keele  Hall  Beurre  Pear 
on  the  Citron  des  Carmes,  which  is  one  of  our 
earliest  summer  Pears,  and  the  result  is  that  the 
Styrian,  thus  treated,  is  about  three  weeks  earlier 
than  the  same  kind  on  the  ordinary  Pear  stock, 
and  better  flavoured.  Mr.  Stephen  Adams  says, 
"  A  few  years  ago  I  cut  off  most  of  the  limbs  of 
my  Jargonelle  and  Vicar  of  Winkfield  and  grafted 
both  with  Clapp's  Favourite.  They  have  com- 
menced to  bear,  and  those  on  the  Jargonelle  are 
two  or  three  weeks  earlier  than  those  on  the  Vicar. 
I  have  also  a  Talman's  Sweet,  a  root-graft  twenty 
years  planted,  that  until  recently  has  borne  very 
sparingly,  while  grafts  cut  from  it  and  set  in  top 
of  other  trees  have  borne  well  and  early.  Graft 
ing  a  young  twig  on  an  older  stock  has  the  effect 
of  making  it  flower  earlier  than  it  would  otherwise 
do.  A  scion  taken  from  a  young  tree  that  has 
never  fruited  will  be  hastened  in  its  growth  when 
grafted  on  a  mature  tree,  and  will  bear  sooner 
than  it  would  do  if  it  had  been  left  to  itself." 

Downing  says, "  While  grafting  never  effects  any 
alteration  in  the  identity  of  the  variety  or  species 
of  fruit,  still  it  is  not  to  be  denied  that  the  stock 
does  exert  certain  influences  over  the  habits  of 
the  graft.  The  most  important  of  these  are  dwarf- 
ing, inducing  fruitfulness,  and  adapting  the  graft 
to  the  soil  or  climate."  The  double  yellow  Rose, 
which,  according  to  Mr.  Carpenter,  seldom  opens  its 
flowers,  and  will  not  grow  at  all  in  many  situations, 
blossoms  abundantly,  and  grows  freely  when 
grafted  on  the  common  China  Rose.  Thoiiin 
found  that  three  species  of  Robinia,  which  seeded 
freely  on  their  own  roots,  and  which  could  be 
grafted  with  no  great  difficulty  on  another  species, 
when  thus  grafted  were  rendered  barren.  On 
the  other  hand,  certain  species  of  Sorbus, 
when  grafted  on  other  species,  yielded  twice 
as  much  fruit  as  when  on  their  own  roots. 
Downing  asserts  that  when  a  graft  is  taken  from 
one  of  these  trees  (of  North  American  varieties  of 
the  Plum  and  Peach  which  reproduce  themselves 
truly  by  seed)  and  placed  upon  another  stock,  this 
grafted  tree  is  found  to  lose  its  singular  property 
of  producing  the  .same  variety  by  seed,  and  be- 
comes like  all  other  worked  trees— that  is,  its 
seedlings  become  highly  variable.  Cabanis  (quoted 
by  Sageret)  asserts  that  when  certain  Pears  are 
grafted  on  the  Quince,  their  seeds  yield  more  varie- 
ties than  do  the  seeds  of  the  same  variety  of  Pear 
when  grafted  on  the  wild  Pear.  Mr.  G.  VV.  Camp- 
bell had  two  Roses, one  a  light  blash,finely  formed, 
but  of  undecided  colour,  and  the  other  very  dark, 
but  not  well  formed.  These  grew  near  each  other. 
Buds  of  the  light  variety  were  inserted  in  the 
dark,  which  grew  and  retained  all  their  habits  of 
growth  and  foliage,  as  well  as  the  form  of  the 
flowers ;  but  the  colour,  instead  of  a  light  and  un- 
certain blush,  was  a  rich,  dark  crimson,  nearly, 
but  not  quite  as  dark  as  the  bloom  of  the  stock. 
In  some  instances  the  stock  exerts  a  marked  in- 
fluence upon  the  scion,  thus  showing  the  co-opera- 
tive system  in  use  between  them.  Mr.  Josiah 
Hoopes  mentions  an  instance  of  a  couple  of  Mus- 
cat Vines  worked  on  the  l?lack  Hamburgh  in  the 
same  house  with  a  Muscat  on  its  own  roots.  Those 
worked  on  the  Hamburgh  start  fully  five  or  six 
days  in  advance  of  the  one  on  its  own  roots, 
although  they  are  nearly  a  fortnight  behind  the 
Hamburghs  they  are  worked  on.  It  is  a  curious 
fact  that  there  has  never  been  seen  any  difference 
in  the  ripening  season,  nor  any  effect  on  the  fruit. 
Grafting  the  Pear  on  the  Mountain  Ash  is 
practised  in  Nassau,  and  is  said  to  retard  the 
blossoming  of  the  trees,  and  thus  to  adapt 
them  for  a  climate  where  there  is  danger  from 
spring  frosts.  A  scion  of  Passiflora  vitifolia 
(Tacsonia  Buchanani)  grafted  on  a  stock  of  the 
variegated  P.  quadrangularis  has  subsequently 
shown  variegated  leaves.  The  habit  of  the 
plant  is  sometimes  altered  by  grafting.  Thus 
Acer  eriocarpum  when  grafted  on  the  common  Sy- 


98 


THE     GARDEN 


[Ave.  2,   18?4. 


camore  attains  in  Europe  doable  the  height  which 
it  does  when  raised  from  seed.  Cerasus  cana- 
densis, which  in  a  state  of  nature  is  a  rambling 
shrub,  assumes  the  habit  of  an  upright  shrub  when 
grafted  on  the  common  Plum.  .  .  .  The  common 
Lilac  attains  a  large  size  when  grafted  on  the 
Ash ;  and  Tecoma  radioans,  when  grafted  on  the 
Catalpa,  forms  a  round  head  with  pendent  branches, 
which  are  almost  without  tendrils.  Buds  of  Big- 
nonia  grandiflora,  some  of  which  were  taken  from 
a  natural  plant,  others  from  a  specimen  of  B.  radi- 
cans,  were  grafted  on  a  plant  of  the  latter  species. 
The  first  graft  was  a  trailer,  its  wood  brown  ;  the 
second  graft  became  a  shrub,  its  wood  green.  Mr. 
Fairchild  in  1721  grafted  the  Holm  or  Evergreen 
Oak  (Quercus  Ilex)  on  the  common  Oak  (Quercus 
Robur)  as  a  stock,  the  result  being  that  while  the 
leaves  of  the  deciduous  stock  fell  in  the  autumn 
as  usual,  those  of  the  evergreen  scion  remained 
just  the  same  as  if  on  their  own  roots.  The  stock 
has  no  other  influence  on  the  graft  but  that  which 
the  soil  has  on  a  plant ;  the  latter  will  not  grow 
in  a  soil  which  does  not  suit  it,  and  the  graft  will 
only  grow  upon  plants  allied  to  it. 

Influence  op  the  Scion  on  the  Stock. 
Henry  Cane,  in  April,  1692,  cut  off  a  small  plant 
of  the  common  white  Jessamine,  not  larger  than 
a  Tobacco  pipe,  at  two  joints  above  the  ground 
and  grafted  it  with  the  yellow-striped  Jessamine. 
It  took,  but  grew  feebly,  and  in  four  or  five  weeks 
died,  and  part  of  the  stock  died  also,  and  was 
cut  oif.  The  next  year  it  broke  out  at  the  joint 
below,  with  several  shoots  of  the  striped  variety, 
and  also  made  a  strong  shoot  from  the  root  of  the 
striped  variety.  He  tried  the  same  experiment 
with  several  other  variegated  plants,  but  did 
not  find  any  of  them  to  transmute  as  the 
Jessamine  did.  Suppose  a  plain  Jessamine  tree 
with  two  or  three  branches  from  one  common  stem 
near  the  root.  Into  any  one  of  these  branches 
in  August  inoculate  a  bud  taken  from  a  yellow 
striped  Jessamine,  where  it  is  to  abide  all  winter, 
and  in  summer  you  find  here  and  there  some  leaves 
tinged  with  yellow,  even  on  the  branches  not 
inoculated,  till  by  degrees  in  succeeding  years  the 
whole  tree,  even  the  very  wood  of  all  the  tender 
branches,  shall  be  most  beautifully  striped  and 
dyed  with  yellow  and  green  intermixed.  It  is  not 
material  whether  you  cut  off  the  branch  above 
the  inoculation  to  make  the  bud  itself  shoot.  Even 
if  the  stock  is  not  cut  off  and  the  bud  does  not 
shoot  out,  the  same  effect  will  be  produced ; 
or  if  the  bud  lives  but  two  or  three  months,  it 
will  in  that  time  have  communicated  its  virtue  to 
the  whole  sap,  and  the  tree  will  become  entirely 
striped.  John  Bartram,  February,  1741,  says: 
"  Take  a  bud  from  a  variegated  Jessamine  and 
insert  it  into  a  plain  Jessamine.  Not  only  will 
the  bud  continue  its  variegation,  but  will  also 
infect  and  impregnate  the  circulating  juices,  that 
the  branches  and  leaves  above  and  below  the  bud 
will  appear  variegated  "  When  it  is  desired  to 
turn  a  green  Jessamine  into  a  variegated  one,  a 
single  bud  of  either  the  silver-leaved  or  the  gol- 
den-leaved will  communicate  its  variegation  to 
every  part  of  the  plant,  even  to  suckers  thrown  up 
by  the  root.  The  same  result  takes  place  with 
the  variegated  Laburnum,  even  if  the  bud 
should  die,  provided  a  portion  of  the  bark 
to  which  it  was  attached  continues  to  live. 
A  scion  of  a  golden-leaved  Laburnum  was  budded 
on  a  green-leaved  Laburnum  as  a  stock.  The 
buds  were  inserted  at  2  feet  or  3  feet  from  the 
ground,  and  in  the  course  of  a  few  months  not 
only  did  portions  of  the  green-leaved  stock  pro- 
duce golden- variegated  branches  below  the  point 
of  union,  but  pure  golden  stolons  or  suckers  were 
thrown  up  from  the  root.  Mr.  Purser  states 
(believed  by  Dr.  Lindley)  that  a  common  Labur- 
num tree  in  his  garden,  into  which  three  grafts  of 
the  Cytisus  purpureus  had  been  inserted,  gradually 
assumed  the  character  of  C.  Adami ;  but  more 
evidence  and  copious  details  would  be  requisite  to 
make  so  extraordinary  a  statement  credible.  The 
variegated  variety  of  the  Castanea  vesca  had  been 
grafted,  according  to  Burbidge,  standard  high  on 

an  ordinary  green-leaved  sweet  Chestnut  stock. 
The  graft  took,  but  from   some  cause  or  other 


afterwards  died  off ;  and  subsequently  a  young 
shoot,  with  well  marked  variegation  on  its  leaves, 
broke  out  from  near  the  base  of  the  stem. 

Passiflora  Raddiana  (kermesina)  and  P.  Impura- 
trice  Eugenie  were  inarched  with  the  variegated 
P.  quadrangularis  aucnbrefolia.  From  the  branch 
above  the  graft  branohlets  were  produced  which 
bore  variegated  leaves,  from  which  cuttings  were 
taken  which  perpetuated  the  two  variegated 
varieties  thus  produced.  About  1722  Mr.  Fair- 
child  budded  a  Passion  flower  whose  leaves  were 
spotted  with  yellow  into  a  variety  with  plain 
leaves,  and  though  the  buds  did  not  take,  yet 
after  it  had  been  budded  a  fortnight  the  yellow 
spots  began  to  show  themselves  about  3  feet  above 
the  inoculation,  and  in  a  little  time  after  that  the 
yellow  spots  appeared  on  a  shoot  which  came  out 
of  the  ground  from  another  part  of  the  plant. 
During  the  past  season  a  Mountain  Ash  upon 
which  was  budded  a  variety  with  variegated 
leaves  commenced  to  push  forth  young  shoots  from 
the  main  body  of  the  tree  below  the  point  where 
the  bud  was  inserted.  In  every  case  these  had 
variegated  leaves.  Now  in  view  of  the  fact  that 
these  adventitious  buds  were  there  in  advance  of 
the  original  variegated  bud,  the  presumption  is 
that  they  were  created  green,  and  that  their  normal 
condition  yielding  to  the  controlling  influence  of 
the  new  branches  caused  the  change  to  occur  by 
the  flow  of  sap  from  above. 

Three  years  ago,  says  Mr.  Meehan,  a  bud  of  the 
blood-leaved  variety  of  Betula  alba  was  put  into 
a  strong  stock  of  B.  alba  var.  populifolia. 
After  the  bud  had  grown  a  foot  it  was  accidentally 
knocked  out.  Over  the  place  where  it  grew  a  bud 
of  cut-leaved  Birch  was  inserted,  which,  growing, 
preserved  the  stock.  Last  spring,  several  inches 
below  where  the  blood-leaved  bud  was  inserted  a 
branch  of  a  blood-leaved  colour  put  forth,  showing 
that  the  colouring  principle  existed  in  the  stock 
ten  months  atterall  the  foliage  had  been  destroyed. 
The  new  bud  from  the  populifolia  stock  is  the  true 
European  alba,  showing  that  more  than  mere 
colouring  had  been  transmitted.  Mr.  William 
Reid  asserted  that  variegated  Willows  would 
transmit  their  influence  to  the  stock.  Mr.  Brown, 
of  Perth,  observed  many  years  ago,  in  a  Highland 
glen,  an  Ash  tree  with  yellow  leaves ;  and  buds 
taken  from  this  tree  were  inserted  into  common 
Ashes,  which  in  consequence  were  affected,  and 
produced  the  blotched  Breadalbane  Ash.  Mr. 
Rivers,  on  the  authority  of  a  trustworthy  friend, 
states  that  some  buds  of  a  golden-variegated  Ash, 
which  were  inserted  into  common  Ashes,  all  died 
except  one,  but  the  Ash  stocks  were  affected  (a 
nearly  similar  account  was  given  by  Bradley,  in 
1721,  in  his  "Treatise  on  Husbandry,"  i.,  199)  and 
produced  both  above  and  below  the  points  of 
insertion  of  the  plates  of  bark  bearing  the  dead 
buds  shoots  which  bore  variegated  leaves.  The 
variegated  Pittosporum  Tobira  was  worked 
on  a  green-leaved  stock  of  the  same  species, 
and  though  the  graft  did  not  take,  the  con- 
tact was  sufficient  to  cause  the  production 
of  a  variegated  shoot  below  the  graft.  According 
to  De  Candolle  ("  Physiologic  Vcgijiale")  each 
separate  cellule  of  the  inner  bark  has  the  power  of 
preparing  its  food  according  to  its  nature ;  in 
proof  of  which  a  striking  experiment  has  been 
tried  by  grafting  rings  of  bark  of  different  allied 
species,  one  above  another  on  the  same  tree,  with- 
out allowing  any  buds  to  grow  upon  them.  On 
cutting  down  and  examining  this  tree,  it  was 
found  that  under  each  ring  of  bark  was  deposited 
the  proper  wood  of  its  species,  thus  clearly  prov- 
ing the  power  of  the  bark  in  preserving  its  iden- 
tity even  without  leaves.  Prof.  Kirtland,  in 
commenting  on  this,  says  :  "  A  graft  of  the  green 
Newtown  Pippin  will  invariably  render  the  bark 
of  the  stock  rough  and  black  (the  habit  of  the 
variety)  within  three  years  after  its  insertion." 
The  gardener  who  in  1644  in  Florence  raised  the 
Bizzarria  Orange  declared  that  it  was  a  seedling 
which  had  been  grafted,  and  after  this  graft  had 
perished  the  stock  sprouted  and  produced  the 
Bizzarria.  A  Potato  scion  set  into  a  Tomato  plant 
induced  the  latter  to  set  small  tubers  in  the  axils 
of  its  leaves,  as  we  see  sometimes  oti  the  tops  of 


Potatoes.  The  grafting  of  an  Artichoke  plant 
into  a  Sunflower  caused  the  latter  to  set  tubers 
under  ground. 

Reciprocal  Influence  op  the  Stock  and 
Scion. 

Whatever  opinions  may  have  formerly  prevailed 
among  orchardists,  it  is  now  generally  conceded 
by  intelligent  cultivators  that  the  stock  affects 
the  fruit  of  the  scion  in  quality,  productiveness, 
and  time  of  bearing,  and  that  the  scion  increases 
or  retards  the  growth  of  the  stock,  and  in  some 
instances  imparts  its  own  peculiarities  to  the  root. 
The  graft  and  the  stock  do,  however,  exercise  a 
certain  amount  of  reciprocal  influence  the  one  on 
the  other,  and  in  certain  cases  hybrids  or  inter- 
mediate forms  between  the  two  are  produced.  A 
variegated  plant,  whether  used  as  a  stock  or  scion, 
has  the  faculty  of  imparting  its  variegations  to  the 
leaves  and  buds  subsequently  produced.  A  writer 
in  the  Journal  de  la  Sacictu  Imperiale,  ^c,  as- 
sumes an  effect  of  the  stock  on  the  scion,  and 
from  it  argues  the  effect  of  the  scion  on  the  stock, 
"  As  the  scion  is  modified  in  its  fruit,  its  leaves, 
its  growth,  its  vitality,  it  is  quite  natural  that  the 
stock  should  be  also  modified  in  its  constitution 
by  the  graft."  Gartner  quotes  two  separate  ac- 
counts of  branches  of  dark  and  white- fruited 
Vines  which  had  been  united  in  various  ways, 
such  as  being  split  longitudinally  and  then  joined, 
kc,  and  these  branches  produced  distinct  bunches 
of  Grapes  of  the  two  colours,  and  other  bunches 
with  Grapes  either  striped  or  of  an  inter- 
mediate and  new  tint.  Even  the  leaves  in 
one  case  were  variegated.  My  monstrous 
Pippin,  says  Mr.  Stephen  Adams,  was  grafted 
near  the  ground  about  thirty-five  years  ago.  It 
soon  began  to  bear  superb  fruit,  large  and  fair, 
but  too  tart  to  eat  raw.  About  twenty  years 
ago  I  sawed  off  five  of  the  limbs  and  grafted 
them  with  an  Apple  called  Hay  Boys.  Soon 
the  monstrous  Pippin  grew  milder  until  it  has 
become  a  sweet  Apple,  though  the  Hay  Boys  is 
not  so  sweet  as  formerly.  The  effect  of  the 
Quince  in  dwarfing  the  Pear  and  bringing  it  into 
bearing  is  so  well  known  as  to  require  only  an  allu- 
sion, as  is  also  that  of  other  d  warf  stocks.  Instances 
of  the  effect  of  variegated  Abutilons  on  the  stocks 
on  which  ihey  were  grafted  are  so  numerous  and 
universally  admitted,  that  mere  mention  of  them 
is  sufBoient. 

Dr.  Sturtevant  repeated  that  the  influence  of 
the  stock  and  graft  on  each  other  should  not  be 
confounded  with  bud  variations.  There  is  a  varie- 
gated Coffee  tree  in  the  Department  of  Agriculture 
at  Washington  ;  if  this  had  followed  the  grafting, 
it  would  have  been  ascribed  to  the  grafting. 
Change  of  form  in  leaves  is  common,  and  also 
form  of  tree.  He  had  seen  the  Beech  tree  in  the 
form  of  a  column.  Graft  hybrids  are  yet  rather 
rare,  and  consequently  we  know  little  concerning 
them.  The  immediate  effect  of  pollination,  de- 
nied by  Prof.  Eaton,  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  the 
Melon  was  largely  influenced  the  same  year. 
There  is  a  probability  that  this  influence  is  more 
frequent  than  is  usually  supposed.  Irritation 
sometimes  causes  the  formation  of  fruit  without 
the  action  of  pollen.  Mr.  C.  M.  Hovey  thought 
that  the  mutual  influence  of  the  stock  and  graft 
should  be  kept  distinct  from  sports.  He  quoted 
the  views  of  Thomas  Andrew  Knight  on  the  sub- 
ject as  follows  ;  "  Many  gardeners  entertain  an 
opinion  that  the  stock  communicates  a  portion  of 
its  own  power  to  bear  cold  without  injury  to  the 
species  or  variety  of  fmit  which  is  grafted  upon 
it,  but  I  have  ample  reason  to  believe  that  this 
opinion  is  wholly  erroneous,  and  this  kind  of 
hardiness  in  the  root  alone  can  never  be  a  quality 
of  any  value  in  a  stock,  for  the  branches  of  every 
species  of  tree  are  much  more  easily  destroyed  by 
frost  than  its  root?.  Many  also  believe  that  a 
Peach  tree  when  grafted  upon  its  native  stock 
very  soon  perishes,  but  my  experience  does  not 
further  support  this  conclusion  than  that  it  proves 
seedling  Peach  trees,  when  growing  in  a  very  rich 
soil,  to  be  greatly  injured  and  often  killed  by  the 
excessive  use  of  the  pruning  knife  upon  their 
branches  when  those  are  confined  to  too  narrow 
I  limits.     The  stock  in   this  instance  can,  I  con- 


Are.  2,   1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


99 


ceive,  only  act  injurioasly  by  supplying  more 
nutriment  than  can  be  expended,  for  the  root 
which  Nature  gives  to  each  seedling  plant  must  be 
well,  if  not  best,  calculated  to  support  it ;  and  the 
chief  general  conclusions  which  my  experience  has 
enabled  me  safely  to  draw  are,  that  a  stock  of  a 
species  or  genu5,  different  from  that  of  the  fruit 
to  be  grafted  upon  it,  can  rarely  be  used  with 
advantage,  unless  where  the  object  of  the  planter 
is  to  restrain  and  debilitate,  and  that  where 
stocks  of  the  same  species  with  the  bud  or  graft 
are  used,  it  will  generally  be  found  advantageous 
to  select  such  as  approximate  in  their  habits  and 
state  of  change,  or  improvement  from  cultivation, 
those  of  the  variety  of  fruit  which  they  were  in- 
tended to  support."  Mr.  Hovey  said  that  a  Pear 
tree  grafted  on  the  Quince  gives  entirely  different 
growth  from  one  on  the  Pear,  and  Pears  are 
higher  coloured  from  such  a  tree.  The  Plum 
stock  does  not  give  the  supply  of  sap  to  the  Peach 
that  the  Peach  stock  does.  If  every  stock  in- 
fluenced the  graft,  we  should  have  no  Bartlett 
Pears  or  Baldwin  Apples,  but  these  are  all  the 
same  as  he  knew  them  when  a  boy.  These  and 
the  Vicar  of  Winkfield  and  Winter  Nelis  Pears, 
the  Greengage  Plum,  the  Jacques  and  George  the 
Fourth  Peaches,  the  black  Tartarian  Cherry,  the 
double  white  Camellia,  and  the  Gen.  Jacque- 
minot Rose  have  been  grafted  millions  of  times 
on  seedling  stocks,  and  are  still  unchanged.  The 
purple  Beech  is  the  same  throughout,  and 
many  others  might  be  named.  Mr.  Hovey  stated 
that  the  observations  of  Mr.  Knight  extended 
over  forty  years,  and  his  own  over  fifty  years.  He 
h.id  grafted  late  varieties  on  the  Madeleine  and 
other  early  Pears  without  hastening  their  ripening, 
and  he  doubted  the  statement  that  this  effect  was 
produced  on  the  Styrian  or  Keele  Hall  Pear  when 
grafted  on  the  Madeleine.  He  mentioned  a  case 
in  his  own  grounds  where  it  might  have  been 
supposed  that  a  Beurre  Bosc  Pear  had  been 
changed,  but,  on  careful  examination,  it  proved 
that  a  graft  of  the  Lewis  Pear  (probably  cut  from 
a  sucker)  had  baen  inserted  instead  of  the  Beurre 
Bosc.  An  alleged  case  of  the  change  of  Bearru 
Clairgeau  by  grafting  on  the  Aston  Town  might 
probably  be  explained  in  the  same  way.  Loudon 
laid  down  the  principle  that  grafts  from  all  varie- 
gated trees  would  infect  the  stock,  but  Mr.  Hovey 
discussed  the  subject  only  so  far  as  respects  in- 
fluence on  the  character  of  the  variety.  He  has 
Seckel  Pear  trees  grafted  on  Hawthorn  stocks,  but 
never  saw  little  haws  on  them  ;  on  the  contrary, 
they  bore  the  finest  Seckles  he  had  the  previous 
year.  There  is  no  instance,  to  his  knowledge, 
where  it  can  be  shown  that  when  the  true  variety 
was  grafted  it  has  changed.  If  trefs  could'  be 
made  hardier  by  grafting  on  hardy  stocks,  that 
would  be  a  very  important  point ;  but  the  idea  of 
acclimatisation  by  this  means  is  Utopian. 

The  chairman  said  that  Mr.  Hovey  had  decided 
the  matter  to  his  own  satisfaction,  but  he  thought 
there  might  still  be  a  question  whether  the  stock 
does  not  hasten  the  maturity  of  fruit.  Mr.  0.  B 
Hidwen  said,  in  allusion  to  the  reported  early 
npening  of  fruits  grafted  on  early  varieties,  that 
he  had  noticed  that  the  Northern  Spy  and  Holden 
Pippm  Apples  ripen  earlier  in  cultivated  ground 
than  in  Grass,  even  though  the  latter  is  ploughed 
occasionally;  but  on  one  farm  the  Holden  Pippin 
IS  several  weeks  later  than  the  general  crop. 
Ihough  he  had  raised  twenty-five  acres  of  Apple 
orchard  from  seed,  he  had  never  seen  a  single 
instance  where  he  was  satisfied  that  the  stock  had 
influenced  the  graft ;  nor  could  he  recall  an  in- 
stance where  he  could  say  that  the  Pear  or  Plum 
had  been  so  influenced.  Apples  vary  on  different 
trees  and  on  the  fame  tree,  but  the  stock  should 
influence  all  alike.  He  attributed  the  superiority 
of  the  fruit  of  one  tree  over  another  to  a  difference 
in  culture  or  soil.  He  did  not  wish  nur.-erymen 
to  think  that  the  stock  would  infiuenoe  the  scion 
Botanists  say  that  there  are  instances,  but  the 
weight  of  evidence  is  in  another  direction  If  a 
graft  had  been  taken  from  a  Baldwin  tree  which 
had  varied  and  inserted  in  the  original  Baldwin 
tree,  it  would  doubtless  have  regained  its  original 
characteristics. 


Mr.  N.  B.  White  thought  the  late  ripening  of 
Apples  in  grass  ground  might  be  owing  to  the 
frost  being  kept  longer  in  the  ground.  He  had 
mulched  Pears  heavily  to  keep  the  frost  in  and 
retard  the  blossoming,  and  in  that  way  had  got 
better  Pears.  He  grafted  a  Porter  Apple  tree  for 
a  neighbour  with  scions  of  the  same  variety  taken 
from  a  tree  which  produced  remarkably  fine  fruit. 
At  the  same  time  he  cut  scions  from  the  tree 
which  he  was  grafting  and  put  them  in,  and  when 
they  fruited  he  could  not  discover  any  difference. 
He  thought  the  variations  of  which  so  many  in- 
stances had  been  adduced  were  simply  sports ; 
and  said  that,  though  it  is  interesting  to  get  the 
facts  together,  they  do  not  establish  any  principle. 

Edmund  Hersey  said  that  when  he  was  a  boy 
his  fatherpurchased  apiece  of  landon  which  wasan 
Apple  tree  that  always  dropped  its  fruit  before  it  was 
ripe.  His  father  grafted  one  side  of  the  tree  with 
the  Rhode  Island  Greening,  and  when  the  grafts 
bore,  the  fruit  partook  of  the  character  of  the  stock 
with  regard  to  dropping.  The  greatest  number 
of  Apples  ever  gathered  from  the  tree  was  twelve. 
The  dropping  might  have  been  due  to  the  soil. 
His  father  bought  another  piece  of  land  on  which 
was  a  natural  .\pple  tree  which  bore  enormous 
crops,  but  every  .Vpple  had  a  peculiar  rot  on  one 
side ;  they  would  hang  until  frost  came,  but  when 
gathered  a  quarter  part  would  be  rotten.  Twenty- 
five  scions  were  inserted  in  the  tree,  not  one  of 
which  took,  and  it  was  afterwards  budded  with 
summer,  autumn,  and  winter  kinds — sweet  and 
sour,  and  of  all  colours.  The  rot  affected  all  the 
kinds ;  there  never  was  a  peck  of  Apples  free 
from  it.  A  Baldwin  tree  was  planted  close  to  it 
and  the  old  tree  cut  down ;  the  Baldwins  never 
rotted.  The  tree  when  cut  down  was  somewhat 
rotten  in  the  top ;  it  had  previously  been  very 
sound.  The  speaker  thought  these  facts  positive 
proof  that  the  stock  does  influence  the  scion.  His 
father  had  two  Baldwin  trees,  one  of  which  by  the 
roadside  bore  very  handtome  fruit,  though  not 
very  large  ;  the  other  tree,  which  grew  by  the  side 
of  the  barn,  bore  larger  fruit.  VVhen  the  latter 
was  large  enough  to  bear  two  barrels  of  Apples  it 
was  removed  to  the  roadside,  and  has  continued  to 
bear  large,  though  not  so  uniform  sized.  Apples. 

The  chairman  thought  we  could  say  that  we 
know  the  influence  of  the  stock  on  the  graft  is 
proved,  and  that  it  may  be  propagated.  As  to  the 
influence  of  the  graft  on  the  stock,  every  nursery- 
man knows  that  the  character  of  roots  is  changed, 
and  that  the  roots  of  a  row  of  Baldwin  Apple  trees 
in  the  nursery  will  be  alike,  and  the  roots  of  a 
row  of  Roxbury  Russets  will  be  alike,  and  will 
differ  from  those  of  the  Baldwins.  Each  row  can 
be  told  by  its  roots.  He  thought  the  subject  of 
more  practical  importance  than  it  was  considered 
by  some.  Roses,  particularly  those  of  weak 
growth,  will  give  a  much  more  magnificent  bloom 
when  worked  on  the  Manettl  stock  than  those  on 
their  own  roots. 


BALM   OF  GILEAD. 

The  species  belonging  to  the  genus  Cedronella — 
chiefly  natives  of  North  America— are  very  hand- 
some garden  plants  and  well  adapted  for  either 
the  flower  garden  or  mixed  border  ;  they  grow  well 
in  sunny  positions  in  ordinary  soil  if  well  drained. 
The  Balm  of  Gilead  of  old  writers,  C.  triphylla,  is  re- 
presented  to  be  a  useful  plant  for  greenhouses.  It 
is  a  bushy  perennial  with  compound  leaves,  having 
from  three  to  five  finely  serrated  oval-shaped  leaf- 
lets. It  seldom  exceeds  2  feet  in  height.  The 
flowers,  which  are  produced  in  July  and  August, 
are  pale  blue,  and  borne  on  short  thick  spikes ; 
they  are  very  pretty  when  the  plant  is  well  grown. 
It  was  first  sent  to  Europe  under  the  name  of 
"  Permento  de  Tana,"  and  as  such  was  cultivated 
as  long  ago  as  1697  by  the  Duchess  of  Beaufort, 
principally  for  the  rich  odour  emitted  when  the 
leaves  are  gently  rubbed  between  the  fingers.  In 
mild  winters  it  will  grow  in  the  open,  but  a  sunny 
spot  against  or  near  a  south  wall  should,  if  pos- 
sible, be  chosen  for  it.  The  ease  with  which  it  is 
increased  by  means  of  cuttings,  and  the  fact  of  its 
only  requiring  the  piotection  of  a  cold  frame  even 


in  severe  winters,  together  with  its  rapidity  of 
growth,  render  dependence  on  mild  seasons  hardly 
necessary.  It  is  a  native  of  the  Canary  Islands, 
and  has  been  distributed  at  various  times  under 
the  name  of  Draoocephalum  canarienfe.  C.  cana, 
the  hoary-leaved  species,  is  a  very  handsome  plant, 
and  useful  for  ornamental  purposes.  It  grows 
about  'i  feet  high,  and  has  a  fine  erect  and  grace- 
ful habit.  Its  flowers  are  produced  in  July  and 
August  in  whorls,  on  a  spike  about  1  foot  in 
length ;  they  are  bright  purple  and  showy.  It 
grows  well  in  the  ordinary  border,  and  may  be  in- 
creased freely  from  cuttings.  Another  species 
which  should  find  a  place  in  every  collection  is  C. 
mexicana ;  it  is  easily  distinguished  from  the 
above  by  the  total  absence  of  the  hoariness  of 
the  leaves  ;  the  flowers  are  reddish  purple  and  are 
very  pretty  ;  they  open  in  September  and  October. 
This  plant  may  be  used  with  advantage  in  the 
rockery,  flowering  as  it  does  at  a  season  when 
most  plants  are  over.  D.  K. 

Kitchen    Garden. 


ADTUMN  CULTIVATION. 
On  some  soils  deep  stirring  in  autumn  has  a 
beneficial  effect,  and  the  rougher  the  surface  is 
left  the  better.  I  came  here  fifteen  years  ago 
with  a  firm  conviction  that  autumn  cultivation 
was  the  right  thing  everywhere,  but  so  far  as  this 
particular  soil  is  concerned,  my  practice  has  under- 
gone some  modification.  I  soon  found  that  the 
land  which  was  turned  up  last  was  in  the  best 
condition  for  planting  in  spring.  The  thought 
has  often  occurred  to  me  that  our  land  must  be 
badly  drained,  and  to  some  extent  that  may  have 
been  true,  as  the  natural  water  level  is  high  in 
this  district  in  winter ;  but  land  that  is  naturally 
retentive  will  hold  more  water  when  in  a  loose, 
open  condition  than  when  firmly  pressed  together, 
as  It  is  before  it  is  broken  up  with  the  spade  In 
winter.  Again,  adhesive  soils  under  the  influence 
of  a  sharp  burst  of  sunshine  will  crack  even  if  the 
surface  is  kept  loose  by  cultivation;  theheatpene- 
trates  to  a  certain  extent,  and  the  earth  contracts 
and  fissures  occur.  The  autumn  rains  come  and 
the  land  expands  again,  but  does  not  altogether 
fill  up  the  cracks  thus  made ;  these  to  a  cer- 
tain extent  remain  and  form  natural  drains  for 
carrying  off  the  surface  water.  When  trenching 
is  done  in  autumn,  these  natural  drains  are  broken 
up,  and  the  loose  adhesive  soil  holds  the  water  in 
suspension  until  the  days  lengthen  and  the  sun 
and  wind  lift  some  of  it  up  into  the  air  again  in 
spring.  Hence  it  follows  that  I  am  not  in  such  a 
hurry  to  get  the  digging  of  ground  done  so  very 
early  in  autumn  as  I  once  was  that  I  want  to  crop 
early  in  spring.  Taking  the  average  of  seasons 
into  account,  we  do  not  have  much  frost  before 
Christmas  of  sufficient  intensity  to  have  much 
effect  on  the  surface  of  the  earth  ;  and,  besides, 
under  a  system  of  close  cropping  it  is  not  often 
that  any  great  extent  of  land  can  be  cleared  for 
trenching  before  the  end  of  December.  The  more 
this  matter  is  thought  over,  the  more  convincing 
it  becomes  that  a  very  wide  experience  is  neces- 
sary to  enable  anyone  to  speak  with  confidence 
on  so  important  an  operation  as  to  when  we  shall 
plough  or  dig.  There  is,  of  course,  a  right  time 
for  every  district,  but  it  does  not  follow  that  what 
suits  one  place  will  suit  all,  or  exactly  fit  any 
other,  unless  the  geological  formation  is  similar, 
and  even  when  that  is  so  there  are  other  matters 
probably  purely  local  which  intervene  and  alter 
the  conditions  under  which  we  work.  E.  H. 


THE  POTATO  CROP. 
Light,  sound,  and  of  excellent  quality  is  the  true 
record  of  the  Potato  crop  up  to  July  22,  and  pro- 
bably still  in  most  localities.  On  that  date  I 
noticed  the  disease  for  the  first  time  in  a  cottage 
garden  about  7  miles  from  Bury  St.  Edmunds. 
That  garden  seemed  specially  rich  and  sheltered  ; 
the  haulm  was  abnormally  long  and  strong,  the 
tubers  of  more  than  average  size.  It  was,  in 
fact,  the  old  story  of  a  rich  soil  and  abnor- 
mal vigonr  favouring    the  Potato   plague.     All 


100 


THE     GAEDEN 


[AtG.  2,   1884. 


the  other  gardens  and  fields  in  the  neighbour- 
hood seemed  free  np  to  that  date ;  since  then 
we  have  had  nearly  a  week  of  disease-fostering 
weather— the  air  heavily  charged  with  electricity, 
heavy  thunder  storms  of  rain  and  hail,  sudden 
changes  of  temperature,  and  a  semi-saturated  at- 
mosphere. Hardly,  however,  as  yet  have  the  rains 
reached  the  tubers,  as  we  have  found  on  lifting  a 
good  many  to-day,  all  of  which  were  sound.  As 
the  whole  of  the  early  varieties  are  so  far  matured 
as  to  have  their  skins  thoroughly  set,  the  great 
point  is  to  lift  and  store  them  at  once.  This  will 
not  only  get  them  out  of  the  way  of  the  disease, 
but  also  prevent  the  heavy  rains  from  forcing 
supertnberation,  which  is  almost  as  disastrous  as 
the  disease  itself.  The  latter  rots  the  tubers,  the 
former  ruins  their  quality,  so  as  to  render  them 
uneatable.  Safely  lifted  and  stored  before  the 
disease  hits  them,  they  are  safe ;  the  ground  is 
also  liberated  in  time  for  other  crops.  Not  a  few 
of  the  late  crops  are  exceptionally  late ;  they 
seemed  quite  unable  to  make  way  against  the 
tremendous  drought.  The  tubers  are  abnormally 
small,  though  fairly  numerous.  It  is  possible, 
therefore,  that  the  recent  rains  have  fallen  in  time 
for  them.  The  later  or  smaller  the  tubers  the  less 
the  ri<k  of  loss  from  supertuberation.  As  the 
rains  are  now  reaching  to  the  bottom  of  the  tubers 
and  their  roots,  the  probability  is  that  the  late 
crops  may  yet  bulk  out  into  crops  of  average 
weight  and  yield.  As  there  is  a  disease  stage  as 
well  as  season,  these  late  crops  do  not  seem  to 
have  reached  to  the  first,  and  will  probably  escape 
the  second,  being  too  late  for  both.  Near  to  ma- 
turity is  the  most  susceptible  vital  condition  for 
the  Potato  crop,  and  throughout  July  the  most 
sensitive  season.  With  the  early  crops  safely 
stored  or  eaten  before  the  disease  appears,  and 
the  later  ones  thus  protected  by  time  and  condi- 
tions, the  probability  is  that  the  Totato  crop  of 
this  year  may  reach  a  full  average. 

D.  T.  Fish. 


Sharpe'a  Victor  Potato.— On  January  16 
101  obtained  from  Mr.  Sharpe,  of  Sleaford,7  lbs.  of 
this  Potato,  and  planted  4  lbs.  of  them  on  the  21st 
of  that  month  in  a  frame.  These  I  lifted  on  March 
13.  The  remaining  3  lbs.  were  planted  May  10, 
and  some  of  them  were  lifted  June  25,  and  were 
pronounced  to  be  excellent  both  in  taste  and  qua- 
lity. To-day  (July  29)  I  have  planted  some  of 
those  lifted  on  March  13.  This  is  the  best  early 
Potato  with  which  I  am  acquainted.  It  is  well 
adapted  for  early  frame  work,  as  it  makes  but 
little  top  growth.  It  is  a  white  kidney  of  medium 
size,  even  and  finely  shaped.— J.  C.  Sand,  Cadiedl 
Tale,  Louth. 

Sowing  Cabbage  seed  for  the  main  crop 
next  spring  should  receive  immediate  attention  ; 
select  an  open  position  clear  of  trees  or  walls,  dig 
it  over,  and  sow  broadcast  in  beds  from  4  feet  to 
h  feet  wide.  If  the  soil  is  moist  no  water  will  be 
needed,  but  if  dry  weather  prevails  I  find  it  best 
to  well  saturate  the  ground  before  sowing  in  pre- 
ference to  watering  the  surface  afterwards,  which 
In  stiff  soils  makes  it  hard.  After  trying  most  of 
the  sorts  in  cultivation  I  can  confidently  recom- 
mend Heartwell,  Early  Fulham,  Enfield  Market, 
and  Early  York.  Plant  out  before  the  young 
plants  get  drawn  in  the  seed  bed,  and  a  good 
supply  of  useful  Cabbages  will  be  ensured.  The 
soil  should  be  liberally  manured. — J.  G.  H. 


SHORT  NOTES.— KITCHEN. 


New  Tomato.  —  The  Garten  Zeitun<j  describes  a 
T<imato  gro\vu  by  M.  Foldes«i,  of  Eiula-Pesth,  the  fruit 
u(  which  .attains  proportions  far  in  e.xcess  of  those  of  any 
variety  now  commonly  grown.  It  wei^ilis  sometimes  as 
much  as  2  lbs.,  and  is  of  a  fine  red  colour.  It  is  reported 
to  lieep  well  and  to  b3  of  good  flavour.— Bvfleet. 

Onion  maggot.— Having  paid  particular  attention  of 
late  to  our  Onion  beds,  I  find  that  this  pest  attacks  the 
tops  first,  for  on  openina:  the  stem  .at  the  top  I  could  trace 
the  gradml  development  of  the  maggot  down  to  the  bulb, 
in  whicli  it  attains  its  full  size.  As  I  have  not  seen  this 
stated  liufore,  perhaps  the  fact  may  l)e  worth  recordinir,  in 
order  that  in  future  we  may  be  able  to  arrest  its  progress 
before  it  gets  to  the  bulb.— Kobert  Jones,  Whitchurch, 
Cardiff. 


Spinach  Beet. — This  is  such  a  hardy  subject 
and  furnishes  such  an  abundant  supply  of  succu- 
lent leaves  from  a  small  space  of  ground,  that  we 
make  a  point  of  sowing  an  odd  corner  somewhere 
with  it  every  year  about  the  middle  of  July.  We 
sow  it  thinly  in  drills  1  foot  apart,  and  leave  it  to 
take  care  of  itself.  If  frost  and  cold  winds  should 
wither  up  ordinary  Spinach,  which  they  often  do 
in  March,  we  can  always  depend  on  a  supply  from 
the  Spinach  Beet.  When  cooked  I  am  told  that 
few  would  be  able  to  tell  the  difference  between 
it  and  common  Spinach. — J.  C.  C. 

The  Wordsley  Wonder  Pea.— Messrs. 
Webb,  of  Wordsley,  Stourbridge,  have  sent  us  a 
sample  of  their  new  Pea,  one  of  the  earliest  of 
blue  wrinkled  Marrow  sorts.  It  is,  indeed,  an  ex- 
cellent Pea  even  at  this  season,  but  no  doubt  it 
would  be  much  finer  a  little  earlier  in  the  year, 
as  the  pods  sent  were  too  full  and  hard.  This  Pea 
is  said  to  be  the  result  of  crosses  between  Ad- 
vancer, Little  Gem,  and  Prizetaker,  and  whilst 
possessing  all  the  good  qualities  of  the  two  former 
varieties,  it  has  both  the  constitution  and  the  pro- 
ductiveness of  the  latter.  It  grows  2A  feet  high, 
is  strong  and  vigorous,  and  comes  into  use  but 
a  few  days  after  Sangster's  No.  1  and  Kentish 
Invicta.  The  pods,  produced  in  pairs  at  every 
joint,  are  of  medium  size,  slightly  curved,  and  each 
pod  is  literally  packed  with  from  seven  to  nine  large 
Peas.  The  display  of  this  new  Pea  at  the  last 
show  at  South  Kensington  exemplified  its  excel- 
lent qualities  as  regards  productiveness.  Some  of 
the  samples  shown  from  southern  districts  were 
past  their  best,  being  too  old,  but  the  two  dishes 
from  Lincolnshire,  which  won  the  first  two 
prizes  offered  by  Messrs.  Webb,  were  just  in  per- 
fection, and  showed  what  an  excellent  sort  it  is 
for  a  midseason  as  well  as  an  early  supply. 


PARKS  &  Public  Gardens. 


A  PROPOSAL  FOR  THE  PARKS. 

Mrs.  Ernest  Hart,  in  an  address  delivered  at  a 
meeting  held  a  few  weeks  ago,  said :  "  I  would 
fain  every  summer  night  see  our  beautiful  parks 
illuminated  with  the  electric  light,  and  hear  bands 
playing  freely  to  the  people,  just  as  now  takes 
place  every  night  at  the  Health  Exhibition  ;  with 
the  one  exception,  that  here  the  poor  are  excluded 
by  two  circumstances ;  fiirst,  that  this  resort  is 
miles  away  from  the  quarter  where  they  live,  and, 
secondly,  that  the  entrance  is  guarded  by  a  shilling 
fee.  Whenever  I  have  urged  this  scheme  on  those 
who  had  influence,  I  have  been  met  by  the  re- 
mark, 'It  was  impossible  in  this  dreadful  English 
climate.'  Tliis  most  abused,  but  still  most  delight- 
ful climate  has  kept  the  bands  from  the  gardens 
of  the  Exhibition  only  one  night,  I  believe,  during 
the  last  two  months.  Well  do  I  remember  one 
sultry  Angast  evening,  now  three  years  ago,  riding 
up  to  town  from  the  country.  The  sun  had  set 
when  we  left  Richmond,  and  it  was  quite  dark  as 
we  reached  London.  I  proposed  we  should  take 
the  road  through  the  park,  so  that  we  might  canter 
through  the  deserted  '  Row ;'  but  when  T  reached 
the  park  its  intense  darkness  was  alarming,  and  I 
was  afraid  to  venture  oat  of  the  road.  It  was 
Sunday  evening,  and  the  streets  were  thronged 
with  a  dense  moving  crowd  seeking  some  relief 
from  hot  rooms — the  great  park  was  silent  and 
deserted.  All  London,  namely,  the  well-to-do, 
were  away  on  the  moors  of  Scotland,  by  the  sea- 
side, on  the  Alps  ;  the  greater  London,  that  were 
left  behind,  had  the  streets  in  which  to  enjoy  the 
summer  evening.  '  Some  day,'  I  said  to  my  hus- 
band, '  this  park  shall  be  lit  by  the  electric  light, 
and  we  shall  have  bands  playing  every  night  to 
the  public,  and  the  people  shall  rest  Instead  of 
pacing  the  weary  streets.'  In  that  hope  I  still 
continue." 

The  scheme  here  suggested  is  one  that  seems  to 
us  well  worth  considering.  Why  should  not  a 
portion  of  each  of  our  great  parks  be  set  apart 
during  the  summer  months  for  purposes  similar 
to  those  to  which  the  Horticultural  Gardens  are  at 
present  devoted?    Why  should  there  not  be  a 


place  to  which  men  of  all  degrees  may  come 
when  the  evenings  are  fine,  and  bring  their 
wives  and  children  to  listen  to  the  music  ? 
There  are  j^arks  enough  in  all  quarters  of  London 
to  spare  space  for  the  purpose.  The  advantages 
of  such  a  project  hardly  need  to  be  pointed  out. 
It  would  add  brightness  to  hundreds  of  thousands 
of  lives  which  suffer  not  so  much  from  work  as 
from  dullness,  and  ennui,  and  the  want  of  relaxa- 
tion. It  would  do  more  to  clear  out  the  public 
houses  than  all  the  efforts  of  the  United  Kingdom 
Alliance,  and  it  would  help  to  fill  up  the  working 
man's  leisure  time.  That  the  working  hours  of 
the  skilled  artisan  show  a  steady  tendency  to  de- 
crease makes  it  all  the  more  necessary  that  plenty 
of  sensible  and  harmless  recreation  should  be 
ready  at  hand  for  him. 

One  consideration  strikes  us  at  the  outset,  and 
we  trust  it  will  receive  due  weight  from  those  who 
may  think  of  giving  practical  effect  to  Mrs.  Hart's 
suggestion.  If  the  idea  of  opening  the  parks  at 
night  for  music  is  entertained,  it  must  be  under- 
stood that  two  things  will  be  absolutely  necessary. 
In  the  first  place,  there  must  be  complete  and 
abundant  lighting,  extending  over  the  whole  of  a 
sufficient,  though  circumEcribed  area  ;  there  must 
be  no  dark  nooks  and  corners.  In  these  days  of 
electricity  there  would  be  no  difficnlty  in  fulfilling 
this  condition.  If  precautions  of  this  kind  were 
neglected,  the  affair  would  be  likely  to  prove  a 
failure.  If,  therefore,  the  scheme  is  attempted,  it 
will  be  necessary  to  mark  off  a  few  acres  of  two 
or  three  of  our  great  parks  for  this  special  pur- 
pose. That  area  might  be  laid  out  as  a  garden- - 
in  some  of  the  parks,  as  at  liattersea,  for  instance, 
the  garden  is  already  made — and  provided  with 
seats,  accommodation  for  bands,  and  so  forth. 
Something  more  would  be  required  for  complete 
success.  It  would  hardly  do  to  bring  together  so 
great  a  multitude  in  the  open  air  without  providing 
some  sort  of  a  shelter  against  rain.  Of  course,  on 
settled  wet  evenings  the  band  would  not  play,  the 
lights  would  not  be  shown,  and  the  visitors  would 
stay  away  ;  but  sudden  showers  have  to  be  reck- 
oned with.  It  might  be  possible  to  erect  In  each 
of  these  Volksgiirten  light  buildings  of  glass  and 
iron,  like  the  Palm  house  at  Kew,  sufficiently  large 
to  shelter  a  considerable  number  of  people.  These 
glass  houses  might  contain  Ferns  and  flowers,  and 
should,  of  course,  be  sorts  of  conservatories  with 
very  large  floor  space,  or  they  might  be  used  for 
popular  flower  shows. 

*^*  So  says  the  Pall  Mall;  but  we  think  the 
greatest  danger  for  the  parks  is  making  them  in 
any  way  like  the  town.  Their  bright  and  even 
beautiful  lighting  may  be  effected  through  elec- 
tricity by-and-by,  but  buildings,  &c.,  of  any 
kind  can  only  injure  their  quiet  and  beauty. 
—Ed. 


Gardening  in  Hyde  Park  and  Ken- 
sington Gardens. — We  have  been  lately  distressed 
to  see  how  badly  this  is  done  as  regards  hardy 
and  annual  flowers.  The  Long  Walk  along  the 
Bayswater  Road,  for  example,  shows  how  mean 
such  gardening  can  be,  with  its  poor  patches  of 
half-grown  annuals  often  placed  where  no  such 
plants  can  ever  grow — in  the  shade  of  large  trees. 
Now-a-days,  when  so  many  gardens  begin  to  do 
justice  to  these  hardy  flowers,  it  is  a  pity  that  our 
public  gardens  should  set  a  wretched  example. 
In  fact,  it  is  so  bad,  that  it  were  better  a  thousand 
times  to  do  nothing.  In  those  shrub  borders 
where,  owing  to  shade,  many  flowers  may  not  be 
expected  to  grow,  the  shrubs  might  be  allowed  to 
have  their  own  way,  or  Ivy  and  Periwinkle  might 
cover  the  ground  in  peace.  If  those  responsible 
for  our  public  gardens  do  not  look  about  them 
and  see  what  others  are  doing,  they  will  soon  be 
far  behind.  Dabbing  in  a  few  annuals  and  sur- 
plus bedding  plants  to  fill  up  the  vast  and 
hungry  spaces  in  early  summer  will  not  do  much 
longer.  In  our  public  gardens,  above  all  gardens, 
nothing  should  be  done  that  is  not  well  done  ; 
and  we  beg  the  authorities  to  consider  the  folly 
of  scratchy  flower  gardening  in  the  bare-dug 
borders. — Fieltl, 


Aid. 


1,S84. 


THE     GARDEN 


101 


Orchids. 


SHADING  CATTLEYAS. 
The  fact  that  Cattleyas  are  grown  by  Messrs. 
Backhouse  without  shade  is  one  more  proof  of 
how  impossible  it  is  to  lay  down  any  fixed  rule  in 
gardening  matters.  I  have  been  in  places  where 
any  attempt  to  grow  these  Orchids  fully  exposed 
to  a  summer  sun  would  have  been  attended  by 
disastrous  failure.  In  early  days  I  had  charge  of 
a  house  of  Cattleyas  and  Lajlias  in  a  large  trade 
establishment.  The  house  in  question  was  a  lean-to, 
not  more  than  10  feet  wide  and  faced  the  south- 
east. By  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  it  was 
necessary  to  apply  shade,  or  there  was  danger  of 
the  foliage  scorching,  .ind  I  have  a  vivid  recollec- 
tion of  having  had  a  severe  rebuke  through  forget- 
fulness  as  regards  this  matter,  and  which  was 
the  cause  of  some  injury.  I  do  not,  however,  con- 
sider very  small  houses  so  favourable  to  the 
growth  of  Orchids  as  those  of  fairly  large  dimen- 
sions ;  they  are  more  likely  to  become  over-heated, 
and  if  freely  ventilated  are  draughty.  Aspect,  too, 
is  evidently  an  important  consideration,  as  where 
the  plants  do  not  get  the  full  sun  after  mid-day, 
there  cannot  naturally  be  the  same  necessity  to 
shade  as  when  they  get  the  sun's  full  rays  through 
the  hottest  portion  of  the  day.  Then,  again,  there 
is  a  vast  diti'erence  between  a  lean-to  and  a  span- 
roofed  structure,  as  even  when  the  latter  faces 
south  it  cannot  become  so  hot  as  one  placed 
against  a  wall,  but  how  much  greater  must  be  the 
difference  when  such  a  house  runs  north  and  south 
so  that  the  rafters  thereof  in  a  certain  sense  act 
as  a  shade  to  the  plants.  Anyone  noting  this 
will  perceive  that  after  11  a.m.  the  time  of 
greatest  trial  for  the  inmates  of  a  span-roofed 
house  thus  situated  is  over,  and  those  on  the  west 
side  of  it  really  do  not  get  any  sun  worth  speak- 
ing of  before  3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  then 
the  force  of  the  sun  is  on  the  wane. 

Span-hoofed  houses  are  now  generally  built 
for  Orchid  culture,  but  lean-to's  are  still  employed 
for  want  of  better  in  many  gardens,  and  I  shall  be 
surprised  to  hear  that  Cattleyas  can  be  grown  well 
in  them  unshaded.  The  temperature  sometimes 
rises  so  suddenly  in  a  glass  structure  placed  against 
a  wall,  that  even  with  the  greatest  provision  for 
and  attention  to  in  the  matter  of  ventilation  the 
extremes  thus  created  are  dangerous,  and 
sometimes  productive  of  much  evil  to  plants 
having  tender  or  succulent  foliage.  'Whatever 
may  be  the  position  of  a  span-roofed  structure,  it 
is  obvious  that  the  atmospheric  fluctuations  can- 
not be  so  great  nor  so  sudden  therein,  and  that 
the  great  heat  of  the  sun  can  be  better  tempered 
by  the  more  liberal  admission  of  air  ;  in  a  word, 
the  natural  conditions  in  which  these  plants 
thrive  are  of  more  easy  imitation.  It  is  evident 
that  if  an  Orchid  can  bear  exposure  to  all  the  sun 
we  get  through  the  growing  time  without  in  any 
way  suffering,  the  tissues  must  become  more  solid 
and  the  rooting  and  flowering  capacities  of  the 
plants  thereby  be  increased,  and  this  is  un- 
doubtedly the  cause  of  the  exceptionally  robust 
health  of  Messrs.  Backhouse's  Cattleyas.  Shading 
is  an  evil— a  necessary  one  in  many  cases,  but  if  by 
some  system  of  culture  it  can  be  dispensed 
with,  the  gain  to  the  grower  will  be  great.  My 
impression  is  that  in  spite  of  the  great  success 
achieved  in  the  culture  of  these  strange  and  beauti- 
ful plants  we  have  still  a  great  deal  to  learn  respect- 
ing their  requirements.  Take,  for  instance,  Odon- 
toglossums  ;  who  would  for  one  moment  think  of 
dispensing  with  shade  in  their  case  1  and  yet  I  am 
told  that  in  some  of  their  native  habitats  at  least 
many  plants  are  found  growing  in  the  full  sun, 
and  that  these  plants  are  invariably  the  strongest. 
Then,  again,  Phala;nopsids  in  the  Philippines  are 
often  found  growing  on  the  topmost  branches  of 
trees  where  a  scorching  sun  roasts  the  foliage  to 
tinder,  so  that  they  absolutely  go  to  rest,  there 
being  nothing  but  thick,  cord-like  masses  of  roots 
visible.  But  these  plants,  it  is  said,  flower  in  a 
manner  of  which  we  can  have  but  a  slight  con- 
ception in  this  country,  many  of  them  producing 
hundreds  of  flowers.  Some  species,  such  as  Eenan- 
thera  coccinea,  do  not  fiower  at  all  unless  they  ob- 


tain a  considerable  amount  of  sunshine,  and  the 
apparent  disinclination  to  bloom  exhibited  by 
many  kinds  has  not  infrequently  been  conquered 
by  exposing  them  to  a  much  larger  amount  of 
sunshine  than  they  had  hitherto  been  accustomed 
to.  There  is,  however,  a  very  great  differente 
between 

Perpetual  and  occasiokal  shade,  and  he 
who  has  command  of  the  means  of  shading,  so  that 
only  that  portion  of  the  sun's  rays  is  excluded 
which  would  be  likely  to  cause  damage,  has  every 
prospect  of  success,  whilst  with  a  constantly 
whitened  roof  success  is  problematical.  It  stands 
to  reason  that  the  shading  material  should  be  of  a 
nature  to  admit  a  maximum  of  light,  and  although 
some  of  your  readers  are  not  in  favour  of  the  lath 
blinds,  I  have  seen  some  remarkably  fine  speci- 
mens grown  under  them  ;  and  as  they  can  be  so 
arranged  as  to  shade  any  portion  of  the  roof  at 
will,  there  is  a  better  chance  of  being  enabled  to 
treat  each  plant  according  to  its  requirements,  that 
is  where  the  collections  are  of  a  mixed  description. 
It  is  obvious  that  exposure  to  the  sun  must,  where 
the  plants  can  bear  it,  benefit  them  in  a  twofold 
manner,  as  the  greater  quantity  of  air  admitted  to 
counteract  the  force  of  the  sun's  rays  helps  to 
strengthen  and  mature.  Shading,  therefore,  if 
carried  to  excess  weakens  in  more  ways  than  one, 
and  is  probably  the  cause  of  many  of  the  ills 
which  Orchids  are  heir  to.  Much  moisture  with 
but  little  air  and  light  have  generally  for  result 
an  unnatural  vigour  followed  by  premature  decline. 

J.  C.  B. 


Disa  SrBUdiflora. — This  showy  terrestrial 
Orchid,  "  the  Flower  of  the  Gods,"  is  uncommonly 
well  flowered  this  season  in  Messrs.  Backhouse's 
nursery  at  York.  Besides  the  typical  form  there 
are  several  distinct  varieties  as  regards  colour,  the 
whole  making  a  brilliant  display.  The  plants  are 
grown  in  a  house  exposed  to  full  sunlight,  the  pots 
being  plunged  up  to  their  rims  in  Sphagnum  Moss. 
In  having  abundance  of  moisture  at  the  roots, 
plenty  of  sunlight  and  ventilation,  no  doubt  con- 
sists the  secret  of  growing  this  beautiful  Cape 
Orchid  to  perfection. 

Odontoglossum  Pescatorei.— A  flower 
of  an  extraordinary  form  of  this  Odontoglossum 
has  been  sent  to  us  by  Mr.  Crawshay,  of  Rosefield, 
Sevenoaks.  It  is  remarkable  chiefly  for  its  large 
size.  Across  the  outspread  sepals  it  measures 
3^  inches  ;  the  lateral  sepals  are  just  an  inch  broad, 
and  the  three  otliers  are  not  much  narrower.  The 
lip  is  proportionately  broad  ;  the  whole  flower  is 
pure  white  except  the  rostellum  and  the  upper 
rims  of  the  lip,  which  are  plum-purple.  Mr.  Craw- 
shay describes  it  as  a  giant  Pescatorei.  He  also 
sends  an  uncommonly  fine  flower  of  Cattleya  gigas 
measuring  8J  inches  across,  of  a  deep  rose-lilac 
with  a  broad  labellum  of  the  richest  carmine-crim- 
son imaginable  intensified  by  the  white  blotches 
in  the  throat.  There  was  seven  such  flowers  on  a 
small  plant. 

5217. —  Small    snails   on    Orchids. —  I 

should  not  advise  "S.  N."  to  use  lime  water  for 
the  destruction  of  snails  on  Orchids,  for  even  if 
the  water  applied  at  a  moderate  strength  and  in 
moderate  quantity  was  found  not  to  injure  the 
plants,  it  is  doubtful  if  it  would  destroy  the  snails. 
I  have  sometimes  found  this  unwelcome  company 
very  plentiful  after  the  stock  had  been  potted,  which 
points  to  the  snails  being  either  actually  present 
in  the  material  (most  likely  the  Sphagnum)  or  to 
their  eggs  being  there.  Traps  made  of  slices  of 
Potatoes  or  sweet  Apples  (the  latter  best)  laid  freely 
on  the  surface  of  the  pots  will  be  found  effectual 
in  enticing  them  ;  the  traps  should  be  looked  over 
daily,  when  the  snails  will  be  found  lying  under 
them  and  can  easily  be  destroyed.  As  the  baits 
get  stale  fresh  ones  mast  be  laid  down  until 
the  whole  are  cleared,  and  also  any  brood  that 
may  come  into  existence,  for  unless  wholly  exter- 
minated the  mischief  they  do  is  only  partially  re- 
duced. I  have  found  the  small  snails  the  most 
troublesome  in  eating  the  young  flower-stems  as 
these  first  appear  from  the  base  of  the  bulbs. — 
T.  B. 


Cattleya  QaekelUana.— A  very  fine  speci- 
men of  this  new  Cattleya  is  now  flowering  in  the 
collection  of  Jlr.  W.  G.  Riley,  Hapten  House,  near 
Accrington.  The  plant  is  in  robust  health  and 
some  3  feet  in  diameter,  and  is  furnished  with 
forty  fully  expanded  blooms.  The  variety  is  dis- 
tinct, having  beautiful  sepals  and  petals  of  a  deep 
rose.  The  lip  is  self-coloured  rose-magenta  with 
yellow  veins.  Let  us  hope  that  the  importers  of 
this  valuable  Cattleya  may  make  other  importa- 
tions of  it,  and  thus  give  Orchid  growers  an  oppor- 
tunity of  having  quantities  of  this  free  growing 
kind,  thereby  prolonging  the  gaiety  of  the  Cattleya 
House  at  a  time  when  few  of  its  inmates  are  in 
bloom. 

We  are  almost  daily  receiving  from  various 

quarters  additional  evidence  of  the  high  merits 
and  value  of  this  new  Cattleya,  which  seems 
to  be  flowering  now  simultaneously  throughout  the 
country.  On  all  sides  we  hear  good  accounts  of 
it,  and  the  flowers  we  have  had  sent  from  various 
correspondents  fully  confirm  the  eulogistic  ac- 
counts that  have  been  published  concerning  it. 
Among  the  finest  specimens  we  have  had  sent  to 
us  are  two  varieties  from  Messrs.  Thomson  &  Son's 
nursery  at  Clovenfords.  One  of  these  was  the 
finest  we  have  yet  seen,  not  even  excepting  the 
fine  variety  shown  last  week  at  South  Kensington 
by  Mr.  Crawshay.  The  flower  was  about  7  inches 
across,  the  broad  sepals  were  of  a  deep  rose-purple, 
the  two  lowermost  having  a  distinct  medial 
stripe  of  orange,  which  Mr.  Thomson  assured  us 
was  a  permanent  character  of  the  variety,  as  it 
flowered  similarly  last  season.  The  lip  was  broad, 
exquisitely  frilled,  and  of  a  brilliant  carmine-crim- 
son, while  the  throat  was  white  bordered  with 
lemon.  The  other  variety,  though  inferior,  was 
strikingly  fine,  and  the  spike  carried  four  flowers. 
Two  splendid  forms  of  the  same  Cattleya  have  also 
been  sent  to  us  by  Messrs.  Sander,  of  St.  Albans, 
who  first  introduced  the  species.  These  varieties, 
too,  are  indescribably  fine,  both  different  from 
those  sent  by  Messrs.  Thomson,  thus  showing  what 
a  diversity  of  colour  there  exists  in  this  Cattleya. 
Even  if  this  plant  was  not  so  beautiful  as  it  is,  it 
would  be  valuable  on  account  of  its  flowering 
just  when  there  would  otherwise  be  a  blank  in  the 
Cattleya  flower  season.  It  commences  to  flower 
as  soon  as  the  Warneri  forms  are  over  and  con- 
tinues until  the  autumn-flowering  C.  labiata  and 
the  Eldorado  varieties  are  in  perfection. 


NOTES  or  THE  WEEK. 

Mr.  Hugh  Lo'W.— There  have  recently  been 
festivities  on  a  large  scale  in  some  of  the  vast  pack- 
ing sheds  of  the  Clapton  Nurseries  on  the  occasion 
of  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Hugh  IjOW,  who  represents 
the  third  generation  from  his  namesake,  the 
founder  of  these  nurseries.  There  have  been  such 
disappearances  of  the  once  great  nurseries  of  Lon- 
don (Loddiges',  Osborn's,  and  UoUisson's,  to  wit), 
that  it  is  pleasant  to  see  one  of  the  oldest  and  best 
possessing  every  sign  of  vitality  and  progress.  By 
the  way,  one  who  was  associated  with  the  late 
Mr.  Hugh  Low  in  the  early  days  of  the  nursery 
is  still  alive  and  well,  active  and  happy  among 
his  hardy  bulbs  and  other  plants  in  his  garden  at 
Totteridge.     We  allude  to  Mr.  J.  B.  Mackay. 

Fasciated  Lily  stem  ~  I  send  you  a  fas- 
ciated  stem  of  Lilium  anratum  which  measures  ih 
inches  across.  Its  height  is  1  feet  10  inches,  and 
it  carries  seventy-six  blooms,  each  bloom  being 
perfect  in  itself,  but  comparatively  small.  It  pro- 
duced 116  buds,  but  the  others  dropped  off.  I  have 
had  a  spike  with  114  fully  expanded  blooms  on  it ; 
the  stem  in  that  instance  was  over  7  feet  in  height. 
I  have  another  on  which  forty  blooms  are  just 
opening.  When  making  their  growth,  watching 
the  monstrous  stems  is  most  interesting.  Some  of 
them  tlirow  out  their  flower-buds  on  either  side  of 
the  flat  stem,  leaving  the  centre  bare ;  others  again 
produce  them  in  whorls  or  circles,  and  here  and 
there  on  the  top  may  be  found  blooms  of  the  nor- 
mal form.  The  bulbs,  as  a  rule,  which  produce 
these  stems  are  of  little  use  the  year  after  flower- 
ing, as  they  make  veiy  weakly  growth,  and  in  some 


102 


THE     GARDEN 


[Ave.  2,  1884. 


instances  die  outright  but  not  in  all  cases. —  A. 
KVASa,  Zyl/ie  Bill. 

*^*  A  remarkable  example  of  fa  elation  -one 
of  the  finest  we  have  seen.  Accompanying  it  is  a 
bloom  of  an  uncommonly  thickly  spotted  variety 
of  L.  auratum,  apparently  identical  with  the  va- 
riety named  pictum. — Ed. 

National  Chrysanthemum  Society. — 

At  the  invitation  of  Mr.  Cannell,  a  number  of  mem- 
bers of  this  society  spent  a  pleasant  afternoon  on 
Tuesday  last  at  the  '•  Home  of  Flowers,"  Swanley, 
which  is  just  now  well  worth  a  visit,  if  only  to  see 
the  Begonias,  of  which  there  are  five  100-foot 
houses  full.  The  double  varieties  especially  were 
most  worthily  represented.  The  improvement  that 
Mr.  Cannell  and  others  have  effected  in  these 
plants  during  the  past  two  or  three  years  must  be 
seen  to  be  believed.  Many  of  the  flowers  were  in 
size  more  like  r;eonies  than  Begonias,  and  the 
colours  of  some  would  put  zonal  Pelargoniums  in 
the  shade.  The  single  varieties  were  also  in  full 
force  and  just  now  looking  about  at  their  best. 
The  houses  of  zonals  were  a  blaze  of  colour,  and 
fully  maintained  the  reputation  that  Mr.  Cannell 
has  for  them.  Several  houses  were  filled  with 
plants  grown  expressly  for  winter  blooming,  and 
give  promise  of  a  very  fine  show  later  on. 
In  the  other  houses,  and  also  in  the  grounds, 
the  visitors  were  well  repaid  for  the  time  spent. 
Amongst  other  novelties  Mr.  Cannell  pointed 
out  a  double-flowering  orange-coloured  Abutilon, 
the  first  he  has  bloomed,  and  also  a  new  variety  of 
Alternanthera  (yellow),  which  gives  promise  of 
being  a  valuable  addition  to  the  list  of  yellow 
bedding  plants.  A  bed  of  Begonia  Worthiana 
was  especially  noticed  as  being  in  fine  condition, 
and  a  practical  demonstration  of  the  adaptability 
of  Begonias  for  bedding  purposes ;  as  a  mass  it 
was  as  effective  as  a  bed  of  Pelargoniums,  and 
would  last  in  beauty  quite  as  long  if  not  longer. 
The  area  now  devoted  to  Roses  at  Swanley  has 
been  largely  increased.  Before  leaving  the  neigh- 
bourhood the  new  grounds  of  Mr.  Ladds'  were  in- 
spected, but  the  time  at  disposal  was  too  short  to 
do  justice  to  them.  One  house  685  feet  long  was 
wholly  occupied  with  Tomatoes,  which  were  just 
ripening,  a  grand  crop.  Mr.  Ladds  expects  to  cut 
from  the  above  grounds  and  houses  immense 
quantities  daily. 


GAEDEN  IN  THE  HOUSE. 


TABLE  DECORATIONS. 
The  majority  of  these  are  crowded  and  inelegant, 
and  dreary  in  the  extreme.  There  is  no  bright  spot 
on  which  the  eye  can  rest,  but  instead  either  a  con- 
fused mixture  of  blossoms  without  order  or  beauty 
or  a  quantity  of  trivial  prettinesses  which  distract 
the  mind,  or  impress  it  with  a  notion  of  time  and 
labour  worse  than  thrown  away.  Such  was  the 
case  the  other  day  when  I  formed  one  of  the 
guests  at  a  table,  in  the  centre  of  which  stood  a 
tall  silver  epergne — magnificent  indeed,  but  heavy 
and  ungraceful.  This  epergne  was  surrounded 
by  a  number  of  small  glasses  (much  resem- 
bling those  consecrated  to  custards),  each  con- 
taining one  Pelargonium  and  one  spray  of 
Maiden-hair  Fern.  The  effect  was  almost 
ludicrous.  Surely  it  is  high  time  that  better  ideas 
prevailed.  The  dinner-table  is  a  fair  and  suitable 
stage  for  the  display  of  individual  preferences  as 
regards  flowers  and  individual  taste  in  arranging 
them.  The  tired  worker  who  seeks  his  home  after 
a  day  of  weary  toil  should  find  his  table  arranged 
with  scrupulous  neatness  and  simple  grace.  I  am 
not,  of  course,  writing  for  the  wealthier  classes — 
they  have  the  south  wall  all  round  their  garden  in 
many  senses— but  for  the  vast  multitudes  who  fill 
the  middle  ranks  of  life.  The  labourer  and  artisan 
might  have  his  homely  meal  brightened  by  his 
"  posy."  Nature  is  a  generous  mother.  There 
are  flowers  for  all.  I  am  here  reminded  of  Schiller's 
lovely  poem  (that  flower  of  his  verse),  "  Das  M;id- 
chen  aus  der  feme."  Perhaps  he  typified  the  spring 
when  he  tells  us  she  came  in  with  the  young  year, 
when  the  first  larks  were  singing,  and  gave  to 
everyone  a  nosegay.  Even  the  poorest  shepherd 
wa3  not  forgotten,  but  she  naturally  reserved  her 


choicest  gifts  for  the  young.  In  order  that  a  room 
may  be  florally  adorned  it  is  not  necessary  to 
possess  spacious  greenhouses  or  vast  grounds. 
Small  gardens  carefully  cultivated  will  supply 
their  owners  with  plenty  of  flowers  during  many 
months  of  the  year.  I  have  seen  wild  flowers 
arranged  so  as  to  produce  charming  effects.  The 
owners  of  extensive  gardens  are  often  satisfied 
with  much  that  is  inadequate.  I  have  actually 
visited  wealthy  people  with  a  large  staff  of  gar- 
deners who,  although  spending  yearly  large  sums  on 
their  grounds,  are  afraid  of  having  their  flowers 
cut,  and  reluctant  to  give  them  away.  Such  floral 
penuriousness  I  cannot  understand.  Flowers  are  but 
the  children  of  a  day.  Their  little  life  being  so 
quickly  over,  it  should  certainly  be  used  to  create 
heart-consoling  joys  and  simple  pleasures  !  "Gather 
ye  Roses  while  ye  may,"  sings  one  of  our  old  poets. 
"  Carpe  diem,"  says  the  philosopher.  Flowers 
should  specially  be  grown  with  a  view  to  house 
and  table  decoration,  not  parsimoniously,  but 
with  a  liberal  hand,  that  they  may  be  cut  without 
being  much  missed.  I  would  rather  have  an  abund- 
ance of  common  flowers  (and  these  are  ofttn  the 
most  beautiful)  than  possess  a  few  rare  blossoms 
too  costly  to  gather.  In  table  decoration,  the  in- 
evitable white  cloth  makes  bright  colours  neces- 
sary  by  gaslight.  At  a  simple  dinner  some  time 
ago  I  remarked  a  pretty  effect  produced  by  laying 
down  a  piece  of  crimson  plush  2  yards  long  and 
nearly  a  yard  wide  in  the  centre  of  the  table.  It 
was  bordered  by  a  thick  row  of  blue  (not  purple) 
Pansies,  which  contrasted  well  with  the  red.  In 
the  middle  stood  a  tall  dish  of  fruit  piled  high, 
and  on  each  side  of  it  a  blue  bowl  filled  with  Hy- 
drangeas and  pieces  of  some  dark-leaved  Coleus. 
These  were  carefully  arranged  with  their  own  fo- 
liage. With  the  exception  of  a  small  bouquet  for 
each  guest.I  noticed  nootherflowers,butruby  glass 
and  china  of  good  design  supplied  all  the  colour 
which  was  wanted.  Though  the  brightest  weeks 
of  our  fleeting  summer  are  well  nigh  over,  and 

The  air  is  now  soft  with  the  autumn  to  be, 
we  have  still  much  to  look  forward  to.  Late 
Roses  will  last  long.  Scarlet  Geraniums  con- 
trasted with  the  white  Anemone  japonica  and  the 
purple  Clematis  or  Heliotrope,  single  Dahlias, 
Asters,  and  many  more  will  supply  lovely  bou- 
quets, while  far  on  in  the  waning  year  I  have 
seen  the  despised  Michaelmas  Daisy  and  the 
hardy  Chrysanthemum  make  a  room  bright  as  in 
the  days  which  are  no  more.  W.  N. 


CEQOthera  Lamarcklana.— The  value  of 
this  as  a  cut  flower  for  indoor  decoration  is  not 
enough  known.  On  a  growing  plant  the  flowers 
close  and  droop  in  sunlight  and  bright  daylight, 
but  in  the  shade  of  a  room  they  remain  all  day  in 
an  open  state  nearly  as  good  as  on  the  growing 
plant  in  the  evening  and  early  morning.  Cut 
3  feet  long  and  grouped  in  a  tall  glass  with  a 
large  branching  piece  of  Eryngium  amethystinum 
they  form  an  important  room  decoration  that  will 
last  for  a  week  and  only  requires  the  daily  re- 
moval of  the  dead  flowers. — G.  J. 


BOOK.S  RECEIVED. 


We  have  received  the  following  handbooks  published 
under  the  auspices  of  the  International  Health  Exhibition 
by  Clowes  &  Son,  Charing  Cross,  viz.  :— 

*'  Healthy  Nurseries  and  Bedrooms."  By  Mrs.  Gladstone. 

"  Alcoholic  Drinks."    By  Dr.  J.  L.  W.  Thudichum. 

"  Accidental  Injuries  :  their  Kellef  and  Immediate  Treat- 
ment "    By  James  Cantlie. 

"Diet  in  Relation  to  Health  and  Work."  By  Dr.  A. 
Wynter-BIyth. 

"  Ue.ilthy  and  Unhealthy  Houses."    By  W.  Eassie,  C.E. 

"  Healthy  Furniture  and  Decoration."  By  R.  W.  Edis, 
Architect. 

"Dress  and  its  Relation  to  Health  and  Climate."  By 
B.  W.  Godwin. 

"  Infectious  Disease  and  its  Prevention."  By  Shhdey  F. 
Murphy. 

"  Health  in  the  Workshop."    By  J.  B.  Lakeman. 

"Ventilation,  Warming,  and  Lighting."  By  Captain 
Douglas  Galton. 

"Athletics"  (part  i.),  by  Rev.  E.  Warre. 

"Days  and  Hours  in  a  Garden"  (2nd  edition).  Elliot 
Stock,  Paternoster  Row. 

"Greenhouse  Management  for  Amateurs."  BazacrOffice, 
170,  Strand. 

"  Modern  Window  Gardening."  By  S.  Wood.  Houlston 
&  Sons,  Paternoster  Square. 


QUESTIONS. 


6224.— Red  rust  on  Rosea.— My  Rose  trees  are 
ciivered  wi  h  red  rust.  Perhaps  fome  of  your  readers  will 
kindly  give  me  advice  as  to  the  best  method  of  getting  rid 
of  it.— J.  S. 

6226.— Peat  moss  litter  as  manure.— Can  any  of 
your  readers  give  me  any  information  about  the  use  r  f  peat 
moss  litter?  Is  it  as  good  as  straw  litter  for  use  iu  the 
garden  or  in  Melon  frames? — C.  M.  D. 

6226.— Chrysanthemum  manures. —  Can  anyone 
interested  in  Chiysanthemum  culture  inform  me  the  pilce 
of  sulphate  of  ammonia,  whence  it  is  most  readily  procui- 
able.  and  the  l)est  way  .nnd  proper  time  to  apply  it  to  the 
plants?  I  am  told  that  Messrs.  D  xon,  Mr  Davis,  andothtr 
noted  growers  use  this  manure  in  preference  to  any  othe*. 
Is  this  true  ?    Any  information  will  be  welcome.-  -B. 

6227. — Guano  dressings. — Will  Eomeone  whoknowa 
say  what  is  meant  by  "  a  good  dr  ssiiig"  of  guano  for 
Roses?  I  top-dressed  a  Charles  Lefebvre  on  its  own  roots 
with  one  dessert-spoonful  of  guano  mixed  with  four  times 
the  (juantity  of  soil  and  watered  it  in.  In  two  days  the 
Rose  shrivelled  and  died.  Did  the  dressing  kill  it?  How 
oftinshouldoutdoor  Roses  be  dressed  with  guano?-  il.  E.  H, 

62-8.— White  Lilies.— I  have  many  clumps  of  the 
Madonna  Lily  in  mygardtn,  but  c  in  rarely  get  them  to 
flower.  They  throw  up  line  healthy  flower-spikes,  but  all 
w'ither  away  just  before  they  ought  to  open.  Many  of  them 
also  produce  abnormal  or  monstrous  growths.  Can  any  of 
ynur  readers  advise  me  what  I  should  do,  and  what  Soil 
they  like  best,  and  situatiL  n,  <fec.  ?— E.  A.  K. 

62S9.— The  Widow  Iris.— Can  any  of  your  readers 
inform  me  as  to  the  botanical  name  of  the  small  black  Iris 
found,  I  am  informed,  only  on  a  hill  near  Florence,  and 
mentioned  by  .Mrs.  Boyle,  of  Maidenhead,  in  her  little 
book  on  her  garden,  as  T,a  Vedora,  or  the  Widow  Iris?  It 
is  a  bulbous  Iris,  and  the  bulbs  are  black  and  rather  long 
hi  the  neck.— F.  C.  C.  B. 

ri230.  -  What  sized  boxes  are  required  and  how 
should  they  be  made  to  exhibit  the  following  cut  blooms— 
1,  Roses,  twenty-four  varieties,  three  b'ooms  in  a  truss ;  2, 
Asters,  twenty-four  varieties,  single  blooms ;  3,  Roses, 
twelve  varieties,  sing'e  blooms  ;  4,  Asters,  twelve  varieties, 
single  blooms?  In  what  way  should  stands  be  made  for 
exhibiting  Grapes,  three  bunches?  Could  anyone  tell  me 
where  to  obtain  these  boxes,  &c.,  ready  made?    tJ.  H.  C. 

6231.— Jucunda  Strawberry.— What  Is  the  origin 
and  cropping  value  of  this  Strawberry  ?  and  has  it  been 
tried  anywhere  in  this  country?  A  colonial  visitor,  who 
has  spent  some  time  in  New  York,  and  has  friends  en- 
gaged in  the  fruit-growing  business  there,  tells  me  th.at  it 
is  largely  grown  for  the  mark-  ts  of  that  city,  and  that  the 
fruits  are  vei-y  large  and  good.  The  way  in  which  he  pio- 
nounced  it  sounded  like  chicunga,  and  he  expressed  great 
surprise  not  to  have  found  itin  England. — A.  N.,  somerset. 

6232.— Melon  roots  decaying— We  have  a  span- 
roofed  iron  houee  and  planted  our  Melons  in  it  in  the  middle 
of  May.  They  were  good  strung  plants.  The  soil  was  com- 
posed of  a  ri'-h  tui-fy  loam  and  road  scrapings  eeiual  part.'", 
with  a  good  drainage  of  rough  bricks  anel  old  crocks.  The 
temperature  75^  to  80^'  at  night,  from  80*  to  ^6*^  liy  day,  the 
heat  during  the  dry  weather  3<  metimes  rising  to  96*^. 
Syringing  and  wateiing  were,  perh.aps  overdone,  aa  was  a 
top-dressing  of  strong  butcher's  manure  which  I  applied 
rather  against  my  own  judgment.  The  results  were  first 
a  rank  luxurbant  growth,  a  medium  setting  of  fruit  (wliich 
has  now  reached  to  thiee  parts  of  its  usual  size),  and  decay 
of  the  roots.  I  had  carefully  watered  them  to  see  that 
there  was  no  canker  on  the  surface,  but  to  my  snrpri-ie  on 
noticing  the  plants  flag,  I  examined  the  roots  and  found 
them  decayed.  Was  this  the  result  of  too  strong  rank 
manure  ?  I  should  like  to  have  the  opinion  of  some  good 
Melon  grower  on  this  subject.- R.  D. 


LA  TE  NOTES. 

Fungus  (X.  Y.  ir.).— The  fun(?us  growth  sent  is  the 
early  condition  of  the  dry  rot  fungus  CAIeiuIius  lacry- 
mans) ;  it  freeiuently  destroys  woodwork  in  greenhouses. — 
W.  G.  S. 

Their  Royal  Highnesses  the  Crown  Prince  and  Princess 
of  Germany  (Prmcess  Royal  of  England),  with  the  Royal 
children,  paid  a  visit  en  Wedueselay  to  Mr.  William  Bull's 
Orcliid  exhibition  at  Chelsea. 

Weather  prognostics  for  August.  —  An  East 
Anglinn  corivspondent  prognosticates  cloudy,  moist  wca^ 
tlier,  with  intervals  of  sunshine,  for  August,  and  says  be- 
lievers in  St.  Snithin  will  this  year  be  able  to  creiw  to  their 
hearts'  content,  for  there  will  be  few  days  in  this  period 
without  rainfall,  often  very  heavy,  alternating  with  sun- 
shine. Under  such  atmospheric  coneiitions — calm,  moisture, 
warmth— fungi  will  grow  rapidly.  Mushrooms  will  be  alnin- 
dant,  root  crops  and  Grass  will  grow  apace ;  but  Potato 
disease  and  Wheat  fungi  will  be  also,  he  adds,  very  preva- 
lent. 

Names  of  plants.— C?.  P—'i,  Nephrolepis  tuberosa! 

2,  N.  exaltata.^ Mrs.  M.  A. — Lysimachia ciliata. J.  fl- 

raience.— Cymbidium  sinense. E.  M  F. — Lilinm  testa- 

ceum. W.  Spencer  —I,   I'ronds  not  fully  matured;  2i 

Hypericum  glandulosum  ;  3,  Antennaria  margaritacea  ;  4i 

Aconitum  variegatum.- W.  H.  KeUand.~\,  Malva  mos- 

chata:  2,  Eryngium  alpinum  ;  3,  Epilobium  aEgustlfolium  ; 
4,  Acta>a  spicata.    We  name  but  four  plants  at  one  time. 

O.  C.  Tuperay.—l,  apparently  Telekia  speciosissima  ; 

2,  Eupatorium  cann.abinuni ;  3,  variety  of  hybrid  Dephi- 

nium  ;  4,  Myrica  Gale. E.  C.  M. — The  plant  you  send  is 

Glaux  maritima  so  far  as  we  are  able  to  determine  from 
crushed  specimen.s.  In  older  to  eradicate  it  you  must 
either  root  it  out  or  try  the  effect  of  a  weed-destroying 
liiiuld, Capt.  Uiintios.— Next  week. 


THE     GARDEN 


lO.S 


No.  66J. 


SATURDAY,  Aug.  9,  IBS*.  Vol    XXVI. 


"  Tlii^  is  an  Art 
\Miicli  does  iiieii'l  Xntiire  :  chancre  it  rathov ;  but 
The  art  itsklp  is  Nature."— S/mtejicrerc. 


GARDEN  ROSES. 
The  time  has,  I  think,  arrived  when  our  selections 
of  garden  Roses  should  be  revised  in  order  that 
those  who  wish  to  grow  Koses  to  be  effective  in 
the  garden  may  not  be  burdened  with  varieties 
only  suitable  for  exhibition.  It  may  o£  course 
be  said  that  a  Rose  that  is  worth  cultivating  for 
exhibition  is  also  a  garden  Rose,  but  that  is  not 
my  view — not  that  I  disparage  the  merits  of  any 
Rose,  but  what  I  wish  to  maintain  is  that  there 
are  some  sorts  of  Roses  better  adapted  for  garden 
decoration  than  others,  and  in  the  interest  of  the 
general  Rose-loving  public  I  think  the  best  for 
both  purposes  should  be  selected  and  classified, 
and  amongst  the  readers  of  The  Garden  there 
must  be  many  both  competent  and  willing  to  do 
this.  I  am  quite  satisfied  that  it  would  be  a  re- 
lief to  many  if  the  beat  twelve  or  twenty-four 
Boses,  and  for  larger  growers  perhaps  an  in- 
creased number,  were  pointed  out  for  each  purpose. 
The  weather  during  the  present  season  has  cer- 
tainly helped  us  in  this  matter.  The  drought  that 
extended  from  April  to  nearly  the  end  of  June, 
associated  as  it  was  through  the  latter  month  with 
almost  tropical  heat,  brought  Roses  on  with  a 
rush,  so  that  many  varieties  which  are  not  as  a  rule 
available  for  exhibition  purposes  in  other  years 
until  a  fortnight  later  were  in  capital  condition 
for  all  the  early  shows.  I  was,  therefore, 
almost  tempted  to  disbelieve  the  old  dictum 
that  "ever}'  Rose  has  its  season  of  Qowering," 
for  there  was  certainly  no  distinction  this  year. 
Even  such  late  flowering  varieties  as  Madame  La- 
charme,  Baroness  Rothschild,  and  Mabel  Morrison 
were  well  in  flower  in  the  west  of  England  at  the 
end  of  June.  Then  down  came  the  rain  and  the 
temperature,  too,  affording  a  capital  opportunity 
for  making  notes  of  such  varieties  as  defied  the 
wet  and  the  reduced  temperature.  A  very  little 
observation  served  to  show  that  there  are  some 
varieties  better  adapted  for  garden  decoration 
than  others,  for  they  expanded  their  blossoms 
quite  as  freely  as  when  exposed  to  continuous 
sunshine,  while  others  refused  to  open,  and  re- 
mained upon  the  trees  until  they  became  hard 
balls  of  decaying  matter.  Noteworthy  was  the 
fact  that  the  varieties  remarkable  for  fine  form 
when  grown  under  favourable  conditions  were 
conspicuous  amongst  those  that  refused  to  open. 

The  first  lesson  to  be  deduced  from  these 
observations  is  that  the  finest  formed  Roses  are 
not  the  most  reliable  for  garden  decoration.  For 
our  purpose  we  may  take  La  France  as  the  type 
of  a  good  Rose,  and  I  could  name  many  more 
perhaps  more  perfect  in  outline,  but  still  less 
valuable  for  the  garden,  because  with  a  low  tem- 
perature and  a  damp  atmosphere  they  refuse  to 
expand.  As  examples  of  sorts  that  partake  of 
this  character  I  may  name  Madame  Eugftne 
Chambeyran,  Madame  Noman,  Pierre  Netting, 
and  Camille  Rernardin.  Nevertheless,  I  would 
not  alter  the  form  of  these  if  I  could. 
All  that  I  desire  is  to  be  of  service  to  those  who 
have  not   "ip  ortunities  of  making  observations 


for  themselves.  I  have  also  been  much  interested 
in  the  behaviour  of  the  large  varieties  with  flat 
flowers,  and  what  has  struck  me  as  remarkable  is 
the  tact  that  although  many  of  them  contain  a 
large  number  of  petals,  that  is  to  say  they  are  very 
full  flowers,  they  have,  as  a  rule,  opened  better 
than  those  that  are  considered  to  be  better  in 
form.  I  do  not,  however,  like  these  for  the 
garden,  for  unless  the  temperature  is  fairly  high 
and  the  air  dry,  we  rarely  get  them  to  open  satis- 
factorily. Such  varieties  as  Captain  Christy, 
Marie  Finger,  Comtesse  de  Nassau,  and  Madame 
Lacharme  are  varieties  that  cannot  be  depended 
upon  ;  in  fact,  they  are  fine-weather  Roses,  and 
therefore  only  suitable  for  those  who  are  content 
to  look  leniently  on  their  capricious  character. 
They  want  substance  in  their  outside  petals. 
They  are  so  delicate,  in  short,  that  a  heavy  storm 
of  rain  or  rough  wind  is  sufficient  to  injure  them 
to  an  extent  that  prevents  their  expansion,  or 
rather  I  should  say  the  injured  petals  begin  to  de- 
cay, thus  enveloping  the  bud  in  a  strong  band, 
and  the  plants  have  not  sufficient  force  in 
them  to  cause  the  decaying  part  to  give  way. 
Many  varieties  may  be  found  in  this  condition 
after  rain.  Amongst  these  I  may  mention  Peach 
Blossom,  Hippolyte  Jamain,  Berthe  Baron,  Bessie 
Johnson,  Louisa  Darzans,  Marquise  de  Castellane, 
Miss  Hassard,  and  Marchioness  of  Exeter.  It  is 
worthy  of  remark,  too,  that  more  light  coloured 
Roses  than  dark  ones  suffer  from  this  defect.  In 
my  own  practice  I  have  tried  stimulating  the 
roots,  but  was  "uly  partially  successful.  The  less 
number  of  peta  ,ia  Rose  is  composed  of  the  better 
it  opens.  The  average  number  of  petals  should  be 
about  fifty,  a  number  sufficient  to  make  up  a  good 
flower.  When  this  number  is  greatly  exceeded 
the  flowers  require  very  favourable  conditions  to 
enable  them  to  open.  Empress  of  India  or  Charles 
Lefebvre  are  good  types  of  garden  Roses;  the 
number  of  petals  in  a  flower  of  either  of  these 
does  not  often  exceed  fifty-five ;  they  therefore 
open  better  under  all  sorts  of  conditions  than 
those  with  a  larger  number.  Such  very  full  flowers 
as  Marie  Finger,  Comtesse  de  Nassau,  Madame 
Lacharme,  and  Captain  Christy  vary  from  85 
to  130,  and  therefore  these  and  many  others 
remarkable  for  their  very  full  flowers  are  not  in 
my  opinion  adapted  for  the  garden. 

My  selection  of  twelve  varieties  would  be, 
Annie  Wood,  Empress  of  India,  Charles  Lefebvre, 
Expcsition  de  Brie,  Emily  Laxtcn,  Jules  Margot- 
tin,  Elie  Morel,  Frani,-ois  Levet,  Boule  de  Neige, 
Mdlle.  Catherine  Soupert,  A.  K.  Williams,  and 
Nardy  Fri^res,  and  if  I  wanted  more  I  would  shun 
the  full  cup-shaped  flowers  and  select  from  those 
that  had  reflexed  petals.  J.  C.  C. 


Tea  Roses. — Own-root  Teas  have  long  been 
recommended  for  walls.  They  remain  longer  in 
vigorous  health,  and  send  up  more  robust  and 
vigorous  suckers  than  worked  plants,  and  the  latter 
under  these  conditions  become  new  plants  of  ex- 
ceptional vigour.  But  dwarf  Tea  Roses  on  their 
own  roots  have  been  as  yet  but  little  used  in  the 
open,  but  where  this  class  of  plant  has  been  em- 
ployed they  have  proved  the  very  best  for  yielding 
a  profusion  of  Roses  of  the  very  highest  quality. 
A  slight  protection  in  winter  preserves  the  crowns 
alive,  and  if  the  cultivator  is  content  to  wait  till 
July  for  his  sweet  harvest  of  beauty,  the  crown  of 
the  Rose  is  all  he  need  concern  himself  about.  For 
though  killed  back  to  that  it  will  speedily  start 
forth  anew  and  produce  shoots  and  flowers  in 
abundance.  But  if  Roses  are  wanted  earlier,  there 
must  be  more  care  taken  of  the  old  tops,  and  these 
may  readily  be  protected  by  a  thin  screen  of  litter 


orj  of  bough?,  which  mostly  carry  the  Rose  tope 
through  the  winter  in  safety.  As  soon  as  the  first 
cuttings  from  these  advanced  shoots  are  secured, 
the  shoots  themselves  may  be  cut  back  close  and 
sharp,  and  this  results  in  a  second  break  of  .stronger 
shoots,  which  yield  finer  blooms  for  a  longer  period 
than  the  first. — D.  T.  Fish. 

Rosa  Celeste. — I  am  pleased  to  see  that 
thi?  beautiful  old  Rose  is  receiving  some  atten- 
tion. It  is  surprising  how  such  valuable  old 
plants  get  elbowed  out  of  gardens,  though  so  easy 
to  cultivate  aud  charming  when  in  flower.  A 
lady  correspondent  who  kindly  sent  me  some 
plants  of  it  in  the  spring  (and  which  I  am  glad  to 
say  are  growing  freely)  has  also  recently  sent  me 
some  flower  buds  of  it,  and  although  they  had 
travelled  all  the  way  from  Ireland,  when  placed 
in  water  their  fragrance  for  two  or  three  days 
was  delightful.  The  delicate  shading  down  to  a 
dark  pink  colour  at  the  base  of  the  petals  is  a  re- 
markable feature  in  this  Rose.— J.  C.  C. 

The  budding  season.— Had  the  drought 
lasted  much  longer  budding  would  soon  have  become 
impracticable.  The  bark  of  the  stocks  had  set  with 
a  hardness  that  refused  to  be  lifted  freely  or  to 
run  at  all.  Since  the  heavy  showers  it  has  been 
flooded  into  budability,  a  most  fortunate  circum- 
stance for  the  rosariaa,  commercial  or  otherwise, 
to  whom  the  loss  of  a  season  is,  indeed,  a  very 
serious  matter.  The  leaves  are  particularly  vigour- 
ous  and  free  from  blight ;  they  have  had  but  one 
fault  and  that  is  now  partially  removed.  The 
bark  has  clung  to  the  wood  with  vice-like  tenacity 
so  as  to  have  rendered  budding  impossible.  The 
Rose-buds  have  also  been  small,  the  Rose-wood 
tough  rather  than  plump  and  full  of  sap.  The 
buds  are  now  swelling  well,  and  the  long  parched 
Roses  are  having  a  full  flooding  of  sap,  so  that 
budding  will  proceed  merrily  from  this  date. 
Seldom  have  fewer  fine  Roses  been  to  the  fore 
than  at  the  end  of  last  July.  The  heat  and  the 
drought  pushed  all  the  Roses  to  the  front  within 
a  very  short  period  of  time.  They  came,  they 
disappeared,  may  be  written  of  most  of  them,  and 
the  Roses,  even  the  Teas,  seem  less  in  haste  to 
break  into  fresh  growth  and  blossom  than  usual. 
The  heavy  thunder  showers  will  probably  hasten 
good  breaks  within  a  short  time,  and  the  autumnal 
harvest  may  be  as  plentiful  and  fine  as  the  Roses 
in  the  end  of  July  have  been  few  and  far  between. 
— D.  T.  Fish. 


NOTES  FROM  KEW. 
In  the  Cape  house,  where  one  generally  finds 
something  interesting  or  rare  in  flower  at  all  times 
of  the  year,  the  following  plants  are  now  flower- 
ing, viz. :  Littonia  modesta  and  its  variety  Keiti, 
both  good  plants  for  the  cool  greenhoute  ;  where 
trained  along  a  rafter  they  yield  a  profusion  of 
yellow  bell-shaped  blossoms  during  the  summer 
months.  Gloriosa  superba  and  G.  Planti  are  also 
in  fine  condition,  the  first  being  a  much  better 
plant  than  the  second  in  point  of  size  and  colour 
of  flowers.  Campanula  Vidali,  of  which  there  is 
annually  in  this  house  a  fine  display  of  flowers, 
we  commend  to  anyone  in  search  of  a  useful  and 
easily  managed  white-flowered  plant  for  the.  con- 
servatory. Although  stated  to  be  hardy,  we  do 
not  know  of  an  instance  of  its  having  stood  out  of 
doors  for  any  length  of  time.  Grevilleaannulifera, 
a  stiff,  wiry-leaved  plant  with  terminal  racemes 
of  rather  large  white  flowers,  which  are  jellow  on 
first  expanding,  is  a  good  ornamental  plant  with 
a  strong,  and  perhaps  to  some,  disagreeable  odour. 
Amphicome  Emodi,  the  handsome  Bignoniad  to 
which  we  have  before  called  attention,  is  bearing 
racemes  of  deep  bell-shaped,  rather  large  flowers, 
the  tube  of  which  is  orange  coloured,  the  limb 
being  deep  rose.  Lachenalia  orthopetala  is  a  new 
introduction  characterised  by  Rush-like  foliage 
and  dense  heads  of  pure  white  sweet-scented 
flowers.  Physianthus  albens,  the  climbing  plant 
with  Stephanotis-like  flowers— noted  last  year- 
is  again  in  blossom,  as  are  also  Exacum  macran- 
thum  and  the  pretty,  though  small,  E.  affine,  to- 
gether with  a  pan  of  Streptocarpus  parviflorus,  the 
pretty  white-flowered  species  ;  Gladiolus  blandus, 


104 


THE    GARDEN 


[Aug.  9,  1884. 


G.  nataleneis,  Coburghia  luteo-viridis,  C.  trich- 
roma,  Hfemanthus  carnens,  and  a  hybrid  between 
H.  albiflos  and  H.  coccineus.  Some  pans  of  Disa 
grandiflora  are  nicely  in  flower,  and  several  other 
bulbous  plants  of  more  or  less  interest.  These, 
along  with  the  Heaths  and  Pelargoniums,  which 
are  permanent  features  in  this  house,  make  a 
rather  unusual  display  just  now.  B, 


Flower  Garden. 


NOTES  ON  HARDY  FLOWERS. 

Lathteus  LATiFOLitis  ALBUS.— This  is  quite 
a  plant  for  every  garden,  being  a  vigorous  and 
constant  bloomer.  Even  near  large  towns  this 
white  Everlasting  Pea  somehow  keeps  clean  and 
robust.  Many  are  unaware  of  its  perennial  duration 
and  class  it  with  annuals.  A  row  of  it  12  yards 
in  length,  consisting  of  plants  three  years  esta- 
blished, is  accommodated  with  a  few  stout  stakes 
and  light  bars  into  which  fresh  twigs  are  stuck 
every  spring.  These  Peas  thus  treated  grow  C 
feet  or  more  high,  and  at  present  form  quite  a 
hedge  of  bloom.  They  are  almost  the  only  pure 
white  flowers  from  which  we  can  cut  largely  just 
now.  This  Pea  hedge  forms  a  capital  screen  to 
two  rows  of  summer-flowering  Pasonias,  and  the 
efliect  of  a  bed  of  coloured  Roses  on  the  sunny 
side  Is  improved  by  having  a  heap  of  glaucous 
foliage  and  white  bloom  as  a  background. 

Apios  tuberosa  I  find  to  do  much  better 
when  mixed  with  sometliing  else  as  a  companion 
climber  than  alone,  and,  therefore,  I  grow  it  at 
one  end  of  the  I'ea  hedge.  True,  it  makes  much 
longer  growth  than  the  Peas,  but  it  twines  along 
the  row,  and  in  late  summer  a  few  bunches  here 
and  there  of  its  sweet-scented  purple  flowers  form 
an  agreeable  change  where  white  has  long  been 
the  only  colour.  Many  complain  that  they  can- 
not grow  this  singular-rooted  climber.  It  loves  a 
light  soil  and  the  coolness  belonging  to  a  little 
shade.  It  will  not  flower  until  the  second  year 
after  it  is  planted.  If  it  gets  into  proper  quarters 
it  will  soon  occupy  a  large  space,  and  its  egg- 
shaped  tubers  bound  together  with  twine-like 
connections  extend  several  feet  in  one  season.  If 
these  are  not  cut  out  each  will  sprout  and  form  an 
independent  plant  in  spring. 

Aris^ejia  teipiiyllum — This  is  quite  at  home 
in  boggy  peat  and  under  the  shade  of  a  thickly- 
grown  tree.  I  say  quite  at  home  because  though 
it  has  flowered  in  the  same  spot  two  previous 
years,  it  never  produced  such  a  fine  knob  of  seed 
as  it  is  doing  now.  I  find  this  Arum  to  do  better 
in  every  way  when  grown  in  the  open  than  in  pots 
and  pans,  in  which  it  becomes  lanky,  no  matter 
how  near  it  may  be  to  the  glass,  and  the  flower- 
spathe  is  deficient  in  colour  compared  with  that 
in  open-air  grown  specimens.  In  pots,  too,  with 
me  the  vital  parts  of  the  tubers  have  proved  less 
Cipable  of  resisting  the  effects  of  the  parts  that 
annually  decay.  Another  plant  which  just  now 
attracts  notice  whilst  in  its  seed  state  is 

ACT.EA  sricATA(the  Baneberry  or  Herb  Christo- 
pher), but  the  variety  rubra  is  now  meant.  In  this 
the  clusters  of  berries,  held  erect  on  almost  woody 
stems,  are  as  bright  and  as  large  as  Red  Currants, 
and  last  good  a  long  time.  I  have  two  plants  of 
this,  and  it  has  been  interesting  to  note  how  under 
cultivation  this  herb  insists  on  certain  conditions; 
for  instance,  my  longest  established  plant  does 
not  even  flower  satisfactorily  where  there  is  no 
lime  in  the  land.  Many  things  we  know  will  put 
up  with  garden  fare,  though  different  from  that 
of  their  wild  homes  ;  this,  however,  seems  to  crave 
for  its  native  dry,  calcareous  food,  and  a  plant  of 
it  grown  with  a  bit  of  lime  in  the  soil  is  the  one 
which  we  find  to  flower  and  fruit  so  well. 

Meadow  Ceane.sbill  (Geranium  pratense). — 
The  double  flowered  form  of  this  has  been  most 
showy  for  these  three  weeks  or  more.  In  this  va- 
riety we  have  a  clear  gain  for  our  gardens  com- 
pared with  the  type.  Its  flowers  are  more  nume- 
rous and  lasting,  the  foliage  less  coarse,  and  the 
habit  more  compact.  The  flowers  resemble,  in 
fact,  little  blue  Roses,  and,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
a  well-flowered  specimen  of  this  plant  is  admired 


by  everybody.  It  is  certainly  one  of  the  few 
hardy  Geraniums  that  ought  to  be  in  gardens  of 
limited  space. 

Nieeembeegia  eivulakis  (White  Cup)  makes 
a  lovely  pot  plant,  and,  like  the  Star  Flower 
(Trientalis),  not  only  forms  a  more  compact  speci- 
men, but  blooms  more  freely  when  its  roots  are 
thus  confined  ;  moreover,  the  delicate  whiteness  of 
the  cup  and  its  closeness  to  the  ground  almost 
make  it  unfit  for  open-air  culture.  Though  it  is 
both  hardy  and  pretty  outside,  if  once  seen  in 
flower  under  the  shelter  of  a  cold  frame,  to  which 
plants  of  it  may  easily  be  taken  just  as  they  begin 
to  open  their  earliest  buds,  the  superior  quality  of 
the  bloom  will  be  apparent.  If  set  in  saucers  of 
water  with  a  little  liquid  manure  added  occa- 
sionally a  few  plants  will  be  worth  a  daily  visit. 

PoTENTiLLA  NEPALENSis,  Or  formosa,  is  one  of 
those  single-flowered  species  well  deserving  a 
place  in  every  garden.  Its  cherry-red  flowers 
shading  to  buff  have  a  rich  maroon  centre,  and, 
seen  at  a  little  distance  ofl!,  a  bushy  plant  of  it 
nearly  2  feet  high  is  most  showy.  Unlike  some 
others  belonging  to  the  same  genus,  its  flowers 
remain  open  in  dull  weather,  and  a  plant  which 
was  kindly  given  me  by  Mr.  Carrington  Ley  only 
last  autumn  has  been  in  flower  six  weeks,  and 
promises  to  last  good  for  some  time  yet.  The 
flowers  when  cut  are  charming,  especially  by  gas- 
light. 

LiNARiA  VULGAEIS  VAB.  PELOEIA  Well  deserves 
attention,  its  crop  of  bloom  lasting  quite  six  weeks 
where  there  is  a  well  established  patch  of  it.  The 
flowers,  too,  are  so  quaint  as  regards  arrangement, 
and  their  deep  orange,  pale  yellow,  and  green  tints 
are  so  blended  as  to  make  them  at  once  distinct 
and  beautiful.  It  has  been  quite  a  favourite  here 
for  some  three  or  four  season?.  As  to  culture,  it 
runs  pretty  freely  at  the  root  in  lipht  soil,  but  into 
the  same  kind  of  soil  that  has  t  :  jome  firm  as  a 
walk  the  roots  never  enter;  from  this  I  should 
imagine  that  it  would  not  succeed  in  stiff  land,  in 
which,  however,  I  have  not  tried  it.  Well  esta- 
blished plants  of  the  dwarf 

Gentiana  beachyphylla  and  bavaeica  as 
yet  show  no  signs  of  bloom,  though  the  plants  are 
quite  healthy.  G.  ornata  is  nearly  all  bloom  and 
promises  to  be  happier  than  the  European  kinds 
in  our  climate.  A  spare  plant  was  pulled  to 
pieces  a  fortnight  ago,  and  not  only  has  every  bit 
rooted  like  Wall  Pepper,  but  the  buds  and  flowers 
are  normal.  The  European  Gentians  require  a 
deal  of  water,  and  in  dry  times  there  is  danger  of 
washing  too  much  soil  from  the  heart  of  the 
plants,  and  thus  exposing  to  the  midday  sun  parts 
that  cannot  endure  heat.  I  fancied  this  was  the 
cause  of  some  brownness  in  the  case  of  some  of 
my  plants,  and  I  have  since  been  as  careful  to 
frequently  top-dress  as  to  give  water;  the  result  is 
vigorous  health,  and  it  may  be  added  that  many 
other  alpines  are  benefited  by  similar  treatment. 

Woodvillc,  Kirkstall.  J.  Wood. 


ALPINE  PLANTS. 


Though  too  late  in  the  season  to  see  alpine 
plants  at  their  best,  the  following  amongst  the  late 
flowering  kinds  are  well  worth  growing.  Few  of 
them  are  prettier  than  the  bright  pink  Erythrea 
diffusa,  3  inches  or  4  inches  high,  and  the  prostrate 
Cyananthus  lobatus,  with  blue  Achimenes-like 
flowers ;  the  latter,  though  grown  here  on  rock- 
work,  is,  I  think,  still  better  suited  to  a  bed 
of  damp  peat.  Gentiana  septemfida  is  grown 
largely  here,  the  seedlings  varying  much  both  in 
habit  and  shade  of  colour ;  a  large  plant,  when  in 
full  blossom,  shows  it  to  be  one  of  the  most  effec- 
tive of  the  Gentians,  as  well  as  one  of  the  least 
difficult  to  grow.  The  rare  Primula  sufErutescens, 
from  California,  is  in  blossom;  the  habit  is  singu- 
lar, and  the  blossom  resembles  that  of  P.  rosea, 
but  has  a  rather  more  crimson  shade  of  colour. 
Mr.  Lindsay  has  succeeded  in  introducing  success- 
fully the  little  Primula  minutissima  from  the 
Himalayas.  Potentilla  nitida  rosea,  from  the  Py- 
renees, is  a  pretty  rock  plant  with  silvery  foliage  ; 
and  the  finely-cut  foliage  of  Chamajbatia  foliolosa 
makes  it  most  effective ;  it  is,  however,  still  very 


rare.  Two  dwarf  white  Roses  for  rockwork  are 
R.  Paqnerette  and  R.  Little  Pet  —the  latter  perhaps 
the  prettier  of  the  two.  Helianthemum  umbella- 
tum,  very  dwarf,  with  pure  white  blossoms  about 
halt-an-inch  across,  and  Hypericum  verticillatum, 
with  very  small  Heath-like  foliage  and  little  golden 
flowers,  are  good  ;  the  latter  is  often  confounded 
with  H.  Coris.  Phlox  pilosa  is  like  an  attenuated 
form  of  P.  ovata,  and  very  pretty ;  and  a 
little  later  Galium  rubrum  will  be  in  full 
blossom — a  dark  red  feathery  mass.  Dianthns 
Little  Gem  has  a  very  small,  double  white  flower 
about  half-an-inch  across,  and  the  plant  is  about 
4  inches  high.  D.  Atkinsoni,  rather  tall,  has  bright 
red  blossoms,  and  D.  b  arbatus  var.  pumilns  is  also 
efllective  on  rockwork.  Campanula  barbata  alba 
is  still  prettier  than  the  type.  A  polypetalous 
variety  of  C.  pulchella,  with  star-shaped  flowers,  is 
at  first  sight  quite  unlike  a  Campanula.  Aristo- 
lochia  rotunda,  with  its  quaint  flowers  of  special 
botanical  interest,  blossoms  when  hardly  1  foot 
high.  P.ambusa  Fortunei  viridis  striata,  with 
bright  golden  variegation,  is  prettier  than  the 
white  variety.  Veronica  perfoliata,  an  Aus- 
tralian species,  though  not  showy,  is  very 
unlike  other  Veronicas  in  habit.  V.  ligustri- 
folia  does  not  blossom  more  freely  here  than 
it  does  in  Ireland,  nor  does  it  in  any  way 
equal  V.  Colensoi  in  beauty.  V.  epacridea, 
with  small,  but  numerous  leaves  ;  V.  pimelioides,  a 
minute  prostrate  kind  ;  and  V.  purpurea-cicrulea, 
like  a  very  small  form  of  V.  buxifolia,  with  some 
of  the  numerous  other  kinds  introduced  by  Mr. 
Anderson-Henry,  have  not  as  yet  flowered  here. 
But  even  as  foliage  plants  some  of  these  small- 
leaved  kinds  are  worth  growing  as  dwarf  ever- 
green shrubs,  especially  V.  salicornioides,  the  most 
curious  of  them  all.  The  New  Zealand  Spear 
Grass,  Aciphylla  squarrosa,  flowers  well  here.  The 
strongly  guarded  flower-spikes,  especially  those  of 
the  seed- bearing  plants,  are  very  singular;  the 
head  of  seeds  is  enclosed  in  a  strong  network  of 
stiletto-like  leaves. 

This  plant  appears  to  require  a  comparatively 
dry  climate.  In  the  mild  damp  climate  of  the 
south-east  of  Ireland  I  have  twice  failed  to  grow 
it  out-of-doors  through  the  winter. 

Amongst  the  Alliums,  A  oreophilum,  with  bright 
purple  flowers  about  8  inches  high,  is  a  good  rock 
plant.  It  resembles,  but  is  less  vigorous  in  habit 
than  A.  McNabianum,  the  latter  a  fine  bright 
purple  kind,  sent  from  N.  America  by  Mr.  Murray, 
who  introduced  Cupressus  Lawsuniana  and  many 
other  good  Conifers.  This  Allium  has  been  grown 
here  for  many  years,  but  it  is  probably  still  very 
rare. 

Another  rare  plant  from  N.  America  is  Clintonia 
Andrewsiana;  it  has  large  bunches  of  dark  red 
flowers,  succeeded  at  this  season  by  dark  blue 
berries.  Libertia  azurea,  rather  over  1  foot  high, 
with  bright  blue  blossoms,  and  Sparaxis  pendnla, 
about  H  feet  high,  with  sprays  of  pale  pink  flowers, 
are  both  good.  Zygadenus  elegansisaverydistinct 
Melanthaceous  plant  withgreenish  white  blossoms, 
the  flower-stems  being  about  1  foot  high. 

C.  M.  Owen. 


COLOUR  IN  FLOWER  GARDENS. 
Many  large  houses  have  formal  gardens  imme- 
diately adjoining  them,  designed  and  intended  to 
form  an  inseparable  part  of  the  facade,  and,  there- 
fore, requiring  to  be  treated  with  a  certain  stiff- 
ness. Though,  perhaps,  the  least  enjoyable  form 
a  garden  can  take,  the  designer's  intention  should 
be  respected,  and  the  best  way  of  treating  it  has 
to  be  considered.  Here  we  must  necessarily  em- 
ploy the  bedding  system.  We  must  put  out  of 
mind  nearly  all  the  higher  sense  of  enjoyment 
that  we  have  in  flowers,  the  delight  in  their  beauty 
individually,  or  in  natural  masses,  the  pleasure 
derived  from  a  personal  knowledge  of  their  varied 
characters,  physiognomies  and  ways,  that  gives 
our  flowers  so  much  of  human  interest  and  loveable 
ness,  and  must  regard  them  merely  as  so  much 
colouring  matter  to  fill  such  and  such  spaces  for  a 
few  months.  We  are  restricted  to  a  kind  of  gar- 
dening that,  though  better  in  degree,  is  in  kind 
not  far  removed  from  that  in  which  the  spaces  o£ 


Aug.  9.   1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


105 


the  design  are  filled  with  pounded  brick,  slate, 
shells,  or  some  colouring  substance  other  than 
flowers.  The  best  rule  in  the  arrangement  of  a 
bedded  garden  is  to  keep  the  scheme  of  colouring 
as  simple  a3  possible.  The  truth  of  this  is  easily 
perceived  by  an  ordinary  observer  when  shown  a 
good  example,  and  is  obvious,  without  any  show- 
ing, to  one  who  has  studied  the  question  of 
colour  effects ;  and  yet  the  very  opposite  intention 
is  the  thing  most  commonly  seen  in  gardens, 
namely,  a  garish  display  of  the  greatest  number 
of  crudely  contrasting  colours,  than  which  nothing 
nan  be  worse  from  the  point  of  view  of  refined 
taste.  How  often  do  we  see  combinations  of 
scarlet  Pelargonium,  Calceolaria,  and  blue  Lobelia 
—three  subjects  excellent  as  bedding  plants  if 
used  in  separate  colour  schemes,  but  in  combina- 
tion they  can  hardly  fail  to  look  gaudy  and  vulgar. 
In  this  kind  of  gardening,  as  in  any  other,  let  us 
by  all  means  have  our  colours  in  a  brilliant 
blaze,  but  never  in  a  discordant  glare.  One 
or  two  colours  used  temperately  and  with 
careful  judgment  will  produce  nobler  and 
richer  results  than  many  colours  purposely  con- 
trasted or  wantonly  jumbled ;  and  the  formally 
designed  garden  that  is  an  architectural  adjunct 
to  an  imposing  building  demands  a  dignified  unity 
of  colouring  rather  than  the  petty  and  frivolous 
effects  so  commonly  obtained  by  the  misuse  of 
many  colours.  As  practical  examples  of  simple 
harmonies,  let  us  take  a  scheme  of  red  for  summer 
bedding.  It  may  range  from  palest  pink  to  nearly 
black,  the  flowers  being  Pelargoniums  in  many 
shades  of  pink,  rose,  salmon,  and  scarlet ;  Ver- 
benas, red  and  pink  ;  and  judicious  mixtures  of 
Iresine,  Alternanthera,  Amarantus,  the  dark  Ajuga, 
and  red-foliaged  Oxalis.  Still  finer  is  a  colour 
scheme  of  yellow  and  orange,  worked  out  with 
tome  eight  varieties  of  Marigold,  Zinnias,  Calceo- 
larias, and  Nasturtiums— a  long  range  of  bright, 
rich  colour  from  palest  buil  and  primrose  to  deep- 
est mahogany.  Such  examples  as  these  of  strong, 
warm  colouring  are  admirably  adapted  for  large 
spaces  of  bedded  garden.  Where  a  small  space 
has  to  be  dealt  with,  it  would  better  suit  arrange- 
ments of  blue,  with  white  and  palest  yellow,  or  of 
purple  and  lilac,  with  grey  foliage.  A  satisfactory 
example  of  the  latter  could  be  worked  out  with 
beds  of  purple  and  lilac  Clematis,  trained  over  a 
carpet  of  Cineraria  maritima  ;  or  one  of  the  white- 
foliaged  Centaureas  and  Heliotropes  and  purple 
Verbenas,  with  silvery  foliage  of  Cerastium,  An- 
tennaria,  or  Stachys  lanata.  These  are  some  simple 
examples  easily  carried  out.  The  principle  once 
seen  and  understood,  and  the  operator  having  a 
perception  of  colour  harmonies,  modifications  will 
suggest  themselves,  and  a  correct  working  with 
two  or  more  colours  will  be  practicable ;  but  the 
simpler  ways  are  the  best,  and  will  always  give 
the  nobler  result.  There  is  one  peculiar  form  of 
harmony  to  be  got,  even  in  varied  colours,  by 
putting  together  those  of  nearly  the  same  strength 
or  depth.  As  an  example  in  spring  bedding,  Myo- 
sotis  dissitiflora,  Silene  pendula  (not  the  deepest 
shade),  and  double  yellow  Primrose  or  yellow 
Polyanthus,  though  distinctly  red,  blue,  and 
yellow,  yet  are  of  such  tender  and  equal  depth  of 
colouring,  that  they  work  together  charmingly, 
especially  if  they  are  further  connected  with  the 
grey-white  foliage  of  Cerastium.  J. 


Dianthus  Napoleon  III.— This  plant  is 
worthy  of  more  extensive  cultivation  than  it  re- 
ceives. A  row  50  yards  in  length  of  it,  and  the 
plants  about  18  inches  apart,  in  Mr.  Milne's  gar- 
den at  Trinity,  Edinburgh,  is  a  sight  worth  seeing; 
each  plant  had  from  100  to  120  of  its  dazzling 
crimson-scarlet  flowers  expanded,  and  its  flower 
clusters  so  crowded  with  buds,  that  it  will  flower 
until  October  or  November.  Such  a  plant  is  most 
valuable  either  as  a  bedding  plant  or  for  planting 
singly  in  borders.— R.  M. 

Galega  officinalis  alba  (the  Spanish 
Goat's  Rue)  is  a  very  handsome  plant,  perhaps  a 
little  too  tall  for  small  gardens,  but  owing  to  its 
neat,  compact,  pyramidal  habit  it  does  not  take  up 
much  room.    It  is  now  literally  covered  with  neat 


racemes  of  pure  white  flowers  which  continue 
to  expand  for  several  weeks  together.  In  addition 
to  its  value  as  a  cut  flower  for  vases,  as  a  but- 
ton-hole bouquet  it  is  very  pretty  in  combination 
witha  clusterof  Everlasting  Peas,  the  latter  form- 
ing the  centre,  and  the  Galega  on  either  side 
dressed  with  its  own  leaves. — R.  M. 


PYRENEAN  MICHAELMAS  DAISY. 

Amongst  early-flowering  Asters  this  is  one  of  the 
best  and  showiest  for  mixed  borders.  When  A. 
alpinus  and  A.  sibiricus  are  over,  or  nearly  so,  A. 
pyrenseus  takes  their  place,  and  very  appropriately 
fills  up  the  gap.  It  is  one  of  those  plants  which 
give  but  little  trouble ;  not  having  the  underground 
running  shoots  of  the  A.  lestivus  group,  it  takes 
up  comparatively  little  space.  In  average  seasons 
it  grows  to  a  height  of  about  2^  feet.     It  dislikes 


Llooin  0/  the  Pyrcncan  Michaelmas  Djisji. 

a  dry  situation,  in  which  it  grows  very  dwarf  and 
does  not  flower  well.  The  leaves,  which  are  stem- 
clasping  or  sub-perfoliate,  are  broadly  lanceo- 
late, furnished  with  sharp  irregular  notches,  and 
densely  covered  with  short  white  hairs.  The 
flowers  are  borne  in  clusters  and  terminate  the 
stem  ;  they  measure  from  1  inch  to  2  inches  in 
diameter,  and  have  broad,  pretty,  blue-coloured 
rays.  This  Aster  flowers  early  in  July,  and  conti- 
nues in  bloom  well  into  August.  When  in  full 
flower  it  has  a  compact  and  handsome  appearance. 

D.  K. 


Daisies  in  sunshine  and  shade.— The 

drought  which  we  have  had  has  been  very  trying 
to  moisture-loving  plants ;  and  the  difference 
observable  in  the  same  kind  of  plant  growing  in 
close  proximity,  in  the  same  soil,  but  one  exposed 
to  the  full  rays  of  the  sun  and  the  other  shaded, 
has  been  very  remarkable,  inasmuch  as  the  fully- 
exposed  plants  ceased  flowering  and  the  foliage 
looked  rusty  and  dying,  while  those  shaded  were 


a  mass  of  flower  and  luxuriant  foliage.  Therefore 
in  selecting  summer  quarters  for  plants  of  this 
class,  we  should  make  shade  from  the  direct  rays 
of  the  sun  a  point  of  the  first  importance ;  for, 
although  such  plants  do  revive  on  the  return  of 
moist  weather,  it  is  difficult  to  understand  how 
they  can  be  benefited  by  the  defoliation  to  which 
they  are  subjected.  Daisies,  Primroses,  Polyan- 
thuses, and  similar  plants  in  the  south  of  England 
are  undoubtedly  benefited  by  partial  shade  during 
the  hottest  months  of  the  year ;  and  those  who 
grow  them  for  filling  spring  flower  beds  should 
bestow  on  them  special  care,  for  the  transplanting 
will  have  left  them  in  a  condition  to  be  easily 
affected  by  drought.  Evergreen  branches  laid 
over  the  beds  make  good  temporary  shade,  and  a 
thin  covering  of  litter  or  straw  also  answers  the 
same  purpose.  It  is  frequently  argued  that  they 
flower  all  the  better  for  a  good  roasting,  but  1  feel 
sure  that  the  loss  is  far  greater  than  the  benefit 
derived  from  too  much  exposure.— J.  Geoom. 

GaltonIa  candioans.— "  A.  S.  W."  (p.  68) 
mentions  sowing  the  seeds  of  this  bulb  under 
glass.  I  can  assure  him  he  will  get  better  results  if 
he  does  not  coddle  the  plants  in  any  way.  It  is 
better  to  sow  thinly  in  drills  in  the  open  ground 
in  April,  allowing  the  bulbs  to  remain  where  the 
seed  was  sown  until  the  following  spring,  when 
they  should  be  taken  up  and  planted  further 
apart.  Many  of  them  will  flower  the  second  year, 
but  if  large  roots  are  wanted,  th'd  Uower-spike 
should  be  cut  out  as  soon  as  it  appears.  To  be 
appreciated  this  plant  must  be  seen  growing  in 
rather  large  masses. — J.  C.  C. 

The  Tree  Poppy  (Romneya  Coulteri). — We 
have  never  seen  anything  more  beautiful  than  a 
plant  of  this  in  flower  at  Munstead.  It  has  an 
enormous  while  flower  and  rich  yellow  centre. 
The  habit  of  the  plant  is  tall,  broken,  and  most 
picturesque.  A  more  beautiful  and  distinct  plant 
it  would  be  difticult  to  imagine.  It  is  shrubby, 
and  seems  to  love  a  warm,  sandy  soil.  It  is  re- 
markable that  so  distinct  a  plant  from  a  much 
warmer  country  than  our  own  should  thrive  so 
well.  It  is  a  native  of  California,  and  we  have 
never  seen  it  thrive  so  well  as  in  the  warm  sandy 
soils  in  Surrey. 

Clematis  coccinea.— The  reference  to  this 
plant  in  The  Garden  (p.  77)  is  rather  tantalising 
to  me,  as  I  bought  two  plants  of  it  when  first  sent 
out,  and  grew  them  for  two  years,  when  I  was  so 
disappointed  with  them  that  I  threw  them  away. 
The  blooms  were  so  deficient  in  colour,  that  I  con- 
sidered the  descriptive  name  quite  misleading,  as 
my  plants  only  produced  flowers  with  the  slightest 
tinge  of  red  in  them.  The  fact  that  Messrs. 
Veitch's  plants  were  grown  in  the  open  may  have 
had  something  to  do  with  the  matter  :  mine  were 
grown  indoors,  but  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that 
there  is  more  than  one  variety  of  it. — J.  C  C. 

Earthen'ware  rings —For  several  years  I 
have  used  these  rings,  but  for  a  different  purpose 
from  tliat  described  by  Mr.  Palmer.  I  have  them 
laid  upon  the  surface  of  the  ground,  then  filled 
with  soil  and  planted  with  Sedums  and  Semper- 
vivums.  This  has  the  double  advantage  of  keep- 
ing the  plants  dry,  which  is  their  natural  condi- 
tion, and  also  preventing  them,  especially  the 
Sedums,  running  into  one  another.  They  are  useful 
also  for  protecting  anything  tender  or  newly 
planted  in  the  open  ground,  as  being  open  at  the 
top  the  plants  get  any  rain  that  is  going  and  none  of 
the  burning  sun.  For  underground  work  they  will 
also,  I  am  sure,  be  useful  for  amateurs,  who  usually 
have  not  unlimited  space  at  their  command,  but 
must  make  the  most  of  their  ground.  They  must 
be  burnt  hard,  otherwise  the  frost  will  break  them. 
— P.  Neill  Fra.see. 

Belladonna  Lilies.— Few  plants  are  more 
disappointing  than  these,  unless  their  proper  treat- 
ment is  understood.  We  have  tried  to  get  them 
to  flower  planted  at  the  foot  of  warm  walls  in 
several  places  about  the  garden,  but  they  invari- 
ably refuse  to  do  so,  except  in  one  particular  spot, 
and  that  is  against  the  outside  wall  of  a  stove 
which  is  always  heated.  Here  they  bloom  regu- 
larly every  year.  As  they  come  into  flower  we  tajce 


106 


THE    GARDEN 


[Aug.  9,   1884. 


up  the  bulbs  and  put  them  in  pots  for  the  conser- 
vatory, and  as  soon  as  they  go  out  of  bloom  the 
bulbs  are  put  back  in  the  same  place  again.  This 
seems  to  show  that  they  like  more  warmth  than 
an  ordinary  south  wall  affords.  The  first  flower 
this  season  was  open  on  July  27 — earlier  than  ever 
I  knew  flowers  of  this  Lily  to  open  before. — J.  C.  C. 

Plants  for  bog  gardens.— In  Messrs. 
Paul  &  Son's  picturesque  nurseries  at  High  Beech, 
Epping  Forest,  a  series  of  bog  gardens  have  been 
formed  here  and  there  along  the  margin  of  a  little 
rill  which  is  sufficient  to  keep  the  beds  in  a  moist 
condition.  Mr.  George  Paul  appears  to  take  great 
interest  in  these  bog  plants,  and  besides  planting 
those  that  are  generally  known  to  thrive  in  moist 
soil  he  has  experimented  with  numbers  of  others 
more  or  less  successfully.  Some  have  not 
flourished  well,  but  there  is  a  long  list  of  successes, 
amongst  them  being  Daphne  rupestris  (just  com- 
ing into  flower),  Iris  K^mpferi,  Pyrola  rotondi- 
f olia,  Parnassias,  Primulas,  such  as  minima ;  Myo- 
sotis,  Calthas  (double),  Dionreas  and  Sarraoenias, 
Dodecatheons,  Gentiana  Pneumonanthe,  macro- 
phylla,  and  Andrewsi,  Lobelia  cardinalis,  Lysi- 
macbias,  Mimulus,  Liatris  of  all  sorts,  Mer- 
tensias,  Orchis  foliosa.  Lilies  of  the  American 
woods,  Rubus  arcticus  and  Chamajmorus,  large 
American  Cranberry  Soldanellas,  Sisyrinchiums, 
Spin-eas,  Thalictrums,  Trilliums,  and  Violas  of 
sorts,  especially  V.  pedata  in  variety.  In  their 
hardy  plant  nursery  a  few  miles  from  Brosbourne 
Messrs.  Paul  have  also  formed  a  bog  garden  in 
connection  with  the  rock  garden  there,  and 
although  only  planted  during  the  last  spring  the 
plants  have  progressed  well,  and  the  majority  of 
them  look  as  if  they  will  make  their  home  in  the 
moist  spot  in  which  they  have  been  placed,  but 
they  have  to  pass  the  winter,  which,  if  at  all 
severe,  will  test  their  powers  of  endurance.  There 
is  a  host  of  hardy  herbaceous  plants  which  revel  in 
water  during  the  summer,  but  which  cannot  with- 
sland  the  excessive  moisture  in  winter  ;  hence  the 
t3st  of  bog  garden  plants  is  a  hard  winter. 


SHORT  NOTES.— FLOWER. 


Nicotianaafflnis.— Is  it  generally  known  that  Mco- 
tiana  affinis  is  a  hardy  lierbaceous  perennial  ?  Old  plants 
left  out  through  the  winter  without  any  protection  .ire  now 
well  in  flower. — A.  K. 

CEnothera  Lamarcklana  — We  were  surprised  at 
the  beauty  of  a  mass  of  the  cut  blooms  of  this  in  a  large 
vase  in  a  friend's  liouse  the  other  evening.  Its  effect 
seems  no  less  good  in  the  house  than  it  is  out-of-doors  at 
night  and  in  the  early  morning.  The  value  of  this  Evening 
Primrose  it  would  be  difficult  to  overrate. 

5229.— The  Widow  Iris— The  Iris  alluded  to  is  the 
Snake 's-head  Iris  (Iris  tnlierosa),  an  inhabitant  of  Soutliern 
Italy,  where  it  abounds  near  Taranto,  in  .\pnlia,  whence 
probably  it  was  introduced  into  Tuscany  It  abounds  in 
the  Grass  lawns  of  the  Boboli  Gardens  at  Florence.- U.  J. 
Ross,  Caitxgnolo,  Lastra  iiSigna,  Italy. 

Verbascum  phlomoides— This  plant  is  extremely 
beautiful,  and,  ,ns  far  as  we  know,  little  known  to  the  "ar- 
deniug  cumnniiuty.  It  has  the  stately  habits  of  the  largest 
of  its  race,  with  a  fine  high  quality  of  flower.  .Some  forms 
are  exciuisitely  fringed  and  cut,  all  being  good  The 
flowering  runs  over  a  considerable  perioj,  and  the  foliage 
is  haudsonie. 

Propagating  Pentstemons.  -Now  is  the  be>t  time 
in  the  year  to  take  cuttings  of  choice  kinds,  as  they  make 
tine  plants  for  putting  in  the  open  ground  Ijy  next  spring. 
Young  growths  which  spring  from  the  stem  are  the  Ijest 
but  any  young  succulent  wood  will  do.  They  strike  freely 
in  a  cold  frame  kept  moist  and  shaded,  admitting  a  little 
air  every  morning  for  an  hour  or  so.— J.  C,  Byfleet. 

Statice  Suwarowi.— This  plant  has  disappointed  me 
much  both  out  ami  indoors,  as  its  neat  growth  and  abun- 
dant llower-spikes,  arranged  candelabrum  fashion,  pro- 
mised every  thing  that  was  desirable.  On  opening,  however, 
the  fl.nvers  are  of  such  a  dull  purplish  shade  of  pink, 
spe.dily  turning  to  a  leaden  hue,  that  I  shall  never  grow 
It  agam  until  a  variety  with  fresher  or  deeper  tones  of 
colour  has  been  raised  and  fixed.— E.  H.  W. 

'^^'■'Sffated  Convolvulus  leaf.— I  send  herewith  a 
wi,  ^'"  "'  "-'"uvolvulus  and  .Japanese  Honeysuckle. 
VVheiever  the  Convolvulus  plants  have  come  in  contact 
with  the  Huneysuckle  the  leaves  have  become  variegated, 
While  plants  of  the  same  packet  of  seeds  further  off  are  as 
usual.  Is  this  uncommon?- M.  Baenett,  Bolmleinh. 
Stanstcad  BoacI,  Fnrest  Bill. 

*  '■  We  have  not  seen  or  heard  of  such  a  case  before.  The 
leaf  received  is  ceitainly  variegated  like  that  of  tlie  Honey- 
suckle (Lonicera  aureo-reticulata).— Ed 


Calceolarias  wintered  out  of  doors.— 

It  is  but  seldom  these  are  to  be  seen  in  the  state 
of  perfection  in  which  they  are  this  year.  In 
many  gardens  they  have  stood  out  unhurt  during 
the  winter,  and  plants  of  them  may  now  be  met 
with  a  yard  or  more  through,  forming  quite  bushes, 
dense  and  healthy,  and  completely  covered  with 
blooms.  In  borders  such  plants  are  grand  orna- 
ments, and  it  is  quite  worth  while  leaving  them 
out  of  doors  every  season  to  take  their  chance,  as 
when  they  do  stand  they  are  striking  objects  com- 
pared with  young  plants,  as  not  only  are  older 
ones  so  much  larger,  but  they  flower  more  pro- 
fusely and  stand  the  dry  weather  better  as  their 
roots  get  down  deep  and  they  become  firmly  esta- 
blished. Calceolarias  being  more  than  half  hardy, 
it  would  not  be  much  trouble  to  afford  them  a 
little  protection.  This  might  easily  be  done  by 
placing  some  light  non-conducting  material,  such 
as  Cocoa-nut  fibre  or  half  rotten  leaves,  over  the 
roots  and  round  the  collar,  and  sticking  about 
them  a  few  evergreen  branches  for  shelter.  Plants 
taken  up  in  autumn  and  potted  form  good  subjects 
in  early  spring  and  summer  for  the  greenhouse 
and  conservatory.  There  is  then,  and,  indeed,  at 
all  times,  but  little  yellow  in  the  way  of  flowers  ; 
therefore,  they  are  the  more  desirable.  Lift 
them  with  fair  sized  balls,  pot  them  in  rich 
loamy  soil,  and  then  heavily  water  them  to  settle 
it  about  their  roots ;  then  place  the  plants  in  a 
row  close  under  a  wall  or  other  shady  position 
where  they  can  be  sprinkled  overhead  and  so  have 
the  foliage  kept  fresh  till  thsy  again  get  hold  of 
the  soil.  For  wintering  them,  there  is  no  place 
better  than  a  cold  pit  or  house,  where  they  should 
have  plenty  of  air  on  all  favourable  occasions  so 
as  to  keep  them  sturdy  and  strong,  and  thus  fit 
them  for  their  summer  work. — S.  D. 

Begonia  Carrlerei.— This  Begonia  bears 
pure  white  flowers  something  in  the  way  of  those 
of  B.  semperflorens,  but  much  smaller  in  all  their 
parts,  and  so  floriferous  is  it  that  with  liberal 
treatment  it  will  bloom  continuously  for  months. 
Even  from  cuttings  it  is  constantly  necessary  to 
pick  off  the  flowers  in  order  to  induce  growth. 
Begonias  of  this  class  are  now  much  neglected, 
preference  being  given  to  tuberous-rooted  kinds  ; 
nevertheless  many  of  them  are  very  beautiful,  and 
they  may  be  had  in  bloom  throughout  the  winter. 
The  following  are  a  few  of  the  best,  viz.,  ascot- 
ensis,  a  free,  bushy  growing  kind  with  pink 
flswers  ;  Dregei,  light  green  foliage,  distinct,  and 
flowers  small  and  white;  fuchsioides,  flowers  droop- 
ing and  of  a  bright  crimson  colour,  habit  of  the 
plant  fi  ee,  fitting  it  for  training  to  a  wall  or  pillar ; 
insignis  and  Knowsleyana,  free  branching  kinds, 
something  in  the  way  of  ascotensis,  but  dif- 
ferent in  colour,  the  flowers  of  the  first  being 
deep  pink,  those  of  the  second  blush.  In  addition 
to  the  above  may  be  named  B.  manicata,  a  bold 
kind  with  lobed  leaves  and  large  upright  clusters 
of  pink  flowers,  produced  in  winter;  B.  valida, 
another  of  the  same  class,  but  with  flowers  very 
much  larger  and  of  a  deeper  pink  colour  than 
those  of  manicata,  and  produced  early  in  the 
spring ;  B.  metallica  is  handsome  from  a  foliage 
point  of  view,  and  its  blush-coloured  flowers  are 
also  very  pretty,  and  contrast  in  a  pleasing  manner 
with  the  darker  tinted  leaves  ;  B.  semperflorens  in 


Orchids. 


DISA  GEANDIFLORA. 
I  HAVE  often  been  perplexed  by  the  accounts 
which  I  have  read  and  heard  concerning  this 
beautiful  Orchid,  and  the  way  in  which  it  is  grown 
at  Glasnevin  and  the  neighbourhood  of  Dublin, 
and  especially  by  my  friend  the  Rev.  F.  Tymons, 
of  Baskin  Hill,  Drumcondra,  and  a  suspicion 
crossed  my  mind  that  it  might  be  a  different 
variety  from  that  with  which  I  have  been  for  many 
years  acquainted.  My  first  knowledge  of  it  was 
through  my  friend,  Mr.  Charles  Leech,  now 
deceased,  and  whose  plant  as  exhibited  at  the 
Royal  Horticultural  Society's  Spring  Show,  some 
twenty-four  years  ago,  created  such  afuron:  I 
grew  it  for  some  years,  and  then  lost  it,  I  believe, 
through  using  bad  peat.  I  began  its  cultivation 
about  six  years  ago  with  a  clump  received  from 
the  Plant  and  Bulb  Company,  Colchester,  and 
have  uniformly  succeeded  with  it.  It  flowered 
well,  and  has  increased  abundantly,  giving  me  com- 
plete satisfaction.  This  was,  however,  somewhat 
discounted  when  I  read  of  the  manner  in  which  it 
grew  at  Glasnevin,  and  when  Mr.  Tymons  gave  his 
account  of  it  in  a  contemporary,  I  was  perfectly 
amazed  at  the  growth  of  which  he  told,  the  height  of 
the  flowering  stems,  &c.,  more  especially  as  in  de- 
tailing his  treatment  I  could  see  no  difference  be- 
tween his  mode  of  culture  and  my  own,  and  so  on 
a  late  visit  to  Dublin  I  determined  to  investigate 
it.  lEawtheplantatGlasnevin,at  Mr. Tymons', and 
at  the  College  Botanic  Gardens,  and  I  was  at  once 
struck  with  the  difference  in  growth ;  they  were 
much  more  vigorous,  the  stems  were  much  redder 
and  were  evidently  on  the  way  to  reach  a  much 
greater  height  than  mine.  I  inquired  at  Glas- 
nevin if  they  had  any  other  variety.  Yes,they  had, 
but  could  not  find  it.  Mr.  Tymons  had  one  pan 
which  looked  like  mine,  but  the  remainder  of  his 
stock  had  come  originally  from  Glasnevin,  and 
on  talking  the  matter  over  with  Mr.  Burbidge,  he 
said.  Oh,  yes ;  there  is  no  doubt  a  different  and 
inferior  variety. 

The  blooming  .season  having  come  and  my 
plants  being  in  flower,  I  wrote  to  Mr.  Moore  at 
Glasnevin  and  asked  him  to  be  kind  enough  to  let 
me  have  a  flower :  this  he  has  done,  and  I  now  for- 
ward it  to  you,  with  a  bloom  from  my  own  plant. 
You  will  see  that  the  Glasnevin  variety  is  in- 
ferior in  every  way,  in  the  size  and  width  of 
its  sepals,  and  in  the  brightness  of  its  colouring, 
and  indeed  compared  with  the  other  I  should  say 
not  worth  growing.  I  may  say  that  I  saw  the 
same  variety  the  other  day  at  Sir  Trevor  Law- 
rence's. It  is  a  somewhat  curious  thing  that 
although  the  Disa  is  confined  to  one  spot  on  the 
earth's  surface,  so  far  as  we  know,  that  yet  two 
varieties  so  entirely  different  should  be  found ; 
the  one  I  grow  has  been,  I  believe,  called  by  Mr. 
B.  S.  Williams  superba. 

Culture. — With  regard  to  this,  it  is  of  the 
easiest  description  possible.  It  requires  no  arti- 
ficial heat.  Mine  are  grown  in  an  ordinary  green- 
house from  which  frost  is  excluded.  As  soon  as 
the  stems  die  down  they  are  repotted  into  peat  in 
large  lumps  and  charcoal  in  pieces  about  the  size 
of  a  Walnut,  and  with  plenty  of  drainage.     They 


its  varying  shades  o£  white  to^  deep  pink  is^well  |  are  placed  near  the  door  of  the  house  where  they 
„^  J  n..  ..oc._<..__  _.L  _,.  ..  -»  .,      have  abundance  of  light  and  air,  and  are  syringed 

three  or  four  times  a  day.  They  do  not  seem 
to  care  bow  much  water  they  get  provided 
the  drainage  is  good.  Some  cultivators  have  re- 
commended Sphagnum,  bat  I  have  never  used  it, 
and  having  succeeded  so  well  without  it  think  it 
best  to  let  well  alone.  Delta. 


known  and  equally  effective  at  all  times  of  the 
year ;  B.  nitida  is  an  upright  growing,  sparsely 
branching  kind  with  blush  coloured  flowers,  and 
B.  Roezli,  another  in  the  same  way,  has  blossoms 
of  a  deep  rosy  carmine  tint ;  B.  Ingrami  and 
hybrida  floribunda  are  a  couple  belonging  to  the 
fuchsioides  section,  but  both  are  quite  distinct 
and  well  worth  growing.  For  hanging  baskets, 
B.  glauoophylla,  a  rambling  growing  kind,  is  well 
fitted,  and  it  flowers  freely ;  nor  must  B.  wel- 
tonensis  be  overlooked ;  though  one  of  the  com- 
monest, it  is  unsurpassed  as  a  summer  flowerer. 
It  is  grown  pretty  extensively  for  market,  while 
the  more  fashionable  tuberous  kinds  do  not  find 
favour  with  that  class  of  growers,  although  there 
are  some  varieties  that  might  be  profitably  grown 
for  market,  being  showy  and  remarkably  florifer- 
ous.—Alpha. 


Epidendrum  nemorale.— This  Orchid  pos- 
sessesmuch  to  recommend  it.  The  light  airy  growth 
of  the  plant,  the  delicate  beauty  of  its  flowers 
combine  to  render  it  a  most  beautiful  Orchid,  and 
the  more  desirable,  inasmuch  as  it  habitually 
flowers  at  this  season  when  the  Orchid-flowering 
season  is  almost  at  its  lowest  ebb.  The  flowers 
are  some  4  inches  across,  of  a  rather  deep  lilac 
colour,  and  are  produced  in  a  branching  panicle 


Aug.  !»,   1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


107 


terminating  a  long  slender  stem,  which  gracefully 
droops  under  the  weight  of  the  flowers.  It  lasts 
in  bloom  a  long  time  if  kept  in  a  cool  and  dry 
house.  It  is  a  Mexican  species  of  free  growth  in 
an  intermediate  house.  A  line  specimen  of  it  in 
flower  may  now  be  seen  in  Messrs.  Shuttleworth 
and  Carder's  nursery,  at  Clapham,  where,  among 
other  interesting  Orchids  in  flower,  may  be  found 
Burlingtonia  granatensis  with  drooping  spikes  of 
deliciously  scented  white  flowers,  Dendrobium 
Falconeri,  various  interesting  Masdevallias  and 
Odontoglossums,  and  an  uncommonly  fine  dark 
variety  of  the  new  Cattleya  Gaskelliana. 

Another  giant  Cattleya.  —  There  has 
been  put  up  tor  sale  at  Stevens'  Kooms,  C'ovent 
Garden,  during  the  week  a  huge  plant  of  Cattleya 
Skinneri  just  received  direct  from  South  America. 
The  mafs  measures  about  7  feet  across  and  is 
20  feet  in  circumference.  It  is  a  complete  mass 
of  bulbs  all  in  good  condition,  and  is  a  rival  to 
the  giant  Cattleya  which  Messrs.  Sander  &  Co. 
have  at  their  nurseries,  at  St.  Albans.  A  plant  of 
the  white  variety  of  C.  Skinneri  was  sold  during 
the  week  for  twenty-five  guineas. 

Vanda  Batemanni.— We  do  not  remember 
having  seen  such  a  high  coloured  variety  of  this 
noble  Vanda  as  that  sent  to  us  by  Mr.  Kemp  from 
Mr.  Graham's  garden  at  Dunlop,  Stewarton.  The 
flower  measures  2i  inches  across,  the  sepals  being 
bright  yellow  profusely  spotted  with  cinnamon  on 
their  inner  surfaces,  while  their  exteriors  are  of  a 
bright  purple-crimson.  The  lip  is  also  purpls-crim- 
son,  but  of  a  very  deep  shade.  Mr.  Kemp  states 
that  the  plant  from  which  the  flower  was  cut 
bears  a  spike  i  feet  long,  and  furnished  with 
some  fifteen  flowers. 

Odontoglossum  vexlllarlum  Cobbla- 

nnm — The  delicate  and  almost  colourless  blos- 
soms of  this  variety  render  it  very  beautiful, 
and  on  account  of  its  rarity  it  is  much  sought 
after.  One  may  flower  thousands  of  imported 
plants  without  securing  one  with  such  pale  flowers 
as  this  variety  possesses.  There  is  only  a  faint 
dash  of  rose-pink  in  the  centre  of  the  lip  and  a 
few  streaks  of  yellow  to  mar  the  purity  of  the 
otherwise  white  flowers.  A  plant  of  this  variety 
is  now  in  bloom  in  Messrs.  Shuttleworth  and 
Carder's  nursery,  at  Park  Koad,  Clapham,  where 
there  has  lately  been  in  flower  an  absolutely  pure 
white  O.  vexillarium,  without  a  trace  of  colour 
save  the  few  radial  lines  in  the  centre. 

Oypripedlum  selllgerum  majuB. — 
There  is  a  wide  difference  in  point  of  size  between 
the  flowers  of  the  large  variety  of  this  hybrid 
Lady's  Slipper  and  the  typical  form.  We  have 
just  received  some  specimens  of  both  from  Mr. 
Graham's  gardener  (Mr.  Kemp),  at  Dunlop, 
Stewarton.  The  spike  of  the  original  form  sent 
carries  three  flowers  ;  the  major  variety  has  only 
one  on  a  spike.  Whether  the  major  form  ever 
carries  many  flowers  on  a  spike  we  have  not 
observed.  The  two  forms  also  differ  in  colour ;  in 
the  major  form  the  lateral  sepals  are  spotless, 
while  those  of  the  original  are  copiously  covered 
with  shining  wart-like  dots,  as  in  C.  I.-cvigatum, 
which,  with  C.  barbatum,  are  the  parents.  Con- 
sidering the  difference  between  the  two  forms,  it 
is  doubtful  if  both  have  really  the  same  parentage. 
Both  are  handsome  plants,  vigorous  growers,  free 
fliowerers,  and  remain  a  long  time  in  perfection. 
Mr.  Kemp  also  sends  a  twin-flowered  spike  of 
C.  niveam  and  a  flower  of  C.  superbiens  from  a 
plant  bearing  half  a  dozen  blooms. 

"White  Cattleya  GaBkelliana— A  four- 
flowered  spike  of  a  most  lovely  variety  of  Cattleya 
Gaskelliana  has  been  sent  to  us  by  Mr.  A.  Curie, 
of  Melrose.  This  variety  is  the  counterpart  of 
that  shown  by  Mr.  Crawshay  a  few  weeks  ago, 
and  which  was  awarded  a  first-clast  certificate  at 
South  Kensington.  The  flowers  are  H  in.  across 
the  sepals,  which  are  SJ  in.  broad.  The  sepals 
are  pure  white,  but  the  broad  shallow  lip  has  just 
a  faint  bloth  of  carmine-magenta  on  the  lower 
part  and  a  dash  of  yellow  in  the  throat.  The 
flower  is  therefore  almost  pure  white,  and 
might  be  appropriately  named  alba.  The  plant 
from  which  this  spike  was  cut  was  an  imported 


piece  last  year  bought  of  Messrs.  Thomson,  of 
Clovenfords,  who  had'no  idea  that  the  plant  was 
of  the  white  variety.  Such  a  fine  spike  from  a 
one-year  imported  plant  indicates  skilful  culture. 
Another  example  of  this  superb  Cattleya  comes 
from  Mr.  Aven  from  his  nurseries  at  Northwich. 
This  flower  is  larger  than  Mr.  Curie's,  being  ^ 
inches  across,  but  the  sepals  are  not  nearly  so 
pure,  there  being  a  decided  suffusion  of  pink  in 
the  sepals  and  lip,  but  for  all  that  the  flower  is 
scarcely  less  lovely  than  the  pure  white  sepalled 
variety. 

THE    WILLOW-LEAVED   VERONICA. 

(VERONICA   SALICIFOLIA.) 

For  mild  seashore  districts  the  various  shrubby 
Speedwells  from  New  Zealand  and  Tasmania  are 
important  garden  plants.  Some  of  the  species  are 
now  becoming  tolerably  common  ;  for  example, 
there  is  scarcely  a  commoner  plant  in  the  garden 
along  the  south  coast,  and  particularly  in  the  Isle 


Floioering  ivng  of  VironicOj  salicifolia 

of  Wight,  than  Veronica  speciosa  and  its  fine 
dark  variety  imperialis.  V.  Traversi,  too,  is  one 
of  the  best  of  Evergreens,  and  so  hardy  as  to  thrive 
unprotected  even  in  the  midland  districts.  One 
of  the  least  common,  though  among  the  earliest 
introduced,  is  V.  salicifolia,  of  which  the  annexed 
drawing  represents  a  small  flowering  twig.  It  is 
an  extremely  elegant  and  pretty  plant,  the  flower- 
spikes  being  pure  white  and  feathery  looking  on 
account  of  the  numerous  protruded  stamens.  The 
spike  represented  is  only  a  moderate  sized  one, 
the  largest  being  fully  twice  as  long.  The  speci- 
men from  which  the  drawing  was  made  was  sent 
to  us  by  the  New  Plant  and  Bulb  Company,  in 
whose  nurseries  at  Lion  Walk,  Colchester,  it  has 
stood  unprotected  during  the  past  three  years  ; 
therefore  it  is  presumably  hardy  enough  to  with- 
stand our  average  winters.  It  would  be  interest- 
ing to  know  what  its  behaviour  would  be  during 
such  a  winter  as  that  of  1879  and  1880.  In  a 
garden   in  some  mild  locality,  such   as  in   Mr. 


Ewbank's  at  Ryde,  one  might  make  a  most 
interesting  collection  of  the  various  New  Zealand 
and  Tasmanian  Veronicas.  Some  are  showy  as 
well  as  elegant  in  growth,  and  not  a  few  are  highly 
curious.  We  saw  a  species  the  other  day  in  the 
Edinburgh  liotanio  Garden  which  was  so  much 
like  a  small  Ketinospora,  that  we  actually  thought 
it  was  one  until  we  saw  the  label. 


NOTES  or  THE  WEEK. 

Royal  Horticultural  Society.— A  cottagers'  fruit 
.md  vegetable  show  is  to  be  held  next  Tuesday  at  South 
Kensington  in  connection  with  the  Healtli  Exhibition.  The 
usual  meeting  of  the  fruit  and  floral  committees  will  take 
place  on  the  same  day. 

Sale  of  Orchids.— The  third  portion  of  Sir.  Bockett's 
Orchids  was  sold  at  Protheroe  &  jNIorris'  rooms  on  tlie  1st 
inst.  There  were  about  3(  0  lots,  and  some  of  tlie  choicest 
plants  fetched  good  prices.  Twenty-one  guineas  was  the 
price  of  Phalajnopsis  Portei,  Cattleya  exoniensis  went  for 
IS  guineas,  C.  gigas  Norniaui  for  12  guineas,  Cypripedium 
Fairrieanum  realised  19  guineas,  and  7  guineas  were  given 
for  Lfelia  anceps  DaWEOni,  and  £10  for  Dendrobium  Grif- 
tithianum. 

Witley  Court.— We  hear  that  Mr.  Austen, 
who  has  so  long  managed  Sir  Greville  Smythe's 
garden  at  Ashton  Court,  Bristol,  is  about  to  take 
charge  of  the  Earl  of  Dudley's  garden  at  Witley 
Court.  Mr.  Austen  is  so  well  known  as  an  able 
gardener  and  successful  exhibitor,  that  all  must 
wish  him  success  in  his  new  sphere.  The  other 
day  a  party  of  friends  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
ISristol  presented  him  with  a  handsome  Oak  side- 
board and  an  album. 

A  ne'W  fruit. — The  Hevue  Ilorlicule  in  its 
number  for  August  1  gives  a  coloured  plate  and 
detailed  defcription  of  the  interesting  new  bush 
fruit  called  Phyllocalyx  edulis,  a  native  of  Brazil, 
where  it  is  sparingly  found  growing  in  the  sandy 
soil  on  the  seashore  in  the  province  of  Kio.  Its 
native  name  is  Pitangatuba,  and  the  fruit  is 
said  to  be  about  the  size  of  a  Walnnt,  of  the 
colour  of  an  Apricot,  but  with  deeply  depressed 
channels  down  its  sides.  The  flesh  appears  to  be 
yellow  and  exhales  the  penetrating  aroma  of  the 
Pine-apple.  In  the  centre  is  one  white  kernel 
resembling  an  Almond.  It  is  said  to  fruit 
in  quite  a  small  state,  and  apparently  will  need 
in  this  country  only  the  protection  of  an  orchard 
house,  as  it  has  fruited  for  the  last  two  or  three 
years  in  the  cool  greenhouse  at  Segrez,  in  the  late 
M.  Lavalloe's  garden.— W.  B.  G. 

Variegated  trees  and  shrubs.— Speci- 
mens of  a  few  variegated  trees  and  shrubs 
have  been  sent  to  us  from  Messrs.  Cripps'  nursery, 
Tunbridge  Wells.  The  most  noteworthy  of  these 
are  Castanea  vesca  aurea,  a  form  of  the  Spanish 
Chestnut  with  the  leaves  bordered  and  mottled 
with  greenish  yellow.  It  is  highly  effective  when 
planted  in  association  with  other  trees.  Cornus  si- 
biricavariegata  has  leaves  conspicuously  margined 
with  creamy  white,  and  the  golden  form  of  Jas- 
minum  nudiflorum  also  sent  is  remarkable  for  the 
persistency  of  its  golden  hued  foliage,  and  is  a 
capital  shrub  for  walls,  screens,  and  the  like. 
Another  notable  fine  -  foliaged  tree  sent  is 
Prunus  Pissardi,  the  deep  purple  -  crimson- 
leaved  variety  of  P.  cerasifera,  which  no  doubt 
will  prove  an  extremely  ornamental  object  when 
it  becomes  fully  developed.  The  variegated  oval- 
leaved  Privet  (Ligustrum  ovalifolium  elegan- 
tissimum)is  likewise  worth  special  mention. 

Hutton  Hall.— We  hear  from  Mr.  Mclndoe, 
the  gardener  at  Hutton  Hall,  Guisborough,  that 
Sir  Joseph  Pease  has  opened  his  gardens  to  visitors. 
In  addition  to  the  attractions  of  this  large  and 
well-kept  garden,  there  are  various  places  of  in- 
terest in  the  neighbourhood.  The  top  of  Rose- 
berry  Topping  is  within  an  hour's  walk,  with  a 
good  footpath  the  whole  way.  On  a  clear  day  a 
view  is  obtained  of  the  Yorkshire  hills  to  the  south 
and  west,  including  the  upper  valley  of  the  lets  , 
and  the  whole  of  the  Tees  Bay,  Hartlepool  Heugh, 
and  Sunderland  to  the  north  The  "  Hanging 
Stone  "  is  at  the  end  of  the  southern  ridge  of  the 
Hutton  valley.  Around  it  are  the  remains  of 
ancient  British  habitations  which  can  be  easily 
traced  even  when  covered  by  the  growth  of  Fern. 
The  hothouses,  conservatories,  and  gardens  are 


108 


THE     GARDEN 


Aug.  9,  1884.] 


open  to  visitors,  and  the  only  restrictions  are  that 
they  are  not  to  smoke  or  walk  upon  the  lawns  or 
Grass  edges  of  the  walks,  and  when  in  the  woods 
not  to  leave  the  paths.  They  are  also  asked  to 
protect  the  flowers,  and  not  to  gather  the  wild 
(lowers  and  Ferns.  They  are  allowed  to  have  pic- 
nic parties  and  even  a  tent  is  pitched  in  a  conve- 
nient situation  to  afford  shelter  in  case  of  rain. 

Fruit  crops,  returns  of  which  through  the 
courtesy  of  our  correspondents  we  are  enabled  to 
publish  this  week,  with  one  or  two  exceptions,  are 
fairly  good  this  year,  notwithstanding  the  severe 
frosts  which  occurred  late  in  April  when  the  trees 
were  in  bloom.  The  exceptions  in  question  are 
Plums  and  Pears,  both  of  which  are  thin  in  most 
districts;  but  even  Plums  are  not  quite  so  bad  a 
failure  as  last  year.  Peaches  and  Nectarines  are 
good  where  protected.  Of  the  two.  Nectarines  are 
the  better  crop,  a  singular  circumstance,  seeing 
that  the  Nectarine  is  but  a  "  sport "  from  the 
I'each,  both  being  sometimes  found  on  the  same 
tree.  Cherries  have  failed  in  some  places ;  in 
others  they  are  a  moderate  crop,  especially  the 
Morello.  Apricots  set  their  fruit  plentifully,  and 
it  was  well  advanced  when  the  frost  came  ;  never- 
theless, they  are  in  many  places  by  no  means  a  full 
crop.  The  Apple  crop,  though  partial,  is,  on  the 
whole,  good.  In  some  places  there  is  scarcely  a 
fruit,  while  in  others  the  crop  is  much  above  the 
average  ;  but  in  such  cases  the  fruit  individually 
is  small.  The  late  varieties  are  the  best.  Straw- 
berries have  been  a  heavy  crop,  especially  those 
on  moist,  clayey  soils;  but  owing  to  the  heat  of 
the  weather  they  were  soon  over.  Amongst  late 
sorts  Frogmore  Pine  and  the  Elton  have  been 
good,  but  the  latest  of  all  are  the  little  alpines — 
red  and  white— which  do  well  scrambling  over  a 
rocky  mound,  and  also  on  a  terraced  bank  facing 
the  north  ;  but  so  situated  their  fruit  is  not  so 
good  in  flavour  as  that  borne  by  plants  in  a  more 
sunny  position.  Currants— Red,  White,  and 
Black — have  been  heavy  crop?,  especially  the  last, 
but  the  trees  are  much  blighted.  Good  samples  of 
Ulack  are  now  realising  is.  per  half  sieve.  Goose- 
berries are  a  good  crop,  though  in  some  places  the 
young  fruit  was  frozen  through.  The  Warrington, 
one  of  the  best  late  Gooseberries  grown,  the 
branches  of  which  are  naturally  pendulous,  and 
thereby  protect  the  fruit,  has  been  everywhere 
well  loaded  with  berries  of  good  size  and  quality, 
I.e.,  where  over-pruning  has  not  been  practised  ; 
where  the  trees  have  been  hard-pruned  the  fruits 
have  been  thin.  Up  to  the  middle  of  April  there 
were  abundant  signs  of  a  great  fruit  crop  this  years 
but  from  the  2(lth  of  that  month  to  the  second 
week  in  May  the  hopes  entertained  earlier  in  the 
season  were  shattered  by  the  thermometer  re- 
peatedly indicating  from  1 .5°  to  20°  of  frost.  The 
wonder,  therefore,  is  that  there  is  any  fruit  at  all. 
Our  best  crop,  with  the  exception  of  small  fruits, 
is  perhaps  the  Apple,  a  great  gain,  as  no  other 
fruit  is  so  much  used  in  the  way  of  food.  The 
best  bearers  are  the  Codlms,  Alfiiston,  Cellini,  and 
Lord  .Suffield,  the  last  the  best  comparatively  new 
culinary  Apple  that  has  been  added  to  our  list  for 
years,  a  fact  worth  remembrance  when  planting 
time  comes  round.  It  is  large,  even  on  the  sur- 
face, and  therefore  capable  of  being  pared  without 
waste.  As  to  Plums,  that  »  hich  is  most  reliable 
is  the  Victoria. 

A  NEEDLESS  HOEKOK. 

Sir,— Might  I  .isk  you  to  publisb  this  letter?  From  lieiug 
a  weak  advocate  for  cremation,  I  have  become  an  ardent 
and  strong  admirer  of  it,  owuig  to  the  following  circum- 
stances : — 

I  attended  witli  my  wife  last  week  at  a  cemetery  in 
London  the  burial  of  a  relative,  and  on  arrival  at  the  grave 
was  horrified  at  the  awful  stench  wliich  emanated  from  it. 
live  other  relatives  are  laid  in  the  same  grave,  which  is 
not  1. licked;  and  so  much  earth  was  removed  tliat  the 
inscription  on  the  plate  of  the  coffin  which  had  been  placed 
tliere  three  years  ago  was  distinctly  visible.  The  otlier 
Itodies  must  have  Iieen  there  six  or  seven  years,  having  Iteen 
transferred  from  a  vault  where  they  had  been  deposited 
about  twenty  years  ago.  Ever  since  this  burial  my  wife  has 
been  far  from  well,  in  consequence,  so  my  doctor  says,  of 
tile  awful  stench  referred  to. 

Your  space  is  valuable,  and  I  will  not  trespass  upon  it ; 
but  I  tluuk  all  such  occurrences  as  the  above  should  Ije 
made  koown,  especially  at  the  present  time,  when  there  is 
a.  clumce  of  our  being  visited  by  the  cholera,  to  avoid  whicli 
m  the  future  cremation  would  appear  to  me  to  be  one 
remedy.— Ferna  N  HE  Ayala,  in  The  Times. 


INDOOR  Garden. 


CHOICE  INDOOR  RHODODENDRONS. 

Tub  few  Rhododendrons  that  I  propose  here  to 
notice  do  not  belong  to  the  hardy  class,  but  are  for 
the  most  part  hybrids  of  Himalayan  kinds  that 
flower  freely  in  a  small  state,  and  which  may  be 
used  under  gl?ss  where  space  is  limited,  as  well  as 
in  some  of  the  more  roomy  structures.  For  beauty 
of  blossom  few  surpass  that  handsome  kind  called 
Countess  of  Haddington,  a  hybrid  between  R. 
Dalhousiie  and  ciliatum.  The  blooms  when  first 
expanded  are  pale  pink,  but  after  a  few  days 
they  become  almost  white.  It  is  unlike  either 
of  its  parents  in  habit,  as  R.  Dalhousiffi  is 
of  straggling  growth,  and  R.  ciliatum  forms 
a  low  bush,  while  the  Countess  of  Hadding- 
ton is  of  a  bold  free-growing  character,  well 
suited  to  show  off  its  handsome  flowers  to  the 
best  advantage.  As  a  proof  of  its  free-flowering 
property,  I  may  mention  that  a  small  plant  in  a 
()-inch  pot  bore  with  me  five  large  clusters  of 
bloom.  The  next  kind  (R.  Sesterianum)  is  of 
Continental  origin,  the  result  of  a  cross  between 
II.  formosum  and  Edgeworthi.  It  is  of  somewhat 
slender  growth,  and  to  induce  it  to  form  good 
bushes  it  should  be  stopped  pretty  freely  when 
young.  In  this  kind  the  flowers  are  very  open  in 
shape,  pure  white  with  the  exception  of  a  tinge  of 
yellow  in  the  centre,  and  with  the  edges  of  the 
petals  prettily  fringed.  This  kind  seeds  freely, 
and  as  its  parents  readily  intercross  with  each 
other,  numbers  of  seedlings  have  been  raised  from 
time  to  time  in  general  characters  much  like  R. 
Sesterianum. 

The  Moulmein  R.  Veitchianum  has  been 
brought  more  prominently  forward  within  the  last 
two  6r  three  years  than  heretofore,  and  no  won- 
der, for  in  my  opinion  its  blooms  are,  as  regards 
beauty,  surpassed  by  no  other  Rhododendron. 
They  are  large,  widely  expanded,  and  borne  in 
such  profusion  that  the  plants  appear  to  be  quite 
covered  with  them.  The  petals  are  white,  with 
the  exception  of  a  greenish  yellow  flush  in  the 
centre  when  first  expanded,  and  they  have  a  mas- 
sive wax-like  appearance.  In  some  the  edges  of 
the  petals  are  beautifully  crisped,  while  in  others 
they  are  almost  smooth.  What  is  regarded  as 
the  typical  K.  Veitchianum  has  crisped  petals, 
while  the  smooth  flowers  belong  to  its  variety 
jajvigatum.  This  Rhododendron  flowers  as  freely 
as  the  rest  when  young  ;  but  it  is  not  easy  to  obtain 
dwarf  bushes  in  small  pots,  as  it  has  a  tendency  to 
grow  at  first  straggling,  but  when  it  gets  larger 
that  character  is  outgrown,  and  as  a  good-sized 
bush  its  habit  is  all  that  could  be  desired. 

Having  struck  a  great  many  cuttings  of  the 
varieties  herein  enumerated,  I  may  mention  that 
this  kind  is  more  diflicult  to  root  than  any  of  the 
others.  Between  R.  Veitchianum  and  Edgeworthi 
was  raised  R.  Fosterianum,  a  very  desirable  sort 
in  habit,  and  much  like  the  many  hybrids  of 
Edgeworthi  that  have  been  raised,  but  with 
flowers  partaking  somewhat  of  the  character  of 
those  of  R.  Veitchianum.  The  centre  of  the 
flower  is  tinged  with  pale  lemon,  and  it  is  agree- 
ably scented. 

R.  Princess  Alice — the  result  of  a  cross  be- 
tween ciliatum  and  Edgeworthi—  blooms  freely  in 
all  stages,  the  light-tinged  blossoms  being  also 
very  fragrant.  One  of  the  most  useful  kinds  that 
we  grow  in  a  small  state  is  R.  multiflornm,  a  much- 
branched,  dwarf,  bushy  sort,  with  deep  green 
leaves  and  pale  mauve-coloured  flowers,  borne  in 
compact  clusters.  This  Rhododendron  is  quite 
hardy,  but  well  worth  pot  culture,  inasmuch  as  it 
makes  pretty  little  plants,  masses  of  blossom,  in 
5-in.  or  6-in.  pots,  and  some  large  specimens 
yield  a  handsome  return  in  the  shape  of  cut  bloom 
where  flowers  of  this  kind  are  valued.  The  tubu- 
lar-flowered sorts  of  the  jasminiflornm  and  Prin- 
cess Royal  class  must  be  included  in  any  selection 
however  choice,  but  they  may  be  more  correctly 
defined  as  perpetual  bloomers,  for  if  treated  with 
that  object  in  view,  flowers  of  them  can  be  had  at 
almost  any  time  of  the  year.  Though  beautiful 
when  in  bloom,  most  of  the  Himalayan  species  re- 


quire a  considerable  space  in  which  to  develop 
themselves.  They  do  not  flower  freely  in  a  small 
state ;  therefore  for  pot  culture  they  are  scarcely 
adapted,  being,  in  fact,  better  fltted  for  planting 
out  in  some  large  structure,  such  as  may  be  seen 
in  the  temperate  house  at  Kew,  where  every  re- 
curring season  they  are  objects  of  great  beauty 
and  interest.  Our  Rhododendrons  of  this  class  are 
plunged  out  of  doors  during  summer,  the  result 
being  short,  well-ripened  growth  and  plenty  of 
flower  buds.  Considerable  care  is  needed  when 
outside  to  see  that  they  do  not  get  too  dry  at  the 
root,  for  when  that  occurs  the  foliage  assumes  a 
sickly  tint,  which  detracts  greatly  from  the  beauty 
of  the  plant.  The  R.  jasminiflornm  and  javanicum 
hybrids  give  greater  satisfaction  when  kept  under 
glass  at  all  times  than  when  turned  outside 
during  summer.  T. 

Veronica  Hulkeana.— The  delicate  mauve- 
tinted  flowers  of  this  New  Zealand  Speedwell 
render  it  a  very  attractive  plant  in  the  greenhouse 
during  spring.  They  are  produced  in  great 
abundance,  and  in  colour  are  very  distinct  from 
those  of  any  of  their  associates.  The  wonder  is 
that  this  beautiful  Speedwell  is  not  more  exten- 
sively grown  than  it  is,  for  it  is  equally  floriferoua 
whether  intheform  of  small  plants  inC-inchpotsor 
in  the  shape  of  larger  specimens.  The  tall  branch- 
ing spikes  are  very  useful  in  a  cut  state,  as  they 
last  a  long  time  in  good  condition  in  water,  and 
have  a  light  and  elegant  appearance.  It  is  a  plant 
of  the  easiest  culture  ;  indeed,  in  several  parts  of 
England  it  is  quite  hardy,  as  are  also  many  other 
natives  of  New  Zealand.  V.  Hulkeana  can  be 
readily  increased  by  cuttings  or  seeds,  which 
under  favourable  conditions  riiien  freely. — H.  P. 

Neriume,  or  Oleanders. — We  seldom  find 
these  flowering  freely.  Many  say  they  have  grown 
them  for  years  and  never  have  had  an  expanded 
flower.  They  show  bloom-buds,  but  they  drop 
off.  That  there  is  no  difficulty  in  growing  the 
Oleander  is  too  well  known  to  need  comment,  for 
good  plants  of  it  may  be  found  in  all  sorts  of  re- 
ceptacles that  will  hold  soil  together.  It  there- 
fore appears  to  me  that  the  buds  drop  from  want 
of  nourishment  just  when  their  flowers  begin  to 
swell.  If,  therefore,  the  pots  or  tubs  in  which  the 
plants  are  growing  were  plunged  so  as  to  preveiit 
too  rapid  evaporation,  and  a  little  manure  water  is 
given,  the  flowers  would  expand.  Oleanders  are 
evidently  moisture-loving  plants — in  fact,  semi- 
aquatic,  and  I  find  that  if  the  pots  are  set  in  large 
pans  kept  filled  with  liquid  manure,  the  flowers 
attain  a  great  size.  They  also  enjoy  a  rather  high 
temperature,  but,  as  before  stated,  they  will  live 
under  almost  any  conditions,  even  in  the  open  air. 
I  would,  however,  advise  anyone  who  wishes  to 
flower  them  to  keep  them  under  glass,  give  them 
a  light  sunny  position,  and  be  sure  that  the  roots 
are  never  dry  at  any  time.  A  good  drenching  of 
tepid  water  overhead  does  them  good,  and  they 
must  be  kept  clear  of  scale  and  green  fly.  Thus 
treated  they  will  be  found  to  flower  freely. — 
J.  Groom,  Hants. 

Spiraea  palmata  in  pots.  -The  common 
white-flowered  Spiraja  japonica  has  long  been  a 
popular  pot  plant,  as  well  it  may,  for  it  can  be 
had  in  flower  at  any  time  from  Christmas  till 
June  ;  though,  of  course,  in  winter  severe  forcing 
is  needed,  and  for  midsummer  blooming  it  may  be 
necessary  to  retard  it  somewhat  by  keeping  it  in 
a  shady  position  as  the  season  advances.  Spirioa 
palmata  under  the  same  conditions  will  not  flower 
so  early  ;  indeed,  it  is  seen  at  its  best  about 
June,  though  it  may  be  forced  much  earlier.  It 
is  invaluable  for  conservatory  decoration,  its 
bright  crimson  flowers  being  admired  by  everyone. 
Our  plants  of  it  received  liberal  treatment,  the 
result  of  which  was  fine,  plump,  well-ripened 
crowns.  They  were  potted  up  during  the  winter 
in  the  same  way  as  the  white-flowered  Spir.'ea, 
and  were  afterwards  kept  in  a  cold  frame,  just  to 
protect  them  from  frost.  When  starting  into 
growth,  they  were  shifted  to  the  cool  end  of  the 
forcing  house,  the  result  being  a  fine  display  of 
bloom  much  sooner  than  those  out-of-doors.  Like 
its  commoner  relative,  this  Spirsea  needs  a  copious 


Aug.  9,    1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


109 


supply  of  water  when  growing,  and  is  benefited 
by  a  little  liquid  manure  occasionally. — H.  P. 

EPACRISES  AND  THEIR  Cl'LTUKE. 
The  coloured  plate  of  Epaorises  which  recently 
appeared  in  The  Garden  reminds  me  of  days 
past,  when  a  great  portion  of  my  time  was  spent 
amongst  these  charming  plants,  and  when  they, 
as  well  as  Cape  Heaths  and  the  so-termed  hard- 
wooded  greenhouse  plants,  generally  were  so 
highly  esteemed  as  to  be  considered  indispensable 
in  gardens  of  any  pretensions.  Of  some  kinds 
we  never  had  enough  ,■  such,  for  instance,  as  miniata 
splendens  and  grandiSora  rubra,  for  if  by  chance 
a  few  young  plants  remained  unsold  and  were 
shifted,  they  rarely  came  into  8-inch  pots  before 
finding  purchasers.  Many  thousands  of  cuttings 
were  annually  put  in,  and  these  were  mostly  sold 
when  in  a  flowering  condition  in  4i-inch  pots,  a 
large  proportion  going  into  the  north  of  England, 
where  Cape  Heaths  and  plants  of  a  kindred  cha- 
racter some  twenty  years  and  more  ago  were  much 
thought  of. 

OuK  PROPAGATING  HOUSE  was  a  lean-to,  not 
more  than  40  feet  in  length,  but  some  ten  thou- 
sand cuttings  of  Ericas  and  Epacrises  were  struck 
therein  in  the  course  of  a  year.  It  was  heated  by 
a  flue  which  ran  round  it ;  in  front  there  was  a 
stage,  and  the  centre  was  occupied  by  a  brick  pit 
filled  with  tan,  in  which  the  pots  were  plunged  to 
the  rims.  The  upper  shelves  near  the  glass  were 
occupied  by  double  Primulas, 
and  remarkably  well  they  did 
there,  flowering  all  the  winter 
through  ;  indeed,  from  one  end 
of  the  year  to  the  other  there 
was  always  some  bloom  to  be 
had  from  them,  as  young  plants 
were  continually  being  propa- 
gated. The  propagator  was, 
as  may  be  supposed,  an  ex- 
perienced hand  ;  indeed,  he 
was  one  of  the  very  first  to  suc- 
cessfully increase  the  hard- 
wooded  section  of  Cape  Heaths, 
having  been  propagator  to  the 
Messrs.  Fairbairn,  who  in 
their  day  were  the  largest  and 
best  Heath  growers  in  the 
world.  He  made  a  point  of 
taking  his  cuttings  from  the 
healthiest  and  strongest  plants, 
an  infinite  amount  of  pains 
being  taken  in  the  insertion  of 
them.  As  they  were  made  they 
were  dropped  into  a  4.J-inch 
pot,  inverted  on  a  wet  cloth,  so  that  there  was  no 
possibility  of  becoming  in  any  way  flagged.  Then 
they  were  inserted  in  6-inch  pots  one-third  full  of 
drainage,  filling  up  with  finely  sifted  sandy  peat  to 
within  2  inches  of  the  rim,  finishing  off  with  silver 
eand  up  level  with  the  rim  of  the  pot.  Covered 
with  a  bell-glass  and  plunged  in  the  tan  bed,  they 
remained  there  until  they  were  rooted. 

Epacbis  cuttings  are  along  time  rooting,  and 
a  large  amount  of  care  and  patience  is  required 
before  they  come  to  be  plants.  Three  things  are 
most  important,  viz  ,  never  to  let  the  sun  shine  on 
them,  never  to  let  them  get  dry,  and  never  to 
water  overhead.  They  do  not  require  watering 
often,  and  then  a  little  water  poured  on  the  bell- 
glass,  and  which  soaks  in  between  it  and  the  pot, 
sufficiently  moistens  the  soil.  When  young 
growths  began  to  push  from  each  cutting  the  pots 
were  removed  to  the  side  stage,  and  a  process  of 
inuring  to  the  ordinary  atmosphere  commenced, 
which  ended  by  the  complete  removal  of  the 
glasses.  There  was  no  obsolute  rule  as  to  the  time 


clean  as  possible.  In  the  frames  they  grew  during 
the  summer,  being  stopped  occasionally  to  make 
them  bushy,  getting  plenty  of  air  with  occasional 
exposure,  and  some  shade  from  hot  sun.  By  the 
autumn  they  had  grown  into  sturdy  little  plants 
with  the  pots  filled  with  healthy  fibres,  and  then 
they  were  fully  exposed  to  the  open  air  both  night 
and  day  and  to  the  full  sun. 

Shifting  commenced  in  March,  and  was  con- 
tinued through  that  month  and  April.  Only  the 
best  Wimbledon  peat  was  used,  and  this  was 
broken  to  pieces  by  hand  (it  was  never  chopped 
nor  cut  with  a  knife),  about  one-sixth  of  coarse 
silver  sand  being  added  to  it.  The  whole  of  the 
stock  was  grown  in  frames,  being  kept  rather 
close  for  a  time  after  potting  to  encourage  root 
action,  but  afterwards  getting  plenty  of  air  and 
thorough  exposure  as  soon  as  growth  ceased.  No- 
thing approaching  coddling  was  ever  practised, 
and  to  this  and  the  use  of  good  peat,  with  strict 
attention  in  watering,  was  attributable  the  great 
success  which  invariably  attended  the  culture  of 
Epacrises  in  that  establishment.  Tliese  plants 
were  grown  there  with  seemingly  as  much  ease  as 
the  commonest  soft-wooded  plant,  and  when  I  now 
hear  them  spoken  of  as  not  being  of  easy  culture, 
I  think  of  that  time  when  growing  Epacrises 
appeared  to  be  one  of  the  easiest  affairs 
imaginable.  The  second  year  saw  them  well 
established  in  2i-inoh  pots,  but  they  were  not, 
of  course,  allowed  to  flower  in  them,  the  lead- 


Flowers  of  Tiwusi  cethiopija  ;  jtowers  deep  crimson  {natural  size). 


ing  shoots  being  stopped  during  the  early  part 
of  the  growing  time.  Tbis  treatment  naturally 
produced  fine  stocky  little  specimens  full  of 
restrained  vigour,  and  which  the  following  year, 
when  they  were  shifted  into  4|-inch  pots,  declared 
itself  in  the  production  of  from  six  to  a  dozen 
good  strong  flowering  shoots.     Plants  of  this  de- 


a  moist  condition  whilst  avoiding  overwatering. 
There  is  a  considerable  range  of  colour  amongst 
Epacrises,  varying  from  pure  white  to  almost 
scarlet.  Some  of  the  flesh  tints  are  very  lovely, 
and  the  bright  coloured  ones  which  bloom  in 
winter  are  very  attractive.     As  a 

Winter  flowering  plant,  I  do  not  think 
that  Epacrises  are  sufficiently  valued ;  they  give 
bright  colour  when  the  days  are  dark  and  are 
useful  for  cutting.  Ardentissima  I  consider  to  be 
one  of  the  best  of  the  bright-coloured  kinds,  but 
Vesuvius  and  Viscountess  Hill  are  fine  showy  va- 
rieties. Amongst  the  whites,  hyaciuthiflora  candi- 
dissima  stands  pre-eminent  for  purity  and  size  of 
flower  ;  it  should  be  in  every  collection,  as  should 
the  double  variety  of  onosmasflora.  Alba  odorata 
is  also  a  good  kind,  and  very  free  flowering.  The 
finest  of  all  the  family  is,  however,  considered  to 
be  miniata  splendens,  but  there  is  a  spurious  va- 
riety of  this,  much  inferior  in  colour,  and  which  I 
think  hardly  worth  growing.  I  hold  grandiflora 
rubra  to  be  the  showiest  of  all,  and  one  of  the 
finest  flowering  plants  grown  ;  but  to  thoroughly 
appreciate  it,  grow  it  into  a  good  specimen  in  an 
8-inch  pot,  and  then  you  will  say  it  has  few  equals 
j  as  a  decorative  plant.  J.  C.  B. 

TINN.EA  .ETHIOPICA. 
A  Pbivet-like  shrub,  which  bears  almost  all  the 
year  round  numerous  crimson-maroon  flowers,  with 
a  green  bladdery  calyx  and  a  delicious  Violet-like 
fragrance,  are  the  most  promi- 
nent features  by    which   this 
African     Labiate     is      distin- 
guished as  a  garden  plant.  The 
Shrub  Violet  we  might  call  it, 
for  though  in  appearance  the 
flowers  of  the  Tinntea  do  not 
bear  a  close  resemblance  to  a 
Violet,  there  is  no  plant  known 
to  us  the  odour  of  which  is  so 
similar  to  that  of  Violets  as  are 
the  flowers  of  this.  One  plant 
in  a   large  stove  emits  odour 
sufficient      to     permeate     the 
whole  house,  especially  in  the 
early  morning.     The  flowers  of 
T.  a3thiopica  are  pretty  as  well 
as     fragrant,    a    well  -  grown 
plant  of  it  producing  quanti- 
ties of  pendent,  crimson  lipped 
flowers,  which  last  for  several 
days.    The    annexed    woodcut 
shows  the  character  and  habit 
of  a    small    flower-spray,    but 
gives  no  idea  of  the  appearance 
borne  by  a  well- flowered  specimen.     T.  sethiopica 
grows  freely  in  a  warm  moist  house.     It  may  be 
propagated  by  means  of  cuttings  at  any  time  of 
the  year.     It  is,  however,  for  its  fragrance  that  we 
recommend  this  plant  as  worthy  of  general  favour. 
A  variety  with  small,  thick,  toothed  leaves  and 
darker  flowers  has  been  recently  introduced  into 
cultivation  by  means  of   Kew,  and  is  called  T. 
ajthiopica  var.   dentata.     The  fragrance   of    the 


scription  which  remained  unsold  were  cut  down, 

and  when  they  started  into  growth  again  were 

shifted  into  5-incb  and  C-inch  pots,  according  to  j  flowers  of  this  variety  is  quite  as  strong  and  sweet 

their  strength.     They  of  course  made  a  fine  show  .  as  are  those  of  the  type.     It  would  seem  almost 


of  bloom  the  following  year.  During  the  winter 
Epacrises  should  be  kept  as  cool  as  is  compatible 
with  their  safety.  They  bear  a  slight  amount 
of  frost  better  than  confinement.  Nearly  the 
whole  of  the  stock  in  the  establishment  here 
referred  to  was  wintered  in  cold  frames, 
the  back  and  front  of  which  were  protected 
by  some  6  inches  of  Fern  stuffed  in  tightly 
between  a  framework  and  the  boards,  and 
covered  with  mats,  and  in  very  sharp  frosts  with 
an  additional  layer  of  Fern.  In  spite  of  these  pre- 


superfluous  to  urge  the  claims  of  a  plant  possessed 
of  a  strong  Violet  aroma,  but  looking  at  the  time 
this  plant  has  been  in  cultivation  (it  was  intro- 
duced in  1865),  it  is  surprising  how  rarely  it  is 
to  be  met  with  in  gardens.  B. 


COPKOSMA  BAUERIANA  VARIEGATA. 

Half-hardt  or  greenhouse  shrubs    possessing 
the  bright  glossy  beauty  and  rich  variegation  of 

.  _  _         this  New  Zealand  evergreen  are  not  at  all  numer- 

of  potting,  but  it  was  generally  commenced  at  the   cautions  I  have  seen   the  surface  soil  of  the  pots   ous,  and  though  generally  employed  with  good 
turn  of  the  year,  the  young    plants    being    put  j  bard  frozen,  and  yet  the  plants  suffered  no  injury  |  effect  in  summer  in  leaf  or  tapestry  beds  out-of- 


separately  into  2i-inch  pots,  and  when  esta- 
blished they  were  later  on  removed  to  cold  frames. 
From  January  to  Jlay  there  was  always  something 
to  be  done  in  this  way,  for  as  soon  as  half  a  dozen 
pots  of  cuttings  were  sufficiently  rooted  they  were 
at  once  potted  off,  so  that  no  time  might  be  lost. 
The  soil  for  these  small  plants  was  sifted  very 
fine,  and  the  pots,  if  old  ones,  were  washed  as 


Too  little  air  and  too  much  warmth  will  surely 
enfeeble  their  constitution,  and  if  placed  too  far 
from  light  or  crowded  with  other  plants  the  lower 
foliage  will  be  certain  to  drop,  and  this  will  also 
happen  if  watering  is  neglected  ;  if  once  the  foliage 
becomes  shrivelled  no  amount  of  attention  after- 
wards brings  it  round  again.  The  great  point 
during  the  resting  period  is  to  maintain  the  soil  in 


doors  in  contrast  with  Alternantheras,  yet  this 
Coprosma  is  equally  useful  indoors  as  a  pot  plant. 
It  is  a  plant  of  easy  culture.  It  grows  well  in 
any  good  compost  in  which  turfy  loam  is  the  chief 
ingredient ;  the  drainage  must,  however,  be  good, 
and  watering  must  be  done  with  care.  We  have 
more  than  once  lost  fine  plants  of  it  through  reck- 
less watering ;  it  cannot  endure  stagnant  moisture 


no 


THE    GARDEN 


[Ai-fi.  n,  1H84. 


about  its  roots.  As  a  pot  plant  it  is  peoaliarly 
well  suited  for  growth  as  a  standard,  being  natur- 
ally of  a  drooping  habit,  and  in  that  form  it  is  very 
sernoeable  for  conservatory  embellishment;  i  feet 
is  a  very  good  height  for  tne  stem,  which  must  be 
trained  to  a  stake.  When  sutfi  ;ient  height  is 
gained  pinch  off  the  termiaal  end  of  the  leading 
shoot,  and  also  gradually  remove  all  side  growths 
from  the  bottom,  but  leave  nearly  a  foot  of  stem 
at  the  top,  whence  side  shoots  should  be  encou- 
raged to  form  the  semi- pendulous  head.  Very 
little  subsequent  attention  will  be  needed  beyond 
nipping  the  points  out  of  the  strongest  growths 
and  keeping  all  sides  of  the  plant  equally  exposed 
to  light.  By  shifting  into  larger  pots  when  needful 
and  watering  carefully  handsome  plants  may  be 
obtained  in  three  seasons. 

For  vases  out-of-doors  in  summer,  for  room 
decoration  at  any  time,  or  for  the  ordinary  green- 
house stage,  the  best  form  is  that  of  a  natural 
bush.  This  may  be  secured  by  repeated  pinchings 
of  the  strong  shoots,  or  if  it  is  desired  to  give 
the  plant  a  loosely  pyramidal  shape,  these  strong 
growths  should  be  looped  up  to  a  stake  placed  in 
the  middle.  Side  growths  break  freely  from 
every  joint,  and  a  useful  and  handsome  decorative 
plant  is  in  time  the  result.  The  bright  colours  of 
this  shrub— deep  green,  with  broad,  creamy,  mar- 
ginal variegation— are  well  defined ;  therefore 
the  plant  looks  well  under  artificial  light,  and  it 
may  be  used  with  good  effect  in  dinner-table  de- 
corations associated  with  any  dark  foliaged  plant, 
such  as  the  deep  red  velvety  Gesneras.  For  this 
purpose  little  sjireading  plants,  grown  in  2.Vinch 
pots,  having  several  growths  are  most  convenient. 
Fasten  a  little  fresh  green  Moss  round  the  'pots 
with  a  bit  of  bouquet  binding  wire,  and  place  them 
on  the  cloth  in  default  of  suitable  small  recep- 
tacles in  which  to  place  the  pots.  Another  pur- 
pose for  which  I  think  this  plant  eminently  adapted 
is  planting  it  out  to  cover  a  pillar,  or  pier,  or  a 
bit  of  wall  in  the  conservatory.  I  mean  to  try  it 
in  this  way,  for  which  its  habit  seems  well  fitted, 
and,  like  other  plants,  its  health  and  longevity 
would  doubtless  be  increased  by  being  planted 
out  in  proper,  well-drained  soil. 

The  phopagation  of  this  Coprosma  is  not  diffi- 
cult ;  where  good  numbers  of  it  are  wanted,  it  is 
well  to  keep  a  few  bushy  old  plants  to  get  cuttings 
from,  which  they  will  yield  for  years.  Pat  them  in 
the  warmest  place  available  early  in  spring  ;  they 
will  soon  push  young  shoots  in  abundance,  and 
these  in  their  soft  state  root  readily  with  us  in  a 
forcing  house  without  the  pots  being  plunged  in 
bottom-heat ;  the  cuttings  are  inserted  in  very 
sandy  peat,  well  watered, and  carefuUyshaded  from 
the  sun.  Cuttings  of  a  harder  and  more  woody 
character,  taken  from  out  of  doors  in  autumn, 
strike  in  heat  very  reluctantly ;  they  must  be  rooted 
by  a  slower  process,  as,  for  instance,  in  a  close, 
cold  frame.  Spring  propagation  is  best.  This  plant 
enjoys  a  special  immunity  from  insect  pests. 

Oranmore.  A.  MooEE. 

DRACAENA  GOLDIEANA  FROM  STEM 
CUTTINGS. 
This  Dracaena  is  not  so  graceful  as  some  others, 
but,  nevertheless,  when  well  grown  it  is  a  noble 
looking  plant,  and  very  effective.  It  was  stated 
in  The  Garden,  in  February  last,  that  stem 
cuttings  of  it  would  not  strike,  a  statement  which 
I  am  able  to  contradict,  for  out  of  five  pieces  put 
in  as  stem  cuttings  I  have  three  established  plants 
in  4-inch  pots.  It  does  not,  I  admit,  strike  so 
freely  as  others  ;  in  fact,  it  takes  double  the  length 
of  time  to  strike  that  they  do.  A  great  quantity 
of  stem  cuttings  of  other  varieties  which  I  put  in 
were  struck  and  established  in  3-inch  pots  some 
time  before  those  of  Goldieana  made  any  signs  of 
growth,  but  side  shoots  of  this  Drac-ena  taken  off 
with  a  heel  strike  as  readily  as  those  of  other 
varieties.  In  January  last  I  had  some  long  leggy 
plants  of  Dracaenas  with  good  crowns  of  leaves, 
and  rather  than  run  the  risk  of  losing  several  of 
them  by  taking  off  the  crowns  and  putting  them 
in  as  cuttings,  incisions  were  made  immediately 
below  the  leaves  ;  some  wet  Moss,  sand,  and  leaf 
soil  well  chopped  up  and  mixed  together  were 


bound  tightly  about  the  incisions.  Some  of  the 
plants  thus  operated  on  were  moved  to  the 
forcing  pit ;  others  remained  in  the  plant  stove. 
Those  in  the  forcing  pit  rooted  nearly  a  fort- 
night bsfore  those  left  in  the  stove.  D. 
Goldieana,  which  was  amongst  those  left  in 
the  ;stove,  was  quite  a  month  behind  any 
of  the  others.  When  the  Moss  was  well  filled 
with  roots  the  crowns  were  severed  from  the 
stems  below  the  incisions  and  potted  in  small 
5-inch  pots  ;  a  stake  was  placed  to  each  plant,  and 
the  leaves  were  tied  up  loosely  to  it.  They  were 
then  placed  in  the  propagating  pit  and  syringed 
two  or  three  times  a  day,  when  they  soon  esta- 
blished themselves,  losing  scarcely  a  leaf.  Some 
of  them  are  now  from  2  feet  to  3.i  feet  high  in 
6-inch  and  8inch  pots,  and  are  well  furnished 
with  fine,  healthy  leaves  from  the  rim  of  the  pot 
to  the  top  of  the  plants.  This  method  I  consider 
preferable  to  any  other,  one  great  advantage  be- 
longing to  it  being  better  and  larger  plants.  They 
can  also  be  grown  in  smaller  pots  than  when  other- 
wise propagated,  rendering  them  more  serviceable 
for  decorative  purposes.  I  may  add  that  in  these 
operations  I  had  not  a  single  failure. 

Arlc  Court,  ChcJtenham.  GEO.  HARRIS. 


WHITE-FLOWERED  PELARGONIUMS. 
Wherever  a  supply  of  cut   flowers   has  to  be 
maintained,  there  is  always  a  far  greater  demand 
for  white  blossoms  than  for  those  of  any  other 
colour  ;  therefore  a  few  notes  on  the  best  of  that 
class  in  the  way  of  Pelargoniums  may  not  be  with- 
out interest.     For  convenience  sake  they  may  be 
divided  into  groups,  taking  first  those  with  close 
erect   trusses  of  flowers,   some  pure  white,   and 
others  slightly  feathered  at  the  base  of  the  petals. 
The  varieties  in  this  class  are  all  of  Continental 
origin,   as   their    names    will    show — viz.,   Lucie 
Lemoine,  Madame  Charles    Koenig,    JIadame   L. 
Harmant,  Madame  Marie  Knecht,  and  Ouida.     Of 
these  the  two  first-named  are  the  best,  and  of  the 
two  Madame  Charles  K(cnig  bears  the  palm.    In 
this  there  is  just  enough  faint  pencilling  at  the 
base  of  the  petals  to  be  discerned  on  close  examina- 
tion, but  to  all  intents  and  purposes  it  is  a  pure 
white    flower ;    Lucie   Lemoine    has    more    pro- 
nounced markings,  but  even   in   this    case    the 
amount   of    colouring    is    but  slight.     We    find 
Madame   Charles   Kcenig  to  be  very  useful  for 
winter  flowering  ;  it  will  yield  a  great  quantity  of 
cut  blooms   at    that    season   when  they  are  so 
valuable  as  well  as   in  the    summer.      Another 
group  of  light  flowers  with  crimped   or   fringed 
edges,  and  of  more  sturdy  growth  than  the  last, 
are  of  English  origin  :    they  consist  of   Duchess 
of  Bedford,   Duchess  of  Edinburgh,  Countess  of 
Rosebery,  Royalty,  and  Maid  of  Kent.    The  best 
of  these  I  take  to  be  Duchess  of  Bedford,  a  sport 
from  that  good  old  market  variety,  Digby  Grand, 
and,  like  its  parent,  largely  grown  as  a  pot  plant 
for  market  purposes.     The  petals  are  white,  and 
the  two  upper  ones  marked  slightly  with  rose. 
My  other  selection  is  Maid  of  Kent,  a  remarkably 
floriferous  variety,  but  scarcely  so  free  in  growth 
as   the  last  named.     The    flowers  possess   more 
substance    than    any    of    the    others,    and     the 
whole  truss  is  bold  and  striking.     Each  petal  of 
this  is  marked  at  its  base  with  rosy  pencillings. 
Were  Maid  of  Kent  as  stout  and  sturdy  in  habit 
as  Duchess  of  Bedford,  it  would  be  unhesitatingly 
my  selection,  but  as  a  set-off    to  the  superior 
flowers  of  this  variety  we  have  the  less  desirable 
habit    of  growth.     For  cut  purposes  it  is  well 
suited,  as  the  trusses  are  compact  and  the  flower- 
stems  stout  and  erect.  An  old  show  variety  named 
Claribel    has  flowers  of  the  purest  white,  with  a 
small  spot  on  the  upper  petals,  and  for  growing 
into  large  specimens  it  is  a  very  desirable  kind ; 
but  when  cut  it  is  not   so  good  as  some  others 
having  crimped  and  fuller  flowers   in   the  decora- 
tive class.    The  pick  of  white  fancy  Pelargoniums 
I  take  to  be  Princess  Teck,  a  compact  and  very 
floriferous  kind,  with  pure  white  flowers,  slightly 
spotted    with   carmine.      Double   or   semi-double 
flowers  are  but  little  represented  in  these  classes. 
The   first  with  which  I  became  acquainted  was 
album  plenum,  but  it  was  not  free  enough  in 


growth  to  become  popular.  Then,  two  or  three 
years  ago,  Belle  de  Jour,  sent  from  the  Continent, 
received  a  certificate  from  the  Koyal  Horticultural 
Society.  It  is  a  pretty  kind,  with  large  open 
trusses  of  pure  white  flowers,  that  do  not  expand 
in  a  mass  as  Pelargoniums  commonly  do,  but  keep 
opening  in  succession  for  some  time.  The  blooms 
are  large,  and  well  suited  for  using  singly  in  a 
cut  state,  as  they  last  long  in  good  condition.  A 
great  drawback  to  this  Pelargonium  is,  that  in 
habit  it  is  far  from  desirable;  if  not  stopped 
freely,  the  shoots  run  up  very  tall,  and  when 
pinched  back  they  sometimes  refuse  altogether  to 
break  again,  or  frequently,  even  if  tliey  do  so,  a 
single  shoot  only  is  produced  ;  so  that  the  plant 
under  both  modes  of  practice  is  in  no  ways  im- 
proved. A  couple  of  other  kinds  are  Jeanne  d'Arc 
and  Madame  Boucharlat,  both  with  blush-coloured 
blossoms,  and  much  resembling  each  other.  They 
are  of  free  growth,  but  dwarf  and  very  floriferous, 
so  that  one  finds  them  very  useful  for  cutting 
from.  jj,  p 


Zenobia  epeciosa  pulverulenta.— As  a 

flowering  plant  under  glass,  this  hardy  shrub  (of 
which  a  coloured  plate  was  given  in  The  Garden 
for  December  29  last  year)  is  extremely  attrac- 
tive both  from  its  large  Lily  of  the  Valley-like 
flowers,  and  also  on  account  of  the  bluish  silvery 
tint  of  its  foliage.  Out-of-doors  it  shows  its 
colour  well  in  a  moist,  peaty  spot,  but  under  glass 
the  peculiar  tint  of  the  foliage  is,  if  possible,  more 
pronounced.  Hardy  plants  of  this  character  are 
extremely  useful,  as  they  do  not  occupy  space 
under  glass  during  winter,  but  may  then  (unless 
needed  to  be  in  bloom  unusually  early)  be  kept 
out-of-doors.  After  flowering  the  plants  should  be 
plunged  in  the  open,  and  care  taken  to  keep  them 
well  supplied  with  water,  otherwise  a  crop  of 
flowers  the  following  season  need  not  be  looked 
for. — Alpha. 

Dipladenia  bolivlensis.— Though  less 
showy  than  most  of  the  hybrid  Dipladenias  now 
commonly  grown,  this  is  a  pretty,  chaste  kind,  and 
withal  possessed  of  a  good  vigorous  constitution 
that  fits  it  for  employment  as  a  stove  climber 
where  the  more  delicate  sorts  might  not  succeed. 
Its  blooms  are  smaller  than  those  of  most  of 
the  others  and  less  open  in  shape ;  in  colour 
they  are  a  beautiful  clear  white,  relieved  by  a 
central  blotch  of  orange.  It  is  by  no  means  of 
recent  introduction,  and  may  well  be  classed 
among  neglected  plants.  From  no  list  of  select 
stove  climbers,  however,  should  it  be  omitted,  as 
besides  the  desirable  qualities  just  alluded  to,  it 
is  very  free  flowering.  Cuttings,  too,  of  it  root 
more  readily  than  those  of  the  others ;  indeed,  a 
stout  stem  secured  to  a  damp  wall  pushed  forth 
roots  along  that  portion  of  it  that  was  immediately 
in  contact  with  the  wall,  and  in  sufficient  numbers 
to  hold  the  stem  in  position  after  the  manner  of 
Ivy.— H.  P. 

Chrysanthemums  In  pots  r.  planted 
out. — The  beauty  of  Chrysanthemums  is  to  fre- 
quently tarnished  by  early  frosts  or  drenching 
rains,  that,  as  a  rule,  it  is  advisable  to  shelter  them 
under  glass.  After  growing  Chrysanthemums  in 
all  sorts  of  ways,  I  am  convinced  that,  as  regards 
quantity  of  bloom,  the  planting-out  system  has  a 
decided  advantage  over  pot  culture,  for  the  Chry- 
santhemum is  such  a  gross  feeder  and  strong 
rooter  that,  unless  watering  is  carefully  attended 
to,  the  plants  lose  their  lower  leaves,  and  their 
beauty  as  decorative  plants  is  thus  greatly  im- 
paired. Planting  out  economises  labour.  Having 
a  quantity  of  Chrysanthemums  to  grow  for  sup- 
plying cut  flowers  and  for  general  decorative  pur- 
poses, the  cuttings  were  propagated  as  they  could 
be  obtained  during  the  months  of  February  and 
March,  and  as  soon  as  large  enough  they  were 
potted  off  in  3-inch  pots  and  set  in  a  warm  vinery 
until  well  rooted.  They  were  then  hardened  off 
in  a  cold  frame,  and  planted  out  in  April  in  rows 
2  feet  apart  each  way.  Some  were  also  potted  in 
7-inch  pots  and  kept  well  watered,  but  the  planted 
out  ones  are  by  far  the  best  plants,  though  they 
have  not  had  a  tithe  of  the  labour  bestowed  on 


Ai-r..   !>,   18S4,J 


THE     GARDEN 


111 


them ;  therefore  I  shall  adopt  the  planting-oat 
plan  for  the  future,  and  I  recommend  others  who 
have  not  too  much  spare  labour  to  do  the  same. — 
J.  Groom,  Gosport. 


WINTER  FLOWERING  PLANTS. 


Plants  of  liouvardia  that  are  planted  out  need 
taking  up  and  repotting  in  time  to  allow  their 
roots  to  get  fresh  hold  of  the  soil  before  winter 
sets  in. 

Salvias  are  indispensable  for  autumn,  winter, 
and  spring,  seasons  at  which  one  or  other  of  the 
many  varieties  may  be  had  in  flower.  The  best 
This  will  be  a  busy  time  with  plant  growers,  more  for  autumn  is  S.  splendens  Bruanti,  which  is  a 
especially  with  those  who  have  to  make  large  great  improvement  in  every  way  on  the  original 
provision  for  winter,  as  nearly  everything  flower-  form ;  it  has  better  foliage  and  much  larger  and 
ing  at  that  date  will  require  overhauling,  and  i  brighter  spikes  of  flowers,  which  make  a  brilliant 
much  repotting  will  have  to  be  done.  The  first '  display.  S.  rutilans,  the  Pine-apple-scented  Salvia, 
plants  needing  attention  are  Chrysanthemums,  is  the  next  to  succeed  it,  and,  though  small  in 
which  should  have  their  final  shift  at  once,  as,  '  blossoms,  they  are  produced  freely,  and  are  of  a 
unless  the  pots  become  well  tilled  with  roots,  and  i  bright  telling  colour.  S.  Pitched  is  quite  a  gem 
the  plants  tlioroughly  established  and  matured, ,  in  its  way ;  its  blooms  are  of  a  lovely  blue,  and 
they  cannot  bloom  satisfactorily.  The  soil  best :'  good  strong  plants  of  it  flower  the  whole  of  the 
adapted  for  Chrysanthemums  is  a  good  fibry  loam  \  winter.  S.  Heeri  comes  in  early  in  spring,  and  is 
in  which  about  a  sixth  portion  of  mild,  thoroughly  '  one  of  the  freest  and  most  useful ;  besides  being 
decomposed  manure  is  mixed  ;  and  if  potted  { very  floriferous,  it  lasts  long  in  perfection.  S. 
firmly  in  this  compost  they  will  flourish  and  pro-  i  gesnerasSora  is  the  latest  of  all,  and  a  most  desir- 
duce  good  flowers.  The 
shoots  ought  not  to  be 
stopped  after  this,   but 

staked  and  tied  carefully 

out,  as  at  the  stage  at 

which  they  now  are  they 

are  apt  to  be  broken  by 

wind  or  wet.     The  best 

manure  water  to  give  is 

that  made  from  cow  or 

sheep  manure  and  soot, 

but  before   using   it   it 

ought  to    be    perfectly 

clear. 
Bou  VAEDIAS  are  most 

useful    winter-flowering 

plants,  but  their  ability 

to  flower  depends  much 

on   the    way    in   which 

they  are  grown.     If  in 

small  pots  now,  as  young 

spring-struck  plants  may 

be,  they  should  at  once 

be  potted  in  a  mixture 

of  about  half  peat  and 

loam,    or  in    the   latter 

with  the  same  quantity 

of    leaf    mould.     They 

should  then  be  plunged 

in  a  pit  or  frame,  where 

they  can  be  kept  rather 

close  for  a  time  till  they 

get  a  good  start.  As  soon 

as  it  can  be  seen  that 

they  are  moving  freely 

more  air  willbe  required, 

and  the  plants  when  suf- 
ficiently advanced   will 

be  all  the  better  for  hav- 
ing the  lights  withdrawn 

duringtheday;  theexpo- 

sure  from  so  doing  will 

be  of  great    benefit   to 

them,  as  it  will  harden  up 

and    ripen    the    young 

shoots,  and  assist  in  mak- 
ing them  set  fine  heads  of  bloom.    Some  plant  out 

their   Couvardias  instead  of  potting  them,  and 

it  is  a  very  good  plan,  as   under  that  system  of 

culture    they    give   very   little    trouble    during 

summer,  and  are  secure  from  over-watering,  on 

account  of  the  greater  body  of  soil  around  them. 

If  planted  out,  a  pit  or  frame  should  be  prepared 


named  sorts  dislike  the  least  artificial  heat,  and 
are  often  spoiled  thereby,  but  the  three  others  just 
mentioned  require  a  little  warmth  to  bring  them 
out  in  perfection.  Daring  the  summer  they  all  do 
by  being  partly  filled  with  some  mild  fermenting  best  out  of  doors,  either  planted  out  or  in  pots, 
material,  and  on  this,  after  being  trodden  firmly,  '  the  former  being  the  way  in  which  large  plants 
8  inches  or  so  of  leaf-mould  and  loam  or  refuse  may  be  had  most  readily,  as,  with  a  free  root  run 
peat  should  be  placed,  in  which  the  plants  may  be  j  they  grow  much  faster,  and  keep  more  healthy 
planted.  During  summer,  all  that  is  necessary 
is  to  water  occasionally,  which  is  best  done  over- 
head through  a  rosed  pot.  They  should  also  be 
kept  syringed  or  sprinkled  daily  whenever  the 
weather  is  at  all  hot  and  dry.  This  damping  of 
the  foliage  will  be  the  means  of  warding  off  red 
spider,  to  which  Bouvardias  are  rather  subject,  as 
also  to  green  fly,  which  may  be  quickly  got  rid  of 
by  fumigating    with    Tobacco,    and    afterwards 


but  to  get  them  really  fine  they  must  have  liberal 
trt  atment,  which  can  be  best  afforded  by  planting 
them  out.  Before  doing  this,  trenches  should  be 
prepared  after  the  manner  of  those  for  Celery, 
except  that  they  need  not  be  so  deep,  and  the 
plants  divided  and  turned  out  in  them,  after  which 
they  should  be  kept  well  supplied  with  water 
during  summer,  when  they  will  make  strong 
crowns  that  will  send  up  blooms  freely  and  make 
a  grand  show.  When  potted  up  in  autumn,  the  most 
suitable  place  for  them  is  the  foot  of  a  shady  wall, 
where,  if  sprinkled  overhead,  they  soon  get  fresh 
root  hold,  and  become  ready  for  slight  forcing  or 
placing  in  the  greenhouse. 

LIBOSIA  FLOEIBUKDA  is  another  plant  that  is 
of  great  service  for  winter  decoration  ;  but,  to  have 
stock  of  it  of  a  useful  size,  cuttings  ought  to  be 
struck  early,  and  should  now  be  fit  for  putting  in 
the  pots  in  which  they  are  intended  to  flower.    As 
old  plants  flower  best,  it  is  always  advisable  to 
keep  over  a  portion ;  thin  them  out  and  cut  back 
their  heads,  which  soon 
break  again  and  become 
refurnished  with  shoots. 
_^  These  only  flower  really 

^"^  well  after  full  exposure, 

which  the  plants  get  if 
plunged  in  some  place 
exposed  to  the  sun  or  are 
kept  well  up  to  the  glass 
in  cold  frames,  where 
they  can  have  plenty  of 
air.  Like  most  soft- 
wooded  greenhouse  sub- 
jects, this  Libonia  does 
well  planted  out  and 
lifted  again,  but  it  re- 
quires great  care  at  and 
after  the  taking  up,  as  it 
is  apt  to  lose  its  leaves, 
which  fall  if  the  plants 
become  dry  or  suffer  from 
any  check  on  removal. 

SCHIZOSTVLIS    COCCI- 

KE  A  is  a  plant  not  half  so 
much  grown  as  its  merits 
deserve,  as  during  nearly 
the  whole  of  the  winter 
it  flowers  with  great 
freedom,  tending  up 
its  spikes  of  Gladiolns- 
like  blooms  in  long-con- 
tinued succession.  To 
have  them  good  the 
crowns  must  be  strong, 
and  they  may  be  had  so 
by  pulling  the  plants 
asunder,  afler  shaking 
them  out;  then  repot  and 
give  them  light  rich  soil. 
When  this  is  done  they 
should  be  kept  close  in  a 
frame  for  a  time  and 
s} ringed  till  they  get  a 
good  start ;  then  they 
should  be  plunged  into 
the  open, 
able  kind  it  is,  as,  besides  having  fine  foliage,  it  is  ,  Pelargoniums  of  the  zonal  kind  are  also  of 
good  in  habit,  and  the  spikes  of  bloom  are  large  great  value  for  winter  flowering,  but  they  only 
and  striking.  Unlike  the  others,  the  two  last  bloom  freely  when  properly  prepared  for  that 
-  .1:,..  ii_.  ■ — ..  __i-c_:_,  L__^  _^j    purpose.     This  can  only  be  done  by  potting  in 

rather  poor  sandy  soil,  and  keeping  the  young 
plants  rather  pinched  at  the  roots  and  well  ex- 
posed to  the  sun  ;  it  is  not  growth  that  is  wanted 


Terrace  wall  with  bach-ground  of  foliage. 


so  much  as  hardness  and  ripeness  of  the  shoots. 
If  these  are  firm  and  short-jointed,  and  the  plants 
late  in  the  year  are  kept  on  light  airy  shelves  or 
well  up  to  the  glass  in  a  warm  dry  house,  they 


giving  a  heavy  syringing  with  clean  water  to  wash 
off  any  stragglers  and  deposit  left  by  the  smoke. 


and  better  furnished  below.     If  grown  in  pots  the   cannot  fail  to  produce  plenty  of  bloom. 

best  plan  is  to  make  long  narrow  beds  of  three  1  S.  D. 

rows  or  so,  and  plunge  them  in  half  rotten  straw  :  ' 

or  litter,  the  same  as  Chrysanthemums,  as  then  A  TERRACE  WALL. 

they  are  handy  to  get  at  and  look  to  as  regards  '  This  is  a  scene  in  a  Continental  public  garden, 
watering.  The  soil  most  suitable  for  Salvias  is  ;  which  as  drawn  is  pretty,  because  of  the  fore- 
fresh  fibry  loam,  with  just  a  little  well-rotted  ground  and  of  the  background  which  the  artist 
manure  mixed  with  it,  together  with  a  sprinkling  takes  care  to  put  in.  Unhappily,  our  terrace  gar- 
of  sand  to  keep  the  whole  open.  dens  have  generally  no  such  tender  relief  ;  all  is 

Callas,  or,  as  they  are  called  now,  Kichardias,    bard  and  angular  about  them,  as  a  rule.     Among 
or  Arum  Lilies,  are  grand  winter  blooming  plants  ;   the  most  striking  examples  of  the  dreadful  terrace 


112 


THE     GARDEN 


[Arc.  1),  1884. 


garden  we  have  seen  of  late  is  the  garden  of  the 
"  Star  and  Garter,"  at  liichmond,  in  which  a  great 
deal  of  rubbish  "architecture"  and  New  Road  sta- 
tuary has  been  indulged  in.  Sometimes  one  sees  a 
private  place  in  no  better  taste,  but  here  we  must 
not  speak.  Our  houses  require  the  architect's  full 
attention  ;  there  is  plenty  of  work  for  him  without 
spoiling  our  gardens  with  absolutely  useless  and 
costly  work  ! 


Trees  and  Shrubs. 


SHRUBS  IN  PLEASURE  GROUNDS. 

Between  underwood  and  shrubberies  proper  a 
clear  distinction  should  be  drawn.  Wherever 
groups  of  tall  trees  are  planted  or  exist  in  grounds, 
although  it  may  be  advisable  to  fill  the  space  up 
under  them  with  bushes  of  dwarfer  growth,  such 
plantings  can  never  become  healthy  shrubberies, 
whether  they  be  evergreens  or  deciduous  bushes, 
because  none  of  the  ornamental  shrubs  used  in 
gardens  will  succeed  satisfactorily  under  the  shade 
of  trees.  They  will  grow  for  a  time,  and  Hollies, 
Yews,  and  Rhododendrons  will  do  better  than 
most  other  subjects  ;  but  when  the  shrubs  are  in- 
tended to  flower  and  make  handsome  specimens, 
they  must  have  full  exposure.  The  common 
Portugal  Laurel  makes  a  handsome,  compact, 
glossy-foliaged  bush  in  the  open,  and  in  the  south 
of  England  even  young  bushes  flower  with  remark- 
able freedom ;  while  under  the  shade  of  trees  it 
becomes  a  straggling  and  poor  shrub,  frequently 
requiring  to  be  cut  down  to  keep  it  green  and 
dense,  and  it  never  flowers.  It  is  the  same  with  all 
shrubs,  but  in  planting  grounds  the  fact  is  often 
lost  sight  of,  and  shrubs  are  planted  merely  to  fill 
up  between  deciduous  trees  which  present  a  bare 
aspect  in  winter.  The  proper  places  for  Evergreens 
and  dwarf  deciduous  shrubs  are  the  open  spaces 
on  the  margins  of  groups  of  tall  trees  and  on  the 
backgrounds  of  lawns,  but  always  where  they  are 
not  shaded.  Under  such  circumstances  the  growth 
is  healthy,  and  Evergreens  look  bright  and  clean 
in  winter  when  they  are  seen  most,  and  all  flower- 
ing species  flower  in  due  season,  because  their 
growth  is  properly  matured. 

In  ordinary  .soil  most  kinds  of  shrubs  will 
grow  if  they  have  head  room.  In  the  course  of  a 
few  years  rich  mould  from  the  annually  shed 
leaves  soon  accumulates  on  the  surface,  and  is  as 
good  or  better  than  any  manure  that  can  be 
applied.  In  cutting  some  very  old  Rhododendron 
bushes  not  long  since,  a  rich  leaf-mould  6  inches 
deep  was  found  under  the  branches,  which  had 
rooted  into  it  as  natural  layers,  and  the  roots  ex- 
tended in  all  directions  on  the  surface,  satis- 
factorily accounting  for  the  luxuriance  of  many  of 
our  Rhododendrons  here,  which  were  originally 
planted  in  the  natural  soil — a  poor,  thin  loam. 
Indeed,  the  practice  of  clearing  the  leaves  out 
from  beneath  shrubs  cannot  be  too  severely  con- 
demned, because  they  are  the  natural  and  only 
provision  for  the  roots,  alike  protecting  them  from 
cold  and  providing  them  in  time  with  the  verv 
kind  of  food  which  they  require.  All  Evergreens 
shed  their  leaves  annually  like  other  trees,  and  as 
their  foliage  is  very  abundant,  it  soon  forms  a 
deep  layer  on  the  ground.  But,  as  has  been  hinted, 
the  greatest  disappointment  results  from  planting 
them  under  trees.  In  winter  the  nakedness  of 
deciduous  plantations  is  an  eyesore,  inducing  pro- 
prietors to  plant,  and  they  act  on  the  impulse  of 
the  moment  without  due  reflection.  By  far  the 
best  way  to  produce  cover  in  deciduous  woods  is 
to  mix  the  deciduous  with  tall  growing  Evergreens, 
like  Hollies,  Yews,  Deodars,  and  Spruces,  planting 
these  not  under  the  other  trees,  but  in  spots 
amongst  them  where  they  will  have  light  above 
all  the  year  through.  In  this  way  the  two,  deciduous 
and  evergreen,  grow  up  together  without  injuring 
one  another,  and  the  result  in  the  end  is  far  more 
satisfactory  than  attempting  to  grow  one  kind  of 
tree  under  the  other  ;  as  a  rule,  however,  notwith- 
standing how  well  things  may  have  been  done  at 
first,  a  few  years  give  the  most  rampant  growers 
the  advantage,  and  before  the  opportunity  occurs 


of  making  the  necessary  thinning,  many  things 
are  smothered  and  others  get  drawn  up  weakly. 

In  numbers  of  pleasure  grounds  conditions 
have  altered  since  the  grounds  were  first  laid  out 
and  planted.  Trees  have  grown  up  and  become 
crowded,  and  shrubs  of  a  strong  growing  charac- 
ter have  usurped  far  more  than  the  space  allotted 
originally  to  them.  By  this  time,  however,  objec- 
tions to  removing  the  larger  trees  are  raised,  the 
thinning  out  is  not  well  done,  and  little  improve- 
ment is  effected.  It  cannot  be  too  clearly  im- 
pressed upon  proprietors  not  practically  ac- 
quainted with  such  matters  that  the  only  diffi- 
culty they  have  to  surmount  in  such  cases  is  to 
make  up  their  minds  where  they  will  have  good 
lofty  and  luxuriant  Evergreens  and  flowering 
shrubs,  and  where  they  will  have  tall  trees,  for 
they  cannot  have  both  on  the  same  spot.  The 
furnished  appearance  of  pleasure  grounds  in 
winter  depends  almost  entirely  upon  the  arrange- 
ment of  the  Evergreen  plantations,  and  one  requires 
to  see  a  garden  well  stocked  with  these  to  under- 
stand what  a  blank  they  fill  in  the  landscape, 
however  limited  the  view  may  be.  A  garden  has 
always  two  aspects.  It  looks  best  in  summer, 
when  both  deciduous  and  evergreen  trees  are  in 
their  prime ;  but  if  too  many  deciduous  subjects 
are  used  to  the  exclusion  of  Evergreens,  a  naked 
appearance  will  be  presented  in  winter.  One  can 
see  far  through  the  leafless  branches  of  deciduous 
trees,  unless  the  backgrounds  are  well  packed 
with  Evergreens,  which  should  be  disposed  so  as 
to  block  the  view  in  all  objectionable  directions 
after  the  leaves  fall  off  deciduous  trees  in  autumn. 

J.  S.  W. 


Cyperus,  Tradescantias,  and  other  plants  of  orna- 
mental character  are  grouped  together  variously, 
perhaps  one  plant  of  three  or  four  kinds  together, 
with  an  extremely  pleasing  and  ornamental  effect. 
Another  happy  idea  is  to  pot  together  a  Canna 
and  one  or  two  Gladiolus  brenchleyensis. — G.  J. 


Propagating  Exochorda  grandiflora. 

M.  Malet,  nurseryman  at  Plessis  Piquet,  finds  that 
the  best  way  of  propagating  this  fine  flowering 
shrub  is  to  take  the  cuttings  in  August,  put  them 
separately  into  small  pots,  and  place  them  in  a 
cold  frame  in  a  north  aspect  until  rooted.  The 
majority  of  flowering  shrubs  may  be  propagated 
at  this  time  of  year.  Take  the  partly  matured 
wood,  keep  the  soil  moist  and  expose  them  to  the 
night  air.  The  foot  of  a  north  wall  is  the  best 
position  for  them. — J.  C.  B. 

Welgela  Candida.— This  is,  I  should 
say,  destined  to  be  a  very  popular  Weigela. 
It  is  good  in  habit  and  vigorous  in  growth,  and 
the  flowers  are  pure  white.  Hortensis  niveais  an 
older  white-flowered  kind,  from  which  Candida 
differs  in  having  a  more  erect  and  compact  habit, 
in  being  earlier  flowering,  and  easier  to  propagate. 
Cuttings  of  Candida  strike  root  as  easily  as  those 
of  any  of  the  Weigelas  which  is  not  the  case  with 
hortensis  nivea.  The  latter  is  a  native  of  Japan, 
but  Candida  is,  I  believe,  a  seedling  of  Continen- 
tal origin.  Like  the  rose-coloured  kind,  this 
Weigela  stands  in  the  front  rank  amongst  spring 
flowering  shrubs.  Our  Weigelas  this  season  pro- 
mised to  produce  an  unusual  amount  of  bloom, 
but  the  sharp  frosts  experienced  about  six  weeks 
ago  greatly  injured  the  flower  buds.— Alpha. 

CorylopslB  splcata.— This  is  a  near  ally  of 
the  Witch  Hazels,  and,  like  the  Japanese  repre- 
sentatives of  that  class,  it  flowers  very  early  in  the 
season,  before  the  leaves  unfold.  It  forms  a  bush 
."!  feet  or  4  feet  in  height,  with  long,  stalked, 
heart-shaped  leaves  of  a  light  green  colour,  and 
bears  flowers  in  drooping  racemes  2  inches  or 
3  inches  long.  Owing  to  each  raceme  being  com- 
posed of  several  blossoms  of  a  pale  yellow  colour, 
with  conspicuous  red  anthers  and  yellowish  green 
bracts,  a  well-grown  bush  of  this  Corylopsis  when 
studded  with  blossoms  in  early  spring  is  very  con- 
spicuous. It  was  introduced  about  twenty  years 
ago,  but  seems  to  be  but  little  known,  though,  as 
far  as  my  experience  goes,  it  is  quite  hardy. — T. 


Paris  market  pot  plants.— The  good  taste 
combined  with  good  culture  of  the  French  market 
growers  is  well  known.  Some  clever  examples 
that  our  growers  would  do  well  to  profit  by  may 
now  be  seen  in  the  Paris  markets  in  the  shape  of 
pots  of  mixed  foliage  plants.  Begonias  of  the 
Rex  section,   Dracaenas,   seedling   Palms,   Ferns, 


Garden   Flora. 

PLATE  452. 
ODONTOGLOSSUM  PESCATOREI 
VEITCHIANUM.* 
Perhaps  the  keenest  pleasure  an  enthusiastic 
Orchid  cultivator  experiences  is  that  of  watching 
from  day  to  day  the  gradual  unfolding  of  some 
promising  flower-bud  on  a  newly-imported  plant. 
This  bud  may  perchance  reveal  a  variety  of  extra- 
ordinary beauty,  and  may  probably  prove  to  be 
unique.  Among  the  more  remarkable  varieties 
lately  brought  into  notice  is  that  which  forms  the 
subject  of  this  week's  plate.  This  is  indeed  an 
Odontoglossum  of  surpassing  beauty.  Of  the 
thousands  upon  thousands  of  plants  of  Pesca- 
torei  that  have  been  imported  and  flowered  in 
this  country  it  is  astonishing  to  find  none 
to  even  approach  this  unique  Veitchian  variety. 
For  the  information  of  those  who  may  not  happen 
to  know  the  typical  or  original  O.  Pescatorei,  it 
might  be  well  to  say  that  its  flowers  are,  as  a  rule, 
spotless,  except  the  labellum,  which  sometimes  has 
a  few  spots  and  blotches  upon  it.  There  is  no  ac- 
counting for  how  or  where  this  Yeitchian  variety 
obtained  its  rich  colouring.  It  certainly  is  not  a 
hybrid,  as  it  is  in  every  way  the  counterpart  of 
the  type,  except  in  colour ;  it  must  therefore  be 
assumed  that  it  is  a  native  seedling  plant  that 
has  sported,  so  to  speak,  from  its  congeners,  and 
had  it  reproduced  itself  in  the  New  Granadan 
forests,  it  would  probably  have  formed  the  starting 
point  of  what  would  now  be  termed  a  distinct 
species. 

This  Yeitchian  variety  first  opened  its  flowers 
in  the  Royal  Exotic  Nursery,  Chelsea,  during  the 
last  week  in  March,  1882,  greatly  to  the  surprise 
of  everyone,  although  something  uncommon  was 
expected,  inasmuch  as  in  the  bud  state  the  crimson- 
purple  colour  of  the  sepals  could  be  seen  distinctly. 
The  following  week  it  was  exhibited  at  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society's  meeting,  at  which  it  was 
unanimously  awarded  a  first-class  certificate.  The 
plant  at  that  time  bore  a  small  erect  spike,  carrying 
about  half-a-dozen  flowers.  A  few  days  after- 
wards it  was  transferred  to  Baron  Schroeder's  col. 
lection  at  The  Dell,  Egham.  Since  the  plant  has 
been  at  The  Dell  it  has  grown  to  quite  a  fine 
specimen  under  the  good  treatment  accorded  it 
by  the  Baron's  gardener  (Mr.  Ballantine).  It  has 
now  several  bulbs,  and  each  succeeding  April  it 
develops  a  flower-spike  larger  and  larger.  This 
year  the  inflorescence  was  quite  a  broad  panicle 
carrying  some  dozens  of  blooms,  and,  as  may  be 
imagined,  was  the  embodiment  of  elegance  and 
beauty.  When  exhibited  at  South  Kensington, 
the  committee  accorded  Mr.  Ballantine  a  "  com- 
mendation '■  for  his  cultural  skill.  The  plate  was 
drawn  from  the  plant  this  year,  and  though  the 
colour  is  represented  a  little  duller  than  it  is  in 
reality,  it  is  a  good  portrait  of  the  flower-spike. 

Some  orchidists  would  probably  like  to  see 
several  such  varieties  as  this  crop  up  from  im- 
portations, but  if  such  were  the  case,  half  the 
interest  that  centres  round  Baron  Schroeder's  plant 
would  be  lost,  for  among  plants,  as  in  other  things, 
is  there  not  as  much  charm  in  rarity  as  in  beauty  ? 


»  Drawu  in  Baron  Schroeder's  garden,  The  Dell,  Egliami 
April  0,  ltS4. 


^Pl^ 


.>*.-^ 


Arc.  9,  1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


113 


The  nearest  approach  to  the  Veitchian  variety  that 
has  been  seen  about  London  is  singularly  enough 
named  Schroedera;.  This,  too,  emanated  from 
Messrs.  Veitch's  nursery ;  it  is  a  pretty  variety, 
indeed,  but  the  colour  is  not  so  rich  or  so  pro- 
nounced as  in  Veitchianum.  It  is  not  a  little  singular 
that  the  two  most  popular  species  of  Odontoglos- 
snm,  namely,  O.  crispum  (Alexandras)  and  0. 
Pescatorei,  so  similar  in  many  respects,  should 
differ  so  widely  as  regards  their  capabilities  of 
producing  varieties.  One  may  see  a  whole  house- 
ful of  plants  of  Pescatore's  species  in  flower  and 
not  find  a  single  variation  in  shape  or  colour,  while 
on  the  other  hand  it  is  often  difficult  to  find  two 
varieties  exactly  alike  among  a  similar  number  of  0- 
crispum.  Varieties  of  the  latter  species  are  endless, 
but  numerous  as  they  are,  there  is  one  that  far  out- 
distances the  others.  This  is  the  Veitchian 
variety  which  surprised  every  orchidist  in  London 
last  May.  It  is  quite  as  remarkable  a  variety  of 
0.  crispum  as  the  Veitchian  variety  of  Pescatorei 
is  among  varieties  of  that  species.  It,  too,  derives 
its  distinctiveness  from  the  heavy  blotches  of 
colour  on  the  sepals  disposed  in  a  bar-like  manner, 
but  in  addition  to  this  the  flower  is  unusually 
large  and  finely  formed.  Baron  Schroeder  is  like- 
wise the  fortunate  possessor  of  this  rarity. 

W.  G. 


Fruit  Crops. 

METROPOLITAN  AND  SOUTH-EASTERN 
DIVISION. 

Claremont .— The  disastrous  frost  of  April  23 
smote  with  strict  impartiality  bud,  expanded  flower, 
tiny  fruit  just  set,  and  fruit  of  the  size  of  marbles. 
If  this  is  annually  to  be  expected  we  must  have 
spring  protection  for  all  kinds  of  fruit,  for,  what- 
ever some  may  say,  I  emphatically  decline  to  be- 
lieve in  the  ability  of  anyone  to  bring  his  trees  to 
such  a  pitch  of  cultural  excellence  that  they  resist 
with  impunity  12°  and  14^  of  frost.  The  season 
has  also  been  remarkable  for  unprecedented  num- 
bers of  aphides,  and  constant  application  has  been 
necessary  to  keep  wall  trees  fairly  clean ;  even 
Pears  are  with  us  this  season  badly  attacked.  To 
enumerate  our  losses  I  may  say  the  crop  of  Peaches 
and  Nectarines  is  very  thin,  the  frost  cutting  the 
young  fruit  behind  a  triple  thickness  of  fine  tanned 
netting  ;  Nectarines  are  the  better  crop  of  the  two. 
All  other  stone  fruits  are  a  total  failure,  with  the 
exception  of  Jlorello  Cherries,  which  are  a  mode- 
rate crop.  The  set  of  Apricots  was  this  year  very 
good,  and  the  fruit  well  advanced  when  the  frost 
came.  Of  Pears  we  have  none,  at  any  rate  not 
more  than  a  dozen  on  a  wall  100  yards  long.  As 
in  the  case  of  Apricots,  the  early  varieties  of  this 
fruit,  such  as  Citron  des  Carmes,  Jargonelle,  and 
Bon  Chretien,  set  remarkably  well,  many  of 
them  being  as  large  as  small  Hazel  Nuts  on 
April  22,  when  they  were  frozen  almost  to  a  pulp 
Apples  are  also  very  thin  ;  there  is  a  partial  crop 
on  some  of  the  late  varieties,  but  of  early  dessert 
and  kitchen  fruit  we  have  none.  Of  the  smaller 
fruits.  Strawberries  have  been  a  very  heavy  crop, 
our  main  plantation,  in  a  border  with  a  moist 
clay  bottom,  being  but  little  affected  by  the  dry 
weather.  La  Grosse  Suoree,  Sir  J.  Paxton,  and 
Dr.  Hogg  are  our  best  varieties.  Raspberries  are 
a  fair  crop,  but  the  fruit  is  small.  Gooseberries, 
like  early  Pears  and  Apricots,  were  frozen  through 
except  where  well  protected  by  the  foliage,  and 
we  have  not  half  a  crop.  Some  of  the  large  dessert 
varieties  trained  to  wires  in  a  well  sheltered  spot 
are  much  better ;  Currants  of  all  kinds  are  a  very 
good  crop,  and  the  superfluous  growth  being  re- 
moved from  the  Red  and  White  sorts  rather  early 
in  the  season,  we  have  not  been  bothered  quite  so 
much  as  in  other  cases  with  the  attacks  of  aphides. 
I  may  add,  in  conclusion,  that  wall  trees  are  now 
looking  well,  the  advent  of  cooler  weather,  with 
an  occzisional  shower,  being  of  immense  benefit  in 
keeping  fly  in  check. — E.  Burrell. 


Coombo   Lane,   Kingston.- Of  Apples, 

Pears,  Cherries,  and  Plums  we  have  scarcely  any. 
Peaches  are  a  fair  crop,  and  so  are  Apricots. 
Black  Currants  wholly  destroyed  ;  Red  Currants 
good,  but  blighted  ;  Gooseberries  good.  Straw- 
berries only  half  a  crop;  Nats  a  sprinkling.  We 
had  such  very  severe  frosts  in  April,  that  nearly 
everything  was  killed.  Plums  had  already  set, 
and  also  early  Cherries.  The  frost  was  so  intense, 
that  all  flowers  were  killed,  even  those  showing 
colour.  I  have  never  known  fruit  so  entirely  de- 
stroyed by  frost.  Late  sorts  of  Apples,  such  as 
Court  pendu  Plat,  which  does  not  flower  until 
May,  were  killed  just  the  same  as  the  others.  We 
are  on  the  London  clay,  which  about  here  comes 
right  up  to  the  surface. 
Potatoes  are  a  good  crop. — Wm.  Denning. 

Lythe  Hill,  Haslemere.— The  fruit  crops 
in  this  district,  with  two  exceptions — Pears  and 
Plums — are  good.  Plums  are  a  complete  failure, 
not  a  tree  anywhere  bearing  a  crop.  Pears  are  a 
light  crop,  but  what  are  left  promise  to  be  good. 
The  heaviest  crops  are  on  espaliers.  The  varieties 
that  are  best  fruiters  are  Easter  Beurro,  Ne  plus 
Meuris,  Jersey  Gratioli,  Prince  Albert,  Bergamot 
d'Esperen,  Prince  of  Wales  (Hughes),  Winter 
Nells,  Beurre  Superfin,  Beurre  de  Capiaumont, 
and  some  culinary  varieties.  The  Apple  crop  pro- 
mises to  be  the  best  we  have  had  for  years.  Al- 
though last  year's  was  an  exceptionally  good  one, 
this  season's  promised  to  be  better  both  in  quan- 
tity and  quality.  There  are  scarcely  any  trees 
not  bearing.  The  varieties  that  do  best  round 
this  neighbourhood  are  the  various  Codlins,  Lord 
Suffield,  Stirling  Castle,  Duchesse  d'Oldenburg, 
Blenheim  Orange,  Cockle  Pippin,  Dumelow's  Seed- 
ling, Emperor  Alexander,  Stone's  Seedling,  Lord 
Burghley,  Court  of  Wick,  Yorkshire  Greening,  Haw- 
thornden,  Boston  Russet,  Oslin,  and  Cox's  Orange 
Pippin.  Gooseberries,  Raspberries,  Black  and  Red 
Currants  are  all  abundant,  and  fine  Strawberries 
have  been  plentiful  and  very  fine,  some  of  the 
fruit  turning  the  scale  of  2^  ounces,  but  their 
season  has  been  rather  short,  owing  to  the  intense 
heat  which  prevailed  at  that  time.  Cherries  and 
Nuts  are  over  the  average.  Peaches  and  Nec- 
tarines are  plentiful,  and  the  trees  are  looking 
well.  Figs  are  good  on  walls,  but  they  do  not 
ripen  here  on  bushes  in  the  open  with  us. 

The  Potato  crops  have  suffered  very  much 
from  the  long  drought  and  high  temperature ; 
early  kidneys  have,  however,  turned  out  plenti- 
fully and  good.  Late  Potatoes,  I  fear,  will  be 
small,  if  not  badly  diseased,  as  I  see  the  haulm 
much  spotted,  and  in  some  places  gone  off.  The 
varieties  that  do  best  here  are  a  selected  variety 
of  Hyatt's— more  smooth  and  earlier  than  the 
type.  I  have  grown  it  six  years  alongside  of  the 
last  named  and  find  it  superior.  It  is  also  a  good 
forcer.  Veitch's  Royal  and  Myatt's  Ashleaf, 
Wormleighton  Seedling,  Beauty  of  Kent,  Rector 
of  Woodstock,  Porter's  Excelsior,  Schoolmaster, 
and  Vicar  of  Laleham  are  all  good.— Alfred 
Evans. 

Rydene,  Walton-onThames.— The  fruit 
crop  in  this  neighbourhood  is  anything  but  satis- 
factory. Apples  in  most  gardens  are  a  failure. 
There  is  a  sprinkling  on  trees  of  the  following 
sorts,  viz  ,  Wellington,  Cox's  Orange  Pippin,  Blen- 
heim Orange,  and  Fearn's  Pippin ;  the  last  named 
is  bearing  the  heaviest  crop  that  I  have  seen. 
American  blight  has  been  a  great  nuisance  this 
season.  Pears  are  a  total  failure  both  en  walls 
and  in  the  open,  and  the  same  may  almost  be  said 
of  Plums,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  Victorias  on 
walls.  Apricots  are  also  a  total  failure,  owing  to 
the  severe  frost  which  we  had  in  April.  Peaches, 
with  a  very  few  exceptions,  met  the  same 
fate.  We  had  no  protection  whatever,  and 
others  who  have  used  it  are  no  better  off  this 
season ;  in  fact  I  know  several  instances 
in  which  trees  in  unheated  Peach  houses  suffered 
very  much  from  frost.  Gooseberries  have  been  a 
very  fair  crop,  and  free  from  caterpillar.  Black 
Currants  are  rather  thin;  Red  and  White  very 
plentiful,  but  not  very  clean,  owing  to  the  trees 
being  so  covered  with  blight  during  the  early  part 
of  the  season.     Of  Strawberries  we  have  had  an 


abundance,  but  the  crop  was  of  rather  short  dura- 
tion. Raspberries  are  also  a  good  crop,  and  so  are 
Mulberries.  Filberts  and  Walnuts  will  be  scarce 
in  this  neighbourhood.  Our  soil  is  light  and 
sandy  on  a  gravelly  subsoil.  — Geo.  Carpenter. 

High  Grove,  Pinner.  —Fruit  crops  in  this 
neighbourhood  are  fairly  good.  Apples  about  the 
average  where  slightly  sheltered,  but  in  many 
orchards  choice  varieties  are  scarce  ;  Codlins  are 
good,  and  we  have  a  fair  sprinkling  of  Wellingtons 
and  Blenheim  Orange.  Pears  very  scarce ;  our 
subsoil  being  cold,  they  do  not  come  to  maturity 
here  as  they  do  on  a  lighter  and  warmer  subsoil. 
Of  Plums  we  have  very  few,  even  on  walls ;  the 
best  varieties  are  Victoria  and  Prince  of  Wales. 
Of  Golden  Drops  and  Damsons  we  have  none  ;  of 
Cherries  we  have  a  fair  crop  of  Morellos  ;  Rasp- 
berries are  good  ;  Red  Currants  fairly  pood  ;  Black 
Currants  good,  but  much  damaged  by  blight ; 
Gooseberries  are  an  excellent  crop  here,  but  in 
many  places  a  failure,  our  bushes  being  well  shel- 
tered from  east  winds  ;  Strawberries  are  an  excel- 
lent crop,  and  the  fruit  fine  and  well  flavoured 
owing  to  the  dry  season  ;  Peaches  are  an  average 
crop;  Nectarines  average  ;  and  Apricots  a  failure 
in  many  places. 

Potatoes  are  looking  well  and  mostly  free  from 
disease  ;  early  kidneys  have  been  small,  but  good. 
— G.  Brush. 

Oobham  Hall,  Gravesend  —Apricots  here 
are  under  the  average,  except  where  coping  boards 
have  been  used  ;  Plums  are  a  bad  crop  ;  Cherries 
under  the  average  ;  Apples  and  Pears  a  poor  crop ; 
Raspberries  fairly  good  ;  Red  and  Black  Currants 
under  the  average ;  Strawberries  an  average  crop, 
but  soon  over ;  Nuts  under  the  average  ;  Peaches 
and  Nectarines  average.  The  soil  hereabout  con- 
sists of  gravel  and  chalk. 

E  AKL  Y  Potatoes  are  a  light  crop  owing  to  their 
having  been  cut  down  by  spring  frosts.  Late 
varieties  are  looking  well  since  the  late  rains,  and 
I  have  not  as  yet  heard  of  any  diseased  tubers. — 
F.  Deu.xberry. 

Heckfleld.-  Up  to  the  middle  of  April  there 
were  abundant  signs  that  we  were  likely  to  have 
the  heaviest  fruit  crop  of  recent  years,  but  from  the 
20th  of  that  month  to  the  second  week  in  May 
all  our  hopes  were  shattered  by  the  thermometer 
repeatedly  indicating  22°,  and  on  two  occasions 
18°  or  14°  of  frost,  so  that  the  wonder  is  not  that 
there  is  so  little  fruit,  but  that  there  is  any  at  all. 
Apples  of  most  kinds  are  a  moderately  good  crop, 
Blenheim,  Keswick  Codlin,  Alfriston,  Cellini,  and 
Lord  Suflield  being  among.st  the  most  fruitful. 
Pears  of  all  sorts  are  a  complete  failure  ;  there  is 
however,  a  sprinkling  on  wall-trained  trees,  more 
particularly  on  those  having  a  western  aspect,  the 
cause  of  their  escape  being  due  to  shelter  from  the 
blighting  effects  of  the  north-east  winds  that  were 
very  prevalent  during  the  blossoming  period. 
Peaches  and  Nectarines  are  full  crops ;  they  were 
well  protected  by  canvas  coverings,  which  were 
not  only  let  down  nightly,  but  kept  down  the 
whole  period  during  which  the  easterly  winds 
lasted.  Apricots  are  a  good  half  crop,  and  pro- 
mise to  be  extra  fine ;  they  also  were  thickly 
covered  with  scrim  canvas.  Plums  are  more  dis- 
appointing than  any  other  fruit,  the  promise  was 
so  fine,  there  being  scarcely  a  branch  not  covered 
with  blossom,  and  yet  nearly  all  was  destroyed. 
There  is  a  halt  a  crop  on  Autumn  Compute, 
Pond's  Seedling,  Kiike's  Victoria,  and  Golden 
Drop ;  these  are  on  walls ;  on  standards  and 
bushes  in  the  open  border  there  are  none.  Sweet 
early  Cherries  were  a  failure,  but  Morellos  are  ex- 
cellent both  on  north  and  east  walls  and  standards 
in  the  open.  Strawberries  were  never  a  heavier 
crop  or  the  quality  better,  a  remark  which  also 
applies  to  Raspberries.  Currants  have  been  thin 
crops  and  the  bushes  much  overrun  with  fly. 
Gooseberries  were  sadly  injured  by  the  May  frosts, 
but  in  most  places  the  crop  has  been  fairly  good. 
Walnuts  are  immense  crops,  and  so  far  as  I  have 
yet  observed  wood  Nuts  and  the  cultivated  varie- 
ties are  good  crops. 

Potatoes  are  likely  to  make  amends  for  our 
fruit  failures,  for  as  yet  there  is  no  sign  of  the 


Hi 


THE    GARDEN 


[AvG.  it.  1884. 


murrain,  and  the  tubers  tarn  out  clean,  and  the 
yield  is  heavy. — W.  Wildsmith. 

Parnborough  Grange.— I'eaches  thin,  a 
few  in  some  places ;  Apricots  under  average ; 
Cherries  (Morellos)  average,  other  sorts  almost  a 
failure  ;  Plums  a  failure,  just  a  fruit  or  two  on  a 
tree  here  and  there  ;  Pears  almost  a  total  failure  ; 
Apples  an  average  crop  in  most  places ;  Straw- 
berries very  good ;  Raspberries  an  average  crop ; 
Currants  very  good  ;  Figs  thin  ;  Gooseberries 
and  Nuts  good  average  crops.  Another  bad  spring 
for  tender  fruits  has  shown  us  the  desirability  of 
reducing  long  spurs,  and  thereby  keeping  our  fruit 
trees  close  to  the  walls  ;  also  the  ill  effects  of  wiring 
walls,  a  system  strongly  recommended  a  few  years 
ago.  Both  last  season  and  this  we  should  have 
had  no  Apricots  or  Peaches  had  the  trees  not  been 
close  to  the  wall.  Although  the  trees  were  pro- 
tected by  thick  blinds  drawn  close  every  night, 
the  frost  was  so  severe  that  it  turned  the  fruit 
farthest  from  the  wall  black.  It  did  not,  however, 
injure  the  growth  of  the  trees  in  any  degree.  Apri- 
cot trees  look  well  and  are  not  cankered.  Peaches 
suffered  from  black  fly,  as  did  also  Plums,  some 
bush  trees  of  the  latter  being  almost  killed.  They 
are  now,  however,  making  good  growth.  Our  wall 
Plums  were  protected  by  double  Ssh  nets,  and 
some  trees  with  Fir  branches  ;  many  bush  Plums, 
too,  were  protected  by  long  Fir  branches,  but  with 
the  result  that  a  few  trees  not  protected  side  by 
side,  have  a  few  fruit  on  them,  while  those  pro- 
tected have  none.  Many  Pears  on  walls  were  pro- 
tected by  double  fish  nets,  and  some  have  just  a 
few  fruit  on  them.  In  a  garden  close  to  me  with 
good  high  walls,  good  coping,  and  protected. 
Plums,  Cherries  (sweet),  and  Pears  fared  a 
little  better.  Morello  Cherries  are  a  good 
crop,  and  the  trees  clean ;  sweet  ones  poor. 
Apples  on  some  trees  are  a  heavy  crop 
where  sheltered  and  the  sorts  hardy  kinds. 
The  following  are  bearing  the  best  crops,  viz. ; 
Keswick,  Manks,  and  Dutch  Codlins,  Warner's 
King,  Hawthornden,  Cellini,  Lord  Suffield,  King 
and  Cockle  Pippins,  Cox's  Orange  and  Fearn's 
Pippins,  Beauty  of  Kent,  Braddick's  Nonpareil, 
Sturmer's  Pippin,  Norfolk  Beaufin,  Royal  Russet, 
Wellington,  Hambledon  Deux  Ans,  and  Dutch 
Mignonne  ;  these  are  all  well  cropped.  Some  early 
sorts  have  not  a  fruit  on  them,  although  well 
bloomed.  Strawberries  are  a  good  crop.  Oscar, 
President,  Vicomtesse  Hericart  de  Thury,  Keen's 
Seedling,  Eleanor,  and  Elton  Pine  are  the  kinds 
that  do  best  here;  of  the  latter  we  have  still  a 
good  supply  on  a  north  border.  Raspberries  do 
not  prove  so  satisfactory  as  we  could  wish  on  our 
light,  hot,  sandy  soil  ;  Fastolf  does  best.  Currants 
are  good,  although  much  blighted ;  La  Versaillaise 
is  a  very  good  kind.  Gooseberries  are  not  so  good 
as  last  year:  upright  growers  are  very  thin.  The 
best  croppers  are  Warrington,  Green  London, 
Whitesmith,  Crown  Bob,  and  Ironmonger.  Nuts 
are  good,  especially  Prolific  Cob  ;  hedge  Nuts 
abundant.  The  soil  here  is  light  and  sandy, 
resting  on  gravel,  and  gets  very  dry  in  such  a 
season  as  this. 

Potatoes  look  well,  although  disease  made  its 
appearance  on  July  ,S1  ;  early  ones  are  small,  but 
very  good.  The  dry  state  of  the  soil  is  all  in 
favour  of  the  crop. — JoHS  Ceook. 

Leigh  Park,  Havant.— The  fruit  crop  in 
this  neighbourhood  is  very  partial ;  in  some  gar- 
dens there  is,  however,  a  fair  crop.  Bush  fruits 
are  small,  and  the  difficulty  of  keeping  them  from 
the  attacks  of  birds  during  the  late  great  drought 
has  taxed  our  energy  to  the  utmost.  We  have  a 
good  crop  of  Apples  again  on  our  recently  root- 
pruned  trees,  viz  ,  on  such  sorts  as  Lord  Sufheld, 
Blenheim  Orange,  Keswick  Codlin,  King  of  the 
Pippins,  Kerry  Pippin,  Winter  Hawthornden, 
Ribston  Pippin,  Cox's  Orange  Pippin,  Nonpareil, 
and  Court  pendu  Plat.  The  success  attending  the 
root-pruning  of  the  above  sorts  of  Apples  has  been 
marvellous.  Peaches  are  a  good  crop  on  walls 
where  only  coping  board  about  15  inches  wide  is 
used  for  protection.  Strawberries  have  been 
abundant  in  this  neighbourhood,  but  their  season 
has  been  short  owing  to  the  dryness  of  the  ground 


and  great  heat ;  Pears  in  many  gardens  will  be 
scarce  ;  Gooseberries  are  a  good  even  crop  wheie 
over-pruning  has  not  been  resorted  to,  but  fruit 
on  hard-pruned  trees  is  thin. — C.  Pbnford. 

Bear'wood,  'Woklnghani.— There  never 
was  a  better  show  of  all  kinds  of  fruit  than  we  had 
here  and  all  about  this  neighbourhood  this  year;  all 
sorts  were  loaded  with  blossoms,  but  the  frost  in 
April,  being  so  severe  and  continuing  so  long,  de- 
stroyed nearly  all  the  crops.  Of  Pears  scarcely 
one  is  to  be  seen  ;  Apples,  too,  are  thin  in  places; 
Plums  on  standards  are  very  poor,  and  on  walls 
under  the  average;  Peaches  and  Nectarines  are 
not  so  good  as  last  year,  and  the  same  may  be  said 
of  Apricots  ;  Filberts  and  Walnuts  are  very  good  ; 
also  bush  fruits  of  all  kinds ;  Strawberries  have 
been  plentiful  and  good  in  quality. 

Potatoes  are  looking  remarkably  well  this 
season,  all  our  early  kinds  turning  out  fine  and 
good.  All  late  sorts  promise  well,  and  at  the  pre- 
sent time  very  free  from  disease,  and  every  pro- 
spect of  being  a  heavy  crop.— James  Tegg. 

Dropmore,  Maidenhead.— I  have  visited 
three  gardens  to-day,  which  I  shall  call  1,  2,  and 
3.  1  consists  of  good  loam,  but  in  a  low  situa- 
tion, surrounded  with  hedgerow  timber ;  2  is  an 
old  garden  facing  the  south-east,  and  exposed  to 
the  winds,  owing  to  its  lying  rather  high ;  .'),  a 
new  garden,  faces  due  south  and  is  on  gravel,  but 
the  land  is  pretty  good  and  of  moderate  depth. 
Host  of  the  land  about  here  is  both  shallow  and 
sterile ;  it  is  very  good  where  there  is  loam,  but 
the  latter  is  seldom  met  with.  1,  Apples 
moderate  ;  Pears  none ;  Plums  and  Peaches  very 
few  ;  Apricots  slight  crop  ;  Gooseberries,  Currants, 
and  Raspberries  good  ;  Strawberries  very  good  ; 
Nuts  good ;  Nectarines  none ;  Cherries  few.  2, 
Apples  scarce ;  Pears  and  Plums  none ;  Peaches, 
Nectarines,  and  Apricots  very  good  ;  Gooseberries, 
Currants,  and  Raspberries  good ;  Strawberries 
very  good ;  Nuts  good ;  Cherries  none.  i!. 
Apples  and  Pears  scarce  ;  Plums  good  ;  Apricots 
scarce ;  Nectarines  none ;  Cherries,  Nuts,  and 
Walnuts  good  ;  Strawberries  very  good  ;  Currants, 
both  Red  and  Black,  good ;  Gooseberries  very 
good. 

The  Potato  crop  up  to  the  present  time  is 
most  promising,  very  prolific,  and  free  from  dis- 
ease, and  as  the  tubers  are  full  sized,  I  hope  there 
will  not  be  any  serious  loss. — Philip  Feost. 

Boyal  Gardenp,  Windsor.— Standard, 
espalier,  and  pyramid  trees  are,  generally  speak- 
ing, carrying  poor  crops,  owing  to  the  severe 
north-east  and  east  winds  that  prevailed  while  the 
trees  were  in  bloom  during  the  latter  part  of 
April  and  early  in  May,  accompanied  by 
frosts  of  12°  and  14°.  Apricots  are  a  good 
average  crop ;  Plums  a  bad  crop  :  Cherries  about 
half  a  crop,  and  have  been  tadly  infested  with 
aphis  ;  Peaches  and  Nectarines  are  a  very  good 
crop,  and  the  trees  are  making  good  growth  ; 
Apples  are  under  the  average ;  Pears  a  bad  crop, 
almost  a  failure,  but  both  these  and  Apples  look 
promising  for  next  season.  Small  fruits  have 
been  abundant,  though  much  blighted.  Straw- 
berries have  been  plentiful,  large,  and  of  fine 
flavour.  Nuts  are  a  poor  crop. — Tho.mas  Jones. 

Hlghclere  Caetle,  Ne-wbury.  —  Apples 
are  a  fair  crop  here,  quite  up  to  the  average,  and 
though  the  trees  were  much  infested  at  one  time 
with  green  caterpillar,  they  are  now  clean  and 
healthy.  I  attribute  this  in  a  great  measure  to 
small  birds,  which  are  unusually  numerous  this 
season.  Pears  are  almost  a  total  failure  on  walls, 
owing  to  the  severe  frosts  and  cutting  winds  that 
prevailed  whilst  they  were  in  bloom  ;  a  few  stan- 
dards exposed  to  the  north  and  west,  but  some- 
what sheltered  from  the  east,  winds  are  carrying 
a  fair  crop,  and  the  trees  now  look  clean  and 
healthy.  I'lums  are  poor,  the  best  being  Early 
Prolific  on  a  south  wall,  which  appeared  to  feel 
the  efl:'ects  of  the  frost  less  than  any  other  variety 
here,  the  next  best  being  Magnum  I'.onum.  Apri- 
cots, where  protected,  set  well,  and  the  trees  have 
made  plenty  of  good  wood.  They  appear  to  enjoy 
the  hot,  dry  weather.  Small  fruits  generally  have 
done  well,  and  may  be  reckoned  a  fair  average 


crop.  Whilst  I  agree  with  Jlr.  liaines  that  well 
ripened  wood  is  the  first  essential  to  a  good  crop 
of  fruit,  I  am  also  sure  that  protection  from  frost 
is  quite  as  necessary  in  seasons  like  the  last.  The 
material  which  I  use  and  which  I  like  better  than 
anything  else  for  the  purpose  is  cotton  netting, 
Nos.  2  or  3,  as  sold  in  London  as  horticultural 
shading.  It  is  simply  tacked  to  poles  slanting 
from  the  top  of  the  wall  and  resting  on  the 
ground  about  4  feet  from  its  base  ;  it  need  not 
come  nearer  than  2  feet  or  3  feet  of  the  bottom 
of  the  poles,  and  can  remain  up  till  all  danger 
from  f  lost  is  over.  By  means  of  its  use  I  have 
not  failed  to  secure  a  good  crop  of  Peaches  out- 
of-doors  for  the  last  six  years,  although  several 
times  during  that  period  there  has  been  driving 
snowstorms  and  cold  rains  followed  by  sharp 
frosts  at  night  whilst  the  trees  were  in  bloom. 
The  situation,  too,  was  very  low  and  damp,  and 
much  exposed  to  spring  frosts. — W.  P. 

EaBthampetead  Paik,   Wokingham. 

— Until  March  22  we  had  every  prospect  of  a 
good  crop  of  fruit.  On  that  date  we  had  12°  of 
frost.  Apricots  about  the  size  of  marbles  were 
frozen  through,  also  Plums.  Pears,  which  were  in 
full  blossom,  had  the  leaves  frozen  together ; 
Gooseberries  fell  off  the  bushes,  and  the  subse- 
quent very  dry  weather  burned  up  the  early  Straw- 
berries, which  were  only  half  a  crop ;  of  Black 
Currants  we  have  only  a  few,  but  extra  fine  ;  Red 
Currants  plentiful ;  Raspberries  moderate  ;  Morello 
Chenies  were  protected  with  double  nets,  which 
secured  a  moderate  crop  of  fine  fruit.  This  situa- 
tion is  rather  subject  to  spring  frost.  At  higher 
elevations  there  is  a  good  sprinkling  of  Apples. 
Here  there  is  not  a  bushel  on  all  the  trees. — N. 

SI^'CLA1E. 

Good'WOod  —  Fruit  crops  in  this  locality 
generally  are  pretty  good,  with  the  exception  of 
Plums  and  dessert  Chenies,  which  are  much  cut 
up  with  blight.  Peaches,  Apricots,  Pears,  Figs, 
Strawberries,  Raspberries,  and  all  kinds  of  bush 
fruits  are  good  average  crops,  and  excellent  in 
quality;  Morello  Cherries  very  plentiful  and 
good.  The  subsoil  generally  in  this  locality  is 
principally  chalk  and  gravel,  and  gardens,  as  a 
rule,  are  pretty  well  sheltered. 

Potato  crops  are  most  promising,  and  at 
present  free  from  disease. — F.  Rutland. 

Leonardslee,  Horsham.-  The  Apple  crop 

here  is  above  the  average,  a  remark  which  applies 
to  this  district  generally,  every  old  tree  being  well 
furnished  with  fruit.  The  following  kinds  are 
bearing  best,  viz  ,  Keswick  Codlin,  Lady  Henniker, 
Adam's  Pearmain,  Wellington,  Melon  Apple, 
Sturmer  Pippin,  Cox's  Orange  Pippin,  Lord 
Suffield,  Carlisle  Codlin,  Dutch  Mignonne,  and 
Yorkshire  Greening.  Pears  are  very  bad  ;  out  of 
eighty-five  kinds  I  hare  only  three  with  a  crop  of 
fruit  on  them,  viz.,  Chaumontel,  Nouveau  Poiteau, 
and  Beurro  Clairgf  au.  These  are  pyramid  trees. 
Pears  are  very  scarce  throughout  this  district.  Of 
Plums  on  walls  we  have  a  few,  but  bush  and 
standard  trees  are  a  total  failure  in  this  locality. 
Peaches  and  Nectarines  scarce  outdoor  ;  indoors 
over  the  average.  Cherries  have  been  a  good 
average  crop,  and  the  fruit  fine  in  quality,  espe- 
cially Morello  Cherries.  All  kinds  of  small  fruit 
have  been  abundant.  Strawberries,  Raspberries, 
Red,  White,  and  Black  Currants  very  good  indeed 
here  and  throughout  this  locality.  Kentish  Cob- 
nuts are  a  large  crop;  also  Walnuts.  Quinces  will 
be  a  small  crop.  Figs  good  on  both  bushes  and 
walls. 

Potatoes. — Early  kinds  here  and  in  this  dis- 
trict are  good.  Late  kinds,  too,  look  well,  and  up 
to  this  date  I  have  not  seen  any  I'otato  blight. — 
Sidney  Fobd. 


SOUTH  MIDLAND  DIVISION. 

Panehanger,  Herts.- In  early  spring  fruit 
trees  of  all  kinds  were  loaded  with  blossom, 
which  looked  strong  and  healthy.  Apricots  and 
Peaches  were  swelling  their  fruit  finely;  Plums 
and  Pears  were  setting  freely,  when  the  frost  on 
the  22nd  of  April  and  two  following  days,  averag- 
ing from  12°  to  16°,  according  to  altitude,  was 


Ai-(;.  n.  18s4.] 


THE     GARDEN 


115 


most  destructive.  We  had  great  ditiiculty  to  find 
a  blossom  that  had  not  perished,  and  the  wonder 
is  we  have  any  crops  at  all.  Apricots  and  Teaches 
which  are  protected  here  are  a  full  crop  and  very 
good  ;  Plums  and  Damsons  very  thin  ;  there  are, 
however,  a  few  Victorias  on  trees  in  sheltered 
positions  ;  of  Fears,  both  on  walls  and  pyramids, 
we  have  almost  none ;  Apples  partial ;  some  trees 
may  be  seen  with  a  fair  crop  on  them,  others 
with  none  ;  upon  the  whole  the  crop  is  under  the 
average;  Cherries  are  thin,  but  good,  Morellos  very 
good;  Gooseberries  and  Currants  mostly  heavy 
crops  ;  Strawberries  were  good,  but  their  season 
was  short,  owing  to  the  dry,  hot  weather  then  pre- 
vailing ;  Walnuts  and  Filberts  appear  to  be  very 
plentiful  everywhere. 

Potatoes,  both  early  and  late,  are  looking  well, 
and  I  have  not  seen  any  appearance  of  disease. 
The  Ashleaf  kinds  we  have  lifted  are  excellent  in 
quality,  but  rather  small.— IUchd.  Rufi'ETT. 

Moor  Park,  Rickmanaworth.  —  Apri- 
cots here  are  abundant  and  good,  both  on  pro- 
tected and  exposed  trees ;  of  Apples  we  have  a 
full  crop  on  some  trees,  such  as  Lemon  Pippin, 
Cox's  Orange,  Hawthornden,  Blenheim,  Lord  Suf- 
field,  and  Cellini ;  others  very  thin ;  of  Pears  we 
have  none  except  on  walls ;  Cherries  are  under  the 
average,  except  Morellos,  which  are  over  the 
average  ;  of  bush  fruits  of  all  kinds  we  have  good 
crops ;  Strawberries  have  been  heavily  cropped, 
but  of  short  duration  on  light  soils,  owing  to 
drought;  Peaches  and  Nectarines  plentiful; 
Plums  very  scarce. 

Potatoes  look  remarkably  well,  clean,  and 
quite  free  from  disease ;  early  sorts  excellent  in 
every  way,  but  rather  smaller  than  usual. — J.  C. 

llUNDELL. 

Hatfield  House.— Apricots  here  are  under 
the  average,  and  the  same  may  be  said  of  Plums 
and  Cherries  except  Morellos,  which  are  over  the 
average.  Apples  and  Pears  are  under  the  average. 
Peaches  and  Nectarines  good  crops.  Small  fruits 
over  the  average  and  fine,  and  so  are  Strawberries 
and  Nuts.  The  cold  weather  in  April  sadly  re- 
duced crops  of  Apricots,  Damsons,  and  other 
Plums,  Cherries,  Apples,  and  Pears  ;  Peaches  were 
protected  by  their  own  forward  young  growth; 
Strawberries  suffered  with  mildew  through  the 
dry  hot  weather  which  prevailed  when  they  were 
in  fruit.  It  would  be  well  for  raisers  of  fruit  of 
all  kinds  to  pay  every  attention  possible  in  order 
to  get  late  blooming  varieties.  The  Apple  Court 
pendu  Plat  is  very  late  in  coming  into  bloom  and 
nearly  always  bears  a  crop,  and  the  same  may  be 
said  of  the  Morello  Cherry.— George  Norman. 

Shardeloes,  Amersham  —The  fruit  crop 
here  and  in  this  neighbourhood  is  not  good  this 
year.  Peaches  and  Nectarines  are,  however,  a 
fine  crop  and  the  trees  look  well.  Of  Apricots  we 
have  scarcely  any,  and  of  Pears  very  few  indeed. 
Plums  are  a  failure  and  the  trees  blighted  very 
much.  Of  Cherries  in  orchards  along  this  valley 
we  have  none ;  on  higher  ground  there  is  a  fair 
crop.  Morellos  are  a  very  indifferent  crop  and 
much  infested  with  fly.  Strawberries  have  been 
a  very  fair  crop,  also  Raspberries.  Currants  and 
Gooseberries  are  plentiful ;  Nuts  half  a  crop.  Of 
Apples  we  have  half  a  crop. 

Potatoes  are  excellent,  and  we  have  no  disease 
at  present. — Tiio.s.  Bailey. 

Blenheim  Gardens,  Woodstock.— Of 
Apricots  we  have  an  average  crop ;  and  Apples  are 
above  the  average,  especially  Elenheims,  Welling- 
tons, Stirling  Castle,  and  Plan  well  Sourings.  Peaches 
and  Nectarines  are  good  crops  ;  Pears  and  Plums 
very  partial  owing  to  late  spring  frosts ;  Cherries 
below  the  average ;  Strawberries,  Currants,  and 
Gooseberries  abundant,  the  former  much  injured 
from  heavy  rains.  Cob  Nuts  very  good  ;  Filberts 
not  quite  so  good  ;  Walnuts  a  heavy  crop. 

P0TATOE8  yielding  well,  but  disease  spreading 
rapidly.— PlENRY  Clark. 

Henham  Hall,  Wangford.— Bush  fruits 
in  this  locality  have  been  plentiful,  especially 
Gooseberries,  which  have  been  abundant ;  of  Cur- 
rants and  Raspberries  we  have  had  plenty ;  Straw. 


berries  were  a  good  crop,  especially  early  sort.e, 
the  later  varietiesbeing  cut  short  by  the  continuous 
drought  which  we  had  ;  Apples  will  average  about 
half  a  crop  ;  Pears  are  scarce  ;  Figs  on  walls 
are  good  ;  Apricots  and  Peaches  abundant  ; 
Cherries  were  a  good  crop  ;  Plums  quite  a  failure  ; 
Walnuts  and  Filberts  are  moderate. 

Potatoes  turnout  well,  not  large,  but  of  excel- 
lent quality.  We  have  had  but  little  rain  all  sum- 
-  G.  W.  Eden. 

Bamsey  Abbey. — With  one  or  two  excep- 
tions the  truit  crops  in  this  neighbourhood  are 
good,  the  exceptions  in  question  are  Plums  and 
Pears,  both  of  which  are  very  thin,  although  the 
Plums  are  not  quite  so  bad  a  failure  as  last  year ; 
Apricots,  Peaches,  and  Nectarines  are  full  crops  ; 
Apples  on  dwarf  trees  average  crops :  orchard 
trees  thin,  attributable  in  some  measure  to  the 
very  heavy  crops  last  year  ;  at  the  time  when  the 
trees  were  in  blossom,  too,  the  winds  were  keen 
and  the  nights  cold.  Bush  fruits  have  been  abun- 
dant ;  we  have  never  had  better  crops  of  Goose- 
berries and  Red,  White,  and  Black  Currants ;  Easp- 
beriies  and  Strawberries  also  have  been  excellent. 
The  alpine  Strawberries,  of  which  we  grow  a  good 
many,  have  been  and  are  still  very  fruitful ;  Figs 
are  a  fair  crop,  as  are  also  open-air  Grapes.  Nuts, 
including  Walnuts,  are  thin. — E.  Hobday. 


WEST  MIDLAND  DIVISION. 

Morningside  Lodge,  Kidderminster. 

— Like  last  year,  we  have  scarcely  any  fruit.  The 
spring  frosts  disappointed  our  hopes  very  much, 
and  when  they  had  passed  away  the  east  winds 
continued  till  all  hopes  were  gone.  Apples  are 
about  the  only  crop,  and  these  are  in  many  in- 
stances a  large  crop.  The  sorts  mostly  loaded  are 
the  Worcester  Pearmain,  Lord  Suffield,  Echlinville 
Seedling,  Cox's  Pomona,  Blenheim  Orange,  and, 
for  late  kinds,  Dumelow's  Seedling,  Gravenstein, 
Cox's  Orange  Pippin,  Melon  Apple,  Claygate  Pear- 
main,  Lord  Burleigh,  Sturmer  Pippin,  Betty  Lee- 
son,  and  Bess  Pool.  The  sorts  which  do  not  bear 
so  well  are  Gloria  Mundi,  Gooseberry  Apple,  Ej'mer, 
London  Pippin,  Ashmead's  Kernel,  and  Guiness' 
Pippin  ;  these,  though  they  bear  very  well  for  the 
most  part,  have  not  borne  so  well  here.  Among 
Pears  there  are  scarcely  any  which  bear.  The 
kinds  which  are  usually  most  fruitful  are  Bon 
Chretien,  Doyenne  du  Comice,  Easter  Beurn', 
Doyenne  d'Alennon  ;  but  these  and  many  others 
scarcely  show  a  specimen,  and,  indeed,  are  all  but 
bereft  of  a  fruit.  There  are  no  Plums ;  we  have 
generally  had  a  few  Victoria  and  Rivers'  Prolific, 
but  out  of  thirty  to  forty  sorts  there  is  not  even 
one  sort  which  must  be  mentioned.  Peaches  and 
Nectarines  are  about  as  last  year  ;  the  Lord 
Napier  Nectarine  bears  well,  and  so  does  the 
Royal  George  Peach,  both  out-of-doors  and 
under  glass.  Raspberries  are  rather  scarce. 
Strawberries  are  abundant.  Early  Crimson  Pine, 
Amy  Robsart,  Alpha,  Enchantres.»,  Gipsy  Queen, 
The  Countess,  Marshal  McJIahon,  President, 
P.ritish  Queen,  Bonny  Lass,  and  Carolina  Superba 
being  the  principal  sorts  grown,  and  all  these  bear 
abundantly ;  Enchantress  being  the  best  for  pre- 
serving, and  being  late  is  an  excellent  sort  for 
that  purpose.  Nuts  are  fine  and  in  some  parts  of 
the  garden  abundant.  Gooseberries  and  Currants 
are  but  middling,  and  in  sheltered  parts  more 
abundant;  Aston  Seedling  (rough  red)  are  more 
abundant  and  best  for  preserving.  Under  glass 
the  crops  are  uniformly  good.  Grapes  Mrs. 
Pince's  IJlaok  Muscat,  Bowood  Muscat,  Champion 
Muscat,  Ryton  Muscat,  Alexandria  Muscat,  and 
Trebbiano  are  all  very  fine.  Duke  of  Buccleuch 
is  not  so  good  as  usual,  and  does  not  crop  quite  so 
well.  The  soil  on  which  my  fruit  trees  are  planted 
is  a  light  one  on  the  gravelly  foundation,  tolerably 
deep,  and  well  dug.  It  requires  well  manuring 
and  a  large  supply  of  water. 

Op  Potatoes  we  continue  to  grow  the  Hero, 
which  never  disappoints  ;  still  the  Reading  Russet 
is  looking  very  well,  and  will  in  some  degree  help 
out,  the  foliage  being  much  less  heavy. — William 

RODEN. 


Wltley  Court,  Stourport— Fruit  crops  n 
this  district  generally,  with  the  exception  of  Pears, 
may  be  said  to  be  up  to  the  average.  Apples  are 
abundant ;  Plums  on  walls  a  good  average  crop, 
but  in  orchards  they  are  not  more  than  halt  a  crop  ; 
Peaches  and  Nectarines  in  places  are  thin,  but  the 
trees  are  making  good  growth  ;  Apricots  in  shel- 
tered situations  are  a  good  average  crop,  while  in 
exposed  quarters  they  are  scarce ;  Cherries,  Straw- 
berries, Currants,  and  all  small  fruits  abundant 
and  very  fine.  -JoirN  Austin, 

Madresfleld  Court,  Malvern  —  In  this 
neighbourhood  we  have  over  an  average  crop  of 
Apples,  consisting  of  nearly  all  sorts.  Plums,  on 
the  other  hand,  are  much  below  the  average  and 
poor  in  quality,  the  trees  being  subjected  to  per- 
sistent attacks  of  aphides  ;  Early  Prolific,  Victoria, 
and  Pershore  are  found  to  be  the  best  croppers, 
and  better  than  was  at  one  time  expected ;  the 
latter  is  a  local  Plum  of  great  repute  around  the 
district  whence  it  takes  its  name.  Damsons  and 
Gages  are  very  scarce,  and  only  to  be  found  in 
high-lying  districts,  although  they  never  bloomed 
better;  Pears  are  quite  a  failure;  Apricots,  Peaches, 
and  Nectarines  on  walls  are  fairly  good  both  as 
regards  crop  and  quality  ;  Strawberries  numerous 
and  good,  but  smaller  than  usual  and  soon  over, 
owing  to  continued  heat  and  drought ;  President 
and  Oxonian  were  our  best  sorts ;  Cherries  thin, 
Morellos  excepted  ;  bush  fruits  good  all  round. 

Early  Potatoes  now  sadly  diseased.  Soil, 
strong  loam,  approaching  to  clay.  —  Williaji 
Crump. 

Kingscote  Park.— The  Peach,  Nectarine, 
Apricot  and  Plum  crop  here  and  in  this  neigh- 
bourhood is  quite  a  failure.  Pears  and  Apples 
average  crops.  Morello  Cherries  very  good ; 
Strawberries  of  all  kinds  an  enormous  crop ; 
Raspberries  a  fine  crop ;  Black,  Red  and  White 
Currants  and  Gooseberries  abundant ;  Figs  a  good 
average  crop,  and  Walnuts  a  fair  crop. 

Potatoes  excellent  and  up  to  the  present  I  have 
not  seen  or  heard  of  any  disease. — S.  Wathen. 

Tortworth,  Falfield.— Peaches,  Nectarines, 
and  Apricots  are  an  abundant  crop  and  very  pro- 
mising, and  this  again  without  the  slightest  pro- 
tection. The  Apple  crop  in  this  district  is  very 
partial;  indeed,  in  some  places  there  is  not  a  fruit, 
while  in  others  the  crop  is  much  above  the  average, 
but  the  fruit  is  small ;  the  Pear  crop  is  nearly  a 
failure  ;  Cherries  are  a  very  partial  crop  ;  Plums 
very  thin  ;  bush  fruit  abundant  and  good  ;  Rasp- 
berries and  Strawberries  a  full  crop  and  good,  but 
soon  over ;  Quinces  and  Jledlars  are  an  average 
crop ;  Walnuts  abundant ;  Filberts  and  Cobs  a 
poor  crop  hereabouts. 

Potatoes  promise  to  be  good,  but  the  tubers 
are  small.  No  disease  at  present.  —  Thomas 
Shingles. 

TIdenham  House,  TIdenham.  —  Fruit 
crops  in  this  neighbourhood  are  above  the  aver- 
age. Apples,  which  are  grown  very  much  for 
cider,  are  heavily  laden,  especially  in  sheltered 
places ;  there  is  also  a  quantity  of  table  fruit 
grown.  One  sort  which  is  much  praised  is  called 
Shropshire  Pippin ;  in  Shropshire  it  is  called  Orange 
Pearmain,  a  sort  which  never  fails  here ;  it  is  a 
very  good  keeping  Apple,  but  not  so  good  as  the 
Ribston  and  Ashmead  Kernel.  Pears  are  about 
an  average  crop ;  Plums  very  scarce ;  Cherries 
scarce ;  Apricots,  Peaches,  and  Nectarines  full 
crops  ;  we  had  to  thin  them  very  much ;  Figs 
abundant  where  left  untrained ;  Medlars  very 
good:  Currants  a  heavy  crop  ;  Gooseberries  a  good 
crop  :  Raspberries  a  fair  crop ;  Strawberries  abun- 
dant.   Walnuts  and  other  Nuts  good  crops. 

The  Potato  disease  I  find  has  made  its  ap- 
pearance hereabouts. — T.  Paddock. 

Bllthfield,  Stafford.— Fruit  crcps  in  this 
district  are  looking  remarkably  well.  The  dry 
spring  which  we  had  suited  this  neighbourhood, 
the  soil  of  which  is  very  stiff  and  heavy,  with 
marly  subsoil.  Apples  are  plentiful  and  of  fair 
size.  Pears,  Plums,  and  Apricots  are  fair  average 
crops.     Bush  fruits  abundant  and  fine. 


116 


THE     GARDEN 


[Aug.  9    1884. 


PoTATOEa,  both  early  and  late,  are  looking  well- 
and  I  have  not  seen  any  signs  of  disease  amongst 
them — T.  Banneeman. 

Willey  Park,  Broseley.  — Of  Apricots 
we  have  an  average  crop ;  Plums  are  a  failure ; 
Cherries,  Peaches,  and  Nectarines  are  average 
crops  ;  Apples  are  an  average  crop  ;  Pears  under 
average  ;  small  fruits  plentiful ;  Nuts  an  average 
crop.  Shropshire  is  an  undulating  county,  and  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Willey  it  is  from  600  feet  to 
700  feet  above  sea  level.  The  soil  is  a  good  strong 
loam  upon  a  gravelly  subsoil,  which  seems  to  suit 
most  kinds  of  fruits,  especially  App'es  and  Dam- 
sons, which  are  the  principal  fruits  of  the  district. 
Cider  Apples,  too,  are  largely  grown,  and  the 
Prune  Damson  is  grown,  as  well  as  the  common 
variety.  Amongst  Apricots  the  Jloorpark  succeeds 
best,  and  amongst  Plums  Coe's  Golden  Drop,  Jef- 
ferson, and  Rivers'  Early  Prolific,  Victoria,  and 
White  Magnum  Bonum  also  succeed  well.  The 
best  Cherries  are  May  Duke,  Bigarreau  Napoleon, 
Empress  Eugenie,  and  Morello.  Of  Peaches  we 
grow  Noblesse,  Alexandra  Noblesse,  and  Royal 
George,  and  of  Nectarines  Elruge,  Lord  Napier, 
and  Pitmaston  Orange  ;  these  succeed  the  best  on 
walls,  where  they  receive  a  slight  protection  in 
spring  from  nets.  Our  best  Apples  are  the  Irish 
Peach,  Devonshire  Quarrenden,  Co.^'s  Orange 
Pippin,  King  of  the  Pippins,  Itibiton  Pippin,  Old 
Nonpareil,  Sturmer  Pippin,  Hawthornden,  Keswick 
Codlin,  Manks  Codlin,  Cellini,  Blenheim  Orange, 
Norfolk  Beaufin,  Yorkshire  Greening.  Of  Pears 
we  grow  Marie  liOuise,  Louise  Bonne  of  Jersey, 
Jargonelle,  Marie  Louise  d'UccIe,  Ceurre  Diel, 
Napoleon,  Passe  Colmar,  Knight's  Monarch,  Beurre 
Sterckmans,  Swan's  Egg,  Catillac,  General  Todle- 
l  en,  and  Colmar,  all  of  which  seem  to  do  well  in 
ihis  district.  Amongst  Strawberries  Black  Prince 
does  remarkably  well  here,  also  Keen's  Seedling, 
President,  and  Sir  Joseph  I'axton. — John  Penson. 

Attlugham    Hall,    Shrewsbury.-  Oar 

fruit  crop  is  very  irregular  this  year ;  the  frosty 
nights  in  April  destroyed  the  greater  portion  of 
the  bloom,  and  what  fruit  did  set  was  severelj- 
checked  by  the  dry  weather  in  May  and  June  ; 
quantities  of  it  too  have  dropped  off  ;  especially  is 
this  so  in  the  case  of  Apples  and  Plums,  which  in 
some  places  are  scarcely  half  a  crop.  'The  fruits, 
too,  are  generally  small.  The  showery  weather 
that  set  in  on  June  2'J  was  in  time  to  save  the 
crops  of  soft  fruits  such  as  Strawberries,  Raspber- 
ries, &c ,  which  previously  were  small  and  almost 
diied  up.  Hemskirk  (ripe  July  18)  and  Moorpark 
Apricots  and  Kaisha  Peach  are  bearing  good  crops. 
Peaches  and  Nectarines  are  good ;  Early  Louise 
Peach  is  the  earliest  we  have  ;  it  was  ripe  on  July 
20.  Hawthornden,  Orange  Pearmain,  Blenheim 
Orange,  Wheeler's  Russet,  Winter  Greening,  Bess 
I'ool,  Belle  Fleur  Brabant,  and  Conquest  de  Wygers 
are  amongst  the  best  bearers  this  year  amongst 
Apples.  Plums  on  a  west  wall  are  a  moderate 
crop  ;  the  best  bearers  this  year  are  Victoria,  Early 
Orleans,  Diamond,  and  Green  Gage.  Damsons  are 
thin.  Cherries  (Morello  and  Red  Kentish)  are 
bearing  full  crops,  other  kinds  very  thin.  Amongst 
Strawberries,  Black  Prince  for  early.  Keen's  Seed- 
ling and  President  for  main  crop,  and  Elton  and 
Eleanor  for  late  crops,  are  kinds  that  do  well  with 
us.  Amongst  Ra'^pberries,  Prince  of  Wales,  Fal- 
stafE,  and  Victoria  are  good.  Gooseberries  and 
Currants  of  all  kinds  are  a  very  good  crop.  Fil- 
bert Nuts  and  Walnuts  all  above  the  average. 
Figs  better  than  daring  the  last  few  years. — 
George  Pearson. 


NORTH  MIDLAND  DIVISION. 
Ttioresby  Park,  Ollerton  —Bloom  was 
abundant,  but  hurt  by  the  cold,  catting,  dry,  east 
winds  to  which  it  was  subjected,  and  although 
many  fruits  set  and  appeared  to  be  all  right,  they 
succumbed  to  the  frost  which  we  had  in  the  end 
of  April.  All  the  nets  we  had  did  not  ward  oS 
the  cold  winds,  which  in  the  case  of  nets  with  a 
large-sized  mesh  are  more  cold  and  cutting  inside 
than  outside;  something  a  little  closer  in  the  way  of 
protection  is  better.  Of  Apples  late  in  blooming 
we  shall  have  a  fair  average  crop ;  Pears  are  scarce. 
Of  dessert  Cherries  we  have  half  a  crop ;  Morellos 


on  north  walls  good.  Plums  are  a  failure.  Apri- 
cots under  a  2-foot-wide  glass  coping,  and  from 
that  canvas  to  the  ground,  are  a  good  crop. 
Strawberries  plentiful  and  good ;  other  small  fruits 
fair  crops. 

Early  Potatoes  are  very  good,  and  there  is  no 
appearance  of  disease.  We  attribute  our  good 
crop  to  the  coi>ious  waterings  we  gave  them  when 
the  weather  was  so  dry ;  they  never  got  a  check, 
and  we  have  no  second  growths.  Field  Potatoes 
look  well  in  this  neighbourhood,  and  I  hear  no 
complaints  with  reference  to  disease. — A.  Hen- 
derson. 

Kiagston,  South  Notts.— Pears,  Plums, 
and  Damsons  this  spring  were  completely  covered 
with  bloom,  but  in  one  night  (April  23)  our  hopes 
of  a  fruit  crop  were  completely  blasted,  7°  of 
frost  proving  too  much  for  the  bloom  when  fully 
developed.  We  have  therefore  no  Pears,  Plums, 
or  Damsons.  Peaches  have  fared  better  on  trees 
not  in  the  best  of  conditions.  We  have  a  fair  crop. 
These  were  protected  by  a  double  ply  of  herring 
net  when  in  flower.  Apricots  set  an  abundant 
crop,  which  promises  to  swell  up  into  fair  condi- 
dion.  Some  kinds  of  Apples,  eipecially  the  late 
varieties,  show  very  good  crops,  but  many  of  the 
trees  during  the  hot  dry  month  of  June  dropped 
quantities  of  fruit.  The  varieties  showing  heavi- 
est crops  are  Dumelow's  Seedling,  Northern  Green- 
ing, Cox's  Orange  Pippin,  Lord  SufBeld,  and  Kes- 
wick CodLn.  Strawberries  flowered  abundantly, 
but  the  dry  weather  of  June  was  almost  too  much 
for  them;  however, rain  came  in  time  to  save  what 
turned  out  to  be  an  excellent  crop  ;  the  same  may 
be  said  of  Raspberries  ;  Black  Currants  were  a 
light  crop,  but  good  in  quality ;  Red  Currants  a 
heavy  crop  and  clean. 

Potatoes  on  heavy  land  have  seldom  been  in 
better  condition.     J.  W.  Bayne. 

Lenton  Hall,  Nottingham.— Fruit  crops 
hereabouts  are  only  middling,  and  more  especially 
so  as  to  orchards,  which  are  almost  fruitless 
The  gardens  here  lie  high  and  dry,  and,  therefore, 
we  have  a  good  crop  of  Apricots,  Raspberries, 
Gooseberries,  and  all  the  Currants,  also  a  full  crop 
of  Cob  Nuts,  and  Strawberries,  too,  are  a  heavy 
crop,  but  they  all  came  in  together  and  were 
secured  at  about  two  gatherings  Apples  in  the 
gardens  are  fair  crops  ;  Pears  also  ;  but  of  Plums 
we  have  very  few.  In  the  orchard,  which  looks 
north-west  and  lies  cold,  though  with  good  top 
protection  from  wind,  there  is  comparatively  no 
crop  ;  of  Apples  there  are  very  few  ;  Pears  fewer ; 
and  Plums  and  Damsons  none.  In  this  depart- 
ment it  is  a  bad  look  out  for  us  for  the  coming 
winter,  and  an  Apple  of  which  I  can  speak  well  is 
Duchess  of  Oldenburgh,  sometimes  called  Russian 
Apple  ;  we  have  two  trees  of  it  which  bear  alter- 
nately one  one'year,  the  other  the  next,  and  so  on — 
a  very  convenient  arrangement.  Good  Straw- 
berries are  Black  Prince,  President,  James  Veitch, 
Sir  Charles  Napier ;  good  Raspberries,  the  true 
Fastolf  and  Northumberland  Fillbasket,  the 
last  best  of  the  two  ;  and  sure-bearing  Pears,  Jar- 
gonelle, Williams'  Bon  Chretien,  and  Louise  Bonne 
of  Jersey.  There  is  no  Plum  like  the  Victoria  for 
bearing. — N.  H.  PowNALL. 

Shipley  Hall,  Derby.— The  severe  frosts 
and  chilling  winds  which  we  experienced  in 
March  and  April  effectually  destroyed  our  fruit 
prospects.  So  intensely  severe  was  the  weather 
for  several  weeks,  that  the  chances  of  trees,  al- 
though profusely  bloomed,  bearing  a  crop  were 
few  indeed,  and  of  the  correctness  of  this  state- 
ment we  have  unfortunately  too  conclusive  evi- 
dence in  the  bare  condition  of  the  trees,  both  on 
walls  and  in  orchards.  Apples,  Pears,  and  Plums 
being  alike  in  that  respect.  Morello  Cherries  are, 
as  usual,  a  full  and  fine  crop.  This,  I  may  remark, 
is  the  only  fruit  that  really  pays  for  attention  as 
a  wall  tree  in  this  locality ;  the  sweet  kinds  of 
Cherries  dropped  to  a  fruit  daring  the  stoning 
period.  Of  Currants  and  Raspberries  there  is  an 
excellent  crop  both  with  us  and  around  here,  but 
Gooseberries  are  almost  a  failure  through  the 
[  revious  mentioned  cause.  Strawberries  are  an 
abundant    crop,    but,  owing    to    the    protractel 


drought  which  occurred  in  June,  the  fruit  runs 
rather  small.  I  last  year  made  special  mention  in 
my  report  of  Hel6ne  Gloede  as  a  fine  late  variety, 
and  the  longer  I  grow  it  the  more  impressed  I  am 
with  its  usefulness  in  our  very  variable  climate. 

Potato  crops  are  excellent,  and  up  to  the 
present  I  have  not  seen  or  heard  of  disease. — Wm. 
Elphinstoxe. 

Bloxholm  Hall,  Sleaford.— Our  fruit 
prospects  are  not  good.  On  April  20  we  had  9° 
of  frost  and  sharp  frosts  for  several  nights  in 
succession,  which  completely  destroyed  all  our 
Pears,  Plums,  and  Cherries,  Gooseberries  are  a 
fair  crop ;  Strawberries  excellent,  also  Rasp- 
berries, but  the  two  latter  were  of  short  duration, 
owing  to  the  very  dry  weather  which  we  had  when 
the  fruit  was  ripening.  Red,  Black,  and  White 
C'urrants  are  fair  crops,  and  the  same  may  be 
said  of  Apples ;  those  doing  well  with  us  this  sea- 
son are  Allen's  Everlasting, Court  pendu  Plat,  King 
of  the  Pippins,  Sturmer  Pippin,  Wyken  Pippin, 
Betty  Geeson,  Keswick  Codlin,  Manks  Codlin, 
Hawthornden,  both  early  and  late  varieties ;  Lord 
Saflield,  Northern  Greening,  Stirling  Castle,  and 
Warner's  King,  all  of  which  generally  bear  well 
in  this  neighbourhood ;  Apricots  on  walls  where 
protected  with  frigi  domo  are  a  good  crop ;  also 
Peaches  ;  Green  Gage  Plums,  too,  where  protected 
on  walls  are  a  fair  crop,  but  in  our  neighbour- 
hood, where  no  protection  was  used,  Apricots  are 
a  complete  failure ;  Walnuts  are  an  abundant 
crop,  but  small  Filberts  a  poor  crop. 

Early  Potatoes  were  a  fair  crop  and  excel- 
lent quality,  but  rather  small ;  second  crop  good ; 
late  crops  are  looking  well.  We  have  heard  to- 
day that  the  disease  has  made  its  appearance  in 
some  parts  where  the  ground  is  wet  and  shaded. — 

D.  LUMSDEN. 


SOUTH-WESTERN  DIVISION. 

Marston,  Frome  — Up  to  about  April  21 
there  was  every  prospect  of  good  fruit  crops  gene- 
rally, but  the  severe  frosts  experienced  then  com- 
pletely changed  matters.  Pears  are  the  greatest 
failure  ;  on  these,  although  we  have  trees  on  walls 
in  various  aspects,  there  are  scarcely  any  fruit. 
The  notable  exceptions  are  Glou  Morceau,  Summer 
Beurre  d'Aremburg,  Doyenne  Coussoch,  Huysbe's 
Victoria,  and  Josephine  de  Malines.  The  small 
late  blooms  on  several  trees  escaped  injury,  but 
the  fruits  resulting  are  small  and  poor.  Apples 
vary  considerably,  the  later  blooming  sorts  only 
carrying  good  crops  ;  hence  we  see  about  one-third 
of  the  trees  in  various  gardens  and  orchards  bear- 
ing very  heavy  crops,  while  the  remainder  are 
without  any  presentable  fruit.  The  heaviest 
crops  on  garden  trees  consist  of  Lord  Suffield, 
Carlisle  Codlin,  Hawthornden,  Cellini,  King 
of  the  Pippins,  Adam's  Pearmain,  Irish  Peach, 
(very  good).  Early  Harvest,  Court  pendu  Plat, 
Tower  of  Glamis,  Norfolk  Beaufin,  and  Lord 
Derby.  Plums  are  very  scarce  indeed,  but  we 
have  a  few  fairly  well  cropped  trees  of  Victoria, 
Early  Rivers,  Early  Orleans,  Coe's  Golden  Drop, 
and  Prince  Engelbert.  Peaches  and  Nectarines 
unprotected  are  a  complete  failure,  while  on  pro- 
tected trees  there  is  a  fair  sprinkling  of  fruit ; 
some  of  the  best  are  Grosse  Mignonne,  Bellegarde, 
and  Barrington.  None  of  the  newer  early 
sorts  are  cropping  well.  Apricots  unprotected 
have  but  few  fruit,  but  those  protected  with 
glass  copings  and  blinds  are  perfecting  heavy  and 
valuable  crops,  and  even  those  under  trebled  fish- 
nets are  carrying  a  good  number  of  fruit. 
Moorpark,  Hemskirk,  and  Orange  are  all  good. 
Cherries,  including  Morellos,  are,  or  have  been, 
very  lightly  cropped  ;  in  fact,  I  never  saw  poorer 
crops,  of  the  latter  especially.  Figs  were  very 
promising,  but  the  embryo  fruits  were  nearly  all 
destroyed.  Nearly  all  the  tips  of  the  Walnuts 
were  killed,  and  they  are  very  unfruitful  accord- 
ingly. Of  Filberts  there  is  a  fairly  good  crop. 
Crops  of  small  fruits  have  been  exceptionally 
heavy,  Gooseberries  being  the  only  exception,  and 
tven  of  these  in  some  gardens  there  has  been 
abundance.  There  are  wonderfully  heavy  crops 
of   Red,  White,  and   Black   Currants,  and  Rasp- 


Aug.  9    1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


117 


berries  have  also  been  fine  and  plentifal.  The 
early  blooms  of  Strawberries  were  destroyed,  but 
in  spite  of  that  we  had  fairly  early  and  remark- 
ably heavy  crops.  Failures  there  were  none,  but 
the  lightest  crops  were  in  the  case  of  Sir  C.  Napier, 
and  the  heaviest  in  that  of  Keen's  Seedling,  Sir 
Harry,  Sir  J.  Taston,  President,  and  Dr.  Hogg. 
The  soil  hereabouts  is  heavy,  and  in  our  case  not 
well  drained.  Ours  cannot  be  described  as  a  good 
fruit  soil,  and  the  district  is  peculiarly  liable  to 
damage  from  late  frosts.— W.  Icgulden. 

Moreton,  Dorchester.— Fruit  crops  here 
are  not  good.  All  promised  well  in  early  spring, 
but  April  was  unusually  cold,  with  severe  frosts 
nightly  from  the  17th  to  the  L'Tth,  and  these  not 
only  injuriously  affected  some  of  the  frnit 
crops,  but  also  some  of  the  early  crops  of 
vegetables.  I'ears,  Plums,  and  Cherries,  which 
were  in  full  bloom  at  that  time,  are  in  most  places 
a  failure ;  in  some  gardens  there  are  a  few.  Apples, 
which  bloomed  later  than  usual  in  consequence  of 
the  cold,  are  better,  and  many  trees  are  bearicg 
good  crops,  though  the  crop  generally  is  not  nearly 
so  heavy  as  that  of  last  year.  Peaches  and  Necta- 
rines are  good  where  they  had  a  covering  or  cop- 
ing of  glass,  but  without  protection  they  are  a 
failure.  Strawberries  have  been  abundant  and 
good  in  size  and  flavour;  Raspberries  good ;  Cur- 
rants of  all  sorts  good ;  and  Gooseberries  most 
abundant ;  Figs  not  good. — D.  Uphill. 

Cothelstone,  Taunton.— Thanks  to  ample 
protection,  we  have  a  good  crop  of  Apricots,  the 
Musch-Musch  particularly  so.  Apples  are  a  good 
crop  generally;  our  best  sorts  this  year  are  Haw- 
thornden.  Lord  Suffield,  Cellini,  Cox's  Pomona, 
Cox's  Orange  Pippin,  Golden  Noble,  Glamis Castle, 
and  Alexandria.  Pears  are  nearly  a  failure.  We 
have  a  few  Slarie  Louise  and  Beurrc  Ranee  ;  we 
cin  almost  count  upon  the  fingers  the  number  of 
fruits  on  other  sorts.  Strawberries,  with  the  aid 
of  an  ample  water  supply,  have  been  abundant  and 
good ;  Sir  Joseph  Paxton  and  President  are  our 
most  reliable  kinds.  Figs  are  a  full  crop  in  most 
places ;  Morello  Cherries  are  a  good  crop,  as  are 
also  Raspberries— Carter's  Prolific  producing  some 
wonderfully  fine  fruit ;  bush  fruits  are  plentiful 
and  good  ;  Walnuts  good.  I  should  have  said  that 
the  only  Plums  we  have  are  on  a  tree  of  Magnum 
Bonum,  which  is  carrying  a  full  crop.  The  same 
tree  has  borne  regularly  every  year ;  it  is  growing 
en  a  wall  facing  the  west. — J.  C.  Clarke. 

Royal  Nuraeiies,  Merriott.— Plums,  the 
fruit  so  much  sought  after  for  preserves  in  this 
neighbourhood,  are  very  scarce ;  even  on  wall  trees 
there  are  very  few ;  we  have  only  a  few  Orleans. 
Of  Cherries  and  also  Pears  we  have  none.  Straw- 
berries we  have  had  in  enormous  quantities.  Keen's 
Seedling  and  Hericart  de  Thury  coming  in  first, 
followed  quickly  by  President,  Oscar,  Sir  Joseph 
Paxton,  Premier,  and  Sir  Chas.  Napier,  with 
Eleanor,  a  fine  and  good  fruit,  and  Goliath  coming 
in  late.  Out  of  some  scores  of  varieties  we  find 
none  to  equal  the  sorts  just  named  for  productive- 
ness, quality,  and  general  utility.  Of  Red,  White, 
and  Black  Currants  we  have  had  enormous  crops, 
especially  of  the  Red,  but  in  this  neighbourhood  a 
good  many  growers  complain  of  blight  attacking 
the  Black  Currants,  which  have  greatly  retarded 
the  maturing  of  the  fruit.  Of  Apples  we  have  a 
fair  crop,  but  nothing  like  that  of  last  year.  Many 
trees  in  the  orchards  hereabouts  are  very  poorly 
cropped,  especially  kinds  which  were  loaded  last 
year;  other  trees  have  good  crops.  Some  of  our 
pyramidal,  trained,  and  dwarf  bush  trees  are  carry- 
ing good  crops  of  fruit  of  excellent  size  and 
appearance,  and  especially  sorts  which  we  have 
grafted  on  the  Pommier  de  Paradis  stock.  We 
notice  good  crops  of  Keswick  and  Hanks  Codiin, 
Lord  Suffield,  Pott's  Seedling,  a  great  rival  of  the 
preceding  sort ;  Golden  Winter  Pearmain,  Golden 
Noble,  P.aron  Ward,  a  variety  called  by  the  Apple 
congressmen  Dumelow's  Seedling,  but  so  called 
wrongly  ;  Stibbert,  Golden  Spire,  Blenheim 
Orange,  &c.  There  is  a  fair  crop  of  Peaches, 
Nectarines,  and  Apricots  in  the  neighbourhood. 

The  Potato  fungus  has  made  its  appearance  in 
some  localities,  attacking  especially  the  earlier 


kinds,  and  we  are  afraid  if  this  weather  continues 
that  it  will  greatly  extend  its  ravages.— Jno. 
Scott. 

"Wilton  House,  Salisbury.  —  Apples  a 
good  crop,  especially  such  varieties  as  Early  Har- 
vest, Quarrenden,  Lord  Suftield,  Cox's  Orange 
Pippin,  New  Hawthornden,  Margil,  Yorkshire 
Greening,  Nonpareil,  Alfriston,  and  Dumelow's 
Seedling.  Apricots  a  fair  crop  where  protected 
by  wide  glass  copings  and  woollen  blinds  ;  where 
unprotected,  none.  The  most  reliable  varieties 
are.  Large  Early,  Hemskirk,  and  Moorpark. 
Cherries  a  moderate  crop  on  walls,  none  on  trees 
in  the  open  garden.  Currants  abundant.  Figs  a 
light  crop.  Gooseberries  very  variable ;  in  some 
situations  abundant,  but  in  others,  especially  where 
fully  exposed,  very  light  Peaches  and  Nectarines 
good  crops  where  protected  by  glass  copings  and 
woollen  blinds ;  where  not  so  protected,  none. 
Early  Beatrice  Peach  ripe  July  12,  of  medium  size 
and  fair  flavour.  Nuts  a  good  crop.  Pears  very 
poor  both  on  walls  and  in  the  open  garden— the 
lightest  crop  within  the  last  quarter  of  a  century, 
caused  by  the  severe  frosts  and  wet  weather  which 
occurred  during  the  blooming  period.  Plums  a 
light  crop  on  walls ;  none  on  trees  in  the  open 
garden.  Raspberries  a  good  crop.  Strawberries 
an  abundant  crop,  the  best  varieties  being  Auguste 
Nicaise,  Sir  Joseph  Paxton,  President,  British 
Queen,  and  Elton  Pine.  Walnuts  a  poor  crop. 
The  greater  part  of  the  gardens  in  this  district  are 
situated  in  low-lying  valleys,  where  a  continuous 
damp  atmosphere  invariably  prevails  during  the 
spring  and  autumn  months,  which  makes  fruit 
growing  without  protection  very  precarious. 
Many  and  striking  instances  are  this  year  afforded 
in  this  neighbourhood  of  the  value  and  advantage 
of  placing  gardens  at  moderate  elevations,  where 
crops  if  not  great  are  by  no  means  such  failures 
as  in  the  valleys.— T.  Challis. 

Longford  Castle— The  fruit  crop,  except 
Strawberries  and  bush  fruits,  which  are  plentiful, 
and  Peaches,  Nectarines,  and  Apricots,  which  had 
their  blossoms  protected  with  blinds  raised  and 
lowered  by  means  of  ropes  and  pulleys,  is  a  failure 
hereabouts  this  year ;  the  severe  frosts  of  April, 
following  an  almost  unprecedentedly  mild  winter, 
destroyed  the  promising  prospect  of  a  good  all- 
round  fruit  year.  Our  soil  is  light,  resting  upon 
a  gravelly  subsoil,  and  close  to  the  water,  and  the 
situation  being  low  and  damp,  we  suffer  consider- 
ably from  the  effects  of  late  spring  frosts.  -  H.  W. 
Ward. 

Prldeaux  Place,  Padstow.— The  fruit 
crop  in  this  part  of  the  country  may  be  fairly 
described  as  a  good  one,  very  few  kinds  being 
below  the  average.  The  dry  spring  and  early 
summer,  however,  slightly  affected  the  Straw- 
berry crop,  causing  the  fruits  to  come  rather 
small.  Apples  over  the  average,  especially  on  low 
bush  trees  in  the  kitchen  garden  ;  Apricots  none 
grown  ;  Cherries  an  average  crop  and  good  in 
quality;  Currants  and  Figs  over  the  average; 
Gooseberries  an  average  crop;  Nectarines  and 
Peaches  over  the  average  ;  Plums  under  the  ave- 
rage ;  Pears  an  average  crop ;  Strawberries  plen- 
tiful, but  small. 

Potatoes  are  a  good  crop,  and  so  far  free  from 
disease.  We  have  had  a  delightful  summer,  and 
the  rainfall  has  been  much  less  than  usual,  though 
there  have  been  some  welcome  rains  during  the 
past  three  weeks.  The  country  around  here  is 
looking  well,  and  harvest  has  commenced. — 
John  C.  Tallack. 

Sherborne  Castle,  Dorset —We  are  low 
down  in  the  Vale  of  Blackmoor,  and  therefore  have 
to  contend  with  an  excess  of  irrigation,  and  nearly 
every  year  with  spring  frosts.  We  are  fairly  well 
sheltered  from  east  winds  by  the  wooded  grounds 
which  lie  around  the  castle  ;  our  soil  is 
filicious  on  limestone.  On  the  lOlh  of  April  we 
experienced  a  killing  frost,  and  our  general  crop  is 
therefore  rather  below  than  above  the  average. 
Apples  in  gardens  will  be  few  and  small,  but  in 
orchards  they  are  better,  owing  to  the  trees  coming 
into  bloom  ten  days  later.    As  a  rule,  the  follow- 


ing  varieties  do  best  with  us,  viz..  Lord  Suffield, 
Keswick  Codiin,  Manks  Codiin,  Hawthornden, 
Echlinville  Seedling,  Northern  Greening,  Cox's 
Pomona,  Cockle  Pippin,  Golden  Winter  Pear- 
main,  Cox's  Orange  Pippin,  Yellow  Ingestre,  Kerry 
Pippin,  and  Downton  Pippin.  Apricots  are  good, 
the  best  we  have  had  for  years.  Cherries  are  thin, 
but  what  we  have  are  very  fine.  Pears  are  nearly 
a  failure  and  much  deformed.  Plums  are  con- 
spicuous by  their  absence.  Of  Peaches  and 
Nectarines  we  have  a  meagre  sprinkling  on  walls, 
and  they  are  very  late.  Of  Figs  we  have  none  too 
maty,  and  of  bush  fruits  a  very  partial  crop. 
Strawberries  have  been  most  plentiful  and  fine  as 
regards  size  and  flavour.  President  and  Sir  Chas. 
Napier  are  the  favourites  hereabouts  for  outdoor 
use,  and  Vicou-tesse  IK'ricartde  Thury  for  forcing. 
Potatoes  are  very  good  in  quality,  and  we  have 
heavy  crops  with  little  or  no  disease.  Our  best  are 
the  old  Ashleaf  to  begin  with.  Lady  Paget,  a  good 
variety  of  the  Lapstone  section  for  mid -season, 
and  then  the  Scotch  Champion,  the  latter  the  poor 
man's  Potato  in  this  locality.— W.  G.  Pragnell. 


NORTH-WESTERN  DIVISION. 

Waterdale,  St.  Helens  —The  fruit  crops 
in  this  neighbourhood  are  very  irregular  and  far 
from  satisfactory.  In  sheltered  situations  they 
are  fairly  good,  but  where  exposed  the  bloom  all 
perished.  Peaches,  Apricots,  Pears,  and  Plums  on 
walls  are  very  thin  ;  we  had  plenty  of  bloom,  and 
the  prospects  for  a  crop  were  promising  till  the 
end  of  April,  when  the  east  winds  and  keen  frosts 
destroyed  every  expanded  bloom.  With  respect 
to  standards.  Pears,  Plums,  and  Damsons  are  all 
but  minus,  and  the  same  may  be  said  of  the  better 
sorts  of  Apples  ;  even  the  hardier  varieties  are  but 
a  light  crop ;  Raspberries  and  Currants  carried  an 
average  crop,  but  the  fruit  was  small  and  poor 
and  had  evidently  suffered  from  late  frosts ; 
Gooseberries  are  a  very  good  crop,  and  although 
Strawberries  lost  many  of  the  earliest  blooms  a 
good  average  crop  was  the  result.  On  our  cold 
clay  subsoil  Vicomtesse  H6ricart  de  Thury,  Sir 
Joseph  Paxton,  and  President  still  keep  the  lead 
as  the  best  croppers. 

The  Potato  crops,  which  are  numerous 
around  here,  being  stimulated  by  the  late  rains, 
are  vigorous  and  one  sheet  of  fine  healthy  blooms, 
giving  prospects  of  a  very  satisfactory  crop. — 
James  Smith. 

Haigh  Hall,  Wigan.— Fruit  crops  in  this 
district,  with  the  exception  of  small  fruits,  are 
very  much  below  the  average.  Plums  are  almost 
a  total  failure,  and  the  trees  are  infested  with 
aphides.  Pears  are  very  thin ;  Jargonelle,  Marie 
Louise,  Louise  Bonne,  Beurre  Diel,  and  Easter 
Beurre  on  south  walls  carry  a  few  ;  on  standards 
and  espaliers  there  are  scarcely  any.  Apples  are 
very  much  below  theaverage;  Lord  Suffield,  Small's 
Admirable,  Cox's  Pomona,  Keswick  Codiin,  and 
a  local  variety  are  producing  about  half  a  crop. 
Cherries  are  very  thin  except  Morellos,  which  are 
a  good  average  crop.  The  Peach,  Nectarine,  Fig, 
and  Apricot  are  not  cultivated  hereabouts  out  of 
houses.  Gooseberries  are  about  an  average  crop. 
Strawberries  and  Raspberries  abundant  and  larger 
than  usual ;  they  have,  however,  suffered  from  the 
heavy  rains  during  the  last  few  weeks.  Black 
Currants  good ;  Red  and  White  below  the  average. 
— Andrew  Jamieson. 

Abney  Hall,  Cheadle.—  Strawberries  have 
been  our  best  crop  here,  and  they  were  good  in 
quality ;  Gooseberries  also  and  Raspberries  have 
been  very  good  ;  Black  and  Red  Currants  mode- 
rate, the  former  being  somewhat  injured  by 
blight,  and  some  of  the  bushes  have  been  affected 
by  the  insect  in  the  bud ;  Plums  are  a  failure  ; 
Pears  and  Apples  are  much  under  the  average,  the 
latter  better  than  the  former ;  Cherries  are  a 
moderate  crop  ;  of  Peaches,  Nectarines,  and  Apri- 
cots outside  we  have  next  to  none. 

The  Potato  crop,  however,  is  looking  well- 
The  early  portion  lifted  has  been  moderate  in 
quantity,  but  very  good  in  quality. — Robert 
Mackiluab. 


118 


THE    GARDEN 


[Ai-fi.  9,  1884. 


EASTERN  DIVISION. 
Woolverstone   Park,   Ipswich.— It  is 

somewhat  remarkable  that  tender  ont-door  fruits 
are  this  season  more  abundant  than  the  hardier 
sorts,  as  while  in  most  places  there  are  full  crops 
of  Apricots,  Peaches,  and  Nectarines,  there  are 
few  or  no  Plums,  and  Pears  are  very  thin,  espe- 
cially on  pyramids  or  trees  that  have  not  a  wall 
to  protect  them.  The  good  set  of  Apricots  and 
Peaches  was  owing  to  the  fine  weather  in  March, 
when  the  flowers  were  fully  open  and  set  freely, 
as  did  also  those  of  Peaches  and  Nectarines! 
although  many  have  since  fallen  through  the  frost, 
which  has  likewise  affected  Pears,  as  what  few 
there  are  are  deformed,  or  do  not  appear  to  be  able 
to  swell  through  contraction  of  the  skin.  The 
kinds  with  us  that  had  the  best  crops  are  Louise 
Bonne  of  Jersey  and  Easter  Eeurre,  the  first 
named  of  which  always  does  well.  On  walls 
our  trees  are  on  the  Pear  stock,  but  the 
pyramids  are  on  the  Quince,  for  which  our 
soil  is  too  light,  as  it  is  a  sandy  loam, 
but  we  do  very  well  by  mulching  heavily,  a 
practice  I  can  strongly  recommend,  as  it  is  a 
great  aid  towards  growing  good  fruit.  Apples  are 
thin,  as  many  dropped,  but  those  left  promise  to  be 
fine  and  are  now  swelling  fast,  the  heavy  rains 
having  soaked  the  thirsty  ground  and  well  washed 
the  foliage.  Bush  fruit  has  not  been  over  plenti- 
ful, for  the  frost  caused  many  of  the  Gooseberries 
to  fall,  and  Currants  have  been  badly  affected 
with  aphides,  which  have  been  a  great  plague  this 
season  ;  they  seized  on  every  twig  and  shoot  and 
injured  the  leaves.  Strawberries  suffer-jd  from  the 
long  drought,  especially  the  Queens,  which  had 
mildew  both  on  the  foliage  and  fruit.  Taking  the 
season  altogether,  it  is  therefore  not  a  good  one.— 

J.  SHEPPAED. 

Hardwlcke  House,  Bury  St.  Edmunds. 

—The  fruit  crop,  writing  in  general  terms,  is  a 
failure.  Seldom  or  never  was  it  more  promising  till 
towards  the  end  of  April;  fruits  of  all  sorts 
promised  an  abundant  harvest.  So  mild  was  the 
weather,  so  safe  apparently  the  fruit,  that  nota  few 
of  the  most  timid  and  cautious  cultivators  resolved 
to  leave  the  trees  to  themselves.  The  fruit  was  set, 
the  leaves  already  produced  in  plenty ;  and  protec- 
tion becoming  a  useless  source  of  weakness,  an 
injurious  encumbrance,  not  a  few  had  removed  it, 
when  suddenly  the  thermometer  fell  from,  in 
round  numbers,  15°  or  50°  to  12°  or  15°— a  fall 
of  30°  to  35°.  The  result  of  this  sudden  and  con- 
tinued fall  of  temperature  was  as  already  stated. 
Plums,  Pears,  and  Cherries  were  completely  de- 
stroyed, or  so  severely  thinned  as  to  result  in  gene- 
ral failure.  Apricots  shared  the  same  fate  unless 
where  severely  protected.  Peaches  and  Nectarines 
suffered  less  severely,  and  probably  half  a  crop 
remained  on  the  majority  of  the  trees  in  the  open 
air  that  were  protected  by  boughs  during  the  froet. 
As  to  any  varieties  that  may  have  stood  the  frost 
better  than  others,  the  cold  was  so  severe  as  to  have 
levelled  down  such  distinctions.  Plums  and  Pears 
are  stripped  alike  on  walls  and  in  the  open.  We 
have, however, a  few  on  aBeurrcDielonanold  wall 
near  the  furnaces  for  our  chief  boilers.  Possibly 
the  smoke,  and  even  the  heat  from  these,  as  well 
as  the  loss  of  heat  from  some  glass  houses  kept  at 
stove  temperature,  may  have  favoured  a  more 
genial  local  atmosphere,  and  so  saved  these. 
Another  curious  point  that  I  have  frequently 
noted  in  previous  seasons  is  tlie  partial  escape  of 
Peaches  and  Nectarines  and  the  total  destruction 
of  Apricots  side  by  side  on  the  same  wall  under 
identical  treatment.  I  have  noted  this  before, 
and  it  assuredly  points  to  the  fact  that  Apricots  are 
more  tender  than  either  Peaches  or  Nectarines. 
At  first  I  was  disposed  to  attribute  this  to  the 
downiness  of  the  Peach;  but  then  the  smooth 
skinned  Nectarines  were  at  hand  to  destroy  this 
theory  before  it  was  half  formulated.  Constitu- 
tionally, the  Peach  and  the  Nectarine  are  more 
hardy  than  the  Apricot.  A  good  deal  has  been 
said  about  the  amount  of  frost  the  blooms  or 
young  fruit  of  these  will  bear  with  impunity 
Under  a  flimsy  protection  of  boughs  the  embryo 
fruits  of  Peaches  and  Nectarines  have  endured  18° 
of  frost,  and  are  now,  as  already  stated,  about  half 


a  crop  ;  but  why  half,  and  not  a  whole  one  ?   Why, 
indeed  ?     Well,  a  good  deal  of  this  may  be  ex- 
plained,   but    not   all.     All    the    most    exposed 
fruit    or    blossoms    were    cut  off    clean    as    if 
with    the    touch    of    fire.      But    the    converse 
is  not  equally  true  or  general.    Nota  few  of  fairly 
protected  fruit  perished,  while  others,  and  appa- 
rently not  more  or  better  protected,  were  totally 
destroyed.     And  then,  again,  why  should   Plum 
blossoms  or  embryo  fruit  be  more  tender  than  those 
of  Peach  or  Nectarine  ?   Such  fine  Plums  as  Gol- 
den Drop,  .Tefferson's,  Blue  Imperatrice,  and  others 
on  walls  treated  in  all  respects  like  Peaches  and 
Nectarines  are  plumless  while  the  two  latter  have 
half  a  crop.     The  state  of  the  Apple  crop  is  even 
more  difficult  to  explain  ;  no  bloom  was  expanded 
during  those  killingly  severe  April  frosts.     Culti- 
vators encouraged  each  other  with  the  remark, 
"  Bad  as  it  is,  it  might  have  been  worse,  for  the 
Apples  are  safe."     But  they  are  not ;  in  not  a  few 
gardens  and  orchards  they  are  almost  as  scarce 
as  Pears.  In  few  of  the  most  highly  favoured  places 
are  they  more  than  one-third  of  a  crop.  Were  they 
to  cease  falling  even  now  perhaps  the  latter  would 
be  our  fortunate  lot.     The  Apples  blossomed  well, 
and  seemed  to  set  fairly,  but  they  did  not,  and 
from  the  time  of   apparent   setting   they  have 
dropped,  dropped,  and  still  they  fall.  Complaining 
of  this  to  a  large  cultivator  the  other  day,  he  re- 
marked   to    me,    "  How    fortunate    you    are   to 
have  any  to  fall ;  we  have  none."    In  travelling 
through   considerable  districts  of   country   it  is 
impossible   not  to    be    struck  with  the    erratic 
character  of  the  Apple  crops ;  generally  there  is  a 
total  failure,  and  yet  every  now  and  again  trees 
or  groups  of  trees  laden  down  with  fruit  occur  in 
situations  where  neither  special  shelter,  varieties, 
nor  culture's eemto'affordany  cue  to  this  exceptional 
success.     In  other  cases,   however,  special  shelter 
and  favourable  sites  explain  the  crops  at  a  glance. 
As  to  varieties  of  special  hardiness   and  frost-re- 
sisting power,  the   frost,  as    already    remarked, 
seems  to  have  been  too  severe  for  these  to  tell  for 
much.    With  us,  however,  the  Lord  Snflield,  the 
Irish  Codlin,  and  the  new  Hawtliornden  have  the 
best  crops  on  pyramids  and  cordons.     Once  more, 
though  not  so  prominently  apparent,  the  diamond 
and  spiral  cordons  have  more  fruit  than  trees  of 
other  shapes  among  the  Apples  where  protected 
in  any  way  ;  they  must  also  have  been  injured  in 
bud,  for  hardly  any  of  them  were  in  bloom  till 
some  weeks  after  the  severe  frosts.     Now  it  is  so 
generally  held  that  closed  Apple  blooms  are  frost- 
proof, that  those  who  hold  to  that  theory  attri- 
bute  much  more    of    the    failure    to     the    long 
continued  drought  than  to  the  frost.     No  doubt  a 
season  in  which  only  about  6  inches  of  rain  fell 
in  the  first  six  months  of  the  year  is  far  too  dry 
for  Apples,  and  part  of  the  continuous  fall  of  the 
crop  may  have  originated  in  that  cause ;   it  is, 
however,  more  than  doubtful  if  they  would  have 
fallen  had  they  not  been  frozen  more  or  less  se- 
verely through  the  core  first.     The  small  or  bush 
fruits    here   escaped  the   blighting  influence  of 
the  frost  almost  by  a  miracle.     Frosts  of  far  less 
severity  have  often  blackened  the  Gooseberries 
and  blighted  the  Currants  ;  but  this  season  only  a 
few  on  the  crowns  of  the  bushes  were  destroyed, 
and  the  crops  have  seldom  been  heavier  or  better 
in  these  gardens.  This  is,  however,  not  universally 
the  case,  though  it  is  probable  the  returns  for  the 
whole  country  would  reach  to  a  full  average  of 
small    fruits.      Piaspberries    were    far  above    an 
average  show,  though  the  long-continued  drought 
cut  down  the  crop  considerably  in  weight.   Straw- 
berries were  an  average  crop,  though  the  season 
was  seriously  shortened  and  also  lightened  towards 
the  close  by  the  drought. — D.  T.  Fish. 


TOEKSHIEB. 

Wortley  Hall,  Sheffield.— The  prospects 
of  all  kinds  of  fruit  crops  were  good  here  in 
spring,  but  the  frost  destroyed  them  to  a  great 
extent  in  April.  There  are  few  Pears,  Cherries,  or 
Plums,  but  Apples  are  a  fair  crop  ;  Peaches  good 
indoors.  Gooseberries,  Currants,  and  Raspberries 
were  much  injured  and  are  scarce ;  Strawberries 
good. 


Potatoes  are  yet  free  from  disease,  but  the 
crop  is  lighter  than  usual,  owing  to  the  want  of 
rain  at  the  right  season. — J.  Simpson. 

Ribeton  Hall,  Wetherby.— Apricots  with 
us  are  very  good  ;  Apples,  Pears,  and  Plums  below 
the  average;  Peaches  and  Nectarines  are  an 
average  crop ;  Cherries  and  Walnuts  below  the 
average;  Medlars  very  good ;  Filberts  none  grown 
hereabouts ;  Black,  White,  and  Red  Currants, 
Gooseberries,  and  Strawberries  all  good.  Our  gar- 
den leans  to  the  south,  and  is  well  protected  on 
three  sides  by  large  trees  ;  soil  light,  sandy,  and 
well  drained.  The  varieties  of  fruit  trees  that  do 
fairly  well  here  are  Royal  George  and  Noblesse 
Peaches,  Moorpark  and  Early  Hemskirk  Apricots, 
and  Elruge  and  Violette  Hiitive  Nectarines.  The 
Purple  Gage  and  Coe's  Golden  Drop  are  the  only 
sorts  of  Plums  bearing  fruit  with  us  this  year,  but 
Victorias,  Kirke's,  Jefferson's,  and  the  Green  Gage 
sorts  do  well  with  us  in  ordinary  seasons.  The 
sorts  of  Pears  that  are  bearing  a  little  fruit  are 
Jargonelle,  Williams'  Bon  Chretien,  Jersey  Gratioli, 
Benrru  d'Amanlis,  Eyewood,  Passe  Colmar,  and  a 
few  others.  Amongst  Apples  the  best  are  Kes- 
wicks,  Manks,  and  Dutch  Codlins  :  on  Juneating, 
Bridgewater  Pippin,  Lord  Sufl5eld,  Riljston  Pippin; 
and  Cockpits  there  is  a  light  crop.  The  frosts  of 
May  2,  C,  and  19  made  sad  havoc  with  the  Plum 
and  Pear  bloom  in  the  neighbourhood, — Thomas 
Jones. 

Brantingham  Thorpe.— Our  crops  this 
season  of  Peaches,  Nectarines,  Apricots,  and 
Apples  are  generally  good ;  they  are  clean  and 
healthy,  and  promise  to  be  of  good  size  and 
quality.  Raspberries  and  Strawberries  are  the 
crops  of  the  season,  abundant,  and  the  fruit  is  of 
large  size  and  fine  in  flavour.  Pears  are  a  very 
partial  crop  both  in  garden  and  orchard.  In  this 
chalk  district  immense  quantities  of  the  Hessle 
Pear  are  grown  in  orchards  for  market,  but 
this  season  the  crop  generally  is  very  light.  Goose- 
berries, Currants,  Walnuts,  and  Filberts  are  good 
crops. — E.  Kingston. 

NORTHERN  DIVISION. 

Seaham  Hall,  Sunderland.  -  Apples  here 
are  scarce  on  almost  all  kinds  of  trees  ;  Lord  Suf- 
fleld.  Itibstons,  andthe  various  Codlins  are  bearing 
fairly  good  crops.  All  kinds  of  Pears  are  scarce ; 
some  few  fruits  are  to  be  seen.  Plums  and 
Cherries  do  not  fruit  on  this  east  coast.  Currants 
and  Gooseberries  are  good  crops.  Raspberries  are 
a  good  crop,  although  at  one  time  when  in  flower 
they  seemed  to  be  about  dried  up,  but  since  the 
rain  they  have  recovered  wonderfully.  The 
same  may  also  be  said  in  reference  to  all  kinds 
of  fruit  crops.  At  one  time  the  aphis  quite 
covered  the  trees  and  damaged  the  fruit.  Our 
soil  is  a  mixture  of  sorts  lying  upon  limestone 
rocks.  The  gardens  here  are  somewhat  protected 
by  trees,  but  are  subject  to  east  winds  and  sea 
breezes.— R.  Deapep.. 

Shaw  don,  Northumberland— The  fruit 
crop  in  the  north  of  England  this  season  is,  taking 
it  as  a  whole,  the  most  unsatisfactory  that  I  have 
seen  for  several  years  ;  I  am  referring  more  espe- 
cially to  Apples  and  wall  fruits.  Had  it  not  been 
for  the  severe  frost  which  we  experienced  in  April 
Apricots  would  have  been  plentiful  in  this  district ; 
where  protected,  the  crop  is  an  average  one  and 
the  trees  are  healthy.  The  same  cannot  be  said 
of  Pears  ;  they  are  all  but  an  entire  failure ;  many 
varieties  that  have  never  failed  in  former  years 
have  not  a  single  fruit  upon  them  this  season. 
Cherries  were  attacked  early  in  spring  by  black 
fly  to  such  an  extent  that  the  fruit  was  spoiled  for 
table.  Peaches  we  have  ceased  to  take  account 
of ;  there  are  several  places  in  this  county  where 
they  are  carefully  protected,  but  this  season  no 
kind  of  material  was  snfiicient  to  protect  them 
from  the  hoar  frosts  of  April ;  on  the  13th  of  that 
month  the  thermometer  here  registered  15°,  and  for 
several  successive  nights  the  weather  continued  to 
be  severe.  It  was  expected  that  the  Apple  crop 
would  escape,  as  the  trees  did  not  blossom  early, 
but  this  expectation  has  not  been  realised,  for  a 
more  complete  failure  I  have  seldom  seen.    Not 


Arc.  9,    1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


119 


only  in  this  district  has  the  crop  failed,  but  it 
is  the  same  in  Durham  and  Yorkshire.  Here 
the  trees  in  the  early  part  of  the  season 
were  affected  with  red  spider,  the  conse- 
quence of  which  was  that  the  greater  part  of 
the  few  fruit  which  we  expected  to  gather  have 
fallen.  Small  fruits  appear  to  be  partial  in  some 
places.  Gooseberries  are  a  fairly  good  crop,  and 
the  same  may  be  said  of  Currants  and  Raspberries. 
Strawberries  appear  to  be  the  exceptional  crop  of 
the  season  ;  they  are  generally  small,  but  plentiful. 
Hums  are  usually  an  uncertain  crop  in  the  north. 
Every  successive  season  confirms  the  conviction 
that  all  the  old  and  well-tried  varieties  of  Apples, 
such  as  the  Cockpit,  Devonshire  Quarrenden,  Lord 
Suffield,  Hawthornden,  Keswick  C'odlin,  P.edford- 
shire  B'oundling,  &c.,  are  the  only  varieties  that  we 
can  depend  upon  for  a  crop  in  such  seasons  as  the 
present.  The  number  of  Pears  that  really  come 
to  perfection  in  favourable  situations  in  this  dis- 
trict is  very  small.  Williams'  Bon  Chretien,  Jar- 
gonelle, Early  Beurri-,  Gansel's  Bergamot, 
Beurre  Superfin,  Louise  Bonne  of  Jersey,  and 
Marie  Louise  are  our  best  varieties,  but  they  have 
failed  this  season  ;  not  one  tree  of  the  above- 
named  sorts  has  more  than  a  dozen  Pears  upon  it. 
As  far  as  my  observations  have  gone,  I  believe  the 
Apple  and  Pear  crops  are  the  worst  that  I  have  ever 
seen.  The  remarkably  mild  winter  was  succeeded 
by  a  spring,  cold  and  ungenial ;  the  heavy  showers 
of  sleet  and  snow  that  we  experienced  checked 
vegetation  and  cooled  the  earth  ;  the  consequence 
of  which  was  that  red  spider  attacked  the  trees 
and  bushes  in  many  places.  There  is  no  doubt 
that  1884  must  be  added  to  the  list  of  compara- 
tively fruitless  years,  at  least  in  the  north. — JAS. 
Thomson. 

Castle  Gardens,  Alnwick.— Here  fruit  is 
inferior  in  flavour  compared  with  the  produce  of 
southern  counties  ;  at  least  such  is  the  case  with 
Pears,  Apples,  Peaches,  Nectarines,  and  Apricots. 
Last  year  Apricots  were  scarce  ;  consequently  we 
have  the  benefit  of  a  full  crop  on  several  trees 
this  year.  Of  Apples  we  have  a  good  sprinkling 
generally.  The  following  are  bearing  only  light 
crops,  viz  :  Keswick  and  Manks  Codlins,  Pott's 
Seedling,  New  Hawthornden,  Lord  Suffield, 
Northern  Greening,  Golden  Pippin,  Eohlinville 
Seedling,  Gloria  Mundi,  Red  Calville,  and 
King  of  the  Pippins.  Of  Pears,  in  conse- 
quence of  having  the  heaviest  crop  last  year  that 
the  trees  have  produced  for  these  ten  years  past, 
and  of  first-class  quality,  the  bloom  this  spring, 
with  some  few  exceptions,  was  somewhat  scarce. 
Our  best  sort  is  Louise  Bonne  of  Jersey,  which 
bore  an  extra  heavy  crop  last  season,  and  again  a 
good  crop  this  year.  I  can  highly  recommend 
this  Pear  and  Marie  Louise  for  planting  in  the 
north.  The  two  varieties  combined  will  keep  a 
table  well  supplied  for  six  weeks  or  seven 
weeks  with  Pears  of  the  very  best  flavour. 
The  following  are  good  dessert  Pears,  viz.  :  Jargo- 
nelle, Brockworth  Park,  Beurre  Colmar,  Beurru 
d'Amanlis,  Glou  Morceau,  Josephine  de  Malices 
(very  fine),  Beurrfi  Ranee,  Easter  Beurre,  Beurre 
Clairgeau  (best  for  the  kitchen),  and  Flemish  Bon 
Chretien  ;  the  last,  all  points  considered,  is  one  of 
the  best  Pears  for  culinary  purposes.  The  fol- 
lowing are  not  worth  growing,  at  least  hereabouts, 
viz. :  Beurre  d'Aremberg,  Dunmore,  Citron  des 
Carmes,  Beurre  Delaux,  Chaumontel,  Beurru 
Spence,  and  Beurre  Diel  (not  good  for  dessert) 
Of  Peaches  the  following  are  bearing  good  crops 
outside,  viz  :  Prince  of  Wales,  Dr.  Hogg,  Stirling 
Castle,  and  Royal  George:  and  amongst  Nectarines, 
Elrnge,  Hardwicke  Seedling,  Pine-apple,  Pitmasion 
Orange,  and  Prince  of  Wales.  Some  of  the  trees 
were  protected  with  double  herring- net,  others 
with  frigi  domo.  Both  are  equally  good  this  year, 
but  we  did  not  experience  the  severe  frost  when 
the  trees  were  in  bloom  as  occurred  in  the  south, 
7^  being  the  most  we  had  in  March  ;  the  trees  are 
now  in  grand  health.  Plums  are  scarce.  Golden 
Gage  is  a  useful  dessert  Plum  and  free  bearing  : 
Jefferson.Victoria,  and  Prince  of  Wales  are  bearing 
crops,  and  there  are  a  few  on  others.  Green  Gage 
does  not  do  well  here,  even  on  a  south  aspect.  Of 
Cherries,  May  Duke  is  producing  a  good  crop,  and 


on  Morellos,  Black  Tartarian,  and  Bigarreau  there 
are  a  few ;  the  last  seldom  bears  a  good  crop. 
Raspberries  and  lilack  and  White  Currants  are 
abundant ;  of  Gooseberries  we  have  a  light  crop 
Strawberries  on  light  soils  where  grown  for  market 
suflrered  from  want  of  rain  in  May  and  in  the 
early  part  of  June,  but  much  of  the  best  fruit 
damped  off  during  July  through  excessive  wet, 
especially  President,  a  great  quantity  of  the  best 
fruit  of  which  has  not  ripened.  Sir  J.  Paxton  has 
proved  to  be  the  very  best;  MacMahon,  too,  is 
good.  Duke  of  Edinburgh  is  worthless  compared 
with  the  varieties  just  named.— George  Harris. 
Raby  Castle,  Darlington.— Apples  here 
are  much  below  the  average,  and  Pears  are  by  no 
means  a  good  crop,  except  a  few  kinds,  notably 
Louise  Bonne  of  Jersey,  Beurre  d'Aremberg,  and 
Glou  Morceau,  each  of  which  is  bearing  a  good 
crop.  Apricots  are  very  good  ;  of  Plums  we  have 
very  few  of  any  kind,  though  the  trees  were  a 
sheet  of  bloom.  They  were  severely  injured  by  the 
two  severe  frosts  which  we  had  of  7°  and  8°  respec- 
tively in  the  middle  of  May.  The  growth  both  of 
the  trees  and  wood  is  very  stunted,  and  badly 
affected  by  aphides.  Cherries  of  all  kinds  are  a 
light  crop  ;  Raspberries  good  ;  Currants  of  all 
sorts  superabundant.  Of  Gooseberries  we  have 
but  few;  Strawberries  excellent;  Peaches  and 
Nectarines  not  grown  here  on  open  walls,  nor  Figs. 
The  walls  here  are  well  sheltered  on  all  sides  by 
forest  trees,  and  no  other  shelter  is  employed, 
except  for  Apricots,  which  are  trained  on  heated 
walls,  the  only  means  of  insuring  an  every  year 
crop,  from  the  fact  that  in  all  kinds  of  weather  the 
bloom  can  be  kept  dry,  which  is  the  secret  of 
success.  The  soil  here  is  of  great  depth,  very  dry, 
and  the  gardens  have  a  sharp  fall  to  the  south. — 
R.  Westcott. 


PLANTS    IN    FLOWEK. 


Menziesia  polifolia  alba.— I  flml  this  to  be  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  and  useful  plants  grown  out-of-doors. 
It  flowers  from  June  to  November,  and  is  iuvalua))le  as 
regards  furnisliing  cut  flowers.  I  have  plants  of  it  about 
2  feet  through  now  full  of  flowers.— Fred.  Perkins. 

Romneya  Coulter!. —from  Glasnevin  come  some 
flue  flowers  of  this  lovely  Californian  Poppywort.  The 
snow-white  flowers  are  fully  6  inches  across,  crumpled,  and 
shining  like  satin.  The  tuft  of  stamens  In  tlie  centre  is 
like  a  golden  tassel  set  in  white  satin.  This  plant  is 
flowering  admir.ably  this  year  at  Glasnevin  planted  against 
a  west  wall.  The  plant  is  producing  an  abundance  of 
flowers  on  strong  shoots  proceeding  from  the  base  of  the 
stem. 

Hyacinthus  candicans.— When  well  grown  tliis  is 
one  of  the  most  beautiful,  as  well  as  one  of  the  noblest  of 
bulbous  plants  in  the  garden  in  August.  We  have  seen  an 
in&tance  of  its  fine  growth  during  the  week.  Mr.  H. 
Stevens  brirgs  us  from  his  garden  at  Addlestone  a  stout 
stem  measuring  not  less  tlian  7  feet  in  height,  and  carrying 
no  fewer  than  fifty-three  flowers.  Mr.  Stevens  has  other 
c.vamples  almost  as  fine,  which  now  are  hung  with  ivory- 
white  bell-like  flowers. 

Paronychia  argentea  — This  pretty  plant,  now  in 
full  flower  and  well  adapted  for  hanging  over  vases,  is  one 
which  I  think  is  very  little  known.  We  have  grown  it  here 
for  very  many  years.  It  was  brought  from  Nazareth  by 
the  late  Sir  Robert  Inglls.  Our  plant  of  it  hangs  over  a 
vase  about  2  feet  4  inches,  is  20  inches  wide,  and  one  mass 
of  silvery  flowers.  We  treat  it  as  a  bedding  plant ;  I  have 
liad  it  stand  out  all  winter  in  a  mild  season.— JOHN  GAR- 
L.i.Nl),  Kit'.erton,  Ex:ter. 

Border  Carnations, — A  gathering  of  some 
seedlingborder  Carnations  sent  by  Mr.  E.  Woodall, 
from  his  garden  at  St.  Nicholas  House,  Scar- 
borough, contains  some  uncommonly  fine  varieties, 
the  best  of  which  have  been  named.  All  are  cha- 
racterised by  large,  full  flowers,  and  are  said  topos- 
sess  a  vigorous  habit.  The  best,  we  think.are  those 
named  Gem,  white,  flaked  and  edged  with  crimson  ; 
Clarissa,  soft  sulphur-yellow,  flaked  with  carmine  ; 
Catherine  deep  crimson  ;  and  John  Harrison,  pink, 
flaked  and  spotted  with  deep  red  and  crimson. 
There  is  so  much  interest  attached  to  raising 
Carnations  from  seeds  that  the  wonder  is  that 
amateurs  generally  do  not  practise  it ;  often- 
times varieties  of  great  merit  are  produced  in  that 
way. 

Campanula  turbinata.— It  is  not  often 
that  this  lovely  Campanula  is  so  plentiful  in  a 
garden  that  it  can  be  used  for  an  edging  to  the 
borders,  but  should  anyone  have  a  good  stock  of 


it,  it  should  be  used  in  this  way,  as  it  makes  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  edgings  imaginable.  In  the 
Pilrig  Park  Nursery,  Edinburgh,  we  lately  saw  a 
walk  edged  on  both  sides  with  a  broad  line  of  a 
dark  purple  flowered  form  of  this  Campanula,  and 
we  thought  at  the  time  that  it  was  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  sights  we  had  seen  in  a  garden. 
The  whole  lines  were  perfect  masses  of  cup-like 
flowers,  and  the  walks  seemed  glowing  with 
purple.  The  rapidity  of  the  growth  of  the  plant 
favours  its  use  in  this  waj-,  as  Messrs.  Dickson 
assured  us  that  this  edging  had  been  planted 
out  two  or  three  seasons. 

Mesembryanthemums.  —  There  is  an 
abundance  of  useful  garden  material  lying  unused 
in  the  hundreds  of  kinds  of  Mesembryanthemums 
which  are  at  present  relegated  to  botanical  gar- 
dens. The  brilliant  colours  of  the  flowers  of  many 
of  them — flowers,  too,  which  are  large  in  size  and 
handsome  in  shape — would  add  largely  to  the 
charm  of  our  outdoor  summer  gardens  and  to  that 
of  the  greenhouse  in  winter  and  spring.  We  saw 
at  Kew  the  other  day  several  large  beds  of  these 
plants,  amongst  which  there  is  great  variety  both 
in  leaf  and  habit,  whilst  their  flowers  are  many 
of  them  of  dazzling  beauty.  Like  many  of  the 
plants  whose  homes  are  in  the  sunny  regions  of 
South  Africa,  Mesembryanthemums  display  their 
beauty  to  the  full  only  when  the  sun  shines  upon 
them.  Such  a  character,  however,  does  not  de- 
tract from  the  usefulness  in  a  garden  sense  of  a 
large  number  of  species  belonging  to  this  genus. 

Cladrastis  amurensis.— Of  this  rather 
rare  tree  a  fine  flowering  branchlet  has  been  sent 
to  ns  from  Messrs.  Cripps'  nursery,  Tunbridge 
Wells,  where  it  is  considered  a  highly  ornamental 
tree  of  moderate  size,  quite  hardy,  and  very  free 
flowering.  The  foliage  is  much  smaller  than  that 
of  the  common  Cladrastis  tinctoria,  or  Yellow 
Wood,  the  leaflets  being  only  about  half  the  size. 
The  flowers  are  produced  in  dense  spikes  6  inches 
in  length,  and  are  poised  almost  erect  upon  the 
branches,  which  are  disposed  in  a  tabulated  way. 
The  colour  of  the  small  pea-shaped  flowers  is 
white,  with  a  slaty  purple  tinge  upon  the  calyx. 
It  is  therefore  not  a  very  showy  flowered  tree, 
though  the  handsome  foliage  renders  it  quite 
worth  planting  for  ornament.  This  tree  has  been 
highly  ornamental  this  season  at  Kew.  A  couple  of 
specimens  about  10  feet  in  height  in  the  arbo- 
retum were  densely  furnished  with  bloom  about 
a  fortnight  ago.  It  is  also  known  as  Maackia 
amurensis. 

Primula  sikklmensis. — Some  cultivators 
are  continually  recommending  this  plant  to  be 
grown  in  the  shade,  as  if  it  abhored  the  sun.  Such, 
however,  is  not  the  case,  as  we  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  seeing  the  other  day  in  Messrs.  Dick- 
sons'  Pilrig  Park  Nursery  at  Edinburgh.  Here  in 
the  open  was  a  large  border  full  of  plants  of 
this  Primrose  just  going  out  of  flower.  There 
must  have  been  fully  a  thousand  plants  in  the  bed, 
and  all  were  in  the  most  vigorous  health,  as  the 
foliage  indicated.  Some  of  the  leaves  were  as 
broad  as  those  of  young  Cabbages  and  the  flower- 
spikes  were  stout  and  tall,  surmounted  by  a  large 
cluster  of  flowers.  This  bed  was  on  the  wane 
when  we  saw  it,  but  when  it  was  in  full  beauty, 
with  hundreds  of  spikes  of  delicate  sulphur-yellow 
flowers,  it  must  have  been  a  lovely  sight.  The 
soil  appeared  to  be  of  a  cool  loamy  nature,  not 
particularly  moist.  Perhaps  the  cooler  Edinburgh 
climate  has  something  to  do  with  the  robustness 
of  this  Primrose  ;  but,  for  all  that,  it  is  unquestion- 
ably, not  essentially,  a  shade  lover. 

Lilies  at  Kew. — Suitable  positions  afforded 
by  Rhododendron  beds  and  those  of  other  hardy 
Ericaceous  plants  for  the  cultivation  of  Lilies  have 
been  taken  advantage  of  this  year  at  Kew,  and  just 
now  in  some  of  these  beds  there  is  a  fine  display 
of  Lilium  auratum  and  several  other  kinds,  some 
of  the  flowers  being  particularly  large  and  hand- 
some, and  thus  a  charm  is  added  to  what  in  pre- 
vious years  has  been  dull  and  monotonous  after 
the  shrubs  had  bloomed.  The  preference  of 
Liliums  for  the  peaty  soil,  shelter,  and  shade  ob- 
tainable in  Rhododendron  beds  suggests  an  esten- 


120 


THE     GARDEN 


[Aug.  9,   1884. 


tion  of  this  new  feature  at  Kew  to  the  majority 
of  the  numerous  bed^  of  similar  plants  which  are 
scattered  over  all  the  gardens.  Liliums  have 
generally  failed  at  Kew,  owing  to  the  attempt 
to  grow  them  all  together  in  one  special  bed, 
but  there  can  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  fitness  of 
Rhododendron  beds  for  the  successful  manage- 
ment of  Lilies,  a  fact  indicated  by  the  healthy 
appearance  and  fine  flowers  of  those  now  planted 
in  such  positions. 

The  Oape  Marigold.— The  name  of  this 
pretty  Composite  plant  from  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope  is  Dimorphotheca  pluvialis.  Considering 
the  beauty  which  its  flowers  possess,  together  with 
the  elegant  growth  of  the  plant,  it  is  curious  that 
it  has  not  become  popular  in  these  days  when  the 
fashion  for  Daisy-like  flowers  is  so  high.  The 
flowers  are  about  the  size  of  a  crown-piece,  of 
Daisy  shape  with  yellow  centre,  and  with  pure 
white  florets  tinged  exteriorly  with  purplish  violet. 
The  other  day  we  saw  along  row  of  it  in  the  Pilrig" 
Park  Nursery,  Edinburgh,  where  the  Messrs.  Dick- 
sons  grow  it  rather  largely  for  supplying  cut 
flowers.  We  saw  the  row  on  a  bright  sunny  morning 
when  every  flower  was  fully  expanding,  showing 
nothing  but  the  white.  We  saw  the  same  row  in 
the  cool  evening  when  every  flower  had  closed,  and 
the  whole  row  was  a  broad  band  of  purple — not 
the  least  beautiful  phase  of  the  plant's  condition. 
We  imagine  that  if  this  hardy  annual  was  grown 
once  in  a  garden,  it  would  not  be  lost  sight  of. 
The  day  will  come,  we  hope,  when  hardy  annuals 
will  regain  their  popularity. 

Sarracenias  at  Kew.— A  good  representa- 
tive collection  of  species  and  varieties  of  (Sarra- 
cenias may  now  be  seen  at  Kew.  We  never 
remember  having  seen  better  examples  of  S. 
Chelsoni,  S.  Stevensi,  S.  Drummondi,  S.  flava  and 
its  varieties,  and  S.  variolaris  than  may  be  found 
here,  their  colour  and  variegation  being  of  a 
highly  ornamental  character.  So  far  as  treatment 
goes  there  does  not  appear  to  be  anything  very 
special  in  what  has  produced  these  fine  examples 
— a  house  heated  by  the  sun  alone,  there  being  no 
hot-water  pipes  in  it,  exposure  to  full  sunlight 
all  day,  abundance  of  water  both  at  the  roots  and 
overhead,  and  a  compost  of  fibry  peat  and  Sphag- 
num. These,  with  a  close  and  high  temperature 
early  in  the  summer,  to  be  succeeded  by  plenty  of  air 
as  the  pitchers  mature,  constitute  an  outline  of  the 
practice  followed  at  Kew  as  regards  Sarracenias, 
and  that  the  details  just  alluded  to  are  not  far 
wrong  is  proved  by  the  condition  of  the  plants 
subjected  to  them.  Sarracenias  are  wretched 
indeed  to  look  at  if  not  under  happy  treatment ; 
whereas  with  proper  management  they  may  be 
made  really  beautiful  objects. 

Night  -  blooming     Mesembryanthe- 

mum. — As  regards  the  expansion  of  its  flowers  in 
the  evening  after  the  sun's  decline  and  closing  of 
them  again  in  the  morning,  M.  noctiflorum  is  one 
of  a  very  few  exceptions  amongst  a  host  of  species 
of  this  genus,  the  flowers  of  which  expand  only 
when  the  sun  shines  upon  them,  closing  again  as 
the  day  declines.  There  does  not  appear  to  be 
any  explanation  of  these  singular  phenomena. 
The  Nymphaeas,  too,  show  the  same  difference  in 
the  expansion  and  reclosing  of  their  flowers,  and 
other  plants,  such  as  the  night-blooming  Cereus, 
Cheiranthus,  QCnothera,  &c.,  may  be  instanced  as 
additional  anomalies  as  regards  flower  expansion. 
In  his  work  on  "  The  Movements  of  Plants,"  Dar- 
win seems  to  have  overlooked  this  matter,  confin- 
ing his  observations  and  experiments  chiefly  to 
the  leaves  and  stems.  It  would  be  interesting  to 
learn  why  one  species  should  develop  its  flowers 
only  under  the  influence  of  bright  sunshine,  whilst 
another,  which  does  not  appear  to  differ  at  all 
morphologically,  develops  its  flowers  only  under 
exactly  the  opposite  conditions.  M.  noctiflorum 
is  a  bushy  species,  with  thick  pointed  leaves  and 
flowers  a  little  larger  than  a  Ehilling  when  ex- 
panded. The  petals  are  buff  coloured  outside  and 
pale  pink  inside.     It  is  flowering  at  Kew. 

Lapagerlas    from    Gunton    Park.  — 

Lovely  wreaths  of  the  red  and  white  Lapagerias 
reach  us  from  Lord  Suffield's  garden  at  Gunton 


Park,  Norwich,  where  Mr,  Allan  appears  to  be 
highly  successful  in  cultivating  them.  These 
long  slender  sprays  profusely  laden  with  flowers 
have  the  form  and  purity  of  the  Snowdrop  and 
Snowflake,  with  the  vigour  and  grace  of  a  tropi- 
cal climber.  The  flowers,  borne  in  clusters  of 
twos  and  threes  at  intervals  of  an  inch  or  so, 
remind  us  of  the  glorious  specimens  we  annually 
receive  from  Milnerfield.  Mr.  Allan  possesses  the 
best  variety  of  the  red  and  the  very  purest  form  of 
the  white.  He  states  that  "  the  house  in  which 
they  are  growing,  and  which  is  attached  to  the 
mansion,  was  partially  consumed  in  the  fire  tUat 
took  place  here  in  December,  1882  ;  the  plants  at 
that  time  were  much  scorched  and  lost  a  great  deal 
of  foliage,  but  have  now  regained  their  former 
vigour.  They  are  growing  in  a  brick  bed  8  feet 
square,  divided  into  four  divisions  2  feet  6  inches 
deep  with  a  concreted  bottom ;  a  3-inch  drain  pipe 
and  6  inches  of  rubble  are  placed  thereon.  Having 
no  fear  of  the  border  becoming  waterlogged,  the 
plants  are  watered  copiously  during  the  growing 
and  flowering  period  ;  in  fact  as  freely  and  heavily 
as  a  modern  Vine  border.  During  winter  the 
house  is  kept  perfectly  cold,  merely  the  frost  ex- 
cluded and  no  water  given,  that  the  plants  may 
be  kept  entirely  at  rest." 

Senecios  and  other  flowers.— I  send  you 
a  head  of  bloom  from  a  seedling  of  Senecio  pul- 
cher  and  others  of  S.  speciosus.  The  former  fine 
plant  has  bloomed  unusually  early  this  year.owing, 
no  doubt,  to  the  extreme  mildness  of  last  winter. 
I  also  tend  blooms  of  Campanula  Vidali ;  I  think 
this  a  most  attractive  plant  when  it  does  well. 
The  large  orange  Hemerocallis  fl  -pi.  is  very  useful 
from  the  great  length  of  time  during  which  it 
remains  in  bloom.  I  see  that  Iris  Kajmpferi  is 
often  spoken  of  as  requiring  a  moist  place  ;  I  have 
not  found  it  so.  Mine,  grown  from  seed,  have 
been  very  fine  this  year  in  good  made-up  soil,  well 
watered  when  necessary.  One  of  my  seedlings 
was  unusually  lovely — clear  ivory-white  flushed 
with  pale  pink.  Another  plant  that  I  at  first 
found  troublesome  to  grow  is  Onosma  tauricum, 
but  now,  after  several  moves  to  find  its  true  re- 
quirements, it  is  growing  grandly.  Its  sweet- 
scented  and  graceful  flowers  make  it  a  most  de- 
sirable plant.  Erythrfea  diffusa  is  another  charm- 
ing plant  that  after  a  little  obstinacy  has  now  con- 
sented to  grow  well  with  me. — H.  Stuart  Wort- 
ley. 

*,"■  The  Senecios  are  particularly  fine.  S.  pul- 
cher  has  large  and  highly  coloured  flowers,  and  S. 
speciosus  is  a  far  finer  plant  than  it  is  generally 
supposed  to  be.  The  specimens  which  Colonel 
Stuart  Wortley  sends  are  extremely  showy.  The 
Campanula  is  interesting,  but  not  very  showy. — 
Ed. 

Phloxes  at  Pink  Hill  Nursery,  Edin- 
burgh.— The  collection  of  late  Phloxes  in  Messrs. 
Laird's  nursery  is  this  month  in  great  beauty,  but 
the  early  dwarf  kinds  are  almost  out  of  blossom. 
Enough  flowers  are,  however,  still  left  to  show 
their  effectiveness,  few  summer  flowers  giving  finer 
masses  of  colour,  which  is  quite  equal  to  that  of 
many  of  the  tall  growing  kinds.  Amongst  others 
the  following  may  be  mentioned  as  of  special 
beauty  both  as  regards  size  and  shape,  as  well 
as  in  the  size  and  compactness  of  the  truss  of 
flowers.  Amongst  early  dwarf  kinds,  we  have 
Snowflake,  pure  white;  Countess  of  Galloway, 
white,  slightly  tinted  with  purple;  Eose  of  Castile, 
white,  slightly  tinted  with  lilac;  Syren,  shaded 
purple  and  white  ;  Rev.  Dr.  Hornby,  much  the 
same  colour;  Mrs.  Duncan,  white,  shaded  purple; 
Lady  Musgrave  and  Lady  Napier,  white;  Mrs. 
B.  Dunbar  and  Mrs.  Dalrymple,  rose  and  white 
striped  and  shaded,  very  distinct,  the  former 
having,  perhaps,  the  largest  individual  blossoms; 
Venus,  rosy  lilac ;  Sunrise,  rosy  purple ;  A. 
McLcod,  rosy  lilac,  very  large ;  Colonel  Flatter, 
shaded  rose;  Rosy  Gem,  deep  crimson-rose;  Mrs, 
W.  Richards,  rosy  lilac ;  James  Ross,  light  purple. 
These  were  all  raised  here,  as  were  also  the  follow- 
ing late  kinds,  amongst  many  others  of  almost 
equal  beauty  :  Lady  Belhaven,  pure  white  with 
rose  eye,  like  Mrs.  B.  H.  Wood,  but  finer,  and 
almost  larger  still  are  Mrs.  Nimmo  and  Mrs.  John 


Downie,  of  much  the  same  colour ;  Wm.  Tait 
Splendens,  scarlet ;  Earl  of  Mar,  scarlet ;  James 
Galloway,  crimson  -  scarlet ;  Rubra,  light  red ; 
Oscar  Beyer,  pink  with  dark  eye,  very  large ; 
Malcolm  Dunn,  rose,  with  dark  eye ;  Mrs.  Kowe, 
salmon-pink,— C.  M.  OWEN. 

♦^*  With  this  note  Miss  Owen  sends  flowers  of 
some  exceptionally  fine  new  varieties  not  yet 
named  or  distributed,  all  of  which  seem  to  be 
the  perfection  of  good  Phloxes. — Ed. 

Anthurium  Andreanum.— In  one  of  the 

stoves  at  Kew  may  now  be  seen  a  rather  large 
specimen  of  A.  Andreanum  which  has  assumed  a 
habit  very  different  from  what  in  all  published 
descriptions,  both  botanical  and  horticultural,  we 
have  been  led  to  expect.  In  the  Botanical 
Magazine,  at  tab.  6016,  will  be  found  a  figure  and 
description  of  this  plant,  the  figure  itself  having 
been  made  from  this  identical  specimen  before  it 
had  assumed  its  present  characters.  Both  here 
and  in  all  other  descriptions  A.  Andreanum  is 
described  as  being  creeping  and  tufted  in  habit 
similar  to  A.  Scherzerianum.  The  following 
measurements,  taken  from  the  above  plant,  will 
show  that,  whatever  may  have  been  the  habit  of 
young  plants  of  A.  Andreanum,  full-grown  speci- 
mens are  totally  distinct  from  any  of  the  tufted 
species  of  Anthurium.  The  Kew  plant  is  growing 
in  a  large  pan,  in  the  centre  of  which  a  dead 
Tree  Fern  stem  is  placed  with  Sphagnum  Moss 
fastened  on  to  it  by  means  of  wire.  Upon  this 
Fern  stem  the  stems  of  the  Anthurium  are  grow- 
ing, being  firmly  attached  to  the  stem  itself  by 
means  of  node-roots,  which  are  freely  produced. 
The  stem  of  the  Anthurium  measures  29  inches 
from  the  base  to  the  topmost  node;  length 
between  each  node,  6:^  inches ;  length  of  kaf- 
blade,  17  inches  ;  of  fiowers,  5^  inches  ;  width  of 
flowers,  5  inches.  There  seems  no  reason  why 
this  plant  should  not  prolong  its  climbing  stem 
to  an  indefinite  length  ;  at  all  events,  there  is  no 
appearance  of  a  cessation  of  this  climbing  habit. 
It  will  from  this  be  seen  that  A.  Andreanum  when 
allowed  to  assume  its  natural  characters,  and  not 
cut  back,  as  is  generally  the  ease,  is  a  strong 
growing  climbing  species  of  Anthurium,  more 
like  A.  amplum  and  A.  lucidum  than  A.  Scher- 
zerianum. It  will  be  interesting  to  learn  if  other 
plants  of  Andre's  Anthurium  have  assumed  the  habit 
of  the  Kew  specimen,  or  whether  specimens  of  a 
distinctly  tufted  character  have  been  grown  with- 
out the  growths  being  interfered  with. — W. 


SEASONABLE   WORK. 


FLOWER  GARDEN. 

Sedums. — All  the  hardy  varieties  of  Sedums 
are  usually  classed  as  rockwork  plants,  a  purpose 
for  which  they  are  admirably  adapted,  and 
perhaps  so  treated  they  are  more  at  home  than 
when  used  in  any  other  way,  but  a  few  of  them 
are  so  well  suited  for  the  parterre,  and  their  use 
save  so  much  time  and  space  that  would  other- 
wise be  required  in  the  propagation  and  wintering 
of  tender  plants,  that  we  have  come  to  regard 
certain  varieties  as  indispensable  in  summer  bed- 
ding arrangements.  The  dwarf  section  are  invalu- 
able as  edging  and  carpeting  plants  ;  the  best 
kinds  are  S.  acre,  green ;  acre  elegans,  cream 
coloured  ;  corsicum  and  glaucum,  bluish  grey  ;  and 
Lydiuro,  deep  green.  The  best  of  the  tall  and 
trailing  growers  are  altissimum,  spectabile,  Sie- 
boldi  variegatum,  and  telephioides  ;  these  varieties 
look  well  planted  in  lines  or  clumps,  and  continue 
in  flower  a  long  time,  rain  or  wind  doing  but  little 
injury  to  the  flowers.  All  the  kinds  are  readily 
propagated  by  division,  early  spring  being  the 
best  time  for  splitting  up  the  plants. 

Hardy  flowers.— Achilleas,  Columbines,  Del- 
phiniums, Potentillas,  Spirajas,  and  Phloxes  are  a 
few  of  the  most  conspicuous  among  plants  now  in 
bloom.  They  need  an  occasional  tie  to  support 
them,  and  require  to  have  the  bad  flowers  re- 
moved. Annuals  in  the  same  borders  also  need 
support  and  to  be  thinned  out.  Sweet  Peas  will 
continue  flowering  the  whole  season  if  not  allowed 
to  seed,  and  a  good  way  of  securing  a  succession 


Arc.  9,   1S84. 


THE     GARDEN 


121 


of  flowers  is  to  pinch  out  the  tops,  a  plan  which 
conduces  to  lateral  growth,  on  which  flowers  equal 
to  those  of  the  main  stem  are  produced.  Two  sow- 
ings of  Sweet  Peas — January  and  JIarch  — are  all 
that  we  ever  make,  and  yet  bj-  this  plan  we  always 
have  an  abundance  of  flowers  till  sharp  frost  cuts 
them  down.  Scarlet  Runners  and  the  Canary 
Creepers  are  amenable  to  exactly  the  same  treat- 
ment, and  the  results  are  similar. 

Sub-tropical  and  other  bedding  tlaxis. 
— Quick  growing  kinds  of  sub-tropical  plants 
should  be  looked  over  every  week,  to  see  that 
they  are  properly  staked  and  tied.  Peg  down 
the  undergrowth  and  keep  the  beds  free  from 
weeds;  should  the  weather  be  dry,  they  will  re- 
quire abundance  of  water  to  keep  them  in  vi- 
gorous growth.  The  regular  removal  of  decayed 
and  seeding  flowers  will  also  greatly  tend  to  re- 
tention of  vigour.  The  common  kinds  of  bedding 
plants  also  require  frequent  looking  over  with  the 
view  of  removing  bad  flowers  and  foliage,  and  re- 
gulating their  growth  by  pegging  down  and  pinch- 
ing. Verbenas,  Petunias,  Calceolarias,  and  Pelar- 
goniums can  only  be  kept  in  presentable  condition, 
especially  during  showery  weather,  by  oft-re- 
peated picking  over.  Keep  the  lines  and  edgings 
of  foliage  beds  in  trim  condition  and  well  deflned. 
Sedams  and  Saxifrages  only  need  a  little  manipu- 
lation with  the  fingers ;  other  plants  may  need 
clipping.  Echeverias  may  require  to  have  the 
flowers  removed,  and  the  same  remark  applies  to 
tricolor  Pelargoniums.  Alternantheras  have  done 
badly  with  us,  and  to  fill  out  the  space  Herniaria 
glabra  and  several  kinds  of  Sedums  are  now  being 
dibbled  in  between  the  plants,  labour  that  will  be 
well  repaid  both  as  regards  summer  and  winter 
efl'ect. 

Genebal  work.— Weeds  on  walks  and  roads 
have  this  season  been  very  troublesome.  In  the 
case  of  some  gravels— those  that  do  not  bind  down 
hard— hoeing  may  be  had  recourse  to  ;  in  that  of 
hard  gravel  hand-weediug  only  should  be  prac- 
tised. For  Moss-grown  spots  under  trees,  &c ,  a 
winter  dressing  of  salt  is  desirable;  it  kills  the 
Moss  and  adds  brightness  to  the  gravel.  Now 
that  they  have  comp'e'cd  their  growth,  shrubs  and 
branches  of  trees  overhanging  walks  should  be 
trimmed  up.  Portugal  and  common  Laurels,  Yews, 
and  Rhododendrons  are  some  of  the  kinds  that 
now  need  cutting  back.  Shrubbery  weeding  and 
hoeing  constitute  another  important  item  of  la- 
bour at  this  season,  and  if,  as  is  frequently  the 
case,  time  cannot  be  spared  to  go  through  them 
thoroughly,  an  effort  should  at  all  events  be 
made  to  prevent  the  weeds  seeding  by  going 
through  them  with  a  rip-hook. 


INDOOR  PLANTS. 

EuciiAEis  AMAzOxNicA.— Where  there  is  any 
considerable  demand  for  cut  flowers  this  plant 
ought  to  be  grown  in  quantity.  By  growing  and 
resting  some  at  different  periods,  where  there  is 
sufficient  stock,  it  may  be  had  in  bloom  all  the 
year.  Examples  that  flowered  early,  and  since 
then  have  made  sufficient  growth,  ought  to  be 
put  to  rest,  and  should  have  no  water  until  the 
leaves  flag  slightly,  when  a  little  may  be  applied, 
but  not  so  much  as  to  induce  the  plants  to  begin 
growing  again.  Place  them  in  a  lower  tempera- 
ture for  five  or  six  weeks  and  give  no  more  water 
than  13  just  surticient  to  prevent  the  leaves  from 
being  injured.  They  will  soon  bloom  again  when 
placed  in  heat. 

_  Anthueiuji  Scheezeeianum  —Any  large  spe- 
cimens of  this  brilliant-flowered  Aroid  in  want  of 
naore  root  space  cannot  receive  it  at  a  better  time 
than  now.  Its  best  growth  is  made  in  the  winter  • 
consequently  if  potted  at  this  season,  the  full 
benefit  of  the  new  soil  will  be  reaped  There  is 
no  necessity  to  give  it  a  great  depth  of  material, 
as  it  IS  a  surface  rooter,  but  plenty  of  drainage  is 
of  the  first  importance.  It  is  not  advisable  to 
allow  young  examples  that  it  is  desirable  to  grow 
on  without  delay  into  large  specimens  to  seed 
their  growth  being  much  retarded  thereby.  Imme- 
diately the  flowers  commence  to  fade  they  ought 
to  be  removed,  unless  the  intention  is  to   raise 


young  stock  from  seeds.  Though  the  different 
forms  of  this  Anthurium  do  not  reproduce  them- 
selves true  from  seed,  still  it  is  not  well  to  raise 
seedlings  from  any  but  the  best  flowered  sorts. 
The  seeds  are  not  fully  matured  for  eight  or  nine 
months  from  the  time  when  the  flowers  first  open  ; 
wash  them  out  of  the  pulpy  mass  that  encloses 
them  before  sowing.  They  succeed  best  in  very 
open,  porous  material ;  fine  chopped  Sphagnum,  to 
which  has  been  added  sand  in  the  proportion  of 
one-foarth  its  bulk,  will  be  found  to  answer  well. 
Take  a  good-sized  ordinary  seed-pan ;  half  fill  it 
with  drainage,  over  which  lay  as  much  of  the 
Sphagnum  and  sand  mixture  as  will  come  up  to 
the  level  of  the  rim  ;  press  this  firmly  down,  and 
give  a  good  watering  to  settle  the  surface,  again 
pressing  it  quite  smooth  to  keep  the  seeds  from 
getting  washed  down  by  subsequent  waterings, 
for  any  that  get  below  the  surface  do  not  come 
up  freely.  Scatter  them  on  the  material,  and  put 
the  pan  in  a  house  that  is  kept  about  G0°  by  night ; 
shade  from  direct  sunshine,  and  keep  them  damp. 
The  young  seedlings  will  begin  to  show  themselves 
in  a  few  weeks,  and  should  then  have  more  light, 
but  they  should  not  be  exposed  to  the  full  sun. 
They  ought  to  be  pricked  off  when  large  enough 
to  handle  into  pans  drained  similarly  to  those  in 
which  the  seeds  were  sown,  adding  to  the  Sphag- 
num and  sand  one-half  chopped  fibrous  peat.  Let 
them  be  kept  on  growing,  and  as  soon  as  large 
enough  put  them  singly  in  little  pots,  using  the 
same  sort  of  soil  as  that  last  described.  Particu- 
lar care  ought  to  be  taken  of  the  strongest  plants, 
for  it  will  be  found  that  those  which  take  the  lead 
will  continue  to  be  the  best  growers,  and  will  also 
bear  the  finest  flowers. 

Hard- WOODED  greenhouse  plants.— No  time 
should  now  be  lost  in  putting  outside  such  nlants 
as  require  a  few  weeks'  exposure,  including  those 
that  fail  to  set  bloom  freely  if  kept  indoors  all 
the  year  round,  and  those  that  are  liable  to  be 
attacked  by  mildew.  Eriostemons,  Hedaromas, 
Corrcas,  Acacias,  Aphelexis,  Boronias,  Pimeleas, 
Pleromas,  Adenandras,  Leschenaultias,  Mirbelias, 
Tremandras,  Pultenajas,  &c.,  should  all  be  treated 
in  this  way.  It  is  a  good  plan  to  put  them  for  a 
few  days  where  they  will  not  be  under  the  full 
influence  of  the  sun,  particularly  in  the  middle  of 
the  day  ;  in  a  week's  time  they  may  be  placed  in 
the  full  sun,  taking  care  that  the  pots  on  the  side 
nearest  it  are  shaded  from  its  direct  rays.  If  this  is 
not  done  injury  will  result  to  the  roots  that  are 
in  contact  with  the  inner  surface.  The  ground  on 
which  the  plants  are  placed  ought  to  have  a  layer 
of  ashes  spread  over  it,  not  less  than  4  inches  thick, 
to  keep  out  worms.  If  we  have  very  bright  weather 
it  will  be  a  great  assistance  if  the  ashes  are 
damped  every  evening  and  the  plants  well 
syringed  in  the  afternoons,  being  careful  that  the 
water  gets  to  the  undersides  of  the  leaves  as  well 
as  the  upper.  So  far  the  season  has  not  been 
favourable  to  red  spider ;  still  before  putting  the 
plants  out  each  ought  to  be  examined  to  see  if 
this  troublesome  insect  exists  on  them,  as  it 
spreads  very  fast  out-of-doors  when  the  weather 
is  bright  and  soon  does  a  great  deal  of  damage. 
Any  that  are  found  to  be  affected  ought  to  be  laid 
on  their  sides  and  syringed  with  weak  Gishurst 
Compound  (two  ounces  to  the  gallon  of  water  is 
quite  strong  enough  for  this  purpose,  but  the 
dressing  to  be  effectual  must  be  thorough) ;  let  it 
remain  on  for  about  an  hour  and  then  wash  with 
clean  water.  All  plants  which  the  insect  has 
attacked  should,  so  long  as  there  is  enough 
warmth  for  it  to  live,  be  examined  regularly,  as  a 
fresh  lot  may  come  to  life,  and  before  they  are 
noticed  do  adeal  of  injury  to  the  foliage.  Whilst 
the  plants  are  out  it  will  be  necessary  to  be  very 
careful  in  the  matter  of  watering,  examining  each 
at  least  once  a  day,  as  the  drying  influences  of 
sun  and  wind  are  greater  outdoors  than  under 
glass.  It  is  neither  necessary  nor  advisable  to 
submit  Dracophyllum  gracile,  Acrophyllum  veno- 
sum,  Phamocoma  prolifera,  Statices,  Witsenia 
corymbosa,  Roella  ciliata,  and  Gompholobiums  to 
this  open-air  treatment,  more  particularly  the 
Acrophyllum,  as  its  leaves  are  not  able  to  bear 
being  fully  exposed  to  the  sun.     Indeed,  it  suc- 


ceeds best  in  a  house  that  does  not  admit  so  much 
light  in  the  summer  time  as  most  things  want. 
The  roots  of  the  Gompholobium  and  Dracophyl- 
lum are  so  delicate,  that  they  are  better  not  trusted 
outside. 

Heaths — The  varieties  that  bloom  in  the 
autumn,  such  as  Turnbulli,Jacksoni,  retorta  major, 
Austiniana,  Marnockiana,  and  Irbyana,  are  ex- 
tremely useful.  If  there  is  a  desire  to  retard  them 
either  for  decorative  purposes  or  for  exhibition, 
this  may  be  done  by  placing  them  in  a  north 
house.  They  must,  however,  have  plenty  of  light. 
Where  there  is  no  house  of  this  description,  some 
lights  can  be  temporarily  fixed  at  the  north  side 
of  a  wall  in  an  open  situation.  Retarding  can  be 
better  done  now  than  when  the  flowers  are  further 
advanced,  and  there  is  also  less  danger  of  injuring 
the  plants.  Spring-blooming  varieties  that  after 
flowering  have  made  their  growth  may,  if  wanted 
to  come  in  early  next  year,  say  in  March  or  April, 
be  set  out-of-doors  immediately,  but  if  not  re- 
quired until  May,  it  will  be  well  to  delay  their 
full  exposure  a  little  while,  as  the  sooner  they  are 
turned  out  the  sooner  they  will  flower. 

RocHEA  PALCATA. — This  is  a  serviceable  plant 
in  autumn  ;  it  is  most  useful  when  grown  in 
C-inch  or  8-inch  pots.  Examples  wanted  to  be  in 
flower  next  year  will  be  benefited  by  being  ex- 
posed in  the  open  air  to  the  full  sun  for  a  few 
weeks ;  the  growth  by  this  means  gets  better 
matured  and  solidified  than  if  kept  altogether  in- 
doors. Those  now  pushing  up  their  flower-stems 
will  require  plenty  of  air  and  light  to  prevent 
their  being  drawn  up  weakly.  If  there  is  not  suffi- 
cient stock,  leaf  cuttings  may  now  be  taken  off 
and  put  in  sandy  soil  round  the  sides  of  pots. 
They  will  form  roots  and  push  out  shoots,  but 
must  only  have  as  much  water  as  will  keep  the 
soil  from  getting  dust  dry,  or  they  will  rot ;  the 
same  mishap  will  also  occur  if  they  are  kept  too 
close.  As  soon  as  they  have  begun  to  grow  fairly 
move  them  singly  into  small  pots,  using  sandy 
porous  soil,  and  giving  them  more  water. 

Ardisia  crenulata, — Plants  of  this  that  are 
swelling  their  berries  should  have  a  light  position 
and  sufficient  warmth  to  enable  them  to  grow 
freely  ;  they  will  also  need  syringing  to  keep  them 
clean.  If  the  pots  in  which  they  are  grown  are 
small  compared  with  the  size  of  the  plants,  it  will 
be  requisite  to  give  them  weak  liquid  manure 
every  ten  days  or  fortnight;  by  so  doing  their 
leaves  will  possess  that  bright  dark  green  colour 
that  is  so  desirable.  However  well  berried  they 
may  be,  if  deficient  in  this  respect  they  lose  half 
their  interest. 

^Kschynanthuses.— Few  plants  are  more 
effective  than  these  when  grown  in  baskets ;  where 
autumn-blooming  kinds,  of  which  Ai.  grandiflorus 
may  be  named,  are  so  managed,  they  must  be 
well  attended  to  in  the  matter  of  water ;  if  this  is 
not  done  their  flowers  will  fall  off  without  opening. 
From  the  position  they  occupy  basket  plants  are 
more  likely  to  suffer  in  this  way  occasionally  than 
those  which  are  in  the  body  of  the  house. 

Clbeodendeon  K-emppebi  and  C.  fallax. — 
These  are  of  more  use  for  decorative  purposes 
in  a  small  state  than  when  large.  There  is  no 
better  way  of  propagating  them  than  by  means  of 
seed.  Examples  that  bloomed  early  and  were 
allowed  to  mature  seeds  will  have  ripened  them 
by  this  time,  which  can  be  readily  seen,  as  they 
turn  quite  black,  and  fall  from  the  capsules  on  the 
slightest  touch.  Sow  immediately  in  small  pots, 
using  sandy  loam,  put  them  in  heat,  and  keep  a 
little  moist.  Treated  in  this  way  they  will  not  be 
long  before  they  vegetate ;  directly  that  takes 
place  let  them  have  a  position  close  to  the  glass 
to  keep  them  from  becoming  drawn.  During 
autumn  they  will  need  shifting  into  5-inch  pots  ; 
keep  them  growing  slowly  through  the  winter 
and  they  will  form  good  blooming  plants  for  next 
summer,  i.i'.,  if  they  receive  a  shift  into  9-inch  or 
10-inch  pots  about  February. 


FRUIT. 
Pines.— Queens   for  early  starting  are  not  so 
well    advanced   as  one   could    wish,    but    much 


122 


THE     GARDEN 


[Auc.  9,  1884. 


may  still  be  done  by  keeping  them  well  plunged 
in  a  bottom  heat  of  90°,  by  feeding  with  gentle 
stimulants  at  every  watering,  and  by  closing  in 
time  for  the  house  or  pit  to  run  up  to  00°,  with 
solar  heat  and  moisture.  If  nights  continue  cold, 
turn  on  fire  neat  to  catch  the  minimum  at  70°, 
damp  down  the  floors  and  fill  the  evaporating 
pans  with  liquid,  and  give  a  little  air  very  early 
on  bright  mornings  to  favour  the  escape  of  con- 
densed moisture  before  the  sun  catches  the  points 
of  the  leaves.  If  the  second  batch  of  plants  which 
generally  make  a  growth  before  they  start  in  the 
spring  are  in  a  separate  compartment,  the  air 
temperature  may  range  a  few  degrees  lower,  as 
they  may  be  kept  growing  later  in  the  autumn, 
but  the  bottom  heat  must  be  kept  up  until  the 
pots  are  filled  with  roots,  and  the  general  system 
of  feeding  and  early  closing  may  be  precisely  the 
same  as  that  recommended  for  the  first  set  of 
plants.  Give  plenty  of  air  to  Pines  that  are  ripen- 
ing, and  remove  the  plants  bodily  to  a  cooler  and 
drier  house  if  the  fruit  is  wanted  to  keep  for  any 
length  of  time  after  it  is  fit  for  use.  Rothschilds, 
Cayennes,  and  Jamaicas  now  throwing  up  or  going 
out  of  flower  will  require  a  sharp  bottom-heat  to 
help  them  on,  and  plenty  of  stimulating  liquid 
and  guano  water  alternately  to  swell  the  fruit. 
Avoid  wetting  the  pips  when  they  are  in  flower, 
but  when  this  stage  is  over  syringe  liglitly  over- 
head and  well  into  the  axils  of  the  leaves  at 
closing  time,  and  economise  fuel  by  running  up 
to  90°  or  9.5°  for  a  short  time  with  solar  heat 
alone.  Avoid  the  too  common  practice  of  crowding 
the  plants  in  succession  pits.  Keep  them  near 
the  glass  to  insure  a  firm,  stocky  growth.  Give 
diluted  liquid  or  weak  guano  water  at  every 
wa»ering,  and  close  about  4  p.m.  with  sun-heat 
and  V  lenty  of  atmospheric  moisture.  Pot  up 
suckers  as  they  are  taken  off  fruiting  plants, 
plunge  in  a  sharp  bottom-heat  from  fermenting 
materials  in  a  pit  or  frame,  and  water  sparingly 
until  they  begin  to  make  roots. 

Hardy  fruit.s— 8top  all  strong  growths  on 
Peaches  and  Nectarines,  and  keep  the  shoots  neatly 
trained  to  let  in  sun  and  air.  The  heavy  rains 
which  we  had  last  month  having  thoroughly 
soaked  the  borders,  the  trees  are  healthy,  vigorous, 
and  free  from  insects,  and  promise  to  ripen  up  a 
crop  of  fine  fruit;  but  owing  to  the  lateness  of 
the  season,  Walburton  Late  Admirable,  Barrington, 
and  other  late  kinds  will  need  timely  attention  to 
every  point  in  the  detailed  management  to  get  the 
fruit  forward  and  the  wood  perfectly  ripened  be- 
fore bad  weather  sets  in.  To  this  end  early  after- 
noon syringing  with  water  at  a  temperature  of  80° 
will  do  good  service,  and  an  occasional  surface 
watering  with  tepid  water  will  tell  upon  the  size 
and  quality  of  the  fruit.  Complete  the  thinning 
of  Pears  and  stop  all  lateral  growths,  as  every  ray 
of  sun  and  light  will  be  needed  by  the  fruit,  and 
even  then  many  of  the  choice  kinds  will  be  found 
deficient  in  flavour.  Cut  away  the  old  canes  as 
soon  as  Raspberries  have  done  bearing,  and  thin 
out  all  the  weakest  shoots  of  the  current  year  to 
let  in.  light  and  air.  Tie  up  those  left  to  prevent 
them  from  being  injured  by  the  wind,  and  keep 
the  beds  free  from  weeds.  Trim  ofE  all  damaged 
leaves,  also  the  runners  when  the  Strawberry  crop 
is  over.  Mulch  with  rotten  manure  or  (good  rich 
loam,  and  give  the  beds  a  thorough  soaking  with 
the  hose.  See  former  directions  with  regard  to  the 
formation  of  new  beds,  and  get  the  plants  in  with 
out  delay.  If  ground  intended  for  new  planta- 
tions is  still  occupied  by  other  crops,  turn  the 
newly-rooted  runners  out  of  the  pots  into  nnrsery 
beds  where  they  can  be  regularly  watered,  and 
defer  planting  until  spring.  At  the  present  time 
we  are  gathering  very  good  Eltons  from  plants 
treated  in  this  way,  and  although  growing  on  a 
north  border  the  fruit  is  superior  to  that  produced 
by  older  plants  which  have  made  too  much  foliage. 

Vines— Early  houses  in  which  the  wood  is 
getting  ripe  may  now  have  free  ventilation  by 
night  and  by  day,  and  more  mulching  may  be 
spread  over  the  inside  borders  to  keep  the  roots 
moist  and  actively  working  in  the  surface  dress- 
ing. Syringe  well  every  evening  to  preserve  the 
foliage  as  long  as  possible,  and  while  gradually 


shortening  back  all  strong  laterals  to  strengthen 
and  plump  up  the  fruit-bearing  buds,  allow  weaker 
growths  to  have  full  play  nntil  the  main  leaves 
begin  to  ripen.  If  any  of  the  Gr.apcs  have  r.ot 
finished  well,  the  roots  should  be  lifted  and  relaid 
in  fresh  soil,  or  a  portion  of  the  old  compost  may 
be  taken  away  and  replaced  with  rich  loam  before 
this  month  is  out.  The  mode  of  procedure  having 
so  often  been  described  in  these  columns,  it  is  only 
necessary  to  advise  dispatch  in  the  performance  of 
the  operation. 

Mid-season  houses. — AV'ith  every  prospect 
of  a  change  to  brighter  and  better  weather,  it 
may  be  well  to  remark  that  black  Grapes  now 
ripe  will  keep  best  where  the  foliage  is  dense,  but, 
lacking  this,  some  light  shading  may  be  thrown 
over  the  roof  until  the  fruit  is  cut.  On  the  other 
hand,  white  varieties  colour  and  keep  well,  and 
Muscats  lay  on  the  finest  amber  where  sun  heat 
and  light  can  play  freely  through  the  foliage  on 
and  around  the  bunches.  Should  our  hopes  of 
brighter  days  be  realised,  fire  heat  will  only  be 
needed  to  prevent  moisture  from  condensing  on 
the  berries,  and  to  admit  of  a  free  circulation  of 
dry,  warm  air  through  the  night.  Keep  the  foliage 
clean  by  putting  in  a  syringeful  of  clean,  soft 
water  whenever  it  can  be  applied  without  damag- 
ing the  Grapes.  Damp  the  floors  well  on  fine 
days,  and  see  that  the  inside  roots  are  kept  in  a 
moist,  healthy  state  by  the  application  of  warm 
water  whenever  needful.  Muscats  and  late  Grapes 
now  colouring  will  stand  a  high  day  temperature 
with  plenty  of  air  and  sufficient  moisture  to  keep 
the  foliage  fresh  and  healthy.  It  the  main  foliage 
in  the  Muscat  house  is  clean  and  good,  the  laterals 
may  be  well  shortened  back  to  let  sun-heat  and 
light  into  the  wood  and  fruit ;  but  Lady  Downes 
and  other  black  kinds  will  colour  best  under  a 
thick  canopy  of  foliage,  provided  the  primary 
leaves  are  not  crowded  or  injured  by  an  unrea- 
sonable quantity  of  lateral  growth.  When  colour- 
ing becomes  general  another  heavy  watering  with 
warm  liquid  will  greatly  benefit  the  Vines  by  pro- 
ducing conditions  unfavourable  to  spider,  while 
its  stimulating  effects  will  produce  a  depth  of 
colour  and  bloom  which  the  fruit  on  half-starved 
Vines  never  attains. 

Pot  Vines  intended  for  forcing,  and  now  get- 
ting hard  and  brown,  may  receive  the  treatment 
recommended  for  early  houses  from  which  the 
fruit  has  been  cut.  Remove  the  laterals  from  the 
base  of  the  Vine  upwards  to  the  pruning  bud  ; 
carefully  preserve  all  the  old  leaves  by  daily  sy- 
ringing and  the  application  of  as  much  pure  water 
as  will  keep  the  roots  fresh,  and  avoid  the  too 
common  practice  of  turning  the  Vines  out-of-doors 
to  be  battered  by  rough  winds  and  prematurely 
ripened  by  checks  and  chills.  Spring-struck  Vines 
intended  for  cutting  back  or  planting  may  be 
placed  out-of-doors  to  ripen  in  preference  to  keep- 
ing them  too  much  crowded  under  glass.  The 
best  situation  is  a  south  or  west  wall,  as  they  can 
then  be  secured  with  shreds  and  nails,  and  some 
kind  of  non-conducting  material  placed  about  the 
pots  will  economise  watering  and  keep  the  roots 
in  a  healthy  state. 

Cherries. — Let  early  forced  trees  have  full  ex- 
posure to  the  elements  by  the  removal  of  the  roof- 
lights  to  the  paint  room  where  they  can  be  pro- 
perly overhauled  and  painted,  if  needful,  before 
they  are  again  wanted  to  ward  off  heavy  autumnal 
rains.  See  that  spider  is  kept  off  the  foliage  by 
occasional  washings  with  the  engine,  and  dip  the 
points  of  the  shoots  in  Tobacco  water  to  free  them 
from  black  fiy.  Look  well  to  internal  borders,  and, 
while  guarding  against  forcing  a  second  growth 
by  giving  too  much  water,  see  that  the  roots  do 
not  suffer  from  drought.  If  the  lights  cannot  be 
taken  off,  ventilate  to  the  fullest  extent,  mulch 
inside  borders  to  keep  the  surface  roots  cool,  and 
give  a  moderate  watering  occasionally.  Attend  to 
pot  trees  now  in  the  open  air,  and  syringe  well 
after  bright  days.  Mulch  the  tops  of  the  pots 
with  rotten  manure ;  cover  up  the  sides  with  Fern 
or  litter,  and  give  just  enough  water  to  keep  the 
roots  progressing  in  the  new  compost. 

Plums. — Remove  early  kinds  to  the  open  air 
as  the  fruit  is  gathered,  and  treat  as  Cherries, 


always  bearing  in  mind  that  cleanliness  from  this 
time  until  the  leaves  fall  must  be  insisted  upon  if 
the  trees  are  to  start  fresh  and  free  from  insects 
in  the  spring.  Give  later  kind.=!  more  room  in  the 
house,  and  continue  the  syringing  with  pure  soft 
water  nntil  the  fruit  begins  to  change  for  ripening. 
It  is  hardly  necessary  for  us  to  say  an  easily  ex- 
cited tree  like  the  Plum  cannot  have  too  much  air 
at  this  season,  and  that  pots  now  full  of  hungry 
roots  cannot  have  too  much  water.  Late  kinds 
may  be  set  out-of-doors  for  a  time,  but  under  good 
management  this  is  not  necessary. 


KITCHEN  GARDEN. 
Now  is  a  good  time  to  sow  spring  Cabbages,  win- 
ter Lettuces — that  is.  Lettuces  for  cutting  through 
the  winter — and  Tripoli  Onions,  and  as  soon  as 
you  see  the  young  seedlings  appear  protect  with 
netting,  or  the  wind  will  ruin  the  crop.  To  make 
Cabbage  crops  pay,  the  plants  should  have  plenty 
of  room,  and  when  planted  after  Onions  without 
any  digging  they  should  be  strong  and  of 
one  size.  General  work  will  consist  in  hoeing, 
cultivating,  and  cleaning  among  all  growing 
crops.  Have  a  good  breadth  of  Parsley  for  the 
winter  i-upply.  Cut  all  herbs  that  are  in  flower, 
spreading  them  out  to  dry,  but  not  bunching  them 
green,  which  spoils  their  flavour.  Plant  out  the 
latest  batch  of  Celery,  and  earth  up  the  early 
rows  now  growing  vigorously.  Begin  now  to  get 
the  manure  together  for  the  October  Mushrooms, 
water  it  with  manure  water,  and  sprinkle  with  it  a 
little  salt. 


Fruit  Garden. 


ORCHARD  MANAGEMENT. 
An  American  writer  in  The  Garden  (p.  83)  be- 
wails the  condition  of  our  orchards.  He  says  their 
treatment  is  bad ;  n(/thing  could  well  be  worse. 
Now,  from  some  considerable  experience  1  feel 
constrained  to  say  that  not  one  in  a  hundred 
practical  fruit  growers  would  think  of  adopliig 
any  of  the  remedies  which  he  proposes.  His  main 
reliance  as  regards  improvement  consists  in  fre- 
quently clipping  the  Grass  with  a  lawn-mower 
and  leaving  it  to  fertilise  the  soil.  As  to  remov- 
ing the  early  crop  t  f  Grass  for  hay  in  June, 
whether  it  is  done  with  the  June  Grass  (Poa  pra- 
tensis)  or  any  other  Grass  matters  not.  Every 
grower  of  experience  is  agreed  that  one  cannot 
grow  hay  crops  and  good  fruit  together,  for 
hay  is  more  exhaustive  to  the  soil  than  growing 
vegetables  or  even  cereals  between  the  trees,  as 
you  must  of  necessity  manure  for  these  crops,  and 
the  trees  get  their  share  of  it ;  in  fact,  until  the 
trees  get  well  establithed,  cultivating  and  light 
cropping  is  probably  ihe  best  course  to  pursue, 
but  as  soon  as  the  trees  are  ten  or  twelve  years 
old  there  can  be  no  question  that  it  is  best  to  lay 
the  soil  down  in  permanent  pasture,  and  keep  the 
Grass  fed  off  closely  by  sheep  or  calves.  Never 
introduce  a  scythe  or  mowing-machine  into  the 
orchard  if  you  wish  for  fruit,  but  make  the 
orchard  the  winter  as  well  as  summer  quar- 
ters of  farm  stock  and  poultry.  Such  a 
course  will  help  the  fruit  crop,  for,  as  your 
correspondent  says,  it  is  a  question  of  manuring 
and  under-draining,  and,  I  would  remark,  very 
much  more  a  question  of  the  former  than  the 
latter,  for,  except  where  stagnant  water  prevails, 
under-draining  does  more  harm  than  good.  Your 
correspondent  gives  40  feet  apart  as  the  minimum 
distance  for  orchard  trees.  Well,  they  will  fill 
that  space  in  time,  but  it  is  wasteful  to  plant  them 
so  wide.  Better  far  plant  at  20  feet  apart,  and 
when  the  trees  require  the  space  take  out  every 
other  one  ;  but  that  necessity  need  never  arise,  for 
by  planting  large  strong-growing  kinds  in  alter- 
nate rows  with  those  of  less  robust  growth  both 
will  get  plenty  of  space  and  do  better  than  if  set 
out  at  such  extreme  dista  ces  apart.  There  cannot 
be  a  doubt  that  young  ti  es  help  one  another  in 
the  matter  of  shelter,  an.l  therefore  it  is  quite 
possible  to  plant  too  wide'y  apart.  That  there  is 
plenty  of  room  for  impro  ement  in  our  orchard 


AiG.  <),   KS84.] 


THE     GARDEN 


123 


managemtnt  I  readily  admit,  but  I  fear  your  cor- 
respondent has  not  seen  the  best  examples,  such, 
for  instance,  as  tli(5  largo  fruit  farms  ot  Messrs 
Skiuner  and  others  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Maid- 
stone, where,  I  feel  sure,  he  might  get  considerably 
enlightened  as  to  our  system  of  management. 
Goqwi-t.  J-  Groom. 


PROTECTION,  OR  NO  PROTECTION. 
AGREE  with  "  J.  S.  W."  as  regards  this  matter, 
that  is  if  I  have  read  Mr.  Baines'  remarks  aright. 
What  does  Mr.  Baines'  argument  amount  to  .'  Is 
it  not  that  the  management  of  wall  trees  on  the 
most  approved  system  will  have  a  decided  ten- 
dency to  enable  such  trees  to  withstand  spring 
frost— indeed,  that  without  protection  they  shall 
show  a  better  crop  after  10°  of  frost  than  trees 
not  so  well  cared  for,  so  far  as  cultural  excellence 
is  concerned,  but  which  have  received  artificial 
protection  until  all  danger  of  frost  is  over  ?  The 
argument  seems  to  be  based  on  the  assumption 
that  given  thinly  placed,  well-ripened  wood  and 
large,  well-developed  blossom,  the  trees  have  a 
better  chance  if  frost  comes  when  they  are  in 
bloom  than  they  otherwise  would  have  But 
what  does  this  avail  when  fruits  larger  than 
marbles  are  frozen  through  and  reduced  to  a  pulp  1 
My  own  idea  of  the  matter  is  that,  given  such 
frosts  as  we  have  experienced  this  spring,  and  we 
shall  require  ample  protection  for  all  kinds  of  fruit, 
and  the  question  of  Peaches  coming  safely  through 
the  ordeal  and  Gooseberries  freezing,  or  rice  rrrsa, 
is  practically  out  of  the  question  in  a  season  when 
nearly  all  wall  fruit  (unprotected)  is  swept  away. 
Is  there  not  some  special  natural  shelter  in  the 
case  of  the  Peach  wall  cited  by  Mr.  Baines  ?  It  is 
a  unique  and  certainly  a  gratifying  experience  to 
find  Peach  blossom  standing  14°  of  frost,  and  I 
for  one  must  decline  to  believe  that  any  special 
culture  can  effect  such  a  result,  however  good  the 
condition  of  the  trees  may  be.  Many  cases  have 
come  under  my  notice  of  wall  trees  of  every  kind 
being  reclaimed  after  remaining  for  years  in  a  ne- 
glected state,  and  of  their  bearing  cleaner  and  finer 
fruit  than  before  renovation,  but  I  never  knew  an 
instance  in  which  the  frost-resisting  power  of  the 
trees  was  strengthened  thereby.  It  certainly 
seems  expedient,  after  our  experience  this  season, 
to  anticipate  danger,  and  ventilate  thoroughly 
during  the  coming  months  the  question  of  the 
best,  cheapest,  and  most  convenient  form  of  pro- 
tection for  every  kind  of  wall  fruit.  I  fancy  all 
who  have  suffered  will  co-operate  in  this  matter, 
and  if  so,  out  of  evil  good,  perhaps,  may  come, 
and  the  disaster  of  1884  exceed  in  magnitude 
anything  that  shall  visit  our  trees  in  the  future. 
In  the  meantime  there  is  nothing  to  prevent  Mr. 
Baines  from  giving  us  a  few  hints  on  an  improved 
system  of  pruning,  training,  and  general  manage- 
ment of  wall  fruit  that  shall  prevent  Apricots, 
Peaches,  Pears  (and  also  Gooseberries  amongst 
bush  fruit)  from  being  reduced  in  a  single  night 
to  little  else  than  a  jelly.  E.  B.  C. 


FORMS  OF  FRUIT  TREES. 

We  have  a  fine  specimen  of  the  Crab  in  the 
grounds  here  that  I  have  carefully  noticed  an- 
nually for  the  last  twenty  years,  and  I  have  been 
much  struck  with  its  constant  production  of  an 
abundant  blossom,  as  well  as  its  beauty  at  that 
season.  The  tree  occupies  an  open  situation,  and 
has  never  been  meddled  with  by  the  knife  in  any 
way ;  consequently,  it  has  assumed  an  almost  per- 
fectly even  and  round  form  in  the  top — a  shape 
which  all  the  Apples  assume  sooner  or  later  if  not 
interfered  with  too  much.  About  fifteen  years 
ago  we  planted  a  number  of  Apple  trees  in  a  simi- 
lar position  to  that  occupied  by  the  Crab,  and,  ex- 
cept cutting  the  leading  shoot  off  once  or  twice, 
they  have  not  been  interfered  with,  and  they 
have  now  assumed  nearly  the  same  shape  as  the 
Crab  tree,  and  are  equally  fioriferous  and  fertile 
— always  presenting  an  even  sheet  of  flower  over 
the  whole  of  their  outer  surface.  The  natural 
habit  ot  the  Apple  is  to  produce  one  stem  or  trunk 
spreading  out  into  a  symmetrical  and  propor- 
tionate head,  and  any  interference  with  that  habit 


always  results  in  an  awkward-shaped  tree  unless 
constant  cutting  and  training  are  resorted  to  to 
keep  it  in  shape.  We  had  at  one  time  many 
low-spreading  Apple  trees  in  the  kitchen  garden 
here,  which  were  I'emoved  to  an  orchard  and 
allowed  to  grow  pretty  much  as  they  liked  ;  the 
result  was  that  the  numerous  side  limbs  ex- 
tended into  long  top-heavy  branches  that 
have  had  at  times  to  be  cut  back  to  keep  them 
erect,  and  these  trees  have  never  looked 
so  well  as  the  standards.  Clultivators  of  low 
bush-shaped  trees  on  the  natural  stock,  such 
as  are  convenient,  to  grow  round  the  margins  of 
kitchen  garden  plots,  always  train  them  with  an 
open  basin-shaped  centre,  which  is  the  exact  re- 
verse of  the  shape  assumed  by  the  tree  naturally, 
and  which  is  by  far  the  best,  as  can  easily  be 
shown.  The  round  umbrella-shaped  natural  head 
produces  all  its  fniit,  spurs,  and  crops  on  an  outer 
surface,  all  of  which  is  constantly  exposed  to  the 
sun  and  air,  the  leaves  and  branches  acting  as  a 
protection  and  support  beneath ;  whereas  in  the 
basin-shaped  tree  only  one  portion  of  the  branches 
receives  the  sun  at  a  time,  and  that  for  a  short 
period  only.  This  makes  a  considerable  difference 
in  the  quality  and  time  of  ripening  of  the  fruit, 
that  on  the  shaded  branches  being  latest  and 
greenest,  while  that  on  the  sunny  side  is  well 
coloured  and  large.  The  umbrella-shaped  top,  on 
the  other  hand,  receives  the  force  of  the  sun's  rays 
more  or  less  over  the  whole  of  its  surface  all  the 
day  through.  These  are  things  which  anyone  may 
see  for  himself  about  this  season  ;  he  will  notice 
that  the  tree  with  the  short  trunk  and  open  cup- 
shaped  centre  is  really  a  tree  turned  wrong  side 
out.  It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  almost  the  whole 
of  our  trained  trees  are  constructed  on  a  principle 
the  reverse  of  what  Nature  teaches.        J.  S.  W. 


Gooseberry  caterpillar.— For  getting  rid 
of  this  caterpillar  we  have  used  successfully  the 
following  mixture  for  these  last  six  years ;  of 
course  the  cure  is  not  complete  the  first  season. 
When  the  leaves  are  just  expanding  we  mix  well 
three  parts  of  quicklime  to  one  part  of  guano, 
and  apply  on  the  forks  of  the  bush,  about  a  tea- 
cupful  of  the  mixture,  which  falls  into  the  rough 
bark  and  on  to  the  ground.  This  should  be  done 
on  a  dry,  quiet  morning.  The  same  applied  to 
Rose  trees  prevents  the  brown  grub  from  attack- 
ing the  flower  buds.— Frances  Vigees,  The  Mole 
House,  Ilerskam. 

Remedy  for  cracked  Pears.— If  anyone 
has  a  Pear  tree  that  bears  spotted  or  cracked  fruit, 
says  the  New  Yuri:  Tribune,  let  him  sprinkle  wood 
ashes  freely  over  the  soil  beneath  the  tree,  as  far 
in  diameter  as  the  branches  extend — not  a  light 
sprinkle,  but  a  liberal  dressing.  Then  wash  the 
bark  thoroughly  with  strong  soap-suds  (old- 
fashioned  soft  soap  preferred),  with  the  addition 
of  lime-water  and  a  little  flowers  of  .sulphur.  I 
had  a  white  Doyenne  Pear  tree  treated  in  this 
way  that  previously  bore  only  imperfect  fruit, 
but  which  after  treatment  gave  some  delicious 
highly-coloured  specimens.  It  may  not  cure  in 
every  case,  but  it  will  do  no  harm. 

Inside  Vine  borders.  —  Jlr.  Baines  has 
devoted  a  column  to  my  question  relating  to  the 
Lambton  Vine  borders,  but  without  answering  it. 
Let  me  therefore  just  state  the  case  and  leave  it 
to  the  reader  to  judge.  Mr.  Baines  furnished  a 
case  of  Vines  planted  between  an  inside  and  an 
outside  border.  The  inside  roots  had  been  anually 
lifted  at  their  extremities  and  given  fresh  soil, 
and  finally  had  to  be  lifted  altogether  at  the  end 
of  fourteen  years  and  have  an  entire  new  border 
put  to  them — the  outside  roots  in  the  meanwhile 
carrying  the  Vines  and  crops  through  all  their 
vicissitudes  and  receiving  no  unusual  attention 
during  the  whole  of  the  time.  These  are  Mr. 
Baines'  facts  as  furnished  by  himself,  and  if  they 
do  not  deal  a  fatal  blow  to  his  theories  about  A"ine 
roots  preferring  inside  to  outside  borders,  I  am 
sure  I  cannot  conceive  of  any  kind  of  evidence 
more  likely  to  do  so. — J.  S.  W. 

Supposed  collection  of  Strawberries 
by  a  hedgehog. — An  acquaintance  informs  me  that 


a  few  days  since  his  terrier  found  a  hedgehog  in 
his  garden.  Knowing  the  value  of  these  little 
animals,  he  let  it  remain  there.  Within  a  day  or 
two  he  found  several  small  heaps  of  Strawberries 
collected  near  the  beds,  the  heaps  appearing  as  if 
a  plate  of  the  fruit  had  been  carefully  emptied  on 
the  ground.  Having  utterly  failed  to  discover  the 
cause  of  these  collections,  he  made  the  terrier 
hunt  the  place,  with  the  result  of  quickly  finding 
the  hedgehog,  at  whose  door  this  fruit-collecting 
and  presumable  fruit-eating  is  laid.  Is  there  any 
authority  for  such  a  supposition  / — Xel,  Callan, 
Co.  Kilkenny.  [We  should  say  not.  In  all  proba- 
bility the  little  heaps  were  made  by  human  agency, 
to  facilitate  wholesale  removal  at  a  convenient 
opportunity.  We  should  have  examined  thefruit 
for  indications  of  the  way  in  which  it  was  picked 
and  carried. — Ed.,  Fiehi.^ 

Fruit  trees  In  pots. — The  cases  which  Mr. 
Douglas  relates  of  successful  orchard  house  cul- 
ture, viz.,  those  of  himself  and  Mr,  Rivers,  are 
not  sufficient.  If  two  such  cultivators  had  failed, 
I  wonder  where  else  success  might  be  looked  for. 
Both  of  them  have  an  interest  in  putting  the  very 
best  face  possible  on  the  matter,  but  the  ques- 
tion is,  what  has  been  the  success  of  cultivators 
generally,  and  especially  of  those  numerous  ama- 
teurs for  whom  the  system  was  mainly  devised.  I 
made  an  exception  in  the  case  of  clever  profes- 
sional gardeners  like  Mr.  Douglas;  has  he  no 
other  examples  to  show  ?  and  are  the  calendarial 
instructions  on  the  orchard  house,  written  by  him, 
from  week  to  week,  a  true  representation  of  the 
labours  and  necessities  of  the  system  ?  If  they 
are,  no  other  is  needed,  for  these  instructions  show 
that  the  duties  of  the  orchard  house  are  such  as 
cannot  be  can-ied  out  successfully,  except  by  those 
who  employ  regular  gardeners,  and  that  the  same 
ends  could  be  better  secured  by  planting  out  in 
the  usual  way. — 8.  W. 

Black  Prince  Strawberry.— Except  for 
the  fact  that  it  furnishes  a  few  very  early  fruit, 
I  do  not  consider  this  Strawberry  worth  growing. 
It  certainly  cannot  be  compared  with  La  Grosse 
Sucrce,  and  I  find  but  little  difference  in  the 
earliness  of  the  two,  and  La  Grosse  Sucree  is  by 
far  the  better  fruit.  It  is  also  at  the  very  top  of 
the  tree  as  regards  forcing.  Our  three  best 
Strawberries  are  undoubtedly  La  Grosse  Sucrtie, 
Sir  Joseph  Paxton,  and  Dr.  Hogg,  but,  as  in  the 
case  of  every  other  fruit,  no  hard  and  fast  rule  can 
be  followed  in  the  selection  of  varieties  for  dif- 
ferent soils  and  localities.  I  have  an  idea,  how- 
ever, that  Black  Prince  will  succeed  in  a  much 
lighter  soil  than  is  acceptable  to  most  Straw- 
berries ;  indeed,  the  best  fruits  of  this  particular 
variety  I  ever  remember  to  have  seen  were  from  a 
light  south  border.  Where  it  has  a  damp  bottom 
there  always  seems  a  tendency  to  mildew.  It  is 
diflicult  to  get  the  old  Elton  Pine  true  now ;  a  lot 
of  plants  from  a  nursery  that  came  under  my 
notice  the  other  day  seemed  very  much  mixed. 
This  is  a  prodigious  cropper,  and  perhaps  the  most 
valuable  of  all  for  preserving  and  for  other 
culinary  purposes.- -E.  B. 

Apple  culture.—"  J.  S.  W."  (p.  7fi)  gives  ad- 
vice on  this  subject,  some  of  which  is  practical,  and 
some  not ;  for  instance,  who  would  have  the 
ground  paved  with  York  stone  or  slates  ?  Such 
an  undertaking  would  damp  the  ardour  of  most 
cultivators.  "  J.  S.  W."  appears  to  see  no  ob- 
stacle in  the  way  of  paving  an  orchard  2  feet 
beneath  the  soil,  but  a  good  deal  of  trouble  in 
judicious  pruning  both  roots  and  branches.  My 
advice  is  to  plant  Apples  so  that  they  will  pay, 
and  cottagers  should  be  given  trees  of  good  varie- 
ties with  which  to  pay  their  rents.  A  cottager,  a 
near  neighbour  of  mine,  rents  an  allotment  on 
which  there  are  four  Apple  trees.  On  two  succes- 
sive years  I  purchased  the  crop  on  two  of  those 
trees,  and  for  which  I  paid  within  a  few  shillings 
his  annual  rent.  I  gathered  the  Apples  myself, 
he  having  the  remaining  Apples,  Potatoes,  and 
good  breadths  of  other  useful  vegetables.  But 
Apples  to  have  their  own  way  rambling  over 
paving  stones  under  ground  and  waving 
their  unpruned  branches  in  the  wind  to  be 
Bpoiled    and   torn  by  gales  and  storms  will  not 


124 


THE     GARDEN 


[Aug.  9     1884. 


pay.  I  say  trench  the  ground  by  all  means,  and 
where  the  atmosphere  is  not  poisoned  by  smoke 
and  dust,  and  the  Oak,  Elm,  and  Ash  will  grow, 
plant  Apples,  and  if  they  grow  vigorously  prune 
them  judiciously.  If  you  do  not  know  how  to  do 
so,  go  to  the  nearest  practical  gardener,  and  ask 
him  to  show  you.  My  employer  contemplates 
planting  an  orchard  of  Apples  in  a  very  prominent 
position  for  the  beauty  of  the  blossom  and  the  fruit 
of  the  Apple.  The  running  wild  or  non-pruning 
system  will  not  pay.  We  must  never  forget  that 
the  grand  old  gardener  was  put  into  a  garden  "  to 
dress  it  and  to  keep  it." — R.  M.  T. 

5232.— Melon  roots. — The  decay  in  the  Melon 
roots  is  the  result  of  the  manure  dressing.  I  never 
give  my  Melons  any  manure  from  the  time  they 
are  planted  till  they  are  cut.  I  have  a  house  in 
which  the  fruit  will  soon  be  ripening.  I  set  the 
plants  in  good  loam,  and  they  are  everything  one 
could  desire,  both  as  regards  health  and  weight  of 
fruit.— R.  L. 

Allow  me  to  inform  "  R.  D."  that  he  made 

three  mistakes,  any  one  of  which  would  account 
for  his  failure.  In  using  road  scrapings  as  a 
compost,  the  wonder  is  that  the  plants  grew  at 
all,  as  sand  in  any  form  is  injurious  to  Melons. 
The  compost  which  I  use  myself  (and  I  have  grown 
Melons  for  a  number  of  years,  and  usually  cut 
ripe  fruit  in  May)  is  fresh,  heavy  loam,  about  a 
fourth  of  leaf-mould,  and  a  sprinkle  of  crushed 
bones,  the  whole  well  rammed.  Your  correspondent 
mulched  his  plants,  and  the  result  was  a  rank, 
luxuriant  growth,  a  thing  not  at  all  to  be  desired. 
It  is  to  prevent  a  luxuriant  growth  that  Melon 
seed  is  often  kept  till  the  third  or  fourth  year 
before  it  is  sown.  The  mulching  should  not  have 
been  applied  till  the  fruit  had  attained  the  size  of 
hen's  eggs.  I  prefer  giving  stimulants  in  a  liquid 
form,  simply  because  they  can  be  discontinued  at  the 
propertime ;  whereas  if  mulching  has  been  adopted, 
the  roots  continue  to  permeate  it,  to  the  detriment 
of  the  flavour  of  the  fruit.  "  R  D."  thinks  water- 
ing was  overdone,  and  no  doubt  it  was.  I  never 
water  a  Jlelon  plant  till  the  leaves  begin  to  flag, 
and  then  not  to  saturation.  The  plants  should 
have  beep  syringed  only  on  bright  afternoons  at 
closing  time.  An  occasional  syringing  with  diluted 
Tobacco  water  would  keep  down  insects.  As  a 
matter  of  course,  the  roots  were  the  first  part  of 
the  plants  to  decay.— CHARLES  E.  Magill,  DaU 
guise,  Monlistown,  Co.  Dublin. 


ROTTEN  FRUIT. 


It  is  sad  to  see  how  much  of  this  is  sold 
in  London.  When  fruit  is  forbidden,  as  it  fre- 
quently is  in  cholera  times,  it  is  no  doubt  rotten 
fruit  that  is  meant  and  that  is  harmful.  In 
the  central  row,  Covent  Garden,  we  saw  a  number 
of  boxes  of  Tomatoes  exposed  in  a  decomposed 
state,  though  the  skin  was  whole.  The  Tomato  is 
peculiar  in  not  showing  decay  so  easily  as  other 
fruits  and  vegetables,  and  great  quantities  of  it 
are  sold  and  eaten  in  a  bad  state.  Coming  to 
other  and  dessert  fruits,  anyone  who  notices  them 
in  our  great  markets  may  see  unpleasant  sights. 
Now  and  then  the  dealer  himself  promptly  esti- 
mates the  value  of  some  of  his  stock,  and  throws 
his  Cherries  down  in  the  street,  where  they  add  to 
the  now  popular  attractions  of  Covent  Garden.  It 
is  to  be  wished  others  would  do  so  too ;  but,  alas  ! 
in  the  very  central  row  of  our  great  fruit  market 
it  is  common  to  see  outside  the  good  shops  fruit 
offered  in  a  state  of  decay.  In  Fenchurch  Street 
the  other  day  we  saw  Peaches  marked  Is.  Cd.  each, 
which  on  examination  proved  to  be  nearly  "  half 
gone"  with  the  mouldy  decay  common  to  the 
Peach.  That  a  dealer  in  such  a  street  should 
charge  at  the  rate  of  18s.  per  dozen  for  rotten 
Peaches  is  an  exceptional  case ;  but  why  should 
fruit  dealers  be  allowed  to  sell  at  any  price  garbage 
that  may  be  dangerous  to  health  ?  And  if  this  be 
done,  as  we  know  it  is,  outside  of  good  shops  (at 
a  low  and  tempting  price,  it  is  true),  what  may 
we  not  expect  in  some  of  the  poorer  districts  ? 
Well,  our  experience  is  that,  either  for  extortionate 
charges  or  such  things  as  we  point  out  above,  the 
practices  in  Covent  Garden  are  much  worse  than 


at  suburban  or  district  shops.  The  antiquity  and 
fame  of  this  central  institution  are  such  that  the 
less  scrupulous  tradesmen  in  it  take  greater  liber- 
ties in  all  ways  than  anyone  with  a  local  business 
to  support  could  venture  to  do.  Happily,  all  the 
dealers  there  are  not  of  the  class  we  allude  to ; 
indeed,  some  of  them  have  the  best  houses  in  the 
trade.  Still,  in  this  matter  of  offering  outside 
their  shops  fruit  in  an  unfit  state  even  good  houses 
err ;  that  they  do  so  without  fear  or  hesitation 
shows  what  may  be  done  elsewhere.  The  inspec- 
tion of  fruit  is  far  from  being  as  thorough  as  it 
should  be,  if  inspection  there  be  at  all.  Certainly 
decayed  fruit  does  not  call  eloquent  attention  to 
itself,  as  fish  and  meat  in  a  bad  condition  do  ;  but 
nevertheless  it  is  dangerous  food,  the  sale  of  which 
should  be  forbidden  and  effectively  controlled  in 
times  when  plagues  are  in  the  air,  if  not  at  all 
times.  In  any  case,  those  who  enjoy  Tomatoes 
with  their  chops  in  London  restaurants  would  do 
well  to  glance  at  the  Tomatoes,  whatever  they 
may  do  with  the  chop.  This  is  a  fruit  (or  vege- 
table, as  some  may  prefer  to  call  it)  which  can 
never  bear  long  carriage,  but  which  is  brought  in 
quantities  from  Spain,  Portugal,  and  other  dis- 
tricts in  South  Europe  to  our  markets.  It  is 
abundantly  sold  in  a  bad  state,  the  glossy  skin 
concealing  the  fact  from  most  observers,  especially 
the  many  who  pay  no  attention  to  what  they  eat, 
If  the  numerous  glass  houses,  pits,  and  frames 
that  in  our  country  are  empty,  or  nearly  so,  during 
the  summer  months  were  used,  as  they  might  be, 
for  the  growth  of  Tomatoes,  there  would  be  less 
need  to  bring  from  distant  countries  a  wholesome 
esculent  now  steadily  growing  in  favour.—  Field. 


RECENT  PLANT  PORTRAITS. 

Scutellaria  Lehmanni,  Calimeris  Al' 
BERTI  (Regel's  Oartenfora,  plate  1152). — The 
first-named  of  the  above  is  a  herbaceous  plant 
bearing  small  bunches  of  short,  tubular,  deed 
rose-coloured  flowers,  somewhat  resembling  those 
of  Salvia  porphyrantha.  The  second  is  a  graceful 
growing  slender-stemmed  plant,  bearing  at  the 
end  of  each  branchlet  a  single  pale  lilac  composite 
flower  not  unlike  that  of  Lactuca  perennis. 

Yucca  Whiplei  viol.\cea  (Revue  Hortieole 
for  July  16).— A  variety  of  the  comparatively 
well-known  Y.  Whiplei,  with  the  lower  half  of 
the  petals  stained  on  the  outside  with  a  deep 
violet  colour,  the  upper  half  being  white  as  usual. 
This  curious  and  distinct  variety  bloomed  for  the 
first  time  last  summer  in  the  Botanic  Garden  at 
Hy^res,  in  the  south  of  France.  The  flowers  are 
said  to  exhale  a  strong  odour  resembling  that  of 
the  common  white  Lily,  but  less  sweet. 

L^elia  eleGANS  alba  (Illustration  Hortieole, 
plate  526)  — A  fine  double  plate  of  this  beautiful 
Orchid,  the  tube  and  five  petals  of  which  are  of 
the  purest  white  and  the  lip  clear  deep  rose  colour, 
forming  a  charming  cotrast. 

Aphelandra  ateovirens  (Illustration  Horti- 
eole, plate  527)  —A  variety  of  this  well-known 
family  of  stove  shrubs  introduced  by  the  Com- 
pagnie  Continentale  of  Ghent  from  Bahia,  with 
pointed  leaves  of  the  darkest  shade  of  olive-green 
and  spikes  of  small  yellow  flowers.  It  is  said  to 
be  of  a  dwarf  and  compact  habit  of  growth. 

Beschobneria  Decosteriana  (Botanieal  Ma- 
gazine, plate  6768)  — A  double  plate  of  this  tall- 
growing  green-flowered  Amaryllid,  which  flowered 
in  the  Cactus  house  at  the  Royal  Gardens,  Kew,  in 
the  early  summer  of  this  year.  The  plant  was 
received  from  Herr  Max  Leitchlin,  of  Baden- 
Baden,  several  years  ago. 

Rhododendron  multicolor  (Botanieal  Ma- 
gazitie,  plate  6769). — Two  very  distinct  and  pretty 
small-flowered  forms  of  this  well-known  family, 
the  one  with  deep  rose-coloured,  the  other  with 
primrose-yellow  flowers.  Introduced  by  Messrs. 
Veitch  from  Sumatra,  through  their  collector,  Mr. 
Curtis,  and  requiring  the  temperature  of  a  cool 
stove. 

Berbebis  conoestifolia  var.  hakeoides 
(Botanical  Magazine,  plate  0770). — This  is  a  very 
striking  plant,  and  quite   unlike  any  Barberry 


hitherto  cultivated.  It  forms  a  large  bush,  with 
decurved  branches  loaded  with  globose  masses  of 
flowers,  some  of  which  are  sessile  in  the  axils  of 
the  leaves,  and  more  form  consecutive  heads  ses- 
sile on  the  long  leafless  terminations  of  the 
branches,  which  give  the  shrub  a  very  singular 
appearance.  It  is  a  native  of  Chili,  whence  it 
was  sent  in  1861  to  Messrs.  Veitch  by  their  col- 
lector, the  late  Richard  Pearce,  and  blooms  an- 
nually in  the  spring  in  their  Coombe  Wood  Nur- 
sery. 

0DONTOGLO3SUM  Edwardi  (Botanical  Maga- 
zine, plate  6771). — This  handsome  Orchid  is  a 
native  of  Ecuador,  where  it  was  discovered  by 
Edward  Klaboch,  after  whom  it  has  been  named. 
Its  flowers  are  deep  purple,  of  medium  size,  and 
produced  en  the  lateral  branches  of  a  tall  central 
spike  or  flower-stem.  The  specimen  here  figured 
flowered  at  Kew  in  April  of  the  present  year. 

Salvia  discolor  (Botanical  Magazine,  plate 
6772). — This  remarkable  plant  is  a  native  of  Peru, 
and  has  excited  a  good  deal  of  interest  from  its 
strikingly  bold  and  handsome  port  and  the  deep, 
almost  black,  hue  of  its  flowers.  It  was  first  ex- 
hibited by  Mr.  Cannell  under  the  name  of  Salvia 
nigricans,  and  is  also  known  under  the  name  of 
S.  mexicana  var.  minor.  The  specimen  here  figured 
came  from  the  Cambridge  Tlniversity  Botanic 
Garden  from  Mr.  R.  Irwin  Lynch. 

Htpoctbta  brevicaltx  (Revue  tie  V  Horticul- 
ture Beige  for  August). — A  curious  gesneriaceous 
plant,  already  figured  in  Van  Houtte's  "  Flore  des 
Serres  "  under  the  name  of  Pearcea  hypocyrtiflora 
in  the  17th  volume,  plate  1762,  of  that  work.  It 
has  handsome  rounded  foliage,  distinctly  ribbed 
with  white,  and  singular  orange  globular  flowers 
resembling  a  Pear  in  shape.  W.  E .  G. 


Cotton  Lavender  for  edging  bouquets. 

— Anything  that  proves  useful  for  cutting  and 
that  is  perfectly  hardy  and  accessible  every  day 
in  the  year  deserves  notice ;  such  is  the  Cotton 
Lavender  (Santolina  incana).  This  must  not  be 
confounded  with  the  rather  rare  Sea  Cotton  (Dio- 
tis  maritima)  that  possesses  none  of  its  merits.  I 
recently  observed  a  lady  making  a  bouquet  ex- 
clusively of  hardy  flowers.  For  the  customary 
Adiantum  cuneatum  or  A.  gracillimum  she  sub- 
stituted this,  and  as  it  contrasts  well  with  almost 
any  colour  except  pure  white — which  she  kept 
towards  the  centre— and  holds  freth  for  fully 
a  month  if  necessary,  its  merits  certainly  de- 
serve recognition  among  hardy  flowers  for  this 
purpose. — W.  J.  Murphy. 


LATE  NOTES. 


Grub  (J.  0.  F.).— Send  specimens  of  it,  and  then  we 
may  be  al)le  to  tell  you  sometliiiig  aljout  it. 

Exhibiting  plants.— All  the  plants  you  name  may  be 
shown  as  greenhouse  plants,  except  the  Achimenes,  which 
some  might  consider  stove  plants. 

Climbers  (5.  r.).— Try  Lonicera  sempervireus  minor. 
Clematis  indivlsa,  Rhodochiton  volubile,  Tacsonia  Van 
Vol.xemi,  Bougainvillea  glabra,  Bignonia  speciosa,  and  B. 
capreolata. 

Certificating  plants  at  South  Ken.lngton.— 
Will  you  allow  nie  to  inform  the  writer  of  the  note  in  THE 
Gakden  (p.  5U)tliat  since  the  floral  committee  w.ts  divided 
it  has  become  two  small  committees  ;  that  the  Primrose 
and  the  Orchid  were  judged  at  dilferent  tables.  The  Orchid 
I  did  not  see.  The  Primrose,  thougli  a  small  plant,  !iad 
one  head  of  bloom  and  another  in  bud  ;  the  colour  was 
very  pretty  and  distinct,  and  the  plant  was  new  to  the 
experts  on  the  committee,  who  thought  it  a  valuaiile  addi- 
tion to  its  class,  and  therefore  voted  it  a  first-class  certifl- 
cate.— .4.  Member  of  ihe  Committee. 

Names  of  plants.— H.  D.  JS.—\,  Dendrobium  Dra 

conis  ;  2,  D.  Pierardi. Mac. — We  cannot  name  sorts  o£ 

Viola,  as  we  have  no  means  of  comparison. L.  'V.  D. — 

Zenobia  speciosa  pulverulenta J.  L.  B.,   Tintern. — I, 

species  of  Helianthus  ;  2,  Helianthus  decapetalus  ;  3,  Rud- 
beckia  laciniata ;  4,  Scabiosa-like  plant  is  not  caucasica, 

but  Cephalaria  procera ;  pinlc  flower,  .Spinea  callosa. • 

E.  M.  JS. — AVe  cannot  name  varieties  of  Carnation  ;  this 

can  only  be  done  accurately  by  specialists. W.  Nelson. 

—1,  Begonia  Evansiana ;  send  flowers  as  well  as  foliage  of 
the  others. H.  F.  C.—l,  Campanula  glomerata  (Clus- 
tered Bellflower) ;  2,  Campanula  Trachelium  ;  3,  Echium 

vulgare  (Viper's  Bugloss). J.  Bowley. —Echinops  ruthe- 

uicus. //.  i(. —Appears  to  be  Rose  Celeste, J.  W.  K. 

—1,  Lysmiadiia  ciliata  ;  2,  Lastrea  thelypteris ;  3,  Epilo- 

bium  longipes. C^.  iVtsbe^.— Frjiucoa  ramosa. C.  D. — 

Bouvardia  leiantha. IK.  T.— Abutilon  vexillarium. 


THE     GARDEN 


125 


Ho.  ees.  SATURDAY,  Aug.  16,  1884.  Vol.  XXVI. 


"  This  is  nn  Art 
Which  ihtes  nipnd  Vntiirp  :  chanore  it  rather  :  lf.lt 
The  art  itself  is  y .\n\:-RT.:'—Shakcgpmre. 


HORTICULTURAL  CONFERENCES. 
I  SEK  it  is  proposed  to  hold  another  "  conference  " 
at   Chiswick,  and  the  question   which   naturally 
occurs  to  one  is  why  call  another  conference  on 
any  horticnltnral  subject  before  the  labours  of 
the  last  one  have  been  brought  to  a  close  and  its 
results  communicated  to  the  public.     The  Apple 
show  last  year  went  off  pretty  successfully,  and 
the  reports  of  it  published  in  the  horticultural 
papers  were  interesting,  but  of  the  results  of  the 
conference  on  the  subject  not  a  word  has  been 
heard,  and  according  to  a  contemporary,  which 
affects  a  kind  of  side  interest  in  such  things 
without  incurring  any  kind  of  responsibility,  there 
is  exceedingly  little  prospect  of  the  report  of  the 
Apple  Congress  ever  seeing  the  light  of  day.    Is 
it  true  that  the  laborious  investigations  and  ob- 
servations of  the  esperts  on  that  occasion  were  of 
such  a  nature  that  they  cannot  be  reduced  to  any 
practical  or  useful  shape  fit  to  pass  muster  ?  and 
if  that  be  so,  why,  in  the  name  of  all  that  is  rea- 
sonable, are  the  same   parties  going  to  saddle 
themselves  with   another  congress  about   some- 
thing else  7     Conferences    are    not  things    that 
should  come  too  often,  and  unless  they  accom- 
plish something,  there  is  no  need  for  them  at  all. 
If  a  show  of  some  special  fruit  is  desirable  and 
likely  to  pay,  have  it  by  all  means,  but  call  it  a 
"  show,"  and  not  a  "  congress  ''  or  a  "  conference," 
when  it  is  neither  the  one  nor  the  other.    The 
Royal  Horticultural  Society  has  always   been  a 
most  pretentious  body,  giving  itself  big  airs  and 
all  that  sort  of  thirg,  but  we  all  know  how  little 
it  has  done  during  the  last  twenty  or  twenty-five 
years.     To  make  another  conference  successful, 
says  your  contemporary,  "some  different  policy 
must  be  adopted  than  that  which  so  far  has  pre- 
vented the  publication  of  any  official  report  of  the 
results  of  that  unprecedented  meeting."    What  or 
who  was  it,  many  would  like  to  know,  that  pre- 
vented the  results   of  the  congress  being  pub- 
lished ?     After  all  the  anticipations  indulged  in 
by  the  promoters  of  the  Apple  Congress,  not  to 
mention  their   promises   to   those  who    assisted 
them  by  their  contributions  and  otherwise  and  to 
the  public,  and  the  success  of  the  show  finan- 
cially, the  society  should  keep  good  faith  by  fur- 
nishing the  promised  result  of  its  labours  before 
soliciting  further  favours  and  interest  on  behalf  of 
another  probably  fruitless  venture  of  the  same 
ki'id.  J.  s.  W. 


AUTUMN  SOWN  ANNUALS. 
To  judge  by  the  rarity  of  the  practice,  it  appears 
that  the  importance  of  autumn  sowing  in  the  case 
of  many  hardy  annuals  is  not  generally  appre- 
ciated, but  it  is  an  undoubted  fact  that  these  plants 
sown  in  autumn  acquire  a  vigour  never  equalled 
by  the  same  seed  sown  in  spring.  Those  of  us  who 
are  accustomed  to  have  a  hedge  of  Sweet  I'eas  in 
full  bloom  in  the  first  week  in  June,  with  grand 
heads  of  fiower,  commonly  four  flowers  on  a  stalk, 
and  the  stalks  stout  and  15  inches  long  with 
a  corresponding  vigour  of  foliage,  consider  with 
reason  that  others  who  only  sow  in  spring  and  get 


a  puny  growth  of  some  5  feet  with  comparatively 
small  short-stalked  flowers  some  time  in  July, 
do  not  know  what  a  fine  plant  the  Sweet  Tea 
really  is,  and  the  same  with  many  other  annual 
plants. 

Though  many  of  the  kinds  offered  in  seed  lists 
are  scarcely  ornamental,  even  when  well  grown, 
numbers  of  others  among  those  that  really  have 
merit  are  not  given  a  chance  of  showing  what 
they  might  be,  because  the  comrcon  practice  is  to 
sow  in  spring,  and  a  puny,  half-developed  growth 
is  the  result,  and  so  the  plant  undeservedly  gets  the 
character  of  "  weedy  rubbish."    After  all,  autumn 
sowing  is   only  profiting  by  a  natural  example. 
Seeds  ripen  in  late  summer  and  early  autumn  and 
fall  on  the  ground,  when  the  first  suitable  wea- 
ther starts  them  into  life.  Our  habit  (in  a  southern 
county  in  warm  soil)  is  to  sow  most  hardy  an- 
nuals  between  the  middle  and  end  of   August, 
the  exact  time,  of  course,  being  determined  by 
the  weather  and  state  of  the  ground  ;  Sweet  I'eas 
we  sow  in  the  third  week  in  September.     We  like 
to  get  them  such  a  size  as  to  stand  through  the 
winter  4  inches  high,  and  they  are  partly  pro- 
tected by  being  sown  in  a  shallow  trench.     Other 
annuals  may  be  sown   either  where  they  are  to 
bloom  or  in  open  seed  beds  and  transplanted  in  any 
winter  month  in  mild  weather — even  French  and 
Opium  Poppies  may  be  transplanted  in  winter 
As  the  season  for  sowing  is  now  at  hand,  it  may 
be  useful  to  offer  a  list  of  choice  hardy  annuals 
that  can  be  confidently  recommended  for  autumn 
sowing,  and  especially  I  would  commend  them  to 
the  notice  of  those  who  love  beautiful  flowers,  but 
who  "  never  grow  annuals  because  they  are  such 
rubbish" :  — 

Oxyura  chryaanthemoides 

Eschsclioltzia  catifornica 
tenuifolia 

Godetia  Lady  Satin  Rose 
Duchess  of  Alliany 

Hymenoxis  californioa 

rnpaver  sonmiferum 
umbrosum 

Poppies,  Frencli 

Svieet  Peas 


<*mphalodes  linifolia 
Schizanthus  Grahami 

retusus  albus 
.'^ilene  pendula  compacta 
Neniopliila  insi^'nis 
leptosiplion  roseus 
Linaria,  purple 
Dianthus  IJeddewigi 
Platystemun  cai  foriiicum 
Krysimuni  arliansanum 
West  Surrey. 


G.  J. 


FERNS  FOR  BASKETS. 

In  the  ferneries  at  Kew  a  large  number  of  Ferns 
are  grown  in  wire  baskets  suspended  from  the 
roof,  and  the  majority  of  them  are  not  only  seen 
to  much  better  advantage  in  that  way  than  in  any 
other,  but  are  apparently  much  happier  thus  treated 
than  when  grown  in  pots.  By  growicg  thedroop- 
irg  species  of  Ferns  in  suspended  baskets,  a  large 
area  of  unused  space  may  be  turned  to  good  ac. 
count,  and  where  stage  room  is  limited  this  is  a 
consideration  not  to  be  lost  sight  of.  The  baskets 
in  use  at  Kew  are  made  of  stout  galvanised  wire, 
and  are  half  globe-shaped  with  three  wires  as  arms 
by  which  to  suspend  them.  They  vary  in  size 
from  6  inches  to  2  feet  in  diameter,  the  depth 
decreasing  as  the  basket  widens,  so  that  a  2-foot 
basket  is  only  1  foot  deep,  whilst  those  of  6  inches 
in  width  are  the  same  in  depth.  A  lining  of  thin 
slices  of  fibry  peat  in  placed  all  round  on  the  in- 
side of  the  basket,  which  is  then  filled  up  with  a 
compost  according  to  the  requirements  of  the 
plant  it  is  meant  to  contain.  Two  kinds  of  Ferns, 
or  a  Fern  and  a  Selaginella,  are  planted  in  each 
basket,  the  one  to  occupy  the  upper  portion,  the 
other  to  cover  the  peat  and  sides  of  the  basket.  If 
the  house  in  which  these  baskets  are  suspended  is 
not  kept  very  moist,  it  will  be  found  safest  to  take 
down  each  basket  once  a  day  and  dip  the  whole 
*nto  water,    A  stout  rod  with  a  hook  on  the  erd 


like  a  butcher's  hook-stick  is  a  nseful  tool  for  tak- 
ing down   these  baskets.      A  little  attention  is 
necessary  at  first  to  the  training  of  the  growths 
which  are  to  cover  the  sides ;   after  which  the 
growths  may  be  allowed  to  take  their  own  way. 
The  following  are  some  of  the  most  striking  of  the 
Fern  baskets   in   the  Ivew  collection  :     Davallia 
pallida  (sjn.,  Mooreana)  for  the  central  plant,  with 
Selaginella  flexuosa   for    the    sides.     These  two 
graceful  plants  combine  with  the  most  charming 
effect,  the  pale  green   of  the   Davallia  and  the 
arching  character  of  its  spreading  fronds  going 
well  with  the  long  slender  growths  of  the  Sela- 
ginella, the  leaves  of    which    are    dark    shining 
green  and  the  stems  purplish  coloured.  Asplenium 
Bellangeri  and  Selaginella  uncinata,  the  first  a 
well-known  F^ern  of  great   beauty,  and  its  com- 
panion,  the  "  blue  "Selaginella,   whose   metallic 
tint  and  creeping,  fast-growing  habit  render   it 
especially  useful  for  covering  baskets,  &c.  Either 
the  common  Selaginella  or  one  of  the  above-men- 
tioned is  used  for  covering  the  baskets  containing 
plants  of  the  following,  viz.,  Adiantum  farleyense, 
a  first-class  basket  plant,  as  witness  the  immense 
balls  of  it  that  form  a  feature  in  the  large  house  at 
Chatsworth;  A.  gracillimum,  beautiful  anywhere, 
but  very  attractive  when  grown   in  a  basket;  A. 
Moorei  (syn.,  amabile),  the  best  of  all  the  Adian- 
tums  for  basket  work ;  of  this  there  are  some 
beautiful  specimens  at  Kew  ;  A.  Wagneri  and  of 
course  A.  caudatum,  or,  as  it  is  sometimes  called, 
Edgeworthi.     These  are  a  few  of  the  Adiantums 
which  are  grown  in  baskets  at  Kew,  but  there  is 
no  reason  why  the  majority  of  the  plants  of  this 
genus  should   not  be  grown   satisfaotoiily  when 
treated  as  basket  plants.  Many  of  the  Aspleniums 
are  fitted  to  be  employed  in  the  same  way,  whiist 
some  of  them  cannot  well  be  grown  in  any  other. 
A.  longissimum  belongs  to  these  latter  kinds.     It 
is  represented  at  Kew  by  a  specimen  with  a  spread 
of  about  3  feet,  and  fronds  measuring  as  much  as 
8  feet  in  length.     Where  room  can  be  spared  for 
this  plant  to  develop  properly  it  proves  itself  to  be 
one  of  the  noblest  basket  plants  among  Ferns. 
Polypodium  appendiculatum  has  long  feather-like 
fronds  of  a  deep  sea-green  colour,  with  the  veins, 
rachis,  and  sori  beautifully  tinged  with  chocolate- 
red.   When  grown  in  a  warm  house  and  suspended 
close  to  the  glass,  the  colour  in  the  fronds  of  this 
Fern  is  very  bright  and  clear.     1'.  lachnopus,  with 
arching  feather-like  fronds,  is  pale  green,  and  upon 
the  pinn;e  are  two  rows  of  closely  stt  sori,  which 
are  pale  brown  in  colour,  and  have  an  attractive 
appeaiance.      P.  chnocdes  is  another  handsome 
member  of  this  genus  for  cultivation  in  baskets. 
The  almost  hardy   Pteris   scaberula  grows  most 
luxuriantly  when  planted  in  a  basket  and  sus- 
pended near  the  glass  in  a  cool  fernery,  a  basket 
of  it  at  Kew  looking  like  a  large  ball  of  fronds  of 
the  healthiest  green.     That  Ferns  may  be  grown, 
and  grown  well  in  baskets,  is  abundantly  evident 
from  what  is  done  at  Kew  in  this  way,  where,  in 
addition  to  those  above  noted,  there  are  numerous 
other  kinds  growing  and  thriving  ucder  basket 
treatment. 

Of  course  it  may  be  said  that  almost  any  plant 
will  do  well  in  a  basket  suspended  cloie  to  the 
o-lass,  and  given  the  proper  amount  of  attention, 
but  it  is  the  special  adaptability  of  Ferns  for  this 
treatment,  as  seen  in  their  superior  appearance, 
that  leads  ns  to  recommend  this  practice  for  gene- 
ral adoption,  and  more  particularly  for  adoption 
in  gardens  where  suitable  positions  on  the  stages 
for  Ferns  are  but  limited.  !>. 


126 


THE    GARDEN 


[AiG.  16,  I8F4. 


XOTES  OX   GARDEN  TOriCS. 

Scheme    for   a   garden  exhibition. — 

This  idea  will  commend  itself  to  lovers  of  gardens 
and  gardeners ;  there  is  utility  in  it.  Flower  shows 
are  being  overdone,  for  although  they  have  to 
some  extent  served  a  purpose,  they  have  not  con- 
ferred that  practical  benefit  on  horticulture  that 
■was  expected  of  them.  The  garden  exhibition  is 
a  different  thing,  but  how  long  is  it  to  last  ?  one 
season  would  be  too  short.  It  has  been  suggested 
before  that  if  our  botanical  gardens — some  of  them 
botanical  only  in  name  —  would  furnish  annually 
practical  examples  of  the  best  styles  of  gardening, 
even  if  on  a  small  scale,  which  the  people  could 
see  and  appreciate,  much  good  might  be  effected 
and  a  better  taste  promoted.  At  present  snch  gar- 
dens but  reflect  the  fashion  prevailing  at  the  time, 
and  furnish  but  second-rate  examples  of  that. 
With  the  means  at  their  disposal  many  public 
gardens  might  do  much  good  in  this  way,  but 
whatever  phase  they  took  up  it  would  have  to  be 
carried  out  on  a  comprehensive  scale  and  in  an 
intelligent  manner.  Look  at  the  miserable  and 
barbarous  attempts  at  gardening  which  one  tees  in 
the  suburbs  of  large  towns,  for  example,  and  the 
copying  of  all  the  good,  bad,  or  fantastic  plans 
and  styles  that  go  on,  and  then  imagine  how  much 
improvement  might  be  effected  if  in  some  public 
garden  accessible  to  such  people  they  could  see  in 
what  taste  and  good  culture  consisted.  If  a  so- 
ciety in  London  was  to  originate  something  of 
this  kind,  as  The  Garden  proposes,  no  doubt 
other  towns  and  gardens  would  copy,  for  we  all 
know  how  much  gardeners  are  given  to  imitation 
in  such  matters.  Many  a  gardener  has  thought 
before  now  how  much  our  Royal  Horticultural 
Society  might  have  done  had  it  periodically 
illustrated  the  best  styles  of  ornamental  gar- 
dening and  the  best  practices  in  cultural  matters 
instead  of  frittering  away  its  resources  as  it  has 
done. 

Orchid  importations.— It  is  said  the  mar- 
ket is  at  present  glutted  with  importations  of 
Orchids,  and  that  the  haunts  of  the  popular  species 
grow  more  and  more  inaccessible,  and  the  cost  of 
importation  greater,  while  prices  fall.  Conse- 
quently, collectors  are  being  recalled,  and  by  the 
end  of  the  present  year  there  will  probably  be 
fewer  of  them  in  the  field  than  there  has  been  for 
a  long  time.  The  collections  of  some  firms  amount 
now  to  hundreds  of  thousands,  and  it  is  ex- 
pected that  a  cessation  in  the  supply  from  abroad, 
together  with  the  constant  and  great  mortality 
among  collections  in  private  gardens,  will  raise 
prices  to  the  maximum  figure  in  two  or  three  years. 
Those  who  have  the  best  means  of  knowing  say 
that  many  of  the  more  tender  species  are  only 
short-lived  on  the  average  in  private  places.  Be- 
sides, notwithstanding  the  opinion  entertained  to 
the  contrary,  certain  popular  species,  like  Dendro- 
biumWardianum,  forexample,  aregrowingscarce — 
plants  fit  for  gathering  at  least — and  collectors  will 
have  to  wait  till  they  grow  again.  Another  reason 
of  glut  is  the  discontinuance  of  Orchid  culture 
in  many  gardens,  owing  to  its  cost.  Private  collec- 
tions are  being  constantly  dispersed,  and  .several 
of  the  most  noted  and  extensive  have  lately  been 
privately  disposed  of. 

Market  Grapes.— So  the  Black  Hamburgh 
Grape  is  doomed  as  a  market  Grape,  it  is  said,  and 
we  daresay  it  is  true  to  some  extent.  The  same 
is  said  of  the  Alicante  and  Lady  Downes,  which 
are  giving  way  to  the  Gros  Colmar.  One  hears  of 
great  extensions  in  some  vineyards  for  the  culture 
of  this  Grape  exclusively.  A  certain  class  of 
people  are  content  to  stock  their  cellars  with 
inferior  wines  and  bad  champagne,  and  we  dare- 
say the  same  people  will  regard  a  Gros  Colmar 
Grape  as  good  as  a  Muscat  or  a  Hamburgh,  or 
any  other  ;  but  in  private  gardens,  where  the  pro- 
duce is  used  at  home,  we  have  as  yet  heard  of  no 
instance  of  the  Gros  Colmar  supplanting  the  su- 
perior kinds.  It  is  perfectly  needless  for  the  ad- 
vocates of  the  Gros  Colmar  to  recommend  it  for 
quality.  It  is  a  good  grower  and  bearer,  looks 
well,  and  sells  well,  but  that  is  all  that  can  be 
said  in  its  favour. 


Seedling  Carnations —For  the  border 
these  bid  fair  to  supersede  named  kinds  and  Mule 
Pinks,  for  in  diversity  of  habit  and  colour  they 
may  be  said  to  embrace  both.  One-year-old  seed- 
lings flower  most  freely,  beating  plants  from  cut- 
tings in  that  respect.  Our  seedlings  are  just  a 
mass  of  flower  at  the  present  time,  and  the  flowers 
are  of  all  shades — fiery  scarlet,  crimson,  white, 
blush,  and  intermediate  hues — and  of  all  degrees 
of  doubleness,  while  the  broad-petalled  single 
forms  are  also  very  pretty,  and  some  of  them  of 
wonderful  size.  Like  all  seedlings,  the  plants  are 
vigorous,  and  will  doubtless  produce  great  quanti- 
ties of  flower  the  second  and  third  years.  We 
understand  there  never  was  such  a  demand  for 
border  Carnations  as  there  has  been  during  the 
past  year  or  two.  Some  members  of  the  trade 
disposed  of  50,000  plants  or  more  in  a  few  months 
in  the  early  part  of  the  year.  This  increasing  po- 
pularity of  the  Carnation  is  due  to  the  fact  of 
gardeners  and  others  becoming  familiarised  with 
it  as  a  hardy  plant  of  easy  culture,  and  to  its  ceas- 
ing  to  be  regarded  as  a  florist's  favourite,  only 
to  be  coddled  in  pots  and  frames  during  the 
greater  part  of  its  existence. 

Natural  and  formal  Picotees.— Those 
two  figures  in  The  Garden  a  couple  of  weeks 
back  show  better  than  any  words  could  do  how 
widely  divergent  the  florists'  ideas  are  from 
Nature.  Both  the  cuts  are  good  and  accurate,  and 
I  suppose  even  florists  in  the  exercise  of  their  own 
good  taste  would  prefer  the  right  hand  Hower  on 
the  plate  for  a  button-hole  anywhere.  The  two 
forms  have  not  the  least  resemblance  to  each 
other,  and  a  glance  at  the  figures  and  a  comparison 
show  that  the  florist's  ideal  Carnation  could  have 
no  counterpart  in  Nature.  It  was  his  own  pure  in- 
vention and  nothing  else. 

The  Potato  disease  and  present  crops. 

—  Mr.  W.  G.  Smith  wrote  in  July  in  a  con- 
temporary that  we  had  then  "  the  exact  meteoro- 
logical conditions  upon  us  which  suit  the  develop- 
ment of  the  fungus.'  So  far  as  this  portion  of  the 
country  is  concerned  he  was  right,  for  July 
throughout  was  cloudy,  wet,  and  warm,  and  the 
rainfall  amounted  to  close  upon  3  inches,  but  for 
all  that  there  is  practically  no  disease  in  the 
tubers.  The  fungus  is  to  be  found  here  and  there 
on  the  haulm.  Early  and  second  early  crops  are 
quite  sound  and  good,  and  late  crops  look  equally 
well.  The  Potato  stems  and  leaves  everywhere 
have  an  unusually  healthy  look,  and  the  tissue  is 
woody,  firm,  and  well  matured — thanks  to  the 
drought  and  heat  in  May  and  June,  and  hence, 
probably,  the  reason  why  the  "  exact  conditions" 
of  the  disease  present  in  July  have  not  exerted 
any  influence ;  at  all  events,  the  crop  is  a  good 
one,  let  the  fungologists  settle  it  as  they  may. 

Spirsea  palmata. — This,  the  finest  of  the  her- 
baceous Spirieas,  has  not  flowered  well  this  sea- 
son, owing  to  the  heat  and  drought.  It  grows 
anywhere  well  enough,  but  it  is  essentially  a  cool 
soil  lover  delighting  in  moisture  at  both  root  and 
top.  It  must  not  be  expeoted  to  flower  always 
well  in  dry,  poor  soils  or  situations,  but  in  the  gar- 
dens of  the  cooler  north  it  will  probably  become  a 
permanent  favourite  for  flowering  in  July  and 
August.  Both  it  and  its  near  neighbour,  S.  venusta, 
are  conspicuous  and  pleasing  objects  in  the  her- 
baceous border,  and  the  one  just  succeeds  the 
other,  and  both  last  for  a  long  while  in  flower. 

Longevity  of  hertoaceous  plants.-  It 
is  a  good  plan  to  renew  plantations  of  herbaceous 
plants,  but  frequent  propagation  entails  labour 
and  expense,  and  it  is  not  necessary  to  propagate 
such  subjects  so  often  as  we  have  seen  it  recom- 
mended. The  great  majority  of  hardy  border 
plants  will  live  for  many  years.  We  have  known 
the  same  plants  of  the  common  Monkshood, 
Phloxes,  Potentillas,  Columbines,  and  other  similar 
and  robust  species  to  occupy  the  same  spot  for 
twenty  years,  and  look  as  well  at  the  end  of  that 
period  as  they  did  at  the  beginning,  although  none 
of  them  received  any  manure  or  top-dressings 
during  the  whole  of  that  time.  Delphiniums  run 
out  in  time,  and  are  better  propagated  from  seed 
or  cuttings,  but  we  have  many  fine  plants  from 


feet  to  8  feet  and  9  feet  high  five  and  six  year 
old,  and  which  will  apparently  go  on  as  long  again. 
Evergreen  subjects  like  the  Carnation  will  endure 
for  three  or  four  years,  but  they  are  at  their  best 
the  second  year,  making  good,  healthy  masses,  and 
blooming  well.  In  my  opinion  it  is  a  radical 
mistake  to  depend  on  annually  propagated  Carna- 
tions for  a  display.  They  do  well  enough,  but 
produce  few  flower-stalks,  and  have  to  be  planted 
thickly.  They,  however,  produce  fine  grass,  and 
plenty  of  it,  and  every  shoot  will  bloom  the  year 
following  if  the  plants  are  left  undisturbed.  This 
is  the  best  way  to  have  effective  masses  of  Car- 
nations, and  there  is  no  need  to  do  away  with 
them  till  they  show  signs  of  decay.  The  common 
practice  of  rooting  up  fine  masses  of  Carnations 
one  year  old  to  make  room  for  much  smaller  atd 
younger  plants  not  one  whit  better  nor  so  good  in 
any  way  is  a  suicidal  one,  and  the  same  may  be 
said  of  Pinks,  but  they  are  not  meddled  with  so 
frequently.  Good  culture  and  top-dressingsobviate 
the  necessity  of  propagation,  but  most  of  the 
spreading  shrubby  subjects  like  the  Candytufts 
are  benefited  by  cutting  in  occasionally,  provided 
the  pruning  is  performed  as  soon  as  the  plants 
have  done  flowering  or  early  in  summer;  late 
cutting  in  is  the  death  of  many  plants.  A  good 
top  of  foliage  is  the  best  protection  in  winter. 

Supports  for  Melons.— It  is  amusing  to 
resd  of  the  small  engineering  contrivances  that 
are  periodically  devised  to  support  Melons  on  the 
plants.  Growers  seem  to  outvie  each  other  in  the 
invention  of  such  things.  The  latest  invention  is 
described  as  the  "simplest"  of  its  kind,  and  con- 
sists of  "  well-seasoned  "  timber  in  8-inch  lengths 
and  a  complication  of  wires  to  hold  the  wood  in 
its  place,  the  whole  thing  to  depend  on  the 
angle  of  the  roof  and  other  possibilities  of  various 
kinds.  The  question  which  suggests  itself  is,  why 
support  Melons  at  all  "  as  soon  as  they  are  set "  ? 
Do  they  need  it  ?  No.  A  Melon  plant  can  carry 
every  fruit  it  bears  without  assistance  if  they  were 
'JO  lbs.  weight  a-piece,  and  we  have  seen  single 
Gourds  of  that  weight  suspended  from  the  plants 
without  any  support.  It  would  be  as  reasonable 
to  support  the  branches  of  an  Oak.  When  the 
Jlelon  is  about  ripe  it  may  be  supported  by  a 
slight  tic,  to  prevent  it  dropping  off  at  the  last, 
but  before  that  it  needs  no  more  support  than  an 
Apple,  a  Peach,  or  a  bunch  of  Grapes.  The  foot- 
stalk of  a  Melon  is  able  alone  to  support  the 
heaviest  fruit  that  ever  grew,  as  we  have  proved 
many  times,  having  had  hundreds  from  3  lbs.  to 
6  lbs.  weight  and  over  that  hung  without  support 
till  they  began  to  colour,  and  not  one  of  them 
ever  fell  off.  J.  S.  W. 


IMPORTING  LILY  BULBS. 
Having  had  occasion  to  refer  to  some  old  volumes 
of  The  Gaeden,  I  came  across  two  communica- 
tions by  "  Dunedin "  on  the  importation  and 
growth  generally  of  Lily  bulbs.  The  practice  re- 
commended by  "Dunedin"  (p.  .'503,  Oct.  5,  1878) 
is  so  exactly  opposed  to  my  own  custom  as  well  as 
to  advice  received  from  correspondents  at  home, 
that  I  venture  to  ask  for  more  lighten  the  subject. 
"  Dunedin  "  says,  "  Collect  them  when  the  earliest 
flower  buds  are  beginning  to  open,  or  even  some- 
what earlier."  Mr.  W.  Ball,  on  the  contrary,  says, 
"  I  ought  to  advise  you  to  be  careful  not  to  have 
them  taken  up  until  they  are  dormant,  that  is 
until  their  stems  are  quite  dead."  Following  this 
advice,  I  last  season  sent  a  large  number  with 
perfect  success,  with  the  exception  of  one  case, 
in  which  I  massed  too  large  a  number  without 
proper  ventilation,  which  resulted  in  the  loss  of 
■100  or  500  from  heating.  The  point,  however,  on 
which  I  particularly  wish  for  information  is  the 
practical  truth  or  otherwise  of  the  following  ex- 
tract from  the  same  letter  (p.  30-1)  : — 

"  If  the  bulbs  in  their  native  habitats  be  not 
lifted  till  after  the  leaves  turn  yellow  and  the 
stems  die  down,  the  germ  will  have  been  libe- 
rated, and  in  thousands  of  cases  will  have  been 
destroyed  before  they  can  reach  this  country. 
.  .  .  New  sorts  must  be  formed  at  the  ex- 
pense of  the  sap  in  the  cells  of  the  new  bulbs  .  .  . 
causing  besides  much  loss  of  time  and  a  later 


A  IT..  ir>,   1884. 


THE     GARDEN 


127 


bloom,  as  well  as  the  chance  o£  not  blooming 
at  all." 

If  this  be  true,  some  of  yonr  readers  who  have 
received  imported  bulbs  will  doubtless  be  able  to 
endorse  "  Dunedin's  "  views  from  experience,  and 
I,  as  well  as  other  exporters,  should  be  thankful 
for  hints  from  practical  men  as  to  a  better  time 
of  lifting  bulbs  than  that  which  we  generally 
adopt.  1  only  once  sent  (to  Messr.^.  Haage  & 
Schmidt)  several  years  ago  a  box  of  bulbs 
lifted  before  flowering,  and  tlie  consignees'  re- 
marks were  :  "  Every  bulb  arrived  in  a 
rotten  state  ;  they  appear  to  have  been  taken  up 
before  the  plants  had  gone  to  rest,"  or  words  to 
that  effect.  It  would  be  of  great  interest  as  well 
•  as  of  service  to  exporters  generally  if  those  to 
whom  I  sent  bulbs  of  L  neilgherrense,  Wallichia- 
num,  and  polyphyllum  last  season  would  kindly 
report  the  percentage  of  bulbs  that  flowered  (not 
counting  small  ones  put  in  as  wedges  in  packing) 
and  the  dates  of  flowering  in  your  correspondence 
columns.  Here  L.  neilgherrense  starts  in  .June, 
and  flowers  in  August  and  September. 

It  would  add  to  the  interest  of  any  such  reports 
from  Australasia  if  correfpondents  would  add  to 
this  information  as  to  the  antipodean  behaviour 
of  bulbs  imported  from  the  northern  hemisphere. 
Captain  Cooper,  of  Wellington,  will  perhaps  be 
kind  enough  to  say  whether  bulbs  sent  by  me  have 
in  any  way  altered  their  season  of  flowering  to 
suit  the  change  of  seasons,  or  whether  they  so  far 
cling  to  their  old  customs  as  to  insist  on  pushing 
up  their  heads  in  July,  the  coldest  month  in  the 
Antipodes.  V.  N.  Griffith. 

A'tifar/iri,  Kihjirls. 


Fruit  Garden, 


SUPPOSED  COLLECTION  OF  STUAW- 
BEKRIES  ax  A  HEDCxEHOG. 

Allow  me  to  say  that  I  found  several  heaps  of 
Strawberries  like  those  described  by  "  Xel " 
(p.  123)  on  my  beds  last  month.  The  Straw- 
berries were  only  half  ripe  and  were  collected  by 
rats.— H.  A.  Watson. 

"Xel  "  (p.  12,3)  is  wrong  in  supposing  that 

the  hedgehog  collected  his  Strawberries  into 
heaps.  We  suffered  in  the  same  way,  and  dis- 
coveied  that  field  mice  were  the  depredators. 
They  made  small  heaps  varying  in  amount  from  a 
quarter  of  a  pound  to  half  a  pound  underneath 
the  leaves,  each  fruit  having  an  inch  of  stem  or  so 
attached  to  it.  They  cut  them  off,  I  think,  for  the 
seed,  of  which  they  are  very  fond.— H.  K. 

— —  The  collections  of  fruit  on  the  Strawberry 
beds  (p.  12.'!)  are  the  depredations  of  voles.  I 
have  caught  them  at  it.  The  berries  are  thus 
heaped  for  the  purpose  of  nibbling  off  the  seeds, 
the  only  part  eaten  by  these  vermin,  and  ripe  and 
unripe  fruit  are  taken  indiscriminately.  At  any 
time  during  the  Strawberry  season  I  can  show 
'Xel"  numbers  of  such  heaps.— J.  JI. 

"Xel's"   Strawberry    beds    (p.   123)    are 

doubtless  infested  with  some  short-tailed  field 
mice,  for  although  the  hedgehog  gets  credit  for 
carrying  the  fru.t  into  heaps,  I  have  no  doubt  it 
was  done  by  mice.  Where  Strawberry  beds  are 
near  Grass  land  they  are  often  visited  by  these 
troublesome  pests,  and  when  they  get  into  large 
beds  of  ripe  fruit  they  do  not  care  to  take  any 
bait  one  can  put  on  a  trap,  and  to  dislodge  them 
is  by  no  means  an  easy  matter.  The  fruit  is 
nibbled  ofli  generally  with  about  the  same  length 
of  stalk  as  one  would  gather  it  by  hand,  and  be- 
yond a  little  defacement  on  the  outside  there  is 
Utile  to  denote  what  had  done  the  mischief,  as 
very  little  is  eaten  in  comparison  with  the  quantity 
collected  together.  I  cannot  say  that  hedgehogs 
are  not  guilty  of  the  same  fruit-storing  propensi- 
ties, but  I  have  had  frequent  proof  of  field  mice 
carrying  Strawberries  into  heaps  as  described.— 
J.  Groom,  Gosj/ort. 

■  -  —  There  is  an  old  belief  that  hedgehogs  arc 
great  destroyers  of  fruit,  especially  of  Apples  and 
Pears,  but,  judging  by  the  experience  which  I  have 


had  of  them,  they  never  touch  a  fruit  of  any  kind. 
Hedgehogs  are  carnivorous,  not  fruit-eating,  ani- 
mals. I  always  keep  them  about  the  garden,  and 
should  a  blackbird  or  mouse  be  caught  or  trapped 
and  left  lying  on  the  ground  overnight,  not  much 
of  them  will  be  seen  in  the  morning.  A  case 
similar  to  that  of  your  correspondent  occurred 
here  a  fortnight  ago,  a  bed  of  Sir  Harry  Straw- 
berry being  completely  stripped  of  fruit  from  end 
to  end,  and  the  beds  on  each  side  of  it  partially 
so.  The  strangest  circumstance,  too,  connected 
with  these  latter  was  this— one  bed  was  of  Presi- 
dent the  other  of  Vicomtesse  Hericart  de  Thury, 
and  with  each  of  these  were  mixed  some  plants 
of  Sir  Harry  ;  these  were  wholly  stripped,  but  few 
of  the  Presidents  were  touched,  while  on  the  other 
hand  the  Vicomtesse  fruits  were  cut  off  in  almost 
the  same  proporl ion  as  those  of  Sir  Harry.  The 
fruits  were  cut  clean  off  and  laid  in  heaps  in  the 
beds.  I  thought  I  knew  the  depredator,  however, 
and  on  putting  down  traps  next  morning  eight 
field  mice  were  caught.  They  had  just  arrived 
and  taken  possession  of  the  beds  a  day  or  two 
before  they  were  noticed. — R.  Stevens,  Pusfmi. 


Black    Prince    Strawberry.—"  E.  P.." 

(p.  123)  cannot  have  seen  this  Strawberry  in  any 
great  perfection  when  be  speaks  of  its  being  only 
capable  of  bearing  "  a  few  very  early  fruit."  There 
is  no  question  as  to  its  being  early,  but  as  to  the 
few  fruit,  the  term,  according  to  my  experience,  is 
unjust.  The  fruits  certainly  cannot  be  called 
large,  but  they  are  of  a  size  that  is  very  useful, 
and  the  profusion  in  which  they  are  produced 
compensates  handsomely  for  any  deficiency  there 
may  be  as  regards  size.  Two  or  three  years  ago 
[  counted  the  fruits  on  a  Black  Prince  Strawberry 
plant  here,  and  although  it  was  not  twelve  months 
old  they  numbered  over  a  hundred. —J.  MuiE. 


Orchids. 


DISA  GRANDIFLOPvi. 

&a  this  has  come  to  the  front  in  your  columns,  it 
may  interest  you  to  receive  a  blossom  which  was 
cut  from  the  open  ground.  The  plant  has  been 
out-of-doors  since  the  beginning  of  spring.  An- 
other plant  will  be  in  bloom  in  about  a  week  from 
now,  which  has  satisfactorily  withstood  our  cli- 
mate in  the  open  border  for  more  than  a  year.  Of 
course,  this  does  not  prove  that  Disa  grandiflora 
can  yet  be  called  hardy,  even  in  the  Isle  of  AVight 
We  were  let  off  so  easily  in  point  of  frost  last 
winter,  that  nothing  was  properly  tested  :  but  at 
any  rate  there  is  still  room  for  hoping  that,  with 
the  assistance  of  some  Cocoa-nut  fibre,  it  will  pull 
through  moderately  rough  weather. — H.  EwbanIv, 
St.  John's,  Hyde,  Isle  of  Wight. 

"Delta"  speaks  (p.  106)  of  two  varieties 

of  Disa  grandiflora,  one  being  much  superior  to 
the  other.  I  send  a  bloom  from  a  plant  which  I 
purchased  at  Stevens'  auction  rooms,  and  shall  be 
glad  to  know  if  it  is  the  "  better  "  one.  I  have  the 
Glasnevin  variety  also  in  bloom,  but  see  no  dis- 
tinction in  the  siz9  of  flower,  only  in  the  colour, 
which  I  attributed  to  watering  the  plant  from 
which  the  cut  bloom  was  taken  with  weak  manure 
water. — A.  Rawson,  K  inili'rmerc. 

My  friend  "  Delta "  states  that  the  Disa 

grandiflora  which  he  grows  is  not  only  entirely 
dilTerent  from  that  which  is  grown  at  Glasnevin 
and  by  me,  but  so  much  superior  as  to  make  the 
latter  "hardly  worth  growing."  Thisisnews  indeed. 
"  Delta"  confesses  that  he  never  could  get  such 
growth,  vigour,  and  bloom  in  his  plants  as  he  saw 
in  mine  and  those  at  Glasnevin  ;  and  as  he  rather 
prided  himself  on  his  success,  he  accounts  for  the 
difference  on  the  principle  that  "  ill  weeds  thrive 
apace."  This  reminds  me  that  when  I  sent  a  very 
fineplant  of  Auricula  Richard  Headley  to  a  show 
at  Manchester,  by  a  contrary  explanation  "  Delta" 
set  it  down  as  a  different  and  superior  strain  !  I 
know  and  grow  the  variety  of  Disa  which  he  praises 
so  highly,  and  the  only  difference  I  could  ever  find 
in  it  here  or  at  Glasnevin  from  that  which  he 
condemns  is   that  it  is  very  slightly    deeper  in 


colour  of  the  sepals,  and  is  not  nearly  so  vigorous 
and  floriferous.  My  plants  are  well  past  their  best, 
but  I  send  you  a  couple  of  spikes,  by  which  you  can 
see  the  colour  and  vigour,  and  be  a  better  judge 
whether  such  a  variety  can  under  any  conceivable 
circumstances  be  considered  as  "  hardly  worth 
growing."  When  potting  time  comes  I  shall  be 
happy  to  send  a  pan  of  my  variety  to  my  friend 
"  Delta,"  and  when  begets  a  f])ike  of  eight  flowers 
such  as  one  of  those  sent,  I  think  he  will  change 
his  opinion  of  its  value,  and  it  has  often  been  better 
done  at  Glasnevin. — B'liEDEluCK  lYMONS. 

I   send   you   flowers   of    Disa   giandlHora 

Barrelli  and  D.  g.  superba.  "Delta"  (p.  KKi) 
speaks  of  the  poorness  of  the  Glasnevin  variety. 
I  think  with  him  that  it  is  not  worth  growing  if 
the  others  are  to  be  had.  One  thing  in  its  favour 
is  that  under  the  same  treatment  it  will  produce 
twice  as  many  flowers  on  a  spike  as  the  good 
forms. — Feed.  Bedfoud,  Slroffaii,  KiUhuc 

*tf*  Jlr.  RawEon's  flowers  are  of  the  best  and 
brightest  variety,  the  colour  of  the  sepals  being  a 
most  vivid  crimson,  tipped  with  green,  while  the 
shell-like  labellum  is  pale  buff,  pencilled  and 
lined  with  carmine.  Mr.  Ewbank's  flower  was 
small,  but  well  coloured.  The  spikes  from  Mr. 
Tymons  were  finely  grown,  one  bearing  eight 
flowers,  but  the  variety  is  poor  compared  with 
that  from  Mr.  Rawson.  The  Straffan  specimens 
are  uncommonly  fine,  particularly  the  superba 
variety,  which  has  large,  broad-sepalled  flowers 
of  a  decidedly  rosy  tinge.  The  other  form  is 
identical  with  that  from  Mr.  Rawson.— Ed. 


ORCHIDS  AND  PELARGONIUMS  TOGETHER. 

The  idea  that  Orchids  cannot  be  grown  success- 
fully except  in  houses  specially  built  and  whcl'y 
devoted  to  them  often  deters  persons  from  growing 
them  ;  but  that  Orchids,  especially  those  of  the  cool 
house  section,  can  be  grown  successfully  with 
other  greenhouse  plants  we  have  often  the  oppor- 
tunity of  seeing.  The  other  day  we  saw  a  small 
greenhouse  containing  an  admirable  collection  of 
well-grown  zonal  Pelargoniums,  and  likewise  a 
few  hundred  plants  of  Odontoglossum  crispum, 
the  latter  being  as  fine  as  con'd  possibly  be  seen. 
This  was  in  Mr,  H.  G.  Smythe's  garden  at  The 
Nook,  Forest  Hill.  The  house  is  span-roofed  ; 
on  the  south  side  the  Pelargoniums  are  grown, 
while  the  Odontoglossums  occupy  the  whole  of 
the  north  side.  The  health  and  vigour  of  the 
Orchids  are  not  less  remarkable  than  those  of  the 
Pelargoniums,  which  are  at  the  present  time  fairly 
smothered  with  bloom,  some  of  the  trusses  beii  g 
very  large.  Mr.  Smythe,  being  an  enthusiast  in 
Pelargonium  culture,  knows  what  is  good  amcrg 
them  ;  therefore  as  his  space  is  limited  be  grows 
only  a  selection  of  the  best,  and  as  a  list  of  the 
best  of  his  select  kinds  may  be  useful  to  others, 
we  give  it  here.  One  of  the  best  double 
scarlets  is  Paul  Charbonnier,  a  first]  ate 
sort  with  large  trusses  and  finely-shaped  bloems 
of  a  bright  orange-scarlet.  Among  the  singles  the 
best  are  Mad.  Leon  Delloy,  delicate  blush  pink  ; 
Fanny  Catlin,  deep  salmon  ;  Ilettie,  carmine-scar- 
let ;  Rigolette,  scarlet ;  P.  N.  Fraser,  brilliant 
scarlet,  eye  white,  trusses  large  and  abundantly 
produced  ;  Mrs.  Gorton,  cherry-crimson,  eye  while; 
Atala,  bright  orange-scarlet,  admirable  for  win- 
ter flowering.  The  best  of  the  pure  whites  are 
Eureka  and  La  I'erle,  both  first-rate  sorts,  the 
flowers  of  the  latter  being  always  pure  and  freely 
produced  in  large  trusses.  The  foregoing  list  com- 
prises the  cream  of  this  large  collection,  and  re- 
presents every  class  of  colour.  Fine,  however,  as 
the  Pelargoniums  are,  they  will,  Jlr.  Saythe  as- 
sures us,  have  to  give  place  to  the  Orchids  which 
are  found  to  be  more  profitable,  particularly  as  a 
source  of  cut  bloom  in  winter.  He  intends  to 
grow  nothing  but  cool  Orchids,  bis  success  stimu- 
lating him  to  do  so.  This  he  attributes  chiefly  to 
not  over-potting  his  plants,  some  with  plump  bulbs 
being  only  in  2._i-incb  pots  packed  about  half  a 
dozen  together  in  a  suspended  pan.  Another  im- 
portant condition  he  finds  to  be  keeping  the 
Sphagnum  Moss  always  in  a  growing  state,  which 
tends  to  maintain  an  equable  moisture  in  the  soil. 


128 


THE     GARDEN 


[Aug.   JG,   1884. 


Laelia  elegans  var. — A  remarkable  variety 
of  tills  La;Iia  has  been  sent  to  us  from  Mr.  Walker's 
collection  at  StainclifEe,  Seaton  Carew,  through 
Messrs.  Shuttleworth  &  Carder.  Its  flowers  are 
fully  a  third  larger  than  usual.  The  sepals  are  of 
a  deep  rich  magenta  blotched  and  marbled  with  a 
deeper  colour,  while  the  lip  is  of  the  deepest 
carmine-crimton  imaginable,  and  beicg,  as  it 
were,  oveilaid  with  a  velvety  lustre,  it  is  extremely 
beautiful.  The  nearest  approach  to  this  variety 
that  we  know  is  that  called  L.  elegans  prasiata, 
but  Mr.  Walker's  variety  is  far  finer. 

Govenla  faeciata. — This  is  a  distinct-Icok- 
irg  Orchid  from  Mexico.  It  is  either  new  or  rare, 
as  the  plant  which  Mr.  G.  F.  Wilson  showed  on 
Tuesday  last  seemed  to  be  unknown  to  experts 
It  is  a  151etia-like  plant  with  broad,  plicate  leavts 
with  purplish  petioles.  The  flower-.'pike  arises 
from  the  base  about  15  inches  high.  It  bears 
flowers  about  the  size  and  form  of  Cletia  hja- 
cinthina,  but  pure  white  except  the  two  lateral 
sepals,  which  are  delicately  lined  with  pink.  This 
plant  has  been  flowered  by  Jlr.  Wilson  in  his 
orchard  house  at  Healherbank,  Wej bridge,  but  as 
he  presumes  it  is  almost,  if  not  quite,  hardy,  he 
intends  to  try  it  in  his  experimental  garden  at 
Oakwood,  Wisley,  next  season.  It  is  an  interesting 
and  pretty  plant. 

Cattleya  Sanderlana  — IE  ever  a  variety 
of  an  Orchid  deserved  a  distinctive  name,  it  is  a 
magnificent  form  of  the  new  Cattleya  Kanrieriana, 
which  has  been  sent  to  us  from  Mr.  G.  Hardy's 
garden,  at  Pickering  Lodge,  Tiraperley,  by  his 
gardener,  Mr.  J.  Hill.  It  differs  from  all  other 
forms  of  Sanders  Cattleya  that  we  have  seen,  both 
as  regards  the  large  size  of  the  flowers  and  the 
fuperb  colouring.  The  flower  in  question  measured 
j  jst  8  inches  across  the  outspread  sepals,  which  are 
elegantly  twisted  and  of  a  deep  lilac  manve colour 
with  a  broad  stripe  of  white  at  the  base  of  each 
lateral  sepal,  and  the  face  of  the  sepals  are  also 
marbled  with  whitish  blotches.  The  side  sepals 
are  stout  enough  to  hold  themselves  up  firmly, 
thereby  giving  the  flower  a  fine  bold  appearance. 
The  lip  is  3  inches  across  and  somewhat  resembles 
that  of  a  magnificent  form  of  C.  Dowiana.  The 
lower  half  of  the  lip  for  about  U  inches  is  of  an 
intensely  deep  carmine-crimson,  which  rans  up- 
wards into  streaks  and  pencillings  which  spread 
literally  over  a  very  large  blotch  of  jellow  of 
various  shades,  edged  by  a  frilling  of  ametbys*. 
Mr.  Hardy  may  well  be  proud  of  his  gorgeous  va- 
riety, and  we  are  pleased  to  hear  from  Mr.  Hill 
that  he  has  a  fine  plant  of  it  with  twenty- 
three  bulbs  furnished  with  thirteen  leaves,  some 
of  which  measure  11  inches  in  length  by  4  inches 
in  breadth,  surmounting  bulbs  10.}  inches  long. 

Dendrobium  Dearel— The  more  we  see  of 
this  new  Orchid  the  more  are  we  convinced  of  its 
sterling  merit  as  a  garden  plant.  It  will,  with- 
out doubt,  soon  rank  among  the  most  popular  of 
Orchids  on  account  of  its  various  good  qualities. 
It  is  a  free  grower,  an  abundant  flowerer,  and, 
above  all,  its  flowers  are  large  and  as  white  as 
those  of  a  Encharis,  and  of  such  firm  texture  as  to 
enable  them  to  last  a  long  time  in  perfection. 
Hence,  this  Dendrobe  possesses  all  the  elements 
of  a  first-rate  garden  Orchid,  one  that  may  be 
grown  with  advantage  by  those  who  do  not  grow 
cjUections  of  Orchids.  As  yet,  the  plant  has  not 
been  seen  in  its  true  character,  but  each  season 
brings  to  light  evidence  of  the  rapid  progress 
which  it  is  making  under  the  skill  and  attention  of 
our  Orchid  growers.  Besides  that  grand  speci- 
men of  this  Dendrobe  which  tSir  Trevor  Lawrence 
showed  last  year  at  South  Kensington,  we  have 
seen  no  finer  example  of  it  than  a  specimen  that 
has  been  sent  to  us  by  Mr  Hill  from  Mr  Little's 
garden  at  Hillingdon  Piace,  Uxbridge,  where  a 
choice  collection  of  Orchids  is  being  formed.  The 
sf  ecimen  in  question  consists  of  eleven  flowers  in 
a  dense  cluster  on  the  top  of  a  stout  stem,  having 
more  the  appearance  of  a  bridal  bouquet  than  any- 
thing else  with  which  we  can  compare  it.  We 
ihould  like  to  hear  from  Mr.  Hill  something  in 
)  egard  to  the  treatment  which  he  gives  this  Den- 
drobe which  is  carrj'ing  twenty  spikes. 


PLAKTS    IN    FLO  WEE. 


Bose  Etendard  Jeanne  d'Arc  —This  new 
white  (lloire  de  Dijon-like  Rose  has  flowered 
here,  and  a  lovely  Rose  indeed  it  is.  With  the 
dark  green  healthy  foliage  of  its  parent  it  sends 
out  numerous  strong  buds,  which  are  to  all  ap- 
pearance Gloire  de  lUjons,  but  are  white  with  the 
slightest  suspicion  of  colour  in  the  centre.  We  do 
not  want  anything  much  better  than  the  Gloire, 
but  this  variety  has  a  novelty  which  is  extremely 
pleasing  to  the  lover  of  garden  Eoses. — G.  H,  C, 
Irroolficlil,  llalhirsage. 

Carnation    Mies     J.     To-wnehend.  — 

Amorg  a  gatherirg  of  seedling  Carnations  sent 
by  Mr.  IJaylor  Hariland,  of  Cork,  is  this  beautiful 
new  seedling,  which  is  unquestionably  one  of  the 
best  we  have  seen.  Its  flovrers  are  laige  and  full, 
the  petals  broad,  of  good  substance,  and  of  a 
beautiful  sulphur-yellow,  flaked  and  pencilled  on 
the  margins  with  various  thades  of  caimine.  It 
is  sweetly  and  strongly  scented,  and  is  altogether 
a  fine  kind.  Among  the  other  blocms  are  some 
uncommonly  good  unnamed  self-coloured  varieties. 

Genliana  ornata. — This  little  Genlianais 
wilhoat  doubt  a  gem  of  the  first  water  among 
alpine  plants.  We  had  no  idea  that  it  was  so 
beautiful  until  a  few  days  ago,  when  we  received 
from  Mr.  Wood,  of  Kirkstall,  a  few  flowers  of  it. 
They  are  about  the  size  of  those  of  G.  verna,  but 
of  a  diil'erent  shape,  and  have  not  the  spreading 
corolla  of  that  species.  The  whole  Uo»er  is  of 
the  most  lovely  turquoise-blue  imaginable.  Mr. 
Wood  says  that  the  plant  loves  the  hot  weather, 
for  with  plenty  of  moisture  at  its  roots  it  has 
been  blooming  away  gloriously  all  through  the 
lite  spell  which  we  have  had  of  tropical  heat. 
This  is  one  of  the  Indian  species,  and  until 
late  years  has  been  extremely  rare  in  gardens  ; 
indeed,  cultivators  have  not  troubled  themselves 
much  about  it,  as  it  was  considered  to  be  rather  a 
"miffy"  plant.  We  are  sure,  however,  that  if 
lover*  of  alpine  plants  could  have  seen  Mr.  Wood's 
flowers,  they  would  have  been  induced  to  give  this 
fine  Gentian  more  careful  attention  than  it  has 
hitherto  received. 

Streplocaipus  Bexi— For  the  edging  of 
Selaginella,  which  lately  belted  the  succulent 
beds  in  No.  5  house  at  Kew,  this  Streptocarpns 
has  been  substituted — at  least  round  the  Agave 
bed.  It  is  now  flowering  freely,  and  a  few 
of  the  new  v/hite  flowered  one,  S.  parvifloiu", 
being  interspersed  with  it,  the  effect  is  ex- 
cellent. Though  not  a  hardy  plant,  S.  Rexi 
appears  to  be  very  suitable  for  edging  beds  in 
conservatories.  Camellia  houses,  &o.,  and  as  it 
seeds  freely,  it  may  be  raised  in  any  quantity  in 
spring,  and  pricked  out  in  the  beds  as  soon  as 
strong  enough.  The  Kew  plants  were  raised  from 
seeds  sown  last  March,  and  they  are  now  very 
strong,  some  of  them  bearing  from  six  to  nine 
liower-spikes  each,  with  plenty  not  yet  developed. 
It  is  just  possible  that  in  a  sheltered  position  this 
Cape  plant  would  thrive  out-of-doors  during 
summer,  and  now,  when  everybody  appears  to  be 
looking  after  new  plants  for  summer  bedding,  it 
may  be  worth  while  testing  it.  No  doubt  the  best 
variety  is  that  which  has  recently  originated  at 
Kew,  and  is  named  S.  Eexi  var.  multiSorus,  having, 
as  it  has,  scapes  bearing  sometimes  as  many  as 
eight  or  ten  flowers  each. 

Habenaria  rhodochlla  --V  pan  of  a  very 
pretty  and  apparently  free  flowering  terrestrial 
Orchid  may  now  be  seen  in  flower  under  this 
name  in  the  Kew  collection.  In  appearance  there 
is  a  close  relationship  between  some  of  the  Dritish 
Orchids  and  this  plant,  the  foliage  resembling  a 
Neottia,  whilst  in  the  curious  form  of  the  label- 
lum  this  new  Habenaria  reminds  one  of  the  Monkey 
Orchis  (0.  Simia).  H.rhodochila  bears  an  erect 
spike  about  'J  inches  long,  the  upper  portion  being 
clothed  with  about  a  dozen  flowers,  the  ovary  of 
which  is  an  inch  long ;  the  sepals  are  joined  at  the 
top,  so  as  to  form  a  hood,  inside  which  the  column 
is  enclosed.     The  front  of  this    hood  is   almost 


covered  by  a  curious  green  appendage,  to  which, 

again,  four  horn-like   prccsEses  are  attached  by  '  more  or  less  ornamental  in  character, 


their  bases,  and  down  at  the  bottom  of  the  cup 
formed  by  these  is  the  entrance  to  the  spur,  which 
is  very  narrow  and  nearly  2  inches  in  length.  The 
lip  is  three-quarters  of  an  inch  wide  and  1  inch 
long,  and  is  bright  cinnabar-red  in  colour.  The 
connection  of  the  nectary  or  spur  with  the  repro- 
ductive organs  is  not  very  apparent,  the  singular 
process  which  almost  covers  the  entrance  to  the 
hoed,  in  which  are  the  male  and  female  organ.=, 
completely  hairing  the  way  to  any  insect  which 
might  be  temptecl  to  go  in  search  of  the  food 
secreted  at  the  bottom  of  the  long  spur.  Apart 
from  this  H.  ihodochila  is  a  promising  little  Orchid 
for  cultivation  in  this  country.  It  has  been  intro- 
duced frtm  the  Lo-fau-chan  Mountains,  in  North 
China. 

Nymphsea  zanzibareneis.— In  the  Water 
Lily  houte  at  Kew  this  variety  of  the  common  N. 
stellata  has  now  attained  something  like  full 
dimensions.  When  figured  in  The  Gaeden  last 
year  it  was  pointed  out  that,  although  a  life-like 
repietentaticn  of  the  plant  as  it  was  then  at  Kew, 
it  failed  to  give  a  correct  idea  of  the  real  magnifi- 
cence of  this  fine  Water  Lily.  The  flowers  at  Kew 
now  are  wider  than  one  of  the  pages  of  The 
Gaeden,  being  9  inches  in  width  and  in  depth 
about  f  inches.  The  four  broad  sepals  are  re- 
curved, and  above  them  rise  the  blue-purple  petals 
arranged  closely  together,  so  as  to  form  a  cup 
inside  which  the  bright  yellow  stamens  are  beau- 
tifully displayed.  It  is  impossible  to  convey  any 
true  idea  of  the  rich  beauty  of  this  plant.  Cer- 
tainly next  to  that  queen  of  water  plants,  Victoria 
Regia,  the  Zanzibar  Nympha^a  is  the  finest  of  all 
Water  Lilies.  Seen  by  the  side  of  the  large  crim- 
son-flowered N.  devoniensis  and  the  pure  white 
and  equally  large  N.  dentata,  one  is  almost  over- 
come with  admiration  for  these  three  grand 
plants.  Such  was  our  experience  when,  on  visit- 
ing Kew  a  few  mornings  ago,  we  entered  the 
Water  Lily  house  at  about  11  o'clock,  and  saw  the 
red  and  white  kinds  just  before  they  closed,  and 
the  blue  ones  just  after  they  had  opened.  Atthis 
time  of  day  the  richness  of  the  Kew  collection  of 
Nympta'as  can  be  seen  to  advantage;  altogether 
we  counted  111  Nymph;r!a  flowers  all  open  at. 
about  one  time.  The  yellow-flowered  species  had 
just  commenced  to  bloom,  and  will  no  doubt  con- 
tinue to  develop  flowers  for  some  weeks  yet. 

Bromellads  at  Ke'W.— Under  the  more  suit- 
able treatment  obtainable  in  the  T  range  as  com- 
pared with  what  was  possible  in  the  Palm  house, 
where  the  Kew  collection  to  Bromeliads  used  to 
be,  there  is  a  marked  difference  in  the  health  of 
the  plants  and  in  the  number  of  flowers  which 
they  annually  produce.  It  has  been  demonstrated 
by  this  change  in  respect  to  the  treatment  that  a 
close,  moist  house  and  plenty  tf  sunshine  are 
more  conducive  to  their  health  and  floriferonsness 
than  the  dry  treatment  to  which  Bromeliads  are 
so  often  subjected.  The  following  kinds  are  now 
in  flower  at  Kew,  viz  ;  Billbergia  Portiana,  the 
grandest  of  all  the  Billbergias,  and  one  of  tie 
most  brilliantly  coloured  of  flowering  stove  plants  ; 
Pitcairnia  Andreana,  a  low-growing  species  with 
a  spike  of  tubular  orange-red  and  yellow  flowers; 
P.  zeifolia,  P.  angustifolia,  P.  Decaisneana,  three 
handsome  tall-growing  species,  their  branching 
spikes  bearing  a  numerous  crop  of  bright  red 
flowers  ;  .Kchmea  ccerulescens,  producing  a  spike 
of  lilac  berries,  which  are  white  before  ripe  and 
very  pretty  ;  Tillandsia  splendens,  with  broad 
transverse  bands  of  blackish  brown  on  its  leave.^, 
and  a  tall  sword-like  scape  formed  of  the  sheathing 
bract.=,  which  are  flame-red  in  colour,  the  flowers 
themselves  being  hidden  beneath  the  bracts  ; 
Vriesia  bellula,  characterised  by  a  short  spike, 
upon  which  the  dark  red  and  green  boat-shaped 
bracts  are  distichonsly  arranged ;  .Kchmea  fasciata, 
a  Pine-apple-like  plant,  with  a  dense  head  of  fo- 
liaceous  bracts,  spine-edged  and  pale  salmon  in 
colour.  One  of  the  prettiest  of  the  coloured- 
leaved  Bromeliads  is  Nidularium  Meyendorfi,  whose 
innermost  leaves  are  deep  crimson  and  form  a 
richly  coloured  cup,  in  which  the  head  of  insigni- 
ficant flowers  is  enclosed.  Tillandsia  anceps  is 
showing  for  flower,  as  are  also  several  other  species 


At'fi.  If.,   1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


129 


Flower   Garden. 


WALL  TLANrS. 
Your  correspondent  "  J.  G.'s  "  recommendation 
of  early  spring  or  autumn  for  the  establish- 
ment of  plants  on  old  walls  is  good,  though 
occasional  exceptions  may  require  to  be  made  in 
the  case  of  some  of  the  more  southern  tenderer 
species  where  these  have  not  been  already  har- 
dened by  exposure  to  the  open  air.  In  the  milder 
and  moister  districts  of  England  the  list  of  aocli- 
matisable  wall  plants  is  much  extended  ;  c  </., 
among  the  Campanulas,  the  lovely  little  Cam- 
panula muralis  will  be  found  hardy  in  many 
situations,  even  in  Scotland,  and  that  much  larger 


a  good  deal,  i.e.,  on  a  sunny  exposure.  On  a 
northern  one  it  would,  however,  doubtless  do 
better.  1  have  found  some  of  the  taller  grow- 
ing Campanulas  thrive  not  altogether  badly  on 
wall  tops  niongside  of  their  frequent  denizens, 
the  Wallflower,  the  handsome  spiked  tall  Linaria 
purpurea,  and  that  red  Valerian,  Centranthns 
ruber  (scarlet,  red,  and  white),  which  is  so  great 
an  ornament  of  many  of  the  Devonshire  wall  tops, 
and  the  Snapdragon  ;  in  the  same  situation  I  find 
the  Swiss  Salvia  glutinosa  thrive,  naturalising 
itself  with  me,  well  mixed  up  with  the  red  flower- 
ing Ribes.  One  of  the  prettiest  little  gems  in  its  way 
for  a  moist  nook  of  a  north  "  harled  "  or  rough 
cast  wall  is  the  little  Swiss  Viola  bifolia,  with  its 
cushions  of  bright  tender  green  foliage  studded 


where.  It  would  be  well  worthy  of  trial  tor  ratu- 
ralisation  in  sheltered,  but  not  overshadowed, 
situations  within  reach  of  the  spray  of  waterfalls. 
—  C.C,  Abenlcensliire,  in  F'u-hl. 


WHITE  Pi'RENEAN  RAMONDIA. 
.V  LOVELY  addition  to  the  rock  garden  is  this  new 
white- flowered  variety  of  Ramondia  pyrenaica. 
Our  illustration  of  it  is  engraved  from  a  photo- 
graph recently  sent  to  us  by  Mr.  Otto  Forster,  of 
Lehenhoil,  near  Schrebbs,  Austria,  who  considers 
it  to  be  one  of  the  rarest  and  most  beautiful  of 
alpine  plants,  lie  says  that  the  flowers  are 
nearly  pure  white  when  opening,  but  become 
tinged  with  a  faint  tint  of  rose  later  on.     Our  en- 


VluU  Pyrenean  Ramondia.    Engraced  Irom  a  photograph  talun  i,'.  the  ijardtii  uj  Mr.  Ottu  Forder,  of  Leliinhof,  Austrix. 


flowered  graceful  C.  fragilis,  which  is  such  a  con- 
gpicuons  ornament  of  limestone  rocks  in  the  south 
of  Italy,  though  considerably  less  frost-resisting 
than  muralis,  will  be  yet  well  worthy  of  a  trial  in 
our  very  mildest  regions,  in  which  writers  on 
gardening  inform  us  it  will  thrive  on  an  ordinary 
rockery.  The  same  may  be  said  of  two  other 
southern  trailing  species,  C.  garganica,  of  which 
there  is  a  white  as  well  as  the  better  known  purple 
variety,  and  C.  Portenschlagiana.  The  two  hybrids 
from  fragilis,  named  haylogensis  and  Smithi,  are 
also  trial-worthy,  as  I  find  them  hardier  than  the 
pure  species,  which  will  not  stand  outside  with 
me.  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  well-known  Swiss 
C.  pusilla  (white  and  blue)  would  make  a  most 
ornamental  plant  for  naturalisation  on  old  wall 
copings  in  moister  districts,  though  in  the  dry 
climate  of  the  district  in  which  I  live  it  burns  up 


with  little  golden  stars.  In  any  situation  but  that 
which  thoroughly  suits  it,  and  can  develop  its 
true  character,  this  plant  is  a  very  poor  one.  Having 
brought  it  from  Switzerland  between  thirty  and 
forty  years  ago,  and  planted  it  in  rough  gravel  at 
the  foot  of  such  a  wall  as  I  have  alluded  to,  I  soon 
found  it  spread  up  the  wall,  not  by  creeping  stems 
or  roots,  but  by  the  seed  which  is  (and  in  the 
Wood  Sorrel,  &c.),  as  in  the  other  Violas,  projected 
!  forcibly  to  some  distance  when  ripe.  The  plants 
thus  spontaneously  colonising  the  wall  formed  in 
winter  curious  looking  large  masses  of  fleshy  roots, 
each  mass  about  the  size  of  a  small  fist,  while  in 
summer  the  very  pleasing  green  foliage  and 
golden  stars  were  the  admiration  of  all  who  saw 
them.  Let  no  one,  however,  expect  any  satisfac- 
tion from  it  where  drying,  withering  east  winds 
can  find  their  way  to  it,  either  on   walls  or  else- 


graving  does  not  represent  the  flowers  qaite  life 
size,  the  largest  being  fully  li  inches  in  diameter. 
We  have  not  yet  heard  that  this  beautiful  novelty 
has  made  its  appearance  in  English  gardens,  but 
probably  it  may  do  so  before  long.  A  well  grown 
tuft  of  the  original  Ramondia  is  such  a  charming 
plant,  that  all  who  know  it  will  be  desirous  of  mak- 
ing the  acquaintance  of  its  white  congener. 

The  photograph  which  has  been  sent  us 
represents  a  rocky  bank  in  Mr.  Forster's  alpine 
garden,  on  which  are  large  and  luxuriant  tufts  of 
Ramondia,  including  the  white  variety.  It  is  not 
one  of  the  most  difficult  of  plants  to  cultivate 
well,  but  the  conditions  under  which  it  seems  to 
thrive  best  are  shade  and  a  tolerably  moist  spot. 
The  finest  plants  we  ever  saw  of  it  were  at  St. 
Alban's  Court,  near  Canterbury.  In  the  excellent 
alpine  garden  there  there  isa  rocky  declivity  facing 


130 


THE    GARDEN 


[AtG.  IG,  1884. 


the  north,  and  the  whole  side  of  it  is  covered  with 
large  tufted  plants  of  Eamondia  furnished  with 
broad  leathery  leaves  of  that  delightful  green  which 
is  a  sure  indication  of  vigorous  health.  This  fine 
alpine  seems  to  revel  in  a  deep  fissure  between 
masses  of  rook  where  sufficient  moisture 
exists  for  the  roots  without  being  at  any  time 
stagnant.  In  some  gardens  in  Scotland  we 
have  seen  it  thriving  fully  exposed,  but  as  a 
rule  it  is  best  to  afford  a  little  shade.  The  new 
Haberlea  rhodopensis  seems  to  flourish  under 
precisely  the  same  conditions  as  the  Ramondia, 
and  the  other  day  we  saw  them  side  by  side  grow- 
ing in  a  little  artificial  cave  planted  on  the  flat 
with  stones  around  them.  As  to  soil,  there  is  no 
doubt  that  it  is  necessary  to  grow  the  Eamondia 
in  either  a  fibrous  loam  or  loam  mixed  with  fibry 
peat.  W.  G. 

CARNATIONS  OUT  OF  DOORS. 
In  the  sense  of  being  Ijnown,  nothing  is  more 
popular  than  the  Carnation,  but,  as  regards  mak- 
ing good  use  of  it,  few  things  are  so  little  thought 
of.  And  yet  we  know  of  nothing  that  would 
better  repay  one's  trouble.  The  very  brightest 
gardens  we  have  seen  of  late,  years,  say  about  the 
end  of  August  and  beginning  of  September— a 
very  important  time,  indeed,  for  all  country-house 
people— were  those  with  Carnations  well  grown 
and  plentiful.  Even  small  gardens  with  them  are 
charming.  They  are  flowers  of  our  climate,  and 
are  none  the  worse  for  wind  and  rain.  Cool 
western  seashore  and  hill  districts  are,  if  anything, 
best  for  them.  Considering  how  much  of  our 
country,  with  its  long  and  varied  coast-line  may 
be  described  in  these  words,  we  may  see  how 
valuable  these  qualities  are.  But  the  warmer 
Surrey  and  Sussex  and  Kent  grow  them  admirably 
too,  though  the  bloom  is  not  so  prolonged.  We 
doubt,  however,  it  the  same  bright  fresh  colouring 
that  is  seen  on  the  east  coast  at  Scarborough,  or, 
say,  on  the  west  cost  in  Anglesea,  or  in  Ireland,  is 
often  seen  in  the  warm  southern  gardens,  lie 
this  as  it  may,  the  result  is  always  good  enough 
to  repay  our  trouble,  and  the  flower  is  the  queen 
of  the  summer  and  early  autumn  garden  ;  but  not 
if  the  gardener  lets  it  come  second  to  his  bedding 
plants  in  importance,  or  forgets  it  altogether,  or 
puts  perhaps  a  few  plants  aflong  the  margin  of  a 
shrubbery.  We  believe  that  few  who  know  the 
merits  of  the  various  groups  would  hesitate  to 
place  it  next  to  the  Rose  in  importance  for  our 
outdoor  gardens.  It,  moreover,  is  admirable  for 
association  with  the  Rose,  and  those  who  will  not 
spare  it  special  beds  may  make  a  good  attempt 
among  the  beds  of  Roses,  on  their  own  roots  or 
otherwise.  The  plants  fill  up  admirably  the  space 
between  dwarf  Roses  on  their  own  roots.  A  Rose 
here  and  there  adds  to  the  charm  of  the  autumn 
show  of  the  Carnation,  while  the  foliage  of  the 
plants  contrasts  agreeably.  A  few  groups  of  good 
Stocks  here  and  there,  and  tufts  of  Violas  and 
I'ansiee  about  the  margin,  together  make  an 
August  or  September  garden  which  would  charm 
the  most  fastidious. 

As  to  the  kinds,  there  are  enough  for  all  tastes. 
Among  the  Cloves  alone,  after  the  old  deep  crim- 
son, we  have  a  fine  white,  a  brilliant  scarlet,  a  de- 
licate peach,  and  various  others.  Many  have  in 
fact  been  raised,  and  it  is  for  each  to  choose  the 
colours  and  kinds  he  likes  best,  and,  by  remem- 
bering to  increase  them  from  pipings  or  cuttings 
every  year,  keep  up  a  good  stock  for  oneself  and 
friends.  For  our  experience  is,  that  there  are  few 
things  people  are  so  pleased  to  get  as  a  few  stout 
young  plants  of  these  Clove  Carnations.  There 
has  been  such  a  run  on  them  of  late  years,  that 
it  has  been  sometimes  diflacult  to  get  them  in  the 
tr?.de. 

Apart  from  the  Cloves,  there  are  the  various 
self-coloured  and  other  Carnations,  which  are 
happily  now  being  taken  up  by  some  of  our  enter- 
prising nurserymen,  and  are  no  longer  difficult  to 
obtain  in  various  ways.  We  have  lately  seen  many 
fine  forms,  mostly  in  gardens  of  the  smaller  class. 
One  may  often  secure  plants  or  cuttings  from  sue 
gardens.  Once  possessed  of  a  good  form,  it  should 
bs  a  matter  of  care  to  keep  a  good  stock  of  it 


The  neglect  of  these  things  should  no  longer 
be  borne  by  the  most  long-suffering,  and  those 
who  are  not  their  own  gardeners  should  say  so  to 
their  men. 

The  plant  should  also  be  raised  from  seed  every 
year,  for  two  reasons — securing  a  good  stock  of 
vigorous  young  plants,  and  for  the  chance  of  get- 
ting new  forms  suited  to  one's  taste  or  soil.  The 
range  of  colour  is  endless,  and  by  raising  seed- 
lings annually  anyone  may  hope  to  add  new  trea- 
sures to  the  general  garden  stock.  People  who 
raise  many  other  things  from  seed  often  forget 
how  easily  these  are  raised.  Many  seem  not  to 
know  the  fact.  If  there  were  no  other  good  rea- 
son to  raise  seedlings;  it  is  in  some  places  desir- 
able to  do  so  to  find  varieties  to  suit  tlie  soil. 
Though  the  plant  is  far  from  fastidious  as  regards 
soil,  yet  we  have  known  some  places  where  the 
plants  generally  did  not  succeed.  One  showy 
kind  would  be  an  exception.  Obviously,  if  one 
kind  will  succeed  more  than  others,  it  may  be  pos- 
sible by  seed-raising  to  get  more  of  the  same  taste 
and  of  different  colours.  Both  our  own  seed 
houses  and  the  French  and  German  offer  selections 
of  Carnation  seed.  Our  advice  would  be  to  secure 
a  packet  of  each  distinct  strain,  and  go  to  work. 
The  plants  grow  freely  the  first  year,  and  bloom 
strongly  the  second.  By  sowing  a  batch  every 
year  we  may  have  each  season  the  pleasure  of 
watching  the  bloom  of  a  new  series,  containing 
perhaps  many  single  flowers,  which  the  raiser  may 
not  care  for,  but  also  perhaps  showing  some  new 
beauty  which  may  find  a  place  in  English  gardens 
for  generations  to  come.  The  Carnation,  while 
often  sought  by  the  lady,  is  also  a  poor  man's 
flower,  requiring  no  fires  or  glass  for  its  care  ;  so 
that  those  raising  more  stock  than  they  themselves 
want  need  not  doubt  that  they  could  gratify  neigh- 
bours of  any  degree  by  what  they  did  not  need 
themselves.  R. 


Erysimum    Peroffa'sianuin.  —  I  saw  a 

mass  of  this  in  early  spring  and  thought  it  formed 
one  of  the  most  telling  bits  of  colour  I  ever  saw. 
A  plant  or  two  after  blooming  had  been  acciden- 
tally cast  down  at  the  foot  of  a  sunny  wall,  the 
result  of  which  was  a  crowd  of  young  plants. 
There  was  no  prepared  soil  for  them  to  grow  in, 
nothing  but  the  bare  gravel  walk,  and  they  seemed 
quite  at  home  there,  growing  in  fact  as  well  and 
appearing  just  as  happy  as  Wallflowers  do  in  simi- 
lar situations.  The  effect  of  this  mass  of  rich 
orange  in  the  sunlight  in  early  spring  was  charm- 
ing. This  annual,  so  distinct  in  colour  from  all 
others,  requires  to  be  sown  early  in  September  in 
rather  poor  soil ;  it  then  gathers  strength  by  win- 
ter and  makes  a  brave  show  quite  early  in  the  year, 
being  the  first  of  the  hardy  annuals  to  come  into 
bloom. — J.  C,  Bijth'H. 

Arrangement  of  border  plants. -The 

following  is  the  way  in  which  I  have  arranged  the 
plants  in  a  border  in  my  garden,  lieing  a  lover 
of  all  kinds  of  flowers,  I  could  not  do  without  the 
old-fashioned  perennials  which  I  knew  when  a 
child  ;  EO  in  order  to  combine  the  new  system  of 
bedding  out  with  my  old  favourites,  I  adopted  the 
following  plan  :  The  border  allotted  to  flowers  at 
the  end  of  my  pleasure  ground  is  310  feet  long 
and  8  feet  wide.  Being  on  the  slope  of  a  hill,  I 
was  obliged  to  build  a  low  wall  in  the  centre  to 
make  the  ground  level.  On  the  top  of  this  little 
wall  I  put  some  tiles,  so  that  there  is  room  to 
walk  and  gather  the  flowers  on  either  side.  The 
upper  division  is  planted  with  Roses,  at  one 
side  some  tufts  of  Gladioli,  and  next  the  wall  is  a 
long  row  of  alpine  Auriculas.  The  lower  division 
is  festooned  and  edged  with  Echeveria  secunda 
glauca.  The  large  divisions  are  planted  with  tall 
herbaceous  plants— Spiraeas,  Phloxes,  Delphiniums, 
&o. — inside,  lower  growing  ones  filling  up  outside. 
The  small  divisions  are  filled  with  bulbous  roots 
in  autumn,  and  when  taken  up  zonal  or  Ivy-leaved 
Pelargoniums  take  their  place  for  summer.  In 
the  early  summer  the  soft  orange-scarlet  fiowers 
of  the  Echeveria  give  a  charming  effect  to  tlie 
whole  border.  Outside  is  a  row  of  white-leaved 
Pelargoniums  in  summer  and  Crocuses  in  spring, 


the  whole  being  finished  with  a  Grass  verge  next 
the  walk.— D.  B.,  Suhlin. 

Gynura  aurantiaca. — AVhen  first  brought 
into  notice  this  was  said  to  be  a  desirable  bedding 
plant,  and  certainly  as  seen  in  spring  when  but 
a  few  inches  high,  covered  so  densely  with  hairs  as 
to  make  every  leaf  look  like  a  bit  of  purple  plush, 
it  was  full  of  promise,  but,  like  many  other  much 
lauded  subjects,  that  early  promise  has  not  been 
carried  out.  My  experience  of  it  is  that  when 
planted  out  it  grows  away  strongly  and  soon  runs 
up  a  foot  or  two  in  height  with  scarcely  any 
branches,  while  at  the  same  time  much  of  that 
beautiful  purple  colouring  belonging  to  its  early 
stages  is  lost.  It  is  by  no  means  attractive  as  thus 
seen,  and  if  kept  indoors  altogether  it  soon  runs 
up  spindly  and  loses  its  colouring,  while  disease 
often  attacks  it  and  gives  it  a  sickly  look.  The 
flowers,  it  must  be  admitted,  are  borne  during 
winter  when  blooms  are  comparatively  scarce,  but 
being  a  good  deal  like  these  of  the  Sow  Thistle 
they  do  not  find  many  admirers.  It  can  be  struck 
easily  from  cuttings  and  it  soon  establishes  itself 
when  potted  off,  so  that  pretty  little  plants  of  it 
a  few  inches  high  are  soon  obtained  and  in  that 
state  may  be  used  for  many  purposes,  but  as  a 
bedding  plant  it  has  yet  to  make  its  mark. — 
H.  P. 


Indoor   Garden. 


CYCLAMENS  EARLY  IN  WINTER. 

The  end  of  this  month  is  the  proper  time  to  sow 
seed  of  the  Persian  Cyclamen  in  order  to  obtain 
plants  that  will  flower  in  a  satisfactory  manner  in 
the  early  winter  months  of  188.5.  I  am  quite 
aware  that  it  maybe  had  in  flower  in  less  time  than 
I  have  here  allowed,  but  my  purpose  is  to  direct 
attention  to  the  best  way  of  obtaining  plants  of  a 
suitable  size  to  be  effective  in  the  dwelling-house 
or  in  the  conservatory.  The  seed  may  be  sown 
in  a  pot  or  pan,  according  to  the  number  of  plants 
required.  Any  fairly  light  sandy  soil  will  do  for 
the  seedlings,  and  as  the  seed  is  larger  than  that 
of  many  other  plants,  it  may  be  buried  a  little 
deeper,  but  only  so  deep  as  just  to  be  well  covered. 
I  may  remark  here  that  only  those  in  a  position 
to  give  the  plants  a  higher  temperature  than  that 
of  an  ordinary  greenhouse  during  winter  are  re- 
commended to  sow  the  seed  at  this  time  of  year, 
for,  in  order  to  obtain  fair-sized  plants  in  the  time 
specified,  the  plants  must  be  raised  in  heat,  and 
kept  through  the  winter  in  a  temperature  ranging 
from  55°  at  night  to  70°  during  the  day.  There- 
fore as  soon  as  the  seed  is  sown  the  pan  should  be 
placed  in  the  stove  or  in  some  structure  similarly 
heated,  and  shaded  from  bright  sunshine,  so  that 
the  surface  soil  may  not  dry  up  so  quickly  as  to 
require  watering  every  day.  Good  seed  does  not, 
as  a  rule,  fail  to  produce  a  fair  percentage  of 
plants  it  carefully  attended  to  in  the  way  of  mois- 
ture, but  an  excess  of  moisture  in  the  soil 
and  a  low  temperature  will  cause  it  to  rot 
before  it  has  had  time  to  start  into  growth. 
Unless  the  young  plants  stand  very  closely  together 
in  the  pan,  no  great  hurry  need  be  made  to  move 
them  out  of  it.  They  ought  to  stand  in  the  seed 
pan  until  they  have  produced  four  leaves,  and  then 
they  may  be  expected  to  have  made  suflicient  roots 
to  bear  removal  without  suffering  any  serious 
check.  From  the  pan  they  should  be  put  into 
3-inch  pots. 

The  soil  for  Cyclamens  should  be  fairly  light 
and  rich,  and  should  consist  of  equal  parts  turfy 
loam,  peat,  and  well  rotted  hotbed  manure.  If 
the  peat  does  not  contain  a  fair  proportion  of  sand, 
some  should  be  added  and  well  mixed  with  the 
other  ingredients.  Except  for  the  first  potting 
the  soil  should  not  be  sifted,  but  well  beaten  up  on 
the  bench  with  a  spade,  the  rough  lumps  being 
picked  out. 

Plants  eaised  from  seed  as  here  directed  will 
be  ready  for  single  pots  early  in  January.  As 
soon  as  potted  let  them  have  a  warm  position  and 
a  fair  amount  of  light,  setting  them  where  they 
can  be  syringed  twice  a  day  and  be  kept  free  from 


Aug.  16,    1884.J 


THE    GARDEN 


131 


thrips  and  green  fly.  About  the  end  of  March 
they  should  be  ready  for  a  shift  into  4.+-inch  pots, 
and  should  be  set  in  the  same  quarters  again. 
They  will  not  require  any  more  pot  room,  as  the 
Cyclamen  is  one  of  those  plants  that  suffer 
from  being  over-potted,  or,  as  we  gardeners 
say,  they  ilower  most  profusely  and  keep  in 
best  health  when  the  roots  feel  the  pots. 
Early  in  June  they  may  be  placed  in  their  summer 
quarters,  which  should  be  a  pit  or  frame,  where 
they  can  be  shaded  in  very  hot  weather,  and  where 
ventilation  can  be  carefully  attended  to.  They 
should  only  have  a  moderate  supply  of  air,  and 
should  beshutup  early  on  sunny  afternoons  in  order 
to  keep  up  a  genial  growing  atmosphere  about  them 
at  night.  The  moisture  at  the  roots  must  be  kept 
up  by  giving  sufficient  water  as  often  as  they 
require  it,  and  no  more.  In  September  they  should 
be  showing  flower,  and  then  they  should  have  a 
warm  shelf  in  the  greenhouse.  Early  in  Novem- 
ber they  ought  to  have  the  benefit  of  a  slight  in- 
crease in  temperature,  when  they  may  be  expected 
to  flower  freely,  and  will  continue  to  do  so  for 
some  time.  J.  C.  C. 


rOINSETTIA   PULCHERMMA. 

Tlants  of  this  with  bright  scarlet  bracts  and 
healthy  foliage  may  sometimes  be  seen  in  mid- 
winter in  pots  not,  perhaps,  more  than  7  inches  in 
diameter.  Such  plants,  however,  it  is  to  be  feared, 
are  an  exception  to  the  rule,  as  in  many  gardens 
I'oinsettias  may  be  seen  in  winter  either  over- 
potted  or  divested  of  a  large  proportion  of  their 
principal  leaves.  The  retention  of  the  foliage 
until  the  bracts  are  developed  is  one  of  the  best 
indications  of  successful  culture.  As  soon  as  any 
error  in  management  is  committed  part  of  the 
leaves  turn  yellow  and  eventually  die  away. 
Poinsettias  are  not  difficult  to  grow  if  a  few  all- 
important  points  .are  kept  in  view,  and  the  plants 
are  treated  accordingly.  The  roots  must  not  be 
broken  more  than  possible  in  repotting,  and  the 
plants  when  once  rooted  should  not  be  allowed  to 
become  starved  or  pot-bound.  Sudden  changes  of 
temperature  are  injurious,  such  as  shifting  the 
plants  from  a  somewhat  cool  house  or  frame  in 
antumn  into  a  much  warmer  position,  and  the 
same  may  be  said  regarding  their  removal  from 
heat  into  cooler  quarters  in  the  younger  stages  of 
growth.  In  either  case  the  leaves  are  liable  to  be 
affected.  Another  point  is  that  the  roots  will  die 
in  autumn  if  the  plants  are  allowed  to  remain  too 
long  in  frames  where  they  are  exposed  to  a  con- 
tinued low  temperature  or  too  much  moisture  at 
that  season. 

Annual  propagation.— The  general  plan  now 
adopted  is  to  propagate  annually,  growing  on  the 
plants  to  produce  one  head  of  bracts  each,  and 
afterwards  retaining  them  for  a  supply  of  cuttings 
the  following  year,  when  they  are  thrown  away. 
For  growth  in  small  pots  this  is  the  best  method, 
but  if  large  branched  specimens  are  required,  the 
old  plants  must  be  kept  and  grown  on,  as  cuttings 
when  stopped  produce  only  small  heads.  The  old 
plants  must  be  kept  in  a  warm  place  after  flower- 
ing until  June,  when  they  should  be  watered  and 
started  to  produce  cuttings.  It  is  best  to  keep 
them  quite  dry  during  the  resting  period.  Plants 
kept  on  the  shelf  of  a  warm  potting  shed  produced 
when  started  much  stronger  cuttings  than  those 
m  a  warm  house  and  watered  occasionally.  When 
the  cuttings  are  about  S  inches  long  they  should 
be  taken  off  below  a  joint,  with  or  without  a  heel, 
and  inserted  in  small  pots  singly  without  crocks, 
and  placed  m  a  warm,  close  frame  in  the  propagat- 
ing house.  This  plan  is  much  better  than  putting 
several  cuttmgs  in  a  larger  pot,  as  injury  to  the 
roots  when  repotting  is  thereby  avoided.  When 
the  cuttings  are  rooted,  air  should  be  gradually 
■admitted  until  they  are  strong  enough  for  the 
open  house,  when  the  roots  will  soon  be  found  to 
have  reached  the  sides  of  the  pots.  The  compost 
bestsuited  for  Poinsettias  isa  rich,  rather  lightone 
consisting  of  about  half  turfy  loam,  not  broken 
too  fine,  with  the  addition  of  dried  cow  manure 
and  leaf  soil  in  about  equal  proportions.  A  little 
soot  and  some  broken  charcoal  are  also  good  addi- 


tions ;  the  former  imparts  a  dark  colour  to  the 
leaves,  and  the  latter  keeps  the  compost  open. 
Pots  of  sizes  to  give  a  gradual  shift  sliould  be 
selected;    thus    cuttings   put   into    3-inch    pots 
may  be   transferred  to   G-inch    ones,  and   those 
put   into    L'.l-inch  pots    may  be  potted  on  into 
;!-inch    pots,    and    again    into    5-inch    ones,    in 
either    of    which    sizes    they  may  be  flowered. 
Plenty  of  light  must  be  accorded  Poinsettias  at  all 
times,  or  they  will  soon  draw  up  tall  and  weak. 
When  well  started  after  the  final  potting  a  better 
place  can  scarcely  be  selected  for  them  than  a 
frame  or  pit  in  which  there  is  a  spent  hotbed,  as 
the  plants  can  be  kept  almost  touching  the  glass 
at  all  times  by  removing  the  material  from  under- 
neath as  they  grow  in  order  to  lower  them.  Plenty 
of  air  and  water  with  a  syringing  each  night  and 
morning  will  best  suit  their  requirements  and  in- 
duce short- join  ted  strong  growth.     Exposure  to 
full  sunshine  should  also  be  allowed,  unless  it  be 
unusually  hot,  when  a  thin  shading  should  be  ap- 
plied on  bright  days.   The  stock  of  plants  must  be 
removed  to  a  somewhat  warmer  position  early  in 
October,  and  they  may  be  gradually  introduced  to 
more  heat  in  batches  as  required.     The  bracts  are 
generally  formed  and  nearly  developed  before  the 
flowers  open.     During  this  stage  plenty  of  heat 
and  moisture  should  be  given  and  artificial  or 
other  manure  in  order  to  secure  them  as  large  as 
possible;  a  temperature  of  about  60°  will  retain 
them  in  beauty  for  a  long  time  afterwards.     The 
height  and  strength  of  the  plants  will  depend  a 
good  deal  on  the  time  when  they  were  propagated 
and  the  strength  of  the  cuttings  inserted.     The 
latter  is  a  matter  of  importance,  weak  cuttings 
being  undesirable.     Cuttings  put  in   as  recom- 
mended any  time  in  August  will  produce  plants  a 
foot  or  more  high  to  come  in  before  Christmas,  and 
it  is  questionable  if  these  are  not  more  useful  than 
others  propagated  early  in  July  and  which  are 
consequently  much  taller  and  stronger.  It  is,  how- 
ever, desirable  to  put  in  successional  batches  of 
cuttings  that  may   be  obtained  from   the  same 
plants,  and  so  procure  plants  of  both  descriptions. 
The  old  plants  of   Poinsettias  if  required  to 
be  grown  on  should  be  shaken  out  and  potted  in 
somewhat  smaller  pots  than  those  in  which  they 
have  been  growing  at  starting  time.     They  should 
have  been  cut  back  rather  hard,  as  if  long  old 
shoots  are  left  the  best  young  ones  always  pro- 
ceed from  their  points,  and  the  plants  are  thereby 
made  leggy.  Such  shoots  may,  however,  be  utilised 
for  early  cuttings,  and  secondary  growths  en- 
couraged for  the  old  plants.     The  after  cultivation 
may  be  very  similar  to  that  recommended  for 
plants  from  cuttings,  with  the  addition  of  larger 
pots  and  consequently  more  space.     The  old  type 
of  P.  pulcherrima  is  still  mostly  grown.     There  is 
said  to  be  two  varieties  of  it,  one  being  in  advance 
of  the  other  in  arriving  at  maturity,  but  I  am  not 
aware  that  I  have  seen  any  difference  in  this  re- 
spect, except  that  caused  by  retarding  them  in 
cultivation.     The  white  form,  P.  p.  alba,  seems  to 
be  almost  lost.     It  is  not  of  much  use  except  as  a 
variety,  but  it  should  not  be  discarded  altogether. 
The  double  form,  P.  p.  plenissima,  received  quite 
an  ovation  on  its  introduction,  but  now  we  rarely 
hear  of  it.     What  can  have  become  of  all  the 
plants  distributed  of  this  variety  i  J.  G.  K. 


individual  flower-stems  of  various  kinds,  such  as 
Gloxinias,  te.,  and  where  no  great  amount  of 
strength  is  needed,  the  mature  stems  whose  fronds 
have  withered  of  the  stronger  growing  Adiantums 
answer  admirably.  Being  thin  and  black  they  do 
not  show  like  twigs  or  common  stakes,  and  are, 
nevertheless,  wonderfully  stiff  and  rigid.  Here  A. 
formosum  grows  wild  under  the  staeres,  and  is 
freely  used  for  cutting.  The  stems,  when  nothing 
else  is  left  of  them,  come  in  handy  for  flower 
supports,  and  last  a  long  time.  Various  other  up- 
right growing  species,  such  as  \.  cardiochlsna, 
A.  trapeziforme,  and  many  more,  are  also  avail- 
able.—G.  P. 

Peperomla  resedaeflora.— Some  of  the  Pe- 
peromias  are  pretty  creeping  plants,  and  suitable 
for  suspended  baskets,  or,  in  company  with  others 
of  this  class,  they  may  be  used  for  carpeting 
stages  on  which  pot  plants  are  standing,  thus  ob- 
viating that  naked  appearance  which  is  so  often 
seen,  and  yet  so  easily  remedied  by  means  of  such 
plants  as  this,  the  variegated  Panicum,  Fittonias, 
Pellionias,  Selaginellas,  and  others.  In  the  kind 
under  notice,  however,  the  principal  feature  is  the 
flowers,  which  are  borne  in  dense  conical-shaped 
clusters  at  the  tips  of  the  shoots.  Before  expan- 
sion they  are  of  a  greenish  tinge,  but  when  open 
pure  white.  In  the  T  range  at  Kew  there  is  a 
panful  of  this  Peperomia,  which  when  in  flower  is 
so  attractive  as  to  merit  more  extended  cultiva- 
tion, especially  as  it  needs  only  the  most  simple 
kind  of  treatment. — Alpha. 

Pelargoniums  for  pot  culture.— I  fully 
agree  with  all  Mr.  Groom  urges  as  to  the  useful- 
ness and  great  staying  power  of  the  petals  of 
doubles  as  compared  with  singles,  and  would  ask 
him  to  name  a  few  of  those  he  finds  best,  every- 
thing considered.  Many  of  the  varieties  produce 
merely  a  truss,  often  imperfect,  and  are  hardly 
worth  growing ;  while  others  require  so  high  a 
winter  temperature  to  bloom  at  all  as  to  make 
them  much  too  expensive  a  luxury  for  the  vast 
majority.  The  freest  bloomer  I  know,  and  one  that 
requires  no  forcing,  is  Cannell's  Lord  Mayor,  deep 
purple-pink.  It  is  of  dwarf  habit  and  very  com- 
pact. Even  smaller  and  dwarfer  is  Lemoine's 
Comtesse  de  Tannberg.  The  trusses  stay  on  it  for  a 
month.  I  hear  a  good  deal  of  an  American  variety 
raised  by  Mr.  Thorpe,  named  H.  Cannell,  brilliant 
scarlet,  and  said  to  be  a  very  free  bloomer.  Edouard 
is  good  among  oranges.— W.  J.  M.,  Clunmel. 


Pancratium  marltimum.  —  Seeing  it 
stated  in  The  Garden  (p.  42)  that  the  flowering 
in  England  of  this  Pancratium  is  rare  and  note- 
worthy, allow  me  to  say  that  I  have  a  good  spathe 
now  thrown  up  by  a  bulb  in  my  greenhouse.  The 
blooms  notbeingas  yet  open,  I  cannot  report  further 
upon  it,  but  I  may  mention  that  it  is  under  ordi- 
nary temperate  treatment.  It  is  potted  in  strong 
yellow  loam  in  a  small  pot,  and  stands  on  the 
stage  in  a  sunny  spot.  This  is  the  first  flower  I 
have  had  from  P.  maritimum.  Bulbs  in  the  border 
have  not  flowered  with  me.  Ismene  calathinum, 
under  the  same  conditions,  is  making  remarkably 
fine  foliage,  but  does  not  show  for  bloom  yet. — 
F.  C.  C.  Barnett,  Iteadinij. 

Adiantum  stems  as  stakes. — Slender, 
almost  invisible,  stakes  are  often  wanted  to  support 


Fruit  Crops. 

SUPPLEMENTARY  ENGLISH  REPORTS. 

Mentmore,  Bucks.— Apples  here  are  a  very 
poor  crop.  The  following  varieties  on  dwarf 
Paradise  stocks  are  bearing  a  moderate  crop,  viz., 
Early  Margaret  or  Striped  Juneating,  ripe  the  end 
of  July;  Mr.  Gladstone,  a  few  days  later  than 
Juneating,  a  fine,  bright,  early  Apple;  Emperor 
Alexander,  Worcester  Pearmain,  Ringer,  Warner's 
King,  Irish  Peach,  Cox's  Orange  Pippin,  Lady 
Henniker,  Yellow  Ingestre,  Scarlet  Nonpareil, 
Cockle  Pippin,  Rymer,  Cellini,  and  D.  T.  Fish,  the 
last  like  Warner's  King,  if  not  identical.  Peaches 
on  walls  are  very  scarce  ;  the  first  to  ripen  was 
Early  Beatrice  (July  2.j),  a  small  bright  Peach, 
and  Early  Louise,  a  week  later,  but  much  larger. 
Pears  area  failure ;  small  fruits  abundant.  Straw- 
berries good,  but  soon  over ;  our  best  this  season 
were  Crown  Prince  (early),  Duke  of  Edinburgh, 
Moffat's,  Elton  Pine,  and  Loxford  Hall ;  Keen's 
Seedling  is  still  good  if  care  is  taken  to  plant 
runners  only  from  the  most  productive  plants. 
Our  best  Gooseberry  again  has  been  Ilenson's  Pro- 
lific, a  variety  which  everyone  should  grow.  Rasp- 
berries were  soon  over,  owing  to  the  dry  weather : 
Baumforth's  Seedling  is  a  handsome-looking  variety 
and  vigorous  in  growth. 

Potatoes  are  excellent,  both  as  regards  crop 
and  quality.  Snowdrop,  an  early  kind,  promises 
to  prove  in  every  respect  a  very  superior  variety. 
Among  Peas  we  find  Veitch's  Extra  Early  Selected 
to  be  one  of  the  earliest;  American  Wonder  seems 
too  tender  for  autumn  sowing ;  for  main  crop  we 


lo2 


THE    GARDEN 


[At-G.  16,  1884. 


find  nothing  better  than  Marvel,  Veitch's  Terfec- 
tion,  Telegraph,  Reading  Giant,  and  Ne  plus 
Ultra.  We  have  found  that  the  new  Erench  I'.ean 
called  Dwarf  Ne  plus  Ultra  is  earlier  than  Osborn's 
and  of  first-class  qoality.— J.  Smith. 

Gunton  Park,  Norwieli.— Apples  here  are 
a  fair  crop,  though  at  present  small,  owing  to_  the 
severe  drought  which  we  have  had  ;  Lord  Suffield, 
Lord  Grosvenor,  Pott's  Seedling,  Keswick  Codlin, 
Lane's  Prince  Albert,  Ribston  Pippin,  and  Colonel 
Harbord's  Pippin,  a  local  Apple  that  never  fails  to 
bear  in  this  neighbourhood,  are  all  fairly  well 
laden.    Of  Apricots  we  have  an  abundant  crop, 
the  finest  for  some  years  past ;  the  trees  have,  how- 
ever, required  a  plentiful  supply  of  water  to  pre- 
vent the  fruit  from  falling.     Figs  are  plentiful, 
but  very  small ;  Filberts  are  an  average  crop  ;  Cur- 
rants, Red,  White,  and  Black,  plentiful  and  good  ; 
Cherries,  dessert,  on  east  walls  good,  especially 
Black  Tartarian,  Elton,   Black   Eagle,  Belle  de 
Choisy,  and  Bigarreau  ;  Bigarreau  Napoleon  now 
ripe  is  abundant  and  excellent.     The  black  aphis 
was  very  troublesome  early  in  the  season  in  the 
case  of  Cherries,  and  the  trees  had  to  be  well 
watered  at  the  stoning  period  to  save  the  crop. 
Gooseberries  are  a  medium  crop ;  Peaches-  in  a  few 
sheltered    places     and    Nectarines   in    favoured 
spots  are  excellent  crops,  and  the  frees  are  looking 
well.     Pears  on  walls  are  generally  thin  ;  the  fol- 
lowing kinds  are  carrying  a  good  sprinkling  of 
fruit,  viz  ,  .largonelle,  Doyenne  du  Cornice,  Jose- 
phine de  Malines,  Conseiller  de   la  Cour,  Marie 
Louise  dUccle,  Prince  Consort  (Hayshe's).  Glou 
Morceau,  Louise  Bonne  of  Jersey, and  Jersey  Gra- 
tioli.     The  only  kinds  bearing  on  standards  worth 
notice  are  Louise  Bonne  of  Jersey,  Doyenne  du 
Comice,  Jersey  Gratioli,   and   Beurre  Clairgeau. 
Plums  are  a  very  light  crop  and  the  trees  are  much 
injured  withgreenfly.  Rivers'Eariy  Favourite  is  the 
only  kind  that  is  cropping  well ;  Kirke's,  Mitchel- 
son's,  Victoria,  Pond's,  and  Coe's  (generally  reliable) 
are  all  very  thin.  Raspberries  were  a  plentiful  crop, 
but  the  fruit  was  small  and  quickly  over  on  our 
dry  sandy  loam.     Strawberries  were  fine,  abun- 
dant, and  excellent  in  flavour,  but  they  were  over 
in  a  fortnight,  owing  to  the  intensely  hot  and  dry 
weather  which  we  have  had  ;  Comtesse  Hericart  de 
Thury,  Sir  J.  Paxton,  President,  James  Veitch, 
British  Queen,  Sir  C.   Napier,  Auguste  Necaise, 
Countess,  Amateur,  Dr.  Hogg,  and  Crimson  Queen 
ripened  in  the  order  here  given.     The  three  last 
mentioned  were  the  latest,  and  mere  extra  fine 
and  good.  Walnuts  generally  are  abundant.— Wm. 
Allan. 

Idsworth,  Horndean.— Apples  here  will 
not  be  an  average  crop  this  year.  The  sorts  which 
are  doing  best  are  Keswick  and  Manks  Codlins, 
Hambledon  Deux  Ans,  and  Lord  Suftield,  and 
there  is  a  sprinkling  of  other  kinds.  Pears  are 
generally  a  poorer  crop  than  usual;  the  majority 
flowered  well,  but  too  early,  and  were  cut  off  by 
late  frosts.  Plums  are  a  very  poor  crop— the  worst 
we  have  had  for  years.  Apricots  are  not  grown 
in  this  part  of  Hampshire.  Cherries  are  almost  a 
failure  with  the  exception  of  Jtorellos,  which  are 
an  average  crop.  Figs  outside  are  generally  very 
promising.  Strawberries  were  a  good  crop,  but 
soon  over.  Gooseberries  an  average  crop.  Black 
Currants  a  heavy  crop.  Red  and  White  Currants 
a  medium  crop.  Raspberries  would  have  been  a 
good  crop,  but  the  dry  weather  affected  them.  No 
Peaches  or  Nectarines  are  grown  outside  here. 
Medlars  are  not  an  average  crop,  and  Quinces  are 
a  failure.  Nuts,  such  as  Filberts  and  Walnuts, 
are  a  medium  crop.  Taken  altogether,  the  fruit 
crop  hereabouts  is  not  a  satisfactory  one.  With 
few  exceptions  bloom  was  abundant,  but  unkind 
weather  followed  by  drought  put  an  end  to  our 
hopes  of  a  good  fruit  crop. 

Potatoes,  I  am  pleased  to  say,  are  looking 
promising ;  early  kinds,  such  as  Veitch's  Ashleaf, 
Sutton's  Early  Border,  &c.,  have  been  plentiful 
and  good.  We  are  now  lifting  St.  Patrick  from 
our  heavy  soil  in  good  condition.  Magnum  Bonum, 
Prince's  Prolific,  Young's  Seedling,  &c.,  amongst 
lite  kinds  look  well.  Early  Rose,  which  is  grow- 
ing satisfactorily  this  season,  forms  the  staple  crop 


amongst  cottagers ;  disease  has,  however,  appeared 
in  several  localities,  but  not  to  any  serious  extent. 
—Newman  F.  Fuller. 

Preston  Hall,    Ayleeford.  Kent.— Out- 
door  fruit  this  year   may  be  looked  upon  as    a 
failure  ;  with  the  exception  of  soft  fruit.  Peaches, 
Nectarines,  and  Cherries,  there  is  not  much  left 
that  was  exposed  to  the  frosts.     Referring  to  my 
register  I  find  that  on  April  23  there  were  10°, 
24  9°,  2.5  7°,  20  7°  ;  May  1  1°,  C  3°,  7  5°.    Our  soil 
is  a  light  loam  resting  on  the  Kentish  ragstone 
and  gravel ;  its  depth  in  some  places  varies  from 
3  feet  to  4  feet.   The  drainage  is  good,  and  under- 
growth is  thereby  prevented,  except  in  wet  sea- 
sons.   Our  fruit  garden  is  protected  on  the  east 
and  north  by  high  trees.  Of  Apples  we  have  about 
half  a  crop  ;  Lord  Suffield,  Keswick  Codlin,  New 
and  Old  Hawthornden,  Tower  of  Glamis,  Stirling 
Castle,  Stone's    Apple,    Dutch    Mignonne,    King 
Pippin,    Oslin  Pippin,    and   Sturmer   Pippin   are 
cropping    best ;    Pears  all  through  are  about  a 
fourth  of  a  crop ;  of  Plums  we  have  very  f ew— 
about  a  fouith ;   Victoria,  Pond's  Seedling,  Czar, 
Rivers'  Prolific,  and  Orleans  are  the  best ;  Cherries 
were  about  three-fourths  of  a  crop;    late  ones 
were  fine,  especially  the  Bigarreaus  ;  Morellos,  too, 
are  plentiful  and  good;   Nuts  are  about  half  a 
crop  ;  Cobs  are  the  best ;  Raspberries  showed  well, 
and    were    plentiful  but    small,  owing    to    the 
drought.     We  have  had  little  rain  for  the  past 
threemonths— only4  03  inches  since  May  1.  Straw- 
berries were  above  the  average,  but  small ;  Goose- 
berries were  an  average  crop  and  good  ;  Currants 
average ;  Peaches,  Nectarines,  and   Apricots  are 
good  crops   and  swelling  well.     These  were  all 
covered,  but  they  were  sadly  punished  by  aphides 
early  in  the  season,  but  by  means  of  continual 
washing     they     have     grown     away     well.— A. 
Waterman. 

Frognal,  Foots  Cray,  Kent  —  Apricots, 
consisting  of  Moorpark  and  Powel's  Late,  are 
carrying  full  crops,  others  thin.  Plums  are  almost 
a  failure  ;  there  are  a  few  Victorias  and  Prince  of 
Wales.  Morello  Cherries  are  good  ;  Bigarreau, 
Kentish,  and  Black  Hearts  very  thin.  Of  Peaches 
we  have  a  full  crop  of  Dr.  Hogg,  Dymond,  and 
Prince  of  Wales,  and  of  Nectarines  we  have  an 
average  crop  of  Pitmaston  Orange  and  Violette 
Hative  ;  others  are  under  the  average.  Of  Figs, 
Brown  Turkey  is  half  a  crop;  others  a  failure. 
Apples  are  thin;  the  only  sorts  carrying  a  fair 
crop  here  are  Kerry  Pippin,  King  of  the  Pippins, 
Early  Jnlien,  and  Old  Hawthornden.  Pears  are 
a  failure.  Of  Gooseberries  we  have  a  heavy  crop 
of  Crown  P.ob,  Golden  Lion,  Lancashire  Lad,  and 
Warrington.  Red  and  AVhite  Currants  are  very 
good  ;  Black,  heavy  crops,  but  very  much  blighted. 
Strawberries  were  an  abundant  crop.  Raspberries 
under  average.  Walnuts  almost  a  failure.  Fil- 
berts half  a  crop. 

Potatiies  here  have  been  very  good,  especially 
Lee's  Early  Hammersmith.  Later  crops  are  look- 
ing remarkably  well  in  both  gardens  and  fields.— 
T.  H.  Ckasp. 


suffered  most  from  frost;  Gooseberries,  owing  to 
being  thick  and  nearly  in  full  leaf,  escaped  with 
little  injury  ;  Nats  are  very  few. 

Early  Potatoes  are  not  so  large  as  usual,  but 
they  are  a  very  fair  crop,  and  up  to  this  time  free 
from  disease.  Late  scrts  look  well,  and  with 
another  month's  fine  weather  ought  to  be  a  grand 
crop.— R.  Carr. 

Belvoir  Castle,  Leicester.— The  crop  of 
Apricots,  both   on  south,  east,  and  west  walls  is 
the  largest  I  have  had  for  many  years,  and  the 
fruit  finer  than  usual.    No  very  conclusive  results 
can  be  mentioned  from  covering,  as  the  trees  that 
remained  unprotected  during  severe   weather  in 
April    are    bearing    fairly    good    crops,    though 
scarcely  equal  to  those  on  the  south  wall  covered 
with  protecting  material.     Peaches  on  south  walls 
are  bearing  well,  and  Hale's  Early  is  approaching 
maturity.     This  is  the  third  year  successively  that 
abundant  crops  of  Peaches  have  been  produced  on 
the   trees  occupying  this  position.     Plums  were 
caught  at  a  very  critical  period,  and  the  most 
abundant  and  promising  bloom  that  has  appeared 
for  years  was  destroyed  by  frost;  a  few  sheltered 
and  unexpanded    blossoms    escaped,    and    light 
crops   have    been    saved   on    young  wall    trees. 
Standard  Plum  and  Damson  trees  in  orchards  are 
without  fruit.  Pears  were  in  full  bloom  when  frost 
occurred;  these    and     other    fruit     trees     were 
rendered  sensitive  to  such  ungenial  influences  by 
unseasonably  warm  weather  in  eaily  spring.     As 
an  example  of  the  influence  of  elevation  and  peti- 
tion on  the  bearing  of  fruit   trees  and   their  sus- 
ceptibility to  local  climatic  action,  I  may  instance 
the  great  difference  tliat  exists  in  the  crops  of 
fruit  in  three  orchards  in  which  the  subsoil  is  the 
same  in  each  case,  viz.,  strong  clay,  but  of  which 
the    elevation    is    varied.     The     orchard    which 
occupies  the  lowest  position  containing  trees  of 
various  age  and  size,  and  consisting  of  Apples, 
Plums,  Pears,  and  Walnuts,  suffered  so  much  from 
frost  during  the   blooming  period,  that  there  is 
hardly  an  exception  as  regards  bareness  of  the 
trees  of  fruit ;  the  second  orchard,  perhaps  ,50  feet 
higher,  and  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the  first, 
is  slightly  better,  having  in  a  few  instances  light 
crops  of  the  best  bearing  kinds  of  Apples;  the 
third  orchard,  at  a  greater  elevation  than  the  pre- 
ceding, and   containing  a  similar  class  of  trees 
affords    good    crops  of    the   following  kinds    oE 
Apples:   Blenheim    Pippin,  Cox's  Orange  Pippin, 
Cox's  Pomona,  Court  of  Wick,  Bromley's  Seedling, 
Hawthornden,  and  Normanton  Wonder,  and  re- 
markable crops  of  Siberian  Crab.     It  is  the   first 
year  in  my  recollection  that  the  Damson  trees  in 
this  orchard  have  completely  failed.  Nuts  promise 
a    fair    crop;  Morello   Cherries    are    abundant. 
Currants  and  Gooseberries  are  not  good   crops ; 
Strawberries  and  Raspberries  bore  average  crops; 
— W.  Ingram. 


Welbeclr,  Worksop,  Notts— Apples  here 
are  a  very  fair  crop,  and  the  fruit  is  of  average 
quality ;  Pears  almost  a  failure  ;  most  sorts  set 
well  and  had  begun  to  swell  when  the  frost 
destroyed  them ;  some  under  nets  fared  little 
better.  Plums  are  also  a  failure,  and  the  trees 
have  been  much  infested  with  insects ;  they 
flowered  profusely  and  set  well,  but  the  frost 
brought  them  all  off.  Peaches  and  Nectarines  on 
open  walls  are  carrying  very  little  fruit ;  the  trees 
are,  however,  very  healthy.  On  a  wall  300  yards 
long  protected  by  glass  there  is  a  full  crop. 
Apricots  on  a  wall  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in 
length,  and  protected  with  glass,  have  been  grand 
They  have  been  said  to  be  such  a  sight  as  was 
never  seen  before.  On  every  tree  there  is  a  full 
crop.  Thinning  was  commenced  when  they  were 
the  size  of  small  Beans,  and  from  that  time  until 
they  were  finally  thinned  sixteen  bushels  were 
taken  off.  Morello  Cherries  are  a  good  crop,  sweet 
Cherries  only  partial ;  Strawberries  have  been 
good,  but  did  not  last  so  long  as  usual ;  bush  fruits 
have    also    been    fairly    good ;  Black    Carrants 


Killerton,  Exeter.— Apricots  here  are  an 
average  crop,  but  Peaches  and  Nectarines  are 
generally  scarce  ;  on  the  following  trees  there  is 
a  good  crop,  viz.,  Hale's  Eariy  (gathered  on  the 
31stult  ),  Dymond,  Dr.  Hogg,  and  Noblesse.  Early 
Cherries  are  good ;  Morellos  below  the  average. 
Plums  are  scarce.  Of  Apples  we  have  average 
crops,  and  the  fruit  is  very  fine.  They  are  chiefly 
in  orchards  ;  among  the  dessert  sorts  the  best  are 
Ribston,  Cox's  Orange,  and  Sturmer  Pippins, 
Summer  Golden  Pippin,  King  of  the  Pippins,  Ross 
Nonpareil,  Hubbard's  Pearmain,  Autumn  Pear- 
main,  and  Pine-apple  Russet ;  amongst  culinary 
kinds  the  best  are  Dumelow's  Seedling,  Hawthorn- 
den, Lord  Suffield.  Manks  Codlin,  Blenheim 
Orange,  Tom  Putt,  Cellini,  and  M6re  de  Menage. 
Pears  are  below  the  average,  but  on  some  trees, 
such  as  Jargonelle,  Williams'  Bon  Chretien, 
Duchesse  d'AngoulOme,  Victoria,  Doyenne  du 
Comice,  Knight's  Monarch,  Beurre  Clairgeau,  and 
Glou  Morceau,  there  are  good  crops.  Strawberries, 
Gooseberries,  Raspberries,  and  Currants  (Red, 
White,  and  Black)  have  been  abundant  and  fine. 
Of  Nuts  we  have  an  average  crop. 

Early  Potatoes  are  a  good  deal  diseased  ;  late 
sorts,  such  as  Schoolmaster,  Magnum  Bonum, 
and  Scotch  Champion,  are  luxuriant  and  very  pro- 


lUfi. 


IC,  1 884  J 


THE     GARDEN 


Ul 


mising.  A  continuance  of  fine  weather  will  ensure 
heavy  crops  of  good  quality. — John  Garland. 

Powderham    Castle,    Devon.    Apricots 
are   a  full  crop  and  good  in  quality;  Jloorpark, 
Hemskirk,    and  Kaisha  are  the  varieties  grown 
and  equally  prolific  this    season.     Peaches  and 
Nectarines,  which  are  in  excellent  condition,  are 
bearing   full  crops   and   the   foliage   is    healthy, 
riums   are  a  failure,    and    badly  infe.sted   with 
aphides.     The  crop  of  Pears,  too,  is  very  bad ;  of 
dessert  kinds  we  have  only  Moorfowl's  Egg  and 
Beurri'  Ranee  with  anything  like  a  crop  ;  among 
stewing   Pears,  Catillac  and  Bellissime   d'Hiver, 
the  two  latter  bush  trees.     Early  Cherries  are  of 
very  poor  quality,  owing  to  the  drought ;  Slorellos 
on  some  aspects  are  very  poor,  those  on  aspects 
more  northern  very  fair.     Apples  are  under  the 
average,  but  promise  to  be  very  fine,  unless  dry 
weather  again  prevails  which   may  check  their 
growth ;  such  kinds  as  Keswick  Codlin,  Golden 
Noble,  Cellini,  Cox's   Pomona,  Winter   Magetin, 
Lord  Sufheld,  and  Old  and  New  Hawthornden  are 
bearing  full  crops.    Cider  fruit  are  good  in  some 
localities,  in  others  considerably  under  the  aver- 
age. Small  fruits,  such  as  Gooseberries,  Ked,  White, 
and  Black  Currants,  and  Raspberries,  have  been 
very  good.     Strawberries  were  inferior  during  the 
early  part  of  the  season,  owing  to  the  drought,  but 
the  rain  came  just  in  time  to  finish  off  the  ma- 
jority of  the  crop,  and  latterly  they  were  excellent. 
Sir  Joseph  being  the  principal  cropper.    Our  soil 
is  verj'  light  loam.     Figs  are  very  promising,  and 
will   be  ripening  in  about  a  week  or  ten  days. 
Walnuts  are  very  abundant. 

Eably  Potatoes  were  small,  but  of  good 
quality.  Disease  made  its  appearance  about  a 
fortnight  ago  in  Hyatt's  and  has  since  appeared 
in  the  tops  of  the  later  varieties,  but  owing  to  the 
dry  weather  now  prevailing  its  progress  seemed 
arrested.  Crops  of  the  late  varieties  will,  I  have 
no  doubt,  be  very  good  —  D.  C.  Powell. 

Castle  Gardens,  'War-wrick:  —Fruit  crops 
here  suffered  very  much  from  the  late  frosts  and 
cold  east  winds  which  were  so  prevalent  during 
spring.  Apples,  except  a  few  Codlins  and  late 
varieties,  are  a  light  crop;  Plums  and  Pears  have 
little  or  no  fruit  on  them ;  Peaches  and  Apricots, 
where  covered  with  nets  or  shading  material,  are 
bearing  a  fair  crop.  All  small  fruits  plentiful, 
especially  Strawberries.  Figs  on  walls  are  a  good 
crop.— A.  Christie. 


Qrimston  Park,  Tadcaster.— Apples  are 
more  or  less  a  partial  crop  all  round  this  district 
with  the  exception  of  Keswick  Codlin,  which  is 
invariably  good  ;  the  same  remark  applies  to  Lord 
Hufiield,  only  that  useful  kind  is  not  so  frequently 
met  with  as  its  near  relative,  Keswick  Codlin ; 
Hawthornden,  Warner's  King,  Cox's  Orange  Pip- 
pin, Beauty  of  Kent,  and  one  or  two  local  varieties 
of  no  especial  merit  are  all  bearing  more  or  less 
fruit.  Apricots  are  excellent  all  round  here— 
numbers  of  trees  are  grown  on  the  warm  ends  of 
cottages  and  other  buildings  in  and  around  the 
villages  of  Thorpe  Arch  and  Boston  Spa,  a  few 
miles  from  us,  and  these  are  well  fruited.  Jloor- 
park is  the  best  variety  for  size  and  flavour,  but  is 
more  apt  to  suffer  from  the  sudden  loss  of  its 
branches  than  Kaisha,  St.  Ambrose,  and  Hems- 
kirk. A  good  holding  loam  about  i'  feet  thick 
resting  on  limestone  seems  to  suit  the  Apricot  as 
far  as  soil  is  concerned.  Cherries  are  only  par- 
tial with  us ;  Morellos  on  pyramidal  shaped  trees 
growing  in  open  borders  are,  as  usual,  loaded  with 
fruit ;  on  north  walls  the  trees  neither  live  so  long 
nor  bear  fruit  so  well  as  the  bush  trees  do.  Currants 
of  all  sorts  are  and  have  been  good  crops,  though 
to  some  extent  injured  by  the  long  period  of  dry 
weather  which  we  had  up  to  the  first  week  in 
July.  The  same  remark  applies  to  Gooseberries, 
only  that  these  did  not  suffer  so  much  from  the 
drought  as  the  Currants  did  ;  we  always  make  it  a 
rule  in  the  winter  to  give  our  Gooseberry  trees  a 
good  dressing  of  wood  ashes  or  charred  garden 
refuse,  first  cropping  off  the  soil  a  few  inches  in 
depth  round  the  base  of  the  trees.  Besides  pre- 
venting the  Gooseberry  caterpillar  from  doing  us 
any  injury,  we  find    that   it  much  improves  the 


weight    of    the  crops    of    fruit;    Red    Currants 
al'^o  are  much  benefited   by   the  same  material. 
Small  fruits   generally   were  good  crops  ;  Straw- 
berries in  particular,  where  soaked  with  sewage  as 
soon  as  the  flowering  season  was  over,  bore  extra 
heavy  crops;  Hericart  de  Thury,  Keen's  Seedling, 
Newton  Seedling,  James  Veitch,  and  President  are 
our  best  croppers  as  a  rule.     Of  new  varieties  that 
promise  well  I  may  mention  The  Countess  and 
Unser  Fritz,  the  latter  a  good  late  sort  with  some 
Frogmore  Pine  blood  in  it.  Peaches  and  Nectarines 
are  fair  crops  ;   Bellegarde,  Royal  George,  Prince 
of  Wales,  and  Red  Nectarine  are  our  best  Peaches, 
and  Violette  H:itive,   Hunt's  Tawny,  and   Lord 
Napier  usually  are  the  best  cropping  Nectarines. 
Pears  are  remarkably  thin  all  round  here,  the  only 
good  varieties  that  have  decent  crops  on  them 
being    Louise    Bonne    of    Jersey     and     Beurre 
d'Amanlis.     There  are  good  crops  of  some  of  the 
smaller  common  Pears,   but  these  are  not  worth 
increasing ;   therefore  I  need  not  mention    their 
names,  which  are  only  local  ones.     Plums,  too,  are 
but  thin  as  a  whole ;  Victoria  is  the  only  variety 
that  is  carrying  really  good  crops;  there  is,  how- 
ever, a  smattering  of  fruit  on  Jefferson's,  White 
Mirabile,  and  Orleans.     Nuts  are  partial ;  in  some 
places  there  are  the  heaviest  crops  of  Walnuts  seen 
for  many  years.     The  foliage  of  Pears  and  Apples 
is    good    generally.     The    present   warm   sunny 
weather  should  go  a  long  way  towards  building  up 
some  sound  fruit  buds  for  next  year's  crop.  Plums 
and  Currants  of  sorts  have  been  infested  with 
aphides  during  all  the  early  part  of  the  season. — 
H.  J.  Clayton. 

Thorpe  Perrow,  Bedale.— Apples  are  de- 
cidedly bad  everywhere  ;  here  and  there  one  may 
find  a  good  Keswick  Codlin  or  Lord  Suffield,  but 
that  is  all.  Pears,  too,  are  equally  bad.  Apricots 
in  some  places  are  good  ;  in  exposed  places  bad, 
and  the  trees  dying.  Peaches  are  good  outside 
where  grown,  llush  fruits  were  abundant  and 
good ;  even  Gooseberries,  though  in  some  places 
they  suffered  terribly,  especially  Champagne  sorts. 
Strawberries  were  good  and  fine,  but  much  da- 
maged by  rain  when  ripening.  Nuts  all  over  this 
district  are  bad.  Cherries  were  a  fair  crop,  and 
mostly  fine. 

Potato  crops,more  especially  late  sorts.promise 
to  be  good. — William  Culverwell. 


Ore^we  Hall,  Crewe.— In  April  and  May  we 
had  bad  weather,  frosts  at  night,  even  up  to  the 
second  week  in  June.  Apples  and  Pears,  there- 
fore, can  only  be  estimated  at  about  half  a  crop 
on  trees  which  have  fruit  on  them,  while  many  are 
fruitless.  The  sorts  of  Apples  which  are  bearing 
best  are  Lord  Suffield,  Pott's  Seedling,  Irish  Peach, 
Worcester  Pearmain,  Keswick  Codlin,  Minchal 
Crab,  and  one  which  seems  to  be  a  local  sort 
called  the  Cottage  Apple,  while  such  sorts  as  Blen- 
heim Orange,  Reinette  du  Canada,  Wareham  Rus- 
set, and  Mdre  de  Menage,  with  others,  have  little 
or  no  fruit  on  them.  Pears  bearing  best  consist 
of  Beurre  d'Amanlis,  Louise  Bonne,  Duchesse 
d'Angoul(!-me,  Winter  Nelis,  Glou  Morceau,  and 
Jargonelle.  On  a  wall  of  Plums,  including  Dam- 
son?, there  are  very  few  ;  those  of  the  former  which 
are  bearing  the  best  are  Victoria,  Kirke's,  and  Or- 
leans, and  these  only  where  they  have  the  shelter 
of  a  wall.  Nuts  and  Filberts  are  a  medium  crop, 
and  Peaches,  Nectarines,  and  Apricots,  although 
not  very  abundant,  are  better  than  they  have  been 
for  several  years  past,  /  c,  where  protected  when 
in  blossom.  Strawberry  blooms  were  injured  by 
frost  and  cold  winds,  and  the  crop  was,  therefore, 
below  the  average ;  Gooseberries  the  same ;  but 
Black  and  Red  Currants  and  Raspberries  were 
good  crops  in  sheltered  situations,  but  scarce  in 
exposed  places.  Our  soil  is  a  rather  light  sandy 
loam,  and  the  position  sheltered  from  east  and 
north  winds. — Wu.  Whitakee. 


WALES. 
Margam  Park,  Glamorganshire.— Here 

and  hereabouts  this  is  a  very  favourable  fruit  year ; 
no  crop  has  failed,  and  many  are  above  the  ave- 
rage.   Apples   are   a  very  fair    crop,  especially 


Keswick  Codlin,  Hawthornden,  and  King  of  the 
Pippins ;  some  of  the  late  kinds  are  very  good  too. 
Pears  are  not  so  plentiful.  Plums  are  a  capital 
crop,  chiefiy  Victorias  and  Green  Gages.  Peaches, 
Nectarines,  and  Apricots  are  good  average  crops. 
Hale's  Early  Peach  is  ripe  on  the  open  wall  now  ; 
it  is  a  good  early  sort,  a  free  grower,  and  heavy 
bearer.  Morello  Cherries  are  a  fine  crop,  but  none 
of  the  others  are  carrying  heavy  crops.  Black, 
White,  and  Red  Currants,  all  kinds  of  Gooseberries, 
Strawberries,  and  Raspberries  have  been  very 
plentiful  ;  the  young  growth,  too,  is  free  and 
clean.  Little  or  no  protection  is  given  to  any- 
thing in  spring.  Frost  does  not  often  occur  to  an 
injurious  extent  at  blooming  time,  but  high  winds 
and  rough  weather  frequently  do  much  harm. — J. 
MuiR. 

Dynevor  Oastle,  Llandilo.— Peaches  in 
this  neighbourhood  are  an  average  crop  ;  of  Plums 
\y/e  have  very  few  ;  Apples  are  about  one-fourth  o£ 
'a  crop,  in  some  gardens  none  ;  Pears  are  about  a 
fourth  of  a  crop  ;  all  small  fruits  are  good  ave- 
rage crops  ;  Gooseberries  and  Strawberries  indeed 
have  been  unusually  good. 

Potato  disease  has  just  made  its  appearance  on 
some  kinds.— J.  Ticehurst. 

Cardiff  Castle. — The  cold  east  winds  which 
were  prevalent  in  April  and  the  beginning  of  May 
killed  the  flowers  and  withered  up  the  tender 
growths  on  Pear  trees  to  such  an  extent  that  they 
have  scarcely  yet  recovered  ;  Pears  are  therefore  a 
failure  in  this  district  except  on  walls,  and  even 
there  the  crop  is  a  partial  one  ;  Apples  are  a  fair 
crop  in  some  places,  while  in  others  they  are  a 
failure.  The  varieties  that  are  bearing  best  here 
this  year  are  Lord  Suffield,  Hawthornden,  Eohlin- 
ville  Seedling,  Lord  Burghley,  Cellini,  Worcester 
Pearmain,  and  Cox's  Orange  Pippin  ;  Echlinville, 
Lord  Suffield,  and  Hawthornden  are  varieties  that 
can  always  be  relied  on  for  a  crop  in  almost  any 
season  ;  Plums  are  a  failure  here,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  Victoria  on  walls  ;  Peaches  and  Apricots 
are  a  failure  also  in  the  immediate  district,  while 
at  Court-y-rala,  some  four  miles  distant,  there  are 
good  crops  of  Peaches,  Plums,  and  Apricots  on  the 
open  walls  ;  Cherries,  consisting  of  Morellos,  May 
Duke,  and  others,  are  good  crops  ;  of  small  fruits 
Gooseberries  are  almost  a  complete  failure.  The 
wood  does  not  appear  to  have  ripened  well  last 
year,  and  the  buds  in  many  instances  turned 
black  and  failed  to  grow ;  Raspberries  and  Red, 
White,  and  Black  Currants  were  plentiful ;  Straw- 
berries were  most  abundant  and  good  in  quality. 
The  varieties  that  succeed  best  here  are  President, 
Sir  J.  Paxton,  Sir  Harry,  Vicomtesse  Hericart  de 
Thury,  and  Black  Prince.— A.  Pettigrew. 

Chirk  Oastle,  Denbigh.— Fruit  crops  here 
and  in  the  surrounding  neighbourhood  are  gene- 
rally good ;  indeed,  I  never  remember  having  seen 
Peaches  so  good  before  as  they  are  here  this  year  ; 
the  trees  are  perfect  as  regards  health,  and  are 
swelling  off  a  heavy  crop,  though  thinned  severely, 
and  but  little  protection  has  been  used.  In  the 
case  of  Apricots,  too,  some  of  the  young  trees  are 
remarkably  well  loaded ;  these  also  had  scanty 
protection.  They  are  likewise  apparently  free 
from  gumming.  Cherries  are  abundant  on  walls, 
especially  May  Duke  and  Morello.  Pears  are  al- 
most a  failure.  Plums  are  an  average  crop, 
although  the  blight  was  sadly  against  them  in 
spring,  the  old  Orleans  bearing  better  than  all 
others.  Apples  are  a  very  heavy  crop  throughout, 
Hawthornden,  Blenheim  Orange,  and  Cellini 
being  loaded  to  the  ground.  Black  Prince  Straw- 
berries were  very  promising,  but  owing  to  the  dry 
season  in  May  and  June  they  suffered  somewhat 
severely,  our  soil  being  light  and  on  the  gravel. 
Later  varieties  are  an  average  crop ;  President  is 
the  principal  kind  grown  here.  Raspberries  are 
abundant  and  good.  Black,  Red,  and  White  Cur- 
rants excellent,  the  former  unusually  good  in 
(luality.  Gooseberries  are  a  grand  crop,  but  small 
on  old  trees.  Of  Filberts  we  have  none.  Walnuts 
are  plentiful. 

Potato  crops  both  early  and  late  are  looking 
well.    The  earlier  soirta  which  we  are  lifting  for 


134 


THE    GARDEN 


[Aug.  16,  1884. 


use  are  excellent  as  regards  quantity  and  quality, 
and  as  yet  there  is  no  disease.— J.  Oldfield. 

Castle    Malgwyn,    Pembrokeshire.— 

Fruit  crops  in  this  neighbourhood  may  be  con- 
sidered to  be  under  average,  with  the  exception  of 
Peaches.  The  April  frosts  rained  our  prospects, 
and,  I  believe,  crippled  the  Apple  blossom  before 
it  expanded.  Cherries  have  been  a  fair  crop ; 
good  dessert  varieties  of  Plums  are  thin,  but  we 
have  good  crops  of  Victoria  and  Orleans.  Apples, 
with  the  exception  of  Keswick  Codlin,  Dumelow's 
Seedling,  Gravenstein,  and  Cos's  Orange  Pippin, 
are  poor.  Pears  of  all  kinds  are  thin  ;  Nuts  average ; 
Strawberries  good,  both  in  quantity  and  quality ; 
bush  fruits  good.  The  soil  varies  in  this  neigh- 
bourhood from  light  on  the  high  ground  and  very 
shallow  to  stiff  in  the  valleys  with  clay  subsoil  of 
any  depth ;  consequently  a  place  can  be  found 
where  most  kinds  of  fruit  trees  will  succeed. 
Apricots  and  Figs  will  not  do  on  the  low  ground, 
but  they  do  well  on  higher  and  lighter  ground  only 
a  mile  distant. 

Eaely  sokts  of  Potatoes  have  turned  out 
well,  and  up  to  the  21st  we  had  no  signs  of 
disease,  but  the  damp,  sultry  weather  of  last  week 
had  induced  it  to  show  itself  in  all  directions, 
though  late  varieties  are  yet  looking  well,  espe- 
cially Magnum  Bonums. — Henry  Howard. 

Brynkinalt,  Ruabon.— Apricots  well  pro- 
tected in  spring  with  stout  scrim  canvas  are  carry- 
ing good  crops,  especially  Moorpark,  Large  Early, 
and  Hemskirk,  on  which  there  are  heavy  crops. 
Peaches  are  bearing  full  crops,  and  Royal  George, 
Noblesse,  and  Barrington  heavy  crops  of  fine  fruit ; 
Prince  and  Princess  of  Wales  planted  three  years 
ago  are  remarkably  well  cropped  and  healthy. 
Nectarines,  though  bearing  good  crops,  are  less 
promising  than  either  Apricots  or  Peaches ; 
Early  Rivers,  Elruge,  and  I'itmaston  Orange  are 
our  most  satisfactory  varieties.  Plums  are  a  very 
thin  crop  generally.  Of  Cherries  the  early  dessert 
kinds  are  quite  a  failure,  but  Morellos  are  abun- 
dant. Pears  are  below  the  average,  even  on  walls 
which  have  not  failed  before  for  many  years.  Pyra- 
mids, bush  trees,  and  espaliers  are  carrying  thin 
crops.  Early  kinds  of  Apples,  such  as  Lord  SufBeld 
and  Keswick,  are  bearing  heavy  crops,  later  kinds 
thin  ;  Apples  generally  are  below  the  average. 
Strawberries  have  been  abundant  and  the  fruit 
excellent.  Of  Gooseberries  we  have  good  average 
crops ;  early  kinds  run  somewhat  small,  but  later 
varieties  are  very  good.  Raspberries  are  heavily 
cropped,  but  the  fruit  is  smaller  than  usual,  owing 
to  the  long  drought  which  we  had  in  June  and 
July.  Of  Red  Currants  we  have  good  crops,  but 
the  fruit  is  small.  'White  Currants  are  very  good  ; 
Black  thin  hereabouts. — J.  ^V.  Silver. 

SCOTLAND. 

Blair  Drummond,  Stirling.  —  Apples, 
Pears,  and  Plums  are  very  scarce  hereabouts ; 
Cherries  are  a  medium  crop ;  Raspberries,  Goose- 
berries, Strawberries,  and  Currants  are  abundant. 
The  gardens  here  are  well  adapted  for  the  growth 
of  small  fruits,  being  a  heavy  loam  on  sandy 
subsoil.  Unfortunately,  east  winds  strike  us  very 
much  in  spring — a  circumstance  greatly  against 
our  wall  fruit. — John  King. 

Dunraore,  Stirling.— Standard  fruits,  con- 
sisting of  Apples,  Pears,  and  Plums,  are  a  failure, 
and  the  same  may  almost  be  said  of  wall  fruits. 
Cherries  are  a  little  better.  Gooseberries  are  an 
average  crop  and  the  quality  good.  Currants  are 
a  good  crop,  as  are  also  Raspberries  and  Straw- 
berries, and  both  have  been  good  in  quality.  Soil 
here  consists  of  strong,  heavy,  coarse  land. 

Potato  crops  promise  to  be  fairly  good.—  M. 
Fitzgerald. 

Alloa  Park. — Fruit  crops  hereabouts  upon 
the  whole  are  under  the  average.  Small  fruits 
are  a  fair  crop,  Strawberries  being  very  plentiful. 
Apples,  Pears,  and  Plums  are  very  scarce.  Cherries 
are  a  fair  crop.  Some  of  the  most  prolific  are, 
amongst  Apples ;  Cellini,  Lord  SufBeld,  Keswick 
Codlin,  Stirling  Castle,  Ribston  and  Golden  Pip- 


pins ;  Pears :  Marie  Louise,  Beurre  Diel,  Beurre 
d'Aremberg,  and  Citron  des  Carmes  ;  Plums  :  Jef- 
ferson's, Washington,  Golden  Drop,  and  Green 
Gage.  Our  soil  is  stiff  and  clayey,  and  we  are 
greatly  exposed  to  east  winds,  which  prove  de- 
structive in  the  spring  months. — Tiios.  Ormiston. 

Dalkeith  Park. — Apples  and  Pears  here  are 
generally  a  light  crop,  but  of  good  quality.  Plums 
and  Cherries  about  an  average  crop,  but  rather 
severely  thinned  by  insect  attacks  during  the  hot 
weather  in  June.  Apricots  are  a  moderate  crop  in 
some  places ;  in  others  there  are  none.  Peaches 
and  Nectarines  on  open  walls  are  looking  better 
than  they  have  done  for  many  years,  and  where 
growing  in  a  warm  soil  and  subsoil  are  fine  crops. 
Currants,  Gooseberries,  and  Raspberries  are  plen- 
tiful and  of  good  quality.  Strawberries  were  a 
fine  crop,  but  suffered  much  from  heavy  rains, 
which  damaged  the  best  of  them. 

Vegetable  crops  of  every  kind  have  done 
well,  and  no  disease  has  yet  appeared  amongst 
Potatoes,  which  are  looking  very  promising.—  M. 
Dunn. 

Tynnlnghame,  East  Lothian.— Apricot 

trees  protected  and  unprotected  alike  set  an 
amazing  quantity  of  fruit,  and  the  trees  themselves 
are  healthier  than  they  have  been  for  years.  For 
the  Apple  supply  dependence  must  this  year  be 
placed  on  the  never-fail-me  kinds,  such  as  Echlin- 
ville,  Warner's  King,  Northern  Greening,  Kentish 
Fillbasket,  ko.  Early  dessert  sorts,  such  as  Irish 
Peach  and  Red  Quarrenden,  are  carrying  fair 
crops,  but  generally  dessert  kinds  are  deficient. 
Our  best  crops  are  on  young  trees.  Pears  are  very 
thin,  and  also  Plums,  a  few  trees  on  a  south-west 
aspect  wall  being  the  only  ones  here  bearing  afull 
crop.  Cherries  are  also  short.  Peaches  made  a 
large  set  ;  Early  Alexander  promises  to  be  an 
acquisition  ;  it  ripens  here  in  the  middle  of  July, 
while  Princess  Beatrice,  another  good  wall  sort, 
does  not  ripen  until  the  middle  of  August.  Small 
fruits  are  an  enormous  crop ;  unfortunately,  the 
damp  and  rainy  weather  throughout  July  damaged 
them  greatly.  Where  Gooseberries  have  been 
much  pruned  they  are  scarce  ;  here  we  never  prune 
and  have  plenty.  Red  and  Black  Currants,  Rasp- 
berries, and  Blackberries  are  all  heavy  crops. 

Pot.vtoes  seem  likely  to  be  a  heavy  crop,  and 
field  crops  never  looked  better;  however,  if  the 
weather  does  not  become  dry  disease  will  soon  be 
among  the  garden  crops. — R.  P.  Beotherston. 

Oulzean,  Ayrshire — Our  fruit  crop  here 
and  in  this  locality  is  not  good.  Of  Apples  and 
Pears  we  have  almost  none ;  Plums  are  quite  a 
failure,  and  of  Cherries  we  have  but  half  a  crop  ; 
Black  Currants  are  plentiful  and  very  fine  ;  Goose- 
berries and  Strawberries  heavy  crops  and  good  in 
quality ;  Red  Currants  and  Raspberries  scarce. 
■The  following  varieties  of  fruit  trees  seem  to  do 
best  hereabout,  viz.,  Apples  —  Stirling  Castle, 
Echlinville  Seedling,  McLean's  Favourite,  Lord 
Suflield,  and  Lord  Grosvenor  ;  Pears — Williams' 
Bon  ChrC'tien,  Bessie,  and  Beurrfi  Superfin  ;  Plums 
— Victoria  and  Kirke's  Seedling  ;  Strawberries — 
the  best  here  are  Garibaldi  and  Duke  of  Edin- 
burgh.   Our  soil  is  of  a  heavy  character, — David 

JIUERAT. 

Galloway   House,  Wigtonshlre.— The 

fruit  crop  in  this  district  varies  greatly.  Where 
the  gardens  are  protected  by  woods,  as  they  are 
here,  most  kinds  of  small  fruits  are  good  even 
crops,  but  where  much  exposed,  or  in  low,  damp 
situations,  they  are  almost  a  failure.  Of  Straw- 
berries we  have  had  a  good  average  crop,  and  the 
fruit  was  of  fine  quality.  The  kinds  upon  which 
we  mostly  depend  here  are  Keen's  Seedling,  Gari- 
baldi, President,  and  Elton  Pine,  the  last  for  a 
late  crop;  Duke  of  Edinburgh  does  well,  and  the 
fruit  is  large  and  highly  coloured,  but  it  is  inferior 
in  flavour  to  the  sorts  first  named.  We  mulched 
well  with  stable  litter  before  the  dry  weather  set 
in,  and  with  very  good  effect.  Of  Cherries  we 
have  an  average  crop.  Peaches  and  Nectarines 
are  almost  a  failure ;  the  unripened  state  of  the 
wood  of  last  summer  and  the  long  continuance  of 
cold  weather  in  spring  caused  most  of  the  fruit 


to  fall.  Apricots  are  scanty  ;  these  do  not  succeed 
well  in  this  county.  The  trees  are  healthy,  and 
seldom  lose  any  branches  ;  they  bloom  freely  and 
apparently  set  well,  but  from  setting  time  until 
they  commence  to  ripen  there  is  a  continual  drop- 
ping of  the  fruit — a  mishap  which  has  caused 
most  of  the  trees  to  be  replaced  with  something 
more  profitable.  Plums  are  good  on  south  or  west 
walls,  the  best  being  Victoria,  Kirke's,  Ijawsoii's 
Golden  Gage,  Coe's  Golden  Drop,  and  Washington. 
Damsons  are  a  failure.  Figs  are  an  average  crop  ; 
the  most  certain  bearer  here  is  the  Brunswick ; 
Castle  Kennedy  does  well  in  the  neighbourhood 
where  well  established,  but  is  a  shy  fruiter  in  the 
case  of  young  trees.  Pears  are  a  poor  crop,  the 
best  being  Jargonelle,  Autumn  Bergamot,  llessle, 
Beurro  Diel,  lieurre  Ranee,  and  Brown  Beurru ; 
Marie  Louise  and  Louise  Bonne  of  Jersey  usually 
ripen  here  to  perfection,  but  are  a  failure  this 
year.  Apples  vary ;  some  trees  are  loaded,  while 
others  are  fruitless.  Those  carrying  good  crops 
are  Manks  and  Keswick  Codlins,  Cellini,  Warner's 
King,  Hawthornden,  Yorkshire  Beauty,  King  of 
Pippins,  and  Galloway  Pippin,  the  last  a  local 
variety,  that  never  fails  to  bear  a  fair  crop.  Our 
soil  is  a  heavy  loam  resting  on  clay,  with  good 
natural  drainage. 

Early  Potatoes  are  good  in  quality,  but  rather 
small.  The  sorts  grown  are  Myatt's,  Veitch's, 
Gloucestershire  Kidneys,  and  Schoolmaster.  Field 
crops  consist  of  Scotch  Champion  and  Magnum 
Bonum,  the  former  principally  and  extensively 
planted.  No  disease  has  as  yet  appeared  amongst 
them.— Jas.  Day. 

Terregles,  Dumfries.  —  The  cold  sharp 
nights  which  we  had  in  April  proved  too  much  for 
our  fruit  blossom,  and  therefore,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  Currants,  Gooseberries,  and  Strawberries, 
fruit  crops  are  nearly  a  failure.  Apples  are  thin 
in  most  gardens  and  fruit  is  swelling  badly.  The 
sorts  that  give  the  best  result  are  Lord  Suffield, 
Echlinville,  Keswick  Codlin,  Tower  of  Glamis, 
Stirling  Castle,  Duchess  of  Oldenburg,  Blenheim 
Orange,  American  Melon  Apple,  Manks  Codlin, 
and  Alfriston.  Pears  are  a  very  uncertain  crop  in 
this  district,  and  seldom  swell  their  fruit  to  per- 
fection. Williams'  Bon  Chretien,  Louise  Bonne 
of  Jersey,  Marie  Louise,  Glou  Morceau,  Jargo- 
nelle, Beurre  Diel,  and  Beurre  Capiaumont  are 
the  only  sorts  bearing  with  us,  and  the  fruits  are 
few  and  far  between.  Plums  are  nearly  a  failure 
here,  and  also  in  most  gardens  that  I  have  seen. 
We  had  a  few  trees  on  walls  protected  in  spring 
with  a  double  ply  of  old  nets,  and  they  have  re- 
warded us  with  a  full  crop.  The  best  are  \'ictoria, 
Golden  Drop,  Kirke's  Green  Gage,  and  Jefferson. 
Cherries,  with  the  exception  of  the  Morello,  are  a 
failure ;  we  had  a  fair  set,  but  they  all  dropped 
through  imperfect  stoning.  Strawberries  have 
been  an  average  crop ;  the  dry  weather  which  pre- 
vailed during  June  prevented  a  great  many  of  the 
fruit  from  swelling,  and  the  crop  has  been  soon 
over.  The  best  with  us  were  Sir  Joseph  Paxton, 
Garibaldi,  and  President.  Our  soil  is  light  and 
sandy,  and  the  gardens  are  well  protected  all 
round  with  trees.— Alex.  Chalmers. 

Drumlanrig,  Dumfries.  —  Strawberries, 
Raspberries,  Currants,  and  Gooseberries  have 
been  good  crops  ;  Apples  and  Pears  a  total 
failure.  Of  the  latter  fruits  we  get  a  crop  about 
every  five  or  six  years,  and  then  the  fruits  are  so 
small  that  they  are  scarcely  worth  gathering ;  con- 
sequently, it  has  been  resolved  not  to  replace  any 
trees  that  give  way  in  future. — D.  Thomson. 

Bothwell  Castle. — I  can  only  give  a  favour- 
able report  as  regards  small  fruits,  including 
Strawberries,  all  of  which  are  very  good  and  most 
abundant.  Cherries  are  about  an  average  crop, 
especially  Morellos ;  standards  I'lums  have  en- 
tirely failed  here,  and  I  am  informed  that  is  the 
case  all  along  the  Clyde  from  Lanark  to  Glasgow, 
and  many  trees  of  the  Victoria  Plum  are  now  in- 
troduced into  these  orchards.  Our  wall  Plums  when 
in  blcssom  were  protected  with  scrim  cloth,  and 
we  had  a  very  good  set  of  all  the  commoner  kinds 
and  for  a  time  they  looked  very  well,  but  the 


AiG.  If.,  1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


135 


lengthened  continuance  of  cold  east  winds  kept 
them  stationary  for  about  a  month,  and  when  more 
genial  weather  came  the  greater  proportion  got 
sickly  and  dropped  off.  The  Pear  crop  is  very 
deficient,  and  so  is  the  Apple  crop.  In  this  locality 
the  Stirling  Castle  .\pple  is  decidedly  the  best  and 
has  proved  so  for  years.  Apricots  and  Teaches 
have  been  killed  out  at  different  times,  and  few 
are  now  grown  here.  The  sorts  of  Apples  that 
bear  best  here  are  Stirling  Castle,  Lord  Sullield, 
Irish  Peach,  Keswick  Codlin,  Echlinville,  \'ork- 
shire  Greening,  Cellini,  Winter  Strawberry,  Winter 
Pearmain,  Yellow  Inge.'tre,  Kibston  Pippin, 
Nonpareil,  and  Scarlet  Nonpareil.  I  need  not 
enumerate  the  sorts  that  do  not  bear  well,  for 
if  the  trees  are  at  all  healthy,  they  should  be  cut 
down  and  grafted  with  better  kinds. — Andrew 

TURXBULL. 

Camperdown  House,  Dundee.— In  tliis 

district  fruit  crops  have  been  fairly  good  on  the 
whole.  Apricots  are,  however,  under  the  average  ; 
Plums  average  ;  Cherries  good  ;  Peaches  and  Nec- 
tarines under  the  average;  Apples  very  poor; 
Pears  scarce  ;  small  fruits,  including  Strawberries, 
very  good. — David  Low. 

Balcarres,  Fifeshire.— Frnlt  crops  in  this 
district  are  much  below  the  average.  Apples, 
Pears,  and  Cherries  are  almost  a  total  failure;  even 
on  walls  they  are  very  scarce.  Of  Apples,  the 
varieties  on  which  we  have  any  fruit  are  Lord 
Suffield,  Keswick  Codlin,  Irish  Peach,  and  War- 
ner's King  ;  these  about  half  a  crop  and  the  fruit 
individually  small.  Of  Apricots  and  Peaches  we 
have  none,  but  they  are  very  little  grown  outside 
here.  Plums  where  protected  are  about  half  a 
crop  ;  of  Damsons  we  have  none.  All  the  varieties 
of  Currants  are  a  heavy  crop  and  excellent  in 
quality.  Morello  Cherries  a  good  crop.  Straw- 
berries have  been  a  heavy  crop ;  late  varieties 
very  large  and  flavour  good.  Raspberries  a  fair 
crop.  Of  Gooseberries  some  sorts  are  a  heavy 
crop,  such  as  Whitesmith,  Crown  Bob,  Ironmonger, 
Green  Gage,  and  Glenton  Green,  but  Sulphur  and 
Warrington  are  a  very  poor  crop ;  the  trees  are, 
however,  making  a  great  amount  of  wood.  Of 
Walnuts  we  have  none,  but  plenty  of  Nuts  and 
Filberts. 

Early  Potatoes  have  been  good,  and  late 
varieties  are  looking  well  in  both  garden  and 
field ;  no  accounts  of  disease  as  yet. — Edward 
Tate. 

Dunrobln,  Sutherland.—  Apples,  Pears, 
and  Plums  are  a  very  poor  crop  here.  Early 
Strawberries  failed  during  the  dry  weather.  Late 
kinds  have  stood  well  and  have  borne  an  average 
crop.  Gooseberries  are  plentiful  and  good.  Other 
small  fruits,  too,  are  abundant  and  of  good 
quality. 

Potatoes  are  a  good  crop,  and  excellent  in 
quality.— D.  Melville. 

Glamis  Castle,  Forfarshire.— With  the 
exception  of  Strawberries  and  small  fruit,  and,  in 
some  cases.  Plums,  fruit  crops  in  this  district  are 
under  the  average ;  but  what  crops  there  are,  are 
of  fine  quality  and  large  in  size ;  of  Apples,  Juneat- 
ing.  Golden  Pippin,  Eibston  I'ippin,  Cox's 
Orange  Pippin,  liraddick's  Nonpareil,  Northern 
Spy,  Lord  Suffield,  White  Codlin,  Stirling  Castle, 
Cellini,  Hawthornden,  Keswick  Codlin,  and  Dume- 
low's  Seedling  are  amongst  our  most  satisfactory 
kinds ;  Pears  are  only  grown  on  walls,  and  the 
most  satisfactory  are  Jargonelle,  Williams'  Bon 
Chretien,  Louise  Bonne  of  Jersey,  P.ergamot, 
Thompson's  Marie  Louise,  Winter  Nells,  and 
Vicar  of  Winkfield  ;  of  Plums,  our  best  are  Vic- 
toria, Goliath,  Jefferson,  Prince  of  Wales,  Magnum 
Bonum,  Green  Gage,  Orleans,  and  Pond's  Seed- 
ling ;  Peaches  and  Apricots  are  not  much  grown 
out-of-doors  here,  but  where  protected  they  are 
good.  Oar  soil  consists  of  a  light  sharp  loam, 
and  most  crops  thrive  well  in  it— George 
J0HN.STON:. 

Fyvie  Castle,  Aberdeenshire.— Apples 

in  general  are  poor   hereabouts,   except   a  few 
hardy  sorts,  such  as  Hawthornden,  Keswick  Codlin, 


and  Warner's  King,  but  most  of  the  trees  were 
root-pruned  in  autumn,  which  in  itself  would 
have  prevented  them  from  bearing  a  full  crop. 
Pears  are  also  a  poor  crop,  and  what  we  have  do 
not  look  as  if  they  would  come  to  much.  Of 
Plums  some  of  the  trees  are  bearing  extra  well, 
such  as  Coe's  Golden  Drop,  Early  I'rolifio,  and 
Denyer's  Victoria ;  these  have  required  to  be 
thinned  and  are  still  heavy.  Some  sorts  of  Cherries 
are  very  good  and  others  are  almost  a  failure. 
Our  Apricot  trees  not  being  very  old,  crops  have 
never  been  large.  Peaches  are  not  grown  outside, 
but  under  glass  ;  they  are  excellent.  Currants  are 
in  general  a  very  good  crop,  and  the  Black,  if  not 
so  numerous,  are  very  large.  Raspberries  are  very 
large  and  fine,  particularly  Carter's  Prolific  and 
Baumforth's  Seedling.  Gooseberries  area  fair  crop, 
but  not  so  heavy  as  last  year.  Strawberries  are 
particularly  fine  ;  Myatt's  Seedling,  which  is  just 
coming  in.  is  a  heavy  crop.  Late  frosts  which 
occurred  in  April  were  much  against  fruit  trees 
which  were  then  in  blossom.  Our  soil,  being  a 
strong  clay  and  the  situation  low,  make  us  more 
subject  to  frost  than  on  higher  ground.  I  seldom 
give  any  protection.— E.  Farquhae. 

Dupplin  Castle,  Perth.— Apples  are  a 
scarce  crop  here  ;  Lord  Suffield,  which  in  general 
carries  a  heavy  crop,  is  this  year  scarcelj'  carrying 
half  a  crop.  Apricots  are  about  an  average  crop ; 
Cherries  are  under  the  average,  with  the  exception 
of  Morellos,  which  are  a  good  crop  ;  Plums  are  a 
thin  crop;  Pears  almost  a  failure;  Strawberries 
are  an  abundant  crop.  We  have  here  a  very 
heavy  crop  of  Gooseberries,  but  they  are  not 
generally  an  abundant  crop  in  the  district ;  other 
small  fruits  are  plentiful.  A  month  ago  fruit 
trees  of  all  kinds  were  very  much  infested  with 
insects,  but  the  recent  heavy  rains  have  done 
much  good  in  the  way  of  cleansing  them,  and 
they  are  now  looking  more  healthy. 

Potatoes  are  looking  well  in  the  district. 
Although  early  varieties  are  small  in  tuber,  they 
are  of  excellent  quality,  and  I  have  not  yet  heard 
of  any  disease. — John  IjROwnikg. 


IRELAND. 

Shane's  Castle,  Antrim.— Most  of  the  trees 
here  are  old,  but  taking  the  fruit  crop  on  the 
whole  it  is  good.  Peaches  are  good,  also  early 
kinds  of  Pears  and  all  the  kinds  of  Apples.  Plums 
are  abundant,  particularly  Victoria  and  Orleans ; 
the  trees  are  mostly  old,  but  have  had  young  wood 
laid  in  every  year,  a  system  which  speaks  for  itself, 
as  the  young  shoots  are  carrying  a  good  crop  of 
fruit.  All  small  fruits  are  plentiful,  but  owing 
to  the  dry  weather  which  we  have  had,  Straw- 
berries and  Raspberries  are  small.  The  soil  here 
is  a  stiff  loam,  but  well  drained.  I  may  add  that 
none  of  the  fruit  trees  were  protected.— Charles 
Warwick. 

Carton,  Maynooth — We  are  particularly 
well  favoured  this  season  as  regards  fruit,  having 
abundance  of  most  kinds  and  superior  in  quality. 
Apples  are  a  heavy  crop.  Apricots  a  fair  crop,  the 
best  I  have  seen  for  these  last  seven  years.  Mo- 
rello Cherries  are  a  heavy  crop  ;  other  varieties  do 
not  thrive  here,  but  on  such  trees  as  there  are  of 
May  Duke,  Bigarreau,  kc,  there  has  been  a  fair 
crop.  Of  Currants,  Red,  White,  and  Black,  we 
have  a  very  heavy  crop  and  very  fine  in  quality  ; 
Gooseberries,  too,  are  a  very  heavy  crop.  Of  Nec- 
tarines we  have  none  outdoors ;  Nuts  promise  to 
be  plentiful ;  Peaches  not  grown  outside  here  ;  of 
Pears  we  have  a  good  crop.  Plums  on  a  south- 
west wall,  consisting  of  Victorias,  Magnum  Bo- 
nums.  Black  Gage,  Golden  Drop,  &c.,  are  a  won- 
derful crop,  the  weight  of  fruit  in  some  places 
pulling  the  branches  off  the  wall.  Raspberries 
are  a  light  crop.  Strawberries  have  been  a  heavy 
crop  and  good  in  quality.  The  dry  weather  im- 
proved James  Veitch  this  year,  the  fruit  of  which 
was  very  large  and  of  fairly  good  flavour,  tiiough 
for  forcing,  preserving,  or  any  purpose  Vicomtesse 
Huricart  de  Thury  I  find  to  be  the  most  useful  and 
reliable. 


Early  Potatoes  are  very  fine,  and  late,  too, 
look  well.    No  disease. — E.  Kkowldin. 

Oharleville  Forest,  TuUamore— Apples 
here  with  the  exception  of  a  few  young  trees  area 
failure;  Pears  are  not  half  a  crop,  they  bloomed 
too  early  and  were  killed ;  Cherries  are  a  good 
crop  and  the  fruit  fine,  especially  en  walls  and 
some  small  standards ;  Plums  of  all  sorts  on  walls 
of  several  aspects  are  all  good  and  a  heavy  crop, 
and  a  few  pyramids  are  also  fairly  well  cropped  ; 
Apricots  on  a  south  wall  l,"iO  yards  long,  nearly  all 
covered  with  trees,  only  half  a  crop,  except  Orange 
and  Hemskirk,  which  are  pretty  good ;  we  pro- 
tected our  Apricots  with  old  netting  and  straw- 
ropes,  but  the  majority  of  the  blossoms  dropped. 
Strawberries  were  a  heavy  crop ;  Gooseberries  a 
very  heavy  crop;  Black,  Red,  and  White  Currants 
the  same  ;  and  Raspberries  are  fairly  good  ;  they 
would  have  been  heavy  only  for  want  of  rain  when 
swelling.  To  sum  up — bush  fruits  are  excellent 
heavy,  and  clean,  excepting  Raspberries  and  Straw- 
berries, which  were  and  are  still  bearing  a  heavy 
crop  of  clean,  fine  fruit.  In  the  orchards  outside 
the  garden  walls  here  the  Apples  are  a  failure, 
which  I  never  saw  before  for  nearly  thirty  years  ; 
Pears  are  very  scarce,  not  half  a  crop.  Peaches  and 
Nectarines  will  not  do  here;  after  the  third  and 
fourth  year  after  planting  they  blister,  mildew, 
and  die ;  under  glass  they  do  weU.  Our  soil  is  light 
loam  on  the  limestone,  dry,  and  not  over  2  feet 
deep.  We  are  rather  too  much  exposed  to  the 
east  and  suffer  in  the  spring  from  that  cause. — J. 
Roberts. 

Kylemore  Castle,  Galway.— The  fruit 
crop  in  this  district  is  above  the  average,  but  be- 
tween the  heavy  rainfall,  the  want  of  sunshine, 
and  the  poor  boggy  character  of  the  soil,  the  west 
of  Ireland  cannot  be  said  to  be  very  favourable 
for  hardy  fruit  growing  out-of-doors.  We  have  a 
good  crop  of  Apples  on  free- bearing  varieties,  such 
as  Echlinville,  Warner's  King,  Keswick  Codlin, 
Stirling  Castle,  Lord  Suffield,  Wellington,  Alfris- 
ton,  Duchess  of  Oldenburg,  Hawthornden,  Cellini, 
Northern  Greening,  Golden  Pippin,  King  of  the 
Pippins,  and  Cox's  Orange.  The  only  varieties  of 
Pears  on  which  there  is  a  crop  are  Marie  Louise, 
Louise  Bonne  of  Jersey,  Beurrc  Diel,  Hessle, 
Brown  Beurrc?,  Catillac,  and  Napoleon.  Peaches, 
Nectarines,  and  Apricots  are  very  thin  crops. 
Cherries,  Currants,  Gooseberries,  Raspberries,  and 
Strawberries  are  very  heavy  crops,  and  the  fruit 
large  in  size  and  fine  in  quality.  Plums  are  also 
a  heavy  crop,  but  very  small.  There  is  a  fine  crop 
of  Nuts  in  the  woods  about  here,  and  it  is  to  be 
hoped  we  will  get  a  good  autumn  to  ripen  them. 
—John  McKinnon. 

Palace  Gardens,  Armagh.— The  fruit 
crops  in  this  district  are  much  under  the  average. 
Small  fruits,  viz ,  Strawberries,  Raspberries, 
Gooseberries,  Red  and  Black  Currants,  have  been 
very  heavy  crops  and  very  fine,  considering  the 
dry  weather  which  we  have  had :  stone  fruits  are 
very  scarce  ;  Cherries  and  Plums  not  half  a  crop ; 
Apricots  and  Peaches  are  not  grown  here  outside, 
but  they  have  been  good  under  glass ;  Apples  are  not 
half  a  crop  ;  Pears  very  bad,  only  one  sort.  Napo- 
leon, having  anything  like  a  crop  on  it.  This  sort 
always  crops  batter  in  this  district  than  any  other. 
The  garden  here  is  not  good  for  fruit  trees  ;  the 
soil  is  heavy  on  a  clay  subsoil  and  badly  drained, 
but  it  just  suited  Strawberries  this  dry  warm  eea- 
son. — T.  Sheasby. 

Castle     Upton,    Templepatrick— The 

following  Pears  are  carrjing  more  or  less  good 
crops,  viz  ,  Hessle,  Louise  Bonne,  Easter  Beurre, 
Doyenne  d'Ete,  Seckle,  Knight's  Monarch,  Uve- 
dale's  St.  Germain,  Comte  de  Lamy,  and  Green 
Chisel,  all  on  walls,  excepting  the  first  named.  I 
find  Louise  Bonne,  Passe  Colmar,  General  Todleben, 
and  Williams' Bon  Chretien  will  not  do  here  as  bush 
fruit.  Apples  on  the  whole  are  much  better  than 
Pears.  The  following  are  carrying  good  and 
medium  crops  on  walls,  viz.,  Ribston,  Nelson's 
Glory,  Allen's  Everlasting,  Golden  Pippin,  Dutch 
Codlin,  Alfriston,  King  of  the  Pippins,  Cellini, 
Duchess  of  Oldenburg,  White  Percock,  and 
Grenadier.     On  bushes  or  standards  the  best  are 


136 


THE    GARDEN 


[Aufl.  16,  1884. 


Lord  Darby,  Emperor  Alexander,  Carlisle  Codlin, 
King  o£  tlie  Pippins,  Golden  Russet,  Keswiclj 
Codlin,  Northern  Greening,  London  Pippin,  Kerry 
Pippin,  Scarlet  Nonpareil,  and  Keen's  Seedling  of 
the  North,  a  kind  which  rarely  fails  to  carry  a 
good  crop  of  fruit ;  Wyken  Pippin,  and  Yellow 
Ingestre.  I  may  remark,  too,  that  the  Paradise 
stock  does  not  seem  to  answer  in  this  garden. 
Plums  generally  are  a  fair  crop;  Coe's  Golden 
Drop, Orleans, Magnum  Bonum,  Jefferson's, Belgian 
Purple,  Nectarine,  and  Victoria,  all  on  walls,  are 
our  be^t  representatives  this  year.  Of  Cherries 
we  have  a  very  poor  crop ;  The  Duke,  White 
Heart,  and  Bigarreau  on  a  south  aspect  are  the 
best  cropped.  Of  Morellos  we  have  scarcely  any. 
Bloom  was  most  abundant  on  all  the  Cherries,  and 
there  was  also  a  good  full  set  of  fruit,  but  they 
dropped  wholesale,  perhaps  through  weakness  of 
embryo  fruit  and  the  drought,  which  took  them 
immediately  after  setting.  Strawberries  have 
been  excellent ;  likewise  Raspberries,  Gooseberries, 
and  Red  Currants.  The  Black  Currant  crop  was 
very  much  destroyed  by  a  very  heavy  hail  shower 
which  we  had  on  the  I'jth  of  May,  and  birds  also 
are  more  than  usually  destructive.  I  may  remark, 
however,  that  the  fruit  left  became  extra  fine, 
which  comoensated  somewhat  for  their  diminished 
number. —  L.  Key  an. 

Fota  Island,  Cork. — The  rainfall  in  the 
south  of  Ireland  is  generally  very  great,  but  this 
season  it  is  very  much  under  the  average,  and  con- 
sequently many  things  suffered  much  from  drought, 
and  fruit  especially.  Strawberries  and  Uisp- 
berries,  although  of  good  quality,  had  a  very  short 
season ;  Plums  on  walls  are  also  falling  prema- 
turely through  want  of  rain.  Apples  are  a  light 
crop  ;  Lord  Suffield,  Pott'.s  Seedling,  Golden  Noble, 
Hawthornden,  Ilambledon  Deux  Ans,  Tower  of 
Glamis,  and  Glamis  Castle  are  among  our  best 
varieties.  Pears  are  a  very  thin  crop  ;  we  have, 
however,  fair  crops  on  the  following,  which  are 
our  best  kinds  for  this  climate,  viz  :  Jargonelle, 
Marie  Louise,  Beurrc5  Diel,  Beurro  d'Amanlis,  Glou 
Morceau,  Benrru  Hardy,  Duchesse  d'Angoulume, 
Williams'  Bon  Chretien,  Comte  de  Lamy,  and  Sou- 
venir du  Congri^s.  Plums  are  a  very  good  crop  ; 
Victoria,  Kirke's,  Coe's  Golden  Drop,  Orleans, 
Magnum  Bonum,  Golden  Orleans,  Transparent 
(Jage,  and  Jefferson  are  our  best  kinds.  Cherries 
have  been  a  fair  crop,  but  many  fell  in  consequence 
oE  the  drought.  Black  Currants  have  never  been 
better.  Gooseberries  in  some  districts  have  been 
a  very  heavy  crop  and  of  good  quality.  Straw- 
berries good  ;  Sir  Joseph  Paxton,  Marechal  Mac- 
Jlahon,  President,  and  Keen's  Seedling  are  about 
the  best  in  this  district.  Peaches,  Nectarines,  and 
Apricots  are  hardly  worth  growing  without  glass 
protection,  as  the  wood  hardly  ever  ripens  except 
the  autumn  rains  are  thrown  off.  The  climate 
being  so  mild  and  moist,  the  trees  keep  growing 
through  the  whole  winter.  Both  old  and  new 
leaves  may  be  seen  Tipon  the  trees  at  the  same 
time.— W.  OSBOENE. 

Besborough,  Cork  —Apples  are  good  here- 
abouts. The  kinds  that  do  best  are  Irish  Peach, 
which  crops  well  on  standards  if  not  too  much 
pruned ;  Kerry  Pippin,  our  best  summer  Apple 
and  one  which  bears  well,  best  eaten  from  the 
tree  ;  Cornish  Aromatic,  Nonpareil,  a  great  favou- 
rite in  this  neighbourhood;  Bronzed  Pippin,  a 
market  variety  here  and  one  which  grows  to  a 
large  size  and  crops  well ;  Catshead  bears  well  on 
old  orchard  trees :  Eve  Apple,  Golden  Harvey, 
Hawthornden,  a  good  and  sound  bearer;  Sturmer 
Pippin  was  best  late  dessert  kind  ;  Wyken  Pippin, 
Northern  Greening,  best  late  culinary  kind  ;  Rib- 
ston  Pippin,  Lord  SufEeld,  a  great  bearer  and  sure, 
the  best  of  its  class  in  its  season.  Pears  are  under 
the  average.  The  kinds  doing  best  with  us  are 
Citron  des  Carmes,  a  good  reliable  kind  and  our 
earliest ;  Doyenne  d'Ete,  Jargonelle,  the  best  of 
ours  are  worked  on  Hampden's  Bergamot ;  Bon 
Chretien  bears  well  on  standards,  generally  a 
good  bearer,  but  this  year  fruitless;  BeurrO 
d'Amanlis,  a  great  bearer;  Flemish  lleauty  bears 
well,  but  cracks :  Napoleon  bears  well  and  a 
good  kind ;  Fondante  d'Antomne,  good  on  stan- 
dards ;  Beurre  de  Capianmont,  Beurre  Hardy,  one 


of  our  best  Pears  and  which  bears  well  on  stan- 
dards ;  Comte  de  Lamy,  our  best  dessert  Pear ; 
Louise  Bonne  of  Jersey,  a  sure  bearer  on  standards ; 
Seckle,  Aston  Town  bears  well  in  orchard  ;  Mar. 
de  la  Cour,  a  great  favourite  here ;  Chaumontel 
bears  well,  fruit  large;  Beurre  Ranee  bears  re- 
gularly on  old  trees ;  Swan's  Egg,  Beurr6  Superfin, 
Hazel,  bear  well  on  standards  ;  Bishop's  Thumb, 
a  heavy  bearer  in  orchard ;  Vicar  of  AVinkfield 
bears  well  on  standards.  Apricots  do  not  succeed 
out-of-doors  in  this  locality.  Cherries  excellent ; 
they  consist  of  Early  Rivers  on  walls,  May  Duke, 
Morello,  and  Bigarreau  ;  the  latter  bears  well  on 
bushes.  Currants  are  heavy  crops  ;  Early  Castle 
we  find  to  be  a  grand  bearer,  and  one  on  which 
the  fruits  hang  late.  Gooseberries  are  a  heavy 
crop.  Peaches  and  Nectarines  not  grown  out- 
of-doors  here.  Plums  are  under  the  average; 
Victoria  bears  every  year;  Early  Orleans  does 
well  on  bushes;  Golden  Esperen,  Jffferson's, 
a  good  kind  here  ;  Blue  Imperatrice  bears  well  on 
a  north  wall ;  (ireen  Gage  bears  well  on  old  bush 
trees.  Raspberries,  medium  crop ;  the  best  are 
Red  Antwerp,  Fastolf  (largely  grown  for  market), 
and  October  Red.  Strawberries  are  a  very  heavy 
crop  and  good  in  quality  ;  Black  Prince  is  a  good 
kind,  though  not  largely  grown,  and  good  in 
quality ;  Keen's  Seedling  is  the  earliest  mir- 
ket  variety  and  largely  grown ;  Vicomtesse 
llericart  de  Thury  is  a  grand  sort  on  this 
light  land,  and  one  of  the  best  for  preserving ; 
President  is  largely  grown  for  late  market  work  ; 
Sir  J.  Paxton  is  a  good  bearer,  but  makes  too  much 
foliage ;  Elton  is  the  latest  here  in  private  gar- 
dens. Cob  Nuts,  Filberts,  and  Walnuts  are  light 
crops.  Our  soil  is  light  resting  on  limestone, 
which  is  near  the  surface  ;  our  garden  lies  low, 
and,  therefore,  we  are  visited  in  spring  with  sharp 
frosts.  Our  winters  are  generally  mild.— CiiAs. 
Bennett. 

'Woodstock  Park,  laistioge.— Owing  to 
easterly  winds  and  late  spring  frosts,  the  fruit 
crop  in  this  district  is,  on  the  whole,  much  under 
the  average.  Apples  and  Pears  are  almost  a 
failure.  Amongt  Apples  the  only  sorts  bearing 
fair  crops  are  Lord  Suffield,  Stirling  Castle,  Echlin- 
ville  Seedling, and  Warner's  King;  Victoria  Plums 
are  abundant ;  other  sorts  scarce ;  Cherries,  Straw- 
berries, and  small  fruits  in  general  are  plentiful 
and  excellent  in  quality. 

Potatoes  are  remarkably  fine  this  year,  and 
not  a  trace  of  disease  is  to  be  seen.— Wm.  Gkav. 

Straffan  House,  Kildare.  —  The  fruit 
crop  here  is  much  under  the  average.  Our  soil  is 
cold  and  heavy,  resting  on  a  colder  subsoil  of  a 
marly  character,  and  holds  water  like  a  basin  ; 
the  soil  soon  becomes  as  if  it  was  puddled  ;  water 
indeed  will  lie  on  the  top  of  drains  only  15  inches 
deep.  In  winter  time  we  can  find  water  anywhere 
at  2  feet  deep  ;  hence  we  suffer  much  from  spring 
frost ;  the  situation  being  very  low  on  the  banks 
of  the  Liffey,  we  get  sharp  frost  up  till  first  week 
in  June.  Of  Apricots  we  have  none.  Plums  good 
on  the  following,  viz  ,  Early  July  Green  Gage, 
Transparent  Gage,  Angelina  Burdett,  Coe's  Golden 
Drop,  Early  Prolific  (Rivers'),  Denniston's  Superb, 
Victoria ;  other  kinds  are  a  failure.  On  Cherries, 
May  Duke  and  Morello,  we  have  average  crops. 
Of  I'eaches  and  Nectarines  we  have  very  few. 
Apples  are  under  the  average,  but  good;  the  best 
are  Cox's  Orange  Pippin,  Irish  Peach,  Kerry  Pippin, 
King  of  Pippins,  Golden  Reinette,  Blenheim  Pip- 
pin, Cellini,  Echlinville  Pippin,  Hawthornden, 
Lord  Suffield,  Lord  Derby,  and  Yorkshire  Green- 
ing; other  kinds  are  failures.  Of  Pears  we  have 
a  fair  sprinkling  of  the  following  :  Beurre  Ranee, 
Glou  Morceau,  Marie  Louise,  Ne  plus  Meuris, 
Passe  Colmar,  Thomp-on's,  and  Winter  Nelis.  On 
standards  we  have  none.  Strawberries  have  been 
heavy  crops  on  south  borders,  but  all  in  open 
garden  were  killed  by  frost;  President,  Sir  J. 
I'axton,  A'icomtesse  Ilericart  de  Thury,  and  Pre- 
sident Delacour  are  the  only  kinds  that  do  well 
here.  Currants  of  all  kinds  are  good  ;  Goose- 
berries half  a  crop,  killed  by  spring  frost ;  Rasp- 
berries very  poor,  suffered  from  frost  and  the  long 
spell  of  dry  weather  which  we  have  had. — F.  Bed 

FOED. 


Garden   Flora. 


PLATE  453. 
GRAPE  HYACINTHS.'^ 
Now,  when  the  culture  of  spring  flowers  is  on  the 
increase,  and  when  people  are  getting  tired  of  glar- 
ing colours,  attention  may  well  be  directed  to  Grape 
Hyacinths,  of  which  the  annexed  plate  represents 
a  charming  group.  So  handsome,  indeed,  are  they 
when  tastefully  massed,  and  so  floriferous,  that 
their  culture  is  being  taken  up  even  by  market 
growers,  and  as  their  flower-spikes  are  known  to 
keep  fresh  for  a  considerable  time  after  being  cut, 
we  may  soon  expect  to  find  them  favourites  in 
Covent  Garden  early  in  the  season.  For  bare, 
flat,  or  exposed  situations  in  the  wild  garden, 
under  the  shade  of  large  trees,  where  even  Ivy 
has  a  difficulty  in  growing,  and  for  bordering 
clumps  of  Evergreens,  &c.,  nothing  can  exceed 
their  usefulness.  In  ordinary  borders  they  will  be 
found  to  be  quite  at  home,  and  the  richer  and 
freer  the  soil  the  more  rapid  will  be  their  increase 
accomplished  by  means  of  offsets  from  the  bulbs. 
They  ripen   S'?ed   freely,  too,  and  therefore  the 


Mxtscxrl  b'jtryoidiS. 

stock  may  also  be  increased  in  that  way,  thus  ob- 
viating the  necessity  of  lifting  or  disturbing  esta- 
blished bulbs.  Autumn,  say  from  October  on- 
wards, may  be  considered  the  planting  season, 
but  the  later  this  is  delayed  the  less  chance  will 
there  be  of  failure.  Apart  from  the  varied  colours 
of  the  flowers,  the  difficulty  of  distinguishing  the 
one  from  the  other  specifically  without  a  proper 
classification  is  very  great,  especially  to  the  un- 
practised eye ;  but  this  may  easily  be  overcome 
by  the  use  of  Mr.  Baker's  "Key  to  the  Genus,"  of 
which  a  modification  is  here  given,  confined  to  the 
species  known  to  be  in  general  cultivation  at  the 
present  time. 

Giiour  1. — Having  the  perianth  of  the  lower 
flowers  obovoid-globose,  longer  than  they  are 
broad,  and  always  bright  blue  ;  leaves  strap  shaped, 
half  erect. — Muscari  botryoides,  M.  Lelieriei,  M. 
Heldreichi,  M,  lingulatum.  In  this  group  M.  bo- 
tryoides and  M.  Heldreichi  are  the  two  most  fre- 
quently found  in  cultivation,  and  the  most  useful 
from  a  gardening  point  of  view.  M.  lingulatum, 
lately  introduced,  has  not  been  long  enough 
under  culture  to  determine  its  merits.  M.  botry- 
oides, the  white  variety  of  which  may  be  found  on 
the  annexed  plate,  although  amongst  the  first  in- 

*  Drawn  in  Mr.  \Vare'.s  nursery,  Tottenham,  April  15, 


the:  garden. 


U  ij  C Ar 


Aug.   IC),  1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


137 


troducnd,  has  still  held  its  own  as  a  welcome  deni- 
zen of  our  spring  garden  ;  few  bulbs  can  be  culti- 
vated with  greater  ease,  and  few  if  any  surpass  it 
in  the  profusion  and  loveliness  or  its  flowers. 
There  are  few  corners  in  a  garden  that  could  not 
be  brightened  up  by  planting  them  both  with 
botryoides  and  its  white  variety,  and  they  are  also 
especially  well  adapted  for  edgings  to  shrubbery 
borders  where  their  agreeable  blue  and  white 
flowers  have  a  charming  appearance.     They  are 


Muscari  mo&chatran. 

also  among  the  earliest  to  flower,  which  takes 
place  the  latter  end  of  March  or  beginning  of 
April.  The  flower-heads,  seldom  less  than  an  inch 
long,  light  blue  or  pure  white,  consist  of  prettily 
shaped  flowers  individually.  The  leaves  are  about 
a  foot  long,  strap  shaped,  and  slightly  glaucous, 
and  easily  distinguished  from  all  the  others.  The 
peculiar  variety  called  pallidum  is  a  very  desirable 
plant  owing  to  the  uncommon  shade  of  blue  of  its 
flowers.  They  are  natives  of  the  southern  parts 
of  Europe.  1\I.  Heldreichi,  an  exceedingly  hand- 
some species,  makes  a  good  companion  to  the 
above.  Its  leaves  are  narrower  and  more  erect, 
and  the  flower  heads  are  also  larger  and  closer  to- 
gether, conical  shaped,  and  freely  produced.  For 
growing  in  pots  this  a  useful  kind,  and  as  it  will 
stand  a  little  forcing  it  might  be  had  in  flower 
earlier  than  the  Siberian  Squill.  It  is  a  native  of 
Greece,  and  flowers  in  April  and  JIay.  A  much 
stronger  habited  variety  under  the  name  of  pul- 
chellum  may  be  found  in  gardens.    It  has  larger 


Mu!icari  comosian  mor.strosum. 

flower-heads    and    pretty  glaucous   green-tinted 
leaves,  a  trifle  broader  than  those  of  Heldreichi. 

Gnour  2.— Having  the  lower  flowers  obovoid- 
oblong  and  about  half  as  long  as  broad.  This 
section  is  divided  into  vernal  and  autumnal.  To 
the  latter  belongs  M.  parviflorum  ;  to  the  former 
M.  paradoxum,  M.  armeniacum,  and  Hzovitzianum, 
none  of  the  others  being  in  general  cultivation. 
M.  paradoxum,  a  handsome  species  sent  out  some 
time  ago  by  Dr.  Kegel,  is  a  very  interesting  kind 


owing  to  its  taking  a  position  about  midway  be- 
tween Bellevalia  and  Botryanthus.  The  leaves 
are  about  a  foot  long,  a  trifle  higher  than  the  flower- 
heads,  nearly  an  inch  broad,  and  deeply  ribbed. 
The  flowers  are  densely  packed  in  close  conical 
heads  about  2  inches  long,  blue-black,  very  beauti- 
ful, and  slightly  fragrant.  It  is  a  native  of  the 
Caucasus,  and  flowers  from  the  middle  until  the 
end  of  April.  M.  armeniacum,  a  narrow-leaved, 
very  free-flowering  plant,  is  in  general  appearance 
not  unlike  M.  compactum,  which  belongs  to  the 
next  group,  and  which  has  quite  a  different  shaped 
flower.  Its  leaves  are  about  a  foot  long,  narrow, 
glaucous  green,  ribbed,  and  gracefully  curved. 
This  is  the  latest  to  flower  of  all  the  species  of 
Muscari,  extending  in  favourable  seasons  well 
into  June.  Its  stalks  are  generally  about  half  a 
foot  high,  heads  about  2  inches  long,  closely  set 
and  of  a  dark  or  livid  purple  or  lilac  colour,  with 
pretty  slightly  recurved  white  teeth,  giving  it  a 
very  charming  appearance.  M.  Szovitzianum  is 
one  of  the  handsomest  and  freest  flowering  species 
yet  introduced.  Its  leaves  are  narrow,  nearly 
round,  deeply  channelled  on  the  outside,  and 
hardly  glaucous.  [The  flowers,  which  are  of  a 
beautiful  light  blue  or  lilac,  rise  well  above  the 
leaves.  They  have  white  recurved  teeth,  are  col- 
lected in  a  compact  head  from  1  inch  to  2  inches 
long,  and  are  very  fragrant ;  each  bulb  produces 
three  or  four  stalks  in  March  and  April.  It  is  a 
native  of  Persia,  &c.,  and  very  useful  for  pot 
culture. 

Group  3. — Perianth  of  lower  flowers  obovoid, 
cylindrical,  and  nearly  twice  as  long  as  broad. 
Nearly  the  whole  of  this  group,  which  contains 
most  of  our  common  garden  species,  are  in  culti- 
vation at  the  present  time ;  they  include  M. 
commutatum,  M.  compactum,  M.  neglectum,  con- 
cinnum,  and  racemosum.  M.  neglectum  is  cer- 
tainly the  most  handsome  of  the  dark  blue-flowered 
section.  It  has  a  distinct  and  graceful  habit,  may 
be  rapidly  increased,  may  almost  be  left  anywhere 
to  take  care  of  itself,  and  lasts  a  long  time  in 
good  condition  when  cut.  Its  bulbs  are  large  for 
the  size  of  the  flower,  each  producing  many  flower- 
heads  2  inches  to  3  inches  long.  They  consist  of 
nearly  fifty  flowers  set  closely  together,  and  are 
nearly  twice  as  large  individually  as  those  of  II. 
botryoides.  They  are  of  a  beautiful  dark  blue- 
black,  always  covered  with  a  fine  glaucous  bloom, 
and  furnished  with  very  pretty  recurved  white 
teeth;  leaves  flat  and  dark  green.  It  is  a  native 
of  Italy,  &o.,  and  flowers  in  April  and  May.  M. 
concinnum,  which  also  goes  under  the  name  of 
JI.  contaminatum,  is  likewise  a  handsome  species, 
and  well  deserves  attention.  It  is  nearly  related 
to  M.  racemosum,  an  old  garden  favourite,  but 
has  much  smaller  flowers,  and  bright  instead  of 
dark  blue.  The  leaves,  which  are  narrow,  rounded, 
and  half  a  foot  long,  overtop  the  handsome-shaped 
flower  -  heads,  which  seldom  reach  more  than 
i  inches  in  height.  They  are  very  glaucous  and 
deeply  ribbed.  The  flowers  are  very  fragrant. 
Kative  country  unknown.  It  was  put  into  culti 
vation  by  Mr.  Peter  Barr.  K. 


Fine  Sunflowers. — The  Postlethwaites,  as 
Pnnch  calls  them,  of  the  sesthetic  school  deserve 
our  thanks  for  having  induced  cultivators  to  take 
up  the  Sunflower  and  improve  it.  At  one  time 
Sunflowers  were  very  tall — 6  feet  or  tl  feet— and 
produced  an  immense  disc  or  centre  of  .seeds  sur- 
rounded by  a  narrow  fringe  of  petals.  Now  we 
have  a  much  dwarf er  race,  the  flowers  of  which 
have  dark  or  light  centres,  :!  inches  or  i  inches  in  i 
diameter  only,  instead  of  ;t  inches,  with  a  corona  I 


of  rich  yellow  petals,  3  inches  or  1  inches  wide, 
and  are  simply  glorious.  We  have  a  bed  of  these 
at  present  in  full  flower  which  has  attracted  much 
notice.  This  variety  is  only  coming  into  cultiva- 
tion. 


SEASONABLE   WORK. 


FLOWER  GAFvDEN. 
Herbaceous  plants  in  mixed  borders  have 
this  season  well  repaid  all  the  attention  bestowed 
on  them,  which  has  simply  been  a  general  look 
over  weekly  to  see  to  the  ties,  picking  off  bad 
blossoms  and  keeping  the  borders  free  from  weeds, 
and  strong  growers  mulched.  At  the  present  time 
Phloxes  are  making  a  grand  show.  The  double 
Geums,  Campanulas,  Potentillas,  and  the  perennial 
Sunflower  are  also  very  fine,  and  in  order  to  keep 
them  in  that  state  we  now  have  to  water  them 
twice  a  week.  Wherever  there  is  a  blank  place, 
seedling  Aquileeias,  Canterbury  Bells,  Brompton 
Stocks,  and  other  perennials  will  be  planted  in  it 
the  first  showery  day,  and  meanwhile  the  places 
will  be  prepared  by  digging  them  with  a  hand- 
fork  and  manuring  them  with  guano  or  some 
other  fertiliser.  If  cuttings  can  be  had  without 
marring  the  appearance  of  the  beds.  Pelargoniums 
ought  now  to  be  propagated  ;  the  handiest  way  is 
to  strike  them  in  the  open  border.  Any  kind  of 
light  soil  will  do,  provided  the  cuttings  are  well 
firmed  in  it.  To  plant  them  in  boxes  at  once  will 
save  labour,  but  my  experience  is  that  they  never 
do  so  well  as  those  struck  in  the  open  border  and 
potted  up  about  the  middle  of  September.  A 
hotbed  should  be  made  up  for  the  striking  of 
Ageratums,  Petunias,  Lobelias,  Verbenas,  Mesem- 
bryanthemums,  Coleus,  Iresines,  and  Alternan- 
theras ;  only  snfiicient  of  these  should  be  propa- 
gated to  insure  a  good  supply  of  cuttings  in  the 
spring,  as  spring-struck  plants  grow  away  much 
more  freely  than  those  struck  in  autumn.  Violas, 
Pansies,  Pentstemons,  Antirrhinums,  and  all  other 
hardy  perennials  usually  propagated  from  cuttings 
may  be  put  in  now  ;  a  north  or  shady  border  upon 
sandy  soil  and  handlights  or  frames  are  all  that  is 
needed  to  insure  a  successful  strike.  General 
work  will  consist  in  watering  shrubs,  trees,  and 
Roses  moved  in  the  spring,  and  the  renewing  of 
the  mulching  over  their  roots  ;  also  in  picking  off 
decayed  flowers  and  foliage  from  the  flower  beds, 
and  pegging,  pinching,  and  tying  up.  The  com- 
pletion of  shrub  cutting,  also  the  picking  of  seed 
vessels  oS  choice  Rhododendrons  and  Azaleas,  at 
the  same  time  tearing  off  suckers  or  shoots  that 
spring  from  the  stock,  will  now  also  need  atten- 
tion, as  well  as  hoeing  shrubberies,  clipping 
verges,  and  weeding  walks  if  neatness  is  to  be 
maintained,  and  it  ought,  for  without  it  a  garden 
can  yield  little  real  pleasure. 


FLORAL  DECORATIONS. 
Those  who  may  have  grown  any  of  the  following 
kinds  of  ornamental  Grasses  should  secure  a  good 
quantity  for  future  use  whilst  they  are  in  perfec- 
tion. They  will  not  be  nearly  so  fine  if  allowed 
to  remain  on  the  plant  after  they  are  fully  de- 
veloped. A  heavy  downpour  of  rain  will  also 
spoil  their  beauty.  Of  the  Agrostis  we  grow  A. 
pulchella  and  nebulosa.  The  former  is  very 
pretty  and  useful  for  working  into  button-hole 
bouquets ;  the  latter  is  most  useful  for  floral 
decorations  in  general.  Briza  gracilis  and  maxima 
are  both  valuable  kinds,  the  latter  especially  so 
for  floral  decorations  of  a  somewhat  bold  character. 
Lagurus  ovatus  is  always  useful,  especially 
when  associated  with  Liliaceous  subjects.  It  is 
very  soon  spoiled  by  rain,  and  should  therefore  be 
secured  on  the  first  favourable  opportunity.  Hor- 
deum  jabatum  is  another  beautiful  Grass  that 
ought  to  be  grown  in  the  most  limited  collections. 
It  thrives  best  in  a  moist  situation,  quickly  feel- 
ing the  effects  of  drought.  Paspalum  elegans  is 
another  good  and  distinct  sort.  We  shall  secure 
our  winter  stock  of  all  these  in  a  few  days.  After 
this  is  done  each  kind  will  be  loosely  arranged  in 
glass  bottles,  such  as  have  been  used  for  pickles, 
&c.    We  then  place  them  in  a  spare  airy  room  not 


138 


THE     GARDEN 


too  near  the  light ;  no  water  of  course  is  given 
Ihem.  In  this  manner  we  find  them  to  keep  their 
colour  fairly  well.  Another  very  useful  late  kind 
of  Grass  is  Eragrostis  elegans;  this  is  just  begin- 
ning to  nnfold  its  spikes,  and  in  the  form  of  suc- 
cessive crops  will  continue  to  do  good  service  till 
the  early  frosts  spoil  their  colour.  All  of  these 
and  several  other  distinct  kinds  will  be  found 
valuable  where  extensive  decorations  are  carried 
out  during  the  winter  months.  Those  who  have 
not  room  to  grow  these  can  secure  many  pretty 
sorts  from  the  fields,  woods,  and  hedges,  all  of 
which  will  help  to  economise  the  use  of  Fern  in 
winter,  when  there  is  frequently  none  too  much  to 
spare.  _  Of  annuals  easily  raised  from  seed,  the 
following  will  now  do  good  service  in  the  shape 
of  cut  flowers,  viz  ,  Campanula  Lorei  and  alba,  both 
extremely  pretty  when  arranged  with  some  spikes 
of  the  Agrostis  nebulosa  and  Sweet  Sultan ;  the 
yellow  kind  can  be  used  in  association  with  these 
also,  likewise  the  various  colours  of  the  Corn- 
flowers. Salvia  patens  is  valuable  for  its  colour ; 
a  spike  or  twouaed  with  white  Sweet  Pea  will  give 
a  pleasing  effect.  For  the  want  of  anything 
better  or  closer  to  hand,  a  few  Carrot  leaves  that 
are  assuming  their  autumnal  tints  will  be  found 
not  to  be  out  of  place.  The  different  varieties  of 
Ihlox  Drummondi  are  also  extremely  pretty,  espe- 
cially m  small  arrangements. 


[Aug.   16.    1884. 


PKOPAGATING. 
No  time  must  now  be  lost  in  putting  in  cuttings 
of  all  kinds  of  stove  plants  required,  for  if  longer 
delayed  the  wood  becomes  too  hard  to  root  readily 
We  refer  to  such  subjects  as  Crotons,  Ixoras, 
Dipladenias,  and  Francisceas.  Ixoras,  we  find 
root  best  when  a  large  proportion  of  peat  is  used  in 
the  soil,  say  two  parts  peat  to  one  each  of  loam  and 
sand.  The  whole  must  be  sifted  fine  and  pressed 
down  firmly,  leaving  just  enough  space  for  a  layer 
of  sand  on  the  top.  Of  course,  as  good  drainage 
IS  necessary,  the  pots  will  need  to  be  filled  within 
i  inches  of  the  top  with  broken  crocks.  Fern 
spores  sown  in  spring  will  need  attention  in  the 
way  of  pricking  off,  the  aim  being  to  get  them  as 
large  as  possible  before  winter,  Of  Oleanders 
there  are  now  many  beautiful  varieties,  the  whole 
of  which  may  be  readily  struck  from  cuttings  dur- 
ing the  summer  months.  The  two  principal 
points  to  be  observed  are  first,  not  allowing  the 
cuttings  to  become  too  hard  before  taking  them 
off,  a.nd  secondly  giving  them  plenty  of  water  at 
all  times  ;  indeed  they  will  emit  roots  freely  in 
water  alone  or,  better  still,  in  water-tight  pans  of 
wet  sand,  but  in  either  of  these  cases  care  is 
necessary  in  potting  them  off,  as  the  roots  are  so 
brittle  that  they  are  easily  broken.  Such  being 
the  case,  the  better  way  is  to  put  them  in  pots  of 
sandy  soil  and  keep  them  close  and  moist  till 
I^=;  f  -1  *°°'^5,  ™'°°'o°  subject,  but  one  that 
many  fail  to  strike  satisfactorily,  is  the  Lemon- 
scented  \erbena(Aloysiacitriodora) ;  the  failures 
in  this  case  generally  result  from  using  wood  in 
too  matured  a  condition.     The  best  way  is  to  take 

tw'J"""?  "*  ^'°^!:^'  '°  ^^^  ^P"°g  a«  soon  as 
Uiey  are  long  enough,  and  treat  them  just  as  one 
would  Fuchsias,  Verbenas,  and  similar  plants, 
when  with  the  exception  of  requiring  a  little  addi- 
tional care  to  guard  against  damp,  they  root  as 
readily  as  the  others  just  mentioned.  Later  in  the 
summer,  if  cuttings  are  required,  the  better  way  is 
to  put  a  plant  m  a  close,  warm  house,  when  it  will 
at  once  start  afresh,  and  when  of  sufficient  size 
use  the  young  shoots  as  cuttings. 

INDOOR  PLANTS. 
EOUG.VINVILLEA  GLABRA.— All  the  Weak  shoots 
at  this  time  should  be  cut  out  of  specimens  of 
this  plant  that  are  grown  in  pots  and  have  finished 
blooming,  for,  as  these  do  not  in  the  least  promote 
the  formation  of  fresh  flowering  wood,  it  is  not 
rvell  to  allow  any  overcrowding  of  weak  growths, 
as  they  are  merely  a  strain  on  the  energies  of  the 
plants  for  no  purpose,  for  this  Bougainvillea  will 
only  bloom  profusely  on  shoots  that  have  attained 
some  strength.  If  ihe  balls  are  very  full  of  roots 
It  will  be  found  good  practice  to  put  about  1  inch 


of  well-rotted  manure  on  the  surface,  as  the  addi- 
tion of  new  material  of  this  description  by  en- 
couraging the  formation  of  fresh  feeding  fibres  is 
a  great  assistance  to  the  plants.  Managed  as 
above  advised,  this  Bougainvillea  can  be  had  in 
bloom  again  about  the  end  of  September,  and 
there  will  stiUbe  time  enough  after  the  flowering 
is  over  to  get  it  sufficiently  hardened  off  before  the 
end  of  the  year. 

TiLLANDSiA  LiNDENi— This  beautiful  blue- 
flowered  Bromeliad  is  most  effective  for  decora- 
tion, and  it  looks  best  in  the  form  of  single 
crowns  grown  in  little  pots,  in  which  size  it  can  be 
dotted  about  better  than  when  larger.  It  throws 
out  suckers  when  its  blooming  is  over,  and  when 
these  have  got  big  enough  they  ought  to  be  taken 
on,  removing  a  few  of  their  lower  leaves  and 
putting  them  singly  in  small  pots,  being  mindful 
not  to  over-water  them  till  they  hare  rooted,  after 
which  they  will  need  more  root  space.  The  plants 
will  push  a  second  lot  of  suckers  after  the  first 
have  been  removed  ;  these  in  their  turn  when  they 
have  attained  a  proper  size  can  be  treated  like 
those  first  taken  off.  Sandy  peat  answers  well  for 
it,  draining  the  pots  well  and  giving  it  a  position 
where  it  will  get  a  fair  amount  of  light. 

Ipom.-ea  Hobsfalli^,— From  this  time,  on 
during  the  autumn,  this  plant  should  have  every 
encouragement  to  make  growth,  for  the  quantity 
of  flower  that  may  be  looked  for  will  be  regulated 
by  the  strength  and  number  of  the  shoots.  It  is 
not  a  long,  rampant  grower,  nor  likely  to  shade 
anything  under  it  over  much,  and  on  this  account 
where  space  is  limited  it  may  with  advantage  be 
trained  over  a  path.  In  a  position  of  this  kind 
attention  to  training  can  easily  be  given. 

Aklstolochias.— These  plants  likewise  are 
well  suited  for  occupying  a  place  over  a  path,  and 
nowhere  else  are  their  remarkable  flowers  seen 
to  better  advantage.  It  is  not  yet  too  late  to  put 
in  cuttings  ;  any  of  the  larger  species  will  bloom 
freely  next  year.  Young  examples  will  in  many 
cases  be  found  better  to  manage  than  old  plants, 
as  these  require  a  good  deal  of  cutting  back  to 
prevent  their  getting  beyond  bounds.  The  medium 
sized  side  shoots  that  generally  are  to  be  met  with 
at  the  lower  part  of  the  stem  will  strike  readily 
if  taken  off  with  a  heel,  put  in  sand  covered  with 
a  bell-glass,  and  kept  in  a  brisk  heat.  When  they 
have  rooted  they  will  need  moving  into  fi-inch 
pots,  and  through  the  winter  ought  to  be  kept 
growing  gently. 

Gardenias.  —  Where  a  sufficient  stock  of 
these  are  grown,  and  they  are  managed  in  a  way 
to  flower  in  succession,  there  is  no  difficulty  in 
having  a  supply  of  their  fragrant  blossoms  for 
many  months.  If  they  are  wanted  over  as  long  a 
season  as  possible,  in  addition  to  the  older  larger 
stock,  it  is  a  good  plan  to  each  spring  propagate 
some.  Young  plants  of  this  year's  striking  in- 
tended to  flower  in  winter  must  have  all  requisite 
attention  ;  they  should  at  once  receive  a  shift  into 
the  pots  they  are  to  bloom  in  ;  by  doing  this  now 
they  will  have  time  to  establish  themselves  well 
before  the  short  days.  The  size  of  the  pots  ought 
to  be  regulated  by  the  strength  and  size  of  the 
plants;  from  8  inches  to  11  inches  or  12  inches 
will  be  big  enough. 

Gesnbba.s.— The  winter-blooming  G.  exoniensis 
must  not  be  neglected,  nor  let  to  be  overshaded  by 
other  plants,  or  it  will  get  drawn  up,  and  unless 
the  growth  is  stout  and  short  it  is  useless  to  expect 
a  satisfactory  amount  of  bloom.  The  Donckelaari 
and  Cooperi  section  will  flower  a  second  time  if 
encouraged  by  being  kept  in  a  good  light  position 
and  supplied  with  manure  water. 

ToxicoPHLJEA  Thunbergi.— Plants  the  flowers 
of  which  have  a  pleasing  odour  are  always  accept- 
able, and,  if  for  no  other  reason  than  its  perfume, 
this  Toxicophla;a  is  worthy  of  a  place  ;  but  in 
addition  to  this  it  has  a  compact  habit,  and  in 
growth  is  not  unlike  a  Gardenia.  It  blooms 
from  the  axils  of  the  leaves  and  also  from  the 
points  of  the  shoots  ;  a  few  of  its  flowers,  which 
are  white  in  colour  and  borne  freely  in  corymbs, 
are  sufficient  to  scent  a  house.  It  blooms  well  in 
a  small  state,  and  does  not  want  a  great  amount 
of  root  room, 


Ferns.—  Such  kinds  as  Adiantum  cuneatum  and 
rterif  serrulata,  which  are  so  serviceable  for  using 
in  a  cut  state,  are  best  for  this  purpose  when 
grown  in  comparatively  small  pots.  If  they  have 
been  well  cared  for,  they  will  have  made  good 
growth,  and  should  now  be  put  where  the  requisite 
hardening  can  take  place  before  winter.  On  this 
being  properly  done  to  a  great  extent  depends  the 
use  they  will  be.  Let  them  have  a  position  where 
they  will  receive  sufficient  air  and  plenty  of  light, 
but  if  the  atmosphere  of  the  house  they  have  been 
grown  in  has  been  moist,  and  a  good  deal  of  shade 
employed,  do  not  let  them  have  too  much  sun,  or 
the  colour  of  the  fronds  will  be  injured  ;  they  will 
also  suffer  similarly  if  they  go  short  of  water. 
Tree  Ferns  will  by  this  time  have  got  the  main 
lot  of  fronds  that  they  made  in  spring  matured, 
and  it  is  a  good  plan  to  take  advantage  of  this 
and  give  a  good  cleaning  to  those  that  are  infested 
with  scale.  It  will  generally  be  confined  to  the 
older  fronds  ;  the  largest  infects  ought  to  be  re- 
moved with  brush  and  sponge,  laying  the  plants 
down  on  their  sides  afterwards,  where  this  can  be 
done,  and  dipping  the  aiTected  parts  in  a  solution 
of  some  or  other  of  the  various  insecticides. 
Fowler's,  at  about  five  ounces  to  the  gallon,  will 
be  found  effectual  in  destroying  most  of  the  young 
insects,  and  by  this  means  a  good  deal  of  labour 
is  saved  compared  with  the  slower  process  of  hand 
cleaning. 

Berry-bearing  Solan ums.— When  the  wea- 
ther is  dry  any  of  these  that  are  planted  out 
must  be  well  attended  to  with  water,  so  as  to 
enable  them  to  keep  in  a  healthy  condition.  It 
will  also  be  well  to  see  if  there  is  any  red  spider 
on  them,  for  though  they  are  not  so  liable  to  be 
attacked  by  it  when  planted  out  as  when  grown  in 
pots,  still  sometimes  it  will  make  its  appearance, 
and  soon  do  much  harm  to  the  leaves  if  not 
destroyed.  A  good  dressing  with  Gishurst  used 
at  the  rate  of  2  ounces  to  the  gallon  of  water  will 
generally  free  them  from  this  pest.  Plants  in 
pots  affected  by  the  inrect  can  be  dipped  in  this 
mixture. 

Mignonette.— Plants  sown  early  to  bloom  in 
pots  must  not  be  allowed  to  get  cramped  at  the 
roots.  The  size  of  pots  necessary  will,  as  a  mat- 
ter of  course,  be  regulated  by  the  strength  of  the 
plants  and  the  size  they  are  wanted  to  attain. 
Keep  them  tied  in  whatever  shape  is  required. 
They  look  much  the  best  when  the  form  chosen  is 
a  more  natural  one  than  the  pointed  stiff  style 
often  seen.  Plenty  of  air  and  abundance  of  light 
are  essential  to  prevent  their  becoming  drawn 
and  weak,  a  condition  that  cannot  be  remedied  if 
once  they  get  into  it.  To  keep  the  foliage  green 
they  must  never  be  allowed  to  want  for  water. 


FKDIT. 

Peach  houses.— Where  it  is  the  practice  to 
start  the  early  houses  in  November,  the  period 
extending  over  August  and  September  is  perhaps 
the  best  for  exposingthe  trees  to  the  full  irfluence 
of  the  atmosphere,  as  the  buds  are  well  advanced 
and  summer  showers  have  a  most  beneficial  effect 
on  the  foliage  and  surface  roots.  Another  ad- 
vantage which  should  not  be  lost  Eight  of  is  the 
efficient  way  in  which  the  lights  can  be  thoroughly 
dried,  repaired,  and  painted  at  times  when  outside 
work  cannot  be  carried  on.  If  any  of  the  trees 
require  an  additional  supply  of  soil  or  partial  lift- 
ing, now  is  a  good  time  to  get  the  work  done,  as 
the  roots  will  at  once  commence  working  in  the 
new  compost,  and  the  trees  will  be  in  a  fit  state  for 
starting  at  the  usual  time,  and  capable  of  carrying 
a  full  crop  of  fruit  next  year.  Successful  growers 
of  Peaches  know  that  a  strong  calcareous  soil  is 
indispensable,  and  where  this  cannot  be  obtained, 
light  loams  may  be  improved  by  the  addition  of 
marl  and  old  lime  rubble,  which  must  be  tho- 
roughly mixed  together  when  dry,  and  made  as 
firm  and  resisting  as  possible  by  good  solid  ram- 
ming when  the  borders  are  being  formed.  If 
midseason  houses  cannot  be  stripped,  all  the  ven- 
tilators must  be  left  open  ;  good  daily  syringing 
and  an  occasional  washing  with  the  garden  engiue 
will  also  be  necessary ;  and  last,  but  not  least, 
borders  from  which  that  best  of  all  elements,  rain 


Aug.   ir>,  1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


139 


water,  is  excluded  must  be  well  mulched  and 
thoroughly  drenched  with  the  hose,  until  the 
flower  buds  are  made  up  and  ripe,  when  less  water 
will  be  needed,  but  on  no  account  must  Teaches 
at  any  time  become  what  is  termed  dry  at  the 
roots.  Where  late  houses  have  been  systemati- 
cally retarded  through  every  stage,  midseason 
kinds  will  be  approaching  ripeness,  while  late 
varieties,  under  liberal  ventilation,  will  carry  on 
the  supply  after  many  of  the  wall  trees  are  over. 
The  fruit"in  wall  cases  will  now  require  full  ex- 
posure to  the  influence  of  sun  and  light  by  being 
raised  up  on  small  pieces  of  lath  placed  on  the 
trellis.  As  the  Peaches  are  elevated,  apex  up- 
wards, to  insure  colour,  stop  all  strong  growths 
and  tie  them  down  to  the  trellis,  otherwise  they 
will  rob  the  fruit,  and  most  likely  upset  the 
balance  of  the  trees.  Keep  them  well  syringed 
until  the  fruit  begins  to  soften  for  ripening.  Give 
plenty  of  water  to  the  roots,  and  expose  or  shut  up 
so  as  to  avoid  having  a  glut  of  ripe  fruit  at  any 
one  time,  particularly  where  there  is  a  steady 
family  demand. 

Figs. — When  the  flush  of  the  second  crop  has 
been  taken  from  the  early  forced  trees  encourage 
them  to  go  gradually  to  a  state  of  rest  by  running 
down  all  the  lights,  or  by  stripping  the  roof  alto- 
gether ;  but  guard  against  starving  them  into  this 
condition  by  suddenly  withholding  water  from  the 
roots,  or  by  leaving  off  the  daily  bath  from  the 
syringe.  If  the  weather  continues  fine,  a  great 
number  of  Figs  of  most  delicious  flavour  will 
ripen  after  the  house  is  thrown  open  ;  but  where 
a  good  dish  of  fruit  is  indispensable  in  making  up 
an  early  spring  dessert,  the  strongest  and  best  of 
trees  should  not  be  allowed  to  carry  more  than 
two  crops  in  one  season,  and  all  half-swelled 
fruits  should  be  rubbed  oil  when  the  lights  are 
removed  from  the  house.  Let  the  second  crop 
of  fruit  in  the  second  house  be  well  thinned  to 
ensure  fair  size,  and  feed  copiously  with  good 
warm  liquid  and  guano  water  »s  often  as  the  roots 
can  take  it.  Syringe  well  twice  a  day,  close  with 
sun  heat,  and  carry  on  incessant  war  with  the 
numerous  insects  which  so  often  become  trouble- 
some about  this  time.  The  worst  is  mealy  bug, 
then  follows  scale  and  red  spider,  which  may  be 
kept  in  check  by  good  .syringing  and  occasional 
sponging,  and  bug  speedily  melts  away  under  a 
dressing  of  methylated  spirits  applied  with  a  small 
brush  if  taken  in  hand  before  it  extends  from 
the  shoots  to  the  leaves  and  fruit.  ^Vhere  there 
is  a  constant  demand  for  good  Figs,  and  old 
established  trees  occupy  snug  corners  in  the 
kitchen  or  fruit  garden,  such  kinds  as  Brown 
Turkey,  White  Marseilles,  and  all  the  Ischias  will 
soon  pay  for  the  cost  of  a  glass  covering,  which, 
under  judicious  management,  will  give  a  supply 
of  ripe  fruit  from  the  end  of  July  until  the  middle 
or  end  of  October,  and  that  in  good  seasons  with- 
out the  aid  of  fire  heat ;  but  a  heating  apparatus 
should  always  be  provided,  as  such  structures  are 
invaluable  storehouses  through  the  winter.  To 
keep  the  trees  in  moderate  growth  and  fruitful 
it  is  necessary  to  lift  occasionally  and  replant  in 
a  mixture  of  good  loam  and  lime  rubble,  resting 
on  ample  drainage  for  carrying  ofE  water,  of  which 
Fig  trees  under  glass  require  a  very  liberal  supply. 
Pruning  or  thinning  should  always  be  performed 
with  a  liberal  hand  before  the  trees  are  nailed  to 
the  wall  in  spring,  ample  room  being  provided 
for  laying  in  the  young  growths  without  crowding 
the  foliage.or  having  to  pinch  the  points,  an  opera- 
tion altogether  unsuited  to  the  management  of 
late  houses,  and  often  injudiciously  practised  in 
early  ones. 

Melons.—  Devote  all  possible  attention  to  the 
last  batch  of  plants  recently  put  out,  and  encou- 
rage them  to  make  a  strong  and  quick  growth  of 
vine  by  full  exposure  to  sun  and  light,  and  by 
closing  in  time  for  the  house  to  run  up  to  90°  with 
solar  heat  and  plenty  of  moisture.  As  we  have 
before  stated,  quick,  free  kinds  in  12-inch  to 
16inch  pots  should  be  selected  for  late  work,  and 
the  bottoms  of  the  pots  should  be  placed  within 
the  influence  of  the  bottom-heat  pipes  when  fire- 
heat  through  the  last  stages  becomes  a  necessity. 
Train  each  plant  to  a  single  stem,  carefully  pre- 


serve every  old  leaf  from  the  base  upwards,  take 
out  all  laterals  that  start  between  the  bed  and  the 
trellis  as  soon  as  they  can  be  seen,  and  pinch  the 
points  out  of  the  leaders  when  they  have  covered 
two-thirds  of  the  trellis.  Fertilise  every  female 
flower  as  it  opens,  select  the  most  evenly  balanced 
fruit  for  the  crop,  but  defer  stopping  until  the 
Melons  have  attained  the  size  of  Walnuts ;  then 
pinch  at  the  first  joint,  and  gradually  remove  all 
useless  side  shoots,  laterals,  and  spray.  When  the 
time  arrives  for  earthing  up  the  plants  the  soil  in 
the  pots,  as  well  as  the  top-dressing,  should  be  in 
a  dry  state  and  fit  for  ramming  firmly  without  be- 
coming adhesive  ;  otherwise  it  will  cake  and  crack, 
and  water  will  pass  away  without  permeating  the 
wliole  of  the  ball. 

Late  crops  in  pits  and  frames  will  require  a 
steady  bottom-heat  from  fermenting  material  or 
hot-water  pipes  until  the  fruit  is  ripe,  as  anything 
approaching  a  check  is  sure  to  destroy  the  flavour, 
if  it  does  not  prove  fatal  to  the  plants.  Let  every 
fruit  be  raised  above  the  bed,  but  not  quite  clear 
of  the  foliage,  as  some  kinds  of  Melons  are  liable 
to  turn  brown  when  early  airing  is  neglected  on 
bright  mornings.  Place  a  few  pieces  of  charcoal 
as  a  preventive  about  the  stems,  and  apply  quick- 
lime and  sulphur  to  the  parts  affected  should 
canker  set  in.  This  troublesome  disease  may,  how- 
ever, easily  be  prevented  by  using  a  good,  sound, 
but  not  over-rich  loam,  by  the  careful  preservation 
of  the  stem  leaves,  and  by  stimulating  at  the  pro- 
per time  with  tepid  liquid  or  guano  water  in  pre- 
ference to  top  dressing  with  solid  manure. 

H.\EDY  FRUIT.— As  a  rule.  Peaches  against 
south  and  west  walls  are  carrying  fairly  good 
crops,  and  the  trees  are  healthy.  Look  over  newly 
grafted  trees,  and  if  the  ligatures  require  entire 
removal,  secure  the  young  growths  from  the  scions 
by  tying  to  sticks  lashed  to  the  stocks.  Cut  out 
all  old  Raspberry  canes  and  secure  the  j'oung 
growths  by  tying  them  loosely  to  the  stakes  or 
trellis.  Give  autumn  bearers  an  abundance  of 
water  over  the  mulching  and  support  the  young 
shoots  well  above  the  ground.  The  usual  advice 
is  to  make  new  Strawberry  beds  in  August,  but 
when  runners  in  small  pots  are  not  suffering  the 
planting  may,  if  necessary,  be  delayed  for  a  short 
time.  One  of  the  main  points  in  the  preparation 
of  Strawberry  ground  is  deep  trenching.  Manure 
is  of  course  a  telling  factor,  and  new  virgin  loam 
of  a  tenacious  character  should  be  obtained  for 
planting  in  if  possible.  The  balls  should  be  wet 
at  the  time  when  they  are  turned  out,  and  a  con- 
tinuance of  dry  weather  will  necessitate  mulching 
and  constant  watering.  Where  old  beds  have 
been  infested  with  mildew,  breaking  up  is  recom- 
mended ;  but  if  they  cannot  be  spared,  abundance 
of  water,  frequent  dressings  with  soot  and  quick- 
lime will  be  found  a  good  remedy. 

ORCHIDS. 
East  IkdiA  house — Thrips  seem  very  plenti- 
ful this  year.  We  found  a  few  in  this  house, 
but  by  fumigating  some  of  the  plants  and  dipping 
others  they  have  been  destroyed.  Odontoglossnm 
Koezli  is  very  liable  to  be  attacked  by  them,  and 
when  once  they  get  into  the  young  growths  they 
greatly  disfigure  them  ;  if  they  are  even  suspected 
of  being  present  it  is  best  to  dip  them  in  a  solu- 
tion of  Tobacco  water  and  soft  soap.  Plants  of 
this  are  now  making  their  growths  and  require 
plenty  of  water  overhead,  which  has  a  tendency  to 
keep  thrips  in  check.  There  are  not  a  great  many 
Orchids  in  flower  at  this  season,  but  those  that 
are  in  that  condition  are  very  beautiful ;  especially 
so  is  the  charming  Dendrochilum  filiforme.  This 
plant  is  liable  to  be  attacked  by  red  spider,  which 
can,  however,  be  easily  cleared  from  the  leaves 
by  means  of  a  sponge  and  soapy  water.  The 
plants  require  a  good  supply  of  water  at  this 
season,  as  the  production  of  so  many  spikes  from 
the  small  pseudo-bulbs  has  a  tendency  to  cause 
them  to  shrink  a  little ;  a  sufficient  supply  of 
water  to  keep  the  Sphagnum  growing  freely  on 
the  surface  mitigates  the  evil.  D.  glumaceum  is 
now  finishing  or  maturing  its  growth,  and  also  re- 
quires a  plentiful  supply  of  water.  Than  the 
charming,  richly  coloured  Cattleya  superba,  now 


in  flower,  few  plants  require  less  attention.  Plants 
of  it  fastened  to  a  small  stump  of  Tree  Fern  and 
suspended  near  the  roof  glass  grow  and  flower 
freely  year  after  year.  The  Angrajcums  are  mostly 
making  their  growths,  and  some  of  them,  such  as 
A.  EUisi,  are  pushing  out  their  flower-spikes  ;  all  of 
them  are  making  roots  freely,  a  sure  sign  that  they 
require  plenty  of  water.  The  same  cultural  re- 
quirements are  necessary  for  the  Saccolabiums, 
some  of  which  are  showing  flower :  others  have 
finished  and  are  making  thick  fleshy  roots,  and 
where  clean,  good  growths.  At  this  season  it  is 
easy  to  keep  up  the  required  temperature  and  a 
moist  atmosphere,  but  all  attentions  are  vain 
unless  the  plants  are  kept  quite  free  from  insect 
pests. 

Cattleva  house. — A  good  moist  growing  at- 
mosphere should  now  be  maintained  in  this  house. 
Dendrobiums  have  not  yet  completed  their  growth, 
and  require  a  warm  atmosphere  and  sufficient 
moisture.  Such  species  as  D.  Wardianum,  D. 
crassinode,  and  some  others  are  liable  to  be  at- 
tacked by  red  spider,  which  can,  however,  easily 
be  destroyed  by  syringing  the  leaves  well  daily. 
They  require  a  good  supply  of  water  at  the  roots, 
but  it  is  a  great  mistake  to  keep  on  supplying 
them  with  water  whether  they  need  it  or  not.  We 
have  seen  even  the  young  rootlets  of  such  hardy 
Dendrobes  as  D.  nobile  killed  by  an  over-supply 
of  water.  Most  of  the  Cattleyas  are  also  rooting 
freely  and  making  growths  at  the  same  time ;  we 
shade  from  bright  sunshine,  but  the  shading  is 
not  kept  down  a  minute  longer  than  is  necessary. 
Suspended  near  the  glass  at  the  lightest,  but  cool- 
est, part  of  the  house  are  plants  of  Vanda  ccerulca  ; 
they  are  now  making  plenty  of  young  roots  and 
growing  freely,  and,  like  other  plants  in  the  house, 
they  receive  a  plentiful  supply  of  water,  so  that 
the  Sphagnum  in  which  they  are  potted  is  a  mass  of 
bright  green.  Plantsof  OdontoglossumPhalaanopsis 
placed  near  the  glass  are  daily  syringed  overhead  ; 
they  are  now  growing  very  well  and  the  syringing 
keeps  them  free  from  a  small  thrip  otherwise  very 
troublesome  ;  if  this  should  attack  them,  destroy 
it  by  dipping  in  Tobacco  water.  0.  hastilabium 
is  now  finely  in  flower  ;  it  is  a  vigorous  growing 
species,  and  requires  a  good  supply  of  water,  as 
the  growths  are  not  yet  completed.  0.  citrosmum 
has  been  placed  in  the  lightest  part  of  the  house. 
This  species  requires  to  be  kept  very  dry  at  the 
roots  during  winter  in  order  to  get  a  profusion  of 
bloom  ;  we  did  so  with  our  plants  this  year,  but  at 
the  expense  of  their  subsequent  growth.  They  are 
not  growing  quite  so  strongly  as  they  should  do. 
At  present  they  require  a  good  supply  of  water 
and  to  be  placed  near  the  glass.  In  this 
position  they  make  the  best  growth.  All  the 
Cypripediums  that  like  a  moist  warm  temperature 
are  also  making  very  good  growth  ;  it  does  them 
good  to  syringe  them  overhead  on  the  evenings 
of  very  warm  days.  The  watejr  used  should 
be  pure  ;  indeed,  we  have  such  a  good  arrange- 
ment of  rain  water  tanks,  that  even  in  dry  seasons 
we  never  run  short  of  rain  water  for  the  Orchids. 
The  temperature  with  air  on  at  night  seldom  falls 
below  G5°.  We  may  now  expect  colder  nights; 
in  fact,  the  weather  changed  much  colder  on  the 
first  week  in  August,  the  minimum  on  the  evening 
of  the  5th  being  42°. 

Cool  house. — The  hot  weather  during  July 
was  rather  trying  to  most  of  the  Odontoglossums 
and  some  of  the  Masdevallias,  but  we  have  now 
passed  through  the  most  trying  period.  We  found 
that  it  was  quite  possible  to  keep  the  temperature 
a  few  degrees  cooler  than  that  outside  by  keeping 
the  ventilators  rather  closer  and  syringing  the 
walls,  paths,  and  some  of  the  plants  in  the  house. 
The  constant  evaporation  prevents  the  plants  from 
taking  any  injury  from  the  ingress  of  hot,  dry  air. 
It  does  not  rush  in,  as  the  open  ventilators  are 
covered  by  the  shading,  which  is  always  necessary 
when  the  sun  shines  at  all.  It  is  not  the  time  for 
a  wealth  of  bloom,  but  we  have  the  handsome 
Oncidium  macranthum  always  in  flower  during 
July,  August,  and  sometimes  well  into  September, 
and  our  well-managed  house  is  never  without 
flowering  plants  of  Odontoglossnm  crispum.  Mas- 
devallia  Veitchi,  too,  always  persists  in  throwing 


140 


THE     GARDEN 


\A<:o.  IG,  1884. 


np  flowers  for  the  second  time  in  August  and 
September,  but  we  pinch  them  off  for  the  sake  of 
getting  a  good  head  of  bloom  in  the  spring.  The 
pretty  little  M.  Wagneri  and  M.  Backhousiana 
are  also  in  flower  at  present.  A  word  ought  also 
to  be  given  in  praise  of  Odontoglossum  ooronarium, 
which  generally  flowers  at  this  season.  It  is  a 
splendid  species  not  difficult  to  grow,  but  not 
generally  a  free  bloomer.  The  plants  have  a 
peculiar  habit  of  lengthening  themselves  by  push- 
ing the  young  growths  about  6  inches  ahead  of 
the  old  one.  They  must  be  planted  in  a  long 
basket  formed  of  teak  rods,  and  fresh  growing 
Sphagnum  should  be  prepared  for  the  growths  to 
root  into;  some  rough  peat  and  lumps  of  charcoal 
should  also  be  mixed  with  it.  The  plants  must 
be  suspended  close  to  the  roof  glass  in  the  lightest 
part  of  the  house.  Good,  strong,  and  healthy  plants 
are  sure  to  flower  in  such  a  position.  It  is 
necessary  to  keep  a  careful  look-out  for  insect 
pests,  which  should  be  destroyed  by  dipping  or 
washing  the  plants,  as  it  is  very  dangerous  to 
fumigate  them. 


NOTES   BY  A  WORKING    GAEDENER 

As  to  whether  this  title  may  prove  appropriate 
remains  to  be  seen  by  the  quality  of  the  work  that 
is  put  into  these  notes,  not  that  wriiing  is  my 
vocation,  far  otherwise,  as  I  feel  far  more  in  my 
element  when  making  a  Vine  border,  thinning 
Grapes,  planting  fruit  trees,  and  even  thinning  or 
planting  vegetables.  Then  why  write?  Well,  I 
shall  be  honest,  and  say,  firstly,  because  one  likes 
to  be  seen  in  print — but  this  wish  has  long  been 
gratified,  so  that  it  is  not  so  strong  as  it  used  to 
be ;  secondly,  gardener  writers  are  by  no  means 
numerous,  and  one  hopes  to  draw  a  stray  sheep 
into  the  fold  to  exchange  ideas  with  him  through 
the  garden  press  as  to  ways  and  means  about  our 
calling  that  shall  be  free  from  the  "  high  and  dry  " 
style  that  seems  to  be  proper  in  some  quarters,  and 
which  I  believe  is  called  "  scientific'  Of  course  I 
do  not  understand  that,  and  there  are  many  like 
me  that  are  obliged  to  confine  themselves  to 
matters  of  fact  and  practice.  I  have  a  third  rea- 
son for  writing,  and  it  is  that  I  have  qualms  of 
conscience  that  The  Garden  deserves  better  at- 
tention than  I  have  lately  been  able  to  give  it,  so 
without  further  preface  I  buckle  to  the  work  in 
full  confidence  that  my  notes  will  meet  with  that 
friendly  criticism  that  is  generally  observed  in  its 
pages.  r>ut  there  I  am  safe,  because  nameless, 
even  if  my  sensitiveness  does  get  a  sting  by 
severe  criticism  ;  besides,  I  have  the  advantage  of 
freely  writing  or  speaking  of  self  when  necessary 
without  fear  of  being  charged  with  egotism. 

Deciduous  trees. — From  a  recent  outing 
in  Berks  and  Hants  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  these  are  in  grander  plumage  than  I  have 
ever  known  them  to  be  previously.  Oaks,  Beech, 
Horse  and  Spanish  Chestnuts  are  simply  perfec- 
tion in  size  of  foliage,  colour,  and  vigour,  and  the 
landscape  effect  is  consequently  much  finer  owing 
to  an  entire  absence  of  sickly  verdure  or  hurri- 
cane-maimed boughs  and  foliage.  The  only  trees 
that  have  at  all  suffered  are  the  Limes,  and  these 
but  little  compared  with  the  injury  in  formeryears 
from  the  weevil  fly  that  often  punctures  every 
leaf  with  as  much  regularity  as  if  it  had  been  done 
to  order  by  machinery.  Of  course  there  is  no  help 
for  it  except  not  to  plant  such  kinds  of  trees,  but 
bee-keepers  in  particular  would  not  like  that  I 
should  advocate  annihilation  of  Limes,  and  I 
will  not  either,  though  they  do  give  me  a  lot  of 
extra  sweeping  up,  first  their  blossoms  then  seed 
pods,  and  early  and  late  shedding  of  leaves.  I  say 
plant  these  sparingly  in  kept  grounds,  but  largely 
where  neatness  is  not  of  so  much  account.  But  to 
return  to  deciduous  trees  in  general ;  they  are  this 
season  so  superlatively  grand,  that  it  may  reason- 
ably be  hoped  an  incentive  will  thereby  be  given 
in  the  direction  of  increased  planting  both  for 
timber  and  landscape  effect.  I  will  add  my  no- 
tions as  to  the  value  of  or  preference  for  the  va- 
rious kinds  by  naming  them  in  order  of  merit — 
Oak,  Beech,  Elm,  Spanish  Chestnut,  Plane,  Horse 
Chestnut,  Birch,  Lime,  and  Larch. 


Evergreen  trees. — This  is  hardly  the  season 
of  year  to  discuss  the  merits  of  Evergreens,  but 
the  preceding  note  has  given  rise  to  this,  for  whilst 
pondering  as  to  the  beauty  of  the  deciduous  trees 
sundry  coniferous  trees  put  in  their  claim  as  being 
upsides  with  their  annual  new  clothes  brethren. 
Picea  nobilis,  the  true  Silver  Fir,  is  certainly  in 
extra  silver  array,  and  most  of  the  trees  are  full  of 
seed-bearing  cones.  I  always  describe  the  glau- 
cous foliage  of  this  tree  as  moonlight  green,  and 
it  well  answers  this  description  just  now.  Abies 
grandis,  A.  Morinda,  Picea  crientalis,  P.  cepha- 
lonica,  and  the  Douglas  Fir  (Abies  Douglasi) 
have  all  made  the  most  extraordinary  growth  this 
year.  I  suppose  owing  to  the  excessive  heat,  and 
by  reason  of  the  long  scries  of  quiet  seasons  that 
the  trees  have  had,  this  extra  growth  is  so  much 
the  more  conspicuous.  Piy  the  by,  whilst  on  the 
subject  of  Evergreens,  may  I  express  what  to 
some  will  be  a  terribly  heterodox  opinion,  viz., 
that  I  have  transplanted  at  all  seasons  and  times 
of  the  year,  and  that  the  best  results  have  accrued 
from  early  autumn  planting,  without  any  excep- 
tion as  to  kinds  operated  on,  of  course  having 
taken  the  necessary  precaution  to  mulch  heavily 
by  way  of  protection  to  injured  roots  as  well  as  to 
encourage  earlier  starting  of  new  root  growth  by 
the  warmth  that  mulching  assures  ? 

A  quiet  W^alk. — Impulsive,  impatient,  and 
restless,  as  1  am  said  to  be,  I,  for  all  that,  some- 
times feel  in  the  humour  for  a  quiet  walk  round 
the  garden.  I  have  just  now  had  one,  and  what  a 
privilege  !  all  the  men  gone,  I  can  talk  to  myself 
without  fear  of  being  overheard  to  my  heart's 
content ;  moreover,  I  am  not  afraid  of  seeing  a 
straight-backed  fellow  here,  or  of  having  my  ire 
aroused  bj'  seeing  a  loitering  "kill-time"  one 
there  ;  not  that  I  am  much  pestered  in  that  way, 
though  occasionally  a  stray  one  tries  to  settle 
down,  but  our  Indian  heat  quickly  causes  them 
to  make  tracks  to  a  cooler  climate.  But  I  am 
digressing ;  my  walk  was  intended  to  combine 
pleasure  with  profit,  solace  to  the  mind,  that  is 
real  pleasure ;  notes  for  to-morrow's  work,  that  is 
profit,  and  I  have  got  both,  and  should  like  to  go 
to  bed  now  without  another  thought  of  anything, 
except  it  were  thankfulness  to  a  kind  Providence 
for  His  goodness,  but  duty  says,  "first  describe  to 
the  readers  of  The  Gakden  your  walk,"  and  I  will 
master  self  this  time  and  do  so.  I  began  with  the, 
to  me,  least  attractive,  but  the  most  important, 
branch  of  gardening,  namely,  the  vegetable  depart- 
ment, for  I  meant  to  take  the  "bull  by  the  horns  " 
to-night,  and  find  out  why  the  Peas  had  done  so 
badly.  The  ground  was  good,  deeply  trenched  and 
manured;  the  self-same  mode  of  culture  had  given 
abundant  produce  for  years,  but  this  season  the 
yield  is,  and  has  been,  the  merest  apology  for  that 
word.  Plenty  of  seed  was  put  in  and  germinated, 
but  a  large  proportion,  a  good  half  in  fact, 
dwindled  and  died  as  if  devoured,  but  by  what 
agency  I  could  not  make  out;  the  fog  is  still 
dense,  but  I  have  got  a  streak  of  light  to-night, 
having  found  a  wireworm  completely  ensconced 
on  a  stem  a  couple  of  inches  below  the  surface  of 
the  soil.  As  the  ground  was  dressed  with  soil 
from  an  old  pasture  in  which  wireworm 
abounds,  I  think  it  more  than  probable  that 
the  real  cause  of  this  trouble  is  discovered. 
Moral.-  To-morrow  the  antidote  (a  good  dose 
of  soot)  shall  be  administered,  together  with 
a  mulching  of  stable  litter,  to  the  successional 
sowings  that  as  yet  are  not  seriously  affected. 
Cauliflowers  have  made  amends  for  the  Peas,  and 
there  is  still  no  better  kind  than  the  Early  London. 
Dean's  Snowball,  Veitch's  Forcing,  and  Sutton's 
First  Crop  are.  I  think,  synonymous  and  excellent 
for  a  very  early  batch,  but  not  many  should  be 
planted, as  they  arequicklyover  anddonotcome  in 
successionally,  as  does  the  same  planting  of  Early 
London.  The  rains  have  started  the  recently  planted 
Broccoli,  Coleworts,  and  Kales  into  fine  growth, 
and  being  planted  in  deep  drills  these  must  now 
be  filled  in  level  whilst  the  ground  is  moist ;  then 
however  dry  it  may  be  afterwards  there  will  be 
little  danger  of  their  feeling  any  ill  effects  from 
drought.  A  truly  wonderful  French  Bean  is  the 
Canadian  Wonder  ;  here  they  are  2  feet  high  and 


so  overweighted  with  produce  that  they  ought  to 
have  had  supports,  but  no  time  can  be  spartd  for 
such  woik,  and  we  must  give  away  the  surplus 
Beans  to  the  men  for  the  gathering  in  lieu  of  using 
sticks  to  them.  It  is  generally  known  that  this 
kind  forces  just  as  well  as  the  best  reputed  forc- 
ing kinds,  and  is  almost  as  early  as  the  earliest, 
when  grown  in  the  open  air.  What  a  pleasure  it 
is  at  this  late  date  (July  2'J)  to  view  the  Potatoes 
with  the  haulm  free  from  the  disease  that  almost 
invariably  attacks  it  early  in  the  month.  Surely 
this  betokens  another  good  Potato  year.  Our  finest 
for  quality  have  been  the  Ashleafs,  which  I  am 
sorry  to  say  are  done,  and  now  we  are  using  the 
Woodstock  Kidney,  which  is  much  finer  in  appear- 
ance and  of  superb  quality,  though  not  equalling 
the  Ashleafs.  Fenn's  Early  Regent  as  a  round 
variety  is  the  finest  for  quality  that  I  have  ever 
ate,  and  it  is  white  and  floury  and  a  good  cropper. 
The  American  varieties  are  fast  sinking  into  ob- 
livion, and  my  opinion  is  the  sooner  the  better. 
There,  now ;  I  had  hoped  to  get  away  without 
finding  another  job  that  needed  doing  soon,  but 
the  Box  edgings  look  so  seedy  and  untidy  that 
they  must  be  clipped  forthwith.  I  like  to  do  them 
in  showery  weather,  but  "  winter  stuff  "  planting 
hindered.  From  Cabbages  to  Pvoses  (not  Cabbage 
Roses)  is  a  great  stride,  but  not  a  long  walk,  and 
here  they  are — Souvenir  de  la  Malmaison  in  all 
its  pinky  white  perfection.  There  are  dozens  of 
plants  on  their  own  roots  growing  under  Apple 
and  Pear  trees,  and  that  they  are  quite  at  home 
may  be  gathered  from  the  fact  that  they  are 
almost  always  in  flower.  A  dressing  of  bone  dust 
is  given  them  every  winter,  being  dug  in  deeply, 
and  this  dressing  is  supplemented  in  May  by  a 
dressing  of  soot,  and  they  appreciate  the  attention 
by  giving  no  further  trouble  either  by  way  of 
washing  off  aphis  or  sulphuring  for  mildew.  Bad 
flowers  are,  as  a  matter  of  course,  regularly  re- 
moved, else  we  could  hardly  expect  the  amount  of 
new  growth  and  consequent  succession  of  flowers 
that  we  now  get.  Other  varieties  of  Roses  there 
are  here  in  quantity,  but  at  present  looking  a  bit 
washed  out,  and  we  must  make  the  effort  to  at  once 
tidy  them  up  a  bit  by  cutting  off  bad  flowers  and 
shortening  back  a  few  of  the  longest  stray  shoots. 
The  late  rains  have  worked  wonders  for  the  Roses, 
and  there  will  be  as  good  a  second  bloom  as  was 
the  first.  They  would  now  just  about  relish  a 
good  watering  with  liquid  manure;  this  is 
always  the  more  effectively  applied  when  the 
ground  is  moist,  for  under  these  conditions  its 
manurial  properties  are  at  once  appropriated  by 
the  plants.  I  have  been  revelling  in  Pinks  and 
Carnations  for  some  time  now.  I  began  with  the 
old  white  Pink,  then  came  Mrs.  Sinkins,  and  no 
flattery  is  intended  when  I  say  that  she  is  truly  a 
beauty — pure  white,  good  in  size,  and  her  fragrance 
is  equal  to  that  of  the  old  red  Clove  Carnation ; 
she  IS  worthy  of  being  grown  by  the  thousand. 
This  week  Gloire  de  Nancy  Carnation  is  the 
prima  donna,  being  of  great  size,  pure 
white,  and  perhaps  may  best  be  described 
as  having  all  the  good  properties  of  the  old 
red  Clove  Carnation,  pure  white  being  thrown  in 
gratis.  Then  there  are  sundry  seedlings  of  va- 
rious colours  and  some  few  named  varieties, 
together  with  immense  spikes  of  Lilium  auratum. 
Gladioli,  Phloxes,  Mignonette,  kc,  that  make 
me  long  to  linger,  but  darkness  has  already  set  in, 
and  I  turn  homewards,  resolving  to  have  more  of 
these  sweet-scented  flowers  as  space  and  means 
afford — visions  that  are  just  a  wee  bit  marred, 
because  time  has  not  yet  been  found  to  tie  np  the 
flower-stems  of  some  of  the  plants  that  have  this 
evening  afforded  me  a  real  treat.  It  must  be 
done  to-morrow. 


CERTIFICATING  PLANTS. 
I  WAS  in  hopes  some  of  your  correspondents 
would  have  supplemented  the  remarks  (p.  5!I1  on 
"certificating  plants  at  South  Kensington,"  for 
the  subject  certainly  wants  ventilating.  By  what 
rules  are  certificates  given  ?  Are  there  any 
rules  at  all  .'  For  instance,  a  certificate  was  given 
by  the  society,  on  July  22,  to  Messrs.  Paul  for 
Campanula  turbiuata  pelviformis  as  "  a  new  va- 


Aic.   10,   1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


141 


liety. "  What  is  a  "  new  variety  .'  '  I  have  had  it 
in  my  garden  for  two  years,  and  I  think  Mr. 
AVolley  Dod,  who  gave  it  me.  will  tell  you  that 
he  has  had  it  much  longer.  Would  not  a  "  cultu- 
ral commendation  "  be  quite  enough  for  such  a 
production?  If  the  Cattleya  Gaskelliana  had 
been,  as  some  members  of  the  committee  stated, 
"a  mere  variety  of  C.  Mossiie,"  surely  it  was  more 
deserving  of  a  certificate  than  Campanula  turbi- 
nata  pelviformis,  "a  mere  variety  of  C.turbinata.' 
I  could  give  a  precisely  similar  instance  in  a  case 
of  my  own.  When  Milla  billora  was  much  scarcer 
than  it  is  now  I  sent  an  excellent  pot  of  it  to  the 
committee  meeting.  It  was  not  even  noticed.  In 
the  following  year  it  was  again  exhibited  by  a 
nurseryman,  and  received  a  first-class  certificate. 
Surely  these  things  are  not  done  in  the  interest 
of  the  trade.  It  is  not  very  satisfactory  to  us 
amateurs  to  have  even  such  a  suspicion,  and  I 
hope  some  one  will  enlighten  us  a  little  on  the 
subject.  A.  R. 


DATES  OF  FLOWERINU  OF  A'ARIOU.S 
FLANTS. 

There  are  some  very  interesting  "  Thenological 
Observations  "  published  every  year  in  the  "  Quar- 
terly Journal  of  the  Royal  Meteorological  Society," 
which  are  communicated  by  the  Rev.  T.  A.  Preston. 
These  observations  for  1883  chiefly  consist  of  the 
earliest  dates  of  flowering  of  seventy-nine  British 
plants  in  forty- live  different  localities  in  England 
and  Wales,  and  four  in  Ireland  ;  from  Scotland 
tliere  are  no  observations.  There  is  also  a  list  of 
the  average  earliest  dates  of  flowering  during  the 
last  nine  years  of  forty-three  common  British 
plants,  a  table  showing  the  dates  of  singing,  nest- 
ing, and  migration  of  various  birds,  and  a  list 
of  the  appearance  of  various  insects.  It  is  a  pity 
that  this  last  list  is  not  fuller  ;  only  four  insects 
injurious  to  cultivated  plants  are  reported  on — 
the  common  cockchafer,  the  fernchafer,  and  the 
large  and  small  white  butterflies ;  if  more  were 
reported  on  much  practical  benefit  would  be  the 
result.  In  addition  to  the  information  given  in 
a  tabular  form,  there  is  a  short  account  of  the 
weather  and  its  effects  on  vegetation  during  each 
month.  "  The  weather  during  January  was  mild, 
with  much  rain  and  fog  and  with  bnt  little  sun- 
shine.'' "Wild  flowers,  though  still  abundant  in 
most  places,  were  hardly  so  much  so  as  last  year, 
1882,  except  in  the  south-west  of  England,  where 
the  numbers  were  nearly  equal."  At  Cardiff,  no 
less  than  seventy  different  species  were  found  in 
flower  in  January,  the  largest  number  yet  recorded 
from  any  one  place  in  January.  Vegetation  at 
nnst  places  wa?  about  a  fortnight  earlier  than  the 
average.  March  was  unusually  cold  and  plants 
suffered  severely,  and  the  tender  herbaceous  ones 
were  cut  to  the  ground.  Vegetation  was  at  a  com- 
plete standstill.  "At  Lewisham  the  first  Daffodil 
opened  on  March  17,  but  it  had  been  opening 
for  more  than  a  fortnight.  April  was  cold  and 
vegetation  backward."  The  first  half  of  May  was 
cold,  and  sudden  changes  to  fine  warm  weather 
took  place  about  the  middle  of  the  month,  and 
this,  aided  by  a  little  rain,  brought  vegetation  for- 
ward. "As  an  instance  of  a  sudden  change  at 
Cambridge  there  was  no  flower  on  the  Horse  Chest- 
nut on  the  14th,  and  yet  the  trees  were  covered  on 
the  16th.  The  blossom  of  this  tree  appears  to 
have  been  generally  very  scanty."  Foliage  ap- 
pears to  have  been  particularly  luxuriant.  Apples 
and  Walnuts  plentiful ;  Plums  and  wall  fruit  very 
scarce.  The  honey  harvest  was  disappointing. 
From  the  tabulated  returns  of  the 

Dates  op  flowehixg  of  various  plants,  it 
appears  that  all  the  plants  reported  on  flowered 
later  in  1881!  than  in  1882,  with  two  exceptions, 
and  that  out  of  the  forty-three  plants,  whose  ave- 
rage earliest  date  of  flowering  is  given  for  the 
last  nine  years,  the  Dog  Mercury  (Mercurialis  pe- 
rennis)  is  the  most  unpunctual,  varying  fifty-five 
days,  from  January  2.j  to  March  21,  and  that  the 
Meadow  Pea  (Lathyrus  pratensis)  is  the  most 
punctual,  vary  ingonly  fourteen  days,  from  J  une  2  to 
16.  Some  plants  are  much  more  variable  than 
others  in  their  time  of  flowering  in  various  places  ; 


for  instance,  the  lesser  Celandine  (Ranunculus 
Ficaria)  was  noticed  in  flower  on  the  6l.h  and  8th 
of  January  at  Westward  Ho  !  and  Tiverton,  but  not 
at  Babbacombe  until  February  22.  At  Marl- 
borough it  was  in  flower  on  .Fanuary  3,  but  not  at 
Cirencester  until  March  3,  and  in  Middlesex, 
Buckinghamshire,  and  Hertfordshire  not  till  quite 
late  in  February,  a  variation  of  fifty-nine  days. 
The  common  field  Poppy  (Papaver  Rheas),  on  the 
contrary,  flowered  much  nearer  the  same  time  at 
different  places,  varying  only  thirty-nine  days. 
The  Ragged  Robin  (Lychnis  Flos-cuculi),  out  of 
twenty-eight  observations,  only  varied  eighteen 
days.  May  22  to  June  9,  but  two  earlier  and  two 
later  observations  make  the  total  variation  forty- 
two  days.  The  Horse  Chestnut  in  twenty-five 
places  only  varied  twenty  days — from  Jlay  7  to  May 
27.  At  Bagnalstown,  in  Ireland,  it  flowered  as  early 
as  April  26.  There  was  a  difference  of  fourteen  days 
from  May  12  to  26  in  the  flowering  of  the  Labur- 
num recorded  by  twenty-eight  observers  ;  in  Ire- 
land it  flowered  on  April  30  The  difference  in 
the  flowering  of  the  Blackthorn  was  twenty-three 
days  from  thirty-three  observations,  the  earliest 
being  April  1,  and  the  latest  the  23rd.  Except 
Westward  Ho  !,  March  11,  and  Killarney,  March  14, 
Coltsfoot  varied  very  much,  from  January  I  at 
Cardiff,  to  March  25  at  Babbacombe,  and  March  27 
at  Hutton,  in  Lincolnshire.  The  common  Primrose 
flowered  at  Wells  on  February  6,  and  at  Maccles- 
field not  until  May  25,  a  difference  of  ninety-eight 
days,  but  the  beginning  of  April  appeared  to  be 
the  most  usual  time.  The  Primrose  is,  however, 
an  uncertain  fiowerer,  for  in  sheltered  parts  of 
Sussex  in  a  mild  winter  a  few  flowers  may  be 
found  any  day.  I  found  them  myself  in  hedgerows 
early  in  December,  1877,  near  Uckfield.  The 
Snowdrop  flowered  at  Silisbury  and  Bolton  (Lin- 
colnshire) on  January  8,  and  at  Parbold  (Lanca- 
shire) February  13- thirty-six  days.  The  Bluebell 
(Soilla  nutans)  was  first  noticed  at  Yeovil,  Wells, 
and  Jlarlborough  on  April  2,  and  at  Great  Cotes, 
in  Lincolnshire,  not  till  May  14. 

The  common  cockchafer  made  its  appear- 
ance at  Buildwas  on  April  20,  but  not  until  June  3 
at  Sawbridgeworth.  The  large  white  Cabbage 
butterfly  appeared  at  Ilarpeuden  on  March  5,  and 
at  Strathfield  Turgiss  on  June  12,  but  it  appeared 
generally  in  April  and  May.  The  small  white 
Cabbage  butterfly  was  not  noticed  until  April  1, 
and  appeared  in  most  places  before  the  23rd.  The 
author  concludes  the  botanical  report  by  saying, 
"  One  important  lesson  may  be  learnt  from  the 
experiences  of  the  past  year.  Where  farmers  had 
a  sufficient  command  of  labour  to  take  advantage 
of  the  favourable  weather  the  results  have  been 
excellent,  and  a  prosperous  year  has  been  experi- 
enced ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  where  labour  was 
scarce  farmers  were  unable  to  work  their  land  at 
the  proper  time ;  their  sowing  was  delayed,  they 
lost  the  good  time  for  harvest,  and  thus  have  not 
benefited  as  much  as  they  might  have  done  by 
the  excellent  season  of  1883."  G.  S.  S. 


NOTES  FROM  NEW  ENGLAND. 
PackiDg  plants  ia  cotton  -wool.— One 

of  our  Boston  papers  wrote  the  other  day  as  fol- 
lows :  "  People  who  send  flowers  through  the 
post  are  cautioned  not  to  use  cotton  wool  for  pack- 
ing, because,  being  very  absorbent,  it  draws  from 
the  flowers  all  their  moisture."  Now,  to  a  sen- 
sible man  such  caution  would  be  about  as  valuable 
as  to  tell  him  that  if  he  does  not  wish  to  get  wet 
in  a  heavy  rain  storm,  he  should  take  an  um- 
brella. Yet  there  may  be  Americans,  as  I  know 
there  are  some  English  and  lots  of  Continental 
nurserymen,  who  persist  in  packing  up  rare, 
costly,  and  beautiful  plants  in  cotton  wool  in 
this  way — say  take  a  Dracaena,  get  a  small  stake, 
wind  it  all  round  thick  with  cotton  wool,  then 
stick  it  in  the  pot,  tie  up  the  leaves  close,  and 
pack  with  cotton  wool  to  prevent  injury  to  the 
fine  leaves,  just  as  if  the  leaves  are  of  any  value 
after  the  footstalks  aie  all  rotten  and  the  elegant 
leaves  lying  loose  in  the  box  with  the  main  stem 
half  decayed.  This  is  just  the  way  I  have  re- 
ceived i5  Dracainas  and  other  rare  plants. 
The  cotton  wool,  as  the  writer  says,  absorbs  the 


moisture  and  holds  it  just  long  enough  to  rot  all 
the  leaves.  However,  1  suppose  we  must  all  live 
and  learn. 

Stra'wberries.^.'er  contra,  let  me  say  that  the 
English  lovers  of  good  fruit  are  as  100  to  1  in 
this  country.  You  would  be  considered  as  puffing 
up  somebody's  new  seedling  if  you  published  such 
a  scrap  as  that  of  "  J.  D.'  (p.  17).  Here  a  Straw- 
berry is  a  Strawberry,  and  not  much  more  differ- 
ence is  recognised  than  there  would  be  in  buying 
Carrots.  If  a  dealer  here  was  to  reply  as  the 
dealer  in  Bond  Street  did,  he  would  be  likely  to 
lose  custom  at  once,  for  the  purchaser  would  reply, 
"  I  think  I  know  as  much  about  Strawberries  as 
you  do,"  and  perhaps  remark,  "  I  like  the  Wilson," 
because  he  never  ate  anything  better,  all  being 
poor  enough. 

The  Bermuda  Lily  (L  Harrisi  or  longi- 
florum  floribundum,  or  even  eximium,  it  Mr.  Baker 
pleases  to  call  it  so.  I  cannot  dispute  it,  as  there 
is  so  much  uncertainty  about  varieties  of  Lilies, 
but  of  all  the  eximiums  I  have  received  from  Van 
Houtte,  twenty  years  ago,  and  the  Dutch  florists 
since  then,  all  were  the  same  as  the  Bermuda 
Lily.  I  say  Bermuda,  because  L.  Harrisi,  as  well 
as  floribundum,  both  came  from  Bermuda,  the 
former  brought  to  Philadelphia,  and  the  latter  to 
New  York.  I  have  had  some  500  of  them  in  flower 
for  over  six  months ;  potted  in  October,  they  began 
to  flower  in  February,  and  I  could  cut  to-day 
(July  24)  twenty-five  splendid  flowers  from  the 
same  plant  that  flowered  at  Easter,  when  I  had  a 
magnificent  show  and  disposed  of  quantities  of 
plants  3  feet  high,  some  with  two  stems  and  some 
with  only  one,  each  containing  three  to  five  flowers 
on  very  small  bulbs.  No  eximium  ever  did  this  ; 
besides,  it  is  very  much  larger,  being  nearly  twice 
as  large  as  longiflorum.  I  do  not  believe  the  ques- 
tion may  be  considered  settled,  notwithstanding 
Mr.  Baker  has  expressed  such  an  opinion.  Another 
thing  ;  it  does  not,  as  The  Garden  says,  "  pro- 
duce several  secondary  stems  from  those  first  ma- 
tured." These  new  stems  are  from  newly  formed 
bulbs  of  this  year.  Eximium  is  considered  hardy 
here ;  the  Bermuda  Lily  is  not ;  it  can  only  be 
grown  in  pots. 

Honeyde'wr. — Who  are  the  scientific  men  of 
the  Horticultural  Society  ?  Is  it  possible  that 
they  could  repeat  "  that  the  general  opinion  (as 
expressed  previously  when  the  question  was 
raised)  was  that  it  is  more  due  to  the  intense  heat 
causing  an  alteration  of  the  starch  into  a  sugary 
substance  ?  "  Set  up  a  sugar  manufactory  !  Up 
to  this  date  with  the  summer  temperature  to-day 
at  70^,  brilliant  sun  110°  at  morn,  and  lots  of 
such  days  since  June  1,  my  Lime  trees  look  as 
green  as  Grass.  A  year  or  two  ago  in  an  English 
summer,  such  as  we  occasionally  have,  the  leaves 
were  as  black  as  your  hat  with  the  deposit  of  t!ie 
excrements  of  the  aphis,  and  walking  under  the 
trees  was  as  good  as  going  out  in  a  shower  of 
honey.  Whereareyour  scientific  horticulturists? 
I  am  sure  our  old  friend  G  F.  Wilson  was  not 
present.  C.  M.  Hovey. 


Propagating  tuberous  Begonias.-  Be- 
gonias of  this  class  can  be  so  readily  raised  from 
seed,  and  quickly  attain  a  flowering  size,  that 
they  are  not  propagated  by  cuttings  so  much  as 
formerly  ;  yet  this  latter  mode  of  increase  must 
be  resorted  to  in  the  case  of  named  varieties  in 
order  to  keep  them  true.  As  the  plants  will  now 
be  in  full  growth,  some  of  the  side  shoots  may 
generally  be  secured  for  cuttings.  These,  if  put 
in  now  and  grown  on  quickly  after  rooting,  will 
form  fair-sized  tubers  this  season,  which  would 
not  be  the  case  if  delayed  longer,  as  then  many 
would  in  all  probability  perish  during  the  winter. 
A  good  place  for  the  cuttings  is  a  close  case,  with 
a  little  heat,  such  as  may  have  been  used  for  the 
propagation  of  the  more  tender  class  of  bedding 
plants,  such  as  Coleuses,  AUernantheras,  &c.  Three 
or  four  cuttings,  according  to  size,  may  be  put 
around  the  edge  of  a  4-inch  pot,  taking  care  that 
it  is  thoroughly  drained.  Soil  of  a  light,  sandy 
character,  without  any  stimulants,  is  the  best  ma- 
terial in  which  to  strike  the  cuttings.  Their  after- 


142 


THE     GARDEN 


[Aug.  16,  1884. 


treatment  is  much  the  same  as  that  of  sircilar 
subjects,  except  that  from  their  succulent  nature 
less  water  must  be  given  than  would  be  needful 
for  Fuchsias,  Ileliotropes,  and  plants  of  that  class. 
Where  cuttings  are  struck  in  quantities,  the  tubers 
are  started  in  gentle  heat  early  in  the  season,  as 
by  this  method  great  numbers  can  be  propagated 
from  a  single  tuber,  but  where  there  are  no  plants 
set  aside  for  this  purpose,  a  few  cuttings  may,  as 
above  mentioned,  be  generally  separated  from  the 
flowering  plants  without  injury. — T. 

Kitchen    Garden. 


CULTURE  OF  ENDIVE. 

On  the  Continent,  and  in  France  etpecially,  one  is 
much  impressed  with  the  superiority  of  the  salads 
there  obtainable.  Some  may  be  inclined  to  attri- 
bute their  excellence  to  the  way  in  which  they  are 
prepared,  but  it  should  be  remembered  that  with- 
out suitable  materials  it  is  impossible  to  form  a 
really  good  salad.  Given  plenty  of  good  Lettuce, 
or,  better  still,  Endive,  and  a  good  salad  may  easily 
be  formed.  The  former  we  can  grow  in  this 
country  to  perfection,  but  with  Endive  the  case  is 
different.  At  any  rate,  if  it  is  possible  to  grow  it 
as  well  as  our  French  neighbours,  it  is  not  often 
that  we  succeed  in  doing  so.  This  may  not  always 
be  our  fault,  as  but  few  are  in  a  position  to  bestow 
so  much  "  loving  "  attention  on  Endive  as  I  am 
informed  the  French  growers  consider  necessary. 
While  we  have  Cos  and  Cabbage  Lettuces  in  per- 
fection there  is  less  need  of  Endive,  but  it  is  when 
these  do  not  blanch  well  and  are  deticicnt  in 
sweetness  and  crispness  that  we  require  Endive, 
and  even  blanched  Chicory,  to  improve  the  appear- 
ance of  our  salads,  and,  in  some  people's  estima- 
tion, their  taste  also.  Endive  requires  much  less 
heat  than  Lettuce,  and  is  more  particularly  valu- 
able as  an  autumn  and  winter  salad  vegetable.  In 
many  gardens,  if  sown  before  August,  it  is  almost 
certain  to  run  to  seed  prematurely,  and  conse- 
quently it  is  unwise  to  depend  upon  one,  or  even 
two  sowings. 

Sowing.— Our  plan  is  to  make  a  small  sowing 
of  the  Moss-curled  and  green-curled  about  the 
middle  of  July,  another  of  the  same  varieties  and 
improved  broad-heaved  Batavian  about  the  first 
week  in  August,  and  a  final  sowing  of  green- 
curled  and  Batavian  at  the  middle  of  August. 
The  Jloss-curled  is  close  growing  and  blanches 
quickly,  but  is  the  least  hardy,  and  is  not  at  all 
suitable  for  late  work.  This  variety  requires  less 
room  than  the  others,  and  may  be  sown  in  drills 
ij  inches  apart,  and  the  plants  should  eventually 
be  thinned  out  to  the  same  distance  asunder.  The 
other  two  are  strong  growers,  and  the  rows  may 
well  be  12  inches  apart  and  the  plants  10  inches 
asunder  in  the  rows.  Our  first  sowing  is  made  on 
a  small  border  previously  used  for  pricking  out 
Cauliflowers  and  Brussels  Sprouts,  and  but  few  of 
the  seedlings  are  transplanted  unless  it  be  to 
make  up  blanks.  A  long  border  previously  well 
enriched  for  early  Cauliflowers  is  devoted  to  the 
second  sowing,  this  being  prepared  by  simply 
having  the  surface  lightly  coated  over  with  lime 
and  heavily  hoed.  The  drills  are  drawn  and 
watered,  the  seed  sown  thinly  and  lightly  covered. 
For  the  final  sowing  a  warmer  or  rather  better 
drained  border  is  preferred — one  previously 
cropped  with  early  Potatoes.  Digging  being 
unnecessary  in  the  former  case,  it  is  still 
less  so  when  planting  or  sowing  ground  after 
Potatoes,  but  it  the  ground  be  at  all  poor  I  would 
certainly  fork,  but  not  bury  deeply  a  dressing  of 
short  manure.  We  usually  experience  a  great 
difficulty  in  preserving  the  young  plants  from 
slugs,  and  not  unfrequently  it  is  necessary  to  sow 
seeds  in  a  frame  so  as  to  have  suflicient  plants  to 
make  up  the  large  blanks  caused  by  these  pests. 
In  some  gardens  where  the  soil  is  light  and  the 
drainage  good  it  is  a  good  plan  to  plant  the 
Endive  in  shallow  drills,  say  about  0  inches  wide 
and  3  inches  deep.  In  such  positions  they  can  be 
easily  watered,  and  an  occasional  supply  of  liquid 
manure  poured  between  them  will  cause  them  to 
grow  to  a  great  size.    These  drills  also  render 


blanching  a  simple  matter,  all  that  is  necessary 
being  to  cover  a  few  plants  a  few  days  before 
they  are  wanted  with  either  boards  or  slates.  In 
order  to  have  Endive  in  good  condition  over  as 
long  a  period  as  possible,  extra  pains  must  be 
taken  with  the 

Blanching  and  peotectino.  Unless  pro- 
perly blanched,  Endives  are  not  appreciated,  and 
unless  some  measures  are  taken  to  insure  protec- 
tion, they  are  liable  to  be  much  injured,  if  not 
actually  killed,  by  frosts.  All  that  is  necessary  in 
the  case  of  the  early  crops  is  to  either  tie  up  a 
certain  number  at  weekly  intervals,  much  as  we 
would  Brown  Cos  Lettuces,  or  cover  with  boards, 
or  with  rough  litter  or  hay,  and  the  same  methods 
of  blanching  may  be  adopted  with  those  protected. 
Of  the  three  styles  of  blanching  I  prefer  the  hay, 
as  under  this  the  Endive  blanches  perfectly  with- 
out being  soiled  or  injured  in  any  way.  Only  a 
given  number,  according  to  the  demand,  however, 
should  be  covered  at  a  time,  as  they  will  not 
keep  long  after  being  blanched.  Where  portable 
garden  frames  are  abundant,  any  number  of 
plants  may  be  covered  with  these,  the  lights 
being  put  on  and  further  protection  in  the 
shape  of  mats  and  litter  given  when  neces- 
sary. It  is  when  frames  are  scarce  that  the 
grower  has  to  adopt  various  contrivances  in  order 
to  meet  the  demand  for  salading.  In  some  dis- 
tricts, including  where  I  am  now.  Endive  does 
not  keep  well  if  lifted  and  stored,  but  in  less  moist 
neighbourhoods  I  have  kept  great  numbers  closely 
packed  in  frames.  In  this  case  the  plants  were 
lifted  before  severe  frosts  were  anticipated,  as  if 
only  slightly  injured  an  early  decay  is  certain  to 
follow.  A  dry  day  was  selected,  the  plants  care- 
fully tied  up,  lifted  with  a  trowel  so  as  to  secure  a 
good  ball  of  earth  to  the  roots,  and  they  were  then 
carried  in  hand-barrows  to  the  frame  ground. 
Frames  previously  used  for  Melon,  Cucumber,  and 
Tomato  culture  were  filled  rather  closely  with  the 
Endive,  and  into  the  good  soil  they  soon  pushed 
fresh  roots.  The  whole  of  the  plants  were  untied, 
and  were  blanched  with  hay  according  asrequired, 
the  last  to  be  covered  being  the  Batavian,  this 
being  the  best  keeping  sort.  We  do  not  care  to 
leave  any  quantity  of  Endi  ve  in  the  open  from  want 
of  frame  room,  and  have  frequently  stored  some 
in  a  Mushroom  house  for  early  use,  and  many 
more  in  a  dry  shed,  these  proving  serviceable  in 
lengthening  the  period  before  those  better  stored 
under  the  frames,  or  covered  where  grown  are 
cut.  Whatever  plan  of  storing  is  adopted,  care 
should  always  be  taken  to  lift  before  the  plants 
are  injured  and  when  as  dry  as  possible.  The 
small  or  half -grown  plants  of  the  hardiest  sort 
sometimes  stand  out  uninjured  during  the  winter, 
especially  if  planted  on  a  dry  or  raised  border,  and 
these  sometimes  prove  of  service  in  maintaining 
the  supply  of  salading  till  such  times  as  the  frame 
Lettuces  are  fit  for  use.  W.  I.  M. 


Spinach. — A  gcod  plantation  of  Spinach  is 
worth  a  good  deal  in  winter,  and  if  the  crop  be 
sown  at  the  right  season  and  in  sufficient  quan- 
tity, the  humblest  need  not  want  plenty  of  this 
wholesome  vegetable  all  through  the  winter,  and 
it  makes  a  good  change  to  the  common  vegetables 
then  in  season.  The  prickly-seeded  is  the  best 
winter  kind.  It  should  be  sown  after  some  other 
crop — early  Potatoes,  for  example— and  the  seed 
must  be  got  in  before  the  middle  of  August,  except 
in  the  mildest  parts  of  the  kingdom.  Sown  sooner, 
the  plants  run  to  seed  and  are  useless,  whereas  if 
sown  at  the  right  time,  sufficient  leaves  are  pro- 
duced to  afford  constant  gatherings  all  the  winter, 
and  in  spring  the  growth  is  abundant  and  affords 
plentiful  gatherings  till  June  or  later.  The  richer 
the  soil  the  finer  the  produce,  but  it  is  not  need- 
ful to  rtianure  for  Spinach  which  follows  Potatoes 
or  any  other  well-manured  crop. — J.  S. 

Rotation  of  crops.— Do  we  not,  as  a  rule, 
attach  more  importance  to  rotation  of  cropping 
than  there  is  any  occasion  to  do?  I  suspect  that  if 
the  fertility  of  the  soil  is  maintained  by  regular 
manuring,  many  crops  may  be  grown  for  an  in- 
definite period  of  years  on  the  same  ground  and  I 


give  excellent  results.  I  am  strengthened  in  this 
belief  by  a  very  luxuriant  crop  of  Potatoes  I  saw 
the  other  day  growing  in  the  garden  of  an  old 
shepherd,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Moffat,  a  well- 
known  watering  place  in  the  south  of  Scotland. 
The  garden  is  rather  under  a  rood,  and  has  grown 
Potatoes  consecutively  for  the  last  fifty-three 
years,  with  the  exception  of  one  year — 1847 — 
when  seed  was  so  scarce  and  dear  that  Barley 
was  sown  instead.  After  the  Potatoes  are  dug  up 
the  ground  is  left  till  the  planting  season  comes 
round  again,  when  cow  manure  at  the  rate  of 
about  eighteen  tons  an  acre  is  applied,  the  ma- 
nure being  put  in  the  bottom  of  the  opening  and 
the  Potato  sets  planted  on  it.  The  quality  of  the 
produce  is  excellent,  and  with  the  exception  of 
what  the  shepherd  described  as  "an  odd  yin'' 
(one),  there  has  been  no  disease  for  many  years. 
The  soil  is  on  the  red  sandstone,  free,  and  rather 
stony. —  J,  W. 

Winter  Broccoli. — The  way  in  which  the 
northern  markets  are  supplied  with  Broccoli  dur- 
ing winter  indicates  to  what  extent  this  fine  vege- 
table is  used,  and  how  important  it  is  to  plant 
hardy  kinds  in  the  north  and  in  Scotland. 
Broccoli  has  been  so  crossed  and  intercrossed  as 
to  be  as  white  as  Cauliflower,  but  hardier.  In  this 
quality  its  value  lies,  because  if  the  summer  Cauli- 
flowers would  endure  our  winters  they  would  be 
preferred,  being  of  superior  flavour  ;  but  none  of 
them  will  endure  more  than  a  few  degrees  of  frost, 
while  Broccoli  will  stand  about  20°  or  more, 
although  no  two  sorts  are  equally  hardy.  As  a 
rule,  the  summer  Cauliflowers  have  larger,  flatter, 
and  greener  leaves  than  Broccoli,  the  leaves  of 
which  are  narrow  and  more  frilled.  I  have  never 
seen  a  Cauliflower-leaved  Broccoli  that  was  at  all 
hardy,  and  Grange's  Early  is  an  example.  It  is  a 
Broccoli,  and  if  sown  at  the  same  date  as  the  other 
varieties  in  spring,  will  invariably  produce  gcod 
heads  in  October  and  November,  or  earlier,  but  it 
perishes  with  the  first  frosts.  Much  of  it  need  not, 
therefore,  be  planted.  The  hardiest  varieties  that 
we  have  ever  tried  are  Hammond's  Imperial, 
raised  in  Yorkshire,  Snow's  Winter  White,  Back- 
house's White,  Knight's  Protecting,  Dilcock's 
Bride,  Carter's  Champion,  and  Cattell's  Eclipse. 
The  whole  of  these,  except  the  two  last,  how- 
ever, perish  in  very  severe  winters,  but  it  is  rare 
for  a  whole  plantation  of  Champion  and  Eclipse 
to  succumb;  indeed,  as  a  rule,  most  of  the  plants 
escape.  They  are  the  two  hardiest  and  latest 
Brcccolis  in  cultivation,  and  we  always  plant  more 
of  them  than  any  others,  as  they  generally  provide 
the  latest  heads  in  May  and  June  till  Cauliflowers 
come  in.  Eclipse  is  the  better  of  the  two,  having 
fine  large  white  heads  ;  but  the  one  just  succeeds 
the  other,  so  both  are  necessary. — J.  S.  W. 

Summer  planting  Asparagus.— At  one 

time  it  was  considered  to  be  bad  practice  to 
plant  an  Asparagus  bed  in  June  or  July,  but  for 
all  that  I  am  convinced  that  these  months  are 
the  best  for  the  purpose,  and  that  those  who  carry 
the  operation  out  during  either  of  them  will  meet 
with  the  greatest  amount  of  success.  I  find  that 
I  am  not  alone  in  this  opinion,  as  "  J.  C.  C."  (p.  0) 
seems  to  prefer  summer  planting,  and  says  that 
he  sustains  few  losses  among  plants  moved  at  that 
time,  which  is  just  my  experience.  They  take 
kindly  to  the  ground  and  start  off  growing  at 
once.  I  have  just  made  a  large  plantation,  and  there 
is  not  a  gap  in  the  whole  of  the  rows,  although 
perhaps  there  might  have  been  had  the  weather 
not  favoured  us,  as  there  came  a  good  rain  just  as 
we  finished  and  the  air  has  been  genial  since.  I 
do  not  suppose  I  should  have  ever  begun  late 
planting  had  it  not  been  for  a  friend  of  mine  who 
was  always  short-handed,  and  consequently  be- 
hind with  his  work.  When  I  called  to  see  him  one 
day  he  and  his  men  were  busy  lifting  and  making 
a  number  of  beds  of  Asparagus  with  plants  quite 
a  foot  high,  at  which  I  was  surprised ;  but  he, 
being  a  sanguine  man,  said  he  thought  they  would 
succeed,  and  I  was  curious  to  see  if  theydid.  Ithere- 
fore  called  again  shortly  afterwards,  and  was 
pleased  to  see  every  plant  standing  erect  and 
looking  as  fresh  and  full  of  growth  as  if  they  had 
not  been  moved  ;  and  from  then,  which  was  long, 


A  in.   10,  1SS4.] 


THE     GARDEN 


143 


long  ago,  till  now  I  have  adopted  the  plan,  and 
have  always  been  satisfied  with  the  result.  The 
way  in  which  I  manage  is  to  plant  on  the  level 
in  heavily  manured  and  properly  prepared  ground. 
I  cut  trenches  along  the  side  of  a  line  a  yard 
apart,  and  then  put  in  the  plants  8  inches  asunder. 
In  doing  this  we  are  careful  to  spread  out  the 
roots  and  cover  them  with  fine  soil,  after  which  a 
heavy  watering  is  given,  and  the  final  filling  in  of 
the  trench  follows,  and  in  this  way  we  proceed 
till  the  planting  is  complete,  when  the  ground  is 
covered  with  a  mulching  to  keep  it  moist. — 
S.  D. 


UriLISATION  OF  FLOODS. 

The  destructive  influences  of  floods  occupy  full 
attention,  and  many  are  the  attempts  to  mitigate 
the  evil ;  on  the  other  hand,  we  quite  ignore  the 
benefits  that  may  be  derived  from  these  very 
floods  by  skilful  a'daptation  to  useful  purposes. 
The  writer,  having  in  charge  and  under 
course  of  construction  the  largest  flood 
drainage,  perhaps,  in  the  kingdom,  namely, 
Lough  Erne  district,  has  been  led  to 
study,  not  only  the  disastrous  effects,  but 
also  the  benefits  derivable  from  flood 
waters.  Every  flood  passing  away  to  the 
sea  is  a  waste  of  power ;  no  doubt  it  does 
its  work  in  the  econoiny  of  Nature,  but 
FO  far  as  man  is  concerned,  it  is  simply 
waste—  nay,  more,  it  does  harm.  We  have 
not  yet  found  out  how  to  control  and 
use  to  advantage  this  immense  natural 
force.  The  retention  of  a  considerable 
part  of  the  flood  waters  of  rivers  in 
mountain  reservoirs  is  now  advocated. 
Hitherto  this  has  been  little  practised 
except  for  the  water  supplies  of  large 
towns  and  cities.  In  mountain  districts 
flood  waters  can  be  easily  impounded  at 
a  low  cost,  the  land  being  generally 
valueless,  and  natural  basins,  easily 
turned  into  lakes,  are  frequently  found 
in  convenient  situations ;  and  for  the 
uses  hereafter  detailed  no  filters'or  piping 
are  necessary. 

The  system  now  advocated  is  to  hold 
up  so  much  of  the  flood  waters  as  can  be 
conveniently  impounded,  to  be  afterwards 
let  down  the  rivers  during  periods  of 
drought,  so  as  to  double  or  treble  their 
flow  during  certain  hours  of  the  day,  hav- 
ing the  following  objects  in  view  :  1.  To 
flush  and  cleanse  the  river  courses,  espe- 
cially where  polluted  by  dense  popula- 
tions, towns,  and  villages.  The  sanitary 
effects  of  an  influx  of  clean  water  in  a 
strong  stream,  say  for  two  periods  of 
three  hours  each  during  the  twenty- 
four  hours,  would  be  very  great  indeed. 
Where  a  town  lay  on  a  tidal  estuary 
at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  the  periods 
of  flow  should  be  regulated  so  as  to  arrive  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river  at  times  of  low  tide.  2.  By 
the  same  operation  farmers  along  the  river  course 
would  be  benefited  by  their  cattle  being  refreshed, 
and  the  stagnant  drinking  and  standing  pools 
being  constantly  renewed  would  prevent  disease 
and  promote  growth ;  opportunities  for  irrigation 
would  be  afforded.  3.  Assuming  the  reservoirs 
to  be  empty  after  the  dry  part  of  summer,  they 
would  be  in  a  condition  to  hold  the  autumnal 
floods,  which,  though  not  so  great  as  the  winter 
floods,  yet  do  far  more  damage,  the  crops  being  on 
the  land;  these  reservoirs  might  be  easily  made 
large  enough  to  retain  one-third  of  the  flood,  and 
be  it  observed  it  is  the  top  third  of  the  flood  that 
overflows  the  low  lands,  as  the  natural  river 
courses  are  generally  large  enough  to  take  half  or 
two-thirds  of  the  autumnal  floods,  i.  All  mill 
powers  on  the  river  would  be  improved  by  the 
diminution  of  back  water  in  floods  and  better 
supply  in  summer.  About  fifty  years  ago  the  linen 
manufacturers  along  the  river  Bann  constructed  a 
mountain  reservoir,  by  drawing  from  which  they 
are  enabled  to  work  when  the  river  would  be  other- 


wise nearly  dry ;  they  tax  themselves  to  the 
amount  of  XUl  per  foot  of  fall  to  pay  interest  on 
the  very  moderate  cost  of  construction  of  this 
reservoir.  5.  Fishing  would  be  improved,  particu- 
larly in  salmon  rivers,  as  the  fish  would  take  ad- 
vantage of  the  full  waters  to  run  up  the  rivers  in 
safety.  Lastly,  the  fact  of  ponds  of  the  nature 
of  that  here  sketched  being  constructed  would 
enable  small  towns  and  villages  to  obtain  water 
supplies  at  the  expense  merely  of  filters  and 
pipes. 

As  it  is  acknowledged  that  arterial  drainage  and 
the  regulation  of  our  rivers  should  be  under  the 
control  of  Boards  representing  the  whole  catch- 
ment basin  of  each  river,  these  works  might  be 
undertaken  by  the  same  bodies,  the  cost  being  lent 
by  the  Treasury,  and  the  interest  secured  by  rates 
on  all  who  benefit — namely,  owners  of  flooded 
lands,  farmers,  manufacturers,  towns  commis- 
sioners, and  rural  sanitary  authorities,  according 
to  the  good  that  is  done  to  each.  The  regula- 
tion  of  rivers  can  be  greatly  facilitated  by  the 


Trees  and  Shrubs. 


Floioer  of  Stuartia  virginica ;  white ^  red  centre 
(two-thirds  natural  size). 

use  of  Mr.  Frank  Stoney's  anti-friction  roller 
sluices  which  the  writer  has  adopted  at  Belleek, 
the  outlet  of  Lough  Erne ;  each  sluice  measures 
29  feet  wide  by  15  feet  deep,  which  is  nearly  four 
times  as  large  as  the  largest  sluice  ever  made  in 
any  country.  Though  the  pressure  on  each  sluice 
is  85  tons  and  its  own  weight  13  tons,  it  can  be 
raised  easily  by  one  man.  For  expedition,  how- 
ever, a  small  turbine  is  employed,  which  raises  all 
the  sluices,  four  in  number,  simultaneously,  vent- 
ing when  open  five  millions  of  gallons  per  minute, 
or  enough  in  half  an  hour  to  supply  the  City  of 
London  for  twenty-four  hours.  Anyone  who  cares 
about  such  can  see  these  sluices  worked  daily. 
There  are  other  attractions  making  Belleek  worth 
a  visit— good  fishing,  excellent  hotel,  lovely 
scenery,  at  the  outlet  of  lakes  with  fifty-two  miles 
in  length  of  unbroken  water,  hundreds  of  miles  of 
indented  margin,  and  numberless  wooded  islands, 
all  in  the  loyal  county  Fermanagh.  That  these 
suggestions  could  be  carried  out  with  advantage 
in  many  cases  is  the  opinion  of  the  writer  after 
careful  consideration  of  all  the  practical  elements. 
—  James  I'eice,  M.  Inst.  C.E.,  in  the  limei. 


STUARTIA  VIRGINICA. 

Among  the  numberless  trees  and  shrubs  which  we 
have  now  in  gardens,  and  for  which  we  are  in- 
debted to  Noith  America,  the  two  Stuartias  stand 
out  conspicuously  on  account  of  their  intrinsic 
beauty,  interest,  and  variety.  The  Virginian 
Stuartia  is  one  of  those  plants  that  have  been 
nurtured  in  obscurity,  so  to  speak,  for  the  past 
century  at  least,  for  so  long  ago  as  the  middle  of 
the  last  century  it  was  spoken  of  as  having  been 
introduced.  At  that  period  when  it  was  the  com- 
mendable practice  of  a  good  many  country  gentle- 
men to  plant  arboreta  it  seems  to  have  been  much 
sought  after,  the  result  being  that  there  has  been 
handed  down  to  us  a  few  grand  specimens  of  it, 
which,  now  being  matured,  display  the  full  beauty 
of  the  shrub.  In  the  rich  arboretum  at  Syon  House, 
formed  by  the  late  Duke  of  Northumberland,  a 
large  bush  of  it  is  one  of  the  most  prized 
objects  in  the  garden,  it  being  probably 
the  finest  example  of  this  shrub  in  Europe. 
Syon,  however,  is  not  the  only  place 
where  this  shrub  has  been  cared  for. 
Only  the  other  day  Mr.  Scrase  Dickins 
brought  us  from  his  fine  old  garden  at 
Coolhurst,  near  Horsham,  in  Sussex,  some 
admirable  flowering  twigs  of  it,  and 
not  only  of  S.  virginica,  but  also  of  S. 
pentagyna,  even  a  greater  rarity  than  the 
Virginian  species.  S.  pentagyna  is  like- 
wise an  old  introduction,  having  been 
brought  from  America  about  a  century 
and  a  half  ago.  It  was  then,  and  still 
is,  called  Malachodendron  ovatum, 
but  the  two  species  without  doubt 
possess  identical  generic  characters. 
We,  therefore,  possess  two  Stuartias, 
and  another  near  ally,  Gordonia  pubes- 
cens,  60  nearly  resembles  them,  that 
for  all  practical  purposes  it  may  also 
be  considered  a  Stuartia.  The  Vir- 
ginian Stuartia  is  indeed  a  charming 
shrub,  possessing  a  flower  fully  twice 
the  size  of  that  represented  by  the 
annexed  engraving,  which  shows  admi- 
rably the  beautiful  form  of  the  flower. 
It  is  pure  white  except  the  little  tuft 
of  stamens  in  the  centre,  which  is  crim- 
son. S.  pentagyna  is  very  similar,  but 
it  has  not  the  red  tuft  of  stamens  and 
the  carpels  or  incipient  fruits  are  se- 
parated, whereas  in  S.  virginica  they 
are  gathered  into  a  flask-shaped  organ. 
S.  pentagyna  is  the  hardier  of  the  two, 
inasmuch  as  its  home  is  more  nor- 
therly than  that  of  the  Virginian 
species ;  consequently  it  is  a  more 
important  plant  for  English  gardens, 
although  S.  virginica  is  really  not 
what  one  would  call  a  tender  shrub. 
The  latter  inhabits  swampy  places  or  shady 
woods,  and  so  the  Coolhurst  plant  had  seem- 
ingly been  planted  beneath  the  shade  of 
trees,  but  Mr.  Scrase  Dickins  tells  us  that  his 
plant  is  evidently  not  doing  so  well  as 
could  be  wished  ;  therefore  he  thinks  of  moving  it 
away  from  such  dense  shade  and  altogether  out  of 
harm's  way  in  the  shape  of  large  trees,  which 
would  impoverish  the  soil  about  the  roots,  and  this 
after  all  might  be  the  cause  of  its  degeneracy.  In 
its  native  haunts  no  doubt  the  plant  is  grateful 
for  a  little  shade  to  screen  it  from  the  full  force 
of  a  Virginian  sun,  but  here  we  should  say  it  wants 
all  the  sun  we  can  possibly  give  it  in  order  to 
thoroughly  ripen  its  growth,  so  as  to  better  enable 
it  to  withstand  our  sharp  winters.  Mr.  Scrase 
Dickins  praises  S.  pentagyna  as  being  altogether 
a  finer  species  than  S.  virginica,  the  foliage  beVng 
more  robust  and  the  flowers  larger.  Unfortunat  cly, 
it  is  very  difiicult  to  propagate ;  all  ways  have 
been  tried  at  Coolhurst,  but  so  far  none  has  been 
successful.  This  difliculty  in  propagation  no 
doubt  accounts  in  a  great  measure  for  its 
scarcity. 


144 


THE    GARDEN 


[Aug.    10,   1884. 


EUONYMUSES,  GREEN  AND   VARIEGATED. 

The  different  varieties  of  the  evergreen  Euony- 
mus  japonicus  are  now  among  the  most  popular 
of  shrubs,  and  as  they  readily  adapt  themselves 
to  any  circumstances  under  which  they  may  be 
placed,  they  are  used  for  a  great  variety  of  pur- 
poses. As  seaside  shrubs  Euonymuses  have  few, 
if  any,  superiors,  while  for  window  boxes,  bal- 
conies, and  such  places  they  are  often  employed. 
Again,  when  trained  against  a  wall  their  dense 
glossy  foliage  is  very  effective,  whether  it  belongs 
to  the  plain  dark-leaved  kind  or  the  golden  variety, 
the  silver  edged,  or  the  nearly  allied  Euonymus 
radicans,  all  of  which  are  of  quick  and  free  growth. 
The  Euonymus  is  principally  propagated  by  means 
of  cuttings,  which  may  be  put  in  at  any  time,  but 
autumn  is  generally  preferred  for  that  purpose,  as 
the  young  shoots  of  the  preceding  summer  will  by 
that  time  have  acquired  a  moderate  degree  of 
firmness,  and  therefore  be  in  a  suitable  condition 
for  the  formation  of  roots.  The  cuttings  will 
strike  if  put  in  the  open  ground,  provided  a  some- 
what sheltered  spot  be  chosen  for  them,  but  except 
along  the  southern  coast,  or  where  the  winters  are 
correspondingly  mild,  the  protection  of  a  frame 
should  be  accorded  them,  otherwise,  in  the  event 
of  a  wet  and  cold  winter,  the  loss  will  be  consider- 
able. 

The  method  we  employ  with  great  success  is  to 
take  some  ordinary  movable  wooden  frames,  and 
after  removing  a  few  inches  of  the  bottom  soil, 
replacing  it  with  sittings  from  the  potting  shed. 
The  latter  consist  for  the  most  part  of  a  light 
open  compost,  but  if  necessary  more  sand  may  be 
added.  The  surface  of  the  bed  is  then  made  a 
little  higher  than  the  surrounding  soil,  but  not 
more  than  an  inch  or  two;  in  fact,  just  suflicient 
should  heavy  rains  occur  to  prevent  the  bed  from 
getting  too  wet.  If  this  is  not  done,  the  water 
will  percolate  through  quickly  into  the  lighter  soil, 
and  cause  it  to  become  more  saturated  than  the 
ordinary  soil  of  the  border.  The  cuttings  are  left 
from  4  inches  to  6  inches  in  length,  and  the  leaves 
are  stripped  from  the  lower  half.  It  is  not  neces- 
sary to  take  off  the  cuttings  at  a  joint,  nor  to  use 
a  knife  or  scissors  for  the  removal  of  the  leaves  : 
the  quicker  method  is  to  take  the  upper  part  of 
the  cutting  firmly,  but  gently,  in  the  left  hand, 
and  with  the  right  strip  off  the  leaves  by  means 
of  a  downward  pull.  In  this  way  they  come  off 
without  any  injury  to  the  bark,  provided  each  one 
is  taken  separately ;  but  if  several  are  laid  hold  of 
at  once,  it  frequently  tears  away  some  of  the  bark, 
and  renders  the  cutting  liable  to  decay.  The  soil 
having  been  pressed  moderately  firm,  the  cuttings 
are  put  in  as  thickly  as  possible  without  over- 
crowding, and  when  finished  a  thorough  watering 
is  given.  After  allowing  the  foliage  to  dry,  the 
lights  are  put  on  and  shut  quite  close. 

The  after  treatment  consists  in  looking  them 
over  from  time  to  time,  to  remove  any  symptoms 
of  decay,  or  to  give  water  if  necessary ;  while,  if 
put  in  before  the  end  of  October,  a  little  shading 
during  bright  sunshine  will  be  of  advantage.  The 
lights  should  be  kept  close  at  all  times,  except  the 
foliage  becomes  too  wet,  when  they  may  be  taken 
off  for  a  time,  but  replaced  as  soon  as  practicable 
In  this  way  many  will  be  struck  by  the  spring,  and 
the  others  then  push  out  roots  so  quickly  that  the 
lights  can  soon  be  removed.  A  good  practice  is  to 
go  over  them  before  they  start  into  growth,  and 
just  pinch  out  the  top  of  each  shoot,  as  that  tends 
greatly  to  induce  a  bushy  habit.  When  suffi- 
ciently rooted,  they  are  planted  out  in  a  bed  pre- 
pared for  their  reception  by  a  thorough  digging, 
and  the  incorporation  of  a  quantity  of  leaf  mould 
with  the  soil.  The  plants  are  watered  when  neces- 
sary during  summer,  and  by  autumn  are  good 
little  bushes,  which  after  another  season's  growth 
are  useful  for  many  purposes.  A  good  mulching 
of  leaf  mould  will,  by  preventing  rapid  evapora- 
tion during  hot  weather,  greatly  economise  the 
labour  of  watering.  The  variegated  Euonymus 
radicans  strikes  root  easily  under  almost  any  con- 
ditions— indeed,  when  trained  against  a  wall,  if 
the  latter  is  in  any  way  damp,  it  will  frequently 
push  out  roots  which  adhere  to  the  surface  of  the 
bricks,  or  when  in  the  form  of  little  bushes  they 


may  often  be  pulled  into  several  pieces,  each  with 
roots  adhering  thereto. 

Another  method  is  often  employed  for  the  pro- 
pagation of  these  Euonymuses,  and  that  is  by 
grafting  them  on  the  common  Spindle  tree  (Euony- 
mus europajas),  the  deciduous  character  of  which 
does  not  seem  in  any  way  to  influence  the  scion. 
The  Spindle  tree  is  easily  raised  from  seeds  sown 
in  the  open  ground.  When  about  the  thickness  of 
a  lead  pencil,  the  young  plants  should  be  lifted 
during  the  winter,  potted  in  small  pots,  and 
plunged  in  a  bed  of  coal  ashes  till  September, 
when  they  will  be  thoroughly  established  and  fit 
for  grafting.  This  is  a  very  simple  operation,  for, 
as  the  stock  does  not  readily  succumb,  it  may  be 
headed  down  to  within  an  inch  or  so  of  the  surface, 
and  then  cleft  grafted,  i.c  ,  split  the  stock  down 
the  middle,  and  if  the  graft  is  of  equal  size,  cut  it 
in  the  shape  of  a  wedge,  and  having  inserted  and 
tied  it  firmly  in  position,  the  operation  is  com- 
plete. Should  the  stock,  however,  be  much  larger 
than  the  scion,  a  good  way  is  to  leave  the  bark 
of  the  graft  only  on  one  side,  and  put  in  two 
scions,  one  on  each  side  of  the  stock.  They  join 
as  well  as  one,  and,  as  a  matter  of  course,  form 
plants  quicker.  After  being  grafted,  they  should 
be  put  in  a  frame,  and  kept  perfectly  air-tight  till 
a  nnion  has  taken  place,  which  will  be  before 
winter,  provided  the  operation  is  performed  by 
the  middle  of  September.  If  tied  on  securely, 
and  the  frame  is  perfectly  air-tight,  no  clay  or 
wax  of  any  kind  will  be  necessary.  One  thing  to 
be  observed  as  regards  the  different  variegated 
Euonymuses  when  in  a  young  state,  and  espe- 
cially the  golden  one,  is  to  remove  any  gresn 
shoots  as  they  make  their  appearance;  othei- 
wise,  frcni  their  greater  strength,  they  soon  ob- 
tain the  mastery,  and  outgrow  the  variegated 
portion.  T. 

Ribes  speclosum.— The  Flowering  Currant 
(Ribes  sanguineum)  and  its  varieties  are  every- 
where common,  and  the  golden  flowered  R  aureum 
is  seen  more  frequently  than  at  one  time;  but  we 
may  often  search  in  vain  for  the  Fuchsia  like  R 
speciosum,  though  when  in  flower  it  is  surpassed 
by  no  other  in  the  genus.  From  the  circumstance 
of  its  propagation  being  less  easy,  and  its  rate  of 
growth  slower  than  in  the  kinds  just  named, 
together  with  the  fact  of  its  being  more  particular 
as  to  soil  and  situation  than  they  are,  is  to  be 
attributed  the  reason  of  its  comparative  scarce- 
ness. The  habit  of  the  plant  is  somewhat  spread- 
ing, so  that  many  of  the  long,  pendulous  blooms 
often  fail  to  show  themselves  to  advantage  unless 
the  plant  be  secured  to  a  stake  when  young,  and 
encouraged  in  an  upward  direction.  If  this  is 
done,  many  of  the  side  branches  are  then  at  a 
sufficient  height  from  the  ground  to  allow  the 
flowers  to  be  seen.  Perhaps  the  best  position  for 
it  is  on  a  wall,  for,  with  the  amount  of  shelter 
thus  afforded,  the  leaves  are  sometimes  retained 
nearly  throughout  the  winter,  and,  owing  to  the 
thorough  ripening  of  the  shoots,  a  profusion  of  its 
bright  crimson  blossoms  is  insured.  This  Ribes  is 
a  native  of  the  western  part  of  North  America, 
and  was  introduced  into  this  country  about  half  a 
century  ago.— Alpha. 

Indigofera  floribun  da.— Though  too  ten- 
der to  pass  tlie  winter  out  of  doors  without  injury 
in  most  parts  of  the  country,  unless  protected  by 
a  wall,  this  Indigofera  is  so  handsome  during 
summer  that  such  a  slight  amount  of  shelter  is 
well  repaid  by  its  fine  display  of  rosy  purple  Pea- 
shaped  blossoms.  For  walls  up  to  6  feet  in  height 
it  is  better  suited  than  for  higher  ones,  for  which 
more  vigorous  climbers  are  to  be  preferred.  Where 
a  sufficient  distance  from  the  wall  can  be  allowed, 
a  good  way  with  this,  as  with  most  other  slender- 
growing  subjects  so  employed,  is  to  secure  the 
branches  in  position  till  the  space  allotted  to  them 
is  covered,  and  after  that  the  slender  shoots  may 
be  allowed  to  grow  in  a  natural  manner,  and, 
being  of  a  drooping  character,  they  clothe  the  wall 
very  gracefully  without  any  of  that  stiffness  which 
is  so  apparent  when  the  plant  is  regularly  pruned 
and  secured  tightly  to  its  support.  When  growing 
in  a  natural  manner,  the  shoots  that  depend  from 


the  wall  are  liable  to  be  cut  by  frosts,  but  then 
the  main  branches  are  in  snug  quarters,  and  on 
the  return  of  spring  quickly  break  into  growth 
again.  Whether  the  plant  exhibited  some  time 
ago  as  Indigofera  floribunda  alba  (regarding  the 
correctness  of  which  name  some  doubt  has  been 
expressed)  be  a  white  variety  of  this  kind  or  not, 
there  is  no  question  as  to  its  being  a  pretty  white 
flowered  wall  plant ;  and  more  than  that,  some 
small  specimens  in  pots  under  glass  at  Coombe 
Wood  were  in  the  spring  profusely  laden  with  blos- 
soms and  very  attractive. — K.  F. 


THE  STONE  PINE. 


As  the  Oak  is  a  tree  typical  of  English  landscape, 
so  is  the  Stone  Pine  of  that  of  Italy,  varying  some- 
what in  habit  according  to  locality,  but  always 


The  Stone  Pine  in  Italy. 

majestic  and  strangely  impressive  to  a  northern 
eye,  whether  in  dense  forests,  as  near  Florence,  in 
more  open  masses,  as  at  Ravenna,  in  picturesque 
groups,  as  about  Rome,  or  in  occasional  single  trees, 
such  as  may  be  seen  throughout  the  country,  but 
rather  more  frequently  towards  the  coast.  In  these 
isolated  trees  their  imposing  character  can  be  best 
appreciated,  the  great  trunk  carrying  the  massive 
head  perfectly  poised,  an  interesting  example  of 
ponderous  weight  gracefully  balanced.  The  solid 
weighty  appearance  of  the  head  of  the  tree  is  in- 
creased by  its  even  and  generally  symmetrical 
outline,  this  especially  in  the  examples  near  the 
coast,  the  mass  of  foliage  being  so  close  and  dense 
that  it  looks  like  velvet,  and  in  colour  a  warm 
rich  golden  olive,  strangely  different  from  the  blue- 
greens  and  black-greens  of  our  northern  Pines.  The 
character  of  such  isolated  trees  is  perfectly  shown 
in  some  of  Turner's  pictures  in  the  national  colleo- 


Ave.  ir>,   1884] 


THE     GARDEN 


145 


tion — the  "  Bay  of  Hai;u  "  and  others  of  the  same 
series.  The  Stone  I'ine  bears  verj'  large  cones, 
whose  seeds  are  edible ;  when  quite  ripe  they  are 
good  and  nut-like.  Kometimes  the  ttalians  roast 
the  barely  ripe  cone,  dairhing  it  on  the  ground  to 
break  it  open,  but  the  ripe  seeds  of  the  older  cone 
when  it  naturally  opens  are  better  worth  eating. 
The  empty  cones  are  in  great  rerjuest  for  lighting 
fires.  They  are  full  of  resinous  matter,  and  burn 
with  a  cheerful  crackle  and  a  delightful  fragrance. 


Late   flowering  Thorns.— A   couple    of 

good  late  Uowering  Thorns  are  the  Cockspur  (Cra- 
tiBgus  Crus-galli)  and  the  Tansy-leaved  C.  tanace- 
tifolia,  kinds  which  should  by  no  means  be  omitted 
where  flowering  trees  are  desired,  as  they  come  in 
at  a  time  when  the  bulk  of  their  class  is  over. 
The  foliage  of  the  Cockspur  Thorn,  especially  in 
some  of  its  more  vigorous  varieties,  is  very  hand- 
some, being  of  a  dark  glossy  green,  a  colour  which 
contrasts  in  a  marked  manner  with  the  hoary  foli- 
age of  the  Tansy-leaved  kind,  especially  when  the 
two  are  in  close  proximity  to  each  other.  The 
blooms  of  both  are  white  with,  when  first  expanded, 
crimson  anthers,  but  in  foliage  and  habit  they  are 
as  widely  different  as  possible. — H.  1'. 

Piunus  Plssardl.— During  the  early  part  of 
the  season  I  must  confess  to  being  disappointed 
wilhthis  new  purple-leaved  Plum,  its  foliage  being 
at  that  time  of  a  rusty  green  tint,  by  no  means 
pleasing,  and  certainly  not  to  be  compared  in 
depth  of  colouring  with  that  of  the  purple  Hazel, 
r.irch,  l!eech,  or  the  red-leaved  Peach,  but  as  the 
season  advanced  a  great  change  for  the  better 
took  place,  and  as  now  seen  this  new-comer  fully 
bears  out  all  that  has  been  said  in  its  favour.  It 
thould  be  jlanted  where  it  is  exposed  to  the  full 
rays  of  the  sun,  as  even  if  slightly  shaded  it  is  by 
no  means  so  deep  in  colour  as  it  should  be.  We 
have  a  couple  of  dozen  of  it  planted  so  as  to  form 
a  clump  or  mass,  and  they  are  always  admired  by 
everyone,  the  light  brownish  crimson  colour  of  the 
youngest  shoots  and  leaves  being  very  pleasing 
when  contrasted  with  the  darker  tint  of  the  more 
matured  foliage.  This  I'lum  will  no  doubt  become 
popular,  and  especially  valuable  for  late  summer 
and  autumn  efiect,  as  then  its  merits  are  more 
apparent  than  earlier  in  the  season. — .4lpha. 

CupressuB  Lawsoniana.— For  lawns  of 
small  extent  this  is  unquestionably  the  best  of  all 
the  family  of  Cypresses.  Its  pyramidal  habit  and 
density  of  growth  correspond  well  with  limited 
surroundings,  and  what  makes  it  still  more  valu- 
able is  the  fact  that  it  is  not  particular  as  to  soil 
provided  the  staple  is  not  a  stiff,  cold  clay. 
Although  it  thrives  best  in  pure  country  air,  yet  it 
will  do  fairly  well  in  the  suburbs  of  towns. 
There  are  several  varieties  of  this  Cypress,  but  for 
the  purpose  here  named  the  original  kind  or  type 
is  doubtless  the  best,  as  it  always  possesses  a 
pleasing  tone  of  green.  In  the  pleasure  grounds 
here  we  have  a  nice  little  specimen  of  C.  Lawsoni- 
ana aurea,  of  which  I  am  inclined  to  think  highly. 
It  grows  very  freely,  and  maintains  its  colour  in 
such  a  way  as  to  fully  justify  its  name.  C.  Law- 
soniana viridis  is  both  distinct  in  colour  and 
growth,  and  in  positions  in  which  a  compact  growth 
is  desired  it  may  be  freely  planted.  For  dwarf 
evergreen  hedges  it  is  undoubtedly  most  valuable, 
as  it  will  bear  clipping  with  the  shearj  with  im- 
punity.— J.  C.  C. 

SHORT  NOTES.— TREES  AND  SHRUBS 

Chimonanthus  fragrane,  orCalycanthnsprxmx,  as 
It  » as  once  called,  is  with  us  producing  many  large  sued 
puds  « lucli  promise  to  ripen.  Is  not  this  unusual  ?  and  does 
It  not  prove  what  extraordinary  genial  weather  we  ex- 
perienced in  January  and  February  last,  en  hling  this 
hardy  flowering  shrub  to  thus  set  its  fruit?  I  miglit  a.1.1 
that  our  tree  is  trained  against  a  very  sheltered  south  wall 
— W  ILLIA5I  Crump,  Madrexjield  Court,  Malvern. 

Splrsea  granaiflora.-Mr.  Webster  commends  Spirica 
Bougla,i  and  llr.  Clarke  S.  arisefolia.  Allow  me  to  say  a 
word  for  the  so  seldom  referred  to  S.  grandillora  that 
gr.;ws  even  taller  and  more  rapidly  than  the  last  nanieil 
running  stems  up  to  a  dozen  leet  in  one  year  Here  it  is 
called  the  Fern-leaved  Spinea,  from  the  resemblance  of  the 
foliage  to  Fern  fronds,  while  the  great  feathery  plume  of 
flowers  IS  ..fteii  20  inches  long.  .N<]thing  is  so  handsome  for 
filling  up  rapidly  old  or  objectionable  comers  or  angles.— 
».  J.  M.,  Ctonmei. 


WORK  DONE  IN  WEEK  ENDING  AUGUST  13. 

In  commencing  this  subject,  I  think  it  necessary 
to  say  that  I  have  the  direction  of  a  garden  which 
may  fairly  be  called  a  representative  one,  both  as 
to  size  and  branches  of  gardening  carried  on  in  it ; 
and  the  notes  made,  if  not  solely,  will  be  very 
nearly  such  as  are  suggested  by  my  own  doings  : 
and  that  readers  of  The  Garden  may  have  no 
cause  for  complaint,  I  intend  to  note  failures  as 
well  as  successes,  in  the  hope  that  the  hints  given 
n»y  be  doubly  useful — viz  ,  as  warnings  and  sug- 
gestions. Being  a  record  of  daily  labour,  there 
will  necessarily  be  repetition  to  a  certain  extent, 
but  this  shall  as  far  as  possible  be  avoided.  Of 
course,  it  is  not  intended  to  enter  into  every 
detail  or  to  allude  to  all  the  work  that  is  done  on 
the  dates  given. 

August  7. — The  weather  to-day  being  dry  and 
hot,  and  the  showery  weather  of  last  week  having 
been  favourable  to  the  growth  of  weeds  as  well  as 
crops,  hoeing  has  been  the  principal  work.  Car- 
rots, Parsnips,  and  Cabbages  were  done  rather 
deeply,  as  the  ground  was  getting  baked  and 
cracking,  but  surface  hoeing,  merely  to  kill  small 
weeds,  was  all  that  was  necessary  in  the  case  of 
Lettuces,  Turnips,  Asparagus,  and  recently  planted 
liroccoli.  We  made  another  sowing  of  Cabljage  for 
spring  cutting,  the  weather  being  so  exceptionally 
hot ;  the  plants  from  the  first  sewing,  made  a  fort- 
night since,  we  shall  destroy,  as  they  would  pro- 
bably run  to  seed,  owing  to  being  sown  too  early, 
at  least  too  early  for  such  a  season  as  this.  We 
sow  thinly  in  drills  '.I  inches  apart,  then  pricking 
out  is  not  needed.  The  aspect  should  be  south  or 
west ;  ours  are  sown  on  a  western  border  that  has 
been  cleared  of  summer  Lettuces.  The  latest  row 
of  Peas  has  just  been  staked  ;  they  look  anything 
but  happy  ;  none  but  the  earliest  kinds  have  done 
really  well.  Cool  and  moist  is  the  kind  of  wea- 
ther that  Peas  enjoy.  Mulching  and  watering 
appear  of  but  little  .service  to  this  crop  when  the 
thermometer  day  after  day  registers  86°  in  the 
shade;  add  to  this  the  injury  that  sparrows  and 
chaffinches  seem  bent  on  performing,  that  is,  of 
having  every  Pea  that  is  grown,  and  till  the 
drought  ends,  nettingover  the  rows  and  shooting  the 
delinquents  is  the  only  way  by  which  we  can  make 
sure  of  the  produce.  This  is  the  summer  for 
ridge  Cucumbers  and  Vegetable  Marrows ;  they 
grow  anyhow,  and  all  we  find  it  necessary  to  do 
is  to  thin  out  the  shoots  once  a  week  and  give 
them  plenty  of  water.  Cut  the  fruit  daily  that  the 
plants  may  not  get  exhausted  by  over-fruiting. 
Marrows  are  generally  relegated  to  some  out-of- 
the-way  place  where  bat  little  sunshine  can  reach 
them,  an  essential  they  need  just  as  much  as  any 
other  vegetable  to  impart  flavour  ?nd  substance 
oE  flesh  ;  hence  the  charge  of  insipidity  so  fre- 
quently, but  unjustly,  applied  to  them.  This  has 
been  a  rare  kitchen  garden  day,  and  if  one  could 
but  know  the  large  amount  of  hand-weeding  that 
the  few  hours  of  hoeing  have  prevented,  not 
to  mention  the  benefit  to  the  crops  from  moving 
the  soil,  no  opportunity  would  ever  be  lost  of 
making  the  most  of  such  a  day. 

August  8. — Another  scorching  day  ;  so  after  the 
morning's  mowing  and  sweeping  up,  hoeing  has 
been  again  the  order  of  the  day.  Shrubberies, 
Azaleas,  and  Rhododendron  clumps  have  all  had 
a  turn,  and  now  we  shall  enjoy  freedom  from 
weeds  in  these  quarters  for  this  season.  If  we 
could  afiord  the  time  we  would  have  the  seed-pods 
picked  off  all  Rhododendrons,  but  as  it  is,  only  the 
best  varieties  and  most  conspicuously  placed  beds 
and  plants  can  have  that  attention,  and  the  altered 
and  improved  appearance  of  those  so  cleared  make 
one  wish  for  more  assistants  ;  then  would  not  we 
have  all  in  proper  order.  I  ought  to  have  added 
that  the  Grass  verges  round  the  clumps  and  the 
edgings  of  walks  near  them  came  in  for  a 
trimming  up  at  the  same  time.  My  notions 
as  to  keeping  the  edgings  of  Grass  verges 
closely  cut  are  of  a  very  stringent  charac- 
ter ;  "  must  be  done,"  is  the  order  given,  if 
there  is  but  an  inch  hanging  over  the 
gravel.  We  cannot  afford  time  to  sow  Grass  seeds 
for  the  purpose  of  pulling  them  up,  and  this  is 
what  virtually  takes  place  when  cutting  betimes  ' 


is  neglected.  90°  in  the  shade  have  been  too  much 
of  a  good  thing  for  single  Dahlias  and  Fuchsias  ; 
they  seemed  scorched  up  and  have  this  evening 
had  a  good  watering  and  a  syringing  overhead. 
IIow  inveterately  do  these  Dahlias  seed.  About 
every  alternate  day  we  find  it  necessary  to  relieve 
them  of  seed-pods,  else  flowering  is  rjuickly  over, 
but  this  done  they  keep  on  growing  and  flowering 
profusely.  Violas  and  Calceolarias  are  the  only 
other  plants  that  dislike  the  intense  heat,  and  till 
there  is  an  end  of  it  they  should  be  kept  well  sup- 
plied with  water,  which  should  always  be  given  in 
the  evening,  and  bad  and  seeding  flowers  should 
also  be  regularly  removed.  Viola  Mrs.  Gray  is  a 
grand  white  and  stands  thedrought  well  mixed  with 
pink  Pelargonium  and  Ageratum Cupid  —  a  mixture 
unique  and  striking.  Though  I  do  not  generally 
approve  of  shading  Vines,  to-day  I  thought  it  ad- 
visable to  do  so  to  prevent  scorching.  A  little 
whiting  mixed  with  water  and  syringed  on  the 
glass  takes  but  a  few  minutes  to  do  and  saves  an 
infinity  of  vexation  by  preventing  the  scorching 
of  the  foliage.  We  have  done  all  the  vineries  in 
this  way,  and  can  now  contemplate  to-morrow's 
sunshine  with  complacency.  The  first  shower  will 
wash  off  the  shading,  but  this  need  not  bother 
one,  seeing  that,  if  necessary,  it  may  quickly  be 
renewed.  The  borders  should  be  looked  to.  Vines 
in  late  houses  particularly  are  just  now  at  a  very 
critical  stage  of  growth,  and  ours  to-day  have  had 
a  regular  drenching,  the  amount  given  being  in 
accordance  with  the  common-sense  rule  of  using 
one's  own  judgment.  Some  soils  take  tons,  with 
others  the  singular  number  would  be  sufficient ; 
hence  local  conditions  must  be  taken  into  account 
in  such  matters. 

August  0  (Saturday).— This  is  what  we  call 
"  flower  garden  day."  All  outside  hands  have  been 
employed  in  completely  overhauling  the  whole  of 
the  beds.  We  began  with  mowing  and  finished 
with  running  the  roller  over  the  walks  ;  the  inter- 
mediate labours,  such  as  finishing  picking  oa  bad 
flowers,  &c.,  began  yesterday,  also  pinching  in 
such  plants  as  require  it  in  order  to  keep  formal 
bedding  designs  true  to  pattern.  The  plants  most 
needing  this  attention  are  Golden  Feather  Pyre- 
thrum,  Gnaphalium  lanatum.  Pelargonium  Man- 
glesi  variegatum,  Leucophyton  Browni,  variegated 
Thyme,  and  Herniaria  glabra.  The  two  last  we 
clip,  and  also  the  extreme  points  of  Lobelia  spe- 
ciosa.  This  bit  of  manipulation  is  a  real  wrinkle 
in  Lobelia  culture,  for  it  ensures  fresh  branching 
growth,  and  consequently  continuous  flower- 
ing. Abutilons,  Marguerites,  Grevilleas,  Kicinus, 
Dahlias,  and  some  few  other  plants  have 
all  been  examined  as  to  ties.  There  is  nothing 
like  doing  such  work  regularly,  as  then  there  need 
be  no  apprehension  as  to  a  storm  breaking  them 
down.  Pelargoniums  have  grown  amazingly  this 
season,  and  are  flowering  well,  too.  We  shall 
begin  propagating  them  immediately,  and  mean- 
while, for  appearance  sake,  we  have  removed  a 
few  of  the  straggling  shoots.  Roses  have  shared 
in  the  general  clearing  up ;  all  bad  flowers  have 
been  removed,  and  here  and  there  a  shoot  cut 
back ;  some  few  are  affected  with  mildew,  and 
these  have  been  dusted  with  sulphur  and  well 
watered,  which  will  probably  effect  a  cure  ;  if  not, 
the  dose  will  be  repeated  at  an  early  date.  To-day 
we  were  concerned  to  find  that  Apricots  were 
following  the  example  of  Strawcerries,  and 
ripening  much  too  rapidly,  or  ratherallatonce,  and 
therefore  in  hopes  of  lengthening  out  the  season 
a  little  bit,  we  shall  shade  some  of  them 
with  mats,  and  gather  others  before  they  are  dead 
ripe,  as  in  that  state  they  keep  several  days  longer, 
and  are  little  if  any  inferior  to  those  gathered  from 
the  trees  in  a  usable  state.  We  gathered  good 
fruit  to-day  from  a  south  wall  of  Early  Albert 
i'each ;  for  open-air  culture  this  is  one  of  the  very 
best  of  Rivers'  seedlings. 

August  11. — At  one  o'clock  the  thermometer 
registered  91"  in  the  shade.  How  thankful  we 
felt  that  our  vineries  were  shaded,  for  surely  no 
Vine  foliage  could  stand  without  injury  such  heat. 
Melons  and  late  Peach  houses  we  also  shaded  to- 
day, else  it  must  have  been  a  case  of  roasting 
rather  than  ripening ;   as  it  is  we  have  found  a 


146 


THE    GARDEN 


[Ai-c.    If),  1884. 


few  Peaches  scorched,  and  have  relieved  the 
trees  of  them,  and  being  on  the  verge  of  ripen- 
ing they  will  make  excellent  tarts.  Watering 
of  Chrysanthemums  and  pot  Strawberry  plants 
eeems  a  never- ending  matter  ;  three  and  four  times 
a  day  do  they  need  a  supply,  our  rule  being  never 
to  allow  them  to  get  dry.  They  are  always 
watered  singly  with  a  spouted  pot,  and  well 
syringed  overhead  in  the  evening.  Weeds  and 
runners  have  been  cleared  cfE  to-day,  and  they  will 
need  similar  attention  in  about  a  week's  time.  The 
lateral  growths  on  late  Vines  lave  been  stopped 
rather  closely  back,  and  the  few  shanked  berries 
cut  out.  What  a  puzzle  shanking  is  I  The  Vines 
may  be  healthy  and  vigorous,  the  bunches  good, 
and  the  berries  the  same,  and  yet  half  the  bunches 
on  the  same  Vine  may  be  perfect,  not  having  a 
bad  berry,  and  the  other  half  with  from  three  to  a 
dozen  bad  berries  in  each  bunch.  A  check  of  any 
sort,  I  believe,  predisposes  a  Vine  to  an  attack  of 
shanking,  such  as  lack  of  water,  or  an  overdose  of 
cold  water,  or  cold  currents  of  air,  every  one  of 
which  we  thought  we  had  avoided  ;  nevertheless 
we  have  not  quite  escaped  shanking,  but  if 
never  worse  than  it  is  this  jear  we  shall  think 
ourselves  fortunate.  To  aid  the  colouring  process, 
air  is  left  on  rather  freely  these  warm  nights. 
Early  Peaches  are  having  the  wood  partially 
thinned  out,  our  aim  being  to  admit  daylight  to 
all  the  shoots  intended  to  fruit  next  year  ;  syring- 
ing with  force  is  necessary  to  keep  down  spider 
and  thrips,  and  this  is  done  night  and  morning, 
and  full  air  is  left  on  day  and  night. 

August  12  and  l.'J.— A  thunderstorm  (no  rain) 
has  given  us  partial  relief  from  intense  heat,  and 
work  can  now  be  done  comfortably.  Our  principal 
jobs  these  two  days  have  been  the  clearing  of 
Strawberry  beds  of  runners  and  weeds,  and  as 
soon  as  rain  comes  to  make  the  soil  work  kindly 
they  will  be  lightly  due;  over,  but  not  more  than 
i  inches  deep,  for  if  done  deeper  than  that 
many  of  the  best  roots  would  be  destroyed. 
Plants  that  have  borne  three  seasons  consecutively 
are  being  destroyed  by  peeling  them  off  with 
spades,  and  as  soon  as  we  get  moisture  IJroccoli 
will  be  planted  between  the  rows.  Borders  con- 
taining Gladioli,  I'hioxes,  Asters,  late  Carnations, 
and  herbaceous  perennials  generally  now  take  up 
so  much  precious  time  in  the  way  of  tj  ing  that  one 
is  apt  to  grumble,  and  wish  that  stakes  and  ties 
grew  with  the  plants  ;  but  there,  if  they  did,  fewer 
gardeners  would  be  needed,  and  then  we  should 
be  worse  ofE  than  now.  Lilium  auratum  is  bloom- 
ing gloriously  in  the  open  border.  Our  soil,  which 
is  naturally  inclined  to  peat,  but  which  is,  perhaps, 
best  described  as  a  sandy  loam,  seems  to  suit  this 
Lily  well ;  some  of  the  stems  are  1  feet  high,  and 
have  from  eight  to  ten  flowers  on  a  stem.  Of 
course,  being  so  fine,  these  were  tied  to  stakes  un- 
grudgingly. SOUTHERNEB. 


COVENT  GARDEN  MABKET. 
In  an  article  of  the  Originnl  dated  September  1(1, 
18M.5,  by  Thomas  Walker,  it  is  written  as  follows : 
"  It  is  to  be  wished  that  every  portion  of  the 
labouring  classes  were  too  refined  for  the  filth  of 
Covent  Garden.  .  .  .  What  must  necessarily 
be  the  moral  state  of  the  numerous  class,  con- 
stantly exposed  to  the  vicissitudes  of  the  weather, 
amidst  the  mud  and  putridities  of  Covent  Gar- 
den ?  '  To  these  remarks,  written  nearly  fifty  years 
ago,  a  note  was  appended  a  short  time  afterwards  : 
"  Since  this  was  first  written  Covent  Garden  has 
been  remodelled  and  greatly  improved  as  to 
buildings,  but  as  to  slovenliness  and  filth  much 
remains  to  be  done.  This  is  to  be  lamented  on 
another  account,  as  there  are  the  elements  of  a 
very  agreeable  place  of  resort."  The  time  has 
long  gone  by  when  anyone  would  think  Covent 
Garden  a  pleasant  "  place  of  resort  "  unless  be 
had  some  lucrative  business  in  the  neighbourhood 
which  made  it  worth  his  while  to  endure  the  odious 
smells  which  still  infest  the  district.  There  is  no 
excuse  for  the  present  state  of  things,  which  only 
continues  to  be  in  a  kind  of  way  tolerable  tons  be- 
cause it  has  been  found  tolerable  to  our  fathers  and 
grandfathers.  But  times  have  changed.  That  a  man 
tball  sufEer  his  property  to  become  a  public  nui- 


sance is  now-a-days  one  of  the  gravest  charges  that 
can  be  brought  against  anyone  of  hereditary 
wealth  and  influence.  But  it  remains  true  now, 
as  it  did  half  a  century  ago,  that  Covent  Garden 
is  a  filthy  and  noisome  place  ;  that  those  who  live 
in  the  neighbourhood  sufller  from  its  evil  condi- 
tion ;  thatthose  who  f  ass  through  it  are  constantly 
annoyed  at  the  foul  smells  which  come  from  it  ; 
and  that  demagogues  find  in  the  present  condition 
of  Covent  Garden  a  plausible  argument  against 
the  rights  of  property.  Again  and  again  has  public 
attention  been  called  to  the  matter.  Again  and 
again  for  some  years  past  have  complaints  been 
made  on  the  subject  in  every  paper  in  London 
But  the  Mud-market  remains  as  it  was.  "The 
evil,"  as  Walker  put  it  fifty  years  ago,  "  lies  in  the 
bad  contrivance  and  arrangement  of  these  places 
of  public  concernment."  On  whose  shoulders  the 
bad  management  mry  legally  rett  is  a  question 
into  which  we  need  not  now  enter.  But  it  is  cer- 
tain that  people  in  general  will  hold  those  respon- 
sible who  derive  profit  from  land  which  they  have 
suffered  to  become  a  nuisance  to  all  but  the 
owners.  At  the  present  time  when  the  rights  of 
property  are  challenged,  it  especially  behoves 
great  landholders  to  think  whether  they  are  all 
of  them  sufficiently  alive  to  the  duties  which  the 
possession  of  large  property  imposes  on  the  owner. 
Each  black  sheep  throws  discredit  on  the  blame- 
less members  of  the  flock  ;  and  the  spectacle  of 
any  one  man  in  high  position  getting  money  from 
what  is  a  public  offence  offers  the  best  of  all 
weapons  to  the  radical  demagogue  which  can  be 
desired. — Saiurclay  Itevieiv. 


INODOROUS  MANURES. 

Tins  is  a  subject  that  has  not  been  alluded  to  by 
those  who  have  written  on  artificial  manures  lately 
in  The  Garden,  but  it  deserves  a  word.  When 
in  a  large  seed  shop  the  other  day,  an  amateur 
present  enquired  about  manures  tor  plant?,  and 
objected  to  certain  well-known  artificial  manures, 
on  account  of  their  smell,  and  the  seedsman  in- 
formed me  that  there  were  many  objectors  of  the 
same  kind,  but  that  gardeners  themselves  if  any- 
thing preferred  the  odoriferous  compounds.  There 
are  some  special  manures,  like  salt,  soda,  soot.  Sec, 
which  are  inodorous,  but  they  can  only  be  used  for 
a  few  purposes,  and  are  not  generally  useful. 
Compounds,  whether  artificially  prepared  or  home 
made,  it  composed  of  half  decomposed  vegetable 
or  animal  matters,  and  fit  for  general  application, 
as  a  rule  have  a  disagreeable  smell,  and  it  is  quite 
unreasonable  to  expect  them  without  it,  unless 
they  aie  deodorised  by  the  addition  of  materials 
that  add  to  their  bulk,  but  reduce  their  strength  at 
the  same  time.  We  prefer  to  buy  a  manure  of 
full  strength  and  to  deodorise  it  ourselves,  and 
that  can  as  a  rule  easily  be  done  by  the  addition 
of  a  little  fresh  loam.  Manures  from  the  cow- 
house, or  piggery,  or  farmyard  generally  all 
smell,  often  offensively,  whether  liquid  or  solid,  but 
we  know  that  some  of  the  most  powerful  plant 
stimulants  come  from  such  sources  ;  and  as  for 
guano,  everybody  knows  the  scent  of  it  well  enough. 
It  is  the  same  with  concentrated  artificial  manures 
made  from  bones  and  other  animal  substances. 
The  only  two  artificial  manures  I  use,  both  of 
which  are  extensively  employed  and  of  proved  ex- 
cellence, are  Beeson's  and  Standen's,  and  it  is  not 
an  agreeable  task  to  apply  a  dressing  of  either  of 
them,  the  smell  is  so  strong  at  first,  but  soon  dis- 
appears. Both  are  largely  composed  of  animal 
matters.  Beeson's  manure  is  exclusively  composed 
of  fresh  bones  softened,  not  by  chemicals,  but  by 
steam,  in  large  cylinders,  after  which  raw  blood  is 
added  and  superphospate  to  fix  the  ammonia  and 
prevent  fermentation.  The  bones  and  blood  are 
the  products  of  the  knacker's  yards,  and  the  quan- 
tities of  fresh  bones  sent  to  the  mills  weekly  are 
enormous.  My  advice  on  the  whole,  therefore, 
to  cultivators  is  not  to  be  too  sensitive  on  the  sub- 
ject of  smell  of  manures,  for  the  worst  smelling 
are  as  a  rule  the  best,  and  when  applied  to  pot 
plants  in  glasshouses  a  little  loam  sprinkled  on 
above  the  manure  will  do  away  with  the  smell. 
I  always  apply  manures  to  Potatoes,  Peas,  and 
such-like    at    first,    because   manures    that  suit 


these  will  suit  most  other  things,  and  those 
mentioned  are  both  quick  and  lasting  in  their 
effects.  Considering  that  they  can  be  conve- 
niently applied,  and  that  a  small  bsg  will  go  a 
long  way,  I  reckon  such  artificial  manures  cheaper 
than  most  others.  J.  S.  W. 


NOTES  FROM  ASKE  HALL. 

A.sivE  is  situated  near  Richmond,  the  latter  one  cf 
the  prettiest  provincial  towns  in  Yorkshire.  In 
close  prosimity  are  the  three  famous  dales  of 
Yorkshire,  than  which  nothing  more  quietly  pic- 
turesque can  well  be  imagined,  (.loery  :  Why  ai'e 
so  many  hurrying  still  further  north,  leaving  in  their 
rear  our  historical  abbeys  and  priories  ?  The 
tourist  frenzy  for  high  mountains,  which  the  ma- 
jority lock  on,  but  avoid,  is  hard  to  explain.  The 
woods  and  park  round  Aske  Hall  are  extensive 
and  of  very  old  formation.  The  mansion  is  on 
rising  ground,  and  stands  well  retired  from  the 
road.  The  prospect  from  it  is  checked  by  trees 
and  pleasure  grounds  on  all  but  the  entrance  side. 
Lord  Zetland,  the  Lord  of  Aske,  only  resides  here 
late  in  autumn  and  winter  ;  therefore  the  grounds 
are  made  to  look  best  at  that  season.  The  shrub 
bedding  is  good.  The  lawn,  which  is  now  teing 
cut  close,  so  as  to  be  at  its  best  in  the  earlier 
part  of  the  shooting  season,  slopes  upward  from 
the  house,  and  finally  ends  in  a  line  of  trees,  which 
hide  the  kitchen  garden  and  greenhouses. 

Fruit  culture.— Grapes  are  good,  especially 
Muscats ;  a  Vine  of  Madresfield  Court,  4  rods 
trained  up,  is  finishing  in  magnificent  condition 
without  a  sign  of  cracking.  The  spurs  are  left  a 
good  length,  and  no  shading  is  used  excppt  a  thick 
curtain  of  foliage.  The  same  remark  applies  to 
Dr.  Hogg,  a  variety  of  which  I  noted  five  or  six 
Vines.  Mrs.  Pince  and  the  Muscats  are  s)  ringed 
about  one  o'clock  in  the  day  when  in  flower,  and 
by  this  means  Mr.  Letts,  the  gardener,  never  falls 
in  obtaining  a  good  set.  The  same  treatment  is 
practised  in  the  case  of  Peaches.  This  is  the 
natural  way  if  we  reason  from  the  dews  outside 
morriingand  evening.  The  winter  dressing  consists 
of  a  good  proportion  of  gas  tar. 

Plant  culture. — This  is  Mr.  Letts'  forte.  The 
plants  here  were  all  bought  when  young,  and  are 
the  result  of  eight  or  tjine  years' constant  attm- 
tion.  Their  growth  h^s  been  wonderful,  and  they 
are  still  as  vigorous  as  ever,  and  the  very  picture 
of  robust  health.  For  all  smooth-leaved  plants 
the  dressing  to  keep  insects  in  check  is  paraffin  ; 
anjthing  with  a  rough  skin  it  injures,  and  litewise 
any  plant  with  porous  wood,  the  globules  of  oil 
being  retained  on  a  rough  or  hairy  surface. 
Crotons  show  no  signs  of  insects,  and  to  this 
in  a  great  measure  is,  no  doubt,  due  their  fine 
growth  and  beauty  of  colour.  Plants  of  Queen 
Victoria  are  8  feet  through  in  a  IG  inch  pot. 
The  finest  plant  here,  however,  is  Cjcas  Groomi, 
ten  years  old,  and  furnished  with  a  fine  blcom  on 
the  back  of  the  leaves.  This  is  the  plant  which 
was  admired  by  so  many  when  shown  at  New- 
castle. Anthurium  Scherzerianum  is  also  well  re- 
presented. In  Ferns  the  finest  specimen,  and  an 
exti-emely  valuable  one  too,  is  Gleichenia  rupeslris 
glaucescens.  This  ought  to  become  a  general  favou- 
rite. Heaths  are  well  grown,  one  of  the  most 
lasting  in  flower  being  Dennisoniana ;  Parmen- 
tieriana  rosea  likewise  is  a  very  valuable  variety. 

Flowers  fob  cutting. — People  at  a  loss  to 
maintain  a  constant  supply  of  cut  (lowers  might 
obtain  a  good  deal  of  information  at  Aske. 
Hibiscus  rosa  sinensis  trained  on  the  back  wall 
of  a  corridor  keeps  on  blooming,  more  or  less,  all 
through  the  winter,  and  in  August  and  September 
it  is  one  glow  of  scarlet.  This  is  just  the  po.'^ilion 
in  which  to  grow  it,  and  what  can  be  more  effec- 
tive in  decorative  work  than  a  few  flowers  of  it 
well  surrounded  with  Ferns.  Up  the  iron  supports 
of  a  conservatory  is  trained  the  now  well-known 
Asparagus  plumosus  nanus.  Eucharises  are  grown 
in  quantity  ;  E.  Candida  is  more  useful  for  bouquets 
than  amazonica.  It  is  a  constant  bloomer,  every 
bulb  being  floriferous  ;  this  was  likewise  the  case 
in  April.  This  plant  is  kept  too  long  in  one  pot, 
and  for  constant  cutting  three  bulbs  in  a  pot  are 


Arn.   lf>,  1884] 


THE     GARDEN 


147 


quite  enough.  The  division  should  be  done  in 
January.  The  plants  ought  to  be  kept  in  the  shade 
and  the  foliage  constantly  moistened.  Gardeniasare 
planted  out,  and  to  see  them  at  Aske  one  would 
think  that  bug  never  infested  such  plants.  Jlr. 
Letts'  insecticide  is  paiaflin.  He  noticed  that 
bug  is  most  frequently  found  within  the  little 
film  of  skin  whence  the  bud  breaks.  This  skin  he 
carefully  removes  with  a  knife  and  dresses  the 
infant  foliage  with  paraflin.  The  consequence  of 
this  careful  attention  is  that  this  insect  pest  is 
practically  unknown.  He  is  now  subjecting  the 
plants  to  cool  treatment,  so  as  to  retard  them 
for  winter  Howering.  Isoras  are  dressed  in 
the  same  careful  manner.  I  have  spoken  at  some 
length  about  indoor  plants,  but  let  no  one  think 
that  the  more  homely  flowers  are  neglected  either 
by  Lady  Zetland  or  her  gardener.  Along  one  of 
the  corridors  a  Honeysuckle  is  trained,  and  in 
August  and  September  it  alfords  a  rare  treat  to 
any  one  somewhat  surfeited  with  the  common  run 
of  greenhouse  plants. 

C.  A.  M.  Caemichael. 


THE  GARDENS  AT  HIGHCLEKE. 

HiGiiCLEEE  is  one  of  our  best  gardens,  in  the 
higher  sense  of  possessing  a  noble  collection  of 
forest  trees,  grouped  around  wide  stretches  of 
Grass.  It  is  also  one  of  the  gardens  which  are 
still  unviolated  by  the  landscape  gardener — we 
mean  by  the  so-called  art  which  merely  cuts  up 
the  finest  foreground  of  a  country  seat  with  a 
geometrical  plan,  and  interposes  more  or  less  .awk- 
ward walls  and  balustrades,  &c ,  between  the 
house  and  its  fairest  prospect.  At  Highclere  one 
may  pass  easily  from  the  house  in  all  directions 
without  meetirg  with  any  impediment  of  the 
kind  alluded  to.  The  feeling  is  delightful,  of 
passing  easily,  without  ups  or  downs  or  hard 
lines  of  any  kind,  among  the  noble  Cedars 
and  other  trees  which  grow  near  the  house, 
the  lawns  dipping  down  to  them.  One  feels 
that  here,  at  all  events,  no  system  of  arrangement 
has  been  adopted  which  prevents  the  fullest  ex- 
pression of  the  beauty  of  the  trees  and  the  place, 
and  the  greatest  enjoyment  of  those  interested  in 
them.  The  sunken  fence  in  front  of  the  house  is 
certainly  too  near  for  such  a  large  building,  and 
the  base  lines  of  the  house  come  out  of  the  turf  in 
perhaps  too  bard  and  rectangular  a  manner,  as 
seen  at  some  little  distance  olf.  This,  however, 
could  be  easily  remedied  by  a  few  low  groups  of 
Erergreens,  which  would  break  the  line  we  men- 
tion, and  also  serve  to  intersect  the  lines  of  the 
walk  here  and  there.  Beyond  this  we  should  say 
the  arrangement  was  perfection. 

This  question  of  an  elaborate  terrace  garden  or 
not  is  a  very  important  one  for  all  who  care  for 
the  beauty  of  country  seats.  We  might  mention 
many  places  where  the  most  beautiful  feature  of 
a  place  is  destroyed  by  the  presence  of  suc'i  a 
garden.  In  many  country  seats  the  park  comes 
nearly  up  to  the  foreground  of  the  house ;  and 
ri  htly  so,  being  better  cut  off   by  a   sunk  fence 

I  than  by  a  hard  terrace  wall.  Where  this  side  of 
Ihe  house  is  left  quiet,  however,  the  other  side 
is  often  embellished  with  a  formal  terrace 
garden,  and  thus  that  most  precious  feature  of  all 
is  destroyed— the  wide  garden  lawn,  on  which  one 
can  walk  or  play  with  comfort,  and  which,  if  fairly 
adorned  by  trees  and  flowers,  gives  the  best  effect 
that  is  possible.  Many  of  our  finest  places  are 
robbed  of  their  beautiful  breadth  of  lawn  by  this 
geometrical  garden.  A  case  in  point  is  Castle 
A  -hby,  where  the  best  side  of  the  house  is  occnp'  ed 
1  >•  a  very  elaborate  terrace  garden.  Anyone  who 
dnubts  the  infinitely  superior  effect  of  a  fine  lawn 
in  such  a  position  has  only  to  walk  into  Mr. 
KIwes's  place  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  see  what 

j  a  beautiful  and  simple  lawn  can  do  in  the  way  .  f 
a  foreground,  even  without  such  noble  trees  asare 
at  Highclere. 

At  Highclere  the  advantage  of  the  position  is 

well   shown   by  certain   types  of  vegetation  not 

'   always  seen  in  good  condition,  as,  for  example, 

the  Tree  Pasony.     This  is  quite  at  home  here,  and 

a  noble  shrub  it  is.    Then  the  Pines  are  superb, 


particularly  the  Silver  Fir;  and  the  Douglas  Fir 
and  Menzies  Fir  are  almost  as  remarkable  as  at 
Dropmore.  The  Gt)0-feet  elevation  or  so  of  the 
house  secures  this  to  a  great  extent.  But  not  only 
are  Pines  particularly  fine  in  their  growth  from 
the  hilly  situation  suiting  them  ;  deciduous  trees 
are  not  less  so.  It  was  a  pleasure  to  see  these 
noble  trees  of  the  Oriental  Plane — beautiful  trees 
when  seen  well  developed.  The  native  trees,  how- 
ever, often  share  with  these  an  undeserved 
neglect.  Here  we  were  greatly  pleased  with  the 
beautiful  effect  of  a  large  well-grown  Silver  Wil- 
low—a mass  of  light  glistening  foliage  played 
upon  by  the  wind — near  a  pool.  The  wild  Service 
Trees  are  very  fine  here,  and  give  another  example 
of  the  neglect  of  native  trees. 


Societies. 


ROYAL  HORTICULTURAL. 
August  12. 
TiiEKE  was  a  comparatively  small  number  of  ex- 
hibits submitted  to  the  committees  on  this  occa- 
sion, although  the  conservatory  was  quite  filled  by 
the  cottagers'  and  artisans'  show  of  fruits  and 
vegetables,  which  was  by  fai  the  most  extensive 
that  has  been  held  this  year  at  South  Kensington. 
First-class  certificates  were  awarded  to — 

IxoEA  Westi. — A  new,  beautiful,  and  distinct 
seedling  variety,  a  real  acquisition  in  every  sense, 
inasmuch  as  it  lacks  nothing  in  point  of  good  habit, 
floriferousness,  and  other  essential  qualities  be- 
longing to  a  good  Ixora,  while  the  colour  is  quite 
distinct.  The  flower  buds  are  of  a  beautiful  rose- 
piijk,  while  the  opened  flowers  are  a  delicate  blush  ; 
the  trusses  are  large  and  freely  produced.  Ex- 
hibited by  Messrs.  Veitch,  in  whose  nursery  it  has 
been  raised. 

L-EI.IA    ELEGANS    SUPEKBISSIMA. — A    Splendid 

variety  of  the  well-known  L:elia  elegans,  having 
flowers  fully  twice  the  ordinary  size.  The  sepals 
and  petals  are  of  a  delicate  mauve,  while  the 
broad  labellum  is  of  an  intensely  rich  and  deep 
magenta-crimson,  frilled  at  the  edges  and  white  in 
the  throat.  A  fine  specimen  of  this  superb  Orchid 
was  shown  by  Messrs.  Sander  &  Co.,  St.  Albans. 

TiGRiDiA  Pavonia  ALBA. — The  lovely  white 
variety  of  the  Tiger  Flower,  of  which  a  good 
illustration  was  given  a  short  time  since  in  The 
Garden.  On  this  occasion  it  was  shown  both  by 
Messrs.  Cannell  &  Sons,  Swanley,  and  the  New 
Plant  and  Bulb  Company,  Colchester,  to  both  of 
whom  certificates  were  awarded. 

Begonia  Madame  Aknoult.  —  A  double- 
flowered  tuberous-rooted  variety  of  great  excel- 
lence. The  growth  is  sturdy  and  dwarf  and  ex- 
tremely floriferous.  The  flowers  form  perfect  ro- 
settes from  2  inches  to  3  inches  across  of  a  soft 
and  clear  salmon-rose  tint,  quite  worthy  of  the 
distinction  which  was  unanimously  accorded  it. 
Shown  by  Messrs.  Cannell  &  Sons. 

Gladiolus  Lady  Caeington. — A  most  beau- 
tiful variety,  the  perfection  of  an  ideal  Gladiolus. 
The  spike  is  long  and  massive  and  beset  for  fully 
two-thirds  of  its  length  with  expmded  blossoms, 
which  are  unusually  large,  of  thick  substance, 
and  of  the  most  delicate  rose-pink  imaginable, 
streaked  here  and  there  with  carmine.  Exhibited 
by  the  raisers,  Messrs.  Kelway  &  Son,  Langport. 

MONTBUETIA  ELEGANS. — A  new  hybrid  variety 
apparently  midway  between  M.  I'ottsi  and  M.cro- 
cosmseiiora,  also  a  hybiid.  The  flowers  are  ex- 
panded, as  in  the  last  named  kind,  and  are  brighter 
in  colour.  Shown  by  the  New  Plant  and  Bulb  Com- 
pany, Colchester. 

COLEU.S  Countess  or  Dudley.— A  handsome 
variety,  abundantly  distinct  from  the  hosts  of  va- 
rieties of  Coleuses  now  in  gardens.  The  large 
broad  leaves  are  creamy  white,  veined  and  edged 
with  bright  green.  Shown  by  the  well-known 
Coleus  raiser,  Mr.  J.  King,  Rowsham,  Aylesbury. 

IIiLiscu.'i  TuioNUM. — Specimens  of  this  beauti- 
ful old  annual  Mallow  were  shown  by  Messrs. 
Cannell  under  the  name  of  Malva  Knelleri.  The 
large  bell  shaped  flowerB  are  straw  coloured  with 


a  conspicuous  black  blotch  in  the  centre  of  the 
flowers. 

The  following  are  the  more  noteworthy  of  the 
other  plants  exhibited.  A  very  fine  flower-stem  of 
the  Swamp  Lily  (Lilium  supcrbum)  was  brought 
by  Mr.  G.  F.  Wilson  from  his  wild  garden  at  Oak- 
wood,  Wisley.  The  stem  was  9  feet  high,  and  the 
numerous  flowers  it  bore  were  of  an  unusually 
high  colour.  Mr.  Wilson  also  showed  a  fasciated 
stem  of  the  same  Lily,  almost  as  tall.  It  bore  a 
large  number  of  flowers,  but  paler  than  those  of 
the  tallest  specimen.  These  fine  examples  were 
grown  in  a  deep  vegetable  soil  in  a  shady  wood. 
A  long  flowering  shoot  of  Passiflora  quadrargu- 
laris  was  shown  by  Jlr.  Goldsmith,  Ilollanden 
Park,  Tonbridge.  There  were  no  fewer  than  six 
expanded  flowers  on  a  length  of  shoot  not  much 
over  a  foot  in  length. 

Messrs.  Veitch's  exhibits  included  Curcuma 
sumatrana,  a  species  in  the  way  of  C,  Roscoeana, 
but  with  large  bladed  leaves  with  long  dark 
petioles  ;  the  bracts  are  purple  and  showy.  Rho- 
dodendron Crown  Prince  of  Germany,  also  shown, 
is  one  of  the  finest  of  the  now  numerous  hybrid 
Rhododendrons  of  the  javanicum  race.  The 
flowers  are  large,  finely  shaped,  and  of  a 
brilliant  orange-scarlet.  Mr.  De  P..  Crawshay, 
Rosefield,  Sevenoaks,  showed  a  good  spike 
of  Disa  grandiflora,  and  a  very  pale  almost 
white  variety  of  Cattleya  Eldorado.  A  splen- 
did plant  of  Cattleya  Gaskelliana  came  from 
the  New  Plant  and  Bulb  Company,  Colchester.  It 
was  labelled  grandis,  and  bore  two  spikes,  one 
with  three  and  the  other  with  two  flowers ;  they 
were  large  and  highly  coloured — in  short,  was  one 
of  the  best  varieties  we  have  yet  seen.  The  same 
firm  also  contributed  a  group  of  choice  plants 
which  included  Montbretia  i'ottsi  and  M.  crocos- 
maeflora,  besides  s,  new  variety  with  pure  yellow 
flowers.  Eremurus  Olgaj,  an  interesting  and  pretty 
liliaceous  plant ;  Littonia  Keiti,  larger  than  L  mo- 
desta ;  Tritonia  nobilis,  Scuticaria  Steeli,  and  some 
hybrid  Gladioli.  These  latter  included  an  ex- 
tremely dark  rich  crimson  sort  named  Enfant  de 
Nancy,  which,  if  it  can  be  improved  as  regards 
size  and  form,  will  be  a  very  fine  plant. 

Among  some  various  sorts  of  Clematises  Mr. 
Noble,  of  Bagshot,  showed  the  white  C.  Jackmanni 
and  Star  of  India,  undoubtedly  a  variety  of  the 
highest  merit,  being  large  and  finely  shaped,  of  a 
rich  maroon-crimson,  and  very  floriferous.  Mr 
Noble  also  had  coning  branches  of  Abies  nobilis 
and  Pinns  parviflora,  and  flowering  branches  of 
Spiraea  Nobleanum,  S.  Douglasi,  and  Lindleyana, 
all  very  handsome  and  desirable  shrubs. 

A  well  grown  group  of  plants  of  the  pretty 
Statice  Uoribunda  was  shown  by  Messrs.  Lee, 
Hammersmith,  and  Messrs.  Cannell,  of  Swanley, 
sent  various  Tigridias,  including  the  charming 
new  white  variety.  A  pretty  new  straw-coloured 
Carnation  named  James  Veitch  was  shown  by  Mr. 
H.  B.  Smith,  of  Ealing;  it  is  distinct  and  may 
prove  of  value.  A  very  fine  double  white  zonal 
Pelargonium  was  shown  by  Mr.  Bealby,  Roehamp- 
ton  ;  it  is  floriferous  and  of  an  excellent  dwarf 
habit  of  growth  ;  it  is  named  Blanc  Parfait.  Mr. 
King,  of  Rowsham,  showed  several  new  seedling 
Begonias  of  admirable  habit,  and  with  erect  flower- 
stems  and  well  shaped  blooms;  they  were  named 
B"air  Maid  of  Rowsham  and  Countess  of  Rosebery  ; 
also  a  brilliant  leaved  Coleus  called  Earl  Dudley. 
It  has  deep  maroon  leaves  traversed  by  bright 
crimson  and  green  veins.  As  usual,  at  these 
August  meetings,  Messrs.  Kelway,  of  Langport, 
contributed  a  splendid  display  of  Gladioli,  of 
which  they  make  such  a  speciality  in  their  nur- 
series. The  display  numbered  no  fewer  than 
twelve  dozen  spikes,  all  representing  the  finest 
named  varieties  grown  to  perfection.  There  were 
several  new  seedling  varieties  exhibited,  and 
among  those  which  were  submitted  to  the  commit- 
tee were,  besides  Lady  Caiington,  which  received 
a  certificate,  St.  Gatien,  massive  spike  of  a  bril- 
liant carmine;  G.  T.  Miles,  rcse-pink, white  centre, 
both  of  the  highest  quality.  For  this  brilliant 
exhibition,  which  was  the  centre  of  attraction, 
Messrs   K».lway  were  awarded  a  silver  Banksiaa 


148 


THE    GARDEN 


fAuG.  10.   1884. 


medal.     Messrs.  Kelway  will  continue  their  dis- 
play here  throughout  August  and  September. 

The  large  collection  of  Dahlias  shown  indicated 
that  the  season  of  this  invaluable  autumn  flower 
has  commenced.  Jlr.  Turner,  of  the  Royal  Nur- 
series, Slough,  contributed  a  collection  of  some 
four  dozen  varieties,  representing  a  selection  of 
the  finest  double  sorts  now  grown.  A  bronze 
medal  was  awarded  to  Mr.  Turner  and  also  to  Mr. 
Ware,  who  had  a  most  attractive  array  of  single 
sort.«,  which,  set  up  (=0  effectively  as  they  were  in 
bunches,  were  much  showier  than  the  doubles. 
There  were  several  new  sorts  shown,  but  the  finest 
of  the  whole  collection  were  those  named  Buffalo, 
Negress,  White  Queen,  Lutea  grandiflora,  Cherry, 
Kaby  King,  Beacon,  Mrs.  Bowman,  and  General 
Gordon,  the  latter  a  form  of  the  Cactus  Dahlia. 

Fruit.— There  was  very  little  to  engage  the 
fruit  and  vegetable  committee.  The  chief  exhibit 
was  a  pair  of  fruits  of  the  Goodwood  Melon, 
which  Mr.  Rutland  brought  from  the  Duke  of 
Richmond's  garden  at  Goodwood,  where  the 
variety  originated  some  two  or  three  years  ago. 
The  fruits  are  oval-shaped,  very  large,  and  said  to 
be  of  delicious  flavour.  The  fruits  shown  by  Mr. 
Rutland  weighed  17i  lbs.  and  17^  lbs.  respective'y. 
A  seedling  Jlelon  was  shown  by  Mr.  Wiles,  of 
Edgecote  Park,  F.anbury;  and  Jlr.  Herbert,  of 
Richmond,  showed  a  fine  basketful  of  King  Hum- 
bert Tomato,  which  was  considered  to  be  identi- 
cal with  the  Chiswick  Red  variety. 

COTrAGER.S-  GARDEN  SHOAV. 
Ii-  the  productions  of  cottage  gardens  may  be 
judged  by  the  material  exhibited  in  the  cun,serva- 
tory  at  .South  Kensington  on  Tuesday  last,  a 
favourable  opinion  must  undoubtedly  be  formed 
of  the  cultural  skill  of  both  cottagers  and  artisans, 
for  without  doubt  the  bulk  of  the  productions  in 
question  would  have  compared  advantageously 
with  those  that  we  are  accustomed  to  see  shown 
by  professional  gardeners.  It  would  perhaps  be 
saying  too  much  if  we  stated  that  all  the  produce 
exhibited  came  direct  from  homt  fido  cottage  gar- 
den plots,  for  this  term  possesses  an  elastic  mean- 
ing, but  doubtless  the  bulk  of  it  was  furnished  by 
those  who  cultivate  their  gardens  in  their  leisure 
time.  The  show  seemed  to  surprise  everyone  not 
only  on  account  of  its  excellence,  but  its  extent. 
An  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  display  when  we 
state  that  the  entries  numbered  no  fewer  than  770. 
The  exhibition  was  innosensea  local  one,  inasmuch 
as  the  exhibits  came  from  widely  separated  parts. 
For  example,  one  exhibitor,  and  a  successful  one, 
too,  s?nt  produce  all  the  way  from  Dingwall,  in 
the  very  north  of  Scotland,  while  in  the  extreme 
south  there  were  some  from  Dorset,  and  from 
Buckinghamshire  in  the  west,  and  Norfolk  in  the 
east. 

The  schedule  was  admirably  compiled  ;  it  was 
so  arranged  that  cultivators,  whether  owners  of 
large  or  small  plots,  might  have  a  chance  of  ex- 
hibiting. _  The  number  of  classes  was  thirty-six, 
and  all  without  exception  were  represented  more 
or  less  numerously.  It  was  a  capital  idea  to  set 
apart  six  valuable  prizes  for  collections  of  garden 
produce  for  competition  amongst  the  various  local 
horticultural  and  cottage  garden  .societies  and  al- 
lotment holders  in  the  country.  The  secretary  or 
other  person  authorised,  of  the  society  competing, 
was  to  collect  produce  from  its  members,  make 
necessary  arrangements,  exhibit  in  the  usual 
manner,  and  to  guarantee  that  the  produce  was 
hona  fide  grown. 

The  collections  were  to  consist  of  fruit  and 
vegetables— not  less  than  six  kinds  of  fruit  and 
twelve  kinds  of  vegetables,  and  were  to  occupy  a 
space  not  exceeding  GO  square  feet.  The  prizes 
offered  were  £\  £1,  i'.-i,  i'o,  .£1,  10s.  Gd.  One 
would  have  thought  that  such  prizes  would 
have  brought  out  a  large  competition,  but  such 
was  not  the  case,  there  being  only  three 
collections  shown,  but  these  were  uncom- 
monly fine,  particularly  that  to  which  the  first 
prize  was  awarded.  This  came  from  the  Pet- 
worth  Garden  Committee,  represented  by  Mr.  W 
Jacob.    This  was  an  extensive  collection,  number- 


ing about  half  a  hundred  dithes  of  fruits  and  vege- 
tables. The  fruits  were  excellent,  all  hardy,  and 
amongst  them  Jargonelle  Pears  were  particularly 
conspicuous  for  their  excellence,  being  probably 
gathered  from  a  warm  wall.  This  Pear  succeeds 
admirably  about  Petworih.  Then  there  were 
first-rate  Gooseberries,  Currants,  Plums,  Rasp- 
berries, and  Apples,  and  among  vegetables  there 
were  some  really  high-class  productions.  The  Nor- 
tham  Horticultural  Society  showed  the  second 
best  collection,  also  a  good  one,  and  a  commend- 
able display  was  made  by  the  Bromley  Society  for 
the  third  prize.  This  comprised  the  first  class ; 
then  followed  classes  for  collections  of  six 
kinds  of  vegetables  in  which  there  were  twenty- 
six  competitors ;  for  four  kinds,  of  which  there 
were  twenty-nine  exhibitors.  Four  classes  were  set 
apart  for  Potatoes,  and  an  extensive  array  there 
was.  Thirty-three  showed  sets  of  three  round 
kinds  and  the  same  number  of  three  kidney  sorts. 
There  were  twentj-six  single  dishes  of  rounds  and 
sixteen  of  kidneys,  so  from  this  it  may  be  inferred 
that  the  Potato  ranks  high  in  the  estimation  of 
the  cottage  gardener.  Tbe  quality  of  the  tubers 
was  excellent,  and  a  judicious  assortment  of  va- 
rieties was  evident. 

i'eas  were  good  considering  the  season,  which 
has  been  one  of  the  worst  for  this  vegetable,  being 
so  hot  and  dry.  Some  of  the  best  therefore  came 
from  the  most  northerly  localities.  About  thirty 
dishes  were  shown.  Onions  were  especially  good, 
and  the  judges  had  no  little  difiiculty  in  singling 
out  the  best  four  dishes  from  the  three  dozen 
shown.  The  classes  for  Beans,  Turnips,  Lettuces, 
Carrots,  Beet,  Cauliflowers  were  not  remarkable, 
except  for  the  numbers  of  contributors,  but  the 
Cucumbers  were  exceptionally  fine,  and  no  doubt 
some  of  the  visitors  thought  with  us  that  some  of 
those  cottagers  must  have  little  Cucumber  houses, 
or  at  least  a  "  little  glass  "  attached  to  their  plots. 
So,  again,  with  the  Tomatoes,  which  evidently 
were  not  open-air  productions,  and  must  have 
been  grown  against  walls.  Vegetable  Marrows, 
which,  like  the  Scarlet  Runners,  sxeimrea-ccllfnce 
the  cottager  s  strong  point  in  the  way  of  vegetables, 
were  numerous  and  excellent,  and  we  noticed  that 
the  new  variety,  Muir's  Vegetable  Cream,  has 
already  found  its  way  into  small  gardens.  Coming 
to  the  fruits,  they  were  alike  as  fine  as  the  vege- 
tables. The  classes  were  for  Gooseberries,  Currants 
(Black,  Red,  and  White),  Raspberries,  Cherries 
(Jlorello).  Plums,  and  Apricots.  All,  except  the 
class  for  .\pricots,  were  numerously  represented, 
and  even  of  Apricots  there  were  three  capital 
dishes  shown.  In  all  there  were  upwards  of  a 
hundred  dishes  of  fruit  shown,  and  some  of  the 
largest  classes  were  represented  by  some  thirty 
competitors.  Altogether  this  innovation  on  the 
part  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  Health 
Exhibition,  combined  wilh  the  valuable  assistance 
rendered  by  the  oflicers  of  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society,  has  resulted  in  a  signal  success,  and  one, 
moreover,  that  is  calculated  to  add  a  stimulus  to  the 
cultivation  of  fruits  and  vegetables  in  small  gardens. 
We  hope  this  may  not  be  the  last  show  of  the  kind 
held  in  London,  but  we  fear  that  it  will  be  the 
last  this  year  under  the  auspices  of  the  Health 
Exhibition  committee. 


full  crop  of  fine  fruit.  At  Grimston  Park,  Tad- 
caster,  Morello  Cherries  on  pyramidal  bushes 
growing  in  open  borders  are  as  usual  loaded  with 
fruits,  while  on  north  walls  the  trees  of  this 
variety  neither  live  so  long  nor  bear  so  well  as  the 
bushes  in  question  do. 

Royal  Botanic  Society.- The  forty-fifth 
anniversary  meeting  of  this  society  was  held  at 
Regents  Park  on  Monday  last.  From  the  report 
it  appeared  that  the  receipts  for  the  year  reached 
i704.),  against  £GG."il  for  the  preceding  year, 
but  that  the  expenditure  involved  in  rebuilding 
the  corridor  and  greenhouses  and  in  adding  to  the 
Palm  house  had  been  heavy.  The  facilities 
afforded  to  artists,  students,  and  others  desiring 
information  or  specimens  have  been  much  sought 
after— 715  names  of  persons  holding  free  admis- 
sions being  on  the  books  for  the  year  and  48,000 
specimens  having  been  given  away.  The  report  also 
stated  that  an  increase  had  taken  place  in  the 
attendance  of  visitors  at  the  exhibitions  and 
evening  Jrfr,  the  attendance  at  the  latter  being 
nearly  500  in  excess  of  last  year.  The  council 
conclude  their  report  by  expressing  their  regret 
that  severe  illness  and  absence  from  England  had 
deprived  the  society  during  the  year  of  the  per- 
sonal assistance  of  his  Serene  Highness  the 
president. 

Next  years  latercational  Exhibition. 

The  exhibition  to  be  held  at  South  Kensington 
next  year,  in  succession  to  the  Health  Exhibition, 
is  to  be  one  devoted  to  inventions.  The  pro- 
spectus just  issued  includes  thirty-four  sections, 
thirty-one  of  which  are  set  apart  for  apparatus, 
appliances,  processes,  and  products  invented  and 
brought  into  use  since  18G2;  the  rest  of  the  sec- 
tions are  devoted  to  music.  The  first  section  is 
set  apart  for  agiiculture,  horticulture,  and  artjcri- 
culture.  In  this  section  there  will  be  seven 
classes,  the  last  two  of  which  will  be  devoted  to 
horticulture  and  arboriculture,  in  which  may 
be  shown  horticultural  apparatus,  such  as  hot- 
houses, frames,  greenhouses,  orchard  houses, 
graperies,  boiler  and  heating  apparatus,  lawn 
mowers,  watering  apparatus,  tools  and  implements, 
pots  and  plant  boxes,  garden  wirewoik,  chairs, 
&c.,  and  plant  label.--.  In  arboriculture— apparatus, 
&c.,  used  in  forestry,  methods  and  materials  for 
the  preservation  from  decay  of  trees  and  timber 
will  be  exhibited.  This  exhibition  ought  to  prove 
a  valuable  medium  for  displacing  thtrooghly  all 
the  apparatus  in  connection  with  horticulture,  and 
the  exhibition  under  the  head  of  forestry  may  also 
be  rendered  useful. 


BOOK.S  RIC'En-ED. 
"  Field  and  Gardfii  CVopsof  the  Nortli-westein  rroviiicea 
and  Uudli,"  wi'li  Mhistrati>rs,  in  two  parts,  by  J  F  Dutliie 
F.L.S.,  and  J.  B.  Fuller.    Civil  Engiiueiipg  Colkse  Tress' 
Koorkee. 


NOTES  OF  THE  WEEK. 


Certificated  Peas.— At  a  recent  meetiug  of  the  fruit 
and  vesotable  committee  of  the  Royal  Einrticultnrd  .Society 
held  in  the  Cliiswirk  Garden,  first-clas?  certificates  were 
awarded  for  the  following  Teas,  viz.  :  Bliss's  Ahundance 
(Howcroft  .t  Watkins),  Magnificent  (H.  Eckford),  .and  Earlv 
Paragon  (Shaipe  &  Co.). 

The  selection  of  hardy  flowera  in  the  poo-  mixed 
holders  in  the  West  end  parks  is  so  had,  that  we  think  the 
rejected  rubbish  from  some  nursery  where  they  have 
awakened  ti  the  need  of  wise  selection  has  found  ifs  way 
to  them.  We  notice  poor  Eudbeckias,  Golden  Rods  and 
other  plants  which  even  large  places  could  not  find  room 
for  if  they  duly  represented  the  vasmy  really  fine  thiaea 
which  we  have. 

At  Welbeck,  Apricot  trees  onawall  a  (juarter 
of  a  mile  in  length,  and  protected  with  glass,  are 
grand  this  year.  They  are  said  to  be  such  a 
sight  as  has  never  been  seen  before  even  at 
Welbeck,  inasmuch   as  every  tree  is  bearing  a 


Pterin  serrulata  {A.  L.  ir  , 

variety  identical  with  that  known  a 


Betmnnt).—A  curious 
ciisfata. 
Seedhng    Ca»nitlons    (ft.    B.    Virtenans)  ^Go'^i 
blooms,  some  being  <|nite  v/orth  naming,  particular'y  two 
se.fs,  one  a  bright  scarlet,  the  other  a  deep  crimson-red. 

Rabb'tsnnd  Ragwort.— I  find  lots  of  deid  rabbits 
with  a  leaf  of  common  Rigvvort  (.Senecio  Jacob:ea)  in  their 
throats  and  stomachs.  Is  Kagwort  known  to  be  poisonouj 
to  rabtats  .'— H.  E.  T. 

Hyeclnthus  cacdlcans  {A.  L  ir  ).-As  a  ru'e  it  is 
advisable  to  lift  the  bulbs  of  this  plant  in  autumn  and  re- 
plant  them  in  spring.  In  ni'M  localities  where  the  soil  is 
light  and  dry  the  bulbs  may  be  safe  y  left  in  the  gtound 
dunuj  ordinary  winters  — G. 

Grapes  ( Youmr  Be(,mner).-7he  bunch  of  white  Grapes 
you  send  appears  to  be  "  shanking."  The  roots  probably 
are  in  a  ijad  stite.  From  what  we  can  see  of  the  Idaclc 
Grape  it  is  a  case  of  bad  setting,  but  the  variety,  whatever 
It  be.  IS  apparently  of  little  value.  We  cannot  attempt  to 
name  the  varieties  from  the  samples  sent. 

Names  of  plants.-Cu^Aam.-Catalpx  bignonioides. 
- — K.  A.  S.— f'pir.-Ba  callosi,  Hypericum  calycinum,  Phloic 

decussata  (variety),  Triteleia  laxa D.  Taylor  -  i   Pavit 

macrost.achya ;  2,  Abies  canadensis;  Koellia  ciliata',  Etici 

Jtassoni,  Asclepias  curassavica J.  W.  K  —1   Sednni  re- 

fiexum  ;  2,  S.  Ewerai ;  3,  probably  some  sort  of  crucifer  ■  4 

seems  to  be  Primula  cortusoides. J.  S.  O.  B.-Lonicera 

Ledebouri.     Try  cuttings  in  autumn,  but  it  is  easier  to  in- 

creaeit  by  layering. A^.  V.—'lhe  Lesser  Dodder,  Cus- 

cuta  Eplthymum A.    Jfawson.  —  Gladiolus   piirpureo- 

auratus. S.   >'.— Dfndrobium  suavisEimum ir.  For. 

rester.—i,  Funkia  lanceolata  margioata :  2,  Veronica  longi- 
folia;  3.  Miltonia  Regnelli;  4,  Qiiamoclit  ccciuea ;  your 
Mu5c.it  Graps  s  show  a  case  of  shanking. 


THE     GARDEN 


149 


No.  668.  SATURDAY,  Aug.  23.  1884.         Vol.  XXVI. 


'■  This  is  an  Art 
^^^lil;h  ih^p.^  nien'1  Xntiire  :  chansTP  it  rnther:  but 
TnE  ART  ITSELF  13  NATURE."— Sfiofo'«i)i'lir«. 


GOOSE  BE  nrjES  ON  WALLS. 
SIR.  Iggulden's  remarks  on  this  subject  (p.  81) 
are  excellent.  Fine  crops  of  Gooseberries  might 
be  grown  on  walls,  and  all  vacant  places  on  them 
between  the  permanent  trees  should  be  filled  up 
with  them.  An  east  wall  suits  them  admirably, 
and  on  walls  they  can  be  better  protected  from 
birds  than  when  growing  in  the  usual  way.  By 
growing  Gooseberries  on  walls  two  advantages  are 
secured — first,  fruit  of  a  size  suitable  for  tarts  can 
be  had  earlier  by  a  fortnight  than  on  bush  trees,  a 
great  gain,  and  the  fruit  when  ripe  will  keep  much 
longer  than  that  produced  in  the  ordinary  way. 
Rain  is  thrown  cff  it  by  the  wall  coping,  thus 
keeping  the  ripe  fruit  dry  and  preventing  Fplit- 
ting  and  decay.  Il;  is  unnecessary  to  cover  the 
trees  with  wire  netting  to  protect  the  buds 
from  birds  in  spring,  thereby  warding  off  in 
some  degree  rain,  which  soon  renders  the  trees 
liable  to  the  attacks  of  red  spider.  When 
the  garden  here  was  made  some  five  years 
ago  we  planted  a  quantity  of  Gooseberry 
trees  of  different  kinds  against  the  walls  in 
the  spaces  between  the  permanent  fruit  trees. 
They  are  now  G  feet  high,  and  every  year  are 
completely  covered  with  fruit  down  to  the  ground. 
They  never  fail,  no  matter  what  the  season  may 
be.  The  young  wood,  which  is  made  freely,  is 
pruned  away  in  summer  previous  to  the  fruit 
ripening,  /  c ,  with  the  exception  of  the  leading 
shoots,  and  this  assists  maturation  by  admitting 
the  sun's  rays  freely  amongst  the  fruit.  Goose- 
berries from  walls,  we  think,  too,  are  of  better 
flavour  than  those  from  bushes.  Keeping  small 
birds  off  the  buds  in  spring  is  a  great  ad- 
vantage. Some  time  before  Christmas  the  trees 
are  pruned,  and  in  doing  this  we  leave 
as  much  young  wood  as  possible  without  over- 
crowding; other  shoots  we  cut  in  quite  close 
with  the  exceptions  of  leaders,  from  which  we 
jast  remove  the  extreme  points.  The  branches  left 
are  laid  in  quite  thickly,  say  4  inches  apart.  We 
then  mix  lime,  soot,  and  clay  to  the  consistency 
of  paint ;  some  grease  or  anything  of  the  kind 
from  the  kitchen  is  then  melted  over  a  fire,  and 
to  this  we  add  the  other  ingredients  when  hot. 
With  this  mixture  we  paint  all  the  branches, 
covering  them  completely,  buds  and  all.  To  some 
this  may  seem  a  troublesome  matter,  entailing  a 
large  amount  of  time  where  there  are  large  numbers 
of  trees  to  operate  on,  but  the  results  well  repay  us. 
Some  recommend  lime  only  applied  with  a  syringe, 
but  that  does  not  adhere  sufliciently.  The  frost 
and  rains  of  winter  soon  wash  it  off,  but  by  adding 
the  grease  and  clay  this  is  remedied.  It  does  not 
wash  cff  before  the  trees  are  safe  from  the  attacks 
of  birds,  and  with  caterpillars  we  are  seldom 
troubled  ;  if  a  few  make  their  appearance,  a  dose 
of  hellebore  powder  soon  settles  them.  We 
sprinkle  a  little  powder  over  the  parts  affected  in 
the  evening,  and  the  following  morning  we 
thoroughly  wash  the  trees  with  clear  water  applied 
with  the  garden  engine.  This  cleanses  them  for 
the  season.  The  stems  of  our  trees,  too,  are  never 
affected  by  Moss,  such  as  one  often  sees  on  trees 


not  treated  in  the  way  described.  This  we  attri- 
bute to  the  annual  painting.  Our  bush  trees 
are  also  all  painted,  but  we  do  not  summer 
prune  them,  as  they  do  not  make  as  much  wood  as 
those  growing  against  the  walls.  They  bear 
heavy  crops  annually — eg  heavy  as  to  require  sup- 
ports to  keep  the  fruit  cff  the  ground.  We  dig  in  a 
small  quantity  of  manure  about  the  roots  once  in 
two  years,  as  we  find  them  to  crop  and  grow  well 
enough  without  annual  manuring.  Our  Red  Cur- 
rants in  the  quarters  of  the  kitchen  garden  we 
paint  in  the  same  way  as  the  Gooseberries.  They 
are  trees  with  a  clean  stem  of  about  15  inches 
long ;  each  tree  consists  of  from  six  to  ten  branches, 
which  are  kept  closely  spurred  in.  The  branches 
are  allowed  to  grow  about  6  feet  high ;  by  hav- 
ing so  few  branches  to  each  tree,  and  pruning 
the  young  shoots  in  summer  when  the  fruit  com- 
mences to  colour,  they  get  plenty  of  sun  and  air, 
which  assists  the  ripening  of  the  wood — a  great 
point  in  the  production  of  next  year's  crop.  Under 
this  treatment  the  branches  become  clothed  very 
thickly  from  top  to  bottom  with  fruit.  An  advan- 
tage gained  by  cutting  away  the  young  growth 
preparatory  to  ripening  is  that  the  rains  clear  the 
fruit  of  honeydew  which  sometimes  affects  them. 

E.    MOLYNEUX. 

Sn-anmorp  Farh,  Bis7ioj>'s  Walthani. 


REPLANTING  NARCISSI 
Having  just  finished  the  digging  and  replanting 
of  some  thousands  of  Narcissus  bulbs  of  kinds 
many  and  various,  I  wish  to  say  a  few  words  on 
the  subject.  When  I  read  my  paper  at  the 
Daffodil  Congress  at  South  Kensington  I  stated 
that  the  best  time  to  replant  Narcissus  was  in 
June,  July,  and  August,  by  which  I  meant  that 
July  was  in  the  main  the  best  and  most  proper 
season.  Our  operations  this  year  have  corro- 
borated once  more  the  impressions  I  have  long 
held.  In  July,  as  a  general  rule.  Narcissus  bulbs 
are  jast  so  many  cricket  balls — that  is  to  say,  both 
tops  and  roots  have  withered  away,  and  you  may 
remove  and  replant  them  at  once  without  the 
slightest  fear  of  injury.  In  Holland,  I  believe, 
the  rule  is  to  dig  bulbs  of  nearly  all  kinds  every 
year,  and  Narcissus  growers  at  home  may  follow 
that  plan  with  advantage  whenever  increase  of 
stock  is  a  desideratum,  as  well  as  the  annual 
flower  harvest.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  flowers  only 
are  desired,  clumps  may  be  left  for  three  or  four 
years  at  least  unmoved  without  injury.  What  I 
am  most  anxious  to  make  clear  to  amateurs, 
however,  is  the  great  central  fact  that  if  Narcissus 
bulbs  are  dug  in  July  and  at  once  replanted, 
they  will  flower  quite  as  strongly,  even  if  not  actu- 
ally more  so,  as  if  left  in  the  ground  unmoved, 
and  that  in  addition  bulb  increase  and  bulb  growth 
are  alike  improved  upon  by  this  judicious  re- 
moval. On  the  other  hand,  if,  as  now  happens 
very  frequently,  the  bulbs  are  dug  up  in  July  or 
August,  and  are  then  dried  and  tossed  about  in 
the  shops  until  say  October,  November,  or  even 
December,  the  bulbs  are  weakened  so  much  that 
good  strong  bloom  the  first  season  after  planting 
is  quite  out  of  the  question.  I  am  convinced  that 
Narcissus  bulbs  cannot  be  dug  too  early  after  the 
Ust  week  in  June,  nor  can  they  be  planted  too 
early  after  they  are  dug.  Drying  off  the  bulbs 
and  keeping  them  out  of  the  hands  of  the  grower 
until  late  in  autumn,  as  is  now  the  rule,  is  a 
most  pernicious  system.  Drying  cff  bulbs  is 
almost  a  necessity  for  trade  purposes  so  far  as 
Dutch  growers  are  concerned, but  forallUardy  bnlb= 


rown  at  home  it  is  not  so ;  and  when  once  amateur 
growers  and  large  bulb  buyers  recognise  the  fact 
that  a  Narcissus  bulb  cannot  be  too  soon  replanted 
after  it  is  dug  up  in  July,  then  and  then  only  may 
we  hope  for  a  trade  to  spring  up  in  fresh,  i.e., 
newly  dug,  bulbs.  In  too  many  cases  the  bulb 
salesman  is  only  a  middleman,  and  all  he  cares 
about  is  to  buy  as  cheaply  and  to  sell  as  dearly  as 
he  can  ;  but  if  amateurs  are  wise,  they  will  first 
make  sure  that  the  bulbs  are  grown  by  the  man 
with  whom  they  deal ;  and  secondly,  they  will 
insist  on  having  their  orders  executed  as  they 
themselves  desire,  when,  as  in  the  case  of  Narcissi, 
it  is  fairly  proved  that  the  early  (July)  planting 
of  freshly  dug  bulbs  is  the  best  practice.  I  here 
confine  my  remarks  to  Narcissus  bulbs,  but  the 
principle  here  alluded  to  is  applicable  to  many — 
indeed,  to  most— other  hona  Jide  hardy  bulbs,  by 
which  I  mean  those  which  exist  from  year  to  year 
in  our  northern  and  midland  climate  without  pro- 
tection. I  shall  be  glad  to  have  the  opinion  and 
experience  of  other  observers  in  this  matter,  but 
personally  wish  to  say  that  I  am  totally  opposed 
to  the  usual  custom  as  now  practised  of  drying 
cff  hardy  bulbs  and  keeping  them  out  of  the 
ground  months  a'ter  the  proper  time  of  planting. 
I  was  speaking  to  a  large  bulb  grower  on  this 
point  the  other  day,  and  dug  up  some  Nar- 
cissus bicolor  Horsfieldi  roots  to  convince  him 
that  at  one  particular  season  a  Narcissus  bulb  lies 
in  the  ground  without  a  living  leaf  above  or  a  root 
alive  below.  That  time  is,  as  I  have  said,  be- 
tween the  limits  of  June  and  August,  some  species 
being  earlier  and  some  later  than  others,  but,  as  a 
rule,  the  proper  time  is  in  July.  After  the  Nar- 
cissus Congress  one  or  two  growers  took  excep- 
tion to  my  statement  that  July  was  the  best  time 
for  lifting  the  bulbs,  and  a  kind  of  informal  com- 
mittee was  the  result,  and  some  little  discussion 
on  the  matter  took  place  at  South  Kensington  in 
one  of  the  arcades.    There  were  present  Messrs. 

Barr,  Ktelage,  Perry,  Walker,  Wallace,  and  my- 
self, and  the  result  of  the  discussion  was  confirma- 
tion in  the  main  that  my  statement  was  right. 
One  gentleman  threw  a  little  light  on  the  matter 
by  saying  that  in  Holland  the  bulb  growers  only 
dry  off  the  bulbs  intended  for  the  English  market, 
adding  that  the  stock  bulbs  were  at  once  re- 
planted. In  a  word,  all  my  observations  and  ex- 
perience go  to  prove  that  the  drying  off  of  Nar- 
cissus bulbs  is  wrong,  and  that  late  planting  is 
also  wrong  in  practice,  and  the  question  now  is, 
how  long  these  two  errors  are  to  remain  unre- 
medied. I  am  sure  that  in  the  end  both  amateurs 
and  the  trade  will  be  alike  benefited— the  one  by 
ordering  and  the  other  by  suppiyicg  freshly  dug 
Narcissus  bulbs  in  July.  F.  W.  B. 

Lemoine'a  hybrid  Gladioli— Some  years 
ago  M.  Lemoine,  of  Nancy,  raised  two  hybrid  kinds 
of  Gladioli  by  crossing  G.  purpureo-auratuswith  one 
of  the  highly  coloured  seedlings  of  the  florist's 
race.  The  result  was  G.  Lemoinei  and  G.  Mane 
Lemoine,  both  figured  in  The  Garden,  Vol.  XVII , 
p.  31)0.  Since  then  others  have  made  their  appear- 
ance, none  more  beautiful  perhaps  than  G.  Enfant 
de  Nancy,  a  rich  dark  crimson  form  now  in  bloom 
with  us,  and  exhibited  at  South  Kensington  last 
week.  These  varieties  are  quite  distinct  m  growth, 
hardiness,  and  in  blossom  from  the  ordinary 
kinds  of  Souchet  and  Kelway,  and  should  ne^e^ 
be  compared  with  them.  Mr.  W.  E.  Gumbleton,_of 
Belgrove,  Queenstown,  has  made  quite  a  speciality 
of  these  new  varieties,  and  certainly  they  merit 
attention,  being  perfectly  hardy,  and  so  far  of 
rapid  increase  also.  John  Thorp,  Zelie  (Delieul) 
Ville  de  Versailles,  and  Christophe  Colomh  are 
also  now  in  bloom  there,  and  flowers  I  bave  just 


160 


THE     GARDEN 


[Aug.  23,  1884. 


seen  of  another  new  form  (W.  E.  Gumbleton)  are 
very  fine  in  thape  and  colour— a  deep  rose  flake 
■with  purple  blotches  on  the  side  lobes,  which  are 
aUo  flecked  with  white.  Being  most  ekgant  in 
habit,  perfectly  hardy,  and  distinct  in  form  from 
the  ordinary  kinds,  they  will  henceforth  be  highly 
prized  by  all  lovers  of  hardy  flowers.— F.  W.  B 


WATERING  IN  DRY  WEATHER. 
TREE.S  ASD  SHRUBS.— In  1868-9,  both  dry 
seasons,  many  of  the  forest  trees  suffered  severely 
and  some  died,  and  I  more  than  suspect  that  not  a 
few  trees  and  shrubs  date  their  decay  from  that 
season.  Rhododendrons  drooped  seveiely,  beinj? 
shallow  rooters,  and  the  wonder  was  that  they  did 
not  die  outright;  but  our  experience  that  sea- on 
convinced  us  that  the  Rhododendron  is  more 
tenacious  of  life  than  most  shrubs.  Although  the 
leaves  fell  off  and  the  bark  withered  in  some  cases, 
I  do  not  think  we  lost  one  Rhododendron  from 
drought.  Isolated  bushes  suffered  most;  where 
growing  in  dense  shrubberies,  where  the  fallen 
leaves  had  not  been  cleaned  out,  the  top  suffered 
much  less.  Any  choice  trees  or  shrubs  whose  roots 
are  near  to  the  surface  should  be  first  thickly 
mulched  and  then  watered.  The  mulching  should 
be  from  2  inches  to  6  inches  thick.  Where  this  is 
put  on,  one  good  watering  will  keep  the  tree  sa'e. 
It  is  astonishing  to  what  degree  evaporation  is 
arrested  by  mulching,  and  how  long  the  ground 
remains  moist.  Here,  at  the  present  time,  every- 
thing is  suffering  from  drought,  the  ground  being 
unusually  dry,  except  where  Strawberries  are 
growing.  These,  being  mulched  in  spring,  hjve 
received  no  artificial  watering  since,  and  the  soil 
about  them  is  quite  moist  up  to  the  surface. 
Wherever  mulching  can  be  applied,  therefore,  let 
it  be  given,  and  then  water  once  c  piously,  and 
oftener  if  required.  Tree  and  shnib  roots  are 
deep,  and  a  good  soaking  is  required  to  reach 
them.  Another  advantage  of  thick  mulchng 
previous  to  watering  is  that  the  mulching  holds 
much  water  in  suspension  like  a  ■■■ponge,  and  parts 
■with  it  slowly  to  the  soil,  thus  moistening  it  more 
effectually  than  if  the  water  had  been  poured  on 
the  bare  surface,  in  which  case  much  of  the 
moisture  is  soon  lost  through  evaporation. 

In  young  plantations  of  trees  and  shrubs 
the  Grass  usually  grows  strong  at  this  season,  rob- 
bing the  soil  of  both  moisture  and  nourishment 
and  a  good  plan  is  to  cut  the  Grass  with  the  scythe' 
and  leave  it  on  the  ground.  The  effect  of  this  is 
good,  as  the  cut  Grass,  if  scattered  roughly,  com- 
pletely arrests  further  evaporation,  and  in  the  end 
decays  and  disappears  like  any  other  manure.  In 
all  cases  where  rough  weeds  or  coarse  Grasses  are 
cut  down  among  young  shrubs  and  trees  they  are 
much  better  left  lying  on  the  ground. 

Carnations  suffer  from  drought  sooner  than 
many  other  subjects,  the  roots  being  numerous  and 
near  the  surface.  The  stems  droop  and  turn 
yellow,  and  the  flowers  refuse  to  open  The  Car- 
nation likes  a  cool  soil.  Leaf- soil  scattered  in 
among  the  plants  works  a  miracle  almost,  if  one 
good  watering  is  given  at  the  same  time  •  and 
whenever  possible  Carnations  should  be  mulched 
in  warm,  dry  soils.  Where  the  plants  are  allowed 
to  grow  in  masses  and  cover  the  ground  with  their 
own  foliage,  the  latter  acts  as  a  protection  itself  • 
but  plants  put  out  of  pots,  being  usually  isolated 
on  b.are  soil,  soon  suffer  unless  mulched  and  wa- 
tered. 

HeRBACBOUS  BORDERS  AND  BEDS,  being  usually 

filled  with  a  great  variety  of  subjtcis,  suffer  from 
drought  severely,  particularly  the  shallow  rooting 
species  and  such  as  root  freely,  like  the  Phlox 
which  13  a  gross  feeder,  soon  impoverishing  the 
sou  near  and  sucking  the  moisture  out  of  it  like 
a  crop  of  Peas.  The  best  plan  is  to  mulch  such 
borders  with  rotten  leaf-mould  or  Cocoa-nut  fibre 
refuse  early  in  the  season,  either  of  which  will 
l-.eep  the  soil  moist  wiil;put  watering,  if  put  on 

fnZl^  V ■°";^'  "',  ■'  ''"''''^«  '^''=P-  Cool  moisture 
loving    subjects,    like    the    herbaceous    ^pira^as, 

be  mnllt'^^'f"' ^u'^  most  alpine  subjects,  should 
be  mulched  by  themselves  if  the  whole  of  the 
ground  cannot  be  covered. 


several  inches  of  leaf-mould  or  short  Grass  will 
often  save  the  lives  of  any  of  the  Viola  family, 
and  also  Calceolarias,  both  of  which  have  already 
shown  symptoms  of  going  off  earlier  than  usual. 
Here  Pansies  and  Violas  are  most  uncertain  if  not 
mulched,  and  watering  without  that  seems  only 
to  work  greater  injury,  causing  the  soil  to  cake 
and  crack  in  a  few  hours  afterwards,  unless  the 
wateiing-pot  is  followed  immediately  by  the  hoe, 
which  is  not  always  convenient — mulching  pre- 
vents all  this. 

Flower  beds  —All  flower  beds  suffer  in  dry 
seasons,  and  especially  bedding  plants,  whose 
roots  are  always  necessarily  near  the  surface.  The 
evil  is  greatly  increased  by  careless  planting,  as  if 
the  roots  are  not  let  in  deeply,  as  can  be  done  in 
the  case  of  many  things  from  seed  beds,  the  tops 
are  sure  to  suffer  from  a  few  days'  drought  even. 
Still,  frequent  waterings  should  be  avoided  ;  a 
good  soaking  once  a  fortnight  is  sufficient  if  the 
surface  of  the  .?oil  is  stirred  the  day  following  or 
mulched,  but  mulching  is  objected  to  on  flower 
beds  if  not  covered  in  some  way,  as  the  birds  are 
sure  to  scatter  the  litter  all  over  the  ground. 

Kitchen  garden  crops.- Both  Strawberries 
and  Raspberries  will  need  copious  waterings  if  the 
roots  have  not  been  mulched  early  in  the  season, 
particularly  Raspberries,  which  love  a  cool,  moist 
soil.  We  always  thickly  mulch  Raspberries,  and 
although  the  rainfall  has  been  less  than  in  almost 
any  other  part  of  the  kingdom  during  the  last  two 
months,  we  have  not  had  to  give  water  till  now, 
although  elsewhere  the  soil  is  so  dry,  we  have  had 
to  water  it  before  digging  and  again  after  sowing 
or  planting.  This  is  an  excellent  plan  in  a  dry 
season,  as  after  a  long  drought  the  soil  gets  so  dry 
on  the  surface,  that  to  die  it  over  with  the  spade, 
turning  the  dry  soil  to  the  bottom,  is  to  almost 
insure  faihire,  unless  copious  rains  set  in  imme- 
diately. l!y  watering  first  and  digging  after  a 
moist  tilth  is  provided.  As  to  vegetable  crops, 
they,  as  a  rule,  do  little  good  in  very  dry  seasons. 
Cauliflowers  button  at  an  early  stage,  and  are 
useless.  Turnips  run  to  seed  ;  so  do  Ctlery,  Let- 
tuce, and  other  things,  and  the  quality  of  all  is 
impaired.  The  only  vegetable  that  does  better 
the  diier  and  hotter  it  is  is  New  Zealand  Spinach, 
a  most  invaluable  vegetable  in  dry  feascns,  afford- 
ing a  plentiful  supply  of  large,  succulent  leaves 
when  common  Spinach  cannot  be  had,  unless  sown 
about  every  two  weeks  in  very  rich  soil  and  well 
watered,  as  it  runs  to  seed  immediately,  producing 
few  or  no  leaves.  Mulchings,  even  if  thin,  should 
be  scattered  roughly  over  the  soil  among  all  crops 
during  drought,  and  there  is  hardly  anything  so 
handy  as  short  Grass,  which,  being  light  and  easily 
applied,  may  soon  be  made  to  cover  much  ground, 
and  it  will  reduce  the  necessity  of  watering  at 
least  fifty  per  cent.,  so  that  there  is  no  comparison 
between  the  two  as  regards  labour.  Water  should 
be  applied  always  after  the  mulching  is  put  on. 

J.  S.  W. 


A  good  covering  of 


DUTCH  MARKET  GARDENS. 
In  the  neighbourhood  of  Amsterdam  there  are 
over  150  market  gardens,  in  the  greater  por- 
tion of  which  such  kinds  of  vegetables  as  it  is 
usual  to  forward  under  glass  are  grown,  whilst 
some  are  devoted  exclusively  to  Haricot  Beans, 
Cabbages,  and  other  things  commonly  cultivated 
as  field  crops.  The  Dutch  market  gardeners  are 
a  laborious, painstaking  class,  but,seldom  journey- 
ing far  from  home,  are  wedded  to  old  ways,  some 
of  their  appliances  being  of  a  very  primitive 
description.  Thus,  for  instance,  the  sashes  of 
their  frames  are  glazed  with  small  squares  bedded 
in  lead,  just  like  the  old-fashioned  casement 
windows,  a  fact  which  seems  most  strange,  seeing 
that  that  style  of  glazing  garden  frames  has  for 
many  years  been  quite  obsolete  in  European 
gardens  generally.  The  frames  themselves 
are  of  a  rough  description,  Ibeing  formed  of 
thick  boards,  being  generally  some  SO  feet 
long,  and  divided  into  compartments  at  need. 
Where  ground  is  so  valuable,  space  is  natur- 
ally economised  as  much  as  possible,  there 
being  but  about  1^  feet  between  each  row  of 
frames.     Each  market  garden  is  surrounded  by  I  When   the"cucumbers   are 


hedges  and  divided  into  two  or  several  portions  by 
screens  or  transverse  hedges.     In  a  level  country 
like   Holland,  where  there   are   but  few   natural 
breaks  to  the  fury  of  the  winds,  some  such  kind  of 
artificial  protection  is  almost  indispensable,  and 
especially  where  a  large  number  ot  glass  frames 
are  employed.  One  or  more  of  these  compartments 
are  occupied  by  the  dwelling  house,  sheds,  cellars 
for  vegetables,  and   frames ;  the    remainder   are 
devoted  to  the  various  kinds  of  crops  which  rray 
be  made  a  speciality  of.     Some  growers  use  as 
many  as  2000  lights,  from  which  three  or  four 
crops    are   taken  annually.     Thus   at    the   com- 
mencement   of   the    year    they  are    filled    with 
Carrots,   Parsley,    Chicory,    Sorrel,   Leeks,   either 
seedling  or  autumn-sown   plants.    Lettuces    for 
cutting    in    a  young     state.     Turnips     for    the 
sake    of  the    stalks.  Celery   and    Lettuces   sown 
thickly  to  be  used  as  thinned  out  and  for  hearting. 
No  heat  is  applied  to  such  things  at  that  time  of 
year,  the  frames  being  merely  a  protection  against 
the  rigorous  winter  climate,  which,  as  in  Germany, 
does  not  allow  of  the  enjoyment  of  fresh  green 
vegetables  from  the  open  ground  at  that  time  of 
year.     Cabbages,  Turnips,  Celery,  and  such  like 
must  all  get  some  protection,  or  they  are  liable  to 
perish  wholesale.     This  accounts  for  the  disparity 
in  numbers  between  those  who  use  glass  and  those 
who  grow  in  the  open  air  exclusively,  for  whilst 
there  are  nearly  1.30  market  growers  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Amsterdam,  very  few  of  whom  have 
not  less  than  a  thousand  frames  in  use,  there  are 
not   twenty  who   practise  field   culture.     It    will 
thus  be  seen  that  such  a  quick  rotation  of  crops 
by  frames  is   practicable  ;   they  are  indeed  never 
emp'y,  being  employed  in  winter  for  the  storage 
as  it  were  of  such  things  as  cannot  bear  a  Dutch 
winter,  in  spring  tor  hastening  salads  and  other 
things,  and  in  summer  for  Cucumbers  principally. 
The  growth  of  this  esculent  indeed  forms  an  im- 
portant industry  in  Dutch  market  gardens.     The 
summer  climate  is  propitious,  being  just  about  as 
much  warmer  as  it  is  colder  than  ours  in  winter, 
so  that  with  generous  culture  heavy  crop3  are  ob- 
tained  with   regularity.     Many  of  your    readers 
will  be  acquainted  with  the  "Dutchmen,"  as  the 
Covent  Garden  salesmen  call  them.     These  are 
Cucumbers  of   medium  size,  rather  rough  in  ap- 
pearance, but  of  fairly  good  quality,  and  which 
may  be  bought  during  the  summer  season  whole- 
sale  at   from    Od.    to    Is.  3d.    per   dozen.     They 
are  very  superior  to   the   ridge,  but  inferior  to 
English   frame   fruit;    they  seem,  indeed,   to  be 
exactly  intermediate  between  the  two,  and   are 
a  selection  from  the  former  or  a  cross  between 
some  frame  kind  and  the  ridge.     Whatever  may 
be  the  origin  of  this  Cucumber,  it  admirably  suits 
the  Dutch  market  growers,  being  hardy,  vigour- 
ous,  and   free-bearing.     Were  it  not  for  these 
"  Dutchmen,"     home-grown     Cucumbers    -nould 
realise   higher   prices,   but   they   come   into   this 
country   in   such   a   quantity  as  to   considerably 
lower  the  value  of  home-grown  fruit.     The  winter 
crops  above  alluded  to  are  followed  by  Carrots, 
salads,   Radishes,  Leeks,  Celery,  &o.,  which  are 
brought  along  on  hotbeds.     Cauliflowers  are  also 
transplanted,   one    plant  being   put   under   each 
square  of  glass.     Some  of  the  Lettuces  are  cut 
young;   the  Celery  is  pricked    out  when  large 
enough.     Other  Lettuces  are  placed  far  enough 
apart  to  allow  of  full  development,  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  frames  being  devoted  to  this  escu- 
lent.    In  the  meantime  other  frames  are  being 
prepared  for  the    Cucumbers,  the    seeds    being 
sown    in   the   middle  of   each   light  where  they 
are  to  grow  — an   excellent   plan,   as    I   myself 
have  had  abundant  proof.     Others   are  used   in 
the  same  way  as  soon  as  they  are  free,  so  that 
by   the   beginning   of    summer   quite   two-thirds 
of  the  frames  are  full  of   Cucumbers,    As  each 
market  grower  has  on  an  average  1.100  frames,  and 
there  are  some  150  of  them  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Amsterdam,  it  will  be  seen  that  in  that  dis- 
trict alone   about  150,000   frames  are  devoted  to 
Cacumbers.     No  wonder,  then,  that  our  markets 
are  filled  with  Dutch  Cucumbers  at  this  season  of 
the  year.     Melons  are  also  grown,  but  not  to  the 
same  extent,  as   they  are  not  so  remunerative, 
sown   the  remaining 


Ai<=.  23,   1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


151 


space  is  filled  with  Spinach,  Radishes,  Carrots, 
Sorrel,  I'urslane,  Chicory,  Ji;c ,  which  is  taken  off 
in  time  to  allow  of  the  development  of  the 
Cucumbers.  Transport  is  effected  by  means 
of  boats,  which  are  loa'Jed  up  in  the 
washing  sheds  situated  on  the  borders  of 
the  canals,  and  which  are  towed  to  market  by 
the  workmen,  lletween  two  and  three  thousand 
boats  annually  discharge  their  cargoes  at  the 
quays.  As  is  the  cise  in  the  Paris  market  gardens, 
the  great  proportion  of  the  work  is  done  by 
the  family  of  the  occupier,  the  wife  and  children 
washing  and  prepiricg  the  vegetables  for  market, 
but  in  the  busy  ."^eajon  the  largest  gardens  occupy 
some  half  a  dozen  labourers.  Large  as  the  amount 
of  vegetable  produce  grown  by  the  market  grower.- 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Amsterdam  is,  the  supply 
does  not  suflice,  over  200U  boatloads  annually 
arriving  from  other  districts.  These  contain 
Canliflowers,  Carrots,  Onion?,  Turnips,  Haricot^ 
Potatoes,  and  fruits,  not  including  nearly  100 
boatloads  of  Strawbemes.  J.  Coenhill. 

Biilhrt. 


PLANTS    IN    FLOWER. 


Montbretia  crncosmseflora.— A  clump  of  tliis  .s 
feet  tlirough  is  now  ia  llower  in  the  New  Plant  Company's 
garden  .it  Cok-liester.  Dr.  AVallace  says  it  is  very  liand- 
some  when  seen  in  a  mass. 

Ficotee  Paint?d  Lady.— .Some  Ijlioms  of  this  stril^- 
ini^ly  pretty  variety  have  been  sent  to  us  hy  itr.  Bedford 
from  Stratfan.  The  petals  are  of  a  pleasing  flesh-pinl<  on 
the  upper  surface  and  nearly  white  beneath.  It  is,  we 
believe,  a  very  old  variety,  but  nevertheless  one  that  should 
be  grown. 

Seedling  Carnations.— I  herewith  send  you  sonic 
seedling  Carnations  just  «s  cut  from  the  border.  Kindly 
let  me  knnw  what  you  tiiink  of  them — D.  A.  McIvek, 
Fbant'^Sfne  Garden,  Fr/'titonk'-rk. 

*v*  They  a'e  very  pretty  and  varied  in  colour.  Why  net 
try  to  raise  a  good  yellow  border  Carmtion,  or  break  out 
into  new  and  d'Stinct  races?  Some  of  the  flowe'syou  send 
represent  very  fine  sorts,  quite  worth  naming,  particularly 
the  self-coloured  kinds,  such  as  those  numbered  10,  26,  19, 
aud  C-Ed. 

Echioops  Ritro — This  is  one  of  the  few 
plants  that  seem  to  thoroughly  enjoy  dry,  warm 
weather.  We  have  never  seen  it  finer  than  it  is 
this  year  in  light  sandy  soils.  In  Mr.  Stevens' 
garden  at  Bytleet  there  are  large  plants  of  it 
covered  with  bright  purple  heads  of  bloom  which 
have  a  fine  appearance.  Another  plant  with  which 
the  warm  weather  also  agrees  is  Eryngium 
amethystinum,  which  is  likewise  flowering  pro- 
fusely at  Grasmere.  Some  of  the  plants  of  it  are 
quite  aglow  with  bright  colour  which  shines  in  the 
Bun  like  burnished  steel. 

New  white  Ipomsea.— Some  flowers  of  the 
new  Ipoma;a  Thomsoniana,  sent  to  us  by  Mr  F>.  S. 
William?,  from  his  nursery  at  Upper  HoUoway, 
show  admirably  what  a  lovely  addition  to  stove 
climbing  plants  it  is.  The  flowers  are  snow-white, 
and  similar  in  size  and  form  to  the  well-known  1. 
Horsfallia; ;  indeed,  it  may  be  best  described  as  a 
white-flowered  variety  of  that  species,  inasmuch 
as  it  resembles  it  in  growth,  and  is  said  to  be  quite 
as  floriferous  and  easy  to  grow.  Such  a  lovely 
white-flowered  stove  climber  is,  indeed,  a  valuable 
acquisition,  and  no  doubt  it  will  not  be  long  before 
it  becomes  popular. 

Kniphofia  grand  Is.— This  at  the  present 
time  is  one  of  the  noblest  of  hardy  perennials, 
and  for  some  weeks  to  come  its  tall,  stout  stems, 
surmounted  by  massive  clusters  of  flame-coloured 
flowers,  will  prove  very  bright  and  effective.  It  is 
now  beautifully  in  flower  in  Messrs.  Barr's  grounds 
at  Tooting.  Rightly  placed  in  a  garden,  this 
plant  has  few  rivals  either  in  stateliness  or  bril- 
liancy. It  is  seen  to  best  advantage  in  front  of  a 
group  of  evergreen  shrubs  in  a  retired  nook  with 
a  foreground  of  Grass.  In  such  a  position  its 
colour  stands  out  in  relief  and  lights  up  the  whole 
surroundings.  It  is  known  also  as  Tritoma  grandis, 
but  Kniphofia  is  its  correct  name. 

Ceropegia  Saunderei  — I  send  you  flowers 
of  this  plant.  It  has  laid  hold  of  a  Marechal 
Niel  Rose,  and  grown  at  least  8  feet  since  March. 
It  likes  shade  evidently  and  to  be  cool  at  the 


roots,  because  the  pot  stands  at  the  opening  where 
the  Rose  is  brought  from  the  outside.  This  is  one 
of  the  curious  plants  which  the  late  Mr.  John  E. 
Daniels,  of  Epsom,  loved  to  grow,  and  from  whom 
I  had  it.  It  is  also  interesting,  being  one  of  the 
subjects  e.xperimented  upon  by  Darwin,  and 
noticed  in  his  '■  Movements  and  Habits  of  Climb- 
ing Plants." — J.  Wood,  tViwili-ille,  Klrkitall. 

*t^*  A  very  curious  flower  having  a  Mushroom- 
s'l.iped  cover  over  the  tube.  The  whole  flower  is 
pale  green,  blotched  and  mottled  with  a  brighter 
shade  of  green, — Ed. 

Pobinla  Peeudacacia  semper florena. 

— This  variety  of  the  False  Acacia  is  aptly  named, 
inasmuch  as  it  is  the  most  continuous  flowerer  of 
all  the  varieties ;  indeed  it  blooms  from  early 
summer  until  autumn  without  intermission.  On 
this  account  it  is  a  most  desirable  tree,  and 
one  which,  when  in  perfection,  has  a  highly 
ornamental  appearance.  The  foliage  is  of  the  same 
light  feathery  character  as  the  typical  form,  but 
a  brighter  green.  The  flowers  are  white,  and 
hang  in  drooping  racemes  round  the  foliage. 
A  fine  example  of  it  is  among  the  most  attractive 
objects  just  now  in  Mr.  Joseph  Stevens' garden 
at  Grasmere,  P.yfleet. 

Carnatioa  Pride  of  Penshurst  —.V  good 
yellow  Carnation  is  a  valuable  acquisition,  even 
among  the  plethora  of  varieties  which  we  have 
now  in  cultivation.  One  of  the  best  of  the  few 
yellows  we  have  seen  is  that  named  Pride  of 
Penshurst,  which  was  raised  some  si.xteen  years 
ago  by  Mr.  Bridger,  the  gardener  at  Penshurst 
Place,  Kent.  The  colour  is  soft  primrose-yellow, 
a  colour  that  harmonises  so  charmingly  wiih  crim- 
sons and  reds.  The  flowers  are  of  moderate  size, 
full  of  petals,  and  abundantly  produced  in  succes- 
sion from  the  first  week  in  July  to  the  last  week 
in  August,  and  by  growing  the  plants  under  gla=s 
Mr.  Bridger  cuts  blooms  from  Christmas  until 
flowers  are  produced  outside.  It  is  a  sturdy 
kind,  and  has  the  reputation  of  being  a  free 
grower.  We  hear  that  Mr.  Bridger  intends  to  dis- 
tribute this  beautiful  Carnation  during  the  coming 
autumn. 

Trichinium  ManglsBi.— A  batch  of  healthy 
little  flowering  specimens  of  this  Australian  Ever- 
lasting may  now  be  seen  in  the  Cape  house  at 
Kew.  We  learn  that  the  treatment  adopted  for 
this  plant  at  Kew  has  been  somewhat  different 
from  what  is  generally  recommended,  and  more 
in  accordance  than  usual  with  the  conditions  under 
which  it  grows  naturally.  A  plant  which  grows 
on  the  dry  sunny  plains  of  Australia  does  not 
seem  capable  of  thriving  under  treatment  such  as 
one  gives  Pelargoniums,  and  yet  it  is  under  such 
that  the  plants  above  mentioned  have  been 
grown.  A  mixture  of  loam,  sand,  and  cow 
manure,  plenty  of  water,  and  a  position  in  a 
cold  frame  with  the  sun  shining  upon  them  all 
the  summer,  are  what  are  found  to  constitute 
suitable  treatment  for  this  Trichinium.  The 
fluffy  heads  of  variegated  flowers  are  pretty  little 
ornaments  when  seen  on  the  plants,  and  when  cut 
and  placed  in  water,  or  even  dried,  they  are  well 
worth  employing  for  the  decoration  of  rooms,  &c. 
The  dry  sand  treatment  for  this  plant  must  now, 
we  think,  give  place  to  that  just  recorded. 

Bougainvillea  glabra.— We  have  on  seve- 
ral occasions  noted  the  fine  specimen  of  this 
plant  which  flowers  annually  in  great  profusion  in 
the  conservatory  (No.  4)  at  Kew.  The  cultivation 
of  this,  one  of  the  most  ornamental  climbers  which 
we  have,  is  too  frequently  attempted  in  a  house 
much  warmer  than  the  requirements  of  the  plant 
demand,  and  consequently  anything  like  success  in 
its  management  is  often  thus  rendered  impossible. 
The  best  flowered  plants  we  know  of  are  treated 
as  greenhouse  climbers,  and  if  the  nature  of  this 
species  is  properly  comprehended,  and  its  seasons 
of  growth,  rest,  and  flowering  paid  attention  to, 
it  is  always  much  happier  when  thus  grown  than 
when  treated  to  the  warmth  of  a  stove.  The  Kew 
plant  is  growing  against  the  south-east  end  of  a 
tall  greenhouse,  where  it  gets  all  the  morning 
sun.  It  is  planted  in  a  bed  of  loamy  soil,  and 
during  the  growing  season  this  bed  is  frequently 


well  watered,  a  little  liquid  manure  being  admini- 
stered now  and  then.  When  growth  is  completed 
water  is  withheld,  and  a  most  profuse  crop  o£ 
richly  coloured  flowers  is  soon  the  result.  After 
flowering,  the  shoots  are  pruned  in  severely,  and 
the  plant  is  allowed  to  rest  through  the  whole  of 
the  winter  months.  For  B.  spectabilis  a  different 
reyiine  is  necessary,  but  even  with  the  most  care- 
ful management  this  species,  one  of  the  finest  when 
in  flower,  is  often  a  failure. 

Peres kia  Bleo. — Ptreskias  are  supposed  to 
be  chiefly  valuable  as  stocks  on  which  to  graft; 
Epiphyllums  and  other  plants  belonging  to  the 
Cactus  family,  P  aculeata  being  the  species  most 
frequently  used  for  that  purpose.  1'.  Bleo,  in  ad- 
dition to  its  usefulness  as  a  stock  for  some  of  the 
stronger  growing  Epiphyllums,  is,  however,  not 
altogether  devoid  of  interest  as  a  flowering  plant. 
A  large  specimen  of  it  in  the  succulent  house 
at  Kew  is  now  bearing  terminal  bunchts  of  hand- 
some Di'g  Rose-like  flowers,  which  in  appearance 
are  as  exceptional  amongst  Cactaceous  plants  as 
is  the  foliage  of  the  whole  of  the  I'ereskias,  for 
this  genus  is  the  only  one  in  the  Cactus  order 
which  possesses  distinct  leaves.  The  stem  of  P. 
Bleo  is  thick  and  fleshy,  very  spiny,  and  arbores- 
cent in  ch.aracter.  The  leaves  are  like  those  of  P. 
aculeata,  but  larger  and  thicker.  The  flowers  are 
about  \h  inches  wide,  and  are  composed  of  a  fleshy 
green  calyx,  and  a  whorl  of  ten  bright  rosy  petals. 
A  few  weeks  ago  a  batch  of  young  plants  of  this 
species  not  more  than  a  foot  high  bore  terminal 
heads  of  flowers,  and  were  quite  as  ornamental 
as  many  better  known  and  popular  flowering  plants. 
In  The  Garden,  Vol.  XIII,,  p.  181,  will  be 
found  a  figure  of  a  second  arborescent  Pereskia, 
viz.,  P.  lychnidiflora,  but  as  is  there  stated  it  is 
neither  so  vigorous  nor  so  free  flowering  as  that 
above  mentioned.  We  are  not  acquainted  with 
an  "instance  of  P.  aculeata  having  ever  flowered 
in  cultivation  in  this  country,  although  it  is  treated 
liberally  both  at  Kew  and  elsewhere. 

The  banded  Ru8h(Scirpus  Tabemajmontani 
var.  zebrinus). — Under  the  name  of  .luncus 
zebrinus,  Mr.  Bull  distributed  from  his  nursery 
some  three  years  ago  a  very  distinct  looking 
Rush,  the  resemblance  of  which  both  in  habit  and 
foliage  to  some  of  the  Juncuses  was  so  close  as 
to  suggest  the  latter  genus  rather  than  Scirpus  as 
its  rightful  position.  Last  year,  however,  a  plant 
of  it  flowered  at  Kew,  and  Mr.  G.  Nicholson 
pointed  out  that  its  floral  characters  were  those 
of  a  well-known  British  Rush,  viz  ,  S.  Tabernnc- 
montani,  which  is  also  found  in  Japan,  whence  the 
banded  variety  was  procured.  The  specific  name 
is  so  long  that  we  may,  perhaps,  drop  it  altogether 
for  garden  purposes  and  call  the  plant  simply 
.Scirpus  zebrinus.  In  the  bog  garden  at  Kew  this 
plant  may  now  be  seen  in  first-class  condition, 
and  it  is  worthy  of  note  that  the  specimen  here 
referred  to  stood  out-of-doors  all  last  winter.  It 
is  now  in  flower,  the  long  porcupine-quill-like 
foliage  standing  erect  some  3  feet  in  height,  and 
bearing  near  the  top  a  little  tuft  of  brown  flowers. 
As  a  suitable  plant  for  a  position  in  the  bog  garden, 
or,  failing  that,  for  growing  in  a  pot  submerged  in 
a  tub  of  water,  this  variegated  Scirpus  or  Bulrush 
deserves  to  find  a  place  in  all  gardens.  It  is 
hardly  necessary  to  add  that  the  requirements  of 
this  plant  cannot  be  furnished,  unless  it  is  grown 
as  an  aquatic,  and,  during  the  greater  portion  of 
the  year  at  least,  allowed  to  stand  out-of-doors. 
When  first  introduced  many  failed  to  grow  it, 
owing  to  its  being  treated  as  a  warm  house  "  dry 
land  "  plant. 

LUium  tlgrinum  splendens.— The  last 
few  weeks  has  been  a  most  trying  time  for  those 
whose  gardens  are  on  a  light  soil,  such  as  Mr. 
Stevens',  at  Grasmere,  Byfleet,  whose  garden  is 
literally  dried  up ;  even  the  strong  sturdy 
perennials  which  usually  manage  to  hold  their 
own  under  any  circumstances  are  parched  and 
withered.  About  the  only  plants  that  seem  to 
disregard  the  drought  are  the  bulbs,  and  it  is 
pleasant  to  see  how  beautiful  the  various  Lilies 
are  amidst  their  parched  surroundings.  In  Mr. 
Stevens'  garden,  where  Lilies  of  all  kinds  are 
grown,  by  far  the  finest  is  the  Tiger  Lily  and  its 


152 


THE    GARDEN 


[Aug.  23,  1884. 


varieties,  and  of  these  the  noblest  and  showiest  is 
splendens,  which  is  eg  much  superior  to  the  ordi- 
nary form,  the  flowers  being  nearly  twice  the  size, 
and  the  colour  is  brighter  and  richer,  and  the 
spotting  more  profuse  and  heavier.  It  is,  indeed, 
a  grand  Lily  when  grown  to  such  perfection  as 
the  Grasmere  specimens  are.  The  light  warm 
soils  seem  to  suit  it  admirablj'.  There  is  one  stem 
about  4  feet  high  carrying  over  a  dozen  flowers. 
Next  in  point  of  attractiveness  is  the  double 
variety  (flore-pleno),  which  also  thrives  with  un- 
wonted vigour.  The  splendeps  variety  is  fully  ten 
days  later  than  the  others,  as  it  has  only  just  begun 
to  expand  its  flowers,  while  the  others  are  on  the 
wane.  L.  auratum  is  not  nearly  so  fine  this  year 
as  usual,  but  L.  speciosum  promise?  well  for 
Hower  in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks.  The  lovely 
L.  Batemannia;,  with  flowers  of  a  warm  apricot 
tint,  is  just  now  in  perfection.  The  stems  rise 
about  a  yard  in  height  and  carry  several  blossoms, 
each  about  (">  inches  across.  It  is  among  the  most 
beautiful  of  Lilies,  and,  moreover,  distinct  from 
all  others,  except  L.  venustum,  to  which  it  is 
superior. 

Flower  Garden. 


HARDY  FLOWER  BORDER  NOTES. 
Those  who  a  few  years  back  asked  "  where  were 
the  flower  in  August  and  September  on  hardy 
Hower  borders  "  should  see  our  borders  at  present. 
Not  so  many  years  ago  we  had  no  herbaceous 
plants  whatever,  but  plenty  of  bedding  out ;  now 
our  coUec'.ion  fills  about  half-a-dozen  borders 
.'iOO  yards  in  length  and  proportionately  broad,  and 
this  takes  no  account  of  beds  and  other  places  con- 
taining some  thousands  of  similar  subjects  else- 
where. My  employer  has  spent  more  on  hardy 
plants  than  others  have  spent  on  Orchids,  and  I 
think  with  a  good  deal  more  satisfaction  to  all 
concerned,  although  the  Orchids  have  not  been 
neglected  either. 

Carnations  are  just  in  perfection  in  the  north 
now.  Notwithstanding  the  hot  weather,  some  va- 
rieties are  only  opening  their  first  blooms.  We 
have  seedlings  and  named  kinds  of  all  sorts  and 
sizes,  and  from  one  to  six  years  old,  the  latter 
broad  masses  a  yard  and  more  across,  producing 
quantities  of  flowers  that  are  literally  countless.  I 
tried  to-day  to  get  an  approximate  idea  of  the 
number  of  expanded  blooms  on  one  old  plant,  but 
gave  the  task  up,  and  still  more  buds  were  to 
open.  I  never  saw  Carnations  look  better  in  flower 
and  foliage,  but  to  know  what  a  Carnation  is  really 
like  when  at  its  best  you  must  have  at  least  a 
three-year-old  mass,  then  you  may  cut  whole 
sheaves  of  flower.  Some  of  our  named  kinds  are 
about  4  feet  high  (too  tall  by  half),  as  they  re- 
quire too  much  staking.  The  seedlings  are  for  the 
most  part  dwarf. 

Phloxes  are  the  next  most  conspicuous 
subjects  at  present.  We  got  tired  of  the 
names  of  these,  as  we  found  many  were 
nearly  alike,  and  some  not  very  first-rate,  so 
we  named  them  according  to  the  colours crim- 
son, pink,  white,  purple,  rose,  lilac,  magenta,  and 
so  on,  and  then  we  knew  what  we  were  planting. 


and  how  they  would  look.  What  a  rich  and  varied 
display  these  would  make  alone  !  It  is  needless 
propagating  Phloxes  by  cuttings  ;  divide  the  roots 
and  plant  in  good  soil  if  you  wish  for  good  heads 
of  b'.oom.  The  manuring  of  our  herbaceous 
borders  is  a  consideration  now,  and  hence  thsy 
get  very  little,  and  when  they  get  that  it  is  only  a 
mulching  in  November  of  some  waste  soil  or 
manure.     Yet  everything  is  strong  and  looks  well. 

Delphiniums  began  to  flower  in  Jane  this 
year,  and  still  produce  later  side  sprays,  but  the 
main  spikes  are  over.  They  have  done  well  this 
season,  and  were  never  seen  so  strong  and  tall, 
although  on  the  same  spot  for  some  years. 

Gaillardia  hvbrida  splendens  and  Coreop- 
sis are  fine  autumn  flowerers,  and  continue  in  per- 
fection long  and  well.  The  first  is  not  very  hardy 
here,  as  the  roots  rot  in  winter  and  have  to  be 
lifted  and  replanted  in  spring.  It  behaves  some- 
thing like  Tarragon  if  left  too  long  in  one  place. 


Harpalium  rigidum  has  the  same  fault.  This  is  a 
fine  herbaceous  Sunflower,  but  with  us  it  is  quite 
eclipsed  this  year  by  the  new  types  of  annual 
Sunflowers,  which  are  magnificent. 

Senecio  pulcher  has  turned  out  to  be  one  of 
the  biggest  cheats  we  have  tried,  growing  sliflly 
and  slowly,  and  pushing  a  miserable  shoot  and  a 
few  buds  np  that  never  expand — marked  for 
the  rubbish  heap. 

The  Nicoiiana  affinis  (annual)  will,  I  think, 
prove  one  of  the  very  best  sweet-scented  plants  for 
the  hardy  garden.  In  the  evening  it  scents  the 
garden  all  round  near  where  it  grows,  and  it  grows 
like  a  weed  outdoors  in  seasons  like  the  present, 
even  in  our  cool  region.  I  have  no  doubt  it 
will  grow  and  flower,  more  or  less  successfully, 
outdoors  in  ordinary  seasons  in  most  parts  of  all 
the  three  kingdoms. 

Marigold  JIeteob. — This  new  and  very 
pretty  variety  of  the  common  pot  Marigold  I  con- 
sider a  gem  in  its  way.  Easily  raised  from  seed 
sown  out-of-doors  it  is  in  bloom  in  July,  and  con- 
tinues to  flower  in  perfection  till  frost  destroys  it, 
and  it  takes  a  smart  frost  to  do  that.  Every  plant 
comes  true  and  double,  and  is  of  a  pleasing  cream 
colour. 

Spir.ka  filipesdula  (double).— This  is  in  au- 
tumn what  the  Spirasa  japonica  is  in  early  summer, 
only  it  keeps  flowering  much  longer.  I  am  not 
sure,  however,  that  the  common  Meadow  Sweet 
is  not  quite  as  good,  if  not  better.  Its  plumes 
are  taller  and  larger,  and  it  is  a  true  wild  garden 
subject.  I  landed  in  a  grand  patch  of  this  lately 
when  fishing  in  tha  north  on  a  river-side.  The 
panicles  were  magnificent  in  size  and  purity  of 
colour.  It  was  growing  in  a  deep,  damp  black 
soil  which  must  be  often  under  water. 

Cape  Hyacinth. — This  is  another  over-praised 
subject.  Five  hundred  or  a  thousand  of  it 
planted  in  the  mass  look  well  enough,  but  singly 
it  is  not  striking  to  look  at.  It  is,  however,  hardy 
enough,  even  in  unfavourable  districts. 

Gladiolus  Colvillei. — I  cannot  speak  from 
experience  yet  of  The  Bride  Gladiolus,  which,  I 
suppose,  belongs  to  this  section,  but  if  it  be  as 
good  as  the  purple  Colvillei,  as  sent  to  me,  and  as 
early  a  bloomer,  it  will  be  good.  This  Gladiolus 
has  been  out  here  for  several  years,  blooms  about 
the  end  of  June  or  July,  is  of  a  rich  crimson-pur- 
ple and  one  of  the  most  noticeable  plants  of  the 
season.     It  is  well  worth  planting  extensively. 

Pansies  and  Violas. — These  are  in  fine  flower 
at  present.  Picking  the  flowers  oil  early  in  the 
season  when  they  are  not  wanted,  and  the  seed 
pods  as  fast  as  they  form  later  on,  helpj  greatly  to 
prolong  the  season  of  bloom  and  keeps  the  plants 
in  vigour.  Do  as  one  may,  however,  the  named 
florists'  Pansies  deteriorate  in  size  and  general 
quality  towards  autumn  ;  and  if  allowed  to  grow 
and  flower  at  will  two  years  in  succession,  the 
varieties  are  not  recognisable.  I  noticed  one  very 
prettily  marked  variety  last  year  which  had  origi- 
nally fine  large  flowers  that  had  become  very 
little  better  than  the  common  tricolor  of  the 
fields  when  grown  in  good  soil.  Violas  have  more 
stamina  in  them  and  are  more  enduring. 

The  general  growth  of  many  flowering 
plants  and  Roses  is  this  year  very  fine.  I  have  never 
seen  the  foliage  of  Roses  so  fine,  clean,  and  large. 
I  have  seen  leaves  lately  of  the  Duke  of  Edin- 
burgh that  were  simply  enormous.  Three  point 
leaves  nearly  covered  the  whole  of  a  man's  hand 
and  the  blooms  were  proportionately  good.  There 
is  every  prospect,  too,  of  growth  being  well  ma- 
tured, so  that  prospects  for  another  year  are 
so  far  good.  S.  W. 


being  very  slightly  shrivelled.  I  think  he  has 
hit  the  right  time  for  removal.  Of  course  some- 
thing depends  on  judicious  treatment  when  ihe 
Lilies  are  received.— A.  E.,   M'inderincre. 

Eaponaria  calabrica  —This  is  a  plant 
which  possesses  the  rare  quality  of  bearing  with 
much  indiflierence  prolonged  periods  of  wet 
weather  and  of  drought.  Its  merits  arc  as 
conspicuous  when  subjected  to  a  heavy  down- 
pour of  rain  as  when  a  fierce  dry  heat  prevails. 
If  sown  in  September,  it  will  make  a  fine  show 
of  bloom  in  spring,  and  successional  sowings  from 
the  middle  of  March  to  the  end  of  May  will 
maintain  a  display  until  the  late  autumn  frosts 
cut  it  down.  I  have  seen  this  little  Soapwort  in 
full  flower,  fresh  and  bright,  in  mid-November, 
when  with  the  exception  of  the  common  Marigold 
there  was  nothing  in  the  shape  of  a  flower  to  be 
found  in  Ihe  outdoor  garden.  Now  is  a  good  time 
to  sow  for  late  spring  bloom ;  plants  raised 
now  will  make  specircens  18  inches  across  by  the 
time  they  come  into  flower.— J.  C.  B. 

Border  Oarnationa.— These  may  be  grown 
in  any  garden  in  town  or  country  without  any 
further  preparation  of  the  soil  than  digging  it  well 
up  and  giving  it  a  good  dressing  of  stable  manure. 
All  soils  are  not,  however,  equally  well  adapted 
for  Carnations.  If  they  incline  to  be  of  a  clayey 
character  so  much  the  better.  Light  sandy  soils 
with  a  gravelly  foundation  are  the  least  suited  for 
Carnation  culture.  I  have,  however,  grown  them 
well  on  such  soils  by  digging  or  trenching  them 
and  placing  a  good  layer  of  manure  in  the  bottom 
of  the  trench.  When  the  plants  were  put  out 
they  were  also  placed  in  a  layer  of  loam  about 
2  inches  deep  spread  over  the  surface.  Soil  from 
a  Melon  bed  just  suits  Carnations;  in  fact,  we 
generally  utilise  the  soil  that  has  grown  one 
class  of  plants  for  the  production  of  another 
class.  This  year  we  wanted  to  put  out  several 
hundreds  of  seedling  Carnations,  and  as  the 
ground  is  of  a  clayey  character,  the  light  sandy 
soil  from  pots  in  which  Hyacinths  had  grown  was 
used  to  place  on  the  surface  instead  of  Melon  soil, 
which  is  heavy.  Last  year  I  planted  in  an  ordinary 
herbaceous  border  some  of  our  best  Carnations 
and  Picotees,  and  they  flowered  remarkably  well 
without  any  attention,  except  that  of  the  most 
ordinary  kind.  Florists  of  old  could  not  grow 
their  flowers  so  well  as  we  do  now,  although  they 
took  more  pains  to  make  up  their  Carnation  beds 
than  some  people  do  to  make  a  Vine  border.  There 
are  very  few  Carnations  or  Picotees  that  require 
coddling  up  in  the  greenhouse.  We  grow  them  in 
pots  to  obtain  purer  and  better  flowers  for  exhibi- 
tion or  to  produce  an  effect  in  the  greenhouse,  but 
in  any  good  garden  the  same  plants  flower  freely 
and  produce  useful  flowers  to  cut  for  bouquets. — 
J.  Douglas. 


Importing  Lily  bulbs.— In  answer  to  Mr. 
GrilKth's  request  (p.  127)  allow  me  to  say  that  I 
received  from  him  in  March  of  this  year  twenty-five 
Liliam  neilgherrense  roots.  Of  these  I  lost  only 
two ;  the  remaining  twenty-three  are  in  robust 
health.  Sixteen  are  going  to  bloom,  and  the  first 
bloom  will  be  out  in  about  a  fortnight  or  three 
weeks.  The  packing  of  the  bulbs  was  simply  in 
Moss,  and  though  the  package  was  two  months  on 
the  road,  the  bulbs  did  not  appear  to  have  suffered. 


SHORT  NOTES.—FLOWER. 


Clematis  coccinea  (p.  105).— A  plant  of  this  grown 
here  under  glass  was  unsatisfactory  in  colour,  being  a  pale 
dull  red.  In  tlie  spring  it  was  turned  out  in  an  open  sunny 
situation,  and  the  result  is  tlia*,  in  point  of  colour  it  is  all 
that  could  be  wished.  Had  "J.  C.  C."  done  likewise.  I  do 
not  think  he  would  have  discarded  it.— J.  M.,  Charmoiilh. 

Veronica  ssliclfolia.— I  am  amused  at  what  is  said 
(p.  107)  about  the  probability  of  Veronica  salicifolla  doing 
well  here.  My  poor  little  girden  is  so  full,  I  am  forced  to 
discard  a  great  many  things,  and  Veronica  salicifolia  is  on 
the  condenmied  list,  thnugh  perhaps  it  does  not  deserve 
EUcli  treatment  at  all.  It  does  here  well  enough  and  I  have 
had  it  along  time. — H.  EWBANK,  lit.  Jvhn's,  Hilde. 

Eccren30Ca»"pus  scaber. — I  have  a  plant  of  this 
DOW  well  furnisliLMi  not  only  with  long  drooping  racemes  of 
blossoms,  but  also  with  seed-pods,  which  are  equally  pretty. 
I  raised  it  from  seed  in  the  spring  of  1883,  and  it  now  covers 
a  surface  of  20  Eqnare  feet  on  a  south  wall,  wheie  it  has 
stood  until  the  present  time  witliout  the  slightest  protec- 
tion. This  is  of  course  owing  to  the  mildness  of  the  winter, 
but  still  it  is  well  worth  growing  even  if  cut  down  by  frost 
occasionally.— H.  0.  SULHAM,  i^ewhury,  Berks. 

A  week's  growth  of  Trltonaa  nobiiis.— The  mea- 
surements weie  taken  In  the  afternoons,  lietween  the  1st 
and  '.^nd  inst.  it  grew  i\  inches  ;  between  the  2nd  and  3rd, 
2.'J  inches  ;  l>etween  the  3rd  and  4th,  2:i  inches  :  between  the 
4th  and  .ijth,  4  inches  ;  between  Ihe  6th  and  6th,  2;  inches  ; 
between  the  (Jth  and  7th,  3.V  inches  ;  or  a  total  t  f  20^  inches 
in  si.v  days.  The  stems  are"  now  over  7  feet  high,  and  veiy 
noltle  they  look  standing  amongst  and  well  above  the  sh'  ubs 
with  which  they  are  associated.— T.  Smith,  Newry. 


A  lie.  23,  18S4.] 


THE     GARDEN 


153 


r.RODI.EAS. 
The  variety  in  height,  shape,  and  colour  of  hardy 
out-door  bulbs  now  in  cultivation  may  be  said  to 
be  endless.  In  Liliums,  Fritillarias,  Tulips,  and 
other  Liliaceous  plants  a  surprising  degree  of  per- 
fection has  been  attained,  especially  in  the  case  of 
Lilies.  BrodiKas,  which  follow  close  upon  the  heels 
of  the  genera  just  mentioned,  are  also  well  worth 
the  attention  of  cultivators.  They  adapt  them- 
selves to  the  ordinary  circumstances  of  mixed 
borders  with  wonderful  readiness,  and  their  pre- 
sence in  bold  masses  during  the  spring  months  is 
most  welcome.  Most  of  them  increase  yearly  by 
means  of  offsets  in  favourable  situations,  and  if 
they  do  not  do  so  it  is  a  sign  that  the  position  is  | 
not  to  their  liking.  Plant  them  at  first  in  well 
prepared  light  rich  soil,  so  as  to  give  them  a  fair  I 


stalks  from  1  foot  to  3  feet  or  4  feet  long,  on 
which  the  flowers  are  produced  in  umbels ;  they 
are  about  an  inch  long,  somewhat  funnel-shaped, 
of  a  bright  purplish  blue  colour,  and  are  produced 
from  Slay  to  July.  It  is  a  native  of  California, 
Colombia,  &o. 

B.  MULTIFLORA,  also  called  parviflora,  is  some- 
what like  the  above  in  general  appearance,  but 
differs  widely  structurally.  It  has  more  flowers 
in  a  head  and  also  longer  foliage.  In  habit 
and  position  generally  it  may  be  referred  to  B. 
congesta.  The  leaves,  which  are  few,  are  from 
1  foot  to  L'  feet  long  and  bright  green,  and  the 
flower-stalks  are  shorter  than  the  leaves.  The 
blossoms,  which  are  produced  in  sub-globose  heads, 
are  bright  blue  in  colour,  the  divisions  being  much 
shorter  than  the  tube  and  spreading,  and  lying 


start  and  get  them  properly  established.  Mr. 
J.  G.  Baker  has  placed  four  species  generally 
found  under  the  name  of  Brodima  in  the  genus 
Milla.  They  are  M.  isioides,  M.capitata,  M.  laxa, 
and  M,  gracilis,  leaving  only  the  undermentioned 
Brodiseas — viz. ;  — 

B.  CONGESTA,  of  which  there  is  also  a  charming 
white  variety,  a  scarce  and  very  desirable  plant ; 
both  are  perfectly  hardy  and  establish  themselves 
readily  without  any  extra  care  being  bestowed 
upon  them,  and  as  they  increase  much  more , 
rapidly  than  the  others,  a  very  few  years  elapse 
ere  a  large  patch  is  produced.  I!,  congesta  is  also  ; 
a  most  useful  bulb  for  filling  up  low  recesses  in 
rockeries,  which  may  be  covered  with  such  creep- 
ing plants  in  summer  as  Veronica  repens.  Sec, 
without  in  the  least  affecting  the  bulbs.  It  has 
narrow,  slightly  glaucous,  ribbed  leaves  and  flower- 


nearly  flat  when  open.   It  is  a  native  of  California, 
and  lloweis  early  in  May. 

B.  vOLUBiLia. — This  is  a  curious  and  most  in- 
teresting hardy  bulb.  Being  of  a  climbing  habit, 
it  ordinarily  reaches  a  height  of  from  4  feet  to 
10  feet  or  I'i  feet,  its  scape  or  flower-stalk  twisting 
in  the  most  peculiar  manner  round  everything 
that  comes  in  its  way.  It  is  said  by  collectors  to 
reach  in  this  way  enormous  heights  on  trees  before 
the  flowers  expand.  It  requires  a  rich  light  soil, 
and  should  always  be  planted  near  a  bush,  or 
stakes  on  which  it  is  to  climb  must  be  supplied, 
otherwise  it  will  dwindle  and  produce  few  flowers, 
and  those  badly  coloured.  The  leaves  are  about 
a  foot  long,  narrow,  keeled  at  the  back,  and  ribbed 
on  the  upper  surface.  The  flower-stalk,  which  is 
green  or  pink,  is  very  brittle,  and  the  flowers  are 
produced  in  umbels  of  from  twelve  to  twenty. 


They  are  bright  rose-coloured  and  very  handsome. 
It  is  a  native  of  California,  and  flowers  in  July. 

B.  cocciNEA  is  the  brightest  and  handsomest 
of  all  the  Brodiajas.  It  is  also  a  very  distinct 
kind  and  a  sure  and  free  flowerer.  It  is  not  quite 
so  hardy  as  the  other  species,  but  in  dry,  well- 
drained  borders  it  holds  its  own  in  a  fairly  credit- 
able way,  especially  where  deep  planting  is  re- 
sorted to._  It  is  a  most  useful  bulb  for  pot  culture, 
and  as  it  is  much  showier  than  many  of  our  indoor 
spring  bulbs,  it  will  doubtless  prove  an  acquisition 
for  that  purpose.  As  a  cut  flower  it  is  charming, 
so  handsomely  do  the  flowers  hang  over  the  edge 
of  the  glass  in  which  they  are  placed.  The  leaves 
are  about  2  feet  long,  narrow,  and  bright  green. 
The  flower-stalk  is  about  the  same  height,  and 
bears  an  umbel  of  from  ten  to  twenty  drooping 
tubular  flowers,  each  about  2  inches  long ;  their  lower 
half  is  bright  scarlet  abruptly  tipped  with  yellow, 
and  the  recurved  lobes  are  green.  It  is  a  native 
of  San  Francisco,  and  flowers  in  May  and  June. 

B.  GEANDIPLOEA  is  a  handsome  and  useful 
species,  of  which  there  are  two  or  three  varieties, 
notably  minor  and  major.  It  requires  to  be 
planted  in  quantity  in  order  to  render  the  large 
umbels  of  delicate  blue  flowers  effective. 

K. 

GLADIOLI  AT  SOUTH  KENSINGTON. 
The  exhibition  of  Gladioli  at  South  Kensington 
on  the  12th  inst.  by  Messrs.  Kelway  deserves  more 
than  a  passing  notice.     There  were  144  well-deve- 
loped spikes,  most  of  them  good  enough  to  obtain 
first  prizes  at  any  flower  show.    They  were  admir- 
ably set  up  and  arranged,  forming  altogether  a 
very  important  part  of  the  usual  bi-monthly  meet- 
ing.    The  varieties  exhibited  were  all  seedlings 
raised  at  Langport,  and  the  spikes  had  been  cut 
from  propagated  plants;  even  the  new  varieties 
offered  for  certificates  were  of  this  class.     The 
great  diflaculty  with  which  growers  of  Gladioli 
have  to  contend  is  the  tendency  of  the  bulbs  to 
degenerate.  I  was  fortunate  in  raising  many  seed- 
lings, which  obtained  first-class  certificates,  but 
never  was  able  to  show  good  spikes  from  propa- 
gated    plants.       In     previous     seasons      Messrs. 
Kelway  usually  exhibited  spikes  cut  from  seed- 
ling   bulbs  —  a    course    not    altogether    satis- 
factory.     It     was     many     years     before     the 
variety   in  question  could  be  sent  out ;  by  that 
time  other  seedlings  had  been  exhibited,  and  the 
interest  in  those  shown  before  became  diminished 
before  a  sufficient  quantity  could  be  propagated 
for  sale.     Four  new  varieties  were  exhibited  for 
certificates  on  the  occasion  just  referred  to,  and 
the  committee  selected  Lady  Carington  for  that 
distinction.     It  is  a  grand  variety,  forming  a  long 
spike  of  large,  well-formed  flowers,  pale  lilac  in 
colour,  with  a  distinct  white  centre.  Next  in  order 
of  merit  were  St.  Gatien,  a  showy  variety,  with 
brilliant  rosy  crimson  flowers  of  fine  form  with 
whitish  marks  at  the  lase  of  each  petal ;  William 
Coleman,  rich  orarge-scarlet   with  deep    purple 
blotch  at  the  base  of  the  lower  petal ;  G.  T.  Miles, 
a   very  distinct  variety,  with    long    spikes,  the 
flowers  of  which  were  large  and  arranged  in  a 
more  upright  position  than  usual.     They  are  rosy 
red  with  white  lines  in  the  centre  of  the  petals. 
The  general  collection  comprised  some  very  fine 
and  distinct  types,  and  some  of  the  varieties  which 
were  raised  many  years  ago,  and  are  now  sold  at  a 
cheap  rate,  are  as  good  in  quality  as  many  of  the 
new  comers.  For  purposes  of  classification,  nearly 
the  whole  of  those  exhibited  might  be  placed  in 
three  groups  or  colours. 

1.  White  or  blush  geotjnd.— Agnes  Mary, 
a  distinct  and  handsome  variety,  white  with  pa'e 
lilac  shade,  and  purplish  mark  on  the  lower  petal 
Queen  Mary,  white  with  purplish  violet  stripe  on 
the  lower  petal ;  Damia,  white  tinged  with  pale 
purple  or  lilac  ;  Duke  of  Teck,  a  new  variety  of 
this  year,  blush  white  with  rosy  red  flakes;  Mrs 
J.  Eyton,  a  very  fine  white  with  rose  flush,  and 
rosy  red  mark  on  lower  petal ;  Mrs.  D'Ombrain,  a 
well-formed  flower,  white  with  rosy  lilac  shade ; 
Neocles,  white  with  purple  stripes  on  the  petaline 
segments ;  Agdestes,  white  with  violet  blotch  on 


154 


THE    GARDEN 


[Aug.  23,  1884. 


lower  petal,  large  and  handsome ;   Lord  Powis, 
white  with  rosy  red  markings. 

2.  Purple  or  LiLAC-PURrLE  shades. — Of 
these  the  best  were  Mr.  Derry,  pale  lilac-purple 
veined  with  rosy  purple  ;  Eleotra,  pale  rosy  purple 
with  violet-purple  stripe  on  lower  petal ;  Coun- 
tess of  Pembroke,  rich  purple  flaked  with  lake ; 
Eemus,  good  in  form,  a  showy  bright  rosy  purple 
flower  flaked  with  crimson ;  Lady  Cavendish,  in 
colour  much  like  the  certificated  Lady  Carington, 
but  not  so  large;  Helum,  violet-purple  with  deep 
purple  flake. 

3.  Scarlet,  red,  and  crimson  shades. — The 
best  under  this  head  were  Mr.  Thornton,  fine  rich 
scarlet  shaded  with  lake;  Dr.  Benson,  new,  light 
scarlet  with  purple  centre  ;  Marcianus,  deep  rich 
scarlet  with  darker  veins  ;  Pictus,  deep  red  with 
purple  centre ;  Captain  Boyton,  reddish  with  scar- 
let flakes  ;  Earl  of  Airlie,  orange- red  with  crimson- 
scarlet  mark  on  the  lower  petal ;  Caliphon,  rosy 
red  with  darker  flakes  and  a  light  centre ;  and 
Marechal  Bazaine,  light  scarlet  with  white  lines 
on  the  petals.  In  these  varieties  the  spikes  are 
long,  and  the  double  rows  of  flowers  face  in  one 
direction.  The  blooms  are  also  individually  large 
and  well  formed. 

The  ground  for  Gladioli  should  be  prepared 
early  in  the  autumn  if  possible.  Some  people 
cannot  see  the  importance  of  this,  but  if  two  plot? 
of  ground  are  prepared  by  trenching  in  the  same 
way,  one  in  September  and  the  other  in  November 
or  December,  the  bulbs  will  succeed  much  better 
on  the  early-trenched  ground  than  on  the  other ; 
they  will  be  stronger,  of  a  deeper  green  colour, 
and  there  will  be  fewer  losses.  Such,  at  least,  is 
my  experience,  and  the  late  M.  Sonchet  had  so 
much  faith  in  the  early  preparation  of  the  ground 
for  Gladioli,  that  he  used  to  allow  it  to  lie  fallow 
an  entire  season,  and  no  doubt  it  was  well  turned 
up  to  the  sun  during  the  summer  as  well  as  to  the 
frost  in  the  winter.  I  used  to  double  trench  the 
ground  on  which  I  grew  my  Gladioli,  using  manure 
pretty  well  decayed.  Cow  manure  is  better  than 
stable  manure  for  Gladioli,  but  I  prefer  to  mix  the 
two  together  and  turn  the  heap  about  twice.  It  is 
ready  for  use  when  it  has  lain  about  six  or  eight 
weeks.  When  the  ground  is  dry  it  ought  to  be 
lightly  forked  over  two  or  three  times  during  winter 
and  early  spring.  It  ought  not  to  be  touched  when 
it  is  wet.  J-  Douglas. 


WILD  GAPvDENING  AT  NEWRY. 
The  ground  about  to  be  described  surrounds  a 
piece  of  ornamental  water,  and  was  originally  laid 
down  in  Grass,  which  as  a  matter  of  course  en- 
tailed a  good  deal  of  labour  in  the  way  of  mowing, 
&.C.  There  were  also  various  groups  of  Rhodo- 
dendrons and  other  flowering  shrubs,  specimen 
Conifers,  and  other  ornamental  trees,  and  some 
groups  of  strong-growing  herbaceous  plants  near 
the  water  margin.  In  forming  the  garden  it  be- 
came evident  that  sooner  or  later  tlie  question  of 
economy  as  regards  labour  would  crop  up,  and  as 
a  beginning  in  this  direction  it  was  determined  to 
do  away  gradually  with  as  much  of  the  mowing 
as  possible ;  and  it  being  pretty  evident  that  a 
wild  garden  ought  to  entail  less  labour  and  atten- 
tion than  the  ordinary  mown  and  sheared  and 
constantly  trimmed  gardens  needed,  a  wild  garden 
was  decided  upon.  The  first  thing  was  to  dig 
down  all  the  Grass  ;  then  a  few  inches  of  peat  soil 
were  spread  thereon,  and  the  whole  carpeted  with 
Heaths  of  various  kinds,  the  common  varieties 
from  the  mountains,  as  a  matter  of  course,  form- 
ing the  staple  of  those  used.  Patches  of  Erica 
carnea  for  early  blooming  were,  however,  planted 
here  and  there,  and  interspersed  with  the  commoner 
kinds  were  nearly  every  other  hardy  species  or 
variety  that  could  be  got.  Spaces  of  greater  or 
less  size,  and  always  irregular  in  form,  were  left 
for  the  numerous  plants  detailed  below.  The 
garden  was  formed  three  years  ago,  and  the  ground 
is  now  well  covered  and  the  plants  established. 
No  labour  is  really  needed  beyond  a  couple  of 
weedings  or  so  annually,  going  over  the  Heaths 
with  the  shears  as  soon  as  they  have  done  bloom- 
ing (no  matter  when  that  may  be),  and  a  little 


clearing  away  of   dead   stems  in  spring  before 
growth  begins.    The  latter  are  never  cleared  away 
in  autumn — the  usual  practice.     This  is  about  all 
the  care  given,  and  it  would  be  perhaps  hard  to 
find  a  more  charming  bit  of  gardening  than  this 
is,  or  one  that  affords  a  more  constant  succession 
of  floral  pictures ;  in  fact,  there  is  not  a  day  in 
the  year  on  which  there  is  not  something  or  other 
in  flower,  and  when  it  is  considered  that  all  the 
surroundings  are  strictly  in  keeping — all  equally 
wild — the  charm  will  be  the  more  readily  ima- 
gined.   To  begin  at  a  point— say  where  a  little 
inlet  enters— on   a  rocky   point  is  planted  Iris 
Ksempferi  and  Cares  pendula  surrounded  with 
Heaths.     A  little  further  on  a  little  promontory  is 
covered  with  different  kinds  of  Bamboo,  with  an 
undergrowth  of  large-leaved  Ivies.     The  Heather 
in  the  neighbourhood  is  interspersed  with  A'^era- 
trnms,  Andromeda  calycnlata,  and  Amianthfemum 
musca2toxicum.     There  are,   moreover,  irregular 
groups    of     Rhododendrons    interspersed    with 
Phloxes,   Larkspurs,   Lilies,  Japanese    Primroses, 
Doronicums,  and  various  kinds  of  Narcissi.     Then 
there  is  an  open  glade  of  Heaths,  with  Gaulthe- 
rias,  small-leaved  Fnnkias,  Helianthemums,  Fra- 
garia  indica,  Saxifrages,  and  various  Irises  planted 
amongst  them.    Then  there  is  a  corner  in  which 
stands  an  Araucaria  with    an    undergrowth    of 
Ppeonies  and  Narcissi.    On  one  side  towers  up  a 
big  specimen  of  Helianthus  giganteus,  and   the 
heathery  carpet  around  contains  the  following, 
viz. :    Kalmia  glauca  (things  like    this  are  not 
planted  singly,  but  generally  in  threes  or  sixes  to 
make  a  better  effect),  Sedum  album,  Aubrietias, 
Gentiana   cruciata   and  macrophylla,  Pernettyas 
of  sorts,  Gaultheria  acutifolia,  Spanish  Gorse  or 
Whin,  Austrian  Briers,  Lobelia  syphilitica  and  L. 
Milleri,    Saxifraga    hypnoides,     Helianthemums, 
Funkia  ccernlea,  Sedum  palustre,  Polemoniums, 
Campanula  pumila  and  p.  alba,  Viola  cornuta, 
Andromeda    tetragona,  Herniaria   glabra.    Inula 
hirta,  Claytonia  sibirica.  Campanula  persicifolia, 
Funkia  Sieboldi,  double  white  Sweet  Brier,  Coto- 
neaster  Hookeri,  Montbretia  Pottsi,  Iris  pumila, 
variegated  Ivies,  Golden  Rods,  Ferns,  and  Ever- 
lasting  Peas.     Near  the  water  are  tall-growing 
Polygonums  and  Silphiums ;  then  Rhododendrons, 
Kalmias,  Azaleas,  and  Andromeda  Catesbfei,  inter- 
spersed with  single  Dahlias  ;  then  come  Cerastinm 
arvense,  Campanula  glomerata,  Meconopsis  nepa- 
lensis  and   Wallichi,   Peach-leaved    Campanulas, 
Oriental    Poppies,  shrubby   Spirieas,   Pernettyas, 
Campanula  grandis  alba,  Geum  coccineum  fl.-pl., 
Spanish  Gorse  or  Whin,  Achillea  Millefolium  rosea, 
Tritomas,  Funkia  subcordata  and  japonica  anrea, 
Sidaloea  malvseSora  and  Candida  ;  then  a  group 
of  Rhododendrons,  interspersed  with  Lilium  au- 
ratum,  tigrinum  fl.-pl. — the  latter  full  7  feet  high 
— and  nmbellatum,  Dianthus   superbus  (a  free- 
growing  plant  for  the  purpose).  Lychnis  vesper- 
tina  fl.-pl.,  Astrantia  major.     Then  a  large  group 
near  the  water  is  composed  of  Phormium  tenax, 
TroUiuses  of  different  sorts,  Hemerocallis   flava, 
Ranunculus  aconitifolius  fl.-pl.,  speciosus  fl.-pl., 
and   bulbosus   fl.-pl.,   Gentiana    asclepiadea    and 
gelida,  Cypripedium  spectabile  and  Calceolus,  Te- 
lekia  speciosa,  Oriental  Poppies,  Silphiums,  Poly- 
gonum crispum,  Mimulus  cardinalis  (a  good  plant 
for    the    waterside),   Asphodels,    Betonicas,    and 
common  Musk  running  wild  in  moist  places.     As- 
sociated with  these  are  also  Lilium  canadense,  L. 
superbum,   Elymus   glauca,   Struthiopteris    japo- 
nica, growing  most  luxuriantly  and  nearly  6  feet 
across  ;  S.  germanica,  a  very  much  inferior  plant ; 
Primula  Sieboldi  in  variety.     In  half-shady  damp 
spots  under  shrubs,  growing  most  vigorously,  are 
Sanguinaria  canadensis,  Lythrum  latifolium,  Py- 
rola  rotundifolia,  Dondia  Epipactis,  Cypripediums, 
Sarracenias,  Trilliums,  Orchis  foliosa,  various  Lo- 
belias, and  the  little  Bluets  in  a  well-prepared 
patch   of   peaty  soil ;    then  come  Ferns,  various 
Andromedas,  Senecillis   carpatica,  a   good   plant 
with  large,  smooth,  glaucous  leaves  and   spikes 
3  feet  high  of   handsome  yellow  flowers.     Near 
the  walk  margins  are  Azalea  procumbens,  various 
Cyclamens,  Orchids,  Gentians,  dwarf  Rhododen- 
drons, dwarf  Roses,  &c.     On  a  wet  point  may  be 
found    Royal    Ferns,   Saxifraga    peltata,   Spiraia 
palmata,  and  sundry  varieties  of  Erica.    In  ad- 


dition to  the  plants  enumerated  above,  many 
bulbs  are  interspersed  among  the  other  plants,  such 
as  Hcillas,  Crocuses,  Snowdrops,  Narcissi,  Sisyrin- 
chiums,  Sec.  T.  S. 


CARNATIONS  AND  PICOTEES. 

The  article  on  these  (p.  89)  with  its  accompany- 
ing illustrations  of  the  so-called  ideal  Picotee  of 
the  florist  and  of  the  flower  as  it  actually  exists, 
would  be  a  formidable  indictment  against  florists 
were  it  not  founded  on  total  misapprehension  of 
the  facts  of  the  case.  On  the  late  Mr.  Glenny,  I 
believe,  rests  the  responsibility  for  these  models 
or  standards,  of  which  you  have  given  us  an  awful 
example  in  the  case  of  the  Picotee.  A  writer  in  a 
contemporary,  under  the  signature  of  "  Senex,"  in 
the  early  part  of  this  year,  in  a  paper  on  "  George 
Glenny  and  the  Horticultural  Press,"  very  well 
expresses  the  views  of  florists  on  the  above  sub- 
ject. "  Undoubtedly,"  he  says, "  Mr.  Glenny  in  his 
'  Properties  of  Flowers  '  gave  to  the  world  certain 
dogmas  expressed  in  wise,  concise,  and  explicit 
language,  but  much  of  this  dogma  rested  upon  no 
philosopliical  principles,  and  markedly  in  several 
instances  Mr.  Glenny  in  his  application  did  utter 
violence  to  the  truths  of  Nature.  Especially  was 
this  instanced  in  the  case  of  the  Tulip,  and  the 
Carnation,  and  Picotee.  Who  that  has  access  to 
or  can  remember  the  papers  by  the  late  Mr. 
Alderman  Hardy  (popularly  known  as  Dr. 
Hardy),  published  in  the  3Iii/hind  Ilorist 
of  18t7,  but  will  remember  how  completely 
Mr.  Glenny's  pretensions  to  authority  were 
dissipated  by  the  masterly  analysis  to  which  his 
dogmas  were  then  subjected.  How  inconsistentwith 
philosophical  truth  and  impossible  of  realisation 
in  Nature  they  were  shown  to  be.  Then  with  Car- 
nation and  Picotee  blooms  in,  I  believe,  his  latest 
diagram  of  the  perfect  Carnation  he  gave  such  a 
picture  of  intolerable  formality,  that  florists  as  one 
man  revolted  against  it.  The  diagram  represented 
a  series  of  concentric  circles  of  petals,  each  circle 
containing  the  same  number  of  petals  graduated 
in  size  to  the  uppermost,  with  every  petal  in  every 
circle  marked  exactly  alike,  an  abomination  utterly 
abhorent  to  Nature,  such  as  never  has  been  and 
never  will  be."  Reproduced  as  these  nndesirous 
figures  have  often  been  since  in  all  seriousness 
in  nursery  catalogues  and  some  horticultural 
journals,  it  is,  perhaps,  not  to  be  wondered  at  that 
they  have  been  the  means  of  misleading  many  as 
to  the  florist's  aims,  and  provoked  some  indigna- 
tion at  what  was  supposed  to  be  his  folly.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  however,  these  absurdities  have 
been  by  none  more  heartily  repudiated  than  they 
have  been  from  the  very  outset  by  florists  them- 
selves. M.  K. 

Sweet  Sultan. — Last  summer  I  saw  many 
very  pretty  bunches  of  this  in  London,  and 
I  resolved  to  grow  some  of  it  this  season,  which  I 
have  done,  but  I  like  better  to  see  it  in  handf  uls 
cut  than  growing.  Its  habit  is  only  suitable  for  a 
rough  mixed  border.  This  applies  more  particu- 
larly to  the  purple  flowering  variety,  the  most 
graceful  being  the  yellow  one.  Their  fragrance, 
too,  which  is  heavy,  would  not  find  favour  with 
many.  I  do  not  think  I  shall  grow  them  again. — 
J.  M. 

Phloxes  in  August— -Just  now  Phloxes 
are  at  their  best,  and  most  beautiful  they  are. 
The  season  has  been  most  favourable  for  the  per- 
fect development  of  their  leaves  and  flowers,  and 
the  latter  are  unusually  brilliant.  Some  plants 
which  are  raised  so  profusely  about  Edinburgh, 
such  as  the  Pansy  and  Viola,  are  said  to  succeed 
better  in  the  coolnorth  than  in  the  warm  south, but 
there  arenogroundsforsayinganything  of  thekind 
about  Phloxes.  With  us  this  has  been  one  of  the 
warmest  summers  on  record,  and  our  Phloxes 
have  never  been  finer.  I  am  quite  charmed  with 
them.  We  have  some  in  the  centres  of  flower  beds 
in  the  flower  garden,  others  in  masses  in  the  plea- 
sure grounds,  and  more  here  and  there  in  rows  in 
the  kitchen  garden,  and  in  all  of  these  positions 
they  have  grown  well,  bloomed  well,  and  pro- 
duced a  striking  effect.    No  flowers,  moreover,  are 


Ai'G.  23,    1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


155 


easier  cultivated.  The  soil  and  manure  which 
will  produce  a  good  Cabbage  will  grow  the  finest 
of  rhloxes. — J.  Jlrin,  Margam. 

Lilies  in  the  rain.— It  is  pleasing  to  read 
of  and  imagine  Lilies  growing  luxuriantly  and 
blooming  profusely  in  the  open  air,  but  I  fear 
there  is  a  shady  side  to  their  success  in  this  posi- 
tion as  well  as  a  bright  one.  Some  time 
ago  we  had  numerous  plants  of  L.  auratnm  and 
other  Lilies  blossoming  in  a  south  border,  and  so 
long  as  the  weather  remained  sunny  and  dry  they 
were  beautiful,  but  after  the  first  wet  day  we  had 
not  a  single  bloom  worth  looking  at.  The  rain 
washed  the  pollen  all  over  the  petals,  and  then  the 
flowers  were  the  most  unsightly  in  the  whole  gar- 
den.—J.  M. 


FORCING  THE  NETTED  IRIS. 

The  accompanying  little  illustration  may  serve 
to  remind  those  who  wish  to  have  a  few  pottuls  of 
the  charming  Iris  reticulata  in  bloom  at  Christmas 
time  that  now  is  the  proper  season  to  pot  the 
bulbs.  Hardy  as  this  beautiful  Iris  is,  it  forces 
well,  and  fine  tufts  of  it  glowing  with  rich  colours 
and  delightful  fragrance  may  be  secured  for  the 
Christmas  table  with  the  greatest  ease.     The  best 


Tuft  of  Iris  reticulata. 

plan  is  to  either  buy  good-sized  bulbs  —  in 
fact,  the  best  that  can  be  procured— or  dig  up 
some  of  the  best  clumps  in  the  garden.  In  the 
latter  case  the  bulbs  require  to  be  sorted,  the 
largest  and  best  being  set  aside  for  potting,  the 
rest  replanted  in  the  borders.  Five  good  plump 
bulbs  should  be  placed  a  5-inch  pot,  nsing  a  sandy 
loamy  soil.  The  pots  should  then  be  plunged  up 
to  their  rims  in  ashes  beneath  a  cool  frame,  but 
they  must  not  be  watered  until  the  leaves  appear 
well  above  the  surface,  which  will  be  about  Octo- 
ber, when  the  pots  should  be  placed  in  a  light 
frame  or  house  where  the  temperature  would 
range  from  about  1.")°  to  50°.  This  gentle  forcing 
will  induce  the  bulbs  to  throw  up  their  flowers 
about  the  end  of  December,  when  the  only  treat- 
ment required  is  to  keep  the  pots  moderately  dry 
and  in  a  cool  atmosphere,  so  as  to  prolong  the 
beauty  of  the  flowers  as  much  as  possible.  The 
forced  bulbs  should  not  be  treated  carelessly  after 
flowering,  as  they  usually  are,  but  should  be 
allowed  light  and  moisture,  so  as  to  thoroughly 
develop  their  foliage,  and  when  spring  comes  the 
pots  may  be  set  in  the  open  air  until  the  foliage 
is  quite  decayed,  when  the  soil  should  be  kept  dry 
and  the  bulbs  re-planted  during  next  August.  The 
chief  point  to  attend  to  in  forcing  this  Iris  is  not 
to  allow  the  soil  to  become  so  moist  as  to  in- 
duce the  rotting  of  the  bulbs  before  the  leaves 
appear.    Neither  must  the  plants  be  placed  in  too 


great  heat,  which  would  result  in  all  leaves  and 
no  flowers.  (j 

NOTES  ON  HAKDY  FLOWERS. 
Cypeipediujis— In  going  over  some  pots  of 
hardy  Cypripediums,  it  seemed  that  some  of  the 
North  American  species  are  not  only  partial  to 
soils  of  widely  differing  kinds,  but  that  the 
spare  stout  roots  of  some  refuse  to  grow  in  some 
composts.  C.  acaule,  for  instance,  has  a  decided 
preference  for  a  free  brown  loam,  C.  candidum  for 
a  thoroughly  decayed  vegetable  mould.  Whilst 
C.  spectabile  and  C.  pubescens  are  less  particular, 
all  resent  hard  or  rough  material  in  the  way  of 
grit;  and  if  the  succulent  tips  of  the  roots  are 
examined  in  pot  plants,  they  will  often  be  found 
black  and  decayed  where  they  have  come  into 
contact  with  such  substances.  Even  the  pot  sides 
will  be  found  to  have  stopped  their  progress,  and 
this  may  possibly  be  one  of  the  hindrances  to 
healthy  pot  culture.  Another  matter  I  have  ob- 
served favouring  this  view  is  that,  in  most  cases 
where  good  growth  and  flowers  have  been  pro- 
duced in  pots,  the  roots  have  made  their  way  over 
the  rims  into  the  Cocoa-nut  fibre,  which  as  plung- 
ing material  covered  the  rims  about  an  inch. 
Fortunately,  all  hardy  Lady  Slippers  are  more 
easily  and  vigorously  grown  in  the  open  soil,  pro- 
vided a  proper  start  is  made.  C.  arietinum  and 
one  or  two  others  of  the  less  known  North  Ameri- 
cans I  have  not  so  well  tried  as  the  above.  When 
once  these  Orchids  have  found  proper  quarters,  I 
fancy  many  would  be  surprised  to  see  their  vigour 
and  progress  and  the  amount  of  atmospheric  im- 
purity which  they  will  withstand.  They  may  be 
looked  upon  as  herbaceous  plants,  needing  at 
most  but  a  little  special  culture  like  Lilies,  Tril- 
liums,  &c. 

Stipa  pennata.— This,  though  not  a  flowering 
plant  in  the  strict  sense  of  the  word,  plays,  where 
freely  grown,  no  small  part  in  the  decoration  of 
our  borders  ;  its  long  awns,  "  like  the  feathers  of 
a  bird  of  paradise,'  are  just  now  fully  developed 
and  almost  ripe,  and  the  softest  breeze  causes 
them  to  float  and  sway  when  hardly  another  sign 
of  life  is  to  be  seen.  At  all  times  they  have  a 
pleasing  and  animated  appearance,  but  it  is 
among  Carnations  where  this  Grass  gives  us  its 
best  effects  ;  the  bright  flowers  of  the  Carnations, 
seen  at  a  short  distance  off,  fanned  by  a  gauzy  set 
of  awns  about  their  own  height,  appear  to 
increased  advantage.  If  cut  now,  these  plumes  of 
Grass  may  be  utilised  for  indoor  decoration  until 
another  year's  crop  is  produced  ;  but  as  soon  as 
cut  each  spray  ought  to  be  separated  until  it  is 
quite  dry,  otherwise  a  number  become  twisted  to- 
gether, and  in  two  or  three  days  are  like  ropes, 
and,  of  course,  quite  spoiled. 

Anemone  alpina. — This  is  another  desirable 
thing  in  its  seed  state,  as  is  also  its  variety 
sulphurea.  The  latter  especially  has  monster 
shaggy '  seed  heads ;  some  of  which  I  measured 
were  4.|  inches  in  diameter.  Seven  of  these  on  one 
plant  have  formed  an  ornament  for  the  past  two 
months,  standing  quite  a  foot  above  the  ample  and 
yet  verdant  foliage.  These  heads  of  awned  seed  are 
now  doing  duty  in  vases,  and  their  effect  is 
unique ;  but  they  will  not  last  long,  as  the  seed 
drops  daily,  when  it  is  gathered  and  sown  at  once. 
To  say  nothing  of  the  handsome  habit  and  flowers 
of  these  Anemones,  they  are  worth  growing  for 
their  seed  heads  alone ;  the  feathery  substance 
resembles  in  colour  the  more  dusky  ostrich  feather, 
and  the  globular  tutt  is  mounted  on  a  stout 
yellowish  stalk. 

Sarracenias  may  be  hardy  enough  to  exist  in 
the  open  in  our  climate,  but  so  far  as  my  ex- 
perience goes  during  the  past  five  or  six  years,  it 
is  only  a  bare  existence.  Clearly  they  are  not 
happy,  and  though  they  may  in  their  native 
habitats  endure  as  much,  or  even  more,  cold  than 
here,  other  climatic  conditions  in  this  country  are 
against  their  growth.  This  seems  beyond  doubt, 
for  when  half  dead  plants  are  taken  from  the  open, 
and  given  the  cool  treatment  of  a  frame  in  summer 
and  greenhouse  protection  in  winter,  they  do 
well.  I  never  saw  this  and  allied  genera  nearly 
so  well  grown  anywhere  as  in  the  Edinburgh  Bo- 


tanic Gardens.  A  little  house  was  devoted  to  them ; 
warmth,  humidity,  and  shade  were  the  existing 
conditions,  which  1  noted  so  late  as  the  month  of 
October.  Pretty  nearly  all  were  well  up  to  the 
glass,  and  it  was  a  delightful  sight  to  look  up  at 
the  crystal-like  globules  on  the  Sundews,  and  to 
see  against  the  light  the  veinous  tints  and  struc- 
tures of  the  Sarracenias  and  other  plants.  Under 
glass  these  are  easily  grown  with  the  same  treat- 
ment which  is  given  to  good  examples  of  common 
Maiden-hair  Ferns,  but  if  anyone  has  found  out 
how  to  make  plants  flourish  that  have  been  out- 
of-doors  two  years  or  longer,  the  information  as  to 
how  it  has  been  done  would  be  valuable  My  little 
stock,  which  has  been  taken  under  glass  within 
the  last  twelve  months,  is  now  showing  the  only 
healthy  foliage  that  has  been  produced  for  several 
years. 

Maegyricaepus  setosus  (the  Bristly  Pearl 
Fruit  Shrub)  cannot  be  otherwise  than  a  favourite 
with  all  who  have  seen  it.  Dwarf,  evergreen, 
bright,  of  neat  habit,  and  carrying  its  pearl-like 
fruits  nearly  the  whole  year,  it  claims  the  notice 
of  all  who  have  gardens,  but  more  especially  of 
those  seeking  pretty  all-the-year-round  things  for 
rockwork.  In  the  hands  of  an  expert  it  may  be 
propagated  from  cuttings,  or  it  may  be  layered  ; 
but  by  both  methods  the  increase  will  be  uncer- 
tain and  slow.  A  much  speedier  way  has  been 
found  out ;  the  one-seeded  fruits  will  germinate 
quickly  in  Cocoa-nut  fibre.  They,  however,  ought 
to  be  dead  ripe ;  but  to  save  the  difliculty  on  this 
point,  a  strong  plant  should  be  set  in  a  sunny 
place  and  have  a  top-dressing  of  3  inches  of  fibre. 
As  the  fruit  ripens  it  will  sow  itself,  and  from  the 
fibre  dozens  of  seedlings  from  1  inch  to  3  inches 
high  may  be  drawn  in  July  and  potted  in  leaf- 
mould  and  sand.  These  sturdy  plants,  loving 
sunshine,  may  be  fully  exposed  from  the  hour  they 
are  potted,  and  they  grow  right  away,  the  strong- 
est bearing  fruit  the  following  spring. 

Delphinium  grandiflorum  fl.-pl.,  or  as  we 
better  like  to  call  it,  the  old  double  Siberian  Lark- 
spur, is  one  of  the  rare  gems  of  our  gardens,  and 
belongs  to  the  same  rank  and  file  as  old  double 
Scotch  Rocket,  Fraxinella,  double  Ruby  Primrose, 
some  old  Snapdragons,  and  a  few  other  older 
treasures.  Those  who  are  fortunate  enough  to 
possess  moderately  strong  roots  of  this  prince  of 
Larkspurs,  numerous  and  fine  as  the  kinds  now 
are,  may,  by  taking  it  in  hand  at  once,  soon  in- 
crease their  stock.  Cut  off  the  tops,  wash  the 
roots,  and  divide  them  downwards  according  to 
the  number  of  crowns,  or  the  knife  may  safely  be 
sent  down  the  middle  of  the  beheaded  stalks ; 
when  this  has  been  done,  some  of  the  divisions  will 
allow  of  the  knife  crossing  them,  from  the 
number  of  "  eyes  "  in  the  lower  parts  ;  these  may 
be  cut  to  such  short  lengths  as  an  inch,  and  in  all 
cases  fibre  should  be  preserved.  Some  parts,  how- 
ever, may  have  none,  but  they  will  make  plants, 
needing  only  a  little  more  time.  All  these  root 
cuttings,  some  being  cut  on  three  sides  and  both 
ends,  should  be  treated  so  as  to  get  them  fur- 
nished with  roots  as  quickly  as  possible.  Prepare 
a  bed,  9  inches  deep,  of  fine  and  perfectly  clean 
sand,  and  if  it  has  been  well  aired  or  thinly  spread 
out  in  the  sunshine  all  the  better.  Set  the  cuttings 
in  a  row  an  inch  below  the  surface.  Water  once 
thoroughly,  and  leave  them  to  get  every  possible 
ray  of  sunshine.  With  the  warm  August,  weather, 
in  a  week  or  twelve  days  there  will  be  a  set  of  new 
roots  on  each  cutting;  but  it  might  be  better  to 
leave  them  another  week,  when  some  evening  or 
dull  day  they  should  be  potted  in  sand  with  a 
little  brown  loam  made  very  fine.  Do  not 
press,  but  trust  more  to  a  heavy  watering 
the  next  morning  to  settle  the  sand.  Stand 
these  pots  in  full  sun,  but  do  not  allow  them  to 
get  dry.  3-iinch  pots  will  soon  be  filled  with  roots, 
and  I  prefer  to  keep  them  in  that  size,  and  have 
them  plunged  in  dry  sand  in  a  cold  frame  during 
winter  ;  but  air  should  always  be  left  on.  This 
method  has  been  followed  with  success  for  two 
seasons,  and  it  is  now  in  process  with  more  than 
ordinary  promise.  The  chief  points  are  to  start 
early  and  have  a  clean  warm  bed  to  make 
roots  in. 


15C 


THE    GARDEN 


[Aug.  23,  1884. 


Andeosace  lanuginosa.— This  lovely  species, 
perhaps  the  most  useful  of  the  genus,  has  a 
straggling  habit ;  this,  however,  need  not  detract 
from  its  other  fine  qualities,  but  may  be  turned  to 
good  account  in  two  respects— viz.,  its  flowering 
may  be  invigorated  and  increase  readily  made. 
Each  time  a  flower  scape  is  sent  up,  twin  shoots 
grow  at  the  base  of  it,  and  the  common  node  is 
rather  swollen  ;  these  twin  shoots  in  a  short  time 
each  produce  a  scape  and  twin  shoots  again,  and 
so  the  plant  straggles  on.  By  taking  ofli  the  leaves 
at  the  base  of  each  scape,  lancing  the  underside 
of  the  thick  joint  and  putting  in  a  peg,  the  plant 
becomes  stayed,  looks  neater,  and  roots  from  the 
pegged  node.  Though  this  plant  does  well  on 
rockwork,  I  prefer  to  grow  it  in  a  deep  pan  for 
several  reasons.  When  in  a  pan  of  good  size,  the 
pegging  can  be  done  better  than  in  the  harder  and 
stonier  stuff  in  the  rockery  ;  then  during  unfavour- 
able weather  it  can  readily  be  placed  undercover  ; 
lastly,  under  any  circumstances,  this  hairy  plant 
can  be  kept  in  better  health  under  glass  than  else- 
where, from  the  occurrence  of  the  October  fogs 
until  the  following  February  or  March,  though  it 
is  no  uncommon  thing  to  bring  it  through  the 
winter  quite  exposed. 

The  North  American  Bluets,  Houstonia  ccurulen, 
is  a  bright  little  Gentianaceous  plant  which  many 
fail  to  keep,  and  even  more  rarely  is  it  seen  in  a 
green  state,  a  condition  in  which  with  care  it 
may  be  had  the  whole  year  round.  The  finer  blue 
or  typical  form  I  lost  two  years  ago,  and  I  have 
not  been  able  again  to  meet  with  what  I  should 
take  to  be  the  true  Bluet ;  a  white  sort  and  white 
with  a  faint  blue  tint  are  more  common  forms. 
Can  it  be  that  the  higher  colour  is  not  fixed  in 
plants  grown  in  this  climate  ?  Be  that  as  it  may, 
this  Houstonia  is  benefited  at  this  season  by  being 
closely  clipped  over,  thus  checking  its  almost  per- 
petual blooming  propensity  and  favouring  the 
growth  of  fresh  green  tufts.  In  the  case  of  rather 
large  specimens  it  will  be  found  a  good  plan  to 
divide  them  and  replant  in  sandy  loam  and  leaf- 
mould,  giving  copious  waterings  for  a  fortnight. 
Smaller  plants,  if  heavily  top-dressed — almost 
covered— with  sand  and  leaf-mould  when  clipped 
overwillsoonmakea  green  cushion  that  will  endure 
through  severe  winters  ;  but  if,  as  is  not  unlikely, 
flowers  begin  to  appear  in  autumn,  they  should 
be  removed.  Under  cultivation  we  seem  mainly 
to  require  to  keep  this  pretty  plant  from  flowering 
itself  to  death.  Another  free-growing  plant  that 
many  from  some  cause  have  frequently  to  replace 
is 

Campanula  turbinata. — The  various  forms 
of  this  have  at  ones  a  vigorous,  but  very  dwarf 
habit,  and  bear  numerous  cup-like  bells.  Unless 
looked  after,  plants  from  seed,  which  is  freely  pro- 
duced, spring  up  about  the  old  root,  and,  as  I 
believe,  run  back  to  the  original  form  of  carpatica, 
and  so  the  dwarfer  varieties  are  soon  overgrown 
and  killed.  I  have  noticed  this  happen  over  and 
over  again  in  the  case  of  strong  clumps.  We  can 
,  get  plenty  of  turbinata  seed,  but  according  to  my 
experience  it  does  not  reproduce  the  true  form. 
It,  however,  yields  some  pretty  varieties.  All  that 
have  been  raised  both  from  self-sown  seed  and 
that  received  from  other  sources  show  clearly  in 
the  leaf  state  carpatica  features.  The  lesson  we 
should  learn,  then,  if  the  same  thing  happens  in 
other  gardens  is  to  keep  the  desired  form  clear  of 
ssedlings.  Of  both  runners  and  seed  it  would  be 
well  to  keep  many  other  Campanulas  clear  if  we 
could  manage  it. 

LiTHOSPEEMUM  PROSTEATUM.— This  favourite 
"true  blue"  flowered,  prostrate  plant  is  not  in- 
creased so  fast  as  one  could  desire.  I  am  not 
aware  that  there  can  be  anything  done  in  the  way 
of  seed  ;  the  trade  have  more  or  less  success  with 
cuttings,  but  even  when  well  rooted  somehow 
they  transplant  indifferently.  Some  prefer  the 
newest  shoots,  others  the  harder  wood,  but  in 
these  cases  I  believe  there  is  but  a  mere  chance  of 
success.  I  have  no  royal  method  to  show,  but  the 
plan  practised  this  summer  has  been  by  far  the 
most  successful  of  at  least  half  a  dozen  which  I 
have  tried.  I  took  old  plants  with  their  long, 
contorted,  but  somewhat  soft  roots,  about    the 


thickness  of  a  penholder,  and  cut  them  into  2-inch 
lengths  ;  these  were  put  round  the  sides  of  pots  in 
clean,  fine  sand,  well  firmed  and  settled  with 
water,  and  plunged  in  cocoa  fibre  in  full  sunshine. 
The  upper  ends,  which  came  just  level  with  the 
surface  of  the  sand,  showed  stout  sprouts  in  ten  or 
twelve  days.  So  far  as  this  method  goes,  only 
those  having  old,  healthy  plants  can  practise  it.  I 
find  that  nearly  all  the  cultivated  Borageworts, 
shrubby  and  herbaceous,  are  more  easily  pro- 
pagated from  what  may  be  termed  the  crown  and 
top  parts  of  their  roots  than  in  any  other  way. 

AciPHYLLA  SQUAEKOSA. — I  do  not  think  Miss 
Owen  will  have  much  difticulty  with  this  on  a 
raised  bed  of  light,  but  rich  soil.  A  small  plant  of 
it  was  sent  me  nearly  three  years  ago  by  the  late 
Mr.  Sadler,  and  although  it  has  been  grown  in 
the  open  and  fully  exposed  from  the  day  it  was 
received,  it  is  now  nearly  o  feet  in  diameter,  but 
has  not  flowered.  I  can  hardly  imagine  that  the 
Spear  Grass,  or  Wild  Spaniard,  can  be  more 
ornamental  when  in  flower  than  in  its  present 
state  with  me,  for  its  hundreds  of  rigid  and 
glaucous  spears  render  it  at  once  a  formidable  and 
handsome  object.  Seed  kindly  sent  me  by  Mr. 
Lindsay  has  grown  well,  and  the  young  stock  is 
making  rapid  growth  in  a  frame,  plunged  in  stable 
litter. 

Pinks  and  other  kinds  of  Dianthus,  as  well  as 
Silencs,  Lychnises,  Alyssums,  and  many  other 
things,  are  here  terribly  infested  with  a  grub 
which  burrows  between  the  upper  and  lower  leaf 
skins,  and  whilst  the  bad  effects  of  it  are  most 
felt  among  Carnations,  which  ought  now  to  be  in 
their  best  form,  and  among  the  rare  alpine  species 
of  Dianthus,  which  ought  to  be  making  their  green 
tufts,  the  damage  appears  to  be  most  complete  in 
such  plants  as  have  sessile  leaves  or  soft,  stout 
stalks  through  which  and  into  the  stems  the  grubs 
can  eat  their  way.  It  is  no  uncommon  thing 
to  find  the  tops  of  plants  "  heading  over,"  the 
cause  being  a  grub  which  has  gone  down  the 
leaf  and  eaten  a  cavity  in  the  stem.  The  greyish 
trace  these  grubs  leave  on  the  foliage  is  a  ready 
guide  to  their  whereabouts,  and  where  the  collec- 
tion of  plants  is  not  numerous  they  may  be  pretty 
well  kept  down  by  pinching  them.  Batches  of 
Dianthus  neglectus,  Lychnis  Lagascre,  and  L  lap- 
ponica  eaten  away  by  these  grubs  have  been 
greatly  benefited  by  dustings  of  wood  ashes.  These 
seem  to  not  only  dry  up  the  affected  parts,  but  to 
stop  the  further  progress  of  the  grubs,  which  evi- 
dently are  unable  to  endure  such  doses  of  potash. 
Woodashes  got  by  burning  the  small  wood  and 
prunings  collected  whilst  perfectly  dry  are  quite 
as  handy  and  cheap  as  lime  or  soot,  and  far  less 
objectionable  amongst  flowers,  and,  according  to 
my  experience,  more  effective  against  slugs,  worms, 
grubs,  caterpillars,  fly,  &c.,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
easy  manner  in  which  they  can  be  washed  cfE 
the  plants  by  the  ordinary  use  of  the  watering- 
pot  and  their  fertilising  effects  when  so  washed 
down  to  the  roots.  In  short,  they  are  the  handiest 
material  one  can  have  ready  in  a  dry  state  about 
one's  garden.  In  pottiEg,too,  a  dashof  them  loosens 
and  sweetens  the  soil.  I  can  always  depend  on 
woodashes  for  keeping  slugs  off  such  plants  as 
have  been  freely  dusted  with  them,  and  this  is  no 
small  matter.  I  thank  the  continued  use  of  them 
for  the  appreciable  lessening  of  slugs  in  my  gar- 
den.    Speaking  of  slugs  reminds  me  of 

Edeaianthl's  dalmaticus,  a  plant  of  which 
they  are  most  fond.  There  are,  however,  two 
other  curious  facts  I  notice  year  by  year  in 
reference  to  this  alpine.  It  has  three  distinct 
flowering  periods,  and  only  the  midsummer  or 
July  flowers  are  fruitful;  but  unless  the  seed  is 
well  locked  after,  the  juicy  capsules,  hispid 
though  they  are,  will  be  grazed  off  by  slugs.  People 
seeking  for  neat,  fresh-looking,  and  distinct  hardy 
plants  may  be  recommended 

Otiionna  cheieifolia  ;  if  only  a  composite 
with  flowers  of  the  colour  so  common  to  its  order, 
they  are  so  clear  and  finished  as  to  render  the 
plant  desirable.  I  have  never  seen  it  have  many 
at  one  time,  three  or  four  at  most  on  a  large  plant 
as  many  j  ears  old,  but  they  are  very  effective.  The 
leaves  resemble  those  of  Wallflower  in  but  the 


merestoutline,thongh  the  specific  name  would  indi- 
cate greater  affinity.  They  are  blunt  and  nearly 
round  at  the  apes,  and  their  succulent  quality 
and  glaucous,  nearly  blue  colour,  give  the  plant 
a  clean  appearance,  whilst  the  cartilage  plainly 
seen  round  each  leaf  when  young  adds  to  the 
interest  belonging  to  this  plant.  Its  habit  is  half 
shiubby  and  procumbent.  It  not  unfrequently 
roots  where  it  touches  the  ground,  but  when  such 
branches  are  severed  I  have  not  found  them  to 
grow  as  I  expected.  Cuttings  offer  a  better  (but 
far  from  an  easy)  way  of  propagating  it ;  the 
leaves  are  so  arranged  that  they  conduct  too  much 
water  down  the  stems,  unless  the  cuttings  are  so 
made  that  the  bases  of  the  lowest  are  quite  clear 
of  the  soil ;  those  touching  it  are  almost  certain  to 
rot  and  kill  the  cutting.  J.  WOOD. 

^]'(||ldl■Ulc,  Kirkstall,  Ycr/;s. 


SPRING  FLOWER  GARDENING. 

A  DISPLAY  of  flowers  in  early  spring  in  addition 
to  those  of  bulbous  plants  is  now  so  easily  secured, 
owing  to  the  wealth  of  early-flowering  plants 
which  we  possess,  that  no  garden  should  be  with- 
out them.  They  afford  a  great  variety  of  colou', 
and  supply  what  bulbous  plants  need  to  set  them 
off  to  advantage — viz.,  a  carpet  of  spreading 
foliage.  First  comes  the  ever  welcome  Forget- 
me-not.  The  most  popular  varieties  of  this  for 
spring  bedding  are  Myosotis  dissitiflora,  blue  and 
white;  these  are  readily  increased  by  division, 
every  piece  if  dibbled  in  on  a  shady  border  and 
kept  moist  Eiaking  a  good  plant.  Voung  seed- 
lings should  be  pricked  out  6  inches  apart.  Myo- 
sotis sylvatica  seeds  so  freely  that  there  is  no  need 
to  lesoit  to  propagating  this  in  any  other  way. 
Wallflowers,  both  single  and  double  of  the  German 
kinds,  should  be  planted  out  from  the  seed  bed. 
Of  the  single  early-floweiing  kinds  Harbinger  is 
the  best  amongst  dark  sorts,  and  Belvoir  Castle 
amongst  yellows.  Pansies  and  Violas  are  in- 
dispensable, and  the  easiest  way  in  which  to  get 
up  a  stock  of  healthy  plants  is  to  cut  them  down 
close  to  the  ground  in  June,  and  in  July  they  will 
be  full  of  healthy  young  shoots,  which,  if  divided 
and  re-planted,  make  fine  plants  by  October. 
Sedums  and  hardy  Sempervivums  come  in  well  for 
edgings,  and  may  be  readily  increased  now  by 
division.  Primroses  and  Polyanthuses  may  be 
divided  and  re-planted  on  shaded  borders,  and 
seedlings  requiringmore  room  may  be  transplanted, 
shading  from  bright  sunlight  until  well  established. 
Auriculas  of  the  alpine  kinds  may  be  treated  the 
same  as  Primroses.  Silenes  of  several  kinds  may 
be  sown  broadcast  in  seed  beds  thinly  ;  if  thick, 
they  must  be  re-planted  as  soon  as  they  are  large 
enough  to  handle,  and  the  same  mode  of  treat- 
ment applies  to  Nemophilas,  Candytufts,  and  any 
of  the  biennials  usually  employed  for  this  purpose. 
Shrubs  of  various  kinds  are  most  useful  for  fur- 
nishing beds.  Amongst  the  best  are  the  gold  and 
silver  variegated  and  green-leaved  varieties  of 
Euonymus  japonicus,  Laurustinus,  Bays,  Aucnbas, 
Box,  and  Berberis.  Conifers  of  various  sorts,  such 
as  Retinoeporas,  Thuja-s  Cypresses,  and  Junipers, 
that  are  so  graceful  in  a  young  state,  may  be  pro- 
cured cheaply  in  3-inch  pots,  and  if  planted  out 
in  good  soil,  soon  make  good  plants  for  beds  or  the 
centres  of  vases,  but  they  may  be  kept  in  pots 
and  plunged,  which  is  probably  the  best  way,  if 
carefully  tended  in  the  way  of  water  at  the  roots. 

J.  Geoom. 


Melilot  (Melilotus  ofHoinalis)  is  a  capital  bee 
plant.  Planted  on  any  waste  piece  of  ground  it 
furnishes  late  in  summer  a  harvest  for  myriads  of 
these  busy  insects.  Being  a  biennial,  seeds  sown 
in  autumn  will  produce  flowering  plants  the  fol- 
lowing season,  and  if  the  locality  is  sheltered  the 
stem  will  attain  a  great  height.  The  main  stem 
of  a  self-sown  plant  which  came  up  in  my  garden 
is  over  1 1  feet  in  height,  and  has  besides  several 
large  flowering-stems  springing  from  the  same 
root.  My  bees  are  constantly  buzzing  merrily 
round  it,  and  I  believe  it  to  be  one  of  the  very  best 
honey-producing  plants  grown.  When  dry  it  is 
extremely  fragrant,  and,  like  the  Tonquin  Bean 


AiG.  23    1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


15- 


and  Woodruff,  will  impart  a  sweet  odour  of  new- 
mown  hay  to  linen.  —  Emily  Culvekhouse, 
Hamtcari  Doirns,  Sutton,  Surrey. 

Dianthus  Atkinsonl  was  raised  from  seed 
by  the  late  Mrs.  Atkinson,  of  Bacton  Hall,  in 
Norfolk,  about  the  year  1815.  It  was  given  by 
her  to  my  father,  the  late  liev.  John  Nelson,  of 
Winterton,  and  was  named  by  him.  It  has  been 
preserved  in  our  family  ever  since,  everyone  else 
having  lost  it.  The  only  way  to  keep  it  is  to 
strike  cuttings  every  year,  and  to  procure  cuttings 
it  is  necessary  to  keep  one  plant  at  least  from 
flowering  at  all,  and  to  cut  off  every  shoot  that 
attempts  to  flower ;  otherwise  it  will  not  make 
Grass,  and  the  plant  is  almost  sure  to  die  after 
flowering.  I  consider  it  the  handsomest  of  all 
the  Dianthus  family.— Charles  E.  Nelson,  Tfi«- 
terfori;  (rrcaf  Yarmoitth. 

Sagittaria  sagitt'.folia  fl.-pl.  (double- 
flowered  Arrowhead). — I  have  grown  this  beautiful 
flowering  aquatic  on  the  margin  of  my  pond  for 
many  years  past,  and  it  has  bloomed  each  summer 
more  or  less  abundantly,  its  bloom-spike  remind- 
ing one  somewhat  of  a  gigantic  double  white 
Hyacinth,  save  that  the  flowers  are  arranged  in 
more  even  and  regular  whorls  round  the  stem  than 
is  the  case  with  the  Hyacinth.  Never,  however, 
till  this  year,  owing  perhaps  to  the  unusually 
warm  and  sunny  summer  which  we  are  now  en- 
joying, have  the  flowers  of  this  plant  shown  them- 
selves in  their  full  development  and  beauty,  those 
now  open  in  my  pond  resembling  the  flowers 
of  a  fully  double,  pure  white  Balsam.  I  do  not 
think  this  lovely  plant  has  yet  been  figured  in  any 
illustrated  horticultural  woik. — W.  E.  G. 

Grapo  Hyacinths.  —  In  The  Garden, 
(p.  136)  there  is  an  article  on  Grape  Hyacinthb, 
on  which  kindly  allow  me  to  make  a  few  observa- 
tions. Muscari  lingulatum  is  classed  in  group  1, 
but  its  bells  are  rather  broader,  or  at  least  just  as 
broad  as  long.  It  is  by  no  means  bright  blue,  but 
milky  white  tinged  with  porcelain;  a  thin  strip 
of  bright  ultramarine  stretches  from  each  tooth  to 
the  top  of  the  bell,  and  produces  to  the  eye  at 
some  distance  off  the  same  effect  as  if  the  whole 
spike  was  of  the  brightest  turquoise  blue.  It  is 
the  earliest  of  all  the  Grape  Hyacinths,  flowering, 
as  it  does,  in  February.  From  all  information 
(notes,  dried  flowers,  and  figures)  which  have  come 
to  my  notice,  it  appears  that  the  true  M.  Hel- 
dreichi  is  rather  scarce  in  England.  It  is,  however, 
so  distinct  that  it  can  easily  be  recognised  among 
thousands  of  its  brethren.  It  has  the  largest  spike 
among  the  blue-flowered  kinds,  and  also  the 
largest  bells,  which  are  very  prominent,  owing  to 
the  broad  and  conspicuously  white-margined 
teeth. — Max  Leichtlin,  Baden- liaden. 

Seedling  Carnations.— It  is  surprising 
that  raising  Carnations  from  seed  is  not  more 
generally  practised  than  it  is  seeing  that  even  if  a 
very  large  percentage  should  turn  out  to  be  single 
they  would  well  repay  the  labour  bestowed  on 
them,  for  single  Carnations  are  by  no  means  unat- 
tractive either  in  borders  or  as  cut  flowers,  and  the 
doable  flowers  which  one  gets,  although  not  per- 
haps up  to  the  florist's  ideal  of  perfection,  are 
nevertheless  very  useful  in  borders.  Their  markings 
are  very  varied  and  beautiful,  and  they  are  very 
easy  plants  to  raise  from  seed.  I  generally  sow  in 
pans  or  boxes  in  March,  and  as  soon  as  the  young 
plants  are  large  enough  to  handle  they  are  pricked 
off  into  other  boxes  2  inches  apart  and  by  May 
they  are  large  enough  to  plant  out  1  foot  apart 
where  they  are  to  flower  ;  they  only  need  keeping 
clean  and  watering,  should  drought  prevail,  to 
make  very  fine  plants  by  the  end  of  the  summer. 
Very  early  the  second  year  they  push  up  their 
flower-spikes,  and  few  plants  produce  such  a  mass 
of  bloom  as  seedling  Carnations.  The  colours  of 
the  single  ones  are  usually  most  brilliant  and 
varied  and  their  perfume  exquisite.  Out  of  a  good 
long  row  of  these  useful  flowers,  the  seed  being 
saved  from  ordinary  border  kinds,  I  have  at  least 
two  dozen  good  double  flowers  that  are  well  worth 
retaining,  and  I  am  sure  that  anyone  who  requires 
cut  flowers  in  quantity  cannot  do  better  than  raise 
a  good  bed  of  seedlings  every  year. — J.  G.  H, 


Ferns. 

RAISING  FERNS  FROM  SPORES. 

This  plan,  of  which  I  give  a  sketch,  has  been  in 
use  by  myself  for  many  years,  and  most  suc- 
cessfully. I  have  at  various  times  given  it  to 
growers,  but  still  I  hear  of  difficulties.  Procure  a 
good  sized  bell-glass  and  an  earthenware  pan 
without  any  holes  for  drainage.  Prepare  a  num- 
ber of  small  pots,  all  filled  for  sowing,  place  them 
inside  the  pan,  and  fit  the  glass  over  them,  so  that 
it  takes  all  in  easily.  Take  these  filled  small  pots 
out  of  the  pan,  place  them  on  the  ground,  and 
well  water  them  with  boiling  water  to  destroy  all 
animal  and  vegetable  life,  and  allow  them  to  get 
perfectly  cold  ;  use  a  fine  rose.  Then  taking  each 
small  pot  separately,  sow  the  spores  on  the  surface 
and  label  them  ;  do  this  with  the  whole  number, 
and  then  place  them  in  the  pan  under  the  bell- 
glass.  This  bad  better  be  done  in  a  room,  so 
that  nothing  foreign  can  grow  inside.  Having  ar- 
ranged the  pots  and  placed  the  glass  over  them, 
and  which  should  fit  down  upon  the  pan  with  ease, 
take  a  clean  sponge,  and  tearing  it  up  pack  the 
pieces  round  the  outside  of  the  glass,  and  touch- 
ing the  inner  side  of  the  pan  all  round.  Water 
this  with  cold  boiled  water,  so  that  the  sponge  is 
saturated.  Do  this  whenever  required,  and  al- 
ways use  water  that  has  been  boiled.  At  the  end 
of  six  weeks  or  so  the  prothallus  will  perhaps 


1,  iian ;  2,  bell-glass ;  3,  small  pots  and  labels. 

appear,  certainly  in  a  week  or  two  more  ;  perhaps 
from  unforeseen  circumstances  not  for  three  mont  hs. 
Slowly  these  will  begin  to  show  themselves  as 
young  J'erns,  and  most  interesting  it  is  to  watch 
the  results.  As  the  Ferns  are  gradually  increas- 
ing in  size  pass  a  small  piece  of  slate  under  the 
edge  of  the  bell-glass  to  admit  air,  and  do  this  by 
very  careful  degrees,  allowing  more  and  more  air 
to  reach  them.  Never  water  overhead  until  the 
seedlings  are  acclimatised  and  have  perfect  form 
as  Ferns,  and  even  then  water  at  the  edges  of  the 
pots.  In  due  time  carefully  prick  out,  and  the  task 
so  interesting  to  watch  is  performed.  H. 


BEST  CULTIVATED  FERNS. 
(  C.mtitmeil  from  p.  88) 
Nepiirodium  paludosbm  (Aspidinm  propin- 
quum). — A  robust-growing  species  from  Southern 
India,  and  one  whose  habit  is  very  elegant  on  ac- 
count of  its  beautifully  arching  fronds,  the  under 
surface  of  which  is  rendered  particularly  attractive 
by  the  whitish  or  glaucous  colour  peculiar  to  them. 
These  are  abundantly  produced  from  a  very  long 
creeping  caudex,  which,  as  a  rnle,  throws  ont  roots 
wherever  it  touches  the  ground.  This  species  is 
thoroughly  evergreen,  and  as  a  plant  for  the  cool 
rockery  it  has  but  few  equals  as  regards  effective- 
ness, and  being  a  robust  grower  it  soon  attains  a 
good  size.  Its  fronds  are  40  inches  high,  including 
stalks,  which  often  reach  15  inches  in  length. 

I'innic  closely  set,  shortly  petiolate,  ami  incijsuring  from 
3  inches  to  6  iilclies  long  by  about  half  an  inch  in  breadth  ; 
they  are  linear-lanceolate,  acute,  sometimes  broader  at  the 
liase,  but  at  other  times  much  contracted  and  pinnatifld 
hall  \say  down  the  raclus. 


N.  pteeioides. — A  handsome  East  Indian  stove 
species,  whose  medium  growth  and  particularly 
graceful  and  arching  fronds,  produced  from  a 
somewhat  fleshy  rhizome,  seem  to  point  it.out  as 
especially  well  adapted  for  pot  culture.  It  forms 
a  compact  little  specimen  and  most  attractive  ;  the 
upper  surface  of  its  fronds  is  rich  green  in  colour, 
and  the  sori  on  the  underside  marginal  and  con- 
fluent. 

Fronds  arching,  produced  from  a  succulent  caudex  and 
measuring  from  IS  inches  to  20  inches  in  height;  simply 
pinnate,  with  pinnie  loosely  set  and  olitusely  lobed.  Soli 
very  cojnous,  forming  a  band  all  round  the  margin. 

N.  PDNCTATUM. — Probably  the  strongest  grow- 
ing species  of  the  whole  genus,  often  attaining 
a  height  from  5  feet  to  G  feet.  It  comes  from 
Moulmein,  where  it  is  found  growing  in  damp 
jungles.  It  therefore  requires  for  the  full  develop, 
ment  of  its  fine  fronds,  which  though  simply 
pinnate  possess  quite  a  pinnatifid  appear- 
ance, to  be  planted  out  in  a  low  situation  on  a 
warm  rockery  where  there  is  constantly  an 
abundance  of  moisture,  which  is  indispensable  to 
its  well-being.  A  very  peculiar,  and  at  the  same 
time  attractive,  appearance  is  produced  by  the  sori, 
which  are  marginal  and  set  all  round  the  pinnules, 
being  sunk  in  the  substance  of  the  fronds,  render- 
ing their  upper  suiface  quite  punctured  as  it  were. 
They  rise  from  a  creeping  rhizome  and  are  pro- 
vided at  their  base  with  a  few  brownish  small 
scales. 

Fronds  ovate-lanceolate,  leafy  portion  from  3  feet  to 
4  feet  in  length  ;  simply  pinnate,  thongh  the  pinna:  being 
cut  taU  way  down  to  the  midrib,  a  pinnatifid  appearance 
is  given.  The  pinnfc,  which  are  alternate,  measure  from 
8  inches  in  the  lowest  to  15  inches  long  by  aliout  threc- 
iiuarters  of  an  inch  broad,  and  closely  set.  Sori  plentiful, 
marginal  or  disposed  all  round  tlie  pinnules. 

N.  Serra. — This  greenhouse  South  American 
species,  evergreen  and  graceful  in  appearance,  is 
well  adapted  for  decorative  purposes,  for  besides 
its  foliage  being  very  elegant  it  also  possesses 
another  equally  estimable  quality  appreciated  in 
all  decorative  plants — viz.,  that  of  lasting  on  the 
plant  for  two  or  even  three  years.  The  difference 
between  the  young  and  old  fronds  is  very  great. 
The  young  ones  are  much  larger  than  the  old  ones 
and  of  a  drooping  habit,  whereas  those  that  are 
adult  stand  perfectly  erect,  and  are  much  narrower 
in  all  their  parts  ;  their  texture,  too,  is  leathery 
and  their  upper  surface  quite  glossy.  This  Fern, 
producing,  as  it  does,  numerous  and  lasting  fronds 
borne  on  very  slender  and  round  green  stalks, 
makes  a  fine  plant  for  a  pot,  rivalling  in  graceful- 
ness many  of  the  finely-divided-leaved  Palms  so 
much  in  demand  for  decoration  now-a-days.  lis 
powers  of  endurance,  too,  in  living  rooms  are  in 
no  way  inferior  to  those  of  Palms. 

Friends  borne  on  round,  slender  stalks  of  a  bright  green 
colour  and  about  10  inches  high,  the  height  of  the  whole 
plant  raicly  exceeding  21  inches.  They  are  pinnate,  the 
pinn.'c  being  mostly  opposite,  deeply  incised  when  young, 
but  only  denticulate  when  older.    Sori  very  small. 

N.  truncatum. — A  very  fine  greenhouse  ever- 
green species  from  Ceylon  and  the  Sandwich  Is- 
lands, and  one  comparatively  rare  in  cultivation, 
although  pretty  and  equally  well  adapted  for  pot 
culture  or  for  planting  out  on  a  cool  rockery, 
where  it  grows  to  about  20  inches  high. 

Fronds  erect,  produced  from  a  succulent  caudex,  pecu- 
liarly glabrous,  lanceolate-acuminate  in  shape,  and  pinnate, 
the  pinns!  being  numerous  and  closely  set  alternately. 
They  are  regularly  .and  obtnsely  lobed,  and  often  measure 
8  inches  long  by  1  inch  broad  ;  they  also  are  generally  pm- 
iiatitid  half  way  down  to  the  rachis,  and  their  segments, 
truncated,  arc  inconspicuously  toothed  at  the  apex. 

N.  UNITUM.— This  is  one  of  those  curiously  cos- 
mopolitan species  found  growing  wild  in  very  ex- 
tensive ranges.  It  is  very  widely  distributed 
throughout  the  West  Indies,  Brazil,  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  the  Mauritius,  Sumatra,  &c.,  in  all  of 
which  places  it  grows  to  a  very  large  size,  but  the 
form  mostly  met  with  under  cultivation  is  the  one 
generally  imported  from  Southern  Florida,  where 
it  is  found  in  abundance  in  all  swampy  or  boggy 
places.  This  North  American  form,  which  only 
requires  greenhouse  temperature,  is  of  a  much 
dwarf er  habit  than  those  from  the  above  mentioned 
habitats,  and  although  its  handsome  fronds  are 
sometimes  quite  smooth,  they  generally  bear  along 
the  midribs  and  veins  a  few  little  scales  and  a  very 


158 


THE     GARDEN 


[Aug.  23,    1884. 


scanty  minute  pubescence  is  found  along  the  mar- 
gins of  the  lobes.  The  whole  plant  is  of  a  mott 
distinct  and  pleasing  vivid  green  colour. 

Fronds  on  stalks  about  10  inches,  rising  from  a  smooth  and 
angular  rootstock  creeping  beneath  the  surface  and  nearly 
black.  Pinuoe  from  twenty  to  twenty -five  on  each  side  of 
the  rachis,  set  somewhat  far  apart,  and  measuring  from 
4  inches  to  6  inches  long  by  half  an  incli  wide ;  th^y  are 
obtusely  crenate  and  slightly  hairy,  of  linear-acumin.ite 
shape,  and  nearly  straight. 

N.  VEKUSTUM. — A  very  handsome  evergreen 
stove  species  from  Jamaica,  and  one  which  de- 
serves more  attention  than  it  receives.  At  pre- 
sent it  is  found  only  in  a  few  of  our  best  collec- 
tions, where  its  alternate  pinnae,  about  G  inches 
long,  very  regularly  dentate  on  the  margins,  and 
of  a  rich  dark  green  colour,  produce  a  fine  effect. 

Fronds  produced  from  a  decumbent  rliizome  and  borne 
on  round  dark  green  stalks,  slightly  scaly  at  the  base  ;  they 
generally  measure  20  itches  to  80  inches  high,  and  arc 
finely  pinnate,  with  pinna;  set  close  together  and  slightly 
auriculate,  diltering  in  that  respect  from  most  other  species 
belonging  to  the  genus. 

NiPHOBOLUS.— This  interesting  genus  is  whollj 
composed  of  species,  mostly  of  dwarf  growth,  with 
entire  fronds,  produced  from  wiry  creeping 
rhizomes,  whose  spare  roots  only  remain  on  the 
surface  of  the  ground.  They  are  all  plants  of  a 
leathery  texture,  rendered  conspicuous  by  the 
under  surface  of  their  fronds  being  possessed  of  a 
dense  covering  of  stellate  scales  of  a  peculiar 
silvery  hue  when  young,  but  which  with  age  be- 
come light  brown.  All  the  plants  belonging  to 
this  genus  produce  two  kinds  of  fronds,  the  mo.^i 
ornamental  being  the  barren  ones,  although  tin 
fertile  ones,  which  are  usually  contracted,  are  hj 
far  the  most  interesting,  chiefly  on  account  of  the 
sori,  which  in  most  cases  are  of  a  deep  red  colour, 
and  cover  the  whole  of  the  upper  part  of  the  under 
surface  of  the  fronds.  Being  very  shallow-rooting 
plants,  they  delight  in  growing  on  partly  decayed 
vegetable  matter,  and  form  handsome  masses 
when  placed  on  conical  mounds  made  up  ol 
turves  of  fibrous  peat,  which  to  begin  with  should 
be  well  skewered  together,  although  later  on  the 
rhizomes  will  bind  all  firmly  together  without 
artificial  aid.  I'lants  belonging  to  this  genus  may 
also  be  grown  with  advantage  on  branches  of 
dead  trees  and  on  stems  of  slender  Tree  Ferns, 
which,  though  generally  rather  slow  growers! 
they  entirely  cover  in  a  comparatively  short  time 
It  is,  however,  when  grown  in  wire  or,  better 
still,  in  rustic  wooden  baskets,  whose  sides  get 
entirely  clothed  with  their  numerous  rhizomes 
that  the  colour  of  the  under  part  of  their  leathery 
foliage  shows  itself  to  greatest  advantage.  It 
grown  in  pots  or  baskets,  loam  should  form  no 
part  of  the  mixture,  and,  though  over-watering  at 
the  roots  is  most  injurious  to  them,  they  greatly 
appreciate  an  occasional  syringing  overhead,  pro- 
vided it  is  done  on  bright  and  warm  days  only 
and  then  in  the  early  part  of  the  day,  so  that  their 
leathery  fronds  may  dry  up  quickly,  as  prolonged 
wet  would  be  sure  to  produce  black  spots  which 
m  all  probabiUty  would  be  but  the  starting-point 
of  a  decaying  process,  such  as  is  too  often  seen 
when  plants  of  Niphobolus  of  any  kind  are 
planted  in  low  parts  of  the  rockery  or  in  stiff  or 
imperfectly  drained  soil.  None  of  them  require 
more  than  a  greenhouse  temperature,  butthev  all 
like  as  much  light  as  can  conveniently  be  given 
them.  They  are  readily  propagated  by  division 
as  eve^y  small  piece  of  rhizome  provided  with  two 
or  three  mature  fronds  roots  freely  when  severed 
from  the  parent  plant  and  pegged  tightly  on  to  a 
piece  of  fibrous  peat;  but  great  care  must  be 
taken  to  keep  it  on  the  surface,  or  it  will  in  all 
probability  never  emit  roots. 

N._AcHOSTiCHOiDES(pubernlus).-This  is  a  rare 
species  in  cultivation,  and  one  possessing  a  very 
peculiar  appearance  on  account  of  its  singularly 
long  and  comparatively  narrow  coriaceous  droop- 
sm=,n'^°  produced  at  long  intervals  apart  on 
small  wiry  rhizomes.    They  sometimes  measure  as 

oJ^TriTin-hefirislnSresln-'leSrr^ 

of  Ke^w  HVlandAll^e-r^a^ydSn^rdsr 


perfectly  similar  in  shape  and  size,  and  are  also 
produced  in  about  equal  quantities. 

F.  onds  leathfry,  on  stalks  seldom  more  than  2  inches  to 
3  inches  long  ;  they  are  branched,  and  the  younger  portions 
are  squarrose,  with  large  bright  scales  of  a  fenuginous 
colour  ;  they  are  of  a  linear-obtuse  shape,  and  their  upper 
surface  is  of  quite  a  glabrous  character,  whereas  their 
underneath  part  is  whitish  or  tawny.  Sori  small,  promi- 
nent, and  airanged  in  close  series  between  the  costules. 

N.  ADNASCENS. — Contrary  to  the  preceding  one, 
this  species,  which  is  a  native  of  Southern  India, 
is  provided  with  two  kinds  of  totally  different 
fronds,  the  barren  ones  being  hardly  half  the  size 
of  the  fertile  ones.  The  difference,  however,  is 
not  limited  to  size  only,  for  it  is  further  shown  in 
the  shape,  which  varies  from  the  spathujate  or 
elliptical-lanceolate-obtuse  form  of  the  barren 
fronds  to  the  linear  or  acute  shape  of  tlie  fertile 
ones.  Both  kinds  are  dark  green  above,  but  hoary 
with  stellated  pubescence  beneath,  and  sometimes 
even  quite  white  with  copious  compact  hairs.  The 
fronds  bearing  fructification  are  fertile  throughout. 

Barren  and  fertile  fronds  alike  produced  from  a  creeping 
rhizome,  palcace?uis  with  setaceous  scale?,  the  former  set 
dom  exceeding  S  inches  long,  the  latter  much  narrower  in 
shape,  often  measuring  8  inches  to  9  inches  in  length.  Both 
kinds  are  borne  on  short  stalks  only  abuut  2  inches  high. 
Sori,  arranged  in  five  or  six  o])li(iuely  transverse  series,  are 
deeply  sunk  on  each  side  of  the  midrib. 

N.  ANGUSTATUS.— A  peculiar  species  seldom  met 
with  in  cultivation,  but  at  the  same  time  so  strik- 
ing and  distinct  as  to  be  for  ever  remembered  by 
whoever  has  seen  it  once.  Its  long,  narrow,  entire 
fronds,  borne  on  stalks  fully  4  inches  long,  are 
quite  unique  in  the  genus.  The  fertile  ones  are 
longer  than  those  that  are  sterile  and  narrower  in 
proportion,  and  they  are  set  cff  to  advantage  by 
the  sori,  which  are  large  and  conspicuous,  princi- 
pally on  the  upper  part  of  the  frond.  It  is  a  native 
of  Southern  India,  where  it  is  said  not  to  be  very 
common. 

Fi-om  a  long,  creeping,  branched  rhizome,  paleaceous 
with  falcate  scales,  rise  the  strange-looking  entire  fronds, 
8  inches  to  10  inches  long  by  about  2  inches  in  width,  and 
tapering  b;  low  into  a  stalk  from  4  inches  to  6  inches  long  ; 
they  are  glabrous  on  the  r  upper  surface,  but  hoary  and 
subferruginous  underneath.  ,Sori  very  large,  subglobose, 
oval,  and  disposed  in  a  single  series  on  each  side  between 
the  costa  and  the  margin. 

PelLtEA. 


MARKET  GARDEX  NOTES. 
Carrots.— The  crop  of  Long  Surreys  this  year 
will  undoubtedly  be  lighter  than  it  has  been  for  a 
decade.  From  the  time  the  seed  was  sown  until 
the  young  plants  came  through  there  was  not 
enough  rain  to  well  moisten  the  soil,  so  that  a 
great  portion  of  the  seed  did  not  germinate,  and 
a  large  proportion  of  the  plants  were  crippled  or 
destroyed  by  fly  before  they  attained  sufficient 
strength  to  resist  its  attacks.  To  such  an  extent 
did  many  crops  suffer  that  the  ground  was 
ploughed  over  and  sown  again,  but  this  of  course 
must  lower  the  value  of  the  crop,  as  the  roots 
from  such  late  sowings  have  not  the  time  to  be- 
come very  large.  The  late  soaking  rains  very 
much  improved  them,  however,  and  where  any- 
thing like  a  good  plant  was  obtained  the  foliage 
has  a  healthy,  sturdy  appearance.  Carrots  do  net 
mind  hot  weather  when  once  they  have  formed 
roots  sufficiently  longtopenetrate  some  Cinches  in- 
to the  ground,  but  rather  the  contrary,  and  as  the 
ground  selected  for  Carrot  culture  hereabout  is 
always  of  a  light  description,  the  tap  root  has  no 
difficulty  in  penetrating  it.  As  the  beauty  of 
Long  Surrey  Carrots  depends  upon  their  length  and 
straightness,  it  would  not  do  to  grow  them  in  land 
of  a  binding  or  very  stony  nature.  Colour,  too, 
is  much  influenced  by  soil,  and  it  is  almost  need- 
less to  add  that  the  brightest  roots  find  the 
readiest  sale,  provided  other  essential  points  are 
present. 

Some  growers  fancy  that  the  deficiency  in  bulk 
this  year  will  be  compensated  for  by  enhanced 
prices,  but  I  am  not  so  sure  that  such  will  be  the 
case.  I  remember  that  in  1S70  the  summer  was 
remarkably  dry,  only  one  good  moistening  shower 
occurring  from  April  to  September,  and  everyone 
thought  that  Carrots  would  be  dear,  but  the  hot 
weather  appeared  rather  of  the  two  to  have  bene- 
fited the  Intermediates  grown  on  the  Essex  heavy 


lands  ;  at  any  rate  they  came  in  in  large  quanti- 
ties, and  Carrots  that  year  were  cheaper  than  they 
had  ever  been. 

Runner  Beans.— These  look  very  well  this 
y  ear,  t  he  warm  season  appearing  tohave  suited  them. 
In  this  neighbourhood  they  are  sown  3  feet  apart, 
and  they  never  get  more  than  2  feet  high,  the 
practice  being  to  go  over  them  now  and  then  and 
chop  the  tips  of  the  shoots  off  with  a  sharp  knife. 
When  the  ground  is  well  stirred  and  manured  they 
will  go  on  bearing  up  to  late  autumn,  unless  cut 
off  by  frost.  There  can  be  little  doubt  that  runner 
Beans  are  one  of  the  most  profitable  crops  grown 
at  the  present  time.  The  first  gatherings  realise 
high  prices,  and  there  is  a  long  season  for  them. 
In  some  years,  of  course,  they  do  not  yield  so 
plentifully,  but  in  a  fair  season  an  acre  of  land 
cropped  with  runners  must  bring  in  a  good  sum  o£ 
money. 

Ensuring   Gooseberry    crops.— Of  two 

growers  for  market  having  Gooseberry  plantations 
side  by  side,  the  one  had  a  good  crop  of  fruit,  the 
other  had  next  to  none.  Soil  and  situation  were 
identical  ;  why  then  this  difference  ?  It  was 
simply  a  question  of  pruning,  for  whilst  one 
man  pruned  his  bushes  by  the  ordinary  method, 
the  other  did  not  prune  at  all  in  winter, 
merely  cutting  back  the  shoots  somewhat, 
and  thinning  them  out  a  little  when  the 
berries  were  swelling.  Years  ago  my  father 
practised  this  method  with  success,  and  I  have 
heard  him  say  that  from  the  time  he  did  so  he 
never  failed  to  have  a  crop  of  fruit — sometimes, 
perhaps,  not  very  large,  but  enough  to  be  worthy 
of  the  name,  even  in  the  worst  of  seasons.  I  have 
a  friend  who  grows  Gooseberries  rather  largely 
for  an  amateur,  and  I  could  never  understand 
why  he  had  Gooseberries  every  year  without 
fail  when  his  neighbours  frequently  had  none 
at  all.  The  garden  being  sheltered  did  not 
account  for  it,  as  there  are  others  quite 
as  well  favoured  in  this  respect,  and  in  which 
in  an  unfavourable  year  there  was  scarcely  a 
Gooseberry  to  be  seen.  But  my  wonder  ceased 
when  I  found  that  my  friend  never  pruned  in  the 
usual  acceptation  of  the  word,  simply  going  over 
the  bushes  and  clipping  them  in  a  little.  Con- 
sidering how  important  the  Gooseberry  crop  is 
both  to  the  market  grower  and  in  the  generality  of 
private  establishments,  the  wonder  is  that  the  old- 
fashioned  way  of  pruning  has  been  adhered  to  so 
long.  Anyone  looking  at  a  newly  pruned  Goose- 
berry bush  cannot  fail  to  perceive  that  the  season 
must  be  very  favourable  for  it  to  bear  a  full  crop, 
since  the  wood  is  so  severely  thinned  that  it  has 
no  self-protective  power.  But  non-pruned,  the 
young  tender  berries  are  quickly  covered  with 
leafage,  which  is  probably  quite  as  efficient  a 
screen  from  cold  winds  and  rimy  frosts  as  netting 
or  canvas.  Of  course  the  bushes  get  much  larger 
than  they  otherwise  would  do,  but  this  is  no  great 
defect,  as  they  bear  more,  and  can  of  course  be 
thinned  out  when  becoming  crowded.  It  is  pos- 
sible that  the  berries  would  not  be  so  big  gene- 
rally as  by  the  ordinary  way,  but  this  little  draw- 
back would  be  as  nothing  compared  with  the 
benefits  derived. 

Stocks. — Growers  of  these  will  have  done  well 
with  them  this  year,  for  the  winter  being  so  mild 
and  dry  they  came  through  it  in  fine  condition. 
Probably  for  many  years  so  many  Stocks  have  not 
been  seen  in  Covent  Garden  as  this  past  spring. 
They  came  in  by  waggon-loads,  and  sold  at  the 
rate  of  2.]d.  per  bunch  of  a  dozen  sprays.  At  this 
rate  an  acre  of  ground  would  yield  a  large  sum, 
for  Stocks  are  compact  of  habit  and  take  compara- 
tively but  little  space.  It  is  important  to  secure 
a  good  strain  which  gives  but  a  slight  proportion 
of  single  flowers.  White  kinds  are  favourites,  and 
no  wonder,  for  they  are  when  pure  extremely 
chaste  in  appearance.  J.  C.  B. 


Adlumia  clrrhosa.—  We  have  seldom  seen  this  in 
such  good  flower  as  it  is  in  Dr.  Low's  garden  at  Wimbiedon. 
It  scrambles  over  the  Apple  trees  in  the  most  careless  and 
vigorous  way  imaginable.  We  had  no  idea  of  the  character 
and  ViiUie  of  this  plant  till  we  saw  it  here. 


AiG.  23,  1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


159 


FRUIT  Garden. 


PRESERVATION  OF  FRUITS. 
One  o£  the  things  to  be  first  considered  in  the 
preservation  and  storage  of  all  fruits  is  when  to 
harvest  or  gather  them.     In  some  fruits  a  good 
deal  depends  on  this.     Some  of  the  foreign  fruits 
imported  to  this  country  are  gathered  before  tliey 
are  ripe,  and  it  is  said  by  those  who  know,  and  no 
doubt  it  is  true,  that  we  who  eat  such  fruits  here 
never  taste  them  in  perfection  or  even   of  fair 
quality.     Among  the  fruits  which  are  gathered  in 
an  unripe  condition  and  which  ripen  in  a  certain 
way  after  they  are  packed  or  in  the  stores  in  this 
country  are  Oranges,  Grapes,  St.  Michael's  fines, 
liananas,  and  some  other  fruits  which  come  from 
tropical  or  sub-tropical  countries.  The  Oranges  of 
the  shops  in  this  country  may  be  described  gene- 
rally as  of  inferior  quality,  because  none  of  them 
are  properly  ripened.     An  Orange  ripens  on  the 
tree  and  will  hang  long   in  the  ripe   state,  and 
fruits  so   ripened   arc  incomparably   superior   to 
those  which  are  gathered  in  a  half  or  two-thirds 
ripe  state  and  shipped  to  the   English  market. 
Those  who  have  eaten  Oranges  abroad  and  from 
trees  grown  under  glass  in   this  country  know 
this  to  be  quite  true,  and  those  who  eat  newly 
imported  Oranges  know  that  they  are,  as  a  rule, 
uneatable,  being  so   sour.      Towards  Christmas 
they  get  a  little  mellowed,  and  by  spring  they  be- 
come fit  for  dessert,  not  because  the  flavour  has  im- 
proved, but  because  they  are  only  less  sour  than  they 
were.  The  object  of  gathering  Oranges  before  they 
are  ripe  is  to  insure  their  keeping  longer.    They 
are  gathered  when  just  beginning  to  change  from 
a  green  to  a  yellow  state,  and  are  packed  in  boxes 
containing  from  2.'i0  to  1000.     When  the  voyage 
was  much  longer  than  it  is  now  there  was  some 
excuse  for  gathering  the  fruit  in  the  half  ripe 
condition,  but  now  it  is  said  no  reason  exists  fcr 
the  practice  except  custom.    It  is  a  subject  for 
the  dealers  to   see  to.     Another   fruit  which  is 
gathered  and  packed    in    a   green  state  is  the 
Almeria  Grape,  so  extensively  imported  to  this 
country — the  cheapest  of   all  the  Grapes    sold, 
and  probably  as  wholesome  and  good  as  many  of 
the  hothouse  Grapes  which  are  sold  at  from  four 
to  six  times  the  price.    As  a  grower  of  Grapes  I 
have  often  been  struck  with  the  superiority  of 
these  Grapes  over  some  of  the  dear,  half-ripe, 
home-grown  samples  beside  them.  They  are  sound, 
plump,  sweet,  and  refreshing,  but  do  not  possess 
much  flavour.     When   picked   and  cleaned  they 
are  quite  equal  in  appearance,  if  not  superior,  to 
some  of  our  English-grown  white  Grapes  sold.  The 
length  of  time  they  are  preserved  in  good  condi- 
tion is  remarkable.     English  gardeners  think  if 
they  keep  perfectly  ripened  thick-skinned  Grapes 
from  September  till  April  in  fair  condition  without 
shrivelling,  they  accomplish  a  feat,  but  these  thin- 
skinned  Spanish  Grapes  are  turned  out  of  the  cork 
dust  in  the  barrels  nine  months  or  more  after 
packing  perfectly  sound  and  plump.   Some  berries 
rot,  but  they  never  shrivel,  although  the  foot-stalks 
perish.    The  worst  feature  about  them  is  that  they 
are  gathered  before  they  are  ripe,  and  hence  are 
deficient  in  aroma  and  flavour.     This  method  of 
packing  is  simply  a  kind  of  ensilage,  only  as  the 
fruit  cannot  be  pressed  so  as  to  exclude  the  air, 
the  interstices  between  the  berries  are  filled  up 
with  clean  and  inodorous  cork  dust,  to  some  ex- 
tent fulfilling  the  same  purpose.     Fruits  grown  iu 
our  own  gardens  can  of  course  be  gathered  at  the 
right  season,  and  that  season  is  when  they  are  just 
about  to  fall  from  the  tree,  but  dessert  Pears  and 
Apples,  as  is  well  known,  are  not  often  fit  to  eat 
when  gathered.    When  they  part  easily  at  the 
foot-stalk  it  is  a  sign  they  are  ripe,  but  they  have 
to  lie  from  one  to  several  weeks  before  they  are 
fit  to  eat.     The  Jargonelle  is  never  good  just  off 
the  tree,  but  it  needs  only  two  or  three  days  to 
render  it  so,  and  the  fruit  may  be  brought  in  in 
successional  batches  from  the  same  tree  by  gather- 
ing some  of  the  fruit  every  day  and  placing  it  in  a 
dry  room.     This  is  the  best  way  with  those  va- 
rieties of  Pears  that  are  soon  ripe  and  soon  over. 

The  feuit   room. — If  there  be  any  change  of 
opinion  on  the  subject  of  fruit  rooms,  it  is  one 


tending,  if  anything,  to  throw  doubt  upon  the 
utility  of  those  roomy  and  expensively  constructed 
fruit  rooms  which  have  hitherto  been  considered 
the  necessary  adjunct  of  all  large  gardens.  The 
importers  of  Apples  have  read  us  a  lesson  in  this 
respect.  From  the  tree  all  those  fine  Apples 
which  supply  the  market  during  winter  and  spring 
go  right  into  the  barrel  and  remain  there  till  they 
may  be  wanted  months  after  ;  then  they  turn  out 
in  as  fine  condition  as  the  best  preserved  specimens 
in  the  most  scientifically  constructed  fruit  rooms. 
The  barrels  are  firmly  packed,  headed  up,  and 
stored  away,  and  the  best  place  to  store  them  in 
is  a  dry  cellar  underground  where  the  temperature 
is  steady.  Those  who  have  no  fruit  room  may, 
with  perfect  confidence,  barrel  or  box  off  their 
best  Apples  and  long-keeping  ones  in  this  way,  and 
put  them  away  till  wanted.  Lofts  are  not  good 
places  in  which  to  store  the  barrels,  because  the 
temperature  is  irregular  in  such  places,  and  heats 
and  chills  destroy  fruit.  The  retail  dealers  when 
they  buy  in  stock  cellar  the  boxes  at  once,  and 
only  bring  one  or  two  out  at  a  time  and  as  needed. 
Good  Pears  may  be  preserved  in  the  same  way, 
but  they  are  more  tender  and  may  be  wrapped  in 
tissue  paper,  and  should  not  be  put  too  many 
together,  the  better  kinds  at  least.  Spread  out 
thinly  on  a  dry  shelf  in  a  cellar  they  keep  perhaps 
best.  The  best  fruit  room  we  are  acquainted  with 
is  a  cellar,  but  it  is  dry,  and  dryness  is  of  the 
utmost  importance.  Previous  to  placing  the  fruit 
in  it  the  cellar  should  be  thoroughly  cleaned  and 
ventilated  until  it  becomes  sweet  and  nice,  but  as 
soon  as  the  fruit  is  put  in  shut  it  up  and  keep  it 
shut.  The  admission  of  air  from  open  doors  and 
ventilators  cannot  have  any  drying  effect  in 
winter,  while  it  chills  the  fruit,  produces  conden- 
sation, and  then  decay.  It  is  not  a  sign  of  good 
management  or  of  a  suitable  place  when  Apples 
become  alternately  wet  and  dry  according  as  the 
temperature  outside  rises  and  falls.  The  fruit 
should  always  be  dry,  and  it  will  be  dry  if  the 
temperature  be  cool  and  uniform,  conditions 
which  can  only  be  secured  in  a  well-drained  struc- 
ture, either  wholly  or  partially  underground.  The 
fruit  s  that  can  be  kept  for  any  length  of  time  after 
this  season  of  the  year  are  Apples,  Pears,  Plums, 
Pine-apples,  Peaches,  Nectarines,  and  Grapes;  of 
the  first  two  we  have  spoken.  Plums  it  is  often 
desirable  to  preserve  as  long  as  possible  after  this 
season,  as  they  are  liked  at  dessert  and  for  the 
kitchen.  If  allowed  to  lie  in  the  basket  or  in  a 
heap,  even  a  few  layers  deep,  they  ferment  in  a 
very  short  time  and  become  unfit  for  use  directly. 
Choice  Plums  keep  longest  suspended  singly  by 
threads  attached  to  the  foot-stalks  in  the  fruit 
room,  and  will  hang  till  they  shrivel  in  that  way  ; 
but  with  large  quantities  this  cannot  be  done,and 
the  next  best  plan  is  to  spread  them  out  only  one 
layer  deep  without  touching  each  other  on  some 
kind  |of  sieve,  lattice-work  of  wood,  or  half  inch 
wire  netting  that  has  been  painted.  The  air  cir- 
culates amongst  the  fruit  in  this  way,  keeps  it  dry, 
and  such  Plums  as  Damsons  may  be  preserved 
many  days  that  would  become  a  mass  of  rotten- 
ness in  less- than  twenty-four  hours  upon  a  deal 
shelf  close  together.  Damson  Plums  are  seldom 
fit  to  eat  when  gathered,  but  after  lying  a  day  or 
two  till  they  become  mellow  they  form  a  very 
agreeable  addition  to  the  dessert,  and  are  always 
a  change.  We  find  they  are  eaten  freely,  at  least, 
even  when  served  along  with  Grapes  and  Peaches 
and  other  choice  fruits  when  cared  for  in  the 
above  manner  and  picked  for  dessert. 

PBACHESANDNECTAElNESwehavekept  without 
blemish  for  close  upon  three  weeks  on  the  fruit- 
room  shelf  in  the  middle  of  summer— gathered  as 
soon  as  ripe  and  set  on  a  sheet  of  paper  laid  above 
a  layer  of  cotton— and  we  have  kept  them  over  six 
weeks  in  boxes  set  on  ice.  The  fruit  loses  flavour 
in  the  end,  especially  on  the  ice,  and  when  brought 
out  from  the  ice  after  two  or  three  weeks  it 
perishes  in  a  few  hours,  and  therefore  should  never 
be  removed  till  wanted,  unless  it  has  to  be  packed 
to  be  sent  away,  but  it  is  of  no  use  sending  Peaches 
away  that  have  been  long  preserved  in  that  way. 
At  any  time  the  fruit  when  brought  off  the  ice, 
being  cold,  soon  becomes  very  wet  owing  to  the 
condensed  moisture  upon  it,  and  which  will  not  go 


off  till  the  fruit  becomes  as  warm  as  the  air,  which 
takes  an  hour  or  two.  Some  Peaches  and  Necta- 
rines lipen  or  at  least  fall  off  the  tree  before  they 
are  quite  ripe.  Such  fruits  will  become  soft  in  the 
fruit-room,  but  in  order  to  give  them  flavour  they 
should  be  set  on  a  tray  in  a  sunny  and  airy  posi- 
tion in  the  Peach  house  till  fit  for  dessert  when 
they  may  be  moved  into  the  cooler  fruit  room  to 
keep  till  needed.     Coming  to 

Gbape.s,  I  daresay  most  gardeners  profess  to 
understand  their  keeping  pretty  well  by  this  time 
—by  the  bottling  system,  no  other  plan  being 
known  that  preserves  the  quality  and  appearance 
of  the  fruit  so  well,  althouf,di  cut  Grapes  are 
always  inferior  in  flavour  to  those  which  are  left 
hanging  upon  the  Vine.  The  Black  Hamburgh 
is  a  Grape  that  will  illustrate  this  better  than 
most  kinds.  I  remember  once  tasting  some 
berries  of  this  variety  that  had  come  back  from  a 
three  days'show,and, comparing  them  with  others 
freshly  cut  from  the  same  Vines,  the  difference 
in  the  flavour  was  so  great,  that  I  would  not  have 
believed  it  had  I  not  tasted  the  fruit.  Thick- 
skinned  Grapes,  like  the  late  kinds,  do  not 
deteriorate  so  quickly ;  but  they  do  deteriorate, 
and  the  best  plan  is  to  leave  all  Grapes  on  the  Vine 
as  long  as  possible.  Some  say  that  this  exhausts 
the  Vines,  but  I  do  not  believe  it.  I  have  now 
Vines  carrying  their  twentieth  regular  crop  from 
which  the  Grapes  have  never  been  removed  till 
the  middle  of  February,  and  I  think  their  present 
appearance  would  convince  anyone  that  they  had 
at  least  suffered  no  injury.  The  ripe  fruit  does 
not  appear  to  draw  more  upon  the  energies  of  the 
Vine  than  the  ripe  wood  itself.  The  ripening 
process  is  complete  and  the  fruit  is  at  rest,  while 
little  or  no  evaporation  goes  on  from  the  skin  of 
the  berries  in  the  cool  temperature  of  a  vinery  in 
winter.  Those  who  advocate  the  removal  of  the 
Grapes  from  the  Vines  on  the  score  of  relieving 
the  Vines  have  to  explain  why  the  Grapes  keep 
plump  so  long  after  their  removal  if  they  robbed 
the  Vines  so  much.  The  peculiar  flavour  or  virtue 
that  they  lose  by  removal  is  another  thing  which 
undoubtedly  has  some  subtle  connection  with  the 
Vine,  but  it  does  not  appear  to  deprive  the  Vine 
of  strength.  S. 


BUSH  FRUITS. 
In  The  Gaeden  (p.  62),  "  J.  G."  makes  some 
practical  remarks  on  bush  fruits.  As  a  rule  we 
plant  Gooseberry  and  Currant  trees  too  thickly  and 
prune  too  much.  "  J.  G."  states  that  they  may  be 
planted  6  feet  apart ;  this  I  admit  is  the  usual 
distance,  but  I  am  satisfied  that  8  feet  or  even  9 
feet  would  not  be  too  much.  When  planted 
thicker  than  this,  severe  pruning  becomes  neces- 
sary in  order  to  keep  them  sufficiently  clear  of 
each  other,  and  allow  room  for  anyone  to  get 
between  them.  I  was  never  so  fully  convinced  of 
this  as  I  was  last  summer  when  visiting  a  garden 
in  Devonshire  where  bush  fruits  were  largely 
grown  and  their  cultural  details  thoroughly  under- 
stood. In  this  garden  the  trees  stood  8  feet  apart 
in  the  rows,  and  the  latter  were  the  same  distance 
asunder ;  consequently,  severe  pruning  was  not 
necessary,  and  the  development  of  the  trees  was 
such  as  I  had  never  seen  before.  The  system  of 
pruning  adopted  had,  however,  something  to  do 
with  the  matter.  The  young  wood  on  the  main 
branches  was  only  thinned  out  to  a  mode- 
rate extent,  and  not  all  spurred  back,  as  is 
often  done.  Some  of  the  oldest  branches  when 
they  get  too  thick  were  also  cut  close  back 
to  the  stem.  This  kept  the  growth  from 
being  too  much  crowded,  and  the  result  was  a 
constant;  succession  of  young  branches  springing 
up  from  the  stem  and  magnificent  crops  of  fine 
large  fruit.  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that,  taking 
the  whole  number  of  trees,  especially  the  Goose- 
berries, they  were  carrying  a  bushel  of  fruit  each 
when  I  saw  them.  The  branches  were  literally 
borne  down  by  the  weight  of  their  crop.  I  ought 
to  state,  however,  that  the  soil  in  which  they  were 
growing  is  both  rich  and  deep.  Some  may  be  dis- 
posed to  say  that  climate  had  something  to  do 
with  it,  but  I  do  not  think  so  ;  I  believe,  indeed, 
as  large  trees  may  be  grown  in  any  part  of  Eng- 


160 


THE    GARDEN 


[Aug.  23,  1884. 


land,  i.e.,  provided  the  soil  is  suitable  and  suffi- 
cient room  is  allowed  for  proper  development.  A 
better  system  of  grouping  the  trees  according  to 
their  habit  of  growth  is  also  desirable.  The  War- 
rington, for  instance,  has  a  distinct  type  of  growth, 
being  dwarf  in  stature  and  having  arching 
branches.  This  and  those  of  similar  growth 
should  be  planted  together,  while  those  with 
more  erect  growth  might  form  another  group. 

J.  C.  C. 

PRUNING  GOOSEBERRIES. 
The  present  season  has  given  us  some  lessons  in 
fruit  culture  that  it  will  be  well  to  bear  in  mind 
for  future  guidance  ;  amongst  other  things,  I  have 
been  particularly  struck  with  the  variable  charac- 
ter of  the  Gooseberry  crop  even  in  the  same  gar- 
den. When  the  severe  spring  frosts  set  in, 
Gooseberries  were  unusually  well  laden  with  blos- 
soms ;  in  fact,  the  embryo  fruits  had  got 
well  advanced,  and  where  the  bushes  were  left 
thick  with  wood,  the  protection  afforded  by  the 
leaves  saved  a  good  portion  of  the  crop,  while 
other  bushes  that  had  been  severely  pruned  lost 
nearly  all,  the  little  fruits  appearing  as  if  scalded 
after  the  severe  freezing  followed  by  bright  sun- 
shine to  which  they  were  subjected.  Now,  in 
pruning  Gooseberries  I  like  to  adopt  two  or  three 
different  methods,  so  as  to  make  pretty  sure  of  a 
crop.  But  as  the  greatest  demand  is  for  green 
berries  both  for  culinary  purposes  and  preserving, 
I  always  let  a  quantity  of  the  oldest  bushes  go 
entirely  unpruned,  and  on  these  I  have  never  yet 
failed  to  have  good  crops,  even  when  hard-pruned 
bushes  have  been  fruitless.  I  have  f  illowed  this 
course  from  noticing  what  good  crops  we  got 
from  old  bushes  that,  being  condemned  to 
be  destroyed  in  autumn,  were  left  en- 
tirely unpruned  in  spring;  the  quantity  of 
fruit  which  they  perfected,  however,  caused 
them  to  not  only  get  a  longer  lease  of  life,  but  to 
become  some  of  the  best  bushes  in  the  garden. 
Since  that  date  I  have  always  left  some  bushes 
unpruned,  and  with  very  good  results.  When 
pruning  is  discontinued  the  bushes  make  short, 
stubby,  fruitful  growth  ;  it  is  from  where  gross 
shoots  are  cut  out  one  year  another  crop  springs. 
I  do  not,  however,  advocate  not  pruning  Goose- 
berries at  all,  as  in  order  to  ensure  fine  dessert 
fruit  pruning  is  needful,  but  I  am  certain  it  is 
overdone  in  many  gardens.  Sparrows  swarm  here, 
and  if  our  bushes  were  thinned  out  in  orthodox 
fashion,  and  the  sparrows  took  their  usual  lithe  of 
buds,  we  should  get  but  little  fruit,  even  if  spring 
frosts  were  merciful ;  but  by  leaving  the  bushes 
very  thick,  and  by  drawing  the  shoots  up  pretty 
closely  together  with  a  strong  string  until  danger 
from  birds  and  frosts  are  over,  we  have  never 
failed  to  have  plenty  of  Gooseberries,  which,  even 
it  they  do  not  come  up  to  Lancashire  ideas  as  to 
size,  answer  all  purposes  for  which  they  are  grown 
in  a  general  way.  We  keep  gathering  the  largest 
berries  as  they  become  fit  for  use,  and  thus  no 
fruit  which  we  cultivate  gives  us  more  certain 
crops  than  the  Gooseberry.  j.  Geoom. 

Oosport. 


Fruit  trees  in  pleasure  grounds.— The 

two  varieties  of  Pear  and  Apple  that  might 
specially  be  selected  alike  for  size,  symmetry,  pro- 
ductiveness, and  flavour  are  the  old  Bergamotand 
the  Blenheim  Orange.  I  am  afraid  to  name  the 
number  of  bushels  that  have  been  gathered  in  one 
year  from  a  single  specimen  of  Bergamot ;  at  any 
rate,  the  quantity  was  reckoned  by  bushels,  proof 
sufficient  that  the  tree  was  a  fine  specimen  of  its 
kind.  The  Blenheim  Orange  has  been  so  often 
named  as  the  very  best  Apple  for  this  purpose,  that 
I  may  leave  it  with  this  character,  coupling  with 
It  the  Orange,  Strawberry,  and  Cockle  Pippins. 
The  symmetrical  proportions  of  the  Medlar  have 
not,  I  think,  been  duly  recognised.  It  forms  a 
very  handsome  tree,  nearly  perfect  in  shape,  and 
the  toliage  is  dense— just  the  sort  of  tree,  in  fact, 
to  stand  out  alone  on  a  small  lawn,  and  furnish  a 
cool  retreat  during  such  weather  as  that  which  we 
have  lately  experienced.  Our  largest  tree  has  a 
balloon-lJje  head,  the  circumference  of  branches 


being  21  yards.  The  IMulberry,  too,  is  another 
tree  that  might  be  planted  with  advantage  in 
order  to  combine  the  useful  with  the  ornamental. 
It  seldom  fails  to  produce  a  crop,  and  where  the 
soil  is  favourable  to  its  development  it  makes  a 
handsome  tree.  Like  the  Medlar,  its  foliage,  being 
dense,  affords  complete  shade.  A  specimen 
standing  on  one  of  our  lawns  has  a  girth  of  4  feet 
8  inches,  with  a  spread  of  branches  35  yards  in 
circumference.  Lastly,  let  me  mention  the 
Siberian  Crab.  It  has,  as  a  rule,  a  well-formed 
head,  and  at  this  season,  when  covered  with  its 
small  bright-coloured  fruit,  it  is  as  pretty  a  sight 
as  can  be  found  in  either  park  or  orchard. — E.  B. 

Melon  growing. — ^\'e  have  a  lean-to  house 
20  feet  by  lu  feet.  About  the  end  of  January  it  is 
cleaned,  and  the  pit  in  front  is  filled  with  leaves 
and  manure  which  have  been  previously  turned 
twice.  At  one  end  of  the  pit  I  have  a  small  pro- 
pagating pit,  in  which  the  seedlings  are  raised. 
As  soon  as  the  heat  is  nicely  up  the  soil  is  got  in. 
It  consists  of  good  turfy  loam,  no  manure  or  sand 
being  added  ;  this  is  well  beaten  or  rammed  quite 
tight,  then  when  the  plants  are  ready  they  are  put 
out  one  under  each  light.  They  soon  begin  to 
start ;  all  the  side  shoots  are  then  pinched  out 
until  the  plants  reach  the  trellis,  when  they  are 
allowed  to  throw  out  side  shoots,  and  when  the 
leader  nearly  reaches  the  top  of  the  trellis  I  stop 
it.  The  temperature  of  the  house  must  be  kept 
up  to  70°  by  day  and  65°  by  night.  Allow 
plenty  of  moisture  about  the  house,  and  to  prevent 
canker  or  rotting  ofl:  at  the  stem  some  broken 
pieces  of  charcoal  laid  round  the  stem  is  as  good 
as  anything,  and  I  put  it  there  as  a  preventive. 
By  the  time  the  Melon  plants  reach  the  top  of  the 
trellis,  blossoms  will  appear,  then  keep  the  atmo- 
sphere dry  till  they  are  set.  I  fertilise  them  with 
a  camel's-hair  brush  as  they  open,  and  stop  the 
shoot  which  bears  the  female  flower.  After  the 
crop  of  fruit  is  set  and  about  the  size  of  a  Walnut, 
keep  pinching  off  any  fresh  growths,  in  order  that 
the  fruit  may  have  all  the  support  the  plant  can 
give  it  ;  water  with  liquid  manure  not  too  strong 
occasionally,  and  keep  them  syringed  daily,  giving 
air  with  caution  during  March,  April,  and  May. 
and  shutting  up  early.  Our  first  crop  of  forty 
Melons  was  all  cut  in  the  beginning  of  July,  when 
the  old  plants  were  cleared  out,  and  young  ones 
that  had  been  prepared  to  take  their  places  were 
planted  for  the  autumn  crop.  When  the  Jlelons 
appear  to  be  fully  grown,  do  not  water  too  heavily 
or  the  fruit  is  liable  to  split,  and  when  ripening 
withhold  water  altogether. — T.  M.  MOBSBy,  Yate 
House,  Chijiping  Sodlury. 

A  low  night  temperature  for  Vines. 

— Some  years  ago  the  advantages  of  this  were  set 
forth  in  satisfactory  terms  by  advocates  of  the 
system,  and,  although  many  were  unwilling  to 
accept  all  that  was  said  in  its  favour,  owing  to  its 
being  untried,  time  enough  has  now  elapsed  to 
fully  test  its  benefits  by  all  who  have  given  it  a 
trial.  I  am  therefore  anxious  to  have  a  few  brief 
and  accurate  records  of  its  results  for  my  own 
benefit,  and  also  for  that  of  many  of  your  readers 
who  have  frequently  asked  me  for  particulars  re- 
garding the  system.  I  would  prefer  evidence  from 
different  parts  of  the  country  where  the  climate 
and  sun-influence  varied ;  also  the  names  of  the 
varieties  of  Grapes  subjected  to  the  treatment, 
their  time  of  being  started  into  growth,  and  date 
of  maturing  their  crops.  Does  it  take  Grapes 
longer  to  ripen  under  the  cool  night  temperature 
than  in  the  old-fashioned  way  ?  Are  the  Vines 
more  robust  or  prolific,  the  bunches  or  berries 
larger,  the  colour  denser,  or  flavour  higher 
in  low  than  under  high  night  temperatures  ?  1 
believe  that  the  Vines  at  Wortley  have  been 
longer  under  cool  treatment  than  any  others  in 
the  country,  and  Mr.  Simpson's  evidence  would  be 
particularly  acceptable  in  reference  to  the  points 
named.  It  is  generally  admitted  that  Muscats  re- 
quire a  higlier  temperature  to  perfect  them  than 
any  other  variety  of  Grape,  and  I  hope  Mr.  Simp- 
son ^pd  others  will  state  if  their  Muscats  are  finer 
now  than  before  thej  were  subjected  to  low  night 
temperatures.  This  is  important,  as  in  my  opinion 
Muscats  will  test  the  value  of  the  system  better 


than  any  other  variety.  I  do  not  ask  for  argu- 
ments as  to  the  advantages  of  the  system  ;  I  only 
want  facts.— Welshman. 


Garden  Flora. 


PLATE  454. 
ODONTOGLOSSDM  (ERSTEDI.* 
This,  one  of  the  prettiest  and  most  remarkable 
of  all  the  smaller-growing  Odontoglossums,  ap- 
pears to  have  been  originally  discovered  by  Warsce- 
wicz  as  long  ago  as  the  year  1848,  since  a  rough 
sketch  of  it  is  in  existence  prepared  by  that  vete- 
ran traveller  about  that  date,  although  living 
plants  of  it  did  not  grace  our  collections  until  a 
much  later  period.  Then  (Ersted  found  it  in  Costa 
Rica,  as  also  in  later  times  both  Wendland  and 
Endres— bright  little  Senor  Endres,  the  friend  of 
Pioezl,  and  one  of  the  most  genial,  if  ill-fated,  of 
collectors.  When  seen  at  its  best  this  is  a  pretty 
little  species,  and  I  never  saw  it  in  better  condition 
than  in  Baron  Schroeder's  collection  at  Egham  in 
April  last,  when  Mr.  John  Dominy  honoured 
me  with  his  company,  and  we  spent  a  most 
enjoyable  day  in  what  is  perhaps  the  most 
select  collection  of  Orchids  in  England,  or  in  the 
world.  I  remember  seeing  a  charming  panicle  of 
0.  Pescatorei  Veitchianum  at  the  same  time ;  O. 
Pescatorei  Schroederianum,  the  spotted  variety, 
was  also  in  bloom  ;  and  quite  near  to  these  gems  a 
pot  of  our  present  modest  little  species  bore  at  least 
twenty  or  more  flowers.  When  Eeichenbach  de- 
scribed this  plant  in  1877,  he  began  his  descrip- 
tion, "  Juxta  Odontoglossum  crispum,  Lindl,"  but 
its  nearest  ally  now-a-days  is  0.  Krameri  without 
a  doubt.  The  flowers  are  borne  singly  or  in  pairs 
on  stalks  .S  inches  or  4  inches  in  height,  and  are 
pure  white  with  a  golden  callus  sprinkled  with 
orange  dots,  which  add  brightness  to  the  snowy 
perianth.  In  its  native  habitat  on  the  St.  Juan 
Mountains,  in  Costa  Rica,  it  is  found  at  an  altitude 
of  8000  feet  to  9000  feet.  It  grows  most  freely  in 
a  Cattleya  house  or  intermediate  temperature  in  a 
well  drained  compost  of  fibrous  peat  and  living 
Sphagnum  Moss,  and  although  not  at  all  showy  is 
a  distinct  plant,  well  worth  a  place  in  the  most 
select  collection.  F.  W.  B. 


NOTES  FROM  JERSEY. 

Being  on  a  pleasure  trip  to  the  Channel  Islands, 
we  were  allowed  to  visit  several  gardens,  and  are 
glad  to  find  that  the  fruit  crop  throughout  the 
island  is  this  year  a  good  average  one ;  some  of 
the  trees  were  overloaded  with  Pears,  especially 
Chaumontels  ;  Apples  in  some  parts  are  plentiful, 
in  others  thin,  having  suffered  from  easterly  winds. 
Figs,  both  as  standards  and  low  flat  espaliers,  seem 
plentiful  and  fine.  Amongst  places  which  we  ad- 
mired most  was  La  Chaire,  the  residence  of  Mrs. 
Fothergill,  a  place  unique  of  its  sort,  being  in 
terraces  up  a  very  steep  and  high  hill,  from  the 
top  of  which  can  be  seen  the  Ecrehos  Rocks  and 
also  the  coast  of  France ;  here  we  found  growing 
in  the  open  air  the  finer  kinds  of  Rhododendrons, 
Acacias,  Chinese  Azaleas,  Bamboos,  Myrtles,  Ca- 
mellias, Gum  trees.  Tea  plants,  and  numbers  of 
other  interesting  subjects.  In  the  garden  of  a 
cottage  adjoining  is  the  largest  and  finest  Hy- 
drangea I  have  ever  seen,  covered  over  with 
a  mass  of  blue  flowers.  We  had  to  return  to  give 
it  a  parting  look.  Several  smaller  specimens  may 
be  seen  in  this  lovely  valley,  all  bearing  blue 
flowers.  The  Fuchsias  claimed  our  attention,  many 
of  them  being  from  10  feet  to  12  feet  high.  Sun- 
flowers are  here  extensively  grown.  Amongst  the 
Cow  Cabbage  the  tallest  we  came  across  mea- 


^  Drawn  in  Mr.  Lee's  garden,  Downside,  Leatherhead, 
April  10,  1884. 


W 


D 
w 
m 
o 

o 

o 


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o 


A  IT..  23    1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


161 


snred  14  feet  high.  In  the  evening  we  went  to 
Five  Oaks,  and  visited  the  Troglodyte  Caves. 
These  works  of  art  and  patience  have  been  cut  out 
of  the  clay  used  for  brick-making.  We  had  in- 
tended visiting  on  the  Wednesday  evening  the 
summer  show  of  the  Royal  Horticnltuial  Society, 
held  in  the  grounds  of  Government  House,  but  the 
downpour  of  rain  compelled  the  committee  to 
close  at  dusk.  To-day  we  have  visited  the  mar- 
ket and  purchased  luscious  Grapes,  Peaches,  Figs, 
ka.,  at  a  price  far  below  what  we  have  been  accus- 
tomed to  pay  for  such  fruit  elsewhere. 

C.  J.  Holme. 


SEASONABLE   WORK. 


FLOWER  GARDEN. 

PBorAGATiON  should  now  be  proceeded  with 
as  opportunity  cffers.  Pelargoniums  have  made 
rapid  growth  of  late,  and  thtre  is  plenty  of  cut- 
tines,  but  they  should  be  taken  off  carefully  in 
order  that  the  beds  may  retain  their  eiiectiveness 
after  the  cuttings  have  been  selected.  Our  best 
bedding  kinds  are,  scarlet — Bonfire,  John  Gibbons, 
and  Vesuvius;  pink — Master  Christine,  Lady 
Byron,  and  Amaranth  ;  rosy  crimson — Waltham 
Seedling ;  light  purplish  crimson — Lord  Palmer- 
Bton ;  white— Madame  Yaucher,  still  the  best. 
Oar  best  fine  foliaged  kinds  are  Sophia  Damares- 
que,  Mari'chal  Mc.Mahon,  May  Queen,  Mrs.  Laing, 
and  W.  F.  Radclyffe;  others  equally  good  might 
be  named,  but  these  are  the  best  for  general  bed- 
ding effect,  and  it  is  much  better  to  grow  a  few 
reliable  varieties  than  numerous  doubtful  novel- 
ties. Flower  beds  need  repeated  going  over 
aient  the  removal  of  bad  and  seeding  flowers. 
Violas  and  Caceolarias,  generally  the  first  to  suc- 
cumb to  heat  and  drought,  never  fail,  even  on  our 
light  dry  soil,  and  the  only  reason,  next  to  having 
good  supplies  of  water,  why  they  do  not  is  that 
old  flowers  are  regularly  picked  off  them.  The 
same  rule  is  applicable  to  all  free  flowering  plants. 
To  keep  Lobelias  in  full  blossom  we  occasionally 
clip  off  a  portion  of  the  tops  with  sheep  shears  ; 
the  plants  at  once  throw  out  fresh  shoots,  and  thus 
the  flowering  season  is  extended.  Of  course  such 
work  requires  to  be  done  cautiously  and  with  dis- 
cernment, taking  care  that  sufficient  flowers  are 
left  to  last  till  new  ones  make  their  appearance. 
Fine  foliaged  plants  in  beds  of  geometrical  design 
now  need  going  over  once  a  week  to  keep  the  out- 
lines true  to  pattern,  but  though  this  is  advised, 
it  must  not  be  supposed  that  evenness  of  plants 
or  table-like  flatness  is  meant,  but  rather  that  the 
plants  should  be  allowed  to  grow  naturally ;  the 
effect  is  then  much  more  pleasing,  and  the  labour 
needed  to  keep  them  in  order  less.  In  such  beds 
we  always  u.se  what — for  want  of  a  better  term — 
we  call  "  dot  "  plants,  and  these  are  kept  in  shape 
by  ties,  stopping,  or  curtailment  of  growth,  ac- 
cording as  the  character  of  each  demands.  Our 
best  plants  for  such  a  purpose  are  Grevillea  ro- 
busta,  Chamicpeuce  diacantha  and  C.  Casabon.-e, 
Abutilons,  Fuchsias,  small  DraCKnas,  Aloes,  and 
Agaves.  The  best  basket  or  large  vase  plants  of 
the  season  are  the  single  Dahlias  and  Marguerites 

white  and  yellow.  Of  the  former.  Paragon,  alba, 

and  Juarezi  are  three  of  the  best;  their  flowers, 
unfortunately,  do  not  last  long,  otherwise  such 
plants  are  a  great  acquisition.  Tying  up  these 
and  tall  sub-tropicals  are  also  jnst  now  important 
items  of  labour. 


FRUIT. 
Cucumbers.  —  The  weather  which  we  have 
lately  been  having  has  favoured  frame  Cucumbers, 
as  it  has  enabled  us  to  give  more  stimulating  food 
to  the  roots,  and  plenty  of  atmospheric  moisture 
after  closing  with  strong  solar  heat  for  the  day. 
It  will  not,  however,  be  well  to  allow  the  heat 
from  linings  to  decline,  as  nights  will  soon  coun- 
terbalance days,  and  lack  of  bottom-heat  will  tell 
npon  the  quantity  and  quality  of  the  fruit.  As  few 
plants  so  quickly  resent  neglect,  see  that  the 
thinning  out,  stopping,  and  removal  of  surplus 
fruits  receive  the  proper  attention  at  least  three 


times  a  week.  Peg  down  the  joints,  and  pack 
with  pieces  of  fresh  turf  wherever  fresh  roots  can 
be  induced  to  work  on  the  surface,  and  while 
keeping  the  frame  well  filled  with  fresh,  healthy 
foliage,  guard  against  overcrowding  with  old 
leaves,  which  often  become  the  starting-point  for 
red  spider  and  mildew.  From  this  time  forward 
the  sowing  of  seeds  of  Telegraph  and  other 
favourite  winter  kinds  must  be  regulated  by  the 
periods  at  which  the  different  compartments,  now 
occupied  with  Melons,  will  be  at  liberty,  and  the 
same  rule  will  apply  to  cuttings,  as  in  each  case 
it  is  better  to  throw  away  pot-bound  plants  and 
start  with  fresh,  young  stock  than  to  run  the  risk 
of  fostering  insect  pests  from  the  outset.  Where 
the  yearly  supply  of  fruit  is  obtained  from  one  or 
two  efficiently  heated  houses,  now  is  a  good  time 
to  clear  out  one.  Cleanse,  paint,  scald,  and  lime- 
wash  preparatory  to  a  new  start,  as  this  opportunity 
may  not  again  occur  before  next  spring,  and 
everyone  knows  how  fresh  and  vigorous  young 
maiden  plants  go  away  with  everything  clean  and 
sweet  about  them.  Where  home-grown  seed  is  in 
demand,  a  given  space  should  be  devoted  to  its 
growth,  and  clean,  healthy  fruit  should  be  selected 
and  carefully  fertilised  with  the  male  blossoms. 
When  ripe,  wash  out  the  seeds,  and  if  progress  is 
the  first  consideration,  discard  all  that  do  not  sink 
in  the  water. 

Orchard  houses  in  which  the  fruit  is  now 
ripening  may  have  all  the  ventilators  left  open, 
as  highly  flavoured  Peaches  and  Nectarines  can- 
not be  obtained  without  a  free  circulation  of  air. 
Pay  particular  attention  to  the  watering  of  trees 
in  pots  in  all  stages  of  growth,  never  allowing 
them  to  feel  the  want  of  this  indispensable  ele- 
ment, and  syringe  freely  twice  a  day  wherever 
clean  water  can  be  applied  without  wetting  the 
ripe  fruit.  Always  make  a  point  of  gathering  the 
fruit  when  dry  and  cool,  and  before  it  is  ripe 
enough  to  fall  from  the  trees,  otherwise  it  will 
lose  its  sprightly  flavour,  and  the  slightest  touch 
will  hasten  its  decay.  When  all  the  fruit  has  been 
gathered  from  the  most  forward  trees,  remove 
them  to  one  end  of  the  house  or  a  separate  com- 
partment to  be  potted  or  top  dressed  and  cleansed, 
and  re-arrange  later  kinds,  so  as  to  give  them  the 
benefit  of  more  light  and  air.  Where  trees  are 
fairly  cropped,  but  little  pinching  or  stopping  will 
now  be  needed  ;  but  any  sub-laterals  which  start 
may  be  kept  in  check,  and  old  leaves,  where  they 
overhang  the  fruit,  may  be  turned  or  tied  aside  to 
let  in  the  sun.  Where  Figs  are  grown  in  the 
ordinary  orchard  house  the  trees  will  now  be  in 
full  bearing  and  capable  of  taking  plenty  of  good 
food,  both  in  the  liquid  and  solid  form.  When 
large  trees  in  medium-sized  pots  are  not  plunged, 
it  is  a  good  plan  to  set  them  in  saucers  and  to  feed 
the  crock  roots  every  day  with  diluted  liquid  or 
guano  water ;  but  where  plunging  can  be  practised 
the  trees  will  give  a  maximum  of  fruit  at  a  mini- 
mum of  cost  in  labour,  they  will  continue  much 
longer  in  bearing,  and  the  fruit  will  be  finer  and 
better  in  quality. 

Pines.— As  the  summer  fruiters  are  cleared 
away  and  space  can  be  gained,  a  few  of  the  most 
promising  Queens  should  be  collected  together 
and  plunged  in  a  steady  bottom  heat  of  about  S.")°, 
with  their  heads  near  the  glass  in  a  light,  airy  pit, 
to  ripen  up  their  growth  before  the  dark  dull 
days  set  in.  It  is  easy  enough  to  grow  a  large 
plant  in  a  very  short  time  ;  but  unless  the  growth 
can  be  properly  matured,  and  the  roots  can  be 
kept  in  a  temperature  of  75°  to  80°,  the  chances 
are  greatly  in  favour  of  such  tender  kinds  as 
Queens  throwing  up  small  or  deformed  fruit.  The 
object,  therefore,  should  be  the  production  of 
stout,  stocky  plants  which  can  be  thoroughly 
ripened  by  October  and  rested  through  the  dead 
months  in  a  temperature  that  will  not  chill  or 
starve  the  roots,  while  the  steady  warmth  is  too 
mild  to  cause  them  to  throw  up  prematurely.  The 
general  stock  of  plants  now  growing  freely  must 
be  encouraged  with  stimulating  food,  plenty  of 
atmospheric  moisture,  and  early  closing  to  save 
fire-heat,  and,  with  the  exception  of  rootless 
suckers,  which  will  require  protection  from  very 
bright  snn,  shading  of  the  lightest  description 


only  must  now  be  used  for  a  short  time  through 
the  middle  of  the  day.  Where  there  is  only  one 
fruiting  pit,  and  it  is  thought  desirable  to  keep 
recent  starters  in  a  moist  growing  atmosphere  to 
get  them  well  on  before  winter,  all  summer-swelled 
fruit  may  be  lifted  out  and  placed  in  a  dry,  airy 
vinery  to  ripen  up,  and  when  properly  coloured 
the  plants  and  fruit  can  be  stored  away  near  the 
light  in  a  cool  Grape  room.  See  that  that  valuable 
but  much  neglected  Pine,  the  lUack  Jamaica,  is 
not  overlooked,  as  it  enjoys  a  strong  and  does  not 
object  to  a  dry  bottom-heat.  It  also  grows  and 
swells  off  fine  fruits  in  very  small  pots,  which 
cannot  be  excelled,  if  equalled,  by  any  other 
winter  Pine  in  cultivation.  Where  plants  are  now 
throwing  up  fruit,  if  mixed  with  other  kind.'-, 
they  should  be  drawn  together  and  plunged  at 
the  warmest  end  of  the  house,  or  in  a  small  con- 
partment  to  themselves,  with  just  suflicient  hesd 
room  to  keep  the  crowns,  which  are  apt  to  become 
large,  from  touching  the  glass. 

Successions  and  suckers  — Follow  up  the 
irregular  system  of  potting  up  suckers  as  they  are 
detached  from  the  plants,  and  get  them  quickly 
rooted  in  a  strong  bottom-heat  from  fermenting 
leaves  or  tan.  Shift  into  larger  pots  if  they  re- 
quire more  room,  in  preference  to  allowing  them 
to  remain  pot-bound  all  the  winter,  and  plunge 
close  to  the  glass  in  a  light,  airy  pit  where  they 
will  keep  growing  through  the  winter.  Examine 
successions  that  were  passed  over  at  the  last  pot- 
ting, shift  if  necessary,  but  guard  against  over- 
potting  after  this  period,  and  keep  the  plants 
growing  until  they  start  into  fruit  next  spring  or 
early  summer. 

Vines. — Let  the  Vines  in  mid-season  houses  be 
well  cleansed  with  the  engine  or  hose  as  they  are 
cleared  of  fruit.  Examine  internal  borders,  and 
give  them  repeated  waterings  where  they  have 
been  allowed  to  become  at  all  dry,  as  no  greater 
mistake  can  be  committed  than  that  of  allowing 
the  internal  roots  to  feel  the  want  of  liquid  food 
after  the  crop  is  gathered.  If  trained  on  the 
close-spur  system  shorten  back  the  young  wood  to 
five  or  six  buds  and  take  out  the  lower  laterals  to 
plump  up  the  fruiting  eyes.  Carefully  preserve 
all  the  old  foliage  from  injury,  as  future  shows 
depend  upon  the  way  in  which  the  leaves  complete 
their  functions,  and  from  this  time  onward  leave 
the  house  fully  ventilated  by  night  and  by  day. 
Cover  up  the  external  borders  of  early  and  late 
vineries  with  some  light  material  for  checking 
evaporation,  but  guard  against  using  it  to  the  ex- 
clusion of  solar  heat,  as,  owing  to  the  cold,  sunless 
character  of  the  season,  the  ground  has  never  at- 
tained its  proper  summer  warmth,  and  on  this 
account  the  roots  should  not  he  too  much  shaded 
from  the  influence  of  the  sun  and  air.  The 
principal  crop  of  Muscats  now  colouring  fast  will 
require  more  light  and  as  much  air  as  can  be 
admitted  consistent  with  the  maintenance  of  a 
temperature  ranging  from  70°  at  night  to  85°  by 
day,  and  when  properly  coloured,  as  will  be  the 
case  by  the  middle  of  September,  the  Grapes  will 
keep  for  several  months  if  the  external  roots  can 
be  protected  from  the  direct  influence  of  cold 
autumnal  rains.  Where  incessant  firing  has  fos- 
tered spider,  and  the  old  foliage  has  suffered  and 
become  thin,  it  is  a  good  plan  to  tie  down  a  few  of 
the  laterals,  and  stop  them  at  various  lengths,  so  as 
to  insure  an  even  spread  of  foliage,  which  answers 
the  twofold  purpose  of  assisting  the  Vines  and 
shading  the  delicate  fruit  from  the  direct  rays  of 
the  sun.  Muscats  that  are  quite  ripe  will  require 
some  very  light  material  drawn  over  the  roof,  to 
prevent  the  sun  from  scorching  the  berries.  Hay- 
thorn's  netting  answers  well,  as  it  excludes  insects 
and  does  not  interfere  with  the  free  passage  of 
light  and  air.  Proceed  with  the  lifting  and  relay, 
ing  of  the  roots  of  Vines  in  early  houses  before 
the  leaves  fall  and  lateral  growth  ceases ;  keep 
the  house  close,  moist,  and  shaded  from  bright  sun ; 
use  good  turfy  loam,  lime  rubble,  and  crushed 
bones  in  a  dry  state  ;  give  a  little  water  to  settle 
the  so'J  about  the  roots  and  mulch  when  all  is 
finished.  If  vigorous  young  Vines  intended  for 
next  year's  forcing  do  not  show  a  disposition  to 
ripen  up  their  wood,  apply  fire  heat  every  morning, 


162 


THE    GARDEN 


[Aug.  23    1884. 


shut  it  ofE  in   the  afternoon,  and  keep  the  houfe 
dry  through  the  night. 


INDOOR  PLANTS. 


It  is  necessary  now  to  attend  well  to  the 
general  stock  of  winter-flowering  plants.  These 
are  mostly  quick  growers,  and  as  the  roots 
fill  the  pots  which  they  occupy,  it  is  needful  to 
supply  the  soil  well  with  manure  water,  other- 
wise the  strongest  growers  are  sure  to  suffer. 
If  the  propagation  of  the  various  plants,  such 
as  Begonias,  Salvias,  Euphorbia  jacquiniseflora, 
Toinsettias,  Eranthemums,  Plumbago  rosea, 
Thyrsacanthus  rutilans,  Sericographis  Ghies- 
breghti,  Aphelandras,  &c.,  was  carried  out  at  the 
time  recommended,  and  due  attention  has  been 
given  to  them  since,  the  greater  portion  will  be  fast 
approaching  the  requisite  size,  after  which  in  most 
cases  they  should  have  more  air,  less  shade,  and 
a  somewhat  lower  temperature,  so  as  to  discourage 
exuberant  growth,  and  to  solidify  and  mature  that 
which  is  made.  There  are  some  things  amongst 
winter-flowering  plants,  such,  for  instance,  as 
Poinsettias,  which,  if  started  sufficiently  early  to 
get  them  big  enough  before  cold  nights  come  on, 
are  none  the  worse  for  being  kept  a  few  weeks  in 
an  unheated  house  or  pit,  or  even  in  the  open  air 
for  the  last  two  or  three  weeks  in  August  if  the 
weather  is  warm.  The  finest  heads  of  Poinsettias 
we  ever  had,  20  in.  in  diameter  from  point  to  point 
of  their  bracts,  were  from  the  previous  year's 
struck  plants,  headed  down  in  the  beginning  of 
April,  and  grown  on  in  good-sized  pots  with  single 
stems,  which,  when  they  had  reached  a  height  of 
from  i  feet  6  inches  to  .5  feet,  were  turned  out  the 
beginning  of  August  under  a  south  wall  and  kept 
there  until  the  end  of  the  month.  They  were  then 
taken  inside  mnd  subjected  to  heat  by  the  middle 
of  September.  This  treatment  stops  all  disposition 
to  make  further  growth,  and  has  the  effect  of 
hardening  the  tissues  and  enabling  the  plants  to 
concentrate  all  their  energies  in  the  production  of 
flower-heads.  For  general  purposes  medium-sized 
heads  are  the  most  useful,  but  where  employed  for 
the  decoration  of  a  large  structure,  large  heads 
have  a  most  telling  effect;  to  secure  them  the 
plants  must  be  both  tall  and  proportionately 
strong,  and  have  all  their  strength  directed  to  the 
production  of  a  single  head.  The  majority  of 
these  winter-flowering  subjects  are  comparatively 
little  liable  to  the  attacks  of  insects,  yet  care 
must  be  taken  that  red  spider  or  any  other  pest 
which  will  thrive  upon  them  is  not  allowed  to  go 
on  unchecked,  or  the  appearance  of  the  leaves,  as 
well  as  the  flowering  capabilities,  will  be  seriously 
affected. 
_  SUMMEB-BLOOMING  HEATHS. — These  may  con- 
sist of  such  as  flower  through  June  and  July.  Im- 
mediately the  flowering  is  over  remove  the  dead 
flowers,  so  as  to  stop  the  production  of  seeds, 
which  sadly  tax  the  energies  of  the  plants  and 
impede  growth.  Vigorous  healthy  plants  treated 
as  here  advised  will  often  produce  a  perfect  sheet 
of  bloom  year  after  year  in  succession ;  whereas 
if  allowed  to  seed  there  is  little  flower,  except  in 
alternate  years.  Early  in  spring  and  sufficiently 
early  in  autumn,  say  September,  are  the  best 
seasons  for  potting  Heaths ;  in  many  cases  the 
latter  is  preferable,  and  wherever  Heaths  are  at  all 
cramped  at  the  roots  preparations  should  at  once 
be  made  for  repotting.  All  specimen  Heaths  out- 
of-doors  should  be  looked  over  twice  a  day  whilst 
the  present  dry  weather  continues  to  see  whether 
they  do  not  want  water,  and  on  the  least  trace  of 
mildew  becoming  apparent  at  once  supply  sul- 
phur. Winter-blooming  Heaths  should  now  be 
exposed  to  the  full  rays  of  the  sun  where  they 
will  get  plenty  of  air,  as  on  this  depends  their 
growth  being  thoroughly  matured.  However  full 
of  roots  the  pots  may  be,  it  is  not  well  to  resort  to 
the  highly  stimulating  manures  often  applied  in 
the  autumn  season  to  this  section  of  Heaths,  by 
which  means  extreme  vigour  and  luxuriance  is 
frequently  gained  at  the  expense  of  flowers  that 
rarely  are  forthcoming  proportionate  to  the  growth 
where  this  over-exuberance  exists. 

Oranges  and  Citrons.— These  are  best  kept 
wholly  under  glass  where  means  can  be  found  to 


accommodate  them,  but  where,  as  is  often  the 
case,  they  have  to  make  way  for  other  things  in 
summer  there  is  no  course  but  placing  them  out- 
side. This  affords  an  opportunity  of  giving  them 
a  thorough  cleaning  from  scale  insects,  to  which 
they  are  so  much  subject.  If  time  can  now  be 
spared  an  effort  should  be  made  to  eradicate  these 
pests.  The  plants  ought  to  be  well  attended  to 
with  water,  and  if  at  all  under-potted,  and  the 
foliage  shows,  by  assuming  a  yellow  hue,  that  the 
soil  is  poor,  manure  water  should  be  given.  Any 
plants  of  this  family  about  which  there  is  the  least 
doubt  that  the  drainage  of  the  pots  or  tubs  which 
they  occupy  is  at  all  defective  should  at  once 
have  means  taken  to  rectify  the  evil,  otherwise  the 
soil  becomes  sodden  and  the  roots  are  certain  to 
perish. 

Pelaegonidms. — Plants  of  the  early-flower- 
ing kinds,  such  as  are  now  so  extensively  culti- 
vated by  the  Covent  Garden  Market  growers,  and 
also  the  earliest  bloomers  of  the  show  and  fancy 
varieties  that  were  cut  back  a  short  time  since, 
and  which  have  now  broken,  should  at  once  be 
shaken  out  and  repotted,  removing  most  of  the 
old  soil  and  somewhat  reducing  the  roots.  They 
ought  to  be  placed  in  pots  a  size  or  two  smaller 
than  those  in  which  they  have  flowered.  It  is 
well  toremind  beginners  that  this  section  of  the 
Pelargonium  family  requires  to  be  harder  potted 
than  soft-wooded  plants  generally,  for  unless  the 
soil  is  rammed  hard  with  the  potting  lath,  so  as 
to  make  it  quite  solid,  it  holds  more  water  than 
the  roots  can  bear  during  the  winter  months,  as 
the  young  feeding  fibres,  especially  of  the  fancy 
kinds,  are  extremely  sensitive  of  anything  ap- 
proaching a  wet,  spongy  condition  of  the  soil,  and 
the  strongest  growers  amongst  the  large-flowered 
sorts  always  run  over  much  to  leaf  if  the  soil  is 
in  a  condition  to  hold  much  moisture.  As  soon 
as  potted  place  the  plants  in  a  pit  or  frame,  where 
they  can  be  kept  close  for  a  week  or  two,  until 
the  roots  have  begun  to  move,  but  they  must  also 
be  where  they  will  get  a  full  share  of  light,  other- 
wise the  young  leaves  will  be  drawn,  a  state  which 
must  be  carefully  avoided.  Head  down  such 
as  have  been  kept  on  flowering  the  latest  as  soon 
as  the  wood  has  got  hardened  up  by  exposure 
in  the  open  air  in  the  way  recommended  for  the 
earliest  batch,  first  letting  them  get  quite  dry  at 
the  roots. 

Mignonette  for  late  spring  flowering  is  best 
grown  in  small  pots,  say  6  inches  or  7  inches  in 
diameter.  Half  a  dozen  seeds  should  be  sown  in 
4-inch  or  5-inch  pots,  sufficiently  drained  and 
filled  with  good  loam,  to  which  has  been  added  a 
little  sand,  leaf  mould,  and  rotten  manure.  The 
pots  should  then  be  placed  in  frames,  raising 
them  near  the  glass,  and  keeping  them  close  until 
the  seed  has  vegetated,  when  the  lights  ought  to 
be  removed  so  as  to  keep  the  plants  short  and 
stocky ;  they  should  be  thus  exposed  until  there 
is  danger  from  frost.  When  so  treated  they 
will  be  in  the  best  condition  for  standing  the 
winter. 

Potting  soils.— This  and  the  next  month  are 
the  best  for  securing  peat  and  loam  for  the  en- 
suing year's  potting.  At  first  sight  it  might  be 
supposed  that  soil  for  such  purposes  could,  with 
equal  advantages,  be  dug  at  any  time,  but  this  is 
by  no  means  the  case ;  the  fibrous  matter  furnished 
by  the  roots  of  the  native  plants.  Grasses,  and 
Ferns  that  occupy  the  land  from  which  the  turf 
is  dug  is  a  most  important  element  in  potting 
soils  ;  such  as  possess  this  fibrous  matter  in  the 
greatest  quantities  are  immeasurably  the  best  for 
by  far  the  greatest  number  of  plants.  When  col- 
lected it  should  be  stacked  in  the  open  air  ;  on  no 
account  put  it  into  sheds  or  under  a  roof  of  any 
kind,  except  a  short  time  before  use,  as  where 
thus  placed  out  of  reach  of  rain  it  gradually  gets 
dried  up  unnaturally,  and  when  reduced  to  this 
condition  a  great  deal  of  its  fertility  is  irretriev- 
ably lost.  Where  peat  and  loam  have  been  sub- 
jected to  an  unnatural  drying  process  we  have 
found  tliat  the  plants  afterwards  potted  in  them 
invariably  failed  to  thrive  as  they  ought  to  have 
done.  Peat  is  now,  we  believe,  unobtainable  at 
Wimbledon,  but  it  can  be  bad  as  good  elsewhere. 


KITCHEN  GARDEN. 

We  are  now  busy  with  the  first  Mushroom  beds 
for  autumn  bearing.  We  generally  have  our  beds 
in  some  out-of-the-way  place,  as  they  are  anj- 
thing  but  ornamental,  and  the  site  is  allowed  to 
grow  wild  during  summer,  except  that  we  mow 
down  the  weeds  to  prevent  them  from  seeding. 
The  object  is  simply  to  get  a  semi-turf  to  consoli- 
date the  manure,  as  at  this  season  the  manure  gel  s 
dry.  We  first  adze  up  the  turf  and  put  it  to  tie 
manure,  then  add  turf,  watering  at  the  same  time 
with  strong  liquid  manure,  making  all  solid  as  the 
work  proceeds,  turning  it  about  twice  or  thrice, 
when  all  is  ready  for  building  the  beds.  Spinach 
should  now  be  sown,  also  Cauliflowers,  and  we  do 
not  like  our  Tripoli  Onions  to  be  late.  Cabbage  and 
Lettuce  should  have  timely  attention.  Take  espe- 
cial note  that  Celery  should  not  be  allowed  to 
flag ;  give  it  good  soakings  of  water,  putting  the 
spout  of  the  can  close  to  the  surface  to  prevent 
any  scalding.  All  late  Peas  should  also  be  mulched 
and  well  watered ;  if  a  little  manure  water  is  at 
hand  mix  a  pailful  of  it  with  liO  gallons  of  clear 
water;  this  will  add  to  the  welfare  of  the  crop. 
Leeks  and  all  strong  feeders  must  have  due  atten- 
tion, otherwise  the  crops  will  be  lost.  YouEg 
seeds  now  just  up  should  be  hoed  as  soon  as  the 
plants  indicate  the  rows ;  this  hoeing  has  a  ten- 
dency to  keep  off  slugs  or  other  vermin.  If  jou 
make  the  leaves  distasteful,  and  by  hoeing  cause 
a  certain  amount  of  grit  to  stick  to  them,  you  will 
find  that  they  will  not  be  troublesome.  Keep  all 
garden  walks  clean  and  trim. 


INDOOR   Garden. 


LACHENALIA  TRICOLOR. 

Laciienalias  form  a  distinct  and  useful  class  of 
bulbous  plants  for  greenhouse  decoration  in  spring 
and  early  summer.  The  commonest  species  is  L. 
tricolor,  and  there  are  also  some  other  grand  kinds 
of  more  recent  introduction,  such  as  Nelsoni  and 
lutea  ;  but  the  culture  pursued  in  the  case  of  L. 
tricolor  will  also  suit  them,  their  requirements 
being  in  all  respects  similar.  Of  L.  tricolor  a  few 
bulbs  should  be  within  the  reach  of  everybody, 
and  Nelsoni  should  also  be  grown  by  all  who  can 
obtain  it.  Now  is  the  time  to  start  these  Lache- 
nalias.  If  the  bulbs  have  been  kept  quite  dry 
since  the  time  when  they  went  to  rest,  they  will 
part  freely  from  the  soil ;  the  whole  stock  should 
therefore  be  collected  together  before  commencing 
to  re-pot.  P.y  doing  this  the  largest  and  the 
smallest  sized  bulbs  can  be  selected  and  grown 
separately  in  order  to  have  those  together  that 
will  produce  spikes  of  flower  of  somewhat  similar 
strength.  The  soil  should  consist  of  two  parts 
rich  loam  and  one  part  leaf-soil  or  well-decayed 
manure,  adding  sufficient  sharp  grit  or  sand  to 
keep  the  whole  porous.  Although  Lachenalias  re- 
quire plenty  of  water  during  most  of  the  growing 
season,  they  will  not  bear  a  waterlogged  soil ;  con- 
sequently the  drainage  must  be  efficient.  The 
bulbs  should  be  placed  at  first  in  the  pots  or  pans 
in  which  they  are  intended  to  flower.  Pans  about 
a  foot  in  diameter  and  6  inches  deep  are  best,  as 
the  flowers  look  most  effective  when  seen  in  a 
mass.  If  such  pans  cannot  be  obtained,  5-inch 
pots  may  be  used,  placing  five  or  six  bulbs  in  a 
pot.  The  largest  bulbs  should  be  selected 
for  the  pans ;  they  should  be  placed  an  inch  or 
rather  more  apart,  and  covered  with  half  an  inch 
of  soil.  After  potting,  ours  are  placed  in  a  shallow 
pit  on  a  bed  of  ashes,  where  they  remain  during 
the  winter.  Lachenalias  should  not  be  put  in  a 
dry  place,  nor  wintered  in  a  situation  exposed  to 
fire-heat — i.e.,  if  strong  sturdy  plants  are  desired. 
We  give  them  much  the  same  treatment  regarding 
temperature  as  Intermediate  Stocks,  Schizanthus, 
Pelargoniums,  &c.,  and  they  succeed  admirably. 
Air  is  admitted  in  winter  on  all  favourable  occa- 
sions, butcold  draughts  should  always  be  avoided, 
or  the  leaves  will  become  brown  and  disfigured. 
As  the  plants  grow  more  room  must  be  allowed 
them,  and  in  winter  as  much  light  admitted  as 
possible  by  keeping  the  glass  clean.  L.  tricolor 
keeps  in  flower  a  long  time,  especially  if  some  of 


Aug.   23,  1884.J 


THE     GARDEN 


163 


the  plants  are  retarded.  Some  recommend  forcing, 
to  which  the  plants  are  to  a  certain  extent  amen- 
able, but  they  are  seldom  so  strong  or  last  so  long 
as  when  kept  altogether  in  a  cool  place.  Where 
there  are  plenty  of  plants  a  few  may,  however,  be 
placed  in  a  somewhat  warm  position  for  flowering 
early,  and  if  kept  near  the  glass  they  will  not  be 
much  injured.  A  little  artificial  or  liquid  manure 
applied  when  the  flower-spikes  appear  will  gene- 
rally prove  beneficial,  but  care  should  be  taken 
not  to  put  any  on  the  leaves.  The  plants  com- 
mence flowering  in  April  in  cool  positions,  and  if 
some  be  retarded  by  being  kept  in  a  house  or 
frame  with  a  north  aspect,  their  flowering  season 
may  be  considerably  prolonged.  They  must  not 
be  exposed  to  cold  draughts  during  February  or 
March,  when  easterly  winds  are  generally  preva- 
lent. As  to  arrangement  when  in  flower,  if  placed 
about  indiscriminately  in  the  form  of  single  pots 
or  pans,  the  general  effect  which  they  are 
capable  of  producing  when  better  arranged  is 
lost,  rrojecting  corners  of  the  stages  are  the 
best  positions,  and  if  a  pan  be  placed  in  the 
middle  and  surrounded  with  a  few  pots,  thus 
forming  a  group  that  may  be  repeated  in  other 
parts  of  the  house,  a  distinct  and  pleasing  feature 
is  thereby  obtained.  Each  strong  bulb  will  pro- 
duce three  or  four  spikes  of  flowers,  and  if  the 
plants  be  replaced  as  they  get  past  their  best  by 
later  ones,  such  groups  may  be  kept  attractive 
for  two  months  or  more  at  a  time.  After  flower- 
ing is  over  the  plants  should  be  removed  to  a 
sunny  position  in  order  to  thoroughly  ripen  the 
bulbs,  withholding  water  gradually  until  the 
leaves  are  dead,  when  its  use  should  be  wholly 
discontinued.  J.  G.  K. 


CULTURE  OB"  I'ANCKATIUM  FRAGEANS. 
We  have  got  just  now  a  specimen  of  this  lovely 
bulbous  plant  with  four  spikes  of  flowers  on  it, 
about  from  twelve  to  thirteen  flowers  being  on 
each  spike,  a  result  which  certainly  well  repays 
any  little  care  that  has  been  bestowed  on  it.  The 
flowers  are  of  such  a  pure  white  and  so  fragrant, 
that  it  has  few  rivals  in  these  respects,  and  for 
decoration  it  can  hardly  be  ecjualled.  Its  only 
fault  is  the  short  time  during  which  it  lasts  in 
flower,  from  eight  to  ten  days  being  as  long  as  it 
will  keep  in  perfection  even  in  a  cool  house.  Pan- 
cratiums  are  sometimes  subjected  to  a  roasting 
temperature,  which  is  not  at  all  good  for  them. 
We  generally  grow  them  through  the  winter  in  a 
temperature  of  from  57°  to  60^,  fully  exposing 
them  to  the  sun  all  the  year  round,  and  we  have 
them  in  flower  twice  in  the  year,  viz.,  in  March 
and  again  in  August,  according  to  our  requirements. 
The  less  shifting  about  they  get  the  better,  except 
when  really  necessary.  When  the  bulbs  get  very  low 
in  the  pots  turn  them  out,  examine  the  roots  care- 
fully, and  repot  if  necessary  in  a  pot  a  size  larger 
in  a  compost  consisting  of  half  turfy  loam,  quarter 
peat,  quarter  rotten  manure,  and  if  a  few  half- 
inch  bones  are  added  all  the  better.  Let  the  whole 
be  well  mixed  with  silver  sand.  After  they  have 
completed  their  growth  rest  them  a  little  by 
withholding  water,  but  at  the  same  time  do  not 
allow  the  leaves  to  flag  or  get  injured  in  any  way, 
for  when  that  happens  their  ability  to  flower  is  im- 
paired. Kemove  all  small  bulbs  when  potting 
and  place  them  in  pans,  potting  them  off  singly 
when  strong  enough,  and  keep  them  in  6-inch  or 
7-pots  as  long  as  possible,  for  in  this  size  they  are 
better  adapted  for  indoor  work  than  in  pots  of  a 
larger  size.  Pancratiums  may  be  readily  increased 
from  seed,  which  should  be  sown  in  spring  upon 
light  sandy  soil.  I'lace  the  pans  in  heat  close 
to  the  glass,  and  give  very  little  water  till  the 
seedlings  appear,  which  will  be  in  a  very  short 
time.  Fot  them  ofE  when  fit  to  handle  and  they 
will  soon  become  useful  plants.  H.  K. 


Anthurlum  Andreanum.  —  With  refe- 
rence to  the  remarks  of  "  W."  (p.  120)  concerning 
the  habit  of  this  plant,  allow  me  to  state  that  I 
have  here  two  specimens  of  it,  one  resembling 
that  at  Kew,  and  the  other  tufted,  exactly  resem- 
bling A.   Scherzerianum.     The  two   I  have    are 


most  distinct  in  their  habit  of  growth.  The 
young  leaves  of  the  climbing  variety  are  dark 
brown  when  expanding,  whilst  in  the  tufted  form 
they  are  pale  green.  The  climbing  variety  I  find 
to  be  very  slow  in  propagating,  throwing  out  few 
if  any  suckers. — Thomas  Spelman,  Sohhoroxtgh, 
Nenagh, 

Solanums  from  cuttings. — Those  who 
have  hitherto  been  content  with  growing  Sola- 
nums from  seed  will  not  regret  giving  this  plan  a 
trial.  When  the  plants  are  done  with  for  decora- 
tive purposes,  a  stock  of  the  best  berried  ones 
should  be  selected  and  set  in  a  cold  frame  till 
wanted  for  propagating.  They  strike  very  freely 
during  the  spring  months  in  frames  in  which  a 
growing  heat  can  be  maintained.  As  soon  as  they 
are  well  rooted  we  take  care  to  keep  them  on  the 
cool  side,  our  object  being  to  make  them  as  hardy 
as  possible.  We  have  now  a  batch  of  well-berried 
plants  in  6-inch  pots  raised  from  cuttings  in 
March  and  kept  in  cold  frames  since  May.  Where 
not  planted  out,  coddling  must  be  guarded  against ; 
in  fact,  we  have  the  lights  taken  off  every  night 
when  the  weather  is  favourable. — B.,  Bnstul. 

Gloxinias  at  Edinburgh.— The  following 
Gloxinias  sent  out  about  two  years  ago  by  Messrs. 
Laird  are  of  great  beauty  both  as  regards  colour 
and  form ;  most  of  them  have  erect  flowers. 
David  Baird,  a  fine  kind,  with  a  dark  red  throat 
and  pink  lip,  and  very  effective :  as  is  also  Rev. 
J.  Halsey,  a  variety  with  drooping  flowers,  shaded 
rose  and  purple  ;  Mrs.  George  Keith  and  Colonel 
Trotter  have  purplish  throats  and  white  lips  ;  the 
Honourable  Mrs.  Trotter  has  a  rose  throat  and 
clear  white  lip ;  Miss  Cunningham,  white  throat 
and  shaded  purple  lip  ;  Alice  Cooke,  white  with  a 
rose  coloured  ring  inside  the  white  lip ;  and  not 
least  beautiful  is  a  seedling  not  yet  sent  out,  very 
large,  with  purple  throat  and  white  lip ;  and 
another  seedling,  blush  with  the  lower  side  of  the 
throat  dark  crimson,  is  very  distinct. — C.  M.  Owen. 

Pelargoniums     for     pot     culture.  — 

"  W.  J.  M.'  asks  (p.  131)  for  a  few  names  of 
double  or  semi-double  zonals  for  pot  culture, 
which  I  have  much  pleasure  in  giving.  First  on 
the  list  is  unquestionably  Madame  Thibaut,  a 
bright  rosy  pink,  which  I  find  invaluable  at  all 
times  of  the  year,  as  it  produces  large  trusses  with 
a  freedom  equal  to  the  single  Vesuvius  and  is  ex- 
cellent in  habit.  We  are  never  without  blooms  of 
this  kind,  for  as  soon  as  plants  of  it  get  exhausted 
we  take  the  tops  off  for  cuttings,  give  the  old 
plants  a  little  rich  top-dressing,  and  place  them 
on  light  shelves  near  the  glass,  where  they  soon 
become  covered  again  with  lovely  trusses  of 
flowers.  I  should  unhesitatingly  say  that  this  is 
not  only  the  best  double,  but  the  best  zonal  of 
any  kind  in  cultivation,  new  or  old.  I  have  some 
of  the  latest  and  best  sorts  flowering  side  by  side 
with  it,  but  they  do  not  come  near  it  in  colour, 
habit,  or  amount  of  bloom.  Then  there  is  Won- 
derful, a  well-known  orange-scarlet  kind,  good  in 
habit,  and  a  very  free  bloomer,  opening  well  at 
any  time  of  year,  and  producing  large  heads  of 
brilliant  flowers— the  best  of  the  scarlet  varieties. 
Sergeant  Hoff  is  somewhat  similar  to  AVonderfuI, 
and  a  very  desirable  variety.  F.  P.  Easpail  is  one 
of  the  best  of  purple  doubles,  good  in  habit,  and 
a  very  free  flowerer.  Of  newer  sorts  Jl.  Leon 
Freue,  carmine,  appears  likely  to  be  good.  Venus 
is  a  very  pretty  pale  pink.  Flambeau  a  splendid 
scarlet,  Comtesse  de  Tannenberg  a  good  rose,  and 
Soleillett  a  good  violet-shaded  variety.— James 
Groom,  Gosjiort. 

Pelargonium  Unique.— It  is  now-a-days 
quite  an  uncommon  occurrence  to  meet  with  this 
Pelargonium  in  gardens,  though  when  well  grown 
few  are  prettier,  the  flower-heads  being  compact, 
distinct  in  colour,  and  borne  on  long  stalks ;  the 
foliage,  too,  is  agreeably  scented.  When  grown 
for  cutting,  it  is  astonishing  the  amount  of  flowers 
yielded  by  a  few  old  plants,  if  a  little  care  and  at- 
tention be  bestowed  on  them.  In  a  case  that  came 
under  ray  observation,  some  large  plants  had  been 
employed  to  cover  the  end  and  part  of  the  roof  of 
a  greenhouse,  which  they  did  perfectly,  and  being 
thus  well  exposed  to  the  light,  so  that  the  wood 


was  well  ripened,  a  great  profusion  of  flowers  was 
the  result.  This  Pelargonium  is  very  useful  for 
winter  blooming,  but  for  this  purpose  they  are 
grown  in  pots,  so  that  they  can  be  shifted  about 
when  necessary,  as  if  placed  out-of-doors  during 
the  summer  they  bloom  more  freely  when  intro- 
duced into  a  gentle  heat  than  if  allowed  to  remain 
indoors  the  whole  of  the  year.  As  a  decorative 
plant,  however,  this  Pelargonium  is  probably  seen 
to  most  advantage  about  the  present  season  of 
the  year,  when,  it  in  good  health  and  trained  in  a 
bush  form,  the  whole  specimen  will  be  laden  with 
its  beautiful  blossoms.  Sports  are  of  frequent  oc- 
currence in  this  plant,  and  in  that  way  many 
varieties  have  been  obtained.  The  Crimson  Unique, 
KoUisson's  Unique,  and  what  is  known  as  the  Old 
Unique  are  all  distinct  and  well  worth  growing. 
RoUisson's  or  the  Purple  Unique  reverts  sometimes 
to  the  old  lilac-coloured  form  in  a  curious  way,  as 
at  times  on  a  large  part  there  will  perhaps  be  a 
few  trusses  entirely  lilac,  while  others  will  have 
but  one  or  two  flowers  of  that  hue,  the  rest  being 
of  the  proper  tint,  while  occasionally  parti- 
coloured flowers  occur,  i.e.,  with  some  of  the  petals 
lilac  and  others  magenta-purple. — W.  T. 

Leea  amabllis. — This  is  a  stove  fine-foliaged 
plant  of  recent  introduction,  and  one  very  distinct 
in  the  colouration  of  its  leaves,  which  when  in  a 
young  state  are  brownish,  with  a  rose  band  along 
the  midrib,  but  when  mature  they  change  to  a 
deep  green,  and  the  central  band  to  a  silvery 
whiteness.  It  is  certainly  a  very  beautiful  object, 
at  least  when  young.  With  me  it  will  only  flourish 
in  a  close  case  in  the  hottest  part  of  the  stove,  as 
if  exposed  to  the  ordinary  atmosphere  of  the  house 
the  leaves  become  discoloured  and  the  beauty  of 
the  plant  is  lost.  From  my  experience,  I  should 
say  the  most  satisfactory  way  to  treat  it  is  to  fre- 
quently strike  young  ones  rather  than  to  grow  on 
the  old  plants,  and  confine  them  to  comparatively 
small  pots.  When  treated  in  this  way,  and  about 
6  inches  high,  with  perhaps  half-a-dozen  leaves 
with  the  colouration  well  defined,  it  is  indeed  a 
beautiful  object,  worthy  of  association  with  such 
jewels  as  Bertolonias,  Fittonias,  Sonerilas,  and 
others.  Cuttings  of  it  put  in  a  mixture  of  sandy 
peat  and  loam  strike  freely. — Alpha. 

5221.— Chrysanthemums  In  small  pote. 

— I  presume  from  the  remarks  of  "  Myrtle  Grove  " 
that  his  Chrysanthemums  will  by  this  time  be 
bushy  plants  with  from  five  to  ten  shoots  on  each, 
and  thoroughly  pot-bound.  If  left  in  such  small 
pots  as  5-inch  ones,  it  is  impossible  for  them  to  pro- 
duce anything  like  good  heads  of  bloom  and 
retain  their  foliage  in  good  health.  It  would  have 
been  better  if  they  had  been  potted  into  larger 
pots  before  now,  but  it  is  not  yet  too  late  to  pot 
them,  provided  it  is  done  at  once.  I  should  put 
them  in  8-inch  or  9-inch  pots,  using  a  compost 
consisting  of  two  parts  good  sound  loam  and  one 
part  rotten  manure  well  chopped  up  with  the 
spade  and  mixed  together,  but  not  sifted.  Good 
drainage  should  be  secured,  and  in  potting  the 
potting-stick  should  be  used  freely,  for  there  is 
no  class  of  plants  that  like  hard  potting  more 
than  Chrysanthemums.  When  they  have  all  been 
potted  they  should  be  staked  ;  each  shoot  should 
be  tied  to  a  neat  stick  and  given  plenty  of  space 
for  sun  and  air  to  thoroughly  mature  the  wood, 
good  hard  well-ripened  wood  being  one  of  the 
most  important  points  in  the  successful  cultiva- 
tion of  the  Chrysanthemum.— H.  Parker. 


Watering  LlUum  auratum— Having  noticed  a  re- 
mark in  The  garden  of  August  2  in  reference  to  watenng 
Lifium  auratum,  aflow  me  to  say  tliat  I  tiave  one  m  btoom 
at  present  wfiich  lias  stood  in  a  saucer  of  water  smce  tlio 
slioots  were  a  foot  liigli.  Tliere  are  ttiree  slioots  more  tlian 
W  fict  hi'-fi  and  tlierc  are  twenty-five  blooms,  eacli  mea- 
suring over  C  indies  across.  It  is  grown  in  an  8-inch  pot.— 
D.  B.,  Dublin. 

Finely  grown  Fuchslaa.— I  have  seen  no  such  per- 
fectly trained  and  Ijloomed  Fuchsias  as  I  saw  the  other  day 
at  the  .St.  Keots  show  since  Mr.  D.  T.  Fish  took  a  first 
prize  with  some  grand  plants  of  them  at  the  Bury  St.  Ed- 
munds show  in  1X68,  when  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society 
visited  that  town  an<l  pitched  its  tents  in  the  vineyard  there. 
The  Hrst  piize  plants  at  St.  Neots  were  at  least  8  feet  high 
and  well  bloomed,  the  drooping  branches  haneing  over  the 
pots  In  a  graceful  manner.  They  were  exhibited  by  Mr. 
Redman,  gardener  to  Mr.  J.  H.  Ooodjames. 


164 


THE     GARDEN 


[Aug.  23,  1884. 


Francos  ramosa. — This  plant  is  invaluable 
at  this  time  of  year  for  conservatory  or  other  in- 
door decoration.  It  produces  long  branched  spikes 
of  the  purest  white  flowers  ;  therefore  plants  of  it 
even  in  small  pots  make  a  good  display,  and  for 
association  with  bright  colours  it  is  invaluable. 
It  is  of  the  easiest  culture.  Seeds  sown  as  soon  as 
ripe  in  autumn  in  a  pan  or  box  and  kept  near  the 
glass  in  a  cool  house  produce  sturdy  plants  for  pot- 
ting off  singly  in  spring,  when  they  may  be  grown 
on  in  cold  frames  until  the  weather  is  sufficiently 
warm  for  them  to  be  set  out  of  doors  in  a  partially 
fhaded  position.  Some  of  them  will  probably 
blossom  during  the  autumn,  but  all  will  make  fine 
plants  for  flowering  the  second  year.  A  mixture 
of  loam,  manure,  and  sand  suits  them  perfectly, 
and  if  kept  well  furnished  with  water  and  an 
occasional  supply  of  liquid  manure,  it  is  surprising 
the  quantity  of  bloom  which  a  plant  in  a  C-ineh  or 
7-inch  pot  will  carry.  As  window  plants  they  are 
unrivalled  ;  their  leaves  withstand  dust  well,  and 
falling  down  they  completely  cover  the  pot, 
while  the  branched  spikes  shoot  upwards  3  feet  or 
4  feet,  covered  with  flowers  so  profusely  as  to  gain 
for  the  plant  the  appropriate  name  of  Bridal 
Wreath.  They  are  specially  well  suited  for 
amateur  gardeners,  as  they  only  require  the 
coolest  of  greenhouse  culture  in  winter ;  in  fact  a 
frame  with  covering  enough  to  exclude  frost  is 
just  the  place  for  them.  Anyone  who  can  grow 
Calceolarias  will  find  no  difficulty  in  growing  this 
useful  plant. — James  Gboom,  Oosjuirt. 


LARGE  LEAVES. 


Attention  was  directed  in  The  Garden  the 
other  day  to  a  few  large-leaved  plants  ;  allow  me, 
therefore,  to  note  a  few  others.  First  in  point  of 
noble  port  stands  the  truly  gigantic  Gunnera 
manicata.  The  specimen  here  referred  to  has  at 
the  present  time  sixteen  leaves,  some  of  which 
measure  quite  8  feet  across,  on  stems  about  5  feet 
high.  The  whole  plant  is  as  near  as  possible 
18  feet  in  diameter,  and  doubtless  owes  its  high 
state  of  development  to  the  conditions  under 
which  it  is  growing.  It  is  planted  close  to  the 
edge  of  a  pond — in  fact  in  the  water.  The  ground 
rises  slightly  from  the  water,  and  the  slope  behind 
the  plant  is  made  up  of  rich  soil,  and  receives 
liberal  manurial  top-dressings  annually.  Verbas- 
cum  olympicum  is  another  remarkable  plant  when 
well  planted.  A  specimen  of  it  here — planted  in 
rich,  deep,  moist  soil— measures  fi  feet  across  and 
has  seventy-eight  leaves.  When  it  is  remembered 
that  its  leaves  resemble  fustian  as  near  as 
possible,  it  will  be  readily  seen  what  a  distinct 
and  handsome  plant  this  Verbascum  is.  I  shall 
be  carious  to  see  the  stem-development  next 
season  of  this  huge  plant.  Siebold's  Plantain 
Lily  (Funkia  Sieboldi)  treated  as  a  sub-aquatic 
in  rich  soil  is  a  noble  plant.  A  specimen 
of  it  here  has  very  large  leaves.  This  Funkia 
should  be  well  planted  at  first  and  afterwards 
let  alone,  as  it  goes  on  increasing  in  size 
and  vigour  for  many  years.  Sambucus  nigra 
macrophylla — called  also  the  Cauliflower  Elder^ 
planted  in  rich,  moist  soil,  attains  extraordinary 
dimensions,  especially  if  annually  cut  well  back. 
It  then  produces  shoots  C  feet  long,  and  makes  a 
specimen  as  many  feet  through ;  the  leaves  are 
18  inches  long,  and  the  flower-heads  1  foot  or 
more  across— a  right  good  subject  for  the  shrub- 
bery or  wild  garden.  Is  the  Golden  Elder  not  a 
form  of  this  plant  ?  T.  S. 


Notes    from    Craigleith    Nursery.  — 

Amongst  the  many  stove  plants  of  interest  in 
Messrs.  Ireland  and  Thomson's  nursery,  near 
Edinburgh,  are  several  American  hybrid  Nepen- 
thes possessing  much  beauty.  In  the  same  house 
is  a  rare,  though  not  new,  Melastomaceous  plant, 
Sphserogyne  latifolia,  with  shaded  leaves  nearly 
1  foot  across  and  about  1  foot  long,  which  when 
seen  from  above  are  most  effective.  The  Sonerilas 
are  a  pretty  group  with  variegated  foliage,  Hen- 
derson!, argentea,  margaritacea,  amoena,  Nelly, 
and  Rita  being  especially  good  kinds.    Selaginella 


amcEua  is  one  of  the  best  of  the  Selaginellas  ;  and 
another  plant  worth  growing  is  a  bright  orange 
and  scarlet  Asclepias  curassavica.  The  collection 
of  Orchids  seems  to  be  larger  than  that  in  any  of 
the  other  Edinburgh  nurseries,  but  at  this  time  of 
year  only  a  few  are  in  blossom. — C.  M.  0. 


Trees  and  Shrubs. 


THE  CATALPAS. 
TiiEEE  are  about  half-a-dozen  species  belonging 
to  the  genus  Catalpa,  four  of  which  are  highly 
ornamental  trees.  These  hail  from  North  Ame- 
rica, China,  and  Japan,  and,  in  the  south  of  Eng- 
land at  any  rate,  can  fairly  claim  to  be  classed 
amongst  hardy  subjects.  The  others,  from  the 
West  Indies,  are  tropical  plants,  and  therefore 
would  be  out  of  place  here.  C.  bignonioides  (the 
Catalpa,  or  Indian  Bean)  is  by  far  the  best  known 
and  most  widely  grown.     Its  panicles  of  large 


five-lobed  spreading  border;  the  colour  is  white 
more  or  less  tinged  with  violet  and  speckled  with 
purple  and  yellow  in  the  throat.  It  was  first 
discovered  by  Catesby  in  South  Carolina,  and  was 
introduced  to  this  country  in  1726.  In  a  wild 
state,  according  to  Professor  C.  S.  Sargent's  "  Ca- 
talogue of  the  Forest  Trees  of  North  Amerit-a,"  it 
occurs  in  Western  Georgia,  Florida,  and  perhaps 
west  to  Louisiana. 

Its  very  light,  close  -  grained,  remarkably 
durable  wood  is  valuable  for  fence  posts  and  cabi- 
net work ;  its  specific  gravity  when  perfectly 
dry  is  ■¥)':>.  Under  cultivation  in  this  country  it 
rarely  attains  more  than  .'50  feet  or  40  feet  in 
height,  but  the  Syon  specimen  figured  by  Loudon 
measured  .5'2  feet  in  height  and  the  trunk  3  feet 
in  diameter,  the  spread  of  the  branches  being 
."JO  feet.  A  noble  tree  in  the  garden  of  Mr.  Denne 
Denne,  of  Canterbury,  was  figured  in  the  Gar- 
liners'  Chronich-  in  1876;  this  was  only  32  feet 
high,  but  the  branches  had  a  spread  of  60  feet. 


handsome  flowers  and  the  large  light  green  leaves 
give  it  a  totally  distinct  aspect — one  widely  dif- 
ferent from  that  of  any  other  outdoor  tree.  More- 
over, it  flourishes  even  in  the  smoke-laden  atmo- 
sphere of  towns,  retaining  its  leaves  after  those 
of  a  good  many  other  deciduous  trees  have  fallen 
or  become  discoloured.  It  is  also  a  fast-growing 
tree,  and  in  its  native  country  furnishes  remark- 
ably durable  and  valuable  timber.  The  Catalpas 
are  readily  raised  from  seeds  or  root  cuttings. 

C.  BiONONioiDES  *  has  heart-shaped  leaves, 
pointed,  downy  beneath,  and  the  flowers  are 
borne  in  open  compound  panicles.  Its  slender, 
nearly  cylindrical,  seed-pods  are  not  unfreqnently 
produced  in  the  neighbourhood  of  London.  These 
measure  about  a  foot  in  length,  and  remain  hang- 
ing on  the  tree  until  the  following  spring.  The 
bell-shaped  two-lipped  corollas  have  an  irregular 

*  C.  bignonioides,  Walter, ' '  Flora  Caroliniana." p.  64  ( 17SS) ; 
Gray,  "Manual  of  the  Botany  of  tlie  Northern  I'nited 
States,"  p.  321  ;  Koch,  *'  Dendrologie,"  zweiter  tlieil.  erster 
abtheilung.  p.  302.  C.  sjTingifolia,  Sim",  Botanical  Ma^/a- 
zinc,  t.  1094  ;  Loudon,  "  Arboretum  et  Kniticetum  Britan- 
nicum,"  vol.  iii.,  p.  1261:  " Encyclopajdia  of  Trees  and 
Slu-ubs,"  p.  662. 


When  in  flower  this  tree  resembled  "  a  mass  of 
snow,  enlivened  with  rich  yellow  and  brown 
mottlings."  It  would  be  very  interesting  to  know 
how  many  of  the  Catalpa  trees  mentioned  by 
Loudon  in  his  "  Arboretum  "  are  now  in  existence, 
and  details  of  present  measurements  would  be  of 
great  interest  and  value.  This  species  no  doubt 
attains  a  maximum  size  in  rich  deep  somewhat 
moist  soil,  but  it  forms  a  very  handsome  tree  and 
flowers  and  grows  freely  in  dry  sandy  gravel.  At 
Kew  in  very  poor  dry  gravelly  soil  specimens  are 
now  in  full  flower,  and  the  large  handsome  leaves 
show  no  trace  of  the  effects  of  the  heat  and  drought 
which  are  only  too  evident  in  the  case  of  several 
other  deciduous  trees. 

Var.  aurea  is  one  of  the  best  golden-leaved 
trees  or  shrubs  in  British  gardens,  as  it  retains  its 
golden  yellow  hue  throughout  the  season. 

Var.  erueescens  (Carriire,  lievue  Ilrrticole, 
1869,  460)  is  a  form — probably  a  seedling  from 
the  common  Indian  Bean  (C.  bignonioides)— with 
a  more  compact  inflorescence,  larger,  more  highly 
coloured  corolla,  with  a  less  deeply  divided  limb. 


Ave.  23,   1834.] 


THE     GARDEN 


165 


C.  SPECIOSA  (Engelmann,  in  Coulter's  Botanical 
Gazette,  January  1,  188(1).— This  is  a  recent  ad- 
dition to  British  arboreta,  and  probably  has  not 
jet  flowered  in  this  country.  It  is,  however,  likely 
to  pro^e  valuable,  and  the  following  extracts  from 
ihe  late  Dr.  Engelmann's  paper  seem  worth  repro- 
ducing here  :  "'This  tree  has  quite  an  interesting 
and  instructive  history.  It  was  already  known  to 
Mtchaax  and  to  many  botanists  and  settlers  of 
those  regions.  Even  the  aboriginal  Shawnees  ap- 
preciated it,  and  the  French  settlers  along  the 


Foliage  qf  the  Catalpa. 

Wabash  named  it  for  them  the  Shawnee  Wood 
(Bois  Chavanon),  and  prized  the  indestructible 
quality  of  its  timber  ;  but  the  botanists,  even  the 
subtle  Kafinesqne,  who  roamed  over  these  very 
regions  seem  to  have  taken  it  for  granted  that  it 
was  not  distinct  from  the  south-eastern  Catalpa 
bignonioides.  To  me  the  fact  that  these  trees,  then 
not  really  cultivated  in  St.  Louis,  produced  their 
larger  and  more  showy  flowers  some  ten  or  fifteen 
days  earlier  than  the  eastern  or  common  kind  was 
well  known  as  early  as  1842,  and  their  blossoming 
has  fince  been  annually  recorded  in  my  notes  on 
the  advance  of  vegetation,  but  I  had  not  the  saga- 
city or  curiosity  to  further  investigate  the  tree.  It 
was  reserved  to  Dr.  J.  A.  Warder,  of  Cincinnati, 
to  draw  public  attention  to  it." 

"  Catalpa  speciosa  replaces  C.  bignonioides  en- 
tirely in  the  Mississippi  Valley.  It  is  readily  dis- 
tinguished from  it  by  its  taller  and  straighter 
growth,  its  darker,  thicker  (half  an  inch  to  1  inch), 
rougher,  and  scarcely  exfoliating  bark  (in  the 
older  species  it  is  light  grey,  constantly  peeling 
off,  and  therefore  not  more  than  2  lines  or  3  lines 
thick)  ;  its  softly  downy,  slenderly  acuminate,  and 
inodorous  leaves  (those  of  C.  bignonioides  have  a 
disagreeable,  almost  fcetid  odour  when  touched), 
marked  with  similar  glands  in  the  axils  of  the 
principal  veins  of  the  underside  ;  by  its  much  less 
crowded  panicle,  and  by  its  much  larger  flower, 
fruit,  and  seed." 

"  Oar  tree  is  larger,  of  straighter  growth,  and 
being  a  native  of  a  more  northern  latitude,  is 
hardier  than  the  south-eastern  species.  The  wood 
of  both  is  extremely  durable,  perhaps  as  much  so 
as  that  of  our  Red  Cedar,  and  has  the  advantage 
over  it  of  a  more  rapid  growth  and  of  possessing 
only  a  very  thin  layer  (two  or  three  annual  rings) 
of  destructible  sapwood.  But  of  these  qualities 
and  of  its  adaptability  to  many  important  uses 
others,  and  especially  Mr.  Barney  in  a  recent 
pamphlet,  have  given  a  full  account.  It  is  already 
extensively  planted  in  onr  western  prairie  States, 
and  especially  along  railroads,  for  which  purpose 
it  is  expected  to  furnish  the  much-needed  tim- 
ber in  a  comparatively  short  time." 

Professor  C.  S.  Sargent  in  correcting  an  error 
which  had  arisen  in  the  Gardeners'  Chronicle  with 
respect  to  Catalpa  speciosa  writes  :  I  take  this  oc- 
casion to  call  the  attention  of  European  planters 
to  this  species.  It  is  in  every  way  a  far  finer  and 
a  more  rapid  growing  tree  than  Catalpa  bigno- 
nioides, and  should  it  succeed  in  Europe,  as  from 
its  geographical  range  in  this  country  I  am  led  to 
believe  that  it  will,  it  will  prove  a  most  valuable 


addition  to  the  list  of  ornamental  and  timber- 
producing  trees.  Its  distribution  in  a  wild  state 
is  given  by  the  same  authority  as  Southern 
Indiana  and  Illinois,  Western  Kentucky  and  Ten- 
nessee, South-eastern  Missouri,  and  possibly  south- 
ward through  Louisiana.  Its  wood  is  rather  heavier 
than  that  of  the  last  species,  its  specific  gravity 
being '402;  it  is  valuable  for  cabinetwork,  and 
almost  imperishable  when  placed  in  contact  with 
the  soil ;  it  is  largely  employed  for  railway  ties, 
fence  posts,  &c.  A  large  tree  in  rich  bottom- 
lands, often  80  feet  in  height,  with  a  trunk  i  feet 
in  diameter  ;  one  o£  the  most  valuable  trees  of  the 
American  forests. 

C.  K^MPPERI*  is  a  native  of  Japan,  where  it 
was  discovered  by  Krempfer  in  1 693  and  introduced 
by  seed  into  Belgium  in  1849.  It  is  a  close  ally  of 
the  American  species  already  mentioned,  and  is 
one  of  the  most  striking  of  the  many  instances  of 
that  intimate  relationship,  due  to  common  origin, 
of  the  plants  of  the  Atlantic,  United  States,  and 
Eastern  Asia,  which  is  not  shared  by  the  plants 
of  the  Pacific  coast  States.  The  leaves  are  smaller, 
cordate  at  the  base,  C  inches  long  and  broad,  bright 
pale  green  ;  the  round  petioles  measure  from 
2  inches  to  5  inches  in  length.  The  panicle  is 
erect  as  the  leaves  ;  the  flowers  are  smaller  than 
those  of  the  American  species,  of  a  pale  yellow 
colour  sprinkled  with  minute  red  spots.  Probably 
this  species  hardly  attains  more  than  12  feet  in 
height. 

C.  BuKGEi,  t  a  native  of  N.China,  differs  from 


mose  inflorescence,  and  nearly  glabrous,  generally 
entire,  ovate,  acuminate  leaves.  Now  and  then 
entire  and  lobed  leaves  are  found  on  the  same  plant, 
and  then  it  is  the  variety  heterophylla.  There  is 
also  mention  made  in  catalogues  of  a  variety  nana, 
but  C.  Bungei  itself  is  a  dwarf  shrub  in  British 
gardens,  and  at  present  1  know  too  little  of  both 
type  and  so-called  variety  to  determine  whether 
they  are  identical  or  not.  The  flowers  are  de- 
scribed as  greenish  yellow  with  red  spots. 

George  Nicholson. 
Boyal  Gardens,  Kew. 


SCOTTISH  ARBORICULTDRAL  SOCIETY.* 
The  members  of  this  society  held  their  annual 
summer  excursion  on  the  7th,  8th,  and  !)th  inst., 
when  Taymouth,  Fortingall,  Castle  Menzies, 
Athole,  Scone  and  other  interesting  places  in 
Perthshire  were  visited.  This  was  the  seventh  ex- 
cursion held  under  the  auspices  of  this  society, 
and  of  these  no  fewer  than  four  have  been  to 
Perthshire,  thus  showing  the  importance  which 
foresters  and  others  attach  to  the  woods  and 
forests  of  that  county. 

Taymouth  — On  Thursday  morning  a  start  was 
made  for  Aberfeldy  at  C.4(l.  the  various  objects  of 
interest  along  the  route  being  carefully  pointed 
out  and  explained.  Amongst  the  first  objects  oE 
interest  to  attract  attention  was  the  splendid 
plantation  of  purely  Douglas  Firs  immediately  on 
the  west  side  of  the  railway  at  Taymouth.  This 
plantation  is  of  about  thirty  years'  standing,  and 


A  full  grown  Catalpa  bigjionioides. 


those  species  previously  mentioned  in  its  race- 


me. Ktempferi,  Siebold  and  Zuccarini,  "  Flora  Japonica," 
sect,  alt.,  p.  18  :  Illustration  HortiooU,  1862,  p.  3i9.  Koch, 
"  Dendrolo^'ie,"  zweiter  theil,  erste  abtheilung,  p.  303: 
Botanical  Magazine,  t.  6611.  C.  ovata,  G.  Don,  •'  History 
of  Dlclilaniydeous  Plants,"  iv.,  230.  C.  Bungei  of  gardens, 
]iot  of  C.  A.  Meyer.    C.  himalayensis  of  gardens. 

t  C.  Bungei, C.  A.Meyer  ;  DeCandolle,  "  Prodromus,"  ix., 
226  :  Koch,  "  Dendrologie,"  zweiter  theil,  erste  abtheilung, 
p.  304. 


the  Larch  "  nurses  "  were  all  removed  a  consider- 
able time  ago.  Even  before  the  character  of  the 
plantation  was  made  known,  its  fine  healthy  ap- 
pearance attracted  attention,  and  it  was  greatly 
admired.  At  Logerait  the  enormous  Ash  in  the 
hotel-keeper's  garden  waseRgerly  watched  for,  and 
a  good  view  of  it  was  obtained.  This  tree  is  now  a 
comparative  wreck,  but,  maimed  as  it  is,  it  has 
"  Abridged  from  the  Perthshire  Constitutional, 


166 


THE    GARDEN 


[Aug.  23,  1884. 


still  the  enormous  girth  of  47  feet  7  inches  at  a 
foot  from  the  ground,  and  32  feet  5  inches  at 
5  feet;  so  that  in  its  perfect  state  it  must  have 
been  a  very  large  tree  indeed.  A  wide  gap  in  the 
trunk  has  been  taken  advantage  of  to  forma  sum- 
mer-house sufficient  to  hold  a  large  party.  On  ar- 
riving at  Aberfeldy  the  party  started  for  Tay- 
mouth.  The  road  between  Aberfeldy  and  Tay- 
mouth  Castle  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  in  the 
county,  and  this  part  of  the  drive  was  greatly  en- 
joyed. For  several  miles  the  road  is  almost 
completely  under  a  thick  leafy  shade,  with  open- 
ings here  and  there,  revealing  the  clear,  sparkling 
waters  of  the  Tay,  cultivated  fields  and  grazings, 
the  tree-clad  heights  of  Weem  and  Drammond 
Hill,  and  the  dark  blue  mountains  lying 
against  the  sky  in  the  distance.  A  fine  row  of 
Oak  trees  on  the  south  side  of  the  road  was 
specially  admired  on  account  of  their  luxuriance. 
At  Taymouth  Castle  the  party  was  received  by  Mr. 
William  Dunn,  land  steward,  who  pointed  out  the 
more  interesting  arboreal  features  of  the  property. 
The  grounds  at  Taymouth  are  remarkable  for  the 
size  and  number  of  their  gigantic  old  trees. 
Amongst  those  which  attracted  special  attention 
were  the  four  famous  Spanish  Chestnuts  at  the 
Rail  Bridge  which  spans  the  Sawmill  Burn  in 
front  of  the  castle,  the  largest  of  which  girths 
close  upon  19  feet  at  5  feet  from  the  ground.  The 
height  of  these  trees  is  from  70  feet  to  80  feet, 
and  each  contains  about  460  cubic  feet  of  timber. 
Several  splendid  Larches  were  measured,  the  best 
of  the  lot  girthing  11  feet  at  5  feet  from  the 
ground,  with  a  height,  as  measured  by  Mackenzie's 
dendrometer,  of  128  feet.  An  Ash,  with  a  girth 
of  10  feet  G  inches  at  5  feet  from  the  ground,  was 
also  the  subject  of  much  commendation,  as  well 
as  the  three  Oaks  and  three  Scotch  Firs  planted 
by  the  Queen,  Prince  Albert,  and  the  Empress 
Eugenie,  all  of  which  are  thriving  well.  Behind 
the  castle  there  is  a  double  row  of  grand  Lime 
trees,  forming  an  avenue  in  the  shape  of  the  letter 
Q.  In  this  the  best  specimens  girth  15  feet  at  3 
feet  from  the  ground. 

FoRTiNGALL. — The  drive  ■was  continued  along 
the  shores  of  Loch  Tay,  by  the  back  of  Drummond 
Hill,  to  Fortingall,  some  of  the  party  making  a 
detour  a  short  way  up  Glenlyon  to  the  "  Mac- 
gregor's  Leap."  On  arriving  at  Fortingall,  the 
famous  Yew  was  carefully  examined,  the  gate  of 
the  churchyard  having  been  kindly  thrown  open 
by  the  Rev.  D.  Campbell,  who  has  charge  of  this 
venerable  relic.  This  famous  Yew  is  calculated  by 
the  best  authorities  to  be  over  3000  years  old,  and 
although  from  the  outside  of  the  enclosure  it  has 
the  appearance  of  being  in  vigorous  growth,  it  is 
in  reality  a  mere  shell.  The  only  available  parts 
remaining  are  the  outermost  portions  of  the  old 
trunk,  representing  its  growth  long  after  it  had 
become  a  shell,  and  consequently  impaired  in 
vitality.  About  the  beginning  of  the  present 
C3ntury  the  tree  was  in  a  much  more  complete 
state  than  it  is  at  present,  considerable  dilapida- 
tion being  occasioned  by  boys  lighting  fires  at  its 
roots.  An  early  drawing  represents  the  gap  in  the 
trunk  so  wide,  that  a  funeral  is  passing  through 
it,  the  remark  being  made  that  this  was  the  prac 
tice  when  funerals  entered  the  churchyard.  Mr. 
Magnus  Jackson,  the  society's  photographer,  made 
photographs  of  this,  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
trees  in  the  world,  from  different  positions. 

f  Castle  Menzies  was  the  next  place  visited, 
and  as  the  members  were  led  to  regard  the  grounds 
here  as  being  entitled  to  the  premier  place  for 
trees  in  Scotland,  expectation  ran  high.  Nor  were 
they  disappointed,  either  with  what  they  saw  or 
with  the  reception  they  received.  On  reaching 
Farleyer,  the  residence  of  Sir  Robert  Menzies,  the 
party  was  most  hospitably  entertained.  Sir  Robert, 
Mr.  Ewing  (the  gardener),  and  others  conducted 
the  party  over  the  property,  in  which  several  hours 
•were  most  profitably  spent.  The  first  tree  to  at- 
tract attention  was  the  splendid  Sycamore,  a  little 
to  the  west  of  the  castle,  believed  to  be  the  finest 
in  Scotland.  Although  it  is  now  isolated,  it  ori- 
ginally formed  part  of  the  avenue  which  led  to 
the  old  castle.  The  girth  at  1  foot  up  is  24  feet, 
and  at  3  feet,  21  feet;  at  5  feet,  18  feet;  and  at 


7  feet  the  girth  is  17  feet.  There  is  a  bole  of  be- 
tween 30  feet  and  40  feet,  and  an  entire  height  of 
06  feet.  The  tree  contains,  according  to  the  esti- 
mate of  a  wood  merchant  present,  fully  700  cubic 
feet  of  marketable  timber,  including  the  branches. 
A  great  limb  was  broken  off  during  the  memorable 
gale  of  December  28,  1879,  but  the  tree  is  very 
little  disfigured  in  consequence.  Its  companions 
in  the  old  avenue  have  been  less  fortunate,  as  they 
have  been  considerably  wrecked  by  the  gale  of 
27th  January  last,  the  outside  trees  being  com- 
pletely blown  down,  and  some  of  them  broken  off 
at  the  top.  A  very  notable  feature  of  the  trees  at 
Castle  Menzies  is  their  great  height,  as  well  as 
their  extraordinary  girth.  One  of  the  tallest  of 
the  trees  is  a  magnificent  Silver  Fir  which  Mac- 
kenzie's dendrometer  showed  to  be  128  feet  high, 
with  a  girth  of  15  feet  at  3  feet  from  the  ground, 
and  a  grand  specimen  all  over.  Another  Silver 
B'ir  reaches  103  feet,  with  a  girth  of  13  feet  C 
inches  at  3  feet.  The  best  Oak,  regarded  as  a 
timber  tree,  which  was  seen  during  the  day,  was 
one  which  reaches  fully  100  feet  in  height,  with  a 
splendid  bole  of  60  feet,  and  a  girth  of  'J  feet  9 
inches  at  5  feet  from  the  ground.  Another  Oak 
which  excited  some  curiosity  was  one  with  a  white 
branch,  the  variegation  having  been  there  as  long 
as  anyone  can  remember,  and  is  suppossd  to  be  the 
work  of  an  insect.  The  Wellingtonia  gigantea, 
supposed  to  be  the  largest  in  Britain,  also  received 
a  good  deal  of  notice,  and  was  carefully  measured 
and  found  to  girth  14  feet  4  inches  at  the  ground 
and  rise  to  a  height  of  48  feet.  When  the  tree  was 
measured  in  May,  1883,  the  girth  was  13  feet  7 
inches.  This  tree  was  amongst  the  first  sent  out 
from  London,  and  although  it  was  no  bigger  than 
a  man's  hand,  it  cost  the  extravagant  sum  of  £3  Ss. 
It  was  kept  in  a  pot  for  a  couple  of  years,  and 
planted  out  in  the  garden  in  1858.  The  rarer  trees 
noticed  included  a  well-grown  specimen  of  Pinus 
muricata.  The  Abies  Albertiana  which  has  sup- 
plied seed  for  all  the  trees  here  of  this  species  was 
also  greatly  admired,  its  height  being  63  feet.  A 
very  shapely  Abies  Menziesi  has  a  height  of  83  feet 
and  girths  9  feet  at  the  ground.  Before  leaving 
the  ground.  Sir  Robert  invited  the  party  to  visit 
the  interior  of  Castle  Menzies — a  privilege  which 
was  readily  taken  advantage  of.  The  apartment 
which  attracted  most  attention  was  the  old  draw- 
ing-room, with  the  original  ceiling,  showing  the 
thistle,  rose,  harp,  andjteur  i/e  lis,  and  containing  a 
chair  and  box  which  had  belonged  to  Queen  Mary. 
The  walls  of  this  part  of  the  castle  are  9  feet  thick, 
and  are  lined  with  Scotch  Fir,  which  has  kept  so 
well  that  it  is  as  fresh  as  when  it  was  put  in  300 
years  ago — the  castle  having  been  built  in  1571. 

Athole  Woods. — On  Friday  morning  the  party 
left  Aberfeldy  for  Ballinluig,  where  conveyances 
were  in  waiting  to  convey  them  through  the 
famous  Larch  plantations  of  Athole,  under  the 
guidanc3  of  Mr.  M'Gregor,  the  head  forester,  and 
Mr.  M'Laren,  the  land  steward.  After  leaving  the 
station,  they  turned  up  the  TuUymet  Road,  which 
rises  to  a  considerable  height,  and  affords  a  magni- 
ficent view  of  Strathtay.  At  TuUymet  plantation, 
which  was  laid  down  in  1817,  some  fine  self-sown 
Larch  trees  of  considerable  size  were  pointed  out. 
All  along  the  Braes  of  TuUymet,  which  were  next 
ascended,  it  was  observed  that  the  Grass  under  the 
Larch  was  very  luxuriant,  although,  as  Mr.  M'Gregor 
stated, the  ground  had  beenentirely  moorland  before 
the  Larch  was  planted.  This  led  Dr.  Cleghorn  to 
explain  that  the  Larch,  which  is  a  deciduous  tree, 
was  especially  valuable  for  turning  Heather  into 
Grass,  as  the  leaves  proved  such  an  excellent  fer- 
tiliser that  the  Grass  soon  grew  so  abundant  that 
it  killed  the  Heather.  On  reaching  the  entrance 
to  TuUymet  House  the  road  turns  to  the  right  and 
passes  the  Milltown  of  TuUymet.  At  the  Meadow 
of  TuUymet  it  was  pointed  out  that  the  land  here 
was  formerly  a  valueless  swamp,  but  had  been  re- 
claimed  by  Duke  John,  and  is  now  excellent  agri- 
cultural land.  At  Baledmund  Bridge  the  parish 
of  Logerait  was  left  behind  and  the  parish  of 
Dowally  entered,  from  which  point  the  whole  of 
the  land  on  to  Dunkeld  is  on  the  Athole  property. 
A  little  further  on  a  private  road  led  to  the  classic 
Loch  Ordie,  lying  1000  feet  above  the  level  of  the 


sea,  and  the  historic  Larch  plantation  which  sur- 
rounds it,  consistingof  3000 acres,  planted  in  1816, 
the  history  of  which  is  detailed  in  "  The  Woods 
and  Forests  of  Perthshire."  On  arriving  at  the 
Loch  the  sntire  party  were  loud  in  their  admira- 
tion of  the  beautiful  scene,  and  the  very  ex- 
cellent way  in  which  the  woods  are  managed. 
After  luncheon  Dr.  Cleghorn  said  that  they  had 
had  the  great  privilege  of  visiting  one  of  the  most 
interesting  places  in  Scotland.  They  all  looked 
to  the  Dukes  of  Athole  as  the  pioneers  of  Scottish 
arboriculture,  and  before  they  separated  they  must 
express  their  sense  of  the  gratification  they  had 
had,  and  of  the  kindness,  courtesy,  and  hospitality 
which  had  been  shown  them  by  the  Duke  of 
Athole  andhis  mother,  the  Duchess-Dowager,  and 
he  asked  Mr.  M'Gregor  to  convey  these  sentiments 
to  the  Duke  and  the  Duchess.  Mr.  Mackay,  cf 
Glengloy,  remarked  that  this  was  the  most 
important  place  they  had  yet  visited  from  a  prac- 
tical point  of  view.  They  were  there  to  forward 
forestry  in  this  country  and  all  over  the  world, 
and  here  they  saw  for  themselves  what  was  being 
done.  They  not  only  saw  those  grand  Larch 
plantations,  but  they  had  the  whole  history  of 
them  at  their  command,  and  the  books  of  the 
Duke  of  Athole  were  so  well  kept  that  they  could 
tell  exactly  what  the  plantations  cost,  and  what 
revenue  they  yielded.  The  party  were  next  con- 
ducted to  the  top  of  Ben  Deucharie,  1600  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea,  from  the  top  of  which  a 
most  magnificent  prospect  was  obtained,  the  entire 
Larch  plantations  of  Loch  Ordie  being  in  full 
view,  the  lower  grounds  includicg  a  view  of 
Strathtay,  with  the  junction  of  the  Tay  and  the 
Tummel,  and  the  higher  grounds  including  the 
peaks  of  Mount  Blair,  Ben-y- Vrackie,  and  surround- 
ing mountains.  The  road  now  lay  past  Cally  Loch, 
where  some  very  rare  trees  and  Rhododendrons 
were  noticed,  to  the  ancient  city  of  Dunkeld.  The 
grounds  of  Dunkeld  House  were  entered  at  the 
North  Lodge,  and  the  party  were  met  by  Mr. 
Fairgrieve,  the  gardener.  Immediately  on  enter- 
ing the  party  was  in  the  midst  of  trees  that 
claimed  its  attention.  One  of  the  most  notable  of 
these  was  a  Larch  which  rose  to  a  height  of  12(1 
feet,  with  a  girth  of  11  feet  at  5  feet,  and  contain- 
ing about  300  cubic  feet  of  timber.  The  great 
centre  of  attraction  was  the  parent  Larcfies  at 
the  west  end  of  the  cathedral,  and  which  were 
planted  in  1738.  The  present  girth  of  the  larger 
one  is  as  follows  :  At  the  base,  27  feet ;  at  1  foot 
up,  22  feet  7  inches ;  at  3  feet,  18  feet  9  inches; 
and  at  5  feet  from  the  ground  the  girth  is  14  feet 
11  inches.  There  are  only  four  moderately  strong 
branches  throughout  the  entire  tree,  which  has  a 
height  of  fully  100  feet.  Both  trees  are  in  splendid 
health,  and  are  still  making  wood.  Near  to  the 
parent  Larches  is  a  beautiful  variegated  Plane  tree 
(Acer  Pseudo-platanus  albo-variegatum)  with  a 
fine  upright  habit  of  growth,  and  girthing  9  feet 
3  inches  at  4  feet  up,  with  a  height  of  close  on  70 
feet.  There  are  also  some  splendid  Yews  and  a 
magnificent  Oak  close  to  the  parent  Larches,  the 
latter  having  a  girth  of  12  feet  6  inches  at  5  feet, 
with  a  bole  of  30  feet  and  a  height  of  about 
100  feet. 

Scone  and  Lynedoch. — On  Saturday  morning 
the  party  proceeded  to  the  property  of  the  Earl  of 
Mansfield  at  Scone  and  Lynedoch.  Mr.  M'Corquo- 
dale,  Mr.  C.  S.  France,  and  Mr.  M'Kinnon  acted  as 
guides,  and  spared  no  exertions  in  conducting  the 
visitors  to  all  the  objects  of  interest.  The  great 
centre  of  attraction  for  all  were  the  parent  trees 
of  Abies  Douglasi  at  Lynedoch,  and  these  were 
first  inspected.  The  route  was  by  Almondbank, 
and  a  halt  was  made  to  enable  the  strangers  to 
see  the  view  from  the  top  of  Almond  Rock, 
beneath  which  the  river  roars  at  a  depth  of  about 
200  feet,  with  the  dark  woods  of  Methven  as  an 
effective  background  to  the  fine  undulating  plain. 
A  short  stoppage  was  also  made  at  Craigbank 
House,  where  the  rock  also  commands  a  splendid 
view  of  the  tortuous  course  of  the  Almond.  At 
Lynedoch  some  curiosity  was  manifested  to  see 
the  foot  bridge  which  Mr.  M'Corquodale  had 
thrown  across  the  Almond,  and  a  model  of  which 
is  being  exhibited  at   the  Forestry  Exhibition. 


Aug.  23,  1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


167 


When  the  original  trees  of  Abies  Douglasi  were 
shown,  it  was  acknowledged  by  all  that  their  ex- 
pectations had  been  more  than  realised — one 
gentleman  remarking  that  it  was  worth  a  journey 
of  50  miles  to  see  them  alone.  Both  of  these 
trees  were  planted  in  ISol  —exactly  fifty  years 
ago— and  already  they  contain  180  cubic  feet  and 
ITS  cubic  feet  respectively.  The  larger  one  girths 
10  feet  i  inches  at  4  feet,  aad  the  other  girths  !) 
feet  10  inches  at  4  feet.  The  tree  from  which  the 
cones  are  taken  is  surrounded  by  a  simple,  but 
ingenious  fence,  which  effectually  keeps  out 
squirrels,  the  fence  being  copped  with  zinc,  so 
that  these  destructive  animals  cannot  pull  them- 
selves over.  These  trees  are  not  only  the  largest 
of  their  kind  in  the  country,  but  there  is  no  tree 
known  which  makes  so  much  wood  as  these  do, 
the  annual  growth  being  about  3.|  cubic  feet  each 
Beside  them  is  a  very  fine  Silver  "Fir,  girthing  13 
feet  6  inches  at  5  feet  np.  After  inspecting  all 
the  other  notable  trees  here,  carriages  were  again 
summoned,  and  a  start  made  for  Scone  via  Waulk- 
mill  Ferry.  After  crossing  the  river,  the  party 
were  conducted  on  foot  through  Drumshogle 
Wood,  a  fine  Oak  plantation,  with  a  few 
Spruce  and  Larch,  laid  down  about  sixty  years 
ago.  It  was  noticed  that  there  was  no  strong 
rambling  side  shoots  on  the  Oaks,  these  having 
been  fore  -  shortened  and  the  tops  balanced 
while  the  trees  were  young,  giving  them  now  a 
very  shapely  appearance,  and  reducing  the  danger 
of  their  being  destroyed  by  wind  or  snow  to  a  mini- 
mum. On  the  public  road  here  a  grand  avenue 
of  purple  Beech  trees  was  greatly  admired.  On 
reaching  the  grounds  the  party  partook  of  lun- 
cheon, after  which  they  again  inspected  the  trees. 
Amongst  those  which  attracted  special  attention 
were  Queen  Mary's  Sycamore  and  the  Oak  and  Syca- 
more planted  by  James  VI.  In  the  pinetum  the 
rarer  specimens  of  the  newer  Coniferre  were  carefully 
examined,  and  their  proportions  and  peculiarities 
noted.  The  gardens  were  also  visited,  and  the 
beautiful  manner  in  which  both  the  grounds  and 
the  extensive  houses  are  kept  was  the  subject  of 
general  comment. 

The  excursion,  which  was  the  most  ambitious 
that  has  been  organised  by  the  society,  proved  in 
every  respect  most  successful,  profitable,  and  en- 
joyable. The  weather  throughout  the  whole  of  the 
three  days  left  nothing  to  be  desired,  and  the 
arrangements  were  so  complete  and  exact  that 
there  was  not  anywhere  the  slightest  hitch — a  cir- 
cumstance which  is  most  creditable  to  the  secre- 
tary of  the  society,  Mr.  John  M'Laren,  jun.,  and 
the  members  of  committee,  whose  labours  in 
organising  such  an  excursion  were  necessarily  of  a 
very  arduous  character. 


Dlervilla  triflda. — The  Weigelas  have  blos- 
soms of  different  shades  of  white,  rose,  or  crim- 
son, while  this  Diervilla,  to  which  they  are  closely 
related,  bears  yellow  flowers.  It  is  altogether  a 
smaller  growing  shrub  than  any  of  the  Weigelas, 
bat  is  equally  lloriferous,  though  the  blooming 
season  does  not  extend  over  so  long  a  period  as  it 
does  in  the  case  of  some  of  them,  being  generally 
limited  to  the  months  of  June  and  July,  nor,  in 
fact,  are  the  individual  blooms  so  showy.  It  is  a 
very  old  plant  in  gardens,  having  been  introduced 
as  far  back  as  the  middle  of  the  last  century,  but 
it  is  now  comparatively  rare.  This  Diervilla  is  a 
native  of  North  America,  while  the  Weigelas  are 
from  Japan,  but  both  the  genera  succeed  under 
the  same  treatment. — W.  T. 


A  GLIMPSE  AT  A  LONDON  GEAVEYAED. 
A  COKBESPONDENT,  signing  himself  a  "  Country- 
man," sends  the  Pall  Mall  the  following :  Being 
in  London  a  fewdays  since,  and  feelinghalf  stunned 
by  the  incessant  roar  of  its  noisy  street  traffic,  I 
wandered  into  a  side  street  near  the  railway  sta- 
tion from  which  I  intended  soon  to  depart.  See- 
ing an  open  gateway  with  trees  and  grass  beyond, 
and  children  and  adults  entering  it,  I  followed 
them,  and  found  that  a  disused  graveyard  had 
been  converted  into  a  bright  and  pleasant  spot, 
where  recreation  and  rest  might  be  had  even  in 


the  midst  of  noisy  London.  While  enjoying  the 
shade  of  the  beautiful  trees  and  the  quiet  and 
seclusion  of  the  place,  I  saw  over  the  boundary 
wall  a  large  building  among  the  trees  of  another 
and  apparently  similar  garden.  It  seemed  to  me 
somewhat  like  an  iron  church  or  lecture  hall,  but 
on  enquiry  I  was  told  that  it  was  a  dissecting  room, 
and  that  its  site  was  a  disused,  and  I  may  say 
misused,  burial  ground.  Curiosity  prompted  me 
to  visit  the  desecrated  spot,  and  following  a  medi- 
cal student,  as  I  suppose,  I  entered  the  ground.  A 
strange  sight  met  my  view.  Gravestones,  broken  and 
entire,  were  inclining  at  alllangles  amidst  rank  G  rass 
and  weeds,  dilapidated  brick  vaults  and  the  afore- 
mentioned chamber  of  horrors — the  dissecting  room. 
A  group  of  embryo  surgeons  were  collected  round 
a  tomb,  and  as  I  came  in  sight  a  coin  spun  up 
from  the  hand  of  one  in  a  fashion  equally  well 
known  to  cricket  players  and  to  the  corner-men  of 
Drury  Lane.  Apprehensive  of  being  challenged 
as  an  intruder  and  forcibly  ejected,  1  endeavoured 
to  bring  all  my  rustic  simplicity  into  my  features 
and  carriage,  and  was  allowed  to  pass  without  de- 
bate. The  ground  is  pretty  spacious,  perhaps 
measuring  an  acre  and  a  half,  and  contains  some 
fine  trees  and  beautiful  tombs,  some  of  the  latter 
with  armorial  bearings.  Well  out  of  sight  of  the 
students  I  continued  my  explorations,  and  to  my 
disgust  found  three  brick  vaults  so  broken  that 
into  each  one  a  man  might  easily  enter.  Into  one 
an  old  mattress  had  been  thrust ;  a  second  seemed 
a  receptacle  for  rubbish  generally,  a  jam  bottle 
being  its  most  prominent  furniture;  while  a  third 
appeared  to  have  been  cleaned  out  entirely,  one 
bone  lying  just  outside  it.  No  trace  of  human 
bones  was  visible  inside  any  of  the  three.  Whether 
mischievous  boys,  hungry  dogs,  or  scientific  osteo- 
logists have  a  right  to  the  praise  or  blame  of  the 
clearance  I  cannot  decide.  I  state  only  what  I 
saw.  To  me  it  seems  a  scandal  and  a  disgrace 
that  ground  paid  for  by  private  purchasers,  and  in 
all  probability  consecrated  by  a  bishop  and  hal- 
lowed by  the  grief  and  tears  of  many  mourners, 
should  become  an  abomination  of  desolation  and 
a  horror  to  those  who  know  of  its  perversion.  The 
ground  is  said  to  be  let  by  the  clergyman  in 
charge  for  the  use  of  the  anatomist.  I  wonder 
what  is  the  opinion  of  the  clergyman  as  to  the 
decency  of  the  transaction.  And,  lastly,  I  wonder 
if  the  freeholders  of  the  graves  and  the  public 
generally  intend  to  let  the  desecration  continue. 


MR.  GLADSTONE  ON  GAEDENING. 
At  the  Hawarden  flower  show  the  other  day  Mr. 
Gladstone  spoke  as  follows  in  reference  to  village 
societies :  "  A  village  society,"  he  said,  "  is  a  very 
quiet  thing,  and  attracts  very  little  notice,  but  it 
does  an  enormous  deal  of  good.  Look  at  it  which 
way  you  will,  it  does  good.  First  of  all,  it  is 
a  great  incentive  to  a  truly,  I  may  say,  a  very 
virtuous  industry,  because  the  interesting  part  of 
these  societies  and  shows— a  part  which,  I  am 
happy  to  hear,  is  a  very  large  one  here — is  that 
part  coming  from  the  cottagers  and  the  labouring 
population  of  this  country.  I  once  from  this 
place  advised  farmers  to  think  whether  they 
could  not  turn  their  attention  to  the  subject  of 
the  cultivation  of  fruit  and  flowers,  and  other 
such  things,  and  I  am  happy  to  say  that  that  cul- 
tivation is  beginning  to  spread  in  the  country.  It 
is  not  a  thing  of  course  to  be  run  into  without 
consideration,  because  it  will  require  a  great  deal 
of  arrangement,  a  great  deal  of  capital,  and  a 
great  deal  of  industry  before  it  can  be  done  on  a 
large  scale.  But  it  is  growing,  and  the  more  it 
does  so  the  better  it  will  be  for  us  all.  You  can- 
not increase  the  quantity  of  food  too  much  in  this 
country,  for  the  number  of  mouths  to  eat  it  is  in- 
creasing continually ;  and  though  I  am  a  free 
trader,  and  very  glad  that  lots  of  food  should  come 
from  all  countries  in  the  world,  yet  certainly  if  I 
had  the  choice  I  would  rather  have  it  grown  in 
this  country.  The  farmers  are  a  very  important 
class.  They  have  had  great  difficulties,  and  I 
trust  that  the  grand  season  now  given  us  will  do 
something  at  least  towards  a  better  turn  in  their 
affairs.  I  rejoice  to  think  that  all  those  who  buy 
their  bread  are  likely  to  have  plenty  of  it,  good  in 


quality,  and  low  in  price,  and  that  is  an  enormous 
blessing  to  the  country.  But  as  regards  the  culti- 
vation  of  your  little  gardens  and  your  fruit,  I  hope 
that  we  shall  never  rest  until  every  cottage  in  this 
country  has  a  garden.  I  rejoice  to  see  that  most 
of  them  have  gardens  now,  and  I  hope  all  will 
use  them  properly.  It  is  an  extremely  profitable 
undertaking.  There  is  probably  no  labour  better 
mvested  than  the  labour  of  cottagers  in  their  own 
gardens.  The  proceeds  they  get  by  industry  and 
skill  for  a  comparatively  small  amount  of  work 
are  very  large,  and  the  work,  though  it  is  labour, 
yet  is  a  very  interesting  labour,  a  labour  accom- 
panied with  a  great  deal  of  pleasure,  for  there 
is  not  one  of  you  who  does  not  heartily  enjoy 
seeing  the  growth  of  what  has  been  planted.  It  is 
a  labour  which  is  excellent  for  the  mind  and 
the  body,  and  it  is  a  labour  which  is  useful  to  the 
community,  because  it  increases  the  quantity  of 
what  is  useful  and  beautiful.  Let  nobody  despise 
the  cultivation  of  flowers.  There  is  nothing  more 
touching  in  this  country  than  to  see  how  human 
nature  clings  to  beauty  in  its  most  delightful  form, 
and  how,  even  in  the  midst  of  our  most  densely 
crowded  towns,  the  people  try,  if  they  can,  to 
cultivate  flowers  to  put  them  in  their  windows. 
These  are  excellent  pursuits,  and  we  rejoice  to  see 
and  know  on  every  side  that  they  are  flourishing." 

Rose  Garden. 


AMONGST  THE  EOSES. 
Whether  we  shall  get  the  full  crop  of  autumn 
Eoses  which  Mr.  Fish  (p.  103)  seems  to  expect  is 
doubtful.  The  heat  during  the  past  few  days  has 
been  excessive,  and  the  rainfall  insufficient  to 
moisten  the  roots.  Our  Eoses,  indeed,  look 
parched,  and  unless  we  get  a  heavy  rainfall 
shortly  with  a  diminution  in  temperature,  we 
shall  have  but  few  autumn  Eoses.  To  irrigate  the 
roots  as  they  should  be  is,  in  our  case,  quite  out 
of  the  question.  But  there  are  hopes  for  those 
who  can,  for  if  the  roots  are  plentifully  supplied 
with  moisture,  Eoses  revel  in  a  high  temperature. 
Therefore,  I  say  to  all  who  can,  irrigate  liberally, 
and  if  done  without  any  delay,  a  fair  harvest  of 
autumn  Roses  may  be  looked  for.  If  some  stimu- 
lating liquid,  too,  from  the  farmyard  tank  or 
sewage  water  can  be  had,  it  should  be  used  in 
preference  to  clear  water  ;  anything  more  forcing 
should,  however,  be  used  cautiously,  for  any  of  the 
concentrated  manures,  if  used  in  excess,  may  do 
mischief  by  promoting  a  quick  and  succulent 
growth  that  would  not  have  time  to  get  hardened 
before  winter.  Eoses  may  also  be  further  helped 
by  having  the  dead  and  decaying  flowers  removed 
and  any  weak  and  exhausted  branches  cut  out,  at 
the  same  time  avoiding  anything  like  systematic 
pruning.  On  some  plants  there  will  be  long, 
vigorous  shoots  that  are  monopolising  all  the 
strength  from  the  roots.  These  should  be  shortened 
back  to  about  half  their  length,  and  any  weak 
and  useless  shoots  that  will  have  to  be  cut  away 
at  spring  pruning  time  may  with  advantage  be 
removed  now.  Thinning  out  the  flower-buds 
must  likewise  be  attended  to  shortly  if  large,  well- 
formed  flowers  are  required.  Already  I  notice  that 
on  the  strongest  shoots  of  such  varieties  as 
Souvenir  de  la  Malmaison,  La  France,  Victor 
Verdier,  and  others  noted  for  late  flowering  there 
are  more  buds  at  the  ends  of  the  shoots  than  they 
can  be  expected  to  mature  and  expand.  Where 
there  are  five  buds  thus  placed  they  should  be  re- 
duced to  two,  and  larger  numbers  in  proportion. 

Layering  Eoses. — Dwarf  Eoses  on  the  Manetti 
stock  if  planted  in  beds  with  a  view  to  form 
masses  may  be  converted  into  own -root  plants, 
and  thus  save  the  annoyance  of  the  loss  of  plants 
which  frequently  occurs  when  the  stock  just 
named  is  used.  The  operation  of  layering  is  very 
simple,  but  it  is  best  not  to  commence  until  the 
end  of  September,  by  which  time  the  wood  will 
have  got  sufficiently  hard  to  bear  bending.  Then 
select  the  longest  and  strongest  shoots,  and  gently 
bring  the  top  down  to  a  vacant  place  between  the 
plants.    Remove  the  soil  to  a  depth  of  2  inches ; 


168 


THE    GARDEN 


then  press  the  shoot  down,  leaving  a  few  inches 

of  the  end  out  of  the  ground,  and  with  a  strong 

wooden  peg  fix  the  shoot  into  the  earth,  putting 

back  the  soil  and  pressing  it  firm  about  the  shoot 

No  cutting  or  notching  of  the  shoot  is  necessary  ; 

if  it   is  buried  beneath  the  soil  and  firmly  fixed 

there  it  will  in  due  time  form  roots,  and  ultimately 

develop  into  a  plant  capable  of  sending  up  from 

the  crown  vigorous  shoots,  which  if  desired  may 

in  their    turn  be  dealt  with  in  the  same  way 

Thus  in  the  space  of  a  few  years  beds  first  planted 

with  Roses  worked  upon  any  other  stock  may  be 

made  to  have  an  existence  independent  of  the 

roots  that  first  nourished  them.    A  good  deal  may 

be  said  respecting  this  way  of  securing  own  root 

Roses,  and  a  strong  argument  in  its  favour  is  that 

large  plants  of  own-root  Roses  strong  enough  to 

flower  well  the  first  year  are  difficult  to  get,  while 

any  number  of  plants  with  foster  roots  may  be 

had  without  a  very  great  outlay,  and  with  a  fair 

prospect,  if  properly  treated,  of  their  flowering  well 

the  first  season  after  planting.  The  best  argument 

in  their  favour,  however,  is  the  fact  that  own-root 

Roses  defy  frost,  while  those  with  foster  roots  are 

liable  to  suffer  from  it.     In  the  case  of  own-root 

Roses  the  frost  may  injure  or  kill  the  branches, 

but  it  will  not  harm  the  roots  or  the  crown  of  the 

plant  which  is  below  the  soil.     Even  the  tops  may 

be  preserved  if  a  little  timely  protection  is  afforded 

them. 

RO.SES    RENEWING    THEMSELVES.— It    may    be 

useful  at  this  season  of  the  year  to  direct  attention 
to  the  way  in  which  all  Roses  renew  themselves. 
This  trait  in  their  character  is  perhaps  more 
noticeable  in  climbing  or  large  bush  plants  than 
in  others,  but  the  same  thing  happens  in  the  case 
of  those  grown  as  dwarfs  and  to  a  limited  extent 
in  that  of  standard  forms.  I  allude  to  their  throw- 
ing up  (sometimes  annually)  strong,  vigorous 
shoots  from  near  the  crown  of  the  plant.  I  have 
often  been  surprised  to  see  the  way  in  which  these 
latent  buds  start  into  life  from  old,  hard  wood ; 
the  same  thing,  moreover,  happens  so  frequently 
that  we  may  take  it  for  granted  that  Nature 
intends  the  cultivator  to  utilise  these  growths  by 
allowing  them  to  take  the  place  of  branches  that 
have  become  exhausted.  If  that  was  not  so, 
surely  they  would  not  appear  where  they  do. 
Allow  me,  therefore,  to  impress  upon  the  in- 
experienced the  necessity  of  preserving  these 
shoots  by  allowing  them  to  remain  upon  the 
plant,  and  at  the  annual  pruning  to  cut  away 
sufficient  of  the  old  wood  to  make  room  for  them. 
As  an  example  I  may  mention  Gloire  de  Dijon  as 
a  Rose  that  almost  annually  sends  up  one  or  two 
of  these  strong  shoots,  and  it  will  be  found  that  if 
preserved  they  produce  much  larger  flowers  and 
more  numerous  than  does  the  old  wood.  Dwarf 
bushes  also  renew  themselves  in  the  same  way, 
and  these  shoots  should  always  be  retained  in  pre- 
ference to  older  wood.  j.  c.  C. 


[Aug.  23    1884. 


Kitchen    Garden. 


Churchyards  for  recreation. -The  Metropolitan 
Public  t-arden  Boulevard,  and  Playground  Association 
applied  to  the  Board  of  Works  for  the  I.imehouse  District 
to  take  over  tlie  .Stepney  Churchyard,  Limehouse  Chilrcli- 
yard,  .St.  .James'  Churcliyard,  and  .Shadwell  Churchyard 
under  the  provisions  of  tile  Metropolitan  Open  Spaces  Act 
18S1,  and  dedicate  them  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  public' 
The  Board  have  refused  to  comply  with  this  request. 

The  pollution  of  ihe  Thames. —  Is  there  not  a 
Elvers  Pollution  Act?  Then  why  are  paper  mill  owners 
permitted  to  destroy  so  many  of  our  rivers  1  They  change 
what  is  one  of  the  loveliest  of  Nature's  charms-a  clear 
crystal  stream— into  a  dirty,  frothy  liquid,  unfit  to  boat 
upon  and  destructive  to  llsh  living  in  it.  One  cannot 
imagine  Hsh  living  in  a  stream  whose  surface  is  for  ever 
cn-ercd  with  scum  of  the  nature  of  soapsuds,  while  the 
water  it-elf  u  from  time  to  time  polluted  to  the  extent  of 
being  quite  opaque  and  milky  white  from  the  amount  of 
matter  cast  into  it.  This,  I  have  observed,  occurs  late  in 
the  evening,  so  that  on  the  following  day  .all  seems  as  usual 
Cfcept  that  the  graceful  Kicds.  Hushes,  and  flowering  plants 
on  the  banks  liave  lost  tlieir  lit-auty  ;  for  wherever  the  pol- 
luted flood  has  touched  them  they  are  covered  with  a  white 
deposit.  \\  hat  this  may  be  the  mill  owner  knows  best  I 
know  more  than  one  of  "Thames  tributaries,"  and  what 
lovely  ■•  sedged  brooks  "  they  are.  It  does  seem  sad  that  a 
f3w  men  should  be  allowed  to  destroy  them.  It  may  be 
remarked,  too,  that  these  clear  streams  which  tempt  the 
paper-maiier  to  wash  his  duty  rags  in  and  to  carry  away  his 
refuse  all  llow  into  the 'J'hames  above  the  point  from  which 
london  takes  its  water  supply.  It  has  been  well  said  that 
'^  n\'",''.?'i?"''^  ^^  "  P^'J"*^  garden,  and  not  a  public  aewer. 
^Hamo  Thoknycboft,  in  Pall  Mall  Gazette. 


KITCHEN  GARDEN  NOTES. 
Wordsley  "Wonder  Pea.— This  Pea  merits 
all  that  can  be  said  in  its  favour.  I  have  grown 
it  extensively  this  season,  and  have  been  quite 
satisfied  with  it.  Your  reporter  was  doubtless  right 
in  saying  that  some  of  the  dishes  of  it  shown  at 
South  Kensington  from  southern  counties  were 
rather  old,  as  my  third-prize  lot  was  gathered 
from  some  rows  from  whicli  we  had  picked  pods 
four  weeks  previous,  and  I  think  it  a  recommenda- 
tion that  it  should  remain  so  long  useful  during 
the  hottest  of  our  summer  months.  This  variety 
grows  very  robustly,  attains  a  height  of  about 
4  feet,  pods  profusely  all  over,  and  although  the 
pods  are  narrower  tlian  in  the  case  of  some  varie- 
ties, they  are  not  surpassed  by  any  as  regards 
being  well  filled.  Their  colour,  too— a  dark  green 
—is  good,  and  also  their  flavour. 

Horn  Carrots,  when  from  2  inches  to  .S  inches 
long  and  the  same  in  thickness,  are  much  prized 
in  autumn  and  winter,  as  they  are  so  tender  and 
sweet— vastly  different  from  old  full-grown  Car- 
rots. In  spring  these  little  ones  are  common 
enough,  but  in  autumn  and  winter  they  are  rari- 
ties. They  need  not,  however,  be  so,  as  they  can 
be  easily  cultivated  to  come  in  at  these  seasons. 
The  French  Horn  is  one  of  the  best  to  sow  just 
now ;  it  soon  acquires  the  proper  size.  Very  good 
ones  may  be  grown  on  a  south  border  where  the 
soil  IS  rich  and  free.  If  drills  are  opened  every 
lo  inches  apart,  the  seed  sown  thinly,  and  then 
covered  over  with  a  light  soil  or  pure  sand,  the 
young  plants  will  soon  make  their  appearance  and 
gain  a  useful  size  before  November.  Another  good 
way  is  to  make  up  a  firm  hotbed,  put  frames  and 
soil  on  it,  and  sow  and  grow  as  in  the  spring.  In 
cold  districts,  where  open-air  sowing  now  would 
not  be  productive  of  any  good  results,  this  plan 
should  be  adopted. 

Spring  Onions.- Warm  dry  weather  suits 
these  as  a  rule,  but  in  June  this  year  the  weather 
was  too  dry  for  them  in  many  parts  ;  it  checked 
their  growth  and  made  many  of  them  behind 
their  usual  time  in  bulbing,  but  now  they  are 
going  ahead,  and  if  any  of  your  readers  have  a 
fixed  day  or  week  for  taking  up  their  Onions,  I 
would  recommend  them  not  to  be  particular  about 
that  this  year,  but  allow  them  to  remain  growing 
as  long  as  they  appear  inclined  to  do  so.  Septem- 
ber or  about  Potato-lifting  time  is  a  good  season 
for  harvesting  Onions,  particularly  if  the  weather 
IS  dry,  and  if  it  is  not  they  are  much  easier  dried 
in  a  shed  or  outhouse  when  fully  matured  than  if 
drawn  unripe. 

Autumn  sown  Onions  should  all  be  drawn 
at  once,  and  laid  out  on  an  airy  sunnv  place  to 
dry.  Many  of  their  stems  have  died  down  now, 
and  they  may  be  stored  after  lying  on  the  surface 
of  the  soil  for  a  day  or  two.  Onions  of  this  class 
are  most  useful,  and  they  should  be  extensively 
and  generally  grown. 

Autumn  and  -winter  Radish  —The  best 

of  all  late  autumn  and  winter  Radishes  is  the 
China  Rose.  If  sown  now  and  again  about  the 
middle  of  September  it  will  be  found  most  ser- 
viceable throughout  October  and  on  until  March 
next  year.  The  first  sown  lot  will  bulb  during 
September  and  October,  and  those  which  have 
taken  the  lead  in  developing  will  be  ready  for  use 
in  the  latter  month,  but  they  need  not  be  all  used 
then,  as  they  will  remain  good  for  some  months. 
Those  sown  in  September  will  not  bulb  fast,  as 
November  weather  is  not  favourable  to  them  as  a 
rule,  but  they  will  continue  to  swell  throughout 
the  winter,  and  no  frost  or  cold  weather  will  pre- 
vent them  altogether  from  doing  this.  Its  very 
hardy  character  is  one  of  the  most  valuable  habits 
of  the  China  Rose,  and  those  who  deal  with  it  may 
easily  have  Radishes  throughout  the  whole  of  the 
winter.  The  more  hardy  they  are  grown  in  the 
early  part  of  the  season  the  better.  Nothing  like 
any  kind  of  protection  should  be  given  them  until 
frost  or  snow  comes,  and  then  a  layer  of  straw  or 
something  of  the  kind  is  all  the  temporary  pro- 
tection which  they  require.    I  have  found  them  to 


grow  much  hardier  in  moderately  rich  soil  than  in 
ground  extra  rich,  and  an  exposed  situation  is 
much  better  for  them  than  a  too  sheltered  «pot. 
In  all  cases  the  seed  should  be  sown  in  drills 
1  foot  apart  and  2  inches  deep,  and  the  soil  all 
round  should  be  made  very  firm.  Thin  sowing  is 
best,  as  when  the  young  plants  come  up  in  crowds 
they  prevent  each  other  from  swelling,  unless 
many  of  them  are  drawn  up  prematurely  and 
thrown  away. 

Vegetable  seeds,  especially  Peas,  are  ripen- 
ing very  fast  this  season.  I  have  known  it  to 
happen  in  some  seasons  that  from  our  April  sow- 
ings we  could  hardly  manage  to  get  our  seed  in 
sweet  and  dry  by  the  end  of  September,  but  this 
year  it  is  ready  now  and  in  prime  condition.  A 
dry  atmosphere  favours  the  ripening  of  seed,  but 
dryness  at  the  root  does  it  still  more,  and  of  late 
our  soil,  especially  on  and  near  the  surface,  has 
been  hke  dust,  owing  to  fierce  sun-heat  and  no 
rain. 

Edible  podded  Peas.— This  is  the  fir.«t 
season  in  which  I  have  grown  these  to  any  extent, 
and  I  am  of  opinion  that  they  are  worthy  of  more 
general  attention  than  they  receive.  A  'friend  of 
mine  not  far  from  here  had  a  batch  of  five  or  six 
varieties  of  them  from  a  Glasgow  firm,  but  none 
of  them  has  produced  pods  longer  or  wider  than 
one's  little  finger,  and  he  is  not  favourably  im- 
pressed with  them.  In  my  case  I  am  thinking 
about  one  which  I  had  on  trial  from  Messrs  Jef- 
feries,  of  Cirencester,  and  which  grows  G  feet 
high,  and  the  pods  of  which  attain  a  length  of 
8  inches  and  a  width  of  2  inches.  These  can  be 
used  from  the  time  they  are  newly  formed  until  the 
Peas  in  them  have  attained  a  large  size-a  period 
of  some  weeks  duration.  The  pods,  too,  boil 
down  beautifully,  and  are  tender  and  well  fla- 
voured. 

Tomatoes  in  the  open.— Against  walla 
these  are  now  forming  many  clusters  of  fruit,  and 
if  properly  treated  will  become  a  profitable  crop 
before  the  season  is  over.  Thin  training  of  the 
shoots  and  leaves,  full  exposure  to  sun  and  air,  and 
substantial  feeding  at  the  root  when  required  are 
the  main  points  requiring  attention  in  order  that 
successful  results  may  be  realised.  Dry  atmo- 
sphere suits  Tomatoes  capitally,  but  too  much  damp 
generates  disease.  j_  jjum 

Mary  am,  Sjuth  Wales. 


The  Potato  crop  with  us  this  season  is 
about  the  best  I  have  seen.  The  tubers  are  large 
and  fine,  and  there  is  scarcely  a  sign  of  disease. 
\  eitch  s  Ashleaf,  Beauty  of  Hebron,  Covent  Gar- 
den, and  Schoolmaster  are  the  varieties  which  we 
grow  most  of,  and  Beauty  of  Hebron  is  the 
heaviest  cropper  of  the  four.  The  Ashleaf  has 
also  done  remarkably  well  this  season,  its  tubers 
attaining  a  size  seldom  seen  in  the  case  of  this 
variety.  I  should  be  glad  if  any  of  jour  corre- 
spondents would  give  us  their  experience  of  Cos- 
mopolitan in  this  special  Potato  year.  I  thought 
It  decidedly  the  best  flavoured  Potato  in  cultiva- 
tion, but  was  compelled  to  discard  it  on  account 
of  Its  extreme  susceptibility  to  disease.— E.  B. 

Cucumber  roots  diseased  (ir  W)  — 
lour  plants  are  suffering  from  a  severe  attack  of 
the  disease  which  is  caused  by  microscopic  worms 
termed  iNematodes.  We  have  placed  sections  of 
your  roots  under  the  microscope ;  they  swarm 
with  the  minute  worms  in  all  stages  of  growth,  as 
well  as  their  eggs.  The  worms  gain  access  to  the 
p  ants  from  the  earth  in  which  the  Cucumber 
plants  are  growing,  or  from  the  water  supplied. 
The  plan  usually  adopted  for  the  destruction  of 
this  pest  is  to  clear  out  all  the  material  in  wh-'ch 
the  plants  are  growing,  subject  it  to  fire,  and  supply 
new.  The  attacks  of  this  worm,  which  closely 
resembles  the  so-called  vinegar  eel  in  appearance, 
are  sometimes  very  persistent;  in  some  districts  it 
IS  quite  unknown. — W.  G.  S. 

5225.-Peat  moss  litter  as  manure  — 

My   experience  of   this,   although   limited,   is  as 

follows  :     A  truck-load  was  procured  last  winter 

tor  trial ;  it  resembled  horse  manure  as  shaken  out 

[  for  Mushroom  beds.    It  proved  to  be  one  of  the 


Ave.  53,   18F4] 


THE     GARDEN 


169 


most  violent  heating  materials  I  have  ever  met 
with.  We  placed  it  in  a  heap  when  received,  and 
on  turning  it  two  days  afterwards  all  the  centre 
part  was  extremely  hot  and  almost  white.  It  was 
then  laid  in  small  ridges  and  turned  on  alternate 
days,  when  even  the  middle  of  these  heated  suffi- 
ciently to  whiten  the  material.  This  took  place  for 
some  little  time,  and  then  became  exhausted.  We 
afterwards  used  it  for  top-dressings,  when  it  soon 
became  so  far  decomposed  as  to  fcrm  a  sort  of 
vegetable  mould.  I  should  not  advise  "  C.  M.  D." 
to  use  it  in  Melon  frames  if  he  could  procure 
straw  litter  and  leaves,  which  retain  heat  for  a 
much  longer  period  without  being  so  dangerous. 
—J.  G.  K. 


THE    CHINESE    YAM. 

(DIOSCOBEA   BATATAS.) 

This  Yam  has  never  been  very  popular,  but  it  is 
certainly  sufficiently  valuable  and  productive  to 
be  worth  notice.  It  may  not  be  worth  extensive 
cultivation,  but  the  variety  which  it  makes,  at  a 
time  of  year  when  vegetables  are  scarce,  is  a  recom- 
mendation cot  to  be  overlooked.  The  chief  thing 
wanted  is  i  I'aiily  rich  deep  soil.  This  is  in- 
dispensable, us  is  also  a  well-drained  position  ;  a 
light  mellow  loam  suits  it  best ;  a  stiff  cold  clay 
should  be  avoided.  The  ground  should  be  prepared 
early  in  winter,  and  if  not  good  to  the  depth  of  2 
feet,  it  must  be  made  so.  In  many  cases,  however, 
this  Yam  may  be  successfully  cultivated  by  simply 
trenching  the  ground  and  incorporating  with  it, 
at  various  depths,  plenty  of  uotten  farmyard 
manure.  In  cases  where  the  .''oil  is  somewhat 
heavy,  it  will  be  desirable  to  u:2  leaf  soil  or  burnt 
refuse  rather  freely,  so  as  to  1'. -hten  the  bulk  of 
the  staple.  All  this  work  sh,'  Id  be  done  in  the 
early  part  of  the  winter,  in  order  that  the  ground 
may  have  time  for  the  surface  to  get  mellow,  and 
also  to  settle  down  before  planting. 

The  plants  are  obtained  in  two  ways.  The  best 
are  those  got  fiom  the  top  of  the  tuber — the 
crown,  of  which  each  tuber  furnishes  one.  The 
other  way  consists  in  cutting  the  tubers  up  into 
3-inch  lengths,  when  each  will  form  a  plant;  but 
such  pieces  do  not  produce  nearly  so  large  tubers 
the  first  year  as  can  be  got  from  crowns.  We  used 
to  plant  this  Yam  early  in  April,  which  did  very 
well  for  the  west  of  England  ;  but  probably  that 
would  be  too  soon  north  of  the  Tweed,  for, 
although  the  plant  is  not  tender,  if  it  is  planted 
too  early  the  young  growth  gets  injured  by  spring 
frost.  The  sets  should  be  put  in  rows  18  inches 
apart  and  15  inches  asunder  in  the  rows.  The 
crowns  should  be  placed  just  under  the  surface  and 
covered  with  tine  soil.  As  this  Yam  is  a  trailer, 
its  growth  requires  some  support,  or  it  would  get 
into  such  a  mass  of  entanglement  that  it  would 
be  weakened.  We  used  stakes  about  an  inch  in 
diameter  and  .J  feet  in  length  ;  but  feathery  Pea 
sticks  would  no  doubt  answer  equally  well. 

As  the  Chinese  Yam  is  a  native  of  a  hot  climate, 
it  requires  a  good  supply  of  moisture  at  the  roots 
in  our  driest  summers.  We  found  that  we  had 
considerably  the  larger  tubers  after  a  hot,  dry 
summer,  provided  they  had  plenty  of  artificial 
watering;  but  we  had  to  give  up  their  cultivation 
after  the  succession  of  wet  and  cold  summers 
which  we  experienced  three  or  four  years  ago.  It 
is  only  fair  to  remark,  however,  that  there  could 
not  be  a  worse  soil  than  ours,  and  this,  with  an 
elevated  position,  placed  the  plant  undermost  un- 
favourable conditions.  In  a  well-drained  soil  that 
is  fairly  light  and  of  average  depth,  the  result  will, 
I  have  not  a  doubt,  be  satisfactory.  If  the  stakes 
are  put  to  them  as  soon  as  the  growths  appear 
above  ground,  and  they  receive  plenty  of  water  in 
dry  weather,  they  will  not  require  any  other  atten- 
tion all  the  summer. 

The  tubers  are  fit  for  use  about  the  beginning 
of  November,  at  which  time  the  whole  of  them 
may  be  taken  up  and  stored,  in  the  same  way  as 
Carrots  are  stored  for  winter.  The  getting  of  the 
crop  out  of  the  ground  is  about  the  most  diflicult 
part  of  the  matter,  for,  unless  more  than  an  ordi- 
nary degree  of  care  is  used  in  securing  the  tubers, 
they  are  so  brittle  that  many  will  be  broken  in 


pieces.  The  proper  way  to  get  them  out  is  to  open 
a  deep  trench  at  one  end  of  the  bed,  and  then  with 
a  fork  carefully  remove  the  soil  from  them,  so  as 
to  expose  the  whole  length  of  the  tubers  before 
any  attempt  is  made  to  disturb  them.  It  is  a 
rather  curious  feature  of  this  plant  that  the  tubers 
increase  in  thickness  as  they  grow  downwards, 
and  in  a  suitable  soil  and  a  favourable  summer 
many  of  them  will  grow  to  30  inches  in  length.  If 
from  any  cause  they  get  broken,  all  the  pieces 
large  enough  for  the  table  should  be  preserved,  as 
the  pieces  keep  quite  as  well  as  the  whole  roots, 
only  they  do  not  look  so  well  when  sent  to  the 
kitchen.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  whole  ones  are 
always  cut  into  pieces  l  inches  or  5  inches  long 
before  they  are  dressed  for  the  table.  Before  they 
are  taken  to  the  store,  about  6  inches  of  the  top 
of  each  should  be  cut  off  and  preserved,  to  form 
sets  for  another  year.  If  the  stock  of  plants  is 
insufficient,  some  of  the  smaller  tubers  should  be 
cut  into  pieces  4  inches  long  to  form  sets  ;  these 
will  form  crowns  sooner  than  would  be  the  case  if 
they  were  freshly  cut  at  planting  time.  We  gene- 
rally laid  our  stock  of  tubers  in  boxes  of  dry  soil, 
to  keep  them  from  shrivelling  during  the  winter. 
Any  cool,  dry  place  will  serve  for  their  winter 
quarters,  if  frost  cannot  reach  them. 

J.  C.  G. 


WORK    DONE  IN  WEEK  ENDING   AUG.  20. 

August  14. — The  drought  continues,  but  the 
heat  is  less  intense,  and  there  being  an  extra 
strong  dew  this  morning,  all  hands  went  mowing 
round  trees  and  verges  where  the  machine  cannot 
go,  for  though  there  was  little  Grass  to  cut,  there 
was  plenty  of  "  bents,"  and  on  the  low  damp 
ground  by  the  lakes  Rushes  which  looked  very 
untidy,  and  still  more  untidy  do  the  weeds  in  the 
lakes  look,  and  we  have  commenced  to  get  them 
out.  I  do  not  know  the  name  of  the  weed,  hut 
have  heard  it  called  the  American  Tondweed, 
but  whatever  its  name,  it  is  very  troublesome  to 
get  rid  of ;  indeed  we  have  long  ago  given  up  the 
attempt  at  extermination,  and  are  content  to  cut 
it  annually  from  about  the  end  of  .July  to  the  end  of 
August,  and  it  is  no  more  bother  to  us  all  the  year. 
Riphooks  fixed  on  long  handles  are  the  imple- 
ments we  use.  Two  men  cut,  and  a  third  holds 
and  steers  the  boat ;  the  weeds  drift  to  the  sides 
if  there  is  the  slightest  wind,  and  are  then  quickly 
raked  out.  Sub-tropicils  grow  away  finely,  and 
tying  up  was  done  to-day.  The  least  effective — 
perhaps  I  ought  to  say  the  most  weedy  looking — 
are  the  Tobaccos,  Nicotiana  wigandioides  and  its 
variegated  variety  ;  the  sweet  night- scented  variety 
grows  more  bushy  and  flowers  so  beautifully,  that 
it  should  be  grown  more  largely,  but  the  others 
we  have  decided  to  grow  no  more,  nor  .Solanum 
giganteum  either,  which  for  three  years  in  suc- 
cession has  died  o2  most  mysteriously.  Mulching 
with  rotten  manure  was  done  to  the  large  beds 
when  first  planted,  and  whilst  the  weather  con- 
tinued moderately  moist  it  was  left  undisturbed, 
but  now  that  all  is  so  dry,  the  birds  in  their  search 
for  food  scatter  it  in  all  directions,  and  instead  of 
applying  more,  and  to  prevent  watering,  the  surface 
soil  is  kept  open  by  using  a  small  hoe,  pains  being 
taken  not  to  break  the  foliage,  which  now  covers 
the  beds.  We  made  a  last  sowing  of  Turnips  to- 
day on  a  border  that  had  been  cleared  of  Potatoes, 
the  preparation  being  a  dressing  of  wood  ashes  in 
lieu  of  manure  proper,  and  forking  over  weeds  and 
haulm,  the  small  Potatoes  being  picked  out  during 
the  operation.  I'reference  is  given  to  sowing  in 
drills  a  foot  apart,  and  which  were  watered  both 
before  and  after  the  seeds  were  sown,  the  seeds 
being  covered  in  with  the  hand.  Should  the 
weather  continue  dry,  we  shall  be  obliged  to  net 
over  the  plot  before  the  seeds  emerge  from  the 
ground,  else  the  birds  would  clearthe  lot  in  about 
one  day.  Winter  Spinach  is  one  of  our  most 
important  crops,  and  this  we  like  to  sow  about  the 
last  week  in  the  month  ;  if  sown  earlier,  it  quickly 
runs  to  seed.  Ground  that  has  been  cleared  of 
Peas  is  now  being  prepared  for  it  by  deep  digging 
and  a  dressing  of  guano. 

August  15. — This  has  been  a  day  of  watering. 
Flower  beds,  herbaceous  borders,  Broccoli,  Celery, 


outside  Vine  and  Peach  borders  have  been  well 
done,  at  least,  so  far  as  artificial  watering  can  be 
called  well  done,  for  after  all,  in  comparison  with 
rain,  such  watering  is  complete  mockery,  par- 
ticularly in  such  roasting  weather.  Inside  water- 
ing is  different,  as  in  that  case  the  effects  last  a 
much  longer  time,  owing  to  the  drought  and  sun- 
influence  having  but  little  power.  Neither  lime 
nor  water  will  hold  out  for  watering  Peaches, 
Apricots,  and  Pears  on  walls,  and  therefore  we  do 
the  next  best  thing,  which  is  to  well  syringe  the 
trees  every  night,  and  this  keeps  the  foliage  clean 
and  aids  the  swelling  of  the  fruit.  All  the  trees 
were  well  mulched  during  the  winter,  and 
well  has  that  labour  been  rej  aid.  Tomatoes 
in  the  open  were  planted  too  late,  not  till 
the  third  week  in  June,  but,  thanks  to  good 
supplies  of  water  and  sunshine,  they  are  now 
fruiting  in  perfection,  and  to-day  the  fruit 
has  been  thinned,  two  and  in  some  instances 
three  being  all  that  are  left  together,  the  entire 
number  of  fruit  on  a  plant  being  decided  by  the 
space  that  each  has  for  growth,  some  having  a 
yard  and  others  double  that  space.  In  such  a 
season  as  this  there  is  no  need  of  tying  aside  or  of 
taking  off  a  part  of  the  foliage  to  expose  the 
fruit ;  it  is  raher  desirable  to  leave  it  intact  for 
partial  shade  to  prevent  scorching.  A  similar  rule 
we  are  adopting  in  regard  to  colouring  of  Muscat 
Grapes,  the  hint  to  do  so  being  given  us  by  the 
scorching  that  a  few  of  the  berries  underwent  on 
the  8th  inst ,  previous  to  applying  a  little  shade 
by  syringing  whiting  over  the  glass.  Usually 
we  tie  aside  the  leaves  to  let  the  bunches  have  full 
light,  but  they  are  colouritjg  perfectly  without  it 
this  season  ;  and  even  if  they  were  not,  it  would 
be  preferable  to  have  them  a  little  less  golden 
than  to  be  disfigured  by  scorching.  Plenty  of  air, 
no  stopping  of  laterals  for  the  present,  a  little  fiie- 
heat  at  night  even  in  this  hot  weather  to  admit 
of  air  being  left  on  all  night,  are  the  condition.<! 
that  ensure  high  finish.  Of  course,  should  the 
weather  set  in  dull,  then  it  may  be  desirable  to 
admit  a  little  more  light  by  the  usual  drawing 
aside  of  the  largest  leaves.  Except  Gros  Colmar, 
all  the  black  varieties  put  on  the  brightest  bloom 
when  partially  shaded,  but  I  think  that  a  still 
greater  aid  in  this  direction  is  to  leave  as  much 
lateral  growth  as  can  be  left  without  overcrowding 
to  the  injury  or  prevention  of  ripening  of  the  wood. 

August  1G  (Saturday). — Saturdays  we  always 
set  apart  as  sacred  to  cleaning  up  ;  all  walks  and 
roads  in  the  vicinity  of  the  mansion  have  had 
attention  to-day.  During  the  summer  Grass  verges 
need  cutting  once  fortnightly  :  the  roads  have  had 
their  turn  to-day,  and  the  garden— flower  garden  in 
particular — shares  the  like  honour  next  week.  The 
flower  bedshave  been  picked  over.  Fuchsias,  Abuti- 
lons,  Grevilleas,  and  some  few  other  tall  plants  have 
been  tied  to  stakes.  Pyretbrum  Golden  l'"eather 
and  Mesembryanthemum  cordifolium  variegatum 
needed  most  labour  in  the  way  of  pinching,  but 
the  improved  appearance  has  justified  all  our  work. 
As  showing  the  tropical  character  of  the  sum- 
mer, basketfuls  of  pinchings  from  Alternantheras 
have  been  taken  off  to-day  to  keep  the  arrange- 
ments or  patterns  true  to  design.  The  most  vigo- 
rous growing  kinds  are  the  oldest  varieties — 
paronychioides,  amabilis,  latifolia,  and  magnifica. 
Spectabilis  is  the  most  brilliant  and  as  vigorous  as 
any  this  year,  but  it  is  the  first  to  succumb  as  soon 
as  the  nights  get  a  bit  cold,  and  we  use  it  but 
very  sparingly.  As  with  flower  garden,  so  it  is 
with  the  houses,  cleaning  up  is  the  order  of  the 
day.  Brooms  we  never  spare,  and  as  a  matter  of 
course  cobwebs  either.  We  do  not  even  care  to 
see  such  network  at  a  distance,  particularly  in  vine- 
ries, for  the  common  spider  has  much  to  answer 
for  in  the  disfiguring  of  Grapes;  hence  we  consider 
our  weekly  dislodging  of  such  pests  is  labour  well 
spent,  even  if  neatness  counts  as  nothing,  which  is 
not  the  case.  Such  cleaning  up  and  well  water- 
ing of  everything,  to  as  much  as  possible  pre- 
vent Sunday  labour,  renders  it  undesirable  to  have 
any  extraneous  work  on  hand  or  arranged  for 
Saturday,  at  least  not  more  than  can  be  completed 
additional  to  the  perfect  order  and  cleanliness  that 
ought  to  characterise  Saturday  night  and  Sunday 


170 


THE     GARDEN 


[Aug.  23,   1884. 


This  rale  I  hold  as  inviolate,  that  is,  of  not  appor- 
tioning any  heavy  or  extra  work  for  Saturday,  and 
it  is  astonishing  how  naturally,  I  was  going  to  say 
imperceptibly,  all  in  the  garden  fall  into  the  same 
way  of  thinking,  and  work  accordingly. 

August   IS.— Yesterday  was  one  of  the  most 
parching  days  there  has  yet  been,  as  in  addition 
to  scorching  sunshine  there  was  a   strong  south- 
easterly breeze  ;  consequently  watering  is  in  full 
swing,  and  one  values  the   blessing  of  having  a 
good  supply  of  this   commodity ;  but  for  all  that 
we  do  so  long  for  rain,  but  of  which  there  seems 
no  immediate  prospect,  and  so  we  determined  to 
have  another  day  of  hoeing  in  the  kitchen  garden. 
The  old  CUbbage  plot  came  in  for  an  extra  good 
doing  up,  all  the  old  leaves  being  pulled  off,  and 
also  the  large   leave.s  that  were  still  green,  but 
which    hindered  the  development  of   the  small 
sprouts  that  will   presently  be  invaluable.     The 
ground  between  the  rows  was  hoed  very  deeply, 
and  the  ne.xt  best  thing  would  be  a  good  soaking 
rain,  which  would  make  the  produce  equal  to  the 
best  young  Coleworts.     This  latter  crop,  I  suppose 
owing  to  the  heat,  is  quite  a  failure  with  us  this 
season,  and  as  soon  as  the  conditions  are  favourable 
we    shall    replace    them    with    curled   Kale    or 
Cottager's  Kale ;  the  last  is  the  most  useful  and 
hardiest  winter  green  there  is,  not  even  excepting 
Brussels  Sprouts.     A  sowing  of  Black-seeded  Bath 
Cos  Lettuce  was  made  to-day  on  a  south  border, 
and  another  sowing  about  a  fortnight  hence  will' 
be  ample  to  give  us  a  supply  from  December  on- 
ward=.     Endive  is  but  little  appreciated,  and  our 
first  and  only  sowing  was  made  to-day.     Indoors, 
or  connected  with  the  houses,  the  principal  work 
has  been  tying  up  of  Chrysanthemums,  but  not 
with  a  forest  of  stakes,  only  a  sufficiency  being 
used  to  keep  the  branches  upright  and  from  being 
mutilated  by  wind.     Strawberry  potting  has  been 
finished,  and  the  first  potted  batches  weeded  and 
the  runners  pinched  off  ;  they  grow  so  freely  that 
this  IS  requbed  about  twice  a  week.    They  are 
always  watered  with  a  spouted  pot ;  promiscuous 
watering    with  a  rosed  pot  that  serves  all  alike 
is  much    to   be    deprecated.     These    and    Chry- 
santhemums, too,  are  well  syringed  every  evening, 
and  if  vigour  may  be  taken  as  an  indication  of 
health,  such  washings  ought  to  have  much  of  the 
credit.      Peaches  in  the  late  house  are   ripening 
so  rapidly,  that  shading,  with  a  view  of  retarding, 
has  been   had  recourse  to ;   this  shading  cannot 
affect  their  colouring,  as  they  are  already  well 
coloured  ;  it  may  affect  flavour  somewhat,  though 
not  to  any  appreciable  extent.     "We  like  to  gather 
Peaches,  Nectarines,   and  Apricots  a  day  or  two 
prior  to  their  being  what  is  called  dead  ripe  ;  they 
then  keep  for  a  longer  time,  and  are  of  a  more 
refreshing  flavour  and   less  mealy  in  substance 
Wasps  have  come  in  shoals,  and  all  our  netting 
has  been  requisitioned  to  prevent  their  depreda- 
tions.   We  last  year  tried  the  lately  recommended 
remedy  for  the  destruction  of  their  nests,  viz , 
cyanide  of   potassium,  and  it  answered    so  well 
that  we  shall  adopt  the  same  measure  again. 

August  19.— Should  this  dry  weather  continue 
we  shall  soon  be  reduced  to  one  job,  viz.,  that  of 
watering,  but  notwithstanding  we  cannot  rest 
and  be  thankful,  and  therefore  must  — indeed 
have  given  greater  attention  to  picking  off  bad 
flowers  and  seed  stems  from  herbaceous  plants 
Phloxes,  Pentstemons,  Antirrhinums,  and  Poten- 
tiUas,  and  others  that  flower  for  long  periods  get 
the  largest  share  of  labour.  Sweet  Peas,  like  the 
edible  ones,  have  done  but  indifferently  ;  they  have 
been  soaked  and  the  seed-pods  pinked  off,  and 
we  hope  to  get  them  to  flower  better  presently 
Other  work  of  this  description  to-day  has  been 
the  removal  of  seed  vessels  from  Violas,  which 
are  now  giving  out  in  spite  of  all  our  watering 
and  mulching ;  they  will  not  stand  such  continuous 
sunshine.  Pelargoniums  revel  in  it,  and  have 
never  been  more  magnificent,  either  as  to 
n'^'"u°""  ^°''=>Se.  Single  Dahlias  stand  fairly 
well,  but  their  inordinate  seeding  propensities 
are  a  great  nuisance.  Twice  a  week  at  least 
they  have  to  be  picked  over  to  keep  them  in 
anything  like  respectable  form  as  to  neatness  and 
flowering.     They  have  been  picked  over  and  tied 


up  to-day.     A  row  of  them  in  mixed  colours  has    that  during  the  ripening  process  need  the  atmo 


been  allowed  to  grow  together,  and  being  trained 
in  flat  or  fan-form,  with  an  evergreen  hedge  as  a 
background,  the  effect  is  beautiful  in  the  extreme. 
The  surplus  wood  in  the  early  and  second  early 
Peach  houses  is  being  thinned  out  with  a  view  of 
letting  daylight  and  sunshine  play  on  the  wood 
and  buds  for  next  year's  fruiting.  The  trees  are 
now  virtually  out-of  doors,  the  lights  having  been 
taken  off,  but  which  will  be  replaced  as  soon  as  we 
get  very  cold  nights.  A  sowing  of  Cucumbers  for 
winter  was  made  to-day,  for  though  the  old 
plants  might  keep  on  fruiting,  the  odds  are  much 
against  them,  whilst  young  August-sown  plants 
rarely  f.iil  to  bear  freely  the  winter  through.  The 
last  lot  of  Melons  have  j  a't  been  planted,  and  will 
need  all  the  coaxingpossible  to  get  good  fruit  from 
such  late  planting,  but  we  have  done  it  previously, 
and  this  gives  us  courage  to  try  again. 

August  L'.— Sweeping  np  of  coach  roads  and 
trimming  up  of  woodland  and  outside  walks  have 
taken  all  our  out-of-doors  labourers  to-day,  and 
for  once  we  have  not  begrudged  such  labour,  as  in 
the  garden  there  is  little  to  be  done  till  our  crav- 
ing for  rain  has  been  satisfied.  There  will  be  no 
excuse  for  weedy  gardens  this  autumn  ;  the  hoes 
have,  or  ought  to  have,  settled  that  matter  long 
ago.  A  border  having  a  southern  aspect  has  been 
prepared  for  the  reception  of  Pelargonium  cut- 
tings, which  will  be  put  in  as  soon  as  possible  now, 
as  also  will  offsets  of  Echeverias  and  other  succu- 
lents, which  strike  under  exactly  similar  condi- 
tions. For  soft- wooded  plants  of  the  tender  sec- 
tion, a  frame  is  being  made  up  of  stable  litter  and 
leaves,  and  a  week  hence  the  cuttings  will  be  put 
'1-  Hants. 


Garden  Destroyers. 


RED  SPIDER. 
Those  who  have  been  engaged  in  the  cultivation 
of  plants,  even  on  a  limited  scale,  will  not  need 
to  be  fold  how  injurious  this  little  insect  is  to 
plants  of  all  defcriptions  that  it  happens  to  attack. 
Small  and  insignificant  in  appearance  as  it  is,  its 
presence  is  marked  by  worse  consequences  than 
those  of  other  pests  that  look  much  more  formid- 
able.    The  leaves  of  a  deciduous  plant  that   is 
subject  to  its  ravages  quickly  cease  to  perform 
their  functions,  and  prematurely  die  off ;  whilst 
the  stouter,  more  enduring  foliage  of  Evergreens  is 
injured  to  an  extent  that  does  even  more  mischief 
to  the  plants.    Vines  that  are  but  slightly  affected 
invariably  fail  to  colour  their  fruit  fully,  and  if  its 
ravages    are  not   soon    stopped,   the  weakening 
influence  extends  to  the  following  year's  crop.  On 
Peaches  its  weakening  effects,  whenever  allowed 
to  get  a  head,   are  equally   apparent.     The  dry 
condition  attending  the  ripening  of  Melons  parti- 
cularly suits  it,  the  flavour  of  the  fruit  always 
suffering    in    proportion    to    the    extent    of    its 
presence.     Azaleas  that  have  their  leaves  injured 
by  it  are  not  alone  perceptibly  reduced  in  strength, 
but  the  flowers  produced  afterwards  for  one  or 
two  years  are  wanting  in  their  natural  depth  of 
colour.     Roses  cultivated  under  glass,  either  when 
planted  out  or  grown  in  pots,  are  always  more 
liable  to  its  attacks  than  most  plants.     Fuchsias 
are  favourite  food  for  it,  especially  in  the  summer 
months.    In  fact,  although  there  are  some  plants 
which  suit  the  taste  of  this  diminutive  pest  better 
than  others,  and  on  which  it  rarely  happen?  that 
a  season  elapses  without  its  putting  in  an  appear- 
ance, yet  it  is  by  no  means  particular  as  to  its 
food,  for  it  will  live  upon  many  things  the  juices 
of  which  might  be  supposed  to  be  of  so  acrid  a 
nature  as  to  place  them  beyond  its  molestation. 
Plants  in   a    free  vigorous  state  of  growth  are 
never  so  liable  to  its  attacks  as  when  in  the  oppo- 
site condition.    AVherever  anything  approaching 
a  stagnant  state  of  the  roots  exists,  either  through 
disease,  insufficientnutriment,  over  confinement  of 
the  roots,  or  want  of  water  in  the  soil,  with  a 
dry  condition  of  the  atmosphere,  there  red  spider 
meets  with  conditions  just  to  suit  it;  moisture  is 
its  greatest  enemy.     In  the  cultivation  of  plants, 
especially  such  as  are  of  a  fruit-bearing  character, 


sphere  being  dry,  if  previously  present  to  ever  so 
limited  an  extent,  it  then  spreads  as  if  by  magic. 
The  same  thing  happens  with  the  numerous  plants 
grown  for  decorative  use  that  require  the  atmo- 
sphere around  them  being  kept  drier  towards  the 
end  of  summer  at  the  season  when  it  becomes 
necessary  to  thus  assist  the  lipsning  of  the  wood. 

_  The  various  hejiedies  in  use  for  its  destruc- 
tion, such  as  the  fumes  from  sulphur  applied  to 
the  heated  pipes  or  flues,  the  application  of  pow- 
dered sulphur  to  the  affected  plants  when  such  is 
admissible,  washing  with   clean  water,  or  with 
some  or  other  of  the  various  mixtures  which  will 
destroy  it— these  are  so  well  known  as   not   to 
require  further  mention  here;  but  what  I  want  to 
urge  upon  amateurs  and  othere  who^e  experience 
may  happen  to  be  limited  is,  that  prevention   is 
better  than  cure,  and  it  is  much  better  to  take 
'jmeans  in  the  early  part  of  the  season— that  is,  in 
'spring  and  the  beginniog  of  summer — to  so  treat 
their  plants  as  not  to  admit  of  this  insect  getting 
a  lodgment   during  the   commencement   of   the 
season.  For  as  certain  as  it  once  obtains  a  footing, 
even  if  not  present  to  an  extent  to  be  noticed,  as 
soon  as  the  hot,  dry  weather  comes  on  or  the  time 
in  autumn  for  keeping  a  drier  atmosphere  arrives, 
then  will  the  ravages  of  this  irs  ct  become  such 
as  to  give  much  trouble.     One  of  the  principal 
causes  through  which  red  spider  gets  a  footing 
early  in  the  season  is  an  insuflicient  use  cf  the 
syringe.     Plants  grown  under  glass  should,  with 
very  few  exceptions,  be  regularly  syringed  over- 
head, care  being  taken  to  get  the  water  to  the 
underside  of  the  leaves  as  veil  as  the  top;  no 
mere  sprinklings  are  effectual.     With  such  plants 
as  this  insect  will  live  on  a  regular  good  drenchirg 
ought  to  be  given  once  or  twice  every  week  through 
the  growing  season.     It  should  ever  be  remem- 
bered   that    plants  in    the  cpen    air    are    very 
differently  placed,  so    far  as    being  under   the 
influence  of  the  vapoury  moisture  which  is  ever 
rising  from  the  ground  and  coming  directly  in  coa- 
tact  with  the  underside  of  the  leaves,  where  prin- 
cipally the  insects  secrete  themselves,  from  what 
they  are  when  grown  under  glass  standing  on  dry 
wooden  stages,  either  when  made  close  without 
interstices,  or  composed  of  bars  with  openings  be- 
tween, that  in  either  case  are  made  still  drier,  if,  as 
often  happens,  they  are  placed  ever  the  hot-water 
pipes.     Under  such  conditions.  Instead    of    the 
moisture  that  in  the  open  air  rises  amongst  the 
plants  to  an  extent  that  in  the  night  time  covers 
the  underside  of  the  lea%-es  with  dew,  they  are  sub- 
jected to  the  much  drier  conditions  which  are  so 
favourable  to  the  development  of  red  spider.    In 
place  of  these  dry  stages,  which  are  costly  and 
perishable,  I  should  recommend  a  surface  com- 
posed of  fine  coal  ashes  or  somethirg  of  a  like 
nature  which  will  hold  moisture  that  will  at  once 
place  the  plants  under  conditions  more  natural  to 
them  and  equally  opposed  to  such  as  the  spider 
delights  in.    It  would  be  a  decided  gain  even  on 
the  score  of  economy,  as  the  wooden  stages  so 
much  used  in  greenhouses  and  conservatories  cost 
a  deal  and  are  always  requiring  repairs. 

OuT-OF-DOOES  an  insufficiency  of  moisture  arising 
amongst  the  leaves  is  often  the  cause  of  red  spider 
gaining  a  footing  on  plants  to  an  extent  that  all  but 
defies  its  extermination,  is  just  in  the  way  men- 
tioned by  Mr.  Douglas  in  the  case  of  his  laced  Poly- 
anthus. At  one  time  I  had  a  good  collection  of 
these  pretty  flowers.  I  grew  them  continuously  in 
pots  plunged  during  summer  in  ashes  in  a  shady 
place,  and  in  dry  weather  I  kept  the  ashes  so 
moist  that  the  soil  in  the  pots  absorbed  enough 
water  for  the  plants,  it  rarely  being  necessary  to 
apply  any  directly  to  them.  Until  I  adopted  this 
practice  I  was  always  troubled  with  this  insect. 
Anyone  whohasever  grown  these  Polyanthuses  need 
not  be  told  how  very  differently  they  thrive  and 
increase  when  free  from  this  pest  from  what  they 
do  when  it  puts  in  its  appearance,  even  to  a  limited 
extent.  The  practice  advised  by  an  old  Manchester 
florist,  Mr.  Slater,  mentioned  by  Mr.  Brockbank, 
of  giving  a  copious  wateritig  overhead  late  in  the 
evening  effected  the  same  purpose,  but  if  I  had 
applied  as  much  directly  to  the  roots  as  I  gave  to 


Ai'G.  23    1884. 


THE     GARDEN 


171 


the  plunging  material  between  the  pots,  there 
would  have  been  some  danger  of  the  roots  rotting, 
fond  of  moisture  as  these  Polyanthuses  are.  Four- 
fifths  of  the  cases  wherein  this  most  destructive 
insect  attacks  cultivated  plants  arise  from  the 
plants  being  placed  under  conditions  of  insufficient 
moisture  overhead,  and  which  in  a  state  of  nature 
are  present,  to  compensate  for  the  absence  of 
which,  if  success  is  to  be  attained,  the  cultivator 
must  take  means  to  make  them  good. 

T.  Baines. 


INJURIOUS  INSECT  COMPETITION. 
A  FEW  days  ago  in  connection  with  a  llower  show 
at  Ffome  the  first  injurious  insect  competition 
ever  held  took  place.  •  Miss  E.  A.  Ormerod  offered 
prizes  of  £'i,  £2,  and  il  for  the  best  collection  of 
specimens  of  food  plants  injured  by  insects,  ac- 
companied by  samples  of  the  insects  injuring  them, 
and  by  a  short  account  of  the  attack,  and  of  the 
methods  of  prevention  adopted.  Only  one  exhibit 
was  brought  forward,  and  this  was  judged  by  IMr. 
Henry  F.  Moore,  who  awarded  it  the  first  prizj.  It 
was  sent  by  Mr.  Herbert  Haley,  of  Feltham  Cot- 
tage, Frome,  and  was  very  instructive.  The  speci- 
mens included  Plum  and  Red  Currant  leaves  at- 
tacked by  caterpillars,  Potatoes  and  Spinach  by 
wireworms.  Turnips  by  Turnip  fly.  Celery  by  grub. 
Strawberry  by  chrysalis  of  caterpillar.  Potato  by 
Colorado  beetle,  branches  of  Gooseberry  tree 
stripped  by  saw-fly.  Cabbage  leaves  by  butterfly. 
Onion  by  maggot.  Filbert  tree  by  various  insects. 
Stephanotis  by  mealy  bug,  centipede,  daddy- 
long-legs,  earwigs,  &c.  Each  insect  was  shown 
in  a  separate  bottle,  and  there  was  a  short 
written  account  of  the  insect  attack  and  of  the 
methods  of  prevention  adopted.  The  specimens 
were  also  accompanied  by  coloured  drawings  of 
the  insects,  life-sized  or  greatly  magnified.  After 
the  show  the  collection  was  forwarded  to  Miss 
Ormerod,  who  has  written  a  report  upon  it,  in 
•which  pleasure  is  expressed  that  it  was  so  "  ser- 
viceably  formed  and  displayed  for  practical  use." 
She  says  also  :  "  The  object  with  which  competi- 
tion was  invited  was  to  show  the  common  kinds 
of  crop  injury  by  specimens,  so  that  all,  whether 
previously  acquainted  with  the  subject  or  not, 
might  see  exactly  how  the  attack  effected,  as  tho 
case  might  be,  the  root  or  leaf,  seed,  or  flower, 
together  with  the  insects,  or,  if  necessary,  magni- 
fied drawings  of  them.  This  plan  has  been  worked 
out  by  the  exhibitor  in  a  way  which  meets  the 
requirements  for  useful  exhibition  very  satisfac- 
torily, both  as  to  giving  sound  information  to 
spectators,  and  at  such  small  expense  that  the 
plan  might  be  easily  carried  out,  either  for  the 
temporary  purposes  needed  at  horticultural  shows, 
or  for  successive  exhibitions  in  course  of  regular 
instruction  at  parish  schools.  The  specimens  were 
displayed  on  white  cardboard  about  12  inches  by 
7  inches,  the  leaves  or  shoots,  or  (generally) 
the  injured  portions  of  the  plants  occupy- 
ing the  upper  half  or  three  quarters  of  the 
cardboard,  and  the  attacking  maggot,  or  whatever 
it  might  be,  being  placed  below  in  a  small 
phial,  or  on  cork,  as  requisite.  The  name  (accord- 
ing to  the  stipulation  of  the  donor  of  the  prizes) 
was  clearly  written  below  in  English.  A  very 
short  account  of  the  method  of  injury,  and  such 
means  of  prevention  astheexhibitorwas  acquainted 
with,  accompanied  each  exhibit.  The  plan  of  fixing 
the  card  with  specimens  and  the  short  note  of 
explanation  respectively  within  the  lid,  and  in 
the  bottom  of  a  common  white  cardboard  box, 
gave  a  neat  and  uniform  appearance  to  the  ex- 
hibits, and  likewise  gave  means  of  safe  carriage, 
without  difficulty  or  expense.  The  plan  having 
been  especially  submitted  to  me  for  approbation 
as  to  the  serviceableness  of  its  details,  I  have  no 
hesitation  in  saying  that  I  consider  it  excellent, 
for  it  conveys  all  that  is  requisite  in  the  way  of 
information  as  to  the  nature  of  attack,  without 
hampering  the  inquirer  with  more  labour  than 
just  looking  at  the  specimens.  Both  for  the  above 
reason,  and  also  that  by  fitting  a  card  of  one  kind 
of  attack  after  another,  according  to  seanon  or 
other  reason,  into  the  exhibition  box,  the  scholars 
at  country  schools  might  thus  get  instructed. 


Orchids. 


DISA  GRANDIFLORA. 
Every  day's  added  light  shows  us  that  this  fine 
old  Orchid  is  as  variable  as  it  is  beautiful.  Nor 
is  this  much  to  be  wondered  at,  albeit  that  its 
only  habitat  is  by  the  fides  of  watercourses  on 
Table  Mountain,  since  it  is,  no  doubt,  perpetuated 
there  by  seeds.  Then,  unless  memory  is  a  fond 
deceiver,  seedlings  of  Disa  have  been  raised  in 
our  gardens  at  home.  I  fancy  Mr.  Leach  raised 
seedlings  ;  at  any  rate  imported  roots  from  the 
Cape  vary  much  in  their  depth  and  richness  ol 
colouring,  in  vigour  of  growth,  and  in  size  and 
number  of  flowers  on  a  scape.  At  Chatsworth  a 
single  stem  of  Uisa  bore  twelve  flowers  ;  at  Glas- 
nevin  it  bore  nine  flowers  ;  while  five  to  seven 
flowers  on  a  stem  are  by  no  means  uncommon 
now-a-days  in  gardens  where  the  plant  is  well 
grown.  When  the  late  Jlr.  Andrews  gave  us 
that  marvellous  plate  with  eight  flowers  in 
"  Warner's  Select  Orchids,"  some  of  us  thought 
such  an  inflorescence  impossible,  but,  as  we 
have  already  shown,  in  two  gardens  at  least  that 
number  has  been  exceeded.  I  must  say,  how- 
ever, that  these  many- flowered  spikes  are  very 
disappointing  after  the  first  two  or  three  flowers 
are  open,  and  I  would  much  prefer  a  strong  spike 
bearing  from  two  to  four  flowers  only,  and  those 
of  good  siz3  and  bright  colouring.  There  are  at 
least  four  well  marked  varieties  of  Disa  grandi- 
flora  in  cultivation,  viz.,  the  type,  D.  grandiflora 
superba,  D.  grandiflora  Barrelli,  and  D.  grandiflora 
violescens.  The  last  mentioned  is,  I  think,  the 
most  beautiful,  having  purplish  flower-stems,  and 
the  flowers  are  suffused  with  a  violet  hue,  remind- 
ing one  of  the  colour  in  some  varieties  of  Masde- 
vallia  Harryana.  A  corresponrlent  at  the  Cape 
once  wrote  and  told  me  that  he  bad  seen  both 
white  and  rose-coloured  varieties  of  D.  grandiflora, 
and  when  I  was  at  Kew  Iremembercopying  some  of 
Mr.  Sanderson's  drawings  lent  to  the  herbarium  for 
that  purpose,  and  amongst  these  was  a  drawing  of 
Disa  macrantha  with  rose-coloured  flowers.  This 
can,  no  doubt,  be  seen  at  Kew,  the  copy,  if  not 
the  original,  and  if  not  a  form  of  D.  grandiflora, 
it  is  a  very  nearly  allied  species,  and  one  not 
as  yet  introduced. 

The  Disa  macraktha  of  The  Garden  (see 
Vol.  XVII.,  p.  491),  which  flowered  at  Cirencester 
with  Mr.  Elwes,  and  at  Glasnevin  with  Mr.  Moore, 
is  really  D.  megaceras,  but  the  true  D.  macrantha 
as  figured  in  Sanderson's  sketches  deserves 
looking  up,  since,  even  if  only  a  form  of  D. 
grandiflora,  it  is  a  very  distinct  and  desirable  one. 
I  see  you  allude  to  a  Disa  grandiflora  with  "green 
tips  "  to  its  sepals.  This  is  merely  an  accident  of 
growth ;  in  well  grown  flowers  the  sepals  are  self- 
coloured  to  the  very  points.  As  grown  at  StrafEan, 
at  Purdysburn,  near  Belfast,  or  at  Glasnevin,  no 
Orchid  could  well  be  more  beautiful  than  this 
one,  and  certainly  no  Orchid  can  be  grown  with 
less  trouble.  The  essentials  to  successful  culture 
are  good  drainage,  good  fibrous  peat,  and  copious 
bedewings  overhead  when  growing  with  a  syringe 
two  or  three  times  a  day.  During  winter  a  moist 
corner  in  a  greenhouse  from  which  frost  is  ex- 
cluded suits  the  plant,  and  during  spring  and  sum- 
mer it  will  luxuriate  in  a  cool,  airy  pit  or  frame. 
The  pots  or  pans  should  stand  on  a  cool  moist 
bottom  of  ashes,  gravel,  or  spar,  and  a  little  shade 
is  necessary  during  bright  sunshine.  The  late  Dr. 
Harvey  told  us  that  this  plant  grows  at  the  Cape 
by  the  sides  of  the  streams,  its  foliage  being 
overshadowed  by  Eestios,  &c.,  through  which  its 
flower-stems  peep  out  in  the  full  sunshine. 
This  contains  a  hint  to  those  who  would 
grow  the  Lisa  out-of-doors,  and  is  sugges- 
tive of  its  being  most  likely  to  succeed 
if  planted  by  a  brookside  in  peat,  so  that 
shelter  from  full  sun  and  scathing  winds  would  be 
secured.  Everyone  must  have  observed  how  the 
flower-stems  of  this  plant  lean  towards  the  south 
or  south-east,  showing  that  light  is  a  si/io  qua  non 
to  them,  even  although  the  foliage  itself  may  not 
luxuriate  in  full  sunshine  when  under  a  glass  roof. 
I  have  to-day  seen  the  magnifloent  plants  at 
Straffan,  and  although  the  best  and  earliest  spikes 


have  been  cut  there,  ample  material  remains  from 
which  to  judge  of  their  vigorous  growth  and 
extraordinary  beauty.  They  were  finer  even  this 
year  than  when  flowers  from  them  were  figured  in 
The  Garden  some  time  ago.— F.  VV.  B. 

T  was  glad  to  find  I  had  the  better  variety 

of  Disa,  but  I  did  not  by  any  means  send  you  my 
best  spike.  I  have  one  with  five  flowers,  beautiful, 
bat  I  did  not  care  to  cut  it.  I  have  Mr  Leach's 
treatment  in  his  own  handwriting,  but  we  manage 
Disas  more  easily,  I  think,  than  he  did.  He  was 
one  of  the  first  who  grew  this  Disa  successfully. — 
A.  Kawson,  Wbidermere. 


Dendrobium  Dearei  — The  plant  from  which 
the  spike  was  taken,  of  which  a  notice  appeared  in 
The  Garden  last  week,  has  been  grown  with  the 
Phalienopsids  in  a  temperature  varying  from  7U° 
to  80°.  I  find  it  succeeds  best  grown  in  a  basket 
in  a  mixture  consisting  of  one-third  fibry  peat  and 
the  rest  Sphagnum,  sand,  and  charcoal.  It  is  now 
making  fine  growth  and  blooming  freely  from  all 
previous  made  growths,  both  old  and  new.  One 
good  quality  belonging  to  this  plant  is  that  it 
lasts  more  than  three  months  in  bloom. — F.  Hill, 
HI  'Ji ngdoil. 

Cattleya  Qaskelliana  var.  —  Further 
evidence  of  the  beauty  and  value  of  this  new 
Cattleya  comes  to  us  from  Mr.  G.  Law  Schofield's 
garden  at  New  Hall  Hey,  near  Manchester.  It 
is  certainly  very  lovely  and  distinct  from  others 
we  have  seen.  It  has  pale  mauve  sepals  and  a 
very  delicately  toned  lip,  with  lemon-yellow 
throat  and  broadly  blotched  with  the  deepest 
amethyst,  which  extends  by  streaks  and  pencil- 
lings  into  the  throat.  The  perfume,  too,  is  pleas- 
ing and  sweet.  Mr.  Wise,  the  gardener,  states 
that  he  has  had  a  plant  carrying  no  fewer  than 
thirty-four  blooms,  which  must  have  been  a  beauti- 
ful specimen. 

A  huge  Vanda  Sanderlana.— A  wonder- 
ful specimen  of  this  new  Orchid  is  now  flowering 
in  Messrs.  Backhouse's  nursery,  at  York.  The 
plant  has  eight  leads,  and  has  produced  thirteen 
flower-spikes  carrying  no  less  than  eighty  flowers. 
These  measure  from  -t  inches  to  4J  inches  across. 
The  sepals  are  pale  straw  coloured,  richly  and 
beautifully  netted  with  reddish  crimson  and  edged 
with  white.  The  petals  are  soft  blush,  freely 
spotted  in  the  lower  half  with  purplish  crimson  ; 
the  lip  is  claret  coloured.  The  whole  is  stout  and 
vigorous,  and  in  shape  like  that  of  the  finest 
forms  of  Odontoglossum  vexillarium.  The  spikes 
are  from  9  inches  to  12  inches  high.  The  plant  is 
dwarf  and  compact ;  it  wUl  probably  remain  in 
fine  condition  for  a  fortnight  or  three  weeks.  Such 
an  Orchid  as  this  is  alone  worth  a  long  journey  to 
see. 

Zygopetalum  rostratum.— It  is  very  sel- 
dom that  this  rare  Orchid  is  seen  in  flower,  even  in 
the  richest  collections.  Mr.  Bonny,  who  possesses 
several  good  plants  of  it,  has  it  finely  in  flower  in 
his  collection,  at  88,  Downs  Park  Road,  Hackney. 
It  is  not  only  a  rare,  but  a  beautiful  Orchid,  and 
one  of  the  showiest  in  the  genus.  The  flowers  are 
between  2  in.  and  'A  in.  across,  with  dark  sepals  and 
with  a  flat  heart-shaped  labellum  U  in.  across,  pure 
white,  and  as  firm  in  texture  as  if  chiselled  out  of 
marble.  There  are  a  few  streaks  of  pink  on  the 
centre  of  the  lip  which  add  to  the  beauty  of  the 
flower.  The  flowers  last  in  perfection  for  several 
weeks  in  a  cool  atmosphere,  and  as  they  are  pro- 
duced at  the  present  season,  the  plant  has  a  pecu- 
liar interest  to  Orchid  fanciers.  It  is  singular  that 
this  Orchid  should  be  so  scarce,  seeing  that  its 
native  habitat  is  well  known,  and  that  it  is  not  a 
difficult  plant  to  manage  if  grown  in  a  moist  inter- 
mediate hOUS3. 

Acineta  Humboldti.— We  noted  this  last 
June  as  being  in  flower  in  Mr.  Peacock's  collection 
at  Sudbury  House,  Hammersmith,  and  gave  a 
woodcut  of  it  in  The  Garden  (p.  482).  There  is 
now  in  flower  at  Kew  a  plant  of  the  variety  figured 
in  the  liotmiical  Mat/azhui  as  A.  Humboldti  var. 
fulva,  which  is  distinguished  from  -the  type  by 
having  flowers  with  a  dusky  yellow  instead  uf  a 


172 


THE     GARDEN 


[AiG.  23,  1884. 


deep  red  ground.  Coming,  as  it  does,  from  the 
same  country  as  Cattleya  Dowiana,  this  beautiful 
snd  sweetly  scented  Orchid  requires  somewhat 
similar  treatment,  but,  unlike  the  Cattleya,  it  is 
not  subject  to  spot  and  decay  of  the  young  growths 
—  the  great  drawbacks  which  one  experiences,  as 
a  rule,  in  the  management  of  both  C.  Dowiana  and 
aurea.  At  Kew  the  Acineta  is  grown  in  an  inter- 
mediate house,  and  is  planted  in  a  pot  in  peat  and 
Sphagnum  and  suspended  near  the  glass  in  a  little 
shade.  A.  Humboldti  and  its  variety  rank  among 
the  most  striking  of  orchidaceous  plants,  and  few 
are  more  worthy  of  cultivation. 

Masdevallla  triglochln.— In  variety  of 
form  and  in  brilliancy  and  delicacy  of  colour  the 
genus  Masdevallia  affords  an  exceptionally  rich 
supply  of  attractive  material  with  which  to  form 
a  monograph,  and  in  good  hands  a  work  of  unusual 
interest  might  be  made  forthe  thousands  interested 
in  Orchids,  and  especially  in  Masdevallias.  This 
idea  was  suggested  by  seeing  several  diminutive 
but  pretty  little  species  in  flower  at  Kew  a  few 
days  ago,  species  which  are  almost  unknown  in 
Orchid  collections  generally,  and  amongst  them 
was  that  rare  little  gem  named  M.  triglochln.  It 
belongs  to  the  Triaristella  group ;  its  leaves  are 
short  and  very  thick  tufted,  and  from  their  midst 
rises  the  hair-like  peduncle  about  .3  inches  in 
length,  bearing  a  dark  red  or  port  wine  coloured 
flower,  triangular  in  shape,  and  three  quarters  of 
an  inch  long.  The  lower  portion  of  the  flower  has 
a  depression  or  chin  a  little  .ibove  its  middle,  and 
on  each  side  at  the  base  is  a  short  yellow  tail,  a 
third  tail  being  on  the  top  of  the  upper  part  of  the 
flower.  The  petals,  labellum,  &o.,  are  exceedingly 
small,  and  are  almost  hidden  away  inside  parts 
more  developed. 


Societies. 


EOYAL  HORTICULTUKAL  SOCIETY. 
A  MEETING  of  the  floral  committee  of  this  society 
was  held  at  Chiswick  recently,  at  which  the  fol- 
lowing subjects  were  examined  :  — 

Caladiums — Three  marks  were  given  to  argy- 
rites,  candidum,  Alfred  Bleu,  pictum,  Mdme.  Mar- 
jolin  Sch.'ciier,  Clio,  Mdme.  Alfred  Bleu,  M.  A. 
Hardy,  Dr.  Lindley,  Ceres,  Mithridate.  Luddemanni, 
Eameau,  Laingi,  Prince  of  Wales,  Ville  de  Mul- 
:bouse,  Comtesse  de  Condeixa,  minus  erubescens, 
Gerard  Dow,  and  Paul  Veronese ;  two  marks  to 
Mdoie.  de  la  Devansaye,  Princess  Alexandra, 
Mdme.  Heine,  Chantini,  Max  Kolby,  and  John  K. 
Box. 

Adi  ANTUM8. — Three  marks  were  given  to  cunea- 
tum,  I'acoti,  Lathomi,  gracillimum,  decorum,  Vic- 
tori.'E,  concinnum,  scutum,  Sanctaj-Catharinaj,  tra- 
pezitorme,  macropbyllum,  pedatum,  formosum, 
pubescens,  hispidulum.Veitchi,  amabile,  rubellum, 
Capillus- Veneris,  cardiochhijna,  speclosum,  con- 
cinnum laitum,  rhodophyllum,  caudatum,  farley- 
ense,  pendactylon,  assimile;  and  two  marks  to 
Luddemannianum. 

Foliage  Begonias.— Three  marks  were  given 
to  Bex,  Ducde  Brabant,  Marshalli.  Juliette  Panlin, 
SenEque,  Emilie  Chate,  Mdme.  Trigneaux,  Xan- 
thina  var.  argentea,  Helfene  Uhder.  Louise  Chru- 
tien,  Bettina  Rothschild,  discolor  Rex  Apotheose, 
Zenobia,  Julie  Serot,  leptophylla,  Comte  A.  de 
Leon,  Marga,  Sylvia,  and  Mdme.  d'Halloy. 

Pentstemons. — Three  marks  were  given  to 
Purple  Queen,  Cerise  Queen,  virginale,  Edison,  and 
Marjolaine. 

First-class  certificates  were  awarded  for  Carna- 
tion Anna  P.enary  (Ernest  Benary)  as  a  border 
flower ;  Sweet  Pea  Princess  of  Wales  (H.  Eckford). 

At  a  meeting  held  at  Chiswick  on  August  in  the 
fruit  committee  examined  the  collections  of  Pota- 
toes and  Tomatoes  growing  in  the  gardens,  when  the 
following  first-class  certificates  were  awarded,  viz.: 
Potato  Ellingtonia,  from  Mr.  Ellington,\Vest  Road 
Garden,  Wildenhall,  Suffolk  ;  Potato  Nott's  Victor, 
from  Mr.  R.  Nott,  Vermont,  U.S.A.;  Potato  The 
Doctor,  from  Mr.  G.  Pritchard,  Green  Street,  Sit- 
tingbourne  ;•  Potato  Charter  Oak,  from  Messrs. 
Bliss  &  Sons,  New  York ;  Tomato  Sutton's  Reading 


Perfection  ;  Toraato  Hackwood  Park  Prolific  ;  To- 
mato Yellow,  from  Jlr.  P..  S.Williams;  Tomato 
Lord  Wolseley,  from  Mr.  B.  S.  Williams. 


NOTES  or  THE  WEEK. 

Pontederla  crassipes.— The  usual  charac- 
ter of  this  plant  is  a  rosette  of  kidney-shaped 
leaves  on  petioles,  which  are  much  inflated  in  the 
middle,  so  that  they  look  like  fishing  floats,  whilst 
in  length  they  do  not  generally  exceed  G  inches. 
In  the  Victoria  house  at  Kew  there  is  a  quantity 
of  this  plant,  bat  instead  of  the  float-like  charac- 
ter of  the  petioles  as  above  described,  they  are 
prolonged  like  those  of  a  Sagittaria,  some  of  them 
measuring  a  little  over  2  feet  in  length.  No  doubt 
the  high  temperature  of  the  water  (85°)  has  brought 
about  this  alteration  in  the  shape  of  the  petiole, 
and  yet  there  is  nothing  in  the  appearance  of  the 
plants  themselves  to  suggest  that  the  treatment  is 
not  suitable  for  them. 

New  park  at  Newcastle  —The  new  park 
publicly  opened  at  Newcastle  en  Wednesday  last 
was  the  gift  of  Sir  William  Armstrong,  and  is 
named  the  Armstrong  Park.  Newcastle  is  now  in 
possession  of  over  100  acres  of  park  and  recreation 
grounds.  In  1878,  the  corporation,  alive  to  the 
importance  of  open  spaces,  purchased  parks  at  the 
east  and  west  ends  of  the  town  as  near  the  houses 
of  the  people  as  possible.  The  Heaton  Park,  con- 
sisting of  twenty-three  acres,  had  scarcely  been 
opened  when  Sir  William  Armstrong  indorsed  the 
policy  of  the  council  by  generously  extending  the 
area  to  forty-two  acres.  Sir  William  has  recently 
added  to  his  munificence  by  his  gift  to  the  city  of 
the  pleasure  grounds  of  Jesmond  Dene,  containing 
some  sixty-two  acres.  They  are  charmingly 
wooded,  while  the  general  formation  of  the  ground 
presented  every  feature  that  could  possibly  be 
desired  by  the  most  critical  authority  on  landscape 
work.  The  banqueting  hall  and  its  surroundings 
are  included  in  the  gift,  together  with  valuable 
residential  property,  the  annual  income  arising 
from  which  will  be  appropriated  to  the  mainte- 
nance of  the  park.  Tlie  taste  displayed  in  laying 
out  these  grounds  is  said  to  be  equalled  only  by 
the  noble  generosity  of  their  donor. 

The  Sacred  Bean  (Nelumbium  speciosum). 
— We  recently  saw  a  collection  of  beautifully  exe- 
cuted paintings  by  Japanese  artists  of  the  most 
popular  of  the  plants  grown  in  Japan,  and  amongst 
them  were  pictures  of  a  number  of  forms  of  the 
Sacred  Bean.  The  skill  of  the  Japanese  in  the 
cultivation  and  improvement  of  the  plants  of  their 
own  country  is  well  known,  some  of  our  most 
beautiful  garden  plants  having  originated  with 
them.  The  Nelumbium  amongst  others  seems  to 
have  been  worked  upon  with  great  success,  judg- 
ing from  the  coloured  representations  of  the  dif- 
ferent varieties  obtained  from  the  typical  rose- 
coloured  form  of  this  handsome  aquatic.  In  colour 
there  was  almost  every  stage  between  pure  white 
and  deep  red,  cream  colour,  pale  rose,  ro.=e,  red, 
and  a  shade  almost  crimson  in  intensity  being 
represented  in  different  forms.  Equal  variation 
was  observable  also  in  the  size  and  form  of  the 
flowers,  some  of  them  being  composed  of  a  single 
row  of  large  incurved  petals,  others  of  two  rows, 
and  others  of  several  rows  of  smaller  petals,  which 
again  were  closely  incurved,  or  spreading  almost 
horizontally.  We  were  surprised  to  see  so  many 
distinctions  both  in  colour  and  form  of  flower,  and 
wished  we  could  procure  some  of  them  for  our 
tropical  aquaria  in  this  country,  where  at  present 
we  possess  only  the  rose-flowered  form.  There  is 
so  much  commercial  intercourse  with  .lapan,  that 
it  should  not  be  diflRcult  to  obtain  rhizomes  of 
these  varieties  of  Nelumbium.  It  may  be,  how- 
ever, that  the  desire  evinced  by  the  Japanese  to 
keep  for  themselves  the  "good  things  "  of  their 
country  will  be  an  obstacle  to  the  introduction  of 
these  plants  into  English  gardens  ;  and  yet,  judg- 
ing by  what  was  accomplished  by  Mr.  Maries  only 
recently,  we  may  hope  that  someone  will  succeed 
in  obtaining  for  us  these  Nelumbiums.  It  may  be 
well  to  hint  that  the  characters  desired  in  these 
Nelumbiums  are  not  likely  to  be  reproduced  from 


seeds,  which  we  believe  are  always  to  be  had  in- 
plenty  in  Japan.  The  only  certain  way  to  their 
possession  is  by  obtaining  rhizomes. 


QUESTIONS. 

6-23.3  — Flcwerless  Dendrobes.  —  what  sliould  be 
done  with  a  DendrobiuBi  nobile  when  it  doe<  not  (lower, 
but  tlirows  out  small  pseudo-bulbs  at  the  ends  of  the  old 
ones?— G.  J.  B. 

6231.— WoodHce.— I  shall  be  glad  it  any  of  the  readtv' 
of  The  Gaiuies  will  give  some  general  direc  ions  for  the 
destructif  n  of  woodl-ce.  lly  Orchid  house  is  infested  with 
th»iu  ;  they  cat  the  young  tender  roots  as  fast  as  they  grow. 
—J.  M.  , ,  , 

6235.— Ornamenting  Anemone  beds.- 1  should  be 
pleaserl  if  any  of  your  readers  could  sugpest  anything  that 
could  be  sown  or  planted  on  a  permanent  Anemone  lied,  so 
as  to  be  in  flower  wlien  the  Anemones  have  died  down  and 
are  ot  rest,  but  whatever  is  recommended  must  n'>t  inter- 
fere with  the  well  being  of  the  Anemones.- A.  i^.,Warificlc. 

6?36.-Grape8  cracklni?  — Whatisthe  cause  and  pre- 
vention of  Madresfleld  Couit  Grapes  cr,acliing  just  btfoje 
they  ripen?  The  berries  are  line  and  foliage  healthy. 
Other  Vines,  such  as  Mrs.  Pearpon,  Grizzly  Frontignan,  in 
the  same  house  do  well,  but  tlie  Madresfleld  Court  co  im- 
badly  and  three- parts  of  them  Ijuist.  The  Vices  aic  about 
three  or  four  years  old.— G.  J.  B. 

5237 -Kidney  Potatoes.— A  trize  was  offered  Ihe 
otherday  at  our  distriit  show  for  three  dishes  of  kidney 
Potatoes-three  distinct  kii  ds.  The  second  prize  collection 
consisted  of  what  were  called  Hyatt's  Ashleaf,  Rivers  Ash- 
leaf,  and  Paterson's  Victoria,  all  so  much  alike  .as  to  be  un- 
distinguishab'e.  Is  Paterson's  Victoria  considered  to  be 
a  kidney  ?  Perhaps  some  of  your  readers  will  kindly  soy.— 
OBSEKViSP,  Briaot. 


LA  TE  AOTES. 


Monstrous  EurharlB  (T.  •=.).-  An  unrsual  occur- 
rence ;  probal.)Iy  due  to  ovei-lu.\uriance. 

Carnatlonp  (7".  //.).— Every  bloom  was  so  withered  up 
when  received,  that  we  were  tiuite  unable  to  judge  of  their 
merits. 

HypoleplB  MlUefolium.-This  beautiful  hardv  Fe-  n 
is  most  graceful  and  valualil-.  We  were  pleased  to  notice  it 
growing  in  tlie  open  in  Dr.  Low's  garden  at  Wimbledon, 
and  quite  freely. 

Rose  inPects  (A.  E.  B ).— Without  feeing  the  cater- 
pillars to  which  J  on  allude  I  cannot  niime  them.  They  ai  e 
very  likely  the  caterpillars  of  moths  belonging  to  the  family 
Tortricida!.— G.  S.  S. 

The  caterpillars  forwarded  to  me  feeding  on  Rope 
bushes  were  tco  young  for  me  to  name  witli  c  rtain'y,  luit 
I  believe  tbey  are  those  of  the  common  butt-tip  mntli  (Py- 
gara  Inicepliala).  Shake  the  liushes  well  and  the  caterpillars 
will  fall  and  may  be  easily  crushed.— G.  S.  S. 

Rose  Helen  Paul.— This  new  Rose  promises  to  t.alie 
high  rank  as  a  medium  sized  exhildtion  flower.  It  is  white 
with  just  a  tinge  of  pink  as  the  flowers  begin  to  fade.  It  is 
excellent  in  form,  and  may  probably  develop  into  a  vigoroui 
grower.  It  seems  likely  to  hi  useful  to  those  who  want 
early  flowers  to  exhibit.—  J.  C.  C. 

Cucumb=r  leaves  (•/.  S.,  Brisfol)  —There  is  nothing 
wrong  with  the  Cucumber  leaves  sent.  The  slight  clouding 
of  a  paler  colour  than  the  rest  of  leaf  is  often  caused  by  a 
too  rapid  growth.  A"  you  say  the  fruits  (or  Cucumbers) 
are  "  doing  well,"  there  is  Init  little  need  lor  apprehension. 
—  W.  G.  S. 

OiUng  plants.- At  the  exhibition  of  the  Royal  Cale- 
donian Horticultural  Society  held  on  the  9th  and  lOtli  nit. 
the  dinner-table  plants  which  were  awarded  the  first  prize 
were  in  the  case  of  Crotons  and  Dracicnas  oiled  to  such  an 
extent  to  give  them  a  pol  sh  that  it  quite  dioppfd  fiom 
tlieir  leaves.  Would  it  not  therefore  be  advisable  to  frame 
ruhs  prohibiting  the  practice  of  besmearing  plan's  with 
oil  at  our  shows?  and  should  not  judgea  be  ins'ructed  to 
disqualify  such  plants?— J.  R.  D.  P. 

Names  of  plants.—./.  G.  Jr.— l,  cannot  name  send  a 
flower :  2,  appears  to  be  the  leaf  of  Batatas  pani'-ulala  ;  3, 
Cymbidium  aloifolium ;  4,  I'.rassia  caudata  ;  5,  Vanda  tri- 
color ;  6,  Rhododendron  Princess  Alexandra. Dork'mg. 

— The  parasitic  plant  i  on  send  is  i  he  Lesser  Dodder  (Cus- 

cuta  Epithymuni),  a  common  r  ative  plant. J.  B,  Watscv. 

— ?,  Spir.Ta  Donglasi ;  3,  Krancoa  ramosa ;  4  Spirxa  callosa 

all>a. Mrs.  lieictcn — Salpiglossis  variabilis. A,  P. — 

Odontoglossum    tripudisns i.    W.    R—l,    Acacia    lo- 

phsntha:  S.  .apparently  A.  lonaifolia.- ii". /".— Ceanothua 

Gloire  de  Versailles  —  C.  Ji.— .''aioncria  offlcinalis  fl.-pl. 


BOOK  RECEIVED. 
"  Diseases  of  Field  and  Carden  Crops,"  by  Worthington 
G.  Smith,    llacmillan  &  Co. 

C^ATALOGUES  RECEIVED. 
B.  S.  Wiliiams'(lTpperllolloway)  General  Plant  Cat.alogue. 
.T,  Van  del-  S\\;iclm.Tn's  (illuiit)  Holliouse  riant?. 
W.  Taul  .V;  Son's  (Waltbiun  Cross)  Bulb  Catalogue. 
11.  Vcitcbs  (Kxtter)  Lutch  Bulbs. 
.T.  llicksons  ,V  Sons'  (Edinburgh)  Dutch  Flow*er  Roots. 
Sutton  tV  Siui's  (Reading)  Bulb  Catalogue. 
M.ahood  &  Son's  (Putney)  Bulb  Catalogue. 


THE     GARDEN 


173 


No.  887. 


SATURDAY,  Aug.  30   18S*.  Vol    XXVI. 


"  This  is  ftn  Art 
^^Tiich  dnf^^  Tnon  ]  V:if,'irp  ;  obaniR  H  rather:  but 
The  art  itself  is  Xati-rk."— SA(iJ-?spcar8. 


THE  RIPENING  OF  DAFFODIL  BULBS. 
We  are  requested  (page  149)  to  record  our 
experience  on  the  subject  o£  taking  up  and  re- 
planting Narcissi.  I  write  as  an  old  hand  at 
gardening  who  has  recently  commenced  miking 
experiments  to  confirm  or  refute  two  articles  of 
popular  bslief  about  Daffodils — the  one  that  some 
single  Daffodils  may  b3come  double  in  some  soils, 
about  which  I  will  say  nothing  more  now  ;  the 
other  that  Daffodil  bulbs  are  no  worse,  but  may 
be  better  for  being  taken  up  and  kept  some  time 
out  of  the  ground.  With  regard  to  the  latter 
belief,  I  was  until  lately  entirely  of  the  opinion 
expressed  by  "  F.  W.  B."  that  Daff  jdils  should  only 
be  taken  out  of  the  ground  when  it  becomes  neces- 
sary from  their  increase  to  divide  them,  and  that 
then  they  ought  to  be  replanted  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible. My  practice  has  been  to  order  Diffjdils 
from  dealers  as  soon  as  or  even  before  the  new 
balb  catalogaes  are  published,  and  to  request  as 
a  favour  that  they  may  be  sent  before  the  end  of 
July.  If  not  planted  before  October,  I  generally 
have  expected  that  the  flowers  would  not  be  so 
fine  as  if  planted  earlier ;  and  I  have  freely  ex- 
pressed this  opinion  during  several  years  in  notes 
sent  to  the  gardening  journals.  Daring  last 
spring,  an  eminent  dealer  in  Daffodils,  who 
thoroughly  understands  their  cultivation,  as- 
sured me  that  if  Daffjdils  are  lifted  just 
before  the  leaves  are  entirely  dead  and  ex- 
posed to  tin  air  under  cover  and  thoroughly 
dried,  the  flowers  are  found  to  be  finer  next  year 
than  of  those  not  so  treated  ;  also  that  they  may 
when  ripe  and  dry  be  kept  at  least  two  months 
out  of  the  ground  without  any  deterioration  being 
caused  to  the  next  year's  flowering.  I  am  quite 
ready  to  believe  my  informant,  but  as  in  most 
things,  so  especially  in  gardening,  practice  is 
better  than  theory,  so  I  am  making  experiments 
in  this  matter,  and  suggest  that  others  should  do 
the  same.  Meanwhile,  I  write  a  few  remarks 
bearing  on  the  practice  and  the  theory  of  ripening 
bulbs  artificially.  To  say  that  in  their  natural  state 
bulbs  are  not  lifted,  therefore  the  practice  must 
be  wrong,  is  a  most  fallaDious  argument.  Nature 
improves  by  very  slow  degrees  of  selection  and 
development,  but  the  art  of  cultivation  quickens 
the  process  and  produces  what  may  be  called,  for 
gardening  purposes,  rapid  improvement ;  this  is 
illustrated  in  the  case  of  florist's  flowers.  The 
gardener  aims  at  two  things  amongst  others — the 
development  of  ornamental  qualities  in  plants  and 
adapation  to  climate.  Take  Tulips  as  an  example. 
The  Tulip  belongs  to  a  climate  in  which  the  sum- 
mer is  drier,  the  winter  shorter,  and  the  spring 
earlier  than  in  England.  It  is  found  that  if  left 
in  the  ground  Tulips  have  a  tendency  to 
try  to  flower  before  the  atmospheric  conditions 
here  are  suitable ;  so  it  is  found  best  to 
retard  the  flowering  period  by  keeping  them  out 
of  the  ground  from  June  to  November,  and  I  be- 
lieve Tulip  growers  will  all  agree  that  the  flowers 
are  by  this  made  finer.  Then  consider  Cape  bulbs. 
These  in  their  own  country  have  a  short  term  of 
growth  and  a  long  term  of  rest,  during  which  rest 


the  ground  is  as  dry  as  dust.  Hardly  any  soils  in 
England  can  satisfy  these  conditions ;  therefore 
there  are  few  gardens  in  which  Cape  bulbs  can  be 
grown  successfully  without  lifting  and  keeping 
dry  above  ground.  As  for  Daffodils,  it  is  true 
that  they  are  either  native  or  inhabitants  of  a 
climate  not  differing  much  from  our  own  as  regards 
conditions  of  wet  and  dry,  and  no  doubt  Daffodils 
like  a  moist  and  temperate  climate  during  the 
time  of  their  activity,  but  I  suspsct  that  Daffodils 
like  and  are  better  for  a  period — say  two  months 
— of  complete  rest,  and  that  in  soils  in  which 
natural  conditions  do  not  afford  this  it  may  be  an 
advantage  to  secure  it  for  them  artificially.  In 
Ireland,  Wales,  and  the  south-west  of  England, 
where  the  Narcissus  tribe  do  best,  they  flower  very 
early  owing  to  the  mild  winters,  and  the  leaves 
have  reached  their  full  development  and  maturity 
before  the  sun  has  most  power,  which  is  from  the 
middle  of  June  to  the  middle  of  August.  This  is 
their  natural  time  for  rest,  and  during  these  months 
I  doubt  whether  it  signifies  whether  the  bulb  is 
above  ground  or  under.  But  in  climates  such  as 
Cheshire,  where  the  spring  is  late  and  the  soil  per- 
manently wet,  thegreen  leaf  of  Daffodils,though  full 
grown  in  June,  often  lasts  into  August.  The  poor 
bulb  in  this  case  gets  no  rest,  flower-buds  are  not 
developed,  and  the  old  and  new  growth  overlaps. 
In  such  conditions  it  seems  fair,  I  think,  to 
suppose  that  artificial  ripening  may  be  useful,  and 
the  question  is  whether  in  many  cases  the  ripen- 
ing may  not  be  hastened  and  the  period  of  rest 
prolonged  with  advantage  to  the  bulb. 

The  above  remarks  are  theoretical.  I  now  come 
to  practice.  I  find  that  by  lifting  and  transplanting 
bulbs  before  the  growth  is  matured  they  start  into 
growth  again  sooner  than  if  left  undisturbed,  and 
the  development  of  young  green  leaves  in  autumn 
and  the  flowering  in  spring  is  accelerated.  The 
earlier  in  the  growth  the  lifting  takes  place,  pro- 
vided it  is  after  flowering,  the  more  marked  is  the 
result ;  but  the  germ,  as  it  were,  of  next  year's  flower 
is  always  formed  before  the  ripening  of  the  bulb 
No  amount  of  good  cultivation  can  make  a  Daffodil 
flower  unless  the  germ  is  so  formed,  though  bad 
cultivation  may  prevent  the  flowering.  The 
determination  to  flower  next  year  is  formed  soon 
after  the  flowering  of  this  year ;  if  Daffodils  are 
dug  up  and  dried  whilst  in  flower,  they  seldom,  if 
ever,  flower  the  year  following.  So  also  if  Daffodils 
are  transplanted  and  disturbed  any  time  between 
the  commencement  of  growth  in  summer  and  their 
flowering  time  in  spring,  the  flowering  is  retarded 
and  more  or  less  injured.  I  conclude  from  these 
observations  that  lifting  bulbs  somewhat  pre- 
maturely is  far  less  injurious,  if  injurious  at  all, 
than  lifting  them  when  activity  has  recommenced. 
No  doubt  the  million  dig  np  their  Daff  jdils  at  the 
wrong  time.  When  summer  is  wet  growth  begins 
during  August  at  the  latest,  but  whether  in  the 
case  of  well  ripened  bulbs  the  cDmmenoement  of 
activity  may  not  be  retarded  with  advantage  to 
the  flowering,  I  am  not  yet  certain.  With  a  view 
to  ascertain  this,  I  have  this  summer  dug  up  and 
ripened  in  the  sun  several  hundred  Daffodils  and 
carefully  labelled  them,  noting  the  conditions  and 
dates.  Some  were  exposed  to  the  full  blaze  of 
this  summer's  sun  under  a  south  wall  during  all 
July  and  August,  and  these  now  look  clean  and 
healthy  enough  for  Mr.  Barr's  window  in  King 
Street,  but  I  will  say  more  about  them  next  year. 
I  have  not  confined  the  experiment  to  Daffodils; 
some  mysterious  bunches  of  evergreen  leaves, 
which  have  flourished  for  many  years  here,  sup- 


posed, but  never  proved,  to  be  Leucojum  asstivum, 
have  been  submitted  to  the  same  test.  And  last, 
but  not  the  least  in  interest,  tubers  of  the  Bayonne 
Anemone  fulgens,  which  from  year  to  year  dete- 
riorates here  if  left  in  the  soil,  were  dug  up  early 
in  June,  and  have  been  baking  in  all  the  sun  this 
summer  has  afforded  until  now  to  be  replanted 
side  by  side  with  some  fresh  from  their  native 
vineyard,  and  with  some  that  have  been  undis- 
turbed for  three  years.  About  the  result  of  thefo 
and  other  experiments  I  shall  have  more  to  say 
next  summer.  C.  Wollby  Dod. 
Edrje  Hall.      

NOTES  FROM  FRANCE. 

Prunua  Plssardi. — M.  Pynaert,  the  well- 
known  lialgian  nurseryman,  thus  writes  in  the 
BulU'fin  d-  Arboriculture  of  this  new  ornamental 
Plum :  "  Having  acquired  plants  of  this  new 
species  as  soon  as  it  was  distributed  in  the  spring 
of  1882,  I  am,  therefore,  enabled  to  judge  of  its 
remarkable  ornamental  qualities,  and  do  not  hesi- 
tate to  warmly  recommend  its  culture.  It  is  hardy 
as  far  as  the  past  winter  has  afforded  opportunity 
of  judging;  it  is  of  easy  culture,  of  vigorous 
growth,  and  the  foliage  retains  its  fine  colouration 
all  through  the  season.  Last  spring,  wishing  to 
show  some  forward  specimens  at  our  Inter- 
national Exhibition,  I  placed  some  plants 
of  it  in  warmth.  The  young  shoots  in  their 
first  stages  of  growth  were  of  a  sombre 
green  ;  it  was  only  later  on  that  the  leaves  be- 
came tinted  with  red,  which  gradually  increased. 
M.  Carriere  named  this  new  kind  in  memory  of 
M.  Pissard,  chief  gardener  to  the  Shah  of  Persia, 
who  sent  it  to  Franco.  It  is,  we  are  assured,  indi- 
genous near  Tauris,  an  important  town  situated 
some  230  miles  from  Teheran,  where  it  is  still 
rare  and  much  esteemed  for  the  colour  of  its 
leaves,  but  principally  for  the  sake  of  the  fruits, 
which  from  the  time  they  form  are  of  a  deep  red, 
and  are  much  esteemed  in  Teheran,  where  they 
are  eaten  with  salt,  or  are  employed  as  an  orna- 
mental fruit  for  dessert.  Prunus  Pissardi  may  be 
advantageously  employed  for  the  ornamentation 
of  shrubberies,  or  it  may  be  grown  in  the  borders 
near  the  dwelling,  as,  in  addition  to  being 
of  very  moderate  dimensions,  it  has  a  very 
pleasing  appearance,  both  on  account  of  the 
colour  of  the  foliage,  the  flowers,  the  fruit, 
and  the  colour  of  the  bark,  which  is  always  of  a 
shining  red,  rendering  it  constantly  ornamental.  It 
may  also  be  grown  in  pots  like  Spirajas  and  similar 
shrubs,  as  it  does  not  grow  very  high  and  ramifies 
considerably.  It  is  certainly,  I  repeat,  the  most 
remarkable  plant  that  has  been  introduced  for  a 
long  time,  and  there  is  no  doubt  of  its  being  much 
sought  after  by  plant  lovers  generally.  It  is  with- 
out contradiction  one  of  the  finest  introductions 
of  recent  times,  and  we  have  no  hesitation  in  pro- 
pagating Prunus  Pissardi  on  a  large  scale  in  the 
conviction  that  there  will  be  a  difficulty  in  autumn 
of  satisfying  the  numerous  applications  that  will 
be  made  for  this  charming  little  tree."  M.  Carriere 
also  observes  in  the  Iterue  Iloriicole,  "  This 
species  is  not  only  remarkable  for  the  colour  of  its 
leaves,  which  are  of  an  intense  red  in  varying 
shades,  but  the  berries  from  the  time  of  their 
formation  are  also  of  a  deep  red,  which  is 
absolutely  a  new  character  amongst  berry-bearing 
trees.  Thus  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  this 
Prunus  will  effect  a  veritable  revolution  in  the 
appearance  of  the  outdoor  garden. 

Packing  Paachas.— A  grower  of  Peaches  in 
the  south  of  France  who  annually  sends  a  large 
quantity  of  this  fruit  to  the  Paris  markets 
practises  a  method  of  packing  them  which  is  new 
to  me.  They  are  packed  in  light  boxes,  in  the 
bottom  of  which  is  put  a  layer  of  Oat  chaff  ;  on 
this  is  placed  a  layer  of  Peaches,  each  one  being 
enveloped  in  tissue  paper  and  another  piece  of 
ordinary  paper  round  that.  They  are  not  placed 
quite  close  to  each  other,  space  being  left  to  work 
in  enough  chaff  to  effectually  separate  each  fruit. 
Then  comes  another  layer  of  chaff  and  another 
of  Peaches,  and  so  on  until  the  bos  is  filled.    It  is 


174 


THE    GARDEN 


[Aug.  30,  1884. 


asserted  that  Peaches  packed  in  this  wa.y  come  ont 
as  fresh  as  when  gathered ;  at  any  rate,  those 
having  this  soft  frnit  to  send  any  distance  may 
take  a  hint  from  the  above,  as  what  answers  on  a 
large  scale  can  scarcely  fail  to  do  so  in  the  case  of 
moderate  quantities. 

Pomological  Society  of  Prance.— This 
has  accomplished  the  twenty-Sfth  year  of  its 
existence,  and  has  done  and  is  still  doing  a  large 
amount  of  useful  work.  As  will  be  inferred  from 
the  title,  its  work  lies  solely  amongst  hardy  fmits, 
and  the  fact  of  it5  adoptiog  any  particular  one  is 
supposed  to  be  a  convincing  proof  of  its  value  for 
general  culture.  The  self-imposed  mission  of  the 
I'omological  Society  is  to  collect  evidence  from  the 
whole  length  and  breadth  of  France  for  or  against 
any  fruit  which  it  takes  in  hand  to  study,  and  it  ap- 
pears to  carry  out  its  programme  conscientiously 
and  with  great  pains.  A  meeting  is  held  annually 
either  in  Paris  or  in  some  large  town  in  connection 
with  an  e.xhibition  of  fruits,  and  a  committee  being 
elected,  the  merits  of  the  fruits  forwarded  for 
inspection  are  discussed.  A  concensus  of  favour- 
able opinion  has  for  effect  the  adoption  of  any  par- 
ticular fruit,  the  reverse  of  this  causing  it  to  be 
ratjc  (struck  out),  whilst  conflicting  or  insufficient 
evidence  retains  it  on  the  list  (^mainfenne  a  I'etude). 
As  the  members  of  this  society  are  spread  over 
France,  there  is  every  chance  of  thoroughly  proving 
the  general  utility  of  any  fruit  taken  in  hand  cr 
of  detecting  its  faults,  and  of  seeing  how  it  be- 
haves under  the  varied  conditions  of  soil,  situa- 
tion, and  climate.  The  value  of  such  work  can  be 
well  estimated  by  all  who  have  had  anything  to 
do  with  the  culture  of  hardy  fruits,  so  many  of 
which  fail  to  realise  the  anticipations  formed 
concerning  them,  whilst  others  of  sterling  worth 
are  for  years  scarcely  known  or  but  of  local  fame. 
All  who  take  an  interest  in  horticulture  will  wish  for 
the  French  Pomological  Society  a  long  continuance 
of  prosperity  and  the  power  to  carry  out  the  good 
work  so  well  performed  up  to  the  present.  Is  it 
too  much  to  hope  that  something  similar  may  be 
shortly  instituted  in  this  country  ?  The  recent 
Apple  congress  gave  great  satisfaction,  and  was 
undoubtedly  a  step  forward ;  but  what  we  really 
seem  to  need  is  a  body  of  experienced  men  who 
would  undertake  a  work  similar  to  that  which  is 
now  being  carried  out  in  France,  which  should  not 
be  spismodic,  but  regular  in  its  action,  and  the 
decisions  of  which  would  have  real  weight,  and 
would  serve  as  a  guide  to  those  engaged  in  fruit 
production.  There  are  plenty  of  enthusiastic  and 
able  fruit  growers  in  England,  second  to  none  in 
any  country  in  skill,  who  would,  I  am  sure,  out  of 
pure  love  take  an  active  share  in.  the  working  of 
f uch  a  societj'. 

Winter  Melons.— There  is  a  note  in  the  ^(>»r- 
naliVAcclimutatiiiriconceTnmga,  Melon  commonly 
sold  in  the  maikets  of  Nice  which  will  probably 
be  of  interest  to  some  of  your  readers.  It  is  a 
green-tleshed  kind,  and  is  said  to  keep  well  until 
January,  not  losing  at  all  in  the  way  of  quality. 
It  is  very  sweet,  is  highly  perfumed,  and  requires 
no  more  than  ordinary  culture  to  bring  it  to  per- 
fection. If  these  lines  should  meet  the  eye  of  any- 
one who  has  resided  at  Nice  and  knows  anything 
of  this  Melon,  they  would  oblige  by  giving  such 
particulars  as  they  may  have  gathered  concerning 
it.  The  note  in  question  is  by  M.  le  Docteur 
Jeannel,  of  Villefranche,  who  has  sent  seeds  to  the 
Socieiu  d'Acclimatation.  A  Melon  having  such 
keeping  properties  ought  to  be  valuable  in  this 
country,  and  I  should  advise  English  Melons 
growers  to  endeavour  to  procure  it  and  give  it  a 
trial-  John  Corniiill. 


The  gardening  pre=p.— A  period  of  death  has  been 
fulloweil  by  Vdrious  new  liirtlis.  During  the  past  fciv  yeais 
a  nunil)er  of  juuriials  and  niagazmea  have  passed  away 
lliljl  lord's  Floral  World,  The  Floral  Magazine,  The  Htir- 
tmdtuTal  Record,  The  gardener.  The  Gardener's  ttecord— 
these  and  otliers  have  gone  to  the  bourne  whence  the  tra- 
veller seldom  returneih.  Others  are  said  to  be  in  poor 
lle.'ilth,  but  making  her  ,ic  cMnrts  as  the  fatal  ford  comes 
withm  sight  On  the  other  liand,  two  new  horticultural 
papers  were  started  vsiihin  a  few  weeks  of  each  other  this 
spring,  and  it  is  said  anothei  is  projected  and  will  soon  be 
issued,  lliese  new  papers  have  for  the  most  part  taken 
Gardenimj  for  their  model.  The  next  will,  it  is  said,  be  on 
a  diffTeut  plan,  but  bears  I  he  same  price, 


PLAI!^TS    IN    FLOWER. 

Arc;ot!s  arborescens.- -Although  not  hardy,  inas- 
niuch  as  it  needs  tlie  iTotcction  of  a  cold  frame  in  winter, 
tills  is  a  very  useful  plant  on  rockwork  during  the  summer 
months.  It  grows  about  2  feet  high,  and  is  well  furnished 
with  finely  pinnated,  irrfgularly  toothed  leaves  and  lar^e, 
handsome,  white,  yellow-disked  flowers.  The  hotter  and 
(iritr  the  iituation  the  better  it  seems  to  flower.  It  is  easily 
increased  by  means  of  cuttings  taken  off  now. 

Thie  white  Agapanthua.  —  A  chastely  beautiful 
plant  is  the  whits  variety  if  tlie  old  Cape  Lily.  Its  flowers 
are  not  in  anyway  marred  by  colour,  the  wliole  head  of 
flowers,  numbering  some  dozens,  being  spotle.-s  white.  It 
is  a  capital  gretntouse  f lant,  and  a  cliarraing  companion 
to  the  original  purple-blue  kind.  Visitors  to  Kew  may  see 
t  if  they  wish  in  tliat  part  of  the  T  range  where  the  Cape 
plants  are  grown.  It  is  a  plant  to  be  thoroughly  recom- 
mended. 

Ixora  DuCa.— There  are  few  plants  that 
visitors  to  the  Victoria  regia  house  at  Kew  admire 
nDore  just  now  than  this  Ixora,  which  is  unquestion- 
ably the  finest  of  the  genus  in  cultivation  so  faras 
regards  the  siz3  of  the  flower-clusters.  These  on 
the  Kew  plant  measure  some  9  inches  or  10  inches 
across,  and  form  quite  a  symmetrical  rounded  mass 
of  bright  orange-red.  It  does  not  appear,  how- 
ever, to  be  so  lloriferous  as  some  of  the  other 
kinds,  as  there  are  but  a  couple  of  heads  on  a 
good-sized  plant.  The  foliaga  is  luxuriant  and  the 
growth  vigorous,  which  enhances  the  appearance 
of  the  flowers.  It  is  a  plant  that  everyone  who  has 
a  stove  should  grow. 

Palavia  flexuosa.— Amongst  annual  Mal- 
vaceous  plants,  few,  with  the  exception  of  Malope 
trifida,  are  to  be  compared  with  the  handsome  and 
delicate  Palavia  flexuosa,  and  certainly  none  are 
more  easily  grown.  It  grows  about  a  foot  in 
height,  is  rather  straggly,  much  branched,  and 
well  clad  with  deep.  Fern-like  foliage.  Its  flowers, 
which  are  very  handsome,  are  about  the  size  of  a 
florin  ;  the  upper  part  of  the  petals  is  rose  coloured, 
and  they  merge  into  a  charming  white  ring  with  a 
brilliant  red  column  in  the  centre.  Treated  as  a 
hardy  annual,  and  sown  in  spring  along  with  the 
others,  this  does  very  well,  giving  little  or  no 
trouble  and  flowering  as  freely  as  most  other 
annuals. 

Morina  Coulteriana.  —  This  is  now  in 
flower  on  the  rockery  at  Kew,  and  seems  to  be  an 
acquisition.  It  was,  we  believe,  collected  in  Afganis- 
tan  a  few  years  ago  by  Dr.  Aitchison,  and  this  is 
the  second  year  of  its  flowering.  It  resembles  M. 
longifolia  in  general  habit,  but  has  much  narrower 
leaves,  longer  spines,  and  never  more  than  two  to- 
gether. It  grows  from  1  foot  to  2  feet  in  height, 
terminating  with  a  large  dense  head  of  beautiful 
primrose-yellow  flowers,  quite  rare  in  a  Morina, 
and  certainly  very  handsome.  As  far  as  is  at 
present  known,  seed  is  not  very  freely  produced, 
and  increase  will  have  to  be  effected  by  division 
of  the  roots.  M.  betonicoides  and  other  natives  of 
the  Himalayas  are  said  to  be  much  handsomer 
than  any  yet  introduced. 

Out-of-door  BegfOnlas.— I  send  you  a  few 
Begonia  blooms  from  a  bed  in  the  garden, 
doubles  included ;  they  are  all  seedlings,  and 
very  good  they  are  for  beds  ;  no  sort  of  weather 
affects  them,  wet  or  dry ;  they  are  now  blooming 
profusely  and  seem  likely  to  continue  so.  When 
planted,  which  was  done  in  plenty  of  good  soil 
and  freely  manured,  the  ground  was  carpeted  with 
Herniaria  glabra,  which  prevents  the  blooms  from 
being  splashed  by  the  soil.  When  raining  the 
scarlet  colours  show  up  with  more  effect,  carpeted 
with  green.— B.  Molyneu.x,  Sn-aumore  Park, 
Bishop's  Waltham. 

*,„*  An  excellent  gathering,  such  as  we  should 
have  hardly  surmised  to  have  come  from  open-air 
]5lants.  The  strain  is  excellent,  and  the  colours 
well  varied,  bright,  and  effective.  — Ed. 

Helianthua  cucumerifoliua. — Anyone  in 
search  of  a  really  good  border  annual  would  do 
well  to  give  a  fair  trial  to  this  pretty  Sunflower. 
Some  few  years  ago  it  was  not  uncommon,  bnt  it 
has  again  died  out,  probably  from  its  shyness  as 
regards  ripening  seeds  in  wet  seasons.  Sown  in 
early  spring  along  with  other  hardy  annuals  in 
moderately  rich  soil,  it  gives  no  trouble  whatever. 
It  requires  no  staking,  which  not  only  destroys 
the  natural  form  of  the  plant,  but  cramps  and 


suffocates  the  buds  and  half-opened  flowers.  It 
grows  from  1  foot  to  2  feet  high,  is  much  branched, 
and  has  a  dense  bushy  habit.  The  flowers,  which 
are  all  about  one  height,  are  bright  sulphur-yel- 
low when  first  open,  changing  afterwards  to  light 
orange.  The  leaves  are  oval,  slightly  cordate, 
rough  to  the  touch,  and  evenly  serrated. 

Lapagerla  rosea   eplendens  — Such  is 

the  name  which  has  been  given  to  an  excep- 
tionally fine  variety  of  the  Lapageria  at  Nash 
Court,  Maidstone,  flowers  of  which  have  been  sent 
to  us  by  Mr.  Dowdeswell.  They  are  not  only 
much  superior  in  size  to  those  of  the  ordinary 
variety,  but  the  colour  is  finer,  being  deeper  and 
richer  and  with  the  petals  conspicuously  and  pro- 
fusely marked  with  irregular  blotches  of  white. 
We  have  seen  this  Nash  Court  variety  before,  but 
the  flowers  now  sent  appear  to  represent  it  better 
than  usual.  As  the  name  splendens  has  some- 
what of  a  vague  meaning,  we  would  suggest  that  it 
be  called  the  Nash  Court  variety,  which  would  be 
much  more  distinctive,  as  there  are  other  forms  in 
cultivation  under  similar  names.  Some  excellent 
flowers  of  the  white  variety  are  also  sent,  and 
they  are  also  remarkable  for  good  growth. 

The  Zanzibar  Water  Lily.— This  fine  new 
aquatic  plant  may  now  be  seen  in  great  perfection 
in  the- old  Water  Lily  house  near  the  Palm  house 
at  Kew,  where  there  are  a  couple  of  plants  flower- 
ing profusely.  This  variety  far  eclipses  all  the 
others,  both  as  regards  the  size  of  the  flowers  and 
their  bright  colouring  ;  so  that  if  one  has  only 
room  for  one  Water  Lily  in  a  stove  tank,  this  one 
should  be  procured  if  possible.  Botanists  call  it 
only  a  variety  of  tbc  well-known  N.  stellata,  but 
it  is  so  distinct  from  that  kind  in  every  respect, 
that  it  may  well  be  regarded  as  a  distinct  species 
—  at  any  rate  for  garden  purposes.  This  new  addi- 
tion to  our  garden  aquatic  flora  must  be  looked 
upon  as  a  great  gain,  and  we  could  wish  that  nur- 
serymen were  able  to  supply  it  to  those  who  wish 
to  grow  it.  The  Zanzibar  Water  Lily  was,  it  may 
be  remembered,  the  subject  of  a  coloured  illustra- 
tion in  The  Gaeden  a  short  time  since. 

Two  new  Begonias.— I  send  you  blooms 
of  two  double  Begonias  raised  by  Mons.  Arnoult, 
and  sent  out  this  year  by  Messrs.  Thibaut  &  Kete- 
leer.  These  are  from  the  open  ground  in  Mr. 
Gumbleton's  garden  at  Belgrove,  where  Begonias 
flourish  and  bloom  in  marvellous  beauty.  The 
warm  and  dry  summer  with  careful  watering  has 
brought  them  to  greater  perfection  than  usual. 
Madame  Arnoult,  a  splendid  double  of  a  shaded 
rosy  pink  colour,  is  the  greatest  acquisition 
amongst  the  lighter  shades  and  worthy  of  the 
honour  of  a  first  class  certificate,  which  it  received 
on  August  12  at  South  Kensington.  Blanche 
Duval  is  also  a  most  desirable  variety  of  fine  and 
distinct  form,  white  tinted  with  sulphur  and  palest 
red. — J.  T.  Poe,  Eiirrsto7i. 

*^*  Both  uncommonly  fine  sorts  with  large 
rosette-like  blossoms.  Madame  Arnoult  is  of  an 
extremely  delicate  and  pleasing  colour,  and  the 
same  may  be  said  of  Blanche  Duval. — Ed. 

Ligustrum  japonicum.— Where  this,  the 
Japanese  Pritet,  is  grown,  it  is  making  its  pre- 
sence conspicuous,  not  only  by  its  large  clusters  of 
white  blooms,  but  also  by  its  powerful  odour,  which 
is  not  really  unpleasant,  though  not  so  agreeable 
as  could  be  desired.  It  is  a  valuable  shrub,  inas- 
much as  it  flowers  just  at  the  present  season  when 
shrubberies  are  well-nigh  flowerless.  Its  shining 
foliage  sets  off  the  flowers  admirably.  We  saw  it 
a  few  days  ago  in  Mr.  Stevens'  garden,  at  Byfleet, 
where,  amidst  other  shrubs  and  plants  which  were 
parched  for  want  of  water,  its  luxuriant  foliage 
stands  cut  conspicuously.  It  is  a  capital  shrub  to 
have  where  bees  are  kept,  as  they  seem  to  be  spe- 
cially fond  of  it,  and  no  doubt  they  get  a  good 
deal  of  honey  from  the  flowers.  Mr.  Stevens  has 
now  stocked  his  garden  with  bees,  in  order  to  ob- 
serve which  plants  they  .are  most  fond  of,  which 
they  visit  most,  and  which  they  avoid.  The  result 
of  his  observations  will  be  interesting  to  bee 
keepers. 

Redbraes  Picotee.— This  new  Picotee  has 
won  such  universal  popularity  during  the  short 


Aug.  30    1S84.] 


THE     GARDEN 


175 


time  that  it  has  been  before  the  public,  that  there 
is  little  occasion  to  eulogise  it  here.  We  are  re- 
minded of  its  beauty  and  value  as  a  garden  flower 
by  a  large  handful  of  blooms  sent  to  us  during  the 
week  from  its  birthplace— the  Pilrig  Park  Nur- 
sery at  Edinburgh.  As  soon  as  it  expanded  its 
first  flower  the  Messrs.  Dicksons  thought  highly 
of  it,  and  marked  it  as  a  coming  flower.  This  was 
only  two  or  three  years  ago  ;  since  then  it  has 
been  widely  distributed,  and  it  is  a  familiar  object 
in  southern  gardens  during  Carnation  time.  Its 
good  qualities  lie  not  only  in  its  blooms,  but  in  its 
sturdy,  vigorous  growth  and  floriferous  habit.  The 
flowers  are  of  moderate  size,  with  good  broad  white 
petals,  heavily  edged  with  reddish  purple.  If 
Messrs.  Dicksons  can  raise  other  sorts  of  a  similar 
race,  but  of  different  colours,  they  would  receive 
the  thanks  of  those  who  love  to  grow  Picotees  and 
Carnations  that  take  care  of  themselves  in  the 
open  border  without  any  coddling  treatment. 

CEnotheratanacetifolia— For  free  flower- 
ing habit  and  a  neat  style  of  growth,  none  of  the 
acaulescent  or  stemless  CEnotheras  are  to  be  com- 
pared with  (E.  tanacetifolia.  It  is  a  native  of  the 
higher  parts  of  Sierra  Nevada,  and  proves  to  be 
perfectly  hardy  with  us  in  a  dry  sunny  position 
on  the  rockery,  where  it  expands  its  pretty  sul- 
phury yellow  flowers  all  through  the  summer.  A 
comparatively  new  species  not  having  found  its 
way  into  general  cultivation  was  found  by  Torrey 
and  Gray  in  the  survey  of  the  Mississippi  and 
Pacific  Railroad.  As  regards  the  root,  it  some- 
what resembles  ffi.  biennis,  being  thick  and  taper- 
ing with  but  few  fibres  ;  the  leaves,  which  are  pro- 
duced in  rosettes  on  the  top,  are  from  .^  inches 
to  4  inches  long,  finely  dissected  or  irregularly 
notched,  and  covered  with  a  fine  white  pubescence. 
The  flowers  are  very  handsome  and  freely  pro- 
duced. This  tKnothera  is  a  most  beautiful  sub- 
ject for  the  rockery,  where,  however,  it  requires 
plenty  of  room,  as  it  increases  by  short  under- 
ground roots  or  stems,  from  which  it  may  be  pro- 
pagated easily,  provided  care  be  taken  to  insure  a 
good  proportion  of  the  root  with  the  cutting.  Care, 
too,  must  be  taken  to  ward  off  damp,  cuttings 
being  very  liable  to  rot  off  at  the  neck.  This  plant 
does  not  ripen  seed  freely  in  this  country,  except 
In  very  favourable  seasons. 

Linarla  Peloria. — A  striking  instance,  if 
that  were  needed,  to  show  that  our  native  plants 
are  not  appreciated  so  much  as  they  deserve  to  be, 
is  clearly  set  forth  in  this  Linaria,  a  natural  variety 
or  monstrosity  of  Linaria  vulgaris  found  plentiful 
on  our  heaths.  This  L.  Peloria  is  one  of  those 
peculiar  prodigies  that  might  develop  wonderfully 
under  good  and  careful  cultivation,  if  one  may  be 
allowed  to  judge  from  the  size  and  beauty  of  the 
flowers  attained  under  ordinary  conditions ;  the 
intensity  of  the  orange  colour  near  the  month  has 
increased  considerably.  It  is  a  first-rate  border 
plant — indeed  one  of  the  best,  and  a  most  profuse 
flowerer,  blooming  in  uninterrupted  succession  from 
early  summer,  and  to  all  appearance  likely  to  con- 
tinue until  cut  off  by  early  frost.  For  flower 
garden  work,  or  for  beds  in  positions  not  requiring 
much  attention,  this  is  a  charming  plant ;  it  grows 
only  about  2  feet  high,  is  busby  in  habit,  being 
well  clothed  with  lovely  narrow  glaucous  leaves  ; 
the  flowers  are  produced  in  spikes  at  the  extremi- 
ties of  the  branches,  each  from  4  inches  to  8  inches 
long.  They  are  bright  or  sulphury  yellow,  and 
instead  of  having  one  spur,  as  in  the  common 
L.  vulgaris,  there  are  five,  very  long,  and  regular — 
a  very  interesting  monstrosity;  the  mouth  of  the 
corolla  is  deep  orange  and  very  handsome.  It  is 
easily  increased  from  cuttings  placed  in  pots  in  a 
cool  frame,  and  is  perfectly  hardy  in  the  open 
border. 


Variegation     transferable.  —  In    The 

Garden  (p.  206)  there  is  an  account  of  the  trans- 
fer of  variegation  from  Lonicera  aureo-reticulata 
to  the  leaves  of  a  Convolvulus.  I  am  familiar 
with  similar  instances.  In  my  late  garden  at 
lUackheath  I  grew  some  fifty  different  Ivies,  and 
found  that  whenever  lledera  Helix  aurea  robusta 
intertwined  with  green  Ivies  the  variegation  of 
the  leaves  was  communicated,  even  to  Ivies  of  the 


most  different  character,  such  as  II.  algeriensis, 
donnerailensis,  chrysocarpa,  and  others.  I  had  a 
Holly  hedge  which  was  all  green  certainly  for 
more,  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  but  a  variegated 
sport  arose,  as  I  think  the  result  of  the  variegated 
varieties  of  Holly  that  I  cultivated.  I  have  trained 
several  variegated  Ivies  amongst  an  Ampclopsis 
Veitchi,  and  lately  a  few  leaves  of  the  creeper 
have  become  variegated. —  J.  Jennee  Weir, 
Beclti'nhtim. 


WOKK    DONE    IN    WEEK   ENDING 
AUGUST  27. 

August  21  and  22.— So  far  as  work  in  the  open 
air  isconcerned,  beyond  the  usual  daily  clearing  up, 
we  have  not  been  able  to  do  anything  else  than 
Potato  digging,  and  if  we  could  well  have  postponed 
such  work,  we  certainly  would  have  done  so  for  the 
men's  sake,  as  the  scorching  sunshine  has  been 
most  trying,  but  there  appeared  to  be  no  choice  in 
the  matter,  at  least  not  if  the  work  was  to  be  kept 
well  in  hand,  for  so  many  jobs  have  had  to  be  left 
till  the  drought  ends,  that  whatever  will  help  us  to 
meet  the  pressure  that  will  then  take  place  must 
now  be  done,  and  all  except  very  late  varieties  of 
Potatoes  being  ripe,  they  have  been  dug  up  and 
housed  in  splendid  order,  there  being  scarcely  a  dis- 
eased tuber,  and  what  is  very  remarkable  all  kinds 
are  of  a  moderate  size,  there  being  few  either  very 
small  or  very  large  amongst  any  of  the  sorts.  We 
store  them  in  a  cool  cellar,  that  if  needs  be  can  be 
well  ventilated  without  admitting  daylight,  and 
thus  we  avoid  greening.  In  picking  up  the  Pota- 
toes the  usable  sizes  are  first  selected,  then  the  seed, 
and  next  the  very  small  or  bad  ;  the  first  for  lack 
of  space  are  stored  away  thickly,  and  this  net 
being  done  till  they  are  quite  dry,  they  keep  just 
as  well  as  if  put  more  thinly.  The  seed  are  put 
thinner,  and  in  places  more  airy  and  light,  as  it 
does  not  matter  about  their  getting  a  bit  green, 
but  it  does  matter  about  their  being  laid  in  heaps 
so  thick,  that  premature  shoots  are  emitted.  The 
small  tubers  go  to  the  pigs,  being  used  at  once.  As 
the  stores  of  the  usable  size  are  reduced  and  more 
room  afforded  we  like  to  spread  them  all  out  to 
prevent  any  unnecessary  decay  that  might  take 
place  owing  to  a  diseased  tuber  being  present. 
Indoors  the  past  two  days  have  been  (one  must 
soon  write  as  usual)  most  trying,  not  as  regards 
ventilation — that  has  been  simple  enough,  for  all 
has  had  to  be  put  on — but  in  regard  to  doing  the 
necessary  work  under  such  tropical  conditions. 
Watering  has  been  heavy,  syringing  and  washing 
of  trees  (Peaches  and  Nectarines)  indispensable, 
and  regulating  the  shoots  on  the  trellis,  that  all 
might  have  a  fair  share  of  sunshine.  Pines  we 
still  shade.  Vines  too,  with  a  slight  sprinkling  of 
whitening  on  the  roof,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt 
of  the  benefit  derived  from  its  application,  as  all 
the  foliage  is  green  except  such  as  was  exposed  to 
the  full  force  of  sunshine  when  it  first  began  to 
shine  so  fiercely.  Watering  of  inside  borders  we 
still  practise,  even  though  the  fruit  is  well  coloured ; 
we  have  always  done  watering,  irrespective  of 
weather,  whenever  the  borders  have  been  dry,  and 
as  yet  have  not  observed  any  evil  consequences, 
except  a  score  or  two  of  cracked  berries  on  Muscat 
Grapes,  which  is  a  small  matter  in  comparison  with 
the  shrivelling  of  the  entire  crop  owing  to  want  of 
water. 

August  23. — Our  general  overhaul  of  the  flower 
garden  to-day  included  the  taking  off  a  quantity 
of  Pelargonium  cuttings,  for  the  double  purpose 
of  propagation  and  of  adding  to  the  neatness  of 
the  beds,  which  were  getting  too  crowded,  as  were 
also  some  of  the  foliage  plants  ;  and  to  relieve  ad- 
joining plants,  a  large  leaf  here  and  there  of  Hi- 
cinus,  Solanum,  Dahlias,  &c.,  has  been  cut  quite 
off,  and  undergrowth  plants  pinched  hard  back 
this  season,  Alternantheras  and  Coleus  needing  as 
much  of  this  labour  as  does  the  common  Pyrethrum 
Golden  Feather.  Fuchsias  and  single  Dahlias  do 
not  relish  such  a  summer,  though  with  copious 
supplies  of  water  and  syringing  overhead  in  the 
evenings  they  present  a  moderately  effective  ap- 
pearance. The  persistency  of  seeding  that  single 
Dahlias  manifest  is  incredible,  and  another  hot 
season  or  two  will  about  tire  us  of  picking  off 


seed-pods  to  keep  the  plants  in  a  flowcricg  state. 
The  beds  being  now  in  perfection,  I  made  note  to- 
day of  the  best  arrangements,  that  is,  of  the  most 
pleasing  and  lasting,  about  which  I  hope  to  give 
some  account  shortly. 

August  25. — Hoeing  principally ;  this  opera- 
tion has  proved  of  immense  benefit  to  our  kitchen 
garden  crops,  for,  in  spite  of  the  drought,  nothing 
has  suffered  except  Peas,  whilst  as  to  weeds  they 
are  simply  nil.  The  final  pinching  has  been  done  to 
Peaches,  Nectarines,  and  Apricots;  all  sub-laterals 
have  been  pinched  to  within  a  couple  of  eyes  of 
the  main  shoot,  and  some  few  of  the  latter 
have  been  taken  out  to  give  increased  space  to 
others,  our  aim  being  to  have  light  reach  every 
shoot  and  every  fruit  that  is  now  ripening.  Hav- 
ing, as  long  as  water  and  time  to  apply  it  would 
hold  out,  given  copious  supplies  at  root  and  top, 
the  fruit  is  fine  and  the  wood  and  foliage  good  as 
can  be ;  some  of  it  will  unfortunately  suffer 
through  our  having  to  thickly  net  up  the  fruit  to 
preserve  it  from  wasps,  which  are  very  numerous. 
The  nests  are  being  taken,  and  we  hope  soon  to  be 
able  to  so  reduce  their  number  that  thick  protec- 
tion may  be  dispensed  with.  Apricots  are  nearly 
over,  but  we  shall  continue  to  water  and  syringe 
the  trees  just  the  same  as  if  they  were  full  of 
fruit.  Pears  on  walls  being  all  but  fruitless,  wood 
growth  has  been  unusually  great,  and  we  have 
taken  it  off  without  mercy — I  may  say  just  in  the 
same  fashion  as  Peaches — as  the  walls  being 
covered,  there  is  no  space  for  extension  of  the  trees. 
If  I  may  use  the  phrase,  restrictive  pruning  is 
therefore  compulsory.  Bat  it  answers  well  enough, 
as  there  is  plenty  of  healthy  spurs,  and  hav- 
ing been  regularly  reduced  or  thinned  out  at  the 
winter  pruning,  the  new  summer  buds  have  a  suf- 
ficiency of  space  to  ensure  sunlight  reaching 
them.  On  standard  trees  we  leave  young  growth  to 
replace  the  old  that  is  taken  out  in  winter,  but  all 
unlikely  wood  for  that  purpose  and  weak  shoots 
generally  are  now  being  cut  or  pinched  off.  Pro- 
pagation of  flower  garden  plants  is  our  main  work 
about  the  houses.  Pelargonium  cuttings  are  being 
put  in  on  a  south  border,  as  named  in  a  former 
note,  and  other  and  tenderer  kinds- of  plants  in 
manure  frames,  shading  being  indispensable  for  this 
last  section  till  they  have  taken  root,  for  if  once 
they  flag,  the  probabilities  are  failure  to  6trike,_or, 
at  any  rate,  without  numbers  of  losses.  Watering 
of  borders  and  Pines,  cutting  out  a  few  shanked 
berries  in  late  Muscat  vinery,  tying  out  Chrysan- 
themums, and  potting  Bouvardias  are  the  other 
jobs  that  have  been  done  to-day. 

August  26  and  27.— Clipping  Grass  edgings  on 
roads  and  walks,  sweeping  up  under  Limes,  cut- 
ting Brambles  and  Bracken,  and  otherwise  clearing 
walks  in  the  woods,  have  formed  the  greater  part  of 
our  outside  duties.  The  work  in  the  houses  has 
also  been  of  a  purely  routine  character ;  watering, 
airing,  and  propagation,  together  with  weedicg 
and  pinching  runners  oft'  pot  Strawberries,  and 
tying  out  of  Melons  and  Cucumbers  is  about  all 
that  has  been  done.  HANTS. 


NOTES  or  THE  WEEK. 

Daffodils.— As  a  sign  of  the  times,  we  have  to  note  that 
tradesmen  are  issuing  special  cat.ilogues  of  hardy  flowers, 
and  in  some  cases  of  special  classes  of  plants.  We  have  to 
hand  from  Mr.  Baylor  Hartland,  of  Cork,  a  catalogue  en- 
tirely devoted  to  the  Daffodils.  It  comprises  nearly  a  hun- 
dred varieties,  most  of  which  are  brielly  descril.ied.  Ilie 
cataloKue,  which  is  an  excellent  prodnction,  is  out  of  the 
ordiuaiy  run  of  trade  li.sts. 

The  Dundee  International  Show- 
There  is  every  promise  of  the  show  to  be  held  at 
Dundee  on  the  Uth,  12th,  and  13th  of  September 
being  an  important  affair;  it  will  no  doubt  equal 
in  extent  the  international  shows  held  during  the 
past  few  years  at  Manchester  and  Edinburgh. 
Upwards  of  ilOOO  are  offered  in  prizes.  The 
schedule  includes  upwards  of  200  classes,  the 
prizes  ranging  from  i;20  downwards.  The  trus- 
tees of  the  Veitch  Memorial  prizes  offer  the  usual 
medals  and  prizes  of  £r,  for  the  following  objects  : 
1,  for  the  best  specimen  Orchid  in  flower;  2, 
best  specimen  of  a  stove  or  greenhouse  plant 
selected  from  classes  i  and  5  ;  3,  best  two  bunches 


176 


THE     GARDEN 


[Aug.  30,    1884. 


of  Grapes  (one  variety)  selected  from  classes  12  to 
2t  inclusive.  The  competition  is  restricted  to 
amateurs  or  amateurs'  gardeners. 

New  bridge  in  Regent's  Park.— By 
order  of  the  Commissioner  of  Woods  and  Forests 
a  number  of  men  commenced  the  other  day  the 
foundation  of  a  bridge  which  is  to  be  erected 
over  the  ornamental  water  of  the  Regent's  Park. 
Some  few  months  since  a  large  number  of  indig- 
nation meetings  were  held  in  Jlarylebone,  agitat- 
ing for  more  space  in  the  park  to  be  devoted  to 
the  public.  The  result  of  these  meetings  having 
been  considered  by  Mr.  Shaw  Lefevre,  several 
acres  of  ground  which  had  previously  been  kept 
exclusively  for  the  residents  of  the  terraces  over- 
looking the  park  have  been  thrown  open,  taking 
in  a  large  piece  of  land  between  Hanover  and 
York  Gates.  About  midway  between  is  Clarence 
Gate,  leading  direct  from  Baker  Street,  and  it  is 
directly  opposite  this  that  the  bridge  is  to  be 
erected,  making  a  direct  line  of  communication 
from  the  south-west  and  west-central  districts  to 
the  centre  of  the  park.  The  bridge,  which  will 
consist  of  ornamental  iron  lattice  girders,  with 
moulded  Portland  stone  pilasters  on  either  side  at 
each  end,  will  be  10  feet  wide,  with  a  1-foot 
heading  from  the  water  to  allow  boats  to  pass 
under  it. 


Reichenbaohi  and  quinquevulnerum,  Cypripedium 
barbatum,  javanicum,  and  Sedeni,  Cypripedium 
longifolinm,  Harrisianum,  and  Roezli,  Dendrobium 
chrysanthum,  Stenia  fimbriata,  Masillaria  grandi- 
flora  and  venusta,  Dendrochilum  filiforme,  Epi- 
dendrum  vitellinum  and  vitellinum  majus, 
Epidendrum  prismatocarpum  and  cinnabari- 
num,  Phalcenopsis  Luddemanniana,  Saccolabium 
Blumei  majus  and  gemmatum,  Oncidium  Weltoni 
and  ling!eforme,Oncidium  Harrisonianum,  Mesos- 
pinidium  sanguineum  and  vulcanicum.  Around 
the  basket  were  sprays  of  Abies  Albertiana  and 
Lapageria  rosea  and  alba. 


INDOOR    Garden. 


ORCHIDS  IN  FLOWER. 

Lfelia  elegans  Dayana. — The  finest  plant  probalily 
in  this  country  of  tliis  rare  and  beautiful  LxUa  is  now 
bloomin^' finely  at  Mr.  William  Bull's  nursery,  King's  Road, 
Ciielsea  It  has  three  spikes,  two  with  seven  llowers  each 
and  one  with  five. 

Cypripedium  Lawranceanum  majus  —Such  is 
the  varietal  name  which  might  appropriately  lie  applied  to 
an  e.vtraordinarily  large-iiowered  form  of  tliis  Lady's  Slipper 
whicli  hai  been  sent  to  us  by  Mr.  Alex.  Curie,  of  Melrose. 
The  flower  measures  5  inches  across ;  the  dorsal  or  upper 
sepal  is  2-^  inclies  across  by  2  inches  in  length,  and  the 
colour  of  the  whole  flower  is  deeper  and  finer  than  usual. 

Spathoglottis  Fortunei— This  terrestrial 
Orchid  possesses  two  desirable  qualities — it  is 
pretty,  and  distinct  from  the  general  run  of  Or- 
chids. There  is  now  a  luxuriant  potful  of  it  in 
the  cool  part  of  the  Orchid  house  at  Kew  flowering 
profusely.  It  has  tall,  slender  flower-stems,  termi- 
nated by  showy  flowers  coloured  with  a  clear 
chrome-yellow.  The  leaves  are  few,  and  proceed 
from  tiny  bulbs,  which  just  show  themselves  above 
the  surface.  I'lowering  at  this  season,  it  is  doubly 
valuable,  and  it  remains  in  perfection  a  good  while. 

Disas  In  the  Isle  of  Wight.— The  plant 
I  alluded  to  the  other  day  as  having  been  in  the 
open  border  for  more  than  a  year  is  now  in  blos- 
som, and  it  shows  that  if  Disa  grandiflora  will  live 
in  the  open  ground,  it  will  do  better  than  in  a  pot. 
If  the  flower  were  not  so  exceedingly  handsome, 
I  would  pluck  it  and  send  it  to  you ;  but  I  am 
sure  I  may  eay  that  it  is  nearly  twice  as  large  as 
the  last  blosfom  I  forwarded,  and  quite  as  good 
in  point  of  colour.  If  anyone  could  spare  me  a 
bit  of  the  large  variety  yon  speak  of,  viz  ,  Disa 
grandiflora  superba,  I  should  esteem  it  to  be  the 
greatest  possible  kindness,  and  I  would  gratefully 
send  him  anything  I  can  manage  in  return  for  it. 
— H.  EwBANK,  St.  Ju/in's,  Hyde,  Isle  of  Uight. 

August-flo-werlng  Orchids.— August  and 
September  generally  are  considered  to  be  the 
dullest  months  for  Orchid  bloom,  but,  as  illus- 
trating the  number  of  distinct  kinds  that  can  be 
had  in  flower  at  the  end  of  August,  we  append  a 
list  of  the  Orchids  which  composed  a  bouquet 
presented  by  Dr.  Paterson,  of  Fernfield,  Bridge  of 
Allan,  to  H.E.H.  the  Princess  of  'Wales  on  the 
occasion  of  the  royal  visit  lately  paid  to  the 
Forestry  E.xhibition  at  Edinburgh.  The  following 
is  the  list  alluded  to,  viz, :  Vanda  tricolor  Patersoni, 
Vanda  teres  Andersoni,  Cattleya  Leopoldi  variety 
guttata,  Brassia  maculata  guttata,  Miltonia  spec- 
tabilis,  Odontoglossum  Alexandra:  and  Uro-Skin- 
neri,  Odontoglossum  tripudians  and  vexillarium, 
Odontoglossum  Rossi  and  Rossi  majus,  Odonto- 
glossum Lindleyanum  and  Pescatorei,  Disa 
grandiflora  superba,  Masdevallia  Davisi,  Veitchi, 
and  amabilis,  Masdevallia  maculata  aurea,  ochtho- 
dQ5,  and  Lindeni,  Angra:cam  eburneum,  Aerides 


WINTER  TREATMENT  OF   CAMELLIAS. 
Amateur  cultivators  of  Camellias  often  find  not 
a  few  difficulties  in  the  way  of  managing  and 
floweritg  them    successfully,    especially    during 
winter.     The   plants   drop  their  buds  at  a  time 
when  the  cultivator  is  looking  hopefully  for  a 
pleasant  head  of  bloom.     When  housed  for  the 
winter,  watering  must  be  carefully  done,  for  the 
giving  of  either  too  little  or  too  much  will  cause 
the  buds  to  fall  off,  and  the  whole  season's  labour 
to  be  lost.     What  actually  causes  the  buds  to  fall 
is  the  question  that  exercises  the  mind  of  the  dis- 
appointed cultivator.     A  bad  system  of  watering 
has  something  to  do  with  it.  A  little  water  applied 
frequently— that  worst  of  all  known  forms  of  mis- 
management— will  render  the  soil  moist,  and  in 
some  cases  even  sour,  for  half  way  down  the  pots, 
whilst  the  lower  part  of  the  ball  may  be  as  dry  as 
dust.     There  is  nothing  more  difficult  than  to  get 
persons  to  observe  this  simple  rule,  "  Never  water 
till  a  plant  really  requires  it,  and  then  soak  it ;  " 
and  an  uncongenial  soil  is  also  a  cause  of  bud 
dropping.     Many,  knowing  that  Camellias  cannot 
grow   in  a  strong  heavy  soil,  mix  for  them  peat 
and  loam.     In  this  case  peat  acts  mechanically  at 
first  in  keeping  the  particles  of  loam  apart,  and 
for    a    time    the    Camellia    will     grow  well    in 
this  mixture.     But,  as  loam  contains  potash  and 
lime,  and  peat  is  full  of  humic  and  mimic  acid, 
they  act  on  each  other,  and  the  result  is  a  sour 
soil,  in  which  Camellias  become  unhealthy.     Sods 
cut  as  if  for  forming  a  Grass  plat  taken  from  a 
sandy  loam,  particularly  if  it  grows  Foxglove, 
Heath,  or  Fern,  chopped,  or,  better  still,  pulled  to 
pieces  when  quite  fresh,  is  the  best  soil  for  Camel- 
lias without  any  admixture.    If  not  sandy  enough, 
silver  sand  may  be  added.  If  a  suitable  loam  can- 
not be  obtained,  the  nextbestsoil  is  a  good  fibrous 
peat,  unmixed  with  anything  else.  Peat  soil  ought 
never  to  be  mixed  with  anything  except  white 
sand,  it  sand  be  required.     Camellias  often  do 
well  in  pure  peat,  particularly  when  assisted  with 
a   little  weak  guano  water  or  soot  water  when 
growing.     The  former  must  be  very  weak,  cer- 
tainly not  more  than  one  ounce  to  a  gallon  of 
water,  given  once  or  twice  a  week.   Another  cause 
of  Camellias  dropping  their  buds  is  doubtless  a 
poor  exhausted  soil  from  which  the  plants  gain 
little  or  no  support.  A  plant  too  which  has  formed 
its  buds  under  glass  is  often  turned  out  of  doors, 
where  it  is  liable  to  be  soaked  by  heavy  and  con- 
tinuous rains,  and  is  night  after  night  exposed  to 
heavy  dews.     Under  these  circumstances  it  will 
often  look  healthy  ;  but  when  brought  into  a  glass 
house  and  subjected  to  a  dry  heat  with  possibly 
not  enough  water  at  the  roots  for  days  together, 
it  is  not  surprising  that  the  shock  produced  by  so 
great  a  change  should  be  injurious.   Many  a  plant 
also  suffers  from  the  extreme  dryness  of  the  air 
during  frosty  weather.     I  have  often  been  obliged 
to   water  the  pathways  during  frost,  and  some- 
times have  even  had  the  evaporating  troughs  filled 
with  water  in  winter.    Perhaps,  however,  the  most 
frequent  cause  of  the  shedding  of  Camellia  buds 
is  excess  of  moisture  rather  than  too  little  of  it. 
The  amateur  grower  should  so  manage  as  to  keep 
the  soil  in  which  the  plants  are  growing  something 
between  dry  and  damp.     When  water  is  adminis- 
tered it  should  be  of  the  same  temperature  as  that 
of  the  house  in  which  the  plants  are  growing.   Cold 
currents  of  air  playing  directly  on  the  plants  are 
also  injurious  at  times.  E.  D. 


Plumbago      capensls.  —  This     beautiful 
greenhouse  plant  is  now  beginning  to  flower,  and 
very  attractive  it  is  at  this  time  of  year.     It  is  one 
of  the  mostaccommodatingplantswehave,  growing 
and  flowering  in  profusion  even   in  houses  that 
have  a  much  higher  temperature  than  that  of  a 
greenhouse.    We  have  it  planted  out  in  three  dif- 
ferent houses,  in  one  of  which  some  flowers  may 
be  seen  nearly  all  the  summer  and  autumn,  the 
difference  of  the  flowering  season  being  caused  by 
the  amount  of  heat  which  it  receives.    Its  pale 
blue  blossoms  are  so  distinct  and  pleasing,  that 
they  are  always  admired.     This  Plumbago  grows 
freely  planted  out  in  tolerably  good  soil,  buti  ts 
cultivation  in  pots  is  seldom  satisfactory.     Some- 
times we  hear  of  it  flowering  freely  in  summer 
outside,  and  with  well  ripened  old  plants  and  a 
suitable  season  such  results  may  be  obtained,  but 
under  other  conditions  it  is  uncertain.    A  pillar 
or  rafter  of  a  greenhouse  or  conservatory  is  test  if 
only  one  place  be  chosen,  and  in  such  a  situation 
a  healthy  plant    will  soon  grow  and  establish 
itself.    It  should  be  allowed  to  grow  to  the  height 
required,  and  then  be  pruned  in  annually  in  au- 
tumn after  growth  is  completed.     The  best  re- 
sults are  obtained  by  thinning  out  all  the  weaker 
growths  when  quite  small,  thus  encouraging  others. 
Copious  supplies  of  water  are  needed  throughout 
the  summer  and  until  the  wood  is  ripened,  when  it 
should  be  gradually  withheld  during  the  resting 
period.     It  may  be  well  to  point  out  to  beginners 
that   P.   capensis  flowers  on  the  points  of   the 
shoots,  and  that  consequently  the  latter  must  be 
allowed  to  grow  their  full  length  without  stop- 
ping.    They  grow  freely  and  hang  down  grace- 
fully from  a  pillar  or  rafter. 

Dlely  tra  speotabilis  best  in  pots.— This 

lovely  hardy  herbaceous  plant,  now  better  known 
as  Dicentra  spectabilis,  is  one  of  the  very  best 
things  that  can  possibly  be  had  for  pots,  which  is 
really  the  only  entirely  satisfactory  way  of  growing 
it;  for  though  hardy,  as  just  stated,  it  is  apt  to 
become  injured  by  spring  frosts,  on  account  of 
the  soft  young  shoots  pushing  up  so  early  out  of 
the  ground,  and  when  they  get  cut  by  cold  the 
plants  become  very  much  crippled  and  weakened 
for  the  rest  of  the  season.  'This  being  so,  they 
should,  if  planted  out  at  all,  be  placed  in  the  most 
sheltered  positions  that  can  be  found  in  the 
borders,  one  of  the  best  places  being  on  the  south 
side  of  a  wall  or  fence,  where  at  night  during 
April  it  is  advisable  to  stick  a  few  evergreen 
branches  around  the  crowns  and  cover  them  with 
an  inch  or  two  of  Cocoa-nut  fi'ore  or  half-rotten 
leaves  to  shelter  and  protect  them.  Grown  in 
pots  and  kept  under  glass,  the  Dieljtra  is  even 
more  lovely  and  delicate  looking  than  it  is  ever 
seen  out  in  the  open,  and  those  who  have  plants 
will  do  well  to  take  some  of  them  up  and  grow 
them  on  for  the  greenhouse.  Not  only  is  this 
plant  readily  amenable  to  pot  cultivation,  but  it 
forces  easily,  although  it  should  not  have  much 
heat,  but  be  brought  on  slowly,  as  it  is  only  by 
this  gradual  and  natural  process  that  strong 
shoots  are  formed.  In  lifting  the  plants  care 
should  be  taken  not  to  break  the  roots,  which  are 
large,  fleshy,  and  brittle,  and  if  got  up  intact  soon 
form  fresh  fibres  to  feed  and  push  up  the  strong 
crowns.  If  any  increase  of  stock  is  desired  when 
digging  out  the  plants,  that  is  the  time  to  effect  it, 
as  they  bear  division  and  may  be  cut  through,  and 
as  many  made  as  there  are  shoots  or  crown  buds, 
as  every  such  portion  will  grow.  This  plant  may 
also  be  increased  by  means  of  cuttings,  which 
root  freely  if  taken  off  after  the  young  shoots 
become  a  little  firm,  at  which  time  they  strike 
better,  as  they  are  less  liable  to  damp.— S.  D. 

Choisya  ternata. — Mr.  Roberts  is  very  suc- 
cessful with  this  plant  at  Gunnersbury.  He  grows 
a  large  number  in  pots,  rather  confining  their 
roots  than  otherwise,  and  during  summer  they  are 
plunged  out-of-doors,  when  they  set  their  buds  ; 
when  they  flower  they  are  fed  with  a  little  liquid 
manure.  Anyone  desirous  of  flowering  this 
plant  successfully  should  do  all  they  can  to  en- 
courage sturdy  shrubby  growth,  a  condition  under 
which  the  specimens  flower  best.  It  is  not  neces- 
sary to  starve  the  plants  to  secure  this,  and  they 


AtG.  30,  1884.] 


THE    GAUDEN 


m 


should  be  kept  somewhat  potbonncl,  but  not 
starved.  When  planted  in  a  south  border  and 
fully  established,  they  become  objects  of  great 
beauty.— R.  D. 


HYBRID  GREENHOUSE  RHODODENDRONS. 

Greenhouse  Rhododendrons  seem  likely  to  be- 
come even  more  popular  than  they  have  been 
judging  by  the  increased  interest  taken  in  them 
and  by  the  many  new  kinds  that  have  been  sent 
out  during  these  last  few  years.  Several  handsome 


tendency  to  run  up  thin  unless  such  means  are  re- 
sorted to  in  order  to  check  its  growth.  R.  exoni- 
ense.  the  subject  of  our  illustration,  is  a  hybrid 
between  R.  Veitchianum  and  ciliatum  ;  its  flowers 
strikingly  remind  one  of  those  of  the  former,  while 
in  habit  and  hardiness  it  resembles  the  latter. 
From  an  ornamental  point  of  view,  however,  it  is 
decidedly  superior  to  both,  as  R.  Veitchianum  is 
by  no  means  good  in  habit,  especially  when  young, 
while  this  is  as  dwarf  and  compact  as  an  Azalea. 
The  flowers  are  white  with  a  creamy  stain  in  the 
centre,  and  the  back  of  the  petals  is  faintly  tinged 


full  air  on  during  the  winter.  Thus  managed 
they  flower  about  April.  We  have  had  them  in 
bloom  during  all  the  spring  months  from  January 
by  putting  them  in  heat,  treatment  which  they 
seem  to  bear  very  well.  We  have  had  a  plant  of 
it  out-of-doors  for  two  winters  (certainly  mild 
ones),  and  In  the  open  ground  it  forms  a  dense 
growing  low  shrub.  We  use  the  flowers  for  bou- 
quets, wreaths,  &o.  They  associate  well  with 
white  Azaleas,  relieving  their  glaring  whiteness, 
if  I  may  use  the  expression,  by  their  ivory-white 
tints."     Although  it  may  grow  out-of-dcors    at 


Shododendron  exoniense.    Engraved/or  THE  GARDEN  from  a  photograph. 


hybrids,  all  with  white  or  nearly  white  flowers, 
have  been  obtained  by  intercrossing  K.  ciliatum, 
Edgeworthi,  Dalhousim,  formosum,  and  Veitchia- 
num, these  hybrids  being  extremely  free  bloomers 
and  their  flowers  for  the  most  part  agreeably 
scented.  The  dwarf  R.  ciliatum  has  been  largely 
employed  as  a  seed-bearer,  many  hybrids 
having  been  raised  from  it.  One  of  the  first 
was  R.  Princess  Alice,  a  hybrid  raised  between 
ciliatum  and  Edgeworthi.  This  has  large  sweet- 
scented  flowers,  but,  like  all  the  descendants  of  R. 
Edgeworthi,  if  dwarf  bashes  are  desired  it  must  be 
pinched  back  freely  when  young,  as  it  shows  a 


with  rose.  They  are  very  sweet-scented  and 
average  a  little  over  3  inches  in  diameter.  The 
profuse  way  in  which  it  flowers  is  well 
shown,  and  also  its  dense  bushy  style  of 
growth.  This  Rhododendron  has  already  had  its 
merits  duly  recognised,  for  both  the  Royal  Hor- 
ticultural and  Botanic  Societies  have  awarded 
it  certificates.  Mr.  Robert  Veitch,  of  Exeter, 
the  raiser  of  it,  says  :  "  We  treat  our  plants  in 
exactly  the  same  manner  as  we  do  our  Azaleas, 
i.e.,  keep  them  close  after  flowering  and  syringe 
them  well.  Their  wood,  when  made,  is  ripened 
in  the  same  house  in  which  they  remain,  with 


Exeter,  the  greenhouse  is  doubtless  its  proper 
place,  for  it  is  by  no  means  likely  to  prove  hardy. 
Edgeworthi,  one  of  its  parents,  requires  protec- 
tion, except  in  very  sheltered  spots,  and  the  Moul- 
mein  R.  Veitchianum  is  rtill  more  tender. 

Another  variety  of  Continental  origin  claims  to 
be  a  descendant  from  R.  Veitchianum,  viz.,  R. 
Forsterianum,  but  as  it  is  the  result  of  a  cross 
between  that  kind  and  R.  Edgeworthi,  its  habit 
is  altogether  taller  than  that  of  R.  exoniense, 
which  partakes  of  the  dwarfed  character  of  R. 
ciliatum.  R.  Forsterianum  was  raised  by  Mr. 
Otto  Forster  in  Austria,  and  bears,  perhaps,  the 


178 


THE    GARDEN 


[Arc.  30,  1884. 


largest  blooms  of  any  o£  this  class  of  Rhododen- 
droQs.  The  flower  is  white,  tinged  in  the  centre 
with  lemon  and  the  edges  of  the  petals  prettily 
crisped.  Another  grand  variety  is  R.  Sesterianum, 
a  variety  raised  between  Gibsonior  formosum  and 
EJgeworthi.  In  general  characters  it  is  a  good 
deal  like  Forsterianum.  R.  Duchess  of  Buccleuch 
la  also  much  in  the  same  way.  These  different 
hybrids  of  Elgeworthi  seed  very  readily;  there- 
fore, as  a  rule,  any  number  of  plants  can  be 
raised  from  them,  and  as  many  of  them  vary  to  a 
certain  extent,  different  forms  may  occasionally 
be  met  with  bearing  the  same  name. 

A  very  distinct  and  handsome  hybrid  is  Countess 
of  Haddington,  the  result  of  a  cross  between  R.  Dal- 
housise  (itself  a  primrose-flowered  kind,  but  very 
straggling  in  growth)  and  R.  ciliatum.  The  large 
bell-shaped  blossoms  of  this  variety  are  when  first 
expanded  pinkish,  but  afterwards  they  become 
almost  white.  As  a  proof  of  the  variations  to  be 
found  among  seedlings,  we  may  mention  that  out 
of  a  dozen  plants  obtained  from  seed  there  was  a 
perceptible  difference  amongst  all  of  them,  espe- 
cially as  regards  the  colour  of  the  flowers.  Thus 
extra  good  types  must  be  increased  by  cuttings  or 
grafts.  Countess  of  Haddington  forms  a  large, 
handsome  bush,  but  it  also  flowers  freely  in  a  small 
state. 

Another  group  of  hybrids  has  been  obtained  by 
Mr.  Davies,  of  Ormskirk,  by  intercrossing  Edge- 
worthi  with  the  dwarf  free-blooming  R.  multi- 
florum.  These  are  distinguished  by  dwarf  twiggy 
growth  and  great  profusion  of  bloom — properties 
which  eminently  fit  them  for  flowering  in  small 
pots.  This  class  of  Rhododendrons  is  more  popu- 
lar in  the  north  than  in  the  south,  where  they 
S3em  at  present  to  be  but  little  known.  They  are 
named  Countess  of  Derby,  Lady  Skelmersdale, 
Mrs.  Jatoe^  Shawe,  Countess  of  Sefton,  and 
Duchess  of  Sutherland,  all  of  which  possess  a 
strong  family  likeness.  The  blooms,  which  are 
white,  are  in  one  or  two  cases  slightly  tinged  with 
pink,  and  are  delioiously  fragrant.  The  advan- 
tage possessed  by  all  the  above  hybrids  over 
most  of  the  recognised  species  is  the  freedom  with 
which  they  fiower  when  in  a  small  state,  though  in 
this  respect  some  o£  their  parents  nearly  approach 
them,  especially  if  propagated  by  cuttings.  In 
this  way  doubtless  some  of  the  larger  Himalayan 
kinds  could  be  induced  to  bloom  in  less  time  than 
when  raised  from  seed,  but  as  a  rule  a  good  deal 
of  space  is  required  to  grow  them  to  perfection. 
Greenhouse  Rhododendrons  are,  however,  so  eSec- 
tive  when  in  bloom,  as  to  be  well  worth  devoting 
a  house  to  them  ;  during  the  flowering  season  the 
display  made  by  them  would  be  most  interesting, 
and  they  need  only  sufficient  heat  to  keep  out 
frost. 

There  is  yet  another  class  of  greenhouse  hybrids 
that  need  rather  more  heat  during  the  winter  than 
the  preceding ;  indeed  they  do  best  when  kept 
during  cold  weather  in  the  temperature  of  an 
intermediate  house.  To  this  section  belong  R. 
jasminiflorum,  javanicum,  Lobbi,  and  the  various 
hybrids  raised  therefrom.  Of  the  latter,  the  oldest 
and  best  known  is  the  pink  flowered  Princess 
Royal,  but  there  are  many  others,  such  as  Duchess 
of  Teck  (buff), Duchess  of  Edinburgh  (rich  glowing 
crimson),Taj'lori  (pink  with  a  white  tube),  Princess 
Alexandra  (white),  Maiden's  Blush  (pale  rose),  and 
Duchess  of  Connaught  (bright  red).  These  kinds 
bloom  at  almost  any  season  of  the  year ;  indeed 
under  liberal  treatment  they  are  rarely  ever  out 
of  flower.  In  a  cool  position  in  the  stove  or  in  an 
intermediate  temperature  they  may  be  had  in 
flower  throughout  the  winter.  Alpha. 


produced  that,  if  uninterrupted,  push  up  and 
form  a  colony  at  some  little  distance  from 
the  parent  plant.  These  in  their  turn  increase, 
and  thus  a  large  clump  is  soon  formed,  which 
when  in  bloom  is  very  beautiful.  If  grown 
in  pots  the  progress  of  these  shoots  is  of 
course  checked.  Though  nearly  hardy,  we  keep 
our  plants  of  this  Montbretia  in  a  cold  frame 
during  winter,  never  even  at  that  season  allowing 
them  to  become  very  dry,  and  we  pot  them  before 
growth  commences  in  spring.  The  soil  used  is  a 
good  turfy  loam  with  an  admixture  of  leaf  mould, 
well  decayed  manure,  and  sand,  care  being  taken 
to  ensure  thorough  drainage.  When  all  danger 
from  frost  is  over,  the  plants  (or  rather  the  pots 
with  a  number  of  plants  in  them)  are  plunged  to 
their  rims  in  the  open  ground,  care  being  taken  to 
keep  them  properly  supplied  with  water  during 
summer,  for  this  Montbretia,  in  common  with  the 
better  known  M.  Pottsi,  has  often  the  by  no  means 
desirable  habit  of  assuming  a  sickly  tint  just 
before  flowering,  which  detracts  a  good  deal  from 
its  ornamental  appearance.  I  find  those  kept  on  the 
side  of  dryness  to  be  more  liable  to  it  than  those  that 
are  treated  more  liberally  in  the  matter  of  water. 
As  our  pots  are  thoroughly  well  drained,  we  give 
copious  supplies  of  water  when  the  plants  are  in  full 
growth,  and  about  once  a  week  they  are  given  a 
dose  of  weak  liquid  manure,  which  seems  to 
benefit  them  greatly.  A  plant  so  prolific  in  the 
way  of  suckers  as  this  is  can,  of  course,  be 
increa.sed  easily  enough,  all  that  is  necessary  being 
to  split  up  an  old  clump  into  as  many  pieces  as  are 
required. — H.  P. 


Montbretia  crocosmseflora.  —  This  is 
amenable  to  pot  culture,  and  when  used  either  for 
greenhouse  or  conservatory,  it  supplies  a  colour 
which  is  but  little  represented  by  plants  commonly 
employed  for  that  purpose.  It  is  said  to  be  the 
result  of  a  cross  between  Tritonia  aureaand  Mont- 
bretia Pottsi.  Its  growth,  however,  most  resembles 
that  of  the  Montbretia  and  it  flowers  about  the 
same  time,  but  its  blooms  are  more  like  those  of  the 
Tritonia  than  the  Montbretia.  From  the  bulbs 
great  numbers  of  stout  underground  shoots  are 


BASKIN  HILL,  DRUMCONDRA. 

The  name  of  the  owner  of  this  place  and  garden — 
the  Rev.  F.  Tymons— is  familiar  to  readers  of  The 
Garden.  He  is  an  ardent  lover  of  florists'  flowers 
and  a  keen  and  successful  cultivator  of  herbaceous 
plants.  By  one  of  those  caprices  of  fashion 
which — sometimes  reasonable  and  sometimes  the 
reverse — make  great  changes  in  our  surroundings, 
the  north  side  of  the  city  of  Dublin,  once  the 
fashionable  side,  has  given  place  to  the  south,  and 
as  in  the  city  itself,  so  in  the  country  around  it, 
the  rush  of  villas,  &c.,  has  been  towards  the  Dublin 
mountains,  and  Wicklow  especially,  while  the 
northern  side  has  been  at  a  standstill ;  hence  it 
has  more  of  the  country  and  less  of  suburban  ap- 
pearance, and  stone  walls  and  formal  avenues  are 
less  the  rule  than  on  the  southern  side,  while  good 
views  of  the  sea  are  to  be  had  from  many  points. 
Baskin  Hill  is  a  low,  one-storied,  comfortable 
bungalow-looking  house,  and  from  the  hall  door 
good  views  of  Howth  and  Ireland's  Bye  are  to  be 
had.  Itis  2  miles  from  the  Portumna  Station  of  the 
Dublin  and  Drogheda  Railway,  a  place  which  I 
well  remember  in  my  early  days,  as  our  resort 
when  entomologising.    Here  my  friend  rejoices  in 

A  THOROUGHLY  GOOD  OLD-FASHIONED  GARDEN, 

walled  in,  and  containing  within  it  many  pre- 
cious things.  ^Vhile  I  call  it  old-fashioned,  I 
must  not  forget  that  while  our  fathers  and  grand- 
fathers (and  this  garden  has  been  in  Mr.  Tymons' 
family  for  eighty  years)  cultivated  and  rejoiced  in 
these  old  flowers,  the  enterprise  and  labour  of 
modern  gardeners  have  led  to  an  immense  increase 
in  the  number  of  kinds,  and  while  the  taste  for 
herbaceous  and  alpine  plants  goes  on  at  its  pre- 
sent rate,  we  may  be  quite  sure  that  no  part  of 
the  world  where  subjects  fit  for  our  out-of-door 
gardening  can  be  had  will  be  left  unransacked. 
There  is  no  one  genus  of  the  old-fashioned  flowers 
of  our  gardens  that  has  not  received  valuable  addi- 
tions during  the  past  twenty  years,  and  the 
cry  is  "  still  they  come."  When,  then,  any- 
one with  this  taste  has  the  means  of  grati- 
fying it,  a  source  of  almost  boundless  pleasure 
lies  before  them,  especially  having  that  charm 
of  constant  variety.  Our  forefathers  cultivated 
Delphiniums,  but  they  had  not  those  exquisite 
varieties  that  we  have.  They  had  their  Aquilegias, 
but  not  such  as  ccerulea,  chrysantha,  and  many 
others  of  recent  introduction,  and  they  had  not 
their  rock  gardens  and  their  bogs,  where  some  of 
the  choicest  rarities  are  to  be  seen.  On  entering 
the  garden  one  is  shown  two  small  round  beds  of 


Eoheveiia  eecunda  glauca  in  full  bloom,  which 
have  stood  for  twenty  years,  thus  proving,  at  least 
in  this  locality,  its  entire  hardiness.  In  the  centre 
of  the  garden  is  a  very  nicely  planned  and  natural 
looking  piece  of  rockwork,  where  many  things 
often  accounted  diflicult  are  doing  well,  and  where 
the  dogmatic  statements  of  some  authorities  are 
disproved.  Thus  we  have  been  told  that  the  pretty, 
but  often  impracticable,  Campanula  Allioni  dislikes 
limestone,  while  here  it  is  flourishing  in  almost 
pure  limestone  soil.  Here,  too,  were  to  be  found 
Gentiana  verna,  Androsaces,  &c. ;  but  it  would 
be  needless  for  me  to  enumerate  the  many 
good  things  here  cultivated.  It  would  be 
just  simply  to  take  Ware's,  Paul's,  Backhouse's, 
or  Dickson's  catalogue  and  select  the  very  best  of 
the  plants  there  described  ;  and  yet  this  would  not 
be  sufficient,  for  here  is  a  grand,  noble-looking 
foliage  plant  which  I  can  find  in  no  catalogue,  but 
which  both  here  and  at  the  College  Gardens  struck 
me  by  its  grand  and  beautiful  leafage — Verbascum 
olympicum,  worthy  indeed  of  the  gods  whose  seat 
the  mountain  was.  The  leaves  are  2  feet  in  length 
and  of  a  beautifully  soft  texture  and  of  a  yellowish 
tint.  It  may  seem  an  absurd  comparison,  but  it 
has  somewhat  the  texture  of  fustian,  and  is  in 
truth  a  grand-looking  plant.  We  sometimes  hear 
(and,  indeed,  I  have  said  so  myself)  that  Delphi- 
nium Belladonna,  that  most  exquisitely  coloured 
of  all  its  tribe,  is  more  difticult  to  manage  and 
smaller  in  growth  than  mo.^t  of  its  congeners. 
Well,  here  I  saw  one  clump  of  it  fully  5  feet 
through,  and  which  bids  fair  to  have  spikes  some 
6  feet  in  height,  and  as  vigorous  in  habit  as  any 
Larkspur  I  ever  saw.  Again,  we  are  told  over 
here  that  the  white  Martagon  Lily  is  scarce,  and 
it  is  not  unusual  to  see  it  marked  at  3s.  6d. 
and  5s.  in  the  catalogues.  Here  were  grand 
clumps  of  it  with  from  fifteen  to  twenty  flowering 
stems  as  vigorous  as  the  common  Martagon.  The 
same  may  be  said  of  the  double  purple.  A  good 
deal  has  been  said  about  the  double  white 
Rocket.  There  are  of  this  two  sorts,  both 
of  which  Mr.  Tymons  cultivates,  although  his 
favourite,  and  deservedly  so,  is  the  Paper-white 
as  distinguished  from  the  ordinary  white,  some 
such  diflierence  as  is  to  be  seen  in  Roses,  in  the 
slightly  suffused  bloom  of  Madame  Lacharme  and 
the  dead  white  of  Merveille  de  Lyon.  Amongst 
plants  I  had  not  seen  before  were  Ajuga  Brock- 
banki,  which  seems  to  be  a  strong,  deep-coloured 
bugle.     Of  course  all  the 

Spring  flowering  plants  were  over,  but  I 
was  interested  in  seeing  the  collection  of  Auricu- 
las, of  which  I  had  heard  so  much.  It  was  not  as 
large  as  I  had  anticipated,  but  it  was  the  most 
select  one  that  I  have  seen.  Mr.  Tymons  has 
gradually  been  weeding  out  all  inferior  varieties, 
and  in  this  small  collection  of  a  couple  of  frames 
are  to  be  seen  all  the  "crack"  sorts,  and  with  them 
some  which  are  rarely  to  be  seen  anywhere ;  in 
fact,  his  taste  is  too  severe  a  one  to  be  satisfied 
with  any  but  the  best  sorts  ;  and  so  while  Hero, 
Lightbody's  Acme,  &:c.,  are  here  to  be  seen  in 
goodly  numbers,  there  are  no  Champneys,  Neills, 
and  such  like  rubbish.  Of  course,  this  is  the  best 
way  to  grow  a  collection,  or  rather  a  selection. 
There  are  few  people  who  have  the  courage  to  do 
this,  while  there  are  some,  who,  for  variety's  sake, 
will  grow  anything  that  can  be  got  together. 
Mr.  Tymons'  plants  were  in  frames  standing  on 
four  legs  some  height  from  the  ground — an  old- 
fashioned  plan  (but  a  thoroughly  good  one)  which 
I  have  not  seen  for  many  years.  They  were,  of 
course,  at  this  season  of  the  year  in  a  place  facing 
north,  and  so  kept  cool.  This  is  one  difficulty  I 
have  to  contend  with,  for  I  can  get  no  thoroughly 
shady  place  that  is  not  overhung  with  trees. 

In  the  greenhouses  were  a  variety  of  plants 
in  fine  health  and  doing  well.  I  alluded  in  last 
week's  Garden  to  Mr.  Tymons'  culture  of  Disa 
grandiflora  ;  there  were  several  pans  of  it  in 
excellent  health,  but,  as  I  have  said,  the  appearance 
of  their  growth  pointed  to  a  different  variety  to 
that  which  I  have  known  for  many  years.  There 
was  one  pan,  indeed,  of  different  growth  what 
seemed  to  be  of  the  same  character  as  my  own.  I 
have  not  seen  the  bloom  of  any  of  Mr.  Tymous' 


AiG.  30,  1884 J 


THE    GARDEN 


179 


plants,  but  as  they  bore  a  strikicg  resemblance  to 
those  I  saw  at  Glasnevin,  and  as  I  believe  the 
plants  came  originally  from  there,  I  have  no  doubt 
they  are  identical. 

As  AN  EXHIBITOR  at  the  exhibitions  of  the 
Eoyal  Horticultural  Society  of  Ireland  Mr.  Tymons 
is  well  known  as  one  of  the  most  successful  pro- 
ducers of  pot  Koses,  and  the  appearance  of  his 
plants,  which  are  now  out  of  doors  in  order  to 
ripen  their  wood,  was  such  as  would  lead  one  to 
the  conclusion  that  they  must  be  very  good  ones 
that  could  beat  them.  He  has  also  one  of  the 
choicest  collection  of  Tulips  in  Ireland,  his  stock 
having  come  originally  from  that  earnest  and  most 
popular  florist,  Mr.  Samuel  Barlow,  of  Stakehill, 
near  Manchester.  How  these  Lancashire  florists 
leave  their  mark  everywhere  I  Pansies,  too,  were 
well  done,  although  the  dry  season  (unusually  dry 
for  Ireland)  had  told  against  them.  I  have  thus 
endeavoured  faintly  to  show  what  a  wealth  of 
floral  beauty  there  is  in  this  old-fashioned  garden ; 
and  that  when  Mr.  Tymons  writes  on  any  subject, 
he  does  so  not  from  mere  theory,  but  as  a  prac- 
tical horticulturist,  doing  much  of  this  work  him- 
self, and  carefully  superintending  all.  I  spent  a 
delightful  day  in  this  pleasant  place,  and  I  would, 
knowing  how  high  is  the  estimation  in  which  he 
is  held,  use  the  favourite  Irish  expression,  "  May 
his  shadow  never  be  less."  Delta. 


COTTAGF,  GARDENS  AND  THEIR  PRODUC- 
TIONS. 
This  has  always  been  a  subject  of  importance  to 
those  who  take  an  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the 
working  man.  It  has  been  long  acknowledged 
that  the  garden  plot  is  a  most  valuable  adjunct 
to  the  cottage  of  the  labourer,  and  much  has  been 
done  to  induce  the  latter  to  turn  his  allotment  to 
the  best  account.  Cottage  gardening  in  England 
may  be  said  to  have  reached  a  considerable  de- 
gree of  perfection  ;  but  it  is  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  towns  and  large  villages,  where  the  artisan 
class  predominate  that  it  is  practised  most  suc- 
cessfully. The  numerous  horticultural  exhibi- 
tions held  at  such  places  as  Manchester,  Notting- 
ham, and  other  towns  thow  this,  but  at  the 
smaller  village  shows  throughout  the  country  the 
produce  shown  by  cottagers  is  usually  of  the  most 
excellent  description  also,  and  if  the  value  of 
cottage  garden  produce  could  be  ascertained,  no 
doubt  it  would  represent  an  enormous  sum.  1 
speak  of  England,  for  in  Scotland,  notwithstand- 
ing its  scientific  agriculture,  cottage  gardening  is 
much  behind,  even  among  the  farming  class.  The 
farming  and  labouring  Scotch  are  not  great  vege- 
table consumers  as  compared  with  the  English  of 
the  same  class,  and  the  English  artisan's  and 
labourer's  garden  usually  far  excels  that  of  the 
farmer  and  the  more  respectable  cottager  in 
Scotland  in  the  variety  and  quality  of  its  produce. 
In  the  Scotch  cottage  garden  what  may  be  called 
the  barest  neces.sities  only  are  grown,  consisting 
principally  of  Potatoes,  Greens,  Cabbage,  Beans, 
and  a  few  fruits  and  flowers;  while  south 
of  the  Tweed,  in  the  humblest  gardens,  where 
any  attempt  at  culture  is  made  at  all,  we 
find  Potatoes,  Cabbages,  Cauliflower,  Celery, 
Onions,  Peas,  Beans,  Tamips,  Scarlet  Runners, 
Lettuce,  Parsley,  herbs,  a  fair  sprinkling  of  flowers, 
and  not  infrequently  a  small  orchard  of  fruit 
trees  and  bushes.  The  English  working  man  is  a 
better  liver  than  the  Scotchman,  who  is  at  best 
more  frugal  in  his  diet,  and  I  daresay  that  ac- 
counts for  the  difference  in  the  produce  of  their 
gardens.  At  all  events,  the  difference  has  always 
been,  and  is  now,  very  marked.  What  I  desire  to 
point  out  here  more  particularly,  however,  is  the 
value  of  the  garden  to  the  cottager  who  puts  it  to 
a  right  use,  and  that  any  means  intended  to  en- 
courage him  in  that  direction  should  be  of  a  prac- 
tical and  definite  nature,  whether  they  take  the 
form  of  prizes  for  the  best  cultivated  garden,  or 
for  special  examples  of  culture  at  local  shows. 

The  cottage  gardener  is  a  great  imitator  of 
those  in  a  larger  way  than  himself,  and  it  is  abun- 
dantly evident  from  what  we  see  that  he  may  be 
easily  led  into  either  a  right  or  a  wrong  path  by 
example.    Time  was  when  cottage  gardens  used 


to  be  the  repository  of  many  fine  old-fashioned 
hardy  plants  —  Lilies,  Roses,  Tulips,  Pansies, 
Phloxes,  Delphiniums,  Lily  of  the  Valley,  Christ- 
mas Roses,  and  the  like;  but  the  bedding-out 
craze,  among  other  ill  results  which  it  produced, 
changed  all  that,  and  converted  many  a  pretty 
and  interesting  cottage  garden  into  a  jumbled 
mass  of  Geraniums,  Calceolarias,  Lobelias,  &c. ; 
and  as  the  humble  imitators  of  this  stjle  had  sel- 
dom the  means  of  carrying  it  out  successfully,  their 
plots  at  the  best  presented  but  a  caricature  of  it, 
and  were  empty  more  than  half  the  year.  In  fact, 
the  cottagers  on  many  large  estates  were  depen- 
dent on  the  goodness  of  the  landlor4,  and  seldom 
troubled  themselves  to  provide  a  supply  of  garden 
plants  of  their  own.  The  quantity  of  "  bedding 
stuff  ■'  given  away  from  many  gentlemen's  gardens 
every  year  would  hardly  be  credited  ;  but  the  tax 
became  a  serious  one  in  many  instances  to  both 
employers  and  their  gardeners,  and  one  of  (he 
best  features  of  the  increasing  popularity  of  hardy 
permanent  plants  is  the  fact  that  that  tax  will  be 
to  a  great  extent  removed. 

T  only  mention  flower  gardening  as  an  example. 
It  has  not  been  so  bad  with  the  culture  of  vege- 
tables and  fruits,  but  it  is  a  fact,  too,  that  even  in 
the  culture  of  these  the  cottager,  through  his  own 
vanity  and  the  misdirected  encouragement  given 
by  local  exhibitions,  has  been  induced  to 
waste  his  resources  to  a  considerable  extent, 
and  reform  is  much  needed.  It  is  sur- 
prising, for  example,  to  what  an  extent  small 
glasshouses  and  frames  are  now  used  by  cottagers. 
In  some  instances  these  have  been  turned  to  good 
account,  but  as  a  rule  the  working  man  and  artisan 
have  neither  the  means  nor  the  skill  to  utilise 
such  structures  advantageously,  and  they  become 
a  dead  loss  to  them,  or,  at  best,  but  a  fancy  toy. 
It  is  obvious  that  a  cottager  in  possession  of  a  good 
garden  or  an  allotment  cannot  do  better  than 
turn  it  to  account  for  the  production  of  those  crops 
that  possess  a  money  value  to  him,  whether  he 
sells  them  or  uses  them  in  his  own  family.  It  is 
here  where  the  injudicious  character  of  the  prizes 
offered  by  cottagers'  exhibitions  is  seen,  many, 
and  often  the  most  liberal,  prizes  being  offered  for 
subjects  that  can  only  be  grown  with  the  aid  of 
glass  and  other  appliances  that  are  not  convenient 
to  cottagers,  and  less  encouragement  consequently 
given  to  the  production  of  those  crops  that  would 
be  most  useful.  Besides,  the  expense  of  seeds, 
cuttings,  and  propagation  under  such  circum- 
stances are  always  considerable.  It  would  hardly 
be  credited  how  the  resources  of  some  local  horti- 
cultural societies  are  prostituted  in  that  way.  I  am 
acquainted  with  those  which  offer  prizes  for 
the  best  flower  gardens  in  a  villEge  where  the 
gardens  face  the  street,  the  object  being,  of  course, 
to  encourage  a  love  of  flowers  and  tidiness — two 
praiseworthy  objects ;  but  the  result  has  not  been 
satisfactory.  For  years  back  a  few  cottagers  only 
have  entered  for  competition,  and  the  way  they 
outvie  each  other  in  their  efforts  to  produce  the 
most  showy  patterns  in  their  small  plots— gene- 
rally filled  exclusively  with  bedding  plants— shows 
that  it  is  not  honest  rivalry  or  good  gardening 
that  furnishes  the  motive,  and  besides,  the  expense 
incurred  must  greatly  exceed  the  value  of  the 
prizes.  At  the  same  time,  the  greater  portion  of 
the  cottagers  are  virtually  excluded  from  com- 
petition, not  caring  to  enter  a  contest  conducted 
in  such  a  manner. 

The  culture  op  vegetables  aI'D  F£,owers 
is  so  associated,  that  where  the  one  is  there  will 
the  other  be  also ;  but  the  main  object  of  provid- 
ing the  labourer  with  gardens  has  always  been  to 
add  to  his  comfort  and  means  of  livelihood,  and 
these  ends  can  be  best  secured  by  the  culture  of 
such  useful  vegetables  and  fruits  as  can  be  grown 
in  the  open  air,  and  these  consist  of  Potatoes, 
Cabbages,  Brussels  Sprouts,  Greens,  Onions,  Peas, 
Beans,  and  salads;  and  of  fruits — Strawberries, 
Currants,  Gooseberries,  Raspberries,  Apples,  Pears, 
Plums,  and  Cherries.  Fruit  culture  is  undoubtedly 
the  weak  point  of  cottage-garden  culture  in  Eng- 
land. It  is  not  understood,  and  it  is  a  fact  that 
country  labourers  and  working  men  generally  are 
almost  as  Ul  supplied  with  common  fruits  as  poor 


dwellers  in  towns ;  because,  while  the  latter  may 
provide  himself  from  the  market  when  he  can 
afford  it,  the  other  cannot  so  readily  do  so,  and, 
Viaving  no  supply  of  his  own,  he  has  to  go  without. 
The  cottager  who  plants  fruit  trees  and  bushes 
suffers  like  the  others  better  circumstanced. 
There  are  so  many  varieties  to  choofe  from,  and 
he  does  not  know  which  to  have ;  consequently, 
his  Apples,  Pears,  &c.,  are  as  often  as  otherwise 
the  wrong  variety.  That  this  is  so  I  know  from 
extensive  acquaintance  with  cottage  gardens  — 
S.  W.,  in  Fidd. 


FUCHSIAS  BY  THE  SEA. 
From  obseivations  which  I  have  made,  I  am  in- 
cliiied  to  think  that  the  list  of  plants  that  wi  I 
thrive  near  the  sea  is  not  so  restricted  as  some 
seem  to  think.  The  Fuchsia,  for  instance,  is 
one  of  the  plants  that  would  not  generally  be 
selected  for  such  a  situation,  except  by  those 
who  have  had  opportunities  of  watching  its  be- 
haviour. I  have  seen  it  on  the  Somersetshire 
coast,  and  I  must  confess  that  I  was  at  first 
somewhat  surprised  at  its  luxuriance.  It  grows 
in  many  of  the  cottage  gardens  that  dip  down 
to  the  sea.  At  Watchet  I  have  seen  Fuchsias 
trained  to  walls  to  the  height  of  10  feet,  and  in  the 
gardens  that  skirt  the  coast  about  Minehead  X 
have  seen  the  best  double    and   single    varieties 

0  feet  and  7  feet  high  flowering  with  the  greatest 
freedom,  and  producing  at  the  same  time  per- 
fectly-formed and  highly-coloured  blooms.  It 
must  be  understood,  however,  that  the  locality  is 
favoured  by  a  genial  climate  during  the  greater 
part  of  the  year.  Very  severe  frost  is  not  often 
experienced  there,  and  everything  suffers  more 
from  cold  piercing  winds  in  the  la'e  spring 
months  than  from  frost  in  winter.     Frcm  inquir'es 

1  have  made  on  the  spot,  it  appears  that  the  soil 
of  the  district  suits  the  Fuchsia  tdmiribly 
without  any  preparation.  It  happens  tl  at  many 
of  the  most  successful  cultivators  are  cottagers 
who  have  not  much  of  either  time  or  money  to 
spare  on  such  subjects,  but,  having  learned  from 
observation  how  well  the  Fuchsia  thrives,  it  is 
cultivated  with  care,  and  with  the  best  result*". 

The  plants  are  obtained  from  slips  inserted  in 
some  shady  corner  at  any  time  during  the  summer 
whenever  they  can  be  had.  They  remain  through 
the  winter  where  they  are  put  in  as  cuttings,  and 
are  planted  out  where  they  are  to  stand  perma- 
nently when  the  cold  winds  of  .'pring  are  over.  I 
have  seen  such  varieties  as  the  Emperor  of  Brazil, 
Sir  Colin  Campbell,  Avalanche,  Rose  of  Castile, 
Mrs.  Grant,  and  Lurline  grown  into  large  bushes 
3  feet  and  more  in  height,  after  being  planted  out 
two  years,  and  I  have  seen  older  plants  of  both 
double  and  single  varieties  5  feet  high  in  the  most 
perfect  health,  and  surpassing  in  every  respect  the 
best  grown  pot  specimens  I  have  ever  seen.  One 
notable  plant  with  a  single  white  corolla  which  I 
saw  in  the  saire  district  made  an  impression  on 
me  which  I  shall  not  soon  forget.  It  was  oc;upy- 
ing  a  snug  corner  in  an  angle  where  two  walls 
met,  and  its  graceful  branches  were  hanging  over 
the  wall,  laden  with  flowers  in  suoh  a  way  as  to 
strike  one  with  astonishment.  What  might  be 
accomplished  with  the  Fuchsia  as  a  decorative 
plant  in  the  open,  if  undertaken  by  skilful  hands 
and  treated  with  reasonable  care,  it  is  not  easy  to 
conjecture.  Certain  it  is  that  in  such  favoured 
spots  it  is  capable  of  being  grown  to  a  very  large 
size.  So  far  as  I  have  seen,  there  is  room  for  im- 
provement in  the  selection  of  varieties.  It  is  not 
often  that  cottagers  have  any  choice  in  such 
matters— they  are  glad  to  get  the  first  that  comes 
in  their  way  ;  but  I  think  if  the  Fuchsia  was  taken 
in  hand  by  anyone  skilled  in  plant  culture,  and  if 
more  attention  was  given  to  the  selection  of 
the  most  hardy  and  vigorous  growers,  more  would 
be  done  with  this  flower  by  those  who  reside  in 
favoured  localities,  by  the  sea  and  elsewhere,  than 
has  yet  been  accomplished.  If  such  hardy  sorts 
were  tried  as  Iliccartoni,  corallina,  globosa.  Tower 
of  London,  Charming,  Lustre,  and  Reflex,  I  feel 
sure  they  would  succeed,  etpecially  if  given  some 
slight  protection  in  winter.  The  cottagers  to 
whom  I  have  alluded  tell  me  that  they  wrap  their 


180 


THE     GARDEN 


[Arc.  .30,   1884. 


plants  in  pieces  of  old  carpet  or  bundles  of  straw 
on  the  approach  of  hard  weather ;  but  they  do 
not  resort  to  coverings  unless  such  weather  is 
likely  to  continue  long. 

It  has  often  been  a  matter  of  surprise  to  me 
that  this  flowering  shrub  has  not  been  more  largely 
adopted  by  those  who  reside  on  or  near  the  South 
Devon  coast  than  it  is.  The  climate  there  offers 
just  the  condition  it  requires.  There  are  many 
places  close  by  the  coast,  but  yet  somewhat  shel- 
tered, where  even  zonal  Pelargoniums  live  out  of 
doors  for  several  consecutive  years.  It  is  only 
when  we  get  a  cycle  of  bad  winters  that  they  are 
killed.  If,  therefore,  zonals  are  capable  of  endur- 
ing the  climate,  it  is  certain  that  Fuchsias,  with 
their  more  hardy  nature  and  indifference  to  being 
covered  up  for  three  or  four  months  during  winter, 
will  succeed.  The  capacity  of  some  of  the  old 
hardy  Fuchsias  to  endure  frost  has  not  been  suffi- 
cienty  recognised  by  those  favourably  situated  as 
to  climate.  Only  a  few  years  ago  there  stood 
within  a  mile  of  where  I  write  a  huge  specimen  of 
one  of  the  old  sorts,  the  name  of  which  I  never 
kne  IT ;  it  had  bright  scarlet  sepals  and  a  dark 
violet  corolla.  This  plant,  standing  in  the  open, 
had  reached  a  height  of  nearly  10  feet,  and  was 
many  yards  in  circumference,  with  a  stem  much 
thicker  than  my  arm.  It  endured  the  severe  win- 
ter of  1870  and  18!1,  when  we  registered  26°  of 
frost ;  but,  unfortunately,  rude  hands  have  since 
sadly  mutilated  its  proportions.  I  mention  this  to 
show  that,  when  properly  selected.  Fuchsias  are 
much  hardier  than  they  are  generally  believed  to 
be.  J.  C.  C. 


NOTE.S  FROM  NEW  ENGLAND. 

Statics  Suwarowi.—  I  dislike  to  denounce 
any  new  thing,  much  preferring  someone  else 
should  do  so ;  but  the  unpleasant  duty  must  be 
done,  or  we  should  be  overrun  with  useless  plant?. 
I  was  therefore  pleased  to  see  your  notice  of  the 
new  annual  Statice  Suwarowi  in  The  Garden 
of  July  19  (p.  41).  I  had  it  well  in  llower  some 
four  or  five  weeks  ago,  having  been  very  carefully 
sown  (only  six  or  eight  seeds),  and  potted  on  as  an 
e.tpected  novelty  of  real  merit ;  and  now  to  be 
told  it  must  go  to  the  rubbish  heap  (with  which  I 
quite  agree),  is  a  real  disappointment.  Why,  many 
of  the  worthless  weeds  we  dig  up — for  instance, 
Prunella  vulgaris,  yellow  Snapdragon,  Golden  Rod, 
ka, — are  worth  a  cartload  of  it.  I  am  glad  to  give 
my  opinion  of  it  as  I  have  had  it.  If  there  are 
tine  varieties  of  it,  I  will  take  back  all  I  have  said. 

The  Bermuda  Lily.— I  see  my  old  friend, 
Mr.  Wilson,  calls  this  the  Easter  Lily.  He  may 
be  right,  but  here  we  call  Lilium  candidum  the 
Easter  Lily.  Mr.  Wilson  is  always  happy  in  his 
Lily  culture,  and  his  specimen  of  L.  Harriti  must 
have  pleased  you  if  you  love  handsome  Lilies,  as 
I  do.  With  me  there  has  been  scarcely  a  day  since 
Christmas  that  I  could  not  cut  from  one  to  twenty 
of  these  elegant,  large,  trumpet-shaped  beauties 
nearly  twice  as  large  as  longiBorum,  and  to-day  I 
exhibited  five  stems,  each  bearing  two  of  its  large 
flowers.  But  Mr.  Wilson,  I  fear,  is  in  error  in  calling 
it  only  a  "  tropically  developed  form  of  L.  longi- 
florum,"  though  it  possibly  may  be  so.  In  the  first 
placesmall  bulbs  no  bigger  than  a  Walnut  produce 
at  least  one  immense  flower  and  strong  ones  from 
five  to  twenty.  This  L.  longiflorum  will  not  do, 
or  at  least  never  did.  Second,  it  is  an  entirely  diffe- 
rent-shaped bulb,  being  nearly  twice  as  long, 
largest  at  the  top,  tapering  to  the  base  ;  third,  it  is 
much  more  solid  than  longiflorum  ;  fourth,  it  has  a 
distinct  foliage,  which  enables  me  to  pick  it  out 
of  a  dozen  longiflorums,  as  I  can  the  bulb  very 
much  easier  than  the  old  Tulip  fanciers  could 
detect  a  Brabantier  worth  3000  guelders  from 
Semper  Augustus  valued  at  4600  florins.  Fifth, 
it  is  not  hardy ;  that  it  is  a  native  of  the  Bermudas 
we  can  hardly  believe,  though  it  may  be  so,  and 
why  should  we  not  consider  it  so  till  known  to  the 
contrary  ?  A  Lily  grower  of  my  acquaintance,  who 
passed  the  winter  in  Bermuda  and  dug  up  and 
brought  home  some  of  these  Lilies,  says  it  grows 
and  blooms  in  the  greatest  profusion  imaginable. 
One  resident  had  a  row  of  them  in  his  garden, 


each  side  of  a  walk  leading  from  the  street  to  the 
front  door  of  his  house,  100  yards  long,  completely 
filled  on  each  side  with  them — a  mass  of  bloom 
quite  bewildering. 

Lilium  Hoveyi. — Sixty  pots  of  this  magni- 
ficent Lily  are  now  radiant  in  all  the  splendour  of 
their  regal  beauty  and  flower,  12  inches  to  14 
inches  in  diameter,  and  perfuming  the  whole 
atmosphere  around  or  near  them  with  from  two  to 
eight  blooms  on  each  plant.  Six  pots  of  them  I 
exhibited  to-day.  I  wish  you  could  see  this  group, 
nearly  twice  as  large  as  that  last  year,  of  which  I 
sent  you  a  photograph. 

Early  Pears. — Where  are  your  nurserymen 
that  they  do  not  introduce  our  early  Pears  ?  "  W.," 
in  Gcmtening  (August  2)  says,  "Of  really  good 
varieties  of  early  Pears  there  are  but  few."  Why 
here  we  are  surfeited  with  August  Pears.  Long 
ago  I  gathered  and  sold  my  Doyenne  d'Ete,  a 
small,  but  most  excellent  fruit ;  the  Bloodgood 
came  next,  and  that  is  gone  ;  now  I  have  already 
gathered  Rosteitzer,  Manning's  Elizabeth,  Mus- 
kingum, and  Osband's  Summer,  and  shall  pick 
just  as  soon  as  possible  the  Dearborn's  Seedling, 
Boston,  Clapp's  Favourite,  Sterling,  Julienne,  &c., 
our  rule  being  to  have  them  all  gathered  by 
August  25,  no  matter  what  the  season  may  be.  If 
left  on  the  trees  they  become  mealy,  and  lose  all 
their  juice  and  aroma.  Boston,  when  gathered  in 
season, isquiteasdeliciousastheold  white  Doyenne. 
Brandywine,  as  a  lover  of  good  Pears  once  said, 
was  rightly  named,  for  it  was  "  both  brandy  and 
wine."  Clapp's  Favourite,  as  large  as  Williams' 
Bon  Chretien,  finer  form,  with  a  beautiful  red 
cheek,  is  one  of  onr  best  summer  Pears,  but  it 
does  not  last  a  great  while ;  and  this  reminds 
me  of  "  W.'s  "  query,  when  he  says,  "  What  is  the 
use  of  a  Pear  if  it  will  only  continue  a  week  or  a 
fortnight  in  good  condition  after  it  is  first  ripe  1 " 
A  week  is  long  enough,  and  there  are  few  Pears, 
except  winter  sorts,  which  will  keep  a  fortnight 
after  they  are  ripe.  They  will  keep,  and  ought  to 
be  kept,  from  one  to  two  weeks  after  they  are 
gathered  from  the  tree,  which  should  always  be  six 
to  fifteen  days  before  they  are  ripe  and  ready  for 
the  table.  But  the  real  value  of  the  early  Pears  is 
to  have  a  succession,  a  new  Pear  at  least  every 
third  day  from  August  to  November.  It  is  easy 
enough  to  do  this.  It  must  be  admitted  that 
"  W."  is  right  when  he  states  good  varieties  of 
early  Pears  "are  but  few  "if  he  judges  only  by 
such  poor  varieties  as  Belle  de  Bruxelles,  which 
was  placed  on  the  rejected  list  years  ago.  Here  is 
a  list  of  early  Pears  as  they  ripen  and  are  taken 
to  market,  some  of  which  are  unexcelled  at  any 
season,  and  all  good  : — 


each  of  which  bore  6  flowers,  that  measured  over 
1  foot  in  diameter  and  were  beautifully  marked.  It 
was  potted  in  autumn  last  year  in  turf  cut  from  a 
piece  of  wild  common  ground,  and  left  in  the 
cold  pit  just  mentioned,  which  was  merely  suffi- 
cientlycoveredtoexclude  frost.  With  the  lengthen- 
ing days  it  began  to  grow  freely,  and  in  addition 
to  a  top-dressing  of  manure  it  had  some  weak 
liquid  manure  given  it  once  a  week.  As  it  got  too 
tall  for  the  only  glass  structure  at  command  it  was 
set  out  of  doors,  and  when  in  bloom  was  removed 
indoors,  but  the  scent  of  twelve  expanded  blooms 
was  too  overpowering  for  a  small  cottage,  and  it 
was  again  removed  out  of  doors,  where  the  intense 
heat  soon  destroyed  its  beauty.  In  a  cool  conser- 
vatory it  would  have  been  an  ornament  for  a  con- 
siderable time,  as  the  leaves  on  the  stem  were 
green  right  down  to  the  rim  of  the  pot.  There  is, 
therefore,  nothing  to  deter  amateurs  from  growing 
this  and  other  Lilies  with  success  if  they  only 
set  about  it  in  the  right  way. — J.  Geoom,  Oosj'c  t. 


Aug. 
..  1 
..    6 


Aug. 

"Ott 31 

*0sban(l3  Summer       ..  22 
*iluskingum       ..        ..23 

•sterling 24 

*Moyamensing    ..        ..25 

*Tyton 2(1 

*Moore'8 S7 

.St.  Menan         ..        ..28 
Baillctt 31 

"American  varieties. 


Doyenn^  d'Ete  ., 
*liloodj?ood 

llauning's  Elizabeth 

BeurreGlHard  ..  ..  10 
"Brandywine  ..  . .  12 
"Dearborn's  Seedling   ..  14 

Jubenne  . .         ..         ..15 

Ilosteitzer  ..         ..16 

**Clapp's  Favourite       . .  IS 

•Boston 20 

Those  marked  *  are 

This  season  is  a  few  days  later  :  I  am  gathering 
30  bushels  of  Brandywine  to-day.  Every  variety 
lasts  on  the  average  ten  days.  I  can  sympathise 
with  my  many  friends  around  London  at  the  loss 
of  such  delicious  vegetables  as  Sweet  Corn,  Toma- 
toes, Lima  Beans,  Melons,  Egg  Plants,  &:c.,  and 
Peaches,  which  can  only  be  produced  at  large  ex- 
pense under  glass,  but  which  we  grow  here  both 
freelyand  abundantly;  they  are  as  cheap  as  Potatoes. 
But  I  did  think  you  could  yourselves  raise  good 
early  Pears.  C.  M.  Hovey. 

Lilium  auratum  a  cottager's  plant. — 

Many  are  under  the  impression  that  this  beauti- 
ful Lily  is  difficult  to  cultivate  ;  T  therefore  give 
the  following  in  order  to  encourage  anyone  who 
may  wish  to  give  it  a  trial.  One  of  the  Royal 
Dockyard  workmen  lately  asked  me  to  look  at  one 
which  he  had  grown  in  a  little  brick  pit,  and  so 
well  had  it  succeeded  that  his  difficulty  was  to  find 
a  place  lofty  enough  for  it.  A  single  bulb  in  a 
7-inch  pot  had  sent  up  two  stout  flower-spikes, 


ST.  PETERSBURG  EXHIBITION. 

Mr.  Elwes,  in  his  report  to  the  Science  and 
Art  Department  on  the  International  Hcrti- 
cultural  Exhibition  and  Botanical  Congress 
held  at  St.  Petersburg  in  May  last,  says :  "  I 
was  extremely  well  received,  in  common  with  the 
official  representatives  of  the  other  great  powers, 
by  the  Russian  authorities.  General  Greig  in  par- 
ticular, the  presidentof  the  Imperial  Horticultural 
Society,  doing  all  in  his  power  to  make  our  stay  in 
St.  Petersburg  both  agreeable  and  instructive.  I 
regret  to  say  that  Great  Britain  was  absolutely  un- 
represented at  the  exhibition,  which  was  noticed 
by  the  Czar  when  he  opened  it,  but  I  can  only 
attribute  this  to  the  difficulty  and  expense  of 
transporting  living  plants  so  far,  the  restrictions 
imposed  by  the  I'hylloxera  Convention,  and  the 
commercial  failure  which  1  believe  attended  the 
English  exhibitors  at  the  last  similar  exhibition. 
Considering  the  great  difficulties  under  which  horti- 
culture labours  in  Russia,  the  exhibition  was  remark- 
ably good,  but  I  observed  nothing  calling  for  par- 
ticular notice  on  my  part,  or  likely  to  affect  Eng- 
lish horticulture.  The  Botanical  Congress  wa.s 
well  attended  by  some  of  the  most  distinguis-hed 
scientific  men  in  Europe,  and  held  seven  meetings 
at  which  many  subjects  of  economical  and  scien- 
tific interfst  were  discussed.  Nothing,  however, 
took  place  to  make  a  detailed  report  from  me 
necessary,  as  most  of  the  papers  read  were  rather 
of  local  or  technical  than  of  international  interest. 
With  regard  to  the  cultivation  of  Tea  in  the  Trans- 
Caucasian  provinces,  a  discussion  took  place, 
which  made  it  evident  that  great  efforts  are  being 
made  by  the  Russians,  which  meet  with  strong 
support  from  their  Government,  to  establish  this 
industry  on  such  a  scale  as  to  enable  them  to  com- 
pete with  our  important  and  necessary  trade  in 
Indian  Tea  with  Central  Asia.  It  apptars  to  me 
that  this  is  a  subject  worthy  of  the  attention 
of  the  Indian  Government ;  for,  though  I  was  pre- 
vented by  a  severe  illness  from  carrying  out  my  in- 
tention of  visiting  the  districts  in  question  this 
year,  yet  I  have  little  doubt  that  the  climate 
and  soil  in  parts  of  these  provinces  is  thoroughly 
suitable  for  Tea  growing,  and  though  my  expe- 
rience of  this  industry  in  the  Himalaya  leads  me 
to  doubt  whether  a  business  requiring  so  much 
attention  to  detail  will  ever  be  carried  on  very 
successfully  in  Russia,  yet  it  is  obvious  that  any 
competition  in  this  trade  might  seriously  injure, 
if  not  destroy,  the  business  of  Tea  planting  in 
the  North-west  Himalaya,  which  depends  so  much 
on  the  native  demand  beyond  our  frontiers. 

A  very  general  feeling  was  expressed  by  many 
of  the  best  known  and  most  distinguished  foreign 
botanists  and  horticulturists,  which  I  think  should 
be  brought  under  the  notice  of  the  Science  and 
Art  Department,  that  an  international  exhi- 
bition and  congress  of  a  similar  nature  should 
be  held  in  London,  and,  considering  that  Eng- 
land, which  is  decidedly  the  first  nation  in  the 
world  both  in  botany  and  horticulture,  has  hitherto 
been  one  of  the  most  backward  in  international 
enterprises  in  these  branches  of  science,  I  am  not 
surprised  at  the  expression  of  this  feeling.    The 


A.o.  30,  1SS4.] 


THE    GARDEN 


]81 


Phylloxera  restrictions  which  have  been  so  harass- 
ing to  both  private  and  commercial  horticultural 
interests  in  this  country  would  probably  be  some- 
what relaxed  if  advantage  were  taken  of  such  a 
meeting  to  prove  their  general  inconvenience  and 
inellicacy.  The  Koyal  Horticultural  Society,  which 
has  been  until  lately  unable  to  take  a  lead  in  this 
direction  on  account  of  their  difficulties  with  the 
commissioners  about  their  lease  of  the  South  Ken- 
sington Gardens,  would,  I  feel  sure,  be  ready  to 
devote  the  entire  energy  of  their  council  and  staff 
towards  the  promotion  of  an  international  and 
horticultural  exhibition  if  anything  like  the  same 
consideration  and  assistance  were  given  them  by 
the  Government  as  have  been  given  to  the  pro- 
moters of  the  Fisheries  and  Health  Exhibitions. 


RECENT  PLANT  PORTRAITS. 

Sedum  SEMPEnvrvcM  (Regel's  Gartcnflora, 
plate  1155)— A  good  plate  of  this  bright  and 
conspicuous  flowered  rock  plant  usually  known  in 
this  country  as  S.  sempervivoides. 

Allium  Semenowi  (Regel's  Garfenfora,  plate 
115G). — An  apparently  rather  coarse  growing 
Girlie  with  medium  sized  bunches  of  pale  yellow 
flowers. 

Narcisso?,  six  varieties  (Regel's  Gartetiflora, 
plate  llTiS). — These  portraits  of  new  and  pretty 
varieties  of  the  pseudo-Narci.^sus  section  of  this 
favourite  flower  will  be  welcome  to  all  growers  of 
Daffodils.  The  varieties  are  as  follows  :  1,  prircox, 
medium-sized,  single,  deep  yellow  flower ;  2,  pal- 
lidus  praicox,  smaller  flower,  j'ellow  fringed  tube, 
white  perianth  ;  3,  gracilis,  resembling  the  last  in 
colour,  but  with  longer  and  less  open  tube,  and 
shorter  and  narrower  petalled  perianth — both 
these  are  very  pretty  miniature  varieties  ;  4,  King 
Humbert  I ,  medium-sized  flower,  all  yellow, 
with  widely  opened  tube,  mouth  edges  slightly 
reflexed,  and  tube  short;  5,  Qaeen  Margherita,  a 
fully  sized  flower,  with  large  yellow  tube  and 
curiously  pointed  and  folded  white  perianth 
sections  -these  two  last  named  varieties  are  now 
being  sent  out  by  Messrs.  Damman,  of  Portici, 
near  Naples ;  6,  prfeocx  plenns,  a  fine,  very 
double,  medium  sized  yellow  flower,  raised  by 
Dr.  Regel. 

CattletA  Wiiitei  (Kegel's  Gartenfiira,  plate 
1059). —  A  beautiful  Orchid  introduced  by  Mr. 
Low,  with  rosy  lilac  upper  petals,  and  a  beauti- 
fully fringed  purple  lip. 

KentiopsiS  MACEOCARPA  {Rerue  IToriicole 
for  August  IC). — A  graceful  growing  Palm  from 
New  Caledonia,  the  young  leaves  of  which  are 
brilliantly  tinted  with  salmon-red,  an  unni^ual 
feature  in  the  Palm  family.  W.  E  G. 


52.1.1.  —  Flowerleaa  Dendrobes.  —  When 
pendrobinm  nobile  refuses  to  flower  and  persists 
in  throwing  out  growths  from  the  tops  of  the 
pseudo-bulbs,  the  treatment  must  be  wrong.  Its 
season  of  growth  commences  with  the  flower  buds 
protruding  from  the  stems.  When  the  young 
growths  are  fairly  started  the  plants  must  be  put 
into  heat  and  be  moderately  supplied  with  water. 
They  must  also  be  placed  near  the  glass  to  be  freely 
exposed  to  light  and  air.  P.y  the  time  the  flowers 
open  the  young  growths  will  have  made  consider- 
able progress.  During  the  whole  period  of  growth 
the  plants  must  not  get  dry  at  the  roots,  and  they 
must  be  kept  in  a  hothouse  until  the  growths  are 
matured  ;  after  that  remove  the  plants  to  a  warm 
greenhouse  where  they  will  get  quite  dry  at  the 
roots,  scarcely  requiring  any  water  during  the 
three  months  while  they  are  at  rest.  The  above 
treatment  will  ensure  healthy  vigorous  plants  and 
abundance  of  blooms.  Keeping  the  plants  too 
dry  at  the  roots  during  the  growing  season,  and 
the  atmosphere  of  the  house  too  moist,  is  the  cause 
of  an  over-production  of  growths  from  the  old 
pseudo-bulbs.  Under  the  best  treatment  there 
will  always  be  a  few  of  such  growths.  The  above 
cultural  directions  apply  to  D.  Wardianum,  D. 
crassinode,  D.  Ainsworthi,  D.  heterocarpum,  D. 
Falconeri,  and  some  others. — J.  Douglas. 


IRIS  ORCHIOIDES. 

Iki.'!  orchioide.s,  of  which  the  accompanying 
woodcut  is  not  a  wholly  satisfactory  representa- 
tion, was  briefly  noticed  by  Carri^re  in  the  Bivne 
Ilortlcole  some  time  ago,  and  I  believe  that  to  him 
is  due  the  name.  My  friend,  M.  Max  Leichtlin, 
to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  bulbs  of  the  plant, 
tells  me  that  it  comes  from  Persia. 

It  belongs  to  the  Juno  section  of  Irises— i  c, 
bulbous  Irises,  with  somewhat  long,  broadish, 
pointed,  lax  leaves,  and  flowers  in  which  the  stan- 
dards, or  inner  divisions  of  the  perianth,  are  very 
small  and  frequently  project  horizontally.  The 
so  called  Persian  Iris  (1.  persica)  is  a  well-known 
form  belonging  to  this  division.  Another  form,  I. 
oaucasica,  especially  the  handsome  variety  from 
Central  Asia  distributed  by  Regel  as  I.  caucasica 
major,  is  also,  happily,  becoming  common.  I.  cau- 
casica varies  very  much  indeed  in  form,  stature, 
and  colour;  various  specimens  of  it  run  through 
greenish  yellow,  light  yellow,  to  a  rich  almost 
golden  hue,  and  while  some  are  quite  dwarf  with 
a  single  flower  nestling  in  the  leaves,  some  have  a 
stem  a  foot  or  nearly  so  high  laden  with  flowers ; 
and  I.  orchioides  at  first  sight  might  be  mistaken 


Iris  orchioides. 

for  one  of  these  varieties,  but  a  little  examination 
shows  that  it  is  quite  a  different  plant. 

The  leaves  are  narrower,  longer,  more  acumi- 
nate, more  distinctly  folded  lengthwiee,  and  more 
shiny  than  in  I.  caucasica,  and  the  stem  with 
its  lateral  flowers  is  much  more  distinctly  obvious. 
The  flowers,  moreover,  I  believe,  are  always  of  a 
rich  golden  yellow.  But  the  distinctive  features 
of  the  plant  lie  in  the  form  of  the  falls  or  outer 
perianth  divisions.  In  I.  caucasica,  as  in  I. 
persica  and  many  other  Junos,  the  fall  is  of  a 
peculiar  shape,  being  extended  along  each  side 
of  the  claw  as  a  flange  or  wing,  which  very  fre- 
quently becomes  perfectly  transparent  and  silvery. 
In  I.  orchioides  these  flanges  are  wholly  absent,  so 
that  the  fall  has  an  ordinary  strap-like  form.  In 
I.  caucasica,  a  crest  (curiously  simulating  the 
crest  which  occurs  in  the  Evansia  section  of  Irises, 
such  as  I.  cristata,  tectorum,  &c.)  is  conspicuous  on 
the  claw  and  a  large  part  of  the  blade  ;  whereas 
in  I.  orchioides  a  similar  crest  is  limited  to  the 
blade,  being  absent  on  the  claw.  This  crest  is 
surrounded  by  a  greenish  purple  blotch,  which 
contrasts  pleasingly  with  the  soft  rich  yellow  of 
the  rest  of  the  blade  of  the  fall.  There  are  also 
other  minor  differences.   I  orchioides  flowers  early 


in  spring,  about  the  same  time  as  I.  caucasica, 
and  may,  I  think,  be  warmly  recommended  as  a 
welcome  addition  to  our  spring  bulbs.  Its  yellow 
blends  well  with  the  bright  blue  of  other  spring 
plants  ;  for  example,  plants  of  it  or  of  I.  caucasica 
growing  near  Chionodoxa  Luciliaj  produce  a  very 
pleasant  effect. 

As  far  as  I  know,  it,  like  I.  caucasica,  is  quite 
hardy.  The  latter,  I  am  inclined  from  experience 
to  believe,  prefers  a  somewhat  stifSsh  loam  to  the 
ordinary  sandy  or  peaty  soil  which  is  usually 
recommended  for  such  bulbs,  and  possibly  I. 
orchioides  may  have  similar  tendencies. 

M.  FOSTEE. 


Flower  Garden. 

AUTUMN-SOWN  ANNUALS. 
I  FEEL  sure  that  those  who  have  never  grown 
hardy  annuals  from  autumn-sown  seed  have  no 
yet  realised  their  worth.  There  is  no  comparison 
between  jilants  that  have  wholly  made  their  growth 
in  late  spring  and  early  summer  and  such  as  have 
gathered  strength  and  obtained  firm  root-hold  by 
the  time  the  genial  sun  of  spring  commences  to 
encourage  root  action.  Godetias  with  stems  as 
thick  as  the  top  of  a  fishing-rod,  Saponaria  and 
Nemophila  covering  some  2  square  feet  of  soil, 
Clarkia  and  Collintia  2  feet  high  and  18  inches 
through  individually,  are  what  one  gets  by  autumn 
sowing.  I  know  of  few  things  more  handsome  and 
effective  than  well-grown  annuals,  grown  for  their 
appearance  as  individual  epecimens  as  well  as  for 
the  effect  which  they  produce  in  the  mass.  There 
are  some  plants  which  have  no  beauty  of  form 
worth  speaking  of — we  value  them]  for  their 
brilliancy  or  other  good  qualities — but  many  hardy- 
annuals  combine  grace  with  effectiveness  in  no 
small  degree,  but  this  is  only  perceived  in  the  case 
of  well-grown  plants.  Mary  do  not  succeed  well 
with  hardy  annuals  for  the  simple  reason  that 
they  delay  the  sowing  until  too  late  a  period.  This 
is  more  especially  productive  of  evil  consequences 
where  the  soil  is  of  a  close,  moisture-holding,  and 
therefore  cold  nature  ;  the  young  plants  have  no 
time  to  obtain  a  firm  hold  of  the  ground  ere 
winter  grips  them  in  a  firm  and  often  fatal 
embrace.  If  they  are  not  killed  outright,  they 
lose  that  freedom  and  vigour  which  they  must 
retain  if  they  are  to  yield  us  the  full  measure  of 
their  beauty.  The  first  week  in  September  is 
quite  late  enough  to  sow,  and  then  the  position 
should  be  sunny,  and  at  the  same  time  swept 
freely  by  the  autumn  breeze,  which  imparts 
health  and  that  power  of  resistance  to 
climatic  vicissitudes  during  the  winter  months 
which  enables  a  plant  to  retain  its  vital  powers 
intact.  Take  care  that  the  young  plants  never 
become  crowded,  thin  them  out  to  2  inches  or  3 
inches  apart  as  soon  as  they  are  well  in  growth 
and  by  mid-October  they  will  have  developed  into 
fine  sturdy  little  specimens.  In  a  general  way  it 
is  not  practicable  to  sow  where  they  are  to  stand, 
but  if  they  are  to  be  transplanted  let  it  be  done, 
if  possible,  quite  by  the  second  week  in  October, 
so  that  the  roots  get  some  hold  of  the  ground  by 
the  winter.  This  is  important,  as  it  sometimes 
happens  that  hard  frosts  with  drying  winds  come 
in  November  and  December  and  then  there  is  cot 
sufficient  root  action  to  keep  the  foliage  full  of 
sap,  and  the  leaves  then  wither  and  untimely  die 
away.  In  heavy  soils  early  transplanting  is  more 
necessary  than  where  the  natural  staple  is  warm 
and  comparatively  dry,  though  in  soils  which 
easily  parch  in  hot  weather  it  is  best  to  get  the 
plants  into  place  ae  early  as  possible,  as  then  they 
do  not  suffer  so  much  when  coming  into  bloom 
from  periods  of  heat  and  drought.  It  is  often  said 
that  soil  should  not  be  rich  for  annuals,  but  if  yoa 
give  them  room  enough  you  will  scarcely  err  in 
this  respect,  as  the  more  luxuriance  the  finer  in 
quality  and  larger  in  quantity  will  be  the  blooms. 
But  a  word  of  caution  is  necessary  ;  the  luxuriance 
must  be  under  control;  there  should  be  but  little 
signs  of  it  before  spring,  as  a  too  sappy  autumn 
growth  invites  destruction.  A  top-dressing  of 
Clay's  Fertiliser  or  of  decayed  manure  early  in 
March  will  best  answer  the  purpose,  as  the  spring 


182 


THE    GARDEN 


[Aug.  30,  1884. 


rains  will  carry   the  nonrishment  down  to  the 
roots  by  the  time  (hey  most  need  it.     In  plant- 
ing   quite    6   inches    should    be    allowed    from 
plant  to   plant,   and   if   they  are   to   be   grown 
in   a   mixed   border  three   plants  together   will 
be    the    best    arrangement.      Although    this    is 
a  mere  question  of  taste  a  single   well   grown 
specimen  looks  well,  whilst  a  square  yard  or  more 
of  colour   is  most   effective.     Erysimum  Peroff- 
f  kianum,  for  instance,  produces  an  extremely  fine 
effect  when  massed,  the  bright  orange  tint  of  the 
flowers  being  almost  unique  ;  whilst  such  shrubby 
growing  compact-habited  kinds  as  Godetia  Lady 
Albemarle,   and  which  clothe  themselves  abun- 
dantly with  foliage,  do  not  so  much  need  to  be 
massed  in  order  to  display  their  beauty.    One  of 
the  finest  and  most  useful  of  hardy  annuals  is 
Clarkia  pulchella,  and  those  who  need  cut  flowers 
should  grow  it  largely ;  the  flowers  last  long  in 
water  and  the  whole  appearance  of  the  plant  is 
light  and  elegant.     It  is  also  one  of  the  hardiest 
kinds  in  cultivation.     Being  of  much   branched 
habit  and  rather  brittle,  it,  however,  requires  some 
support,  as  when  the  plants  are  large  and  coming 
into  bloom,  rough  winds  are  apt  to  break  ofE  large 
sprays.     Strong  twiggy  Birch  inserted  here  and 
there  so  as  to  catch  the  main  branches  will  preserve 
them  intact ;  there  is  no  need  to  tie,  as  the  shoots 
drop  into  the  forks  as  they  grow  and  there  remain. 
CoUinsia  bicolor  also  requires  support  in  a  similar 
manner,  as  do  all  that  grow  anything  like  a  foot 
high  and  which  branch.     Bartonia  aurea  is  an  old 
annual,  but  one  which  has  lately  become  rather  po- 
pular ;  it  is  showy  and  distinct  both  in  foliage  and 
bloom.     Nemophilas,  blue  and  white,  and  Silene 
pendula  are  well  known  ;    but   the  pretty  little 
Leptosiphons    are   not    much    grown ;    they   are 
charming  little  neat-habited  plants  with  beautiful 
rosy  pink  or  golden  yellow  flowers,  and  only  give 
satisfaction  when  sown  in  autumn.  .T.  C.  B. 


THE  BULB  BLANTING  SEASON. 
Daffodils.— I  believe  the  demand  for  these 
during  the  present  autumn  is  likely  to  be  some- 
thing unprecedented,  and  a  few  big  dealers  are 
said  to  have  practically  monopolised  the  market. 
The  increasing  popularity  of  hardy  plants,  the 
Daffodil  conference,  and  the  frequent  and  favour- 
able notices  of  the  Narcissus  family  in  the 
gardening  papers  have  tended  to  popularise  the 
flower  and  create  the  demand,  and  the  result  will, 
no  doubt,  be  that  in  a  few  years  there  will  be  more 
Daffodils  in  our  gardens  all  over  the  country  than 
ever  there  were  at  any  previous  time  in  the  history 
of  gardening.  Mere  fashion  and  particular  crazes 
in  gardening  are  to  be  deprecated  as  a  rule,  but 
not  much  harm  is  likely  to  be  done  by  the  special 
advocacy  of  any  particular  good  hardy  flower  like 
the  Daffodil,  because  it  is  hardly  possible  to  over- 
plant  it  in  our  woods  and  gardens ;  and  if  each 
good  thing  was  taken  up  in  turn,  as  the  Daffodil 
has  been,  our  seltctions  of  flowers  would  in  a  few 
years  be  very  much  improved,  lists  encumbered 
with  synonyms  would  be  curtailed,  and  gardeners 
and  everyone  else  interested  in  gardening  wou'd 
become  familiarised  with  the  best  and  most  use- 
ful subjects  for  furnishing  the  flower  garden.  The 
bedding-out  craza  was  quite  a  different  thing  from 
this.  There  are  so  many  lovers  of  hardy  flowers, 
and  so  many  who  can  grow  them  in  some  shape  or 
other,  that  it  is  hardly  possible  to  popularise  them 
too  much. 

The  vaeikties  of  the  Daffodil,  or  harly 
Narcissus,  are  practically  endless,  and  a  full  litt  'f 
sorts,  such  as  is  published  in  the  more  complete 
catalogues,  would  puzzle  anyone  but  an  expert  in 
such  matters.  Hitherto  most  all  respectable 
seedsmen  have  confined  their  lists  to  a  few  sorts, 
but  this  year,  thanks  to  the  Daffodil  conference 
and  the  information  that  has  been  furnished 
from  time  to  time  respecting  the  best  sorts 
for  culture,  some  lists  have  been  extended,  and  we 
have  now  about  thirty  sorts  enumerated  that 
are  sufficiently  distinct  and  promising  to  merit  a 
place  in  a-y  collection.  The  best  of  these  are 
the  double  and  i-ingle  Poet's  Narcissus  and  its 
sub-varieties,  the  common  double  yellow  Daffodil 
(the  best  for  extensive  planting  in  woods  and  on 


Grass),  N.  nanus,  Horsfieldi,  maximus,  bicolor, 
Orange  Phconix,  biflorns,  Emperor,  Empress  (the 
last  two  of  the  finest  single  kinds,  of  which 
the  new  Sir  Watkin  just  coming  out  at  33.  6d.  per 
bulb  is  only  a  larger  variety),  moschatus,  princeps, 
Btilbocodium  or  Hoop-petticoat,  obvallaris,  and 
cernuus.  The  above  score  or  so  of  sorts  are  those 
which  by  common  consent  have  been  picked  out 
from  the  multitude  as  most  worthy  of  culture,  all 
being  more  or  lees  distinct  and  good. 

Planting  the  bulbs.— Octoberand  November 
are  the  best  months  to  plant ;  indeed,  it  is  almost 
imperative  that  all  spring  bulbs  should  be  got  in 
at  that  season,  and  as  the  bulbs   can  then   be 
selected  better  than  at  any  other  time,  there  is  no 
reason  for  delaying  planting  till  later.     The  fir^t 
thing  is  to  select  the  varieties,  and  as  these  vary 
much  in  price,  the  apportioning  of  the  amount  to 
be  spent  is  matter  of  some  importance,  because  a 
large  sum   may  soon  be  expended  on  very   few 
roots.     Those  who  want  to  plant  any  breadth  of 
Daffodils  for  effect  would  do  well  to  choose  the 
commoner  sorts,  which  are  as  good  as  any  other  for 
that  purpose,  and  a  thousand  bulbs  go  a  very  little 
way.     The  p-ices  for  Daffodils   range  from   24s. 
per  dozen  to  .SOs.  per  thousand  ;  indeed.  Daffodils 
are  reckoned  about  the  best  investment  of   the 
kind  at  the  present  time,  and  those  who  possess 
stock  win  find  them  valuable  for  some  time  to 
come.     It  will  be  long  before  some  of  the  better 
kinds  will  be  either  plentiful  or  cheap.     Emperor 
Daffodil  is  priced  now  at  21s.,  Empress  at  18s.  per 
dozen,  and  one  is  never  certain  of  getting  either 
true.      Other   good    sorts    run   from    5s.   to    25s. 
per  hundred.     The  cheapest  sorts  are  the  common 
double   yellow    Daffodil,    Sulphur   Crown,   single 
yellow,  and  the  Pheasant's-eye  (N.  poeticus),  any 
of  which  can  be  bought  for  about  30s.  per  thousand. 
The  sorts  desired  having  been  procured,  the  next 
consideration  is  where  to  plant  and  the  culture 
necessary.    In  the  south,   I  daresay  any  of  the 
varieties  named  bloom  freely  whether  planted  in 
the  open  or  in  woods  under  the  shade  of  trees,  so 
long  as  the  shade  is  not  very  dense ;  but  in  the 
north  of  England  and  in  Scotland  none  of  the 
sorts  will  flower  freely  in  cold  or  shaded  positions. 
They  will  live  and  produce  leaves,  but  the  bulbs 
never  ripen  sufficiently  to  flower  well,  and  this 
has  been  discovered  by  not  a  few  beginners  in 
Daffodil     culture     within    the    last    few    years 
whether  the  position  be  on  an  east,  west,  or  south 
aspect ;  therefore,  see  that  it  is  one  that  will  get  a 
good  deal  of  sunlight,  particularly  for  the  poeticus 
section,  which  with  us   never  blooms  in  woods 
where  the  common  double  yellow  variety  flowers 
pretty  well.     Further,  in  order  to  produce  a  good 
effect  plant  good  masses,  if  fewer  masses  have  to 
be  planted.    A  hundred  bulbs  will  not  do  more 
than  plant  a  fquare  yard  well,  and  they  will  then 
be  rather  thin  for  a  year  or  two.     Thick  planting 
has  another  advantage,  which  isthatwhere  the  Daf- 
fodil growth  is  thick  enough  to  form  good  tufts,  it 
holds  its  own  against  the  wild  Grasses  ;  whereas 
isolated  bulbs  get  smothered, and  when  they  do  well 
they  take  years  to  form  good  clumps.     These  hints 
will  suffice  to  give  planters  an  idea  how  far  their 
money  and  (heir  bulbs  will  go,  and  they  can  ar- 
range accordingly.    As  to  soil,  the  Daffodil  is  not 
particular,  as,  if  other  conditions  are  suitable,  it 
seems  to  thrive  in  almost  any  kind  of  soil,  and 
where  the  natural  soil  is  deep  enough  and  good 
there  is  no  need  to  add  any  more.     It  is  of  no  use 
planting  in  wet  undrained    land,  however,   but 
where  other  trees  and  plants  do  moderately  well 
there  also  will  the  Daffodil  grow.  When  the  soil  is 
poor  and  shallow  the  patches  of  ground  should  be 
trenched  over,  and  fresh  soil  added  to  give  a  depth 
of  18  inches  or  2  feet,  taking  care  in  trenching 
such  spots  that  hollows  are  not  selected  or  places 
that  are  likely  to  become    a    reservoir  for  the 
ground  about  to  drain  into,  a  thing  that  may  easilj' 
happen  where  spots  are  sunk  into  the  subsoil  in 
the  way  advised.     So  far  as  I  have  observed,  the 
Daffodil  has  few  enemies.     Rats  and  mice,  which 
devour  Crocus  bulbs,  overlook  both  the  Daffodils 
atd  Tulips. 

Crocuses — These  associate  well  with  the  Daffo- 
dils and  come  into  flower  earlier,  although  there  are 


late  and  early  kinds.   As  a  rule  the  Crocus  thrives 
well  on  Grass  and  under  partial  shade,  but  the 
bulbs    are     apt   to    be    devoured  in    winter  by 
pheasants,   rats,  and   mice,  and  rabbits  eat  the 
Grass  over  in  spring,  while  sparrows  work  sad 
havoc  among  the  flowers.     Crocuses  are  compara- 
tively cheap,  however,  and  to  prevent  these  evils  I 
can  only   suggest    planting  plenty  of  bulbs  to 
insure  a  display,  and  trapping  and  shooting  to 
check  the  mice  and  rabbits.    The  common  field 
mice  are  most  to  be  feared,  and  they  are  always 
most  destructive  to  new  plantations,  doing  com- 
paratively   little    damage    to    established    ones. 
Planting  the  Crocus  bulbs  5  inches  or  G  inches 
under  the  surface,  and  putting  the  Grass  sod  over 
the  soil  again  when  the  plantations  are  on   the 
Grass,  is  one  of  the  best  means  of  preventing  their 
depredations,    as    they    do   not   seem   to    smell 
the  bulbs  out  then.     If  shallow-planted  and  the 
fresh  soil  is  left  exposed,  they  will  unearth  every 
bulb  in  a  week.     The  common  blue  Crocus  of 
several  shades,  the  white,  the  yellow,   and  the 
striped   varieties   may   be   bought   from   English 
seedsmen  at  from  12s.  to  15s.  per  thousand,  and 
are  excellent  for  general  planting.     The  named 
sorts,  which  include  some  extremely  fine  varieties, 
are  considerably  dearer,  but  the  colours  are  con- 
fined in  them  all  to  the  different  shades  of  blue, 
yellow,  and  white,  although  some  colours  are  very 
much    superior   to   others.      The  Crocus  thrives 
well  in  any  ordinary  foil,  and  once  established  will 
take  care  of  itself,   but,  as  in  the  case  of  the 
Daffodil,  the  wise  plan  is  to  plant  good  patches  in 
one  place  and  keep  (he  colours  distinct.    Groups 
of  holes  should  be  dug  out,  the  bottom  soil  dug 
over  and    enriched    if    needful,   and   the  bulbs 
should  then  be  set  on  the  surface,  placing  them 
an  inch  or  so  asunder,  and  covering  them  over  to 
the  depth  already  stated. 

TuLirsAND  Snowdrops  should  be  treated  in 
exactly  the  same  way.  All  thrive  well  together, 
but  the  Tulips  should  consist  of  the  hardiest 
single  varieties,  only  in  all  cases  they  must  be 
planted  thickly  and  in  positions  fully  exposed  to 
the  sunshine  some  portion  of  the  day.  If  this  is 
not  done  the  plants  will  deteriorate  and  disappear 
in  a  few  years. 

Anemone  fulgbns. — This  fine  plant  is  worthy 
of  a  good  place  in  the  garden,  but  it  must  be 
planted  on  the  border  or  in  a  sunny  position  on 
the  rockery  in  order  to  bloom  it  well  and  give  its 
flowers  a  good  chance  of  opening  during  sunny 
days  in  spring,  at  which  time  only  is  it  seen  to 
perfection.  Roots  should  be  procured  as  soon  as 
ready,  and  be  planted  without  delay  in  a  light, 
rich  soil  and  in  a  warm  spot,  otherwise  they  are 
apt  to  rot  during  the  winter,  especially  if  allowed 
to  shrivel  or  get  in  any  way  too  dry  before  they 
are  planted. 

Chionodoxa  Lucille.— Although,  in  my  own 
opinion,  this  is  not  such  a  pretty  flower  indivi- 
dually as  the  neglected  Siberian  tfquill,  which  it 
closely  resembles  in  general  habit,  still  it  increases 
faster,  and  is  likely  to  become  popular.  The  bulbs 
are  very  small,  whereas  those  of  the  Squill  are  large. 
Warm  spots  and  a  light,  rich,  dry  soil  suit  both 
of  these  plants  best,  and  to  be  effective  the  bulbs 
must  be  set  thickly.  Patches  abcut  1  foot  or  2 
feet  across  look  very  well  either  on  the  border  or 
rockery. 

Hyacinths  in  boedees. — The  single  and  1  ar- 
dier  forms  do  well  the  first  year  grown  in  borders, 
and  no  plant  produces  a  brighter  or  more  pleasing 
effect  in  early  summer,  the  colours  are  so  rich  and 
varied,  but  the  flowers  deteriorate  every  year 
afterwards  till  the  bulbs  finally  die  away.  They 
will,  however,  last  and  be  pretty  for  three  or  four 
years,  and  those  who  have  old  or  spare  bulbs 
should  not  fail  to  plant  them  out  on  their  warm 
borders. 

The  bulbs  which  are  recommended  here,  though 
common  in  one  sense,  are  not  by  any  means  half 
or  a  quarter  so  extensively  planted  as  they  ought 
to  be  about  lawns  in  gardens,  and  although  there 
are  many  other  species  less  known,  yet  those 
mentioned  are  the  kinds  most  easily  procured,  and 
which  must  form  the  mainstay  of  any  collection 


Aug.  30,  1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


183 


planted  ont  permanently.  After  these  bavo  been 
established  to  some  extent  planters  can  afterwards 
extend  their  collections  as  they  see  fit.      S.  W. 


DAFFODIL  SIR  WATKIN. 
Some  discussion  having  arisen  concerning  this 
Daffodil,  which,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  first 
shown  at  South  Kensington  under  the  name  of 
James  Dickson  and  certificated  by  the  floral  com- 
mittee, Mr.  Brockbank  has  given  the  following 
account  of  its  origin  in  the  Manchester  City  jXeirs  .- 
"  It  belongs,"  he  says,  "  to  the  N.  incomparabilis 
group,  another  division  of  the  Narcissi  than  that 
of  Horsfieldi,  having  the  crown  much  shorter  than 
the  perianth  segments.  It  is,  however,  a  giant, 
being  quite  twice  the  size  of  any  other  of  the 
group.  In  colour  it  resembles  the  grandest  of  the 
yellow  Daffodils,  N.  lorifolias  Emperor,  and  it 
might  easily  be  mistaken  for  it  at  first  sight,  the 
chief  differences  being  in  its  having  a  shorter  tube 
and  that  its  chalice  is  held  aloft  without  drooping 
The  size  of  the  corolla  and  the  colours  of  both 
tube  and  perianth  segments  exactly  resemble  those 
of  N.  Emperor.  It  is  a  singular  fact  that  for  sis- 
teen  years  this  grand  Daffodil  was  grown  in  quiet 
gardens  without  any  knowledge  of  its  great  value, 
and  it  comes  upon  us  now  as  a  novelty  when  there 
are  at  least  10,000  bulbs  available. 

"  For  this  Daffodil  we  are  again  indebted  to  a 
Whitefield  man,  Mr.  William  Pickstone,  who,  I 
believe,  was  born  at  Whitefield,  and  was  for  some 
years  a  resident  there,  and  he  is  still  chairman  of 
a  manufacturing  company  in  the  neighbourhood. 
Some  sixteen  years  ago  Mr.  Pickstone  was  engaged 
in  mining  operations  in  Wales,  and  purchased  pro- 
perty in  Merionethshire  with  this  object.  When 
he  entered  upon  his  property  there,  this  Daffodil 
was  growing  in  the  garden — a  chance  seed- 
ling indeed,  for  no  one  knew  how  it  came 
there  or  what  was  its  parentage.  This  is 
very  different  from  N.  Horsfieldi,  which  was 
no  chance,  but  a  carefully  raised  seedling.  Mr. 
Pickstone  saw  its  merit,  and  carefully  nursed  the 
foundling,  and  when  he  shortly  afterwards  re- 
moved to  London  he  took  the  bulbs  with  him  and 
grew  them  in  his  garden  therfi.  Some  six  years 
ago  he  bought  an  estate  at  Maesmynan,  near 
Caerwys,  in  North  Wales,  and  to  this  place  the 
bulbs  were  removed.  Caerwys  is  a  high-lying 
valley  between  Moel  Vamma  and  the  sea,  and  here 
the  Daffodil  spread  and  grew  amazingly.  The 
soil  was  a  strong  loam  and  was  full  of  pebbles, 
and  in  it  the  Daffodils  appeared  to  be  quite  at 
home.  They  were  to  be  found  in  thousands,  al- 
most in  a  wild  state,  amongst  the  Rhododendron 
bashes,  and  even  in  the  woods.  The  villagers  also 
got  odd  bulbs,  so  that  the  cottage  gardens  at 
Caerwys  also  contained  them.  It  was  the  same  at 
the  place  of  their  origin,  so  that  in  Merionethshire 
they  abounded ;  and  yet  neither  Mr.  Peter  Barr, 
the  high  priest  of  Daffodils,  nor  Mr.  Burbidge 
knew  anything  about  this  Daffodil. 

"  Two  years  ago  a  dealer  in  flowers  from  Shade- 
hill  Market  was  driving  past  the  Maesmynan 
gardens  when  he  saw  the  hosts  of  Daffodils  in 
bloom.  Having  an  eye  to  business,  he  sought  out 
the  gardener  and  bonght  lOs.  worth  of  the 
blooms,  and  these  shortly  appeared  in  our 
florist.s'  windows.  They  proved  saleable,  and  were 
dealt  in  during  the  season.  I  remember  seeing 
these  flowers,  but  was  told  it  was  a  new  sort,  and 
that  the  bulbs  were  not  on  sale.  This  year  Mr. 
Pickstone  himself  came  over  to  sell  his  blooms, 
and  so  many  were  there  that  in  a  single  week  he 
delivered  over  5000.  He  next  began  to  talk  about 
selling  bulbs,  and  a  Mrs.  Mason  bought  a  lot  for 
her  own  purposes,  and  she  sold  a  good  many  more. 
This  was  before  it  was  seen  that  any  great  value 
was  in  them.  Mr.  Pickstone  slowly  realised  the 
fact  that  he  held  a  valuable  and  unique  Daffodil, 
and  before  he  did  so  Messrs.  James  Dickson,  of 
Chester,  had  sent  blooms  of  it  up  to  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society,  named  James  Dickson.  Mr. 
Pickstone  objected,  and  the  plant  was  re-named 
by  him  Sir  Watkin,  at  my  suggestion.  Messrs. 
Dickson  afterwards  bought  the  stock,  and  agreed 
that  the  name  should  be  Sir  Watkin,  and  there  the 


matter  now  stands.  There  is  a  great  future  before 
this  Daffodil,  but  whether  or  not  it  will  retain  its 
size,  which  is  its  chief  merit,  remains  to  be  seen. 
I  sometimes  fancy  that  it  owes  its  size  to  the 
healthy  surroundings  of  mountain  and  sea  air  and 
kindly  soil,  and  that  it  will  soon  relapse  under 
cultivation  to  the  usual  size  of  such  Narcissi.'' 


HARDY  PLANT   BORDERS. 
One  of  our  leading  nurserymen    in  the  west  of 
England  assured  me  the  other  day  that  at  the 
present  time  he  was    selling  500  hardy  plants 
where  ten  years  ago  he  did  not  sell  fifty  ;  this  I 
thought  a  significant  sign  of  the  times,  showing 
in  the  plainest  possible  manner  that  the  taste  for 
hardy  plants  has  taken  a  strong   hold,  and  that 
this  taste  is  everywhere  extending  no  one  can 
doubt.     I  could  name  several  large  gardens  in 
which  prominent  borders  in  the  kitchen  garden 
that  a  few  years  ago  were  planted  in  the  ribbon 
style    are  now  occupied   with   hardy   bulbs   and 
herbaceous  plants,  and,  what  is  noteworthy,  more 
than  one  gardener  of  my  acquaintance  has  had  to 
give  up  long  and  useful  borders  in  the  kitchen 
garden   io  which  the  choicest  early   vegetables 
were  grown  to  make  room  for  hardy    flowering 
plants,  a  fact  which  goes  a  long  way  to  show  that 
ere  long  our  hardy  plants  will  be  restored  to  the 
position   which  they  once   held  in  our  gardens. 
Herbaceous  plants  like    a    sunny  position,  and 
they    require    a    soil    made  fairly   rich    by  the 
aid  of  manure  and  free  and  deep  as  well.     Some, 
I   know,    have    no    faith    in    manure   for    hardy 
plants,  but  that  is  not  my  experience.    Soils  differ 
so  much  that  their  requirements  cannot   be  ruled 
by  any  hard  and  fast  lines.  If  crops  of  Cauliflowers 
or  Onions  exhaust  the  soil  in  which  they  have 
been  planted  only  a  few  months,  it  surely  stands  to 
reason  that  there  are  plenty  of  herbaceous  plants 
that  will  in  twoyears  exhaust  every  bit  of  nutriment 
contained  in  the  soil  in  which  they  are  growing. 
The  herbaceous  Phloxes,  Delphiniums,  Veronicas, 
Rudbeckias,   Helianthemums,  Thalictrums,  Plan- 
tain Lilies,  and  Campanulas  will  certainly  do  this, 
and  many  more  names  might  be  added  of  plants 
equally  severe  on  the  soil.     I  have  had   sixteen 
years'  experience  with  two  long  borders  containing 
a  good  collection  of  hardy  plants,  and  although 
the  soil  is  fairly  good,  I  could  no  more  have  kept 
it  in  a  condition  capable  of  sustaining  vigorous  and 
healthy  growth  than  I  could  grow  Pines  without 
he    aid    of    fire-heat.     Vigorous-growing    hardy 
plants  do  not  object  to  a  mixture  composed  of 
equal  parts  rotten  leaves  and  farmyard  [manure 
applied  to  their  roots  about  once  in  two  years.  As 
a  matter  of  fact  they    receive  benefit  from  it. 
What  is  wanted  in  the  cultivation  of  hardy  plants 
is  rational  treatment.    In  strong,  deep  soils  plants 
may  do  well  for  several  years  without  assistance, 
but  the  time  will  certainly  come  when  something 
more  than  ordinary  soil  will  be  required — how  soon 
or  in  what  quantity  observation  on  the  spot  alone 
can  tell.  This  muchlmay  confidently  saythat  more 
than  half  of  the  so-called  herbaceous  borders  in  the 
country  are  deficient  in  sustaining  matter  com- 
pared with  what    the    plants    require.     A   poor 
weakly  growth  and  but  few  and  poor  flowers  are 
the  result,  and  then  the  plants  and  not  the  culti- 
vator is  blamed  for  their  unsatisfactory  condition. 
When  we  have  learnt  to  deal  as  liberally  with  our 
herbaceous  borders  as  we  do  with  our  flower  beds 
occupied  with  tender  plants,  then,  and  then  only, 
can  we  hope  to  reach  a  full  measure  of  success. 

In  selecting  a  position  for  herbaceous  plants 
I  think  the  vegetable  borders  above  alluded  to 
furnish  the  key  to  the  kind  of  soil  that  suits  the 
majority  of  the  plants  best.  It  shows  that  they 
like  plenty  of  air,  light,  and  sun,  and  these  con- 
ditions should  be  afforded,  unless,  indeed,  it  be 
possible  to  have  a  border  in  the  full  sun  and 
another  under  a  shady  wall ;  then,  indeed,  the  cul- 
tivator might  enjoy  a  feast  of  flowers,  as  the 
blooming  season  would  be  considerably  extended. 
To  all,  however,  who  wish  to  avoid  failure  I  would 
say  do  not  court  the  too  near  shade  of  large  trees. 
Many  plants  would  be  grateful  for  the  shade  of 
their  branches,  but  they  cannot  thrive  under  or 


greater  part  of  the  moisture.  With  reference  to 
herbaceous  borders,  a  good  deal  has  at  different 
times  been  written  against  them,  the  favourite 
theme  being  that  they  have  a  more  or  less 
weedy  appearance,  and  therefore  unsuitable  for 
prominent  positions.  The  weediness  is,  how- 
ever, quite  a  question  of  management.  The 
charms  of  a  herbaceous  border  consist  chiefly 
in  its  ever-varying  character;  therefore  there  are 
but  few  positions  for  which  herbaceous  plants  are 
not  suitable,  provided  always  that  the  width  is  in 
proportion  to  the  length.  Narrow  long  borders 
cannot  be  planted  in  a  satisfactory  manner,  but 
if  they  could,  a  long  border,  even  if  of  suflicient 
width,  does  not  look  well  unless  the  surroundings 
are  carried  out  on  the  same  liberal  scale.  Special- 
ists in  other  departments  are  apt  to  ignore  hardy 
plants  and  their  capacity  to  give  pleasure.  To  those 
who  feel  an  interest  in  hardy  plants,  and  yet  have 
not  a  sufficient  acquaintance  with  them  to  judge 
fairly  of  their  merits,  I  would  say  by  all  means 
begin  well,  preferring  selections  rather  than  col- 
lections. J.  C.  C. 


EARLY-FLOWERING  CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 

This  class  of  Chrysanthemums  has  become  very 
popular  within  the  last  few  years,  the  great  point 
in  their  favour  being  that  they  make  a  good  dis- 
play of  bloom  in  the  open  border  just  as  summer 
flowers  are  beginning  to  wane,  and  before  there  is 
sufficient  frost  to  cut  them  off.     Some  sorts,  how- 
ever, flower  much  earlier  than  that,  it  being  no 
uncommon  occurrence  to    have   them   in  bloom 
during  June;  but  even  these  can  be  managed,  by 
varying  the  time  of  striking  the  cuttings,  to  flower 
from  then  to  August  or  September.     First  on  the 
list  stands  Madame  C.  Desgrange,  a  stout,  sturdy- 
growing  kind,  about  a  yard  high  when  in  the  open 
border,  and  bearing  large  flowers,  3  inches  or  4  inches 
across,  with  reflexed  petals,  almost   Japanese  in 
character.    The  flowers  are  white  when  fully  ex- 
panded, but  on   first  opening   are    tinged  with 
greenish  yellow.    La  Petite  Slarie  is  very  dwarf 
in  habit,  and  flowers  profusely  when  but  a  few 
inches  high— a  character  which  renders  it  very 
suitable  for  pot  culture.     The  flowers  are  button- 
like, pure  white,  and  commence  to  open  about 
midsummer.     Virginia  is  a  free-growing  kind  and 
very  floriferous,  both  as  a  pot  plant  and  in  the 
open  ground.     Its   flowers   are  pure  white,  and 
about  2  inches  in  diameter.     Other  good  white- 
flowered  kinds  are   Madame  Jolivart,   LavalI6e, 
and    Souvenir    d'un    Ami ;     while   grown    under 
glass,    the    flowers    of    nanum    are    white,    but 
in  the  open  blush.    Another  blush-tinted  flower, 
but    not    so    attractive    in   style   as    the   pre- 
ceeding,    is    Illustration    or    Lucinda,    a    sort 
which     blooms    very    early.      Among     yellows 
must   be  mentioned   Precocitc,    a  deep    golden- 
coloured  kind  of  short  and  sturdy  habit.     It  is 
one  of  the  oldest  and  most  desirable  in  its  class. 
Henderson  is  a  good    pale  yellow  tipped  with 
bronze,  the  little  button-like   flowers  being  pro- 
duced in  great  profusion.     Le   Luxembourg,  or 
Mrs.  Wood,  is  bright  amber,  and  very  free,  both 
in  growth  and  blossom.     Frederick  Marronet  is  of 
sturdy  habit,   and    has    orange-coloured  flowers 
about  an  inch  and  a  half  in  diameter.     Selections 
from  other  shades  of  colour  would  include  Anas- 
tasio,  a  free-growing,    free-flowering  kind,  with 
rosy  magenta  blossoms  about  a  couple  of  inches 
across  ;  Lyon,  bright  rosy  purple,  of  good  habit, 
and  one  of  the  brightest-coloured  floweis  we  have. 
Souvenir  de  M.  Rampont,  a  crimson-flowered  kind, 
which  scon  makes  large  bushy  plants  at  the  most 
under  a  yard  high :   Pompon  Toulousain,  a  good 
dwarf  red ;    Madame   Picoul,  a  very  early  rosy 
purple-flowered  kind,  with  blossoms  about  a  couple 
of  inches  in  diameter.     A  crimson  sport  from  the 
above  (Mrs.   W.   Piercy)   is  also  very  desirable. 
Cassy,  very  early,  of  sturdy  growth,  flowers  pale 
pink  tipped  with  a  deeper  hue.     Pollion,  of  stout 
upright  growth,  but  not  more  than  a  couple  of 
feet  high,  blossoms  pale  pink.     From  its  sturdy 
habit  no  support  will  be  needed,  even  in  exposed 
situations. 

The  above  include  about  the  pick  of  the  sum- 


near  large  trees,  the  roots  of  which  suqk  out  the  I  mer    flowering  kinds;   but   besides    them    there 


184 


THE    GARDEN 


[Aug.  30    1884. 


are  several  that  bloom  daring  the  early  part  of  the 
autumn  before  the  regular  Chrysanthemum  season. 
A  few  good  useful  kinds  of  this  class  are  Adrastus, 
rosy  purple,  fine  for  the  open  border.  Alexandre 
Dufour ;  this  variety  was  last  year  awarded  a 
certificate  by  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society,  a 
distinction  well  merited.  It  is  of  the  Japanese 
section,  and  has  long  narrow  florets  of  a  bright 
amaranth  colour.  It  begins  to  flower  about  the 
middle  of  September,  and  is  a  very  free  bloomer. 
Felicito,  a  stiff  habited  kind,  with  large  orange- 
coloured  flowers.  Inimitable,  a  free  grower,  with 
blooms  about  an  inch  and  a  half  in  diameter,  of  a 
reddish  orange  colour.  Trevenna,  as  represented 
by  its  white,  rose,  and  yellow  varieties,  produces 
globular  blossoms  before  the  bulk  of  the  collection 
comes  in.  Several  of  the  Japanese  kinds  flower 
early,  such  as  Lady  Selborne,  a  good  white,  and 
James  Salter,  the  variety  from  which  it  originated. 
Again,  Gloire  Rayocnante,  a  curiously  quilled, 
rose-coloured  flower,  and  the  well-known  Elaine 
belong  to  this  class.  Several  of  the  new  Japanese 
varieties  sent  from  the  Continent  last  season  are 
said  to  be  early-flowering,  but  I  have  not  yet 
proved  them  to  be  so.  That  it  is  possible  to  pro- 
long the  flowering  season  of  the  early  kinds  by 
striking  successional  batches  was  well  shown  last 
season,  when  we  had  Madame  C.  Desgrange  in 
bloom  from  the  end  of  July  till  the  ordinary  sorts 
came  in.  Besides  the  fact  of  their  flowering  when 
out-of-doors  before  severe  frosts  set  in,  the  kinds 
here  enumerated  as  early  autumn  bloomers  are  of 
sturdy  habit,  and,  as  the  flowers  are  not  lumpy, 
heavy  rains  have  little  or  no  effect  on  them  ;  while 
large  incurved  flowers  would,  under  similar  con- 
ditions, become  full  of  water,  droop  downward?, 
and  speedily  decay.  H.  1'. 


White  Briony.— It  is  doubtful  if  any  plant 
can  better  illustrate  beauty  of  form  than  this 
native  climber.  A  vigorous  plant  growing  wildly 
amongst  the  branches  of  a  low-spreading  tree, 
throwing  itself  into  graceful  festoons  of  elegantly 
divided  foliage,  is  one  of  the  most  pleasing  objects 
that  one  could  have  in  a  garden.  I  lately  saw  a 
plant  which,  growing  in  the  corner  of  a  garden  in 
good  ground,  had  obtained  possession  of  some 
low  bushes,  and  from  them  had  spread  to  and 
obtained  more  or  less  mastery  of  a  Plum  tree. 
With  the  exception  of  the  Hop,  when  growing 
under  similar  circumstances,  I  never  saw  any- 
thing in  the  way  of  a  climber  either  native  or 
exotic  that  pleased  me  half  so  much  as  this  white 
Briony.— J.  C,  Bijflcet. 

Single  Dahlias.— "I  do  not  care  much  for 
single  Dahlias,"  said  a  friend  lately,  and  if  no 
better  colours  than  those  which  he  had  were  obtain- 
able, I  should  think  that  single  kinds  are  a  mis- 
take. They  varied  from  dirty  white]through  dingy 
yellow  to  indistinct  shades  of  red,  and  I  would 
sooner  have  one  pood  double  than  the  whole  batch 
of  them.  If  seedsmen  are  not  more  particular  in 
saving  seed  from  good  and  distinct  colours,  taking 
care  that  they  do  not  become  mixed,  single  Dahlias 
will  never  be  popular,  and  in  a  few  years  they  will 
scarcely  be  seen.  I  would,  however,  advise  those 
who  have  been  disappointed  with  plants  raised 
from  seed  to  try  some  of  the  beat  named  kinds, 
for  until  the  colours  are  better  fixed  and  the  straits 
in  a  general  way  worked  up  to  a  higher  standard 
than  at  present,  a  great  deal  of  disappointment  wiU 
be  experienced. — J.  Coenhill. 

Properties  of  flowers.— "M.  R."  in  last 
week's  Garden  is  not  quite  fair  to  Mr.  Glenny, 
who  certainly  tried  to  "  improve  "  upon  the  previous 
models  of  the  florists  from  his  own  point  of  view, 
but  he  did  not  invent  them.  "  M.  R."  is  quite  as 
far  wrong,  too,  in  asserting  that  "these  absurdities 
have  been  by  none  more  heartily  repudiated  than 
they  have  been  from  the  very  outset  by  fljrists 
themselves."  The  latest  work  on  "Hardy  Florists' 
Flowers"  was  published  no  farther  back  than  1880, 
by  one  of  the  foremost  of  modern  florists,  viz  ,  Mr. 
Douglas,  who  reproduces  several  of  the  florists' 
models  and  describes  others,  and  I  would  like  to 
know  in  what  way  they  differ  from  Glenny's  or 
any  others.  Take  the  "perfect  truss:"  of  an  Anrioula 


there,  for  example,  and  say  if  either  the  truss  or 
the  flower  is  not  as  great  an  impossibility  and  ex- 
ample of  "  intolerable  formality  "  as  Glenny  or  any- 
one else  ever  conceived.  The  Tulip  is  the  same, 
and  the  general  principles  laid  down  for  the 
guidance  of  florists  do  not  differ  in  any  material 
respect  from  thofe  which  have  guided  the  frater- 
nity from  the  beginning.  I  do  not  say  that  Mr. 
Douglas  is  responsible  for  them,  but  he  has  repro- 
duced them  In  his  book  because  I  suppose  it 
would  have  been  no  florist's  guide  without  them. — 
S.  W. 

A  good  mixed  flower  bed.— The  follow- 
ing is  a  description  of  a  circular  bed  on  my 
lawn,  which  has  been  more  or  less  gay  all  sum- 
mer :  In  the  centre  is  a  large  bushy  and  well- 
coloured  Acer  Negundo  variegatum ;  this  is  fes- 
tooned and  draped  with  Tropseolum  speciosum 
Round  the  white  Maple  are  a  few  Lilies,  Spirasa 
palmata.  Delphinium  formosum,  and  mixed  An- 
tirrhinums. The  bed  is  edged  with  Funkia  sub- 
cordata.  The  Tropreolum  is  beginning  to  open  its 
many  hundred  bloom  buds. — J.  H.  W.  T.,  Belmont, 
Carlo  V. 

White-flowered  native  plant.— Many 
of  the  white  varieties  of  our  coloured  wild  flowers 
are  worthy  of  the  cultivator's  care.  Those  I  send 
are  Eupatorium  cannabinum  (scarcely  open),  Sca- 
biosa  arvensis,  a  Labiate  (Betonica,  I  believe), 
a  Vetch  (which  has  been  in  bloom  all  the  summer), 
and  Centaurea  Jacea.  Of  the  latter  I  have  also  a 
pink  variety,  all  found  near  here.  These  make 
good  border  plants,  and  to  casual  observers  and 
the  uninitiated  pass  for  exotics.  I  may  remark, 
and  the  observation  is  based  on  experience,  that 
yellow  flowered  plants  are  the  rarest  to  break  into 
white,  while  the  purples  are  the  most  frequent. — 
J.  M.,  Charmouth,  Borstt. 

Lllium  tig rinum.— This  and  its  double- 
flowered  variety  are  now  finely  in  bloom.  The 
blossoms  of  the  double  form  are  smaller  and  of  a 
much  paler  colour  than  those  of  the  type ;  the 
plants  are  not  quite  so  tall,  but  are  very  similar  in 
other  respects.  The  flowers  open  from  the  centre 
in  successive  parts,  divided  and  arranged  evenly 
behind  each  other,  the  stamens  in  different  plants 
showing  various  states  of  transition.  It  is  not  so 
showy  as  the  brightly  coloured  spotted  flowers  of 
L.  tigrinum  itself.  Fine  masses  of  this  Lily  may 
sometimes  be  seen  in  cottage  gardens  where  the 
bulbs  are  not  disturbed,  but  merely  covered  with 
ashes  in  winter  as  a  little  protection  against  severe 
weather.  Such  masses  produce  strong  spikes 
annually.  L.  tigrinum  thrives  well  in  Rhododen- 
dron beds.  A  plentiful  supply  of  water  at  the 
roots  is  beneficial  both  to  L.  tigrinum  and  L. 
auratum  when  growing  in  such  situations.— 
J.  G.  K. 

Primrose  and  Polyanthus  seeds.— The 

recent  spring  was  not  at  all  favourable  to  the  pro- 
duction of  seed  of  these  charming  spring  flowers, 
and  while  the  crop  is  thin,  the  seeds  are  somewhat 
wanting  in  plumpness  and  germinating  power. 
It  may  be  assumed  that  new  seeds  germinate 
much  more  quickly  than  seeds  a  year  old  ;  there- 
fore it  is  best  to  sow  seeds  as  soon  after  they  are 
ripe  as  possible.  But  new  seeds  germinate  irre- 
gularly and  at  intervals.  In  raising  them  the  best 
method  I  find  to  be  this:  I  fill  some  broad- 
mouthed  flower  pots  6  inches  or  7  inches  across  to 
half  their  depth  with  crocks  and  rough  leaf  soil ;  over 
these  I  place  a  slight  layer  of  Moss,  and  then  fill 
up  with  fine  light  sandy  soil  to  within  half-an- 
inch  or  little  more  of  the  rims,  pressing  it  down 
as  firmly  as  possible.  Then  I  place  the  pots  in  a 
pail  of  water,  so  that  the  surface  soil  will  be  a 
little  above  the  level  of  the  water,  and  keep  them 
there  until  the  whole  is  thoroughly  saturated. 
They  are  allowed  to  drain,  and  then  the  seeds  are 
scattered  thinly  over  the  surface;  aiittle  silver 
sand  is  sprinkled  over  them,  and  all'  are  gently 
pressed  down  level.  Then  the  pots  are  set  in 
saucers  half  full  of  water  and  a  piece  of  glass 
placed  over  each.  It  is  rather  beneficial  than 
otherwise  to  have  the  sun  shining  full  upon  the 
glass,  for  the  surface  cannot  become  dry  so  long 
as  the  pans  are  kept  with  water  in  them,    I  place 


my  seed  pots  on  a  shelf  in  the  greenhouse,  fully 
exposed  to  the  sunlight  and  air,  and  they  are 
never  watered  on  the  surface ;  consequently  there 
is  no  disturbance  of  the  seeds.  It  is  surprising 
how  soon  seeds  will  germinate  when  treated  in 
this  way  ;  and  as  soon  as  the  most  forward  plants 
are  large  enough  to  handle  they  are  taken  out 
and  pricked  off  into  store  pots  and  grown  on  into 
size.  The  smaller  and  later  plants  have  thus  more 
space  in  which  to  grow.  But  let  no  one  be  too 
impatient.  Time  is  required  for  all  the  seeds  to 
germinate,  and  if  they  are  good  they  will  do  this 
sooner  or  later. — R.  D. 


Garden   Flora. 


PLATE  453. 
DIANTHU3  ALPINUS  AND  ERODIUM 
MACRADENUM.* 
In  no  class  of  plants  is  correct  nomenclature  more 
needed  than  in  that  of  Pinks.  I  have  been  told 
that  out  of  fifty-seven  distinct  names  under  which 
plants  or  seeds  of  Dianthuses  were  received  fifty- 
five  turned  out  to  be  D.  plumarius,  or  some  of  its 
many  forms,  the  other  two  being  varieties  of  D. 
deltoides,  a  state  of  things  which  goes  on  from 
year  to  year  with  little  or  no  improvement.  In 
the  "  Genera  Plantarum,"  the  latest  standard  autho- 
rity, as  many  as  seventy  are  considered  to  be  dis- 
tinct, but  published  elsewhere  there  are  names  for 
double  and  even  treble  that  number.  The  num- 
ber of  really  good  alpine  Pinks  may,  however, 
safely  be  set  down  as  not  exceeding  a  dozen,  and 
probably  not  more  than  half  of  these  are  in  culti- 
vation, i.e.,  excluding  the  tall  and  straggly  section, 
of  which  D.  plumarius  may  be  taken  as  the  type, 
and  the  Sweet  William  section,  represented  by 
D.  barbatus  and  D.  capitatus.  With  most  of  the 
alpine  Pinks  a  tolerable  amount  of  success  may 
be  obtained  by  planting  them  in  open  beds  or 
borders  in  ordinary  garden  soil,  provided  a  good 
supply  of  small  stones  and  lime  rubbish  be  placed 
round  the  necks  of  the  plants.  This  plan  does 
not,  however,  answer  satisfactorily  for  more  than 
two  or  three  years  without  renewal ;  therefore,  if 
a  rockery  be  not  available,  small  mounds  of  soil 
should  be  formed  and  furnished  with  large  and 
small  stones,  placed  so  as  to  suit  the  individual 
requirements  of  the  plants.  In  preparing  places  f i  r 
them  on  the  rockery,  it  will  be  well  to  bear  in 
mind  that  a  damp  soil,  if  not  too  retentive,  exactly 
suits  them.  Clear  the  pocket  out  to  9  inches  or  a 
foot,  make  the  bottom  firm,  and  lay  down  flat 
stones  inclined  a  little  to  one  side,  and  fill  up 
with  the  already  prepared  soil.  The  mixture  gene- 
rally used  is  black  peat,  fine  loam,  and  coarse 
river  sand  in  equal  parts,]with  a  good  admixture 
of  old  mortar  and  small  pieces  of  limestone  or 
granite. 

The  alpine  Pink  (D.  alpinus),  of  which  an 
illustration  is  given  in  the  annexed  plate,  is  un- 
doubtedly the  most  charming  amongst  dwarf 
kinds  in  this  section.  It  likes  sunny  and  exposed 
situations,  which  should  always  be  chosen  for  it, 
and  it  should  also  have  a  good  depth  of  prepared 
soil  and  plenty  of  moisture,  at  least  where  the 
drainage  is  good.  When  well  grown  and  flowered 
nothing  can  exceed  its  beauty ;  indeed  in  its  best 
state  the  leaves  are  quite  hidden  under  the 
flowers.  It  is  easily  recognised  at  a  glance  from 
all  others  by  its  dark  shining  green  foliage  and 
more  or  less  prostrate  habit  of  growth ;  seldom 
even  under  the  most  favourable  circumstances 
does  it  exceed  3  inches  in  height,  and  each  stem 

»  Drawn  in  Measra.  Backbouae'9  nuraery  at  York  by  the 
late  Mr.  Noel  Humphreys. 


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Aug.  30,  1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


185 


bears  only  one  flower,  which  is  always  over  an 
inch  in  diameter,  and  o£  a  fine  deep  rose  or 
purplish  pink,  regularly  spotted  with  crimson,  a 
darker  tint  forming  a  ring  round  the  bearded  eye ; 
the  petals  have  also  beautifully  crenated  margins- 
It  is  a  native  of  the  high  mountains  of  Auitria, 
and  flowers  with  us  in  June  and  July. 

D.  NEGLECTUS  is  a  haudsome  dwarf  species,  of 
rare  merit  as  a  plant  for  rockwork.  It  is  not 
nearly  so  fastidious  as  regards  requirements  as 
D.  alpinus,  and  is  much  easier  established  either 
in  pots  or  oa  rockwork.  Another  plant  found  in 
gardens  under  the  name  of  D.  Fischeri  is  nothing 
more  than  a  variety  of  D.  neglectus,  differing  in 
having  constantly  from  two  to  three  flowers  in  a 
head  even  in  a  diminutive  state.  It  is  totally  distinct 
from  the  D.  Fischeri  figured  in  Sweet's  "  Flower 
Garden,"  t.  245.  That  kind  grows  over  a  foot  high, 
has  a  many- flowered  stem,  and  is  nearly  related  to 
D  superbus.  D.  neglectus,  true,  only  grows  3  inohes 


June  and  July,  and  is  a  native  of  the  mountains 
of  Provence  and  Dauphiny. 

The  Cheddar  or  Mountain  Pink  (D.  caesius), 
although  a  native,  being  found  on  limestone  rocks 
in  Somersetshire,  and  also  on  old  walls  near  Ox- 
ford, does  not  meet  with  the  amount  of  favour 
which  it  deserves  as  a  garden  plant.  It  forms 
close,  compact  tufts  of  densely  glaucous  leaves, 
and  seems  to  be  specially  adapted  for  the  embel- 
lishment of  old  and  unsightly  walls,  as,  unlike  the 
others,  it  is  very  impatient  of  damp,  and  does  not 
succeed  well  in  the  mixed  border,  except  in  dry, 
gravelly  soils. 

There  are  many  varieties  of  D.  csasins  in  culti- 
vation, notably  the  Oxford  Pink,  which  has  hand- 
some rose-coloured  flowers  an  inch  in  diameter, 
and  a  large-flowered  variety  called  grandiflora, 
having  very  large  flowers  of  a  delicate  rose  colour 
and  very  fragrant,  produced  in  June  and  July. 
Amongst  those  of  note  not    in  cultivation,    D. 


Urodium  petrccum. 


or  4  inches  high.  It  forms  dense  tufts  of  wiry 
Grass-like  leaves  slightly  glaucous,  and  about  an 
inch  long.  The  flowers,  which  are  brilliant  deep 
rose,  are  scarcely  an  inch  across,  slightly  serrated, 
and  very  handsome.  It  is  a  native  of  lofty  posi- 
tions in  the  Alps,  and  flowers  in  May  and  June. 

The  Glacier  or  Icy  Pink  (D.  glacialis)  is 
nearly  related  to  D.  neglectus,  and  is  one  of  the 
most  difficult  of  its  class  to  get  well  established- 
A  situation  in  which  Campanula  cenisia  will 
flourish  seems  to  be  that  which  is  the  most  suit- 
able for  this  Pink,  viz  ,  on  a  ledge  or  flat  stone  in 
the  vicinity  of  a  small  stream  where  it  is  never 
allowed  to  get  dry.  The  stems  are  erect,  tufted, 
and  generally  one-flowered ;  the  leaves  are  very 
narrow  and  bright  green,  and  the  small,  prettily 
serrated  purple  flowers  are  lovely  when  produced 
in  quantity,  but  that  is  rare.  Although  this  Pink 
may  be  increased  by  division,  great  risk  is  incurred 
in  disturbing  it  when  once  it  gets  established. 
Seeds,  which  will  have  to  be  imported,  as  they 
rarely  ripen  well  with  us,  are  best  sown  where 
they  are  intended  to  remain ;  the  same,  indeed, 
may  be  said  of  all  the  al^pine  Pinks.    It  flowers  in 


pnmilus  and  D.  elegans,  a  pure  white-flowered 
species  about  3  inches  high  and  much  in  the  way 
of  D.  glacialis,  may  be  mentioned. 

The  different  species  belonging  to  the  genus 
Erodium  (Stork's-bills  or  Heron's-bills,  as  they 
are  called),  although  not  generally  distinguished 
for  brilliancy  in  the  way  of  flowers,  form  one 
of  the  most  interesting  sections  of  this  justly 
popular  family.  On  rockeries  the  delicately 
cut  Fern-like  leaves  of  the  stemless  section  are 
shown  off  to  advantage,  and  when  once  fairly 
established,  the  attention  otherwise  required 
in  their  cultivation  is  reduced  to  a  minimum 
Old  buildings,  however,  or  imitation  walls  in 
the  rock  garden  are  their  favourite  positions, 
their  low,  dense,  spreading  habit  of  growth 
rendering  them  unfit  for  moist  situations.  They 
never,  indeed,  seem  to  be  more  at  home  than  when 
clinging  to  crumbling  stones.  Where  soil  is  used 
for  them  it  should  be  of  a  very  porous  character, 
'ime  rubble,  small  stones,  and  coarse  sand  consti- 
tuting the  main  ingredients.  They  are  increased 
with  comparative  ease  by  means  of  cuttings  or 
division,  but  as  they  are  very  slow  growers,  seeds, 


which  tbey  ripen  freely,  should  be  resorted  to, 
using  much  e  same  soil  in  which  to  sow  them  as 
that  just  nO  mmended. 

Glandular  Heron's-bill  (E.  macradenum) 
of  which  an  illustration  is  given  on  the  annexed 
plate,  although  introduced  to  this  country  more 
than  a  century  ago,  is  still  comparatively  rare.  It 
is  very  remarkable  for  the  exceptional  length  and 
curious  formation  of  its  roots ;  consequently  it 
requires  a  rather  deep,  well  drained  soil  and  a 
sunny  exposed  position  on  the  rockery.  It  has  a 
tufty  habit  of  growth,  the  leaves  being  crowded 
on  the  top  of  the  roots  and  spreading  star  fashion  ; 
they  are  densely  covered  with  a  fine  glandular 
pubescence,  are  oval  in  outline,  and  gracefully  cut 
into  segments.  The  flowers  are  produced  in 
straggly  umbels,  from  three  to  six  in  each,  nearly  an 
inch  in  diameter ;  the  two  upper  petals  are  bright 
purple  with  deep  blackish  purple  horse-shoe  shaped 
spots  and  prettily  branched  veins,  the  three  lower 
being  purple  or  flesh  coloured.  It  grows  about 
6  inches  in  height,  and  flowers  in  June  and  July, 
It  is  a  native  of  Spain  and  the  Pyrenees. 

Rock  Heron's-bill  (E.  petr^um)  is  a  very 
handsome,  almost  stemless,  species,  eminently 
suited  for  placing  on  old  ruins  or  rough  stones  on 
the  rockery.  It  seldom  attains  more  than  3  inches 
or  4  inches  in  height,  and  although  the  flowers, 
which  are  purple  with  darker  blotches  on  the  two 
upper  petals,  are  not  handsome,  it  fully  makes  up 
for  this  by  means  of  its  smooth,  finely-cut  leaves. 
It  flowers  early  in  June  and  July,  and  is  a  native 
of  the  Pyrenees. 

Maiden-hair  Hebon's-bill  (E.  trichomanc- 
folinm),  although  resembling  the  above  in  general 
appearance,  differs  widely  from  it  in  having  hairy 
and  slightly  glandular  leaves.  This  species  grows 
fairly  well  in  the  ordinary  border  raised  on  stones, 
on  which  it  forms  dense  cushiony  tufts.  The 
flowers  are  flesh-coloured,  marked  with  dark  purple 
lines.  It  is  a  native  of  Mount  Lebanon,  and 
flowers  in  July.  E.  cheilanthifolium  is  another 
name  under  which  this  plant  is  known  in  gardens. 

Reichaed's  Heron's-bill  (E.  Reichardi)  is  a 
well-known  plant,  but  unfortunately  it  does  not 
stand  our  severe  damp  winters  in  the  open  air  very 
well,  unless  in  very  dry  sheltered  positions.  It 
forms  small  circular  tufts  of  shining  green  kidney- 
shaped  leaves  radiating  outwards  from  the  centre 
The  flowers  are  small,  pure  white,  faintly  streaked 
with  purple  veins,  and  very  handsome.  It  is  a 
native  of  Majorca  and  flowers  aU  through  the 
summer. 

E.  CAMPOSIANUM  AND  E.  astragaloides  are 
pretty  dwarf  species,  having  fine  densely  woolly 
leaves  like  those  of  a  small  Astragalus  and  large 
tuberous  roots.  D.  K. 


Depredations  of  slugs.— The  extent  of  the 
ravages  committed  by  slugs  on  various  kinds  of 
garden  crops  in  a  short  time,  and  the  distance 
such  small  and  slow-travelling  creatures  will  crawl 
backwards  and  forwards  during  a  single  night,  is 
surprising.  Slugs  are  credited  with  harbouring 
about  Box  and  other  walk  edgings,  which  they  do, 
but  there  are  some  plants  they  do  not  like  to  shel- 
ter near,  and  one  of  these  is  the  Ivy.  For  a  good 
many  years  the  kitchen  garden  walks  here  have 
been  edged  with  Hedera  maculata,  a  strong  grow- 
ing variegated  sort,  which  is  clipped  in  periodic- 
ally, making  one  of  the  best  and  prettiest  edg- 
ings I  know,  never  failing  like  Box,  and  requir- 
ing much  less  care.  Since  these  edgings  were 
laid  down  slugs  have  been  completely  banished 
from  the  walk  edges,  though  no  more  likely  place 
for  their  haunts  could  be  imagined,  because  the 
Ivy  is  warm  and  close  summer  and  winter    but. 


186 


THE    GARDEN 


[Aug.  30.  1884. 


strange  to  say,  the  tenderest  plants  escaped  the 
ravages  of  slugs  everywhere  near  it,  while  on  the 
opposite  side  of  some  of  the  borders,  where  a  mulch- 
ing of  loose  litter  is  spread  over  the  roots  of  fruit 
trees,  they  eat  Lettuces,  Turnips,  Kidney  Beans, 
&c.,  straight  before  them,  returning  afterwards  to 
the  shelter  of  the  litter  ;  but  on  the  side  next  the 
Ivy,  some  times  only  a  few  feet  off,  they  never 
harm  anything.  This  has  been  going  on  for  years. 
Slugs  were  destructive  this  spring,  owing  probably 
to  the  mild  winter,  and  our  early  Turnips  have 
been  destroyed  the  whole  length  of  the  border  on 
the  side  next  a  mulching  of  litter  laid  over  Vine 
roots,  while  next  the  Ivy  and  in  contact  with  it  no 
damage  has  been  done.  Grass  edgings  are  amongst 
the  worst  for  harbouring  slugs,  and  have  no  busi- 
ness in  kitchen  gardens  or  near  tender  crops,  and 
loose  leaves  or  litter  are  even  worse.  The  best 
preventives  are  frequent  digging  and  trenching  of 
the  ground  and  stirring  of  the  surface.  Dry  saw- 
dust sprinkled  round  plants  will  keep  slugs  off  as 
long  as  it  is  loose  and  dry,  when  they  cannot  crawl 
over  it,  but  when  battered  down  by  rain  it  is  use- 
less. Lime  dustings  early  in  the  morning  and  late 
in  the  evening  will  destroy  many  of  the  pests.  I 
have  often  thought  select  subjects  might  be  pro- 
tected from  slugs  by  being  dusted  over  with 
flowers  of  sulphur,  which  keeps  birds  and  mice 
from  eating  the  leaves  and  seeds.  I  have  not  yet 
tried  it  for  slugs,  but  mean  to  use  it  on  Stocks 
and  Asters  this  season,  if  required.— S. 

Wasps'  neste. — I  have  never  before  seen  so 
many  wasps  as  I  have  this  year.  I  have  already 
destroyed  sixteen  nests  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
my  garden  within  an  area  of  twenty  acres.  I  find 
Watts'  Asphyxiator  a  capital  exterminator.  Charge 
the  burner  with  sulphur  paper,  light  it,  and  put 
the  end  of  the  tube  into  the  hole;  turn  the  handle 
for  about  a  minute,  then  enclose  the  smoke,  and 
all  will  be  killed.  Another  very  simple  remedy 
where  it  can  be  applied  is  as  follows  :  Pour  about 
a  pint  of  gas  tar  into  the  hole  at  night  and  cover 
up  with  a  sod  of  turf;  thus  treated  they  will  give 
no  further  trouble.  There  are,  doubtless,  other 
ways  of  getting  rid  of  these  pests,  but  I  think 
both  of  these  easier  and  safer  than  the  old  plan  of 
digging  out  and  burning,  or  the  gunpowder  and 
brimstone  fquib. — T.  MoBSBT,  Tate  Home,  Chij)- 
jiirig  Soilhiry,  Glancestcrskire. 


SEASONABLE   WORK. 


FLOWER  GARDEN. 

Thyme.  —  Though  strictly  speaking  all  the 
plants  belonging  to  this  genus  are  herbs,  there  are 
several  of  the  varieties  which  for  use  in  the  flower 
garden  cannot  be  excelled  by  any  other  plant  of 
similar  habit  and  hardiness.  T.  corsicus,  hirsutus, 
tomentosus,  Serpyllum,  and  lanuginosus  make 
good  rockwork  plants,  and  the  two  last-named 
kinds  will  flourish  in  the  driest  positions.  The 
gold  and  silver  variegated  varieties  are  generally 
used  for  edgings  in  summer  bedding,  and  when 
kept  trim  by  frequent  cutting  they  are  excellent 
plants  for  the  purpose,  but  a  far  better  use  may 
be  made  of  them  as  well  as  of  the  common  green 
variety,  and  that  is  as  edgings  and  groundworks 
in  winter  bedding  arrangements.  The  density  of 
their  root  formation  is  favourable  to  their  trans- 
plantation at  almost  any  season ;  indeed,  we  have 
on  many  occasions  at  the  height  of  summer  made 
good  with  these  a  failure  in  summer  bedding 
plants,  and  as  our  beds  have  all  to  be  as  fully  fur- 
nished in  the  winter  as  in  summer,  there  was 
so  much  the  less  to  be  done  when  the  general 
clearance  and  replanting  began.  Seedlings  of  the 
common  green  kind  make  the  best  plants.  Sow 
in  pans  in  March,  transplant  to  the  open  borders 
early  in  May,  and  the  plants  will  be  ready  for  the 
following  winter.  The  variegated  kinds  can  only 
be  had  from  cuttings,  which  strike  well  at  any 
season  under  handlights  or  in  cold  frames.  The 
kinds  for  rockwork  are  increased  by  division  in 
autumn  or  early  in  spring. 

StJB-TROriCAL  AND  PINE  FOLIAGED  BEDS. 
— Besides  tying  to  supports  as  a  prevention 
against  injury  from  wind  and  heavy  rain-storms, 
and  the  removal  of  leaves  and  shoots  that  over- 


hang the  turf  to  its  injury,  there  is  little  else 
needed  just  now  in  this  department.  Growth  of 
late  has  been  profuse,  and  the  beds  will  never  be 
better ;  hence  the  present  is  the  time  to  take  note 
of  what  to  repeat  or  what  to  avoid  in  future  ar- 
rangements. We  have  marked  the  following  for 
repetition,  viz.,  a  bed  of  tall  Sunflowers  and  Cas- 
tor-oils in  combination  ;  one  of  single  Dahlias,  Mar- 
guerites, and  Acacia  lophantha ;  and  another  of 
Solanum  robustum  and  marginatum  (a  row  of 
each),  with  Eucalyptus  and  tall  Cannas  in  the 
centre.  The  variegated  Abutilon  and  crimson- 
stemmed  Chilian  Beet  in  combination  are  also 
very  pretty.  Amongst  the  tine  dwarfer  foliaged 
plants  succulents  at  present  bear  the  palm.  Sem- 
pervivum  arboreum,  arboreum  purpureum,  and 
arboreum  variegatum,  large-leaved  Echeveiias, 
and  American  Agaves  are  the  principal  large  kinds 
used,  the  carpeting  plants  for  the  same  being 
Mesemhryanthemum  cordifolinm  variegatum,  con- 
spicuum,  and  ccerulescens;  all  the  attention  that 
these  beds  now  need  is  to  keep  them  free  from 
weeds.  Pick  the  seed-pods  off  the  Mesembryan- 
themums,  and  give  an  occasional  press  down  with 
the  hand  to  keep  the  growth  right  under  the  taller 
plants. 

Herbaceous  plant  bobdees. — Now,  whilst 
herbaceous  plants  are  in  flower,  is  the  time  to  weed 
out  all  worthless  or  spurious  species,  and  replace 
them  by  increasing  the  stock  of  such  kinds  as  not 
only  make  the  best  show  in  the  open  borders,  but 
are  most  useful  in  a  cut  state.  The  Achilleas, 
Japanese  Anemones,  Phloxes,  Galegas,  Actseas, 
Potentillas,  Pentstemons,  and  Poppies  are  at  the 
present  time  in  grand  blossom ;  they  have  had 
about  the  same  amount  of  attention  as  to  water- 
ing, picking  over,  and  tying  up  as  has  been  given 
to  ordinary  bedded-out  plants.  Both  sections  are 
valuable  in  their  respective  places,  but  neither  one 
nor  the  other  will  make  a  creditable  display  if  left 
to  take  care  of  themselves  ;  and  yet  many  people 
appear  to  think  so,  more  especially  in  respect  of 
herbaceous  plants.  Many  of  the  kinds  may  now 
be  propagated  freely  by  means  of  offsets,  and 
Phloxes  and  Pentstemons  by  cuttings,  but  those 
that  need  to  be  increased  by  division  must  be  left 
until  later  in  the  year.  Keep  the  borders  free 
from  weeds,  trailers  well  to  their  supports,  seed- 
pods  picked  off  Sweet  Peas,  and  if  there  are  any 
vacant  spots,  sow  hardy  annuals  for  early  spring 
flowering. 

General  wokk. — Water  shrubs,  Eoses,  and 
climbers  on  walls  that  rain  cannot  reach.  In  the 
case  of  these  a  good  wash  with  the  hose  or  garden 
engine  is  also  desirable.  Clip  Privet  and  Yew 
hedges,  and  give  a  final  trimming  for  this  season 
to  I3ox  edgings.  Propagate  bedding  plants  at 
every  opportunity,  and  also  prepare  spring  flower- 
ing plants  by  pricking  o2  seedlings,  splitting  up 
Polyanthuses,  Primroses,  Forget-me-nots,  and 
similar  material. 


INDOOR  PLANTS. 


Camellias. — These  are  better  under  glass 
than  in  the  open  air  after  their  buds  are  set ;  but, 
nevertheless,  turning  them  out  frequently  becomes 
a  necessity  with  plants  that  bloom  early,  and  which 
have  made  their  growth  correspondingly  early, 
otherwise  there  is  often  danger  of  their  blooming 
sooner  than  may  be  wanted,  unless  there  happens 
to  be  a  house  with  a  north  aspect  at  command, 
where,  by  throwing  it  open,  they  may  be  kept  as 
cool  as  out-of-doors.  Treated  in  this  way,  there  is 
much  less  danger  of  their  getting  dry  at  the  roots 
than  when  set  outside.  The  injurious  effect  that 
over-dry  treatment  at  the  roots  has  on  these  plants 
is  proportionate  to  the  more  or  less  advanced 
stage  the  flower-buds  are  in.  If  only  about  set- 
ting, or  little  more,  a  dry  condition  of  the  soil 
does  little  or  no  harm ;  in  fact,  with  vigorous  ex- 
amples, it  is  frequently  necessary  to  allow  them 
to  get  dry  with  a  view  to  insuring  their  setting 
flower-buds  in  place  of  making  second  growth. 
But  where  the  buds  have  attained  any  size,  if 
allowed  to  get  too  dry,  more  or  less  falling  is  all 
but  sure  to  follow,  although  it  may  not  take 
place  for  as  much  as  a  couple  of  months  or 
more  after  the  soil  has  been  so  dried.    Plants 


in  the  open  air  should  have  particular  atten- 
tion whilst  the  weather  is  dry  in  the  matter 
of  water,  to  avoid  the  consequences  here 
pointed  out.  Camellias,  if  fairly  treated,  grow 
better  than  most  plants  even  in  the  vicinity  of 
smoky  towns  ;  but  there  is  one  evil  connected  with 
their  cultivation  in  such  localities,  and  that  is 
that  dense  foggy  weather  in  winter  frequently 
causes  the  bloom  buds  to  drop  in  quantity, 
especially  those  of  the  white  kinds  that  are  de- 
servedly so  much  prized.  Many  of  the  semi- 
double  or  irregular-formed  flowers  are  much  better 
able  to  resist  injury  in  the  way  described,  and  on 
that  account  are  more  suitable  for  growing  in 
places  so  affected.  We  have  also  noticed  that  the 
buds  are  much  more  likely  to  drop  from  the  cause 
named  when  late,  through  not  being  sufficiently 
advanced  in  the  autumn  ;  consequently,  although 
it  is  desirable  to  have  as  much  succession  as  re- 
gards the  time  of  flowering  as  circumstances  will 
permit,  it  is  better  in  such  neighbourhoods  to  get 
them  well  forward  ia  the  summer  acd  autumn  for 
early  blooming  than  to  attempt,  as  is  often  done, 
to  keep  the  greater  portion  for  flowering  in  Fe- 
bruary or  March.  Wherever  these  plants  are  under- 
potted,  and  the  foliage,  through  being  deficient  in 
deep  green  colour,  exhibits  want  of  suflicient  sus- 
tenance, manure  water  ought  to  be  given.  What- 
ever enriching  material  is  used  in  this  way,  a 
liberal  amount  of  soot  should  be  included  ;  even 
soot  water  alone  is  one  of  the  best  things  that  can 
be  given  under  such  conditions.  Not  only  have 
Camellias  a  special  liking  for  soot,  but  it  likewise 
benefits  them  by  ridding  the  soil  from  the  pre- 
sence of  worms. 

Azaleas. — Like  Camellia?,  these  plants  may 
be  had  in  bloom  during  much  the  greater  portion 
of  the  year  if  a  sufficient  stock  is  at  command 
and  they  are  properly  treated.  At  no  time  are 
their  flowers  more  useful  for  cutting  or  the  ordi- 
nary purposes  of  decoration  than  through  the  last 
two  months  of  the  year,  when  such  flowers  as  are 
forthcoming  under  glass  have  to  be  wholly  de- 
pended on.  But  though  Azaleas  bear  forcing  much 
better  than  most  plants,  it  is  far  the  best  to  regu- 
late their  time  of  blooming  by  the  length  of  time 
they  are  kept  warm  under  glass  after  the  season's 
growth  is  completed  and  the  buds  are  set.  Where 
wanted  to  come  up  in  about  the  time  mentioned, 
the  buds  can  scarcely  be  too  large  and  prominent 
before  they  are  taken  out  of  heat ;  but,  in  speak- 
ing of  heat,  through  the  summer  months  no  more 
is  required  than  keeping  them  in  a  house  where 
the  sun's  rays  are  made  use  of  by  not  giving 
too  much  air  through  the  day,  and  shutting 
it  off  completely  early  in  the  afternoon.  Plants 
so  treated  until  the  buds  are  as  large  and  pro- 
minent as  those  of  Camellias  in  theii;  early 
stages  can  later  on  when  required  be  induced  to 
open  their  flowers  with  half  the  heat  and  in  half 
the  time  that  is  necessary  when  turned  out  of 
doors  or  put  in  cool  quarters  under  glass  before, 
or  as  soon  as  the  flowers  have  set.  Where  Azaleas 
are  required  to  bloom  early,  and  to  be  freely  used 
for  cutting,  the  old  white  kind  and  Fielder's 
White,  a  slight  improvement  on  the  former,  should 
find  a  place,  for  though  some  of  the  newer  sorts 
have  better  formed  flowers,  still  the  much  longar 
and  more  vigorous  shoots  which  the  old  varieties 
named  make,  permit  of  the  flowers  being  cut  with 
a  correspondingly  greater  length  of  wood  attached, 
a  matter  of  great  importance  in  cut  flowers. 
Such  examples  as  were  kept  for  blooming  late, 
say  up  to  June  or  July,  will  only  now  be  making 
their  growth,  and  to  do  them  justice  should  for 
eight  or  ten  weeks  yet  be  subject  to  warm  treat- 
ment, otherwise  many  of  the  shoots  will  never  set 
flowers  at  all,  or  be  so  insufficiently  developed  as 
to  go  blind  through  the  winter.  In  most  cases 
where  this  latter  mishap  occurs  it  is  directly  trace- 
able to  the  buds  not  being  sufficiently  formed  be- 
fore the  cessation  of  growth.  The  whole  stock  of 
Azaleas  should  be  frequently  examined  to  see 
that  they  are  free  from'  their  greatest  enemy, 
thrips,  also  red  spider,  which  latter  sometimes 
makes  its  appearance  through  a  deficient  use  of 
the  syringe,  in  not  getting  the  water  well  to  the 
under-sides  of  the  leaves.  Dipping  and  washing 
with  Tobacco  water  involves  much  more  labour 


Ann.  30,   1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


187 


than  fumigation,  but  it  is  far  more  effectual  for 
the  destruction  of  the  thrips,  and,  what  is  of  quite 
as  much  Importance,  it  does  not  injure  the  leaves, 
wliich  fumigation  often  does.  Wcere  red  spider 
as  well  as  thrips  exist  it  is  only  necessary  to  add 
two  or  three  ounces  of  Gishurst  per  gallon  of  the 
Tobacco  wa'er,  which  will  destroy  the  spider  ;  that 
Tcb.icco  water  alone  seldom  does  effectually. 
Azaleas  in  all  their  stages  require  to  be  much 
more  liberally  eupplied  with  water  at  the  root 
than  almost  any  other  genera  of  fine-rooted  hard- 
wooced  plants.  They  enjoy  a  moist  condition  of 
tho  soil,  such  as  would  kill  the  small  feeding  fibres 
c£  mcBt  hard-woo;ied  greenhouse  subjects. 

ri.MEi.EAS. — These  distinct  and  beautiful  plants 
are  quite  as  suitable  for  greenhouse  decoration  as 
they  are  for  the  purpose  for  which  they  are  usually 
gros-n— to  exhibit— or  even  more  so;  for  so  free 
is  their  natural  disposition  to  flower,  that  they 
bloom  profusely  when  no  larger  than  occupying 
"-inch  or  8-inch  pots.  Another  matter  of  import- 
ance when  for  ordinary  use  is  that  they  require 
next  to  no  artificial  training  or  the  nse  of  nume- 
rous sticks  and  ties,  as  if  sutiiciently  cut  back  each 
season  after  blooming,  they  will  all  but  support 
themselves  without  sticks.  The  elegant  drooping 
habit  of  the  flower-shoots  bearing  their  distinct 
heads  of  bloom  makes  them  contrast  well  with 
most  other  plants.  The  principal  cause  of  their 
not  being  more  generally  grown  we  take  to  be  the 
unsatisfactory  condition  they  usually  get  into 
through  the  ravages  of  red  tpider.  which  in  the 
summer  months  is  almost  sure  to  attack  them  if 
means  are  not  taken  to  keep  the  pest  down. 
Kegular  drenching  daily  with  the  syringe  is  indis- 
pensable to  keep  the  plants  clean ;  not  simply 
sprinkling  them,  but  getting  the  water  in  quan- 
tity to  the  undersides  of  the  leaves.  Ordinary 
att3ntion  in  the  other  matters  of  potting,  air- 
giving,  and  general  treatment,  such  as  found  to 
answer  for  other  hard-wooded  greenhouse  stock, 
U  all  I'imeleas  require,  with  the  addition  of  much 
more  water  to  the  roots  in  the  growing  season 
than  will  suflice  for  others  of  a  bard-wooded 
chiraoter.  Being  rrostly  spring  flowerers,  Pime- 
leas  whilst  young  often  get  thuir  potting  deferred 
through  a  supposition  that  it  will  interfere  with 
their  blooming.  Where  such  has  been  the  case, 
and  they  are  at  all  under-potted,  they  should  at 
once  have  a  shift,  for  if  kept  too  long  cramped  at 
the  roots,  they  get  into  a  stunted  condition,  which 
stops  their  future  progress. 

Preparation  for  winter  — Whatever  has  to 
be  done  in  the  way  of  repairs  to  plant  houses, 
re-adjustment  of  heating  apparatus,  painting,  and 
other  things  of  like  nature,  this  is  the  best  time 
in  the  whole  year  for  carrying  it  out,  as  now, 
whilst  a  good  many  plants  are  undergoing  their 
hardening  process  in  the  open  air,  the  different 
structures  may,  by  exercising  a  little  judgement, 
be  cleared  in  succession,  so  as  to  admit  of  the 
necessary  work  being  done,  which  it  can  be  so 
much  better  and  expeditiously  than  when  the 
houses  are  encumbered  with  occupants.  Where 
the  woodwork  can  be  well  dried,  such  as  per- 
mitted of  when  the  houses  are  cleared,  painting  is 
more  preservative  in  its  effects  than  when  done,  as 
often  seen,  with  the  wood  in  a  half  saturated 
condition,  in  which  sta'e  it  is  of  little  use.  The 
advantage  of  doing  such  work  at  this  season  in 
place  of  deferring  it  until  autumn  or  spring,  as 
freqaently  happens,  cannot  be  over-rated. 


FRUIT. 

Pines.— Although  we  have  had  a  short  period 
of  hot  weather,  the  season  is  not  much  in  advance 
of  last  year,  and  Pines,  owing  to  the  slow  progress 
they  made  through  the  cold  spring  months,  are 
still  rather  backward.  To  make  up  for  lost  time, 
plants  intended  for  early  planting  next  spring 
should  now  receive  every  encouragement  in  the 
way  of  heat,  moisture  and  stimulating  food,  con- 
sisting of  weak  guano  water,  or  diluted  liquid 
from  the  manure  tank.  When  the  pots  are  well 
filled  with  roots,  and  days  decrease  in  length,  root- 
watering  must  be  more  carefully  performed,  at- 
mospheric  moisture    may    be  decreased,  and  a 


liberal  supply  of  warm  air  must  be  kept  constantly 
playing  amongst  the  foliage,  in  order  to  secure 
perfect  maturation  of  the  plants  without  produc- 
ing a  sudden  check.  Let  the  heat  for  the  present 
range  from  70'  at  night  to  8.5^  or  90"  by  day.  Give 
air  on  fine  mornings  at  80',  and  run  up  to  ',)5° 
after  closing.  A  bottom  heat  of  85°  to  95°  suits 
Pines  in  all  stages  of  growth.  Some  growers  like 
a  much  higher  figure,  but  the  little  they  gain 
in  time  is  lost  in  weight.  Smooth  Cayennes, 
Jamaicas,  and  that  excellent  winter  kind.  Lord 
Carington,  now  swelling  off  for  winter  use,  if  kept 
close  to  the  glass  to  prevent  the  crowns  from  be- 
coming too  large,  cannot  easily  be  overdone  with 
solar  heat,  stimulating  food,  and  moisture.  Avoid 
fire-heat  as  much  as  possible  by  running  down  the 
blinds,  or  covering  with  mats,  on  cold,  chilly 
nights.  Remove  ripening  fruit  to  a  dry,  warm  at- 
mosphere to  finith.  Take  off  strong  suckers,  pot, 
water,  and  plunge  at  once,  and  shift  any  that 
are  well  rooted  from  8-inch  to  10-inch  or  11-inch 
pots. 

Vines. — Houses  of  late  Grapes  intended  for 
keeping  through  the  winter  will  now  require 
liberal  ventilation,  with  gentle  fire-heat,  in  order 
to  secure  the  perfect  maturation  of  fruit  and 
wood  by  the  end  of  September.  Reduce  strong 
laterals  where  they  have  been  allowed  to  run  to  a 
considerable  length,  but  at  the  tame  time  guard 
against  exposing  the  bunches  to  the  sun,  as  black 
Grapes  always  colour  best  ynder  a  good  canopy 
of  healthy  foliage.  Black  Morocco  and  Madres- 
field  Court  Muscat,  two  varieties  liable  to  crack 
if  heavily  watered  or  allowed  to  hang  in  a  damp, 
stagnant  atmosphere,  should  be  heavily  mulched 
to  prevent  the  escape  of  moisture  from  the  bor- 
ders. An  impression  prevails  with  some  growers 
that  their  success  this  season  is  entirely  owing  to 
the  extension  of  laterals,  but  several  fine  examples 
of  this  noble  Grape  having  come  under  our  notice, 
we  have  found  upon  enquiry  that  they  have  been 
grown  upon  the  close-stopping  principle — a  fair 
proof  that  the  secret  of  success  must  be  sought 
for  in  the  management  of  the  roots  and  the  main- 
tenance of  a  circulation  of  dry,  warm  air.  JIus- 
cats,  now  quite  ripe,  must  be  closely  watched, 
and,  if  necessary,  slightly  shaded  with  Haythorn's 
hexagon  netting  through  the  hottest  part  of  the 
day.  If  the  roots  are  in  external  borders,  some 
kind  of  covering  should  be  held  in  readiness  for 
throwing  off  heavy  falls  of  rain.  Gradually  re- 
duce the  temperature  of  the  house,  using  no  more 
fire  heat  than  is  absolutely  necessary  to  prevent 
the  berries  from  damping,  and  ventilate  freely  on 
fine  days.  Follow  up  the  lighting  and  relaying  of 
the  roots  of  early  and  mid-season  Vines  before 
the  leaves  fall.  Keep  them  well  up  to  the  surface 
and  encourage  the  formation  of  new  spongioles, 
by  syringing  and  shutting  up  with  sun  heat  on 
fine  afternoons.  In  cold,  unfavourable  situations. 
Vines  should  always  have  the  run  of  internal,  as 
well  as  external,  borders,  which  should  he  well 
concreted  and  drained.  Use  new  turf,  with  an 
admixture  of  old  lime  rubble,  crushed  bones,  and 
burnt  earth.  Apply  manure  as  a  mulching  in 
preference  to  mixing  it  with  the  compost,  and  aim 
at  narrow  borders  well  filled  with  roots,  which 
can  be  easily  protected  or  excited,  as  circumstances 
may  dictate,  alwa3's  bearing  in  mind  that  Grapes 
invariably  set  and  colour  best  when  the  latter  are 
under  the  control  of  the  cultivator. 

Cucumbers. — Plants  raised  from  seeds  or  cut- 
tings early  in  the  current  month  will  be  growing 
fast,  but  they  must  not  be  stopped  until  they  have 
covered  three-fourths  of  the  trellis,  neither  must 
they  be  allowed  to  carry  fruit  until  they  are 
thoroughly  established  in  the  pots  or  hills.  If  the 
latter,  keep  adding  fresh  turf  and  old  lime  rubble 
as  the  roots  show  through  the  sides,  and  use 
nothing  but  pure  water  for  watering  or  filling  the 
evaporating  pans  for  the  present.  Also  avoid  the 
use  of  fire-heat  by  keeping  the  fermenting  bed 
frequently  renovated,  and  by  closing  about  3  pm. 
with  sun-heat  and  moisture.  Where  several  com- 
partments now  occupied  with  Melons  have  to  be 
planted  with  Cucumbers,  two  sowings  should  be 
made  in  August  and  one  in  September,  the  first  to 
succeed  the  summer  frames,  the  last  to  be  kept 


clear  of  male  and  female  blossoms  until  the  end 
of  the  year,  when  they  will  be  in  a  fit  state  for 
fruiting  through  the  succeeding  spring  and  sum- 
mer. Old  plants  in  full  bearing  must  be  liberally 
supplied  with  warm  liquid  at  every  watering,  and 
the  quantity  of  fruit  they  are  allowed  to  carry 
must  be  regulated  by  the  quality  of  that  which 
they  are  now  producing.  Pay  particular  attention 
to  the  bottom-heat,  as  it  is  to  neglect  of  this  im- 
portant point  that  many  ills,  including  canker  and 
mildew,  may  be  traced. 

Strawbeeeies.— By  this  time  the  latest  plants 
will  have  become  well  established  in  their  fruiting 
pots,  and  the  most  important  point  will  be  the  for- 
mation of  plump  ripe  crowns  with  plenty  of  healthy 
roots  under  them  for  forcing  up  the  flower-stems 
in  the  spring.  In  low,  damp  situations,  more 
favourable  to  the  growth  than  to  the  ripening  of 
the  crowns,  medium-sized  pots,  which  quickly  be- 
come filled  with  roots,  answer  best,  and  when  this 
stage  has  been  reached,  it  is  a  good  plan  to  elevate 
them  on  planks,  dwarf  walls,  or  platforms,  1  foot 
or  more  above  the  ground,  where  by  full  exposure 
to  light  and  air,  and  careful  attention  to  watering 
with  water  which  has  been  for  some  time  exposed 
to  the  influence  of  the  atmosphere,  the  most  back- 
ward plants  may  be  made  fit  for  storing  away  in 
cold  pits  by  the  end  of  October.  Keep  the  general 
stock  of  plants  free  from  weeds  and  runners,  and 
move  them  occasionally  to  prevent  the  crock  roots 
from  striking  into  the  ground  ;  also  keep  a  sharp 
look-out  for  worms,  red  spider,  and  mildew.  The 
best  remedy  for  the  removal  of  the  first  is  clear 
lime  water,  and  the  others  may  be  destroyed  by 
dipping  the  leaves  of  the  plants  in  a  mixture  of 
sulphur  and  water.  If  very  early  forcing  is  con- 
templated, the  first  batch  of  Vicomtesse  Hcricart 
de  Thury  and  La  Grosse  Sucrce,  which  is  equally 
early  and  produces  finer  fruit,  may  now  be  taken 
to  an  open,  airy  situation  where  they  can  be  par- 
tially plunged  for  the  better  protection  of  the 
roots,  which  should  now  be  almost  forcing  the 
balls  out  of  the  small  pots,  as  well  as  to  econo- 
mise time  in  watering.  If  not  already  done,  get 
the  surplus  runners  planted  out  on  good  ground 
conveniently  situated  for  water.  Mulch  and  en- 
courage a  vigorous  growth,  as  these  plants  will 
give  the  earliest  runners  for  next  year's  forcing. 


KITCHEN    GARDEN. 


Rain  is  now  much  needed  in  the  kitchen  garden 
in  order  to  make  things  look  cheerful  and  bright. 
Coleworts  and  Broccoli  now  cover  the  ground 
with  foliage ;  one  more  hoeing  will  be  sufficient 
to  carry  them  through  the  season.  Onions  in  some 
places  are  somewhat  mildewed  ;  we  are  therefore 
t.iking  them  up,  leaving  them  on  clean  land  to 
dry.  Immediately  the  land  is  clear  we  set  the 
line,  and  begin  to  plant  Cabbage  without  any 
digging  ;  when  the  young  plants  get  fairly  started, 
we  give  the  soil  a  good  stir  up  with  a  cultivator, 
which  does  a  great  deal  of  good.  Lettuces,  which 
we  require  in  large  quantities,  we  plant  between 
the  young  Strawberry  plantations,  for  both  Straw- 
berries and  Lettuces  enjoy  a  good  rich  larder. 
Endive  is  now  getting  ready  for  putting  in  its 
proper  place.  Keep  sowing  winter  Lettuces  and 
Spinach,  cut  all  the  old  flowering  stems  from 
Globe  Artichokes,  and  if  the  antumn  is  a  fine  one 
a  second  crop  of  smaller,  but  quite  as  good, 
flavoured  heads  will  be  the  result.  General  kit- 
chen garden  work  will  consist  in  eradicating  all 
seeding  weeds.  There  is  no  time  when  a  good 
salad  is  relished  more  than  just  now.  Our  Paris 
Cos  Lettuces  growing  between  Celery  ridges, 
manured  with  old  Mushroom  manure,  are  simply 
unique.  They  want  no  tying,  are  crisp  and  cool, 
and  most  refreshing. 


Variegated  Bindweed.— Does  a  varie- 
gated form  of  the  common  Bindweed  exist  ?  We 
have  just  found  a  beautifully  variegated  plant, 
each  leaf  of  which  is  reticulated  with  yellow  in 
the  most  regular  and  charming  manner,  very 
much  in  the  way  of  the  golden  variegated  Honey- 
suckle. If  it  keeps  true,  a  thriving  plant  would 
look  very  pretty,  but  of  course  it  would  have  to  be 


188 


THE    GARDEN 


[Auc.  30,  1884. 


confined  to  a  pot  on  account  of  its  wide-spreading 
and  encroaching  nature. — J.  C.  B. 


GAKDEN  IN  THE  EOIJSE. 


PLANTS  FOR  TABLE  DECORATION. 

EvEEY  year  the  demand  for  these  seems  to  be- 
come greater  and  greater,  as  in  all  households 
where  there  is  any  pretension  to  refinement  a 
plant  of  some  sort  is  sure  to  be  seen  on  both  break- 
fast and  dinner  table;  and  it  is  fortunate  there 
are  so  many  varieties  suited  to  the  purpose  to  give 
change,  or  people  who  have  to  grow  and  prepare 
them  would  be  put  to  great  straits.  Among  plants 
fit  for  this  purpose  none  are  better  than  the 
smaller  growing  narrow-leaved  Dracaenas,  the 
colour  of  which  renders  them  specially  valuable,  as 
being  so  bright  they  show  up  in  most  pleasing 
contrast  with  their  surroundings.  My  favourite  is 
P.  Cooperi,  which,  be;  ides  having  very  brilliant 
foliage,  is  remarkably  graceful  in  habit.  Another 
kind  very  suitable  for  the  same  kind  of  work  is  D. 
terminalis  stricta,  an  improvement  on  the  normal 
form,  as  it  has  all  its  good  qualities  and  is  more 
highly  coloured.  D.  nigra  rubra  is  a  narrow- 
leaved,  very  elegant  kind,  that  should  be  largely 
grown  for  table  decoration,  as,  being  of  rather 
spare  habit,  it  does  not  obstruct  the  view  like 
others  that  are  more  dense,  and  its  dark  ground 
and  red  veining  contrast  strikingly  with  some  of 
the  Crotons.  The  way  to  get  well-feathered  speci- 
mens of  Dracaenas  with  high  colouration  is  to 
strike  the  heads  of  old  plants,  which  may  be  done 
with  safety  and  certainty  by  making  use  of  small 
flower-pots.  These  should  be  split  in  halves,  when, 
by  placing  one  portion  on  one  side  of  the  stem  and 
the  remaining  part  on  the  other,  they  may  be  tied 
and  kept  together  again  as  if  whole,  and  then 
filled  with  sharp  sandy  soil,  in  which  roots  are 
speedily  formed.  To  encourage  the  stem  to  do 
this,  the  old  leaves  should  all  be  cleared  away  at 
that  particular  part,  and  the  soil  kept  constantly 
moist  by  frequent  syringing  or  watering,  which, 
after  a  time,  will  have  the  desired  effect ;  as  soon 
a^  it  can  be  seen  that  the  top  part  of  the  plant  is 
established  independent  of  the  bottom,  tlie  head 
may  be  cut  away  just  below  the  pot,  and  at  once 
shifted  on  into  another  a  size  or  two  larger. 
Another  plan  of  striking  the  tops  of  old  Dracsnas 
is  to  bind  a  large  handful  of  common  Moss  or 
Sphagnum  round  the  stems  instead  of  using  pots, 
and  if  the  Moss  or  Sphagnum  is  kept  wet,  roots 
will  strike  into  it.  I  have  also  seen  the  heads  do 
exceedingly  well  cut  off  and  stuck  in  bottles 
of  water,  and  then  stood  in  a  close  propagating 
box,  where,  if  the  atmosphere  is  moist,  the  leaves 
keep  quite  fresh,  and  rootlets  are  soon  emitted. 
After  the  heads  are  removed,  the  stems  will  break 
quickly  and  form  young  shoots,  which  may  be 
taken  off  with  a  heel,  and  if  potted  and  kept  close 
for  a  time,  they  will  strike  and  make  nice  little 
plants.  Where  it  is  desired  to  increase  the  stock 
rapidly,  the  stems  may  be  cut  up  into  inch  long 
pieces  and  buried  in  sand,  and  if  then  subjected 
to  a  brisk  heat,  the  eyes  soon  start  into  growth. 
The  large  fleshy  roots  may  also  be  made  use  of,  as 
they,  too,  are  full  of  eyes,  break  into  growth  just  as 
readily  as  the  stems,  and  form  equally  good  plants. 
Crotons  make  choice  plants  for  table  decoration, 
the  light,  narrow-leaved,  pendulous  kinds  being 
best.  C.  angustifolium  is  a  remarkably  graceful 
kind,  the  leaves  being  very  narrow,  long,  and 
drooping,  and  when  well  grown  the  plants  put  on 
a  great  deal  of  colour.  Another  variety  that  is  as 
curious  as  it  is  beautiful  is  C.  spirale,  which  has  a 
singular  and  regular  twist  of  the  foliage,  thus  giv- 
ing it  the  form  of  a  corkscrew,  and  as  the  leaves 
are  highly  coloured,  the  effect  which  they  produce 
is  most  charming.  C.  interruptum  is  also  a 
noteworthy  kind,  the  peculiarity  of  this  being  the 
interruption  of  the  leaf -blade,  which  has  gaps  or 
vacant  spaces  an  inch  or  more  long  where  is  to  be 
seen  only  the  midrib.  C.  majesticum  is  a  superb 
variety,  having  leaves  about  a  foot  long,  and  from 
halt  an  inch  to  three-quarters  of  an  inch  wide, 
which  in  the  young  state  shows  a  good  deal  of 
yellow,  and  this  after  a  time  gives  place  to  or  be- 


comes suffused  with  a  very  rich  crimson.  C.  Weis- 
manni  is  likewise  a  most  desirable  kind,  as, 
though  it  docs  not  take  on  the  bright  colours  of 
those  referred  to,  it  has  beautifully  veined  leaves, 
and  the  midrib  is  clear  yellow.  C.  Queen  Victoria 
is  also  a  fine  variety,  having  foliage  2  inches  or 
60  wide  and  from  1  foot  to  18  inches  long,  the 
colouring,  when  the  leaves  become  fully  grown, 
being  very  rich.  Another  grand  variety  is  C.  Dis- 
raeli, which  in  a  young  state  makes  a  grand  table 
plant ;  it  is  a  kind  that  assumes  high  tints  of 
colour  early,  and  has  singularly  cut  foliage  that  is 
highly  ornamental.  In  order  to  keep  up  a  good 
stock  of  young  plants,  it  is  necessary  that  cuttings 
be  put  in  frequently,  to  supply  the  place  of 
plants  that  have  been  several  times  used,  or 
have  become  too  large,  which  they  soon  do  under 
treatment  that  suits  them.  The  readiest  way  of 
striking  cuttings  of  Crotons  is  to  put  them  singly 
in  small  bottles  of  water,  changing  or  adding  fre^h 
water  daily,  so  as  to  keep  it  pure  and  sweet,  as 
then  the  cuttings  quickly  root,  and  seldom  or 
never  decay  at  the  ba?e.  Crotons  may  also  be 
propagated  easily  in  the  ordinary  way  by  insert- 
ing each  cutting  separately  in  a  small  pot  filled 
with  sharp  sandy  soil ;  but  whichever  plan  is 
adopted,  they  must  have  strong  heat,  and  with  it 
plenty  of  atmospheric  moisture,  to  prevent  any 
flagging.  When  struck  in  water,  great  care  should 
be  taken  in  potting  not  to  break  or  injure  the 
roots,  which,  at  such  an  early  stage,  are  very 
brittle.  Those  struck  in  pots  will  simply  need 
shifting  on  into  others  of  larger  size,  but  in  no 
case  ought  they  to  be  more  than  G  inches  or  7  inches 
in  diameter ;  these  will  afford  ample  room  in  which 
to  grow  Crotons  quite  big  enough  for  table  decora- 
tion. The  kind  of  soil  most  suitable  for  potting 
in  is  a  mixture  of  fibry  peat  and  loam  in  about 
equal  parts,  and  a  good  sprinkling  of  sand  should 
be  added  to  keep  the  whole  open,  as  Crotons  re- 
quire much  water ;  and,  in  order  that  this  may 
pass  freely  through,  drainage  is  a  matter  of  the 
greatest  importance.  Although  Crotons  may  be 
safely  used  in  rooms,  or  in  a  warm  conservatory 
or  greenhouse  during  the  summer,  they  are  all 
fond  of  heat,  and  need  a  high  temperature  to  grow 
them  in  to  get  them  to  a  good  state  of  perfection. 
This  being  so,  advantage  should  be  taken  of  sun 
heat  by  shutting  up  the  stove  or  pit  they  are  in 
early  in  the  afternoon,  at  which  time  a  syring- 
ing with  clear  tepid  water  ought  to  be  given,  which 
will  not  only  improve  the  atmosphere  afterwards  by 
making  and  keeping  it  moist,  but  will  also  prevent 
such  insects  as  thrips  and  red  spider  getting  esta- 
blished on  the  leaves,  which  they  are  sure  to  do 
if  the  air  becomes  at  all  dry.  The  way  to  bring 
out  the  colour  of  the  foliage  is  to  give  the  plants 
all  the  light  possible,  without  subjecting  them  to 
direct  solar  rays,  which  should  be  broken  by  the  use 
of  a  thin  shade  so  arranged  that  it  may  be  run  up 
and  down  according  to  the  state  of  the  weather 

Caladiums,  though  inferior  in  merit  to  Dracae- 
nas or  Crotons,  are  deserving  of  special  mention 
for  table  decoration,  some  among  them  being 
particularly  adapted  for  that  purpose,  and  none 
more  so  than  C.  Prince  Albert  Edward,  which  has 
splendidly  coloured  leaves  and  Alocasia-like  stems 
that  stand  up  stiff  and  bold  without  flagging. 
Another  magnificent  variety  that  forms  a  fine 
contrast  to  the  one  just  named  is  C.  bicolor 
splendens,  which  has  noble  leaves,  heavily  veined 
and  marbled  with  a  very  rich  red.  There  are  many 
others  less  handsome,  but  too  numerous  to  men- 
tion, and  I  would  only  instance  one  other,  the 
lovely  little  C.  argyrites,  quite  a  gem  in  its  way. 
This  variety,  however,  is  small,  and  only  fit  for  a 
very  limited  sized  table,  or  to  use  with  larger 
plants  of  other  kinds,  round  or  below  some  of 
which  it  forms  a  fine  carpet.  Caladiums  of  all 
sorts  are  very  easily  propagated  and  grown,  as  all 
that  is  necessary  in  order  to  increase  any  of  them 
is  just  to  start  the  bulbs,  and  split  them  through, 
so  as  to  retain  one  eye  or  shoot  to  each  piece, 
which,  if  potted  and  kept  well  supplied  with  heat 
and  moisture,  is  sure  to  grow.  What  the  plants 
like  is  a  light,  rich,' sandy  soil  and  moderate 
shade ;  but,  as  some  of  them  are  liable  to  flag, 
they   ehonld,  before  f  being  used,  be   gradually 


hardened  by  having  an  increase  of  air,  which  will 
improve  the  texture,  and  thus  enable  them  to  bear 
fuller  exposure. 

Aealia  Veitchi  is  an  elegant  plant,  having 
handsome  foliage  of  a  pleasing  green  tint,  borne 
on  a  slender  upright  stem,  which,  though  small,  is 
stiff,  and  the  whole  habit  pleasing  and  graceful. 
The  way  to  obtain  young  stock  is  to  graft  on 
some  other  Aralia,  A.  Guilfoyli  being  a  good  stock 
with  which,  if  the  grafting  is  skilfully  carried 
out,  A.  Veitchi  readily  unites.  A.  filicifolia,  the 
Fern-leaved  Aralia,  is  also  a  beautiful  kind,  and 
forms  a  good  companion  to  the  one  just  referred 
to.  Both  these  Aralias  require  stove  heat,  and 
grow  freely  in  any  light  sandy  soil  if  supplied 
with  plenty  of  water  and  kept  free  from  scale,  to 
which  they  are  subject.  Cocos  Weddelliana  forma 
a  charming  table  plant,  and  is  one  that  should 
always  be  grown  where  sutEcient  warmth  can  be 
afforded,  as  it  is  exceedingly  graceful,  having  a 
slender  erect  ttem,  with  beautifully  arching 
leaves  that  are  finely  divided,  and  of  a  rich  green. 
Although  it  will  live  in  an  intermediate  house,  a 
stove  temperature  is  necessary  to  grow  it  well,  but 
plants  of  it  require  watching,  as  they  are  liable  to 
frequent  attacks  of  red  spider.  Areoa  lutescens, 
in  its  small  state,  is  also  a  desirable  Palm  for 
dinner  tables,  and  one  that  will  thrive  in  less  heat 
than  the  Cocos. 

Coming  to  ordinary  subjects,  none  are  more 
valuable  than  one  or  two  of  the  Chilies,  the  Prince 
and  Princess  of  Wales  being  remarkably  showy. 
These  bear  conical  yellow  pods,  that  hang  in 
great  profusion  under  the  branches,  and  have  a 
very  striking  effect.  The  seedlings  when  up 
should  be  potted  singly  in  any  light,  rich  soil,  and 
then  plunged  in  a  pit  or  frame  near  the  glass, 
where  they  can  get  a  fair  amount  of  heat  and 
plenty  of  light,  which,  with  air,  whenever  the 
weather  is  favourable,  will  insure  a  good  set.  As 
standards  look  best  for  table  decoration,  the  plants 
should  be  trained  and  grown  in  that  form,  which 
may  easily  be  done  by  taking  them  in  hand  when 
young  and  disbudding  the  stems,  so  as  to  run 
them  up  clean  a  foot  or  so  high,  when  they  may 
be  allowed  to  branch  and  make  compact  heads. 
Other  plant"  adapted  for  table  use  that  may  be 
raised  and  grown  from  seed  are  Acacia  lophantha 
and  Grevillea  robn,sta,  both  of  which  are  hand- 
some, their  foliage  being  Fern-like.  By  sowing 
in  light,  sandy  soil,  and  placing  the  pan  or  pot 
containing  the  seed  in  strong  heat,  plants  may 
soon  be  had  quite  large  enough,  as  they  run  up 
quickly  with  single  seems,  and  are  at  their  best; 
when  from  18  inches  to  2  feet  high.  Celosia 
pyramidalis  plumosa  is  another  plant  that  almost 
anyone  may  have,  as  it  may  be  raised  from  seed, 
which,  indeed,  is  the  only  way,  and  grown  in  any 
warm  frame  as  easily  as  a  Balsam,  and  if  the 
Celosias  have  the  same  treatment,  they  are  sure 
to  be  good  and  full  of  gracefully  drooping  inflores- 
cence. S.  D. 


CHURCH  DECORATION. 
For  the  decoration  of  churches  at  festivals,  re- 
course need  not  be  had  to  indoor  flowers,  for  there 
is  no  lack  of  both  native  and  exotic  ones  where- 
with to  produce  most  charming  effects.  In  this 
locality,  church  decorators  get  plenty  of  practice, 
for,  with  the  exception  of  Lent,  we  have  floral 
decorations  the  year  round,  and  certainly  a  vast 
improvement  is  noticeable  in  the  mode  of  their 
arrangement.  For  stiff,  formal  flower-vases  and 
holders  are  substituted  banks  of  the  greenest 
Moss,  with  flowers  inserted  in  it  as  if  growing.  In 
this  may  be  seen  stately  Callas,  Brugmansias,  and 
other  large  flowers,  thinly  placed,  and  set  off  by 
long  trailing  sprays  of  Dentzia,  feathery  spikes  of 
Spiraea,  and  large  spathes  of  Anthurium  or  single 
or  double  Pelargoniums,  variously  coloured  Aza- 
leas, Anemones,  Narcissi,  Jonquils,  and  a  host  of 
other  things  too  numerous  to  mention.  These  are 
arranged  in  shallow  water-holders  plunged  in  the 
Moss.  Vasps  for  placing  on  the  altar  are  in  some 
churches  still  extensively  used  ;  they  are  fitted 
with  water-holders,  so  that  short-stemmed  flowers 
can  be  employed.  Clear  white  flowers  form  the 
groundwork,  backed  up  by  Fern  fronds.    Azaleas, 


At-n.  30,    1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


189 


Deulzias,  Callas,  and  eimilar  flowers  are  the  most 
popular  at  this  time  of  year,  with  a  sprinkling  of 
crimson  or  pink ;  but,  as  a  rule,  only  two  colours 
are  smployed,  with  a  backing  of  green,  for,  when 
seen  at  a  distance,  mixtures  of  several  colours  are 
by  no  means  effective,  however  well  they  may  be 
arranged.     Crosses  and  designs  of  various  forms, 
consisting  of  wire  or  woodwork,  on  which  flowers 
are    tied    with   their    stems  wrapped    in   damp 
Moss,  are  largely  employed,  and  for  these,  flowers 
with  the  shortest  of  stems  are  selected— such  as 
cannot  well  be  utilised  for  other  decorations,  not- 
ably Ktephanotis  floribunda,  crimson  and  white 
double  Daisies,  double  and  single  Primroses,  and 
flowers  of  similar  habit  of  growth.     For  window- 
fills  coverings  of   green  Moss    forming    sloping 
banks  constitute  the  general  style  of  decoration, 
and  in  this  the  flowers  are  arranged,  and  at  no 
period  of  the  year  is  there  such  a  wealth  of  suit- 
able flowers  as  in  early  summer.     The  woodland 
Primrose  is  most  useful,  tied  in  bunches  with  its 
own  leaves.    Other  hardy  flowers,  too,  are  at  home 
on  mossy  banks,  and,  skilfully  arranged  with  their 
own  leaves,  look  as  if  growing  on  verdant  turf. 
For  the  font,  a  combination  of  cut  flowers  and 
plants  is  used,  the  top  of  the  basin  being  covered 
wiih  Moss,  in  which  the  flowers  are  inserted,  and 
in  the  water  Calla  plants  are  set ;  their  large  white 
spathes  and  elegant  leaves  rising  well  up  above 
the  basin,  have  a  striking  effect,  surrounded  by 
Ferns,    8pir<Tas,    Deulzias,    and    similar    plants 
embanked  in  Mo.'s.     Large  specimen  plants  are 
used  with  good  effect  in  recesses  of  the  stone- 
work and  on  each  side  of  the  reredos.     The  most 
popular  of  ail  flowers  for  Easter  is  Calla  aethiopica ; 
but  Ferns  are  also  most  useful  and  appropriate, 
and  the  more    slender-growing    Palms,    such  as 
Cocos  Weddelliana,  look  well  rising  from  a  ground- 
work of  Lily  of  the  Valley.     But,  as  in  the  cut- 
flower  department,  so  in  that  of  plants,  the  most 
striking    effects    are    produced    by  a    few  well- 
deflned  colours,  plain  green  in  the  way  of  foliage 
bjing  far  more   effective  than  variegated  leaves; 
and  the  flowers  should  consist  of  quite  two-thirds 
of  clear  white  ones.     The  other  portion  should  be 
Fcarlet,  crimson,  or  pink.     For  very   flat   or  low 
decorations,  (he  best  of  a!l  green  groundwork  is 
Selaginella  denticulata,  grown  in  shallow  tins  to 
fit  the  desired  space.     Flowers  are  inserted  in  the 
moist  soil,  and  in  the  suHdued  light  and  still,  cool 
atmosphere  of  a  church  it  is  surprising  how  long 
they  remain  fresh,  fair,  and  fragrant. 

(noport.  J.  Groom. 


Ferns. 

BEST  CULTIVATED  FERNS. 

( Coniimiod  from  p.  158  ) 

NiPnonoLUS  uicolor. — This  is  a  very  pretty 

New  Zealand  species,  closely  allied  to  the  better 

known  N.  rupestris,  which  is  found  in  all  parts  of 

Australia.     Like  that  general  little  favourite,  it  is 

lost  useful  for  covering  slender  Tree  Fern  stems ; 

i    'eed,  it  cin  hardly  be  used  in  a  better  way,  al- 

th    igh  it  will  readily  cling  to  and  grow  well  on  a 

piece  of  porous  sandstone. 

Frnncis  numerous,  spathuliform,  measuring  from  3  Inchts 
to  6  ioches  long,  iliapoaed  oq  slender,  wiry,  creeping  rhi- 
zomes, on  which  thfy  are  closely  »M  ;  their  under  surface 
is  densely  covered  with  a  white  stellate  pubescence,  whereas 
their  upper  surface  is  of  dark  shiniug  green  colour  ;  their, 
substance  is  very  leathery. 

N.  BOOTHI.— One  of  the  strongest,  if  not  the 
very  strongest  grower  of  the  whole  genus.  Its 
foliage,  which  is  somewhat  less  coriaceous  in  tex- 
ture than  that  of  most  other  species,  often  attains 
under  good  cultivation  20  inches  or  even  22  inches 
in  height.  The  greatest  peculiarity,  and  at  the 
fame  time  the  most  distinctive  character  belong- 
ing to  this  species  is  the  length  of  the  stalks, 
which  are  generally  as  long  as  the  fronds  them- 
selves. This  singular  species,  which  is  a  native 
of  the  Eastern  Himalayas,  is  also  easily  distin- 
guished from  all  others  in  the  genus  by  the  upper 
surface  of  its  fronds  being  copiously  punctated 
with  minute  blackish  dots,  which  appear  to  cor- 
respond with  the  position  of  the  sori  underneath. 
It  makes  a  good  specimen  as  a  pot  plant. 


I  The  rhizome,  which  is  rather  succuk>nt,  keeps  well  above 
ground.  Fronds  ellipticolanceolate  shape,  slightly  undu- 
lated at  their  edges,  and  obtusely  acuminate.  Stalks  tawny 
brown,  pa'eacoous,  with  their  base  only  covered  with  imbri- 
cating ferruginous  lanceohate  scales.  Fronds  glal.rous 
above,  under  surface  covered  with  a  fetruginoua  tomeu- 
tum.     Sori  particularly  small. 

N.  DETEEGIBILIS. — This  is  a  very  curious  and 
eminently  distinct  fpecies,  and  one  which,  as 
regards  habitat,  has  a  very  wide  range.  It  is 
found  in  Nepaul  and  in  many  parts  of  the  Hima- 
layas, chiefly  in  North  Bengal  and  along  the  lower 
ranges  of  the  mountains  just  named ;  from  the 
very  low  altitudes  of  Silhet  and  Assam  to  30U0 
feet  or  more  in  Kumaon,  and  Irom  Simla  in  the 
west  to  Ishootan  in  the  east.  Thus  it  is  subjected 
to  various  influences  as  respects  climate.  It  varies 
a  good  deal  in  size  according  to  the  locality  from 
which  it  has  been  imported.  It  grows  in  compact 
tufts,  and  is  one  of  the  very  few  species  belonging 
to  this  genus  that  is  adapted  for  pot  culture. 

Fronds  glabrous  above,  downy  underneath,  ovato-acuml- 
nate  when  young  and  lanceolate  when  old,  measuring  from 
4  inches  to  15  inches  in  length  and  from  1  inch  to  2  inches 
In  width.  The  tomentum  often  peels  off  in  dense  cottony 
masses.  Caudex  peculiarly  stout,  densely  paleaceous, 
especially  alwnt  the  base  of  the  stalks,  whore  it  is  covered 
with  Qnely  subulate  scales. 

N.  Gaedneei.— This  is  a  native  of  Ceylon,  and 
perhaps  the  rarest  species  in  cultivation,  although 
introduced  in  this  country  so  far  back  as  1824, 
when  it  was  sent  by  Mr.  Moon  to  Kew,  whence  it 
was  distributed  as  the  Niphobolus  costatus  of 
Wallich.  JSy  the  peculiarity  of  the  scales  of  the 
candex,  which  terminate  half  an  inch  up  the  stalks 
in  a  circle  of  larger  ones  of  a  pale  tawny  brown 
colour,  this  species,  which  has  often  been  con- 
founded with  kinds  more  or  less  similar  in  general 
appearance,  may  be  at  once  distinguished.  It  also 
differs  from  most  other  kinds  of  Niphobolus  in 
having  its  fronds,  whose  under  surface  is  densely 
clothed  with  a  lovely  cream-coloured  down,  pro- 
duced in  compact  tufts,  an  arrangement  which 
renders  it  better  fitted  for  pot  culture  than  any 
other  member  of  the  genus. 

Rhizome  creeping  and  clotlied  with  small,  densely  im- 
bricated very  Idack  (ilos.sy  scales.  Fronds  lanceolate,  ob- 
tusely acuniinatc  and  strong  y  costate,  about  a  foot  in 
leiii;th,  bo.ne  on  stalks  3  inches  to  4  inches  high;  these, 
unhke  those  of  nearly  any  other  known  species,  are  stout, 
woolly,  and  channelled  on  the  interior  face.  Bori  nut  sunk, 
but  superficial,  and  set  in  about  four  series  parallel  with  the 
costules. 

N.  HETEKACHTIS. — This  Southern  Indian  species 
is  perhaps  the  nearest  of  any  of  the  kinds  of 
Niphobolus  to  the  well-known  N.  lingua,  from 
which  it  is  distinguishable  at  first  sight  by  its 
more  fleshy  fronds  and  much  thicker  creamy- 
coloured  down;  instead,  too,  of  being  slightly 
undulated,  as  in  that  favourite  species,  they  are 
smooth  and  slightly  incurved ;  they  also  stand  more 
erect,  are  produced  in  greater  quantities,  and  have 
a  somewhat  mealy  appearance. 

Frouds  similar  in  shape,  either  barren  or  fertile,  seldom 
exceeding  C  inches  high,  including  the  stalks,  and  they  are 
ovate  in  form  and  rounded  at  the  base,  and  are  abundan.ly 
produ.-ed  from  a  thin  and  fast  creeping  wiry  rh.zome 
clothed  all  over  with  spreading  brown  scales. 

N.  LiEVls. — A  charming  little  species  of  peculiar, 
but  very  distinct  appearance.  It  is  a  native  of 
the  Himalayas  and  of  the  Khasia  Hills,  where, 
owing  to  its  rapid  growth  and  elongated  slender 
rhizome,  it  is  enabled  to  cover  the  stems  of  trees. 
Its  delicate-looking  little  fronds,  which  are  quite 
distinct  in  shape,  form  a  very  compact  pale  green 
carpet,  only  to  be  equalled  by  the  more  common 
N.  rnpestris,  from  which,  however,  it  is  in  all  other 
respects  totally  distinct. 

Caudex  creeping,  copiously  rooting  the  whole  of  its 
length.  Fronds  coriaceous,  linear-lanceolate,  3  inches  to  6 
Inches  long  by  about  half  an  inch  wide ;  glabrous  above, 
hoary  underDcath  with  a  tuft  of  scales  at  then'  I)ase.  Caudex 
Itself  covered  with  peculiarly  linear-setacoous  scales  of  a 
light  brownish  colour.  Sori  large,  partially  sunk  In  the 
tomentum,  covering  nearly  the  whole  of  the  underside 
of  the  frond  and  often  confined  to  their  apex. 

N.  LINEARIS. — A  Japanese  species,  whose  dis- 
tinctive character  lies  chiefly  in  the  uncommonly 
thin  texture  of  its  fronds.  The  latter  seldom 
exceed  6  inches  in  height  and  \k  inches  in  width  ; 
they  are  borne  on  short  stalks,  that  rise  from  a 
small  rigid  rhizome,  and  they  are  also  of  a  very 
peculiar  pale  green  colour. 


N.  LINQUA  (N.  chinensis). — This  thoroughly 
evergreen  species,  which  has  at  different  times 
been  imported  from  China,  Japan,  Ceylon,  and 
several  parts  of  the  East  Indies,  is  undoubtedly 
the  one  most  frequently  met  with  in  cultivation, 
possibly  on  account  of  its  being  a  plant  of  easy 
culture.  It  is  very  hardy,  and  seems  to  thrive 
under  any  sort  of  treatment;  yet  it  is  only  of 
medium  growth,  seldom  attaining  more  than  9 
inches  in  height.  It  is  also  one  of  the  few  species 
in  which  the  two  different  sorts  of  fronds  are  en- 
tirely distinct  in  appearance  ;  the  fertile  ones,  al- 
though of  about  the  same  height  as  the  sterile 
fronds,  are  contracted  and  wholly  covered  by  the 
sori,  which  is  of  a  peculiarly  reddish  brown  colour. 
It  is  also  very  striking  on  account  of  the  light 
brown  or  drab-coloured  very  small  scales,  which 
entirely  clothe  the  under  surface  of  the  fronds. 

Rhizome  creeping,  very  long,  rather  slender,  flexuosc, 
and  paleacous,  with  ferruginous  scales.  Fronds  borne 
on  stalks  4  inches  or  6  inches  long.  The  leafy  portion  of 
the  fronds  varies  between  4  Inches  and  6  inches  in  length. 
1  hey  are  lanceolate  in  shape,  obtuse  or  acuminated,  densely 
and  very  compactly  tomentose  at  first,  but  at  length  per- 
fectly glabrous  on  their  upper  surface, 

N.  LINGUA  coETMBiFERA. — A  Variety  of  the 
preceding  species  which,  although  of  the  same 
size,  is  entirely  dissimilar  in  all  other  respects ; 
indeed,  its  foliage  is  so  grotesquely  contoured, 
that  there  is  hardly  any  character  left  resembling 
that  of  the  typical  species.  Whilst  the  fronds  of 
the  type  are  simple  and  lanceolate,  those  of  this 
variety  have  their  tops  several  times  branched  or 
lobed,  the  point  of  each  division  being  furnished 
with  a  very  large  crest  or  tassel,  which  gives  the 
plant  a  very  peculiar,  and  at  the  same  time  a  very 
ornamental  and  unique  appearance.  When  grown 
in  a  pan  of  medium  dimensions  it  makes  a  very 
handsome  specimen.  This  is  probably  a  barren 
form,  for  although  plants  of  good  size  are  some- 
times met  with,  no  fructification  has  ever  been 
noticed  on  them. 

N.  NUMMULAEi.EFOLlUS. — This  pretty  and  truly 
elegant  species  is  found  in  many  parts  of  Southern 
India,  where  it  is  said  to  take  possession  of  trees 
and  cover  them  entirely.  It  has  a  peculiarly  scan- 
dent  habit,  and  though  only  of  small  dimensions, 
it  proves  very  ornamental,  and  on  account  of  its 
barren  and  fertile  fronds  being  entirely  dissimilar, 
it  never  fails  to  be  a  source  of  attraction. 

Rhizome  very  long,  filiform,  copiously  rooting,  and 
covvfed  with  ferruginous  scales.  Fionds  dimorplious ; 
the  barren  ones  only  ab^ut  1  inch  long,  orbicular  or  (Ub- 
cordttte  ;  the  fcrt.lo  ones,  about  2  inches  long  by  half  an 
inch  wide,  are  line.r-oblong,  and  the  whole  back  of  them 
Is  covered  with  sori,  which  ara  set  without  order,  'the 
elliptic  or  stei lie  fronds  are  scmctimts  slightly  contracted 
and  fructified  at  the  apex. 

N.  PENANGiANUS.  —  This  handsome  species, 
which  is  very  rare  in  cultivation,  is  entirely  dis- 
tinct in  outward  appearance  from  any  other  mem- 
ber of  the  genus  ;  indeed,  it  seems  devoid  of  all 
rhizome,  and  its  numerous  fronds,  which  are  pro- 
duced in  clusters  or  tufts  and  almost  stalkless,  give 
the  plant  a  good  deal  of  resemblance  to  an  Asple- 
nium  Nidus  Avis,  whose  foliage  should  be  covered 
with  stellated  hairs.  It  is  a  species  which  grows 
best  in  partly  decayed  wood. 

Fronds  sub-membranaceous,  from  15  inches  to  18  Inches 
long  and  about  3  inches  wide,  oblanceolate,  the  base  very 
much  and  gradually  attenuated  and  the  margin  irregularly 
sinUHted ;  when  mature  quite  glabrous  above,  thinly 
clothed  underneath  with  stellated  hairs.  Hori  not  sunk, 
but  form  a  broad  prominent  mass  in  the  disc  of  the  upper 
half  of  the  frond. 

N.  PEETUsus. — A  handsome  evergreen  speciea 
from  the  East  Indies,  and  one  well  worthy  of  more 
general  cultivation  than  that  which  it  receives. 
To  grow  this  kind  to  perfection  a  little  more  heat 
is  needed  than  for  the  others,  although  it  is  not 
altogether  a  stove  Fern.  It  is  in  fact  admirably 
adapted  for  growing  in  a  Fern  case,  provided  it 
be  kept  in  a  dwelling-room. 

Fronds  simple  ;  fertile  ones  linoarlanceolate  and  about 
10  inches  high  ;  barren  ones,  which  seldom  exceed  0  inches 
In  height,  somewhat  oblong  and  obtute.  Both  kinds  are 
borne  on  short  stalks,  seldom  over  2  Inches  high,  upper 
BUI  face  a  bright  shining  green,  underside  downy.  Surl 
dark  red. 

N.  PCK0SU9  (N.  fissus). — This  very  peculiar 
species  from  Southern  India  resembles  an  Ela- 
phoglossum,  bat  its  habit  of  growth  Is  decidedly 


190 


THE     GARDEN 


\A'jG.  30,  1884. 


that  of  nearly  all  other  members  o£  the  genus. 
Its  curious  fronds,  being  scaly  throughout,  and 
the  barren  and  fertile  ones  being  totally  different 
in  form,  give  the  plant  a  very  striking  appearance, 
■which  is  increased  by  numerous  little  hairs  which 
exist  on  each  side  of  both  kinds  of  fronds. 

Caudex  creeping,  covered  with  ferruginous  scales. 
Fronds  coriaceous,  about  10  inches  long  and  1  inch  wide ; 
the  barren  ones  spatliulate  in  shape  and  borne  on  short 
stalks  ;  fertile  ones  lioear-lanceolate,  or  even  sometimes 
linear.  Sori,  which  scarcely  rise  above  the  surface  of  the 
tomentmn,  very  copious. 

N.  EUPESTEis. — This  is  an  exceedingly  pretty 
little  Australian  species,  very  dwarf  in  growth, 
and  one  which  delights  in  clinging  to  a  block  of 
sandstone  or  any  other  hard,  yet  porous,  material. 
It  also  grows  well  in  a  Fern  case,  where  it  pro- 
duces a  very  pretty  effect,  especially  as  the  whole 
plant  is  of  a  greyish  colour  all  over. 

The  fronds  are  simple  and  neaily  attached  to  the  rhi- 
zomes, which  are  extremely  slender.  The  barren  ones, 
which  rarely  grow  more  than  2  inches  long,  are  spathulate 
in  shape,  while  the  fertile  ouea,  about  3  inches  in  length, 
are  linear  and  oI>tuse,  fleshy,  and  stand  almost  erect  on  the 
rhizome,  which  is  thiclily  clothed  with  light  brown  chaffy 
scales. 

PKLL.EA. 


NOTES. 


The  Autumn  Blueberry.  —  This  is  the 
popular  name  of  Billardiera  longillora,  a  trailing 
or  twining  shrub  well  worth  a  place  on  low  sunny 
walls.  Id  May  it  is  covered  with  greenish 
blossoms  shaped  like  an  extinguisher,  and  about 
1  inch  in  length,  but  now  every  wiry  thoot  is  a 
string  of  puce-coloured  or  purplish  blue  berries, 
and  the  effect  of  a  well-grown  plant  or  two  is  very 
pretty.  The  plant  is  readily  increased  by  cuttings 
or  from  seeds  sown  as  soon  as  they  are  ripe.  An 
allied  species,  B.  repens,  the  Apple-berry,  is  not  at 
present  so  ornamental.  This  last  we  raised  from 
New  Zealand  seeds,  and  it  is  now  covered  with 
long  greenish  fruits.  Like  the  last,  its  flowers  are 
not  showy.  Both  species  deserve  attention  by 
amateurs  fond  of  curious  or  rare  shrubs. 

The  Tiger  Iris.— Just  when  the  great  flaunt- 
ing petals  of  K;\;mpfer's  Iris  die  away  and  we 
have  bade  adieu  to  the  Iris  proper  for  a  time, 
these  gorgeous  natives  of  Mexico  burst  upon  ns 
in  all  their  glory  of  scarlet  and  gold.  In  the 
early  morning  sunshine  these  Tigridias  are  most 
lovely.  We  have  several  kinds,  but  none  finer 
than  T.  grandiflora  and  T.  Pavonia  alba,  the  first 
bright  scarlet  and  the  latter  pure  white  with  pur- 
plish blotches  in  the  cup.  Seeing  how  gorgeous 
these  Tiger  Irises  really  are  and  remembering  how 
easily  they  may  be  grown,  it  is  curious  they  are 
not  more  plentiful.  On  cold,  wet  soils  they 
should  be  taken  up  like  Gladioli  and  laid  on  the 
floor  of  a  cellar  or  shed  from  which  frost  is  ex- 
cluded. Here,  on  our  light  sandy  soil,  they  are 
perfectly  hardy,  but  a  covering  of  ashes  or  Cocoa- 
nut  fibre  would  save  them  in  most  localities. 

Flowers  of  the  twilight.— The  garden  is 
EQOst  sweet  and  interesting  to  me  in  the  evening, 
when  the  great  white  and  yellow  Evening  Prim- 
roses unfold  their  petals  pure  and  fresh  after  the 
burden  and  heat  of  the  day.  Night-scented  Stocks 
and  Mignonette  rival  each  other  in  perfume,  and 
white  Nicotiana  afEnis,  so  insignificant  during  hot 
daj  8,  becomes  a  revelation  of  beauty  and  sweetness 
also.  It  is  in  the  evening  or  on  dull  days  also 
that  the  old  Marvel  of  Peru  is  seen  to  best  advan- 
tage, each  bush  besprinkled  with  a  thousand  sil- 
very stars  and  breathing  with  perfume.  All  these 
flowers  of  eventide  are  very  lovely  and  should  be 
cultivated,  as  giving  to  our  gardens  quite  an  added 
charm.  While  Tiger  Iris  and  Morning  Glory  are  the 
matin  service  of  the  garden,  the  flowers  just  men- 
tioned may  be  appropriately  called  the  evensong. 

Beautiful  flo'wers  are  ever  the  brightest 
and  best  of  all  personal  ornaments,  and  the  won- 
der is  they  are  not  even  more  generally  used.  A 
lady  came  to  see  our  garden  the  other  day  and  it 
was  quite  refreshing  to  see  natural  flowers  in  her 
hat  as  well  as  in  her  dress— not  rare  Orchids  nor 
hothouse  blossoms,  but  simple  Clove  Carnations 
and  deep  red  Maple  leaves.    The  effect  was  so 


natural  and  exquisite,  that  I  could  not  resist  allud- 
ing to  the  good  taste  shown,  and  I  could  not  help 
wondering  why  artificial  flowers  should  be  so 
largely  worn  by  women  who  have  the  sweetest 
and  best  of  Nature's  gif.s  around  them.  "Ah," 
she  said,  "  you  notice  my  natural  flowers,  but  few 
do  so,  except  to  laugh  at  me  ;  and  yet  those  who 
wear  badly-made  artificial  blossoms  would  be 
aghast  if  you  suggested  artificial  jewellery  to 
them." 

Peach  .fl  pples  — A  friend  who  recently  spent 
a  short  time  in  Dublin  was  delighted  with  the  fine 
Peach  Apples  which  are  just  now  quite  abundant 
there.  It  is  an  Irish  Apple,  which  ripens  its  fruit 
in  August,  and  may  be  eaten  off  the  tree.  It  is 
not  so  well  known  in  England,  although  I  have 
seen  it  bear  well  on  the  cold  clays  of  the  mid- 
lands. It  is  a  flattish  fruit  of  medium  size,  with 
five  prominent  ribs,  so  that  it  is  pentagonal  in 
i:2ction  if  cut  across,  and  the  perfume  and  flavour 
are  alike  most  enticing.  It  is  greenish  in  colour, 
with  a  rosy  cheek  next  the  sun,  but  if  kept  a  day 
or  two  after  gathering,  the  green  turns  to  a  golden 
hue,  and  the  fruit  looks  very  handsome  on  the 
dish.  As  an  early  Apple  to  eat  with  Jargonelle 
Pears  and  Rivers'  July  Gage  Plum,  the  Irish 
Peach  is  worth  a  place. 

Plant  Daffodils  now.— It  is  very  easy  to 
admire  Narcissi  when  in  bloom  next  March  and 
April,  but  now  is  the  time  to  plant  bulbs  for  next 
year's  blooming,  if  not  already  performed.  Most 
of  the  complaints  anent  the  poor  bloom  of  Daffo- 
dils, kc,  the  first  year  after  planting  are  due  to  this 
operation  being  deferred  until  late  in  autumn. 
The  great  diSiculty  with  myself  is  to  get  bulbs 
early  enough,  and  no  doubt  others  are  in  the  same 
fix.  Those  also  who  intend  to  surprise  their  friends 
with  some  of  the  best  of  Daffodils  in  pots  next 
February  should  lose  no  time  in  potting  up  their 
bulbs.  Even  the  wild  field  Daffodil,  so  common 
in  many  localities,  is  beautiful  when  grown  in 
pots  for  thegreenhoase,  but  N.  Horsefieldi,  N.  ob- 
vallaris,  N.  maximus,  N.  nanus,  N.  princeps,  N. 
major,  and  N.  Bulbocodium  should  also  be  potted 
at  once. 

Flowers  and  health.— Professor  Manto- 
gazza,  of  Pavia,  has  lately  discovered  that  ozone 
is  generated  in  immense  quantities  by  all  plants 
and  flowers  possessing  green  leaves  and  aromatic 
odours.  Hyacinths,  Mignonette,  Heliotrope, 
Lemon,  Mint,  Lavender,  Narcissus,  Cherry  Laurel, 
and  the  like  all  throw  off  ozone  largely  on  ex- 
posure to  the  sun's  rays.  So  powerful  is  this  great 
atmospheric  purifier,  that  it  is  the  belief  of  che- 
mists that  whole  districts  can  be  redeemed  from 
the  deadly  malaria  which  infests  them  by  simply 
covering  them  with  aromatic  vegetation.  The 
bearing  of  this  upon  flower-culture  in  our  large 
cities  is  also  very  important.  Experiments  have 
proved  that  the  air  of  cities  contains  less  ozone 
than  that  of  the  surrounding  country,  and  the 
thickly  inhabited  parts  of  cities  less  than  the  more 
sparsely  built,  or  than  the  parks  and  open  squares. 
Plants,  and  flowers,  and  green  trees  can  alone  re- 
store the  balance ;  so  that  every  little  flower-pot 
is  not  merely  a  thing  of  beauty  while  it  lasts,  but 
has  a  direct  and  beneficial  influence  upon  the 
health  of  the  neighbourhood  in  which  it  is  found. 

The  doubling  of  flowers.— The  interest- 
ing question  whether  the  nature  of  the  soil  affects 
the  doubleness  of  flowers  of  the  first  generation  has 
been  revived.  M.  Sterler,  of  Posenhofen,  writing 
on  the  culture  of  Stocks,  maintains  that  the  num- 
ber of  plants  with  double  flowers,  assuming  that 
the  seed  is  good,  depends  upon  the  nature  of  the 
soil ;  that  is  to  say,  the  same  quality  of  seed  that 
would  bring  a  large  proportion  of  double  flowers 
in  soil  consisting  of  75  per  cent,  of  sand  to  25  per 
cent,  of  loam  would  produce  a  large  proportion  of 
single  liowers  in  a  rich  soil,  especially  in  wet  sea- 
sons. Pot  culture,  too,  will  insure  a  large  per- 
centage of  double  flowers.  Dr.  Kegel  holds  the 
same  view  in  the  Giirtenflora.  It  is  not  a  little 
remarkable  that  luxuriance  should  induce  double- 
ness in  most  subjects,  and  the  reverse  in  Stocks, 
especially  in  plants  where  the  nature  of  the  dupli- 
cation is  morphologically  the  game ;  but  no  doubt 


season  and  soil  do  exercise  an  influence  in  this 
way.  Nevertheless,  careful  experiments  to  ttst 
the  validity  of  this  view,  based  upon  incontest- 
ably  ascertained  facts,  are  desirable. 

"Wood  ashes  for  slugs.— Some  time  ago  Jlr. 
Wood,  of  Kirkstall,  mentioned  that  the  potash  of 
wood  a::hes  was  inimical  to  slugs,  and  I  am  glad  to 
thank  him  publicly  for  his  hint,  and  to  corroborate 
his  testimony.  Most  old  gardens  are  over-run 
with  slugs  and  snails.  Box  edgings  and  creeping 
shrubs,  useful  or  beautiful  in  themselves  and 
themselves  uninjured,  afford  cool  and  grateful 
shelter  to  these  hungry  marauders,  who  sally  forth 
at  eventide  to  chaw  up  one's  choicest  al pines,  or  to 
ensconce  themselves  in  the  heart  of  some  deli- 
cate little  bulb.  I  am  glad  to  say,  however, 
that  Lily  and  Gentian,  delicate  Beliflower,  and 
Meconopsis,  Erpetion,  and  Primula  minima  are 
comparatively  safe  with  a  cordon  of  wood  ashes 
around  them,  much  more  so  than  when  we  trusted 
to  soot  and  lime,  the  first  of  which  is  dirty,  and 
the  second  bad  for  peat-loving  plants.  I  remember 
reading  somewhere  that  Mr.  W.  Wildsmith  finds 
wood  ashes  of  great  service  as  a  manure  for  Vines, 
and  has  a  fire  going  most  of  the  winter  burnirg 
prunings  and  waste.  Here  also  the  preparation  of 
charcoal  and  wood  ashes  will  for  the  future  be  an 
especial  feature. 

Mutisla  decurrens.— I  wish  someone  who 
has  succeeded  with  this  rare  climbing  composite 
plant  in  the  open  air  would  favour  us  with  infor- 
mation. It  is  such  a  beautiful  plant  when  seen  at 
its  best,  that  I  am  anxious  to  try  it  out-of-doors. 
I  find  the  following  extract  in  the  FIvrut,  but 
what  I  desire  is  advice  at  first  hand,  as  I  have  only 
one  plant  in  a  pot  in  the  greenhouse  and  should 
not  like  to  risk  it  without  good  grounds  for  its 
success  out-of-doors  :  The  showy,  orange-coloured, 
Gazania-like  Mutisia  decurrens  is  found  to  be 
hardy  at  Floors  Castle,  growing  on  a  south-west 
wall,  where  it  has  flowered  every  season  for  the 
last  four  years.  Mr.  Knight  recommends  that 
this  handsome  evergreen  climber  should  be  planted 
more  freely,  especially  where  conservatory  walls 
have  to  be  furnished.  Mr.  Coleman,  of  Eastnor, 
advises  planting  It  in  the  open  ground.  Some 
years  ago  he  procured  a  plant  which  was  trained 
against  a  south  wall,  but  finding  the  situation  too 
hot  and  dry,  he  removed  it  to  an  open  space  in 
the  grounds,  where  it  grew  vigorously,  flowered 
profusely,  and  ripened  seeds  from  which  young 
plants  were  raised.  Against  a  wall,  with  him,  the 
old  leaves  and  stems  assume  a  rusty  appearance  ; 
but  planted  out  in  the  open,  in  a  compost  of  peat 
and  loam  on  a  cool  bottom,  where  it  can  ramble 
over  rootwork  or  an  old  bush,  it  forms  a  striking 
object.  It  is  impatient  of  close  training,  and  well 
repays  being  left  alone. 

Daffodils  In  fashion.  —  Verily  is  the  Daffo- 
downdilly  coming  to  town  with  a  right  good  will, 
and  the  makers  of  bulb  catalogues  this  year  busily 
vie  with  each  other  in  praising  this  popular  April 
queen.  Mr.  Hartland,  of  Cork,  sends  me  a  pretty 
catalogue  of  a  hundred  kinds,  several  of  which  are 
supposed  to  be  new,  and  Mr.  Barr  tells  me  he  is 
now  at  work  on  an  exhaustive  illustrated  list  of 
all  the  Daffodils  for  the  benefit  of  his  friends  and 
contemporaries.  One  test  of  the  newly  acquired 
popularity  of  the  Narcissus  as  a  garden  flower  is 
that  the  prices  of  some  old  and  well-known  kinds 
are  rising  year  after  year.  Mr.  Hartland  has  done 
good  service  in  hunting  up  the  Swan's  Neck 
and  other  rare  old  Daffodils  which  have  lingered 
in  that  "  eden  of  the  west,"  "  Faire  Irelonde,"  as 
Chaucer  has  it.  I  often  wonder  what  Parkinson 
would  say  to  our  Daffodil  collections  of  to-day  ! 
These  flowers  are  so  beautiful,  however,  and  have 
so  many  associations,  that  our  gardens  can  never 
be  too  full  of  them. 

The  Banshee's  Rod.— There  are  but  few 
of  our  native  waterside  plants  more  classic  in 
form  or  more  distinct  in  port  than  is  the  common 
Bulrush,  for  which  the  peasants  of  the  wild 
west  of  Ireland  have  invented,  as  I  think,  a  far 
prettier  name.  If  ever  Flaxman  had  tried  to 
model  a  Banshee,  her  wand  would  have  been  this 
Blender-shafted  Typha,  and  well  would  its  grace 


Aug.  .30,  1884,] 


THE     GARDEN 


191 


become  the  weird  angel  of  evil  who  is  supposed  to 
be  heard  only  on  the  approach  of  misfortune.  But, 
while  the  Canshee  is  only  the  remnant  of  old 
superstitious  faith,  this  water  weed  remains  a 
thing  of  beauty,  without  which  no  pond  or  brook- 
side  is  complete.  A  little  sheaf  of  its  stately 
flowering  stems  and  leaves  placed  in  a  large  vase 
forms  a  good  winter  ornament,  and  contrasts  well 
with  silvery  Arundoor  Pampas  plumes.  It  is  when 
growing  in  the  open  air,  however,  that  the  plant  is 
most  distinct  and  beautiful,  and  the  wonder  is  it 
is  so  seldom  eeen,  except  it  be  where  Nature  has 
planted  it.  Veko>-ica. 


Fruit  Garden. 


LOW  NIGIir  TEilPERATCRE  FOR  VINE.S. 
I  WOULD  rather  refer  "  Welshman  "  (p.  IGO)  to  the 
testimony  thathas  from  time  to  time  been  furnished 
by  others  in  favour  of  low  night  temperatures  for 
Vines,  but  I  may  state  for  the  satisfaction  of  him 
and  others  that  no  one'need  have  any  fear  about 
adopting  the  system  as  recommended  by  me  for 
any  variety  of  the  Vine.  In  my  own  case  both 
Muscats  and  Hamburghs  improved  under  the 
system,  and  if  "  Welshman  '  chooses  to  call  within 
the  next  week  or  two  he  may  see  the  vinery  that 
has  for  years  been  subjected  to  the  lowest  degree 
of  heat  and  judge  for  himself.  I  think  I  may, 
without  any  mi.^givings,  challenge  him  to  find 
another  such  crop — produced  by  the  warm  system — 
whether  as  regards  weight  of  crop,  quality,  or  the 
general  condition  and  appearance  of  the  Vines.  I 
have  received  letters  from  many  growers  who 
have  adopted  the  low  temperature  system,  all 
expressing  satisfaction  with  the  results ;  but  the 
most  valuable  testimonial  came  from  a  late 
grower  and  well-known  contributor  to  the  garden- 
ing press,  who  began  by  condemning  the  system — 
predicting  evil  results  from  late  ripened  fruit  and 
wood  in  more  than  one  article  to  a  contemporary 
— but  was,  nevertheless,  induced  to  adopt  the  plan 
himself,  and  finally  wrote  to  me  privately  to  say 
that  it  had  been  perfectly  successful.  Had  he 
lived  I  daresay  he  would  have  published  his 
experience.  I  enclose  name  and  particulars  to  the 
editor  privately,  and  the  following  is  an  extract 
from  his  letter  on  the  subject :  "  I  have  lately 
kept  my  night  temperatures  very  similar  to  yours, 
and  do  not  find  the  period  of  ripening  retarded 
very  much,  or  at  all.  The  Hamburghs  started  about 
the  middle  of  February,  were  perfectly  ripe  by 
the  end  o£  July ;  later  kinds,  such  as  Alicante, 
Oros  Golmar,  &c.,  are  ripe  now  (end  of  August). 
My  Hamburghs  coloured  very  beautifully,  although 
heavily  cropped.  I  am  sure  they  would  not  have 
coloured  so  well  with  ordinary  night  temperatures 
unless  the  crop  had  been  reduced."  This  extract 
will  answer  "Welshman's"  qnery  as  to  the  time 
taken  to  ripen  a  crop  under  low  night  temperatures, 
and  my  opinion  is  the  same  as  the  writer's. 
^yortlet/.  J.  SlilPSON. 


well.  The  essentials  are  a  robust  growth,  good 
foliage,  and  plenty  of  air  always.  Then  it  does  not 
matter  so  much  about  the  temperature  being  high 
so  long  as  it  is  not  an  artificial  temperature.  The 
most  perfectly  coloured  Gros  Colmars  I  have 
ever  seen  I  saw  this  year,  and  they  grew  along 
with  Hamburghs  and  were  not  hurried.  I  never 
saw  this  Grape  quite  black  till  this  season  and  the 
examples  were  perfect,  and  so  were  the  Hamburghs 
beside  them,  but  as  to  flavour  there  was  of  course 
no  comparison  between  the  two  ;  colour  as  it  may, 
the  Gros  Colmar  is  one  of  the  coartest  flavoured  of 
Grapes.  g.  W. 


COLOURING  GRAPES. 

Those  who  cannot  get  their  Grapes  to  colour  this 
season  —  general  conditions  otherwise  being 
favourable— may  despair,  I  think,  of  success  in 
future,  for  I  have  seldom  known  a  more  favour- 
able summer.  I  have  always  said  that  colour  was 
not  to  be  infused  into  Grapes  by  any  special  treat- 
ment about  the  season  of  ripening,  as  has  so  often 
been  said,  such  as  giving  more  air  and  less  heat, 
tc,  having  always  firmly  believed  that  colour  was 
one  of  those  points  of  excellence  that  began  with 
early  growth  and  ended  with  maturity.  This 
summer's  experience  only  confirms  this  idea. 
Grapes  of  all  kinds  have  kept  their  foliage  well 
and  coloured  to  perfection.  This  I  attribute  to 
the  constant  and  abundant  supply  of  fresh  air, 
which  the  fine  weather  has  permitted  and  the 
absence  of  fire  heat.    Grapes  that  are  not  going 


FRUIT  TREES. 
Distance  pkom  the  Glass. 
I  SEE  that  since  fruit  houses  were  made  so  light — 
glazed  with  wide  panes  of  clear  glass -it  is  often 
said  that  it  does  not  matter  much  how  far  the 
trees  are  from  the  glass.     One  writer  lately  wrote 
that  his  Vines  were  8  feet  from  the  roof,  under 
the  apex,  and  did  perfectly  well.     One  can  quite 
believe  this,  but  what  is  the  good  of  having  the 
trees  any  further  from  the  glass  than  is  needful  to 
prevent  contact  and  chill,  and  a  very  short  dis- 
tance will  prevent  both  ?     It  must  be  apparent  to 
any  practical   mind  that  in  a  vinery  or  Peach 
house,  for  example,  whether  it  be  lean-to  or  span- 
roof,  every  inch  farther  the  trellis  is  removed  from 
theglass  the  less  weightof  crop  we  get,  because  the 
length  of  rafter  represents  the  greatest  stretch  of 
training  room  at  command,  and  the  farther  we 
recede  from  the  rafter  the  shorter  the  trellis  be- 
comes.    The  man  who  invented  the  movable  Vine 
trellis,  a  few  years  ago,  that  could  be  pulled  up  or 
let  down  at  pleasure,  had  to  cut  a  yard  oflE  the 
top  of  it  to  permit  its  working,  and  did  not  seem 
to  see  how  many  pounds  weight  of  fruit  was  lost  in 
consequence  till  the  fault  was  published,  and  there- 
fore the  movable  trellis  failed.   I  grudge  every  inch 
I  have  to  take  off  a  trellis.     Two  or  three  years 
ago  I  noticed  that,  although  our  Peach  trellis  was 
only  about  18  inches  from  the  glass,  when  one 
stood  outside  there  always  appeared  to  be  a  lost 
space  at  the  top,  where  the  white  back  wall  could 
be  seen  between  the  top  of  the  trellis  and  the 
glass.     This  space  was  not  much,  and  represented 
the  distance  from  the  glass  all  over  at  right  angles 
to  the  rafters,  but  I  thought  if  I  could  fill  it  up,  it 
would  give  me  a  good  many  dozens  more  Peaches, 
and  so  I  put  on  several  more  wires,  so  as  to  lead  the 
shoots  up  to  the  apex.    This  extra  space  we  covered 
with  young  shoots  in  one  year,  and  the  following 
season  these  bore  ten  or  twelve  dozen  extra  fruit, 
and  have  borne  extra  since.     This  space  is  always 
left  vacant  in  Peach  houses  and  vineries,  as  the 
trellis  bearers  are  run  straight  up  to  the  wall  in- 
stead of  being  curved  up  at  the  top  to  meet  the 
glass,  as  they  might  just  as  well  be.    As  regards 
the  distance  from  the  glass  for  Vines,  it  is  quite 
sufiioient  if  the  shoots  do  not  come  in  contact  with 
it  before  they  can  be  tied  or  laid  in,  for  it  has  yet 
to  be  proved  that  anything  short  of  actual  contact 
is  injurious.     An  amateur  whom  I  know  has  his 
Vine  rods  9  inches  from  the  glass,  and  they  are 
in  excellent  health,  have  always  fine  wood  and 
leaves,  and  are  very  fruitful.     Our  Melon  trellis  is 
so  near  to  the  glass,  in  order  to  gain  room,  that 
the  leaves  are  only  saved  from  coming  in  contact 
with  it  by  the  wooden  astragals  an  inch  deep  or 
more.     Cucumbers  the  same,  and  yet  they  take 
no  harm,  and  the  foliage  is  grand  and  apparently 
all   the  better  for  its  proximity  to    light.    The 
question  is,  What  possible  harm  can  training  close 
to  the  glass  do  ?     There  is  nothing  in  the  glass 
itself  to  hurt  the  foliage  unless  it  be  the  lenses 
that  exist  more  or  less  in  glass  of  any  quality, 
but  especially  in  inferior  glass,  and  they  do  harm 
by  burning  only,  no  matter  what  the  distance  may 
be.     The  damage  attributed  to   nearness  to  the 
Tlass  might  be  traced  in  most  cases  to  misman- 
agement in  other  ways  and  to  deficient  ventila- 
tion ;  but  when  the  ventilators  are  opened  in  good 


to  colour  will  not  colour  by  any  treatment  that  time,  the  air  is  sure  to  find  its  way  to  the  hi-^'hest 
can  possibly  be  given  them  after  they  have  points  where  the  foliage  is  and  prevent  injury 
passed  well  into  their  second  swelling  if  they  have  Moral.-Keep  as  close  to  the  glass  as  convenience 
It  not  in  them  before.  I  never  knew  Grapes  that  will  permit  in  the  case  of  all  fruits  and  flowering 
were  pale  green  in  the  earlier  period  to  colour  [  plants  whatsoever  that  love  the  light,— J  S  W 


523G.— Qrapea  cracking.— The  berries  of 
Madresfield  Court  Grape  have  a  great  tendency  to 
crack  at  the  footstalks  just  before  they  ripen.  The 
cure  for  it  is  keeping  the  roots  dry  and  also  the 
atmosphere,  when  the  Grapes  are  ripening.  Our 
own  berries  of  this  variety  have  been  much  in- 
jured by  cracking ;  the  laterals  on  which  the 
bunches  were  growing  we  cut  more  than  half 
through  between  the  bunches  and  the  main  stem, 
but  even  this,  which  must  have  very  considerably 
checked  the  flow  of  sap,  did  not  wholly  prevent  the 
cracking. — J.  Douglas. 

Black  Prince  Strawberry.— I  may  lay 
claim  (see  p.  127)  to  have  seen  this  Strawberry 
grown  as  well  as  thoroughly  good  growers  could 
do  it,  and  still  I  hold  fast  by  my  expressed 
opinion  that  it  is  only  useful  for  producing  a  few 
small  early  fruit,  and  not  to  be  named  along  with 
La  GroEse  Sucree.  When  I  said  a  few  very  early 
fruit  I  did  not  think  that  anyone  would  imagine 
this  was  written  from  a  strictly  numerical  point 
of  view,  as  every  Strawberry  grower  knows  tlie 
variety  is  very  prolific,  but  a  few  very  early  fruit 
fit  for  table.  Mr.  Muir  says  he  counted  over  a 
hundred  fruit  on  a  twelvemonth's  plant.  How 
many  of  these  were  larger  than  a  marble  ?  It  is 
doubtless  a  variety  that  might  be  improved  by 
thinning  the  trusses  and  fruit,  but  this  cannot 
always  be  done,  and  I  should  certainly  never  grow 
Black  Prince  or  recommend  it  while  there  are 
better  varieties  in  the  market. — E.  B. 

Ripening  fruit  buds.— I  find  a  very  general 
impression  prevails  that  the  excessive  drought 
which  we  have  experienced  is  likely  to  be  of  great 
benefit  to  fruit  trees  through  its  thoroughly  ripen- 
ing the  wood  and  buds  that  are  to  produce  next 
year's  crop.  Now  I  think  we  are  all  pretty  well 
agreed  that  on  the  perfect  maturation  of  the  wood 
and  buds  greatly  depends  our  hope  of  forthcoming 
fruit  crops,  but  I  dissent  from  the  notion  that 
dryness  at  the  root  will  assist  the  ripening  of  the 
wood.  In  order  to  get  the  maximum  benefit  next 
year,  owners  of  trees  that  show  any  symptoms  of 
suffering  from  drought  should  lose  no  time  in 
giving  them  a  thorough  soaking  of  water  so  as  to 
reach  the  roots;  if  the  leaves  are  flagging  and  the 
wood  shrivelling  it  is  impossible  for  the  buds  to 
be  perfectly  developed,  and  I  fear  that  many  who 
are  congratulating  themselves  on  the  thorough 
ripening  of  the  wood,  as  they  term  it,  denoted  by 
theleavesdroppingoflf  prematurely,  will  find  to  their 
cost  that  the  drying-off  theory  can  be  carried  too 
far.  Under  glass  we  water  far  more  heavily  than 
formerly,  and  with  excellent  results.— J.  G.,  Hants. 

Standard  Cherry  trees.— Cherries  differ 
considerably  in  shape,  some  kinds  growing  much 
more  erect  than  others  while  young,  but  all  grow 
into  a  round,  symmetrical  head  in  the  end.     The 
wild  Gean  makes  a  much  larger  tree  than  either 
the  Apple  or  the  Pear,  and  so  does  the  common 
Cherry,  if  allowed  to  grow.     The  standard  tree 
produces  by  far  the  best  results  in  crops,  and  much 
sooner  reaches  an  abundantly  productive  stage, 
quite  small  trees  on  the  common  stock  bearing 
almost  as  soon  as  planted.     Without  any  pruning 
whatever  the  branches   clothe    themselves   with 
fruit  buds  the  whole  length,  no  matter  how  strong 
they  may  be  growing,  and  never  fail  to  produce 
abundance  of   blossom.    A  branch   of  a  Cherry 
tree  affords  one  of  the  most  instructive  lessons  to 
the  pruner,  because  it  shows  that  if  it  be  exposed 
to  the  light  freely,  it  needs  no  artificial  assistance 
whatever  to  render  it  fruitful.    It  is  a  fact  appa- 
rently not   generally  known  that  no  amount  of 
pinching  or  cramping  of   the  top  increases   the 
number  of  fruit  buds  on  a  Cherry  in  the  least,  but 
in  the  end  reduces  their  number  by  promoting  the 
growth  of  infertile  snags,  that  only  grow  the  mora 
they  are  pruned ;  consequently  the  Cherry  grower 
who  plants  standard  trees  should  give  them  an 
open  sunny  situation  and  each  tree  suflicient  room 
to  develop  its  head,  and  every  branch  will  bear. 
Occasionally  a  single  limb  will  push  ahead  of  the 
others  a  considerable  distance  when  the  tree  is 
young,  and  it  should  be  out  back  in  winter  to  the 
same  point  as  the  others   till  it  pushes   several 
other  side  branches  of  shorter  growth  ;  but  this  is 
all,  and  the  less  the  trees  are  pruned  the  better 


192 


THE     GARDEN 


[Aug.  30,  1884. 


On  wall  trees  the  same  habit  is  observable,  and 
all  the  cultivator  has  to  do  is  to  lead  off  good 
shoots  at  regular  intervals  and  let  them  grow. 
The  Morello  Cherry  is  of  far  more  profuse  habit 
than  the  common  Cherry,  and  quite  distinct.  It 
produces  as  a  standard  a  round,  proportionate  head 
and  great  quantities  of  fruit  buds  along  the  sides 
of  the  slender  shoots,  which  always  bear.  Stan- 
dards are  never  pruned,  and  would  only  be  spoiled 
if  pruning  were  attempted. — J.  S.  W. 


INDIAN  GARDENING. 

But  little  is  known  or  heard  in  England  about 
Indian  gardening ;  a  few  words  concerning  it 
may,  therefore,  be  read  with  interest  by  those  at 
home,  especially  now  when  so  many  young  gar- 
deners make  up  their  minds  to  go  abroad,  either  as 
Tea  planters  or  in  other  capacities,  and  I  notice 
that  wherever  a  gardener  settles  down,  be  it  in 
a  tropical  or  temperate  climate,  he  always  forms 
a  garden,  and  contrives  (generally  under  great 
difficulties)  to  get  a  crop  of  some  kind  of  English 
vegetables  and  flowers.  In  the  plains  of  India 
English  vegetable  and  flower  gardening  is  carried 
on  very  successfully.  I 
suppose  no  finer  Cauli- 
flowers, Celery,  salads. 
Cabbages  cfec,  are  grown 
n  any  part  of  the  world 
than  in  India.  Balsams 
and  Zinnias,  too,  are  sim- 
ply superb  in  September 
and  October,  and  we  use 
both  for  bedding  out.  In 
September  our  work  be- 
gins in  earnest ;  early  sow- 
ings of  Cauliflower,  Cab- 
bage, Celery,  and  salads 
are  put  in.  In  October 
(if  the  rains  cease  about 
the  middle  of  the  month) 
the  main  sowings  are 
made,  and  successional 
sowings  are  put  in  about 
every  fortnight.  Maize 
is  in  season  all  the  year 
round,  and  good  kinds 
are  grown  to  perfection 
and  much  prized.  Sprout- 
ing Broccoli  is  one  of  our 
most  useful  vegetables, 
lasting  quite  good  and 
tender  throughout  the 
hottest  months,  when  all 
other  English  vegetables 
are  dead.  It  seems 
strange  that  one  of  the 
hardiest  plants,  as  regards 
cold,  should  also  be  able 
to    stand     the     greatest 

amount  of  heat.  Several  plants  possess  that  good 
property ;  Strawberries,  Daisies,  and  Violets  all 
seem  to  thrive  during  the  three  months  of  scorching 
weather  of  March,  April,  and  May,  and  very  often 
June.  It  is  the  heavy  rains  that  follow  that  kill 
them.  Mushrooms  grow  well  during  six  months 
of  the  year.  We  get  the  best  crop  from  spawn 
taken  from  an  old  bed  nearly  exhausted.  From 
this  Mushrooms  generally  appear  in  six  weeks ; 
while  in  the  case  of  old  spawn  from  four  to  six 
months  are  required.  Watercress  is  sown  in 
September,  and  it  kept  shaded  on  a  wet  tank 
bank  it  is  fit  for  use  in  six  weeks.  Celery 
does  well,  and  when  properly  grown  equals 
any  I  have  ever  seen.  Cauliflowers  are  simply  per- 
fection this  year ;  our  crop  of  Autumn  Giant  aver- 
aged 1  foot  in  diameter;  some  were  16  inches 
across.  Cabbages  are  good.  Tomatoes  when  once 
allowed  to  fruit  and  rot  on  the  ground,  as  they 
nearly  always  do  here,  seldom  require  to  be  sown 
again,  as  they  come  up  every  year  from  the  seeds 
thus  sown.  Strawberries  on  some  soils  do  well. 
Peaches  grafted  on  the  native  stock,  and  planted 
in  rich  well-drained  ground,  grow  to  great  perfec- 
tion. Grapes  and  Figs  have  not  had  fair  trials 
yet. 

Op  nativk  vegetables  we  have  great  variety 
all  the  year  round.  Our  best  are,  Tumpkins,  Maizs, 


runner  Beans,  Caladiums,  Yams,  Dioscoreas, 
Amarantus,  Cucumbers,  and  Bananas,  the  last  a 
large  green  sort  which  is  used  as  a  vegetable. 
Moreover,  we  have  abundance  of  green  material 
such  as  Mustard,  Radish,  the  tops  of  several 
species  of  Peas,  Fennel,  Cress,  Mallowp,  &c.,  and 
young  shoots  and  flowers  of  Pumpkins.  Brinjals, 
or  Egg  plants,  are  favourites  with  the  natives  ;  they 
are  eaten  simply  sliced  up  and  fried,  or  stuffed 
with  meat  or  other  things  and  roasted ;  thus 
treated  they  are  very  good. 

The  finest  native  fruits  are  the  Mangoes 
and  Litchis  ;  our  district,  Mozofferpore  and  Dar- 
hunga,  is  noted  for  both.  There  are  many  varie- 
ties of  Mangoes ;  the  best  I  think  is  the  Malda,  a 
large  kidney-shaped,  yellowish  green  fruit.  It 
possesses  none  of  the  "  turpentine  flavour,"  or,  as 
some  people  describe  it,  "  carroty  "  taste  which 
some  sorts  have,  but  simply  something  too  luscious 
to  express  in  words.  They  are  in  season  for  several 
months.  Litchis  are  also  fine  fruits,  not  unlike 
a  good  Grape  in  flavour,  very  juicy  and  refresh- 
ing. Next  come  Plantains  or  ilananas,  of  which 
we  grow  about  fourteen  kinds ;  the  best  are  the  Mar- 
taban,  Cavendish,  and  a  local  sort  called  Malbogh ; 


The  first  Cedar  of  Lebanon  planted  in  Franc!  by  M.  de  Juinm  in  the  Jardin  des  Plantes  in  1731. 


several  sorts  are  grown  for  use  in  a  green  state, 
and  they  are  very  fair  eating.  Papaya  trees  are 
now  almost  indigenous.  Custard  Apples  and  Pomo- 
loes  grow  to  perfection.  Oranges  in  this  district 
have  not  been  grown  much  ;  very  fine  fruit  come 
from  Nagpore,  Sikkim,  and  Nepaul,  and 
would  be  desirable  kinds  to  grow  in  Europe; 
they  are  most  prolific  and  excellent  in  quality. 
Melons  are  the  great  fruit  with  the  coolies  during 
the  hot  months.  They  are  grown  in  enormous 
quantities  on  the  sandy  deposits  in  the  plains  near 
most  of  the  Indian  rivers,  and  many  a  poor  native 
has  made  a  hearty  meal  of  them  and  died  in  about 
two  hours  afterwards  from  cholera,  because  he 
preferred  the  Melon  or  Cucumber  half  ripe  to  a 
meal  of  rice  or  something  more  wholesome.  Fancy 
making  a  dinner  off  a  large  half-ripe  Cucumber  or 
Melon,  and  then  drinking  a  deep  draught  of  dirty 
green  water,  as  natives  invariably  do.  For  my  own 
part,  I  like  a  nice  ripe  Musk  Melon  on  a  hot  day  ; 
one  sort  grown  round  Lucknow  is  quite  as  good  as 
an  English-grown  fruit.  I  have  tried  English  seed, 
but  the  plants  cannot  withstand  the  attacks  of  a 
red  beetle,  the  larvae  of  which  feed  inside  the 
stems,  and  the  perfect  insect  eats  the  flowers  and 
leaves.  Thus  mutilated,  it  is  impossible  for  even 
the  hardiest  of  plants  to  succeed.  C.  Maeies. 
Durbhunga, 


TREES  AND  Shrubs. 

OUR  EARLIEST  LEBANON  CEDARS. 

The  history  of  the  Lebanon  Cedar  since  it  hag 
been  an  object  of  culture  in  this  country  is  pro- 
bably more  interesting  than  that  of  any  other 
ornamental  tree  of  exotic  origin.  During  the 
comparatively  brief  period  that  has  elapsed  since 
it  was  first  planted  in  Europe  it  has  been  inti- 
mately connected  with  the  history  of  modern  gar- 
dening. No  tree  has  had  so  much  attention 
bestowed  upon  it,  none  has  been  nurtured  with 
such  fostering  care,  and  no  tree  has  imparted 
such  a  distinctive  character  to  the  garden  land- 
scape as  the  Cedar  of  Lebanon.  Its  stateliness  of 
growth,  absolutely  different  from  that  of  any  other 
tree,  was  at  once  recognised  by  the  tree  planters 
of  a  few  generations  ago.  To  our  tree-loving 
forefathers  we  are  indebted  for  the  noble  tree 
growth  that  is  now  so  important  a  feature  in 
many  of  our  finest  gardens,  and  to  their  forer 
thought  some  200  years  ago  are  we  also  indebted 
for  our  magnificent  Cedars.  But  where  are  the 
Cedars  that  planters  now-a-days  mean  to  bequeath 
to  generations  yet  to 
come  ?  One  may  travel 
throughout  the  length 
and  breadth  of  these 
islands  and  meet  with  but 
very  few  young  speci- 
mens of  tlie  Cedar  of 
Lebanon  that  will  take  the 
place  of  the  venerable 
examples  that  must  at  no 
distant  date  fall  victims 
to  the  ravages  of  time. 
Where  are  we  to  look 
for  successors  to  the 
Cedars  at  Warwick  C.isHe, 
Goodwood,  Pains  Hi'l 
Gannersbury,  Linton,  Gat- 
ton,  and  a  few  otlur 
places  ?  True,  at  War- 
wick there  are  some  half 
grown  Cedars  that  will  in 
time  occupy  the  place  of 
the  grand  trees  whose  pon- 
derous boughs  overhang 
the  Avon ;  but  in  nine 
places  out  of  ten  where  old 
Cidars  exist  there  are  none 
to  be  seen  to  take  their 
place.  In  all  probability 
the  numerous  old  Cedars 
that  are  now  to  be  found 
in  English  gardens  are 
the  outcome  of  a  short- 
lived fashion,  such  as  that 
which  obtains  now-a-days 
of  planting  all  kinds  of 
coniferous  trees,  whether  suited  to  the  climate  or 
locality  or  not.  No  doubt  it  was  the  correct  thing 
about  a  century  ago  to  have  at  least  one  or  two 
Cedars  of  Lebanon  about  the  house,  and  it  so 
happened  that  the  subject  taken  in  hand  was 
just  the  tree  whose  merits  rendered  it  worthy 
of  being  handed  down  to  posterity.  Would 
that  we  could  hope  that  even  a  tithe  of  the 
trees  which  fashion  bids  us  plant  at  the  present 
time  would  develop  into  such  noble  growth  as  the 
Lebanon  Cedar.  IE  this  tree  had  been  planted  in 
the  same  proportion  as  the  Wellingtonia,  we  might 
in  truth  congratulate  ourselves  on  the  provision 
we  have  made  for  our  heirs  in  the  matter  of  orna- 
mental planting.  It  would  be  folly  to  hope  that 
the  Wellingtonia  will  ever  make  an  ornamental 
tree  in  the  sense  that  the  Lebanon  Cedar  is,  for 
while  in  its  youth  it  is  as  formal  as  it  can  well  be, 
it  is,  travellers  tell  us,  absolutely  ugly  in  its  old 
age.  The  near  relations  of  the  Lebanon  Cedar  from 
the  Atlas  and  Himalayan  Mountains,  however, 
are  receiving  their  d  ue  meed  of  attention  from  tree 
planters,  particularly  the  Deodar,  on  account  of 
the  gracefulness  of  its  adolescent  stage.  The 
Atlantic  or  Atlas  Cedar,  the  African  representa- 
tive of  the  Lebanon  species,  is  no  doubt  the  more 
valuable  of  the  two,  and  far  more  suitable  for  our 
climate  generally  than  the  Deodar,  which  is  a  tree 


Aug.  30,   1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


for  particular  localities  only.  There  are  numer- 
ous examples  about  the  country  of  the  Deodar 
having  been  planted  in  ill-judged  positions,  the 
consequence  being  an  array  of  miserable  starve- 
lings. 

According  to  the  "  Hortns  Kewensis,"  compiled 
by  Aiton,thedate  of  the  first  planted  Cedar  is  1G83, 
though  this  must  be  incorrect,  inasmuch  as  there 
are  records  of  a  tree  which  was  planted  at  Bretby 
Park,  in  Yorkshire,  in  1676.  That  the  Lebanon 
Cedar  was  not  planted  or  even  known  in  this 
country  previous  to  that  date  may  be  inferred 
from  the  fact  that  no  mention  is  made  of  it  by 
Evelyn  in  his  "  Sylva,"  which  appeared  about  the 
year  1C64.  Alton's  account  was  no  doubt  founded 
upon  the  celebrated  trees  in  the  Apothecaries'  Gar- 
den at  Chelsea,  planted  in  1683,  and  which  were 
supposed  to  have  been  the  first  planted  in  the 
country,  and  probably  in  Europe.  Though  Evelyn 
does  not  mention  it  in  his  "  Sylva,"  he  is,  according 
to  Loudon,  supposed  to  be  the  introducer  of  it  into 
Europe.  In  tracingout  the  modern  or  garden  history 
of  the  Lebanon  Cedar,  Loudon  has  compiled  in  his 
"Arboretum"  a  long  account  concerning  the 
earliest  planted  trees,  which  embodies  many 
interesting  little  incidents  in  connection  there- 
with. He  says  that  there  were  Cedar  trees  at 
Enfield  and  Hendon  which  were  said  to  have  been 
planted  by  Queen  Elizabeth,  but  there  seems  to  be 
CO  authentic  memoranda  in  corroboration  of  this 
assertion.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  Cedar 
which  may  be  seen  to-day  in  the  Chelsea  I'.otanic 
Garden  was  among  the  earliest,  if  not  the  first 
planted,  specimen.  It  is  now  a  decrepit  old 
tree,  making  a  hard  struggle  with  its  greatest 
enemy,  the  polluted  atmosphere  of  the  great  city. 
Though  the  epithet  "  magnificent "  cannot  now 
be  applied  to  the  tree,  it  is  picturesque  and 
interesting  as  a  relic  of  departed  grandeur.  It 
would,  however,  cut  a  very  sorry  figure  beside  the 
noble  specimens  at  Goodwood  and  Warwick.  Con- 
temporary with  the  Chelsea  planted  Cedars  are 
those,  no  doubt,  at  Syon,  Gunnersbury.  Kew,  and 
Chiswick,  all  of  which  still  exist.  There  were 
also  some  famous  trees  years  ago  at  Whitton, 
then  the  residence  of  the  Duke  of  Argyll — the 
treemonger,  as  he  was  then  called — who  appears 
to  have  also  planted  the  first  Cedars  in  Scotland 
at  Hopetoun  House,  but  the  date  of  this  planting 
seems  to  have  been  several  years  later  than  the 
trees  planted  about  London. 

It  was  not  until  about  the  year  1731  that  the 
Lebanon  Cedar  found  its  way  into  France; 
the  first  pair  planted  there  were  taken  from  Eng- 
land by  Bernard  de  Jussieu.  One  was  planted 
in  the  Jardindes  I'lantes.  It  is  this  identical  tree 
that  the  accompanying  engraving  represents.  It 
was  one  of  the  two  which  JI.  de  Jussieu  took  with 
him,  and  both  were  so  small  that  he  is  said  to 
have  carried  them  in  the  crown  of  his  hat  for 
safety.  The  tree  planted  on  the  mount  in  the 
Jardin  des  Plantes  was  measured  about  a  hundred 
years  after  it  was  planted  and  was  found  to  be 
10  feet  in  girth.  The  companion  tree,  planted  at 
Montigny,  near  Jlontereau,  is  said  to  have  grown 
into  a  far  finer  tree  than  that  in  the  Jardin  des 
Plantes. 

One  of  the  principal  reasons.'no  doubt,  why  this 
Cedar  is  not  more  generally  planted  now-a-days 
may  be  attributed  to  the  fact  that  it  has  the  repu- 
tation of  being  a  slow  grower,  and  consequently 
years  elapse  before  the  tree  assumes  its  true  cha- 
racter. It  need  hardly  be  said  that  a  tree  possess- 
ing such  a  reputation  at  the  present  day,  when 
trees  that  will  not  produce  immediate  effect  are 
scrupulously  shunned,  stands  but  a  poor  chance  of 
being  plentifully  planted.  That  the  Cedar  is  not, 
however,  an  exceptionally  slow  grower  there  is 
abundant  evidence,  and  no  one  of  late  years  has 
so  clearly  refuted  the  assertion  as  that  veteran 
tree  planter,  Mr.  Marnock,  who  gave  some  time 
since  a  detailed  account  of  the  rapid  growth  that 
this  Cedar  had  made  at  Greenlands,  Henley-on- 
Thames,  where  within  less  thaa  a  lifetime  there 
have  grown  up  some  noble  trees.  Planted  in  good 
soil  on  well-prepared  sites,  this  Cedar  is  without 
doubt  as  rapid  a  grower  as  the  generality  of  Coni- 
fers.   It  is  to  be  regretted  that  Mr.  Frost  had  not 


planted  Lebanon  Cedars  at  Dropmore  in  his  early 
days  and  nurtured  them  with  the  same  attention 
that  he  has  the  numerous  other  Conifers  under 
his  care.  These  would  have  afforded  valuable 
examples  of  the  rate  of  growth  of  this  Cedar. 
Had  this  Cedar  been  started  on  equal  terms  with 
the  Deodar,  Douglas  Fir,  and  Araucaria,  it  would 
no  doubt  have  developed  as  fine  growth. 

W.  GOLDRING. 


Societies. 


ROYAL  HORTICULTUEAL. 

August  26. 
P.EYOND  a  few  showy  groups  of  Gladioli,  Dahlias, 
and  China  Asters,  there  were  not  many  exhibits 
on  this  occasion. 

First-class  certificates  were  awarded  to — 

DiPLADENiA  Elliotti. — An  extremely  beauti- 
ful variety  remarkable  for  its  vigorous  growth  and 
large  highly  coloured  blossoms.  These  are  about 
the  size  of  those  of  D.  P.rearleyana  and  similar  in 
shape.  The  colour  is  a  uniform  pleasing  deep 
rose-pink.  Exhibited  by  Messrs.  Lucombe,  Pince, 
&  Co.,  Exeter. 

Begonia  Queen  op  Beddees.— A  tuberous- 
rooted  variety  possessing  a  dwarf  and  bushy  habit 
and  bearing  a  profusion  of  showy  single  flowers  of 
a  delicate  rose-pink  colour.  This  variety  seems 
to  be  pre-eminently  suitable  for  planting  out-of- 
doors  in  masses,  and  for  this  purpose  it  will  doubt- 
less be  of  great  value.  Messrs.  Cannell  &  Sons, 
Swanley,  exhibited  two  or  three  admirable  speci- 
mens of  it  all  profusely  flowered. 

Dahlia  Mes.  Douglas.— A  double-flowered 
show  variety  as  perfect  in  form  and  as  rich  in 
colour  as  could  well  be  desired.  The  colour  is  a 
glowing  red  flushed  with  crimson.  Shown  bythe 
raisers,  Messrs.  Kawlings,  Romford. 

Begonia  Souvenir  de  W.  Saunders.— A 
double-flowered  tuberous  variety  remarkable  for 
its  dwarf,  sturdy  growth  and  stout,  erect  flower- 
stems,  which  do  not  rise  more  than  some  9  inches 
in  height.  The  flowers  are  large,  very  double,  and 
quite  circular  in  outline  ;  the  colour,  a  deep  rich 
crimson-red.  Exhibited  by  Messrs.  J.  Laing  & 
Co.,  Stanstead  Park  Nurseries,  Forest  Hill. 

Gladiolus  St.  Gatien. — A  first-rate  Gladio- 
lus ;  spike  long  and  massive,  and  beset  for  about 
half  its  length  with  large  perfectly  shaped  flowers ; 
colour,  a  glowing  vermilion-scarlet  flaked  with 
lighter  and  darker  hues.  Exhibited  bythe  raisers, 
Messrs.  Kelway,  Langport. 

Besseka  elegans. — This  charming  little  Mexi- 
can bulbous  plant  was  figured  in  The  Garden  a 
short  time  since.  Its  slender  graceful  (lower- 
stems  rise  about  a  foot  in  height  and  carry  umbels 
of  small  star-shaped  flowers  of  a  bright  red  colour 
striped  with  white.  It  is  almost  hardy,  but  is 
best  cultivated  in  pots  in  a  greenhouse.  Shown 
by  Mr.  T.  S.  Ware,  Hale  Farm  Nursery,  Tot- 
tenham. 

Among  other  plants  exhibited  were  a  few  inte- 
resting bulbs  from  Mr.  Ware,  such  as  the  Mexican 
Milla  biflora,  which  grows  naturally  in  company 
with  the  pretty  Bessera  elegans ;  therefore  both 
may  be  grown  under  the  same  treatment.  The 
Milla  is  a  handsome  flower,  and  abundantly  dis- 
tinct from  any  other  cultivated  bulbous  plant. 
Pancratium  maritimum,  a  seashore  plant  from 
South  Europe,  was  plentifully  shown  in  flower  ;  it 
is  white  and  sweet  scented.  Mr.  G.  F.  Wilson 
brought  from  his  wood  garden  at  Wisley  some  ex- 
traordinary flower-stems  of  the  Tiger  Lily  (L. 
tigrinum).  One  was  of  the  double  variety,  and 
measured  8  feet  in  height,  carrying  numerous 
flowers.  The  other  was  the  variety  jucundum, 
which  differs  from  the  other  varieties  of  the  Tiger 
Lily  in  the  absence  of  bulbils  on  the  axils  of  the 
leaves  ;  the  flowers,  though  somewhat  smaller 
than  those  of  the  typical  form,  are  extremely 
pleasing,  being  of  a  soft  tint  copiously  spotted 
with  black.  These  afforded  another  instance  of 
how  Lilies  flourish  in  the  Wisley  Wood  under  Mr. 
Wilson's  treatment.  A  variety  of  Lilium  auratum 
was  shown  by  Mr.  Tniner,  of  Slough,  which  bad 


the  sepals  broadly  banded  wi^h  red,  tat  not  so ':.^ 
deep  and  rich  as  in  the  variety  rubro-Vittatum.        •/ 
The  plant  was  labelled  rubro-viKt^itum,  but  it  ^    ..      ■" 
not  really  that  variety,  though  hundsome  and  dis-^^^ 
tinct.  __       '-4 

Dahlias  were  again  shown  plentifully,  and  on 
each  successive  occasion  the  blooms  are  of  better  j«— < 
quality,  as  we  are  now  verging  upon  the  height  of 
the  Dahlia  season.  Mr.  Turner  displayed  about 
half  a  hundred  double  show  blooms  as  perfect  in 
every  way  as  he  usually  shows  them.  These  in 
eluded  two  new  sorts— Orlando,  dark  maroon 
crimson,  and  Lucia,  pale  purple — both  very  fine. 
A  bronze  Banksian  medal  was  awarded  to  Mr. 
Turner.  A  similar  award  was  made  to  Mr.  Ware 
for  collections  of  single  and  pompon  varieties. 
The  singles  consisted  of  much  the  same  sorts  as 
on  the  last  occasion,  and  among  the  pompons  we 
singled  out  the  following  sorts  as  being  the  best 
of  those  shown  :  Gem,  Favourite,  Titania,  Lsabel, 
Little  Princess,  Fair  Helen,  White  Aster,  E.  F. 
Junker,  and  Little  Arthur.  There  was  also  a 
very  brilliant  sort  called  General  Gordon,  a 
"bedding"  variety;  it  is  of  a  fiery  scarlet.  A 
group  of  single  Dahlias  came  from  Messrs.  Can- 
nell. These  were  all  of  the  small-flowered 
race,  which  are  so  popular  for  cutting,  as  they 
are  not  so  heavy  as  the  ordinary  singles.  The 
following  half-a-dozen  sorts  we  thought  the  best : 
Rotundity,  Mrs.  Moore,  Golden  Gem,  Star,  Sunset, 
and  Midget.  Some  capital  blooms  of  erect-flowered 
Gloxinias  as  fine  as  one  could  wish  for  were  shown 
by  Messrs.  Cannell.  Messrs.  Rawlings  took  a 
bronze  Banksian  medal  for  a  collection  of  double 
show  Dahlias,  among  which  were  some  new  sorts 
named  Sims  Reeves,  red,  inclined  to  orange  ;  Mrs. 
Carter,  dark  purple ;  R.  T.  Rawlings,  Lord  Salis- 
bury, buff ;  and  W.  G.  Grace.  Mr.  G.  D.  Harris, 
of  Orpington,  showed  two  new  sorts  named  Mag- 
net, deep  crimson,  and  Arab,  rich  dark  purple. 

China  Asters  in  pots  were  shown  admirably  by 
Messrs,  Carter  from  their  grounds  at  Forest  Hill. 
An  extensive  group  was  exhibited,  representing, 
we  imagine,  every  colour  the  China  Aster  is  capable 
of  producing.  The  distinct  races,  too,  were  well 
shown  ;  thus  there  were  the  Pfeony-flowered,  the 
Chrysanthemum-flowered,  and  the  pyramidal,  all 
of  which  comprised  red,  purple,  white  colours,  and 
many  intermediate  shades  between  these.  A 
bronze  Banksian  medal  was  awarded  to  Messrs. 
Carter. 

Gladioli  from  Messrs.  Kelway  again  lit  up 
the  conservatory  with  a  similar  magnificent  dis- 
play  as  they  had  on  the  last  occasion.  But  the 
present  was  more  extensive,  there  being  no 
fewer  than  fifteen  dozen  (180)  spikes.  There 
were  numerous  new  seedlings  all  more  or  less  of 
high  quality.  Those  named  General  Gordon 
(scarlet),  Maori  King  (crimson  scarlet),  St.  Blaise 
(cherry-rose),  W.  Kelway  (carmine-rose),  Mary 
Anderson  (blush-pink),  and  St.  Gatien  were  the 
finest.  A  silver-gilt  Banksian  medal  was  awarded 
to  Messrs.  Kelway. 

Fruit  and  vegetables  were  not  plentiful. 
The  most  important  exhibit  placed  before  the 
fruit  committee  was  a  new  variety  of  Cucumber, 
called  Parley  Park  Hero,  raised  by  Mr.  Mortimer, 
of  Purley  Park,  near  Reading,  who  exhibited  it 
on  this  occasion.  It  is  said  to  be  a  cross  between 
Model  and  Sutton's  Improved  Telegraph ;  the 
fruits  are  long,  clean,  without  shoulders,  and  of 
excellent  flavour.  It  is  said  also  to  embody  all 
the  essential  characters  of  a  first-rate  Cucumber. 
Several  seedling  Melons  were  shown  as  usual, 
but  none  were  remarkable,  either  being  inferior  to 
older  sorts  or  over-ripe  or  unripe.  A  new  Fig 
from  an  out-of-door  tree  was  shown  by  Mr.  Boord, 
Ockendon  ;  the  fruits  are  large  and  brown  when 
ripe.  The  committee  desired  to  see  it  again  with 
its  foliage.  A  Red  Currant,  called  New  Defiance, 
came  from  Mr.  Bowie,  Chillingham  Castle.  It  is 
apparently  a  first-rate  sort,  large  in  bunch  and 
berry  and  extremely  productive.  The  committee 
wish  to  see  it  again.  Mr.  Sydney  Ford  showed 
from  Leonardslee  fruits  of  the  Siberian  Crab  about 
the  size  of  large  Walnuts  and  highly  coloured, 
also  pods  of  a  new  Bean  (Phased us),  which  was 
recommended  to  be  sent  to  Chiswick. 


194 


THE     GARDEN 


[Aug.  30,  1848. 


FRUIT  AND  VEGETABLE  SHOW. 
The  fourth  of  the  series  of  fruit  and  vegetable 
thows  held  under  the  auspices  of  the  Health  Ex- 
hibition Committee  took  place  on  this  occasion  in 
the  conservatory,  half  of  which  was  fully  occupied 
by  the  exhibits.  It  would  not  be  too  much  to 
assert  that  a  finer  display  of  some  kinds  of  fruits, 
such,  for  instance,  as  I'eaches,  Plums,  and  Toma- 
toes, has  seldom  been  seen,  the  hot  weather  lately 
experienced  having  been  particularly  favourable 
for  their  ripening.  The  show  could  not  be  called 
a  large  one,  but  it  was  remarkable  for  the  general 
high  quality  of  the  fruit.  The  classes  were  well 
represented,  and  some  of  them  numerously,  and 
the  leading  exhibiting  gardeners  from  all  parts  of 
England  were  to  be  found  among  the  competitors. 
The  competition  in  the  class  for  ten  kinds  of 
fruit  was  very  good  throughout,  four  excellent  col- 
lections being  exhibited.  The  premier  award  was 
adjudged  on  this  occasion  to  Mr.  -J.  A.  Eolls,  M  P , 
Hendre  Park,  Monmouth,  whose  gardener,  Mr. 
Coomber,  is  to  be  complimented  on  having  ontdis- 
anoed  such  a  veteran  exhibitor  as  Mr.  Coleman, 
the  gardener  at  Eastnor  Castle.  In  Mr.  Coomber's 
collection  there  was  not  a  weak  dish,  every  one, 
in  fact,  being  of  a  high  order  of  m€rit.  He  had 
strong  points  in  Muscat  of  Alexandria  Grapes, 
which  were  grand  in  siz9  of  bunch,  good  berries, 
and  well  finished.  His  black  Grapes  were  Alnwick 
Seedling,  finely  coloured  and  large  in  berry ;  a 
fine  fruit  of  Smooth  Cayenne  Pine,  weighing  over 
8  lbs. ;  a  large  fruit  of  Hendre  Seedling  iilelon, 
beautifully  netted  ;  Pitmaston  Orange  Nectarines 
and  Stump  the  World  Peaches,  both  large  and 
finely  coloured  fruits  ;  a  fine  dish  of  Williams'  Bon 
Chretien  Pears,  just  fit  for  dessert ;  good  dishes 
of  Negro  Largo  Figs,  Moorpark  Apricots,  and 
Plums  made  up  this  admirable  collection.  From 
Lady  Henry  Somerset's  garden  at  Eastnor  Castle 
Mr.  Coleman  showed  the  second  best  collection — 
also  of  excellent  quality  throughout.  The  most 
noteworthy  were  Gros  Maroc  Grapes,  thickly 
covered  with  the  characteristic  blue-black  bloom, 
and  large  both  in  bunch  and  berry ;  Muscat  of 
Alexandria,  well  finished,  but  not  so  large  as 
shown  by  Mr.  Coomber ;  a  weighty  Pine ;  fine 
dishes  of  Peaches  and  Nectarines ;  a  large 
fruit  of  High  Cross  Hybrid  Melon,  and  good 
examples  of  Morello  Cherries.  From  Gunuers- 
bury  Park  Gardens  Mr.  Roberts  contributed 
a  capital  collection  for  the  third  prize.  He 
had  strong  points  in  Foster's  Seedling  Grape, 
Peaches,  Nectarines  and  Figs,  with  a  superb  ex- 
ample of  Wm.  Tillery  Melon.  Three  exhibitors 
competed  in  the  class  for  pairs  of  Pine-apples, 
the  finest  being  those  from  Mr.  Atkinson's  gar- 
dens, Gunnersbury  House,  Acton,  and  Mr.  Hudson 
deserves  credit  for  producing  such  a  handsome 
pair  of  Smooth  Cayennes,  which  were  simply 
perfect  as  regards  shape  and  balance  of  crown 
and  fruit.  Their  weight  was  7J  pounds  and  6i 
pounds  respectively.  Mr.  Coomber  contributed 
the  second  best  pair,  also  handsome  and  weighty. 

The  class  for  Morello  Cherries  brought  out  a 
strong  competition,  a  dozen  dishes  being  shown, 
that  from  Mr.  Coleman,  who  was  first,  being 
remarkably  fine.  There  were  no  remarkable  ex- 
hibits in  the  class  for  Figs,  but  the  collections 
of  Plums  were  excellent.  There  were  four  com- 
petitors. From  Mr.  Roger  Leigh's  gardens  at 
Barbara  Court,  Maidstone,  Mr.  Haycock  brought 
a  collection  of  nineteen  dishes,  nearly  all  of  which 
were  fine  examples  of  their  respective  kinds  ;  to 
these  the  first  prize  was  awarded,  the  second 
going  to  the  Earl  of  Harrington's  gardener  (Mr. 
Goodacre)  at  Elvaston  Castle.  For  six  kinds  of 
culinary  Plums,  Mr.  Somers  Cocks,  Thames  Bank, 
Marlow  (Mr.  Bridgeman,  gardener)  was  awarded 
the  first  with  fine  fruit.  Among  dessert  Plums, 
the  best  six  dishes  came  from  Mr.  E.  M.  Nelscn, 
Hanger  Hill  House,  Ealing  (Mr.  Chadwick,  gar- 
dener), who  showed  the  best  of  well  known  kinds. 
For  three  varieties  eight  lots  were  brought  to- 
gether, those  put  up  by  Mr.  Bridgeman  taking  the 
first  position  ;  these  were  all  fine  examples.  For 
the  best  flavoured  kind,  Mr.  Chadwick  took  first 
with  Green  Gages  well  ripened.  Taking  the  Plum 
classes  throughout,  the  best  dishes  consisted   of 


among  dessert  kinds  the  Green  Gage,  Boddaert's 
Gage,  Brandy  Gage,  Reine  Claude  de  Bavay, 
Jefferson,  Washington,  Kirke's,  and  Coe's  Golden 
Drop;  of  culinary  sorts  the  finest  were  Pond's 
Seedling,  Victoria,  Belgian  Purple,  Cos's  Emperor, 
and  Prince  Engelbert. 

Some  exceptionally  fine  fruit  of  Peaches  came 
from  Barham  Court  Gardens,  Mr.  Haycock  taking 
first  for  three  kinds  with  grand  fruits  of  Barring- 
ton,  Walburton  Admirable,  and  Early  Louise,  re- 
peating his  previous  achievement  with  ease  in  the 
single  dish  class,  having  enormous  fruit  of  Belle- 
garde  as  large  and  fine  as  perhaps  ever  seen. 
There  was  a  trifle  lack  of  colour,  otherwise  these 
two  exhibits  were  first-class.  The  class  for  three 
dishes  brought  out  collections  besides  the  one 
above  named,  Mr.  Roberts  winning  the  second 
prize  with  fine  fruits  of  good  colour  of  Belle 
Bauce,  Gros se  Mignonne,  and  Princess  of  Wales. 
From  Mr.  Vivian's  garden.  Singleton,  Swansea,  Mr. 
Harris  brought  three  dishes  that  took  the  next 
position ;  these  were  remarkable  for  beautiful 
colour  in  each  case.  For  Nectarines  seven  col- 
lections were  put  in  competition  for  prizes  offered 
in  the  class  for  three  kinds,  Mr.  Roberts  being 
an  easy  winner  with  beautifully  coloured  samples 
of  Lord  Napier,  Victoria,  and  Pine-apple,  all  of 
large  size ;  the  second  place  was  taken  by  Mr, 
Coleman  with  the  Stanwick  Elruge,  Pitmaston 
Orange,  and  Albert  Victor  varieties.  In  another 
lot  was  a  striking  dish  of  Humboldt,  one  of  the 
best  of  Mr.  Rivers'  raising.  In  the  single  dish 
class  there  were  nine  exhibits,  the  best  and  second 
best  being  Pine-apple,  the  former  coming  from 
Mr.  Butler,  Warren  Wood,  Hatfield  (Mr.  Aslett, 
gardener). 

For  dessert  Apples  (early  kinds),  Mr.  Haycock 
again  took  first  place  with  three  dishes,  the  second 
prize  falling  to  Mr.  C.  Eyre,  of  Welford  Park 
(Mr.  Ross,  gardener).  The  best  among  these 
early  Apples  were  Duchess  of  Oldenburg,  Devon- 
shire Qnarrenden,  Emperor  Napoleon,  Red  Astra- 
chan,  Mr.  Gladstone,  Early  Harvest,  Irish  Peach, 
Early  and  Scarlet  Nonpareil. 

For  single  dishes  of  Pears  (dessert)  Mr.  Gold- 
smith, HoUanden,  Tonbridge,  won  easily  with 
Williams'  Bon  Chretien,  very  fine.  Among  other 
dishes  was  a  very  fine  one  of  Jargonelle,  not  ripe, 
however,  and  consequently  passed  over  by  the 
judges.  Mr.  Roberts  took  the  first  prize  for  a  dish 
of  Strawberries,  showing  Quatre  Saisons  of  alpine 
origin  very  fine. 

Tomatoes  were  shown  plentifully  on  this  occa- 
sion, and  were  of  excellent  quality  throughout. 
In  the  class  for  single  dishes  there  were  twelve 
exhibits,  Dr.  Baber's  gardener  (Mr.  Phillips)  taking 
first  with  a  new  sort  labelled  Phillips'  Perfection  ; 
these  were  capital  fruits  of  fine  shape  and  colour, 
somewhat  resembling  Hathaway's  Excelsior. 

POT.iTOES  were  shown  in  excellent  condition 
in  the  class  for  twelve  kinds,  nine  collections 
being  put  in  competition,  the  best  collection 
coming  from  the  gardens  of  Mr.  Hibbert's  gar- 
dener at  Chalfont  Park ;  these  were  clean  even 
samples  throughout,  rather  large  perhaps  for  the 
table,  but  nevertheless  highly  creditable.  The 
sorts  were  The  Dean,  Vicar  of  Laleham,  Cardinal, 
Reading  Russet,  Radstock  Beauty,  Veitchs  Ash- 
leaf,  Cosmopolitan,  Prime  Minister,  Beauty  of 
Hebron,  Sunrise,  Snowdrop,  and  Magnum  Bonum. 
From  Mr.  Ross  came  the  collection  to  which  was 
awarded  the  second  prize  ;  the  best  of  his  produc- 
tions were  Aspirant  (fine),  Sutton's  Magnet  and 
First  and  Best,  Lifeguard,  and  Fillbasket,  all  very 
excellent  samples.  Classes  were  also  provided  for 
miscellaneous  productions,  but  nothing  of  extra- 
ordinary merit  was  shown  in  competition  for  the 
prizes  offered. 

Special  prizes. — In  competition  for  Messrs. 
Carter'sprizesforsixkindsof  Tomatoes, Mr.  Phillips 
was  first,  having  fine  examples  of  well-coloured  fruit, 
the  best  being  Dedham  Favourite,  Vick's  Criterion, 
Trophy,  Perfection,  and  Greengage.  In  the  second 
prize  collection  Stamfcrdian,  from  the  the  Right 
Hon.  Mr.  Goschen's  gardener  (Mr.  Gilmore),  at 
Seacox  Heath,  Hawkhurst,  were  very  fine  samples 
of  that  kind.    Messrs.  Wheeler,  of  Gloucester,  and 


offered  prizes  for  their  Prolific  Tomatoes,  the  first 
being  taken  by  Mr.  Castle,  West  Green  Vineyard, 
Norfolk.  This  sort  is  similar  to  the  old  type,  of 
medium  size  and  high  colour. 

A  list  of  awards  appears  in  our  advertising 
columns. 


OBITUAEY. 


Henry  G.  Eohn,  the  eminent  publisher,  died 
rather  suddenly  at  his  residence,  North  End  House, 
Twickenham,  on  the  22nd  inst ,  aged  88.  Mr.  Bohn 
was  long  connected  with  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society,  in  whose  proceedings  in  times  gone  by  he 
took  an  active  part ;  he  was  a  member  of  its  coun- 
cil, and  more  recently  of  its  committees.  He  was 
enthusiastically  fond  of  gardening,  and  especially 
of  Rose  growing,  his  garden  at  Twickenham  being 
well  stocked,  not  only  with  all  that  is  good  in  that 
way,  but  also  with  Conifers  and  other  rare  trees  and 
shrubs.  The  pleasant  garden  parties  which  used  to 
periodically  take  place  on  his  well-kept  lawn,  now 
some  years  ago,  will  still  be  fresh  in  the  memory 
of  many.  Amongst  the  last  things  which  he  did 
during  his  long  and  useful  life  was  the  editing 
and  publishing  of  Gordon's  "  Pinetum,"  a  work 
which,  though  deficient  in  many  respects,  is  still 
to  be  found  occupying  a  prominent  place  in  garden 
libraries. 


QUESTIONS. 


5238  — '^obacco  for  f  amlgatlng  — I  would  be  obliged 
by  some  of  your  readers  Riving  me  inforni.ition  as  to  how 
to  save  or  diy  a  few  'Jobacco  plants,  which  are  nowseednig 
fast,  for  garden  purposes.  I  can  grow  the  plants,  but  am 
at  a  loss  to  understand  how  to  save  the  leaves. — A.  C. 

5?39.— Chilian  Ivy.— 'Will  any  reader  of  The  Gabiien 
k'nilly  tell  me  the  natui-eof  the  Chilian  Ivy- -whether  hardy 
or  half-hardy,  stove  or  conservatory?  I  received  some 
seeds  nf  it  through  The  Garden  some  months  spo.  A 
plant  has  come  np  and  grown  well,  and  proniis  -s  to  tlowcr, 
Ijut  I  have  quite  forgotten  how  to  treat  it.-  S.  W.  C. 

fi240.  —  Spring   water Owing   to   the  prolonged 

drought,  we  have  been  obliged  here  to  u?e  spring  water, 
which  is  to  a  certain  e.xtent  impregnated  with  lime,  for  oiu" 
conservatory  plants  I  notice  that  the  leaves  of  Pelargo- 
niums and  Begonias  have  turned  yellow  and  sickly.  Is  this 
owing  to  the  use  of  the  spring  water  ?  I  can  assign  no  other 
cause.— R.  M.  B. 

62il.— Charcoal  —Is  charcoal  injurious  or  not  to  plant 
growth,  more  especiiilly  to  the  fonna  ion  of  roots?  I  would 
be  glad  to  know,  as  great  diversity  of  opinion  exists  re- 
garding the  matter.  Here  we  have  a  const ^It  rable  quantity 
of  charcoal  refuse  and  dust,  both  of  which  have  been  used 
in  the  nursery  borders  with  no  evil  rf  suits.  I  have,  how- 
ever, noticed  that  in  the  case  of  pot  Ftrns  the  roots  seem 
to  avoid  as  much  as  possible  coming  in  contact  wiih  the 
charcoal ;  indeed,  that  the  most  luxuriant  growth  is  ob- 
t.ained  where  it  is  not  used.  Perhaps  some  one  who  has 
studied  the  matter  will  expi-ess  an  opinion,  as  at  least  t«o 
persons,  who  until  recently  employed  charcoal  largely  for 
potting  purposes,  tell  me  that  it  is  not  only  highly  in- 
jurious, but  will  ultimately  destroy  the  jlants.— A.  D. 
Webstek. 


Tuberous  Begonias  (D.  Dowd^sweUy—^orae  of  your 
seedling  Begonias  are  uncommonly  fine,  quite  equal  to  the 
best  named  sorts,  but  as  you  did  not  name  or  number  any 
of  them  we  cannot  particularise  them.  The  two  doubles 
are  among  the  largest  we  have  seen. 

Names  of  fruits —y.  S.  Davey  — Eed  Astrachan 

li.  T.~\.  Eed  Quarreuden  ;  2,  Red  Astrachan  ;  3,  Duchess 
of  (Udenburgh. 

Namesof  plants.— B.  n.  C— l,  Lycopodium  alpinum  ; 

2  and  3,  L.  .Selago  ;  4,  L.  annotinnm  ;  5,  L.  clavatum. 

T.  H. — 1,  Diplacus  glutinosus  ;  2,  Clerodendron  trichoto- 
mum  ;   3,   Eryngium  ametbystinum  ;    4,   Chrysanthemum 

coronarium    fl.-pl. 6.   Niibef. — .Saccolabium  Blumei 

roajus  (a  good  variety).— 3/   K— Next  week. J.  W,  R. — 

Passiflora  quadrangnlaris  (the  fruit  of  this  species  is  tlie 

Grjinadil'a  which  is  edible). C.  A.  ^.— .Sedum  Aizoon, 

S.   Lydiuni. H     Bur/ic^/.- Bupleumm    fruticosum. . 

R.  J.  i?.  — 1,  Passiflora  ctcrnlea  ;  2,  Torcnia  asiatica  :  3, 
Tropffiolum  speciosum.    .Send  better  specimens  next  time. 

5.   ii'.—  Teconia   radicans. E.    'f.   J.  —  Lysimachia 

ciliata. G.  T.  D.  P.— 1,  Clematis  flammula;  2.  Dipla- 
cus glutinosus  ;  3,  Papaver  nndicaule  ;  4,  Anthericum  cana- 

liculatum   variegatum. M.  i^.— .4ppears   to   be   Rosa 

pyreuaica. 

BULB  CATAlOGt'ES  RECEIVED. 
F.  and  A.  Dickson  &  Sons,  Chester. 
Strike  (t  Hawkins,  Middlesltorough. 
Carter*  Co.,  High  Holborn. 
Dobie  &  Mason,  Deansgate,  Manchester. 
.T.  Dickson  Ar  Sons.  Easteatc  Street,  Chester. 
J.  Veitch  &  Sons,  King's  Road,  Chelsea. 
Webb  &  Sous,  Wordsley,  Stourbridge. 


THE     GARDEN 


195 


No.  668.  SATURDAY,  Sept.  6,  18S*.         Vol.  XXVI. 


"  This  is  an  Art 
^NTiich  lines  menil  Nature  :  clian^o  it  rather :  but 
The  art  itself  is  Xatcrk."— S/iaJM;iraw. 


AMERICAN  BLACKBERRIES. 
It  has  long  been  a  subject  of  surprise  to  me  that 
England  and  other  European  countries  never  gave 
any  attention  to  the  culture  or  improvement  o£ 
the  Blackberry.  In  a  land  so  noted  for  its  gardens, 
its  fruits,  and  its  horticultural  knowledge,  with 
all  the  eminent  names  which  adorn  the  pomolo- 
gical  pages  of  its  history,  it  seems  a  little  strange 
to  an  American  that  so  very  little  interest  is 
manifested  in  the  cultivation  and  growth  of  this 
most  excellent  and  wholesome  summer  fruit. 

If,  as  has  been  claimed,  many  of  the  indigenous 
Brambles  which  grow  spontaneously  in  the  forests 
and  neglected  fields  of  England  produce  fruit 
equal  to  some  of  our  American  garden  Blackber- 
ries, that  is  yet  no  reason  why  improvement  should 
not  be  sought  or  the  berry  should  not  be  grown 
systematically  and  carefully  in  garden  and  field. 
And  yet  I  am  reminded  that  even  here  in  America 
the  Blackberry  is  not  cultivated  to  the  extent  its 
value  and  importance  would  seem  to  warrant. 
Only  in  a  few  localities  is  it  grown  to  any  great 
extent,  and  fine  fruit  is  usually  scarce  and  high  in 
our  markets,  and  often  not  found  in  local  markets 
at  all  except  when  brought  from  leading  cities 
and  then  the  berries  have  been  gathered  a  day  or 
two  and  nearly  unfit  to  eat.  But  in  New  Jersey 
and  a  few  other  places  the  Blackberry  has  for 
years  past  been  grown  for  market  to  an  enormous 
extent,  and  most  successfully  too  most  of  the  time. 
In  1878  the  crop  of  Vineland,  a  single  township  in 
Cumberland  County,  on  Delaware  Bay,  aggregated 
15,625  bushels.  The  fruit  sold  from  3d.  to  8d 
per  quart,  Ud.,  per  quart  being  paid  for  picking' 
Taking  the  lowest  rate,  the  sales  would  amount 
to  over  £C200.  This  year  the  drought  and  other 
Causes  are  said  to  have  reduced  the  crop  on  old 
plantations  to  about  one-fifth  of  the  ordinary 
yield,  and  yet  on  July  li  last  the  evening  ship- 
ments there  for  the  day  amounted  to  70,000  quarts, 
and  a  train  of  twelve  cars  was  required  to  move 
the  luscious  load  to  market.  Judge  Parry,  the 
veteran  nurseryman  and  fruit  grower  of  that 
large  and  fruitful  county  which  extends  across 
the  State  of  New  Jersey,  from  the  Atlantic  Ocean 
to  the  Delaware  River,  known  as  Burlington 
County,  has  been  an  extensive  grower  of  Black- 
berries for  forty  -  six  years.  He  has  seen 
150  bushels  of  Blackberries  grow  upon  an 
acre  of  ground  there  in  a  single  season,  the  fruit 
felling  for  £120.  A  neighbour  of  his,  he  says, 
planted  75  acres  of  Blackberries,  and  one  season 
his  yield  was  6500  bushels,  for  which  he  obtained 
£4400.  A  field  with  fair  ordinary  treatment 
there  is  expected  to  produce  a  return  of  from  £40 
to  £60  annually. 

These  facts  and  figures  are  given  merely  to  show 
what  has  been  done  with  Blackberries  in  this 
country.  I  know  they  will  read  strangely  enough 
to  the  conservative  and,  perhaps,  incredulous 
gardeners  of  England.  But  they  are  facts,  never- 
theless, and,  unless  I  am  greatly  mistaken,  we 
shall  be  able  to  tell  a  very  much  bigger  Blackberry 
story  in  this  country  in  two  or  three  years'  time 
even  than  this,  and  just  as  truthfully. 


The  one  great  obstacle  in  this  country  to  th< 
universal  cultivation  of  Blackberries  thus  far  haj 
been  the  want  of  a  great,  good,  productive,  reliable, 
and  hardy  variety.  I  say  this  because  I  believe 
it  most  emphatically,  though  I  would  prefer  quot- 
ing it  as  the  remark  of  some  one  of  the  hundred.- 
here  who  are  better  qualified  to  express  the 
opinion  than  I,  if  I  had  ever  heard  or  seen  il 
e.xpressed.  But  the  fact  is  we  never  had  anj 
variety  that  would  produce  a  large  crop  of  fine 
fruit  and  stand  the  winter  unprotected  north  of  tht 
41st  parallel  of  latitude,  so  while  our  New  Jersey 
friends  could  raise  those  immense  crops,  we  in 
New  Yoik  State  and  others  living  in  the  same 
degree  and  above  had  to  be  content  to  buy  oui 
berries  from  them. 

Let  us  glance  hastily  at  our  leading  sorts 
Dorchester  was,  I  believe,  the  first  garden  variety 
cultivated.  Captain  Lovett,  of  Beverly,  Mass.,  i^ 
said  to  have  introduced  it  about  1840.  It  is  gene- 
rally hardy,  but  not  sufficiently  productive.  New 
Rochelle,  or  Lamton,  is  another  old  sort  which 
was  found  growing  wild  by  the  roadside  in 
Westchester  County,  N  Y.  It  is  productive, 
but  will  not  stand  the  winter,  and  the  fruit 
is  sour  until  it  has  been  apparently  ripe  for 
some  days.  Kiltatinny  is  also  a  native  wild- 
ling,  found  in  1858  near  the  Kittatinny  Mountainsi 
in  New  Jersey,  a  fine  berry  and  often  very  produc- 
tive, having  more  stars  than  any  other  sort  in  the 
American  Pomological  Society's  catalogue,  and 
yet  it  is  frequently  killed  in  winter,  and  is  liable  to 
the  rust  or  fungus.  Then  we  have  Wilson's  Early, 
the  kind  grown  almost  exclusively  in  New  Jersey, 
and  more  than  any  other  in  this  country.  It  is  a 
magnificent  berry,  immenfely  productive,  and  de- 
serves all  the  excellent  things  which  have  been 
said  of  it.  The  only  trouble  is  it  will  not  live 
through  the  winter  north  of  New  York.  It  is 
believed  to  be  a  sport  of  the  trailing  Blackberry, 
or  a  natural  cross  between  it  and  the  tall  growing 
species.  Its  habit  of  growth  is  much  like  the 
former.  It  was  found  in  Burlington  County,  N.J., 
by  John  Wilson,  for  whom  it  was  named  in  1854 
It  has  doubtless  produced  more  bushels  and  dollars 
than  any  other  known  variety.  The  Snyderand  Tay- 
lor are  newer  and  more  hardy,  but  the  fruit  is  too 
small  and  seedy.  Early  Harvest  is  still  newer,  but 
is  not  hardy  or  large,  only  valuable  for  its  early 
ripening.  Then  we  have  a  host  of  others,  none  of 
which  worth  naming  as  being  of  general  value, 
unless  it  be  Wilson  Junior  and  a  few  other  new 
seedlings  raised  by  Mr.  Parry  ;  but  these  must  yet 
be  tested,  although  the  Wilson  Junior  seems  pro- 
mising. There  are  only  fourteen  varieties  of 
Blackberry  named  in  the  last  catalogue  of  the 
Pomological  Society,  only  three  of  which  have 
any  standard  value  in  the  list.  Hence  it  will  be 
seen  that  we  are  still  in  need  of  a  good  Ironclad 
Blackberry  to  make  the  cultivation  of  this  fruit 
uniformly  successful  throughout  the  States. 

Now,  as  bearing  upon  this  need,  I  will  merely 
describe  briefly  what  I  saw  growing  on  the  grounds 
of  the  originator  not  many  miles  from  my  resi- 
dence a  few  days  ago,  leaving  each  reader  to  draw 
his  own  inferences  and  make  his  own  comments. 
A  row  of  twenty-four  Blackberry  plants,  two 
years  old,  bearing  canes  tied  to  a  trellis,  new 
growth  tied  obliquely  to  another  trellis  slanting 
backward  from  the  fruiting  trellis.  No  pruning 
had  been  attempted,  and  some  of  the  canes  were 
'J  feet  high,  well  branched,  and  every  twig  was 
loaded  with  large  magnificent  fruit  in  all  stages 
of  maturity,  much  being  ripe.     The  whole  trellis 


was  a  conglomerate  mass  of  Elaokbenies  from  the 
ground  to  the  very  tips  of  the  canes  ;  scarcely  a 
leaf  was  visible,  and  there  were  two  sides  to  the 
ihow,  each  vieing  with  the  other  in  abundance.  It 
surpassed  anything  I  had  ever  seen  in  the  way  of 
productiveness.  Many  of  cur  leading  berry  growers 
and  Blackberry  men,  including  Judge  Parry  him. 
self,  were  present  the  day  of  my  visit,  and  a  1 
agreed  that  it  was  the  greatest  Blackberry  exhibii; 
they  ever  saw.  I  estimated  that  these  24  plants 
would  produce  this  season  10  bushels  of  fruit 
Others  placed  the  product  much  higher.  The 
berries  were  uniformly  large,  averaging  1  inch 
by  three-quarters  of  an  inch,  some  measuring  1 1 
':.ches  by  15-16ths  of  an  inch,  pips  large,  flavour 
sprightly  and  pleasing,  no  perceptible  core, 
and  few  seeds.  But  the  grand  feature  about  the 
sort  is  that  the  canes  had  been  left  tied 
to  the  trellis  wholly  without  protection  all 
winter,  and  while  Peach  buds  were  killed 
on  every  side,  not  a  single  Blackberry  bud 
had  been  injured,  fruit  being  borne  to  the  very 
tip  of  the  canes.  This  is  the  second  fruiting  year 
of  the  variety,  and  it  has  never  been  winter-killed, 
yet  over  fifty  miles  north  of  New  York  city.  Mr. 
Caywood,  the  originator  of  this  new  seedling,  calls 
it  the  Minnewaska.  He  says  it  was  produced  by 
fertilising  the  pistils  of  the  Kittatinny  with  pollen 
from  a  wild  Bramble  which  he  found  growing  in 
a  swale  on  his  farm.  If  the  Minnewaska  will 
continue  to  do  even  half  as  well  in  the  future  in 
varying  conditions  of  soil  and  location  as  it  now 
does  in  its  youth,  it  surely  is  a  most  important 
acquisition  which  will  very  soon  prove  a  powerful 
incentive  to  Blackberry  culture  in  this  and  other 
countries.  It  is  strange  that  our  practical  and 
intelligent  pomologists  should  have  been  content 
all  these  years  merely  to  grow  whatever  chance 
Blackberry  seedlings  they  happen  to  find  in  fence 
rows,  and  not  use  any  of  the  careful  effort  in  the 
improvement  of  this  fruit  so  lavishly  bestowed 
on  nearly  every  other.  H.  Hendricks. 

Kingston,  X.  y. 

Flowering  shrubs   In   August.— I  am 

struck  with  a  remark  by  one  of  your  correspon- 
dents, who  speaks  of  shrubberies  as  well-nigh 
flowcrless  at  this  season.  If  they  are,  it  is  the 
fault  of  their  cultivators.  Here  are  a  few  that 
help  to  make  our  borders  gay  here  at  this  time  : — 


Clcthra  alnifolia 
Olearii  Haasti 
Veronica,  various  shrubby 
Caiycanthus  floridu.s 
Potentilla  fruticosa 
Buplitlialniuni  umbellatum 
Fuch-ia  Riccartoni 

Klobosa  and  varieties 
Myrtus  communis 
Aloysia  citricdora 
Lonicera  senipervirens 

Periclymenum 
Hydrangea  paniculata 

Iiortensis 

(juercifolia 
Hypericum  oblongifolium 


Hypericum  arietinuni 

jiatuhini 

Androsjemura 
Clematis  FlammuTa 

coccinca 

Jackmanui  varieties 
Ceanothus   Gloii-e    de    Ver- 
sailles 
Deifontainea  spinosa 
Spiraja  Lindleyana 

Douglasi 

callosa 
.Tasminum,  several  specio3 
Esc.a'lonia  grandifloru 

sanguinea 
Hosa  rugosa 


The  list  might  be  amply  extended,  for  it  is  the 
neglect  of  flowering  shrubs,  and  not  their  non- 
existence, which  makes  so  many  shrubberies  unin- 
teresting just  now.  All  the  above  are  within  100 
yards  of  the  window  of  the  room  where  I  am  sit- 
ting.—Salmoniceps. 

Bulb  sales  — Not  so  very  long  ago  auction 
sales  of  Dutch  flower  roots  were  confined  to  the 
tail  end  of  the  seascn,  and  were  simply  resorted 
to  as  a  last  resource  in  clearing  off  the  remaining 
stock.  Now-a-days,  however,  the  bulb  sales  com- 
mence almost  before  we  get  the  retail  cataloguef, 
and  before  our  home  nurserymen  deliver  their 
orders.  In  a  word,  there  has  sprung  up  a  free 
trade  in  Dutch  bulbs  as  well  as  in  Orchids,  and 
one  result  of  this  will  be  that  at  least  a  thousand 


196 


THE    GARDEN 


[Sept.  6,   1884. 


bulbs  will  be  sold  where  a  hundred  were  sold  on 
the  old-fashioned  plan.  No  doubt  competition  has 
done  for  the  Dutch  bulb  growers  what  it  has  done 
for  the  London  market  gardeners,  /  e.,  conduced 
to  the  growth  of  free  trade  principles.  The  auc- 
tioneer is  gaining  more  adherents  every  day,  and 
although  individual  interests  may  now  and  then 
suffer,  the  main  results  are  far  ahead  of  the  old 
monopoly  plan. — F.  W.  B. 


ORCHIDS  IN  FLOWER. 


Septemljer  Orchids.— An  extremely  beauti- 
ful variety  of  the  genuine  Cattleya  lahiata  is  now  in 
flower  in  Jlr.  Bull's  nursery  at  Chelsea.  It  pos- 
sesses such  exceeding  beauty,  that  Mr.  Bull  has 
appropriately  named  it  brilliantissima.  The  flowers 
are  not  only  large,  but  of  exceptional  brilliancy. 
Besides  this,  there  are  numerous  other  Orchids  in 
flower  worthy  of  note,  although  the  present  is 
considered  the  dullest  season.  The  list  of  flower- 
ing kinds  includes  the  following: — 


SpathOglottlS  Fortune!.— This  pretty  little 
terrestrial  Orchid  is  now  blooming  quite  freely  in 
the  College  Botanical  Gardens  at  Dublin.  Its 
flowers  are  of  a  bright  yellow  colour,  five  to  seven 
being  borne  at  the  tip  of  a  slender  scape  a  foot  or 
more  in  height.  Mr.  Burbidge  told  me  the  dry 
imported  bulbs  were  sent  to  him  from  Kew,  and 
that  they  were  grown  in  a  shallow  pan  suspended 
from  the  roof  of  a  warm  and  airy  Orchid  house 
along  with  Pleiones,  which  are  most  luxuriant ;  ] 
also  along  with  Vandas  and  two  forms  of  Dendro- 
bium  formosum.  Broughtonia  sacguinea  blooms 
here  year  after  year.  It  has  three  spikes,  and 
hangs  on  a  block  in  full  sunshine. — S.  L. 

Habenaria  ciliaria. — Mr.  Rawson  sends 
from  his  garden  at  Bowness,  Windermere,  an  un- 
commonly fine  spike  of  this  pretty  North  Ameri- 
can Orchid,  popularly  known  as  the  Yellow- 
fringed  Orchis.  The  spike  carries  no  fewer  than 
forty  flowers  and  upwards,  the  whole  forming  a 
pyramidal  mass  about  5  inches  long.  The  flowers 
are  of  a  bright  orange-yellow,  and  the  lips  of  the 
blossoms  are  furnished  with  a  long  conspicuous 
fringe.  It  is  one  of  the  handsomest  native  Orchids 
of  the  United  States.  It  there  attains  a  height  of 
1;^  feet  to  2  feet,  and  affects  wet  sandy  places. 
Mr.  Rawson  remarks  that  it  is  a  difficult  plant  to 
manage,  but  its  beauty  is  well  worthy  of  the  extra 
attention  it  demands. 

Disa  grandlflora — About  eight  years  ago 
I  hid  a  small  piece  of  this  lovely  Orchid  placed 
under  my  care.  It  has  grown  and  flowered  toler- 
ably well,  but  has  not  yet  produced  more  than 
four  flowers  on  one  spike.  It  is  the  same  variety 
as  that  exhibited  by  Mr.  Rawson  at  the  Winder- 
mere Flower  Show  last  mouth.  Two  years  ago  it 
ripened  some  seed  which  was  sown  and  germi- 
nated freely.  When  about  twelve  months  old  the 
young  plants  were  potted  into  small  3-inch  pots. 
From  this  period  of  their  existence  they  have  made 
but  little  progress  ;  many  have  damped  off,  and  the 
few  that  are  left  look  as  if  they  will  require  two 
or  more  years'  growing  before  they  will  be  strong 
enough  to  flower.  Some  seed  of  this  season's 
growth  has  just  been  gathered.  Will  some  readers 
of  Tub  Garden  kindly  give  their  opinion  as  to 
the  best  way  of  sowing  the  seed  and  after  the 
treatment  of  young  plants  ? — W.  B.,  Windermere. 

Cattleya  gigas  Shuttle^worthl.— We  are 

continually  describing  varieties  of  Orchids  of  ex- 
ceptional merit,  and  that  which  we  now  record  is 
assuredly  one  of  the  most  meritorious  that  we 
have  noticed.  As  in  the  case  of  Mr.  Hardy's  va- 
riety, to  which  allusion  was  made  a  short  time 
since,  the  extraordinary  form  which  has  just 
expanded  its  first  blooms  in  Messrs.  Shuttleworth, 
Carder  &  Co.'s  nursery  at  Park  Road,  Clapham,  is 
chiefly  remarkable  for  the  richness  and  brilliancy 
of  the  colour.  The  flowers  measure  8  inches  across 
the  outspread  sepals,  which  have  a  breadth  of  2  J  in. 
and  are  of  a  deep  lilac.  The  labellum,  the  chief 
point  of  beauty,  is  almost  circular  in  outline,  being 
2  J- inches  in  length  by  the  same  in  breadth.  The 
colour  of  the  lip  is  of  the  intensest  carmine-crim- 
son, overlaid  by  a  velvety  surface  which  intensifies 
the  body  colour.  In  contrast  to  this  is  a  large 
blotch  of  lemon-yellow  on  the  throat  of  the  label- 
lum, into  which  pencillings  of  the  carmine-crimson 
tint  runs.  A  variety  of  such  superlative  beauty 
is  a  rare  find  even  among  the  thousands  of  plants 
that  flower  in  this  country,  and  such  varieties 
will,  therefore,  always  command  high  prices. 
Among  other  interesting  Orchids  in  flower  in  this 
nursery  is  the  fine  Jliltonia  Moreliana  atro-rubens 
and  the  pretty  white  Burlingtonia  Candida. 


Lielia  elegans  .Scliilleriana 

Lindleyana 
Cattleya  Mendeli 
Vanda  Batemanoiffi 

Koxburglii  cterulra 
Cypripedium  llaynaldianum 

Stonei 
Aerides  flavidum 

Loljlji 
Saccolabium  li'umei  majus 
ZygopetaluniG  autieri  pictum 
Tr-chocciitrum  recurvum 


Epidendruni  ionosum  (very 
fragrant) 

Wallisl 

priainatocarpum 
Odontoglossnra  hastilabium 

madrense 
Spathoglottis  Fortunei 
Oucidium  dasytyle 

ciirtum 

lorgipes 

macranthum 
Dendrobium  Dearti 


NOTES  FROM  SCOTLAND. 
Owing  to  the  mild  weather,  Trop.-colum  speciosum 
was  not  cut  down  last  winter  ;  consequently  it  is 
very  fine  this  year.  My  attention  was  first  called 
to  it  by  Mr.  A.  Curie,  Melrose,  on  the  wall  of 
whose  house  it  was  growing  over  12  feet  high.  It 
is  truly  lovely  this  year,  covering  walls,  cottages, 
hedges,  and,  indeed,  anything  it  can  lay  hold  of. 
This  plant  appears  to  be  very  sensitive  to  smoke  ; 
it  never  seems  to  thrive  in  towns.  In  Dr.  Pater- 
son's  garden.  Bridge  of  Allan,  I  saw  a  wonderful 
plant  of  Lilium  pardalinum.  One  bulb  planted 
twelve  years  ago  now  covers  an  area  21  feet  long 
and  from  2  feet  to  5  feet  wide,  and  when  I  saw  it 
there  were  more  than  ,S00  stems  in  flower— truly  a 
grand  sight.  The  Orchids  here  were  also  in  good 
condition.  A  very  large  form  of  Cattleya  Dowiana 
was  in  flower,  and  there  were  some  fine  pans  of 
Disa  grandiflora,  Vanda  tricolor  Patersoni,  and  an 
immense  plant  of  Nanodes  Medusa;,  consisting  of 
twenty-five  growths.  This  must  be  about  the 
largest  in  the  country.  I  also  noticed  some  won- 
derfully fine  examples  of  C.  giecas  ;  some  superb 
varieties  of  this  Cattleya  were  likewise  in  flower 
at  Brentham  Park,  also  at  Mr,  .T.  Gair's,  Falkirk, 
and  Mr.  .J.  Buchanan's,  Edinburgh.  Grammato- 
phyllum  Ellisi  was  just  coming  into  flower  with 
Mr.  J.  W.  JIacdonald,  Perth,  thirty-five  flowers 
being  on  the  spike.  At  Ardarrach,  Loch  Long,  I 
saw  a  fine  Cryptomeria  iaponica  and  an  Araucaria 
imbricata.  The  former  was  over  35  feet  high  and 
2.5  feet  through— one  of  the  largest  in  the  king- 
dom. The  Araucaria  was  10  feet  high,  had  twenty- 
four  tiers  of  branches,  and  was  ^h  feet  in  circum- 
ference at  3  feet  from  the  grounci.  They  were  a 
noble  pair ;  the  branches  of  both  rested  on  the 
ground.  Just  opposite  at  Finart  were  two  note- 
worthy plants  in  a  house  20  feet  long.  One  was 
an  AUamanda  Hendersoni,  which  has  borne  1000 
flowers  this  year,  and  which  was  still  bearing 
trusses  consisting  of  from  five  to  eight  flowers  when 
I  saw  it.  The  other  was  an  immense  Epiphyllum 
Jenkinsoni  covering  the  back  wall.  It  had  borne 
over  1500  flowers.  Ed.  A.  Wallace. 

Colchester. 


with    the    exception  of  Red  Currants,  we  have 
nothing  to  fear.     In  Black  Currants  Cleveland  is 
superior  to  anything  I  have  seen.     Strawberries 
have  been  abundant,  but  under  the  usu.al  size,  and 
the  season  was  short  ;  President  and  Dr.  Hogg 
have  been  by    far  the  best  for  a  general  crop. 
Raspberries  have  been  plentiful,  but  small.    It  is 
worthy  of  note  that  the  Semper  Fidelis  Raspberry 
was  this  year  large  and  prolific,  which  shows  that 
it  is  a  variety  to  be  recommended  for  this  cold 
climate,  as  hitherto  it  has  not  been  worth  culti- 
vating in  this  district.    Amongst  Apples,  Lord 
Suffield  occupies  the  first  place,  Manks   Codlin 
second.    I  now  begin  to  appreciate  what  the  late 
Mr.  Rivers  said  of  this  ever-fruitful,  small-growing 
tree,  which  also  makes  a  valuable  dwarf  stock  to 
graft  on.    Keswick  Codlin  is  likewise  a  standard 
kind.     Of  early  Apples  for  dessert,  Oslin,  Early 
Julien,  and  Juneating  have  produced  light  crops; 
to  these  I  would  add    Quarrenden  as  specially 
worth  planting  in   this  district.    Of  Cherries — 
which  are  not  much  grown  in  Cleveland — we  have 
a  full  average  crop  this  season.     Of  Plums  on 
favourable  aspects  there  are  a  few  Victorias  and 
Golden  Drops.     From  year  to  year  we  only  see 
Victorias  and  partial  crops  of  Golden  Drop  and 
Diamond  occasionally.     This  year  Pears  may  be 
said  to  be  a  failure ;  there  is  nothing  like  a  crop 
of  any  variety  that  I  have  seen.     Jargonelle  has 
been  a  failure   for  years,  and  equally  so  Green 
Chi.-el— the  two  most  valuable    Pears    for    this 
climate.     There  are  two  Pears  seen  in  this  district 
in    a  few  gardens  which  appear  to  have  been 
planted  some  half  century  ago,  and  which  do  well 
and  are  profitable,  viz.,  Passans  de  Portugal,  much 
esteemed,  and  Yat,  a  great  bearer.  Imported  fruit 
of  this  variety  is  sold  here  as  Marie  Louise,  a  fact 
which  speaks  for  itself  as  regards  the  quality  of 
this  Pear.    Another  old  Pear  which  does  well  in 
Cleveland,  but  which  is  rarely  seen,  is  Windsor,  or 
"  Bell  Tongue,"  a  very  handsome  fruit,  and  one 
which  always  commands  a  ready  market. 

CuAS.  McDonald. 


FRUIT  CROPS  IN  NORTH  YORKSHIRE. 

As  regards  tree  fruits,  aspect  and  elevation  are 
important  items  in  reference  to  fruit  growing.  It 
ought  to  be  understood  that  the  Cleveland  district 
of  Yorkshire  is  hill  and  dale,  and  that  though  not 
more  than,  say,  twenty  miles  from  the  sea,  there  is 
an  alpine  and  lowland  climate  alternating.  For 
generations  Clevelandhas  been  agood  fruit-growing 
district.  The  late  Mr.  Nicholson,  of  Eaglescliff, 
near  Yarm,  aided  fruit  culture  greatly  by  his 
extensive  experience  and  selection  of  what  was 
worth  growing  for  market  purpose.  No  one  can 
have  passed  over  the  Viaduct  at  Yarm  without 
noting  the  unique  appearance  of  the  neighbouring 
fruit  trees,  every  available  space  being  occupied 
by  trees.  But  then  Yarm  was  without  com 
petition  ;  now  it  has  to  contend  with  Hamburger 
Rotterdam.  I  believe  that  the  frnit  growers  in 
Cleveland  are  equal  to  anything  that  can  be  done 
in  the  way  of  growing  hardy  fruit ;  but  how  ig 
competition  to  be  met  1  In  the  case  of  small  fruity 


WORK  DONE  IN  WEEK  ENDING  SEPT.  3. 
August  28. — Never  were  showers  more  wel- 
come than  those  that  fell  to-day,  for  though  we 
have  the  advantage  of  a  fairly  good  supply  of 
water,  the  labour  of  applying  it  was  becoming  bur- 
densome, more  especially  so  as  it  seemed  to  do  but 
little  good ;  still  the  waterings  kept  the  recently 
planted  Broccoli  and  Kales  alive,  and  now  our 
labour  will  be  abundantly  repaid  by  kindly 
growth  and  our  winter  supply  of  greens  is  assured, 
which,  it  is  to  be  feared,  will  not  be  the  case 
everywhere.  All  our  winter  stuff  we  plant  in  deep 
drills,  and  now  as  soon  as  the  ground  has  got  a 
good  soaking,  the  drills  will  be  filled  in.  The 
earlier  plantings  have  been  done  to-day  and 
earthing  up  will  follow  shortly.  Thinning  Tur- 
nips and  Lettuce  ;  about  9  inches  apart  for  each  is 
ample  space  for  this  season  of  the  year.  Black- 
seeded  Bath  Cos  is  the  only  winter  Lettuce  we 
grow  ;  but  as  to  Turnips,  one  kind  stands  as  well  as 
another.  Herbaceous  plants  have  had  a  good  deal 
of  trimming  up ;  some  of  them,  through  lack  of 
water,  are  looking  very  seedy,  and  so  we  have  re- 
lieved them  of  their  bad  flowers  and  seed-pods, 
and  this  rain  will  set  them  all  right.  The  Japanese 
Anemones,  perennial  Sunflowers,  Rudbeckias,  and 
Phloxes  are  at  the  present  time  so  gay  that  the  one- 
idea  flower  gardeners  (bedders-out)  would  surely  be 
converted  could  they  but  see  them.  Once  a  week 
it  is  necessary  to  go  over  the  plants  for  the  pur- 
pose of  tying  and  removing  bad  flowers  and  weeds, 
and  with  this  amount  of  labour,  the  stock-charge 
against  them,  namely,  lack  of  neatness,  has  no  foun- 
dation in  fact.  It  is  not  often  that  one  rejoices 
that  the  sun  does  not  shine,  but  I  confess  that 
1  did  so  to-day,  as  it  enabled  me  to  have 
a  comfortable  hour  or  two  in  the  houses, 
directing  as  to  removal  of  laterals  from  late  Vines, 
the  thinning  out  of  shoots  from  the  late  Peach 
house,  and  likewise  from  Figs.  The  growth  on  the 
latter  has  been  abnormally  large,  and  to  ripen  the 
latter  fruit  it  is  imperative  to  pinch  back  rather 
hard  far  more  so  than  we  usually  care  to  do  at 
this  late  season  of  the  year.    Advantage  was  also 


Sept.  0,  1SS4.] 


THE    GARDEN 


197 


taken  of  the  cooler  temperature  to  clean  and  re- 
arrange some  of  the  plants ;  Gardenias  in  particular, 
being  badly  affected  with  soft  scale,  had  a  good 
washing  with  soft  soap  water,  the  final  touch  being 
a  syringing  overhead  with  tepid  water,  in  which 
we  put  a  quarter  of  a  pint  of  paraffin  oil  to  3  gal- 
lons of  water.  A  dressing  of  this  description  has 
quite  settled  the  mealy  bug  which  used  to  infest 
the  plants. 

August  29. — .V  fine  day.but  dull;  just  the  weather 
for  working  in  comfort ;  and  therefore  we  set  about 
doing  an  important  piece  of  work,  viz.,  harvesting 
the  spring-sown  Onions— they  having  ripened  pre- 
maturely— in  order  that  we  might  plant  our  ear- 
liest plot  of  Cabbages  on  the  same  ground.     The 
ground  was  simply  hoed,  the  weeds  picked  off ,  and 
drills  drawn  2  feet  apart,  the  plants  being  put  in 
at  but  a  foot  apart  in  the  row  ;  this  enables  us  to 
pull  out  alternate  plants  in  the  early  spring  with- 
out, as  it  were,  interfering  with  the  principal  plot 
at  all,  yet  we  have  a  supply  of  young  Cabbages  for 
weeks  in  advance  of  our  needing  to  touch  the  per- 
manent plot.     The  Onions  are  placed  on  the  walks, 
ami  here  they  will  remain  till  thoroughly  dry. 
Winter  Spinach   was  sown  to-day,  and  another 
sowing  will  be  made  a  fortnight  hence,  as  a  kind 
of    safeguard    against    the    premature     seeding 
of  the   first   sown   crop,  which,  should  the  win- 
ter   prove    mild,    would  most   probably   be   the 
case.      Tutting    in    cuttings    of     Pelargoniums, 
Pinks,  Carnations,  and  i'hloxes,  tying  the  shoots 
of    Chrysanthemums    to    the    stakes   that   were 
put  in  some  little  time  ago,  potting  on  Poinsettias 
and  Euphorbias— jacquini^llora — which  latter  we 
grow  in  the  winter  as  a  climber  in  the   Melon 
houses  and  train  to  the  trellis.     It  is  simply  in- 
valuable for  cutting  either  for  vase  or  personal 
decoration  from  Christmas  to  April.    Though  very 
early,  our  earliest  Muscat  vinery  was  pruned  to- 
day.    Thiip   and  spider  had  got  such  hold  of 
what  little  foliage  there  was  left,  and  the  wood 
being  hard  and   brown   and  the   buds  plump,  I 
thought  there  could  not  be  much  risk  in  pruning 
so  early  ;  at  any  rate  the  job  is  done,  and  if  harm 
comes  of  it,  due  warning  shal  1  be  given  that  others 
may   not  err  in  the  same  direction.     The  only 
indication  of  mischief  that  I  at  present  perceive 
is  that  some  few  of  the  shoots  are  bleeding,  but 
that,  I  think,  is  partly  the  result  of  a  heavy  water- 
ing which  was  given  to  the  border  (inside)  as  soon 
as  the  pruning  was  done. 

August  .SO.— In  addition  to  the  usual  Satur- 
day's general  clean  up,  the  day  being  dull  with 
occasional  showers,  time  was  found  for  watering 
inside  borders,  and  as  at  this  season  the  water  is 
snfBciently  warm  without  artificial  heating,  much 
labour  is  saved  both  in  that  way  and  also  in  regard 
to  putnping,  the  rain  water  being  used  from  the 
tanks  in  the  houses.  I  ought  perhaps  to  say  that 
no  inside  fruit  border  under  my  charge  is  ever 
without  a  mulching  of  straw  or  litter ;  this 
enables  us  to  water  without  splashing  the  sur- 
roundings with  dirt.  It  always  looks  neat,  and 
what  is  more  the  soil  seldom  cracks  if  mulching 
be  given  in  sufficient  quantity.  Picking  over  of 
plants,  shaking  down  the  loose  leaves  of  Vines 
and  Peaches,  and  scrubbing  out  complete  the 
work  done  in  the  houses  to-day.  Mowing 
edge  -  clipping     of     the     flower     garden. 


and 

and  picking  off  the  bad  flowers,  also  clip 
ping  the  Herniaria  edgings,  of  which  all  the 
upright  edgings  to  the  flower  beds  are  formed, 
and  pinching  back  variegated  Mesembryanthe- 
mnm  and  Golden  Feather,  taking  offsets  from 
succulents,  the  flowers  from  lUcinus,  seed-pods 
from  Dahlias,  and  tjing  them  up  and  in  some 
cases  pegging  them  down,  for  some  of  the  varieties, 
notably  gracilis  perfecta,  are  amenable  to  this 
mode  of  training,  which  if  stakes  are  scarce  is  a 
great  convenience,  but  we  have  done  it  from 
choice  with  a  view  of  getting  the  beds  cone-shaped, 
in  which  form  they  look  like  huge  bouquets,  and 
fet  off  to  perfection  the  more  formal  designed 
foliaged  beds.  These  jobs  and  rolling  of  walks, 
which  we  always  try  to  do  after  a  good  rain,  end 
our  duties  for  the  week. 

Septbmbkr  1.— Rain  again,  and  we   are  glad 
of  it.  Already  there  has  been  a  resurrection  in  the 


kitchen  garden.     Cabbage  and  Cauliflower  that 
were  lately  blue  have  put  on   their  more  natural 
tint,  and,  late  as  it  is,  conditions  being  so  favour- 
able, other  Proccolis  are  being  planted,  also.Kales, 
Savoys,   and  Coleworts.      Winter    Greens    must 
necessarily  be  short  this  year,  and  it  is   worth 
while  to  risk  a  loss  of  some  plants  or  partial  fail- 
ures to  eke  out  the  supply.     Earthed  up  Autumn 
Giart  Cauliflower,  Snow's  and  Veitch's  Protecting 
Broccoli,  and  Brussels  Sprouts.     This  process  we 
never  undertake  until  the  ground  has  been  well 
saturated  ;  then  the  ridging  up  keeps  the  plants 
in  a  moist  state  for  a  long  period— in  fact  all  the 
season — as  the  drought  from  now  onwards  is  never 
of  a  protracted  nature.     Strawberries  have  been 
denuded  of  runners,  bad  foliage,  and  weeds,  and 
are  now  being  "  pointed  "  over  merely  with  a  view 
of  neatness,  and  as  a  preparation  for  the  new 
mulching  of  well  decayed  manure  that  will  be  put 
on  as  soon  as  time  can  be  spared  to  do  it.     We 
have  yet  some  to  plant  ;   the  ground  being  oc- 
cupied    with    French    Beans    necessitated    our 
waiting    till  the    crop    was    off,     but    planted 
carefully  and  well  tended  as  to  watering  till  es- 
tablished, they  will  do  just  as  well  as  those  planted 
a  month  ago,  a  point  we  have  practically  tested, 
but  for  all  that,  earlier   planting    is  desirable. 
Wasps  are  still  so  troublesome  that  we  have  cut 
and  put  in  the  Grape  room  a  goodly  number  of 
bunches,  and  the  other  houses  have  still  to  be  kept 
closely  netted  over  the  ventilators,  which  is  much 
against    ripe  Grapes   keeping   satisfactorily  this 
damp  weather,  and  to  obviate  which,  a  little  fire 
is  kept  on  at  night  and  the  ventilators  are  left 
open  ;  at  least,   such  as  do  not  admit  rain.    I 
suppose  it  is  because  there  are  so  few  that  birds 
(tomtits)  are  more  troublesome  than    ever  with 
Pears ;  they  apparently  mean  to  destroy  the  lot, 
but  we  must  have  a  few,  and  therefore   netting 
over    is   being  done.      Early  Apples    are    being 
gathered;  they  are  very  small  and  much  injured 
by  wasps  and  birds,  that  a  short  season  is  a  cer- 
tainty.    The  rain,  by  providing  better  supplies  of 
food  for  birds,  may  save  the  later  varieties,  but  to 
be  on  the  safe  side  we  mean  to  gather  all  that  are 
any  way  approaching  maturity.     Roses  promise  to 
be  as  fine  as  in  June.     A  little  mildew  has  made 
its  appearance,  and  sulphur  has  been   applied  to 
kill  it;  a  good  soaking  of  manure  water  is  about 
the  best  antidote,  but  this  is  a  scarce  commodity 
hereabouts.     The    bad  flowers  are   kept  off,  the 
edgings  of  beds  grass-clipped,  and  the  surface  soil 
mulched  with  Cocoa  fibre. 

SEriEMBEK  2.— I  have  the  weakness,  that 
perhaps  would  be  better  described  as  strength,  in 
regard  to  the  keeping  of  walks — that  is,  I  like  to 
see  them  clean,  free  from  weeds  and  moss,  and 
comfortable  to  the  tread ;  the  latter  they  have  not 
been  lately,  but  now  that  rain  has  softened  the 
gravel  the  roller  to-day  had  due  effect. 
Frequent  rolling  takes  up  a  deal  of  time,  but  weeds 
do  not  grow  so  fast,  and,  balancing  one  with 
the  other,  the  verdict  must  be  in  favour  of 
rolling.  Machine  mowing  was  again  commenced 
to-day,  and  sweeping  up  of  leaves  from  Limes  in 
particular  is  now  a  daily  affair.  Excepting  pro- 
pagating, there  is  now  a  comparative  lull  of  work 
in  tlic  houses,  and  a  spare  hand  or  two  from  that 
department  now  helps  to  keep  the  outside  work 
well  in  hand,  such  as  keeping  herbaceous  plant 
borders  in  trim  condition,  picking  off  seeds  from 
Sweet  Peas,  cutting  and  bunching  up  Everlastings 
(Helichrysums),  and  tying  up  Gladioli,  Asters, 
and  Stocks,  gathering  of  Apples,  and  protecting 
fruit  from  wasps  and  birds. 

SEriEMBEK  3.— Sub-tropical  beds  had  to-day  a 
general  overhaul ;  some  of  the  plants  bad  out- 
grown their  bounds,  and  to  keep  the  edgings 
trimmed  some  of  the  leaves  had  to  be  cut  off,  also 
decaying  inside  leaves.  Groundwork  plants  are 
now  let  go  at  random,  as  the  larger  plants  cover 
these.  The  best— most  effective  arrangement — are 
the  simplest  ;  Acacia  lophantha  and  Perilla  la- 
ciniata,  alternated  with  edgings  of  Salvia  argen- 
tea,  is  good ;  Solanum  robustum  and  Solanum 
marginatum,  with  edging  of  Centaurea  candidis- 
sima,  is  equally  so.  The  best  self  beds  are  Wigan- 
dias  and  Ricinus  Gibsoni.    Hardy  Ferns  suffered 


from  the  extreme  drought  and  heat  alike  with  all 
other  vegetation,  and  the  dead  and  rusty  fronds 
have  been  removed,  weeds  and  fallen  leaves 
cleared  from  amongst  them,  and  they  now  are 
passable  for  the  rest  of  the  season.  Privet  hedges 
that  form  screens  for  framing  grounds,  plants,  and 
manure  heaps  have  been  sheared,  and  Laurels 
and  Yews  that  overhang  walks  must  follow  soon 
as  Potato  digging  is  finished,  which  has  formed  a 
great  part  of  our  work  to-day.  HANTS. 


NOTES  or  THE  WEEK. 

Baskets  of  flowers.— At  a  small  show 
held  up  the  Swansea  Yale  at  Fontardaw  one  day 
last  week  I  saw  more  beautiful  hand-baskets  of 
flowers  and  floral  centre-pieces  for  tables  exhibited 
than  I  have  ever  seen  at  the  largest  of  shows. 
Floral  art  work  of  this  kind  is  made  a  speciality  of 
here,  and  many  of  the  arrangements  were  truly 
charming,  especially  those  of  Miss  Lloyd,  Cil-y- 
bebyll,  and  Mrs.  Gilbertfon,  Dan-y-graig.  Ferns, 
Grasses,  and  wild  flowers  were  freely  used  in  many 
of  them,  and  we  would  like  to  see  this  class  of 
decoration  take  the  place  of  the  dreadfully  formal 
bouquets  too  often  seen  at  really  first-class  shows. — 
Cambrian. 

Heckfield  Gardens.— The  beautiful  garden 
at  Heokfield  Place,  near  Winchfield,  will,  wo 
learn,  be  open  to  visitors  during  the  whole  of  next 
week  (8th  to  1.5th)  by  permission  of  Lord 
Eversley.  This  garden,  so  rich  in  landscape 
beauty,  a  perfect  model  of  high  keeping,  and 
so  exemplary  as  regards  high-class  cultivation  in 
every  department,  abundantly  repays  a  visit  even 
from  a  long  distance.  After  the  copious  rains  of 
late  we  imagine  that  the  garden  is  in  the  pink  of 
perfection,  and  country  visitors  to  London  in- 
terested in  beautiful  gardens  should  not  miss  the 
opportunity.  The  nearest  station's  Winchfield, 
on  the  South-Western  Railway,  from  which  Heck- 
field is  a  few  miles  distant ;  Reading  is  also  within 
driving  distance. 

A  Dahlia  ehow^. — A  special  show  of  Dahlias 
of  all  kinds,  single  and  double,  shows  and  Pom- 
pones,  will,  we  hear,  be  made  in  the  conservatory 
at  South  Kensington  on  Tuesday  next  by  Mr. 
Charles  Turner  from  his  nursery  at  Slough.  The 
Dahlias  are  exceptionally  fine  this  year,  the  late 
showers  having  been  highly  favourable  for  them. 
The  show  of  Dahlias  in  Mr.  Turner's  Slough  Nursery 
amply  repays  the  journey  from  London,  and  the 
best  substitute  for  seeing  them  "  at  home,"  where 
the  habit,  stature,  and  productiveness  of  each  sort 
can  best  be  seen,  will  be  the  display  which  Mr. 
Turner  promises  to  make  at  South  Kensington, 
and  which,  we  anticipate,  will  be  unsurpassable. 
In  order  to  give  the  multitudes  of  visitors  to  the 
Health  Exhibition  an  opportunity  cf  seeing  what 
first-rate  Dahlias  are,  Mr.  Turner  intends  to  reple- 
nish his  show  daily  during  the  remainder  of  next 
week.  This  show  will  afford  a  capital  opportunity 
for  making  selections. 

Catalogue  of  Roses. — We  direct  the  atten- 
tion of  our  readers  to  the  important  catalogue  of 
Roses  published  in  the  present  number.  It  was 
compiled  by  the  lafe  Mr.  II.  Pi.  EUwanger,  of 
Rochester,  N.Y.,  and  is  embodied  in  the  excellent 
"Treatise  on  the  Rose,'  which  appeared  shortly 
before  the  death  of  its  author.  The  list  is  as  com- 
plete as  could  be,  although,  as  the  compiler 
remarks  in  his  preface,  it  may  contain  slight  inac- 
curacies and  omif  sions.  At  any  rate,  it  is  the  best 
and  most  exhaustive  list  of  Boses  in  the  English 
language,  and  as  such  we  are  sure  that  it  will 
prove  a  help  to  those  of  our  readers  who  are  Rose 
growers.  Such  a  list  was  a  desideratum,  for  ample 
as  are  the  catalogues  issued  by  the  large  Rese 
growers,  they  are  by  no  means  inclusive.  A  com- 
plete Rose  list  has  been  almost  a  daily  want  to 
ourselves  in  oflice  work,  but  now  we  have  a  great 
help  in  this  excellent  list.  Should  our  readersdetect 
mistakes,  we  shall  have  pleasure  in  placing  Iheir 
communications  in  the  proper  channel  for  future 
revision  of  ihc  list.  The  "  Treatise  on  the  Rose," 
emlodying  this  catalogue,  is  a  worthy  mtmento  of 
the  industry  of  its  author. 


198 


THE   GAEDEN 


[Sept.  6,  1884. 


The  Ll-Otll  Fruit. — This  very  typical  Chinese 
fruit,  which   has  attained  a  certain  amount  of 
popularity  in  England,  possesses  an  interest  far 
exceeding  its  virtues  as   a  pleasant  luxury.     Its 
history  dates  from  liO   B.C.,   when  the   Emperor 
Wati  endeavoured   to  introduce   it   from  Annam, 
its  native  habitat,  into   his  garden  at  Chang-an. 
Hundreds  of  plants  were   brought  to  China  for 
many    successive  years,   but  they  all  failed   to 
acclimatise,  and  it  was  found  useless  to  malie  any 
further  efEorts.     This  fact,  however,  only  increased 
the  value  of  Li-Chi,  which  in  2IJ0  B.C.  was  sent  as 
a  tribute  from  Annam  to  the  Emperor  Kao-tsu,  at 
a  frightful  cost  of  human  lite.     As  the  fruit  only 
keeps  fresh  for  ten  d.-iys  at  the  most,  and  it  was 
necessary  that  it  reached  Chang-an  in  good  con- 
dition, relays  of  men  were  required  to  run  at  full 
speed,  bearing  a  load  of  Li-Chi,  and  in  this  forced 
travel  the  majority  of  them   broke  down  through 
sunstroke   by  day   and   the    attacks  of   serpents 
and  wild  beasts  by  night.     In  the   middle   of   the 
eighth  century,  the  Princess  Wang,  whose  appetite 
for  Li-Clii  was   unappeasable,  established  a  pony 
express,  and  this  also  was  carried  out  at  a  great 
sacrifice   of    horseflesh.      She    was,   however,  not 
pecu'iar  in  her  liking  for  Li-Chi,  for  the  poet  Su 
Tung-po,  who  was  in  exile  at  Canton,  allowed 
himself  the  moderate  quantity  of  oOO  per  diem  and 
wrote  a  poem  in  their  favour,  declaring  that  they 
were  delicious    enough   to    reconcile  a    man  to 
eternal  banishment  ;  moreover,  it  is  stated  in  the 
Genii  Ilecords  that   there   were   individuals   who, 
from  having   attained   immortality   by   using  its 
flowers  and  fruits,  were  called  Li-Chi  genii.     Ko- 
Hung,  a  great  authority  among  the   Taoist    philo- 
sophers,   praised  it   unceasingly    as  a    "  marrow 
tonic,"  but,  notwithstanding  his  constant   use  of 
it,  he  died  at   81    under  some   uncertainty  as   to 
whether  he  had  become  a  Li-Chi  genius  or  not. 
Perhaps  some  of  these  attributes  may  be  accounted 
for  by  the  fact  that  the  Li-Chi  tree  does  not  come 
to  maturity  until  it   is  fifty  years  old,   but,  once 
begun,  it  will  continue  to  bear  fruit  for  500  years, 
while  its  timber  keep<  sufficiently   sound  for  use 
for  nearly  a  thousand  years.     It  is  singular  in  its 
habits  of  growth,  being  found  in  China  growing  on 
the  hills  in  Kwangsi  and  in  the  plains  in  Kwang- 
tung,  but  in  all  cases  at  a  distance  from  water. 
For  the  first  five  years,  according  to  Dr.  M'Gowan 
in   the   North    China   llcrahl,   it   requires   to   be 
protected  from  cold,  being  remarkaoly  sensitive 
to  frost  and  electricity,  which  is  very  prejudicial 
to  it,  so  much  so  that  a  thunderstorm,  it  is  said, 
will  cause  the  flowers  and  fruit  to  be  small. 


for  this  Rose  is  south  or  west,  as  it  lequires  to  be 
sheltered  from  cold  wind,  which  frequently  occurs 
in  the  month  of  May,  just  when  it  is  putting  forth 
its  first  flowers.  Given  a  warm  aspect  and  plenty  of 
space  for  the  roots,  this  Rose  is  not  very  particular 
as  to  soU.  J.  C.  C. 


Indoor    Garden. 


BANKSIAN  ROSE. 
The  present  hot  summer  has  clearly  shown  the 
conditions  which  suits  this  Rose  the  best,  for  they 
have  not  made  such  a  luxuriant  growth  since  187-1. 
It  is  pretty  well  known  that  they  are  capable  of 
enduring  a  certain  amount  of  cold  weather,  but 
more  recent  experience  shows  that  a  mild  winter 
and  a  hot  summer  suits  them  best,  and  in  selecting 
a  position  for  them  this  should  be  borne  in  mind, 
as  the  results  show  that  in  some  cases  it  may  be  ad- 
visable to  go  a  little  out  of  our  way  sometimes  to 
give  them  the  warmest  positions  to  be  had. 
If  this  Rose  has  grown  as  luxuriantly  in 
other  gardens  as  it  has  in  ours  within  the  past 
six  weeks,  they  will  require  very  careful  atten- 
tion now,  or  there  will  be  danger  of  spoiling 
nest  year's  crop  of  flowers.  It  is  our  praciice  every 
year  at  ihe  end  of  June  to  go  over  our  plants,  nail- 
ing in  the  growth  where  there  are  any  vacant 
spaces  to  cover,  and  in  the  case  of  old-established 
plants  we  shear  back  rather  hard  all  the  growth 
which  has  flowered  ;  by  doing  it  thus  early  in  the 
summer  there  is  ample  time  for  new  growth  to  be 
made  and  matured  before  winter  sets  in,  but  this 
season  there  has  been  so  much  growth  made  since 
the  plants  had  their  annual  pruning,  that  we  have 
just  now  gone  over  them  again  very  carefully, 
cutting  out  with  a  knife  all  the  longest  shoots 
and  allowing  the  short  flower-bearing  branches  to 
remain.  These  extend  farther  away  from  the  wall 
than  we  like  to  see,  but  there  is  no  help  for  it,  for 
to  cut  them  ofE,  as  just  stated,  would  be  to  cut 
away  the  next  seasons  flowers.    The  best  aspect 


WINTER  CULTURE  OF  MIGNONETTE. 

Mignonette  is  of  easy  cultivation  when  once  its 
requirements  are  understood.  Some  potfuls  are 
useful  and  acceptable  for  decoration  at  all  times, 
but  especially  in  the  spring  and  early  summer  ;  it 
can  then  be  obtained  in  greatest  perfection. 
Daring  hot  weather  Mignonette  has  a  tendency  to 
produce  seed  so  fast,  that  its  beauty  is  soon  lost. 
It  is  grown  largely  and  well  in  the  London  market 
gardens,  and  it  is  but  reasonable  to  suppose  that 
equally  good  results  should  be  obtained  by  winter 
cultivation  away  in  the  country  where  the  atmo- 
sphere is  much  clearer.  The  earlier  the  seed  is 
sown  in  .September  the  better,  as  the  plants  then 
get  tolerably  strong  and  are  better  enabled  to 
withstand  the  winter.  It  is  best  to  sow  in  the 
pots  in  which  the  plants  are  intended  to  flower. 
These  should  be  5  inches  or  0  inches  in  diameter, 
and  be  used  clean  and  well  drained.  A  good  pro- 
portion of  old  mortar  mixed  with  rather  heavy 
loam  and  some  dried  cow  manure  I  find  to  be  an 
excellent  compost.  This  can  scarcely  be  rammed 
too  hard  in  the  pots  if  used  somewhat  dry,  as  the 
roots  when  once  started  will  penetrate  the  hardest 
of  soils.  In  filling  the  pots  care  must  be  taken  that 
the  whole  cf  the  soil  forms  one  mass,  for  if  it  be 
rammed  in  separate  layers,  neither  the  roots  nor 
water  pass  through  it  so  freely.  A  little  of  the 
same  soil  should  be  sifted  for  covering  the  seed 
after  it  has  been  sown.  The  latter,  if  good,  will  only 
require  sowing  thinly,  and  the  pots  may  be  placed 
in  any  cold  frame  until  the  end  of  October.  Abun- 
dance of  air  should  be  admitted  after  the  plants 
appear,  and  these  should  be  gradually  thinned 
out  to  six  or  eight,  according  to  the  size  of  the 
pot.  It  is  not  advisable  to  thin  too  much  in  the 
autumn,  as  some  of  the  plants  are  liable  to  die 
away  in  the  winter.  Those  selected  should  be 
the  strongest  and  most  evenly  placed  over  the 
surface.  Mignonette  is  best  kept  through  the 
winter  in  a  cool  place  where  all  available  light 
can  be  obtained  and  air  admitted  on  favourable 
occasions.  It  should  not  be  encouraged  to  grow 
in  mid-winter,  as  it  then  becomes  so  weak,  neither 
should  it  be  exposed  to  dry  fire  heat.  A  position 
near  the  glass  in  a  house  where  Carnations,  llou- 
vardias,  and  such  like  plants  flower  in  winter  suits 
it  admirably,  as  the  circulation  of  air  admitted  by 
the  laps  of  the  glass  prevents  injury  to  the  Migno- 
nette by  the  necessary  fire  heat  in  severe  weather. 

Frames,  such  as  are  used  for  bedding  plants 
and  where  heat  is  only  applied  to  expel  damp  and 
keep  out  frost,  may  also  be  employed,  but  as  these 
have  often  to  be  covered  up  during  a  spell  of 
frost,  the  house  has  a  material  advantage.  Some 
advise  keeping  Mignonette  dry  in  winter,  but  I 
consider  this  quite  a  mistake.  The  plants  do  not 
require  so  much  water  at  this  season,  but  some 
should  be  given  whenever  necessary.  If  this  is 
not  done  in  all  probability  they  will  die  when  it 
is  given  after  allowing  them  to  get  quite  dry.  As 
the  days  lengthen  in  spring  and  the  flowers  show, 
plenty  of  water  should  be  applied.  A  little  arti- 
ficial manure  mixed  at  first  with  an  equal  portion 
of  dry  loam  and  spread  with  a  label  over  the  sur- 
face of  the  soil  will  prove  beneficial,  and  the 
strength  may  be  increased  with  safety  as  the 
plants  progress.  A  small  stick  placed  to  each 
plant  when  young  will  keep  them  from  falling 
about,  and  a  much  better  shaped  plant  can  be 
obtained  than  if  it  be  tied  later  on.  ISatches  to 
succeed  these  may  be  sown  at  intervals  during  the 
summer,  and,  with  the  exception  of  selecting  a 
cool  position,  the  same  treatment  may  be  adopted. 

The  best  variety  we  have  found  for  pot  culture 
is  a  selected  form  of  Miles's  Spiral.  It  is  not 
easy  to  obtain  it  true  from  seedsmen  or  to  keep 


it  true  if  other  sorts  are  grown.  The  best  plan  is 
to  weed  out  any  plants  that  are  not  true  so  soon 
as  the  first  flowers  open,  and  save  seed  from  the 
best  and  most  vigorous  growing  forms ;  a  select 
strain  can  thus  be  obtained  even  in  one  season, 
and  it  can  only  be  kept  true  by  growing  the  one 
variety  and  saving  seed  annually,  from  the  spring 
flowering  plants  preferred.  The  true  variety  above- 
mentioned  is  a  vigorous  grower  with  broad  foliage, 
and  the  spikes  attain  a  length  of  'J  inches  or 
more  under  good  cultivation.  It  would  be  a  great 
advantage  to  private  gardeners  to  save  seed  them- 
selves of  any  good  annual  plant  they  may  possess 
and  such  as  cannot  be  obtained  true  with  certainty 
from  other  sources.  Where  numerous  varieties 
have  of  necessity  to  be  grown  near  each  other  for 
seed  production,  the  inferior  forms  will  seed  most 
freely,  and,  worse  still,  the  pollen  from  these 
becomes  distributed  to  the  better  ones,  and  so 
causes  their  deterioration.  Mignonette  is  a  case 
in  point.  Let  the  above  advice  regarding  it  be 
put  into  practice  and  the  results  will  well  repay 
the  extra  trouble  incurred.  J.  G.  K. 


ThUQbergIa  alata  is  a  free-growing  green- 
house or  half  hardy  annual  well  worth  growing. 
A  friend  of  mine  calls  the  white  variety  Black- 
eyed  Susan,  on  account  of  the  characteristic  dark 
blotch  in  the  mouth  of  the  corolla.  Seeds  sown 
in  February  or  March  soon  form  flowering  plants, 
and  they  may  either  be  grown  in  baskets  or  used 
for  fringing  the  fronts  of  shelves  or  staging  in  the 
greenhouse  or  conservatory.  The  white  variety 
is,  as  I  think,  the  prettiest,  but  there  are  alto  buff 
and  orange  kinds  equally  showy.  There  is  also  a 
pure  white  form  without  the  black  throat,  which 
is  very  pretty.  As  companion  plants  for  these 
Thunbergias  nothing  can  be  prettier  than  Mauran- 
dias,  white,  lilac,  and  purple,  and  they  may  be 
grown  under  the  same  treatment. — F.  W.  B. 

Etrelitzia  regiaa — This  is  really  a  hand- 
some as  well  as  a  distinct  plant,  and  one  which  is 
well  deserving  of  more  attention  than  it  gets  now- 
a-days,  the  more  especially  that  it  blooms  in  the 
dull  season  of  the  year.  It  thrives  best  in  good 
turfy  loam  with  some  sand  and  a  little  leaf-soil, 
giving  good  drainage  and  potting  rather  firm.  A 
certain  amount  of  shade  is  necessary  in  summer, 
out  this  must  not  be  overdone,  or  the  growth 
made  will  lack  solidity.  Plenty  of  water  at  the 
roots  without  souring  the  soil,  with  abundance  of 
atmospheric  moisture  during  the  growing  season,  is 
absolutely  necessary,  not  forgetting  a  liberal  ad- 
mission of  air  in  fine  weather.  The  observance 
of  these  details  will  ensure  a  free,  strong  growth 
followed  by  a  good  show  of  bloom  at  the  proper 
season, — J.  C.  B. 

Rhododendron  exonienee.— I  have  long 
been  an  admirer  of  the  hybrid  greenhouse  Rhodo- 
dendrons alluded  to  in  the  last  number  of  The 
Garden  (p.  177),  both  on  account  of  their  size  an  1 
markings  of  the  flowers,  and  also  their  pleasing 
fragrance.  As  a  rule  they  are  of  very  straggling 
habit,  and  must  either  be  trained  to  a  wall  or  over 
balloon  trellises,  for  both  of  which  purposes  it 
must  be  admitted  they  are  well  adapted.  On  a 
recent  visit  to  Messrs.  R.  Veitch  and  Son's  Exeter 
Nurseries  I  was  much  interested  in  a  large  batch 
of  Rhododendron  exoniense  which  this  firm  has 
raised,  and  amof  opinion  that  it  must  eventually  be- 
come popular  wherever  greenhouse  plants  are  in 
demand.  It  is  evidently  as  shrubby  in  habit  as 
any  Indian  Azalea,  and  apparently  quite  as  flori- 
ferous.  That  it  fully  merited  the  certificates  of 
the  Royal  Horticultural  and  Botanical  Societies 
there  can  be  no  doubt,  and  I  consider  The  Gak- 
DEN  has  done  good  service  in  bringing  it  still  more 
prominently  before  the  public. — W.  I.  M. 

Mutisla  decurrens. — In  answer  to  "  Vero- 
nica," allow  me  to  mention  that  I  have  one  plant 
of  Mutisia  decurrens  planted  three  years  ago  in 
sandy  loam  outside  small  greenhouse  facing  south. 
It  is  now  4  feet  high  (I  train  it  low),  and  covers 
l.'j  feet  of  trellis.  I  never  prune  it  nor  disturb  its 
roots  by  digging,  but  am  obliged  to  keep  it  within 
due  bounds  by  supplying  my  friends  with  the  off- 
shoots.    It  flowers    freely  and    looks    perfectly 


Srpt.  fi    1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


19& 


healthy. — Alice  F.  JIalcolm,  Achnamara,  Loch- 
giljilwad.  

THE  r.VLM  HOUSE  AT  KEW. 
The  illustration  below,  reproduced  froto  a  photo- 
graph, represents  a  glimpse  of  the  luxuriant 
tropical  vegetation  contained  in  the  great  Palm 
honse  in  the  Royal  Gardens  at  Kew.  The  abun- 
dant space  which  this  lofty  and  capacious  hot- 
house affords  admits  of  the  plants  being  arranged 
80  a.i  to  produce  the  most  imposing  effects,  and  we 


border  the  greater  bulk  of  the  plants  could  be 
planted  with  advantage  as  regards  their  health, 
their  appearance,  and,  not  least,  in  the  reduction 
of  labour  in  their  culture.  Special  grants  of 
the  needful  have  been  far  less  profitably  employed 
than  would  be  the  case  were  the  money  applied  in 
remedying  what  we  have  long  considered  to  be  a 
drawback  to  the  noble  Palm  house  in  this  our 
great  national  garden. 

Our  illustration  represents  several  of  the  most 
beautiful    line-leaved    plants    contained    in    the 


fan-lite  foliage  in  the  middle  background  Is 
Rhapis  flabelliformis  with  Phccnix  reclinata  in 
front  of  it.  The  Calocasia,  Pancratium,  Calathea, 
and  Eucharis  in  the  foreground  are  the  other  pro- 
minent features  of  this  beautiful  plant  group. 


FUCHSIAS  IN  WILTSHIRE. 

Those  desirous  of  seeing  Fuchsias  in  perfection 
should  visit  the  horticultural  exhibitions  held  at 
D3viz3s,    Trowbridge,    Bath,    Calne,    and    other 


a.-e  pltased  to  note  that  during  the 
past  few  years  far  more  attention 
has  been  paid  at  Kew  with  regard 
to  the  effective  grouping  of  plants 
in  the  houses  than  formerly.  Great 
Improvements   have   been   carried 
out  in  the  I'alm  house  in  the  mat- 
ter of  arranging  the  plants,  but  no 
really  good  result  will  accrue  from 
any  efforts  bestowed  upon  it  in  this 
direction  until  the  great  obstruc- 
tion to  not  only  effective  arrange- 
ment, but  to  the  well-being  of  the 
plants,  has  been  removed.  To  those 
who  are  familiar  with  the  house 
we  need  hardly  say  that  allusion 
is  made    to  the  perforated    iron 
with  which  the  house  is  floored, 
except  in  the  central  part,  which 
pirt  is  really  the  only  spot  where 
ihe  plants  can  be  planted  in  free 
soil,  and  where  they  can  be  seen 
growing  as  luxuriantly  as  in  the 
Tropics— a  serious  blunder  by  the 
designer     of    the    heating    appa- 
ratus   of    the  house,  and   unfor- 
tunately one  which  would  involve  a 
considerable  outlay  to  remedy.  The 
alteration  could  without  doubt  be  effected  with- 
out in  the  least  impairing  the  heating  capabilities 
of  the  present  apparatus.     No  one  ever  thinks  of 
constructing  a    house    now-a-days,  especially    a 
large  one,  with  the  heating  pipes  placed  imme- 
diately beneath  the  pots  and  tubs  requiring  even 
in  the  depth  of  winter  the  perpetual  application 
of  the  water  hose.     A  border  of  deep  soil,  such 
exists    in   the   central   part    of   this  house  and 
in  the  noble  temperate  house  in    the  adjoining 
part  of  the  gardens,  is  what  is  required  through- 
out   the  wings  of    the    I'alm    house.      In    this 


A  corner  in  the  Palm  house  nt  Eew. 

house.  The  plumy-leaved  plant  in  the  foreground, 
like  a  spreading  mass  of  ostrich  feathers,  repre- 
sents a  tine  example  of  the  rare  Australian  Cycad, 
Macrozamia  Dennisoni.  Behind  it  to  the  right  is 
its  commoner  relative,  Oycas  circinalis.  The  noble 
leaved  Palm  towering  to  the  left  above  all  the 
rest  is  the  Stevensonia  grandiflora,  and  imme- 
diately behind  it  is  a  grand  specimen  of  the 
Ivory  Palm  (Phytelephas  macrocarpa;,  one  of  the 
stemless  section.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the 
illustration  may  be  seen  leaves  of  the  elegant 
Attalea  Cohune,  also  a  I'alm,  while  the  mass  of 


neighbouring  places  during  the  months  of  August 
and  September.  It  is  an  indisputable  fact  that 
Fuchsias  are  seldom  presented  in  good  form  at 
the  various  horticultural  shows  held  about  the 
country.  There  are  exceptions,  but  they  are  very 
rare.  One  comes  into  contact  with  the  framewort 
of  plants,  large  and  small,  their  branches  too 
often  sparsely  covered  with  foliage ;  the  main 
branches  can  be  seen  through  the  leaves,  and  the 
flowers  are  poor  in  character.  At  the  exhibition 
of  the  Trowbridge  Horticultural  Society,  held  on 
Wednesday,  August  ^0,  there  were  classes  for  six 


soo 


THE     GARDEN 


[Sept.  C,  1884. 


and  four  Fuchsias  shown  by gentlemsn's  gardeners, 
classes  for  nurserymen,  and  also  for  cottagers.  I 
have  no  hesitation  in  stating  that  the  plants  shown 
hv  the  latter  were  far  in  advance  of  what  is  seen 
produced  by  gentlemen's  gardeners  and  amateurs 
at  many  provincial  shows.  The  great  majority  of 
them  were  grown  in  the  open  air  ;  they  averaged 
from  2i  feet  to  5  feet  in  height,  were  mainly  of  pyra- 
midal shape,  clothed  with  luxuriant  foliage,  over- 
laid with  very  line  flower.^.  These  cottagers  also 
had  specimens  of  zonal  Pelargoniums  that  would 
have  done  credit  to  the  best  London  or  provincial 
exhibitions.  In  the  amateufs'  classes  for  six  and 
four  plants  there  were  four  collections,  and  the 
worst  were  infinitely  better  tlian  the  best  I  had 
previously  seen  at  any  exhibition.  The  best  six 
specimens  were  staged  by  the  recognised  cham- 
pion Fuchsia  grower  of  the  west  of  England  — 
Mr.  James  Lye,  gardener  to  the  Hon.  Mrs.  Hay, 
Clyffe  Hall,  Market  Livington.  They  were 
growing  in  IG-inch  pots,  were  9  feet  in  height, 
and  i!;  feet  through  at  the  base ;  they  were 
densely  clothed  with  healthy  foliage  that  came 
down  to  the  very  bottom  of  the  pots,  and  literally 
covered  with  large  clusters  of  flowers.  The  plants 
had  a  more  formal  appearance  than  some  others 
that  were  staged  in  competition  with  them,  but 
this  is  as  much  a  necessity  as  anything,  for  Mr. 
Lye  has  to  take  his  plants  a  considerable  dis- 
tance by  road,  and  it  is  absolutely  necessary  that 
the  flowering  branches  be  tied  in  close,  not  only 
to  prevent  them  from  whipping  against  each  other 
and  so  damage  the  flowers,  but  also  for  the  con- 
venience of  transit  in  vans.  As  cultural  speci- 
mens they  were  perfect.  I  may  state  that  the 
plants  were  two  and  three  j'ears  old  each.  Mr. 
Lye's  best  six  varieties  consisted  of  Final,  the 
Hon.  Mrs.  Hay,  and  Doel's  Favourite,  dark  varie- 
ties, the  last  named  one  remarkably  free  of  bloom, 
though  this  is  characteristic  of  all  the  Wiltshire- 
raised  Fuchsias;  Arabella,  Mrs.  Bright, and  Beauty' 
of  the  \Vest  were  light,  the  two  last  varieties 
raised  by  Mr.  Lye.  Mr.  G.  Tucker,  gardener  to 
Major  Clarke,  Trowbridge,  was  second  The  plants 
were  broader  than  those  shown  by  Mr.  Lye,  be- 
cause grown  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood,  and 
the  same  necessity  for  guarding  against  transit 
by  road  did  not  exist,  but  they  were  very  good, 
and  not  a  great  way  behind  Mr.  Lye's  in  point  of 
quality.  The  varieties  were  Load-me- well. 
Charmer,  Doel's  Favourite,  and  Bountiful,  dark  ; 
Arabella  and  Emily  Doel,  light.  Third,  Mr.  H. 
Pocock,  gardener  to  Mr.  .J.  P.  Haden,  who  had 
Bountiful,  Charming,  and  Doel's  Favourite,  dark  ; 
and  Maggie,  Arabella,  and  Beauty  of  Wilts,  light. 
Then  in  the  class  for  four  specimens  Mr.  Lye  was 
again  first,  with  Henry  Brook  and  Dake  of  Albany, 
dark;  Star  of  Wilts  and  Emily  Lye,  light — alibis 
own  raising.  In  this  class  Mr.  Pooock  took  second 
place,  having  Elegance  and  Doel's  Favourite, 
dark ;  Rose  of  Castile  and  Jlabel,  light.  The 
third  and  fourth  collections  were  both  very  good. 

Really,  there  does  not  appear  to  be  a  great  deal 
oE  difEculty  about  cultivating  such  splendid  speci- 
mens. S^me  might  be  led  to  suppose  that  Mr. 
Lye  has  an  abundance  of  glass  under  which  to 
bring  on  his  plants,  but  the  fact  is,  Clyffe  Hall  is 
very  deficient  in  this  respect.  The  greater  portion 
of  the  cultural  process  is  done  in  the  open  air. 
About  the  third  week  in  October  the  plants  are 
cut  back  to  the  shape  required.  They  are  then 
kept  dry  for  a  week  or  ten  days  to  check  anything 
like  bleeding  of  the  sap  ;  then  a  little  water  is 
given  — just  enough  to  encourage  them  to  make 
about  three-quarters  of  an  inch  of  growth,  as  Mr. 
Lye  states,  to  "save  the  old  wood,"  meaning 
thereby  to  excite  the  sap  sufHciently  to  keep  the 
old  wood  alive  and  plump.  The  plants  are  then  kept 
in  a  cold  house,  and  but  little  water  is  given  up 
to  the  first  or  second  weeks  in  February,  when  the 
plants  are  turned  out  of  their  pots,  the  old  soil 
shikeu  clear  of  the  roots,  and  then  repotted  in  a 
new  compost  made  up  by  putting  three  parts  of 
good  loam  with  one  part  well  decomposed  cow 
manure,  one  part  leaf-mould  and  peat,  with  a 
liberal  addition  of  silver  sand  or  rough  sea  sand 
to  keep  it  all  open.  At  the  first  potting  the  plants 
are  placed  in  smaller  pots,  and  they  are  shifted  on 


as  required  until  they  are  in  the  blooming  pots. 
About  the  first  week  in  June  the  plants  are  placed 
out-of-doors  on  a  sheltered  border,  and  sj-ringed 
during  hot  and  drying  weather  every  day  to  keep 
down  red  spider  and  encourage  a  healthy  develop- 
ment of  foliage ;  the  leading  shoots  are  stopped 
till  about  seven  or  eight  weeks  before  the  date  on 
which  the  plants  are  required  for  exhibition,  ac- 
cording, of  course,  to  the  requirements  of  the 
several  varieties  taught  by  experience,  as  some  re- 
quire more  time  than  others  to  get  into  a  good 
blooming  condition.  Liquid  manure  water  is 
given ;  cow  manure  is  preferred  with  a  little  soot 
added,  and  this  is  soaked  in  a  tub  eight  or  ten 
days  before  being  used  ;  a  good  dose  is  given  about 
once  a  week.  A  rough  framework  is  erected  by 
Mr.  Lye,  and  over  this  is  stretched  some  floral 
shading,  high  enough  to  allow  of  fall  play  to  the 
tops  of  the  plants  ;  this  shades  from  sun-heat,  and 
also  wards  off  ill  effects  from  hail  and  heavy 
rains. 

This  is  a  very  simple  cultural  process.  Any 
gardener  can  carry  it  out  if  only  his  heart  be  in 
his  work.  There  is  no  reason  why  better  Fuchsias 
should  not  be  grown  than  now  exist.  They  can 
be  had,  and  the  cultural  plan  adopted  by  Mr.  Lye 
is  thus  described  in  the  hope  that  others  may  be 
induced  to  follow  it.  To  those  ambitious  to  excel 
in  the  culture  of  Fuchsias  I  strongly  commend 
the  Wiltshire  practice.  R.  Dean. 


early  in  June.  A  bed  of  them  in  a  sheltered 
corner  of  the  garden  will  furnish  an  abundant 
supply  of  cut  flowers  during  July,  August,  and 
September. — J.  DOUGLAS. 


NOTES. 


Lilium  lanclfolium. — The  several  varieties 
of  this  lovely  Lily  are  extremely  well  suited  for 
amateur  gardeners,  as  they  require  but  little  glass 
protection  to  bring  their  flowers  out  in  the  highest 
perfection.  I  know,  indeed,  several  cottagers  who 
have  a  fine  display  in  autumn,  made  by  plants 
grown  entirely  out  of  doors.  The  most  successful 
method  seems  to  be  to  repot  as  soon  as  the  foliage 
dies  down  before  winter  sets  in,  using  turfy  soil 
and  leaf-mould  or  rotten  manure.  The  pots  are 
then  stored  away  in  any  shed  or  cellar  secure  from 
frost  until  growth  commences  in  spring.  They  are 
then  placed  in  a  cold  frame  or  under  some  other 
temporary  covering  on  frosty  nights,  and  as  the 
days  lengthen  they  are  set  out  in  open,  sunny 
po.%itions.  Great  care  is  necessary  not  to  over- 
water  them  or  to  let  them  suffer  from  lack  of 
moisture,  for  red  spider,  if  once  established  on  the 
leaver,  soon  spoils  them.  A  good  .syringing  after 
•hot  days  is  a  great  aid  to  them.  When  they  show 
bloom  the  shoots  should  be  securely  fastened  to 
neat  stakes,  but  not  too  tightly,  and  if  a  cool  glass 
structure  is  available,  they  will  make  a  grand 
display  if  brought  into  it  as  the  blooms  are  about 
to  expand.  All  the  varieties  are  good,  but  the 
best  are  album  and  rubrum  ;  the  first  nearly  clear 
white,  the  latter  prettily  spotted  with  red.— J. 
Groo.m,  Gosport, 

Bouvardias. — All  the  varieties  of  Bouvardias 
are  remarkably  well  grown  in  the  Slough  Nursery. 
Large  quantities  are  grown  in  pots  to  produce  a 
good  display  late  in  the  autumn  and  winter 
months.  The  double  white  variety  Alfred  Neuner 
is  a  most  valuable  variety  for  all  the  purposes 
that  these  flowers  are  required,  and  in  its  way  the 
double  pink  President  Garfield  is  equally  valu- 
able. Vreelandi  and  Hogarth  are  amongst  the 
best  of  the  single  forms.  The  best  treatment  for 
them  during  the  summer  and  autumn  months  is 
to  plunge  the  pots  containing  the  plants  in  Cocoa- 
nut  fibre  refuse  out  of  doors;  they  grow  with  great 
vigour,  and  if  the  points  of  the  growing  shoots 
are  pinched  out  two  or  three  times,  the  plants  be- 
come well  furnished  with  short  growths,  each 
of  them  in  time  to  'oecome  furnished  with  a  truss  of 
flowers.  Mr.  Turner  had  planted  a  long  bed  with 
B.  Humboldti  corymbiflora  ;  they  were  old  plants 
and  are  now  well  furnished  with  blooms,  which 
are  being  cut  daily  in  large  quantities.  They  are 
quite  in  the  open  ground,  but  a  light  framework 
has  been  fixed  on  which  to  place  some  spare  lights 
to  protect  them  from  heavy  rams.  Such  quantities 
of  snow-white  flowers  are  very  valuable  at  any 
time.  Any  old  plants  of  the  different  species  and 
varieties  of  Bouvardia  that  have  flowered  during 
the  winter  may  be  planted  at  the  usual  time  for 
planting  out  bedding  plants  in  the  end  of  May  or 


Fruity  autumn — The  green  turf  beneath 
the  Plane  trees  is  strewn  with  warm  russet-tinted 
leaves ;  the  white  Magnolia  flowers  glisten  soft 
and  white  as  a  dove's  breast  among  the  glossy 
foliage  ;  and  the  garden  is  lit  up  bright  with  the 
golden  light  of  big  Sunflowers  and  with  the  flame 
of  glowing  Torch  Lilies.  It  is  warm  and  light; 
although  filmy  cloud  strata  stretch  like  a  veil  be- 
tween our  garden  and  the  sun.  There  is  the  faint- 
est breeze  stirring,  and  golden  Aspen  leaves  flicker 
in  the  light,  and  a  robin  is  singing  its  plaintive 
little  song.  The  Pine  trees  exhale  their  freshest 
odour,  and  beyond  the  sombre  Yew  hedges  the 
topmost  orchard  branches  are  enriched  with  golden 
fruit,  and  stand  out  clearly  against  the  sky. 
The  bees  are  busy  at  their  harvest,  and  the  wasps 
are  clustering  around  the  ripest  of  the  early  Pears 
and  Plums  on  the  old  red  walls.  These  rich,  warm 
days  in  early  autumn  are  most  enjoyable— the 
more  so,  perhaps,  because  they  are  so  rare. 

"  Consider  the  Lilies." — All  those  who  are 
interested  in  Lily  culture  will  be  glad  to  know 
that  Messrs.  J.  H.  Krelage,  of  Plaarlem,  have  just 
published  a  list  of  all  the  books,  &o ,  containing 
coloured  plates,  engravings,  &c.,  of  these  popular 
flowers.  It  is  a  good  appendix  to  such  works  as 
ElwEs'  "Monograph  of  the  Genus  Lilium'' and 
Dr.  Wallace's  "  Notes  on  Lilies,''  and  deserves  the 
notice  of  all  who  wish  to  study  the  genus  critically 
or  to  make  references  for  garden  purposes.  Messrs. 
Krelage  have  done  much  good  service  in  the  ad- 
vance of  floriculture  in  all  ways,  whether  practi- 
cally or  by  way  of  literature,  and  we  wish  they 
would  do  for  the  Iris  and  the  Narcissus  what  they 
have  so  well  done  and  are  doing  for  Queen  Rosa. 

Stock  and  scion. — A  well-marked  instance 
of  variegation  induced  by  grafting  has  been  re- 
ported by  M.  Lemoine,  of  Nancy,  to  the  Central 
Horticultural  Society  of  France.  The  variegation 
occurred  in  the  leaves  of  the  stock  after  and  in 
consequence  of  the  engrafting  upon  it  of  a  scion 
with  variegated  leaves.  Two  cases  are  cited,  the 
slocks  being  different,  the  scion  the  same  in  both 
cases.  The  stocks  were  Passiflora  Raddiana  (ker- 
mesina)  and  I'assiflora  Imperatrice  Eugenie;  the 
scions  were  of  the  variegated  P.  quadrangularis 
aucubajfolia.  They  were  inarched,  and  conse- 
quently the  branch  of  the  stock  above  the  graft 
was  not  cut  away,  but  allowed  to  remain.  From 
this  branch  above  the  graft  branchlets  were  pro- 
duced which  bore  variegated  leaves;  cuttings  were 
taken  from  them,  and  the  result  is  that  two  varie- 
gated varieties  have  been  produced.  M.  Lemoine 
cites  a  converse  experiment.  A  scion  of  Passiflora 
vitifolia  (Tacsonia  Buchanani)  was  grafted  on  a 
stock  of  the  variegated  P.  quadrangularis,  and  has 
subsequently  shown  variegated  leaves.  These  are 
excellent  illustrations  of  the  reciprocal  influence 
of  scion  and  stock. 

Bosa  sulphurea.— A  lady,  who  has  full 
right  to  be  proud  of  a  well-stocked  garden,  invites 
me  every  year  to  see  her  double  white  and  lilac 
Colchicums  and  her  hardy  Cyclamens  in  bloom. 
They  are  in  bloom  earlier  this  year  than  usual, 
and  lovely  they  are,  hundreds  of  blossoms  stretch- 
ing in  long  lines  beneath  some  gnarled  old  Apple 
trees.  I  sometimes  think  the  reason  that  these 
rare  double  Colchicums  do  so  well  in  this  garden  is 
because  the  ground  whereon  thej'  grow  is  so  full 
of  tree  and  shrub  roots  that  it  is  drier  than  usual, 
and  so  their  bulbs  get  ripened  better  than  is  usual 
in  most  places.  But  this  garden  hath  other  trea- 
sures. It  was  here  I  first  saw  the  old  Celestial 
Rose  ;  here  also  Rosa  alba  and  its  variety,  the  old 
Maiden's  Blush,  are  quite  at  home.  So  also  here 
I  found  a  healthy  bush  of  the  old  yellow  Cabbage 
Rose,  grown  in  English  gardens  for  three  centuries 
at  least,  but  rare  in  most  Rose  gardens  of  to-day. 
I  remember  how  well  it  used  to  grow  at  Burghley, 
where  I  first  saw  it  years  ago,  but  here  it  flowers 


Sept.  <*.,  1884  J 


THE     GARDEN 


201 


even  better.  Parkinson  describes  this  Eose  as 
long  ago  as  1G29. 

The  Virgin's  Bower.— No  Clematis  has  a 
sweeter  perfume,  cone  other  is  more  elegant  in  its 
growth  and  inllorescence  than  is  this  old  favourite 
of  long  ago.  Planted  at  the  foot  of  a  dead  bush 
or  over  an  arbour  or  near  the  pillar  of  a  low 
verandah,  and  it  will  become  a  thing  of  beauty 
after  many  days.  Since  the  advent  of  the  new 
seedling  Clematises  of  the  large-flowered  races,  I 
am  afraid  that  we  have  in  some  measure  neglected 
the  old  species  our  grand  motliers  loved  and  grew 
in  their  quaint  old  gardens  of  days  agone.  Of  all 
these,  however,  C.  Flammula  should  have  a  place 
for  autumn  show,  as  also  C.  montana  for  its  silvery 
stars  in  spring. 

Big  Sunflowers. — No  annuals  are  more 
readily  grown  than  are  the  varieties  of  Helianthus 
annuu>,  and  no  flowers  are  more  pleasing,  if  pro- 
perly used,  for  good  effect.  We  have  here  a  yard 
.or  enclosure  surrounded  by  walls  and  pleached 
hedges,  and  in  the  centre  is  a  large  heap  of 
manure  and  garden  refuse  which  if  left  bare 
would  not  be  beautiful.  On  this  heap  are  Vege- 
table Marrows,  and  among  them  a  few  seedling 
Sunflowers  were  planted  in  May.  These  last  are 
now  most  showy  as  seen  over  the  hedges  from  a 
distance,  and  backed  by  grey  Pine  foliage  and  the 
sombre  tints  of  Cypress  and  Arbor- vitre.  They  are 
not  so  pretty  if  dotted  about  singly,  but  in  great 
masses  they  are  very  effective  just  now. 

Lathyrua  tuberosus. — This  is  a  very  pretty 
Everlasting  Pea  of  rambling  habit,  and  which 
for  most  part  of  the  summer  and  autumn  months 
bears  a  profusion  of  bright  rosy  flowers  in  dense 
clusters  all  over  its  young  growth.  Once  well 
planted  at  the  foot  of  a  hedge  or  at  the  base  of  a 
dead  bush,  it  needs  no  further  attention  and  forms 
a  really  beautiful  object  for  several  months  in  the 
year.  It  would  look  still  more  effective  if  mixed 
along  with  the  pure  white  variety  of  L.  latifolius, 
either  as  above  recommended  or  planted  on  the 
turf  where  they  could  grow  at  their  own  sweet 
will  together. 

Hardy  Ericas.— It  is  always  a  matter  of  sur- 
prise to  me  that  these  plants  are  so  seldom  seen  at 
their  best  in  gardens  generally.  Perhaps  soil  and 
climate  may  have  something  to  do  with  it  after 
all.  For  country  places  high  up  on  the  hills,  and 
for  the  grounds  surrounding  shooting  boxes  where 
the  soil  is  peaty  or  wherever  natural  Heaths  grow, 
nothing  else  could  be  more  appropriate  than  these 
shrubs  in  masses  on  the  cool  turf.  Of  the  best 
now  in  bloom  is  E.  ramulosa,  a  mass  of  deep  pink 
bells:  E.stricta  and  E.  Allporti  are  also  effective, 
and  for  a  dense  carpet  none  are  better  than  the 
dwarf-growing  E.  carnea  and  its  different  forms. 
As  seen  in  bold  groups  and  masses  they  are  most 
effective,  and  even  when  not  in  ilower,  their  fea- 
thery growth  contrasts  well  with  Pihododendrons 
and  other  hardy  shrubs. 

Batatas  paniculatus.—Thls  tropical  Bind- 
weed is  perhaps  best  known  as  a  rampant  and 
effective  climbing  plant  in  a  large  house,  but  it  is 
amenable  to  culture  in  small  pots,  and  cuttings  of 
it  taken  off  in  March  root  freely  and  bloom  well 
the  same  year.  Xice  little  plants  in  5-inch  pots 
trained  round  a  few  stakes  and  grown  in  a  sunny 
Btove  are  very  useful  and  effective,  and  the  flowers 
show  to  better  advantage  as  thus  brought  nearer 
to  the  eye  than  is  generally  the  case.  When  the  old 
tubers  begin  to  sprout  out  in  the  spring  quite 
large  shoots  may  be  rooted  and  potted  off,  and 
these  soon  begin  to  flower.  This  plant  is  also  a 
good  stock  on  which  to  graft  Ipomsja  Horsfallifc 
and  its  white  variety,  although  itself  a  plant  of 
grace  and  beauty. 

Scarborough  Lilies.— Either  as  a  window 
plant  or  as  a  greenhouse  bulb,  this  old  favourite  has 
but  few  equals  at  this  season  of  the  year.  We  have 
two  varieties,  Vallota  purpurea  and  the  white-eyed 
variety  known  as  eximia.  They  are  now  very 
showy,  and  will  continue  attractive  for  several 
weeks  as  the  successional  spikes  open  their 
flowers.  So  far,  I  believe,  this  fine  old  plant  has 
defied  all  the  attempts  of  the  hybridiser,  and  that 


numbers  of  such  attempts  have  been  made  goes 
without  the  saying.  I  have  never  yet  iniuced  this 
plant  to  produce  good  seed,  but  shall  try  again 
this  season.  A  white  Vallota  would  be  a  useful 
plant  for  decorative  purposes,  and  may  not  be  an 
impossibility  after  all. 

St.  John's  Worts.— Some  of  the  best  of  th 
shrubby  Hypericums  are  now  beautifully  in 
bloom,  perhaps  the  best  of  all  being  H.  oblongi- 
folium,  from  North  India,  and  H.  patulum,  from 
.Japan.  Both  are  readily  increased  by  cuttings  or 
by  seeds,  and  should  have  a  place  in  all  good 
gardens.  H.  uralum  (H.  nepalense)  is  of  elegant 
habit,  bearing  flowers  golden  like  the  last,  but 
not  so  large.  The  large  blossomed  H.  triflorum, 
from  Java,  is  growing  well  with  us  this  year,  and 
has  bloomed  in  a  cold  house,  but  not  so  as  yet  out 
of  doors.  H.  sgyptiacum  and  H.  empetrifolium 
are  also  pretty,  as  is  H.  Kalmianum.  H.  reptans  is 
a  gem  for  a  rockery,  as  it  loves  to  hang  its  golden 
blossoms  over  the  stones  and  ledges  at  the  end  of 
red  leafy  shoots  as  fine  as  threads  of  copper  wire. 

Vebokica. 


Fruit  Garden. 

AUTUMN  TREATMENT  OF  FRUIT  TREES 

UNDER  GLASS. 
I  BELIEVE  it  may  be  safely  asserted  that  not  a  few 
cultivators  overlook  the  importance  of,  and  the 
necessity  for,  closer  attention  to  the  requirements 
of  various  kinds  of  fruit  trees  and  Vines  after  the 
crops  have  been  perfected.  For  several  seasons  I 
have  been  paying  extra  close  attention  to  this  im- 
portant subject,  and,  after  various  experiments, 
have  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  it  is  impossible 
to  grow  really  fine  fruit  on  trees  that  have  been 
much  neglected  any  time  from  the  fall  of  the  leaf  to 
the  time  they  are  blooming  again;  in  other  words, 
that  more  depends  upon  the  size  and  perfect  for- 
mation of  the  bloom  buds  than  we,  as  a  rule,  are 
aware  of.  According  to  my  experience,  the  size 
and  shape  of  the  future  fruit  is  more  determined  by 
the  autumn  treatment  of  the  trees  or  Vines  than  by 
the  treatment  given  when  the  fruit  is  swelling  off. 
Large  and  perfect  flowers  or  bunches  of  flowers 
may  with  ordinarily  good  treatment  be  grown  into 
large  and  perfect  fruit  or  bunches  of  fruit  as  the 
case  may  be,  but  undersized  or  malformed  blos- 
soms cannot  by  any  treatment  be  grown  into  full- 
sized,  handsome  fruit.  If  any  proof  of  this  is 
required,  I  need  only  direct  your  readers'  at- 
tention to  the  state  of  too  many  Apple,  Pear,  and 
I'lum  trees  this  season.  Where  the  strongest  and 
best  formed  flowers  escaped  destruction  by  frost, 
there  are  to  be  seen  good  crops  of  fine,  well-shaped 
fruit,  but  where  these  were  destroyed,  the  small, 
late,  and  in  many  cases  imperfectly  formed  blos- 
soms were  followed  by  correspondingly  inferior 
fruit.  A  superficial  observer  might  naturally  form 
the  opinion  that  a  strong,  healthy  fruit  tree  with 
only  a  small  quantity  of  fruit  set  would  swell 
these  to  a  great  size,  but  no  such  thing  occurs, 
unless,  indeed,  such  fruit  resulted  from  the  best 
formed  flowers.  To  a  certain  extent  Dame  Nature 
determines  the  quantity  and  quality  of  our«utside 
fruit  crops,  but  the  case  is  very  different  under 
glass,  as  here  we  are  in  a  position  to  be  more  inde- 
pendent of  climatic  changes,  and  if  we  fail  to 
grow  good  fruit  it  is  usually  our  own  fault. 

Grape  Vines,  Peach,  Nectaeine,  and  Fig 
trees  in  particular  should  never  be  allowed  to 
become  quite  dry  at  the  roots,  as  a  few  days' 
neglect  in  this  respect,  especially  during  such  hot 
weather  as  has  lately  been  experienced,  may  be 
most  detrimental  to  the  next  season's  crops.  Not 
only  should  all  these  be  kept  regularly  supplied 
with  water  in  order  to  insure  a  perfect  formation 
of  buds,  but  they  should  also  be  given  liberal 
supplies  of  liquid  manure,  this  assisting  the  trees 
or  Vines  to  recoup  their  strength  after  the 
exhaustive  maturation  of  the  crops.  In  most  cases 
the  root  action  is  going  on  more  briskly  after 
rather  than  before  the  cessation  of  active  top- 
growth,  the  whole  aim,  if  I  may  so  put  it,  of  the 
plant  being  to  store  up  as  much  food  and  to  pro- 
duce as  many  root  fibres  as  possible  to  begin 


active  life  with  afresh  the  following  season.  If 
then,  we  allow  the  foliage  to  become  badly  over 
run  with  spider  and  other  pests— these  oftentimes 
being  the  natural  consequence  of  neglect  at  the 
roots— and  do  not  encourage  the  formation  of 
plenty  of  fibres,  we  seriously  injure  our  future 
fruit  prospects.  Many  complaints  are  annually 
lieard  of  the  Peach  and  Nectarine  trees  under 
glass  dropping  the  greater  portion  of  their  blos- 
soms in  the  spring,  and  in  most  cases  this  is  entirely 
due  to  either  extreme  poverty  or  dryness  at  the 
roots  during  the  autumn  and  early  winter  months. 
We  are  not  all  in  a  position  to  easily  flood  our 
borders  with  water,  but  most  of  us  can  contrive 
to  give  frequent  and  moderately  heavy  soaking,^, 
and  that  is  all  that  is  necessary.  The  less  water 
available  the  more  need  for  frequent  applications. 
This  at  first  sight  may  appear  inconsistent,  but  I 
find  that  if  we  anticipate  dryness,  a  moderate 
supply  of  water  is  sufticient  to  thoroughly  moisten 
the  whole  border;  whereas  when  once  a  border 
gets  thoroughly  dry  it  requires  a  great  amount  of 
water  to  moisten  it  again,  and  much  runs  away 
without  doing  a  proportionate  amount  of  good. 
After  our  trees  have  been  cleared  of  fruit,  the 
borders  are  cleared  of  the  litter  mulching,  have 
the  surface  very  lightly  broken  up  with  a  fork  to 
prevent  cracking,  are  given  a  good  soaking 
with  diluted  farmyard  liquid  manure,  and  are 
then  finally  heavily  dressed  with  half  decom- 
posed farmyard  manure,  surfacing  this  cer 
with  the  strawy  litter  in  order  to  prevent  its  be- 
coming dry.  More  water  is  given  whenever  the 
borders  approach  dryness,  and  the  engine  is  freely 
used  on  the  trees  in  the  later  houses,  especially 
during  hot  weather.  In  the  early  house  the  foliage 
is  now  well  coated  over  with  flowers  of  sulphur; 
this  being  first  worked  into  a  paste,  which  in  this 
state  mixes  freely  with  water,  can  then  be  readily 
applied  with  a  syringe.  The  sulphur  effectually 
destroys  or  keeps  the  red  spider  in  check,  and  is 
less  prejudicial  to  the  early  ripening  of  the  trees. 
The  results  of  this  attention  to  the  requirements 
of  the  trees  are  plenty  of  healthy  surface  roots, 
well-matured  growths,  and  plump  buds,  followed 
by  abundance  of  healthy  blooms  and  fruit.  This 
season  we  had  an  example  of  what  may  be 
expected  when  trees  are  not  kept  properly 
supplied  with  water.  We  usually  partially 
lift  a  few  of  the  trees  every  season,  replacing 
much  of  the  old  and  exhausted  soil  with  suitable 
fresh  compost.  Last  season,  when  we  had  under- 
mined one  tree  rather  more  exposed  than  the  rest, 
we  found  it  was  excessively  dry  at  the  roots,  more 
especially  near  the  stem.  We  at  once  formed  a 
large  basin  in  the  soil  round  the  stem,  next  pierced 
the  soil  with  a  pointed  iron  rod,  and  eventually 
succeeded  in  thoroughly  moistening  it  again.  This 
spring  but  little  of  the  bloom  fell  off  prematurely, . 
though  unfortunately  few  of  the  blossoms  were 
full  sized  or  perfect  in  form,  and  instead  of  the 
tree  perfecting  the  usual  heavy  crop  of  fine  fruit, 
the  crop  was  almost  worthless.  Cracking  and  im- 
perfect formation  of  the  stones,  followed  by  pre- 
mature ripening  or  bad-shaped  fruit,  are  also,  I 
believe,  the  results  of  neglect  during  the  autumn. 
The  "  yellows  "  are  not  always  consequent  only 
upon  too  deep  root  action,  but  may  be  the 
result  of  poverty  and  dryness  at  the  roots. 

FiG.s  — If  these  are  similarly  neglected,  they 
cannot  be  made  to  swell  their  first  crops  to  a  great 
or  full  size.  Some  of  the  fruit  may  hang  on  and 
ripen,  but  if  small  when  in  an  embryo  state,  I  find 
they  cannot  be  induced  to  swell  out  properly  ;  in 
fact,  the  varieties,  owing  to  the  bad  autumn  treat- 
ment, are  sometimes  unrecognisable  when  fully 
ripened.  Give  well-established  trees  a  good  au- 
tumn mulching  of  decayed  manure  to  root  into 
and  plenty  of  moisture,  and  an  abundance  of  fruit 
will  result.  If  fed  too  liberally  in  the  early  part 
of  the  season,  undesirable  grossness  is  almost  cer- 
tain to  follow,  but  the  autumn  feeding,  however, 
will  not  thus  be  worse  than  wasted.  Our  largest, 
if  not  the  best  flavoured.  Figs  we  gather 
are  grown  in  the  late  Peach  house,  the  trees 
being  as  liberally  treated  as  the  Peaches, 
while  the  smalle  st  fruit  is  gathered  in  a  housewhere 
much  less  liberal  autumn  treatment  has  hitherto 
been  given.    Fig  trees  in  houses  should  have  their 


205 


THE    GARDEN 


[Sept.  fi,  1884. 


growths  freely  thinned  out,  all  late  formed  fruit 
which  will  neither  ripen  this  season  nor  next  should 
be  removed,  plenty  of  air  and  water  given,  and  the 
result  will  ba  an  abundance  of  embryo  Figs  this 
autumn,  many  of  which  will  have  to  be  removed 
next  spring  if  good-sized  fruit  are  required.  The 
Brown  Turkey  is  the  favourite  variety,  and  it  is 
thought  there  are  superior  forms  of  this,  some 
being  more  certain  to  perfect  good  first  crops  than 
others.  It  is  not,  however,  the  particular  variety 
that  is  in  fault,  but  more  the  treatment  given. 
Well-established  trees  planted  near  buildings  or 
open  walls  very  rarely  fail  to  bear  well,  providing 
these  are  protected  from  severe  frosts.  Many 
such  trees  are  growing  in  poor,  hard,  and  dry  soil, 
but  they  invariably  get  plenty  of  moisture  at 
the  roots  during  the  late  autumn  and  winter 
months. 

Geape  Vines,  I  repeat,  also  must  have  plenty 
of  moisture  given  them,  and,  in  fact,  require  as 
much  at  this  time  of  year  as  at  any  time.  Outside 
borders  most  probably  are  now  getting  plenty  of 
moisture,  but  those  Vines  rooting  inside  should  re- 
ceive frequent  waterings  and  occasional  strong 
supplies  of  liquid  manure.  This  will  encourage 
the  formation  of  plenty  of  fibres,  and  in  various 
ways  lay  the  foundation  of  a  heavy  crop  next 
season.  It  will  be  found  on  examination  that 
they  are  now  rooting  freely,  and  where  a  good 
mulching  has  been  given  and  moisture  abounds 
they  will  have  found  their  way  up  into  this  in  all 
directions.  No  drying  off  at  the  roots  should  be 
attempted,  but  if  the  Vines  are  not  ripening  pro- 
perly, plenty  of  air  should  be  given  and  the  fire 
heat  turned  on.  Much  of  the  sub-lateral  growth 
should  also  be  removed,  as  this  serves  no  good 
purpose,  and  may  divert  sap  that  might  be  better 
employed.  \V.  I.  M. 


FOXr  GRAPES  THE  BEST  FLAVOURED. 

It  is,  I  think,  universally  admitted  that  a  bunch 
of  Black  Hamburgh  Grapes  is  in  perfect  condition 
for  the  table  when  the  berries  are  jet  black  and 
the  bloom  perfect.  That  this  is  so  is  abundantly  ex- 
emplified at  every  exhibition,  for  except  where  a 
prize  is  offered  for  the  best  flavour.  Grapes  are 
never  tasted,  the  size  of  the  berries,  the  size  and 
build  of  the  bunch,  and,  above  all,  the  finish  being 
the  only  qualities  taken  into  consideration.  Now, 
I  would  submit  that  what  is  commonly  known  as 
high  finish,  is  not  a  necessary  concomitant  of  high 
quality,  and  that  the  latter  is  quite  as  often  fouud 
in  fruit  that  is  known  as  foxy  in  colour,  the  skin 
of  the  latter  being  thin  and  almost  as  delicate  as 
the  flesh  of  the  Grape.  Of  course  it  will  be  under- 
stood that  I  only  refer  to  Hamburgh  Grapes,  as 
those  intended  to  hang  late  must  have  skins  of 
more  or  less  leathery  texture.  Would  it  not  be  a 
sound  standard  to  set  up  that,  in  its  class,  the 
Grape  in  which  the  greatest  amount  of  sac- 
charine matter  is  present  is  the  one  that  gives  evi- 
dence of  the  h-ghest  culture  ?  It  this  be  so, 
are  not  our  prize  Grape  growers  sacrificing 
quality  at  the  shrine  of  beauty  ?  One  thing 
that  confirms  me  in  this  opinion  is  that 
strong  light  and  sunshine,  which  are  always 
understood  to  be  essential  agents  in  the  perfect 
ripening  of  fruit,  are  not  conducive  to  the  deve- 
lopment of  high  finish  in  Grapes,  the  most  favour- 
able conditions  for  this  being  a  moderately  cool 
temperature  and  comparative  shade.  In  one  of  the 
many  vineries  which  I  have  visited  in  the  course 
of  this  summer  I  noticed  a  striking  proof  of  the 
truth  of  this  theory.  In  one  case  Black  Hamburgh 
Vines,  planted  against  a  back  wall  about  fifteen 
years  ago  when  the  house  was  erected,  have  been 
taken  down  the  ratters,  and  while  the  bunches  on 
the  back  wall  were  fairly  well  CDloured  and 
bloomed,  those  on  the  same  Vines  on  the  rafters 
were  quite  foxy.  The  wood  on  the  back  wall  is 
still  quite  green,  and  that  on  the  rafters  is  brown 
and  hard.  The  grower  was  anxious  to  have  the 
Grapes  all  black,  seeing  that  he  got  2s.  6d.  per 
pound  for  the  back  wall  bunches,  whereas  he  had 
some  difliculty  in  getting  2s.  for  the  imperfectly 
coloured  ones  on  the  rafters,  though  these  were  of 
far  better  quality.    This  example  seems  clearly  to 


prove  that  the  colouring  of  Grapes  is  more 
dependent  on  atmospheric  conditions  than  on  the 
constituents  of  the  border,  coolness  and  shade,  as 
I  have  observed,  being  the  chief  requisites.  It  is 
well  known  that  Grapes  that  have  once  been 
perfectly  black  will,  if  allowed  to  hang  long 
enough,  lose  that  deep  colour ;  is  not,  therefore, 
this  paler  shade  associated  with  more  perfect  ripe- 
ness ?  Scot. 


GLASS  COPINGS  FOR  VINES  ON  WALLS. 

I  AM  no  advocate  of  fixed  glass  copings  for  fruit 
trees  on  walls,  for  the  simple  reason  that  the  tops 
of  the  trees  suffer  from  red  spider  and  other  insect 
pests,  especially  during  hot,  dry  summers  like  the 
present,  so  that  the  benefit  derived  from  the  pro- 
tection in  spring  is  counterbalanced  by  loss  of 
health  in  summer.  I  am  well  aware  that  with  the 
same  amount  of  attention  that  fruit  trees  get 
under  glass  in  the  way  of  daily  syringings,  kc, 
the  trees  can  be  kept  healthy,  but,  as  a  rule,  labour 
is  not  so  liberally  allowed  for  the  wall  trees  as  it 
is  for  the  glass  department ;  consequently,  fixed 
copings  that  keep  olf  rain  and  dew  have  never  j  et 
been  so  popular  as  was  at  one  time  anticipated, 
but  movable  copings  that  can  be  easily  put  up  or 
taken  down  are  decidedly  great  aids  to  the  fruit 
grower.  But  the  maxim  th.at  there  are  no  rules 
without  exceptions  holds  good  in  this  as  in  other 
matters,  for  I  lately  came  across  a  fixed  glass 
coping  doing  excellent  service,  and  one  which  I 
fancy  many  might  copy  with  advantage— I  mean 
by  utilising  them  for  sheltering  and  hastening  the 
ripening  of  Grapes  on  walls,  for  there  can  be  no 
question  as  to  the  possibility  of  having  really  good 
Grapes  in  autumn  of  several  of  the  hardier  kinds, 
in  addition  to  the  other  wall  fruits,  as  the  Vines 
will  luxuriate  close  under  the  glass  and  utilise 
that  portion  of  wall  space  that  one  frequently 
finds  but  very  imperfectly  furnished  with  fruitful 
wood.  In  the  ca^e  alluded  to  a  fixed  glass 
coping  had  been  placed  over  a  very  large  I'ear 
tree  (Beurre  Diel)  which  the  owner  prized  very 
much,  and  by  the  aid  of  his  glass  coping 
and  double  fish-nets  let  down  in  front,  both  as 
a  protection  against  spring  frosts  and  the  attacks 
of  sparrows  destroying  the  bads,  he  usually  had 
some  fine  specimens  of  this  delicious  I'ear.  Now, 
at  one  end  a  shoot  from  a  neighbouring  Vine  was 
allowed  to  run  along  close  under  the  glass,  and, 
getting  well  ripened  by  the  solar  heat,  it  was  left 
at  fall  length,  and  in  due  time  produced  a  splen- 
did crop  of  fruit  that  promise  to  ripen  sooner  than 
the  majority  of  cool  houFe  Vines,  as  they  are  too 
frequently  planted  with  sorts  only  suited  to 
heated  structures.  Now,  I  feel  sure  that  many 
who  have  fixed  glass  copings  could  run  up  single 
canes  of  Vines  at  wide  intervals  and  allow  them 
to  extend  right  and  left  in  cordon  fashion  under 
the  glass,  and  thereby  utilise  the  heat  to  good 
purpose,  for  there  is  no  difticulty  in  keeping  the 
Vine  healthy  under  gla.«s  copings  or  coverings  pro- 
vided the  roots  are  well  cared  for.  We  have  some 
houses  in  which  the  foliage  has  not  been  syringed 
once  this  year,  yet  they  are  as  green  and  luxu- 
riant as  needs  be,  for  the  roots  have  had  plenty  of 
liquid,  and  close  by  the  heat  and  drought  has 
already  defoliated  many  trees  and  shrubs  ;  at  the 
same  time  a  good  washing  with  the  garden  en- 
gine will  doubtless  be  found  to  invigorate  Vines 
as  much  as  other  wall  fruit  trees.  Of  course  the 
thinning,  stopping  of  laterals,  and  other  details 
of  culture  will  need  more  attention  than  Vines 
on  opsn  walls  usually  receive,  for  I  need  hardly 
say  that  where  this  is  afforded  them  really  nice 
crops  of  the  hardiest  kinds  of  Grapes  are 
grown  in  all  sorts  of  seasons  on  open  walls 
without  any  glass  coping  or  protection  what- 
ever. Open  wall  Grape  culture  has  of  late  years 
received  but  scanty  attention,  and  the  failure  of 
the  Vines  to  perfect  their  crops  is  usually  set  down 
to  deterioration  of  climate,  but  I  cannot  help 
thinking  that  the  failures  might  with  more  justice 
be  set  down  to  the  lack  of  attention  bestowed  on 
them,  owing  to  the  pressure  of  work  in  gardens  in 
early  summer,  as  the  increase  of  glass  houses  and 
the  ornamental  branches  of  gardening  allows  but 
little    labour    being    bestowed    on    the   kitchen 


gardens  and  wall  fruits,  for  I  invariably  find  the 
best  examples  of  these  homely  old-fashioned  fruits 
in  gardens  in  which  the  onward  march  of  im- 
provement has  not  been  so  rapid  as  to  destroy  all 
old  customs.  I  could  give  numerous  examples,  but 
perhaps  one  will  suflice,  viz  ,  at  Weirton  Gardens, 
near  Maidstone,  I  never  saw  a  failure  of  open 
wall  Grapes,  Black  Hamburgh,  Foster's  Seedling, 
Muscadines,  Sweetwaters,&o,,  finishing  off  bunches 
that  would  do  credit  to  many  vineries,  simply 
because  the  gardener,  Mr.  Divers,  bestowed 
especial  care  in  training  young  canes  in  every  year, 
stopping  the  shoots,  keeping  an  even,  regular 
spread  of  foliage,  and  other  details  of  culture 
that  are  usually  put  off  until  too  late  owing  to 
over-pressure  in  gardens.  But  I  feel  sure  that 
anyone  having  glass  copings  to  aid  their  wall 
Vines,  and  the  available  labour  to  bestow  on  them 
at  the  right  time,  will  find  a  better  n^turn  than 
from  many  wall  fruit  trees,  for  the  Vine  under 
good  cultivation  never  fails  to  produce  far  more 
bunches  than  are  required  for  a  crop,  and  as  they 
are  late  in  starting  into  growth  spring  frosts  rarely 
affect  them.  In  this  locality  there  is  no  difticulty 
in  having  good  crops  on  open  walls,  but  with  gla.'S 
copings  they  might  be  grown  over  a  wide  area. 
Goy/ort,  Uanti.  James  Geoom. 


Black   Prince  Stra-wberry.— It  is  quite 

probable  that  "  E.  B.'s  "  estimate  (p.  101)  of  this 
Strawberry  may  be  correct  under  the  conditions  he 
has  seen  it  grown,  but  it  does  not  apply  to  all 
places.  lie  may  be  surprised  to  learn  that  I  have 
grown  and  forced  the  Black  Prince  for  twenty 
years,  and  always  had  magnificent  crops  of  fine 
fruit,theberries  of  ten  reaching  adiameler  of  2  inches 
on  forced  plants  only  moderately  thinned,  while 
all  the  others  were  of  a  good  enough  siz6  tor  any 
dessert.  We  grow  it  as  the  FiUbasket  kind, 
emplojing  Vicomtesse  Hcricart  de  Thury  along 
with  it,  but  the  Black  Prince  is  always  the  earliest 
and  most  prolific.  In  numbers  of  instances  I  have 
been  a»ked  for  the  name  of  it  by  friends  of  my 
employers  who  have  eaten  here  in  April.  Of 
course  the  fruits  were  nice  and  ripe,  often  nearly 
black  in  colour.  I  have  a  large  quantity  of  it  now 
in  pots  with  crowns  about  the  size  of  my  thumb 
in  length  and  thickness,  and  these  are  the  kind  of 
plants  that  produce  good  fruit.  P.Iack  Prince  does 
not  do  much  good  in  dry,  warm  soils,  and  is  more 
popular  in  the  north  than  in  the  south.  L'ke  any 
other  variety,  it  produces  small  berries  from  the 
latest  flowers  on  the  truss,  but  these  are  picked  off 
in  forcing.  Outdoors  all  are  useful,  and  the 
quantity  of  fruit  one  good  crown  will  produce  is 
something  fabulous.  On  the  other  hand.  La  Grosse 
Sucri'e,  which  "  E.  B."  praises,  is  a  failure  here  in- 
doors and  out.  In  our  cool  and  rather  heavy  soil  in 
which  the  Black  Prince  is  constantly  fertile  La 
Grosse  Sucrce  produces  immense  leaves  and  very 
little  fruit.  I  have  discarded  it  for  pot  culture 
and  have  not  extended  it  outside,  and  will  pro- 
bably dig  it  down  altogether  next  year.  Straw- 
berries are  good,  but  only  when  you  can  get  enough 
of  them.  I  am  not  the  only  one  who  grows  Blai  k 
Prince  hereabouts  instead  of  the  old  Keen's  Seed- 
ling, which  never  bears. — J.  S.  W. 


SHORT  NOTES.— FRVIT. 

Duke  of  Buccleuch  Grape.— Mr.  W;illis,  the  sm- 
deuer  at  Ket'le  Uall.  uvklently  kiio«s  how  tu  briiip:  out  the 
Ihiest  c|ualltifs  of  this  superb  Grape,  at  thiee  hunches  of 
it  exhiljited  by  him  at  the  Shropsliire  show  the  other  day 
were  most  perfect  specimens,  being  large  in  lien-y,  flne  m 
cjlour,  spotless,  and  grandly  fiLished. -Cumbrian. 

Prolific  Gooseberry.— From  Mr.  E.  Molyneux,  Swan- 
more  I'arii,  Bishop's  Waltlwm,  we  have  received  a  branch 
of  a  Gooseberry  tree  absolutely  loaded  with  fruit,  and  Mr. 
Molyneux  states  that  it  is  a  fair  specinuu  of  the  condiliou 
of  all  his  trees.  Gooseberries  have  been  a  fai-ly  good  crno 
in  most  places  this  year,  but  we  have  seen  none  so  heavily 
cropped  as  tlie  branch  in  question. 

Speedwell  Gooseberry.— Those  who  wish  to  have 
(iooseberries  of  uncommon  size  should  grow  this  variety. 
At  the  late  Shrewsbury  sliow  I  saw  a  cap  tul  dish  of  it  shown 
as  one  of  the  dishes  in  a  prize  collecion  of  fruit  exhibited 
by  Mr.  J.  Lambert,  gardener  to  Colonel  Wiuijfleld,  <  inslow 
llall,  Shrewsbiuy.  To  describe  them  as  lieing  like  pullets' 
eggs  is  not  overstating  their  size  ;  their  colour  was  hue  and 
the  flavour  good.— J.  MuiK. 


Sept.  fi,  1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


203 


Flower  Garden. 


TEUENNIAL  LOBELIAS. 

Few  plants,  if  well    cared  for  and    grown  in 
masses  or  groups,  are  mose  capable  of  contributing 
to  the  beauty  of  autumn  gardens  than  perennial 
or   herbaceous    Lobelias,  and    although  a   little 
fastidious  as  to  position,  very  little  management 
is  needed  in  order  to  have  them  in  perfection. 
They  exist  in  most  gardens  in  some  form  or  other 
— from  L.  syphilitica  and  its  numerous  varieties  to 
the  handsome  L.  splendens — and  although  from 
various  causes  we  do  not  always  see  them  in  the 
perfection  whieli  they  are  capable  of  attaining 
under  liberal  and  proper  treatment,  enough  is 
evinced  to  enable  us  to  recommend  their  more 
general  cultivation.     The  localities  in  which   L 
cardinalis,  L.  splendens,  and  others  are  found  wild 
are  generally  moist,  boggy,  and  wet  places,  and  the 
absurdity  of  growing  semi-bog  plants  in  dry,  sun- 
burnt positions  will  be  at  once  seen.    Our  experi- 
ence with  Lobelias  of  this  class  in  bogs  and  damp, 
partially  shaded  positions  has  been  so  far  success- 
ful.    They  are  said  to  be  tender,  but  we  have  had 
no  trouble  with  them  in  that  respect.     In  winter 
we  simply  scatter  a  few  ashes  or  Cocoa-nut  fibre 


Lolelii  hi/irida ;  colour  violet-purple. 

over  the  crowns  so  as  to  protect  the  young  growths 
from  early  spring  frosts,  and  they  succeed  satis- 
factorily. Where  a  large  stock  is  required  early 
spring  is  the  best  time  to  lift  the  roots,  which  may 
then  be  divided  into  as  many  crowns  as  are  needed. 
They  should  be  potted  singly  in  small  pots,  and, 
where  convenient,  placed  in  a  little  heat  until  they 
begin  to  grow.  They  will  flower  freely  the  fol- 
lowing season,  and  have  much  finer  and  larger 
flowers  than  those  left  nndisturbed.  They 
may  also  be  raised  from  seed,  which  they  ripen 
freely. 

Varieties.— For  garden  purposes,  L.  fulgens, 
cardinalis,  and  splendens  are  about  equal  in  merit, 
and  it  seems  a  waste  of  time  to  separate  the  three! 
Dr.  Gray  in  his  "  Synopsis  "  describes  the  two  last 
as  distinct  species,  and  no  donbt  they  are  in  a 
wild  state,  but  their  garden  descendants  under 
good  and  careful  cultivation  are  difficult  to  dis- 
tinguish :  indeed,  in  some  instances,  almost  impos- 
sible. We  have  received  seed  of  L.  splendens 
true  from  the  banks  of  the  Arizona,  California, 
and  the  produce  of  this  is  very  distinct  from  that 
found  in  gardens,  answering  in  all  particulars  to 
Gray's  description  ;  but  when  we  take  ignea,  and 
compare  it  with  some  of  the  varieties  of  cardinalis, 
the  line  of  demarcation  is  hard  to  draw.  The  fol- 
lowing is  Gray's  description  : — 

I  ^;, ^-^fyAUii.-MiDutely  iiubcsceiit  or  glabrous,  2  feet 
10  1  teet  nigli ;  leaves  from  oljloug-ovate  to  oblong-lanceo- 


late, t.aperinff  to  both  ends,  irregularly  serrate  or  serrulate, 
lower  bracts  leafy,  tubeof  caly.\  ami  capsule  heniiapherical, 
much  shorter  than  the  suliulate  linear  lobes  ;  tdbe  of  the 
corolla  about  an  inch  lonp,  the  intense  red  of  the  corolla 
rarely  varying  to  rose  or  even  white.  This  species  dillers 
distinctly  fiom  L.  fulgens  in  being  devoid  of  pubescence, 
and  al.so  in  having  the  divisions  of  the  lower  lip  obtuse 
instead  of  linceolute  or  acute.  A  very  useful  and  showy 
plant,  and  one  capable  of  improvement  at  the  hands  of 
tlorisls. 

T.  SPLENP'^NS. — More  flender  than  the  above,  gl.abrous  or 
nearly  so :  leaves  lane  olate  ct  almost  linear,  glandular 
denticulate,  all  but  the  lower  sessile. 

Under  this  species  I  am  inclined  to  place  the 
variety  ignea  and  the  so-called  Victoria? ;  the 
former  I  take  to  be  a  good  cultivated  splendens  ; 
the  latter  the  variety  of  splendens  figured  in  the 
Botanical  Muiiazi lie  (t.  4002)  —both  very  handsome 
and  desirable  plants.  The  plant  represented  by 
the  annexed  illustration  is  generally  called  L. 
bybrida,  and  is  acknowledged  to  be  the  offspring  of 
L  syphilitica  on  the  one  side,  and  either  L.  fulgens 
cardinalis  or  splendens  on  the  other — probably  the 
former,  because  the  same  plant  has  been  long 
known  in  gardens  as  L.  fulgens  var.  violacea,  L. 
speciosa,  and  L.  Milleri.  The  colour  of  the  (lowers 
is  a  beautiful  violet,  seemingly  combining  the 
bright  red  of  fulgens  with  the  rich  purple  of 
syphilitica.  L  fulgens  is  a  handsome,  distinct, 
and  striking  plant ;  it  differs  considerably  from 
all  the  others  in  having  revolute  margins  to  the 
leaves,  and  in  the  whole  being  downy  and  with  a 
reddish  instead  of  purple  stem.  K. 


and  make  good  blooming  plants  by  August.  They 
will  flower  earlier  than  this,  but  it  is  better  to 
pick  off  the  first  buds  that  form,  which  causes 
them  to  branch,  and  the  flowers  come  larger  and 
better  than  when  allowed  to  bloom  so  early,  as 
they  get  firmer  root-hold.  There  is  no  particular 
difficulty  about  the  culture  of  these  Japan  Pinks  ; 
but  if  they  become  very  dry  at  the  roots  they  are 
apt  to  get  into  a  knotted  condition,  from  which  it 
is  diflicult  to  remove  them. — J.  C.  B. 


Golden  Bartonia. — This  annual  appears  to 
have  rather  exceptional  powersof  resisting  drought, 
During  the  late  hot  weather  it  continued  to  bloom 
uninterruptedly,  not  showing  the  least  signs  of 
distress.  This  is  an  old  plant,  but  one  which  for 
some  years  appeared  to  be  almost  lost  sight  of. 
The  flowers  are  large,  of  a  bright  golden  yellow, 
with  a  large  bunch  of  stamens  in  the  centre  much 
in  the  way  of  the  St.  John's  Wort ;  the  foliage  is 
elegantly  formed,  and  the  whole  appearance  of 
the  plant  very  distinct.  For  summer  blooming 
the  seed  should  be  sown  about  the  middle  of  May 
in  well  enriched  and  deeply  stirred  soil,  and  the 
plants  will  then  continue  in  flower  up  to  the 
middle  of  September. — J.  C.  B. 

Funkia  suboordata  grandiflora.— This 

plant  is  quite  hardy  on  many  warm  dry  soils  in 
mild  localities,  but  as  a  pot  plant  in  a  greenhouse 
or  conservatory  it  is  most  beautiful.  It  reminds 
one  of  Eurycles  australasica,  but  it  is  a  good  deal 
more  handsome  in  leaf  and  blossom  alike.  As  a 
companion  window  plant  with  the  old  scarlet 
Scarborough  Lily  (Vallota)  it  is  unique,  and  yet,  if 
I  am  not  mistaken,  it  is  a  rare  plant  in  most  gar- 
dens. The  flowers  are  borne  in  succession  on  a 
leafy  spike  12  inches  to  15  inches  high,  pure  white 
and  deliciously  perfumed.  A  good  pot  of  its  roots 
ought  to  find  a  place  in  every  greenhouse,  as  but 
few  indoor  plants  now  in  season  rival  it  in  beauty 
or  in  fragrance. — Veronica. 

DlEemma  Hahni.— This  exceedingly  pretty 
white  I'assion-llower  seems,  like  its  relatives,  the 
Tacsonias,  happiest  in  the  open  air  during  the 
growing  season.  A  specimen  which  had  rooted 
through  its  pots  into  a  border  beneath  inside  the 
front  of  a  plant  house  was  in  the  spring  drawn 
through  at  the  side  of  a  swing  light,  and  tied  at 
full  length  to  the  shooting ;  the  result  is  that 
nearly  every  joint  on  the  new  pendent  growth 
furnishes  a  flower,  some  of  which  are  succeeded 
by  fruit,  while  other  plants  treated  exactly  the 
same,  but  entirely  under  glass,  yield  scarcely 
a  bloom.  The  leaves  of  this  species  are  peltate, 
thus  differing  from  any  other  of  the  family 
with  which  I  am  acquainted.— J.  M,,  C/iarmovt/i, 
Dors,  t. 

Japan  Pinks. — These  do  not  appear  to  be  so 
well  known  as  Indian  Pinks,  from  which  they 
differ  principally  in  size  of  blooms,  which  are 
larger,  and  consequently  more  imposing  in  appear- 
ance. The  colours  vary  from  deep  crimson  to  pure 
white  in  both  the  single  and  double  varieties,  the 
latter  being  quite  as  large  and  as  double  as  the 
common  Pink.  Sown  in  a  frame  or  under  a  hand- 
light  in  March,  they  are  ready  to  plant  out  in  May 


PLANTING  DAFFODIL  BULBS— A  HINT. 
It  may  interest  "  Veronica  "  to   know  that  we 
have  been  planting   Daffodils    now  for    several 
years,  and  that  they  have  always  been  planted  in 
October  or  November  (bought  bulbs),  and  have 
invariably  bloomed  first-rate  the  year  after,  and 
then  gone  to  grass,  comparatively  speaking,  every 
season  afterwards,  and  this,  too,  in  the  sunniest 
situations.     This  refers  to  all  the  sorts  except  the 
common  yellow  double  kind.      I  do  not  think  the 
time  of  planting  makes  so  much  difference  if  the 
bulbs  be  ripe,  because  I  have  often  seen  Narcissi 
potted   for  forcing  in  October  and   forced  into 
flower  soon  after  Christmas  succeed  well.  I  put  out 
a  quantity  of  Emperor,  Empress,  Horsfieldi,  and 
others  last  December,  the  ground  not  being  ready 
sooner,  and  every  root  flowered  beautifully,  and 
produced  seed-pods  that  looked  as  if  they  would 
fill,   but  they  withered  off  during  the  hot   dry 
weather  in  June.  A  good  large  patch  of  the  Hoop- 
petticoat,  planted  in  November,  was    a  mass  of 
flower,  while  the  one  or  two-year-old  plantations 
flowered  but  sparingly.     I  am,  however,  going  to 
turn  over  a  new  leaf  in  planting,  and  the  following 
hint  will  maybe  be  of  some  service.     In  the  wood 
nursery  here  a  few  years  ago  a  large  quantity  of 
double  Poet's   Narcissus  was    planted,    and    for 
quantity  of  fine  flowers  produced  they  beat  any- 
thing I  ever  saw.     Just  over  the  wall,  in  our  hardy 
border,  they  do  not  flower  half  so  well,  and  the 
only  difference  between  the  two  plantations  is  that 
our  garden  bulbs  were  planted  2  inches  or  3  inches 
deep;  whereas  in  the  nursery,  being  planted  by  one 
who  was  not  a  gardener,  they  were  hardly  covered 
over,  and  for  years  the  solid  crowns  have  been  ex- 
posed summer  and  winter  just  like  Shallots,  and 
with  the  result  mentioned.      Undoubtedly  the  ex- 
posure both  ripens  and  hardens  the  bulbs,  but  at 
all  events  the  roots  have  developed  amazingly  since 
planted  in  small  lots.     This  is  a  better  plan  than 
lifting  the  bulbs  annually,  but  it  bears  ont  the 
idea  that  lifting  may  help  to  ripen  them.      The 
common  plan  is  to  plant  deep,  but  I  am  now  going 
to  plant  on  the  surface,  and  I  would  recommend 
others  to  do  the  same  for  trial  at  least.     Some  of 
the  masses  in  the  nursery  alluded  to  are  now  a  foot 
across,  and  one  hard  black  mass  of  bulbs  quite 
clear  of  the  soil.      The  soil  is  hard,  shallow,  and 
not  very  rich,  but  there  is  no  deterioration  in  the 
flowers.  J.  S.  W. 


SHORT  NOTES.— FLOWER. 


Crlnum  Powelll.— This  is  a  noble  plant  which  I 
noticed  bloominc;  in  the  College  Botanical  Gardens  at 
Dublin  last  week.  Its  great  rosy  Lily  like  blossoms  aie 
borne  on  a  stout  scape  2  feet  in  height.  What  is  the  history 
of  this  plant,  which  I  never  saw  in  llower  before  1 1t  luxuri- 
ates in  the  open  border  apparently,  and  rivals  the  Bella- 
donna Lily  in  size  and  beauty. — S.  L. 

Saglttarla  saglttlfolia  fi.-pl.— I  agree  with  all 
"  \V.  E.  G."  says  in  praise  of  this  chainiing  plant.  In  the 
centre  of  a  large  mass  of  it  here  it  has  this  year  shot  up  a 
spike  of  single  Bowers.  It  has  been  growing  where  it  now 
is  for  several  years,  each  year  increasing  in  size  and  quan- 
tity of  blossom.  Is  it  usual  for  it  to  revert  to  the  type  1 
Amongst  other  species  in  the  some  pond  is  S.  variabilis,  a 
pietty  plant  with  elegant  foliage,  but  small  single  floweis. 
—J.  M.,  CItannouth,  Vors^t. 

Variegated  Bindweed.— In  reply  to  "J.  C.  B's" 

(Hifstion,  allow  me  to  tell  him  a  variegation  of  the  Bind- 
weed originated  in  the  garden  here  the  or  six  years  ago, 
and  every  year  since  has  put  in  an  appearance.  I  enclose 
some  of  the  bine.  The  leaves  aie  marbled  and  Idotched 
with  pure  white,  and  it  seems  to  grow  quite  as  ficely  as  the 
green  form,  and  has  the  same  unfortunate  tendency  to 
spread.  Convolvulus  arvensis  I  have  ultcn  found  varie- 
gated, but  in  the  absence  of  a  clay  soil  have  failed  to  esta- 
blish it.— J.  M.,  Charmouth. 

"f"  The  specimen  sent  has  the  leaves  conspicuously 
blotched  with  creamy  white.— lip. 


204 


THE    GARDEN 


[Sett.  6,  1884. 


Eulalia  japonica — Ttere  are  three  forms 
o£  this  elegmt  and  robust-growing  Grass,  the 
green,  or  tb^  type,  the  stripad,  and  the  barred, 
the  variegat  ;d,  and  the  zebra  stiiped.  All  are  free 
growing,  ha-dv,  and  well  worth  a  place  in  good 
rich  light  soil  in  positions  where  they  can  develop 
themselves.  In  good  soil  they  grow  5  feet  high 
and  flower,  i.e ,  bear  their  grassy  plumes  quite 
freely.  The  two  variegated  forms  make  very 
graceful  plants  for  pot  culture  if  grown  in  heat  or 
in  a  cool  house,  and  they  are  also  useful  as  furnish- 
ing- bright  and  graceful  foliage  for  indoor  floral 
decorations.  Plants  grown  in  a  little  warmth  in 
5-inch  pots  make  the  most  graceful  of  plants  for 
dinner-table  decoration,  but  it  is  as  a  hardy  plant 
that  this  beautiful  Grass  is  most  valuable. — F. W.  B. 

Senecio  pulcher.— "  S.  AV.,"  in  a  recent 
Issue  has  condemned  this  plant  as  one  "of  the 
biggest  cheats  "  and  "  marked  it  for  the  rubbish 
heap."  I  do  not  know  bis  soil,  treatment,  or  cli- 
mate ;  any  or  all  of  these  may  be  unsuitable  ;  but 
lest  his  condemnation  may  influence  others,  I  send 
my  experience  of  it.  Here,  in  a  deep  soil  and  in 
a  rather  moist  situation,  it  thrives  winter  and 
summer  on  the  open  border,  and  at  this  time  I 
have  several  vigorous  specimens.  I  have  just 
measured  one  of  them.  It  is  about  3.|  feet  in 
height,  with  twelve  branches,  covered  with  flowers 
and  buds  (from  three  to  eight  on  a  branch),  large, 
perfect,  and  healthy.  The  flowers  are  more  than 
3  inches  across,  and  in  colour  all  that  could  be 
wished. — T.  II.  AliciiEll-HlND,  South  Devon. 

Spiraea  palmata.— I  have  this  finely  in 
bloom.  Its  colour  is  quite  unique,  and  the  plant 
altogether  is  very  distinct.  To  have  it  really  good, 
it  mast  be  planted  on  a  partially  shaded  situation 
where  there  is  plenty  of  moisture,  in  which  all  the 
Spir:cas  revel,  and  never  do  well  without  it.  It  is 
the  same  with  Phlo.tes  of  the  herbaceous  kind ; 
but,  instead  of  shade,  they  require  full  sun,  as 
without  such  exposure  they  grow  weedy,  and  the 
flowers  lack  texture  and  size.  Those  who  desire  to 
see  ttiem  fine  will  find  it  a  good  plan  to  mulch 
round  the  plants  and  then  water  them  with  liquid 
manure,  giving  a  thorough  soaking  at  least  once  a 
week  if  the  weather  proves  dry.  This  will  be  a 
great  help  to  them,  and  will  not  only  render  them 
larger  and  better,  but  make  them  last  longer  in 
bloom. — D.  S. 

Sir  Watkin  Narcissus.— The  simple  fact 
of  this,  the  finest  of  all  the  Peerless  race,  having 
lingered  in  Welsh  gardens  unseen  and  unheard  of 
generally  for  fifteen  years  is  very  suggestive.  Its 
origin  is  unknown.  Can  it  have  been  one  of  the 
late  Mr.  Leeds'  seedlings  which  somehow  or  other 
crept  through  the  hedge  or  over  the  garden  wall  1 
At  any  rate,_  the  fact  of  a  noble  plant  like  this 
having  escaped  observation  so  long  ought  to  teach 
Daffodil  lovers  a  lesson.  We  must  next  year 
organise  a  pilgrimage  instead  of,  or  as  a  prelude 
to,  a  conference,  and  explore  old  out-of-the-way 
gardens  in  search  of  these  beautiful  waifs  and 
strays.  In  some  old  Irish  gardens  N.  cernuus  and 
N.  eystettensis  grow  by  the  thousand,  and  many 
other  old  kinds  may  yet  linger  there,  as  in  Wales, 
unheard  of  by  the  multitude.  A  Daffodil  pil- 
grimage  next  spring  might  be  set  afoot,  or 
members  interested  could  search  their  own  locality 
and  send  the  results  to  a  central  committee  in 
London  on  any  day  in  March  or  Apiil. — F.  W.  P. 

The  ■White  Lily  (L.  candidum)  has  been 
grand  this  year,  and  to  see  it,  as  it  is  here  in 
cottage  gardens  in  such  abundance,  makes  one 
wonder  how  it  is  that  some  growers  have  such 
dilliculty  in  managing  it;  but  then  the  soil  in  this 
district  is  sandy  and  naturally  well  drained,  which 
may  account  for  the  plants  doing  so  well.  The 
bulbs  seem  to  increase  and  gather  strength  when 
left  undisturbed.  In  a  clump  at  which  I  was  look- 
ing a  short  time  back  I  counted  on  one  stem 
twenty-three  fully-expanded  flowers,  and  there 
■were  several  others  with  nearly  as  many.  L.  aura- 
tum  has  a  most  provoking  habit  of  dying  out  and 
getting  weaker,  which  is  not  only  the  case  here, 
but  iQtist  be  the  same  in  most  places ;  or  what  be- 
comes of  the  vast  numbers  annually  imported, 
which,  if  only  half  lived,  would  have  stocked  every 


garden  long  ere  this  in  the  kingdom  ?  Some  say 
they  like  peat,  and  others  that  they  must  have 
loam  and  sand,  and  be  planted  in  full  sun ;  but 
whether  in  peat  or  loam,  sun  or  shade,  it  is  all  the 
same;  they  vanish. —  S.  D. 

Yollo'W    Carnations.— "  Why  not  try   to 

raise  a  good  yellow  border  Carnation"  {vide  Gak- 
DEN,  p.  151 )  ?  Well,  Messrs.  'Veitch  s  list  contains 
eight  new  yellow  Carnations,  all  of  which  I  saw 
in  flower  in  their  Chelsea  nursery.  They  seem 
to  be  quite  a  new  type  of  border  Carnation,  and 
are  so  dwarf  and  floriferous,  that  a  constant 
supply  of  cut  flowers  may  be  obtained  from  a 
very  few  plants  of  them  ;  110  flowers  and  buds 
were  counted  on  a  single  plant  of  aureus  flori- 
bundus.  The  whole  of  them  were  growing  with 
great  vigour  and  producing  a  large  quantity  of 
layers.  The  object  of  seedling  raisers  should  now 
be  to  obtain  flowers  of  a  deeper  yellow  colour. 
The  old  yellow  ground  Picotees  were  of  a  deep 
yellow  with  distinct  red  edges.  We  must  try  to 
raise  as  good  flowers  as  those  that  have  unfortu- 
nately been  lost  to  cultivation.  The  material  is 
now  ready  to  our  hands,  and  the  plants  have  good 
constitutions,  which  the  lost  flowers  had  not.— J. 
Douglas. 

Ageratums. — Mr.  Barron  has  planted  out  at 
Chiswick,  in  one  of  his  trial  beds,  some  dwarf 
bedding  Ageratums.  Among  them  are  Malvern 
Beauty,  a  kind  very  dwarf  and  compact  in  growth, 
colour  bluish  lavender,  and  extremely  free  of 
bloom  ;  improvement  is  a  va^iiety  that  should  have 
the  negative  placed  before  its  name,  for  it  has  a 
loose  blanching  growth,  throwing  out  its  flowers 
on  horizontal  stems  beyond  its  growth,  and  sadly 
in  want  of  compactness  ;  colour,  clear  mauve  ; 
Camellia,  also  a  dwarf  growing  form  to  all  appear- 
ance, but  the  plants  here  were  of  various  growths 
and  colours,  mostly  compact,  and  in  a  few  cases 
very  dwarf.  The  flowers  were  dark  mauve  colour, 
and  thrown  too  far  away  from  the  foliage  to  be 
effective.  Thus  Malvern  Beauty  is  decidedly  the 
best,  and  in  order  to  ensure  a  perfectly  uniform 
character  in  the  plants  it  should  be  propagated 
by  means  of  cuttings.  In  early  spring  a  plant 
kept  through  the  winter  will  supply  many  young 
growths  from  which  cuttings  can  be  made  and 
these  strike  readily  in  heat.  A  little  seed  of  a 
good  dwarf  variety  of  Ageratum  may  be  sown,  and 
if  a  good  type  is  produced,  this  can  be  increased 
by  means  of  cuttings. — R.  D. 

Delphiniums. — These  have  flowered  well  this 
year  ;  they  make  a  fine  display  in  front  of  Ever- 
greens, towering  up,  as  the  tall  sorts  do,  some 
5  feet  to  7  feet  high.  Of  late  there  have  been 
many  new  varieties  raised,  the  flowers  of  which 
vary  through  the  many  shades  of  blue  to  deep 
purple,  and  there  are  also  some  double  kinds  that 
are  very  showy  and  good ;  these  latter  can  only  be 
increased  by  division,  which  is  best  done  in  the 
spring  just  as  the  plants  start  into  growth,  but  the 
singles  may  be  raised  from  seed,  which  they  bear 
abundantly.  The  time  to  sow  this  is  as  soon  as  it 
is  ripe,  by  doing  which  a  season  is  saved,  as  plants 
got  up  during  July  or  August  will  flower  well  the 
year  after.  To  get  the  seed  to  germinate  quickly, 
the  way  to  treat  it  is  to  prepare  a  bed  of  fine  light 
soil  on  a  border,  and  having  pressed  the  surface 
level,  and  marked  the  size  of  the  handlight,  the 
seed  should  be  sown  regularly  over  the  space  and 
slightly  covered  with  sifted  earth.  If  afterwards 
kept  close  and  occasionally  sprinkled  with  water 
the  young  plants  will  soon  appear,  and  should  then 
have  air  by  tilting  the  top  of  the  handlight,  which, 
after  a  week  or  so,  may  be  removed  altogether. — 
S.  D. 

Watsonia  angusta.— This,  mentioned  in 
the  "Journal  of  the  Iloyal  Horticultural  Society" 
under  the  name  of  W.  fulgida,  and  in  the  Bo- 
tanical Magazine,  t.  600,  under  that  of  W.  iridifolia 
var.  fulgens,  has  rather  deviated  from  its  general 
mode  of  procedure  this  .season  ;  at  least  in  none  of 
the  periodicals  given  is  mention  made  of  its  being 
bulbiferous,  which  it  is  with  us  this  season. 
Although  not  generally  considered  to  be  hardy 
enough  to  stand  out  of  doors,  the  plant  in  question 
was  planted  in  the  open  border  three  years  ago, 


and  this  summer  it  has  sent  up  three  spikes  of  its 
large  dull  scarlet  flowers.  On  the  nodes  or  axils 
where  these  were  produced,  instead  of  the  ordinary 
seed-pods,  large  clusters  of  small  bulbils  are  pro- 
duced ;  they  vary  in  number  from  six  to  twenty- 
four,  and  in  one  or  two  places  where  the  pedicel 
has  elongated,  or  a  new  branch  or  side-shoot  has 
formed,  these  numbers  are  nearly  doubled.  They 
are  produced  only  on  the  lower  part  of  the  flower- 
ing stem,  from  four  to  sis  joints  at  the  extreme 
points  being  free  from  bulbils,  but  in  a  fair  way  to 
produce  seed.  The  others  are  all  bulbil-bearing, 
and  even  at  the  very  base  of  the  first  leaf-shcath 
and  where  no  flowers  were  produced  a  small  clus- 
ter is  forming  and  already  bursting  through  the 
keel  of  the  leaf  at  its  base.  This  plant  is  a  native 
of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  may  be  easily 
grown  without  shelter. — K. 

Clematis  montana  and  Flammula  — 

These  beautiful  climbers  seem  to  be  becoming 
superseded  by  their  more  showy  rivals  of  the  Jack- 
manni  type,  yet  they  will  doubtless  again  become 
popular,  for  their  merits  cannot  be  long  overlooked. 
I  have  lately  seen  some  beautiful  effects  produced 
by  allowing  Clematis  Flammula  to  ramble  at  will 
amongst  other  climbers,  and  nowhere  does  it  show 
itself  off  to  greater  advantage  than  when  used  as 
a  screen  to  cover  old  unsightly  walls  or  fences  ; 
indeed,  the  more  irregular  its  mode  of  growth 
the  more  natural  it  looks.  We  have  an  old 
fence  covered  with  vines  of  ornamental  kinds, 
Jasmines,  and  similar  plants,  and  amongst  them 
an  old  plant  of  Clematis  Flammula  is  allowed  to 
run  freely,  pushing  out  a  large  shoot  here  and 
there,  and  now  when  covered  with  myriads  of  tiny 
blossoms  the  effect  is  particularly  good.  I  may  also 
mention  that  as  a  climber  for  covering  old  tree 
stumps  or  bare  stems  of  living  trees,  there  is 
nothing  better  than  Clematis  Flammula.  0.  montana 
is  also  equally  good  for  any  of  the  purposes  just 
mentioned,  and  also  as  a  wall  climber ;  it  produces 
its  pretty  clusters  of  little  rosette-formed  flowers 
early  in  the  season  when  pruned  in  quite  close  to 
the  wall,  but  the  beauty  of  climbers  is  so  greatly 
enhanced  by  permitting  them  to  hang  in  natural 
garlands  and  festoons,  that  anyone  wishing  to 
have  them  in  their  best  condition  should  beware 
of  too  close  spur-like  pruning. — J .  Geoom,  Gosport. 

Semi-double  Dahlias. — There  is  always  a 
tendency  to  jump  from  one  extreme  to  the  other, 
and  we  see  this  exemplified  in  the  case  of  Dahlias, 
which  afford  as  great  a  contrast  between  the 
double  and  single  forms  as  it  is  possible  to  con- 
ceive. But  a  little  time  ago  a  single  Dahlia  was 
a  rarity ;  now  they  are  the  popular  flowers  of  the 
day,  and  perhaps  by  an  easy  transition  we  shall 
presently  come  to  find  the  greatest  beauty  in  the 
semi-double  forms.  I  am  inclined  to  think  that 
they  are  amongst  the  flowers  of  the  future,  and 
that  as  effective  garden  flowers  they  will  stand 
far  ahead  of  both  doubles  and  singles.  Some 
time  since  a  friend  brought  me  a  large-flowered 
Dahlia,  a  glowing  orange-scarlet,  having  three 
rows  of  petals.  I  thought  I  had  never  seen  any- 
thing  more  striking  ;  I  certainly  never  remember 
to  have  seen  anything  so  brilliant  amongst  double 
Dahlias  as  this  semi-double  variety.  I  would 
earnestly  beg  of  raisers  of  double  Dahlias  to  give 
the  flower-loving  public  the  opportunity  of  decid- 
ing on  the  merits  of  the  semi-double  large-flowered 
varieties.  Many  a  fine  sort  has  undoubtedly  been 
cast  away  because  it  so  nearly  approached  the 
typical  form,  but  now  that  the  single  kinds  are 
so  much  thought  of,  the  semi-doubles  would 
stand  a  good  chance  of  getting  a  trial  as  decora- 
tive kinds.  I  feel  sure  that  if  Mr.  Cannell  or 
someone  having  the  opportunity  of  bringing  them 
into  notice  would  select  a  dozen  good  distinct 
telling  shades  of  colour,  they  would  soon  find 
favour  and  become  favourites  for  open-air  deco- 
ration.— J.  C,  .Vijfleet. 

Tiger  Lily  growth. — Your  favourable  no- 
tice (p.  193)  of  the  Lilies  1  showed  at  South  Ken- 
sington on  the  iiCth  ult.  makes  me  ask  for  space  for 
a  note  on  them.  I  wish  you  could  have  seen  them 
growing  ;  they  were  the  finest  specimens  of  their 
species  I  have  ever  seen.     So  though  at  risk  of  in- 


Sept.  Ck    1S84.] 


THE     GARDEN 


:05 


;;ury  to  their  lulbs  I  cut  them  for  the  committee, 
alas,  owing  to  several  casualties  in  transit,  they 
were  considerablv  shorn  of  their  fair  proportions 
before  getting  to  Kensington  ;  jolting  cabs  knocked 
oit  several  of  both  flowers  and  buds,  and  while  stop- 
ping to  show  them  to  my  friend  Mr.  Grote  on  the 
road  their  bottle  upset,  which  added  to  the  damage. 
The  L.  tigrinum  11. -pi.  was  about  S  feet  high  ;  it 
bad  a  fine  head  of  many  large  flowers.  We  have 
several  beds  of  this  Lily  in  our  wood  ;  these  have 
a  fine  Effect,  especially  at  a  little  distance.  L. 
tigrinum  jucundum  is  a  rarer  Lily,  of  which  we 
have  but  a  few  bulbs ;  it  is,  I  think,  the  most 
graceful  of  its  family.  Our  specimert  was  about 
7  feet  high  ;  it  had  many  flowers  ;  some  were  past 
their  beauty,  and  some  petals  had  fallen.  Its  paler 
foliage  and  the  absence  of  stem-bulbs  make  it 
quite  distinct  from  the  other  species.  I  recom- 
mend it  for  nosegays.  In  high  glasses  for  the  dinner 
table  stems  of  Lilies  3  feet  or  i  feet  long,  a  single 
specimen  each  of  L.  tigrinum  splendens,  the 
showiest  of  its  race,  L.  speciosum  rubrum  verum 
L.  speciosum  roseum,  and  L.  speciosum  album 
then  put  in  so  as  not  to  touch  each  other,  have  a 
beautiful  effect.  I  believe  that  I  am  responsible 
for  Mr.  Turner  calling  the  finely  coloured  Lily  he 
e.'ibibited  L.  auratum  rubrum  vittatum  ;  as  is 
well  known  where  many  L.  auratums  are  grown 
occasional  specimens  occur  which,  beginning  at 
L.  a.  pictum,  have  more  and  more  colour  till  they 
approach  L.  a.  rubro-vittatum.  Mr.  Turner's  L'ly 
being  of  not  strong  growth,  would,  I  think,  when 
fully  grown,  be  so  near  L.  a.  rubro-vittatum  as  not 
to  be  distinguished  from  it. — George  F.  Wilson, 
lleatherianli,  Wfyhridge. 

Pentstemons  are  grand  this  year,  for,  owing 
to  the  winter  being  mild,  they  have  escaped  in- 
jury from  frost,  and  almost  every  shoot  is  now 
terminated  by  a  long  fine  spike  of  bloom.  Those 
who  have  good  showy  kinds  which  they  would  like 
to  save  and  perpetuate  should  at  once  put  in  cut- 
tings, which,  if  properly  managed,  strike  freely  at 
this  season,  and  make  good  plants  ready  for 
turning  out  in  the  borders  early  next  year.  The 
way  to  start  with  them  is  to  take  off  the  young 
half  ripe  shoots  and  trim  them  in  the  ordinary 
way,  leaving  them  when  made  about  4  inche- 
long.  They  should  then  be  inserted  in  sharp 
sandy  soil,  either  in  pots  or  on  a  shady  border, 
under  a  handlight,  when,  if  sprinkled  and  kept 
close,  they  quickly  root,  and  are  soon  ready  for 
potting  off  singly  or  planting  out,  to  be  wintered 
under  cover  of  a  cold  frame.  That  is  the  only 
safe  way  of  keeping  them  safe,  as  though  con- 
sidered to  be  hardy,  they  become  crippled  during 
severe  weather,  and  sometimes  get  entirely  killed. 
To  prevent  this,  when  any  are  left  out,  it  is  a  good 
plan  to  protect  them  by  placing  a  mound  of  leaf 
soil  around  the  collar  and  sticking  a  few  Ever- 
green branches  over  it  to  keep  it  from  being 
displaced.  Since  Pentstemons  have  been  so  much 
improved,  many  depend  on  seedlings,  and  these 
afford  great  variety,  for  though  many  may  be 
raised,  it  is  seldom  that  two  are  exactly  alike,  a 
diversity  which  renders  them  all  the  more 
valuable.  The  way  to  raise  seedlings  is  to  sow  in 
a  pot  or  pan  filled  with  finely  sifted  soil,  and  then 
lay  a  pane  of  glass  over  it  and  shade  till  the 
seeds  germinate.  This  they  will  soon  do  if  the 
soil  be  kept  moist  by  gentle  sprinkling  or  damp- 
ing, but  care  must  be  taken  that  it  does  not  ba- 
come  over  wet.  As  soon  as  the  young  plants  are 
np  and  large  enough  to  handle,  they  should  be 
pricked  off  in  pans  or  potted  singly  and  wintered 
np  near  the  glass  in  aiy  ordinary  frame,  the  same 
as  advised  for  the  cuttings.- -S.  D. 

Replanting  Daffodils.— Mr.  WoUey  Dod 
tells  us  at  p.  17:;,  "No  doubt  the  million  dig  up 
their  Daffodils  at  the  wrong  time."  Precisely  so. 
It  was  to  fix  a  right  time  that  my  notes  under  the 
above  head  were  penned,  and  that  time  in  the  soil 
and  climate  here  of  Dublin  I  find  to  be  in  July. 
Some  soils  do  not  suit  Narcissi  generally.  Mr. 
Barr,  for  example,  has  some  difficulty  at  Tooting, 
I  believe;  but  we  must  never  forget  that  in  some 
suitable  soils  the  Daffodil  lives  and  thrives  for 
centuries  without  either  digging  or  drying  off,  and 
wherever  it  is  necessary  to  dig  Narcissus  bulbs,  my 


own  experiments,  conducted  now  for  many  years, 
prove  July  to  be  the  best  time.  A  friend,  who.se 
letter  comes  to  hand  justas  I  write,  and  who  sends 
me  finely  grown  bulbs  which  bear  out  his  remarks, 
says  :  "  When  I  lifted  my  bulbs  a  few  days  ago 
the  ground  was  as  dry  as  powder,  and  there  was 
not  a  sign  of  growth  in  any  of  the  bulbs.''  My 
own  desire  is  that  amateurs  and  others  should  not 
lose  aseason's  flower  harvest  by  lifting  their  bulbs  at 
the  wrong  time,  and  the  right  time  to  lift  them  is 
when  they  have  neither  roots  nor  leaf -growth  in  a 
living  state.  No  amount  of  "  drying  off "  will 
ever  cause  a  bulb  to  blossom  unless  the  germ  of 
that  blossom  is  in  the  bulb  ere  it  be  dug. — 
F.  W.  B. 


a  Potato,  it  is  certain  that  indifference  on  the  one 
hand  and  absolute  neglect  on  the  other  will 
operate  as  strongly  in  the  opposite  direction. 

J.C.  B. 


Kitchen    Garden. 


DO  POTATOES  WEAR  OUT  ? 
Rbadees  of  The  Garden  generally  will  probably 
answer  this  question  in  the  affirmative,  citing 
perhaps  the  York  Regent  and  other  old  once  reli- 
able and  much  esteemed  kinds,  but  which  now 
seem  no  longer  able  to  grow  with  normal  vigour. 
I  shall,  moreover,  be  told  that  even  some  of  the 
newer  kinds  are  also  beginning  to  lose  that 
strength  and  fertility  which  first  distinguished 
them,  a  sure  sign  that  they  have  entered  on  that 
road  which  the  more  ancient  varieties  have  already 
travelled.  Those  who  grow  the  Potato  largely 
should  be  in  a  position  to  express  a  positive 
opinion  on  the  matter.  They  ought  to  know 
whether  Magnum  Bonum  and  other  kinds  which 
have  now  been  in  cultivation  for  some  years 
.show  signs  of  degeneracy.  My  impression  is 
that,  with  care  in  selection  and  preservation 
of  seed,  the  stamina  of  any  particular  kind 
can  be  maintained  at  its  proper  standard 
for  an  unlimited  period.  Degeneracy  there  may 
be,  but  I  believe  caused  more  by  want  of  care  in 
the  selection  of  seed  than  by  an  inherent  ten- 
dency to  deterioration.  I  am  induced  to  form  a 
strong  opinion  on  this  subject  by  the  fact  that  we 
have  grown  the  Early  Shaw  and  a  selection  of 
Ashleaf  Kidney,  the  former  some  twenty,  the  latter 
fifteen  years,  and  that  so  far  from  deteriorating, 
the  tubers  this  year  are  as  good  as  we  ever  had 
them.  Now  twenty  years  is  a  long  time,  and  one 
would  have  thought  that  the  strong  tendency  to 
degenerate,  which  some  assert  Potatoes  so  plainly 
display,  would  have  manifested  itself  within 
that  period.  But  no ;  the  crop  is  as  heavy 
and  the  tubers  are  as  good  in  every  way  as 
when  these  kinds  came  freshly  into  our  bands. 
I  could  scarcely  have  chosen  two  better 
kinds  as  illustrations  than  those  here  named, 
both  having  distinctive  features,  and  both  being 
very  old  kinds  many  years  in  cultivation  (by  the 
way,  can  anyone  say  when  the  Early  Sbaw  was 
raised '),  and  yet  I  will  venture  to  assert  that  better 
tubers  than  we  have  dug  of  them  have  seldom 
been  grown.  Of  all  the  kinds  of  Potato  in  cultiva- 
tion one  would  have  thought  the  Ashleaf  would  be 
the  most  likely  to  feel  the  weakening  influence  of 
time  ;  it  is  not  strong  naturally,  is  very  susceptible 
to  disease,  and  is  more  often  grown  under  un- 
favourable conditions  than  most  other  sorts,  yet  I 
doubt  if  the  average  yearly  yield  of  this  Potato  is 
not  as  great  as  thirty  years  ago.  I  can  quite 
understand  that  in  the  case  of  Potatoes  grown  as 
field  crops  certain  kinds  may  in  time  deteriorate, 
and  the  cause  to  me  seems  to  be  very  plain  ;  too 
often  for  want  of  storage  room  the  seed  is  laid 
up  in  heaps,  with  the  consequence  that  sprouting 
often  takes  place.  The  sprouts  are  rubbed  off  once, 
perhaps  twice,  during  the  winter,  and  each  time 
the  set  sustains  some  loss  of  vitality.  When  such 
is  the  case,  how  can  it  be  wondered  at  that  the 
yield  is  deficient;  the  wonder  would  be  if  the 
stock  did  not  degenerate  under  such  circumstances. 
Change  of  seed  is  resorted  to  with  oftentimes  bene- 
ficial effect,  but  as  the  sets  are  generally  obtained 
from  a  trade  dealer  who  carefully  sorts  and  stores 
them,  their  superior  quality  would  alone  account 
tor  the  improvement.  We  all  know  what  selection 
will  do  in  improving  any  particular  race  of  plants, 
and  if  choosing  the  most  perfect  sets  and  carefully 
storing  them  will  add  to  the  cropping  qualities  of 


TOMATO  CniSWICK  RED. 
This  fine  Tomato  will  be  distributed  during  the 
coming  season.     When    looking   through  Messrs. 
Sutton's  grounds  lately  I  saw  it  among  a  collection 
of    Tomatoes    growing  in  the    open    air.     Some 
fighty   different   samples  had    been    sown,   and 
they  were  all  doing  well.     Anyone  interested  in 
the  culture  of  Tomatoes  in  the  open  air  would  do 
well  to  pay  a  visit  to   Reading  and  inspect  this 
remarkable  collection,  as  they  would  not  only  gain 
an  excellent  knowledge  of  the  best  sorts  to  grow, 
but  also  pick  up  some  very  useful  hints  as  to  how 
to  grow  them.     By  far  the  earliest  is   Sutton's 
Earliest  of  All,  which  appears  to  be  a  good,  free 
croj^ping  variety.     It  is  a  very  early  selection  from 
the  common  red,  and  the  fruits  were  already  fit  to 
gather,  or  within  a  day  or  two  of  being  so.     This 
should  prove  an  excellent  variety  for  outdoor  cul- 
tivation.    A  very  fine  Tomato  is  to  be  seen  in 
the  shape  of  Reading  Perfection,  which  is  perhaps 
one  of  the  handsomest   Tomatoes  grown,   as  it 
produces  large  and  very  handsome  fruit  of    the 
form  of  Acme,  but  of  a  very  rich  crimson   colour. 
This  variety  was  not  only  largely,  but  very  finely 
shown  at  the  summer  t .xbibition  of  the  Reading 
Horticultural  Society  on  August  21,  and  the  fruit 
committee  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  re- 
cently awarded  it  a  first-class  certificate  of  merit 
when  seen  growing  at  Cbiswick.     But  the  Chis- 
wick  Red,  which  was  awarded  a  first-class  certifi- 
cate in  1883,  is  a  perfect  wonder  in  its  way.     It  is 
of  large  egg-shape,  attaining  to  a  good  size,  and 
the  fruit  is  borne  in  enormous  clusters.    I  counted 
as  many  as  thirty-two  on  one  bunch,  and  I  m^y 
safely  state  that  they  average  from  twenty- five  to 
thirty  fruits.  The  plants  do  not  produce  one  cluster 
only,   but  several,  and  another  remarkable  thing 
about  it  is  that  out  of  some  fifty  or  .-ixty  plants 
growing  at  Reading  every  one   was  perfectly  true 
to  character  and  equally  prolific.     It  can  scarcely 
be  expected  that  fruits  of  this  variety  borne  so 
freely  can  stand  against  the  handsome  Reading 
Perfection  on  the  exhibition  table,  but  those  who 
want  a  quantity  of  very  useful  red  fruit  will  find 
this  variety  7«;r  e.vctUe»cc  the  very  one  to  supply 
it.     It  appears  to  be  early  also,  and  as  market 
gardeners  are  now  turning  their  attention  to  the 
cultivation  of  Tomatoes  in  the  open  ground,  the 
Chiswick  Red  is  well  deserving  their  attention. 

E.  D. 


5237.  —  Kidney  Potatoes.  —  "  Observer's '' 
case  of  a  second  prize  tor  three  dishes  of  kidney 
Potatoes  having  been  taken  at  a  local  exhibition 
by  dishes  of  Myatt's  and  Rivers'  Ashleafs  and 
Paterson's  Victoria  Potatoes  is  sad  proof  of  the 
unfitness  of  many  so-called  judges  for  the  dis- 
charge of  their  duties.  Not  only  should  the  col- 
lection have  been  disqualified,  because  it  contained 
a  round  sort  in  Victoria,  but  further  because  it 
contained  two  Ashleafs  identical  in  character, 
though  diverse  in  name.  With  so  many  fine  early 
kidney  Potatoes  in  commerce,  showing  such  iden- 
tical kinds  merits  warm  disapprobation. — D. 


SUORT  NOTES.— kitchen: 


Tomatoes —From  Mr.  Gilbert,  of  Burshlcy,  come 
some  very  flue  Toniiitoes,  large,  smooth,  anil  bright  in 
colour.  Out  of  a  number  of  varieties  grown  at  Burghlty 
Mr.  Gilbert  states  that  for  size,  flavour,  and  beauty,  Der- 
ham  Favourite  is  the  best.  It  is,  too,  he  adds,  a  grand 
cropper,  produc''ng  really  tine  ftu    in  10-inch  pots. 

Girfford  Giant  Bunnei-  Bean.— Mr.  Laxton  ex- 
hibited a  capital  dish  of  this  new  Bean  at  the  Shre»shiiry 
show  lust  week.  The  pods  »  ere  12  inches  in  length,  broad, 
and  green.  Some  might  be  inclined  to  call  it  coarse,  but  I 
con'Tder  it  very  handsome  ;  our  rows  of  it  here  are  prolific 
and  it  has  a  good  appearance.— J.  MCIR,  Margam. 

5237.  —  Kidney  Potatoes.— Rivers'  Ashleaf  Totato 
and  Myatt's  were  most  likely  the  same.  I  have  bought 
both  of  them  from  the  trade  and  could  not  see  any  diller- 
euce.  faterson's  Victoria  is  entirely  different  both  in 
growth  and  tuber,  and  cannot  properly  be  classed  as  a 
kidney.  If  i'  did  not  differ  in  appearance  from  Myatt's,  it 
\va5  not  true  to  name.— J.  Douglas. 


206 


THE     GARDEN 


[Sept.  0,   IS84. 


White  Elephant    Potato.— This  variety 
Beems  to  be  especially  suited  for  dry  seasons  ;  the 
drought  that  has  so  seriously  affected  some  crops, 
and  even  many  varieties  of  Potatoes,  has  enabled 
the  White  Elephant  to  produce  tubers  evenly  sized 
and  esoellent  in  quality.  I  have  been  somewhat  scep- 
tical as  to  the  value  of  this  sort  as  a  garden  Potato, 
owing  to  the  varied  reports  made  respecting  it  last 
season.     I  resolved,  however,  to  try  it  fairly  along 
with  other  Isinds  grown  for  seed.    Oa  March  31  I 
planted  2  gallons  of  seed  in  rows  2.}  feet  apart  in 
good  soil,  and  have  just  lifted  the  crop.     It  con- 
tiits  of   2  cwt.,   or  1   cwt.  from   each  gallon  of 
seed,  which  is  the  heaviest  crop  of  any  I  have 
lifted  this  season.    As  a  rule,  Potato  crops  are  not 
so  heavy  as  last  year,  but  excellent  in  quality  gene- 
rally.    These  American  I'otatoes  are  decidedly  of 
better  quality  in  dry  soils  and  seasons  than   in 
moist,  dripping  ones  ;    hence  the  conflicting  ac- 
counts that  occur  as  to  quality.     In  this  locality 
the  American  Rose,  Beauty  of  Hebron,  and  kindred 
sorts  are  excellent  cropping,  cooking,  and  eating 
Potatoes,  while  in  stifi  retentive  soils  they  are  not 
so  satisfactory.     I  am  glad  to  say  that  we  have 
not  the  least  trace  of  disease  hereabouts,  and  trust 
that  it  ma^  now  finally  take  leave  of  u«,  for  not- 
withstanding all  our  efforts  to  find  a  substitute  for 
Potatoes,  but  little  progress  has  been  made  up  to 
the  present  in  that  direction.    Never  in  the  history 
of  its  culture  has  so  large  a  breadth  of  Potatoes 
been  planted  as  this  year.— James  Groom,  Gosjwrt 

The  Potato  crop  — "  E.  B."  is  right  in 
stating  that  the  present  season's  Potato  crop  is  a 
good  one.  Owing,  of  course,  to  the  exceeding 
heat  and  consequent  dryness  of  the  atmosphere 
the  disease  is  rendered  incapable  of  evil,  and 
rarely  for  the  past  forty  years  have  we  had  so 
good  a  Potato  crop  with  so  little  disease.  In  hi.- 
allusion  to  Cosmopolitan  Kidney  "E.  B."  says 
that  now  well-known  variety  is  the  best  flavoured 
amongst  kinds  in  cultivation,  but  very  susceptible 
of  disease.  I  have  grown  it  largely,  and  that 
statement  is  indeed  news  to  me  ;  on  the  contrary, 
I  have  always  found  it  remarkably  sound.  Still, 
<n  rich  garden  soils  no  doubt  the  tubers  are  much 
forced  up  to  the  surface,  owing  to  their  becoming 
long  and  large,  and  in  that  way  may  be  unduly 
exposed  to  the  action  of  fungoid  spore?,  but  other- 
wise I  cannot  admit  that  it  is  at  all  liable  to  disease 
Amarket  grower  who  had  itlastyearlikeditso  well 
that  he  saved  every  tuber,  planted  them  again  this 
year,  and  has  a  very  fine  clean  crop.  In  a  garden 
near  the  Thames  it  was  very  good  last  year, 
and  this  season  it  is  also  excellent,  and  the  gar- 
dener is  enthusiastic  over  his  stock.  Perhaps 
"  E.  B."  may  not  have  the  true  kind.  Magnum 
Bonum  is  wonderfully  good  this  year,  and  has 
been  in  strong  demand  in  the  London  markets. 
Now  that  the  harvest  is  over,  farmers  and  others 
are  sending  in  large  quantities,  and  the  price  has 
fallen  to  £i  and  £i  10s.  per  ton,  so  that  some  home 
growers  are  now  holding  their  hands.  Had  the 
drought  continued  till  the  end  of  September,  the 
latest  Potato  crops  would  have  been  much  less 
in  bulk  than  the  earlier  ones. — D. 

Transplanting  Asparagus.— The  proper 

season  at  which  to  transplant  Asparagus  appears 
to  be  an  open  question,  for  while  the  majority  of 
large  growers  seem  to  favour  spring  planting  just 
as  young  shoots  are  beginning  to  start  into  growth, 
others  go  to  tha  extreme  of  advocating  summer 
planting,  when  the  young  plants  have  made  con 
oiderable  top  growth,  and  as'  those  who  get  their 
plants  from  long  distances  must  of  necessity 
plant  dormant  roots,  or  rather  crowns,  the  plant- 
ing season  may  be  said  to  last  for  nine  months  of 
the  year.  Now,  after  repeated  trials.  I  am  quite 
satisfied  that  planting  in  March  or  April  is  pre- 
ferable to  winter  planting,  provided  the  plants 
can  be  removed  without  breaking  the  young 
growths  or  being  long  out  of  the  ground,  for  the 
rojis  of  Asparagus  are  very  tender  and  soon  suf- 
fer if  exposed.  But  I  cannot  see  the  advantage 
of  deferring  planting  until  midsummer  provided 
it  can  be  done  earlier,  although  in  special  cases 
it  may  be  useful.  Beds  which  we  formed  and 
planted  in  March  and  April  were  well  established 
and  covered  with  healthy  foliage  by  midsummer, 


when  the  heat  and  drought  were  so  intense  that  I 
am  sure  any  attempt  at  transplanting  would  have 
been  attended  with  much  more  labour  and  risk 
than  were  encountered  in  spring,  and  could  not 
have  been  more  satisfactory.  Indeed,  I  do  not 
observe  a  single  plant  to  have  failed  out  of  many 
hundreds  transplanted.— J.  G. 

How  to  grow  Mushrooms.— My  stables 
stand  at  the  back  of  my  business  premises,  ex- 
posed to  the  sun  almost  from  sunrise  to  sunset. 
About  nine  months  ago  I  bought  some  German 
peat  litter.  After  bedding  the  horses  freely  with 
this  litter  I  had  more  good  manure  than  I  required 
for  my  garden;  consequently  in  May  I  directed  one 
of  the  men  to  make  a  Vegetable  Marrow  bed  close 
to  the  stables.  For  this  purpose  he  used  about  a 
cartload  of  the  manure,  spread  it  into  a  heap  about 
8  feet  by  5  feet,  put  on  two  or  three  barrowfuls 
of  soil,  and  planted  two  Marrows.  I  need  scarcely 
say  that  with  such  fine  weather  and  a  little  atten- 
tion in  watering  they  did  well.  About  three  or 
four  weeks  since  one  of  my  little  boys  was  look- 
ing at  the  Marrows  and  marking  their  growth,  when 
he  saw  on  the  edge  of  the  bed  what  he  thought  was 
a  Mushroom,  and  called  my  attention  to  it.  I  saw 
at  once  that  it  was  a  true  Mushroom,  and  directed 
that  the  bed  should  be  well  watered  all  over ;  this 
was  done,  and  in  two  days  my  Marrow  bed  was 
quite  a  sight  with  Mushrooms  of  the  finest  quality 
— 1  may  say  literally  in  thousands,  and  so  thick  that 
they  had  not  room  to  grow.  Every  day  since  then 
we  have  been  gathering  dishes  of  Mushrooms  in 
excellent  condition  and  flavour,  such  as  one  never 
gets  from  any  grown  artificially  in  dark  cellars  or 
under  stages,  &c. — Rustic. 


with  remarkable  freedom.  The  extent  of  this 
characteristic  is  simply  astonishing,  for  the  same 
plants  have  continued  to  develop  fresh  trusses 
ever  since ;  so  that  plants  which  were  then  five 
months  old  from  seed  began  to  flower  last  August, 
have  remained  blooming  ever  since,  and  are  still 
in  full  blow.  One  plant  in  a  G-inch  pot  had  at  one 
time  in  the  month  of  February  last  no  less  than 
thirty-three  more  or  less  expanded  trusses,  and 
every  healthy  plant  has  been  able  to  carry  ten  to 
fifteen  trusses  continually  vfitliout  overtaxing  its 
energies. 

The  seedling  varieties  vary  somewhat  in  tint  o£ 
colour  and  in  size  and  shape,  the  pin- eyed  flowers, 
where  the  style  projects  beyond  the  low-ljing 
anthers,  having  apparently  larger  and  better- 
shaped  corollas  than  the  thrum-eyed,  and  it  is 
noticeable  that  on  the  strongest  trusses  there  is  a 


Garden   Flora. 

PLATE  456. 
PRIMULA  OBCONICA.* 
Primula  obconica,  or  poouliformis,  as  it  was 
first  named,  is  described  under  the  latter  name  in 
the  liiif  11  iilcii I  Miiffiiziiu^  for  1881,  but  the  figure 
there  given  fails  to  convey  an  adequate  idea  of 
the  plant  when  blooming  in  full  health  and 
strength.  Sir  Joseph  Hooker,  in  his  description 
which  accompanied  the  illustration  in  tte  Butani- 
cal  MaijiniitL'  (tab.  6.J82),  tells  us  it  was  discovered 
by  Mr.  Maries,  when  travelling  for  Messrs.  Veitch 
in  the  interior  of  China,  at  the  Ichang  Gorge,  and 
flowered  at  Chelsea  in  September,  18S0.  It  is 
therefore  comparatively  a  new  plant,  and  the 
public  will  ask  two  or  three  natural  questions  be- 
fore they  adopt  it  generally— is  it  easy  to  grow  ? 
is  it  hardy  .'  and  what  is  it  worth  as  a  decorative 
plant,  or  for  cutting  for  bouquets  ? 

The  winters  we  have  experienced  lately  are 
hardly  worthy  of  the  name,  and  its  hardiness  has 
therefore  yet  to  be  tested  ;  but  its  cultivation  is  so 
easy  that  it  may  well  be  treated  as  an  annual,  and 
it  is  well  worth  a  place  in  any  conservatory  for  its 
winter  bloom. 

Seed  obtained  from  Messrs.  Veitch  and  sown  in 
April,  1883,  came  up  at  once  like  Mustard  and 
Cress  (and  here  may  I  pause  to  say  that  as  a  rule 
Primula  seed  should  be  sown  as  soon  as  ripe, 
and  not  left  over  till  the  following  spring)- 
The  seed  having  been  sown  in  a  shallow  pan, 
the  little  plants  were  pricked  off  as  soon  as  they 
had  second  leaves  and  could  be  handled,  grown  on 
in  a  cold  frame,  where  they  were  shaded  from  the 
sun,  and  shifted  into  pots  as  they  grew  larger. 

The  soil  used  was  one  half  loam,  one-quarter 
leaf-mould,  and  one-quarter  old  stable  manure, 
with  a  pinch  of  Clay's  Fertiliser  mixed  up  in  the 
soil  in  each  pot.  Very  little  trouble  or  attention 
was  given  to  them,  and  in  August  or  September  of 
the  same  year  they  were  commencing  to  flower 


*  Drawn  from  a  plant  grown  iu  Mr.  J.  T.  D.  Llewelyn's 
garden,  PeuUersare,  Swansea,  April  2?,  1334. 


Primu'a  obconica ;  skowinrj  habit  of  grouth. 

tendency  to  throw  np  a  second  tier  of  b!oom,  as  in 
Primula  japonica  or  verticillata. 

Free  as  P.  obconica  is  iu  flowering,  the  pollen 
must  be  carefully  used  where  the  cultivator  de- 
sires to  set  the  flower  for  seed,  for  this  species 
appears  to  be  a  shy  seeder,  and  from  the  multi- 
tudes of  blooms  1  have  enjoyed,  only  a  few  cap- 
sules, which  had  been  delicately  treated,  have 
yielded  me  seed ;  these,  however,  produced  the 
most  tractable  and  willing  of  plantlets.  Gathered 
and  sown  in  April  this  year,  the  plants  are  already 
in  bloom,  full  of  vigour  and  promise,  and  ready  to 
take  their  place  in  the  conservatory  when  October 
frosts  warn  us  that  the  out-door  garden  is  a  thing 
of  the  past  for  the  current  year. 

P.  OBCONICA,  then,  is  a  plant  that  only  wants 
to  be  better  known  to  become  a  universal  favou- 
rite, and  I  should  not  wonder  if  in  skilful  hands 
it  is  not  capable  of  improvement  like  its  country- 
man, sinensis.  At  present  it  is  a  really  useful 
species  for  winter  decoration,  and  its  delicate  and 
refined  trusses  are  ever  charming  as  cut  flowers  for 
a  bouquet.  John  T.  D.  Llewelyn. 


vKDE  N  . 


A 


Skpt.  r>,    1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


207 


OAllDEX    KOSES. 
A  COMTLETE  Catalogue   07  Varieties  kow 
IN  Cultivation,  Compiled  fok  his  liooK  ox 
THE  Rose   by  the  latas  il.  li.  Ellwangek, 

JIouNT  Hope  Nurseries,  Kochester,  New 

York. 
A  register  of  this  nature  cannot  attain  absolute 
perfection,  but  I  liave  been  at  great  pains  to 
make  it  complete  and  accurate.  As  regards  the  age 
of  the  different  varieties  and  by  whom  sent  out,  I 
have  obtained  my  information  from  the  raisers  j 
themselves,  their  catalop:ues,  from  various  horti-j 
cultural  magazines  and  books,  mostly  French,  and 
from  a  few  amateurs,  who  have  interested  them- 
selves in  the  subject.  Among  these  are  Mons.  Jean 
Sisley,  whose  monograph  of  the  Hoses  raised  at  j 
Lyons  has  been  of  valuable  service.  I  believe  this! 
will  be  found  much  the  most  reliablelistof  thekind, : 
but  from  seeing  so  many  inaccuracies  in  others  j 
of  similar  character  I  know  there  must  be  some ; 
errors  in  this.  Any  of  my  readers  who  may  dis- ' 
cover  mistakej  or  mis-statements  of  facts  will 
greatly  oblige  by  communicating  with  me,  giving 
the  authority  which  they  have.  In  the  descriptions 
the  more  popular  sorts  are  more  fully  treated  than 
those  not  so  well  known  ;  where  a  vaiiety  is  de- 
scribed as  belonging  to  a  type,  a  lengthy  descrip- 
tion is  rendered  unnecessary,  and  only  the  most 
distinctive  features  are  given.  In  compiling  thisj 
list  the  following  method  has  been  determined  on 
as  the  best.  The  name  of  the  variety  is  first  given  ; 
then  the  habit  of  growth;  next,  in  ruled  column,^ 
letters  which  show  to  what  class  the  variety,! 
belongs  ;  then  name  of  the  raiser  and  year  when  j 
the  Hose  was  sent  out ;  afterwards  the  parentage, ! 
if  known,  or  type  to  which  the  sort  may  belong  ; ' 
and,  lastly,  the  description.  In  cases  of  synonyms,! 
they  are  placed  in  brackets  after  the  accepted , 
name.  This  arrangement  has  been  determined  i 
upon,  after  much  careful  thought,  as  the  best  thati 
can  be  made.  The  following  is  an  explanation  of 
the  method  used  in  describing  the  varieties  : — 

Colour. — The  prevailing  shade  in  the  most  per- 
fect development  of  the  flower.  Size. — Small, 
from  1  in.  to  2  in.  in  diameter;  medium,  from 
2  in.  to  3  in.  in  diameter  ;  large,  from  3  in.  to  4  in. 
in  diameter ;  very  large,  above  4  in.  in  diameter 
yuJuess. — Semi-double,  with  two  to  four  rows  of 
petals ;  double,  having  more  than  four  rows  of 
petals,  but  the  seed  organs  are  shown  when  the 
flower  expands ;  full,  in  which  the  expanded 
flowers  seldom  Miow  the  stamens.  Form. — Cupped, 
the  inner  petals  are  shorter  than  the  outer  ones, 
the  latter  stand  erect,  and  are  generally  incurved  ; 
globular,  outer  petals  are  concave,  often  with  con- 
vex edges,  the  petals  fold  richly  one  about  the 
other;  refiexed,  numerous  petals,  generally  small, 
rising  tier  above  tier  to  the  centre ;  flat,  the  sur- 
face of  the  flower  is  level  and  all  the  petals  are 
exposed  to  view— varieties  of  this  kind  are  very 
full  and  rarely  are  seed  bearers. 

Abbreviations  ttsed  des''Hbi»ff  the  habit  of  nrowth. — W^., 
Vigorous. — Those  sorts  which  are  most  luxuriant  in  growth. 
Free. — Varieties  which  rank  next  in  order,  producing  shoots 
somewhat  shorter  or  less  strong  tlian  the  first,  ilod., 
Moderate. — These  kinds  make  a  compact  growth,  but  do 
not  pi'oduce  long  shoots.  Dwf.,  Dwarf. — These  are  the 
most  delicate  or  slow -growing  sorts.  Among  hardy  Roses, 
those  marked  dwf.  sliould,  ahnost  invariably,  be  budded. 

It  is  to  be  noted  that  nearly  all  varieties  which 
have  in  them  shades  of  lilac,  violet,  or  purple  are 
very  fleeting  in  colour. 

Abbreviations,  dencribin;/  the  classes  to  which  the  varieties 
bcVmfj.^A.,  Austrian;  Ay.,  A}Tshire  ;  Ek.,  Banksia;  B., 
Bourlmn  ;  B'lt.,  Boursault ;  CI.  T.,  Climbing  Tea;  Dam., 
Damask;  Ev.,  Evergreen;  Fr.,  French ;  H.  Ch.,  Hybrid 
China  ;  U.  CI.,  Hybrid  Climbing  ;  H.  X.,  Hybrid  Noisette  ; 
H.  P..  Hybrid  Perpetual;  H.  T.,  Hybrid  Tea;  Mic, 
Microphylla ;  M.,Muss;  Mult.,  Multiflora ;  N.,  Noisette; 
P.  M.,  pL-rpetual  Moss  ;  Pul.,  Polyantha ;  P.,  Praiiie ;  Prov., 
Pi'ovence  ;  S.,  Scotch  ;  T.,  Tea  Roses. 


Namk  "k  v.\kii:tv  \ 

AND  iCLASS. 

Habit  of  Gkowth.I 


Name  of  varif.ty 

AND 

Habit  of  Growth, 


A      Geofro;/  St.'IIi 
lairc,  mod. 


E.  Verdier,  1S78.  Red,  with  a 
shade  of  crimson ;  medium 
size,  full ;  fine  circular  form, 
fragrant  and  free.  Seed  or- 
gans well  developed ;  seven 
leaflets  are  common,  a  great 
rarity  among  dark  vaiieties 
of  tills  cl;^s.  1 


A.  M.  Amp&re 

A  bbt'  Era  mc  ret, mod. 

Abb>'  Giramlier 
Abbe  Jiei/naitd,  vig. 

Abel  Carriire,  mod. 


H.P. 
H.P. 


H.P. 

H.C. 


H.P. 


Abel  Grand,  mod.  or;   H.P. 
fret) 


Achille  Go7iod,  free 


Acidalic,  free 


H.P. 

B. 
T. 


Adam,  mod. 

(Syn.,  President.) 
Admiral Nclson,vi'^.\   H.P. 


Admiral  Rigncy  N. 

Adoiphe   Brojniart,'  H.P. 
mod. 


Adriciine     Christo- 

phle,  mod. 
AMcan  Black,  mod. 
Agrippina,  mod. 
(Syn  ,  tramoisi-Su- 
p.'rieiir.) 


Aimt'e  Vibert.  free 


Aim^e   Vibert  Scan 
dens,  vig. 


Alba  Carnea,  free 

A  Iba      Grandijlora, 

vig. 
AHfu  Miitabilis,  free 

Alba -Rosea,  free 

Alrxmdrc  Dufitrc 
Al''X(inder  Fuutainc . 

vig. 
Al:-j:a><drine     Back 

'intdrjf,  mod. 

AlJ'rcd  Columb,  free 


Alfred  do    Dalmas 
free 


Alrred   de    Rouge 
mont,  free 


Alfred K.   ]Villiaim, 
mud. 


Alfred  Levcau 
Alice  JJurcuii 

Alice    Lerog,    mod 
or  fi'ee 

Aline  Sitilc;/,  mod. 


Fr. 

Eeng. 


H.P. 
Bk. 

n.p. 


U.P. 
H.P. 


P.M. 


H.P. 


II.  P. 


II.P. 
H.P. 


T. 


Name  uf  Vauiety 

AM) 

Habit  of  Growth. 


C  LASS. 


Liabaud,  ISSl,  Raised  from 
Lion  des  Combats. 

Gnillot-flls,  ISVl.  Raised  from 
Giant  of  Battles.  Crimson, 
shaded  with  velvety  purple. 

Levet,  1SG9.    Bright  rose. 

Guillut-ttls,  ISi^S.  Large,  car- 
mine-rose flowers,  not  full 
enoui;h  ;  growth  very  raidc, 

E.  \'erdier,  1S75.  Velvety  crim- 
son, with  fiery  centre ;  large, 
full  flowers,  fragrant ;  short 
wood,  sharp  red  spines ; 
sliows  traces  of  Bourbon 
blood.  A  Rose  of  bet' er  form 
and  finish  than  most  of  the 
very  dark  sorts.  Shy  in  au- 
lunin. 

Damaizin,  ISG.o.  Jules  Margot- 
tin  lype.  Glossy  lose,  large 
and  full,  fragrant  ;  unreli- 
able as  to  form,  often  the 
finest  in  autumn. 

Gonod,  1804.  Raised  from 
Jules  Margottin.  Rosy  car- 
mine. 

Rousseau,  1S37.  Blush,  often 
whi  e  ;  fragi-ant.  u 

Adam,  1S38.  Salmon-rose,  fra- 
grant; es'eemed  for  forcing 

Ducher,  1859  Bright  crimson, 
double,  cupped  form ;  very 
spiny,  straggling  growth ; 
sliows  Bourbon  origin. 

See  Eugene  PiroUe. 

Margottin,  1S68.  Carmine-red, 
full,  fr -grant, 

Guiliot-fils,  1868.  Apricot-yel- 
low. 

Dark  crinifon.  Not  valuable. 

Introduced  to  England  from 
China  in  1789.  Rich  crimson, 
specially  valued  for  its  fine 
buds.  A  useful  sort  for  bed- 
ding out  and  for  forcing.  The 
best  of  the  class. 

Vibert,  1828.  Raised  from  Sem- 
pervirens  Plena.  Pure  white, 
small  double  flowers,  pro- 
duced in  large  clusters ; seven 
leaflets ;  nearly  hardy. 

Curtis,  IS-tl.  A  sport  from  the 
above  ;  identical  with  the  old 
kind,  except  that  it  is  of 
stronger  growth.  These  pret- 
ty sorts  arc  both  dillicult  to 
propagate  from  cuttings. 

Touvais,   18t>7.    White,   tinted 
with  rose ;  foliage  dark ;  seven  j 
leaflets  are  common. 

Very  small,  full  flowers,  deli- 
cately scented. 

E.  Verdier,  1SG5.  Pink,  some- 
tiniL'S  mottled,  medium  size, 
double.  Wood  armed  with 
dark  brown  thorns. 

Sarter,  1855.  See  Madame 
Bravy. 

Lev^que,  1878.  Bright  rose. 

Cherry  red  ;  mildews  easily  ; 
shy  bloomer. 

Margottin,  1S52.  Cherry-red, 
rosette  shape,  medium  size; 
fuiiage  dark;  wood  armed 
with  pale  red  thorns. 

Licliarmi',  isfo.  Raised  from 
General  Jaciiut-niinot.  Car- 
mine-crimson ;  large,  or  very 
large,  full ;  of  fine,  globular 
form,  extremely  fragrant ; 
green  wond,  with  oi-casional 
jiaU'  grtcn  tliorns.  the  foliage 
l.ir:^'e  andlKindsunu'.  A  grand 
Ruse  ;  the  most  useful  in  its 
class  for  general  cultiva- 
tion. 

Laffay,  1S55.  Pink,  small  flow- 
ers, of  poor  quality  ;  the 
wood  is  very  thorny  ;  strag- 
gling habit. 

Lacharme,  1863.  Raised  from 
General  Jacqueminot.  Crim- 
son-magenta, very  large,  full, 
well  built,  fragrant ;  rather 
shy  bloomer. 

Schwartz,  1877.  JIagonta-red, 
shaded  with  crinisnn  ;  lu-ge, 
lull  flowers,  partly  imbrica- 
ted. A  very  lieantilul  Rose  ; 
but,  thus  far,  not  constant 
and  reliable. 

Vigueron,  1S80.  Carmine-rose. 

Vigneron,  1867.  Rose-lilae, 
good  globubir  form. 

Trouill.ird,  1842.  Pink,  semi- 
double  ;  buds  are  not  mossy. 
Armed  with  very  red  spines. 

Gnillot-flls,  1874.  Violet-rose, 
not  a  clear  shade  ;  a  li'uity, 
pleasant  iiagrancc. 


Alpaidc    de  Roiita- 

lii-r,  free 
Alphiinse  Damaizin^ 

mod. 
Alphonse  Karr 

Alphonse  Karr 

Alphonse  Karr,  mod 


Alphoiise    M  or  tic- 

mnns,  mod. 
Aviabilis,  free 

Amadi.'t,  vig. 
(Crimson  Boursault.) 
Amazone,  mod. 


Ainbrogio  Maggi 
AmHic  Iloste 


American 
dwf. 


Banner, 


AndrdD  u  na  nd,  mod 


AndrtS  Lcroy,  mod. 


Anicct  Bourgeois 

A  nna  A  icxieff,  free 

Anna  Eliza,  vig. 
Anna  Ollivier,  mod 
Anna  Maria,  vig. 
A  n nc   dc    Dicshach , 


Anne     Ma ric    Cote, 

free 
An/ie  Marie  de  Mon- 

travel,  mod. 


Aiittie  Laxton,  mod 


^njiiV    Wood, 
or  dwf. 


Anther  08 
Antoine  Devcrt 


Antnine     Ducher 
mod. 


Antoine Mouton ,  vi; 


Antoine  Qiiihou 


Antiiine        Veidic 
mod. 


H.P. 
H.P. 
H.P. 
H.P. 
B. 


T. 

T. 

B'lt. 

T. 

H.P. 
H.P. 
N. 


ILP. 
H.P. 

H.P. 

H.P. 

P. 

T. 

P. 

H.P, 


U.N. 
Pol. 


H.P. 

U.P. 


ILP. 

ILP. 


Campy,  1863.  Rose  colonr. 

Damaizin,  1861.  Bright  crimson 

Portemer,  1845.  Flesh  colom', 

margined  with  carmine. 
Feuillet,    1855.    Bright    rose, 

medium  size,  full. 
Nabonnand,  1678.  Raised  from 
Duchess  of  Edinburgh.  Rosy 
crimson.  Sent  out  as  a  Tea  ; 
but,  with  its  parent,  is  better 
placed  among  the  Bengals. 
Tliere  is,  as  yet,  no  crimson 
Tea. 
JIadame  Ducher,  1875.  Lilac- 
rose. 
Touvais.    Flesh  colour,  centre 

rose ;  habit,  branching. 
Lattay,  1829.     Purplish  crim- 
son ;  semi-double. 
Ducher,  1872.  Yellow,  reverse 
of  petals  veined  with  rose ; 
long,  well-formed  buds ;  habit 
delicate. 
Pernet,  1879.  Raised  from  John 

Hopper.  Bright  rose. 
Gonod,  1874.  Pink,  reverse  o£ 

petals  darker. 
C.  G.  Page.  1859.  (Sent  out  by 
T.  G.  Ward,  of  Wa^liington.) 
Raised  from  Solfaterre  x 
Safrano.  Pale  yellow,  with 
fawn  centre ;  large  full 
flowers  ;  more  shy  than  either 
parent.  .3 

G.  Cartwright,  1879.  (Sent  out 
by  PeterUenderson.)  A  sport 
from  Bon  Silfene.    Carmine, 
striped  with  white,  semi-dou- 
ble ;  the  flowers  and  foliage 
are  both  small.  Of  no  value 
except  as  a  curiosity. 
Schwartz,    1871.   Raised  from 
Victor  Verdier.  Silvery  rose; 
fades  quickly  and  often  opens 
badly. 
Trouillard,  1868.   (Sent  out  by 
Standish.)  Crimson,  with  a 
shade  of  violet ;  an  attractive 
colour,  but  very  transient ; 
often  ill-formed. 
5Ioreau-Robert,   1830.    Raised 
from  Senateur  Vaisse  x  Ma- 
dame Victor  Verdier.  Ch-'rry- 
red,  cupped  form. 
Margottin,  1858.  Rose  colour, 
large  full  flowers,  freely  pro- 
duced. 
William.  Pved,  tinged  with  li- 
lac ;  numerous  thoi^ns. 
Ducher,  1872.  Buff,  shaded  with 

rose. 
Feast,   1843.  Pale  pink ;  very 

few  thorns. 
Lacharme,  1S58.  Raised  from 
La  Reine.  In  ci-Iuiir,  the  most 
lovely  sliadenf  carniiiie  ;  very 
large,    douljle    flowers,    fra- 
grant ;  one  of  the  hardiest.  A 
very  desirable  garden  Rose. 
Guillot-fils,    1&75.        White, 
sometimes  tiipe  1  with  pink. 
Rambeau    &    Du  -rcnil,    1879. 
Very     smaP,      full,     white 
flowers,  somewhat  fragrant. 
Resembles  Paquerette. 
Laxton,  1869.  (Sent  out  by  Geo. 
Paul.)  Satiny  rose,   medium 
or  large  size,  very  full. 
E.  Verdier,  1866.  Bright  crim- 
son  with   a   shade   of    vei- 
milion  ;    a   good   autumnal 
Rose. 
Lepage.    Flesh  colour,  shaded 

with  yellow, 
Gonod,    1880.    ^^^lite,   tinged 
with  pink,  reverse  of  petals 
shaded  salmon. 
Ducher,  18(56.  Violet-red;largc, 
well  shaped  flowers; fragrant, 
wood  very  thorny.  The  colour 
is  very  fleeting. 
Levet,  1874.  Deep  rose,  tinged 
with  lilac,  not  unlike  Paul 
Neron  ;  it  is  more  fragrant 
and    more    hardy,    but     in 
colour  and  size  is  below  that 
sort. 
E.    Verdier,   1S79.      Brownish 

crimson. 
Jamain,  1871.  Roseshaded  with 
lilac,  well  fonned  buds,  no 
perfume ;  the  colour  is  mud- 
dy. This  sort  would  not  im- 
properly be  classed  among 
the  Hybrid  Tcii-s,  as  it  resem- 
bles them  in  liabit  a.s  well 
as  in  coutimiity  of  llower- 


208 


THE    GARDEN 


rSErr.  G     1884. 


Name  op  variety  \ 

AND  I  Class. 

Habit  of  Growth. 


Anionia       Dccarli,^  Cl.T. 


Ai-'oUinc,  vis. 


B. 


Archihikc     Charles,  Eciig 
mud. 


Arckimedc,  free 


T. 


A  rdoine  de  Lyon,  vis-    II-  T- 

Arhddc  Difjmi^,  vig.     n.C. 


Aithcnmc,  free 


Arthur  dc  Sanml 

Augusta 

Avguste  Bvchner 
Augusfc  Mie,  free 
(Madame  Rival.) 

Avguste  Ifcuviann 

Avgys^c  Oger,  mod. 
Augnste  Iligotard 


Auguste  Vackei' 

Aurctti,  vis- 

AnrcxiS 

Avocat  Duvivier 

Baltimore  BelL;  vig. 

Baron     Ad'dphe    dc 
Ixotlischild,  free 

Baron  Alexandre  de 
Vrints 

Baron      Chaurand, 

vig. 
Baron  de  Bonstcttcn, 


Baron  Gonella,  vig 


Ba'Ton  na'iiss7na7in, 

free 
Barun  Taylor,  free 


Baron  de  Rothschild^ 
free 

Baroness  Rothschild, 

luod. 
(Madame  de  RothS' 

cliUd) 


Baronne    de    May- 
nard,  mod.  or  free 


Baronne  de  Frailly 


Baronne    de     Was 
sencer,  free 


Baronne  Louise  Ux- 
hull,  free 


Baronne       Provost, 
vig. 


n.p. 


n.r. 

H.P. 

H.P. 


T. 

n.p. 


T. 

n.C. 

T. 
U.P, 

p. 

U.P. 

T. 

H.P. 
H.P. 


B. 

H.P. 

H.P. 

H.P. 
H.P. 


H.N. 

H.P. 
M. 
H.P. 
H.P. 


Levet,  1873.  May  be  briefly  de- 
scribed as  an  inferior  Gloire 
de  Dijon,  from  wliich  sort  it 
was  raised. 

V.  Verdier,  1848.  Raised  from 
Pierre  de  St.  Cjt.  Rosy  pink  ; 
large,  cupped  flowers.  The 
most  useful  of  all  Boiu'bons 
for  open  aii*. 

Laffay.  Rosy  crimson,  variable 
in  colour,  sometimes  deep 
marbled  rose. 

Robert,  1S56.  Rosy  fa\vn,  the 
centre  darker ;  ill-formed 
flowers  are  frequent.  A  good 
Rose  when  in  perfection,  and 
of  excellent  habit. 

Plantier,  IStiS.  (Sent  out  by  Da- 
maizin.)  Violet-rose,  a  poor 
colour. 

Touvais,  18GC.  Purplish  rose,  a 
muddy  hue  ;  double  or  full, 
fragrant ;  of  no  value. 

Moreau-Robert,  187(3.  Deep 
rose  colour ;  rather  small 
cupped-shaped  flowers,  not 
unlike  Apolline.  Only  worthy 
of  a  place  in  very  large  col- 
lections. 

Cocliet,  1855.  Raised  from  Giant 
of  Battles.  Deep  crimson. 

See  Solfaterre. 

LevOque,  18S0.  Reddish  purple. 

Laflfay,  1851.  Raised  from  La 
Reine.  Glossy  pink.  One  of 
the  most  tender  of  this  type. 

E.  Verdier,  1870.  Red,  shaded 
with  violet. 

Oger,  1S5G.  Coppery  rose. 

Schwartz,  1871.  Cherry-red, 
somewhat  like  Dupuy  Ja- 
mam. 

Lacharme,  1S53.  Coppery  yel- 
low. 

Crimson-purple ;  fades  very 
quickly. 

Ducher,  1873.  Coppery  yellow. 

L^vCque,  1875.  See  llari^chal 
Vaillant. 

Feast,  1843.  Pale  blush,  chang- 
ing to  wliite. 

Lachamie,  1862.  Bright  red, 
shaded  with  crimson  ;  mil- 
dews easily. 

Gonod,  1880.  Raised  from  Ma- 
dame de  Tartas.  Delicate 
rose. 

liabaud,  18G9.  See  Baron  de 
Bonstetten. 

Liabaud, 1871.  Velvety  maroon, 
shaded  with  deep  crimson, 
somewhat  lighter  in  shade 
than  Prince  Camille,  and 
rather  smaller  in  size,  but 
with  a  little  more  substance ; 
shy  in  autumn,  but  a  grand 
Rose. 

Guillot-pfere,1859.  Brouze-rose, 
well  formed,  fragrant ;  non- 
autumnal. 

E.  Verdier,  1867.  Dark  red, 
large,  well-built  flowers. 

Dougat,  1879.  A  sport  from 
John  Hopper.  Pink.  Only  dif- 
fers from  the  parent  in  shade  ; 
it  does  not  appear  to  be  con- 
stant. 

Guillot-flls,  1862.  Raised  from 
General  Jacqueminot.  Ama- 
ranth-red. 

Pernet,  1867.  Light  pink,  some- 
times shaded  with  rose ;  large, 
or  very  large  ;  cupped  form, 
very  symmetrical,  without 
fragrance  ;  the  wood  is 
short  -  jomted,  thick,  light 
green,  armed  with  occasional 
light  green  thorns ;  one  of  the 
hardiest,  but  does  not  propa- 
gate from  cuttings.  A  very 
distinct,  beautiful  Rose,  free 
blooming^  and  gi'eatly  valued , 
both  as  an  exliibition  and  a 
garden  sort 

Lacharme,  1865.  From  Blanche 
Lafltte  X  Sappho.  White, 
edge  of  petals  often  tinged 
with  pink;  small  size,  com- 
pact form. 

Liabaud,  1871.  Bright  red, 
large,  very  full ;  often  does 
not  open  well. 

V.  Verdier,  1S54.  Deep  rose  ; 
buds  pretty,  and  quite  well 
mossed. 

Gudlot-fils,  1871.  Carmine-rose; 
large,  highly  -  scented  flow- 
ers. 

Desprez.  (Sent  out  byCochet  in 
1S42.)  Pui-e  rose  colour,  very 


Name  of  Variety  j 

AND  '  Class, 

Habit  of  Growth.! 


Baronne  Pi-t'onst, 
vig. — (continued) 

Bart-Mlemy      Level, 

mod. 
Beaiite  de  VEurope, 

vig. 

Beauty  of  Glazen- 
wood 

Beauty  of  Green- 
mount,  vig. 

Beauty  of  Staple/or d, 
mod. 


Beauty  of  Waltham, 
tree 


Belle      Amiricaine. 
mod. 

Belle    Fleur    d'A  ji 

jou,  mod. 
Belle  Lyonnaisc,  vig, 


Belle      Maconnaise, 

free 
Belle  yortnande,h'ee 

Bennett's    Seedling, 

vig. 
Benjamin      Drouet, 

free 
Benuiid       Palissy, 

free 


Bcrthe  Baron,  free 


Bessie  Johnson,  mod. 

Bignonra,  mod. 
Black  Prince,  free 


Blanchede  Beaulieu, 
free 

Blanchejlcur,  free 


Blanche  Lafiite,  free 
Blanche  Moreau 


Blanche  Vihert 
Blani  No.  2,  vig. 

Boicldicu,  vig. 


Bon  Sil&ne,  free 
(Sileue.) 


Bougire,  free 


H.P. 

H.P. 

CLT. 

Ev. 

N. 
H.T. 


T. 
Cl.X. 

T. 
H.P. 

A.- 
H.P. 
H.P. 

H.P. 


T. 
H.P. 


H.P. 
Fr. 


B. 

P.M. 


Dam. 
H.Ch. 


H.P. 


large,  very  full,  flat  form  ;  a 
free  bloomer,  fragrant,  very 
hardy.  The  shoots  are  stout 
and  stiff. 
Levet,  1878.  Bright  rose. 

Gonod,  1881.  Gloire  de  Dijon 
type.  Deep  yellow ;  reverse 
of  petals  coppery  yellow. 

See  Fortune's  Yellow. 

Pentland,  1854.  Rosy  red. 

Bennett,  1879.  Raised  from  Al- 
ba rosea  x  Countess  of  Ox- 
ford. Red,  tinged  with  vi<»let, 
large,  well  fonntd,  iircttily 
shaped  buds,  without  fra- 
grance ;  the  colour  is  not 
pleasing,  too  soon  becoming 
muddy.  Very  subject  to  mil- 
dew. 

W.  Paul,  1862.  Rosy  crimson, 
medium,  or  large  size,  fra- 
grant ;  it  has  the  habit  of 
throwing  out  side  -  shoots 
from  nearly  every  eye.  This  is 
still  a  sort  to  commend. 

Daniel  Boll  (New  York),  1837. 
Deep  pink,  double,  small, 
well  formed. 

Touvais,  1872.  Silvery  rose, 
large ;  rather  good. 

Levet,  1869.  Raised  from  Gloire 
de  Dijon.  Pale  lemon-yellow ; 
less  productive  than  the 
parent.  A  fine  sort. 

Ducher,  1870.  Pale  salmon- 
rose. 

Oger,  1864.  A  sport  from  La 
Reine.  Silvery  rose. 

Bennett.  Pure  wliite,  small, 
double. 

E.  Verdier,  1878.  Red,  shaded 
with  pm"ple. 

Margottin,  1863.  Red,  medium 
size,  very  full,  fragrant ;  often 
comes  ill  formed,  sometimes 
is  very  fine. 

Baron-Viellard,  1SG3.  Raised 
from  Jules  Margottin.  Deli- 
cate rose  colour. 

Curtis,  1872.  A  sport  from  Abel 
Grand.  Blush,  liighly  scented 

Levet,  1872.  Red. 

1866.  Purchased  and  sent  out 
by  W.  Paul.  Dark  crimson  ; 
not  considered  a  reliable 
sort,  occasionally  it  is  very 
fine. 

Margottin,  1851.  Deep  pink, 
large,  loose  flowers ;  rather 
tender. 

Vibert,  1846.  A^Hnte,  tingud 
with  blush,  medium  size,  flat, 
very  full,  higldy  scented.  One 
of  the  earliest  to  bloom  ;  the 
flowers  produced  in  great 
profusion.  A  valuable  gar- 
den Rose. 

Pradel,  1851.  Blush  white. 

Moreau-Robert,  1880.  White ; 
claimed  to  be  a  true  Hybrid 
Perpetual. 

Vibert,  1838.  See  Portland 
Blanche. 

Blair.  Pink,  large,  double ; 
much  esteemed  in  England  as 
a  pillar  Rose.  We  do  not 
value  it  highly  for  this  cli- 
mate. 

Gargon,  1877.  (Sent  out  by  Mar- 
gottin-flls.)  Belongs  to  Ba- 
ronne Pr(ivost  type.  Cherry- 
red,  very  large  and  full,  flat 
form;  will  proliably  super- 
sede Madame  Boll.  This  is 
more  productive,  has  slim- 
mer wood,  smaller  foliage, 
stouter  thorns  than  Madame 
Boll.  The  latter  sort  has  five 
leaflets  only,  this  has  com- 
monly seven  ;  remembering 
this,  it  is  easy  to  distinguish 
between  them. 

Hardy,  1839.  Deep  salmon- 
ruse,  illumined  with  car- 
mine, medium  size,  semi- 
double,  liighly  scented,  very 
free  flowering.  This  is  only 
desirable  in  the  bud  state  ; 
f.tr  many  years  it  has  been  a 
k-a-liiii;  kind  forforcing  ;  the 
Eii^:ti,sli  florists  have  not  yet 
disLUVL-red  its  value. 

1832.  Bronzed  pink,  large  and 
full,  thick  petals ;  one  of 
the  iKirdiest.  An  old  variety, 
yL-c  one  of  th»  most  desir- 
kble. 


Name  of  Variety 

AND 

Habit  of  Growth. 


Bcule  de  NanteuH, 

mod.  or  free 
Boulc  de  A'eige,  free 

Boi/le  d'Or,  dwf.  or 
mod. 

Bouquet  d'Or,  vig. 

Bouton  d'Or,  mod. 

Brennus,  vig. 


Brightness    of  Chcs- 
hunt 

Cabbage 

CamiUe  Bemardin, 
free  or  vig. 


Camocns 
Canary,  dwf. 


Cannes  la  Coquette, 
mod. 


Captain  Christy. 

mod.  or  dwf. 


Captain    John    In 
gram,  free 


Captain  Lamure, 

mod, 
Cardinal     Patrizzi 
mod. 

Carl  Coers,  vig. 
Caroline,  mod. 

Caroline  Cook,  mod. 


Class, 


Fr. 

H.N. 


N. 
T. 

n.ch. 


H.P. 


H.T. 
T. 


Caroline  Mamiesse, 
free 

Caroline  Schmitt 


Catherine  Giiillot 


Catherine     Mernict, 
mod.  or  free 


Catherine  Soupert, 

mod. 
CiHine,  dwf. 

Celine  Forestier,  vig, 


Cels-Multijlora,mod. 

Cent  (folia, free.  (Cab- 
bage or  Common 
Provence.) 


H.P. 
H.P. 


H.P. 
T. 


Caroline  de  Sansal,    H.P. 


N. 

N. 


Catherine  Bell,  free  :  H.Cl. 


B. 
T. 


H.P. 
M. 

N. 

Beng. 
Prov. 


Crimson-purple,  fades  easily ; 
worthless. 

Lacliarme,  1867.  White,  small, 
very  full ;  dues  not  root  fiom 
cuttings. 

ilargottin,  18G0.  Deep  yellow, 
large,  very  full ;  does  nut 
open  well. 

Ducher,  1872.  Yellow,  with 
coppery  centre,  large,  full. 

Guillut-fils,  18G6.  Orauge-yeb 
low,  medium  size. 

Laffay,  1830.  Deep  red,  shaded 
with  violet.  We  now  have  al- 
most the  same  shade  in  Ches- 
hunt  Hybrid,  a  more  useful 
sort. 

G.  Paul,  1881.  Belongs  to  Dukn 
(if  Kdiiil>urghtype.  Vivid  red, 
medium  size. 

See  Centifulia. 

Gautreau,  1865.  Raised  from 
General  Jacqueminot.  Light 
crimson,  medium  size,  semi- 
cupped  form,  fragrant ;  does 
not  bloom  until  late  in  the 
season,  and  then  the  flowei'S 
fade  easily  ;  never  very  pro- 
ductive. 

Schwartz,  1881.  Pale  rose,  baso 
of  petals  yellow. 

Guillot-pere,  1852.  Canary  yel- 
low, beautiful  little  budR, 
delicate  haliit 

Nabonnaud,lS77.  Raised  from 
La  France.  Salmon,  with  a 
shade  of  red.  Much  beliiud 
the  parent  in  value. 

Lachanne,  1873.  Raised  fronr 
Victor  Verdier  x  Safrano. 
Delicate  flesh  colour,  deepen- 
ing in  shade  towards  the  cen- 
tre, medium  size,  sometimes 
large,  full ;  the  foliage  when 
young  somewhat  resembles 
Mahonia  leaves.  Ill-shaped 
flowers  are  not  uncommon, 
but  it  is  a  most  lovely  sort 
when  in  perfection. 

Laftay,  1856.  Purple-crimsoii, 
colour  uon-permanent ;  dark, 
small  foliage,  in  five  leaf- 
lets. 

Levet,  1870.  Dark  red,  tinged 
with  violet. 

Tronillard,  1857.  Giant  of  Bat- 
tles type.  Crimson,  with  a 
tinge  of  purple. 

Granger,  1865.  Purple-red. 

Rosy  flesh,  deeper  towards 
centre  ;  prettily  fomied  buds. 

A.  Cook,  1871.  Raised  from 
Safrano.  Apricot-yellow,  with 
a  shade  of  rose;  not  a  valu- 
able sort. 

Desprez,  1849.  (Sent  out  liy 
Hippolyte  Janiain.)  Flesh 
colour,  deepening  towards 
the  centre  ;  large  full  flowers, 
flat  form,  often  indented ; 
subject  to  mildew ;  very 
iiardy.  An  unreliable  sort, 
but  beautiful  when  in  per? 
fection ;  generally  it  is  ol 
better  quality  in  September 
than  in  June.      ^^ 

Roeser,  18-48.  Creamy  white, 
small  and  full ;  seven  leaflets, 
nearly  hardy. 

Schmitt,  1881.  Raised  from 
SolfateiTe.  Salmon  -  yellow, 
changing  to  pale  yellow. 

Bell  &  Son,  1877.  Rose  colour, 
large,  loose  flowers ;  very 
poor. 

GuiUot-fils,  1801.  Raised  from 
Louise  Odier.  Rose  colour. 

GuiUot-fils,  1869.  Flesh  colour, 
with  the  same  silvery  lustre 
seen  in  La  France;  large, 
full,  well  formed  ;  not  very 
productive,  yet  not  a  shy 
bloomer;  very  beautiful  in 
the  bud  ;  when  the  flowers 
expand  they  exhale  a  delight- 
ful perfume.  The  finest  of  all 

Lacharme,  1879.  Rosy  peach ; 
distinct. 

Robert,  1855.  Crimson  -  pur- 
ple. 

Tronillard,  1860.  Pale  yellow, 
deepening  towai-ds  the  cen- 
tre ;  the  hardiest  of  the 
Tea-scented  section. 

Cels,  1838.  Flesh  colom',  very 
free  blooming. 

Rose  colour,  large,  full,  glo- 
bular, fragrant.  A  very  de. 
sirable  garden  variety. 


Ssi'T.  r>,  1884] 


THE     GARDEN 


209 


Nahe  op  variety 

AND 

Habit  op  Growth. 


Centifolia    cristata, 
freo 

Centi/olia  rosea, 

mod. 


Charles  Daltct 
Charles  Dancin^tree 


Charles  Duval 
Charles  Fontaine 
Charles  Gctz,  vig, 

Charles  Laicson,  vis 


Cha  lies  L(^ebvre,h''ee 
(JIarguerite  Bras- 
sac.) 


Charles    Margottin. 
mod. 


Charles  Rouillard 
Charles  Rovolli,  free 


Charles  Turner,  free 


Charles  Verdier, 

d^vf. 

ChinidolUt  \ig. 
X!hes]iunt  Hybrid, 


Christian    Puttner, 

dwf. 
Christine  Nilsson, 

free 
Claire  Camot,  vig. 


Clara  Stilmin,  mod 
(Lady  U'an'ender.) 
Claude  Bernard, 

mod, 


Claude  Level 
CUmence  Raoux,  \'v. 


CUment  Nahonnand 
free 

Climbing  Caj^tftin 

Christy 


CLASS, 


Dam. 

n.p. 


n.p. 

H.P. 


U.P. 

n.p. 

B. 
II.Cli. 

n.p. 


H.P. 
T. 


H.P. 


H.Ch. 
H.T. 


n.ai. 

H.P. 

N. 

BeDg. 
H.P. 

H.P. 
H.P. 

T. 
H.Cl, 


Vibert,  1S27.  Lai*ge,  pink  flow- 
ers, uot  crested,  fnigraut  and 
good. 

Touvai3,  1SG3.  Bright  rose,  cir- 
cular, shell  form  ;liglitgrfun 
wood,  with  uumcrous  red 
thorns ;  foliage  crinipled. 

E.  Verdier,  1S77.  Carmine-red, 
medium  size,  full,  fragrant. 

Laxton,  1S79.  (Sent  out  hy  U. 
Paul.)  Raised  from  Madame 
Julie  Daran.  Brownish  crim- 
son, with  a  shade  of  vickt, 
very  beautiful  and  distiuLt ; 
mildews  easily. 

£.  Verdier,  1S77.  Ked,  medium 
size. 

Fontaine,  ISGS.  Crimson,  fra- 
grant. 

A.  Cook,  1S71.  Rosy  pink,  me- 
dium size,  full,  fragrant ;  shy 
in  autumn. 

1853.  Light  rose  colour,  large, 
full,  fragi'ant ;  five  leaflets  ; 
useful  fur  pillars. 

Laeharme,  1861.  Claimed  to 
have  been  raised  from  Gene- 
ral Jacqueminot  x  Victor 
Verdier.  Reddish  crimson, 
sometimes  with  a  shade  of 
purple,  very  velvety  ami 
rich,  but  fading  quickly ; 
large,  full,  thick  petals, 
beautifully  fomied.  There 
are  a  few  thorns  of  light  red  ; 
the  wood  and  foliage  are  of 
light  reddish  green.  A  splen- 
did Ftose. 

Margottin,  1SG5.  A  seedling  of 
Jules  Margottin.  Fiery  led, 
shaded  with  crimsun  ;  laru'c, 
full  flowers  ;  retain.s  tlie 
colour  well ;  smootb,  re-lilish 
wood,  armed  with  utLasional 
red  spines;  foliage  sligbtly 
crinipled.  An  excellent,  dis- 
tinct Rose,  quite  unlike  the 
parent  in  hattit.  It  dnul'tli  ss 
comes  fripin  ;i  natural  ci'i'ss 
of  some  dark  surt  like  < 'liar  lus 
Lefebvre  or  Jules  Margot- 
tin. 

E.  Verdier,  18C5.  Pale  rose, 
well  formed. 

Pemet,  1875.  Carmine-rose,  not 
imlike  Bon  Sil^ne,  from 
wl'ich  variety,  so  far  as  our 
observation  goes,  it  only  dif- 
fers to  be  inferior. 

Slargottin,  lam.  Crimson-ver- 
milion, large,  full  flowers,  flat 
form,  resembling  General 
■Washington  ;  wood  armed 
with  numerous  dark  rod 
thorns.  A  shy  bloomer. 

Guillot-pere,  18G6.  A  seedling 
of  Victor  Verdier.  Pink,  w  ith 
a  tinge  of  salmon  ;  globular, 
full  flowers  ;  thoi-ns  dark  red. 
A  bad  one  to  open,  and  fades 
very  soon. 

Bright  red,  lai^e,  double, 
shoots  very  spiny,  five  to 
seven  leaflets. 

G.  Paul,  1873.  Believed  to  be  a 
natural  cross  from  Madame 
de  Tartas  x  Prince  Camille 
de  Rohan.  Red,  shaded  with 
violet ;  large,  full,  shghtly 
fragrant  ;  very  distinct.  A 
good  Rose,  free  in  the  spring, 
but  shy  in  autumn. 

Oger,  1861.  Deep  violet-rose ; 
an  impure  shade. 

L^v^que.  1667.  Rose  colour.  In 
the  way  of  Madame  Boutin. 

Guillot-fils,  1873.  Pale  yellow, 
somewhat  in  the  way  of 
C^lhie  Forestier,  but  more 
fragrant. 

Madame  Pean.  Wiite,  strongly 
infused  with  Tea  blood. 

Liabaud,  lS7ii.  Raised  from 
Jules  Margottin.  Ro.se  colour; 
little  fragrance  ;  not  a  desii"- 
able  sort. 

Levet,  1872.  Velvety  red,  fra- 
grant. 

Granger,  186S.  (Sent  out  by 
Charles  Lee.)  A  washed-out 
pink;  large,  fragrant  flowers, 
quartered  shape ;  worthless. 

Nabonnand,  ls77.  Light  yel- 
low, shaded  with  rosy  sal- 
mon ;  not  valuable. 

Ducher  &  Soeur,  1881.  Flowers 
are  like  the  old  variety,  from 
which  it  is  a  sport,  but  the 
shoots  are  more  slender  and 
longer. 


Name  of  Vauietv 

AND 

HABIT  OF  Growth, 


Class. 


Climhing  Bessie 

Johnson,  vi^ 

Ctiinhing  Charles 

Lefebvre,  free 

Climbing  Countess  oj 

Oxiord,  free 
Climbing   Devvnicn- 

sis,  vig. 


Climhing  Edouard 
Morren,  vig 

Climbing  Jxdes  Mar 
guttin,  vig. 


Climhing  Madame 
Victar  Verdier 

Cliuihing  Mademoi- 
selle Uugihiie  Ver- 
dier, free 


Climhing  Victor  Ver- 
dier, free 


Cloth  of  Gold,  vig. 
(Clu'umatcUa.) 


Clothilde 

Clothilde  Holland 
Col.  de  Itovgcmont, 

mod. 
Colonel   de    Sa7isal, 

mod. 
Cornice  de   Seine-et- 

Mame,  mod. 
Cornice   de   Tam-et- 

Garonne,  mod. 
Common  Moss,  free 

(Old  Moss.) 


Comic  A.  dc  Germ  ing 
Comtcd'Eii 

Comte  dc  Flandres 

Conite  de  Grivel 

Comte     de     Morte- 
mart,  free 

Comte  de  KantcuH, 


Comte  dc  Paris,  mod. 

or  dwf. 
Conite   de    Sembni^ 

mod. 


Comte  de  Thun-Uo- 

henstcin 
Comte  Tave  ma, mod. 
Cointesse    Cecite    de 

Chabrillant,  mod, 


Cumtefse  de  Barban 
tane,  free 

Cowtesse  de  Camon- 

do 
Comtesse  de  Caserta 

Comtesse    de    Choi- 
seidl 

Comtesae  de  Lahai 
the,  free 

Comtcc6e  de  Ludre 


H.Cl. 

H.Cl. 

H.CL 
Cl.T. 

H.Cl. 
H.Cl. 


H.Cl. 
H.Cl. 


H.CL 


H.P. 
H.P. 

H.P. 

B. 

B. 


H.P. 
B. 

n.p. 

T. 
H.P. 

H.Ch. 

T. 
T. 


H.P. 


T. 
H.P. 


B. 

H.P. 

T. 

H.P. 

T. 


G.  Paul.  1878.  A  sport  from 
Bessie  Johnson.  Like  the  par- 
ent, except  more  vigorous. 

Cranston,  1S7G.  Not  any 
stronger  in  growth  than  the 
original. 

Smith,  1875.  Of  no  value. 

S.  J.  Pavitt,  1S5S.  (Sent  nut  liy 
Henry  Curtis.)  A  sport  from 
Devoniensis.  This  seems  to 
us  as  ])niductivo  as  the  old 
sort,  ami  its  oxtia  vigour  of 
growth  is  an  advantage. 

G.  l*aul,  1879.  A  sport,  likely 
to  make  a  very  useful  pillar 
Rose. 

Cranston,  1375.  A  sport  from 
.J  ules  Margottm.  Flowers  are 
the  same  as  in  the  old  sort, 
except  being  a  little  smaller, 
and  for  this  reason  it  is  flner 
in  the  bud  state.  The  best  of 
all  the  climbing  sports  ;  high- 
ly commended  as  a  useful 
pillar  Rose. 

Cranston,  1877.  A  humbug. 

G.  Paul,  1877.  Light  rosy 
salmon  :  like  all  these  clhub- 
ing  sports  the  flowers  become 
smaller,  and  are  produced 
more  freely  than  the  type. 

G.  Paul,  1871.  Flower  some- 
what smaller  and  less  freely 
produced  than  in  the  old 
sort. 

Coquereau,  1843.  Raised  from 
Lamarque.  Deep  yellow  cen- 
tre, with  sulphur  edges; 
large,  full  flowers.  A  grand 
Rose,  but  difficult  to  giow 
well. 

RoUand,  1867.  Creamy  white, 
centre  rosy  salmon. 

Rolland,  1867.  Cherry-rose. 

Laeharme,  1853.  Of  the  Baronue 
Prevust  type.  Light  rose. 

Jamaiu,  1874.  Carmine-red. 

Pradel,  1842.  Deep  red,  shaded 
with  violet. 

Pradel,  1852.  Carmine -red, 
well  formed. 

Pale  rose,  very  beautiful  in  the 
bud.  Difficult  to  propagate 
from  cuttings.  None  others 
in  the  class,  except  Crested 
and  Gracilis,  can  rank  with 
tbis  in  quality. 

Llviihu-,  1881.  Raised  from 
Jules  Margottin.  Brightrose. 

Laeharme,  1844.  Raised  from 
G  loire  des  Rosoniaues.  Bright 
rosy  crimson. 

Leveque,  18SL  Raised  from 
aiadame  Victor  Verdier. 
Reddish  purple,  velvety, 
illumined  with  carmine. 

Levet,  1871.  Raised  from  Can- 
ary. Pale  yellow. 

Margottin  -  fils,  1880.  Rose 
colour,  very  fragrant  ; 
smooth,  pale  green  wood. 

Quetier,  1852.  Lightrose,  large, 
full  flowers,  sometimes  with 
green  centre  ;  not  unUke 
CliKU^'dolle. 

Madame  Pean,  1844.  Flesh 
colour,  large  flowers. 

filadame  Ducher,  1874.  Salmon 
and  rose,  the  base  of  petals 
coppery  yellow  ;  large,  full 
(lowers,  often  malformed.  A 
grand  Rose  when  well  grown, 
but  too  unrelialile. 

L6veque,  1880.  Reddish  crim- 
son. 

Ducher,  1871.  Pale  yellow. 

Marest,  1859.  Satiny  pink, 
never  above  medium  size, 
full,  fragrant  ;  of  perfect, 
globular  form  ;  numerous 
dark  thorns  of  small  size ; 
foliage  dark  and  tough.  A 
lovely  Rose. 

Guillot-pere,  1S5S.  Raised 
from  Louise  Odier.  Blush, 
shaded  with  rose. 

L^vGque,  1880.  Red,  shaded. 

Nalionnand,    1877.      Coppery 

red 
Mottheau,    1878.    Cherry-red, 

shaded  with  crinison,  iu  the 

style  of  Marie  Rady. 
Bern^de,    lbj7.    I'ink,  shaded 

with  carmine-rose ;  pretty  in 

the  bud. 
£.  Verdier,  1879.  Carmine-red. 


Kame  of  Variety 

AND 

Habit  of  Growth. 


Comtesse   de   Muri- 
nais,  vig. 


Comtesse  de  Nadail- 
lac,  mod. 


Cum  t esse  de  St^gur 
Comtrsse  deSereitge, 
mod. 


Comtesse     Henrictte 

Combes 
Com  tesse  Nathalie  de 

Kleibt 

Comtesse    liiza    du 
Pare,  free 


Comtesse  Ouvaroff, 

free 
Con^tantin     Tretia 


Copper,  mod. 

Coquette  des  Alpes, 
vig. 


Coquette   des   Blan- 
ches, free  or  vig. 


Coqurtte   de    Lgon^ 
mod. 


Cornelie  Koch,  free 
(Cornelia  Cook.) 


Countess  of  Harring- 
ton, free 

Countess  of  Oxford^ 
mod. 


Countess   of   Itose- 
berg,  mod. 


Cov2>e  d'Ui'he,  vig 


Cra  tn  o  isi-Supdrieiir, 
free 
(Agrippina.) 

Crested  Moss,  free 
(Cristata,  or  Crested 
Provence.) 


Crimson  Beddcr, 

dwf. 

Crimson  Moss,  free 

Crimson  Perpetual 
Crown  Prince 


David  Pradel,  \\\q([. 


Class. 


T. 


Prov. 

n.p. 


H.P. 
H.P. 


T. 
H.P. 

A. 
H.N. 


H.N. 


T. 


Fr. 
H.P. 

H.P. 

n.ch. 

Beng, 
M. 


H.P. 

M. 

H.P. 


Vibert,  1843.  White,  tinged 
witli  flesh  ;  not  inclined  to 
mildew. 

Guillot-fils, *1871.  Coppery  yel- 
low, illumined  with  carmine- 
rose  ;  large,  full,  distinct, 
and  ett^cetivc  ;  highly  esteem- 
ed. 

V.  Verdier,  1848.  Buff-white. 

Laeharme,  1874.  Said  to  be 
raised  from  La  Reine,  but  it 
shows  more  of  the  J  ules  Alar- 
gottin  characteristics.  Sil- 
very pink,  often  mottled  ;  a 
full,  finely  shaped,  globular 
flower,  of  medium  size, 
sliglitly  fnigrant ;  wood  light 
green,  foliage  darker,  thorns 
red,  seven  leaflets.  Not  re- 
liable about  openuig,  but  a 
very  free  bloomer,  and  well 
worthy  a  place  in  a  small  col- 
lection.  One  of  the  most  dis- 
tinct ;  of  great  beauty  when 
grown  under  glass. 

Schwartz,  1881.  Bright  satiny 
ruse. 

Soupert  et  Netting,  IS80.  Cop- 
pery rose,  reverse  of  petals 
lake. 

Schwartz,  1S7G.  Raised  from 
Comtesse  de  Labarthe. 
Bronzed  rose,  witli  a  car- 
mine tint ;  medium  size, 
moderately  full,  highly  per- 
fumed. 

Margottin,  1861.  Salmon-pink. 

Jamain,  1877.  Cherry  -  red, 
large,  double,  without  fi'a- 
grance. 

Coppery  red,  very  striking 
shade,  semi-double. 

Lachanne,  1867.  Raised  from 
Blanche  Lafltte  x  Sappho. 
White,  tinged  with  blush ; 
size,  medium  to  large  ;  semi- 
cupped  form,  the  wood  is 
lung,  jointed.  A  very  desir- 
able wliite  Rose. 

Laeharme,  1872.  Same  parent- 
age as  above.  White,  some- 
times tinged  with  blush  ;  ot 
medium  size,  very  full,  some- 
what flat,  but  pretty ;  growth 
bushy.  An  improvement  ou 
Baroune  de  Maynard  and 
Madame  Alfred  de  Rouge- 
mont. 

Ducher,  1870.  Pale  yellow ; 
medium,  or  small  size  ; 
pretty  in  bud,  and  useful  for 
bedding. 

A.  Koch,  1855.  Raised  from 
Devoniensis.  Wliite,  some- 
times faintly  tinged  with  pale 
yellow ;  very  large,  full  ;  not 
a  free  bloomer.  This  is  quite 
apt  to  come  with  a  green  cen- 
tre, but  it  is  a  grand  Rose 
when  well  grown,  excelling 
all  otlier  white  Teas. 

Cup  -  shaped,  white  flowers, 
double,  produced  iu  abund- 
ance. 

Guillot-p&re,  1S69.  Raised  from 
Victor  Verdier.  Carmine-red, 
tinged  with  lilac,  fades  quick- 
ly ;  flowers  very  large  and 
full ;  subject  to  mildew. 

R.  B.  Postans,  1879.  (Sent  out 
by  Wm.  Paul  &  Son.)  Belongs 
to  the  Victor  Verdier  type. 
Cherry-red. 

Latt'ay.  Deep  pink,  medium  or 
hirge  size,  cup  form  ;  sevea 
leaflets.  A  fine,  distinct  sort. 

Plantier,  1834.  Rich,  velvety 
crimson,  double  ;  fine  iu 
the  bud.  A  good  bedding 
variety. 

Discovered  on  the  wall  of  a 
convent  near  Friliourg,  and 
sent  out  by  Viliert,  1827, 
Deep,  pink  -  coloured  buds, 
surrounded  with  a  mossy 
fringe  and  crest ;  free  from 
mildew.  A  fragrant,  very 
beautiful  Rose. 

Cranston,  1874.  Belongs  to 
Giant  of  Battles  type.  Crim- 
son. 

Lee.  Ci'imson,  semi-doul>le ; 
poor. 

See  Rose  du  Roi. 

W.  Paul  it  Son,  1880.  Red- 
dish  crimson,  tinged  witJi 
purple. 

Pradel,  1851.   LiUc  rose,  largo 


210 


THE    GARDEN 


[SePT.  r>,   U84. 


Name  of  variety 

AND  I  Clas?. 

Habit  op  Gkowth 


Dean    o^'y-^Windsor, 

mod.    ^^ 
Dc  la  Griffcraie,  vig. 


Ddilte,  mod. 


De    Lttxcinhovrg, 

mod.  or  free 
Dc  Mearix,  dwf. 
(rumpon.) 

Dcsjircz,  vig. 


Devil  dc  rant  Fon- 
taine, vig. 

Vevicnjie  Laiiv/, 

mod. 

^€vonic7isis,  mod.  or 

free 


Dia7J% 
Dinrjee-x^rTiaid, 


mod 


Dr.  Andrif,  free 


Doctor  Amal,  dwf. 

Dr.  Berthet 
Dr.  Chains,  free 


H.P. 

Mult. 


r.M. 


M. 
M. 


H.P. 
T. 


H.P. 
HP. 


H.P. 


H.P. 


T. 

n.p. 


Doctor  Hf^non,  dwf.      H.P, 


Doctor  Ilnrfg,  free 


H.P. 


Doctor  Hooker,  frce.j  H.P. 


Doctor  Eanc,  vig.  or      K. 
free. 


Doctor  Marx,  mod. 
Doctor  Scifcll 


Double  Marffincd 

Hep,  free 
Douglass,  free 


Duartc  d'Oliveira 


Ducde  Magenta, free 


Due    de     Montpen- 

sier,  free 
Due  de  Jiohan,  free 

Ducher,  free 

Duchessc  de  Cam- 
baches,  vig. 

Dvchesse  de  Caylus, 
mod. 

Duchcsse  de  Chartrcs 

Duchesse   d'Utrie, 
mod. 


HP. 

H.P. 

Dam. 
Beng. 

N. 


Uj/c  d'Auinalc,  free,    H.P. 

(General  Due 

d'Aumale) 
Due  de  Cazea,  free 


H.P. 

T. 

H.P. 

H.P. 
Eeng. 
H.P. 
H.P 
H.P. 
M. 


Turner,  1S79.  Vermilion, 
large,  full  flowers. 

IS^O.  Lilac-rose.  This  variety 
makes  a  valuable  stock  on 
which  to  bud  strung-growing 
kinds. 

Ili'l)ert,  1852.  P.ed,  tinged 
with  lilac,  flat  form,  fra- 
grant, not  mossy.  Of  no 
vahie. 

Hardy.  Crimson,  not  attrac- 
tive. 

Found  growing  in  a  garden  at 
Taunton  alnrnt  1825.  Pink 
ctj'our,  small,  full  Ilowers. 

Desprez,  1&38.  Kose,  blended 
with  coppery  yellow,  highly 
scented. 

Fontaine,  1873.  Red,  shaded 
crimson,  large,  full ;  not 
mossy  ;  wonhless. 

LtivCque,  1)?03.  Carmine-red, 
well  formed  ;  a  good  sort. 

Foster,  lt41.  (Sent  out  by 
Lucombe,  Pince,  &  Co.) 
Katsed  from  Yellow  Tea. 
Creamy  white,  centre  some- 
times tintied  with  blush,  very 
large,  almost  full  ;  one  of 
the  most  delightfully  scen- 
ted. Either  this  or  the 
climbing  variety  should  be 
in  every  collection,  though 
neither  are  very  productive. 

AV.  Paul,  1874.     Deep  pink. 

E.  Verdier,  1S75.  Violet-crim- 
son, illuminud.  with  red, 
medium  size,  compact. 

E.  VcrditT,  lfcG4.  Kosy  crim- 
son, large,  semi-cupped 
flowers,  double,  sometimes 
full,  fades  badly ;  foliage 
large  and  gb  ssy  ;  wood 
moderately  smooth ;  thorns 
laige  and  red.  A  better  Rose 
I  ill  England  thau  in  this 
country. 

Raiser,  1848.  Red,  shaded 
with  crimson  ;  medium  or 
small  size  ;  a  free  bloomer, 
subject  to  mildew. 

Pernet,    187;*.  Pale    rose, 

deeper  in  centre. 

Touvais,  1S71.  Vermilion, 
sbadetl  with  crimson  ;  large, 
double  or  full,  fragrant ;  a 
good  seed-bearer. 

Lille,  1855.  White,  centre 
shaded,  medium  size,  full; 
often  malformed,  and  sub- 
ject to  mildew.  Belongs  to 
the  old  Portland  group. 

Laxton,  1^80.  (.Sent  out  by 
George  Paul.)  Deep  violet- 
red,  medium  size. 

G.  Paul,  1  70.  Raised  from 
Duke  of  Edinburgh.  Crim- 
son, with  a  shade  of  velvety 
purple 

Pentland,  ]f5G.  Sulphur-yel- 
low-  large,  fine  flowers ; 
difficult  to  grow  well. 

Lattay,  1842.  Red,  tinged 
with  violet  ;  a  bad  shade. 

Turner,  U79.  Bright  crimson, 
tinged  with  purple;  large, 
full.     A  goo'l  Rose. 

White,  tinged  with  pink,  flat 
form,  full ;  good. 

V.  Verdier,  1848.  Crimson, 
medium  size,  double,  fine  in 
the  bud.  A  valuable  variety 
for  house  culture. 

Brassac,  ISSO.  Raised  from 
Ophirie  x  RCve  d'Or.  Sal- 
mon-rose, coppery  at  base, 
mediimi  size,  full. 

E.  Verdier,  1875.  Crimson ; 
a  good  sort,  not  unlike  Mau- 
rice Beiiiardin. 

Touvais,  U60.  Violet-crimson, 
not  a  pure  shade  ;  double  ; 
numeious  stout  thorns. 

Margottin,  1859.  Flesh,  shaded 
with  fawn,  thick  petals, 
full.     A  large,  good  Tea. 

LdvC(iue,  1S76.  Red,  shaded 
with  crimson  ;  a  good  sort. 

LevCque.  l&Gi.  A'ermilion, 
large,  well  fonued. 

Ducher,  18C9.  Pure  white, 
well  fonued. 

Fontaine,  1854.  Lilac-rose, 
impure  colour ;  doulile. 

C.  Verdier,  1^U4.  Rosy  crim- 
son, large,  double. 

E.  Verdier.  1S75.  Bright 
rose. 

Portemer,  1857.  Rose  coloui, 
not  valuable. 


Name  of  variety 

AM) 

HABIT    OF  GEOWTH. 


Duchcsse  de  Mormji 

vig. 
Duchcsse    d'Orhkms, 

free 

Duchcsse     de     Thu 
ringe,  free 

Duchcsse  de  Vallom- 
broaa,  mod. 


Duchcsse  de  ValUnn 

brosa 
Duchess  of  Con- 
naught,  dwf. 


Dwhcss  qf  Bedford, 
mod. 


Class. 


H.Ch. 

n.p. 

B. 

n.p. 

T. 
H.T. 


H.P. 


Duchess    of     Edin-    H.P. 
huryh,  mod. 


Duchess     of    Edin 
burgh,  mod. 


Duchess  qf  Norfolk. 
free 


Duchess    of  Slither 

land,  vig. 
Duchess  of  Wesftnin 

atcr,  mod.  or  dwf. 


Duke  of  Albany 

Duke  of  Connaught, 
mod. 


Duke  of  Connavght, 
dwf.  or  mod. 


Beng. 


H.P. 


H.r. 
H.T. 


H.P. 
H.P. 


H.T. 


Duke  of  Edinburgh,    H.P. 
vig. 


Duke  oj  Tcck,  vig 


Duke  of  Wcllingtfm,]  H.P. 

mod.  i 

Duiiinacus,  mod.  H.P. 


DupctU  Thouars,      \     B. 


E.  Verdier,  1863.  Bright  rose; 
erect  giowth ;  mildew. 

Quetier,  1862.  Blush,  large, 
full  ;  often  opens  badly,  and 
is  suliject  to  mildew. 

Guillf't-p^'e.  1847.  White, 
slightly  tinged  with  lilac, 
a  free  bloomer. 

Schwartz,  lb75.  Raided  from 
Jules  Margottin.  Pink,  gene- 
rally opens  badly  ;  not  valu- 
able. 

Nabonnand,  1879.  Coppery 
red,  distinct. 

Bennett,  1879.  Raised  from 
Pi  esident  x  Duchesse  de 
Vallombrosa  (H  R).  Silvery 
rose,  of  large  globular  form; 
full,  highly  scented.  Re- 
send  lea  La  France,  but  the 
lliiwcrs  are  more  circular, 
tlic  foliage  larger  and  better. 
It  retains  its  globular  fonu, 
the  petals  recurving  to  a  less 
extent  ;  but  La  France  is, 
notwithstanding,  much  the 
better  sort. 

R.  B.  Postans,  1879.  (Sent  out 
by  W.  Paul  &  Son.)  Belongs 
to  the  Victor  Verdier  type. 
Cherry  red;  not  very  promis- 
ing. 

Dunand.  1874.  (Given  by  the 
raiser  to  Schwartz,  by  him 
suld  to  Henry  Bennett,  who 
scut  it  out  )  Belongs  to  Jules 
Margottin  type.  Pink;  not 
valuable. 

Xaboiinund,  1874.  (Sent  out 
by  Vtitch  )  Raided  from 
SMUvt'iiir  du  David  d'Angers 
A  Bengal  with  Tea  blood 
Primson,  turning  lighter  as 
the  bud  expands  ;  of  good 
f^ize,  modera'ely  full. 

Margottin,  lt-61.  (Sent  out  by 
Wood.)  Rosy  red,  medium 
size,  cup-shaped  ;  a  shy 
bloomer,  and  not  valuable. 

LafTay,  1840.  Rosy  pink, 
large,  full ;  shy  in  autumn. 

Bennett,  1879.  Raised  from 
Pu'sident  x  Marquise  de 
Ca.scllane  Satiny  pink, 
shaded  with  rose;  sometimes 
tlie  colour  is  camiiue-rose  ; 
bTge,  full  flowers,  wdh  a. 
faint  Tea  odour  The  flow- 
ers are  apt  to  be  irregular 
and  not  of  good  finish  ;  the 
liuds  are  generally  good. 
Subject  to  mildew. 

W  laiilifcSon,  1882.  Crim- 
son. 

G  Paul,  1875.  Deep,  velvety 
crims<m,  with  a  fiery  flush  ; 
medium  size,  full,  well 
fiirmed  ;  burns  badly,  very 
shy  in  autumn  In  England 
tbis  is  one  of  ihe  finest  dark 
Ruses ;  we  have  seen  it  in 
grand  form  at  the  laiser's, 
but  it  has  no  value  for  out- 
door cultute  in  this  country 

Bennett,  1S79.  Raised  from 
President  X  Louis  Van  1 
Houtte.  Rosy  crimson,  i 
hir;:e,  full,  well  formed,  | 
gnod  in  bud,  almost  without  i 
fragrance  ;  the  buds  do  not! 
aUvajs  open.  A  fine  Ro^e 
when  well  grown,  liut  it  will 
never  be  useful  for  ordinary 
cultivators. 

G.  I'aul,  18G3.  Raised  from 
Gf  III  ral  Jacqueminnt. 

P.r  j^ht  crimson,  large, 
double  fln«ers,  little  fia- 
gr;inee  ;  foliage  large  and 
attractive.  Occasionally  this 
is  very  fine  early  in  the  sea- 
s'^ n.  but  the  flowers  lack 
substance  and  durability  of 
ccliiur.  It  is  more  shy  in 
tbe  iiutunm  than  the  parent ; 
not  to  be  commended  for 
gf  ueval  culture. 

G.  I'aul,  18?0.  Raised  from 
Duke  of  Edinburgh.  Very 
bright  crimson  ;  not  well 
tested  in  this  country ;  we 
wtre  much  pleased  with 
it  as  seen  at  Cheshunt. 

Granger,  18G4.  Red,  shaded 
with  crim-rn. 

Moreau-Robert,  18S0-  Raised 
from  Countess  of  Oxford 
Ca' mine-red 

portemer,  1844.  Raised  from 
Emile  Courtier.     Deep  red, , 


Name  op  Vaeieti 

AND 

Habit  of  Growth. 


Class. 


I 


Dupetit   Thouars, 
\ig.— (continued) 
Dupug  Jamain,  free 


Du  Boi 
Earl  of  Bcaconsfcld, 
dwt. 

Eclatante,  free 


Edmund  Wood, 

mod. 

Edouard  Andre ,  free 

Edouard  Dcffosst^s, 
free 


Edouard  Dvfour, 

free 

Edouard  Jesse,  free 
Edouard   Morren, 
vig 


Edouard  Pynccrt, 
frci 


Egcria,  dwf.  or  mod. 


Elic  Morel,  mod. 


Elisc  Flojy,  mod. 
i7/V('  Sauvage,  dwf 

(I/enfan  trouve) 
Elise  Docile,  mod.  or 

dwf. 


Elizabeth  Vig'iicron, 
fiee 


Emilc  Courtier,  free 

Emilia  Plantier, 

free 


Em  il  ie     Hausburg , 
free 


Euiilij  Laxton 


Emjyercur  dc  Maroc, 
mod. 


Empcrcur  de  Bn^sil 

Empress    of   India, 
free 


Ernest  Prince 


B. 

HP. 


H.P. 

51. 


H.P. 
B. 


HP. 

H.P. 


II.  P. 


H.P. 


Beng 
T. 


H.N. 


B. 
H.N. 


H.Ch. 


H.P. 


H.P. 


H.P. 
H.P. 


H.P. 


shaded  with  crimson ;  hardy, 
nou-autumnaL 

Jamain,  18G8.  Cherry-re<l , 
with  a  shade  of  crimson  ; 
large,  double,  well  formed, 
fragrant;  a  good  seed-bearer. 
W^ere  this  more  full,  it  would 
be  a  Rose  of  the  first  rank. 

See  Rose  du  RoL 

Christy,  1880.  (Sent  out  by  G. 
Paul )  Cherry-rose,  medium 
size,  beautiful  form. 

Cherry-rose,  buds  of  good 
form,  well  mossed  ;  darker 
than  the  common  or  prolific, 
one  of  the  best.  Why  this 
Rose  has  passed  out  of  cul- 
tivation we  do  not  know  ; 
there  aie  but  three  in  the 
class  as  good. 

E.  Verdier,  1875.  Red,  flower- 
ing in  corymbs  ;  short,  red- 
dish wood. 

E.  Verdier,  1879.  Red,  tinged 
with  pui-ple. 

Renard-Courtier,  ie40.  Car- 
mine-rose, medium  size, 
double  or  nearly  full,  fra- 
grant.    An  excellent  Rose. 

L^vGque,  3877.  Raised  from 
Annie  Wood.  Crimson, 
tinged  with  purple. 

Deep  rose,  small,  double. 

Granger.  1863.  (Sent  out  by 
Charles  Lee  )  Raised  from 
Jules  Margottin.  Deep 
cherry-rose,  large,  flat 
flowers,  very  full ;  some- 
times comes  with  a  green 
centre.  A  fine  sort  when  well 
gi'own. 

Sciiwartz,  1877.  Raised  from 
Antoine  Ducher.  Red, 
shaded  with  crimson -purple, 
a  bad  colour ;  medium  or 
small  size,  fragrant. 

Schwartz,  1878.  (Sent  out  by 
Bennett.)  Raised     from 

Jules  Margottin.  Sahuon- 
piuk,  a  very  lovely  shade ; 
medium  size,  full,  semi- 
globular ;  not  of  good  con- 
stitution. For  experienced 
cultivators  this  is  a  superb 
sort. 

B(  uchariat,  1867.  (Sent  out 
by  Liabaud.)  Lilac-rose, 
full,  fragrant ;  green  wood, 
with  occasional  red  spines  ; 
the  character  of  its  growth 
is  not  pleasing.  Shy  in 
autumn 

Guillot-p^re,1852.  Shaded  rose. 

Miellez,  ISIS.  Orange -yellow, 
medium  size,  full. 

Guillot-p&re,  18f9.  White, 
delicately  tinged  with  pink, 
nnedium  Fize,  full,  beautiful 
circular  foim;  light  green 
wood,  armed  with  numerous 
small  spines.   A  lovely  Rose. 

Vignerou,  1865.  (Sent  out  by 
AV.  Paul.)  Raised  from 
Duchess  of  Sutherland. 
Bright  pink,  fragrant ;  an  in- 
ferior Miss  Hassard. 

Portemer.  Bright  red,  a  good 
seed-bearer. 

Schwartz,  187B.  Yellowish 
white,  semi-double,  some- 
times double,  ill  formed  ; 
utterly  worthless. 

L(^veque,  1868.  Lilac-rose,  a 
muddy  shade ;  large,  full, 
globular  form,  fragi'ant.  Its 
bad  colour  destroys  its  use- 
fulness. 

Laxton,  1877.  (Sent  out  by  G. 
Paul  )  Belongs  to  Jules 
JIargottin  type.  Cheny- 
rose,  good  in  the  bud. 

Guinoiseau,  libS.  (Sent  out 
by  E  Veidier  )  Belongs  to 
Giant  of  Battles  type.  Criiii- 
son,  tinged  with  pm-ple. 

Soupert  &  Notting,  ISSO.  Ma- 
genta-red. 

Laxton,  1876.  (Sent  out  by  G. 
Paul.)  Raised  from  Triomplie 
des  Beaux  Arts.  Brownish 
crimson,  medium  size,  glo- 
bular, fragrant ;  daik  gi-een 
foliage,  spines  liglit  coloured. 
Many  of  the  buds  do  not 
open  well,  and  it  is  shy  iu 
the  autumn  ;  a  splendid  sort 
when  perfect. 

Ducher  A-  Sa?ur,  1881.  Raised 
from  Antoine  Ducher.  Red, 
shaded  iu  centre. 


Sept.  fi    1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


211 


Name  of  Varihts 

AND 

Habit  of  growth. 


JClicnnc  I>upuy,  vig. 

lUiaine  Levet,  mod. 

Et7ui,  mod. 

Ktoile  de  Lyon 

Eugene  Appcrt,  lUvf. 
or  mod. 


Euff^ne    Hcauhar 
nais,  mod. 

Euffhie  Guinoiseait 
mod. 

Eng?ne  Pirolle,  vifj, 
(Admiral  KigLcy) 

EuQihiie  Verdier, 

dwf. 


Ev'qite    de    Xlmcs, 
mod. 


Ex2:osition  de  Erie 

Fabvier 

FcUcien  David 

Ft'licUc  Perjmtuelle, 
vig. 

Ftlix  Gcnero 
Ffllemberf/,  vig. 

Ferdinand  Chaffolte 


Ferdinand   de    Les- 

spps,  free 
Firebrand,  dwf. 


Fit,her  Ilolmes,  free 


Flag  qf  the  Unim 


Flavesceng,  mod. 

(YtlljwTfia) 


Flora    Nabonnand^ 

mod. 
Fontenelle,  mod. 

Fontenelle 

Fortunei,  vig. 

Fortune's  Double 

Yellow,  vig. 
Francois  Aratjo, 

mod. 


Francois      Court  ii 
frue 


Francois   Fo'^.tainc, 
mod. 


Class. 


H.Ch. 

n.p. 
M. 

T. 

H.P. 

Eeng. 

M. 

N. 
H.P. 

H.P. 

n.p. 

Beng. 

n.p. 

Ev. 


n.p. 

N. 


H.P. 


H.P. 
H.P 


H.P 


T. 

St. 
H.P 
Bk. 
Ek. 
H.P. 


H.P. 


Levet,  1873.  Light  rose  colour, 
medium  size,  cupped  shape  ; 
thick  shoots,  nearly  smooth  ; 
tough  foliage. 
Levet,      1S71.      Raised   from 
Victor    Verdier.      Carmine- 
red  ;  one  of  the  finest  in  the 
type. 
Latfay,  1S45.    Crimson,  tinged 
withpurple.  Kutnf  tii-st  mnk. 
Guillot,  lyM.      lKv\>   yellow; 
a  rival  for  Perle  des  Jardins. 
Trouillard,  1S59.      Belongs  to 
(liant  of  Battles  type.     Vel- 
vety maroon,     shaded    with 
deep    erimson.      A  Rose  of 
superb  colour,  but  witli  all 
the  family  failings. 
Moreau,    li65.       Crimson  ;  a 
good  sort,   but    infeiior    to 
Agrippina. 
Guiiioiseau,  ]£Cfi.  Red,  shaded 
with  violet ;   very  subject  to 
mildew  ;  poor. 
Red,    tinged    with    crimson 
nearly    liardy ;    not  of  high 
(juality. 
Guillot-fils,  ISGf).  Raised  from 
Victor     Verdier.         Silvery 
pink,  tinged  with    fawn  ;  a 
Itively  shade;     fine  in    the 
bud.    One  of  the  best  of  the 
type. 
Damaizin,  1P5G.    Raised  from 
•  Giant  (i  Battles.      Ciimson, 
illumined    with     fiery-red  ; 
very  tender  and  delicate. 
Granger,  18G5.      The  same  as 

Maurice  Bemardin. 
Laflfay.     Rosy  crimson,  semi- 
double. 
E.  Verdier,  1&72.    Deep  rose, 

tinged  with  purple. 
Jacques,  1S28.     Creamy  white, 
small,  full.    Must  be  spar- 
,     ingly  piuned. 
I  Damaizin,  1S06.    Violet-rose 
j  Rosy  crimson.      Like   Eugfene 
I    Pirolle. 

Pernet,  1879.  Reddish  crimson, 

not  well     formed,    witliout 

fragrance  ;  does  nut  seem  an 

addition  of  meiit.  , 

E.  Verdier,  l&GD.    See  Maurice 

Bernard  in. 
Labru>ere,  1S73.  (Sent  out  by 
W.  P:.ul.)  Cr  mson,  medium 
size,  douitle,  good,  circular 
form.  cup-slmi)ed,  fragrant  ; 
shy  in  autumn.  Not  unlike 
Aijdr^  Leroy. 
E.  _  Verdier,  1SG5.  May  be 
briefly  described  as  au  im 
provfdGeneralJacgueniinot; 
the  flowers  are  fuller  and 
more  freely  produced.  A 
very  valuable  S'^rt. 
Described  by  Ilallock  and 
Thorpe  as  a  "  sport  from 
Bon  Silfene,  being  a  fac-siniile 
of  the  parent  in  habit  of 
RTowth  and  freedom  of 
bloom ;  the  flowers  are 
equal  in  size  to  Bon  Silene. 
The  markings  are  not  quite 
so  distinct  as  in  American 
Banner,  i.e.,  the  predomi- 
nant colour  is  ro  e  instead  of 
white,  but  each  flower  is 
regularly  marked  ;  it  is  a 
very  pleasing  va-iety." 
Intrmluced  from  China  about 
)S24.  Liglit  yellow,  long, 
fine  buds,  fragrant.  This 
has  been  the  parent  of  many 
of  our  finest  yellow  Tens. 
Xabonrand,  ib77.  Canary- 
yellow,  edged  with  rose. 
Vibert,  1849.       Rose    colour, 

not  mossy ;  poor. 
Moreau-Robert,    l£77.       Car- 
mine-red. 
Introduced  by  Fortune  from 
China  in  1S50.     Blush-white. 
Introduced  by  Fortune  from 
China  in  1845.  Bronzed  yellow 
Trouillard,  \Sr>d.      Belongs  to 
Giant  of  Battles  type.     Vel- 1 
vety  maroon,  illumioed  with  , 
fiery   red.    Resembles  Lord  j 
Raglan. 
E.     Verdier,    1S73.       Cherry- ' 
red,    shaded  with    crimson,  ' 
semi-globular,    full,     some- 
what fragrant ;    thorns,  yd- 1 
lowish  red. 
C.      Fontaine,        lSfl7.    Rosy  I 
crimson,  fine,  globular  for 
in    the    style    of    SOuatei 
Vaisse, 


Name  op  Variety 

AND 

Habit  op  Growth. 


Fiancois  Gaulain 

Francois  U^rincq 

Francois  Lacharme, 
free 


Francois  Louvat 
Francois  Levet 


Francois 
free 


Michchm 


CL4ES. 


H.P. 
H.P. 


H.P. 


H.P. 

n.p. 


H.P. 


Francois     Premie 

mod. 
Francois  Treyve 

Gabriel  Touniier, 
free 

Gaston  Li^veqne,  free 
or  mod. 

Gem  of  the  Prairies. 
free. 


General  Due   d'Av- 

niale 
General         Jacque- 

nunot,  vig. 
General    Jacqucm  i- 

not,  vig. 


I  General  Simpson, 

free 

General  Tattas,frC' 


General  Von  MoUJ.t 
mod. 


General   Washing 
ton,  mill 


H.P. 
H.P. 


H.P. 


H.Ch. 

n.p. 


GtHiie   de 

bria  nd, 

mod. 
George  Baker 


Chdteau 
free     c  i 


on  11,  ' 
Lteur  I 


George  Moreau,  vig 


George  Peahody, 

mod. 


George   Prince,  free 
or  vig. 


George   the    Fourth. 
vig. 

George  Vibert,  free 


GtU'ard  Desbois,  vig 


Giantof  Battles,  dwi. 


n.p. 


H.P. 


H.P. 


n.p. 


H.Ch. 


Prov. 


Scliwartz,  1S78.  Deep  purplish 
crimson. 

E.  Verdier,  1878.  Red,  globu- 
lar form. 

V.  Verdier,  1£G'.  Rosy  car- 
mine, tinged  with  deep  vio- 
let-red. 

Violet-red,  globular  form. 

A.  Levet,  J6tO.  Cherry-rose, 
medium  size  ;  style  of  Paul 
Verdier. 

Levet,  1&71.  Raised  from  La 
Reine.  Deep  rose,  tinged 
with  lilac,  vei>  huge,  full  of 
fine  globular  furm  ;  fragrant, 
fiee  blooniin.'.  The  wood 
and  foliage  are  light  gieen, 
ei  ect  habit,  thorns  not 
numerous,  wood  long  joint- 
ed, the  foliage  somewhat 
ciimpled.  A  very  distinct 
choice  sort;  excelling  in  June 
and  July,  when  other  kinds 
are  jja^t  their  pi  ime,  and  also 
in  liic  autumn. 

Irouillard,  1^.08.  Red,  shaded 
with  crimson. 

Liabaud,  18CG.  Fiery  -  red, 
globular  form. 

Levet,  lh7G.  In  habit  like  Pro- 
onia.  Rosy  red,  large,  glo- 
bular flow  ei-s,frte  in  autumn. 

I/'VcMiue,  ]rt7-.  Bright  rosy 
crimson,  large,  full ;  spines 
of  yellowish  green. 

A.  Burgess,  lfcG5.  Believed  to 
be  from  Queeu  of  Paris  x 
Madame  Latfay.  Rosy  red. 
Occasionally  blotched  with 
wbite  ;  large,  fiat  flowers, 
slightly  fragrant. 
.See  Due  d'Aumale. 

Lafi'ay,  1S4C.    Purple-crimson. 

Itouselet,   IS-f^S.      A  probable 
seedling  from  the  old  Hybrid 
China  Gloire  des  Rosomanes. 
Brilliant  crimson,  not  full, 
but    large    and     extremely 
effective ;    fragi-ant,   and   of 
excellent,  hardy  habit. 
Oucher,     1^55.     Cherry  -  rose, 
medium  size,   pretty  form  ; 
erect  growth,  tender. 
Berntde.    Deep,  mottled  rose, 
sonietinu's  tinged  with  bulf  ; 
beautiful   liuds,  good  habit. 
An  exrelleiit  Rose, 
r.ell  tt  Son,  1^73.    Raised  from 
Charles  Lefebvre.  Same  style 
as  the  parent,  but  much  in 
ferior  to  it. 
Uranger,   It'GI.     Raised  from 
'J'riumphe    de    rExposition. 
Red,  shaded  with  crimson, 
large,  very  full,   flat  form  ; 
the  flowers   are  often  mal- 
formed, gi-eatly  lessening  its 
value.    A  profuse  bloomer, 
and  when    in    perfection  a 
very  fine  sort. 
Oiuiin.  Violet-rose,  very  large, 
full,  flat,  or  quartered  shape. 
A  bad  coloured  Rose. 
G.     Paul,   1881.      Pure    lake, 
shaded  with  cerise,   almost 
niildew  jM-dof ;  in  the  way  of 
iHipuy  .Iaiiiaiii,but  distinct. 
Moreau-Roliert,  lafO.    Raised 
from    Paul  N^ion.     Briglit 
red,  shaded  with  vemiilion  ; 
very  large,  full,  opening  well. 
J.   Pentland,   1857.    Probably 
from    Paul   Joseph.       Rosy 
crimson,  medium  or  small 
size,  full,  well  formed,  fra- 
grant.   One  of  the  best  Bour- 
bons, liighly  coumiended. 
V.  Verdier,  18G4.    Rosy  crim- 
son, quite  smooth  wood ;  a 
free      blooming,      excellent 
Rose. 
Rivers.   Crimson,  semi-double 
or  double  ;  no  longer  of  any 
value.  I 

Robert,  1S.53.  Rosy  purple, 
striped  with  white,  medium 
size. 
Bright  red,  of  good  form  ;  one 
of  the  hardiest  and  most  use- 
ful in  the  class. 
Ncrard,  184G.  (Sent  out  by 
Guillot-pfere.)  Deep,  fiery 
crimson,  very  brilliant  and 
rich  when  firat  opening,  but 
quickly  fades,  medium  or 
sniull  size,  full,  well  formed, 
luiiidsome,  Bourbon  -  like 
foliage,  very  liable  to  mil- 


Namb  of  Vaiultv 

ANI>  CLAS?. 

Habit  of  Growth. 


Giant  qt  Baltics,  dwf. 
—  {continued). 

Gigantifsquc,  free 


Gloire  de  Bordeaux, 
vig. 

Gloire  de  Bourg-la 

Heine,  mod. 
Gloire  de  Dijon,  vig. 


Gloire     de    Dacher 
vig. 


Gloire  de  Paris 


Gloire      des      I2of,r- 

niancs,  fue 
Gloire  de  Santenag. 

free  or  mod. 


Gloire  de  Vitry,  fre 

Glory   of  Chcuhunt, 
Vig. 


Glory  of  Mosses,  mod, 


Glory  of  Wallham 


Goubault,     free     oi 
mod. 

Gracilis,  free.    (Prc- 
lific) 


Great  WesterVf  free 


Grthille,  vig.  (Seven 
Sistei-s) 


Guillaxime  Gille- 


Giisfave  Thierry 
Harrimn  Weir,  free 
or  mod. 


ITarrison'8     Vclloi-, 
free 


Helen  Paul  • 

Helvetia 

Henri  Lccoq,  dwf. 

Henri  Led^chaur, 
duf. 

Henri  Martin 

Henry  Bennett,  mod. 


H.P. 

T. 

Cl.T. 

n.p. 

Cl.T. 


H.P. 


B. 

n.p. 

n.p. 

n.p. 

M. 

n.ci. 

T. 

M. 

n.ch. 

Mult. 

n.p. 


n.p. 

H.P. 


H.P. 


Hermnsa,  mod, 

(Annosa,     or    Sc 
tina) 

Hippolyte    Jamain 
mod. 


T. 

T. 

n.p. 

M. 

n.p. 


n.p. 


dew.    This  variety  and  all  of 
its  type  are  of  delicate  con- 
stitution. 
Odicr,  18^5.    Deep  rose,  some- 
times mottled ;    often    fine, 
but  apt  to  come  malformed 
or  somewhat  coarse. 
Lartoy,    ItGl.      Raised    from 
G  loire  di^  Dijon.  Rose  colour, 
tinged  with  fawn. 
Maigottin,   lt79.     Vivid  red, 

double. 
Jacotot,  1S63.  In  colour  a  com- 
bination of  rose,  sahuon  ami 
yellow  ;  fiuwtrs  very  huge, 
very     full,     <.  nud     globular 
foini.   the    ( nta-  petaU  in- 
clined to  fjide.    A  very  use- 
ful Rose,  prnbaldy  the  har- 
diest of  the  Teas. 
Duclier,  1^G4.  Crimson-purple, 
large,  very  full,  subject  to 
mihUw.     If  tlie  colour  were 
permancn',  this  would  be  a 
good  kind. 
A  deceit.    Sent  out  as  a  new 
sort ;  it  is  but  Anne  de  Dies- 
bach. 
Vibert.      E  illiant     crimson, 

semi-double. 
Ducher,    U&O.-    Raised    from 
General  Jaoiucnnnot.  Crim- 
son, tinged  with  violet ;  out 
of  date. 
Masson,  I'^B.^.    Raised  fi'om  La 

Reine.    Bright  rose. 
G.    I'aul,   ISfcO.    Raised  from 
Charles  Lefebvre.  Riih  crim- 
son,    douide,     vtry     efl'ec- 
tive. 
Vibirt,  1S52.     Pale  rose,  very 
l.uge,  fidl,  flat  foim  ;  not  at- 
tractive in  tile  bud  ;  the  foli- 
age  is  viry  large. 
Vigncron,  itGS.     (S^  nt  rut  1  y 
\V.  I'aul.)   Crimson,  double, 
fragrant. 
Guubault,  1S43.    Rose,  tinged 
with  salmon  ;  rest  tnbles  Bon 
Silene,  but  inferior  to  it. 
Dicp  pink   buds,  surrounded 
with   dellc.ite,    fringe  -  like 
Moss.     'Ihe  most  beautiful 
of  all  the  iloss  Reses. 
Lalt'ay.       Red,    shaded    with 
crimson,    double,    fragrant, 
I(0<  r. 
Blush,  tinged  and  striped  with 
varinus  shades,  small  or  me- 
dium size;  a  tender  variety 
of  no  value. 
Schwartz,  IttO      Raised  from 
Madame      Churlts      Wood. 
Rosy  carmine. 
Ogcr,  1880.     Cheri-y-red. 
Turner,    1S71>.     Raised    from 
Charles  Lefebvre   x   Xavier 
Olibo.       Velvety   crimson, 
brightened  with  scarlet. 
Ilanison,1830.  Golden  yellow, 
medium   size,  semi-double  ; 
generally  has  nine  leaflets,  a 
fi-eer  bloomer  than  Persinn 
Yellow.     This  is  believed  to 
be  a  hybrid  between  the  com- 
mon Austrian  and  a  Scotch 
Rose. 
I/u  barme,  18S1.    Raised  from 
Victor  Verdier  x  Sombreuil. 
\\'hite,    sometimes    shadeil 
with  pink;     huge  glo.ular 
flowers. 
Ducher,   lf'73.      Pink,   tinged 

with  fawn. 
Ducher,    1871.       Rosy    flesh, 
small,  beautiful  buds  ;    deli- 
cate habit. 
Ledfiehaux,  iStiS.      Belongs  to    ' 
Victor  Verdier  type.     Cur- 
mine -rose. 
Portemer,  1SC2.  Red,  not  valu- 
able. 
Lacharme,  lf^7.'i.    Raised  from 
Charles  Lefebvre.     Crimson, 
medium  size,  mildews,  ajul 
burns  badly;  shy  in  autumn, 
and  of  no  value. 
Mareheseau,  184'^.  Bright  rose, 
mediumorsmall  size,  double; 
constantly  in  fiower,  Lu-^l, 
habit. 
Lacharme,  1874.     Belongs  to 
Victor  Verdier  type.     Car- 
mine-red, well-built  flowers ; 
the  foliage  when  vuung  has 
a  deeper  shade  of  red  than  is 
seen  in  any  other  sort,  and  is 
also  the  handsome.it.      Wo 
find  tliia  the  Uiu'diest  of  thtj 
type. 


212 


THE    GAEDEN 


[Sept.  P,  I-g4. 


Name  ok  Vajuety 

AND 

Habit  of  Growth. 

CLASS 

Eomei\  vig. 

Ir. 

Bon.    George    Bitn- 
crnjt,  dvvf.  or  mod. 

H.T. 

Horace  Vernet,  dwt. 
or  mod. 

HP. 

Borteiisia,  free 

T. 

Hym^nie,  mod. 

T. 

Ida,  mod. 

T. 

Irnpt'ratrice     Eun^- 

Beng. 

nie,  free 


Innocente      Pirola, 
mod. 


Isahdla         (Eella), 

mod.  or  free 
Isabella  Gray,  free 


Isabella  Spru7it,{vee 


Jacques  Lafitte,  free 
James  Sprunt,  vig. 


James  Veitch,  dwf. 


Ja^ine  Denprez 
Jaime  (VOi\  dwf. 


Jean  BodiUj  free 

Jean  Brosse,  mod. 
*/can  Cherpin,  free 


»7ca?i  Dahnas,  mod. 


t/^f (TTi  Dticher,  free  or 
mod. 


«7^an  Qoujon,  vig. 

t7ea?i  Hardy 
Jean  Lambert  J  vig. 


T. 

N. 


H.P. 
Beng. 


P.M. 


T. 


H.P. 

H.r. 


H.P. 

T. 

H.Ch. 

N. 
H.P. 


Sloreau- Robert,  1859.  Salmon- 
rose,  often  richly  mottled  ;  a 
free  bloomer,  moderately 
liardy,  Ijest  in  the  open  air ; 
the  buds  are  very  beautiful, 
even  though  of  variable 
shades.  Certainly  one  of  the 
most  useful  Tea  Koses. 

Bennett,  1879.  Fi-om  Madame 
de  St.  Joseph  x  Lord  Macau- 
lay.  Red.shaded  with  violet- 
crimson,  large,  full  flowers, 
and  good, pointed  buds :  often 
comes  malformed  ;  highly 
Bcented,  acombinationof  the 
perfumes  fiinud  in  the  parent 
varieties;  the  wund  is  nearly 
smooth,  the  foliage  is  large, 
dark,  and  handsome.  The 
colour  is  not  deep  enongli, 
and  is  too  sullied  to  make  this 
of  value  for  winter  forc- 
ing. 

Guillot-flls,  1R66.  Crimson, 
illumined  with  scarlet,  large, 
double  ;  of  beautiful  wavy 
outline  ;  nearly  smooth  wood 
of  delicate  constitution.  Few 
Roses  have  such  lovely  form 
as  this. 

Ducher,  1871.  Rose  colour, 
back  of  petals  a  washed-out 
pink  ;  a  coarse,  poor  sort. 

Latfay.  Pale  suli>hur-yellow, 
large,  full. 

Madame  Ducher,  1875.  Pale 
yellow,  double. 

B61uze,  1855.  Silvery  rose, 
medium  size,  full,  fragrant ; 
a  good  variety,  and  would  be 
very  useful  had  we  not  La 
France.  Subject  to  mildew  ; 
show..  Bourl)on  cliaracter. 

Madame  Ducher,  1878.  Cloud- 
ed wliitc,  medium  size,  full, 
^well-fonncd  I'uds.  In  the 
*style  (if  Mphetos.  but  is  in- 
ferior to  it  in  all  respects 
save  mere  vigour  of  growth. 

Gels,  IfeSS.  Creamy  white  ; 
once  a  popular  sort. 

Andrew  Gray,  1854.  Raised 
from  Cloth  of  Gold.  Golden 
yellow  ;  has  the  good  and 
bad  qualities  of  the  parent. 

Rev.  James  M.  Sprunt,  D.D., 
1865.  (Sent  out  by  Isaac 
Buchanan.)  A  sport  from 
Safrano.  Sulphur  yellow, 
very  beautiful  in  the  bud. 
Well  known  as  one  of  the 
most  useful  kinds. 

Vibert,  1846.    Rosy  crimson. 

Rev.  James  Sprunt,  1S5S.  (Sent 
out  by  P.  Henderson.)  A 
climbing  sport  from  Agrip- 
pina.  Crimson,  the  same 
colour  as  the  parent  sort.,  but 
the  flowers  are  fuller  and 
larger.  It  is  not  so  free 
flowering  as  Agrippina,  but 
a  desirable  Rose. 

E.  Verdier,  1865.  Violet-crim- 
son, a  sullied  colour,  medium 
or  large  size,  poor  shape  ; 
blooms  freely,  very  subject 
to  mildew. 

See  Desprez. 

Oger,  1861.  Coppery  yellow, 
medium  size,  full,  very  deli- 
cate habit-  One  of  the  sweet- 
est in  the  class. 

Vibert,  1847.  Light  rose,  quar- 
tered shape,  fragrant,  not 
mossy. 

Ducher,  1867.  Rose  colour, 
medium  size,  cup  form. 

Liabaud,  1865.  I'lum  colour, 
double,  often  semi-double, 
inclined  to  burn  ;  fragrant 
and  a  fine  seed  parent.  One 
of  the  richest  shades  of  colour 
yet  produced. 

Ducher,  1873.  Rose,  tinged 
ivith  violet,  globular,  fra- 
grant. 

Madame  Ducher,  1S74.  Bronz- 
ed-rose, large,  very  full,  glo- 
bular form  ;  not  to  be  de- 
pended on,  but  very  beauti- 
ful when  well  grown. 

Margottin,  1862.  Red,  large, 
or  very  large,  full,  nearly 
smooth  wood ;  of  second 
quality. 

Hardy,  1859.  Golden  yellow, 
medium  size,  fidl ;  an  in- 
ferior Isabella  Gray. 

E.  Verdier,  1866.  Deep  red, 
very  large,  full,  flat  form. 


Name  ok  Variety 

AND 

Habit  of  Growth. 


Jean  Liabaud,  free 

Jean  Lorthois,   free 
or  vig. 

JeaJi  Mou/ordf  vig, 
Jean  Fernet,  free 

Jean  Sialey,  mod. 


Jean  Sonpert,  mod 
or  free 


Jeanne  d'A  re,  vig. 
Joasine  Hanet,  vig. 


John  Brujht,  mod. 
John  Cranston 
JohnUopper,  free 


John  Keynes  free 
John  Saul,  free 


John    Stuart     Mill, 
free 


Joseph  liernachi,\ii; 

Jules  Chrtiien,  mod, 

Jvles  Chretien,  free 
Jules  Finger,  free 

Jules  Jurgensen 
Jxdes  Margottin, free 


JuXie  Mansais,  mod. 
Julie  Touvais,  mod. 

Julius  Finger,  mod. 


King  of  the  Prairies, 

vig. 
King's  Acre 
La  Brillante,  mod. 


La  Fontaine,  free 
La  France,  mod. 


Class. 


H.P, 

T. 
M. 
T. 

H.T. 


H.P. 


H.P. 

M. 

H.P. 


H.P. 
H.P. 

H.P. 

HP. 

H.P. 

T. 

E. 

H.P. 


T. 
H.P. 

H.T. 


H.P. 
H.P. 


H.Ch. 
H.T. 


Liabaud,  1875.  Aseedlingfrom 
Baron  de  Bonstetten.  Crim- 
son-maroon, illumined  with 
scarlet,  large,  full ;  a  lovely 
Rose,  but  shy  in  the  au- 
tumn. 
Madame  Ducher,  1879.  Rose, 
reverse  of  the  petals  silvery 
pink. 
Robert,  1852.  Rose  colour, 
quite  pretty  in  bud,  subject 
to  mildew,  not  free. 
Pernet,  1867.  Light  yellow, 
suffused  with  salmon,  beau- 
tiful buds  ;  a  fine  Tea,  but  is 
now  surpassed  by  Perle  des 
Jardins. 

Bennett,  1879..  Raised  from 
I'lesident  x  Emilie  Haus- 
burg.  Lilac  -  rose,  large, 
very  full,  withnut  fragrance  ; 
very  snl>ji(  f  to  niiUIew.  The 
colour  is  bad.  and  the  buds 
rarely  open  well ;  it  is  en- 
tirely worthless. 

Lacharme,  1875.  "  Crimson- 
maroon,  in  the  way  of  Jean 
Liabauil ;  dark  green  fohage, 
with  many  thorns  ;  not  free 
in  the  autumn. 

V.  Verdier,  1848.  White,  an 
inferior  Lamarque. 

Belongs  to  the  old  Portland 
group.      Deep  rose,   tinged  , 
with   violet,    medium    size,  j 
full,  quartered  shape  ;  fra-  : 
grant,  very  hardy,  a  profuse 
liloomer.      The  colour  and 
form  are  bad,  and  destroy 
its  usefulness. 

G.  Paul,  1878.  Bright  crim- 
son, medium  size. 

E.  Verdier,  1862.  Violet-red, 
medium  size. 

Ward,  1862.  From  Jules  Mar- 
gottin X  Madame  Vidot. 
Bright  rose,  with  carmine 
centre,  large  and  full,  semi- 
globular;  light  red  thorns, 
stout  bushy  growth.  A  free 
blooming,  standard  sort. 

E.  Verdier,  1865.  Red,  shaded 
with  maroon. 

Madame  Ducher,  1S7S.  Raised 
from  Antoine  Ducher.  Red, 
back  of  petals  carmine,  semi- 
globular. 

Turner,  1875.  Raised  from 
Beauty  of  Waltham.  Rosy 
crimson,  large,  full,  or 
double  ;  does  not  bloom  un- 
til late ;  sliy  in  the  au- 
tumn. 

Madame  Ducher,  1878.  Yel- 
lowish white,  pale  yellow  at 
centre. 

Schwartz,  1878.  Belongs  to  the 
Prince  Camille  type.  Crim- 
son, tinged  with  purple. 

Damaizin,  1870.  Bright  rose  ; 
not  valualile. 

Madame  Ducher,  1870.  From 
Catherine  Memietx  Madame 
de  Tartas.  Red,  with  silvei-y 
lustre ;  a  promising  soi-t. 

Schwartz,  1879.  Magenta  - 
rose. 

Margottin,  1853.  Probably 
frumLaReine.  Carmine-rose, 
large,  full,  somewhat  flat, 
slight  fragrance;  five  to  seven 
leaflets,  foliage  light  green 
snd  somewhat  crimpled ; 
wood  armed  with  dark  red 
thorns  ;  free  flowering  and 
hardy. 

Creamy  white,  sweet  scented, 
beautiful  ;  delicate  in  halnt. 

Touvais,  1868.  Satiny  pink, 
very  large,  full ;  fine,  but  un- 
reliable. 

Lachamie,  1879.  From  Victor 
Verdier  x  Sombreuil.  Sal- 
mon-pink, in  the  style  of 
Captain  Cliristy  ;  a  promis- 
ing sort. 

Feast,  1843.    Pale  rose. 

Cranston,  1864.    Vermilion. 

V.  Verdier,  1862.  Bright  crim- 
son, a  clear  shade,  large 
double,  fragrant ;  a  free 
bloomer. 

Guinoisseau,  1855.  Red,  tinged 
with  violet. 

Guillot-flls,  1867.    Fi'om  seed 
of  a  Tea  Rose.     Silvery  rose, 
changing  to  pink,  very  large,  j 
full,   globular ;    a   constant 
bloomer,  and  the  sweetest  j 


Name  of  vakie'xv 

AND 

Habit  op  Growth. 


La  France,  mod.- 
(continued) 


LaGrandeur,  fieeor 

vig. 
La  Jonquille,  mod. 


La  Lune,  mcd. 


La  Motte  Sanguin,    H.P. 

mod. 
La  ^iuancee,  mod. 


La  Princesse    Vera, 
flee 


La   Bci^c,    free    oi- 


La  Itosil  re,  free 


La  Saionom^e,  vig. 

La  Souveraine,  vig 

La  Sylphide,  fiee 
La  Tulipe,  mod. 

La  Ville  de    Brux- 
■  elles,  free 

Lady    Emily    Peel, 
mod.  or  free 

Lady  Fordwicl:,  free 

Lady  Sheffield 

Lady  Stuart,  free 


Lady  Warrer.der 
La'Ua 

Lamarque,  vig. 


Lamarque   d  fieurs 
jaunes,  free. 


T. 
T. 

H.P. 


H.Cl. 

H.P. 

T. 
T. 

Dam. 

H.N. 

H.Ch. 
H.P. 
H.Ch. 


Beng, 
HP. 


Lanei 


L'Eblouissante, mod 
L'Espe'rance,  free 


L'Enfant  du  Mont 
Carmel,  vig. 


Le  Havre,  mod. 
Le  Mont  Blanc,  mod, 


Lc  Nankin, 
dwf. 


mod.  or 


M. 


HP. 
H.P. 

H.P. 


H.P. 
T. 


of  all  Roses.  If  the  buds 
lemain  firm,  by  pressing 
gently  the  point  atd  blow- 
ing into  the  centre,  the  flow- 
ers will  almost  invariably 
e.xpand.  An  invaluable 
sort. 
Naboimand,  1877.  Violet-rose, 

very  large,  full. 
Ducher,   1871.      Raised  from 
Lamarque.     Jonquil-jellow, 
semi-double,  sometimes  sin- 
gle ;  medium  or  small  size. 
Nubonnand,     1878.       Creamy 
yellow,   deeper  coloured  in 
centre,   medium  size,  laige 
petals,  semi-double. 
Vigneron,  1869.    Caimine-red, 

large  or  very  large. 
Guillot  -  fils,     1875.       Blush, 
tinged  with  fawn,  medium 
size,  full. 
Naljonnand,  1S78.    Flesh,  bor- 
dered   with    coppery    rose, 
full,  well  formed  ;  a  distinct 
good  sort. 
Laifay,    1843.       Glossy    rose, 
large,     full,    semi -globular 
foim,    somewhat    fragrant; 
the  foliage  slightly  crimi)led, 
five  to  seven  leaflets.    A  very 
hardy,  useful  Rose,  though 
no  longer  the  queen. 
Damaizin,  1874.     Belongs  to 
the    Prince    Camille    tjiie. 
'  Crimson ;    the    flowers    are 
identical  in  colour  and  form 
with    Prince    Camille,     but 
seem  a  little  fuller,  and  are 
more  freely  produced  ;  the 
habit  of  growth,  too,  seems 
somewhat  stronger  ;  it  may 
usm-p  the  place  of  its  rival. 
Margottin,  1877.     Belongs  to 
the  Jules    Margottin    type. 
Sahnon-rose,  medium  size ; 
non-autumnal. 
E.      Verdier,      1874.         Rose 
colour,  large  flowers,   semi- 
double    or    double,    cupped 
form  ;  inferior. 
Lartay.      Blush,     with    fawn 

centre,  very  large,  double. 
Ducher,  1870.     Creamy  white, 
tinted  with  caimine,  senii- 
duuble. 
Vibert,  1836.      Rose    colour, 
large,  full,    fiat;  branching 
liabit. 
Lachaime,lS62.  From  Blanche 
Lafltte  X   Sappho.      White, 
tinged  with  buuh. 
Laffay,  1838.    Deep  rose,  cup- 
shaped, 
W.  Paul  &  Son,  18?1.   Cherry- 
red. 
Portemer,  1852.  Pink.changing 
to  blush  ;  five  to  seven  leaf- 
lets. 
See  Clara  Sylva'n. 
Crozy,  1857.    See  Lou'sc  Pey- 

ronny. 
Mar^chal,  1830.    White,  with 
sulphur   centre,    sometimes 
pure  white,  very  large,  full, 
some  what  fragrant.generally 
seven    leaflets.      A    superb 
climbing    Rose,    quite    tco 
much  neglected. 
Ducher,    1871.    Pale   yellow, 
medium  size,  in  the  style  of 
the  former  sort,  but  inferior 
in  all  respects. 
Laffay,  1854.    (Sent    out    by 
Lane   <fc    Son.)    Red,    gcod 
foliage,    with   five  leaflets; 
not  snl'ject  to  mildew  ;  pro- 
pagates with  great  difliculty 
from  cuttings. 
Touvais,  ItUl.  Rosy  crimson, 

very  large,  double. 
Fontaine,    1871.     Cherry-red, 
large,    full,   fiat   form,   fra- 
grant. 
Cherpin,   1851.    (?ent  out  by 
Ducher.)       Violet -rose,      a 
muddy    shade,    large,    full, 
fiat    form  ;    fragrant,     red 
spines  ;    inclined    to    mil- 
dew. 
Eude,  1871.   Vermilion,  beau- 
tifully formed. 
Ducher,    1869.     Pale    lemon- 
yellow,  growing  lighter   as 
the  fiowers  expand ;  good  in 
the  bud. 
Ducher.    1871.    Pale   yellow, 
shaded     coppery     yellow  ; 
pretty   in   the    bud    state  ; 
rather  delicate  habit. 


Skpt.  f),  1884. 


THE     GARDEN 


213 


Name  of  Varietv 

and  i  class, 

HiErr  OF  Gkowtii, 


Lf  J'aeluh;  dwf.  or 
moil. 

i,'    nMnc,    free    oi| 
mud. 


Leila,    (raintcil  Da 

mask.) 
L'^on   Jienaitlt,  free 

or  vig. 

Leopold   Uauslurg: 
fi-co 

Lt'opoU  Preiiiicr, 

free 

Leilii  Cotes,  tree 
ici'cson  Coircr,  moil, 

Linn   des    Combats, 
free  or  mod. 

Liltle  Gem,  dwf. 

Lord  Beaeonsficld 

Lord  Cli/de,  mod. 


Lord  Maeaidaij,  free 
or  mod. 


Lord  Palmerston, 

free 


ion;  Rarjlan,  mod. 

ioHi's  X/r,  dwf. 

iouii'  Barlet,  free 
Louis  Chaix,  dwf. 


LoKis  Dori',  mod.  or    H.r. 
free 


Beng. 
T. 

II.  r. 

n.p. 


T. 

II.  P. 

Dam. 
U.P. 

H.P. 

U.P. 

T. 
E. 

H.P. 

JI. 
H.P. 

U.P. 

H.P. 

H.P. 

II. P. 


T. 
UP. 


Lerxiis  Philippe, raoA. 
Louis  Richard,  free 


Loxds  Van  Uoulle, 
free 

Louis  Van  Uoutie, 
d\vf.  or  mod. 


>aME  of  \'AKI>'iy 

ANII  1  CLASJ' 

Habit  op  Gkowth. 


LrAds  d'Arzem,moii. 
or  free 

Louijie  de  Savoi^, 

mod. 

Louise  Odier,  vig. 


Louise  Peyronny, 

mod.    (Lajlia) 
Lyoniiaise,  mod. 


Ma  Capxtciiie,  dwf. 


ilabel  Morrison, 


mod. 


Madame  Pcan.  From  I.a- 
maniue  X  Yellow  Tea.  ^  ery 
pale  vellow,  beautiful  buds. 

Guillot-Hls,  18(j-2.  Kaised  from 
General  Jacqueminot.  Ver- 
milion, tinged  with  crimson, 
large,  well  formed. 

Blusli,  edged  with  lake. 

Ifadame  Led(5chaux,  1-78. 
Clit-rry-recl,  very  large,  full ; 
promises  well. 

Granger,  IftiS.  Belongs  to 
Jacqueminot  type.  Deep 
violet-red,  a  bad  colour. 

Vanassche,  ISM.  Belongs  to 
Jacqueminot  type.  Deep  red 
shaded  crimson,  thorns  not 
very  numerous  ;  a  good  sort, 
but  not  free  in  the  autumn. 

Kejnes,  1S76.  A  sport  from 
Wadanie  Willennoz.  'White, 
with  pink  centre. 

E(51uze,  IS4C.  Deep  rose, 
tinged  with  salmon,  the 
flowers  are  of  the  same  cha- 
racter as  Malmaison. 

Lartay,  IS.il.  Violet-rose, 
double,  subject  to  mildew  ; 
worthless. 

W.  Paul,  ISSO.  Crimson,  very 
small,  full ;  a  miniature  sort. 

Schwartz,  1878.  (Sent  out  by 
Bennett.)  Crimson,  large, ' 
well  fonned. 

G.  Paul,  1803.  Eosy  crimson, 
large,  double  ;  subject  to  mil- 
dew. 

1863.  (Sent  out  by  VV.  Paul.) 
Fiery  -  crimson,  much  the 
colour  seen  in  Ch.irles  Le- 
febvre,  large,  double,  well 
formed,  fragrant ;  this  is 
still  a  goodKose. 

Margottin,  ISoS.  Carmine-red, 
tinged  with  vermilion, 
double,  well  formed  ;  bushy 
habit,  hght  green  wood  and 
foliage,  a  few  high-coloured 
spines.  A  good  garden  Eose. 
Guillot-pi're,1854.  Eaisedfrom 
Giant  of  Battles.  Buigundy 
crimson,  a  lovely  shade  ; 
tender  and  shy  in  autumn 
Guillot-fils,  1S5'.)  Eaisedfrom 
General  Jacqueminot.  Rich 
crimson,  double  ;  a  beautiful 

Mme.    Ducher,    ]875.       Pale! 

yellow,  tinged  with  fawn.       I 

Lachamie,  ls57.     liaised  from 

Giant  of  Battles.     Crimson. 

Fontaine,   1&7S.     Eed,   large, 

full ;  little  or  no  fragrance, 

bushy  growth. 

Crimson  ;  an  inferior  Agrip- 

pina. 
Mme.  Ducher,  1877.    Coppery 
rose,  the  centre  sometimes 
deep  red. 
Granger,  1803.     Eed,  tinged 
with        crimson,       reddish 
thorns  ;  not  of  fii*st  (luality. 
Lacliarme,  ISfif).    Said   to   be 
from      Charles       Lefetvre. 
Crimson  -  maroon,     medium 
size,   sometimes  large,  full, 
semi-glolmlar    form ;    large 
foliage,   fewer  thorns    than  | 
most     other     dark     Koses, 
highly  periumed.    This  is  a 
tender  sort,  but  it  is  very 
free  blooming,  and  decidedly 
the  finest  crimson  yet  sent 
out. 

H.N.  Lacharmp,  18G1.  "White  tinged 
with  blush  ;  superseded  by 
Coquette  des  Blanches. 
T.  Ducher,  1855.  Pale  yellow, 
beautiful  buds  ;  much  like  I 
Le  Pactole.  I 

B,  Margottin,  1851.  Bright  rose, ' 
medium  size,  full,  well 
foiTued,  hardy.  I 

H.P.     Lacharme,  1851.    Eaisedfrom 
LaReine.    Silvery  rose.         i 
H.P.     Lacharme,  1871.     Belongs  to 
the    Victor    Verdier    type.  , 
Pink,    with    deeper  centre, 
fades  quickly  ;  a  coane  in- 
ferior sort. 
Levet,  1871.     Raised  from  the 
Noisette    Ophirie.      Nastur- 
tium yellow,  beautiful  buds  ; 
a  very  di&tinct  Rose,  which, 
from  its   delicate   halut,  is 
useless  for  ordinary  cultiva- 
tors to  attempt  growing. 
H.P.   iBroughton.    1878.    (Sent   out 
I    by  Bennett.)    A  sport  £r..iu 


Mabel  Moi~rison, 
mo  d . —(CO  H  /  m  wed) 


H.P. 


Mme.  AdiUiidc  Cote 


Mme.  Alhonl,  dwf. 


Mme.  AU':ra7idre 

Hcrnaix,  mod 


Mme.  Alfred  Co  7' 
riere,  free  or  vig. 

Mme.  A\:rcd  de 
lioiigeiiwnt,  mod 


Mme.  Altec  Dureaii 
free. 


Mme.  Aljilionsc  La- 
valUe,  mod. 

Mme.  Awadieu 

Mme.  Amtlie  Ballet 

Mme.  Andr^  Leroy, 

vig. 
Mme.    Atifjde    Jac- 

quiet;  free  or  mod. 


Mme.  Anna  de  Bcso- 
hrasoJ}\  mod. 

Mme.  Anna  de  Beso 
OrasoJ\  free 

Mme.  Aur/xiste  Per- 
Tin,  mod. 


Mme.  Azilie  Imhert, 

free 
Mme.   Barillet   Des- 

champs 
Mme.  Barthvleiny 

Level 
Mme.  Bellenden  Ker, 

mod. 

Mme.  Berard,  vig. 


MmcBeiiiard,  mod. 

Mme.  Beriiuiz,  free 
Mme.  Boll,  vig. 


Mme.  Boutin,  mod. 

Mme.  Bonton,  dwf. 

Mme.  Bran/,  mod. 
cr  free.  (Alba  ro 
sea,  Mme.  Serat) 


Mm^.  Bn'mond,  dwf. 
Mme.  Bntel,  mod. 

Mme.  Bvreaii,  mod. 
Mme.  Caillat,  free 
Mme.  Cainille,  vig. 


H.P. 


H.T. 


H.N. 

n.N. 


H.P. 

H.P. 

T. 
H.P. 

H.P. 
T. 


Name  of  Var 

EIY 

AND 

CLAS 

Habii 

OF  Growth. 

Mme. 

Ca7'adoii 

Al- 

p. 

Ian 

vig. 

Mine. 

Coco 

T. 

Mme. 

Caroline 

Kus- 

N. 

ter. 

free 

H.P. 
H.P. 

n.N. 

T. 

T. 

T. 

H.N. 

Cl.T. 


H.P. 

n.p. 


H.P. 
M. 
T. 


T 
H.P. 


Beng. 

H.P. 

T. 


Baroness  Rothschild.    Flesh 
white,     changing    to    pure 
white,  in  the  autumn  it  is 
sometimes  tinged  with  pink ; 
semi -double,     cup -shaped 
flowers.      In  all,   save  sub- 
stance of  petal  and  ctduur, 
this  variety  is  idcntiial  witli 
theparent;  though  not  sii  full 
as  we  would  like,  it  is  yet  a  ".Mme.  Cdina  jVoircy, 
very  useful  garden  Rose,  and  1     vig. 
occasionally     it      is     good  J 
enough  for  exhibition. 
Schmitt,  1881.    Reddish  crim- 
son, in  the  style  of  Cardinal 
Patrizzi. 
V.  Verdier,  18.10.    Pink,  very 
large,  very  full,  flat ;  much 
like  Glory  of  Mosses,  and, 
like  that  kind,  too  full  to  be 
pretty  in  the  bud  state. 
Guillot-fils,      1S77.      Salmon- 
rose,  petals  sometimes  edged 
with   blush ;  has  true   Tea 
odour,  though  not  strong. 
Schwartz,   1879.    White,    not 

free  blooming,  undesirable. 
Lscharme,  1892.    Eaisedfrom 
Manche    Lafltte   x  Sappho. 
White,    tinged  with    pink ; 
surpassed  by  Coquette  des 
Blanches. 
Vigneron,    1E68.    Belongs   to 
La  Reine  type.  Rose  colour  ; 
much  like  the  parent,  but 
more  shy  in  the  autumn. 
E.    Verdier.    1878.    Carmine- 
red,  in  the  style  of  Alfred    Mme.  Clarard 
Colomb;  apromising  variety. 
Pernet,    1880.      Bright   rote, 

double,  large. 
E.  Verdier,  1S78.  Satiny-rose, 

well  formed. 
Trouillard,  1865.  Salmon-roEe, 

large,  double. 
Guillot-fils,  1879.  Bright  rose, 
base  of  petals  coppery  yel 
low ;  a  good  deal  the  build 
of  Catherine  Mermet.     lam 
well    pleased  with  the    ap- 
pearance of  this  kind. 
Nabonnand,   1877.    Flesh  co- 
lour, the  centre  shaded  with 
rose,  medium  size. 
Gonod,    1877.      Raised   from 
Charles  Lefebvre.   Deep  red, 
shaded  with  purple. 
Schwartz,  1878.  Mottled  pink, 
small  or  medium  size,  well 
foi  med  ;  a  new  colour  in  this 
class.    We  are  most  favour- 
ably impressed  with  it. 
levet,     1870.      Eaiscd    from 
Mme.  Falcot.    Pale  yellow. 
Eemiide,  1866.    White,  centre 

creamy  yellow. 
Levet,    1879.     Canary-yellow, 

medium  size. 
Guillot-pire,  ISCG.  Belongs  to 
Eliza    Boelle    type     White, 
centre  blush  ;  very  bei  utiful. 
Levet,lS70.  Raised  from  Gloire 
de  Dijon.  Very  similar  to  the 
parent  ;     the    flowers    are  i 
somewhat  less    full,    of    a : 
fresher  shade,  and  are  better : 
in  the  bud  state.  I 

Levet      1876.      Eaiscd    from 
Mme.  Falcot.     Coppery  yel- 
low, medium  sized,  distinct. 
Jamain,  1874.  Satinyrcse.very 

large,  full. 
Daniel  Boll,  1869.  (Sent  out 
by  Boyeau.)  Belongs  to  Ba- 
ronne  Pievost  type.  Car- 
mine rose ;  a  very  effective 
garden  sort ;  very  stout 
shoots,  five  leaflets  only, 
there  tre  seven  in  Boieldieu, 
a  kindred  variety. 
Jsm.ain.  1801.  Eed,  large,  full ; 

a  good  garden  Rose. 
Deep  rose,  mildews  1  adly  ;  re- 
sembles Oscar  Le  Clerc. 
Guillot,  of  Pent  CheriD,  1848. 
(.=ent   out    by    Guillot,    of 
Lyons.)  Creamy  white,  large, 
full,    of   very    symmetrical 
form  and  great  fragrance ; 
cue  of  the  most   beautiful 
and  uFetul  in  the  class. 
Gu  llot-flls,  isea,    Violet-red. 
Levet,    1881.      Raised     from 
Countess    of    Oxford.      Car- 
mine-rose. 
White,  tinged  with  blnsh. 
E.  Verdier,  1801.  Cherry-rose. 
Guillot-fils,  1871.     Mushroom 
colour  large,  cciarse  flowers  ; 
not  worthy  of  cultivation,      i 


Mme.  Charhs,  free 


Mme.  Charles  Crape- 
let,  vig. 


Mme.    Charles   Ver- 
dier, free  or  vig.. 


Mme.  Charles  Wood, 
dwf. 


Mme.  Chatt',  mod. 
Mme    Chedane  Gvi- 
voi^scau,  free 


Mme.  Cltmcnce  Joig- 
iieavx,  vig. 

Mine.  Clcrt,  mod. 
Mme  Crosy,  free  or 
vig. 


Mme.  Cusin 


Mme.  Damaizin, 

free  or  vig. 


Mme.  de  Laboxdaye, 
mod  or  dwf. 


S'lne.  de  liidder, 
free  or  vig. 


Mwe.  de  St.  Joseph, 
mod. 

Mme.  deist  Pulyrnt, 
free 


Mme.  de  Tortus, 

mod 
S^me.  de  Valry,  free 


Sliite.  Dt'sire  Giraud, 
vig 


Mme.  Detaueovx, 

free 
Mme.   Devert,  mod. 
or  dwf. 

Kme.  Domage,  free 


3fme.  Ducher,  mod, 

Mme.  Ducher,  free 

Mme   EdouardOry, 
mod. 


Mme   Elise  Stchego- 
leff 

Mme.Emilit  Dupuy, 
free 


T. 
HP. 

H.P. 

H.P. 


H.P. 
T. 


H.P. 


H.P. 


HP. 
H.P. 


T. 
T. 

H.P. 

H.P. 

T. 
H.P. 

T. 
T. 

H.P. 

T. 
H.P. 

n.p. 

H.P. 

T. 

P.M. 

T. 
T. 


Feast,  1843.  Bright  pink,  semi- 
double. 
Levet,    1880.    Salmon-yellow, 

medium  size. 
Pemtt,    1873.      Pale   yellow, 
often  mottled  with  lose  :  a 
free  -  blooming,       excellent 
shiub  Rose  ;  one  of  the  best 
bedding  kinds. 
Guillot  flis,  1868.  Salmon,  the 
outer      petals     washed-out 
pink ;  very  large,  very  full ;  a 
coarse  flower,  of  dirty  shade. 
Damaizin,  1864.    Raised  from 
Safrano.    Apricot  colour  ;  in 
the  way  of  Mme.  Falcot. 
Fontaine,    1869.     Cherry-red, 
medium   or  large  tize,   fra- 
grant and  good  ;  wood  armed 
with  numerous  thorns. 
Lach.aime,   1864.     Belongs  to 
the  Baronne    Provost  type. 
Rosy  vermilion,  very  large, 
a  fiee  bloomer. 
E,    Verdier,    1861.     Reddish 
crimson,  large  or  very  large, 
nearly  full ;  one  of  the  freest 
flowering  kinds,  but  not  of 
first  f[Uality.     Occasionally, 
as  with  General  Washington, 
some  first-rate   blooms  are 
produced. 
Fontaine,  1871.   Cherry-red. 
Li'vCque,  1880.  Canary-yellow, 
thought  to  be  a  valuable  va- 
riety lor  the  buds;  probably  in 
the  style  of  Isabella  Spiunt. 
Peniet,    1807.     Rose,    tinged 
with  vermilion,  full,  pecu- 
liar rich  scent ;  bushy  habit, 
shy  in  autumn,  many  mal- 
formed flowers. 
Lialiaud,  1861.    Eote,  tinged 
with     lilac,    double,    large, 
flowers. 
Gonod,  1868.    Salmon-rose. 
Levet,     1881.      Raised    from 
Souvenir  de  la  Reine  d'An- 
gleterre.    Rose  colour,  very 
large. 
Guillot-fils.  1881.   Violet-rose, 

tinged  with  yellow. 
Damaizin,      1868.        Creamy 
white,  shaded  salmon,  very 
large,    double  ;     not    well 
formed. 
Liabaud,    1877.     Rosy   pink, 
somewhat  fragrant ;   bushy 
habit  ;    long,    rather   small 
foliage ;  wood  thickly  covered 
with  dark  brown  thorns  ;  not 
very  promising. 
Margottin,  1871.   Eed,  shaded 
with  violet-crimson  ;    large, 
full,    fine,    globular    form ; 
green     wood     and     thorns. 
A  distinct  sort,  fragrant  and 
beautiful,  but  fades  easily. 
Fawn,  shaded  salmon,  large, 
full,    highly   scented  ;    not 
well  formed. 
Gautre.au,  1871.    Eaisedfrom 
Catherine     Guillot.       Eosy 
vermilion  tinged  with  lilac, 
large,         globular  ;       well 
formed. 
Eernfede.  Rose  colour,  double. 

Eed,  shaded  with  salmon,  of 
good  form,  both  in  bud  ,and 
flower,  and  well  scented; 
a  very  choice  old  sort. 

Madame  Giraud,  1863.  (Sent 
out  by  Van  Houtte.)  A 
sport  from  Baronne  Provost. 
Blush-white,  striped  with 
deep  rose. 

JInie.  Ducher,  1874.  Canary- 
yellow,  medium  size. 

Pernet,  1876.  Raised  from 
Victor  Verdier.  Salmon- 
rose. 

Margottin,  1853.  Bright  rose, 
large,  loose  flowers,  very 
thorny ;  not  valuable. 

Levet,  1879.  Silvery  rose,  me- 
dium size,  double. 

Ducher,  1869.  Creamy  yellow, 
medium  size. 

Moreau-Robert,  1864.  Car- 
mine-red, of  medium  size, 
full ;  one  of  the  best  in  the 
class,  which  is  not  saying 
much  for  the  class 

Nabonnand,  1881.  Clear  rose, 
flowers  said  to  be  in  the  style 
of  NiphetOB. 

Levet.  1870.  Salmon,  some- 
times pale  fawn,  large,  full; 
nr  t  attractive. 


1>14 


THE    GARDEN 


[Sept.  C.  1884. 


Kame  of  Variftv 

AND 

Habit  of  Growth 


Mine.  Eiknne  Level, 
dwf. 


Mme  Engine  Cham- 
hey  ran,  mo  J. 


Mmf.   Eifffrne   Ver- 
liter,  free  ur  mod. 


Mme.  Falcot,  mod. 


Miii^.       Ferdinand 

Ju-niin,  mod. 
Mme.  Fortuiu'e  Les 


Mine.  Fraueois   Ja 
nin.  dwf,  or  mod. 


Mme.  Francois  Pit 

tct,  mod. 
Mvie.         Freeman, 

mod. 
Mme.  Fremion, mod. 


Class 


H.T. 


H.P. 


H.P. 


T. 


H.P. 
H.P. 


H.N. 
U.N. 
H.P. 


Mute.  Gabriel    Lui-    H.P. 
zet,  vig. 


Mme.  Gaillard,  mod. 

Madame     George 
Schwartz,  mod. 


Mme.  Gustave  Eon- 
net,  free. 


Mme.  Uardij,  \lg. 


MvH  Uippolyte  Ja- 
viain,  mud. 

Mme,  nippohjte  Ja- 
main,  free 

Mme.   Iloche^  mod. 

or  dwf. 
Mme.      Uunnehelle, 

free. 
Mme.  Isaac  Pereire, 

free  or  vig. 

Mme.   Jeanne  Jon- 

bert,  vig. 
Mme,  Jolibois,  mod 

Mine.  Joly,  free 


Mme.   Joseph    Hal 

phen,  mod. 
Madame     Joseph 

Schtvartz,  free 


Mm,e.  John   Twom 
bly,  free 

Mm^.  Jules  Gn'vy 


Mme.  Jvles  Margot 
tin,  mod. 


Mme,  Julie  Daran. 
free 

Mme.   Julie     Weid 

7nan 
Mme.  Knorr,  dwf. 


Mme.  de  Rothschild 
Mme.       Lacharme. 
dwf. 


T. 
H.P. 


H.N. 


Dam. 


H.P. 

T. 

II. 
H.P. 
B. 

B. 
H.P. 
H.P. 

T. 
T. 

H.P. 
H.P. 
T. 

H.P. 

H.T. 
H.P. 

H.P. 


Levet,  1S78.  Cherry-red,  some- 
times having  a  coppery 
sliade,  small  yize,  pretty  in 
the  bud ;  slightly  scented, 
agreeable  odour. 

Gonod,  1878.  Belongs  to  the 
Victor  Verdier  type.  Rose, 
tinged  with  violet,  some- 
times salmon-rose, 

E.  Verdier,  1S78.  Belongs  to 
La  Reine  type.  Mottled 
rose,  very  large,  fuH,  globu- 
lar ;  a  promising  kind. 

Guillot-flls,  1858.  Raised  from 
Safrano.  Deep  apricot ;  re- 
sembles the  parent,  but  is 
somewliat  larger,  more 
doulde,  of  deeper  shade,  less 
Ijroiluctive,  and  of  weaker  j 
growth, 

Li^Jechaux,  1875.  Deep  rose, ! 
cupped  form,  highly  scented,  i 

Desson,  ISSl.  Raised  from' 
Jules  Margottin.  Carmine- 
rose,  i 

L^d^chaux,  1872.  Orange-yel- , 
low,  small  size,  buds  of  ex- 
quisite shape  ;  very  distinct, 
both  in  culuur  and  its  pecu- 
liar fragrance. 

Lachai-me,  1877.  Pure  white, 
small, 

GuiUot-p^re,  1862.  White, 
tinged  with  pink. 

Margottin,  1850.  Cherry-red, 
cup-shaped,  flagrant. 

Liabaud,  1S78.  Belongs  to 
Jules  Margottin  type.  Pink, 
somewhat  fragrant,  long 
foliage  ;  a  piumising  kind, 
worthy  of  attention. 

Ducher,  1870.  Salmon-yellow, 
large,  somewhat  coarse. 

Schwartz,  1871.  Belongs  to 
the  Victor  Verdier  type. 
Silvery  rose,  fades  badly  and 
is  coarse, 

Lachanne,  1800.  From  Blanche 
Latltte  X  Sappho.  White, 
tinged  with  pink  ;  surpassed 
by  others  of  the  class. 

Hardy.  1832.  White,  large, 
very  full,  tint  form,  very  fra- 
grant ;  jfoMR-tiTnes  comes  with 
gretn  ccntrL-.liut  very  beauti- 
ful when  in  perfection.  A 
dilficult  sort  to  grow  from 
cuttings. 

Garcon,  1871.  (Sent  out  by 
Janiain.)  White,  tinged  with 
rose,  very  large,  full. 

Guillut-flls,lsG;)^  White,  tinged 
in  the  centre  with  yellow, 
large,  full. 

Moreau-Robert,  1S59.  White, 
superseded  by  \\'hite  Bath. 

Fontaine,  1S73.  Light  rose, 
large,  fragrant. 

Margottin-tils,  1880.  Cannine- 
red,  very  large,  full,  free 
lilooming. 

Margottin,  1877.  Red,  medium 
size,  non-autumnal 

E.  Verdier,  187U.  Silvery  rose, 
medium  size,  fidl. 

Rose  colour,  medium  size, 
semi-cupped,  fragrant,  and 
well  formed  ;  seems  to  be  of 
Bourbon  origin. 

Margottin,  185y.  Blush,  me- 
dium size. 

Schwartz,  18S0,  From  Com- 
tesse  de  Labarthe.  Blush, 
the  edge  of  petals  tinged 
with  carmine. 

Schwartz,  1881  Vermilion -red, 
said  to  have  some  resem- 
blance to  Alfred  Colomb. 

Schwartz, 1881.  From  Triumphe 
de  I'Exposition  x  Madame 
Falcot.   Salmon-pink. 

Levet,  1871.  Carmine  -  pink, 
tinged  with  lilac,  very  fra- 
grant ;  inclined  to  come  in 
rough  form. 

Touvais,  18G1.  Violet-crimson, 
a  flue  colour;  shy  m  the 
autumn. 

Soupert  &  Netting,  1880.  Sal- 
mon-rose. 

V.  Verdier,  1855.  Rose  colour, 
medium  size,  full,  flat  form, 
very  sweet. 
See  Baroness  Rothschild. 
Lacharme,  1872.  Claimed  to 
have  been  raised  from  Jules 
Margottin  x  Sombreuil. 
White,  tinged  with  pink, 
medium  size,  full  or  very 
full,  globular ;  does  not  open 


Name  cf  Vauiety 

AND 

Habit  of  Growth. 


Mme.        Lacharme, 
dwf.— (continued) 

Mme.  Lajfay,  free 


Mme.  Lambard,  \i£ 


Class. 


Mm?.  Landeau, 

mod. 

Mme.  Laurent,  vig. 
Mme.    L^on    de   St. 

Jean,  mod. 
Mine.  Levet,  vig. 


Mme.  Lilienthal 


Mme     Lceben   Sets, 
mod. 


Mme.   Louis   Caric-' 
ques,  vig. 

Mme.    Louis   Dona- 
dine,  dwf.  or  mod, 

Mm^.  Louis  Henry, 
vig. 

Mme,      Louis      Lv- 
vCque,  mod. 


Mme.        Margottin, 
mud. 


Mme.  Marie  Bianchi 


Mme.  Marie  Cirodde, 

mod. 
Mme.  Marie  Roederer 

Mmf.  Marie  Finger, 
ilwf. 

Mm.e.  Marthe  d'llal- 

loy 
Mme.  Maurice  Kup- 

penheim,  mod. 
Mme.  Maurin,  free 


Mme.  Maxime  de  la 
liocheterie 

Mme.   Mdanie  Wil- 
ier moz,  free 


Mme.    Miolan    Car- 
valho,  free  or  vig. 
Mme.  Montet 

Mme.  Moreaii,  mod. 

Mme.  Moreau,  mod. 

Mme.  Nachury,  vig 


Mme.  Xoman,  dwf. 
(Mdllc.  Bouuaire) 


Mme.  Oswald  de  Key- 
chove,  dwf. 


H.P. 
H.P. 


T. 


P.M. 

H.P. 
T, 

a.T. 

H.P. 
H.T. 

H.P. 
H.P. 

N. 
H,P. 


H.P. 

H.P. 
H.P. 
H.P. 

H.P. 
T. 
T. 

H.P. 

T. 

N. 
H.P. 
H.P. 
P.M. 
H.P. 

H.N. 


H.N. 


Name  of  Vakiety 

AND 

Habit  of  Growth, 


well,  and  is  shy  in  the  au- 
tumn. Of  bushy  growth,  and  ' 
quite  hardy. 

Lattay,  18^9.  Rose  colour,  | 
large,  double,  cupped  form,  i 
red  spines ;  surpassed  by 
many  othei-s  of  the  same 
shade,  | 

Lacharme,  1877.  Rosy  salmon,  ! 
deepening  towards  the  cen- : 
tre ;  the  colour  is  variable, ' 
Eometimes  being  a  rosy  flesh ; 
the  flowers  are  laree,  very 
full,  and  good.  This  variety  , 
is  not  so  refined  as  many 
othei-s,  but  is  of  excellent , 
Iiat)it,  free  blooming  quali- 1 
lies,  and  is  considered  one 
of  our  most  useful  Teas. 

Moreau  -  Robert,  1873.  Red, 
medium  size,  full ;  not  valu- 
aljle. 

Granger,  1871.     Cheriy-red. 

Level ,  1875,  Pale  yellow,  very 
fragrant,  poor  form, 

Levet,  1809.  Raised  from  Gloire 
de  Dijon.  Very  much  like 
the  parent,  but  inferior  to  it, 

Liabaud,  1878.  Bright  rose, 
tinged  with  salmon. 

Soupert  &  Notting,  1879.  Sil- 
very white,  sliaded  with  rose, 
lai-ge,  full,  somewhat  flat 
fonu. 

Fontaine,  1859.  Rosy  crimson, 
double,  free  in  autumn  ;  not 
of  first  (luslity. 

Gonod,  1S77.  A  sport  from 
Countess  of  Oxford.  Nearly 
the  shade  of  Eugenie  Verdier. 

Mme.  Ducher,  1879.  Pale  yel- 
low, fragrant ;  in  the  way  of 
Solfaterre. 

L^v^que,  1874.  Belongs  to  the 
Jules  Margottin  type.  Car- 
mine-rose, large,  very  full, 
somewhat  Hat  fonn,  slightly 
fragrant;  blotuns  late  in  the 
season,  but  is  sliy  iu  the 
autumn. 

Guillot-flls,  18CG.  Citron-yel- 
low, sometimes  with  coppery 
centre,  larg*^,  full,  many  mal- 
formed flowers,  fine  when 
perfect, 

Guillot-lils,  issi.  Raised  from 
Vi(  tor  \tr(lit'r  x  \'irginal. 
Blusti,  tinged  with  lilac,  fi'a- 
graiit. 

C.  Verdier,  18G7.  Salmon-pink. 

L6v5que,  1881.  Raised  from 
Jules  Margottin.  t'herry-red. 

Rambaux,  1873.  (Sent  out  by 
Lachanne.)  Almost  identi- 
cal with  Eugenie  Verdier. 

L^veque,  l-^Sl.  Raised  from 
Madame  Boutin.  Cherry-red.  ' 

Madame  Ducher,  1877.  Pale 
yellow,  shaded  with  apricot. 

Guillot-pfcre,  1&53,  Creamy 
white,  large  ;  not  very  reli- 1 
able. 

T,  Grange,  1880.  (Sent  out  by  ; 
Vigneron.)  Raised  from  Vic- , 
tor  Verdier.    Canuine-rose,    : 

Lacharme,  1845.  Creamy 
white,  thick  petals,  large, 
full,  little  fragrance  ;  an  ex- 
cellent sort  for  out-of-door 
culture. 

L^vt^que,  1S76.  Raised  from 
Clironiatella.  Sulphur  yellow 

Liabaud,  l^iO.  Light  pink, 
large  petals. 

Gonod.  Red,  shaded  with  vio- 
let. 

Moreau-Robert,  1S72.  Red, 
large,  full. 

Damaizin,  1373.  Belongs  to 
La  Reine  type.  Deep  rose 
colour,  fades  easily,  flowei's 
very  large,  rather  loose,  fra- 
grant, 

Guillot-pfere,  1867.  Raised 
frf)m  Madame  R^camier. 
White,  sometimes  with 
shaded  centre,  medium  size, 
full,  t:lobulai';  foliage  some- 
wliat crimpled,  wood  armed 
with  quite  numerous  small 
spines.  A  Rose  of  exquisite 
beauty. 

Schwartz,  1879.  From  a  seed- 
ling of  Mme.  Recamier  x 
Mme.  Falcot.  White,  tinged  ; 
with  fawn  ;  promises  to  be 
an  addition  of  merit.  It  has 
all  the  characteristics  of  the 
Eliza  Boelle  type. 


Mme.   Pauline   La 
bont^,  free 

Mme.    Pierre  Oyer, 


Mme.  Planticr,  free 


Mme.  Prosper  Lau 
gier,  free 


Mme.         Recamier 
duf. 


Mme.  Rivers,  mod. 

Mme.     Rosalie      de 
WincojJ 

Mme.Scipion  Cochet, 

vig. 
Mme,  Sertat 
Mme.  Sophie  Fropot, 

vig. 

3fme.  Tht-venot,  free 
Mme.  Trijle,  vig. 


Mme.  Trotter,  vig, 

Muie.  Trudeau,  free 

Mme.  Victor  Verdier, 
mod.  or  free 

Mme.  Vidot,  dwf. 
Mme.  Wclche,  mod. 


Mme  Z<vt}nan,  mod. 
or  free 


Mile  A  n»u'  Wood 
Mile.   Blanche  Dur 
Schmidt,  fi'ee 

Mile.  Eonnaire.dwf. 


Mile.    Brigitte    Vio- 
let, mod. 


Mile.     Cikile      Her 
thod,  dwf.  or  mod, 


Mile.    Ct'cile    Briin 
ner,  mod.  or  dwf. 


Mile.    Emma.  Hall, 
mod.  or  free 


Mile.    Fernande  de 
la  Forest,  mod. 


Class. 

T. 
E. 

H.Ch. 


H.N. 


H.P. 

H,P. 

H.P. 

T. 
H.P. 

H.P. 

a.T. 

H.Ch. 
H.P. 

H.P. 

H.P. 


H.P. 
T. 


T. 
Pol. 


H.Ch. 


Pradel,  1^52.  Salmon -rose, 
large,  full,  and  ^ood  in  the 
bud  ;  an  excellent  sort. 

Ogtr,  1-78.  (Sent  out  by  C. 
Verdier  )  A  ^porl  from  Reine 
Victoi'ia.  r.lusli.  the  exterior 
of  petals  tiiijit-d  with  rosy 
lilac,  cupped  form,  nut  a  free 
bloomer, 

Plantier,  l}f35.  Pure  white, 
above  medium  size,  full,  flat 
fonn,  seven  le. diets,  foliage 
I  ather  small ;  one  of  the  best 
whi:e  Roses  for  hedges  a' d 
for  massiTig,  Early  in  the 
season  the  flowers  are  pro- 
duced in  great  abundance, 

E.  Verdier,  1875,  Red,  quar- 
tered shape,  not  fragrant, 
numerous  red  thorns ;  of 
second  quality. 

Lacharme,  1853.  Blush  wliit*», 
medium  size,  well.fonned. 
The  origin  of  this  Ro-ie  is 
unknown  ;  probably  it  is  llie 
result  of  a  natural  cross  with 
some  Noisette  on  a  Bourbon. 

Guillot-p^re,  1850.  Blush  ;  a 
pretty  tort,  but  of  unhealthy 
habit  and  quite  tender. 

Vigneron,  I'-.sl.  Raised  from 
General  Jacqueminot.  Red, 
tinged  with  lilac. 

Cochet,  1871.    Cherry-rose. 

See  Madame  Bravy. 

Levet,  lf570.  Bright  rose, 
nearly  smooth  wood  ;  a  shy 
autunnial  and  not  of  first 
(juality. 

Jamain,  1^77.  Bright  red,  frje 
blooming. 

Levet,  1869.  Raised  from 
Gloire  de  Dijnn.  Fawn  and 
yellow  ;  rc-embles  the  jia- 
rent,  but  inferior  to  it  in 
value. 

Granger,  1S55.  Bright  red, 
medium  »ize,  a  free  bloomer 
in  the  spriitg. 

Daniel  Boll,  15:50,  Rose,' 
tinged  with  Mac,  medium 
size,  well  formed,  free  flower- 
ing, mildews  badly. 

V.  Verdier,  1863,  Carmine-" 
crimson,  large,  full,  fine, 
globular  fonn,  very  fragrant ; 
a  superb  Rose. 

Couturier,  1854.  (Sent  out  by 
E.  Verdier.)  Flesh  colour, 
full,  well  formed ;  a  beauti- 
ful Rose  of  very  delicate 
constitution. 

Madame  Ducher,  1-78.  (Sent 
out  by  Bennett.)  Raised 
from  Devoniensis  x  Souvenir 
d'un  Ami.  Pale  yellow,  the 
centre  coppery-yellow,  large 
and  full ;  a  very  distinct  Tea. 

Delicate  flesh,  changing  to 
white,  large,  very  full,  flat 
form,  fragrant,  five  to  seven 
leaflets ;    a  fine  white  Rose. 

See  Annie  Wood. 

Guillot-fils,  1877.  Raised  from 
Madame  Falcot.  Flesh  co- 
lour, semi-double,  worthless, 

Peruet,  1859.  Closely  reseuddcs 
Madame  Neman ;  it  is  difli- 
cult  to  see  any  points  of  dif- 
ference by  which  one  may  be 
distinguished  from  the  other, 

Levet,  1878,  Silvery  rose, 
slightly  tinged  with  lilac ; 
not  highly  scented,  but  quite 
a  pleasing  sort. 

Guillot-flls,  1871.  Sulphur- 
yellow,  medium  size,  pretty 
in  the  bud. 

aiadame  Ducher,  18S0.  Sal- 
mon-pink, deeper  in  the  cen- 
tre, very  small,  full,  deli- 
cately scented  ;  an  exquisite 
miniature  Rose  for  floral 
work,  opera  bouquets,  &c. 

Liabaud,  1-76.  Raised  from 
Souvenir  de  la  Reine  dAn- 
gleterre.  Cannine-rose,  me- 
dium size,  semi  -  globular 
fonn,  fragrant;  there  aie 
seven  leaflets  of  light  green 
colour,  rather  crimpled  ;  the 
shoots  are  armed  with  small 
spines  of  pale  green.  An 
excellent  sunmier  Rose. 

Damaizin,  1872.  Belongs  to 
the  Victor  Verdier  type. 
Rose  colour,  somewhat  ni 
the  way  of  Lyouuaise  ;  of  no 
value.      — 


Si-rr   0     I8S4.1 


THE     GARDEN 


215 


Js'iXIK  OF  VARIETT 

ANn  Class. 

1Iab:t  of  Growth. 


Mile.   Julie  Dymo- 
ntcr,  dwf. 


H.P. 


3Ille.  Lazarxn*--  r<oi-      T. 


zcav,  dwf.  or  mod 


Mtfc.      MarguiUite     U.P. 
liotnbruin,  free      i 

JtlUe.      Marie      Ar-      T. 
viand,  mod.  I 

MUe.  Marie  Loton,'  Cl.T. 
vig. 


Mile.  Marie  Chaxivct    n.P, 


Mll'\  Marie  Cointet,.  n.P. 
dwf. 


Mile.  Marie  Gonod, 

free 
Mile.  Marie    Radi;. 

lite 


n.P. 
n.P. 


3b  lie.  nachcl,  dwf. 


.1/^/.'.  Tht'risc  Level, 
mod. 


Slfliiia  Charta,  \ig.  ,  II. Ch. 


Xanetti  Ilcsc,  vig. 


Marcelin  Boda.mciX. 


Marchianess       of 
jLXtUr,  free 


Mnr-'cbal  Forcy,  vig. 
tr  ftte 


Mar^fchal  Kiel,  vi^ 


T. 

n.P. 
n.P. 


Mar.'chal  Hchcrtj 
flee 


Name  of  variety  l 

AN!)  Class, 

Habit  op  Growth. 


Gonod,  1&79.  Belongs  to  the 
Victor  Verdier  type.  Sal- 
mon-pink, after  the  style  of 
Marie  Cointet. 

Levet,  1S7G.  Orange -yellow, 
small  size,  very  pretty  in  the 
bud  ;  closely  resembles  Mme. 
Fiani^ois  Janin. 

E.  Verdier,  1805.  Belongs  to 
La  Keine  type.  Satiny  rose, 
a  good  sort. 

Levet,  1872.    Canary- yellow, 
beautiful  buds,  well  scented,  ■ 
delieate  constitution.  j 

Levet,  1^75.  Kaiscd  from  Gloire  ' 
de  Djjou.  Pale  yellow,  some-  j 
what  fragrant,  the  most  free 
flowering  of  all  the  seedlings , 
from  Gloire  de  Dijon ;  the  i 
flower-stems  are  long  and ; 
stout,  the  foliage  large  and 
lustrous.  A  magniticeut  yel- 
low Bose. 

Besson,  1871.  Baised  from 
Baroness  Kothscliild,  Deep 
rose  colour. 

Guillot-fil?,  1S72.  Belongs  to 
the  Victor  Verdier  type. 
Salmon-pink  ;  a  very  beauti- 
ful sort  when  perfect,  but 
most  of  the  flowei-s  are  mal- 
foimed,  or  open  badly. 

Gonod,  lti71.    Bosy  blush. 

Fontaine,  1S65.  Vermilion-red 
shaded  with  crimson,  large 
or  very  large,  very  full,  of 
splendid  globular  form,  very 
frac:rant ;  it  has  more  ver- 
milion than  Alfred  Colomb, 
making  it  somewbat  lighter 
and  more  dull;  the  shouts 
are  armed  with  numerous 
red  thorns,  the  foliage  shows 
considerable  lustre.  There 
is  no  finer  exhibition  sort 
among  the  red  Boses,  and 
were  it  as  constant,  it  ^vould 
be  quite  as  valuable  as 
Alfred  Colomb  and  Mane 
Baumann,  vaiieties  which 
bear  it  some  considerable 
resemblance. 

Biiluze,  1S41.     ^Vhite,  pointed 
buds,  somewbat  in  the  style  m 
of  ^'iphetoa,  but  not  equal  in 
quality  to  tJiat  line  sort. 

Levet,  ISOG.  Belongs  to  the 
Jules  Margottiii  type.  Sal- 
mon-rose, medimu  size,  free 
blooming. 

W,  Paul,  15:76.  Pink,  suffused 
with  cannine,  large  or  very 
larce,  full,  globular  ;  foliage 
and  wood  light  green,  nume- 
rous, dark  spines.  A  fra- 
giant,  excellent  variety. 

Vudet-rose,  small  size,  single, 
not  productive;  this  varietv, 
since  its  introduction  frcm 
Italy,  is  more  used  for  a 
stock  on  ^\hich  to  bud  choice 
sorts  than  any  other  kind. 
It  has  dark,  brownish  wood, 
and  always  seven  leaflets, 
sometimes  nine  ;  there  need 
be,  therefore,  no  difficulty  in 
distinguishing  it  from  other 
kinds. 

Ducher,1872.  Yellowish  white, 
the  centre  light  yellow ;  a 
fairly  good  Rose. 

Laxton,  lb77.  (Sent  out  by  G. 
Paul.)  A  seedling  from  Jules 
Margottin.  Cherry-rose,  fra- 
grant. 

Margottin,  1803.  Baised  from 
Tnomplie  de  I'Exposition. 
Reddish  ciimsou,  shy  in  the 
autumn. 

rradel,  1SG4.  Supposed  to  be 
a  seedling  from  Isabella 
Gray.  Deep  yellow,  very 
large,  very  full,  globular  j 
form,  delightfully  fragrant,  I 
the  finest  of  all  yellow  Roses;  ; 
it  is  of  dtlicate  constitution, 
and  requires  very  careful 
treatment  to  produce  satis- 
factory results.  It  is  only 
adapted  for  culture  under 
gbuss,  and  even  then  the  in- 
experienced would  do  better 
not  to  attempt  its  culture, 
but  use  in  its  stead  Mile. 
Marie  Bert  on,  Solfaterre,  or, 
fur  non-climbers,  Perle  des 
Jardins. 

Madame  Ducher,  1^75,  White, 
the  ccutre  shaded  with  flesh] 


Mar^chal       liobcrt, 
fi-ee—(contimied) 

Marechal    Vaillaiit, 
free 


Marguerite  Drassac 

3larfrtt(Uite   de     St 
AmanUe,  fiee 


Marie 
mod. 


Lainna7in 


Marie    Caroline   di 

Sai-toi(.c 
Marie  de  Blois,  free 


Marie      de      Lour- 

(joyne,  dwf. 
Marie  Ditcher,  free 


Marie  Guillot,  mod. 


Marie  Jaillet,  mod. 

Marie    Lovisc    Fer- 
net, mud. 

Marie  Opoix,  mod. 
Marie  Sidey,  mod. 


Marie  Van  Ilouttc, 
flee 


Marie  Verdier,  free 
Martinis  de  Balbia- 

no,  free 
Maniuis  de  Sanima, 

mud. 


Marfjuis    of    Salis- 
bury, mod.  I 

Marquise   AdHe  dc 
Murinauf,  free       I 

Marquise  de  Castcl- 
lane,  mod. 


Marquise  de  Lignc 
rics,  m  d. 

Marquine  de  Morte 
mart,  mod.  oi 
dwf. 


T. 

n.P. 


n.P. 
n.P. 


n.P. 


T. 
M. 

P.M. 
T. 


T. 

n.p. 

T. 
T. 

T. 


n.p. 

B. 


n.p. 

H.P. 

n.p. 


n.p. 
n.p. 


large,  or  very  large,  full,  in 
the  style  of  Cornelia  Cook  ; 
a  fine  sort. 

Viennot,  1861.  (Sent  out  by 
Jamain.)  Crimson,  large, 
full,  well  formed,  fragi'ant ; 
a  fine  Rose,  which,  were  it 
not  for  Maurice  Bernardin, 
would  be  more  useful.  It  is 
a  valuable  kind  for  large  col- 
lections. 

Brassac,  1875.  The  same  as 
Charles  Lefeb^Te. 

Sansal,  li;G4.  Raised  from 
Jules  Margottin.  Bright 
rose,  very  beautiful  in  the 
bud  state  ;  will  give  more 
fine  blooms  in  the  autumn 
than  any  other  of  the  class, 
and  it  is  also  one  of  the  best 
for  forcing.  It  cannot  be 
propagated  from  cuttings. 

Baumann,  1863.  Crimson-ver- 
miliun,  suffused  with  car- 
mine, large,  full,  of  exquisite 
colom*  and  form,  very  fra- 
grant ;  the  wood  freely 
covered  with  small  tight 
red  thorns.  This  vaiiety 
is  a  little  lighter  and 
brighter  in  colour  than  Marie 
liady,  which  is  a  shade 
lighter  than  Alfred  Colomb. 
A  Rose  of  the  highest  qua- 
lity and  veiy  productive ;  no 
collection  can  be  complete 
with  it  left  out.  It  should 
be  given  a  favomed  position. 

Nabonnand,  ISSl.  Pure  white. 

Morcau  -  Robert,  1852.  Rose 
colour,  double,  not  mossy, 
pour. 

M  ore  au- Robert,  1853.  Bright 
rose,  medium  size. 

Ducher,  ISCS.  Salmon  -  rose, 
large,  very  full,  somewhat 
flat;  a  free  blooming  kind, 
of  excellent  habit.  Not  a 
refined  flower,  yet  it  is  a  sort 
worth  growing. 

Guillot -Ills,  1874.  Wliite, 
faintly  tinged  with  yellow, 
large,  full ;  of  splendid  form. 
One  of  the  most  beautiful 
Teas ;  would  that  it  were 
fragi'ant. 

Madame  Ducher,  1878.  Pale 
rose,  deeper  in  the  centre. 

Pernet,  1876.  Raised  from 
Baroness  Rothschild.  Deep 
rose,  cupped  form. 

Schwartz,  1874.  Pale  yellow, 
almost  wliite,  not  of  first 
<iuality. 

Guillut-fils,  1SC8.  Rose  tinged 
with  salmon,  sometimes  cop- 
pery rose ;  a  distinct  sort, 
but  not  reliable,  and  at  its 
best  is  not  specially  attrac- 
tive. 

Ducher,  1871.  From  Madame* 
de  Tartas  x  Madame  Falcot. 
Pale  yellow,  the  edges  of 
I»etals  often  lined  with  rose, 
wvU  f'irmed;  of  good  habit, 
and  in  every  respect  a  most 
charming  sort.  The  finest 
of  all  Teas  for  out-door  cul- 
ture. 

E.  \erdier,  1877.  Rose  colour. 

Lachai-me,  1855.  SUvery  rose, 
medium  size,  full. 

Madame  Ducher,  1875.  Cop- 
pery rose,  in  the  style  ofi 
Reine  du  Portugal,  but  not 
so  good. 

G.  Paul,  1879.  Coppery  rose 
shaded  with  crimson,  lai'ge, 
globular  fonn,  distinct. 

Schwartz,  1876.  Raised  from 
SladameLalfay.  Silvery  rose; 
an  inferior  sort. 

Pernet,  1869.  Supposed  to  be 
a  seedling  from  Jules  Mai"- 
gottin.  Carmine  -  rose,  a 
bright  and  permanent  shade, 
very  large,  very  full,  not 
fragrant,  but  effective,  does 
not  bloom  until  late ;  a  valu- 
able sort  for  exhibition  pm-- 
poses.  Does  not  propagate 
from  cuttings. 

Gu6noux,  1879.  (Sent  out  by 
Jamam.)  Rose  colour,  wood 
nearly  smooth. 

Liabaud,  1868.  Raised  fruni 
Jules  Margottin.  Blush,  well 
formed.  A  fine  Rose  of  deli- 
cate habit. 


Name  of  Variety 

AM)  CLA  s. 

Oabit  of  growth. 


Mary  Fochin 


M a stej-piccc,  mod.  or 
fi-ee 

Matkilde  Lcncerts 

Mainicc  Bernardin, 
vig.  or  free 


May  Qxicnncll,  dv.f 
or  mud. 


May  Tvmcr,  mod. 
MtHanie  Oyer,  free 

MHanie  Suiipcrt 

Mt-re  de   St.  Ljuis 
mod. 

Michael  Bonnet,  free 


Michael     Saiindcrs 
mod. 


Miy  nonet  te 

Miller-Hayes,  mod. 
Miss  Glcyy,  free 

Miss  Uassard,  free 

Sliss  Ingram,  free 
Miss  May  Faul,  vig. 

3Ivss  Tueed,  free 


Module  de    Perfec 
tion,  mod. 

Moyador 


Moiri\  mod. 
Mtinfiieur  Alfred  Le- 

vraii 
Monsieur  Bonccnne, 

free  or  mod. 


Monsieur E.y.  Teas, 
mod.  or  dwf. 


3[onsicur      Fillion, 
mod. 

3Io)isicur    Furtado, 
free  or  mod. 


3lonsicur  Jard,  free 


n.P. 


Cl.T. 

n.p. 


n.p. 


n.p. 

T. 


T. 

n.P. 
n.p. 

ILT. 


Pol. 


n.p. 

N. 


n.p. 


H.Ch. 
Cl.T. 


E. 

n.P. 

T. 

n.p. 

H.P. 

n.p, 

H.P. 
T. 


Rev.  E.  M.  Pochin,  18S1.  (Sent 
out  by  Cranston.)  Laivc, 
shaded  with  crimson,  me- 
dium size. 

\V.  Paul,  18S0.  Supposed  to 
be  a  seedling  from  Bcauly 
of  Waltham.    Rosy  crimson. 

Levet,  1870.  Raised  from 
Gloire  de  Dijon.  Rose  colour. 

Granger,  1861.  Raised  from 
General  Jacqueminot.  Bright 
crimson,  large,  moderattly 
full ;  a  good  free  tluwering 
sort,  generally  coming  in 
clusters ;  the  roots  are  very 
delicate,  and  break  easily. 
In  the  spring  this  is,  per- 
haps, the  most  prolific  of  all 
crimson  sorts. 

Postans,  1678.  (Sent  out  by 
\V.  I'aul  it  Son.)  Miigenta, 
shaded  with  crimson,  large 
llowers,  msny  of  thtm  com- 
ing imperfect ;  wood  rather 
smooth,  foliage  dark. 

E.  Verdier,  1874.  Salmon-rose. 

Oger,  1851.  Yellowish  white, 
deeper  at  centre,  medium 
size. 

Nabonnand,  1881.  "White, 
large,  very  full. 

Lacharme,  1^52.  Raised  from 
La  Reine.  Pink,  medium 
size. 

Guillot-p^re,  1£G4.  Rose  co- 
lour, hi  the  way  of  Madame 
Joly.  but  inferior. 

Bennett,  lb75>.  From  Presi- 
dent X  Madame  Victor  Ver- 
dier. Deep  bronzed  rose,  or 
rose  shaded  with  coiii)cry 
red,  medium  si7-e,  very  full, 
finely  fojmed,  somewhat  fra- 
grant ;  on  account  of  their 
great  fidness  the  flowers  do 
nut  open  well  under  glass, 
but  they  are  fine  in  open  air. 
A  very  distinct  and  plensiiig 
sort ;  the  best  of  the  set  sent 
out  by  Bennett. 

Guillot-lils,  1881.  Delicate 
rose,  changing  to  blush,  very 
small,  double,  flowering  in 
cor}Tnbs  of  tliii-ty  or  forty 
blooms. 

E.  Verdier,  1873.  Reddish 
crimson. 

YJbert.  WHiite,  the  centre 
often  flesh  culuur.  vei^y  small, 
diiulile  :  resemliles  Ainn-e  Vi- 
bert,  tnit  is  much  inferior. 

Turner,  1&75.  Raised  from 
Marguerite  de  St.  Ani;inde. 
Pink,  large,  very  full,  sweetly 
scented  ;  many  imperfect 
blooms. 

Ingram,  18C^.  (Sent  out  by 
Im-ner.)  Blush  wliite,  well 
formed  ;  a  fine  Rose. 

Levet,  1881.  Raised  from 
Gloire  de  Dijon.  Lilac- 
white,  reverse  of  the  petals 
red. 

Pale  yellow,  semi-double  ;  it 
hasnineleaflets,i'arely  seven; 
I'ersian  Yellow  has  seven 
leaflets  only  ;  remembering 
this,  it  is  always  a  simple 
matter  to  distinguish  the 
varieties  when  out  of  flower. 

Guillut-fils,  1860.  Raised  from 
Louise  Odier.  Satiny  rose, 
medium  size,  well  formed. 

Raised  from  Rose  du  Roi,  and 
esteemed  as  an  improve- 
ment on  that  variety.  It  is 
a  crimson  Damsisk,  wliich 
flowers  in  autumn. 

Moir6, 1844.    Filwu  and  rose. 

Vignerou,  1880.   Carmine-rose. 

Liabaud,  1864.  Very  deep 
crimson,  double,  medium 
size ;  a  good  Rose,  but  now 
displaced  by  Baron  de  Bon- 
stetten. 

E.  Verdier,  1874.  Carmine- 
crimson,  large,  fine,  globular 
form,  liighly  scented;  a  su- 
perb Rose. 

Gonod,  1876.  Belongs  to  the 
Victor  Verdier  type.  Car- 
mine-rose, not  of  tli-st  quality. 

Laffay,  18G3.  Yellow,  medium 
or  small  size,  well  foimed, 
veiyfull;  an  exquisite  sort, 
of  gi'iid  baliit,  nut  nearly  so 
niiKli  L'r-'wn  as  it  deserves. 

Guillutqiere,  1807.  Red,  tinged 
with  violet. 


216 


THE    GAUDEN 


[Sept.  fi.   18S4. 


fJAJIE  OF  VAniETV 
AND 

Uabit  of  Gkowth. 


monsieur  Journavx, 

vig. 
Moruneur      Jules 

Monfjes 
Honsicur     iioriKin, 

dwf. 


ilunslcur  Thouvmcl 
Monthli/  Cabba^je 
Mrs.  Eakcr,  mod. 


mod. 
Mrs.  Elliott,  tree 


J/rs.  Harry  Turner, 
luod. 


Class. 


Mrs.  novcy,  vig. 

r. 

Mrs.  Jonilt 

n.p. 

Mrs.  Luxton,  dwf. 

11.  p. 

Mrs.  Opie,  mod. 

T. 

Mrs.  Pierce,  vig. 
J/rs.  Standish,  dwf. 

r. 
n.p. 

Jv'aiLcy  Lee,  dwf. 

n.T. 

Narcifot*'-,  mod.  (En- 

faut  (le  Lyon) 
ifardy  Fr&res,  free 


i\7/m,  mod. 
yiplutus,  duf. 


Knits     de      Yonn^, 

mod. 
OdiU-ic  Vital,  vig. 


Odora'a,  free  (Elush 
Tea) 


Quillet  Flaniand, 

free 


(Eillct  Pat-fait,  moa. 

Old  Yellow  Tm 
Olga  Marix,  mod. 


Olivier     Delhomim 

free 
Ophelia^  moel 


OphiriCf  vig. 


H.P. 
H.P. 

n.p. 


n.p. 

Beng. 

n.p. 

Bcng. 

n.p. 
n.p. 


T. 
H.P. 


M. 

n.p. 


T. 


Prov. 


T. 
H.N. 


H.P. 
T. 

N. 


Marest,  15^68.    Brilliant  red. 

Guillot-fils,  ISSl.  Carmine 
rose,  cupped  form. 

Gviillot-pfcre,  1S76.  Raised 
from  Jules  Margottin.  Kose 
c<ili)ur,  often  delicately  mot' 
tied,  lienutiful  globular  form, 
I'liiilialile,  Init  magnificent 
when  in  iJerfection. 

Vigneron,  isSO,  Velvety  red. 
flat  form. 

Violet-rose,  somewhat  fra 
grant. 

Turner,  1875.  Belongs  to  the 
Victor  Verdier  type.  Car- 
mine-red. 

Madame  Pcan.  Rosy  flesh, 
very  productive. 

LafTay,  1S40.  Rose  colour, 
double,  generally  seven  leaf- 
lets ;  of  second  quality. 

Laxtun,  lSt:0.  (Sent  out  by 
Turner.)  Raised  from  Charles 
Ltftlivre  X  Alfred  de  Rouge- 
mont.  Scarlet  -  crimson,  a 
spk-ndid  bright  colour;  a 
very  promising  sort. 

Pierce.  Blush,  changing  to 
white,  resembles  Baltimore 
Belle,  but  is  hardier ;  a  valu- 
able climbing  Rose. 

Cranston,  li^SO.  From  Slarie 
Rady  x  Due  de  Rohan.  Crim- 
son, tinged  with  lake. 

Laxton,  1S78.  (Sent  out  by 
G.  Paul.)  Raised  from  Ma- 
dame Victor  Verdier.  Rosy 
crimson,  beautiful  form. 

Bell  &  Son,  1S77.  Salmon- 
rose. 

Pierce,  1850.    Blush. 

Trouillard,  ISGO.  Belongs  to 
the  Giant  of  Battles  type. 
Deep  crimson,  tinged  with 
purple. 

Bennett,  1870.  From  Alba 
R^3sea  X  Etlouard  JSIoiTen. 
Satiny  rose,  a  deUcate  and 
lovely  shade,  medium  or 
small  size,  beautiful  buds, 
highly  scented  ;  growth  slen- 
der, inclined  to  mildew. 
Were  this  of  vigorous  growth 
and  good  constitution,  it 
would  be  a  variety  of  great 
value. 

1845.  Yellow,  an  inferior  Mon- 
sieur Fnrtado. 

Ducher,  18GS.  Supposed  to  be 
aseedling  from  iladame  Boll. 
Violet-red,  a  very  distinct 
variety,  but  of  too  perish- 
able a  colour  to  have  any 
value. 

Blush,  loose  flowers ;  not  of 
value. 

lSi4.  White,  sometimes  tin- 
ged with  pale  yellow,  long, 
large  buds,  the  petals  thick 
and  durable.  A  very  beau- 
tiful vaiiety  for  growing 
under  glass  ;  it  is  entirely 
unsuited  for  growing  in  open 
air. 

Laffay,  1S51.  Purplish  red,  a 
sullied  thade. 

Oger,  185S.  A  sport  from  Bar- 
onne  Prevost.  A  little  ligher 
in  culour  than  the  parent ; 
the  habit  is  the  same. 

Of  Chijiese  origin,  brought  to 
En^dand  in  1810.  Carmine, 
fading  to  blusb, large  flowers, 
somewhat  loose,  but  good  in 
the  bud  ;  one  of  the  most  fra- 
grant. The  larger  number 
of  the  Teas  are  descendants 
of  this  sort. 

Vil)ert,  1845.  Wliite,  striped 
with  rose,  like  a  variegated 
Carnation,  double  flowers,  of 
medium  size  ;  the  foUage  is 
very  dark. 

Foulard,  1841.  Blush,  striped 
with  violet-rose  ;  inferior  to 
tlie  preceding  sort. 

See  Flavescens. 

Schwartz,  1873.  Rosy  flesh, 
changing  to  white  ;  in- 
ferior. 

V.  Verdier,  1861.  Brilliant  red, 
large,  well  formed. 

Ducher,  1873.  Yellow,  mediimi 
size,  full. 

Goubault,  1844.  Nasturtium- 
yellow,  suffused  with  cop- 
pery red,  medium  size,  dou- 
ble ;  a  very  distinct  soit,  but 
very  shy. 


Name  of  Variety 

AND 

Habit  of  Growth. 


Oriflamme    da    St 
Louis,  free 


Oscar  Ledcrc,  mod. 
Oxonian,  mod. 


Pceonia,  free 


Pallida 

Panacki  d'Orlcans, 


Paquerctte,  mod. 


PaulJamain,  free 


PavlJostejih,  free 
Paul     Js'aboniiand, 

free 
Paul  Kci/roii,  vig. 


Paul  Pf^rras,  vig. 
Paul   Jiicaut,    free 
or  vig. 


Paul  Ve7-dier,  vig. 


Pauline  Latisczcur, 
mod. 

Pauline       Talabot, 

free 
PeackBlossom,  mod. 


Class, 


H.P. 

P.M. 
H.P. 


P. 
H.P. 


n.p. 


H.P. 


Pearl,  dwf. 


Penelope  Mai/o,moi\. 


Perfection   de  Mon- 
plaiair,  mod. 

Perfection        des 
Blatiches,  free 

Pcrle  dWngers, 

mod. 
Perle  des  Blanches, 
mod. 

Perle  des   Jardins^ 
free 


Perle  de  Lyon,  mod 


H.CI. 

H.Ch. 


n.cii. 

H.P. 

H.P. 
H.P. 


n.T. 
n.p. 

T. 

H.N. 

B. 
HN. 


1858.  Raised  from  General 
Jacqueminot.  Brilliant  crim- 
son ;  reseml.ilcs  the  parent, 
Imt  is  inferior  to  it. 

Robert,  1853.  Red  tinged  with 
violet,  in  the  way  of  Madame 
Bouton. 

Turner,  1S75.  Belongs  to  the 
Victor  Verdier  type.  Rosy 
red,  somewhat  fragrant,  large 
size  ;  the  only  one  of  the  type 
that  has  perfume. 

Laeharme,  1855.  Red,  very 
large  or  larjic,  full,  fragrant, 
afrecbli.unit-r ;  bushy  habit, 
dark  histnius  fuliage,  numer- 
ous pale  red  thorns.  A  line 
garden  Kose,  but  not  quite 
up  to  exhibition  standard. 

Feast,  1&43.  Blush,  much  re- 
sembling Superba. 

Dauvesse,  1854.  A  sport  from 
Baronne  Provost.  Identical 
with  the  parent  sort,  except 
that  the  flowers  are  striped 
with  rosy  white.  It  is  not 
constant,  soon  running  back 
tu  the  original. 

Guillot-fils,  1875.  Pure  white, 
aliout  1  inch  in  diameter, 
full,  prettily  foimed,  recall- 
ing blossoms  of  the  double 
flowering  Cherry  ;  there  are 
five  to  seven  leaflets  the 
giowth  is  slender. 

Jamain,  1878.  Belongs  to  the 
Charles  Lefebvre  type.  Crim- 
son, slightly  tinged  with  vio- 
let-red. Very  similar  to 
Cluules  Lefebvre. 

Portemer,  1842.    Violet-red. 

Kabonnand,  1877.  Satmy  rose. 

Le  vet,  1869.  From  Victor  Ver- 
dier X  Anne  de  Diesbach. 
Deep  rose,  very  large,  very 
full,  somewhat  fragrant,  free- 
blooming;  the  wood  is  nearly 
smooth,  the  foliage  tough 
and  enduring,  somewhat  ten- 
der, the  growth  Is  very  up- 
right. The  largest  variety 
knoA^-n,  and  a  very  desnable 
sort  for  the  garden. 

Pale  rose,  large,  full. 

Portemer,  1S45.  Carmine- 
crimson,  medium  size,  flne 
globular  form  ;  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  summer 
Itoscs 

C.  Verdier,  1866.  Carmine- 
red,  large,  globular  flowers, 
well  built ;  a  splendid  sort. 

Lansezeur,  1855.  Red,  shaded 
with  violet-crimson,  medium 
size,  free  blooming. 

E.  Verdier,  1S73.  Carmine-red. 

W.  Paul,  1S74.  Belongs  to  the 
Jules  Margottin  type.  Slot- 
tied  pink,  a  fine  colour,  many 
imperfect  blooms  ;  there  are 
others  of  this  type  like  Com- 
tesse  de  Serenye,  Egeria, 
and  Marguerite  de  St. 
Amande,  of  nearly  the  same 
shade,  that  are  greatly  supe- 
rior. 

Bennett,  1879.  From  President 
X  Comtesse  de  Serenye. 
Rosy  flesh,  small,  full,  pretty 
buds,  with  a  decided  Bour- 
bon fragrance ;  growth  very 
slender,  subject  to  mildew. 

Davis,  1878.  (Sent  out  by  Tur- 
ner.) Carmine-red,  full,  well- 
shaped  flowers. 

Levct,  1871.  Yellow,  a  good 
Tea,  which  may  be  described 
as  an  improved  Canary ;  like 
that  sort,  it  is  delicate. 

Schwartz,  1873.  'Uliite,  agood 
sort,  but  inferior  to  Coquette 
des  Alpes. 

Morcau-Robert,  1879.     Blush. 

Lachanne,  1872.  From  Blanche 
Lafitte  X  Sappho.  VVliite, 
inferior  to  others  of  the  type. 

Levet,  1.874.  Canary -yellow, 
large  or  very  large,  full,  well 
formed,  stiff  stems,  very  free ; 
the  leaflets  are  five  to  seven 
in  numl)er,  deeply  serrated, 
very  dark  and  glaucous.  A 
superb  sort  for  forcing,  and 
fine  also  in  open  air. 

Dufher,  1872.  Yellow  with 
saffron  centre,  large,  full, 
very  fragrant ;  fully  as  flue 


NA31E  OF  Variety 

AND 

Habit  of  Growth. 


Perle  de  Lyon,  mod. 
— (continued) 


Perpetual   White 
Muss,  free 


Persian  Ydluw,  free 


Pierre  Guillot,  mod. 
Pierre  dotting,  free 


Pierre  SeletzH 
Pius  the  Mintk,  vig. 


Portland     Blanche, 
free 


Prefet     Linibourg, 
vig. 


President 


President    Li'on    dc 
St.  Jean,  mod. 


President    Lincoln, 
free 


President  Mas,  free 


President  Schlach- 
ter,  free  or  vig. 

President  Thiers^ 
dwf. 


Pride  qf   Waltham, 
mod. 


Prince  Arthur,  free 


Prince    Camille    de 
Itohan,  free 


Prince    dc    Portia. 
free 


Prince       Humbert 

free  or  mod. 
Prince  L^on,  mod. 

Prince     of     Wales 
mud. 


Prince  Paul  Demi- 
I     dof,  free 


n.T. 
H.P. 


H.P. 

H.P. 


Dam. 


T. 

n.p. 


H.P. 
H.P. 


n.p. 


H.P. 
H.P. 

H.P. 

n.p. 


in  quality  as  the  preceding, 
but  so  subject  to  mildew  as 
to  be  worthless  to  orduiary 
cultivators. 

Lallay.  A  sport  from  White 
Damask.  White,  tinged  with 
flesh,  flowers  in  clusters, 
i.iedium  size,  scmi-doublc  or 
donljle,  coarse  form  ;  l)Ut 
little  mossed,  unattractive 
cither  in  bud  or  flower  ;  the 
name  is  a  deception,  as  it 
very  rarely  blooms  in  the 
autumn.  Greatly  inferior  to 
White  Bath,  and  also  Com- 
tesse de  Murinais. 

Introduced  from  Persia  by  H. 
WiUock  in  1830.  Bright 
yellow,  small,  nearly  full, 
well  formed ;  small  foliage, 
fi'intly  scented  like  the 
Sweet  Brier  ;  seven  leaflets ; 
the  wood  is  chocolate-brown 
in  colour,  armed  with  nu- 
merous brown  thorns  ;  it  is 
the  finest  of  all  hardy  yellow 
Roses.  It  must  not  be  closely 
pruned  ;  it  is  desiralile  to 
grow  more  than  one  plant, 
and  by  pruning  one  this 
year,  in  the  usual  way,  and 
the  other  the  next,  annual 
crops  uf  flowers  may  be  had. 
Docs  not  grow  from  cuttings. 

Guillut-fils,  1S79.  Deep  red, 
fragrant  and  good. 

Portemer,  1863.  Deep  crim- 
son, tinged  with  violet,  large 
or  very  large,  fine,  globular 
fonu,  highly  scented ;  the 
most  beautiful  dark  Rose, 
after  Louis  Van  Houtte. 

Levct,  1872.     Violet-rod. 

Vibert,  1849.  Violet-rose,  a 
very  sullied  shade,  flat  form, 
very  full,  free  blooming,  very 
hardy. 

Viliert,  1836.  White,  tinged 
with  flesh,  large,  very  full, 
flat  fonn  ;  often  comes  with 
gi'ccn  centre. 

Margottiu-fils,  1878.  Crim- 
son, tinged  v.ith  violet, 
double,  or  full;  a  Rose  of  fine 
colour. 

ISOO.  (Sent  out  by  W.  Paul.) 
See  Adam. 

Laeharme,  1875.  Raised  from 
Charles  Lefebvre.  This  is 
simply  an  inferior  Cluirlcs 
Lefebvre,  not  worthy  of  cul- 
tivation. 

Granger,  1863.  Vermilion -red, 
tinged  with  crimson ;  the 
flowers  are  much  like  Gene- 
ral Washington,  but  inferior 
in  quality  to  that  variety; 
the  habit  of  growth  ia 
stronger. 

Guillot-fils,  1865.  Raised  from 
Trioraphe  de  I'Exposition. 
Red,  shaded  with  crimson, 
often  comes  with  bad  centre. 

E.  Verdier,  1877.  Reddish 
crimson,  tinged  with  violet. 

Laeharme,  1871.  Belongs  to 
the  Victor  Verdier  tj^je. 
Carmine-red,  one  of  the  dark- 
est coloured  in  the  type. 

W.  Paul,  1S81.  Belongs  to  the 
Victor  Verdier  type.  Flesh 
colour,  shaded  with  rose,  a 
deeper  shade  than  Eugenie 
Verdier. 

C^ant,  1875.  Belongs  to  the 
General  Jacqueminot  type. 
Deep  crimson,  smaller,  but 
better  foi-med  than  Jacque- 
minot. 

E.  Verdier,  ISGl.  Very  deep 
velvety  crimson,  large, mode- 
rately full,  habit  somewhat 
spreading,  shy  in  autumn. 
A  good  Rose,  of  splendid, 
colour. 

E.  Verdier,  1865.  Vennilion, 
large,  full,  well  formed,  one 
of  the  most  fragrant,  some- 
what subject  to  mildew.  A 
splendid  variety. 

Alargottm,  1807.  Crimson, 
large,  well  formed,  excellent. 

Marest,  1852.  Rosy  crimson, 
stiff,  short  wood. 

Laxton,  1860.  (Sent  out  ))y  G. 
Paul.)  From  Louise  Pey- 
ronny  x  Victor  Verdier. 
Pink,  very  large,  double. 

Guillot-fils,  1873.  Satiny  rose. 


Srpt.  f>,  1S84.] 


THE     GAEDEN 


217 


>'AMK  OF  Variety 

AND 

IlABiT  OF  Growth 


Priiice       Prosper 

d'AremhiTij 
princess    AddakU 
vig. 


Princess  Alice,  vig. 


Pnncess  AntoineW 
Strozzio,  free 

Princess      Beatrice, 
mod. 


Princess  Charlotte 
tic  la  Tremouille, 
mod. 


Princess    Ckriatian, 

mod. 
Princess  Clementine 


Princess  Louise, 

mod. 


Princess  Louise  Vic- 
toria, vig. 


Princess  Marie  Dol- 
gorouki/,  free 

Princess    Marij    0/ 
Cambridge,  mod. 


P  n  ncess    Ma  th  ilde^ 
mod. 


Prinrcss    of   Wales, 

five 
Pyoj'fbsur  Koch,  free 


Pumila,  free 


Purpurea      Rubra, 

mod. 
Queen  Eleanor, 

mod.  or  free 


Queen  of  Ayrshires. 

vig. 
Queen    of   Beddcrs. 

dwf. 


Queen  q/"  Bourbons, 
mod.  or  dwf. 


Queen  (if  Queens 


Queen  of  the  Bel- 
gians, vi?. 

Queen  of  the  Prai- 
ries, vig. 


Queen  of  Waltham 
mod. 


Queen's  Scarlet, 


mod. 


Queen  Victoria, 

mod 

n.  Dudley  Baxter 
lied  Drajon,  freo 


Class, 


T. 
M. 

3[. 

n.p. 

n.p. 

n.p. 


n.p. 

Prov. 


H.CI. 


n.p. 
n.p. 


H.P. 


n.p. 

H.P. 
N. 
M. 


Ay. 

B. 


H.P. 

Ay. 
P. 

H.P. 

Beng. 
H.P. 

H.P. 
H.P. 


Soupert  &  Xottiug,  ISSO.  S:il- 
moii-red. 

L;irtay,  ls-15.  Pale  rose,  me- 
dium size,  not  very  mossy, 
but  good  in  bud  and  Hower  ; 
dark  foliage,  wliich  is  often 
variegated. 

W.  Paul,  1S53.  Raised  from 
Luxembourg.  Violet-  rose, 
not  well  mossed. 

E.  Verdier,  1S74.  Red,  large, 
full,  well  foiTued  ;  slightly 
in  the  way  of  Marie  Kady. 

\V.  Paul,  1S7'2.  Belongs  to 
the  Victor  Verdier  type. 
Pink,  globular  flowers ;  fades 
quickly  and  is  not  ilcsirable. 

L(^VLque,  1S77.  Pale  satiny 
rose,  medium  size,  full,  some- 
what fragrant ;  not  of  first 
quality,  but  very  free  bloom- 
ing, and  therefore  of  some 
value. 

W.  Paul,  1870.  Salmon-rose, 
does  not  open  well ;  worthless. 

Vibert,  1842.  A  beautiful  white 
Hose,  much  resembling,  but 
nut  equalling,  BlaucheJleur. 

Laxton,  1S70.  (Sent  out  by  G. 
Paul.)  Raised  from  Mme. 
Vidot  X  Virginal.  Blush, 
medium  size,  good. 

Knight,  1S72.  Salmon-pink, 
medium  size,  fine  globiilai 
form,  not  fragrant ;  dark  fo- 
liage, wood  nearly  smooth. 
A  splendid  Hose. 

Gonod.  1878.  Raised  from 
Anne  de  Diesbach.  Satiny 
rose,  veiy  large. 

Granger,  1S66.  (Sent  out  bj 
G.  Paul.)  From  Duchess  of 
Sutherland  x  Jules  Slargot- 
tin.  Salmon  -  pink,  olten 
mottled  ;  a  fine  sort,  now 
surpassed  by  Comtesse  de 
Serenye  and  Egeiia. 

Liabaud,  ISCO.  (Sent  out  by 
Jean  Pernet.)  Burgundy- 
crimson,  a  lovely  shade,  me- 
dium size,  double,  never  full. 
It  seems  as  though  this  must 
be  the  founder  of  the  Baron 
de  Bonstetten  type. 

W.  Paul,  1861.  Crimson,  cup- 
ped form,  double. 

E.  Verdier,  liCl.  C'heri7-rcd, 
medium  size,  double,  erect 
growth,  liable  to  mildew. 

Origin  and  raiser  unknown. 
Salmon-rose,  seeming  to  have 
Safrano  blood,  very  free. 

Pm-plish  red,  a  bad  colour. 

W.  Paul,  1876.  Pmk,  tinged 
with  magenta -red,  lar;ie, 
full,  well  formed  ;  wood  and 
tliorns  light  gi-een.  A  very 
beautiful  Rose  when  perfect, 
but  sparsely  produced  and 
not  reliable. 

Rivers.  Violet-crimson,  semi- 
double,  small. 

Jfoble,  1S77.  Raised  from  Sir 
F.  Paxton.  Crimson,  medium 
size,  very  full ;  a  free  flower- 
ing sort.  The  colom-  is  not 
very  durable. 

Mauger,  1834.  Fawn  and  rose, 
medium  or  small  size,  fra 
gi-ant,  very  free ;  of  delicate 
habit. 

W.  Paul,  1SS2.  Pink,  with 
blush  edges,  large  and  full, 
and  of  perfect  form ;  grows 
and  flowers  freely. 

■VMiite,  small,  double. 

Feast,  1S43.  Rosy  red,  fre- 
quently with  white  stripe, 
mediumorlarge  size,  double; 
foliage  large,  five  leaflets, 
quite  deeply  serrated. 

W.  Paul,  1875.  Cherry-red,  of 
good  size,  ver>'  fragi-ant,  does 
not  bloom  till  late  ;  a  variety 
of  fair  ((uality. 

Hallock  and  Thorpe.lSSO. Crim- 
son, seems  to  be  an  improved 
Agrippina. 

Fontaine,  1S50.  (Sent  out  by 
W.  Paul.)  Raised  from  La 
Reine.  Blush  with  pink  cen- 
tre, large,  very  full,  gloimlar; 
does  not  open  well. 

W.  Paul,  I87i>.  Maroon,  large 
s'ze. 

W.  Paul,  1S73.  Crimson,  large, 
rather  loose  flowers ;  not 
valuable. 


.N.i.MK  Uh   \  AKlJ.ii 
AND 

Habit  of  Growth 


Red  Gauntlet 
Red  Rover,  vig 


Red  Sn.frano 
Rcine  Blanche,  mod. 


Reine  Blanche,  mod. 
Rcine  Blanche,  mod. 


Reine  de  Portugal, 
mod. 


Reine    dcs    Massi^fs 

V'j;. 
Rcii>e  dcs   Viulvttcs 

free 

Rcine  du  Midi,  frci 
or  vig. 

Reine  Emma  de 
Pays  Pas,  free 

RriiiMi  Maria  Pia 
vig. 

Reine  Marie  Ifenr! 
cite,  vig. 


P\.Cvc  d'Or,  free 


Rev.   J.  B.    Camm 
mod. 


Pdchard  Laxton, iTCi 


Richard  Smith , mod. 


Richard       Wallac 

free 
Rivers,  free 

Robert  Marnock,  frei 
or  vig. 


Rose  du  Jioi,  mod, 
(Crim^oJi  Perpe 
tuaL) 

iJo.s"  ieriste  Harm  c , 
free 


RoKieriste       Jacobs, 

free 
Rosy  Morn,  dwf. 


Royal  Standard, 

mod. 

Royal  Tea,  mod. 


Rttbcn?,  mod. 
Rubens,  free 

Rujosa  ADa,  vig. 
Rugosa  Rubm,  vig. 


S.    Reynolds    Jlole, 
mod. 


H.P. 

U.Cl. 


T. 
M. 


H.P. 
H.P. 


N. 

H.P. 

H.P. 

T. 

Cl.T. 


N. 
H.P. 


H.P. 


H.P. 
HP. 
H.P. 

Dam. 

H.P. 

H.P. 

H.P, 


H.P. 

T. 

H.P. 
T. 


W.  Paul  &  Sons,  1S81.  Crimson  . 

W.  Paul,  JS03.  Red,  tinged 
with  crimson. 

See  Safrano  a  fleur  Rouge. 

Robeit,  IfcoS.  White,  a  shy 
blooming  sort. 

Damaizin,UC^.  Rais  dfromLa 
Reine.  Blush,  wtll  fonned. 

Crozy,  1h;'.i.  Raised  from  Vic- 
tor Verdier.  Flesh  -  white, 
shaded  with  rose. 

Guillot-fils,  llrG7.  Coppery 
yellow,  blending  with  ro?e, 
large,  very  full  ;  an  emi- 
nently distinct  sort,  but  does 
not  open  well. 

Levet,  lb74.  Salmon  -  yellow, 
medium  si^c. 

Mille-Mallett,  IPCO.  Rais(  d 
from  Pius  the  Kinth.  Violet- 
red,  a  muddy  colour. 

Robert,  1S63.  The  same  as  La 
R3ine,  though  supposed  by 
some  to  be  larger  and  fuller. 

Nabonnand,  lb7n.  Yellow, 
shaded  with  reddish  salmon. 

Schwartz,  ISSO.  Raised  from 
Gloire  de  Dijon.  Deep  rose, 
the  centre  reddish  crimson. 

Levet,  1878.  From  Mme.  Be 
rard  xGeneral  Jacqueminot. 
Cherry-red,  a  pure  shade, 
large,  double,  somewhat  fra- 
grant ;  a  beautiful  but  rather 
unproductive  sort. 

Ducher,  1SG9.  Bulf-yellow,  me- 
dium size,  full. 

Turner,  1675.  Belongs  to  tlie 
Jules  Margottin  type.  Car- 
mine-rose, a  fine  enduring 
shade,  large  or  medium  size, 
semi-globular  form  ;  one  of 
the  most  fragrant  and  free 
blooming.  A  superb  Rose. 

Laxton,  1S78.  (Sent  out  by 
Turner.)  Reddish  crimson 
large,  full ;  somewhat  re 
sembles  Marechal  Vaillant. 

E.  Verdier,  1S61.  Belongs  to 
the  Gen.  Jacqueminot  type. 
Crimson,  tinged  with  purple. 
Not  valuable. 

Liiveque,  1871.  Red,  very  large, 
not  of  first  quality. 

Latfay,1839.  Rose  colour.lai^e, 
flat  form,  not  valuable. 

G.  Paul,  1S78.  Belongs  to  the 
Duke  of  Edinburgh  type. 
Brownish  crimson,  double, 
not  free  in  autumn. 

L^dieur,  1812.  Bright  crimson, 
large,  double,  very  fragrant ; 
occasionally  blooms  in  au- 
tumn. 

E.  Verdier,  1879.  Velvety  red, 
shaded  with  crimson,  slightly 
resembling  Mme.  Victor  Ver- 
dier. 

Madame  Ducher,  ISSO.  Bright 
red. 

\V.  Paul,  1873.  Belongs  to  the 
Victor  Verdier  type.  Salmon- 
pink,  a  deeper  shade  than 
Eugt'nie  Verdier ;  peculiar 
wood  and  foliage  more  like 
Captain  Christy  than  any 
other  variety.  A  good  Rose 
but  with  too  many  imperfect 
blooms. 

Turner,  1874.  Satuiy  rose, 
tincied  with  lilac,  a  large, 
weli-fornied,  globular  flower. 

WHute,  faintly  tinged  with  yel- 
low, long,  beautiful  buds 
delicate  habit. 

Latfay,  1852.  Bright  red,  a  fine 
colour,  flowers  loose. 

iloreau-Robert,  1859.  Rosy 
flesh,  deeper  at  centre,  large, 
full,  well  fonned,  fine  in  the 
bud.    An  excellent  variety. 

A  species  from  Japan,  intro- 
duced some  years  ago.  White, 
large  size,  five  petals,  fra- 
grant. A  beautiful  single 
Rose. 

Also  from  Japan.  Deep  rose, 
tinged  with  violet,  single, 
fragrant.  The  flowers  are 
succeeded  by  very  bright 
coloured  heps  of  large  size, 
wliich  in  the  autumn  are  ex- 
ceedingly attractive.  The 
leaflets  are  nine  in  number, 
of  dark  colour,  very  tough  and 
durable.  These  two  kinds  are 
splendid  shrubs  for  borders. 

G.  Paul,  1872.  Maroon,  flushed 
with  scarlet-crimson.  3Ie- 
diiim  size,  full,  well  formed; 


.NA31K  ui-  \"Aiai;TY 

AND 

Habit  of  Growth, 


S.     Reynolds     ITole 
mod.— {continued) 


Safrano,  freo 


Sa^frano  d  fleui 
Rouge,  mod.  (Rei 
Safrano) 


Saint  George,  mod. 
Salct,  free 


Sanguinea,  mod. 

SoiatcurVaisse, 

moL' 


Sctina,  free 


Seven  Sisters 
Sir  Garnet  WoUcley 
vig.  or  fi'ee 


Sir  Joseph  Paxton 
free 


Socrates,  free 


Sa'ur     dcs     Anges 
mod. 


Solfaterre,  vig.  (An 
gusta) 


Sombrcuil,  vig 


Soupert  it  Kottino 
dwf. 


Souvenir  d'Adolphc 
Thiers,  mod. 


Souvenir  d^Aiigusti 
Riviire,  fi'ee 

Souo^nir        d^Elisc 
Vardon,  mod. 

Souvenir  de  George. 
Sand,  free 


Souvenir  de  Ilcnrii 
Clay,  free 


Souvenir  iftf  la  Mal- 
maison,  mod. 


Class. 


H.P. 


T. 


H.P. 
P.M. 


Beng. 
H.P. 


Mult. 
H.P. 


H.P. 


T. 


n.p. 


n.p. 


shy  m  the  autumn  and  sub- 
ject to  mildew.  A  Rose  of 
great  beauty,  but  not  at  all 
adapted  to  general  cultiva- 
tion. 
Beauregard,  1S39.  Saffron  and 
apricot-yellow,  large,  semi- 
double,  exceedingly  beauti- 
ful in  the  bud,  very  free. 
The  seed  organs  are  better 
developed  than  in  ahnost  any 
other  liind. 

Ogcr,  1868.  Belongs  to  the  Sa- 
frano tj-pe.  Salfron-yellow, 
shaded  with  coppery  red, 
sunii  -  duiilile;  a  peculiar 
scent,  not  pk-a.^ing. 

W.  Paul,  1874.  Crmison, 
shaded  with  purple. 

Lachirme,  1854.  Light  rose, 
medium  size,  flatfonn,  fairly 
good  buds,  very  free.  The 
best  in  the  class,  after  Sou- 
pert  tfc  Xottins, 

Crimson,  medium  or  small 
size.    An  inferior  Agrippina. 

Guillot  -  peie,  1859.  Raised 
from  General  Jacqueminot. 
Red,  shaded  with  carmine- 
crimson,  large,  full,  well 
fonned,  highly  scented.  A 
flue  Rose,  but  now  surpassed 
Vty  Mons.  E.  Y.  Teas. 

T.  Henderson,  1859.  A  sport; 
from  Hermosa.  Identical 
with  the  parent,  except  that 
the  habit  is  a  little  more 
vigorous. 

See  Greville. 

Cranston,  1875.  Said  to  be  a 
seedling  from  Prince  Ca- 
mille.  Xcarly  identical  with 
Maurice  Bernardin ;  the 
flowers  may  be  a  little 
superior  in  finish,  but  they 
are  much  less  freely  pro- 
duced. 

Laffay,lS52.  Deep  red,  slightly 
tinged  with  violet,  medium 
size,  well  formed,  non-au- 
tumnal. 

Moreau-Robert,  1853.  Deep 
rose,  tinged  with  fawn,  large 
or  medium  size,  double  or 
full.     Quite  a  good  Tea. 

Oger,  18G3.  A  sport  from 
Duchesse  d'Orleans.  Flesh, 
shaded  with  lilac ;  not  valu- 
able. 

Boyeau,  1843.  Raised  from 
Lamarqiie.  Sulphur-yellow, 
large,  double  or  full,  slightly 
fragrant.  An  excellent  climb- 
ing Rose,  and  valualile  as  a 
stock  on  wliich  to  bud 
Teas. 

Moreau-Robert,  1851.  Evi- 
dently of  Bourbon  parentage 
on  one  side.  Creamy  white, 
often  tinted  with  pink,  large 
or  very  large,  full,  well 
formed ;  the  hardiest  and 
most  vigorous  of  the  white 
Teas,  and  free  from  mildew. 
A  valuable  sort  for  culture 
in  the  open  air. 

Peruet,  1874.  Rose  colour, 
very  large,  very  full,  globu- 
lar form,  highly  scented,  not 
very  mossy,  a  true  ever- 
blooming  Rose,  five  leaflets 
ouly.  The  flowers  are  some- 
times malformed,  but  they 
are  infinitely  superior  to 
all  others  of  the  same 
class. 

Moreau-Robert,  1877.  Raised 
from  Countess  of  Oxford. 
Red,  tinged  with  vermilion, 
very  large. 

E.  Verdier,  1877.  Belongs  to 
the  Prince  CamiUe  type. 
Velvety  crimson. 

Marest,  1855.  Flesh  colour, 
shaded  with  rosy  salmon, 
large,  full. 

Madame  Ducher,  1S7G.  Sal- 
mon and  rose,  reverse  of 
petals  tinged  with  lilac, 
badly  formed. 

Boll,  1S54.  A  hybrid  Scotch. 
Rose  colour,  small  or  me- 
dium size,  gives  some  blooms 
in  the  autumn. 

Beluze,  1843.  Supposed  to  be 
a  seedling  from  Madame 
Desprez.  Flesh  shaded  with 
fawn,  large,  very  full,  flat 
form,  rich  foliage.  A  splcu* 
did  Rose, 


218 


THE     GARDEN 


[Sept.  6,   1884. 


Name  of  Variety 

AND 

Habit  of  Gko^vth. 


Souvenir  de  la  Heine 
d'Angleterre,  vig. 
or  li'ee 

Souvenir  dc  la  Rcine 
des  Beiges,  mod. 
or  free 

Souvenir  de  Laffay 

Souvenir  de  Levcson 
Uoucr,  free 


Sowcnir   de    Low's 
Va7i  Iloutte,  free 


Souvenir   de   Mme. 
liobertt  free  or  vig. 

Souvenir  de    Marie 
Vetrey,  free 

Sotivenir   de   3[o7is. 

Boll,  mod.  or  free 
Souvenir   de    Mons. 

Droche 
Souvenir    de    Paul 

Heyron,  mod. 


H.P. 


HP. 
H.P. 

H.P. 

H.P. 

T. 

H.P. 

U.P. 

T. 


Souvenir  de  Pierre  tl.Ch. 
JJupuy,  vig. 

Souvenir   de    Mme. 
Pcrnct,  vig. 


Souvenir    de    Sj^a. 
mod. 


Souvenir  de  Victor 
Verdier,  free  or 
mod. 

Sottvenir  de  Wm. 
Wood,  mod. 


Souiirnit  d'un  Ami, 
free 


Souvenir  du  Comtc 
dc  Cavour,  mod. 

Soxtvenir  du  Dr. 
J  amain,  free 


Souvenir  du  Presi- 
dent Porcher,Taod. 

Standard  of  Maren- 
go, vig. 

Sianirell  Perpetual, 
mod. 


Star    of   WaUham 
mod.  or  d\yf. 


Stephanie -ct-  Rodol- 
phe,  vig. 

Sulphureux,  mod. 

Si'ltan  of  Zanzibar, 
mud. 


Sv2^<^'*'ba,  vig. 
Sydonie,  vig. 


H.P, 

H.P. 
H.P. 


H.P. 
H.P. 

H.P. 

H.P. 

S. 


H.P. 


Cl.T. 

T. 
H.P. 

P. 

H.P. 


Ti'iana    Oncgulne,^   H.P, 

fvtt; 

1'hi  SUah,  free  H.P 


Cochet,  1855.  Raised  from  La 
Keine.  Bright  rose,  very 
large,  double ;  sliy  in  au- 
tumn. 

Cocliet,  1855.  Carmine -red, 
medium  size,  good  colour, 
rather  tender. 

E.  Verdier,  lS7t?.  Violet-crim- 
son. 

Guillot-pfere,  1852.  Deep  rose, 
very  large,  double,  or  full, 
tine  flowers ;  quite  tender, 
and  subject  to  mildew. 

E.  Verdier,  1876.  Bright 
crimson,  sometimes  tinged 
with  violet,  well  formed, 
quite  a  good  Rose. 

Slureau-Kobert,  1S7G.  Raised 
from  Jules  Margottin.  Sal- 
nion-piok. 

Madame  Ducher,  1S77.  Sal- 
nnm-ruse;  of  inferior  qua- 
lity, not  worth  growing. 

Boj  eau,  lyOG.  Cherry  -  red, 
large,  very  full. 

Madame  Ducher,  ISSO.  Car- 
mine-rose, dout)le. 

Levet,  li;71.  Said  to  he  a 
ECL-(Uing  from  the  Noisette 
(•itliirje.  Pale  salmon-yellow, 
niciliura  or  small  size ;  rather 
a  good  Rose,  but  too  delicate 
to  be  generally  useful. 

A.  Levet,  lh7G.  Red,  large 
globular  flowers,  well  formed, 
fragrant. 

Pernet,  1S75.  Tender  rose, 
the  ba=e  of  petals  tinged 
with  yellow,  large,  loose 
flowers,  sparsely  produced. 
A  distinct,  but  not  valuable 
sort. 

Gautreau,  1S73.  Raised  from 
:Mme.  Victor  Verdier.  Blight 
red,  shaded  with  crimsoiij 
well  formed. 

E.  Verdier,  1878.  Red,  shaded 
with  violet-crimson,  a  well- 
formed,  good  Rose. 

E.  Verdier,  18G4.  Belongs  to 
the  Prince  Camille  type.  A 
fine,  veiy  dark  crimson,  not 
equalling  Prince  Camille. 

B^dot,  ls;46.  Rose,  tinged 
with  salmon,  very  large,  full, 
highly  perfumed ;  an  olil 
favourite  which  yet  retains 
its  high  rank. 

Margottin,  1S61.  Red,  shaded 
with  crimson. 

Lacharme,  ISGo.  Raised  from 
Charles  Lefebvre.  Plum 
colour,  shaded  with  deep 
ciimson. 

T.  Grange,  ISSO.  (Sent  out  by 
Vigneron.)  Raised  from  Vic- 
tor Verdier.    Reep  rose. 

GuiUot-pere,  11:51.  Rosy 
crimson,  double,  fragrant. 

Lee.  Blush,  medium  size, 
iliiuble,  delicately  scented, 
fi)!i^r_;e  very  small,  nine  to 
tK\  t.n  leaflets ;  dark  red- 
dish brown  wood,  numerous 
small  spines.  A  hybrid  wliich 
l.ilooms  in  the  autumn. 

W.  Paul,  1875.  Carmine-crim- 
son, medium  size,  semi-glo- 
bular, full,  fragrant ;  very 
large  foliage,  smooth  green 
wood,  with  occasional  red 
thorns.  A  good  Rose,  but 
not  reliable. 

Levet,  ISSO.  Raised  from 
Gloiiede  Dijon.  Orange-yel- 
low. 

Ducher,  1860.  Sulphur-yellow, 
medium  size. 

G.  Paul,  1S75.  Crimson-ma- 
roon, in  the  style  of  S. 
Reynolds  Hole ;  very  un- 
healthy habit. 

Feast,  1S43.  Pink,  becoming 
blush,  small,  full,  pretty. 

Dorisy,  184G.  Rose  colour, 
medium  size,  very  full,  t^uar- 
tered  fonu,  very  free  bloom- 
ing, very  hardy ;  five  to 
seven  leaflets,  red  thorns. 
Its  poor  shape  destroys  its 
usefulness. 

L6v0(iue,  1881.  Raised  from 
Elizabeth  Vigneron.  Car- 
mine-red. 

G.  Paul,  1874.  Raised  from 
Duke  of  Eilinburgh.  Red 
shaded  with  bi'ight  crimson, 
rather  small,  full ;  a  shy 
bloomer,  and  subject  to  mil- 
dew. 


Name  of  Vakiett 

AND 

Habit  of  Growth 


Th  dodore       Bull  icr, 
free 

Thirhse  Genevay 

Thomas      Metkven, 
free 


Thomas  Mills,  vig. 
or  free 


Class. 


H.P. 

T. 

12.P. 

H.P. 


Thyra  JIammerich,\  H.P. 
mod.  or  free  I 


Triomphe  d'Amieiis 
vig. 


Triomphe  d'Angers^ 
mod. 

Triomphe  de  Beauts, 
free 


Tiiom2>he  de  Caen, 
dwf.  or  mod. 

Triomphe  dc  France. 
dwf. 


Triomphe  de   Jaus 
«(;*<«,  free 

Triomjihe  de  VExpo 
sition,  free 


THomphe  dc  Milan, 
mod. 


Tiiomphe  de  Rennes, 
free 


Triomphe    de    Tou 

hnitie 
Triomphe  des  Beaux 

Arts,  free  or  vh 


Triomphe  des  Roso 
manes,  vig. 


Triomphe  du  L^izcm- 
buury,  free 


Triumx^hant,  xig. 


Ulrich  Brunner,  vig 

Unique 

Unique,  vig.  (White 
Provence) 

Vainqxuur  de  Solfe- 
rino,  mod. 


ValUe   dc   Chamou- 

nix,  mod. 
Vicomte  Maison,  vig. 


Vicomte  Vigier,  free 

Vicomtesse  de  Cazes, 
dwf. 

Victor  Pulliat,  mod. 

Victor  Trouillard 

Victor  Verdier,  mod. 


n.p. 

H.P. 

H.P. 
H.P. 

Fr. 
H.P. 

T. 


H.P. 
H.P. 


HP. 


T. 


H.P. 


M. 
Prov. 


H.P. 

T. 

H.P. 

H.P. 

T. 

T. 
H.P. 


F.  Verdier,  1879.  Carmine- 
red,  tinged  \vith  violet-crim- 
son. 

Levet,  1875.  Rose,  tinged 
with  fawn. 

E.  Verdier,  1860.  Red,  tinged 
with  Velvety  crimson,  good 
size,  well  lonued ;  a  fine 
Rose. 

E.  Verdier,  1872.  Rosy  crim- 
son, very  large,  double  ;  a 
good  garden  variety. 

Led^chaux,  18G8.  Raised  from 
Duchess  of  Sutherland. 
Rosy  flesh,  large,  well  form 
ed  ;  distinct  and  good. 

Mille-Mallet,  18G1.  A  sport 
from  General  Jacqueminot. 
Crimson,  sometimes  marbled 
and  striped  with  carmine- 
purple,  but  generally  like 
the  parent ;  not  valuable. 

Moreau-Robert,  18G3.  Rich 
crimson,  suffused  with  pui-- 
ple. 

Oger,  1853.  Reddish  crimson, 
double,  somewhat  resembles 
General  Jactiuemiuot,  but 
much  inferior. 

Oger,  lfc62.  Crimson,  tinged 
with  purple,  a  non-perma- 
nent shade,  not  desirable. 

MargottiD,  1875.  Carmine- 
red,  very  large,  very  full, 
flat,  fragrant  ;  a  fine  sort, 
but  not  reliable,  and  of  such 
poi_r  growth  as  to  destroy 
its  value. 

Crimson,  large  loose  flowers, 
wood  armed  with  sliurt  dark 
spines. 

Margottin,  1855.  Reddish 
cruuson,  large,  rather  coarse 
flowers,  fragrant,  numerous 
red  thorns,  hardy  ;  occasion- 
ally comes  very  fine,  but 
generally  the  quality  is  in- 
ferior. 

JIadarae  Ducher, 1876.  White, 
suffused  with  pale  yellow, 
without  fragrance ;  a  fine 
Rose,  similtr,  but  inferior.to 
Marie  Gui'lot. 

Lansezeur,  1857.  Fi'om  La- 
marque.  Canary  -  yell(»w, 
the  centre  tinged  with  sal- 
mon, large,  or  very  large, 
full,  good. 

Brassac,  1874.  Red,  shaded 
with  \iolet-crimson. 

Fontaine,  1857.  Raised  from 
General  Jacqueminot.  An 
inferior  likeness  of  the 
parent. 

Gonod,  1873.  Belongs  to  the 
General  Jacqueminot  type. 
Crimson, tinged  with  purple, 
fragrant,  and  of  fair  quality; 
a  good  seed-bearer. 

Hardy,  1836.  (Sent  out  by 
Madame  Pean.)  Buft-rose. 
large,  good  iu  the  bud,  of 
healthy  habit ;  a  desirable 
sort. 

Pierce,  1850.  Rosy  red,  me- 
dium size,  double  or  full, 
distinct ;  seven  leaflets  are 
common. 

Levet,  1881.  Raised  from 
Paul  Neyron.       Cherry-red. 

See  White  Bath. 

Grimwood,  1778.  White,  a 
good  Rose,  similar  but  hife- 
rior  to  Madame  Hardy. 

Damaizin,  1859.  Belongs  to 
the  Giant  of  Battles  type. 
Red,  shaded  with  purplish 
crimson. 

Ducher,  1873.  Coppery  yel- 
low and  rose,  medium  size. 

Fontaine,  1868.  Cherry-red, 
double,  fades  quickly,  strag- 
ghng  habit. 

E.  Verdier,  1S61.  Maroon, 
tinged  with  violet,  a  well- 
formed  globular  flower. 

Pradel,  1^44.  Coppery  yel- 
low, rather  loose  form,  ver> 
delicate  habit. 

Ducher,  1870.  Pale  yellow, 
long  buds,  quite  a  go>  d  Tea, 

Trouillard,  186G.  (Sent  out  by 
Standish  and  Noble.)  Crim 
son  and  purple. 
Lacharme,  iib'l.  Bright  rose 
with  canuine  centre,  a  very 
fresh  shade,  but  not  perma 
nent,  semi-globular  form,  of 
good  size,  not  fragrant ;  veryi 
free :   the  wood  is  all  but 


Name  of  Varieit 

AND 

Habit  of  Growth. 


Victor  Verdier,  mod. 
—(con'Anued) 


Class 


H.P. 


ViUaret  de  Joyeuse,    H.P. 

free  t 

Ville  de  St.   Denis,    H.P. 

free 
Violette  Bouyer,  free 

or  vig. 


Virgil,  free 


ViridiJIora,  free.  (Vi 
ridiscens) 

Virginale,  mod. 


Viscountess  Fal- 
mouth, dwf. 


Vulcain,  mod. 

W.    A.    Richardson, 


W.  Wilson  Saunders, 
mod. 


Washington,  vig. 
White  Banlcsia,  vig. 


White  Baroness, 


mod. 


White  Bath,  mod.  or 
free.     (Cuique.) 


White  Provence 
William  Grijfith, 

free 


William  Jesse,  free 


William  Eocllc, mod. 


William  Lobb,  free 
William  Warden, 


Woodland    Margue- 
rite, vig. 

Xavicr  Oliho,   mod. 
or  dwf. 


Yellow  Banlcsia,  vig 


Ydlnio  Tea 
Vokindc  d'Arajon 
free 


H.P. 
H.P. 


Beng. 
H.P. 


H.T. 


H.P. 

N. 

H.P, 

N. 
E'k. 

n.p. 


Prov. 
H.P. 


H.P. 


n.p. 


M. 
H,P. 


N. 
H.P. 


B'k. 


T. 
H.P. 


smooth,  the  foliage  lustrous. 
This  variety  is  doubtless  of 
Bourbnn  origin  ;  it  is  a 
beuulitul  Rose,  but  with  its 
entire  progeny  is  more  ten- 
der tlian  any  other  types  in 
the  class. 

Damaizin,  1874.  Bright  rose, 
well  formed. 

Thouars,  1853.  From  La 
Reine.     Carmine-rose. 

Lacharme,  1881.  From  Jules 
Margottin  x  Sombreuil. 
White  tinged  with  pink. 

GuiUot-pere,  1870.  (Sent  out 
by  W.  Paul.)  Pink,  tinged 
with  lavender,  not  valualjle. 

Green  flowers,  of  no  beauty 
whatsoever,  only  sought  for 
as  a  curiosity. 

Lacharme,  lt58.  White,  with 
flesh  centre,  medium  size, 
double  or  full,  well  formed  ; 
a  good  Rose,  but  of  very 
delicate  habit. 

Bennett,  1879.  l^Yom  President 
X  Soupert-et-Notting.  Mot- 
tled rose,  the  exterior  of 
petals  with  a  silveiy  lustre, 
very  large,  very  full,  globu- 
lar, havmg  the  intense  fra- 
grance of  Soupert-et-Not- 
ting, and  like  that  variety 
inclined  to  come  malformed. 
The  wood  is  very  thorny, 
the  shoots  slender. 

E.  Verdier,  1^62.  Rich  crim- 
son, double,  well  formed ;  a 
Rose  of  splendid  colour. 

Madame  Ducher, 1878.  Orange 
yellow,  medium  size,  of  fair 
quality. 

G.  Paul,  1S74.  Belongs  to  the 
Charles  Lefebvre  type.  May 
be  briefly  described  as  an 
inferior  Charles  Lefebvre. 

Stewart  (of  Philadelphia). 
White,  medium  size,  loose 
flowers,  poor. 

Brought  to  England  from 
China  in  1807.  Pui-e  white, 
small,  full  flower,  violet- 
scented. 

G.  Paul,  13S2.  A  sport  from 
Baroness  Rothschild.  Un- 
like Mabel  Morriaon,  this  is 
quite  as  full  a  Rose  as  the 
parent,  and  it  is  pure  white; 
in  other  respects,  as  vigour 
of  growth,  &c.,  it  is 
identical  with  Baroness 
Rothschild. 

Salter.  A  sport  from  the 
Common.  White,  some- 
times tinged  with  flesh,  at- 
tractive in  bud  and  open 
flower;  generally  five  leaf- 
lets, of  straggling  habit. 
Much  the  best  wliite  Moss. 

See  Uni(jue. 

Portemer,  1850.  Piuk,  much 
resembling  Comtesse  C.  de 
Chabrillant,  but  the  flowers 
are  somewhat  smaller,  the 
wood  smoother,  and  in 
haliit  it  is  more  vigorous, 
but  also  much  more  liable  to 
injm-y  from  the  cold. 

Laflay,  1S40.  Red,  suffused 
with  violet,  in  the  way  of 
Pius  the  Ninth.  An  unde- 
sirable sort. 

Pernet,  1878.  Raised  from 
Alfred  Colomb.  The  flowers 
are  nearly  or  quite  the  same 
shade  as  those  of  the  parent; 
the  habit  is  partially  that  of 
Charles  Lefebvre. 

Latfay,  1S55.  Violet-red,  not 
an  attractive  sort. 

Mitchell  &  Son,  1878.  A  sport 
from  Madame  Clemeuce 
Joigneaux.  Pink  flowers ; 
the  habit,  »fcc.,  is  the  same 
as  that  of  the  parent. 

J.  Pentland,  isoO.  'Wlute, 
sometimes  with  flesh,  me- 
dium size  ;  of  fair  quality. 

Lacharme,  1SG4.  Said  to  be 
from  General  Jacqueminot. 
Very  deep  rich  crimson, 
large  flowers,  moderately 
full ;  a  superb  Rose. 

Brought  to  England  from 
China  iu  1827.  Like  White 
Banksia,  except  the  colour, 
which  is  clear  yellow. 

See  Flavescens. 

Vibert,  1843.  Lilac-rose,  flat 
form,  straggling  hnbit ; 
worthless. 


Skpt.  (5,  1SS4.J 


THE     GARDEN 


219 


Trees  and  Shrubs. 


NOTES  ON  TREES  AND  SHRUBS, 
.^aoulus  parviflora. — Though  one  of  the 
handsomest  of  all  hardy  shrubs,  and  one,  too,  v?hich 
is  in  fall  beauty  when  few  others  are  in  bloom,  this 
North  American  Chestnut  is  comparatively  seldom 
seen  in  this  country.  It  is,  however,  perfectly  hardy, 
and  only  requires  to  be  seen  to  secure  a  fuller  re- 
cognition of  its  merits.  As  a  rnle,  it  rarely  attains 
the  height  mentioned  by  Loudon,  viz.,  10  feet  to  15 
feet,  and  is  perhaps  best  treated  as  a  dwarfer  sub- 
ject, a  number  of  the  stems  being  cut  away  every 
year.  A  constant  succession  of  strong  shoots  is 
thus  secured,  and  these  bear  much  finer  flowers 
than  those  produced  by  older  branches.  Loudon 
sums  up  the  good  qualities  of  this  species  as  fol- 
lows :  "  The  shoots  are  slender,  spreading,  and  root- 
ing at  the  joints  where  they  happen  to  rest  on  the 
soil,  with  ascending  e.^tremities.  The  tree  comes 
into  flower  about  a  month  or  six  weeks  later  than 
the  other  .iO  ^culace.-e  and  continues  flowering,  in 
the  case  of  large  plants  on  moist  soil,  for  three 
months  or  longer,  forming  one  of  the  greatest  floral 
ornaments  of  the  shrubbery  at  a  season  when  very 
few  trees  or  shrubs  are  in  flower.  The  fruit,  which 
is  small,  seldom  ripens  in  England,  but  in  America 
it  is  said  to  be  eaten  boiled  or  roasted  ;  and  M.  Poi- 
teau,  act^ordingly,  has  included  this  species  of  Pavia 
in  his  list  of  fruit  trees."  It  has  red  leaf-stalks, 
glossy  dark  green  leaves,  and  long  paniculate 
racemes  of  white  flowers  ;  the  long  white  filaments 
of  which,  surmounted  by  the  red  anthers,  impart 
to  them  a  fine  fringed  appearance.  In  various 
books,  &c.,  this  is  found  under  the  names  of  Pavia 
macrostachya,  ^E^culusmacrostachya,  Paviaedulis, 
&c.  It  delights  in  a  moist  situation  ornear  water, 
and  thrives  well  in  a  strong  clay  soil. 

Syringa  Eoaodi. — This  Himalayan  Lilac  is 
additionally  valuable  owing  to  its  flowering  late 
in  the  season.  It  forms  a  large  stout-growing 
busli  or  small  tree,  the  flowers  of  which  are  white 
or  sometimes  tinged  with  lilac,  and  borne  in  erect 
pinicles.  A  plant  studded  with  these  spikes  of 
blossoms  is  very  ornamental.  They  are  also  strongly 
scented — indeed,  too  much  so  for  close  acquaint- 
ance, but  at  a  distance  the  odour  is  not  unplea- 
sant. It  thrives  as  well  as  the  common  kind  in 
ordinary  garden  soil,  and  is  quite  hardy. 

Elseagnus  rotundifoiia. — This  is  a  most 
interesting  species.  We  have  a  plant  of  it  here 
from  4  feet  to  5  feet  ic  height,  which  is  annually 
covered  with  pretty  scarlet  and  amber-coloured 
berries.  It  is  perfectly  hardy,  having  stood  out  in 
a  western  aspect  without  any  protection  since  the 
autumn  of  1872.  The  undersides  of  the  leaves  are 
silvery,  which  is  more  distinct  on  young  foliage 
than  on  that  which  is  older.  The  berries,  which 
lung  on  long  stalks  like  Cherries,  are  produced  on 
the  last  year's  wood  ;  it  has  never  produced  berries 
here  before,  probably  from  the  fact  of  its  not 
being  sufficiently  established.  It  seems  to  be 
easily  propagated  by  means  of  layering,  and  is  a 
shrub  which  should  certainly  be  in  every  garden. 

Double  flo'werlng  Cherry  (Cerasus  serru- 
lata). — This  Cherry  forms  a  very  ornamental  de- 
ciduous somewhat  erect  tree-like  shrub  from  6 
feet  to  8  feet  high,  with  stout  branches  sparsely 
furnished  with  laterals,  which  in  April  are  thickly 
clothed  with  numerous  clusters  of  large  double 
flowers,  that  remain  long  in  perfection ;  on  ac- 
count of  this  and  its  dwarf  tree-like  appearance, 
it  is  the  most  desirable  of  all  the  double- flowered 
Cherries  for  a  small  garden.  It  is  a  native  of  the 
north  of  China,  where  it  is  called  "  Young- To." 
It  grows  freely  in  any  good  garden  soil,  and  is  in- 
creased either  by  budding  or  grafting  on  the  com- 
mon Cherry  stock.  It  was  first  introduced  into 
this  country  in  1822.  The  leaves  are  obovate- 
pninted,  quite  smooth,  bristly  serrated  on  the 
edges,  alternate  on  the  young  shoots,  but  more  or 
less  crowded  together  on  the  other  parts,  and 
very  like  those  of  the  Bigarreau  Cherry  both  in 
size  and  shape.  The  flowers  are  double,  white  at 
first,  but  afterwards,  when  fully  expanded,  tinged 
with  red  and  produced  in  clusters  on  the  previous 
year's  growth. 


Spiraea  bella. — This  bsautiful  species  forms 
an  open  and  rather  loose-growing  shrub,  from 
3  feet  to  i  feet  high,  which  throws  up  strong 
shoots  annually  from  the  ground,  that,  in  the 
following  season,  produce  laterals,  terminated 
with  loose  corymbs  of  pretty  deep  rose-coloured 
flowers  in  May  and  June.  The  leaves  are  alter- 
nate, on  longish  footstalks,  ovate,  acutely  pointed, 
sharply  serrated,  light  green,  and  smooth  on  the 
upper  surface,  somewhat  glaucous  beneath,  with 
the  peduncles  and  principal  veins  on  the  under 
side  pubescent.  The  stems  are  somewhat  diffuse, 
flexuose,  reddish,  and  branching  ;  branches,  loose, 
slender,  spreading,  and  downy.  The  fruit  is  ripe 
in  September.  It  is  a  native  of  Nepaul  and  Bho- 
tan,  where  it  is  found  in  ravines  and  mountain 
woods  at  an  elevation  of  from  5000  feet  to  9000 
feet.  lo  is  perfectly  hardy,  grows  freely  in  any 
common  garden  soil,  and  is  easily  increased  either 
by  cuttings  or  by  means  of  suckers,  which,  if 
separated  in  the  autumn,  soon  make  nice  plants. 
It  was  introduced  in  1820. 

The  Nepaul  Beam  tree— The  subject  of 
adapting  the  siz3  of  tree  to  the  extent  of  the 
grounds  in  which  they  are  to  be  planted  is  one 
which  is  very  generally  neglected,  notwithstand- 
ing its  great  importance ;  for  almost  everyone 
who  plants  a  garden  of  a  few  rods  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  towns  finds  in  eight  or  ten  years 
afterwards  that  a  few  of  the  coarser-growing  trees 
have  attained  to  such  a  size  as  to  smother  every- 
thing else,  and  to  render  it  altogether  impossible 
either  to  have  smooth  turf  or  healthy  flowers. 
Now  the  Pyrus  vestita  is  one  of  those  small  trees 
which  are  most  suitable  for  planting  in  such 
places,  not  only  on  account  of  the  beauty  of  its 
foliage,  but  also  on  account  of  its  growing  rapidly 
till  it  attains  a  height  of  from  15  feet  to  20  feet, 
and  becomes  comparatively  stationary  for  some 
years,  forming  a  splendid  small  tree  from  20  feet  to 
30  feet  in  height,  which  flowers  in  May  and  June. 
It  is  a  native  of  Kumaon  and  Upper  Nepaul  at  ele- 
vations of  from  9000  feet  to  12,000  feet,  and  was 
introduce!  in  1820.  The  leaves  are  very  large, 
ovate-2cu'.e  or  elliptic,  acutely  crenated  or  coarsely 
serrated  towards  the  points  on  rather  long  foot- 
stalks :  and  when  they  first  appear,  which  is  very 
late  in  the  season,  they  are  clothed  with  a  thick 
white  coating  of  wool,  but  as  soon  as  the  warm 
weather  advances,  they  throw  off  their  fleecy  cosit 
on  the  upper  surface,  and  at  length  become  smooth 
and  of  a  glossy  green.  In  the  autumn,  before  they 
drop  off,  they  assume  a  fine  pale  yellow  colour. 
The  branches  are  whitely  tomentose  when  young, 
but  smooth  when  old.  The  flowers,  which  are 
numerous  and  white,  are  borne  in  branched,  ter- 
minal, woolly,  racemose  corymbs.  The  fruit  is 
round,  tuberoled,  glossy,  and  about  the  size  of  a 
common  marble,  and  greenish  brown  when  ripe 
in  October.  The  following  are  the  synonyms 
under  which  it  is  often  sold;  Pyrus  crenata, 
lanata,  and  nepalensis. 

Berberis  concinna  is  a  charming  little 
Himalayan  Barberry,  with  small  neat  foliage, 
light  green  above  and  silvery  white  beneath.  The 
pale  yellow  flowers  appear  in  .Tuly  and  August, 
when  scarcely  any  other  species  is  to  be  found  in 
bloom.  It  is  a  distinct  and  handsome  dwarf- 
growing  Evergreen,  and  is  most  at  home  in  the 
rockery  or  in  the  front  of  the  shrubbery  border. 

Indigofera  Garerdiana  is  a  Himalayan 
species  with  neat  light  green  foliage  and  a  pro- 
fusion of  racemes  of  rosy  pink  flowers.  It  forms 
a  compact,  dwarf  bush  in  the  open  shrubbery,  but 
is  also  well  adapted  for  covering  walls,  where  it 
makes  longer  growths  and  flowers  very  freely.  In 
some  gardens  this  pretty  shrub  is  found  under  the 
names  of  I.  floiibunda,  I.  coronilla3folia,  and  I. 
Dosua  :  the  first  and  the  last  of  these  names,  how- 
ever, belong  rightly  to  different  species. 

The  Scarlet  Oak  — :5Iost  planters  who 
gro  1  this  fine  American  Oak  are  thoroughly  aware 
of  the  beauty  of  its  large  leaves  during  summer, 
and  the  brilliant  autumnal  colour  they  assume  be- 
fore being  shed.  It  grows,  too,  in  almost  any  soil, 
and  soon  forms  a  distinct  and  handsome  tree.    The 


beautiful  tints  of  the  second  growth  are  also  a 
recommendation  ;  in  the  arboretum  at  Kew,  and 
in  other  places,  trees  of  this  species  are  now  very 
conspicuous,  the  bronzy  red  of  the  young  shoots 
and  leaves  forming  a  striking  contrast  to  the  older 
foliage.  Q. 

OBITUAEY. 


The  death  is  announced  of  Mr.  J.  H.  Mangles,  o£ 
Valewood,  Haslemere,  who  for  the  past  few  years 
has  been  prominent  in  the  horticultural  world  as 
an  ardent  collector  and  cultivator  of  the  species 
of  Rhododendron.  Indeed,  he  had  been  latterly 
identified  as  an  authority  with  respect  to  this 
difiicult  genus.  His  studies  of  the  genus  were 
not  confined  to  the  herbarium,  as  is  the  case  with 
many  botanists  who  devote  their  time  to  a  special 
genus  or  class,  but  he  studied  the  plants  minutely 
under  cultivation ;  hence  his  knowledge  of  Rhodo- 
dendrons was  thoroughly  practical  as  well  as  scien- 
tific. One  of  his  chief  aims  was  that  of  endeavouring 
to  ascertain,  if  possible,  the  limits  of  so-called 
species  by  means  of  hybridisation.  His  many 
successes  and  still  more  numerous  failures  in  this 
direction  formed  a  large  component  of  his  Rhodo- 
dendron education.  One  of  his  most  successful 
crosses  was  the  lovely  hybrid  between  R.  Auck- 
land! and  R.  ponticum ;  he  thus  managed  to 
hybridise  an  Asiatic  and  a  European  species,  but  he 
was  unsuccessful  in  all  his  attempts  in  inter- 
crossing the  Javanese  race  with  other  species. 
His  hybridising  work  was  not,  however,  con- 
fined to  Rhododendrons ;  he  experimented  upon 
other  plants,  and  the  beautiful  Lilium  Mangles!  is 
the  result  of  his  work  upon  Lily  crossing. 

During  the  last  few  years  Mr.  Mangles  was  a 
member  of  the  council  of  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society,  and  during  his  tenure  of  office  was  chiefly 
instrumental,  in  conjunction  with  Dr.  Michael 
Foster,  in  promoting  and  organising  the  highly 
successful  evening  gatherings  of  Fellows  of  the 
Society  held  at  the  Linnean  Society's  rooms  at  Bur- 
lington House.  It  was,  moreover,  mainly  due  to  his 
exertions  that  the  large  exhibition  of  Narcissi  and 
conference  of  Narcissi  cultivators  were  held  at 
South  Kensington  last  April.  The  Royal  Horti- 
cultural Society  has  therefore  lost  a  most  active 
councilman,  and  horticulture,  particularly  the 
botanical  branch  of  it,  has  been  deprived  of  an 
industrious  worker.  Mr.  Mangles  died  on  August 
21  in  the  52nd  year  of  his  age. 


ROSES  IN  THE  WEST  OF  ENGLAND. 
It  is  worthy  of  note  that  at  some  of  the  leading 
horticultural  shows  held  in  the  west  of  England 
during  the  past  two  weeks  Roses  have  not  only 
been  numerously,  but  very  finely  shown  for  the 
season,  as  in  all  parts  cultivators  have  complained 
of  the  drought.  At  the  Trowbridge  Horticultural 
Society's  Show  at  the  end  of  August  there  was  a 
class  for  twenty-four  varieties,  in  which  Messrs. 
George  Cooling  &  Sons,  nurserymen,  Bath,  were 
placed  first  with  some  large,  fresh,  and  clean 
blooms  of  the  following  fine  varieties :  Clemence 
Joigneaux,  Felicien  David,  Red  Gauntlet,  appa- 
rently a  good  useful  dark  red  Rose ;  Comfesse  de 
Serenye,  very  charming ;  Marie  Baumann,  finely 
coloured  ;  Captain  Christy,  Marquise  deCastellane, 
Dukeof  Connanght,  La  France,  Comtessed'Oxford, 
Charles  Darwin,  Gloire  de  Dijon,  Earl  of  Pem- 
broke, a  good-looking  red  Rose ;  and  Dapuy 
Jamain.  Mr.  J.  Mattock,  nurseryman.  Heading- 
ton,  one  of  the  Oxford  growers  who  always  shows 
Roses  so  finely  late  in  the  season,  was  second  with 
very  good  fiowers  of  the  following  :  Pitord,  with  a 
singular  purple  glow ;  Baroness  Rothschild,  Star 
of  Waltham,  a  very  fine  Rose  indeed;  XavierOlibo, 
and  Baron  Gonella.  Other  fine  varieties  shown 
on  this  occasion  were  Mdlle.  Eugenie  Verdier, 
Louis  Van  Houtte,  very  rich  in  colour;  A.  K. 
Williams,  Duke  of  Teck,  the  useful  old  General 
Jacqueminot,  and  the  following  charming  Teas  : 
Marie  Van  Houtte,  Innocente  Pirola,  Catherine 
Mermet,  and  Anna  Olivier.  At  Calne  Show  there 
was  an  excellent  competition  for  a  handsome  cup, 
and  on  this  occasion   Mr,   J.   Mattock    was  the 


220 


THE    GARDEN 


[Sept.  fi,    1884. 


fortunate  winner,  staging  a  really  high-class  3G 
flowers  for  the  time  o£  year,  the  following  being 
remarkably  good;  A.  K.  William?,  Sonvenir  de 
Madame  Lsrthier,  a  fine  full  pale  rose-coloured 
flower;  Paul  NL-ron,  Duchess  of  Bedford,  Harrison 
Weir,  Mdlle.  Eugfinie  Verdier,  Jean  Fernet, 
Catherine  Mermet,  Marechal  Niel,  Chas.  Lefebvre, 
Anna  Olivier,  Perle  des  Jardins,  Madame  Camille, 
and  Marie  Van  Houtte.  The  Noisettes  and  Teas 
were  a  great  feature  on  this  stand.  Messrs.  J. 
Jefferies  and  Son,  nurserymen,  Cirencester,  were 
placed  second,  with  some  remarkably  good  blooms 
that  were  unfortunately  a  little  damaged  at  the 
backs.  Their  leading  flowers  were  Madame  Victor 
Verdier,  Louis  Van  Houtte,  Alfred  Colomb,  Mrs. 
C.  Wood,  Annie  Wood,  Ferdinand  de  Lesseps, 
Marie  Rady,  Comtesse  d'Oxford,  Mad.  Hippolyte 
Jamain,  Paul  Jamain,  A.  K.  Williams,  Duchess  of 
Bedford,  Mrs.  Jowitt,  Marquise  de  Castellane, 
Senateur  Vaisse,  Maris  Baumann,  Harrison  Weir, 
and  Belle  Lyonnaise.  The  following  varieties 
were  well  shown  :  Arthur  Dickson,  Capt.  Christy, 
Souvenir  de  Paul  Neron,  Duke  of  Wellington,  and 
Francois  Michelon. 

At  Chippenham  Show  on  the  following  day 
Messrs.  Jefferies  &  Sons  and  Mattock  again  met  to 
fight  out  a  battle  with  thirty-six  Roses,  and  here 
the  former  triumphed,  staging  a  remarkably  good 
lot  indeed,  conspicuous  among  the  flowers  being 
Madame  Victor  Verdier,  Alfred  Colomb,  Duchess 
of  Bedford,  Franrois  Michelon,  Senateur  Vaisse, 
Mrs.  Jowitt,  Mdlle.  Gabrielle  Luizet,  Annie 
Wood,  Dr.  Andry,  Mad.  Hippolyte  Jamain,  Mons. 
E.  V.  Teas,  Marie  Baumann,  Duke  of  Teck,  A. 
K.  Williams,  Mrs.  Charles  Wood,  Rosieriste 
Jacobs,  Charles  Darwin,  Paul  Jamain,  and 
Madame  Charles  Crapelet.  Mr.  Mattock  was 
well  up  with  a  good  lot  of  flowers,  comprising 
Marie  Baumann,  Marcjchal  Niel,  Devienne  Lamy, 
A.  K.  Williams,  Louis  Van  Houtte,  Marie  Van 
Houtte,  Anna  Olivier,  Madame  Lambard,  Duke  of 
Connaught,  Cornelia  Koch,  a  beautiful  creamy 
white  Tea  of  the  Gloiie  de  Dijon  type  :  Rubens, 
Mrs.  Laxton,  Souvenir  de  Mme.  Berthier,  very  fine 
and  appearing  to  be  an  excellent  autumnal  Rose  ; 
Franoois  Michelon,  and  David  Pradel,  a  Tea  Rose 
that  lasts  for  a  long  time  in  a  cut  state. 

It  was  pleasing  to  note  that  in  all  the  Rose 
classes  there  was  an  excellent  competition  among 
the  growers  in  or  near  the  district,  and  the  old 
popular  and  undying  love  of  the  Rose  was  mani- 
fested by  the  crowds  of  visitors  which  gathered 
about  the  boxes  of  flowers  and  clamoured  for  a 
bunch  of  bloom  at  clearing-away  time.  Many 
horticultural  societies  make  a  speciality  of  cut 
Roses,  and  it  appears  to  be  one  of  the  most 
powerful  attractions  in  a  floral  sense.  The  truly 
wonderful  Roses  shown  by  cottagers  at  these  west 
of  England  shows  is  a  remarkable  fact,  and  in 
many  cottage  gardens  about  Calne  and  Chippenham 
can  be  seen  fine  standard  Rose  trees,  from  which 
they  appear  to  cut  the  blooms  they  show  so  well. 


QUESTIONS. 


5235.— Anemone  beds. — In  response  to 
"A.  P.'s"  enquiry  as  to  some  fitting  subject  to 
cover  a  permanent  bed  of  Anemones  when  the 
plants  are  at  rest,  I  fear  I  shall  be  thought  to  be 
joking  if  I  say  that  the  best  material  is  found  in 
a  top-dressing  of  short  manure.  That  is  what  I 
employ,  as  I  prefer  thus  to  stimulate  the  Anemones 
so  as  to  secure  a  grand  bloom  from  them  in  the 
spring  rather  than  to  endanger  them  by  sowing  or 
planting  something  else  on  the  bed  in  the  summer. 
Really  the  Anemones  rest  here  but  some  two 
months,  as  my  plants  died  off  about  the  middle  of 
June  and  are  already  again  fast  throwing  up  leaf. 
If  such  quick-growing  annuals  as  Nemophila  or 
Virginian  Stock  were  sown  over  the  surface  of 
the  beds  as  soon  as  the  leafage  had  died  down, 
they  could  hardly  be  blooming  ere  the  autumn 
growth  would  again  need  air  and  light.  The 
only  other  remedy  for  the  unsightliness  found  in 
bare  beds  in  the  summer  seems  to  be  found  in 
planting  the  Anemones  much  wider  apart  and 
sowing  seeds  of  some  dwarf  annual  in  the  spaces 
before  the  Anemone  foliage  had  died  away, — D. 


624?. -Select  Tea  Rosea.— Will  some  reader  kindly 
furnish  me  with  the  names  of  three  of  the  hest  Tea  Roses 
for  supplying  cut  bloom?  early  in  the  season  'i  It  is  intended 
to  pliint  them  in  an  inside  border,  and  train  them  to  a  trell  s 
under  the  roof  of  a  lean-to  house  with  a  south-east  aspect. 
— T. 

6343.— Peifame  of  NicDtiana  afQnis.- 'ihe  flowers 
of  this  plant  open  several  days  in  succession.  They  gene- 
rally open  about  five  or  six  in  the  afternoon.  Can  anyone 
tell  me  why  for  two  hours  or  so  they  have  no  scent  at  all, 
while  later  in  the  evening  it  is  so  strong  you  cannot  pa^-s 
them  unnoticed  ?  It  cannot  be  only  the  damp,  as  on  damp 
afternoons  they  do  not  smell  more  nor  ou  dry  evenings  less 
—rather  the  contrary,  as  far  as  I  have  noticed.  Many  of 
my  plants  are  self-sown  in  the  borders.  It  is  a  pity  it 
looks  so  badly  when  the  flowers  are  closed,  but  when  out 
it  is  lovely.  The  flowers,  still  open  at  half-past  ten  this 
morning,  it  being  cool  and  damp,  have  absolutely  no  scent. 
-J.  E.  D. 

6244.— Grapes  shanking. — I  am  instructed  by  my 
employer  to  ask  for  information  from  any  of  your  cor- 
respondents respecting  a  vinery  we  have  here,  the  Grapes 
in  whicli  shank  badly  year  after  year.  When  I  describe 
the  conditions  under  which  the  Grapes  are  growing,  you 
may,  like  myself,  have  no  difficulty  in  giving  the  reason  of 
the  shanking.  The  vinery  is  a  span-roof,  with  darkened 
glass.  Tlie  wires  on  which  the  rods  are  trained  are  only 
y  inches  f  om  the  glass.  The  leaves  are  always  pre-sed  up 
cgainst  the  glass.  The  house  is  filled  with  Azaleas  for 
about  eight  months  in  the  year.  The  consequence  is, 
thrips  do  damage  every  year,  notwithstanding  every  pre- 
caution being  taken  to  keep  them  down.  The  house  is 
ventilated  at  one  side  only  on  the  roof  and  one  side  only  at 
the  bottom.  The  border  is  all  inside.  The  house  is,  all 
but  a  few  rods,  filled  with  Muscat  of  Alexandria.  The  latter 
shank  badly  ;  the  others  not  so  bad,— T.  S.  M. 

6245.— Old  garden  renovation.— 1  should  be  greatly 
obliged  if  some  of  your  correspondents  would  give  me  a 
little  advice  in  respect  to  some  matters  concerning  a  garden 
about  nineteen  ye.ars  old  which  is  about  to  become  my  pro- 
perty. The  garden  in  question  is  surrounded  by  hedges, 
about  an  acre  in  extent,  along  the  road  frontage,  and  re- 
turning along  the  west  side  is  a  shrubbery.  Trees  are 
planted  next  the  hedges,  and  include  Limes,  Poplars,  Haw- 
thorns, Laburnums,  A'c.  ;  then  come  shrubs,  such  as  Aucu- 
bas,  Laurels,  Hollies,  Lilacs,  &c.,  and  in  front  of  these  is  a 
border  where  an  attempt  has  been  made  to  grow  Geraniums, 
Calceolarias,  Ac.  The  trees  quite  overshadow  the  whole  of 
the  shrubs  and  border.  I  understand  the  garden  has  been 
nnich  neglected,  and  so  I  should  judge  by  these  shruliberies  ; 
the  soil  looks  poor  and  the  shrubs  old,  dirty,  and  shabliy, 
especially  under  the  Limes  where  the  leaves  are  covered  by 
a  black  deposit.  Can  I  move  these  old  shrubs,  or  will  It 
kill  them  ?  The  removal  of  some  is  necessary,  as  they  are 
in  many  pdaces  overcrowded,  and  in  other  places  gaps.  I 
mi'_'ht  cut  back  some  of  the  most  overshadowing  branches 
of  the  trees.  To  renovate  the  soil  I  propose  to  remove 
some  of  the  old  soil  round  the  shrubs  and  well  manure  w  ith 
cow  manure,  then  generally  over  the  surface  spread  road 
scrapings  with  dead  leaves  and  cow  manure  (unless  some 
artitici  il  manure  is  better  ?),  previously  breaking  up  the 
soil  to  as  great  a  depth  as  possible  without  injury  to  the 
roots  of  the  trees  and  shrubs;  then  I  intend  cutting  hack 
all  the  very  old  shrubs  to  try  and  induce  young  growth.  I 
should  like  to  know  whether  this  will  be  doing  the  best  for 
the  shrubs  ami  how  much  manure  I  should  give.  Are  there 
any  flowers  which  would  succeed  under  such  trees?  Would 
a  bed  on  a  lawn  planted  permanently  with  a  few  Evergreens, 
herbaceous  Pa-onies,  Djhlias  (single  and  double),  clumps  of 
Karcissus  poelicus  and  Alstrwmerias,  letting  the  ground 
be  carpeted  by  a  low-growing  perennial,  give  a  pleasing  re- 
sult 1  What  cai-peting  plant  will  grow  ciuickly,  and  how  can 
it  be  best  raised  ?  Would  dwarf  Phlox  or  some  of  the  taller 
kinds,  Pentstemons,  or  Pyrethrums  be  suitable  for  beds  on 
a  lawn  ?  I  want  to  use  some  of  the  Cannas  and  Fuchsias  for 
f.  diage  ;  will  these  stand  our  winters  ?  I  should  be  glad  to 
know  some  of  the  best  flne-foliaged  plants  to  introduce 
into  beds  amongst  flowers  which  wiU  stand  the  winter's 
frosts  and  rains.  Are  they  not  expensive  to  buy  ?  Could  they 
be  raised  from  seed  ?  or  is  that  a  long  process  ?  There  is 
one  piece  of  Grass  very  sheltered,  Imt  without  much  sun, 
I  thought  of  making  a  bed  there  in  which  to  grow  English, 
German,  and  Spanish  Irises  amongst  hardy  Eerns,  carpeted 
with  Forget-me-nots.  There  is  one  border  facing  due  east, 
but  sheltered  by  a  row  of  espalier  fruit  trees  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  path.  Would  perennials,  such  as  Phlox, 
Pentstemons,  PotentiUas,  Antirrhinums,  UoUyhoeks,  Lark- 
spurs, Campanulus,  Columbines,  and  Primulas,  grow  there 
if  the  border  were  dug  over  and  manured  ?  The  soil  i' 
a  gravelly  clay.  If  I  obtained  seeds  of  these  now  and  sowed 
in  pans  in  a  little  forcing  pit,  would  the  seedlings  be  ready 
to  plaut  out  next  May  or  June?  Is  it  too  late  to  repot 
Azaleas,  which  are  looking  sickly  with  yellow  leaves  and 
little  soil  in  the  pots?  I  hope  I  have  not  made  these 
queries  too  long,  but  I  should  be  very  much  obliged  for 
advice. — G.  M. 


Jjell-glass,  and  left  them  there  all  the  winter.  To 
my  surprise,  they  all  rooted  readily,  and,  to  my 
greater  surprise,  they  all  flowered  when  less  than 
3  inches  high.  I  can  scarcely  fancy  a  more  at- 
tractive plant  than  a  polful  of  these  young  plants 
all  in  flower  in  the  early  spring  struck  from  au- 
tumn cuttings.— Henry  N.  Ellacomde,  ISitton 
Vicarage, 


LATE  NOTES. 

Boyal  Botanic  Society  r^-  r.  S-  ^)  -rrob.ably  (he 
secretary  at  the  Eoyal  Botanic  .Society's  Gardens  at  Regents 
Park  wiil  furnish  you  with  the  report  to  which  you  refer. 

Oak  gall  C^non).— The  cujious  growth  on  the  Oak 
are  galls  (Artichoke  galls),  formed  by  grubs  hatched  from 
eggs  deposited  in  Uaf-buds  by  a  gall  lly  (Andricus  pilosus). 
— G.  S.  S. 

6^26.- Cbrvsanthemum  manureR  — Twoand  ah.alt 
ounces  to  half  a  pint  of  water  should  be  used  when  tha 
plants  are  showing  buds,  but  at  no  other  time,  and  then 
only  twice  a  week.  Pieiious  to  the  plants  showing  buds 
they  should  be  watered  wiih  scot  water.- Belfast. 

5234.  —  Woodllce  are  very  troublesome  in  Orchid 
houses.  Wrap  boiled  Potatoej  in  short  dry  hay  and 
place  them  in  small  pots.  Lay  the  latter  on  their  sides  at 
night ;  the  woodlice  will  collect  in  them  and  may  be  shaken 
out  and  destroyed  in  the  morning. — J.  Douglas. 

Hedychlum  Gardnerlanum.- One  day  list  week 
I  saw  this  plant  in  very  fine  condition  in  Lady  Stamford's 
garden  at  Enville.  Its  Reed  like  stems  had  attained  a 
height  of  0  feet  or  more,  and  it  was  bearing  several  beautiful 
spikes  of  its  singular  yellow  blooms,  which  filled  the  house 
with  a  strong  and  pleasing  odour. — t,'AMBRiAN. 

Rlbes  speclosum.— •'  Alpha  "  says,  "  this  is  of  slower 
growth  and  more  particular  as  to  soil  than  K.  aurcum  and 
It.  s'.ngnineum."  Here  it  is  the  most  vigorous.  One 
planted  two  years  ago  has  this  summer  thrown  up  from  the 
gronntl  seven  shoots  from  5  feet  to  7  feet  high,  and  one  is 
still  lengthening,  although  only  growing  in  an  ordinary 
border  near  a  wall.  This  is  ctrtainly  not  slow  growth.— 
J.  il.,  Charmouth,  Dorset. 

Aspidlum  leaves  diseased  (M.  S..  Ashcrwffl—Tlw 
brown-spotted  appearance  en  the  leaves  is  due  to  the  pre- 
sence of  a  fungus  named  Cludosporium  herbarum.  It  is 
common  ou  injured  and  deeayiug  leaves,  and  is  n.^t  capable 
of  causing  disease.  The  leaf  tent  appears  to  have  been 
seriously  scalded  or  injured,  perhaps  by  the  sun  after 
watering.  Ihc  brown  spots  only  occur  on  the  damaged 
parts. -W.  G.  S. 

Nectarine  on  a  Peach  tree— I  have  in  my  g.arden 
an  extraordinary  freak  of  Nature,  which  may  interest  your 
readers.  About  twelve  years  since  I  grafted  a  Banington 
Peach  on  a  Plum  sucker.  Until  this  year  the  tree  has  borne 
nothing  but  Peaches,  but  now  I  have  one  Nectarine  among 
the  Peaches.  The  fruit  is  not  yet  ripe,  but  insects  have 
attacked  it,  and  possibly  it  may  not  mature,  although  a 
perfectly  healthy  fruit  now.— A.  W.  LkmaItre,  Copthall, 
Twickeitham. 

Polygala  Dalmalslana.- This  is  one  of  the  most 
free  flowering  and  easily  grown  of  hard-wooded  greenhouse 
plants.  It  flowers  freely  in  quite  snuiU  pots,  but  is  very 
elfective  when  grown  on  into  an  Sinch  pot.  Good  peat, 
with  a  liberal  allowance  of  sUver  sand,  suits  it  hest,  and  it 
should  be  pruned  back  rather  close  after  flowering.  Plenty 
of  air  in  summer,  with  full  exposure  in  autumn,  is  abso- 
lutely esaential. — J.  C.  B. 

Arlstolochia  ornithccephala.— Alluding  to  this 
stove  climbing  plant,  Lady  Theodore  Guest,  writing  from 
Motcombe  House,  Shaftesbury,  says  :  "  It  may  interest  you 
to  know  that  the  Aristolochia  which  commenced  flowering 
in  Easter  week,  i.e.,  April  15,  has  been  in  full  flower  ever 
since  (fifty  and  more  Idossoms  at  a  time)  till  now,  when  it 
has  nearly  done  ;  one  flower,  though,  is  still  on  it.  It  has 
been  immensely  admired,  and  is  certainly  very  decorative 
in  a  hothouse,  though  the  perfume  is  not  sweet." 


Propagating  the  Desfontalnea.— I  know 
of  no  more  beautiful  evergreen  shrub  than  Desfon- 
talnea spinosa.  It  is,  however,  very  seldom  seen, 
partly  because  it  is  not  quite  hardy,  and  partly 
because  it  is  supposed  to  be  diflScult  of  increase. 
For  the  benefit  of  those  who  wish  to  get  the  shrub, 
I  may  state  that  about  this  time  last  year  I  received 
some  cuttings.  I  did  not  feel  very  sanguine  about 
them,  but  I  put  them  in  the  open  ground  under  a 


Names  of  fruits.- il.  F.  P.— Tlie  Grape  you  send  is 
doubtless  Alnwick  Seedling,  with  only  one  or  two  pronerly 
fertilised  lierries  on  the  bunch.  The  non. setting  of  this 
Grape  is  a  prevalent  fault,  and  has  been  frequently  noticed 
in  THE  Garden. T.  E.  (FroxJieUl).—Dachess  of  Olden- 
burgh. Brazil. — 1,  Humboldt ;   2,  cannot  identify  ;  3, 

Ehnge  ;  4,  Royal  George. dnon.— 1  and  2,  both  Grosse 

Mignoune. T.  Cu^tance. — 1,  Jargonelle ;  2,  Duchess  of 

Oldenburgh. 

Names  of  plants.- r.  F.—Vfe  cannot  natne  the  Kose 

you   send. M.   T.   W. — An  uncommon  variety  of  the 

British  Ivy,  but  we  catmot  name  it  from  merely  a  leaf. 

R.   T.—l,   Erica  cinerea ;  2,  dark  variety  of  No.   1. 

T.  A.  A.  H.—We  cannot  name  the  shrub  you  sent  without 

seeing  flowers. J.  B.  D. — Zygopetalum  maxillare. 

Q.  S.  S.— Desfontainea  spinosa  (HoUy-like) ;  Phlomis  fruti- 

cosa.. H.  D.   i;.— Cattleya  Forbesi. M.  Dowson.—l, 

Maranta  zebrina ;  2,  M.  Lindeni  ;  3,  M.  fasciata  ;   4,  M. 

albo-lineata. J.  H.   Vale7ice.—'rhe  Orchid  is  Cypripe- 

dium  barbatum  ;  the  Fern  is  probably  Cyathea  prineeps. 

G.  H.  Mounsdon.—T\ie  scrap  of  flower  you  tend  is  a 

white  Asclepias,  of  which  we  should  like  to  have  another 
specimen  ;  if  you  send  foliage  as  well  as  flowers,  we  may  be 

able  to  ascertain  its  name L.  P.  Fleet.— I,  Tradescantia 

zebrina  tricolor ;  2,  T.  reptans  variegata ;  3,  probably  a 

Habrothamnus ;  i,  justicia  speciosa. ff.  /.— Antcnnaria 

dioica. 


THE     GARDEN 


221 


No.  669. 


SATURDAY,  Sept.  13,  1884.         Vol.  XXVI. 


"  This  is  an  Art 
T\1nch  does  mend  Nature  r  chance  it  rather :  l)ut 
The  art  itself  is  y \TVRT,."~Shakc!>pi'are. 


HORTICULTURiL  PROGRESS. 
Thebe  is  much  force  in  what  Mr.  Cornhill  writes 
about  the  work  of  the  Pomological  Society  of 
France,  which  appears  to  be  an  organised  body, 
working  in  a  certain  direction  and  in  a  methodical 
manner.  The  great  fault  of  onr  own  Royal  and  other 
horticultural  societies  is  that  they  have  never  been 
held  togetherbyany  common  bond  or  organisation. 
This  is  particularly  true  of  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society,  whose  work  has  been  of  the  most  aimless 
description.  It  never  had  any  comprehensive  plan, 
nor  never  carried  out  any  important  task  in  a 
thorough  manner.  It  has  proposed  great  schemes 
now  and  again,  but  they  have  generally  gone 
"agley."  Material  in  abundance  it  has  had  at 
its  disposal,  and  opportunities,  too,  but  all  have 
been  squandered  to  little  purpose.  Take  the  sub- 
ject of  fruit  culture  in  this  country,  for  ex- 
ample, and  fruit  nomenclature.  What  a  field 
for  the  worker  or  any  body  of  workers! 
All  that  we  are  sure  about  is  that  the  greatest 
ignorance  and  difference  of  opinion  exist  on  nearly 
all  important  points  of  culture  entailing  enor- 
mous annual  loss,  which  all  our  shows  and  show- 
ing and  horticultural  societies  have  not  percepti- 
bly alleviated  in  any  way.  When  one  thinks  on 
the  amount  of  influence,  energy,  and  money  that 
have  been  spent  in  times  past  on  the  miserable 
fads  of  florists,  the  culture  of  specimen  plants 
and  numerous  other  frivolous  and  useless  objects 
connected  with  exhibitions,  and  then  on  the  much 
more  important  objects  that  have  been  neglected 
or  missed  altogether,  it  is  enough  to  make  anyone 
sad.  It  is  not  money  that  is  wanted  to  organise 
some  such  body  as  that  proposed  by  Mr.  Cornhill 
to  investigate  the  subject  of  fruit  culture  through- 
out the  country  so  much  as  purpose  and  a  plan. 
A  whole  host  of  enthusiasts  can  be  enlisted  to 
rush  off  on  a  Toadstool-hunting  expedition  when- 
ever they  are  wanted,  and  the  columns  of  the 
papers  are  always  open  to  them  to  record,  not  only 
their  discoveries,  but  every  frivolous  circumstance 
in  connection  therewith.  Could  not  some  similar 
body  be  organised  to  make  an  annual  foray  into 
the  counties  in  the  same  way  to  report  on  the 
fruit  crops  and  matters  relating  thereto,  and  eo 
year  by  year  do  something  to  advance  the  cause 
of  fruit  culture  at  home  ?  Tliat  would  be  a  task 
worth  attempting,  and  if  followed  out  in  a  syste- 
matic manner  could  not  but  yield  great  and  useful 
results.  This,  however,  is  only  a  suggestion.  The 
Royal  Horticultural  Society,  Chiswick,  the  scien- 
tific, floral,  and  fruit  committees  are  bodies  which 
are  commonly  regarded  as  having  been  all  rolled 
into  one  and  sharing  each  other's  responsibilities, 
and  they  will  no  doubt  please  themselves  in  future, 
but  hitherto  their  work  has  not  been  worthy  of 
them,  and  the  sooner  they  turn  over  a  new  leaf 
the  better.  Noethebnee. 


THE  APRLE    CONGRESS   REPORT. 
At  last  the  official  report  of  the  Apple  Congress 
is  to  be  published.     This  much  we  learn  from  ad- 
vertisements. It  has  been  compiled  by  Mr.  Barron 
and  will  be  edited  by  the  Bev.  G.  Henslow. 


It  will  be  in  book  form,  octavo  size,  and  contain 
about  200  pages,  embracing  : — 

1.  A  general  report  on  the  whole  of  the  exhilnts— ar' 
ranged  in  ten  separate  f^roups  or  divisions,  according  to 
district— inclndinj  the  oliservations  of  the  committee, 
witli  cultural  and  other  details  by  the  several  exhibitors, 
&o. 

2.  Tabulated  lists  of  selected  varieties  of  Apples  for  each 
separate  district,  &c. 

3.  A  dctcriptive  catalogue  mth  classification  of  the  whole 
of  the  varieties  exhibited,  numbering  over  2000. 

As  to  time  and  place  of  publication  and  the 
price  of  the  volume,  we  are  hitherto  in  ignorance, 
but  it  is  pleasant  to  know  that  the  thing  has  not 
been  shelved  entirely.  The  Apple  is,  perhaps,  of 
all  our  hardy  fruits,  by  far  the  most  valuable,  and 
there  is  ample  room  for  a  good  and  practical 
treatise  on  its  cultivation  and  variation  on  different 
soils,  and  in  the  varying  climates  of  the  British 
Isles.  Let  us  hope  that  the  important  question  of 
stocks  on  which  to  engraft  the  Apple  may  not  be 
overlooked,  especially  as  a  trial  of  such  stocks  was 
made  at  Chiswick  some  years  ago.  The  Apple  is 
so  important  a  "  food  product,'  that  it  is  a  question 
whether  the  Government  should  not  award  some 
assistance  to  publications  of  this  kind. 


Pompone  Dahlias. — The  dealers  in  florists' 
flowers,  having  made  their  market  of  the  single 
Dahlias,  are  now  endeavouring  to  popularise  the 
pompones.  I  am  told  they  will  drive  the  singles 
before  them  in  a  few  years,  but  that  is  very  un- 
likely. The  pompone  Dahlia  is  good  as  a  variety, 
but  it  is  neither  more  nor  less  than  a  miniature 
double  Dahlia  of  the  old  type  with  all  its  faults. 
I  prefer  the  semi-doubles  to  the  pompones,  but  for 
form  and  symmetry  neither  approach  the  single 
varieties,  although  these  differ  widely,  too.  We 
have  an  endless  variety  here  of  named  sorts  and 
seedlings,  but  it  seems  as  if  all  the  single  varie- 
ties might  be  divided  into  two  sections,  viz.,  re- 
flexed  and  incurved,  to  use  the  florist's  terms.  The 
reflexed  forms  are  generally  most  perfect,  and  are 
decidedly  the  most  conspicuous  and  showy,  and 
may  easily  be  singled  out  a  long  way  oif  in  a 
group.  The  fault  of  Ware's  White  Queen  is  that 
it  has  rather  saucer-shaped  flowers  that  droop 
slightly,  and  do  not  show  themselves.  A  white 
variety  with  reflexed  flowers  of  an  erect  habit 
would  be  a  great  improvement. — J.  S.  VV. 

Shading  glass  houses.— We  hear  a  good 
deal  of  scientific  talk  about  heliotropism  and  the 
rays  of  the  solar  spectrum  now-a-days,  but  I  am  not 
aware  that  anyone  has  yet  told  us  the  best  colours 
to  use  in  shading  or  "  muffing,"  as  some  call  it,  our 
plant  houses.  I  see  various  colours  used  in  vari- 
ous places,  such  as  green,  white,  sky  blue,  and 
red,  or  umber  colour,  but  what  I  want  to  know  is 
the  best  tint  to  employ.  No  doubt  clear  glass  and 
some  contrivance  for  a  light  movable  canvas 
shading  is  best  where  constant  attention  can  be 
given,  but  this  is  not  always  convenient,  and  so 
long  as  some  slight  permanent  shade  is  necessary, 
it  is  as  well  to  use  it  of  that  colour  or  lint  best 
suited  to  vegetable  growth.  Hitherto  we  find  the 
best  permanent  shading  to  be  coarse  hempen 
canvas  ;  "  Hessian,"  or  "  paperhanger's  canvas  "  I 
think  it  is  called.  This  stretched  at  a  few  inches 
above  the  glass  tempers  the  heat  rays,  and  yet 
does  not  cause  growth  to  etiolate  or  become 
"  drawn  "  below. — F.  W.  B. 

Hertaceous  plant  culture.— On  the  face 
of  it,  what  "  J.  C.  C."  says  about  herbaceous  plants 
exhausting  the  soil  in  which  they  grow,  as  vege- 
tables do,  appears  indisputable,  but  after  the  ex- 
periments at  Rothamstead  one  feels  it  is  best  not 
to  be  too  dogmatic  on  such  matters.  There  is 
nothing  more  surprising  than  the  length  of  time 
herbaceous  perennials  will  grow  and  thrive  with- 
out manure.  Our  borders  are  so  extensive  here, 
thatmanuringthem  regularly  is  outof  the  question, 
and  some  have  never  been  manured  since  they 
were  planted  years  ago,  yet  we  cannot  say  there 
is  any  deterioration  in  the  plants.   Bulbs,  like  Daf- 


fodils and  Tulips,  Sec,  are  particularly  enduring.  I 
have  noticed  annually  a  small  patch  of  Daffodils 
that  has  grown  and  flowered  on  a  poor  piece  of 
lawn  for  nearly  twenty  years  without  any  assist- 
ance. Manure  flower  borders  by  all  means,  but, 
provided  the  soil  is  well  dug  and  enriched  at  the 
beginning,  it  is  certainly  not  necessary  to  incur 
much  expense  in  that  way  afterwards.  When 
manure  is  applied,  it  should  be  in  the  form  of  a 
good  mulching  put  on  in  November.  The  nature 
of  the  soil  of  course  makes  much  difference.  Poor 
sandy  soils  cannot  long  sustain  any  crop  without 
manure,  but  good  loams  will.  Where  the  plants 
are  not  too  crowded,  the  roots  draw  their  chief 
supplies  from  the  neighbouring  unoccupied  soil  at 
their  extremities,  and  seem  to  find  sufficient  food 
to  supply  their  wants.  The  rain  which  falls  un- 
doubtedly supplies  a  considerable  portion  of  the 
food  of  plants  ;  if  it  were  not  so,  what  would  be- 
come of  our  lawns  ?  We  could,  too,  point  to 
plenty  of  lawns  from  which  the  Grass  has  been 
removed  by  the  machine  for  thirty  years,  during 
which  period  no  manure  of  any  kind  has  been  ap- 
plied, and  still  they  are  in  fresh  and  fair  condi- 
tion. What  does  the  Grass  live  upon  in  such  a 
case,  seeing  that  the  roots  do  not  penetrate  more 
than  2  inches  to  3  inches  deep,  if  not  upon  the 
food  supplied  in  the  rain  which  falls  ?  In  the  soil 
around  here  the  common  Daisy  abounds,  and  is 
the  pest  of  lawns  in  every  garden  where  it  has 
grown  and  seeded  without  the  least  deterioration 
for  a  quarter  of  a  century  without  any  manure, 
and  the  same  may  be  said  of  other  weeds.— J.  S.W. 


PLANTS    IN    FLOWEK. 

Crassula  pallida  —This  is  a  white-flowered 
spec'es  not  unlike  C.  (Rochea)  falcata,  with  a  de- 
licious Hawthorn-like  scent.  The  leaves  are  thick, 
fleshy,  boat-shaped,  and  almost  white.  The  head 
of  flowers  is  quite  as  large  as  is  that  of  C.  falcata, 
and,  being  pure  white,  it  is  a  nice  companion  plant 
to  the  last  mentioned.  When  in  bud  the  little 
star-shaped  flowers  have  the  anthers  protruding 
through  their  tops,  and  the  valves  or  little  cases 
in  which  the  pollen  is  enclosed  are  deep  red  in 
colour.  When  the  flowers  open,  however,  these 
valves  open  also,  and  the  red  outside  is  hidden  by 
their  folding  back,  so  as  to  disclose  the  little  balls 
of  yellow  pollen. 

Costus  igneus. — We  heard  of  this  plant 
through  the  JUvstnition  Horlicole,  where  it  was 
recently  figured  by  M.  Linden,  and  a  few  days  ago 
we  saw  a  plant  of  it  in  flower  in  the  y  range  at 
Kew.  In  habit  it  is  not  unlike  C.  spiralis,  which 
we  noted  a  few  weeks  back,  but  the  stems  are 
shorter  and  thicker  than  in  that  species.  The 
flowers  are  borne  at  the  top  of  the  shoots,  spring- 
ing from  a  cone-like  arrangement,  and  opening 
two  or  three  together  ;  they  are  U  inches  wide, 
almost  flat,  and  of  a  bright  orange-red  colour. 
Judging  from  what  we  learned  of  the  Kew  speci- 
men, this  species  is  likely  to  prove  a  freer  flowerer 
than  are  most  of  the  Costuses.  It  is  a  stove  plant, 
and  has  been  introduced  from  Bahia. 

Dlsa  grandiflora  superba.— This  lovely 
Cape  Orchid  is  now  in  bloom  in  Mr.  George's  gar- 
den, Purdysburn,  Belfast.  Oneplant  in  a  20-inch  pan 
carries  no  fewer  than  ninety-five  spikes,  three,  four, 
and  five  flowers  being  on  most  of  the  spikes ;  it  is, 
indeed,  a  grand  specimen  of  this  brilliant  Orchid. 
Three  other  plants  in  10-inch  pots  have  from 
fifteen  to  twenty  spikes  on  a  plant,  averaging  four 
flowers  on  a  spike.  These  plants,  I  need  hardly 
say,  are  worthy  of  a  visit,  forming,  as  they  do,  one 
of  the  charming  attractions  of  this  interesting  old 
garden.  Mr.  Young,  the  gardener,  says  that  he 
has,  on  a  former  occas-icn,  had  as  many  as  nine 
flowers  on  a  spike  ;  whether  that  number  has  been 
exceeded,  perhaps  some  reader  of  The  Gaeden 
will  through  it  perhaps  say.— H. 

Euphorbia  punlcea— What  are  called  the 
flowers  in  the  popular  garden  Euphorbias,  such  as 
E.  splcndens  and  E,  jacquinifcflora,  and  the  closely 
related  Poinsettias,  are  really  only  floral  appen- 
dages, or,  in  other  words,  the  involucral  bracts 
which  precede  the  true  flowers.  To  the  uninitiated 


222 


THE    GARDEN 


[Sept.  13,  1884. 


an  examiDation  of  the  flowers  of  the  above  plants 
will  reveal  an  interesting  character  of  the  Spurge- 
worts,  the  true  flowers  of  every  one  of  which  are 
insignificant,  and  it  is  only  when  the  involucre  is 
large  and  brightly  coloured  that  the  Euphorbias 
find  favour  as  garden  plants.  E.  punicea  is  a 
strong-growing,  fleshy-stemmed  kind,  with  leaves 
like  some  of  the  Sempervivums.  The  bracts  of 
this  species  are  large  and  leaf-like,  and  form 
a  whorl  all  round  the  little  bunch  of  small  yellow 
flowers,  which  are  produced  in  the  tops  of  the 
strongest  shoots.  These  bracts  are  bright  scarlet 
in  colour.  A  plant  of  the  above  is  now  in  flower 
in  the  succulent  house  at  Kew. 

Ixora  macrothyrea.—  We  find  that  the 
magnificent  Ixora  now  flowering  in  the  Victoria 
house  at  Kew,  and  noted  in  The  Gakden  last 
week  under  the  name  of  I.  Dufli,  is  referred  to  the 
plant  of  the  above  name,  of  which  specimens  are 
contained  in  the  Kew  herbarium.  The  name 
Dufli  appears  to  have  been  given  to  this  plant  by 
its  introducers,  the  Messrs.  Veitch,  who  imported 
and  distributed  it  several  years  ago  under  that 
name.  How  so  fine  a  plant  has  failed  to  find  its 
way  to  popular  favour  (we  do  not  remember  to 
have  seen  it  elsewhere  than  at  Kew)  anyone  who 
has  seen  it  as  it  is  now  at  Kew  would  be  puzzled 
to  explain.  The  strong  woody  habit  and  tendency 
of  the  branches  to  grow  inordinately  long  before 
flowering  may  have  been  obstacles  to  the  proper 
testing  of  the  species,  for  we  can  easily  imagine  a 
cultivator  that  loved  to  have  Ixoras  bushy  and 
symmetrical  pinching  and  pruning  the  shoots  of 
this  Ixora,  and  so  sacrificing  the  enormous  heads 
of  flower  which  are  apparently  only  developed  on 
strong  woody  growths.  Treated  liberally,  and  when 
two  or  three  shoots  are  obtained  on  each  plant 
allowed  to  grow  on  without  further  pinching,  I. 
macrothyrfa  will  yield  in  the  autumn  its  large 
bunches  of  handsome  flowers  at  the  end  of  the 
shoots  ;  and  such  flowers  they  are,  too  !  large  as  the 
largest  Cauliflower  and  as  lovely  to  look  upon  as 
the  latter  is  excellent  to  eat.  Vt'e  recommend  I. 
maorotbyrsa  as  a  first-rate  exhibition  plant. 


WORK  DONE  IN  WEEK  ENDING 
SEPTEMBER  10. 

September  t. — At  last  there  has  been  sufficient 
rain  to  thoroughly  soak  the  ground— 106  inches 
since  9  a.m.  yesterday  morning.  It  has  been  salva- 
tion to  the  winter  greens,  the  last  batch  of  which, 
Leamington  and  Late  Queen  Broccoli,  was  planted 
to-day,  and  the  remainder  of  the  earlier  plantings 
earthed  up.  Celery,  too,  has  been  earthed  up, 
prior  to  doing  which  all  the  small  leaves  were 
pulled  off,  then  each  plant  was  tied  up  closely 
with  matting  to  prevent  soil  getting  between  the 
leaves,  a  plan  that  enables  earthing  to  be  done 
far  more  rapidly  than  by  the  more  common 
method  of  holding  the  leaves  together  with  one 
hand  whilst  the  soil  is  pushed  in  by  the  other ;  the 
matting  is  cut  as  soon  as  earthing  is  done,  otherwise 
the  central  stems  would  grow  deformed.  Weeding 
between  rows  of  Peas  and  Carrots,  and  sowing 
Mustard  and  Cress  and  rolling  the  walks  filled  up 
the  day's  work  as  regards  the  kitchen  garden.  In  the 
flower  department  Brompton  Stocks  were  planted 
in  clumps  of  three  and  five  in  the  moreopen  parts  of 
herbaceous  borders,  and  a  batch  to  supply  cut 
flowers  on  a  south  border  in  the  kitchen  garden. 
A  few  Canterbury  Bells  and  Wallflowers  were  also 
planted  out  and  the  remainder  of  the  seedlings 
pricked  out,  the  bulk  of  them  to  stand  thus  thickly 
— about  C  inches  apart — till  spring,  and  others  to 
be  planted  out  in  mixed  borders  as  soon  as  time 
and  space  for  doing  them  can  be  found. 

Sbptembeh  5. — Thedampistelling  adverselyon 
ripe  Grapes  ;  some  over-ripe  Hamburghs  we  find  it 
necessary  to  look  overdaily.as  one  berry  soon  taints 
a  half-dozen.  Where  there  are  good  Grape  rooms 
such  fruit  would  be  best  cut,  and  we  intend  to  set 
about  preparing  the  room  for  them.  Full  day 
light  is  being  given  to  Muscats  by  drawing  aside  the 
foliage,  the  shading  of  whiting  that  was  applied 
two  or  three  weeks  ago  having  been  washed  off, 
and  all  the  Pine  pit-lights  have  had  a  thorough 
washing  outside  and  in,  as  from  this  time  forth  all 


light  that  can  be  had  is  just  so  much  the  more 
favourable  to  stocky  growth.  All  the  plants  were 
watered  to-day,  the  fruiters  being  given  manure 
water — cow  manure.  Potting  of  succession  stock 
mill  be  done  next  week,  and  therefore  these  were 
extra  well  soaked,  as  it  is  necessary  that  the  balls 
should  be  well  moistened  through  before  being  put 
into  larger  pots.  Water  at  a  temperature  of 
80°;  in  fact  this  is  the  minimum  point  that  we  like 
to  apply  it.  Propagation  of  bedding  plants  is  still 
the  general  work  connected  with  the  houses  ;  all 
soft-wooded  plants  have  now  been  got  in.  Pelar- 
goniums are  now  being  finished,  these  last  batches 
being  put  directly  in  boxes  in  which  they  are  in- 
tended to  winter,  and  are  for  the  present  stood  in 
the  full  sunshine.  Being  showery,  all  outdoor 
hands  were  kept  mowing  round  trees  and  shrubs 
that  could  not  be  done  by  the  machine  mower. 

September  6. — The  mowing  done  yesterday 
has  all  been  cleared  up,  and  edgings  and  verges 
in  flower  garden  mown  and  clipped  and  the  beds 
picked  over.  The  rain  has  made  the  flowers  look 
very  wretched,  and  now  the  great  merit  of  foliage 
bedding  comes  to  the  front ;  for  these  arrange- 
ments both  as  to  dwarf  carpeting  plants  and 
large  sub- tropicals  are  bright ;  nay,  I  think  brighter 
than  before  the  rain.  Some  of  the  tall  growers 
have  had  a  tie  to  their  stakes,  and  a  few  of  the 
inner  leaves,  through  overcrowding  having  turned 
yellow,  have  been  cut  off.  The  flowers  have  been 
picked  off  succulents,  and  the  side  shoots  of 
Echeverias  and  Sempervivums  pulled  oflt  for  in- 
create  of  stock.  Single  Dahlias  have  been  cleared 
of  seed-pods ;  they  are  now  in  great  beauty.  The 
rain  has  had  marvellous  efEects ;  increased  size  and 
abundance  of  flowers  from  what  they  were  a  fort- 
night ago  is  something  remarkable.  Our  best 
varieties  are  Canary  (yellow).  White  Queen, 
Paragon  (striped  maroon).  Gracilis  perfecta  (scar- 
let), and  Harold  (pink).  Juarezi,the  scarlet  Cactus, 
and  Constance,  which  is  called  white  Cactus,  but 
has  nothing  in  common  with  the  scarlet  kind,  are 
two  excellent  companion  varieties  to  the  single 
kinds.  The  newly  introduced  old  kind,  Formo- 
sissima  picta  (scarlet  with  yellow  stripe  down 
centre  of  petal)  is  a  great  disappointment,  as  not 
one  per  cent,  of  the  flowers  comes  truly  striped. 
The  general  clearing  up  in  and  about  the  houses 
to-day  included  the  renewal  of  gravel  for  the  floors 
that  are  not  pared,  also  the  washing  of  flooring 
trellis,  doors,  and  ends  of  houses ;  cobwebs  about 
glass  and  woodwork,  and  weeds  on  inside  borders 
are  rarely  tolerated  for  more  than  a  few  days  to- 
gether. Saturday  usually  sees  the  end  of  them 
and  to-day  they  got  an  extra  attention. 

September  8. — The  cyclone  of  yesterday  has 
made  to-day  an  extra  busy  one,  and  yet  nothing 
has  been  done  other  than  sweeping  up  sticks  and 
leaves  and  tying  up  tall  plants  that  were  broken 
down.  Abutilons,  Acacias,  Dahlias,  Hemps,  Eu- 
calyptus, Castor-oils  have  all  suffered  more  or  less, 
but  the  injury  will  do  some  good  by  way  of  warn- 
ing to  keep  us  on  the  alert  for  other  storms  with 
which  we  may  shortly  expect  to  be  visited ;  for 
preparedness  as  regards  supports  to  all  plants  will 
now  form  a  part  of  our  daily  programme  of 
operations. 

September  9. — "  A  calm  after  a  s'torm  "  indeed, 
this  has  been  just  the  sort  of  day  one  works  with 
greatest  pleasure.  There  has  been  sufficient  sun- 
shine to  keep  one  cheerful,  and  yet  not  so  hot  as  to 
make  toil  burdensome.  Finished  cleaning  up  and 
rolled  walks.  Put  in  cuttings  of  Pinks,  Phloxes, 
Antirrhinums,  and  Pentstemons.  llandlights 
placed  on  a  border  having  an  eastern  aspect 
shelter  the  cuttings,  and  will  be  ample  protection 
for  the  winter  also.  Layers  of  Pinks  and  Carna- 
tions have  been  severed  from  the  parent  plants 
and  top-dressed  with  fresh  soil,  and  as  soon  as  the 
soil  is  filled  with  roots,  the  plants  will  be  carefully 
divided  and  planted  in  permanent  beds  or  clumps. 
As  a  rule  it  is  better  to  defer  planting  them  out 
till  the  severity  of  winter  is  passed.  Strawberry 
plants  in  pots  have  been  weeded  and  divested  of 
runners.  We  never  allow  them  to  suffer  for  lack 
of  water,  or  to  stand  suificiently  long  on  one  spot 
for  the  roots  to  enter  the  ground,  and  to  prevent 


the  latter,  the  pots  when  being  weeded  are  lifted 
up  and  the  roots  protruding  from  the  bottom  are 
rubbed  off.  Generally,  Strawberry  plants  are  left 
standing  too  thickly  together,  the  necessary  conse- 
quence of  such  over-crowding  being  long  foot- 
stalks to  the  leaves  and  sappy,  unripened  crowns. 
Strawberries  in  the  open  ground  have  for  the 
second  time  been  gone  over,  for  the  purpose  of  re- 
moving runners,  and  the  last  batch  has  been 
planted.  The  ground  is  in  a  most  favourable  con- 
dition for  doing  such  work,  and  there  is  little  fear 
but  that  this  last  planted  lot  will  do  equally  well 
as  those  planted  five  or  six  weeks  ago.  There 
being  so  little  fruit,  the  wood  growth  on  Pears, 
both  on  walls  and  in  t  he  open  quarters,  has  been  ab 
normally  large,  and,  contrary  to  our  usual  practice, 
we  are  cutting  them  as  late  as  the  present  date, 
though  not  so  short  as  was  done  a  month  ago,  and 
we  would  have  let  them  alone  altogether  were  it 
not  that  the  long  breastwood  shades  many  of  the 
best  fruit  buds,  which  it  is  necessary  should 
have  all  the  light  and  sun  possible  to  plump  them 
up ;  therefore,  the  growth  is  being  but  partially 
cut  away,  the  final  shortening  being  left  till  the 
winter  time.  Plums  on  walls  have  had  the  same 
treatment,  and  the  shoots  of  Peaches  and  Necta- 
rines have  been  finally  thinned  out  and  laid  in  to 
the  walls.  Peaches  have  swelled  greatly  since  the 
rain,  and  I  think  cooler  weather  has  helped  to 
increase  their  size  as  much  as  the  rain,  as  the 
fruit  seemed  to  get  (if  I  may  so  express  it)  hide- 
bound during  the  very  hot  weather,  no  matter  how 
much  water  was  given  them,  an  occurrence  that 
tends  to  favour  shading  in  such  extremely  hot 
weather  as  that  of  the  present  summer.  Protec- 
tion from  wasps  has  still  to  be  done,  but  we  baulk 
them  somewhat  by  gathering  the  fruit  before  it  is 
quite  ripe,  and  it  is  just  as  good  in  flavour,  in 
fact  I  think  better,  and  keeps  far  longer  in  a 
usable  state  than  if  left  to  become  fully  ripe  on 
the  trees. 

September  10. — Potted  Cinerarias  and  Primu- 
las ;  we  only  require  them  for  small  vases,  and 
therefore  5-inch  and  G-inch  pots  only  are  used. 
Cinerarias  are  placed  in  a  cold  pit  having  a 
northern  aspect,  so  that  shading  is  not  necessary, 
as  it  would  be  were  they  in  the  same  pit — one 
having  a  south  aspect — as  Primulas,  which  do  not 
require  shade  after  they  are  well  established  in 
the  soil.  There  is  yet  plenty  of  time  to  obtain 
good  plants  of  both  to  flower  from  January  on- 
wards if  the  seedlings  are  now  strong,  only  the 
plants  will  require  a  little  more  nursing  in  the 
matter  of  warmth  and  watering  than  did  the 
early  sowings.  Cucumbers  showing  signs  of  ex- 
haustion have  had  a  good  dressing  of  fresh  soil 
and  horse  droppings,  after  which  the  bed  had  a 
soaking  with  water  ata  temperature  of  80°.  Weak 
shoots  and  bad  leaves  were  cut  away,  as  also  were 
all  deformed  fruit,  and  as  soon  as  tying  was  com- 
pleted the  whole,  vines  and  glass,  had  a  good 
washing  with  the  sjringe.  The  heat,  top  and 
bottom,  will  now  be  increased,  and  we  shall  look 
tor  full  renewed  vigour  a  week  or  ten  days  hence. 
Ridge  and  frame  Cucumbers  are  almostt  done  for 
this  year,  and  some  of  them  are  being  cleared 
out  that  the  frames  may  be  got  ready  for 
winter-flowering  Violets,  Violas,  Pansies,  and  Cal- 
ceolaria cuttings.  The  laterals  on  Lady  Downes 
and  Alicante  Vines  have  again  been  stopped.  The 
shoots  are  left  at  as  great  a  length  as  there  is 
space  for  them  without  unduly  shading  of  fruit 
and  principal  spurs.  Mildew  has  attacked  some 
young  Vines  that  were  planted  in  the  spring,  and 
in  hope  of  destroying  it  the  stems  have  been 
painted  with  sulphur  mixed  with  water  to  the 
thickness  of  paint.  Dry  sulphur  has  also  been 
scattered  about  the  house  freely,  and  the  border 
has  had  a  thorough  drenching,  appliances  that 
we  doubt  not  will  end  further  mischief  by  destroy- 
ing the  pest.  Sweeping  up  mown  Grass,  cutting 
Grass  verges  and  edgings  of  walks,  and  weeding 
shrubbery  clumps,  and  keeping  the  bedded-out 
garden  in  neat  trim  condition  by  picking  over  the 
plants,  both  as  regards  removal  of  bad  flowers  and 
repression  of  growth  to  maintain  the  designs  true 
as  when  the  beds  were  first  planted,  has  been  our 
principal  outside  doings  to-day.  Hants. 


Sett.  13,    1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


223 


WOODSTOCK  GAKDEXS,  CO.  KILKENNY. 
I  HAVE  been  to  see  many  gardens  in  Ireland  and 
elsewhere  of  late  years,  and  in  too  many  cases 
the  establishment  had  been  reduced  to  a  mini- 
mum ;  the  flower-beds  had  been  turfed  over,  and 
where  order,  regularity,  and  perfect  cleanliness 
once  prevailed,  the  head  gardener  often  made  some 
excuse  for  not  taking  the  visitor  farther.  Therefore 
it  is  a  pleasure  to  see  a  model  show  garden  such 
as  Woodstock  is  where  there  has  been  no  falling 
away,  wherevisitors  arealways  welcome,  and  where 
a  dozen  picnic  parties  may  often  b3  seen  at  one 
time.  Upwards  of  a  dozen  years  ago  I  drove  over 
from  New  Ross,  Co.  Wexford,  to  see  the  Right.  Hon 
Colonel  Tighe's  famous  place.  I  well  remember 
seeing  the  demesne,  which  contains  about  1800 
acres,  and  stretches  about  three  miles  along  the 
gracefully  winding  Nore,  dotted  here  and  there  with 
a  number  of  pleasure  parties.  The  worthy  gentle- 
man walked  about  unattended  and  unobserved. 
"  enjoying  bliss  by  seeing  his  fellows  blessed.'' 
Many  things  have  passed  since.  This  admirable 
type  of  the  country  gentleman  has  passed  away, 
to  the  inexpressible  grief  of  a  numerous  and 
attached  tenantry. 

The  social  revolution  that  has  shivered  the  re- 
lations between  landlord  and  tenant  in  so  many 
cases  in  Ireland  of  recent  years  has  blown  over 
Woodstock  too,  but  has  left  everything  as  before. 
The  same  kindly  relations  locally  ;  the  same  mas- 
sive gates  open  to  all  the  public ;  and  one  of  the  first 
things  that  struck  me  as  our  party  drove  over  from 
Carlow  and  neared  the  gardens— the  same  old 
garden  hands  in  most  cases  I  remembered  years 
before,  that,  like  the  village  preacher,  "  never 
changed  or  wished  to  change  their  place." 

The  houses  number  nearly  a  score.  Melons 
here  are  well  grown  in  frames  or  hotbeds,  and  none 
are  more  certain  in  bearing  than  Munro's  Little 
Heath.  But  this  method  cannot  be  regulated 
in  regard  to  temperature  with  the  same  certainty 
as  a  specially  heated  Melon  house  or  pit, 
where  the  vines  can  be  trained  against  the 
glass.  In  this  way  Mr.  Gray,  the  gardener,  had 
the  fine  variety  Blenheim  Orange,  which  he  con- 
siders one  of  the  surest  setters  and  finest  scarlet- 
fleshed  Melon  in  cultivation.  In  addition  to  this 
he  grows  here,  too,  a  seedling  he  has  raised  from 
Little  Heath,  combining  all  the  good  qualities 
of  both  those  named.  The  zonal  Pelargonium 
house  was  a  brilliant  sight,  a  regular  stock  being 
maintained  for  succession,  so  that  next  Christmas 
it  wUl  be  equally  gay.  The  roof,  too,  was  bright 
with  the  vigorous,  almost  perpetual-blooming, 
Taosonia  Van  Volxemi,  animmense  specimen  cover- 
ing a  house  nearly  100  feet  long.  Two  remark- 
ably good  white  zonals  for  pot  culture  here  is 
found  to  be  Jeanne  d'Arc  and  Fairest  of  the  Fair, 
to  which  may  be  added  Snowball,  candidissimum 
pleium  holding  the  same  position  amongst  double 
whites.  The  freest-blooming  pink  double  which 
I  can  confirm  is  Cannell's  Lord  Mayor ;  whilst 
among  the  single  oculated  commend  me  to  Mrs. 
Naish,  then  Kate  Farner,  and  that  other  Kate  — 
Cireenaway.  This  and  the  supplementary  Pelar- 
gonium houses  are  always  objects  of  great  interest 
to  the  ordinary  visitors ;  but  where  thousands  are 
grown  a  few  hurried  references  cannot  give  an  ac- 
curate idea  of  the  best,  which  in  any  case  would 
vary  with  the  time  of  the  year  and  the  period  al- 
lowed to  bloom — later  blooming  being  the  result 
of  removing  the  flower-buds  at  present.  As  in 
most  show  places,  the  most  brilliant  displays  are 
of  the 

C0LEUSE3  AND  BEGONIAS.  Though  the  former 
seems  to  have  been  elbowed  aside  by  the  latter 
within  the  last  half  dozen  years — I  am  including 
the  foliage  Begonias  with  the  deciduous  tuberous 
kinds — wherever  warm,  bright,  and  vivid  colours 
are  prized  for  nearly  nine  months  of  the  year, 
Coleus  must  find  a  place.  It  is  so  here,  and  the 
newer  varieties  of  King,  Cannell,  Teesdale,  Bull, 
&c.,  have  bsen  drawn  on.  Ernest,  Rosenthal, 
Beauty  of  Chichester,  The  Queen,  and  some  others, 
not  forgetting  Resplendent,  are  some  of  the  best 
that  all  should  have.  The  collection  of  stove  and 
greenhouse  plants  is  of  the  usual  description,  with 
more  than  the  usual  health  and  cleanliness,  the 


latter  being  interspersed  between  the  conservatory, 
cool  ferneries,  and  several  other  houses  open  to  the 
public.  The  large  conservatory  looking  out  on  the 
flower  ground  or  rather  one  of  the  flower  gardens, 
for  there  are  several,  is  a  very  handsome  structure 
externally,  with  the  arms  of  the  family  on  coloured 
glass  at  the  entrance.  The  shape  is  pyramidal 
and  octagonal,  nearly  20  feet  high,  and  contains 
some  fine  specimen  Palms,  Tree  Ferns,  Camellias, 
with  Coleus,  Begonias  (foliage),  Caladiums,  Gloxi- 
nias, Abutilons,  specimen  Fuchsias,  while  among 
the  creepers  I  give  the  preference  to  Hoya  car- 
nosa.  I  was  greatly  puzzled  at  the  door  as  to 
what  gave  the  delicious  scent  that  filled  the  whole 
structure.  It  was  Magnolia  fuscata.  Before  leaving 
the  houses  specially  devoted  to  flowers  I  must  not 
forget  to  notice  a  small  collection  of  Orchids, 
which,  with  Crotons,  Dracaenas,  &:.,  receive  here 
but  a  secondary  attention.  Dendrobiums,  Cat- 
tleyas,  and  Odontoglossums  were,  however,  re- 
presented by  a  few  large  healthy  specimens. 

The  fruit  department,  especially  where 
tolerable  success  has  been  realised,  is  an  object  of 
special  interest  in  such  a  year  as  we  have  passed 
through.  Last  year  in  Ireland  we  had  a  minimum 
of  sunshine,  and  this  seems  synonymous  with  a 
minimum  of  fruit.  On  this  principle  there  should 
be  profusion  next  year.  However,  all  were  not 
blanks  with  Mr.  Gray,  as  he  has  already  noticed 
in  your  columns.  I  am  now  referring  to  outdoor 
and  wall  fruit  unprotected.  It  has  long  since 
been  given  up  expecting  Peaches  to  succeed  un- 
protected here,  so  a  glass  wall  structure  has  been 
erected,  open  underneath  to  give  perfect  ventila- 
tion. Nectarines  and  Apricots  are  similarly  treated. 
However,  the  finest  crop  of  Peaches  I  saw  this 
year  or  last  were  grown  here  at  Minella  under 
sashes  put  on  before  the  flowering  in  March  and 
removed  when  the  fruit  was  set.  I  commend  this 
to  your  readers'  notice.  A  gardener  of  twenty 
years'  experience  agrees  with  me  that  no  such 
flavour  is  ever  obtained  under  glass  as  when  grown 
fully  exposed  thus.  Here  the  finest  and  largest 
Peach  is  Vanguard,  Noblesse,  Mignonne,  and  that 
hardiest  and  surest  of  bearers,  Royal  George, 
coming  next.  Pitmaston  Orange  stands  first  among 
Nectarines,  with  a  fairly  good  crop  trained  on 
curvilinear  wrought  iron,  so  has  to  catch  the  sun- 
shine. The  roots  of  both  go  inside  and  out,  so  as 
to  make  certain  of  feeding  material.  Where  they 
are  wholly  inside,  and  this  applies  to  Vines  also, 
it  is  often  diflScult  to  know  when  a  deluging  of 
water  is  necessary  or  not,  while  if  the  drainage  is 
imperfect,  rotting  of  the  fibrous  roots  is  almost  a 
certainty.  The  sheet  anchor  Vine  here  is  the 
Black  Hamburgh,  with  Buckland  Sweetwater,  Ali- 
cante, and  Gros  Colmar  for  succession.  All  carried 
a  fair,  though  not  exhaustive,  crop  this  season. 
One  of  the  most  successful  Vines  is  the  very  fine 
flavoured  Black  Muscat  of  Alexandria  which  Mr. 
Gray  finds  to  succeed  best  worked  as  hereon  Black 
Hamburgh  stock.  As  elsewhere,  the  stock  of  Pears 
is  much  under  the  average,  there  being  very  few 
exceptions,  Williams'  Bon  Chretien,  Beurru 
d'Amanlis,  Jargonelle,  Swan's  Egg,  and  the  wel- 
come Marie  Louise  being  among  the  number.  Of 
Plums,  Denyer's  Victoria  has  been  the  most  certain 
and  heaviest  cropper.  Mr.  Gray  had  been  remov- 
ing fruit  of  his  for  some  weeks  and  a  heavy  crop 
remained.  Green  Gages,  Golden  Drops,  and  Im- 
peratrice  fell  a  long  distance  behind.  One  of  the 
sights  here  were  two  rows  of  promising  Apple  stan- 
dards. Among  these  the  sorts  Warner's  King, 
Hawthornden,  Stirling  Castle,  the  Irish  Peach 
Apple,  Lord  Suffield,  and  most  of  the  Pippins  bore 
fair  if  not  heavy  crops.  As  in  other  localities,  the 
drought  was  telling  on  the  vegetable  department, 
and  water  was  not  in  plenty  even  for  drawing, 
but  this  has  been  a  standing  difiioulty  over  the 
British  Isles  for  months.  The  oldest  inhabitant 
cannot  remember  a  drier  season.  Into  the  vege- 
table grounds  or  out  the  visitor  can  go  by  means  of 
either  of  four  large,  ornamental,  gilded  gates.  We 
left  on  the  southern,  and  found  ourselves  in  one 
of  the  flower  gardens.  This  is  terraced,  and  each  is 
reached  by  handsome  rows  of  steps  on  each  side, 
extending  the  whole  length  of  the  garden  wall. 
1  Bedding  out  is  still  maintained,  but  with  a  very 


desirable  blending  of  the  more  showy  hardy  peren- 
nials, of  which  Lady  Louisa  Tighe  is  a  pronounced 
patroness.  There  are  four  terraced  gardens  here 
extremely  brilliant.  The  beds  are  edged  with 
Box,  which  is  kept  tidy  and  brings  out  the  design 
forcibly,  between  the  beds  being  handsome  gravel 
walks  of  brownish  quartz.  The  brilliant  colour.i 
of  the  zonals  are  sobered  down  with  the  contrast 
from  Lobelias  (perennial),  Japan  Anemones,  Car- 
nations and  Picotees,  Salvias,  Veronicas,  Stocks, 
Calceolarias,  single  Dahlias,  Begonias,  Phloxes, 
&c.  On  the  eastern  side  are  some  very  curious  de- 
signs in  succulents  and  foliage  plants,  and  further 
on  a  raised  mound  with  star-shaped  beds  and 
walks,  a  curiosity  of  the  place  being  walks  of  blue 
pieces  of  flint.  Further  on  we  came  to  a  cool 
Camellia  house,  off  which  was  a  fernery.  In  this 
last  Todeas  and  Killarney  Ferns  seem  to  enjoy  a 
sort  of  wild  life  without  any  box  or  case.  'This 
and  the  adjoining  rook  cavern  and  fountains  are 
partly  subterranean.  It  would  be  better  to  admit 
at  once  that  no  hurried  description  could  possibly 
convey  an  accurate  impression  of  this  fine  old 
place.  Some  of  the  peculiarities  of  the  place  are 
not  yet  even  referred  to.  The  Red  House,  nearly 
three  miles'  drive  from  the  entrance,  the  general 
rendezvous  of  the  picnic  parties.  The  Rock  Road, 
apparently  a  quarter  of  a  mile  long,  and  flanked 
on  either  side  with  huge  quartz  boulders,  between 
the  interstices  of  which  some  curious  and  half- 
hardy  plants  enjoy  a  happy  existence.  Here  is  a 
fine  specimen  of  Fortune's  Chusan  Palm  (Chamse- 
rops  Fortune!)  planted  out  for  years  and  unpro- 
tected in  winter.  Hydrangea  paniculata,  Vero- 
nicas in  variety,  also  of  Fuchsias,  with,  at  some 
distance.  Bays,  Arbutus,  &c.,  killed  long  since  in 
other  localities.  Parallel  to  this,  and  of  equal 
length,  is  one  of  the  sights  of  the  place — the 
Araucaria  walk.  There  are  not  many  gardens  in 
Ireland,  in  at  least  three  provinces,  that  I  have  not 
seen,  but  nothing  like  this.  The  trees  are  a  consi- 
derable size  and  remarkably  healthy,  and  most  of 
them  are  now  bearing  catkins,  some  male  and 
some  female.  Higher  up  in  the  Conifera;  ground 
is  the  largest  and  oldest  Chili  Pine  in  Ireland,  and 
that  you  have  nothing  to  compare  witli  in  England, 
except  that  at  Dropmore.  The  height  is  upwards 
of  60  feet,  and  at  present  it  bears  immense  female 
cones.  Adjaoenc  is  a  Pinus  cephalonica  81  feet 
high,  said  to  be  the  first  received  in  this  country. 
The  Coniferfe  were  a  speciality  with  the  late  pro- 
prietor, and  any  description  would  be  utterly  be- 
yond your  limits  or  my  ability ;  so  I  will  not 
further  intrude  on  your  space  than  to  acknowledge 
the  courtesy  our  party  received  from  Mr.  Gray. 
C/oiimel.  William  J.  Murphy. 


Alstroemerlaa. — Notwithstanding  the  heat 
and  drying  winds  that  we  have  lately  had,  hardy 
herbaceous  plants  have  been  able  to  hold  their  own, 
and  many  of  them  more  than  that,  for  they  have 
been  very  fine  this  season,  and  especially  is  this  so 
with  Alstroemerias,  which  are  now,  and  have  been 
for  some  time  past,  quite  a  sight.  The  best  way 
to  treat  them  is  to  have  them  in  masses,  and  no 
place  is  more  suitable  for  this  than  a  border  in 
front  of  a  south  wall  or  fence,  where  they  can 
have  shelter  and  warmth,  as  not  only  does  the 
winter,  when  sharp,  affect  them,  but  they  get  out 
by  spring  frosts  or  cold  winds  when  making  thei 
young  shoots,  which  they  do  early,  and  are  then 
rather  tender.  In  cold  heavy  lands  it  is  useless 
attempting  to  cultivate  them  without  making  and 
preparing  a  bed,  which  should  be  done  by  digging 
out  the  soil  a  yard  or  so  deep,  and  draining  the 
bottom  by  putting  in  a  layer  of  broken  bricks,  or 
some  other  loose  open  material,  to  draw  off  the 
water,  as  then  the  tubers  are  left  in  a  comfortable 
state  when  dormant,  and  instead  of  rotting  and 
dying,  they  then  keep  sound,  and  are  able  to 
start  with  great  strength  in  the  spring.  To  keep 
the  interstices  of  the  drainage  open,  it  is  a  good 
plan  to  throw  some  half  rotten  manure  over  it, 
when  the  bed  or  border  should  be  filled  in  with 
light  sharp  sandy  soil,  mixed  up  and  prepared  for 
the  purpose.  The  planting  may  be  done  at  any 
time,  as  the  plants  have  to  be  supplied  in  pots 
when  growing,  after  which  they  may  be  obtained 


224 


THE    GARDEN 


[Sept.  13,  1884. 


in  a  dry  state  at  rest,  and  are  then  best  left  till  the 
month  of  March  or  April,  when  they  should  be 
placed  in  the  ground  G  inches  deep  and  lightly 
covered,  that  the  young  shoots  may  easily  find 
their  way  through.  All  the  after  attention  a  bed 
or  border  so  arranged  and  started  will  require  is 
to  be  kept  clear  of  weeds,  and  every  autumn  have 
a  surface  dressing  of  half  rotten  leaves,  which  will 
keep  the  frost  from  getting  down  and  damaging 
the  tubers.  Managed  in  this  way,  the  plants 
improve  year  by  year,  and  quite  crowd  the  ground 
with  their  stems,  which  bear  large  heads  of 
variously  coloured,  spotted  lovely  Lily-like  flowers 
that  last  long  in  perfection,  and  are  of  great  value 
for  cutting,  as  they  stand  well  in  water  and  make 
a  fine  snow.  Alstroemerias  may  be  raised  and 
quickly  established  from  seed,  which  should  either 
be  sown  where  the  plants  are  to  remain,  or  in 
small  pots,  and  afterwards  turned  out,  as  it  is  a 
difficult  matter  to  transplant,  so  deeply  do  the 
fleshy  roots  penetrate  and  scatter  about.— S.  D. 


DOUBLE  DELPHINIUMS. 
To  what  extent  these  are  grown  about  the  country 
I  do  not  know,  but  from  their  hardy  nature  and 
excellent  decorative  qualities  they  deserve  a  wide- 
patronage.  I  find  them  just  the  plants  for  con- 
spicuous places  in  the  mixed  borders,  ns  they  reach 
to  a  height  of  3  feet  and  4  feet,  and  what  makes 
them  still  more  valuable  where  there  is  a  good 
representative  collection,  they  embrace  colours 
that  are  scarce  through  the  summer  months 
amongst  hardy  plants,  as  the  colours  range  from 
the  most  lovely  sky-blue  to  the  richest  purple,  and 
their  value  is  further  enhanced  by  the  length  of 
time  the  different  varieties  continue  in  flower.  I 
had  four  sorts  in  blossom  early  in  June  and  their 
flowers  continued  in  good  condition  for  three 
weeks ;  since  then  others  have  succeeded  them,  and 
at  the  time  of  writing  (August  20)  I  have  out  of 
twelve  sorts  three  now  in  flower.  The  first  to 
flower  was  Mozart ;  this  is  a  lovely  variety  with 
rosette-like  flowers  thickly  studded  on  the  stem, 
the  colour  being  a  pale  sky-blue,  quite  distinct 
from  any  flower  X  am  acquainted  with ;  ranuncu- 
lii^Borum,  Madame  II.  Jaootot,  and  Prince  of  Wales 
all  flowered  at  the  same  time.  The  following  four 
sorts  flowered  in  July :  Leon  Dubois,  Sphere, 
Herman  Stenger,  and  Dick  Sand.  The  last  named 
is  a  striking  plant  with  rich  purple  flowers. 

The  varieties  now  in  blossom  consist  of  Ma- 
dame W.  Schaub,  Agamemnon,  imbricatum,  celes- 
tinum,  and  Nymphc ;  this  last  is  the  lightest  in 
colour  of  all,  the  colour  being  a  bluish  white.  Some 
of  these  have  only  semi-double  flowers,  and  the 
darkest  coloured  varieties  have  a  few  small  white 
petals  in  the  centre  of  every  flower.  As  regards 
cultural  details,  they  seem  to  be  very  easily  man- 
aged, as  I  find  they  will  thrive  in  any  fairly  rich 
garden  soil.  The  greatest  drawback  is  with  those 
with  very  double  flowers,  which  can  only  be  in 
creased  by  division.  Those  with  semi-double 
flowers  seed  freely.  When  seed  can  be  obtained 
few  plants  are  easier  raised.  I  like  to  sow  it  as 
soon  as  it  is  ripe  in  a  deep  pan,  and  place  the  pan 
in  a  pit  or  frame.  I  have  just  sown  the  seed  of 
such  as  we  have ;  the  seedlings  will  be  up  in  a  few 
days,  and  I  shall  encourage  them  to  grow  by  keep- 
ing them  under  glass.  They  will  continue  to  grow 
up  to  the  end  of  November,  when  they  will  begin 
to  go  to  rest.  They  will  remain  in  the  cold  frame 
without  any  attention  up  to  the  middle  of  April, 
when  they  will  be  shaken  out  of  the  soil  and  then 
planted  out  in  a  reserve  border  for  one  year  to 
gain  strength  before  they  are  planted  where  they 
are  to  flower.  I  find  this  is  a  better  plan  than 
risking  the  small  plants  to  the  mercy  of  the  slugs 
in  the  mixed  borders,  for  I  find  it  diflicult  to  keep 
these  depredators  away  from  strong  established 
plants,  much  less  from  little  ones.  Next  to 
Dahlias,  I  think  slugs  prefer  Delphiniums  to  any- 
thing else.  If  1  had  to  sow  the  seed  in  the  spring 
I  would  prefer  to  sow  it  in  the  open,  as  then  the 
plants  would  start  away  without  any  check,  but 
there  is  a  decided  gain  by  sowing  as  soon  as  the 
seed  is  ripe,  as  then  all  the  plants  will  flower  in 
the  ensuing  summer,  so  that  if  it  is  desired  the 


colours  can  be  arranged  while  they  are  in  the  trial 
ground.  J.  C.  C. 

MUTISIA  DECUPvRENS. 
The  fact  of  this  beautiful  climber  flourishing  as 
an  outdoor  plant  so  far  north  as  Lochgilphead 
(p.  198)  proves  what  I  have  long  suspected,  viz., 
that  it  may  be  grown  anywhere  in  the  British 
Isles  as  a  hardy  wall  plant,  provided  a  suitable 
soil  and  situation  can  be  found  for  it.  Some  years 
ago  I  saw  the  plant  in  a  healthy  condition  growing 
against  a  greenhouse  wall  in  Gloucestershire,  and 
I  have  heard  of  it  as  thriving  outdoors  in  two  other 
places  ;  we  may  therefore  conclude  that  it  is  only 
for  the  want  of  the  trial  that  we  do  not  find  it  in 
similar  situations  in  other  gardens.  The  trial  is 
surely  worth  making,  as  it  is  one  of  the  showiest 
of  orange-coloured  flowers  we  have.  I  do  not  think, 
however,  that  the  present  season  is  the  best  for 
planting  it  out,  particularly  if  the  plants  have  been 
protected  under  glass  until  now,  and  I  think  that 
the  trial  should  not  be  made  until  spring,  unless  in 
cases  where  plants  are  to  spare.  Whenever  the 
old  plants  are  planted  out,  it  would  be  well  to 
secure  young  stock  in  case  of  an  accident  to  the 
old  plant,  and  as  Mr.  F.  W.  Burbidge,  in  a  recent 
number  of  TfiE  Garden,  refers  to  my  success  in 
propagating  it,  I  may  as  well  state  how  that  suc- 
cess was  secured. 

As  is  usual  in  most  matters  which  puzzle  experts, 
the  solution  is  very  simple  when  worked  out  in  a 
proper  manner,  and  with  my  plan  of  striking 
Mutisia  decurrens  I  never  had  a  failure  from  the 
time  I  first  took  it  in  hand,  although  many  good 
propagators  never  had  a  successful  strike  of  it. 
Some  years  ago,  having  a  large  plant  of  it,  and 
remarking  the  many  side  shoots  which  it  always 
sends  out  from  the  main  stem,  I  thought  they 
ought  to  root  freely  if  placed  in  a  proper  situa- 
tion. Noting  the  dense  woolly  covering  to  the 
young  growths,  it  occurred  to  me  that  the  cause  of 
other  people's  failures  was  the  putting  in  of  the 
cuttings  in  cases  or  in  hothouses,  and  the  con- 
sequent collecting  of  damp  on  this  woolly  covering. 
I  therefore  took  off  the  stoutest  cuttings  close 
down  to  the  main  stem  (with  a  heel),  put  them 
into  small  2.|-inch  pots,  which  had  been  previously 
prepared  and  well  watered,  and  placed  them  be- 
side the  old  plant  in  a  shady,  but  airy.  Camellia 
house  and  left  them  without  any  further  protec- 
tion. I  did  not  water  them  for  several  day.s  as 
the  soil  in  the  pots  was  damp  enough  to  keep 
them  up  for  that  time.  In  about  three  weeks 
they  were  well  rooted  without  a  miss.  After- 
wards I  struck  many  in  the  same  open  situation, 
both  cuttings  and  suckers,  simply  by  sticking 
them  in  the  soil  in  which  the  old  plant  was  potted 
and  there  leaving  them  until  they  began  to  root, 
and  then  potting  them. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  there  is  no  cleverness 
required  in  striking  Mutisia  decurrens,  whatever 
merit  may  be  attached  to  conceiving  the  proper 
method  thereof.  I  always  found  the  plant  dis- 
liked fine  soil,  and  so  I  merely  rubbed  the  soil  for 
putting  the  cuttings  in  through  the  hands,  leaving 
the  fibre  in  it.  The  best  soil  for  Mutisia  decurrens 
is  turfy  loam  and  silver  sand,  and  in  planting  it 
out  it  would  be  well  to  make  a  small  bed  of  this 
compost  for  it.  James  O'Bkien. 


Good  distinct  Ivies.— Judging  by  the  very 
general  and  exclusive  use  of  the  common  Ivy  as  a 
covering  for  bare  walls,  one  may,  perhaps,  be 
excused  for  preaching  once  more  from  that  old 
text,  "  variety  is  charming."  It  is  especially  so 
with  Ivy,  and  seeing  that  we  have  at  least  a  dozen 
good  distinct  green-leaved  kinds  of  robust  habit, 
this  monotony  is  all  the  less  excusable.  As  a 
robust  growing  kind,  perhaps  none  can  rival  the 
Irish  Ivy  (Hedera  oanariensis),  but  other  fine- 
leaved  kinds,  such  as  H.  Raigneriana,  H.  Glynni, 
and  H.  dentata,  should  also  be  employed  more 
ge  lerally  than  is  at  present  the  case.  The  large 
leaved  golden  judiciously  planted  here  and  there 
among  green-leaved  kinds  shines  out  like  a  gleam 
of  sunshine.  H.  atro-purpurea  contrasts  well  with 
this,  or  with  the  dwarf  silvery-leaved  kinds  on  low 
walls  or  stumps  near  the  house.  — F.  W.  B. 


TREES  AND  Shrubs. 

NOTES  ON  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 

Spiraea  Douglasi  is  one  of  the  most  distinct 
of  the  numerous  Spiraeas  now  grown  in  gardens.  It 
has  long,  shortly-stalked  leaves,  which  are  dark 
green  above  and  covered  beneath  with  a  white 
tomentum.  The  flowers  are  red  and  borne  in 
rather  dense  panicles.  The  species  is  quite  hardy, 
and  attains  a  height  of  from  5  feet  to  7  feet ; 
it  is  quite  at  home  in  almost  any  soil  or  situation, 
and  when  in  flower  is  a  great  ornament  in  any 
shrubbery. 

The  Weeping  LocuBt.— Under  the  name 
of  Robinia  Pseudacacia  pendula  there  is  a  dis- 
tinct form  of  the  deservedly  popular  Locust  tree 
in  the  Ivew  arboretum.  The  general  direction  of 
the  branches  is  upward,  but  the  tips  are  some- 
what pendulous.  The  principal  character,  how- 
ever, resides  in  the  leaves,  and  the  curl  of  these  is 
so  marked  as  to  give  a  decided  and  peculiar 
aspect  to  the  tree.  Even  at  a  considerable  dis- 
tance the  different  colour,  caused  by  the  glaucous 
under  surface  of  the  leaves,  is  conspicuous  enough 
to  very  superficial  observers.  As  as  ornamental 
subject  fur  the  park  or  pleasure  ground  this  form 
is  thoroughly  worth  growing. 

The  first  "Wellingtonia.— Not  the  least 
interesting  among  the  minor  objects  at  the  Fo- 
restry Exliibition  in  Edinburgh  is  the  dried  twig 
of  the  Mammoth  Tree,  Wellingtonia  (Sequoia) 
gigantea,  that  was  first  sent  to  this  country.  This 
specimen  may  be  seen  in  Messrs.  Veitch's  case  of 
dried  botanical  specimens.  The  twig  was  gathered 
by  Jlr.  Lobb  in  the  Calaveras  Grove  when  explor- 
ing California  on  Messrs.  Veitch's  behalf.  The 
collection  of  cones  of  Mexican  Pines  from  trees 
grown  in  Lady  RoUe's  famous  arboretum  at  Bicton, 
Devonshire,  was  also  very  interesting.  Many  of 
these  Pines,  however,  are,  it  is  feared,  scarcely 
hardy  enough  for  general  cultivation. 

The  Ceanothuses. — Beautiful  as  are  most 
of  the  species  of  Ceanothus,  their  liability  to  be 
killed  during  severe  winters  has  doubtless  caused 
them  to  have  been  to  a  great  extent  forsaken  and 
neglected.  A  good  many  of  the  very  numerous 
seedlings  which  have  been  raised  of  late  years  in 
Continental  nurseries  are,  however,  distinctly  de- 
sirable plants  for  general  cultivation.  A  rather 
wide  range  of  colour,  from  pure  white  to  blue  and 
reddish  purple,  has  now  been  obtained,  and  these 
seedlings  are  nfuch  hardier  than  most  of  the  true 
species.  It  is  true  that  they  are  cut  back  now  and 
then,  but  they  readily  spring  up  again  from  the 
roots  and  flower  freely  enough  the  same  season. 
This  remark  applies  to  countries  where  the  winters 
are  much  more  severe  than  in  England.  What 
ornamental  objects  these  hybrid  Ceanothus  make, 
and  how  useful  they  are  for  garden  decoration 
during  the  summer  and  autumn  months,  is  evident 
enough  to  anyone  who  has  seen  the  fine  set  in 
the  Royal  Horticultural  Society's  gardens  at 
Chiswick. 

The  Blue  Ash.  —  Amongst  the  numerous 
exotic  timber  trees  which  it  might  be  worth  the 
while  of  planters  to  try  in  many  places  through- 
out Britain  is  Fraxinus  quadrangulata,  one  of  the 
most  distinct  of  the  North  American  Ashes.  In 
the  "  Penny  Cyclopedia,"  Lindley — who  was 
responsible  for  the  botanical  portion  of  that  work 
— states  that  the  species  now  spoken  of  is  one  of 
the  most  unsuitable  for  this  climate.  Loudon, 
however,  says  nothing  against  its  character,  and 
we  have  seen  it  growing  vigorously  enough  in 
many  places.  In  the  United  States  it  occurs  in  dry 
or  most  rich  woods  from  Michigan  and  Wisconsin 
south  to  Northern  Alabama.  The  timber  is  said 
to  be  equal  to  that  of  the  White  Ash  (F.  ameri- 
cana),  and  the  trees  attain  a  large  size.  This 
species  is  readily  distinguished  from  other  Ashes 
by  the  square  stems  of  the  young  shoots,  a  distinct 
wing  occurring  at  each  of  the  angles  ;  the  leaflets, 
which  are  from  seven  to  nine  in  number,  are 
sharply  serrated,  shortly  stalked,  and  green  on 
both  surfaces.  As  an  ornamental  tree  it  is  inferior 
to  the  White  Ash.  Q- 


Sept.    13    1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


225 


AN  AVENUE  OF  SCOTCH  FIRS. 
OSB  is  apt  to  assnme  that  only  certain  types  of 
trees  are  fitted  for  avenues,  and  we  dare  say  many 


tive  Firs  affords  an  effect  better  than  mostavennes. 
It  wai  only  on  visiting  Sir  W.  Marriott  that  we 
first  saw  a  regular  Fir  avenue,  and  a  very  beauti- 


old  and  good,  while  here  and  there  a  break  occtirs 
which  aids  the  effect. 
In  planting  avenues  of  conifers,  serious,  and  oc- 


Avenve  of  Scotch  Firs  at  Sir  IT.  Marriott's,  The  Doum  Hcuxe,  Dorset.    Engraved  from  a  photograph  hij  Henry  Stevens. 


would  fail  to  see  the  good  qualities  of  this  noble 
tree  for  avenue  planting.  We  at  one  time  had 
not  thought  of  it  much  ourselves,  though  occa- 
Bionally  by  a  country  road  a  noble  line  of  our  na- 


ful  thing  it  is  among  the  various  charms  of  his  casionally  hideous,  mistakes  have  been  made  ! 
place.  It  stretches  away  from  behind  the  house,  j  Planting  the  fashionable  conifers  in  avenues  is 
the  stems  often  clad  with  Ivy  and  the  ground  one  of  the  surest  ways  to  ill  effect  and  failure,  A 
with  turf.    This  aids  the  charm.    The  trees  are  I  case  in  point  is  or  was  Madresfield.   Happily,  the 


226 


THE     GARDEN 


[Sept.  13,  1884. 


trees  do  not  live  long,  so  there  is  a  chance  of  un- 
doing the  harm.  Wobarn,  too,  was  partially 
spoiled  by  an  avenue  of  Arauoarias.  No  one  need 
fear  failure  with  our  well-tried  Scotch  Fir.  In 
cases  where  there  was  not  room  for  a  broad-spread- 
ing summer-leafing  tree,  the  Kir  would  often  suit. 
Acommon  mistakeisnotallowing  half  room  enough 
for  the  avenue  to  attain  its  best  size  or  efEect. 

Our  illustration  is  engraved  from  an  excellent 
photograph  taken  recently  by  Mr.  Henry  Stevens, 

of  King  Street,  Covent  Garden,  while  on  a  visit  to 

The  Down  House. 


FRUIT    GARDEN. 

FOXY  GRAPES  THE  BEST  FLAVOURED. 
I  WAS  pleased  on  reading  "  Scot's  "  remarks  on 
this  subject  (see  p.  202),  because  here  I  have 
had,  for  the  past  two  year.s,  a  precisely  parallel 
instance  in  one  of  our  vineries.  I  was  pleased 
also  to  find  that  I  had  had  company  in  my  misfor- 
tune, for  this  I  considered  it  to  be.  I  should, 
however,  have  been  far  better  pleased  if  "  Scot " 
had  defined  the  condition  of  atmosphere  conducive 
to  this  peculiar  colouring  of  Grapes.  But  the 
definition  would  be,  I  fancy,  very  difficult.  Be- 
tween the  instance  furnished  by  "  Scot "  and  the 
one  here,  the  only  diiierence  seems  to  be  that  our 
Vines  are  planted  in  the  ordinary  way  in  the  front 
of  the  house,  while  the  others  are  planted  on  the 
back  wall  and  trained  down  the  rafters.  Our 
Vines  are  trained  about  IG  in.  from  the  glass,  and 
the  rods  at  suflicient  distance  apart  as  just  to 
allow  the  laterals  to  meet ;  the  whole  roof  is  there- 
fore entirely  covered  with  foliage. 

"What  I  wish  to  point  out  is  that  my  Grapes  are 
completely  in  the  shade,  as  much  so  as  if  the  rods 
had  been  trained  to  the  back  wall ;  in  fact,  several 
of  the  laterals  are  bent  down  and  tied  to  the 
back  wall  wires,  but  the  colour  is  the  same  through- 
out. In  "  Scot's "  instance,  the  Grapes  on  the 
back  wall  could  not.  I  think,  have  enjoyed  an 
atmosphere  so  much  cooler  and  shade  so  much 
greater  than  those  on  the  rafters  as  to  account  for 
so  much  difference  in  colour. 

I  should  like  to  know  if  the  Vines  "  Scot "  refers 
to  have  in  previous  years  coloured  in  the  manner 
stated,  or  if  this  is  the  lirst  instance  of  it.  I 
quite  agree  with  "  Scot's "  remarks  anent  the 
flavour  of  these  foxy  Grapes,  for  the  samples  that 
I  have  are  far  superior  to  the  same  variety  in  an 
adjoining  house  and  which  are  jet  black ;  they 
are  also  much  thinner  skinned.  But  I  am  not  one 
of  those  who  hold  that  a  bunch  of  Black  Ham- 
burgh Grapes  is  in  fit  condition  for  the  table 
when  the  berries  are  jet  black  and  the  bloom 
perfect.^  It  is  certainly,  so  far  as  finish  and  ap. 
pearance  goes,  but  the  proper  condition  for  the 
table  will  not  have  arrived  until  it  has  hung  at 
least  for  another  three  weeks.  There  is  something 
peculiarly  interesting  in  connection  withtliis  case 
of  foxy  colour  here,  that  I  am  tempted  to  state 
the  case  fully,  as  it  may  prove  of  interest  to 
others. 

The  house  is  a  lean-to,  .50  feet  long  and  rafters 
about  14  feet,  and  faces  due  south.  Three  years 
ago  this  house  carried  a  fair  crop  of  Grapes  to 
perfection,  the  whole  colouring  splendidly.  Two 
years  ago  we  decided  to  divide  the  house,  so  that 
one  half  could  be  started  earlier  than  the  other. 
The  heating  medium  was  four  rows  of  4-inch 
piping  inside,  and  as  the  Vines  were  planted  with 
their  roots  wholly  in  an  outside  border,  a  little 
■warmth  was  kept  up  by  the  aid  of  manure  and 
leaves.  The  Vines  were  started  very  moderately 
about  the  end  of  January.  They  broke  well,  and 
showed  plenty  of  bunches.  They  continued  to  pro- 
gress nicely,  and,  carrying  a  heavy  crop, commenced 
to  colour  in  May.  In  the  early  part  of  June  I 
took  away  the  material  used  on  the  outside  border, 
and  had  no  sooner  done  so  than  the  weather, 
which  previously  had  been  very  fine,  changed, 
and  we  experienced  a  week  or  more  of  very  cold 
and  sunless  weather.  Until  this  season  I  always 
blamed  myself  for  taking  off  that  coveiing,  as  I 
considered    the    Vines    had    daring    that    week 


received  some  sort  of  check  at  their  roots,  suffi- 
cient to  account  for  the  Grapes  not  colouring,  for 
colour  they  would  not.  I  was  greatly  disappointed, 
as  this  was  the  first  instance  I  had  had  in  my 
twenty  years'  experience  of  badly-coloured  Grapes. 
One  day  on  tasting  one— little  more  than  red— I 
was  agreeably  surprised  to  find  it  was  quite  ripe 
and  perfectly  sweet.  Cutting  was  commenced 
forthwith.  The  Grapes  were  very  much  appre- 
ciated at  table,  so  much  so,  that  my  employer  in  a 
week  or  so  afterwards  told  me  that  he  and  the 
other  members  of  the  family  preferred  them  to 
black  ones ;  that  they  were  so  much  richer  and 
sweeter  ;  that  they  had  thinner  skins ;  in  a  word, 
they  were  the  best  Grapes  they  ever  bad ;  and  as 
for  their  colour,  they  rather  liked  it  than  other- 
wise, it  was  so  unique.  The  highest  encomiums 
as  to  their  high  quality  of  flavour  were  sounded 
by  the  many  visitors  who  partook  of  them,  and 
one  gentleman  even  went  so  far  as  to  declare  they 
were  not  I'.lack  Hamburghs  at  all,  but  a  noted 
Grape  they  had  on  the  Continent,  the  name  of 
which  he  could  not  recollect,  but  could  always 
tell  it  by  its  colour  and  flavour.  These  encomiums, 
bestowed  so  freely  and  almost  daily,  took  off  for 
a  time  the  sharp  edge  of  my  chagrin,  but  I  was 
far  from  satisfied. 

The  house  this  season  was  started  a  trifle  ear- 
lier ;  the  fermenting  materials  again  applied  just 
as  the  Vines  were  breaking.  The  daily  routine  of 
damping  down,  airing,  and  shutting  up  was  very 
carefully  attended  to,  as  well  as  the  tying 
down  and  stopping  of  laterals,  &c.  The  Grapes 
set  well,  were  early  thinned,  and  everything 
done  to  ensure  them  carrying  the  fine  crop 
to  a  successful  finish.  To  prevent  them  receivin- 
the  supposed  check  the  material  was  left  on  the 
border  all  the  summer.  This  season  they  were 
again  a  failure  as  regards  colour,  but  the  flavour  is 
most  excellent.  Now  the  behaviour  of  the  other 
half  of  this  house  has  been  quite  the  reverse ;  the 
bunches  there,  though  not  quite  so  large,  have 
coloured  finely  throughout  both  seasons.  This  same 
house  has  carried  enormous  crops  both  seasons  in 
question,  and  I  now  hazard  the  opinion  that  I 
have  cropped  the  Vines  too  heavy.  At  the  same 
time  this  can  hardly  be  the  case,  seeing  that  this 
year's  crop  is  by  far  the  heavier  of  the  two,  while 
the  Vines  are  looking  stronger  and  healthier 
than  ever,  with  fine,  thick,  broad  leaves,  strong 
well-ripened  wood,  and  a  hearty  constitution. 
The  crop  they  carried  would  run  from  sixteen 
to  twenty-six  bunches  on  a  rod  of  12  feet;  the 
bunches  would  range  from  half  pound  to  4|  pounds. 
I  have  seen  examples  of  Vines  which  had  been 
overcropped,  but  in  that  case  the  wood,  leaves, 
and  bunches  all  looked  so  very  puny  and  weak  as 
if  the  whole  constitution  of  the  Vines  had  given 
way  under  the  treatment.  Now,  as  to  shade  and 
colour ;  in  the  late  half  of  this  house  where  the 
berries  have  coloured  beautifully  more  than  double 
the  light  gets  in  here  than  in  the  early  half,  owing 
to  two  young  Vines  lately  planted,  and  from  one  of 
which  in  the  middle  of  the  house  I  am  running  up 
three  rods  ;  two  of  these  rods  have  not  more  than 
half  reached  the  top,  as  they  were  stopped.  At 
the  same  time  the  foliage  of  the  other  Vines  is 
not  nearly  so  broad ;  consequently  many  places 
remain  unfilled  and  where  the  sun  can  shine 
through  at  will ;  whereas  in  the  early  house  the 
thick  canopy  of  leaves  completely  hides  the  glass 
Usually,  bad  coloured  Grapes  are  associated  with  bad 
flavour,  but  in  the  instance  given  by  "  Scot "  and 
the  one  here  furnished  it  is  entirely  the  reverse. 
I  enclose  you  samples  from  both  houses,  and  will 
be  pleased  to  have  your  opinion  as  to  flavour,  &c. 
I  would  also  be  pleased  to  hear  if  any  other  of 
your  readers  have  had  any  experience  with  this,  to 
me,  interesting  subject,  with  their  suggestions  as  to 
probable  causes.  Another  Scot. 

'*^'*  The  samples  of  Grapes  sent  with  the  above 
by  our  correspondent  consisted  of  a  bunch  of  jet 
black  Hamburghs  and  a  similar  bunch  with  the 
berries  of  a  reddish  purple,  in  fact  quite  "  foxy." 
These  latter  were  much  sugary  and  of  richer 
flavour  than  the  black  berries  and  the  skin  was 
thinner ;  in  short  both  samples  fully  bear  out  what 
I  our  correspondent  says  respecting  them.    This  is 


not  only  an  interesting,  but  an  important  question, 
and  we  invite  discussion  upon  it  among  our  readers. 
—Ed. 


A  FAIR  CROP  OF  FRUIT  IN  THE  OPEN  AIR 
THIS  YEAR. 

This  may  be  seen  on  the  borders  of  Suffolk  and 
Norfolk,  about  four  miles  from  Thetford,  in  the 
gardens    of     Elvedon     Hall,    the    country     re- 
sidence   of    the    Indian    prince,    H.H.     Duleep 
Singh.    The    soil    is    especially    light,    but    the 
garden,  which  abuts  against  the  public  road  to 
Thetford,  is  by  no  means  sheltered  ;  on  the  con- 
trary, it  is  rather  open  and  exposed,  being  sur- 
rounded on  three  sides  by  fields.      And  yet  here, 
in  this  season  of  general  bareness  and  barrenness 
there  is  a  fair,  though  not  a  full,  crop  of  Apples. 
Pears  and  Plums  are  fairly  plentiful,  especially  the 
latter,  and  this  is  a  season  that  may  in  general 
terms  be  pronounced  plumless.  Most  of  the  trees  are 
on  walls,  and  there  are  fair  crops  on  every  aspect. 
The  whole  of  the  trees  are  under  skillful  treat- 
ment, Mr.  McArthur  being  well  known  as  a  suc- 
cessful fruit  grower.     But  no  special  treatment 
nor  protection  was  given  to  the  trees,  and  yet 
there  they  are  fairly  furnished  with  plenty,  while 
most  gardens  are  almost  bare   of   fruit.     It  so 
happened  that  I  had  just  visited  Lynford  Hall,  in 
Norfolk,  about  ten  miles  distant.     The  physical 
characteristics  of  the  two  gardens  were  very  simi- 
lar, light  soil  extending  for  miles  around,  and 
Lynford  perhaps  having  the  advantage  in  reference 
to   shelter   and   elevation,    and   yet  the  former 
garden  was  specially  bare  of  fruit  in  the  open 
air,  while  the  latter  is  specially  fully  furnished. 
The  indoor  crops  at  Lynford  abundantly  proves 
that  everything  that  skill  can  do  to  command 
crops  in  the  open  has  been  done.    At  Elvedon, 
the  fruitfulness  of  the  season  can  hardly  be  attri- 
butable to  any  special  varieties,  for  considerable 
numbers  of  most  of  the  leading  sorts  are  grown, 
and   Gage   Plums  were  almost  as  plentiful    as 
Victorias.      It  seems  quite  a  mystery,  though  I 
have  tried  hard  on  the  spot  and  since  to  solve 
it.    While  hundreds  or  thousands  of  crops  have 
been  taken   to  right  and    to  left  of  it,  before 
and  behind  it,  here  is  one   left,  as  if  it  were 
the  gift  of  fortune  or  the  result  of  caprice.    I, 
however,  venture  two  guesses  as  to  the  most  pro- 
bable causes   of  this  fortunate  exemption  from 
destruction  of  the  fruit  crops  in  these  gardens. 
They    seem     contradictory,    but    possibly    they 
worked  in  harmony  towards  the  same  end.     The 
first  is  the  openness  of  the  garden  already  referred 
to.     This  would  favour  a  gentle  movement  of  the 
air,  and  in  that  motion  the  fruit  trees  may  have 
found  their  safety.     The  well-known  experience 
of  horticulturists  is  that  it  is  the  still,  motionless 
air  that  kills  fruit  tree  blossoms.  Its  mere  motion, 
even  if  of  the  same  temperature,  works  towards 
their  safety.     Then  a  great  deal  of  planting  has 
been  done  on  the  Elvedon  estate.     This,  although 
not  contiguous  to  the  kitchen  or  fruit  garden,  is 
probably  within  measurable  distance  of  it,  and  it 
is  well  known  that  woods,  especially  perhaps  young 
and  vigorous  growing  and  probably  particularly 
Evergreens,  tend  to  ameliorate  and  soften  the  air. 
But  these  guesses  are  merely  offered  for  what  they 
are  worth.    Right  or  wrong,  they  do  not  affect  the 
important  fact,  that  it  is  my  pleasure  to  record, 
that  in  one  Suffolk  garden  at  least  there  is  a  fair 
crop  of  fruit  of  all  sorts  in  the  open  air  this  year. 
Itwould  hardly  befairto  leave  the  Elvedon  gardens 
without  adding  that  Grapes,  I^eaches,  Melons,  &c., 
are  also  remarkably  well  done  under  glass,  the 
Grapes  in  bunch,  berry,  and  finish  being  remarkably 
good.  Returning  once  more  to  the  kitchen  garden, 
some  remarkably  fine  specimens  of  that  incompar- 
able Gooseberry,  the  Ironmonger,  reached  to  the 
top  of  a  north  wall.  These  were  trained  horizontally 
with  upright  branches  at  regular  intervals  trained 
up    vertically    from    the    horizontal    base.     The 
bushes    were    very    fine    examples  of  this   old- 
fashioned  mode  of  training,  and  were  studded  with 
fine  fruit  from  top  to  bottom,  showing  how  valu- 
able for  autumnal  dessert  fine  Gooseberries  are,  and 
how  prone  this  longest  keeping  of  them  all  is  to 
burst    through  autumnal  rains   when  grown  as 


Sept.  13,   1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


^27 


bushes  of  the  ordinary  forms.  I  would  earnestly 
recommend  the  adoption  of  the  safe  and  success- 
ful old  plan  so  skilfully  revived  at  Elvedon  of 
devoting  a  portion  of  the  north  virall  wholly  to 
late  Gooseberries.  With  a  good  wide  coping  to 
throw  oflE  drip,  and  a  wasp-proof  netting.  Goose- 
berries may  be  kept  till  October  or  even  later  in 
the  south,  and  until  near  Christmas  in  the  north. 
Ked  Currants  treated  in  the  same  way  will  hang 
even  longer  on  the  bushes  and  prove  invaluable 
for  tarts  and  other  purposes.  D.  T.  Fisii. 


MADRESFIELD  COURT   GRAPE   CRACKING. 

What  a  pity  it  is  that  we  hear  of  so  many  failures 
with  this  line  Grape,  which  possesses  not  only  a 
handsome  appearance,  but  fine  flavour  and  free 
bearing  combined.  It  is  a  Grape,  moreover,  which 
can  be  had  in  use  from  the  beginning  of  July  till 
the  end  of  September.  I  have  kept  it  in  fairly  good 
condition  till  November,  but  by  that  time  it  is 
liable  to  shrivel ;  it  will  do  quite  well  in  the  same 
house  with  Black  Hamburgh.  The  temperature  for 
that  variety  seems  to  suit  the  Madresfield  Court. 
Its  fault,  and  the  only  one  I  know  belonging  to  it, 
is  that  it  is  liable  to  crack  at  the  point  of  the 
berries.  Some  say  it  cracks  close  to  the  footstalks, 
but  I  never  saw  that  occnr.  The  cause,  in  my  opinion, 
of  the  cracking  is  overpressure  of  sap,  and  the 
thinness  of  the  skin  causes  the  splitting.  What  is 
required  is  a  counteraction  of  the  flow  of  sap, 
brought  about  by  a  special  treatment  of  this  va- 
riety. It  generally  happens  when  the  berries  com- 
mence to  colour.  Some  try  to  remedy  the  evil  by 
cropping  too  heavily,  by  which  means  another 
failure  sometimes  occurs,  namely,  that  of  the 
berries  not  colouring  properly,  nor  do  they  swell 
to  their  full  natural  size.  Others  withhold  water 
from  the  roots  as  soon  as  the  first  sign  of  colouring 
appears  ;  this  in  many  cases  does  not  prevent  the 
splitting.  I  have  grown  the  variety  in  question 
for  six  years  with  success ;  the  first  year  a  few 
berries  cracked,  but  since  then  we  have  had  no 
cracking.  Cutting  the  branches  half  way  through 
between  the  main  stem  and  bunch  I  do  not 
think  of  any  use,  as  I  have  seen  the  berries  split 
more  on  Vines  that  were  so  treated  than  on 
the  branches  which  were  not  cut.  By  adopting 
the  following  system  we  generally  have  the  variety 
in  good  condition  without  cracking.  Our  Vines 
are  planted  inside,  the  roots  having  free  access  to 
the  outside  border  through  arches.  As  soon  as  the 
berries  commence  to  colour  we  cover  the  outside 
border  with  lights  to  throw  off  heavy  rains,  our 
soil  being  of  a  heavy  tenacious  nature  ;  otherwise 
if  the  soil  was  not  so,  I  do  not  think  it  would  be 
necessary  to  cover  the  border.  The  inside  border  is 
freely  watered  when  necessary.  Upon  the  com- 
mencement of  colouring  we  allow  all  the  laterals 
to  grow  away  at  will.  Some  may  imagine  that  by 
allowing  these  laterals  to  grow  so  freely  that  light 
is  excluded  too  much.  That  is  not  the  case,  as  pre- 
vious to  colouring  they  are  kept  closely  pinched. 
I  think  free  extension  of  the  laterals  is  the  only 
prevention  of  the  evil.  In  our  case  this  has 
always  prevented  the  splitting.  A  free  admission 
of  air  night  and  day,  too,  is  essential  in  assisting 
colouring ;  the  air,  too,  should  be  kept  buoyant 
and  free  from  excessive  moisture  by  keeping  the 
hot-water  pipes  warm.  I  think  if  those  who  have 
failed  to  grow  the  variety  and  condemn  it  as  worth- 
less would  try  it  on  the  system  I  have  endeavoured 
to  explain,  I  think  they  would  not  have  cause 
for  regret.  Some,  I  know,  adhere  to  the  hard  and 
fast  rule  of  pinching  the  laterals  of  this  variety 
in  the  same  way  that  they  do  other  varieties,  but 
in  the  case  of  Madresfield  Court  it  will  not  do. 

E.  MOLYNEUX. 

' '  G.  J.  B."  (p.  1  -2)  asks,  "  What  is  the  cause 

and  prevention  of  Madresfield  Court  Grapes  crack- 
ing just  before  they  ripen  ?"  This  is  a  question 
which  annually  crops  up  and  puzzles  many  gar- 
deners besides  "G.  J.  B."  About  this  time  last 
year  the  same  question  was  asked,  when  several 
gave  their  experience  in  regard  to  it.  My  expe- 
rience with  regard  to  berry  cracking  is,  however, 
very  limited,  for  this  reason,  that  in  the  garden  in 
which  I  have  served  and  where  Madresfield  Court 


Grapes  were  grown  extensively,  cracking  to  any 
extent  was  never  experienced.  Tliis  was  at 
Madresfield  Court  gardens,  where  the  Grape  in 
question  originated.  The  late  Jlr.  Cox,  the  raiser 
of  it,  nsed  not  to  take  any  special  precautions  to 
prevent  cracking,  for  all  the  Vines  had  the  same 
treatment,  and  the  Madresfield  Court  succeeded 
equally  well  in  the  late  as  in  the  mid-season 
vineries.  Sometimes  a  few  berries  would  crack, 
but  this  invariably  happened  when  the  weather 
was  unsettled,  as  it  necessitated  the  houses  being 
closed  at  the  top,  as  top  ventilation  was  given  by 
sliding  lights.  Even  then  we  could  prevent  crack- 
ing by  giving  air  as  soon  as  practicable  to  clear 
the  berries  of  the  condensed  moisture  which  had 
settled  on  them  in  consequence  of  the  lights 
being  closed.  I  ought  to  mention  that  at  no  time 
after  the  Grapes  began  to  colour  did  Mr.  Cox 
allow  the  night  temperature  to  fall  below  C0° 
with  slight  ventilation  at  the  front  end  top.  It 
we  are  to  gather  any  good  from  Mr.  Cox's  prac- 
tice, I  think  that  this  hint  respecting  the  night 
temperature  should  be  heeded,  for  by  keeping  the 
thermometer  at  60°,  the  houses  have  to  all  appear- 
ance when  walking  through  a  warm  and  buoyant 
atmosphere.  This  year  I  had  half-a-dozen  Vines 
(Madresfield  Court)  in  pots  growing  between 
some  young  Vines  that  were  planted  the  pre- 
ceding year,  but  which  were  shortened  back  to  the 
bottom  wire  when  pruned  in  the  autumn.  The  pot 
Vines  shared  the  same  treatment  as  the  permanent 
Vines  until  the  berries  showed  signs  of  colouring, 
when  syringing  was  in  their  case  discontinued,  but 
the  permanent  Vines  were  syringed  as  before  and 
for  some  time  after  the  Grapes  had  commenced  to 
colour.  Air  could  not  be  admitted  at  night,  as  we 
wanted  to  induce  the  formation  of  as  much  growth 
in  the  permanent  Vines  as  possible.  Still  crack- 
ing did  not  appear  except  in  half-a-dozen  berries, 
so  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  a  high  night 
temperature  with  air  given  early  in  the  morning 
saved  them.  The  night  temperature  was  C5°. — 
J.  HiNTON. 

In    order  to    prevent  the  berries  of  the 

Madresfield  Court  Grape  from  cracking,  the  Vine 
must  have  liberal  treatment,  that  is  a  sweet  open 
border  well  drained,  a  good  supply  of  water  at  the 
roots  during  the  growing  season,  with  plenty  of 
heat  and  atmospheric  moisture  until  the  berries 
are  half  coloured,  when  more  air  and  a  drier  atmo- 
sphere may  be  gradually  given  until  the  berries 
are  ripe.  Treated  in  this  way,  "  G.  J.  B."  (p.  172) 
will  find  the  Madresfield  Court  not  only  free  from 
cracking,  but  one  of  the  best  of  Grapes. — James 
Smith,  Waterdale  Gardens. 


Ne'w    Hawthornden    Apple.— One     of 

the  finest  of  mid-season  Apples  is  the  new  Haw- 
thornden. It  has  all  the  good  qualities  of  the  old 
Hawthornden,  with  the  addition  of  being  nearly 
double  the  size  and  being  an  excellent  keeper.  I 
have  some  young  trees  planted  only  two  seasons, 
and  they  are  bearing  on  an  average  half  a  bushel 
of  fruit  each.  I  can  therefore  strongly  recom- 
mend anyone  contemplating  planting  during  the 
coming  season  to  include  this  in  their  selection  of 
culinary  sorts.  I  may  also  mention  that  in  plant- 
ing Apples  in  gardens  it  is  decidedly  the  best 
policy  to  have  trees  that  will  commence  to  bear 
fruit  at  once,  viz.,  dwarf  bushes  that  have  been 
transplanted  and  summer-pruned,  so  as  to  get 
them  well  covered  with  fruit  spurs.  Such  trees 
are  cheaper  in  the  end  than  those  that  have  had 
no  attention  bestowed  on  them,  for  when  once 
they  are  fairly  started  into  a  fruitful  condition 
but  very  little  attention  is  needed  to  keep  them 
right.  On  the  other  hand,  in  planting  orchard 
trees,  such  as  standards,  that  are  required  to  de- 
velop large  heads,  there  can  be  no  question  that  it 
is  best  to  plant  young  trees,  as  they  rush  off 
into  growth  of  both  root  and  branch,  and  soon 
form  large  trees  ;  but  for  garden  culture  of  large 
Apples  like  the  above,  I  can  confidently  recom- 
mend the  dwarf  bush  to  any  other  form  of  tree  ; 
it  is  far  superior  to  the  rigid  outline  of  the  pyra- 
mid, in  which  the  topmost  branches  monopolise 
more  than  their  share  of  sap  and  sunshine,  while 
the  open  bush,  being  more  natural,  equalises  the 


strength  of  the  tree,  as  well  as  all  parts  being 
equally  favoured  as  regards  position.  This  variety 
has  already  been  highly  spoken  of  in  fruit  reports 
from  various  districts,  and  is  evidently  suited  for 
general  cultivation. — J.  Groom,  Gosj/ort. 

NOTES. 


Manure   water   for   Orchids.— In   the 

Orchid  Album  for  the  current  month  is  a  figure 
of  Cypripedium  insigne,  and,  speaking  of  culture, 
we  are  informed  that  "  a  little  manure  water  ap- 
plied (i.e.,  to  well-rooted  plants  of  C.  insigne) 
during  the  growing  season  is  a  help  to  them,  as 
the  roots  are  of  a  fleshy  nature."  Advice  of  this 
kind  is  likely  to  mislead  young  or  inexperienced 
Orchid  growers,  who  might  be  tempted  to  give 
manure  water  to  other  Orchids  having  roots  "  of  a 
fleshy  nature."  Seeing  that  three-fourths  of  epi- 
phytal Orchids  have  fleshy  roots,  this  teaching 
opens  up  a  wide  field.  If  Mr.  Williams'  Orchid 
grower  gave  manure  water  to  Aerides  and  Vandas 
or  to  Cattleyas  because  "  their  roots  are  of  a  fleshy 
nature,"  I  should  not  like  to  hear  of  the  results. 
A  friend  of  mine  had  some  valuable  Cattleyas  in- 
jured very  badly  by  manurial  stimulants,  and 
another  man  had  his  Vandas  utterly  ruined  by 
manure  water.  Advice  of  the  above  kind  may 
lead  to  much  harm  being  done,  and  is  scarcely 
what  we  have  a  right  to  expect  in  the  Orchid 
AUum. 

Cost  of  Narcissus  bulbs.— One  result  of 
the  popularity  to  which  this  genus  has  attained 
has  been  to  cause  a  rise  in  the  price  of  the  best 
kinds.  But  the  vaiiations  in  the  catalogue  prices 
is  very  curious.  Two  or  three  years  ago  N.  maxi- 
mus  used  to  be  quoted  retail  at  .5s.  per  dozen  ;  now 
it  is  double  that  price.  I  heard  of  a  Dutch  firm 
who  hold  some  true  stock  asking  £6  a  hundred 
for  it  this  season.  N.  bicolor  maximus  is  offered 
in  some  lists  at  Is.  each  ;  in  others  at  2s.  6d.  For 
years  some  London  market  gardeners  have  sold 
their  surplus  stock  of  N.  poeticus  at  8s.  or  lOs. 
per  bushel.  How  many  bulbs  there  may  be  in  a 
bushel  I  have  not  the  least  idea,  but,  as  a  friend 
in  the  trade  once  told  me,  the  fewer  the  better.  I 
see  this  kind  offered  in  The  Garden  advertise- 
ment, however,  at  l.'ls.  per  thousand,  and  all  the 
common  kinds  may  be  purchased  most  cheaply  at 
auction  sales  for  naturalising  purposes  and  plan- 
tations on  a  large  scale.  Some  of  the  best  kinds 
are  "  cornered  ; "  in  a  word,  our  good  friend,  Mr. 
Barr,  seems  to  have  a  monopoly  of  them. 

Cbequered  Daffodils  is  the  name  by  which 
honest  old  John  Parkinson  knew  the  meadow 
Fritillarias  two  centuries  and  a  half  ago.  Fritillaria 
Meleagris  is  a  true  native,  once  not  uncommon  in 
the  Thames-side  meadows  at  Mortlake  and  Kew, 
and  even  yet  I  believe  found  in  a  pasture  near 
Pinner.  There  are  now  several  varieties,  white, 
blush,  rose,  purple,  some  chequered,  some 
faintly  so,  or  not  at  all,  but  all  beautiful, 
reminding  one  of  Chinese  lanterns  as  they 
sway  and  tremble  in  the  sunlight  of  a  showery 
April  day.  They  are  so  quaint  and  attractive  when 
seen  at  their  best,  that  the  wonder  is  that  they  are 
not  more  often  seen.  In  old-fashioned  gardens 
they  seem  particularly  at  home.  How  lovely  these 
flowers  and  true  Daffodils,  and  Crown  Imperials, 
and  the  host  of  old  beauties  which  Parkinson 
loved  would  be  at  Hampton  Court,  for  example  ; 
no  other  flowers  would  harmonise  with  that  old 
red-brick  palace  half  so  well. 

Good  culture  works  miracles,  but  more 
especially  so  if  soil  and  other  natural  surround- 
ings are  suitable  and  harmonious.  For  example,  I 
know  an  old  garden  wherein  the  white  Martagon 
Lily  is  most  luxuriant,  growing  among  Rose  bushes 
without  any  attention  year  after  year.  This  last 
flowering  season  one  stem  bore  thirty-three  flowers 
and  many  others  over  twenty  flowers  on  a  stem. 
Hardy  Cyclamens  in  the  same  garden  are  now 
literally  covered  with  bloom.  Again,  how  many 
people  fail  with  the  vernal  Gentian,  "  Fair  Lucy  of 
Teesdale,"  as  Iluskin  calls  it  in  his  "  Proserpina," 
and  yet  a  friend  on  the  Nottingham  clay  says  he 
had  a  tuft  of  it  which  bore  ninety  flowers  tliis 


228 


THE     GARDEN 


[Sept.  13,  1884. 


season,  and  the  Austrian  Beliaower  (Campanula 
pulla)  forms  a  patch  in  his  garden  a  yard  in  dia- 
meter. Here,  without  special  attention,  Lilium  tes- 
taceum  grows  6  feet  high  and  bears  nine  to 
thirteen  flowers  on  a  stem,  and  one  clump  has  ten 
or  twelve  stems.  There  are  some  successes,  fortu- 
nately, in  every  garden. 

Daffodils  and  Lilies  seem  just  now  to  be 
the  most  popular  of  all  hardy  bulbous  flowers,  and 
so  we  need  not  feel  surprised  that  Mr.  Ware  should 
devote  an  especial  catalogue  or  list  to  them.  Nar- 
cissi for  the  epring  and  Lilies  for  the  summer 
and  autumn,  and  but  few  other  flowers  can  com- 
pete with  these  for  grace  and  beauty.  Qaeen  Iris 
must  not  be  forgotten,  but  for  the  nonce  we  will 
confine  ourselves  to  Lilies  and  Daffodils,  anent 
which  Mr.  Ware  in  his  list,  just  now  published, 
affords  us  some  valuable  hints  and  information. 
Special  lists  of  this  useful  kind  are  very  handy  for 
present  use  and  for  future  reference,  and  the  fact 
of  their  being  just  now  produced  is  an  index  of  the 
popularity  to  which  these  hardy  bulbous  flowers 
have  attained.  That  the  steel  age  should  also  be 
the  era  of  hardy  flowers  is  a  lucky  coincidence,  as 
many  a  gardener  can  testify  from  experience.  In  a 
word,  flowers  for  catting  and  indoor  ornament  were 
never  so  abundant  and  so  beautifully  varied  as 
they  are  now. 

Sympathetic  variegation. — Mr.  Jenner 
Weir's  communication  on  p.  175  is  very  interest- 
ing, coming,  as  it  does,  on  the  heels  of  two  or 
three  observations  on  the  same  point  by  equally 
independent  observers.  That  variegation  can  and 
is  produced  by  inoculation  is  now  proved  past  a 
doubt,  but  whether  the  contiguity  of  a  variegated 
with  a  green-leaved  plant  does  now  and  then  lead 
to  the  latter  becoming  variegated  is  quite  another 
matter.  In  all  questions  of  this  kind  we  must  be 
"  a3  wise  as  serpents  and  as  harmless  as  doves." 
What  we  want  is  more,  and  more  exact,  evidence. 
In  that  country  where  variegated  plants  are  espe- 
cially fashionable  and  welcome  —I  mean  in  Japan 
— the  gardeners  are  said  to  possess  a  secret  of 
rendering  any  green-leaved  plant  variegated  ;  but 
is  this  true  1  Indeed,  I  believe  it  is  not,  for  were 
it  so,  why  should  variegated  forms  so  easily  ob- 
tainable be  prized  so  highly  ?  As  things  are,  all 
we  can  do  is  to  watch  and  make  careful  records 
while  waiting  for  more  light. 

New  Narcissi  or  Daffodils.  The  short 
and  lucid  notes  by  "  W.  E.  G., "  on  "  Recent  Plant 
Portraits,"  are  always  very  interesting,  and  I  am 
sure  very  useful  also  to  many  who,  like  myself, 
like  to  know  something  of  the  novelties  of  other 
countries  besides  those  of  our  own.  I  never  see 
Kegel's  Giirtfiijlora,  for  example,  and  so  might 
never  have  heard  that  some  new  Narcissi,  to  be 
sent  out  by  Messrs.  Damman,  of  Portici,  near 
Naples,  are  figured  therein,  had  it  not  been  for  the 
interesting  note  on  p.  181.  I  now  am  pleased  to 
find  that  two  or  three  of  these  new  kinds  are 
offered  in  Messrs.  Collins  and  Gabriel's  bulb 
catalogue  for  the  present  season.  N,  Segina 
Margherita  is  therein  described  as  having  "  flowers 
larger  than  maximus,  perianth  white,  cup  golden 
yellow,"  and  Umberto  I.  is  described  as  the  "  largest 
of  all  the  Trumpet  Narcissus."  I  hope  these  de- 
scriptions may  turn  out  correct.  It  is  unfortunate 
that  some  of  these  new  forms,  such  as  priEcox  and 
gracilis,  have  names  which  have  already  been 
given  to  varieties  of  the  parvi-coronati  group  To 
prevent  error  it  must  be  remembered  that  they  are 
of  the  Daffodil  or  Trumpst  section. 

Good  Phloxes. — A  very  successful  cottager 
asked  me  to  go  and  see  his  garden  two  years  ago  ; 
so  I  went  and  looked  over  his  crops,  mostly  very 
good  of  their  kind,  but  finer  than  anything  else  I 
saw  were  his  herbaceous  Phloxes.  He  had  about 
a  dozen  good  kinds,  all  large,  bright,  and  varied 
in  colour.  But,  fine  as  were  his  flowers,  I  found 
out  that  his  next-door  neighbour  had  beaten  him 
at  the  village  flower  show.  "  How  did  he  manage 
to  win  1  ■'  I  asked.  "  Well,"  said  the  cottager,  "  he 
came  in  here  one  day,  chewing  a  straw,  and  asked 
me  for  a  few  bits  of  my  Phloxes  ;  so  I  gave  him 
a  bit  of  all  the  kinds  I  had,  and  he  flung  them 
over  the  fence  as  if  they  were  stones    but  next 


day  he  delved  out  a  great  trench,  and  filled  the 
bottom  with  manure,  and  then  filled  it  half  full  of 
soil,  on  which  he  planted  the  roots.  You  never 
saw,"  he  continued,  "such  heads  of  bloom  as  those 
he  staged.  The  stems  when  growing  were  6  feet 
high  and  as  thick  as  walking-sticks,  with  heads  of 
flowers  like  a  bee-hive  on  the  top."  "  And  you 
were  sorry  you  gave  him  plants,  I  suppose  ?  "  I 
asked.  "  No, "  he  answered  ;  "  for  he  has  taught 
us  all  hereabouts  how  to  grow  good  Phloxes." 

The  Torch  Lilies. — No  plants  are  more  pre" 
cious  for  autumnal  effects  in  the  garden  than  are 
these,  and  we  have  never  seen  them  finer  than  they 
are  this  season,  the  late  hot  dry  weather  having 
suited  them.  I  am  glad  to  hear  that  Mr.  N.  E. 
Brown,  of  Kew,  is  working  out  a  review  of  the 
different  species — a  work  much  wanted  by  gar- 
deners. The  varieties  of  T.  Uvaria  are  the  most 
robust  and  floriferous  for  general  purposes,  and  T. 
caulescens  is  the  best  perhaps  as  a  foliage  plant 
in  mild  localities.  The  pretty  little  T.  Macowani 
is  quite  a  gem  in  its  way,  although  not  so  effective 
as  the  common  kinds,  which  are  j  ust  now  throwing 
up  great  sheaves  of  their  glowing  flower-spikes 
everywhere.  Veeonica. 


Flower  Garden. 


NOTES  ON  CHOICE  HARDY  FLOWERS. 

Campanula  Allioni,  at  present  so  rare  and  one 
of  the  most  distinct  and  beautiful  of  the  alpine 
Bellflowers,  is  now  in  a  good  state  for  propagation 
The  underground  stems  have  run  freely,  and  their 
verdant  tips  indicate  their  position  and  strength ; 
these  may  be  carefully  bared  and  slipped  from  the 
stool,  and  they  will  be  found  for  the  most  part  to 
have  a  little  fibre  on  them.  They  grow  into  nice 
little  plants  if  potted  in  sandy  loam  with  a  few 
chips  of  limestone.  But  where  there  is  a  strong 
spare  plant  for  purposes  of  increase  I  prefer  to 
take  it  up  bodily,  and  in  dividing  it  allow  to  each 
division  a  part  of  the  old  root.  After  all,  much 
depends  on  the  time  these  operations  are  done. 
There  should  remain  plenty  of  time  for  root  action 
before  the  winter  sets  in,  otherwise  the  best 
divisions  will  decay  whilst  in  their  dormant  and 
nnestablished  condition. 

C.  ZOYSI,  another  alpine  gem,  is  now  in  flower, 
but  pretty  as  the  bells  are,  the  dark  green  tufts  of 
nearly  round  entire  leaves  scarcely  half  an  inch 
across  are  also  very  noticeable.  The  flowers  are 
quite  an  inch  long,  cylindrical,  cornered,  and 
somewhat  contracted  near  the  end ;  they  are  in 
sparse  clusters  on  short  stems,  of  a  blue  colour  in 
shades.  No  one  could  be  otherwise  than  delighted 
at  seeing  a  well-established  bit  in  flower  ;  but  in 
slug-haunted  quarters  it  would  be  in  great  jeo- 
pardy, for  at  most  a  fair-sized  plant  would  serve 
only  for  a  meal  or  two.  They  are  very  fond  of  it ; 
it  is  therefore  safer  to  grow  it  in  a  pan,  keeping  it 
well  dressed  with  wood  ashes. 

Double  white  Hepatica. — Seeing  is  believ- 
ing, and  such  a  flower  I  have  seen  in  my  own 
garden  during  the  past  week.  I  cannot,  however, 
attach  much  importance  to  such  a  fact  when  the 
flower  appears  at  such  an  abnormal  period  as  the 
month  of  August ;  moreover,  the  plant  is  known 
to  be  one  which  produced  double  blue  timely 
flowers,  and  it  should  also  be  added  that  since 
the  day  this  white  one  opened  it  has  shown  a  ten- 
dency to  turn  blue,  so  that  at  the  age  of  four  days 
it  is  greyish  with  a  trace  of  blue. 

SciLLA  PERUVIANA,  or  pjramidalis,  is,  I  be- 
lieve, but  seldom  flowered  well,  at  least  in  these 
northern  parts.  The  ample  tops  are  no  guide  to 
what  we  may  expect,  for  these  exist  when  the  roots 
are  anything  but  strong  and  healthy.  It  loves 
warmth  both  from  nearness  to  the  surface  and 
the  light  character  of  the  soil.  I  fear  we  have 
planted  it  too  deeply  ;  anyhow,  bulbs  which  I  took 
up  in  early  summer  ttiat  were  (i  inches  deep  were 
in  a  dwindling  state.  They  were  placed  in  a  warm 
sandy  bed,  scarcely  covered.  A  few  days  ago  they 
were  examined,  and  found  to  have  made  fine  long 
roots,  whilst  the  quality  of  the  bulbs  was  much 
improved  in  firmness,  also  in  size,  the  new  leaves 


being  broader  and  stouter.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  I 
never  flowered  this  Squill  but  in  light  loam  and 
the  sunniest  situation  I  could  give,  and  I  do  not 
see  that  there  is  much  difference  between  having 
a  bulb  killed  or  keeping  it  in  flowerless,  sickly 
existence,  even  supposing  that  the  frost  would 
kill  it  if  not  deeply  planted.  Probably  the  present 
is  as  good  a  time  as  any  to  lift  this  bulb. 

Saxifraga  Stracheyi  Is  not  without  good 
summer  qualities ;  being  of  the  large-leaved  or 
Megasea  section,  it  has  not  only  the  fresh  and 
bold  foliage  of  its  allies,  but  a  distinct  erect  habit, 
bronzy  tints  and  well  defined  fringe.  I  find  that 
plants  require  to  be  several  years  old  before  they 
produce  their  handsome  spring  flowers.  To  get 
effect  a  batch  should  be  brought  on  all  of  one  age, 
and  to  get  stock  two  or  three  plants  may  be  cut 
into  as  many  parts  as  there  are  crowns,  large  or 
small  ;  the  merest  bit  of  the  outer  part  of  the  root- 
stock  will  suffice  for  each,  supposing  the  cutting 
is  done  early.  If  set  in  sand  in  full  sunshine  roots 
are  quickly  formed,  and  before  they  get  long  all 
might  be  potted. 

Saxifraga  cuscuT.iJFOEMia  is  a  charming 
plant  with  its  Ancectochilus-like  leaves,  but  it 
seems  to  require  rather  odd  treatment  with  me 
not  merely  to  grow  it,  for  it  cannot  be  said  to  be  a 
bad  grower,  but  to  bring  out  the  foliar  markings 
clearly  is  the  difiiculty.  It  is  only  when  the 
succulent  brown  and  green  leave.=,  with  their 
delicate  silvery  veins,  the  hair-like  stolons,  the 
reddish  air-roots  of  the  suspended  offsets,  and  the 
white  moth-shaped  flowers  are  all  developed  to- 
gether, that  this  pretty  Saxifrage  can  be  said  to  be 
in  character.  It  enjoys  moisture  and  a  little  shade 
in  the  hottest  part  of  summer,  and  any  kind  of 
light  stuff  will  do  to  grow  it  in  if  it  will  hold 
moisture.  It  stands  12°  of  frost  if  undercover,  so 
that  the  hairy  foliage  is  kept  dry,  for  it  is  ever- 
green. It  is  a  most  interesting  object  for  frame 
culture,  in  which  way  I  have  grown  it  in  dingy 
town  quarter.^,  but  in  purer  air  it  will  do  well 
enough  out  of  doors  in  summer.  J.  Wood. 

WoodvilU',  Kirhstall,  Yorks. 


MILLA  BIFOLIA. 


V'^^HKN  this  beautiful  bulbous  plant  gets  better 
known  I  feel  sure  it  will  rise  rapidly  into  favour. 
In  my  opinion  I  think  it  one  of  the  most  valuable 
of  this  class  of  plants.  From  what  I  had  heard 
and  read  of  its  behaviour  I  expected  to  find  it  a 
difficult  subject  to  deal  with,  but  if  one  season's 
experience  is  any  guide,  I  should  say  that  it  is 
about  as  easy  a  plant  to  cultivate  as  the  Hyacinth. 
I  purchased  a  dozen  bulbs  last  December,  and 
when  they  came  to  hand  I  placed  them  in  a  paper 
bag  and  hung  them  up  in  the  fruit  room,  where 
they  remained  until  the  end  of  March.  They  were 
then  planted  in  a  border  without  any  preparation 
of  the  soil,  but  it  may  be  useful  to  say  that  the  soil 
is  fairly  rich  and  not  very  heavy  and  well  drained. 
The  bulbs  were  planted  in  a  clump,  and  were  put 
about  2i  inches  below  the  surface  and  about  i 
inches  apart.  Ten  out  of  the  twelve  bulbs  grew, 
and  the  Grass-like  foliage  appeared  above  ground 
about  the  middle  of  June;  a  month  later  the 
flower-stems  began  to  rise  out  of  the  soil,  and  on 
August  2  the  first  flower  opened.  Each  of  the 
first  formed  stems  produced  three  blossoms,  but 
I  have  not  had  more  than  two  on  one  stem 
open  together.  The  flowers  are  star-shaped, 
3^  inches  in  diameter,  pure  waxy  white  in  colour, 
and  quite  flat,  and  what  adds  so  much  to  its  ap- 
pearance is  that  there  is  a  degree  of  lightness  and 
elegance  of  bearing  about  it  which  makes  it  quite 
characteristic  amongst  bulbous  plants.  I  ought 
to  say  that  a  second  flower-stem  is  now  appearing 
on  most  of  the  plants,  which,  although  weaker 
than  the  first,  promise  to  keep  up  a  succession  of 
flowers  for  some  time  to  come.  1  may  further  say 
that  the  first  flowers  which  opened  have  for  the 
most  part  formed  seed-pods,  so  that  there  is  every 
appearance  of  its  seeding  freely.  I  may  also  state 
that  I  have  found  it  necessary  to  support  the  flower- 
stems  with  a  neat  stick,  and  that  my  plants  have 
been  well  supplied  with  water  in  dry  weather.  As 
I  write  from  Somersetshire,  it  would  be  interesting 
to  know  how  it  has  behaved  in  other  parts  of  the 


Sept.   13,   1884. 


THE     GARDEN 


229 


country,  for  a  bulbous  plant  that  will  produce  such 
a  number  of  pure  white  flowers  in  the  month  of 
August,  and  revel  in  the  tropical  heat  we  have 
passed  through,  is  much  too  valuable  to  remain 
unnoticed,  and  its  value  is  further  enhanced  by  the 
simple  course  of  cultivation  necessary  to  secure 
success.  J.  C.  C. 


DAHLIAS  AT  SLOUGH. 
Thi.s  season,  Mr.  Turner  has  planted  a  very  large 
portion  of  his  nursery  with  Dahlias,  by  far  the 
largest  proportion  of  them  being  the  show  or  self 
varieties.  I  went  to  see  them  about  a  fortnight  ago, 
and  even  then  nearly  all  the  varieties  were  in  full 
bloom,  the  hot  weather  having  brought  them  on 
much  more  rapidly  than  usual.  A  large  space  was 
planted  with  fancy  class,  that  is  the  striped, 
spotted,  and  tipped  varieties.  A  spacious  quarter 
was  also  planted  with  the  bouquet  kinds.  I  was 
told  the  single  varieties  were  in  another  nursery. 
Mr.  Turner  grows  a  large  quantity  of  them,  and 
has  raised  some  very  fine  varieties  from  seeds,  but 
as  he  is  a  florist  of  the  old  school  and  cannot 
take  kindly  to  single  Dahlias,  he  is  ready  to 
supply  the  public  with  what  they  want,  but 
it  is  quite  evident  that  single  Dahlias  are  not 
considered  of  the  first  importance  at  the  Slough 
Nurseries.  My  own  opinion  of  them  has 
been  considerably  modified  this  season,  and  I 
fully  believe  that  they  will  fall  in  popularity  as 
rapidly  as  they  rose.  It  is  difficult  to  make  any 
improvement  in  the  form  of  the  show  Dahlias  now, 
so  perfect  are  they  ;  but  there  is  yet  ample  scope 
for  the  production  of  new  colours.  For  instance, 
two  of  the  new  varieties  sent  out  by  Mr.  Turner 
this  year  have  proved  themselves  to  be  good  addi- 
tions to  colours.  Mrs.  Gladstone  is  a  fine  light 
variety,  a  very  delicate  pale  pink  ;  and  Ruby  Gem 
has  even  surpassed  the  great  expectations  formed 
of  it  last  year ;  the  flowers  are  large,  well  formed, 
and  brilliant  in  colour. 

Select  varieties. — Amongst  older  varieties, 
the  finest  of  the  dark  kinds  is  George  Rawlings  ; 
the  habit  of  the  plant  is  certainly  not  good,  but 
the  rich  dark  crimson-maroon  flowers  are  superb. 
William  Rawlings  is  a  deep  crimson-purple,  and 
in  its  peculiar  colour  is  unsurpassed.  Ovid  is  a 
closely  compacted,  well-formed  flower  of  a  rich 
puce.  Pioneer,  a  splendid  glossy  maroon  with  a 
suspicion  of  scarlet,  is  distinct  from  any  other, 
and  of  fine  form.  Prince  Bismarck  is  near  Ovid 
in  colour,  large,  and  of  fine  form.  A  few  of 
the  finest  crimson  and  scarlet  varieties  are 
Chris.  Ridley,  deep  rich  crimson  ;  John  Hen- 
shaw,  rich  ruby-crimson,  a  well-formed  flower ; 
John  Standish,  bright  reddish  crimson,  finest  form, 
very  constant ;  Joseph  Green,  a  very  fine  decided 
crimson,  high  centre,  and  good  outline ;  the  yel- 
low and  scarlet,  or  crimson-shaded  flowers,  are 
well  represented ;  Constancy  in  this  class  is  very 
fine,  the  flowers  large,  full,  and  constant ;  Gold- 
finder,  yellow,  with  red  margin  ;  John  Bennett,  a 
very  distinct  variety,  yellow  and  scarlet ;  Joseph 
Ashby,  a  perfectly  formed  flower,  with  an  orange 
shade ;  Hon.  Mrs.  Percy  Wyndham  is  a  grand  flower 
in  this  class.  The  best  white  with  scarlet  edge  is, 
perhaps,  the  old  variety.  Lady  Gladys  Herbert ; 
Ethel  Britton  is  a  finely  formed  white,  with  reddish 
purple  edge.  Of  yellow  flowers,  Muriel  is  a  good 
new  variety,  with  a  shade  of  buff  in  the  yellow; 
John  Neville  Keynes  is  a  fine  yellow  variety,  and 
Toison  d'Or  is  still  well  to  the  front ;  it  is  a  large 
clear  yellow  flower.  Mrs.  Henshaw  is  still  one  of 
the  best  formed  and  most  constant  of  show  varie- 
ties ;  when  shaded  it  is  pure  white.  Herbert  Tur- 
ner is  a  tall-growing  superb  white  variety  ;  it  has  a 
tinge  of  lilac  on  the  outer  petals. 

Thc  fancy  Dahlias  have  been  greatly  im- 
proved in  form  and  variety  of  markings  during 
the  last  few  years.  A  few  of  the  very  best  are 
Annie  Pritchard,  Charles  Wyatt,  Edward  Peck, 
Grand  Sultan,  Henry  Glasscock,  John  Forbes, 
Mandarin,  Miss  Browning,  Rebecca,  Rev.  J.  B.  M. 
Camm  ;  all  the  above  were  raised  and  sent  out  by 
Messrs.  Keynes,  of  Salisbury.  Other  fine  varieties 
are  Laura  Haslam,  Mrs.  Saunders,  and  Peacock. 
The  little  bouquet  Dahlias  we  find  more  useful 
than  other  flowers  for  cutting  all  through  the 


autumn  months ;  they  are  all  useful  for  this  purpose- 
Gem,  scarlet,  and  Lady  Blanche,  pure  white, 
should  be  grown  by  the  dozen  in  large  gardens- 
The  National  Dahlia  Society  has  done  much  to 
again  bring  the  Dahlia  into  a  more  prominent  posi- 
tion both  as  a  garden  and  show  flower.  The  ex- 
hibitions held  at  the  Crystal  Palace  have  been  much 
appreciated  by  the  public,  and  they  are  creating 
an  interest  in  the  Dahlia  which  has  spread  into 
country  places,  and  has  been  felt  at  local  flower 
shows.  Many  do  not  care  for  Dahlias,  the 
flowers  being  not  to  their  taste.  Indeed  when  the 
show  Dahlia  was  at  the  height  of  its  popularity  a 
quarter  of  a  century  ago.  Dr.  Lindley  wrote  in 
favour  of  the  Phlox,  recommending  its  grace  and 
elegance  in  contrast  to  the  "  lumpish  Dahlia."  A 
good  gardener  should  find  room  for  both  in  his 
garden,  as  well  as  for  the  elegant  Gladiolus,  and 
it  is  very  doubtful  taste  to  say  the  least  that  would 
set  one  against  the  other.  Comparisons  here  may 
well  be  avoided.  J.Douglas. 


A  FEW  GOOD  PENTSTEMONS. 

Taking  the  Pentstemons  of  the  florist's  section 
into  consideration,  few,  if  any,  other  plants  con- 
tribute more  largely  to  the  attractiveness  of  the 
open-air  garden  at  the  present  time.  At  present  I 
will  confine  myself  to  a  few  remaiks  respecting 


Flowering  items  of  Pentstemon  Murrayanus. 

the  species  of  Pentstemon,  all  of  which  are  very 
desirable  garden  plants.  All  are  beautiful,  from 
the  deep  scarlet  of  P.  barbatus  Torreyi  and  I'. 
Bridgesi  to  the  almost  pure  white  of  P.  Digitalis. 
Moreover,  nearly  every  hue  of  purple  and  blue 
colours  are  represented,  and  that,  too,  in  no  mean 
way,  yet  with  all  these  good  qualities  Pentstemons 
are  comparatively  rarely  seen  in  large  private 
gardens,  although  the  commoner  kinds  adorn 
many  a  cottage  garden.  The  finest  clump  of  bar- 
batus and  gentianoides  which  I  have  seen  were 
growing  in  front  of  an  old  cottager's  window, 
tended  with  care  every  morning  and  evening.  With 
the  florist's  varieties,  although  one  gets  a  great 
diversity  of  colour,  the  extremes  of  colouring 
are  not  nearly  so  marked  as  in  the  species,  nor 
yet  is  the  form  so  varied.  It  dispenses  too  with  the 
trouble  of  raising  a  yearly  stock,  a  feat  hardly 
within  the  province  of  those  who  are  likely  to 
give  them  a  place  in  their  gardens.  The  variety 
in  size  and  habit  of  the  various  species  of 
Pentstemon  suit  them  admirably  for  nearly  all 
positions,  both  in  the  mixed  border,  the  flower 
bed,  or  on  the  rockery. 

P.  CONFERTUS,  of  which  there  are  two  or  three 
varieties,  is  well  fitted  for  the  rock  garden,  the 
dwarf  form  especially  seldom  attaining  more  than 
6  inches  in  height,  and  forming  a  dense  carpet 
of  fine  green  leaves,  and  from  which  rise  in  great 
profusion  numerous  clustered  heads  of  bright  blue 
attractive  flowers,  beginning  in  early  summer  and 
continuing  well  into  August.    The  taller  forms 


are  also  very  desirable  for  higher  positions,  sunny 
if  possible. 

P.  Menziesi  and  the  variety  Scouleri,  a 
shrubby  species  of  merit,  as  a  rock  plant  requirts 
a  rather  sheltered  situation,  and  unless  attention 
be  paid  with  top-dressing  and  renewing  of  soil 
yearly,  it  has  a  habit  not  very  commendable  of 
dying  by  inches, but, fortunately,  from  its  readiness 
to  root  if  pegged  down,  a  stock  is  readily  kept  up. 
The  flowers  are  rosy  colour,  produced  from  June 
to  August. 

P.  RicHARDSONi,  a  beautiful  scrambling  or 
straggling  species,  specially  adapted  for  hanging 
over  large  stones  or  old  walls  in  the  rockery,  fall- 
ing as  it  does  in  graceful  festoons,  which  are 
enlivened  with  its  large  blue  flowers,  forms  a  very 
great  feature  all  through  the  summer.  The  soil 
should  be  deep  and  rich,  and  the  roots  partially 
shaded,  which  may  easily  be  done  under  cover  of 
the  wall. 

P.  Murrayanus  is  unquestionably  the  king 
of  Pentstemons.  A  few  sprays  of  it  are  repre- 
sented in  the  annexed  engraving.  It  is  a  magnifi- 
cent plant,  but  unfortunately,  from  the  diflaculty  of 
keeping  it  free  from  damp  during  the  winter 
season,  it  is  very  scarce  as  an  outdoor  plant.  It 
may,  however,  be  very  satisfactorily  grown  as  an 
annual ;  sowing  the  seed  early  in  spring,  and  grow- 
ing on  in  a  little  heat,  they  will  flower  the  following 
summer,  although  not  so  strong  and  robust  as 
those  that  have  chanced  to  winter  a  mild  season 
outside.  With  us  it  grows  about  3  feet  in 
height,  producing  panicles  of  tubular  showy  in- 
tensely scarlet  flowers.  The  leaves  are  large, 
handsome,  glaucous,  and  very  effective.  A  first- 
rate  border  plant.  It  flowers  late  in  summer, 
August  to  October,  and  is  now  one  of  the  showiest 
border  plants  we  have.  Any  that  have  not 
flowered  may  be  lifted  early  and  wintered  in  the 
frames,  and  these  will  make  the  strongest  plants 
the  following  year. 

P.  rUBESCENS,  one  of  the  oldest,  having  been 
introduced  considerably  over  a  century  ago,  is  an 
excellent  border  or  flower  garden  plant,  and  as  it 
is  perfectly  hardy,  it  is  a  most  desirable  subject 
in  gardens  where  little  trouble  can  be  given  to 
bedding.  It  grows  about  2  feet,  of  a  compact, 
tufty  habit,  and  has  pretty  oval  leaves ;  the  flowers 
are  bell-shaped,  spreading  at  the  mouth,  varying 
from  light  to  rosy  purple,  nearly  white  inside.  July, 
August,  and  September.  Native  of  United  States. 
Amongst  others  may  be  mentioned  Hartwegi, 
heterophyllus,  ovatus,  &c  ,  all  useful  late  summer 
flowering  plants,  easily  grown  and  quite  hardy,  at 
least  in  the  southern  counties.  K. 


PLANTING  DAFFODIL  BULBS. 

In  The  Garden  (p.  182)  we  are  told  by  "  S.  W.' 
that  "  October  and  November  are  the  best  months 
during  which  to  plant  Daffodil  bulbs."  That  it  is 
a  good  and  convenient  time,  so  far  as  bulb  dealers 
are  concerned,  I  admit;  but  that  it  is  absolutely 
ruinous  to  floriferous  bulb  growth  after  the  first 
season,  the  remarks  of  "  J.  S.  W."  on  p.  203  amply 
prove.  I  will  repeat  what  "J.  S.  W."  tells  us  as  a 
warning  to  those  who  plant  bought  bulbs  of  Nar- 
cissus in  October  and  November,  a  very  bad  plan 
and  one  now  too  prevalent.  If  they  continue  the 
practice  of  late  planting,  the  following  quotation 
will  show  them  what  results  they  may  expect: 
"  We  have  been  planting  Daffodils,''  says 
"  J.  S.  W.,"  "  for  several  years,  and  they  have 
always  been  planted  in  October  and  November 
(bought  bulbs),  and  have  invariably  bloomed  first- 
rate  the  year  after,  and  then  gone  to  Grass,  com- 
paratively speaking,  every  season  afterwards,  and 
this,  too,  in  the  sunniest  situations."  In  a  word, 
the  bulbs  develop  the  flower-buds  actually 
inside  them  when  purchased,  but  fail  to  develop 
blossom  germs  the  following  year  in  "  J.  S.  W.'s  " 
soil  and  climate.  Whether  this  is  due  to  cold 
soil  or  to  an  exposed  and  severe  climate  is  more 
than  doubtful ;  indeed  I  am  convinced  that  this 
failure  is  more  likely  to  be  the  natural  result  of  the 
lateplanting  of  bulbs  which  havebeen  too  long  kept 
out  of  the  soil.  Of  course  I  know  that  bulbs  may  be 
kept  out  of  the  ground  a  year,  and  will  then  brar 


230 


THE    GARDEN 


[Sept.   13,  1884. 


forcing  and  flower  well,  a  practice  formerly 
recommended  by  Loudon,  and  resorted  to  for 
very  early  forced  bloom.  Of  course,  in  this  case 
the  bulbs  were  utterly  ruined,  and  were  thrown 
away  after  flowering.  Now-a-days,  however,  the 
best  cultivators  of  bulbs  for  early  forcing  pot  up 
their  bulbs  as  soon  in  August  or  September  as 
they  can,  so  that  they  may  form  good  root-growth 
out-of-doors  ere  they  are  placed  in  heat  to  flower. 
Our  Daffodil  roots  dug  and  replanted  in  July  are 
now  rooting  freely  in  their  new  quarters,  and,  as  I 
know  by  several  years'  experience,  will  flower  as 
well  next  March  and  April  as  if  they  had  never 
been  disturbed;  indeed,  I  believe  better, as  some 
kinds  had  become  a  little  crowded.  It  the  next 
year's  bloom  was  all  one  had  to  strive  for,  then  I 
grant  that  time  of  planting  is  not  of  such  moment ; 
since,  if  the  flower  germ  is  in  the  bulb  when  pur- 
chased, they  are  sure  to  bloom,  even  if  kept  above 
ground  until  November ;  but  if  permanent  success 
is  wished  for,  it'.,  if  bulbs  are  expected  to  esta- 
blish themselves  and  to  flower  well  year  after 
year,  then  by  all  means  dig  and  replant  or  plant 
in  July  or  August  at  the  very  latest.  JIany 
people  have  failed  to  induce  bulbs  to  naturalise 
themselves  on  the  Grass  or  in  the  wild  garden,  and 
have  laid  the  blame  on  soil  and  climate,  or  the 
struggle  for  existence  in  Grass,  or  on  the  nursery- 
man who  supplied  the  bulbs,  when  the  secret  of 
failure  consisted  simply  in  this  fatal  mistake  of 
late  planting.  If  "  J.  S.  W."  will  plant  his  Daffodils 
in  July  next  year  instead  of  in  November  or 
December,  I  think  he  will  not  have  to  complain 
of  their"  running  to  Grass"  after  the  first  year's 
blossoming.  Here  on  a  light,  rich,  sandy  soil, 
peculiarly  well  suited  to  the  luxuriance  of 
Narcissi,  I  find  July  planting  necessary  to  full  and 
vigorous  perfection,  and  this  must  be  doubly 
essential  to  success  where  soil  or  climate  are 
inimical  to  their  free  and  floriferous  development 
year  after  year.  To  all  who  fail  in  the  cnliure  of 
Narcissi  my  advice  is,  plant  in  July.       F.  W.  B. 


CARNATIONS  AND  PICOTEES. 
Whether  Mr.  Glenny  actually  invented  or  not 
the  unnatural  models,  such  as  that  of  the  Picotee 
given  at  p.  89, 1  am  not  concerned  to  know.  That 
their  sponsorship  rests  with  him,  however,  is  noto- 
rious, while  the  revolt  of  florists  against  them  is 
mere  matter  of  history.  I  am  therefore  strictly 
accurate  in  saying  that  absurdities  like  these  Pico- 
tee  models  have  been  repudiated  by  florists  from 
the  outset.  As  to  "  Hardy  Florists'  Flowers,"  to 
which  "  S.  W."  refers,  its  author,  Mr.  Douglas,  is 
a  famous  grower  and  exhibitor  of  florists'  flowers, 
and  his  little  book  is  a  very  helpful  guide 
to  those  who  wish  to  succeed  in  their  cultivation. 
It  contains  inaccuracies,  however,  as  to  the  pro- 
perties of  some  of  the  flowers  treated  of.  Of  the 
Carnation  and  Picotee,  the  immediate  subject  of 
this  discussion,  no  figures  are  given.  Those  of  the 
"  perfect  Auricula  truss  "  and  "  model  Tulip  "  to 
which  "  S.  W.'  alludes,  though  not  nearly  so  in- 
tolerably formal  in  appearance  as  the  odious 
figure  of  the  Picotee  shown  at  p.  89,  are  un- 
doubtedly formal  and,  in  addition,  untrue  in 
several  important  particulars.  These  errors  have 
been  already  pointed  out  by  florists,  and  would  cer- 
tainly be  corrected  in  any  future  edition  of  the 
book.  Florists,  however,  have  no  more  to  do  with 
the  errors  of  the  one  writer  than  with  those  of  the 
other. 

If  anyone  wished  to  form  an  idea  of  what  the 
florist's  aims  actually  are,  he  could  not  do  better 
than  go  to  a  Carnation  and  Picotee  show,  such  as 
any  of  those  we  have  had  lately  in  both  north  and 
south.  He  would  at  once  see  that  florists  have 
fixed  on  a  high,  but  perfectly  natural,  model  for 
their  guidance,  seeking  to  improve  breadth,  sub- 
stance, and  refinement  of  petal,  size  of  flower,  na- 
tural form,  and  brilliancy  of  colour.  He  would 
see  their  success  abundantly  evidenced  in  such 
flowers  as  Robert  Lord,  Master  Fred,  Jas.  Douglas, 
Henry  Caunell,  Thomas  Williams,  Clara  Penson, 
Mrs.  Payne,  and  hosts  of  others  equally  beautiful. 
These  exquisite  flowers  differ  from  the  ugly  model 
of  p.  89  as  day  from  night.  Were  these  Glenny 
Carnation  and  Picotee  figures  to  be  exhibited  tp 


any  eminent  raiser  of  these  flowers,  it  is  an  even 
chance  at  which  he  would  laugh  most,  the  precious 
models  themselves,  or  the  simplicity  of  anyone 
who  could  fancy  he  took  them  for  his  guidance. 

M.  K. 


SANVITALIA  PROCUMBENS  FL.-PL. 
If  all  annuals  were  of  a  similar  nature  to  this  one, 
the  task  of  embellishing  our  gardens  through  the 
summer  would  be  easy  enough.  Strange  to  say, 
although  I  remember  to  have  seen  this  annual 
employed  for  bedding  more  than  twenty  years  ago, 
it  never  seems  to  have  become  generally  known  ; 
whereas  its  very  exceptional  merits  should  make 
for  it  a  foremost  place  amongst  summer  flowering 
plants.  The  habit  is  dwarf,  not  exceeding  G  inches 
in  height ;  it  densely  covers  the  ground  with  dark 
green  foliage,  each  ^slender  shoot  terminating  in  a 
flower  about  the  size  of  a  sixpence,  perfectly 
double,  bright  yellow  with  a  black  centre,  and 
which  to  those  who  do  not  go  to  the  extreme  of 
fashion  in  rejecting  all  double  flowers  has  an 
extremely  neat  and  attractive  appearance.  There 
are  three  important  points  in  connection 
with  this  Sanvitalia  which  constitute  it  one 
of  the  most  desirable  of  garden  flowers.  In 
the  first  place,  the  individual  blooms  are  of 
really  extraordinary  duration  ;  indeed,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  Everlastings,  I  know  of  no  flower 
that  lasts  so  long  in  perfection.  Their  persistency 
will  be  illustrated  by  the  fact  that  the  first  ones 
which  opened  six  weeks  ago  are  but  just  faded, 
having  lasted  bright  and  fresh  through  more  than 
a  month  of  exceptional  heat  and  drought.  In 
average  weather  the  flowers  would  last  good  quite 
six  weeks.  They  are,  however,  equally  indifferent 
to  wind  and  rain ;  they  "  laugh  at  the  whirlwind  and 
defy  the  storm ;"  and  after  a  dashing  shower  which 
would  dim  the  beauty  of  many  things,  the  appear- 
ance of  the  plants — cushions  of  verdure  thickly 
studded  with  golden  buttons — is  quite  charm- 
ing. In  the  second  place,  the  culture  is 
remarkably  simple.  Either  sow  in  a  cool  house 
or  frame  or  in  the  open  ground  in  the 
middle  of  April;  by  the  former  method  the 
blooming  season  is  of  course  accelerated,  as  sturdy 
little  plants  are  in  readiness  to  set  out  by  the 
middle  of  May.  But  the  last  and  most  noticeable 
points  about  this  Sanvitalia  is  the  way  in  which 
it  goes  on  blooming  through  the  summer  and 
autumn.  I  should  like  to  know  how  long  it  re- 
mains in  flower  in  its  native  land,  but  our  growing 
season  is  evidently  not  long  enough  for  it,  and  I 
verily  believe  that  if  our  summer  were  nine 
months  long,  Sanvitalia  procumbens  would  be  in 
flower  the  whole  time.  Its  mode  of  growth  is 
peculiar,  and  for  an  annual  I  think  unique.  The 
first  set  of  shoots  spread  over  the  surface  of  the 
ground,  and  then  from  the  baseof  them,  and  quite 
close  to  the  old  stem,  issue  a  crowd  of  young  ones, 
and  thus  as  it  were  renewing  its  youthful  vigour.  It 
is  j  ust  as  if  a  mass  of  young  seedlings  were  springing 
from  the  centre  of  a  perfectly  developed  specimen. 
This  progressive  shoot  development  goes  on 
through  the  season,  so  that  it  will  easily  be  under- 
stood that  flowers  in  quantity  are  continually 
being  produced.  If  by  any  chance  this  plant 
could  be  induced  to  break  into  new  forms,  what  a 
valuable  one  it  would  be.  As  it  is  I  would  advise 
all  who  have  not  grown  it  to  do  so.  But  I  would 
just  remark  that  a  fairly  rich  soil  is  necessary  and 
a  sunny  situation  indispensable.  It  does  no  good 
in  semi-shade,  running  much  to  leaf  and  becomes 
far  from  ornamental.  Give  it  sun,  moisture  at  the 
roots,  and  a  fair  share  of  food,  and  you  will  say 
that  I  have  not  written  one  line  too  much  in  its 
favour.  There  is  a  single-flowered  kind,  and,  dare 
I  say  so  in  this  age  of  single  flowers,  it  is  inferior 
to  that  which  forms  the  subject  of  these  remarks. 

J.  C. 


Tropaeolum     cceruleum     roseum.  — 

Amongst  the  many  flowers  of  this  class  on  trial 
in  Messrs.  Wheeler's  grounds,  at  Tuffley,  near 
Gloucester,  this  is,  in  my  opinion,  the  best  and 
prettiest.  Although  growing  in  a  large  mass, 
every  plant  was  of  uniform  height  and  beautifully 
clothed  with  perfect  masses  of  blooms  of  the  mo  s 


lovely  blush  rose  colour.  Hitherto  we  have  ap- 
proved of  confining  this  class  of  flowers  to  mixed 
borders,  but  we  have  booked  this  one  for  future 
use  in  the  flower  garden. — M. 


BULB-PLANTING  TOOL. 

I  SEND  you  a  tool  which  I  have  designed  for  bulb 
planting,  and  which  I  find  very  useful.  In  carry, 
ing  out  experiments  on  bulbous  plants,  I  have 
found  the  depth  at  which  the  various  kinds  are 
planted  to  have  a  great  influence  on  their  after 
growth.  With  this  tool  the  right  depth  is  ensured, 
the  cross  stick  being  put  through  whichever  of  the 
holes  is  right  for  the  bulbs  then  being  planted.  I 
have  them  of  various  diameters,  from  a  size  suit- 
able for  planting  Lilies  and  other  large  bulbs 
down  to  one  thin  enough  to  suit  very  small  ones. 
And  while  I  am  on  the  subject  of  bulbs,  I  would 
call  the  attention  of  those  who  care  for  that  class 
of  plants  to  the  very  great  importance  of  surround- 
ing bulbs  with  sand  when  planting.  This  advice 
is  very  frequently  given,  but  not,  I  think,  sufii- 
ciently  insisted  on.  I  have  just  been  lifting  various 


Col.  Wortley'6  hull-planting  tcol. 

patches  of  experimentally  planted  bulbs,  and  it 
would,  I  think,  astonish  many  who  may  not  have 
given  the  subject  much  consideration  to  know  how 
quickly  bulbs  planted  in  sand  increase  in  com- 
parison with  others  not  so  planted.  This  has  been 
with  me  the  case  not  only  with  Ixiolirions,  Calo- 
chorti,  Babianas,  Ixias,  Cyclobothras,  and  other 
such  bulbs  more  or  less  delicate,  but  also  with 
Scillas,  Daffodils,  and  such  bulbs  of  the  hardier 
kinds.  The  most  noticeable  increase  in  proportion 
has  been  in  Iris  reticulata,  every  bulb  having  done 
well,  and  many  of  them  intending  to  throw  up 
three  spikes  of  bloom  next  spring,  while  a  few 
have  increased  even  beyond  that.  These  were  all 
single  bulbs  planted  last  autumn.  I  shall  hope  in 
the  course  of  my  experimental  work  to  obtain 
knowledge  that  will  be  useful  to  some  of  your 
amateur  readers. 

H.  Stuabt  Woetley  (Colonel). 


Dahlias  In  the  open  ground.— Roots  left  in  the 
ground  through  the  winter  threw  up  strongly  in  late  spring, 
and  have  bloomed  well.  The  winter  was  mild  and  the 
spring  dry,  wliich  helped  them,  but  a  mulch  would  protect 
tlie  roots  in  winter,  and  by  this  means  Dahlias  might  be 
grown  with  but  little  trouble.  At  any  rate,  it  is  well  to 
know  that  they  will  succeed  in  this  way.— J,  C.  B. 


Sept.    13,  1884  7 ' 


THE     GARDEN 


231 


Kitchen    Garden. 


THE  POTATO  CROP. 

The  Potato  crop  is  undoubtedly  a  good  one,  but 
certainly  not  so  heavy  as  that  lifted  last  season, 
the  quality,  however,  being  nauch  superior.  On 
light  lands  in  many  counties  and  on  heavy  lands 
in  Essex  and  Kent  the  crops,  owing  to  dryness  at 
the  roots,  are  in  several  cases  that  have  come  under 
my  observation  disappointingly  light.  Fortu- 
nately, there  is  but  little  disease  among  them,  and 
the  crops  consequently  may  yet  be  above  the 
average.  Where  the  haulm  is  yet  green  it  is 
advisable  to  lift  and  store  the  crops  at  once,  or 
otherwise  there  is  the  danger  of  protuberation  or 
the  formation  of  a  second  crop,  this  being  useless 
and  certain  to  spDil  the  first  crop.  On  heavy 
land  in  this  more  moist  district  we  find  a  consider- 
able number  of  diseased  tubers,  several  newer  sorts 
being  the  worst  .iflected.  We  planted  two  long 
rows  with  Cosmopolitan,  and  I  am  sorry  to  state 
the  crop  was  scarcely  worth  lifting,  as  at  least 
two-thirds  of  the  tubers  were  diseased.  Altogether 
I  was  much  disappointed  with  this  much  vaunted 
variety,  and  it  will  not  be  grown  here  again. 
As  "  D."  remarked  on  page  206,  the  variety 
is  liable  in  rich  garden  soils  to  form  long 
and  large  tubers,  and  in  some  cases  to  be 
forced  up  near  the  surface.  This  renders  it 
peculiarly  liable  to  disease,  and,  besides,  these  long 
tubers  are  little  better  than  monstrosities.  Cos- 
mopolitan much  resembles  Woodstock  Kidney, 
which,  if  I  remember  rightly,  was  one  of  its 
parents,  and  for  my  part  I  fail  to  see  any  improve- 
ment effected.  We  are  getting  far  too  many  so- 
called  novelties  in  Potatoes,  and  were  there  no 
prizes  offered  for  Potatoes  three  parts  of  the 
varieties  of  recent  introduction  would  soon  be  dis- 
carded. Welford  Park  is  another  doubtful  gain, 
but  as  this  was  grown  for  the  first  time  this  sea- 
son we  may  give  it  another  trial.  This  also  was, 
for  the  season,  badly  diseased,  and  must  be  of 
weak  constitution.  Reading  Russet  is  now  grown 
by  all  classes,  and  probably  no  variety  has  won 
more  prizes,  whether  In  the  cl.isses  for  professional 
gardeners,  amateurs,  or  cottag-ers.  With  us  it  is 
robust,  but  not  wide-spreading  in  growth,  crops 
heavily,  and  the  handsome  round  rough-skinned 
tubers  are  very  good  in  quality.  Can  anyone  re- 
commend a  white  round  as  a  companion  for  it  ? 
I  am  frequently  asked  to  recommend  a  good  white 
round,  but  can  only  name  Sutton's  Early  Border 
and  Schoolmaster.  The  former  is  particularly 
good,  as  it  is  early,  forms  but  little  haulm, 
yet  crops  heavily,  and  the  quality  is  good. 
Schoolmaster  all  are  acquainted  with,  but  it 
is  by  no  means  generally  good.  It  is  much 
liable  to  become  scarred,  and  on  strong 
soils  the  tubers  frequently  assume  extraordi- 
nary shapes.  Sutton's  Fillbasket  is  a  useful 
round  white  sort,  but  we  have  to  dig  over  a  good 
breadth  to  find  a  really  good  dish.  It  may  be 
classed  as  a  useful  sort,  more  especially  for  the 
non-exhibitor.  Lady  Truscott  we  grew  this  season 
with  Scotch  Champion  and  Magnum  Bonum,  but 
I  consider  it  a  failure,  and  it  will  never  prove  ser- 
viceable here.  On  light  land  it  crops  heavily,  and 
fairly  handsome  tubers  may  be  selected  from  them. 
Harlequin  we  were  in  hopes  would  prove  a  hand- 
some and  useful  sort,  but  we  cannot  get  it  large 
enough  to  please  the  judges.  From  a  good  stock 
of  the  old  Lapstone  Kidney  several  so-called  new 
sorts  might  easily  be  selected  without  the  judges 
being  able  to  disqualify  the  exhibitor.  So  much 
for  the  good  work  supposed  to  be  done  by  the 
National  Potato  Society.  W.  I.  M. 


Asparagus  as  an  ornamental  plant. 

— Apart  from  the  edible  qualities  of  the  garden 
Asparagus,  it  is  one  of  the  handsomest  of  fine 
foliage  plants,  but  the  same  inconsistency  that 
banishes  fruit  trees  from  ornamental  grounds 
decrees  that  the  only  place  for  Asparagus  is  in  the 
kitchen  garden,  but  beauty  of  form  cannot  be 
hidden,  and  year  after  year  the  Asparagus  beds 
are  the  greatest  of  summer  ornaments  to  the 
kitchen  gardens ;  and  this  year  in  particular,  while 


the  Peas  were  dried  up  and  rusty  looking,  and 
nearly  all  crops  were  flagging  and  presenting  a 
woe-begcue  aspect  owing  to  heat  and  drought,  the 
Asparagus  revelled  in  the  sunshine  with  plumes  of 
verdant  green  that  are  not  equalled  by  many 
plants  grown  under  glass  solely  for  their  foliage, 
and  as  a  plant  for  cutting  sprays  for  garnishing  it 
is  most  useful,  and  now  that  its  berries  are  assum- 
ing a  bright  coral  hint,  how  it  helps  to  take  off 
the  stiff  formality  of  floral  decorations.  In 
harvest  festival  decorations  it  is  most  appropriate, 
and  if  we  can  only  forget  its  culinary  associations 
we  may  yet  find  it  coming  to  the  front  for  general 
use  as  a  decorative  foliage  and  garnishing  plant  of 
the  highest  rank.  Other  kinds  of  Asparagus  are 
ranked  amongst  the  new  and  rare  plants  of  our 
stoves,  but  then  they  have  not  transgressed  the 
orthodox  laws  that  decree  a  plant  or  tree  that  is 
useful  on  account  of  its  yielding  food  cannot  at 
the  same  time  be  included  among  the  ornamental. 
We  have  seen  many  changes  of  late,  and  hope  to 
see  more. — James  Geoom,  Qosport,  Hants. 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  BROCCOLI. 

Authorities  say  the  Cauliflower  and  Broccoli  are 
only  varieties  of  the  same  species,  but  the  habit 
and  appearance  of  the  two  indicate  a  decided  dif- 
ference, that  should  always  be  kept  in  view  in 
raising  new  varieties.  First,  the  true  Broccoli  is 
quite  hardy,  or  nearly  so,  and  the  Cauliflower  is 
not ;  and,  secondly,  the  Cauliflower  has  usually  a 
plain  and  entire  dark  green  leaf,  while  the  leaf  of 
the  Broccoli  is  bluish  green,  and  in  shape  like  that 
of  the  common  Green  or  the  Turnip— that  is, 
divided  or  notched  and  sometimes  slightly  curled 
— and  the  more  distinctly  these  features  are  deve- 
loped, the  hardier  is  the  variety.  Carter's  Cham- 
pion, Eclipse,  and  Backhouse's  White  are  all  true 
Broccolis,  and  they  are  three  of  the  truest  and 
hardiest.  Grange's  Early  Broccoli,  about  sixty 
years  in  cultivation,  perishes  with  the  earliest 
frosts,  and  it  is  a  Cauliflower  in  appearance  and 
habit.  Goschen's  Late  White  appears  to  be  a 
cross  between  the  two,  and  is  only  half  hardy,  and 
it  will  be  found  that  the  rule  holds  good  through- 
out. No  Broccoli  with  a  Cauliflower  leaf  or  a 
tendency  towards  the  Cauliflower  habit  can  be 
trusted  to  stand  frost,  and  a  Broccoli  that  is  not 
hardy  is  worthless.  The  Cauliflower  and  the  Broc- 
coli have  in  some  instances  been  blended,  so  that 
in  some  varieties  you  cannot  call  them  either  the 
one  or  the  other,  but  the  two  extreme  types  are 
distinct  enough,  and  cannot  be  mistaken.  The 
desire  to  have  fine  white  heads  of  the  quality  of 
the  Cauliflower  has  induced  raisers  to  interbreed 
with  the  Cauliflower,  but  it  is  going  in  the  wrong 
direction,  so  far  as  hardiness — the  main  point— is 
concerned.  All  the  authorities  loosely  agree  in 
describing  the  Cauliflower  and  Broccoli  as  varie- 
ties of  Brassica  oleracea  botrytis,  whatever  the 
original  type  of  that  may  be  like,  but  I  am  con- 
vinced that  the  blood  of  some  other  Cabbage  has 
been  introduced  into  either  the  one  or  the  other. 
The  characteristics  of  both  are  too  distinct  and 
too  permanent  to  leave  any  doubt  on  that  point,  I 
think,  but  it  would  be  interesting  to  learn  more 
on  the  subject.  J-  S.  W. 


"Winter  Spinach.  —  The  long  protracted 
drought  will  in  many  parts  of  the  country  cause 
a  scarcity  of  green  vegetables,  and  anything  that 
can  be  grown  on  rapidly  during  autumn  will  be 
found  useful.  Very  few  crops  become  fit  for  use 
in  such  a  short  time  as  Spinach,  and  I  would  ad- 
vise all  who  have  any  ground  vacant  to  lose  no  time 
in  getting  it  sown  with  that  esculent.  I  have  on 
many  occasions  found  it  an  invaluable  aid  to  the 
vegetable  supply  in  seasons  like  the  present.  Sow 
the  Prickly-seeded  winter  Spinach  and  thin  it  out 
in  the  usual  way,  but  sow  at  the  same  time,  or,  if 
possible,  a  week  earlier,  a  good  breadth  of  the 
Round-seeded  summer  Spinach  moderately  thick ; 
this  will  come  on  rapidly,  and  will  yield  abund- 
ance of  succulent  leaves  during  autumn  and  the 
early  part  of  winter.  When  no  longer  needed, 
what  is  left  can  be  dug  into  the  ground.  Spinach 
is  a  crop  that  leaves  the  ground  in  good  heart. 


and  there  is  very  little  labour  or  expense  attend- 
ing its  culture.  Sow  in  drills,  1  foot  apart, 
moderately  thick. — J.  Groom,  Gosport. 

A  ne'W  Tomato. — On  the  walls  principally 
devoted  to  the  formation  of  standard  Peach  and 
Nectarine  trees  in  Mr.  R.  Veitoh's  nurseries  at 
Exeter  a  grand  crop  of  Tomato  King  Humbert  is 
now  ripening  off.  This  variety  is  of  Continental 
origin,  and  appears  to  be  very  vigorous  and 
fruitful.  The  fruits  are  egg-shaped  and  rather 
small,  but  the  colour  and  quality  is  good,  and  it 
may  prove  valuable  for  out-door  culture.  It  is 
true  Tomatoes  generally  are  doing  well  this  sea- 
son, but  I  have  seen  none  carrying  such  good 
crops  as  the  variety  under  notice. — W.  I. 


ROSE  Garden. 


THE  WEATHER  AND  THE  ROSES. 
The  heat  and  the  drought  proved  almost  too  much 
for  most  of  the  Roses.  It  shortened  the  flowering 
season  to  the  narrowest  limits,  lowered  the  quality 
of  individual  blooms,  and  even  diminished  the 
fulness  of  their  fragrance.  From  80^  to  90'  in 
the  shade  is  twenty  or  more  degrees  too  high  for 
the  perfect  well-being  and  well-doing  of  Roses. 
But  at  last  the  coolness  and  the  moisture  have 
come,  though  probably  a  full  month  or  more  too 
late  to  push  forward  a  good  autumnal  harvest  of 
blossom,  or  mature  the  growing  wood.  So  far  the 
Tea  Roses  have  had  the  best  of  it  this  season, 
and  our  autumn  feast  of  blossom  promises  to 
be  provided  for  us  by  the  same  most  useful  and 
accommodating  family.  At  the  present  moment 
our  Rose  harvest  is  mostly  furnished  by  the  Teas, 
a  few  Perpetuals,  and  that  never  failing  late  Rose, 
Bourbon,  Souvenir  de  la  Malmaison.  This  last  is, 
perhaps,  the  very  best  of  all  autumnal  blooming 
Roses.  Its  chief  fault  is  that  it  blooms  in  such 
large  bunches  that  one  can  hardly  obtain  a  suffi- 
ciency of  stems  for  vases  without  sacrificing  a  host 
of  buds.  But  of  course  this  only  applies  to  the 
useof  the  Rose  for  cutting.  On  the  plants  few  sights 
are  more  pleasing  than  the  huge  trusses  of  this 
fine  Rose  in  all  stages  from  mere  buds  to  expanded 
blooms.  Even  the  latter  unfold  into  good 
form  in  the  autumn ;  though  almost  fiat  as  a 
pancake,  they  are  by  no  means  the  commonplace, 
unshapely,  semi-colourless  things  that  the  same 
Rose  produces  in  the  spring  or  summer.  The 
shades  of  pink  in  this  fine  Rose  at  this  late 
autumn  season  are  in  themselves  quite  a  study,  as 
full  of  interest  as  of  pleasure.  To  give  some  idea 
of  the  marvellous  richness  and  variety  of  these  it 
may  be  stated  that  they  touch  President  at  one  end 
of  the  scale,  and  Devoniensis,  or  even  Baroness 
Rothschild.at  the  other.  The  quarter  or  half  opened 
buds  are  also  models  of  form  as  well  as  of  delicacy 
and  chasteness  of  colouring  ;  hence  there  is  hardly 
any  Rose,  with  the  single  exception  of  Niphetos, 
more  in  demand  for  vases  and  bouquets  in  the 
autumn  than  Souvenir  de  la  Malmaison.  True,  it 
is  somewhat  deficient  in  fragrance,  but  it  seems 
to  me  that  even  this  improves  with  the  shortening 
days.  Neither  can  all  that  has  been  said  in  dispa- 
ragement of  the  scent  of  this  Rose  be  justified  by 
facts.  It  has  been  compared  to  slops  or  fcetid 
water.  This  is  certainly  an  odious  comparison, 
though  it  must  be  admitted  the  odour,  like  some 
of  its  other  qualities,  for  example  that  of  its  dis- 
torted form  in  summer,  is  unique,  unpleasant  to 
many,  and  not  very  attractive  to  any.  Per  contra, 
its  delicacy  of  colour  is  most  pleasing,  and  hardly 
any  Rose  can  match  it  in  the  rich  profusion  of  its 
autumnal  yield  of  blossom.  It  is  also  one  of  the 
easiest  Roses  to  propagate  and  grow.  It  does 
equally  weir  almost  in  soils  of  the  most  diverse 
character  ;  in  open  beds  or  borders,  or  on  walls  of 
different  aspects.  In  hot,  dry  weather,  how- 
ever, perhaps  the  finest  blooms  are  gathered 
in  the  early  autumn,  either  from  plants  in 
the  open  bed  or  border,  or  from  those  on 
east  or  north  walls.  Next  to  this  Rose,  or  even 
before  it  in  point  of  quantity  of  bloom  and  frag- 
rance in  the  autumn,  must  be  placed  Gloire  de 
Dijon.  No  Rose  flowers  more  freely  or  early  in 
the  spring  or  summer,  unless  it  be  Maiccbal  Niel 


232 


THE    GAEDEN 


[Sept.   13,  1884. 


where  it  stands  the  winter  in  the  open  and  remains 
in  robust  health.  It  well  deserves  the  character 
it  has  acquired  by  many  gardeners  as  the  ever- 
blooming  Rose.  But  to  have  in  fall  beauty  in  the 
autumn  it  is  a  good  plan  to  grow  it  on  walls ; 
allow  the  summer  made  shoots  to  grow  freely,  and 
neither  stop  nor  train  them.  Some  of  these  will  on 
strong  plants  extend  to  a  length  of  one,  two,  or  even 
three  yards.  They  will  naturally  droop  somewhat 
from  their  great  length  and  consequent  weight. 
And  this  drooping  is  one  of  the  secrets  of  success- 
ful blooming,  inasmuch  as  it  helps  the  shoots 
to  break  more  regularly  from  base  to  summit, 
and  each  break  results  in  a  bloom  or  a  cluster  of 
blooms.  In  situations  exposed  to  high  winds  it  is 
desirable  to  ensure  their  safety  by  tacking  them  on 
to  the  wall  or  fence  to  prevent  their  being  broken. 
In  such  cases  it  is  good  practice  to  bend  these 
autumnal  flowering  shoots  down  rather  than  train 
them  into  form  or  extend  the  Rose  tree.  They 
may,  in  fact,  be  treated  as  temporary  blooming 
shoots  only,  and  be  removed  as  soon  as  the  bloom- 
ing season  is  over.  The  amount  of  bloom  yielded 
by  Rose  shoots  treated  thus  must  be  seen  to  be 
appreciated.  This  fine  old  Rose  is  also  richer  and 
more  varied  in  colour  in  the  autumn  months 
than  at  any  other  season.  It  passes  through  almost 
every  shade  of  yellow  and  orange,  and  deepens  into 
salmon.  The  half  and  even  three-quarter  or  fully- 
opened  blooms  are  also  more  perfect  in  shape  than 
at  any  other  season.  Lut  the  merits  of  this  po- 
pular Rose  are  so  well  known,  that  it  is  hardly 
needful  to  dwell  more  upon  them,  though  it  is 
well-nigh  impossible  to  recite,  far  less  exhaust, 
all  its  merits.  As  an  autumnal  bloomer  sure  to 
yield  an  abundance  of  flowers  it  may  safely  be 
trusted  to  run  abreast,  if  not  ahead,  of  Souvenir 
de  la  Malmaison.  A  good  third  to  match  these 
two  may  be  found  in  Boule  de  Neige.  Possibly 
this  selection  may  surprise  not  a  few  rosarians  ; 
but  it  isamply  justified  by  experience.  This  is  by 
no  means  a  strong  grower,  but  then  it  invariably 
makes  a  second  growth  and  every  shoot  is  crowned 
in  the  autumn  with  one  or  more  blooms,  for  this 
beautiful  white  Rose  mostly  blooms  in  trusses  of 
three  or  more — that  is,  one  fully  expanded  flower 
supported  by  buds  on  either  side ;  and  flowers  and 
buds  alike  are  exquisitely  perfect  in  form  and 
without  spot  or  blemish  in  its  spotless  whiteness. 
The  fragrance  of  this  Rose  can  hardly  be  matched 
— assuredly  not  exceeded— in  the  whole  family. 
Perhaps  the  nearest  approach  to  it  in  merit,  though 
the  odours  are  widely  different,  is  that  of  a  half- 
opened  Devoniensis. 

D.  T.  Fish. 


STRIKING  ROSE  CUTTINGS. 
EooTiNa  Rose  leaves  may  not  be  a  very 
useful  occupation,  as  obviously  budding,  grafting, 
and  striking  cuttings  will  afford  quicker  results! 
but  it  has  its  useful  side  in  showing  the  condi- 
tions under  which  cuttings  may  be  quickly  and 
finely  rooted.  For  instance,  in  experimenting  with 
cuttings  of  various  degrees  of  ripeness  in  different 
composts,  positions,  and  temperatures,  it  was  found 
that  where  leaves  rooted,  or  rather  leafstalks,  at 
their  bases,  the  wood  of  all  degrees  of  hardiness 
had  formed  a  bulky  callus  and  long  fleshy  roots 
in  the  shortest  time.  The  lesson  appears  to  be  that 
there  are  many  httle  matters  capable  of  causing 
failure  instriking  the  finer  Roses  for  pot  work,  whilst 
there  are  are  also  certain  conditions  which  it  set 
up  will  carry  on  this  interesting  operation  at  high 
pressure  speed.  The  example  sent  to  you  herewith 
was  rooted  with  other  leaves  and  a  batch  of  its 
own  kind  of  cuttings,  viz  ,  Marechal  Niel  in  four 
to  five  weeks,  in  a  frame  kept  close ;  the  glass  was 
smeared  with  whitewash ;  aspect  of  frame,  east. 
A  bed  of  half  rotten  stable  litter  doubtless  gave 
off  ammonia  in  a  helpful  manner ;  the  cuttings  were 
close  up  to  the  glass  and  pricked  into  damaged 
18-inch  pots,  about  a  third  shortened.  To  afford 
warmth  throughout  the  compost,  a  shallow  pot 
was  inverted  over  the  large  hole,  and  the  whole 
stood  as  on  three  legs  of  other  three  pots  inverted 
on  the  manure  bed,  so  that  the  warmth  could  get 
under  and  into  the  middle  of  the  compost.  The 
latter  I  found  to  be  most  effective  when  composed 


of  half  decayed  Cocoa-nut  fibre  and  the  other  half 
of  clean  sand  with  a  dash  of  wood  ashes.  This 
compost  does  not  hold  too  much  moisture,  and 
keeps  warm  through  the  night.  Not  only  is  the 
wood  about  midsummer  in  the  best  state,  I  con- 
sider, for  rooting,  but  the  long  warm  days  of  that 
season  work  overtime  for  us  compared  with  au- 
tumn operations.  To  sustain  the  leaves  in  a  plump 
and  fresh  state,  which  should  be  aimed  at,dewings 
in  hot  weather  will  be  found  ample  where  the 
frame  is  kept  close.  The  amateur  is  especially 
fond  of  trying  his  hand  at  striking  Roses  and  Car- 
nations, but  many  fail'completely,  and  chiefly  per- 
haps from  one  or  two  causes,  viz  ,  those  of  using  a 
dull  knife  and  giving  too  much  water.  He  cannot 
too  early  learn  that  the  cuts  intended  to  go  into  the 


present  it  bears  bright  yellow  axillary  flowers 
almost  as  large  as  those  of  the  common  garden 
Pea,  and  these  add  to  the  ornate  character  of  the 

plant.— F.  W.  B. 

Garden  Flora. 

PLATE  457. 
MILTONIA-FLOWERED   0D0NT0GL0SSUM3, 

(WITH   A   PLATE   OF   0D0NT0GL0S8DM   BOEZLI 
AND  O.   HOEZLI  ALBUM.*) 

Our  friend  M.  Roezl  is,  undoubtedly,  the  best 
known  collector  of  our  day  (just  as  Fortune  and 
the  brothers  Thomas  and  William  Lobb  were  to 


moist  soil  should  be  left  clean  and  firm  all  round, 
and  that  until  Nature  heals  and  furnishes  the 
base  of  the  future  plant  with  feeders,  it  cannot 
grow,  and  consequently  does  not  require  water 
like  a  perfect  plant,  but  only  to  be  sustained  until 
roots  are  made  and  got  into  action. 

WoodiHlc,  Kirkstall,  Torlis.  J.  WOOD. 


Amtcia  Zygomerls.— This  a  curious  Pea- 
flowered  shrub  not  often  seen  in  gardens  gene- 
rally, but  well  worth  a  place  amongst  sub-tropical 
plants.  It  grows  5  feet  or  6  feet  in  height  when 
well  established,  and  is  easily  recognised  by  its 
large  purple-tinted  stipules,  which  hang  down  like 
elephant's  ears  at  the  base  of  the  petiole.  We  find  it 
quite  hardy  planted  at  the  foot  of  a  warm  south 
wall,  but  even  in  the  open  ground  a  little  mound  of 
sand  or  coal  ashes  is  sufficient  to  preserve  its  root- 
stock  from  injury.    Daring  warm  seasons  like  the 


horticulturists  of  the  last  generation),  and  that 
his  name  should  be  commemorated  by  a  species  of 
Odontoglossum  so  distinct  and  beautiful  as  that 
we  now  figure  is  a  source  of  much  pleasure  to  all 
of  us  who  know  and  esteem  collector  Roezl  by 
his  life's  work  so  ably  devoted  to  the  enriching  of 
European  gardens.  Odontoglossum  Roezli  has 
before  been  honoured  with  a  portrait  in  Thb 
Gakden,  but  the  variety  in  that  case  was  0.  Roezli 
atro-purpureum. 

Our  present  plate  shows  both  the  typical  purple- 
blotched  species  and  its  albino  or  white-flowered 
form.  0.  Roezli  belongs  to  a  very  distinct  section 
of  the  genus,  which  we  may  here  call  the  Miltonia- 


Drawn  in  Mr.  J.  Bmnya  Orchid  nursery,  88,  Dovna 
Park  Eoad,  Hackney,  May  20. 


/ 


ALETTM 


SspT.  13,  1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


233 


flowered  group,  all  being  characterised  by  thin 
glaucous  leaves,  rather  narrow  thin  pseudo-bulbs, 
and  flowers  which,  while  strikingly  beautiful,  are 
peculiarly  flat  and  Miltonia-like  in  general  form. 
The  species  o£  this  section  are— 0.  Phalsenopsis, 
from  Ocana  or  Ecuador ;  0,  Koezli,  from  Co- 
lombia ;  O.  Wart cewiczi,  from  Costa  Rica ;  and  0. 
vexillarium,  from  New  Granada. 

O.  Phal^nopis  is,  when  well  grown,  a  very 
pretty  plant,  but  its  culture  has  as  yet  not  been 
generally  mastered,  and  it  is  but  seldom  that  the 
plant  luxuriates  in  modern  collections.  It  was  in- 
troduced by  M.  Schlimm  in  1850,  but  it  was  rarely 
if  ever  seen  in  perfection  of  health  and  vigour  until 
the  late  Mr.  Thomas  Hubbersty  took  it  in  hand  at 
Bridge  Hall,  near  Bury,  ten  or  twelve  years  ago, 
and  used  to  exhibit  masses  of  it  beautiful  alike  in 
flower  and  leafage.  Mr.  Ward,  when  gardener  at 
Leyton,  also  succeeded  well  with  this  species. 
Mr.  Hubbersty  told  me  himself  that  the  plant 
required  but  little  peat,  and  that  of  the  best,  but 
that  it  luxuriated  in  Sphagnum  Moss  and  char- 
coal. He  was  also  of  opinion  that  it  required  an 
equable  temperature,  and  so  grew  it  in  pans  sus- 
pended near  to  the  glass  in  the  Cattleya  house  in 
winter,  but  in  a  cooler  house  during  the  hot  sum- 
mer months  ;  50°  was  his  lowest  minimum  tempe- 
rature, and  his  practice  was  to  shade  from  hot 
sunshine  and  to  syringe  the  plants  freely  when 
growing  morning  and  evening.  Some  of  his  spe- 
cimens bore  sixty  or  seventy  flowers,  and  were,  of 
course,  much  admired.  It  has  two  or  three- 
flowered  spikes,  the  flowers  being  nearly  as  large 
as  those  of  Miltonia  spectabilis,  but  pure  white, 
the  large  fiddle-shaped  lip  being  blotched  with 
rosy  lilac. 

0  Koezli  is  so  well  illustrated  in  the  plate, 
that  there  is  no  necessity  to  describe  its  form  and 
colouring,  and  its  culture  is  far  easier  than  is  that 
of  the  last  named.  All  these  Miltonia-blossomed 
Odontoglots  are  liable  to  be  injured  by  thrips,  for 
which  the  best  remedy  is  frequent  syringings  and 
an  occasional  bath  in  a  solution  of  soft  soap  and 
soot,  which  should  always  be  kept  in  readiness 
wherever  these  Orchids  are  grown.  When  grown 
in  quantity  from  imported  plants  considerable 
variety  is  evident,  but  nothing  can  well  be  prettier 
than  is  the  pure  white  form.  The  flowers  of  0. 
Boezli  have  a  most  delicate  odour  of  wild  Roses 
and  honey,  which  is  remarkable,  seeing  how 
seldom  species  of  this  genus  are  really  fragrant. 

O.  Waescewiczi.— This  plant  has  never  been 
very  plentiful  in  our  collections ;  indeed,  I  never 
saw  it  in  bloom  in  Europe,  except  in  Mr.  Day's 
collection  at  Tottenham.  It  was  found  originally 
by  the  veteran  botanist  whose  name  it  bears  on 
the  Cordillera  de  Chiriqu-;  some  thirty  years  or 
more  ago.  It  resembles  O.  vexillarium  in  habit, 
but  the  flowers  are  the  size  of  those  of  0.  Phalae- 
nopsis,  creamy  white,  suffused  with  lilac,  and 
sometimes  streaked  with  pale  rose.  It  is  figured 
in  the  Botanical  Magazine,  t.  6163,  and  is  well 
worth  a  place  in  general  collections,  although  not 
nearly  so  showy  as  the  last  named  species  or  0. 
vexillarium. 

O.  VEXILLARIUM  is  perhaps  the  most  showy  of 
all  the  species  of  this  section,  its  great  flat  flowers 
ranging  from  nearly  pure  white,  through  all  shades 
of  the  most  delicate  rose  and  peach  tints,  until 
a  deep  and  glowing  rose  colour  is  reached,  verging 
on  crimson.  It  is  a  vigorous-habited  plant  also, 
and  most  floriferous  under  good  treatment,  making 
stout  growths  in  a  cool  house  during  the  summer  or 
autumn  months,  but  doing  best  in  an  intermediate 


or  Cattleya  house  during  the  winter.  Yellow  thrips 
love  to  prey  on  its  succulent  young  foliage,  and 
their  ardour  is  best  checked  by  the  bitter  soap  bath 
before  recommended  in  the  case  of  Roezl's  Odon- 
toglot.  0.  vexillarium  is,  in  fact,  a  professional 
beauty  now  pretty  well  known,  and  its  portrait 
has  been  painted  a  dozen  times  at  least,  and  may 
be  found  in  nearly  all  the  fashion  books  devoted 
to  garden  botany.  F.  W.  B. 


RECENT  PLANT  PORTRAITS. 

Philodendron  selloum  {Botanical  Maga- 
zine, plate  6773).— A  fine  double  plate  of  a  huge 
Brazilian  Aroid  with  immense  spathes,  the  outside 
of  which  is  a  deep  green,  the  inside  straw  colour, 
with  a  thick  spadix  of  the  same  light  colour. 
This  plant  was  first  flowered  in  this  country  by 
Mr.  W.  H.  Tillett,  of  Norwich,  in  1873,  and  again 
in  the  present  year,  when  specimens  were  sent  to 
Kew  from  which  the  present  portrait  was  drawn. 

Cekeus  paucispinus  (Botanical  Magazine, 
plate  6774).— A  handsome  Cactus  with  large  deep 
orange-coloured  blooms,  with  a  paler  centre  or 
throat,  and  a  conspicuous  bunch  of  about  ten 
stout  green  stigmas  protruding  from  the  pillar  in 
the  centre  of  the  flower.  It  is  a  native  of  New 
Mexico,  and  was  sent  to  Kew  by  Mr.  E.  G.  Loder, 
where  it  bloomed  in  May  of  the  present  year. 

Iris  (Xiphion)  tingitana  (Botanical  Maga- 
zine, plate  6775). — A  beautiful  Iris  from  Morocco, 
sent  to  Kew  by  Professor  Michael  Foster,  of  Cam- 
bridge. It  is  of  handsome,  tall  habit  of  growth, 
with  large  flowers  composed  of  purple-lilac,  up- 
right filaments,  a  pure  white  lip  and  golden  centre, 
and  a  purple  tube.  The  variety  already  figured 
on  plate  5981  of  this  work,  under  the  name  of 
Xiphion  tingitanum,  is  a  form  of  X.  filifolium 
from  Tangiers,  which  is  now  named  X.  interme- 
dium. 

Pbntapterygium  serpens  (Botanical  Maga- 
zine, plate  6777). — A  bright  flowered  species  of 
Indian  Whortleberry  from  the  Eastern  Himalayas, 
with  deep  orange-coloured,  pendulous,  tubular 
flowers  produced  freely  all  along  the  ends  of  the 
branches.  It  is  also  found  in  the  humid  forests 
of  Sikkim  and  Bhotan,  and  has  been  described  by 
other  botanists  under  the  synonyms  of  Vaccinium 
serpens  and  Thibaudia  myrtifolia..  It  is  con- 
spicuous for  its  great  tuberous  rootstock,  which  is 
sometimes  2  feet  long  and  several  inches  in  diame- 
ter, nestling  among  the  Mosses  of  the  limbs  of 
large  forest  trees,  whence  the  branches  hang  and 
flower  in  the  month  of  May. 

Prunopsi.'3  triloba  and  Prunus  Pissardi 
(Bevue  Horticole  for  September  1). — This  plate 
figures  for  the  first  time  the  fruit  of  the  above 
named  two  handsome  Plums,  the  former  of  which 
has  been  hitherto  known  under  the  name  of 
Amygdalopsis  Lindleyi  or  Prunus  triloba,  but  for 
which  M.  Andr6  thinks  Prunopsis  a  better  name. 
It  is  an  exceedingly  shy  setter  in  this  country  at 
all  events,  and  produces  small,  round,  Apple-like 
fruit  of  a  reddish  orange  hue.  The  fruit  of  Prunus 
Pissardi  resembles  a  handsome  Cherry  in  size  and 
colour,  and  sets  its  fruit  quite  freely. 

W.  E.  G. 


Great  Knotweeda. — Planted  in  good  deep 
well  manured  soil  on  the  Grass,  there  are  but  few 
plants  that  can  rival  Polygonum  Sieboldi  and  P. 
sachalinense  in  grace  at  the  present  time.  Per- 
chance the  late  hot  season  has  helped  their  growth 
and  bloom,  for  of  a  surety  I  never  before  saw  them 
so  well  flowered  as  at  the  present  time.  The  last 
named  species  throws  up  its  leafy  shoots  to  a 
height  of  from  8  feet  to  10  feet,  and  to  see  these 
swaying  in  the  breeze  on  a  warm  September  day 
is  a  new  sensation  in  store  for  those  who  have  not 
seen  the  plant  in  its  full  beauty.  P.  Sieboldi  is  a 
smaller-leaved  species,  which  also  makes  quite  a 
pretty  specimen  plant  on  the  Grass.  I  advise 
those  who  do  not  know  the  ways  of  these  wayward 
Japai)e89  plants  to  keep  them  on  tli§  turf ;  on  a 


border  or  in  a  shrubbery  they  soon  grow  out  of  all 
bounds.— F.  W.  B. 

SEASONABLE  WORK. 


FLOWER  GARDEN. 

Carnations  and  Ficotees. — Now  the  layers 
will  be  strong,  and,  if  necessary,  may  be  potted 
up.  We  generally  begin  to  pot  about  the  last 
week  in  September,  and  for  this  purpose  it  is 
now  necessary  to  prepare  soil  and  have  pots  in 
readiness.  Dirty  pots  must  be  washed  clean  and 
laid  up  in  a  dry  place  till  wanted.  New  pots 
should  be  soaked  in  clean  water  for  a  few  hours 
before  using  them,  but  they  must  of  course  be 
allowed  to  become  dry  after  soaking.  We  mix 
good  moderately  clayey  loam,  out  of  which  wire- 
worm  has  been  picked  several  times,  with  a  fourth 
part  of  leaf-mould  and  a  very  little  rotten  stable 
manure.  The  layer  should  be  separated  carefully 
from  the  parent  plant.  First  the  peg  holding  it 
in  the  ground  must  be  removed,  then  gently  lift 
it  with  a  stout  label,  and  if  it  is  well  rooted  sever 
it  from  the  parent  with  a  sharp  knife.  If  roots 
are  not  formed  or  are  only  commencing  to  do  so, 
peg  the  layer  back  again  in  its  place.  When 
potted,  two  plants  in  a  3-inch  pot  or  one  in  a  pot 
of  smaller  size  will  be  sufficient ;  they  should  be 
placed  in  a  cold  frame,  watered  with  a  fine  rosed 
watering-pot,  and  the  lights  should  be  kept  rather 
close  until  the  plants  have  become  fairly  esta- 
blished. 

Gladioli. — The  flowering  period  in  the  case  of 
these  is  nearly  over,  except  in  that  of  a  few  of  the 
very  latest  varieties.  Shakespeare  is  invariably 
the  first  to  open  its  blossoms,  and  Phoebus  is 
nearly  always  the  last.  Plant  roots  of  them 
together,  and  you  may  be  sure  of  a  lapse  of  at 
least  six  weeks  between  the  flowering  of  the  two. 
We  are  now  saving  seeds  from  all  that  have  been 
hybridised,  and  in  relation  to  this  may  be  noticed  a 
curious  circumstance.  Adolphe  Brogniart  had  its 
own  pollen  removed  and  was  crossed  with  a 
variety  that  had  plenty  of  it,  but  not  a  pod  formed, 
while  one  spike  left  to  itself  was  loaded  with  seed- 
pods.  Nearly  all  the  other  hybridised  varieties 
have  plenty  of  good  seeds  now  ripening  well.  The 
pods  are  gathered  as  soon  as  they  show  signs  of 
splitting  open.  The  young  seedlings  from  seeds 
sown  in  the  spring  die  down  at  this  time,  and 
those  that  have  lost  their  leaves  must  be  shaken 
out  of  the  pots,  otherwise  they  immediately  start 
into  growth.  Put  the  small  corms  into  paper  bags 
with  about  their  bulk  of  dry  sand  or  loam  mixed 
with  them ;  they  must  be  kept  in  a  dry  room 
secure  from  frost.  Stir  the  ground  between  the 
rows  of  the  general  collection  with  a  hoe,  or  lightly 
fork  it  over. 

Hollyhocks.— Pay  attention  to  young  plants 
struck  from  eyes  or  cuttings  during  the  last 
month  or  two ;  as  roots  are  formed  and  they  be- 
come established  place  them  in  a  cool  position 
out  of  doors.  If  there  is  any  red  spider  on  the 
leaves,  dip  them  in  a  solution  of  soft  soap  and 
flowers  of  sulphur.  Thrips  may  be  destroyed  in  the 
same  way.  During  the  spell  of  dry  weather 
recently  it  had  been  necessary  to  apply  water 
to  the  roots  of  all  plants  coming  into  flower,  and 
also  to  syringe  the  undersides  of  the  leaves.  It 
seems  that  the  stamping-out  process  is  the  only 
effectual  way  of  getting  rid  of  the  leaf  fungus 
(  Puccinia  malvacearum),  but  sulphur  and  soft  soap 
applied  freely  may  arrest  its  progress  if  aided  by 
moist  cool  weather.  It  is  not  perhaps  so  well 
known  as  it  ought  to  be  that  seeds  saved  from 
some  of  the  best  named  sorts  will  produce  50  per 
cent,  of  plants  differing  but  little  from  the  parents 
in  quality  and  colour. 

Shrubberies.— The  rearrangement,  thinning 
out,  or  making  of  new  plantations  of  shrubs  may 
now  be  commenced  as  soon  as  circumstances 
permit,  on  light  soil  more  especially.  Autumn 
planting  is  preferable  to  spring  because  of  the 
longer  period  there  is  for  the  plants  to  get  esta- 
blished before  there  is  any  danger  of  drought 
affecting  them ;  indeed,  only  when  very  heavy 
soils  are  concerned  is  it  desirable  to  defer  plant- 
ing till  early  spring.    From  the  middle  of  Septem- 


V 


234 


THE    GARDEN 


[Sept.  13,  1884. 


berto  the  end  of  November  may  be  said  to  be  the 
best  shrub  and  tree  planting  season  of  the  whole 
year.  Deep  trenching  is  the  first  essential,  and 
manure  in  proportion  to  the  requirements  of  the 
soil.  Light  sandy  or  gravelly  soils  should  be  given 
all  the  stable  manure  that  can  be  afforded  ;  indif- 
ferent peaty  soils  the  same  manure  or  else  plenty 
of  decayed  leaves,  but  good  loam  and  peat  need 
no  other  preparation  than  to  be  broken  up  deeply 
and  to  be  freed  from  all  perennial  weeds,  such  as 
Couch,  Nettles,  and  Docks.  The  margins  or  bor- 
ders of  shrubberies  where  no  alterations  are  con- 
templated, after  being  cleared  up,  may  be  planted 
with  spring  flowers,  such  as  Forget-me-nots, 
Silenes,  Primroses,  Violas,  bulbs,  &c ,  there  usually 
being  plenty  of  such  plants  to  spare  after  due  pro- 
vision has  been  made  for  the  regular  flower  beds 
and  borders. 

Rockery  and  sub-tropical  garden.  — 
Weeding  and  cutting  away  dead  flower-stems  and 
fronds,  keeping  paths  free  from  weeds,  and  taking 
cuttings  of  such  rookwork  plants  as  it  is  desired  to 
increase  are  operations  that  require  attention. 
Amongst  sub-tropical  plants,  tying  to  supports  is 
the  most  important  need.  Castor-oils,  Hemps, 
Blue  Gums,  and  similar  tall  growers,  now  when 
they  are  so  large,  quickly  snap  off  with  but  little 
wind  or  wet  unless  tied  up  as  growth  advances. 
Keep  edgings  neatly  cut  and  the  undergrowth 
plants  stopped  back  before  they  enroach  on  or  mar 
the  effect  of  the  larger  plants.  Single  Dahlias 
seem  to  be  appropriate  plants  for  intermixing  with 
some  kinds  of  non-flowering  sub-tropicals  ;  they  as- 
sociate extremely  well  with  the  Castor-oils  and 
white-foliaged  Solanums.  Note  should  be  made  of 
this  fact  and  of  other  striking  arrangements  for 
next  season's  use. 

Hardy  plants. — Amongst  these  we  must  class 
Antirrhinums,  Phloxes,  Pentstemons,  Pyrethrums, 
Delphiniums,  &c.  All  these  may  be  divided  now 
and  planted  out  before  winter.  It  not  done  at 
this  time,  so  that  the  wounds  may  heal,  it  will  not 
do  to  divide  them  at  all  until  the  spring.  Those 
that  are  propagated  by  cuttings  may  be  done  now 
if  a  large  supply  is  wanted,  but  it  is  time  enough 
to  put  in  Pentstemons  in  October.  They  do  well 
under  hand-glasses.  Phloxes  may  be  propagated 
from  cuttings  as  they  can  be  obtained. 


INDOOE  PLANTS. 


Stove  plants. — All  that  have  been  for  a  time 
in  greenhouses  or  conservatories  should  be  no 
longer  allowed  to  remain  there ;  this  applies  to 
both  flowering  and  fine-foliaged  kinds,  for,  al- 
though there  is  no  better  way  of  giving  the  short 
rest  such  plants  require,  it  will  not  answer  to  al- 
low them  to  remain  until  the  nights  get  too  cold, 
otherwise  they  will  be  apt  to  suffer  at  the  roots  as 
well  as  in  the  foliage.  It  is  not  well  to  place 
plants  that  have  for  a  time  been  in  cool  quarters 
in  strong  heat,  especially  if  there  is  much  moisture 
in  the  atmosphere,  otherwise  it  will  excite  them 
into  active  growth,  which  is  not  now  advisable. 
Any  that  happen  to  be  affected  with  the  worst 
kinds  of  insects  should  be  well  washed  with  in- 
secticide, as  now  when  the  leaves  are  hardened 
up  and  little  tender  growth  present  they  will  bear 
a  stronger  application  than  at  any  other  time  of 
the  year.  Those  who  have  the  small,  white- 
flowered  Dipladenia  boliviensis  will  find  it  one  of 
the  best  flowers  for  bouquet-making  or  use  in 
shallow  stands  ;  if  the  flowers  are  cut  when  young 
they  will  last  for  a  week  in  water.  For  the  pro- 
duction of  cut  flowers  it  is  a  most  useful  plant ;  it 
is  best  grown  close  to  the  roof,  as  in  such  a  posi- 
tion the  blooms  have  more  substance  in  them,  and 
will  last  better  in  a  cut  state.  Where  such  kinds 
of  plants  as  usually  find  a  place  outdoors  during 
the  summer  months  are  largely  grown,  no  time 
should  be  lost  in  getting  the  houses  and  pits 
wherein  they  are  to  be  wintered  prepared  for 
them. 

OVEB-CEOWDING  IS  the  bane  of  good  gardening, 
and  more  especially  with  pot  plants.  With  the 
addition  of  new  plants,  and  the  yearly  propa- 
gation of  others,  combined  with  the  increase  in 
size  of  all,  there  is  a  continual  tendency  towards 


glass  structures  getting  fuller  than  is  consistent 
with  the  healthy  existence  of  the  whole.  To 
avoid  this  it  is  much  better  at  this  season  to  go 
carefully  over  the  whole  stock,  and  without  hesi- 
tation to  discard  such  as  are  of  least  value  and 
use.  By  this  course  not  only  will  the  supply  of 
flowers  during  winter  and  spring  be  more  plenti- 
ful, but  the  plants  retained  will  be  immeasurably 
better  than  where  by  attempting  too  much  the 
object  in  view  is  defeated.  The  advent  of  frosty 
nights  often  comes  on  with  little  warning,  neces- 
sitating tender  plants  that  have  been  in  the  open 
air  being  hurried  indoors,  and  if  such  work  as 
above  suggested  is  at  once  completed,  much  labour 
and  confusion  is  avoided.  "Where  there  are  several 
houses  and  pits  to  be  thus  filled,  care  should  be 
taken  that  the  best  and  lightest  places  are  given 
to  all  such  as  naturally  make  more  or  less  growth 
through  the  winter.  This  applies  to  both  hard  and 
soft-wooded  things,  for  although  amongst  such  of 
the  former  as  make  a  little  shoot  extension  in  the 
winter  months  the  growth  will  not  be  so  much  as 
to  cause  so  great  mischief  as  in  the  freer  growing 
soft-wooded  kinds,  still  the  injury  in  their  case  is 
more  lasting.  Camellias,  Azaleas,  and  others  of 
like  nature,  that  make  no  leaf  progress  until  after 
the  turn  of  the  days,  will  bear  standing  closer 
than  many  varieties  of  Heath  or  such  others  of 
the  hard-wooded  family  as  keep  moving  more  or 
less.  Pelargoniums  above  all  others  must  have 
enough  room,  and  requite  the  best  light  position 
that  is  at  command. 

Kalosanthes,  again,  should  be  alike  favour- 
ably dealt  with,  keeping  them  as  close  to  the  roof 
glass  as  possible ;  upon  this  depends  the  successful 
flowering  of  several  of  the  less  free-blooming 
sorts,  such  as  the  old  K.  coccinea  and  some  of  the 
finer  new  Continental  varieties,  which,  in  addition 
to  full  exposure  to  the  sun  in  the  open  air  during 
summer,  require  all  the  light  that  can  be  given 
them  in  winter.  In  houses  or  pits  that  from  their 
position  are  constructed  to  afford  insufficient  light 
to  the  inmates,  and  where  there  is  an  absence  of 
permanent  staging,  such  as  to  suflBoiently  elevate 
the  plants  to  the  roof,  improvised  shelves  or  stages 
may  often  with  advantage  be  used.  The  condi- 
tion in  the  spring  of  all  plants  that  make  any 
growth  in  winter  when  so  accommodated  will  be 
found  very  different  from  that  of  those  less  fa- 
vourably situated. 

Veronicas  and  Salvias. — Where  these  have 
been  planted  out  for  the  summer,  with  a  view  to 
their  being  taken  up  and  potted,  it  is  well  to  have 
all  the  necessary  materials  in  the  shape  of  soil 
and  pots  ready,  and  to  make  a  beginning  to  so 
transfer  them,  for  in  all  cases  they  will  be  much 
benefited  by  being  stood  in  pits  or  frames  for  a 
few  days,  where,  by  putting  on  the  lights  and 
keeping  them  shut  up,  they  will  begin  to  root,  and 
will  then  suffer  little  or  no  loss  of  their  leaves. 
With  soft-wooded,  vigorous-rooted  things  of  this 
nature  give  plenty  of  water,  so  as  to  fully  moisten 
the  soil. 

Tree  Carnations  and  berried  Solanums. 
— Those  planted  out  for  the  summer  may  now 
be  lifted  and  potted,  as,  with  the  Carnations,  in 
particular,  it  is  not  well  to  let  them  stand  out 
until  their  growth,  which  for  the  last  month  will 
have  been  considerable,  gets  at  all  checked.  These 
Carnations  should  on  no  account  be  potted  in  a  like 
way  to  the  generality  of  plants — that  is  by  com- 
pressing the  soil  hard  in  the  pots.  If  made  near 
so  solid  as  found  beneficial  to  most  things,  they 
root  very  indifferently ;  they  also  require  lighter 
soil  than  many  plants — good  fibrous  loam,  not  too 
heavy,  with  the  addition  of  a  considerable  amount 
of  leaf -mould  and  some  sand.  Leaving  it  in  a  com- 
paratively light  condition  about  their  roots  usually 
results  in  their  doing  best  if  carefully  taken  up ; 
placing  them  in  no  larger  pots  than  will  fairly 
admit  their  roots,  lightly  watered,  and  set  in 
frames  or  anywhere  where  they  can  have  a  glass 
covering  overhead  in  the  case  of  heavy,  continuous 
rains,  will  be  best.  Solanums  must  be  well  soaked 
immediately  they  are  potted,  and  should  be  stood 
for  a  fortnight  under  a  north  wall  or  in  pits  or 
frames  where  they  can  be  kept  shut  up  somewhat 
close  until  they  have  got  established,  when  there 


will  be  no  loss  of  their  lower  leaves,  which  if  ab- 
sent so  much  disfigures  them. 

Pouvaedias. — Young  plants  of  these  that  were 
struck  late  in  the  spring  and  are  now  in  cold 
frames  or  pits  will  this  season  be  deficient  in  size 
through  the  absence  of  sun-heat.  Where  this  is 
the  case,  they  should  be  at  once  taken  up  and 
potted  and  placed  where  they  will  receive  enough 
heat  to  keep  up  free  growth  until  sufliciently  large 
to  yield  a  full  crop  of  flowers.  Early-struck  stock 
that  have  attained  enough  size  should  be  treated 
in  accordance  with  the  time  they  are  required  to 
flower.  Such  as  are  intended  to  bloom  later  on 
during  the  winter  ought  to  be  kept  cool,  but  when 
the  weather  gets  colder  they  must  not  remain  in 
too  low  a  temperature ;  otherwise  they  will  flower 
indifferently.  Old  plants  that  were  cut  back  in 
the  spring,  and  may  have  been  stood  out  in  the 
open  air,  will  now  be  well  set  with  flowers,  and 
should  not  be  allowed  to  stop  out  after  the  nights 
are  chilly. 

Chrysaktiiemums  should  now  have  suflicient 
stakes  and  ties  put  to  them  to  support  the  shoots 
without  giving  a  stiff,  formal  appearance.  Willows 
with  the  bark  on  can  with  advantage  be  used  for 
these  and  other  plants  that  only  want  support  for 
a  limited  time,  as  they  cost  less  than  ordinary 
painted  deal  sticks  and  look  better.  Chrysanthe- 
mums are  setting  their  flowers  generally  earlier 
this  season  than  they  have  done  for  the  last  year 
or  two,  and  at  this  period  of  their  growth  must  be 
liberally  supplied  with  manure  water,  for  as  the 
soil  in  the  pots  will  now  be  full  of  roots,  any  defi- 
ciency of  sustenance  will  affect  both  the  quantity 
and  size  of  the  flowers. 

Herbaceous  Calceolarias. — Asecond sowing 
of  these  may  yet  be  made,  but  must  not  longer  be 
deferred,  or  the  seedlings  will  not  become  strong 
enough  to  get  satisfactorily  through  the  winter 
Plants  from  this  late  sowing  will  give  a  succes- 
sional  crop  of  flowers  after  the  earliest  are  over. 
As  soon  as  the  plants  from  the  first  sowing  are 
large  enough  to  be  at  all  handled,  they  should  be 
pricked  off  into  shallow  pans  about  li  inches 
apart.  Young  hands  at  the  cultivation  of  these 
most  effective  flowers  should  be  careful  in  all 
stages  of  their  growth  not  to  pot  them  in  too 
heavy  soil ;  good  friable  loam,  with  a  fifth  or  sixth 
of  leaf-mould  and  a  good  sprinkling  of  sand,  with 
the  soil  not  pressed  so  hard  in  the  pots  as  most 
things  require,  is  what  they  like.  If  material  of 
this  description  is  sifted  and  used  for  pricking 
them  out,  they  can  be  removed  from  it  at  potting 
time  without  the  loss  of  roots,  which  is  unavoid- 
able when  heavy  soil  is  employed. 

Orchids. — There  is  perhaps  no  season  in  the 
year  more  favourable  than  the  next  two  or  three 
weeks  for  interfering  with  the  roots  of  cool  Or- 
chids, and  any  that  need  attention  in  this  respect 
should  be  seen  to  at  once,  as  there  is  nothing  to 
fear  after  this  date  from  hot  weather.  In  dealing 
with  Masdevallias,  it  is  best  to  wash  them  clean  out 
of  the  old  material,  and  the  plants  may  be  split 
up  into  pieces  with  four  or  five  leaves  attached  to 
each  with  perfect  safety.  These  should  then  be 
replanted  at  equal  distances  over  the  surface  of 
the  pot  or  pan  intended  to  receive  them.  In  this 
way  they  quickly  make  large  specimens,  as  when 
once  they  get  root-hold,  which  they  are  not 
long  in  doing,  they  break  away  in  all  directions  in 
the  spring,  and  soon  fill  up  the  vacant  places  over 
the  surface  of  the  pot.  The  soil  best  suited  for 
these  is  about  equal  parts  of  very  fibry  peat  and 
Sphagnum  Moss  well  blended  together.  The 
autumn-blooming  M.  Davisi  and  the  winter- 
blooming  M.  tovarensis  must  not  be  disturbed  at 
present.  In  dealing  with  the  Odontoglossums 
much  more  discrimination  will  be  required.  These 
should  not  be  disturbed  unless  the  condition  of 
the  plants  and  the  state  of  the  material  about 
their  roots  show  that  a  change  of  pot  is  necessary. 
As  these  are  generally  to  be  found  in  all  stages  of 
growth  in  the  same  house,  it  will  be  advisable  not 
to  interfere  with  any  that  are  making  up  their 
growths  and  that  are  fast  approaching  the 
flowering  stage,  as  the  check  given  by  repotting 
and  the  drain  of  the  flowering  shortly  after  may 
weaken  the  plants  for  several  seasons.     The  soil 


Sept.  13,   1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


235 


preferable  for  these  istwo  parts  fibry  peatandoneof 
Sphagnum  Moss.  A  few  of  the  warmer  species  of 
Odontoglossums,  such  as  O.  Phala^nopsis,  0.  citros- 
mum,  0.  vexillarium,  and  0.  grande,  should  now 
or  shortly  be  removed  to  the  intermediate  house 
for  the  winter.  Dace  them  in  the  coolest  end  of 
the  house,  and  in  a  position  where  the  plants  will 
be  exposed  to  all  the  light  possible.  Daring  dull 
weather  maintain  a  buoyant  atmosphere  among 
the  warm  species  by  means  of  careful  firing  and 
ventilation. 


KITCHEN  GAKDEN. 
We  are  now  making  preparations  for  our  early 
Cabbage  crop  by  heavily  manuring  the  border  this 
season  occupied  with  Peas.  It  is  our  usual  custom 
to  sow  Spinach  after  Peas,  but  we  find  this  to  be 
anything  but  a  paying  crop,  and  Cabbages  early 
and  good  will  pay.  We  find  early  Cabbage  ground 
to  be  a  good  site  for  Brussels  Sprouts,  put  in  crow- 
bar fashion.  We  used  to  grow  Brussels  Sprouts  as 
large  as  small  Cabbages,  but  was  told  they  had 
no  Uavour,  a  statement  which  first  set  us  thinking 
that  fresh  manure  was  not  the  thing  to  use  ;  hence 
ground  after  Cabbage  gets  nothing  in  the  shape  of 
manure.  Young  Cauliflowers  should  now  be  up 
and  growing.  Keep  weeds  down  by  hoeing  be- 
tween the  rows,  an  operation  which  loosens  the 
soil,  and  thus  does  the  plants  great  service.  Plant- 
ing Lettuce,  Endive,  and  earthing  up  Celery  must 
have  just  now  our  best  attention.  Sowing  Lettuce 
(Black-seeded  Brown  Cos)  for  a  spring  supply 
must  be  done  at  once.  As  traps  for  slugs  we  adopt 
the  good  eld  plan  of  laying  handfuls  of  Pea  haulm 
round  the  border  or  quarter  to  be  planted ;  every 
second  morning  we  visit  these  wisps  and  scatter 
fresh  lime  on  the  slugs,  which  kills  all  at  once. 
The  Celery  quarter  is  treated  in  the  same  way. 
We  shall  be  lifting  Magnum  Bonum  Potatoes  this 
week ;  add  Champions  to  them,  and  your  collection 
of  late  Potatoes  for  the  present  time  is  com- 
plete. Cut  all  herbs  for  drying,  distilling,  &c., 
and  do  not  forget  to  have  a  general  brush  up  every 
Saturday. 

FRUIT. 
Peaches  —With  the  exception  of  late  houses 
in  which  the  fruit  is  now  in  use,  the  principal 
■  work  in  this  department  wih  be  the  rearrange- 
ment of  the  trees  for  another  year,  and  as  this 
should  always  be  performed  as  soon  as  the  foliage 
is  ripe  and  the  flower-buds  are  well  formed,  ad- 
vantage should  be  taken  of  dry  days  for  mixing 
and  moving  the  compost.  In  the  formation  of  new 
borders,  the  quality  of  the  soil  is  of  more  import- 
ance than  the  quantity,  as  it  has  been  proved  over 
and  over  again  that  a  well  drained  border  made 
of  strong  calcareous  loam,  in  which  stone  fruit 
trees  fruit  freely,  need  not  be  so  large  as  was  at 
one  time  imagined,  and  that  the  best  bearing 
wood  and  the  finest  crops  of  Peaches  can  be  pro- 
duced for  a  number  of  years  where  root  space  is 
limited  and  the  latter  are  kept  in  a  state  of  activity 
near  the  surface  bj'  means  of  good  mulching  and 
feeding  during  the  season  of  growth.  For  early 
and  succession  houses  they  should  always  be  made 
inside  the  house,  as  the  roots  can  be  kept  warm 
and  entirely  under  control ;  but  for  late  use  eSi- 
ciently  drained  external  borders  answer  equally 
well,  and,  being  exposed  to  the  elements  and  well 
mulched,  they  require  very  little  attention  beyond 
an  occasional  soaking  with  the  hose  in  unusually 
dry  seasons.  In  gardens  from  which  a  constant 
family  supply  of  fruit  is  expected,  a  judicious  se- 
lection of  sorts  for  succeeding  each  other,  particu- 
larly where  the  houses  are  large,  is  of  the  greatest 
importance,  otherwise  a  glut  will  be  followed  by 
scarcity,  as  ripe  Peaches  cannot  be  kept  for  any 
length  of  time,  and  the  attempt  to  retard  by  means 
of  shading  generally  leads  to  the  loss  of  colour 
and  flavour.  On  good  Peach  soils,  some  twenty 
years  ago  it  was  the  custom  to  plant  the  everlast- 
ing old  friends,  Koyal  George,  Noblesse,  Grosse 
Wignonne,  Chancellor,  Late  Admirable,  and  perhaps 
Barrington,  and  as  several  of  these  come  in  to- 
gether, and  a  thoughtful  man  would  never  think  of 
destroying  such  sterling  kinds,  the  cheapest  and 


best  way  to  get  them  to  succeed  each  other  will 
be  secured  by  dividing  large  houses  into  small 
ones,  when  some  of  the  trees  may  be  stripped  and 
retarded  up  to  the  flowering  period  and  again  after 
the  fruit  is  set. 

Cherries. — The  most  important  work  here 
will  be  the  maintenance  of  conditions  favourable 
to  complete  rest  of  buds  and  roots,  as  far  as  roots 
can  rest,  until  the  weather  becomes  colder  and 
there  is  no  longer  any  danger  of  these  excitable 
trees  starting  into  premature  growth.  To  succeed 
well  the  foliage  should  never  be  allowed  to  suffer 
from  the  ravages  of  spider  or  other  insects.  It 
should  always  have  the  benefit  of  summer  rain 
and  morning  dew,  and  the  roots  should  receive 
sufficient  water  prior  to  mulching  after  the  fruit  is 
gathered  to  prevent  the  leaves  from  ripening  off 
prematurely.  If  any  alterations  are  contemplated 
or  fresh  trees  have  to  be  introduced,  no  time 
should  be  lost  in  getting  the  work  done,  as 
Cherries,  like  all  other  stone  fruit  trees,  succeed 
best  when  moved  before  the  leaves  fall.  They  also 
enjoy  a  firm  resisting,  calcareous  loani  thoroughly 
drained  and  well  mulched  with  manure,  but  the 
manure  should  never  be  mixed  with  the  soil,  as 
it  induces  a  strong  unfruitful  growth  of  wood, 
which  is  apt  to  grow  and  become  unmanageable. 
If  any  of  the  pot  trees  remain  to  be  top-dressed 
or  potted,  no  time  should  be  lost  in  getting  them 
out  of  hand  and  placed  thinly  in  a  warm,  sheltered 
corner  fully  exposed  to  the  sun,  where  they  may 
receive  an  occasional  washing  with  the  syringe, 
and  remain  until  the  time  arrives  for  storing  them 
away  for  the  winter. 

Plums. — Where  the  choice  kinds  of  Plums,  in- 
cluding the  Gages,  Golden  Drop,  lokworth  Impe- 
ratrice,  and  others,  are  permanently  planted  in 
borders,  and  trained  under  the  roof  as  Peaches  are 
trained,  all  the  early  and  midseason  kinds  in  pots 
should  be  removed  to  another  house,  as  they  are 
cleared  of  fruit  if  they  want  repotting,  or  to  the 
open  air,  where  top-dressing  is  all  that  is  required. 
Having  cleared  the  house  of  all  damp-producing 
subjects,  see  that  the  internal  borders  are  moist 
enough  to  prevent  the  trees  from  suffering  from 
drought,  otherwise  the  fruit  will  ripen  prematurely 
and  shrivel.  Then  mulch  with  some  light  non- 
conducting material,  discontinue  direct  syringing, 
and  keep  the  house  cool,  airy,  and  well  ventilated. 
As  birds,  notably  the  blackbird,  and  wasps  have  a 
great  liking  for  good  Plums,  and  liberal  ventila- 
tion is  absolutely  necessary,  scrim  canvas  or  Hay- 
thorn's  netting  should  be  drawn  over  all  the  open- 
ings befere  the  fruit  is  ripe  ;  but  where  wasps  do 
not  trouble  the  gardener,  ordinary  fishing  nets  will 
keep  back  our  feathered  friends.  If  any  of  the 
above  late  dessert  kinds  are  fruiting  in  pots,  the 
latter  should  be  surrounded  with  dry  Fern  or 
litter  to  keep  the  roots  moist  and  cool,  and  to  re- 
duce the  necessity  for  frequent  watering. 

Orchard  house.— The  first  batch  of  early 
forced  trees  that  were  potted  immediately  after 
the  fruit  was  gathered  will  still  be  out  of  doors 
resting,  and  if  they  have  not  already  lost  their 
leaves  they  will  shortly  do  so,  when  any  little 
pruning  or  thinning  that  was  overlooked  when  the 
leaves  were  upon  them  may  be  performed  pre- 
paratory to  placing  them  closer  together  until 
they  are  wanted  for  starting.  The  site  selected 
for  these  trees  should  be  high  and  dry,  but  well 
sheltered,  and  the  pots  should  be  placed  upon,  or, 
better  still,  plunged  in  coal  ashes,  as  a  sure  means 
of  protection  from  injury  from  extreme  drought, 
frost,  and  worms.  Midseason  and  late  trees  still 
bearing  fruit  or  only  recently  cleared  should  be 
potted  and  taken  back  to  the  orchard  house  at 
once  for  the  twofold  purpose  of  hastening  the 
ripening  of  the  wood  and  the  formation  of  new 
roots  before  the  leaves  fall.  The  season  being 
now  well  advanced,  watering  will  be  less  frequent ; 
but  the  supply,  wlienever  it  is  given,  should  be 
sufticiently  heavy  for  every  part  of  the  ball  to  re- 
ceive benefit,  as  Peaches  at  all  times  should  have 
their  roots  in  a  moist  growing  compost  thoroughly 
drained  and  aerated.  If,  as  is  sometimes  the  case, 
we  have  a  very  bright  month  of  October,  an  occa- 
sional dash  with  the  syringe  will  keep  the  leaves 
fresh  until  the  roots  begin  to  work  in  the  new 


soil,  and  when  this  takes  place  the  dry  enjoy, 
able  atmosphere  of  a  well  ventilated  orchard  house 
will  be  found  the  best  medium  for  hardening  the 
wood  and  ripening  up  the  blossom  buds.  Where 
large  established  trees  have  been  placed  out-of- 
doors  for  the  purpose  of  retarding  the  fruit  they 
should  be  taken  in  again  as  soon  as  it  is  gathered. 
In  fine  autumns  this  removal  to  the  open  air  pro- 
duces a  marvellous  effect  in  the  colour  and  flavour 
of  the  fruit,  and  the  change  being  so  rapid  it  be- 
comes likehighly  finished  wall  fruit  undergood  man- 
agement. Lord  Napier  is  another  Nectarine  that 
is  greatly  improved  by  full  exposure  to  light  and 
air,  and,  being  naturally  of  a  pale  colour,  the  trees 
should  be  kept  thin  of  wood  and  occupy  the 
lightest  as  well  as  the  most  airy  part  of  the  house. 
Mixed  houses  should  be  cleared  of  Pears  and 
Plums  as  the  fruit  is  gathered  to  make  more 
room  for  Golden  Drops  and  the  finest  kinds  of 
dessert  Pears.  Preparations  should  now  be  made 
for  lifting  and  potting  up  the  young  trees  that 
have  been  marked  for  succession.  Nine-inch  pota 
are  large  enough  for  ordinary  maiden  trees.  These 
should  be  clean  and  well  crocked  with  bones  and 
charcoal,  and  the  compost  so  often  described 
should  be  ready  before  they  are  taken  out  of  the 
ground. 

Pines. — As  the  present  month  draws  to  a  close 
the  management  of  the  plants  for  the  winter  should 
be  complete.  All  the  late  summer  fruiters  should 
be  placed  in  a  light,  well  heated  and  properly  ven- 
tilated pit  or  house  to  finish  off,  and  if  not  already 
done,  late  starters  and  others  now  throwing  up 
should  receive  similar  treatment.  As  many  of  this 
section  will  have  to  remain  until  after  Christmas, 
they  should  not  be  placed  too  close  together,  neither 
should  they  be  kept  so  cool  as  the  more  advanced 
plants.  A  bottom-heat  of  about  80°  will  keep  the 
fruit  swelling,  and  as  this  can  be  obtained  from 
fermenting  materials,  we  always  make  a  point  of 
clearing  out  the  fruiting  pit  early  in  September, 
scalding  and  cleansing  the  walls  and  floor,  and  re- 
filling with  sound  dry  Oak  leaves  of  last  season's 
harvesting.  Into  these  all  the  late  starters  are 
plunged,  lightly  at  first  until  we  ascertain  that  the 
bed  is  not  likely  to  get  too  hot.  The  plants  are 
kept  well  up  to  the  glass ;  they  are  lightly 
syringed  on  all  favourable  occasions,  heat  and 
moisture  being  regulated  by  the  state  of  the 
weather.  This  management  gives  another  com- 
partment for  the  first  batch  of  Queens,  and  the 
next  is  filled  with  the  spring-potted  suckers  now 
filling  the  fruiting  pots  with  roots,  but  as  these 
will  make  a  spring  growth  before  they  start  we 
keep  them  steadily  progressing  for  some  weeks 
longer.  All  shading  on  the  hottest  days  may  now 
be  dispensed  with,  and  if  artificial  heat  can  be 
obtained  from  the  fires  or  the  beds,  the  rapid 
growth  of  the  present  month  should  be  kept  firm 
and  stocky  by  means  of  liberal  ventilation.  These 
plants  should  be  carefully,  but  well  watered  with 
tepid  liquid  manure  or  guano  water  as  often  as 
may  be  considered  necessary,  and  if  any  of  them 
throw  up  young  suckers,  they  should  be  taken  out 
before  they  have  time  to  check  the  growth. 

Figs. — We  have  removed  the  lights  from  the 
south  side  of  our  early  pot  Fig  house,  and  the 
wood  is  now  thoroughly  ripe.  They  will  remain 
undisturbed  until  after  the  leaves  fall,  when  the 
old  mulching  and  plunging  material  will  be  taken 
away  preparatory  to  the  annual  washing  with  soap 
and  water.  All  the  old  stakes  will  be  replaced 
with  new  ones  ;  the  trees  will  then  be  washed  with 
Gishurst  compound,  tied  in,  and  left  standing  on 
the  raised  pedestals,  as  they  are  now  too  large  for 
removal  from  the  house.  All  the  roots  that  have 
extended  beyond  the  rims  of  the  pots  will  be  cut 
off,  and  they  will  remain  without  water  until  the 
time  arrives  for  starting  them  in  November.  Mean- 
time the  lights  and  woodwork  will  be  painted 
ready  for  placing  over  them  should  we  have  cold 
rain,  or,  as  sometimes  happens,  severe  autumn 
frosts.  In  succession  houses  the  crop  may  be  con- 
sidered over,  and  the  wood  and  foliage  will  soon 
be  ripe.  If  the  trees  have  grown  too  strong  and  a 
check  is  considered  necessary,  no  time  should  be 
lost  in  getting  them  lifted  and  all  the  strongrooms 
shortened  back,  when  they  may  be  replanted  in 


236 


THE    GARDEN 


[Sept.  13.  1884. 


stroDgcalcareonsloam,  to  which  one-fifth  of  old  lime 
rubble  has  been  added.  This  should  be  used  in  a  dry 
state,  thoroughly  rammed  and  mulched,  and  left 
without  water  for  the  present.  Where  these  trees 
have  filled  the  allotted  space,  the  young  growths 
should  be  well  thinned  out  so  as  to  have  room  for 
extension  next  season  without  crowding  the 
foliage.  Trees  in  late  houses  and  cases  are  now 
bearing  abundantly,  and  the  quality  of  the  fruit 
is  very  good,  but  the  wasps  are  devouring  them  as 
they  change  for  ripening.  Free  ventilation  being 
absolutely  necessary,  Haythorn's  netting  should  be 
placed  over  all  the  openings  and  doorways. 

Cucumbers.— Make  another  sowing  of  Tele- 
graph for  plants  to  succeed  the  latest  Melons,  and 
strike  cuttings  of  shy  seeding  or  favourite  kinds. 
If  inserted  in  small  pots  and  plunged  in  bottom- 
heat  under  bell  glasses  they  soon  form  roots,  and 
being  more  wiry  than  seedlings,  they  come  into 
bearing  quicker,  and  very  often  go  through  a 
severe  winter  better.  As  the  days  are  now  rapidly 
decreasing  in  length  and  the  nights  are  much 
colder,  the  syringe 
must  be  more 
cautiously  used, 
and  then  snfli- 
ciently  early  for 
the  leaves  to  get 
moderately  dry 
before  nightfall. 
Where  plants  in 
pits  and  frames 
are  still  produc- 
ing sufficient  for 
the  demand,  mai- 
den plants  in- 
tended for  giving 
fruit  at  Christmas 
may  be  divested 
of  young  fruit 
and  male  blos- 
soms, as  a  means 
of  increasing  their 
strength  and  get- 
ting the  trellis 
well  covered  be- 
fore the  winter 
sets  in,  care  being 
taken  that they do 
not  become  too 
vigorous  —  quite 
as  great  an  evil  as 
having  them  too 
weak.  Winter  Cu- 
cumbers should 
have  a  light  sound 
soil,  rich  enough 
to  produce  good 
growth  without 
the  aid  of  ma- 
nure, as  the 
latter  encourages 
worms,  and 
when  they  com- 
mence bearing,  light  cropping  and  good  feeding 
will  produce  satisfactory  results.  Where  ferment- 
ing material  is  used  for  bottom  heat,  fire  heat  may 
still  be  dispensed  with  if  a  temperature  of  68°  by 
night  with  a  rise  of  10°  by  day  can  be  secured,  but 
it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  day  ventilation  is 
essential  to  the  production  of  firm,  short-jointed 
growths,  and  if  this  cannot  be  obtained  in  any 
other  way,  the  pipes  must  be  warmed  through  the 
early  part  of  the  day.  Good  dry  soil  for  top-dress- 
ing and  potting  plays  a  very  important  part  in 
winter  culture,  and  in  order  to  have  this  always 
ready,  a  supply  should  be  got  under  cover  before 
it  gets  chilled  by  autumn  rains.  For  general 
use,  long  narrow  stacks  in  the  open  air  well  ele- 
vated on  a  dry  bottom,  and  protected  with  a  little 
rough  thatch,  should  now  have  attention  as  the 
turf  is  in  excellent  order  for  cutting  and  carting. 
It  is  also  necessary  to  look  well  ahead  where  tan 
is  used  for  bottom-heat ;  and  in  the  event  of  a 
further  supply  being  wanted  for  the  late  plants,  it 
should  be  well  worked  under  cover  before  it  is 
taken  into  the  pits,  but  it  thoroughly  sweetened 
Oak  leaves  are  at  hand,  these,  with  a  small  pro- 
portion of  horse  manure  for  throwing  off  ammonia. 


will  form  the  best  material  for  planting  upon  or 
plunging  the  pots  in. 


Indoor   Garden. 


THE  AFRICAN  LILY. 
After  a  deal  of  correspondence  that  has  taken 
place  in  The  Garden  from  time  to  time  relative 
to  the  hardiness  or  otherwise  of  the  Agapanthus, 
I  think  we  may  safely  assume  that  unless  in  very 
favoured  spots  a  certain  amount  of  protection  is 
needed,  at  all  events  during  severe  winters,  which 
protection  is  well  repaid,  for  it  would  be  difficult 
to  find  a  more  accommodating  subject  and  one 
that  makes  such  a  fine  display  at  this  season  of 
the  year.  The  Agapanthus  comes  in  very  oppor- 
tunely for  conservatory  decoration  as  well  as  in 
the  open  air,  for  many  of  the  summer-flowering 
plants  are  past  their  best,  and  with  the  white  as 
well  as  the  older  and  better  known  blue  variety 
of  the  African  Lily,  combined  with  the  different 


A  ■■•praif  '7  Solovwns  Seal. 


forms  of  the  old  Lilium  speciosum,  we  impart 
quite  a  distinct  character  to  the  floral  display  in 
the  conservatory.  For  cut  purposes,  too,  the 
blooms  come  in  very  useful,  as  the  individual 
flowers  can  be  used  in  the  smaller  arrangements, 
and  they  last  a  good  time  after  separation  from 
the  plant.  A  great  point  in  favour  of  the  Aga- 
panthus is  the  fact  that  it  can  be  wintered  almost 
anywhere,  provided  frost  is  excluded  and  the 
situation  chosen  not  too  damp.  We  keep  ours  in 
the  winter  in  a  frame  where  there  is  just  a  little 
heat  during  severe  weather,  and  very  little  water 
is  given  at  that  time,  though  the  pots  and  tubs  are 
full  of  roots.  In  this  way  thorough  rest  is  insured, 
and  when  growth  commences  in  spring  plenty  of 
air  is  given  whenever  possible,  and  later  on  the 
plants  are  assisted  with  some  manure  water  once 
a  week.  With  this  treatment  they  flower  very 
freely,  and  as  the  pots  are  simply  crammed  full 
of  roots,  the  manure  water  is  quite  necessary  to 
bring  so  many  blossoms  to  perfection.  Besides 
the  white  and  blue  varieties  of  A.  umbel- 
latus,  the  smaller  growing  A.  minor  is  also 
a  pretty  plant.  The  double-flowered  variety 
of   the  common  kind  (which,  by  the  way,  still 


stands  at  a  high  price  in  nurserymen's  catalogues) 
I  have  never  been  able  to  flower  satisfactorily,  as 
the  blooms  refuse  to  open ;  and  in  this  experience 
at  least  I  am  not  alone,  as  those  among  my  f  riendss 
who  have  tried  it  say  the  same.  As  regards  it 
ornamental  qualities,  however,  I  consider  it  the 
poorest  of  all  and  not  worth  growing. 

H.  P. 

FORCING  THE  SOLOMON'S  SEAL. 
What  among  flowers,  native  or  foreign,  hardy  or 
tender,  can  so  much  as  approach  the  exquisite 
gracefulness  and  simple  beauty  of  the  Solomon's 
Seal,  common  as  it  is  ?  What,  again,  can  more 
forcibly  remind  us  in  the  dreary  days  of  mid- 
winter of  the  delights  of  the  May  garden  than 
luxuriant  potfuls  of  flowering  Solomon's  Seal  ? 
Charming  as  it  is  when  seen  peeping  out  from  the 
fringe  of  a  shrubbery  in  May  time,  it  is  ten  times 
more  charming  in  the  dark  days  which  seem  to 
lend  additional  elegance  to  its  tall  arching  stems 
and  heighten  the  beauty  of  its  tender  green  leaf- 
age and  pearly 
drop-like  blooms. 
No  doubt  it  is 
the  very  com- 
monness of  the 
plant  that  makes 
us  so  indifllerent 
to  its  charms. 
Were  it  a  newly 
discovered  plant 
from  the  South 
Sea  Isles,  would 
it  not  rank  high 
in  the  estimation 
of  the  flower- 
loving  public  ? 

There  is  no  need 
to  speak  here 
of  the  Solomon's 
Seal  in  the  open 
air.  Everybody 
knows  it,  and 
almost  every  gar- 
den possesses  at 
least  a  tuft  of  it, 
but  there  is  ample 
need  of  saying  a 
good  word  for  it 
as  a  plant  to  be 
forced  into  bloom 
early.  No  plant  is 
easier  forced  or 
gives  so  much 
beauty  for  such 
little  trouble. 
Those  who  wish 
to  have  flowering 
potfuls  of  it  in  the 
dead  of  midwin- 
ter must  now  see 
about  1  if  ting 
and  potting  some 
plants  of  it,  as  the  foliage  has  died  away  and 
the  plant  is  comparatively  inactive.  Choose  a 
strong  tuft  for  lifting,  and  divide  it  so  as 
parts  of  it  will  fit  comfortably  in  a  6-inch  or  8-inch 
pot,  giving  preference  to  those  pieces  of  the 
creeping  rootstock  that  are  furnished  with  plump 
terminal  buds,  for  it  is  from  these  that  the  stems 
will  rise.  After  potting,  the  pots  may  be  treated 
in  much  the  same  way  as  Dutch  bulbs  usually  are, 
that  is  plunged  in  ashes  to  the  rims  until  they  are 
taken  to  warmer  quarters.  But  being  a  hardy 
plant,  the  forcing  must  be  gradual,  and  at  no  time 
must  the  heat  be  too  great,  otherwise  long  spindly 
shoots  will  be  the  result.  In  October,  say,  the 
plants  may  be  plunged  in  bottom-heat,  ranging  in 
temperature  from  55°  to  60°.  The  plants  will  soon 
think  it  is  May  time,  and  will  rapidly  push  up  their 
stems,  and  when  in  full  leaf  and  flower  the  plants 
will  be  all  the  better  for  being  placed  in  a  cooler 
and  dryer  atmosphere,  so  as  to  keep  them  in  beauty 
as  long  as  possible.  Even  if  all  the  stems  do  not 
flower,  the  flowerless  ones  are  useful  for  arrang- 
ing with  other  flowers  in  vases.  The  tall  stems 
laden  with  blooms  have  a  charming  effect  placed 
in  a  tall  vase  by  themselves  or  with  some  flower 


Sept.   13,  1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


237 


that  will  harmonise  with  them.  Of  coarse  by  plac- 
ing the  plants  in  heat  at  intervals  successive 
batches  can  be  had  in  bloom  up  till  the  outdoor 
plants  come  in  bloom.  The  forced  plants  may  be 
planted  out  in  the  shrubbery  and  fresh  roots  taken 
up  for  forcing  the  following  autumn.  The  com- 
mon Solomon's  Seal  (Polygonatum  multiflorum)  is 
the  kind  usually  forced,  but  any  of  the  others  of  a 
similar  stamp  force  equally  well.  Forced  plants 
of  the  giant  Solomon's  Seal  (1'.  giganteum),  with 
stems  from  G  feet  to  'J  feet  high,  would  be  a  fine 
object  in  a  conservatory  in  winter  and  early  spring. 

W.  G. 


Ferns. 

BE^T  CULTIVATED  FERNS. 
(^Conthmed from  p.  190) 
NoTnoCHL.T-:KA. — This  genus,  which  comprises 
many  beautiful  Ferns,  is  closely  related  to 
Cheilanthes  and  Gymnogramma,  genera  which 
the  No:hochl;Bnas  resemble  in  habit,  as  while  some 
of  the  species  have  scaly,  woolly,  or  entirely  naked 
fronds,  others  have  them  more  or  less  densely 
clothed  with  either  white,  creamy,  pale  or  deep 
yellow  coloured  powder.  In  a  Natal  species  the 
underside  is  wholly  covered  with  a  pinkish 
coloured  meal,  but  unfortunately  up  to  the  present 
time  this  singular  and  beautiful  species  is  only 
known  through  dried  specimens.  It  is  not  even 
unusual  to  find  on  the  same  plant  fronds  the 
undersides  of  which  are  adorned  with  quite 
different  colours.  Some  of  the  Nothochlsenas,  as 
has  just  been  said,  resemble  in  general  appearance 
either  Gymnogrammas  or  Cheilanthes.  Others, 
with  their  ebony  black  shining  slender  stalks  and 
small  pinnules  look  so  like  some  of  the  Adiantums 
that  one  often  finds  that  when  people  inquire  for 
gold  and  silver  Maiden-hairs,  although  such 
things  exist,  they  are  generally  alluding  to 
Njthochl:ena  chrysophylla  and  N.  nivea.  The 
greatest  part  of  the  genus  comes  from  South 
America,  although  there  are  also  a  few  African, 
Indian,  and  Australian  species,  and  even  two  or 
three  of  the  prettiest  kinds,  such  as  canariensis, 
Mirantfe,  and  lanuginosa,  are  natives  of  the 
Siuthof  Europe.  North  America  also  produces 
8  ime  eight  or  ten  species,  four  of  which  have 
t  leir  fronds  coated  with  either  white  or  yellow 
powder ;  the  others  are  scaly  or  woolly.  An  im- 
p  )rtant  fact  to  notice,  and  one  helpful  to  the 
grower,  is  that  from  whatever  part  of  the  globe 
taey  come,  all  the  species  are  invariably  f  jund  on 
rjcks  much  exposed  to  the  sun,  and  where  they 
get  a  good  supply  of  moisture  at  the  roots.  The 
majority  of  them  are  of  erect  or  semi-erect  habit, 
altnough  there  are  a  few  which  are  particularly 
well  adapted  for  growing  in  baskets  of  small  or 
medium  dimensions,  in  which  they  make  handsome 
plants  and  display  their  elegant  fronds  to  ad- 
vantage. In  any  case  they  should  not  be  kept  in  a 
close  or  moist  place ;  a  situation  somewhat  airy  is 
iadispensable  for  all  of  them.  If  grown  in  pots  a 
mixture  of  good  fibrous  peat  and  small  pieces  of 
sandstone  in  about  equal  proportions  is  all  that  is 
required,  but  great  care  must  be  taken  to  ensure 
perfect  drainage,  as  stagnant  water  at  the  roots  is 
highly  injurious  to  all  of  them.  Fine  sifted  soil 
should  be  carefully  avoided,  and  the  same  may  be 
said  of  syringings  overhead. 

N.  CANABIENSIS. — This  evergreen  species  is 
0  30  of  the  few  members  of  the  genus  that  are  na- 
tives of  Europe,  and  it  is  one  of  the  most  interest- 
ing of  the  whole  group,  as  it  is  so  densely  covered 
with  long,  reddish  soft  hairs,  that  it  has  quite  a 
woolly  appearance  and  looks  as  if  the  whole  plant 
was  covered  with  down,  although  in  reality  it  i» 
only  the  under  surface  which  has  that  peculiarity  ; 
the  upper  side  of  its  elegant  arching  fronds  is  of  a 
dull  green  colour.  It  is  a  Fern  of  medium  size 
only,  and  is  found  in  a  wild  state  in  Teneritfe  and 
the  Cape  de  Verd  Islands. 

Rhizome  thick  and  fleshy,  covered  entirely  with  large 
silky  scales  of  a  lii-ht  tirown  or  reddish  colour;  these 
rhizomes  keep  well  above  the  surface  of  the  ground.  Fronds 
produced  .abuodaatly,  from  12  inches  to  20  inches  long,  in- 
cluding the  stalks  on  which  they  are  borne ;  they  are  ovate- 
lanceolate  in  shape  and  bipinnate,  with  pinnules  obtuse 


and  set  close  together ;  their  underside  as  well  as  the 
stalks  and  rachis  densely  clothed  with  lone  reddish  brown 
hairs,  under  which  the  sori,  although  very  numerous  and 
intensely  black,  arc  scarcely  perceptible. 

N.  CANDIDA. — An  exceedingly  pretty  North 
American  species  found  in  its  natural  state  grow- 
ing in  crevices  of  rocks,  often  in  places  much  ex- 
posed to  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun.  It  is  found  from 
Western  Texas  and  New  Mexico  to  California  and 
southward  to  Peru.  In  general  aspect  it  resembles 
some  of  the  Cheilanthes,  as  the  margin  of  its  pin- 
nules is  slightly  recurved,  though  it  does  not  form 
a  true  involucre,  snch  as  is  seen  in  the  well-known 
C.  farinosa,  for  instance,  a  Fern  otherwise  much 
like  this  species.  In  perfectly  developed  plants 
the  fronds  are  deltoid-ovate,  though  their  outline 
becomes  almost  regularly  pentagonal  in  young 
specimens.  Another  very  noticeable  character 
peculiar  to  this  species  is  the  extension  of  the 
lowest  pinnaa,  which  are  much  the  broadest,  from 
the  fact  that  the  basal  pinnules  on  the  lower  side 
are  much  elongated  and  more  compound  than  those 
on  the  upper  side.  Sometimes  also  several  of  the 
pinnules  on  the  lower  side  are  much  longer  than 
the  corresponding  ones  on  the  upper.  Although 
the  fronds  are  generally  pinnate  only,  it  is  not 
unusual  to  find  the  pinna;  themselves  pinnate, 
thus  making  the  frond  fairly  bipinnate,  but  they 
are  commonly  pinnatifid  into  oblong  or  more  or 
less  rounded  lobes.  Their  upper  surface  is  dull 
green,  but  copiously  sprinkled  with  minute  stalked 
whitish  glands.  The  sporangia  are  situated  just 
within  the  margin,  and  are  dark  in  brown  colour. 
This  species  requires  cool  treatment. 

Fronds  deltoid-ovate  in  outline  and  pinnate,  the  leafy 
portion  scarcely  measuring  4  inches  in  height ;  they  are 
borne  on  tufted  wiry  black  and  shining  stalks  from  4  inches 
to  6  inches  long,  raising  from  a  slightly  creeping  rootstock 
thickly  covered  with  narrow,  rigid,  and  nearly  black  scales, 
f  inna3  lanc-olate,  from  a  broad  base  deep  y  pinnatifid  ; 
segments  oblong,  slightly  curved,  obtuse,  minutely  glandu- 
lar above  and  covered  beneath  with  white  or  yellowish 
ceraceous  powder,  except  on  the  midribs,  which  are  black 
and  shining. 

N.  CHRYSOPHYLLA  (Savens). — This  very  elegant 
evergreen  South  American  species  is  one  of  the 
most  popular  and  best  known  of  the  genus.  It 
possesses  many  qualities,  which  render  it  attrac- 
tive and  of  great  value  to  all  Fern  growers.  It  is 
graceful  in  appearance,  and  the  bright  golden  fari- 
nose power  with  which  the  under  surface  of  its 
Adiantum-like  fronds,  which  are  produced  in  great 
abundance,  is  covered,  forms  a  pleasing  contrast 
with  the  jet  black  marginal  sori  and  the  slender 
black  shining  stalks  on  which  they  are  borne.  It 
does  best  in  baskets,  and  should  be  kept  close  up 
to  the  light  and  in  a  warm  house,  at  least  during 
winter. 

Fronds  produced  from  a  thick  fleshy  rhizome  covered 
with  dark  brown  scales  ;  they  are  tripinnate  and  average 
about  12  inches  in  height :  they  are  slender  with  the  piunic 
distant  and  tpreading.  Pinnules  somewhat  loosely  set  and 
slightly  cuneiform,  of  a  bright  green  colour  on  the  upper 
BUface,  while  the  under  surface  is  densely  covered  witli  a 
bright  yellow  powder,  forming  a  striking  contrast  with  the 
sori  of  an  intense  black  situated  round  their  edges. 

N.  DEALBATA. — A  pretty  dwarf  habited  North 
American  species  by  no  means  common  in  cultiva- 
tion, although  of  late  years  it  has  been  imported 
plentifully  by  several  firms  in  this  country.  It  is 
found  in  a  wild  state  in  the  crevices  of  rocks  on 
the  banks  of  the  Missouri  Kiver,  in  Arizona,  Texas, 
New  Mexico,  and  Southern  Kansas,  where  tracts 
of  it  are  growing  on  the  perpendicular  faces  of 
dry  calcareous  rocks,  and  especially  where 
sheltered  by  overhanging  projections.  In  general 
appearance  it  somewhat  resembles  another  North 
American  species,  N.  Fendleri,  but  it  is  much 
smaller ;  the  most  evident  distinction,  however,  is 
the  fact  that  in  this  species  the  pinnae  and  pinnules 
of  every  degree  are  opposite  in  pairs,  or  nearly 
opposite.  It  also  bears  a  certain  likeness  to  the 
well-known  and  much  appreciated  N.  nivea,  a 
native  of  Tropical  America,  but  this  latter  species, 
although  very  elegant  as  a  whole,  is  in  every  way 
much  coarser,  has  longer  and  less  compound 
fronds,  far  heavier  stalks  and  rachises,  and  larger 
ultimate  pinnules  than  N.  dealbata.  It  requires 
cool  treatment. 

Fronds  triangular-ovate  in  outline,  delicately  thiee  or 
four  times  pinnate  ;  borne  on  clustered,  wi'y,  very  slender 
stalks  3  inches  to  4  inches  high,  and  of  a  dark  brown  or 
nearly  black  and  shining  colour  ;  these  are  produced  freely 


from  a  very  short  rootstock,  chaffy  with  narrow  brown 
scales  ;  the  rachises  and  branchlets,  of  the  same  colour  as 
the  stalks,  are  hairy,  aid  the  pinnic  and  pinnules  mostly 
opposite  ux  pairs,  glaucous  green  above,  white  farinose 
underneath,  often  with  the  margins  rolled  under. 

N.  EcKLONiANA.— This  is  one  of  the  hand- 
somest species  of  the  whole  genus,  and  at  the  same 
time  one  which  keeps  comparatively  rare  in  culti- 
vation. It  is  a  native  of  South  Africa,  and  on  that 
account  no  doubt  it  is  generally  treated  as  a  stove 
plant,  and  with  very  bad  results.  It  succeeds  best 
in  a  temperate  house  where  it  is  most  attractive, 
principally  on  account  of  the  different  colours  of 
the  scales  which  cover  the  under  sides  of  its  fronds. 
The  latter,  when  young  or  barren,  are  silvery 
white  and  of  a  silky  texture,  but  when  aged  or 
fertile  they  are  quite  brown. 

Fronds  short,  rarely  exceeding  9  inches  in  height,  pro- 
duced frcmi  a  creeping  rhizome  covered  with  light  coloured 
scales,  and  ketjiiiig  well  above  tlie  ground  ;  they  are  some- 
what ovate  in  shape  and  tripinnatc,  with  pinnie  closely  set 
and  sUghtly  undulated.  The  short  stalks  on  which  thesa 
are  borne  are  covered  also  with  the  same  silvery  co'.ourtd 
tcales  which  are  to  he  found  on  the  young  frondi.  Finnu'ea 
oblong  and  blunt  at  the  extremities. 

N.  Fendlerl— This  is  doubtless  one  of  the 
most  ornamental  of  the  several  North  American 
species  already  in  cultivation,  and  one  which 
thrives  well  under  cool  treatment.  It  is  found 
wild  in  clefts  of  exposed  rocks  from  the  moun- 
tains of  Colorado  to  Texas,  New  Mexico,  and  Ari- 
zona. In  habit  it  is  very  peculiar;  the  general 
outline  of  its  fronds  is  broadly  triangular,  being 
nearly  as  broad  as  long.  The  main  rachis  and 
the  primary  and  secondary  branches  are  singu- 
larly flexuous,  being  bent  at  an  obtuse  angle 
alternately  to  right  and  left,  and  bearing  a  branch- 
let  on  the  outer  side  of  each  angle.  From  this 
habit  it  results  that  the  branches  are  never  oppo- 
site or  in  pair.*,  but  almost  uniformly  alternate. 
It  sometimes  also  happens  that  the  branchlet  is 
nearly  as  large  as  the  branch  from  which  it 
springs,  and  the  method  of  division  is  forking 
rather  than  pinnate.  All  the  branches  and  branch- 
lets  are  dark  brown  and  smooth  like  the  stalks, 
and  they  are  so  much  refracted  and  divaricating, 
that  the  several  fronds  on  one  plant,  as  is  often 
the  case  in  Pellreas,  are  almost  always  mach  en- 
tangled and  very  difficult  to  separate  without  in- 
jury. 

Fronds  4  inches  to  6  inches  long,  broadly  deltoid  ovate, 
fnur  or  five  times  pinnate,  with  rachis  and  all  its  divisions 
tlexuose  and  in  zigzag,  divaricate,  brown  and  shining ; 
borne  on  numerous  wiry,  tufted  stalks,  polished  and  darlc 
brown  in  colour.  These  aiise  from  a  short  creeping  rhizome 
covere<l  with  narrow  light  brown  chatty  sea  es.  Pinnules 
sometimes  opposite,  sometimes  aHernate.  obovate  oval  and 
entire,  or  two  or  three  lolicd.  with  their  upper  surface  of  a 
bluish  green  and  their  under  surface  covered  with  a  dense 
white  powder. 

N.  FElJEUOiNEA.— This  is  an  old  inhabitant 
of  gardens,  and  although  a  species  found  growing 
in  a  wild  state  in  Columbia,  Ecuador,  Vene- 
zuela, Peru,  and  even  Jamaica,  it  is  generally  im- 
ported from  North  America,  where  it  grows  abun- 
dantly in  rocky  places  along  the  lUo  San  Pedro 
and  llio  Grande,  in  Texas,  and  in  the  Organ 
Mountains  of  New  Mexico  ;  there  it  is  abundant 
on  calcareous  and  various  kinds  of  igneous  rocks, 
and  also  on  the  ground.  As  a  North  American 
species  it  is  perfectly  distinct,  as  there  is  no  other 
Fern  in  the  United  States  with  which  it  need  be 
confused.  Apart  from  the  difference  of  the  pinna;, 
it  is  abundantly  distinguished  from  N.  sinuata, 
the  only  other  pinnate  species,  by  the  nature  of 
the  covering  of  the  pinnse,  scaly  in  that  species 
and  highly  tomentose  in  this.  The  other  woolly 
or  tomentose  NothochIa;nas  found  in  that  part  of 
the  world  have  all  three  or  four  times  pinnate 
fronds,  very  unlike  those  of  N.  ferrnginea.  It  is 
of  erect  habit,  and  although  of  a  somewhat  stiff 
appearance,  is  n  evertheless  very  inferos  ting,  through 
its  fronds,  which  are  provided  with  from  twenty  to 
thirty-five  pinn,f  on  each  side,  being  moderately 
acute  and  tapering  slightly  from  the  middle  to 
the  base,  where  the  pinn«  are  often  half  an  inch 
apart,  but  the  upper  ones  are  crowded,  and  some- 
times even  overlapping.  Their  upper  surface  is 
greenish  grey  from  a  fine  villous  pubescence,  while 
their  underside  has  a  dense  covering  of  fine  woolly 
hairs,  which  are  sometimes  nearly  white,  at  other 
times  light  ferruginoas  brown,  and  again  of  a  deep 


238 


THE    GARDEN 


[Sept.   13,  1884. 


brown  colour  when  perfectly  mature.    It  requires 
cool  treatment. 

Fronds  linear-lanceolate,  8  inches  to  12  inches  longi 
hardly  1  incll  wide,  eject,  leathery,  pinnate,  borne  on 
tufted,  wiry,  dark  brown  stalics  a  few  inches  high  and 
woolly,  like  the  rachis,  with  sometimes  deciduous  rusty 
fliires  ;  these  rise  from  a  creeping,  thick  rootstock  covered 
with  narrow,  blackish,  rigid  scales.  Pinnic  numerous, 
oi)long-ovate,  almost  sessile,  antl  pinuatifid  into  six  or  eight 
close-set  little  oblong  lobes  on  each  side.  Sporangia  of  a 
very  dark  brown  colour  and  situated  at  tlie  margns  of  the 
lobes,  where,  by  being  slightly  recurved,  it  seems  as  if 
making  an  attempt  at  forming  an  involucre. 

Pell^a. 


INODOROUS  MANURES. 

A8"J.  S.  W."  aptly  remarks  (p.  146),  gardeners 
have  but  little  faith  in  a  manure  with  little  or  no 
smell  to  it,  and  amateurs  will  do  well  to  be  less 
fastidious  in  the  matter.     According  to  my  expe- 
rience, manures,  whether  solid  or  artificial,  that 
are  inodorous  possess  little  real  strength,  and  I  find 
in  each  case  the  stronger  the  scent  the  more  fer- 
tility the   manure   contains.     For  instance,   the 
most  e£EectiTe   and  lasting  solid  manure  I  have 
yet  seen  employed  is  that  known  as  fish  manure, 
this  being  a  mixture  of  condemned  fish,  blood, 
and  other  matter   collected    near    the   markets. 
Nothing  could  possibly  be  more  offensive  than  the 
smell  from  this  manure,  and  the  wonder  is  that 
the  purchasers  should  be  allowed  tocartit  through 
a  town.     It  was  thinly  distributed  over  several 
acres  of  good  loamy  soil  and  well  stirred  into  the 
surface.    Another  width  of  land  was  sown  with 
Amies'  manure  at  the  rate  recommended  by  the 
vendors ;  while  on  the  otlier  side  of  the  breadth 
dressed  with   the  fish  manure  another  width  of 
land  was  dressed  with  the  best  solid  stable  manure 
as  procured  from  the  London  stables.   The  latter,  I 
may  add,  is  very  different  to  the  manure  private  gar- 
deners are,  either  from  necessity  or  choice,  in  the 
habitof  using,  being  nearly  freshandasyet  contain- 
ing all  its  fertilising  properties  and  plenty  of  per- 
fume, while  that  frequently  used  by  gardeners  has, 
perhaps,  been  employed  for  affording  bottom  heat 
and  has  become  little  better  than  a  mass  of  humus 
The  whole  of  the  land  above  mentioned,  amount- 
ing in  all  to  about  ten  acres,  was  planted  with 
Brussels  Sprouts,  and  I  paid  several  visits  in  order 
to  watch  the  results  of  the  experiment.     Almost 
from  the  commencement  it  was  possible  to  dis- 
cern a  marked  difference  in  the  progress  of  the 
plants,  and  eventually  we  could  tell  to  a  row  how 
far  the  fish  manure  went,  the  superiority  being  so 
marked.    I  have  mislaid  my  notes,  and  therefore 
shall  not  attempt  to  give  the  costs  of  the  diffe- 
rent manures,  but  will  only  state  that  the  fish 
manure  was  the  cheapest  of  the  three,  and  proved 
by  far  the  most  perfect  manure,  this  also  being 
demonstrated  when  the  ground  was  subsequently 
cropped  with  Runner  Beans.     Amies'  manure  was 
cheaper  than  the  stable  manure,  but  was  by  no 
means  so  effective,  neither  in  the  case  of  the 
Brussels   Sprouts  nor  the  successional  crops   of 
Runner     Beans.      I    do     not    recommend    gar- 
deners or  the   owners    of    gardens    to    use    the 
fish  manure,  especially  if  they  have  neighbours, 
or  they  may  anticipate  a  visit  from  the  sanitary 
officer,  but  I  do  advise  them  to  use  their  solid 
manures  before  they  have  lost  their  scent,  this 
being  tantamount  to  a  loss  of  at  least  half  their 
value.  If  the  manure  cannot  be  utilised  for  a  time, 
then  some  steps  should  be  taken  to  preserve  the 
ammonia  and  other  soluble,  perfect  or  imperfect, 
salts  it  may  contain.     The  least  that  can  be  done 
is  to  form  a  good  bottom  with  ordinary  garden 
soil,  covering  the  heap  when  formed  with  more  of 
this  soil,  this  serving  to  enclose  or  absorb  much 
that  would  otherwise  be  lost,  and  also  considerably 
increasing  the  bulk  of  good  manure  when  the 
mixen  shall  be  turned.  I  have  tried  several  experi- 
ments and  have  watched  others  conducted  with 
various  artificial  manures,  and  have  arrived  at  the 
conclusion  that  the  strongest  smelling  of  them  all 
is  also  the  most  perfect,  this  being  that  known  as 
Beeson's    manure,  and  which  "  J.  S.  W."  fully 
described.     The  next  best  is  Standen's,  this,  how- 
ever, being  very  little,  if  any,  better  than  good 
Peruvian  guano — I  mean  in  its  effects.     Beeson's 
manure  we  are  obliged  to  store  in  an  outhouse, 


being  too  strong  even  for  the  potting  shed.  If 
used  with  discretion  it  is  remarkably  effective,  but, 
at  the  same  time,  I  must  warn  any  that  may 
be  tempted  to  give  it  a  trial  that  in  the 
hands  of  a  careless  person  it  may  work  much 
mischief.  A  very  small  sprinkling  should  be 
given,  and  care  should  be  taken  not  to  lodge  any 
on  the  stems  or  leaves  of  plants,  or  it  will  scar 
them.  The  roots  of  Tomatoes,  Melons,  and  Cu- 
cumbers are  soon  attracted  by  it  to  the  surface, 
and  all  the  plants  are  greatly  benefited  by  it.  The 
last  mentioned,  which  commenced  fruiting  early 
in  the  year,  are,  with  the  aid  of  Beeson's  manure, 
still  in  full  bearing,  and  will  last  till  such  times 
as  the  house  may  be  wanted  for  other  purposes. 
Other  seasons  the  worm  which  affects  the  roots  of 
the  Cucumbers  have  necessitated  an  early  clear- 
ance, but  Beeson's  manure  would  appear  to  be  a 
good  antidote  for  this  pest.  It  has  also  been  used 
witli  marked  advantage  on  such  plants  as  Crotons, 
Dracaenas,  Eucharises,  Gardenias,  Stephanotises, 
AUamandas,  Coleuses,  Ferns  in  variety,  Calanthes, 
Begonias,  Fuchsias,  Pelargoniums,  Carnations,  and 
various  other  stove  and  greenhouse  plants.  The 
scent  from  it,  I  admit,  is  not  very  agreeable  at 
first,  but  it  soon  becomes  to  be  scarcely  noticeable. 

W.  I.  M. 


JOTTINGS  FROM  THE  CHANNEL  ISLANDS. 
A  MOST  enjoyable  and  interesting  holiday  trip 
may  be  derived  from  a  visit  to  the  beautiful 
Channel  Islands.  To  a  gardener  especially  the 
pleasure  and  interest  is  tenfold.  We  left  Ply- 
mouth on  a  Friday  evening  at  eight,  the  sea  being 
smooth  and  the  weather  all  that  could  be  desired, 
and  after  a  fine  passage  of  about  ten  hours  we 
rounded  the  south-west  end  of  Guernsey,  steaming 
along  the  shore  to  St.  Peter's  Port  close  enough  to 
get  a  distinct  view  of  the  unrivalled  coast  scenery 
—the  Hanoise  Lighthouse,  Petit  Bot,  Moulin 
Huet,  and  Fermain  Bays,  up  to  Castle  Cornet  — 
when  we  came  into  full  view  of  the  town  and  har- 
bour, with  its  fine  piers,  fortifications,  and  light- 
houses. 

The  most  striking  object  to  a  gardener  is  the 
large  number  of  glass  houses  seen  in  and  around 
the  town  in  all  directions  extensive  slopes  being 
entirely  covered  with  glass  structures,  chiefly 
vineries,  where  are  grown  those  hundreds  of  tons 
of  Grapes  and  Tomatoes  annually  sent  to  the 
London  and  other  English  markets.  One  grower 
told  us  that  they  had  up  to  that  time  (August  10) 
exported  over  200  tons  of  Grapes  and  fully  as  many 
Tomatoes,  and  that  there  still  remained  some 
scores  of  tons  to  be  sent  off,  though  only  thirty 
years  ago  the  whole  was  less  than  20  pounds, 
packed  in  a  single  box.  We  visited  great  numbers 
of  these  vineries  both  in  Jersey  and  Guernsey, 
amongst  amateur  as  well  as  professional  gardeners, 
from  the  humble  lean-to  of  20  feet  by  10  feet  to 
the  gigantic  span  of  870  feet  by  30  feet  (the  latter 
at  St.  Aubin's,  Jersey),  and  the  only  secret' we 
could  discover  in  the  production  of  those  heavy 
crops  of  highly  coloured  Grapes,  possessing  a  fine 
hammered  appearance  and  quality  that  left  no- 
thing to  be  desired,  is  the  natural  soil  of  the 
islands,  which  consists  of  a  rich  sandy  loam  resting 
upon  a  gravelly  subsoil.  One  striking  feature  was 
the  general  flatness  of  the  roofs,  scarcely  any  ex- 
ceeding an  angle  of  25°,  and  many  even  less  than 
that,  to  which  we  think  (at  least  in  part)  may  be 
attributed  the  general  healthy  state  of  the  Vines, 
Peach  trees,  &c.,  and  their  freedom  from  insect 
pests,  especially  thrips  and  red  spider.  We  made 
particular  enquiries  respecting  the  quantity  of 
water  given  to  Vine  borders,  and  were  told  that  it 
was  impossible  to  water  heavily,  the  supplies  being 
so  very  limited.  Many  borders  were  entirely  in- 
side, some  part  in  and  part  out,  others  altogether 
outside,  the  favourite  manure  being  crushed 
bones.  Nearly  every  house  was  crowded  with 
Tomatoes  underneath  the  Vines,  producing  enor- 
mous crops  of  fruit ;  one  of  which  we  saw  weighed 
25  ounces.  Skilled  gardeners,  we  were  given  to 
understand,  are  paid  fixed  salaries,  and  in  addi- 
tion receive  a  good  percentage  on  all  they  can  sell, 
the  employers  of  course  providing  the  capital, 
the  results  proving  a  source  of  considerable  profit 


to  both.  Work  is  done  quickly ;  for  instance,  a 
large  vinery  is  built  in  the  autumn,  the  Vines 
planted,  and  a  crop  of  Potatoes  or  other  vegetables 
taken  off  early  in  the  spring,  when  the  Tomato 
plants  are  ready  for  putting  out.  These  are  grown 
in  rows  across  the  house  4  feet  apart  and  trained 
to  upright  trellises  ;  the  produce  is  enormous,  and 
fetch  from  3d.  to  Gd.  per  pound  wholesale  price. 

By  far  the  largest  portion  of  Grapes  are  grown 
in  Guernsey.  We  visited  several  private  establish- 
ments on  both  islands,  including  Capt.  Mansell's, 
Somerset  House,  where  Mr.  Peters  is  gardener, 
and  Dr.  Lacy's,  Saumarez  Lodge  (gardener,  Mr. 
Cameron),  in  the  suburbs  of  St.  Peter's  Port,  both 
well  kept  gardens  ;  here  large  quantities  of  fruit 
and  flowers  for  export  are  grown.  In  the  latter 
place  were  two  large  houses  devoted  entirely  to 
Eucharis  amazonica,  planted  out  in  beds  heated 
with  liot  water,  and  such  a  sight  we  never  before 
beheld.  The  thousands  of  flower-spikes  amidst 
clean  luxuriant  foliage  were  alone  worth  a  long 
journey  to  see.  Mr.  Cameron  told  us  he  never 
got  less  than  three,  and  sometimes  as  many  as  four 
crops  a  year.  Here  also  we  saw  a  splendid  lot  of 
Lilium  auratum  in  pots. 

In  one  of  our  rambles  in  Guernsey,  after  pass- 
ing through  one  of  those  charming  water  lanes, 
we  came  upon  a  most  luxuriant  mass  of  Gunnera 
scabra  about  200  yards  long,  growing  in  the 
bottom  of  a  deep  rocky  ravine  leading  down  to 
the  head  of  Fermain  Bay,  with  a  small  stream  of 
water  percolating  through  or  between  the  crowns, 
a  situation  which  appeared  to  suit  them  well.  We 
should  much  like  to  have  seen  its  gigantic  con- 
gener, G.  manicata,  under  the  same  conditions.  It 
occurred  to  us,  respecting  this  large  mass  of  G. 
scabra,  that  a  crown  had  originally  been  planted 
high  up  in  the  said  ravine,  and  that  they  had  been 
extended  by  the  stream  of  water  depositing  the 
seed  on  its  way  down  to  the  sea.  The  owner  did 
not  appear  to  value  it  much,  for  we  saw  many 
visitors  on  excursion  cars  carrying  leaves  from  5 
to  G  feet  across,  and  using  them  for  sunshades. 

No  gardener  who  can  spare  the  time  should  fail 
to  visit  Mr.  Smith's  Caledonian  Nursery,  where 
there  is  much  to  be  seen  of  great  interest,  many 
ordinary  greenhouse  plants  growing  and  flowering 
luxuriantly  on  the  open  walls,  including  Man- 
devilla  suaveolens.  Daphne  indica,  Rhynchos- 
permum  jasminoides,  Berberidopsis  corallina,  Ed- 
wardsia  grandiflora,Nicotiana  affinis,  the  beautiful 
Lily  of  the  Valley  tree  (Clethra  arborea),  and  fine 
standard  bushes  of  Erica  arborea  fully  20  feet 
through  and  nearly  as  many  feet  high.  A  large 
bed  of  Sparaxis  pulcherrima  was  a  most  striking 
object  with  stems  from  G  feet  to  8feet  long,  grace- 
fully arching  over  with  the  weight  of  their  lovely 
pendent  heads  of  bloom,  and  of  various  rich 
shades  of  colour.  Mr.  Smith  also  possesses  one  of 
the  choicest  herds  of  Guernsey  cattle  to  be  found 
on  the  island,  many  of  which  are  sold  for  export 
to  iVmerica  at  fabulous  prices.  The  owner  was 
most  kind  and  courteous  in  personally  showing  his 
animals  as  well  as  everything  of  interest  in  the 
nursery.  One  day  we  devoted  to  a  ramble  over 
the  island  of  Sark,  still  rich  in  primitive  beauty, 
quaint  and  pretty  cottages  in  lovely  sheltered 
nooks,  covered  to  the  tops  of  the  chimneys  with 
Pelargoniums,  Fuchsias,  or  Myrtles  completely 
smothered  in  blossom. 

We  next  visited  the  fine  old  gardens  of  the 
Seigneurie,  or  Manor  House,  the  grounds  laid 
out  with  great  taste  and  well  stored  with  good 
things  too  numerous  to  mention,  many  of  them 
not  sufficiently  hardy  to  stand  our  English  climate  ; 
then  we  walked  across  the  wonderful  Coupee  Pass, 
a  natural  bridge  400  feet  high  connecting  Little 
Sark  with  Great  Sark.  The  rock  scenery  of  this 
island  we  think  surpasses  all  the  others  in  ro- 
mantic beauty  and  grandeur,  but  it  is  diflicult  and 
dangerous  to  get  at.  The  only  landing  is  by 
small  boats,  and  then  to  make  your  way  through 
a  tunnel  cut  in  the  face  of  the  cliff  to  the  top 
of  the  island  ;  consequently  it  is  not  so  much  over- 
run with  tourists  as  the  other  islands,  which  may 
perhaps  account  for  much  of  its  primitive  beauty. 
In  Jersey  we  visited  many  private  as  well  as 
public  gardens,  including  the  Tropical  Gardens  and 


Sept.   13,   1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


239 


old  Manor  House  at  Kozel,  both  full  of  interesting 
objects  to  a  gardener.  The  latter  is  a  most  charm- 
ing spot — the  grounds  well  wooded,  the  trees 
being  much  larger  than  we  expected  to  find  so 
near  the  sea.  One  view  in  the  grounds  we  shall 
not  soon  forget— standing  upon  a  rustic  bridge  and 
looking  up  over  a  lovely  pond  shaded  by  over- 
hanging trees,  one,  a  deciduous  Cypress,  being  70 
feet  high  with  foliage  from  top  to  bottom.  A  bright 
flower  garden  and  lawn  beyond  is  terminated  by  a 
quaint  old  Ivy-covered  church  belonging  to  the 
mansion.  On  visiting  the  gardens  of  Government 
House  on  August  IH  we  found  a  horticultural 
show  was  being  held  there;  and  through  Colonel 
Hawell  wo  were  favoured  with  a  private  in- 
spection while  the  judging  was  proceeding.  A 
cleaner,  fresher,  or  healthier  show  of  plants,  fruit, 
and  fiowers  we  never  saw  brought  together. 
The  exhibition  occupied  two  large  tents.  A 
fine  display  of  standard  double  and  semi-double 
Pelargoniums  first  took  our  attention,  with  clean 
stems  4  feet  6  inches  high  and  umbrella  heads  as 
much  through— a  perfect  mass  of  flowers.  A  fine 
group  of  Filmy  B^erns,  with  a  Todea  superba  4  feet 
high  and  5  feet  through,  also  a  fine  T.  pellucidum, 
and  a  Trichomanes  radicans  fully  5  feet  over,  with 
fronds  a  foot  long ;  also  the  finest  lot  of  Fuchsias 
we  ever  saw  staged.  There  were  a  few  Orchids, 
but  none  worth  special  notice.  There  were  grand 
plants  of  Adiantum  farleyense  and  Flemingi,  a 
very  fine  lot  of  Liliums  of  the  speciosum  type, 
with  several  fine  pots  of  auratum.  Cut  flowers 
were  there  in  immense  number,  quite  as  fresh  as 
if  growing  on  the  plants.  Single  Dahlias  were 
shown  in  great  variety  ;  one  a  distinct  green,  but 
more  curious  than  beautiful,  and  might  easily  be 
mistaken  for  a  clump  of  dwarf  Sedums.  The 
table  decorations  (six  in  number)  were  very  good ; 
in  fact,  we  never  remember  seeing  better.  Fruits 
were  well  represented,  especially  Grapes,  Peaches, 
and  Fjgs.  Slelons  were  very  inferior,  only  three 
small  fruits  being  shown.  There  were  abundance 
of  Apples  and  Pears,  but  not  so  good  as  we  ex- 
pected to  find  from  such  a  fruit-growing  centre. 
Strawberries  of  immense  size,  with  all  kinds  of 
small  fruits,  including  Gooseberries,  Cherries, 
Currants,  and  Raspberries,  were  shown  in  splendid 
condition,  though  so  late  in  the  season. 

We  visited  the  gardens  oi  Steep  Hill  House, 
whence  came  many  of  the  best  things  in  the  exhibi- 
tion, and  received  a  most  hearty  welcome  from  the 
gardener,  Mr.  Reeves,  who  showed  us  over  Mr. 
Bobbins'  beautiful  place — one  of  the  best  kept 
and  best  stocked  gardens  we  saw  in  Jersey.  We 
cannot  speak  too  highly  or  gratefully  of  the  kind 
and  courteous  reception  we  met  with  from  every- 
one, high  and  low,  at  every  place  we  visited,  never 
meeting  with  a  single  rebuff,  though  I  am  afraid 
we  were  a  little  presumptuous  in  our  endeavours 
to  see  private  places.  One  thing  is  certain  f  the 
Channel  Islands  are  well  up  to  the  times  in  mat- 
ters horticultural,  and  we  flatter  ourselves  that  we 
picked  up  many  useful  hints  from  our  visit,  and 
would  strongly  advise  all  our  brother  spades  who 
have  the  opportunity  to  go  and  see  for  themselves. 
I  had  almost  forgotten  to  mention  the  splendid 
markets  of  St.  Peter's  Port  and  St.  Heliers,  which 
alone  are  well  worth  the  journey  to  see. 

Trellsiick,  Truro.  W.  Sangwin. 


K^OTES  OX  GARDEN  TOPICS. 
Dr.  Lindley. — It  is  very  amusing  to  notice 
how  certain  writers  aflEect  to  deride  the  author  of 
the  "Theory  and  Practice"  and  all  his  works 
whenever  his  opinions  happen  to  be  brought  up 
against  them  in  any  controversy  or  otherwise.  He 
is  still  an  awkward  opponent  to  thrust  in  the  way 
of  those  feeble  exponents  of  horticulture  who  air 
their  crotchets  whenever  they  are  permitted  to  do 
so,  but,  being  dead  and  gone,  he  is  not  formidable 
personally,  and  they  can  sneer  with  impunity. 
Tet  there  is  never  a  column  of  their  writings  but 
contains  indisputable  evidence  that  they  are  them- 
selves the  unconscious  pupils  of  the  doctor,  for  few 
of  them  have  really  read  his  books,  and  fewer  still 
of  his  critics  appear  to  own  a  library  sufiiciently 
extensive  to  include  them.     They  have  got  their 


information  second-hand,  and  are  innocent  of  any 
knowledge  of  their  real  instructor.  Ordinarily 
well  educated  horticulturists  and  gardening  authors 
of  position  still  lefer  to  Lindley,  and  acknow- 
ledge his  authority,  and  at  least  speak  of  him  with 
becoming  respect,  but  there  are  "  cads  "  among 
horticultural  writers  as  well  among  other  classes, 
and  it  is  the  custom  with  these  to  put  the  doctor 
"  to  one  side  "  with  a  scrape  of  their  pen  whenever 
he  is  obtruded  inconveniently  upon  their  notice. 
Kumbersof  instances  of  this  have  occurred  lately, 
and  the  fact  is  mentioned  here  in  order  that  such 
detractors  may  be  branded  when  they  appear. 
Dr.  Lindley  was  not  a  gsrdener— did  not  pro- 
fess to  be  one — but  he  set  himself  the  task 
of  collecting  materials  from  every  practical  and 
scientific  source  and  putting  them  in  a  shape 
to  show  the  connection  between  principles  and 
practice,  so  as  to  enable  gardeners  to  proceed 
to  work  on  rational  grounds.  For  this  service 
he  is  rewarded  in  the  manner  described  by 
those  who  have  not  even  grasped  the  purpose  of 
his  work,  far  less  its  value.  Putting  aside  the 
matter  of  the  book,  Lindley's  "  Theory  and  Practice 
of  Horticulture "  is  a  work  any  young  gardener 
may  read  with  great  advantage  for  its  literary 
excellence  alone.  It  is  written  in  that  clear  and 
forcible  style  in  which  a  man  of  Lindley's  know- 
ledge and  accomplishments  only  can  write,  and 
which,  if  it  were  oftener  imitated,  would  make 
horticultural  literature  both  more  instructive  and 
entertaining  than  it  is.  No  one  has  ever  believed 
or  said  that  all  that  Lindley  wrote  was  correct, 
but  he  is  still  the  safest  guide  we  have,  and  will 
continue  to  be  for  a  long  time  to  come. 

The  summer  heat  and  light —Lindley 
pointed  out  long  ago  the  diiierence  a  few  degrees 
one  way  or  other  in  the  average  temperature  made. 
This  season  anyone  may  see  for  themselves  what 
a  few  degrees  constantly  maintaincil  can  accom- 
plish. I  suppose  the  temperature  of  the  past  sum- 
mer has  hardly  exceeded  what  is  regarded  as  the 
average  summer  temperature  of  these  islands,  but 
it  has  exceeded  the  average  of  the  last  ten  or  a 
dozen  years  by  a  few  degrees,  and  the  result  has 
been  a  markedly  advanced  condition  of  all  crops, 
and  the  gain  of  a  month  at  least  in  the  gathering 
of  the  corn  crops.  No  doubt  the  greater  amount 
of  sunlight  has  also  helped  towards  this  result,  but, 
of  course,  heat  and  light  must  be  reckoned  toge- 
ther in  such  a  case,  for  the  two  are  intimately 
allied  in  the  maturation  of  the  crops.  In  the 
north  Apples  and  Pears  and  other  fruits  have 
attained  a  size  and  quality  that  have  not  been 
observed  for  years,  and  vegetation  everywhere  is  in 
a  forward  and  unusually  mature  state.  It  has  been 
stated  that,  owing  to  the  low  mean  temperature 
and  generally  unfavourable  weather  of  recent 
years,  both  plants  and  trees  have  been  visibly 
crippled  in  many  cases,  and  that  the  effects  will 
be  visible  for  years  to  come,  and  until  a  series  of 
favourable  seasons  puts  things  in  tune  again. 
Barring  the  effects  of  drought,  however,  every- 
thing now  looks  well,  and  vegetation  wears  an 
aspect  it  has  not  done  for  a  long  time,  and  all 
because  of  the  few  more  degrees  of  heat  and  the 
light  which  we  have  experienced  between  April 
and  September.  There  is  no  need  to  point  the 
moral  to  forcers  of  fruits  and  vegetables. 

Grapes  cracking.— When  writing  on  this 
subject  last  year  I  spoke  of  a  Madresfield  Court 
Vine  we  had  here  on  which  the  berries  cracked 
more  or  less  while  the  roots  were  above  hot-water 
pipes  and  well  drained,  so  that  the  cracking  could 
not  be  caused  by  excess  of  moisture ;  and  I 
stated  that  since  these  pipes  had  been  removed 
and  the  border  kept  moisterthan  before  the  crack- 
ing had  decreased.  Well,  this  season  the  Vine  has 
a  heavy  crop  of  bunches — just  now  assuming  the 
blue-black  colour — and  not  a  berry  has  cracked 
yet.  I  think  we  ought  to  regard  the  theory  of 
moisture  being  the  cause  of  cracking  as  ex- 
ploded. 

The  bulb  catalogues.— These  have  been 
out  some  time,  and  we  observe  the  Daffodil  receives 
a  much  more  prominent  place  than  usual.  One 
London  firm  issues  a  Daffodil  and  LUy  cata- 
logue alone,  and  there  is  an  attempt  to  simplify 


the  classification  of  the  varieties,  making  the  lists 
more  intelligible  than  before ;  but  these  are  still 
too  voluminous  and  complicated  for  the  general 
cultivator  and  gardener,  who  will  learn  more  by 
looking  at  the  "  representative  group  "  engraved  on 
the  outside  of  the  covers  than  he  will  inside  of 
them.  Messrs.  Carter,  I  see,  have  adopted  a  classi- 
fication of  their  own  that  I  have  no  doubt  will 
suit  their  customers  very  well.  They  divide  the 
whole  family  into  three  "  groups,"  viz.,  double  and 
single  varieties  and  Jonquils,  and  these  embrace 
only  the  most  generally  worthy  sorts.  This  is  an 
excellent  abridged  list  and  safe  guide  for  those 
who  are  not  Daffodil  students.  It  is  unlikely  that 
any  but  the  typical  varieties  will  ever  be  exten- 
sively grown  in  gardens  generally.  J,  S.  W. 


Societies. 

NATIONAL  DAHLIA  SOCIETV'S  SHOW. 

SEPTEMBEB   5   AND   6. 

The  annual  exhibition  of  this  society  took  place 

at  the  Crystal  Palace  on  Friday  and  Saturday  last. 

It  was  the  finest  show  that  the  society  has  yet 

succeeded  in  bringing  together,  and  was  highly 

creditable   to  those  who  promoted  it.     Seldom, 

indeed,  has  such  a  large  exhibition  of    Dahlias 

been  held,  and,  considering  the  trying  character 

of  the  weather,  it  was  not  easy  to  find  fault  with 

the  quality.    The  southern  growers  experienced 

much  difliculty  in  getting  good  blooms  to  open 

fully  at  the  right  time,  and  besides,  that  desperate 

enemy  of  the  Dahlia  grower,  yellow  thrips,  was 

unusually  active  ;  so  numerous,  indeed,  were  they 

that  they  could  be  shaken  out  of  the  blooms  in 

hundreds.    The  nurserymen's  classes  for  show  and 

fancy  varieties  were  not  quite  so  well  filled  as  the 

committee  might  have  wished.     The  contest  for 

the  highest  prize  was  between  the  two  veteran 

growers,   Mr.   Charles    Turner,    of    Slough,    and 

Messrs.  Keynes,  Williams,  &   Co.,  of   Salisbury. 

Mr.  Turner  showed  an  excellent  collection  for  the 

first  prize  in  the  class  for  forty-eight  blooms  of 

the  show  section.     The  flowers  were  of  uniformly 

high    quality    and    well    arranged.       The    sorts 

were ; — 

J.  B.  Seivice 

Sunljeani 

Chua 

Sir  G  Wolseley 

Royal  Queen 

Cardinal 

John  Xeville  Ivejnea 

James  Coclier 

Mrs.  Sliirley  Ililiberd 

Prince  of  Ueiiniarlc 

Henry  Walton 

Champion  Kollo 

Mrs.  Percy  Wjnilham 

.Statesman 

James  Service 

Henry  Bond 

51  Uriel 

Joseph  Ashliy 

George  Rawlings 

Julia  Wyatt 

Jolm  Staudish 

James  Vick 

Lady  Gladys  Heihert 

.Seraph 


Flag  of  Truce 

Hope 

Imperial 

Condor 

Rosetta 

llrs.  G.  R  Jefferd 

Michael  Saunders 

Goldlinder 

Alexander  Cramond 

Acme  of  Perfection 

James  Stevens 

Mrs.  Korman 

Ruby  Gem 

Sirs.  Harris 

Constancy 

William  ifaivlings 

Ethel  Kritton 

John  Wyatt 

Herbert  Tnmer 

Lady  Wimborno 

Burgundy 

Lord  Chelmsford 

Mrs.  Gladstone 

Rev.  J.  Goodday 

Messrs.  Keynes,  in  their  turn,  outdistanced  Mr. 
Turner  for  twenty-four  fancy  blooms.  A  few  of 
the  flowers  in  Jlr.  Turner's  collection  were  not 
sufiiciently  opened,  and  as  a  whole  they  were  not 
so  even  in  quality.  The  Messrs.  Keynes'  collection 
was  very  fine  indeed,  and  contained  a  bloom  of 
General  Gordon,  which  obtained  the  prize  as  the 
best  bloom  of  any  fancy  variety  in  the  show.  The 
following  are  the  sorts  shown : — 
George  Barnes  John  Forbes 

James  O'Brien  Airs.  N.  Halls 

Maid  of  Athens  Chorister 

Rev.  J.  B.  M.  Camm  Fred.  Smith 

Professor  Fawcett  Parrot 

M.  ChauvitTe  I'lora  Wj'att 

Fanny  Sturt  Lottie  Eckford 

Miss  Annie  ^lelsome  Alderman 

Miss  Lily  Large  Rebecca 

Duchess  of  Alb.iny  Gaiety 

John  Lamont  John  Saunders 

Gaiety  (sport) 

Messrs.  Saltmarsh,  of  Chelm.nford,  were  the  suc- 
cessful competitors  for  twenty-four  blooms  of  the 
show  varieties.    They  exhibited  a  very  even  col- 


240 


THE    GAEDEN 


[Sept.  13,   1884. 


lection  o£    well-finished  blooms.     The  varieties 


were : — 

Sunbeam 

Koyal  Queen 

John  Wyatt 

John  Neville  Keynes 

Hon.  Mrs.  P.  Wyndham 

Ethel  Britton 

Rev.  J.  Goodday 

Mrs.  Dodds 

Sam.  PlimsoU 

Lady  Gladys  Herbert 

Shirley  Hil)bert 

Vice-President 

Messrs.  Saltmarsh  were  sacoessfnl  in  obtaining 
the  first  prize  for  twelve  fancy  blooms.  They 
were ; — 

Flag  of  Truce 
John  Lament 
Rev.  J.  B.  M.  Camm 


Earl  of  Beaconsfield 
Revival 
Constancy 
Mrs.  Harris 
Burgundy 
Mrs.  .Stancombe 
Mr.  Geo.  Harris 
Mrs.  S.  Hibberd 
Rosy  Morn 
Henry  Walton 
James  Cocker 


Gaiety 
Galatea 
Richard  Dean 
Lady  Antrobus 
Oracle 
Rebecca 


Hercules 
Wizard 
Egyptian  Prince 


Mrs.  Shirley  HilAerd 

Lord  (.'helnisford 

Senator 

Richard  Edwards 

Mrs  Dodds 

Mrs.  Stanscombe 

Herbert  Turner 

Henry  Walton 

James  Cocker 

Kev.  J.  B.  M.  Camm  (sef; 


Amateurt.'   Classes. 

It  was  in  this  division  that  the  greatest  competi- 
tion took  place,  and  a  difficult  task  it  was  for  the 
judges  to  distinguish  the   various  points  of  merit 
between  some  of  the  collections.     As  a  fnll  list  of 
the  successful  competitors  will  be  found  in  our 
advertisement  columns,  it  is  unnecessary  to  give 
them  here.     We  need  only  mention  that  the  first 
prize  collection  of  twenty-four  show  blooms  from 
Mr.  T.  Ilobbs,  I^ower  Easton,  Bristol,  was  worthy 
of  special  attention  from  the  excellent  quality  of 
the  blooms,  cut,  as  it  seemed,  to  the  very  day 
The  varieties  were : — 
Hon.  Mrs.  Percy  Wjndham 
James  Viek 
Ethel  Britton 
Miss  Cannell 
Prince  Bismarck 
John  Standish 
C  E.  C  .ope 
James  O'Brien 
Laiy  Golightly 
J.  B  Keid 

The  well-known  Dahlia  grower,  Mr.  II.  Glass- 
cock, of  Bishop's  Stortford,  deserves  special 
mention  for  his  excellent  exhibit  of  twelve  show 
and  fancy  blooms,  which  obtained  the  Veitch 
Memorial  medal  and  money  prize  offered  by  the 
Veitch  Memorial  trustees.  The  collection  of 
twelve  blooms,  moreover,  contained  the  best  bloom 
of  any  show  variety  in  the  exhibition,  a  very  per- 
fect one  of  Mrs.  Gladstone;  the  others  were 
Imperial,  Hon.  Mrs.  P.  Wyndham,  Rev.  J.  Good- 
day,  Miss  Cannell,  Shirley  Hibberd,  Countess  of 
Ravensworth,  Sir  G.  Wolseley,  Prince  of  Denmark, 
Harrison  Weir,  Black  Knight,  and  Flag  of  Truce. 
The  fancies  were  Barnaby  Rudge,  Chorister,  Pro- 
fessor Fawcett,  Mrs.  Saunders,  Miss  Lily  Large, 
and  Wizard.  Mr.  Glasscock  also  won  the  first  prize 
for  twelve  fancy  soits;  the  blooms  were  very 
fine,  and  gave  evidence  of  careful  culture.  The 
varieties  were : — 

Miss  L.  Large  John  Forbes 

Henry  Glasscock  Mandarin 

Mrs.  Saunders  Flora  Wyatt 

Qaiety  Professor  ¥  awcett 

Peacock  Egyptian  Prince 

Miss  N.  Halls 

Mr.  H.  Hobbs  was  awarded  the  first  prize  for 
the  following  six  fancy  blooms,  Flora  Wyatt,  Pro- 
fessor Fawcett,  Lottie  Eckford,  Hercules,  and 
John  Lament.  Mr.  J.  Tranter's  twelve  show 
blooms,  which  were  highest  in  their  class,  were 
uncommonly  fine,  especially  Clara,  Hon.  Mrs.  P. 
Wyndham,  Mrs.  Gladstone,  William  Rawlings,  and 
Goldfinder.  Mr.  A.  Painter,  Moreton  Hall,  Con- 
gleton,  was  successful  in  taking  the  first  prize  for 
six  blooms  of  show  kinds  with  John  Henshaw, 
Henry  Walton,  Ethel  Newcombe,  Mrs.  Gladstone, 
and  Clara. 

The  roMPONE  varieties  made  an  excellent 
show  in  themselves;  arranged  as  they  were  in 
clusters  of  ten  flowers  in  a  bunch  with  the  buds 
and  leaves,  they  had  an  excellent  effect.  Again 
Mr.  Turner  and  Messrs.  Keynes  had  a  keen  con- 
test for  the  first  place  in  the  twenty-fonr  varieties, 
Mr.  Turner  winning,  owing  to  the  better  arrange- 
ment of  his  blooms.  The  chief  prize-winners  in 
this  division  were  Mr.  Turner,  Mr.  J.  Henshaw,  of 
Harpenden,  and  Messrs.  J.  Burrell,  of  Cambridge. 
A  selection  of  the  be^t  varieties  would  include 


Mdlle.  Valentine  Faconet  Fair  Helen 

Favourite  Isabel 

LadyBlaneheCthebestwMte)  Titania 

Grass  au  Wien  Sensation 

E.  F.  Jungker  Mabel 

Hedwig  Polwig  Little  Nigger 

Little  Bobby  Northern  Light 

Cupid  White  Aster 

Countess  Von  Sternberg  Prince  of  Lilliput 

Little  Duchess  Little  Arthur 

Guiding  Star  Dora 
Gem 

The  single  varieties  were  also  exhibited  in 
bunches  of  ten,  and  set  up  like  the  pompones  over 
a  surface  of  green  Moss.  Mr.  John  Lamont,  of 
Hope  Street,  Edinburgh,  had  perhaps  the  best 
blooms,  but  was  disqualified,  owing  to  his 
putting  more  than  ten  flowers  in  a  bunch.  The 
best  blooms  were  Attraction,  the  colour  being 
"  crushed  strawberry ;"  Volunteer,  a  good  striped 
form  ;  Invincible,  maroon ;  and  Miss  H.  Cameron. 
The  principal  prize-takers  were  Mr.  Turner  and 
Messrs.  Burrell,  the  varieties  of  greatest 
merit  being  Winifred,  a  fine  lilac-rose ;  Even- 
ing Star,  Sunbeam,  Defiance,  Ellen  Terry, 
Harlequin,  Mr.  H.  G.  Head,  Alba,  Acquisition, 
Duchess  of  Westminster,  Queen  of  Singles,  Para- 
gon, Lutea  grandiflora,  Ascalon,  Crimson  Beauty, 
Madge  Thompson,  and  Mauve  Qaeen.  Mr.  T.  S. 
Ware  exhibited  excellent  groups  of  single  and 
border  Dahlias.  Two  very  fine  border  kinds  are 
Cochineal  (crimson)  and  General  Gordon ;  their 
merits  will  depend  much  upon  the  habit  of  the 
plants  and  whether  they  are  free  flowering. 

First-class  certificates  were  awarded  to  Messrs. 
Keynes  for  the  following  fancy  Dahlias  :  Romeo, 
buff,  flaked  and  striped  crimson,  the  flowers  per- 
fectly formed  ;  General  Gordon,  a  very  fine  variety, 
flowers  of  the  finest  form,  of  a  rich  yellow-flaked 
and  striped  with  orange-red  ;  Mrs.  Langtry, 
,-how  Dahlia,  yellowish  buff  tipped  with  crimson. 


CRYSTAL  PALiCE  FRUIT  SHOW. 
September  5  and  6. 
Notwithstanding  the  frequency  of  large  fruit 
shows  in  London  this  season,  there  was  an  excel- 
lent exhibition  at  the  Crystal  Palace  on  Friday 
and  Saturday  last — as  fine  as  any  of  its  predeces- 
sors of  late  years.  The  liberal  prizes  that  are 
offered  here  annually  for  fruit  usually  brings  out 
a  strong  competition  among  the  foremost  gardeners 
in  the  country,  and  the  present  occasion  was  no 
exception  to  the  rule,  although  several  habitual 
exhibitors  of  high  standing  were  conspicuous  by 
their  absence — a  circumstance  attributable,  no 
doubt,  to  the  proximity  of  the  great  fruit  show  at 
Dundee  held  this  week.  The  show  was  not  held,  as 
usual,  in  the  naves  of  the  palace,  but  in  capacious 
tents  adjoining,  which  are  far  better  adapted  for 
a  flower  or  fruit  show,  inasmuch  as  they  admit  of 
the  exhibits  being  more  effectively  arranged,  and 
somehow  they  show  to  better  advantage  under 
canvas.  The  show  was  held  in  conjunction  with 
that  of  the  Dahlia  Society,  so  that  the  whole 
formed  an  attractive  as  well  as  an  extensive  dis- 
play. The  schedule  comprised  thirly-two  classes 
for  fruit,  all,  with  the  exception  of  two,  being 
more  or  less  numerously  represented.  The  quality 
on  the  average  was  good,  but  it  would  have  been 
better  for  the  reputation  of  some  of  the  exhibitors 
if  they  had  not  displayed  their  exhibits,  some  of 
which  were  quite  below  mediocrity. 

Collections  of  fruit  were  intended  to  form 
a  marked  feature  in  the  show  judging  by  the 
amount  of  prizes  offered,  there  being  no  less  than 
£87  offered  in  four  classes.  The  chief  class  was 
for  twenty-tour  dishes.  It  is  obvious  that  none 
but  the  very  largest  gardens  could  provide  such  a 
number  of  distinct  kinds  of  fruits  as  this  even  in 
September,  and  even  these  would  experience  a  dif- 
ficulty in  mustering  so  many  ;  therefore  it  was  not 
surprising  that  there  was  but  one  exhibitor  in  this 
class,  and  it  was  evident  that  he  had  had  every  re- 
source under  contribution  in  order  to  produce  the 
stated  number,  as  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact 
that  his  collection  included  Blackberries  and  Mul- 
berries. The  Earl  of  Haddington's  garden  at 
Elvaston  Castle  furnished  this  multifarious  collec- 
tion, and  his  gardener,  Mr  Goodacre,  had  some 
highly  creditable  dishes.    There  were  four  com- 


petitors in  the  class  for  twelve  dishes  -a  more 
reasonable  number.  The  best  collection  came 
from  the  Gunnersbury  Park  gardens,  and  an  un- 
commonly fine  one  it  was,  affording  good  evidence 
of  Mr.  Roberts'  skill.  He  had  superb  bunches  of 
Madresfield  Court  Grape,  which  above  all  others  is 
grown  to  perfection  at  Gunnersbury  Park,  the 
bunches  being  large  and  the  berries  perfection  in 
every  way.  Not  much  inferior  were  the  Alexan- 
drian Mnscats.  The  other  dishes  in  the  collection 
were,  William  Tillery  and  Golden  Perfection 
Melon,  Sea  Eagle  Peach,  Humboldt  Nectarine, 
Williams'  Bon  Chretien  Pear,  Quarrenden  Apple, 
Brown  Turkey  Figs,  Jefferson  Plum,  and  Morello 
Cherries.  The  next  finest  dozen  dishes  were  from 
Shrubland  Park,  among  which  Mr.  Blair  showed 
extremely  fine  fruits  of  the  Granadilla,  the  fmit  of 
Passiflora  quadrangularis,  an  uncommon  exhibit :  a 
weighty  smooth  Cayenne  Pine,  Red  Astrachan 
Apples,  Hereof  Lockinge  and  Royal  Ascot  Melons 
were  other  noteworthy  dishes  from  Shmbland 
Park.  The  third  collection  was  fiom  Elvaston 
Castle.  The  best  of  the  two  collections  of  eight 
dishes  was  that  from  Lord  Carington's  gardener, 
Mr.  Miles,  Wycombe  Abbey,  which  consisted  of 
admirable  Madresfield  Court  Grapes  and  good 
Muscats,  Stirling  Castle  Peach,  Pine-apple  Necta- 
rine, Hero  of  Lockinge  Melon,  Kirke's  Plum,  Figs, 
and  a  Queen  Pine.  The  other  collection,  contri- 
buted by  Mr.  Oclee,  from  Blicklin^  Hall,  Aylsham, 
included  the  finest  Williams  Pears  in  the  show  as 
well  as  other  dishes  of  high  quality. 

Grapes  were  decidedly  the  chief  feature  in  the 
exhibition,  and  nine  classes  were  set  apart  for 
them.  The  principal  class  was  for  ten  kinds,  a 
large  number  to  exhibit  even  from  the  largest 
gardens.  Hence  there  was  a  limited  competition, 
there  being  but  two  collections,  one  from  Gun- 
nersbury Park  and  the  other  from  Syon  House. 
The  sorts  were  restricted  to  six  black  and  four 
white  kinds,  a  regulation  that  seems  too  hard 
upon  would-be  exhibitors,  for  some  may  have  the 
requisite  number  of  kinds,  but  not  of  the  specified 
number  of  black  and  white.  Mr.  Roberts  had  in 
his  first  collection  excellent  examples  of  Alnwick 
Seedling,  Foster's  Seedling,  Madresfield  Court, 
and  Muscat  of  Alexandria ;  the  other  sorts  were 
Gros  Maroc,  Black  Hamburgh,  Trebbiano,  Black 
Alicante,  Bucklacd  Sweetwater,  and  Gros  Colmar. 
Mr.  Woodbridge's  collection  included  tome  fine 
bunches  of  Lady  Downes,  Muscat  Hambnrghs, 
Madresfield  Court,  Golden  Champion,  and  otheis. 
There  were  four  exhibitors  of  collections  of  five 
kinds,  and  a  keen  competition  took  place  between 
that  from  Wycombe  Abbey  and  Mr.  Atkinson's 
gardener  (Mr.  Hudson)  from  Gunnersbury  House. 
■There  was  but  little  to  choose  between  the  two 
sets,  though  Mr.  Miles  took  the  first  place.  Hig 
sorts  were  Madresfield  Court,  Lady  Downes,  Mus- 
cat of  Alexandria,  Foster's  Seedlin;;,  and  Black 
Alicante.  The  Alnwick  Seedlings  in  Mr.  Hudson's 
collection  were  the  admiration  of  all,  and  he  also 
had  capital  examples  of  Muscats,  Madresfields, 
Fosters,  and  Black  Hamburghs.  There  was  a  fair 
competition  in  the  classes  for  specified  varieties; 
the  Alexandria  Mnscats  formed  a  particularly  fine 
class,  there  being  eight  sets  of  three  bunches,  the 
finest, from  Mr.  MiddletoD,the  gardenerat  Rainford 
Hall,  St.  Helens,  being  extremely  fine.  The 
bunches  and  berries  were  not  only  large,  but  the 
colour  was  of  that  beautiful  amber  transparency 
which  every  Grape  grower  aspires  to  produce  in 
his  Mnscats,  but  very  seldom  attains.  The  other 
prize  winning  bunches  from  Syon  House  and 
Gunnersbury  House  were  likewise  excellent,  but 
lacked  the  colour  of  the  first  prize  set.  Black 
Hamburghs  were  shown  by  nine,  but  there  were 
but  few  remarkable  bunches,  that  is  compared 
with  what  one  usually  sees  at  large  shows  at  this 
season.  Mr.  Temple's  garden,  Leyswood,  Groom- 
bridge,  supplied  the  best.  Only  one  exhibitor 
showed  Gros  Colmars,  and  these  were  not  very  re- 
markable. On  the  other  hand,  the  class  for 
Madresfield  Courts  was  an  excellent  one,  for  there 
was  not  an  inferior  set  among  the  six  shown.  The 
finest  came  from  the  Duke  of  Northumberland's 
garden  at  Syon,  and  uncommonly  fine  they  were, 
perfect  in  every  way,  not  only  large  in  bunch,  but 
with  the  hnge  berries  firmly  knit  into  compact 


Sf.pt.  13,  1884.] 


THE   GARDEN 


241 


masses.  The  colour  and  finish  left  nothing  to  be 
desired.  Mr.  Woodbridge  has  certainly  the  knack 
of  growing  this  fine  Grape  to  the  highest  per- 
fection. Mr.  Birket  Foster's  gardener  at  The 
Hill,  Witley,  and  the  Earl  of  Harrington's  gar- 
dener supplied  the  other  prize  bunches,  and  highly 
creditable  they  were  also.  Black  Alicantes  were 
fairly  good,  the  best  of  the  five  sets  being  highly 
creditable  to  Mr.  Howe,  the  gardenerat  Park  Hill, 
Streatham  Common.  The  best  exhibit  of  white 
Grapes  of  any  other  variety  was  that  from  Mr. 
Woodbridge,  who  had  excellent  Muscats.  Golden 
Qaeen,  fairly  good,  was  second,  and  Foster's  were 
third.  Among  black  sorts  of  any  other  variety, 
by  far  the  finest  were  three  superb  bunches  of 
Alnwick  Seedling,  from  Mr.  Atkinson's  garden  at 
Gunnersbury  House,  where  the  requirements  of 
this  capricious  Grape  seem  to  be  thoroughly 
understood.  Nothing  could  well  surpass  the  per- 
fect finish  of  Mr.  Hudson's  bunches  in  this  class. 

Teaches  and  Nectarines  formed  agood  class 
and  were  numerous.  The  best  four  dishes  were  from 
Mr.  Roger  Leigh's  garden  at  Barham  Court,  and  ex- 
ceedingly fine  they  were,  the  sorts  shown  by  Mr. 
Haycock  being  Walburtoa  Admirable,  Lord  Pal- 
merston  (highly  coloured),  Barrington,  and  Belle- 
garde.  Mr.  Oclee  in  hi-s  second  lot  had  highly 
tinged  fruits  of  Princess  of  Wales,  as  did  also  Mr 
Blair.  Mr.  Haycock  also  showed  the  finest  single 
dish  among  eight,  the  sort  being  'Walburton  Ad- 
mirable, extraordinary  specimens.  The  best  four 
dishes  of  Nectarines  among  five  collections  con- 
sisted of  Pitmaston  Orange,  Boston,  Elvers' 
Orange,  and  Pine-apple,  all  uncommonly  fine. 
These  were  from  Mr.  Naylor's  garden,  Ilooton 
Hall.  Among  other  sorts  shown  finely  by  the  other 
other  exhibitors  were  Ealgowan  and  Albert  Vic- 
tor. The  Pine-apple  variety  took  the  first  and 
third  prizes  in  the  single  dish  class  among  six. 
Two  collections  of  six  Peaches  and  six  Necta- 
rines were  shown,  one  from  Gunnersbury  Park, 
the  other  from  Barham  Court.  Mr.  Roberts'  first 
collection  consisted  of  Princess  of  Wales,  Sea 
Eagle,  Grosse  Mignonne,  Barrington,  Bellegarde, 
and  Violette  Hative  Peaches ;  Lord  Napier,  Vic- 
toria, Violette  Hdtive,  I^itmaston  and  Rivers' 
Orange  Nectarines.  Melons,  as  usual,  were  nume- 
rous, there  being  twenty-one  green-fleshed  sorts 
and  fifteen  red-fleshed.  The  three  prizes  for 
green  sorts  were  taken  by  Hero  of  Lockinge, 
Victory  of  Bath,  while  Hero  of  Lockinge  was 
third  also.  Among  the  fifteen  red-fleshed  sorts 
the  best  was  Scarlet  Gem  ;  second,  Victory  of  Bris- 
tol ;  third.  Captain  Lark's  variety. 

Plums  were  not  remarkable  either  for  numbers 
or  quality,  the  competition  in  all  the  classes  being 
confined  to  two  or  three  competitors.  The  sorts 
shown  best  in  the  collections  were  Cox's  Emperor, 
Victoria,  Cooper's  Large,  Pond's  Seedling,  Ick- 
worth  Imperatrice,  Prince  of  Wales,  Perdrigon. 
Among  the  single  dishes  the  finest  were  Jefferson's, 
Green  Gage,  Goliath,  and  Magnum  Bonum. 

Apples  were  well  shown.  The  best  collection 
of  fifteen  kinds,  from  Barham  Court,  consisted  of 
the  following : — 


Belle  du  Bois 
Stone's  Apple 
■W'arnera  King 
Lord  .Suffleld 
Echlinville  Seedling 
Sanimur  Golden  Pippin 


Rib&ton  Pippin 
Ancie  Eliz.ibetti 
Bueliess  o(  Oldenburgh 
La'ty  Derby 
Worcester  PeaTmain 
Cox's  Orange  Pippin 


Excellent  also  was  another  collection  from  Mr. 
Brassey's  garden,  Preston  Hall. 

The  Barham  Court  garden  furnished  the  best 
collection  of  Pears,  and  exceedingly  fine  they  were, 
all  of  the  first  size.  The  sorts  were  Pitmaston 
Duchess,  Williams'  Bon  Chretien,  Beurru  Hardy, 
Conseiller  de  la  Cour,  Louise  Bonne  of  Jersey, 
Clapp's  Favourite,  Dorondeau,  Doyennu  Boussooh, 
and  Beurre  d'Amanlis.  The  best  three  dishes  of 
ripe  Pears  were  from  Preston  Hall,  the  sorts  being 
Williams'  Bon  Chretien,  Brockworth  Park,  and 
Thfodore.  The  best  three  dishes  of  ripe  Apples, 
also  from  Preston  Plall,  consisted  of  Kerry  Pippin, 
Gravenstein,  and  Quarrenden.  Other  early  sorts 
shown  were  Coe's  Golden  Drop,  Reinette  du  Laak, 
Shepherd's,  and  Duchess  of  Oldenburgh. 

Fruiterer.^'  prizes. — Th?  company  offered 
threejrizes — ^£15,  £10,  and  i.'5— for  a  collection 


of  fruits  representative  of  that  obtainable  in 
Covent  Garden  Market.  The  competition  was 
restricted  to  fruiterers.  Strange  to  say,  only  one 
fruiterer  competed  for  these  valuable  prizes.  This 
was  Mr.  G.  H.  Wingfield,  who  came  all  the  way 
from  Brighton  with  a  really  fine  collection, 
extensive  and  thoroughly  representative  of  the 
fruits  obtainable  in  the  best  London  markets  at 
this  season.  Particularly  noticeable  were  the  fine 
Grapes,  Pines,  Williams'  Ptars,  Tomatoes,  Egg 
Plums,  Melons,  Apples,  and  others,  in  all  about 
two  dozen  dishes.  The  collection  was  well  dis- 
played in  a  prominent  position. 

The  miscellaneous  exhibits  of  fruit  were  nume- 
rous, the  most  noteworthy  being  an  uncommonly 
fine  display  cf  Peaches,  Nectarines,  Pears,  Grapes, 
and  Plums,  and  others  from  the  famous  fruit 
nursery  of  Messrs.  Rivers  at  Sawbridgeworth. 
There  were  no  fewer  than  thirteen  kinds  of 
Nectarines  shown,  every  one  of  which  had  been 
raised  by  the  Messrs.  Rivers — no  mean  achieve- 
ment, particularly  having  regard  to  the  fact  that 
almost  every  sort  are  of  the  highest  excellence. 
Among  the  named  sorts  were  the  following  :  — 

Lord  Napier 

Humboldt 

Pine-apple 


Chaucer 

Milton 

Spenser,  wholly  crimson 

Victoria 

Newton 

BjTon 


Orange 
Gordoni 
Seedling  (No.  34) 


Of  Peaches  there  were  Crimson  Galande  (a 
beautiful  dish  of  crimson  fruit).  Golden  Rathripe, 
almost  orange  colour;  Dymond.  Besides  these, 
there  were  splendid  examples  of  Gros  Maroc  Grape 
and  a  numerous  collection  of  Pears,  all  large  and 
well  grown  fruits.  An  extra  prize  was  awarded  to 
Messrs.  Rivers,  and  never  has  a  prize  been  more 
worthily  bestowed.  An  extra  prize  was  taken 
also  by  Messrs.  Cheal,  of  Lowfield  Nurseries, 
Crawley,  who  exhibited  a  large  and  comprehen- 
sive collection  of  Apples  and  Pears  from  trees 
grown  on  their  noted  cordon  plan.  Messrs.  Paul, 
of  Cheshunt,  Mr.  Neighbour,  of  Bickley,  and  Mr. 
Walker,  of  Thame,  likewise  contributed  more  or 
less  largely  to  the  fruit  display. 

Cut  Plo'wer  Classes. 

Prizes  were  offered  for  a  collection  of  Gladiolus 
spikes,  not  less  than  thirty-six  varieties.  Messrs. 
Kelway,  of  Langport,  staged,  as  usual,  an  excellent 
collection,  but  fine  though  it  was,  and  comprising 
some  120  spikes,  it  was  quite  eclipsed  by  an  equally 
large  collection  from  Mr.  E.  Campbell,  of  Cove 
Gardens,  Gourock.  This  collection  contained  some 
magnificent  spikes ;  they  were  well  set  up  and 
tastefully  arranged  as  to  colour.  Some  of  the 
spikes  were  26  inches  in  length  and  carried  from 
ten  to  twelve  blooms  fully  open  at  one  time.  They 
were  mostly  French  varieties  ;  a  few  of  the  most 
remarkable  were  Carnation,  a  long,  massive  spike  ; 
Gloire  de  Fontainebleau,  rosy  lilac,  shaded  with 
white;  Penelope,  a  tinted  fawn  colour  ;  Maruchal 
Bazaine,  a  pleasing  light  scarlet  with  white  lip  ; 
Madame  Despartes,  fine  large  white ;  Bicolorc, 
red  with  distinct  white  blotch  on  the  lip  ;  La- 
fayette, a  distinct  sulphur-coloured  kind  with  pur- 
plish crimson  blotch  on  the  lip,  suggesting  a  G. 
purpureo-auratus  parentage ;  Celimene,  very  fine ; 
Horace  Vernet,  still  a  handsome  variety,  rich 
crimson ;  Giganteus,  richly  coloured  flowers  and 
long  spike ;  De  Mirbel  had  ten  flowers  open  at 
one  time ;  Camille,  a  splendid  spike  of  pale  lilac 
flowers.  Messrs.  Kelway's  collection  was  mostly 
composed  of  their  own  seedlings,  to  one  of  which. 
Lord  Wolseley,  a  first-class  certificate  was  awarded. 

Hollyhocks  were  admirably  shown  in  theft  r 
of  cut  flowers  from  the  north  of  England  ;  those 
sent  by  Mrs.  Maynard  (gardener  Mr.  G.  Finlay), 
East  Ley  ton  Hall,  Darlington,  were  very  fine  indeed, 
and  they  were  the  more  creditable  to  the  grower, 
seeing  that  most  of  them  were  seedlings.  Messrs. 
Harkness  also  exhibited  some  fine  blooms  which 
might  have  beat  the  others  if  they  had  not  been 
rubbed  in  transit.  Asters  were  exhibited  in  con- 
siderable numbers  and  were  of  good  quality.  Mr. 
Henry  Hooper  and  Mr.  Cattley,  of  Bath,  exhibited 
some  remarkably  fine  white  quilled  blooms,  but 
they  were  both  surpassed  in  variety  by  a  stand  of 
blooms  from  Messrs.  Saltmarsh  &  Son,  of  Chelms- 


ford. The  last  named  exhibitors  were  fortunate 
in  also  obtaining  the  first  prize  for  French  Asters 
with  a  clean,  dissimilar,  and  well  arranged  tray  of 
blooms.  Messrs.  Hooper  and  Cattley  had  larger 
and  better  flowers  on  their  stands,  but  they  lacked 
variety,  although  a  few  of  them,  especially  a  lilac 
and  white  striped  kind,  were  very  fine  indeed. 

Mr.  James,  of  the  Castle  Nursery,  Lower  Nor- 
wood, exhibited  an  excellent  assortment  of  cut 
flowers — stove,  greenhouse,  and  hardy.  There  were 
splendid  spathesof  Anthurium  Andreannm,  Lapa- 
geria  alba  and  rosea  ;  the  pale  blue  Plumbago  ca- 
pensis  was  very  pretty  indeed,  while  Ixoras  in  va- 
riety and  Saccolabiums  had  a  pleasing  effect. 

Messrs.  Laing,  of  Forest  Hill,  arranged  an  ex- 
tensive and  excellent  group  of  tuberous  Begonias ; 
it  might  have  been  more  effective  if  the  too  com- 
mon system  of  arranging  the  plants  on  a  flat  level 
surface  sloping  to  the  back  had  been  avoided,  but 
this  did  not  detract  from  the  merits  of  the  flowers, 
which  were  of  their  usual  high  class  quality. 

Messrs.  Cannell,  of  Swanley,  appropriated  a  long 
table  in  the  centre  of  the  tent  to  their  produc- 
tions, which  were  arranged  in  their  usual  effective 
and  exceedingly  attractive  manner.  They  had 
stands  of  show  Dahlias  of  first  class  quality  and 
some  blooms  of  double-flowered  Begonias,  repre- 
senting a  rich  collection.  The  garden  varieties  of 
the  double  Dahlia  will  be  most  useful  for  cutting 
in  the  autumn,  as  they  are  quite  out  of  the  com- 
mon track.  The  white  variety  (Constance)  is  per- 
haps the  most  useful,  but  Germania  nova  is  the 
most  distinct  in  its  rich,  pale,  rosy  purple  colour 
and  the  peculiar  notching  of  its  petals.  The  white 
Cactus  Dahlia  is  named  Jlr.  Tait,  and  Picta  formo- 
sissima  is  quite  novel  in  its  tints  of  scarlet  and 
gold.  Cochineal  will  be  a  splendid  border  flower 
of  a  crimson  colour.  Here  was  also  fine  speci- 
mens of  the  green-flowered  Dahlia  and  Mr.  Miller, 
a  fancy  tipped  kind,  which  might  have  been  raised 
fifty  years  ago. 

Mr.  Charles  Turner's  arrangement  of  Lilium 
auratum  rising  from  a  groundwork  of  Palms  was 
good  in  its  way,  and  attracted  considerable 
attention.  Messrs.  Paul  &  Son,  of  Cheshnnt,  had 
a  group  of  hardy  cut  flowers,  and  Messrs.  Paul,  of 
Waltham  Cross,  excellent  boxes  of  cut  Roses. 
Messrs.  Cutbush,  of  Highgate,  and  Mr.  James,  of 
Lower  Norwood,  vied  with  each  other  in  producing 
excellent  groups  of  plants.  Early  Chrysanthemums 
were  shown  fairly  well  by  two  growers,  Mr.  Davis's 
collection  being  far  the  finest,  and  none  of  the 
varieties  were  so  conspicuous  as  the  handsome 
JIadame  Desgrange,  which  had  large  pure  white 
flowers  freely  produced.  Mr.  James  also  showed 
this  fine  variety  admirably. 

First-class  certificates  were  awarded  to 
Messrs.  Laing  &  Co.  for  Begonia  Jules  Lequin,  a 
very  fine  crimson-scarlet  double  ;  Madame  Emile 
Galle,  also  a  double,  of  a  delicate  salmon  tint ; 
Erectasuperba,  a  single  crimson  kind  of  fine  habit 
and  extremely  floriferous  ;  Goliath,  a  fine  double 
of  a  lovely  carmine-crimson.  To  Messrs.  Kelway 
for  Gladiolus  Lord  Wolseley,  of  a  fiery  red  colour 
with  a  deeper  coloured  centre,  a  distinct  and  good 
variety. 

A  full  list  of  prizes  awarded  at  the  foregoing 
shows  will  be  found  in  our  advertising  columns. 


ROYAL  HORTICULTURAL. 
September  9. 
There  were  numerous  new  plants  and  flowers 
submitted  to  the  committee  on  this  occasion,  some 
possessing  sterling  merit,  but  the  chief  feature  of 
the  meeting  was  the  large  display  of  Dahlias  of 
all  kinds  from  such  noted  growers  as  Turner, 
Keynes,  Ware,  Cannell,  Rawlings,  and  others. 
These,  together  with  large  displays  of  Gladioli 
from  Messrs.  Kelway  and  Roses  from  Messrs.  W. 
Paul,  rendered  the  conservatory  uncommonly  gay. 
First-class  certificates  were  awarded  to — 
Amasonia  punicea. — A  new  stove  plant  from 
Tropical  America,  for  which  a  brilliant  future  may 
be  reasonably  predicted,  it  is  not  only  an  ex- 
tremely handsome  plant,  but  is  absolutely  distinct 
from  any  other  plant  in  cultivation.     It  belongs 


242 


THE    GARDEN 


[Sept.   J 3,   1^84. 


to  the  Verbena  family,  and  is  a  near  ally  of  the 
Clerodendron.  The  plant  is  of  erect,  shrubby 
growth,  with  large  spreading  foliage.  The  flowers 
are  borne  on  terminal  spikes  about  a  foot  in  length, 
and  very  gracefully  arch.  The  flowers  are  tubular 
and  of  a  creamy  white.  Each  is  subtended  by  a 
brilliant  floral  bract,  lance-shaped,  and  from  2 
inches  to  i  inches  in  length,  and  as  brilliant  in 
colour  as  those  of  the  Poinsettia.  These  bracts, 
being  so  numerous,  render  the  plant  extremely 
attractive,  and  as  they  continue  in  perfection  for 
a  long  time,  the  value  of  the  plant  is  increased. 
Exhibited  by  Messrs.  J.  Veitch  &  Sons,  Eoyal 
Exotic  Nursery,  Chelsea. 

Aeeides  Lawkencean-E.  —  Unquestionably 
among  the  very  finest  species  yet  introduced.  It 
may  be  best  described  as  a  magnified  A.  odora- 
tum,  as  the  growth  is  similar,  likewise  the  flowers 
in  shape  and  colour,  but  as  twice  the  size  of  those 
of  A.  odoratum.  They  are  ivory-white,  tipped 
with  amethyst.  It  is  the  same  species  which 
Messrs.  Sander  sold  to  Sir  Trevor  Lawrence  some 
time  since  for  a  very  high  sum.  The  present 
plant  was  shown  by  Baron  Sohroeder,  The  Dell, 
Egham. 

Nepiirolepis  BAU.SEI. — A  new  garden  variety 
of,  apparently,  N.  davallioides.  The  fronds  have 
the  pinna;  cleft  into  numerous  fine  segments, 
which  give  them  a  feathery  appearance.  They 
are  about  18  inches  high,  and  are  almost  erect. 
It  is  an  extremely  handsome  Fern,  and  a  real  ac- 
quisition.    Shown  by  Messrs.  J.  Veitch  &  Sons. 

Amaeyllis  Mes.  W.  Lee.— Another  lovely 
hybrid  variety  in  the  way  of  the  now  popular  Mrs. 
Garfield.  Tt  results  from  a  cross  between  A.  reti- 
culata and  one  of  the  hybrid  race.  The  flowers  are 
of  medium  size,  of  a  delicate  rose  pencilled  with  a 
deeper  hue.  The  plant  shown  by  Mr.  B.  S.Williams, 
from  his  nurseries  at  Upper  HoUoway,  bore  a  fine 
spike  of  five  flowers. 

Begonia  Octavia.— The  finest  double  white 
tuberous  variety  yet  raised.  The  flowers  are  large 
and  resetted,  and  of  pure  ivory  whiteness.  The 
habit  is  vigorous,  dwarf  and  floriferous.  Exhibited 
by  Messrs.  Cannell  &  Son,  Swanley. 

Begonia  Madame  Ceousse. — Another  double 
tuberous  variety  with  large  finely  shaped  flowers, 
very  double  and  of  a  soft  salmony  buff  lint. 
.Shown  by  Messrs.  Cannell,  and  Mr.  W.  Bealby, 
Roehampton. 

Dahlia  Fashion.— One  of  the  bouquet  race,  a 
pretty  flower  of  a  bronzy  bnfif  colour.  Mrs.  Lang- 
try,  one  of  the  fancy  section,  buff  tipped  and 
flaked  with  claret-pnrple.  General  Gordon,  yellow, 
tipped  and  flaked  with  crimson-red.  Shown  by 
the  raisers,  Messrs.  Keynes,  Williams,  &  Co.,  Salis- 
bury. 

Dahlia  Formosa.— A  new  seedling  variety  of 
great  merit.  The  flowers  are  of  medium  size,  of 
circular  outline,  and  good  substance,  while  the 
colour,  a  rich  deep  crimson,  is  in  fine  contrast  to 
the  golden  centre.  Shown  by  the  raisers,  Messrs. 
Cheal  &  Sons,  Lowfield  Nurseries,  Crawley. 

Gladiolus  W.  Eelway.— a  splendid  variety, 
having  a  massive  spike  set  with  bright  scarlet 
flowers  flaked  with  crimson  and  blotched  with 
maroon.  Sir  Francis  Bolton,  also  a  massive  spike 
of  a  vivid  scarlet-carmine  hue  flaked  with  crimson. 
Both  shown  by  the  raisers,  Messrs.  Kelway,  of 
Langport. 

Among  the  more  noteworthy  of  the  other  plants 
shown  was  a  magnificent  specimen  of  Cattleya 
gigas,  an  exceptionally  fine  variety,  carrying  no 
fewer  than  four  flowers  from  one  sheath.  This 
came  from  Sir  Nathaniel  Rothschild's  garden, 
Tring  Park,  a  fine  example  of  Mr.  Hill's  cultural 
skill,  and  to  whom  a  cultural  commendation  was 
worthily  accorded.  Mr.  G.  F.  Wilson  showed  a 
specimen  of  the  darkest  variety  of  Lilium 
speciosum  named  rubrum.  A  cultural  commen- 
dation was  accorded  to  Mr.  Allan,  Lord  Suffield's 
gardener  at  Gunton  Park,  Norwich,  for  very  fine 
flower-laden  shoots  of  the  white  and  red  Lapa- 
geria,  such  as  v;e  described  in  The  Gaeden  a 
week  or  two  ago.  A  beautiful  new  seedling 
Rhododendron  named  Souvenir  de  J.  H.  Mangles, 
salmony  yellow  flowers,  was  shown  by   Messrs. 


Veitch.  Mr.  Cannell  had  besides  cut  blooms  of 
about  two  dozen  distinct  sorts  of  double  Begonias, 
an  extremely  fine  single  one  called  Total 
Eclipse  with  large  well-shaped  flowers  of  a  fiery 
crimson.  An  uncommonly  handsome  new  seed- 
lingCroton  named  Bealei  was  shown  by  the  Messrs. 
Carter,  in  whose  nursery  at  Forest  Hill  it  has  been 
raised.  The  leaves  are  large,  beautifully  mottled, 
with  green,  yellow,  and  with  crimson  veins  and 
stalks.  The  new  Californian  Penfstemon  labrosus 
was  shown  in  flower  by  Mr.  Thompson,  of  Ips- 
wich, who  has  introduced  it.  Its  flowers  are 
scarlet,  produced  on  tall  loose  spikes.  The  New 
Plant  and  Bulb  Company  sent  a  full  collection  of 
Montbretias,  which,  however,  lost  their  expanded 
flowers  in  transit.  Two  handsome  plants  of  the 
variegated  Pine-apple,  each  bearing  a  fruit,  were 
shown  by  Mr.  Alexander,  Gifford  House,  Roe- 
hampton, and  numerous  new  Coleuses  were  ex- 
hibited by  Mr.  King,  Rowsham.  Among  them 
those  named  General  Gordon  and  Mary  Kitchener 
were  the  most  noteworthy  for  distinctness  and 
brilliancy.  A  new  Pelargonium  named  Queen  of 
England  was  shown  by  Mr.  Tibbies,  Harlesdon 
Park  Nursery,  WiUesden.  It  is  a  market  or  decora- 
tive variety  with  pure  white  flowers,  evidently  a 
valuable  kind  for  catting. 

Dahlias  constituted  one  of  the  most  prominent 
features  of  the  meeting  on  this  occasion,  being  re- 
presented in  all  the  cultivated  types  of  this  fine 
autumn  flower.  It  is  little  less  than  astonishing 
to  see  with  what  rapidity  the  single  forms  now  so 
popular  have  come  to  the  front,  and  are  found  in 
association  with  the  show  and  fancy  kinds,  so  many 
years  the  exclusive  favourites  of  the  florists.  One 
need  hardly  wonder  that  they  are  appreciated  by 
the  lover  of  flowers ;  their  simple  form  and  varied 
colours  render  them  highly  attractive  to  those 
whose  taste  does  not  run  in  the  groove  of  the 
large  double  and  massive  blooms  that  have  been 
considered  the  beau  ideal  of  a  Dahlia  from-  a 
florist's  point  of  view  for  many  years  past.  Mr. 
Chas.  Turner,  of  Slough,  displayed  an  extensive 
and  comprehensive  assortment  of  the  various  sec- 
tions consisting  of  the  best  of  each  in  most  varied 
colours.  His  collections  of  pompones  included 
all  of  the  more  serviceable  sorts  in  each  colour  ; 
these,  too,  find  favour  with  those  who  have  to 
supply  a  quantity  of  cut  bloom,  being  more  ser- 
viceable for  that  purpose  than  the  larger  types. 
The  boxes  of  single  kinds  fully  represented  the 
best  of  each  shade  of  colour,  and  being  neatly 
arranged  in  bunches  formed  a  pretty  effect.  To 
the  entire  collection  a  silver-gilt  medal  was  de- 
servedly awarded.  Messrs.  Keynes,  AVilliams&  Co., 
of  Salisbury,  likewise  exhibited  a  thoroughly  re- 
presentative collection,  consisting  of  each  type 
above  mentioned,  with  a  neatly  arranged  box  of 
the  so-called  Cactus  Dahlias,  White  Constance 
and  J  uarezi,  interspersed  with  their  own  buds  and 
foliage.  A  bronze  medal  was  voted  to  this  group. 
Messrs.  Cannell,  Swanley,  also  put  up  an  excellent 
assortment  of  blooms  of  each  section,  consisting  of 
many  dozens  of  flowers,  including  several  minia- 
ture and  novel  kinds  of  the  single  varieties  with  a 
good  selection  of  the  Cactus  Dahlias,  forming; to- 
gether an  interesting  feature,  which  deservedly 
won  the  award  of  a  bronze  medal.  A  similar  award 
was  voted  to  Mr.  Ware,  of  Tottenham,  and  like- 
wise to  Messrs.  Cheal,  Lowfield  Nurseries,  Crawley, 
Sussex,  for  two  large  and  varied  selections  of 
large  and  well-formed  blooms.  Another  collection 
from  Messrs.  Kawlings  was  also  among  those  to 
which  bronze  medals  were  given,  a  vote  of  thanks 
being  accorded  to  Mr.  Henshaw,  Harpenden,  for  a 
selection  of  pompone  kinds.  Ten  boxes  of  Roses 
from  Messrs.  W.  Paul  &  Son,  Waltham  Cross,  con- 
stituted a  pleasing  feature  of  the  meeting  also. 
The  best  among  these  were,  of  H.P.'s,  Etienne 
Levet,  Pride  of  Waltham,White  Baroness,  Duchess 
of  Bedford,  Ferdinand  Chaffolte,  Mdlle.  Marie 
Rady,  Countess  of  Rosebery,  Marguerite  Dom- 
brain,  A.  K.  Williams,  Xavier  Olibo,  and  Boule  de 
Neige.  Of  Teas  and  Noisettes,  Wm.  Allen  Richard- 
son, of  a  deeper  shade  than  Mdme.  Falcot,  was 
prominent,  Marie  Van  Houtte  and  Perle  des 
Jardins  also  deserving  notice.  With  these  were 
also  showed  an  excellent  assortment  of  herba- 


ceous plants  (cut  specimens),  and  a  box  ( f  cut 
Lilies,  the  award  in  this  case  being  a  silver-gilt 
medal.  Messrs.  Kelway  gained  the  same  award 
for  a  remarkably  fine  and  varied  as  well  as  an 
extensive  collection  of  Gladioli,  staged  in  their 
usual  admirable  style. 

Fruit  and  vegetables.— Thecommittee  had 

but  few  exhibits  submitted  to  them.  A  first-class 
certificate  was  awarded  to  a  new  Apple  named 
Jacob's  Strawberry,  grown  by  Mr.  Jacob,  of  Pet- 
worth,  and  exhibited  by  Mr.  George  Bunyard,  of 
Maidstone.  It  is  an  early  sort  of  handsome  ap- 
pearance, medium  size,  conical,  beautifully  striped, 
and  of  excellent  quality  as  regards  fiavour.  It 
is  said  to  be  very  prolific,  lasts  from  August  till 
October.  Mr.  Burnett  showed  from  The  Deepdene, 
Dorking,  an  Apple  under  the  name  of  James 
Dewdney,  which  was  considered  the  same  as 
Councillor  and  Greenups  Pippin.  Mr.  Holmes, 
Aldershot,  sent  what  he  called  Fox  Hill  Plum, 
which  was  thought  to  resemble  Autumn  Compute 
and  Victoria.  Mr.  Bowie,  of  Chillingham,  Belford, 
again  sent  his  new  Red  Currant  New  Defiance, 
considered  tc  be  the  same  as  Houghton  Castle. 
Mr.  Gilbert,  of  Burghley,  sent  a  "Selected  Early" 
Celery  which  the  committee  considered  the  same 
as  the  old  Celeri  Blanc  Hatif.  Mr.  Gilbert  also 
sent  a  large  Melon  (llj  lbs.)  named  Zamcha,  and 
other  seedling  Melons  were  sent  by  Messrs.  Ross, 
of  Welford,  Sparrow,  of  Chertsey,  George,  of  Put- 
ney, but  no  special  notice  was  taken  of  them.  A 
large  and  fine  collection  of  Apples  and  Pears  num- 
bering eighty  dishes  was  sent  by  Messrs.  Paul,  of 
Cheshunt,  and  a  similarly  large  collection  was 
shown  by  Messrs.  Cheal,  of  Lowfield  Nurseries, 
Crawley,  to  both  of  whom  bronze  medals  were 
awarded. 


INTERNATIONAL  HORTICULTURAL  SHOW 
AT  DUNDEE. 
Septembek  11  TO  14. 
On  Thursday  last  the  second  great  international 
horticultural  exhibition  held  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Dundee  Horticultural  Society  was  opened. 
It  took  place  in  t  he  large  drill  hall  and  its  adjoining 
grounds  at  Dundee.  It  is  eight  years  since  the 
previous  international  show  was  held  at  Dundee, 
and  the  great  success  then  achieved  has  caused 
the  present  show  to  be  be  looked  forward  to  with 
much  interest  by  horticulturists,  not  only  through- 
out Scotland,  but  throughout  the  entire  country. 
With  a  view  to  afford  the  fullest  accommodation  for 
the  large  number  of  exhibits,  the  outside  areas  in 
the  front  and  at  the  rear  of  the  suites  of  halls  had 
been  roofed  in,  and  tables  bearing  the  cut  flowers 
and  vegetables  were  ranged  along  the  length  of 
the  ground.  This  arrangement  left  the  interior  of 
the  halls  wholly  for  the  large  display  of  the  plants 
and  fruit  exhibits. 

The  number  of  sections  scheduled  was  eleven, 
and  the  total  number  of  classes  was  219.  The 
number  of  money  prizes  offered  was  712,  reaching 
an  aggregate  sum  of  over  i'lOOO.  In  plants  210 
prizes,  amounting  to  £'470  3s.,  were  offered  in  70 
classes  ;  in  cut  flowers  there  were  52  classes  with 
15C  prizes,  amounting  to  £117  Ifis. ;  infruit213 
prizes  in  71  classes,  amounted  to  .£366  7s. ;  and  in 
vegetables  £'.jO  were  offered  in  87  prizes  of  20 
classes. 

The  Veitch  Memorial  trustees  offered  three 
of  their  much  coveted  medals  and  the  ac 
companying  £5  money  prizes— one  for  the  best 
specimen  Orchid  in  flower,  one  for  the  best  stove 
or  greenhouse  plant  in  flower,  and  one  for  the  best 
two  bunches  of  Grapes  selected  from  the  com- 
petitive classes. 

The  exhibition  comprised  no  fewer  than  340 
competitors,  and  the  total  entries  numbered  2865. 
These  include  671  for  fruit,  339  for  plants,  875  for 
flowers,  and  800  for  vegetables.  The  competition  in 
theGrape  classesas  usual  attracted  much  attention, 
over  400  bunches  being  staged  besides  those  exhi- 
bited in  the  various  mixed  collections  of  fruit.  The 
judging  began  early  on  Thursday  morning  and  was 
scarcely  completed  when  the  exhibition  was 
declared  open  at  1 1  o'clock  by  the  Earl  of  Strath- 
more,  Lord-Lieutenant  of  the  county  of  Forfar. 


Sept.  13,  1884.]' 


THE    GARDEN 


243 


As  a  whole  the  show  may  safely  be  said  to  have 
beea  one  of  the  finest  which  has  ever  been  held  in 
Scotland  for  many  years.  Notwithstanding  the 
general  complaint  about  the  smallness  of  the 
fruit  crop  this  year,  the  fruit  here  of  all  kinds 
made  a  grand  display  not  only  as  regards  quality, 
but  in  numbers  also,  and  Grapes  were  especially 
good,  and  in  the  classes  set  apart  for  them  the 
judges  must  have  had  an  arduous  task  to  perform 
alike  from  the  number  of  the  exhibits  and  from 
the  uniformity  in  regard  to  high  quality.  Several 
of  the  bunches  were  very  fine,  and  we  noticed  one 
enormous  bunch  of  Syrian  which,  though  some- 
what shaken  in  transit  to  the  exhibition,  still 
presented  a  magnificent  appearance.  It  weighed 
IS  lb.,  and  was  grown  at  Monreith,  Wigtonshire, 
the  residence  of  Sir  H.  E.  Maxwell,  Bart.,  M.P. 

Collections  of  fruit. — The  first  prize  of  i;20 
for  sixteen  sorts  of  fruit  (not  more  than  four 
varieties  of  Grapes,  two  varieties  of  Pines,  and  two 
of  Melons)  was  gained  by  Mr.  J.  M'lndoe,  Button 
Hall,  Guisborough,  gardener  to  Sir  Joseph  Pease, 
who,  as  usual,  showed  a  magnificent  collection, 
every  dish  being  in  the  highest  perfection.  The 
second  prize  of  £15  was  taken  by  Mr.  G.  Johnstone, 
of  Glamis  Castle.  For  the  best  collec'ion  of 
twelve  sorts  of  fruit  a  first  prize  of  i'15  was 
carried  off  by  Mr.  D.  Dickson,  St.  Andrews. 
Some  exhibits  from  English  gardens  were  much 
admired.  A  collection  of  dessert  and  kitchen 
Apples  and  Pears  shown  by  Mr.  Mackenzie,  gar- 
dener at  Linton  Park,  Kent,  were  remarkable  for 
their  size  and  beauty ;  and  Mr.  Stewart,  Spring- 
field, Maidstone,  also  had  some  excellent  fruit  in 
the  same  class.  Messrs.  Frost  and  Son,  Maidstone, 
ssnt  a  variety  of  Apples  for  exhibition,  including 
Peasgood's  Nonsuch,  Queen  Caroline,  Lord  Derby, 
and  others  ;   they  had  also  some  very  fine  Pears. 

The  first  prize  of  £15  for  8  varieties  of  Grapes, 
one  bunch  of  each,  was  admirably  won  by  Mr.  D. 
Murray,  Culzean  gardens,  Maybole,  who  had  an 
exceptionally  fine  collection  of  uniform  high 
quality  and  finish  throughout,  every  bunch  being  a 
perfect  example  of  its  sort,  the  colour  of  the  black 
kinds  being  particularly  remarkable.  The  second 
price  of  £10  was  gained  by  Mr.  Alexander  Kirk, 
Alloa,  whose  collection  was  also  highly  creditable. 

The  Veitch  Memorial  prize  of  a  medal  and 
£5  for  the  best  two  bunches  of  Grapes  was  carried 
off  by  Mr.  Thomas  P)Oyd,  Callander  Park,  Falkirk, 
and  rarely  has  this  Veitchian  prize  been  won  by 
such  meritorious  examples  of  a  gardener's  skill. 

The  tables  of  plants  in  the  class  confined  to 
nurserymen  were  exceptionally  good.  The  table 
extended  to  20  feet  by  8  feet,  and  each  of  the 
exhibitors  took  full  advantage  of  this  space  to 
make  an  efliective  di.splay.  The  first  prize  of  £20 
was  awarded  to  Jlessrs.  Ireland  and  Thomson, 
Edinburgh ;  the  second  of  £15  to  Messrs.  D.  &  W. 
Croll,  Dundee ;  and  the  third  of  £10  was  obtained 
by  Messrs.  Clark  Bros.,  Carlisle.  The  first  prize  of 
£10  for  table  of  plants,  open  to  gardeners  and 
amateurs,  was  carried  off  by  Mr.  J.  Hammond, 
gardener  to  Sir  Wilfrid  Lawson,  Drayton,  Car- 
lisle. The  first  prize  of  £20  for  twelve  stove  or 
greenhouse  plants  (gardener  class)  was  also 
awarded  to  Sir.  J.  Hammond  ;  the  second  prize  of 
£15  going  to  Mr.  W.  Allison,  Monifieth. 

The  Veitch  Memorial  prize  of  £5  and  medal  for 
the  best  specimen  Orchid  in  flower  was  gained  by 
Mr.  E.  Boyes,  Burnbank,  Haddington.  The  Veitch 
medal  and  £5  for  the  best  stove  or  greenhouse 
plant  was  likewise  carried  off  by  Mr.  E.  Boyes, 
of  Burnbank.  There  was  a  grand  display  of 
fine  foliage  plants,  especially  of  tree  and 
other  Ferns,  and  conspicuous  among  flowering 
plants  were  some  admirable  specimens  of  Vallota 
purpurea.  There  were  several  average  exhibits  of 
Liliura  auratum,  but  they  had  the  misfortune 
to  be  dwarfed  by  a  specimen  of  magnificent  pro- 
portions in  a  perfect  blaze  of  flowers.  The 
vegetable  class  was  a  most  complete  one,  and  all 
departments  were  well  represented.  The  first 
prize  of  £-1  for  the  best  basket  containing  fifteen 
kinds  was  obtained  by  Mr.  Jas.  Brown,  Crieflt,  the 
whole  collection  shown  being  remarkable  for  high 
quality  and  judicious  selection. 


We  shall  take  another  opportunity  of  referring 
to  some  of  the  more  important  features  of  the 
exhibition  in  our  future  issues,  the  foregoing  being 
but  a  few  of  the  principal  exhibits  we  noted  in 
time  for  our  present  issue. 

The  following  is  the  list  of  those  who  officiated 
as  judges  : — 

Fruit. — Messrs.  A.  F.  Barron,  Chiswick  Gardens, 
London ;  M.  Dunn,  Dalkeith  Palace ;  Arch. 
Fowler,  Castle  Kennedy ;  K.  Westcott,  Baby 
Castle,  Darlington ;  John  Webster,  Gordon  Castle, 
Fochabers ;  Thos.  Lunt,  Ardgowan ;  and  James 
Morrison,  Archerfield. 

Plants. — Messrs.  B.  S.  Williams  and  T.  Baines, 
London ;  E.  Lindsay,  Edinburgh ;  and  J.  Eout- 
ledge,  Freeland. 

Cut  Flowers. — Messrs.  John  Downie  and 
James  Greene,  Edinburgh ;  R.  P.  Brotherston, 
Tynninghame ;  and  Geo.  Wyness,  Usan. 

Vegetables. — Messrs.  John  Browning,  Dupplin 
Castle ;  Peter  Whitton,  Methven  Castle ;  Thos. 
Ormiston,  Alloa  Park;  and  A.  M'Kinnon,  Scone 
Palace. 


AN  ENGLISH  GAEDEN  TWOCENTUEIES  AGO. 
The  following  notes  have  been  sent  to  the  Pall 
Mall  (uuettc  by  Miss  Jekyll,  Munstead  : — 

At  the  end  of  an  article  thus  headed,  it  was 
suggested  that  it  would  be  interesting  to  know 
which  of  the  flowers  mentioned  by  Evelyn  as  "  in 
prime  or  yet  lasting  "  in  the  month  of  August 
were  still  in  cultivation  in  English  gardens  or 
could  be  recognised  under  more  modern  names. 
Tlie  following  notes  take  the  flowers  in  the  order 
of  Evelyn's  list : — 

Anagallis  lusitanica.— It  is  doubtful  if  there 
is  one  now  in  cultivation  under  this  name. 

Aster  atticus. — The  Asters  of  the  botanical 
writers  of  Evelyns  time  and  a  little  earlier  appear 
to  be  our  Erigerons.  Aster  blattaria  is  not  recog- 
nisable. Aster  atticus  is  figured  by  Gerard,  but 
appears  to  be  a  poor  plant,  unworthy  of  a  place 
in  a  garden.  Gerard  also  gives  Aster  italorum, 
which  would  be  our  Aster  Amellus,  perhaps  the 
only  true  Michaelmas  Daisy  then  frequent  in  gar- 
dens ;  the  many  kinds  we  have  now,  being  of 
American  origin,  would  have  been  introduced 
since  Evelyn's  time.  The  name  Michaelmas  Daisy 
is  also  modern,  the  plants  known  botanically  as 
Aster  to  the  old  writers  being  always  popularly 
called  Starworts. 

Spanish  Bells  is  a  name  no  longer  used,  and 
the  plant  cannot  be  identified. 

Belvedere  is  also  now  unknown. 


CAMFANutJA  AND  CLEMATIS  are  in  every  gar- 
den. Of  the  Bellflowers  many  beautiful  kinds 
have  been  introduced  within  the  last  hundred 
years,  but  the  one  here  referred  to  is  probably  C. 
pyramidalis,  a  very  tall  autumn  blooming  kind, 
and  an  old  inhabitant  of  English  gardens,  intro- 
duced towards  the  end  of  the  sixteenth  century. 
The  Clematis  might  be  the  sweet-scented  white  C. 
Flammula,  or  the  original  purple  C.  Viticella,  the 
parent  of  many  of  our  fine  varieties. 

Cyclamen  vernum,  a  sweet-scented  kind,  is 
In  all  good  collections  of  choice  hardy  plants. 

Datura  turcica  is  now  Datura  stramonium. 

Eliochryson  would  be  Helichrysum,  but  none 
of  the  Helichrysums  of  modern  cultivation,  which 
are  American  and  Australian  annuals.  The  old 
Eliochryson  is  probably  Goldilocks  (Lynosyris  vul- 
garis). 

Eryngium  planum  and  E.  amethystinum 
are  common  garden  favourites  that  have  retained 
their  old  names. 

Geranium  creticum.  — Numbers  of  handsome 
Cranesbills  were  and  are  in  cultivation,  but  it  is 
difficult  to  identify  the  one  here  meant.  G.  triste 
is  also  doubtful,  but  it  may  be  the  night-scented 
Pelargonium  triste,  a  greenhouse  plant  intro- 
duced early  in  the  seventeenth  century. 

Yellow  Stocks  are  described  by  Parkinson 
I  ("  Paradisi, "  p.  262)  as  rarities.  I 


Hieraceu.m  alpinum  is  known  in  gardens  and 
botanical  collections,  but  a  more  general  favourite 
is  the  finely  coloured  H.  aurantiacum. 

Tuberose  Hyacinth  now  popularly  Tuberose 
(Polianthes  tuberosa)  is  common  in  greenhouBe 
cultivation. 

LiMONiUM  must  be  Sea  Lavender  (Statice  Li- 
monium),  frequent  in  gardens. 

LiNARiA  CRETICA  is  not  now  grown  under  that 
name,  but  the  large  Toadflax  family  includes  many 
valuable  garden  kinds. 

Lychnis.— The  old  authors  give  the  same  kinds 
that  we  have  in  general  cultivation ;  the  one 
meant  is  probably  the  fine  scarlet  L.  chalcedonica. 

MiRABiLE  peruviana  is  the  well-known  Marvel 
of  Peru. 

Yellow  Millefoil.— This  may  be  any  one  of 

the  several  kinds  of  yellow-flowered  Achilleas, 
but  is  most  likely  either  A.  segyptiaca  or  A.  Agera- 
tum. 

Maracoc  is  the  blue  Passion  Flower. 

Aphicanus  FLOS  is  the  double  African  Mari- 
gold. 

Asphodels.— It  is  diflicult  to  know  what  this 
means.  The  Asphodels  as  we  now  know  them  are 
early  summer-flowering  plants,  the  only  autumn- 
blooming  kind,  so-called,  being  the  native  Bog 
Asphodel  (Narthecium  ossifragum). 

COLCHICUMS,  our  Meadow  Saffrons,  are  fa- 
vourites now  as  then ;  Parkinson  describes  nine- 
teen varieties.  Some  of  the  later  developments  of 
this  useful  autumn  flower  are  of  great  size. 

Leucoion. — The  name  Leucojum  is  now  used 
for  a  family  of  spring-flowering  bulbous  plants, 
the  Snowflakes,  but  the  Leucoion  of  Evelyn's  time 
was  a  Stock — or,  as  it  was  then  called.  Stock 
Gilliflower.  One  kind  was  called  the  Melancholic 
Gentleman,  and  is  described  as  of  a  sullen  yellow 
colour. 

Autumnal  Hyacinth. — Now  unknown,  or  not 
generally  cultivated.  We  have  a  fine  autumnal 
Hyacinth  in  Galtonia  candicans,  but  it  is  of  quite 
recent  introduction. 

Starwort  may  be  a  repetition  of  the  Aster 
atticus  named  above,  or  it  may  be  Aster  Amellus. 

Daisies. — What  Daisies  ?  Not  the  large  garden 
varieties  of  Bellis  perennis,  for  they  are  spring 
flowers.  The  old  writers  give  only  Great  Daisies, 
our  field  Ox-eyes  (Chrysanthemum  Leucanthemum) 
and  Little  Daisies  (Bellis  perennis),  and,  curi- 
ously, they  include  with  them  Globularia,  under 
the  name  of  Blue  Italian  Daisy.  Evelyn's  Daisies, 
flowering  in  August,  are  therefore  sn  unsolved 
puzzle. 

Geranium  nocte-olens.  —  No  kind  is  now 
known  by  that  name. 

Larks-heels,  now  Larkspurs,  are  our  common 
annual  kinds. 

Lobells  (Catchfly). — The  species  in  this  case 
cannot  be  determined. 

Thlaspi  creticum  would  be  our  annual  Candy- 
tuft (Iberis  odorata). 

Eosemary.— So  great  and  worthy  a  favourite 
never  changes  either  in  name  or  popularity. 

Musk  Eose. — A  fine  single  white  rambling 
Eose,  very  little  in  cultivation,  but  well  deserving 
a  place  in  every  garden. 

Spanish  Jasmine  is  probably  the  common 
white ;  yellow  Indian  Jasmine  would  be  J.  re- 
volutum. 

Agnus  Castus  is  Vitex  Agnus  Castus,  a  hardy 
shrub  not  much  grown. 

This  list  of  plants,  which  we  take  to  be  not  less, 
than  fairly  typical  of  a  well-stocked  garden 
coming,  as  it  does,  from  so  keen  a  cultivator  and 
lover  of  plants,  makes  us  see  at  a  glance  how 
enormously  our  gardens  have  gained  in  hardy 
flowers  alone  in  wealth  of  beauty  since  Evelyn's 
time.  To  this  meagre  list  of  August  flowers  we 
now  add  the  following  important  families,  many 
of  them  in  rich  varietj  both  of  species  and  garden 
development  :  Acanthus,  Alstrremeria,  Anemone 
japonica.  Coreopsis,  summer  Chrysanthemums, 
Eohinops,  Fuchsia,  Hydrangea,  Gladiolus    Hele- 


244 


THE   GAE13EN 


[Sept.  13,  1884. 


nium,  Helianthnp,  Epilobium,  Olnothera,  Pent- 
stemon,  Rudbeckia,  Phlox,  Tritoma,  Verbena,  China 
Aster,  Zinnia,  Tigridia,  Tea  Roses,  Erica,  Dahlia, 
American  and  Japanese  Lilies. 

INTERNATIONAL  FORESTRY   EXHIBITION, 

EDINBURGH. 
The  list  of  awards  of  the  Jurors  of  this  exhibition 
has  just  been  published.  The  awards  consisted 
solely  of  medals,  gold,  silver,  and  bronze,  besides 
diplomas  and  commendations.  The  exhibitors  in 
the  British  section  took  the  largest  number  of 
awards,  which  included  nine  first-class  gold 
medals,  four  second-class  gold  medals,  fifty- 
one  silver  medals,  and  fifty-three  bronze 
medals.  The  following  is  a  list  of  the  awards 
made  to  exhibitors  of  trees  and  shrubs,  &c. : 
Messrs.  J.  A'eitch  &  Sons,  King's  Road,  Chelsea, 
take  a  gold  medal  of  the  first  class,  for  a  collection 
of  living  specimens  of  rare  and  ornamental  trees, 
and  a  silver  medal  for  a  collection  of  dried  speci- 
mens. Gold  medals  of  the  second  class  are 
awarded  to  the  Lawson  Seed  &  Nursery  Company, 
Edinburgh,  Messrs.  James  Dickson  &  Sons,  New- 
ton Nurseries,  Chester,  and  to  Messrs.  T.  Meth- 
ven  &  Sons,  Edinburgh,  for  collections  of  liv- 
ing trees  and  shrubs.  Silver  medals  are  taken 
by  Messrs.  Little  and  Ballantyne,  Carlisle,  Ire- 
land &  Thomson,  Edinburgh,  and  Messrs.  Cunning- 
bam,  Eraser,  &  Co.,  Edinburgh,  for  collections  of 
trees  and  shrubs.  Silver  medals  are  also  awarded 
to  Mr.  J.  McLaren,  Hopetoun,  for  specimens  of 
wood  and  growing  trees  ;  Mr.  P.rotherston  for  his 
large  herbarium  of  native  and  exotic  Willows ;  to 
Messrs.  B.  Reid  and  Co.,  Aberdeen,  for  a  collection 
of  trees  and  shrubs  ;  and  to  Mr.  J.  Barrie,  Steven- 
stowe,  Devonshire,  for  collection  of  tree  seeds  and 
cones  ;  to  Messrs.  Mackenzie  and  Moncur,  Edin- 
burgh, for  conservatory ;  to  Mr.  M.  Jackson,  Perth, 
for  photographs  of  trees;  and  to  Mr.  McKenzie, 
Morton  Hall,  Edinburgh,  for  a  dendrometer.  The 
Scottish  Arborioultural  Society  take  a  gold  medal 
of  the  first  class  for  collection  of  exhibits  from 
British  forests. 


OBITUARY. 


We  announce  the  death,  which  took  place  on 
Wednesday,  of  the  eminent  botanist,  Mr.  George 
Bentham.  cm  G  ,  F.R  S.,  F  L  S.,at  the  advanced 
age  of  83.  Mr.  Bentham  has  for  so  many  years 
been  one  of  the  most  laborious  workers  in  the 
field  of  botanical  science,  that  by  his  death  botany 
has  suffered  an  irreparable  loss.  Mr.  Bentham  had 
long  reached  the  distinction  of  being  the  highest 
authority  in  regard  to  systematic  botany,  and 
that  noble  work,  the  "  Genera  Plantarnm,"  which 
was  carried  out  in  company  with  Sir  Joseph 
Hooker,  will  be  a  lasting  monument  to  his  industry 
and  high  attainments.  It  is  over  twenty-two 
years  since  this  great  work  was  commenced, 
and  its  joint  authors  have  happily  been  spared 
to  see  its  completion  only  a  few  months  ago. 
It  is  not  only  in  connection  with  this,  his  chief 
work,  that  Mr.  Bentham's  name  will  be  per- 
manently known  in  science,  for  there  is  scarcely 
a  family  of  plants  or  the  flora  of  a  country  that  he 
has  not  studied.  One  of  his  earliest  works  was 
that  excellent  treatise  on  the  "  Flora  of  the  British 
Isles,"  which  is  to  this  day  unsurpassed  in  its 
way.  The  "  Flora  of  Australia  "  again  occupied 
Mr.  Bentham's  best  days,  and  for  our  present 
knowledge  of  the  floras  of  South  America,  Mexico, 
Africa,  India,  and  other  countries  we  are  in  a 
great  measure  indebted  to  him.  For  many  years 
he  had  worked  daily  in  the  herbarium  in  the 
Royal  Gardens,  Kew,  and  until  quite  recently  was 
engaged  in  botanical  research. 


Propagating  Evergreens.— Many  kinds 
of  ornamental  leaved  shrubs  may  be  easily  in- 
creased from  cuttings  at  this  time  of  the  year. 
Laurustinus,  Laurels,  Aucubas,  and  Evergreens  of  a 
similar  nature  will  form  roots  with  considerable 
freedom  if  the  right  kind  of  wood  is  chosen  and  a 
proper  position  and  soil  selected.  The  north  side 
of  a  hedge  is  the]  best  place,  as  the  cuttings  are 


there  sheltered  from  sun  and  to  a  great  extent 
from  drying  winds.  The  right  wood  is  that  of  the 
cnrrent  season,  making  the  cuttings  with  from 
three  to  four  joints,  inserting  them  firmly,  leaving 
two  leaves  only  out  of  the  soil.  The  success  ob- 
tainable much  depends  on  the  character  of  the  soil, 
which  should  be  rather  light  and  sandy  ;  natural 
deficiencies  should  therefore  be  remedied.  For  stiff 
soils,  wood  or  even  coal  ashes,  river  sand  or  old 
soil  from  the  potting  bench  will  work  the  desired 
end.— J.  C.  B. 


QUESTIONS. 


6246.— Wasps  attacking  Elms.— The  other  clay  I 
perceived  the  sickly  state  of  two  or  three  tine  Elm  trees  in 
our  avenue  planted  about  5.5  years  since.  On  examining 
them  closely  I  saw  tliat  the  stems  anil  branches  as  far  as  I 
could  see  were  punctured  with  holes,  and  that  there  were 
hundreds,  perhaps  ;thou«ands,  of  wasps  husy  in  them,  two 
or  three  in  one  hole,  half  a  dozen,  perhaps  eight  or  ten,  in 
another,  extracting  the  sap.  I  have  never  seen  this  before, 
but  my  woodman  tells  me  that  he  recollects  seeing  an  Elm 
in  Gloucestershire  nearly  two  centuries  old  that  had  been 
destroyed  in  a  like  manner.  The  wasps  attack  the  most 
nourishing  trees  in  which  they  find  the  most  sap.  I  am 
trying  to  save  my  trees  by  washing  the  stems  with  a  mix- 
ture of  soot  ami  lime  in  water.  The  wasps  do  not  like  this, 
but  as  soon  as  the  bark  is  dry,  ihey  set  to  work  again.  If 
any  of  your  correspondents  will  tell  me  how  to  s.ave  the 
trees  from  tluir-  attacks  I  shall  be  much  obliged  to  them. 
-HAKr.Y  VERNiiY,  Claijddi  Housc,  Bucks. 

6247— Failure  of  Peach  trees.— I  should  like  the 
opinion  of  any  reader  as  to  the  re.ason  of  my  Peach  trees  losing 
some  of  thcii-  lindjs  at  this  time  of  the  year.  They  carried 
a  nice  crop  of  fine  fruit,  ripe  the  latter  end  of  .Tuly,  ami 
since  the  fruit  was  gathered  some  of  the  branches  have 
cracked  and  died  off. — L.  H. 

6-248.— Llnarla  Pelorla.— The  description  of  Linaria 
Pc'oria  in  your  last  number  makes  one  desirous  to  possess 
it,  but  I  do  not  see  it  in  any  catalogue.  Will  any  reader 
kindly  say  where  it  is  to  be  obtained?— A  Constant 
Eeaher. 

6249.— Elseagnusjaponlca. —Will  any  reader  tell  me 
what  thould  l)e  the  treatment  of  Elfcsgnus  japon'ca  during 
the  winter?  I  brought  a  small  plant  of  it  in  the  spring 
fiom  I'allanza.  Lago  Maggiore.  where  it  entirely  clothes  the 
walli  and  trellis.  I  have  planted  it  here,  at  an  elevation  of 
730  feet  above  the  sea  level,  against  a  south  wall  and  it  has 
done  well  hitherto.  Should  it  be  protected  by  matting  in 
the  winter  and  its  roots  covered  with  straw  or  ashes  ?  The 
gardentr  from  whom  I  got  it  described  it  .is  "  ilalto 
lustico."— E.  D.Thomas. 

6260.— Cutting  off  Strawberry  runners.- 1  am 

anxious  to  learn  if  it  has  been  experimentally  proved  that 
tte  runners  of  StrawbeiTy  plants  should  be  removed  when 
in  the  pots  for  foi  cing  ;  my  experience  suggests  that  doing 
Eo  simply  induces  other  runners  ti^  grow  and  push  out  in- 
stead of  the  forniiition  of  fruiting  crowns.  I'here  is  an  in- 
herent and  determined  des're  in  all  things  having  life  to 
preserve  and  propagate  their  species,  and  for  doing  so  the 
Strawberry  sends  into  the  world  its  tender  progeny.  When 
these  little  plantlings  are  rooted  and  safe,  it  may  perhaps 
turn  its  attention  to  the  useful  and  ornament.il,  and  then 
prepare  its  resources  for  giving  pleasure  ami  enjoyment 
to  its  protector  and  preserver  by  yielding  him  a  generous 
supply  of  both  flowers  andliuit.— S.  W.  S. 


Ironstone  eolls.— That  iron  in  certain 
proportions  is  beneficial  to  vegetable  as  to  animal 
life  and  beauty  goes  without  the  writing,  and  one 
amateur  in  particular,  whom  I  have  the  pleasure 
to  visit,  assures  me  that  the  vigour  of  Rhodo- 
dendra  and  many  other  flowering  shrubs  and  her- 
baceous plants  which  grace  his  garden  is  in  a 
great  measure  due  to  his  garden  being  on  the  iron- 
stone formation.  That  iron  has  some  influence  on 
the  colouring  of  flowers  is  proved  by  the  well- 
known  eiiect  of  iron  filings  when  added  to  the  soil 
in  which  pink  Hj-drangeas  are  grown.  Sometimes 
we  are  told  that  the  red  or  ruby  colouring  of  leaves 
and  leaf-stalks,  &c.,  is  due  to  salts  of  iron,  and 
it  has  more  than  once  occurred  to  me  to  ask  some 
skilled  chemist  how  we  can  best  utilise  iron  as  an 
aid  to  plant  culture. — F.  W.  B. 

The  world's  Potato  crop.— Although 
Potatoes  this  year  are  most  plentiful  and  remark- 
ably free  from  disease,  yet  every  housewife  is 
complaining  of  the  price.  It  is  when  disease 
threatens  the  crop  that  everyone  is  obliged  to  sell, 
and  so  Potatoes  are  cheapest  during  bad  seasons 
rather  than  during  good  ones.  According  to  oflicial 
statistical  reports,  the  average  annual  crop  of 
Potatoes  throughout  the  world  is  as  follows : 
Germany,  L':!5,000,C0O  metrical  hundred-weights  ; 
France,  lUi.OOO.OCO;  Russia,  110,000,000;  Austria, 
75,000,000;  the  U.  S.  of  America,  47,000,000; 
Ireland,   38,000.000;    Great   Britain,   20,000,000; 


Belgium,  23,000,000;  Sweden,  16,000,000;  Hol- 
land, 15,000,000  ;  Hungary,  11,000,000  ;  Italy, 
7,000,000 ;  Norway,  6,000.000;  Denmark,  5,000.000 ; 
the  Australian  colonies,  3,000,000;  Portugal, 
3,000,000;  and  Spain,  2,000,000  metrical  hundred- 
weights- grand  total,  730,000.000  of  hundred- 
weights.— B. 


ZATH  AWTES. 


Name  of  Insect  (IonoramMii).—1\\Q  insect  you  send 
is  not  a  hornet,  but  the  giant  Sirex  (S.  gigas). 

The  Thames  Bank  Iron  Company.— We  are 
requested  to  state  that  llr.  Dunbar  has  retired  from  this 
company, 

Senecio  pulcher.— Hailing  from  the  north,  I  wish  to 
supplement  Mr.  Archer-Hind's  note  about  Senecio  pulcher, 
and  to  say  it  does  eeiually  well  up  here.  I  have  a  plant 
with  four  stems,  all  Idooming  abundantly.  I  call  it  a  beau- 
tiful thing,  and  think  "  S.  W."  has  never  seen  it  in  perfec- 
tion.— A.  R. ,  Windermere, 

Sincle  Dahlias  (B.  Framptmi).—\<'a  think  the  single- 
flowered  Dahlias  you  send  are  excellent,  but  we  cannot  eay 
that  they  are  superior  to  the  named  sorts  of  similar  colours. 
You  should  submit  them  to  the  next  floral  committee  of 
the  Koyal  Horticultural  Society  at  .South  Kensington.  The 
seedling  Phlox  from  Koi  des  Koses  is  a  beautiful  one,  suel 
well  worthy  of  a  name. 

Shakespeare's  Mulberry.— I  enclose  ycu  a  few 
leaves  of  a  seedling  llullierry  which  came  from  Shake- 
speare's tree.  I  was  at  Stratfi-rd  about  fifteen  years  ago, 
and  while  standing  under  the  tree  a  fruit  fell  on  my  heael, 
which  I  took  away.  From  this  I  grew  three  seedlings,  one 
of  which  produced  foliape  like  the  leaves  enclcsed,  the 
others  the  ordinai-y  plain  leaf.  Is  this  an  tiuususl  sport? 
The  trees  have  uot  yet  borne  fruit.-  S.  W.  S. 

Mignonette  seed.—"  J.  G.  K."  (p.  198)  speaks  of  the 
difliculty  of  cctting  Rlignonette  seed  true.  He  has  scarcely 
a  chance  of  it  from  the  seedsmen  ;  but  why,  when  he  meets 
with  a  first-class  plant,  does  ho  not  strike  cuttings?  I 
.llways  do  to,  and,  if  I  want  a  pinch  of  the  seed,  keep  a 
pot  plant  isolated  in  the  gu-cnhouse.  I  could  send  you  just 
now  splendid  heads ;  cuttings  were  take  n  j  esterday.— A.  E., 
Windermere, 

Hibiscus  mlUtaris.— I  fend  you  flowers  eif  this  shrub, 
which,  I  believe,  does  not  often  flower  in  England,  but 
hiiviog  lived  through  the  b'St  mild  winter,  it  has  been 
flowering  continuously,  but  sparingly,  and  making  ro  show 
by  re.ason  of  its  short  stalks,  and  the  hanelsome  foliage  is 
useless  for  g.itfcering,  as  it  fades  direi  tly  in  water.  I  do 
not  consider  it  any  aciiuisition  in  a  g.arden.  It  was  rpised 
Isst  year  from  seed  from  Mr.  Thompsrn,  of  Ipswich.— A. 
HijWfs,  Bflton  R'ctnry,  Gnat  Yarmouth. 

*«*  A  pretty  plant,  the  drooping  flowers  being  hell- 
shaped,  with  a  recurved  rim,  .and  of  a  pleasing  soft  rose- 
pink  veined  with  carmine —El>. 

CarpetlDfr  Anomone  beds.— As  Anemones  go  to 
rest  in  the  end  of  .June  and  liegin  their  new  giowth  eariy 
in  August  at  latest,  it  is  not  easy  to  see  wdiat  could  be  u  ed 
as  a  carpeting  plant  during  th.at  interval  w  ilhont  aelding 
considerably  to  the  soil  covering  of  the  tubers  of  the 
Anemones  themselves.  Nothing  could  be  plunged  if  this 
was  done.  Any  available  plants  in  pots  could  be  utilised. 
Failing  this,  some  eiufck  growing  annual— Virginian  Stock, 
for  instance— sown  shortly  before  the  Anemones  went  to 
rest  would  be  the  best  thing  to  use. 

The  Broomrapes.  —  In  the  last  volume  of  The 
GAHiifN(p.  4B5;"r),"  in  alluding  to  the  genns  Neottin, 
says:  "Ihese  are  leafless  plants,  with  brown  stalks  and 
flowers,  anel  are  supposeel  to  be  saprophytic,  i  e.,  to  grow 
on  the  decayed  roots  or  stems  of  other  plants,  as  do  the 
Monotropas  and  Orobanches."  In  corroboration  of  a 
statement  I  made  in  reply  to  this  {p.  544  of  same  volume)  I 
now  send  you  specimens  of  the  greater  Broomrape  (Oro- 
banche  major),  showing  the  parasitical  attachment  to  the 
living  roots  of  our  common  Gorse  or  Furze.  It  will  thus 
be  seen  th.at  at  least  this  species  subsists  on  living,  not  d(  ad 
matter.  I  can  i'lso  prove  to  you  that  O.  rubra  derives  its 
nourishment  from  the  living  roots  of  the  wild  Thyme. 
This  morning  I  measured  a  specimen  of  the  greater  Bio  m- 
rape,  which  was  37  inches  in  height  and  bore  no  less  than 
eighty  seven  flowers.  In  this  district  it  is  almost  confined 
to  the  Gorse,  and  is  very  rarelv  found,  although  Bentham 
says  it  is  most  common  on  the  Furze.  You  will  notice 
that,  as  in  our  native  Orchids,  the  young  plant  is  produced 
from  a  bulbous  root  formed  close  to  the  stem  of  this  year's 
plant. — A.  D.  WEBSTiR. 

***  Mr.  Webster's  specimen  clearly  shows  the  parasiticel 
nature  of  the  Broomrape. 


Names  of  fruits.—.!.  C.  B.  O  —Next  week. /.  P, 

— Chaumontel ;  South  Devon  Apple  is  Kerry  Pippin  ;  Pear 

is  Jii'gonelle. )!'.  i^.— Your  Grapes  show  a  bad  case  of 

scalding. 

Names  of  plants.— IT.  F.—l,  Gentiana  asclepiadea; 
2,  Veronica  longifolia  ;  3,  species  of  Oncidium  ;  4.  (.'uamoeht 

coccinea. E.  yAo/i/iiil.— DavaUia  Kovw-Zehmdin?,  but 

cannot    be    certain   without   seeing  matured  fronds. 

J.  W,  R.  (Barrogate). — Pittosporum  undulatnm,  Colutca 

arboresccns  (yellow  flowers). S.  L.  TAomios.  — Eligeion 

mueronatum  ;  tolerably  common  in  gardens  now. St'h. 

scribcT. — Achillea  Ptaimica  II. -pi. C.  Frit^bt/.—Gcntiaun 

Pneumonanthe. J.    W. — Veronica  longifolia  ;   other  is 

Saponaria  officinalis  fl,-pl. S.  W,  S.— Catasctum  triden- 

tatum. 


THE     GARDEN 


245 


No.  670.         SATURDAY,  Sept.  20,  IBS*.         Vol.  XXVI. 


"  Tills  Is  an  Art 
Wiich  rioes  mcnrt  Nature  :  chnnse  it  rather:  hut 
The  art  itself  is  Nature."— SAnS-ciiJcare. 


PEKENNIAL  SUNFLOWERS. 
Yellow  Composites  are  inevitable  in  the  her- 
baceous borders  during  August  and  September. 
They  are  at  present  very  showy  here,  and  the  Sun- 
llowers  take  the  lead  both  in  Iieight  and  the  size 
of  their  liowers.  Only  two  annual  kinds  are 
grown,  the  one  being  the  lemon-coloured  variety 
of  the  large  Helianthus  annuus,  and  the  other  a 
very  useful  much-branched  kind  with  bright 
yellow  flowers  3  inches  across  and  a  jet-black 
disk.  It  is  named  H.  cucumerifolius,  and  I  had 
the  seed  from  Mr.  W.  Thompson,  of  Ipswich.  Of 
perennial  kinds  of  Helianthus  1  grow  many;  the 
first  I  will  mention  is  one  which  1  have  distributed 
largely  under  the  name  of  H.  doronicoides,  by 
which  I  received  it.  Sunflower  names  are  very 
diflJcult  to  determine,  but  now  Dr.  Asa  Gray  has 
published  his  volume  on  the  "North  American 
Composites,"  we  may  hope  to  know  more  about 
them.  However,  this  name  is  certainly  wrong  ;  the 
plant  to  which  I  refer  is  one  of  the  earliest  and 
finest  of  its  class.  It  grows  6  feet  high,  bearing 
a  profusion  of  bright  yellow  flowers,  which  open  for 
a  day  or  two  without  the  outer  rays  being  fully 
expanded.  They  are  more  than  3  inches  across, 
with  a  small  brown  and  gold  centre.  The  stalks 
are  slender  and  numerous  and  the  habit  of  the 
plant  elegant;  it  flowers  for  two  months  from 
the  end  of  July.  It  may  be  H.  tracheli- 
folins  of  Asa  Gray,  but  if  it  is  I  have 
never  seen  it  rightly  named.  On  the  other 
hand,  H.  doronicoides  of  Asa  Gray  is  a  very  coarse 
growing  and  late  flowering  kind,  with  large  ugly 
leaves,  and  rising  9  feet  or  10  feet  high,  resembling 
above  ground  the  Jerusalem  Artichoke  (H. 
tuberosus),  of  which  it  is  said  to  be  a  variety ;  but 
the  roots  are  not  tuberous,  though  thick,  and  in- 
crease by  long  slender  stolons.  The  plant  is 
worse  than  worthless  for  ornamental  purposes,  and 
I  have  long  expelled  it.  Then  there  is  the  plant 
commonly  known  as  H.  decapetalus,  though  12  or 
13  is  the  usual  number  of  its  external  rays.  It 
flowers  early  in  August.  The  flowers  are  small, 
but  produced  thickly,  and  it  is  not  a  bad  garden 
plant,  being  about  5  feet  high  at  most.  Still,  I 
am  not  certain  of  its  identity  with  Asa  Grays 
plant  of  that  name,  especially  when  we  are  in- 
formed by  him  that  the  well-known  H.multiflorus 
13  only  a  garden  form  of  it,  a  statement  which  we 
should  hardly  believe  on  less  authority  than  his. 
H.  multiflorus  is  perhaps  the  best  late  perennial 
Sunflower.  Its  form  varies  so  much  that  we  should 
expect  it  to  be  a  garden  development,  but  it 
differs  widely  in  appearance  from  the  type.  It  is 
too  well  known  to  need  description  ;  it  has  double 
forms  with  and  without  external  rays,  and  often 
produces  double  and  single  flowers  on  the  same 
plant.  No  plant  responds  more  readily  to  good 
cultivation.  My  finest  plants  are  those  of  five 
months  old;  taken  as  small  rooted  single 
shoots  in  April,  and  planted  in  deep  rich 
soil  in  a  sheltered,  but  sunny,  place  these 
grow  8  feet  high,  branching  all  the  way,  and 
being  covered  with  flowers  from  within  2  feet  of 
the  ground.    Some  of  the  flowers  of  these  plants 


so  treated  as  annuals  are  5  inches  across.  I  can- 
not observe  any  tendency  on  them  to  change  their 
face  according  to  the  movement  of  the  sun,  as 
they  are  said  to  do.  H.  giganteus  and  H. 
Maximiliani,  closely  allied  in  appearance,  are 
distinguished  by  their  narrow  lanceolate  leaves, 
their  great  height,  the  former  reaching  10  feet, 
and  their  narrow  cupped  rays  somewhat  turned 
outwards  at  the  end.  Neither  of  them  is  a  first- 
class  garden  flower.  The  same  may  be  said  of  H. 
mollis,  with  ovate,  soft  downy  leaves ;  of  H.  di- 
varicatus,  an  inferior  edition  of  the  species  first 
described,  and  set  down  as  trachelifolius  ;  and  H. 
lasvigatus,  a  tall  late-flowering  kind  with  thin 
black  stalks.  H.  strumosus  is  a  better  plant,  the 
colour  of  the  flowers  being  rich  with  a  tinge  of 
orange.  It  is  7  feet  high,  with  moderately  large 
flowers,  and  leaves  broad  at  the  base  with  long 
narrow  points  are  produced  all  along  the  stalk. 
II.  occidentalis  is  new  to  me  this  season,  having 
been  given  to  me  by  Mr.  \V.  Thompson.  It  is  dwarf, 
neat,  and  early  flowering,  growing  not  more  than 
'1  feet  high,  with  flowers  about  2  inches  across.  Of 
H.  lajtiflorus  I  have  two  forms,  one  having  green 
stalks,  the  other  black.  The  latter  is  by  far  the 
best ;  its  habit  is  stiff  and  well  branched,  and  it 
flowers  quite  to  the  end  of  the  season,  never  becom- 
ing shabby.  It  is  one  of  the  best  of  the  genus, 
and  increases  far  more  slowly  than  most  of  them, 
forming  new  crowns  sparingly  in  a  compact 
clump.  H.  angustifolius  is  very  neat,  but  late,  and 
does  not  increase  at  all.  It  has  the  look  of  an 
annual,  but  continues  to  come  up  in  the  same  spot. 
Here  it  seldom  matures  its  flowers,  being  cut  off 
by  frost,  but  in  warmer  gardens  it  would  be  good. 
H.  orgyalis  may  be  worth  growing  for  its  remark- 
able ribbon-like  leaves,  but  the  flowers  are  poor. 
H.  rigidus,  the  best  of  all  the  tribe,  belongs  rather 
to  summer  than  to  autumn  plants.  It  likes  a  warm 
sandy  soil.  If  the  season  and  soil  are  wet,  the 
flower-stalk  damps  off,  and  the  buds  turn  over  and 
wither.  I  never  could  assign  any  other  cause  for 
this  failure  in  flowering,  or  find  any  cure  for  it, 
though  I  have  often  been  consulted  about  it.  Be- 
sides these  I  have  several  other  Sunflowers  which 
need  not  be  enumerated,  having  already  men- 
tioned more  than  any  one  garden  can  require,  un- 
less variety  is  made  an  important  object.  Most 
of  the  perennial  Sunflowers  require  to  be  fre- 
quently divided  and  moved,  as  they  run  rapidly, 
and  if  the  outer  parts  are  taken  off  to  keep  the 
plant  within  bounds,  the  central  clump  will  soon 
deteriorate,  even  though  supplied  with  top-dress- 
ing. 

Edge  Hall,  Malpas. 


C.  WOLLEY  DOD. 


Q-ladioli  in  dry  weather.— In  consequence 
of  the  destructive  drought  here  which  lasted  (with 
hardly  a  shower  to  lay  the  dust)  till  September  C, 
the  blossoming  of  Phloxes,  Carnations,  and  almost 
all  other  late  summer  flowers  has  been  a  complete 
failure ;  and  amongst  Perpetual  Koses  there  has 
been  but  a  small  flower  here  and  there  since  the 
July  flowering  was  over.  Planted  amongst  Roses, 
in  deep  and  very  rich  soil,  a  small  collection  of 
Gladioli  has  been  uninjured  all  through  the  long 
drought,  although  they  were  not  even  watered,  as 
all  available  watering  had  to  be  reserved  for  more 
delicate  plants.  Their  brilliant  colours  and  beauty 
of  form  place  them  amongst  the  most  satisfactory 
of  late  summer  and  autumn  flowers,  especially 
for  dry  seasons  and  a  gravel  subsoil.  As  in  many 
cases  there  is  a  succession  of  flower-spikes  and 
also  side  branches  to  the  flower-stems,  the  blossom- 
ing season  lasts  for  a  considerable  time.  Amongst 
species  of  Gladiolus,  G.  Saundersi  is  well  worth 
growing,  from  its  dwarf  habit  and  the  peculiar 
shape  of  its  pretty  red  and  white  blossoms.     Here 


it  is  quite  hardy  on  rockwork,  and  would  probably 
be  equally  so  as  a  border  plant. — C.  BI.  OwEN. 


PLANTS    IN    FLOWER; 

Lllium  auratum.— A  linely  flowered  stem  of  this  Lily 
has  been  sent  to  us  by  Messrs.  Carter,  High  HolhorD,  who 
received  it  from  one  of  their  customers  in  Surrey.  The 
stem,  a  fasciated  one,  carries  twenty-seven  flowers,  twenty 
of  which  arc  fully  expanded.  The  plant  had  been  gi'owu 
in  the  open  border. 

Sheffieldla  repena.— Miss  Owen  sends  from  her 
garden  at  Knockmullen,  Gorey,  Ireland,  some  flowers  of 
this  pretty  little  alpine,  a  kind  but  little  known.  It  belongs 
to  the  Primrose  family,  and  is  very  dwarf,  the  small  wiiy 
stems  forming  a  flat  tuft,  at  this  season  profusely  studded 
with  tiny  white  flowers.  Though  a  New  Zealand  plant,  it 
is  hardy  in  tills  country  planted  in  a  drained  spot  of  the 
rock  garden. 

Streptosolen  Jameeonl.  —  .Some  flne  flowei-ing 
sprays  uf  tliis  showy  greenhouse  plant,  which  we  figured 
a  short  time  since  in  TlIK  GARDEN,  have  been  sent  to  us  by 
Messrs.  ^'antell  et  Sons,  Swanley,  in  order  to  show  what  a 
servicealile  plant  it  is  for  flowering  at  this  season.  Some 
of  the  planted-out  specimens  in  the  Swanley  Nursery  are 
as  much  as  3  feet  in  height  and  covered  with  clustei-s  of 
bright  oiange-red  flowers. 

New  Dahlias. — A  few  new  sorts  of  show  and 
fancy  Dahlias  have  been  sent  to  us  by  Messrs. 
Rawlings,  of  Romford.  The  brightest  show  va- 
riety is  one  named  Mrs.  Douglas,  a  perfect  flower 
glowing  scarlet  in  colour.  The  best  of  the  fancy 
class  include  W.  G.  Grace,  C.  Turner,  W.  Dodds, 
T.  J.  Saltmarsh,  and  H.  Turner.  Two  very  pretty 
pompone  varieties  are  sent ;  one  named  Jessie 
McMillan  is  curious  in  having  the  pink  centre  en- 
circled by  buff.  T.  Moore  is  also  a  handsome  red- 
dish buff  sort. 

Seml-double  Dahlia. — A  flower  of  a  seed- 
ling Dahlia  has  been  sent  to  us  by  Mr.  D.  T.  Fish 
which  is  not  only  pretty,  but  distinct.  Instead  of 
one  row  of  ray  florets,  as  in  ordinary  singlu 
Dahlias,  there  are  secondary  florets  springing  from 
the  primary  ones,  and  these  stand  up  round  the 
centre  like  a  fringe,  and  being  of  the  brightest 
crimson-scarlet  are  very  showy.  This  is  not  an 
ordinary  semi-double  Dahlia,  which  has  two  or 
more  distinct  rows  of  florets  ;  hence  we  consider 
it  quite  distinct,  and  one  which  will,  perhaps,  lay 
the  foundation  for  a  separate  race. 

The  Neilgherry  Lily.— Of  this  noble  and 
scarce  Lily  there  is  now  a  marvellous  display  of 
flowering  specimens  in  Mr.  Bull's  nursery  at  Chel- 
sea, hundreds  of  plants  there  being  in  full  flower. 
Lilium  neilgherrense  is  without  doubt  one  of  the 
finest  of  the  whole  genus,  and  though  it  is  not 
hardy  it  is  extremely  valuable  for  greenhouse 
culture,  as  at  this  season  it  produces  its  noble  blos- 
soms when  conservatory  flowers  are  not  plentiful. 
The  plants  in  Mr.  Bull's  nursery  range  from  \\ 
feet  to  3  feet  in  height,  and  the  flowers  are  tubular, 
from  9  inches  to  even  a  foot  in  length.  The  colovir 
is  creamy  white  and  the  texture  so  thick  and  firm 
as  to  render  the  flowers  quite  wax-like,  or  rather 
give  them  the  appearance  of  being  chiselled  out  of 
ivory.  A  single  specimen  of  this  Lily  in  full 
flower  is  a  handsome  object,  but  when  groups  of 
as  many  as  a  hundred  plants  are  seen  together  of 
varying  heights  and  with  the  blooms  in  several 
stages  of  expansion,  the  effect  is  indescribably 
fine.  This  Lily  is  of  free  growth  and  easy  culture, 
and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  now  the  bulbs  have 
been  imported  largely  it  will  not  be  so  seldom 
seen  as  hitherto  in  conservatories  in  autumn. 

Fuchsia  triphylla.— A  very  pretty  and 
distinct  species  of  Fuchsia  is  now  flows  ring  at 
Kew  under  the  above  name,  and  one  which  is 
worthy  of  a  place  in  every  conservatory  and  green- 
house. It  is  a  small  imitation  of  F.  splendens  in 
general  appearance,  with  characters  of  its  own  in 
the  arrangement  of  its  medium-sized  olive-green 
foliage  in  whorls  of  three  along  the  stem,  and  in 
the  rich  scarlet  of  its  long  pendent  flowers,  which 
are  borne  on  the  ends  of  the  curving  branches  and 
hang  down  in  bunches  like  handfuls  of  ear- 
drops. We  have  met  with  the  same  plant  in 
Jlessrs.  Henderson's  nursery  at  Maida  Vale,  but 
have  never  seen  it  in  such  perfection  as  it  has  been 
grown  to  at  Kew.  A  free  grower,  and,  like  all 
Fuchsias,  capable  of  being  increased  from  cuttings 


246 


THE     GARDEN 


[Sett.  20,   1S84. 


at  a  rapid  rate,  this  pretty  Fuchsia  ought  to  be- 
come well  known.  In  the  hands  of  tiie  grower 
for  market  we  suspect  this  plant  would  prove  "  a 
good  thing"  for  general  decoration,  as  it  is  a  little 
out  of  the  way  of  the  ordinary  Fuchsia,  and  orna- 
mental enough  to  catch  the  popular  eye. 

Autumn  flowering  bulbs— Hardly  have 

the  summer  (lowers  passed  away  before  the 
Meadow  Saffron  (Colchicum  autumnale)  begins 
to  push  up  its  rosy  purple  flowers.  The  earliest  of 
the  autumn  Crocuses,  too,  are  just  now  beginning 
to  make  a  show,  although  for  the  last  fortnight  or 
so  an  odd  one  here  and  there  has  opened  its  beau- 
tiful petals  to  the  noonday  sun.  Among  the  more 
beautiful  of  the  Crocuses  are  C.  Scharojani,  pure 
bright  orange,  and  C.  vallicola,  whose  flowers  are 
straw-coloured  or  nearly  white.  The  various  au- 
tumn Cyclamens,  too,  are  very  beautiful  in  a  semi- 
wild  condition  just  now.  The  present  mode  of 
growing  bulbs  in  small  clumps  of  say  a.  dozen 
scattered  about  at  wide  intervals  has  already  had 
its  day,  and  no  doubt  much  can  be  said  in  its 
favour  ;  but  to  fee  them  so  as  to  give  an  adequate 
idea  of  their  beauty  in  nature,  they  must  be  planted 
by  the  hundred  a  few  inches  or  so  apart,  just  as 
we  seethe  Bluebells  in  our  own  woods, and  where 
one  can  hardly  step  without  treading  them  under 
foot. 

Diohrotrlchum  ternateum.— This  plant 
may  be  employed  for  covering  moist  walls  or  un- 
sightly woodwork  inside  stoves  or  warm  ferneries 
in  the  same  way  as  the  llarcgraavias  and  Tothos 
a'e  sometimes  u.'sed.  Like  these  plants,  too,  the 
above  grows  rapidly,  and  is  furnished  with  roots 
along  its  ascending  stems,  with  the  aid  of  which 
it  clings  to  any  moist  surface.  There  is  a  plant  of 
it  growing  up  some  boards  in  the  liegonia  house 
at  Kew,  and,  in  addition  to  the  rather  handsome 
green  foliage  and  remarkable  habit  of  the  stems, 
the  flowers  are  somewhat  attractive,  being  borne 
on  stalks  a  foot  long,  on  the  ends  of  which  they 
are  clustered,  about  a  score  of  deep  red  tnbuler 
flowers  an  inch  long,  and  not  unlike  the  flowers  of 
I'hygelius  capensis.  The  Kew  plant  has  several 
bunches  of  these  flowers  open  just  now,  with  more 
to  come.  D.  ternateum  was  introduced  by  M. 
Jacob  Makoy,  of  Liege,  in  1870,  but  has  never 
found  much  favour  as  a  garden  plant.  Grown, 
however,  as  it  is  at  Kew,  there  is  much  to  recom- 
mend it  both  in  the  usefulness  of  its  habit  and 
dark  green  leaves  and  the  prettiness  of  its  flowers. 

KxSBtzer'S  Lily.— This  is  without  doubt  the 
most  chastely  beautiful  of  the  many  lovely  varie- 
ties of  L.  speciosum  (lancifolium),  and  one,  more- 
over, that  is  the  least  known  in  gardens  generally. 
None  of  the  varieties  bear  such  exquisitely  formed 
flowers,  so  perfectly  symmetrical,  and  of  such 
snowy  whiteness.  It  is  infinitely  superior  to  what 
is  known  as  the  white  variety  of  L.  speciosum, 
which  in  reality  is  not  pure  white,  but  slightly 
tinged  with  pink,  and  invariably  has  pinkish  mid- 
ribs at  the  back  of  the  petals.  Kraitzer's  Lily  is 
pure  white  save  the  medial  ribs  to  each  of  the 
petals,  which  form  a  green  star.  At  present  this 
Lily  is  in  great  beauty  in  Mr.  Bulls  nursery  at 
Chelsea,  where  there  are  hundreds  of  flowering 
specimens  of  it,  which,  whether  interspersed  with 
the  coloured  varieties  or  forming  groups  by  them- 
selves, are  surpassingly  beautiful.  As  a  conserva- 
tory Lily  at  this  season  it  is  invaluable,  and  its 
snowy  blossoms  are  peculiarly  suitable  for  bou- 
quets, wreaths,  &c.  Every  known  variety  of  L. 
speciosum  may  be  seen  in  Mr.  Bull's  nursery,  the 
majority  of  which  are  in  bloom.  Among  the  more 
noteworthy  besides  Krajtzeri  is  that  named 
rubrum  superbum,  by  far  the  best  of  the  dark 
flowered  varieties,  the  colour  being  a  deep  crimson- 
carmine  with  an  edging  of  white. 

Dioscorea  retusa — A  Dioscorea  with  or- 
namental flowers  is  quite  exceptional ;  the  chief 
characters  by  which  these  plants  are  known  to 
us  cqnsist  in  the  value  of  their  tuberous  rootstock 
as  food  to  the  natives  of  various  tropical  countries, 
and  which  are  called  ^'ams,  and  the  variegation  of 
the  foliage  of  some  of  the  species,  which  has  led 
to  their  being  cultivated  as  ornamental  climbers 
in  our  stoves.    D.  retusa  is,  howeraj:,  a  graceful 


and  pretty  flowering  plant,  as  is  shown  by  the 
specimen  now  in  flower  in  the  Begonia  house  at 
Kew.  Like  the  other  members  of  the  genus,  D. 
retusa  is  a  climber,  and  has  dark  green  digitate 
leaves,  from  the  axils  of  which  grow  long,  pen- 
dent clusters  of  flowers,  which  in  outward  appear- 
ance are  not  unlike  some  of  the  Polygonums.  The 
individual  flowers  are  small,  and  are  almost  hidden 
by  the  pointed  bracts,  wlrich  are  nearly  white.  A 
rather  sweet  odour  arises  from  the  flowers,  which, 
together  with  the  profusion  in  which  the  ringlet- 
like racemes  are  borne  on  the  plant,  makes  it  a 
pretty  object  for  draping  a  pillar,  or  when  trained 
on  a  twiggy  portion  of  a  Holly  branch,  as  it  is  at 
Kew.  We  remember  having  seen  a  handsome 
specimen  of  this  plant  at  the  Kegent's  I'ark  ex- 
hibitions on  several  occasions,  the  exhibitors 
being  the  Messrs.  Veitch,  who  introduced  the 
plant  to  cultivation  about  fifteen  j'ears  ago.  It  is 
a  native  of  South  Africa,  where  it  was  collected 
by  Mr.  Cooper  whilst  travelling  in  search  of  novel- 
ties for  the  collection  of  the  late  Mr.  Wilson 
Saunders. 


CALIFORNIAN  CONIFER  FORESTS. 

Amoxg  the  many  wonders  impressed  upon  the 
traveller  to  the  far  West  is  that  of  the  imposing 
grandeur  of  the  giant  tree  growth  of  the  Sierra 
and  coast  ranges,  where  grow  some  of  the  noblest 
and  most  beautiful  trees  in  the  world.  Here  is 
the  home  of  the  numerous  coniferous  frees,  which 
through  the  enterprise  of  such  dauntless  men  as 
Douglas,  Jeffrey,  and  Lobb,  have  been  transplanted 
to  beautify  our  European  gardens  and  woodlands. 
But  the  juvenile  growth  of  even  the  largest  of 
these  Californian  trees  in  Britisli  gardens  can 
give  but  a  poor  idea  of  the  magnificence  of  those 
native  groves  where  the  Abies  Douglasi  reigns 
king  of  the  Spruces,  and  I'inus  Lambertiaca  king 
of  the  Pines,  each  with  towering  boles  as  much  as 
300  feet  high  and  20  feet  in  diameter. 

On  the  very  summit  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  the 
vegetation  is  not  luxuriant  ;  there,  as  elsewhere  on 
high  mountain  chains,  is  the  frost  that  burns  and 
the  wind  that  sears.  When  you  see  a  solitary 
Pine  that  has  been  bold  enough  to  Dlant  itself 
among  the  boulders  and  rocks  of  the  high  summits, 
it  is  usually  so  contorted  that  it  looks  as  if  in- 
habited by  demons  ;  while  here  one  has  succumbed 
to  the  enemy,  and  you  see  a  few  blanched  branches 
sticking  from  a  great,  dead,  barkless  base,  lapped 
over  the  earthless  granite.  But  go  a  little  lower 
down,  and  most  probably  you  will  find  a  noble 
group  of  I'icea,  startling,  from  the  size  and  height 
of  the  trunk,  though  looking  much  tortured  about 
the  head  by  the  winds  that  surge  across  these 
summits—  the  mast-head  of  the  continent.  Snow 
falls  early  and  falls  deep  on  the  Sierras,  and  the 
roots  of  the  higher  trees  are  often  covered  with  it 
to  a  depth  of  from  fi  feet  to  25  feet.  Near  the 
rail,  and  near  frequented  places,  thick  stumps  of 
Pines,  6  feet  to  i.j  feet  high,  may  be  noticed; 
these  are  the  trees  cut  down  when  the  snow  is 
high  and  thick  and  firm  about  the  lower  part  of 
their  stems.  But  it  the  nights  are  bitterly  cold, 
the  sun  is  strong  in  the  blue  sky  far  into  the 
winter  months,  so  that  the  snow  is  melted  off  the 
tree  tops,  and  the  leaves  of  the  Pines  live,  in 
golden  light,  long  into  the  winter.  All  the  Pines 
that  grow  near  the  summit  must  resist  the  most 
piercing  cold. 

To  the  flanks  of  the  western  slopes  of  the  great 
chain  of  the  Sierras  one  must  go  to  see  the  noblest 
trees  and  the  richest  verdure.  There  every  one  of 
thousands  of  mountain  gorges,  and  the  pleasant 
and  varied  passes  of  every  vale  that  runs  with  its 
streams  and  rivers,  and  from  top  to  bottom  of 
every  one  of  the  innumerable  hills,  is  densely 
populated  with  noble  Pines  and  glossy  Evergreens 
— an  ocean  of  huge  land  waves,  over  which  the 
spirit  of  tree-life  has  passed,  creating  giants. 

The  inviting  openness  of  the  Sierra  woods  is 
one  of  their  most  distinguishing  characteristics. 
All  the  species  stand  more  or  less  apart  in  groves 
or  small,  irregular  groups,  enabling  one  to  find  a 
way  nearly  everywhere,  along  sunny  colonnades 
and  through  openings  that  have  a  smooth,  park- 


like surface,  strewn  with  brown  needles  and  burrs. 
Now  you  cross  a  wild  garden,  now  a  meadow,  now 
a  ferny,  willowy  stream  ;  and  ever  and  anon  you 
emerge  from  all  the  groves  and  flowers  upon  some 
granite  pavement  or  high,  bare  ridge,  command- 
ing glorious  views  above  the  waving  sea  of  Ever- 
greens far  and  near. 

One  would  experience  but  little  difficulty  in 
riding  on  horseback  through  the  successive  belts 
all  the  way  up  to  the  storm-beaten  fringes  of  the 
Alps.  The  deep,  precipitous  canons,  however, 
that  come  down  from  the  axis  of  the  range  at 
intervals  of  eight  or  ten  miles  cut  the  belts  more 
or  less  completely  into  sections,  and  prevent  the 
mounted  traveller  from  tracing  them  lengthwise. 

Crossing  the  level  treeless  plains  of  the  Sacra- 
mento and  San  Joaquin  from  the  west,  on  reach- 
ing the  Sierra  foot-hills  you  enter  the  lower  fringe 
of  the  forest,  composed  of  small  Oaks  and  Pines, 
planted  so  far  apart  that  not  one-twentieth  of  the 
surface  of  the  ground  is  in  shade  at  clear  noon-day. 
After  advancing  fifteen  or  twenty  miles,  and 
making  an  ascent  of  from  L'OOO  feet  to  liooo 
feet,  you  reach  the  lower  margin  of  the  main  Pine 
belt,  composed  of  the  gigantic  Sugar  Pine  (P. 
Lambertiana),  Yellow  Pine  (P.  ponderosa), 
Douglas  Spruce  (Abies  Douglasi),  Incense  Cedar 
(Libocedrus  decurrens),  and  Sequoia  gigantea. 
Next  you  come  to  the  magnificent  Silver  Fir  belt, 
and  lastly  to  the  upper  Pine  belt,  which  sweeps 
up  the  rocky  acclivities  of  the  Alps  in  a  dwarfed, 
wavering  fringe  to  a  height  of  from  10,000  feet  to 
1L',(  100  feet. 

Those  who  have  not  visited  the  high  lands  o£ 
California  can  have  no  idea  of  the  size  and  ma- 
jesty of  the  trees.  It  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  the 
Sequoia  (Wellingtonia)  is  fuch  a  giant  among 
them ;  several  grow  nearly  or  quite  as  high,  and 
it  is  very  likely  that  in  such  a  climate  all  the 
Pines  grown  in  Britain  would  attain  extraordinary 
dimensions. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  climate  is  almost 
the  sole  cause  ;  soil  has  very  little  to  do  with  it. 
It  has  frequently  been  noticed  that  trees  luxuriate 
where  there  is  not  a  particle  of  what  we  call  soil, 
and,  indeed,  in  places  where  25  feet  or  so  of  the 
whole  of  the  earth  had  been  washed  away  by  the 
gold-miners.  A  bright  sun  for  nearly  the  whole 
year  and  a  sufficiency  of  moisture  from  the  Pacific 
explains  the  matter.  This  should  draw  our  atten- 
tion to  the  fact  that  in  ornamental  planting,  and 
especially  in  the  planting  of  coniferous  trees,  we 
pay  far  too  much  attention  to  supplying  them 
with  rich  and  deep  soil  and  far  too  little  consi- 
deration to  the  capabilities  of  the  climate  in  which 
we  have  to  plant. 

Chirita  Mooni. — Introduced  from  Ceylon 
nearly  fifty  years  ago,  and  after  a  short  reign  of 
popularity  as  a  stove  flowering  plant  disappearing 
altogether  from  cultivation,  this  handsome  large 
flowered  Martynia-like  plant  has  been  again  intro- 
duced to  Kew,  where  it  is  now  flowering  in  the  T 
r.'inge.  The  Kew  plants  are  as  yet  small,  but 
when  grown  on  this  Chirita  forms  an  erect, 
simple,  or  sliyhtly  branched,  suffrulicose  plant  2 
feet  or  3  feet  high.  The  leaves  are  ovate,  lanceo- 
late, about  3  inches  long,  and  are  covered  with  a 
white  silky  down,  which  gives  them  a  silvery 
appearance.  The  flowers  are  axillary  on  long  thin 
stalks,  and  in  shape  and  size  resemble  the  flowers 
of  Martynia  fragrans,  the  colour  being  that  of 
Gloxinia  maculata,  namely,  pale  blue,  with  a 
blotch  of  yellow  in  the  throat.  Being  a  free 
grower  and  easily  propagated,  either  from  cuttings 
or  seeds,  this  plant  may  be  recommended  as  use- 
ful for  a  warm  greenhouse  or  conservatory  during 
the  summer.  C.  zeylanica  and  C.  Walkenc,  also 
natives  of  Ceylon,  are  sometimes  to  be  met  with 
in  gardens  ;  the  first  bears  a  panicle  of  dark  blue 
Gloxinia-like  flowers  and  grows  to  about  a  foot  in 
height,  the  second  being  like  Mooni,  but  smaller  in 
all  its  parts  and  of  a  darker  shade  of  blue.  A 
fourth  .species,  and  the  only  other  garden  Chirita, 
is  C.  sinensis,  which  is  a  well-known  plant,  and 
when  well  treated  very  ornamental.  Plants  of 
this  may  also  be  seen  in  flower  in  the  stoves  at 
Kew. 


Sept.   20,    I8S4.] 

THE     GARDEN 

247 

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248 


THE    GARDEN 


[Sept.  ^0,   1884. 


Flower  Garden. 

HARDY  FLOWERS— A  RETROSPECT. 
Ko  w  that  the  summer  is  pretty  well  over,  we  lovers 
of  hardy  flowers  find  ourselves  more  or  less  "  out 
of  it."  We  have  had  oar  innings  and  may  now 
field  out  and  watch,  with  what  admiration  we 
may,  the  performances  of  other  people's  Calceo- 
larias. There  are  some  no  doubt  who  may  yet 
extract  a  melancholy  gratification  from  their 
Michaelmas  Daisies,  but  to  those  who  have  ab- 
jured composites,  even  this  last  consolation  of  the 
declining  year  is  denied,  and  there  is  in  fact 
nothing  left  them  but  their  anecdotage  and  the 
Narcissus  catalogues. 

Taking  it  on  the  whole,  it  cannot  be  said  that 
we  have  had  an  altogether  successful  season.  Last 
autumn  and  winter  were  warm  and  wet,  and  the 
slug's  mouth  in  consequence  wasi  never  shut.  The 
early  spring  indeed,  during  the  season  of  the  first 
spring  flowers,  was  delightful,  and  for  once  in  a 
way  the  Crown  Imperials  were  allowed  to  live  out 
their  lives  and  die  in  their  beds  without  being 
blown  to  pieces  by  that  anarchical  Nihilist,  the 
north-east  wind.  But  the  cold  rasping  winds 
which  were  absent  in  March  were  present  in  May, 
and  even  during  part  of  June,  and  the  beauty  of 
many  of  the  spring  and  early  summer  flowers 
suffered  in  consequence,  while  the  great  heat  and 
drought  of  the  later  summer  made  life  itself  a 
difficult  matter  to  many  of  the  choicer  alpines — 
at  any  rate,  in  the  gardens  of  those  humble  ama- 
teurs who  have  not  the  advantage  of  a  "  water 
privilege  "  always  ready  to  be  turned  on  in  hot 
weather  at  the  top  of  their  rockeries. 

The  following  notes  may  perhaps  be  useful  to 
some  amateurs,  but  they  refer  only  to  such  hardy 
plants  as  present,  or  are  supposed  to  present,  some 
difficulty  of  cultivation,  or  to  such  as  being  some- 
what rare  have  struck  me  as  being  exceptionally 
good,  or  the  reverse.  To  begin,  like  an  orthodox 
botanist,  with  the  Ranunculacea;,  let  me  remark 
that  Clematis  coccinea  strikes  me  as  one  of  the 
very  best  things  of  its  kind  among  plants  of  re- 
cent introduction.  From  notices  in  the  gardening 
papers  and  elsewhere,  it  appears  to  vary  consider- 
ably in  colour,  but  the  colour,  as  seems  proved, 
varies  in  richness  inversely  with  the  amount  of 
coddling  the  plant  receives.  My  specimen,  grow- 
ing at  the  base  of  one  of  my  rockeries  and  climb- 
ing over  it,  was  planted  last  year  and  has  flowered 
freely  this.  The  flowers  are  a  fine  warm  scarlet 
externally,  and  the  foliage  the  richest  and  most 
luxuriant  green,  never  during  the  whole  of  this  try- 
ing season  showing  the  smallest  symptoms  of 
blight.  The  plant  appears  to  be  perfectly  hardy, 
but  in  early  spring  when  the  young  shoots  are 
pushing  they  should  be  protected  from  slogs. 
Anemone  alpina  I  have  never  yet  succeeded  in 
making  grow.  I  see  my  last  plant  (the  fourth,  I 
believe)  has  just  joined  the  majority.  A.  sul- 
phurea,  one  of  the  very  loveliest  of  the  tribe 
and  of  all  spring  flowers,  appears  to  do  well 
in  pure  grit  and  sand.  Let  me  observe, 
by  the  way,  that  Adonis  vernalis  does  the 
same.  I  mention  it  because  this  is  commonly 
offered  by  nurserymen  among  plants  easy  to  grow. 
This,  as  far  as  my  experience  goes,  it  certainly  is 
not.  The  slugs  are  "nuts  on  it,"  and  it  cannot 
endure  cold  soils,  though  no  doubt  a  certain 
amount  of  manure  will  do  it  good.  Anemone  de- 
capetala,  a  plant  which  there  are  few  to  praise,  i;, 
I  think,  a  really  good  thing.  It  flowers  freely,  and 
is  at  the  same  time  extremely  neat  and  compact 
in  habit,  a  virtue  that  cannot  be  predicated  of  its 
cousin,  A.  sylvestris.  Trollius  asiaticus  Fortune! 
is,  as  far  as  I  know,  the  finest  of  the  genus.  I  have 
lost  it  myself,  having  only  flowered  it  well  the  first 
year  it  was  planted.  There  seems  to  be  some  diffi- 
culty with  these  orange-coloured  Trollius.  The 
common  T.  asiaticus,  which  I  have  had  for  years, 
has  never  attempted  to  flower,  and  it  has  treated 
a  friend  of  mine  and  a  far  more  skilful  gardener 
in  the  same  way.  Delphinium  cashmeriannm 
(figured  in  this  periodical  and  also  in  Eoyle's 
"Flora  of  the  Himalayas")  is  worth  growing 
simply  as  a  specimen  of  the  Himalayan  flora,  but 
not  otherwise  or  in  quantity.  The  foliage  is  rich  and 


good  and  the  habit  rather  dwarf,  but  the  colour  is 
poor,  like  a  Monkshood,  for  which  indeed  "  the  pro- 
fane" (and  in  spite  of  "the  improvement  in  the 
taste  of  the  gardening  public,"  which  we  are  occa- 
sionally called  upon  to  note,  most  of  one's  neigh- 
bours still  belong,  I  fear,  to  this  category)  are  apt 
to  mistake  it. 

The  self-satisfaction  of  feeling  that  you  possess  the 
best  there  is  to  be  had  is  always  agreeable,  and  this 
is  what  I  feel  in  seeing  Coronilla  iberica  flourishing 
on  my  rockery.  I  have  given  some  little  study  to 
this  order,  and  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
this  is  the  most  beautiful  of  all  the  yellow  dwarf 
Lpguminosai.  I  am  indebted  for  it — as  indeed  I 
am  for  numerous  other  beautiful  things— to  the 
kindness  of  Miss  Jekyll.  Another  good  plant  of 
the  same  order  and  habit  is  the  native  Hippo- 
crepis  comosa,  and  a  third  is  Medicago  marina, 
a  plant  not,  I  believe,  in  commerce.  Astra- 
galus monspessnlanus  grows  somewhat  slowly; 
it  is  pretty,  but  inferior  in  beauty  to  A.  adsurgens, 
a  variety  with  dark  blue-purple  flowers,  which 
Messrs.  Froebel  call  le  plus  hel  asfragahis  connu. 
None  but  the  smallest  rockery  should  be  without 
Ononis  rotundifolia,  and  although  it  is  not  hardy 
in  cold  winters,  no  garden  should  be  without 
Lupinus  arboreus.  I  think  I  have  seen  some- 
where in  The  Garden  that  there  is  a  white  as 
well  as  purple  and  yellow  varieties  of  this  plant. 
If  there  is,  it  must  be  a  great  addition,  and  I  wish 
I  knew  where  to  get  it. 

While  the  Cruciferae  are  in  full  blaze  we  "  chortle 
in  our  joy  "  perhaps  more  loudly  than  at  any  other 
time  of  the  year,  but  I  am  only  going  to  select  two 
or  three  plants  in  the  order  for  the  purpose  of  giving 
them  a  passing  kick.  I  was  rather  amused  at 
reading  some  months  ago  in  The  Garden  a 
paragraph  in  praise  of  Arabis  blepharophy  Ua.  It  was 
stated,  if  I  remember  right,  that  this  plant  rejoiced 
inrichsoil.anddidbeston  the  topof  awall.twocon- 
ditions  which  some  people  may  think  difficult  to 
compass  at  one  and  the  same  time.  Be  that  as  it 
may,  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  a  more  miserable 
little  bit  of  rubbish  than  was  this  jilant  as  it  grew 
and  flowered  for  two  years  on  the  top  of  my 
rockery.  Last  spring  I  potted  it,  and  it  is  now,  I 
see,  growing  vigorously,  but  I  can  hardly  believe 
that  even  a  fine  specimen,  presuming  it  to  be 
capable  of  making  one,  would  be  much  worth 
growing.  It  is  a  native  of  California,  and  has,  by 
the  way,  had  the  honour  of  being  figured  in  the 
ISotanical  Magazine.  Another  Arabis  (A.  ccerulea) 
I  have  never  come  across  in  England,  though  I 
daresiy  there  may  be  specimens  in  good  gardens. 
I  have  twice  established  this,  apparently  success- 
fully, and  twice  lost  it  in  the  height  of  the  summer 
from  sunstroke.  1 1  shall  not  break  my  heart.  The 
plant  has  rich  green  glabrous  leaves,  and  is  pretty 
on  that  account ;  but  the  donor  of  the  specific 
name  (good  heavens  !  I  hope  it  was  not  LinniEus) 
mast  have  been  affected  with  that  curious  colour 
blindness  from  which  so  many  professional  horti- 
culturists appear  to  suffer.  The  insignificant  little 
flowers  are  whitish  grey,  but  the  blue  hue  seems 
to  be  a  "  pure  abstraction."  A  month  ago  I  should 
have  been  inclined  to  say  that  Iberis  petra^a,  a 
miniature  form  of  the  common  I.  corifolia,  had 
merits,  but  the  maxim  dc  mortuh  applies  con- 
versely to  the  departed  of  the  vegetable  world  ; 
and  as  the  plant  in  question  (which  I  had  from 
Zurich  in  the  early  spring)  has  died  suddenly 
without  giving  previous  notice  of  its  intention  so 
to  do,  from  me  at  any  rate  it  shall  not  win  renown. 

The  order  Boraginacea;"shares  with  the  Gentians 
the  larger  part  of  my  care  and  affections,  so  I  wish 
someone,  himself  the  "  right  side  of  the  hedge," 
would  tell  us  how  to  grow  that  expensive  plant, 
Lithospermum  Gastoni.  A  bit  of  this,  for  which 
I  paid  4s  last  spring,  has,  it  seems,  again 
gone  untimely  to  earth,  although  it  appeared  to 
start  at  first  with  vigour,  and  was  the  object  of 
much  solicitude.  Another  expensive  rarity,  L. 
graminifolium,  planted  out  on  the  rockery,  has 
grown  well  and  freely,  but  has  not  yet  flowered. 
L.  prostratum,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  all 
blue  flowers,  I  have  never  yet  succeeded  in  esta- 
blishing. L.  petrfeum  is  an  exquisite  little  shrub ; 
it  appears  to  be  quite  hardy,  and  is  covered  in 


June  with  lovely  little  blue  flowers.  Myosotis 
rupicola  as  seen  at  Munstead  is  a  display  a  faire 
mitiirir,  but,  non  ciiivis  homini  contimjit  ailirc  Cur- 
iut/nim.  I  attempted  in  a  mild  way  to  do  likewise 
with  my  enchantments  in  a  sand  bed  on  the  flat, 
but  the  coldness  of  some  soils  is  almost  incurable. 
The  only  way  to  keep  this  plant  alive  in  winter,  as 
far  as  my  experience  goes,  is  to  plant  it  in  a 
position  on  the  rockery  above  the  possibility  of 
stagnant  moisture.  In  such  position.",  however, 
it  is  never  likely  to  develop  into  anything  more 
than  a  "  gem."  The  Oyster  plant  (Mertensia 
maritima),  a  very  rare  native,  is  well  worth 
growing.  It  is  impossible,  I  believe,  to  save  seed, 
but  in  sandy  soil  seedlings  come  freely  up  round 
the  parent  plant.  I  have  a  few  of  these  to  give  away 
if  anyone  wants  them.  I  thought  Ihad  established 
Omphalodes  Lucilivc,  but  during  my  absence  from 
home  the  drought,  aided  by  two  snails  "  of  old  St 
Hubert's  breed,"  who  had  got  past  the  guard,  ap- 
pear to  have  done  for  it.  There  are  still  a  few 
green  leaves  on  which  flm7iis  moriar  is  writ  large. 
This  is  a  lovely  plant,  but  a  scant  bloomer.  There 
is  or  was  a  fine  specimen  in  the  herbaceous  ground 
at  Kew.  I  agree  with  Mr.  Wood,  who  remarks  in 
his  useful  little  book  on  hardy  flowers  that  Onosma 
tauricum  is  among  the  fifty  most  desirable  of  rock 
plants.  I  may  add  that  I  have  never  yet  succeeded 
in  keeping  it  sufticiently  alive  through  the  winter 
to  start  again  in  the  spring.  No  "  dodges  "  for 
warding  off  the  rain,  and  no  position  on  the  rockery 
seemtoavail.  Another  yellow  Borage-wort,  Arnebia 
echioides,  grows  freely  and  is  perfectly  hardy,  but 
a  two-year-old  plant  has  not  yet  flowered.  Among 
the  coarser  plants  of  this  order  (and  there  are  a 
good  many),  Lindelofia  spectabilis,  which  is,  I  be- 
lieve, simply  a  synonym  for  Cynoglossum  officinale, 
is,  I  think,  the  best  for  garden  purposes,  a  beauti- 
ful blue  and  neater  in  habit  than  th«  Anchusas. 
The  fact  that  I  was  myself  fool  enough  to  give  Is. 
for  Borago  laxiflora  is  a  sufficient  answer  to  the 
question  how  anyone  could  have  the  audacity  to 
ask  that  sum  for  so  contemptible  a  weed. 

The  Campanulas  are  a  strong  order  about  which 
a  great  deal  has  been  written  from  time  to  time  in 
this  paper,  so  I  will  endeavour  to  tread  on  as  few 
as  possible  of  my  grandmother's  eggs.  For  many 
of  the  dwarf  kinds  I  am  indebted  to  the  kindness 
of  Mr.  Wolley  Dod.  Among  the  best  of  these  for 
general  purposes  is  Campanula  garganica  var. 
hirsuta,  the  beauty  of  which  is  enhanced  by  the 
softness  of  the  foliage.  Another  of  Mr.  Wolley 
Dod's  has  flowered  with  me  for  the  first  time.  I 
am  not  sure  that  I  recollect  its  name,  but  I  think 
it  is  C.  Tenorei.  The  flowers,  which  are  large  and 
salver-shaped,  are  borne  on  spikes  from  9  inches  to 
a  foot  high,  of  a  lovely  blue,  with  a  dark  blotch 
at  the  base.  A  fine  specimen  of  this  would  be  a 
grand  decorative  plant.  C  Zoysi,  when  established, 
appears  to  grow  freely.  The  shape  of  the  bells  is 
unique,  but,  apart  from  its  rarity,  this  is  less  beau- 
tiful than  many  others.  I  grow  it  in  pure  grit,  as 
I  do  also  C.  AUioni,  a  difficult  thing  to  keep.  I 
can  bear  testimony  to  the  character  of  Edraianthus 
dalmaticus  as  a  true  perennial.  Two  fine  plants 
(5d.  apiece),  obtained  from  Zurich  in  the  spring  of 
1883,  have  flowered  again  this  year,  and  have 
again  formed  their  strong  grassy  tufts  at  the 
centres.  Glossocomia  ovata,  alms  Codonop- 
sis  ovata,  alias  Wahlenbergia  Roylei,  is  beau- 
tiful. Why  we  may  not  call  it  Campanula 
Roylei,  and  have  done  with  it,  is  a  mystery 
known,  I  presume,  to  the  botanist.  Another  Hima- 
layan gem  (now  understood  to  be  referred  to 
this  order,  having  "  taken  its  name  off  "  the  Pole- 
moniums)  is  Cyananthus  lobatus.  I  planted 
this  last  year  on  the  south  face  of  a  rockery, 
and  it  grew  well  and  flowered  profusely, 
but  last  season  was  wet.  This  year  the  plant 
appears  to  have  been  frizzled,  and  it  has  not 
flowered  at  all.  I  suspect  it  is  dead  ;  anyhow  it 
seems  to  be  proved  that  it  cannot  flourish  without 
ample  moisture,  and  probably  a  certain  amount  of 
shade.  Among  the  taller  varieties  I  consider  C. 
lactiflora  one  of  the  finest  decorative  plants  grown. 
Let  me  rgmind  my  brother  duffers  not  to  forget  to 
manure  their  Campanulas ;  I  forgot  to  have  this 
done  last  year,  and  in  consequence  some  of  the 


Sept.  20,   1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


24D 


common  sorts  forgot  to  flower  at  all,  or  flowered 
poorly.  Some  of  these,  eg.,  C.  Van  llor.ttei, 
appear  to  need  taking  up  and  dividing  every  year 
or  two  simply  as  a  matter  of  health,  the  roots 
decaying  at  the  centre. 

The  history  of  an  amateur's  Gentians  is,  for  the 
most  part,   a  recital  of  failures,  over  which  it  is  as 
well  to  draw  the  veil.  There  is  a  fascination  about 
these  subjects,  however,  which  makes  it  difficult 
to  leave  them  alone.     G.  lutea  planted  as  a  seed- 
ling in  1S7S  has  grown  very  large,  but  has  not  yet 
flowered.     I  live  in  hopes.     G.  Barseri,  the  most 
beautiful,  as  far  as  I  know,  of  the  yellow  Gentians, 
I  have   not  succeeded   in   establishing.    A   rare 
Gentian,  G.  algida  (which,  by  the  way,  I  bought 
under  the  impression  that  it  was  yellow  spotted 
■with  blue)  has  flowered  for  the  first  time  in  my  gar- 
den this  year.    The  llowers,  which  are  something:  in 
the  way  of  G.  oruciata,  are  of  a  dingy  white  with 
faint  grey  spots  and  markings.     G.  Walujewi,  a 
specimen  of  which  flowered  this  year  on  the  new 
rockery  at  Kew,  is  just  the  same,  "only  more  so," 
i.e.,  the  grey  marking  or  blotch  (which  some 
dreamer  has  called  blue)  is  rather  larger  and 
more  distinct.     These  are  both  introductions 
of  Dr.  Kegel,  and,  together  with  others,  the 
names  of  which  I  forget,  appeared  in  the 
catalogues  of  the  English  nurserymen  about 
four  years  ago  wiuh  a  considerable  flourish 
of  trumpets.     If  they  were  not  Gentians,  I 
fear  it  would  have  to  be  admitted,  that  they 
were  rubbish.    The  finest  white  Gentian  that 
I  know  is  G.  macrophylla,  easily  established 
and  vigorous,  which  would  be  worth  growing 
for  its  long  lustrous  leaves  apart  from  its 
flowers.   Among  blue  snmmer-fiowering  Gen- 
tians there  appears  to  be  nothing  equal  to 
the  plant  which  we  may  as  well  agree  once 
for  all  to  call  G.  septemfida.     This  is  a  slow 
grower,  and  those  whose  plants  are  not  very 
strong  should  look  after  the  slugs  about  the 
young  shoots.     Erythraja  elodes  is  pretty — 
tlie  apotheosis,  so  to  speak,  of  our  common 
Centaury  (E.  Centaurium).     It  is  inferior,  I 
imagine,  to  E.  diffusa,  which  I  have  not  seen. 
Spigelia  marylandica  (which  is,  I  suppose,  a 
Gentian,  if  it  is  not  a  Loganiad)  is  charm- 
ing, and  flowers  late  when  other  interesting 
things  are  getting  scarce  ;  it  grows  freely  in 
a    small    pocket    oE    peat    sod.     Saponaria 
ocymoides  splendens  is  not  worth  2s.  6d.  a 
plant,  but  it  comes  fairly  true  from  seed,  and 
the  high-coloured  seedlings  are  certainly  an 
improvement  on  the  old  variety.     Among  the 
many  disquisitions  on  the  Dianthus  in  The 
Gabden,  I  sometimes  wonder  that  no  one 
ever  says   a  word  in  favour  of  D.  cruentus, 
the  colour  of  which  is  almost  unique  among 
the  species.  There  is  another  variety,  which  I 
see  they  call  D.  sanguineus,  a  name  which  well 
illustrates  the  distinction  without  difference. 
I  am  not  myself  among  the  "  Daisy  people." 
Here,  indeed,  at  a  tolerably  safe  distance  from 
"  dear  old  Kensington  "  I  will  boldly  admit  that 
I  rather  prefer  Thistles.     I  must,  however,  say  a 
word  in  praise  of  a  composite  kindly  sent  me  last 
year  by  Mr.  WoUey  Dod  which  has  all  the  merits 
such  a  plant  can  possess.   The  flowers  are  of  great 
size  and  are  freely  prodaced,  and  the  plant  itself, 
although  vigorous,  is  neat  in  habit  and  ornamental. 
Jlr.  Wolley  Dod  has  since  informed  me  that  the 
true  name  of  this  plant  is  Doronicum  plantagineum 
var.  excelsum  ;  it  is  not,  I  believe,  in  commerce,  at 
any  rate  under  this  name.    Your  correspondent 
who  proposes  to  throw  away  Senecio  pulcher  is, 
I  think,  mistaken.      Until  the  present  year  my 
plant  had  not  flowered  for  several  seasons,  but  I 
moved  it  in  a  clump  to  the  foot  of  a  rockery  facing 
south  last  spring,  and  it  has  done  admirably  ;  it 
clearly  wants  heat  and  sun  to  enable  the  flowers 
to  develop  in  time. 

The  best  investment  in  the  way  of  a  Lily  that  I 
ever  made  is  L,  testaceum  ;  a  bulb  for  which  I  gave 
a  sliilling  three  seasons  ago  has  this  year  thrown 
np  four  flowering  spikes.  The  finest  (and  likewise 
the  most  redolent  of  sick  headache)  of  all  yellow 
Lilies,  if  not  of  Lilies  which  are  not  yellow,  is, 
mejiuiice,  L.  colchicum.     It  is  not,  however,  very 


easy  to  establish,  and  it  never  appears  to  increase. 
L.  Washingtonianum  is  an  exquisite  Lily.  I  have 
it  planted,  "according  to  Cocker,'' a  foot  deep. 
Among  liliaceous  plants  that  are  not  Lilies ; 
Ixiolirion  tataricum  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful. 
The  "  only  Allium  worth  growing  "  bids  fair  to  rival 
the  "  eighty  greatest  living  poets "  in  point  of 
number.  Everyone  who  aspires  to  talk  about 
hardy  plants  should,  I  apprehend,  be  prepared  to 
recommend  one  on  his  own  account,  so  I  will  men- 
tion A.  pedemontanum.  This  has  the  merit  of 
belonging  to  the  Onions  only  in  the  Pickwickian 
or  botanical  sense.  The  flowers  are  produced  in 
purple  bells.  It  requires  no  special  culture.  A 
bed  of  showy  annuals  is  in  itself  a  pretty  thing. 
This  effect  can  be  produced  by  sowing  Convolvulus 
tricolor  roseus,  but  tlie  same  can  be  done  cheaper 
and  better  in  other  ways,  and  the  variety  in  ques- 
tion with  its  pompous  name,  is  trash.  I  will  con- 
clude these  remarks  by  saying  that  I  always  cover 
a  greatly  cherished  bed  of  I'au  Anemones  (A. 
fulgens)  by  jjlanting  out  Salpiglossi. .     I  find  this 


Fiowerinij  stem  of  Funkia  grj,ndlJlord. 

does  no  sort  of  harm.  ^Vhen  I  left  home  on 
September  C  I  had  it  all  pulled  up,  but  it  had  been 
in  flower  a  full  month.  This  will  partially  answer 
a  question  that  appeared  in  The  Garden  a  few 
weeks  ago,  but  it  must  be  remembered  that  the 
period  of  dormancy  of  A.  fulgens  is  longer  than 
that  of  A.  coronaria ;  consequently,  the  advice 
already  tendered  in  these  pages  about  the  load  of 
manure  is  probably  the  sounder.  J.  C.  L. 


NEW  DAHLIAS  AT  THE  CRYSTAL  PALACE 

SHOW. 
It  seemed  fitting  that  the  beautiful  new  show 
Dahlia  Mrs.  Gladstone,  undoubtedly  one  of  the 
very  finest  varieties  sent  out  in  recent  years,  should 
have  been  placed  in  the  post  of  honour  as  the 
premier  Dahlia  in  the  show.  We  had  previously 
seen  it  in  several  collections  of  Dahlias  this 
season  in  various  parts  of  the  country,  and  its  ap- 
pearance and  splendid  form  fully  justify  Mr. 
Turner's  confident  prediction  that  "  it  is  the  most 
perfect  show  variety  yet  raised."  It  is  perfect  in 
size,  petal,  outline,  and  centre,  and  Mr.  Glass- 
cock's splendid  premier  flower  was  absolutely  the 
finest  of  many  fine  blooms  shown  on  this  occasion. 
It  put  in  an  appearance  at  the  Crystal  Palace  show 


last  year  under  tlie  name  of  Mrs.  Hurct,  which 
was  ultimately  changed  to  Mrs.  Gladstone.  It  is 
far  away  also  the  best  of  the  new  flowers  of  the 
present  year.  Mrs.  F.  Foreman  (Keynes  &  Co.) 
promises  to  be  a  very  useful  rich  lilac  self  of  good 
form  and  substance  ;  and  it  may  be  remarked  that 
new  flowers  often  show  better  form  the  second 
year  of  sending  out  than  they  do  the  first  year. 
Arabella  (Keynes  &  Co )  is  a  very  pretty  fancy 
buff,  with  scarlet  and  crimson  stripes,  and  will  no 
doubt  make  a  good  show  flower.  Of  the  new 
varieties  of  1883  I  give  the  precedence  to  Miss 
Annie  Melsome,  a  charming  fancy  variety  sent 
out  by  Keynes  &  Co.  It  is  of  a  yellow  ground 
with  white  tip,  appearing  to  come  very  true,  good 
form,  petal,  and  outline.  Rebecca  is  another 
pretty  fancy  from  the  same  raisers,  lilac,  striped 
with  crimson,  large,  good  form,  and  constant. 
Hope  (Keynes  &  Co.)  is  a  charming  light  rosy 
lilac  flower  of  symmetrical  form,  tliat  will  be 
grown  for  exhibition  purposes.  Buttercup  (Fel- 
lowes)  is  a  good  useful  yellow,  slightly  tinged 
with  red  on  the  edges.  These  were  all  we 
saw  in  anything  like  good  form  at  the  recent 
Crystal  I'alace  show. 

Of  the  seedling  flowers  shown  for  the  first 
time  this  year,  the  honours  laid  with  Messrs. 
Keynes  &  Co.     Three  first-class  certificates 
of  merit  were  awarded  to  them  for  the  follow- 
ing fancy :   General  Gordon,  a  variety  that 
promises  to  take  the  same  high  rank  among 
the  fancy  that  Mrs.  Gladstone  does  among 
the  show  flowers.     It  has  a  bright  yellow 
ground,  striped  and  flaked  with  pale  orange- 
red,  fine  petal,  outline,  and  centre.     It  is  so 
constant  that  at  the  recent  exhibition  of  the 
Trowbridge    Plorticultural    Society,    Messrs. 
Keynes  and  Co.  were  able  to  stage  eighteen 
blooms  of  it.   A  fine  flower  of  General  Gordon 
on  Messrs  Keynes  and  Co.'s  stand  of  twenty- 
four  fancies  was  saluted  as  the  premier  fancy 
in  the  whole  exhibition.     The  next  is  Romeo, 
also  a  fancy,  having  a  buff-yellow  or   pale 
orange  ground  striped  with  maroon  or  dark 
crimson,  excellent  form,  petal,  outline  and 
centre ;  a  distinct  and  valuable  accession  to 
the  varieties  in  this  division.     The  third  is 
Mrs.  Langtry,  a  tipped  show  variety,  having 
a  yellowish  buff  ground,  the  centre  pale  yel- 
low, the  petals  edged  with  bright  red  and 
maroon,  good  close  high  centre,  petal,  and 
outline,  promising  to  make  an  excellent  ex- 
hibition   flower.     Messrs.    Keynes  and    Co. 
also  had  Falcon,  a  very  novel  and  pleasing 
variety,   pale    ground    suffused    with     pale 
orange,  buff,  and  rose,  and  edged  with  silvery 
pink;  good  centre  and  petal,  a  little  wanting 
in   regularity   of  outline,  but  still  a  taking 
flower.     The  same  exhibitors  also  had  James 
Huntley,    a    large  bright  purplish  crimscn 
self,  a  little  flat,   but  with  a  good  centre. 
Mr.  G.   S.   Harris,  Junr.,  of  Orpington,  had 
Duchess,  rich  deep  yellow,  good   form;  Baroness, 
pale  ground,  suffused  with  delicate  pink ;  Rose 
Queen,  of  a  very  peculiar  hue  of  pale  rose,  the  cir- 
cumference flushed  with   lively  pink  :   and  Arab, 
crimson,  shaded   with   maroon,   rather  coar.se  as 
shown.     .'V  few  new  pompone  and  single  Dahlias 
were  also  shown,  but  these  shall  be  referred  to  in 
another  paper.     The  fact  that  no  certificate  of 
merit  was  awarded  to  any  variety  in  these  two 
sections  leads  to  the  inference  that  they  were  con- 
sidered not  to  be  improvements  on  varieties  already 
in  cultivation.  R.  Deas. 


GREAT  WHITE  PLANTAIN  LILY. 
One  of  the  noblest  and  sweetest  plants  amongst 
hardy  perennials  in  flower  just  now  is  the  great 
white-llowered  Plantain  Lily  (Funkiagrandiflora), 
a  spray  of  which  is  so  admirably  sketched  in  the 
annexed  illustration  by  Miss  Jekyll,  of  Munstead. 
The  large  pale  green  heart-shaped  leaves,  the  tall 
handsome  spikes  of  pure  white  flowers,  delicately 
scented,  combine  to  make  this  a  most  de.'-irablc 
border  plant.  It  has,  however,  its  drawbacks, 
inasmuch  as  it  is  a  little  fastidious  in  its  require- 
ments. It  likes  a  light,  warm  soil;  otherwise  it 
does  not  flourish  to  perfection.     At  the  best  of 


250 


THE    GARDEN 


[Sept.  20,    188*. 


times  it  is  not  a  very  free  blootaer — not  nearly  so 
free  as  other  Fankias  ;  moreover,  it  has  the  mis- 
fortune to  be  specially  liked  by  slugs  and  snails, 
particularly  while  young  and  small.  Notwith- 
standing all  this,  however,  it  is  a  plant  that  we  can 
ill  afford  to  be  without,  flowering,  as  it  does,  when 
most  other  hardy  plants  are  on  the  wane.  On  such 
light  soil  as  that  at  Munstead  it  forms  huge  tufts 
which  in  themselves  are  quite  features  of  interest. 
Though  the  soil  in  which  it  grows  should  be  light 
and  warm,  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  it  must 
necessarily  be  poor ;  on  the  contrary,  few  plants 
better  repay  a  little  feeding  than  do  all  the 
Funkias,  and  they  are  partial  to  moisture  and  par- 
ticularly grateful  for  shelter  in  spring  from  cut- 
ting cold  winds.  W.  Ci. 


AUTUMN  FLOWERS. 
WiiEEE  a  continuous  supply  of  cut  flowers  has  to  be 
maintained  at  all  seasons,  as  is  the  case  in  the 
majority  of  places,  the  chief  source  during  the 
early  autumn  months  is  undoubtedly  the  mixed 
border.  A  selection  of  hardy  perennials  and  other 
plants,  arranged  with  the  view  of  producing  a 
good  effect  in  autumn,  will  prove  advantageous 
for  this  purpose  apart  from  any  garden  display 
which  it  may  make.  Summer-flowering  subjects 
are  in  general,  owing  to  heat  and  drought,  only  of 
short  duration,  but  by  way  of  compensation  for 
this  we  have  now  an  unusual  display  of  hardy 
perennials  in  mixed  or  special  borders.  By  the 
latter  term  is  meant  the  substitution  in  the  liower 
garden  of  whole  beds  of  some  strikiog  annual  or 
perennial  plant  for  what  has  hitherto  been  one  or 
another  of  the  ordinary  summer-bedding  subjects 
We  adopted  this  plan  last  spring  in  the  case  of 
several  beds,  and  the  results  have  been,  and  in 
many  cases  still  are,  most  satisfactory.  Many  of 
our  autumn  flowers  are  extremely  showy,  and,  pro- 
vided the  weather  is  not  wet  continuously,  they 
last  in  good  condition  for  a  long  time.  The  first 
meriting  notice  is  the  ever-popular  Anemone  ja- 
ponica  alba.  This  pure  white  form  and  the  pale 
rose-coloured  variety  named  hjbrida  have  both  a 
more  vigorous  and  free-flowering  habit  than  the 
type.  Either  may  be  readily  propagated  by  cut- 
ting the  roots  in  winter  into  short  lengths  and 
placing  them  singly  in  small  pots.  If  planted  out 
in  spring  in  good  soil,  the  majority  will  flower  the 
first  year,  although  not  so  strongly  as  when  better 
established.  The  soil  is  best  kept  rather  low  to 
admit  of  plenty  of  water  being  supplied  in  sum- 
mer. A  few  Gladiolus  roots  planted  somewhat 
late  in  the  season  at  equal  distances  apart  between 
the  Anemones  produce  a  fine  effect  when  in  flower. 
Rudbeckia  speciosa  is  also  a  fine  plant  for  beds 
by  itself.  Circular  beds  of  not  less  than  l">  feet  or 
8  feet  in  diameter  are  best  suited  for  this  and 
the  other  plants  under  notice,  as  in  them  they 
can  be  seen  all  round  to  good  advantage.  The 
Rudbeckia  roots  are  always  near  the  surface,  and 
should  be  mulched  and  kept  well  watered  in  sum- 
mer. Just  now  their  flowers  are  open  iu  immense 
quantities,  and  they  will  probably  last  until  de- 
stroyed by  frost.  One  bed,  at  least,  of  the  .scarlet 
perennial  Lobelias  should  be  included  in  all  ar- 
rangements, as  their  intensely  bright  flowers  are 
always  admired,  and  these  are  produced  by  suc- 
cessional  growths  all  the  autumn  The  plants  re- 
quire staking,  as  they  are  very  brittle. 

Hardy  perennial  Thloxes  are  finer  than  usual 
this  season,  particularly  where  a  little  extra  atten- 
tion has  been  given  theai.  These  will  not  succeed 
in  a  hot  dry  place  where  the  soil  is  light  and  the 
subsoil  gravelly  ;  where  such  conditions  exist,  the 
best  plan  is  to  prepare  beds  in  a  cool  position  by 
removing  the  soil  to  a  depth  of  IS  inches  and  re- 
placing it  by  a  mixture  of  heavier  loam  and  cow 
manure.  If,  in  addition  to  this,  plenty  of  water 
be  suppled  during  summer,  the  improvement  in 
Phloxei  will  soon  be  apparent.  The  varieties  are 
very  numerous,  many  being  of  the  purest  white, 
while  others  are  of  innumerable  shades  between 
that  and  dark  crimson.  They  may  be  left  undis- 
turbed for  several  years  if  well  mulched  annually, 
but  they  are  probably  as  good  when  about  three 
years  old  as  at  any  time.  Single  and  double 
Tyrethrums  make   fine   flowering  plants  in  the 


early  part  of  the  season,  and  many  secondary 
flowers  are  thrown  up  by  them  in  autumn.  If  beds 
of  these  are  formed,  a  good  succession  may  be 
obtained,  nnd  the  beds  kept  giy  for  the  greater 
part  of  the  autumn  by  planting  China  Asters 
between  the  Pyrethrums.  The  foliage  of  the 
latter  forms  a  good  groundwork  for  the  Aster.'', 
which,  when  employed  in  this  way,  are  bestmixe  1, 
as  irregular  heights  prevent  formality,  and  a 
greater  diversity  of  form  and  colour  is  obtained 
than  when  each  variety  or  section  is  kept  separate. 
Pentstemons  may  be  next  noticed,  being  amongst 
the  most  attractive  of  flowers  in  the  latter  part 
of  summer  and  early  autumn,  and  as  really  grand 
varieties  are  numerous,  and  many  of  them  cheap, 
there  seems  no  reason  why  their  cultivation  should 
not  be  extended.  Propagation  is  easily  effected  in 
August  by  placing  cuttings  of  them  in  a  cool  close 
frame,  afterwards  merely  protecting  them  from 
frost  in  winter,  and  planting  thetn  oat  in  spring 
Even  small  plants  will  grow  and  flower  freely  the 
first  season,  and  if  the  space  allowed  should  not 
be  filled  up  satisfactorily,  plants  of  Ten-week 
Stocks  may  be  intermixed  with  them.  Most  of 
the  perennial  Asters  are  either  too  tall  or  not 
sufficiently  showy  for  any  position  excepting  the 
mixed  border,  but  A.  Amellus  var.  bessarabicus  is 
quite  an  exception.  This  is  one  of  the  best  hardy 
plants  obtainable  for  a  bed  by  itself.  It  grows  a 
little  over  a  foot  in  height  and  is  very  floriferous, 
the  flowers  being  large  and  of  a  dark  blue  colour. 
Djuble  Zinnias  are  fine  when  seen  in  a  mass,  and 
are  good  autumn-flowering  annuals.  They  should 
be  kept  growing  when  young  and  not^  allowed  to 
receive  a  check,  or  it  will  be  found  ditficult  to  get 
them  again  into  full  vigour.  If  planted  out  in 
dull  weather  and  kept  well  watered,  they  will 
grow  and  flower  freely  until  cut  down  by  frost. 
Fuchsias  planted  out-of-doors  flower  profusely 
during  August  and  September,  particularly  the 
old  F.  Riccartoni  and  F.  gracilis.  It  is  best  toin- 
.sert  cuttings  of  these  for  the  next  year's  supply 
before  the  plants  die  down,  and  allow  the  old 
stools  to  remain  covered  with  ashes  in  winter. 
Seedling  single  Petunias  are  good  things  with 
which  to  form  a  groundwork  for  Fuchsias,  and 
the  latter  are  suitable  for  Petunias  to  ramble 
amongst  uncontrolled.  Single  Dahlias  are  pro- 
bably seen  to  best  advantage  in  circular  beds  of 
from  16  feet  to  20  feet  in  diameter.  If  arranged 
so  that  the  taller-growing  varieties  are  in  the 
centre,  and  the  colours  evenly  mixed  throughout, 
a  fine  effect  will  be  the  result.  This  and  all  other 
.sections  of  Dahlias  are,  of  course,  well  known  to 
be  amongst  our  finest  autumn-flowering  plants. 
Kniphofias  are  exceedingly  handsome  when  seen 
in  flower  amongst  shrubs,  and  they  succeed  in  al- 
most any  position.  The  same  may  be  said  of  the 
dwarf  forms  of  Sunflowers,  such  as  Helianthus 
multiflorus  and  its  double  variety  and  H.  cucu- 
merifolius,  the  latter  an  annual. 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing  there  are  many 
other  mixed  border  plants  of  exceptional  merit 
that  help  to  make  a  display  at  this  season,  and 
amongst  them  the  following  should  not  be 
omitted,  viz  ,  Aster  linarifolius,  A.  lajvigatus  var. 
minimus,  and  A.  Shorti  —  these  are  three  of  the 
best  early  Asters  ;  the  first  two  do  not  exceed 
:!  feet,  the  other  is  from  4  feet  to  6  feet  in  height 
—  Coreopsis  lanceolata,  Gaillardia  pulchella, 
Senecio  elegans  and  its  varieties.  Chrysanthemum 
coronarium  and  C.  oarinatum  as  annuals,  and  the 
early-flowering  varieties  of  the  perennial  section  ; 
autumn  -  flowering  Colchicums,  Cyclamens,  &c. 
These  and  many  others,  either  of  annual  or 
perennial  duration,  all  combine  to  make  our 
flower  gardens  attractive  in  autumn. 

J.  G.  K. 


Self-sown  Dahlias — I  had  hundreds  of 
Dahlia  plants  come  up  early  in  the  summer  in  a 
bed  in  which  a  lot  of  single  varieties  flowered  last 
year.  A  few  stray  plants  that  were  missed  by  the 
boe  when  cleaning  up  are  now  in  flower.  This 
seems  to  show  that  a  stock  of  seedling  plants  can 
be  very  easily  raised  in  the  spring.  Those  who 
have  limited  house  room  may  devote  a  frame  to 
the  purpose.  If  plants  raised  from  seed  which  bad 


laid  in  the  ground  all  the  winter  will  flower  at  the 
end  of  August,  surely  they  can  be  had  in  flower  a 
month  earlier  if  the  seed  was  sown  in  a  pit  or 
frame  and  the  plants  nursed  on  there. — J.  C.  C. 


PROPAGATING  CARNATIONS  AND  PINKS. 
Few  plants  h.Tve  had  more  care  bestowed  on  them 
than  C.\rnations  and  Pinks.  For  a  long  time  past 
they  have  been  the  special  favourites  of  tlorists, 
and  so  long  back  as  1S31  Hogg,  a  then  celebrated 
grower,  published  a  catalogue  enumerating  some 
400  varieties,  most  of  which  are,  no  doubt,  extinct 
now,  but  if  they  have  been  lost  or  discarded  we 
hive  others  in  every  way  superior  to  them,  and 
raisers  of  them  are  continually  bringing  out 
new  ones  to  add  to  the  stock.  These  improve- 
ments and  the  exhibition  of  the  flowers  in  such 
numbers  have  attracted  public  attention  to  them, 
and  instead  of  being  cultivated  by  the  few,  as 
used  to  be  the  c.xse,  they  are  now  common  in  bor- 
ders, where  they  ought  to  be  found  in  great 
quantity,  for  there  are  no  hardy  plants  to  surpass 
I  hem  either  for  variety,  beauty,  or  usefulness. 
There  is  hardly  any  end  during  the  season  to  the 
supply  of  cut  blooms  which  they  will  yield.  For 
this  and  other  purposes  there  is  nothing  like 
having  plenty  of  seedlings,  aj  they  grow  strongly, 
and  though  many  may  turn  out  single,  there  is 
sure  to  be  a  large  percentage  of  really  good 
flower.s,  which,  if  they  do  not  come  up  to  the 
Horist's  standard,  are  good  enough  in  a  decorative 
point  of  view  and  make  a  magnificent  show  in  a 
border.  To  be  sure  of  having  a  fine  strain,  seed 
should  be  obtained  from  growers  noted  for  them, 
and  though  this  is  not  the  time  of  year  for  sowing, 
seedlings  may  be  raised  thus  late  ;  and  if  care  be 
taken  to  safely  carry  them  through  the  winter  they  . 
will  be  ready  to  plant  out  in  spring.  It  is  better, 
however,  to  wait  till  that  season,  as  then  there 
is  no  danger  of  lo.'ing  any,  and  plants  got  up 
then  will  be  little  behind  those  reared  in  the 
autumn. 

Raising  seedlings  — The  way  to  prepare  for 
raising  seedlings  is  to  get  pots  or  pans  and  well 
drain  them  by  putting  in  plenty  of  crocks,  and  over 
them  Moss  or  rough  soil,  when  the  filling  up  should 
be  effected  with  light,  finely  sifted  soil,  and  this 
ought  then  to  be  pressed  down  level  and  smooth  on 
the  top,  when,  if  gently  sprinkled  with  water,  all 
will  be  ready  for  sowing  the  seed.  This  should  be 
scattered  thinly  and  regularly  over  the  surface, 
and  afterwards  lightly  covered  with  sharp  sandy 
soil,  when  if  the  pots  or  pans  are  stood  in  a 
shaded  position  in  any  warm  house  or  frame, 
the  seed  will  soon  germinate  and  the  young 
plants  attain  a  size  large  enough  for  pricking  off. 
This  may  either  be  done  in  boxes  or  wide,  open 
pans,  the  best  soil  for  the  purpose  being  a  mixture 
of  loam,  leaf  soil,  and  sand,  which  should  be 
pressed  down  firmly  before  the  young  plants 
are  put  in.  When  thi?  is  done  it  will  be  necessary 
to  water,  and  to  stand  the  boxes  or  pans  in  a  pit 
or  frame  where  the  plants  can  ha%'e  a  little  heat 
just  to  give  them  a  start,  after  which  they  should 
be  kept  cool  and  up  near  the  glass,  where  they  can 
have  plenty  of  light  and  air  to  prevent  any  draw- 
ing. So  treated  they  will  grow  sturdy  and  strong, 
and  by  the  end  of  May  will  be  big  enough  for 
planting  out  in  the  open  where  it  is  intended  they 
should  stand  and  form  bloom.  Besides  being 
raised  from  seed,  there  are  two  other  ways  of 
propagating  Carnations,  Picotees,  and  Pinks — the 
one  by  means  of  layers  and  the  other  by  pipings  or 
cutMngs. 

Layers. — These  are  the  most  certain,  as  not 
being  separated  from  the  parent  plants  they  have 
the  benefit  of  their  support  till  they  strike.  To 
be  successful  with  layers  all  that  is  necessary  is 
to  select  the  shoots  best  situated  by  being  near  to 
the  ground,  and  having  trimmed  or  prepared 
these  by  the  removal  of  a  few  loose  leaves,  a  cut 
should  be  made  under  each,  commencing  j  ust  below 
a  j)int  and  continuing  half  through  the  stems  and 
aloDgupwards  so  as  to  split  them  for  half  an  inch  or 
so  in  length,  when  they  will  be  ready  for  pegging 
down  and  covering  with  soil.  In  doing  this  care  is 
needed  not  to  unduly  bend  up  the  points  of  the 


Sept.   20,  1884  J 


THE     GARDEN 


251 


layers  or  they  will  snap  at  the  cut,  and  yet  it  is 
requisite  that  they  be  curved  sufficiently  to  make 
the  parts  stand  open,  so  that  the  earth  may  come 
in  contract  therewith,  and  if  this  is  sharp  and 
sandy  the  layers  will  very  soon  root.  To  en- 
courage them  to  do  this  water  should  be  given  two 
or  three  times  a  week,  and  as  soon  as  it  is  found 
that  they  are  struck,  which  may  soon  be  seen  by 
examining;  them,  they  may  be  taken  off,  carefully 
lifted  with  good  balls,  and  planted  out  in  the 
borders.  The  proper  time  for  layering  is  as  soon 
as  the  plants  go  out  of  flower,  after  which  there  is 
generally  plenty  of  "  grass  "  or  shoots,  although 
these  may  be  made  use  of  at  almost  any  time 
when  they  are  to  be  bad. 

Pipings  or  cuttings,  too,  strike  best  at  the 
same  season  ;   take  off  any  shoots   that  are  not 
well  placed  tor  layers,  when  they  should  be  cut 
through  with  a  sharp  knife  just  below  a  joint  and 
then    have  the  two    lower   leaves    removed    by 
shelling  them  off  close,  in  order  that  no  portion  may 
be  left  to  cause  any  kind  of  damping,  which  would 
be  the  case  if  the  leaves  were  simply  cut  away  by 
the   aid  of   a  knife.     When  prepared,   the  next 
thing  to   be   done  is  to  insert  them,  which  may 
either  be  in  pots  to  be  covered  by  bell-glasses,  or 
they  may  be  dibbled  in  borders  to  be  under  the  pro- 
tection of  hand-lights,  or  on  beds  sheltered  by  any 
cold  frame.     If  the  latter  or  in  pots,  it  is  a  great 
help  towards  getting  the  cuttings  to  strike  if  they 
can  have  a  little  bottom-heat,  which  may  easily 
be  afforded  by  a  load  or  two  of  fresh  manure  and 
leaves  or  tan,  a  foot  or  so  in  depth,  which  will 
give  off  gentle  warmth  till  they  root.     If  the  cut- 
tings are  put  in  under  hand-lights  the  soil  should 
be  prepared  by  being  made  sandy  and  then  pressed 
level  and  smooth,  after  which  they  may  be  inserted 
moderately  thick,  and  be  kept  close  and  shaded 
by  day.     Pinks  require  precisely  the  same  treat- 
ment,  and  if   put   in  and   kept   damp  by  being 
sprinkled,  scarcely  one  in  a  hundred  will  fail.     In 
growing  Carnations  and  Pinks,  whether  in  pots  or 
out,  their  great  enemy  is  the  wireworm,  which,  if 
in  the  soil  or  anywhere   near,  is  sure  to  find  them 
out  and  attack  them.     Before  potting,  therefore, 
the  loam  should  be  looked  over  and  examined  by 
spreading  it  thinly  in  layers,  so  that  any  of  these 
pests  may  be  seen  and  picked  out,  and  it  is  a 
good   plan   also  to  mix  it  with   soot,   which  is 
obnoxious  to  the  wireworm,  but  acts  well  as  a 
stimulant,   and  thus  benefits  and  nourishes  the 
plants.     On  borders    and    in     beds     wireworm 
may  be  trapped  by  putting  just  under  the  soil 
pieces  of  fresh  cut  Carrot  or  small  lumps  of  Lin- 
seed cake,  which  baits  they  get  into  and  may  be 
taken  out  and  killed.  .Vbove  ground  the  worst 
foes  to  Carnations  are   rabbits,  which  devour  the 
tops  wholesale,  and  will  take  them  in  preference 
to  any  other  food,  and  soon  clear  off  a  border. 
Where  these  rodents  abound,  they  should  always 
be  kept  out  of  a  garden,  as  no  shooting  or  trapping 
will  save  plants  that  they  like.     To  support  the 
blooms  of  Carnations  when  they  come  into  flower 
there  is  nothing  that  answers  so  well  as  stout  wire 
spirally  twisted,  with  the   bottom  left  clear  to 
stick  into  the  ground,  as  by  using  these  guards  the 
flower-stems  can   be  quickly  worked  into  them 
without  any  tying.     This  is  necessary  when  sticks 
are  employed,   and  at  the  time  of   cutting  the 
bloom  the  ties  are  a  great  inconvenience,  as  they 
have  all  to  be  severed   before  the  stems  can  be 
moved  ;  whereas,   with    the  wires,  they    can  be 
drawn  out  at  once.     The  way  to  make  them  is  to 
cut  wire  into  lengths  of  a  yard  and  twist  three 
parts  of  each  round  a  smooth,  hard  stick,  from 
which  they  will  slip  coiled.  S.  D. 


so  good  a  display  of  bloom  as  the  Viola.  Its 
many  and  varied  colours  and  its  excellent  dwarf 
habit  of  growth  make  it  the  very  ideal  of  a  border 
or  carpeting  plant ;  in  fact,  now  that  Verbenas 
have  been  discarded  from  so  many  flower  gardens, 
the  Viola  is  more  than  ever  required  to  fill  their 
place.  Where  it  is  employed  for  flower  garden 
decoration  it  will  not  be  possible  to  cut  back  the 
flowering  shoot  without  curtailing  the  summer 
display,  but  plenty  of  soft  young  shoots  will  be 
available  for  cuttings  at  the  base  of  the  old  plants. 
These  strike  readily  under  hand-glasses  or  cloches, 
and  soon  make  good  plants.  I  find  the  following 
dozen  kinds  to  be  a  good  selection— viz ,  Holy- 
rood,  Souvenir,  Waverley,  Duke  of  Perth,  Peach 
Blossom,  Blue  King,  Grievei,  Gold  Prince,  Mrs. 
Innes,  Picturata,  Forerunner,  and  Blue  Perfection. 
For  forming  a  groundwork  under  taller  growing 
subjects  I  do  not  find  anything  to  equal  Violas  ; 
they  keep  very  dwarf  and  continue  to  flower  with- 
out any  break  the  whole  season. — J.  Groom,  Gos- 
port,  Hants. 


Propagating  Violas.— This  is  a  good  time 
to  increase  Violas,  for  if  the  old  flowering  wood 
was  shortened  back  in  August  they  will  now  be 
dense  tufts  of  healthy  young  shoots,  and  may  be 
divided,  with  the  certainty  of  every  rooted  piece 
making:  a  good  pl.int  if  planted  out  in  beds  about 
I'l  inches  apart.  Violas  are  moisture-loving  plants, 
but  it  is  surprising  how  well  they  withstand 
drought.  In  this  southern  part  of  the  kingdom, 
where  heat  and  drought  were  severely  felt  this 
season,  I  can  safely  say  that  no  other  plant  made 


PROPERTIES  OF  FLOWERS. 

"  S.  W.,"  in  your  issue  of  August  30,  takes  excep- 
tion to  the  statement  of  "  M.  R."  that  the  ab- 
surdities of  the  Picotee  model  order  have  been 
from  the  outset  repudiated  by  florists.  "  S.  W." 
cites  Mr.  James  Douglas's  work  on  "  Hardy 
Florists'  Flowers,"  published  four  years  ago,  to 
sustain  his  contention.  He  describes  Mr.  Douglas 
as  "  one  of  the  foremost  of  modern  florists,"  and 
asks,  is  not  the  model  of  the  "  perfect  truss  "  of  an 
Auricula  therein  given  "  as  great  an  impossibility 
and  example  of  intolerable  formality  as  Glenny 
or  anyone  else  ever  conceived  ? ''  The  Tulip  also 
"  is  the  same,  and  the  general  principles  laid 
down  for  the  guidance  of  florists  do  not  differ  in 
any  material  respect  from  those  which  have  guided 
the  fraternity  from  the  beginning." 

"  S.  W."  is  somewhat  difficult  to  please.  I  ain, 
however,  ready  to  aver  my  agreement  with  him  in 
his  stricture  on  the  models  to  which  he  refers. 
With  him,  I  think,  they  represent  "intolerable 
formality"— in  the  case  of  the  Tulip  positive  de- 
formity. I  recognise,  also,  Mr.  Douglas  as  "  one 
of  the  foremost  of  modern  florists,"  that  i--,  as  a 
practical  cultivator  and  exhibitor  of  special 
flowers ;  but  for  Mr.  Douglas  as  an  exponent  of 
the  properties  of  florists'  flowers  I  have  no  respect 
whatever,  and,  save  as  a  manaal  of  practice,  for 
which  it  may  be  useful  to  the  inexperienced,  I 
have  as  little  respect  for  his  book.  Mr.  Douglas 
appears  to  have  been  betrayed  into  borrowing  or 
reproducing  so-called  models  from  trade  cata- 
logues, and  it  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  he 
undertook  subjects  on  which  he  was  so  imper- 
fectly informed.  Allusion  has,  I  observe,  been 
made  to  the  late  Dr.  Hardy.  The  writings  of  that 
gentleman  on  the  Tulip,  published  nearly  forty 
years  ago,  are  still  those  which  command  the 
greatest  respect  from  lovers  of  that  flower.  They 
have  been  reprinted  within  the  last  few  years  in 
the  Florist,  and  it  is  unfortunate  that  the  most 
authoritative  source  of  information  on  this  sub- 
ject should  apparently  have  been  unknown  to  or 
neglected  by  Mr.  Douglas. 

I  am  surprised  also  that  so  keen  a  critic  as 
"  S.  W."  should  fail  to  remember  Mr.  Douglas's 
heterodoxy  in  the  matter  of  the  shaded  edge  of 
the  alpine  Auricula— a  property  described  by  Mr. 
Horner  as  the  chiefest  beauty  of  the  flower.  Un- 
less my  memory  betrays  me,  this  eccentricity  of 
Mr.  Douglas  preceded  by  a  very  short  time  the 
issue  of  his  book.  Therefore,  whatever  respect 
we  may  have  for  Mr.  Douglas  as  a  cultivator, 
"  S.  W."  must  not  expect  us  to  pay  him  deference 
in  the  matter  of  the  properties  of  florists'  flowers. 
"  S.  W. "  cites  old  authorities,  and  says  their 
dogmas  are  reproduced  by  foremost  modern 
florists,  instancing  Mr.  Douglas.  But  he  ignores, 
perhaps  may  be  unacquainted,  with  the  literature 
which  I  believe  alone  commends  itself  to  the  most 
intelligent  among  modern  florists.  I  allude  to 
the  "  Essays  on  the  Philosophy  of  FloristV 
Flowers,"  by  the  late  Rev.  George  Jeans,  reprinted 
in  the  Fluri^t  in  1879. 


"  S.  W. '  will  find  no  hard  and  fast  lines  therein, 
but  I  think  much  matter  for  profitable  reading. 
I  commend  these  essays  to  his  notice,  also  the 
papers  on  the  Tulip  by  Dr.  Hardy,  as  above-men- 
tioned, those  on  the  Auricula  by  the  Kev.  F.  C. 
Horner,  and  those  on  the  Carnation  by  Mr.  E.  S. 
Dodwell— all  to  be  found  in  the  volumes  of  the 
Fliirht — assuring  him,  unless  I  have  failed  totally 
to  grasp  the  meaning  and  intent  of  these  papers, 
that  he  will  find  there  no  suggestion  or  represen- 
tation of  "intolerable  formality  "  or  of  anything 
inconsistent  with  reverence  for  the  wonderful  va- 
riety and  breadth  and  beauty  of  Nature. 

Nemo. 


Borago  laxiflora. — This  Boragewort,  as 
grown  in  the  ordinary  border,  has  nothing  parti- 
cular to  recommend  it  as  a  garden  plant  owing  to 
its  straggly  habit,  but  as  we  saw  it  the  other  day 
on  an  old  rockery  with  plenty  of  room  and  in  good 
soil  few  plants  are  more  beautiful.  It  is  parti- 
cularly appropriate  for  rough  planting  in  semi- 
wild  situations,  or  for  hanging  over  rocky  ledges 
in  the  rock  garden.  It  has  large,  light  blue,  star- 
like flowers  and  rather  handsome  foliage.  It  has 
the  advantage  of  being  a  good  perennial.  It 
merely  requires  plenty  of  room  and  to  be  left 
alone.  B.  orientalis  is  suitable  for  the  same  pur- 
pose, being  more  vigorous,  and  has  larger  and 
handsomer  foliage.  It  is  easily  established  in  the 
wild  garden,  where  it  is  very  imposing  associated 
with  early  spring  flowers.— K. 

The  Zebra  Rush— This  plant,  which  was 
first  distributed  under  the  name  of  J  uncus  zebri- 
nus,  but  which  is  correctly  Scirpus  Tabema^mon- 
tana,  is  an  instance  of  a  plant  having  been  put  in 
commerce  as  a  stove  plant  when  really  it  is  a 
hardy  perennial  presumably  as  hardy  as  our 
native  Rush.  As  a  natural  consequence,  the  plant 
never  flourished  when  stewing  in  a  hothouse,  but 
someone  had  the  courage  to  place  a  plant  in  the 
open  air,  the  result  being  that  it  was  found 
to  thrive  to  perfection  under  this  treatment. 
In  our  case  the  plant  was  placed  in  a  bog  in  the 
open  air,  and  its  robustness  of  habit,  the  distinct 
marking  of  the  leaves,  and  its  dimensions  all 
denote  that  the  plant  is  quite  at  home.  It  dies 
down  in  winter,  and  seems  to  keep  better  through 
the  winter  when  entirely  submerged.  It  is  un- 
doubtedly one  of  the  most  striking  and  useful 
foliaged  bog  plants  in  cultivation.— K. 

Senecio  pulcher.— Let  me  do  this  fiower 
justice.  I  have  no  doubt  it  will  bloom  in  the  far 
south,  as  Mr.  Archer-Hind  states,  and  it  may  also 
bloom  in  Cumberland,  where  there  are  some 
abnormally  warm  spots,  as  the  crops  there  testify, 
but,  as  a  rule,  it  is  too  late  to  fiower  well  in  the 
north  or  in  cool  localities  in  the  midlands  whence 
I  write.  We  have  had  it  several  years,  and  it  has 
always  thrown  up  fiower-stems,  but  the  buds  have 
never  expanded.  At  present,  owing  to  the  favour- 
able season  we  have  had,  we  have  now  four  flowers 
out  and  over  five  dozen  buds  at  different  stages, 
which  I  do  not  expect  to  flower.  The  plants  are 
in  a  little  bed  by  themselves,  in  good  soil  and 
position.  After  all,  the  flowers  are  no  better  ( if  as 
goodl  than  good  single  Pyrethrums,  and  quite 
inferior  to  a  good  Chinese  Aster  as  regards  show 
or  effect.— S.  W. 

This  plant  is  thriving  very  well  with  me, 

or  rather  one  plant  out  of  two  which  I  possess. 
The  best  plant  has  three  flower-spikes  :  one  is  3  feet 
high  with  several  flowers  on  the  top ;  the  other  two 
spikes  are  not  so  high.  My  plants  do  not  get  any 
sun  after  3  p  m.,  and  the  plant  which  is  doing  so 
well  has  its  roots  shaded  by  a  specimen  of 
Physalis  Alkekengi.  The  other  stands  clear  with 
the  sun  shining  direct  on  the  soil  over  the  roots. 
I  know  of  no  other  reason  why  one  plant  should 
be  so  much  better  than  the  other.  They  were 
both  strong  and  healthy  when  planted  last 
September,  and  the  soil  for  both  is  the  same.— 
J.  C.  C. 

If  "  S.  W.'  retains  his  intention  of  throwing 

this  btautiful  and  vigorous  plant  into  the  waste 
heap,  I  trust  he  will  send  all  he  has  to  me.  I  will 
willingly  pay  the  carriage.— Salmoniceps. 


252 


THE    GARDEN 


[Sept.  20,    IS 84. 


FLORISTS'  FLOWERS  AT  HAWICK. 

Herb,  in  the  heart  of  the  Lowlands,  and  shel- 
tered from  winds,  Mr.  Forbes,  at  his  Lacoleuch 
Nurseries,  is  enabled  to  secure  a  luxuriance  and 
vigour  in  most  hardy  plants  which  is  frequently 
denied  to  cultivators  in  the  north  of  Scotland  or 
even  in  the  south  of  England,  the  one  being  too 
bleak  and  moist  and  the  other  hotter  and  drier 
than  is  suitable  for  the  successful  culture  of  many 
hardy  plants.  The  Waverley  route  from  Carlisle 
to  Edinburgh  is  alternately  climbing  high  hills 
and  winding  along  the  sides  of  richly  cultivated 
valleys  for  a  hundred  miles,  and  it  is  upon  the 
south-west  slope  of  one  of  these  valleys  that  this 
nursery  is  situated.  It  will  be  expected,  therefore, 
as  is  the  case,  that  specialities  are  made  of  hardy 
plants  suitable  for  all,  even  the  most  fastidious,  of 
flower  lovers,  Pansies,  Pentstemons,  Picotees,  Car- 
nations, Antirrhinums,  Hollyhocks,  Dahlias,  and 
Delphiniums  being  amongst  the  chief.  A  strain 
of  uncommon  show  and  fancy  Pansies  seems  to 
be  the  principal  feature  just  now.  One  bed  is  a 
perfect  mass  of  bloom,  being  50  yards  long  by 
20  yards,  and  another  40  yards  by  20  yards,  in 
which,  most  noteworthy  at  this  date,  are  Miss 
Fraser,  Miss  Baird,  Mrs.  Wightman,  Duchess,  Jlrs. 
Grant,  W.  Windle,  Wm.  Chaplin,  PjIuc  Gown, 
W.  B.  Hole,  Fair  Maid,  Lizzie  Stewart,  Miss 
Whitwell ;  these  are  of  indescribable  beauty.  A 
bed  of  Lobelia  cardinalis  next  one  of  Delphiniums 
is  very  effective.  Amongst  Phloxes  the  best  are 
Dr.  Hornby,  Hugh  11.  Smiley  (rosy  salmon),  Peer- 
less (white,  pink  eye),  Mrs.  Kerr,  W.  Kilgoud, 
Miss  Alice  Henderson,  and  Mrs.  Calder.  I  should 
imagine  that  there  is  nothing  in  the  country  to 
surpass  a  large  bed  of  Hollyhocks,  now  in  full 
beauty ;  they  range  up  to  'J  feet,  and  certainly 
average  7  feet  high.  They  are  simply  perfect  and 
without  disease,  with  clear  green  leaves  up  to  10 
inches  wide,  clothing  their  stems  from  ground  to 
summit.  Most  of  the  blooms  are  4  inches  and 
5  inches  in  diameter,  and  vary  in  colour  from  pure 
white,  lemon,  white  shaded  pink,  salmon,  light 
scarlet,  rose,  crimson  (like  a  large  A.  K.  Williams 
Rose),  deep  crimson,  Ficony-like  blooms  to  blackish 
purple.  Pentstemons  are  so  much  alike  after  one 
has  seen  a  dozen  types,  that,  like  Roses,  we  could 
do  with  two  or  three  of  their  names  bracketed 
together,  as  too  much  alike.  I,  however,  append 
the  names  of  a  few  particularly  fine  kinds  :  — 


Crimson,  white  thro.ated  varieties 
.Sorkt 


Deep  rOEO 


Bluish  purple    ,, 
Ke(lili.sh  mauve,. 
Whits,  piuk  edge.. 
Light  crimson 


Wm.  Robinson. 
Geo.   Ramsey, 

centric. 
Geo.  Wooil,  A.  R 

bertson. 
Wm.  Milligan. 
llr  Greenfield. 
Ed.  Tate. 
Walter  Ande'-son, 


Ec. 


Antirrhinums  are  almost  beyond  naming.  They 
are  here  in  beds  of  glorious  blooms,  yellow  with 
crimson  stripes  and  spots,  white  with  crimson 
stripes  and  lemon  lip,  deep  golden  with  crimson 
stripes  and  spots,  white  tube,  and  rich  crimson 
edges. 

Among;t  Carnations  (yellows  flaked  with  scar- 
let, crimson,  or  mauve),  the  following  are  the 
best :  Fancy  Queen,  Neptune,  Venus,  The  Fairy, 
Hero,  Cleopatra.  Guiding  Star  is  a  scarlet,  with- 
out tendency  to  bursting,  and  very  full:  Nemesis, 
a  white,  deeply  flaked  with  maroon;  Snowflake, 
pure  white,  very  double,  circular,  and  regular ; 
Ophir,  cream,  flaked  white  ;  Comet,  bright  scarlet, 
with  maroon  flake.  The  beauty  of  the  small  beds 
at  the  entrance  to  the  glass  houses  is  much  en- 
hanced by  a  large  mass  of  llyacinthus  candicans 
now  in  the  perfection  of  bloom.         U  A.  H.  G. 


The  origin  of  Orlnum  Powelll.— Your 

correspondent  "  S.  L."  asked  for  information  in  a 
recent  number  about  this  Crinum.  His  queries 
can  all  be  answered  by  referring  to  p.  43  of  E.  G. 
Henderson  and  Sons'  bulb  catalogue  of  1881,  for 
it  was  then  lirst  distributed  and  named  by  this 
firm  after  myself,  the  originator  of  this  hybiid. 
If,  however,  ycu  deem  its  origin  worthy  of  notice 


in  your  pages,  I  will  tell  yon  its  history,  and  will 
enclose  for  your  inspection  some  of  its  blooms, 
together  with  one  of  the  pollen-bearing  parents. 
The  seed  bearers  were  the  ordinary  and  hardy 
Crinum  capense,  both  the  rubrum  and  album 
varieties,  and  I  may  note  here  that  the  white 
variety  of  C.  Powelli  originated  from  the  former, 
there  being  only  two  of  them  in  the  batch  of 
seedlings,  whiht  the  higher  coloured  forms  came 
from  album.  Messrs.  Henderson  in  their  catalogue 
state  that  the  pollen  parent  is  Moorianum.  It 
is  certainly  the  same  Crinum  which  has  done  so 
well  at  Glasnevin,  where  it  has  flowered  outside 
for  many  years.  I  bought  it  from  the  late  Mr. 
Barrett,  of  St.  John's  Nurseries,  Bury  St.  Edmunds, 
where  I  resided  in  1,S74,  and  he  told  me  he  got  it 
from  a  gentleman  who  brought  it  from  the  Cape. 
When  I  took  a  bloom  of  it  to  the  Pine-apple 
Nursery,  Mr.  O'Brien  said  it  was  C.  conspicuum 
africanum,  and  that  Moorianum  had  originated 
from  it  at  Glasnevin  by  crossing  with  amabile, 
and  therefore  was  not  hard}-.  This  is  a  point  on 
which  I  should  wish  to  be  enlightened,  but  C. 
Powelli  does  not  bear  seed,  and  in  habit  and  shape 
of  bloom,  though  bearing  traces  of  both  its 
parents,  is  superior  to  them,  for  I  have  now  spikes 
3  feet  high  thrown  well  above  the  foliage,  which 
is  long  and  narrow  at  the  ends  like  capense,  but 
much  taller  and  stiffer,  not  being  so  easily  broken 
and  torn  by  wind,  as  is  the  broader  foliage  of  the 
pollen  plant.  To  prove  that  this  Crinum  is  both 
hardy  and  easy  to  grow,  I  may  state  I  sowed  the 
seeds  in  1874  in  a  greenhouse.  They  were  put 
out-of-doors  the  following  summer,  and  remained 
without  any  protection,  except  a  slight  mulching, 
till  October,  1880,  when  I  sent  Messrs.  Henderson 
two  sugir  barrels  full  of  bulbs,  each  of  which 
required  four  men  to  lift. — C.  B.  Powell. 

Lobelia  fulgens  'Victoria.— What  a  strik- 
ing bed  this  plant  makes  early  in  autumn  !  I 
have  now  a  round  bed  1]  feet  across,  4  feet  of 
which  in  the  centre  is  filled  with  this  Lobelia; 
next  it  there  i.«  a  ring  one  row  wide  of  Centaurea 
ragusina  comf  acta  and  an  edging  of  Golden 
Feather.  Even  before  the  plants  came  into  flower 
the  dark  bronzy  foliage  formed  a  striking  contrast 
with  the  white  and  yellow,  but  now  they  are  in 
flower  the  effect  is  greatly  heightened.  When 
bedded  out  this  plant  does  not  fill  up  like  some 
others,  or,  in  other  words,  an  individual  plant  does 
not  cover  much  more  space  when  it  is  in  flower 
than  when  it  was  first  planted  ;  for  that  reason  it 
requires  to  be  planted  pretty  close  together  to  be 
effective.  We  increase  our  stock  'oy  dividing  the 
old  stools  early  in  spring.  As  soon  as  the  plants 
go  out  of  flower  they  will  betaken  up— the  flower- 
stems  having  been  cut  off  previousl}- — and  planted 
in  boxes  or  laid  on  the  floor  of  a  late  Peach  house, 
where  they  will  remain  until  early  next  April. 
They  will  then  be  again  planted  where  they 
are  to  flower ;  the  roots  may  also  be  kept  in 
a  pit  or  frame.  All  that  they  require  during 
winter  is  excluding  excessive  damp  or  severe 
frost. — J.  C.   C. 


SHORT  NOTES.— FLOWEB. 


Yucca  gr.^ndiflora  — Dr.  Harris,  writing  from  Treng- 
weatli,  Kfiiruth,  says  that  he  has  a  very  fine  specimen  of 
Yucca  under  this  name  now  in  flower  in 'his  garden.  Tlie 
spilve  is  5  feet  in  heiglit  and  unite  OTect.  It  is  presumably 
a  variety  or  perhaps  a  synonym  of  Y.  gloriosa. 

Felargonlum  Henri  Jacoby.-  This  without  doubt 
is  the  best  of  all  the  ciiniEon  zonals  for  bedding.  It  is 
dwarf  in  habit,  yet  sufficiently  vigorous  to  cover  a  fair 
amount  of  space.  The  trusses  ijf  flowers  are  also  lii^ge  and 
freely  produced.  Taken  altogether,  it  is  a  most  ellective 
variety,  and  those  «  ho  have  not  grown  it  in  pots  for  winter 
flowering  may  bo  sa'ely  advised  to  do  so.  It  is  not  sur- 
passed by  any  tliat  are  recommended  for  that  purpose.— 

Large  v.  small  single  Dahlias.- Thers  can,  I  think, 
be  but  one  opinion  as  regards  small  single  Dahlias  being 
better  than  large  ones.  The  small  flowers  are  the  best  in 
form,  and  the  dirterence  between  the  two  in  appearance  is 
so  striking,  that  when  small  flowers  and  large  ones  have 
been  exhibited  together,  the  large  ones  have  been  passed  over 
and  the  prize",  very  properly,  I  think,  been  awarded  to 
small  flowers.  Even  White  l.Kieen  looks  coarse  aod  poor 
compared  with  small  circular  flowers  witli  flit  petals.— 
J.  C.  f.  " 


EAGLEHURST  CASTLE. 
This  occupies  one  of  those  favoured  spots  in  South 
Hants  on  which  Nature's  charms  have  been  be- 
stowed with  no  sparing  hand.  It  stands  on  a  con- 
siderable elevation,  embowered  amongst  foliage, 
and  yet  possessing  a  magnificent  sea  view.  Exactly 
opposite  are  the  Isle  of  Wight  and  Cowes  harbour, 
while  during  summer  and  autumn  the  sparkling 
waters  of  the  Solent  are  covered  with  innumerable 
yachts,  the  Royal  Yacht  squadron  making  it  their 
rendezvous.  But  it  is  the  gardens  that  surround  this 
interesting  old  castle  to  which  we  must  confine 
our  observations.  A  fine  old  tower  that  stands 
quite  detached  from  the  present  mansion,  and 
which  is  probably  the  relic  of  a  more  ancient 
structure,  is  covered  at  the  base  with  noble  old 
Ivy  plants  that  have  bravely  withstood  the  violent 
gales  of  wind  to  which  they  are  exposed.  The 
mansion  itself  is  covered  with  climbers,  and  fra- 
grant shrubs  luxuriate  against  its  sunny  walls. 
Amongst  the  latter  are  Myrtles  now  covered  with 
blossom.  Sweet  Bays,  Magnolias,  Roses,  Clematises, 
Jessamines,  and  many  half  hardy  plants  usually 
seen  under  glass,  but  which  in  this  locality  sel- 
dom suffer  from  frost.  Camellias  grow  freely  here, 
.and  outside  in  a  sheltered  nook  I  noted  a  beauti- 
ful bush  of  the  double  pink  Oleander  that  stood 
out  last  winter  without  any  protection,  and  which 
is  now  covered  with  blossom.  Climbers  are  here 
allowed  to  grow  in  their  own  natural  style,  only 
just  sufficient  pruning  and  training  being  given  to 
keep  them  to  the  walls,  and  thus  managed  they 
are  far  more  effective  than  when  pruned  and 
trained  as  creepers  usually  are.  The  long  shoots 
of  the  previous  year's  growth  were  complete 
wreaths  of  blossoms,  even  kinds  that  under  close 
pruning  seldom  produce  anything  but  leaves. 

The  flower  garden  in  front  of  the  mansion 
was  well  filled  with  bedding  plants,  consisting  of 
large  masses  of  Heliotropes,  Pelargoniums,  Ver- 
benas, and  other  beddirg  plants,  the  old  Cal- 
ceolaria amplexicaulis  being  the  only  Calceolaria 
that  succeeds  here.  Lobelias  raised  from  a 
selected  stock  of  speciosa  formed  dense  masses  of 
blue  ;  they  were  sown  in  autumn  in  boxes  and  kept 
in  cold  pits  during  the  winter.  Amongst  hardy 
plants  which  are  largely  cultivated  here  for 
supplying  cut  flowers,  autumn  Anemones  in  large 
masses  made  a  fine  display,  and  Phloxes,  Larkspurs, 
and  a  great  variety  of  free-flowering  plants  filled 
several  long  borders.  Violets  are  grown  here  in 
large  quantities  on  shaded  borders.  Single  crowns 
transplanted  in  April  and  kept  free  from  all 
runners  and  well  supplied  with  water  during 
summer  never  fail  to  yield  an  abundant  supply 
during  winter  and  spring  ;  a  seedling  blue  kind  is 
largely  grown,  as  it  flowers  continuously  for  many 
weeks. 

The  trees  that  thiive  best  here  are  the  Ever- 
green Oak,  of  which  some  very  fine  specimens 
grow  on  the  lawn  with  branches  resting  on  the 
Grass.  The  Evergreen  Oak  is  invaluable  for  sea- 
side places  where  Conifers,  except  those  of  the 
hardiest  kinds,  fail  to  attain  anything  like  the 
proportions  which  they  do  in  sheltered  inland 
gardens.  A  fine  specimen  of  Eucalyptus  globulus 
here  begins  to  show  its  true  character,  the  leaves 
being  hard  and  leathery,  and  altogether  difterent 
from  those  of  young  trees. 

Under  glass  was  a  fine  crop  of  Grapes  in  a 
large  house  that  has  served  as  vinery  and  conser- 
vatory for  nearly  a  century,  the  stems  of  the  old 
Vines  planted  outside  and  brought  through  the 
wall  attesting  their  antiquity.  Yet  although  only 
in  a  narrow  border  of  prepared  soil,  these  Vines 
finish  off  grand  crops  of  Grapes;  the  roots  run 
freely  into  the  lawn  and  flower  beds  in  front,  and 
have  doubtless  long  since  spread  in  all  directions, 
thus  showing  that  Vines  will  remain  healthy  and 
vigorous  for  an  indefinite  period  in  the  natural 
soil,  provided  they  can  get  an  unlimited  root-run. 
Tomatoes  in  pots  were  especially  fine,  the  old 
smooth  red  being  as  good  as  any  of  the  new  sorts, 
and  in  a  house  devoted  to  Melons  and  Cucumbers 
the  Jlelons  were  carrying  some  fine  fruit,  making 
the  third  crop  from  the  same  plants  this  season. 
Plants  suitable  for  indoor  decoration  consist  of 
Ferns,  Palms,  Dracicnas,  and  other  fine-foliaged 


Sept.  20,  1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


253 


subjects,  the  whole  being  entwined  by  fine  masses 
of  Achimenes,  Vallotas,  and  other  autumnal 
flowering  plants.  Coming  on  for  a  late  display,  too, 
was  a  fine  lot  of  Chrysanthemums  grown  as 
standards ;  they  are  plunged  in  ashes  and  secured 
to  stout  wires,  and  promise  to  make  a  fine  dis- 
play. 

On  the  walls,  ancient  though  they  are,  some 
of  the  finest  specimens  of  open-air  Fig  trees  in  the 
kingdom  may  be  seen  here ;  a  Brown  Turkey 
covers  an  enormous  space,  and  is  loaded  from 
base  to  summit  with  fine  fruit.  The  mode  of 
pruning  is  to  cut  out  any  long  branches  entirely 
that  are  getting  bare  and  straggling  and 
to  lay  in  short-jointed  wood;  it  the  shoots 
are  pinched  in  summer  very  little  fruit  is  obtained, 
bat  if  allowed  to  grow  unchecked,  from  four  to 
six  fine  fruits  that  ripen  in  succession  through 
August  and  September  are  obtained  from  each 
terminal  growth.  Far  more  gigantic  in  propor- 
tion, however,  is  a  pair  of  the  true  White  Mar- 
seilles Fig,  which,  owing  to  neglect  of  training, 
has  long  since  left  the  wall  and  grown  out  into 
wide-spreading  standards,  the  strongest  branches 
towering  up  in  the  air,  and  those  of  weaker  growth 
spreading  out  on  to  the  border,  which,  alhough 
12  feet  wide,  they  entirely  cover,  and  have  to  be 
annually  cut  back  to  keep  them  off  the  walk.  A 
few  years  since  it  was  decided  to  erect  a  substan- 
tial support,  consisting  of  posts  and  cross-bearers 
8  feet  high,  and  allow  these  Figs  to  extend  over 
the  walk.  This  trellis  they  have  now  entirely 
covered  and  hang  down,  forming  a  leafy  bower 
furnished  with  fine  luscious  fruits.  A  trellis 
covered  with  hardy  "Vines  screens  the  kitchen  gar- 
den, and  hardy  Ferns  are  planted  around  their 
stems  and  the  buttresses  of  the  wall. 

PEAliS  ON  WALLS  have  been  a  good  crop  here 
this  season,  though  not  up  to  the  average.  The 
best  were  Williams'  Bon  Chretien,  Marie  Louise, 
Easter  Beurrc,  Winter  Nelis,  and  other  good  old 
kinds.  Newer  sorts  are  well  represented  by  young 
bush  trees  that  are  making  fine  growth,  but  thinly 
fruited  this  year.  A  fine  tree  of  that  useful 
culinary  Pear,  Catillac,  was  well  covered  with 
very  fine  fruit.  This  is  a  useful  kind  in  spring 
when  culinary  fruit  is  at  its  lowest  ebb. 

Peaches  and  Nectarines  on  walls  have  been 
a  fine  crop,  and  young  trees  planted  four  years 
ago  have  entirely  covered  the  wall  from  base  to 
summit  with  good  bearing  wood.  Early  Louise 
ripens  here  in  July,  and  by  having  a  good  selec- 
tion of  kinds  that  ripen  in  succession,  a  long 
Peach  and  Nectarine  season  is  the  result.  Plums 
are  a  thin  crop  both  on  walls,  standards,  and 
bush  trees. 

Apples  are  a  good  crop,  although  the  tips  of 
the  young  wood  on  many  of  the  oldest  trees  die 
back.  Numbers  of  the  best  varieties  have, 
however,  lately  been  planted  on  Paradise  stocks  ; 
they  are  allowed  to  grow  into  natural-shaped 
bushes,  and  these  are  carrying  fine  fruits, 
notably  Warner's  King,  Alfriston,  Stirling  C'astle, 
Cellini,  Lord  Sufiield,  Keswick  Cjdlin,  Manks 
Codlin,  and  Dumelow's  Seedling.  Amongst 
dessert  sorts.  Cox's  Orange  Pippin,  Ribston,  Mar- 
gil.  Golden  Pippin,  and  Sturmer  Pippin  are  the 
most  noticeable.  "The  old  trees  here  were  at  one 
time  nearly  all  close  spurred,  but  during  the  past 
few  years  they  have  been  allowed  to  extend,  and 
the  trees  are  far  more  vigorous,  and  carry  more 
regular  crops  than  they  did  under  the  hard  prun- 
ing system.  Home  kinds  are  especially  benefited 
by  extension,  while  others  are  fruitful  under  any 
conditions. 

The  kitchen  garden  is  a  walled  en- 
closure of  considerable  extent.  During  the 
greater  part  of  the  year  large  quantities  of 
vegetables  and  salading  are  required.  The  past 
summer  has  been  an  exceptionally  dry  and 
hot  one,  and  the  soil  on  this  part  of  the  south 
coast  being  of  a  light  nature,  at  is  only  by  deep 
cultivation,  liberal  dressings  of  manure,  and 
copious  waterings  that  such  luxuriant  crops  as 
may  here  be  seen  can  be  produced.  Mr.  Watson, 
from  ten  years'  experience  of  this  part,  has  wisely 
adopted  the  plan  of  growing  most  of  his  moisture- 


loving  crops  in  trenches,  making  them  wide  at 
the  top,  so  that  by  giving  plenty  of  manure  under 
the  roots  and  a  little  as  a  mulching,  the  active 
fibres  are  kept  cool  and  moist.  Runner  Beans 
treated  in  this  way  were  weighted  down  with  fine 
pods,  and  Celery  and  other  crops  looked  as  if  they 
had  been  subjected  to  a  dripping  season  instead 
of  a  dry  one.  Salading,  too,  that  under  ordinary 
culture  has  been  well-nigh  dried  up,  was  here  fine, 
crisp,  and  abundant.  Brussels  Sprouts  were  espe- 
cially strong,  and  I  was  informed  that  they  are 
always  planted  after  winter  Spinach  without  any 
digging  of  the  soil,  as  the  harder  it  is  the  firmer 
the  Sprouts  are.  Cauliflowers,  whether  small  or 
large,  in  seasons  like  the  past  go  off  just  before 
they  are  fit  for  use  with  the  disease  known  as 
clubbing,  the  result  of  grubs  attacking  the  roots. 
Peas  only  do  well  here  on  freshly  trenched  soil. 
Asparagus  and  Seakale  grow  with  great  luxuriance, 
not  only  as  cultivated  garden  crops,  but  also  in  a 
wild  state  on  the  shore,  the  shingle  just  above 
high-water  mark  being  covered  with  gigantic 
tufts  of  Seakale,  that  in  spring  produce  the  finest 
of  blanched  Kale  by  simply  heaping  loose  shingle 
over  the  crowns  about  1  foot  deep;  as  soon  as  it 
pushes  through  the  shingle  it  is  fit  to  cut,  and  the 
heads  are  as  solid  as  a  stick  of  Celery.  This  kind 
of  Kale  is  sold  in  Southampton  at  about  6d.  per 
pound.  I  also  observed  here  some  of  the  finest  of 
our  wild  native  fruit,  the  Blackberry,  for  which 
South  Hants  is  noted,  growing  right  down  to  the 
water's  edge.  It  is  indeed  singular  that  no  at- 
tempt is  made  to  cultivate  this  useful  fruit,  seeing 
that  in  this  part  it  sells  readily  at  from  Id.  to  6d. 
per  quart ;  moreover,  we  never  get  Brambles  killed 
by  frost  in  winter,  and  they  grow  freely  on  land 
on  which  very  little  else  will  succeed. 

Gos^iort,  Uants.  jAMES  GROOM. 


NOTES. 


well-made  scot  water  is  a  matter  of  fact.  If  you 
merely  make  a  mixture  of  soot  and  water,  you 
have  a  crude  and  dirty  thing  to  deal  with,  and 
the  right  way  is  to  put  a  bushel  of  soot  into  a 
well-made  canvas  bag,  into  which  a  heavy  piece 
of  old  iron  has  previously  been  thrown  as  a  sinker; 
then  tie  up  the  bag  tightly  and  throw  it  into  a 
tank  or  large  butt  of  pure  rain  or  river  water. 
None  of  the  crude  carbon  makes  its  escape,  but 
you  have  all  the  ammonia  and  other  essential 
component  parts  of  the  soot,  which  are  really 
solnDle,  and  either  for  syringing  or  watering  it 
is  of  the  utmost  value.  Excepting  Orchids,  I 
know  of  no  plants  that  object  to  soot  water  so 
made.  Eucharis,  I'ancratiums,  Vallota,  and  Ama- 
ryllis revel  in  it,  and  plants  syringed  with  it  are 
rarely  troubled  by  insect  pests.  VekomicA. 


Books. 


Autumn  days. — How  delicious  are  these 
sunny  autumn  days  with  their  autumn  light  and 
subtle  combination  of  tropic  warmth  wedded  to  a 
fresh  chilliness  easily  felt,  but  not  easy  to 
describe.  I  can  scent  the  luscious  ripe  Figs  on  the 
warm  walls,  and  the  big  Pears  are  golden  against 
a  clear  blue  sky,  and  here  and  there,  for  the  crop 
is  by  no  means  general,  the  Plums  and  the  Apples 
are  almost  too  heavy  for  the  branches  to  bear. 
There  is  a  rustle  of  fallen  leaves ;  the  great 
Wistaria  is  changing  to  golden,  the  Virginian 
Creeper  to  a  ruddy  glow,  and  from  it  the  great 
Sunflowers  stand  out,  seeming  even  more  golden 
than  they  really  are.  Already  the  robin  isbecoming 
sociable,  and  either  follows  the  spade  for  a  meal, 
or  he  warbles  a  sweet  little  song  quite  near  to 
one.  A  few  sprays  of  purple  Clematis  wedded  to 
the  white  Virgin's  Bower  is  a  picture  just  now, 
and  a  thousand  golden  Daisy  flowers  sway  and 
glitter  in  the  mellow  sunlight.  Then  come  the 
nights  of  cool  white  mist,  for  already  the  harvest 
moon  has  hung  her  lamp  on  high. 

Ornamental  Vines. — At  Chiswick  in  the 
good  old  times  one  of  the  prettiest  autumnal 
features  of  the  place  was  produced  by  the  different 
kinds  of  hardy  Grape  Vines.  These  were  Vitis 
vulpina,  V.  labrusca,  and  some  others  which  grace- 
fully draped  and  festooned  some  ornamental 
chains  and  ironwork  near  the  council  room,  and 
when  their  leaves  became  crimson  stained  and 
yellow  hued  in  October  the  sight  was  more  sug- 
gestive of  sunny  Italy  than  of  cloudy  England.  In 
warm  and  sheltered  positions,  especially  on  lime- 
stone soils,  some  very  pretty  Effects  might  be 
made  by  wreathing  old  tree  trunks  and  terrace 
walls  with  some  of  the  finest  of  the  ornamental 
Vines.  Vitis  amurensis,  V.  purpurea,  V.  riparia,  and 
V.  vulpina  amongst  others  might  be  planted  for 
their  leaves,  and  in  the  south  especially  they 
would  luxuriate  to  perfection.  The  turquoise- 
berried  Vine  (Vitis  humulifolia)  is  very  hand- 
some in  favoured  positions  near  the  sea  when 
covered  with  its  pretty  clusters  of  blue  berries  late 
in  autumn. 

Eoot  water  is  not  a  very  poetical  heading, 
bat  that  there  is  a  good  deal  of  practical  utility  in 


DISEASES  OF  FIELD  AND  GARDEN  CROPS. 
Few,  if  any,  organisms  either  in  the  animal  or 
vegetable  kingdoms  are  less  understood  than  the 
microscopic  fungi,  yet  none  are  more  omnipresent 
in  some  form  or  another.     Place  suitable  condi- 
tions  for  their  growth  anywhere  you  like,  and 
unless  special   care  has  been  taken  to  exclude 
them  by  filtering  or  in  some  other  way  sterilising 
the   air,   spores  of  some  species  will  germinate 
there  and  produce  a  fungoid  growth.    The  charac- 
ters and  life  history  of  these  minute  plants  are, 
however,  much  better  understood  now  than  they 
were  a  few  years  ago,  and    though  the    Potato 
disease  has  been  the  cause  of  much  pecuniary  loss 
in  this  country,  it  has  in  one  way  been  beneficial, 
for  it  has  directed  the  attention  of  botanists  very 
forcibly  to  the  study  of  other  parasitic  fungi  which 
injure  our  various  crops,  though  to  a  less  extent. 
Under  the  title  of  the  heading  of  this  article  Mr. 
Worthington  G.  Smith*  has  written  a  very  valu- 
able little  book,   in  which  he  gives  a  most  in- 
teresting account  of  various  fungi  which  are  para- 
sitic on  our  crops.     Exceedingly  good  figures  are 
given  of  each  species  in  its  various  stages  of 
growth  ;  under  each  figure  is  given  the  number  of 
times  it  is  drawn  larger  than  nature,  and  at  the  end 
of  each  chapter  is  stated  the  best  known  means 
for    destroying    or    exterminating    the    parasite 
described.     Every  agriculturist  or   horticulturist 
wlio  wishes  to  understand  the  nature  of  these 
parasites  on  his  crops  and  the  best  methods  of 
dealing  with  them  cannot  do  better  than  obtain 
this  work.   The  author  in  the  introductory  chapter 
says,     "  In     preparing     the     following     pages 
we    have   endeavoured    to     keep    three    objects 
clearly  in  view.     First,  the  description   only  of 
such    diseases  as    are   of   economic    importance. 
Second,  the  definition  of  all  the  phenomena  of  the 
diseases  in  familiar  words,  such  is   with  proper 
attention    may    be    understood     by    all ;     this 
has    been    done    without    sacrificing    scientific 
accuracy,    as    all    botanical    terms  in   common 
use    are    adverted    to    and    explained.     Third, 
the  consideration  of   the    best    means    of  pre- 
venting   the    attacks   of     plant    diseases."      We 
cannot  think  that  however  well  he  has  carried 
out  his  first  and  third  objects,  he  has  succeeded  in 
his  second.     Many  of  the  terms  used  must  be  very 
far  from  familiar  to  those  who  have  not  hitherto 
given  this  subject  their  attention,  and  though  the 
first  time  a  scientific  term  is  used  its  meaning  is 
very   clearly  explained,  yet  the  reader  may  be 
puzzled  by  it  when  it  is  met  with  further  on  (and 
unfortunately  there  is  no  glossary  to  turn  to).  It  is 
not  everyone  who  can  always  remember,  having  only 
once  met  with  them,  the  meaning  of  such  words  as 
oogonium,oospore,oosphere,zoospore,conidiophore, 
conidium,  sclerotium,  teleutosphore,  perithecium, 
and  many   others.      It   is   very  difficult   without 
making  descriptions  verbose  to  avoid  the  use  of 
scientific  terms,  but  at  any  rate  a  glossary  might 
have  been  added,  as  is  commonly  done  in  works  of 
this  description,  so  that  if  the  meaning  of  a  term  is 
forgotten,  it  may  be  easily  found.      In  the  index 


•  "  Diseases  of  Field  and  Garden  Crops,"  by  Woithiugtou 
G.  Smith.    Macmillan  &  Co. 


254 


THE    GARDEN 


[Seit.  20,  1884. 


reference  is  made  to  the  pages  on  which  the  word 
is  explained,  but  this  is  a  very    tiresome   way 
of    obtaining   the    information.     The   value    of 
the  book    to    unscientific   readers,   as    so  many 
practical    cultivators    of   plants    are,    would   be 
greatly      enhanced    by    the     addition     of     such 
assistance  as   we  have  indicated.     The  preface 
states  that "  these  noteson  the  diseases  of  field  and 
garden  crops  are  reports  of  addresses  given  at  the 
requestoftheofficersofthelnstituteof  Agriculture,' 
and  "  that  in  the  lecture  room  the  simpler  subjects 
were  taken  first.     This  arrangement  has  been  ad- 
hered to  in  the  present  work."  This  is  all  very  well 
from  an  educational  point  of  view,  but  from  that 
of  a  cultivator  of  plants  wishing  to  know  by  what 
fungus  his  plant  is  attacked,  or  by  a  botanist 
wanting  to  study  the  diiferences  between  various 
species  of  the  same  genus,  this  arrangement  is  in- 
convenient; one  in  which  the  species  described 
were  placed  according  to  their  natural  affinities 
would  be  much  better.  All  the  diseases  mentioned 
except  three,  are  caused  by  fungi ;  the  exceptions 
are  scab  and  cracking  in  Potatoes,  supposed  to  te 
caused  by  some  unsuitable  substance  in  the  soil, 
such  as   lime  rubbish,  builder's  refuse,   kc. ;    ear 
cockle  in  corn  produced  by  a  minute  worm  (Tylen- 
chus  triticii),  and  the  Dodder,  a  well-known  para- 
sitic plant  on  Clover  and  other  plants.    The  author 
has,  however,  omitted  any  reference  to  the  Bean- 
brand  (Trichobasis  faba-),  which  is  very  common 
on  Broad  Beans  at  times   both  in   fields  and  gar- 
dens ;  it  appears  like  a  red  rust  on  the  leaves.  When 
Beans  are  badly  attacked  they  are  almost  useless. 
The  Mangold  brand  (Trichobasis  beta-),  which  in- 
fests Mangolds  in  the  same  manner,  is  also  not 
alluded  to.     When  a  crop  is  attacked  by  any  fun- 
gus i,est,  a  careful  study  should  be  made  of  all  the 
conditions  in  which  it  is  growing,  so  as,  if  possible, 
to  determine  how  the  foe  may  be  best  di^com- 
tited.     In  the    introduction   the   author   writes- 
"We  clearly  know  the  nature  of  some  diseases  of 
plants,  but  as  regards  the   treatment  of  plants 
when   invaded  by  parasites,  which  are  too  often 
the    sole    cause    of    the   disease,    we   frequently 
know  nothing,  as  nearly  every  known  disease  of 
the  animal  kingdom  is  susceptible  of  preventive 
pa  liative,  or  curative  treatment ;  it  is  only  reason- 
able to  assume  that  the  diseases  peculiar  to  the 
vegetable  kingdom  are  also  susceptible  of  similar 
management."     "Xo  sane,  healthy  person  would 
remain  in  a  place  tainted  with  the  conta<.icn  of 
dead  and  diseased  animals,  and   it  is  equally  un- 
safe  to   place    sound    plants,    tubers,    or    seeds 
amongst    dead    or    diseased    vegetable    refuse" 
Every  care,  therefore,  should  be  taken  to  destroy 
by  burning,  the  refuse  of  any  crops  which  have 
been  attacked  by  a  parasite.     If  the  rubbish  be 
made  into  a  heap,  or  thrown  upon  a  manure  heap 
to  make  a  compost  for  dressing  land  with    the 
spores  of  most  fungi,  as  the  reader  of  this  book 
will  learn,  will  not  be  destroyed,  but  will  remain 
sometimes  for  months  alive,  and  ready  as  soon  as 
a  favourable  opportunity  presents  itself  to  germi- 
nate, so  that  nothing  can  be  more  foolish  than 
SJWiug  them  hidden  amongst  a  dressing  over  our 
lind,  as  is  so  commonly  done.     A  proper  rotation 
of    crops  IS  no  doubt   a  most  efficient  way   of 
checking  the  increase  of  these  parasites,  for  the 
soil  after  bearing  an  infected  crop  is  sure  to  con- 
tim  numberless  spores,  which  would  at  once  ger- 
'TiinRte  on  the  next  crop  if  it  were  of  the  same 
kind  ;  and  one  might  almost  as  soon  expect  a  child 
dressed  in  clothes  taken  straight  from  a  scarlet 
f  jver  or  small-pox  patient  to  remain  healthy  as  to 
expect  to  grow  a  healthy  crop  on  soil  impregnated 
with  a  parasite  which  will  live  on   it.     The   life 
history  of  these  fungi  is  most  interesting,   not- 
withstanding their  minuteness  and  simplicity  of 
structure.     The  variety  of  their  forms  and  appear- 
ance  in    their   various    stages   is    most    remark- 
able;  take,   for  instance,  the   well-known   ergot 
ot    Kye     The   dark   horn-like   ergots   are    com- 
posed of   a  very  compact  mass    of   cells.     These 
ergots,    early   the    summer   after    they   are   pio- 
duced,    germinate    and     bear    several     slender, 
n Ch"!^      ,'•  T:''  •'-"'■''■o«°ted  by  a  round  pur- 
plish head     In  this  state  it  is  known  as  a  cU- 

tuZs  ^rt'^'f-"'   ^^   ^""^''^^^^'^    a   distinct 
lungos.    The  exterior  portion  of  this  head  is  com- 


posed of  a  layer  of  cells,  each  with  a  small  mouth 
opening  outwards.  Within  this  cell  are  a  number 
of  very  delicate  long  bladders,  each  containing 
eight  loDg  thread-like  spores.  These  spores  are 
in  due  time  expelled  into  the  air  and  wafted  about 
in  all  directions ;  when  one  of  these  fall  on  to  the 
Hower  of  a  Grass  or  Eje,  it  bursts  and  forms  a 
minute  drop  of  "glittering  vital  material.'  This 
drop  soon  increases  in  size  and  becomes  traversed 
with  numerous  fine  threads  ;  this  is  the  beginning 
of  the  ergot.  This  growth  increases,  and  attaches 
itself  to  the  pistil,  which  it  eventually  displaces. 
As  it  grows  it  becomes  deeply  furrowed  and  honey- 
combed and  its  base  grows  harder.  The  viscid  por- 
tion of  the  half-grown  ergot  produces  spores,  which 
will  germinate  and  produce  ergots  just  in  the 
same  manner  as  the  long  thread-like  spores  just 
mentioned  do.  When  the  ergot_becomes  mature, 
this  upper,  less  compact  growth  collapses  and 
falls  away. 

The  transformations  of  most  of  these  little  fungi 
are  equally  interesting;  that  of  the  Potato  disease 
particularly  so.  A  certain  minute  fungus  is  para- 
sitic on  the  Truflie.  In  one  of  its  various  forms  it 
attaches  itself  to  Moss  ;  when  this  is  the  case  there 
are  sure  to  be  Truffles  underground  close  by. 
Botanists  who  know  this  fungus  look  for  it  when 
they  want  to  find  TrulHes.  It  is  an  undecided 
question  at  present,  and  one  that  is  often  raised, 
whether  the  Barberry  blight  and  the  corn  mildew 
are  diflferent  species  or  only  different  forms  of  the 
same.  Many  botanists  and  others  hold  one  view ; 
many  the  other.  The  author  enters  very  fully 
into  this  subject,  giving  the  opinions  expressed  by 
various  authorities  on  both  sides.  He  himself  is 
of  opinion  that  the  two  fungi  are  distinct,  and 
that  the  I'.arberry  blight  will  not  germinate  on 
Wheat  and  produce  corn  mildew,  and  we  are  of  his 
opinion.  Various  experiments  have  been  made  to 
try  and  settle  this  question,  but  they  have  not 
been  altogether  satisfactory.  Wheat  plants  have 
been  infected  with  Barberry  blight,  and  corn  mil- 
dew ha?  subsequently  attacked  the  plants,  but 
that  is  no  proof  that  the  mildew  was  produced 
from  the  blight  spores,  and  though  the  latter  have 
been  seen  to  germinate  on  Wheat,  they  may  be 
made  to  do  so  on  many  moist  surfaces.  The  Bar- 
berry blight  goes  through  its  natural  changes  on 
the  Barberry  leaves,  at  last  attaining  its  perfect 
or  sexual  form,  and  the  corn  mildew  does  the  same. 
It  would  be  very  remarkable  if  thesameorganism  to 
complete  the  cycle  of  its  changes  had  twice  to  at- 
tain the  sexual  form.  If  it  be  so,  there  is  no  known 
analogy  to  it  either  in  the  animal  or  vegetable 
kingdoms.  The  gall  flies  require  two  generations 
to  complete  their  transformations,  but  the  inter- 
mediate generations  consist  only  of  individuals 
capable  of  laying  eggs,  so  there  are  no  males. 
Thus  there  is  a  generation  consisting  of  males  and 
females  ;  the  latter  lay  eggs,  which  produce  grubs, 
which  become  chrysalides,  from  which  come  only 
individuals  which  lay  eggs  and  no  males.  The 
grubs  from  these  eggs  become  chrysalides  which 
produce  males  and  females.  In  the  fungi  in  ques- 
tion both  generations  are  perfect,  and  each  will 
continue  to  produce  a  generation  similar  to  itself, 
at  any  rate  when  on  the  same  kind  of  plant. 
Another  question  of  much  importance  which  is 
still  open  is  whether  the  Potato  disease  spreads 
down  the  stems  from  the  leaves  to  the  tubers,  or 
whether  the  spores  are  washed  from  the  leaves 
through  the  soil  to  the  tubers.  Mr.  .lensen,  of 
Copenhagen,  holding  the  latter  view,  advocates 
earthing  up  the  Potatoes  so  that  the  spores  will  be 
caught  in  the  soil  before  they  reach  the  tubers 
and  laying  the  haulm  over  on  one  side  so  that  the 
spores  may  be  washed  on  to  the  space  between 
the  rows.  The  author  sajs,  "  We  consider  the  im- 
munity from  disease  of  earthed-up  Potatoes  with 
bent  haulms  is  less  owing  to  the  power  possessed 
by  the  earth  of  filtering  the  fungus  spores,  and  so 
preventing  them  from  reaching  the  tuber,  than  to 
the  effect  of  the  earth  in  keeping  the  tubers  whole 
and  sound  "  We  cannot  here  l.o  into  the  question, 
but  warmly  recommend  those  interested  in  the 
matter  (and  they  are  by  no  means  few)  to  read 
the  chapter  on  Potato  disease  for  themselves.  In 
reading  this  book  we  made  notes  of  matters  of  in. 
terest  which  we  cannot  now  allude  to. --(3.  S.  S, 


Garden   Flora. 


PLATE  458. 
EFtlGEKON  ADEANTIACUS.* 
To  Dr.  Kegel,  of  St.  Petersburg,  our  gardens  are 
indebted  for  this  beautiful  orange-flowered  Eri- 
gerou,  besides  a  multitude  ot  other  hardy  peren- 
nials, which  through  him  have  been  introduced  to 
cultivation  from  that  hitherto  unexplored  region, 
Turkestan.  From  that  quarter  Dr.  Kegel  has 
secured  for  our  gardens  a  host  of  species  of  such 
genera  as  Tulipa,  Fritillaria,  and  Allium,  many  of 
which  are  of  considerable  garden  value. 

Ehigeeon  aurantiacus  comes  from  the 
higher  mountain  region  of  Turkestan.  It  is  so 
well  represented  in  the  accompanying  plate,  that 
there  is  no  need  to  describe  it.  It  is  certainly  one 
of  the  most  promising  additions  to  the  large 
order  Compositfe  made  within  recent  years,  the 
nearest  approach  to  it  in  colour  being  the 
beautiful  Hieracium  aurantiacum.  Of  peculiar 
and  rare  merit  as  a  subject  for  hybridisa- 
tion, it  possesses  apparently  the  power  to  form 
quite  a  new  race  of  garden  flowers  if  properly 
worked  upon,  the  colour  of  the  flowers  being  eg 
dissimiliar  to  that  of  any  of  its  congeners;  for 
the  value  of  its  flowers  alone  it  is  already  engaging 
the  attention  of  market  growers,  and  that  circum 
stance  may  invariably  be  taken  as  acriterion  both 
as  to  the  usefulness  of  a  plant  and  to  its  being 
of  easy  culture.  As  it  proves  perfectly  hardy  out 
of  doors,  it  will  in  all  probability  before  long 
become  a  general  favourite,  and  that  notwith- 
standing the  fact  that  it  has  the  reputation 
already  of  being  difficult  to  grow.  It  is  especially 
adapted  for  the  rockery,  where,  however,  it  should 
always  be  planted  in  groups  or  patches,  so  as  to 
render  it  most  effective.  In  dry  semi-shady  places 
on  sloping  banks  near  the  top,  positions  not 
very  hard  to  find  even  on  the  smallest  rockeries,  it 
always  grows  more  vigorously  than  in  the  full  glare 
of  the  sun,  and  as  the  above  conditions  tend  to 
lengthen  the  flower-stalks,  the  flowers  alto  cot- 
tinuing  longer  in  perfection,  its  value  is  consider- 
ably enhanced. 

It  generally  grows  from  6  inches  to  12  inches  in 
height,  forming  tufts  or  rosettes  of  leaves  some- 
what resembling  those  of  Aster  alpinus.  The 
flower-stems,  which  are  stoutish,  never  produce 
moie  than  one  flower  in  a  head,  and  these  are  sel- 
dom less  than  l'  inches  in  diameter,  and  thickly 
set  with  bright  orange-red  coloured  rays.  The 
flowers  are  extremely  handsome  and  showy,  and 
are  produced  for  the  greater  part  of  the  season. 
It  may  be  easily  increased  by  division,  as  it  pro- 
duces offsets  in  abundance.  It  was  first,  we  be- 
lieve, sent  out  under  the  name  of  E.  pnlchellus. 

Among  others  of  this  genus  useful  as  border  or 
rock  plants  the  E.  multiradiatus  of  the  Himalayan 
Mountains  takes  a  prominent  place,  and  although 
very  variable,  it  is  one  of  the  most  valuable  for  the 
flower  garden.  Some  of  its  forms  come  remark- 
ably near  to  E.  alpinus  and  its  variety  Koylei  when 
starved  or  grown  in  poor  soil,  but  in  a  rich  com- 
post and  where  it  assumes  its  true  character  the 
difference  is  very  striking.  It  seems  to  thrive  best 
in  low,  damp,  or  shady  situations,  and  as  it  is  very 
useful  for  cutting  and  a  very  free  flowerer,  it 
should  find  a  place  in  every  hardy  flower  border. 
It  has  a  fine,  dense,  compact  habit  of  growth, 
seldom  attaining  more  than  2  feet  in  height,  and 
well  furnished  with  broad,  long-stalked  leaves.  The 


'  I)r.^wii  ill  Sir.  Ware's  nursery,  Tot!en]iam,  May  13. 


ERIGERON    Abr^pj. 


Sept.  20,  1884.] 


THE   GARDEN 


255 


flowers  are  produced  one  on  each  stem,  of  a  very 
bright  purple  with  pretty  yellowish  disc.  Flowers 
in  June,  July,  and  August.  Seed.  E.  salsu- 
ginosus  and  its  variety  elatior  are  both  very 
handsome  plants,  with  pretty  light  purplish 
flowers  produced  in  corymbs  about  2  feet  high.  It 
grows  well  in  the  ordinary  border,  forming  fine 
clumps  of  very  charming  light  green  shiny  leaves, 
oblong  in  shape  with  long  stalks.  June  and  July. 
E.  speciosus,  philadelphicus,  glabellus,  Villarsii 
and  others  will  be  found  described  in  the  last 
volume  of  The  Gaeden  at  page  123.  K. 


SEASONABLE   WORK. 


FLOWER  GARDEN. 
Peepabing  fob  winter  — At  no  time  during 
the  present  season  have  bedded-out  plants  been 
more  brilliant  than  now ;  but  their  season  is  all 
but  over,  and  preparation  must  be  made  for  housing 
such  plants  as  are  intended  to  be  saved,  or,  at  any 
rate,  for  securing  cuttings  for  next  year's  stock. 
Our  plan  with  all  tender  kinds  is  to  house  them 
as  soon  as  there  is  any  danger  of  injury  from 
frost,  and  replace  the  same  with  hardy  plants  to 
stand  the  winter.  In  this  way  the  change  of  the 
garden  from  its  summer  to  its  winter  dress  goes 
on  so  gradually  and  imperceptibly  as  to  be  hardly 
noticeable  till  the  whole  has  been  donned  in  winter 
garb.  Coleuses,  Alternantheras,  and  Iresines  are 
always  the  first  to  be  destroyed,  and  as  soon  as 
this  takes  place,  we  substitute  hardy  Heaths,  dwarf 
Sadums,  Thymes,  Ajugas,  and  small  shrubs,  such 
ai  Retinosporas,  Cupressus,  Aucubas,  Euonymus, 
and  Ins,  the  one  aim  in  their  disposition  and 
arrangement  being  that  the  colours  and  design  of 
the  beds  shall  as  nearly  as  possible  be  similar  to 
t'aose  of  the  summer  arrangement.  Of  course, 
summer  gaiety  is  impossible,  but  a  winter  garden 
of  coloured  foliage,  taking  into  account  the  changed 
s3ason,  is  at  least  of  equal  merit  to  summer  bril- 
liancy. This  combined  summer  and  winter  em- 
bellishment of  the  parterre  of  course  necessitates 
a  reserve  garden  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
necessary  plants,  but  much  of  it  may  also  be  of  a 
permanent  nature,  or  at  least  consist  of  such 
plants  as  will  do  equally  well  for  summer  or 
winter.  This  fact  we  keep  in  view  when  making 
our  summer  arrangements,  and  work  in  all  the 
hardy  plants  possible— perhaps  at  the  loss  of  a 
certain  amount  of  brightness ;  but  this  is  more 
than  counterbalanced  by  the  lightened  autumn 
labour  of  changing  the  plants,  and  the  insured 
cheerful  aspect  of  the  beds  in  winter.  Those  who 
have  not  attempted  the  winter  furnishing  of 
parterre  beds,  and  as  a  matter  of  course  have  not 
yet  got  the  plants  for  doing  it,  may  make  a 
beginning  by  using  the  hardy  dwarf  carpeting 
plants  that  are  now  so  generally  used  in  summer 
bedding.  A  groundwork  of  these  and  a  few  small 
shrubs  dotted  over  it  is  wonderfully  telling  in  dull 
winter  weather.  Bulbs,  such  as  Hyacinths  and 
Tulips,  may  also  be  planted  in  masses,  and  the 
ground  be  covered  with  these  live  carpets,  which 
also  prove  a  good  protection  to  the  bulbs.  Other 
ways  might  be  suggested  as  to  winter  planting, 
but  these  will  suffice  to  show  in  what  direction  to 
work  in  order  to  get  rid  of  those  ngly  mounds  of 
toil  that  disfigure  our  gardens  all  the  winter. 

General  work. — This  will  consist  in  keeping 
flower  beds  and  borders  in  trim  condition  by  re- 
peated picking  over,  cutting  edgings,  and  tying  up 
such  plants  as  need  it.  Herbaceous  borders  are 
still  very  gay  with  Japanese  Anemones,  Rud- 
beckias,  Phloxes,  Achilleas,  Gladioli,  and  Asters, 
but  there  are  numbers  of  other  plants  that  have 
dene  flowering,  and  are  looking  so  "  seedy  '  as  to 
spoil  the  appearacca  of  others;  the  stems  of  these, 
as  sooi  as  maturtd,  should  be  removed,  and  in 
any  cise  they  should  have  the  old  flower-heads 
and  rusty  foliage  cut  off.  The  t;ill  Pyrethrums  and 
Michaelmas  Daisies  require  s'akes,  and  the  like 
attention  is  needed  by  Castoriils,  Hemps,  Gums, 
and  other  tall  plants  used  as  sub-tropicals.  Pot 
up  and  house  Pelargoniums  that  have  teen  Etruck 


in  open  borders,  and  those  recently  put  in  pots 
and  boxes  must  soon  have  the  shelter  of  a  frame. 
Violas  and  Calceolarias  should  complete  propaga- 
tion for  the  present.  All  kinds  that  are  being 
struck  on  a  hot-bed  should  be  taken  out  the  mo- 
ment they  are  well  rooted,  and  be  placed  in  other 
frames  that  can  be  well  ventilated  or  protected  as 
may  be  needed,  it  being  necessary  to  successful 
wintering  that  the  growth  be  of  the  most  robust 
kind;  and  this  cannot  be  unless  great  attention 
be  paid  to  ventilation,  which  does  not  mean  full 
exposure  in  all  weather,  but  only  in  suitable 
weather.  The  clipping  of  hedges,  moving  of 
shrubs,  and  preparing  soils  in  which  to  plant  them, 
also  digging  and  trenching  ground  for  new  plan- 
tations, are  some  of  the  other  operations  that  claim 
immediate  attention. 


ORCHIDS. 
East  India  house. — Reference  was  made  at 
page  139  to  the  abundance  of  thrips  this  year 
outside  the  Orchid  houses.  They  could  be  shaken 
out  of  the  Dahlias  and  Carnations  in  scores  and 
hundreds  within  a  few  yards  of  the  houses,  but 
we  have  been  able,  by  constant  watchfulness,  to 
keep  them  from  the  Orchids,  even  during  the  ex- 
cessive heat  in  August.  Now  that  cool  weather 
with  a  moist  atmosphere  has  set  in,  it  vriU  be  easy 
enough  to  keep  the  plants  clean  and  healthy.  One 
of  the  best  Orchid  growers  I  know  told  me  Orchids 
were  seldom  attacked  by  thrips  if  the  cultural 
directions  were  right.  Daring  the  excessively  hot 
weather  it  was  easy  enough  to  keep  the  tempera- 
ture right  by  day,  and  although  the  temperature 
was  so  high  in  the  daytime,  the  nights,  in  com- 
parison, were  cool ;  but  even  if  the  temperature 
could  be  kept  up  without  artificial  heat,  it  is  much 
better  to  have  the  hot-water  pipes  moderately 
warm,  and  with  the  wall  ventilators  open  the 
temperature  could  be  kept  up  easily  to  70°.  High 
night  temperatures  for  Orchids  are  a  mistake ;  but 
on  the  other  hand  it  is  a  serious  error  in  manage- 
ment to  shut  the  houses  up  close,  and  do  with- 
out artificial  heat  during  a  hot  period.  The  at- 
mosphere is  much  more  congenial  when  there  is  a 
constant  circulation  of  fresh  air  passing  over  the 
pipes  under  the  stage,  and  then  filtering  upwards 
amongst  the  plants.  During  the  summer  the  top 
ventilators  may  be  opened  a  little  all  night.  This 
causes  a  firm  healthy  growth  on  every  class  of 
plants,  and  it  is  needed  to  pass  them  through  the 
long  dark  days  of  our  uncertain  winters.  It  is  over- 
shading  and  neglect  of  ventilation  combined  with 
an  over-moist  atmosphere  that  causes  spot.  This 
disease  was  more  prevalent  before  the  culture  of 
Orchids  came  to  be  so  well  understood  as  they  are 
now.  As  the  days  shorten,  so  also  must  the  supply 
of  water  be  more  carefully  administered.  A  month 
ago  Phalienopsids,  Saccolabiums,  Angia^cums,  and 
most  other  Orchids  were  making  good  growths  and 
rooting  freely  in  the  moist  growing  Sphagnum  ; 
now  they  are  still  growing,  but  they  do  not  re- 
quire a  third  part  of  the  water  they  had  at  that 
time,  and  the  house  ought  to  be  allowed  to  get  dry 
once  every  day.  See  that  the  leaves  are  sponged 
over  to  cleanse  them  from  dust,  and  any  plants 
requiring  surface  dressing  should  be  seen  to  at 
once. 

Cattleya  house, — This  house  must  now  be 
treated  much  the  same  as  the  warmest  house.  The 
occupants  of  it  require  rather  more  sun  than  those 
of  the  warmest  house.  Some  of  the  Cattleyas 
have  completed  their  growths,  but  these  have  not 
yet  become  matured,  nor  will  they  do  so  without 
the  aid  of  light  and  air.  Lselia  purpurata  is  just 
starting  to  grow,  and  the  plants  are  also  making 
roots  freely.  This  is  one  of  the  Orchids  that  does 
not  like  to  be  repotted  often  ;  when  the  plants  con- 
tinue to  make  strong,  healthy,  flowering  growths 
there  is  no  need  to  interfere  with  them.  The 
whole  of  the  active  roots  will  be  found  either 
working  on  the  surface,  down  the  sides  of  the 
pots,  or  amongst  the  drainage.  It  is  as  well  once 
a  year  to  place  some  fresh  compost  on  the  surface, 
and  it  can  be  put  on  easily  without  disturbing  the 
roots.  Good  fibrous  peat  mixed  with  clean  drain- 
age and  bits  of  charcoal  are  the  most  desirable 
materials  for  the  roots  to  work  into.     The  light. 


air,  and  moderate  warmth,  so  essential  to  the  per- 
fect maturation  of  the  growths  of  Cattleya 
Trianaj,  Mossipc,  Dowiana,  gigas,  and  Mendeli,  is 
exactly  suited  to  the  requirements  of  most  of  the 
Vandas  and  all  the  Aerides  that  require  the 
temperature  of  this  house.  A.  crassifolinm 
likes  best  to  be  suspended  in  pans  or 
baskets  near  the  roof  glass,  while  A.  Fielding! 
and  A.  Lindleyanum,  two  distinct  and  handsome 
species,  also  like  very  cool  treatment  at  least 
cool  Cattleya  treatment.  The  moist,  rather  shady 
Odontoglossum  house  is  not  adapted  to  them.  We 
have  hitherto  kept  these  and  the  Cattleyas  well 
watered ;  now  the  water  must  be  applied  cautiously, 
otherwise  we  might  get  a  visitation  of  "  spot."  We 
have  grown  Orchids  for  twenty  years,  and  never 
had  a  plant  attacked  by  it.  Once  a  day  let  the 
paths  and  atmosphere  of  the  house  get  dry.  See 
that  the  shading  is  not  put  on  earlier  in  the  day 
than  it  is  really  needed,  and  roll  it  up  again  as 
early  as  possible  in  the  afternoon.  If  the  day  is 
comparatively  cloudy,  with  just  occasional  bursts 
of  sunshine,  the  shading  will  not  be  required  at 
all. 

Cool  house.— In  the  matter  of  shading,  the 
cool  house  requires  quite  as  much  attention  as  the 
others  do.  Act  upon  the  assumption  that  they  do 
not  require  a  blink  of  sunshine,  and  green, 
watery  growths  will  be  the  result,  especially  if 
the  house  is  a  lean-to  with  a  north  aspect.  Such 
a  house  will  not  now  require  much  shading, 
and  perhaps  in  some  districts  not  at  all.  The 
right  thing  to  do  is  to  keep  a  watchful  eye 
over  the  plants  as  the  sun  ti  uches  them  in  the 
afternoon,  and  if  the  fifect  of  the  sun  is  not 
unpleasant,  the  plants  will  stand  it.  Even  if  the 
blinds  are  let  down  they  must  be  rolled  up  before 
the  sun  has  gone  off  the  glass.  We  have  dwelt  a 
good  deal  upon  the  importance  of  shading,  and 
would  urge  upon  all  young  gardeners  to  give  this 
matter  their  earnest  attention.  Damping  and 
watering  here  have  been  reduced  to  a  very  great 
extent.  Twice  a  day  is  often  enough  to  damp  the 
paths,  walls,  &c.  The  plants,  too,  require  to  be 
more  carefully  examined.  We  like  to  see  the 
growths  ripening  off  well  with  that  glossj-  reddish 
brown  tint  on  the  pseudo-bulbs  so  pleasant  to  the 
eye  of  the  anxious  cultivator;  the  brownish  tint 
on  the  stiff,  erect  foliage  is  also  a  sure  sign  of 
robust  health.  This  can  only  be  attained  by 
judicious  shading,  combined  with  a  constant  cir- 
culation of  air  over  and  under  the  plants.  It  will 
soon  be  time  to  shift  any  plants  from  this  house 
to  the  Cattleya  house  that  will  not  stand  safely 
through  the  winter — Odontoglossum  vexillarium 
and  0.  Phalaenopsis,  for  instance.  These  two 
species  require  a  plentiful  supply  of  water  during 
the  summer  months,  but  as  they  continue  to  grow 
during  winter  they  must  even  then  have  water 
freely.  I'lace  them  quite  close  to  the  glass  all 
through  the  winter.  In  such  a  position  the  leaves 
instead  of  being  green  will  be  tinged  with  red — 
the  evidence  of  good  cultivation  and  robust 
health.  This  shifting  of  the  plants  from  one 
house  to  another  will  give  a  good  opportunity  to 
clean  the  glass,  pots,  plants,  &c.  Making  every- 
thing clean  tends  greatly  to  the  health  of  the 
plants. 

FRUIT. 
Vines. — The  late  crop  of  Muscats  will  now  be 
getting  ripe  and  capable  of  bearing  all  the  light 
that  can  be  given  to  them.  Where  a  large  portion 
of  the  roots  are  in  external  borders  the  heavy  lains 
have  started  an  abundance  of  fresh  laterals,  and 
as  these  are  now  doing  no  good  to  the  Vines  or 
the  Grapes,  keep  them  closely  stopped  back  to  the 
main  foliage,  and  at  the  same  time  remove  all 
laterals  down  to  the  main  bud  from  young  canes 
and  leaders  intended  for  next  years  fruiting.  As 
the  berries  become  nicely  coloured,  and  the  foli- 
age shows  signs  of  ripening,  gradually  reduce  the 
temperature  by  ventilating  more  freely  and  keep- 
ing up  a  steady  warmth  in  the  pipes  in  preference 
to  keeping  the  ventilation  closed  and  trying  to 
dispense  with  fire  heat.  Lady  Downes,  Alicantes, 
and  the  usual  run  of  late  Grapes,  including  Aln- 
wick Seedling,  will  require  a  constant  circulation 


256 


THE    GARDEN 


■[Sept.  20,  1884. 


of  warm  air  with  liberal  ventilation  to  keep  for- 
ward the  ripening  of  the  fruit  and  wood  before 
the  long  cold  nights  check  the  flow  of  sap.  If  the 
internal  borders  in  which  the  surface  roots  are 
getting  very  airy  require  more  water,  and  the 
berries  show  an  indisposition  to  colour  up  to  the 
footstalks,  choose  a  fine  morning  for  the  opera- 
tion, and  give  them  one  or  two  light  waterings 
with  generous  diluted  liquid  at  a  temperature  of 
90°.  The  laterals  in  this  house  may  be  kept  well 
stopped  back,  but  not  so  close  as  the  Muscats,  as 
black  Grapes  always  colour  best  under  a  good 
canopy  of  foliage.  Hamburgh^cnd  other  thin- 
skinned  kinds  intended  for  autumn  use  will  require 
careful  management,  as  too  much  fire  heat  will 
cause  them  to  shrivel  and  the  want  of  it  will  let 
in  damp,  and  mould  will  soon  destroy  the  bunches. 
Perhaps  the  best  way  to  encourage  this  house  is 
to  reduce  all  laterals  and  to  keep  an  even  spread 
of  foliage  clear  of  the  roof ;  to  keep  the  glass, 
wood,  and  floors  perfectly  clean  ;  to  give  the  final 
internal  watering  on  a  fine  day,  and  to  cover  up 
the  border  with  a  good  layerof  dry  Fern  or  ]5racken. 
Plants  in  pots  should  never  be  allowed  to  remain 
in  any  vinery  after  the  Grapes  begin  to  colour. 
Early  Vines  intended  for  forcing  in  November  will 
be  sufficiently  matured  to  admit  of  pruning  with- 
out delay.  Vigorous  young  Vines  that  have  been 
well  ripened  may  be  pruned  in  close,  but  old  ones 
whose  satisfactory  crops  compensate  for  appear- 
ance should  be  pruned  to  a  plump  bud.  After 
pruning  remove  loose  bark  with  the  hand,  but 
avoid  the  barbarous  practice  of  scraping ;  wash 
well  with  strong  soap  water,  and  if  insects  have 
been  troublesome  dress  with  the  following  com- 
position :  One  pound  soft  soap,  and  the  same 
quantity  of  sulphur  boiled  together  for  ten  mi- 
nutes in  one  gallon  of  water  ;  while  hot  add  one 
pint  of  strong  tobacco  water,  an  egg-cupful  of 
turpentine,  and  as  much  fine  loam  as  will  give  the 
consistency  of  paint.  Thoroughly  cleanse  the 
house,  clear  away  and  burn  all  loose  surfacing, 
and  surface  the  borders  with  rich  top-dressings 
consisting  of  turf,  bones,  and  rotten  manure. 

Teaches. — The  lifting,  root  pruning,  and  re- 
arrangement of  the  trees  in  the  earlj'  house  may 
be  proceeded  with  at  the  earliest  convenience.  To 
perform  this, work  successfully,  it  should  be  taken 
in  hand  and  carried  out  with  as  little  delay  as 
possible,  and  if  the  trees  are  completely  lifted  and 
removed  to  fresh  stations,  the  roots  will  require  a 
good  soaking  of  water  to  settle  the  soil  about 
them,  when  new  growth  will  soon  set  in.  To  have 
ripe  Peaches  in  May,  houses  planted  with  the  ear- 
liest kinds  of  recent  introduction  may  be  started 
in  December;  but  for  giving  the  best  quality  of 
fruit  this  section  must  give  way  to  such  kinds  as 
A  Uec  and  Karly  Grosse  Mignonne,  two  varieties 
which  require  a  little  more  time  to  finish  them 
properly.  For  succession  we  have  Belle  Beauce, 
Stirling  Castle,  Royal  George,  Violette  Hutive, 
and  Bellegarde,  still  one  of  the  best  Peaches  in 
cultivation.  To  the  above  for  planting  in  the  mid- 
season  and  late  houses  may  be  added  a  very  supe- 
rior old  Peach  named  Dymond  (not  Diamond), 
Barrington,  Gregory "s  Late,  and  Walburton  Late 
Admirable,  a  large  pale  Peach  equal  to  Noblesse 
in  quality,  but  a  shy  setter  unless  the  wood  is 
thoroughly  ripened.  Where  more  than  two  kinds 
of  Nectarine  are  grown,  Lord  Napier  and  Stanwick 
Elruge  should  have  a  place,  the  one  to  precede 
and  the  other  to  succeed  the  indispensable  Elruge 
or  Violette  Ilutive.  All  the  yellow-fleshed  Nec- 
tarines are  excellent.  As  time  is  now  approaching 
for  selecting  trees  from  the  nursery,  the  first 
consideration  should  be  the  stock,  as  the  best 
kinds  on  bad  stocks  always  end  in  disappointment 
and  loss. 

Figs.— By  removal  of  the  roof  lights  and  the 
withholding  of  water  early-forced  pot  trees  will 
now  be  losing  their  leaves  and  going  to  rest.  If 
any  small  fruit  remain  on  the  points  of  the  shoots 
rub  them  off,  and  leave  all  quiet  and  undisturbed 
until  the  end  of  October,  when  the  annua!  thin- 
ning and  cleansing  may  be  performed.  If,  and 
by  no  means  improbable,  the  trees  have  been 
attacked  by  spider  or  scale,  repeated  washings 
with  strong  soap  water  or  Gishurst  compound  will 


weaken  the  enemy  before  the  final  cleansing  takes 
place.  Where  the  early  trees  are  planted  out  and 
space  is  limited  annual  root  pruning  is  recom- 
mended. The  period  immediately  preceding  the 
fall  of  the  leaf  is  the  best  time  for  lifting.  Every 
tree  should  be  well  drained  with  broken  bricks 
and  old  rubble,  and  the  compost,  consisting  of 
strong  turfy  loam,  old  mortar,  and  crushed  bones, 
should  be  mixed  up  and  used  in  a  dry  state.  Suc- 
cession trees  are  still  producing  fruit,  but  it  is 
quite  time  they  were  going  to  rest,  as  nothing  is 
gained  by  allowing  a  tree  to  bear  a  few  small 
fruits  after  it  has  matured  two  full  crops. 
Kemove  all  small  Figs,  wash  well  with  the  engine, 
and  leave  the  ventilators  open  with  gentle  fire- 
heat  until  the  foliage  falls.  Give  particular  atten- 
tion to  trees  in  late  houses  and  cases  against 
walls,  as  the  scarcity  of  open-air  Figs  is  very  great, 
and  a  large  dessert  in  September  without  a  good 
dish  of  this  delicious  fruit  is  by  no  means  com- 
plete. 

CiiEBEiES. — The  early-forced  trees,  now  leafless 
and  resting,  must  be  kept  as  cool  as  possible.  If 
established  in  inside  borders,  and  the  lights  have 
been  removed  from  the  roof,  shutters  or  some 
kind  of  covering  should  be  placed  over  the  roots 
to  protect  them  from  heavy  rain,  as  an  excess  of 
moisture  while  the  soil  continues  warm  might 
start  some  of  the  most  prominent  buds.  If  any  of 
the  trees  require  lifting  and  replanting  or  re- 
placing with  others  from  the  open  wall,  not  a  day 
should  be  lost  in  getting  the  work  proceeded  with. 
Good  drainage  is  an  important  element,  and  the 
soil  which  suits  the  Cherry  best  is  a  strong  cal- 
careous loam,  with  a  liberal  admixture  of  old  lime 
rubble  and  charred  refuse.  Animal  manure  should 
never  be  used  with  the  soil, as  a  gross  growth  is 
generally  affected  with  gum,  perhaps  the  worst 
evil  we  have  to  contend  with  in  the  management 
of  Cherries.  Old  trees  which  have  been  weakened 
by  heavy  cropping  may  be  well  mulched  with 
rotten  manure,  or,  better  still,  a  good  quantity  of 
the  exhausted  toil  may  be  removed  and  replaced 
with  fresh  compost,  similar  to  the  above,  with  the 
addition  of  a  good  sprinkling  of  bone  dust.  All 
border  operations  should  be  performed  when  the 
soil  is  dry  and  in  a  fit  state  for  being  firmly 
rammed  without  becoming  adhesive.  Examine  the 
pot  trees,  repot  if  necessary,  and  see  that  the 
drainage  is  satisfactory.  Where  top-dressing  is 
thought  sufficient,  work  well  down  the  insides  of 
the  pots  with  a  sharp-pointed  piece  of  iron,  and 
fill  up  with  turf,  bone  dust  or  rotten  manure. 
Kam  firmly  and  keep  the  trees  out  of  doors  for  the 
present. 

CucuMBEBS.— Plants  in  full  bearing  will  now 
require  to  have  more  artificial  heat  to  keep  them 
going  until  those  sown  in  August  come  into  bear- 
ing. If  they  show  a  tendency  to  produce  thick- 
ened fruit,  remove  them  at  once,  unless  they  are 
wanted  for  seed,  and  top-dress  with  rich  light 
loam,  leaf-mould,  or  manure.  Water  well  with 
warm  diluted  liquid  and  crop  lightly.  For  autumn 
and  winter  work  the  pot  system  has  many  advan- 
tages, not  the  least  being  the  facility  with  which 
fresh  fermenting  tan  or  Oak  leaves  may  be  placed 
in  immediate  contact  with  the  pots.  Of  the  two 
we  give  preference  to  sound  leaves,  as  plants  of  all 
kinds  seem  to  luxuriate  in  the  moisture  which 
arises  from  them  ;  but  some  little  care  is  needed 
in  turning  and  exposing  them  to  the  atmosphere 
for  a  few  hours  after  they  are  dislodged  from  the 
stove.  Where  young  plants  have  filled  two-thirds 
of  the  trellis,  they  may  be  stopped  to  induce  a  good 
break  of  laterals  from  the  base,  and  as  these  will 
produce  finer  fruit  with  more  certainty  and  less 
trouble  than  old  plants  in  pits  and  frames,  a  few 
of  them  may  be  allowed  to  commence  bearing  at 
once.  If  brought  on  from  the  seed-pot  in  the 
genial  heat  produced  by  fermenting  material,  they 
are  sure  to  be  clean  and  vigorous,  and  capable 
of  bearing  a  few  fruit  without  being  fed  with 
strong  stimulants.  Where  Cucumbers  succeed 
Melons,  see  that  a  few  pood  plants  are  always 
ready  for  filling  up  the  different  sections  as  they 
become  vacant.  Sow  seeds  at  short  intervals,  and 
throw  plants  away  in  preference  to  turning  them 
out  after  they  become  pot-bound.  Nothing  is 
gained,  but  much  lost  through  their  use. 


Stbawbeeeies,— Let  the  most  forward  plant- 
of  the  kinds  intended  for  early  forcing  be  ex 
amined  and  moved  from  time  to  time  to  prevent 
the  roots  from  striking  into  the  ground  or  bottom 
of  the  bed  in  which  they  are  partly  plunged.  If, 
as  is  generally  the  case,  they  occupy  very  small 
pots  they  will  require  a  supply  of  water  every 
day  to  keep  the  balls  from  shrinking  away  from 
the  sides,  and  an  occasional  syringe  over  with 
clean  sulphur  water  will  do  no  harm  in  checking 
spider  and  mildew,  which  sometimes  get  a  hold  of 
the  plants  and  break  out  into  a  very  lively  form 
when  they  are  introduced  to  the  genial  warmth  of 
the  forcing  house  early  in  the  spring.  This  must 
be  looked  to.  Pay  also  particular  attention  to  the 
midseason  and  late  kinds  now  making  rapid 
growth,  and  move  them  to  the  most  suitable 
places  for  ripening  up  the  crowns  and  foliage.  In 
unfavourable  situations,  where  the  crowns  barely 
ripen  in  good  seasons,  we  have  always  advised  the 
appropriation  of  dwarf  walls  or  raised  shelves  for 
ripening  the  roots  as  well  as  the  crowns,  as  the 
pots  can  be  arranged  in  single  rows,  turned  and 
tended  with  the  greatest  care,  instead  of  being 
crowded,  as  they  often  are,  into  a  limited  space  in 
which  the  exclusion  of  warmth,  light,  and  air  might 
be  looked  upon  as  the  first  element  of  success. 

Pines. — By  this  time  the  fruiting  house  will 
have  been  nearly  cleared  of  summer  fruiter?,  and 
the  few  left  may  be  removed  to  a  smaller  com- 
partment where  they  can  have  plenty  of  light  and 
bottom-heat  to  swell  and  ripen  off  the  fruit.  If  a 
complete  clearance  and  cleansing  of  the  pit  has 
been  decided  upon,  this  work  should  not  be  de- 
layed, as  some  little  time  will  elapse  before  the 
new  plunging  material,  be  it  tan  or  leaves,  is  in  a 
fit  state  for  the  reception  of  the  plants.  They 
may,  however,  be  placed  on  the  surface  or  in 
shallow  basins  where  they  may  remain  until  the 
violent  heat  declines,  when  the  beds  can  be  made 
up  again  without  disturbing  them.  As  many  of 
these  which  have  quite  recently  started  into  fruit 
will  have  to  remain  through  the  dead  months  of 
the  year  when  ventilation  will  be  reduced  to  a 
minimum, close  arrangements  must  be  avoided, and 
the  crowns  munt  be  kept  well  up  to  the  glass, 
otherwise  they  will  become  drawn  and  out  of 
proportion  to  the  size  of  the  fruit.  Although 
watering  will  not  be  so  frequent,  the  plants  must 
be  examined  every  week,  and  those  only  which 
actually  require  water  must  be  liberally  supplied 
with  warm  diluted  liquid  or  guano  water,  while 
all  available  surfaces  capable  of  giving  off  at- 
mospheric moisture  will  require  damping  to 
counteract  the  drying  influence  of  fire-heat,  aa 
overhead  syringing  will  have  to  be  discontinued. 
Queens  intended  for  early  starting  may  be  kept 
a  little  more  on  the  dry  side,  and  atmospheric 
moisture  may  also  be  reduced  ;  but  it  will  not  be 
well  to  lower  the  temperature  to  any  great  extent 
until  days  become  shorter  and  nights  colder  than 
they  are  at  the  present  time.  Plants  which  will 
make  a  spring  growth  before  they  start  may  be 
kept  progressing  for  some  weeks  longer,  and 
where,  owing  to  the  unfavourable  state  of  the  past 
summer,  the  fruiting  pots  are  only  partially  filled 
with  roots,  the  growing  may  be  steadily  continuous 
until  we  have  a  change  to  severe  weather.  An 
important  point  in  winter  management  is  cleanli- 
ness, internally  by  the  removal  of  all  other  plants, 
and  externally  by  the  frequent  washing  of  the 
glass.  Shading  on  the  brightest  days  is  no  longer 
needful— indeed,  it  is  positively  hurtful— but  the 
blinds  will  do  gcod  service  by  being  let  down  at 
night  to  economise  fire-heat,  and  to  prevent  the 
loss  of  moisture  by  radiation. 


INDOOR  PLANTS. 

Stove.— Plants  completing  their  growth  should 
be  encouraged  to  ripen  their  wood — a  matter  of 
the  greatest  importance  as  regards  their  blooming 
well  next  year.  Under  the  head  of  deciduous 
flowering  plants  may  be  included  AUamandas,  the 
twining  Clerodendrons,  Vincas,  Aristolochias,  Bou- 
gainvilleas,  Ilexacentris,  and  Thunbergias,  for 
though  many  of  these  are  not,  strictly  speaking, 
deciduous  in  their  habit,  still,  the  most  approved 
way  of  managing  them  is  to  so  far  check  shoot 


Sept.  20,  1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


257 


extension  in  autumn  as  to  cause  them  to  shed 
most  of  their  leaves.  All  such  plants  as  the 
above  should  now,  as  far  as  possible,  be  moved 
to  the  coolest  end  o£  the  house,  giving  all 
the  air  that  it  is  needful  to  admit  at  the  end 
in  which  they  are  placed,  and  applying  no 
more  water  than  is  requisite  to  prevent  the 
leaves  from  shrivelling  up,  allowing  them  to  flag 
freely  each  time  before  water  is  given.  Achimenes, 
Gloxinias,  Tyda^as,  Curcumas,  Gloriosas,  the  sum- 
mer-flowering bulbous-rooted  Gesneras,  and  Cala- 
diums  should  also,  where  their  tops  are  yet  fresh, 
be  kept  dry  enough  to  cause  the  foliage  to  die 
down  gradually.  Stephanotis  that  flowered  early, 
and  which  have  since  made  sufficient  growth, 
sliould  now  be  kept  as  dry  as  they  will  bear  with- 
out injury  to  the  foliage,  but  it  is  not  well  to  ex- 
pose the  plants  to  so  a  low  a  temperature,  or  the 
roots  are  liable  to  suffer  and  deficient  bloom  to  be 
the  result.  Gardenias  and  Ixoras  that  have  been 
up  to  this  time  accommodated  with  enough  heat 
to  keep  up  the  formation  of  enough  growth  and 
flower-buds  should  not  be  allowed  to  get  much 
below  70°  at  night.  Under  this  treatment  with  a 
proportionate  increase  of  heat  in  the  daytime 
they  will  keep  on  flowering  freely  for  the  nest 
two  months.  Winter-blooming  plants  annually 
grown  from  cuttings,  such  as  Poinsettias,  Eu- 
phorbia jacquini.Tftora,  Eranthemum  pulchellum, 
riumbago  rosea,  Thyrsacanthus  rutilans,  Serico- 
graphis  Ghiesbreghti,  and  Begonias,  should,  if 
not  already  done,  be  put  where  they  can  receive 
sufficient  heat  to  keep  them  from  receiving  a 
check  on  cold  nights,  or  they  will  move  slowly 
when  an  attempt  is  made  to  push  them  on  into 
flower.  Eoses  forced  last  winter  or  spring,  and 
which  have  been  stood  out  of  doors  during  sum- 
mer, should  be  got  under  cover  before  long,  es- 
pecially those  intended  to  be  forced  early. 

Chrysanthemums. — AVhere  these  are  grown 
on  the  planting  out  and  layering  system,  with  a 
view  to  produce  dwarf  single-stemmed  plants,  the 
time  of  taking  up  and  potting  needs  to  be  regu- 
lated by  the  setting  of  the  buds,  but  as  soon  as 
these  are  faily  set,  and  the  layers  are  well  rooted, 
they  may  be  cut  away  from  the  stools  and  potted. 
If  the  soil  in  which  they  were  layered  is  of  a  light 
sandy  character,  when  taken  up  much  of  it  can  be 
shaken  from  the  roots  without  breaking  them,  and 
this  will  enable  the  young  plants  to  be  put  into 
comparatively  small  pots ;  they  will  bear  soil 
much  richer  than  most  things.  One-fifth  rotten 
manure  added  to  the  loam  in  which  they  are  to 
be  potted  will  not  be  too  much,  as  upon  their 
being  thus  liberally  sustained  depends  the  quan^ 
tity  and  full  development  of  the  flowers  ;  press  the 
material  moderately  firm  in  the  pots,  and  tho- 
roughly soak  them  with  water  to  keep  them  from 
flagging.  If  after  potting  they  can  be  shut  up  close 
in  a  cold  house  or  pit,  it  will  prevent  any  loss  of 
the  leaves,  which,  if  the  work  is  well  managed, 
should  keep  wholly  perfect  down  to  the  soil 
■\Vhere  dwarf,  floriferous  plants  are  wanted  to 
stand  on  conservatory  or  greenhouse  stages  where 
tall  specimens  would  be  unsuitable,  this  planting 
out  and  layering  method  has  much  to  recommend 
it,  but  the  plants  must  be  well  attended  to  with 
water,  so  as  never  to  let  the  soil  get  dry  until  the 
flowers  are  fully  open,  otherwise  many  are  apt  to 
go  blind  or  open  imperfectly.  Pretty  little  plants 
can  be  had  in  7-inch  or  S-inch  pots.  The  Pompone 
varieties  and  the  medium-sized  free-flowering 
kinds,  such  as  the  white  Mrs.  George  Bundle  and 
the  yellow  Mrs.  Dickson,  conform  to  this  treat 
ment  beet. 

Epacrises. — Where  a  good  selection  of  these 
is  grown  it  will  be  found  that  some  varieties  natu 
rally  flower  much  earlier  than  others.  Amongst 
these  will  be  most  of  the  erect  growing  kinds ; 
the  time  of  blooming  is  in  a  great  measure  de- 
pendent upon  the  treatment  to  which  the  stock 
has  been  subjected,  as  Epacrises  generally  set 
flower  soon  after  they  are  turned  out  in  the  open 
air  in  summer,  no  matter  what  time  that  may  be. 
They  are  not  plants  that  bear  forcing,  but  their 
blooming  may  be  accelerated  by  keeping  them  a 
little  close,  such  as  in  a  pit  or  house  where  double 
Primulas  and  Cyclamens  are  being  brought  on  say 


where  the  temperature  is  not  lower  than  I.")'  at 
night.  Those  thus  encouraged  to  come  on  should 
be  placed  close  to  the  light  and  should  have  plenty 
of  air  every  day,  otherwise  a  certain  amount  of 
shoot  growth  will  take  place,  which  it  is  desirable 
to  avoid. 

EriniYLLUM  TRUNCATUM. — Where  the  stock 
of  Epiphyllums  is  limited  it  will  in  most  cases 
not  be  advisable  to  have  them  in  flower  until  the 
beginning  of  the  year,  but  where  there  is  a  suffi- 
cient number  of  plants  to  afford  a  succession,  a 
few  may  shortly  be  p&t  in  gentle  heat ;  for  this 
purpose  plants  should  be  selected  that  bloomed 
early  last  winter,  and  which,  after  making  growth, 
were  well  hardened  up  by  exposure  to  the  sun  in 
the  open  air,  treatment  under  which  the  bloom- 
buds  will  now  show  prominently  at  the  points  of 
the  shoots.  Where  bright  coloured  flowers  for 
intermixture  with  others  of  paler  hue  are  in  de- 
mand for  bouquet-making  or  filling  small  vases, 
this  section  of  Epiphyllums  is  very  useful. 

Hyacinths  and  other  bulbs— Although 
the  potting  of  these  may,  in  the  case  of  those  that 
are  required  for  blooming  late  in  the  spring,  be 
deferred  for  some  time,  yet  it  is  best  to  get  the 
principal  lot  completed  now,  as  it  gives  time  for 
thetr  being  well  rooted,  upon  which,  before  any 
excitement  is  attempted,  much  of  their  success 
in  flowering  depends.  Out-of-doors,  plunged  in 
ashes  or  Cocoa-nut  fibre,  is  still  the  best  way  of 
treating  them,  as  they  naturally  root  best  where 
the  sun  comes  full  on  the  position  in  which  they 
are  set. 

HELiOTROrES.— These  are  impatient  of  cold, 
but  where  swcet-smellicg  flowers  are  in  demand 
they  are  indispensable  through  the  late  months 
of  the  year.  Whether  grown  as  standards,  large 
bush  specimens,  or  small  stock,  such  as  that  struck 
from  cuttings  in  the  spring,  they  should  soon  be 
placed  where  a  little  fire  heat  can  be  used  on  cold 
nights.  Those  wanted  to  keep  on  blooming  should 
be  kept  at  from  15°  to  50°,  with  plenty  of  air  and 
light,  for  though  the  flowers  will  open  in  a  lower 
temperature  than  this,  still,  if  not  warm  enough, 
the  plants  will  make  but  little  aftergrowth,  which 
is  indispensable  where  a  succession  of  bloom  is 
looked  for. 

KITCHEN  GARDEN. 
Tomatoes  which  will  not  ripen  should  be  cut  just 
when  tinged  with  colour,  and  placed  over  hot- 
water  pipes  in  late  vineries.  This  is  a  capital  time 
to  put  in  cuttings,  and  if  selected  from  the  smooth 
fruiting  plants  and  those  that  bear  satisfactorily, 
you  will  always  keep  improving  the  stock.  Carter's 
Green  Gage  is  much  liked.  8maU  fruits  simply 
put  into  bottles  filled  with  white  vinegar,  with  a 
few  Capsicums  and  Peppercorns,  make  an  excel- 
lent pickle.  If  French  Beans  are  not  already 
sown,  get  them  in  at  once.  We  had  a  houseful 
sown  in  boxes  3  feet  long  and  1 1  inches  broad. 
Canadian  Wonder  we  always  sow  for  an  autumn 
and  early  spring  supply,  but  Osborn's  for  mid- 
winter is  preferable  in  more  ways  than  one.  Do 
not  forget  to  see  that  slugs  are  not  eating  the 
young  Lettuce  and  Cabbage  plants.  We  have 
been  told  to  sow  dust  on  them  twice  a  week,  and 
leave  the  rest  to  Dame  Nature.  So  much  has 
been  said  respecting  Mushrooms,  that  the  subject 
is  getting  threadbare :  nevertheless  we  may  be 
allowed  to  say  we  have  had  and  are  now  having 
grand  weather  for  making  up  beds,  and  as  far  as 
£  s.  d.  is  concern'jd,  there  is  no  other  kitchen 
garden  crop  so  profitable.  Our  beds  for  autumn 
are  now  all  spawned,  sealed,  and  thatched  with 
rough  Grass  (keeping  out  the  wet  after  spawning 
is  one  of  the  secrets  of  success).  We  are  now 
cutting  Bracken  for  winter  covering ;  when  cut 
green  the  fronds  keep  intact.  We  find  this  in- 
valuable for  covering  all  kinds  of  Broccoli,  Celery, 
and  JIushrooms  ;  in  fact  we  cover  everything  up 
that  is  likely  to  suffer,  even  Lettuce  and  Endive. 
It  is  light  and  clean,  and  in  most  places  it  can  be 
had  in  any  quantity. 

Ruta  patavina.— This  plant  is,.  I  consider, 
much  overrated  as  a  garden  plant;  indeed,  as  it 
grows  with  us  it  is  hardly  superior  to  the  ordinary 


garden  Eue,  with  the  exception  of  the  vile  odour 
of  the  latter.  For  a  considerable  time  after  we 
grew  it  it  was  very  poor,  until  planted  out  in  an 
open  frame  and  well  attended  to  until  established. 
It  is  now  robust,  and  assuming  quite  the  habit  of 
the  common  Ptue.  The  flowers  are  bright  yellow, 
the  leaves  a  little  longer  than  those  of  R.  graveo- 
lens,  but  of  course  not  so  glaucous.  This  is  all 
that  can  be  said  in  its  favour.  For  botanical 
collections  it  is  a  distinct  and  desirable  addition 
to  the  Rue  family. — K. 


Ferns. 

BEST  CULTIVATED  FERNS. 
(Continncd  from  p.  238.) 

Nothochl.ena  Hookeri. — A  pretty  N.  Ameri- 
can plant,  which  in  outline  has  more  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  Cheilanthes  than  a  Nothochlsna  ; 
for  its  fronds,  whose  under  surface,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  midribs,  is  entirely  and  thickly 
covered  with  a  waxy  powder,  have  a  sort  of  pen- 
tagon shape,  and  consist  of  a  middle  portion  of 
rhomboid  form  supported  on  a  short,  but  narrowly 
winged  stalk  and  two  lateral  divisions  quite  ses- 
sile. Thus  the  whole  frond  is  five-fingered,  with 
the  middle  point  the  largest  and  the  two  lower 
ones  smallest.  The  upper  surface  of  these  fronds 
is  smooth  and  of  a  dull,  rather  dark  shade  of 
green,  while  the  powder  with  which  the  underside 
is  copiously  coated  greatly  varies  in  colour,  some- 
times being  almost  white  or  pale  sulphur-yellow, 
but  on  some  specimens  it  is  quite  a  dark  deep 
yellow.  The  plant  is  of  upright  habit,  and  re- 
quires an  intermediate  house  temperature. 

Fronds  about  3  inches  high,  almost  rentagonal,  although 
composed  tf  three  divisions  only,  as  the  side  dirifions  are 
pinnatifid  on  the  upper  side,  hut  are  provided  on  the  lower 
side  with  a  single  i)asal  segment  much  elongated.  These 
are  borne  on  clustered  stalks  .about  6  inches  high,  very 
wiry,  of  a  reddish  brown  cohiur,  smooth,  and  shining, 
beaiicc  a  tew  scales  at  their  base.  Eootstock,  like  that  of 
most  i'erns  growing  in  clefts  of  rocks,  is  creeping,  hut 
rather  short,  and  well  covered  with  rigid  lanceolate  scales 
of  a  blackish  brown  colour. 

N.  LJLVis.  —  A  very  handsome  species  from 
Mexico,  and  one  which  now-a-dajs  is  very  seldom 
seen  in  cultivation,  possibly  owing  to  repeated 
failures  produced  by  its  being  generally  kept  in 
too  warm  a  temperature.  Though  reckoned  some- 
what diflicult  to  manage,  it  is  one  of  those  plants 
which  amply  repay  any  extra  care  bestowed  upon 
them;  whoever  has  had  the  good  fortune  to 
see  it  grown  as  it  was  only  a  few  years  ago  in  the 
select  collection  of  the  late  Mr.  S.  Eucker,  where, 
under  the  care  of  Mr.  Pitcher,  it  formed  a  most 
handsome  basket,  the  admiration  of  every  visitor, 
will  readily  admit  the  possibility  of  success.^  It 
only  requires  cool,  or  at  the  most  intermediate, 
house  temperature  and  a  dry  situation,  such  as  a 
banging  basket,  to  grow  it  in  perfection.  It  is 
also  the  way  in  which  the  beautifully  silvery 
underside  of  its  long  and  drooping  fronds  is  shown 
off  to  greatest  advantage. 

ITonds  from  12  inches  to  IS  inches  long  and  simply  pin- 
nate, Willi  pinna;  entire  and  slightly  undulated  at  their 
margins.  They  are  borne  on  stalks  of  a  woolly  nature, 
round,  and  very  brittle,  which  are  produced  from  a  thick 
creeping  rhizome,  whose  extremity  is  very  densely  covered 
with  subulate,  silvery  scales.  The  upper  suiface  of  the 
frond  is  of  a  glaucous  green  colour,  whereas  the  whole 
underside  is  densely  clothed  with  long  scales,  white  on  the 
young  fronds,  but  of  a  brown  colonr  in  the  matured  nics. 
Sort  very  dark,  protruding  through  the  tomentum  on  the 
margins  of  the  piunre  only. 

N.  lanuginosa.— This  is  one  of  the  few  species 
native  of  the  south  of  Europe,  Madeira,  the 
Aiores,  and  Canary  Islands.  Though  not  so  strong 
a  grower  as  N.  canariensis,  of  which  more  common 
species  it  shares  the  habitats,  it  is  nevertheless  a 
handsome  evergreen  kind,  requiring  only  cool 
treatment  all  the  year  round  and  to  be  kept  par- 
ticularly dry  during  the  winter  months.  It  seldom 
exceeds  8  inches  in  height  and  is  well  adapted  for 
pot  culture,  or  for  planting  in  crevices  of  the  cold 
rockery  where  it  should  be  planted  with  very 
little  soil  around  it,  and  in  an  elevated  and  exposed 
situation. 

Fronds  produced  in  tufts  and  of  very  compact,  rigid 
habit ;  they  are  bipinrate.  from  6  inches  to  S  inches  high, 
with  pinia;  opposite  and  closely  set  together.    Their  upper 


268 


THE     GARDEN 


[Sept.  20,   1884. 


surface  is  of  a  peculiarly  dark  grceu,  while  their  underside 
is  wholly  covered  with  very  loug  woolly  scales,  wlilch  give 
the  plant  quite  a  distinct  appearance,  through  their  spread- 
ing themselves  some  distance  beyond  the  margin  of  the 
pinnre. 

N.  Makant.i:. — This  exceedingly  pretty  species, 
the  dwarfest  of  the  few  kinds  in  caltivation,  whose 
habitats  are  situated  in  the  south  of  Europe, 
Madeira,  Tenerifle,  and  also  in  the  north  of  Asia, 
is  seldom  met  with  in  anything  lilse  good  and 
thriving  condition,  owing  to  the  same  mistake  in 
culture,  which  applies  to  other  kinds  enumerated 
above,  and  which  consists  in  growing  it  in  too 
much  heat.  This  is  a  plant  which  not  only  prefers, 
but  really  requires,  thoroughly  cold  treatment, 
the  most  convincing  proof  of  which  may  be  safely 
derived  from  the  way  in  which  it  is  grown  with 
signal  success  by  Messrs.  J.  Backhouse  &  Son, 
of  York.  Nowhere  else,  perhaps,  is  it  brought  to 
such  perfection,  and  yet  very  little  trouble  is  taken 
with  it ;  during  the  summer  it  is  grown  outside 
in  the  open,  and  during  the  winter  the  plants  are 
simply  put  into  cold  frames,  where  frost  often 
penetrates,  and  where  they  are  only  protected 
from  excessive  wet  weather,  which  to  them  is  much 
more  injurious  than  cold. 

Fronds  broadly  lanceolate,  hipiiinate,  produced  abun- 
dantly, and  disposed  in  compact  tufts  from  an  underground 
short  rhizome,  and  seldom  measure  m^Te  than  6  inches 
high.  It  is  similar  in  general  appearance  to  K.  canariensis, 
but  of  dw  arfer  habit  ami  with  piunic  less  obtuse,  and  fronds 
of  thinner  te.vtme  than  in  that  species.  Pinnie  mtire  and 
closely  set,  thickly  covered  below  with  reddish  brown 
scales  ;  upper  side  of  a  dull,  daik  green  colour. 

N.  Newbeeryi.— This  evergreen  North  Ameri- 
can species  to  a  great  extent  resembles  Cheilanthes 
tomentosa,  also  from  the  same  habitat,  but  it  is 
whiter,  less  woolly,  and  differs  generically  in  the 
total  absence  of  an  involucre  similar  to  that  of  all 
Cheilanthes.  In  the  fertile  fronds  the  sporangia 
form  a  blackish  line  around  the  edge  of  the  seg- 
ments, which  are  perfectly  flat  and  have  not  the 
least  attempt  at  forming  an  involucre.  The 
sporangia  are  so  few  as  to  form  but  a  single  mar- 
ginal row,  and  are  when  fully  ripe  very  black, 
in  fact  darker  than  in  any  other  member  of  the 
genus.  It  is  easily  distinguished  from  all  other 
species  from  North  America,  not  only  by  its  fronds 
being  fairly  tripinnate,  and  a  few  of  the  pinnules 
nearest  the  midribs  being  even  again  divided, 
thus  rendering  the  fronds  sub-quadripinnate,  but 
also,  and  principally,  by  their  peculiar  colour, 
which  on  both  surfaces  is  produced  by  a  web  of 
very  line  hairs.  This  covering  is  very  heavy  on  the 
under  surface,  but  so  thin  on  the  upper  that  the 
green  colour  of  the  frond  may  be  seen  through  it, 
it  is  very  variable  in  colour,  deepening  as  it  does 
with  the  age  or  state  of  maturation  of  the  fronds, 
which  when  young  are  creamy  white,  and  of  a 
pale  rusty  brown  tint  when  fully  developed.  It  is 
of  erect  habit  and  makes  a  very  pretty  pot  plant, 
requiring  only  the  heat  of  an  ordinary  greenhouse. 
Kootstock  thick,  creeping,  more  or  less  branched,  matted 
toiiethcr  and  covered  with  very  narrow,  dark  brown  scales  ; 
fronds  lanceolate-oblong,  tripinnate,  borne  on  erect,  tufted 
slender,  wiry  stalks,  about  6  inches  long,  of  a  very  dark 
brown  hue,  thougli  in  young  state  they  are  covered  with  a 
rusty  whitish  wool.  Pinnse  triangular-ovate,  the  lowest 
ones  rather  distant,  but  not  reduced  in  size,  and  measur- 
ing about  1  inch  long  ;  uliimate  segmenls  vei-y  minute  and 
much  crowded. 

N.  NIVEA.— A  most  delicate  and  handsome 
species  from  Tropical  America,  and  deservedly  one 
of  the  most  poplar  in  cultivation.  In  general 
aspect  it  is  a  counterpart  of  the  well-known  N. 
chrysophylla  or  flavens,  which  species  it  resem- 
bles in  most  particulars,  though  not  quite  so  ro- 
bust, and  it  is  slender  and  more  drooping  in  habit. 
The  most  distinctive  character  of  this  extremely 
interesting  plant,  however,  lies  in  the  colour  of 
the  underside  of  its  flexible  fronds,  which  are 
densely  clothed  with  a  pure  silvery  white  ceraceous 
powder,  through  which  the  abundant  and  naked 
black  sori  protrnde ;  these  are  disposed  all  round 
the  margins  of  its  roundish  small  pinna;,  which 
character  fully  accounts  for  its  being  generally 
called  the  silver  Maiden-hair;  the  blackness  of 
the  very  stalks  still  adds  to  the  delusion,  as  their 
slender  and  shining  nature  is  very  similar  to  that 
of  most  Adiantums.  It  is  a  most  useful  plant 
where  small  baskets  are  required  for  the  warm 
house,  and  should  be  kept  particularly  near  the 


light,  and  in  a  position  where  no  syringing  is 
likely  to  reach  it.  Although  of  delicate  texture, 
its  graceful  little  fronds  are  very  tenacious,  and 
remain  on  the  plant  a  very  long  time. 

Rhizome  short,  thick,  scaly,  and  keeping  well  above  the 
surface  of  the  soil.  Fronds  tripinnate,  from  8  inches  to  12 
inches  lung,  abundantly  produced  and  borne  on  slender, 
tufted,  jet  black  stalks  of  about  equal  length.  Piniue  dis- 
tant and  spreading,  of  a  briehtgreen  colour  on  theii-  upper 
surface,  whereas  the  pure  white  of  their  underside  forms  a 
striking  contrast  with  the  jet  black  sori  disposed  round 
them. 

Pell^a. 


FERN  SPORES   I'.  SEEDS. 
Would  you  kindly  explain  the  difference  between 
a  Fern  spore  and  a  seed  ?— Embryo. 

*,*  If  the  seed  of  a  Bean  be  carefully  cut  open 
and  examined  it   will  be  found  to  contain  the 


Section  ot  prothallu^. 

embryo— i.e.,  beginning — of  a  perfect  plant,  and 
in  very  large  seeds  a  miniature  plant  may  be  seen 
by  the  naked  eye.     A  seed  may  be  likened  to  a 


ProtfiaUus  tcith  sporeling. 

fresh  egg,  which  contains  the  embryo  of  a  bird. 
In  the  case  of  a  seed  the  plant  is  there  ready  to 
germinate,  and  its  characters  were  formed  long 


-    i9 


A,  cell  ccntainirg  fertilimir/  organs;  B,  spiral  fertilising 
organ  more  magi,  ijitd. 

before  the  seed  arrived  at  maturity,  namely,  when 
the  ovule  was  fertilised  by  the  pollen.  The  spore 
of  a  Fern  may  be  likened  to  a  perfect  flower,  such, 
for  instance,  as  a  Primrose.  It  contains  in  an,  as 
yet.  undeveloped  state  the  organs  which  combine 
to  produce  a  young  Pern.  When  a  spore  falls  or 
is  placed  on  any  moist,  warm  medium  it  begins  to 
vegetate  by  emitting  a  little  hair-like  growth, 
which  develops  into  a  flat  leaf-hke  expansion 
resembling  a  Liver- wort  (Marchantia).  On  the 
under  side  of  this  green  layer,  which  is  called  a 


prothallus,  are  developed  little  cells  containing 
tiny  coiled  threads,  and  these  threads  possess  the 
power  of  moving,  or,  rather  we  will  say,  they  move 
mechanically  owing  to  the  action  of  moisture  on 
their  coiled  bodies.  These  are  the  fertilising 
organs,  analogous  to  the  pollen  of  an  ordinary 
flower.  Close  to  the  cells  containing  these  ferti- 
lising organs  little  sacs  or  cells  are  formed,  on  the 
top  of  which  something  analogous  to  (he  ftyleof  a 
flower  is  developed.  These  are  the  female  organs. 
As  growth  proceeds  the  little   threads  or  male 


At  lorgitudinal  section  ;  B,  transverse  section  of  a  fertiU 
sac  or  cell  on  the  prothallus. 


organs  reach  the  sacs  or  females  and  fertilisation 
takes  place,  and  the  first  process  in  the  formation 
of  a  new  plant  is  thus  completed.  After  this  the 
young  Ferns  begin  to  show  themselves  along 
the  axis  of  the  prothallus,  and  as  they  become 
strong  enough  to  look  after  themselves  the 
prothallus  withers  away.  Sometimes  several  plants 
are  developed  by  each  prothallus,  and  when  it 
is  remembered  that  each  prothallus  is  the  product 
of  a  single  spore,  it  will  be  seen  how  widely 
different  the  latter  is  from  a  seed.  The  writer 
has  divided  a  prothallus  of  Todea  superba  into  a 
dozen  pieces,  and  from  each  one  a  young  plant 
has   been  obtained.     The  peculiar  nature  of  the 


Spore  cases,  showing  how  the  sports  are  diser gaged. 

reproductive  organs  of  Ferns  may  be  seen  in  the 
large  number  of  cases  of  spores  having  germinated 
freely,  but  failed  to  produce  plants,  and  this 
failure  is  explained  by  the  interference  in  some 
way  or  other  with  the  process  of  fertilisation. 
Sometimes  one  of  the  sexes  is  missing  from  the 
prothallus,  ;ind  sometimes  both  sexes  fail  to 
appear.  Instances  have  been  known  of  the  pro- 
thalli  having  lived  and  grown  for  several  years 
without  ever  showing  signs  of  developing  plants. 
The  hybrid  Ferns  recently  raised  by  Mr.  Bause 
and  others  are  supposed  to  have  been  obtained 
through  sowing  spores  of  two  species  of  Ferns 


Skpt.  iO     1S84.] 


THE     GARDEN 


259 


together,  and  thus  bringiDg  the  sexes  of  the  two 
kinds  within  reach  of  each  other.  All  this 
beautiful  arrangement  can  only  be  observed  with 
the  aid  of  a  powerful  microscope,  but  although  we 
may  not  be  able  to  follow  the  whole  process 
through,  we  may  yet  see,  by  noting  the  results  of 
Fern  spore  development,  that  what  science  teaches 
U3  in  this  matter  cannot  be  far  from  correct. — 15. 


THE  BEST  HARDY  HEATHS. 
Every  hardy  member  of  the  Heath  family  is 
beautiful,  and  may  be  had  in  perfection  with  but 
a  tithe  of  the  care  and  trouble  bestowed  upon 
tender  exotics.  Where  a  collection  of  Heaths  is 
grown,  flowers  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  can  be 
obtained  nearly  throughout  the  year,  while  some, 
especially  among  the  varieties  of  the  Heather, 
form  dense  cushion-like  tufts,  which  are  very 
pretty  at  all  times,  and  are  desirable  rockwork 
plants.  The  Heaths  can  be  employed  in  various 
vpays  in  gardens.  They  may  be  arranged  in  beds 
or  groups,  either  mixed  or  in  clusters  of  one  kind. 
In  mentioning  this  method,  lam  reminded  of  the 
beauty  for  several  seasons  of  a  bed  planted  with 
the  red,  white,  and  parti-colonred  varieties  of  St. 
Dabeoc's  Heath  (Dabceoia  or  Menziesia  polifolia), 
which  was  a  mass  of  bloom  throughout  the  summer 
and  well  on  into  the  autumn.  Again,  grown  in 
this  manner  the  white  and  red  varieties  of  the 
Ling  make  a  goodly  show  towards  the  end  of  the 
summer.  Perhaps,  however,  the  most  suitable  way 
to  deal  successfully  with  hardy  Heaths  is  to 
employ  them  for  carpeting  exposed  places ;  that 
is,  as  it  were,  to  form  a  groundwork,  from  whence 
might  be  allowed  to  spring  at  intervals  specimens 
of  any  choice  trees  or  shrubs  which  would  not 
be  in  any  way  interfered  with  by  the  surface- 
rooting  Heaths.  This  method  of  thus  carpeting 
the  ground  is  only  a  reproduction  from  Nature, 
as  may  be  often  seen  on  our  hills  and  commons 
where  the  large  isolated  trees  are  not  one  whit  the 
worse  for  the  floral  carpet  from  whence  they 
spring.  Where  a  space  is  set  aside  for  the  larger 
growing  Ericaceous  plants,  these  smaller-growing 
kinds  can  well  be  employed  as  ground  shrubs,  for 
the  same  soil  is  favourable  to  the  development  of 
both.  By  this  means  the  spaces  between,  say, 
large  single  specimens  of  Rhododendrons  could 
be  made  as  interesting  and  as  attractive  later  in 
the  season  as  the  Rhododendrons  themselves  were 
when  in  flower. 

Much  might  be  done  towards  the  embellish- 
ment of  woodland  walks  by  employing  the  hardier 
and  more  vigorous  growing  kinds,  while  the  smaller 
ones  are  suitable  gems  for  the  rockwork  ;  indeed, 
in  certain  arrangements  all  of  the  Heaths  are 
valuable  rockwork  plants,  and  the  length  of  time 
the  flowers  of  hardy  Heaths  last  in  water  renders 
them  all  the  more  valuable.  Sometimes  the  va- 
rious hardy  Heaths  are  classed  under  the  head  of 
Erica,  while  at  others  they  are  divided  into  Cal- 
lunas,  Gypsocallis,  Menziesia,  and  Daboeoia,  as 
well  as  Erica.  A  list  of  the  principal  hardy  kinds 
would  include  the  following  :  — 

Ebica  ok  Calluna  vulgaris. — The  common 
Heather  shows  a  far  greater  variety  in  habit, 
colour,  stature,  and  in  general  appearance  than  any 
of  the  rest,  as  some  individuals  form  large 
scrambling  masses,  while  others  are  but  dense 
Moss-like  tufts.  Such  being  the  case,  there  is,  as  a 
matter  of  course,  a  great  number  of  named  vaiie- 
ties,  among  the  most  distinct  being  alba  minor,  a 
compact,  but  slender  growing  kind  with  pure 
white  flowers.  Rigida  alba,  of  stouter  and  more 
spreading  growth  than  the  preceding,  with  larger 
spikes  of  blossom.  Pubescens  alba. — This  is  a 
free-growing  kind,  with  massive  spikes  of  hand- 
some white  flowers,  and  is  besides  very  interesting 
from  the  pubescent  character  of  the  foliage. 
Anrea. — Ther^  are  a  couple  of  distinct  kinds  some- 
times met  with  under  this  name,  one  being  deeper 
in  colour  than  the  other,  indeed  almost  of  a 
coppery  tint.  Both  are  of  low  spreading  habit 
and  very  constant  in  colour.  Coccinea. — This  is  a 
form  with  deep  coloured  flowers.  Alporti. — This  is 
a  bold  bushy-growing  kind,  with  dark  purple  blos- 
soms.    Variegata.-  In  this  variety   the  ordinrry 


foliage  is  interspersed  with  white.  Searlei. — This 
fine  white-flowered  kind  is  valuable  from  flower- 
ing after  most  of  the  others  are  past.  Pygmfea. — 
This  may  be  taken  as  the  farthest  removed  from 
the  ordiuary  kind,  as  it  forms  a  dwarf  mossy-like 
tuft  from  wheLce  flowers  are  but  sparingly  pro- 
duced. Flore-plcno. — As  its  name  implies,  the 
flowers  of  this  variety  are  double  and  withal  very 
pretty  either  individually  or  in  a  mass.  The  habit 
of  the  plant  is  free  and  vigorous.  Tenuis. — This 
is  a  pretty  slender-growing  kind  with  deep 
coloured  flowers. 

E.  carn'EA  or  herbacea  — If  arranged  ac- 
cording to  their  season  of  flowering  this  would 
occupy  the  first  place,  as  it  blooms  during  the 
early  months  of  the  year  if  the  weather  is  not  too 
severe,  and  continues  till  spring  is  well  advanced. 
The  flowers  of  the  spring  Heath  are  of  a  rosy  red 
colour  except  in  the  variety  alba,  in  which  they 
are  white. 

E.  ciNEREA. — This  common  British  species 
flowers  as  a  rule  during  July  and  August,  at  which 


£iica  Maioeana  ;  fiowen  majenta  (natural  size). 

time  it  is  very  attractive.  Besides  the  ordinary 
form  with  purplish  flowers,  there  are  several  others 
enumerated  in  different  catalogues,  among  the 
most  distinct  of  which  are  alba,  atro-purpurea, 
and  coccinea,  the  distinctive  characters  of  which 
are  indicated  by  their  names. 

E.  TETRALix. — The  cross-leaved  Heath  is  also 
a  common  British  kind  and  as  often  seen  covering 
large  patches  of  ground  ;  it  is  very  beautiful. 
Other  forms  besides  the  common  one  are  alba 
and  rubra,  while  Mackiana  is  by  some  considered 
a  variety,  and  by  others  a  hybrid  between  tetralix 
and  ciliatis. 

E.  ciLiARls  —  This  Heath  is  much  less  fre- 
quently met  with  than  the  preceding,  but  is  in  all 
re.'pecis  a  very  desirable  and  highly  ornamental 
kind.  It  is  of  low  growth  with  spikes  of  compara 
lively  large  purplish  blossoms. 

E.  Maweana,  herewith  figured,  is  by  far  the 
finest  variety,  as  may  be  inferred  from  the  illustra 
tion  of  it  herewith  given.  The  flowers  and  the 
spike  are  larger  than  ordinary,  and  the  colour  is 


richer.  It  is  a  neat  habited  variety,  forming  large 
dense  tufts  which  for  several  weeks  towards  the 
end  of  summer  are  furnished  with  a  profusion  of 
flowers.  It  was  beautifully  in  flower  a  short  time 
ago  in  the  rock  garden  at  Jlessrs.  Paul's  nurseries 
at  Broxbourne,  and  it  was  from  one  of  the  plants 
there  the  present  drawing  was  made.  It  is  appa- 
rently not  a  common  variety,  but  nothing  much  is 
known  of  its  history.  Mr.  Maw,  of  Eeuthall  Hall, 
near  Broseley,  from  whom  we  sought  informa- 
tion respecting  this  Heath,  writes  as  follows: 
"Although  this  Heath  seems  to  have  been  named 
after  me,  I  am  sorry  that  I  can  give  you  but  very 
little  information  about  it,  and  I  am  not  sure 
whether  it  came  from  Cintra,  in  Portugal,  or  from 
the  Asturias.  It  is  very  close  to  E,  ciliaris,  and  I 
do  not  think  that  any  botanist  would  recognise  it 
other  than  as  a  slight  variation  from  the  type. 
Some  years  ago  the  late  Mr.  M'Nab  was  staying 
here  and  took  a  root  of  the  Heath  to  Edinburgh, 
and,  I  fancy,  must  have  named  it  after  me." 

Ehica  or  Gvp.^ocallis  vagans  (the  Cornish 
Heath)  is  of  free,  vigorous  growth,  reaching  a 
height  of  a  foot  or  two,  and  bearing  densely 
packed  spikes  of  pale  purplish  red  blossoms. 
From  the  profusion  in  which  the  flowers  are  borne, 
it  is  very  showy  when  in  bloom,  especially  the 
deep-coloured  variety  called  rubra.  The  white 
form  (alba)  is  also  very  pretty. 

E.  MULTIFLORA  is  valuable  from  the  fact 
of  producing  its  rosy  red  blossoms  after  all  the 
others  are  over,  for  they  are  often  borne  till  au- 
tumn has  nearly  passed  away. 

There  yet  remain  a  few  larger  growing  Heaths, 
some  of  which,  where  they  are  not  injured  by 
frost,  forming  good-sized  bushes.  One  of  the 
largest  is  the  Tree  Heath  (Erica  arborea),  an 
upright-habited  bush,  that  bears  a  great  profusion 
of  small  white  flowers  during  the  earlier  months 
of  the  year.  Unfortunately  it  is  tender,  unless 
in  favoured  spots,  so  that  it  is  seldom  seen  in  per- 
fection, except  in  the  south  of  England.  An  allied 
kind  (E,  codonodes)  seems  to  be  rather  hardier 
than  the  last  named,  which  in  general  characters 
it  much  resembles.  The  principal  difference  is  in 
the  flowers,  which  are  somewhat  larger  and  more 
bell-shaped  in  E.  codonodes  than  in  arborea.  A 
large  plant  of  E.  codonode.=,  when  covered  with  its 
delicate  white  bells,  is  in  early  spring  a  beaatiful 
object. 

E  AUSTRALis,  where  not  too  much  exposed, 
commences  to  open  its  reddish  blossoms  by  the 
beginning  of  April,  and  remains  in  beauty  a  long 
time.  It  is  a  large-growing  kind,  and,  like  the 
last  named,  rather  tender. 

E.  STRICTA  is  of  dense,  upright  growth,  a  yard 
or  more  in  height,  with  bright  purplish  flowers 
borne  about  the  end  of  summer  on  the  upper  parts 
of  the  shoots. 

E.  MEDITERRANEA.— During  the  spring  this  is 
very  attractive,  as  at  that  time  it  is  thickly  studded 
with  reddish  blossoms.  It  is  liable  to  be  injured 
during  severe  winters,  but  where  sheltered  it 
reaches  a  height  of  6  feet  or  "  feet.  The  variety 
hibernica  attains  lesser  dimensions  than  the  typi- 
cal form.  T. 


Auriculas  at  Baskin  Hill  -"Delta"  in 

his  paper  on  Baskin  llill  (page  ITS)  notices  Mr. 
Tymon's  collection  of  Auriculas.  To  any  person 
but  Auricula  growers  that  paragraph  is  not  of  much 
interest,  I  should  suppose,  but  to  Auricula  growers 
it  must  be  a  curiosity.  He  speaks  of  inferior  sorts 
having  been  weeded  out,  nothing  but  "  crack " 
sorts  left,  and  "there  are  no  Champneys,  Neils, 
and  such  like  rubbish. '  I,  as  an  Auricula  grower, 
firmly  object  to  Colonel  Champneys  being  called 
rubbish.  It  i^,  I  think,  the  best  Auricula  Mr. 
Turner  has  raised  in  the  stage  class,  and  I  believe 
the  first  of  the  blue  grounds  ever  sent  out.  It  i-! 
a  very  beautiful  variety,  a  strong  grower  and 
handsome  trusser,  and  perhap?  only  surpassed  by 
Wdson's  Helen  and  Simoniles  Frank  Simonite. 
General  Neil  is  all  round  a  fair  green  edge  when 
well  grown  :  its  great  fault  is  that  it  increases 
very  rapidly,  and  hence  soon  spares  something  for 
the"rubbi-h"  heap.     However,  apait  from  that 


260 


THE     GARDEN 


[Sept.  20,  1884. 


(I  speak  now  to  Auricula  growers  only),  what  is 
the  value  of  a  writer's  opinion  who  knows  so  little 
of  Auriculas  that  he  speaks  of  Acme  as  Light- 
body's  ?— H.  «.  B. 

Fruit  Garden. 


FOXY  GRAPES. 
The  que.stioD  of  Black  Hamburgh  Grapes  not 
colouring  has  been  frequently  discuss2d.  I  have 
pondered  over  the  pros,  and  cons,  of  it  for  many 
years,  and  have  pretty  well  come  to  the  conclusion 
as  to  the  true  causes  of  bad  colouring.  The  most 
frequent  is  over-cropping.  This  is  probably  the 
reason  why  the  Grapes  alluded  to  by  "  Another 
Soot  "  do  not  colour.  The  Vines,  whose  roots  were 
outside  entirely,  must  also  have  been  forced  rather 
rapidly.  They  were  started  about  the  end  of 
January,  and  commenced  to  colour  in  May  ;  this 
was  combined  with  a  heavy  crop,  and  under  such 
conditions  one  would  scarcely  expect  the  fruit  to 
colour  well.  Probably  the  reason  why  the  fruit 
colours  better  in  one  house  than  in  the  other  is  the 
fact  that  the  one  is  forced,  while  the  other  is  not.  In 
the  late  house  there  is  but  one  cause  of  the  fruit 
not  colouring,  viz.,  over-cropping.  In  the  early 
house  we  find  two  reasons,  viz  ,  over-cropping  and 
early  forcing.  The  late  house  is,  I  should  say,  over- 
cropped, and  although  the  result  of  it  is  not  yet 
apparent,  it  will  probably  be  seen  in  the  course  of 
a  year  or  two.  From  sixteen  to  twenty-six 
bunches,  averaging  2j  pounds  on  a  rod  12  feet 
long  with  the  usual  lateral  growths,  is  over-cropping 
to  such  an  extent  that  no  Vines  could  long  sus- 
tain it.  Indeed,  in  this  case  it  cannot  be  diffi- 
cult to  ascertain  the  cause  of  the  Grapes  failing 
to  colour.  When  the  house  was  divided  as  soon 
as  one  half  was  forced  the  Grapes  did  not  colour, 
while  the  other  half  continues  to  do  so  as  before. 
Over-cropping  therefore  seems  not  sufficient  to 
cause  it,  but  early  forcing  and  over-cropping  com- 
bined has  done  so.  Nearly  every  Grape  grower 
will  agree  with  me  when  I  say  that  in  a  house  of 
lilack  Ilimburghs  if  one  Vine  is  over-cropped 
the  fruit  will  not  colour  well,  while  the 
Vine  next  it  under-cropped  will  do  so ;  not 
only  is  this  so,  but  if  the  bunches  are  thickly 
placed  and  of  large  size  on  one  part  of  the  Vine 
they  will  not  colour  so  well  as  those  on  another 
part  where  they  are  not  so  thick.  In  many  cases, 
too,  the  Vines  do  not  get  sufficient  water  at  the 
roots.  They  should  get  a  good  soaking  when  the 
fruit  begins  to  colour,  and  if  it  is  thought  they 
are  too  dry  at  the  roots  before  it  ripens,  water 
again.  An  over  dry  atmosphere  is  also  to  be 
avoided  when  Grapes  are  colouring. 

J.  Douglas, 


their  growth  ;  this  can  be  done  fairly  well  by  plying 
the  syringe  well  amongst  the  Azaleas  every  evening, 
and  once  a  fortnight  in  the  summer  laying  the 
Azaleas  down  and  giving  them  a  douching  with 
soft  water  in  which  half  a  pint  of  Griffiths  & 
Aviss's,  of  Coventry,  Tobacco  juice  is  mixed 
to  each  gallon  of  water.  We  find  this  tlie  best 
insecticide  for  thrips  on  Azaleas.  Fourthly, 
"T.  S.  M.'s  "  vinery  requires  more  ventilation.  If  he 
cannot  conveniently  have  ventilators  on  each  side 
of  the  ridge  at  top,  he  should  by  all  means  have 
openings  made  in  the  wall  and  wooden  shutters 
2  feet  by  0  inches  in  width  fixed  every  G  feet 
along  the  bottom  of  his  vinery.  These  could 
be  worked  singly,  or  by  fixing  a  rod  and  lever 
they  could  be  moved  all  at  once.  Personally  I 
like  all  bottom  ventilators,  when  wooden  shutters, 
to  hang  at  the  bottom  and  open  outwards  from  the 
top.  Fifthly,  he  should  by  all  means  have 
openings  made  in  the  wall  below  the  surface 
of  the  ground,  so  as  to  allow  the  Vine  roots 
to  get  out  into  a  well-made  outside  border, 
instructions  for  making  which  have  so  often 
been  given  in  The  Gauden.  With  Mus- 
cats I  think  this  is  almost  more  necessary  than 
with  many  other  varieties  of  Grapes,  though  I  am 
of  opinion  that  all  Vines  are  better  in  every  sense 
of  the  word  where  the  roots  can  run  into  outside 
borders  well  prepared  for  them.  If  "  T.  S.  M.'s" 
soil  is  of  a  very  sandy  or  chalky  nature,  some  well 
pulverised  clay  would  be  a  great  advantage  if 
mixed  with  it,  say  about  a  sixth  part  to  the  whole. 
I  have  seen  Muscats  growing  on  chalky  soil  almost 
quite  cured  of  shanking  by  simply  adding  some 
clay  to  the  border.  The  work  was  done  in  the  au- 
tumn before  the  clay  had  got  soaked  by  the  au- 
tumn and  winter  rains.  Inside  borders,  if  well 
drained,  require  a  quantity  of  water  while  the 
Vines  are  growing  especially.  Perhaps  "T.  S.  M." 
has  not  given  them  sufficient ;  this  would  add  to 
their  shanking  propensities.  11.  J.  C. 

Grimston. 


GRAPES  SHANKING. 

"  T.  S.  M  "s  '■  query  (52ti)  on  this  subject  (p.  220) 
covers  a  deal  of  ground,  so  to  speak,  and  a  small 
pamphlet  in  fact  might  be  written  in  reply  with- 
out exhausting  the  subject.  Permit  me  to  throw 
out  a  few  hints  that  may  be  of  use  to  him.  To 
begin ;  The  darkened  glass  I  presume  is  what 
is  usually  called  rough  plate  glass,  which  is  not  at 
all  suitable  for  Vine  culture.  There  may  be  odd 
cases  where  fair  fruit  is  procured  from  Vines  grow- 
ing under  it,  but  they  are  rare  ;  consequently  he 
should  if  possible  get  the  house  reglazed  with 
good  21-oz.  to  the  foot  English  glass.  Chance,  of 
Birmingham,  and  the  St.  Helen's  Glass  Co.  are 
both  good  makers,  and  it  can  now  be  purchased 
very  reasonable.  Secondly,  9  inches  is  too  near 
the  glass  for  the  wires  to  be  fixed;  IC  inches  is 
better.  Under  rough  plate  glass  the  foliage  may 
not  suffer  at  0  inches,  but  under  clear  glass  I  have 
often  seen  it  scorched.  Thirdly,  Azaleas  as  a  rule 
are  better  out  of  vineries  at  all  times  ;  still  there 
are  scores  of  gardens  where  good  Grapes  are 
grown  in  vineries  which  have  Azaleas  in  them 
during  the  time  they  are  making  their  growth,  and 
also  in  the  winter  months  ;  in  this  latter  case  of 
course  it  is  not  desirable  to  have  them  in  when  the 
Grapes  are  required  for  winter  use.  It  is  abso- 
lutely necessary  to  exercise  great  care  in  keeping 
down  thrips  during  the  time  the  Vines  are  making 


Our  short  Apple  crop —Judging  by  the 
following  clipping  from  an  American  paper,  the 
Britisher's  necessity  is  theAmerican's  opportunity. 
It  runs  ;  "  The  English  Apple  market  still  presents 
a  very  encouraging  outlook  for  New  England  and 
New  York  raisers  of  Apples  for  exportation.  The 
crop  of  English  fruit  is  light  and  poor,  and  large 
supplies  of  .American  and  Canadian  fruit  will  be 
wanted  at  fairly  remunerative  prices.  The  total 
imports  from  United  States,  Canada,  and  Nova 
Scotia  to  Great  Britain  daring  the  past  season 
were  as  follows  :  Liverpool,  4C,G61  barrels;  Glas- 
gow, 29,r,S5  ;  London,  484:!  ;  other  ports,  34:i 
barrels;  total,  1883-84,  81,532  barrels;  season  of 
1882-83,  400,000  barrels  ;  1881-82,  239,000  barrels  ; 
1880-81,  1,330,000  barrels;  1879-80,  435,800 
barrels." 

The  season  and  Grape  crops.— I  have 
spoken  before  as  to  the  colour  of  Grapes  this  season, 
and  write  again  to  say  that  oar  late  crop  has  this  year 
been  practically  grown  without  fire-heat,  and  with 
both  back  and  front  ventilators  wide  open  day  and 
night  nearly  the  whole  summer.  The  consequence 
is  that  the  crop  has  had  time,  and  the  fruit  has 
coloured  perfectly  even  where  the  crop  is  heavy — 
Alicante,  Lady  Downes,  Barbarossa,  Alnwick 
Seedling,  Madresficld  Court,  and  Mrs.  Pince  all 
alike.  I  have  never  had  Mrs.  Pince  quite  black 
before,  but  it  is  now,  September  12,  nearly  as 
black  as  the  Alicante.  Black  Hamburghs  cropped 
at  the  rate  of  nearly  2  lbs.  to  the  foot  run  of  Vine 
rod,  are  equally  well  coloured,  and  they  have  had 
no  fire-heat  either,  except  at  the  beginning,  to 
exclude  frost  when  in  flower.  I  attribute  the 
colour  to  nothing  else  but  the  abundance  of  air 
and  the  absence  of  any  forcing  by  fire-heat. — 
J.  S.  W. 

The  Seckle  Pear. — When  visiting  an  old 
garden  a  few  d.ays  ago  I  came  upon  a  standard 
tree  of  this  fine  Pear,  bearing  a  good  crop  for  the 
season  of  well  developed  fruit,  nearly  ripe.  The 
latter  is  never  very  large,  but  when  well  matured 
the  tiesh  is  yellowish  white,  fine,  melting,  and  very 
juicy  ;  flavour  sugary,  rich,  and  luscious,  with  a 
peculiar  aromatic  spicy  perfume.     The  tree   is 


naturally  a  slow  grower,  scarcely  ever  attaining  a 
great  height — some  say  never  attaining  a  height 
of  more  than  20  feet ;  its  habit  is  upright  and  very 
compact,  making  a  broadly  pyramidal  head.  It  is 
also  exceedingly  tardy  in  coming  into  bearing, 
but  when  it  does  it  crops  profusely.  Some  culti- 
vators thin  out  their  trees  severely  ;  its  great  fruit- 
fulness  necessitates  much  thinning  in  order  to 
ensure  large  and  handsome  specimens.  It  is  said 
to  do  much  better  on  the  Pear  than  on  the  Quince 
stock,  it  is  an  American  variety.  It  is  recorded 
that  the  original  tree  was  found  growing  on  the 
estate  of  Mr.  Seckle  at  Philadelphia ;  hence  its 
name.  It  has  bean  stated  to  be  a  seedling  from 
Rousselet  de  Reims,  one  of  the  oldest  and  best 
of  early  Pears,  but  one  that  does  not  keep  long. 
Dr.  Hossack  first  sent  trees  of  it  to  Chiswick  in 
1819.— R.  D. 

Summer's  gro'wth  on  fruit  trees.— The 

following  are  remarks  on  the  summer's  growth 
this  year  on  some  hardy  fruits  in  a  state  of  nature 
and  some  cultivated  fruits  in  trenched  ground. 
Being  engaged  in  summer  pruning  a  collection  of 
pyramid  I'ears,  standard  Apples,  pyramid,  stan- 
dard, and  bush-shaped  Plum  trees,  and  pyramid 
and  bush-formed  Cherries,  it  occurred  to  me  that 
it  might  prove  interesting  to  some  of  your  readers 
to  compare  the  growth  made  by  wild  fruits,  such 
as  the  Crab,  wild  Cherry,  and  the  Black  Thorn  or 
Sloe,  and  and  those  that  are  cultivated.  I  find  by 
careful  measurements,  made  on  August  11,  that 
the  Crab,  a  young,  vigorous  bush,  had  made  a 
growth  of  1  foot  9  inches,  size  of  leaf  2  inches  by 
1:J:  inches;  Wellington  Apple  2  feet  10  inches, 
size  of  leaf  3  inches  by  2.|  inches ;  Warner's  King 
Apple  3  feet  3  inches,  size  of  leaf  r>  inches  by  3^ 
inches.  The  Wild  Cherry,  a  young,  vigorous  tree, 
had  made  a  growth  of  2  feet,  leaf  ih  inches  by  2J 
inches  ;  Bigarreau  3  feet  10  inches,  size  of  leaf  6| 
inches  by  3  inches;  May  Duke  2  feet,  size  of  leaf 
()  inches  by  2}  inches;  Morello  2  feet  2  inches, 
size  of  leaf  i\  inches  by  2.}  inches.  The  nearest 
relative  of  tlie  Plum  family  in  a  state  of  nature  is 
the  Black  Thorn  or  Sloe,  and  this  has  made  a 
growth  of  1  foot  3  inches,  size  of  leaf  1  inch  by 
.J  inch  The  Winesour  Plum  has  made  a  growth 
of  4  feet  G  inches,  size  of  leaf  3  inches  by  2 
inches  ;  Victoria  5  feet,  size  of  leaf  4.}  inches  by  3 
inches;  Jefferson  4  feet,  size  of  leaf  3.}  inches  by 
2J  inches.  These  measurements  were  all  taken 
from  young,  vigorous  trees  fouryearsplanted  in  the 
case  of  the  cultivated  trees,  and  the  measurements 
of  the  wild  fruits  from  a  piece  of  ancient  wood 
close  at  hand. — R.  M.  S. 

Planting  Strawberries. — This  is  the  best 
season  for  forming  new  beds  of  Strawberries ; 
young  runners  being  now  well  rooted,  and  the 
late  copious  rains  having  left  the  soil  in  good 
condition  for  planting,  no  time  should  be  lost  in 
getting  the  work  pushed  forward.  Few  crops 
which  we  cultivate  are  so  much  benefited  by  deep 
cultivation  as  the  Strawberry,  for  in  seasons  of 
drought  the  roots  strike  down  deeply  and  find 
moisture  if  the  soil  is  loose  and  friable,  but  if 
hard  and  unbroken  the  fibres  spread  out  horizon- 
tally, and  if  a  protracted  spell  of  dry  weather 
should  occur  at  the  time  when  the  crop  is 
swelling  the  crop  is  seriously  affected ;  therefore 
spare  no  pains  in  preparing  the  soil  by  deeply 
stirring  it  and  burying  some  manure  in  the  bot- 
toms of  the  trenches.  As  regards  planting,  there 
can  be  no  question  that  young  plants  bear  the 
finest  fruit  the  first  season,  and  if  carefully  tended 
by  layering  in  pots  or  turf  and  carefully  trans- 
planted and  liberally  treated  with  stimulants  at 
the  root,  it  is  surprising  the  number  and  size  of 
fruit  that  one-year-old  plants  will  produce.  On  a 
bed  of  young  plants  which  I  saw  this  year  that 
had  been  mulched  with  good  manure  and  soaked 
with  liquid  frequently  in  spring  the  fruit  lay  in 
heaps  around  the  plants.  At  the  same  time,  those 
who  cannot  give  such  liberal  culture  need  not  be 
deterred  from  making  young  Strawberry  beds,  for 
on  the  very  smallest  and  latest  of  runners  that  we 
pricked  out  in  nursery  beds  on  poor  light  soil 
scarcely  one  failed  to  send  up  a  good  truss  of 
I  bloom  and  to  perfect  several  fine  fruit,  which,  if 
I  not  equal  in  size  to  those  more  liberally  treated. 


Sept.  20,  1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


261 


nevertheless  formed  in  the  aggregate  a  fair  crop 
for  the  space  occupied. — J.  G.,  Hants, 


Kitchen    Garden. 


GARDENING  IN  THE  SCILLY  ISLANDS. 
With  the  increased  facilities  for  conveyance  of 
goods  to  Penzance,  the  Scillonians  may  hope  to 
reap  an  annually  increasing  share  of  the  profits 
that  now  go  to  the  Channel  Islands  and  France 
for  such  vegetable  produce  as  early  Potatoes, 
Asparagus,  and  Seakale.  The  light  soil,  sandy 
and  deep,  of  the  islands  is  admirably  adapted  for 
the  growth  of  Ashleaf  Potatoes,  and  the  tubers 
turn  out  quite  clean  enough  for  market  without 
washing.  The  Potatoes  are  large  enough  to  be 
dug  two  or  three  weeks  before  those  in  South  and 
West  Cornwall,  and  bevies  of  workmen  cross  over 
from  Penzance  to  assist  in  the  taking  up  and  prepar- 
ing of  the  Scilly  crop,  and  get  back  in  time  for  the 
commencement  of  similar  work  at  home.  Being 
also  a  week  more  precocious  than  Jersey,  every 
encouragement  is  giren  to  a  prosperous  trade, 
except  the  heavy  dues,  owing  to  lack  of  competi- 
tion for  freightage. 

Potato  culture.— The  largest  grower  on  the 
islands  is  Mr.  Dorrien-Smith,  of  Tresco  .\bbey,  on 
whose  farm  every  convenience  for  stacking  the 
imported  seed  and  producing  a  maximum  of 
work  with  a  minimum  of  labour  has  been 
erected.  P.y  reason  of  quick  deterioration,  fresh 
seed  is  importe  1  every  year,  four-tifths  of  it  being 
llyatts'  .Vshleaf.  A  fact  worth  noting  in  this 
respect  is  that  the  Potatoes  grown  in  the  cold 
fenny  soil  of  Lincolnshire  are,  when  transplanted 
to  the  warm,  dry  soil  of  these  islands,  fully  eight 
days  earlier  than  those  imported  from  counties 
like  Somerset.  The  quantity  imported  by  Mr. 
Djrrien-Smith  is  forty  tons,  which  are  landed  at 
Tresco  in  the  month  of  October.  The  Potatoes  are 
then  stacked  by  an  arrangement  of  stools  and 
boarding  tier  upon  tier  till  within  a  yard 
or  so  of  the  roof  of  a  well-lighted  loft. 
Each  tuber  is  placed  on  end,  so  that  it  can  form 
a  shoot,  and  the  temperature  in  the  loft  can 
be  raised  if  required.  The  planting  out  is  done 
in  September,  in  parts  of  St.  Mary  earlier.  The 
manure  used  has  been  piled  up  during  the  in- 
terim between  the  plantings,  and  consists  of 
layers  of  seaweed,  sand,  and  farmyard  manure, 
with  some  superpho-phates  added  to  fix  the 
ammonia.  The  amount  used  at  the  time  of  pre- 
paring rhe  ground  is  as  much  as  GO  tons  per  acre. 
This  however,  is  also  to  serve  for  the  Blangolds 
and  Turnips,  which  are  sown  soon  after  the  dig- 
ging of  the  Potatoes.  Later  on,  chiefly  at  the  time 
of  earthing  up,  a  second  application  of  11  owt. 
per  acre,  consisting  of  8  cwt.  of  guano,  \  cwt.  of 
bonedust,  and  2  cwt,  of  superphosphate,  is  added. 
If  the  young  foliage  has  been  frost-bitten,  this 
dose  soon  penetrates  to  the  roots,  and  supplies  re- 
invigorating  force.  To  protect  the  crop  from  the 
violent  winds,  which,  when  from  the  west,  often 
saspend  work,  traffic,  and  even  walking  about, 
large  mackerel  or  pilchard  nets  are  spread  just 
above  the  haulm.  These  nets  are  upheld  by  posts 
driven  into  the  ground,  every  seventh  row  being 
left  unplanted  for  them  and  for  carrying  ofiE  the 
water  from  the  hills,  the  fields  being  for  the  most 
part  on  a  slope.  During  a  gale  of  wind,  by  the 
pressure  of  "the  nets,  the  haulm  is  all  laid  in 
one  direction,  and  is  thus  prevented  from  being 
whirled  about  and  torn  out  of  the  ground.  The 
nets  if  required  can  be  restretched  and  their 
pressure  removed.  Other  ways  of  protecting  are 
by  wind  screens  made  of  reeds  fixed  on  iron 
hurdles  and  by  Escallonia  macrantha  hedges. 

In  a  favourable  season  the  Potatoes  can  be  lifted 
at  the  end  of  April,  but  the  usual  time  is  May. 
They  have  now  made  a  name  for  themselves  in 
the  markets,  and  are  a  brand  that  usually  fetches 
the  best  prices  obtainable.  As  a  proof  of  the 
quickening  nature  of  the  soil,  it  may  be  men- 
tioned that  the  Mangold  and  Turnip  seed,  sown 
on  the  removal  of  the  Potitoes  from  the  ground 
germinate  so  quickly,  that  the  fields  are  green 
again  before  the  close  of  the  month. 


Cultivation  undek  glass  is  also  carried  on 
extensively.  When  the  Potatoes  are  taken  out 
the  frames  are  utilised  for  Tomatoes.  The  plants 
are  trained  close  to  the  ground  and  the  foliage  is 
cut  away  from  time  to  time  to  expose  the  fruit 
to  the  sun.  To  keep  the  fruit  clean  a  carpeting 
of  reeds,  any  quantity  of  which  can  be  got  in 
Tresco,  is  spread  over  the  soil.  Grown  in  this 
way  the  yield  is  enormous.  Out-of-doors  they  are 
grown  against  reed  screens,  and  in  some  of  the 
gardens  are  planted  cut  in  rows  like  Potatoes. 
This  latter  method  has  not  been  a  success  chiefly 
on  account  of  the  disease,  and  moreover  if  in  a 
dry  .season  they  escape  the  destroying  angel,  the 
greater  part  of  the  crop  never  ripens.  Mr.  Vallance, 
the  gardener  at  Tresco  Abbey,  has  with  great 
skill  planted  a  small  lean-to  house  in  the  fol- 
lowing manner:  At  a  distance  asunder  of  2  feet 
G  inches  a  number  of  posts  have  been  driven 
into  the  ground,  from  which  to  the  framework  of 
the  house  are  stretched  horizontal  rows  of  string. 
As  the  house  faces  direct  south,  the  Tomatoes 
planted  at  this  distance  and  trained  up  the 
strings  ripen  splendidly.  It  is  found  best  to  grow 
a  number  of  varieties  ;  Conqueror,  Hackwood  Park, 
Prolific,  and  Alpha  are  very  valuable,  but  for  shape, 
flivour,  and  fertility  Livingstone's  Prolific  bears 
away  the  palm.  In  America  this  variety,  not- 
withstanding the  great  number  of  seedlings,  is  as 
largely  grown  as  any,  and  for  field  culture  it  has 
hardly  a  rival. 

Seakale,  as  one  would  expect  from  the  name, 
is  also  grown  nnder  the  most  favourable  condi- 
tions. The  rows  are  from  i  feet  G  inches  to  5  feet 
apart.  At  the  proper  season  the  old  leaves  are 
taken  off  and  the  plants  covered  with  9  inches  or 
12  inches  of  earth.  Above  the  ridges  is  then  spread 
seaweed  from  the  beach.  With  this  simple  treat- 
ment fine  Kale  can  be  cut  and  marketed  in  the 
month  of  February.  But  for  any  great  profit  to 
accrue,  the  winter  on  the  mainland  must  be 
severe. 

The  finest  Asparagus  I  saw  was  at  Mr. 
Trevillach's,  of  St.  Mary.  The  Grass  was  as 
tall  and  vigorous  as  that  at  Argenteuil ;  in  fact 
more  bushy-growing  Asparagus  would  be  almost 
impossible.  The  soil  is  quite  0  feet  deep,  and  the 
borders  are  protected  on  all  sides  by  Escallonia  or 
Euonymus  hedges.  This  growerseemsto  know  of 
no  special  treatment,  except  that  he  hardens  the 
ground  as  much  as  possible,  and  has  applied  no 
dressing  for  the  last  three  years.  The  result  there- 
fore is  the  natural  outcome  of  the  great  depth  of 
fertile  soil ;  the  dry  state  of  the  atmosphere  is  also, 
some  think,  a  coadjutor. 

The  cut-flower  trade  is  also  increasing,  and 
annually  large  quantities  of  Narcissi  and  Arum 
Lily  blooms  are  despatched  to  the  markets  of 
London  and  other  large  towns.  The  Arum  (Calla 
aithiopica)  appears  to  grow  wild  in  Mr.  Trevillach's 
garden  ;  the  number  of  bulbs  may  be  counted  by 
myriads.  In  this  garden,  beneath  the  inevitable 
sheltering  hedge,  are  growing  vigorously  Marecbal 
Niel  Koses  and  Hydrangea  paniculata,  and  in  a 
wild  tropical  part  of  it  is  a  plant  of  Boule  de 
Neige  Abutilon  trained  as  an  espalier,  and  cover- 
ing 10  feet  of  wooden  trellis.  Except  from  the 
wind  this  remarkable  plant  has  never  had  the 
slightest  protection.  Nerines  and  Belladonna 
Lilies  are  equally  prosperous. 

Apples  are  an  abundant  crop  on  the  islands, 
and  Pears  will  also  succeed  well  if  protected  from 
the  wind.  This  protection  from  the  wind  is  a 
sine  qua  nun  ;  only  those  who  have  experienced 
it  can  describe  the  force  of  a  western  gale  which 
has  traversed  without  interruption,  gaining 
strength  the  while,  the  full  breadth  of  the 
Atlantic.  Until  recently  horticulture  has  been  in 
a  backward  state,  but  now  that  pecuniary  profit 
is  to  be  obtained,  the  ground  is  being  developed 
to  its  utmost  limit.  The  want  of  money  is  as 
much  the  root  of  all  evil  in  gardening  as  in  every- 
thing else.  C.  A.  M.  Carmichael. 


the  varieties  I  am  growing  are  Best  of  All,  Snow- 
ball, Early  Erfurt,  Veitch's  Giant,  Walcheren,  and 
the  one  in  question.  On  September  2  I  wanted 
a  dish  of  Cauliflowers  for  a  collection  of  vege- 
tables. I  have  a  large  quarter  of  Cauliflowers 
planted,  and  I  carefully  searched  for  the  best; 
this  I  found  in  Martin's  President,  which,  to  take 
into  consideration  the  dry  weather,  was  certainly 
an  admirable  production,  being  close  and  well 
protected  by  the  foliage  and  perfectly  white  ;  in 
fact,  I  look  upon  this  Cauliflower  in  such  seasons 
as  that  we  have  just  gone  through  as  a  gardener's 
friend. — R.  Gilbert,  Burghlry. 


Indoor    Garden. 


Martin's  President  Cauliflo-wer.— After 

giving  this  sort  a  good  trial,  I  am  now  enabled  to 
give  my  opinio  J  respecting  its  merits.    Among 


DRACAENAS  AND  THEIR  CULTURE. 
Few  ornamental  foliaged  plants  have  attained 
such  universal  and  lasting  popularity  as  Drac.-cnaa. 
Their  graceful  growth  and,  in  some  instances, 
hardy,  robust  nature  fit  them  admirably  for 
dinner-table  and  other  decorative  purposes,  as 
well  as  for  window  culture.  The  green-leaved 
kinds,  congesta  and  rubra,  are  especially  adapted 
for  this  latter  purpose,  resisting  well  the  adverse 
influences  to  which  plants  are  necessarily  exposed 
in  such  positions.  They  are  very  largely  grown 
by  the  Paris  market  gardeners,  and  are  finding 
greater  favour  than  formerly  in  this  country.  They 
are  also  suitable  for  planting  out  in  cool  winter 
gardens,  the  first  named  kind  attaining  a  height 
of  some  8  feet,  the  latter  not  growing  so  tall.  The 
greatest  favourites  are  undoubtedly  terminalis, 
Cooperi,  and  ferrea,  the  first  named  being  too 
well  known  to  need  description,  the  two  others 
being  almost  equally  so,  the  one  having 
graceful  arching  foliage  strongly  marked  with 
red,  the  other  bearing  sombre  tinted  leaves,  which 
render  it  valuable  for  purposes  of  contrast.  The 
kind  most  in- favour  on  the  Continent,  however,  is 
terminalis  stricta,  which  has  broader  and  more 
upright  leaves  than  terminalis,  and  has  a  richer 
and  more  substantial  appearance.  It  is  largely 
grown  by  the  Paris  market  growers,  but  even 
more  extensively  in  Berlin,  from  whence  large 
quantities  are  exported  to  other  parts  of  the  Con- 
tinent, and  even  to  Paris,  nurserymen  there  hav- 
ing told  me  that  they  could  better  afford  to  pay 
transport  all  the  way  from  Berlin  than  to  grow 
the  plants  at  home.  The  Berlin  Dracajnas  are  re- 
markable for  their  sturdy  appearance  and  large 
size  of  plant  in  comparison  with  the  pots. 
Another  kind  much  in  favour  is  cannaifolia, 
having  broad,  rather  long  green  leaves,  which, 
gracefully  arching,  render  it  very  effective. 
Fragrans  is  also  grown,  but  to  a  limited  extent". 
It  is  a  neat-habited  green-leaved  kind,  the  foliage 
being  closely  set  on  the  stem.  For  general 
decorative  purposes  the  above  named,  although 
long  in  culture,  are  not  excelled  by  any  of  the 
newer  varieties.  They  grow  freely,  are  not 
diflicult  to  propagate,  and  when  grown  well  in 
i.l-inch  pots  are  just  the  right  size  for  the  many 
purposes  for  which  plants  in  small  pots  are 
needed.  For  the  adornment  of  warm  houses  and 
the  embellishment  of  groups,  some  of  the  large 
growing  kinds  are,  of  course,  more  suitable.  Good 
sized  specimens  of  such  kinds  asgrandis,  Baptisti, 
Bausei,  Guilfoylei,  imperialis  regina  are  amongst 
the  most  effective  of  fine-leaved  plants,  but  they 
certainly  require  to  come  to  fairly  large  dimen- 
sions before  they  can  be  properly  appreciated. 

Propagation-.— There  are  altogether  four  ways 
of  increasing  Dracenas;  the  most  popular,  because 
in  addition,  perhaps,  to  its  being  the  easiest,  it 
does  not  involve  the  disfigurement  of  the  plants,  is 
from  the  tap  root,  which,  forming,  as  it  were,  a 
continuation  of  the  stem,  thrusts  itself  Carrot- 
like deep  into  the  soil,  flattening  itself  in  time 
against  the  drainage  of  the  pot.  The  common 
practice  is  to  cut  away  these  taproots  when  the 
plants  are  shifted,  cutting  them  up  into  pieces 
about  an  inch  long,  and  laying  them  in  Cocoa 
fibre  or  white  sand  in  a  brisk  bottom-heat  until 
rooted.  If  not  allowed  to  dry  before  insertion 
they  quickly  form  roots,  and  in  the  course  of 
some  six  weeks   young  growths  appear.    When 


262 


THE   GARDEN 


[Sept.  20,  1884. 


these  are  about  3  inches  long  each  plant  should 
be  potted  in  the  smallest  sized  pots.  Another 
way,  but  one  which  in  a  certain  sense  entails  the 
destruction  of  the  plant,  consists  in  cutting  up  th'» 
stem  into  pieces  containing  one  joint  each.  If  a 
large  stock  is  required,  each  piece  is  split  down, 
making  just  double  the  c|uantity,  but  this  entails 
some  risk,  and  is  only  to  be  attempted  by  a  prac 
tised  propagator.  These  bits  of  stem  are  inserted 
upright  if  left  entire,  just  burying  them,  and  when 
divided  laid  cut  portion  downwards,  just  cover- 
ing them  with  sand.  As  a  rule  they  take  longer 
than  root  cuttings  to  make  growths,  but  they  form 
equally  good  plants.  A  method  much  pursued  by 
some  of  the  French  growers  is  laying  the  plants 
down  on  a  hotbed,  just  covering  the  stems  with 
light  material ;  this  induces  the  formation  of  side 
shoots  nearly  all  the  way  up  the  stem,  which  are 
taken  off  as  they  are  large  enough  with  a  little 
bit  of  heel  to  them.  Yet  another  way,  which  is  to 
take  ofiE  the  head  of  foliage  with  about  H  inches  of 
stem  and  insert  that  as  a  cutting ;  if  placed  in 
a  brisk  bottom-heat  it  is  almost  sure  to  root,  and 
then  take  off  the  young  growths  which  form  at 
the  top  of  the  stem.  When  a  plant  is  cut  down  in 
this  way  it  must  of  course  be  kept  rather  dry  at 
the  root,  and  a  good  plan  is  to  suspend  a  bell- 
glass  so  that  it  covers  the  top  of  the  stem.  Those 
who  have  tall  leggy  specimens  may  treat  them  in 
this  way ;  indeed,  in  the  case  of  large  plants  it  is 
almost  indispensable  to  cut  them  down  now  and 
then,  and  it  is  the  only  way  to  obtain  many 
branched  plants.  A  plant  of  terminalis  which  has 
been  cut  down,  and  which  has  made  some  half  a 
dozen  good  growths,  has  a  very  showy  appearance, 
and  is  an  excellent  subject  for  the  embellishment 
of  large  conservatories  or  for  exhibiting  in  a  group 
of  fine  foliage  plants. 

Potting  and  general  treatment.— Over- 
potting  should  be  carefully  guarded  against  in  the 
case  of  Dractenas.  Like  Palms,  they  will  last 
some  time  in  good  condition  in  the  same  pots  if 
well  attended  to  in  the  matter  of  water,  of  which 
when  root-bound  and  in  hot  weather  they  require 
large  supplies,  and  especially  if  they  get  from  time 
to  time  some  manurial  stimulant.  Young  plants  do 
best  in  rather  fine  peat  with  abundance  of  coarse 
silver  sand  in  it,  and  they  may  be  grown  continu- 
ally in  peat  if  good,  but  many  growers  prefer 
good  loam  for  the  plain-leaved  kinds  and  a  mix- 
ture of  the  two  soils  for  the  variegated  ones.  In 
all  cases  good  drainage  must  be  given,  and  suffi- 
cient white  sand  should  be  used  to  prevent  the 
soil  becoming  close  and  sonr  before  the  roots 
obtain  possession  of  it.  A  compost  that  I  have 
used,  and  which  is  the  favourite  one  with  many 
Paris  market  growers,  is  the  turnings  out  of  hot- 
beds, which  have  been  turned  over  many  times  in 
the  course  of  two  or  three  years,  and  which  have 
become  rotted  down  so  as  to  be  indistinguishable 
from  mould.  In  this  roots  are  even  more  freely 
made  than  in  peat,  and  no  sand  is  needful,  as  it 
never  becomes  close,  but  of  course  a  little  may  be 
beneficially  added.  I  have  seen  some  wonderful 
examples  of  terminalis  stricta,  ferrea,  and  Cooperi 
grown  in  this  soil — plants  5  feet  high,  in  8-inch 
pots,  with  foliage  to  the  rims  ;  but  it  is  not  given 
to  everyone  to  grow  Dracienas  to  such  perfection. 
Those  were  the  production  of  the  Messrs.  Chan- 
trier,  of  Mortefontaine,  the  well-known  raisers  of 
Crotons  and  Uracsnas.  If  propagation  is  done 
from  November  to  March,  the  first  named  month 
being  a  good  time  for  cutting  up  old  leggy  plants, 
the  young  plants  will  grow  into  nice  little 
specimens,  well  established  in  2|-inch  pots, 
by  the  close  of  the  summer,  so  that  if  shifted 
into  4^  inch  pots  the  following  March,  they 
will  that  year  grow  into  fine  decorative  material. 
The  atmospheric  conditions  are  easily  managed ; 
plenty  of  moisture  in  the  air  there  must  be,  or  the 
foliage  does  not  develop  freely,  and  an  arid  atmo- 
sphere engenders  thrips  and  r^d  spider.  M.  Trut- 
faut,  of  Versailles,  fluds  that  they  do  best  on 
fermenting  material,  which  gives  just  the  right 
conditions,  whilst  with  hot  water  the  balance  is 
not  so  easily  maintained,  and  M .  Truffaut  is  one  of 
the  best  growers  of  this  family  of  plants  in 
France.     But  whoever    has  a    fair  idea  of    the 


requirements  of  warm  house  plants  generally  will 
experience  no  trouble  much  in  Dracaena  culture, 
only  that  they  require  more  light  than  most  things 
grown  in  heat,  or  they  do  not  colour  well.  There 
used  to  be  a  grower  at  Barnes  wlio  did  them 
remarkably  well,  the  younger  leaves  being  almost 
scarlet,  and  it  was  said  that  he  possessed  some 
secret  mixture  of  soil,  but  an  old  experienced 
cultivator  told  me  that  he  never  shaded  them,  and 
therein  laid  the  secret.  But  his  houses  or  frames 
were  probably  of  the  old  heavily-timbered,  small- 
paned  kind,  and  it  is  probable  that  by  not 
shading  just  the  right  amount  of  light  was  ob- 
tained. In  houses  of  modern  build  fronting  south 
I  am  sure  they  could  not  be  well  grown  v/ithout 
shade  in  such  weather  as  we  have  lately  had.  Still 
the  fact,  if  true,  of  their  having  been  thus  grown 
points  a  moral,  /  e  ,  that  the  less  shade  compatible 
with  the  maintenance  of  the  correct  conditions  in 
other  respects,  the  more  likely  are  the  plants  to 
colour  well  and  thrive  generally.  During  spring 
and  early  summer  the  temperature  should  not  be 
less  than  60^  by  night  with  from  10°  to  20°  rise 
by  day,  according  to  the  weather.  In  the  height 
of  summer  in  fine  weather  no  fire-heat  will  be 
needed,  but  on  the  approach  of  the  dull  autumn 
days  they  must  get  from  50-  to  5.5°,  in  which 
temperature   they    will    pass  the  winter  safely. 


will  get  nice  little  plants  in  2-inch  pots  by  April ; 
then  if  you  make  up  a  bed  of  soil  on  fermenting 
material  and  plant  out  y  inches  apart,  you  will  see 
such  growth  made  as  the  best  pot  culture  cannot 
e  fleet  in  the  time,  and  in  about  twelve  months  you 
will  have  some  nice  plants  large  enough  for  some 
decorative  purposes,  butthis  is  rather  quicker  work 
than  many  could  satisfactorily  accomplish,  and 
only  the  best  of  skill  and  appliances  will  grow  a 
Draciena  in  one  year  to  decorative  size.  If  the 
young  plants  are  obtained  anywhere  during  the 
winter  or  spring  and  grown  along  that  year  in  an 
ordinary  way,  they  will  be  large  enough  the 
following  spring  to  ensure  their  making  full  sized 
specimens  that  season.  If  I  had  a  quantity  of 
these  plants  to  grow  I  should  prefer  span-roofed 
frames  to  all  other  forms  of  glass  structure,  but 
in  those  of  the  ordinary  description  or  in  a  house 
they  will  do  very  well.  In  Leipsic  many  thousands 
are  grown  in  this  way,  and  it  is  a  very  interesting 
sight  to  see  frame  after  frame  full  of  fine  plants 
as  if  cast  in  a  mould,  so  similar  in  development 
are  they.  If  potted  up  in  October  and  placed  in 
gentle  warmth  they  quickly  take  root,  and  do  not 
in  any  way  suffer,  but  I  should  add  that  neither 
congesta  nor  rubra  do  well  in  this  way,  although 
both  cannsefolia  and  indivisa  and  the  coloured 
kinds  do.  .7.  C. 


Group  oj  Palituftos. 


I  am  here  referring  more  especially  to  the 
variegated  forms.  The  green-leaved  ones  gene- 
rally require  to  be  grown  quite  cool  from 
June  onwards,  and  only  demand  greenhouse 
temperature  in  winter.  The  only  need  of 
heat  in  their  case  is  to  push  them  along  in  their 
youth  so  as  to  economise  time.  When  they  come 
into  4|-inoh  pots  they  ought  to  be  grown  quite  cool. 
This  is  especially  the  case  with  indivisa,  which  I 
before  omitted  to  mention,  but  which  from  its  ex- 
treme robustness  and  contrast  to  all  other  kinds 
is  very  desirable.  This  kind  is  impatient  of  heat 
and  soon  draws  up  and  loses  its  healthy  appear- 
ance when  kept  in  warmth.  Plants  which  have 
attained  a  good  size  are  best  in  the  open  air 
through  the  summer ;  plunged  to  the  rim  of  the  pot 
in  the  Grass,  they  look  very  well,  and  enjoy  the 
sunshine  and  breeze  and  rain  much  better  than 
under  glass  accommodation.  For  corridors  and 
similar  places  this  is  a  grand  plant.  One  cultural 
detail  in  connection  with  these  plants  I  would  em- 
phasise, and  that  is  the  regular  syringing  of  the 
foliage  in  hot  weather.  Not  only  is  the  surface  to 
be  dewed  over,  but  the  water  must  be  got  well  to 
the  undersides  of  the  leaves,  for  it  is  there  where 
enemies  congregate,  and  they  cannot  endure  the 
frequent  bath  of  clear  cold  water. 

Planting  out. — Time  and  labour  saved  and 
luxuriance  gained  are  the  results  of  setting  the 
plants  in  prepared  soil  to  make  their  growth.  Now 
if  you  can  do  your  propagation  in  November,  you 


THE  PALMETTOS. 
The  genus  Sabal  is  composed  of  about  half  a 
dozen  species,  all  of  which  are  natives  of  the  Ntw 
World.  S.  umbraculifera  is  the  most  stately  of 
them,  as  may  be  seen  at  Kew,  where,  towering  up 
to  the  top  of  the  Palm  house,  is  a  noble  specimen 
of  this  species,  the  large  fan-shaped  leaves  and 
clusters  of  Grape-like  fruit  of  which  make  it  an 
object  of  universal  admiration.  Seeman  in  his 
"Popular  History  of  Palms"  quotes  a  statement 
made  by  the  ex-curator  of  the  Koyal  Gardens,  Mr. 
John  Smith,  which  is  to  the  effect  that  notling 
definite  was  known  as  to  the  native  country  of 
this  species,  and  South  Africa  was  suggested  as  its 
probable  home.  Recently,  however,  it  has  teen 
satisfactorily  proved  that  S.  umbraculifera  was 
originally  a  native  of  the  island  of  Barmuda,  atd 
the  name  has  therefore  been  altered  to  S.  Black - 
burniani.  S.  Palmetto  is  interesting  because  of 
its  being  the  most  northern  species  of  all  Palms. 
In  Carolina  and  Florida  it  occurs  plentifully,  atd 
our  small  woodcut  presents  a  glimpse  of  a  clustf  r 
of  it  in  the  latter  State.  S.  Palmetto  forms  a 
stem  about  12  feet  in  height,  which  bears  on  its 
apex  a  crown  of  large  fan- shape  3  leaves.  In 
America  the  stem  of  the  Palmetto  U  largely  used 
tor  wharf  building,  and  its  leaves  are  made  into 
light  summer  hats,  the  well-known  Palmetto  hats 
so  largely  worn  in  almost  all  parts  of  the  world  ; 
its  roots  also  are  used  for  tanning  purposes. 
Hoiticulturally,  the  Sabals  are  of  little  service  as 


Sept.   20,    1884.] 


TPIE     GARDEN 


263 


oroamental  plant?,  unless  sufficient  room  can  be 
afforded  them  to  grow  into  large  specimens,  such 
as  are  to  be  seen  at  Kew  and  in  other  gardens 
where  large  Palm  houfes  exist.  !'■ 

ARISTOLOCHIA  GIGAS. 
We  have  on  more  than  one  occasion  received 
llowers  of  the  lUrd's-beak  r.irthwort  (A.  ornitho- 
cephala)  under  the  above  name,  and  vpe  learn  on 
good  authority  that  the  substitution  of  the  one  for 
the  other,  possibly  from  a  belief  that  the  two 
names  belong  to  the  same  plant,  is  not  un- 
frequently  practised  by  nurserymen.  It  will  be 
seen  from  llie  following  that  there  is  a  very 
marked  difference  between  the  two  plants  to 
which  the  above  names  severally  belong.  A.  gigas 
was  so  named  by  Lindley  {Butciniciil  Jteghtcr, 
1812,  t.  Cd)  who  says  of  it,  "  Well  might  this  tlower 
excite  the  astonishment  of  those  who  saw  it  exhi- 
bited, for  certainly  it  is  a  rare  event  even  in  the 
Tropics  to  meet  with  so  strange  a  production.  If 
we  were  given  to  fancies  we  should  speculate  upon 
the  possibility  of  its  being  a  cross  between  an 
elephant  and  an  Arum,  for  the  colour  and  smell 
belong  to  the  latter,  and  the  ear  of  the  former 
turned  inside  out  is  no  bad  imitation  of  its  form." 
Kix  years  later  two  quarto  plates  were  devoted  to 
the  same  plant  in  the  Jintunicid  Maijicine  (t. 
4:)G8-9),  and  the  name  of  A.  grandiflora  is  there 
pointed  out  to  be  the  correct  one.  The  flowers  of 
this  plant  are  formed  of  a  long  doubly  bent  tube, 
which  is  inflated  like  a  bladder  near  the  mouth, 
and  then  spreads  out  to  a  broad  uneven-sided  cup 
which  is  so  large  as  to  cover  a  man's  head.  A  tail 
about  G  inches  in  length  terminates  the  highest 
point  of  this  gigantic  cup.  The  whole  inner  sur- 
face of  the  tlower  is  radiated  and  reticulated  with 
veins  deep  blood-purple  in  the  centre  and  within 
the  mouth  ;  the  rest  is  dirty  white  mottled  with 
blood-purple  about  the  veins.  When  not  in  flower 
this  species  may  be  recognised  by  the  pubescence 
of  its  leaves,  and  by  their  being  distinctly  acumi- 
nate. Until  the  discovery  of  the  giant  of  the  genus 
and  the  largest  flower  known— if  we  except  the 
llalllesia-  /  c,  A.  Goldieana,  the  above  species  was 
the  Goliath  Aristolochia. 

A.  GiciANTEA  is  another  large-flowered  Birth- 
wort  with  the  general  appearance  of  A.  grandi- 
flora, differing,  however,  in  having  smooth,  kidney- 
shaped  leaves  and  a  shorter  tail  to  the  blade  of 
the  flower ;  it  also  differ^  in  colour  from  that 
species. 

A.  ORNiTiiocEPiiALA,  Or,  as  it  is  s  ometimes 
called,  A.  brasiliensis,  is  a  frequent  inmate  of  our 
stoves,  and  in  the  strange  form  and  large  size  of 
its  flowers  is  quite  as  remarkable  as  any  of  those 
above  mentioned.  From  A.  gigas,  however,  it 
differs  very  widely,  its  smooth  glaucous,  kidney- 
shaped  leaves  and  the  division  of  its  flower  limb 
into  two  blades  or  lips  being  characters  by  which 
it  is  easily  recognised.  The  beak-like  upper  lip, 
which  is  a  inches  long,  has  suggested  its  name, 
whilst  the  lower  portion  of  the  flower  is  a  broad- 
spreading,  reniform  blade,  which  hangs  downwards 
from  the  end  of  a  narrow  stalk-like  and  horizontal 
portion. 

The  above  three  species,  viz.,  A.  grandiflora,  A. 
Goldieana,  and  A.  ornithocephala,  arc  strong,  free- 
growing  stove  plants,  very  easy  of  cultivation,  and 
if  their  unpleasant  smell  is  not  too  strong  to  admit 
of  their  being  grown,  they  are  certainly  sufficiently 
wonderful  to  deserve  favour.  In  large  houses 
their  disagreeable  odour  is  not  very  perceptible, 
unless  one  places  his  nose  in  the  near  neighbour- 
hood of  the  flower-tube  ;  but  for  small  houses  we 
should  like  to  know  how  sensitive  the  olfactory 
nerves  of  their  frequenters  were  before  we  recom- 
mended either  of  the  above  plants  for  a  place  in 
their  collection.  One  of  our  correspondents  wrote 
of  A.  ornithocephala  that "  it  had  been  immensely 
admired,  and  is  certainly  very  decorative  in  a  hot- 
house, though  the  perfume  is  not  sweet." 


plants  used  for  this  purpose  the  Creeping  Jenny 
has  two  very  considerable  advantages,  viz.,  that  of 
being  quite  hardy  and  suiting  itself  to  almost  any 
position  or  condition,  and  also  that  of  serving  the 
same  purpose  winter  and  summer  alike  without  re- 
quiring renewal  or  getting  unsightly.  The  whole 
plant  is  bright  golden  yellow,  and  the  stems, 
which  are  long  and  pliable,  hang  in  graceful  pro- 
fusion over  the  pot  or  basket  in  which  it  may  be 
placed.  Many  of  the  window  boxes  which  one 
sees  in  a  walk  through  London  are  filled  with  this 
and  the  common  green- leaved  Creeping  Jenny,  and 
well  they  look,  even  in  places  in  which  they  could 
hardly  be  expected  to  thrive. — K. 


Golden  Creeping  Jenny —For  covering 
old  walls,  furnishing  bare  unsightly  banks  or 
slopes,  or  for  hanging  baskets,  few  trailing  plants 
surpass  this  old-fashioned  favourite.    Over  most 


WORK  DONE  IN  WEEK  ENDING  SEPT.  17. 

September  11. — Preparing  soil  to  top-dress 
early  vinery  border ;  the  best  loam  we  can 
get,  a  small  proportion  of  charcoal  and  crushed 
bones — half-inch — and  chalk  are  the  whole  of  the 
ingredients  used.  The  border  being  now  of  full 
size  extension  is  impossible,  but  as  we  like  to  give 
the  tips  of  the  roots  a  bit  of  entirely  fresh  soil 
most  years,  a  trench  2  feet  wide  will  be  dug  out 
at  the  extremity  of  the  border  with  all  the  care 
possible  to  avoid  injury  to  the  roots;  the  latter 
will  be  shortened  with  a  sharp  knife  and  be  laid 
in  the  new  compost,  well  pounding  it  down  as 
each  layer  is  put  on.  This  done,  the  entire  sur- 
face will  be  dressed  with  the  like  compost,  the  old 
loose  surface  soil  being  previously  scraped  off  and 
cracks  in  the  border  filled  up  with  fine  soil.  The 
border  being  entirely  outside,  the  whole  will  then 
be  covered  with  long  litter  and  leaves — not  in  suf- 
ficient thickness  to  heat — but  only  just  enough  to 
prevent  the  ingress  of  cold.  Digging  up  late 
Potatoes— our  two  best  varieties  are  Magnum 
ISonum  and  Reading  Hero.  We  have  now  quite 
discarded  Paterson's  Victoria,  which  used  to  be 
our  staple  late  variety,  in  favour  of  these  two 
kinds,  the  latter  being  quite  equal  in  quality  and, 
as  a  rule,  quite  free  from  disease  when  the 
Victorias  have  been  badly  affected.  Magnum 
Connm  is  the  most  profitable  Potato  in  cultivation, 
and  is  of  first-rate  quality  from  Christmas  on- 
wards, and  should  not  be  used  earlier  than  that. 
Reading  Hero  is  now  usable.  We  store  them  in  a 
dark,  dry  shed,  lay  them  on,  and  cover  them  over 
with  clean  straw,  and  on  wet  days  turn  them  over 
to  remove  bad  tubers.  Odd  jobs  of  sweeping  up. 
washing  pit-lights,  and  preparing  the  pits  for  bed- 
ding plants,  Violas,  &o.,  completed  to-day's  work, 
Septembek  12. — Summer  returned  in  all  its 
fulness  to-day— 82°  in  the  shade— a  fine 
time  for  gathering  the  earliest  Apples,  which 
we  did.  Wasps  have  done  serious  injury, 
far  more  than  birds  this  season,  and  all  that  were 
any  way  in j  ured  have  been  put  together  for  present 
use.  The  others  are  laid  on  the  fruit  room  shelves 
as  thin  as  space  will  admit  of,  and  for  the  present 
the  ventilators  will  be  left  open  night  and  day, 
netting  having  been  put  over  the  ventilators  to 
keep  out  wasps.  IJeurre  d'Amanlis,  I'eurre  de 
Capiaumont,  Louise  Bonne  of  Jersey,  and  Flemish 
Beauty  Pears  were  also  gathered ;  unfortunately 
this  did  not  take  long,  as  they  are  scarcer  than  ever 
they  have  been  before.  Pears  we  always  lay  in  single 
file  on  the  fruit  room  shelves,  handling  them  gently 
as  we  would  Grapes,  for  the  slightest  bruise 
quickly  engenders  decay.  Sweeping  up  is  now 
becoming  a  daily  requirement,  and  as  we  value 
neatness  about  as  highly  as  good  cultivation,  we 
cannot  neglect  it,  however  pressing  other  duties 
are,  and  happily  just  now  they  are  not  of  that 
nature.  Hoeing  amongst  crops  of  August-sown 
Onions,  winter  Spinach,  and  Broccolis ;  watering 
late  Peach  trees  on  walls  that  are  bearing  heavy 
crops  ;  gathering  the  fruit  and  tacking  up  Toma- 
toes to  the  walls ;  pulling  up  old  Pea  haulm  and 
clearing  away  the  sticks,  were  our  other  doings 
to-day. 

September  IB.— Saturday,  I  suppose,  is  a  busy 
day  in  every  garden.  It  is  always  so  here,  and  in 
all  weathers  too  ;  for  if  wet,  the  glass  department 
comes  in  for  an  extra  share  of  cleaning  and  re- 
arrangement of  plants,  and  if  fine,  there  is  always 
more  to  be  done  in  both  departments  than  can  be 


well  got  through  by  .5  p.m.,  the  hour  we  conscien- 
tiously strive  to  set  all  hands  at  liberty.     Flower 
garden  occupied  a  large  portion  of  our  time,  the 
formal  beds  having  the  usual  picking  over  to  keep 
the  various  plants  in  their  rightful  place.     The 
hot    summer    has    taught    us    valuable    lessons, 
which  will  help  us  to  vary  the  arrangements  of 
next  year  considerably,  and  particularly  in   the 
direction  of  using  taller  growing  plants  in  set  or 
formal  patterns.     All  Sedums  and  similar  plant?, 
in   spite   of  heat  and  abundant  waterings,  have 
maintained  their  normal  character  of  flat  growth, 
but  Alternantheras,    Mesembryanthemums,    and 
some  few  other  plants  of  the  same  habit  of  growth 
have    grown    about    twice    as    tall    as  they  do 
generally,  and   it  being  deemed  unadvisable  to 
pinch  them  back  in  order  to  maintain  the  usual 
even  or  level  appearance  of  beds  of  this  nature, 
they    now  present    a    most  effective  undulated 
appearance,  that  had  we  aimed  at  producing  we 
could  hardly  have  hoped  for  the  success  that  has 
resulted  from  chance,  or    rather,  from   the  hot 
weather.     Hence  another  year  we  shall  strive  for 
the  undulations  by  the  use  of  taller  plants  in  con- 
junction  with    dwarf    types.     Flowering  plants 
could  not  possibly  be  more  gay  than  they  now  are  ; 
the  rain  of  last  week  made  them  look  bad  for  a  day 
or  two,  but  all  bad  flowers  having  been  picked  cfJ 
to-day  the  beds  are  now  clean  and  gay.     \'iolas 
and  Lobelias  have  also  renewed  their  vigour,  seed- 
pods  being  constantly  kept  off  them.     Viola  Mrs. 
Gray  (white),  pink    Pelargonium,   and    Agathrea 
ccelestis   (blue  Marguerite),  planted   in  mixture 
is  a  bed  to  admire  once,  and  be  kept  before  the 
mind's  eye  for  months.    Tall  plants  had  a  tie  to 
their    supports,    and  seed-pods  were    picked  off 
Dahlias.  Herniaria  glabra,   which  is  used  as  an 
edging  plant  to  all  the  beds,  was  also  clipped  over, 
and  this  will  be  the  last  time  it  will  require  to  be 
cut  this  season.     This   is  by  far  the  beat  green 
hardy  plant  suited  for   edgings  of  beds  or  for 
groundwork   for  succulent  plants,  and  the  next 
best    are    Sedum  glaucum   (grey)   and    Lydium 
(green);  this  last  named  gets  very  rutty  in   dry 
weather,  otherwise  it  is  one  of  the  best  for  carpet- 
ing purposes,  either  in  that  type  of  bed  or  for 
covering    the    ground    beneath    tall    herbaceous 
plants.    Watering  inside   Vine  borders,  weeding 
Pine  beds,  and  surface-dressing  them  with  Cocoa 
fibre  solely  for  neatness  sake,  and  watering  the 
plants  were  our  only  other  jobs  worthy  of  note. 

September  15 — Mowing  has  again  become  a 
daily  duty,  and  as  we  like  to  keep  pace  with  the 
machine,  all  hands  have  to  take  to  the  scythe  each 
morning  till  breakfast  time;  then  there  is  the 
sweeping  up,  cutting  of  edgings  round  shrubbery 
clumps,  walks,  and  beds  near  which  the  mowing 
has  been  done,  so  that  we  can  rarely  get  at  what 
I  term  real  profitable  work  till  eleven  o'clock. 
But  there  the  ornamental  is  profitable  in  garden- 
ing, because  of  the  pleasure  derivable  from  high 
keep  of  any  department ;  still  we  prefer  to  be  at 
Apple  gathering,  which  to-day  took  up  most  of 
our  time.  In  the  houses  more  propagating  was 
done,  and  soil  prepdred  for  the  pits  in  which 
Violets  are  to  be  grown  throughout  the  winter, 
also  for  Calceolarias,  Violas,  and  Echeverias.  The 
early  Hamburgh  Vines  were  partially  pruned,  the 
final  cutting  back  to  be  done  as  soon  as  the  still 
green  large  leaves  indicate  full  maturity  of  the 
wood  by  turning  yellow. 

September  10.— A  heavy  rain  storm  (neatly 
half  an  inch)  early  this  morning  upset  our  plans 
for  the  day,  but  the  jobs  that  have  been  done 
needed  attention  just  as  much  as  did  Nut  and 
Apple  gathering,  which  were  our  intended  duties. 
All  walks  have  been  rolled,  lawn-tennis  grounds 
too,  and  also  re-maiked— Cocoa  fibre  is  our  mark- 
ing material ;  it  is  neater,  and  does  not  need  re- 
newal so  frequently  as  whiting.  W^eeding  amongst 
P.russels  Sprouts  and  taking  off  yellow  and  useless 
leaves,  and  the  same  from  curled  and  cottagers' 
Kales,  thinningout  Turnips,  also  Lettuce,  and  trans- 
planting some  between  rows  of  recently  planted 
Strawberries,  and  sowing  Cauliflower  on  a  south 
border  to  stand  the  winter,  have  been  our  kitchen 
garden  doings.  Indoor  hands  have  been  engaged 
taking  off  runners  from  pot  Strawberry  plants. 


264 


THE    GARDEN 


[Sept.  20,   1S84. 


disbudding  and  tying  Chrysanthemums,  weeding 
and  re-surfacing  with  good  soil  pot  Roses,  and 
watering  Peach  borders,  the  %\all  trees,  as  well  as 
the  borders  in  houses,  for  the  rainfall  has  not  been 
nearly  sufficient  for  any  description  of  wall  fraits, 
so  that  where  water  is  plentiful  such  work  will  be 
well  repaid  by  abundant  fruit  nest  year.  Of  course 
everybody's  soil  is  not  so  open  and  light  as  the 
writer's,  and  tenacious  soils  may  not  require  the 
same  amount  of  artificial  watering,  still  it  is  better 
to  err  in  giving  too  much  rather  than  that  the 
wood  should  shrivel  through  lack  of  it.  I  do  not 
believe  in  withholding  water  to  ripen  the  wood  of 
any  description  of  fruit  trees  ;  such  a  notion  is  a 
delusion  and  a  snare,  notwithstanding  its  general 
credence. 

September  17.— More  Apple  gathering,  also 
Nuts  (Cobs  and  Filberts) ;  these  are  large  crops, 
and  must  be  gathered  forthwith,  as  the  squirrels 
are  taking  them  wholesale.  Planted  out  more 
biennials  in  mixed  borders,  weeded  amongst  tbe 
plants,  cut  away  the  bad  flowers,  tied  up  tall  bien- 
nial Sunflowers,  Asters  (Michaelmas  Daisies),  and 
late  flowering  Phloxes,  and  made  note  as  to  plants 
to  be  divided  and  re-arranged  as  soon  as  it  is  safe  to 
do  such  work.  Lilium  auratum  and  Gladiolus 
have  made  a  grand  show  in  the  borders  for  a  long 
time  past,  and  have  won  their  way  to  increased 
favour  as  plants  for  mixed  gardening,  and  will, 
therefore,  in  future  be  grown  in  greater  numbers. 
S  ub-t  ropicals  are  at  their  very  best,  and  t  o  keep  them 
perfect  are  being  examined  as  to  their  safety  in 
windy  weather,  which  may  shortly  be  expected. 
All  the  edgings  are  gone  over  once  a  week,  and 
straggling  parts  of  plants  cut  away.  Two  of  the 
best  flowering  plants  that  associate  well  with  sub- 
tropical plants  are  now  in  great  beauty  ;  they  are 
Bocconia  cordata  and  Acanthus  Insitanicus  :  both 
are  quite  hardy,  and  look  most  at  home  when 
planted  on  turf.  Early  Peach  borders  inside  are 
being  top-dressed,  and  a  couple  of  trees  that  were 
planted  last  year  having  grown  far  too  strong  are 
being  lifted  and  replanted  in  the  same  positions  ; 
by  transplanting  thus  early  we  expect  to  get  a 
crop  of  fruit  from  the  trees  next  season.  Our 
staple  soil  is  loam,  chalk,  wood  ashes,  to  which  a 
small  proportion  of  bones  is  added,  and  the  whole 
well  pounded  together.  Peaches  enjoy  a  hard 
border  quite  as  much  as  do  Strawberries. 

Hants. 


RECENT  PLANT  POKTKAITS. 

BiLBEBGiA  Sanderiana  {Belijiqiw  Horticole 
for  January).— A  fine  double  plate  of  a  rather 
showy  Bromeliad  introduced  by  Messrs.  Sander,  of 
St.  Albans,  in  1882  from  Rio  de  Janeiro,  where  it 
was  first  discovered  by  M.  Glaziou  in  1868.  It 
produces  its  flowers,  which  are  greenish  tubes 
tipped  with  blue,  on  long  pendulous  racemes,  with 
pale  pink  bracts  to  each  lateral  branchlet. 

Masdevallia  BELLA  {Belgique  Horticole  for 
February).— A  curious  variety  of  this  very  nu- 
merous family  of  terrestrial  Orchids  from  New 
Grenada,  with  large  brown  flowers  with  white 
centres.     Introduced  by  Messrs.  Low,  of  Clapton. 

DlANTHUS  LIGNOSUS  PRESIDENT  AMIRAL 
Geeig  {lieinie  de  VHorticvltnrc  Bclgc  for  Sep- 
tember).— A  very  handsome  and  apparently  vigo- 
rous growing  and  stout-constitutioned  Carnation, 
resembling  in  habit  of  growth  the  well-known 
variety  Souvenir  de  la  Malmaison,  but  with  large 
and  fully  double  deep  rose-coloured  flowers, 
heavily  streaked  with  carmine.  Raised  by  M.  J. 
Puis,  of  Courtrai,  near  Ghent,  and  named  after 
the  president  of  the  Horticultural  Society  of  St. 
Petersburg.  This  should  be  grown  by  every  lover 
of  fine  Pinks. 

DlANTHUS  Caryophtllus  {lUustraiwn  Horti- 
cole, plate  520).— A  fine  double  plate,  showing 
half-a-dozen  handsome  varieties  of  double  Carna- 
tions belonging  to  the  section  of  the  family  known 
as  bizarres.  and  raised  from  seed  by  M.  E.  Jlorren, 
of  Jette  St.  Pierre,  near  Brussels.  The  blooms 
are  of  very  fine  size  and  of  rich  and  varied  shades 
of  colour.  They  are  not  named,  but  lettered  to 
distinguish  them  from  one  another. 


Cypripediom  ciliolare  {Illustration  Borti- 
cole,  plate  530). — An  exceedingly  handsome  variety 
of  Lady's  Slipper,  well  worth  adding  to  any  choice 
collection  of  these  plants,  and  somewhat  resem- 
bling the  variety  known  as  C.  superbiens  (Rohb.) 
or  C.  Veitchianum  (Hort.).  Bloomed  first  by  M. 
Lemoinier,  of  Lille. 

GUNNEEA  manicata  {Illustration  Horticole, 
plate  531). — This  exceedingly  handsome  foliage 
plant  appears  to  be  almost,  if  not  quite,  hardy  in 
this  country,  though  the  country  whence  it  comes 
(Brazil)  would  hardly  lead  one  to  hope  that  it 
should  prove  to  be  so.  It  is  evidently  a  moisture- 
loving  plant,  and  planted  on  the  banks  of  a  pond 
in  the  north  of  Ireland,  where  its  roots  could 
reach  the  water,  its  foliage  attained  the  splendid 
dimensions  of  over  7  feet  across,  forming  a  truly 
splendid  specimen.  It  is  in  every  way  superior 
and  much  to  be  preferred  to  the  more  generally 
known  G.  scabra,  and  should  be  included  in  all 
choice  collections  of  ornamental  foliage  plants. 

W.  E.  G. 

NOTES   ON    ORCHIDS. 


Cattleya  Eothechildiana.— A  flower  of 
this  Orchid  has  been  sent  to  us  by  Mr.  White 
from  Mr.  Dorman's  collection  at  The  Firs,  Syden- 
ham. It  reminds  one  of  Cattleya  maxima,  also  in 
flower  at  the  present  time,  but  the  flower  is  some- 
what different  in  .-ihape,  and  the  colour  is  more 
delicate  than  in  that  variety.  Any  Orchid  that 
flowers  at  this  season  is  valuable,  especially  such 
a  lovely  Cattleya  as  this  is.  With  this  Cattleya  is 
sent  a  flower-spike  of  the  new  Catasetum  Christy- 
anum,  a  singularly  shaped  Orchid  of  a  dull  purplish 
hue.  It  is  nevertheless  distinct  and  interesting 
for  a  collection. 

Habenaria  oiliarls.— I  should  like  to  know 
if  Mr.  RawBon  has  succeeded  in  flowering  this 
lovely  little  Orchid  for  more  than  two  seasons, 
and  if  so,  would  he  give  a  note  regarding  its  treat- 
ment. I  have  repeatedly  tried  not  only  this,  but 
various  others — indeed  I  might  say  all  of  the  North 
American  Habenarias—  but  without  success,  though 
with  European  Orchids  I  am  fairly  successful. 
The  above  species,  H.  fimbriata,  H.  psycodes,  and 
H.  lacera  all  gradually  decline  after  the  first  year, 
our  seasons  being  evidently  too  cold  to  ripen  the 
tubers, — A.  D,  Webster. 

Dendrobium  bigibbum  var.  —  What 
appears  to  be  a  distinct  variety  of  D.  bigibbum 
may  now  be  seen  in  flower  at  Kew.  Instead  of 
the  yellow  blotch  on  the  labellum  as  in  the  type, 
the  Kew  plant  has  a  blotch  of  deep  maroon,  whilst 
the  rest  of  the  lip  is  purplish.  The  sepals  of  the 
variety  are  whitish  with  deep  rose  veins,  and  the 
petals  are  purplish  pink.  1 1,  bigibbum  is  a  native 
of  the  north-east  coast  of  Australia,  hence  the 
high  temperature  required  for  its  successful  culti- 
vation. The  variety  now  flowering  at  Kew  is 
additionally  interesting  because  of  its  having  been 
collected  in  the  island  of  Timor,  which  is  situated 
about  half  way  between  Australia  and  Borneo. 
— B. 

Phaius  bieolor.— The  Kew  specimen  of  this 
plant  commenced  to  flower  in  May,  and  since  that 
time  until  the  present  it  has  continued  in  flower 
without  intermission,  so  that  from  the  opening  of 
the  first  flower  to  the  fading  of  the  last  a  period 
of  about  four  months  has  elapsed.  P.  grandifoliu.s 
and  P.  Wallichi  do  not  last  in  flower  one-fourth  of 
this  period,  nor  does  the  pretty  and  rare  P.  tuber- 
culosus  last  any  longer  than  these.  It  will  be  seen 
from  this  that  in  addition  to  the  distinct  beauty 
of  the  flowers  of  P.  bieolor  there  is  the  excellent 
quality  of  remaining  a  long  time  in  flower  to  re- 
commend it.  As  noted  some  time  ago,  P.  bicoloris 
a  native  of  Ceylon,  and  has  been  introduced  and 
exhibited  under  the  name  of  P.  Inridus. — Q. 

Manure  water  for  Orchids.— Referring 

to  "  Veronica's  "  remarks  on  this  subject  in  Tub 
Garden  (p.  227)  in  regard  to  Mr.  B.  S.  Williams' 
cultural  description  and  requirements  of  Cypri- 
pedium  insigne,  I  may  state  that  if  "  Veronica  " 
will  think  for  a  moment  and  examine  the  roots  of 


a  Cypripedium  and  a  Cattleya  or  Vanda,  he  will 
see  that  they  are  of  quite  a  different  appearance. 
The  former,  in  addition  to  being  "  fleshy,"  is  al- 
most furry,  whereas  neither  those  of  Cattleya  nor 
Vanda  are  furry  in  comparison  to  a  root  of  a 
Cypripedium.  Those  who  regularly  take  in  the 
"  Orchid  Album  "  will  find  the  treatment  of  Vanda 
described  under  the  plate  of  V.  tricolor  (77) ;  but 
as  to  Vandas  and  manure  water,  I  may  state  that 
I  know  Vandas  do  benefit  by  manure  in  modera- 
tion in  the  shape  of  ammonia  powdered  and 
sprinkled  about  the  stages  at  intervals.  Now  that 
the  subject  has  been  started,  I  hope  that  Mr. 
Williams  and  others  will  describe  their  experi- 
ence in  The  Garden.  The  heavy  foliage  of 
tropical  forests  decomposing  on  the  ground  pro- 
duces ammonia  in  gas,  which  rises,  and  conse- 
quently plants  on  the  trees  must  be  subjected  to 
it. — De  B.  Ceawshay,  Boscjield,  Sevenoaks. 


WALL  GARDENING. 
Stone  being  plentiful,  rough  wall  fences  and 
dykes  abound  in  this  part  of  Somersetshire.  In 
course  of  time  Nature  clothes  and  adorns  these  old 
crumbling  walls  with  living  plants  in  a  great 
variety  of  charming  ways.  They  are  stained  and 
covered  with  Lichens  and  Mosses  ;  in  shaded  parts 
may  be  found  whole  colonies  of  Hart's- tongue  and 
common  Polypody  Ferns,  and  on  more  exposed 
places  the  Jlaiden-hair,  Rue-leaved,  and  scaly 
Spleenwortsgrow  in  gi-eat  abundance,  thickly  stud- 
ding every  chink  and  crevice  between  the  stones. 
Here  and  there  the  common  Ivy,  with  which  many 
adjoining  woods  are  carpeted,  takes  possession, 
breaking  out  into  tree  form  on  the  summit  of  high 
walls,  and  forming  thereon  a  pleasant  bright  green 
canopy,  soon  to  be  bursting  into  flower.  Native 
Stonecrops  and  the  wall  Toadflax  (Linaria  Cym- 
balaria)  drape  many  parts,  while  in  the  vicinity  of 
dwellings  there  are  great  clustering  masses  of 
Houseleeks,  Wallflowers,  Valerians,  the  rock 
Cresses,  and  purple  Aubrietias,  all  very  beautiful  in 
their  seasons. 

A  crumbling  old  cottage  garden  wall  I  know  is 
quite  covered  with  Cerastium  tomentosum,  with 
Wallflowers  growing  through  it  on  the  crest; 
another  higher  wall  enclosing  a  farmhouse  garden 
is  hidden  on  both  sides  for  yards  with  the 
common  Houseleek  (Sempervivum  tectorum),  a 
crowded  mass,  several.inches  deep,  growing  and 
feeding  on  the  decaying  remains  of  past  genera- 
tions ;  they  must  have  been  growing  there  many 
years.  Amongst  the  rustic  rockwork  at  each  side 
of  a  low  stone  bridge  over  a  rivulet  grows  the 
Cheddar  Pink  (Dianthus  Cicsius),  pretty  pendent 
cushions  of  blue  green  leaves,  and  cord-like 
stems  nearly  reaching  to  the  water,  and 
in  flood  times  bobbing  on  its  surface,  prettier 
still  in  bloom  with  its  wealth  of  tiny, 
fair,  and  fragrant  flowers.  Examples  like 
these  might  be  multiplied,  but  only  one  more  I 
should  like  to  mention.  On  a  wide  ledge  a  few 
feet  from  the  top  of  a  high  retaining  wall  many 
plants  have  found  a  lodgment ;  upwards  grow 
Wallflowers  and  red  Valerian,  while  long  hanging 
tufts  of  Aubrietias  and  Arabis  drape  the  face,  wiih 
wild  Strawberries  and  Crane's-bills. 

Now,  meeting  almost  daily  with  such  pretty 
effects  so  simply  produced,  the  thought  occurs,  why 
not  construct  some  portions  of  pleasure  ground 
walls  with  a  special  view  to  embellishing  their  sur- 
faces with  rock  and  alpine  plants  ?  Many  beauti- 
ful things  would  flourish  and  show  to  full 
advantage  in  such  a  position,  and  it  would  be  an 
interestingly  pretty  way  of  varying  the  orna- 
mentation of  walls  facing  that  part  cf  gardens. 

A  rugged,  inclined  wall  built  wide  at  the  base, 
the  surface  of  which  would  gently  recede  from 
foot  to  top  so  that  rain  would  reach  every  part, 
appears  to  me  to  afford  just  the  position  where 
many  lovely  things  would  find  a  congenial  home. 
Boundary  or  division  walls  are  in  most  gardens  a 
necessity,  especially  in  those  of  limited  extent; 
and  portions  of  these  with  a  northerly  aspect, 
preferably  a  curved  portion,  would  be  best 
suited  to  this  purpose,  building  in  the  stones 
in    such    a    way  as    to   leave  the    face  of   the 


Sept.  20,   1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


265 


wall  covered  with  roughly  projecting  stones, 
lestening  the  projections  as  it  heightened,  and 
taking  care  as  the  bnilding  proceeded  to  make 
plenty  of  pockets,  holes,  and  crannies  to  receive 
suitable  soil  for  the  plants  to  grow  in,  though 
numbers  of  wall  plants  appear  to  require  very 
little  soil  when  sown  in  crevices.  Another  way, 
and  one  taking  perhaps  less  material,  might  be  to 
form  a  series  of  rough  ledges,  making  each  nar- 
rower towards  the  toiJ.  The  expense  of  construc- 
tion or  the  quantity  of  material  wanted  for  a  wall 
like  this  would  very  little  exceed  that  of  an  ordi- 
nary perpendicular  one,  because  the  extra  thick- 
ness cf  base  necessary  to  give  the  requii^ite 
slope  to  its  surface  would  so  increase  its  stability, 
that  half  the  width  or  less  at  the  top  would 
suffice. 

Suppose  a  wall  8  feet  high,  a  thickness  at  the 
footof  ofeetor  S.^feet,  gradually  receding  towards 
the  top  and  terminating  in  the  length  of  a  brick 
0  inches,  or  even  6  inches,  would  give  a  nice  gentle 
inclination  to  its  face.  Weather-worn  surface  or 
land  stones  are  the  most  attractive  for  this  kind  of 
work,  but  these  are  not  plentiful  in  many  parts  ; 
any  roughly  broken  stone  would  answer,  and 
where  stone  of  any  kind  is  hard  to  get,  any 
rustic-looking  imperishable  matter,  such  as  burrs, 
vitrified  bricks  or  cUnker.-',  built  in  as  described 
and  afterwards  pounced  or  splashed  all  over  with 
liquid  cement,  would  answer  quite  well. 

I  think  many  pretty  mural  gardens  could  be  made 
in  the  way  I  have  described  ;  their  beauty  would 
continually  increase  with  the  development  of  age  ; 
hardy  Sedums  and  Sempervivums  would  soon 
crest  the  top  of  such  walls  ;  scores  of  lovely  things 
sown  or  planted  in  the  places  provided  for  them 
would  soon  render  them  very  attractive ;  the  best  of 
our  native  wall  plants  could  be  used  ;  patches  of 
miniature  Ivies  would  be  pretty,  so  would  Ferns 
and  Mosses.  A  few  of  the  best  known  plants 
adapted  for  wall  gardening  are  Aubrietias,  Anten- 
narias,  the  dwarf  Hairbells,  Cerastiums,  rock 
Pinks,  mossy  Saxifrages,  Linarias,  dwarf  Armaria, 
rock  Koses,  Sibthorpia  europaja,  Arabises,  Erinus, 
and  there  are  many  rock  and  alpine  plants  suit- 
able. 

My  knowledge  of  these  (and  their  lime  likes  and 
dislikes)  is  not  extensive  or  accurate  enough  to 
warrant  the  compilation  of  a  list,  but  The  Gar- 
DEX  possesses  many  contributors  who  thoroughly 
know  and  understand  these  lovely  plants,  and  who 
could  tell  us  with  authority  of  a  host  of  them 
suitable  for  this  ragged  wall  garden.  There  are 
quite  enough  good  things  to  avoid  repetition, 
plenty  of  variety,  and  good  large  clumps  or 
patches  of  each  would  yield  the  greatest  interest 
and  beauty.  In  kitchen  gardens  there  are  often 
little  nooks  and  bits  of  wall  space,  of  little  value 
for  fruit  trees,  frequently  quite  unused  for  any- 
thing. Such  odd  corners  would  be  much  improved 
if  converted  into  miniature  mural  gardens. 
Craniiure.  ARTHUR  MoORE. 


The  parcels  that  have  ccmeinto  my  hands  contain 
nearly  11  per  cent,  of  ammonia  and  30  per  cent, 
of  phosphates.  Having  a  large  kitchen  garden 
and  i  acres  of  paddock  with  but  little  stable 
manure  available,  we  have  to  purchase  ferti- 
lisers in  quantity.  Every  gardener  knows  that 
if  he  has  to  grow  fine  liowers,  fruit,  and 
vegetables,  he  must  have  plenty  of  good 
manure  of  some  kind  at  his  disposal.  Stable 
manure,  with  its  necessary  litter  and  waste,  costly 
manipulation,  and  cartage,  involves  a  serious  out- 
lay ;  consequently  we  have  been  compelled  to  look 
for  the  best  and  cheapest  manure  offered.  After 
many  trials  I  find  that  fish  guano  in  combination 
with  pure  potash  is  the  one  that  best  satisfies  all 
my  requirements ;  it  contains  ingredients  all  of 
which  are  necessary  for  really  healthy  plant  life. 
Mr.  G.  Nevill,  in  his  last  new  work  on  "  Farm  and 
Farming,"  alluding  to  food  of  plants,  remarks  (p. 
14) — "  There  are  certain  substances  which  form 
the  nourishment  and  are  required  for  the  support 
of  all  plants.  It  will,  I  think,  be  found  that 
all  require  phosphorus,  nitrogen,  and  potash, 
and  that  every  one  of  these  substances  is  as 
necessary  as  the  other  to  the  full  development 
of  the  perfect  plant."  Apparently  fish  and  potash 
contain  them  all.  I  have  used  this  fertiliser  suc- 
cessfully for  nearly  every  kind  of  crop,  and  shall 
do  so  to  a  greater  extent  than  I  hitherto  have 
done.  It  is  excellent  manure  for  all  fruits, 
flowers,  and  shrubs.  Strawberries,  Vines,  Rasp- 
berries, and  Melons  thrive  well  when  potted  or 
dressed  with  it.  Celery  and  f'abbages  grow 
grandly  ;  in  fact  it  suits  all  vegetables.  It  seems 
more  lasting  than  any  other  manure  I  have  used, 
because  of  the  flesh  apd  bone  in  it.  Our  Grass 
land  and  lawns  were  dressed  with  it  in  the 
spring,  and  we  have  been  rewarded  with  green 
lawns  all  through  the  hot  season  and  a  heavy 
crop  of  hay  from  our  little  field.  For  amateurs 
with  small  gardens  I  must  say  fish  and  potash  is 
a  very  desirable  manure,  economical  and  easy  of 
application.  W.  J.  Gilks. 

Higham  Hill  Gardens,   Waltliamstow, 


spurs,  sweet  Sultan  in  colours,  charming  blue 
Delphiniums,  the  black  and  gold  Harpalium  rigi- 
dum,  the  glowing  Coneflower(RDdbeckia  fulgida), 
that  charming  late  summer- flowering  plant  Tri- 
tonia  aurea,  Hyaointhus  candicans,  and  the  chaste 
Gaura  Lindheimeri.  It  is  net  to  be  wondered  at 
that  visitors  lingered  by  this  stand.  Not  a  few  of 
them  came  face  to  face  with  certain  old-fashioned 
flowers  that  recalled  memories  of  bygone  days  and 
country  life. — E.  D. 


Societies. 


FISH  AS  MANURE. 


My  own  experience  completely  confirms  the  state- 
ments of  "  W.  I.  M."  (page  2oS)  that  fish  is  the 
best  of  manures.  Fi~h  manure  as  usually  under- 
stood is  decomposed  fish,  and  in  such  a  condition 
is  so  offensive,  that  it  cannot^be  used  generally, 
Admitting  the  fact  that  lish  stands  in  the  front 
rank  as  a  fertiliser,  it  has  only  to  be  brought  into 
a  suitable  condition  to  be  available  for  everyone. 
It  is  a  fact  not  generally  known  that  there  is  a 
fish  guano  imported  from  Norway  which  is  as  per- 
fect in  condition  as  it  is  fruitful  of  good  results. 
In  the  Loffodea  Islands,  where  there  are  ex- 
tensive works  for  treating  the  sufcrfluous  fish 
and  waste  from  the  great  cod  and  herring 
fisheries,  the  fish  is  deprived  of  nearly  the  whole 
of  its  moisture ;  it  is  then  ground  to  a  fine 
powder,  which  certaicly  has  for  such  an  article 
the  minimum  of  smell,  and  it  can  be  kept  in  a  dry 
place  for  any  length  of  time  without  deterioration 


or  nuisance.  According  to  the  reports  of  Dr. 
Voelcker  and  others,  the  analysis  is  very  high  as 
regards  the  ingredients  most  essential  for  fertili- 
sat'on  of  plants,  viz.,  nitrogen  and  phosphates.  I  crimson  Getim  coccineum  fl.-pl.,  excellent  Lark 


A  pleasing  feature  at  a  flower  show. 

— This  is  one  of  the  most  appropriate  designa- 
tions that  can  be  given  to  a  collection  of  plants 
and  flowers  staged  b_v  Messrs.  Sutton  and  Sons, 
the  well-known  seedsmen,  at  Reading,  on  the 
occasion  of  the  recent  exhibition  of  the  Frimley, 
Yorktown,  Camberley,  and  Sandhurst  Horticultural 
Society  at  Sandhurst.  The  whole  of  the  central 
staging,  in  a  good-sized  tent,  was  filled  by  an  ex- 
tremely interesting  and  instructive  contribution 
from  their  Beading  seed  grounds,  arranged  with 
great  effect  and  in  excellent  taste.  It  was  a  kind 
of  show  within  a  show.  A  few  plants,  such  as 
dwarf  blue  Lobelias,  the  Fishbone  Thistle,  and 
striped  Japanese  Maize,  were  used  in  the  arrange- 
ment ;  down  the  centre  was  a  large  quantity  of 
cut  spikes  of  fine  hybrid  Gladioli,  and  at  the  sides 
were  boxes  of  cut  flowers  varied  with  the  same  in 
vases.  It  was  a  remarkable  illustration  of  the 
pretty  and  attractive  flowers  now  in  bloom  in  the 
open  air.  There  were  Ten-week  Stocks  in  variety, 
I'hlox  Drummondi  in  several  very  fine  forms,  the 
grand  P.  splendens  grandiflora  being  particularly 
noticeable  ;  Petunias,  including  some  very  hand- 
some large  flowered  and  some  pretty  striped 
varieties  ;  Dianthus  chinensis,  single  and  double, 
of  varying  colours,  and  all  very  useful  to  cut  from  ; 
Zinnias,  the  double  varieties,  very  fine  and  showy  ; 
French  and  German  Asters  of  various  types, 
.Vfrican  and  French  Marigolds,  Lilies  of  sorts, 
very  handsome  large-flowered  Salpiglossis,  some 
of  the  rich  purple  shades  being  particularly 
noticeable;  Tropajolums,  climbing  and  dwarf; 
Cacalia  coccinea,  a  very  bright  coloured  hardy 
annual  ;  Tigridia  grandiflora  and  conchiflora, 
large  in  size  and  singularly  attractive  ;  Jacoba;as 
of  sorts,  very  useful  double-flowered  annuals 
that  are  too  much  neglected  in  the  present 
day  ;  very  fine  seedling  Pentstemons  ;  llelianthus 
of  sorts,  the  large  double  Sunflowers  being  much 
admired  ;  Matricaria  inodora  fl.-pl.  with  its  charm- 
ing white   flowers.   Scabious  of    sorts,    the  rich 


DUNDEE  INTERNATIONAL  SHOW. 
This  exhibition,  to  which  allusion  was  made  at 
some  length  last  week,  could  hardly  be  called  in- 
ternational, inasmuch  as  the  exhibits  were  chiefly 
confined  to   Scotland,  a  few  from  England,  and 
one  or  two  from  Ireland.    As  a  whole  it  must  be 
characterised  as  a  grand  display  of  horticultural 
produce,  though  inferior  to  what  we  have  seen  in 
days  gone  by  both  at   Chiswick    and    Regent's 
Park.     Orchids  were  practically  absent,  a  small 
collection  only  being  shown  by  Messrs.  Ireland 
&  Thomson,  and  a  poorly  bloomed  Odontoglosscm 
grande,     to     which     was    awarded    the    Veitch 
Memorial  prize.      This  came    from    Mr.    Boyes, 
Buinbank,  Haddington.     The  same  exhibitor  also 
received  the   Veitch  medal  and  £a   for  the  best 
stove  and  greenhouse  plant,  this  time  an  Erica 
retorta    major,    a    really    well-grown  and  well, 
flowered  plant  some  4  feet  in  width  and  about  as 
much  in  height.      Of  tables  of  plants  L'6  feet  by 
8  feet,  several  were  to  the  fore,  but  none  equal  to 
the  grand  arrangement  in  this  way  furnished  by 
Miss    Jekyll    at    one    of   the  meetings  of    the 
Royal  Horticultural  Society  at  Burlington  House 
last  year.     Those  shown  on  this  occasion  were  all 
too  flat,  with  perhaps  the  exception  of  that  ex- 
hibited   by    Messrs.     Ireland    &    Thomson,  and 
that  partook    more  of    the    character  of  a  col- 
lection   of     fine-leaved     plants    than     a     table 
arranged  for  effect.      Of  stove   and   greenhouse 
plants  there  were  several  well-grown  specimens, 
and  amongst  them  a  charmingly  flowered  Eucharis 
amazonica,  its  many   spikes   of  snowy   blossoms 
standing  well  up  above  a  mass  of  glossj'  foliage 
which  set  them  off  to  excellent  advantage.    In 
striking  contrast    with    this    were    some    finely 
bloomed  plants  of  the  brilliant  red  Scarborough 
Lily  (Vallota  purpurea),  still  one  of  the  best  of 
indoor  plants  at  this  season.    Of  I'alms  there  were 
one  or  two  good  specimens,  notably  a  tall  plant 
of  Areca  lutescens  and  a  good  example  of  Kentia 
Fosteriana.     These,  a  well-grown  Cycas,  and  some 
Tree  Ferns  with  noble  trunks  and  grand  heads  of 
spreading  foliage,  set  off  the  plant  department  of 
the  exhibition  to  advantage.     Other  Ferns,  both 
exotic  and  hardy,  were  also  shown  in  considerable 
abundance,  and  we  likewise  saw  collections    of 
succulents  and  alpine  plants,  the  latter  sparsely  in 
flower.     Summer-flowering    Chrysanthemums,   of 
which  several  were  shown,  were  pretty  enough,  but 
they  seemed  to  us  to  lack  that  freshness  and  beauty 
which  such  plants  possess   in   the  dark  months. 
Lance-leaved  Lilies,  so  much  admired  about  half 
a  century  ago,  were  shown  in  about  the  same  con- 
dition as  then  and  in  about  the  same  varieties,  and 
we  also  noticed  a  grand  specimen  of  the  golden- 
rayed   Lily  from    Japan,   fasciated  examples  of 
which  have  been  so  common  this  year.     Fuchsias 
were  tolerably  good — one  or  two  specimens  parti- 
cularly so — but  others  were  hardly  up  to  the  mark. 
Coleuses,  of    which    some   good    varieties    were 
shown,  seemed  to  ill  withstand  the  influence  of  the 
gas,  used  in  such  abundance  for  illuminating  the 
hall,  and  indeed  its  evil  effects  were  visible  in 
more  directions  than  one.     Of  Fern  cases  some 
skilfully  arranged  examples    were    shown ;   and 
hanging  baskets  also  deserve  notice,  especially  that 
to  which  the  first  prize  was  awarded,  which  was 
more  gracefully  arranged  than  the  others.     Hy- 
drangeas, Pelargoniums — both  scarlet  and  varie- 
gated— Petunias,  and  Begonias  constituted    tho 
bulk  of  the  other  plants. 

The  great  feature  of  the  show  was  the  fruit, 
especially  white  Grapes,  of  which  some  grand 


266 


THE    GARDEN 


[Sept.  2n,   ISS4. 


examples  were  shown.  Of  these  the  heaviest 
bunch  was  one  of  the  Syrian  variety  from  Sir 
Herbert  Maxwell's  garden.  This  weighed  1?;}  lbs, 
only  a  pound  or  so  lighter  than  the  memorable 
bunch  of  this  Grape  produced  at  Welbeck  years 
ago  by  Speechley.  Golden  Hamburgh  was  also 
shown  in  line  conditioD,  and  two  bunches  possess- 
ing a  clear  amber  colour  like  a  Muscat,  but  not 
named,  were  very  perfect.  Of  Buckland  Sweet- 
water we  also  observed  good  examples.  Of  black 
Grapes  there  were  also  some  grand  clusters,  but, 
singular  to  say,  in  a  season  like  this  they  were, 
with  a  few  exceptions, indifferently  coloured';  even 
the  two  bunches  to  which  the  Veitch  Memorial 
medal  was  awarded — two  Muscat  Hamburghs 
from  Mr.  Boyd,  large  and  fine — were  somewhat 
deficient  in  this  respect.  Of  Black  Alicante,  some 
fine  bunches  were  shown,  not  large,  but  well 
coloured  ;  indeed,  this  is  the  variety  of  Grape  that 
cinied  off  the  first  prize  for  being  best  bloomed. 
Mr.  Boyd  shcwjd  the  best  two  bunches  of  Black 
Hamburgh.  They"  were  not  remarkable  as  regards 
s'ze,  but  in  other  respects  they  were  very  perfect. 
The  second  prize  lot  were  larger,  but  not  so  good, 
being  what  may  be  termed  double  bunches  — at 
loa^t,  one  of  them.  The  finest  flavoured  Grapes  in 
the  show  were  considered  to  be  the  Muscat  Ham- 
burgh, certainly  a  grand  Grape  both  in  bunch  and 
berry.  It  was  found  many  years  ago  at  Hurling- 
him  House  by  the  late  Mr.  Snow,  and  by  some 
considered  to  be  identical  with  the  Black  Muscat, 
nowalmost  orquitelost  to  cultivation.  Of  Lady 
Downf  s  and  Madrcsfield  Court  there  were  likewise 
good  examples,  and  the  latter  showed  no  trace  of 
crac'iing,  afault  to  which  this  Grape  is  well  known 
to  be  somewhat  liable.  Amongst  other  black 
Grapes  were  fine  bunches  of  Alnwick  Seedling, 
Mrs.  Bince,  and  Barbarossa. 

The  best    collection  of  fruit  came  from   Mr. 
Mclndoe,  Hutton  Hall,  Guisborough.    It  contained 
two  rine-apples,  two   Melons,  Black  Hamburgh, 
Trebbiano,  Muscat,  and  Gros  Maroc  Grapes,  Hum- 
boldt   and     Elruge  Nectarines,    Violette  Hdtive 
and  Princess  of  Wales   Beaches,  the  latter  large 
and  pale  in  colour,  Greengaga  and  Magnum  Bonum 
Blums,  and   Brown  Turkey  Figs.     Mr.  Johnstone, 
GUmis   Castle,    who   was    second,   had    Due    de 
Telliers  Beach,  some  good  Nectarines,  fine  looking 
bla-k    Cherries,  good    Muscat,   Madresfield  Court, 
and  Raisin  de   Calabre   Grapes,  small  Moorpark 
Apricots,  and  good  Pitmaston  Orange  Nectarines. 
Mr.  Murray,  Culzean,  had  very  fine  black  and  white 
Grapes,  Figs,  and  amongst  other  fruits  Kirke's  Blum 
in  grand  condition.     In  collections  of  twelve  sorts 
of  fruit  the  best  came  from  Mr.  Dickson,  St.  An- 
drew's, who  had  Gros  Colmar,  Muscat,  and  Black 
Hamburgh    Grapes,    a    smooth    orange-coloured 
Melon  named  Best  of  All,  and  a  kind  called  Blen- 
heim Orange,  Williams'  Bon  Chretien  Bears,  Apri- 
cots, Victoria  Nectarines,  Kirke's  Plum,  Barring- 
ton  and  Walburton  Peaches,  and  white  Ischia  Figs. 
In  collections  of  eight  sorts  the  best  came  from  Mr. 
Day,  Galloway  House,  who  furnished  Bon  Chretien 
Bears,     Bitmaston    Orange    Nectarines,    Magnum 
Bonum  Plums,  Brown  Turkey  Figs,  I'rincess  of  Wales 
Beach,  Blenheim  Orange  Melon,  Alicante  and  Mus- 
cat Grapes.  Good  Black  Hamburgh  Grapes,  Kirke's 
Plum,  Cherries,  and   Royal  George  Peaches  were 
also  shown  in  this  class  by  Mr.  Fairgrieve,  gardener 
to  the  Dowager  Duchess  of  Athole,  at  Dunkeld. 
The  best  collection  of  fruits  grown  in  the  open  air 
also    came   from    Mr.  Fairgrieve,    who    showed 
Shipley  Apricots,  Victoria  Blums,  Elruge  Necta- 
rines, Jargonelle   Bears,  Jefferson  Blums,  Hale's 
Early  Peach,  and  Morello  Cherries,  all  wonder 
fully   fine  fruit  for  the  north  of  Scotland.     Of 
baking  Apples,   the  best   came  from   Mr.   John 
McKenzie,  and  consisted  of  Lord  Suffield,  War- 
ner's King.  Stone's  Apple,  Peasgood's  Nonsuch, 
Dutch  Codlin,  and  Gloria  Mundi.     In  other  col- 
lections we  remarked  Cox's  Pomona  and   AVor- 
cester    Bearmain,   the    last   a   handsome   Apple. 
Some  handsome  Apples  were  exhibited  from  Kent, 
especially  those  from   Messrs.   Frost,  JIaiditone, 
and   Mr.  McKenzie,  Linton   Bark,  both   of  whom 
showed  grand  collections.      Six   fruit  of   Gloria 
Mundi  from  the  latter  weighed  rA  lbs. 

Of  Pears  a  good  collection  was  exhibited  by  Mr. 
Hunter,  Lambton  Castle.    It  contained  General 


Tcdleben,  Pitmaston  Duchess,  Louise  Bonne  of 
Jersey,  Brockworth  Bark,  Beurre  Clairgeau,  and 
Princess  of  Wales,  all  good.  Amongst  other 
Pears  we  noticed  good  specimens  of  Souvenir  du 
Congit'S,  Gratioli  of  Jersey,  Durandeau,  and  Jar- 
gonelle. The  heaviest  six  Pears  came  from  Mr. 
Hunter.  They  weighed  7i  lbs.,  and  consisted  of 
Beurre  Diel.  Pine-apples  were  in  no  way  re- 
markable, but  we  noticed  some  good  well  coloured 
Peaches,  consisting  of  Royal  George  and  Grosse 
Mignonne.  These  came  from  Mr.  McLeod  and 
Mr.  Johnstone.  Of  small  fruits,  such  as  Goose- 
berries and  Currants,  red,  white,  and  black,  we 
observed  several  good  dishes,  and  also  one  of  the 
red-fruited  Elder — brighter  than  the  brightest 
coral  and  very  beautiful.  Bears,Plums,  and  Apples 
were  shown  in  pots,  and  there  were  also  some  well 
fruited  pot  Vines. 

Of  vegetables  there  was  an  extensive  exhibi- 
tion, and  very  fine  some  of  them  were,  especially 
Parsnips,  Carrots,  and  Potatoes,  of  which  there 
was  a  great  display  of  clean  and  handsome  tubers 
Of  Onions  there  were  some  grand  examples,  large 
and  solid,  a  remark  which  specially  applies  to 
Rousham  Bark  Hero,  an  Oxfordshire  varietj-,  evi- 
dently a  good  selection  of  the  white  Spanish. 
Tomatoes,  as  might  be  expected  in  a  season  like 
this,  were  finely  coloured,  and  amongst  them  none 
better  than  Criterion.  Of  Leeks,  a  vegetable 
much  more  used  in  Scotland  than  in  England, 
there  were  some  fine  specimens,  blanched  from 
10  inches  to  15  inches  in  length,  and  thick  in 
proportion. 

For  cut  flowers  room  was  found  in  the  annexes 
near  the  entrance.  Amongst  them  were  some  good 
Roses  from  Messrs.  Cocker,  of  Aberdeen  ;  Bansies, 
Hollyhocks,  Gladioli  in  grand  condition,  Pentste- 
mons,  Gaillardias,  Phloxes,  Marigolds,  and  double 
and  single  Dahlias.  Dinner-table  decorations  and 
bouquets  of  Tarious  sorts  were  present  in  con- 
siderable numbers ;  but  though  handsome  as  the 
best  of  white  flowers  and  Maiden-hair  Ferns  skil- 
fully associated  always  are,  there  was  nothing 
amongst  them  calling  for  special  remark. 


proof  exists  that  it  will  resist  the  disease  and 
thrive  well  in  this  country,  from  the  fact  of  tubers 
being  left  in  the  ground  and  coming  up  of  them- 
selves the  year  after  without  the  trouble  of 
replanting.  There  is,  however,  one  objection  to  S. 
Uaglia,  though  a  small  one,  and  that  is  the  enor- 
mous amount  of  stem  and  size  of  leaves  which  it 
is  liable  to  produce  in  damp  reasons.  It  crops 
fairly  well,  and  produces  good  sized  Botatoes. 
Another  one,  S.  Commersoni  or  Ohroudi,  is  likely 
soon  to  play  a  prominent  part  in  the  Potato 
market  when  its  cultivation  shall  have  become 
more  general,  but  it  is  as  yet  only  in  the  hands  of 
but  few.  It  is  said  that  it  quite  resists  disease, 
and  that  the  tubers  are  not  harmed  when  the 
thermometer  falls  below  the  freezing  point.  The 
tubers  are  repotted  to  be  acid,  but  this  to  a  large 
extent  may  be  remedied  by  good  cultivation.  3. 
Janifsi  is  too  small  ever  to  be  of  much  use.  It 
may,  however,  be  useful  in  the  hands  of  the  hy- 
bridist.— K. 


OBITUARY. 


NOTES  OF  THE  WEEK. 


The  death  is  announced  of  Mr.  Sam  Mendel,  an 
event  which  took  place  atChislehurst  on  Wednes- 
day. A  few  years  ago  BIr.  Mendel  ranked  amongst 
the  wealthiest  and  most  prominent  of  Manchester 
merchants,  and  during  the  height  of  his  career  he 
wasa  liberal  patron  of  horticulture,  his  garden  at 
Manley  Hall  being  at  that  time  as  richly  stocked 
with  plant  treasures  as  any  private  garden  in  the 
country.  After  suffering  reverses  in  fortune  he 
retired  a  fewyearsago,  when  his  art  treasures  in  the 
way  of  pictures,  together  with  his  immense  collec- 
tion of  valuable  plants,  were  sold.  Mr.  Mendel's 
name  will  be  perpetuated  in  horticulture  by 
Cattleya  Mendeli,  one  of  the  finest  of  all  Orchids, 
and  also  by  the  graceful  Fein,  Gleichenia  Mendeli. 

We  have  also  to  record  the  death  of  Mr. 
Thomas  D.  Cunningha.m  Gkakam,  of  Dunlop 
House,  Ayrshire,  a  gentleman  who  as  a  lovor  cf 
Orchids  and  a  patron  of  that  favourite  class  of 
plants  will  be  greatly  missed.  His  collection  at 
Danlop  Iloose  was  a  very  good  one  indeed,  and  a 
source  of  great  pleasure  to  its  owner. 


Lectures  on  horticulture.  — It  is  announced  th.at 
at  the  City  of  London  Collece,  White  Street,  Moorfields, 
Prof.  Houlger  will  give  a  series  of  lectures  on  Wedoefiday 
evenings  during  the  winter  term  on  the  practice  and  prin- 
ciples of  horticulture,  and  on  vegetaljle  morphology  and 
physiology. 

Grapes  at  the  Health  Exhibition.— At  the  Fiuit 
and  VcKCt.Hlile  show  to  be  held  on  the  23rd  and  24th  iost 
at  South  KLMi.«inL,^ton,  in  connection  with  the  International 
Health  Exliiliition,  the  classes  devoted  to  Grapps  are  very 
numerous,  eniiiracing  as  they  do  more  than  half  the  sche- 
du'e.  Valuable  prizes  are  offered  for  collections,  and  also 
for  special  varieties,  and  a  spirited  competition  is  expected 

Still  they  come.— Another  gardening  paper  has  just 
Iieen  issued.  The  appearance  of  thiee  new  journals  on  one 
theme  within  a  few  months  is  quite  without  rrecedent  in 
the  h'story  of  class  journalism.  There  can  be  no  doubt 
that  the  multiplication  of  journals  in  gardening  is  bene- 
ficial, and  we  may  without  affectation  wish  well  to  the  best 
of  the  new  comers. 

Forestry  Exhibition  awards.— "We  learn  that  so 
much  dissatisfaction  has  resulted  from  the  awards  of  the 
jurors  at  this  exhil>ition,  more  especially  in  connection  with 
the  exhibits  of  plant',  that  the  following  nur.-ery  firms, 
namely,  Little*  Ballantyne,  The  Lawson  Seed  and  Is'ui-sery 
I'o.  Limited,  Ireland  and  Thomson,  John  Lament  A  Son, 
Stuart  *  Mein,  and  others,  have  declined  to  accept  the 
medals,  *c.,  allotted  to  them. 

The  Dunloo  House  Orchids —We  learn  that  the 
entire  collection  of  Orchids  formed  by  the  late  Mr.  Cun- 
ningham Graham  has  been  left  to  his  gardener,  Mr.  D. 
Kemp,  and  that  the  collection  vd\l  be  disposed  of  at 
Stevens'  during  the  coming  week.  Judging  liy  the  many 
fine  examples  of  Orchid  flowers  which  we  have  received 
from  time  to  time  fiom  Mr.  Kemp,  the  collection  must  be 
rich  in  good  varieties. 

Ne'w  epeoies  of  Potato.— It  will  be  satis- 
factory to  know  that  at  least  one  of  the  new  species, 
Solanum  Fendleri  or  S.  tuberosum  var.  boreale,  as 
described  by  Gray  in  "  Silliman's  Journal,''  is 
making  itself  quite  at  home  in  this  country.  We 
lately  saw  a  bed  of  it  at  Kew  healthy  and  in  full 
flower,  but  whether  the  tubers  will  attain  sufficient 
size  to  be  useful,  or  whether  they  will  resist 
disease  or  not  remains  to  be  seen.  S.  Maglia, 
however,  seems  to  be  tlie  species  to  which  most 
attention  should  be  directed,  because  sufficient 


ZATE  NOTES. 


B^okS.— IT.  K.— Kemp's"  Dow  to  ray  Out  a  Garden  ;" 

Br.adbury  A  Evans. P.  J! —Loudon's  "  Encyclopicdia  of 

Trees  and  Shrubs  ; "  published  by  Warne  &  Co. 

Cineraria  leaves  (J.  C.;.— They  are  attacked  by  the 
grubs  of  a  small  fly.  rick  off  and  burn  the  badly  infested 
leaves,  and  pinch  others  where  you  see  the  grubs  are. — 
O.  S.  S. 

John  Evelyn's  nomenclature  —I  would  suggest 
thst  Geranium  triate  in  Evelyn's  list,  which  puzzles  Miss 
Jekyll,  is  «.  phanim,  a  doubtful  British  plant  with  dark 
maroon-coloured  flowers.— Salmon ICEI'.S. 

Belvedere— I  observe  that  this  plant,  mentioned  by 
Evelyn  as  Ijeing  in  flower  in  August,  is  said  to  be  now  un- 
known, lu  that  case  we  must  asstme  that  two  ditfeieit 
pi  'tits  have  borne  this  name,  for  it  is  certain  that  till  very 
recently,  if  not  at  the  present  moment,  some  London  cata- 
logues iucluded  undtr  this  designation  the  Kcchia 
scoparia,  a  half  shrubby  plant  of  the  Chenopodium  family, 
with  the  hab^t  of  a  miniature  Cyprets.  Spanish  Bells.— May 
not  this  have  been  the  Spanish  SquilH-W.  Thompson, 
Ipswich. 

Is  your  last  week's  issue  of  Thk  Garden  you  credit  us 
with  receiving  only  a  lironze  medal ;  whereas  we  weie 
awarded  a  silver-gilt  one,  the  highest  award  at  the  meetii  g. 
—II.  CANhELL  A-  Sons,  &imntey. 


Names  of  plants.- TT.  H.-  Clematis  Flammula. T. 

— Dendrobium  chrysanthuni U.P.D.—l.  Blechnum  .Spi- 

cant ;   3,   Polypodium  Drynpteris  ;    4,  Asplcnium  Tricho- 

manes;    5,   Lastrea  dilalata. J.  A.   P.    B.—i,   Pelltca 

bastata  ;  2,   Cyrtomium  falcatum  ;  ?,  Fseallonla  montevi- 

densis  ;  4,  Solidago  canadensis. J.  W.  A'.  — Stove  bulb, 

Hamanthus  coccineus  ;  Ad-antum  hispidulum  (Fern) ;  spe- 
cies of  Artemisia,  prob.ably  A.  Stelleriana. n.  Ewhank. 

-Ipon)op.si3    elegans. A.    H.  —  Tritonia    aurfa. 

.If.  T.  IF.— Craticgus  coccinea J.  T  (UuUon  A  liheii)  — 

Alnus  incana   quercifolia J.   T.  Foe.—\,  Polypodium 

Billardieii ;  2.  Doodia  media  (syn.,  D.  lunulata) ;  3,  Blcch- 

nnm  occidentale O.  C.{lhi}eiaru).—\,  Cystopterls  fra- 

gilis  ;  2,  Asiilenium  Trichomanes  ;  3,  Po'ypodium  vulgare  ; 
4,  l.astrea  Mlix-mas.—    E.  Smilh.—Viimint  name  without 

seeing  leaves  as  well ;  it  is  probably  a  Helianthns. Capt. 

Dunilas.—A  variety  of  Quercus  rubra. 

Names  of  fruits.— 0.  C.  (7nBerar.!/>— Plum  Victoria; 

other  next  week. H.  C.  Hambrook.-l,  Nectarine  Plum  : 

2,  cannot  name  ;  3,  Perdiigon. J.  iroxgooa.— Duchess  ol 

Uldenburgh. B.  J.  B.  aud4.  C.  H.  0.— Next  week. 


THE     GARDEN 


267 


No.  671.         SATURDAY,  Sept.  27,  1834.  Vol    XXVI. 


"  This  is  an  Art 
TNliich  does  mend  Nature  :  chancre  it  rather:  but 
The  art  itself  is  Nature."— SfialrMiicaw. 


STORING  FRUIT. 
This  is  now  a  daily  operation  in  the  case  of  those 
who  possess  large  fruit  gardens  or  good  orchards. 
Apples  and  Pears,  the  main  frnifs  reqairing 
storing,  should  never  be  gathered  on  any  account 
when  wet.  In  wet  seasons,  in  which  there  was 
hardly  a  dry  day  from  week's  end  to  week's  end, 
we  have  gathered  them  wet  and  allowed  them  to 
dry  in  the  house,  but  this  practice  is  very  objec- 
tionable, as  it  is  a  long  time  before  they  assume 
the  appearance  of  dry  gathered  fruits,  and  the 
damp  emitted  in  drying  may  moisten  the  house  in 
which  they  are  placed  to  such  an  extent  that  it 
will  prove  asource  of  trouble  throughout  the  whole 
winter.  Apples  and  Pears  to  keep  well  and  be 
free  from  mildew  must  be  kept  dry.  Select,  then, 
dry  days  for  fruit  gathering,  and  make  the  most 
of  such  weather.  No  fruit  should  ever  be  gathered 
nntil  it  parts  freely  from  the  tree  where  the  foot- 
stalk joins  the  wood.  Take  an  Apple  in  the  hand, 
press  it  very  gently  towards  one  side,  and  if  it 
breaks  off  freely  at  the  part  just  named  the  crop  is 
ready  for  gathering.  This  may  be  taken  for  a  guide 
as  regards  the  ingatheringof  Pears  too.  Some  fruits, 
indeed,  clearly  indicate  by  their  appearance  when 
they  may  be  gathered,  but  others,  especially  the 
high-coloured  ones,  are  often  deceptive,  and  it  is 
best  to  test  them  all  in  the  way  alluded  to.  Valu- 
able sorts  and  those  just  almost  ripe  should  be 
looked  over  very  frequently  just  now,  when  they 
are  ready  to  drop  ofE  the  trees  with  the  slightest 
oscillation  ;  a  windy  day  or  night  will  bring  them 
down  in  showers,  bruising  and  spoiling  them  ;  they 
should  therefore  be  gathered  and  stored  before 
this  occurs.  Late  kinds  and  perfectly  unripe  ones 
will  bear  a  great  deal  of  shaking  about  before 
they  drop,  and,  relying  on  this,  it  is  a  mistake  to 
gather  them  in  an  unripe  state.  Good  fruit  cannot 
be  too  carefully  handled.  To  shake  them  down 
and  then  collect  them  is  bad  practice.  The  trees 
may  be  tall  and  the  upper  parts  not  easily  reached, 
but  this  should  never  be  a  reason  for  rough  hand- 
ling. Ladders  should  be  used,  and  there  should 
be  no  throwing  the  fruit  into  baskets ;  on  the 
contrary,  all  should  be  put  gently  into  them  with 
the  hand.  When  a  basket  is  full,  never  turn  the 
contents  out  in  running  order,  but  lift  each  fruit 
out  and  put  it  down  again  with  the  utmost  care. 
This  is  the  only  way  in  which  to  keep  fruit  good 
and  perfect. 

As  a  rule,  there  are  various  grades  of  fruit  on 
one  tree,  especially  it  a  large  one.  Some  will  be 
very  tine,  others  middling— not  being  fully  deve- 
loped or  slightly  deformed.  These  latter  should 
never  be  stored  along  with  the  best,  but  may  be 
put  in  a  corner  by  themselves  for  use  when  the 
best  fruit  is  not  desired.  We  have  here  two  places 
for  storing  fruit ;  one  is  a  large  airy  room,  well 
lighted  and  fully  exposed  to  the  sun,  the  other,  a 
lean-to  facing  the  north,  with  no  sunny  aspect, 
and  very  little  ventilation.  So  long  as  the  latter 
is  kept  dry,  Apples  may  be  kept  in  it  very  well, 
although  some  Apples,  notably  the  llawthornden, 
are  liable  to  become  mildewed  here,  and  none  of 
them  get  so  high  in  flavour  as  those  in  the  large. 


airy,  well-lighted  room.  If  the  way  in  which  fruit 
is  stored  has  anything  to  do  with  the  retention  or 
bringing  up  of  flavour— and  in  my  opinion  it  has — 
close,  dark  rooms,  such  as  we  often  see  used  for 
fruit  stores,  impair  flavour,  while  light,  airy  rooms 
increase  it.  Let  anyone  put  half  a  crop  from  a 
tree  into  a  stuffy  room,  "  good  enough  for  holding 
Apples,''  and  the  other  half  into  a  light,  airy  one, 
and  try  both  fruits  at  the  end  of  a  month  or  two, 
and  the  difference  between  the  two  will  be  very  pro- 
nounced. Sometimes  hay  or  straw  is  put  under 
Apples  and  Pears  on  shelves,  but  of  this  I  do  not 
approve,  as  the  fruits  are  liable  to  become  tainted 
with  a  hay  or  straw  flavour.  Heaping  the  fruits 
on  each  other  is  a  practice  which  cannot  always  be 
avoided,  but  it  should  be  where  possible,  as  the 
bottom  fruits  lose  flavour  ;  if  they  cannot  all  be 
arranged  in  single  layers,  which  they  should  be,  I 
would  only  make  heaps  of  the  second-rate  fruits 
or  those  for  use  in  the  kitchen,  and  give  those  for 
dessert  every  possible  chance  to  become  full 
flavourde.  J.  Mum. 

Margam,  S,  Wa^es. 


NEW  DESSERT  APPLE. 

I  HAVE  lately  had  an  opportunity  of  testing  the 
beautiful  new  early  Apple,  named  Jacobs'  Straw- 
berry, and  feel  sure  that  it  fully  merits  the  first- 
class  certificate  granted  to  it  by  the  Koyal  Horti- 
^cultural  Society  at  its  last  committee  meeting  at 
Kensington.  It  is  beautifully  striped  with  car- 
mine on  a  yellow  ground,  and  traces  of  russet 
on  it  bespeak  good  quality.  Its  best  season  is 
during  August  and  September,  and  I  feel  certain 
that  it  will  become  a  great  favourite  with  market 
growers,  for,  as  I  have  repeatedly  stated,  it  is  to 
early  sorts  of  Apples  that  home  growers  must 
turn  their  attention,  for  the  simple  reason  that 
foreign  competition  does  not  set  in  with  any  great 
force  until  the  American  barrels  arrive,  and  in  that 
case  home  growers  have  the  first  three  months  of 
the  Apple  season  to  themselves,  because  our 
markets  cannot  be  glutted  with  Apples  from  the 
Continent  in  the  same  way  that  they  are  with 
fruits  that  require  a  greater  amount  of  summer 
heat  than  this  country  affords.  Jacobs'  Straw- 
berry is  a  good  sized  Apple,  a  circumstance  which 
adds  to  its  value,  for  although  the  majority  of  our 
best  old  dessert  Apples  are  below  medium  size,  I 
find  that,  like  other  fruits,  the  public  who  buy 
them  give  the  preference  to  large  kinds.  It  is 
useless  alluding  to  flavour  ;  in  that  matter  tastes 
differ  widely.  Where  one  would  select  Frontignan 
Grapes,  ninety-nine  would  ask  for  those  lovely 
large-berried  Gros  Colmars,  yet  the  latter  at 
their  best  are  never  anything  like  equal  to  the 
former.  When,  however,  we  get  quality  and  size 
combined  with  a  showy  exterior,  as  is  t'e  case 
with  this  Apple,  there  can  be  little  doubt  as 
to  the  position  which  it  will  occupy  in  the  market. 
During  the  last  eight  years  it  has  never  failed  to 
carry  good  crops^both  in  good  and  bad  seasons, 
and  therefore  it'has  not  been  hastily  thrust  upon 
the  public.  Being  soft  and  melting,  it  is  quite 
different  from  the  Kibston  and  some  of  the  old 
dessert  kinds.  These  will  doubtless  always  find 
admirers,  but  the  sorts  to  plant  in  quantity  must 
be  of  a  more  prolific  Fillbasket  kind.  Although 
exhibited  and  certificated  under  the  name  of 
Jacobs'  Strawberry,  I  hear  that  it  is  likely  to  be 
sent  out  under  another  name — viz.,  that  of  Lady 
Sudeley,  in  compliment  to  the  owner  of  the  largest 
fruit  farm  in  the  kingdom.  The  Apple  stands  so 
far  in  advance  of  all  other  hardy  fruits  for  general 
utility,  that  it  may  truly  be  termed  the  king  of 
fruits,  and  any  valuable  addition  to  our  lists  of 
good  kinds  such  as  this  is  is  of  national  import- 
ance.—James  Groom. 

So  many  ill-flavoured  fruits  are  in  culti- 
vation, that  we  note  with  pleasure  the  receipt 
of  a  good  one  from  Mr.  Bunyard,  of  Maidstone. 
Tasted  by  us  in  mid- September,  it  then  seemed 
past  its  best,  but  in  flavour  excellent,  thus  showing 


a  very  early  Apple.  It  was  large  and  handsome  in 
colour,  but  on  these  things  we  place  no  importance 
whatever.  The  aim  of  raisers  should  be  to  get 
us  well-flavoured,  delicate,  digestible  Apples. 
There  has  been  a  false  standard  held  out  for  their 
attainment,  and  it  is  quite  common  to  send  out 
new  Apples  which  are  absolutely  valueless  as  far 
as  flavour  goes.  The  name  Jacobs'  Strawberry 
is  said  to  be  provisional,  but  we  do  not  see  why 
it  should  not  serve.  The  question  is.  Is  the  Apple 
worth  eating  1  This  Apple  has  been  grown  for  years 
by  Mr.  Jacobs,  of  Petworth. 


A  neglected  native  shrub.— The  wild 
Guelder  Rose  or  Water  Elder  (Viburnum  Opulus) 
deserves  a  place  in  every  garden.  It  is  a  better 
shrub  from  a  picturesque  point  of  view  than  the 
double  Guelder  Rose  so  common  in  cultivation ; 
the  flowers  are  more  graceful,  and  it  has  another 
season  of  beauty  at  this  time  of  year  when  loaded 
with  its  brilliant  glossy  red  berries,  shortly  to  be 
followed  by  the  rich  colouring  which  the  leaves 
assume  later  in  the  autumn.  It  is  a  beautiful 
object  whether  in  flower  or  fruit,  as  it  grows  by 
streams  and  hedges  of  water  meadows.  It  abounds 
in  the  valley  of  the  Kennett,  in  Eerkshire,  where 
it  forms  a  conspicuous  ornament  in  the  meadow 
landscape.  This  fine  shrub  seems  to  be  un- 
known in  nurseries.  It  is  easily  raised  from  seed. — 
G.J. 

Hibiscus  syrlacuB.  —  Amongst  flowering 
shrubs  this  Hibiscus  stands  out  prominently  just 
now.  In  hot,  dry,  sandy  places  it  is  not  seen  to 
advantage,  as  the  foliage  assumes  a  sickly  yellow- 
ish tint  so  unlike  its  general  appearance  when  in 
good  health.  The  most  suitable  soil  for  it  is  that 
of  a  fairly  open  character,  which  is  always  mode- 
rately moist  without  being  too  wet.  There  are 
now  great  numbers  of  varieties  of  it  enumerated 
in  catalogues  bearing  both  single  and  double 
flowers.  Amongst  these  a  few  of  the  best  are  the 
double  white.  Celeste,  a  single  sort,  having  flowers 
with  a  pleasing  shade  of  blue ;  totus  albns,  pure 
white ;  purpureus,  deep  purple  ;  double  red  ;  Lady 
Stanley,  cream  striped  with  red  ;  purpureus  varie- 
gatus,  purple  mottled  with  white  :  Boule  de  Feu, 
bright  red;  ccernleusfl.-pl., bluish;  and  roseus,pink. 
The  propagation  of  this  Hibiscus  is  by  no  means 
difficult,  as  cuttings  strike  pretty  well  either  put 
in  during  summer  when  growing  and  kept  close 
till  rooted  or  taken  during  autumn  and  wintered 
in  a  frame.  The  readiest  way,  however,  of  in- 
creasing the  different  varieties  is  grafting  on 
pieces  of  the  root,  selecting  for  this  purpose,  if 
possible,  those  with  a  few  attached  fibres.  This 
may  be  done  in  the  spring,  when  a  union  is  soon 
effected.  Besides  this,  the  single  kinds  ripen  seed 
readily,  from  which  plants  may  be  easily  raised, 
either  by  sowing  in  pots  or  pans  and  placing  them 
in  a  frame  if  the  seeds  are  few,  or,  if  in  quantity, 
in  the  open  ground.  A  fine  series  of  the  various 
varieties  of  this  shrub  has  been  sent  to  us  from 
Mr.  Anthony  Waterers,  Knap  Hill  Nursery, 
Woking. 

In  a  garden.- A  friend  sends  me  a  book 
which  has  been  a  great  treat  to  me  to  read.  It  is 
"  Days  and  Hours  in  a  Garden,"  by  "  E.  V.  B ,"  a 
lady  who  has  the  gift  of  expression  with  pen  and 
pencil  alike,  and  who  tells  us  frankly  most  of  the 
joys  and  sorrows  which  a  garden  yields.  With  the 
assistance  of  a  skilful  gardener  possessed  of  com- 
mon sense  and  uncommon  good  taste,  the  fair 
authoress  has  had  all  the  experience  of  turning  an 
old  wilderness  into  a  home  garden,  into  which  the 
gifts  of  friends  and  the  spoils  of  travel  in  the 
sunny  south  find  a  home.  Artistic  in  other  ways, 
"  E.  V.  B."  seems  to  have  brought  art  into 
her  garden,  and  art  of  the  best— not  dreamy, 
but  practical  —  for  in  her  garden  are  Apples 
as  well  as  Asters,  and  Peas  and  mellow  Pears 
as  well  as  Pentstemons  and  Phloxes.  Like  all 
true  gardeners,  she  has  sympathy  with  everything 
that  lives,  bird  and  butterfly  ;  even  the  spiders  are 
not  unobserved,  and  so  her  book,  in  its  pale  bind- 
ing, contains  something  inside  which  reminds  us 
of  Alphonse  Karr,  of  Jules  Michelet,  of  Bacon  and 
Parkinson,  of  all  gardeners,  true  and  gentle,  both 
old  and  new. — F.  W.  B. 


268 


THE    GARDEN 


[Sept.  i?7.    1B84. 


PLANTS    IN    FLO  WEE. 


Double  Caltha.  —  This  water  plant  is  seemingly 
flowering  out  of  its  season.  Mr.  Ware  tends  us  a  iiandful 
of  extremely  fine  flower-stems  of  the  i>right  orange  double 
variety  as  tine  as  it  is  usually  seen  in  spring. 

Gaillardlas.— A  gathering  of  several  varieties  of  hybrid 
Gaillardiai  has  been  sent  to  us  by  Mr.  Barker  from  his 
nursery  at  Littleharapton.  Besides  the  ordinary  single 
kinds  there  is  the  new  Lorenziana  variety,  and  a  wholly 
yellow  form  of  it,  all  extremely  showy  border  flowers.  On 
the  warm  Sussex  coast  the  Gaillardias  are  perfectly  hardy 
perennials  and  thrive  to  perfection. 

Gloriosa  superba.  —  Tliis  valuable  stove  climber 
bears  curious  imtterfly-like  flowers  of  a  beautiful  maroon 
colour.  I  saw  it  growing  freely  and  flowering  profusely  in 
Messrs  Cypher's  nursery  at  Cheltenham  tire  other  day,  and 
at  a  show  there  a  first  prize  for  glasses  of  flowers  for  a 
dinner-table  was  awarded  to  Miss  Cypher  for  a  choice 
combination,  in  which  this  Gloriosa  was  conspicuous.— 
Cambrian. 

Autumn  hardy  flo'wers.— A  little  gather- 
ing of  showy  flowers  from  Mr.  KingsmiU's  garden 
at  Eastcott,  rinner,  indicate  that  open-air  borders 
are  not  yet  liowerless.  The  brightest  of  the  gather- 
ingconsistsof  Dianthus  Atkinsoni, Iceland  Poppies 
(Papaver  nudicaule  in  variety).  Plumbago  Lar- 
pentae,  Zauschneria  calif ornica,  Platycodon  grandi- 
tlorum,  Phygelius  capensis.  Hibiscus  syriacas, 
Colchicums,  and  some  fruiting  twigs  of  Rosa 
rugosa  laden  with  large  globular  orange-red  hips, 
highly  ornamental. 

Magnolia  grandiflora.— While  in  Chelten- 
ham the  other  day  I  saw  several  fine  specimens 
of  this  valuable  Evergreen  growing  lu.xuriantly 
against  the  fronts  of  some  of  the  houses  ;  one  was 
bearing  several  of  its  massive  blooms,  and  I  yfaa 
told  by  a  friend  that  he  had  seen  a  large  plant  of 
it  near  the  centre  of  the  town  bearing  between 
two  and  three  dozen  flowers.  Asa  wall  plant  this 
Magnolia  is  showy  either  in  or  out  of  bloom,  and 
as  a  town  plant  it  is  so  seldom  seen  that  the  fact 
may  be  worth  noting. — Cambrian. 

Semi-double  Dahlia.— I  have  read  with  in- 
terest your  description  of  a  semi-double  Dahlia 
from  Mr.  D.  T.  Fish.  Singularly  enough,  I  have 
out  of  about  100  single  Dahlias  raised  from  seed 
one  plant  full  of  bloom  similar  to  the  one  jou 
describe.  I  enclose  two  blooms  of  the  same  for 
your  opinion.  You  will  observe  that  the  extremi- 
ties of  the  ray  florets  have  a  peculiar  slit,  which 
does  not  appear  in  your  description  of  the  bloom 
sent  by  Mr.  Fish. — J.  West-Jones,  The  Hollies, 
Shelton,  Sloke-on-Trent. 

*^*  The  flowers  sent  by  our  correspondent  seem 
to  be  precisely  similar  to  those  sent  by  Mr.  Fish 
last  week  both  in  form  and  colour.— Ed. 

Red  and  -white  Lapagerlas  — One  of  the 

most  beautiful  displays  of  the  Lapageria  that  we 
have  ever  seen  is  that  now  in  perfection  in  the  en- 
trance corridor  at  the  Royal  Exotic  Nursery,  Chel- 
sea. Here,  under  the  span  roof,  myriads  of  red  and 
■white  Lapagerias  may  be  seen,  in  most  instances 
.  strung  on  long  drooping  slender  shoots  hanging  in 
all  directions  in  great  profusion.  The  mixing  of 
the  two  varieties  seems  to  add  greatly  to  the 
charms  of  each.  The  plants  in  this  house  were 
replanted  about  two  years  since,  and  now  they  are 
just  deriving  the  benefit  from  the  new  soil. 

Eupatorium  ageratoides  — As  a  Septem- 
ber hardy  flower  this  North  .Vmerican  composite  un- 
doubtedly possesses  merit,  and  is  particularly  use- 
ful for  furnishing  a  supply  of  light  and  feathery 
white  flower-heads  for  cutting.  The  flowers  are 
produced  in  broad,  dense,  flat  heads,  and  are  pure 
white.  It  is  a  vigorous  grower,  an  abundant 
flowerer,  and  rarely  refuses  to  grow  anywhere. 
Some  capital  specimens  of  it  are  sent  from  Mr. 
Stevens'  garden,  at  Ryfleet,  along  with  a  gathering 
of  numerous  varieties  of  florists'  Pentstemons, 
which  are  finer  this  year  than  usual,  the  spikes  of 
bloom  baing  longer,  the  flowers  larger,  and  the 
colours  brighter. 

Two  good  autumn  flowers.— Mr.  Ware 
sends  us  some  admirable  flowering  specimens  of  the 
Californiau  Zauschneria  californica,  with  slender 
stems  beset  with  numerous  bright  scarlet  Fuchsia- 
like blossoms,  and  Stokesia  cyanea,  a  showy  compo- 
site with  largeheads  of  deep  mauve-purple.  Both  are 


indispensable  border  flowers,  and  particularly  the 
former,  as  it  is  so  unlike  any  other  hardy  flower. 
It  is  a  capital  rock  garden  plant,  but  requires  a 
place  to  itself,  inasmuch  as  it  will  soon  overrun 
every  other  plant  near  it.  The  Stokesia  is  a  good 
plant,  too,  but  not  so  desirable,  as  it  does  not 
always  open  its  flowers  freely  in  the  open  air.  It 
is  grown  largely  by  the  market  growers  about 
London,  who  place  the  cut  blooms  under  glass  in 
order  to  fully  open  them. 

September  hardy  flowers.— I  was  gather- 
ing some  flowers  this  morning  for  a  harvest  festi- 
val, and  a  bunch  of  them  looked  so  fresh  and 
pretty,  that  1  am  induced  to  send  it  to  you. 
They  are  all  hardy  and  such  as  you  know,  for  in- 
stance, several  Colchicums  and  Crocuses,  Tropxo- 
lums,  Amaryllis  Belladonna  blanda,  Senecio 
pulcher,  Solanum  jasminoides,  Zephyranthes  Ata- 
masco  and  Candida,  Sternbergia,  Rhynchosper- 
mum  jasminoides,  Modiola  geranioides  (a  pretty 
Mallow),  and  the  dark  Cosmos  atro-pnrpureus, 
Hypericum  oblongifclium,  Troposolum  tuberosum 
and  double  form  of  T.majus,  Origanum  pulchellum. 
Salvia  paten?,  and  others.— T.  H.  Archee-Hisd, 
Sdiit/i  Ilcrnn. 

*,*  A  beautiful  gathering  indeed. — Ed. 

The  Belladonna  Lily.— I  send  you  here- 
with the  first  bloom-head  of  one  of  two  new 
varieties  of  Amaryllis  Pielladonna  sent  me  several 
years  ago  by  Herr  Max  Leichtlin,  of  Baden-Baden, 
and  now  blooming  with  me  for  the  first  time.  Its 
distinctive  name  has  long  ago  been  lost  and  dis- 
appeared, but  if  I  recollect  rightly  he  called  the 
two  varieties  respectively  A.  B.  striata  and  purpu- 
rea, so  I  conclude  this  to  be  the  first  named  of  the 
two.  I  send  with  it  a  small  head  of  the  ordinary 
form  of  this  beautiful  autumn-blooming  hardy 
Amaryllis  to  enable  you  to  compare  it  with  the 
new  variety  which  I  consider  a  most  beautiful  and 
desirable  novelty,  and  shall  be  glad  of  your  opinion 
as  to  its  merits. — W.  E.  Gumbleton,  Belgrore, 
(Jueenstiurn,  (\i.  Cork. 

*^*  Decidedly  much  superior  both  in  size  and 
colour  to  the  ordinary  form.  The  colour  is  a 
glowing  rich  rose-pink,  several  shades  deeper  than 
usual,  delicate  pencillings  of  the  same  colour 
extending  into  the  white  throat.  This  variety 
would  soon  supersede  all  others  could  it  be  propa- 
gated largely.— Ed. 

Hybrid  Lobelias — A  most  beautiful  series 
of  hybrid  varieties  of  till  herbaceous  Lobelias  has 
been  sent  to  ns  by  Messrs.  Backhouse  from  their 
nurseries  at  York,  where  the  plants  are  said  to  be 
quite  hardy,  and  are  highly  valuable  for  the  open 
borders  at  this  season.  The  sorts  sent  are  named 
Vesuvius,  intensely  deep  crimson  -  maroon  ; 
Diadem,  brilliant  purple,  evidently  a  hybrid  of  L. 
syphilitica  ;  Vizza,  crimson-purple,  very  brilliant ; 
Firefly,  fiery  crimson  ;  Challenger,  brilliant  purple, 
inclined  to  violet ;  Ignea,  the  well-known  form 
with  deep  red  foliage.  The  above  form  the  finest 
set  of  varieties  of  Lobelia  that  we  have  yet  seen, 
and  we  scarcely  imagined  that  such  variety  and 
richness  of  colour  existed  among  them.  They  are 
indeed  exceedingly  useful  autumn  flowers,  and 
quite  indispensable. 

The   Nash   Court    Lapageria.— At  the 

show  on  Tuesday  last  at  South  Kensington  Mr.  G. 
Humphrey,  the  gardener  at  Nash  Court,  Faver- 
sham,  exhibited  some  magnificent  wreaths  of  the 
superb  variety  of  Lapageria  rosea,  on  which  we 
commented  a  short  time  since,  and  which  we 
suggested  should  be  called  the  Nash  Court  variety. 
The  flowers  were  even  larger  than  those  sent  to  as, 
and  the  peculiar  white  mottling  and  veining  in  the 
interior  of  the  petals  was  more  conspicuous.  Mr. 
Humphrey  showed  by  the  side  of  it  some  flowers 
of  the  variety  known  as  rubra  for  comparison,  and 
the  superlative  beauty  of  the  Nash  Court  variety 
was  by  the  contrast  rendered  more  distinct, 
although  rubra  is  considered  so  much  finer  than 
the  ordinary  form.  The  numerous  flowers  which 
the  shoots  carried  and  the  vigorous  foliage  indi- 
cated that  Lapagerias  are  grown  to  perfection  at 
Nash  Court.  Mr.  Humphrey  also  showed  flowers 
of  some  of  his  seedling  tuberous  Begonias,  among 
which  a  fine  large  double  of  a  soft  carmine  hue 


we  thought  as  fine  as  any  we  have  seen  exhibited ; 
likewise  a  single,  with  flowers  4  inches  across  of 
an  intensely  deep  crimson. 

Acis  autumnaiisand  Colchicum  mini- 
mum.— Passing  by  the  goigeous  display  of  Asters, 
Helianthuses,  and  other  large  plants  which  are  so 
abundant  at  this  season,  I  send  you  two  of  the 
smallest  beauties  now  in  my  garden,  viz.,  Acis 
antumnalis  and  Colchicum  minimum.  I  do  not 
think  that  either  of  them  is  sufliciently  known. 
There  is  another  species  of  Acis,  A.  trichophyllus, 
which  I  have  not  seen  for  some  years,  and  I  should 
be  much  obliged  if  any  of  your  correspondents 
could  tell  me  where  it  is  to  be  bad.  It  differs  from 
A.  autumnalis  in  colour  of  flower,  being  pure 
white  instead  of  being  tinted  with  purple  at  the 
base  of  the  corolla  ;  in  having  the  segments  of  the 
corolla  perfect  instead  of  being  in  the  alternate 
petals  notched  ;  in  the  time  of  blooming,  which  is 
spring  instead  of  autumn, and  in  being  a  native  of 
Eastern  Russia,  whereas  autumnalis  is  found  at 
Gibraltar  and  in  various  parts  of  Spain  and  Portu- 
gal. Colchicum  minimum  I  had  from  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Rome.— T.  H.  Archer-Hind,  South 
Devnn. 

*^*  Two  sweetly  pretty  bulbous  flowers,  un- 
happily too  rare  in  gardens.  Both  seem  to  succeed 
admirably  with  Mr.  Archer-Hind.— Ed. 


Daphne  rupestrls.— One  of  the  prettiest 
sights  we  have  seen  for  some  time  in  the  Kew 
rock  garden  was  a  tuft  of  this  beautiful  little 
evergreen  Daphne  nestling  under  an  overhanging 
ledge  of  rock,  and  literally  covered  with  its 
pretty  rosy  flowers,  almost  hiding  the  small  shin- 
ing dark  green  leaves,  so  closely  were  they  packed 
together.  It  is  perfectly  hardy,  and  seems  to 
thrive  well  and  slowly  increase  in  size,  though  the 
position  is  a  little  exposed.  The  soil  used  in  this 
case  consists  of  black  peaty  loam  with  a  good  mix- 
ture of  limestone,  or  old  spent  lime  broken  up  into 
small  pieces.  D.  Blagayana,  a  good  companion  to 
the  above,  also  flourishes  well  under  the  same  con- 
ditions, and  makes  a  very  useful  spiing-Howering 
plant ;  its  pure  white  flowers  are  produced  in  clus- 
ters of  from  ten  to  a  dozen  or  more  on  each  head 
and  are  deliciously  fragrant.  Both  of  these  Daphnes 
may  be  increased  by  layering,  but  much  more 
satisfactorily  by  grafting  on  their  own  roots,  which 
may  be  done  either  in  autumn  or  early  spring. 

Nymphaea  glgantea— Just  as  the  yellow 
Nelumbium  deserves  to  be  styled  the  Queen  of  the 
Western  Waters,  so  doe.i  Nymphtpagigantea  merit 
the  title  of  Queen  of  Eastern  Water  Lilies;  but 
it  is  only  when  in  their  native  rivers  and  lagoons 
that  either  plant  is  at  all  queenly,  for  so  far  as  the 
efforts  of  cultivators  in  this  country  have  gone, 
neither   the   Nelumbium   nor   the    Xymphiea  ap- 
proaches in  size  or  in  beauty  the  species  already 
established  at  home  in  our  plant  aquaria.     Take 
as  an  instance  of  this  the  three  forms  of    N. 
gigantea  now  flowering  in  the  Water  Lily  house 
at  Kew  :  although  these  will  be  found  to  be  quite 
equal  to  what  N.  gigantea  has  been  induced  to  do 
hitherto,  yet  on  comparing  them  with  N.  zanzi- 
barensis,  by  the  side  of  which  they  are  growing, 
tliey  quite  sink  into  insignificance.     Mr.  Lynch's 
success    with    the    yellow-flowered    Nelumbium, 
compared   with  what  the    plant  is    when    seen 
as  described  by  Mr.  Hovey  in  The  Garden  last 
year,  was  not  what  might  have  been  expected, 
and  yet  we  have  every  reason  to  believe  that  the 
treatment  Mr.  Lynch  gave  his  plant  was  such  as 
ought  to  have  met  with  complete  success,  had  suc- 
cess been  achievable.     With  N.  zanzibarensis  esta- 
blished and  at  home  with  us,  we  need  not  trouble 
ourselves  much  about  the  Australian  Water  Liiy,  but 
a  yellow  Nelumbium  as  grand  as  it  is  known  to  be 
in  North  America  is  still  a  great  desideratum  in 
the  gardens  of  this  country.     The  three  forms  of 
N.  gigantea  which  are  now  in  flower  at  Kew  differ 
from  each  other  in  the  shade  of  blue,  one  being  a 
clear  blue,  another  paler,  and  a  third  almost  white. 
We  may  here  note  that  a  new  Nymphasi  from 
North  America  has  been  added  to  the  Kew  collec- 
tion;   it    bears    the    name    of    Mr.    Sturtevant, 
whose  zeal  in  the  cultivation  of  aquatic  plants  is 
;  well  known  both  here  and  in  the  States. 


Sept.  2/,   1S84.] 


THE     GARDEN 


269 


ARRANGEMENT  OF  FLOWER  SHOWS. 
To  arrange  plants  effectively  and  tastefully  re- 
quires, under  any  circumstances,  the  exercise  of 
considerable  skill  and  judgment,  but  more  parti- 
cularly at  flower  shows,  where  the  limited  amount 
of  time  generally  at  commaml  and  the  hetero- 
genous material  to  deal  with  combine  to 
render  the  matter  more  difficult.  That  flower 
show  arrargement  is  not  so  simple  as  is 
generally  supposed  is  obvious  from  the  fact 
that  whore  we  see  one  exhibition  arranged  with 
taste  and  skill  we  find  nine  that  are  the  reverse. 
As  a  rule,  we  do  not  trouble  ourselves  so  much 
about  effective  arrangement  as  do  our  neighbours 
on  the  Continent,  particularly  in  France,  though,  as  a 
matterof  fact,  we  have  not  much  to  learn  from  them 
in  this  respect.  With  us  the  first  consideration  at 
flower  shows  is  displaying  the  individual  plants  to 
advantage,  while  with  them  this  is  subservient  to 
the  arrangement  for  general  effect.  As  to  which 
is  the  best  course  to  follow,  the  public  perhaps  are 
the  best  Judges,  and  it  is  for  the  public  to  a  great 
extent  flower  shows  are  promoted,  though  ostensi- 


necessary  diversity  of  outline,  so  important  an  item 
in  plant  arrangement.  The.se  remarks  obviously 
apply  only  to  plants.  In  the  case  of  fruits  and  vege- 
tables it  is  different;  stages  in  their  ca.se  must  be 
used  so  as  to  bring  the  exhibits  near  the  eye. 
Now,  with  regard  to  permanently  laid-out  show 
grounds,  so  far  as  my  experience  goes  they  are  all 
on  one  plan,  and  look  as  it  cast  out  of  one  mould. 
All  have  rising  mounds  here  and  there ;  all  are 
more  or  less  symmetrically  placed.  None  have 
the  little  dells  to  correspond  with  the  little  hills  ; 
conseqnently  the  surface  or  outline  is  not 
so  much  diversified  as  it  might  be.  Iq  many 
cases  plants  have  a  far  finer  effect  when  : 
placed  below  the  eye  than  above  it.  A  case 
in  point  occurred  during  the  present  season.  At 
the  Regent's  I'ark  summer  show  there  was  shown 
a  magnificent  group  of  Clematises  from  tlie  Wok- 
ing Nursery.  These  as  usual  (for  the  positions  of 
particular  exhibitors'  exhibits  are  apparently  un- 
alterable) were  placed  on  a  mound  at  the  right  of 
the  Orchid  bank.  The  specimens  had  certainly 
a    very   fine  appearance,   but    the   same    plants 


stateliness  being  enhanced  by  rising  out  of  a 
groundwork  of  greenery  or  colour  as  the  case  may 
be.  A  good  attempt  has  also  been  made  to  hide  the 
pots,  and  this  is  a  point  that  needs  careful  consi- 
deration where  a  tasteful  arrangement  is  aimed 
at.  At  Continental  flower  shows  it  is  the  practice 
to  first  judge  the  exhibits  and  to  re-arrange  them 
afterwards  without  much  regard  as  to  whom  the 
particular  plants  belong.  By  this  system  a  great 
advantage  is  gained,  as  the  designer  of  the  thow, 
and  not  the  exhibitors,  is  responsible  for  the 
general  effect ;  hence  the  show  is  the  outcome  of 
one  person's  taste,  be  it  good  or  bad,  instead  of 
a  mi.xture  of  good,  bad,  and  indifferent  tastes 
A  similar  style  of  plant  arrangement  is  represented 
by  the  woodcut  on  page  271.  It  shows  the  in- 
terior of  the  horticultural  hall  at  the  great  Phila- 
delphia exhibition  a  few  years  ago.  'This  style  is 
not  to  be  commended,  so  far  as  can  be  judged  by 
the  illustration,  inasmuch  as  the  whole  appears 
to  be  just  a  thicket  of  various  plants  placed  with- 
out regard  to  displ.ij  ing  either  their  individual 
character  or  diversifying  the  outline.     Moreover, 


biy  for  ths  encouragement  of  good  caltnre.  Now, 
in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  the  public  cares  but  little 
about  the  comparative  excellence  of  individual 
specimens,  but  show  them  a  tastefully  arranged 
group,  and  they  will  crowd  around  it;  therefore 
promoters  and  managers  of  flower  shows  should 
strive  to  make  such  displays  as  attractive  as  pos- 
sible. There  is,  as  a  rule,  abundant  material 
at  any  show  to  make  a  veritable  floral  para- 
dise if  used  in  the  best  way,  but  let  the 
same  material  be  arranged  in  monotonous 
rows  on  benches  where  little  besides  the  pots  can 
be  seen,  and  even  beautiful  plants  may  fail  to 
charm.  It  is  satisfactory  to  see  that  during  the 
past  few  years  at  provincial  as  well  as  metropoli- 
tan shows  high  ugly  stages  are  being  abolished, 
and  the  plants  arranged  at  or  below  the  level  of 
the  eye,  their  beauty  bei^g  thus  seen  to  advan- 
tage. It  is  only  perverted  taste  or  a  servile  ad- 
herence to  custom  that  would  sanction  beautiful 
plants  being  placed  on  benches  where  one  has  to 
make  an  effort  to  see  them  properly. 

In  country  villages  and  small  towns  where  shows 
are  not  habitually  held  in  the  same  place  it  is  of 
course  more  difficult  to  arrange  the  exhibits  than 
at  places  where,  as  at  Regent's  Park,  South  Ken- 
sington, Manchester,  Birmingham,  and  other  large 
towns,  there  are  permanent  show  grounds  designed 
expressly  with  the  view  of  displaying  the  plants  to 
the  best  advantage.  Improvised  stages  of  some 
sort  in  such  cases  are  a  necessity,  so  as  to  give  the 


looked  ten  times  better  a  couple  of  days 
later  at  the  Crystal  Palace,  where  they  were 
placed  in  a  decided  dell  or  concavity.  There 
the  grand  proportions  of  the  individual  specimens 
could  be  seen  to  advantage,  and  instead  of  look- 
ing underneath  the  flowers  visitors  could  see  them 
full  in  the  face,  as  it  were.  All  who  saw  the  same 
group  at  the  two  places  decided  in  favour  of  their 
effect  at  the  Palace.  The  huge  Rosea  in  pots,  too, 
have  a  finer  effect  where  not  perched  so  high  on 
mounds  that  the  pots  are  on  a  level  with  the  eye. 
Arranging  a  flower  show  in  a  purposely  laid  out  spot 
is  much  simpler  than  on  a  flat  floor,  such  as  that  of 
a  hall.  In  such  a  case  it  requires  all  the  skill  and 
taste  possible  to  create  a  good  effect.  Of  the 
French  style  of  flower  show  arrangement,  the  ac- 
companying illustration  of  one  of  the  shows  in 
Paris  is  a  fair  example,  and  is  given  not  because 
"  they  do  these  things  so  much  better  in  France," 
but  as  an  illustration  of  how  M.  Andn''  managed  to 
create  a  beautiful  floral  display  on  a  flat  surface 
with  not  very  picturesque  surroundings.  Here, 
as  may  be  seen,  the  chief  aim  has  been  to 
diversify  the  outline,  which  the  great  bold-leaved 
speciinens  do  admirably,  and  not  only  that,  but 
the  plants  themselves  are  displayed  to  the  fullest 
advantage;  one  can  see  them  all  round,  not  on 
one  side  only,  and  their  value  as  decorative  plants 
is  at  once  seen.  By  this  arrangement  noble  Palms, 
Tree  Ferns,  Cycads,  Aroids,  Bromeliads,  and  such 
like  plants  can  be  employed  with  the  best  effect,  their 


the  whole  of  the  heads  of  the  plants  seem  to  be 
1  above  the  eye.  W.  G. 


GARDENS  IN  IRELAND. 
Much  of  the  coast  and  inland  scenery  in  the 
western  parts  cf  Ireland  must  gratify,  if  not  ex- 
ceed, the  most  sanguine  hopes  of  the  travelled 
tourist,  as  it  is  in  many  respects  unique  in  the 
scenery  of  Europe.  Majestic  sea-cliffs,  water 
and  storm-worn  ;  wild,  heathery  moorlands  ;  lofty 
limestone  hills  with  fantastic  crags  and  sum- 
mits ;  broad,  sweeping  valleys  and  rocky  fore- 
lands jutting  into  beautiful  sea-bays  or  inland 
lakes  whose  shores  are  often  richly  wooded  or 
bright  with  the  golden  Gorse  and  purple  Heather, 
and  lovely  wild  flowers  are  among  its  leading 
characteristics,  whilst  many  of  the  picturesque 
reaches  of  the  blue  .Vtlantic  that  run  for  miles  in- 
land along  the  coasts  of  Connaught  and  Munster 
can  only  be  compared  with  the  mountain  fiords 
that  indent  the  Norwegian  coast  line.  But  I  refer 
now  more  especially  to  the  Western  Highlands  of 


1270 


THE    GARDEN 


[Sept.  2/,  188i. 


Ireland  (Connemara),  which  possess  attractions  to 
the  lover  o£  Nature,  the  angler,   sportsman,  and 
man  of  science  of  a  very  exceptional  kind.     Ihe 
district  has  of  late  grown  maoh  in  popular  favour, 
and  everywhere  now  there  are  clean  comfortable 
inns  (with   moderate   charges)  and    a  peasantry 
whose  kindness  and  hospitality  are  a  pass-word 
wherever  they  are  known.      I  have  lately  spent  a 
very  enjoyable  holiday  in  the  west  and  south-west 
of  Ireland,  and  though  I  have  seen  much  of  the 
best  scenery  in  many  countries,  I  do  not  know  any 
one  of  them  that  has  made  a  more  favourable  im- 
pression upon  me  than  that  which  I  have  just  left. 
But  what  charmed  me  as  much  as  anything  were 
the  several  public  and  private  gardens   which  I 
visited  and  which  I  had  seen  rarely  equalled.  Many 
readers  of  The  Garden  will  doubtless  know  well 
the  beautiful  public  gardens  and  conservatories  at 
Glasnevin,    near    Dublin,    but    not    so    many,   I 
imagine,    are    acquainted    with    those    charming 
grounds   and    gardens  that  are  occasionally  met 
with  in  remote  districts  in  the  west.     On  one 
occasion    we    drove    a    long    distance    by    way 
of    Leenane,    an    attractive  seaside  spa   on   the 
Killeries,  through  the  Kylemore   Pass  ;   the  road 
skirted  the  lake,  and  for  miles  presented  one  long 
line  of  crimson  formed  by  hedges  of  Fuchsia.  We 
turned  into    the  park  surrounding    the    palatial 
mansion  of  Mr.  Mitchell  Henry,  M.r.,  and  were 
privileged    the   inspection  of  his  beautiful   and 
extensive    grounds    and     hothouses.     The    fruit 
houses  are    both    numerous    and    well    stocked. 
Their  genial  and  hospitable  proprietor  seems  to 
be  sparing  neither  labour  nor  pains  to  make  this 
once  desert  and  bog  into  an  earthly  paradise.    The 
glasshouses  in  particular  are  as  fine  as  any  I  have 
ever  seen.  T.ut  I  think  the  most  impressively  beau- 
tiful demesne  which  I  visited  in  Ireland  was  that  of 
Lord  Ardilaun  at  Ashford,  Cong,  to  the  north  of 
Lough  Corrib.     His  lordship  was  not  at  home,  but 
I  obtained  a  permit  from  Mr.  Hawkins,  his  agent, 
who  kindly  conducted  me  over  the  grounds.  They 
are  by  nature  superior  to  those  at  Kylemore,  and 
altogether  better  adapted  for  gardening  purposes. 
The  advantages  of  a  fine  climate  and  a  beautiful 
sheltered  situation  leave  nothing  to  be   desired. 
The  kept  grounds  are  all  laid  out  on  the  level  and 
cover  twenty-six  acres,  being  pleasantly  watered 
on  the  south  by  an  arm  of  Lough  Corrib,  and  sur- 
rounded by  a  fine  mountain  background,  which 
gives  additional  effect  to  the  landscape.  The  grand 
terrace  runs  from  the  castle  in  a  straight  line  700 
yards    in  length,  and  is  intercepted  at    regular 
intervals  by   three    broad   flights  of  steps.     The 
carriage    drive,    which    is    seven    miles    long, 
runs  from  the  castle  doors  to  the  foot  of  the  15en 
Levi  Mountain,  and  throughout  the  distance  is 
planted  with  the  choicest  specimen  trees,  many 
of  the  Pine  tribe,  such  as   Pinus  insignis  and 
Picea   nohilis,  flourishing  wonderfully  well.     At 
intervals  on  the  route  openings  in  the  trees  reveal 
enchanting  views  of  wood,  and  lake,  and  moun- 
tain, and  the  murmuring  waters  of  the  lake  are 
heard  and  seen  from  the  windows  and  grounds 
close   to  the  house,  where  the  fine  steam  yacht 
"  Lady  Olive  "  (named  after  his  lordship's  amiable 
lady)  plies  upon  the  lovely  lake  for  the  pleasure 
and    convenience   of    his    lordship's   family   and 
guests.     There  is  a  line  deer  park  to  the  east  of 
the  castle,  stocked  with  several  hundred  red  and 
other  deer.     The  gardens  and  pleasure  grounds  are 
magnificent,  and  have  been  designed  and  arranged 
solely  by  Lord  Ardilaun  himself  and  his  clever 
wife.     In  a  work  so  complicated  and  extensive  it 
is  but  scant  praise  to  observe  the  consummate 
skill  and  good  taste  that  have  been  brought  to  bear 
in  the  execution  of  so  onerous  a  task.     At  the 
time  of  my  visit  the  gardens  were  at  their  best, 
and   Mr.   Andrew  Campbell,  the  head  gardener, 
took  evident  pride  in  pointing  out  to  me  their 
chief  features  and  specialities.     Among  the  large 
collection  of  herbaceous  plants,  I  noticed  a  fine 
row  of  pink  and  white  Japanese  Anemones  5  feet 
or'  6  feet  high,  and  Lobelia  Queen  Victoria  (in 
fine  flower)  4  feet  high  ;  also  Funkia  grandiflora, 
with  forty  spikes  of  flower  on  each.  In  the  American 
or  Grass  garden  were  clumps  of  scarlet  Tritoma 
with  from  80  to  lOo  blooms  on  each   'i  feet  high. 
The  Stocks  were  particularly  good  this  year,  and  the 


clumps  of  Pampas  Grass  of  BOO  to  GOO  spikes  were 
preparing  to  throw  out  their  conspicuous  plumes. 
The  terrace  beds  were  well  and  tastefully  planted. 
The  first  terrace  in  particular  claimed  ourattention. 
The  flower  beds   on  either  side  were  in   scroll 
pattern,   with  alternating  centre  circular    beds. 
Dark   Heliotrope  in  scrolls  and   M.   MacMahon 
Geranium   edged  with  Kleinia  repens  produced  a 
very    pretty  effect.     The  centre  beds  contained 
Acacias,  Castor-oil  plants  (Ricinus  africanus),  and 
Mr.  Campbell  drew  my  attention  to  an  exception- 
ally fine  and  well   variegated   Lavatera  arborea 
occupying  one  of  these  centre  beds.    After  enjoy- 
ing   a    lengthened    survey    of    the     ornamental 
grounds,  we  turned  our  attention  to  the  glass- 
houses and  ferneries.   These  are  well  stocked,  and 
contain  many  splendid  types.    It  was  a  treat  to 
walk  through  these  houses,  everything  looked  so 
clean  and  well  kept.    I  was  especially  captivated 
with  the  lovely  blossoms  of  the  AUamanda  magni- 
fica  and  Lapageria  rosea  and  alba,  each  of  which 
trailed  along  the  several  roofs  for  upwards  of  40 
feet.     But  the  bare  mention  of  the  floral  treasures 
I   saw   displayed   would  be  an   exhaustive  task. 
Some  of  the  Ferns  I  saw  were  very  fine.  Specimens 
of  Adiantum  cuneatum  measured  4  feet  through 
and  A.  farleyense  5  feet  through.     I  also  observed 
one  or  two  remarkably  fine  examples  of  A.  gracil- 
limum,  the  finest  of  all  the  Maiden-hairs.  An  out- 
side rockery  was  also  pointed  out  to  me  contain- 
ing a  large  collection  of  local  wild  Ferns.    These 
latter  are  very  abundant  and  beautiful  on  the  lime- 
stone   around  Cong.     Mr.   Hawkins  kindly  pre- 
sented me  with  an  assortment  (which  I  dispatched 
in  a  box  home)  from  his  own  garden  that  had  been 
obtained  wild  in  the  neighbourhood.     Since  my 
return  I  have  given  several  roots  away  to  friends, 
and  they  are  much  prized.     Altogether  I  was  de- 
lighted with   my   short  stay  at    Cong,   which   I 
quitted  by  a  beautiful  sail  down  the  whole  length 
of    Lough  Corrib,   about    twenty-five    miles,    to 
Galway  en  route  for  Killarney.*      H.  Speight. 
West  BoH-litig,  Bradford,  Yorks. 


NOTES. 


Autumn  bloseoms  have  quite  a  charm  of 
theirown.  It  is  truetheybave  not  theunworn  fresh- 
ness of  the  flowers  of  spring,  but  they  have  a  mellow 
ripeness  and  richness  of  colour  very  pleasant  to 
see.  ;The  Tiger  Iris  is  yet  opening  its  gaudy  scarlet 
flowers,  and  great  bunches  of  Cyclamen,  white>nd 
purple-rose,  grace  the  bare  ground  beneath  the 
Apple  trees.  A  friend  of  mine  who  is  very  fond  of 
Orchids  went  to  see  an  old  ducal  garden  the  other 
day  where  hardy  flowers  are  more  appreciated.  On 
one  side  of  a  long  walk  were  masses  of  scarlet 
Gladioli  and  Tigridias,  and  on  the  other  clumps  of 
Colchicums  were  in  blossom.  So  effective  were 
these  flowers  of  autumn  in  the  cool  fresh  air  of  a 
September  day,  that  my  friend  could  not  resist 
admiring  them.  "Yes,"  was  the  reply;  "they 
are  as  beautiful  as  your  Orchids.  These  Gladioli 
serve  us  for  Disas,  and  for  Pleiones  we  have  the 
Colchicums 


Solomons  Seal    in    autumn.— It   is  a 

fortunate  thing  that  so  many  of  our  garden  plants 
are  twice  beautiful  during  the  cycle  of  their  year's 
growth.  Take  the  spring  blossoming  of  our  or- 
chards, and  contrast  that  vernal  phase  with  the 
mellow  ripeness  they  exhibit  now.  It  is  so  with 
this  old-fashioned  plant,  which  is  so  well  illus- 
trated and  described  in  the  The  Garden,  p.  23G. 
In  spring  its  pearly  flowers  are  all  beautiful,  but 
now  each  leafy  stalk  with  us  bears  fruit,  which  if 
pearly,  most  resemble  the  black  pearls  of  the 
Bornean  coast,  which  if  not  more  beautiful  than 
the  white  ones  are  far  more  costly,  because  more 
rare.  Even  if  this  plant  never  blossomed,  even  if 
its  Sloe-like  fruit  was  never  developed,  it  is  so 


graceful  in  its  growth  that  it  would  be  well  worth 
culture  as  a  foliage  plant  alone.  As  it  is,  it  pos- 
sesses a  threefold  grace,  and  that  it  is  within  the 
reach  of  all  is  an  additional  advantage. 

Bulbs  from  Italy.— In  the  old  days  many 
of  the  bulbs  now  imported  from  Holland  or  from 
New  Jersey  used  to  come  from  Italy,  and  perhaps 
old  fashions  may  revive  in  this  direction.  A 
courteous  amateur  has  been  so  good  as  to  send  me 
a  copy  of  Messrs.  Damman's  catalogue  of  bulbs, 
flower  roots.  Orchids,  &c ,  and  I  have  enjoyed 
meeting  therein  with  many  old  friends  not  usually 
sold  by  our  home  nurseryman.  Messrs.  Dam- 
man  and  Co.  make  quite  a  speciality  of  bulbs, 
and  offer  several  new  and  some  rare  Narcissi, 
which  are  not  to  be  obtained  elsewhere  in  Europe. 
In  all  matters  of  this  kind  we  cannot  be  too  broad 
in  our  sympathies,  and,  judging  from  the  catalogue 
alluded  to,  English  amateurs  may  like  to  know  of 
a  firm  in  such  a  good  climate  as  Italy  undoubtedly 
is  for  well- ripened  bulb  growths. 

Japanese  Maples.--We  have  had  some 
beautiful  plants  imported  from  Japanese  gardens, 
but  none  more  delicately  beautiful  and  certainly 
Eone  more  generally  useful  for  decorative  pur- 
poses than  are  these  dwarf  cut-leaved  Acers. 
They  are  always  attractive  from  the  first  day 
their  tender  young  leaves  appear  until  late  in 
autumn,  when  their  dying  foliage  assumes  all  the 
hues  of  the  waning  year.  Early  in  the  year  they 
add  a  grace  and  elegance  to  groups  of  spring 
flowers  not  attainable  by  any  other  means,  as 
the  lovely  arrangements  made  by  Messrs.  'Veitch 
&  Sons  at  Regent's  I'ark  with  these  plants  inter- 
mixed with  Orchids,  kc,  amply  prove.  They  are 
perfectly  hardy,  but  if  early  leafage  is  desired,  it 
is  best  to  winter  them  in  a  cold  frame  or  pit,  from 
which  they  can  be  placed  in  a  greenhouse  tempe- 
rature as  desired. 

The  Sea  Hollies.— Eryngiums  of  various 
kinds  are  and  have  been  very  decorative  in  our 
beds  and  borders.  The  best  we  have  is  undoubtedly 
E.  Olivierianum,  which  we  have  long  grown  under 
the  better  known  name  of  E.  amethystinum.  This 
plant  does  well  here,  and  is  quite  easily  increased 
by  mincing  up  a  plant,  roots  and  all,  in  the  spring 
and  planting  the  pieces.  Mr.  'VVolley  Dod,  writing 
in  a  contemporary,  states  that  he  lost  a  plant  by 
dividing  it  in  the  autumn,  which  is  most  likely,  as 
but  few  fleshy-rooted  perennials  like  to  be  disturbed 
at  that  season.  E.  planum  is  a  pretty  biennial, 
with  steel-blue  heads  as  big  as  marbles.  E.  dicho- 
tomum  and  E.  giganteum  are  also  grown  here, 
along  with  the  native  E.  maritimnm,  the  last  being 
by  no  means  the  least  ornamental.  E.  campestre 
is  one  of  the  most  distinct  of  the  perennial  kindp, 
but  E.  Olivierianum  is  by  far  the  most  beautiful, 
and  should  be  largely  grown. 

Plants  for  wIndo-WS.—  Geraniums  and 
Fuchsias  are  by  no  means  the  best  of  plants  for 
indoor  window  gardeners  to  grow.  Perhaps  the 
best  of  all  room  plants  is  Aspidistra  lurida.  Dra- 
caena rubra  is  also  a  good  evergreen,  as  is  also  the 
Japan  Aralia  Sieboldi.  Saxifraga  sarmentosa  does 
well  in  a  hanging  pot  or  basket,  so  also  Campanula 
Barrellieri,  and  the  scarlet-flowered  Scarborough 
Lily  (Vallota  purpurea)  should  always  have  a 
place.  For  spring  flowering  Hyacinths  will  of 
course  be  grown,  but  equally  easily  grown  and 
more  uncommon  is  Lachenalia  tricolor  or  L. 
luteola.  A  few  Daffodil  bulbs  potted  now  and 
plunged  in  ashes  out-of-doors  until  spring  could 
then  be  brought  inside  when  in  bloom  or  in  bud. 
They  are  beautiful  as  well  as  fashionable. 


•  To  those  who  wish  tor  a  nearer  aciiuaintance  with  this 
beautiful  distiict  I  recommend  the  Midland  Great  Western 
Railway  Company's  newly-issued  "Guide  through  Conne- 
mara and  the  West  of  Ireland,"  which  contains  sixteen 
full  page  lithograph  views  (from  photographs),  numerous 
woodcuts,  map?,  and  much  general  information.  The  price 
is  Is.,  and  the  book  may  be  had  from  the  manager,  Mr. 
J.  E.  Ward,  Broadsfone  Terminus,  Unblin,  or  at  Messrs. 
Smith  &  Son's  railway  bookstalls. 


The  -white  Zephyr  flower.— "It  is  an  ill 

wind  that  blows  no  one  good ;  "  and  so,  although 
the  past  dry  season  has  dried  up  and  scorched  off 
some  things,  it  has  brought  into  prominence  other 
plants  which  are  either  weedy,  leafy,  or  flowerless 
altogether  during  ordinary  rainy  summers.  Here, 
for  example,  we  had  great  clumps  of  Zephyranthes 
Candida  on  which  flowers  were  rarely,  if  ever,  seen 
before,  and  these  just  now  are  like  a  mass  of 
snowy  Crocus  flowers.  Either  as  seen  growing  or 
when  cut  the  waxy  white  flowers  of  this  plant  are 
most  attractive,  and  although  not  so  fine  as  those 
of  Z.  TreatiiE  or  Z.  Atamasco,  yet  we  shall  never 


Sept.  2",   1884.] 


THE   GARDEN 


271 


despise  its  modest  beauty  after  having  ODce  seen 
it  in  perfection.  Now  we  are  not  without  hope 
that  some  mysterious  bunches  of  green  leaves 
supposed  to  be  those  of  Sternbergia  lutea  will  also 
yield  us  blossoms  in  due  time.  Veronica. 


GRAPES  AND  ORCHIDS  AT  CLOVENFORDS. 
If  (here  is  one  place  in  Scotland  more  than 
another  that  a  gardener  ought  to  visit  that  place  is 
the  Tweed  Vineyard  at  Clovenfords,  a  place  which 
lies  in  the  beautiful  valley  of  the  Tweed,  about  an 
hour's  ride  by  rail  from  Edinburgh.  Here  may  be 
seen  Grape  growing  for  market  carried  out  to  the 
highest  perfection,  and  on  a  scale  only  to  be  com- 
pared with  a  few  of  the  very  largest  Grape  grow- 
ing market  gardens  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Ijondon  and  in  the  Channel  Islands.  Not  only  are 
Grapes  grown  to  the  highest  pitch  of  excellence, 
but  the  whole  place  is  in  high  keeping,  thus  af- 
fording a  striking  contrast  to  London  market 
graperies,  where  the  rough-and-ready  system  pur- 
sued renders  cleanliness  and  tidiness  almost  an 
impossibility.  In  walking  through  Messrs.  Thom- 
son's establishment  one  might  fancy  oneself  in 
the  garden  of  a  Rothschild  or  Buccleach,  so  well 
managed  is  every  part  of 
it.  This  trimness  and  clean- 
liness is  the  first  thing  that 
attracts  attention,  being  no- 
ticeable before  one  comes  to 
the  magnificent  crops  of 
Grapes.  There  is  an  enor- 
mous extent  of  glass  here, 
amounting  in  the  aggregate 
to  something  like  a  super- 
ficial area  of  90,000  feet. 
The  greater  portion  of  the 
houses  is  devoted  solely  to 
the  production  of  Grapes, 
which  during  winter  are 
sent  to  Covent  Garden  Mar- 
ket, a  distance  of  nearly 
400  miles.  It  is  a  good 
many  years  since  Mr.  Wil- 
liam Thomson  first  settled 
at  Clovenfords.  It  was 
his  intention  at  the  out- 
set to  devote  the  place 
entirely  to  the  produc- 
tion of  Grapes  and  Pine- 
apples, but  since  then 
circumstances  have  been 
altered.  Grapes,  it  is 
true,  are  still  in  univer- 
sal demand,  meeting  with 

a  ready  sale,  particularly  such  high-class  fruit  as 
the  Tweed  Vineyard  produces  ;  but  Pine-apple 
culture  has  of  late  years  bsen  abandoned,  here,  as 


gard  to  the  exigencies  of  the  business.  Messrs.  ;  like  to  make  before  offering  a  few  comments  upon 
Thomson  never  begin  to  cut  and  send  to  market  ;  the  Orchids,  and  that  is  respecting  the  Duke  of 
before  the  autumn  is  well  advanced  or  the  winter  :  liaccleuch  Grape,  a  variety  which  perhaps  beyond 
has  set  in ;  consequently  no  forcing  is  needed ;  '  all  others  has  been  both  belauded  and  decried, 
moreover,  only  late  or  good  keeping  sorts  are  !  Seeing  is  believing,  and  anyone  whose  perception 
grown.  It  is  a  very  different  thing  growing  Grapes  is  not  blinded  by  prejudice  may  see  for  himself 
on  an  extensive  scale  to  supply  a  market  400  as  grand  a  crop  of  this  Grape  at  the  present  time 
miles  distant  from  the  culture  in  private  gardens  ;  as  it  is  possible  to  behold.  Here  in  the  corridor 
consequently  the  kinds  that  are  selected  in  this  terminating  the  main  group  of  vineries  are  several 
case    must    first    of    all    be    good    travellers —    rods  carrying  not  only  a  heavy  crop,  but  weighty. 


this  is  the  main  consideration.  Secondly,  they 
must  be  fine-looking  Grapes  in  order  to  take  the 
eyes  of  salesmen,  who  are  generally  pretty  accu- 
rate judges  of  what  the  public  want.  It  is  not 
many  Grapes  that  will  comply  with  these  condi- 
tions ;  they  may  be  fine  looking  and  of  excellent 
quality,  but  bad  travellers.  A  case  in  point  is  the 
Duke  of  Buccleuch  variety,  which,  though  the 
handsomest  white  Grape  in  cultivation  and  of  un- 
questionable quality  when  well  grown,  is  almost 
worthless  for  Mr.  Thomson's  purpose,  although  he 
is  the  fortunate  raiser  of  it,  and  thinks  so  highly 
of  it  as  a  Grape  for  private  gardens.  The  selection 
which  forms  the  mainstay  of  the  Grape  supply 
here  are  Muscat  of  Alexandria,  Lady  Downes, 
Gros   Colmar,  and   Black    .Wicante;    others    are 


Interior  of  Horticultural  Hall,  Philadtlfhia,  at  the  Centennial  SxhiOition  (see  p.  269  ) 


grown,  but  not  in  large  quantities.  Not  a  bunch  is 
sent  to  London  before  the  season  is  well  advanced ; 
indeed,  not  a  bunch  of  Lady  Downes  is  sent  be- 
fore March      —        - 


well  shaped  bunches  and  with  huge  berries  of 
that  blight  amber  colour  which  alone  indicates 
first-rate  quality  and  high  finish.  A  person  must 
have  a  very  critical  palate,  indeed,  if  he  pronounced 
against  the  flavour  of  this  Grape  when  so  highly 
finished.  The  berries  are  firm,  very  juicy,  and 
with  a  delicious  aroma.  It  is  a  fault,  if  fault  it 
be,  that  it  possesses  a  thin  skin — too  thin,  in  fact, 
for  safe  transmission  to  any  great  distance,  and 
this  is  the  sole  reason  why  it  is  not  grown  by 
the  houseful  at  Clovenfords,  and  does  not  have 
so  much  attention  paid  to  it  as  do  the  other  sorts 
sent  direct  from  the  Vine  to  the  table.  It  is  a  most 
valuable  Grape,  particularly  when  grown  and 
finished  as  here,  at  Trentham,  Gannersbury,  and 
other  well-known  gardens. 

Orchids  —  These  are 
grown  extensively  and  in 
great  perfection.  The  pure 
moist  air  of  the  Tweed  val- 
ley, the  peculiar  form  of  the 
houses,  the  soil  used,  the 
care  and  attention  bestowed 
upon  them,  all  combine  to 
this  result.  Though  so 
large,  it  is  not  what  may 
be  called  a  full  collection, 
preference  being  given 
to  particular  classes  and 
genera,  and,  above  all,  to 
the  growth  and  propagation 
of  the  finest  varieties.  The 
great  features  in  it  are  the 
Vandas,  Cattleyas,  La^lias, 
Cypripediums,  Odontoglos- 
sums,  and  Masdevallias. 
These  occupy  a  good  many 
houses,  which  were  for- 
merly the  Pine  pits.  None 
of  these  are  small,  mostly 
all  being  long  and  nar- 
row lean-to  structures,  just 
the  stamp  of  house  that 
a  practical  Orchid  grower 
would  choose,  inasmuch 
as  they  afilord  plenty  of 
light,  and  do  notcontainsuch  abodyof  stagnant  air 
as  do  exceptionally  large  houses.  As  with  the  vine- 


well  as  in  many  private  gardens,  owing  to  first- 
rate  Pines  being  imported  abundantly  from  hotter  i  good  quality  fetch  good  prices.     Every  season  an 
climes.     Consequently,  the  houses  and  pits    set   improvised   Grape  room  is   formed  of  one  of  the 
apart  for  Pines  had  to  be  filled  with  something,  !  large  vineries,  an  old  one  that   is  dry  and  airy, 
but  being  in  most  instances  ill  adapted  for  Grape  i  Here  the  crops  are  preserved  after  being   cut 


ries  so  with  the  Orchid  houses,  they  are  everywhere 
Then  Grapes  are  scarce,  and  those  of   clean  and  tidy  even  to  a  fault.  But  this  cleanliness 
~  of  the  houses  is  as  important  as  keeping  the  plants 

thoroughly  clean.  Of  course  in  this  place  so  far 
removed  from  any  big  town  there  is  no  black- 
laden  atmosphere  to  leave  layers  of  soot  on  the 
foliage,  and  no  doubt  the  cool,  moist  atmosphere 


growing,  Messrs.  Thomson  thought  the  best  thing    All  the  houses  are  handsome  large  structures,  the 

to  do  was  to  grow  a  collection  of  Orchids,  as  it  main  group  consisting  of  span-roofed  houses  of  the  locality  also  favours  the  healthy  growth  of 
was  anticipated  that  these  plants  would  be  in  j  200  feet  in  length  by  24  feet  wide  and  18  feet  the  Orchids.  As  an  example  of  these  Orchid 
great  demand  and  would  prove  most  remnnera-  high,  having  the  borders  inside  and  out.  As  the  houses,  that  devoted  to  Cattleyas  might  be  men- 
tive.  The  collection,  growing  as  it  has  been  for  Grapes  are  just  now  either  ripe  or  finishing,  it  is  tioned.  This  is  a  lean-to  1.30  feet  long  by  14  feet 
years,  has  now  assumed  gigantic  proportions,  a  fine  sight  to  stand  at  one  end  of  these  capacious  wide,  with  stages  at  the  front  and  back,  with 
filling  a  good  many  capacious  houses ;  in  short,  it  houses  and  look  along  under  the  roof,  which  is  quite  ample  provision  for  heating  and  ventilation.  This 
is  by  far  the  largest,  the  best  cultivated,  as  well  blackened  by  the  sable  crop  so  prof  nsely  hung  on  house  contains  a  marvellously  rich  stock  of  the 
as  the  most  select  trade  collection  anywhere  north  :  them — so  even,  too,  that  there  is  scarcely  a  vacant  \  choicest  Cattleyas  and  Liclias.  Among  the 
of  York.  So  with  Grapes  and  Orchids  alone  square  foot  throughout.  As  we  are  continually  |  most  select  may  be  noted  the  white  Triana;,  the 
Messrs.  Thomson  are  enabled  to  keep  themselves  '  hearing  so  much  about  the  evil  effects  of  over-  '  white  Skinneri,  the  white  Moss:a%  some  superb 
and  their  staff  in  active  employment  throughout  cropping,  it  is  not  a  little  surprising  that  Mr.  forms  of  Gaskelliana  (a  great  favourite  here), 
the  year,  for  after  the  Grape  crop  is  harvested  the  Thomson  is  enabled  to  go  on  year  after  year  taking  and  Mendelli,  besides  such  varieties  as  C.  Scho- 
Orchid  department  demands  their  whole  attention  such  enormous  crops  from  his  vineries.  The  bulk  fieldi.  The  Lailias,  like  the  Cattleyas,  are  just 
until  the  vineries  are  in  active  work  again.  The  of  the  Vines  are  just  now  in  full  bearing  condition,  now  finishing  their  growths,  many  of  which  are 
visitor  will  find  nothing  else  at  the  Tweed  Vine-  being  from  ten  to  thirteen  years  old.  A  practical 
yard  but  Grapes  and  Orchids,  and  it  is  no  doubt  \  Grape  grower  would  be  greatly  interested  by  a 
owing  to  the  fact,  that  the  establishment  is  de-    visit  to  this  place,  as  he  would  not  fail  to  pick  up 

many  useful  hints  as  regards  the  culture  pursued; 

but  as  the  details  of  this  have  been  so  thoroughly 

dealt  with  by  Mr.  D.  T.  Fish  in    The  Garden 

(Vol.    XXII.,    p.    413),     there    is    no    need    to 


voted  solely  to  these  two  objects,  that  such  remark 
able  results  are  obtained. 

As  was  said  before,  the  Grapes  take  up  the  bulk 
of  the  houses,  but  the  visitor  must  not  expect  to 
find  a  collection  of  sorts ;  on  the  contrary,  the 
nnmber  of  kinds  grown  is  extremely  limited,  but 
these  few  kinds  have  been  selected  with  due  re- 


double from  the  same  break.  Adjoining  this  is 
the  I'hal.-enopsis  house,  and  what  strikes  one  as 
soon  as  it  is  entered  is  tlie  absence  of  that  stifling 
heat  and  moisture  that  as  a  rule  are  maintained  in 
East  Indian  houses  ;  this  house  seemed  no  hotter 
than  the  Cattleya  house.  There  are  some  uncom- 
monly fine  clean  specimens  of  the  various  Phalaj- 


go  over  the  same  ground  again,  and  those  nopsids,  particularly  Schilleriana.  Some  of  the 
interested  in  the  subject  can  easily  refer  to  j  Aerides,  too,  are  grown  here,  the  scarce  A.  crassi- 
that  account.  There  is  one  remark  that  I  should  i  folium  being  in  bloom,  and  a  fine  appearance  it 


272 


THE     GARDEN 


Sept.  27,   1884. 


has  with  a  long  pendulous  spike  of  plum-coloured 
flowers.  Cypripediums,  such  as  Stonei,  Veitchi, 
and  Spicerianum,  are  also  grown  here  ;  likewise 
Dendrobium  thyrsiflorum,  which  is  evidently  a 
favourite  judging  by  the  quantity.  The  Vanda 
house  comes  next,  and  here  also  one  notices  at 
once  the  comparatively  cool  atmosphere,  so  diffe- 
rent from  the  stifling  heat  and  moisture  in  which 
Vandas  are  commonly  grown.  This  house  is  full 
of  fine  large  specimens,  with  scarcely  a  leaf 
missing,  and  as  green  as  Leeks.  A  striking 
contrast  with  the  bulk  of  the  plants  was  formed 
by  a  tew  that  had  recently  been  brought  from 
a  place  where  they  were  grown  in  excessive 
heat.  The  leaves  of  these,  what  few  there 
were  remaining,  were  quite  of  a  pale  greenish 
yellow,  and  it  would  take  some  years  to  get  them 
well  furnished  with  green  healthy  foliage.  It 
is  evident  from  what  we  have  seen  here  and  else- 
where that  Vandas,  and,  indeed,  other  East  Indian 
Orchids,  are  subjected  to  too  much  heat,  and  this 
no  doubt  accounts  for  the  fact  of  their  not  being 
BO  popular  as  those  Orchids  that  are  generally 
grown  in  less  heat.  There  were  no  Vandas  in 
flower  at  the  da'e  these  notes  were  taken,  but 
the  collection  is  known  to  be  exceedingly  rich  in 
choice  varieties,  such  as  Paterson's  and  the  Chats- 
worth  variety  of  V.  tricolor,  the  Dalkeith  form  of 
V.  suavis,  and  others.  In  this  house  were  also 
Odontoglossum  citrosmum  and  Cojlogyne  Massan- 
geana,  the  latter  in  flower,  and  an  extremely 
handsome  Orchid  it  is.  Cattleya  Sanderiana  was 
also  growing  vigorously  in  this  house,  and  as  it 
seems  to  grow  uncommonly  free  thus  situated  the 
hint  may  be  useful  to  others. 

The  cool  Orchids  have  a  special  house  of  capa- 
cious dimensions  to  themselves.  They  are  grown 
by  the  thousand,  particularly  such  as  Odontoglos- 
sum crispnm  (Alexandra;)  and  I'escatorei.  The 
Masdevallias,  too,  the  more  showy  of  them,  such 
as  Harryana,  Veitchiana,  Shuttleworthi,  Davisi, 
and  others,  thrive  to  perfection  in  this  delightful 
Tweed  valley.  W.  G. 


NOTES    BY  A  WORKING    GATIDENEK. 

Hardy  flowers  — The  numerous  listsof  these 
that  reach  one  by  post  show  how  complete  and 
wide-spread  is  the  interest  taken  in  them ;  perhaps 
I  ought  to  say  revived  interest,  as  the  witnessing 
of  their  being  kicked  out  of  the  garden  by  the 
score,  it  not  by  hundreds,  yearly  is  just  within  my 
recollection  in  order  to  make  room  for  bedding 
out,  the  fashion  for  which  raged  more  furiously 
over  the  entire  coiintry  than  any  other  gardening 
fashion  has  done  since.  On  reflection  one  wonders 
whatever  it  could  have  been  that  made  people  so 
intent,  nay,  enthusiastic,  on  seeing  huge  beds  or 
masses  of  I'elargoninms,  Verbenas,  and  Calceo- 
larias, and  the  best  guess  that  I  can  make  as  to 
why  it  was  is  that  it  was  so  marked  a  change — 
gaiety  of  colouring  and  uniformity  of  arrangement 
in  place  of  the  higgledy-piggledy  arranged  herbace- 
ous beds  and  borders  that  at  that  day,  and  for  years 
previously,  had  been  called  {lower  gardening,  but 
which  were  about  as  great  a  parody  on  the  name 
as  were  their  gaudy  successors.  However,  both 
are  now  over,  for  our  advances  in  flower  gardening 
have  been  so  great  that  it  will  not  be  possible  to 
revert  to  either  mode.  In  fact,  I  think  there  will 
soon  be  no  general  mode,  but  that  each  garden 
will  strive  to  maintain  its  own  dignity  by  its  own 
style,  both  of  planting  and  variety  of  plants  used. 
Then,  and  not  till  then,  will  flower  gardening  have 
reached  it^  zenith,  and  the  flower  gardener  self- 
respect,  because  independent  of  others.  I  do  not 
mean  to  say  that  one  can  ever  afford  to  despise 
whatever  is  excellent  in  a  neighbour's  or  friend's 
garden,  but  I  do  say  that  to  copy  him  hi  toto  is  a 
piece  of  slavishness  that  shows  plainly  our  own 
lack  of  brains,  and  also  hinders  that  progress  in 
flower  gardening  generally  that  would  be  sure  to 
accrue  were  distinctiveness  of  each  garden  ar- 
rangement constantly  kept  in  view.  I  have  been 
led  to  make  these  remarks  through  a  soliloquy  that 
I  have  lately  had  on — I  may  say  with — hardy 
flowers.  The  first,  that  by  its  present  prominence 
in  the  borders,  to  demand  attention  is 


Rudbeokla  Ne-wmanni.  It  can  only 
be  described  by  the  word  grand.  We  have  plants 
of  it  2  feet  through,  and  which  were  transplanted 
as  late  as  January  last,  and  yet  each  plant  is 
bearing  scores  of  flowers  of  the  purest  golden 
yellow  with  jet  black  centres.  I  feel  tempted  to 
christen  it  a  refined  miniature  Sunfiower;  but 
there,  that  would  be  no  honour  to  it,  the  flowers 
being  far  superior  to  the  handsomest  of  any  Sun- 
flower, annual  or  perennial.  There  is  no  better 
plant  of  the  same  colour  for  grouping  en  imif!-/;  or 
for  planting  singly,  or  for  use  as  cut  flowers,  or 
more  easy  of  propagation,  simple  division,  or  of 
general  culture,  as  any  description  of  soil  that  is 
moderately  fertile  suits  it,  and  last,  but  not  least, 
the  foliage  is  very  handsome,  and  the  flower- 
stems  so  hard  that  supports  are  not  needed. 

Galega  oflflcinalts  alba— This  has  been  in 
flower  for  more  than  two  months,  and  is  still  very 
gay.  The  flowers  are  pure  white,  not  unlike  a 
Vetch,  but  much  larger  and  pure  white,  and  the 
plant  grows  3  feet,  and  in  good  soil  4  feet  high. 
It  should  be  afforded  plenty  of  space,  and  be  kept 
erect  by  timely  staking,  but  the  ties  should  be 
loose  as  possible,  else  the  shaded  stems  decay 
quickly  ;  but  apart  from  such  injury  taking  place 
there  are  few  plants  that  look  more  wretched  than 
it  does  when  the  stems  are  bunched  closely  to- 
gether. It  comes  perfectly  true  from  seed,  and 
splits  up  and  transplants  well  at  any  time  after 
the  stems  have  died  down.  Like  the  preceding,  it 
is  excellent  for  cut-flower  purposes.  The  more 
common  purple  variety  is  not  so  valuable  for  this 
use,  or,  indeed,  for  border  decoration  either. 

Lathyrus  latifollus  albua.-  This  is  an 
Everlasting  I'ca  having  the  purest  white  flowers 
which  are  as  large  as  the  largest  flowers  of 
the  Scarlet  Runner  Bean,  and  are  borne  suc- 
cessionally,  continuing  in  good  soils  to  flower 
for  several  weeks  consecutively.  As  a  plant 
for  varying  the  monotony  all  but  inevitable 
in  tall  lines  of  plants  for  the  backs  of  borders, 
both  as  to  habit  and  continuity  of  flowering 
it  is  excelled  by  none,  and  certainly  by  few, 
for  cut-flower  uses.  I  have  not  proved  whether 
it  comes  true  from  seed,  but  the  roots  spread 
rapidly,  and  stock  can  be  increased  by  division  of 
these.  The  neatest  supports  are  Pea  sticks,  4  feet 
in  height,  and  the  plant  looks  best  when  planted 
in  solitary  clumps  at  intervals  of  a  few  yards 
throughout  the  borders. 

Ohrysocoma  Llnosyrla.— This  hardy  her- 
baceous perennial  may  be  described  as  a  tall- 
growing,  yellow-flowered  Ageratum,  and  some 
persons  might  possibly  think  it  unworthy  of  cul- 
tivation, but  any  plant  that  flowers  for  a  long 
period  and  in  any  position,  dry,  wet,  shaded,  or 
open  to  sunshine,  and  in  almost  any  description  of 
soil,  is  surely  deserving  of  cultivation,  and  such 
this  plant  is,  for  it  has  now  been  in  flower  several 
weeks  and  appears  likely  to  continue  so  indefi- 
nitely. It  attains  an  average  height  of  30  inches, 
grows  perfectly  upright,  and,  though  not  straggling 
in  growth,  it  requires  staking.  It  is  readily  in- 
creased by  division  of  the  root  at  the  general 
transplanting  season. 

Hellanthus  multifloius  fl -pi— This  is 
a  double-flowered  perennial  Sunflower,  and  the 
most  select  collection  of  hardy  herbaceous  plants 
would  be  rendered  the  more  select  for  its  inclu- 
sion. I  know  nothing  to  equal  it  in  the  yellow- 
flowering  way  or  for  cut-flower  purposes,  as  it  will 
keep  fresh  and  nice  for  a  week  or  more.  The 
plant  is  a  strong  grower  ;  we  have  it  nearly  5  feet 
high.  Its  habit  of  growth  and  appearance  seem 
nearly  allied  to  the  Jerusalem  Artichoke,  the 
stems  being  hard  and  the  foliage  massive  and  of  a 
bright  green  colour,  and  its  flowering  properties 
are  of  the  first  order,  as  flowers  are  produced  all 
up  the  stems  and  in  great  numbers  and  of  various 
sizes,  the  finest  flowers,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
being  nearest  the  top  of  stems,  whilst  as  to  season 
of  flowering,  that  appears  unlimited  ;  certainly  it 
flowers  at  least  six  months  out  of  the  twelve.  It 
is  propagated  by  division  of  the  roots,  and  enjoys 
a  rich,  deep  soil. 

Hellanthus  rigldus  is  a  single  form  of  the 
perennial  Sunflower,  and  is  chiefly  valuable  for 


its  late-flowering  properties.  The  first  flowers 
opened  three  weeks  ago,  and  it  will  continue  to 
flower  till  severe  frost  cuts  it  off.  The  plant  grows 
very  tall,  sometimes  0  feet  or  more,  and  being 
rather  thin-stemmed,  staking  is  required  long 
before  flowering  time.  The  flowers  are  small — 
about  the  size  of  Rndbeckia  Newmanni— and  are 
of  a  light  golden  colour,  with  dark,  almost  black, 
centres.  I  first  saw  this  plant  growing  and  flower- 
ing most  splendidly  in  the  public  gardens  at 
P.ournemonth  (time,  end  of  October,  when  most 
other  hardy  flowers  had  begun  to  look  washed-out), 
and  I  was  converted  at  first  sight  into  determining 
to  have  it  home  with  me  and  give  it  place  amongst 
our  very  best  perennial  plants.  I  have  not  grown 
it  from  seed,  but  I  should  think  it  would  be  likely 
to  reproduce  itself  in  that  way,  though  by  division 
of  the  roots  a  large  stock  may  soon  be  had. 

Hyaclnthus  candlcans.— Till  recently 
this  has  not  been  largely  grown.  It  is  one  of  our 
best  hardy  border  bulbous  plants,  and  has  proved 
perfectly  hardy  when  left  in  the  ground  all  the 
winter.  Ours  have  now  been  out  three  winters, 
and  each  year  they  come  more  strong  than  before 
and  flower  better,  and  especially  give  a  longer 
succession  of  flowers  than  do  annual  planted 
bulbs.  The  spikes  of  flower  grow  a  yard  long,  and 
occasionally  longer,  and  bear  a  score  or  more  of 
bell-shaped,  creamy  white  flowers  on  each  spike. 
They  have  now  been  in  flower  for  at  least  six 
weeks,  and  have  not  nearly  done  yet.  Last  year 
we  gathered  ripe  seed,  which  was  sown  in  warmth, 
and  we  have  nowa  fine  lot  of  small  seedlings,  though 
as  to  when  they  will  flower,  I  will  not  venture  to 
guess,  but  expect  not  foracoupleof  years  to  come. 
Flowering  bulbs  can  be  bought  for  Is.  and  up- 
wards, according  to  size.  It  is  one  of  the  most 
imposing,  because  uncommon,  of  all  the  plants  in 
the  mixed  borders. 

CEnothera  Youngi.— This,  thebestof  all  the 
Evening  Primroses,  really  seems  to  be  always  in 
flower,  but  it  is  certainly  now  at  its  best.  The  plant 
forms  a  bush  of  from  30  inches  to  40  inches  high, 
and  bears  in  great  profusion  flowers  of  the 
brightest  sulphur-yellow,  which  are  set  off  to  the 
best  advantage  by  handsome  bronzy  green  foli- 
age. Were  I  obliged  to  grow  but  one  plant  for 
yellow  flowers,  I  fancy  this  would  be  my  choice  : 
first,  because  of  its  freedom  in  flowering  ;  second, 
good  habit  of  growth  ;  third,  its  effectiveness  as  a 
border  plant;  and  fourth,  for  its  easy  culture. 
Cuttings  of  young  shoots  strike  quickly  in  a  close 
frame,  and  the  root  splits  up  well,  so  that  it  is  not 
difficult  to  get  a  stock  of  it.  The  foregoing  are 
the  particular  plants  that  have  recently,  as  it  were, 
pushed  themselves  to  the  front,  but  there  are  at 
the  present  time  in  the  borders  many  other  kinds 
equally  good  and  showy,  though  more  common, 
amongst  them  being  numerous  varieties  of  Pent- 
stemon.  Phlox,  Pyrethrum,  the  variety  nligino- 
sum  being  just  now  in  great  beauty,  and  particu- 
larly so  are  all  the  varieties  of  Japanese  Ane- 
mones, which  deserve  to  be  grown  largely  in  every 
garden,  and  will  be  as  their  merits  become  better 
known. 


Mistletoe     berries    from    artificial 

fertilisation. — Many  persons  who  have  Mistletoe 
on  their  trees  see  it  growing  year  after  year  with- 
out producing  fruits.  The  reason  is  not  far  to 
seek.  The  Mistletoe  is  what  is  technically  termed 
a  diccclous  plant,  that  is,  it  produces  its  pollen- 
bearing  and  seed-bearing  organs  not  only  in  dif- 
ferent flowers,  but  on  different  plants.  Hence  it 
follows  that  without  at  least  two  plants — a  male 
and  a  female — the  production  of  fruit  is  impos- 
sible. Put  it  is  by  no  means  necessary  for  both 
plants  to  grow  in  immediate  contiguity,  for  if  a 
bunch  of  the  male  or  polleniferous  flower  be 
brushed  against  the  female  ones,  so  as  to  ensure 
the  pollen  being  applied  to  the  stigmas,  fruit  will 
set  freely.  Last  spring  I  obtained  some  male 
Mistletoe  flowers  from  a  friend,  and  have  now  a 
fair  lot  of  berries,  although  the  male  plant  grew  on 
a  Pear  tree  some  five  miles  from  my  garden.  Any- 
one, therefore,  having  only  female  plants  should 
watch  when  they  bloom,  and,  as  pollen  is  easily 
got,  proceed  to  fertilise  the  flowers.     They  must 


Sfirr.  27,   IS84.] 


THE     GARDEN 


27  3 


be  carefully  looked  for,  as  they  are  small,  green, 
and  not  at  all  conspicuous.— Greek  wood. 


Fruit  Garden. 


FOXY  GRiPES. 
A  FOXY  colour  in  Grapes  has  one  great  advantage 
to  recommend  it  should  it  ever  come  to  be  regarded 
as  a  mark  of  excellence,  viz.,  that  gardeners  have  an 
infallible  recipe  for  producing  Grapesof  thatcolour. 
They  have  only  to  Introduce  red  spider  or  thrips 
into  the  vinery,  over-crop  the  Vines,  or  do  any- 
thing which  tends  to  injure  the  foliage  or  impair 
the  vigour  of  the  plant  generally,  and  perfectly 
black,  well-coloured  Grapes  will  never  trouble 
them,  but  are  just  as  sure  to  be  associated  with 
good  foliage  and  general  good  health.  Whether 
good  quality  is  likely  to  be  found  as  a  rule  in  con- 
junction with  disease  and  debility  and  vice-versa 
may  be  a  subject  of  speculation,  but  that  is  an 
anomally  I  should  not  expect.  "  Another  Soot's  " 
rate  of  cropping  I  should  say  is  the  cause  of  the 
bad  colour  of  his  Grapes,  and  if  he  only  goes  on 
as  he  is  doing,  he  will  have  worse  evils  to  record 
before  long.  The  best  growers  are  satisfied  with 
from  one  pound  to  at  most  two  pounds  of  Grapes 
to  the  foot  run,  but  one  does  not  often  see  the 
latter,  and  still  seldomer  well  coloured  ;  but  "  An- 
other Scot's  "  Vines,  each  12  feet  long,  carry  on  an 
average  twenty-one  bunches  each,  or  about 
bi  pounds,  rather  over  four  pounds  to  the  foot 
run,  a  thing  I  would  rather  see  than  hear  tell  of, 
as  the  rate  is  simply  preposterous,  unless  the 
Vines  are  about  (j  feet  asunder,  with  a  propor- 
tionate quantity  of  foliage  and  wood,  and  then 
the  weight  would  be  extraordinary,  for  the 
bunches  would  touch  each  other  in  the  line.  Then 
look  at  the  test  submitted  for  opinion.  "  Another 
Scot's  "  Grapes,  started  a  little'after  the  new  year 
and  ripened  in  May,  he  sends  you  in  September, 
and  others  from  a  succession  house  only  getting  ripe 
with  them.  Of  wl  at  good  is  this?  If  anyone  wishes 
to  taste  the  dift'ercrce  between  red  and  black 
Hamburghs,  let  them  take  both  off  the  same 
bunch  or  off  the  same  Vine,  or  even  off  two  Vines 
in  the  same  house,  and  then  judge.  I  predict  if 
this  trial  is  put  into  effect,  we  shall  wait  many  a 
long  day  before  the  editor  will  praise  the  red 
berriesat  the  expense  of  the  black  ones.  The"  First 
Scot  "  cites  the  fact  that  Hamburghs  allowed  to 
hang  long  after  they  are  ripe,  if  black  to  begin 
with,  turn  red  again  at  the  end,  which  is  quite 
true,  and  is  a  fact  worth  noting  ;  but  when  he  cites 
this  as  an  argument  in  favour  of  red  Grapes  being 
of  better  quality  than  black  ones,  as  being  asso- 
ciated with  more  perfect  ripeness,  the  argument 
fails,  because  such  red  Grapes  lose  flavour  as  well 
as  colour.  Ey  flavour  I  mean  something  more  than 
mere  sweetness  or  sugar.  Another  thing,  too, 
worth  noticing  is  that  real  well-coloured  Grapes, 
or  Grapes  that  are  going  to  colour  well,  seldom  or 
never  shank.  Shanked  Grapes  are  always  red,  so 
that  the  two  may  be  said  to  be  associated.  I 
should  not  be  surprised  to  find,  however,  that  red 
Black  Hamburghs  are  thinnest  skinned,  because 
they  are  generally  the  least  fleshy  as  well,  and  the 
two  may  probably  go  together,  but  no  one  can  find 
much  fault  with  a  good  Black  Hamburgh  Grape 
because  its  skin  happens  to  be  of  good  quality  and 
texture  like  the  rest  of  it — the  difference  is  barely 
appreciable.  A  Third  Scot. 


GRAPE  MILDEWS. 


It  appears  that  there  are  two  of  these  now— the 
old  enemy  (Oidium  Tuckeri)  and  the  more  robust 
form  which  has  appeared  on  the  Vines  at  Chis- 
wick,  where  the  fungologists  appear  to  have  a 
faculty  for  discovering  such  things.  I  am  not  so 
sure  that  the  latter  is  so  rare  on  Vines  as  seems 
to  be  supposed,  as  certain  diseases  of  the  foot- 
stalks of  the  bunches  and  the  wood  that  have 
been  chronicled  from  time  to  time  have  a  suspi- 
cious resemblance  to  the  Chiswick  mildew,  the 
evil  repute  of  which  I  have  no  desire  to  under-rate. 
Several  jears  ago  I  saw  the  wood  and  the  toot- 
stalks  of  the  bunches  of  Black  Alicante  affected 
in  the  way  described  at  Chiswick,  but  I  mistook  it 


for  the  common  mildew.  It  discoloured  the  foot- 
stalks and  killed  them  in  some  cases,  causing  the 
berries  to  drop  off,  and  I  could  quite  conceive  of 
such  a  plague  doing  much  injury  to  a  crop,  because 
mildew  on  Vines  at  this  season  cannot  be  so  easily 
counteracted  by  the  usual  means  as  at  other  times. 
One  cannot  apply  sulphur  to  the  ripe  fruit,  and  it 
is  of  no  use  sulphuring  the  pipes  unless  they  can 
be  made  very  hot  at  the  same  time.  In  the  case 
referred  to  the  parasite  did  not  extend  beyond  one 
or  two  Vines.  The  "  gouty  swellings  "  described 
by  Mr.  Worthington  Smith  are,  however,  a  new 
feature.  Prevention  is  better  than  cure,  and  the 
maintenance  of  a  buoyant,  dry  atmosphere  will 
generally  keep  such  plagues  at  bay.  In  late 
vineries  a  portion  of  the  foliage  may  now  be  re- 
moved where  it  is  overcrowded  to  permit  a  freer 
circulation  of  air.  As  to  the  common  Grape 
mildew,  it  is  now  pretty  well  ascertained  that  it 
stldom  or  never  makes  any  serious  headway  on 
healthy  Vines  in  vineries  properly  ventilated  and 
heated.  The  germs  of  mildew  seem  to  be  always 
floating  about,  but  they  only  establish  themselves 
on  the  Vine  under  certain  conditions.  1  should 
not  be  surprised  to  hear  that  mildew  has  been 
prevalent  this  year,  because  very  little  fire-heat 
has  been  used  in  many  places  owing  to  the  hot 
summer,  and  where  plants  are  kept  in  the  vinery 
or  much  moisture  spilled,  it  is  in  a  dank,  unbeated 
house  under  such  conditions  that  mildew  will 
appear.  Can  it  be  ascertained  if  in  the  large 
vinery  at  Chiswick  this  year  any  fire-heat  has  been 
employed  ?  I  think  it  probable  there  has  not. 
On  the  whole,  ordinary  mildew  is  not  to  be  feared 
much,  but  when  it  does  appear,  dryness  and  a 
sulphur-laden  atmosphere  from  pipes  made  hot 
and  continued  for  a  while  will  prevent  it  extend- 
ing and  finally  conquer  it.  S.  W. 


Hardy  fruit  in  Scotland.— Lately  on 
looking  round  the  gardens  at  Uunkeld  we  were 
agreeably  surprised  at  the  variety  and  excellence 
of  the  fruit  grown  in  the  open  air  there.  It  was 
a  pleasure  to  see  on  open  walls  healthy  Peach 
trees  bearing  fine  crops  of  good  fruit.  Many  will 
remember  how  our  Peach  trees  in  the  midland 
and  southern  counties  have  been  murdered  on  the 
open  wall  during  the  past  few  years.  Even  at 
Goodwood  we  have  known  them  destroyed  in  the 
middle  of  summer.  Plums,  Apricots,  Peaches, 
Nectarines  were  all  excellent  in  this  "  folded 
valley  "  among  the  Highlands.  Great  forest  trees 
we  did  expect  to  see,  but  not  such  excellent  fruit- 
culture  as  that  practised  by  Mr.  Fairgrieve,  gar- 
dener to  the  Dowager  Duchess  of  Athole.  Mr. 
Fairgrieve  won  the  tir»t  prize  for  hardy  fruit  at 
the  late  great  thow  at  Dundee. 

Hybrid  Cashmere  Melon.— Every  year 
adds  to  the  number  of  varieties  or  so-called 
varieties  of  Melons,  few  or  none  of  which  remain 
long  popular  with  any  great  number  of  cultivators. 
At  the  recent  Bath  Floral  Fete  there  were  upwards 
of  twenty  green-fleshed  Melons  shown  in  nearly  as 
many  varieties,  and  a  much  greater  percentage 
than  usual  were  fit  to  eat.  The  first  prize  was 
won  by  Mr.  A.  Miller,  of  Rood  Ashton,  Trow- 
bridge, with  a  handsome  fruit  of  the  old  Hybrid 
Cashmere,  than  which  there  is  no  belter  sort 
grown.  Mr.  Taylor,  when  at  Longleat,  used  to 
grow  this  variety  to  perfection,  but  it  was  on  the 
extension  system,  and  this  not  only  because  he 
considered  this  the  best  way  of  securing  heavy  and 
successional  crops,  but  also  because  he  considered 
that  it  would  not  bear  stopping  or  severe  restric- 
tion. It  would  appear  that  he  is  not  altogether 
correct  in  this  opinion,  as  Mr.  Miller,  whom  he 
supplied  with  seeds,  has  stopped  his  plants  rather 
severely,  and  otherwise  treated  them  similarly  to 
various  other  more  robust  varieties,  and  that,  too, 
with  the  best  of  results.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that 
others  will  give  this  variety  a  fair  trial  next  sea- 
son, cither  on  the  restriction  or  extension  sj  stems, 
as,  provided  they  have  the  right  sort,  they  can 
depend  upon  every  fruit  properly  ripened  being 
superior  to  any  other  sort  they  may  have  grown. 
The  rich  yellow  fruits  are  long,  ribbed,  and  hand- 
some in  appearance,  the  rather  white  flesh  being 
thick,  firm,  and  very  richly  flavoured.     It  is  also  a 


good  keeper  in  this  respect,  also  being  snjerior  to 
any  other  sort  with  which  I  am  acquainted. — ■ 
W.  I.  M. 

Ttie  Forge  Apple. — Knowing  how  well  this 
Apple  used  to  thrive  in  nearly  every  garden  and 
orchard  in  the  counties  of  Surrey  and  Sussex,  and 
that  it  was  a  free-bearing  and  useful  culinary 
fruit,  I  thought  I  should  like  to  try  it  in  Somerset. 
For  that  purpose  I  obtained  trees  from  Sussex 
about  eight  J  ears  ago.  I  gave  them  the  best  soil 
and  position  at  my  command,  but  they  make  no 
progress;  they  neither  grow  nor  produce  any  blos- 
soms. They  live,  but  add  but  little  to  their  height 
or  circumference,  yet  to  all  appearance  they  are 
perfectly  healthy.  So  far  they  have  defied  canker, 
which  has  killed  other  trees  planted  at  the  same 
time.  Quite  a  collection  of  Apples,  consisting  of 
different  varieties,  was  obtained  and  planted  along 
with  them,  and  these,  so  far  as  canker  would  let 
I  hem,  have  grown  well  and  borne  fruit,  but  tho 
behaviour  of  the  Forge  puzzles  me  altogether. 
Nevertheless,  its  behaviour  is  not  without  some 
interest.  It  shows  that  those  who  are  about  to 
establish  fruit  plantations  should  make  them- 
selves acquainted  with  the  sorts  which  do  well  in 
the  particular  locality  where  the  plantation  is  to 
be  made,  and  make  their  selections  accordingly. 
That  such  advice  is  sound,  and  likely  to  be  at- 
tended with  the  best  results,  my  experience  with 
this  particular  variety  evidently  proves.  I  am 
further  supported  in  this  view  by  the  fact  that 
this  sort  is  but  very  little  known  outside  the  coun- 
ties just  named.  I  cannot  attempt  to  explain  why 
it  will  not  thrive  in  Somerset ;  but  it  is  no  new 
experience,  for  it  has  long  been  known  that  local 
conditions  do  exercise  great  influence  on  many 
fruits,  and  such  seems  to  be  the  case  with  the  sort 
under  notice.— J.  C.  C. 

Prices  of  Grapes  were  never  so  low  as 
they  are  at  present,  viz.,  from  Gd.  to  2s.  fid.  per  lb., 
and  which  means  that  the  grower  would  probably 
be  offered  less  than  Is.  per  lb.  for  good  Grapes  at 
the  present  time.  Whether  that  figure  will  pay 
anyone,  taking  one  year  with  another,  only  those 
who  grow  Grapes  for  the  market  can  say,  but  tbe 
margin  of  profit  cannot  be  very  large.  I  remember 
a  grower,  who  started  on  a  very  large  scale  when 
Grapes  fetched  high  prices,  telling  me  that  he 
expected  5s.  a  pound  for  all  he  could  grow,  but 
that  2s.  6d.  would  pay  him.  Since  then  he  has 
been  obliged  to  part  with  them  at  Is.  6d.  I  am 
afraid  the  tendency  of  prices  will  continue  down- 
ward. In  looking  at  what  I  thought  at  first  were 
common  Spanish  Grapes  in  a  shop  the  other  day 
1  discovered  they  were  Foster's  Seedling  in  appa- 
rently fine  condition  just  out  of  the  cork  dust.  I 
laid  a  bunch  on  the  scales,  and  it  weighed  close 
upon  2  lbs.  Tasting,  however,  revealed  the  fact 
that  the  berries  were  mere  bags  of  water,  and  en- 
tirely inferior  to  the  firm-fleshed  Almeria  Grapes 
that  have  so  long  been  sold  in  the  shops.  The 
merchant  told  me  it  was  the  first  lot  of  the  kind 
he  had  had,  and  he  would  have  no  more  ;  also  that 
they  were  from  another  source  than  the  Almeria 
Grapes.  Still  the  variety,  watery  and  ill  con- 
ditioned for  keeping  as  it  was,  was  plump  in  the 
berry,  although  the  footstalks  were  quite  dead, 
and  I  could  not  help  thinking  that  if  the  foreigner 
took  to  growing  such  kinds  as  the  Black  Ham- 
burgh, Muscat  and  Gros  Colmar,  and  imported 
them  in  the  same  way,  the  prospects  of  the  home 
grower  were  not  likely  to  improve.— J.  S.  W. 


Vegetable  food.— A  friend  sends  me  a 
copy  of  the  second  edition  of  a  very  well  arranged 
and  useful  little  work.  Its  title  is  "  Explanatory 
Guide  to  the  Exhibit  of  Commercial  Vegetable  B'ood 
Supplies,  Condiments,  Fibres,  &c.,  of  the  World, 
also  (Ul  and  Honey-yielding  Plants."  It  is  pub- 
lished by  .James  Carter  &  Co.  High  llolborn, 
London, and  is  descriptive  of  their  stand  (No.  1(1)  in 
the  International  Health  Exhibition  at  South  Ken- 
sington. This  work,  however,  is  much  more  than 
a  mere  catalogue  or  ordinary  guide  book,  and  will 
be  especially  useful  to  all  who  take  an  interest  in 
vegetable  products  generally.  Young  gardeners 
especially  will  not  be  liliely  to  meet  with  a  work 


274 


THE    GARDEN 


[Sept.  27,   1884. 


more  useful,  or  one  which  they  can  obtain  at  a  more 
moderate  price.  It  contains  eighty. two  pages  and 
an  index,  and  is  the  best  value  for  a  shilling  that 
we  have  seen  for  some  time. — F.  W.  B. 


Kitchen   Garden. 


MARKET  GARDENING  IN  SOUTH  HANTS. 
After  the  long  protracted  drought,  market  gar- 
deners are  making  every  effort  to  bring  up  arrears 
of  work  in  the  way  of  planting,  seed  sowing  &c., 
as  for  some  weeks  past  the  land  has  been  in  such 
a  dust-dry  condition,  that  transplanting,  except 
on  a  small  scale  where  artificial  waterings  could 
be  daily  applied,  was  hopeless  work  ;  consequently 
much  activity  is  now  needed  to  get  crops  planted  or 
sown  in  time  to  make  anything  like  an  average 
growth  before  the  dull,  dark  days  of  winter  come 
on.  As  a  proof  of  how  dry  the  soil  had  become, 
I  need  only  remark  that  seed  sown  in  July  of 
several  varieties  of  Cabbage  made  no  attempt  to 
start  into  growth  until  the  last  few  dajs  of 
August.  The  heat  was  so  intense,  and  water  so 
scarce,  that  the  only  recourse  left  was  to  wait 
until  rain  came,  for  if  seed  is  perfectly  dry  it  will 
keep  as  well  in  the  soil  as  out  of  it,  but  if  enough 
moisture  had  been  given  to  cause  the  seed  to  ger- 
minate without  bsing  sufficient  to  carry  on  a 
healthy  growth,  the  tender  young  plants  would 
have  perished.  Amongst  the  operations  that  are 
now  well  advanced  I  may  mention 

Potato  digging  and  storing.  The  early 
kinds  are  quite  ripe,  and  have  been  lifted  and 
stored  in  excellent  condition.  As  a  rule,  market 
growers  dig  their  Potatoes  and  send  them  direct  to 
market,  but  the  intense  drought  that  prevailed 
by  delaying  the  planting  of  green  crops  made 
Potato-lifting  one  of  the  few  jobs  that  could  be 
satisfactorily  performed.  Amongst  sorts  that  have 
turned  out  particularly  well  thus  far  I  may  men- 
tion Beauty  of  Hebron,  Early  Rose,  Snowflake, 
White  Elephant,  Myatt's  Prolific  Kidney,  and  now 
the  vast  breadth  of  Magnum  Bonums  are  fit  for 
use,  but  few  others  are  asked  ,for  in  the  market. 
In  this  locality  the  crop  of  PotatoesMs  of  excellent 
quality,  but  not  so  heavy  as  last  season,  except  on 
well  manured  or  very  good  soils.  The  land  cleared 
of  Potatoes  is  ploughed,  harrowed,  and  planted  or 
sown.  The  thorough  preparation  of  the  soil  during 
the  drought  has  left  it  clean  and  friable;  feldom 
have  weeds  been  so  thoroughly  cleared  off  as  they 
are  at  present,  and  now  that  the  long-looked-for 
rain  has  come  all  hands  are  busy 

Planting  Cabrages.  In  this  neighbourhood 
good  Cabbages  are  always  in  demand,  but  have 
not  of  late  been  procurable ;  thrify  young  plants 
such  as  growers  pride  themselves  on  in  ordinary 
seasons  are  not  obtainable,  but  any  that  have  been 
kept  alive  in  the  seed  beds  from  the  June  sowings 
are  now  being  planted  out  in  rows  1.^  feet  apart 
and  pretty  thick  in  the  rows,  for  as  soon  as  they 
have  made  moderate  growth  they  will  be  cut  or 
pulled  up  and  tied  in  bunches.  Seed  beds  for  the 
main  spring  crop  will  now  be  encouraged  to  grow 
by  stirring  the  soil  with  very  small  hoes,  and  dust- 
irg  with  soot  and  wood  ashes,  that  act  as  a  de- 
terrent to  slugs  and  a  valuable  stimulant  as  well. 
They  are  finally  planted  after  the  late  crops  of 
Potatoes  are  lifted. 

Winter  Onions  are  being  sown  in  large  quan- 
tities both  for  tiausplanting  and  for  drawing  as 
green  Onions  for  salad.  The  Giant  Uocca,  Globe, 
and  Flat  Tripoli,  and  White  Spanish  are  the  varie- 
ties in  most  request ;  they  are  sown  in  drills  8  feet 
apart  on  well  pulverised  soil,  and  rolled  down 
firm,  a  solid  surface  producing  the  best  Onion. 
Giant  Rocca  and  the  Tripoli  varieties  are  the  sorts 
mostly  used  for  transplanting,  as  they  grow  to  a 
large  size  early  in  summer,  and  the  White  .Spanish, 
from  its  mildness,  is  much  esteemed  for  drawing 
young,  bunches  of  green  Onions  being  a  salading 
in  great  request  in  the  early  spring  and  summer 
months. 

Turnips  are  still  being  sown  for  the  latest 
crops  and  for  producing  Turnip  Greens,  which  in 
severe  winters  are  a  valuable  vegetable,  for  the  late- 


sown  crop  seldom  gets  injured  by  the  weather,  and 
the  Turnips  produce  tops  that  are  much  esteemed 
when  other  green  vegetables  are  at  their  lowest 
ebb.  Earlier  crops  that  lived  through  the  drought 
and  severe  attacks  of  Turnip  fly  are  now  growing 
rapidly,  and  the  hoe  is  being  plied  amongst  them 
to  accelerate  growth. 

Radishes  are  grown  in'considerable  quantities 
by  many  market  growers,  a  rich  friable  soil  and 
plenty  of  moisture  being  the  conditions  to  ensure 
good  Radishes.  The  Turnip-rooted  varieties,  the 
China  Rose  Radish,  and  the  Black  Spanish  are  the 
sorts  most  largely  used  for  winter  crops  in  this 
part. 

Lettuces  and  Endive  are  being  planted  and 
sown  in  quantity,  some  still  adhering  to  the  prac- 
tice of  transplanting,  while  others  sow  thinly  in 
drills  or  broadcast,  and  allow  them  to  grow  to 
full  size.  The  Black-seeded  Brown  Cos  and  several 
Cabbage  varieties  of  Lettuce  are  sown  at  this  date, 
the  most  popular  being  Hardy  Hammersmith, 
Grand  Admiral,  and  All  the  Year  Round.  Of 
Endive,  the  Green  Curled  and  Batavian  are  the 
favourite  market  kinds,  being  hardier  than  the 
JIoss  Curled,  that  is  grown  largely  in  garden  cul- 
ture. 

Celery  now  needs  frequent  attention  in  the 
matter  of  earthing,  for  with  longer  and  cooler 
nights  and  more  moisture  it  is  growing  freely. 
Williams'  Matchless  Red  is  a  favourite  market 
kind,  as  it  lasts  in  good  condition  longer  than 
the  white  varieties. 

Vegetable  Marrows  and  Ridge  Cucumbers 
have  been  doing  good  service  during  the  drought, 
for  on  a  bed  of  manure  they  grow  and  bear  freely 
when  other  crops  fail.  The  long  white  and  green 
striped  Marrows  are  more  grown  than  the  Custard 
Marrow  as  a  market  crop. 

Scarlet  Runners,  especially  late-sown  crops, 
are  bearing  freely  and  realising  high  prices,  for 
the  dwarf  varieties  and  early-sown  runners  were 
sion  over,  owing  to  intense  heat,  but  late-sown 
crops  are  now  doing  well. 

Fruit. — Apples  now  claim  most  attention,  as 
other  fruits  are  very  variable  this  year.  Crops  of 
Apples  are  fairly  good  this  year,  but  they  are 
dropping  from  the  trees  prematurely,  being  much 
worm-eaten,  so  that  growers  are  gathering  and 
sending  to  market  all  the  sorts  that  are  fit  for 
culinary  or  dessert  purposes,  and  sending  direct 
from  the  tree  before  foreign  Apples  come  in  is  the 
favourite  system  here.  Plums  and  Damsons  are 
very  scarce  and  realise  high  prices.  Pears,  both 
for  dessert  and  culinary  use,  are  a  variable  crop ; 
good  samples  sell  freely.  Blackberries  are  largely 
sent  to  market  from  this  locality  by  country  market 
gardeners,  who  collect  them  from  the  cottagers  in 
the  locality  of  waste  and  common  lands  ;  they  are 
retailed  at  about  6d.  per  quart,  and  for  making 
tarts  either  alone  or  mixed  with  Apples,  Mul 
berries  and  other  autumn  fruits  are  much  esteemed 
by  townsfolk  ;  they  are  very  plentiful  this  year. 
Cjosjjort,  Iluiiii.  J.  Gkoom. 


ashes,  because  containing  phosphates,  make  excel- 
lent manure,  and  are  most  inoffensive.  So  also 
are  bones  ;  indeed,  it  is  chiefiy  when  these  lie  in 
bulk  and  heat,  so  as  to  eliminate  ammonia,  that  they 
smell  badly.  The  very  best  Potato  manure  is  ab- 
solutely inodorous,  and  yet  it  will  beat  in  produc- 
tiveness of  crop  the  most  offensive  of  other  patent 
manures. — D. 

Roiisham  Park  Hero  Onion.— A  collec- 
tion of  about  fifty  bulbs  of  this  very  fine  Onion 
attracted  considerable  attention  at  the  recent 
horticultural  show  at  Dundee.  It  is  a  very  fine 
type  of  the  White  Spanish,  and  originated  at  Rou- 
sham  Park,  Oxfordshire.  The  bulbs  shown  on  this 
occasion  had  been  speciallygrown.but  they  showed 
what  can  be  done  with  this  Onion  under  superior 
cultivation.  They  were  very  large,  solid,  and 
symmetrical,  and  averaged  about  1  lb.  each. — R.  D. 

NIsbet's  Victoria  Tomato.— This  To- 
mato can  be  highly  recommended  for  indoor 
work,  both  as  regards  flavour  and  cropping.  The 
individual  fruits  are  small,  but  I  should  imagine 
a  greater  weight  can  be  taken  from  a  single  plant 
of  this  than  from  one  of  any  other  variety.  Ten, 
eleven,  and  even  twelve  dozen  fruits  have  been 
taken  from  single  plants  in  Seakale  pots ;  the 
colour  is  good,  and  (what  would  doubtless  make  it 
acceptable  to  many  palates)  it  is  considerably 
milder  than  the  larger  varieties.  It  does  not  suc- 
ceed so  well  with  me  in  the  open  as  indoors,  the 
skin  being  so  thin  that  it  readily  cracks. — E.  B. 

Potatoes.— I  see  that  "W.  I.  M."  in  last 
week's  Garden  confirms  my  experience  with 
regard  to  Cosmopolitan,  and,  despite  its  excep- 
tionally fine  flavour,  does  not  intend  growing  it 
again.  It  would  be  interesting  to  have  some 
comments  on  the  best  known  varieties  of  Potato 
from  all  parts  of  the  kingdom  and  in  every  de- 
scription of  soil,  as  it  is  evident  that  every  locality 
has  its  favourite  kind,  and  that  no  hard-and-fast 
rule  can  be  followed  as  regards  the  selection  of 
the  best  sorts.  For  instance,  although  my  expe- 
rience tallies  with  that  of  "  W.  I.  M."  With  respect 
to  Cosmopolitan,  it  fails  to  do  so  in  the  case  of 
Schoolmaster,  which  is  one  of  our  very  best  Pota- 
toes. What  is  the  Potato  of  the  future?  I  am 
inclined  to  think  that  it  will  be  White  Elephant. 
In  districts  as  far  apart  as  Devon  and  Surrey  it  is 
fast  taking  the  place  of  Magnum  Bonum.  It  can 
be  thoroughly  recommended  for  its  fine  flavour 
and  great  productiveness ;  indeed,  on  a  light,  well- 
worked  soil  it  is  about  as  heavy  a  cropper  as  we 
have,  several  individual  tubers  turning  the  scale 
this  year  at  1  i  lbs.  It  has  also  the  merit  of  being 
fit  for  table  much  earlier  than  most  of  the  extra- 
sized  varieties.  This  season,  for  instance,  it  is 
ready  with  Covent  Garden  and  Beauty  of  Hebron. 
The  heaviest  cropper  that  we  have  is  Idaho,  but  I 
am  unable  to  say  anything  as  to  its  flavour.  It 
would,  however,  be  a  welcome  addition  to  collec- 
tions where  bulk  and  not  quality  was  required. 
The  tubers  are  of  extraordinary  size  and  very  free 
from  disease. — E.  B. 


Autumn  Giant  Broccoli. — This  is  rightly 
named,  for  when  well  grown  it  is  a  giant  amongst 
autumn  Broccoli,  but  whether  it  is  any  better  for 
being  so  large  is  an  open  question.  Huge  speci- 
mens, I  apprehend,  are  not  wanted.  I  much  prefer 
its  near  neighbour,  the  C-iuliflower  of  the  same 
name,  when  it  is  grown  rather  close  together,  so 
as  to  produce  heads  about  the  size  of  a  breakfast- 
cup.  However,  those  who  require  larger  heads  for 
the  month  of  October  should  sow  this  Broccoli  in 
April  and  plant  it  in  good  ground ;  it  will  then  be 
all  that  can  be  desired.— J.  C.  C. 

Inodorous  manures. — With  regard  to  dry 
or  patent  manures,  the  fact  that  some  may  have  a 
strong  perfume  is  no  proof  that  such  are  stronger 
or  more  potent  than  those  which  are  inodorous.  It 
is  rather  a  proof  of  imperfect  manufacture,  be- 
cause ammonia  is  being  eliminated  or  wasted. 
Now  we  find  lime  to  be  absolutely  inodorous,  and 
yet  a  valuable  manure.  Soot  is  also  comparatively 
inodorous,  and  absolutely  so  are  salt  and  gypsum, 
yet  all  three  are  first  class  manures — probably  re- 
lative to  price  the  very  cheapest  and  best.     Wood 


Remedies  for  adder  bites.— Adder  bites 
seem  to  have  been  more  common  than  usual  this 
year  and  the  poison  more  powerful,  probably  owing 
to  the  great  heat.  My  attention  was  painfully 
drawn  to  this  subject  through  my  son,  when  out 
with  a  well-known  naturalist  near  our  river  at 
Wisley,  being  bitten  in  the  hand.  Within  half  an 
hour  he  could  not  walk,  and  could  hardly  speak. 
Ammonia  externally  and  brandy  internally  were 
applied,  but  not  for  some  little  time ;  so  the  poison 
got  fully  into  his  system.  He  was  very  ill,  suffered 
greatly  for  some  days,  and  did  not  recover  his 
strength  for  many  weeks.  If  a  strong  young  man 
in  the  fullest  health  (he  had  just  returned  from  a 
Highland  fishing  run)  could  be  made  so  ill,  such 
a  bite  must,  I  think,  have  been  fatal  to  a  weaker 
subject.  The  adder  was  a  very  large  one.  This 
accident  brought  me  communications  from  friends 
all  over  the  country;  from  them  I  gather  that,  it 
bitten  at  a  distance  from  medical  aid,  the  proper 
course  is  to  tie  a  ligature  above  the  wound,  then 
cut  off  the  skin  (it  is  apt  to  close  over  the  punc- 
ture), and,  if  ths  lips  are  uncracked,  suck  the 


Sept.  27,  1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


275 


place  ;  then  rnb  ammonia  over  it  and  take  brandy 
from  time  to  time ;  and,  as  the  remedies  should 
be  applied  at  once,  it  is  desirable  to  have  them 
near  when  in  places  frequented  by  adders.  The 
patient  should  on  no  account  be  allowed  to  go  to 
sleep.  The  popular  country  remedy  is  adder's 
fat,  but  this,  I  conceive,  can  have  no  action  diffe- 
rent from  olive  or  other  sweet  oil.  Quite  lately  a 
navvy  employed  on  the  new  Guildford  Hallway 
was  bitten.  I  am  informed  that  he  was  taken  to 
the  hospital,  but  died  in  a  few  daj'S. — G.  F. 
Wilson,  llcatherhanli,  Wcyhr'rJtje. 


TREES    AND^  SHRUBS. 

BLUE  HYDRANGEAS. 
I  HAVE  changed  the  colour  of  the  ordinary  pink 
Hydrangea  to  blue  by  special  treatment.  In  some 
soils  this  happens  naturally.  Here  outside  grow- 
ing in  the  shrubberies  they  are  always  of  a  deep 
pink,  their  natural  colour.  The  soil  in  this  loca- 
lity is  of  a  strong  retentive  character  resting  on 
clay  and  chalk.  Blue  Hydrangeas  are  useful  for 
house  decoration,  for  standing  in  single  vases,  or 
for  mixing  with  other  plants  in  the  conservatory ; 
they  are  showy  and  interesting,  their  colour  con- 
trasting well  with  the  other  pink  and  white  varie- 
ties of  Hydrangea.  Some  we  grow  with  a  single 
stem  ;  others  bear  four  or  six  trusses  or  more  as 
the  case  may  be,  and  we  find  all  useful.  The  way 
in  which  we  manage  to  get  them  blue  is  as  fol- 
lows :  When  the  plants  have  done  blooming,  we 
prune  them  down  to  within  two  or  three  eyes  on 
each  stem.  They  are  then  placed  out-of-doors, 
and  as  soon  as  they  commence  to  grow  they  are 
taken  out  of  the  pots,  all  the  old  soil  is  shaken  off 
them,  and  the  largest  roots  are  shortened  back. 
The  plants  are  then  placed  in  G-inch  pots,  more 
or  less  according  to  their  size,  in  the  following 
compost,  viz  ,  iibry  loam  three  parts,  leaf  soil  one 
part,  half  a  part  of  bone  meal,  with  some  charcoal 
and  silver  sand.  To  every  bushel  of  the  prepared 
soil  we  add  a  quarter  pound  of  sulphate  of 
iron,  first  crushing  it  into  a  powder,  and 
mixing  all  thoroughly  well  together.  We  then 
pot  firmly,  and  place  the  plants  in  a  cold 
frame  until  they  commence  to  root,  when  they 
are  moved  outside,  where  they  remain  until  the 
end  of  October.  Any  position  in  the  houses  dur- 
ing the  winter  free  from  frost  will  suit  them.  At 
this  stage  they  should  not  be  kept  too  wet,  just 
enough  water  being  given  to  make  the  soil  moist. 
In  February  some  of  the  plants  may  be  placed  in 
heat — i  <•.,  if  required  early ;  a  position  in  the 
greenhouse  near  the  glass  will  suit  them  perfectly. 
As  soon  as  the  pots  are  well  filled  with  roots  and 
the  plants  are  growing  freely,  and  before  the 
trusses  show  themselves,  they  must  be  watered 
with  alum  water  at  the  rate  of  one  teaspoonful  of 
powdered  alum  to  a  quart  of  water.  This  should 
be  given  at  every  alternate  watering,  and  it  may 
be  slightly  increased  in  strength  after  the  lapse  of 
about  a  fortnight.  The  other  watering  may  con- 
sist of  liquid  manure  in  a  weak  state.  The  plants 
should  also  be  syringed  overhead  daily  in  the 
afternoon  in  fine  weather  with  clear  water.  They 
should  never  be  allowed  to  become  dry  at  the  root 
or  the  lower  leaves  will  turn  yellow  and  drop  off, 
a  circumstance  which  spoils  the  beauty  of  the 
plants.  E.  MOLYNEUX. 

Sn-amnorc  Parli,  Bishops  Wallham,  Hants. 


IRONSTONE  SOILS. 
The  well-being  of  some  plants  doubtless  defends 
largely  on  the  presence  of  iron  in  the  soil,  as 
stated  in  The  Gakden  (p.  Sit),  Rhododendrons 
being  named  particularly.  This  district  is  on  the 
coal  and  ironstone,  which  are  usually  united,  and 
vast  quantities  of  both  minerals  are  raised  in 
the  district  every  year.  As  a  rule,  all  over  the 
locality  the  top  soil  is  shallow,  and  the  subsoil 
consists  of  a  yellowish  rag  or  loose  rock  largely 
impregnated  with  iron.  In  this  poor  material, 
among  which,  in  many  places,  nothing  that  can 
be  called  "  soil "  exists,  and  below  which  lie  the 
coal  and  ironstone  seams  at  various  depths,  just 
according'  to  the  "lie ''of  the  measures,  a  great 


many  trees  and  shrubs  grow  extremely  well. 
Rhododendrons  I  cannot  say  penetrate  far  into  it, 
but  their  roots  are  on  it  and  in  it,  and  the  bushes 
grow  to  a  large  size,  are  long  lived,  flower  well,  and 
seed.  Timber  trees,  like  the  Spanish  Chestnut, 
Oak,  Ash,  Sycamore,  Elm,  wild  Cherry,  Birch, 
Beech,  and  forest  trees  generally,  that  send  their 
roots  down  deep,  thrive  well  in  this  rag,  and  draw 
their  main  supplies  from  it.  Larch  does  well,  but 
Spruces  fail.  Most  Conifers,  however,  grow  pretty 
fairly  if  sheltered,  but  their  roots  are  generally 
confined  to  the  surface  soil.  With  regard  to  the 
other  deciduous  trees  mentioned,  however,  I  have 
been  surprised  to  notice  the  depths  to  which  the 
roots  descend.  In  shafts  that  have  been  sunk  and 
in  wells  I  have  found  many  roots  penetrating  the 
crevices  of  the  rock  in  every  direction  to  a  depth 
of  10  feet  or  12  feet,  and  quite  healthy.  I  have 
also  several  times  seen  worms  unearthed  at  that 
depth  in  sinking  for  water.  One  of  the  largest  and 
healthiest  Spanish  Chestnuts  in  the  country  pro- 
bably for  its  age  here  is,  I  suppose,  growing  in 
this  rock  alone.  There  is  scarcely  any  soil  on  the 
surface,  and  I  know  that  the  rag  is  deep  below 
where  the  roots  are.  What  is  more,  the  most 
vigorous,  oldest,  and  most  fertile  Pear  trees  on  the 
place  have  their  main  roots  down  in  this  same  rag, 
and  have  not  been  root-pruned  or  lifted  for  pro- 
bably thirty  years.  In  one  of  our  best  vineries 
the  roots  are  in  undisturbed  possession  of  the  same 
soil,  but  where  they  are  there  is  a  rather  deeper 
layer  of  loam  on  the  surface  of  the  same  character 
and  colour  as  the  subsoil.  The  vigour  and  weight 
of  crop  which  these  Vines  have  carried  annually 
for  twenty  years  without  a  miss  have  been  remark- 
able. Curious  to  relate,  however,  whenever  this 
yellow  and  stony  subsoil  is  turned  up  to  the  sur- 
face corn  and  vegetable  crops  refuse  to  do  well  in 
it  until  it  is  ameliorated  with  dressings  of  mould 
and  mixed  intimately  with  the  surface  soil,  when 
all  crops  thrive  better  than  previously.  Apart  from 
the  action  of  iron  itself  upon  plants,  there  is 
nothing  surprising  in  plants  growing  more  or  less 
on  the  ironstone,  because  it  contains  in  itself  most 
of  the  elements  on  which  plants  subsist.      J.  S. 


Californlan  conifer  forests.— I   see   it 

stated  in  The  Garden  (p.  L'l(i)  that  the  Abies 
Douglasi  and  I'inus  Lambertiana  attain  the 
dimensions  of  3uO  feet  in  height  and  I'D  feet  in 
diameter.  Is  not  this  an  error  ?  I  have  measured 
most  of  the  large  trees  in  Cahfornia,  and  could 
not  find  a  Sugar  Pine  of  more  than  12  feet  in 
diameter,  and  was  told  that  the  highest  tree  of 
this  species  was  2riO  feet.  The  Douglas  Fir  does 
not  even  grow  to  this  size,  Itl  feet  being  the 
diameter  of  the  largest,  and  about  250  feet  the 
highest.  I  may  mention  that  it  is  the  exception 
to  find  a  Pinus  Lambertiana  12  feet  in  diameter; 
10  feet  is  large  for  a  tree  of  this  kind.— Gbo.  A. 
PassinghAM,  Milton,  Camlriilije. 

Hemlock  Spruce  — One  of  the  features  of 
cheerful  paradise-like  Greenwood  are  the  nume- 
rous low  hedges  which  bound  many  of  the  burial 
lots  in  that  cemetery.  Arbor-vita3,  Bos,  Yew, 
Juniper,  and  Spruce  are  chiefly  the  plants  used, 
and  in  my  opinion  the  Hemlock  Spruce  (Tsuga 
canadensis)  formed  the  most  ornamental  hedges. 
As  there  seen  by  me  last  July  they  were  dense 
and  dark— they  had  been  but  recently  clipped — 
and  from  their  sides  sprang  numerous  limp-tipped 
twigs  of  a  pale  green,  presenting  a  pleasing  and 
decided  contrast  to  the  neighbouring  Arbor-vit:\! 
hedges.  The  gravest  objection  to  the  Canadian 
Hemlock  as  an  ornamental  hedge  plant  for  Britain 
is  its  rather  slow  growth,  but  its  Pacific  coast  ally 
is  structurally  and  in  habit  so  much  like  it,  and 
yet  so  much  more  rapid  in  growth,  that  for  this 
purpose  it  might  form  an  excellent  substitute. — 
Geo.  Symb. 

5216.— "Wasps  attacking  Elms.  — Mr. 
Harry  Verney,  Claydon,  Bucks,  would,  I  think, 
find  for  his  Elm  trees  a  certain  remedy  against 
the  destructiveness  of  wasps  in  digging  into  the 
bark  of  the  trees  if  he  applied  as  a  dressing  a 
mixture  of  paraffin  oil  and  soot,  and  if  he  applied 
this,  say  about  January  next,  I  think  he  would 


find  that  no  wasps  would  touch  them  again,  and 
the  trees  would  further  be  benefited  by  the  fact 
(hat  various  insects  and  parasitic  growths  would 
be  destroyed  that  formerly  derived  nourishment 
from  the  trees.  I  can  testify  to  this  dressing  being 
very  successful,  as  my  father  had  sixteen  acres  of 
fruit  trees  dressed  with  the  dressing  (stems  only) 
with  very  satisfactory  results.  Nine  acres  of  the 
trees  are  twelve  years  old,  and  seven  two  years 
old.  Some  would  think  the  remedy  a  strong  one, 
especially  for  young  trees,  but  our  younger  trees, 
especially  the  Plums,  are  particularly  vigorous. — 
Joseph  B.  Wilkin. 

Prunus  Piseardl— Besides  what  has  been 
at  different  times  published  in  The  Garden,  and 
what  is  already  known  about  this  new  tree,  allow 
me  to  add  that  it  may  be  considered  as  a  fruit 
tree  as  well  as  an  ornamental  one.  It  belongs, 
according  to  the  Rirue  Horticole,  to  the  tribe  of 
Myrobalans;  its  fruits  are  in  diameter  a  little 
larger  than  a  two-shilling-piece,  and  their  matura- 
tion takes  place  about  August.  They  are  quite 
round  in  shape,  are  of  a  peculiar  metallic  colour, 
and  they  possess  a  very  sweet  flavour,  slightly 
acidulated.  Another  excellent  point  in  their 
favour  is  that  they  are  quite  proof  against  the 
high  winds,  which  are  so  injurious  to  many  fruit 
trees  on  account  of  their  peduncles  being  very 
strongly  fixed.  I  have  been  shown  in  M.  Carri&re's 
garden  the  two  original  trees  which  were  imported 
from  Persia  by  M.  I'issard,  whose  name  they  bear. 
They  have  been  grafted  on  stems  of  about  5  feet 
high,  and  are  now  altogether  nearly  10  feet  in 
height.  The  heads  are  round,  bushy,  and  well 
filled  with  branches.  In  an  ordinary  garden  soil 
they  have  grown  very  fast ;  exposed  to  the  full 
rays  of  the  sun,  their  tinge  of  colour  accordingly 
is  beautiful.  Considering  how  scarce  red-coloured 
foliage  is  amongst  trees,  I  may  say  that  this  new 
Plum  will  be  of  great  service  to  the  landscape  gar- 
dener as  well  as  one  of  the  best  shrubs  lately  in- 
troduced.— J.  Sallieh. 


Ferns. 

BEST  CULTIVATED  FERNS. 
(Conimvcd  from  ]).  258.) 

Nothochl.ena  I'ARRYi. — This  is  one  of  the 
most  distinct  of  all  the  North  American  species 
and  belonging  to  the  same  group  of  woolly  kinds 
which  comprises  N.  Newberrji,  lanuginosa,  and 
Marania;.  It  is  found  in  its  natural  state  growing 
in  dense  tufts  in  very  dry  and  exposed  places 
among  rocks  in  Utah,  where  it  often  has  to  endure 
long-continued  drought  and  also  a  great  amount 
of  heat.  It  is  also  found  at  Arizona,  in  the 
valley  of  Colorado,  in  California,  San  Diego,  &c. 
It  is  a  Fern  of  small  dimensions,  and  the  general 
colour  of  its  lovely  fronds  is  greenish  white  above 
and  rusty  white  beneath,  due  to  the  heavy  cover- 
ing of  slender  pointed  hairs  which  cover  both  sur- 
faces, but  the  lower  one  more  thickly  than  the 
upper.  Another  peculiarity  belonging  to  this 
little  gem  is  that  the  pinnte  are  twice  pinnate,  the 
pinnules  being  set  very  close  together  and  scarcely 
visible  through  the  woolly  covering ;  when  de- 
nuded of  this  they  are  found  to  be  very  small, 
roundish,  ovate,  and  crenate.  The  upper  ones  are 
less  distinct,  and  the  uppermost  are  even  confluent 
with  the  terminal  segment.  Although  their  outer 
margin  is  slightly  recurved,  it  is  never  sufficiently 
so  to  cover  the  very  datk-coloured  sporangia, 
which  are  pl.iced  three  or  four  together,  forming  a 
ring  of  about  twenty  joints.  There  is  also  another 
feature  noticeable,  and  that  is  where  the  pinnaj 
have  fallen  from  the  rachis  or  the  fronds  from  the 
stalks,  they  remain  on  the  root-stock  for  a  year  or 
more  before  they  fall  off  or  decay.  This  inte- 
resting species  only  requires  greenhouse  tem- 
perature. 

Roofstoik  short,  tufted,  thickly  covered  with  ea- 
tire  challv  Wackish  scalts  Fri.mls  .ibout  5  inches  long, 
oblonghiiu'culatc,  tiipinnate,  anil  borne  on  clustered, 
slcndtr  stalks  of  ciiual  length  ;  these  are  dark  brown  or 
bbickish,  minntel.v  stri.ited  and  hirsute  with  articnlated 
wliitisli  hairs  ;  lower  jtinna;  distant,  ovate,  a  little  shorter 
and  broader  than  the  middle  ones.  Sporangia  vtry  dark  and 
projecting  beyond  the  margin  of  the  segments  ou  which 
th  y  2re  litu.ltcd. 


276 


THE     GARDEN 


[s 


F.PT.  ::/, 


1884. 


N.  RUFA.—  An  interesting  and  thoroughly  ever- 
green species  native  of  Mexico,  F'eru,  Chili,  Bolivia, 
where  it  is  found  growing  on  rocks  in  very  ex- 
posed situations.  It  is,  of  all  American  kinds,  the 
one  which  possesses  the  greatest  similarity  of  ap- 
pearance to  the  few  species  found  in  the  south  of 
Europe,  Madeira,  &c.,  but  it  possesses  a  constitu- 
tion altogether  more  vigorous  than  theirs.  Its 
habit  is  also  more  elegant,  as  its  fronds,  which  are 
produced  in  great  abundance,  instead  of  being 
rigid,  like  those  of  either  N.  lanuginosa  or  Maranta;, 
are  naturally  arching,  which  renders  this  species 
specially  fitted  for  growing  in  hanging  baskets. 
Thus  situated,  the  beautiful  colour  of  the  under- 
side of  its  pinnae,  white  when  in  a  young  state, 
afterwards  of  a  light  or  dark  brown  colour,  ac- 
cording to  their  stage  of  maturation,  is  shown  olT 
to  advantage.  This  species  simply  requires  green- 
house temperature,  but  great  care  must  be  taken 
to  keep  the  foliage  perfectly  dry  at  all  times  of 
the  year. 

Fronds  fruni  10  inches  to  15  inches  lorj;,  pinnate,  lanceo- 
late-ovate in  shape,  and  borne  on  round,  downy  stalks  of 
about  equal  Icn^h  and  rising  from  a  short,  thick  root- 
stock  densely  covered  with  light  brown  scales  anil  which 
rcijuire  to  l>e  kept  well  above  the  lurfatc  of  the  soil. 
Pinna?  pinnatifid,  otjtuse,  and  of  very  leathery  nature,  light 
green  on  their  upper  surface  and  clothed  underneath  with 
woolly  .scales  through  which  the  scui,  although  plentiful, 
can  scarcely  he  discerned  round  tlieir  edges. 

N.  SINUATA. — A  beautiful  South  American  Fern 
found  on  rocks  and  much  exposed  to  the  sun  in 
Peru,  Chili,  and  Mexico,  where  it  is  said  to  grow 
on  limestone,  trachyte,  and  conglomerate,  in 
crevices  of  lava  and  on  walls,  and  is  reported  as 
luxuriating  in  a  vertical  range  from  20(10  feet  to 
7000  feet  above  the  sea,  this  elevation  subjecting  it 
to  very  different  temperatures.  It  is  also  a  native 
of  Texas  and  New  Mexico.  It  makes,  however,  a 
much  handsomer  plant  when  cultivated  in  heat 
than  when  kept  in  a  cold  house.  Its  real  place 
is  the  stove,  or,  at  least,  the  intermediate  house, 
and  on  account  of  the  length  of  its  gracefully 
pendulous  fronds,  it  should  be  grown,  if  possible, 
in  a  hanging  basket— really  the  only  way  to  show 
off  to  advantage  its  lovely  fronds,  which,  exclusive 
of  the  stalks,  often  measure  from  18  inches  to 
24  inches  in  length.  The  pinna;,  which  in  the 
small  fronds  are  roundish  and  slightly  crenated, 
but  which  in  larger  fronds  are  more  ovate  and 
have  sinuated  margins,  number  from  twenty  to 
thirty  on  each  side  of  the  rachis.  The  stalks  are 
provided  with  a  peculiarly  deciduous  covering  of 
very  delicate  lanceolate  scales,  consisting  of  two 
kinds  intermixed.  The  larger  ones  are  but  slightly 
ciliated,  but  the  smaller  ones  are  very  deeply  and 
elegantly  ciliated.  The  upper  surface  of  the  pinn;c 
bears  scattered  stellate  scales  of  a  silvery  hue  on  a 
glaucous  ground,  while  the  underside  is  thickly 
clothed  with  imbricated,  lanceolate,  and  ciliated 
scales,  silvery  in  their  young  state,  but  turning 
with  age  to  a  light  brown  colour. 

Fronds  long,  narrow,  pendulous,  oblonglinear  in  shape 
and  simply  pinnate,  boinc  on  sllr>rt,  round,  and  wiry  stalks 
of  a  bright  reddish  blown  colour,  and  covered  at  the  biise 
when  young  at  least,  with  ciliated  scales.  These  are  pro- 
duced from  a  short  and  thick  root  stock,  very  chaify  with 
ferruginous  scales,  and  which  is  peculiarly  swollen  in 
places  into  bulbiform  knobs  as  large  as  a  good-sized  Pea. 

N.  SQUAMATA.— This,  also  a  species  native  of 
the  same  habitats  as  that  just  described,  is  some- 
what similar  in  character,  though  of  much  dwarfer 
and  more  rigid  habit.  Indeed,  although  its  fronds, 
which  are  of  short  stature  and  very  leathery,  are 
simply  pinnate,  and  the  pinnje  closely  set  and 
smooth-edged  instead  of  being  pinnatifid,  it  almost 
looks  like  a  diminutive  form  of  N.  rnfa,  seldom 
exceeding  H  inches  in  height.  This  character, 
which  is  quite  constant  in  plants  of  this  Fern 
under  caltivation,may'possibly  have  been  imparted 
to  it  in  a  wild  state  by  its  naturally  growing  at 
higher  elevations  than  N.  rufa,  a  circumstance 
which  would  certainly  tend  to  dwarf  its  dimen- 
sions. Owing  to  its  small  size  it  is  of  course  use- 
less as  a  basket  plant,  but  otherwise  it  requires 
the  same  treatment  as  the  species  above  described. 

N.  TENEHA.— A  very  pretty  South  American 
evergreen  species  found  growing  naturally  in 
Chili,  IJolivia,  and  Peru,  and  also  in  Southern 
Utah.  Its  predilection  for  crevices  of  perpendi- 
cular rocks  at  a  high  altitude  aci;ounts  for  the 


difficulties  generally  encountered  in  its  culture 
when,  as  is  nearly  always  the  case,  it  is  subjected 
to  warm  treatment.  A  greenhouse  temperature  is 
all  that  is  required  in  order  to  grow  successfully 
this  little  gem,  which  is  readily  distinguished  from 
all  other  species  by  the  tender  texture  of  its  pin- 
nules. The  latter  are  peculiarly  fleshy,  and  have 
both  surfaces  perfectly  smooth  and  of  a  pale  and 
somewhat  glaucous  colour.  Another  character 
peculiar  to  this  plant  is  that  the  stalks  and  rachis 
are  wiry,  dark  brown  or  almost  black,  smooth  and 
shining,  though  deprived  of  the  polish  particular 
to  the  stalks  of  most  Adiantums,  and  the  lowest 
portion  of  their  branchlets  remain  long  after  the 
pinna;  have  fallen  off,  so  that  the  living  fronds, 
which  are  triangular-ovate  in  outline,  are  sur- 
rounded by  a  bristling  mass  of  stalks.  This  spe- 
cies is  allied  to  N.  nivea,  from  which  it  differs  in 
having  no  powder  on  the  underside  of  the  fronds. 
Froinls  sometimes  simply  pinnate,  butbipinuate  in  large 
specimens,  about  4  inches  high,  and  borne  on  tufted  brittle, 
smooth  stalks,  which  rise  from  a  short,  erect  rootstock, 
chatfy  with  narrow,  feriug'nous  scales.  Pinna;  numerous, 
though  rather  distant,  the  lowest  pair  usually  larger  than 
any  other  and  divided  into  five  or  six  ovate  or  tub-cordate 
little  pinnules,  which  are  covered  nearly  all  over  with 
dark  brown  sporangia  ;  th^-y  are  mostly  opposite,  smooth, 
and  naked  on  both  surfaces,  contrary  to  all  other  known 
species. 

N.  TRiciiOMANOiDES.— This  is  undoubtedly  one 
of  the  handsomest  among  rare  species  generally 
met  with  in  good  collections,  and  one  which, 
when  well  grown  and  in  good  condition,  never 
falls  to  attract  attention.  The  particularly 
decorative  and  drooping  habit  of  its  long  narrow 
fronds,  the  peculiar  white  colour  of  their  under- 
surface,  due  to  a  combination  of  white  stellate 
scales  and  fine  farinose  powder  intermixed,  render 
this  plant  one  of  the  most  striking  in  the  genus. 
As  a  plant  for  a  medium-sized  hanging  basket  it 
has  few  equals,  as  its  lovely  fronds,  produced  in 
great  abundance  from  an  underground  rhizome, 
are  most  lightly  and  elegantly  pendulous,  a 
valuable  character  which  is  certainly  not  shared 
by  all  species  alike  and  in  a  similar  degree.  It 
is  one  which  requires  to  be  strictly  grown  in  a 
light  compost,  using  nothing  clfe  but  either  good 
fibrous  peat  or  leaf  mould  and  silver  sand.  Though 
it  grows  very  well  in  the  stove,  it  is  very  apt  to 
get  thrippy,  in  which  case  not  only  the  appearance, 
but  also  the  constitution  of  the  plant  is  soon  de- 
stroyed. We  find  that  the  intermediate  house  is 
the  place  where  it  thrives  best,  and  where  its 
fronds  last  the  longest  on  the  plant,  provided  they 
are  kept  perfectly  dry  at  all  times  of  the  year. 

Fronds  numerous,  forming  thick  tufts  and  produced 
from  underground  rh'zomes  ;  tliey  seldom  exceed  l.^i 
inches  long  by  about  1!  inches  in  width,  and  are 
pinnate  with  pinna-  mostly  opposite,  closely  set,  Eoa-e 
what  ovate  in  shape,  and  toothed  at  the  edges.  I'heir 
upper  surface  is  of  a  dark  green  colour,  forming  a  striking 
contrast  with  their  underside,  which  besides  being  of  a 
bright  white  colour  is  bel  ed  all  round  the  margin  with  an 
even  and  uninterrupted  band  of  black  sort  very  conspicuous 
and  ornauienta'. 

Pell.ea. 


Trlchomanes  floribundum.  — Amongst 
the  additions  recently  made  to  the  Kew  collection 
of  Filmy  Ferns  is  a  plant  of  the  large  form  of  this, 
one  of  the  most  distinct  of  the  genus  Trichomanes. 
The  fronds,  which  are  erect,  and  spring  from  a  stout 
creeping  rhizome,  are  li  feet  high,  and  nearly  12 
inches  across  the  broade.st  part.  The  pinna;  are 
one-third  of  an  inch  broad  and  over  5  inches  in 
length,  pale  green,  and  almost  transparent,  the 
margin  being  prettily  fringed  with  the  urn-like 
spore-cases  or  "  flowers."  llritish  Ciuiana  has  fur- 
nished this  specimen  along  with  other  fine  plants 
of  rare  and  beautiful  Filmy  Kerns.  The  removal  of 
the  larger  portion  of  the  Kew  collection  of  these 
plants  to  a  house  of  a  lower  temperature  than  that 
in  which  they  had  hitherto  been  kept  has  been 
productive  of  excellent  results,  both  as  to  the  health 
of  the  plants,  and,  though  less  important,  still  a 
point  to  be  considered,  the  better  display  of  the  col- 
lection, it  being  now  possible  for  visitors  to  examine 
the  plants  without  any  difficulty  or  inconvenience. 
Some  of  the  kinds  have  improved  wonderfully 
under  the  cooler  treatment,  considering  how  short 
a  time  they  have  been  removed  from  the  tropical 
house,   and  allowing  for  the  check    which    the 


change  must  have  given  them.  The  delicate 
beauty  of  the  majority  of  these  plants,  their  love 
of  excessive  moisture  and  shade,  and  the  remark- 
able ease  with  which  they  may  be  grown  in  small 
houses  or  Wardian  cases  are  in  favour  of  their  be- 
coming much  more  popular,  at  least  with  the 
amateur  cultivator,  than  they  have  hitherto  been. 
It  needs  but  a  glimpse  at  the  success  met  with  by 
Mr.  Cooper  Foster,  who  in  a  small  house  and 
several  window  cases  has  for  years  kept  a  large 
collection  of  these  plants  in  splendid  health,  to 
ensure  for  Filmy  Ferns  a  prominent  place  amongst 
window-garden  plants.  A  large  plant  has  just 
been  added,  and  the  name  Kaulfussi  proves  to  be 
wrong. — B. 

Garden   Flora. 


PLATE  459. 
ODONTOGLOSSUM  ELEGANS.* 
You  may  call  this  plant  a  very  heavily  blotched 
form  of  O,  cirrhosum,  or  you  can  believe,  with  some 
good  judges  of  Orchids,  that  it  is  a  natural  hybrid 
between  0.  cirrhosum  and  O.  cristatum.  It  first 
appeared  some  years  ago;  in  1878  or  1879  it  was, 
I  think,  in  the  Veitchian  collection  at  Chelsea 
among  a  batch  of  0.  cirrhosum  which  had  arrived 
from  Ecuador  some  time  previously.  No  matter 
whether  a  hybrid  or  a  mere  seminal  variety,  it  is 
none  the  less  a  very  beautiful  plant  when  seen  at 
its  best,  the  rich  chocolate-coloured  markings  on 
a  creamy  white  ground  being  very  effective.  But 
our  coloured  illustration  shows  all  details  of  form 
and  colour  so  well  that  there  is  no  necessity  to  de- 
scribe them ;  indeed,  it  is  to  do  away  with  the  need  of 
wordy  descriptions  that  our  drawingsaremade.  Our 
artist's  sketch  was  prepared  from  a  plant  in  Mr. 
Sander's  collection,  and  we  hope  that  the  collection 
at  St.  Albans  has  many  individuals  of  this  variety, 
seeing  that  it  is  so  tempting  in  colour  and  hitherto 
so  rare.  This  species  was  originally  described  in 
the  Garih'iicrs'  Clircuich  for  1879,  p.  426,  and 
a  coloured  figure  was  given  at  p.  Ill  of  the 
"  Orchid  Album,"  from  a  plant  in  Mr.  PoUett's 
collection  at  I'.ickley,  in  Kent,  the  county  of 
Hops  and  Cherries,  and  altogether  a  fruitful  and 
pleasant  land,  which  genial  old  Tusscr,  the  author 
of  the  "  Five  Hundred  Points  in  Good  Hus- 
bandry," particularly  admired. 

Odontoclo.s.sum  CLEtiANS  is  a  plant  well 
worthy  of  all  due  appreciation,  and  1  wish  I  felt 
ijuite  sure  that  many  individuals  of  it  exist  in  the 
St.  Albans  repository.  It  is  a  robust  grower,  the 
plump  pseudo-bulbs  and  bronze-tinted  foliage  of 
our  portrait  to  wit,  and  those  who  have  bought 
largely  of  unbloomed  0.  cirrhosums  in  an  imported 
state  should  keep  a  sharp  look-out  for  sucli  a 
welcome  stranger  as  this  species  undoubtedly  is 
sure  to  prove.  F.  W.  B. 


Umbilicus  ramoslssimus.— This  species 
was  introduced  to  this  country  from  China  two  or 
three  years  ago  by  Bretschneider.  In  general  ap- 
pearance it  is  not  unlike  U.  spinosus,  commonly 
grown  in  gardens,  but  it  is  a  much  freer  and  more 
beautiful  flowering  plant  and  a  decided  acquisition 
to  garden  Stonecrops.  It  forms  a  dense,  compact 
rosette  of  slightly  incurved  spiny  leaves,  the  basal 
ones,  about  a  dozen  in  number,  being  much  larger 
and  more  succulent  than  the  others.  Branching 
from  the  base,  the  central  flowering  stem  rises 
about  9  inches  in  height,  and  the  others  which 
encircle  it  about  li  inches.  The  stems  are  leafy 
and  from  the  base,  of  the  leaves  the  flowers  are 
produced ;  they  are  bright  pink  with  pretty  crim- 
son anthers,  and  measure  over  half  an  inch  in 
diameter.     September  and  October  are  the  llower- 

-  Drawn  in  Messrs.  F.  Sander  &  Co.'s  Orchid  nursery, 
St.  Albans,  May  15. 


THE    GARDEN 


rw-im!^- 


n 


-r-,  .^  T,  TrT-,-N  ,-<  -,     r-\  C-   -.-'  T  T>.  ,1         'P  '    T^"  r-<    A    'XT  C 


Sept.  27,   1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


277 


ing  months,  and  aKhough  an  annual  or  biennial 
it  produces  seed  so  freely  that  no  trouble  is  ex- 
perienced in  keeping  it  from  year  to  year.  B^or 
furnishing  dry  stony  places  or  old  walls  or  the 
rockery  it  is  very  useful,  the  more  so  as  it  is  utterly 
careless  regarding  a  supply  of  water.  Plants  of  it 
that  do  not  flower  the  first  year  stand  our  winters 
easily,  provided  they  are  kept  dry. — K. 


SEASONABLE   WORK. 


FLOWER  GARDEN. 
Eetrospective  notes.— The  flower  of  the 
season  has  undoubtedly  been  the  Marguerites, 
golden  and  white.  We  have  them  in  large  basket- 
vases,  intermixed  with  various  kinds  of  plants, 
such  as  Heliotropes,  Fuchsias,  scented  Pelargo- 
niums, and  Petunias,  and  also  arranged  in  a  long 
border  as  a  back  line,  alternated  with  the  Cactus 
and  other  single  Dahlias,  and  the  effect  is  strik- 
ingly pretty.  The  white  Jlarguerite  and  deep 
purple-crimson  Petunia  Spitfire  intermixed  is 
another  excellent  hit,  and  so  is  the  yellow  Mar- 
guerites and  single  Dahlia  coccinea,  raised  from 
seed  in  February,  and  the  Marguerites  from  cut- 
tings at  the  same  time.  Next  to  the  Marguerites 
come  the  single  Dahlias ;  the  ease  with  which 
they  can  be  raised  and  the  great  variety  of 
colours  aid  in  making  tliem  popular.  We  have 
circular  beds  of  them,  arranged  as  follows  :  In  the 
centre.  Paragon,  deep  maroon-crimson,  with  light 
purple  stripes  on  each  side  of  the  petal ;  next,  the 
Cactus  Dahlia  (Juaiezi),  the  outer  line  being  alba, 
pure  white,  and  coccinea,  bright  scarlet,  the 
undergrowth  Plarrison's  Musk,  and  the  edging 
silver  variegated  Thyme.  The  yellow  or  lutea 
types  of  single  Dahlias  look  charming  alter- 
nated with  Iticinus  Gibsoni,  kept  at  a  height 
proportionate  to  the  Dahlias  by  an  occasional 
stopping  of  the  leading  shoots.  Another  note- 
worthy bed — but  only  pretty  in  the  eyes  of  en- 
thusiastic disciples  of  the  .'esthetic  school — is  com- 
posed of  tall  Sunflowers  and  Giant  Hemp,  the 
greenery  of  this  latter  plant  setting  off  to  advan- 
tage the  gaudy  Sunflower.  For  a  sheltered  nook 
in  a  distant  part  of  the  sub-tropical  garden,  or 
rather  as  seen  from  a  distance,  this  combination 
is  really  excellent,  but  a  far  more  pleasing  ar- 
rangement for  the  same  kind  cf  garden  we  have 
in  the  form  of  an  oval-shaped  bed,  planted  in  a 
mixed  way  with  tall  variegated  Abutilons  and 
Grevillea  robusta,  the  edging  being  Salvia  argen- 
tea.  Amongst  dwarfer  plants  really  acquisitions 
are  the  new  Violas,  Mrs.  Grey,  almost  pure  white, 
and  another  variety  named  Yellow  Dwarf;  both 
have  flowered  continuously  on  our  dry  soil  with- 
out more  than  the  ordinary  amount  of  watering 
all  summer,  and  are  still  covered  with  flowers. 
Tuberous  Piegonias  are  also  amongst  our  best 
flowering  bedding  plants  of  the  year ;  at  the  pre- 
sent moment  they  quite  excel  the  Pelargoniums  in 
brilliancy,  and  no  rain  storms  hurt  them.  We 
have  beds  of  them  intermixed  with  the  variety 
castanifolia,  which  is  one  of  the  best  of  the  non- 
tuberous  bedding  kinds  there  is.  These  Begonia 
beds  have  an  outer  margin  or  narrow  border 
planted  with  succulents  and  hardy  Sedums  in 
formal  pattern,  types  of  plants  that  harmonise 
most  perfectly  with  the  inmates  of  the  beds.  We 
have  also  used  them  as  central  plants  in  small 
panels  or  rings,  some  of  which  are  carpeted  with 
Sedum  acre  elegans,  others  with  Sedum  glaucum 
and  Herniaria  glabra,  and  the  effect  is  quite 
unique,  there  being  such  a  natural  look  about  the 
arrangement,  and  what  in  our  case  is  of  great  im- 
portance, the  groundwork  being  hardy,  there  is  so 
much  the  less  to  do  at  the  season  when  we  have 
to  turn  our  summer  into  a  winter  garden.  In  such 
borders  we  have  simply  to  lift  the  Begonias  and 
replace  them  with  small  shrubs.  These  are  a  tew 
of  the  most  noteworthy  arrangements,  and  plants 
that  have  come  under  our  observation  this  season, 
our  experience  of  them  being  such  that  we  shall 
not  only  hope  to  repeat  them  another  year,  but 
extend  them. 

General  work. — Till  the  leaves  are  down  and 
cold  weather  has  set  in,  which  will  keep  worms 
from  coming  to  the  surface,  daily  sweeping  np  I 


and  rolling  of  turf  and  walks  will  be  needed. 
Edgings  should  have  their  final  clipping  for  the 
season,  and  if  the  walks  are  now  well  cleared  of 
weeds,  they  will  entail  no  further  trouble  in  that 
respect  till  spring.  Still  keep  beds  and  borders 
in  neat  condition  by  repeatedly  picking  them  over, 
and  when  all  hope  of  further  effectiveness  is 
ended  for  this  year,  let  them  be  at  once  re-occu- 
pied with  plants  to  stand  the  winter,  or,  in  the 
case  of  herbaceous  plants,  clear  away  the  un- 
slightly  stems,  mulch  the  borders  with  Cocoa  fibre, 
and  fill  up  vacancies  by  planting  out  from  the 
seed  beds  such  biennials  as  Canterbury  Bells, 
Swett  Williams,  Wallflowers,  Snapdragons,  and 
spring-flowering  bulbs,  such  as  Hyacinths,  Nar- 
cissi, and  Tulips.  Roses  are  still  flowering  pro- 
fusely, the  late  heavy  rains  having  given  them  a 
fresh  start ;  old  blossoms  should  be  kept  picked 
off,  the  beds  freed  from  weeds,  and  standards 
secured  to  stakes.  The  ties  of  all  that  were  budded 
this  season  ought  now  to  be  removed  and  all 
Brier  shoots  and  suckers  rubbed  off.  Secure  all 
bedding  plants  that  have  been  propagated  in  the 
open  border  by  potting  them  up  and  placing  them 
in  frames  ;  also  mark,  by  tying  on  them  pieces  of 
matting  or  labels,  all  Dahlias  and  other  plants 
that  are  to  be  saved,  and  which  the  first  sharp 
frost  would  cripple  beyond  recognition. 


FRUIT. 
llAliDY  i'KUiT.s  — Take  advantage  of  the  fine 
dry  days  which  we  are  now  having  for  gathering 
Apples  and  Pears  as  they  become  fit  for  removal 
from  the  trees.  Choice  Pears  that  are  to  be  kept 
for  a  long  time  should  be  handled  with  the  greatest 
care,  and  none  but  those  which  are  of  full  size 
and  sound  should  be  placed  on  the  shelves  where 
they  are  intended  to  remain  until  fit  for  use.  As 
many  of  the  trees,  owing  to  the  lightness  of  the 
crop,  have  made  strong  growth,  and  the  ground  is 
now  in  good  order,  immediate  attention  must  be 
directed  to  root  pruning,  otherwise  the  full  advan- 
tage which  may  be  derived  from  the  judicious  per- 
formance of  this  operation  will  be  lost.  Wall 
trees  of  all  kinds,  commencing  with  Apricots, 
early  kinds  of  Peaches  and  Nectarines,  if  root 
pruned  with  care  now  will  fruit  abundantly  next 
year,  and  the  fruit  will  attain  its  fall  size  and 
quality,  as  the  new  roots  will  have  time  to  take 
a  hold  of  the  fresh  soil  before  the  leaves  fall 
and  the  earth  loses  the  warmth  so  essential  to 
the  formation  of  fresh  rootlets.  Hut  amateurs 
and  others  who  have  not  seen  this  operation 
skilfully  performed  must  not  suppose  that  root 
pruning  means  a  general  cutting  away  of  all 
the  roots  which  extend  beyond  a  certain  line  and 
then  filling  the  trench  in  again.  The  proper  way 
is  to  open  out  a  trench  at  the  extremity  of  the 
principal  roots,  and  then  with  steel  forks  to  work 
inwards  until  a  goodly  number  of  the  strongest 
roots  have  been  traced  to  within  a  reasonable 
distance  below  the  surface  of  the  border.  These 
will  then  require  slightly  cutting  back  with  a 
sharp  knife,  and  the  work  of  relaying  in  fresh 
loam,  which  must  be  made  very  firm  by  ramming, 
will  follow  as  the  trench  is  filled  in  again.  If 
the  old  compost  is  really  good,  a  small  quantity  of 
fresh  loam  will  suffice,  and  the  addition  of  manure, 
as  a  mulching  only,  will  complete  the  operation. 
Where  the  formation  of  new  orchards  is  contem- 
plated, thorough  draining  must  precede  all  other 
operations.  Trenching  as  deep  as  the  soil  will 
allow  will  then  follow,  and  the  time  of  planting 
will  be  regulated  by  the  soil.  Free,  friable  loams 
may  be  planted  at  once,  but  cold,  heavy  soils 
often  require  turning  over  a  second  time  and  full 
exposure  to  the  action  of  frost  before  they  are  fit 
for  the  reception  of  the  trees.  Soils  of  this  de- 
scription may  be  greatly  improved  by  the  addition 
of  burnt  earth  or  garden  refuse,  road  scrapings, 
or  old  lime  rubble,  and  in  some  cases  it  may  be 
necessary  to  crop  with  Potatoes  or  other  vegetables 
for  a  year  before  the  trees  are  permanently  planted. 
The  latter  may,  however,  be  grown  on  in  nursery 
lines,  when  all  doubtful  or  defective  trees  will  be 
detected  before  the  final  arrangement  takes  place. 
Melons. — Now  is  the  time  to  apply  artificial 
bottom-heat  to  the  late  Melons  (if  in  pots)  by  I 


means  of  fermenting  material  and  hot -water  pipes 
combined  ;  but  if  planted  out  on  hills,  fire-heat 
only  can  be  used,  and  more  water  and  atmospheric 
moisture  will,  as  a  matter  of  course,  be  required 
to  counteract  its  drying  influence.  Early  morning, 
after  this  time,  should  always  be  devoted  to  water- 
ing, for,  much  as  the  Melon  rejoices  in  plentiful 
supplies  of  warm,  stimulating  liquid,  it  is  impa- 
tient of  .stagnant  moisture  about  its  stems  and 
leaves  after  the  house  is  closed  for  the  night. 
Regulate  the  foliage,  and  keep  it  thinly  placed  to 
admit  of  a  free  circulation  of  dry,  warm  air  when 
so.'ar  influences  favour  ventilation,  and,  most  im- 
portant of  all,  wage  incessant  war  with  insect 
pests  before  they  have  time  to  gain  a  footing,  as 
good  quality  cannot  be  expected  where  the  leaves 
ripen  in  advance  of  the  fruit.  Keep  plants  in  pits 
and  frames  as  dry  and  warm  as  possible  by  means 
of  fresh  linings,  by  judicious  thinning  of  the  soft 
lateral  growths,  and  by  the  use  of  a  good  covering 
at  night. 

Cucumbers. — The  August-sown  plants  will  now 
be  in  a  fit  state  for  bearing  a  few  Cucumbers  if 
wanted,  but  if  not  required,  the  removal  of  all 
male  and  female  blossoms  for  some  time  longer 
will  give  increased  strength  and  better  prepare 
them  for  giving  a  full  supply  when  the  plants  in 
pits  and  frames  are  no  longer  profitable.  Where 
former  directions  have  been  followed  and  plants 
in  pots  or  boxes  are  placed  on  pedestals,  thoroughly 
worked  fermenting  materials,  consisting  of  Oai 
leaves  and  short  stable  manure,  will  now  play  an 
important  part  in  keeping  up  a  genial  bottom- 
heat  in  every  way  preferable  to  that  obtained  from 
hot-water  pipes,  as  the  ammonia  given  off  by  the 
manure  is  obnoxious  to  insects,  and  the  constant 
presence  of  atmospheric  moisture  reduces  syring- 
ing to  a  minimum.  In  compact,  efficiently  heated 
pits  many  prefer  planting  out  on  hills  or  ridges, 
and,  provided  the  compost  used  is  not  too  rich, 
very  satisfactory  results  are  obtained ;  bat  great 
caution  in  this  matter  is  needed,  otherwise  the 
growth  of  vine  and  leaf  will  become  too  strong 
at  the  outset,  and  a  check  will  follow  at  a  time 
when  the  absence  of  sun  and  light  is  most  unfa- 
vourable to  winter  culture.  In  the  arrangement 
of  the  plants  an  effort  should  be  made  to  keep  the 
stems  well  away  from  the  top-heat  pipes,  as  it  is 
at  this  part  of  the  house  where  spider  first  puts 
in  an  appearance,  and  the  hot  steam  generated  by 
constant  syringing  often  increases  the  evil  by 
f calding  or  making  the  foliage  too  tender  to  with- 
stand the  attacks  of  the  enemy.  Voung  plants 
may  still  be  raised  from  cuttings  or  seeds  for 
fruiting  in  February  and  March,  a  time  at  which 
good  fruit  is  never  too  plentiful.  To  succeed  with 
these,  light  rich  turf,  medium-sized  pots,  and  good 
drainage  are  essential.  Bottom-heat  may  be  se- 
cured from  tan  until  new  Oak  leaves  can  be  ob- 
tained, or  from  tan  and  iiot-water  pipes  combined. 
A  position  near  the  glass  is  also  important.  Clean- 
liness in  every  part  of  the  pit  and  good  covering 
in  severe  weather  cannot  be  too  strictly  enforced, 
as  many  start  right  and  fail  through  inattention  to 
details. 

Orchard  houses. —  By  this  time  pot  trees  of 
all  kinds  that  have  been  kept  under  glass  will  be 
clear  of  fruit,  and  the  latest  batch  will  be  fit  for 
potting.  A  few  years  ago  no  one  thought  of  dis- 
turbing the  roots  of  a  deciduous  fruit  tree  until  it 
had  cast  all  its  leaves,  but  it  is  now  generally  ad- 
mitted that  the  best  results  follow  potting  im- 
mediately after  the  fruit  is  gathered.  The  after- 
treatment  is,  of  course,  different,  as  trees  which 
are  potted  before  they  go  to  rest  require  the 
shelter  of  an  orchard  house  where  they  can  be 
syringed  occasionally  until  the  wood  is  ripe,  when 
the  best  place  they  can  occupy  is  a  sheltered 
situation  out-of-doors.  Here  they  should  be  placed, 
not  too  close  together,  with  the  pots  fully  ex- 
posed to  the  atmosphere  until  bad  weather 
threatens,  when  they  may  be  well  packed  with 
dry  Fern  to  secure  the  pots  and  roots  from  frost 
through  the  winter.  Shelter  from  rain  is  quite  un- 
necessary, as  pot  trees  suifer  more  from  drought 
than  they  do  from  moisture.  In  course  of  time 
trees  become  too  large  for  the  house,  and  require 
shortening  back  considerably.    When  this  is  the 


278 


THE    GAEDEN 


[Sept.  27,  1884. 


case  autumn  is  the  best  time  to  use  the  knife, 
and  the  pruning  should  always  succeed  the  re- 
ducing and  repotting.  Trees  of  ordinary  size, 
which  have  been  kept  properly  pinched  through- 
out the  summer,  require  very  little  pruning,  and 
on  no  account  should  the  shoots  be  shortened 
back  until  the  triple  buds  can  be  distinguished. 
If  maiden  trees  for  potting  have  not  been  selected 
no  time  should  be  lost  in  looking  them  out,  as 
first  comers  generally  take  the  best,  but  it  is  not 
always  advisable  to  take  the  strongest,  unless  the 
wood  is  thoroughly  ripe  and  the  young  .shoots  are 
evenly  balanced. 

Strawberries.— Plants  of  the  different  kinds 
selected  for  early  forcing  having  filled  their  pots, 
which  are  generally  small  and  full  of  roots,  some 
little  care  will  be  needed  in  their  management, 
particularly  in  the  way  of  watering,  as  an  excess 
of  water  may  start  the  most  prominent  crowns, 
and  the  want  of  it  might  seriously  injure  the 
roots  by  causing  the  balls  to  shrink,  and  letting 
them  separate  from  the  sides  of  the  pots.  I<ater 
plants  in  larger  pots  are  less  liable  to  suffer  in 
this  way,  but  with  these  judicious  watering  until 
the  time  arrives  for  storing  away  will  form  a  very 
important  item.  The  best  time  to  water  is  early 
morning,  when  every  plant  should  be  examined 
and  supplied  for  the  day  without  wetting  the 
crown  or  foliage,  particularly  when  diluted  liquid 
is  used  as  a  stimulant.  Let  all  plants  be  kept 
quite  clear  of  weeds  and  runners,  and  give  an 
abundance  of  fpace  between  the  pots  to  let  in 
light  and  warmth,  which  will  facilitate  the  ripen- 
iag  of  the  roots  as  well  .as  the  crowns.  In  many 
places  great  difficulty  has  been  experienced  in 
getting  healthy  runners  for  early  potting,  and  on 
this  account  the  plants  will  have  been  making 
vigorous  growth  throughout  the  past  month,  but, 
notwithstanding  the  lateness  of  the  season,  the 
same  ripening  process  must  be  gone  through  by 
elevating  the  pots  on  dwarf  walls,  planks,  or  shut- 
ters until  the  weather  breaks  in  November. 
Worms,  if  possible,  find  their  way  into  the  pots, 
and  soon  do  considerable  mischief  by  running 
through  the  rich,  heavy  compost  and  clogging  the 
drainage.  Experienced  growers  go  upon  the  prin- 
ciple that  prevention  is  better  than  cure,  but  when 
they  do  find  their  way  into  the  pots  notime  should 
be  lost  in  getting  them  dislodged  by  watering 
with  lime  water  before  the  plants  are  stored  away 
for  the  winter. 

I'lNES. — Plants  which  have  well  filled  their 
pots  with  roots,  if  intended  for  starting  early  in 
January,  will  now  require  a  drier  atmosphere,  with 
liberal  ventilation  whenever  the  weather  is  fa- 
vourable. As  days  decrease  in  length  and  more 
fire-heat  is  needed,  the  minimum  temperature  may 
range  about  68°,  with  a  rise  of  10°  to  15°  in  the 
daytime,  but  no  fixed  rule  must  be  adhered  to,  as 
the  weather  at  this  season  is  very  changeable,  and 
it  is  best  to  keep  below  rather  than  above  these 
figures  when  the  plants  are  going  to  rest.  The 
most  important  point  in  the  successful  manage- 
ment of  tender  kinds  like  The  Queen  when  resting 
is  the  bottom-heat,  which  should  range  from  80° 
to  85°  for  the  next  three  months,  and  if  this  can 
be  secured  by  keeping  them  plunged  to  the  rims 
of  the  pots  in  dry  tan  or  leaves,  there  is  little 
danger  of  the  roots  going  wrong  or  the  fruit 
coming  up  prematurely.  Plants  intended  to  make 
growth  before  they  start  in  the  spring  should 
still  have  every  encouragement,  particularly  when 
favourable  weather  prevails,  by  maintaining  a 
temperature  ranging  from  70°  at  night  to  80°  by 
day,  and  85°  to  90°  at  the  roots.  Give  atmospheric 
moisture  by  syringing  all  available  surfaces,  in- 
cluding that  of  the  bed,  when  the  day  temperature 
begins  to  rise,  and  again  when  the  house  is  closed, 
but  guard  against  syringing  overhead,  particularly 
in  dark,  heavy  houses  or  close  pits.  By  this 
time  the  potting  for  the  season  should  be  com- 
plete, but  where  stock  is  likely  to  run  short  a  few 
of  the  strongest  suckers  which  have  well  filled 
their  potswith  roots  may  be  shifted  into  medium 
sized  fruiting  pots  and  plunged  in  a  sharp  bot- 
tom-heat with  their  heads  near  the  glass  in  a 
light  span-roofed  pit  if  at  command.  In  a  favour- 
able position  with  duo  attention  to  surface  heat 


the  plants  may  be  kept  in  good  growth  for  the 
next  six  weeks,  and  slowly  moving  through  the 
remainder  of  the  winter.  Collect  all  fruiting  plants 
together  in  a  house  by  themselves  where  they  can 
receive  treatment  most  favourable  to  the  swelling 
or  ripening  of  the  fruit,  as  anything  approaching 
a  close  stagnant  atmosphere  through  the  last 
stage  prevents  the  Pines  from  keeping  after  they 
are  cut. 


INDOOR  PLANTS. 


Asparagus  plumosus.— Being  a  native  of  the 
Cape  as  well  as  further  northwards— as  far  as 
Natal  this  species  is  undoubtedly  a  greenhouse 
plant,  and  thrives  well  in  a  house  where  Pelar- 
goniums, &o.,  are  grown.  Here  we  have  two  plants 
planted  out  in  a  cool  conservatory,  as  well  as 
several  good  plants  in  pots  in  another  cool  house. 
Those  planted  out  are  in  a  compost  of  loam  and 
peat  v/ith  a  little  brick  rubble  :  below  1  foot  of 
this  there  is  a  good  drainage  of  broken  bricks, 
&c.  During  summer,  when  these  plants  grow  like 
weeds,  they  are  assisted  with  a  little  weak  manure 
water  about  once  a  ■  week ;  during  winter  no 
water  is  given.  Those  in  pots  are  in  a  similar 
compost  to  that  described  above,  and  these,  as 
well  as  those  planted  out,  are  kept  to  supply  cut 
sprays.  In  addition  to  these  we  grow  about  a 
dozen  small  plants  in  4i-inch  pots  for  table  work, 
and  to  those  who  have  not  seen  this  plant  thus 
employed,  we  recommend  it  as  one  of  the  most 
telling,  the  graceful  deep  green  sprays  and  ele- 
gant habit  of  the  plant  rendering  it,  in  our  opinion, 
the  very  best  among  table  plants.  The  propaga- 
tion of  this  species  is  easilj-  managed,  seeds  which 
are  frequently  produced  on  our  oldest  plants  ger- 
minating as  freely  as  the  garden  Asparagus,  and 
growing  into  useful  little  table  plants  in  about 
twelve  months. 

Bulbs. — One  of  the  best  for  November,  De- 
cember, and  January  is  the  Roman  Hyacinth. 
Until  January  we  have  been  more  successful  with 
this  than  any  other.  It  may  either  be  grown  to 
make  a  display  in  pots  or  for  cutting.  Five  bulbs  in 
a  0-inoh  pot  make  a  pretty  display,  or  they  may 
be  placed  singly  in  ,'i-inch  pots,  and,  for  cutting 
only,  quantities  of  them  may  be  grown  together 
in  boxes.  There  is  no  ditliculty  in  getting  them 
into  flower,  and  every  one,  no  matter  how  inex- 
perienced, may  succeed  in  their  culture.  Other 
early  Hyacinths,  which  may  be  had  at  Christmas 
by  a  little  attention,  are  Grand  Vainqueur,  Pelis- 
sier,  Mdme.  Tallyrand,  Grand  Vedette,  Bouquet 
Tendre,  Panorama,  and  La  Tour  d'Auvergne.  Some 
of  these  are  bright  in  colour,  but  some  might  pro- 
bably be  grown  more  for  scent  than  show,  and  one 
or  two  varieties  of  the  scarlet  Tulip  may  be  grown 
for  their  brightness,  and  in  this  respect  no  kind 
is  superior  to  the  Dae  Van  Thol  class.  As  regards 
Narcissi,  the  double  Roman  and  Paper-white  are 
easily  managed,  very  early  sorts.  Crocuses  we 
have  never  been  able  to  get  in  bloom  before  the 
days  began  to  lengthen  ;  indeed,  their  culture  for 
early  winter  decoration  need  not  be  attempted. 
Those  bulbs  which  iiave  been  named  for  early 
flowering  should  be  procured  at  once  and  potted ; 
a  mixture  of  loam  and  leaf-soil  or  half-decayed 
manure  is  suitable  for  all  kinds  of  bulbs.  It  is 
necessary  that  they  should  be  placed  in  the  dark 
some  weeks  before  forcing.  When  placed  under 
a  thick  covering  of  ashes.  Cocoa  fibre,  or  saw- 
dust, they  soon  show  signs  of  growth.  In  bringing 
them  on  to  bloom  they  should,  if  possible,  have  a 
position  near  the  light  and  a  temperature  of 
about  l'i0°. 

Chrysanthemums  are  always  useful  late  in 
autumn  and  early  in  winter.  At  present  all 
Chrysanthemum  pots  will  be  well  filled  with 
roots  and  the  bloom  buds  showing.  They  should 
occupy  the  most  sunny  position  obtainable,  as  it 
is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  the  wood  should 
be  well  developed  and  hard,  and  great  care 
should  be  taken  that  they  never  suffer  from  want 
of  water  at  the  root.  Manure  water  may  now  be 
freely  given.  The  middle  of  October  or  later  is 
early  enough  to  remove  them  from  the  open  air 
under  cover,  and  the  house  in  which  they  are 
placed  should  be   cool  and  unshaded.      By  many 


they  are  considered  not  ornamental  enough  to 
be  put  in  the  greenhouse  or  conservatory  before 
they  begin  to  bloom,  and  until  then  a  cool 
Peach  house  or  similar  place  will  suit  them. 
Some  of  our  Chrysanthemums  are  placed  in  a 
slightly  heated  house,  and  others  in  a  house  in 
which  there  is  no  heat,  and  by  means  of  the 
two  places  we  always  manage  to  have  blooms 
from  the  beginning  of  November  until  a  little 
way  in  January.  AVhen  in  flower  they  are  always 
kept  very  moist  at  the  root,  but  the  atmosphere, 
especially  where  there  is  no  heat,  is  always  kept  as 
dry  as  possible,  as  the  flowers  suffer  from  damp, 
especially  those  of  the  Japanese  kinds.  February 
is  the  month  when  most  of  the  Chrysanthemum 
cuttings  are  put  in,  but  tops  rooted  in  July,  and 
grown  on  in  3  inch  or  4-inch  pots,  make  pretty 
little  plants  for  Christmas  blooming;  in  fact,  for 
small  vases  or  dwarf  edging  plants  they  are  much 
more  useful  than  the  others. 

Salvias  are  another  grand  class  of  winter- 
flowering  plants.  They  are  as  easily  rooted,  grown, 
and  bloomed  as  Chrysanthemums,  and  are  just 
the  plants  for  those  who  have  no  great  amount  of 
heat  at  command  in  winter.  They  grow  quickly 
and  bear  stopping  freely.  They  also  speedily  fill 
their  pots  with  roots,  and  where  large  plants  are 
wanted  plenty  of  pot  room  must  be  given  ;  8-inch 
pots  are  the  largest  we  use,  and  we  have  small 
plants  furnished  with  three  or  four  flowering 
shoots  in  2.^-inch  pots.  It  is  from  the  point  of 
each  shoot  that  the  bloom  comes,  and  the  more 
points  produced  by  frequent  stopping  the  better. 
Stopping  may  be  practised  until  September,  and 
the  points  taken  off  may  be  rooted  until  then.  . 
They  like  a  'rich  soil.  In  summer  they  may  be 
grown  out-of-doors,  and  about  this  time  they 
should  be  placed  in  a  cool  house  or  frame  well  ex- 
posed to  the  sun.  Here  the  shoots  will  lengthen, 
and  from  November  onwards  abundance  of 
flowers  will  b3  produced.  Further  on  when  plants 
show  signs  of  becoming  exhausted  they  may  be 
placed  in  a'litlle  more  heat,  their  food  increased, 
and  a  succession  of  bloom  will  be  the  result. 

Chinese  Primulas.— These  should  always  Ije 
grown  in  quantity  for  winter  flowering.  Some 
strains  are  very  much  superior  to  others,  and  care 
should  be  taken  to  secure  the  best.  Useful  plants 
may  be  grown  in  l-inch  pots,  and  the  largest  in 
li-inch  ones.  At  the  present  time  the  earliest  are 
just  showing  bloom.  A  little  soot  water  now  will 
improve  them  greatly  ;  strong  liquid  manure  must 
not  be  given.  Many  grow  their  Primulas  in  the 
shade  in  summer.  Ours  are  grown  in  the  sun,  and 
those  which  have  been  previously  in  the  shade 
should  be  put  in  a  sunny  position  at  once  I  o  harden 
them  for  the  winter.  Primulas  and  other  soft- 
wooded  plants  have  a  tendency  to  decay  in  damp 
weather  or  in  moist  positions  in  winter,  and  those 
grown  in  the  shade  are  always  worst  in  this 
respect.  It  is  surprising  how  much  better  plants 
grown  in  the  sun  will  stand  the  severities  of 
winter.  Primulas  do  not  bear  strong  heat  well, 
and  they  do  not  force  readily,  but  all  forward 
plants  in  light,  airy  positions  now  will  bloom 
fast  enough  without  forcing.  From  now  onwards 
Primulas  require  to  be  watered  with  care. 

Abutilons. — These  are  not  so  extensively  cul- 
tivated as  they  should  be.  We  are  annually 
increasing  our  stock,  and  have  never  too  many. 
They  are  easily  cultivated  in  summer,  and  bloom 
with  great  certainty  in  winter.  Until  the  end 
of  this  month  a  cold  frame  is  a  suitable  place 
for  them,  and  after  that  any  kind  of  green- 
house. Their  beautiful  bell-shaped  flowers  are 
produced  in  numbers  at  the  point  of  every  shoot, 
and  until  they  are  allowed  to  flower  they  should 
be  constantly  stopped  in  order  to  make  them 
branching  and  bushy.  From  now  onwards  they 
may  be  said  to  come  naturally  into  bloom,  and 
they  will  continue  to  do  so  the  whole  winter 
through.  For  this  purpose,  however,  it  is  im- 
portant that  they  be  well  ripened,  and  if  this 
has  not  already  been  accomplished  it  should  be 
set  about  at  once.  During  long  periods  of  cold, 
dull  weather  a  little  fire-heat  assists  them  to 
open  more  freely,  and  liquid  manure  is  beneficial 
when  the  pots  are  full  of  roots.    From  even  a 


Sept.  27,   1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


279 


fmall  collection  flowers  may  be  had  almost  every 
day  in  the  year,  and  their  shape  and  colours 
enable  them  to  be  used  in  the  most  choice 
arrangements. 

liouvAKDiAS  may  be  classed  amongst  the 
choicest  winter  flowers.  They,  too,  are  easily 
grown,  but  not  so  much  so  as  some  things; young 
healthy  plants  of  them  are  more  satisfactory  than 
old  ones.  Early  propagation  and  frequent  stopping 
will  secure  dwarf  bushy  plants  for  winter  use.  A 
cold  frame  fully  exposed  to  the  sun  is  their  proper 
summer  quarters.  Now  they  may  have  a  little 
more  warmth,  but  very  little,  as  strong  heat 
now  will  hurry  them  over,  and  they  will  be  weak 
and  straggling  long  before  they  come  into  flower. 
From  a  frame  we  shift  ours  into  a  cool  house,  to 
which  no  artificial  heat  is  applied  until  it  is 
wanted  to  keep  out  frost.  Those  we  want  to  bloom 
in  October  and  November  are  showing  quantities 
of  buds  now,  and  later  ones  are  still  being  pinched. 
Cutting  the  flowers  induce?  fresh  growth,  and 
consequently  more  blossom.  Cleanliness  is  a  great 
matter  in  the  case  of  liouvardias,  and  to  this  a 
sharp  eye  should  be  kept. 

Cet.osias, — These  are  not  produced  from  cut- 
tings, but  may  be  readily  obtained  from  seed. 
This  for  the  winter  plants  need  not  be  sown  before 
July,  and  from  then  until  now  the  young  plants 
may  be  grown  on  in  frames.  After  this  they  should 
have  a  littlemore  heat,  such  as  is  generally  afforded 
by  one  of  those  useful  odd  houses  set  apart  to 
bring  flowers  forward  for  the  conservatory.  As 
the  shoots  grow  they  are  always  inclined  to  bloom 
at  the  points,  and  if  this  is  allowed  to  take  place 
they  will  not  become  very  bushy,  but  by  picking 
the  blooms  off  as  they  appear,  shoots  and  leaves 
will  be  made,  and  the  flowers  may  be  allowed  to 
form  after  the  plants  have  got  to  a  good  size.  The 
flowers  may  have  been  keep  off  until  now,  but 
after  this  they  should  be  allowed  to  grow,  and 
during  November  and  December  they  will  make  a 
pleasing  display,  their  feathery  plumes  mixing  in 
and  contrasting  well  with  the  other  flowers  al 
ready  named.  Small  plants  in  0-inch  pots  are 
generally  the  best  after  this  time,  or  two  or  three 
may  be  put  into  a  larger  sized  pot. 


Flower  Garden. 

TIJIELY  NOTES  ON  PLANTING  FLOWEES. 
In  no  season  of  the  year  can  the  planting  of  hardy 
flowers  be  done  with  more  satisfaction  and  com- 
fort than  in  August  and  September.  Where  work 
and  time  press,  it  is  a  happy  feeling  to  know  that 
two  birds  have  been  killed  with  one  stone,  but 
not  a  few  instances  might  be  mentioned  to  show 
how,  at  this  period,  twice  that  number  of  items 
of  important  work  can  be  got  through  by,  as  it 
were,  one  move  or  the  carrying  out  of  one  idea.  I 
wish  to  convey  the  fact  that  certain  operations 
should  be  seasonably  gone  through  now,  at  least 
as  regards  one  or  two  matters,  because  if  once 
accomplished  and  the  results  noted,  a  deal  will  be 
found  to  have  been  gained  in  the  amateur's  expe- 
rience of  gardening,  and  the  reward  will  be  in- 
creased enjoyment — in  other  words,  timely  and 
proper  planting  will  show  hundreds  of  amateuis 
that  their  failures  have  not  hitherto  been  so  much 
from  want  of  time  and  labour  as  from  the  non-use 
of  these  at  the  right  period.  Now,  for  one  or  two 
examples  before  we  go  further.  Let  us  take  a 
mixed  garden  where  fruits  and  hardy  flowers 
are  grown.  By  midsummer  many  plants  will 
have  done  flowering,  and  will  present  an  un- 
tidiness which  we  would  like  to  remove ;  that  is 
fact  number  one.  Next,  we  see  hundreds  of  seed- 
lings springing  up  everywhere ;  practically  and 
for  present  purposes  they  are  weeds,  or,  say,  good 
things  in  the  wrong  place  ;  they  may  be  Wall- 
flowers, Snapdragons,  Poppies,  Foxgloves,  Evenicg 
Primroses,  Forget-me-nots,  Canterbury  Pells,  and 
similar  flowers.  That  is  fact  number  two.  Then 
it  may  be  observed  that  all  the  best  fruit  is  just 
about  cleared,  and  there  is  the  usual  wear  and 
tear  ;  a  few  broken  branches  here  and  there;  the 
soil  has  a  hard-trodden  and  an  ungarden-like  ap- 
pearance, and  for  all  purposes  it  would  be  the 


better  for  being  put  in  order.  That  is  fact  number 
three.  Lastly,  somewhere  about  the  place  there 
will  most  likely  be  an  accumulation  of  refuse  or 
manure,  as  the  interval  during  which  it  is  not  used 
will  ha\e  been  about  the  longest  of  any  during 
the  year.  Now,  here  we  have  four  sources  of  un- 
tidiness, all  unavoidable  in  a  certain  sense,  but 
all  capable  of  remedy  about  the  latter  end  of  this 
month. 

What  should  be  done  /  Let  us  "  waste  not,'' 
that  we  may  ''want  not."  Let  us  utilise  each 
misplaced  article  for  the  general  good,  and  have 
it  done  during  the  long  days  and  pleasant  weather. 
There  is  no  need  to  upset  the  place,  as  we  shall 
see.  To  begin,  let  us  trim  off  the  broken  parts  of 
the  fruit  bushes,  cut  out  the  old  and  spent  Rasp- 
berry canes,  placing  supports  to  the  reduced 
numbers  of  the  new  ones  to  be  left  for  next 
year's  fruiting,  and  also  pinch  or  summer  prune 
the  fruit  trees  ;  take  all  this  woody  refuse 
to  some  place  to  be  burnt,  for  we  shall  shortly 
want  the  ashe.=.  Now  have  wheeled  on  the  trodden 
but  cleared  spaces  what  manure  is  wanted  ;  let 
digging  be  done,  burying  the  refuse  in  the  trenches ; 
as  the  spade-work  goes  on  use  a  dibbler  with  or 
without  a  line,  and  plant  from  all  parts  of  the 
garden  the  seedlings  of  such  flowers  as  I  have  just 
named,  which  happen,  by  the  way,  to  be  kinds 
that  like  a  little  shade  and  flower  earlier  for  it  in 
spring.  In  the  more  open  spaces  the  untidy 
browned  plants,  such  as  the  single  and  double 
Pyrethrums,  Delphiniums,  Dicentras,  Pieonias,  &c  , 
may  be  divided  and  replanted,  that  is,  such  as  may 
be  supposed  to  be  needing  it,  and  then  such 
favourites  as  Primroses,  Polyanthuses,  and  Daisies 
may  be  set  in  veritable  carpets  under  trees  or 
anywhere,  and  how  grateful  they  seem  for  a  new  bed 
and  deeper  planting  in  summer.  When  the  plant- 
ing is  finished,  after  a  more  or  less  prolonged  time, 
the  aslies  of  the  burnt  prunings  may  be  scattered 
over  the  newly  set  roots  ;  these  sweeten  the  plot, 
check  the  ravages  of  slugs  and  stimulate  growth. 
All  this  may  be  termed  but  the  carrying  out  of 
one  idea,  and  what  is  the  result  of  it  .'  JIuch 
good  has  been  done ;  the  fruit  quarters  look 
trim;  the  refuse  is  in  its  proper  place— in  the 
land.  Jlisplaced  and  valuable  seedlings  are  now 
where  they  can  thrive  and  become  a  source  of 
pleasure  in  spring  instead  of  being  cast  away,  and 
then  being  transplanted  in  summer  will  prove  of  far 
greater  advantage  than  if  performed  at  a  later 
period.  All  these  young  plants  may  be  looked  upon 
as  a  clear  gain,  as  a  reserve  from  which  one  may  draw 
for  the  supply  of  gaps  in  any  part  of  the  garden. 
By  operations  of  this  character  a  garden  soon 
assumes  a  neatness  which  it  had  outgrown,  and 
the  result  is  satisfactory  on  every  hand.  This  is 
routine  work,  which  is  carried  out  year  by  year,  and 
the  results  always  compare  or  rather  contrast  well 
with  those  where  the  management  has  been  lax 
during  summer.  Summer  does  not  offer  much 
opportunity  for  tilling  the  ground,  but  this  should 
only  be  another  and  stronger  inducement  for  its 
more  thorough  working  when  the  chance  does 
occur. 

A  general  idea  may  thus  be  gathered  of  when, 
how,  and  where  to  plant  certain  flowers,  and  it 
may  be  useful  to  notice  a  few  things,  especially 
for  making  a  fine  show  of  colour  in  the  early  part 
of  the  year.  In  doing  this  I  only  propose 
glancing  at  a  few  good  old  favourites,  such  as 
everybody  loves  to  see.  In  such  quarters  Wall- 
flowers may  be  planted  in  that  style  which  always 
sets  them  off  to  most  advantage,  viz  ,  in  masses. 
Daisies  can  be  had  in  flower  many  weeks  earlier 
by  summer  planting  in  a  little  shade  than  they 
otherwise  would  be.  Foxgloves  now  to  be  had  in 
such  magnificent  kinds,  and  so  popular,  would 
form  an  unusual  treat.  Violets,  I'rimroses,  Jind 
Polyanthuses  would  make  a  lovely  group,  and  be 
likely  to  do  well  under  such  comfortable  condi- 
tions. Ctlobe  flowers  would  make  a  good  show  the 
season  after  being  transplanted,  and  such  bulbs  as 
Crocuses,  Daffodils,  and  Tulips  would  have  a  snug 
and  pleasing  effect  among  shrubs  or  fruit  bushes. 
Snowdrops  are  tempting,  but  these  usually  require 
more  than  a  year  to  be  had  effective.  Campanulas 
of  nearly  all  kinds  would  be  suitable,  but  more 


especially  the  earlier  bloomers.  The  March  and 
April  flowering  Leopard's-banes  are  exceedingly 
rich  and  unusual  flowers,  coming  so  early. 
Columbines  will  be  found  to  yield  finer  bloom  in 
a  little  shade,  and  do  well  the  first  season.  The 
finer  kinds  of  this  favourite  flower  ought  to  be 
much  more  grown  than  they  are.  Many  other 
things  might  be  planted  under  the  conditions 
above  set  forth,  such  as  Hepaticas,  Christmas  and 
Lenten  Koses,  Rose  of  Sharon,  Omphalodes 
verna,  &c.,  but  I  do  not  recommend  them,  as  they 
do  not  get  into  a  free  flowering  state  the  first 
year,  and  need  to  be  left  undisturbed  for  years 
together.  It  were  well  to  enquire  which  of  the 
more  desirable  hardy  flowers  could  be  grown  in 
semi-shaded  places  and  to  indicate  them,  but  the 
enumeration  given  in  no  way  pretends  to  be  a 
full  one,  and  it  may  be  added  to  according  to 
available  supplies  or  the  kinds  desired.  My 
object  has  been  to  show  that  by  timely  planting, 
early  and  favourite  flowers  may  be  produced  on 
formerly  useless  ground,  and  I  am  sure  if  the 
reader  will  try  the  plan  once,  the  earlier  and  more 
abundant  show  of  spring  bloom  will  afford  a 
cheering  reward.  J.  AN  odd. 

WoodviUe,  Kirltstall. 


MANURING  HERBACEOUS  PLANTS. 
Doubtless,  where  practicable,  a  mulch  of  manure 
is  of  great  service  even  to  herbaceous  plants,  but 
"J.  C.  C'  (p.  183)  exaggerates  the  importance  of 
this  by  comparing  their  exhaustive  effects  on  the 
soil  in  a  space  of  two  years  with  those  produced  by 
Onions  and  Cauliflowers  in  a  few  months.     The 
comparison  is  scarcely  a  fair  one,  inasmuch  as  the 
produce  in  the  latter  case  is  taken  away  from  the 
garden,  whereas  in  herbaceous  borders  the  nutrient 
matter  is  returned  to  the  roots  on  the  approach  of 
winter,  when  the  plant  apparently  dies,  there  to  be 
stored  for  future  use.     Kitchen  vegetables,  on  the 
other  hand,  use  a  far  greater  proportion  of  soil 
constituents  than  garden  plants,  ranging  as  they 
do  up  to  SO  per  cent,  of  their  weight  in  potash 
and  soda  compounds ;   these  taken  out  of  the 
garden  must,  of  course,  be  replaced  by  means  of 
manure,  unless  the  soil  is  to  be  permanently  im- 
poverished.    Besides,  herbaceous  plants  increase 
and  multiply  to  such  an  extent,  that  we  have  re- 
gularly to  take  up  and  divide  them,  or  they  would 
become  too  crowded  to  obtain  their  due  share  of 
light,  heat,  and  moisture ;  and  here,  I  imagine, 
is  the  true  cause  of  the  plants  to  which  "  J.  C.  C." 
alludes  being  so  deficient  as  they  are  in  healthy 
growth.     To  plant  bulbs   and   perennial  plants 
in    moderately   prepared    soil   and    leave    them 
to  chance  is  well  enough  for  a  while  ;  but  with- 
out   occasional   lifting    and    division   so    as    to 
distribute  the  surplus  growth,  is  to  tempt  Nature 
to  return  us  for  our  neglect  a  dwindled,  poor,  and 
weakly  growth,  with  few  and  poor  flowers,  such 
as  those   complained   of.      ".1.  S.  W.'   (p.    221) 
states  that  some  of  his  borders  have  not  been 
manured  for  years ;   still    there  appears  no  de- 
terioration in" the   plants.       He  also  tells   us  o£ 
bulbs,  such  as   1  )affodils,  growing  and  flowering 
for  twenty  years  without  assistance.    The  case  of 
lawns,  however,  is  somewhat  different ;  they  may 
go  on  for  many  years  without  any  manure,  as  by 
analysis  00  per  cent,  of  the  ashes  of  hay  (for  ex- 
ample) consists  of  silica ;  and  as  79  per  cent,  of 
good  light  sandy  loam,  the  perfection  of  Grass 
land,  consists  of  silicates,  we  can  see  the  reason 
of  this.  Little  is  required  to  produce  a  silky,  dense 
lawn  besides  rain  and  repeated  mowings.      To 
manure   lawns   is   to   encourage  coarse,  vigorous 
growth.      "J.  S.  W."   asks  what  the  Grass  lives 
upon  if  not  upon  the  food  supplied  in  the  rain.     I 
may  reply  that  Grass  food  is  principally  carbon, 
much  of  which  is  obtained  from  the  air,  and  after 
this  a  structure  of  sandy  and  other  matters  dis- 
solved by  the  rains  which  fall,  containing  oxygen, 
hydrogen,  and  ammonia  in  solution,  the  latter  at 
the  rate  of  80  pounds  per  acre  per  annum.     We 
know  ammonia  to  be  a  valuable  stimulant,  and  can 
thus  readily  see  the   advantage   of  using    rain 
water  wherever  obtainable  in  preference  to  any 
other.     This  is  the  reason  why  the  lawns  which 
"  J.  S.  W."  names  remained  fresh  and  fair  for  thirty 


180 


THE     GARDEN 


[Sett.  27,  1884. 


years  without  manure  ;  yet  in  exposed  hot  soils,  if 
the  Grass  be  frequently  cut  and  carried  away, 
there  is  a  tendency  to  deteriorate,  not  so  much  by 
impoverishment  as  by  the  exposure  of  the  young 
growths  and  roots  to  a  burning  sun  and  drying 
wind  ;  whereas  if  a  fine  cutting  be  occasionally  left 
on,  the  tender  shoots  and  soil  get  a  beneficial 
shade.  A  dense,  green,  and  velvety  turf  is  the  re- 
sult, without  any  objectionable  appearance  from 
the  Grass  being  left  on,  provided  the  Boxes  are 
omitted  only  on  a  close  short  cut.  Manuring 
lawns  is  objectionable  ;  and  as  to  manuring  her- 
baceous borders,  I  am  of  opinion  that  it  is  far 
better  to  leave  them  alone  than  to  force  the  plants 
to  run  the  gauntlet  of  stabs  and  wrenches  from 
the  border  fork  when  used  in  "  lightly  forking  in  ;" 
but  in  cases  where  it  seems  imperative,  a  mulch 
or  sprinkling  of  old  crumbly,  rotten  manure  an- 
swers the  purpose  and  does  not  look  so  unsightly  as 
the  annual  manurings  given  to  our  flower  beds 
cccapied  with  tender  plants,  as  recommended  by 
'■  J.  C.  C.,"  who,  by  the  way,  is,  I  think,  wrong 
when  he  says  that  "  it  stands  to  reason  that  there 
arc  plenty  of  herbaceous  plants  that  will  in  two 
years  exhaust  every  bit  of  nutriment  contained  in 
the  soil  in  which  they  are  growing.' 

R.  A.  H.  G. 


FEENCH  AND  AFKICAN  MARIGOLDS. 

Visitors  to  the  recent  horticultural  exhibition  at 
Dundee  could  not  fail  to  have  been  struck  with 
the  beauty  of  the  French  and  African  Marigolds 
shown  upon  that  occasion,  la  (he  case  of  the 
African  we  saw  four  or  more  distinct  types,  not 
that  these  were  new,  for  we  have  grown  them  in 
the  south  for  ten  or  twelve  years  past,  but  the 
cool  moist  climate  of  the  north  and  the  special 
and  careful  attention  bestowed  upon  them  enabled 
one  to  see  them  to  the  best  advantage.  The 
orange  and  lemon  types  were  clear  in  colour,  the 
petals  bro.id  and  smooth,  and  so  overlapping  each 
other  as  to  form  large  and  extremely  handsome 
flowers.  The  fine  golden  variety  was  there  also, 
and  the  quilled  Primrose  form.  Years  ago  we 
made  efforts  to  select  and  fix  these  two  last,  but 
they  would  hark  back  to  the  common  forms,  not- 
withstanding our  efforts  to  the  contrary.  The 
French  kinds  were  shown  in  three  forms,  the 
rich  orange- chestnut  self,  the  deep  golden  self, 
and  the  striped  form.  Now,  a  perfectly  striped 
French  Marigold  should  have  a  broad,  well  de- 
fined golden  stripe  running  down  the  centre  of 
each  petal,  and  equally  clear,  well  defined  stripes 
of  rich  chestnut  or  maroon  at  the  sides,  the  pe- 
tals regularly  displayed,  and  so  form  a  perfect 
rosette.  Compare  these  with  the  ordinary  African 
and  French  Jlarigolds  seen  in  the  south,  and  how 
great  is  the  difference.    A  centre  of  quilled  florets 

— what  some  term  a  "buzzle- eyed  flower  " is  a 

great  disfigurement,  and  it  is  never  seen  in  the 
exhibition  flowers  in  the  north.  The  favourite 
French  Marigold  in  the  north  is  what  is  known 
as  the  tall  striped  ;  it  is  a  rampant  and  inelegant 
grower,  but  produces  flowers  of  the  highest 
quality.  I  saw  at  Mr.  John  Downie's  nursery,  at 
Murrayfield,  one  or  two  fine  forms  of  the 
striped  French  Marigold,  one  of  them  of  extra- 
ordinary sizB,  grand  in  form,  and  finely  striped. 
All  growers  of  striped  Marigolds  know  that  seed 
saved  from  the  finest  varieties  will  produce  in- 
ferior forms,  and  Mr.  Downie  was  trying  the  ex- 
periment of  layering  a  few  of  his  choicest  types, 
pegging  them  down  into  pots  of  soil  much  as  one 
would  Strawberry  runners.  Whether  he  will  suc- 
ceed in  rooting  them  remains  to  be  seen.  He  had 
also  put  in  cuttings  of  some  of  the  best,  and  by 
this  means  hoped  to  secure  plants  that  he  could 
winter  in  a  warm  house.  He  will  experience  some 
difficulty  in  doing  this,  but  the  varieties  are  so  fine 
and  so  well  deserving  of  being  preserved,  that  we 
hope  he  will  prove  successful.  In  one  of  his 
greenhouses  Mr.  Downie  showed  me  a  few  plants 
in  pots,  which  he  had  received  from  a  gardener  in 
the  north  of  Scotland  as  representing  the  finest 
strain  of  French  ]\Iarigolds  he  had  ever  seen.  They 
■were  seedlings,  and  all  were  single  and  very  poor, 
and  yet  the  seeds  might  have  been  taken— as  we 
have  no  doubt  they  were— from  a  variety  of  the  very 


best  character.  In  Mr.  Downie's  collection  was 
a  plant  bearing  single  flowers  with  but  one  row  of 
petals,  but  these  marked  in  the  most  approved 
manner.  He  said  he  should  retain  this  plant  for 
seed,  as  he  had  found  that  a  finely  marked  single 
variety  when  grown  among  fine  double  forms  pro- 
duced double  flowers  remarkable  for  their  excel- 
lence. Previous  to  making  a  journey  to  Scotland 
we  had  attended  some  flower  shows  in  the  west  of 
England  and  in  the  midland  districts  where  Mari- 
golds are  shown  for  prizes.  The  African  varieties 
were  generally  pretty  good,  but  the  French  kinds 
were  poor — too  poor  in  not  a  few  instances  to  de- 
serve the  awards  made  to  them.  Lut  so  long  as 
judges  give  prizes  on  the  ground  that  they  are  the 
best  produced,  so  long  will  ill-conditioned  flowers 
be  placed  on  the  exhibition  table.  R.  D. 


CORVDALIS  SEMENOVI. 

The  bulbous  or  tuberous  rooted  section  of  the 
genus  Corydalis  is  certainly  amongst  the  easiest 
plants  to  cultivate  on  rockeries  which  we  possess, 
and  by  far  the  most  useful  where  time  during  the 
seed-sowing  peiiod  is  a  consideration.  Being 
nearly  all  natives  of  Siberia,  they  are  perfectly 
hardy  and  iiuite  at  homo  jn  this  country  under  one 
condition,  viz.,  they  must  be  kept  absolutely  dry 
during  the  resting  season  and  watered  only  occa- 
sionally, even  when  in  active  growth.    The  kind 


Corydalin  Scmer.ovi. 

of  treatment  recommended  for  the  Leontices  and 
?.lso  for  the  P.ongardia  will  suit  them  admirably, 
but  where  objection  is  made  to  hand-lights  or 
bell-glasses  being  used  in  the  rockery,  they  may 
be  planted  under  overhanging  ledges,  which,  by 
the  way,  ought  to  be  made  specially  for  them.  The 
soil  should  be  scooped  out  to  the  depth  of  a  foot 
and  old  lime  rubble  to  which  has  been  added  a 
little  loam  and  leaf-soil  substituted.  In  planting 
the  tubers  care  should  be  taken  not  to  cover  the 
crown  ;  simply  lay  it  on  the  prepared  soil,  slightly 
pressing  and  fastening  it  down  with  a  hoop  peg. 
C.  Ledebouriana,  C.  Sewerzowi,  and  C.  Semenovi 
— the  one  represented  in  the  annexed  illustration 
— are  all  very  desirable  kinds  and  good  rock  plants, 
especially  the  last,  which  has  finely-cut  Fern-like 
glaucous  leaves.  Its  flowers,  which  are  borne  on 
stalks  from  (i  inches  to  9  inches  high,  are  tubular, 
about  an  inch  long,  and  produced  profusely.  They 
vary  in  colour  between  opening  and  falling  from 
a  dullish  yellow  with  a  tinge  of  purple  to  reddish 
or  dark  purple,  and  are  very  handsome  in  early 
spring.  K. 

French  Marigolds.— How  bright,  fresh,  and 
pleasant  these  look  at  the  present  time.  They  do 
not  seem  to  mind  inclement  weather  at  all,  and 
bloom,  I  think,  with  greater  freedom  in  September 
than  at  any  other  time.  It  is,  however,  important 
to  secure  a  good  strain  with  well-formed,  dis- 
tinctly marked,  and  perfectly  double  flowers  (I  do 
not  think  the  single  ones  worth  growing),  the 
plants  at  the  same  time  being  of  bushy,  dwarf 
habit.     Given  these  desired  features,  and  I  doubt 


if  any  flower  will  be  more  admired  in  the  outdoor 
garden  at  this  season  of  the  year.  The  seed 
should  be  sown  in  warmth  in  March,  so  as  to  get 
nice  little  well-hardened  plants  ready  to  put  out 
by  the  last  week  in  May.  They  then  become 
eilective  by  August,  and  last  good  till  the  late 
autumn  frosts. — J.  C.  B. 


HERBACEOUS  BORDERS. 
In  forming  new  borders  of  this  kind  the  condi- 
tion of  the  soil  must  determine  what  amount  of 
preparation  is  necessary.  If  the  ground  has  laid 
any  length  of  time  without  being  cultivated,  it 
will  require  more  preparation  than  that  wh  ch  has 
lately  been  occupied  with  other  crops.  Let  it, 
therefore,  suffice  to  say  that  in  order  to  secure 
lasting  success,  a  depth  of  from  18  inches  to 
2  feet  of  good  soil  is  necessary  ;  and  as  many  of 
the  subjects  with  which  it  will  be  planted  will  be 
permanent  in  character,  it  should  be  trenched  to 
the  required  depth.  Any  large  stones  or  other 
rough  material  should  also  be  picked  out  of  it,  and 
if  the  soil  is  poor,  something  stimulating  should 
be  added.  This  may  consist  of  well-rotted  farm- 
yard manure  or  fresh  earth.  On  strong,  heavy 
soils,  leaf  mould,  road  grit,  or  charred  rubbish  will 
be  better  than  strong  manure.  When  either  of 
the  last-named  materials  are  used,  they  should  be 
spread  on  the  surface  after  the  land  is  trenched, 
and  then  be  forked  in.  It  is  of  primary  import- 
ance to  secure  a  good  tilth,  so  that  the  roots  may 
have  a  fine,  well-broken  soil  on  which  to  lay  hold. 
On  this  success  a  good  deal  depends,  especially  in 
the  case  of  small  plants  and  those  with  few 
and  delicate  roots.  Planting  may  be  done 
either  in  spring  or  autumn  but  I  am  decidedly 
in  favour  of  the  latter.  There  are,  however,  some 
few  valuable  hardy  plants  which,  unless  I  could 
secure  large  sturdy  pieces,  I  would  not  like  to  risk 
planting  in  the  autumn  ;  I  would  rather  get  them 
home  before  winter  and  give  them  some  protection 
until  spring.  All,  however,  except  the  most  hardy 
and  strong-rooted  subjects,  should  be  planted  by 
the  middle  of  September,  and  then  they  will  have 
time  to  get  settled  in  their  new  quarters  before 
severe  weather  sets  in.  Whenever  I  have  adopted 
early  planting,  and  have  put  in  fair  sized  pieces, 
I  have  not  known  any  reputedly  hardy  subjects  to 
suffer  from  a  hard  winter.  Having  to  deal  with  a 
soil  that  is  not  favourable  for  many  tender-rcoted 
plants,  owing  to  its  harsh  and  crude  character,  I 
have  frequently  to  make  the  stations  with  some 
good  soil  before  I  can  put  in  the  plants,  and  there 
are  a  good  many  other  gardens  where  the  soil  is 
not  of  a  kindly  nature  in  which  a  few  handfulsot 
fine  sandy  soil  if  put  round  the  roots  of  fresh 
planted  subjects  would  be  of  great  benefit  to  them. 
I  find  that  such  little  extra  attentions  as  these 
make  all  the  difference  in  the  results. 

The  aerakgement  of  the  plants  in  a  her- 
baceous border  will  depend  somewhat  on  what 
they  are,  but  more  depends  on  the  width  of  the 
border.  A  much  more  striking  arrangement  can 
be  made  in  a  moderately  wide  border  than  in  a 
narrow  one.  A  width  of  from  10  feet  to  It  feet 
is  the  most  suitable,  as  then  plants  of  a  propor- 
tionate height  and  diameter  can  be  grown  in  it.  I 
like  for  the  back  a  few  deciduous  and  evergreen 
flowering  shrubs  ;  they  diminish  the  bareness 
during  winter,  and  there  are  so  many  flowering 
shrubs  of  compact  growth  which  blossom  early  in 
spring,  that  they  add  considerably  to  the  attrac- 
tiveness of  the  border.  I,  however,  leave  spaces 
between  the  shrubs,  which  should  form  the  back 
row  for  such  tall-growing  plants  as  Hollyhocks, 
Tritomas,  llelianthemums,  and  that  very  hand- 
some summer-flowering  Reed,  Aiundo  conspicua. 
It  is  best  to  plant  in  lines,  as  then  one  can  pet 
between  the  plants  to  attend  to  them.  In  the 
next  line  may  be  the  tallest  of  the  Michaelmas 
Daisies ;  the  best  of  these  are  Novi  Belgi,  Chap- 
mani,  formosissimus,  Uevis,  and  polyphyllus.  Other 
plants  may  consist  of  Chrysanthemum  specio.sum, 
Harpalium  rigidum.  Coreopsis  lanceolata,  Hya- 
ciuthug  candicans,  Larkspurs,  Golden  Rods,  tall 
Campanulas,  Anemone  japonica,  Phloxes,  peren- 
nial Lupines,  scarlet  Lychnis,  Thalictrums,  Pseo- 
nies,  and  perennial   Peas.     The  third  row  may 


Sept.  27,  1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


281 


include  Veronicas,  Dielytra  spectabilis,  Gaillar- 
dias,  Sedum  Fabaria,  (Koothera  fruticosa,  I'oten- 
tillas,  Dictamnus  Fraxinella,  Campanula  pcrsici- 
folia,  Asphodelus  lutens,  Canterbury  liells,  Antirr- 
hinums, Wallflowers,  Aquilegias,  and  Matricaria 
inodora.  These  are  all  that  should  be  planted  in 
lines  in  borders  of  the  width  stated.  I  find  it  to  be 
more  convenient  for  the  growth  of  low-growing 
subjects  to  have  a  space  3  feet  in  width  along  the 
front  for  bulbs  and  other  dwarf-growing  plants 
which  look  best  when  not  arranged  in  rows.  Of 
course  a  little  attention  must  be  paid  to  the  heiglit 
of  the  various  subjects;  for  instance,  in  the  case 
of  bulbs  the  late-flowering  single  Tulips,  Jonquils, 
and  Narcissi  should  be  at  least  'J.^  feet  away  from 
the  front,  and  such  plants  as  Alyssum  saxatile 
compactum,  Iboris  corifolia.  Campanula  carpatica, 
RudbeckiaNewmani,doubleaDd  single Pyrethrums 
should  be  in  front  of  them.  To  these  might  be 
aided  Sweet  Williams,  Pink?,  and  Carna'ions. 
For  the  space  next  the  walk  there  are  so  many 
subjects  of  a  dwarf  character  so  well  suited,  that 
one  hardly  knows  which  to  select.  Of  bulbs  I 
should  certainly  plant  Hyacinths,  Tulips,  Crocuses, 
Snowdrops,  Anemones,  Jonquils,  Irises,  Grape 
Hyacinths,  winter  Aconites,  Scillas,  Hnowflakes, 
Triteleias,  and  hardy  Cyclamens.  Mingled  be- 
tween the  clumps  of  bulbs  should  be  Aubrietias, 
Fansie.^,  Violas,  Phlox  frondosa  and  1'.  Nelsoni, 
Polyanthuses,  Primroses.  Erica  carnea,  Arabis, 
Oenothera  macrocarpa,  Myosoti.*,  Plumbago  Lar- 
penta;,  and  many  others  which  I  need  not  name. 
I  have  already  enumerated  sufficient  to  produce  a 
lasting  display.  J.  C.  C. 


IIARDINESSOFAGAPANTHUSUMDELLATUS. 
A  MILD  winter  and  a  hot  summer  evidently  suit 
this  plant  better  than  when  these  conditions  are 
rever.^cd.  Our  plants,  which  have  stood  in  the 
open  borders  for  the  past  eight  years,  are  just  now 
conspicuous  objects.  They  are  flowering  grandly, 
and  the  foliage,  too,  is  both  plentiful  and  fine.  I 
have  known  them  to  flower  fairly  well  before 
after  a  mild  winter,  but  their  condition  this  year 
surpasses  that  of  all  previous  ones,  and  it  makes 
one  feel  that  they  are  deserving  of  more  attention 
than  I  have  yet  given  them.  We  liave  one  plant 
with  five  large  heads  of  flower  en  stems  quite 
■1  feet  high.  This  is  the  variety  called  magnificus, 
and  well  it  deserves  its  name.  It  is  greatly  supe- 
rior to  the  common  form,  which  has  much  smaller 
heads  of  flower  and  much  shorter  stems.  Since 
cur  plants  have  been  where  they  now  are  they 
have  stood  20°  of  frost  without  any  protection 
whatever  ;  although  the  foliage  was  killed, 
the  roots  have  always  survived.  Last  winter 
was,  however,  so  mild,  that  the  leaves  were 
retained  unharmed,  and  the  result  now  is, 
as  I  have  just  stated,  a  grand  display  of  flower, 
but  when  the  leaves  have  been  injured  during 
winter,  if  the  plants  have  flowered  at  all,  they 
have  done  so  but  weakly.  This  seems  to  show 
that  if  we  want  this  plant  to  flower  regularly  and 
well,  we  must  keep  the  leaves  green  and  healthy ; 
those,  therefore,  who  are  desirous  of  having  it  in 
their  borders  may,  I  think,  do  this  by  affording 
it  the  shelter  of  a  hand-light  with  a  mat  thrown 
over  it  in  frosty  weather.  I  cannot  hope  to  give 
it  so  much  attention,  but  I  will  try  lifting  it  in 
October,  placing  it  in  a  large  pot  and  wintering  it 
in  a  frame  where  it  can  have  light  and  air  to  pre- 
serve the  foliage.  After  all  dangerof  frost  is  over 
I  will  plant  it  out  again.  In  this  way  I  feel  sure 
that  I  shall  ensure  noble  heads  of  flowers  every 
year.  J.  C.  C. 

Helianthua  doronlcoldea— Since  writing 
the  note  on  Sunflowers  which  appeared  in  The 
GAitDEN  (p.  215)  I  have  received  the  second  part 
of  Asa  Gray's  new  work  of  the  "  Flora  of  North 
America"  containing  the  Sunflowtrs.  The  cross- 
naming  there  noted  is  most  perplexing,  but  I 
must  say  something  about  this  name  doronicoides. 
The  plant  I  described  in  my  note  to  The  Gaeden 
was  the  doronicoides  of  the  herbaceous  garden  at 
Kew  and  of  Asa  Gray's  "  Botany  of  the  Northern 
United  States,"  fifth  edition,  1870,  page  2.")7;  but 
in  his  new  book  this  name  is  transposed,  and  H. 


doronicoides  of  Lamarck  preferred  to  it.  As  far 
as  I  can  make  out,  this  latter  is  identical  with  the 
plant  I  have  distributed  as  doronicoides,  though 
the  characters  of  some  of  these  Sunflowers  are 
most  perplexing  and  uncertain.  0.  Woi.ley 
Don,  /;'.///(•  Hall. 


THE  AUTUMNAL  SNOWFLAKE. 

(ACIS   AUTUMNALIS.) 

This  dainty  little  flower  is  now  in  bloom  with  u', 
and  is  so  beautiful  in  its  own  modest  and  unas- 
suming way,  that  one  may  be  excused  for  wishing 
that  it  were  more  plentiful.  Its  silvery  bells  call  to 
mind  the  earliest  Snowdrop,  that  little  Galmthus 
octobriensis,  of  which  the  late  Mr.  Harpur  Crewe 
used  to  be  so  proud,  as  it  is  seen  in  blossom  along 
with  the  Colchicums  and  Crocuses  of  the  waning 
year.  That  we  get  a  flush  of  spring-like  flowers 
now  that  falling  leaves  and  cool,  misty  nights 
remind  us  that  summer  is  ended  is  a  remarkable 
phase  of  plant  life,  and  one  that  helps  to  make 


mi 


The  autumnal  Snoic/lake. 

even  the  time  of  the  "sere  and  yellow  leaf "  en- 
joyable in  all  good  gardens.  Our  little  sketch 
shows  Acis  (Leucojum)  autumnalis  of  the  natural 
size,  and  its  leaves  are  added,  although  in  reality 
they  are  not  always  present  at  the  time  of  blos- 
soming. Acis  autumnalis,  under  the  name  of 
Leucojum  bulbosum  minus  autumnale,  is  figured 
and  described  by  Clusius  in  his  "  Historiic  Stir- 
piam,"  l.")7G,  p.  271-2.  Faithful  old  Parkin- 
son describes  this  plant  at  p.  110  and  gives  a 
woodcut  of  its  flowers  on  p.  107  (fig.  10)  of  his 
"  Paradise,  or  Garden  of  Pleasant  Flowers''  (lOoO). 
He  also  describes  another  dwarf  spring-blooming 
Leucojum,  or  bulbous  Violet,  and  as  this  plant  is 
not  now  common  or  well  known,  what  he  quaintly 
says  of  it  may  prove  of  more  than  usual  interest. 

Leucojum  bulbcsum  versum  minimum 
(the  small  bulbous  Violet  of  the  spring)  — "  This 
small  Leucojum  sendeth  forth  his  small  ami  long 
green  leaves  like  hairs  in  autumn  and  before 
winter,  which  abide  green  until  April,  and  then 
wither  away  quite,  and  about  May  there  ariseth  up 
a  naked  slender  stalk,  at  the  top  whereof  break 


forth  two  small  white  flowers,  made  of  six  leaves 
apiece,  hanging  down  their  heads,  the  three  inner 
leaves  being  a  little  larger  than  the  three  outward, 
a  little  reddish  near  the  stalk,  and  very  sweet ; 
Hie  root  is  small  and  round,  and  covered  with  a 
dark  coat. " 

This  plant,  which  is  very  rare  in  cultivation,  is 
no  doubt  the  Leucojum  hyemale  of  the  Hutanlcal 
Miigir.inc,  plate  0711.  This  pretty  little  white- 
flowered  bulbous  plant,  resembling  much  in  gene- 
r.il  appearance  one  of  the  smaller  varieties  of 
Narcissus,  is  indigenous  to  a  small  strip  of  rocky 
shore  on  the  lliviera,  reaching  from  Nice  to  two 
miles^ast  of  Mentone,  and  as  the  name  hyemale 
conveys  a  wrong  idea,  as  the  plant  does  not  bloom 
till  April,  M.  Jordan  has  proposed  to  change  its 
name  to  nica^ensis,  which  would  be  more  appro- 
priate. It  has  also  been  described  under  the  vari- 
ous names  of  Galanthus  autumnalis,  Acis 
hyemalis,  Ruminia  hyemalis,  and  Ruminia  nicie- 
ensis.  It  was  first  sent  to  Kew  in  1870  by  the 
late  Mr.  J.  T.  Moggridge,  and  flowered  there  in 
the  herbaceous  border  in  the  spring  of  1871.  It 
is  also  figured  in  Mr.  Woggridge's  beautifully 
illustrated  work  on  the  "  Flora  of  Mentone  "  on 
plate  21.  Acis  autumnali.s,  the  little  plant  figured, 
is  also  described  as  follows  by  I'arkinson  ; — 

Leucojum  rulbcwm  autumnale  (the 
small  autumn  bulbous  Violet).  — ■' As  the  former 
small  Leucojum  sprang  np  with  his  leaves  with- 
out flowers  in  autumn,  so  this,  contrariwise,  riseth 
up  with  his  slender  brownish  stalk  oi;  flowers  in 
autumn  before  any  green  leaves  appear,  whereon 
stand  two  or  three  very  small  snow-white  pen- 
dulous flowers,  consisting  of  six  leaves  apiece, 
and  a  little  reddish  at  the  bottom  of  the  flower 
next  unto  the  stalk,  so  like  unto  the  former  that 
one  would  take  them  to  be  both  one  ;  after  which, 
there  grow  small  brown  heads  containing  small, 
black,  round  seed  ;  after  the  flower  is  past  and  the 
seed  is  ripening,  and  sometimes  after  the  heads 
are  ripe  the  leaves  begin  to  spring  up,  which,  when 
they  are  full  grown,  are  long,  green,  and  as  small 
or  smaller  than  the  leaves  of  the  autumn  Hyacinth, 
which  abide  all  the  winter  and  spring  following, 
and  wither  away  in  the  beginning  of  summer. 
The  root  is  small,  long,  and  white." 

At  p.  110  Parkinson  also  tells  us  that  these  two 
small  kinds  "  were  first  found  in  Spain  and  Por- 
tugal and  sent  to  me  by  Guillaume  Boel,  but  the 
first  was  so  tender  that  scarce  one  of  a  score 
sprang  with  me  or  would  abide."  Roel  was  a 
Hutchman,  and  perhaps  one  of  the  earliest  of  plant 
collectors,  and  Parkinson  complainingly  informs  us 
in  another  part  of  his  quaint  old  book  that  he  seot 
Roel  into  Spain  "almost  wholly  on  my  charge,'' 
adding  that  he  brought  him  "  little  else  for  my 
money  than  seeds  of  chiceling  Peas,"  but  he  gave 
seeds  to  others,  so  that  "  I  beate  the  bushe  and 
another  catcheth  and  eateth  the  bird. " 

F.  W.  B. 

A  SCILLY  BULB  FIELD. 
We  have  for  a  long  time  been  told  that  Narcissi 
were  plentiful  on  the  Cassiterides.  But  it  is  only 
within  the  last  few  years  that  specimens  of  them 
have  reached  Covent  Carden.  The  islanders, 
simple  folk,  never  thought  of  turning  to  advan- 
tage the  Scilly  whites  (the  true  Polyanthus  Nar- 
cissus) of  their  weedy  gardens.  With  the  acces- 
sion to  power,  however,  of  the  present  king  a  new 
order  of  things  has  arisen,  and  Narcissus  growing 
has  become  quite  a  staple  trade.  In  every  suitable 
locality  bulb  grounds  are  being  formed,  and 
January  and  February  have  become  flowery 
months.  The  bulb  field  par  execUciu-c  of  the 
islands  is,  however,  on  the  Tresco  Abbey  estate, 
and  this  is  the  one  to  which  I  am  about  to  allude. 
It  is  on  the  southern  slope  of  a  hillside.  The 
ground  is  divided  into  strips  i)()  feet  long  and 
80  feet  broad  by  Reed  screens,  which  are  to  be  re- 
placed by  hedges  of  Escallonia  macrantha.  The 
plants  to  form  these  hedges  were  planted  about 
three  years  ago  at  the  base  of  the  screens,  and  have 
already  in  some  instances  reached  the  top  thereof, 
a  height  of  some  +  feet  or  more.  Since  rooted 
cuttings  of  the  preceding  year  were  alone  used, 


282 


THE  GAKDEN 


[Sept.  2/,  1884. 


a  good  idea  is  given  of  the  value  of  this  Esoallonia 
to  the  Scillonians. 

The  soil  is  in  the  form  of  sand,  blacker  and 
fuller  of  decomposed  organic  matter  than  that  of 
Overveen  or  Vogelenzang.    The  bulbs  are  inserted 
in  raised  beds,  slightly  manured  with  decayed 
seaweed,  kept  for  a  year,  and  cow  manure ;  this 
dressing  is  renewed  before  each  planting.     Ibe 
foliage  is  always  allowed  to  die  down,  and  thus 
if  the  bulbs   are    not   taken   up  that  year  no- 
thing is  wanted  in  the  way  of  manure,  except  per- 
haps a  thin  sprinkling  of  seaweed     The  length 
of  time  during  which  the  Narcissus  bulbs  are  lett 
undisturbed  varies  from  one  to  three  years,  ac- 
cording as  they  are  required  for  llowering  pur- 
poses or  for  multiplication.     The  date  of  lifting  is 
the  month  of  June;  the  offsets  are  then  removed 
and  the  bulbs  kept  for  about  a  month.     Replant- 
ing commences  in  the  middle  of  August  and  is 
proceeded  with  as  actively  as  possible.   So  favour- 
able is  the  climate,  that  Tazettas  can  be  sent  into 
Covent  Garden  before  Christmas,  to  be  followed 
in  uninterrupted  succession  by  the  Soleil  d  Ors^ 
Scilly  whites,  and  Gloriosas.    The  way  in  which 
the  bulbs  multiply  in  the  fine  rich  soil  here  is  ex- 
traordinary, and  Mr.  Dorrien-Smith's  stock  can  be 
cDunted  by  tens  of  thousands.     They  are  not  quite 
in  a  condition  as  yet  to  come  into  the  market,  but 
so  much  has  been  done  in  three  years,  that  every 
hope  can  be  entertained  of  their  soon  being  able 
to  do  so     A  very  practical  and  efficient  method 
is  adopted  for  keeping  the  varieties  distinct  both 
in  lifting,  storing,  and  planting,  and  the  future 
Durchaser  can    be    without   reserve    guaranteed 
trueness  to  name.     Since  the  Scilly  bulbs  ripen 
fully  a  month  earlier  than  in  Holland,  their  value 
for  forcing  and  for  early  flowering  will  be  incal- 
culable.    Let  us,  however,  again  turn  to  our  bulb 
field     A   glance  at  the  labels  shows  that  every 
species  that  can  be  bought  is  there,  besides  many 
others  that  cannot. 

Vaeieties  — The    Polyanthus    varieties    most 
grown  are  Victoria,  Jaune  Supreme,  Staten-Gene- 
ral,  and  Grand  Monarque.  The  Tazettas  especially 
the   Paper-white   and  Dubius,   are  also  in  great 
quantity.      Among  the    Ajaxes  are   a    stock   of 
Emperor  and  Empress,  sufficient  to  excite  the  envy 
of    the  most   easy-going  bulb-lover.     There   are 
besides  large  beds  of  Horsfieldi,  obvallans,  Van 
Sion,  princeps,  sulphur,  orange,  and  silver  Phccnix, 
Trumpet  maximus,  ragilobus,  and  lobularis.     In 
lesser  quantity  are  those  gems  the  Corbularias,  in- 
cluding  Clusii,    Graelsi,  and  citrina.     Rupicola, 
Leedsi,  amabilis,  C.  J.  Backhouse,  and  many  other 
dainty  kinds  Mr.  Dorrien-Smith  cultivates  more 
for    his    own    amusement    than    anything    else. 
Besides  the  Ajax  varieties  mentioned  above,  an 
immense  number  of  pallidus  prajcox  are  planted. 
Slacleayi  and   Bazelman  major  are  also  largely 
grown.    N.  poeticus  ornatus  can  be  reckoned  by 
the  loioOO,  and  the  stock  of  grandiflorus,  recurvus, 
and  plenus  by  twice  or  three  times  that  number. 
These,  with  a  large  number  of    incomparables, 
Balbo'codiums,  and  odoratus  fl.-pl.,  will  be  pro- 
bably found  to  contain  the  varieties  for  which  there 
will  be  the  greatest  demand.     Mr.  Dorrien-Smith 
Is  also  fortunate  enough  to  be  the  owner  of  a  large 
quantity  of  La  Favourite. 

Besides  Narcissi  are  cultivated  many  Irises, 
both  English  and  Spanish,  and  the  collection  is 
completed  by  the  prettiest  of  the  Kasmpferi 
group  and  by  such  varieties  as  susiana  and 
iberica.  Ixias  and  Lilium  candidum  are  grown 
for  the  sake  of  their  flowers,  which  usually 
command  good  prices.  And  since  the  last  few 
days  of  August  the  whole  field  has  been  brightened 
by  large  beds  of  Amaryllis  Belladonna.  These 
are  in  the  greatest  possible  perfection,  some  spikes 
carrying  as  many  as  20  flowers.  The  soil  is  also 
adapted  for  the  Guernsey  Lily,  and  indeed  for  all 
kinds  of  bulboui  plants;  and  given  the  Dutch 
canals  and  ditches,  fine  Hyacinth  roots  could  be 
.  produced.  C.  A.  M.  Caemichael. 

VioletB.— It  seems  but  a  short  time  ago  when 
we  were  picking  the  double  Russian,  and  now  (the 
second  week  in  September)  we  are  picking  good 
bunches  of  Patrise.     This  and  Venice  are  two 


capital  Violets  of  the  lesser  known  varieties,  and 
which,  together  with  Victoria  Regina,  Marie 
Louise,  and  Neapolitan,  will  keep  us  well  going 
until  the  Russian  is  again  ready.  Carnea  flori- 
bunda,  a  very  sweet  pink  variety,  has  been  in 
bloom  more  or  less  througli  the  summer  months, 
supplying  the  link  between  spring  and  autumn, 
and  enabling  us  to  state  without  much  exaggera- 
tion that  we  have  Violets  all  the  year  round.  — 
E.  B. 


HERBACEOUS  PHLOXES. 

These  were  a  leading  feature  among  the  cut 
flowers  at  the  recent  horticultural  exhibition  at 
Dundee.  There  were  two  or  three  classes  for 
them,  and  they  were  shown  in  the  form  of  large 
bold  spikes  bearing  finely  formed  flowers,  some 
very  rich  in  colour.  The  Phlox  is  much  grown 
for  exhibition  purposes  in  Scotland  ;  therefore  it 
was  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  cut  specimens 
were  extensively  shown,  or  that  they  were  fine  in 
character.  They  were  staged  in  a  somewhat  close 
and  confined  space  under  a  narrow  canvas-covered 
annexe,  and  it  was  not  until  one  stood  close  by 
them  that  they  appreciated  the  sweet  and  grate- 
ful perfume  which  they  emitted.  We  heard 
visitors  exclaiming,  What  is  it  smells  so  sweetly  ? 
and  they  appeared  surprised  and  a  little  disap- 
pointed when  they  were  told  it  was  given  forth 
by  the  common,  every-day,  though  charming, 
Phloxes. 

There  are  two  distinct  types  of  the  herbaceous 
Phlox  cultivated  in  Scotland,  one  of  which  is 
called  the  sufifruticosa,  or  early  flowering  sec- 
tion, dwarf  in  growth  as  well  as  early  in  bloom, 
and  the  decussata,  a  late  flowering  section,  in 
which  the  varieties  produce  taller  foliage,  the 
stems  throwing  out  lateral  flower  shoots  towards 
the  top,  while  they  are  much  hardier  in  constitu- 
tion. The  early  flowering  section  appears  to  do 
best  in  cool  and  moist  districts  ;  the  later  flowering 
section  flourish  in  our  southern  counties,  and  are 
more  suited  to  warmer  and  drier  soils.  Though 
the  two  sections  appear  to  posses?  much  in  com- 
mon, they  have  yet  essential  differences,  though 
these  are  less  pronounced  than  they  were  by 
reason  of  the  varieties  of  the  two  types  having 
been  crossed 


James  Galloway,  shaded  rosy  scarlet,  large  crim- 
son eye,  John  Downie,  light  shaded  rosy  crimson, 
changing  to  deep  crimson,  fine  form ;  John  Stuart, 
bright  rosy  crimson,  yellow  eye,  fine  and  distinct; 
Lady  Belhaven,  pure  white,  bright  rosy  pink  eye; 
Lady  Macdonald,  light  rosy  lilac,  fine  crimson 
eye,  very  handsome;  Malcolm  Dunn,  light  rosy 
peach,  fine  crimson  eye,  largo  and  handsome ; 
Miss  Smart,  light  rosy  lilac,  deep  rose  eye,  per- 
fect form,  and  very  fine  for  exhibition  ;  Mrs.  Ellice, 
pure  white,  with  a  distinct  rosy  crimson  eye,  a 
fine  show  variety  ;  Mrs.  France,  white,  deep  rose 
eye,extrafine  :  Mrs.  John  Downie,  large  pure  white, 
extra  large  crimson  eye,  one  of  the  very  best;  Mrs. 
Kinghorn,  light  rosy  lilac,  of  fine  form  and  quality ; 
Resplendens,  bright  rosy  scarlet,  fine  form  and 
spike  ;  and  Roi  des  Blanches,  fine  white.  We  may 
remark  that  the  foregoing  selections  were  made 
from  the  collection  growing  it  Mr.  John  Downie's 
nursery,  at  Murrayfield,  Edinburgh. 

There  is  no  reason  why  any  lover  of  the  Phlox 
should  not  grow  a  few  seedlings.  All  the  types 
seed  pretty  freely,  and  ripe  seed  can  be  gathered 
in  autaiiin.  As  soon  as  possible  afterwards  the 
seed  should  be  sown  in  pans  or  shallow  boxes, 
using  a  fine  light  soil  made  up  mainly  of  good 
loam,  leaf-mould,  and  silver  sand ;  these  should  be 
placed  in  a  cold  frame  and  the  surface  kept  moist, 
and  in  due  time  the  seeds  will  germinate,  but  the 
raiser  must  not  be  in  a  hurry  or  grow  impatient. 
In  course  of  time  the  plants  will  present  them- 
selves, some  earlier  and  some  later,  and  when  they 
have  grown  sulliciently  large  to  handle,  they 
should  be  potted  off  until  they  are  large  enough  to 
plant  out  in  the  open  ground  to  flower. 

R.  D. 


Really  the  varieties  of  both  sections  are  of  com- 
paratively easy  cultivation,  requiring  merely  good, 
rich  ordinary  garden  soil,  and  as  they  are  per- 
fectly hardy,  they  are  well  adapted  for  planting 
in  beds  or  for  isolating  in  the  mixed  border.     In 
planting  a  bed  or  border  there  is  no  reason  why 
the  early  and  late  varieties  should  not  be  planted 
alternately  ;  by  doing  this  a  display  of  flower  can 
be  had  from  the  beginning  of  June  until  the  end 
of  September.     In  order  that  this  can  be  arranged, 
a  selection  of  the  best  varieties  in  each  section  is 
given  as  follows  :  Early  flowering— Argus,  French 
white,  fine  form,  and  excellent  spike  ;  Burns,  deep 
rosy  purple,  fine  form  ;  Charles  Downie,  dark  rosy 
crimson,  very  dark  eye,  extra  fine ;  Colonel  Flatters, 
rosy  purple,  crimson-eyed,  large  and  fine  :  Countess 
of  Galloway,  pure  white,  a  lovely  and  richly  fra- 
grant variety ;  Lady  Musgrave,  also  pure  white, 
but   distinct   from    the    foregoing,   very    sweet- 
scented  ;  Luna,  white,  splashed  and  shaded  with 
rose ;  Mauve  Queen,  bright  slate  colour,  perfect 
form,  the  flowers  large  and  forming  a  very  fine 
spike  ;  Miss  E.  Stephenson,  French  white,  slightly 
shaded  with  rose,  fine  spike  ;  Mrs.  A.  Fowler,  pure 
white,  with  a  rich  rosy  pink  eye;  Mrs.   Hardy, 
white,  shaded  with  rose,  finely  formed  flowers ; 
Mrs.   W.  Richards,  white,  slightly  shaded  with 
purple,  extra  fine  form,  and  very  fine  spike  ;  Per- 
fection, pure    white,    with   pale  rosy  eye,  very 
pretty  ;  Rosy  Gem,  beautiful  dark  rose,  extra  fine 
form ;    and  Thomas  Ormiston,  a  shaded  purple 
self,  large  and  very  fine. 

Of  the  decussata  or  late  flowering  section,  the 
following  will  be  found  a  unique  selection  :  Alex- 
ander Shearer,  deep  rosy  scarlet,  fine  form  and 
striking  spike ;  B.  S.  Williams,  bright  rosy  crim- 
son, dark  crimson  eye,  very  fine ;  Countess  of 
Aberdeen,  very  large,  pure  white,  bright  rosy  crim- 
son eye,  one   of  the  finest  varieties  yet  raised; 


CRINUM  MOOBEANUM. 
Mb.  Powell's  memory  does  not  serve  him  well 
when  he  states  (p.  2.")2)  that  I  told  him  his  African 
Crinum  was  C.  conspicuum  africanum.  I  said  that 
I  had  grown  it  years  ago  as  C.  ornatum  africanum. 
He  is  also  in  error  in  saying  that  I  told  him  C. 
Mooreanum  was  a  cross   from  C.  amabile,  as  I 
always  considered  C.  Mooreanum  to  be  the  same 
as  the  variety   gathered  wild   and  sent  to  this 
country.  The  history  of  C.  Mooreanum  is  singular, 
and  furnishes  an  instance  of  how  confusion  in 
names  arises.     Over  twenty  years  ago  I  had  it  as 
C.  ornatum  africanum,  and  a  little  later  on  I  saw 
a  quantity  of  it  growing  outdoors  and  blooming 
well  with  the  late  Mr.  Sigismund  Rucker,  who  gave 
me  three  of  the  bulbs,  but  so  firmly  were  they 
fixed  in  the  ground,  that  a  pickaxe  had  to  be  used 
to  get  them  up,  and  after  all  they  were  broken 
and    died.      Mr.   Pilcher    can    bear    me  out    in 
what    I     say.       After    a    while     I    lost    sight 
of    the  plant,  and    thought  no  more  about    it 
until  Messrs.  Jacob  Makoy  &  Co.  brought  it  for- 
ward as  C.  Makoyanum.     I  identified  it  with  my 
old  friend,  but  found  on  referring  it  to  the  Kew 
herbarium  that  it  had  also  been  sent  there  as  C. 
Macoivani  or  C.  Mackeni  (for  it  had  got  into  gar- 
dens under  both  names).     While  the  plant  was 
under  consideration  I  went  one  day  into  the  tem- 
perate house  at  Kew  and  there  found  the  identical 
plant,  evidently  an  old  inhabitant,  and  bearing  on 
the  label  the  name  C.  ornatum  var.  africanum,  or 
C.  ornatum  (S.  Africa)—!  am  not  sure  which.  It  was 
in  full  bloom,  and  so  there  was  no  mistaking  it. 
Afterwards  I  learned  that  C.   Makoyanum    was 
considered  to  be  the  same  as  C.  Mooreanum,  and  I 
gladly  accepted  the  name  for  the  whole  batch,  as 
C.  ornatum  has  been  applied  to  very  dissimilar 
species.     I  have  no  hesitation  is  saying  that  the 
plant  I  knew  as  C.  ornatum  africanum  (the  one 
Mr.  Rucker  had),  C.  Makoyanum,  C.  Mackeni,  and 
C.  Macowani  are  all  C.  Mooreanum,  and  that  that 
species  is  perfectly  hardy  if  planted  deep  (say,  2 
feet)  in  most  places  in  Great  Britain.     There  are 
different  varieties  varying  slightly  in  tint  and  in 
the  breadth  of  the  petals,  but  they  are  all  one  and 
the  same  thing,  and  plants  of  it  have  been  in  this 
country  many  years.     In  proof  of  this  I  may  say 
that  the  same  week  it  first  flowered  uiider  one 
of  its  new  names,  an  immense  plant  of  it,  many 
years  in  this  country,  was  sold  at  Stevens's  as  C. 


Sept.  2/,  1S84.] 


THE   GARDEN 


283 


ornatum  africanum,  so  that  name  mast  have  been 
lecognised  formerly  in  gardens. 

James  O'Brien. 


Statioe  Suwarowi.— I  think  Mr.  Hovey 
(p.  ISO)  is  rather  hard  on  thi^  new  plant.  It  is 
not,  I  admit,  a  striking  plant,  bat  it  is  quite  equal 
to  some  other  novelties  I  have  tried.  I  grew  my 
stock  of  this  plant,  four  in  a  7-inch  pot,  and  each 
one  produced  spikes  of  flowers  from  G  inches  to  8 
iQches  long,  of  a  dark  lilac  colour ;  but  it 
only  remained  a  short  time  in  good  condition,  and 
I  am  willing  to  admit  ih  is  one  we  can  very  well 
dj  without.  Why  ha5  it  bepn  given  such  an  ugly, 
unpronounceable  nam3  ?  -J.  C.  C. 

Othonna  cheirifolia. — Some  one  writing 
recently  about  this  plant  in  The  Garden  re- 
marked that  the  second  or  specific  name  meant 
"  VValltlower-leaved,"  and  that  the  foliage  of  the 
Othonna  did  not  much  resemble  that  of  a  Wall- 
flower. Neither  does  it.  Cheirifolia  is  gardener's 
Greek,  a  badly  formed  word,  meaning  "  with  foli- 
age like  a  hand."  The  beautiful  glaucous  foliage 
of  the  Othonna  has  a  digitate,  or  hand-like  appear- 
ance. Cheirifolia,  from  Greek  ckeir,  a  hand,  and 
Litin  folium,  a  leaf  ;  Cheiranthus,  Wallllower, 
from  cheir,  a  hand,  and  unthns,  a  flower,  both 
Greek.  There  is  not  much  resemblance  in  the 
blossom  of  a  Wallflower  to  a  hand,  and  I  do  not 
know  whence  the  name. — Salmoniceps. 

Mignonette  seed.  — I  am  surprised  to  learn 
from  a  short  reply  recently  on  the  subject  of 
Mignonette  seed  that  it  shovUd  be  found  diflicult 
to  obtain  it  true.  If  any  grower  of  this  plant  for 
seed  has  several  kinds  and  grows  them  near  each 
other,  of  course  confusion  must  result;  but  when, 
as  I  believe  to  be  the  case,  most  respectable 
growers  for  seed  keep  their  stocks  not  only  wide 
apart,  but  well  "  rogued,"  seed  ought  to  be  true, 
and  indeed  is.  I  grow  only  two  kinds,  and  those 
the  best,  viz ,  Parsons'  Giant  White  for  outdoor 
culture — and  a  grand  Mignonette  it  is  for  massing 
and  the  production  of  sprigs  for  cutting— and  the 
giant  red  pyramidal  form,  such  as  is  the  most 
favoured  by  our  market  growers  for  pot  culture 
This  latter  is  compact,  erect,  has  large  spikes  of 
flower,  and  is  deliciously  scented. — D. 

Silene  Schafta. — Whrn  hardly  a  Silene 
with  the  exception  of  the  pretty  native  S.  mari- 
tima  and  its  double  variety,  is  to  be  seen,  S, 
Schafta,  like  a  gem  in  the  wilderness,  brightens 
up  dull  places  with  its  handsome  and  graceful 
cushions  of  wiry  stems  and  little  bright  green 
leaves,  lieginning  about  the  end  of  July,  it  con- 
tinues in  flower  until  cut  off  by  the  early  frosts, 
and  as  it  grows  in  the  open  border  with  remark- 
able freedom,  no  more  suitable  plant  could  be 
used  for  edgings  or  near  the  fronts  of  borders.  On 
the  rockery  a  position  near  that  of  Lychnis 
LagasciB  may  be  chosen  for  it,  as  it  begins  to 
flower  just  as  the  Lychnis  is  over,  and  thereby  a 
succession  of  pretty  rosy  purple  flowers  may  be 
kept  up  during  the  greater  part  of  the  summer  and 
autumn.  It  may  be  readily  increased  by  division 
of  the  roots  or  by  cuttings.— K. 

A  noble  hardy  foliage  plant  (Gunnera 
manicata). — A  specimen  of  this  really  magnificent 
Brazilian  foliage  plant  seems  to  be  quite  at  home, 
and  with  the  slight  protection  of  a  heap  of  dead 
leaves  piled  over  its  crown  in  severe  winters,  quite 
hardy  in  Mr.  Hoey's  garden  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Newry,  Co.  Down,  in  the  north  of  Ireland.  It 
is  planted  on  the  brink  of  a  small  pond,  so  that  its 
roots  can  reach  the  water  and  drink  their  fill  there- 
from, while  the  crown  of  the  plant  is  well  above 
it  and  fully  exposed  to  the  sun.  In  this  position 
(which  seems  to  suit  it  exactly),  and  after  about 
three  years'  occupation  thereof,  it  has  attained  the 
following  splendid  and  extraordinary  dimensions : 
Number  of  leaves,  sixteen ;  diameter  of  plant, 
18  feet ;  diameter  of  largest  leaf,  close  on  8  feet ; 
height  of  leaf-stalk,  rather  over  8  feet,  with  four 
handsome  fruiting  spikes  in  the  centre  of  the  plant. 
— W.  E.  G. 

Budbeckia  maxima.  —  This  Rudbeckia 
is  a  noble  plant,  and  one  well  worth  a  prominent 


position  in  any  garden.  One  fault,  however,  I 
must  admit  it  has,  and  that  is,  it  seldom  develops 
perfectly  formed  flowers.  Even  in  those  that  are 
best  formed  there  are  nearly  always  some  few  of 
the  rays  deficient.  Apart,  however,  from  floral 
value,  its  noble  port,  when  well  grown,  is  quite  suf- 
ficient to  recommend  it.     It  grows  generally  from 

0  feet  to  8  feet  high ;  its  leaves,  which  are  oval- 
shaped,  are  semi-perfoliate,  and  covered  with  a 
charming  glaucous  bloom  ;  the  root  leaves  are 
nearly  of  the  same  shape  and  borne  on  long  stalks. 
Dry  situations  and  tops  of  rockeries  seem  to  be  the 
best  position  for  which  this  plant  is  fitted,  and  as 
it  requires  no  attention,  it  ought  soon  to  find  its 
way  into  collections.  It  is  propagated  by  offsets, 
which  are  given  off  freely — rarely  by  seeds,  which 
seldom  ripen. — K. 

Cobaea  scandens. — Some  wSeks  ago  a  cor- 
respondent (H.  0.  Sulham,  p.  152)  drew  attention 
to  the  value  of  Eccremocarpus  scaber  as  an  out- 
door climber.  If  it  succeeds  with  him  I  would 
suggest  his  trying  the  Cobasanext  season  as  a  com- 
panion to  it.  Heeds  sown  here  in  a  cool  stove  in 
February  last  germinated  very  readily  ;  the  plants 
thus  raised,  when  about  2  feet  to  3  feet  high,  were 
planted  against  a  south  wall  in  May.  The  strongest, 
although  it  lost  its  leader  and  is  now  nearly  20 
feet  high,  has  many  branches,  and  has  been  flower- 
ing for  several  weeks  past.  The  blossoms  are  at 
first  pale  green,  turning  to  rich  purple  in  a  day  or 
two,  while  its  foliage  and  habit  are  exceedingly 
graceful.  It  will,  no  doubt,  be  cut  down  by  the 
first  smart  frost,  but  it  can  be  so  easily  and 
cheaply  replaced  that  that  does  not  matter. — 
Greenwood. 

Senecio  pulcher. — I  could  not  believe  any- 
one possessing  this  would  desire  to  be  without  it. 

1  have  always  placed  it  in  the  foremost  rank  amongst 
hardy  plants  of  recent  introduction  both  for  the 
size  and  rich  colouring  of  the  individual  blooms, 
which  remind  one  of  some  of  the  larger  flowered 
Mesembryanthemums,  and  which  neither  I'yre- 
thrum  nor  Aster  can  match.  It  has  one  great 
fault,  however — drawback,  if  you  like — which  is 
rather  derogatory  to  its  use  in  humid  districts.  It 
has  a  great  tendency  to  mould.  Two  or  three  close, 
foggy,  autumnal  days  in  succession  cause  the 
heads  of  inflorescence  to  perish  often  just  when  at 
their  best.  Having  over  and  over  again  experi- 
enced this,  I  now  grow  this  Senecio  in  pots,  when 
on  the  first  appearance  of  the  enemy,  or  should 
weather  set  in  likely  to  produce  it,  it  is  removed 
to  a  dryer  atmosphere  under  glass  where  it  can 
safely  complete  its  blooming  and  be  enjoyed  to 
the  last,  a  precaution  the  beautiful  season  which 
we  are  now  enjoying  has  hitherto  this  year  ren- 
dered unnecessary.  I  do  not  know  where  in  was 
discovered,  but  I  infer  from  this  that  it  must  be  a 
native  of  some  sunny,  arid  region.— J.  M.,  Char- 
mouth,  Dorset . 

Reseda  frutlculosa— I  have  been  staying 
for  a  few  days  at  Hornsea,  on  the  seacoast  of 
Holderness,  and  have  been  interested  in  a  shrubby 
Reseda  that  is  cultivated  in  gardens  on  the  coast. 
I  allude  to  R.  fruticulosa,  that  has  been  by  some 
wrongly  included  in  our  British  flora.  It  is,  like 
the  Mignonette,  mostly  partial  to  the  seacoast  of 
the  Mediterranean,  affecting  Europe,  Asia,  and 
Africa.  It  is,  unfortunately,  destitute  of  fra- 
grance, or  its  cultivation  would  be  more  extended 
than  it  is.  I  have  often  thought  that  hybrid  forms 
might  be  raised  that  would  give  us  the  shrubby 
growth  of  R.  fruticulosa  combined  with  the  lowlier 
growth  and  fragrance  of  R.  odorata.  The  glaucous 
divided  leaves  would  also  add  a  certain  amount  of 
beauty  to  the  plant.  The  flowers,  such  as  they 
are,  are  white,  and  the  anthers  red  beforeexpansion. 
Our  two  native  species  are  lovers  of  a  chalk  or 
limestone  soil.  Our  exotic  species  in  cultivation 
are  both  lovers  of  a  sandy  formation.  Another 
plant  that  I  notice  on  rockeries  in  the  seaside 
gardens  is  the  Artemisia  maritima.  The  graceful- 
ness of  the  reflexed  flower-spikes,  just  now  in  per- 
fection, and  the  glaucous  colour  of  its  leaves  make 
it  a  desirable  foliage  plant  in  our  seaside  gardens. 
I  have  not  noticed  it  wild  on  the  Yorkshire  coast, 
though  the  oolite  near  Scarborough  may  possibly 
furnish  us  with  examples  of  it.     I  know  not.    I 


seem  only  to  know  it  as  frequenting  our  salt 
marshes  in  the  south  of  England.  I  think  it  the 
most  graceful  of  the  tribe  of  the  Artemisias. — 
PeteeInchbald,  F.L  S.,  Hornsea,  Yorltshire. 

Carnation  layering  knife.— I  recently 
read  in  one  of  your  contemporaries  a  statement  to 
the  iS.tct  that  Mr.  Y>.  Simonite,  the  well-known 
Carnation  and  Picotee  cultivator  at  Sheffield,  had 
invented  a  knife  for  the  purpose  of  layering 
"  having  an  extremely  narrow  and  thin  blade  with 
cutting  edges  on  both  sides  and  a  fine  needle-like 
point."  Instead  of  inserting  the  knife  immediately 
below  the  joint,  cutting  the  stem  half  through, 
and  then  turning  the  knife  to  make  the  upwaid 
cut,  he  passes  his  knife  through  the  centre  of  the 
stem  an  inch  above  the  joint,  the  slits  being  made 
downwards  to  the  required  depth  below  the  joint; 
the  knife  is  then  withdrawn  and  the  horizontal 
cut  made  in  the  usual  manner.  I  do  not  know 
how  long  Mr.  Simonite  has  had  this  style  of  knife 
in  use,  but  it  is  not  new  to  layerers  of  Carnations 
and  Picotees.  Thirty  years  ago  I  was  with  Mr.  C. 
Turner  at  Slough,  and  in  those  days  the  task  of 
layering  was  heavy  and  prolonged  work.  One  of 
those  engaged  in  it  was  Thomas  Daniels,  who  used 
a  knife  similar  to  that  described  by  Mr.  Simonite, 
piercing  the  stem  through  with  it,  and  cutting 
downwards,  as  in  Blr.  Simonite's  case.  I  do  not 
know  how  long  Daniels  had  used  this  knife,  but  I 
think  it  was  made  according  to  his  own  design. 
He  was  a  most  expeditious  and  successful  layerer. 
I  can  speak  with  confidence  as  to  his  work,  as  for 
two, if  notfor  three,  successive yearsltrimmed and 
got  ready  the  plants  for  him,  and  while  employed 
in  the  Royal  Nursery  Daniels  always  did  the 
principal  part  of  the  layering. — R.  TiKhrs,  Ealing. 

Solanum  jasminoides.— This  is  a  fine 
creeper  for  outside  walls;  where  it  has  a  suitable 
position  it  grows  very  fast,  and  covers  a  large 
space  in  a  very  short  time.  Nearly  four  years  ago 
I  planted  here  a  plant  of  it  at  the  foot  of  the  wall 
of  the  south  front  of  the  mansion  in  a  prepared 
border,  in  soil  consisting  of  loam,  manure,  and 
lime  rubbish  in  nearly  equal  parts.  The  border 
was  well  drained  by  the  excavations  necessary  for 
the  foundations  of  the  house.  The  plant  com- 
menced to  grow  rapidly.  The  first  winter  we 
mulched  the  roots  with  short  manure,  and  covered 
the  top  with  a  mat,  thinking  it  was  not  sufficiently 
hardy  to  withstand  frost ;  since  then  it  has  not 
been  covered  in  any  way.  The  mild  winters  which 
we  have  lately  had  have  been  all  in  its  favour,  but 
I  do  not  think  that  it  is  hardy  enough  to  with- 
stand severe  frost  without  protection.  It  grew 
very  fast;  indeed,  since  that  time  it  has  scarcely 
ever  ceased  to  grow,  and  is  nearly  always  in  bloom, 
except,  perhaps,  during  a  month  or  two  in  the 
middle  of  winter.  It  is  now  28  feet  high,  and 
covers  a  wall  20  feet  wide.  It  is  one  mass  of 
bloom,  and  has  been  so  all  the  summer.  It  does 
not  require  much  pruning ;  the  shoots  (except  the 
leaders,  which  are  nailed  to  the  wall  as  fast  as 
they  grow)  are  allowed  to  hang  loosely,  a  condi- 
tion in  which  they  look  much  better  than  when 
all  are  fastened  tightly  to  the  wall.  It  has  been 
thoroughly  well  watered  during  the  summer  with 
liquid  manure,  and  well  washed  with  clear  water 
applied  with  the  garden  engine  to  keep  down  red 
spider,  to  the  attacks  of  which  it  is  liable  when 
allowed  to  become  dry  at  the  roots  in  a  hot  sea- 
son.— E.  JIOLYNEUX,  Sn-unmore  Purl;  Hamp- 
shire, 


SHORT  NOTES.— FLOWER. 


Dahlias  seeding'  without  bloisomlng.  —  Tliis 

se.l-son  dozens  of  buds  of  single  Dahlias  here  have  failed  to 
open,  Imt  have  tnrnod  brown,  and  on  e.xamination  are 
found  to  contain  abundance  of  apparently  (?ood  seed.  How 
has  the  fert'lisation  taken  place?  I  should  be  glad  to  know 
if  others  have  noticed  this  somewhat  siogular  fact. — 
Greenwood. 

Geranium  phseum.— I  see  in  The  Gakdeh  of  the 
20tli  inst.  that '' .Salmoniceps  "  speaks  in  "  Late  Notes  "  of 
this  Geranium  as  a  "  doubtful  British  plant."  I  may  state 
for  his  qualification  that  it  is  now  e.vistini;  in  an  absolutely 
wild  state  in  Norfolk,  and  wai  discovered  there  in  1SS3  by 
my  wife,  who  pointed  it  out  to  me.  If  he  is  a  real  lover  of 
English  botany  he  will  be  pleased  to  hear  this.— De  B. 
CRAW3HAV,  Rosejield,  Sevenoaks. 


284 


THE     GARDEN 


[Srpt.  27,  1884 


INDOOR    Garden. 

THE  PALM  HOUSE  AT  KEW. 

In  The  Garden  of  theGthinst.  there  is  an  article 
headed  "The  I'alm  House  at  Kew,"  in  which  it 
is  said  that  "great  improvemenls  liave  been 
carried  out  in  the  I'alm  house,  but  that  no 
good  results  will  accrue  from  any  efforts  in  this 
direction  until  the  perforated  iron  floor  on  which 
the  plants  stand  is  removed."  This  is  perfectly 
correct,  and  I  need  not  say  with  what  vexation, 
even  horror,  I  learned  that  I,  as  curator,  was 
to  grow  tropical  plants  on  an  iron  floor,  and 
to  be  "responsible  for  their  good  cultivation." 
It  was  not  until  four  years  after  its  commencement 
that  the  house  was  ready  to  receive  the  plants. 
On  going  into  it  with  the  foreman  (July,  liSlS),  in 
order  to  arrange  for  the  placing  of  the  plants,  the 
heat  was  almost  unbearable,  which  need  not  be 
wondered  at,  for  on  looking  up  nothing  was  to  be 
seen  but  massive  iron  rafters,  girders,  gallery, 
pillars,  which,  with  the  iron  floor  on  which  we 
stood  and  the  smooth  stone  shelves  and  paths  and 
glazed  roof,  readily  accounted  for  the  excessive 
heat.  The  whole  appeared  to  me  more  like  a 
dockyard  smithy  or  iron-roofed  railway  station 
than  a  place  to  grow  exotic  plants  in.  However, 
there  it  was,  a  fine  looking  architectural  struc- 
ture, erected  at  considerable  cost,  in  which  to  grow 
the  "  princes  of  the  vegetable  kingdom." 

The  first  put  in  were  the  two  large  plants  of 
Sabal  umbraculifera,  each  in  its  wooden  bo.^ 
weighing  17  tons.  The  other  I^alms  and  general 
collection  of  stove  plants  followed,  but  as  the 
area  which  they  occupied  in  the  old  house? 
was  only  about  half  the  area  of  the  centre 
division  of  the  I'alm  house,  they  did  but  little 
towards  filling  it,  and  it  was  not  for  another  year 
that  plants  were  to  be  seen  in  the  wings.  In 
1851  the  house  began  to  assume  a  full  appearance, 
and  in  lS.">t  Sir  \V.  Hooker  says:  "The  I'alm 
stove  wa^^  never  more  beautiful  than  at  the  pre- 
sent moment,  and  so  rapid  has  been  the  growth  of 
some  of  the  trees,  that  we  have  been  obliged  to 
remove  them  from  their  high  tubs  and  sink  them 
in  the  ground."  This  sinking  in  the  ground 
was  consequent  on  the  tubs  and  boxes  in  which 
they  were  grown  requiring  to  be  renewed,  as  their 
renewal  would  have  been  a  great  expense  occur- 
ring periodically,  and  the  boxes  were  not  very 
ornamental.  I  suggested  to  Sir  W.  Hooker  that, 
to  save  this  expense,  it  would  be  better  to 
sink  the  whole  of  the  large  Palms  in  the  centre 
division  of  the  house,  a  suggestion  in  which 
he  concurred.  This,  however,  could  not  be  done 
without  altering  the  position  of  the  hot-water 
pipes,  but  this  was  sanctioned,  and  it  was  with 
great  pleasure  that  I  saw  two-thirds  of  the  iron 
floor  of  the  centre  division  disappear.  This  gave 
us  space  for  six  beds  of  soil,  three  on  each  side  of 
the  centre  pathway  in  which  the  large  Palms 
were  planted.  This,  it  is  said  in  the  article  just 
alluded  to,  "  is  the  only  spot  where  the  plants  can 
be  seen  growing  as  luxuriantly  as  in  the  Tropics." 
Having  succeeded  thus  far  with  the  centre,  I 
determined  to  try  and  get  the  wings  served  in  the 
same  manner,  but  to  do  this  I  found  it  would  re- 
quire a  considerable  sum  of  money,  eo  I  did  not 
press  it. 

Theungenial  atmosphere  caused  by  themasses  of 
iron  and  stone  was  not,  however,  the  only  draw- 
back to  the  good  health  of  the  plants  ;  they  some- 
times had  to  endure  a  lower  temperature  than 
was  good  for  them  ;  this  was  consequent  on  the 
furnace  rooms  being  flooded  every  winter,  even 
sometimes  to  so  great  a  degree  as  to  threaten  the 
extinction  of  the  fires,  which  being  thus  deprived 
of  sufficient  air  imparted  but  little  heat  to  the 
hot-water  pipes.  This  was  due  to  the  architect 
choosing  for  the  site  of  the  Palm  house, the  lowest 
ground  in  the  parish  of  Kew,  which  in  primaeval 
times  consisted  of  a  series  of  lagoons  connected 
with  the  Thames  which  George  III.  converted  into 
a  lake  which,  having  been  neglected  and  partially 
filled  up,  becomes  a  quagmire  in  winter,  but  the 
history  of  this  and  the  evils  that  followed  I  leave  for 
the  present.     With  all  these  drawbacks  we  never- 


theless succeeded  in  fruiting  the  Mango,  tiaava, 
Litchi,  Granadilla,  Malay  Rose-apple,  Marmalade 
Plum,  and  Bananas  in  abundance,  some  bunches 
weighing  HO  lbs.,  and  "  Palm  trees  now  grow  where 
painted  Britons  were  wont  to  .snare  wdterfowls." 
— J.  Smith,  Eir-curatur  nf  Botjut  Giin/fiis,  Am: 


THE  GINGER  PLANT. 

(ZINGIBER    OFFICINALE.) 

EvERVBODv  is  acquainted  with  the  rhizimes  of 
this  plant,  which  in  a  dried  state  are  used  medi- 
cinally and  when  green  as  a  condiment.  The  pre- 
served ginger  of  the  shops  is  prepared  from  care- 
fullj'  selected  young  rhizome.^  washed  and  scraped, 
and  then  preserved  in  jars  with  syrup.  As  in  the 
case  of  several  other  plants  of  famous  economical 
repute,  the  native  country  of  the  Ginger  plant  is 
not  known.  Stranger  still,  the  flower.s  are  rarely 
or  never  produced  under  cultivation,  although  the 
plant  has  been  a  garden  inmate  for  centuries.  In 
the  Torpics,  however,  flowers  are  produced  and, 
the  character  of  these  is  shown  in  the  accom- 
panying woodcut.  Like  the  Cardamoms  (Elet- 
taria),  the  Grains  of  Paradise  (Amomum  Mole- 
guetta),  the  Turmeric(Curcuma  longa),  and  several 
other  members  of  the  Ginger  family,  the  leaves  of 
the  (iinger  plant  have  a  strong  aromatic  odour 
when  bruised,  and  for  this  character  alone  these 


Ginger  plant  (Zirgibr  officinale.) 

plants  are  deserving  of  a  place  in  gardens.  The 
Ginger  plant  is  easily  grown  in  a  moist,  warm 
house.  The  leaves  are  deciduous,  and  whilst  the 
plant  is  at  rest  it  should  be  placed  on  a  shelf  or 
under  a  stage  in  a  warm  house  and  be  kept  dry. 
In  the  spring  the  rhizomes  may  be  shaken  out  of 
the  old  soil  and  repotted  in  any  ordinary  garden 
soil.  The  stock  may  easily  be  increased  by  divid- 
ing the  rhizomes.  B. 


keep  the  foliage  fresh.  The  great  important  point, 
however,  seems  to  be  to  sow  the  seed  as  soon  as 
ripe  ;  it  should  be  committed  to  the  soil  within  a 
day  or  two  of  the  opening  of  the  capsule,  and  then 
it  comes  through  in  about  three  weeks  it  sown  in 
gentle  heat.  I  once  kept  some  seed  twelve  months, 
but  none  of  it  germinated,  and  last  spring  I 
gathered  quite  an  ounce  of  good  seed,  but  I  did 
not  sow  it  until  all  was  ripe,  so  that  some  of  it 
laid  nearly  a  month  and  only  a  small  portion  ger- 
minated, probably  the  contents  of  the  last  pods 
that  ripened.  It  may,  therefore,  be  taken  for  a 
fact  that  Vallota  seed  loses  vitality  every  hour  that 
it  remains  out  of  the  soil.  My  seedlings  ware 
raised  about  three  years  ago,  and  I  am  now  sorry 
that  I  did  not  care  for  them  as  I  should  have 
done.  Had  I  grown  them  on  freely,  they  would 
have  some  of  them  bloomed  by  now,  but  I  allowed 
them  to  remain  two  seasons  in  the  seed-pan,  so 
that  they  will  yet  need  another  year's  growth 
before  I  shall  have  the  opportunity  of  seeing  them 
llower.  Can  "  Veronica  "  tell  me  what  is  the  dif- 
ference between  the  varieties  major  and  eximia,  or 
are  they  identical  ?  and  what  is  the  exact  difference 
between  the  latter  and  the  type  1  I  have  been 
trying  to  get  eximia  for  some  time,  thinking  that 
I  possessed  the  normal  form  only,  but  as  when  pro- 
cured it  turns  out  to  be  identical  with  my  own 
stock,  I  am  coming  to  the  conclu.-ion  that  I  have 
already  what  I  have  been  trying  to  get,  and  that 
I  do  not  know  the  tjpical  form  of  Vallota 
purpurea.  Has  this  latter  no  white  eye  at  all  ? 
If  so.  I  have  eximia,  as  all  my  flowers  have  a  more 
or  less  white  centre.  Information  on  this  point 
would  oblige.  J.  Counhill. 


VALLOTA  PURPUREA  FROM  SEED. 

"  Veronica,"  who  thinks  that  good  Vallota  seeds 
have  never  been  gathered  in  this  country,  will  be 
interested  to  learn  that  I  have  raised  quite  a 
number  of  young  plants  from  seed.  It  is  natural 
to  suppose  that  an  autumn-blooming  plant  like 
the  Scarborough  Lily  should  fail  in  maturing 
seeds,  as  in  a  general  way  it  goes  out  of  flower 
just  when  the  power  of  the  sun  comes  to  a  low  ebb. 
But  the  absence  of  sun,  and  even  of  warmth,  is  no 
hindrance  to  the  perfect  ripening,  for  they  come  to 
perfection  in  a  cool  house  during  the  winter 
months,  the  capsules  opening  and  the  seeds  drop- 
ping about  the  middle  of  March.  With  the  excep- 
tion of  Cyclamen  hedera:;foliam,  I  know  of  no  seed 
that  ripens  at  such  a  low  temperature.  Of 
course,  if  the  plants  are  dried  off  after 
blooming,  or  if  they  are  placed  in  a  dark 
position,  the  seeds  will  not  come  good;  they 
must  have  the  benefit  of  the  full  light  and 
be  watered  now  and  then,  but  only  just  enough  to 


BRUGMANSIA  SUAVEOLENS. 
Ai,TH0U(iFi  the  flowering  period  of  this  plant  is 
limited,  it  must  be  classed  amongst  the  finest  of 
our  greenhouse  plants  that  assume  tree-like  propor- 
tions. B.  Knighti  is  common  in  many  gardens,  and 
is  used  tff'^ctively  outside  as  a  sub-tropical  plant. 
Good  .specimens  of  B.  sanguinea  may  also  be  met 
with  sometimes  in  greenhouses,  but  B.  suaveolens 
seems  comparatively  scarce.  This  is  to  be  regretted, 
as  its  flowers  are  the  most  beautiful  of  all.  They 
are  pure  white,  and  in  the  evening  very  fragrant. 
The  coro  la  on  a  fully  developed  flower  extends  to 
a  length  of  it  inches  ;  it  has  a  waved  margin  and 
measures  at  this  point  6  inches  across.  The  crop 
of  flowers  seems  to  open  nearly  all  at  once,  and 
just  for  a  few  days  the  plant  has  a  fine  appear- 
ance. Successional  flowers  are  not  produced  in 
similar  profusion  by  this  species,  as  in  the  case  of 
B.  sanguinea.  Brugmansias  require  space  and  a 
rather  lofty  house  to  show  them  off  well,  as  large 
and  old-established  plants  grow  to  a  height  of 
I '2  feet  or  more,  even  though  cut  close  in  annu- 
ally. The  roots  should  be  restricted  in  some  way 
in  order  to  keep  them  dry  when  at  rest  in  winter, 
and  also  to  ensure  a  free-flowering  habit.  If  grown 
in  large  pots,  they  may  be  removed  from  the  house 
altogether  after  flowering,  but  this  is  not  always 
practicable  with  large  plants.  Plenty  of  water 
and  liquid  manure  are  requisite  when  growth  is 
active.  P..  suaveolens  is  sometimes  spoken  of  as 
being  a  shy  flowerer.  This  term  may  be  applied 
to  it  regarding  a  succession  of  flowers,  but  it  can 
hardly  be  considered  shy  when  the  first  batch  is 
open.  Miss  North  in  her  celebrated  collection  of 
paintings  has  this  plant,  under  the  old  name  of 
Datura  arborea,  represented  in  four  different  pic- 
tures painted  in  as  many  different  places,  all  fair 
indications  of  what  its  beauty  deserved  when  seen 
in  warmer  climates  than  ours  outside.  Two  flowers 
and  a  green  fruit  are  shown  in  the  collection  from 
Brazil,  These  flowers  do  not  appear  much  larger 
than  those  on  plants  grown  here,  but  1  have  not 
seen  any  fruits  produced  in  this  country.  Secondly 
to  be  noticed  is  a  part  of  a  plant  in  flower  grow- 
ing on  a  sloping  bank  in  a  beautiful  little  valley 
at  Gordontown,  Jamaica.  The  third  picture,  a 
view  from  a  waterfall  at  Kamboddy,  Ceylon,  re- 
presents B.  suaveolens  growing  most  freely  and 
flowering  in  the  greatest  profusion  on  both  sides 
of  the  water,  having  large  Bananas  for  a  back- 
ground. Fourthly,  it  is  shown  backed  up  by  Palms 
near  some  mat  houses  at   Bindong,  Java.      E. 


Sept.  27,   1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


l8o 


suaveolens  is  a  native  of  Tropical  America,  and  is 
now  in  flower.  Beta. 


Pelargonium    Volonte  Nationals.  — 

This  beautiful  new  variety  was  recently  shown 
by  Mr.  Perkins,  of  Leamington,  in  a  remarkably 
fine  stand  of  cut  flowers  tet  up  at  the  Stratford- 
on-Avon  show.  It  is  one  of  the  several  very  fine 
decorative  Pelargoniums  raised  by  Mens.  Victor 
Lemoine,  of  Nancy,  and  unquestionably  one  of 
the  best  of  the  type  yet  introduced.  The  flowers 
are  white,  with  a  salmon-pink  blotch  on  each  seg- 
ment, the  trasses  very  large,  the  individual  blos- 
soms stout  and  well  formed,  and  the  habit  of 
growth  all  that  can  be  desired, — K.  D. 

Bucomls  punctata,  although  not  a  showy 
plant,  deserves  a  place  in  tlie  greenhouse,  as  its 
foliage  is  prettily  mottled,  and  its  large  spikes  of 
bloom  last  a  long  time  in  perfection.  I  lately  saw 
some  massive  spikes  of  it  that  had  been  used  for 
indoor  decoration  for  a  month,  and  which  were 
still  in  good  condition.  The  perfume  is  very  deli- 
cate and  pleasant.  Good  large  plants  of  it  may  be 
grown  in  6-inch  pots ;  a  mixture  consisting  of  a 
good  sound  loam  and  a  little  rotten  manure  and 
sand  suits  it  well,  and  a  shelf  near  the  glass  in  a 
cool  house  to  keep  the  foliage  sturdy  is  just  the 
place  for  it.— J.  G.,  Hants. 


WORK  DONE  IN  WEEK  ENDING  SEPT.  21. 

September  18. — To-day  the  thermometer  again 
registered  81°  in  the  shade,  and  wasps,  apparently 
encouraged  by  the  heat,  came  forth  in  numbers  as 
great  as  they  did  a  month  since,  and  this  in  spite 
of  every  devisable  means  of  extermination  that  we 
can  think  of.  Cyanide  of  potassium  we  have  found 
most  efifectual  in  destroying  their  nests,  but  the 
puzzle  is  to  find  them,  and  in  despair  we  have  to 
do  the  next  best  thing,  and  that  is  to  gather  the 
fruit,  for  they  attack  all  sorts,  ripe  and  unripe 
alike.  Gathered  all  Apples  that  were  fit,  also 
Pears,  and  Peaches ;  the  latter  are  the  best 
crops,  and  finer  fruit  than  we  have  had  for 
at  least  ten  years.  So  much  for  a  hot  sum- 
mer, which  in  the  interest  of  horticulture, 
and  agriculture,  too,  it  is  hoped  may  be  repeated 
next  and  every  year.  Potted  succession  Pines 
and  partially  renewed  the  plunging  material, 
leaves  and  litter,  in  the  proportion  of  about  five 
of  leaves  to  one  of  litter  ;  thus  heating  is  assured 
(by  use  of  litter),  and  there  is  no  danger  of  over- 
heating in  such  a  bulk  of  old  leaves,  which  retain 
a  more  equable  warmth  for  a  longer  period 
than  any  ether  material  we  have  used.  Hot- 
water  pipes  as  bottom-heat  for  Pine-growing  I 
have  never  known  to  be  satisfactory,  and  certainly 
I  would  never  (from  choice)  adopt  such  a  plan  of 
heating. 

September  19. — This  second  summer  will  give 
us  no  quarter  or  license  anent  the  question  of 
weed  destruction,  for  never  were  conditions  more 
favourable  to  getting  rid  of  them.  Hoeing  has 
been  our  only  doings  in  the  kitchen  garden. 
Winter  Spinach,  Broccoli,  Lettuce,  Asparagus, 
and,  in  fact,  all  and  every  plot  where  there 
were  weeds,  or  likely  to  be  some  (for  we  al- 
ways wait  to  see  them)  were  hoed.  Apart 
from  weed  destroying,  the  stirring  of  the  surface 
soil  is  of  great  benefit  to  the  crops,  and  perhaps 
more  so  in  unkindly,  stiff  soils  than  in  the  sandy 
loam  that  we  have  to  deal  with.  The  mixed  flower 
borders  are  now  as  gay  as  they  were  in  June,  of 
course  with  different  kinds  of  plants,  but  none 
the  less  beautiful,  except  it  be  that  certain  species 
(Michaelmas  Daisies  to  wit)  remind  one  that 
winter  is  near,  and  after  such  a  delightful  summer 
the  feeling  that  it  is  all  but  ended  is  all  the  more 
acute.  However,  regrets  are  useless,  and  we  must 
try  to  lengthen  out  the  flower  season  by  tying  up 
to  prevent  injury  from  high  winds  and  heavy 
rains  Pyrethrum  nliginosuro,  several  kinds 
of  perennial  Helianthuses  (Sunflowers),  Asters 
(Michaelmas  Daisies),  Solidagos  (Golden  Rods) 
are  amongst  the  kinds  of  plants  that  have 
been  attended  to,  together  with  weeding  amongst 
dwarfer  growing  kinds  and  cutting  off  de- 
cayed flowers  from  others.     Indoors   we  planted 


winter    Cucnmbers ;  a   hot-water    tank    supplies 
the     bottom-heat,    and    the    top-heat    can    be 
regulated  at  will ;  70°  by  night  is  our  minimum 
temperature.     Late  Jlelons  have  set  their  fruit 
perfectly,  and  are   now  being  pushed  on   by  in- 
creased heat  at  night,  that  sunshine  may  have  a 
share  in  finishing  off   the  fruit,  as   rarely  indeed 
is  a  Melon  eatable  when  ripened  without  the  aid  of 
sunshine.     Earlier   fruit   have  had   net   snppoils 
attached,  that  is,  those  growing  on  a  trellis  in 
houses  ;  no  supports  for  frame  culture  are  needed, 
except  the  boards  on  which  the  fruit  is   laid.     A 
small  pebble  placed  on  the  board  at  each  side  of 
the  fruit  is  sometimes  desirable  to  steady  the  fruit 
and  prevent    its    breaking    off    at    the    handle 
before    it  is  thoroughly   ripe.     Weeded    and    re- 
moved    runners    from    pot     Strawberries,    and 
gave  the    plants   more   space    that  sun  and   air 
may  harden  the  crowns.  Cuttings  of  various  kinds 
for  Uower  garden  purposes  have  been  overhauled, 
those  struck  being  put  into  cold  frames,  and  others 
not  so  advanced  have  had  their  decaying  leaves 
removed  and  have  been  replunged  in  warmth.    All 
Grapes  are  now  quite  ripe,  and  full  ventilation — at 
least  as  far  as  the  exclusion  of  wasps  will  allow — 
is  now  given  them,  with  just  sufficient  warmth  in 
the  pipes  at  night  to  keep  the  atmosphere  buoyant, 
that  there  may  be  no  condensation  of  moisture  on 
the   fruit.     Late    Muscats— inside   borders — were 
watered  a  few  days  ago,  and  being  barely  ripe,  I 
note  a  few   of  the   berries  have  cracked  at  the 
foot-stalks,  and  in   every  instance  the    affected 
berries  are    on    the    greenest  and   most  unripe 
bunches.     A  year  or  two  ago  I  noted  precisely 
the    same    occurrence,    and    the   following  year 
on    the    Grapes    approaching     maturity,   though 
the  border  leally  needed  water,  the  application 
of  it  was  deferred  till  the  fruit  was  quite  iipe,and 
there  was  no   cracking.     This  year  the  borders 
seeming  very  dry,  I  was  tempted  to  water  them, 
and  the  result  has  been  a  recurrence  of  cracking. 
Moral :  Do  not  water  when  the  Grapes  are  just 
finishing  their  last  swelling,  but  defer  it  till  the 
berries  are  full  sized  and  the  skins  hard. 

September  L'O. — The  usual  weekly  round  of 
cleaning,  scrubbing,  and  re-arrangement  of  plants 
in  houses  to-day  included  the  housing  of  I'oin- 
settias  that  have  hitherto  been  grown  in  a  cold 
pit.  Pine  stove  and  Melon  houses  are  now  their 
quarters,  and  right  well  they  do  in  the  tempera- 
ture that  has  to  be  maintained  for  succession 
Pines,  and  for  wintering  such  plants  as  Iresines, 
Coleus,  and  Alternantheras  that  the  Melon  houses 
are  devoted  to  in  winter.  A  little  weak  manure 
water  is  given  them  on  alternate  days,  and  syring- 
ing overbead  when  shutting  np  the  houses  in 
the  afternoon.  Stephanotis  and  small  Crotons 
that  we  use  as  table  plants,  being  dirty  through 
soft  scale,  were  washed  with  a  weak  solution  of 
paraffin,  which  is  a  rare  remedy  for  every  descrip- 
tion of  parasite  that  plant  life  is  afflicted  with.  It 
should  be  used— as  to  proper; ion— according  to 
the  nature  of  the  plants  to  be  operated  on  ;  as  a 
rule  soft-wooded  plants  should  not  have  it  stronger 
than  a  quarter  of  a  pint  to  two  gallons  of  water, 
but  double  that  strength  is  not  too  great  for  hard- 
wooded  plants.  Flower,  terrace  garden  in  par- 
ticular, has  occupied  a  great  part  of  our  time  to- 
day. Pelargoniums,  Calceolarias,  Verbenas,  and 
Lobelias  have  been  freed  of  bad  and  seeding 
flowers  in  full  assurance  that  if  the  weather  con- 
tinues so  fine  they  will  repay  our  labour  by  renewed 
brightness,  which  has  lately  got  somewhat  faded. 
Carpeting  plants,  so-called,  are  uncommonly  bright 
still,  and  continue  to  require  pinchings  and  clippings 
to  keep  them  in  bounds  ;  trailing  plants  depending 
from  vases  and  baskets  have  been  picked  over,  and 
some  of  the  Tropa^olums  that  had  reached  the 
ground  and  were  injuring  the  Grass  were  shortened 
back,  much  to  the  improved  appearance  of  the 
vases.  The  various  kinds  of  Ivy-leaved  Pelar- 
goniums are  by  far  the  best  droopers  and  need 
the  least  labour  to  keep  in  form  ;  and  though  for 
variety's  sakeitmay  bedesirabletouseTropxolnms 
and  other  strong  growers,  they  should  be  few  in 
number,  and  here  in  future  they  shall  be  of  a  very 
limited  quantity  indeed.  The  clipping  of  Grass 
edgings  of  both  beds  and  walks  throughout  the 
whole  of  the  garden,  also  the  mowing  of  verges 


and  sweeping  up  of  coach  roads  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  the  mansion,  completed  to-day's  work. 

September  22  —No  real  work  done,  or,  at  any 
rate,  none  that  is  likely  to  be  a  financial  success, 
for  sweeping  up  leaves,  however  valuable  for 
certain  purposes  they — the  leaves — may  be,  does 
not  pay,  and  this  has  been  very  nearly  all  the  work 
our  outside  hands  have  done.  But  neatness  counts 
for  something,  as  without  that  commodity  garden- 
ing would  be  a  sorry  callirg,  and  therefore,  as 
usual,  we  tidy  np,  and  grumble  that  our  other 
work  is  being  neglected,  but  which  with  patience 
will  have  its  turn.  Prospectively  we  have  sundry 
jobs  of  planting  and  transplanting  of  shrubs  on 
hand,  and  had  hoped  to  have  done  something  to- 
day towards  preparation  of  soil  for  the  work, 
hence  the  grumble.  Chrysanthemums  have  had 
more  tying  and  disbudding,  and  are  now  given 
liquid  manure  daily,  and  so  are  Pelargoniums  in 
pots  for  winter  flowering;  these  are  still  kept  in 
cold  frames,  and  they  have  full  ventilation.  The 
flower-buds  have  hitherto  been  picked  ofE  as  soon 
as  they  appeared,  but  now  they  will  be  allowed  to 
flower.  AH  the  double  varieties  are  excellent  for 
cut-flower  purpcses  the  winter  through,  but  the 
flowers  of  the  single  varieties  drop  so  quickly  as 
to  render  them  almost  useless  for  this  purpose. 
Top-dressed  spring-planted  Cucumbers,  and  well 
soaked  them  with  warm  water  strongly  impreg- 
nated with  soot,  our  mode  of  manufacture  of 
this  plant  stimulant  being  the  simple  one  of 
placing  a  coarse  sack  filled  with  soot  in  a  tank  of 
water.  We  find  it  an  excellent  winter  manure  for 
Cucumbers,  Primulas,  Cinerarias,  and  winter- 
flowering  Pelargoniums. 

September  23 —Onions  have  been  housed 
tc-day,  dirt  and  loose  skins  being  rubbed  off-  not 
peeled— and  the  tops  cut  off  to  within  an  inch 
of  the  crowns  of  the  bulbs.  They  are  laid 
on  the  floors  under  the  side  shelves  of  the  frnit 
room,  and  having  been  thoroughly  dried  there  is 
but  little  smell  from  them — indeed,  nore  a  fort- 
night after  the  time  of  housing—  but  it  is  necessary 
to  keep  the  ventilators  fully  open  for  a  few  days 
after  storing.  Exhausted  plots  of  Peas  and  Runcer 
Beans  are  being  cleared  away  ;  the  former  have 
been  the  most  wretched  crops  we  have  ever  had. 
Wireworra,  drought,  and,  I  think,  bad  seed  must 
all  be  credited  with  a  share  as  to  causes  of  failure, 
tor  it  certainly  could  not  be  the  ground,  as  that 
was  trenched  "deeply  and  heavily  manured.  The 
ground  cleared,  manuie  will  be  wheeled  on  at  the 
first  available  opportunity,  then  trenching  or  deep 
digging,  a  s  each  plot  requires,  will  be  done  at 
odd  times  when  other  work  is  not  pressing,  a 
plan  of  working  that  we  have  found  of  great 
convenience,  as  when  one  wishes  to  be  away  for 
a  day,  or  is  likely  to  be  engaged  in  another 
part  of  the  garden  for  the  greater  part  of 
the  day,  then  it  is  that  foresight  as  to 
long  jobs  is  rewarded  by  feeling  thnt,  though 
absent,  the  men  are  not  likely  to  be  out  of  a  job. 
Bting  very  dry,  and  thereforecomfortable  to  work 
amongst,  the  latest  planting  of  Brussels  Sprouts 
were  cleared  of  their  underneath  laige  leaves,  to 
expose  the  stems  to  the  light  and  prevent  rotting  of 
Sprouts,  which  would  surely  occur  were  not  all 
unnecessary  foliage  pulled  off.  A  second  earthing 
up  was  also  deemed  necessaiy,  as  the  Sprouts  have 
grown  so  tall  that  without  additional  soil  sup- 
port the  first  gale  would  lay  them  low.  Autumn 
Giant  Cauliflower  is  now  in,  and  should  warm 
weather  continue  there  will  shortly  be  a  glut  of  it ; 
hence  we  shall  take  the  precaution  to  lift  all 
surplus  plants  as  ready,  and  heel  them  in  at  the 
foot  of  a  north  wall,  watering  them  when  first  put 
there,  but  never  afterwards;  by  this  means  we 
shall  lengthen  out  the  supplies  considerably. 

September  2L— Weed  cutting  round  side  of 
lake  and  mowing  the  banks  and  under  the  trees 
for  the  last  time  this  season.  Rock  and  root 
works  planted  with  dwarf  shrubs  and  some  few 
alpines,  having  got  very  untidy  through  the  fallen 
leaves  of  Rhododendrons  that  top  the  banks,  have 
been  cleared  out,  the  alleys  and  walks  weeded,  and 
the  principal  walks  leading  to  this  garden  have 
also  been  put  in  trim  order  by  shearing  of  verges 
and  weeding,  our  invariable  rule  being  that  when 


286 


THE     GARDEN 


[Sept.  2/,  1884. 


a  certain  part  of  the  garden  is  extra  well  done  np, 
all  other  parts  in  its  immediate  vicinity  shall  have 
the  like  treatment,  a  method  of  working  that 
ofttimes  compels  us  to  do  work  that  would  other- 
wise be  deferred  indefinitely,  and  occasionally,  no 
doubt,  to  one's  discredit.  Indoor  work  is  now  at 
the  slackest  point,  and  plant  cleaning,  washing  of 
pots,  and  preparing  soils  for  potting,  and  top-dress- 
ing of  borders  are  being  done.  The  ventilation  of 
vineries  containing  ripe  Grapes  is  just  now  our 
most  particular  work— work  that  I  find  it  very 
dilUonlt  to  get  young  men  to  do  with  that  judg- 
ment that  its  importance  demands.  1  sometimes 
think  such  carelessness  arises  from  the  generally 
prevalent  notion  that  once  the  Grapes  are  ripe,  so 
long  as  rain  is  kept  off  the  fruit,  it  is  no  matter 
how  or  when  ventilation  is  given — an  error  of 
judgment  that  can  only  be  met  by  inculcating  the 
trae  doctrine,  that  the  whole  of  good  culture  con- 
sists quite  as  much  in  long  preservation  of  the  fruit 
in  good  condition  as  in  finishing  it  off  properly. 
I  say,  give  air  abundantly,  but  always  with  due 
regard  to  atmospheric  conditions,  the  points  to 
aim  at  being  to  exclude  damp,  sudden  chills,  and 
irregular  temperatures.  We  never  discontinue 
fires  for  ripe  Grapes,  as  some  do,  in  autumn,  as 
we  always  like  a  little  warmth  in  the  pipes,  but 
only  a  little,  to  enable  us  to  keep  the  ventilators 
slightly  open  all  night.  Hants. 


Orchids. 


8EPTEMBEE  ORCHIDS. 

Every  good  Orchid  that  habitually  flowers  in 
September  and  October  is  valuable,  inasmuch  as 
these  months  are  the  lowest  in  the  scale  of  the 
Orchid  flower  calendar,  and,  moreover.  Orchid 
flowers  are  then  most  in  demand  in  country 
houses.  One  would  scarcely  fancy  that  the  lowest 
ebb  of  the  Orchid  flowering  season  is  reached  in 
walking  through  the  various  houses  at  the  Royal 
Exotic  Nursery,  Chelsea,  at  the  present  time,  as 
almost  every  house  is  gay  with  bloom  of  some 
class  or  another.  Besides  a  host  of  the  commoner 
kinds,  v.'hich  may  be  seen  in  flower  at  this  season 
in  any  good  Orchid  collection,  we  singled  out  the 
following  as  worthy  of  note.  The  choicest  of  all 
is  the  rare  little  Cypripedium  Fairieanum,  which 
we_were  pleased  to  find  not  only  flourishing  admir- 
ably, but  represented  by  numerous  plants.  It 
seems  that  at  length  Jlessrs.  Veitch's  Orchid 
growers  have  hit  upon  the  requirements  of  this 
little  gem  among  Lady's  Slippers.  To  those 
not  acquainted  with  the  flowers  of  this  species 
it  may  be  best  described  as  having  medium-sized 
flowers  with  deflexed  lateral  sepals  of  a  greenish 
white  tinge,  with  the  dorsal  or  upper  sepal  beauti- 
fully netted  and  pencilled  with  plum-purple.  It 
is  very  dwarf  in  growth,  the  whole  plant  being  not 
more  than  9  inches  high.  Besides  this  Lady's 
Slipper  in  flower  there  are  numerous  others,  in- 
cluding some  of  the  finest  hybrid  varieties  that 
have  originated  here.  For  instance,  there  are  the 
handsome  C.  Schroederas,  C.  grande,  C.  selligernm 
majus,  C.  Ashburtouire,  C.  cenanthum  superbum, 
which  by  the  way  is  a  much  finer  plant  than  the 
type,  the  colour  being  brighter,  particularly  on 
the  dorsal  sepal.  A  new  form  of  0.  cardinale  has 
just  expanded  its  flowers  for  the  first  time.  It  is, 
we  consider,  the  clearest  coloured  of  all  the 
hybrids,  and  more  nearly  resembles  the  hardy 
North  American  C.  spectabile  than  any  Lady's 
Slipper  we  have  seen.  This  new  form  is  unques- 
tionably a  great  gain,  and  should  it  be  as 
vigorous  and  floriferous  as  C.  Sedeni,  one  of  the 
same  race,  it  will  indeed  be  a  valuable  garden 
plant. 

In  the  capacious  new  Cattleya  house  may  be 
seen  the  various  forms  of  Liclia  elegans  and  its 
ally  or  variety,  L.  Sohilleriana,  which  is,  whatever 
relation  it  may  stand  to  L.  elegans,  a  most  lovely 
Orchid  and  particularly  valuable,  as  flowering  at 
this  season.  Cattleya  speciosissima  has  been  par- 
ticularly fine  this  season,  perhaps  due  to  the  hot 
summer ;  when  seen  in  perfection,  as  here,  it  is 
second  to  no  other  Cattleya.    Those  fond  of  the 


uncommon  or  less  showy  kinds  may  like  to  see  C. 
bicolor  in  bloom,  and  a  variety  of  it  having  the  lip 
half  white,  half  magenta.  C.  maxima,  too,  C 
Gaskelliana,  and  C.  Eldorado  and  its  variety 
Wallisi  contribute  to  the  display. 

Oncidium  Jonesiandm  will  no  doubt  become 
popular,  particularly  if  it  continues  to  improve  as 
it  has  done  since  it  was  first  flowered.  Here  may 
be  seen  several  flowering  specimens  of  it,  and  one 
in  particular  has  a  spike  carrying  about  a  dozen 
flowers.  These  are  highly  attractive  and  dislinct 
from  all  other  Orchids  in  gardens.  The  flowers 
have  large  flat  lips  of  snowy  whiteness  and  sepals 
copiously  spotted  on  a  light  ground.  The  leaves 
are  fleshy  and  cylindrical.  No  one  can  mistake 
it  for  any  other  Orchid  when  once  they  have  seen 
it  in  bloom.  It  is  grown  by  Messrs.  Veitch  in  an 
intermediate  house  on  suspended  blocks.  We 
shall  probably  hear  a  deal  about  this  Orchid  in 
course  of  time. 

Of  quite  a  different  aspect  are  the  numerous 
plants  of  0.  varicosum,  which  by  the  way  varies 
considerably  as  regards  the  size  of  the  flowers;  one 
variety  we  noticed  with  the  lips  of  the  flowers 
li  inches  across,  a  beautiful  clear  chrome-yellow. 
The  stem  bore  a  wide-spreading  panicle  of  blos- 
soms, looking  like  a  swarm  of  golden  butterflies. 
Among  the  Aerides  the  showiest  is  A.  Huttoni,  a 
pretty  species  when  seen  with  long  pendulous 
spikes  thickly  set  with  magenta  flowers  :  A.  sua- 
vissimum  and  others  also  give  a  glowing  colour  to 
the  East  Indian  houses.  Other  noteworthy  flower- 
ing Orchids  are  Ccelogyne  Massangeana,  which 
seems  to  be  always  in  bloom ;  Barkeria  spectabilis, 
one  of  the  prettiest  of  Mexican  Orchids.  Those 
who  would  like  to  see  what  may  be  well  con- 
sidered the  finest  specimen  in  the  country  of 
Phala^nopsis  Schilleriana  can  do  so  here.  The 
specimen  is  indeed  a  grand  one,  having  two  breaks 
each  furnished  with  half  a  dozen  leaves  over  a 
foot  in  length  and  C  inches  broad,  and  of  that 
thick  firm  texture  which  alone  indicates  rude 
health.  It  is  just  now  developing  some  thick 
spikes  which  doubtless  will  carry  an  unusually 
large  number  of  flowers.  F.  amabilis,  grandiflora 
and  the  pretty  P.  violacea  are  plentifully  in 
flower.  

The  Dove  plant.— As  we  are  so  often  asked 
about  the  Dove  Orchid  (Peristeria  elata),  the  El 
Spirito  Santo  of  the  Spaniards,  we  might  mention 
that  it  is  to  be  seen  in  flower  in  Mr.  Bull's 
nursery  at  Chelsea.  From  its  ostrich  egg-like 
bulbs  it  produces  tall,  stout  spikes,  terminated  by 
numerous  wax-like  white  flowers,  the  column  of 
which  resembles  the  conventional  dove  of  the 
painters  of  sacred  subjects. 

Vanda  tricolor  'Warnerl.  — Flowers  of 

this  superb  and  rare  variety  come  to  us  from  Mr. 
Crawshay,  of  Rosefield,  Sevenoaks,  who  justly 
considers  it  a  gem  among  Vandas.  The  distinct- 
ness lies  in  the  colour,  that  of  the  sepals  being 
blotches  and  spots  of  cinnamon-red  and  chestnut- 
brown  on  a  creamy  white  ground,  while  the  label- 
lum  is  of  a  rich  magenta-purple.  This  beautiful 
variety  is  figured  in  AVarner's  "  Orchidaceous 
Plants." 

Autumn  flowering  Orchids.— In  addi- 
tion to  the  above  notes  on  Orchids  in  flower  at 
Mr.  Bull's  nursery,  the  following  among  others 
may  also  be  seen  there ;  Coelogyne  corrugata,  a 
pretty  species,  not  often  seen  in  flower  on  account 
of  its  being  such  a  shy  bloomer — it  is  in  the  way 
of  C.  oculata  ;  Angroscnm  EUisi,  the  rare  species, 
with  long  pendulous  spikes  of  ivory-white  flowers  ; 
Vanda  Lowi,  a  fine  specimen,  just  expanding  its 
buds ;  Epidendrum  inosmum,  a  very  distinct 
species,  at  first  sight  reminding  one  of  Oncidium 
Edwardi,  and  almost  as  sweet  scented  ;  Oncidium 
obryzatum  dasystalix,  a  distinct  variety  of  this 
well-knownspecies;Zygopetalummaxillarepictum, 
remarkable  for  the  conspicuous  blotches  on  the 
sepals  and  lips,  rendering  it  quite  different  from 
the  type ;  Masdevallia  inflata,  no  great  beauty, 
but  interesting  as  being  a  new  and  very  rare 
species ;  it  has  bronzy  flowers,  cylindrical  and 
tailed.  Among  commoner  species  may  be  found 
M.   trochilus,    M.    bella,    Wagneri,   Dendrobium 


supsrbiens,  Dearei,  Cypripedium  Haynaldianum, 
Pilumna  fragrans  ;  and  among  Cattleyas,  C.  Gas- 
kelliana, Eldorado,  Wallisi,  maxima,  Harrisonife. 
We  must  also  mention  a  new  little  Aerides 
ornithorhynchum,  quite  a  gem,  with  tiny  flowers 
with  prominent  magenta  beaks,  suspended  on 
slender  drooping  spikes.  It  is  said  to  be  quite 
new. 

Miltonla   Candida    grandiflora. —  The 

ordinary  form  of  this  Brazilian  Orchid  is  hand- 
some enough,  but  the  grandiflora  variety  quite 
eclipses  it;  indeed,  it  is  among  the  handsomest 
of  Orchids,  particularly  among  those  flowering  at 
the  present  time.  The  flowers,  produced  on  erect 
spikes,  are  fully  i  inches  across  ;  the  sepals  and 
petals  are  blotched  and  mottled  with  brown,  while 
the  large  shell-like  lip  is  pure  white  marked  inte- 
riorly with  plum-purple.  Some  fine  flowering 
specimens  of  it  now  adorn  one  of  Mr.  Bull's 
Orchid  houses  in  company  with  other  species  of 
Miltonia,  such  as  M.  Regnelli  and  the  purpurea 
variety,  which  is  handsome  and  distinct,  M.  spec- 
tabilis, M.  Clowesi  and  major,  and  M.  Moreliana, 
of  which  the  form  atro-rubens  is  an  exceedingly 
beautiful  Orchid,  with  port-wine-coloured  sepals 
and  a  large  lip  of  purplish  rose  delicately  pencilled 
and  veined. 

OdontoglosBum    blepharicanthum.— 

This  is  a  new  addition  to  the  already  long  list  of 
Odontoglossums,  but  it  is  welcome,  inasmuch  as  it 
is  quite  a  gem  in  its  way.  To  intelligibly  de- 
scribe it  one  must  liken  it  to  the  little  0.  blandum, 
to  which  it  is  seemingly  nearly  allied,  though  pos- 
sessing marked  distinctions.  The  flowers  are  about 
the  size  of  those  of  0.  gloriosum,  copiously  spotted 
like  blandum  and  nsevium,  but  with  quite  a  dis- 
tinctly shaped  lip.  The  spike  is  congested,  and 
the  whole  plant,  spike  and  all,  does  not  exceed  6 
inches  or  9  inches.  The  white  and  yellow  lip  adds 
to  the  attractiveness  of  the  flower.  This  new 
species  has  just  flowered  for  the  first  time  in  Mr. 
Bull's  nursery,  where  also  may  be  seen  numerous 
other  noteworthy  Odontoglossums  in  bloom,  not- 
withstanding the  fact  that  September  is  the  dullest 
month  for  Orchid  flowers.  The  favourite  old  O. 
grande  is  flowering  profusely ;  no  species  is  so 
showy,  though  one  of  the  oldest  known.  An- 
other extremely  beautiful  Odontoglossum  is  the 
autumn  -  flowering  variety  of  0.  vexillarium 
named  rubellum.  It  may  be  at  once  dis- 
tinguished by  the  intensity  of  the  colour  of 
the  flowers,  which  are,  moreover,  smaller  than 
the  summer  -  flowering  varieties.  This  autumn 
form  is  extremely  valuable,  flowering,  as  it  does, 
just  when  there  is  a  scarcity  of  Orchid  bloom. 
There  can  be  no  mistake  about  the  distinctiveness 
of  the  variety  so  far  as  its  flowering  season  goe.«, 
as  there  is  not  one  out  of  the  hundreds  of  speci- 
mens of  the  type  in  this  nursery  that  are  flowering, 
or  even  showing  spikes.  Other  Odontoglossums 
include  0.  Uro-Skinneri  superbum,  0.  Rossi  majus, 
besides  numbers  of  forms  of  0.  crispum,  which 
seems  to  be  in  flower  here  the  whole  year  through. 


Vallota  purpurea.— Excellent  examples  of 
this  plant  were  shown  at  the  recent  Dundee  ex- 
hibition, and  as  prizes  were  offered  for  specimen 
plants,  good  competition  was  the  result.  The 
plants  were  large  and  carried  several  flower-stems, 
bearing  very  good  and  well-coloured  blossoms. 
It  was  observed  that  the  petals  of  some  were 
stouter,  more  rounded,  and  better  coloured  than 
others.  It  seemed  as  if  the  plants  had  been  esta- 
blished in  their  pots  for  some  time,  but  they  had 
been  well  looked  after  generally.  Such  specimens 
are  fine  subjects  for  conservatory  decoration  at 
this  season  of  the  year  ;  but,  popular  as  the 
plant  is  and  easily  cultivated,  it  is  surprising  how 
many  gardens  one  may  go  into  and  find  no  trace 
of  this  showy  Amaryllid. — R.  D. 

Lagerstroemia  indica. — At  a  recent  hor- 
ticultural exhibition  on  a  large  scale,  held  at 
Stratford-on-Avon,  a  remarkably  fine  example  of 
this  charming  plant  was  shown  by  Mr.  Coysh,  The 
Gardens,  Newbold  Revel,  Rugby.  The  specimen 
iu  question  (pot  and  all)  stood  about  7  feet  in 
height ;  it  had  a  stout  main  stem,  from  which  had 


Sei 


1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


287 


sprung  numerous  lateral  branchef,  each  of  which 
bore  large  terminal  panicles  of  lovely  delicate 
pink  or  lively  flesh-coloured  flowers.  It  was  one 
of  the  finest  and  most  successfully  grown  and 
flowered  examples  of  this  Chinese  plant  I  had  ever 
seen,  the  panicles  of  flowers  being  distributed  all 
over  the  plant,  and  all  in  a  perfect  stage  of  de- 
velopment. What  a  perfect  stranger  to  many  of 
the  gardeners  present  this  old  plant  appeared  to 
be  was  also  noticeable. — D. 


Societies. 

ROYAL  HORTICULTURAL  FRUIT  AND 
VEGETABLE  SHOW. 
Sept.  23,  '^-l. 
In  every  respect  this  was  a  first-rate  exhibition 
and  certainly  one  of  the  most  remarkable  of  the 
series  of  fruit  and  vegetable  shows  held  here  this 
season,  especially  as  regards  the  uniformly  high 
quality  of  the  produce  exhibited.  It  was  not  a 
very  large  show,  but  throughout  there  was  scarcely 
an  inferior  exhibit,  and  it  is  doubtful  if  the  show 
of  Grapes  which  formed  the  special  feature  has 
ever  been  surpassed  as  a  whole.  It  was,  indeed,  a 
representative  gathering  of  the  most  prominent 
among  southern  Grape  growers,  the  prizes  offered 
being  sufficiently  high  to  attract  even  the  largest 
of  them.  In  the  various  classes  there  were  several 
unsurpassable  bunches  remarkable  both  for  large 
siz3  and  high  finish.  The  Peaches,  Pears,  and 
Apples  were  likewise  excellent  and  numerous,  and 
the  vegetables, thoughfewerthan  we  expected,  have 
rarely  been  of  finer  quality ;  in  short,  the  whole 
show  was  altogether  a  representative  competition 
among  some  of  the  best  gardeners  in  the  country, 

Grape  classes. 

For  a  collection  of  ten  (six  black  and  four 
white)  kinds,  three  prizes,  JIO,  £G,  and  £i,  were 
offered,  and  though  the  number  of  ^kinds  stipu- 
lated was  large,  even  for  the  most  extensive  gar- 
dens to  produce,  there  were,  nevertheless,  four 
competitors.  After  a  good  deal  of  deliberation 
the  judges  selected  the  collection  from  Lord 
Eversley's  garden  at  Heckfield  Place  as  the  best, 
and  certainly  the  examples  ahown  by  Mr.  Wild- 
smith  were  of  superlative  merit.  His  best  bunches 
were  of  Alnwick  Seedling,  Golden  Queen,  Black 
Alicante,  Lady  Downes,  and  Muscat  of  Alexandria; 
the  rest  of  the  sorts  were  Black  Hamburgh,  Mrs. 
Pearson,  Madresfield  Court,  White  Tokay,  and 
Gros  Maroc,  the  latter  particularly  good.  The 
majority  of  these  were  faultless,  both  as  regards 
size  and  high  finish.  The  Rev.  Walter  Sneyd's 
garden  at  Keele  Hall  furnished  the  second  collec- 
tion. This  also  was  first-rate,  the  sorts  being 
Gros  Colmar,  Mrs.  Pearson,  Muscat  Hamburgh, 
Black  Hamburgh,  Golden  Queen,  Lady  Downes, 
Buckland  Sweetwater,  Black  Alicante,  and  Madres- 
field Court.  The  third  collection,  from  Gunnersbury 
Park,  included  excellent  examples  of  Alnwick, 
Gros  Maroc,  Madresfield  Court,  Foster's  Buckland 
Sweetwater,  and  Black  Hamburgh.  The  other 
collection  was  from  Messrs.  Lane,  of  Berkhamstead, 
whose  nurseries  have  so  long  been  famous  for 
high  class  Grape  culture,  though  handicapped  as 
they  are  with  private  gardeners. 

Two  collections  only  of  five  varieties  were  shown. 
The  first  of  these  came  from  the  Duke  of  Northum- 
berland's garden  at  Syon  House,  and  by  it  Jlr. 
Woodbridge  still  maintains  his  position  as  a  skilful 
Grape  grower.  It  would  be  diflicnlt  to  show  a 
finer  set  of  five  kinds  than  these  were.  The  most 
noteworthy  were  the  JIadresfield  Court  and  Mus- 
cat Hamburgh,  with  both  of  which  Mr.  Wood- 
bridge  seems  to  be  particularly  successful.  His 
other  sorts  were  Muscat  of  Alexandria,  Lady 
Downes,  and  some  huge  bunches  of  Trebbiano. 
His  competitor  was  Lord  Heytesbury's  gardener, 
Mr.  Horsefield,  whose  display  was  highly  credit- 
able. He  had  some  uncommonly  fine  Foster's, 
large  and  well-finished  Trebbiano,  Chatsworth 
Seedling  (the  only  bunches  in  the  show  of  this 
variety),  JInscat  Hamburgh,  and  Alicante.  Then 
followed  eight  classes  devoted  to  particular  sorts, 
three  bunches  of  each.  Among  nine  competitors 
for  the 


Muscat  of  Alexandria  prizes  the  Marquis  of 
Bath's  gardener  at  Longleat  CMr.  W.  Pratt)  achieved 
wonderful  success,  as  his  bunches  were  not  only 
about  twice  the  size  of  those  of  any  of  his  rivals,  but 
were  moreover  as  perfect  as  possible,  having  regard 
to  the  enormous  mass  of  berries  ;  his  biggest 
bunch  could  not  have  weighed  far  short  of  G 
founds  or  7  pounds,  and  the  other  two  were 
scarcely  less.  The  vineries  at  Longleat  are 
evidently  in  fine  ordei",  as  Mr.  Pratt  was  second 
to  none  in  all  the  classes  he  showed.  The  Muscats 
which  took  the  second  and  third  prizes  were 
perhaps  better  coloured  than  the  Longleat 
monsters,  but  of  course  this  point  would  not  out- 
weigh the  uncommon  size  of  bunch,  which,  as 
every  gardener  knows,  is  a  most  ditficult  matter 
to  produce  in  a  Muscat. 

Black  Hamburgh  was  shown  by  six,  but 
among  the  whole  eighteen  bunches  shown  there 
were  none  particularly  remarkable.  Mr.  Pratt's 
first  prize  set  were  certainly  large,  but  they  lacked 
that  perfect  finish  which  is  always  looked  for  in 
first-rate  Black  Hamburghs.  The  second  and  third 
sets  from  Elvaston  and  Gunnersbury  Park  re- 
spectively were  only  of  moderate  size,  but  the 
colour  was  good. 

Gros  Colmar  was  shown  by  four  only  ;  the  best 
from  Mr.  Sewell's  garden,  in  Epping  Forest,  were 
certainly  a  credit  to  his  gardener  (Mr.  A.  Smith), 
for  though  the  bunches  were  not  remarkable  for 
large  size,  the  berries  and  exquisite  finish  were  all 
that  could  be  desired.  Mr.  Summers  sent  the  next 
best  bunches  all  the  way  from  Sandbeck  Park,  in 
Yorkshire  ;  while  Messrs.  Lane  furnished  the  third 
prize  set. 

Black  Alicantes  formed  a  large  class,  the  most 
numerous  of  all,  there  being  fourteen  competitors. 
Among  this  array  there  were  some  exceptionally 
fine  examples,  particularly  as  regards  perfect 
finish,  and  in  this  respect  the  second  and  third 
prize  bunches,  shown  by  Mr.  Tate's  gardener  and 
Mr.  Moss's  gardener,  were  simply  unapproachable  ; 
but  for  all  that,  the  judges  seemingly  could  not 
ignore  the  huge  bunches  from  Longleat,  though 
they  lacked  the  perfect  finish  of  the  two  other 
prize-winning  sets.  Mr.  Pratt's  bunches  were 
fully  twice  or  perhaps  three  times  as  large  as  any 
of  the  others,  and  were,  considering  their  size,  ad- 
mirably finished ;  so  the  judges  selected  them  for 
the  first  prize. 

Madresfield  Court  was  shown  by  five,  and  for 
the  first  and  second  places  there  was  a  close  com- 
petition between  those  from  Gunnersbury  Park  and 
Syon  House.  Mr.  Roberts'  bunches  were  not  very 
large  compared  with  those  he  had  previously 
shown,  but  the  berries  were  large  and  superbly 
coloured.  The  third  pair  came  from  Elvaston, 
also  fine ;  indeed,  all  the  Madresfields  shown  were 
excellent — a  circumstance  which  indicates  that 
this  Grape  is  becoming  better  understood  and  more 
appreciated. 

The  class  for  any  other  variety  not  named  was 
represented  by  thirteen  competitors,  and  from  all 
these  the  judges  selected  as  the  best  three  splendid 
bunches  of  Alnwick  Seedling  from  Mr.  Atkinson's 
garden  at  Guimersbury  House,  Acton.  As  we  have 
previously  remarked,  Mr.  Hudson,  the  gardener, 
has  evidently  found  out  the  way  to  bring  this 
much-criticised  Grape  to  the  highest  degree  of 
perfection.  As  at  the  Crystal  Palace,  the  present 
bunches  were  faultless  in  every  respect  and  large, 
of  good  shape,  with  plump  berries  as  black  as 
Sloes.  The  second  best  variety  was  Gros  Maroc, 
from  the  JIarquis  of  Exeter's  gardener  (Mr.  (Jil- 
bert)  at  Burghley,  which  was  likewise  admirable. 
The  third  prize  went  to  some  large  bunches  of 
Barbarossa  from  Sandbeck  Park.  In  this  class 
were  some  excellent  bunches  ;  for  instance.  Lord 
Suffield's  gardener  (Mr.  Allan)  sent  three  grand 
bunches  of  Foster's  with  berries  as  bright  as 
amber,  but  a  trifle  too  far  advanced.  Some  Lady 
Downes  from  Jlr.  Staples,  of  Chipstead,  were,  we 
thought,  the  best  in  the  show  for  finish ;  and  other 
sorts  shown  well  were  Muscat  Hamburgh  and 
Buckland  Sweetwater. 

There  was  a  class  for  two  bunches  of  the  highest 
flavoured  variety ;  nine  pairs  were  shown — the 
sorts  being  Muscat  Hamburgh  shown  by  two,  Mus- ' 


cat  of  Alexandria  by  six,  and  White  Frontignan 
by  one.  Out  of  these  the  judges  selected  a  pair 
of  matchless  bunches  of  Muscat  Hamburgh  from 
Mr.  Woodbridge,  of  Syon  House,  and  for  the 
second  prize  they  chose  the  sarce  variety  from 
Gunnersbury  Park,  and  for  the  third  an  excellent 
brightly  coloured  bunch  of  Alexandrian  Muscats, 
from  Mr.  Atkinson's  garden  at  Gunnersbury  House. 
The  highest  coloured  bunches  of  Muscat  of  Alex- 
andria in  the  show  were  to  be  found  in  this  class. 
They  were  as  "yellow  as  a  guinea"  and  plump 
withal.  They  came  from  Syon.  Then  followed  a 
class  for  three  bunches  of  any  variety  of  Grape 
that  has  been  certificated  by  the  Royal  Horticul- 
tural Society.  Six  competitors  entered,  the  sorts 
shown  being  Gros  Maroc,  Alnwick  Seedling,  Mrs. 
Pearson,  Golden  Queen  (shown  by  two),  Mrs. 
Pince.  The  first  prize  was  taken  by  some  superb 
examples  of  Gros  Maroc  from  the  Heckfield  gar- 
dens ;  the  second  was  taken  by  Alnwick  Seedling, 
shown  by  Mr.  Hudson,  from  Gunnersbury  Park; 
while  the  third  prize  went  to  Mr.  Allan,  who 
brought  some  admirable  bunches  of  Jlrs.  Pearson, 
from  Gunton  Park,  and  which  were  uncommonly 
bright  in  colour,  quite  different  from  the  dull  ap- 
pearance it  usually  has. 

Two  classes  were  provided  for  Strawberries,  but 
only  three  dishes  were  shown.  For  any  kind,  the 
firtt  prize  was  awarded  to  some  very  good  fruit 
for  the  season  of  the  year  of  Vicomtesse  Huricart 
de  Thury,  taken  no  doubt  from  plants  forced 
early  in  the  spring.  For  either  Alpine  or  Quatre 
Saisons,  a  fine  dish  of  the  latter  variety  came  from 
Gunnersbury  Park.  Mr.  Roberts  evidently  values 
this  Strawberry  by  the  excellent  manner  in  which 
he  has  several  times  shown  it  this  season. 

DE.SSERT  Apples  were  shown  in  good  numbers, 
prizes  being  offered  for  the  best  three  dishes  of 
ripe  fruit,  in  competition  for  which  eighteen  sets 
were  shown,  representing  the  very  best  of  ripe  and 
nearly  ripe  fruit  to  be  obtained  at  this  season. 
The  first  prize  collection  contained  Ribston  Pippin, 
Cox's  Orange  Pippin,  and  the  Mother  Apple,  and 
came  from  the  well-known  gardens  for  hardy  fruit 
of  Mr.  Roger  Leigh,  Barham  Court,  Maidstone; 
the  second  prize  was  also  taken  by  Kentish  fruit 
from  Mr.  Staples,  Chipstead  Place,  Sevenoaks ;  the 
third  prize  likewise  was  awarded  to  Kentish 
productions  from  Preston  Hall,  Maidstone.  Nearly 
every  collection  to  which  prizes  were  not  awarded 
had  very  meritorious  examples.  Besides  the 
three  kinds  already  named  the  following  were  also 
shown  in  good  condition — Duke  of  Gloucester, 
Fearn's  Pippin,  Worcester  Pearmain,  King  of  the 
Pippins,  Welbeck  Seedling,  Paradise  Pippin, 
Jacobs'  Strawberry,  to  which  a  first-class  certificate 
was  awarded  at  the  last  meeting,  the  Incompar- 
able, Margil,  Yellow  Ingestre,  and  Red  Quarrenden. 

Culinary  Apples,  three  dishes,  were  shown 
by  eighteen  also.  Even  among  the  unsuccessful 
competitors  the  productions  were  of  a  high 
standard,  both  in  quality  and  size ;  some,  in. 
deed,  were  extraortlinary  in  the  latter  respect, 
especially  those  that  won  the  first  and  second 
prizes.  Tlie  best  three  dishes  consisted  of  grand 
fruits  of  Lord  Derbj',  M^re  de  Menage,  and  Stirl- 
ing Ca.stle,  from  the  gardens  of  Mr.  Eyre,  Welford 
Park,  P.erks.  The  second  prize  was  taken  by  Mr. 
Haycock  with  very  fine  even  fruit  of  Warner's 
King,  Peasgood's  Nonsuch,  and  Belle  du  Bois. 
The  following  sorts  were  also  shown  admirably  : 
Blenheim  Pippin,  Lord  Suffield,  Golden  Noble, 
Gloria  JIundi,  Brabant  Bellefleur,  Emperor  Alex- 
ander, D.  T.  Fish,  New  Hawthornden,  Lane's 
Prince  Albert,  Hanwell  Souring,  Tower  of  Glamis, 
and  Beauty  of  Kent,  nineteen  collections  in  all 
being  staged. 

Pears  — Mr.  Haycock,  won  the  premier  prize 
for  three  dished  fruits  of  unusual  size  and  beauty, 
perfectly  ripe  and  finely  coloured  ;  the  kinds  were 
Pitmaston  Duchess,  Doyenne  Boussoch,  and 
Durandeau,  the  second  prize  being  taken  by  Mr. 
Goldsmith,  Hollanden,  Tonbridge,  with  finely  de- 
veloped and  perfectly  ripe  fruits  of  DoyenniS 
Boussoch,  Williams'  Bon  Chi'etien,  and  Brock- 
worth  Park,  whilst  the  third  award  went  to  the 
gardens  of  Mr.  Hargreaves,  Maiden  Erleigh,  Read- 
ing, Jersey  Gratioli  and  Souvenir  de  Congids  being 


288 


THE     GAEDEN 


[SErr.  27,   H84. 


good  in  this  collection.  The  following  kinds  were 
hhown  in  excellent  condition  in  the  other  four 
collections  :  Louise  Bonne  of  Jersey,  Brockworth 
Park,  Gansel's  Bergamot,  and  Beurru  d'Amanlis. 

Plums — There  were  fifteen  pairs  of  dishes  of 
late  sorts  of  riunjs,  Coe's  Golden  Drrp  being  the 
most  prominent  kind,  Eeine  Claude  de  Bavay, 
Transparent  Gage,  Jefferson,  Blue  Imperatrice, 
and  Pond's  Seedling  being  also  shown.  In  each 
case  the  prizes  were  taken  by  Pond's  Seedling  and 
Coe's  Golden  Drop.  This  was  a  very  good  class 
considering  the  late  period  of  the  season. 

Peaches. — Tlie  class  for  Peaches  was  strongly 
represented,  no  fewer  than  twenty-eight  dishes 
bting  put  op.  The  finest  of  these  were  a  splendid 
dish  of  Sea  Eagle  (liivers)  from  the  gardens  of 
Jlrs.  Vivian,  Singleton,  Swansea.  These  were 
finely  coloured  and  large  fruit.  Tlie  second  prize 
dish  came  from  Lord  Eversley's  garden  at  Heck- 
field  for  beautiful  fruits  of  the  Nectarine  Peach, 
also  well  coloured.  Besides  these  two  kinds  the 
following  were  also  shown :  Late  Admirable, 
Goshawk,  Prince  of  \VaIes,  Lord  Palmerston, 
Dymond,  Walburton  Admirable,  Princess  of  Wales, 
and  Lady  Palmerston. 

Vegetables  -  Twelve  collections  of  eight 
kinds  of  vegetables  were  shown,  Mr.  Miles,  Lord 
Carington's  gardener  at  Wycombe  Abbey,  again 
proving  himself  the  champion  of  the  class.  It  is 
doubtful  if  he  ever  staged  a  better  all-round  repre- 
sentative collection  than  on  this  occasion.  There 
was  not  a  weak  point  or  a  blemish  in  either  dish, 
which  consisted  of  the  following :  Of  Onions, 
Cave's  Pinesfield,  very  fine  samples  of  a  beautiful 
brown  colour;  Canadian  Wonder  Beans,  very 
clean,  fine  pods  ;  Edgecute  Seedling  Potato,  with 
the  roughness  of  skin  that  is  very  taking  in 
appearance  ;Veitch's  Exhibition  Biussels  Sprouts, 
extraordinarily  fine  for  the  time  of  year,  and  the 
improved  variety  of  Masters'  Prolific  Cucumber 
sent  out  by  the  same  firm,  which  is  of  a  most  use- 
ful size ;  Stamfordian  Tomatoes  were  fine  fruit, 
well  sliaped,  and  of  good  colour ;  James's  scarlet 
Carrots  and  green  Globe  Artichokes  completed 
this  collection — the  second  prize  being  awarded 
to  productions  from  the  Earl  of  Radnor's  gardens, 
at  Coleshill  (Mr.  Haines,  gardener).  This  was 
also  an  excellent  assortment  of  vegetables,  very 
clean  and  creditable,  the  best  dishes  being  Cham- 
pion Runner  Beans,  Autumn  Giant  Cauliflower, 
Purley  Park  Hero  Cucumber,  Stamfordian  Toma- 
toes, very  fine  Rousham  l^ark  Onions,  and  excel- 
lent Major  Clarke's  Solid  Red  Celery.  The  collec- 
tion to  which  the  third  position  was  awarded  was 
from  the  gardens  of  Mr.  W.  H.  Long,  M.P.,  Rood 
Ashton,  Trowbridge,  Wilts  (Mr.  Miller,  gardener). 
This  included  good  examples  of  culture  in  every 
instance,  the  best  of  which  and  in  the  unsuccessful 
collections  were  Snowball  Turnips,  Dedham 
Favourite  Tomato,  Tender  and  True  Cucumber, 
]'>read  Fruit  Potato,  G.  F.  Wilson  Pea,  and  selected 
white  Celery. 

Some  capital  pot  Vines  came  from  Messrs.  Lane, 
who  took  the  first  and  only  prize.  They  were  quite 
up  to  their  usual  standard  of  excellence  from  this 
nursery.  There  was  also  a  class  set  apart  fora  col- 
lection of  varieties  of  Maize,  but  there  was  not 
any  competition.  Mr.  llarron,  however,  sent  up 
from  Chiswick  an  excellent  collection,  the  most 
promising  among  which  were  the  Pointed  Indian 
Corn  (Vilmorin),  White  Early  Pyrenean  (Vil), 
Early  Brown  Improved  King  Philip  (Vil.),  and 
the  Red-seeded  (Denary).  Twenty  kinds  in  all 
were  sliown.  In  the  miscellaneous  class  the  most 
noteworthy  exhibits  wer-3  for  magnificent  Pine- 
apples (Smooth  Cayenne)  from  Welford  Park. 
These  were  a  great  credit  to  Mr,  Ross,  the  weight 
of  the  fruits  l:)cing  9  lb.  7  oz  ,  S  lb.  4  oz ,  7  lb. 
1 1  oz.,  and  7  lb.  '.)  oz.  respectively.  These  were 
awarded  the  first  prize,  the  second  being  taken 
by  Earl  Fortescue's  gardener  at  Castle  Hill 
for  a  Smooth  Cayenne  Pine  weighing  9  lbs.  10  oz. 
.  Of  miscellaneous  exhibits,  some  excellent  sam- 
ples of  Jacobs'  Strawberry  Apple  were  shown  by 
the  raiser  (Jlr.  Jacobs);  it  is  an  Apple  of  most 
useful  size,  and  in  appearance  as  a  dessert  variety 
could  hardly  be  excelled.  Some  fine  fruit  of 
Phillips'  Perfection  Tomato  were  also  shown  ;  it 


appears  to  be  a  first-rate  variety  of  prolific  charac- 
ter by  the  clusters  that  were  shown.  The  fruit  are 
large  and  smooth  as  an  egg.  These  were  shown  by 
the  raiser,|Mr.  Phillips,  the  gardens,  The  Deodars, 
Meopham,  Kent.  Two  enormous  tubers  of  the 
White  Elephant  Potato  were  shown  by  Mr.  Gold- 
smith, Hollanden,  Tonbridge,  who  speaks  favour- 
ably of  the  quality  of  this  sort.  The  weight  of 
these  tubers  were  3  lb.  10  oz.  and  £  lb.  7  oz.  re- 
spectively. Messrs.  Rivers  staged  several  dishes  of 
fruit  in  their  well  known  style  ;  among  theie  was 
a  dish  of  the  GladstDne  Peach  of  very  handsome 
appearance;  Pilmaston  Duchess  and  Durindeau 
Pears  were  also  fine.  Samples  of  the  following 
first-rate  kinds  of  fruit  were  among  Messrs.  Rivers' 
collection ; — 

rE.\RS. 
Piincess  I  Madame  Treyve 

Beum;  Superflu  Hiuire  ilAmuilis 

Prince  |  Biuckwuitli  Park 

PrACHKS. 

Exquisite 
Laily  falmerston 
P.y^on  Nectaiine 
A'ietoiia 

Capital  representative  collections  of  Apples  were 
shown  by  Messrs.  Cheal  &  Sons,  Lowfield  Nur- 
series, Crawley,  and  by  Messrs,  G.  Paul  &  Son.  In  a 
varied  assortment  of  Cabbages,  &c.,  from  IMessrs. 
Carter  k  Co.  were  first-rate  samples  of  Early  Vork 
Cabbage  and  Hardy  Green  Colewort,  both  being 
good  str.ains  of  their  respective  kinds. 

From  the  Society's  garden  at  Chiswick  Mr. 
Barron  exhibited  samples  of  a  large  number  of 
different  varieties  of  Grapes.  Besides  the  com- 
monly cultivated  kinds,  there  were  the  following  :  — 


Alliafross 
Princess  of  Wales 
Tlie  Nectarine 
Lord  ralmerston 


Strawberry 
Gros  Guillanm*^ 
Hla:k  Fronti^'nan 
Anieliuan  PticKlintjtou 
Miller's  Bui'cundy 
(  hasselas  lltise 
Espeien 
Due  dc  Miigent.a 


Arae'ican     Moore's 
(Hovey) 

f'intat 

<  liaptal 

lilack  Monnkka 

Raisin  de  Calabre 

VVliite  Frontignan 

Dutch  Eambuigli 


Early 


Besides  the  exhibition  of  fruit  and  vegetables 
the  conservatory  was  enlivened  by  large  displays 
of  flowers,  among  the  principal  exhibitors  being 
the  followiog:  Messrs.  Carter,  who  had  a  large 
and  attractive  group  of  admirably  grown  Cocks- 
combs interspersed  with  white  speciosum  Lilies— 
a  pretty  effect.  Mr.  William  Paul,  of  Waltham 
Cross,  contributed  largely  to  the  display  by  send- 
ing twenty  dozen  trusses  of  cut  Roses— a  remark- 
able display  in  September,  llcsides  these  he  sent 
Dahlias  of  the  various  classes  and  a  capital 
selection  of  the  best  hardy  flowers.  A  large  dis- 
play was  also  sent  by  his  neighbours,  Jlessrs. 
I'aul,  of  Clieehunt,  which  consisted  chiefly  of 
Dahlias,  show,  fancy,  bouquet,  and  f  ingle,  be.siries 
collections  of  perennial  Asters  and  the  very  finest 
of  hardy  autumn  flowers.  Messrs.  Kelway  still 
continue  to  send  contributions,  together  with 
Belladonna  Lilies,  from  their  extensive  Gladioli 
nurseries,  and  some  magnificent  Gladioli  also  came 
from  so  far  north  as  Gourock,  from  Mr.  A.  Camp- 
bell, who  has  been  exhibiting  these  splendid 
flowers  grandly  this  season.  Mr.  Ware,  Messrs. 
Keynes  i>c  Williams  of  Salisbury,  Messrs.  Eaw- 
lings,  and  Mr.  Turner  eacli  sent  large  collections 
of  Dahlias,  those  from  Salisbury  and  Tottenham 
being  particularly  fine.  The  Cactus  Dahlias, 
scarlet  and  white  mixed,  from  Messrs.  Keynes 
seemed  to  be  the  centre  of  attraction. 


The  Royal  Caledonian  Horticultural 

Society's  autumn  show  was  opened  in  the  Waver- 
ley  Market,  Edinburgh,  on  the  17th  inst.  There 
were  upwards  of  1,300  entries,  which  is  about  the 
same  number  as  last  year,  and  very  nearly  double 
that  of  previous  years.  In  the  1G2  classes  which 
were  catalogued,  every  item,  with  but  four  excep- 
tions, was  competed  for.  Fruit  was  tire  principal 
feature  of  the  autumn  show,  and  a  really  splendid 
display  was  made  in  this  class.  Indeed,  it  has 
been  remarked  that  in  many  points  it  was  as  good, 
and  in  some  cases  even  better,  than  the  collection 
exhibited  at  the  great  International  Show  in 
Dundee.  Two  well-known  growers — Mr.  M'Indoe 
and  Mr.  Johnstone — were  first  and  second  respec- 
tively in  the  c'ass  for  the  best  collection  of  twelve 


sorts  of  fruit.  Although  on  some  former  occasion 
larger  bunches  of  Grapes  may  have  been  exlibited, 
seldom  have  they  been  more  numerous. 

Ghent  Horticultural  Society.— At  the 

last  monthly  meeting  of  this  society,  held  at  tie 
Casino,  Ghent,  the  following  awards  were  made  : 
CWiiJiciitrx.— To  Messrs.  Blanckaert  &  Vermeire, 
from  Gentbrugge,  for  single-flowered  tuberous 
P.egonias ;  to  Mr.  Aug.  van  Geert,  Mont  St.  Amand, 
for  Leea  amabilis  var.  splendens ;  to  Mr.  E.  Ver- 
vaet  de  Vos,  Zwynacrde,  for  a  white-flowered 
Cdttleya  ;  to  Mr.  Ed.  Andrfi,  Paris,  for  a  spotted- 
leaved  Philodendron  Hainei.  C'lilfiirii/  certift'cafes. 
— To  the  Continental  Horticultural  Company,  for 
Vanda  Lowi  var.  Reichenheimi.  Ilo-noiirahh  men- 
tions—To Jlr.  F.  J.  Spae,  Ghent,  for  his  Aspi- 
distra elatior  fol.  var.,  exhibited  in  fruit.  To  Mr. 
Ad.  D.  Haene,  Ghent,  for  bis  Pinanga  maculata. 


OBITUAEY. 


ISAAC  ANDERSON-HENhV. 
One  of  the  oldest  and  best  known  among  amateur 
gardeners,  Mr.  Isaac  An deeson- Henry  has 
passed  from  us  during  the  past  week,  at  the  lipe 
age  of  85.  Few  men  have  done  more  to  improve 
garden  plants  by  a  course  of  careful  and  syste- 
matic hybridisation  than  Mr.  Anderson-Henry ; 
not  only  has  he  enriched  our  gardens  by  th's 
means,  but  he  has  perhaps  introduced  more  plants 
from  New  Zealand  and  the  Himalayas  than  any 
other  private  individual  in  our  time.  We  have 
only  to  look  through  the  last  twenty  volumes  of 
the  Botiniiriit  Miiga:ini'  to  see  how  many  plants 
therein  figured  are  accredited  to  Mr.  Anderson- 
Henry's  introduction.  Himalayan  Primulactic  and 
New  Zealand  Veronicas  were  particularly  objects 
of  his  attention,  and  his  garden  at  Hay  Lodge,  near 
Edinburgh,  is  exceedingly  rich  in  these  plants. 
To  Mr.  Anderson- Henry'u  skill  in  hybridising  we 
are  indebted  for  a  race  of  the  loveliest  of  Clema- 
tises, kinds  which  rank  amongst  the  finest  of  the 
hybrid  varieties.  Amongst  these  Clema(i.=es  those 
named  C.  Henryi  and  C.  Symesiana,  the  results  of 
intercrossing  C.  lanuginosa  with  othtr  sorts,  are 
the  most  remarkable,  both  having  exceptionally 
large  flowers.  Campanulas  were  also  the  subjects 
of  Mr.  Anderson- Henry's  attention  in  the  way  of 
hybridisation.  Some  good  results  accrued  from 
these  crosses,  as  is  evidenced  by  the  pretty  C. 
haylodgensis  and  C.  G.  F.  Wilson,  the  latter  a 
hybrid  between  C.  pulla  and  C.  turbinata,  two 
very  unlikely  species  to  intercross.  His  garden  at 
Hay  Lodge  has  for  many  years  been  an  object  of 
much  interest  to  plant  lovers,  teeming,  as  it  docs, 
with  hosts  of  new  and  rare  plants,  which  we  hope 
will  fall  into  good  hands  now  that  the  enthusiastic 
owner  of  them  is  gone.  The  keen  knowledge  of 
plants  which  Mr.  Anderson-Henry  possessed  was 
scarcely  less  remarkable  than  his  love  for  them 
and  for  horticulture  generally.  Quite  recently 
even  he  paid  Mr.  Lindsay  a  visit  at  the  Botanic 
Garden,  and,  though  very  unwell,  seemed  to  take 
as  much  interest  as  ever  in  certain  plants,  old 
favourites  of  his  in  days  gone  by. 


Gardenlr>i?  in  the  Scllly  Islands.— In  tlie  account 
of  tliis  given  iu  TiieGaudkn  (p.  261),  liy  some  inadvertence 
tlie  time  of  planting  out  of  the  Potatoes  is  said  to  be 
September  ;  it  ought  to  fie  December.  Again,  although 
tlie  tuliers  turn  out  very  clean,  yet  trade  conventionalities 
unfortniifltely  seem  to  demand  that  they  {.lioiild  lie  wa-.hed 
before  coniiog  to  market.— C.  A.  M.  Carmichael. 


Names  of  fruits —S.  ^.  Birc/idm  — Benrre  D:el. 

D  .1.  «.— 1,  New  Hawtfiornden :  2,  Go  den  Noble;  3,  ap- 

parentfy  Margit  ;  4.  not  recognised. A.   C.  H.  0.— Not 

known  at  fhiswiek. /?../.  B.  — Adam's  Pearniain  (sniafl 

conical);  Kound  Winter  Nonsuch  (reddisfi  and  conical); 

4,  Gofden   NoWc  ;  F'ear  is  Beuire  d'Amanlis. DiUa.— 

Pear  Bishops  Tluimb. 

NRines   of  plants.— G.  y.— Hiliscus  sui.icus  fl.pl. 

.4.  Barf/Kj^oi/i-ui.- Bowifa  volubilis. Dr.  Harris. — 

Yucca  gloriosa,   belonging  to  the  natural  order  Liliaces, 

Southern  States  of  North  America. W.  Stamper.— Ap- 

peais  to  lie  the  filaiden'a  Blush  Rose. T.  P.  C'ollin()>t. — 

Kniit  of  the  Lime  (Tilia  europ.xa). Dr.  Paterson.  —  Kni- 

phofla  aloides    grandis. Stolfe    Ftemino.— Hedychium 

coronarium,  Garland  flower. J.  T-  Stauhopea  (Orchid), 

H  ibiscus  syriacus  fl.  -pi.  (flowering  shi  nb) ;  Acalypha  tricolor 

(stove  plant). i,'.   F.  C— Inula  Pul'caria. A.  Boyle 

and  S  jB.— Next  week. 


THE     GARDEN 


289 


No.  672.  SATURDAY,  Oct.  4,  1884.  Vol.  XXVI. 


"  Til  is  is  an  Art 
Wiich  does  menil  Nature  :  chance  it  rather :  Init 
The  art  itself  is  Nature."— s;mJ-e»;)-'(irf. 


DAFFODILS  ABROAD. 
I  WISH  that  either  garden-loving  travellers  or 
residents  abroad  would  tell  ns  somewhat  of  the 
beauty  of  the  various  Narcissi  now  cultivated  in 
other  countries  besides  our  own.  Some  time  ago 
"  Pakeha"  gave  us  an  interesting  account  of 
the  way  in  which  the  Karcissi  flower  in  Septem- 
ber and  flourish  in  New  Zealand,  and  Mr.  Car- 
inichaer.s  notice  of  the  Scilly  Island  bulb  fields 
is  another  valuable  contribution  to  the  life- 
history  of  these  lovely  blossoms.  But  how 
do  these  flowers  prosper  in  foreign  lands  to 
which  they  are  not  indigenous  ?  Do  Daffodils 
grow  well  in  any  of  the  cooler  or  more  elevated 
of  Indian  provinces  ?  Are  there  any  Narcissi 
actually  wild  in  Northern  India,  as  there  are 
said  to  be  in  China  and  Japan  1 

Who  will  tell  us  of  the  kinds  of  Narcissi 
which  prove  most  showy  in  the  open  air  in  the 
gardens  of  the  United  States  or  in  Canada  ?  Mr- 
George  Maw  and  the  late  Mr.  Harpur  Crewe 
told  us  somewhat  of  the  Spanish  Narcissi, 
and  Mr.  Moggeridge  illustrated  and  described 
those  of  the  Riviera ;  but  who  will  tell 
us  of  the  Daffodils  that  grow  high  up  among 
the  bears  and  brigands  of  tlie  Pyrenees,  or 
of  those  which  luxuriate  in  the  islands  of  the 
Grecian  Archipelago  where  Narcissus  originated, 
or  at  least  where  the  myth  and  legend  of  his  name 
alike  were  born  ?  Who  will  tell  us  how  many 
Narcissi  luxuriate  in  Italy  ?  We  all  know  here  at 
home  how  the  nodding  blossoms  of  the  common 
yellow  Daffodils  catch  the  sunbeams  of  our  spring 
days  and  hold  Ihem  for  us  in  their  deep  chalices 
when  the  skies  are  ofttimes  grey  ;  now  they  sway 
by  the  thousand  in  our  meadows  and  dance  in  the 
sunny  warmth  of  an  April  day — nay,  in  some 
localities  every  spot  which  had  seemed  dim  before 
Is  alight  with  their  yellow  glow  when  blustering 
March  comes  in. 

And  those  who  have  tried  betimes  fail  not  to 
notice  what  power  of  endurance  there  is  in  their 
slender  fluted  stalks  and  in  each  shimmering 
petal  as  they  pass  through  cold,  rain,  and  raging 
wind  storms  well-nigh  unscathed.  But  after  all 
it  is  very  questionable  whether  any  species  of 
Narcissus  is  really  wild  (/  c,  indigenous)  in 
England,  and  that  they  are  so  in  Ireland  is  but 
little  more  likely.  We  can  never  satisfactorily 
prove  this  now,  but  one  may  at  least  notice  how 
these  lovely  flowers  hold  themselves  aloof  from 
desecration,  and  so  live  on  for  generations  after 
abbey  walls  and  castle  keeps  have  mouldered 
away,  or  stand  alone  desolate  and  tenantless.  The 
little  story  of  "  Finderne's  Flowers  "  (published  in 
The  Garden,  Vol.  XV.,  pp.  7t  and  LSI) illustrates 
this  fact  so  forcibly,  that  one  may  repeat  it  without 
an  apology.  Sir  Bernard  Burke  being  for  a  long 
time  in  search  of  a  pedigree  with  reference  to 
the  Findernes  (once  a  great  family  having  a  seat 
in  Derbyshire),  he  sought  for  their  ancient  hall. 
Not  a  stone  remained  to  tell  where  it  had  stood. 
He  entered  the  church ;  not  a  single  record  of  a 
Finderne  was  there.  He  accosted  a  villager,  hop- 
ing to  glean  some  stray  tradition  of  the  Findernes- 


"  Findernes,"  said  he,  "  we  have  no  Findernes 
here,  but  we  have  something  that  once  belonged 
to  them  ;  we  have  Finderne's  flowers."  "  Show  me 
them,''  he  replied,  and  the  old  man  led  him  into 
a  field  which  retained  faint  traces  of  terrace  and 
foundation.  "  There,"  said  he,  pointing  to  a  bank 
of  garden  flowers  grown  wild,  "  these  aie  Fin- 
derne's flowers,  brought  by  Sir  Geoffrey  from  the 
Holy  Land."  The  late  Mr.  Harpur  Crewe  claimed 
to  be  descended  from  the  Findernes,  and  after 
some  trouble  found  out  that  the  flowers  of  Nar- 
cissus poeticus  are  those  even  yet  known  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Finderne  as  Finderne's  flowers.  Although 
it  is  not  likely  that  the  roots  of  this  plant  were 
originally  brought  from  Palestine,  yet  they  might 
have  been  introduced  from  Europe  by  returning 
pilgrims  or  crusaders.  What  I  have  often  ob- 
served is  that  these  flowers  are  generally  found 
growing  in  old  abbey  meadows,  or  on  the  site 
of  former  villages,  camps,  or  old  religions 
houses.  The  lovely  Narcissus  Tazetta  floribnndus 
naturalised  so  plentifully  on  St.  Michael's  Mount, 
off  the  Cornish  coast,  is  an  instance  of  the  long 
survival  of  a  plant  which  it  may  be  some  old 
monk  had  once  grown  in  the  monastery  garden. 
Quite  recently  a  friend  sent  me  bulbs  of  the  old 
double  Swan's-neck  Daffodil,  the  double  form  of 
N.  cernuus,  from  a  wild  copse  in  a  wild  country 
where  I  found  it  myself  last  spring.  "  I  sup- 
pose," he  adds,  "  there  was  once  an  old  garden 
there,  but  I  can  find  no  trace  of  it."  The  same 
correspondent  told  me  of  the  white  Daffodil  (N. 
cernuus,  or  an  allied  form)  having  also  been  found 
by  a  lady  friend  of  his  in  a  garden  on  the  site 
of  an  ancient  monastic  foundation  in  Wiltshire. 
In  some  parts  of  Ireland,  again,  where  religious 
foundations  were  numerous,  this  white  Daffodil 
yet  lingers  in  old  gardens  and  in  copses,  near 
streams  and  around  towers,  where  it  is  apparently 
wild.  So  also  the  large  butter- coloured  variety 
called  N.  princeps  is  abundantly  naturalised  in 
many  parts  of  the  country,  and  I  believe  it  was 
from  Ireland  that  Jlr.  Barr  introduced  it  some  few 
years  ago. 

In  Wales,  again,  we  have  the  very  distinct 
Tenby  Daffodil  (N.  obvallaris)  abundantly 
naturalised,  and  once  again  in  the  vicinity  of 
ancient  buildings.  It  would  be  very  interesting 
if  Daffodil  lovers  would  tell  us  of  the  apparently 
wild  forms  which  exist  in  their  own  neighbour- 
hood, especially  if  they  would  also  pay  some  little 
attention  to  the  arohseologioal  surroundings  of  the 
locality. 

The  Tenby  variety  is  pretty  generally  supposed^ 
but  perhaps  without  sufBcient  reason  for  such  be- 
lief, to  be  a  Spanish  Daffodil ;  but  that  N.  cernuus 
is  a  native  of  the  chamois  country  on  the  Spanish 
side  of  the  Pyrenees  (as  stated  in  102!)  by  faith- 
ful old  Parkinson)  is  now  well  known  to  be  a  fact; 
but,  as  I  have  said  before,  it  would  be  highly  in- 
teresting to  hear  of  the  growth  of  all  the  best 
Narcissi,  not  only  in  their  natural  habitats,  but 
also  as  cultivated  in  the  gardens  of  other  lands, 
and  I  trust  some  kind  reader  of  The  Garden 
abroad  may  oblige  us  in  this  matter. 

F.  W.  B. 


Cereus  triangularis. — There  are  two  large 
specimens  of  this  climbing  Cactus  growing  along 
the  rafters  in  the  succulent  house  at  Kew,  both 
of  which  are  flowering  freely  and  will  continue 
to  do  so  for  some  little  time  yet.  Unfortunately 
for  visitors  to  these  gardens,  the  flowers  of  this 
and  several  others  of  the  largest  and  handsomest 
Cacti  do  not  open  before  dusk,  and  close  again 
soon  after  sunrise  next  morning.    We  were  privi- 


leged to  see  C.  triangularis  at  Kew  late  in  the 
evening  a  few  days  ago,  and  so  strikingly  beauti- 
ful and  large  were  the  flowers,  that  we  could  not 
think  of  any  flowers  with  which  to  compare  them 
other  than  those  of  the  Victoria  regia.  At  ten  or 
eleven  at  night  the  flowers  of  this  Cereus  were 
fully  unfolded,  when  they  measured  across  the 
sepals  li  inches,  and  across  the  cup  formed  by 
the  paper-white  petals  G  inches,  the  depth  of  this 
cup  being  5.1  inches.  Lining  the  inside  of  the 
flower  are  the  long  hair-like  stamens,  which  are 
bright  yellow  in  colour  and  very  numerous. 
The  long,  fleshy,  cylindrical  style  peeps  just  over 
the  top  of  the  cup,  and  is  divided  at  its  apex  into 
about  a  score  of  spreading  filaments  an  inch  long. 
The  fleshy,  scaly  tube  o£  the  flower  measured 
nearly  8  inches  in  length.  It  is  impossible  to  give 
a  description  of  these  flowers  that  would  convey 
anything  like  a  full  idea  of  their  beauty,  though 
enough  may  be  gathered  from  what  we  have  said 
to  give  rise  to  a  desire  to  possess  the  plant,  and 
as  the  cultivation  of  all  of  the  large  night- 
blooming  Cacti  is  easily  managed,  there  is  no 
reason  why  the  bare  rafters  and  walls  one  often 
sees  in  large  conservatories  should  not  be  covered 
with  a  selection  of  them.  In  addition  to  C.  trian- 
gularis, there  are  C.  grandiflorus,  C.  Napoleonis, 

C.  Lemairei,  and  C.  nycticallus,  all  of  whicli  are 
free  growers,  very  large  and  handsome  flowered, 
and  expand  their  flowers  in  the  night.  By  cutting 
the  buds  of  these  the  day  before  they  would  ex- 
pand on  the  plants  and  placing  them  in  ''wet 
sand,  they  may  be  seen  fully  open  on  the  day 
following. — Q. 

Davldsonla  pruriens  — The  flowering  of 
this  plant  for  the  first  time  in  cultivation  is  an 
event  of  little  interest  to  cultivators,  unless  it  be 
that  the  name  which,  when  the  plant  was  first 
distributed,  was  doubtfully  correct,  now  proves 
to  be  right.  D.  pruriens  is  a  member — an  ano- 
malous one — of  the  Saxifrage  family.  It  was  first 
described  by.  Baron  Slueller  in  ISCiT.  AVhen  full 
grown  it  is  large  and  tree-like,  and  is  strikingly 
handsome,  because  of  its  large  pinnate  leaves. 
In  Australia  the  Plum-like  fruits  produced  by  this 
plant  are  eaten  and  are  much  relished — so  we  are 
informed.     It  is,  however,  as  a  garden  plant  that 

D.  pruriens  has  to  be  considered  here,  and 
although  the  small  dull-coloured  flowers  are  with- 
out anything  to  recommend  them  to  gardeners, 
the  noble  appearance  of  the  plant,  even  when  very 
young,  is  quite  good  enough  to  win  for  it  a  place 
amongst  ornamental-leaved  stove  plants  The 
stem  is  erect  and  is  thickly  clothed  with  large, 
unequally,  pinnate  leaves,  nearly  2  feet  long,  and 
divided  into  half-a-dozen  broad,  curving  pinnie, 
with  an  odd  one  at  the  end.  The  margins  of  the 
pinnaj  are  toothed,  and  the  whole  of  the  leaves 
and  stem  of  the  plant  are  covered  with  fine, 
though  stiff,  hairs,  which  are  easily  rubbed  off, 
and  which  are  so  sharp  as  to  enter  one's  skin, 
much  as  the  hairs  of  the  Cowitch  (Mucuna 
pruriens)  do.  Unlike  the  latter,  however,  they  do 
not  sting  or  irritate.  The  leaves  are  developed 
four  or  five  together,  and  from  their  first  appear- 
ance till  they  are  fully  developed  they  are  com- 
pletely hidden  in  a  co%'eriDg  of  the  most  beautiful 
crimson,  the  hairs  being  of  that  colour  till  the  leaf 
is  ripe.  We  are  not  acquainted  with  any  plant 
which  shows  a  more  beautiful  venation  than  this. 
The  colour  exists  only  in  the  hairs,  the  leaf-blade 
itself  being  green.  In  the  Khopalas,  Machajrinm 
firmum,  and  in  some  of  the  Palms,  more  especially 
in  Kentiopsis  Lindeni,  the  Calyptrogynes,  and 
AVelfia  regia,  the  colour  assumed  by  the  foliage 
when  young  is  very  brilliant  and  attractive,  but 
beautiful  as  these  are,  none  of  them  is  so  full  of 
charm  as  the  Davidsonia  is  when  crowned  with  a 
whorl  of  its  brightly  coloured  young  leaves.  A 
plant  of  it  is  now  in  fine  condition  in  the  Victoria 
house  at  Kew,  and  a  day  or  two  ago  this  plant 
flowered.  There  are  also  some  large  specimens  of 
it  in  the  Palm  house  in  Kew  Gardens.— B. 

Dielytraa  in  pots. — "  S.  D.'s"  note  on  this 
plant  at  p.  1 70  reminds  me  of  a  large  specimen 
which  was  the  pride  and  glory  of  a  village  black- 
smith near  here.  It  was  in  a  large  tub,  and  was 
when  fully  grown,  many  feet  round.  It  was  simply 


290 


THE     GARDEN 


[Or  r.  4.   I88<. 


screened  from  inclement  spring  weather  by  a  little 
glasshouse,  and  was  placed  in  the  open  later  to 
perfect  its  growth,  lieautiful  as  this  plant  is,  it 
is  one  of  the  most  disappointing  we  have  when 
treated  as  strictly  hardy,  for  although  the  roots 
never  appear  to  suffer  in  winter,  at  any  rate  not 
where  the  soil  is  of  a  fairly  free  nature,  it  is  rare 
indeed  that  the  young  growths  escape  the  severe 
climatic  changes  of  our  fickle  English  spring.  But 
it  is  truly  worthy  of  all  good  care,  and  for  the 
ornamentation  of  rooms  and  conservatories  at 
that  time  of  year  is  one  of  the  most  valuable 
plants  ever  introduced  into  the  gardens  of  this 
country.— By  FLEET. 


PLANTS    IN    FLOWEK. 


A  beautiful  old  Dahlia.— The  old  Dahlia  plcta  for- 
mo?issiiiia  looks  so  decidedly  different  from  any  other,  that 
we  hive  been  tempted  to  send  you  a  few  flowers  of  it. 
Being  half  single,  too,  its  l)looms  last  long  in  a  cut  state.— 
H.  Cansell  &  Sons,  Swanley. 

*^*  A  beautiful  old  Dahlia,  and,  as  Messrs.  Cannell  re- 
mark, distinct  from  ad  others.  The  flowers  partake  some- 
what of  the  shape  of  that  known  as  the  white  Cactus 
Dahlia.  The  florets  are  crimson  and  gold,  two  striking 
colours  harmoniously  blended-  It  is,  we  imagine,  a  capital 
garden  plant,  and  Messrs.  Cannell  have  done  good  service 
in  thus  reviving  as  it  were  a  long-lost  favourite.— Ed. 

Chrysanthemum  Madame  DesBransre.— This 
variety  is  a  long  way  ahead  of  all  the  other  wliite  sorts  of 
early  Chryssntheniums ;  indeed,  when  well  grown  its 
flowers  arescircely  if  at  all  infciorto  those  of  some  of  the 
Novt-mber  sorts,  such  as  K^aine  and  others.  Mr.  Crook 
brings  several  large  bold  flowers  of  it  from  Farnborough 
Gra'ge,  which  show  the  value  of  such  a  Chrysanthemum 
at  this  season. 

Bessera  elegran?.  —  P'lowers  of  this  re  introduced 
ile-xicau  t'ulbous  plant  from  Messrs.  Horsman.f-f  Colchester, 
remind  us  of  its  graceful  slenderness  and  bsauty.  The  pre- 
sent fpecimens  have  been  admirably  grown,  no  fewer  than 
a  dozen  flowers  and  buds  being  poised  on  the  top  of  tlie 
fragile  stems.  The  bright  red  colour  of  the  e.vpanded 
blooms  striped  with  whitu  is  extremely  showy.  This  plant 
was  flgiu-ed  not  long  since  in  The  Gabden. 

New  early  Chrysanthemums.— Mr.  W.  Piercy, 
the  chrysanthemum  nurseryman  of  Forest  Hill,  sends  us 
flowers  of  three  new  sorts  of  early  Pompone  Chrysanthe- 
mums which  seem  to  be  improvements  on  older  kinds. 
There  are  two  yellow  sorts  named  Early  Flora  and  Fiberta. 
Both  are  extremely  floriferous,  and  the  colours  are  bright 
and  clear.  The  other  soi  t  named  Lyon  has  reddish  purple 
flowers  also  freely  produced. 

Salvia  fariaaoea —There  is  a  delicate 
beauty  about  this  autumn  Salvia  wliich  makes  it 
desirable.  It  is  not  showy,  but  the  upper  parts 
of  its  slender  stems  are  covered  with  a  white 
mealy  substance,  on  which  the  purple  flowers  are 
thickly  set.  It  is  a  Mexican  species,  not  abso- 
lutely hardy,  but  one  which  succeeds  well  in  the 
open  border  in  the  south.  Mr.  Crook  brings  us 
some  fine  spikes  of  it  from  the  garden  at  Farn- 
borough Grange,  along  with  some  robust  spikes  of 
Larkspur  and  tuberous  Begonias  from  the  open 
border  ;  Salvia  cicaliajfolia  is  also  sent,  but  it  is 
not  nearly  so  showy  as  S.  patens. 

Double  Palargonlums.— A  series  of  new 
varieties  of  double  zonal  I'elargoniums  has  been 
sent  to  us  by  Messrs.  Daniels,  of  Norwich.  There 
is  a  large  number  of  sorts,  the  best  of  which  we 
have  singled  out.  Their  names  are  Triomphe  de 
France,  pink;  Dr.  L.  Dufour,  cerise;  Merveille, 
flesh-pink ;  Gustave  Widdemann,  carmine-pink, 
Explosion,  crimson ;  and  Carolus  Duran.  These 
all  have  large  trusses  of  fine  double  flowers  and 
form  a  brilliant  series,  but  as  we  have  no  means 
of  comparison  we  cannot  say  how  much  they 
differ  from  older  sorts. 

October  alpine  flowers.— A  choice  little 
gathering  of  alpine  flowers  has  been  sent  to  us 
by  Messrs.  George  Paul  and  Sou  from  their  hardy 
flower  nursery  at  Broxbourne,  thereby  indicating 
that  the  rock  garden  there  is  not  altogether  devoid 
of  interest,  even  at  this  late  date.  There  are 
amongthe  specimens  really  good  blooms  of  Andro- 
sace  lanuginosa,  Hypericum  ffigyptiacum,  a  pretty 
and  neat  rock  garden  shrub  a  iew  inches  high  with 
silvery  foliage  and  tiny  yeilow  flowers  ;  Cyanan- 
thus  lobatus,  an  interesting  Himalayan  plant ; 
Hypericum  reptans,  a  real  rock  garden  gem ; 
Linaria  alpina,  good  for  the  season;  Thalictrum 
anemonoides  and  Coronilla  varia  alba,  which,  by 
the  way,  we  do  not  remember  having  seen  before. 


It  is  a  delicately  pretty  flower,  not  pure  white,  but 
with  a  faint  suiEusion  of  pink.  There  are  also 
flowers  of  a  hardy  Cyclamen  which  is  strange  to 
us.  It  has  triangular  leaves  considerably  mottled, 
and  with  pale  pink-crimson  throated  flowers. 
Messrs.  Paul  do  not  know  its  name.  Sprays  of 
Menziesia  empetriformisand  Margyricarpussetosus 
are  among  the  gathering.  The  last  named  is  a 
low-growing  shrub  with  finely  cut  foliage  and 
furnished  at  this  season  with  small  white  Mistletoe- 
like berries. 

New  sinale  Dahlia.— Mr.  Teesdale,  the 
well-known  Dahlia  raiser  at  Wj  ke  House,  Chiches- 
ter, sends  us  blooms  of  a  remarkable  single  Dahlia 
which  he  has  just  raised,  and  which  he  regards 
as  unique.  The  florets  are  pure  white-edged  half 
their  length  with  yellow.  It  is  extremely  pretty, 
and  quite  novel  as  regards  colour.  Mr.  Teesdale 
also  sends  flowers  of  what  may  be  called  a  yellow 
Cactus  Dahlia,  though  the  blooms  are  not  identical 
in  shape  with  those  of  Juarezi.  It  was  obtained 
from  the  white  Cactus  Dahlia  Constance,  which  it 
much  resembles.  It  is  a  good  clear  yellow,  and 
will  no  doubt  fill  a  gap,  even  among  the  multi- 
tudinous list  of  Dahlias  already  in  cultivation. 

New  single  Dahlias.—  Of  new  seedling 
Dahlias  there  seems  no  end.  Every  week  some 
are  brought  to  our  notice,  but  few  seem  to  be  ex- 
ceptionally noteworthy.  Mr.  D.  T.  Fish  now  sends 
us  a  batch  from  Hardwicke,  Bury  St.  Edmunds, 
consisting  of  about  a  dozen  sorts,  all  seedlings, 
and  some  half  a  dozen  of  them  are  really  re- 
markable. Most  of  them  are  under  numbers,  but 
those  named  Mrs.  D.  T.  Fish  and  D.  T.  Fish  are 
the  most  distinct.  The  Intter  is  exactly  similar 
to  the  sort  sent  by  Mr.  Teesdale,  of  Chichester 
The  florets  are  white,  and  broadly  edged  with 
canary  yellow.  They  are  flat,  and,  being  rounded 
in  outline,  form  a  circular- shaped  flower ;  the 
Mrs.  Fish  variety  has  also  white  florets,  but 
edged  with  crimson.  The.se  are  both  pretty  and 
quaint  looking  sorts,  and  will  be  sure  to  become 
popular.  Another  (No.  4)  has  crimson-red  florets, 
tipped  and  Etriped  with  white.  The  best  of  the 
large  self  varieties  are  (No.  !0  a  large  bold  flower 
of  a  brilliant  amaranth,  and  (No.  C)  also  a  massive 
flower  of  a  rich  crimson. 

Some  fair  autumn  flowers  (October  2).— 
Carnations,  Lady  Agnes  and  Clarisse  have  held  on 
bravely  tillnow,  butthisis  their  good-bye.  [C/iarm- 
ing  ill  colour  and  fragrance  and  faJl-sized  flowers. — 
Ed  ]  Choisya  ternata,  flowering  for  the  second 
time.  \_Large  flowers  nith  a  sweet  odour.  Buds 
and  hlossoins  Orangelilie  and  beautiful.  An  ex- 
cellent thing  for  autumn  if  ire  could  secure  its 
llon'ering  then  generally. — Ed.]  Escallonia  mon- 
tevidensis,  one  of  the  few  late  autumn  flowering 
shrubs  not  often  enough  grown  ;  very  neat  and 
pretty  on  a  wall,  \_6ood  n-hite  floncrs  in  shon"g 
hetds. — Ed]  Michaelmas  Daisies  are  grand  j  ust 
now,  thanks  to  Mr.  WoUey  Dod,  who  gave  me  last 
year  all  I  liked  best.  I  think  of  arranging  a  walk 
in  the  kitchen  garden,  already  rich  in  Asters,  as  a 
Michaelmas  border  for  next  year.  It  is  so  good 
now  that  I  want  it  to  be  a  great  deal  better.  I 
do  not  send  any  Daisies ;  they  should  be  seen 
either  growing  or  lightly  and  loosely  arranged  in 
something  big,  and  should  be  cut  .1  feet  to  4  feet 
long,  which  would  make  them  bad  travellers.^ 
G.  J.,  Munstead,  Godaliniiig. 

Hibiscus  grandlflorus — The  past  hot 
summer  has  just  suited  the  requirements  of  this 
beautiful  North  American  plant,  of  which  there 
are  some  uncommonly  fine  specimens  in  Mr. 
.Joseph  Stevens'  garden  at  Grasmere,  By  fleet.  It 
is  a  near  ally  of  what  Gray  calls  the  Swamp  Rose 
Mallow  (H  Moscheutos),  but  differs  in  several 
little  details.  H.  grandlflorus  was  named  by 
Michaux.  and  seems  to  be  a  more  southerly  plant 
than  H.  Moscheutos.  It  is  a  tall  perennial,  rang- 
ing from  4  feet  to  8  feet  high,  having  slender 
stems  furnished  with  large  heart-shaped  downy 
leaves,  and  carrying  on  the  upper  parts  numerous 
large,  showy  flowers  of  a  delicate  rose-pink  colour. 
Those  which  Mr.  Stevens  brings  us  measure  fully 
5  inches  across,  and  there  being  several  on  each 
stem,    the   plant   is    extremely    showy.     It    is 


apparently  very  floriferous,  as  Mr.  Stevens  says 
that  he  has  had  as  many  as  sixty  flowers  open  at 
one  time.  They  do  not  last  much  more  than  a  day, 
but  as  they  are  rapidly  succeeded  by  others,  there 
is  a  continuous  show.  It  likes  a  warm  soil  and 
requires  hot  weather  to  bring  it  to  perfection, 
hence  it  is  better  this  year  than  it  has  been  for 
several  seasons. 

Cereus  Lemalrei  — A  flower  of   this  fine 

Cactus,  which  was  produced  at  Kew  a  few  days 
ago,  was  quite  as  large  and  attractive  as  C.  triangu- 
laris. From  this  species  it  is  distinguished  by  the 
leafy  scales,  whicti  clothe  the  long  tube  of  the 
flower,  being  bright  yellow  in  colour,  and  by  the 
colour  of  tlie  sepals,  which  were  lemon-yellow 
margined  with  red.  The  stem  of  the  plant  is  not 
so  large  nor  so  distinctly  triangular  as  C.  triangu- 
laris ;  it  is  also  a  deeper  green  and  slightly  spiny. 
Like  the  other  climbing  Cereuses,  C.  Lemairei  pro- 
duces roots  all  along  the  branches,  and  is  thus 
enabled  to  climb  up  trees,  &c.,  to  a  considerable 
height.  It  is  also  a  night-flowering  kind.  The 
odour  of  the  flowers  is  not  so  distinctly  sweet  as 
one  might  be  led  to  expect  from  what  is  written 
about  this  species  elsewhere. 


Trees  and  Shrubs. 


TREE  SEEDS  AND  THE  SEASON. 

I  NOTICE  that  the  Acorn  crop  is  a  very  good  one 
this  year,  and  that  Beech  mast.  Mountain  Ash, 
and  Holly  berries  are  also  plentiful.  As  far  as  I 
have  had  an  opportunity  of  judging,  most  trees 
and  shrubs  are  bearing  an  unusual  quantity  of  fruit. 
Oaks,  Beeches,  Horse  Chestnuts,  Sweet  Chestnuts, 
Hollies,  Sycamores,  Mountain  Ash,  White  Thorn, 
Laburnums,  Hazels,  Brambles,  and  wild  Roses  are 
covered  with  fruit.  The  Mountain  Ash,  White 
Thorn,  and  wild  Rose  bushes  are  now  most  strik- 
ing and  beautiful  objects.  The  White  Thorns, 
which  were  as  white  as  snow  in  the  spring,  are 
now  perfectly  crimson  with  berries.  It  is  com- 
monly said  that  a  great  abundance  of  berries  is  the 
sign  of  a  hard  winter  to  follow  ;  this  is  by  no  means 
to  be  relied  upon.  The  berries  really  play  the 
part  of  historians,  and  not  prophets,  and  relate 
that  we  had  a  favourable  spring  and  summer,  but 
as  the  last  three  winters  have  been  so  mild,  it 
is  very  probable  that  the  ensuing  one  may  be 
severe.  Our  trees  and  shrubs  ought  to  be  well 
fortified  to  resist  the  cold,  as  they  must  have 
ripened  their  wood  particularly  well  this  year. 
The  foliage  appears  to  have  been  unusually  dense, 
so  that  the  autumnal  tints  ought  to  be  very  fine, 
if  we  do  not  get  frosts  or  gales  to  bring  the  leaves 
off  prematurely.  Some  trees  are  changing  colour 
very  early.  On  August  15  I  noticed  Maples, 
Birches,  young  Elms  and  Limes,  and  Sallows  be- 
ginning to  turn,  and  at  the  end  of  the  month  some 
young  trees  had  lost  nearly  all  their  leaves,  I  pre- 
sume, owing  to  the  heat  and  drought.  I  was  in 
Philadelphia  during  the  summer  of  1876,  which 
was  very  hot.  In  one  of  the  streets  there  was  a 
row  of  Horse  Chestnuts  which  lost  their  leaves  in 
the  course  of  the  summer.  Oq  August  18  they 
were  coming  into  leaf  again  ;  one  tree  had  several 
fair-sized  flower-spikes  on  it,  and  was  still  bearing 
the  fruit  from  the  spring  flowers.  1  was  shown  the 
other  day  some  Acorns  which  had  just  been 
gathered.  They  had  begun  to  germinate  and  crack 
as  they  hung  on  the  trees.  The  undersides  of  the 
leaves  of  many  young  Oaks  this  year  are  covered 
with  Oak  spangles.  On  some  trees  there  is  hardly 
a  leaf  which  does  not  bear  some  of  these  little 
galls.  Fortunately  for  the  trees,  these  galls  are 
not  formed  until  late  in  the  season,  so  that  this 
injury  to  their  leaves  is  not  felt  so  much  as  it 
would  have  been  had  they  been  attacked  earlier. 

G.  S.  S. 


How  to  preserve  posts. — "  I  discovered  many  years 
ago,"  says  a  writer  in  the  American  Culliva'or,  "  that  wood 
could  be  made  to  last  longer  than  iron  in  the  ground  if 
prepared  according  to  the  following  recipe  :  Take  boiled 
linseed  oil  and  stir  in  pulverised  coal  to  the  consistency  of 
paint.  Put  a  coat  of  this  over  the  timber,  and  there  is  not 
a  m  -n  that  will  live  to  see  it  rot." 


OfT.  4,  1884.] 


THE   GARDEN 


291 


THE  WHITE  BIRCH  AND  ITS  VARIETIES. 
The  genus  Betula  contains  about  fiveand-twenty 
species,  and  is  most  numerously  represented  in  the 
Northern  Ilemisphere.whereit  ranges 
from  temperate  to  arctic  regions;  it  is 
also  found  in  Mexico  and  Peru.  None 
of  thespecies,if  we  except  the  second 
Rritish  one,  the  dwarf  mountain 
Birch  (Betula  nana),  has  a  geogra- 
phical range  so  e-xtended  as  B.  alba, 
the  subject  of  these  notes ;  moreover, 
not  one  is  such  a  handsome  and 
graceful  tree.  Either  when  in  leaf 
or  leafless  it  possesses  an  airy  grace 
all  its  own.  Few  will  be  disposed 
to  question  the  judgment  of  the  poet 
Coleridge,  who  pronounced  it — 

Most  Ijeautifiil 
Of  forest  trees,  the  Lady  of  the  Woods. 

It  is  no  less  remarkable  for  its  light- 
ness and  elegance  than  for  its  hardi- 
ness. It  stands  in  no  need  of  pro- 
tection from  other  trees  in  any  stage 
of  its  growth,  and  lives  on  the  bleak 
mountain,  side  and  other  exposed 
situations  from  which  the  sturdy 
Oak  shrinks  in  dismay.  Putting  on 
one  side  the  only  other  representa- 
tive of  the  genus  Betula  in  Britain 
(B.  nana),  some  of  the  alpine  Wil- 
lows, and  the  dwarf  Juniper,  none 
of  which  can  be  called  trees,  no  other 
native  tree  ascends  to  such  elevations 
in  Britain.  In  the  Highlands  of 
Scotland  it  is  found  at  heights  of 
2500  feet  above  the  sea  level,  whilst 
the  common  Juciper  only  reaches  to 
2100  feet,  the  Scotch  Fir  to  2200  feet, 
the  Alder  to  ICOO  feet,  and  the  Oak 
to  1.S50  feet.  The  higher,  however, 
the  tree  ascends  and  the  more  north- 
ern the  latitude  the  more  shrub-like 
does  it  become.  It  is  a  fast  growing 
and  rather  short-lived  tree,  in  fa- 
vourable localities  .sometimes  attain- 
ing a  height  of  80  feet,  though  ge- 
nerally not  exceeding  ."0  feet  or  40 
feet.  In  very  bleak,  exposed  situa- 
tions or  at  considerable  elevations  it 
often  grows  no  higher  than  2  feet  or 
3  feet.  To  the  inhabitants  of  north- 
ern latitudes  it  is  of  no  little  im- 
portance, and  an  interesting  aeries 
of  objects  in  the  museum  (No.  1)  at 
Kew  prove  to  how  many  purposes 
its  wood  and  bark  are  applied.  Per- 
haps it  will  be  hardly  out  of  place  to 
mention  a  few  of  these  here.  Bread 
of  Birch  bark  from  Lapland,  made 
as  long  ago  as  1857,  shows  one  of 
the  very  many  uses  to  which  Birch 
bark  is  or  may  be  put.  Shoes  made 
of  strips  of  bark,  used  by  the  pea- 
sants of  Northern  Sweden  when  at 
work  in  their  distant  meadow 
swamps  ;  neat  baskets  in  which  they 
sell  wild  Raspberries  ;  and  a  speci- 
men of  the  well-known  Alp  horn 
from  Switzerland,  by  no  means  ex- 
haust the  enumeration  of  articles 
illustrating  Birch  bark  at  Kew.  It 
is  a  v.aluable  tanning  agent,  and  an 
oil  expressed  from  it  is  largely  used 
in  tlie  preparation  of  R  usisian  leather ; 
indeed,  it  is  to  this  oil  that  the  pecu- 
liar fragrance  of  that  article  is  due. 
Formerly  the  Highlanders  used  the 
outer  layers  for  lighting  purposes, 
and,  before  the  invention  of  paper, 
the  inner  ones  for  writing  upon. 
The  sap  is  convertible  into  wine, 
vinegar,  and  spirit :  when  fresh  it 
forms  an  agreeable  beverage  and  an 
intoxicating  liquor  when  fermented. 
The  wood  is  esteemed  for  light  turnery  work,  and 
is  at  the  present  time  largely  employed  in 
the  manufacture  of  spools  or  cotton  reels.  By 
many  authorities  what  is  here  looked  upon  as  a 


single  species  is  divided  into  three,  viz  ,  B.  verru- 
cosa, B,  pubescens,  and  B  virgulosa  (B.  urtioas- 
folia).     The   latter  only  occurs   as  a  cultivated 


The  Weeping  While  Birch.    Engraved  for  THE  GARIiEN. 


plant  in  Britain,  but  it  seems  to  be  simply  a  form 
of  B.  alba.  The  distinctions  relied  on  by  authors 
to  distinguish  the  two  first  named  forms  reside 
principally  in  the  leaves  and  the  fruiting  bracts. 


In  B.  verrucosa  the  leaves  are  said  to  be  more  or 
less  truncate  at  the  base,  and  the  lateral  lobes  of 
the  brae's  in  the  female  catkins  are  falcate-refiexed 
o-  spreading  ;  the  fruit,  too,  is  said 
to  be  obovate.  In  B.  pubesoens,  on 
the  other  hand,  the  leaves  are  de- 
scribed as  being  more  or  less  rhom- 
boid, and  the  lateral  lobes  of  the 
bracts  of  the  female  catkins  are 
ascending,  the  fruit  being  broadly 
obovate.  After  a  careful  examina- 
tion of  a  large  series  of  wild  speci- 
mens, as  well  as  the  cultivated 
collection  at  Kew,  I  am  convinced 
that  these  characters  are  not  to  be 
depended  upon,  as  I  have  found  re- 
peatedly trees  with  well-marked  fo- 
liage of  the  one  so-called  species 
and  bracts  and  fruits  agreeing  per- 
fectly in  form  with  those  of  the 
other  one.  The  pubescence,  too, 
varies  considerably,  as  also  does  the 
form  of  the  fruit.  Leaves,  glabrous 
or  pubescent,  occur  in  conjunction 
with  the  two  forms  of  bract  and 
fruit.  Altogether,  so  many  inter- 
mediates occur  in  some  of  the  wild 
Birch  forests  which  cannot  properly 
be  referred  to  either  B.  verrucosa  or 
]*..  pubescens,  that  the  only  course 
is  to  group  the  whole  under  the  Lin- 
nean  B  alba.  As  it  would  occupy 
too  much  space  to  mention  all  the 
names  which  have  been  given  to  so- 
called  species  split  off  B.  alba,  and 
as  the  books  in  which  they  are  de- 
scribed are  inaccessible  to  the  great 
majority  of  my  readers,  it  will  be 
enough  to  say  here  that  I  include 
under  1!  alba  all  the  arboreal  Birches 
of  Europe  and  the  Poplar-leaved 
P.irch(B  populifolia)  of  North  Ame- 
rica Jlost  of  the  varieties  which 
follow  are  probably  of  garden  origin ; 
where  such  is  not  the  case,  and  it  is 
known  to  me.  I  mention  it.  The 
Birch  grows  freely  in  almost  any 
soil ;  in  a  wild  state  it  is  frequently 
found  in  a  poor,  shallow,  sandy  loam, 
where  scarcely  any  other  tree  would 
flourish.  The  garden  varieties,  as 
well  as  those  which  have  originated 
in  a  state  of  nature,  must  be  in- 
creased by  working  on  the  common 
White  Birch. 

Var.  dalecarlica.  —  This  was 
first  found  wild  in  the  Swedish 
province  which  suggested  its  name, 
and  was  described  as  a  species  by 
the  younger  Linna;us.  As  far  as 
foliage  is  concerned,  it  is  by  far  the 
most  distinct  of  all  the  numerous 
varieties  of  B  alba.  The  leaves  are 
very  deeply  cut  —  indeed,  almost 
palmate,  and  the  segments  toothed 
-  Bosc  says,  "  cut  like  those  of 
Hemp."  The  twigs  are  slender  and 
pendulous.  It  is  a  charming  deco- 
rative tree,  well  worth  a  place  in 
every  collection  of  deciduous  trees. 
In  some  nurseries  it  is  met  with 
under  the  names  of  incisa,  laciniata, 
and  laciniata  pendula. 

Yar  I'ASTIGIATA  is  One  of  the 
most  striking  vatieties  in  cultivation. 
It  was  sent  out  by  an  Alsatian  nur- 
seryman less  than  a  score  of  years 
ago,  and  is  now  getting  fairly  well 
known.  It  exactly  resembles  the 
Lombardy  Poplar  in  habit,  and  has 
dark  green  leaves,  which  are  retained 
longer  on  the  tree  than  those  of  any 
other  variety  of  the  White  Birch. 
For  some  years  at  Kew  the  foliage 
of  this  variety  has  remained  unchanged  some 
time  after  that  of  its  neighbours  have  been  shed. 
Frequently,  both  in  books  and  gardens,  it  is  met 
with  under  the  name  of  B  pjramidalis. 


292 


THE    GARDEN 


[Oct.  4,  1884. 


Var.  foi.iis  ah&bntbo-varibgatis,  var. 
FOLiis  AUREO-vARiEGATis.— The  names  o£  these 
arc  sufficiently  indicative  o£  their  character.  Ex- 
cept in  general  collections  and  in  large  places  or 
by  those  specially  interested  in  variegated  trees 
are  they  at  all  likely  to  be  grown. 

Var.  FOLII.S  P0RPUREIS  is  a  variety  of  erect 
habit,  and  where  it  does  well  is  a  very  ornamental 
tree.  In  spring  and  early  summer  the  leaves  are 
a  deep  reddish  purple,  and  even  in  late  autumn 
they  exhibit  a  decided  bronzy  tint.  It  is  known 
in  some  gardens  as  13.  atro-purpurea  and  B.  pur- 
poreo-nigra. 

Vak.  tekdula  (the  Weeping  Birch). — This  is 
too  well  known  to  need  description.  The  ordinary 
form  reproduces  itself  fairly  true  from  seeds,  but 
often  does  not  put  on  its  distinctive  character 
until  the  trees  have  attained  some  little  age.  Sub- 
varieties  of  this  form,  which  are  usually  grafted 
standard  high  on  B.  alba,  are  B.  pendula  elegans 
(Wooi/:i  iind  Forests,  vol.  i.,  458),  a  less  graceful 
and  more  formal  plant  than  the  common  Weeping 
Birch  ;  in  habit  it  quite  resembles  the  Kilmarnock 
Weeping  Willow.  B.  pendula  Youngi  is  another 
very  decided  weeper  sent  out  some  years  ago  by 
Mr.  Maurice  Young,  of  Godalming. 

Var.  roPULiFOLiA  (the  American  White  Birch) 
has  triangular,  very  taper-pointed,  long-stalked 
leaves,  larger  in  size  than  those  of  any  European 
form  of  B.alba.  It  is  a  small  and  slender,  graceful 
tree,  rarely  exceeding  20  feet  to  .30  feet  in  height. 
It  is  common  on  poor,  dry,  gravelly  soils  from 
Pennsylvania  to  JIaine  (near  the  coast),  and  is 
also  found  on  the  borders  of  swamps.  According 
to  Professor  C.  S.  Sargent's  "  Catalogue  of  the 
Forest  Trees  of  North  America,"  it  springs  up 
everywhere  on  abandoned  land  in  New  England. 
The  same  authority  describes  the  wood  as  white, 
moderately  hard,  close-grained,  and  .susceptible  of 
a  good  polish  ;  it  is  extensively  manufactured  into 
spools,  shoe-pegs,  ka.,  and  recently  has  been 
largely  exported.  Two  sub-varieties  of  this  occur 
in  gardens — one.Iaciniata,  with  leaves  more  deeply 
cut  than  the  type,  and  the  other,  pendula,  with 
drooping  branches  like  those  of  the  weeping 
variety  of  our  native  Birch. 

Var.  pubescens  has  hairy  leaves,  smaller  in 
.size  than  those  of  B.  alba,  with  which  in  a  wild 
state  it  may  nearly  always  be  found  growing. 

Vae.  virgulosa  (urtic.bfolia)  is  said  to  be 
found  wild  in  Southern  Sweden.  It  has  small, 
dark  green,  hairy  leaves,  irregularly  and  deeply 
toothed.  It  is  a  somewhat  slow  grower  and  is  a 
very  distinct  variety.  B.  heterophylla,  a  seedling 
which  originated  some  years  ago  in  the  Isleworth 
Nurseries  of  Messrs.  C.  Lee  &  Son,  is  very  similar 
in  habit  and  in  outline  of  leaf,  &o. 

George  Nicholson. 
Uotja!  Gardens,  Ken: 


with  the  exception  of   this  difference,  both  are 
alike  in  habit  and  in  every  other  particular. 


Flower   Garden. 


Dwarf  Furze  (Ulex  nanus). — This  is  by  no 
means  so  frequently  met  with  as  the  common 
kind,  but  of  all  the  wild  flowers  that  bloom  in  the 
autumn  it  is  by  far  the  brightest.  In  this  neigh- 
bourhood there  are  large  tracts  of  it,  and,  owing 
probably  to  the  hot  summer,  it  is  blooming  with 
great  profusion.  In  its  highest  state  of  luxuriance 
it  does  not  attain  more  than  1  foot,  and  in  a  gene- 
ral way  not  more  than  6  inches  in  height;  it 
would  therefore  be  just  the  thing  for  carpeting  a 
dry  sunny  bank  where  perhaps  but  little  else 
would  thrive.  In  the  wild  garden,  in  a  suitable 
position,  this  little  Furze  should  have  a  place,  for 
it  blooms  gaily  through  the  dreary  and  flowerless 
months  of  November  and  December  when  fairly 
open  and  mild.— J.  Coknhill. 

The  smooth  Sumach. — Although  Rhus 
glabra  does  not  attain  so  large  a  size  as  the 
common  Stag's-horu  Sumach  (R.  typhina),  it 
makes  a  very  ornamental  bush  or  small-sized  tree. 
The  leaflets  number  from  eleven  to  thirteen,  are  a 
deep  glossy  green  above  and  whitish  beneath. 
Both  sexes  are  well  worth  growing,  but  the  female 
tree  is  the  more  handsome  of  the  two  on  account 
of  the  panicles  of  scarlet  flowers.  In  some  cata- 
logues this  goes  under  the  name  of  Rhus  coccinea. 
The  male  tree  has  greenish  yellow  flowers,  but 


PLANTING  DAFFODILS. 

Deep  v.  shallow  planting  for  Narcissi.— 
Here  on  our  deep,  rich,  sandy  soil  we  find  deep 
planting  the  best  for  Narcissus  bulbs  of  all  kinds. 
Very  few  of  our  bulbs  are  under  G  inches  below 
the  surface,  and  some  are  a  foot  or  more,  but  I 
should  not  venture  to  recommend  this  practice  of 
deep  planting  for  all  soils  alike.  "J.  S.  W.'s" 
observations  on  shallow  or  surface  planting  are 
most  interesting  (see  p.  203),  and  it  might  be  of 
some  service  if  other  cultivators  would  record  their 
experience,  or,  at  least,  make  a  few  experiments  in 
the  same  direction  and  then  let  us  know  the 
results.  Here  deep  planting  is  best,  but  on  other 
soils  shallow  planting  might  give  better  results, 
more  especially  where  a  cold  clay  or  retentive  sub- 
soil lies  below.  We  have  some  bnlbs  which 
naturally  work  their  way  to  the  surface  (some 
Lilies  and  Amaryllis  Belladonna,  for  example,  if 
left  undisturbed  do  this  here  with  us),  just  as 
others  somehow  manage  to  dive  a  little  deeper 
every  year.     When  digging  up 

Bulbs  in  a  wild  state  I  have  often  won- 
dered how  they  had  managed  to  get  down  a  foot 
or  1.5  inches  among  rocks,  tree  roots,  and  other 
obstacles.  This  is  all  the  more  unexplainable 
if  we  remember  that  many  wild  bulbs  only  in- 
crease by  their  seeds,  and  that  these  are  naturally 
sown  or  fall  upon  the  surface  of  the  earth  goes 
without  the  saying.  There  is  an  old  proverb 
which  tells  us  that  what  is  "  one  dog's  meat  is 
another  dog's  poison,"  and  no  doubt  the  truth  of 
this  argument  applies  to  bulbs  in  diflferent  soils. 
It  then  becomes  necessary  that  we  should  avail 
ourselves  of  the  experience  of  others  on  this  point, 
but  in  all  cases  particulars  of  soil  and  the  subsoil 
especially  should  be  given.  Well  as  our  soil  suits 
Narcissi  generally,  we  can  so  far  only  get 

Narcissus  Eulbocodium  to  establish  itself  in 
one  spot.  There  it  luxuriates  ;  even  late  planted 
bulbs  which  have  been  forced  indoors  soon  recover 
their  strength  and  vigour  on  that  one  little  plot. 
It  is  on  a  dry,  sunny  border,  the  soil  being  a  very 
sandy  loam,  and  this  is  further  dried  by  the  roots 
of  some  Holly  trees  and  a  Privet  hedge,  both  of 
which  also  do  something  towards  keeping  the  rain- 
fall off  the  place  where  the  bulbs  are.  My  ex- 
perience U  that  the  Hoop-petticoat  Daffodils 
generally  are  difficult  to  establish  in  ordinary 
garden  soil,  although  good  imported  roots  bloom 
quite  luxuriantly  the  first  year.  Here  deep  plant- 
ing in  very  dry  sandy  loam  is  successful  in  the 
open  air,  but_I  shall  this  year  try 

Shallow  or  surface  planting  with  this 
and  some  other  kinds.  Of  one  thing  I  am  con- 
vinced, and  that  is  that  in  July  or  August  all  Daf- 
fodil bulbs  may  be  dug  with  safety  and  at  once  re- 
planted with  impunity.  The  flower-bud  for  next 
spring's  blossoming  is  then  formed  in  all  the  best 
bulbs,  and  if  it  is  not  there  at  that  season,  no 
amount  of  drying  off  the  bulbs  after  they  are  dug 
will  cause  a  bloom-bud  to  appear.  So  far  as  our 
soil  and  climate  are  concerned,  we  now  know  ex- 
actly when  Narcissi  may  be  best  removed  and  re- 
planted without  injury.  This  is  so  much  gained, 
and  I  wish  I  was  equally  clear  with  regard  to  other 
things.  When,  for  example,  should  the  Colchi- 
cums  (often  in  error  called  autumn  Crocuses),  now 
so  beautiful,  be  removed — that  is  to  say,  at  what 
period  of  the  year  are  their  roots  and  leaves  alike 
inactive  or  absent  altogether  ?     This,  indeed,  is 

The  golden  rule  in  replanting  all  plants, 
from  a  Snowdrop  to  an  Orchid.  The  best  time  to 
remove  or  to  add  fresh  soil  is  just  before  the  new 
roots  appear  from  the  bulb  or  the  pseudo-bulb,  or 
the  growth,  as  the  case  may  be.  As  Mr.  WoUey 
Dod  told  us  at  p.  173,  "  no  doubt  the  million  dig 
up  their  Daffodils  at  the  wrong  time."  Alas  ! 
this  is  true  of  nearly  all  other  garden  plants  and 
bulbs.  Even  yet  it  is  surprising  the  number  of 
people    who   believe   autumn  the  best   time   to 


replant  hardy  plants  and  bulbs  of  nearly  all  kinds. 
Autumn,  is  the  time  I  leave  plants  generally 
(especially  bulbous  or  fleshy-rooted  ones)  alone  to 
prepare  for  their  winter  rest  or  winter's  work,  as 
the  case  may  be.     Here  with  us 

Spring  planting  is  the  rule,  and  all  propaga- 
tion of  hardy  plants  is  here  carried  out  in  spring 
or  summer,  and  not  in  autumn.  There  are  ex- 
ceptions to  this,  as  to  every  rule,  but  I  am  sure 
fewer  alpine  and  herbaceous  plants  will  be  found 
to  fail  if  divided  and  replanted  in  good  soil  every 
spring  or  summer  rather  than  in  the  autumn  and 
winter  months.  With  Funkias,  Eryngiums,  Alstroe- 
merias,  and  fleshy-rooted  plants  generally  spring 
division  is  best. 

Replanting  Daffodils. — Since  I  wrote  under 
this  heading  on  p.  149  I  have  received  many 
communications  from  amateur  and  trade  bulb 
growers,  in  some  cases  accompanied  by  specimens, 
proving  that  my  remarks  were  "  true  to  nature." 
In  a  word,  all  my  observations  and  experience  go 
to  prove  that— 1,  Narcissi  should  bedug  up  in  July 
orearlyinAugustwhenthatoperation  is  necessary; 
2,  the  bulbs  grow  and  bloom  stronger  and  better 
in  all  ways  if  at  once  replanted  ; .",  that  the  drying 
off  or  ripening  of  Narcissus  bulbs  is  unnecessary, 
and  actually  injurious  to  their  aftergrowth  and 
blossoming;  4,  that  on  cold  wet  soils  shallow  or 
surface  planting  on  raised  beds  with  deep  alleys 


Timg  o/Belida  alba,  tcith  cathins,  female  flower, 
and  fruit  {seep.  2ai). 


between  for  drainage  is  beneficial,  the  bnlbs  being 
covered  with  prepared  soil. — F.  W.  B. 

"  F.  W.  B.,"  in  repeating  what  "  J.  S.  W. " 

tells  us  as  a  warning  to  those  who  plant  bought 
Narcissi  in  October  and  November  has,  unless  a 
parenthesis  is  missing  somewhere,  misunderstood 
me,  and  caused  my  words  to  express  the  opposite 
of  what  was  intended  by  me.  I  did  not  give  the 
words  he  quotes  from  p.  203  "  as  a  warning  '  of 
any  kind,  but  to  show  "  Veronica  "  that  I  did  not 
think  it  mattered  much  eventually  if  the  bulbs 
were  planted  as  late  as  November  or  even  later, 
as  my  remarks  go  on  to  show.  I  do  not  think 
that  "  planting  or  replanting,''  if  it  were  practic- 
able, in  July  or  August  would  make  the  least 
difference  here  or  in  any  late  district,  as 
"  F.  W.  B."  will  understand  when  I  tell  him  more. 
I  could  understand  roots  being  affected  for 
flowering  for  the  first  year,  perhaps,  by  the  date 
of  planting,  but  how  that  can  influence  Daffodils 
or  other  bulbs  for  years  afterwards,  as  in  our  case, 
I  cannot  see.  Plant  when  we  may,  all  plants,  if 
they  live,  have  the  power  of  recovering  their 
normal  habit  in  the  end,  and  so  I  have  no  doubt 
have  Daffodils.  "F.  W.  B.  "  says  (p.  230) -"If 
bulbs  are  expected  to  establish  themselves  and  to 
flower  well  year  after  year,  then  by  all  means  dig 
and  replant  or  plant  in  July  or  August  at  the  very 
latest.  Many  people  have  failed  to  induce  bulbs 
to  naturalise  themselves  on  the  Grass  or  in  the 
wild  garden,  and  have  laid  the  blame  on  soil  and 
climate,  or  the  struggle  for  existence  in  Grass,  or 
on  the  nurseryman  who  supplied  the  bulbs,  when 


Oct.  4,  1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


293 


the  secret  of  failure  consisted  simply  in  this  fatal 
mistake  of  late  planting."  I  believe  it  is  more 
than  a  dozen  years  since  I  planted  about  a  couple 
of  bushels  in  our  herbaceous  borders  late  in 
November  and  they  have  flowered  well  every  year 
since,  but  not  so  well  as  the  exposed  bulbs  of  the 
woodman's  on  the  other  side  of  the  wall  before 
mentioned,  and  which  I  have  ascertained  were  re- 
planted 7  years  since— not  in  July  or  November,  but 
as  late  as  the  month  of  April.  When  I  tell "  K.  W  li.  " 
that,  according  to  his  occasional  notes  in  The 
Garden  on  the  flowering  of  his  Daffodils,  our 
plants  flower  a  month  or  six  weeks  later  than  his 
do  near  Dublin,  he  will  see  that  climate  may  ex- 
plain much  that  he  attributes  to  late  planting. 
He  says  I  should  plant  in  July,  in  which  case  I 
should  have  to  divide  and  replant  our  Daffodils 
when  the  later  kinds  were  still  in  full  flower. 
Hot  as  the  summer  has  been,  the  leaves  on  all  the 
sorts  here  were  still  green  at  the  beginning  of 
August,  and  for  a  good  while  after.  The  exposed 
roots  in  our  wood  nursery  which  I  spoke  of,  and 
which  invariably  bloom  so  abundantly,  were  not 
out  of  flower  in  August.  A  wreath  was  made  of 
their  flowers  not  many  days  before  the  end  of 
July.  The  decaying  foliage  of  these  plants  is 
still  lying  on  the  ground,  and  to-day  (September 
11!)  I  gathered  a  handful  of  green  leaves  and 
flower-stems  from  them.  From  this  it  will  be 
seen  that  the  time  of  planting  has  nothing  what- 
ever to  do  with  the  production  of  flowers  in  after 
years.  The  bulbs,  unless  planted  shallow,  are 
simply  too  late  in  ripening,  and  do  not  form 
flower-buds  like  many  other  things  one  could 
mention  when  grown  under  similar  circum- 
stances. I  have  little  doubt  I  shall  be  able 
to  alter  that  in  future  by  shallow  planting, 
and  I  would  strongly  advise  northern  growers 
to  plant  their  Daffodils  like  Potato  Onions. 
The  first  year,  to  prevent  injury  from  frost,  they 
may  cover  the  bulbs  over  with  some  dead  leaves 
or  litter,  but  after  a  season's  growth  they  will  be 
hardy  enough  to  endure  the  winter  exposed.  The 
effects  of  this  shallow  planting,  as  I  recently 
mentioned,  are  too  marked  to  escape  notice,  not 
only  in  the  case  of  Narcissi,  but  also  in  that  of 
the  Tritoma.  A  whole  row  of  the  latter  here 
planted  close  to  the  surface  is  just  going  out  of 
flower,  and  not  many  yards  off  in  a  good  soil 
where  the  roots  are  burled  several  inches  deep 
the  flower-stalks  are  just  pushing  out  of  the  socket, 
and  none  are  in  flower.  My  advice  is,  the  further 
north  or  the  colder  the  soil  or  situation  to  plant 
the  shallower,  and  it  will  be  found  of  no  conse- 
quence whether  the  bulbs  were  originally  planted 
in  July  or  November.  The  common  practice  is  to 
plant  Daffodils  deep ;  hence  the  bulbs,  like  deep 
roots  of  fruit  trees,  do  not  ripen,  and  hence,  no 
doubt,  the  origin  of  the  idea  of  digging  them  up 
annually  to  ripen.  I  doubt  if  we  are  at  all  right 
in  planting  Uj'acinths,  Tulips,  Daffodils,  or  other 
exotic  bulbs  as  deep  as  we  do.  They  appear 
naturally  fitted  to  grow  on  or  near  the  surface, 
and  one  fails  to  see  how  naturally  propagated 
Daffodils  can  grow  in  any  other  fashion,  as  I  be- 
lieve seedlings  have  their  bulbs  exposed  when 
taken  from  where  they  are  sown.  J.  S.  W. 


Gladioli  in  Scotland.— There  is  evidently 
something  in  the  climate  or  soil,  or  both  combined, 
in  some  parts  of  Scotland  that  is  particularly 
favourable  to  the  flowering  of  Gladioli.  Those 
who  happened  to  see  the  exhibition  that  took 
place  at  Dundee  eight  years  ago  will  recollect  that 
one  of  the  most  noted  English  growers  competed 
with  a  grand  lot  of  spikes  remarkable  for  the  fine 
varieties  they  represented  and  the  development  of 
the  individual  flowers,  but  nevertheless  the  collec- 
tion from  the  south  was  easily  beaten  by  that  of  his 
northern  opponent,  who  showed  similar  varieties, 
with  this  difference,  that  the  individual  spikes  had 
considerably  more  open  flowers  on  them,  and  were 
consequently  so  much  longer.  At  the  show  just 
passed  the  case  was  similar.  In  the  collections 
staged  by  the  growers  who  competed  in  the  prin- 
cipal classes  many  of  the  spikes  had  such  a  number 
of  flowers  expanded  as  is  rarely,  if  ever,  seen  in  the 
■  outh  or  west  of  England,  many  of  the  varieties 


having  from  fourteen  to  seventeen  finely  deve- 
loped flowers  on  them,  the  lower  ones  as  fresh  as 
those  above.  This  was  particularly  apparent  in 
the  collections  shown  by  Mr.  A.  Campbell,  Cove 
Gardens,  Gourock,  and  Mr.  J.  Gray,  gardener  to 
Mrs.  Moffat,  Newfield,  Kilmarnock.— T.  B. 


AVHAT  DOES  CHEIRANTHUS  MEAN  ? 
In   writing  about  Othonna  cheirifolia  (p.   2S:!), 
"  Salmoniceps,"  having  assumed  that  the  specific 
name  is  intended  to  mean  "  with  foliage  like  a 
hand,"  proceeds  to  disparage  "  gardener's  Greek  ;" 


CatUn  and  leaves,  ami  0')  female  flower  of  Betula  popuU' 
fUia   see  p.  291). 

but  it  is  quite  as  fair  to  assume  that  the  word  is 
intended  to  mean  "  with  foliage  like  a  Wallflower  '' 
(Cheiranthus  Cheiri),  f  or  I  maintain  that  the  foliage 
of  this  Othonna  is  at  least  as  much  like  that  of  a 


Twifjs  and  leaves  oj Bifida  alba  vcudxda  {seep.  292). 

Wallflower  as  it  is  like  a  hand,  though  I  admit 
that  it  is  not  much  like  either,  and  I  have  some- 
times been  inclined  to  think  that  the  name  origi- 
nally given  was  "  coriif  olia ''—  i.e., ' '  leather-leaved," 
which  would  seem  more  in  character,  and  I  have 
seen  the  name  so  written. 

"  Salmoniceps  "  goes  on  to  say  that  Cheiranthus 
means  "hand-flower."  Now,  in  spite  of  the  al- 
most universal  consensus  of  botanical  dictionaries 
which  give  this  derivation,  and  say  that  the  flower 
was  so  called  either  because  it  was  often  held  in 
the  hand,  or  because  it  spreads  its  petals  like  a 
hand,  I  venture  to  doubt  whether  the  Greek  word 
cheir,  a  hand,  had  anything  to  do  with  the  name. 


Cheirifolius  may  mean  nothing  more  or  less  than 
"  Cheiri-leaved, '  just  as  Cheiranthus  means 
"  Cheiri-flowered."  This  leads  us  to  the  ques- 
tion. What  is  Cheiri  ?  I  find  in  Don's  "  Botany  " 
(published  in  18.31)  that  Cheiri  or  Kheyry  is 
the  Arabic  name  of  a  plant  with  red  and 
very  sweet-scented  flowers.  I  suspect,  theie- 
fore,  that  the  name  came  early  to  England 
as  the  name  of  a  drug,  and,  as  in  many  other 
cases,  was  transferred  to  a  plant  well  known 
in  English  gardens  ;  for  as  the  science  and  name 
of  alchemy  were  originally  Arabic,  so  the  Arabic 
names  of  Arabian  drugs  or  plants  came  to  Eng- 
land with  the  science.  These  names  were  often 
adopted  by  botanists,  and  many  are  still  retained, 
but  probably  in  some  instances  for  different  plants 
from  those  to  which  they  originally  belonged.  Wo 
Cheiri  became  applied  to  the  Wallflower.  Geraid 
(p.  371,  ed.  1507)  tells  us  that  the  Wallflower  is 
called  "  in  the  Arabic  toong,  Keyri,"  but  on  the 
previous  page  he  writes  the  word  Keiri,  and  in 
Greek  characters,  as  if  the  name  was  Greek.  Par- 
kinson, in  his  "  Paradise  "  (p.  25C,  ed.  1C29),  gives 
the  name  Keiri  to  the  whole  Wallflower  tribe, 
saying  that  the  plant  is  called  Keiri  or  Cheiri,  "  by 
which  name  it  is  chiefly  known  in  our  apothecaries' 
shops,  because  there  is  an  oyle  made  thereof  called 
cheirinum."  This  statement  should  give  us  a  clue 
to  the  true  origin  of  the  name.  For  examples  of 
Arabic  names  of  drugs  or  plants  being  adopted 
by  botanists,  we  may  mention  Ceterach,  the  name 
of  a  Fern,  supposed  to  produce  a  powerful  drug ; 
Alkekengi  (the  Winter  Cherry),  Sumac,  and  there 
are  many  others.  C.  Wolley  Dod. 


CHOICE  HARDY  PLANTS. 

DlCTAMNU.s  Fbaxinella.  —  This  interesting 
old  border  plant  is  generally  increased  by  means 
of  seeds  ;  sometimes  the  division  of  its  roots  has 
been  hinted  at,  but  in  the  case  of  this  plant  I 
have  rarely  found  that  even  very  strong  roots 
could  be  divided  in  the  ordinary  way.  Numerous 
and  large  as  the  roots  may  be,  they  are  usually 
topped  with  a  spindle-like  bit  of  wood  on  which 
the  plump  sprouts  are  closely  set.  Therefore,  the 
best  divisions  that  could  be  made  in  most  in- 
stances would  prove  uncertain,  and  the  naturally 
slow  growth  of  the  plant  does  not  mend  matters, 
I  have  tried  both  bought  and  home-grown  seed, 
sowicg  the  latter  as  soon  as  ripe — some  five  pots  a 
year  and  those  two  years  sown  have  the  shining 
seeds  in  them  yet,  as  sound  and  nearly  as  hard  as 
shot.  A  few  seeds  of  last  year  taken  from  unburst 
pods  germinated  in  the  spring  following,  but 
only  three  or  four  made  plants.  To  try  to  get 
plants  from  cuttings  could  scarcely  require  less 
trouble  and  patience,  and  why  not  in  the  case  of 
a  llutaceous  plant  with  shoots  of  a  soft-wooded 
character  ?  Had  the  idea  occurred  sooner,  I  should 
have  had  well-rooted  cuttings  now.  Slips  taken 
in  mid-August  are  finely  callused,  though  the 
wood  had  become  too  hard  and  dry  by  that  time. 
The  cuttings  were  simply  put  in  clean  sand,  placed 
in  a  close  shaded  frame,  and  the  tops  kept  moist. 
I  have  also  got  a  few  chance  plants  from  root- 
cuttings,  )  c,  strong  roots  well  furnished  with 
fibre,  the  cut  part  being  brought  level  with  the 
surface.  A  sure,  but  slow  way  is  to  lift  strong 
plants  in  autumn,  bend  the  long,  thick  roots  like 
a  syphon,  bringing  the  upper  bend  level  with  the 
surface  and  making  all  firm  ;  then  at  the  apex  cut 
out  a  tiny  wedge,  and  there  eyes  will  form  the 
first  season.  Slugs  are  very  fond  of  the  shoots 
when  young,  but  a  thick  dressing  of  wood- ashes 
will  protect  them. 

EUEYBIA  GUNNIANA. — This  produces  charming 
wreaths  of  soft,  white,  Daisy.like  flowers.  Practi- 
cally it  is  a  shrubby  Aster,  and  yet  both  growing 
and  cut  very  different  from  an  Aster.  I  do  not 
know  anything  to  which  it  can  be  compared  better 
than  densely-flowered,  one-sided  branches  of  Haw- 
thorn. The  flowers  are,  however,  nearly  an  inch 
across,  and  the  foliage  less  than  that  of  a  Haw- 
thorn and  greyish.  Though  an  Australian  shrub, 
it  has  stood  out  of  doors  here  these  two  winters, 
and  it  flowers  abundantly  at  the  height  of  2  feet. 
Habit  slender  and  bending. 


294 


THE    GARDEN 


[Oct.  4    188J. 


Self-sown  seed, — In  a  garden  of  hardy  peren- 
nials deep  digging  has  rarely  to  be  done  amongst 
flower  roots.  Therefore,  where  plants  are  allowed 
to  seed  a  maximum  amount  of  it  keeps  on  the  sur- 
face or  under  grow.able  conditions,  and  who  can 
deny,  even  if  the  seed  of  some  things  becomes  a 
pest,  that  self-sown  seedlings  are  interesting  ? 
Seedlings  coming  where  they  list  often  give  us 
hints  worth  taking  ;  they  indicate  the  proper  seed 
surface,  and  many  kinds  difficult  to  raise  have 
been  seen  to  vegetate  freely  on  walks  and  among 
stones.  Thanks  to  self-sown  seed  for  many  plants 
of  self-hybridisation  origin ;  the  bare  beds  of 
summer,  in  which  dormant  Primulas,  Anemones, 
Anthericnms,  and  bulbs  are  resting,  spaces  which 
may  be  termed  the  lungs  of  thickly  planted  gar- 
dens, would  soon  be  covered  with  a  rank  crop  of 
seedlings  if  allowed.  From  this  let  those  take  a 
hint  who  are  asking  what  to  grow  in  such  patches ; 
plant  hardy  perennials  and  let  them  seed.  Let 
me  mention  what  happened  one  season  daring 
the  resting  period  of  Ranunculus  amplesicaulis, 
Allium  neapolitanum,  and  Cyclamen  neapolita- 
num,  which  occupied  a  bed  .3  feet  by  10  feet.  On 
that  bed  I'ansies,  Hellebores,  Centaureas,  Snap- 
dragons, Campanulas,  &o.,  are  now  a  verdant  mass, 
and  many  are  in  flower.  A  bed  of  Primula  cortu- 
soides  has  had  to  be  cleared  repeatedly  of  similar 
seedlings,  whilst  a  bed  of  Crocuses  and  Tulips  had 
become  overgrown  with  Poppies,  Linums,  and 
Evening  Primroses. 

GyPSOPiiiL.i  PANICULATA. — Seldom  is  much 
said  in  favour  of  this  u;efal  plant.  Although  it 
cannot  be  said  to  be  showy,  yet  it  is  truly  hand- 
some in  its  way.  It  i.s  more  gauzy  than  the 
lightest  of  the  Statices,  and  its  tiny  white  flowers 
on  hair-like  stalks  are  attractive.  In  a  cut 
state,  too,  they  are  as  valuable  as  anything  I 
know  for  epergnes  and  bouquets ;  indeed,  they 
seem  indispensable.  It  is  a  plant  which 
flowers  for  a  long  time,  and  one  which  loves  sun- 
shine and  a  dryish  border.  Without  saying  that 
it  should  have  a  calcareous  soil,  as  its  name  would 
indicate,  it  certainly  flourishes  where  a  little  has 
been  added  to  the  ordinary  garden  mould.  In 
some  gardens  it  will  scarcely  live,  but  1  think  in  a 
rai?ed  or  well- drained  position  there  can  be  little 
difficulty  in  flowering  it  well.  It  was,  I  remember, 
one  of  the  pet  hardy  plants  of  the  late  Mr.  Thos. 
AVilliams,  of  Ormskirk. 

MiLLA  lii FLORA  is  doubtless  a  lovely  flower, 
but  when  tested  as  an  open-air  subject  there  are, 
at  least,  three  things  against  it — the  bulbs  or 
tubers  are  very  liable  to  rot  from  dampness,  the 
growth  is  extremely  slender,  the  large  pure  white 
starry  flowers  will  lie  on  the  ground  unless  sup- 
ported ;  that  would  scarcely  be  a  fault  but  for  the 
next,  viz.,  the  flowers  only  last  for  a  couple  of 
days.  We  gladly  tie  up  flowers  if  of  a  fairly  duralile 
kind  like  those  of  Carnations. 

Polygonum  cuspidatum.— Many  will  almost 
shudder  when  the  name  of  this  plant  is  mentioned, 
and  under  some  conditions  it  is  an  evil  root  in  a 
garden,  and  yet  it  is  much  admired — by  those  who 
do  not  grow  it.  Properly  placed,  it  may  be  ser- 
viceable, especially  the  variety  Rieboldi.  What 
caused  me  to  mention  this  plant  is  the  fact  that  I 
have  Just  seen  some  of  its  soft  creamy-white 
flowers  used  in  wedding  bouquets,  and  they  were  a 
revelation  of  beauty,  softly  warming  up  the  cold- 
ness of  the  whites,  and  also  relieving  that  flatness 
which  many  flowers  possess,  however  well  ar- 
ranged. It  much  resembles  Spir.i:a  japonica,  but 
is  softer  in  colour  and  not  quite  so  stiff.  This  her- 
baceous plant  grows  10  feet  high,  has  handsome 
arching  stems,  bold  leaves,  and  lamb-tail-like 
racemes  of  bloom  produced  from  the  axils  of  all 
the  upper  leaves.  There  is,  however,  another  kind 
in  several  respects  better.  I  have  grown  it  four 
or  five  years  under  the  name  of  P.  c.  compactum. 
Even  after  so  long  a  trial  it  is  not  more  than  li  feet 
in  diameter  and  it  never  exceeds  a  yard  in  height. 
It  is. a  dark  green  plant  with  reddish  stems.  The 
flowers,  which  are  axillary,  are  most  abundant,  and 
borne  in  small  erect  branched  or  pyramidal  clusters 
and  creamy  white.  They  appear  a  little  earlier 
than  those  of  cuspidatum. 


Bulb  planting. — I  am  glad  this  matter  has 
come  under  discussion.  In  addition  to  the  greater 
part  of  my  soil  being  of  a  light  character  (though 
1  have  some  stiff  in  which  I  grow  a  few  Daffodils), 
I  have  for  the  past  two  years  planted  very  near  the 
surface,  and  it  experience  extended  over  so  limited 
a  period  is  worth  anything,  or  proves  anything,  it 
is  that  most  of  such  bulbs  as  I  have  tried  are 
better  so  planted  than  deeper.  I  feel  confident 
that  the  larger  bulbed  and  more  shy  flowering 
Soillas  are  best  when  planted  shallow,  and  a  row 
of  my  finest  Crocuses  just  before  we  gave  the 
usual  summer  top-dressing  showed  on  the  surface 
like  a  row  of  Shallots.  The  Belladonna  Lily  is 
far  more  reliable,  if  one  may  speak  from  a  test  of 
a  couple  of  bulbs,  if  set  with  the  bulb  on  the  sur- 
face than  if  deeper,  and  then  earthed  liberally 
during  the  growing  time  of  the  leaves,  or  in  time 
for  the  earliest  frost  when  the  flowering  is  usually 
past.  After  leaf  growth  the  bulbs  may  be  readily 
bared,  so  that  the  sun  may  bake  them  through 
their  silky  tunics.  Anyhow,  surface  or  shallow 
planting  deserves  a  trial  and  the  results  carefully 
noted. 

LUPINUS  ARnOBEUS  lived  with  me  through  last 
winter  and  has  flowered  well.  The  plants  are 
now  5  feet  high  and  full  of  rich  foliage.  I  do  not 
care  much  about  the  bloom ;  its  effect  is  too  much 
like  that  of  Laburnum  deteriorated,  but  in  late 
summer  the  side  branches  are  capital  material  for 
cutting ;  the  greyish  green  and  clean-looking 
foliage  is  very  effective. 

MuiiLENBECKiA  VARIANS  — It  appears  that 
this  charming  I'olygonaceous,  shrub-like  plant  is 
freer  in  flowering  in  the  open  air  than  the  allied 
form  complexa  ;  for  whilst  I  grow  a  six  or  seven- 
year-old  plant  of  the  latter  in  the  most  sunny  as- 
pect without  getting  flowers,  a  joung  plant  of 
varians  in  a  less  favoured  place,  and  only  in  its 
second  summer,  is  now  in  bloom,  and  I  hear  that 
a  young  plant  of  it  is  also  in  flower  in  P.erkshire. 
True,  the  flowers  are  not  very  handsome,  but  the 
waxy,  transparent  berries  are  exquisite,  reminding 
one  of  the  flowers  of  lloya  carnosa  with  the 
divisions  drawn  forward.  It  seems  strange  that 
these  delicate-looking,  but  quite  hardy,  plants 
are  not  more  noticed  and  grown  than  they  are. 
(In  the  higher  ledges  of  rockwork,  where  they 
grow  into  rounded  heaps  of  black,  thread-like 
stems,  sparely  furnished  with  dusky  little  leaves, 
their  effect  is  quite  Adiantumlike.  Varians  has 
fiddle-shaped  leaves,  while  those  of  complexa  are 
nearly  round.  Along  with  erect-growing  plants, 
such  as  Roses,  &c.,  they  make  lovely  twiners,  and 
show  a  form  of  growth  as  uncommon  as  it  is 
pretty.  It  must  be  a  very  severe  winter  that  will 
cut  them  to  the  ground,  whilst  the  trying  ones  of 
a  year  or  two  ago  did  not  kill  even  young  plants 
quite  exposed. 

Gaulthebia  nummulaki.efolia  is  a  ^  gem 
which  cannot  be  overpraised,  and  how  beautifully 
it  grows  in  a  bit  of  moist  peat  and  sand  !  There 
seems  to  be  in  this  plant  or  shrub  such  a  combina- 
tion of  good  properties  as  one  rarely  finds  else- 
where. It  is  distinct,  free  in  growth  and  flower- 
ing, and  evergreen.  The  flowers  and  fruit,  too,  are 
extremely  beautiful,  and  are  borne  profusely 
even  on  young  plants.  From  the  slight  manner  in 
which  the  stems  arch,  the  little  white  and  crimson 
pendent  bells  can  just  be  seen.  In  a  dip  in  the 
rockery  where  moisture  can  collect  it  will  be  likely 
to  flourish.  I  have  hitherto  grown  all  mine  in  a 
little  shade,  and  they  have  done  well  and  are  just 
forming  fruit.  I  am  not,  however,  prepared  to  say 
that  it  would  not  do  as  well  or  better  in  full  sun- 
shine. 

Eulalia  japonica.  —  This  raised  from  seed 
proves  to  be  a  most  variable  Grass.  From  a  packet 
named  E.  japonica  argentea  vittata,  the  greater 
portion  are  proving  to  be  the  typical  form,  but 
some  have  long  tufts  of  down  at  the  base  of  the 
blades ;  some  again  have  silvery  markings,  as  indi- 
cated by  the  name,  and  one  or  two  have  barred 
markings.  Variety  in  this  case,  as  in  others,  is  in- 
teresting, and  all  are  pretty.  I  fear  this  Grass 
cannot  be  considered  hardy  in  Yorkshire.  I  have 
repeatedly  lost  it  in  winter.  On  this  account  I 
have  potted  my  present  stock  with  the  intention 


of  wintering  them  in  a  ccM  frame,  and  from  see- 
ing their  rapid  growth  and  fine  habit  whilst  in 
such  quarters,  I  was  struck  with  their  adaptability 
for  pot  culture  and  table  decoration.  In  their 
young  state,  when  from  18  inches  to  2  feet  high, 
they  equal,  if  they  do  not  surpass,  in  beauty  the 
most  slender  Palms. 

Crocus  Fleischeei. — What  a  lovely  Crocus 
this  is !  The  slender,  but  erect,  flower  is  of  the 
softest  purple.  It  appears  without  the  leave.", 
but  still  it  lacks  not  the  pleasing  contrast  of  green, 
as  in  C.  nudiflorus,  for  the  sheath  is  ample  and  of 
an  Apple-green  colour.  The  flower  may  be  termed 
a  self,  as,  unlike  many  other  Croci,  it  is  nearly  the 
same  in  colour  inside  and  out ;  the  inner  perianth 
divisions  are  less  than  half  the  size  of  outer  ones. 
I  have  but  one  bulb  of  it,  but  it  is  healthy  and  well 
established.  It  has  grown  in  a  little  shade  for 
the  last  two  years,  so  I  think  it  may  be  classed 
with  the  autumn-blooming  section.  Crocuses  in 
autumn  give  us  almost  as  much  pleasure  as  any 
flowers  to  be  found  in  our  gardens  ;  they  ease  one's 
mind  of  wintry  ideas,  and  rejuvenate  our  borders 
and  beds  when  there  is  sereness  and  decay  on 
every  hand. 

G  enti  ana  PNEUMONANTHE.inaddition  to  being 
a  distinct  species,  has  a  pretty  erect  habit  and  ' 
flowers  very  late,  the  bloom  lasting  quite  a  fort- 
night ;  moreover,  the  erect  tubes  have  the  good 
quality  of  being  well  coloured  on  the  outside;  this 
is  a  feature  in  the  Gentians  of  some  value.  Sep- 
temfida  and  its  varieties  can  only  be  seen  to  ad- 
vantage when  brought  near  the  eje,  so  that  the 
tubes  can  be  looked  into.  J.  Wood. 

WondfiUe,  KirlistaU. 


GLADIOLI. 
Early  flowering  varietie.s —These  would 
include  G.  bjzantinus,  G.  communis,  G.  Colvillei, 
and  G.  ramosus,  to  which  may  be  added  the 
dwarfer  G.  nanus.  These  flower  from  April  till 
June,  and  fill  the  blank  until  G.  brenchleyensis 
and  the  splendid  hybrids  of  G.  gandavensis  make 
their  appearance.  Some  complain  of  losing  them 
and  consider  them  not  hardy  ;  where  there  is  a 
doubt,  then  some  dry  litter  should  advisedly  be 
strewn  over  the  patches  or  beds  when  planted 
in  autumn.  ]'"ebruary  is  too  late  to  plant  if 
you  want  early  blooming.  I  have  just  emptied 
a  couple  of  Pansy  beds  and  planted  a  collection 
of  Gladioli,  retaining  the  best  for  potting  purposes. 
Far  and  away  the  best  for  decorative  purposes  is 
G.  Colvillei  The  Bride.  I  would  commend  this 
white  beauty  to  any  of  your  readers  who  interest 
themselvesin  church  decoration.  A  few  potfuls  of 
this,  containing,  say,  a  dozen  bulbs  in  bloom, 
drooped  into  vases,  with  a  dark  background,  is  a 
sight  to  remember  when  generally  everything  is 
dreary  outside.  After  flowering,  I  plant  them  out, 
and  if  not  required  the  following  season  leave 
them  in  the  ground,  merely  top-dressing  in  autumn . 
Those  trea'ed  in  this  way  last  year  gave  as  fine 
bloom  as  those  potted  and  protected  in  a  frame, 
though  later  ;  but  I  admit  last  winter  was  excep- 
tionally fine.  All  the  other  varieties  are  cheaper, 
and  generally  when  planted  take  care  of  them- 
selves for  years. 

Lemoine's  hybrids — These  are  tall  growing 
and  vigorous,  and  have  the  recommendation  of  being 
perfectly  hardy,  having  withstood  the  severe 
winter  of  1880.  Mr.  Sinclair,  of  the  firm  of  Laird 
and  Sinclair,  introduced  them  to  Dundee  with  the 
view  of  their  suiting  the  Scotch  climate,  but  I  do 
not  think  they  can  compare  for  a  moment  with 
the  hjbrids  of  gandavensis  I  shall  name.  Last 
winter  w.is  so  mild  that  the  tenderest  Gladioli  of 
any  kind  would  have  been  safe  planted  out,  and, 
if  I  mistake  not,  Mr.  Brotherston  wrote  from  Scot- 
land to  that  eflEect,  while  Mr.  Douglas,  Ilford,  dis- 
couraged by  losing  his  most  promising  seedlings, 
left  them  out  and  in  some  cases  had  fine  blooms 
the  following  season.  This  is  all  possible ;  but 
my  contention  is  that  snch  glorious  flowers  as  the 
fine  hybrids  of  G.  gandavensis,  such  as  those 
shown  by  Kelway  and  others  and  described  in 
your  columns,  that  might  compare  in  colour-tint- 
ing with  thegaudiest  Orchid,  deserve  to  be  taken  up, 
if  only  for  the  purpose  of  prefaringtheground  and 


Oct.  4,  1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


295 


for  manaring  the  followiEg  planting  season.  Now, 
a  full  measure  of  success  cannot  be  attained  with- 
out this  preliminary  preparation  of  the  ground ; 
so  there  is  neither  sense  nor  reason  in  leaving 
them  out  during  the  winter,  even  if  thete  was  no 
risk  from  frost.  As  the  time  for  preparing  the 
beds  or  borders  has  now  arrived,  I  may  fitly  take 
next 

Hybrids  of  G.   gandavensis.    I  believe  al- 
most any  soil  will  grow  these,  but  climate  and  as- 


I  had  not  the  border  I  wanted  to  plant  in  ready 
before  March,  and  at  the  time  had  nothing  more 
suitable  than  fresh  horse  manure  and  litter.  A 
hole  was  made,  this  put  in,  loam  over  that  (a  few 
inches),  then  a  handful  of  sand — river  sand  I  pre- 
fer—  above  and  below  the  corm,  and  about  3  inches 
of  clayey  loam  over  all.  I  watered  heavily  with 
the  view  of  tlie  rapid  decomposition  of  the  fresh 
manure.  The  manure  had  fermented  and  rotted 
before  the  roots  had  descended  to  feed  on  it,  and 


'^f^ 


i'uuiij  tree  ofBciula  popvlijolia  (p.  292J. 


pcct  and  proper  drainage  are  much  more  sine  qua 
imns,'  so  I  will  refer  to  these  separately.  Some  of 
the  most  successful  growers  dig  deep,  and  manure 
borders  or  beds  during  the  mon'h  of  October  or 
November,  with  the  view  of  having  the  best  of  it 
absorbed  and  incorporated  therewith  before  March 
or  April,  so  that  then  there  will  be  no  trouble  ex- 
cept to  plant.  I  use  short  stable  manure  and  dig  it 
in.  I  do  not  think  it  necessary  to  draw  any  hard 
and  fast  line  for  this  purpose  as  to  time.  One  year 


my  Gladioli  thai  year  did  admirably  ;  but  had  I 
time,  an  empty  border,  and  some  old  hotbed 
manure,  I  should  prefer  preparing  the  ground  now 
or  within  the  next  month.  The  method  of  plant- 
ing stands  the  same,  but  the  sand  must  not  be 
forgotten. 

Climate  and  aspect. —I  will  dismiss  the  first 
by  saying  I  do  not  think  there  is  any  place  in  the 
British  Isles,  during  a  fine  summer  such  as  we  are 
having,  that  will  not  grow  admirable  varieties  of 


G.  gandavensis.  A  friend  who  had  been  at  the 
late  Dundee  International  Horticultural  Show  told 
me  he  saw  as  fine  Gladioli,  old  and  new  varl- 
ties,  in  the  stand  of  Mr.  Campbell,  of  Gourock,  in 
the  north,  as  he  ever  noticed  with  Mr.  Kelway 
in  the  south.  Therefore  there  is  no  reason  what- 
ever for  the  often  to'd  tale,  "Gladioli  will  not 
succeed  in  our  cold  climate,"  or  in  this  or  that 
garden.  This  brings  me  to  refer  to  aspect,  which 
I  consider  of  much  importance.  If  you  plant 
Gladiolus  gandavensis  at  the  back  of  your  house 
beside  a  north  wall,  or  in  any  other  aspeot 
where  the  sun  cannot  ripen  the  foliage,  failure 
and  degeneration  are  certain  sooner  or  later. 
A  sloping  southern  aspect  with  plenty  of  sand  or 
silica  in  the  soil  to  give  stamina  is,  to  my  mind, 
the  beau  ideal  of  a  position  for  the  finest  show 
Gladioli.  The  soil  with  me  is  a  strong  loam,  but 
I  add  plenty  of  sand.  Mr.  Lombard,  Rathmines, 
Dublin,  has  won  the  cup  there  for  years,  and 
he  grows  his  Gladioli  on  a  warm  southern  slope. 
He  is  probably  the  largest  and  most  successful 
grower  in  Ireland  (though  I  have  in  my  mind 
some  splendid  spikes  I  noticed  on  the  stand  of  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Tymons),  and,  what  is  of  great  import- 
ance, remembering  the  contrary  opinions  so  often 
expressed,  after  trying  French-raised  Gladioli  for 
years,  he  has  given  them  wholly  up  for  kinds 
grown  in  Somerset.  I  now  come  to  make  a  few 
brief  remarks  on  the 

Newer  varieties.  Of  these  I  would  name 
first  James  Douglas,  a  robust  grower  and  with 
very  peculiar  combinations  of  colour.  There  is 
crimson  and  white,  and,  as  if  this  was  not  enough, 
rose  shading  o£E  into  purple  and  lavender.  It  seems 
destined  to  perpetuate  the  name  of  a  very  worthy 
grower.  It  has  many  colour^tints  in  common  with 
Duchess  of  Connaught,  but  with  me  one  is  a 
stronger  grower  than  the  other.  Two  other  new 
ones  were  introduced  last  year  of  the  rosy  lilac 
combination  of  tinting— Lord  Digby  and  Lady 
Cavendish ;  if  the  experience  of  others  be  like 
mine,  neither  will  equal  older  introductions.  A.  F. 
Barron  is  a  fine  flower,  but  far  outdistanced  by 
James  Mcintosh,  which  it  resembles,  the  ground 
colour  with  both  being  brUliant  scarlet,  the  petals 
streaked  or  blotched  white.  Another,  and  a  finer 
spike  too,  having  a  crimson  body  colour  and  light 
bluish  stripe  is  Dr.  Benson.  Duke  of  Edinburgh 
I  saw  referred  to  at  several  shows  as  fine ;  if  it 
comes  at  all  near  the  Duchess  it  will  be  an  acqui- 
sition. Lord  Sefton  resembles  another  great 
beauty  Mr.  Derry,  in  having  a  salmon  or  amaranth 
colour  and  tall  spikes.  These  were  my  only  new 
ones,  but  I  am  bound  to  say  they  were  far  out- 
distanced by  earlier  introductions  in  several  cases 
both  as  to  size  of  individual  blooms,  length  of 
spike,  and  the  number  of  spikes  to  a  single 
corm.  One  and  one  only  had  four  perfect  spikes 
from  a  single  corm— Lamarck.  This  is  an  old 
variety  ;    I   cannot   tell  who  is  the  raiser,  but 

received  it  from  a  London  seedsman  a  few 
years  since.  The  colours  are  a  pleasing 
combination  of  light  rose  striped  with  salmon. 
Klectra,  Berthe  Rabourdin,  a  good  old  variety  and 
certain  bloomer  ;  Orphue,  Mr.  Thornton,  La 
Fiancee,  and  a  few  more  that  I  did  not  make  a 
note  of  produced  three  spikes.  The  number  pro- 
ducing two  fit  for  show  purposes— that  is  from  the 
base— was  considerable ;  among  the  rest.  Demo- 
cedes  and  Flora,  both  very  similar;  another, 
differing  from  the  last  two  in  the  shading  of 
purple  with  the  salmon,  was  Herald.  I  like  to 
mention  those  old-established  kinds  when  they 
deserve  it,  as  usually  they  can  be  had  cheap  and 
are  most  certain  flowers,  a  fact  hkely  to  encourage 
young  beginners.  One  of  the  finest  I  had  last 
year,  and  that  gave  me  two  fine  spikes  also  this 
year,  was  Brennus,  many  years  in  commerce,  the 
colouring  of  which  is  unique.  The  upper  petals 
are  crimson  shading  to  brown,  splashed  with  blue, 
which  becomes  violet  on  the  lower  divisions.  For 
the  first  time  for  years  there  has  been  no  failure 
among  the  whites,  though  they  are  probably 
more  tender  and  delicate;  old  Mdme.  Desportes 
nodded  graciously  to  the  still  more  venerable 
Shakespeare,  and  both  had  to  yield  precedence  to 
Reine  Victoria,  which  is  still  an  object  of  admira- 
tion with  two  18-inch  spikes.    One  of  the  shyett 


296 


THE    GARDEN 


[Oct.  4,  1884. 


bearers  I  have,  and  from  which  I  never  got  a  good 
spike  since  its  introduction, is  most  inappropriately 
named  after  the  famous  rosarian.  Canon  Reynolds 
Hole.  One  of  the  reasons  why  I  make  these  notes 
of  individual  flowers  is  that  some  of  your  Gladioli- 
loving  correspondents  might  kindly  say  if  their 
experience  is  anything  like  mine.  Canon  Hole  has 
but  two  companions  in  retirement  out  of  at 
least  '200  named  varieties— Helenor  and  citrinus. 
I  may  have  lost  others,  but  I  did  not  notice  any 
blanks,  while  those  I  am  rearing  from  spawn  and 
seed  are  very  vigorous  and  promising.  If  you 
plant  early  you  have  blooms  early.  To  this  rule 
there  are  many  exceptions ;  three  notable  ones 
with  me  this  year  will  be  Duchess  of  Edinburgh, 
James  Mcintosh,  and  Mdme.  Vilmorin,  great 
beauties  that  will  not  bloom  for  a  month  to  come. 
It  only  remains  to  say  the  earliest,  and  I  am  in- 
clined to  say  the  finest,  spike  I  had  this  year  was 
from  Calliphon,  a  prince  of  rose  colours. 

Storing  the  corms.— The  time  for  this  is 
coming,  so  I  have  left  space  for  a  line  in  reference 
thereto.  Those  that  flowered  in  July  and  August 
may  now  be  lifted  if  the  foliage  and  stem  are 
withered,  not  otherwise.  I  place  them  standing 
upright,  stem  and  all,  in  a  cool  back  room  where 
frost  may  not  enter,  and  cover  the  corms  around 
with  a  layer  of  moist  river  sand.  Here  stems 
and  corms  gradually  ripen  and  dry  and  need  not 
be  disturbed,  except  for  labelling  or  examination, 
until  the  time  for  planting  comes  round. 

Clonmel.  W.  J.  Mubphy. 


AURICULA  COLONEL  CHAMrNEYS. 
I  AM  reluctant  to  interfere  between  "  Delta  "  and 
"  H.  H.  B."  in  The  Gakden  (p.  259),  fearing  lest  1 
may  appear  to  endorse  "  Delta's  "  far  too  flattering 
account  of  my  garden.  But  as  an  old  Auricula 
grower,  and  one  who  has  got  among  good  judges 
the  character  of  being  very  particular  and  hard  to 
satisfy,  I  am  bound  to  say  that  "  Delta's  "  estimate 
of  Auricula  Colonel  Champneys  quite  coincides 
with  mine  and  that  of  all  the  most  competent 
judges  and  growers  in  England  and  Ireland. 
"H.  S.  B."  professes  that  he  writes  for  Auricula 
growers.  Well,  then,  "  to  the  law  and  the  testi- 
mony ■'  let  us  go,  and  I  would  ask,  when  has 
Colonel  Champneys  been  found  in  any  winning 
class  outside  the  class  of  fifties,  where 
spectacular  effect,  not  individual  quality,  is 
the  thing  chiefly  sought?  A  class  of  twelve 
or  of  six  in  which  Colonel  Champneys  figured 
would  have  but  small  chance  of  taking 
honours.  It  is  true  it  is  pretty  ;  where  is  the 
Auricula  that  is  not  pretty?  And  it  is  a  good 
grower  and  a  good  trusser;  but  surely,  when 
writing  for  Auricula  growers,  "  H.  S.  B."  might  re- 
cognise the  necessity  of  those  points  which  go  to 
make  up  a  good  Auricula  of  the  florist's  type,  in 
every  one  of  which  points  Colonel  Champneys  is 
deficient.  It  has  a  pale  tube,  as  dead  as  the 
eye  of  a  fish  three  days  killed.  It  has  a  poor,  dull 
paste ;  the  body  colour,  which  is  attractive  enough, 
and  always  especially  so  to  those  who  confessedly 
know  nothing  about  Auriculas,  is  so  utterly  irre- 
gular, so  much  in  excess  of  the  due  proportion, 
and  so  runs  out  in  corners  to  the  edge,  as  to  look 
like  a  blue  star  instead  of  a  circle.  Added  to  these 
defects,  the  substance  of  the  pip  is  miserably  thin, 
and  the  flower  gets  worse  and  worse  each  day  it  is 
open,  and  "  dies  very  badly,"  as  we  say. 

As  a  matter  of  taste  "  H.  S.  B,"  is  of  course  not 
to  be  questioned  in  his  liking  Colonel  Champneys, 
but  I  challenge  him  to  lind  one  competent  judge 
to  say  that  it  deserves  to  find  a  place  among 
crack  kinds.  I  do  not  say,  however,  that  I  could 
find  it  in  my  heart  to  throw  it  or  any  other  Auri- 
cula on  the  rubbish  heap. 

I  am  sorry  that  "  II,  S.  B."  should  IhiLk  fit  (o 
charge"  Delta"  with  ignorance  and  incompetency 
for  what  he  might  easily  have  seen  was  a  printer's 
mistake.  "  Delta  "  did  not  give  the  name  of  the 
raiser  of  any  of  the  sorts  mentioned,  and  it  would 
be  less  likely  that  he  should  have  omitted  from 
any  enumeration  of  crack  .'kinds  that  best 
Aurioulayet  grown, George  Lightbody— commonly 
*^u  ,  J  u  "''Oi't'iess  Lightbody— than  that  he 
should  have  been  ignorant  that  Acme  was  raised 


by  Read.  This  is  not  the  spirit  in  which  lovers  of 
flowers  should  treat  each  other.  —  Feederick 
Xymons. 

Colonel  Champneys  has  not  one  good  point 

to  a  florist's  eye ;  the  pip  is  not  flat,  the  eye 
watery,  the  ground  colour  very  brilliant,  but  so 
running  into  the  edge  as  sometimes  to  leave 
bat  little  of  that  to  be  seen.  It  is  showy, 
but  so  are  alpines.  Your  correspondent,  too,  is 
mistaken  in  supposing  it  to  be  the  first  of  the 
blue  grounds  ever  sent  out.  Chapman's  Maria  and 
Sophia  were  out  ages  before  it,  and  it  was  pro- 
bably a  seedling  from  one  of  these.  Will  your 
correspondent  kindly  look  through  the  winning 
flowers  at  either  of  the  northern  or  southern  Auri- 
cula exhibitions,  and  see  if  he  can  find  either  it  or 
General  Neill  on  the 'winning  stands  or  amongst 
the  single  class  plants  (in  the  class  for  fifty  any- 
thing is  admitted)  ?  I  did  not  call  Acme  Light- 
body's  ;  what  I  wrote  was  Acmes,  Lightbodys,  the 
ordinary  way  in  which  we  call  George  Lightbody ; 
the  apostrophe  was  a  misprint.  I  may  inform 
your  correspondent  that  I  have  been  an  Auricula 
grower  for  fifty  years.  I  saw  Acme  years  before 
it  came  out,  and  described  it  in  a  contemporary  as 
probably  the  best  white  edge  ever  raisedj  at  pre- 
sent not  far  out.  It  was  raised  by  my  late  friend, 
Mr.  Read,  of  East  Dereham.  I  have  grown  every 
Auricula  probably  from  old  Popplewell's  Conqueror 
to  Alex.  Meiklejohn,  and  have  known  personally 
nearly  every  Auricula  grower  in  the  three  king- 
doms, and  I  can  only  hope  that  experience  may 
enable  "  A.  S.  B."  to  become  a  better  judge  of  an 
-Vuricula  than  to  admire  Colonel  Champneys  as  a 
good  flower. — Delta.. 

The    Japanese    -white    lanoe-leaved 

Lily.— There  are  at  least  two  varieties  of  L.  speoio- 
sum  album— that  from  Japan  and  Holland  ;  and 
in  regard  to  the  colouring  of  the  petals,  one  is  pure 
white,  with  the  central  midrib  of  each  petal  beau- 
tifully tinted  green,  very  much  like  the  shading  of 
the  Eucharis  Lily.  I  have  a  fine  specimen  at 
present  blooming  in  an  S-inohpot  without  a  shade 
of  pink,  back  or  front,  but  having  another  pecu- 
liarity different  from  any  L.  lancifolinm  I  have 
hitherto  seen.  From  near  the  base  of  each  petal 
start  a  number  of  white  filaments  not  e-xceeding 
a  quarter  of  an  inch  long  at  most,  pure  white,  and 
forming  a  fringe-like  appendage  around  the 
stamens.  Berhaps  you  would  kindly  say  if 
Kr.Tetzer's  Lily,  also  pure  white,  referred  to  at  page 
2  H3,issimilarly  furnished.  [Yes.]  .Mine  has  flowered 
for  the  first  time  since  it  arrived  from  Japan,  and 
may  be  incorrectly  named. ^W.  J.  Muui'HY, 
( 'hnmvh 

SHORT  NOTES.— FLOWER. 


Erica  Maweana.— 'Wheu  botanifina  on  the  lower 
mountains  of  tllu"  Western  Pyrenees  near  the  towns  of 
Ilendaye  and  Iran  I  met  with  this  plant  in  consiilerable 
numbers.  It  was  Krowing  in  fine  tufts  on  grassy  flopes  at 
from  1000  feet  to  2000  feet  elevation.— E.  POTTEB,  Ilolnate, 
York. 

The  -white  Ramondla.— This  rara  plant,  engraved 
for  The  GiRDEN  (p.  129)  after  a  photograph  taken  ni  4Ir. 
O.  J'orster's  garden  at  Lehenoff,  in  Austiia,  is  only  obtaio- 
alilu  at  M.  l''ruel)el'3  nursery  at  Zurich.  We  understand  that 
he  has  been  working  for  some  eight  yearj  to  secure  a  small 
stock  of  it. 

SeneCo  pulcher.— In  reference  to  "  J.  M.'s  "  note  on 
this  Seneoio  in  last  week's  Garden  (p.  233),  can  it  be  that 
the  saline  particles  accompanying  a  sea  mist  are  hurtful  to 
tlie  blooms  of  tllis  line  plant?  1  ask  because  it  does  so  well 
with  me,  and  I  have,  alas  !  plenty  of  fog  and  mist  to  deal 
with.  Last  autumn  it  continued  blooming  riglit  into  the 
winter.— H.  .Stuart-Wortley. 

Sympathetic  variegation  —One  or  two  examples 
of  variegation  by  sympa'hy  may  be  found  In  back  volumes 
of  the  Garden.  One  (the  first)  is  that  of  a  variegated 
Rhubarb  planted  two  or  three  plants  among  common  Bhu- 
b.arb  ;  next  year  tliey  all  came  variegated.  Another,  given 
liy  Uamsoii  Weir,  is  that  of  variegated  Ivies  iotertwiiieil 
Willi  green  Ivies,  causing  the  green  to  variegate— Frank 
illLES,  Shirehami'ton,  inar  Bn^toL 

Yellow  Carnations  scentless.— How  is  it  that 
yellow  Carnations,  at  least  a  good  many  of  them,  are 
without  fragrance?  The  variety  named  Pride  of  Pensliurst, 
favourably  noticed  a  few  weeks  ago,  is  destitute  of  scent, 
and  so  are  all  other  yellows,  I  am  told  by  raisers.  Curious, 
if  true,  this,  for  the  other  colours  are  more  or  less  .ill 
fragrant,  although  .some  varieties,  like  W  T.  Jililner,  have 
not  much  scent.  All  the  old  Clove  section  pojsess  a  strong 
fragrance.— V. 


Fine  tree  Rhododendron.- We  have  a 
fine  specimen  of  Rhododendron  arboreum  growing 
in  our  grounds.  It  is  12  feet  9  inches  in  height 
and  1 1  feet  i  inches  in  diameter ;  the  stem  is  3 
feet  3  inches  high  from  the  base  to  the  branching 
out  of  the  branches,  and  28  inches  in  circumfer- 
ence. It  is  growing  in  a  tub  and  does  well,  being 
one  mass  of  flower  every  year  at  the  proper  season. 
—J.  LiKDEN,  Ghent. 

*t,*  All  excellent  photograph  which  accom- 
panied this  account  showed  clearly  what  a  grand 
tree  this  Rhododendron  makes  as  a  standard. — Ed. 

Zinnias. — These  rank  amongst  the  most  use- 
ful of  annuals.  Sown  in  a  gentle  heat  in  -March, 
and  planted  out  about  the  end  of  April,  they  begin 
blooming  in  June  and  continue  to  flower  pro- 
fusely until  November.  The  flowers  are  both 
double  and  single.  The  plants  grow  from  6  inches 
to  18  inches  in  height,  and  they  are  well  adapted 
for  either  flower  garden  or  mixed  border  de- 
coration. Masses  of  the  individual  colours  are 
extremely  effective,  and  mixed  groups  have  a 
charming  appearance.  Our  plants  never  appeared 
to  feel  the  effects  of  the  intense  heat  in  summer, 
and  now  when  it  is  raining  freely  the  blooms  are 
as  bright  and  beautiful  as  ever.— J.  MuiR, 
Margaiii  Park,  Soufk  Wales. 

Diseased  Hyacinths.- We  herewith  send 
a  few  bulbs  of  early  white  Roman  Hyacinths, 
which,  you  will  notice,  have  a  gum  exuding  from 
their  crowns.  This  is  a  kind  of  disease  which 
sometimes  shows  itself  some  time  after  the  bulbs 
have  been  imported.  If  you  cut  one  open  you 
will  see  that  a  kind  of  dry  rot  has  set  in,  and  we 
believe  that  bulbs  when  once  attacked  never 
flower,  the  gum  forming  a  kind  of  seal  which  the 
shoot  cannot  penetrate.  The  disease  seems  very 
partial  in  its  attacks,  one  small  parcel  of  bulbs 
being  infected  by  it,  whilst  larger  lots  from  the 
same  importation  do  not  show  any  signs  of  it.  It 
seems  to  us  that  keeping  the  bulbs  in  a  dry  place 
favours  its  development.  Do  you  think  that  it 
would  be  caused  by  the  bulbs  being  taken  up  be- 
fore they  are  properly  ripened  oft'  ?  The  awkward 
part  of  the  matter  is  that  the  bulbs  look  healthy 
when  first  imported,  and  considerable  loss  isentailed 
by  their  going  bad  after  passing  into  our  cus- 
tomers' hands.  Any  information  you  can  give 
respecting  this  disease  will  be  welcome. — Seeds- 
man. 

*,,*  The  gumming  appears  to  be  caused  by  the 
presence  of  a  minute  fungus  which  grows  in  the 
heart  of  and  between  the  scales  of  the  bulb,  and 
sometimes  outside  the  bulb.  The  spawn  or  my- 
celium of  the  fungus  also  grows  luxuriantly  in 
the  gum.  The  fungus  is  an  exotic  and,  as  far  as 
we  know,  an  undescribed  minute,  but  very  dis- 
tinct, species  of  Verticillium  with  .in  enormous 
number  of  very  small  spores.  The  fungus  is  of 
course  imported  with  the  bulbs,  and  as  it  appears 
in  every  instance  to  invade  the  heart,  flowering  is, 
as  you  indicate,  impossible.  The  bulbs  are  no 
doubt  imported  in  a  diseased  state,  although  the 
disease  does  not  at  first  show  itself.  Whether  the 
growthof  the  fungus  inside  the  bulbandconsequent 
gumming  isaided  by  keeping  the  bulbs  in  a  dry  place 
is  more  than  we  know  ;  the  subject  requires  inves- 
tigation. Some  species  of  Verticillium,  although 
beautiful  objects  under  the  microscope,  are  only 
larval  conditions  of  other  fungi.  The  diseased 
bulbs  are  perfectly  worthless,  and  they  should  be 
destroyed,  as  they  doubtlessly  have  the  power,  by 
contact,  of  setting  up  gumming  in  sound  bulbs. — 
W.  G.  S. 

Eesedafruticulosa.-  Whether  this  plant 
has  been  rightly  or  wrongly  included  in  the 
British  flora  I  know  not ;  B.^bington  makes  it  a 
British  plant,  but  Lindley  and  Bentham  do  not. 
I  am  not,  however,  interested  in  that  question  ; 
what  I  want  to  state  is  that  for  some  time  I  have 
had  this  plant  under  my  notice,  and  like  your 
correspondent  (p.  283)  I  have  often  thought  that 
a  clever  hybridist  ought  to  be  able  to  impart  to  it 
some  of  the  fragrance  of  our  ordinary  garden 
Mignonette.  If  this  could  be  done  we  should 
then  have  a  tree  Mignonette  in  every  sense  of  the 
word.     Even  in  its  present  form  it  is  not,  how- 


Oct.   4,  1884.] 


THE   GARDEN 


297 


ever,  altogether  unattractive.  I  have  a  plant  of 
it  now  3  feet  in  height  with  stout  side  growth, 
giving  it  quite  a  stately  appearance.  As  a  wild- 
ing, I  believe  it  to  be  rare,  but  it  sometimes 
occurs  in  Somerset  and  Cornwall.  My  specimen 
of  it,  though  a  weed,  has  pleased  me  so  much 
that  I  intend  to  cultivate  it.  My  supply  of  seed 
is  limittd,  but  I  shall  ce  happy  to  enclose  half-a- 
dozen  seeds  to  about  the  same  number  of  appli- 
cants if  they  will  send  me  a  directed  and  stamped 
envelope. — J.  C.  C'lakke,  Cotkdstonc,  Tunntoii. 


LILIUM  CANDIDUM. 


It  would  appear  to  be  a  matter  of  some  difficulty 
to  indicate  the  precise  conditions  under  which  the 
old  white  Lily  thrives  best.  Soil  has  undoubtedly 
much  to  do  with  its  welfare,  and  yet  it  will  often 
be  seen  behaving  quite  differently  in  two  gardens 
which  close  to  each  other  apparently  enjoy  the 
same  advantages  or  otherwise  of  soil  and  climate. 
In  some  of  the  cottage  gardens  in  this  neighbour- 
hood it  grows  and  flowers  with  much  freedom  ;  in 
others  it  never  seems  to  gather  strength  enough  to 
throw  up  any  bloom  worth  speaking  of.  Some 
fay  it  needs,  like  most  Lilies,  partial  shade  ;  others 
assert  that  the  bulbs  want  to  be  in  a  measure 
ripened  by  the  sun,  but  I  have  seen  it  doing  well 
in  both  sunshine  and  shade.  The  finest  lot  of 
plants  of  the  white  Lily  I  ever  saw  was  last  year 
in  Hampton  Court  Gardens.  They  were  certainly 
remarkable  as  regards  development,  and  wlien  in 
flower  must  have  presented  a  gorgeous  appear- 
ance. There  were  about  fifty  clumps  altogether 
in  one  bed  on  the  Grass,  each  clump  producing 
from  four  to  a  dozen  flower-stems,  many  of  them 
being  as  thick  as  a  broom-handle.  When  I  saw 
them  they  were  just  showing  bud,  the  foliage  was 
abundant,  and,  what  is  so  rare  in  this  Lily 
in  perfect  health,  quite  down  to  the  ground. 
I  had  no  opportunity  of  learning  how  long 
these  bulbs  had  been  in  position,  but  I 
should  imagine  several  years.  I  do  not  think 
that  they  could  have  come  to  such  strength 
in  one  season  after  planting.  It  is  rather  curious 
that  this  remarkable  Lily  bed  should  be  very  near 
to  the  great  Vine,  and  I  have  since  thought  that 
the  great  depth  of  soil  and  perfect  drainage,  to 
which  may  be  attributed  the  laealth  and  longevity 
of  the  Vine,  may  have  contributed  to  the  uncom- 
mon development  of  the  Lilies.  The  soil  of  the 
Hampton  Court  Gardens  is  a  light,  very  gritty  loam, 
resting,  I  believe,  on  a  bed  of  gravel,  and  as  the 
Thames  flows  many  feet  beneath,  the  drainage 
must  be  perfect.  Under  such  conditions,  it  is 
evident  that  a  large  amount  of  roots  would  be 
formed  and  retained,  and  the  bulbs  would  natu- 
rally acquire  great  strength.  A  firm,  but  porous 
soil,  with  a  ready  exit  for  superfluous  moisture 
through  the  winter  months,  would  therefore  seem 
to  be  a  condition  of  succe.«s.  Shade  does  not  ap- 
pear to  be  a  necessity,  for  these  Lilies  were  in  the 
full  sun.  A  curious  point  in  connection  with  this 
Lily  is  the  way  in  which  the  foliage  and  stems 
often  die  away  suddenly  just  as  the  flower-buds 
have  formed.  A  friend  of  mine  planted  out  a  bed 
with  strong  bulbs  in,  to  all  appearance,  an  excel- 
lent position.  They  grew  finely  until  they  were 
just  coming  into  bloom,  and  then  both  leaves  and 
stems  turned  black  right  down  to  the  bulbs,  which, 
however,  remained  perfectly  sound.  Would  a  too 
rich  soil  cause  this  .'  I  think  my  friend  used  a 
little  rotten  manure  when  planting,  having  made 
up  his  mind  to  "  do  them  well.' 

J.  CORNIIILL. 


NOTES  ON  HAEDY  FLOWERS. 

PoLEJiONiUM  ooNrEP.TUM. — It  is  a  pleasure  to 
handle  this  rare  plant  with  its  pretty  crisp  young 
leaves  in  summer.  I  say  in  summer  because  it  is 
then  so  easy  to  manage,  whilst  at  any  other  period, 
according  to  my  experience,  it  is  almost  sure  to 
die  if  meddled  with.  The  offsets  may  be  taken  as 
they  show  above  ground  around  the  old  plant,  and 
if  potted  and  placed  in  the  sun,  plunged,  they 
grow  right  away.  No  manure  or  halt-decayed 
matter  ought  to  be  used.  The  offsets  should  have 
the  bases  of  the  leaves  well  out  of  the  mould,  and 


water  be  given  very  sparingly.  This  is  very 
simple  treatment  for  a  plant  of  such  value  and 
rarity.  I  find  it  very  hardy,  but  young  plants 
from  pits  should  not  be  set  in  the  open  in  late 
autumn  like  rougher  herbaceous  things.  If  turned 
out  in  April  and  planted  in  free  soil,  there  need 
be  no  fear  of  its  doing  well. 

Galium  puepueeum,  with  its  dense  mass  of 
foliage  and  little  flowers,  is  not  so  very  attractive 
as  seen  growing,  but  a  few  twigs  or  sprays  cut  are 
truly  handsome.  The  minute  star-like  purple 
flowers  from  their  numbers  fringing  the  outer 
portion  of  the  feathery  sprays  only  seem  to  impart 
a  rich  and  changeable  hue  to  the  finely-cut  and 
verticillate  foliage  of  this  Bedstraw.  As  a  vase 
decoration  it  cannot  fail  to,  please,  because  it 
stands  well,  is  very  light  and  graceful,  and  capable 
of  matching  the  most  delicate  flowers;  indeed,  it 
seems  to  be  purely  a  plant  for  cutting  from,  which 
may  be  done  even  before  it  comes  into  flower, 
when  it  much  resembles  the  climbing  Aspara- 
guses. Some  bits  of  Delphinium  cardinale  and 
Tropajolum  tuberosum  added  to  it  cor)Stitute  an  ex- 
quisite blend  for  small  glasses.  I  should  like  to 
repeat  that  it  is  hard  to  over-praise  this  plant  of  a 
common  genus  as  cutting  material.  Whilst  speak- 
of  cut  foliage,  one  may  be  allowed  to  name  the  old 
and  tinted  foliage  of 

Aquilegias.  Amongst  a  gathering  of  coloured 
leaves,  young  and  old,  these  were  some  of  the 
more  noticeable.  Not  only  is  the  form  desirable, 
but  as  flowers  get  fewer  we  may  by  chance  on 
some  occasions  bring  in  a  suriburnt  remnant  of  a 
spring  favourite. 

Primula  Stuaeti  enjoys  our  warm  summer, 
provided  it  is  kept  well  watered  in  a  shady  place, 
and  planted  in  sticky  peat  and  sand  ;  a  root  not 
only  flowered  fairly  well,  but  made  fine  growth, 
affording  four  offsets.  The  latter  were  potted  in 
the  early  part  of  July  and  kept  out  of  the  sun  for 
a  fortnight ;  their  young  leaves,  which  are  much 
in  the  way  of  those  of  P.  sikkimensis,  are  very 
handsome.  There  is  nothing  of  a  miffy  character 
about  this  Indian  Cowslip ;  indeed,  it  seems  to  be 
a  rampart  grower  when  once  it  finds  genial 
conditions.  J.  Wood. 


Rudbeckla  maxlrna. — X  had  written  a 
notice  of  this,  but  "  K,,"  I  see  (p.  SS."),  has  fore- 
stalled me.  It  is,  indeed,  a  fine  plant ;  out  of 
eight  species  of  Kudbeckia  grown  here,  it  is  far 
away  the  best,  and  justly  claims  a  place  in  every 
collection  of  robust  perennials.  "  K.'  is,  however, 
wrong  in  recommending  such  a  very  dry  place  for 
it  on  the  top  of  a  rockery.  Here  it  is  in  a  border 
with  a  moist  subsoil  in  a  sunny  and  sheltered 
position  where  this  summer  it  has  reached  the 
height  of  8  feet.  The  plant  is  of  fastigiate 
habit — that  is,  it  grows  quite  upright  and  compact. 
The  flowers,  which  are  G  inches  across,  are  set 
on  naked  stems  3  feet  above  the  topmost  leaves, 
and  arc  perfectly  horizontal  with  a  great  conical 
disc  standing  out  of  the  centre,  a  characteristic 
of  the  family.  Although  there  is  no  succession  of 
bloom,  it  remains  in  perfection  a  considerable 
time.  Altogether  it  is  one  of  those  plants  that 
take  the  eye  at  a  glance.  The  irregularity  of  the 
rays  complained  of  by  "  K."  is  only  exceptional 
here.  In  his  case  may  not  this  be  the  effect  of  the 
very  dry  situation  allotted  to  it ,'  Slugs  are  very 
ravenous  after  the  young  growths  in  the  spring, 
and  can  only  be  kept  at  bay  by  the  frequent  use 
of  lime  and  soot.  K.  laciniata  is  another  good 
species.  It  grows  7  feet  high  and  has  large  com- 
pound foliage  and  numerous  flowers,  but  much 
smaller  than  those  of  the  first-named  kind. —J.  M., 
ClictniiontJi,  Diirsit. 

Montbietia  Pottsi. — We  have  growing 
here,  in  a  border,  a  clump  of  this  plant  quite  a 
foot  across.  It  has  been  in  the  same  place  for 
these  last  three  or  four  years,  and  has  only  thrown 
up  two  spikes,  and  that  was  two  years  ago.  It 
grows  well  ami  the  stems  look  strong  enough  for 
every  one  of  them  to  bloom,  but  the  result  is  as 
first  stated.  We  have  this  season  given  it  a  large 
quantity  of  water,  thinking  we  had  been  too  spar- 
ing in  this  way,  but  without  effect.     The  soil  is 


light  and  sandy  and  about  2  feet  deep,  resting  on 
gravel.  Every  autumn  we  give  the  border  a  good 
top  dressing  with  old  spent  hotbed  material  and 
fresh  soil  mixed  together.  This  is  applied  in  the 
first  week  in  November  and  three  or  four  good 
waterings  with  liquid  manure  and  a  sprinkling  of 
guano  two  or  three  times  during  the  summer  arc 
also  given.  Our  soil  is  so  poor  that  we  are  ob- 
liged to  feed  liberally  in  order  to  keep  our  borders 
gay,  a  state  in  which  we  like  to  have  tham 
from  the  blooming  time  of  the  Crocus,  Chiono- 
doxa,  and  Aconites  till  the  autumn  flowers  are 
destroyed  by  frost.  This  can  be  done  by  a  little 
management  and  liberal  treatment.  Can  it  be 
that  we  are  too  liberal  to  our  M,  Pottsi?  Will 
some  of  your  readers  give  their  experience  in  re- 
gard to  this  plant,  and  state  if  it  blooms  satisfac- 
torily with  them  ?  It  is  disappointing  to  see  so 
grand  a  plant  flowerless.  The  Siberian  Larkspur, 
Scotch  Rocket,  three  sorts  of  tKnotheras,  and  other 
hardy  plants  do  grandly  with  us. — JouN  Ceook, 
Farnhorovqii  Grange.  ■ 


Ferns. 

BEST  CULTIVATED  FERNS. 
(Continued  from  j^.  276.} 

Oleandea. — This,  though  not  an  extensive 
genus,  comprises  some  of  the  most  interesting  of 
climbing  Ferns  of  epiphytal  habit ;  0.  neriiformis, 
a  plant  much  more  like  an  Oleander  than  a  Fern, 
is,  however,  an  exception.  This  grows  somewhat 
in  the  way  of  Gleichenia  flabellata,  but  has  thicker 
and  more  fleshy  erect  stems,  which  have,  moreover, 
the  peculiarity  of  branching  out  freely  and  of 
being  provided  with  aiirial  roots,  a  character  not 
to  be  found  in  any  other  cultivated  Fern.  All  the 
other  species  make  good  specimens  either  trained 
upon  stems  of  dead  Tree  Ferns,  which  they  readily 
ascend  and  quickly  cover,  or  on  mounds  of  peat. 
None  but  very  fibrous  peat  should,  however,  be 
used ;  thick  turves  of  it  should  be  placed  one 
above  another,  and  skewered  together  by  means 
of  wooden  pegs  so  as  to  form  a  pyramid.  Another 
way  of  employing  Ferns  belonging  to  this  genus 
is  to  use  them  for  covering  pillars  indoors  ;  but  as 
they  take  possession  of  any  genial  surface,  fasten- 
ing themselves  to  it  with  short  fibry  roots,  it  is  in- 
dispensable that  these  should  be  provided  with 
proper  nourishment  as  the  rhizomes  extend.  The 
best  way  is  to  put  round  the  pillar  a  wire  cylinder, 
which  should  have  large  meshes,  and  be  filled  up 
as  the  rhizomes  extend  with  a  mixture  of  two 
parts  of  fibrous  peat  to  one  part  of  Sphagnum 
rammed  tolerably  close.  For  hiding  pillars,  walls, 
or  unsightly  upright  supports  the  Oleandras  are 
quite  as  useful  as  the  better  known  Davallias  and 
do  not  require  any  special  attention ;  although, 
perhaps,  not  quite  such  rapid  growers  they  pos- 
sess the  advantage  of  retaining  their  foliage  longer 
than  most  Davallias  do.  All  the  Oleandras  known 
to  cultivation  require  stove  treatment  and  abun- 
dance of  water  at  the  roots  throughout  their 
growing  season,  and  they  are  greatly  benefited 
by  occasional  syringings  overhead  during  summer. 

0.  AETici'LATA. — This  evergreen  species  from 
the  East  Indies  and  JIauritius  is  one  specially 
adapted  for  growing  on  small  pyramids  of  peat. 
It  is  one  of  the  smallest  habited  of  the  genus  anS 
looks  well  covering  the  stem  of  a  dead  Tree  Fern  ; 
being  a  climbing  species,  whose  somewhat  slender 
rhizomes  rapidly  spread  over  any  decaying  matter. 
Its  fronds  are  of  a  pleasing  shade  of  light  green 
and  the  venation  exceedingly  pretty. 

Fronds  simi'le,  entire,  liuearlanceolate  in  shape,  soldiini 
more  tlian  10  lialies  Ions  by  aljout  1  incli  in  wiiltli  .■  they 
are  pioiluced  aliout2  inches  apart  on  the  cretiiiTi^' rhizomes, 
from  which  tliey  hanj:  gracefully.  Barren  and  fertile  fronds 
of  similar  shape  and  size  with  the  soil,  on  the  latter  form- 
in"  a  regular  line  of  orange-brown  dots  all  along  each  side 
of°  the  midrib,  which  line  iu  fully  grown  tpeclmena  ia 
quite  uniuterrupted. 

O.  CuMiNGi  longipes.— This  singular  species, 
a  native  of  Assam,  Luzon,  Burmah,  kc,  is  easily 
distinguished  from  all  others  by  its  comparatively 
small  rhizomes,  which  seldom  exceed  the  dimen- 
sions of  a  quill  pen.  The  peculiar  conformation, 
of  the  stalks  on  which  the  fronds  are  borne  is 
another  equally  striking    character ;  they  form, 


298 


THE    GARDEN 


[Oct.  4    1884. 


about  2  inches  above  the  rhizome,  a  sort  of  joint, 
from  which,  when  exhausted,  the  fron  d  becomes 
detached,  leaving  the  short  lower  portion  of  the 
stalks  adhering  firmly  to  the  rhizomes,  which  are 
densely  clothed  with  brownish  scales  closely  im- 
bricated. The  length  of  the  stalks  and  that  of 
the  leafy  portion  of  the  frond  are  about  equal, 
varjing  from  10  inches  to  15  inches,  according  tc 
the  \igour  of  the  plant. 

From  a  thickly  scaly  c-eeping  caudex  appear  firm,  mem- 
branaceous fronds  lanceolate-.acuniiaate  iu  shape,  vi-ry  much 
■^ttenuat  J  ami  gi-.«lually  decurreut  at  the  base.  These  are 
borne  on  sliithtfy  downy  stalks  provided  with  an  articu- 
lated base,  and  their  costa  or  midril  and  veins  aie  slightly 
pjbescent.  The  sori,  rather  large  and  of  a  light  brjwn 
colour,  gpnenally  form  a  single  and  scarcely  interrupted 
line  very  close  to  and  on  each  side  of  the  mid-lib,  although 
in  some  instances  they  may  be  found  scattered  irregularly 
at  alittle  distance  from  it.   Colour  of  the  plant  dark  gre;n. 

0.  MUS.KKOLiA. — A  very  pretty  species,  a  native 
of  Ceylon  and  the  JIalay  Islands,  and  one  which, 
though  introduced  a  good  many  years  ago,  is  still 
scarce  in  cultivation.  It  is  a  plant  of  dwarf,  com- 
pact habit,  and  is  best  adapted  for  growing  on 
mounds  of  peat^  The  stalks  are  articulated  near 
the  base,  as  in  the  species  above  described,  but  the 
shoots  are  different  in  texture,  being  more  woody 
than  those  of  any  other  dwarf-growing  kind, 
wide,  climbing,  and  clothed  with  depressed  scales, 
carving  upwards  to  where  it  bears  its  fronds  singly 
or  in  tufts  of  from  2  to  5  and  then  downwards. 

Fronds  of  membra'iaccons  textu'e,  lanceolate  acuminate 
in  shape,  nair  .wed  tradually  lowanls  both  ends,  geoeral'y 
naked,  with  the  m'drih  only  s  ightly  pilose  ;  those  are  borfie 
on  sta  ki  sliort  and  srticulated  close  to  the  base,  'ihi  s.iri, 
whi.h  .are  very  prominent,  ore  disposed  in  two  irregular 
rows,  ouj  on  each  side  aiM  close  to  the  midrib.  The  whole 
plant  IS  of  a  Hue  dark  gieen  colour. 

O.  NKRiiFORMis.— This  the  most  striking 
species  of  the  genus,  possesses  a  wide  habitat.  It 
is  found  in  a  wild  state  all  through  tropical  and 
subtropical  Asia,  .Java,  Luzm,  ,\9sam,  Khasya. 
even  Sikkim  and  Nepaul,  and  also  in  the  Fiji 
Islands.  Its  mode  of  grosth  is  peculiar,  being 
distinct  in  this  respect  not  only  amongst  Olean- 
ders, but  likewise  amongst  the  whole  family  of 
Ferns.  Its  rootstock,  which  branches  freely,  beans 
its  fronds  ia  tufts,  which  are  hard  in  te.xture  and 
erect,  growing  to  4  feet  or  even  5  feet  in  length, 
and  as  thick  as  one's  little  finger;  they  are  nodose 
at  irregu'ar  intervals,  and  covered  with  the  re- 
mains of  scales,  which  in  the  older  portions  are 
of  a  black  and  shining  hue.  \  peciiliari'y  of  these 
caudices  is  that  they  are  generally  found  inter- 
twinei  like  a  cluster  of  snakes.  Some  are  erect, 
while  others  lie  more  or  less  close  to  the  ground, 
and  throw  out  long,  wiry  roots  in  greater  quan- 
tities than  those  of  upright  growth.  In  the  young 
shoots  the  appressed  scales,  which  sometimes  form 
a  tuft,  at  the  very  ape.x,  are  subulate,  ciliated,  and 
of  a  reddish  colour,  differing  essentially  in  that 
respect  from  those  of  mature  shoots.  The  fronds 
are  produced  in  threes  or  fours  at  or  near  the 
summit  of  the  young  terminal  shoots,  or  some- 
timas  fr.im  shirt  .-ide  branches,  which  are  also 
very  scaly.  They  are  of  a  bright  yellowish  green, 
glabrous  or  a  little  villous  on  their  under-surface, 
and  sm  50th  at  the  margin.  The  stalks  on  which 
these  are  borne  are  different  from  those  of  all 
other  species,  inasmuch  as  tliey  seldom  exceed 
half  an  inch  in  length,  and  are  equally  nodose 
aid  jointed  at  the  base,  but  here,  and  contrary  to 
other  spjcies  in  this  genus,  the  joint  is  generally 
hidden  by  the  scales  of  the  caudex  which  sur- 
round it -one  of  the  most  characteristic  marks 
of  this  specie<  as  curious  as  it  is  interesting. 

Fronds  verticillate.  membranaceous,  entire,  cnstate  lan- 
ceolate 111  shape,  rather  broader  above  the  midd'e  acunu- 
na-e,  moderately  attenuited  at  the  baie  into  short  s  ipcs 
ni  scaly  nature  and  scarcely  half  an  inch  long.  Sori  plenti- 
I'll,  generally  situated  at  some  littledittance  from  the  mid- 
i.li  and  di^iicsed  with  si  iiuich  regulaiir.v  ai  to  f..iin  an 
aimist  uninteiTupted  light  brown  line,  straight  or  alittle 
waved  oueithsr  side  of  the  costa  and  at  a  little  distance 
irom  the  base.  The  leafy  portion  of  the  plant  stands  out 
like  so  many  large  fau«,  and  presents  a  ch  iractor  entirely 
diller.;ut  from  any  other  Fern  in  cultivation. 

A\r*^'i.  f  ^11''*'^  ~-^  ™''y  pretty  spacies  from  the 
West  Indies  and  Guiana,  where  it  was  found  ia  a 
wild,  state,  entirely  covering  the  stems  of  dead 
trees.  It  is  of  medium  size,  of  a  cheerful  bright 
green  colour,  very  ornamental  and  free  growing 
especially  when  planted  on  half-decayed  vegetable 
Watter.  The  venation  of  the  fronds  is  particularly 


attractive,  and  very  conspicuous  when  seen  from 
below,  as  they  are  of  a  semi-transparent,  though 
coriaceous,  texture. 

Fronds  simple,  entire,  lanceolate  in  shape,  from  lOinche^ 
to  15  inches  long  and  about  1  inch  n  ide,  slightly  undulated. 
They  are  abundantly  produced  from  a  tlender  creeping 
rh'zome,  densely  clothed  with  imbricated  scales  of  a,'=ilvtry 
hue  when  in  a  young  state,  but  turning  to  a  light  browii 
with  age.  The  short  stalks  on  which  ihey  are  borne  are 
urticulated  near  the  base,  and.  like  the  rachis  itself,  of  a 
black  or  dark  brown  shiuing  colour. 

0.  Wallichi,— This  thoroughly  distinct  and 
somewhat  scarce  species  comes  from  Nepaul,  North 
India,  from  .Simla  in  the  west  to  Bhotan  in  the 
east,  Assam,  Khasya,  and  Java.  Although  of  the 
same  habit  and  similar  mode  of  growth  as  the 
other  above  described  species,  it  greatly  differs  in 
general  aspect  from  any  of  them,  the  principal  and 
most  distinctive  character  being  the  margins  of  its 
sub-elliptical  oblong  fronds,  which  are  furnished 
with  numerous  short  hairs  on  all  their  length. 
These  fronds,  which  grow  from  8  inches  to  14 
inches  long,  are  produced  abundantly  from  a 
branched,  creeping  caudex  rather  thicker  than  an 
ordinary  lead  pencil,  which  is  densely  clothed  with 
subulate,  crisped,  spreading,  and  often  deflexed 
scale.s,  thickly  tufted  at  the  extremity  of  the 
branches,  and  of  a  ferruginous  colour.  They  are 
generally  about  2  inches  distant,  and  borne  on 
short  stalks  jointed  close  to  the  base,  so  that  the 
very  short  lower  articulation  is  concealed  among 
the  scales,  and  of  a  dull  green  colour. 

Fronds  entire,  simple,  of  memb-anacpous  texture,  snb- 
nellucid,  opa<iiic  on  the  surface,  with  sides  parallel ;  their 
ba  e  is  often  obtuse  and  rouuded,  while  their  apex  is 
sharply  acuminate,  S.  ri  compact,  almost  imbricated  in  a 
continuous  lin^  or  chain  close  to  and  i  arallel  with  the  costa 
on  1  ach  side.  Khizome  sUnder,  and  particularly  rough  on 
account  of  the  chatty  scales  with  which  it  is  densely  covered. 

FELL.fiA. 

Parks  &  Public  Gardens. 

OPENING  OF  CANONBURY  SQUARE. 
Owing  to  the  efforts  of  the  Metropolitan  I'ublic 
Garden,  Boulevard,  and  Playground  Association 
the  enclosure  in  another  London  square  was  last 
week  thrown  open  for  the  use  of  the  public.  Fol- 
lowing the  example  of  the  Duke  of  Westminster 
in  thecise  of  Ebury  Square,  Pimlico,  the  Marquis 
of  Northampton  has  leased  to  the  association 
named,  of  which  Lord  Brabazon  is  jjresident, 
about  an  acre  and  a-half  of  garden  ground  in 
Canonbury  Square,  Islington,  at  a  merely  pepper- 
corn rental.  The  society  has  supplied  it  with  srats, 
and  they  will  provide  a  caretaker  ;  but  they  hope 
that  before  long  the  Islington  Vestry — now  busy 
in  converting  the  old  parish  churchyard  into  a 
public  recreation  ground  will  take  charge  of  the 
open  space  in  the  square,  which  is  situated  in  a 
densely-populated  district.  Save  Finsbury  Park, 
which  is  on  llie  very  fringe  of  the  borough,  the 
inhatiitants  of  North  London,  who  in  Islington 
alone  number  300,000,  have  really  no  considerable 
recreation  ground  ;  and  the  want  is  plainly  appa- 
rent of  more  open  spaces  for  the  public  in  this 
neijjhbourhood  has  stimulated  the  local  authority 
conjointly  with  the  Metropolitan  Board  of  Works  to 
seek  to  preserve  H'ghbury  Fields  for  their  banefit. 
Lard  Brabazon,  who  moved  a  vote  of  thanks  to 
the  Marquis  of  Northampton  for  his  kindness  in 
tlirowing  open  Canonbury  Square  to  the  public, 
expressed  a  hope  that  many  1,  ndlords  who  owned 
open  spaces  in  the  metropolis  would  follow  the 
good  example  set  by  his  lordship  and  by  the  Duke 
of  Westminster  in  regard  to  Ebury  Square.  Lor.l 
Northampton  was  desirous  of  similarly  throwing 
open  other  squares  in  that  neighbourhood,  and  he 
trusted  that  his  lordship  might  be  encouraged  to 
do  so  by  the  good  and  orderly  conduct  of  those 
who  frequented  that  square.  Dr,  Farr  declared 
that  the  death-rate  of  a  population  was  in  propor- 
tion to  its  density  ;  and  if  they  looked  round  and 
saw  how  vastly  London  was  extending  in  all 
directions,  if  they  considered  how  one  after 
another  the  open  fields  were  being  encroached 
upon  by  buildings,  if  they  noticed  how  even  the 
few  open  spaces  in  their  miJst  were  gradually 
being  covered  with  buildings,  they  must  conclude 
that,  if  Dr.  Farr's  dictum  were  true,  the  health  of 
London  mast  in  the  end   greatly   suffer.     That 


was  a  very  serious  consideration.  It  was  one 
which  must  not  only  appeal  to  the  inhabitants  of 
London  but  also  have  very  great  force  in  the 
minds  of  all  who  had  to  do  with  the  government 
of  this  country.  The  association  with  which  he 
was  connected  had  no  intention  of  permanently 
maintaining  Canonbury  or  any  other  London 
square.  The  funds  at  its  disposal  would  not  en- 
able it  to  do  so.  Its  object  was  to  encourage  the 
municipal  and  local  authorities  to  do  their  duty 
and  take  care  of  these  squares,  supplying  trust- 
worthy caretakers. 

Garden   Flora. 

PLATE  460. 
LESCHENAULTIA  BILOBA  MAJOR,* 
It  is  often  complained  that  nearly  all  the  beau- 
tiful Australian  and  Cape  plants  which  found 
favour  everywhere  about  a  dozen  or  more  jears 
ago  have  disappeared  from  amongst  the  favoui- 
ites  for  the  greenhouse  and  exhibition  tent,  and 
have  been  supplanted  by  others  far  less  orna- 
mental in  character,  but  which  are  not  nearly 
so  difficult  to  manage  as  many  of  the  lost 
ones  were.  No  doubt  there  went  with  the 
crowd  of  discarded  hard-wooded  plants  not  a 
few  of  exceptional  beauty,  but  so  far  at  least 
as  regards  a  large  proportion  of  the  crowd, 
horticulture  has  gained  by  their  disappearance, 
for  after  the  expenditure  of  much  care  in  their 
cultivation,  the  reward  in  the  shape  of  real 
beauty  was  often  very  meagre.  The  Leschenaul- 
tias,  however,  have  both  beauty  and  distinctness 
to  recommend  them  for  a  place  in  every  gretn- 
house  or  con.servatory,  the  little  extra  attention 
which  they  require  being  as  nothing  when  weighed 
against  the  bright-coloured  beauty  of  their 
flowers  and  the  length  of  lime  during  which  they 
remain  in  perfection  on  the  plant,  A  glance  at 
the  annexed  plate  will  convince  our  readers  of  the 
truth  of  this  statement  as  far  as  regards  L.  biloba 
major,  and  in  the  following  description  it  will  be 
seen  that  there  are  several  other  species  of  equal 
merit  with  that  figured. 

The  genus  Leschenaultia  is  theonlyone  included 
in  the  order  Goodeniacta;  that  finds  favour  for  gar- 
den purposes.  It  is  confined  to  Australia,  and 
although  the  flowers  of  the  plants  in  cultivation 
here  are  not  variable  in  colour,  we  are  told  that 
in  their  native  wildj  each  species  varies  so  much 
that  wliite,  lilac,  light  purple,  blood  red,  scarlet, 
pink,  and  io;e, coloured  blossoms  are  borne  by 
plants  belonging  to  the  same  species.  All  the 
cultivated  kinds  are  low-growing  plants  of  shrubby 
habit,  with  a  general  resemblance  to  some  of  the 
Heaths  in  the  form  and  disposition  of  their  foliage, 
which  is,  however,  of  a  much  more  fleshy  nature 
than  the  leaves  of  Ericas  are.  L,  biloba  major 
grows  to  a  height  of  a  feet,  and  is,  perhaps,  the 
most  robust  of  the  cultivated  kinds.  Its  branches 
and  flowers  are  so  well  represented  in  the  annexed 
plate,  that  it  is  unnecessary  to  describe  them.  The 
flowers  open  in  June  and  remain  fresh  and  bright 
on  the  plant  for  about  six  weeks.  A  well- 
flowered  specimen  of  this  plant  is  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  objects  imaginable,  and  as  its  colour 
harmonises  so  well  with  almost  every  other 
coloured  flower,  the  effect  of  the  plants  amongst 
scarlets  and  yellows,  which  are  always  plentiful 
in  J  une  in  the  conservatory,  is  always  telling. 

L.  LARiciNA,  generally  known  as  L.  splendens, 
bears  terminal  corymbs  of  bright  scarlet  flowers, 
which  are  about  an  inch  across,  and  are  composed 
of  five  equal   segments,  resembling  the   flowers 

'Drawn  from  plants  sent  by  Mr,  Ba'.chin,  Hassock's 
Nursery,  May  20. 


^€ir4 


>. 


Oct.  4,  1884, 


THE     GARDEN 


299 


of  a  scarlet  Pelargonium.  A  well  grown  plant 
of  this  species  has  been  known  to  bear  over  liUO 
flowers  expanded  at  one  time. 

L.  FOKMOSA  (syn  ,  L.  Baxteri)  bears  flowers  of  a 
blight  salmon  colour,  and,  with  this  exception, 
bears  a  close  resemblance  to  the  last  mentioned 
species. 

L.  i.iNARioiDEs  (syn ,  L.  arcuata)  is  dis- 
tinguished by  Us  large  bicoloured  flowers,  the 
segments  of  which  are  divided  into  two  sets,  the 
three  upper  ones  being  large,  spreading,  and  pale 
yellow,  and  the  two  lower,  which  are  smaller  than 
the  others,  are  folded  over  each  other  so  as  to 
form  a  sort  of  lip  which  encloses  the  curved  style ; 
in  colour  they  are  reddish  purple. 

About  three  months  ago  Mr.  Balchin,  of 
Brighton,  sent  to  The  Garden  ofiice  two  healthy 
well-lloweied  fpecimens  of  the  plant  here  re- 
presented, and  we  suspect  that  our  illustration 
will  be  as  agreeable  a  surprise  to  many  of  our 
readers  as  the  plants  were  to  us  when  they 
arrived  clothed  as  they  were  in  their  beautiful 
bright  blue  flowers ;  for  although  introduced  into 
English  gardens  more  than  forty  j  ears  ago  and 
for  a  long  time  popular  as  a  conservatory  and  ex- 
hibition plant,  L.  biloba  major  seems  lost  to  culii- 
vation,  and  is,  we  suspect,  all  but  forgotten  by 
many  who  knew  it  and  grew  it  a  generation  ago. 

For  the  cultivation  of  Leschenaultias,  the  fol- 
lowing  information  obtained   from  Mr.  Balchin, 
supplemented  by  a  few  words  on  training,  &2, 
will  be  found  all  that  is  necessary  to  ensure  suc- 
cess :     "  In  April  the  young  growths  are  taken  off 
about  2  inches  in  length  and  made  into  cuttings, 
care  being  taken  not  to  bruise  the  wood.     They 
are  then  inserted  in  5-inch  pots  filled  with  crocks 
and  a  mixture   of   peat   and   silver  sand ;  about 
twenty   cutting.-s    are    put    into    each   pot ;    they 
are    then    placed    in    a   warm  propagating    pit, 
where  they  s'rike  root  in  about  a  month.    Care 
muit  be  taken  to  keep  them  well  shaded  from  the 
sun.     As  soon  as   rooted,  the  plants  should  be 
potted  in  a  mixture  of  peat  and  sand,  and  kept 
close  for  a  little  time ;  they  should  then  be  re- 
moved to  a  cooler  house,  as,  for  instance,  a  Heath 
house,  and  gradually  exposed  to  sun  and  air.  They 
should  be  kept  well  pinched  back  to  make  them 
bushy,  or  they  will  grow  tall  and  thin.  Great  care 
must  be  taken  not  to  overpjt  them."  The  foundation 
for  good  specimen  plants  being  thus  obtained,  the 
nest  step  is  to  grow  the  plants  on  to  full  size.    As 
the    shoots    lengthen    they   should   be   tied    out 
almost  horizontally,  so  as  to  induce  them  to  break 
laterally,  and  any  forward   shoots   should  have 
their  paints  pinched  oat.     Vigorous  growth  com- 
mences with  Leschenaultias  early  in  the  spring, 
when  the  potting  should  be  seen  to;  a  mixture 
of  good  rich    peat,  three  parts,  and  silver  sand, 
one  part,  is  always   best  for  them.    After  pot- 
ting a   temperature  of  about  55^  is  suitable  for 
these  plants,  but  as  they  grow  rapidly  it  may  be 
necessary  to  repot  them  again  before  the  summer 
IS  over,  and  this  must  be  done  carefully  without 
disturl.iing  the  roots,  and  be  followed    by  close 
treatment  for  a  week  or  two  until  they  root  into 
the  new  soil.     A  framr  or  light  greenhouse  where 
the  sun  may  be  allowed  to  shine  upon  them  all 
day  is  the  best  position  forgrovdng  Leschenaultias 
during  the  summer  months.     In  the  winter  they 
should  be  housed  where  the  tenaperature  does  not 
fall  below  t5°,  and  where  the  atmosphere  is  dry 
and  ventilation  free.     The  frequency  of  the  attacks 
from  milJew  suffered  by  Leschenaultias  when  kept 
in  a  close  moist  house  in  winter  entails  close  atten- 


tion to  airing  and  watering  during  winter.  In  the 
summer  the  soil  should  be  kept  always  moist 
without  ever  becoming  soddened  or  sour,  and  a 
sprinkling  overhead  with  a  syringe  should  be 
given  in  the  afternoon  of  all  bright  days.  If 
mildew  attacks  the  foliage,  a  dusting  with  flowers 
of  sulphur  on  several  successive  mornings  must  be 
given,  and  the  ventilation  and  temperature  of  the 
house  examined,  for  it  is  either  the  one  or  the 
other  which,  when  badly  managed,  produces 
mildew  on  the  leaves  of  Leschenaultias.  B. 


SEASONABLE   WORK. 


FLORAL  DECORATIOxNS. 
There  are  still  quantities  of  outdoor  flowers  from 
which   to  draw  a  supply  for  indoor  decoration. 
With  us  Hybrid  Perpetual   Roses  have  been  most 
serviceable  of  late,  and  so  also  has  the  old,  but 
well  tried  kind.  Souvenir  de  la   Malmaison.      All 
of  these  we  arrange  by  themselves,  only  adding 
thereto  a  few   sprays  of  Maiden-hair  Fern,  and 
occasionally  some  heads  of  Mignonette.  For  some 
time  past  we  have  used  single  Dahlias  for  indoor 
decoration  and   find  them  most  valuable.     Seed- 
lings raised  this  spring  are  still  flowering  freely, 
and  bid  fair  to  continue  for  some  time  yet  to  come 
if  frost  spares  them.     As  a   background  to  these 
two  or  three  sprays  of  the    bronzy  shoots  of  Per- 
btris  Aquifolium   are  a    great    assistance.     Our 
groupings  are  made  for   a  sideboard,  and,  there- 
fore, to  one  face,  for  which  purpose  these  flowers 
are  well  adapted,  bearing  in  mind  to  secure  as 
long  stems  as  possible  when  cutting  them.  A  few 
even  with  unexpanded  buds  are  a  great  help ;  do 
not  forget,  moreover,  that  quantity  will   not  give 
the  artistic   effect   that    can    be  derived  from  a 
small  number  well  arranged.     Anemone  japonica 
and   its   varieties  are   evidently    becoming   more 
appreciated  than  was   the   case  a  few  years  back. 
There  is  not,  we  think,  a  better  herbaceous  plant 
grown  tlian   this   for    floral    decoration    at    this 
season  of  the  year,  lasting  as  it  does  a  fairly  long 
time  in  a  cut  state.     These  Anemones  are  very 
pretty  for  specimen  glasses,  and  the  white  kind  is 
valuable   for   working    into   wreaths  and  crosses. 
The  dwarf  form  of  Scabious,  of  which  there  are 
several  colours,  is  another  excellent  indoor  flower 
now  greatly  assisting  us,  the  light  and  dark  kinds 
being    particularly    striking.     We   lind   these  to 
arrange  well  with  spikes  of  that  valuable  autumn 
flowering  Grass  (Eragrostiselegans),  which  has  been 
in  constant  request  with  us  for  some  time  past. 
For  tall  epergnes  or  trumpet  vases,  we  have  also 
used    Love-lies-bleeding   (Amarantus  caudatus)  : 
this,  associated  with  some  richly  coloured  sprays  of 
the  Virginian  Creeper  and  a  few  blossoms  of  the 
white  Japan  Anemone,  forms  an  excellent  autumnal 
arrangement.     If  a  piece  or  two  of  the  growth  of 
I'assitlora   ciurulea  can  be  had   with   flowers  ex- 
panded and  entwined  with  the  Virginian  Creeper 
so   much   the   better.     We    are   now  cutting  the 
handsome  blossoms  of   PassiSora   quadrangularis, 
which  if  secured  early  in  the  morning  remain  open 
in  most  cases  till  the  evening  of  the  second  day. 
We  place  them  in  finger  glasses  about  one-third 
filled  with  water :  though  not  natural  as  regards 
position,  it  is  the  best  way  we  can  devise  to  show 
off  their  beauty  to  the  best  advantage. 


INDOOR  PLANTS. 


Standard  Habkothamnus.— Although  this 
plant  is  particularly  adapted  for  furnishing  walls 
and  pillars,  and  where  so  grown  and  planted 
out  no  doubt  it  gives  the  greatest  quantity  of 
flower,  still  it  is  a  most  useful  subject  in  the  form 
of  standards,  with  a  fair  amount  of  pot  room,  say 
10  inches  to  M  inches.  Thus  managed,  it  can  be 
used  with  etiiect  to  relieve  the  even  surface  too 
often  apparent  where  dwarf  plants  are  almost 
exclusively  grouped  together.  To  keep  specimens 
of  this  form  in  shape  the  heads  should  be  freely 
cut  in  from  time  to  time ;  as  it  is  all  but  a  con- 
tinuous bloomer,  there  is  no  particular  season  in 
which  to  cut  it  in,  but  plants  that  keep  on  flower- 


ing through  the  summer  should  now  have  the 
shoots  well  shortened  back.  If  after  this  they 
are  kept  in  a  warm  greenhouse  or  intermediate 
temperature  they  will  putli  freely  and  flower  to- 
wards spring.  Examples  cut  back  early  in  sum- 
mer, and  that  have  been  well  sustained  at  the 
root,  will  now  be  furnished  with  abundance  of 
shoots,  and  if  kept  in  a  genial  temperature  they 
will  flower  freely  through  the  autumn. 

Lapagerias.  —  Large  specimens  of  these, 
especially  when  the  roots  are  confined  to  pots  or 
boxes,  are  often  found  after  a  few  years  to  cease 
flowering  satisfactorily.  It  is  in  the  nature  of  these 
fine  climbers  to  require  much  more  root  room  than 
many  things  need.  The  ability  to  bloom  freely 
will  generally  be  found  proportionate  with  the 
strength  of  the  growth  which  the  plants  are  able 
to  make.  Now  whilst  they  are  in  bloom  it  will 
be  well  to  note  whether  there  is  any  falling  off  in 
the  strength  of  the  shoots  or  flowering,  and  to 
rectify  any  deficiency  either  by  larger  boxes  or 
turning  the  plants  out  in  a  prepared  bed.  Where 
either  of  these  courses  becomes  necessary  it  is 
well  to  cany  it  out  at  once  or  as  soon  as  the 
flowering  is  at  a  close,  for  if  the  giving  of  addi- 
tional root  space  is  put  off  until  near  the  time 
when  shoot  growth  commences,  next  season's  pro- 
gress will  be  much  interfered  with.  If  the  roots 
have  more  room  given  them  now  they  get  hold 
of  the  new  soil,  and  are  in  a  position  to  sustain 
top  growth  as  soon  as  it  commences. 

Anthuriuji  Scherzerianum.— The  time  of 
making  growth  and  also  flowering  with  such 
plants  as  this  is  in  a  great  measure  dependent 
upon  the  amount  of  warmth  to  which  they  are 
subjected,  and  the  potting,  when  required,  fre- 
quently gets  put  off  through  a  reluctance  to  dis- 
turb the  plants  when  more  or  less  in  bloom.  It  is 
a  great  mistake  to  keep  this  bright-flowered  Aroid 
in  a  hot  stove  temperature,  as  is  often  done ;  it 
produces  larger  leaves  and  proportionately  larger 
flowers  in  the  intermediate  heat,  say  from  18^  to 
.">i5°,  during  the  autumn  and  winter.  Where  the 
summer  temperature  is  propcriionate  with  this,  it 
will  make  the  most  leaf  growth  through  the 
autumn  months  up  to  the  end  of  the  year.  There 
ai;e  few  plants  with  which  it  is  so  necessary  to 
thoroughly  remove  the  old  soil  as  this,  an  opera- 
tion to  which  it  should  be  subjected  every  two 
years.  This  is  particularly  the  case  with  large 
specimens,  the  soil  of  which  is  most  liable  to  get 
sour  and  sodden.  Any  plants  that  are  at  all  in  a 
doubtful  condition  in  this  respect  should  even  yet 
be  shaken  out  and  have  the  soil  renewed.  They 
will  keep  on  rooting  in  the  new  material  through 
the  winter. 

Dipladenias  — Those  who  grow  the  small- 
flowered  D.  boliviensis  cannot  fail  to  have  noticed 
its  distinct  habit  of  growth  so  different  from  that 
of  the  other  stronger  growing  soits,  both  species 
and  hybrid  varieties.  The  Cjlivian  species  is  very 
suitable  for  training  up  a  rafter  in  a  stove  kept 
at  medium  temperature,  for  although  the  plant 
will  bear  strong  heat,  still  it  grows  and  flowers 
freely  with  less  warmth  than  any  of  the  other 
kinds,  and  moreover  is  mostly  less  liable  to  go  off 
at  the  root  if  it  gets  a  little  over  much  water  in 
the  way  the  other  sorts  do.  It  would  be  didicult 
to  say  too  much  in  favour  of  its  flowers  for  cutting. 
Their  colour,  pure  white,  with  a  small  lemon- 
coloured  eye,  coupled  with  a  long  tube,  admit  of 
each  flower  being  cut  singly.  It  blooms  for  six  or 
seven  months  without  ceasing.  Anyone  having 
plants  of  it,  by  now  keeping  them  in  a  tempera- 
lure  of  00-'  in  the  night,  may  have  it  flowering 
up  to  the  end  of  November.  \'oung  examples  of 
any  of  the  other  kinds,  struck  from  cuttings  last 
autumn,  provided  they  have  been  kept  going 
freely,  will  do  well  if  at  once  moved  on  into  12- 
inch  or  13-inch  pots,  that  is,  if  a  fair  amount  of 
heat  can  be  kept  up  through  the  winter,  say  a 
night  temperature  of  65',  for  nothing  is  gained 
by  resting  young  specimens  of  these  Dipladenias, 
but  a  loss  of  time  in  their  flowering  much  later 
next  season.  I),  crassinode,  one  of  the  best  for 
cut  flowers,  should  not  be  lost  sight  of,  for  if 
pushed  on  during  the  winter  it  will  bloom  con- 
tinuously from  the  beginning  of  May  up  till  late 


300 


THE    GAEDEN 


[Oct.  4,  1884. 


in  antumn.  For  a  reasonable  chance  of  success 
with  these  plants  suitable  soil  in  the  shape  of  the 
best  fibrous  peat,  with  much  of  the  earthy  matter 
shaken  out,  should  be  available.  Use  it  in  a 
lumpy  condition,  with  a  liberal  addition  of  sand. 

Gaedenias. — The  stock  should  now  be  looked 
over,  and  such  as  have  their  bloom-buds  promi- 
nent, or  partially  developed,  ought  to  be  placed 
■where  they  can  be  kept  not  lower  than  G0°  in 
the  night,  with  less  moisture  in  the  atmosphere 
than  it  was  necessary  to  have  in  the  bright  sum- 
mer season.  If  the  pots  are  full  of  roots  sprinkle 
a  little  of  some  or  other  of  the  concentrated 
manures  on  the  surface  of  the  ball  once  every 
three  weeks  or  so ;  a  little  at  a  time  in  this  way 
will  be  much  better  and  safer  than  heavy  dressings 
seldomer.  The  fertilising  elements  will  reach  the 
roots  with  the  water  given  to  the  soil ;  it  must 
not,  however,  be  applied  so  often  as  when  there 
was  more  sun  to  dry  it  up,  otherwise  the  flower- 
buds  will  be  liable  to  fall  off  without  opening. 
Successional  plants  intended  to  bloom  later  may 
be  kept  somewhat  cooler,  but  must  not  be  sub- 
jected to  too  low  a  temperature,  otherwise  the 
bloom-buds  that  should  now  be  set  will  not  come 
forward  when  submitted  to  more  warmth.  The 
dwarf-growing  G.  citriodora  is  a  profuse  fiowerer, 
blooming  freely  in  moderate  heat,  and  deserves  to 
be  much  more  generally  cultivated  than  it  is  ;  the 
flowers  when  mounted  are  useful  for  bouquets, 
wreaths,  or  in  any  other  way  that  Orange  blossom 
can  be  employed,  for  which  they  answer  well  as  a 
substitute. 

Tuberoses. — Where  these  are  well  managed, 
and  suflicient  quantities  are  grown,  they  can  be 
had  in  flower  over  a  considerable  portion  of  the 
year.  Those  that  are  pushing  up  their  bloom- 
stems  should  be  kept  with  their  heads  close  to  the 
glass  ;  heat  ought  to  be  given  them  proportionate 
to  the  need  there  is  of  pushing  them  on  into 
flower,  or  the  reverse  if  their  blooming  is  to  be  re- 
tarded. If  it  is  necessary  to  push  them  on  they 
will  bear  a  night  temperature  of  60°,  or  they  may 
be  kept  at  50° ;  but  if  too  cold,  the  blooming  will 
not  be  satisfactory.  The  same  applies  to  plants 
that  have  made  considerable  root  and  leaf  growth, 
and  are  only  now  about  pushing  up  their  flower- 
stems  ;  if  checked  by  too  low  a  temperature  at 
this  season,  the  chances  are  that  many  will  fail  to 
bloom  altogether.  Give  water  sufliciently  often 
to  keep  the  soil  in  a  moderately  moist,  healthy 
condition,  but  not  too  wet. 

Salvias. — The  earliest  flowering  plants  of  these 
will  now  be  in  bloom,  and  if  sufficiently  supplied 
with  manure  water,  will,  after  the  leading  termi- 
nal shoots  have  flowered,  produce  laterals  freely 
that  will  bloom  later  on.  Want  of  room  at  this 
season,  when  almost  everything  has  to  be  got 
under  glass,  frequently  is  the  cause  of  many  things 
of  this  character  being  stood  much  closer  together 
than  is  conducive  to  their  well-being,  the  result  of 
which  is  that  the  bottom  leaves  suffer,  not  only 
giving  the  plants  an  unsightly  appearance,  but  re- 
ducing their  flowering  capabilities.  This  is  par- 
ticularly the  case  with  the  later.blooming  kinds. 
The  lighter  the  houses  or  pits  in  which  they  are 
located,  or,  these  failing,  the  higher  the  plants  are 
raised  up  to  the  roof  the  closer  these  and  all  other 
subjects  that  develop  their  flowers  through  the 
short  winter  days  will  bear  standing  together. 
Amongst  the  less  well-known  varieties,  S.  Bethelli 
(pink)  and  S.  Pitcberi  (blue)  are  particularly  de- 
serving of  general  cultivation  ;  their  distinct  cha- 
racter in  habit  of  growth  and  profuse  flowering 
disposition,  even  in  a  small  state,  commend  them 
to  all  who  are  in  any  way  pinched  for  glass  ac- 
commodation. 

Beeby-beaeixg  Solaxums.— Plants  that  were 
lifted  and  potted  a  short  time  back,  as  advised, 
will  have  begun  to  root  freely  in  the  soil,  as  when 
properly  treated  they  push  their  fibres  rapidly. 
They  should  now  be  accommodated  with  a  good, 
light,  airy  pit  or  house.  Such  as  have  their  berries 
sufficiently  coloured  may  be  at  once  placed  in  the 
conservatory  or  greenhouse,  where,  associated  with 
flowering  and  fine-leaved  plants,  they  will  be 
effective  tor  Eeveral  months.  These  plants  are 
subject  to  green  fly,  and  before  being  taken  in,  if 


ever  so  little  affected  by  it,  should  be  fumigated 
two  or  three  times  in  succession.  Later  stock,  the 
berries  of  which  are  yet  green,  ought  to  be  kept 
in  an  ordinary  greenhouse  temperature,  where  the 
fruit  will  colour  slowly,  coming  to  their  best 
about  the  end  of  the  year,  at  which  time  they  will 
be  found  very  useful.  One  of  the  advantages  of 
growing  a  sufficient  quantity  of  these  plants  is 
that  they  bear  keeping  in  rooms,  halls,  or  similar 
places  where  the  light  is  insuSicient  for  most 
things  and  the  atmosphere  not  such  as  plants  of  a 
more  tender  nature  require. 

Peimulas. — It  is  time  now  to  get  both  the  single 
and  double  varieties  of  these  out  of  frames,  and 
to  place  them  in  their  winter  quarters,  which 
should  be  in  a  house  or  pit  where  they  will  receive 
plenty  of  light  and  the  atmosphere  is  drier  than 
most  soft-wooded  plants  need.  The  double  varie- 
ties especially  will  be  benefited  by  a  little  warmth 
continuously  ;  where  this  can  be  given  them  all  on 
from  the  present  time  to  the  return  of  warmer 
weather  in  spring,  they  keep  on  growing  and 
blooming  simultaneously,  the  flowers  under  such 
conditions  being  much  larger  and  more  abun- 
dant than  where  subjected  to  an  ordinary  green- 
house temperature.  Weak  manure  water  once  a 
fortnight  will  assist  both  the  double  and  single 
kinds  materially,  both  as  regards  the  size  and 
colour  of  the  flowers  and  the  stronger  condition 
and  more  healthy  hue  of  the  foliage. 

Cixeeabia.s.— Plants  of  these  raised  from  the 
earliest  sown  seed  will,  if  they  have  been  managed 
right,  be  now  about  pushing  up  their  flower- 
stems.  Much  of  their  ultimate  blooming  depends 
on  the  treatment  they  now  receive;  the  more 
liberally  they  are  supplied  with  weak  manure 
water,  the  stronger  they  will  flower.  They  will 
be  benefited  by  having  it  every  time  they  require 
water,  not  giving  it  too  strong.  Keep  the  i<lants 
so  far  as  possible  standing  on  a  moist  bottom,  such 
as  damp  ashes  or  sand,  without  a  current  of  dry 
air  admitted  to  the  side. 


FLOWER  GARDEN. 


General  work. — At  present,  beyond  the 
maintenance  of  neatness,  there  is  no  department 
that  demands  special  attention.  Advantage  should, 
therefore,  be  taken  of  the  opportunity  to  commence 
operations  on  any  extensive  alterations  or  im- 
provements that  are  intended  to  be  done  during 
the  coming  winter,  an  early  start  being  desirable, 
first,  because  of  the  uncertainty  of  the  winter,  or 
rather  of  the  weather,  at  that  season,  and  secondly, 
because  the  transplanting  of  most  kinds  of  trees 
is  most  successful  when  performed  in  autumn  and 
early  winter,  for  the  very  obvious  reason  that  they 
have  then  time  to  get  established  in  their  new 
quarters  before  there  is  any  danger  of  drying  winds 
and  powerful  sunshine  checking  free  root  action. 
Rhododendrons,  Azaleas,  and  Conifers  are  the  first 
on  our  list  for  transplantation,  which  will  be  done 
the  moment  the  positions  for  them  are  prepared 
by  deep  trenching  and  manuring.  The  character 
of  the  soil  here — a  sandy  loam — being  suited  to 
the  plants  named,  no  further  preparation  is  needed 
to  ensure  success,  but  those  less  favoured  either  as 
to  soil  or  position  must  work  accordingly.  Drainage, 
deep  tilth,  and  a  loam  free  from  chalk  and  not  too 
adhesive  will  grow  American  plants  almost  equally 
well  as  peat,  whilst  some  kinds  of  Conifers  really 
do  best  in  a  chalky  soil.  In  the  flower  garden,  as 
the  plants  die  oft'  or  begin  to  look  weedy  let  them 
be  at  once  removed  and  their  places  filled  with 
others  for  the  winter.  All  the  dark-foliaged  tender 
plants  we  are  now  pulling  up,  and  in  their  places 
are  planting  Ericas,  small  shrubs,  and  Ajugas,  and 
in  some  instances  laying  down  plots  of  Sedumthat 
have  been  grown  in  a  reserve  garden  for  the  purpose, 
and  which,  being  moved  with  a  spade  and  with  soil 
adhering  to  them,  never  feel  the  removal,  and  are 
at  once  effective.  The  principle  is  also  applicable 
to  choice  plants  that  it  is  desired  to  save  from 
injury  by  frost.  Let  these  be  removed  now,  and 
fill  in  with  the  most  suitable  plants  at  command. 
Keep  the  edgings  of  the  beds  neatly  trimmed,  and 
bad  flowers  and  foliage  daily  removed  ;  by  these 
means  should  sharp  frost  not  intervene,  a  credit- 


able display  of  flowers  may  be  had  till  quite  the 
end  of  the  month.  At  this  moment  tuberous 
Begonias  are  simply  magnificent,  and  have  been 
Eo  during  the  entire  season  ;  next  year  they  will 
be  used  much  more  largely.  We  have  them  planted 
a  good  distance  apart  on  a  groundwork  of  Sedum 
acre  and  Sedum  glaucum,  and  each  plant  standing 
thus  separately  has  a  far  better  effect  than  others 
planted  in  a  mass,  not  to  mention  the  economising 
as  regards  plants  that  this  manner  of  planting 
ensures.  As  soon  as  frost  blackens  them  the  bulbs 
will  be  lifted  and  placed  thickly  in  boxes  of  sand, 
and  wintered  in  a  shed  that  is  cool,  but  secure 
from  frost.  It  is  not  now  safe  to  leave  unprotected 
at  night  any  kinds  of  bedding  plants  ;  therefore  all 
that  have  been  struck  in  the  open  borders  should 
either  bepottedup  at  cnce, or,  till  this  can  be  done, 
be  covered  up  nightly.  Calceolaria  cuttings  should 
now  begot  in.  A  frame  is  best  for  striking  them 
in,  .'ind  the  soil  should  be  two-thirds  light  loam 
and  the  other  third  leaf  soil.  The  cuttings,  which 
should  be  2rV  in.  apart,  should  be  well  fastened  in 
the  soil  and  for  the  first  fortnight  shaded  from 
sunshine.  Pansies  and  Violas  should  be  treated 
in  exactly  the  same  way,  and  these,  too,  should  be 
got  in  as  early  as  circumstances  permit. 


FRUIT. 

Pines. — As  the  days  decrease  in  length  the  tem- 
perature in  every  department  may  be  reduced  by 
degrees  until  the  minimum  is  reached  and  plants 
in  various  stages  of  growth  are  brought  into  what 
is  termed  the  resting  period,  when  the  supply  of 
water  and  atmospheric  moisture  must  be  reduced 
to  meet  their  diminished  requirements.  It  is  not, 
however,  wise  to  withhold  heat  and  moisture  to  an 
extent  that  will  produce  a  check,  as  there  is  no 
standing  still  in  Kature,  and  succession  Pine 
plants  which  go  away  best  in  the  spring  and  give 
the  most  satisfactory  results  are  invariably  se- 
lected from  stocks  which  have  been  kept  steadily 
progressing  through  the  winter  months.  If  any 
alterations  still  have  to  be  made  no  time  must  be 
lost,  particularly  where  the  renovation  of  the  beds 
necessitates  exposure  of  the  plants  to  the  ele- 
ments. In  such  places  where  the  only  means  of 
access  is  by  the  opening  of  the  roof  lights  and 
underground  pipes  are  not  abundant,  good  tanner's 
bark  forms  the  best  plunging  material  for  the 
winter  mouth?,  as  it  retains  its  heat  much  longer 
than  leaves  ;  but  the  latter,  if  well  harvested  from 
the  Oak  or  Beech,  form  a  more  genial  medium 
for  summer  use,  as  the  constant  decay  of  vegetable 
matter  by  fermentation  produces  elements  highly 
acceptable  to  nearly  all  tropical  plants,  and 
notably  to  the  Pine  through  every  stage  of  its 
growth.  Where  composition  of  any  kind  has  been 
applied  to  the  glass  for  shading  purposes  every 
particle  still  adhering  must  now  be  removed  to 
give  the  plants  the  benefit  of  sun  heat  and  light, 
and  blinds  on  rollers  may  be  taken  down  and 
stored  away  for  the  winter.  Keep  the  successions 
free  from  suckers  by  screwing  them  out  until  they 
show  fruit  and  then  allow  one  on  each  plant  to 
grow.  Old  stools  of  scarce  or  shy  kinds  may  be 
divested  of  all  their  leaves  after  the  fruit  is  cut 
and  placed  on  their  sides  in  shallow  boxes  as  close 
as  they  will  lie  together.  The  boxes  may  then  be 
filled  up  with  leaf-mould  or  peat  and  plunged  in 
a  strong  bottom-heat  for  the  winter.  But  little, 
it  any,  water  will  be  needed  until  the  buds  break 
and  begin  to  push  through  the  surface,  when  slight 
sprinklings  at  syringing  time  will  soon  cause  them 
to  emit  roots  and  assume  the  form  of  seedling 
plants  fit  for  potting  off  singly.  It  is  a  very 
common  practice  to  place  autumn-struck  suckers 
close  together  at  a  time  when  space  is  limited. 
There  they  often  become  drawn  before  the  mistake . 
is  discovered,  and  as  no  after-management  can 
correct  this  evil,  it  will  be  well  to  resist  the 
temptation  to  retain  a  greater  number  than  can 
be  properly  accommodated,  and  then  they  must  be 
plunged  well  up  to  the  glass  to  keep  them  in  a 
sturdy  condition.  If  a  good  supply  of  turf  has 
not  been  secured  for  potting  purposes,  this  is 
perhaps  the  best  time  in  the  whole  year  for  getting 
it  home,  as  the  roots  of  the  herbage  are  sound  and 


Oct.  4,    1884.] 


THE    GAEDEN 


301 


firm  and  form  a  more  durable  fibre  than  when 
taken  off  earlier  in  the  season.  A  dry  day  should 
always  be  selected  for  cutting  and  storing,  and 
the  turves  should  be  taken  off  ihin  and  rolled  up 
as  for  relaying  on  a  lawn  in  preference  to  stack- 
ing large  flat  pieces  in  a  solid  mass  quite  imper- 
meable to  the  pulverising  influence  of  the  atmo- 
sphere. 

VlNKS  — Late  houses  that  were  started  early  and 
helped  forward  with  fire-heat  will  now  be  finishing 
crops  of  ripe,  well-coloured  fruit,  which  may  be 
expected  to  hang  and  winter  better  than  Grapes 
that  still  require  fire-heat,  and  the  wood  and 
foliage  being  well  ripened,  all  lateral  growths 
may  be  shortened  back  to  prevent  crowding,  and 
those  which  emanate  from  the  base  of  the  buds 
on  old  Vines  should  be  cut  away  to  plump  them 
up  before  the  foliage  falls.  As  days  and  nights  get 
colder  gradually  reduce  the  temperature  to  a 
minimum  of  5(1°,  with  a  rise  of  say  1(1°  on  fine 
days,  and  ventilate  freely  to  secure  a  circulation 
of  air  when  external  conditions  are  favourable, 
but  keep  the  ground  ventilators  closed  when  the 
weather  is  wet  and  the  atmosphere  is  heavily 
charged  with  moisture.  The  above  remarks  apply 
to  black  Grapes ;  but  Muscats,  where  quite  ripe, 
will  keep  well  under  similar  treatment.  Houses 
in  which  Hamburghs  and  other  thin-skinned  kinds 
are  hanging  must  be  kept  dry  and  cool,  not  by 
throwing  all  the  ventilators  open  every  day,  but 
by  keeping  them  closed  in  wet  weather,  and  by 
dispensing  with  fire-heat  as  much  as  possible  con- 
sistent with  the  maintenance  of  a  temperature 
which  does  not  strike  cold  to  the  body  when  the 
house  is  entered.  Look  over  the  bunches  at  least 
twice  a  week,  and  remove  every  faulty  berry 
before  it  has  time  to  taint  its  neighbour.  Discon- 
tinue all  sweeping  and  raking,  as  dust  soon  dis- 
figures the  fruit,  and  draw  a  tarpaulin  over  the 
external  borders  from  this  time  until  all  the 
Grapes  are  cut.  If  former  directions  have 
been  attended  to  all  the  necessary  preliminaries 
will  have  been  completed  in  the  eaily  house, 
and  the  vines  will  be  ready  for  starting.  If 
fermenting  material  is  used  for  external  borders 
it  should  not  be  applied  until  the  buds  are  on 
the  move,  but  some  slight  covering  may  be 
placed  over  the  roots  to  protect  them  from  cold 
chilling  rains.  The  second  early  house  will  now  be 
better  for  having  the  portable  lights — as  a  matter 
of  course,  recently  mended  and  painted — replaced 
on  the  roof  when  pruning,  and  the  usual  routine  of 
scrubbing  and  cleansing  must  follow.  Many  people 
do  not  think  it  necessary  to  expose  their  Vines 
or  Peaches  to  the  weather,  but  we  have  always  felt 
better  satisfied  with  the  start  and  finish  after  they 
have  had  the  benefit  of  fine  autumnal  rains  which 
so  thoroughly  cleanse  the  foliage  and  buds,  and 
enrich  and  sweeten  internal  borders  after  they 
have  been  slushed  with  stimulating  liquid  and 
shut  out  from  the  influence  of  the  atmosphere  for 
at  least  six  months  out  of  the  twelve.  If  yearling 
or  maiden  Vines  are  still  growing  and  do  not  show 
a  disposition  to  ripen  up  properly,  this  process 
may  be  greatly  facilitated  by  maintaining  a  strong 
dry  heat,  with  air  through  the  day,  and  by  shutting 
off  the  fire  and  keeping  the  house  cool  at  night. 
Get  fruiting  pot  Vines  pruned,  top-dressed,  and 
placed  in  position  ready  for  starting. 

Oechakd  houses— With  the  exception  of  a 
few  late  Plums,  Pears,  and  clingstone  Peaches, 
the  orchard  house  season  is  over,  and  the  present 
month  will  be  devoted  to  the  correction  of  drain- 
age, potting  on,  reducing,  or  top-dressing,  and  as 
next  year's  success  depends  upon  the  way  in  which 
these  matters  are  carried  out,  it  may  not  be 
amiss  to  again  direct  attention  to  the  importance 
of  using  clean  dry  pots  and  drainage,  dry  sound 
loam  of  a  calcareous  nature  with  a  liberal  admix- 
ture of  crushed  bones,  charred  refuse,  or  old  lime 
rubble.  These  should  be  thoroughly  incorporated 
and  kept  under  cover  for  some  time  before  being 
used,  and  as  firm  potting  is  imperative,  the  shift 
should  always  be  large  enough  to  admit  of  the 
use  of  a  fair  sized  potting  stick  for  ramming 
the  compost  as  the  work  proceeds.  Another 
important  point  which  must  not  be  overlooked  is 
the  watering  or  soaking  of  the  balls  of  the  trees 


before  they  are  turned  out,  otherwise  it  matters 
little  how  well  every  part  of  the  work  may  be 
performed.  Neglect  of  this  will  lead  to  disappoint- 
ment and  failure.  When  all  the  trees  have  been 
overhauled,  select  a  dry,  airy,  but  sheltered 
situation  in  the  open  air,  place  each  tree  upon  two 
bricks,  and  leave  the  pots  exposed  to  the  influence 
of  sun  and  air  for  a  time.  On  the  approach  of 
bad  weather  fill  in  between  the  pots  with  dry 
Fern  leaves  or  Cocoa-nut  fibre  to  protect  the 
tender  roots,  which  soon  begin  to  work  through 
to  the  sides  of  the  pots,  from  frost,  and  to  prevent 
the  latter  from  being  burst  or  cracked  by  ex- 
pansion of  the  soil.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say 
all  pruning  should  be  performed  as  soon  as  the 
fruit  is  gathered,  and  the  protection  of  the  buds 
from  birds  by  means  of  fishing  nets  must  not  be 
neglected.  If  trees  for  potting  up  have  not  been 
selected,  lose  no  time  in  getting  them  marked 
before  the  leaves  fall.  Always  give  the  preference 
to  clean  healthy  trees  of  moderate  growth,  as  they 
are  generally  well  furnished  with  fibrous  roots, 
and  the  wood  being  ripe  they  always  lift  well. 


OECHIDS. 

East  India  house. — The  plants  in  this  house 
should  now  be  as  much  exposed  to  the  sun  as  pos- 
sible, and  where  the  house  is  span-roofed  with  the 
end  to  the  south,  shading  will  not  be  much  re- 
quired, and  should  only  be  used  during  warm 
bright  weather  for  an  hour  or  two  at  mid-day. 
Particular  attention  should  be  given  to  watering, 
which  ought  to  be  applied  with  a  syringe,  taking 
care  that  none  of  it  goes  on  the  leaves.  It  is  best 
to  water  in  the  early  part  of  the  day  with  water 
that  has  been  standing  in  pots  all  night  near  the 
hot-water  pipes.  Saccolabiums  and  Phalicnopsids 
should  be  surface-dressed  if  they  require  it.  These 
and  similar  species  have  so  far  been  freely  sup- 
plied with  water,  and  the  Sphagnum  has  grown 
up  in  some  cases  so  much  as  to  cover  the  centre 
of  the  Phalainopsis ;  this  ought  to  be  removed, 
replacing  it  with  some  fresh  Sphagnum  which  has 
been  well  washed  in  clean  water  before  using  it. 
It  will  not  grow  much  after  this  time,  as  in 
the  course  of  a  month  it  must  be  allowed  to  be 
come  rather  dry  before  watering  it.  In  surface 
dressing  all  decaying  matter  ought  to  be  re- 
moved. Aerides  nobile,  a  good  form  of  suavissi 
mum,  is  now  in  flower.  It  is  not  only  a  useful 
species  for  flowering  late,  but  also  exceedingly 
handsome.  We  have  t'attleya  superba  in  flower 
now,  and  very  beautiful  it  is,  and  distinct  in 
colour  from  that  of  most  other  Cattleyas ;  few, 
too,  require  less  attention.  It  should  be  tied  to 
stumps  of  Tree  Ferns  about  1  foot  long,  when 
it  will  annually  make  good  flowering  growths  if 
kept  near  the  glass  in  the  warmest  house.  Den- 
drobium  formosum,  not  yet  out  of  bloom,  ought 
to  be  grown  in  baskets  and  suspended  near  the 
roof.  Many  of  the  Cypripediums  also  flower  at  this 
season.  We  have  a  large  specimen  of  C.  Stonei 
throwing  up  three  good  spikes,  and  the  flowers 
are  just  open.  C.  Harrisianum  also  flowers  at  this 
season,  and  the  pretty  singular- looking  C.  Domi 
nianum  is  not  yet  over,  while  chance  blooms  may 
still  be  found  of  the  pretty  G.  nivenm.  All  these 
may  be  looked  over,  and  if  any  of  them  would  be 
improved  by  a  little  fresh  material  being  added  to 
the  surface  it  may  be  done.  The  temperature  of  this 
house  need  not  exceed  70°  at  night.  Our  house  falls 
in  cold  nights  to  G.5°,  but  we  do  not  care  to  have  it 
lower  than  this  until  the  season  is  furtheradvanced, 
when  it  may  fall  between  65°  and  GU°,  but  not 
lower.  Trap  slugs,  snails,  and  woodlice ;  watch  for 
them  at  night  to  prevent  them  eating  any  flower- 
spikes  coming  np,  or  the  succulent  roots  of 
hacoolabiums,  Sco.  The  eaten  roots  sometimes 
rot  and  do  much  injury.  We  have  not  yet  got 
rid  of  thrips,  but  the  instant  they  appear  the 
plant  infested  with  them  is  either  washed  with  a 
sponge  or  dipped  entirely  in  a  solution  of  Tobacco 
and  soap.  The  yellow  aphis  is  also  troublesome 
to  destroy  ;  the  instant  a  plant  is  touched,  one  of 
their  number  acts  apparently  as  leader,  and  the 
whole  of  them  troop  after  it  down  the  stem  and 
hide  in  the  Sphagnum  at  its  base,  from  which  they 
re-ascend  at  their  leisure.  1 


Cattleya  house. —  If  Odontoglossum  Pha- 
Ifencpsis  has  been  kept  in  the  cool  house  until 
now,  it  should  be  removed  to  this  house  and 
placed  in  a  position  quite  near  to  the  glass  :  a  good 
plan  is  to  place  the  pots  containing  the  plants  in 
teak  baskets  and  hang  them  up  to  the  rafters. 
Our  plants  have  been  placed  on  shelves,  where 
they  have  succeeded  much  better  than  they  did 
when  further  removed  from  the  glass  on  the  stage 
along  with  Gittleyas.  Odontoglossum  vexillarium 
requires  much  the  same  treatment.  We  removed 
our  plants  from  the  cool  house  the  week  before 
last  and  placed  them  near  the  glass  ;  before  doing 
so,  the  surface  of  the  compost  was  made  fresh  by 
the  addition  of  living  Sphagnum  and  good  fibrous 
peat.  Where  the  Sphagnum  grows  so  luxuriantly 
as  to  cover  the  pseudo-bulbs,  we  sometimes  press 
it  down  with  the  fingers  and  at  others  remove  it, 
supplying  its  place  with  that  which  has  been  freshly 
gathered.  Oncidium  crispum  and  O.  varicosum 
are  now  throwing  up  their  flower-spikes  ;  the  ten- 
der growths  of  the  former  when  about  2  inches 
or  .3  inches  in  length  are  frequently  eaten  over  ; 
and  they  can  only  be  saved  by  watching  at  night 
with  lamp-light  for  the  depredators.  Pioth  of  these 
species  seem  to  succeed  best  if  planted  in  upright 
baskets,  or  rather  cylinders  of  teak.  We  have  grown 
them  successfully  in  this  way  with  a  length  of  Tree 
Fern  split  into  quarters  and  placed  in  the  interior 
of  the  basket.  The  roots  run  into  and  take  firm 
hold  of  the  Tree  Fern,  the  loose  nature  of  which 
retains  water,  but  not  in  sufBcient  quantity  to 
injure  the  roots.  Oncidium  Marshallianum  may 
soon  be  showing  the  points  of  the  flower-spikes 
from  the  base  of  the  pseudo-bulbs,  and  ought  to 
be  looked  over  every  night.  The  very  showy 
Odontoglossum  graude  makes  a  beautiful  display 
at  this  season  in  the  Cattleya  house.  Some  grow 
these  in  the  cool  house,  but  there  we  have  found  the 
bulbs  had  a  tendency  to  rot  when  their  growth  was 
nearly  completed.  This  they  do  not  in  the  drier 
and  warmer  atmosphere  of  the  Cattleya  house. 

Cool  house. — Masdevallias,  kc,  should  now 
be  potted  without  delay,  and  surface  dressed  if 
required.  All  flower-spikes  coming  up,  too,  must 
be  preserved  from  depredators.  The  earliest  spikes 
of  Oncidium  macrantbum  will  now  be  showing, 
and  should  also  be  carefully  guarded,  but  they 
will  not  reach  the  flowering  stage  until  June. 
Odontoglossum  bictonense  is  a  distinct  and  useful 
species,  and  one  which  does  well  in  the  coolest 
house.  It  is  now  in  flower,  and  lasts  in  beauty  a 
long  time.  La3lia  autumnalis,  a  good  cool  house 
species,  is  now  showing  its  flower-spikes  ;  the  best 
varieties  of  this  Lailia  are  truly  valuable  plants 
and  form  quite  a  distinct  feature  well  worth  atten- 
tion in  the  cool  house. 


PROPAGATING. 
All  tender  plants  intended  for  stock  or  further 
use  next  season  should  be  by  this  time  secure 
from  frost.  Echeverias  and  other  tender  succu- 
lents will  be  found  on  being  lifted  to  have  formed 
a  number  of  offsets  around  the  collar,  which  may 
be  taken  off  and  dibbled  in  well-drained  boxes  of 
sandy  soil,  and  placed  on  a  dry  shelf,  where  they 
will  root,  and  by  bedding-out  time,  though  small, 
will  be  large  enough  for  many  purposes.  .\t  the 
same  time,  any  that  are  found  to  be  too  tall  may 
be  at  once  cut  down ;  the  tops  should  be  put  in 
comparatively  small  pots,  and  if  kept  free  from 
damp  during  the  winter  will  be  rooted  and  ready 
for  uEe  in  spring.  One  of  the  last  plants  propa- 
gated is  generally  the  Calceolaria;  for  this  a  cold 
frame  is  best,  as  it  dislikes  heat ;  in  fact,  an  error 
is  often  committed  by  giving  cuttings  of  all  kinds 
too  high  a  temperature ;  a  few  degrees  higher  than 
that  in  which  they  have  been — 80^ — is  of  assist- 
ance, but  if  much  exceeded  the  chances  of  success 
are  reduced.  The  better  plan  where  it  can  be 
carried  out  is  to  keep  the  plants  for  a  week  or  so 
before  taking  the  cuttings  in  the  same  temperature 
as  the  propagating  house ;  of  course,  where  planted 
out  such  cannot  be  done,  but  in  the  case  of 
new  or  choice  plants  where  the  success  of  every 
cutting  is  a  consideration  such  a  practice  should 
always  be  followed.  Greenhouse  Rhododendrons 
of  the  Princess  Koyal  section  strike  readily  from 


302 


THE    GARDEN 


[Oct.  4.  1884. 


cuttings,  and  grow  away  as  freely  as  those  that 
are  grafted.  Take  the  cuttings  in  summer  when 
the  growth  is  moderately  firm,  i.r.,  half  ripened, 
and  as  the  new  growth  consists  of  a  length  of 
naked  stem  with  a  cluster  of  leaves  at  the  top, 
it  should  be  cat  down  close  to  the  leaves  of  the 
preceding  growth,  and  at  the  base  of  the  cut- 
ting will  be  found  two  or  three  dormant  buds, 
which,  if  retained,  assist  the  formation  of  roots. 
Thumb  pots,  in  which  each  cutting  is  inserted 
singly,  are  the  best ;  they  may  be  filled  one- 
third  with  broken  crocks  or  charcoal,  and  the 
remainder  with  fine  sandy  peat,  space  being  left 
for  a  layer  of  sand  on  the  top.  Care  must  be  taken 
to  press  the  soil  firmly  down,  and  when  the 
cutting  is  inserted,  there  must  be  no  cavity 
left  round  its  base.  After  being  watered  the 
pots  and  their  contents  should  be  placed  in  a 
close  case,  kept  at  an  intermediate  temperature, 
shading,  watering,  &c  ,  as  in  the  case  of  other  cut- 
tings, and  they  will  be  well  rooted  in  about  two 
months,  when  they  may  be  gradually  hardened  off. 
When  confined  in  close  cases  a  sharp  eye  must  be 
kept  for  their  great  enemy,  thrips,  which,  if  once 
allowed  to  effect  a  lodgment,  soon  disfigure  the 
plants.  On  examination  a  few  will  be  found  to 
have  emitted  no  root.",  although  there  is  a  large 
irregular  callus  ;  in  that  case  one  of  the  best  incen- 
tives to  root  formation  is  to  take  them  out  of  the 
pots,  cut  off  a  few  protuberances  from  the  callus, 
and  re-insert  as  before  in  fresh  soil ;  so  treated, 
roots  will  in  most  cases  speedily  push  from  the 
fresh  surface.  This  principle  may  be  followed  out 
in  the  case  of  most  subjects  that  root  tardily. 
Another  method  by  which  we  have  been  successful 
with  subjects  dillicult  to  root  is,  afcer  taking 
them  out  of  the  pots,  to  put  them  in  the  Cocoa-nut 
fibre  forming  the  bottom  of  the  case ;  but  if  this 
be  followed  increased  watching  will  be  necessary  ; 
the  fibre  assists  the  formation  of  roots,  but  they 
speedily  decay  in  it  if  not  potted  off. 

Fruits,  such  as  those  of  Roses,  Hawthorns,  &o., 
should  as  soon  as  gathered  be  mixed  with  sand 
and  placed  in  a  heap  outside,  commonly  known 
as  the  rot  heap  ;  in  this  not  only  does  all  the 
fieshy  matter  rot  off,  but  the  seed  is  kept  moist 
all  the  winter,  and  when  sown  in  the  spring  soon 
germinates ;  whereas,  if  kept  in  a  dry  state  till  sown 
its  germination  is  much  more  irregular,  and  it  will 
be  found  that  many  will  lie  dormant  the  following 
spring. 

KITCHEN  GARDEN. 
Get  all  late  Potatoes  lifted  as  soon  as  possible ; 
it  they  could  be  put  into  sheds,  properly  sorted, 
before  finally  clamping  them  for  the  winter,  all  the 
better  ;  if  not,  put  them  into  clamps  at  once  ;  H^ 
feet  wide  will  be  sufficient.  Give  them  first  a  good 
covering  of  straw,  and  then  another  of  earth  ;  but 
that  most  objectionable  plan  of  leaving  chimneys 
must  be  avoided.  They  only  let  in  the  wet,  and 
do  harm  instead  of  good.  Make  another  sowing 
of  Spinach ;  keep  well  cultivated  early  spring 
Cabbage  and  Lettuce  quarters ;  hoeing  one  row 
and  treading  in  the  other  leaves  the  whole  piece 
smart  and  trim.  French  Beans  must  be  earthed 
and  rodded  as  they  make  progress  and  another 
batch  sown.  Endive  may  now  be  lifted,  laid  in 
under  shelter,  and  have  charcoal  slightly  sprinkled 
among  it  to  keep  it  from  rotting  ;  when  nicely 
blanched  it  makes  a  very  pretty  and  fairly  good 
salad,  and  as  a  change  desirable.  Mustard  and 
Cress  must  also  be  sown  in  small  boxes,  and  a 
regular  supply  kept  up.  Get  late  Celery  well 
earthed  up,  and  any  Broccoli  orWalcheren  Cauli- 
flower not  wanted  may  be  lifted  and  shedded.  It 
keeps  well  tied  up  by  the  heels  in  a  dry  shed  or 
laid  in  among  soil,  covering  up  the  roots. 


of  rose-pink  in  the  spring  months  ;  so  also  of  the 
Poppies,  especially  Papaver  umbrosum,  which  be- 
comes far  finer  when  sown  now,  and  the  same  is 
true  of  Nemophila  and  blue  (.iornflower.  In  sow- 
ing our  annuals  in  autumn  we  follow  Nature's  own 
plan,  and  have,  moreover,  a  double  chance  of  suc- 
cess, since  a  second  sowing  time  yet  remains  to 
us  in  spring,  as  usual,  in  case  of  failure. — F.  W.  B. 


Autumn  sown  annuals.— If  not  already 
done,  now  is  the  best  time  to  sow  seeds  of  many 
i-howy  annual  plants  for  next  year's  blooming. 
Sweet  Peas  sown  now  pass  through  ordinary  win- 
te'rs  unscathed,  and  flower  both  earlier  and  finer 
than  if  sown  in  spring.  This  is  true  of  CoUinsiai 
Clarkia,  Bartonia,  Limnanthes,  indeed  of  many 
others  of  what  are  known  as  hardy  annuals, 
biponaria  and  8ilene  sown  now  make  lovely  masses 


GATHERING  SEED. 
All  seeds  which  can  possibly  be  secured  should 
be  under  cover  before  many  days  are  over.  As  a 
rule,  we  find  our  finest  seeds  to  be  those  harvested 
in  July  and  August;  October-saved  ones  are  seldom 
of  such  high  quality.  I  am  speaking  now  of  such 
seeds  as  Peas  and  Beans  (Broad  and  Kidney).  In 
private  gardens  it  would  never  pay  for  anyone  to 
attempt  to  save  all  their  own  seeds,  as  they  can 
be  bought  more  cheaply,  and,  as  a  rule,  of  better 
quality — an  important  point ;  but  there  are  many 
little  odds  and  ends  in  the  way  of  choice  varieties 
of  flowers  and  vegetables  in  the  saving  of  which 
many  take  an  interest.  Sometimes  when  we  have 
met  with  an  extra  good  Onion  or  Tomato  we 
have  put  it  aside  for  seed,  and  we  have  done  the 
same  with  Stocks  and  Asters,  Celosias,  Zinnias, 
and  similar  material,  and  by  carefully  select- 
ing the  best  year  after  year,  much  good  has 
been  the  result.  Seed  from  plants  of  inferior 
growth,  either  of  flowers  or  fruit,  should  never 
be  saved,  as  in  that  case  the  stock  would 
degenerate,  but  improvements  in  all  shapes 
and  forms  should  be  marked  and  preserved. 
Seed-bearing  plants  cannot  be  grown  too  much  in 
the  sun.  This  is  of  the  utmost  importance,  as  full 
development  and  maturation  should  be  encour- 
aged. About  the  time  seed  is  ripening  it  should 
be  looked  over  almost  daily,  and  harvesting  should 
begin  before  the  pods  open.  In  July  and  August 
seed  ripens  very  fast,  and  there  is  no  trouble  in 
drying  it,  but  now  it  needs  more  attention.  One 
of  the  best  places  in  which  to  dry  any  kind  of  seed 
at  the  present  time  is  a  vinery  from  which  the 
Grapes  have  been  cut  and  where  there  is  a  free 
circulation  of  air.  It  laid  out  on  boards  or  mats 
or  hung  up  on  the  Vine  wires  everything  will  be 
satisfactory.  Empty  frames  with  the  lights  drawn 
over  them  are  also  good  places  in  which  to  dry 
seeds,  and  open  airy  sheds  answer  the  purpose 
very  well,  but  nothing  can  be  done  now  in  the 
way  of  open-air  drying.  All  seeds  should  be  cut 
when  quite  dry,  and  no  attempt  should  be  made 
to  work  with  them  in  the  open  when  they  are  in 
any  way  damp.  When  rain  falls  day  after  day 
and  seeds  nearly  ripe  are  in  danger  of  decaying,  it 
is  best  to  allow  some  to  do  so,  and  trust  to  having 
fine  weather  to  secure  the  remainder,  as  seeds 
harvested  under  such  circumstances  are  never 
satisfactory.  Cambman. 


MESSRS.  WHEELEPv  &  SON'S  NURSERY. 
Throughout  the  west  of  England  there  is  no 
older  or  better  known  nursery  and  seed  firm  than 
that  of  Messrs.  Wheeler.  Its  history  goes  as  far 
back  as  1763.  In  that  jear  Mr.  James  Wheeler, 
then  eminent  as  a  seedsman,  published  the  "Bo- 
tanists' and  Gardeners'  New  Dictionary,"  a  book 
of  480  pages,  showing  much  ability  and  research. 
Mr.  James  Wheeler,  who  died  in  1807  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  ninety-four,  was  succeeded  by  his 
sons,  Edward  and  William,  who,  dying  compara- 
tively early,  were  again  succeeded  by  WUliam's 
son,  James  Cheslin  Wheeler,  a  well-known  man  in 
his  day,  and  the  immediate  predecessor  of  the 
present  proprietor,  a  great-grandson  of  the  original 
James  Wheeler,  the  founder  of  the  firm.  In  what 
are  termed  the  "  good  old  times,"  when  the  postage 
of  a  letter  from  Gloucester  to  London  was  nine- 
pence,  and  when  the  conveyance  of  trees  and 
seeds  had  to  be  done  by  stage  waggons,  the  send- 
ing of  30,000  Larches  from  Gloucester  to  Aberga- 
venny was  a  serious  undertaking,  necessitating  the 
engagement  of  neighbouring  farmers'  horses,  wag- 
gons, and  carters  for  the  greater  part  of  a  week. 
The  trade  then  done  was,  comparatively  speaking, 
limited  to  the  locality,  but  now,  with  our  railway 
facilities  and  cheap  postage,  the  trade  of  the  firm 


has  so  largely  developed,  that    there    are    few 
counties  in  which  seeds  from  Gloucester  are  not 
kn  own  and  appreciated.   Horticulturists  will  al  way  s 
look  with  respect  to  such  establishments  as  that  of 
Messrs.  Wheeler.    Of  outward  show  there  is  little, 
but  the  interior  is  substantial.     Passers-by  would 
take  the  seed  shop  to  be  a  provincial  branch  of  the 
Bank  of  England,  and  the  Kingsholm  Nurseries 
do  not  proclaim  their  existence  loudly  outside,  but 
an  inspection  inside  reveals  a  wonderful  wealth  of 
high  class  nursery  material,  especially  in  the  way 
of  fruit  trees.     "  Do  you  grow  for  the  trade  V  I 
asked,  and  the  reply  was,  "  Very  little  indeed  ;  the 
retail  demands  being  great,"  a  statement  at  which 
I  am  not  surprised,  as  of  all  stocks  of  young  fruit 
trees  I  have  ever  seen,  none  are  superior  to  the 
thousands   upon    thousands  which   I   saw    here. 
Gloucestershire  is    noted    for   its    orchards   and 
Apples  and,  I  would  add,  for  its  young  fruit  trees. 
The  situation  of  the  nursery  is  all  that  could  be 
desired  ;  the  soil  is  substantial  and  firm— just  the 
sort  in  which  all  kinds  of  fruit  trees  would  be 
induced    to   make   multitudes  of  close-growing, 
fibrous  roots,  which  in  the  case  of  young  trees 
are  so  essential  for  successful  planting.    Apples, 
Pears,  Plums,  Cherries,  Peaches,  Nectarines,  Apri- 
cots, and  fruit  trees  generally  are  grown  here  in 
all   forms,  such,   for  instance,  as  in  that  of  pyra- 
mids, fan,  and  horizontal  trained,  cordons,  bushes 
without  training,  and  tall-stemmed  standards  for 
orchards.     Over  300  varieties  of  Apples  and  Pears 
are  to   be  found  here  ;  but  extensive  as  the  great 
batches  of  each  sort  arc,  they  are  evidently  not 
too  numerous  for  the  demand,  not  a  tree  in  the 
nursery  being  over  three  years  old.     The  Paradise 
is  the  favourite  stock  for  early  fruiting  and  dwarf 
trees,  and  the  Crab  for  taller  ones.     Many  of  the 
small  two-year  old  trees  were  bearing  fine  crops  of 
fruit,    and  amongst  the  Apples  I   noted  a  few 
which,  I    was    assured,  never  failed  to   produce 
crops.     These  were  Cox's  Orange  Pippin,  Golden 
Noble,   Hawthornden,  Dumelow's  Seedling,  Pear- 
son's     Plate,      Emperor      Alexander,     Waltham 
Abbey,     Kerry     Pippin,     Yellow   Ingestre,  Cel- 
lini,   Lord    Suffield,   and  that  well-known   sort, 
Ashmead's  Kernel.     It   would   be   impossible  to 
imagine  anything  finer  than  the  crops  which  these 
little  trees  were  bearing.     The  fruit,  too,  was  of 
the  finest  description.  Amongst  Pears,  Brockworth 
Park,  a  variety  for  which  we    are  indebted    to 
Messrs.  Wheeler,  was  very  conspicuous  in  choice 
fine    specimens       It    is    a  free  grower  and  an 
enormous   bearer  of  finely  coloured,   beautifully 
flavoured    fruits,    which    ripen    in   October  and 
November.  It  is  a  Gloucestershire  Pear  and  should 
be  in  every  garden.     Many  of  the  bush  Peach, 
Nectarine,  and  Apricot  trees  were  plunged  in  pota 
for  orchard  house  work,  and  the  fine  clean  growths 
which  they  were  forming,  or  rather  had  formed, 
as  they  were  ripening  the  wood  when  I  saw  them, 
was  astonishing ;  in  fact,  without  exception,  all 
the  fruit  trees  were  in  excellent  condition.     It  is 
always  encouraging  when  fruit  can  be  had  the 
first  year  after  planting,  and  this  is  our  experience 
in  the  case  of  Messrs.  ^\'heeler's  trees,  a  depart- 
ment to  which  much  attention  is  devoted. 

FiOSES  are  another  of  the  specialities  for  which 
this  nursery  is  celebrated,  and  as  these  always 
do  well  where  fruit  trees  excel,  I  will  be  saying 
nothing  unexpected  when  I  state  that  the  Roses 
are  most  satisfactory  this  season,  drought  not- 
withstanding. Many  of  them  are  grafted  on  the 
seedling  Brier  and  Brier  stocks  raised  from  cut- 
tings, and  in  both  cases  have  produced  luxuriant 
shoots  of  the  most  promising  kind.  Forest  trees 
are  extensively  grown  here,  and  so  are  both  the 
common  and  rarest  slirubs  and  all  the  best  of  the 
Conifers.  Trees  and  shrubs  of  all  classes  are  re- 
presented by  fine  healthy  little  specimens  which 
are  given  plenty  of  room  in  which  to  develop 
themselves.  Hardy  plants  are  also  well  and  ex- 
tensively cultivated.  The  white  Hyacinthus  candi- 
cans  had  spikes  6  feet  high,  and  was  very  effec- 
tive in  a  shrub  border.  Dahlia  Glare  of  the  Garden 
was  a  very  bright  and  attractive  variety.  Ivies  in 
the  shape  of  numerous  choice  varieties  are  grown 
in  large  patches,  and  may  be  included  amongst 
the   finest   of    hardy    fine-foliaged    plants.     Up- 


Oct.  4,  1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


50; 


0V6 


wards  of  2000  Clematises  were  plunged  in 
sunny  quarters,  where  in  B-inch  and  6-inch 
pots  they  had  developed  into  good  plants. 
The  crowns  of  Christmas  Roses  were  well  de- 
veloped and  finel}'  furnished  with  healthy  foliage. 
Uichardia  albo-maculata,  with  its  handsome  white 
spotted  leaves,  as  seen  here  was  a  plant  which 
should  be  extensively  grown  in  tlie  summer  flower 
garden.  Phloxes  were  numerous  and  showy,  and, 
strange  to  say,  Hollyhocks  were  growing  lujsuri- 
antly  in  this  nursery.  I'inks,  Carnations,  and  all 
kinds  of  border  flowers  worth  cultivating  were 
likewise  here  in  quantity.  (Some  ornamental  path- 
ways which  traverse  the  nursery  were  bordered  on 
each  side  with  specimen  trees,  shrubs,  and  hardy 
flowers.  In  some  frames  here  we  saw  a  fine  lot 
of  Dake  of  Cornwall  Cucumber,  the  seed  of  which 
was  just  ripening.  It  is  a  prolific  and  handsome 
white-spined  sort,  superior  we  thought  to  Messrs. 
Wheeler's  other  noted  variety,  viz ,  Empress  of 
India. 

Tiis  c;i,.\ss  DEP.iUTMENT  of  this  nursery  is 
more  in  the  town  than  the  large  fields  of  nursery 
stock  just  noticed.  It  consists  of  numbers  of  both 
large  and  small  houses  well  adapted  for  plants 
Two  houses  are  filled  with  Orchids,  one  being  de- 
voted to  cool  varieties,  and  both  very  heilthy  and 
clean  in  growth.  Azaleas  of  various  sizes  and  in 
great  variety  are  grown  here  — robust  plants  well 
covered  with  flower-buds.  Gloxinias  are  largely 
grown  in  this  nursery,  both  erect  and  other 
floweiing  kinds,  and  some  raised  from  seed  this 
spring  were  bearing  many  handsome  flowers. 
Primulas,  Cinerarias,  and  Calceolarias  are  also  extra 
fine  here,  hybridising  and  selecting  with  a  view  to 
improvement  being  never  lost  sight  of.  A  general 
nursery  stock  also  exists  in  these  houses,  all  being 
in  creditable  condition.  Special  mention  must  be 
made  of  pot  Vines,  which  are  as  fine  as  anyone 
could  desire,  either  for  permanent  planting  with 
the  view  of  filling  a  new  vinery  or  recruiting  an 
old  one,  or  for  early  and  heavy  crops.  The  canes 
are  uncommonly  thick,  very  short-jointed,  and 
maturing  to  perfection. 

In  the  tri.\l  grousd.s  at  Tullley  we  found  a 
capital  soil  for  the  proper  development  of  flowers 
and  seeds,  and  the  innumerable  kinds  of  annuals 
and  other  flowers  growing  here  were  in  first-rate 
condition.  The  ground  is  divided  into  long  strips 
of  cultivated  soil  with  closely-cut  Grass  pathways 
intervening,  and  the  large  rich  masses  of  gay 
colours  thus  set  in  green  are  extremely  effective. 
Here  Wheeler's  strains  of  giant  Ten-week  Stocks 
grow  most  robustly  and  emit  great  spikes  of  finely 
coloured  flowers.  Single  Dahlias  were  also  here 
in  great  numbers,  named  and  from  seed.  Many 
were  very  poor,  some  very  good,  and  not  a  few 
first-rate,  both  in  habit  of  growth  and  colour. 
Sweet  Williams,  Canterbury  P.ells,  single  and 
double  Pyrethrums,  bedding  Pansies,  Antirrhi- 
nums, Aquilegias,  and  other  old  favourite  peren- 
nials, for  which  there  is  now  an  increasing  demand, 
were  especially  fine.  Of  Asters  and  Tropreolums 
I  noticed  some  grand  examples,  and  seedling 
Carnations  were  growing  and  blooming  in  huge 
masses,  and  in  every  way  excellent.  Those  who 
find  choice  named  Carnations  difficult  to  grow 
should  try  seedlings.  The  latter  are  not  only 
hardier,  but  more  floriferous. 

Many  vegetables,  such  as  Peas,  Lettuces, 
L->e'is,  Onions,  Sec,  are  also  being  tried  here.  The 
Gloucester  Kidney  Potato,  a  favourite  sort  and  a 
speciality  with  this  firm,  was  producing  a  capital 
crop  of  fine  tubers,  and  the  Double  Gloucester, 
named  after  the  noted  cheese  of  that  county,  ex- 
hibited many  points  of  unusual  merit.  The  tubers 
are  as  white  and  well  formed  as  those  of  Inter- 
national, but  not  60  large,  being  of  a  better  table 
size  and  entirely  free  from  the  watery  inferior 
quality  which  belongs  to  the  International.  As  it 
grows  robustly,  bears  freely,  and  is  said  to  be 
disease-resisting,  this  new  variety  is  certain  soon 
to  find  favour  with  the  public.  Agricultural  seeds 
in  which  the  Messrs.  Wheeler  deal  largely,  are  on 
trial  here  too ;  indeed,  everything  is  thoroughly 
tested  before  it  is  submitted  to  the  public. 

J.  MuiB. 
Margam,  Talbach,  Glamorganshire. 


Garden  Destroyers. 


THE  CLEARWING  MOTHS. 

(SESTID.E  ) 

Tins  curious,  but  very  beautiful  group  of  small 
moths  cannot,  I  am  afraid,  be  considered  harmless 
in  gardens,  though  the  amount  of  damage  they 
cause  is  very  slight  in  comparison  with  that  which 
many  other  insects  commit.  Most  persons  on  first 
seeing  one  of  these  moths  would  take  it  for  a 
hornet,  wasp,  fly,  or  some  other  insect  with  trans- 
parent wings,  and  would  not  for  a  moment  imagine 
it  was  a  luotb,  for  their  wings,  as  their  common 
name  implies,  are  nearly  entirely  free  from  the 
scales  with  which  the  wings  of  most  butterflies 
and  moths  are  so  thickly  covered  on  both  sides. 


.^     /•  ^  '"A.^ 


Fij.  \,— Caterpillar  of  the  Currant  clearwinj 
i^Sesia  iixndifor mis). 

Their  resemblance  to  various  other  insects  is  so 
great,  that  it  is  recorded  in  their  scientific  names — 
viz.,  the  hornet  clearwing  (Trochilium  apiformis), 
Sesia  tipnliformis,  S.  culiciformis.  The  caterpillars 
of  these  moths  live  in  the  stems,  branches,  or  roots 
of  tree.=,  shrubs  and  other  plants.  The  species  which 
does  most  harm  in  gardens  is  the  Currant  clear- 
wing  (Sesia  tipuliformis).  The  citerpillars  of 
this  .species  bore  into  the  stems  and  branches  of 
Currant  bushes  and  feed  on  the  pith  ;  this  causes 
the  branch  to  wither  and  die.  It  may  be  frequently 
noticed  that  although  a  Currant  bush  looks  per- 


The  hornet  cU'itrivinj  (S^si.1  apij'urmin). 


fectly  healthy,  one  or  more  of  its  branches  will 
wither  in  a  very  unaccountable  manner ;  when  this 
is  the  case  the  caterpillars  of  the  Currant  clear- 
wing  are  generally  the  culprits.  The  only  thing, 
then,  to  be  done  is  to  cut  off  the  branch,  split  it 
open,  and  destroy  the  caterpillar.  Red,  White, 
and  P.lack  Currants  are  all  alike  liable  to  beat- 
tacked.  This  insect  is  by  no  means  rare,  and  is 
probably  more  common  than  it  is  generally  sup- 
posed to  be,  as  it  is  inconspicuous  in  size  and 
colour,  and  is  so  easily  mistaken  for  other  in- 
sects ;  the  caterpillars  also,  hidden  as  they  are  in 
the  stems  or  branches,  are  seldom  seen.  The 
moths  may  be  found  during  May  and  June  fly- 
ing about  the  Currant  bushes  and  various  flowers 
during  the  day.  They  lay  their  eggs  in  some 
crack  or  crevice  in  the  bark  of  a  young  shoot; 
the  newly  hatchel  caterpillars  eat  their  way  into 


the  centre  of  the  shoot,  and  work  down  gradually 
towards  the  stem.  They  continue  feeding  on  the 
pith  during  the  winter,  and  then  become  chry 
salides  within  their  burrow.  The  chrysalis  is 
provided,  at  the  edge  of  each  segment  of  its  body, 
with  a  row  of  recurved  spurs,  by  means  of  which 
it  is  able  to  work  itself  p.irtly  out  of  tlie  hole  in 
the  stem  previously  made  by  the  caterpillar  when 
the  time  comes  for  the  moth  to  emerge. 

This  moth  is  about  three-quarters  of  an  inch 
across  the  wings  when  they  are  fully  expanded, 
and  is  hardly  half-an-inch  in  length.  The  head, 
thorax,  and  body  are  bluish  black ;  the  thorax  has 
two  yellow  longitudinal  lines,  one  on  either  side, 
and  the  body  of  the  female  has  three,  and  the  male 
four  pale  .yellow  transverse  bands  ;  in  both  sexes  it 
is  long,  slender,  and  terminated  by  a  brush  or  fan 
of  hairs,  which  the  insect  can  open  or  close  at 
pleasure.  The  antenna;  are  bluish  black,  long,  and 
somewhat  club-shaped.  The  wings  are  narrow  and 
transparent,  with  the  exception  of  the  margins 
and  a  transverse  band  near  the  end  of  the  wings  ; 
these  are  thickly  clothed  with  bluish  black  scales'. 
The  nervures  are  of  the  same  colour,  and  the  hind 
margins  are  golden  yellow;  in  the  lower  pair  the 
veins  are  bluish  black.  The  caterpillar  (fig.  1)  ig 
nearly  three-quarters  of  an  inch  in  length"  cylin- 
drical, and  white  in  colour,  with  the  exception  of 
the  head  and  markings  on  the  first  segment  of  the 
body,  which  are  dark.  The  first  three,  the  sixth, 
seventh,  eighth,  ninth,  and  last  joints  of  the  body 
each  bear  a  pair  of  legs.  The  caterpillars  of 
another  species,  Sesia  myoprcformis,  is  injurious 
to  Apple  and  Pear  trees,  but  fortunately,  like  the 
foregoing  species,  it  is  never  very  abundant,  and 
it  has  not  liithc'to  been  convicted  of  doing  much 
damage,  which  it  certainly  would  have  been  if  it 
was  very  common,  for  it  lives  two  years,  making 
long  galleries  in  the  soft  wood  under  the  bark  oi 
Apple  and  Pear  trees. 

The  moth  of  this  species  measures  not  quite 
three-quarters  of  an  inch  in  length  and  about  an 
inch  across  the  wings  when  fuUv  opened.     The 
head,  thorax,  and  body  are  bluish  black,  the  sides 
of  the  thorax  in  front  are  yellowisli,  the  fourth 
segment  of  the  body  is  red.     The  margins  of  the 
front  wings  are  bluish  black,  as  well  as  a  short 
band  across  the  wings.      The  caterpillar  forms  its 
cocoon  in   the  bark.     The  caterpillars  of  the  hor- 
net clearwing  (Trochilium  apiformis)  live  in  the 
lower  parts  of  the  stems  and  roots  of  Poplai's.  The 
moth  (fig.  2)  is  very  sluggish  during  the  daytime, 
and  may  be  found  on  the  lower  parts  of  the  stems 
of  the  trees.      It  much  resembles  a  hornet  in  size 
and  colour,  and   measures  fully  three-quarters  of 
an  inch  in  length,  and  an  incli  and  a  half  across  the 
open  wings.    Its  general  colour  is  dark  brown,  but 
the  head  has  two  spots  on  the  front  of  the  thorax. 
The  joint  of  the  first  two   and  the  three  apical 
joints  of  the  body  are  yellow  ;   the  margin  of  the 
upper  wings  are  reddish  yellow,  the  hind  margins 
being  darkest.      The  caterpillars   are  yellowish 
white,  with  a  darker  stripe  down  the  middle  of 
their   backs.      Trochilium   bembiciforme   is  very 
much  like  the    last  species,   but  besides  other 
characters  the  body  is  more  yellow.     The  cater- 
pillars   perforate    the    young    branches  of    Sal- 
lows,  causing   much  injury  to  the    trees.     There 
are  thirteen  species  of  these  clcarwirg  moths  indi- 
gencus  to  this  counti-y ;  the  caterpillars  of  ten  live 
in  the  stems,  branches,  or  roots  of'  various  trees 
and  bushe.s,  those  of  the  other  three  may  be  found 
in   the   roots  of  herbaceous  plants.     One  or  two 
species  besides  those  already  described  are  reported 
to  attack  fruit  trees,  as  well  as  those  timber  trees 
in  which  they  are  usually  found.  G.  S.  S. 

Sedutn  Sieboldl  a  bee  flower-  One  of 

the  most  striking  objects  amongst  autumn  flowers 
has  been  a  large  mass  of  this  rosy-flowered  Sedum, 
the  huge  heads  of  which  when  fully  expanded 
form  one  dense  mas^  of  bloom,  of  which  bees 
and  most  kinds  of  winged  insects  seem  unusually 
fond.  1  should  think,  therefore,  that  owners  of 
gardens  who  go  in  for  bee-keeping  might  with 
advantage  plant  this  Sedum  in  quantity  in  close 
proximity  to  their  hives.  Honey-supplying  flowers 
are  at  this  date  getting  limited,  and  I  may  remark 


S04 


THE     GARDEN 


[Oct.  4,  1884. 


for  the  benefit  o£  those  who  have  not  tried  this 
useful  plant  that  it  will  grow  freely  in  the  driest 
and  poorest  soil.  I  have  some  growing  amongst 
rockwork  in  which  the  soil  is  very  limited  ;  never- 
theless, even  during  the  late  long  protracted 
drought,  when  other  plants  could  scarcely  be  kept 
alive,  great  clumps  of  this  Sedum  seemed  to  enjoy 
the  heat,  the  heads  of  bloom  being  finer  and 
higher  coloured  this  season  than  usual.  There  is 
no  diffioalty  whatever  in  its  cultivation  ;  small 
pieces  of  it  put  in  at  this  date  develop  into  large 
clumps  by  next  year,  and  in  no  way  does  it  show 
itself  to  such  advantage  as  in  single  isolated 
clumps.  In  mixed  borders  it  is  useful  for  filling 
up  the  spaces  between  the  earlier  flowering  Lilies, 
Larkspurs,  Phloxes,  and  other  herbaceous  plants, 
to  which  it  affords  a  good  succession.— James 
Gboom,  Gos/iort. 


MAP.KET  GARDEN  NOTES. 
Tarnips. — These  are  being   rapidly    pushed 
into  market,  and  owing  to  the  late  copious  rains 
are  now  in  good  condition.    A  large  grower  near 
here    is    sending    weekly  seven  loads  into    the 
Borough    Market,    each  one  containing  seventy 
dozen  bunches.     Formerly  all  kinds  of  vegetables 
grown  in  this  district,  which  is  about  twenty  miles 
south  of  London,  were  hauled  into  market  by  road, 
and  many  growers  still  pursue  this  plan,  but  some 
of  the  larger  ones  are  finding  that  the  wear  and 
tear  of  horses  and  tackle  is  more  expensive  in  the 
long  run  than  sending  by  rail,  and  therefore  they 
put  their  carts  or  waggons,  as  the  case  may  be, 
bodily  on  the  rail,  making  arrangements  for  having 
them  drawn  into  market  when  they  arrive  at  the 
terminus.      Whatever    truth    there    may    be    in 
the  assertion  so  frequently  made  that  the  cul- 
ture of  vegetables  for  market   is   a  precarious 
and  by  no  neans  profitable  aft'air,   it  is    certain 
that  it  is  not  on  the  decline,  but  quite  the  con- 
trary, as  is  evidenced  by  the  ever-increasing  pres- 
sure on  our  large  metropolitan  markets.    Goods 
are  now  sent  by  rail  in  the  manner  mentioned 
above  from  localities  too  far  removed  from  Lon- 
don to  allow  of  their  being  hauled  by  road,  and  in 
some  instances  traction  engines  are  employed  for 
the  same  purpose.  Three  times  a  week  all  through 
the  autumn  and  winter  a  traction   engine  brings 
three  or  four  truckloads  of  vegetables  from  Essex 
into  the  Borough  Market,  the  goods  coming  all  or 
nearly  all  from  one  man.     The  fact  seems  to  be 
that  the  depressed  state  of  agriculture  has  had  the 
effect  of  increasing  the  area  of  land  under  vege- 
tables to  a    considerable  extent,    and  many  of 
the     shrewdest     of     the    newer    generation    of 
farmers   who    are    not    too    far    removed    from 
London    and     other    large    industrial     centres 
are    discovering    that    their    interests     will    be 
best  served  by  combining  ordinary  farm   crops 
with  those  which  have  hitherto  been  almost  ex- 
clusively the  specialities  of  the  market  gardener. 
The  farmer  in  a  general  way  possesses  advantages 
which  the  market  grower  has  not ;  he  has  a  more 
extensive  area  of  land  from  which  he  may  select 
soil  and  position  best  suited  to  the  various  things 
he  wishes  to  grow ;  lie  has  a  greater  choice  of  im- 
plements,  and  when  a  green  crop  is  not  worth 
marketing,  as  in  a  plentiful  season  often  happens, 
he  can  feed  it  ofi  with  sheep,  so  that  if  nothing 
is  gained  but  little  loss  is  experienced.     Thus  in 
the  case  of  Turnips,  from  the  time  the  first  early 
Potatoes  come  off  seed  is  continually  being  sown 
up  to  the  middle  of  July,  so  that  by  August  many 
acres  are  occupied  with  them.  These  are  gone  over 
as  they  become  large  enough  and  are  marketed, 
whilst  such  as  grow  too  large  or  are  attacked  by 
maggot  are  given  to  sheep.     Sometimes,  when  the 
autumn  is    unusually    fine,    a   great  portion   of 
the  roots  come  too  large  for  market,  and  sometimes 
the  price  is  too  low  to  make  it  worth  while  sending 
them  there.     When  such  is  the  case,  it  is  but  an 
affair  of  procuring  a  hundred  or  two  more  sheep. 
The  market  gardener  proper  cannot  well  do  this, 
,  and  crops   of   Cabbages,   Brussels   Sprouts,   and 
other  things    spoil   on   the   ground   in    plentiful 
years.     It  is  therefore  evident  what  great  advan- 
tages must  be  derived   from  a  combination  of 
market  culture  and  farming. 


Potatoes. — In  spite  of  the  long  drought,  the 
Potato  crop  appears  likely  to  be  a  good  one.  The 
tubers  seem  to  turn  out,  even  on  light  soils, 
tolerably  large,  and  there  is,  so  far  as  I  can  learn, 
no  amount  of  disease  worth  speaking  of.  A  grower 
here  is  offering  good  ware  at  2s.  3d.  per  bushel  on 
the  ground,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  this  is 
a  good  paying  price  and  better  than  .^s.  from  the 
pit.  Allowing  two  bushels  to  the  rod,  said  an 
acquaintance  engaged  in  agricultural  and  market 
gardening  pursuits,  a  crop  of  Potatoes  would  pay 
better  at  that  price  than  any  kind  of  Corn.  Mag- 
num Bonum  is  the  kind  mostly  grown  for  ageneral 
crop,  but  it  varies  much  in  quality,  in  some  places 
coming  really  good,  in  others  just  the  reverse. 
White  Elephant,  however,  seems  likely  to  have  a 
good  future  before  it,  as  it  yields  well  under 
rather  unfavourable  circumstances.  I  saw  some 
remarkably  fine  looking  tubers  the  other  day 
which  came  from  almost  pure  sand,  a  soil  which 
when  it  once  becomes  dry  scarcely  ever  gets  wet 
again  before  autumn.  The  quality,  too,  of  this 
Potato  is,  so  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  judge, 
very  fair  indeed,  much  better  than  the  enormous 
size  of  the  roots  would  indicate.  I  would  strongly 
advise  those  who  have  light  soils  which  parch  in 
liot  weather  to  give  White  Elephant  a  trial. 
Amongst  early  kinds  Beauty  of  Hebron  appears  to 
find  favour  with  some  ;  it  is  almost  the  only  early 
variety  grown  by  one  large  grower  near  here.  It 
yields  much  more  heavily  than  the  Ashleaf  varie- 
ties, but  is  very  susceptible  to  disease,  but  as  in 
the  case  of  early  Potatoes  the  object  is  to  dig 
them  as  early  as  possible,  they  are  generally 
cleared  off  before  the  enemy  has  time  to  hurt  them 
badly.  Speaking  of  the  Ashleaf,  the  finest  crop 
of  it  I  ever  saw  was  last  year  on  light  sandy  soil, 
ifhich  had  been  trenched  2  feet  deep.  This  Potato 
evidently  likes  a  free  soil  and  some  depth  of  it. 


CHUTE'S  PATENT  FLOWER-POT. 

The  following  advantages  are  claimed  for  this 
flower-pot  by  its  inventor :  1,  to  provide  perfect 
drainage  ;  2,  to  save  crocks  being  used  so  largely 
as  in  ordinary  pots  ;  3,  to  ventilate  the  centre  of 
the  pot,  thereby  inducing  a  healthier  and  more 
vigorous  growth :  i,  to  lessen  evaporation  ;  5,  to 
prevent  insects  and  worms  from  entering  the 
bottom  ;  C,  to  save  space,  being  straighter,  deeper, 
and  wider  at  the  base  than  other  pots  and  hold- 
ing more  while  taking  up  less  space ;  7,  non- 
liability to  clog  when  plunged,  therefore  specially 
adapted    for    Chrysanthemums,    Koses,    Azaleas, 


EXTERIOR 


Camellias,  and  all  specimen  plants  ;  8,  to  facilitate 
re-potting,  inasmuch  as  the  plant  remains  erect  in 
shifting  and  therefore  not  so  liable  to  be  damaged. 
When  using  this  pot  the  plant  is  not  turned  up- 


Lord  SufiBeld  Apple.— Mr.  Bunyard  thus 
writes  concerning  this  Apple  in  the  Journal  of 
llorii culture  :  "  The  past  few  months,  varied  with 
occasional  showers,  have  just  suited  this  fine  culi- 
nary Apple,  and  everywhere  it  has  filled  out  and 
produced  very  clean,  handsome  fruits.  An  East 
Kent  grower  has  a  plantation  on  rising  ground, 
which  has  this  year  borne  about  3200  bushels  of 
fruit,  some  of  which  measured  1  foot  in  circum- 
ference— not  a  bad  crop,  as  the  fruit  is  making  Ss. 
per  bushel  if  fine."  There  is  no  doubt  that  this 
Apple  requires  dry,  warm  soil,  and  is  not  suitable 
for  heavy,  low-lying  land.  After  the  severe  frosts 
of  ISSOand  1881  many  trees  perished  and  can- 
kered; the  wood,  being  soft  and  sappy,  was 
penetrated  by  the  frost.  The  foliage  is  also 
subject  to  mildew ;  sulphur  applied  with  a  flour 
duster  is  a  good  remedy.  There  is  no  doubt 
that  summer  pruning  to  let  in  sun  and  air  is  a 
great  advantage,  and  planters  will  do  well  to 
plant  Lord  Suffield  only  in  favourable  situations. 
In  Kent  many  thousands  have  been  killed  by 
overmanuring,  the  autumn  rains  stimulating  a 
fresh  growth,  which  is  too  green  and  unripe  when 
winter  arrives. 

Tomatoes. — The  wholesale  price  for  these 
lately  has  been  about  threepence  per  pound,  and 
outdoor  crops  will  no  doubt  this  year  pay  well  at 
that  price,  seeing  how  exceptionally  favourable 
the  season  has  been  for  them.  As  a  fact,  good 
crops  of  Tomatoes  have  been  obtained  this  year  in 
situations  not  particularly  favourable  to  this  es- 
culent, and  where  the  conditions  were  right,  un- 
doubtedly a  very  superior  yield  has  rewarded  the 
grower  of  outdoor  Tomatoes.  Indoor  fruit  will 
have  done  as  well  in  proportion,  so  that  for  a 
couple  of  months  to  come  this  now  popular  escu- 
lent will  be  cheap  and  good  in  the  London  mar- 
kets. J.  C.  B. 


side  down,  but  the  pot  is  placed  over  an  upright 
stick  which  pacses  through  the  hole  at  the  bottom, 
when  by  gentle  pressure  the  plant  with  the  earth 
intact  is  upraised,  the  empty  pot  sliding  down  the 


stick.  In  order  to  facilitate  this  operation  Mr. 
Crute  has  devised  a  kind  of  perforated  cap,  which, 
placed  over  the  bottom,  keeps  the  soil  and  roots 
intactinrepotting.  The  patentee's  address  is  Lang- 
ton  Lodge,  Westhall  Road,  Honor  Oak,  S.E.  The 
principle  upon  which  it  is  constrircted  is  good, 
and  in  many  cases  pots  of  this  description  will 
doubtless  be  found  to  be  excellent. 


Potatoes.—"  W.  I.  M."  makes  a  Bomev^liat  fierce  on- 
slaiiglit  upnn  Cosmopolitan,  but  he  certainly  merits 
synipatliy  when  we  find,  in  a  season  so  universally  good  for 
Potatoes  and  showing  less  disease  than  has  heen  seen  for 
many  years,  ttiat  his  are  so  hadly  diseased.  As  to  selecting 
from"  Lapstone  Kidney,  which  curiously  enough  he  tenns  a 
good  stock,  several  sorts  that  would  p.ass  muster  in  a  show 
without  producing  disiiualiflcation,  I  would  advise  him 
not  to  attempt  the  experiment  at  the  International  Potato 
Show.— D. 


FlorlBts'modelS.- Imustsaythat  "M.  E.'s" 
defence  of  the  modern  florist  appears  to  me  to  be 
neither  more  nor  less  than  an  attempt  to  white- 
wash the  latter  at  the  expense  of  the  older  florists. 
The  statement  of  "  M.  R.,"  that  the  present  exhibi- 
tor "  laughs  at  the  precious  models  of  the  past 
or  the  simplicity  of  anyone  who  could  fancy  he 
took  them  for  his  guidance,"  is  a  staggerer  when 
we  read  of  and  see  the  precious  standards  judges 
of  florists'  flowers  act  upon  at  the  present  time  ; 
when  we  find  the  arts  of  the  dresser  in  greater 
request  than  ever,  and  an  authority,  like  the 
author  of  "  Hardy  Florists'  Flowers,"  stating  at 
page  CO  that  "  all  the  chances  of  success  of  some 


Oct.  4,   1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


305 


as  fine  Chrysanthemnms  as  have  ever  been  grown 
were  thrown  away  by  not  dressing  tlie  llowers," 
and  putting  others  in  that  "  the  most  skilful  dresser 
could  not  by  any  means  bring  up  to  the  standard 
required  by  the  tlorist."  After  this  I  submit  there 
is  not  much  room  left  to  laugh  at  the  older  iiorists. 
It  does  not  matter  much  which  is  which,  but  do 
not  let  there  be  any  delusion  on  the  subject,  nor 
allow  "the  pot  to  call  the  kettle  black."  If  I 
wrong  "  M.  R, '  will  he  tell  us  where  the  new 
models  that  are  now  in  vogue  are  to  be  found  ? 
The  only  ones  to  which  I  have  access  are  no  better 
than  the  worst  which  even  Glenny  conceived. — 
S.  W. 


Fruit  Garden. 


STOrJNG  APPLES  AND  PEARS. 
The  two  opposite  conditions  of  storing  fruit  men- 
tioned by  Mr.  JIuirlastweek cannot bothanswer the 
same  end  equally  well.  One  of  his  fruit  rooms,  he 
says,  is  "  a  large  airy  room  well  lighted  and  tally 
exposed  to  the  sun,''  and  the  other  is  on  the  con- 
trary aspect,  and  h?.s  "  very  little  ventilation." 
His  experience  is  that  the  fruit  stored  in  the  last  is 
decidedly  inferior  to  that  stored  in  the  other,  i.e.,  a 
light  airy  room.  The  conditions  in  the  two  cases  are 
the  opposite  of  each  other,  and  we  can  well  believe 
that  the  effects  upon  the  fruit  would  be  the  same, 
but  Mr.  Muir's  experience  is  contrary  to  other 
^  people's  in  this  respect.  I  am  not  sure  myself 
that  the  ordinary  fruit  room  of  gardens  is  the  best 
devised  structure  to  keep  fruit  in,  and  1  have  said 
so  before,  but  it  is,  as  a  rule,  the  only  place  pro- 
vided for  the  purpose,  and  the  question  arises,  what 
should  a  fruit  room  be  like,  and  how  should  it  be 
managed  ?  All  practical  and  scientific  authorities 
on  the  subject  are  agreed,  first,  that  a  fruit  room 
should  be  made  thoroughly  clean  and  sweet  before 
the  fruit  is  put  into  it;  and,  secondly,  that  after 
that  it  should  be  maintained  at  .t,  uniform  tempera- 
ture and  kept  dark,  conditions  which  can  only  be 
secured  bj' insulation  and  shutting  off  all  ventilation 
for  the  time  being.  Thesameauthoritiesare equally 
agreed  that  the  kind  of  structure  which  meets 
these  conditions  best  is  one  facing  north,  double 
walled,  and  close,  and  the  worst  kind  of  structure 
one  like  Mr.  Muir's  best  house,  which  is  light  and 
airy,  and  exposed  to  the  sun,  because  in  the  latter 
the  fruit  is  exposed  to  every  fluctuation  of  tem- 
perature that  occurs,  and  may  be  now  covered 
with  dew  from  condensation,  now  dry,  now  cold, 
and  now  warm — vicissitudes  which  must  exerci.se 
an  effect  upon  the  fruit  either  for  good  or  bad  ; 
if  bad,  then  Mr.  Muir's  airy  structure  must 
be  bad  for  storage  purposes  also,  and  rice  i-rrsn. 
The  effects  of  light  and  darkness  upon  ripe  fruit 
is  a  subject  that  has  been  often  discussed  apart 
from  other  conditions.  The  late  Mr.  R.  Thompson, 
of  Chiswick,  states  that  it  has  generally  been  con- 
sidered that  fruit  keeps  best  in  darkness,  and  "  it 
has  been  frequently  observed  that  the  finest  speci- 
mens of  Apples  and  Pears  when  placed  opposite 
a  window  soon  acquire  a  much  inferior  appear- 
ance to  that  presented  by  those  left  in  the  dark, 
and  that  it  would  therefore  appear  that  full  ex- 
posure to  light  is  not  favourable. '  Those  Ameri- 
can Apples  that  remain  months  in  barrels  stored 
away  in  cellars  it  is  certain  do  not  deteriorate  in 
flavour,  for  the  last  of  them  came  out  almost  as 
fresh  and  quite  as  good  flavoured  as  when  they 
arrived,  and  the  barrels  are  dark  enough,  and 
practically  air-tight.  Last  autumn,  about  the 
beginning  of  December,  I  saw  some  remarkably 
fine  examples  of  Lord  Suftield  Apple,  not  a  keep- 
ing kind,  that  had  been  buried  in  sand  from  the 
time  they  were  gathered.  Coming  to  one's  own 
experience  in  such  matters,  I  believe  it  is  very 
much  like  that  of  others  similarly  situated,  and  it 
is  unfavourable  to  airy  and  light  fruit  rooms 
having  a  southern  aspect,  because  in  such  struc- 
tures, although  the  fruit  ripens  sooner  than  it  does 
in  cool,  dark  chambers  and  quite  as  well,  it  does 
not  keep  nearly  so  well  nor  so  long,  and  keeping, 
in  my  opinion,  is  one  of  the  most  important  points 
in  fruit  storing.  In  fact,  to  keep  the  fruit  for  as 
long  a  period  as  possible  is  the  chief  aim  of  most 
gardeners.     Our  fruit  room  here  was  built  with 


double  walls,  double  ceiling,  and  double  floor,  and 
it  did  not  cost  much  if  any  more  than  a  single 
walled  structure.  The  aspect  is  north,  and,  pro- 
vided the  door  is  not  opened  too  frequently,  nor 
the  windows  or  ventilators,  it  is  surprising  how 
steady  the  temperature  remains  in  all  weathers. 
Hence  we  find  it  invaluable  for  preserving  all  sorts 
of  fruits  at  all  seasons ;  also  vegetables,  such  as 
French  Beans  in  spring  when  we  have  a  glut. 
Cucumbers,  and  even  flowers  when  occasion  has 
required.  In  a  room  of  this  kind  I  have  seen 
Apples  kept  in  perfectly  sound  and  good  condition 
without  a  wrinkle  or  blemish  for  two  years  at  least, 
and  that  is  as  long  or  longer  than  most  of  us  need 
to  keep  Apples  and  Pears.  When  Apples  or  Pears 
become  ripe  in  the  usual  sense,  I  do  not  think  the 
process  of  maturation  can  go  on  with  advantage 
afterwards,  as  that  means  decay  and  loss  of 
Savour,  which  in  storage  we  should  try  to  arrest, 
and  that  can  only  be  done  by  placing  the  fruit 
where  it  will  be  cool,  dry,  and  screened  from  the 
sun  and  air.  J.  S.  W. 


GATHERING  AND  STORING  FRUIT. 
Apple.s  are  ripening  with  us  fully  a  fortnight 
earlier  than  usual,  and  we  have  already  gathered 
and  stored  quantities  of  such  sorts  as  Cox's  Orange 
Pippin,  Newtown  Pippin,  King  of  the  Pippins, 
Codlins  of  sorts,  Cellini,  and  other  good  early 
ripening  varieties.  Most  experienced  gardeners 
probably  require  no  advice  as  to  when  Apples  and 
Pears  should  be  picked,  and  how  best  to  store 
them,  but  there  may  still  be  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  readers  of  The  G.vuden  who  may  wish  to 
see  the  subject  discussed.  No  stated  time  or  date 
can  be  given  for  picking  of  any  kind,  but  everything 
should  depend  upon  the  condition  of  the  fruit.  If 
either  Apples  or  Pears  are  gathered  before  they 
are  ripe,  or  rather  the  seedfi  are  nearly  or  quite 
ripe,  the  chances  are  they  will  never  arrive  at  per- 
fection ;  not  a  few  of  them  probably  will  shrivel 
badly.  On  the  other  hand,  if  left  too  long  many 
valuable  fruits  may  drop  or  be  damaged  in  the 
gathering,  and  I  also  find  that  for  any  kind  of 
fruit  to  keep  well  it  should  be  gathered  before  it 
has  arrived  at  the  dropping  stage.  There  are  two 
tests  by  which  it  may  be  discovered  when  Apples 
and  Pears  are  fit  to  gather.  If  on  cutting  through 
a  sound  fruit  the  seeds  or  pips  are  found  nearly 
or  quite  brown,  the  time  has  arrived  for  gathering ; 
or  if  Pears  are  too  valuable  to  out,  these  may  be 
tested  by  merely  raising  the  fruit,  and  if  found  to 
separate  readily  from  the  tree  that  will  also  be  a 
sure  sign  of  fitness  for  storing.  To  leave  any  on 
the  trees  to  become  mellow,  or  fit  for  the  table,  is 
quite  a  mistake,  as,  with  one  or  two  unimportant 
exceptions,  all  kinds  are  better  for  being  carefully 
gathered  and  stored  for  a  few  days,  weeks,  or 
months,  according  to  their  time  of  ripening.  Even 
Apples  intended  for  cider-making  are  kept  several 
weeks  before  they  are  converted  into  cider.  In 
some  sorts  the  chemical  changes  are  more  rapid 
than  in  others,  and  in  most  cases  it  will  be  found 
that  the  more  acid  the  fruit  when  gathered  the 
better  keepers  they  will  prove  owing  to  the  longer 
time  taken  up  in  the  conversion  of  the  starch  and 
acid  into  sugar. 

Best  methods  of  STOEiNCf. — Fruit  rooms  are 
usually  found  in  connection  with  all  large  gar- 
dens, but  these  are  not  always  suitable  for  the 
purpose,  and  are  by  no  means  absolutely  necessary 
in  all  cases.  The  mistake  often  made  is  in  build- 
ing the  fruit  rooms  too  large  and  airy,  as  in  such 
places  the  evaporation  is  too  rapid,  this  naturally 
being  followed  by  premature  shrivelling.  For 
Apples  especially  I  would  prefer  a  disused  Mush- 
room house  to  a  very  dry,  airy  room.  I  have 
repeatedly  observed  that  much  heat  and  moisture 
or  much  heat  and  dryness  are  detrimental  to  keep- 
ing Apples.  Cold  and  moisture,  however,  pro- 
vided the  air  is  excluded,  insures  long  keeping, 
and  is  to  be  recommended  for  kitchen,  but  not 
dessert  Apples,  as  under  these  conditions  but 
little  water  is  evaporated,  and  the  chemical 
changes  are  less  pronounced.  Who,  as  a  boy 
living  in  fruit-growing  districts,  has  not  frequently 
found  perfectly  sound  Apples  in  the  long  Grass  of 
orchards  months  after  they  had  fallen  from  the 


trees?  Again,  how  surprising  it  has  proved  to 
some  to  find  how  well  Apples  will  keep  in  heaps, 
provided  the  position  is  cool  and  the  air  excluded. 
The  truth  is  we  make  too  much  fuss  about  storing 
Apples  in  single  or  thin  layers  on  shelves  in  the 
orthodox  fruit  room.  Better  by  far  store  them  in 
heaps,  hampers,  boxes,  or  drawers,  and  not  touch 
them  till  they  are  wanted,  and  keeping  Pears  may 
with  advantage  be  similarly  stored.  This  has  been 
the  practice  for  many  years  of  one  of  the  most  ex- 
perienced  pomologistswith  whom  lam  acquainted, 
and  this  grower  always  appears  to  have  Apples  later 
and  better  than  anyone  else  in  the  vicinity.  Only 
perfectly  sound  fruits  should  thus  be  stored  and 
these  should  be  gathered  when  dry  and  stored  at 
once  in  hampers,  or,  better  still,  clean  boxes 
with  lids.  They  will  heat  slightly,  but  the  mois- 
ture given  off  will  be  re-absorbed  bv  the  fruit,  and 
will  serve  to  keep  it  plump  and  fresh.  If  Apples 
are  too  plentiful  for  this  style  of  storing  to  be 
practicable,  then  I  should  advise  that  the  keeping 
sorts  be  placed  in  heaps  on  the  floor  and  lowest 
shelves,  utilising  the  other  shelves  for  the  early 
ripening  Apples  and  choice  Pears.  If  the  shelves 
are  latticed  or  formed  with  stripes  of  wood,  as 
they  usually  are,  I  would  cover  these  over  with 
paper,  and  place  more  paper  over  the  fruit.  This 
serves  to  check  siirivelling,  and  is  a  good  protec- 
tion from  frost.  On  no  account  should  hay  or 
straw  come  in  contact  with  the  fruit,  as  this 
material  soon  communicates  a  musty,  disagreeable 
flavour  to  Apples  especially,  and  also  to  Pears, 
though  in  a  lesser  degree.  This  fact  cannot  be 
too  often  repeated,  as  it  is  surprising  hew  many 
there  are  who  store  their  fruit  among  such  mate- 
rial. Last  autumn  I  tasted  fully  one  hundred 
Apples  in  as  many  dishes  at  a  fruit  show,  and  out 
of  this  number  more  than  half  gave  unmistake- 
able  proofs  of  their  having  been  in  contact  with 
straw  or  hay,  the  former  being  the  worst. 

Pears  will  not  keep  nor  ripen  so  well  in  a  low 
temperature  as  Apples,  and  not  unfrequently  it 
is  advisable  to  place  some  of  them  in  a  warm 
house  or  in  a  box  or  drawer  in  the  kitchen  in  order 
to  hasten  maturity.  This  plan  is  particularly  com- 
mendable when  there  is  a  large  crop  of  any  one 
variety,  the  forwarding  a  part  of  them  preventing 
an  undesirable  glut.  It  is  useless,  however,  to 
attempt  to  ripen  any  kind  of  Pear  or  Apple  long 
before  its  natural  season.  For  instance,  with  us 
the  natural  season  of  the  Beurre  Diel  Pear  is  from 
the  third  week  in  October  to  the  end  of  November. 
In  order  to  prolong  this,  by  placing  a  few  fruit 
that  part  readily  from  the  tree  at  the  end  of  Sep- 
tember in  a  warm  hou^e,  I  might  gain  a  week  or  ten 
days,  but  if  I  attempted  to  get  them  still  earlier, 
they  would  colour  well,  and  j'et  eat  as  "  dry  as  a 
chip."  Some  sorts  colour  well  when  unduly  has- 
tened and  remain  fairly  juicy,  but  quite  sour;  this 
IS  the  case  with  both  Marie  Louise  and  Glou  Mor- 
ceau :  others,  again,  grown  in  an  unfavourable  season 
have  refused  to  ripen  unless  placed  in  heat.  This 
autumn  all  the  fruit  stored  will  doubtless  be  fully 
matured,  and  will  ripen  naturally.         W.  I.  M. 

SHORT  NOTES.— FRXJIT. 

Peach  Stump  the  World.-Growii  on  standard 
trees  this  Peaeh  is  of  very  indifferent  flavour  ;  it  would 
lirob.-ibly  he  better  trained  on  wires  or  nailed  to  a  wall.  It 
is  a  very  large  Peach,  but  coarse  in  appearanc,  and  tlie 
majority  of  the  stones  are  cracked.  Tlie  tree  is  a  vigorous 
grower  and  a  moderate  bearer.— J.  C.  C. 

Hale'a  Early  Peach.— It  may  not  be  gener.ally  known 
that  there  are  two  varieties  of  Peaches  sent  out  under  this 
name— one  much  smaller  .and  less  highly  coloured  than  tlie 
other,  and  also  very  interior  in  flavour.  The  true  sort  is  a 
large  highly  coloured  fi-uit  and  the  flavour  excellent.  The 
tree  is  nut  a  very  abundant  bearer. — J.  C.  C 

Late  Strawberries.- 1  send  you  some  Rtrawberricj 
of  the  Vicomtesse  HiSricart  dc  Thury  variety.  Tlicse  are 
gathered  from  plants  forced  last  March  and  April.  After 
being  gradually  liardened  ofl',  I  planted  them  out  the 
result  being  a  good  supply  of  Strawberries  since  August  11 
and  which  will  continue  so  long  as  weather  permits.  This 
is  the  third  season  in  which  I  have  had  Strawberries 
throughout  the  autunm.  I  am  now  going  to  repot  a  quan- 
tity tor  putting  in  the  houses.  By  so  doing  I  had  Str,aw. 
berries  in  December  last  year.— G.  Mitchison,  Perrxi  Hall 
Oardens,  Birmin^hayn. 

','■  EeaUy  excellent  fruits,  having  regard  to  the  lateness 
of  tlie  season,  and  they  are  o£  moderately  good  colour  and 
flavom-.— Ed. 


306 


THE     GARDEN 


[Orr.  4,   1884. 


NATURAL   T'.  ARTIFICIAL  ROCKS. 
In  tlie  matter  of  constructing  reck  or  rock  gardens 
we  have  unquestionably  made  decided  progress  of 
late  years,  not  only  as  regards  making  ourrockeries 
suitable  for   the  successful  growth  of  alpine  and 
other   plants,   but   as   respects   arti^tic  construc- 
tion.    When  we  look   through  gardening  books, 
even  down  so  late  as  Loudon's  time,  and  see  the 
hideous  illustrations  of  rockeries  tlaere  paraded 
as  examples  for  imitation,  it  does  not  require  the 
eye  of  an  art  critic  to  fee  the  adv.ance   that  has 
been  made.     How  a  garden  artist  of  Loudon's 
ability  could  have  sanctioned  the  publication  of 
such  examples  in  his  books  it  is  difficult  to  under- 
stand.    Happily,     we    do    not    see    many    such 
specimens  of  rockeries  now-a-days  in  good  gardens. 
No  one  could  possibly  tolerate  such  absurdities 
if  once  they  saw  a  really    picturesque    artificial 
rockery,  such  as  those  which   may  now  be  seen 
in   almost    every   part    of   the  country   formed 
by  Talham,  of  r.roxbourne.  lie  has  gone  to  Nature 
for  instruction  in  the  art,  and  hence  his  success  in 
the  creation  of  picturesque  effects.      When  first 
formed  his  work  may  appear  crude,  but   when 
weather-stained  and  partially  draped  withgreenery, 
in  many  cases  it  requires  a  critical  eye  to  discern 
whether  art  or  Nature  has  been 
at  work.  In  properly  chosen  spots 
artificial  rocks  are  an  invalu- 
able aid  to  the  landscape  gar- 
dener in  producing  a  pleasing 
home  landscape,  while  on  the 
contrary  they  produce  an  incon- 
gruous, it  not  an  absurd,  effect 
if  placed  in  the  back  garden  of  a 
tmall  suburban  residence,  or  on 
a  flat  surface  where  none  of  the 
surroundings     suggest     rocky 
underlying     strata.      Anyone 
wishing  to  form  a  picturesque 
rockery,  be  he  professional  or 
amateur,   should    study    little 
rocky  scenes  such  as  may  be 
found   in   certain   districts   in 
Derbyshire,  Sussex,  and  a  few 
other  counties,  and  of  which  the 
accompanying  engraving  is   a 
good  representation.    Artificial 
rockeries  may  be  constructed  so 
as  to  be  both  picturesque  and 
suitable  forthecultureof  alpine 
plants,  and  in  no  place  do  moun- 
tain  flowers   have    a    prettier 
effect    than    when    clustering 
round  some  great   boulder  in 
proximity  to  a  cliff,  from  which 
it  may    be  supposed  to  have 
fallen.  The  bane  of  most  artifi- 
cial rockeries  is  their  monotonous  surface,  whereas 
in  Nature  one  rarely  meets  with  a  gradually  sloping 
bank  studded  with  stones.  Again,  artificial  forma- 
tions are  often  too  symmetrical ;  if  a  mound  rises 
in  one  place,  a  similar  one  must,  it  is  thoueht,  be 
made  a  short  distance  from  it  in  order  to  match  it. 
Some  of  the  most  picturesque  effects  may  be  made 
by  unearthing  the  surfaces  of   rocky  strata  in 
localities  wliere  rocks  are  known  to  exist.    Of  this 
some  admirable  examples   may  be    seen   about 
Tunbridge  Wells.     In  one  place  in  particular— 
Nevill  Court,  laid  out  some  years  ago  by  Mr.  Mar- 
nock— the  unearthing  of    the  rocks   has  added 
largely  to  the  attractions  of  the  garden,  and  the 
same  result  attended  similar  operations  at  Glen 
Andred,  near  Uroombridge,  where  the  late   Mr. 
Cook  formed  an  interesting  rockery  in  that  way. 

w.  a. 


to  the  Daffodils.  Here  we  sow  seeds  thinly  in 
February  or  March,  and  in  this  way  we  get  far 
finer  results  than  by  planting  roots  in  the  usual 
way.  The  seedlings  are  transplanted  if  too  thick, 
but  the  best  results  come  from  plants  which  re- 
main   and    establish   themselves  where  sown. — 

V.  w.  r,. 


Indoor    Garden. 


LILIUM  AURATUM  IN  POTS. 
Notwithstanding  the  thousands  of  bulbs  of 
this  Lily  that  week  after  week  are  imported  and 
sold  through  the  autumn  and  winter  months  each 
succeeding  year,  it  cannot  be  said  that  much  way 
is  m.ade  in  its  cultivation  in  the  open  ground.  In 
a  few  places  where  the  soil,  natural  or  prepared, 
and   the   climate  suit  it,  fine  growth  and  abund- 

I  ance  of  flowers  have  been  forthcoming  ;  but  suc- 
cess of  this  kind  is  exceptional,  not  by  any  means 
the  rule.  It  may  be  safely  said  that  in  not  more 
tlian  one  in  a  dozen  places  where  bulbs  have  been 

'  planted  have  they  gone  on  thriving  and  increasing 
in  a  way  tliat  can  be  reckoned  .satisfactory,  Neither 
can  its   cultivation  as  a  pot  plant  be  set  down  as 


it  gets  established  in  a  healthy  thriving  state  it 
will  keep  on  for  an  indefinite  time  if  the  treat- 
ment by  which  it  has  been  induced  to  thrive  is 
closely  followed ;  but  success  with  apparently 
little  attention  of  ren  leads  to  inattention,  whereby 
all  the  work  is  undone  usually  by  deferring  the 
operation  of  potting  until  the  new  root-growth 
has  commenced,  by  which  the  tender  fibres  get 
injured  in  a  way  that  seems  to  upset  the  whole 
system  of  the  plant.  I  have  seen  instances  of  this 
kind  with  specimens  as  large  as  the  Dundee  ex- 
ample where  late  potting  resulted  in  the  ensuing 
season's  growth  not  being  half  what  it  had  been 
before,  with  a  continued  retrograde  movement  that 
nothing  wliich  could  afterwards  be  done  seemed 
able  to  check.  T.  I!. 


Eeedling'Windflo'wers.— Anemones  really 

put  a  floral  girdle  around  the  whole  year.  Just 
now  our  seedling  beds  of  H.  coronaria  are  throw- 
ing up  flowers  of  the  most  vivid  scarlet,  salmon- 
rose,  and  blue-purple,  all  of  which  contrast  plea- 
santly with  A.  japonica  and  its  rosy  and  pure 
\Vhite  varieties.  A.  rutifolia  is  also  in  flower, 
while  the  true  summer  Anemones  (A.  rivularis  and 
A.  dichotoma)  have  only  just  passed  away.  From 
now  onwards  through  all  the  winter,  if  the  wea- 
ther is  mild,  our  seed-beds  will  furnish  flowers, 
the  grand /'('W  dejoie  coming  in  April  as  a  welcome 


A  natural  rock  garden. 


an  unmixed  success,  for  under  the  treatment  to 
which  imported  roots  are  subjected,  not  a  few  of 
them  fail  to  grow,  whilst  many  that  do  make  an 
effort  by  blooming  more  or  less  the  first  season 
dwindle  away  afterwards.  Yet  now  and  then  this 
grand  Lily  may  be  seen  in  such  condition 
as  to  awaken  regret  that  its  well-doing 
is  not  more  general.  Of  such  was  the  excep- 
tionally fine  specimen  shown  at  the  recent 
Dundee  show,  and  which  has  already  been  men- 
tioned in  The  Garden,  yet  about  which  a  word  or 
two  more  may  not  be  out  of  place.  So  far  as  could 
be  judged  by  the  character  of  the  flowers,  and  also 
the  leaves  and  stems,  the  number  of  bulbs  of 
which  the  specimen  was  composed  appeared  to 
all  have  been  produced  from  one.  It  was  grown  in 
a  pot  about  18  inches  in  diameter :  there  were  some 
twenty-five  stems,  the  tallest  of  which  was  some- 
thing like  9  feet  high,  and  bore  ten  or  eleven 
flowers.  Like  nearly  all  the  largest  specimens  of 
this  Lily  I  have  seen  that  have  sprung  from  a 
single  bulb,  it  was  a  tall  grower,  and  the  variety 
only  second-rate,  the  flowers  being  narrow  in  both 
sepals  and  petals,  with  the  spottingless  decided  than 
is  usually  found  in  the  dwarfer-growing,  largest- 
flowered  forms.  A  nobler  object  for  a  large  con- 
servatory than  this  Lily  when  in  the  condition  of 
the  plant  described  it  would  be  difficult  to  imagine  ; 
and  flowering  when  there  is  comparatively  little 
in  bloom  makes  it  doubly  valuable.  So  far  as  my 
experience  goes  wi'h  Lilium  auratum,  when  once 


SPECIMEN  FUCHSIAS. 
Mb    Lye's  method  of  growing  large  Fuchsias,  as 
described  by"  U.  D,'  in  p   lOli  of  The  Garden,  is 
new  to  rae,  but  appears  to  have  much  to  recom- 
mend it.     P.y  the  usual  way  old   Fachsias  are  in- 
duced to  go  completely  to  rest  for  the  winter,  are 
pruned  back   early  in  spring  and  afterwards  en- 
couraged to   break   into  new   growth.     Mr.  Lye 
reverses  this  practice  by  prun- 
ing late  in  autumn  and  winter- 
ing the  plants  with  some  new 
growth   to   each   shoot,   which 
merely   awaits   the  enlivening 
influence   of   the   lengthening 
spring  days  to  push  away  with 
increased  activity.  One  advan- 
tage gained  thereby  is  that  the 
production    of   new    shoots   is 
rendered  more  certain  and  re- 
gular, the  wood   being   plump 
and   fresh,  and  the  roots  still 
active ;  whereas  after  the  resting 
period  some  varieties  are  apt 
to  partially  die  back  or  break 
very  irregularly.     Then,  again, 
the  plants  can,  it  so  desired, 
be   brought   into   flower  at   a 
,   much     earlier    period.      Such 
varieties  as  Mrs.  Marshall  and 
Rose     of    Castile     would,     if 
treated  in  this  manner,  be  in 
full    bloom   in   Jlay    or   early 
in    June,    a   great    advantage 
where  it  is  a  question  of  em- 
bellishing large  conservatories ; 
and  what  can  be  more  beauti- 
ful than  a  B'uchsia  6  feet  high 
and    thoroughly  well   grown  ? 
Still,    it    must    be    admitted 
that    in    some   cases  the  old- 
fashioned  way  of  resting  the  plants  is  preferable  ; 
indeed,  it  is  often  the  only  one  by  which  large 
plants  can  be  brought  through  the  winter.  Cellars, 
outhouses,  and  similar  places  can  be  used  to  store 
them  in,  and  in  late  spring  they  can  be  brought 
out  and  be  pruned  and  grown  along  in  the  open  air. 
A  very  hard  winter  and  a  very  mild  one  are,  how- 
ever,   both   to   be   feared  ;   the   former  is  apt  to 
destroy  and  the  latter  to  excite  growth  in  the  dark 
days.     A  friend  of  mine  used  to  shelter  his  plants 
in  an  outhouse,  along  one  side  of  which  ran  a  flue 
connected  with  one  of  the  glass-houses,  so  that  in 
very  hard  weather  frost  could  be  excluded,  whilst 
in  open  mild  weather  the  doors  which  formed  the 
front  of  it  were  thrown  open.  The  plants  averaged 
7  feet  high,  and  made  a  fine  show  in  summer.     In 
another  place  they  were  stored  away  in  a  cellar 
until  February,  and  were  then  taken  out,  pinned,  all 
the  old  soil  shaken  away  and  repotted,  and  placed 
in  an  orangery.     They  were  many  of  them  quite 
ancient  specimens,  but  they  always  bloomed  well ; 
in  fact,  I  consider  that  old  Fuchsias  as  well  repay 
time  and  labour  bestowed  as  any  tender  flowering 
plantin  cultivation.  Togrow large  specimens  in  one 
year  the  cuttings  should  be  struck  in  August  in 
single  pots,  keeping  them  just  moving  in  a  light 
house  through  the  winter.     During  the  spring  they 
should  get  a  nice  genial  temperature,  which  will 
promote  a  quick  growth  without  causing  the  wood 
to  become  drawn,  and  as  the  pots  become  fairly 
filled  with  roots,  and  before  they  can  become  pot- 


Oct.  4    1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


307 


bound,  they  should  be  shifted.  Some  kinds  re- 
quire stopping,  others  naturally  assume  a  pretty 
pyramidal  shape  without  it,  but  this  can  only  be 
determined  by  actual  observation  of  the  pecu- 
liarities of  each  kind.  Flower  buds  must  be 
picked  oS  and  a  stake  affixed  to  each  plant.  In 
this  way  fine  specimens  .5  feet  high  well  propor- 
tioned and  clothed  to  the  rim  of  the  pot  with 
healthy  foliage  will  be  formed  by  the  middle  of 
July.  J.  C.  B. 

SCARBOROUGH  LILIES. 
When  I  wrote  under  this  head  (p.  261)  my  exact 
words  were,  "  So  far,  I  believe,  this  fine  old  plant 
has  defied  all  the  attempts  of  the  hybridiser,  and 
that  numbers  of  such  attempts  have  been  made 
goes  without  the  saying.  I  have  never  yet  induced 
this  plant  to  produce  good  seed,  but  shall  try 
again  this  season."  Now  on  p.  284  Mr.  Cornhill 
says,  " '  Veronica '  thinks  that  good  Vallota  seeds 
have  never  been  gathered  in  this  country,"  when, 
as  a  matter  of  fact,  I  never  thought  anything  of 
the  kind.  I  can,  however,  forgive  Mr.  Cornhill's 
inexact  reading  since  he  gives  us  such  useful  and 
practical  information  as  to  sowing  the  seeds  of 
Vallota  as  soon  as  they  ripen,  a  practice  which  has 
been  adopted  here  with  all  sorts  of  seeds  whatever 
for  years,  and  with  considerable  advantage.  I  had 
a  bulb  of  Vallota  purpurea  var.  major  from  Col- 
chester, and  it  was  as  big  as  my  fist,  with  leaves  2 
feet  in  length.  Its  flowers  are  like  the  tj  pe,  bat 
larger  and  brighter  in  colour,  with  more  of  a 
violet  shade  in  the  colouring.  It  is  simply  a 
stronger-growing  and  larger-flowered  form  of  the 
self-coloured  type. 

V.  purpurea  eximia,  which  I  saw  long  ere  Jlr. 
Bull  sent  it  out,  is  a  little  less  vivid  in  colour  than 
the  type  in  reality,  although  the  whitish  eye  or 
centre  of  the  flower  lends  some  emphasis  to  its 
glowing  perianth.  If  Mr.  Cornhill  will  allow  me, 
I  shall  be  most  happy  to  send  him  a  bulb  and 
flower  of  Vallota  purpurea,  the  typical  self-red 
kind  as  here  grown.  Can  Mr.  Cornhill  tell  us  if 
anyone  has  successfully  hybridised  this  fine  old 
plant  ?  I  know  that  some  of  our  best  known  raisers 
of  new  plants  have  been  experimenting  with 
Vallota  for  years,  but  so  far  as  I  am  as  yet  aware 
without  success.  Verokica. 


Solanum  jasminoldes  is  a  very  beautiful 
climber  for  a  cool  house ;  indeed  in  the  mildest 
parts  of  the  kingdom  it  does  well  on  open  walls.  In 
order  to  see  it  in  perfection  it  must  have  plenty  of 
root  room,  and  where  this  is  accorded  it  there  are 
few  more  beautiful  plants  in  cultivation.  In  this 
locality  it  does  well  as  an  open  wall  plant,  and 
out  of  doors  it  keeps  far  cleaner  than  under  glass, 
where  it  is  liable  to  insect  pests  unless  well 
attended  to  with  water  at  the  root  and  with 
copious  syringing  overhead.  As  a  covering  for  a 
porch  or  verandah  it  is  singularly  well  adapted, 
for  if  the  main  shoots  are  placed  in  the  position  it 
is  desired  to  cover  and  the  rest  allowed  to  grow 
naturally,  it  will  in  autumn  be  a  complete  mass  of 
lovely  delicate  blossoms.  It  strikes  freely  from 
young  side  shoots  taken  off  with  a  heel  and  in- 
serted round  the  edge  of  small  pots  in  fine  sandy 
soil.  If  intended  for  planting  out,  the  young 
plants  should  be  grown  on  in  pots  until  they  are  at 
least  2  feet  high,  and  well  hardened  off  by  full 
exposure  to  the  open  air  for  some  time  before  the 
planting  out  occurs,— J.  G.,  Hants. 

Fuchsia  triphylla  —It  may  be  interesting 
to  some  to  learn  that  this  Fuchsia,  of  which  a 
flowering  plant  at  Kew  was  noted  in  The  Garden 
lately,  is  the  species  on  which  the  genus  was 
founded  nearly  20<j  years  ago,  and  that  it  was 
absolutely  the  last  to  be  introduced  to  cultivation. 
Sir.  Hemsley.  of  the  Kew  herbarium,  wrote  a  very 
interesting  history  of  this  plant  two  years  ago, 
when  specimens  of  it  were  sent  to  Kew  by  Messrs. 
E.  G.  Henderson  with  the  information  that  it  had 
been  collected  by  Thomas  Hogg  "  in  the  island  of 
St.  Domingo,  where  it  grows  not  over  18  inches 
high,  and  forms  a  round  bush,  every  shoot  being 
terminated  with  a  raceme  of  orange-scarlet,  wax- 
like flowers."    Previous  to  this  the  plant  had  never  I 


been  seen  in  garden?,  nor,  as  Mr.  Hemsley  states, 
was  it  known  in  the  Kew  herbarium.  From  an 
early  period  its  identity  had  been  lost,  through 
another  species  having  been  associated  with  it,  or 
rather,  accepted  for  it.  To  the  hybridiser  this 
totally  distinct  species  will  furnish  excellent 
material  from  which,  in  combination  with  other 
garden  Fuchsias,  a  new  race  of  these  popular 
plants  may  be  obtained.  F.  triphylla  is  not  a 
botanical  plant  merely,  but  an  excellent  subject 
for  the  greenhouse,  because  of  its  neat,  compact 
habit  and  the  brilliant  colour  and  distinct  beauty 
of  its  pendent,  tubular  flowers.  We  have  an  army 
of  garden  Fuchsias  whose  number  is  legion,  and 
many  of  them  are  as  much  alike  as  one  red  coat  is 
like  another.  A  new  and  distinct  species  may 
therefore  be  welcomed  as  giving  promise  of  new 
breaks,  new  colours,  and  new  forms. —  B. 


Orchids. 

ORCHIDS  AT  CRAIGLEITH  NURSERY. 
Theee  always  appears  to  be  a  fascination  attached 
to  Orchids  such  as  is  not  observable  in  other 
plants.  When  once  their  cultivation  is  begun,  if 
success  is  attained,  it  acts  as  a  stimulant  to 
further  increase  their  number;  hence  the  gigantic 
collections  in  private  lands  and  for  trade  purposes 
that  now  exist.  In  accordance  with  this  onward 
movement,  Messrs.  Ireland  &  Thomson  keep  on  in- 
creasing thfir  stock.  The  nursery  is  situated 
sufficiently  far  from  Edinburgh  to  be  beyond  the 
influence  of  smoky  vapours  that  are  inseparable 
from  a  large  town  ;  and  what  is  of  even  greater 
importance,  the  houses  in  which  the  plants  are 
grown  are  not  only  constructed  with  a  view  to 
their  affording  the  greatest  amount  of  light  to 
the  occupants,  but  are  placed  on  a  knoll,  where 
there  is  nothing  that  can  in  the  least  interfere 
with  the  light  reaching  the  plants.  The  growth 
made  is  of  the  right  sort,  the  bulbs  and  leaves 
being  remarkable  for  their  strength  and  solidity. 
Under  such  conditions,  combined  with  the  better 
state  in  which  plants  now  reach  this  country,  it 
is  surprising  how  soon  they  get  over  the  severe 
punishment  they  receive  in  their  transfer  from  their 
native  wilds.  Here  may  be  seen  quantities  of  the 
leading  kinds  of  Cattleya,  such  as  C.  Triana;,  C. 
Dowiana,  C.  Mendelli,  C.  Mossiai,  and  others  in 
large  and  medium  sized  plants  that  have  been  only 
a  comparatively  short  time  in  the  country,  and 
have  yet  made  top  and  root  growth  little  inferior 
to  that  usually  met  with  in  stock  that  has  been 
established  double  the  length  of  time.  Dendro- 
biums  are  grown  in  quantity  and  do  remarkably 
well.  One  of  the  most  Deautitul  of  the  whole  genus, 
D.  Devonianum,  a  kind  that  many  growers  do  not 
succeed  with,  has  bulbs  of  unusual  size  alike  re- 
markable for  their  length  and  thickness  and  sub- 
stance of  their  leaves ;  some  of  the  strongest 
growths  were  quite  i  feet  long  and  proportionately 
thick.  Jlost  of  the  other  favourite  species  of  Den- 
drobiums  thrive  equally  well,  particularly  D.  for- 
mosum,  D.  Falconeri,  D.  thyrsiflorum,  D.  Wardi- 
anum,  and  D.  Dearei,  the  beautiful  white  flowers 
of  which  are  excellent  for  bouquets.  If  proof 
were  wanting,  it  is  at  hand  here,  that  where  the 
plants  are  exposed  to  a  maximum  amount  of 
light,  and  are  not  subjected  to  a  steaming,  air- 
excluded  atmosphere,  many  species  can  be  well 
grown  together  that  are  often  supposed  to  require 
considerable  difference  in  temperature.  In  one  of 
the  long,  low,  span-roofed  houses  maj-  be  seen  the 
different  kinds  of  Saccolabium,  such  as  S.  gutta- 
tum,  S.  Blumei,and  S.ampullaceum,  with  the  warm 
kinds  of  Aerides,  such  as  A.  quinquevulnerum  and 
A.  virens  side  by  side  with  A  crispum,  A.  Lindle)'- 
anum,  A.  Fieldingi,  A.  Warneri,  and  many  other 
species  that  are  often  looked  on  as  difficult  to 
manage  in  the  same  house.  Here  the  hot  and 
cooler  species  appear  to  thrive  equally  well. 
Cypripediums  grow  like  weeds  and  flower  abun- 
dantly, as  they  usually  do  where  well  managed. 
Odontoglossums  of  the  warmer  kinds,  such  as  O. 
vexillarium,  O.  Roezli,  and  0.  Phala^nopsis,  are  in 
fine  condition,  as  are  also  the  cool  sorts,  such  as  0. 
crispum,  O.  Pescatorei,  and  others,  of  which  the 
stock  is  considerable. 


Amongst  other  heat-requiring  plants  that  suc- 
ceed well  here  may  be  named  Nepenthes,  of  which 
there  is  a  nice  selection,  including  N.  Northiana, 
N.  bicalcarata,  N.  Rafflesiana,  and  many  of  the 
distinct-looking  new  hybrids,  of  which  there  are 
now  numbers  that  deserve  a  place.  The  plants 
pitcher  freely,  showing  that  the  treatment  they 
receive  suits  them.  T.  B. 


A  THIRTY-FIVE  DAYS'  ORCHID  SHOW 
IN  FRANCE. 
It  is  not  often  that  one  meets  with  an  amateur 
who,  with  the  laudable  object  of  developing  popu- 
lar taste  for  a  certain  class  of  plants,  is  willing  to 
run  the  risk  of  losing  or  at  any  rate  impairing 
the  health  of  some  of  his  favourites  for  that  pur- 
pose. Flower  shows  of  long  duration  have  very 
properly  been  practically  abolished  in  this  country, 
but  they  still  remain  the  order  of  the  day  in  nearly 
every  part  of  the  Continent.  No  one  in  England 
would,  I  apprehend,  allow  his  Orchids  to  be  exhi- 
bited for  the  good  of  the  public  for  a  period  ex- 
ceeding thirty  days  and  away  from  his  own  place. 
The  exhibition  to  which  I  refer  was  held  at  Rouen, 
in  Normandy,  where  some  14,000  visitors  daily 
paid  homage  to  a  display  of  flowers  graciously 
furnished  in  a  most  disinterested  way  by  that  most 
ardent  lover  of  Orchids,  the  Comte  de  Germiny. 
The  exhibition  was  opened  on  August  25,  when  a 
most  gorgeous,  and  I  may  safely  say  a  unique, 
display  ot  flowers  took  place.  The  intrinsic  value 
of  the  exhibits,  combined  with  the  skill  displayed 
in  the  grouping  of  the  plants  and  the  happy  com- 
bination of  flowering  and  fine-foliaged  plants 
intermixed,  rendered  the  whole  most  attractive; 
for,  although  Orchids  formed  the  principal  feature, 
and  I  may  say  the  one  best  liked  by  the  generality 
of  visitors,  still  the  show  was  not  limited  to  that 
class  of  plants  only.  At  the  time  of  my  visit — 
that  is  to  say,  about  three  weeks  after  the  opening 
of  the  exhibition  —  there  were  still  over  sixty 
species  of  Orchids  in  full  bloom,  and  as  to  the 
condition  of  the  plants,  that  was  above  all  praise. 
How  could  anyone  refrain  from  admiring  such  a 
marvel  as  a  Cattleya  crispa  over  3  feet  across  and 
bearing  12,5  blooms,  or  a  C.  pallida  of  the  same 
dimensions  with  eighty-five  flowers  of  a  beautiful 
delicate  blush  colour  ;  also  an  example  of  C.  Mossi.-E 
of  the  same  dimensions  and  carrying  seventy- 
five  superb  flowers  ?  Cattleya  Dowiana  grows 
wonderfully  well  at  Gouville,  and  produces  it3 
rich  blossoms  in  immense  quantities;  a  few  of 
them  were  still  in  very  good  form  in  the  show,  and 
amongst  them  one  with  blooms  measuring  3i  inches 
across.  Lielia  elegans  alba  had  twenty-six  bulbs, 
some  of  which  measured  26  inches  in  height.  It 
is  an  exceedingly  fine  form,  known  on  the  Conti- 
nent as  the  Champlatreux  variety,  a  kind  intrc- 
duced  at  least  some  twenty  years  ago,  and  even 
now  very  seldom  met  with.  Of  other  Lrelias  I 
noticed  a  fine  specimen  in  grand  health  of  the 
rpre  L.  Turneri,  carrying  a  spike  of  nine  beau'iful 
flowers,  and  another  form  of  L.  elegans,  distinct 
from  and  handsomer  than  anything  I  ever  saw  in 
that  way.  The  plant  had  twelve  good  strong 
bulbs,  and  its  habit  is  that  of  L.  elegans  alba, 
with  bulbs  about  22  inches  high.  The  spike 
carried  six  large  flowers  of  very  good  colour 
and  substance,  the  petals  nearly  meeting  one 
another,  and  the  lip,  which  was  wonderfully  fine, 
being  fully  2 J  inches  across,  and  grandly  coloured. 
Saccolabiums,  which  grow  at  Gouville  better 
than  anywhere  else,  were  well  represented  at  the 
show.  Amongst  them  was  a  fine  specimen  of  a 
very  good  variety  of  S.  Blumei  majus,  bearing 
two  compact  spikes  of  22  inches  long  each,  and 
there  was  quite  a  unique  plant  of  S.  retusum 
giganteum.  Several  plants  of  a  wonderfully  good 
variety  of  Odontoglossum  grande  were  also  to  be 
seen  here  and  there  lighting  up  the  show ;  their 
spikes  consisted  mostly  of  six  flowers  each. 
Several  good  plants  of  Odontoglossum  Alexandise 
were  dotted  here  and  there,  and  allowed  to  display 
their  graceful  wreaths  of  lovely  flowers.  Good 
varieties  of  O.  Pescatorei  were  also  used  for  the 
purpose  of  giving  the  place  a  light,  fairy-like 
aspect,  and  in  all  oases  the  plants  were  the  very 
picture  of  health.    Hanging  against  the  pillars 


308 


THE     GAEDEN 


[Oct  4,  1884. 


were  two  superb  masses  of  Oncidinm  iucurvum, 
each  famished  with  five  strong  flower-spikes  from 
25  inches  to  36  inches  long,  and  on  which  there 
must  have  been  thousands  of  pretty  pale  lilac 
flowers.  Another  beautiful  and  comparatively  rare 
Oncidium  which  was  the  admiration  of  everyone 
was  0.  Wentworthianum,  famished  with  four 
flower-spikes,  and  carrying  amongst  them  116 
branchlets,  each  bearing  from  six  to  fifteen  flowers 
— a  perfect  cloud  of  wasps  in  miniature,  so  to 
speak.  The  Vandas,  many  of  which  were  dotted 
about  the  house,  were  truly  superb.  V.  suavis  and 
tricolor  were  represented  by  specimens  of  from  4 
feet  to  6  feet  high,  and  bearing  from  three  to  five 
shoots  each.  There  was  also  a  very  fine  V.  Bate- 
mani  nearly  8  feet  high  and  well  foliaged  to  the 
bottom.  The  lovely  Barkeria  elegans  and  cyclo- 
tella  likewise  made  a  very  effective  show,  loaded 
as  they  were  with  hundreds  of  flowers  of  a  pecu- 
liarly graceful  drooping  character.  A  grand  ex- 
ample on  a  block  of  Epidendrum  vitellinum  majus 
was  perfectly  ablaze.  It  had  fifteen  flower-spikes, 
and  by  its  side  was  an  enormous  E.  prismato- 
carpum  with  an  enormous  quantity  of  blossoms. 
Grown  on  blocks  also,  or  rather  on  pieces  of  board, 
were  some  grand  specimens  of  Dendrobium 
formosum  giganteum,  with  growths  the  size  of  an 
ordinary  candle  and  terminated  by  quite  a  bunch 
of  huge  white  blossoms  blotched  in  the  throat  with 
yellow.  The  comparatively  new  D.  Dearei  was 
also  well  furnished  with  flowers,  the  pure  white  of 
which  is  gently  relieved  by  streaks  of  pale  green 
in  the  lower  part  of  the  tube.  In  addition  to  the 
beauty  of  the  individual  flowers,  this  plant  possesses 
the  advantage  of  being  particularly  well  adapted  for 
a  thirty-five  days'  Orchid  show,  as  under  ordinary 
treatment  its  blooms  keep  their  freshness  for 
thirteen  or  fourteen  weeks,  p'rom  the  roof  was 
also  suspended  a  remarkably  fine  specimen  of 
Grammatophyllum  Ellisi,  which,  like  the  previous 
plant,  has  been  in  flower  for  full  three  months  ; 
the  display  was  very  grand,  there  being  sixty- 
eight  flowers  all  open  on  the  plant  atone  time.  It 
was  in  a  basket,  and  matched  in  size  a  huge 
Coelogyne  Massangeana  with  eight  flower-spikes, 
some  of  which  measured  18  inches  in  length.  The 
elegance  of  this  plant  cannot  possibly  be  over- 
rated, and  when  its  lovely  nankeen  flowers  are 
open  it  never  fails  to  attract  attention.  There  are 
some  grand  plants  of  it  at  Ferriferes,  Gouville, 
Champlatreux,  and  also  in  some  more  or  less 
known  places. 

Ctpripediums  and  Stanhopeas  were  also  well 
shown  at  Kouen.  They  are  very  common  on  the 
Continent,  every  collection  that  one  visits  contain- 
ing all  the  best  forms  of  them,  and  even  where 
there  is  no  attempt  at  growing  Orchids  in  a  general 
way  Stanhopeas  may  be  found.  They  are  of  easy 
culture  and  very  curious  when  in  flower.  There 
were  hanging  from  the  roof  sixteen  baskets  of 
them,  all  in  capital  health,  with  foliage  stiff 
and  of  a  dark  green  colour;  on  some  of  the 
baskets  we  counted  four  spikes  and  a  total  of 
twenty-  one  flowers  open  at  one  time.  Cypripediums, 
or  Lady's  Slippers,  are  also  grown  to  a  greater 
extent  on  the  Continent  than  in  this  country; 
many,  in  fact,  grow  nothing  or  hardly  anything 
else.  Therefore  it  is  not  surprising  that  we  found 
at  the  show  C.  selligerum  maj  us  withfour  spikes  and 
nine  flowers  ;  and  there  was  also  a  grand  specimen 
of  C.  Lawrencianum  likewise  with  nine  beautiful 
flowers.  It  is  a  plant  that  is  rising  in  importance 
every  year.  Of  C.  superbiens  or  Veitchi  I  ob- 
served a  very  fine  specimen  carrying  eight  good 
flowers.  This,  though  a  comparatively  old  plant, 
is  still  one  of  the  most  striking  of  its  class.  As- 
sociated with  these  was  a  fine  specimen  of  C. 
caudatum,  an  extra  fine  variety  bearing  two  spikes 
and  seven  flowers.  The  above,  with  the  addition  of 
a  few  more  plants  of  less  striking  character,  such  as 
Oncidium  Lanceanuni,  Miltonia  Clowesi.spectabilis, 
and  Morelliana,  Cattleya  Harrison!  and  Gaskelliana 
with  nineteen  flowers,  Odontoglossum  rosenm  with 
five  spikes,  Phalasnopsis  amabilis,  Mesospinidium 
sangnineum,  Aerides  quinquevulnerum,  and  On. 
cidium  Papilio  majus,  formed  the  bulk  and 
undoubtedly  the  most  interesting  part  of  the  show. 
I  must  not  omit  to  mention,  however,  the  grandest 


plant  of  Sobralia  xantholeuca  I  have  ever  seen. 
It  had  twenty-one  flowering  growths,  which  during 
the  time  of  the  show  producedatotalof  some  eighty 
of  its  lovely  yellow  flowers.  This  is  a  plant  quite 
unique  in  its  way. 

The  ta.steful  aeeanCxEment  of  the  house 
was  everywhere  noticeable.  Some  beautiful 
Gloxinias  were  backed  with  handsome  Caladiums. 
Among  the  former  were  some  very  excellent  forms, 
and  in  many  cases  the  flowers  measured  ,3  inches 
across,  and  were  produced  in  profusion  even  thus 
late  in  the  season.  I  also  noticed  a  fine  group  of 
Achimenes  prettily  edged  with  small  Ferns  and 
the  dwarf-growing  Caladium  argyrites,  and  an 
equally  low-habited  variety  with  red  foliage  called 
C.  minus  erubescens.  The  centre  bed  contained, 
besides  many  of  the  plants  already  described,  some 
grand  specimens  of  fine-foliage'd  plants,  such  as 
Maranta  zebrina,  8  feet  through  without  a  speck  ; 
Phyllotsenium  Lindeni,  a  superb  variety,  well 
variegated,  and  measuring  over  5  feet  through; 
also  several  examples  of  Anthurium  Andreanum, 
an  excellent  variety,  each  plant  carrying  from 
six  to  ten  flowers,  and  an  A.  Scherzerianum,  quite 
unique.  The  latter,  grown  in  a  shallow  tub,  was 
in  extraordinary  good  condition  ;  the  foliage  was 
firm  and  dark,  and  the  flowers  very  plentiful.  I 
counted  over  forty  open  at  that  time,  while  in 
May  last  the  same  plant  was  literally  covered  with 
blooms.  A  magnificent  specimen  of  the  curiously 
mottled  Dracjena  Goldieana  and  two  superb  plants 
of  Lapageria  alba  and  rosea  about  complete  the 
list  of  plants  at  the  show.  There  were,  however, 
a  good  few  Nepenthes  hung  up  here  and  there 
along  the  roof,  and  being  intermixed  with  the 
Orchids  greatly  added  to  the  general  effect.  The 
show  house  was  illuminated  nightly  by  the  electric 
light,  the  one  styled  the  "  Lampe  Soleil,"  the  light 
of  which  is  soft  and  perfectly  free  from  any 
fluctuations.  After  seeing  this  display  of  Orchids 
at  Rouen,  one  would  naturally  imagine  that  the 
houses  at  Gouville  would  be  nearly  empty,  but 
such  was  not  the  case ;  on  the  contrary,  hardly 
any  plants  seemed  to  have  been  removed. 

Disa. 


Scutlcaria  Steeli.— This  is  not  only  a  hand- 
some, but  a  most  distinct  Orchid,  there  being  but 
very  few  species  having  similar  leaves.  The  latter 
are  about  a  foot  long,  quite  cylindrical,  and  very 
fleshy.  The  flowers  are  "showy,  being  fully 
2  inches  across,  with  mottled  sepals  and  a  broad, 
shell-like  lip,  white,  spotted  and  freckled  with 
purple.  It  is  not  among  the  commonest  of  Or- 
chids, but  has  been  commoner  recently.  Messrs. 
Horsman,  of  Colchester,  send  us  some  fine 
flowers  of  it. 

The  Dunlop  House  Orchids.— A  numer- 
ous gathering  of  orchidists  assembled  last  week 
(2.J  ult.)  at  Stevens's  rooms  on  the  occasion  of  the 
sale  of  the  collection  formed  by  the  late  Mr.  T.  D. 
Cunningham  Graham,  at  Dunlop  House,  Ayrshire, 
and  which  he  liberally  bequeathed  to  his  gardener, 
Mr.  D.  Kemp.  The  reason  why  more  than  usual 
interest  was  taken  in  this  sale  was  on  account  of 
the  collection  not  only  being  uncommonly  rich  in 
choice  varieties,  but  also  owing  to  the  plants 
being  in  such  a  vigorous  state  of  health.  There 
were  numbers  of  magnificent  specimens,  and  par- 
ticularly of  Vandas,  of  which  there  has  probably 
never  been  sold  at  Stevens's  such  grand  plants. 
For  example,  there  was  a  pair  of  Vanda  suavis, 
each  of  which  could  not  have  been  less  than 
7  feet  in  height.  One  of  these  was  'Veitch's 
variety  of  suavis,  and  bore  no  fewer  than  twenty- 
two  flower-spikes  last  season,  and  the  plan  t  was  alto- 
gethera  model  of  health  and  vigour.  It  was  sold  to 
Messrs.  Sander  &  Co.,  St.  Albans,  for  30  guineas. 
The  other  plant,  a  fine  variety  of  tricolor,  went  to 
the  same  buyer  for  16  guineas.  Among  others  of 
the  largest  prices  were  the  following :  Angrajcum 
sesquipedale  above  4  feet  high,  18  guineas ;  another 
young  plant  with  thirteen  leaves,  15  guineas ; 
Vanda  suavis  (Veitch's  variety),  21  guineas; 
Vanda  Lowi,  16  guineas;  Epidendrum  prismato- 
carpum,  lo  guineas;  Cattleya  intermedia,  a  fine 
plant  with  about  a  hundred  bulbs,  31  guineas ; 


Lrelia  purpurata  alba,  16  guineas;  Vanda  suavis 
(Manchester  variety),  £17  ■  Cattleya  Trianse  Mas- 
sangeana, 10  guineas;  Cypripedium  grande,  10 
guineas  ;  C.  selligerum  majus,  14i  guineas  ;  C.  selli- 
gerum, 10  guineas;  C.  euryand'rom,  10  guineas; 
Lffilia  anceps  Hilli,  8J  guineas ;  Cypripedium 
Dominianum,  11  guineas;  Dendrochilum  filiforme 
(had  ninety  spikes  this  season),  12  guineas ;  Cypri- 
pedium superbiens,  10  guineas ;  Masdevallia 
Harryana  splendens,  14  guineas ;  Lfelia  anceps 
Barkeri,  7  guineas ;  Cattleya  gigas  ftwenty-two 
bulbs),  6i  guineas  ;  Masdevallia  Harryana  conchi- 
flora,  iTlOs.;  Cymbidium  eburneum,  £S  10s.;  C. 
Lowianum  (Russell's  variety),  11  guineas;  Odon- 
toglossum vexillarium  Cobbianum,  £7  ;  Coelogyne 
cristata  (Chatsworth  variety),  thirty  growths, 
£o  10s.  The  total  amount  realised  was  i740,  the 
number  of  lots  being  some  280. 


•WORK  DONE  IN  WEEK  ENDING  OCT.  1,  1884. 

September  25. 
At  this  season  our  work  is  sadly  interfered  with 
by  the  daily  sweeping  up  required  by  plea- 
sure grounds,  and  though,  after  long  usage,  we 
have  come  to  regard  such  work  as  a  matter  of 
course,  the  temptation  to  shirk  it  is  sometimes 
very  strong  ;  and  it  is  particularly  so  in  this  grand 
weather  that  is  so  favourable  for  storing  Apples, 
work  that,  with  sweeping,  has  occupied  all  our 
hands  to-day.  Fruit  gathering  is  so  important 
that  personal  supervision  of  it  is  never  dispensed 
with,  and  the  Apples  are  really  gathered,  not 
pulled  off  and  thrown  into  the  baskets,  but  with 
care  not  to  bruise  them,  and  they  are  just  as 
carefully  put  on  the  fruit  room  shelves,  the  final 
placing  of  them  being  deferred  till  a  rainy  day, 
when  a  job  of  that  sort  is  pleasurable  and  com- 
fortable work  for  the  men.  In  and  about  the  houses 
our  doings  have  been  preparatory  of  safely  housing 
our  winter  stock  of  bedding  plants  ;  the  pits  and 
frames  are  being  cleared  out,  and  Pelargoniums 
that  are  being  struck  in  boxes  will  shortly  occupy 
these  quarters,  and  next  will  follow  those  that  have 
been  struck  in  tlie  open  ground,  and  that  will  be 
potted  on  the  first  opportunity.  Ridge  Cucumbers 
are  over,  and  the  frames  they  have  occupied  are 
being  washed,  and  their  next  use  will  be  that  of 
sheltering  pot  Strawberries.  The  unnatural  mode  of 
wintering  these,  viz.,  turned  on  their  sides  and 
stacked  up,  is  so  ridiculous  that  persons  who 
practise  it  deserve — as  indeed  they  court — failure. 
Our  plants  are  left  thin  on  the  ground  till  severe 
frost  occurs,  being  as  regularly  cared  for  in  the 
matter  of  watering,  weeding,  and  pinching  away 
runners  as  they  are  when  being  forced,  and  well 
do  they  reward  us  for  such  autumnal^treatment. 

September  26. 
Carted  manure  heap  from  stables  and  threw  it 
together,  the  freshest  litter  being  mixed  with 
leaves  to  renew  the  heat  in  Pine  pits  a  week  or 
ten  days  hence,  and  the  dry  and  rotten  were  mixed 
together  and  well  watered,  and  will  be  ready  for 
the  land  quite  as  soon  as  we  shall  find  time  to  use 
it.  The  most  decayed  of  this  heap  will  be  used  as 
a  winter  mulch  for  the  Strawberry  plots,  the 
runners  of  which  were  again  cut  away  and  the 
ground  weeded.  A  row  or  two  of  the  old  forced 
plants  that  were  planted  out  early,  being  full  of 
fruit,  have  to-day  been  mulched  with  clean  straw, 
not  that  such  fruit  is  valued  now  when  there  is  an 
abundance  of  other  fruits,  but  novelty  counts  for 
something  now-a-days.  The  variety  Vicomtesse 
Hcricart  de  Thury  is  the  only  kind  worthy  of 
growing  for  autumn  fruiting,  and  it  is  a  kind  that 
persists  in  fruiting  at  this  season,  whether  it  is 
wanted  or  not.  Gathered  several  dozens  of  Peaches ; 
the  Nectarine  Peach,  Lady  Palmerston,  Princess 
of  Wales,  and  Gregory's  Late  are  the  best  kinds 
now  in,  and  all  are  splendid  in  colour. 
Lord  Palmerston  is  handsome,  but  quite  worth- 
less to  eat,  being  so  near  akin  to  chewing  rags, 
that  we  shall  decline  to  give  his  lordship  any 
quarter  in  future.  If  laid  on  dry,  soft  Moss, 
Peaches  keep  for  a  fortnight  in  a  cool  fruit  room. 
Grapes  have  been  examined  as  to  removal  of  bad 
berries,  and  some  of  the  ripest  Hamburghs  have 
been  cut  and  put  in  bottles  in  the  Grape  room,  as 


Oct.  4,   1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


309 


here  they  keep  more  plump  than  on  the  Vines  for 
the  short  time  that  we  desire  to  keep  them.  Were 
they  needed  to  be  kept  for  a  long  time  we  would 
prefer  to  leave  them  on  the  Vines,  using  only  just 
sufficient  fire-heat  to  keep  the  air  of  the  house 
lighter  than  the  outside  air  to  prevent  condensa- 
tion of  moisture  on  and  consequent  decay  of  the 
berries.  All  our  Grapes — even  the  Lady  Downes 
— being  now  quite  ripe,  this  is  the  treatment 
they  all  now  have.  Pruned  our  early  vinery; 
the  sorts  are  lUack  Hamburgh,  Black  Prince, 
and  Golden  (Jueen.  Royal  Muscadine  and 
Bnckland  Sweetwater  we  formerly  had  as 
white  kinds,  but  they  have  both  been  out 
out  in  favour  of  Hamburghs,  It  was  a  mistake  to 
plant  Golden  r)ueen  in  this  house,  as  it  takes  so 
much  longer  time  to  ripen  than  Hamburghs,  a  point 
we  were  ignorant  of  when  it  was  planted,  bat  it 
A:>es  so  well  and  is  much  appreciated,  that  we  can- 
not afford  to  cut  it  out.  The  border  is  wholly 
outside,  and  has  already  had  its  annual  dressing  of 
new  soil,  and  has  been  covered  for  the  winter  with 
dry  stable  litter  and  leaves.  Every  particle  of  the 
hiase,  glass,  woodwork,  and  Vines,  will  now  be 
well  washed  and  the  walls  limewashed ;  then  it 
will  be  ready  for  the  earliest  Chrysanthemums 
that  must  shortly  have  house  room. 

Skptehbeh  27. 

Another  round  of  cleaning  up.  The  Qower  gar- 
den is  as  gay  as  ever,  and  we  need  no  further  in- 
centive than  its  present  effectiveness  to  induce  us 
to  do  the  necessary  picking  over  of  plants  to 
make  every  part  to  match ;  mowing  and  clip- 
ping the  edgings  of  beds,  and  cutting  away  all 
straggling  growths  was  about  all  the  work  re- 
quired to-day,  the  tying  up  of  tall  plants  having 
been  previously  done,  the  warning  being  given  by 
the  windy  day  we  had  about  the  middle  of  the 
month.  Pulled  off  the  side  shoots  of  several  kinds 
of  succulents,  which  will  be  inserted  in  pans  or 
boxes  and  be  placed  in  a  warm  house  till  struck. 
By  thus  getting  a  stock  of  such  succulents,  we 
can  afford  to  sacrifice  the  old  plants;  hence  they 
are  left  in  the  beds  for  the  frost  to  do  its  worst, 
and  the  garden  continues  furnished  for  the  longest 
possible  lime.  Sweet  Peas  have  again  been  picked 
over,  and  successional  sowings  are  not  required  if  the 
seed-pods  are  kept  off  and  the  points  of  shoots 
pinched  out  to  induce  a  branching  habit.  Mixed 
flower  borders  are  getting  a  bit  untidy,  and 
early  Stocks  and  Asters  have  been  pulled  up, 
and  a  day  or  two  hence  their  places  will 
be  re-furnished  with  biennial  Stocks,  Wallflowers, 
Sweet  Williams,  Canterbury  Bells,  and  the  like. 
Annuals  are  not  much  favoured  for  planting  at 
this  season,  as  they  rarely  winter  satisfactorily, 
but  exception  is  made  in  favour  of  Limnanthes, 
Nemophllas,  Silenes,  and  Virginian  Stocks,  which 
are  easy  to  raise,  and  usually  winter  well,  and 
flower  at  a  time  when  there  is  a  great  scarcity  of 
open-air  fiowers.  These  kinds  will  be  sown  at 
once,  and  in  the  spots  they  are  to  flower ;  slugs 
are  their  only  enemy,  and  we  find  wood  ashes 
intermixed  with  the  soil  and  strewn  about  on  the 
surface  a  capital  antidote  to  their  raids.  Indoor 
work  has  been  pretty  much  as  is  usually  the  case 
on  Saturday ;  washing  and  rearranging  all  and 
sundry.  Early  and  second  early  Peaches  are 
casting  their  foliage,  and  a  gentle  tap  of  the 
trellis  brings  a  lot  down,  and  for  neatness  sake 
this  is  cleared  up  and  the  mulching  (which  we 
always  keep  on)  made  tidy.  Watered  these 
borders,  as  never  by  any  chance  are  they  allowed 
to  get  dry,  and  by  reason  thereof  we  have  no 
anxiety  about  bud  dropping  or  of  fruit  falling  at 
stoning  time  ;  also  watered  Pines,  manure  water 
being  given  to  fruiters,  but  clear  warm  water  only 
to  successions.  Bone  manure  and  well-deciyed 
horse  manure  being  mixed  with  the  soil,  no  other 
help  is  needed  till  after  the  fruit  is  formed  and 
swelling.  Tomato  cuttings  were  put  in  and 
plunged  in  heat,  and  as  soon  as  rooted  they  will 
be  grown  on  quickly  to  take  the  place  of  those 
now  fruiting.  Hackwood  Park  and  Earliest  of 
All  are  the  favoured  kinds.  Primulas  are  flowering 
too  early  for  us,  and  so  they  (the  flowers)  have 
been  picked  off  in  hope  of  getting  more  growth  of 
plant  and  a  larger  quantity  of  flower  when  it  is 


more  required  than  now,  and  the  same  remark 
applies  to  Pelargoniums  intended  for  winter 
flowering,  part  ofwhichhave  to-day  been  housed. 

September  29. 
Slight  showers  in  the  early  morning  enabled 
us  to  complete  scythe  mowing  round  trees  and 
shrubbery  clumps,  which,  it  is  hoped,  may  not  be 
again  needed  this  year,  or  the  cutting  of  the  Grass 
edgings  either.  We  like  to  have  the  Grass  cut 
close  now,  as  then  the  leaves  are  not  nearly  the 
trouble  to  clear  up,  and  also,  the  turf  being  smooth, 
the  wind  sometimes  drifts  them  together,  and  the 
work  is  done  in  half  the  time  that  would  be  needed 
were  the  Grass  long.  Hoeing  in  kitchen  garden  ; 
Spinach,  autumn-sown  Onions,  late  Broccoli, 
Celery  ridges,  and  Coleworts  all  had  a  share  of 
attention.  Seedling  Lettuces  were  thinned  out 
and  the  surplus  plants  pricked  out  on  a  south 
border  as  a  reserve  to  fill  up  gaps  or  to  supply 
friends.  Pea  and  Bean  haulm  cleared  away,  and 
though  the  ground  has  to  be  trenched,  there  is  no 
hope  of  getting  at  such  work  yet,  and  therefore 
the  ground  has  been  hoed.  Violets  planted  In 
frames ;  Marie  Louise  is  the  most  prized  amongst 
doubles  and  Queen  Victoria  in  singles.  The  plants 
have  been  grown  during  the  summer  on  a  north 
border  in  which  plenty  of  vegetable  mould  was 
used,  so  that  they  lift  with  fine  balls,  and  are 
not  likely  to  feel  the  check  of  removal.  They  will 
be  kept  close  for  a  few  days  till  the  roots  start  to 
work  in  the  new  soil ;  then  air  will  be  given,  at  first 
charily,  but  gradually  increased  till  the  plants  will 
bear  full  exposure  in  all  weathers  short  of  actual 
frost.  Frames  are  being  prepared  for  Calceolarias 
and  Viola  cuttings,  and  some  of  the  latter  are 
being  put  in  under  handlights  in  the  kitchen  garden 
borders  ;  the  only  cuttings  taken  are  the  shoots 
springing  directly  from  the  crown  of  the  plants. 
Cuttings  of  strong  shoots  strike  well  enough,  but 
do  not  grow  so  freely  as  the  young  shoots  named. 

Septbmbeb  30. 

Seeds  of  single  DahliascoUected.some  few  plants 
of  which  we  left  for  that  purpose.  The  general 
stock  is  now  in  magnificent  blossom,  and  being 
anxious  to  preserve  them  from  injury  by  wind,  all 
have  been  tied  safely  to  their  stakes.  Blue  Gums, 
Castor-oils,  and  other  breakable  plants,  if  not  tied 
securely,  have  been  examined  and  made  safe 
against  all  ordinary  storms,  as  also  have  tall  glow- 
ing herbaceous  plants,  such  as  Michaelmas  Daisies 
and  Sunflowers.  Gathered  the  following  Pears  ; 
Beurre  Diel,  Peurre  Clairgeau,  Marie  Louise, 
Beurre  Hardy,  Passe  Colmar,  Seckle,  and  Duchesse 
d'Angouli-me.  Usually  we  have  had  these  sorts 
by  bushels,  but  this  year  a  peck  of  each  is  above 
the  average,  and  yet  the  blossom  was  rcarvellously 
fine,  Irat  the  4°  of  frost  at  the  end  of  April,  for  three 
nights  in  succession,  was  too  much  for  them,  even 
though  covered  with  canvas.  By  their  enforced 
rest  and  extra  amount  of  summer  pruning  the 
trees  have  had,  they  now  bristle  with  fruit  buds, 
and,  provided  we  escape  spring  frosts,  there  will 
next  year  be  the  heaviest  crop  of  Pears  that 
there  has  been  for  many  years  past.  Soil 
is  being  prepared  for  planting  fruit  trees  and  for 
top-dressing  such  as  require  it ;  newly-dug  loam, 
with  turf  combined,  wood  ashes,  and  chalk  is  all 
that  we  use  as  a  compost  for  hardy  fruits  of  every 
description.  A  wheelbarrow-load  of  chalk  and 
two  of  wood  ashes  to  two  cartloads  of  loam  is 
about  the  preparation  used,  the  turf  being  chopped 
into  pieces  about  i  inches  square. 
October  1. 

Apple  gathering  from  old  standard  trees,  Lemon 
Pippin,  Hanwell  Souring,  Wellington,  and  Kusset 
being  the  principal  kinds  gathered,  and  all  are 
good  crops  for  this  year.  Walnuts  have  also  been 
gathered,  or  rather  beaten  down  with  sticks,  and 
will  be  left  in  a  heap  for  a  few  days  until  the 
husks  soften  and  fall  away  easily.  Watered  late 
vinery  borders,  for  though  the  Grapes  are  quite 
ripe,  we  do  not  believe  in  allowing  the  borders  to 
get  dry ;  at  the  same  time,  we  take  every 
precaution  to  prevent  any  ill-effects  occurring 
through  an  over-moist  atmosphere  by  watering 
early  in  the  morning,  and  keeping  the  ventilators 
fully  open  as  late  as  possible,  and  by  firing  a 


little  harder  than  usual  for  a  couple  or  three 
nights  after  watering.  By  such  treatment  we  have 
never  noticed  any  ill  effects  from  an  overdose  of 
atmospheric  moisture,  and  to  a  certainty  the 
Grapes  keep  more  plump  and  do  not  lose  colour  as 
they  did  when  we  kept  the  borders  drier.  Pot 
Strawberries  have  had  another  weeding  and  been 
moved  to  hinder  the  roots  from  penetrating  the 
ground  on  which  they  stand.  The  surface  soil  is 
never  broken,  as  to  do  this  would  be  destruction 
to  many  roots.  I'ut  in  cuttings  of  succulents  and 
placed  the  pans  on  shelves  in  Pine  pits.  Cuttings 
of  Mesembryanthemums  strike  well  in  the  same 
positions,  and  are  being  put  in  now,  and  room  is 
being  made  in  the  manure  frames  for  cuttings  of 
Verbenas  by  taking  out  Aiternantheras  that  are 
rooted  and  housing  them  on  shelves  in  Melon  and 
Cucumber  houses.  Potted  Bouvardias  that  were 
planted  out  at  the  beginning  of  July.  They  have 
been  put  in  warmth,  and  will  be  regularly  syringed 
till  established.  No  flowers  are  more  valued  than 
these  in  the  depth  of  winter,  at  which  season  they 
are  really  at  their  best.  Soft  scale  is  their  espe- 
cial enemy,  and  the  first  appearance  of  it  should 
be  the  signal  for  washing  with  strong  soapy 
water,  which  as  a  rule  prevents  the  further  spread- 
ing of  this  pest.  Hants. 


QUESTIONS, 

5-251  .—Blackberry  jelly.— Will  someone  kiudly  give 
me  a  recipe  for  making  this  1  I  have  tried  it,  but  could 
not  get  it  to  thicken.— Adolescexs. 

525^- Peach  trees  mildewing.— WUI  some  one 
kindly  name  two  early  and  three  mid-season  Peaches  not 
suliject  to  mildew  on  "heavy  laud? — P.  S. 

6263.— Destroying  wa'sps'  nests.- 1  slnll  be  oblijcd 
to  "Hants"  if  ho  will  state  the  price  of  cyanide  of  potas- 
sium and  how  to  use  it  to  destroy  -wasps'  nests.— P.  B. 

5264.— Fern  jars.- Can  any  of  your  readers  give  mo 
information  as  to  the  best  Fern,  Adiantum  or  other,  for 
growing  ou  the  Egyptian  porous  jars,  and  whether  it  is 
best  grown  from  seeil  or  small  plants,  and  where  these  can 
best  be  obtained  ?  Also  how  long  the  jar  will  take  to  become 
a  ball  of  Fern,  as  I  have  seen  one? — W.  H. 

6265.— Packing  Ferns.- Will  someone  kind'y  say 
which  they  consider  to  be  the  best  mode  of  packing  Filmy 
Ferns  to  travel  safely  by  post  from  Australia  to  this  coun- 
try? I  have  some  recoltection  of  seeing  waterproof  sheet- 
ing recommended  for  wrapping  them  in,  but  I  do  not  re- 
member the  fuU  p.articulars  regarding  it.— C.  B.  W. 

6256.— Plants  for  aquaria.— I  have  got  a  Fern  case 
with  a  Email  aquarium  on  its  top  about  S  inches  by  10 
inches  and  S  inches  deep.  I  am  told  that  I  might  be  saved 
a  cou.siderable  amount  of  trouble  and  expense  with  my 
fish  if  I  could  get  a  plant  that  would  grow  in  the  water, 
and  which  would  yield  food  tor  the  fish  and  the  refuse  of 
the  fish  would  yield  nourishment  for  the  plant,  the  water 
being  at  the  same  time  purified.  First,  I  want  to  know 
what  is  the  name  of  this  plant  or  if  there  is  more  than  one  ; 
second,  its  appearance,  so  that  I  may  know  it  ;  third, 
where  I  am  likely  to  lind  it.— W.  G. 

5267.— Exhibiting  fruit.- Will  any  ol  the  readers  of 
The  Garden  give  me  any  assistance  in  solving  the  following 
little  difiicnlty  regarding  the  exhibituig  of  fruit  according 
to  a  schedule  which  runs  as  follows  :  "  Twelve  dishes  fruit, 
not  more  than  two  distinct  varieties  of  Grapes,  two  of 
Pmes,  two  of  Melons,  etc.  "?  What  I  want  to  know  is, 
can  any  exhibitor  put  more  than  one  llelon  down  for  one 
dish  ;  for  instance,  if  I  had  three  small  Melons,  and  thought 
any  one  of  them  too  small  to  constitute  a  dish  in  itself, 
would  I  be  disqualified  in  putting  the  three  in  for  one  dish, 
according  to  the  reading  of  the  schedule?— D.  B. 

626S.— Ripening  Vines.— Will  any  reader  of  The  Gar- 
den kindly  give  me  some  advice  as  to  the  ripeiiiiig  of  the 
wood  of  my  Vines?  They  were  planted  in  January.  1^^3.  They 
did  not  make  vigorous  growth  that  year,  but  have  done  well 
this  season.  The  growths  of  this  ye.ar  (with  the  exception 
of  the  three  or  four  laterals  on  each  Vine  from  the  old 
wood)  are  still  quite  green.  They  have  one  bunch  each,  »U 
colouiing  well  and  nearly  ripe.  They  have  had  very  littlo 
fire-heat  till  aliout  three  weeks  ago  «litn  it  was  applied  iu 
order  to  assist  them  to  ripen.  At  what  heat  should  the 
house  be  kept  dming  the  day  ?  and  ought  it  to  be  quite  cool 
without  fire-heat  at  night?— C.  H.  S. 

6250. -Stephanotls.— Can  any  of  your  readers  help 
me  under  the  following  circumstances  ?  A  Stephanotis  w.as 
planted  out  in  a  stove  .ibout  ten  years  ago  ;  it  w  as  trauied 
to  the  roof,  and  allowed  to  grow  without  any  restriction  a5 
to  the  roots.  It  llowored  very  freely  till  two  years  .ago,  but 
during  the  last  two  years  it  has  not  been  satisfactory.  It 
makes  new  growtli  to  the  length  of  say  from  2  feet  to  3  feet 
from  all  parls.  but  the  points  of  the  shoots  and  the  leaves, 
with  the  exception  of  about  three  pairs  at  the  base  of  the 
shoot,  iu  a  short  time  turn  yellow  and  fall  off;  the  leaves 
at  the  base  of  the  plant  remain  healthy.  I  have  taken 
away  as  much  of  the  old  soil  as  I  could  get  at  and  put  iu 
new  ;  the  plant  roots  freely,  but  the  same  thuig  occui-s 
again  and  agaiu.  The  plant  is  never  watered,  but  gets  a 
considerable  quantity  from  the  floor  of  the  stove.  What 
can  I  do  ?  I  am  tlunking  of  thoroughly  examining  the  roots, 
and,  it  necessary,  pruning  them,— J.  S. 


310 


THE   GARDEN 


THE  PALM  HOUSE  AT  KE\y. 
My  intimate  knowledge  of  this  magnificent  bnild- 
iDg  and  its  interesting  contents  must  be  my  ex- 
ciue  for  venturing  to  offer  a  few  remarks  on  what 
has  been  said  in  The  Garden  regarding  its  inter- 
nal structure.     Some  years  ago  I  was  employed  in 
this  house,  and  the  following  observations  are  the 
outcome  of  my  experience  therein  as  a  gardener. 
The  remarks  of  the  venerable  ex-curator  of  the 
Royal  Gardens  (p.  L'84)  on  the  fitness  of  this  house 
for  the  plants  which  it  is  intended  to  accommo- 
date well  deserve  the  attention  of  everyone  inte- 
rested in  the  maintenance  of  our  national  plant 
collections.     To  me,  however,  a  great  deal  remains 
to  be  said  in  regard  to  the  difiiculties  in  the  way 
of  any  great  alterations  being  made  in  the  heat- 
ing arrangements  in  the  Kew  Palm  house.  Every- 
one who  is  conversant  with  the  rt quireroents  of 
plants  under  glass  will  admit  that  improvements 
might  be  made  in  this  house  from  a  purely  cultu- 
ral point  of  view.     What  has  been  said   (p.  I!l!l) 
with  regard  to  the  iron  grating  which  forms  the 
floor  of  the  greater  portion  of  this  Palm  house  is 
exactly  what  everyone  must  have   felt  who  has 
hid  to  do  with  the  management  of  the  plants  it 
contains.     The  appearance  of  the  plants  in  the 
temperate  house  at  Kew,  in  the  large  house  at 
Chatsworth,    the   conservatory   at   Glasgow,   and 
other  large  structures  where  the  plants  are  grow- 
ing in  beds  is,  from   an  artistic  standpoint,  very 
superior  to  that  of  the  present  arrangement  in  the 
wings  of  the  Palm  house  at  Kew.     That  all  plants 
thrive  better  planted  out  than  when  in  pots,  given 
the  other  conditions  essential  to  their  health,  is  a 
fact    well    known     to    gardeners.       Where    the 
mala    object    is    to    produce     a    striking    effect 
with    the  aid    of    a    selection    of    plants    judi- 
ciously arranged,  then  beds  are  preferable  to  pots 
and   stages.     Selecting,  then,  only   those   plants 
that  are  likely  to  thrive  best  under  the  treatment 
intended  for  them,  and   limiting  ourselves  to  just 
BufEoiect  plants  to  produce  the  effect  desired,  a 
garden   under  glass,  even  a   tropical  garden,  is 
easily  designed   and  easily  kept  in   order.     This 
wis  Sir  J.  Paxton's  idea  wlien  he  built  the   large 
house  at  Chatsworth,  and  is  the  main  object  of 
the  designers  of  almost  all  very  large  plant  houses. 
The  preservation  of  numeious  and  varied  collec- 
tions of  plants  is  not  their  aim.     In  the  temperate 
house  at  Kew  the  beds  are  planted  with  a  selec- 
tion of  plants  made  chiefly  with  a  view  to   their 
general  effect,  and  the  effect  obtained  is  a  par- 
ticularly striking  one. 

The  object  for  which  botanical  gardens  have 
been  established  is  not,  however,  the  production 
of  pretty  or  imposing  plant  pictures  so  much  as 
the  preservation  of  all  kinds  of  interesting  plant 
life.  Collections  of  plants  rather  than  a  .selection 
of  the  most  beautiful  and  least  difticult  to 
manage  are  what  we  expect  to  find  in  botanical 
establishments,  and  though  even  at  Kew  it  is  not 
possible  to  find  space  for  every  plant  of  interest  or 
beauty,  as  many  as  possible  are  accommodated, 
and  I  should  be  sorry  to  see  large  sacrifices 
made  in  order  that  a  more  imposing  effect  in 
arrangement  might  be  gained.  Kew  is  first  an 
immense  storehouse,  and  a  picture  garden  after- 
wards. Admitting  this,  and  I  do  not  see  how  it 
can  be  controverted,  there  is  much  to  be  said 
against  the  extension  of  the  beds  in  the  Palm 
house  at  Kew  in  the  way  suggested  by  the 
respected  ex-curator,  Mr.  Smith.  The  middle  of 
this  house  is  occupied  chiefly  by  large  Palms,  and 
beneath  them  is  planted  an  undergrowth  of 
Aroids,  Ferns,  and  other  shade  and  moisture- 
loving  plants.  The  number  of  large  Palms  does 
not  exceed  three  dozen,  whilst  the  undergrowth  is 
of  a  distinctly  made-up  character  planted  for  effect. 
They  are  most  of  them  represented  in  other  houses 
where  they  or  their-  brethren  can  only  be  grown 
successfully,  so  that  for  purely  botanical  purposes 
the  space  occupied  by  them  i  n  the  Palm  house  is  en- 
tirely thrown  away.  D  uring  the  winter  most  of  them 
perish  or  get  so  sickly  as  to  require  their  removal 
so  that  there  is  a  large  renewal  of  these  to  be  made 
every  spring.  The  shade  of  the  large  Palms  is,  of 
course,  the  cause  of  this.  All  along  the  outside 
ot  the  central  portion  of  the  house,  and  occupying 
the  whole  of  the  space  in  the  wings,  are  vast 


[Oct.  4,  1884 


collections  of  all  kinds  of  plants.     These  are  grow- 
ing in  pots,  and  even  when  thus  limited  at  the 
root  it  is  found  difficult  to  keep  each  one  within 
bounds,  so  that  it  shall  not  affect  the  health  or  in- 
terfere with  the  growth  of  its  neighbours.     Palms. 
Pandanuses,  Cycads,  Musas,  Bamboos,  and  a  large 
number    of    interesting  economic    plants   along 
with  many  others  of  ornamental  character  have  to 
be  provided  for  in  these  positions,  and  anyone  ac- 
quainted with  the  richness  in  number  of  species 
of  the  above  families  represented  at   Kew,   the 
necessity  for  a  restricting  system  of  culture  will 
be  apparent.     The  beds  are  therefore  not  required 
in  the  Palm  house  beyond  their  present  limits, 
unless    there  is   to  be  a  great  sacrifice  in  the 
number  of  species  and  genera  now  cultivated  in 
it.     The  only  remedy  for  the  "  great  obstruction  " 
to  good  cultivation  presented  by  the  existing  ar- 
rangement of  pipes  and  floor  appears  to  be  the 
slating  over  of  those  portions  of  the  latter  where 
the  plants  have  to  stand.     This  would  necessitate 
the  removal  of  the  whole  of  the  pipes  to  where 
the  paths  now  are  ;   and,  apart  from  the  cost  of 
such  an  alteration,  it  appears  to  me  that  the  public 
would  object  to  an  arrangement  which  would  com- 
pel them  to  walk  over  a  mass  of  hot-water  pipes, 
the  heat  from  which  during  cold  weather  would 
render  an  inspection  of  the  plants  in  this  house  as 
disagreeable   as   walking   over   a   burning  brick- 
kiln.   It  appears  to  me  that  the  serious  drawbacks 
to  good  cultivation  which  are  experienced  in  the 
Palm  house  at  Kew  are  practically  beyond  remedy, 
so  long  as  a  tropical  temperature  has  to  be  main- 
tained, even  in  the  severest  winters,  in  a  house  of 
such  lofty  dimensions  where  a  vast  number  of 
plants  have  to  be  accommodated,  and  where  the 
convenience  and  comfort  of  thousands  of  visitors 
have  to  be  considered  and  provided  for. 

Ex-Kewite. 


The  ■white  Agapani hue.— This  charmirg 
plant  bloomed  with  us  for  the  first  time  this  sea- 
son, and,  although  not  often  met  with,  forms  a 
good  companion  for  the  blue  one,  from  which  it 
only  differs  in  colour.  Everyone  on  the  out-look 
for  a  good  white  bulbous  plant  should  obtain  this 
Agapanthus.  Its  blossoms,  and  also  those  of  the 
blue  one,  are  suitable  for  bouquets.  What  can  excel 
the  strong  plants  of  the  blue  kind  when  bearing 
from  ten  to  twenty  of  its  matchless  heads  of 
bloom,  and  the  one  under  notice  is  equally  good  ? 
— J.  Ckook,  Farnhoroiirih. 


LATE  NOTES. 


Tomato  seeds  (Suh.).- 
tlieu  diy  tliem. 


-Wash  the  pulp  from  them  and 


NOTES  or  THE  WEEK., 


The  second  pnlilio  park  estaWished  in  the  year  hi  the 
liorouph  of  nuddersfleld  was  decla-el  open  l>y  Jlr.  Alder- 
man Mellor,  mayor,  on  Saturday  last  amid  many  sisns  of 
public  approval.  The  park  consists  of  30  acres  of  land 
and  was  purchased  by  the  Corporation  several  years  a"o 
from  the  tiustecs  of  Sir  .Tohn  Kamsden,  the  lord  of  the 
manor,  at  £1000  per  acre,  Sir  John  also  giving  a  contribu- 
tion ot  £6000  and  paying  halt  the  cost  of  making  the  roads 
round  it. 

International  Potato  Exhibition —It 

was  hoped  that  Messrs.  Vilmorin,  of  Paris,  who 
have  one  of  the  most  complete  collections  of 
Potatoes  in  Europe,  would  have  sent  a  representa- 
tive display  of  them  to  the  above  exhibition 
which  is  to  take  place  at  I  lie  Crystal  Palace  on 
October  7  and  following  days,  but  they  now  write 
to  say  that  the  season  has  not  been  a  favourable 
one  for  I'otatoes  in  Franc?.  "  We  have  had  scarcely 
any  disease,"  they  add,  "  but  the  tubers  are  small ; 
most  of  them  are  injured  by  May  grubs,  which 
have  been  so  plentiful  this  year  as  to  kill  Rose 
and  even  fruit  trees  ;  and,  besides,  the  later  kinds 
are  not  yet  lifted." 

The  Apple  crop.— Messrs.  J.  W.  Draper  and 
Son,  Covent  Garden,  have  kindly  furnished  us 
with  the  following  particulars  respecting  the 
present  appearance  of  the  Apple  crop  in  Europe 
and  America :  United  Einr/dom. — Crop  much  below 
the  average.  France. — An  average  yield  of  early 
kinds,  especially  in  the  Gironde ;  late  and  better 
descriptions  somewhat  short.  Germany. — Short 
crop  generally.  5e/<;(Km.— Short  crop.  Holland.— 
Very  light  crop.  Spain  and  Portugal  — Crop 
short,  description  common.  America. — There  are 
indications  that  the  crop  will  not  equal  in  bulk 
that  of  1880,  yet  the  yield  in  some  of  the  best 
producing  localities  is  likely  to  be  very  abundant, 
and  far  superior  in  quality  to  the  past  two  seasons. 
After  mature  consideration  of  the  various  reports 
there  Is  little  doubt  that  the  crop  of  Europe  is  con- 
siderably under  that  of  many  j'ears  ;  thus  it  will 
be  from  America  that  the  supply  for  the  United 
Kingdom  will  be  derived.  The  prospect  of  ship- 
ments being  advantageously  made  to  England 
were  never  more  promising,  particularly  for  the 
better  and  later  description  of  App'es.  I 


Lapagerla  loaves  (Mrs.    1'.  KenUy)  —Your  leavf s 

are  parcluil  and  dyinsr,  but  from  what  cause  we  are  unable 
to  say.    1  lieie  is  no  fucKus  or  insect  on  them. 

Princees  Royal  Rhododendron  (.7.  P.  i!.).— This 
Khododeiidron  blooms  at  all  seasons  ;  yours  now  in  flower 
in  a  pot  plunged  out-of  doors  should  be  lifted  and  placed 
under  glass. 

1  eelta  purpurata  C?.  i3.).-\Ve  cannot  account  for  the 
bulb  decaying  in  the  manner  it  has  otherwise  than  that  the 
pbant  has  been  subjected  to  an  excess  of  water,  with  a  cor- 
resfoudiiig  degree  of  cold.  Keep  the  plants  almost  dry 
and  raise  the  tfmperature  of  the  house. 

Glorlosa  Euoerba— This  beautiful  itove  bulbous 
plant  was  will  shown  in  the  form  of  a  gr.nd  specimen  at 
our  late  Farnborough  show.  It  formed  one  of  th»  lix  plants 
exhibited  for  a  cup  given  by  tlie  Kmpieas  Kugc!nie,  and  a 
grand  exhibition  plant  for  autumn  it  makes  when  trained 
in  a  natuial  way.  as  this  was.  Its  curiously  twisted  orange 
and  red  lilooms  are  very  fhowy,  and  it  belongs  to  a  class  of 
plants  th.at  deserve  to  lie  more  grown  than  they  are.— J.  C, 
Farn^in-ov'jh. 

Storlnf?  Onionp.-Ifind  that  Onions  keep  betterwhen 
roped,"  that  is,  tied  round  a  stick  or  a  wisp  of  st'aw,  and 
suspended  to  the  roof  of  a  shed  than  they  do  when  laid 
upon  a  lloor  or  shelf.  It  is  a  mistake  to  store  Onions  in  a 
warm  place  during  winter.  If  they  could  be  kept  free 
from  frost  in  a  shed  open  on  one  side,  they  would  keep 
lietter  than  In  a  more  conllned  stuu  fine.  I  find  the  Browu 
Globs  Onion  to  keep  rather  better  than  the  White  Spanish. 
-.1.  C.  0. 

Wasps  In  vlnerle?.— Having  been  p'agned  with  wasps 
destroying  my  Grapes  this  season,  I  obtaiiied  a  bottle  of 
Davis'  Improved  Wasp  Destr^  yer,  and  by  placing  a  drop  or 
two  of  it  into  benifs  that  were  partly  destroyed  and 
smearing  the  leaves  with  it  in  places  near-  the  bunchts  and 
ventilators  I  succeeded  in  clearing  Ihe  house  of  wasps, 
though  it  was  swarming  with  them  ;  indeed,  two  hours 
after  I  applied  the  liquid  every  wa.sp  was  gone.  A  more 
effectual  remedy  I  am  not  acquainted  with.-li.  Y. 

Vallota  purpurea. -I  have  before  me  in  flower  a 
seedling  of  my  own  raising.  It  does  not  differ  from  its 
parent,  but  another  from  the  same  capsule  which  flowered 
last  5  ear  had  smaller  flowers  and  narrower  petals,  being 
thus  more  stellate  in  appeai-ance,  though  there  was  no 
dittcrcnce  in  the  colour.  These,  with  some  others  not 
flowered,  are  the  produce  of  a  bloom  fertilised  with  pollen 
from  another  plant,  but  the  precise  history  of  the  case  is 
forgotten  1  he  parent  plant  has  not  since  formed  capsules. 
— \V.  MiTTKN,  aurapicrpoint. 


Natnlnff  fruit.— Readerswhodesireovrhclpinnaming 
/rytt  will  kindly  bear  in  mind  that  several  specimens  if 
different  stages  oj  colour  and  size  of  tlie  same  Icind  greatly 
assist  ill  its  determination.  Local  varieties  should  he 
named  by  local  growers,  and  are  qften  only  known  to  them. 
W e  can  only  undertake  to  name  Jour  varieties  at  a  time, 
and  these  only  when  the  above  condition  is  observed.  Un- 
paid parcels  not  received.  In  all  cases  where  the  nmnbirs 
of  the  specimens  sent  are  not  mentioned,  it  must  be  inferred 
that  the  fruits  to  which  they  icere  attached  are  either  local 
sorts,  and  therefore  unknown  at  Chiswick,  or  that  they  are 
not  in  a  tit  condition  for  naming. 

Names  of  fruits.— tJ.  ir.  E.—3,  Cellini ;  5,  King  of 
the  Pippins;  7  and  33.  Alfri.'iton  ;  30,  Warner's  Kirg;  15, 
Wellington.  Please  observe  our  conditions  of  naming 
fruits. V.  Buchanan.--Kioi^  of  ttie  Pippins. 

*.'  Other  correspondents  who  have  sent  fruit  to  name 
will  be  answered  next  week. 

Naming  plants. — Four  kinds  of  plants  or  flowers 
only  can  be  named  at  one  time,  and  this  only  when  goM 
specimens  are  sent. 

Names  of  plants.— oA.  Crook.-  Oxalis  Bowieana  ;  lan- 

tmia. J.  B.  JV— Amaryllis  Belladouua, 1.   Parne'l 

(Dorset). ~1,  Veronica  incana  :  "2,  F>rethrum  uligiuosum  ; 

3,  Statice  Limonium  ;  4,  Sedum  Telephium  purpurascens  ; 

5  and  6,  varieties  of  common  Achinienes. T.  A.  A.  H. — 

Next  week. S.  J/.— Veronica  speciosa  ;  Jasmiuum  offi- 
cinale;  Myr.^us  communis;   Lonicera  etrusca. S.  £'.— 

Cupressns    LawFoniana. W.   F.—l,    Achillea  Ptarmica 

fl.-pl. ;  2,  Phyllanthus  latifolia  ;  3,  Artemisia  Stelleriana  ; 

4.  Lamium   maculatum. ifmc— Next   week. —  Dirry.— 

Nerine  crispa  —J.  W.  i'.— Veronica  salicifDlia  ;  a  species  of 

Cistus  difficult  to  name  out  of  flower Mrs.  M.  J.-Sa- 

ponaria  offlcinalis  fl.-pl. J.  W.  Ba'duiin.—Zapitonam 

verticiUatum  purpureum. A.  Boyle. — Narthecium  ossi- 

fragum. Cnre.— Leonotis  Leonurus. 


THE     GARDEN 


311 


Ho.  673.  SATURDAY,  Oct.  17,  7884.  Vol.  XXVI. 


"  This  is  an  Art 
Which  does  mend  Nature  :  change  it  rather ;  but 
The  art  itself  is  Natuke."— SAo*c»;)(!ore. 


NAMES  OF  ASTERS. 


To-day's  post  brought  me  a  parcel  from  a  garden- 
ing correspondent,  containing  forty-one  bunches 
of  Aster  flowers,  and  a  paper  with  these  words, 
"  I  should  feel  much  obliged  for  the  correct  names 
of  enclosed  Asters ;  signed, '  A.  B.  C  "  I  felt  just 
like  the  princess  in  the  fairy  tale,  whose  wicked 
stepmother  gave  her  a  basketful  of  mixed  feathers 
belonging  to  fifty  different  birds,  none  of  which 
she  had  ever  seen,  with  peremptory  orders  to  sort 
them  all  under  their  correct  names  before  she  had 
any  dinner ;  but  in  my  case  no  Prince  Parcinet 
came  with  his  fairy  wand  to  my  rescue.  It  is 
true  I  had  Asa  Gray's  new  book  describing  all  the 
North  American  Asters,  but  there  area  great  many 
Old  World  Asters  in  cultivation  besides  these,  and 
even  for  solving  the  puzzle  of  the  names  of  the 
New  World  kinds,  Asa  Gray's  book  was  not  exactly 
a  Bc-us  ex  macliina.  That  eminent  botanist  has 
worked  harder  and  longer  at  the  Asters,  and 
knows  more  about  them  than  anyone  else  in 
the  world  ;  but  let  him  speak  for  himself.  He 
says ;  "  Aster  is  far  the  most  difficult  of  our 
genera,  both  for  the  settlement  of  the  names  of 
the  species  and  for  their  limitation,  in  respect  to 
which  little  satisfaction  has  been  attained  as  the 
result  of  long  and  repeated  studies."  Then  fol- 
lows a  description  of  species,  which  require  in  the 
index  a  list  of  full  300  names  and  synonyms,  and 
this,  it  must  be  remembered,  is  for  the  North 
American  species  alone.  In  addition  to  this,  we 
are  told  with  regard  to  several  of  the  classes  that 
"  probable  hybrids  abound  ;  "  in  other  classes  one 
species  "  appears  to  pass  into  the  next,'  or  we  have 
the  significant  two  words  at  the  end  of  the  charac- 
ters given  for  a  sub-division,  "  species  confluent." 
The  above  remarks  refer  to  wild  plants,  but 
when  we  come  to  garden  forms  and  hybrids 
of  cultivation,  which  include  many  of  the 
finest  Asters  to  be  seen  in  English  gar- 
dens, this  great  botanist  finds  the  task  of 
arrangement  more  and  more  hopeless.  Neither 
height,  nor  length  of  leaf,  nor  size  nor  colour  of 
flower  are  safe  guides ;  we  must  examine  obscure 
botanical  characters,  such  as  the  imbrication  of 
the  scales  composing  the  bracts  of  the  involu- 
crum,  the  pubescence  of  the  achenes,  the  rigidity 
of  the  pappus,  and  so  on.  But  even  these  are 
owned  to  be  inconstant  and  fallible  guides,  and 
nearly  every  species  is  Uable  to  variations  which 
falsify  the  tests.  Then  the  cross-naming  in  these 
300  names  has  been  such  that  it  is  hardly  possible 
to  say  that  any  name  which  can  be  given  to  an 
Aster  may  not  be  justified  by  some  authority  for 
it.  For  instance,  the  A.  puniceus  of  Gray  is  the 
A.  blandus  of  a  second,  the  A.  confertus  of  a  third, 
A.  tardiflorus  of  a  fourth,  their  other  names 
being  perhaps  retained  by  Dr.  Gray  and 
applied  to  difierent  species.  In  some  of  the 
commonest  names  we  read  that  there  is  the 
greatest  diflicnlty  in  finding  a  standard  to 
which  to  refer  them.  Thus  in  the  case  of 
A.  Novi-Belgii,  the  botanical  name  of  the  com- 
monest and  oldest  Michaelmas  Daisy,  we  are 
told  that  it  is  low,  or  rarely  tall,  truly  polymor- 


phous, both  in  wild  forms  and  in  those  of  long 
European  cultivation,  many  of  which  are  not 
identified_with  indigenous  originals  ;  that  it  has 
been  confused  in  name  by  different  botanists  of 
authority  with  A.  puniceus,  A.  serotinus,  A. 
eminens,  A.  floribundus,  A.  laxus,  and  A.  longi- 
foUus,  whilst  [its  , varieties  lasvigatus,  litoreus, 
elodes,  and  thyrsiflorus  have  each  their  fair  share 
of  synonyms.  A.  Ircvis,  another  very  wide  name, 
rejoices  in  seven  synonyms.  Of  another  common 
Aster  we  are  told  that  A.  difEssus  is,  on  the  whole, 
the  best  of  three  names  of  the  same  date. 
We  are  also  warned  that  some  Asters  in  their  wild 
form  may  be  from  2  feet  to  8  feet  high,  that  the 
lower  leaves  may  be  from  2  inches  to  7  inches 
long,  or  that  the  rays  may  be  violet,  or  purple, 
varying  to  white,  and  so  on.  I  have  made  these 
extracts  only  to  show  the  difficulties  which  still 
beset  the  gardener  in  search  of  Aster  names,  even 
after  all  has  been  done  that  botanical  science  can 
do  to  reduce  the  species  to  some  definite  forms  ; 
but,  as  has  been  before  remarked,  many  Asters 
seed  freely  in  English  gardens,  forming  hybrids 
with  any  that  happen  to  be  near  them,  and  some 
of  our  finest  garden  forms  are  undoubted  hybrids, 
having  been  found  on  trial  to  fit  on  no  wild 
standard.  How  are  we  to  name  these  I  Again, 
we  have  no  Asa  Gray  for  the  European  or 
Asiatic  Asters,  of  which  there  are  many,  and 
some  of  them  as  polymorphous  as  any  of 
their  American  cousins.  The  European  A. 
punctatus,  for  instance,  seems  to  include  forms 
from  6  inches  to  6  feet  high,  whilst  Boltonia 
indica,  as  I  was  assured  by  a  botanist  who  had 
studied  it,  has  so  many  forms,  that  they  must  be 
made  into  a  hundred  species  or  all  included  in 
one.  I  speak  of  Boltonia  as  if  it  were  an  Aster, 
because  for  all  gardening  purposes  it  belongs  to 
Aster,  though  allowed  in  the  "  Genera  Plantarum  " 
to  retain  its  name ;  but  the  name  Aster  itself  is 
most  indefinite,  and  has  recently  swallowed  up  at 
least  a  dozen  genera,  whilst  other  species  lately 
called  Aster  have  been  transferred  to  Erigeron, 
between  which  and  Aster,  Asa  Gray  informs  us,  he 
can  discover  no  real  line  of  distinction. 

What  is  the  moral  to  be  drawn  from  all  this  dif- 
ficulty and  confusion  of  names  ?  Certainly  we 
ought  to  do  our  best  to  ascertain  and  adopt  the 
names  given  by  Asa  Gray,  admitted  to  be  the 
best  authority  for  all  those  Asters  which  can  be 
identified  with  species  described  by  him.  It  can- 
not be  too  often  mentioned  that  he  kindly  under- 
took about  two  years  ago  to  name  the  Asters 
growing  in  the  herbaceous  garden  at  Kew,  and 
that  this  collection  now  affords  the  best  standard 
for  Aster  names  available  in  England ;  but  it 
would  be  a  great  help  to  gardeners  if  some  agree- 
ment of  nurserymen  could  be  obtained  for  the 
consistent  naming  of  those  fine  garden  forms 
which  are  not  true  species.  I  have  more  than 
once  suggested  that  it  would  be  a  great  gain  if 
some  public  garden  like  Kew  or  Chiswick  would 
devote  a  few  beds  to  the  exhibition  of  Asters  with 
a  view  to  securing  uniformity.  At  present,  it  must 
be  admitte  d  nurserymen  have  an  excuse,  if  not 
authority,  for  wrong  names ;  but  when  we  have,  as 
Mr.  Barr  has  told  us,  300  varieties  of  Daffodil  of 
which  the  names  are  determined,  why  cannot  the 
same  be  done  for  Asters  ?  C.  Wolley  Dod. 

Fdge  Hall,  Malj>as. 


Fuchsias  near  the  sea.— These  do  so  well 
in  the  southern  counties,  and,  indeed,  in  most  dis- 
tricts enjoying  the  sea  breezes,  that  we  often  won- 
der more  is  not  made  of  them.    Two  or  three  poor 


things  are  grown  where  dozens  might  be  feu  nd 
Where  an  odd  plant  chances  to  show  itself  here 
and  there,  there  might  be  well  placed  and  well 
grown  masses  or  groups  of  great  beauty.  The  true 
secret  of  gardening  is,  adapting  the  plants  to  the 
soil  and  climate  in  the  simplest  and  easiest  way  ; 
this  is  also  what  would  give  us  the  greatest  amount 
of  diversity  and  charm  in  our  gardens.  Unhappily, 
the  majority  of  people  work  exactly  in  the  oppo- 
site direction,  and  everybody  must  have  what 
everybody  else  has,  even  if  it  compels  them  to 
plant  Rhododendrons  in  lime. 


PLANTS    IN    FLOWEK; 

White  Salvia  farinacea.  —  ilessrs  Damman,  of 
Portici,  send  us  flowers  of  a  new  variety  of  the  Mexican 
Salvia  farinacea  having  the  flowers  quite  white.  The 
spikes  resemble  those  of  Lavender,  and  the  caly.\  being 
covered  with  a  white  mealy  substance,  as  in  the  type,  a 
pretty  effect  is  tlie  result.  Messrs.  Damman  call  it  S. 
amabilis  alba. 

Single  French  Marigolds.— Messrs.  Garr.away  send 
from  their  nursery  at  Clifton  flowtrs  of  three  kinds  of 
single  French  filaiigolds  said  to  be  the  result  of  some 
years'  selection  liy  Mr.  K.  J.  Lowe.  They  are  pretty  ;  one 
is  a  self  of  a  brilliant  orange,  another  has  the  florets  orange 
edged  with  crimson-maroon,  and  the  tlrird  also  is  prettily 
martied.  Some  may  prefer  these  single-flowered  sorts  to 
the  symmetrically  rosetted  double  kinds. 

Comte    Brazza's    white    Neapolitan 

Violet. — This  is  now  finely  in  bloom  in  the  open 
border,  and  being  thus  early  proves  it  to  be  a 
valuable  variety.  As  it  was  I  who  obtained  a 
first-class  certificate  for  it  last  November  at  South 
Kensington,  will  you  allow  me  to  add  that  I  pur- 
chased it  from  a  firm  who  bought  it  direct  from 
the  raiser,  Comte  Brazza,  and  that  I  shall  be 
pleased  to  send  a  box  of  blooms  to  one  of  the 
floral  committee  meetings  if  Messrs.  Cannell  will 
send  flowers  of  Swanley  White  to  compare  with 
them,  in  order  that  the  committee  may  decide  the 
vexed  question  whether  the  two  are  identical  or 
distinct  ?  Messrs.  Cannell  courteously  sent  me  a 
plant  of  Swanley  White  last  summer  to  compare 
with  Comte  Brazza,  and  my  experience  of  it  was 
that  it  did  not  flower  so  freely  in  the  winter  as 
plants  of  Comte  Brazzi  did  subjected  to  the  same 
treatment,  nor  were  the  flowers  of  the  same  size 
and  substance. — Wm.  Allan,  Guidon  Pari: 

Plumieria  lutea. — The  Plumierias  do  not 
appear  to  be  free-flowerers,at  least  when  cultivated 
in  our  stoves,  but  when  they  do  yield  to  one's 
coaxings  their  flowers  are  exceedingly  sweet  and 
beautiful.  We  noted  P.  rubra,  a  handsome  rose- 
coloured  flowered  species  which  bloomed  at  Kew 
last  year,  and  now  in  the  same  establishment  a 
plant  of  P.  lutea  is  bearing  blossoms.  These  are 
not  unlike  those  of  the  Neriums,  to  which,  indeed, 
the  Plumierias  are  related.  On  the  ends  of  thick 
succulent  branches,  and  above  the  several  whorls 
of  oval-shaped  leaves,  a  branching  raceme  of 
Sowers  is  developed  ;  each  flower  measures  2  inches 
in  width  and  is  white  and  canary-yellow,  the  latter 
colour  being  on  the  lower  parts  of  the  inside  of 
the  petals.  When  in  bud  the  margins  of  the 
folded  petals  are  bright  red.  A  tinge  of  rose 
sometimes  appears  on  the  under  side  of  the 
flowers.  The  odour  of  P.  lutea  is  sweet  and  honey- 
like. In  the  West  Indies  these  plants  are  called 
Jasmines,  owing  to  the  strong,  sweet  odour  emitted 
by  their  flowers,  and  it  is  from  this  odour  that  the 
Frangipane  scent  is  procured. 

Nerlne  filifolia.— Apart  from  the  interest 
which  attaches  to  this  plant  because  of  its  grassy 
foliage  and,  when  out  of  flower,  very  un-Nerine- 
like  appearance,  the  beauty  and  grace  of  the 
flowers  and  their  liberal  production  by  the  plant 
are  characters  of  merit  in  a  garden  sense.  A  little 
potf  ul  of  bulbs  has,  in  the  Kew  collection,  covered 
itself  with  grassy,  or,  as  the  name  implies,  hair-like 
foliage,  and  crowned  itself  with  a  dozen  erect 
scapes  of  deep  rose  blossoms  very  elegant  and 
very  pretty.  The  scapes  are  a  foot  high,  and  are 
thickly  covered  with  short,  sticky  glandular  hairs. 
On  the  apex  of  each  scape  is  a  head  composed  of 
six  flowers  all  open  together  and  forming  a  neat 
little  bouquet.  N.  filifolia  was  introduced  to  Kew 
about  four  years  ago,  from  whence  it  has  found 
its  way  into  several  other  collections.    Like  all 


312 


THE     GARDEN 


[Oct  11,   1884. 


the  Nerines,  this  species  requires  cool  treatment 
except  when  making  its  growth,  and  therein  lies 
the  whole  secret  of  success  with  these  plants. 
Instead  of  resting  through  the  winter,  as  the 
Amaryllis  and  most  other  bulbs  do,  the  Nerines 
make  their  growth  at  that  period  and  go  to  rest  in 
spring.  Then  they  want  no  water,  and  should  be  set 
in  an  airy  position  exposed  to  the  sun.  In  the 
autumn  their  flowers  are  produced.  The  culti- 
vation of  Neiines  is  therefore  that  of  many  other 
bulbous  plants  reversed.  When  making  their 
growth,  Nerines  should  be  kept  warm  and  moist ; 
a  half-spent  hotbed  in  a  frame  with  a  southern 
aspect  is  the  most  suitable  position  for  them. 
They  all  like  a  strong  loamy  soil. 

Pancratium  speciosum.— Here  is  a  plant 
of  really  magnificent  flower  proportions,  pure 
white,  fragrant,  full  of  grace,  and  one  of  the  most 
easily  managed  of  stove  bulbous  plants,  yet  how 
few  know  of  its  excellent  qualities,  or  at  all  events, 
how  few  avail  themselves  of  them.  Introduced 
into  gardens  more  than  130  years  ago,  when  it  was 
cultivated  by  Philip  Miller,  and  since  then  again 
and  again  figured  and  eulogised  by  those  who 
knew  of  its  beauty,  yet  one  meets  with  it  but 
rarely,  even  in  these  days  when  white,  sweet- 
scented,  graceful  flowers  in  the  autumn  and  win- 
ter months  are  so  highly  valued.  Here  are  the 
dimensions  of  a  flowering  specimen  of  this  Pan- 
cratium in  the  Palm  house  at  Kew,  where  several 
potfuls  of  it  are  now  in  flower.— Plant  in  a  it-inch 
pot,  about  three  bulbs,  bearing  a  dozen  leaves, 
and  two  flower-scapes:  height  of  scape  or  stalk, 
12  inches  ;  width  of  head  of  flowers  on  each  scape, 
16  inches ;  number  of  flowers  in  each  head,  seven- 
teen and  fourteen  respectively  ;  form  of  head,  an 
immense  bouquet.  The  flower  is  composed  of  a 
long  quill-like  tube  5  inches  long,  and  fix  seg- 
ments of  the  same  length,  spreading,  curved,  chan- 
nelled, half  an  inch  wide.  In  the  centre  of  these 
is  the  cup  formed  by  the  united  membranous 
wings  of  the  stamens ;  this  cup  is  an  inch  deep  and 
is  waved.  The  length  of  the  whole  stamen  is 
.T  inches.  On  the  tip  of  each  is  the  yellow  curved 
anther,  which  is  suspended  by  its  middle  and  really 
hangs  by  a  thread.  The  whole  forms  a  most  beau- 
tiful flower  picture. 

■Wllldenovla  teres.— A  graceful  plant  of 
Sedge-like  appearance  both  when  in  flower  and 
when  clothed  only  with  its  short  green  glume-like 
foliage.  The  stems  are  r)amboo-like,  as  thick  as  a 
quill,  and  very  hard  and  smooth.  All  along  the 
stems  are  numerous  branches,  which  branch  again 
and  again  until  the  whole  branch  has  a  thick 
bushy  appearance  like  an  immense  fox-brush. 
These  branches  are  (5  feet  or  more  in  length,  and 
owing  to  the  weight  of  the  "  brush  "  they  curve 
over  in  a  very  graceful  manner.  The  flowers  are 
borne  on  the  ends  of  the  little  branches,  and  are 
so  numerous  as  to  change  the  appearance  of  the 
plant  to  something  like  a  collection  of  large  grace- 
ful panicles,  or  plumes  of  brown  beads  or  tassels. 
Willdenovia  is  a  genus  of  the  Restio  order,  which 
is  confined  to  a  number  of  Sedge-like  plants  found 
only  south  of  the  Equator.  They  are  closely 
related  to  the  Sedge  order,  numerous  species  of 
which  just  now  adorn  with  grace  and  elegance 
the  river  and  stream-sides  of  this  country. 
The  flowers  of  the  Willdenovias  are  dicecious,  that 
is,  the  male  and  female  flowers  are  on  separate 
plants.  A  male  specimen  of  W.  teres  is  now  in 
flower  in  the  succulent  house  at  Kew,  and  we  be- 
lieve the  large  plant  of  this  species  which  is  in  the 
Edinburgh  Botanic  Gardens,  and  from  which  the 
Kew  plant  originally  came,  is  now  in  f  ne  flowering 
condition.  As  a  very  ornamental  plant  for  the 
conservatory,  W.  feres  deserves  to  become  popular. 
A  descriptive  account  of  the  Restiads  was  given  in 
the  Linneayi  Juurnal  some  years  ago  by  Dr. 
Masters,  and  we  find  that  he  there  calls  the  plant 
under  notice  Restio  subvertillatus.  It  is  a  native 
of  the  Cape  of  (food  Hope. 

The  Moon  flower  (Ipomaja  bona-nox)  —In 
the  time  chosen  by  this  plant  for  the  expansion  of 
its  large  beautiful  blossoms  we  have  another 
instance  of  those  strange  unaccountable  freaks  of 
which  the  Nymph-Tias,  some  of  the  Cactuses,  and 
esveral  other  plants  recently  noted  in  our  pages 


are  familiar  examples.  The  Moon  flower  opens 
only  to  the  moon,  and  closes  again  at  sunrise  in 
the  morning.  A  large  number  of  the  Ipomseas, 
and  especially  those  of  distinctly  tropical  coun- 
tries, are,  when  under  cultivation  with  us,  given 
to  closing  their  flowers  at  about  noon.  At  Kew, 
in  the  Water  Lily  house,  a  collection  of  these 
tropical  Ipomaias  has  been  grown  this  year,  and 
almost  every  one  of  them  closed  their  beautiful 
flowers  before  the  time  for  the  admission  of  the 
public.  In  I.  bona-nox  we  possess  a  truly  beauti- 
ful annual  climber,  if  it  would  but  open  its 
flowers  in  the  daytime  instead  of  at  night.  The 
Kew  plant  bore  half  a  dozen  flowers  at  the  time 
we  saw  it,  and  these  were  in  form  similar  to  our 
common  I'indweed,  or  a  better  likeness  to  their 
form  is  that  of  the  flowers  of  I.  Horsfalliai.  In 
size,  however,  there  is  a  great  difference,  I.  bona- 
nox  being  the  largest  flowered  species  known.  It 
grows  to  a  great  length  ina  short  time  ;  the  leaves 
are  smooth,  green,  and  heart-shaped,  the  petiole 
being  brown.  From  the  axils  of  the  leaves  the 
flowers  are  borne  on  four  five-flowered  peduncles. 
The  tube  is  0  inches  long,  greenish  white,  and  the 
flat,  pure  white  limb  measures  quite  G  inches 
across,  or  more  than  twice  the  size  of  the  flowers 
represented  in  the  Botanical  Magazine  (t.  752).  I. 
bona-nox  is  cultivated  throughout  India,  but  its 
native  country  is  South  America  and  the  West 
Indies. 

Lantana  Louis  Beaoit. — The  Lantanas 
are  pretty  tropical  weeds,  which  in  some  countries, 
and  especially  in  the  warmer  islands  of  the  New 
World,  are  to  be  seen  covering  every  bit  of  avail- 
able space  in  much  the  same  way  as  Groundsel 
and  the  Spurgeworts  do  here  in  England.  A  good 
many  of  the  species  are  worthless  as  garden  plants, 
but  amongst  the  many  seedlings  raised  in  this 
country  we  have  some  very  pretty  and  useful  little 
plants,  both  for  the  greenhouse  in  autumn  and 
winter,  and  for  bedding  purposes  in  summer. 
One  of  the  best  of  these  is  L.  Louis  Benoit,  which 
is  apparently  a  descendant  from  L.  crocea,  a 
native  of  Jamaica.  It  is  dwarf  and  compact  in 
habit,  and  when  kept  pinched  back  a  little  the 
shoots  sprout  freely,  so  as  to  form  pretty  little 
shrubs  about  a  foot  high,  which  when  covered 
with  numerous  globular  beads  of  deep  orange 
scarlet  flowers  form  neat  little  ornaments  for  the 
greenhouse.  A  collection  of  Lantanas  might  be 
grown  so  as  to  form  a  brilliant  picture  similiar 
to  what  is  done  with  the  Verbenas  in  the  open 
ground.  Shrubby  Verbenas  the  Lantanas  are, 
possessing,  as  they  do,  all  the  brilliancy  of  colour 
and  shape  of  flower  head  with  which  we  are 
familiar  in  the  more  herbaceous  Verbena.  When 
well  managed — and  they  are  as  easily  managed  as 
Geraniums— Lantanas  flower  freely  for  about  ten 
months  in  the  year.  In  addition  to  the  above 
variety,  L.  La  Neige,  pare  white  ;  L.  Globe  dOr, 
deep  yellow  ;  L.  Distinction,  orange-scarlet ;  and 
L.  Ne  Plus  Ultra,  rose,  pink,  and  lavender,  are 
good  varieties  for  growing  as  autumn  and  winter 
tiowering  plants.  A  strong  odour,  like  that  of  the 
scented  Verbena,  is  characteristic  of  the  foliage  of 
all  the  Lantanas. — B. 


tyne,  for  cones,  seeds,  and  tools.     Bronze  medal 
— B.  Hartland,  Cork. 

Sale  of  Orchids.— On  Wednesday  last  the 
collection  of  Orchids  formed  by  Sir.  Oscar 
Lamarche,  of  Liege,  was  disposed  of  at  Protheroe 
and  Morris's  rooms,  Cheapside.  There  were  over 
400  lots,  some  of  the  highest  priced  plants  being 
the  following :  Anguloa  Clowesi,  with  thirty-seven 
bulbs  and  seven  growths,  £\i  Hs. ;  Cattleya 
labiata  Warneri,  £21  ;  Cattleya  labiata  Pesca- 
torei,  £'2i  Ss. ;  Cypripedium  caudatum  roseum,  a 
fine  variety,  X8  10s. ;  Epidendrum  prismatocarpum, 
specimen  with  over  100  bulbs,  and  twenty-four 
flower-spikes,  £\f>  IBs. ;  Vanda  Lowi,  an  unrivalled 
example,  from  the  collection  of  Mr.  Schiller,  of 
Hamburg,  4  feet  6  inches  high,  with  thirty-two 
leaves,  two  young  growths  and  flower-stems, 
i'68  5s. ;  Cattleya  Gaskelliana,  with  eleven  bulbs 
and  two  growths,  £'d ;  Vanda  Lowi,  nearly  2  feet 
high,  £i-J.  lis. ;  Vanda  tricolor  Wioli,  ilO. 

Nova  Sootian  Apples.— A  silver  cup,  pre- 
sented by  Messrs.  Nothard  &  Co.,  Tooley  Street, 
London,  added  to  the  sum  of  i'lt  lOs.  given  by  the 
Crystal  Palace  Company,  offered  for  the  best  col- 
lection of  American  Apples,  was  competed  for 
at  the  Crystal  Palace  on  Tuesday  last.  There  was 
an  extensive  display,  in  all  numbering  about  half- 
a-dozen  collections,  and  all  being  for  the  most 
part  excellent  in  quality ;  indeed,  except  as  re- 
gards the  numbers  of  the  dishes  in  the  respective 
collections,  there  did  not  appear  to  be  much  dis- 
tinction as  regards  merit.  The  majority  of  the 
fruits  were  of  high  colour,  but  there  were  not 
many  dishes  of  very  large  fruits.  Those  remark- 
able for  size  were  Emperor  Alexander  and  Gloria 
Mundi.  Judging  from  a  cursory  examination,  we 
should  say  that  the  names  which  the  Nova  Scotian 
growers  have  for  their  Apples  do  not  accord  with 
our  own.  For  instance,  the  sort  they  have  for 
Ribston  Pippin  is  very  unlike  the  true  Englisli 
variety  ;  many  other  familiar  English  names  of 
Apples  seemed  to  be  also  misapplied.  The  floest 
collection  was  that  from  Dr.  McLatchly,  of  Wolt- 
ville.  Nova  Scotia,  who  had  about  a  hundred 
dishes,  and  of  similar  extent  was  the  second  priz3 
collection  from  the  Fruit  Growers'  Association  of 
Nova  Scotia.  Altogether  these  collections,  though 
attractive  in  appearance,  did  not  favourably  com- 
pare with  the  exhibits  from  the  Kentish  orchards 
on  the  adjoining  tables. 


NOTES  or  THE  WEEK. 

International  Forestry  Exhibition  — 

Pvevision  of  awards. — It  will  be  remembered  that 
as  soon  as  the  list  of  awards  at  the  Forestry  Exhi- 
bition at  Edinburgh  was  published,  much  discon- 
tent was  evinced  by  the  exhibitors.  This  has  led 
to  a  revision  of  the  awards,  and  the  following  is  a 
list  of  the  exhibitors  of  trees  and  shrubs,  &c.,  who 
have  been  awarded  medals.  Gold  medals. — James 
Dickson  and  Son,  Newton  Nurseries,  Chester,  for 
trees  and  shrubs ;  the  Lawson  Seed  and  Nursery 
Company,  for  trees  and  shrubs ;  Little  and  Ballan- 
tyne,  Carlisle,  for  coniferous  and  deciduous  trees; 
Thos.  Methven  and  Son,  Edinburgh ;  James  Veitch 
and  Sons,  Royal  Exotic  Nurseries,  Chelsea,  and 
special  diploma  for  trees  and  shrubs  ;  Vilmorin, 
Andrieax,  and  Co.,  Paris.  Silnr  medals. — Dick- 
son and  Son,  Chester,  for  tools,  seeds,  &c. ;  Law- 
son  Seed  Company,  for  seeds  ;  Little  and  Ballan- 


QUESTIONS. 


5260.— Dlplad'^nia  amabllis.— I  h.ive  a  large  bulb 
of  I'iphnltiiia  amaljiiis  which  rt.'fused  to  ttiirt  into  growth 
thi.s  BuumiLT.  Is  it  worih  keeping?  oris  tliere  any  prospegt 
of  its  starting  iie.xt  spring  ?  It  looks  perfectly  sound  and 
healthy,  like  a  large  Glo.xiuia  bulb.— G.  1'.  B. 

5261.— Free=la8  from  seed. — I  am  anxious  to  get  in- 
formation respecting  the  growing  of  Frtesiaa  from  seeds 
as  I  pOiECSs  some  just  ripe  frum  duwers  which  bloomed  liere 
iluring  the  summer.  JPerhaps  some  of  your  readers  wxll 
kiudly  f urnisli  a  hint  or  two  on  the  suljject.- S. 

6202.— Bleaching  Pampas  Grass.- The  plumes  of 
my  Pampas  Grass  have  uow  been  out  a  fortnight,  and  I 
should  be  mucli  obliged  if  any  of  your  readers  could  te  1 
me  when  to  cut  them  and  also  how  to  b'each  them  ;  and  if 
cliloride  of  lime  is  to  be  used,  kindly  state  in  what  propor- 
tion ?— C.  T. 

52;3— Fro -ting  plants.-Will  any  of  the  readers  of 
The  Gabiien  kindly  tell  me  how  to  frost  plants  and 
cut  flowers  for  the  dinner  table?  I  do  not  agree  with  the 
pi'actice  myself,  as  to  my  e}e  it  tpoils  the  look  of  any  plant, 
but  aa  it  is  requited  it  must  be  done,  and  I  shall  be  glad  to 
know  the  beat  way  of  doing  it.  — A.  ¥. 

626t.— The  Scarborough  Lily.— How  should  the 
Vallota  purpurea,  or  Scarborough  Lily,  be  treated  afttr 
flowering  ?  should  it  be  kept  perfectly  dry  dunng  winter  7 
When  does  it  make  its  principal  growth,  before  or  after 
flowering?  A  large  bulb  of  the  white-throated  variety  is 
now  throwing  up  two  strong  flower  spikes,  but  it  has 
already  lost  all  its  outer  leaves.    Is  thia  right  ?— A.  J. 

5265. — Anthracite  coal.— Can  any  of  your  correspon. 
dents  give  me  information  as  to  the  suitability  of  ttiia  coal 
for  horticultural  purposes,  and  its  relative  value  to  coke  and 
hard  steam  coal?  It  is  asserted  by  (ome  that  anthracite 
coal  is  an  advantageous  and  economical  substitute  for  coke, 
burning  twice  as  long,  reijuiring  less  attention  and  stoking, 
and  giving  a  steady  heat ;  and  by  others  that  it  burns 
fiercely  and  rapidly,  and  in  many  instances  has  led  to  the 
burating  of  the  l)oile.-.  Apart  from  the  question  of  economy, 
it  woultl  certainly  be  a  great  convenience  to  employ  a  fuel 
which  was  less  bulky  and  more  powerful  than  coke.  Per- 
haps some  of  your  subscribers  will  be  able  to  give  your 
readers  the  result  of  theii'  experience  In  this  matter.— 
AII'HJ. 


Oct.    II,  1884.] 


THE   GARDEN 


lo 


•jlo 


SOME  FEATURES  OF  SCILLY  VEGETATION. 
The  guide  books  have  all  something  to  say  anent 
Holy  Vale,  but  it  offers  no   great  enticements 
beyond  its  vigorous  vegetation,     lieing  the  most 
sheltered  of  any  spot  on  St.  Mary's,  some  forest 
trees  have  here  attained  a  fair  growth,  and  for  the 
same  reason  it  is  a  good  hunting  ground  for  Ferns, 
in  the  middle  of  one  of  its  farmyards  may  be  seen 
a  round  plot  edged  with  stones  and  planted  with 
Dracrena  australis,  Agave  americana,  Phormium 
tenax.  Fuchsias,  and  Geraniums  grown  tall  and 
ragged.     As  the  ground  in  the  vicinity  is  truly 
farmyard  in  appearance  and  is  a  favourite  parade 
of  the  pigs,  we  may  fairly  put  this  down  as  one  of 
our  features.     Nor  is  this  feature  confined  to  Holy 
Vale,  for  frequently  the  hens  may  be  seen  scratch- 
ing holes  at  the  base  of  New  Zealand  Flaxes,  and 
clothes-lines  are  often  fastened  to  Dracaena  trunks. 
The  cemetery  at  St.  Mary's  and  the  churchyard  of 
Tresco  are  both   planted 
with    the    same    tropical 
vegetation.     The    Euony- 
mi,    although    previously 
used  as  hedge  plants,  have 
had   to   give   way   befoie 
Escallonia  macrantha.    If 
this   latter    were    only  a 
foliage  plant  it  would  be 
beautiful,    but    with     its 
flowers  added  it  deserves 
the     superlative    degree. 
Throughout     the     entire 
course    of   the    year   the 
Scilly  fields  and  gardens 
are  brightened  by  it,  and 
though  its   greatest    pro- 
fuseness    of   bloom  is   in 
.Tune,  yet  there  is  hardly 
a  day  on  which  a  blossom 
cannot    be  picked.     This 
being   likewise    the    case 
with  the  Geraniums,  it  is 
somewhat      curious     Low 
little  the  islands  are  used 
as  a  winter  resort.     The 
sea   is   often   enough    as 
calm    as    in    summer   in 
December    and    January, 
and  on  the  land,  even  if  it 
blows  hard  for  weeks,  it 
does  not  do  so    for  fort- 
nights.    Few  of  the  visi- 
tors   seem   to   know   the 
Tamarisk  ;    but  there  are 
a    class     of     men     who 
boast  of  their   ignoranca 
of     plants    in    the    same 
stupid  way  as  many  under- 
graduates     do     of     their 
ignorance  of  divinity.     Ic 
is    the    commonest    form 
of  shrub  on  the  islands, 
and    growing   up    to  the 
verge  of  the  sea  it  is  a 
pleasing  substitute  for  the 
white    and     red     stones 
and  shells  with  which  so 

many  sea-bordering  gardens  are  decorated.  Its 
Spiral-like  flowers  and  Asparagus-like  foliage  are 
a  pretty  combination.  The  commonest  weed  is 
perhaps  Mesembryanthemum  ednle,  the  pretty 
yellow  flowers  of  which  do  not  eniirely  disappear 
until  late  in  September.  Although  the  natives 
do  not  use  it  like  the  Hottentots,  they  allow  and 
help  it  to  spread.  la  parts  of  Old  Grimsby  on 
Tresco  Island  it  is  laved  by  the  high  water  and 
Buffers  no  hurt.  It  was  one  of  the  far-seeing  in- 
troductions of  the  late  Mr.  Augustus  Smith,  to 
whom  and  his  nephew,  the  present  lessae,  so  much 
of  the  present  prosperity  of  the  islands  Is  due. 
Although  only  forty  years  introduced ,  it  now  forms 
such  spreading  banks  and  is  so  widespread  as  to 
appear  indigenous.  It  is  of  the  greatest  value  for 
binding  sandbanks,  and,  as  it  speedily  forms  soil  for 
itself,  thrives  as  well  as  could  be  desired  on  shallow 
or  stony  places  or  on  walls.  Another  wild  plant 
plentiful  at  Old  Grimsby  is  the  common  Sea 
Holly,  which  is  by  no  means  the  least  attractive 
of   the   Eryngiums.      The  highlands  of    Tresco 


especially  above  Cromwell's  Castle  and  the  wild 
precipitous  caast  that  bounds  the  islands  on  that 
side,  are  covered  with  Gorse  and  Heather.  As  in 
this  wind-swept  region  in  barely  more  than  4 
inches  or  5  inches  of  soil  they  are  both  about  the 
same  height,  their  beauty  when  in  flower  together 
is  dazzling.  Indeed,  a  painter,  for  fear  of  exagge- 
ration, would  be  more  than  half  afraid  to  put  it 
on  his  canvas. 

The  Geraniums  in  the  cottage  gardens  are  never 
lifted,  nor  are  the  Fuchsias  and  Veronicas.  Of 
this  latter  plant  there  are  a  number  of  varieties 
grown,  which  form  large  bushy  shrubs,  and  are  as 
floriferous  as  can  be.  They  are  at  their  best  in  the 
first  weeks  of  August.  No  garden  is  complete 
without  an  Aloe  and  a  tall  DracKna,  and  in  most 
is  a  Hydrangea  bush  bearing  large  trusses  of  blue 
flowers.  Mr.  Vallance  told  me  that  one  of  his 
men  when  he  first  came  to  Scilly  brought  to  him 


The  Edinhurnh  Castle  Rock,  from  Princes  Street  Gardens. 

a  Laurel  spray  and  asked  him  the  name  of  the  tree 
it  came  from,  as  none  of  them  knew.  And  writing 
now,  after  a  lapse  of  three  weeks,  I  can  remember 
Camellias,  Griselinias,  Myoporums,  and  other 
shrubs  in  plenty,  but  never  a  Laurel. 

Ferns,  except  I'.racken,  cannot  be  said  to  be 
plentiful.  In  various  niches  on  the  rocky  seaboard 
can  be  found  Asplenium  marinum,  and  it  also  can 
be  found  in  a  deserted  well  at  St.  Helen's  and  in 
the  holes  overgrown  with  Driers  on  the  downs  of 
Tresco.  Osmunda  regalis  is  only,  I  believe,  to  be 
seen  in  St.  Mary's  and  in  the  Tresco  Abbey  Gar- 
dens. Lastrca  recurva  and  spinulosa  also  grow  in 
St.  Mary's,  and  at  St.  Martin's  are  to  be  found— at 
least  it  is  said  so  -Ophioglossum  lusitanicum  and 
liotrychium  Lunaria.  The  Lichens  in  liryher  and 
Tresco  are  very  diverse,  there  being  nearly  twelve 
kinds. 

The  best  account  of  Scilly  vegetation,  however, 
is  an  account  of  the  Abbey  Gardens,  which  I  shall 
try  to  give  jour  readers  an  idea  of  in  an  early 
issue.  C.  A.  M.  Carmichael. 


A  garden  picture. — A  south-western  angle 
of  wall  and  buttress  of  warm  grey  sandstone 
clothed  with  Pomegranate  and  Smila.x  for  back- 
ground. Close  against  it  a  group  of  Belladonna 
Lilies,  fringed  with  well-flowered  tufts  of  Peruvian 
Swamp  Lily  (Zephyranthes  Candida).  The  Bella- 
donna flowers  would  rise  naked  from  the  ground, 
but  that  they  are  thickly  carpeted  with  the  beauti- 
fully veined  leaves  of  Italian  Arum.  A  few  years 
ago  I  read  in  The  Garden  of  this  combination  of 
Belladonna  and  Arum,  in  a  note  written,  I  think, 
by  Mr.  F.  Miles,  and  acted  on  the  useful  sugges- 
tion. It  is  a  combination  that  cannot  be  too 
strongly  recommended. — G.  J. 

THE  EDINBUPvGH  CASTLE  ROCK. 
The  Edinburgh  folks  are  justly  proud  of  their 
public  garden,  which  occupies  the  beautiful  valley 
between  Princes  Street  and  the  noble  rock  upon 
which  the  castle  is  built. 
This  rock,  rising  out  of 
the  gardens,  as  it  were, 
in  Imposing  grandeur, 
renders  them  strikingly 
different  from  any  other 
public  gardens  in  Europe. 
As  will  be  seen,  its 
sides  are  almost  perpendi- 
cular, but  here  and  there 
are  rugged  ledges  which 
give  a  foothold  to  colo- 
nies of  plants,  thus  vary- 
ing the  tone  and  colour 
here  and  there  of  the 
rocky  mass.  In  the  pre- 
sence of  so  much  grand 
natural  rock  one  would 
have  thought  no  one 
would  have  attempted  to 
form  artificial  rockeries. 
Yet  such  has  been  done, 
and  that  without  much 
taste,  almost  at  the  very 
foot  of  the  noble  precipice. 
It  a  rock  garden  had  been 
wanted  at  all,  why  not 
have  scattered  a  few  huge 
boulders  about  in  an 
irregular  and  picturefque 
manner,  so  as  to  suggest 
a  connection  with  the 
main  mass  ?  A  rock  garden 
could  even  have  been 
made  by  scattering  on  the 
ledges  of  the  castle  reck 
seeds  of  such  plants  as 
could  hold  their  own  under 
such  circumstances.  Colo- 
nies of  Wallflowers,  for  in- 
stance, might  be  so  placed 
as  to  lend  a  glow  of  colour 
quite  in  harmony  with 
the  general  tone  of  the 
rock,  and  in  no  way  de- 
tract from  its  majestic  ap- 
pearance. Antirrhinums, 
Erinus,  Ferns,  Linarias, 
and  many  other  plants  would  also  be  admirably 
suited  for  the  purpose.  Whether  the  rock  is  clothed 
with  flowers  or  not,  however,  one  thing  is  certain, 
and  that  is  that  the  gay  prettiness  of  the  geometri- 
cal beds  dotted  about  the  gardens  on  the  fresh 
green  turf  diminishes  the  grandeur  of  both  rock 
and  garden  as  viewed  from  Princes  Street.  With 
the  exception  of  what  might  look  like  growing 
naturally  on  the  rock,  there  should  be  no  masses 
of  violent  colours  within  sight  of  the  castle  hill, 
much  less  in  the  middle  distance  where  we  now 
find  them. 


NOTES  FROM  FRANCE. 
Shortly  after  the  Paris  Exhibition  of  1S78 
George  Augustus  Sala  wrote  a  book  entitled  "  Paris 
is  Herself  Again,"  and  the  only  fault  I  have  to  find 
with  which  is  its  title,  for  I  do  not  think  that  Paris 
is  herself  again.  P.e  that  as  it  may,  however,  I  am 
only  going  to  speak  of  Paris  horticulturally.  And 
how,  let  me  ask,  has  it  fared  since  the  days  when 


314 


THE    GARDEN 


[Oct.  11,  1884. 


"  The  Parks  and  Tromenades  of  Paris  "  was  written 
— a  book,  by-the-by,  which  has  more  than  any- 
thing   else    tended    to    make     our     parks    and 
promenades  worthy,  and  not  altogether  unsuccess- 
ful rivals  of  those  of  the  French  capital?  It  struck 
me,  although  I  may  be   wrong,   that  there  is   a 
cheapness  about  the  manner  in  which  things  are 
done  now  that  did  not  prevail  then,  such  as  the 
much  larger  employment  of  annuals.  Marguerites, 
and  plants  of  that  character,  to  the  exclusion  of 
more  expensive  sub-tropical  plants.     That  little 
biJQu    of    a    public   garden,  the    Pare   de  Mon- 
ceau,    still    maintains    its    pre-eminence  as  the 
most  aristocratic  looking  of  the    public    places. 
I  noticed  much  the  same  style  of  decoration  as 
used   to  prevail — the  same    plants    which    have 
probably  done  duty  for  many  years,  the  Tree  Ferns, 
Musas,  and  Palms,  dotted  about  over  the  grounds. 
The  only  new  plants  that  I  saw  employed  since  my 
last  visit  four  years  ago  were  the  tuberous-rooted 
Begonias.     Of  these  there  were  a  large  number  of 
beds,  some  self-coloured  all  red,  others   red  and 
white   mixed,   which   had   a  pretty  effect.     The 
Cannas,  especially  Ehemanni,  and  Caladium  escu- 
lentum    looked    remarkably  well,  the    hot,    dry 
summer  having  suited  them  admirably,  while  the 
perfect  system  of  watering  here  adopted  tended 
to  keep  the  Grass  fresh  and  green.     The  Champs 
Elysues  looked  very   much    the   same   as  usual, 
except  at  the  Eond  point,  where  Begonias  were 
employed  as  in   other   places.     Beds    of  double 
Dahlias  were  frequently  to  be  seen,  but  nowhere 
did  I   notice  the    single  varieties,   which    have 
obtained  such  favour  with  us,  employed.     They 
are  not  sufficiently  showy,  and  their  habit  of  so 
quickly  shedding  their  flowers  and  going  to  seed 
makes  them  troublesome  plants  to  use.    It  seemed 
to   me   that  in  making  the  new  streets,  which 
are  as  usual  planted  with  trees,  the  Ailanthus 
is  not  as  much  employed  as  it  used  to  be,  and 
that  the  Plane  has  taken  its  place  ;  probably  it  has 
been  found,  as  with  us,  to  be  the  most  suitable 
tree  for  town  life,  but  to  me  the  by  far  most  in- 
teresting piece   of  gardening  that  I   saw  in  Paris 
■was  the  garden  connected  with  the  beautiful  hos- 
pital for  British  subjects,  the  Hertford  Hospital, 
which  the  munificence  of  Sir  Richard  Wallace  has 
founded.    Of  the  building  itself  I  must  say  but 
little,  save  that  in  appearance,  in  everything  that 
a  hospital  needs,  in  the  comfort  and  even  luxury 
which  is  provided  for  the  inmates,  and  in  the  com- 
pleteness of  all  its  details,  it  leaves  nothing  to  be 
desired  ;  and  when  I  say  that  although  it  accom- 
modates   but    thirty-five    patients,    that    yet    it 
cost  £10,000,  this  can  readily  be  imagined.    After 
having  been  shown  all  over  it  by  the  courteous 
physician,  the  Hon.  Alan  Herbert,  he  said,  "  But  I 
must  show  you  our  garden,  of  which  we  are  not  a 
little  proud."     I  went  out  with  him  to  see  it ;  it 
was  a  nice,  cool,  shady-looking,  well-kept  place 
with  tall  and  healthy  looking  trees  some  20  feet  or 
23   feet  high,   and   affording  a    delightful   place 
for  the   convalescent  patients  to   walk   and  sit 
about  in.     Four  years  ago  he  said  this  was  nothing 
but  a  rough  piece  of  ground,  without  a  blade  of 
Grass  or  a  shrub  in  it.  I  opened  my  eyes  with 
astonishment ;  but  so  it  was  ;  the  trees  had  been 
transplanted,  the  shrubs  had  been  also  removed  from 
other  places  full  sized,  and  only  one  tree  amongst 
all  the  lot  had  died.     I  have  often  seen  the  suc- 
cessful removal  of  single  trees,  as,  for   instance, 
at  Mr.  Dickson's,  near  Exeter,  but  it  is  the  first 
time  that  I  have  seen  so  bold  an  attempt  to  make 
a  garden  by  their   wholesale  removal.      Anyone 
going  into  it  would  imagine  that  the  whole  thing 
was  at  least  twenty  years  old.      The  trees  are 
Poplars,  Elms,  Planes,  &c.     Of  course,  it  was  an 
expensive  business,  but  then  Sir  Richard  Wallace 
does  not  mind  that,  especially  when  so  great  a  boon 
was  to  be  conferred  as  this  delightful  garden  for 
convalescents. 

And  now  for  a  bit  of  heresy,  for  which,  per- 
haps, I  shall  be  impaled,  after  all  said  and  done, 
about  the  public  parks  of  Paris,  I  do  not  think 
that  Paris  is  for  one  moment  to  be  compared 
Iq  this  respect  with  our  own  dear  smoky  metro- 
polis. If  you  want  to  get  to  a  park  in  Paris  you 
must  drive  out  some  couple  of  miles  to  the  Bois 
de  Boulogne  or  Vincennes,  and  when  there  you 


have  nothing  to  compare  with  the  grand  trees  of 
our  parks.  Where  can  Paris  show  such  an  extent 
of  green  sward  and  fine-looking  trees  close  at  hand 
as  St.  James's,  the  Green  Park,  Hyde  Park,  and 
Kensington  Gardens,  and  now  that  attention  has 
been  directed  to  the  bedding-out,  in  this  respect 
they  have  no  advantage  over  us.  It  is  the 
climate  which  makes  all  the  difference,  the  clear 
bright  air  of  Paris  throws  a  glamour  of  its  own  over 
everything,  while  the  dark  and  too  often  sunless 
atmosphere  of  London  is  more  of  a  pall  than 
anything  else.  If  ever  the  happy  time  should  come 
when  we  have  other  lighting,  except  gas,  or  when 
chimneys  shall  be  compelled  to  consume  their  own 
smoke,  then  may  some  enthusiastic  Frenchman 
write  us  a  book  on  the  "  Parks  and  Promenades  of 
London,"  for  besides  those  in  the  heart  of  the  me- 
tropolis we  have  Battersea,  Finsbury,  and  Victoria 
Parks,  and  other  smaller  places  are  springing  up 
We  have  certainly  nothing  that  can  compare  with 
the  Buttes  Chaumont,  but  that  is  because  there  are 
natural  advantages  there  we  cannot  expect  to 
have.  We  have  nothing  quite  like  the  Pare  Mon- 
ceau,  but  many  pretty  bits  might  be  found  in  the 
Battersea  Park  Gardens;  and  what  with  the  Thames 
Embankment  and  the  many  improvements  that  are 
continually  taking  place,  such  as  at  Hyde  Park 
Corner,  we  may,  I  think,  ask  the  Parisian  to  admire 
our  parks  and  promenades  as  much  as  we  have  done 
his.  At  any  rate,  such  was  the  impression  made 
on  me  on  my  last  visit.  Dei^ta. 


Flower   Garden. 

NEW  FRENCH  HYBRID  GLADIOLI  FOR  1881. 
During  the  fine,  warm,  old-fashioned  summer 
with  which  we  have  been  favoured  this  year,  and 
which  in  gardens  where  there  was  no  lack  of 
water  conduced  so  eminently  to  the  full  develop- 
ment of  all  floral  beauties,  if  also  unfortunately 
to  their  too  quickly  passing  away,  I  have  again 
grown,  for  comparison  with  older  varieties  and 
side  by  side  in  the  same  bed  with  those  of  last 
year,  the  eight  new  varieties  of  the  above-named 
beautiful  plants,  raised  and  sent  out  towards  the 
end  of  last  year  by  that  well-known  and  most 
successful  hybridist  and  raiser  of  new  flowers, 
Mons.  Victor  Lemoine,  of  Nancy.  Some  brief 
account  of  the  relative  merits  of  these  varieties 
may,  I  hope,  be  interesting  to  some  of  the  readers 
of  The  Garden. 

The  first  variety,  C.  Heinemann,  commenced  to 
bloom  on  July  13,  and  has  medium-sized  flowers  of 
a  dull  shade  of  purplish  red  with  carmine 
blotches  on  the  lower  petals,  the  outer  half  of 
which  are  clear  yellow,  produced  on  a  freely- 
branching  flower-spike.  This  variety  shows  the 
traces  of  its  purpureoauratus  parentage  more 
clearly  than  almost  any  other  of  its  more  recently 
raised  brethren. 

Gueeeier  de  Dumast  also  commenced  to 
bloom  on  July  13,  and  is  a  vigorous,  free,  tall- 
growing  v.ariety,  with  medium-sized  flowers  of  a 
bright  fiery-red  with  distinctly  marked  blotches  of 
a  velvety  purple  on  the  lower  petals. 

MoEOT  commenced  to  bloom  on  July  l-l,  and  is 
a  vigorous-growing  variety,  with  rather  under 
medium-sized  creamy  white  flowers  slightly  shaded 
with  rose  colour  on  the  margins  of  the  petals  and 
with  a  small  purple  blotch  on  each  of  the  three 
lower  petals.     A  very  pretty  variety. 

Amieal  Pierre  commenced  to  bloom  on  July 
IG  ;  is  a  variety  of  medium  height  with  well 
opened  flowers  of  a  deep  .shade  of  salmony-red 
with  a  single  distinct  carmine  blotch  on  the  centre 
of  the  middle  lower  petal,  which  is  fringed  with  a 
broad  band  of  clear  canary  colour. 

Meissonnier  commenced  to  bloom  on  July  20, 
a  variety  with  free-branching  habit  of  growth  and 
medium-sized  blooms  of  a  light  cherry-red  with 
distinct  carmine  blotches,  each  bordered  with  a 
pale  primrose  band  in  the  centre  of  the  lower 
petals. 

W.  E.  GUMBLETON  commenced  to  bloom  on 
July  28  ;  is  a  tall  vigorous-growing  variety,  with 
fine,  large,  well-opened  flowers  of  a  pleasing  shade 


of  light  rose  colour  flaked  with  carmine  (remind- 
ing one  of  Souchel's  beautiful  old  variety  Achille 
in  shade  of  ground  colour),  and  with  a  deep  rosy 
purple  blotch,  tipped  with  creamy  yellow  on  each 
of  the  lower  petals.  This  is  quite  the  most  beau- 
tiful of  this  series. 

Masque  de  Fee  commenced  to  bloom  on  July 
31  ;  is  a  free  branching  stemmed  variety,  with  light 
red  flowers  rather  under  medium  size,  shading  oS 
almost  to  white  towards  the  throat,  with  deep 
carmine  velvety  blotches  with  a  golden  streak  in 
the  centre  of  each  on  the  lower  petals  of  the 
flower. 

Henri  Conscience  commenced  to  bloom  on 
August  6  ;  isa  variety  of  more  slender  growth  than 
the  others,  with  flowers  rather  below  the  medium 
size,  of  a  delicate  shade  of  rose-pink  with  whitish 
throat  and  deep  carmine  blotches  on  the  lower 
petals.  A  very  pretty  variety,  closely  resembling 
Deleuil's  variety  Zelie  of  last  year. 

The  variety  Stanley  of  last  year  again  di.s- 
appointed  me  by  shooting  so  weakly  that  it  had 
not  sufficient  strength  to  produce  a  bloom  spike. 
I  shall  hope  to  see  and  describe  it  in  1885. 

Although  it  will  be  evident  to  anyone  reading 
these  brief  descriptions  of  the  new  varieties 
of  this  year  that  there  are  some  beautiful  and 
delicately  marked  flowers  among  tliem,  yet  I 
must  candidly  confess  that  as  a  lot  I  consider 
them  quite  inferior  in  beauty  and  size  of  flower 
to  those  sent  out  the  previous  year,  none  of 
them  at  all  approaching  in  size  or  beauty  the 
fine  Victor  Hugo  or  the  novel  beauty  of  shade 
of  Obelisque.  It  will  be  seen  by  those  referring  to 
my  notes  about  last  year's  varieties  on  page  429  of 
Volume  XXIV.of  The  Garden  that  owing  doubt- 
less to  the  unusually  warm  summer  these  plants 
commenced  to  bloom  about  a  month  earlier  than 
they  did  last  year,  the  first  flower  opening  this  year 
on  July  13,  whereas  the  first  did  not  commence  to 
bloom  last  year  till  August  1 1 ,  having  been  planted 
in  the  first  week  of  the  previous  November.  I  have 
saved  a  fair  quantity  of  seed  of  these  hybrids,  a 
pinch  of  which  I  shall  be  happy  to  send  to  any 
reader  of  The  Garden  who  likes  to  send  me  a 
stamped  envelope  addressed  to  themselves  to  Bel- 
grove,  Queenstown,  Co.  Cork,  Ireland. 

"W.  E.  Gumbleton. 


LITHOSPERMUM  PROSTEATUM. 

Comtlaints  have  recently  been  made  in  TiiB 
Garden  as  to  the  difficulty  of  transplanting,  pro- 
pagating, and  establishing  this  beautiful  hardy 
flower.  From  what  I  have  seen  of  this  plant  I 
judged  it  to  be  of  easy  culture,  but,  like  many 
other  things,  I  suppose  it  grows  with  freedom 
where  all  the  conditions  are  right  and  refuses  to 
flourish  where  any  of  them  are  wanting.  A  little 
daughter  of  a  friend  of  mine  inserted  some  cut- 
tings of  it  in  her  garden  at  the  base  of  a  Thuja 
hedge  in  sandy  soil  in  a  shady  position ;  they 
nearly  all  struck,  and  soon  grew  into  good  plants. 
But  it  does  sometimes  happen  that  success  attends 
a  rough-and-ready  way  when  the  usual  approved 
methods  have  failed.  In  this  instance  the  cuttings 
were  good  strong  shoots,  having  a  considerable 
portion  of  mature  wood  attached  to  them,  and  I 
fancy  that  wood  nearly  ripened  would  make  roots 
with  more  certainty  than  quite  young  shoots, 
which  are  liable  to  damp  off.  Last  May  a  strong 
plant  of  this  Lithospermum  was  rooted  out  of  a 
"stumpery,"  where  it  was  doing  well,  but  was  too 
much  shaded  to  flower  properly,  and  was  planted 
on  a  piece  of  rather  hard,  poor  soil  where  Pinks 
had  been  growing  for  years.  Now,  this  plant  had 
scarcely  any  roots,  but  was  set  so  deeply  in  the 
fresh  soil  as  to  quite  bury  the  long,  hard  stems. 
It  was  watered  when  planted,  but  was  quite  ne- 
glected afterwards,  and  the  season  being  so  hot 
and  dry,  the  foliage  withered  and  the  plant  looked 
dead.  It  was  then  watered,  and,  curiously  enough, 
sprang  at  once  into  active  life,  and  has  now  made 
a  good  specimen.  Is  it  that  this  Lithospermum 
ought  to  be  planted  at  a  time  of  year  when  the 
soil  and  weather  are  warm,  and  that  the  failures 
which  occur  are  caused  by  transplanting  at  a 
wrong  time  of  year '/  Mr.  Wood  states  that  he  sue- 


Oct.  11,   1834.] 


THE     GARDEN 


315 


ceeded  best  with  its  propagation  when  the  cuttings 
were  exposed  to  the  full  sun ;  it  is  therefore  reason- 
able to  suppose  that  a  larger  amount  of  warmth 
is  in  its  case  necessary  to  promote  root  action 
than  most  other  things  need.  Had  I  any  quantity 
of  this  plant  to  move.  I  would  choose  August  or 
the  latter  end  of  May  or  June  for  so  doing,  and 
should  fear  little  for  the  result.  The  finest  speci- 
mens of  Lithospermum  prostratum  I  am  acquainted 
with  arc  growing  on  light  sandy  soil  on  a  piece  of 
ground  sloping  sharply  to  the  south.  They  must 
get  very  dry  in  summer,  but  they  evidently  enjoy 
the  place,  looking  very  happy  and  covering  them- 
selves in  their  season  with  flowers  of  the  loveliest 
blue.  J-  C. 

THE  CREEPING  FORGET-ME-NOT. 

(OMl'HALODES  VEENA.) 

TiiKiiE  are  many  spots  in  every  garden,  shrubbery 
margin,  and  woodland  in  which  this  little  gem  of 
early  spring  could  be  induced  to  establish  and 
naturalise  itself ;  indeed,  if  not  left  a  good  deal  to 
itself,  it  refuses  to  grow  in  the  way  it  should  do. 
It  dislikes  being  meddled  with  when  once  it  has 
got  a  foothold,  and  in  no  position  does  it  thrive  or 
look  better  than  as  a  fringe  to  a  walk  margin  in 
some  shady  spot,  and  it  is  all  the  better  if  there 
are  a  few  blocks  of  sandstone  or  other  hard 
material,  among  which  its 
roots  may  ramble  and  de- 
rive therefrom  coolness 
and  moisture.  It  delights 
in  a  cool,  moist,  loamy 
soil.  The  accompanying 
little  sketch  shows  a  luxu- 
riant patch  in  flower  in 
early  spring,  with  an 
abundance  of  its  lovely 
turquoise  -  blue  blossoms 
nestling  midst  the  fo- 
liage. There  is  a  so- 
called  white  variety  of 
this  plant,  but  the  majo- 
rity would  doubtless  pre- 
fer the  original.  As  in  the  case  of  the  white  Forget- 
me-not,  the  flowers  lose  half  their  charms  if  not 
true  blue. 


growths,  but  that  does  not  prove  that  the  insects 
or  the  fungus  v,-ere  the  cause  of  the  swelling  in  the 
Carnation  stem.  The  point  I  want  to  arrive  at  is 
this,  that  in  our  large  collection  of  Carnations  and 
Picotees  I  have  never  seen  any  trace  of  this  de- 
rangement of  the  tissues  of  the  plants,  unless  the 
plants  had  been  received  from  someone  else,  and 
as  a  positive  proof  that  the  gout  is  not  hereditary, 
the  layers  or  pipings  propagated  from  the  gouty 
plants  are  almost  invariably  clean  the  following 
season.  By  what  I  have  seen  in  collections  where 
gout  is  prevalent,  I  believe  a  fertile  cause  of  it  is 
keeping  the  plants  too  dry  at  the  roots  during  the 
winter.  When  a  plant  is  badly  attacked  by  this  dis- 
ease the  only  way  is  to  take  off  the  growths  and 
propagate  them  as  cuttings  (pipings  is  the  or- 
thodox term) ;  they  will  strike  freely  enough  under 
a  close  bell  or  hand-glass.  I  do  not  claim  any 
particular  merit  because  our  plants  are  exempt 
from  this  disease.  I  merely  state  it  as  a  fact,  and 
that  our  immunity  from  it  is  due  to  the  treatment 
the  plants  receive  I  have  no  doubt.  I  am  quite 
aware  that  plants  out-of-doors  are  also  injured  in 
this  way,  but  in  the  case  of  outdoor  plants  the 
stems  not  only  swell,  but  also  split  open,  caused 
probably  by  too  much  moisture  followed  by  frosts. 
Ileferring  again  to  our  Carnations  in  pots,  it  will 
probably  be  found  that  aphides  have  begun  to  spread 


THE  CARNATION  AND  PICOTEE. 

October  is  a  busy  month  for  those  who  grow  a 
good  collection  of  these  plants.  I  began  on  the 
29th  of  September  to  repot  our  whole  collection. 
They  are  nearly  all  grown  in  pots  ;  consequently 
they  were  layered  there,  and  now  the  layers  are 
being  repotted  into  small  pots,  one  or  two  plants 
according  to  their  size  being  put  into  large  3-inch 
pots.  I  find  the  young  plants  are  well  rooted  this 
year.  At  the  same  time  it  is  just  as  well  to  keep 
the  lights  close  over  the  plants  for  a  few  days 
until  the  roots  have  taken  firm  hold  of  the  new 
soil.  They  do  best  in  frames,  and  if  the  pots  are 
plunged  in  some  light  material  close  to  the  glass, 
so  much  the  better.  "We  use  Cocoa-nut  fibre  re- 
fuse to  plunge  them  in.  There  is  a  depth  of  it 
from  1  foot  to  IS  inches  ;  it  seems  to  yield  a  very 
gentle  bottom  heat  for  a  few  weeks,  which  is 
sufficient  to  give  the  plants  a  good  start.  I  do 
not  use  rich  soil  to  pot  the  young  dayers  in.  If 
good  loam  can  be  obtained,  only  add  to  it  leaf- 
mould  and  decayed  manure,  giving  a  very  small 
portion  of  the  latter  and  some  sharp  river  sand, 
as  the  loam  is  not  likely  to  contain  sufficient 
sand  of  itself.  Drain  the  pots  well  and  pot 
the  plants  rather  firmly.  Perhaps  some  people 
may  think  it  unnecessary  to  go  int3  such 
minute  details  as  these ;  but  the  difference 
between  failure  and  success,  not  only  in 
growing  Carnations,  but  things  of  more  weighty 
importance,  are  determined  by  attention  to  little 
matters.  Take,  for  instance,  the  disease  in  Carna- 
tions termed 

Gout,  a  swelling  of  thetissnesof  the  stem  close 
to,  or  it  may  be  just  under,  the  surface  of  the 
ground.  How  it  is  produced,  or  what  way  it  can 
be  cured,  has  not  been  determined.  Portions  of 
the  decayed  stems  placed  under  a  microscope 
may  show  the  presence  of  insects    or  fungoid 


An  cdijlng  o/  creepinfi  Forget-me-not  (Omphalodcs  verna). 


upon  the  plants  in  the  frames.  AVe  leave  a  smoke- 
hole  in  the  front  of  the  frame,  and  they  are  very 
speedily  destroyed  by  fumigating  them  with 
Tobacco  smoke.  Wireworm  is  a  very  troublesome 
pest  to  the  grower  of  Carnations  in  pots  ;  its 
presence  is  frequent  in  the  loam  used  for  potting, 
and  the  only  way  to  destroy  it  is  to  carefully  pick 
the  loam  over  on  the  potting  bench  before  mixing 
it  up  with  the  leaf-mould,  &c.  My  own  experience 
also  suggests  that  if  it  is  intended  to  grow  and 
flower  the  Carnations  in  beds  or  borders  out-of- 
doors,  the  best  way  is  to  pot  them  up  and  winter 
them  in  cold  frames.  I  am  aware  that  some  of 
the  northern  growers  plant  out  their  exhibition 
Carnations  to  stand  over  the  winter  out-of-doors 
in  beds,  but  the  plants  require  considerable  atten- 
tion to  preserve  them  from  injury.  There  are  also 
a  good  many  losses,  and  plants  must  be  grown  in 
pots  to  make  them  good,  so  that  even  on  the  score 
of  the  attention  which  they  require  labour  is  saved 
by  keeping  them  in  pots.  We  may  now  leave  our 
Carnations  safe  in  the  frames  for  the  winter,  and 
say  a  few  words  respecting  their  near  allies, 


The  garden  Pinks.  Some  persons  prefer  the 
quiet  beauty  and  delicate  perfume  of  the  Pinks  to 
the  more  stately  Carnation  and  Picotee.  They 
are  at  least  better  adapted  for  small  gardens,  are 
much  more  hardy,  and  can  be  grown  to  perfection 
if  there  is  not  so  mnch  as  a  bell  or  hand-glass  in 
the  garden.  The  plants  should  now  be  of  good 
size  if  they  were,  as  they  ought  to  have  been,  pro- 
pagated in  July.  They  like  to  be  planted  in  beds 
of  rich,  deep,  and  light  garden  soil.  October  is  the 
best  month  to  plant  them  out  in,  and  the  plants 
may  stand  from  G  inches  to  9  inches  apart.  I  have 
planted  them  a  foot  apart,  but  that  was  for  strong 
growing  varieties  and  very  large  plants  indeed.  If 
convenience  exists,  it  is  just  as  well  to  pot  up  a 
few  plants  to  make  good  any  losses  in  the  winter, 
but  if  planted  out  early  enough  to  become  es- 
tablished before  the  frosts  set  in,  they  do  not  re- 
ceive much  injury  even  during  the  most  severe 
winters.  The  varieties  usually  grown  to  be  forced 
into  bloom  early  in  the  year  are  even  more  hardy 


than  the  laced  florists'  varieties.  The  reason  of 
this  is  not  very  far  to  seek ;  the  florist  does 
not  look  first  at  the  habit  or  constitution  of 
his  seedling,  but  at  the  form,  quality,  and 
lacing  of  the  flowers  ;  habit  and  constitution  come 
next.  In  the  forcing  section  Mrs.  Pettifer  and 
Mrs.  Jloore  would  come  laced  if  rightly  managed, 
but  when  forced  they  lack  the  lacing  and  have 
merely  a  dark  blotch  in  the  centre.  Lord  Lyons 
is  a  charming  variety  of  the  old  Anne  Eoleyn  type ; 
it  is  by  far  the  best  of  them.  The  new  self  Rose 
Perfection,  raised  and  exhibited  by  Messrs.  Veitch, 
of  Chelsea,  will  probably  be  as  good  a  forcing 
kind,  as  it  is  well  adapted  for  borders  outside. 
Mrs.  Sinkins  I  consider  a  coarse  variety,  and  have 
never  cared  to  grow  it.  Lady  Blanche  is  by  far 
the  most  refined  and  beautiful  of  the  white  varie- 
ties ;  it  is,  however,  rather  delicate  in  constitu- 
tion. Single  plants  should  now  be  large  enough 
to  be  planted  into  5-inch  pots.  If  they  are  care- 
fully potted  in  the  Carnation  soil  named  above 
and  placed  in  cold  frames,  they  will  soon  become 
established.  J.  Douglas. 


AURICULA  COLONEL  CHAMPNEYS. 
The  differences  of  opinion  amongst  florists  on  this 
and  other  points  are,  it  must  be  admitted,  rather 
puzzling  to  those  who  have  but  little  knowledge  of 
florists'  flowers.  "Col.  Champneys,"  says  "Delta," 
who  has  been  a  grower  of  Auriculas  for  fifty  years, 
"  has  not  one  good  point  to  a  florist's  eye,'  and  yet 
it  was  sent  out  by  that  veteran  grower,  Mr.  Charles 
Turner,  of  Slough,  with  the  highest  recommenda- 
tions. It  received  first-class  certificates  from  the 
Royal  Botanic  and  Royal  Horticultural  Societies, 
and  also  received  the  highest  praise  that  could  be 
given  to  new  flowers  in  the  gardening  papers.  It 
was  raised  from  Chapman's  Sophia,  fertilised  with 
pollen  from  Lightbody's  Richard  Headley.  A 
coloured  plate  of  it  was  given  in  the  Florist  and 
Pamohyist  in  1868,  where  it  is  styled  "a  remark- 
ably fine  Auricula,  the  truss  of  flowers  large, 
bold,  and  attractive,  indicating  a  free  habit  of 
growth  and  a  robust  constitution.  There  can  be 
no  doubt  that  this  will  become  a  standard  variety, 
for  it  is  not  only  very  distinct,  but  one  of  the  most 
attractive  in  the  Slough  collection."  Thus  it  would 
appear  that  the  Auricula  in  question  was  thought 
worthy  of  a  better  place  than  the  "  rubbish  heap." 
May  I  also  inform  "Delta"  that  he  writes  rather  too 
slightingly  about  the  class  for  fifty  Auriculas  when 
he  says,  "  for  fifty  anything  is  admitted  ?"  nor  is 
Mr.  Tymons  quite  correct  when  he  states  "  that 
spectacular  effect,  not  individual  quality,  is  the 
thing  chiefly  sought." 

As  an  exhibitor  of  fifty  Auriculas  for  compe- 
tition even  before  the  National  Society  was  ic- 
augurated,  I  may  say  that  plants  for  this  class  are 
selected  in  the  first  place  for  their  quality ;  a  large 
truss  with  many  flowers  is  rejected  for  a  small 
one  with  few  flowers  if  the  small  one  is  superior 
in  quality  to  the  other.  The  plants  are  also 
arranged  so  as  to  produce  the  best  effect,  whether 
the  numbers  are  twelve  or  fifty.  I  am  not  quite 
sure  in  what  way  "Delta"  would  define  "any- 
thing "  as  applied  to  an  Auricula  :  but  a  grower 
for  fifty  years  cannot  but  be  aware  that  "  any-' 
things"  would  be  useless  to  take  prizes  with  at 
an  exhibition  in  these  later  days.  Being  a  very 
free  growing  variety.  Colonel  Champneys  has  be- 
come very  common,  and  it  has  certainly  not  the 
high  quality  of  Geo.  Lightbody,  but  it  is  as  good 
as  Chapman's  Marie  and  better  than  Sophia, 
which  I  have  discarded  long  ago.  This  variety, 
like  many  others,  must  be  judged  in  its  best  form. 
I  am  sure  both  Jlr.  Tymons  and  "Delta"  have 
seen  Prince  of  Greens  and  John  Simonite  flower 
so  badly,  that  their  best  friends  could  scarcely 
tolerate  them,  and  yet  these  two  are  great 
favourites.  Frank  Simonite  is  the  most  recent 
of  the  Champnejs  type  and  the  best  of  them,  bnt 
itcomesbad  sometimes  from  a  centre  truss— starry 
in  the  ground  colour  and  weak  in  the  tube  as 
Champneys  ever  was.  We  want  improvements  in 
these  blue  ground  varieties,  but  we  must  put  up 
with  Marie,  Col.  Champneys,  and  Frank  until  we 
get  better.  "  Delta,"  though  a  grower  of  Auriculas 
for  fifty  years,  has  not  handed  down  to  posterity 


316 


THE    GARDEN 


[Oct.  11,  1&84. 


even  one  good  Auricula.  He  may  say,  I  have  not 
had  the  means  of  doing  so;  but  what  means  or  op- 
portunities either  had  Peter  Campbell  at  Falkirk  ? 
The  little  garden  behind  his  house  is  small  enough, 
but  it  held  a  frame  or  two,  and  by  means  of  some 
well-directed  energy  Campbell's  name  is  handed 
down  to  posterity  as  the  raiser  of  Pizarro,  Lord 
Clyde,  Lord  Lome,  Duke  of  Argyle,  Admiral 
Napier,  and  others.  J.  Douglas. 

MONTLRETIA  POTTSL 
Your  correspondent  (p.  297)  has  doubtless  treated 
this  plant  too  liberally  ;  a  dressing  every  autumn 
of  hotbed  manure  and  three  or  four  waterings 
during  the  summer  with  manure  water,  besides 
a  sprinkling  of  guano,  is  whnt  I  should  consider 
very  high  living,  even  if  the  soil  itself  is  naturally 
poor.  There  may  be  some  plants  of  a  shrubby 
character  and  certain  strong-growing  herbaceous 
plants  that  might  require  such  liberal  feeding 
when  growing  in  a  position  such  as  that  described, 
but  I  know  of  no  bulbous  plant,  except  the  Hya- 
cinth, that  would  flower  satisfactorily  under  such 
conditions.  Too  liberal  treatment  produces  undue 
luxuriance  of  growth,  which  cannot  under  the  cir- 
cumstances get  properly  matured  ;  hence  a  scarcity 
of  flowers.  This  Montbretia  is  one  of  those  plants 
which  require  a  season  of  rest  as  well  as  of  growth, 
although  the  resting  season  must  not  be  pressed 
so  far  as  to  cause  the  leaves  to  wither  to  any  serious 
extent.  In  this  respect  it  is  like  many  more 
bulbous  plants  of  similar  character ;  it  should 
always  retain  its  leaves ;  but  nevertheless,  as  1  have 
just  stated,  the  plant  requires  a  rest  daring  winter, 
and  also  sutHcient  shelter  to  keep  the  leaves  green. 
Indeed,  I  consider  it  necessary  to  take  more  care 
of  the  leaves  during  winter  than  the  roots.  I  am 
not  sure  that  frost  would  injure  the  latter  if  pro- 
tected by  a  layer  of  dry  leaves,  but  I  know  to  my 
cost  that  cold  winds  and  heavy  rains  injure 
the  leaves,  and  that  a  poor  crop  of  flowers  is  the 
result.  For  that  reason  I  do  not  now  risk  our 
stock  in  the  open  ground  all  winter.  Early  in 
November  with  a  fork  we  lift  the  clumps  bodily 
and  drop  them  as  they  come  from  the  ground  into 
large  pots.  We  then  give  them  the  shelter  of  a 
cold  pit,  or  that  of  an  unheated  house,  until  the 
middle  of  April,  when  they  are  hardened  off  and 
planted  out  again  where  they  are  to  flower.  If  we 
desire  to  increase  the  stock,  we  at  this  time  pull  a 
clump  or  two  to  pieces,  but  the  best  and  strongest 
tlower-spikes  are  obtained  from  the  largest  plants. 
If  your  correspondent  cannot  afford  the  shelter 
of  glass  in  winter,  I  should  advise  him  to  put  it 
low  down  on  a  rockery  in  a  sheltered  corner,  and 
under  all  circumstances  to  reduce  the  sumptuous 
living  to  which  his  plants  have  been  so  long  sub- 
jected.— J.  C.  C. 

My  experience  with  Montbretia  Pottsi  on 

the  London  clay  is  similar  to  that  of  Mr.  Crook. 
I  bought  a  few  corms  four  years  ago ;  they  were 
expensive — about  lis.  each.  I  tried  them  two 
years  in  pots  and  had  one  flower.  Then  I 
planted  them  out  in  a  sunny  situation  where 
they  have  stood  two  (mild)  winters.  They  have 
come  up  strong  and  healthy  and  increased 
rapidly,  four  bulbs  having  become  a  clump  a 
square  foot  in  area.  About  the  time  they  ought 
to  flower  the  leaves  begin  to  turn  brown,  as  do 
those  of  Gladiolus  sometimes.  The  stems  look  as 
if  they  ought  to  flower,  but  do  not.  They  have 
not  been  treated  with  stimulating  soil,  but  with 
fresh  loam  and  leaf  mould  as  a  top  dressing  ;  we 
may  therefore  say  that  two  modes  of  treatment 
have  been  tried,  Mr.  Crook  having  used  strong 
measures ;  the  nature  of  his  subsoil  may  have 
justified  it,  though,  as  a  rule,  this  class  of  plants 
does  not  require  rich  ground.  I  am  thinking  of 
taking  them  up  this  autumn,  drying  them  off,  and 
trying  them  again  in  a  large  pot  nest  year,  put- 
ting them  in  about  March  in  not  too  strong  soil, 
and  keeping  them  in  the  shade.  I  find  the  same 
difficulty  with  Watsonias  ;  they  come  up  well,  but 
do-not  flower.  All  these  Cape  bulbs  seem  to  re- 
quire special  treatment,  which  I  as  an  amateur 
have  not  yet  found  out.  Perhaps  Mr.  Ware  or 
Mr.  Fish  would  kindly  give  us  some  hints  on  the 
subject.    Failures  of  this  kind  are  very  discourag- 


ing to  those  who  are  not  unwilling  to  try  novel- 
ties which  are  necessarily  at  their  first  introduc- 
tion rather  expensive.  I  am  glad  Mr.  Crook  has 
opened  up  this  matter,  and  I  hope  that  we  shall 
find  some  more  successful  grower  of  these  bulbs 
than  we  are  to  advise  and  help  us  out  of  onr  diffi- 
culties.— A. 


PPvOPAGATING  HAHDY  WALL  PLANTS. 
The  stock  of  many  hardy  plants  suitable  for 
covering  walls  and  other  places  can  at  this  season 
be  easily  increased  by  means  of  cuttings  inserted 
in  sandy  soil  in  a  cold  frame.  When  put  in  give 
them  a  good  watering  to  firm  them  In  the  soil  (a 
necessary  matter),  and  keep  the  frame  nearly 
closed  until  they  are  rooted,  when  more  air  will  be 
required.  Cuttings  from  4  inches  to  G  inches 
long  made  of  half-ripened  wood  and  taken  off  with 
a  piece  of  heel  attached  to  them  make  the  best 
plants.  If  carefully  chosen  and  properly  treated 
no  difficulty  will  be  experienced  in  getting  them 
to  grow,  and  by  April  they  will  be  well  furnished 
with  roots,  and  may  then  be  planted  in  their  per- 
manent positions,  or  inserted  on  a  west  border  in 
rows,  using  some  well-rotted  manure,  where  they 
can  remain  tor  a  year  or  so  to  strengthen.  When 
in  their  permanent  places  and  growing  freely  they 
are  much  benefited  by  copious  supplies  of  liquid 
manure  at  the  roots,  particularly  when  planted  at 
the  foot  of  brick  walls,  as  some  kinds  of  brick 
absorb  a  great  quantity  of  moisture  from  the  soil. 
Thorough  drenchings  with  clean  water  applied 
with  the  garden  engine  over  the  foliage  occa- 
sionally are  beneficial  as  regards  keeping  down 
many  sorts  of  insects  which  nestle  under  the  leaves. 
The  undermentioned  are  some  of  the  plants  which 
can  be  treated  in  this  way,  all  of  which  are  suit- 
able subjects  for  the  positions  herein  named. 

Escallonia  macrantha  is  a  neat,  dense-growing 
plant  well  suited  for  covering  low  walls,  its  rosy 
pink  flowers,  freely  produced  at  the  points  of  the 
ohoots,  contrasting  well  with  the  dark  green  foli- 
age ;  if  seed-pods  are  kept  picked  off,  it  will  con- 
tinue to  grow  and  bloom  all  summer.  E.  monte- 
vidensis  produces  large  panicles  of  white  flowers 
freely  during  September  and  October,  and  by 
reason  of  its  strong  growth  is  well  adapted  for 
covering  high  walls  or  screens  or  wooden  fences. 
This  species  requires  a  little  more  time  to  strike 
than  E.  macrantha.  Garrya  elliptica  is  another 
fast  growing  plant  which  is  readily  increased  by 
cutting? ;  it  grows  freely,  too,  on  a  northern  aspect ; 
therefore  its  value  cannot  well  be  over  estimated 
where  large  spaces  on  north  walls  have  to  be 
covered.  Male  plants  of  it  produce  their  long 
graceful  catkins  ten  and  twelve  on  a  shoot  during 
the  winter  months,  and  on  the  females  may  this 
year  be  found  clusters  of  berries.  Coronilla 
glauca  is  another  plant  that  strikes  freely,  and 
one  that  is  useful  for  covering  low  walls  in 
favoured  aspects.  A  south  exposure  suits  it  best, 
where,  during  the  autumn  and  winter  months,  it 
produces  its  bright  yellow  flowers  in  abundance. 
Jasminum  nudiflorum  and  the  common  white, 
sweet  scented  Jasmine  are  both  good  plants  for 
the  same  purpose,  and  easily  grown  from  cuttings 
J.  nudiflorum  does  well  on  a  north  wall,  where 
its  bright  yellow  flowers  are  produced  freely  during 
the  winter  months. 

The  variegated  Honeysuckle  (Lonicera  aureo-re- 
ticulata)  is  a  useful  wall  plant,  which  grows  fast 
when  planted  in  good  soil.  It  may  either  be  tied  in 
clo.sely  to  the  wall,  or,  if  preferred,  the  long  shoots 
may  hang  loose.  Other  kinds  of  Honeysuckle 
also  answer  well  for  covering  walls  or  trellises. 
Their  flowers,  too,  are  useful  in  a  cut  state,  and  if 
growing  near  the  windows  of  dwelling-houses 
their  perfume  is  much  appreciated.  The  varie- 
gated kind  blooms  freely  all  the  summer,  and  it 
strikes  freely  from  cuttings.  Kerria  japonica  is 
likewise  a  useful  wall  plant,  its  bright  orange 
rosette-like  flowers  being  freely  produced  in  spring, 
and  again  in  autumn  if  the  plants  are  pruned  in 
a  little  after  the  first  crop  of  blooms  is  over.  Both 
the  single  and  double  varieties  are  plants  of  easy 
culture.  Ceanothus  divaricatus  and  C.  azareus  are 
amongst  the  best  wall  plants  grown,  their  dark 
green  leaves  and  light  blue  flowers   forming   a 


grand  contrast  with  their  associates.  They  grow 
into  large  bushes  in  a  short  time  if  water  be  freely 
given  them  during  the  summer  months.  Coto- 
neaster  Simonsi  is  well  adapted  for  covering  high 
walls  either  on  a  north  or  southern  aspect ;  its 
red  berries,  too,  which  are  freely  produced,  give  it 
a  very  ornamental  appearance.  C.  microphylla  is 
more  suitable  for  low  walls,  iron  railings,  mounds, 
or  rockeries,  its  dense  habit  of  growth  rendering 
it  a  desirable  plant  for  such  purposes.  It  re- 
quires little  or  no  training.  Berberis  Darwini  is 
useful  for  hiding  wooden  or  iron  fences,  or 
for  covering  any  other  bare  places  where 
close  training  is  not  desired ;  if  planted  in  good 
soil,  its  bright  orange  blossoms  are  produced 
freely.  Exochorda  grandiflora,  although  deciduous, 
is  well  worth  using  for  covering  walls  where  great 
variety  is  required.  Planted  at  the  foot  of  a  south 
wall,  its  pure  white  flowers  are  freely  produced  in 
long  wreaths  in  May.  On  account  of  its  manner 
of  blooming  it  requires  careful  pruning.  Veronica 
Andersoni  and  other  New  Zealand  Veronicas, 
although  generally  grown  as  bush  plants  in  shrub- 
berries  or  in  greenhouses,  are  well  adapted  for 
covering  low  walls ;  either  on  north  or  south 
aspects  they  bloom  in  profusion  all  the  summer 
and  autumn.  Although  they  will  stand  a  few 
degrees  of  frost,  they  are  not  what  can  be  called 
hardy.  In  order  to  keep  them  safe  through  a 
severe  winter  they  require  protection,  both  roots 
and  tops.  Cuttings  made  of  short  side  shoots 
strike  freely  in  a  gentle  bottom-heat  in  spring. 
After  being  rooted  they  should  be  potted  off  and 
grown  on  in  a  little  heat  until  good  stiff  plants  are 
produced,  which  will  soon  be  effected,  as  they  grow 
quickly.  They  are  much  assisted  by  being  freely 
watered  at  the  root  and  overhead  during  summer. 
The  broad-leaved  Myrtle  is  another  plant  which 
can  be  advantageously  used  on  walls  when  planted 
where  it  can  have  the  protection  of  a  south  wall ; 
it  grows  freely,  and  its  lovely  white  scented 
flowers  are  produced  in  abundance.  When  planted 
where  it  does  not  get  the  full  benefit  of  the  sun's 
rays  it  does  not  bloom  nearly  so  well;  the  wood 
does  not  get  sufficiently  ripened;  hence  the  advan- 
tage of  placing  it  in  a  southern  aspect.  Cuttings 
of  it  strike  freely.  They  should  be  slipped  off 
with  a  heel  and  placed  in  a  cold  frame  at  this  sea- 
son, or  cuttings  may  be  inserted  thickly  in  pots 
and  plunged  in  a  little  bottom-heat  in  the  spring. 
Euonymus  japonicus  aureo-variegatus  is  a  neat- 
growing  evergreen  plant,  well  suited  for  low  walls ; 
on  a  south  wall  its  golden  stems  and  variegated 
leaves  are  more  highly  coloured  than  when  planted 
in  less  favourable  positions.  It  is  a  free  grower, 
and  retains  its  foliage  right  down  to  the  bottom 
for  a  very  long  time.  Cuttings  of  it  taken  off  now, 
placed  in  pots,  and  plunged  in  ashes  in  a  cold 
frame  for  the  winter,  and  then  given  a  little 
bottom-heat  in  spring,  soon  make  thrifty  little 
plants.  E.  MOLYNEUX. 


MANUPvE  FOR  HERBACEOUS  PLANTS. 

Notwithstanding  the  criticisms  of  "  R.  A.  H.  G." 
(p.  27y)t  I  maintain  that  the  true  test  of  any 
system  of  cultivation  is  results,  and  I  am  quite 
satisfied  with  what  I  have  accomplished  as  regards 
herbaceous  plants  under  the  system  of  manuring 
which  I  have  followed,  and  from  which  I  have  no 
intention  of  departing.  Instead  of  making  suffi- 
cient allowance  for  all  kinds  of  soils  and  positions, 
"  R  A.  H.  G."  attempts  to  show  that  herbaceous 
plants  do  not  exhaust  the  soil  to  the  same  extent 
as  vegetables,  and  that  the  nutrient  matter 
taken  up  by  herbaceous  plants  is  returned  again 
to  the  soil.  If  such  be  the  case,  of  what  kind  cf 
matter  is  the  refuse  composed  that  is  every  year 
of  necessity  taken  off  herbaceous  borders  ?  Am  I 
to  understand  that  the  soil  is  not  exhausted  when 
I  clear  off  in  autumn  old  stems  of  Hollyhocks 
10  feet  high  ?  In  our  borders,  such  plants  as 
Delphiniums,  Phloxes.  Golden  Rods,  Helianthe- 
mums,  Michaelmas  Daisies,  Dahliis,  Sunflowers, 
and  many  other  plants  grow  to  a  height  of  i  feet 
and  5  feet,  and  during  a  single  year  we  remove 
cartloads  of  exhausted  growth.  Let  me  therefore 
ask  in  what  way  the  matter  that  supported  this 
growth  is  returned  to  the  soil  where  no  manure  is 


Oct.   11,   1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


317 


put  on  the  borders.  "  n.  A.  H.  G."  says  her- 
baceous plants  increase  to  such  an  extent  that  he 
has  to  regularly  take  them  up  and  divide  them. 
In  another  place  he  says  it  is  better  to  leave  them 
alone  than  to  expose  them  to  the  stabs  and 
wrenches  of  the  border  fork.  Is  it  possible,  then 
that  forking  in  a  little  manure  about  the  roots  of 
a  plant  injures  it  more  than  taking  it  up  and 
dividing  it .'  If  any  reader  of  The  Garden  is 
prepared  to  believe  that,  I  am  not ;  therefore  no  use- 
ful purpose  will  be  served  by  discussing  the  sub- 
ject further.  J-  C.  C. 

THE  GIANT  KNOTWEEDS. 
The  two  great  Knotweeds  (Tolygonum  cuspida- 
turn  and  P.  sachalinense)  are  capable  of  imparting 
much  beauty  in  the  way  of  grace  and  form  to  the 
open-air  garden,  particularly  in  autumn,  when 
each  of  their  tall  and  slender  stems  is  profusely 
decorated  with  strings  of  tiny  white  flowers  which 
remain  attractive  a  considerable  time.  Of  the  two, 
P.  sachalinense  is  much  the  larger  and  nobler 
plant,  but  the  other,  P.  cuspidatum,  or  P.  Sieboldi, 
as  it  is  often  called  in  gardens,  is  the  most  attrac- 
tive when  in  bloom,  on  account  of  the  flowers 
being  quite  white,  while  those  of  the  other  species 
are  greenish.    They  are  not  plants  for  the  border, 


The  Giant  Knotwecd  {Pohjgonum  cusj,idatum). 

both  being  of  such  spreading  growth,  and  being 
gross  feeders  would  soon  overrun  and  harm 
plants  of  a  weaker  character.  Their  place  is 
either  on  the  lawn,  in  the  shrubbery,  or  in 
woodlands,  but  in  all  cases  in  order  to 
look  well  they  must  be  placed  so  that 
they  may  have  plenty  of  room  in  which  to  fully 
display  their  gracefully  arching  stems.  An  angle 
where  walks  bifurcate  is  a  capital  position  for 
them,  but  in  this  case  they  must  be  planted  suffi- 
ciently far  away  from  the  margin  of  either  walk 
to  give  them  ample  space  in  which  to  grow.  A 
quiet,  retiring  nook  backed  by  shrubbery  is  also  a 
good  place  for  one  of  these  giant  Knotweeds ; 
in  short,  there  are  many  positions  just  suited  to 
them  in  every  garden  of  moderate  extent.  All 
the  culture  needed  is  to  plant  them  well  at  first, 
giving  them  a  fairly  good  soil  of  ample  depth. 
Afterwards  nothing  is  needed  but  to  keep  down 
superabundant  suckers,  which  appear  on  all  sides 
of  the  plants  when  they  have  grown  to  a  large 
size.  Sometimes  it  is  advisable  to  give  a  little 
protection  to  the  tender  shoots  in  spring  when 
only  a  few  inches  high  in  order  to  shelter  them 
from  severe  late  frosts. 


NOTES  ON  AUPJCDLAS. 
Seedlings  that  have  flowered  and  are  being  pro- 
pagated are  very  interesting  as  the  young  plants 
develop  themselves.  Established  specimens  do  not 
require  much  attention,  but  the  outer  leaves  are 
decaying,  and  as  they  become  yellow  they  must 
be  removed.  Water  may  lodge  in  the  centre  of 
the  choicest  specimen,  and  if  decay  sets  in  the 
plant  is  doomed  to  destruction.  Owing  to  the 
weather  being  dry,  the  plants  have  had  plenty  of 
air.  It  has  been  possible  to  keep  the  lights  re- 
moved night  and  day  continuously  for  weeks,  and 
this  has  caused  the  plants  to  assume  a  more  dwarf, 
compact  habit  than  usual,  and  has  also  prevented 
that  troublesome  pest,  green  fly,  from  doing  much 
mischief.  The  plants,  however,  have  not  been  quite 
free  from  it,  and  it  has  been  destroyed  by  fumi- 
gating the  frames  or  by  brushing  it  oS  with  a  soft 
brush  charged  with  Tobacco  powder.  Auriculas 
do  not  require  large  supplies  of  water  at  any  time, 
but  they  must  be  watered  with  very  great  caution 
now ;  they  will  not  need  it  more  than  twice  a  week. 
Under  the  best  of  management  it  will  not  be  pos- 
sible to  prevent  some  of  the  plants  throwing  up 
autumn  trusses,  but  giving  them  too  much  water 
sadly  aggravates  the  evil.  It  is  astonishing  how 
rapidly  young  plants  grow  into  flowering  speci- 
mens if  potted  on  as  they  require  it  and  receive 
the  right  treatment  as  regards  watering,  ic. 
Offsets  taken  off  in  spring  of  one  year  will  form 
good  exhibition  specimens  the  year  following.  The 
main  thing  is  to  keep  them  clean  and  growing  on 
to  full  development  without  any  check.  Then  as 
to  seedlings,  the  greater  part  of  the  interest  of 
anticipating  the  Auricula  bloom  would  be  gone  if 
there  were  no  seedlings  to  flower  for  the  first 
time.  There  must  always  be  a  good  deal  of  uncer- 
tainty connected  with  the  raising  of  seedlings,  even 
when  the  very  best  varieties  have  been  selected  as 
seed  and  pollen  bearers.  "  A  thousand  blanks  for 
one  prize,"  some  might  say,  but  the  thousand  are 
not  blanks  ;  they  have  beauties  of  their  own,  and 
many  of  them  are  as  good  as  some  of  the  old  kinds, 
and  if  only  one  in  a  thousand  is  superior  to  thern, 
it  is  a  great  gain,  and  the  pleasure  of  seeing  one's 
new  seedling  take  the  premium  for  the  best  flower 
at  a  show  is  surely  well  worth  working  for. 

J.  Douglas. 


Tullpa  Gesneriana.— This  13  a  fine  showy  border 
Tulip,  egpeci-illy  wiien  seen  against  a  creen  Itackeround. 
It  is  ji  taller  grower  than  the  ordinary  Tulip,  and  wants  a 
sheltered  jjosition  to  prevent  it  from  being  broken  by  wind. 
It  blooms  in  May,  from  six  to  ten  Ijxilbs  in  a  eliinip  making: 
a  grand  show.    It  fihould  not  be  forgotten  at  planting  time 

est  month.— J.  Ckook,  Farnborow/h. 


Caryopteris  Mastacanthua.  —  This  is 
likely  to  prove  a  useful  hardy  flowering  shmb,  as 
it  blooms  late  in  the  autumn  when  flowers  are 
becoming  rare.  In  the  bright  blue  of  its  freely- 
produced  flowers  it  possesses  a  character  that 
should  win  it  popularity.  We  owe  the  introduction 
of  this  plant  to  Messrs.  Yeitch,  who  obtained  it 
from  Japan,  where  it  is  said  to  grow  plentifully 
in  the  cooler  and  more  elevated  regions  of  that 
country.  So  far  it  has-  proved  hardy  in  this 
country.  There  is  a  plant  of  it  now  in  flower 
under  a  south  wall  at  Kew,  but  although  the 
object  in  planting  it  in  such  a  position  appears  to 
be  to  afford  it  shelter,  I  believe  there  is  no 
question  as  to  its  hardiness,  so  far,  at  least,  as  the 
past  two  winters  have  served  as  a  test.  The  leaves 
are  opposite,  toothed,  and  hoary,  and  when  bruised 
emit  a  strong  oily  odour  which  is  not  disagreeable. 
The  flowers  are  borne  in  axillary  cymes  all  along 
the  upper  portions  of  the  shoots,  and  are  lavender- 
blue  in  colour.  I  recommend  an  extensive  use  of 
this  plant  for  shrubbery  purposes.  In  the  north  it  is 
possible  that  this  plant  will  not  prove  happy  under 
outdoor  treatment,  so  that  it  may  be  well  to  grow 
some  in  pots  through  the  winter,  planting  them 
out  in  the  open  on  the  approach  of  summer.  C. 
JIastacanthus  may  be  propagated  from  cuttings 
as  freely  as  a  Verbena.  It  is  also  a  rapid  grower, 
forming  a  shrub  2  feet  high  and  as  much  through 
in  one  season. — B. 

This  pretty,  free,  autumnal-blooming,  Ver- 

benaceous,  blue-flowered  shrub,  sent  out  a  year  or 
two  since  as  a  new  plant,  and  now  one  of  the 
prettiest  objects  in  my  shrubbery,  turns  out  to  be 
only  one  of  the  many  fine  plants  sent  to  the  Pvoyal 
Horticultural  Society  from  China  by  Jlr.  Fortune 
some  twenty  years  ago,  and  is  figured  by  Lindley 
on  the  second  plate  of  the  thirty-second  volume 
of  his  Botanical  Register  under  the  name  of  Masta- 


canthus  sinensis.  It  is  said  to  have  flowered  in 
the  gardens  of  the  society  for  the  first  time  in 
18i5.  It  was  then  treated  as  a  cool  greenhouse 
plant,  but  with  me  it  has  up  to  this  proved  per- 
fectly hardy.  It  was  first  described  by  the  bota- 
nist Loureiro  under  the  name  of  Barbula  sinensis, 
but  this  name  having  been  applied  to  a  genus  of 
Mosses,  that  of  Mastacanthus  was  substituted  by 
Endlicher.  Who  is  responsible  for  Caryopteris  I 
do  not  know. — W.  E.  G. 


Indoor   Garden. 

EAFxLY  FLOWERING  CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
Opinions  will  doubtless  differ  as  to  whether  early 
flowering  Chrysanthemums  are  valuable  or  not. 
For  my  own  part  I  do  not  care  for  them.  At  the 
same  time,  however,  I  am  willing  to  admit  that 
where  the  demand  for  flowers  in  the  month  of 
September  is  great,  these  Chrysanthemums  may 
be  made  to  fill  a  useful  niche.  If  they  do  no 
other  good  they  serve  by  comparison  to  demon- 
strate the  superiority  of  the  later  blooming  kinds. 
One  point  in  their  favour  must  not,  however,  be 
lost  sight  of,  and  that  is,  they  can  be  had  in  good 
condition  with  very  little  trouble.  To  grow  them 
in  pots  until  one  has  become  quite  master  of  his 
business  in  the  way  of  Chrysanthemum  culture 
is  a  very  disappointing  undertaking,  for  if  the 
cuttings  are  taken  too  early,  or  the  roots  confined 
for  room,  they  will  flower  weeks  before  they  are 
wanted,  and  in  a  very  indifferent  manner.  The 
most  satisfactory  way,  therefore,  of  dealing  with 
them  is  to  grow  them  without  pots  except  while 
in  flower.  Our  plants,  which  had  been  planted 
out  in  the  open  ground,  were  lifted  and  put  into 
7-inch  and  S-inch  pots  at  the  end  of  August,  at 
which  time  they  were  bristling  with  flower-buds 
and  perfectly  healthy,  with  leaves  down  to  the 
ground.  As  soon  as  potted,  they  were  shut  up  in 
a  cold  frame  and  shaded  from  bright  sunshine 
until  the  roots  had  got  sufficient  hold  of  the  soil 
to  bear  full  exposure.  In  less  than  a  fortnight 
the  plants  were  well  in  flower,  and  as  they  had 
had  plenty  of  room  while  growing,  they  were 
close  and  compact  in  growth,  and,  when  potted, 
did  not  require  a  single  stick  or  tie  to  support 
them.  The  first  to  flower  was  JIadame  Desgrange. 
This  is  a  very  useful  variety.  Madame  Jolivart 
and  La  Vierge  are  also  good  white  kinds.  The 
best  lilac  coloured  sorts  are  Jladame  Bachoux, 
Anastasio,  and  Souvenir  de  M.  Kampont.  Yellow 
and  bronze  varieties  include  Gold  Button,  Bolide, 
Chromatella,  and  Golden  Madame  Domage. 
These  should  be  well  hardened  off  about  the 
first  week  in  May ;  then  divide  the  old  plants, 
and  put  out  strong  pieces  in  good  soil  in  the 
open.  About  the  middle  of  June  cut  them  over, 
even  down  to  the  hard  wood,  ix ,  if  likely  to 
flower  too  early.  Growers  in  the  north  no  doubt 
find  this  section  of  Chrysanthemums  very  useful, 
as  they  may  be  had  in  flower  before  severe  frost 
is  likely  to  occur  to  injure  them  in  the  open 
ground.  J-  C.  C. 

CARNATION  SOUVENIR  DE  LA  MALMAISON. 
This  fine  variety  is  unusually  well  grown  by  Mr. 
Kirk,  gardener  to  Mr.  Dobree,  at  Byfleet.  Some 
plants  exhibited  by  him  during  the  past  summer 
at  a  local  flower  show  bore  blooms  which  were  the 
very  perfection  of  development,  being  very  large, 
pure  in  colour,  and  well  formed.  As  many  appear 
to  fail  in  growing  this  Carnation  satisfactorily,  I 
have  thought  that  a  brief  description  of  the  cul- 
tural details  as  practised  by  Mr.  Kirk  would  be 
interesting  to  readers  of  The  Garden  generally. 
As  soon  as  the  blooming  time  is  over  the  plants 
are  prepared  for  layering,  which  is  accomplished 
by  laying  the  pots  on  their  sider,  at  the  same  time 
burying  them,  or  nearly  so,  in  the  compost.  By 
watering  the  soil  well  now  and  then  around  the 
pot,  the  roots  are  maintained  in  a  sufficiently 
moist  condition,  and  by  laying  them  down  in  this 
way  the  operation  of  layering  is  facilitated,  and 
there  is  no  danger  of  breaking  off  or  injuung  any 
of  the  shoots,  which,  as  this  variety  is  tall  in 
growth,  is  likely  to  happen  by  the  usual  methcd. 


318 


THE     GARDEN 


[Oct.  11,  1884. 


The  place  chosen  for  them  is  a  spent  hotbed,  in 
the  light  soil  o£  which  they  make  roots  freely, 
their  production  being,  Mr.  Kirk  thinks,  materially 
hastened  by  the  latent  warmth  therein.  By  the 
middle  or  end  of  September  the  layers  are  ready 
for  taking  off ;  they  are  then  put  into  small  pots 
and  wintered  in  a  frame.  Early  in  spring  they  are 
shifted  into  larger  pots,  a  free,  very  gritty  soil 
being  used,  and  are  placed  at  the  foot  of  a  Peach 
wall,  where,  by  means  of  the  glass  coping  and  the 
canvas  which  protects  the  trees  from  frosts,  they 
get  as  much  protection  as  they  need  whilst  enjoy- 
ing an  abundance  of  air  and  light.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  the  position  has  much  to  do  with  the 
development  of  the  flower-stems,  for  although  this 
Carnation  is  very  impatient  of  coddling,  it  seems 
to  require  rather  more  warmth  than  most  other 
kinds  when  making  its  growth.  The  foot  of  a 
sunny,  sheltered  wall  would  therefore  seem  to  be 
just  the  place  for  it,  a  stout,  free  growth  being 
encouraged,  which  has  for  result  the  production 
of  flowers  of  great  size  and  substance.  When  com- 
ing into  bloom  the  plants  are  removed  to  a  cool, 
airy  greenhouse.  J.  C.  B. 


Virginale,  a  white  flower  slightly  banded  with 
yellow,  is  a  scarce  and  distinct  form  of  auratum. 

Alpha. 


FORMS  OF  LILIUJl  ArRATUJI. 
Among  the  vast  numbers  of  this  Lily  that  are  im- 
ported every  season,  many  different  forms  present 
themselves,  though  the  best-marked  types,  such  as 
pictum  and  rubro-vittatum,  that  at  one  time  were 
of  frequent  occurrence  among  imported  bulbs,  arc 
now  met  with  much  seldomer  than  formerly  ;  on 
the  other  hand,  a  loose,  thin  type  of  flower,  which 
often  causes  the  name  of  the  Gulden -rayed  Lily  to 
appear  somewhat  of  a  misnomer,  frequently  crops 
up.     For  decorative  purposes  this  last  is  not  to  be 
compared  with  a  good  form  in  which  the  flowers 
are  large,  the  petals  broad  and  distinctly  rayed 
and  spotted.     A  desirable  kind  for  small  pots  is 
one  with,  as  a  rule,  narrow-pointed  leaves  very 
thickly  set  on  the  stem  and  a  compact  cluster  of 
small,  but  well-shaped  and  spotted  flowers.     This 
is  much  dwarfer  in  habit  than  most  of  the  other 
forms  of  this  Lily,  a  character  which  is  generally 
maintained   under    different    modes    of    culture, 
though,  as  a  matter  of  coarse,  treatment  tends 
greatly  to  affaot  the  height  of   tlie  plant ;    for 
instance,  when  kept  always  under  glass  the  flower- 
stem  frequently  runs  up  4  feet  or  5  feet,  even 
though  it  be  not  a  strong  specimen.     To  keep  our 
Lilies  as  dwarf  as  possible  we  plunge  them  in  the 
open  ground  when  the  frosts  are  over  and  leave 
them  there  till  the  blooms  are  just  on  the  point  of 
expanding ;  they  are  then  moved  under  glass,  as 
if  allowed  to  open  out-of-doors  a  shower  of  rain 
will  wash  the  pollen  over  the   bloom  and  greatly 
mar  its  beauty — that  is,  when  required  for  indoor 
decoration.     An  important  consideration  is  never 
to  allow  this  Lily  to  become  too  dry  when  growing 
in  small  pots.    On  the  other  hand,  stagnant  mois- 
ture around  the  roots  is   equally   injurious,  and 
therefore   we  are  very  particular   in  thoroughly 
draining  the  pots.     Though  such  diiference  esists 
among  the  ordinary  forms  of  Lilium  auratum,  it 
is,  of  course,  among  the  recognised  varieties  that 
the  more  distinct  are  to  be  found.     One  of  the 
finest  is  platyphyllum,  introduced  a  few  years  ago, 
but  since  then  disposed  of  in  limited  numbers  at 
the  London  auction  rooms.     The  foliage  of  this  is 
so  distinct,  that  it  may  at  once  be  picked  out,  even 
when  not  in  bloom,  the  leaves  being  much  broader 
than  those  of  the  ordinary  auratum  ;  so  much  so, 
indeed,  as  to    suggest    its  varietal  name.     The 
bloom,  too,  stands  out  from  any  of  the  others  iu 
size  and  massive  appearance.     The  petals  are  very 
broad  and  wax-like,  while  the  flowers  are  shallower 
than  those  of  the  common  kind.   The  golden  band 
and  markings  are  in  this  variety  well  defined.     In 
the  variety  rubro-vittatum  the  centre  of  each  petal 
is  striped  with  crimson  instead  of  the  usual  golden 
band,  but  the  best  of  this  class  is  cruentum.    This 
is  marked  like  the  preceding,  but  has  a  deep 
crimson  band ;  it  is  still  a  scarce  variety,  but  a 
very  desirable  one.     A  densely  spotted  kind,  with 
sometimes  a  slight  streak,  is  often  met  with  under 
the  name  of  pictum,  and  a  showy  flower  it  is  ;  but 
being  scarce,  one  with  perhaps  a  few  more  spots 
than  the  ordinary  kind  is  often  substituted  for  it. 


IMPATIENS  SULTANI. 
This  Zanzibar  Balsam  proves  to  be  a  useful  plant 
for  many  purposes,  and  what  makes  it  still  more 
valuable  is  the  fact  that  it  is  easy  to  cultivate.  It 
may  be  grown  either  as  a  specimen  or  in  small 
pots,  in  both  of  which  forms  it  flowers  satisfac- 
torily. For  room  decoration  I  know  of  no  plant 
to  surpass  it ;  it  retains  as  well  as  expands  its 
flowers  better  than  many  plants  used  for  that  pur- 
pose. How  it  may  answer  in  winter  indoors  I 
have  yet  to  prove,  but  I  have  great  hopes  that  it 
will  continue  to  maintain  its  character.  Plants  of 
it  may  be  raised  either  from  seed  or  cuttings. 
Those  who  wish  to  commence  its  cultivation  may 
be  advised  to  defer  sowing  the  seed  until  early  in 
February,  but  then  they  must  have  the  command 
of  a  brisk  temperature,  as  in  its  early  stages  of 
growth  it  requires  both  heat  and  moisture.  If 
seed  can  be  sown  at  the  time  suggested  in  a  tem- 
perature which  ranges  from  60°  to  70°,  large  plants 
may  be  obtained  by  the  end  of  the  summer.  In 
dealing  with  the  seed  it  is  necessary,  owing  to  its 
minute  size,  to  treat  it  carefully;  it  should  be 
sown  in  a  pan  filled  with  fine  sandy  soil,  well 
watered  before  sowing,  and  it  should  be  very 
lightly  covered  with  the  same  sort  of  compost.  If 
it  can  be  placed  on  bottom  heat  all  the  better, 
but  where  there  is  not  this  convenience  let  it  have 
a  shady  corner  in  a  warm  house,  and  be  there 
treated  in  every  respect  as  a  tender  plant.  When 
the  plants  get  large  enough  to  handle  they  should 
be  put  singly  in  ;!-inch  pots,  using  a  compost  con- 
sisting of  three  parts  loam  and  one  of  leaf  soil 
with  some  sand.  The  same  kind  of  compost  will 
do  for  future  pottings.  The  plants  will  require  the 
assistance  of  artificial  heat  up  to  the  middle  of 
May,  when  it  must  be  decided  for  what  purpose 
they  are  to  be  used.  If  portions  of  them  are  to  be 
grown  into  specimens,  they  must  still  have  a  close 
warm  house  where  atmospheric  moisture  is  libe- 
rally given,  and  a  temperature  of  from  75°  to  S5° 
maintained,  accompanied  by  a  moderate  supply  of 
air  and  a  thin  shade  on  the  glass  in  bright  weather. 
As  the  pots  become  full  of  roots',  they  will  want 
shifting  into  larger  ones,  but  an  8-inoh  pot  will 
grow  plants  large  enough  for  all  ordinary  pur- 
poses. I  also  find  that  this  Balsam  is  very  useful 
when  grown  in  .5-inch  and  G-inch  pots  for  vases 
and  other  uses  in  the  household.  The  plants  com- 
mence to  llower  as  soon  as  large  enough,  and  con- 
tinue on  in  that  condition  ;  in  fact,  they  flower  all 
the  summer,  and  I  feel  sure  they  may  be  had  in 
the  same  condition  during  winter  if  accommodated 
with  a  temperature  a  few  degrees  warmer  than 
that  of  an  ordinary  greenhouse.  Treated  as  a 
bedding  plant,  this  Balsam  has  certainly  not  been 
a  success.  The  hot  sun  scorches  and  takes  most 
of  the  colour  out  of  the  flowers  ;  but  if  in  a  warm, 
yet  shaded,  position,  that  would  probably  not  hap- 
pen. Those  who  cannot  accommodate  it  with  arti- 
ficial heat  should  not  sow  seed  of  it  before  the 
middle  of  April.  If  sown  then  and  treated  kindly, 
thrifty  little  plants  might  be  had  by  the  month  of 
August,  which  would  continue  to  flower  for  some 
time.  J.  C.  C. 


deep  pit,  where  they  can  be  syringed  or  sprinkled 
frequently  overhead  to  keep  them  from  flagging. 
Favoured  in  this  way  for  a  week  or  two,  they  will 
bear  the  full  light  and  sun,  and  may  then  be  trans- 
ferred to  the  airy  stage  of  a  greenhouse  or  started 
at  once.     Lily  of  the  Valley,  so  easy  to  force  later 
on,  is  rather  difficult  to  get  in  early,  but  a  good 
deal  of  this  is  owing  to  potting  the  crowns  up  and 
starting  them  immediately  afterwards,  a  practice 
which  gives  then  no  time  to  form  new  rootlets ; 
whereas,  if  lifted  and  potted  as  soon  as  the  leaves 
die  down  they  have  every  chance  of  getting  hold 
of  the  soil,  and  instead  of  coming  blind,  as  is  fre- 
quently the  case,  they  send  out  strong  spikes  of 
bloom.     This  being  so,  clumps  should  be  lifted  at 
once,  and  a  good  plan,   where  much   flower  is 
required,  is  to  keep  the  mass  intact,  and  place  it 
jubt  as  it  is  on  a  gentle  hotbed  in  any  warm  pit  or 
house,  where  every  crown  will  start  and  give  fine 
leaves  and  blossoms.     Imported  plants  of  Lily  of 
the  Valley  are  always  good,  and  as  they  are  now 
cheap  it  is  best  to  start  with  them,  and  follow  on 
with  home-grown  later  in  the  season.     Solomon's 
Seal,  though  not  very  showy,  is  very  suitable  for 
forcing ;  the  beautiful  green  of  its  foliage  is  quite 
unrivalled,  a  circumstance  which  makes  it  of  great 
value  forcuttingto  intermix  with  flowers.  The  roots 
are  strong  and  creeping,  and  when  dug  up  maybe 
separated  and  potted  in  light  rich  soil,  when  they 
should  be  stood  in  frames  to  be  drawn  from  as  re- 
quired to  keep  up  a  supply.     For  a  time  this  and 
other  plants  of  a  like  deciduous  herbaceous  na- 
ture  will   force  in  any  dark  place  whsre  they 
can  have  moist  heat,  and  do  better  under  such 
treatment  than  when  they  get  light.    Arches,  or 
such  like  positions  under  stages,  will   be  found 
good  places  for  them,  and  there  they  thould  be 
covered  with  Moss  or  Cocoa-nut  fibre,  either  of 
which  will  keep  the  temperature  and  atmosphere 
more  equable,  and  so  favour  the  plants.     Plantain 
Lilies  (Funkias)  are  likewise  well   adapted  for 
forcing,  the  variety  F.  subcordata  being  very  free 
blooming,  and  all  are  valuable  on  account  of  their 
beautiful  leaves,  which,  when  the  plants  are  grown 
under  glass,  are  quite  charming,  some  having  them 
splendidly  variegated,  while  others  are  of   bold 
type,   and   enriched  with  a  metallic  hue  on  the 
surface.  The  finest  in  these  respects  is  F.  Sieboldi, 
which  is  very  striking,   and  should  be   largely 
grown,  both  for  pots  and  the  embellishment  of  the 
borders.     This  and  the  others,  if  to  be  used  in- 
doors, ought  now  to  be  taken  up  and  treated  in  the 
same  way  as  the  Solomon's  Seal  already  referred 
to.     Dielytra  spectabilis  is  a  lovely   thing,  and 
though  so  good  outdoors,  is  much  improved  by 
being  gently  forced,  as  the  slight  heat  and  shelter 
make  the  foliage  and  pink  pendent  blossoms  look 
more  delicate,  and  cause  the  plants  to  grow  more 
gracefully  than  they  do  when  exposed  to  the  cold. 
Early  forcing,  however,  does  not  suit  the  Dieljtra, 
and  it  should,  therefore,  be  brought  on  very  gradu- 
ally, and  not  subjected  to  a  high  temperature  at 
any  time,  as  the  succulent  shoots  under  such  in- 
fluence will  draw.  S.  D. 


PLANTS  FOR  FOECINU. 
It  may  seem  early  to  be  thinking  of  these,  but  to 
obtain  good  results  they  cannot  after  this  be  taken 
up  and  prepared  too  soon,  for  the  longer  the  time 
that  is  allowed  them  to  start  afresh  and  make  new 
roots,  the  stronger  and  better  will  the  plants 
bloom.  The  first  requiring  attention  are  those  that 
are  tender,  and  among  them  the  Callas  or 
llichardia?,  as  they  are  now  called,  soon  feel  the 
frost,  and  should  be  lifted  at  once,  taking  care 
when  doing  this  to  secure  good  balls,  for  though 
these  may  need  reducing  to  get  them  into  pots, 
the  soil  can  be  worked  away  without  harming  the 
roots.  In  potting,  light,  rich  mould  suits  them 
best,  and  as  soon  as  they  are  placed  in  this  it  is 
necessary  to  give  a  good  heavy  watering  to  wash 
it  down  and  settle  it,  when  the  plf.nts  should  be 
stood  close  under  the  shady  side  of  a  wall  or  in  a 


Lilliput  Felargoniums.— A  year  or  two  ago 
one  of  the  nurserymen  in  Ghent  sent  out  two 
dwarf  double-flowered  zonal  Pelargoniums  re- 
presenting what  he  appropriately  termed  a  Lilliput 
section.  These  were  Archiduc  Rodolphe  and 
Princesse  Stephanie,  both  quite  dwarf,  bright  in 
colour,  and  very  free  flowering,  and  also  remarkable 
for  a  low,  close,  compact  habit  of  growth.  Since 
then  the  following  new  varieties  of  the  same  sec- 
tion are  announced  as  in  course  of  distribution, 
viz..  Souvenir  de  Louis  van  Houtte,  flowers  very 
double  and  of  a  beautiful  rich  carmine-rose 
colour,  very  dwarf,  compact  and  free  ;  Comte  de 
Fiandre,  very  full  double  flowers  of  a  delicate  rose 
colour,  shaded  with  carmine,  distinct  and  very 
good ;  Comtesse  de  Klandre,  flowers  large,  trusses 
of  moderate  size  and  yet  very  freely  produced, 
colour  brilliant,  rosy  lilac  ;  and  Comte  de 
Hainaut,  flower  fully  double,  forming  nice  trusses 
of  a  lively  rosy  purple  colour,  a  little  dwarfer  than 
the  preceding.  These  are  all  double  flowered. 
One  single  variety  comes  into  the  batch,  namely, 
Reine  Marie  llenriette,  a  kind  which  bears  large 


Oct.   11,  1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


319 


trusses  of  single  flowers  of  a  soft  pink  colour,  and 
very  pretty.  As  before  stated,  the  distinguishing 
characteristics  of  these  Lilliput  Pelargoniums  are 
their  remarkable  dwarfness  of  habit,  the  plants, 
when  fully  grown,  rarely  exceeding  G  inches  in 
height.  They  are  well  adapted  for  culture  in  pots 
or  for  themarginsof  flower  beds,  for  which  purpose 
they  are  especially  recommended.  So  many  good 
things  in  the  way  of  novelties  have  been  received 
from  the  Continent  of  late  years,  that  we  may 
fairly  conclude  that  these  new  dwarf  forms  will 
not  belie  the  high  character  given  them  on  the 
other  side  of  the  Channel.—  R.  D. 

Shading  for  glasshouses.— I  have  seen 
several  paragraphs  recently  in  The  Garden  as  to 
the  best  shading  for  glasshouses,  but  I  have  not 
seen  the  material  which  I  have  now  had  in  use  for 
the  past  five  seasons  mentioned.  It  is  the 
"  Willesden  Scrym,''  and  is  what  it  professes  to 
be — "  rot  proof."  It  is  50  inches  vfide,  and  costs 
Is.  6d.  per  yard  run.  I  had  it  put  on  rollers,  and 
although  often  rolled  up  when  damp  it  appears 
none  the  worse  for  it  so  far.  It  is  of  a  light  green 
colour. — G.  F. 

Wallflowers  in  pota.— Now  is  a  good  time 
to  take  up  plants  of  Wallflowers  for  growing  in 
pot3  for  conservatory  or  house  decoration  in 
February  and  March,  when  they  are  much  appre- 
ciated for  their  sweet  perfume  and  rich  colour.  If 
seed  were  sown  on  a  border  outside  about  the  end 
of  May  or  early  in  June,  and  the  young  plants 
transplanted  when  large  enough,  they  will  now 
be  strong  and  furnished  with  several  side-shoots. 
They  should  be  lifted  without  shaking  all  the  soil 
from  their  roots,  and  put  in  G-inch  pots  in  rich 
soil ;  they  should  then  te  placed  in  a  cold  frame, 
and  kept  close  and  syringed  occasionally  until 
established,  when  they  may  be  set  out-of-doors 
for  a  time,  i.e.,  if  the  frame  is  required  for  other 
things.  About  the  end  of  the  month  place  them 
in  a  greenhouse,  I'each  house,  or  any  cool  house 
near  the  glass  where  they  will  get  plenty  of  air  to 
prevent  them  from  being  drawn.  Early  in 
January,  if  required  early,  some  may  be  placed 
in  a  gentle  heat.  Keep  them  well  supplied  with 
water  at  the  roots,  and  give  them  occasional  dcses 
of  liquid  manure.  Thus  grown,  they  prove  use- 
ful, and  will  be  much  apprecia'^ed. — B.  M.  S. 

The  Frankincense  tree. — There  are  several 

specimens  of  the  tree  which  yields  the  resin  used 
a3  incense  now  to  be  seen  growing  in  the  succu- 
lent house  at  Kew.  It  is  somewhat  remarkable 
that  these  specimens  have  been  obtained  by  im- 
porting from  India,  where  the  Frankincense  trees 
are  cultivated,  large  portions  of  branches  or  rather 
stout  cudgel-like  pieces  quite  3  inches  in  diameter 
and  3  feet  long.  These  "  cuttings"  were  covered 
both  ends  with  sealing-wax  to  prevent  them  from 
bleeding  to  death,  and  on  arriving  at  Kew  they 
were  found  to  have  broken  through  the  wax  and  to 
have  formed  a  thick  callus  all  round  the  outside  of 
the  wood.  On  planting  them  in  sand  they  emitted 
roots  and  pushed  forth  shoots,  and  have  since  con- 
tinned  to  grow  very  satisfactorily.  A  batch  of 
seeds  received  at  the  same  time  germinated  freely, 
but  the  plantlets  are  evidently  unhappy  under  arti- 
ficial treatment.  The  Frankincense  tree  is  a 
species  of  lioswellia  and  grows  to  a  height  of  about 
1.5  feet.  The  stem  is  stout,  and  is  covered  with  a 
thick,  rather  succulent  bark,  from  incisions  in 
which  the  resin  is  obtained.  One  of  the  species 
at  Kew — namely,  B.  Carteri,  is  found  in  the  in- 
tensely hot  climate  of  Arabia  and  Eastern  Tropical 
Africa,  where  it  has  been  seen  alive  by  very  few 
European  travellers.  "  Although  Frankincense  has 
been  highly  prized  and  well  known  from  the 
earliest  periods  of  history,  it  is  only  comparatively 
recently  that  any  definite  information  has  been 
obtained  about  the  trees  which  produce  it.  Dur- 
ing the  flowering  season  the  fragrance  of  the 
Frankincense  tree  is  wonderfully  powerful,  and  ex- 
tends so  far  that  the  air  is  redolent  with  it,  even  at 
some  distance  from  the  coast,  a  fact  familiar  to 
navigators  for  centuries.  The  principal  consump- 
tion of  Frankincense  at  the  present  day  is  in  the 
preparation  of  the  incense  used  in  the  Roman 
Catholic  and  Greek  churches."    About  20,000  cwt. 


of  raw  Frankincense  is  imported  into  this  country 
annually  from  liombay. — Q. 

The  Snake  Gourds.— Many  of  the  members 
of  the  Cucumber  family  are  remarkable  for  the 
strange  forms  and  rich  colours  assumed  by  their 
fruits  when  ripe,  the  Lagenarias,  Luffas,  Benin- 
casas,  Ecballiums,  along  with  numerous  forms  of 
Cucurbita  cultivated  in  gardens,  being  some  of  the 
best  known  examples.  Besides  these  there  are 
the  species  of  Trichosanthes,  or  Snake  Gourds,  as 
they  are  called,  because  of  the  curiously  close 
resemblance  of  their  fruit  when  ripe  to  a  snake. 
The  best  of  these  is  what  Lindley  called  the 
Serpent  Cucumber  (T.  colubrina).  In  habit  this 
plant  resembles  a  common  Cucumber  ;  the  flowers 
are  white  and  beautifully  fringed,  and  the  fruit 
grows  to  a  length  of  G  feet,  is  twisted  into  a  coil 
near  what  we  may  term  the  tail,  and  in  the  pro- 
cess of  ripening  the  colour  changes  in  stripes  from 
green  to  yellow  and  white,  finally  assuming  a  deep 
orange  hue.  This  plant  we  have  seen  in  fine 
fruiting  condition  at  Kew.  The  Snake  Gourd  (T 
anguina)  bears  fruits  about  3  feet  in  length,  which 
when  ripe  are  striped  with  green  and  white.  T. 
cucumerina  is  shorter  still  in  length  of  fruit, 
but  is  quite  as  brilliant  in  colour  as  the  above 
mentioned.  Being  natives  of  the  Tropics,  these 
three  species  require  to  be  treated  as  stove  plants, 
and  are  always  better  when  planted  where  they 
would  have  a  little  bottom-heat.  Trained  along  a 
rafter  in  a  moist,  warm  house,  the  effect  made  by 
their  "  snaky "  looking  fruit  hanging  in  large 
numbers  from  the  branches  is  novel  and  attractive. 
Seeds  sown  in  the  spring  will  produce  plants  which 
if  properly  treated  ought  to  bear  a  good  crop  of 
fruit  by  the  autumn.  In  the  Water  Lily  house  at 
Kew  there  are  several  of  these  ornamental  Gourds 
bearing  ripe  fruit  just  now. — B. 


Fruit  Garden. 


JACOBS'  STRAWBERRY  APPLE. 
Allow  me  to  add  a  few  words  to  what  has  been 
said  respecting  this  new  dessert  Apple.  I  have 
had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  it  growing,  and  have 
tasted  its  fruits  for  these  last  seven  years,  and 
I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  too  much  can- 
not be  said  as  regards  its  excellence  either  as  a 
dessert  or  exhibition  Apple.  I  am  fully  persuaded 
that  it  will  eventually  find  a  place  in  every  garden, 
and  that  it  will  rank  amongst  our  very  best 
dessert  Apples.  It  is  rare  that  we  meet  with  an 
Apple  with  so  many  good  qualities  combined  as 
this  has.  The  first  time  it  was  staged  at  the  Pet- 
worth  Institute  Exhibition  it  carried  off  the  first 
prize,  and  since  then  it  has  won  several  first 
prize?,  thus  showing  the  high  estimation  in  which 
it  is  held  by  different  judges.  Its  first  appearance 
more  publicly  was  at  South  Kensington  on  the 
12th  of  August  last,  when  it  contributed  not  a 
little  to  obtaining  the  first  prize  of  £'>  for  a  collec- 
tion of  fruit.  It  was  staged  again  at  the  same 
place  on  the  2fith  of  August,  when  it  was,  if  possi- 
ble, more  admired  than  before.  On  this  occasion 
it  caught  the  eye  of  Mr.  Bunyard,  of  Maidstone, 
who  wrote  to  Mr.  Jacobs  for  specimens  of  it,  which 
were  sent  to  him, and  which  he  laid  before  the  com- 
mitteeof  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society,  who  una- 
nimously awarded  them  a  first-class  certificate. 
This  explains  why  in  some  of  the  reports  it  was  said 
to  be  a  Kentish  Apple.  I  have  heard  that  Messrs. 
Bunyard  would  like  this  Apple  to  take  the  name 
of  Lady  Sudeley,  but  I  think  no  Apple  could  be 
better  named  than  it  is  both  as  regards  colour  and 
flavour.  It  begins  to  colour  beautifully  in  the  latter 
part  of  July,  and  in  August  it  comes  into  use,  some 
of  the  fruit  ripening  in  the  first  week  of  that  month 
and  others  lasting  till  the  first  week  in  October. 
It  is  a  very  prolific  bearer  ;  indeed,  I  have  never 
known  it  to  fail.  Mr.  Jacobs  has  two  trees  of  it, 
one  much  larger  than  the  other,  although  planted 
at  the  same  time.  The  largest  tree  produces  the 
finest  fruit,  which  remains  on  the  tree  a  fortnight 
later  than  that  on  the  other.  That  on  the  smaller 
tree,  however,  ripens  first  and  produces  fruit  of  a 
deeper  colour.  This  has  caused  some  to  think 
they  are  two  distinct  varieties,  though  the  flavour 


in  both  is  the  same.  Both  trees  are  hacdsome, 
the  largest  covering  a  space  of  12  square  feet,  and 
although  so  heavily  laden  with  fruit  this  year  they 
are  full  of  bloom  buds  for  next  season. 

Pi'ttrorih.  ■  B.  Abnold. 


LARGE  V.   SMALL  BUNCHES  OF  GRAPES. 

We  are  all  liable  to  set  an  undue  value  on  large 
bunches  of  Grapes,  and  when  thinning  out  the 
crop  it  is  difficult  to  make  up  one's  mind  to  cutoS 
the  longest  and  most  promising  looking  bunches 
and  to  reserve  the  medium  sized  ones;  yet  there 
is  much  to  be  said  in  favour  of  this,  for  in  the  case 
of  Muscats  and  some  other  sorts  of  Grapes  there 
can  be  little  doubt  that  it  is  good  policy  to  do  so. 
The  Muscat  of  Alexandria  and  Mrs.  Pince's  Black 
Muscat  produce  long,  noble-looking  bunches,  but 
after  trying  the  plan  of  selecting  the  shortest,  or, 
failing  enough  of  these,  shortening  the  bunches 
considerably,  I  can  confidently  recommend  the 
practice  to  any  who  find  a  difliculty  in  getting  the 
berries  uniform  in  size.  Small,  stoneless  berries 
in  a  bunch  detract  from  its  merits,  and  a  medium- 
sized  one,  perfect  throughout  its  entire  length,  is 
sure  to  carry  the  palm  either  on  the  exhibition 
table  or  elsewhere.  I  lately  saw  a  beautiful  crop 
of  perfectly  finished  bunches  of  Mrs.  Pince's  Black 
Muscat,  the  result  of  cutting  off  the  longest 
bunches  and  artificially  fertilising  the  remainder 
by  drawing  the  hand  gently  down  the  bunches 
when  in  flower.  After  they  were  set  and  swelling 
sufficiently  to  discern  which  berries  were  taking 
the  lead,  they  were  thinned  out  severely,  cutting 
out  all  the  small  stoneless  fruit  first,  and  then 
setting  out  the  remainder  at  even  distances  apart. 
It  they  look  thin  after  the  operation  it  is  surpris- 
ing how  soon  they  fill  up,  and  by  the  time  they 
are  ripe  each  berry  has  sufficient  space  and  no 
more.  It  is  unnecessary  to  adopt  this  plan  in  the 
case  of  Black  Hamburgh,  Foster's  Seedling,  or  in 
that  of  kinds  which  set  and  swell  oil  regularly  ; 
but  even  with  these  the  longest,  most  promising 
bunches  on  the  strongest  leading  shoots  do  not 
always  make  the  best  bunches,  while  those  on  the 
weakersideshoots  produce  short, compact  bunches. 
Again,  some  kinds,  like  Lady  Downes,  produce 
great  numbers  of  small,  imperfectly  set  berries, 
and  the  be-auty  of  the  bunch  depends  a  great  deal 
on  the  way  in  which  the  scissors  are  used  at  thin- 
ning time.  Once  convinced  of  the  superiority  of 
medium-sized  over  excessively  long  bunches,  the 
sooner  the  latter  are  taken  off  the  better,  in  order 
that  the  energy  of  the  Vines  may  be  concentrated 
on  perfecting  the  remainder.  For  general  use  an 
even  crop  of  moderate  sized  bunches  will  be 
found  to  be  most  satisfactory.  Exhibitors  of 
Grapes  always  set  a  high  value  on  a  few 
monstrous  bunches,  but  exhibiting  is  but  a 
secondary  consideration  compared  with  the  daily 
increasing  use  of  Grapes  as  a  dessert  fruit. 

J.  G.  H. 


Apple  Tom  Putt  —Although  this  Apple  may 
not  be  much  known  beyond  the  south-western 
counties,  there  is  no  doubt  that  it  is  a  good  and 
useful  variety.  It  was,  I  believe,  raised  by  a 
clergyman  who  set  himself  the  task  of  obtaining 
an  Apple  that  everybody  would  like,  a  task  in 
which  he  has  been  successful,  for  few  Apples  are 
more  popular  or  better  known  in  the  west  than 
Tom  Putt ;  certainly  no  Apple  is  so  often  asked 
for  by  the  cook,  which  is  fuflicient  evidence  as  to 
its  utility.  The  fruit  is  above  the  medium  size, 
bright  red  next  the  sun,  and  firm  and  white  in  the 
flesh.  Many  like  it  as  a  dessert  fruit,  but  it  should 
not  be  classed  as  a  dessert  Apple.  The  tree  makes 
a  handsome  orchard  standard  with  a  close  head, 
and  it  is  a  regular  and  free  bearer.  I  have  not 
seen  it  grown  in  any  other  form,  but  I  do  not 
doubt  that  it  would  make  a  handsome  pyramid  or 
bush  tree.  Its  season  of  use  extends  fr>  m  Octo- 
ber to  about  the  middle  of  January.— J.  C.  C. 


Pitmaston  Duchess  Pear.-Scven  Pears  of  tins  Iciiul 
wcve  i;atlioic.l  tlii-'  utiitr  ilay  from  trees  in  pots  growiiij;  m 
Mi's  \Vri"Iey'3  nreliaid  liouse  at  Windermere,  which,  whoa 
weighed,  turned  the  scales  at  8t  ;ib3.  The  weight  of  the 
Largest  was  27  czs.— \V.  B. 


;20 


THE    GARDEN 


[Oct.   11,   1884. 


NOTES  FROM  NEW  ENGLAND. 
White  Agapanthus. — I  have  often  won- 
dered why  The  Garden  never  hardly  alluded  to 
this  charming  variety  of  the  well  known    and 
grand  old  blue  Agapanthus,  and  the  notice  o£  it 
in  a  late  number  (p.  174)  induces  me  to  say  a 
word  or  two  about  it.     I  first  cultivated  it  some 
ten  years  a^o,  and  two  huge  plants — one  white  and 
one  blue — were  particular  pets  and  liept  for  espe- 
cial decoration  of  a  spot  which  I  have  since  to 
pass  every  day.     They  were  in  10-inch  pots.     In 
tlie  winter  they  were  stored  away  under  the  stage 
of    one  of  the  greenhouses,    and    every    spring 
brought  out  into  their  allotted  place.    A  year  ago 
they  were  forgotten  till  very  late,  and  came  out 
with  their  foliage  pretty   well  blanched.     They 
soon,  however,  picked  up,  and  I  looked  for  the 
flower-stems,  but  none  came.     It  at  once  occurred 
to  me  that  they  had  no  soil  to  grow  in,  the  roots 
completely  filling  the  pot,  as  they  had  not  been 
repotted  for  four  years,  and  I  gave  them  a  good 
dose  of  fertiliser,  followed  by  plenty  of  water, 
with  a  saucer  beneath  the  pot.     In  two  weeks  the 
flower-stems  appeared  as  stout  and  strong  as  a 
shoot  of  grand  Asparagus.    As  usual,  when  I  have 
a  good  thing  I  like  to  increase  it,  and  at  the  very 
first  flowering  of  the  white,  I  saved  and  planted 
the  seeds,  and  for  years  I  have  had  plenty  of 
plants.  I  have  grown  hundreds  of  seedlings  of  the 
common  blue,  and  I  have  saved  one  from  the  lot 
which   I   think  a  magnificent  acquisition.     The 
flowers  are  not  only  slightly  larger  than  those  of 
the  type,  but  the  umbel  is  simply  enormous,  con- 
taining no  less  than  li'.O  florets— quite  a  foot  in 
diameter.     I  consider  these  old-fashioned  plants, 
and   what  I   see  you  call  the  Scarborough  Lily 
(Vallota),  quite   unsurpassed  by  any  newly  intro-  j 
duced  plant  —  for  the  same  purpose  of  summer 
decoration— of  the  last  twenty  years. 

Variegation  transferable.— Your  corre- 
spondent, Mr.  Weir  (p.  175),  has  opened  up  a  new 
theory  of  vegetation.  If  I  thought  it  probable 
that  the  Lonicera  aureo-reticulata  could  transmitits 
variegation  to  a  Convolvulus  growing  with  it 
what  a  grand  lot  of  variegated  plants  we  should 
soon  have.  As  Mr.  Weir  has  tried  the  Ivies  and 
succeeded,  I  wish  he  would  try  Caladiums  and 
C'allas,  which  are  nearer  related  than  Honey- 
suckles and  Convolvuluses,  andgiveusaCalla  with 
the  beautiful  foliage  of  argyrites,  or,  perhaps, 
Camellias  and  Lonicera  might  join  hands  like  the 
latter  and  Convolvulus.  I  really  hope  Mr.  Weir 
will  not  stop  with  only  what  he  has  already 
accomplished.  I  have  a  row  of  Ampelopsis  Veitchi, 
Provence  Roses,  Akebia  quinata,  Aristolochia 
Sipho,  Ampelopsis  quinquefolia,  Clematises,  and 
Lonicera  aureo-reticulata  completely  covering  a 
fence  8  feet  high  and  1(10  feet  long,  and  so  inter- 
twined that  you  cannot  see  either  any  part  of  the 
fence  or  the  branches  or  roots  of  the  plants.  They 
have  been  planted  twelve  years, never  pruned,  tied, 
or  trained  in  any  way,  only  cutting  from  the  face 
a  cartload  of  shoots,  principally  Akebia,  which 
overruns  all.  Now,  would  it  not  be  grand  to 
find  some  day  the  great  big  leaves  of  the 
Dutchman's  Pipe,  so  massive  and  ornamental,  made 
still  more  so  in  the  estimation  of  those  who  want 
nothing  green  to  find  the  elegant  reticulation  of 
the  Honeysuckle,  which  twines  among  its  stems, 
all  covered  through  and  over  the  Aristolochia  /  I 
sh.ill  watch  it  carefully  hereafter  and  tell  you 
when  1  see  the  first  variegated  leaf. 

Hybrid  greenhouse  Rhododendrons 

— In  the  ezceUenl  ri'sH mr  of  hybrid  Rhododendrons 
at  p.  178  I  was  agreeably  surprised  to  find  an  ac- 
count of  Mr.  Davis's  new  (or  old)  hybrids,  which 
your  correspondent  says  are  "  more  popular  in  the 
north  than  in  the  south,  where  they  at  present 
seem  but  little  known."  This  set  me  to  thinking 
why  this  should  be  so  in  a  country  the  remotest 
part  of  which  from  the  other  is  less  than  the  dis- 
tance from  Boston  to  New  York.  It  is  now  .some 
'  six  or  eight  years  since  I  purchased  of  Mr.  Davis 
his  exquisite  Lidy  Sefton,  Lady  Skelmersdale, 
Countess  of  Derby,  Mrs.  James  Mann,  and 
Duchess  of  Sutherland,  and  my  plants  are  now  5 
feet  to  C  feet  high.  I  have  never  seen  anything 
to  equal  them  for  delicious  odour,  purify  of  colour, 


size  of  flower,  and  free-blooming  properties.  How 
could  the  south  fail  to  recognise  such  northern 
beauties  1 


Verbascum  olympicum,  with  "its  grand 
and  beautiful   foliage  is  worthy,  indeed,  of    the 
gods  whose  seat  the  mountain  was."   The  leaves, 
you    say,  are   about   "  2   feet    in   length,   of    a 
beautifully    soft    texture    and    of    a    yellowish 
tint."     Only  yesterday  morning  before  I  received 
The   Garden    I   was    looking    at    some    plants 
of  our  common    Mullein   (Verbascum    Thapsus) 
and    admiring    their    superb    foliage,    thinking 
that  there  were  few  new  plants  equal  to  them. 
To-day  after    reading  The   Garden   I  had  the 
curiosity  to  measure  two  or  three  of  these  plants, 
which,  with  many  more,  sprang  up  on  the  site  of 
an  old  greenhouse  removed  two  years  ago,  with 
all  the  soil  removed  down  to  the  gravel  and  clay 
at  the  time  of  building,  forty-four  years  ago,  to 
make  a  Grape  border.    The  largest  of  these  plants 
measures  exactly  5  feet  in  diameter  from  the  tips 
of   the  outer  leaves.    There  are  just  thirty-four 
leaves,  as  regularly  imbricated  as  an  Echeveria. 
The  largest  is  28  inches  long  and  8  inches  wide,  a 
good  deal  whiter   than  Centaurea  candidissima, 
and  as  thick  and  soft  as  the  richest  velvet ;  indeed, 
if  you  were  to  take  any  smooth  leaf  and  coat  it 
over  with  the  softest  eider  down  on  both  sides, 
yon  would  have  something  like  a  Mullein  leaf. 
Neither  a  Rheum,  an  Acanthus,  nor  a  Gunnera 
equals  it  for  elTeot  or  beauty.     Hardy  as  an  Oak, 
no  sun  too  hot  for  it,  flourishing  on  a  gravel  bank, 
it  is  worthy  a  prominent  place  in  the  garden.    Of 
course,  you  know  the  Mullein  is  a  biennial,  flower- 
ing in  July  and  scattering  its  seeds,  which  soon 
grow  up  to  good-sized  plants.   You  will  find  them 
of  all  sizes.    One  of  these  I  measured  was  just 
beginning  to  throw  up  its  gigantic  flower-spike, 
while  another  one  close  by  had  just  finished  its 
last  flowers.     This  I  also  measured;  it  was  just 
8    feet    high,   the    central    spike    4    feet    long  ; 
this    was    full     of    ripe     seeds,    except    about 
fi    inches    at     the    top,     where    there    were    a 
few    flower-buds    yet    unexpanded.      I    cut    it 
oil  and  have  sent  it  to  you  to-day  in  three  pieces, 
so  that  you  can  have  plenty  of  seed  to  distribute 
among  any  of  our  old  friends  who  would  like  to 
try  it.     It  is  evidently  a  roadside  plant  like  the 
Chicory,  liking  the  gravelly  soil  in  which  the  roots 
freely  revel  and  find  moisture  in  the  hard  subsoil 
for  its  great  stout  roots.     I  have  known  it  ever 
since  I  knew  any  plant,  but  it  was  growing  where 
its  large  leaves,  dripping  with  the  morning  dew, 
were  soon  coated  with  the  dust  of  the  road,  and  ex- 
ceedingly dirty  and  ragged.  I  never  appreciated  it 
till  now.     Bigelow  speaks  of  it  in  his  "  Botany  of 
Boston  "  as  a  showy  plant  with  handsome  yellow 
flowers,  and  he  evidently  saw  it  somewhere  in  his 
rambles  as  I  see  it  now,  and  can  confirm  his  esti- 
mate of  this  wild  garden  plant. 

The  season. — Perhaps  this  is  a  threadbare 
subject,  but  I  cannot  help  saying  we  have  here 
around  Boston  never  had  such  a  favourable  one. 
It  has  rained  about  every  other  day  or  night  ever 
since  May.  There  have  been  no  hot  days  nor  any 
cold  nights.  The  average  temperature  of  May 
was  only  1°  lower  than  188.'! ;  vegetation  has  been 
luxuriant ;  fruits  of  all  kinds  were  never  more 
abundant.  As  I  write  the  temperature  at  8  am.  is 
8U°,  and  at  noon  it  was  90°.  The  markets  are 
glutted  with  produce  Peaches  have  sold  as  low 
as  2i.  a  basket  (a  little  over  two  pecks)  ;  Wil- 
liams' Bon  ChrL'lien  Pear  or  Bartlett,  as  we  call  it, 
8s.  per  bushel ;  Gravenstein  Apples,  6s.  per  barrel ; 
common  Apples,  4s.  per  barrel ;  Tomatoes,  7d.  a 
bushel ;  Water  Melons  Is.  and  Musk  Melons  5d. 
each  ;  Cucumbers,  worthless,  and  only  fit  for  pick- 
ling ;  and  other  fruits  and  vegetables  in  the  same 
proportion.  My  crop  of  Pears  is  enormous ;  I 
gathered  45  bushels  of  Doyenne  Boussoch  from 
three  trees.  C.  M,  Hovby. 


grown  from  cuttings,  makes  the  best  plants.  If 
the  cuttings  were  put  in  a  cold  frame  or  under 
a  handlight  behind  a  north  wall  at  the  end  of 
August,  they  would  by  this  time  be  good  bushy 
plants,  when  they  should  be  potted  in  3-inch  or 
4  inch  pots  and  grown  on  in  a  cold  frame  for  a 
time  until  they  become  established.  They  may 
then  be  removed  to  a  greenhouse  or  any  cool  house 
in  which  they  can  have  a  position  near  the  glass.^ 
E.  M.  S. 


Garden   Flora. 


PLATE  461. 
HYBRID  COLUMBINES.* 
The  Aquilegias,  or  Columbines,  rank  amongst  the 
most  beautiful  of  garden  flowers,  and  when  well 
grown  and  placed  in  suitable  positions  they  add  a 
charm  to  the  hardy  flower  garden,  in  its  way  quite 
unique.  The  Columbine  is  a  very  old  inhabitant 
of  our  gardens.  In  the  "  History  of  Plants,"  pub- 
lished  by  Gerard  so    early  as   1598,    Aquilegia 


Forget-me-nots  in  pota — A  few  plants  of 
Forget-me-not  coming  into  bloom  in  February 
when  blue  flowers  are  scarce  are  well  worth  the 
little  trouble  required  to  have  them  in  that  condi- 
tion. Agoodstrain  of  Mjosotis  dissitillora, annually 


A  colony  tf  Columbines  in  the  rock  gardtu. 

cojrulea  and  A.  rubra  are  figured  ;  Parkinson  also 
figures  five  garden  varieties,  all  of  them  double 
but  one.  The  original  wild  form  he  does  not 
allude  to  it  as  a  native  of  Britain,  but  states  that 
it  is  found  in  the  woody  mountains  of  Germany. 
Tlie  double  forms  described  by  Parkinson  do  not 
differ  in  any  respect  from  those  to  be  found  in 
cottage  gardens  of  the  present  day.  The  pure 
white  single  form  of  A.  vulgaris  is  not  mentioned, 
but  it  is  one  of  the  very  best.  The  finest  variety 
has  large  pure  white  flowers,  produced  abundantly, 
and  being  borne  well  above  the  pale  green 
glaucous  foliage,  they  have  a  charming  effect.  It  J 
comes  true  from  seeds  if  not  mixed  up  with  other  | 
varieties.  If  given  deep,  rich,  clayey  loam,  they 
will  produce  a  succession  of  elegant  flowers  to  cut 
from  for  two  months. 

I  have  not  found  the  alpine  species  and  varie- 
ties to  be  quite  so  hardy  in  the  open  ground  as 
the  varieties  of  A.  vulgaris ;  indeed,  I  could  not 
get  such  choice  species  as  A.  alpina,  A.  ccerulea. 


"  Drawn  iu  Messrs.  J.  Vuitch  &  Sou's  nursery,  Chelsea 
.Tune  21. 


rHE    GARDEN 


I 


^%fc- 


A  G? 


-lYBRID   COLUMBINES 


Oct.  II,   1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


321 


and  A.  glandulosa  to  live  in  the  light  gravelly  soil 
of  our  garden  near  London.  They  do  not  seem  to 
suffer  from  cold,  but  frost  and  wet  combined  are 
too  much  for  them  in  addition  to  the  wet,  muggy 
atmosphere  with  which  we  have  to  put  up  during 
the  three  winter  months.  The  most  beautiful  of 
all  the  Columbines  is,  I  think,  the  North  American 
A.  civrulea,  a  much  more  elegant  plant  than  A, 
glandulosa,  and  seedlings  from  it  vary  much  in 
their  delicate  tints  of  blue.  I  have  had  it  almost 
white.  We  grow  it  in  pots,  and  it  requires  but 
little  attention,  merely  the  protection  of  glass 
lights  in  winter  to  keep  it  dry. 

Another  Rocky  Mountain  species,  A.  chrysantha, 
comes  next  in  my  estimation.  It  is  one  of  the 
most  vigoroHs  and  stately  of  the  whole  genus.  I 
have  had  single  plants  of  it  with  150  flowers, 
most  of  them  open  at  once.  F.y  crossing  this  with 
A.  ccerulea  some  years  ago  I  obtained  the  hybrid 
form,  A.  ccerulea  hybrida.  Seedlings  obtained  from 
the  first  cross  varied  but  little  from  each  other, 
and  had  blue  petals  with  the  yellow  corolla  of  A. 
chrysantha,  possessing  at  the  same  time  its 
vigorous  constitution. 

The  variety  with  red  petals  and  large  yellow 
corolla  was  raised  by  crossing  A.  chrysantha  with 
A.  californica.  It  had  almost  all  the  characteristics 
of  A.  chrysantha,  except  its  colour  ;  the  petals 
were  pale  red  instead  of  deep  yellow.  It  has  been 
stated  by  some  that  these  Aquilegias  are  practi- 
cally biennial.  This  is  a  mistake,  as  I  still  grow 
the  original  plants  raised  seven  or  eight  years  ago, 
and  they  flower  well  annually.  They  have  been 
grown  in  pots,  and  protected  in  winter  by  glass 
lights.  A.  glandulosa  I  grow  in  pots,  but  it  does 
not  succeed  so  well  as  the  others  just  named.  It 
seems  to  suffer  most  from  the  attacks  of  red 
spider,  which  they  all  do  more  or  less  in  hot 
summer  weather. 

A.  Skinneri  is  a  distinct  and  very  handsome 
species  found  in  Guatemala  ;  it  is  hardy  at  least  in 
a  sheltered  border  consisting  of  light  soil.  Grown 
in  pots  and  placed  in  a  cold  frame,  it  flourished 
with  great  vigour ;  a  strong  plant  in  an  8-inch  pot 
produced  100  blooms.  The  flowers  are  orange- 
scarlet  and  yellow. 

A.  ALPINA  is  a  very  pretty  species ;  its  finely  cut 
leaves  have  a  more  graceful  appearance  than  those 
of  A.  glandulosa,  which  its  flowers  resemble  in 
form,  but  they  are  of  a  more  decided  purple  colour. 
Its  right  position  is  on  the  shady  side  of  a  mass  of 
limestone  in  the  rock  garden.  It  grows  well  year 
aftfT  year  in  our  collection  of  pot  plants.  The 
true  form  of  A.  pyrenaica  is  a  plant  to  be  deside- 
rated; we  raisedmany  fine  varieties  of  it  from  seeds. 
Its  large  purple  flowers,  drooping  and  nodding  on 
slender  stems,  are  very  effective  amongst  other 
plants  in  the  greenhouse.  We  grow  about  200 
plants  in  pots  of  all  the  choice  hybrids  and  species 
that  are  not  altogether  safe  in  borders,  and  in 
their  way  they  have  a  charming  effect  during  the 
months  of  May  and  .June. 

To  grow  Aquilegias  well  in  pots  a  rather  rich 
compost  ought  to  be  used.  Take  good  Pelargo- 
nium soil  and  add  to  it  a  fourth  part  of  turfy 
peat,  and  a  compost  will  be  formed  that  will  grow 
them  with  great  vigour.  They  do  not  require 
much  attention  ;  they  are  not  placed  in  the  green- 
house until  the  flowers  open,  and  as  soon  as  flower- 
ing time  is  over  they  are  set  out  of  doors  again. 
In  September  they  are  turned  out  of  their  pots, 
and  a  large  quantity  of  soil  is  shaken  from  the 
roots.  The  plants  are  then  placed  in  pots  of  the 
same  size. as  those  they  came  out  of,  or  perhaps  a 


size  larger.  They  stand  out  of  doors  in  an  open, 
airy  position  until  cold  rains  set  in  late  in  autumn, 
when  they  are  placed  in  cold  frames,  and  there 
they  remain  with  the  lights  drawn  off  in  fine 
weather  until  spring.  When  danger  from  severe 
frosts  is  over,  the  plants  are  placed  out  of 
doors.  A  whitish  green  fly  attacks  the  leaves,  but 
it  is  easily  dislodged  by  means  of  the  syringe. 
Red  spider  is  troublesome  in  hot  weather,  but  the 
syringe  also  keeps  that  pest  in  aljeyance.  The 
Aquilegias  are  so  easily  raised  fiom  seed,  that  it  :s 
not  difticult  to  furnish  all  sorts  of  odd  corners  with 
large  groups  of  them.  Indeed,  we  had  a  group  of 
100  pot  plants  of  A.  californica  plunged  in  Cocoa- 
nut  fibre,  and  when  they  were  in  full  flower  out- 
of-doors  they  were  very  grand.  A  group  of  one 
distinct  species  must  be  kept  by  itself  if  seeds  are 
to  be  saved  from  them,  otherwise  they  will  not 
come  true.  No  genus  of  plants  with  which  I  am 
acquainted  is  more  easily  hybridised  than  this.  If 
one  species  is  crossed  with  another  quite  distinct. 
a  plant  intermediate  between  the  two  will  be  pro- 
duced, and  the  progeny  will  be  very  much  alike. 

J.  Douglas. 


RECENT  PLANT  PORTRAITS. 
LONICERA  Maacki  (Regel's  Gartcnjiora,  plate 
1102). — A  beautiful  and  most  free-blooming 
Honeysuckle  with  comparatively  large,  pure 
white  flowers,  introduced  by  Herr  Maximowicz 
from  South  Manchuria.  It  is  also  sometimes 
found  in  the  northern  region  of  the  Japanese 
island  Nippon. 

MUTISIA    HREVIFLOKA,   MUTISIA   VERSICOLOR 

Philippi,  Habranthus  punctatus  (Regel's 
Bartnjhira,  plate  10C3). — The  first  named  of  the 
above  trio  (a  single  flower  and  foliage  of  each  of 
which  is  figured  on  this  plate)  is  the  more  con- 
spicuous flowered  and  ornamental  of  the  two,  and 
has  rather  handsome  flowers  composed  of  eight 
rather  broad  petals  of  a  deep  shade  of  reddish 
brown,  with  a  conspicuous  bunch  of  pure  white 
stamens  subtended  by  long  yellow  anthers  in 
centre  of  flower.  The  foliage  is  broad,  of  a  light 
green,  slightly  toothed  at  the  edge,  and  with  a 
stout  midrib  terminating  in  the  curious  clinging 
tendril  usually  found  on  the  foliage  of  all  this 
family.  The  second  named  is  by  far  the  more 
curious  of  the  two,  and  appears  to  be  a  most 
singular  plant  with  flowers  of  an  altogether  ab- 
normal colouring  unlike  anything  I  have  ever  be- 
fore seen,  and  composed  of  ten  very  narrow,  strap- 
like petals  of  a  dull  orange-yellow  ground  colour, 
rather  far  apart  one  from  the  other,  and  each  of 
them  most  curiously  marked  with  two  parallel 
deep  brown  cross-bars  at  equal  distances  from  one 
another.  In  the  centre  is  a  large  and  conspicu- 
ous bunch  of  white  stamens,  yellow-tipped,  as  in 
first  named  variety.  The  foliage  is  also  most 
curious  and  singular  in  appearance,  being  ex- 
tremely narrow  and  strap-like,  produced  most 
irregularly  up  the  stem,  and  each  leaf  ends  in  a 
curl  or  hook  to  attach  itself  to  whatever  it  is 
climbing  over.  It  is  altogether  a  most  singular 
plant.  Both  these  plants  are  natives  of  Chili,  and 
were  introduced  thence  by  Dr.  Philippi.  The 
third  named  is  a  pretty  Amaryllid  from  the  Cordil- 
leras, with  a  single  pure  white  flower  beautifully 
spotted  with  rose  colour,  and  issuing  from  a  brace 
of  calyx-like  leaves  on  the  top  of  a  short  flower- 
stem. 

Clematis  Francois  Morel  (Jtcrue,  Horticole 
for  October  1). — An  extremely  pretty  variety  of 
this  charming  and  free-blooming  family  raised  by 
M.  F.  Morel,  of  Lyons,  and  producing  medium- 
sized  flowers  of  a  deep  rosy  purple  shade  of 
ground  colour,  with  a  broad,  deep  red  band  down 
the  centre  of  each  petal,  making  it  the  reddest 
Clematis  known. 

Stapiivle.v  colchica  {Itniic  dc  illiirdciil- 
tiirr  Bchjt'  for  October) — An  excellent  and  faith- 
ful portrait  of  this  beautiful  and  most  free  bloom- 
ing pure  white-flowered  shrub,  which  is  a  native  of 


Southern  Russia.  It  was  recently  renamed  by  a 
North  German  firm  Hooibrenckia  formosissima, 
and  sent  out  as  a  new  plant  to  the  deception  and 
disappointment  of  many  customers  and  lovers  of 
flowering  shrubs  in  general.  It  is  perfectly  hardy, 
but  forces  well  for  the  decoration  of  the  early 
greenhouse. 

HiEMANTHUS  Katherin.e  {Ilnianical  Mcaja- 
:ine,  plate  ()778). — A  fine  double  plate  of  this 
handsome  deep  red-flowered  Amaryllid,  which  is 
a  native  of  Natal,  whence  it  was  sent  to  Kew  by 
Mr.  W.  B.  Lyle,  and  flowered  in  May  of  this  year. 

Corylopsis  iiimalayana {Botan'ical Magazine, 
plate  6779). — This  is  a  small  shrub  closely  allied 
to  the  Hamamelis,  or  Witch  Hazel.  It  is  a  native 
of  the  easternmost  mountains  of  India,  and  pro- 
duces before  the  foliage  appears  in  the  early  spring 
pendulous  panicles  of  greenish  yellow  flowers, 
which  have  a  Primrose  smell. 

Pyrus  (Cydonia)  Maulei  {Botanical  Maga- 
zine, plate  6780). — This  plate  shows  both  the  red 
flower  and  golden  fruit  of  this  handsome  Japanese 
Pear  introduced  by  Messrs.  Maule,  of  Bristol,  in 
1874. 

Chrysanthemum  cinerari.epolium  {Bota- 
nical Magazim;  plate  G781). — This  is  a  white- 
flowered  very  long-stemmed  Daisy,  which  is  a 
native  of  Dalmatia  and  yields  the  famous  Dalma- 
tian insecticide  powder.  It  is  also  known  under 
the  various  synonyms  of  C.  rigidum,  C.  Turrea- 
num,  Pyrethrum  cinerariajfolium,  and  Matricaria 
bellidiflora. 

Streptocaepus  Kirki  {Botanical  Magazine, 
plate  0782). — A  very  elegant  species  sent  to  Kew 
by  Sir  John  Kirk  from  the  hilly  country  of  the 
coast  opposite  Zanzibar.  The  flowers  are  lilac, 
and  are  produced  on  very  slender  stems  in  thin 
open  branching  cymes.  These  flower-stems  are 
borne  on  the  top  of  a  stout,  erect,  hairy,  main 
stem  of  from  4  inches  to  0  inches  in  height,  which 
is  garnished  with  medium-sized  rounded  entire 
leaves  with  red  stems.  W.  E.  G. 


ROSE  Garden. 


THE  ROSE  SEASON. 
Seldom  has  this  been  so  short  as  this  year; 
severe  frosts  in  April  followed  by  tropical  heat  and 
a  drought  almost  unprecedented  in  its  duration  and 
intensity  are  not  conditions  favourable  to  the  per- 
fect development  of  the  queen  of  flowers.  The 
blooms,  too,  as  a  rule,  lacked  size  as  well  as  sub- 
stance, except  in  the  case  of  a  few  Teas  that  seemed 
to  be  the  better  in  all  ways  in  consequence  of 
the  heat  and  the  drought ;  this  was  notably  the 
case  with  La  Belle  d'Or,  a  Rose  in  flue  form 
during  the  season  of  1881.  The  effects  of  the 
heat  and  the  drought  on  the  autumnal  bloom  were 
still  more  remarkable.  It  was  supposed  that, 
after  the  drying  and  semi-scorching  which  the 
plants  got,  they  would  have  made  strong  shoots 
favourable  to  an  abundant  autumnal  harvest  of 
blossom.  Had  the  rains  fallen  earlier,  this  would 
have  probably  been  so.  P>ut  little  or  no  rain  came 
till  the  last  week  in  August,  nor  did  it  fall  in 
sufficient  quantity  till  September  to  reach  the 
roots  of  Roses.  This  was  far  too  late  to  secure 
a  good  harvest  of  blossom,  and  Roses  have  been 
very  scarce  during  the  autumn.  Here  again  the 
Teas  have  been  exceptions  and  have  grown  and 
bloomed  well.  In  fact,  the  season  of  1884  may 
be  called  the  Tea  Rose  one.  Teas  on  walls  and  in 
the  open  now  (October  G)  are  showing  forests 
of  buds.  Unfortunately,  the  exceptionally  heavy 
rains  and  occasional  hail  stones  of  unusual  size 
in  the  first  week  of  September  ruined  thou- 
sands of  promising  buds,  the  torrents  of  rain  that 
fell  in  East  Anglia  en  the  4  th  ult.  proving 
most  destructive,  tarnishing  and  apparently 
half  rotting  whole  hosts  of  promising  buds. 
The  hail  here  on  the  previous  day  was  so 
large,  that  it  not  only  ruined  the  Roses,  but 
put  Apples  out  of  good  keeping  condition,  and 
knocked  down  the  Peaches,  ripe  and  unripe,  on 
walls  in  large  numbers.  And  now,  after  a  season 
of  unexampled  heat  and  drought,  with   the  ther- 


322 


THE    GAEDEN 


[Oct.  11,  1884. 


mometer  frequently  rucning  up  to  !(0°  in  the 
shade,  and  only  6  inches  of  rain  in  the  first  seven 
months  of  the  year,  we  are  already  crying  out  "  no 
more  rain  for  our  lioses  " ;  for  should  a  wet 
October  come  upon  them,  unseasonable  growth 
will  be  forced  forth,  sappy  and  tender,  fit.  food 
for  severe  weather.  D.  T.  F. 


THE  MARECHAL  NIEL  ROSE. 
The  tropical  heat  this  autumn  has  told  to  good 
purpose  on  this  fine  Kose.  It  was  one  of  the  few  that 
revelled  in  the  semi-tropical  heat  without  flinch- 
ing, and  now  the  Marechal  in  all  forms  of  plant, 
whether  as  dwarf  or  standard  in  the  open  or  as  a 
climber  on  walls,  is  showing  quantities  of  buds  and 
blossom.  As  usual,  however,  it  is  flowering  most 
freely  and  the  blooms  are  most  perfect  on 
standard  Briers.  This  is  a  peculiarity  of  the 
Marechal  that  I  have  frequently  noticed,  but  not 
been  able  to  explain.  Of  the  fact  itself  there  is  no 
doubt.  We  had  a  good  stock  of  old  standards  on 
the  Brier  until  some  recent  winters  finished  them 
off,  and  while  these  lasted  we  were  seldom 
without  a  good  supply  of  Marochal  Niel  Eoses 
from  August  to  December.  Our  young  standard 
Mar6ohals  are  now  exhibiting  the  same  useful 
tendency  of  continuous  blooming  throughout  the 
autumn.  But  dwarf  plants  on  their  own  roots  and 
climbers  on  walls  are  blooming  better  than  usual 
this  autumn.  As  a  rule,  in  fact  the  MarCchal 
Niel  on  walls  seldom  blooms  in  the  autumn,  and 
this  is  one  of  those  mysteries  in  Hose  culture  which 
I  confess  I  have  been  quite  unable  to  understand. 
Perhaps  some  of  your  readers  might  be  able  to 
throw  some  light  on  it.  The  difference  is  not 
a  matter  of  character  or  length  of  stock,  as  might 
have  been  supposed,  for  several  of  our  Marcchals 
on  walls  are  on  the  Dog  Rose,  and  in  the  case 
of  one  or  two  of  them  the  stems  are  nearly  as  long 
as  those  that  flower  freely  in  the  autumn  in  the 
open  ground.  It  seems,  however,  probable  that 
the  length  of  the  Brier  stems  and  their  exposed 
position  combined  are  the  causes  of  the  free 
blooming  of  Marechal  Niel  Roses  in  the  open  air. 
As  a  rule  the  growth  on  such  plants  is  short  and 
stunted  compared  to  what  it  is  on  plants  on  walls, 
or  even  dwarfs  on  their  own  roots,  or  worked 
plants  in  the  open  air ;  hence  instead  of  running 
into  long  shoots  like  fishing-rods,  as  this  fine 
Rose  so  often  docs  on  walls,  it  breaks  afresh 
into  short  shoots  that  seldom  run  more 
than  a  foot  without  terminating  in  a  fine  flower 
bud.  This  autumntide,  too,  not  only  the  Mare- 
chal Niel,  but  most  of  the  golden  Roses  are  even 
more  full  of  colour  than  usual.  I  have  often 
seen  larger,  but  seldom  better,  or  more  or  higher 
coloured  Marechal  Niels  than  we  have  been 
cutting  all  through  this  September.  Even  the 
pKants  on  walls  and  some  of  those  on  roofs  under 
glass  have  yielded  us  a  good  many  flowers  this 
autumn  too,  and  this  is  probably  owing  to  the 
extreme  drought  and  heat  of  the  past  summer, 
which  has  yielded  less  wood,  and  that  more  highly 
matured  than  usual.  D. 


THE  BRIERS. 
There  is  something  no  canny,  as  they  would  say 
in  Scotland,  about  a  good  many  of  the  Briers  this 
season.  They  seem  to  have  thriven  on  the  heat 
and  the  drought,  and  have  grown  all  the  stronger 
and  the  larger  on  account  of  their  dual  influence. 
This  was  hardly  to  be  expected,  and  is  almost 
exactly  the  opposite  to  their  effects  on  the  Roses  ; 
not  a  few  of  these  have  grown  but  little,  and  the 
major  portion  have  grown  rather  weakly,  but  the 
Briers  are  giants,  and  they  keep  on  and  on  grow- 
ing as  if  they  did  not  mean  to  stop  till  the  frost 
forcibly  arrests  them.  Since  the  recent  rains  they 
have  also  started  afresh,  which  eeems  a  pity,  as 
not  a  few  of  them  had  made  rods  of  10  feet  in 
length  before  any  rain  fell. 

With  all  this  growing  force  in  full  swing  the 
Eosebitds  at  their  base  have  had  more  than  ordi- 
nary difficulty  in  remaining  dormant.  Hardened 
in  many  cases  by  the  drought  almost  past  grow- 
ing condition,  they  have  been  powerfully  affected 


and  abnormally  excited  by  the  unusually  power- 
ful flow  of  sap  along  their  base.  With  every  wish 
to  keep  them  dormant,  the  major  portion  of  the 
buds  that  took  freely  have  broken  into  growth  since 
the  rains.  Had  this  tendency  been  foreseen  in  time 
it  might  have  been  wiser  to  have  stopped  the 
Briers  back  to  within  a  few  eyes  of  the  buds  almost 
so  soon  as  these  had  taken  freely.  Had  this  been 
done  most  of  the  Roses  might  have  shoots  of  such 
strength  and  firmness  by  this  time  as  to  have  given 
good  promise  of  being  well  ripened  before  the 
winter.  But  dormant  buds  are  more  and  more 
desiderated  by  rosarians  ;  the  mere  fact  of  their 
dormancy  enhances  their  charms  for  them.  No  one 
can  certainly  say  what  a  dormant  bud  may  bring 
forth  ;  as  a  rule,  the  longer  it  remains  dormant 
the  finer  the  Rose  it  will  bring  forth,  hence'  to  a 
great  extent  their  popularity.  Bu^,  of  course, 
there  are  exceptions,  and  not  a  few  dormant 
buds  become  food  for  the  proverbial  worm, 
and  others  break  into  disappointing  abortions. 
Still,  dormant  buds,  with  all  their  faults,  are  pre- 
ferable to  autumnal  shoots  ;  but  if  we  must  have 
these  shoots,  then  the  earlier  and  the  stronger  the 
better,  to  give  them  time  to  finish  and  mature  their 
growth;  hence  theorlgin  of  the  two  systems  of  treat- 
ing Briers— that  of  stopping  as  soon  as  the  buds 
have  fairly  taken ,  and  the  not  stopping  the  wildling 
shoot  at  all  till  the  following  spring.  The  first 
method  insures  the  prompt  breaking  of  the  Rose 
bud  into  a  robust  shoot,  with  three  months  or  so 
before  it  to  ripen  in.  The  second  prevents,  as  a 
rule,  the  Rose  bud  becoming  a  shoot  till  the  fol- 
lowing spring.  The  last  is  the  best  practice  in 
the  ordinary  run  of  seasons,  though  probably  the 
first  might  have  been  the  better  method  this 
season. 

We  shall  soon  have  had  enough  rain  to  insure  a 
fair — it  cannot  now  be  a  full— autumnal  harvest 
of  Roses,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  plants  will 
not  be  exposed  to  the  risks  involved  in  a  wet  au- 
tumn, with  its  difficulties  and  dangers  of  late 
growths,  more  likely  to  become  food  for  frost 
than  to  yield  flowers  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
rosarian.  H.  F, 


REPLANTING  ROSES. 
Thebe  arc  few  better  methods  of  resuscitating  old 
plants  of  Roses  than  that  of  replanting  them  in 
fresh  soil  early  in  the  autumn.  October  and  No- 
vember are  the  best  months  in  the  whole  year  for 
these  operations,  and  the  growth  of  Perpetuals 
being  mostly  rather  meagre  this  season,  they  may 
be  safely  transplanted  rather  earlier  than  usual. 
If  they  can  be  removed  into  fresh,  sweet,  maiden 
soil,  so  much  the  better  ;  but  if  not,  the  ground  may 
be  heavily  manured,  trenched  to  a  depth  of  a  yard, 
carefully  mixing  the  manure  and  the  soil  together 
as  thoroughly  as  possible.  In  planting  the  Roses, 
care  should  be  taken  to  vary  the  place  of  the 
plants  as  much  as  possible.  In  trenching  the  old 
Rose  beds  and  borders,  great  care  must  be  taken 
to  pick  out  and  remove  every  bit  of  root,  as  few 
things  seem  more  distasteful  to  Roses  than  their 
own  roots.  Of  course,  too,  in  lifting  the  Roses  all 
the  best  roots  must  be  preserved  intact,  and  every 
root  likely  to  develop  into  a  sucker  should  be  cut 
close  back  to  the  root-stock.  Others  may  be 
shortened,  the  whole  being  cut  off  sharp  and  clean. 
Another  point  towards  ensuring  success  is  to 
keep  the  Roses  out  of  the  ground  as  short  a  time 
as  possible.  In  replanting  on  the  same  ground  it 
is  a  good  plan  to  make  a  bold,  wide  opening  at  one 
end  and  turn  the  whole  soil  over,  replanting  the 
Roses  in  the  process.  Where  the  plants  are 
transferred  to  new  quarters  the  latter  should  be  pre- 
pared first,  so  that  the  plants  may  be  planted  as 
soon  as  lifted.  Only  those  conversant  with  the 
rapid  rooting  of  Roses  in  the  early  autumn  can  be 
impressed  with  the  vital  importance  of  immediate 
replanting.  Root  disturbance  is  one  of  the  most 
powerful  stimulants,  and  the  formation  of  new 
roots  and  the  process  of  reformation  begin  at  once. 
Thus  it  comes  to  pass  that  the  laying  in  of  Rose 
plants  by  the  heels  involves  a  loss  of  force  as  well 
as  of  time.  Hence  probably  it  comes  to  pass 
that  roots  are  less  speedily  formed  after  a 
second    disturbance    than    after    the    first,  and 


so  on  after  each  successive  disturbance.  Im- 
mediate planting  after  lifting  is  one  of  the 
surest  means  of  ensuring  success,  and  Roses  thus 
treated  and  planted  with  skill  and  sufficient  care 
will  flower  as  well  the  next  season  as  if  they  had 
not  been  moved.  Fresh  soil  should  be  given  to  the 
Roseo  if  possible.  The  new  and  fine  sorts  seem 
to  become  soil  sick  much  sooner  than  the  older 
varieties  ;  in  fact,  the  cry  of  Rose-sick  soils  is  a 
comparatively  modern  one.  The  old  Roses  used  to 
grow  and  flower  on  the  same  spots  in  perpetuity. 
The  modern  varieties  seem  to  exhaust  or  become 
soil-sick  on  the  best  soils  in  two  or  three  years, 
and  this  in  cases  where  the  best  soils  and  the 
highest  culture  have  been  provided.  This  is  one 
of  the  greatest  mysteries  and  most  trying  diffi- 
culties to  modern  rosarians.  The  problem  may 
bestatedthus:  Avigorous start, magnificent  blooms, 
gradual  deterioration,  little  growth,  disease,  insect 
attacks,  death— all  crowded  into  the  narrow  limits 
of  three  or  four  years.  At  the  first  signs  of  dete- 
rioration lift  and  replant  the  Roses,  and  they  may 
be  kept  in  perfection  for  another  term  of  two, 
three,  or  more  years.  Some  Peach  growers  adopt 
most  successfully  the  same  course  with  their  trees, 
and  it  is  certain  that  frequent  liftings  and  replant- 
ings,  as  well  as  skilful  culture  and  liberal  feeding, 
are  essential  to  the  production  of  perfect  Roses  in 
perpetuity.  D.  T.  Fish. 


Ferns. 

BEST  CULTIVATED  FERNS. 
( Continued  from  p.  298.) 
Olfeesia  ceevina. — This  interesting  species, 
when  allowed  space  for  full  development,  has  a 
truly  noble  appearance  equalled  only  by  some  of 
the  strong-growing  Polypods.  The  most  distinc- 
tive character  belonging  to  this  plant  is  its  fructi- 
fication, which,  though  differently  arranged,  has  a 
great  resemblance  to  that  of  our  common  Royal 
Fern.  It  is  very  liable  to  variation,  due  to  the 
different  habitats  whence  it  comes.  It  has  been 
found  in  most  of  the  West  Indian  Islands,  Mar- 
tinique, Jamaica,  Guadaloupe,  Dominica,  as  well 
as  in  Tropical  America,  Venezuela,  South  Brazil, 
and  in  shady  woods  on  the  Corcovado  Mountains, 
New  Grenada,  &c.  In  all  cases  the  sterile  and 
fertile  fronds  are  entirely  dissimilar,  the  latter,  as 
a  rule,  being  of  smaller  dimensions  than  the  barren 
ones.  It  is  a  free-growing  plant  of  very  easy  cul- 
ture, either  in  pots  or  planted  out.  It  requires  a 
somewhat  rich  soil  composed  of  fibrous  loam  and 
peat  in  almost  equal  parts,  with  the  addition  of 
some  sharp  sand  or  small  crocks  to  keep  it  porous, 
as  it  is  one  of  those  plants  which  delight  in  being 
kept  constantly  wet  at  the  roots.  Occasional 
syringings  overhead  during  the  summer  months 
are  also  very  beneficial  to  it,  especially  when  de- 
prived of  fertile  fronds,  the  barren  ones  being  of 
such  a  leathery  texture,  that  should  the  water  re- 
main on  them  for  a  short  time,  it  could  not  be  pro- 
ductive of  bad  results.  It  may  safely  be  classed 
among  plants  bearing  the  popular  appellation  of 
flowering  Ferns.  It  requires  stove  tempera- 
ture. Its  mode  of  growth  is  peculiar,  resembling 
in  many  respects  that  of  some  kinds  of  Acro- 
stichum. 

Fronds  from  i  feet  to  G  feet  in  length,  sterile  ones  when 
adult  pinnate  witli  large,  very  shortly  petiolate  and  ovate 
pinnai  of  a  coiiaceuug  nature;  when  young  quite  simple, 
ovate-acuminate.  The  lateral  pinrje,  with  very  unequal 
s'des,  vary  from  5  inches  to  9  inches  in  length,  and  ahout 
2^  inches  in  width ;  fertile  fronds,  though  generally  of 
snj.all  dimensions,  sometimes  as  long  as  the  liarren  ones 
and  usually  bipinnate  ;  their  pinna;  quite  as  lon^  as  the 
barren  ones,  linear-lanceolate,  acuminate  ;  pinnules  rarely 
over  h.alf  an  inch  long,  obtrse,  sHghtly  compressed  and 
covereil  all  over,  even  to  their  very  apex,  with  numerous 
pedicellattd  capsules  of  a  peculiarly  light  livown  colour, 
forming  a  very  striking  contrast  with  the  li^ht  pale  green 
tint  of  tlie  barren  fronds.  Both  kinds  borne  on  stout, 
terefe  stalks,  scaly  at  the  base  and,  as  well  as  the  rachis 
itself,  conspicuously  furrowed  on  the  upper  side. 

Onoclea  sensibilis.  —  Like  the  species  of 
Olfersia  just  described,  this  also  of  itself  forms  a 
genus,  its  mode  of  fructification  being  so  peculiar, 
that  in  all  known  Ferns  there  is  not  another  in- 
stance recorded  of  similar  formation.  It  is  un- 
doubtedly one  of  the  oldest,  if  not  the  very  oldest, 
of  exotic  Ferns  introduced  into  Europe.    About 


Oct.  11,  1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


o  no 


the  year  1700  it  was  first  imported  from  North 
America,  where  it  is  to  this  day  found  growing 
wild  in  wet  meadows  and  thickets  from  New 
Brunswick  to  Saskatchewan,  extending  south- 
wards through  Kansas  and  Arkansas  to  Louisiana 
and  eastward  to  Florida.  It  is,  in  fact,  one  of  the 
commonest  of  all  North  American  Ferns,  often 
occupying  large  patches  of  land  to  the  partial  ex- 
clusion of  ctlier  plants.  Though  this  highly  inte- 
resting plant  is  not  found  in  Western  America  nor 
Europe,  oddly  enough,  it  frequently  occurs  in 
Japan  and  in  Siberia.  The  main  attraction  be- 
longing to  this  species  lies  in  the  pretty  soft  pale 
green  colour  of  its  lovely  barren  fronds,  whose 
outline  is  triangular.  The  middle  is  winged, 
either  from  the  very  base  or  from  the  second  pair 
of  segments,  the  wing  at  the  base  being  very 
narrow,  but  gradually  widening  towards  the  apex. 
The  sterile  fronds  sometimes,  especially  when  the 
plants  are  well  established  in  a  rockery,  reach 
IS  inches  in  length,  and  as  they  are  borne  on  stalks 
usually  longer  still,  they  attain  altogether  about 
3  feet  in  height,  a  result  never  attained  under  pot 
culture.  Their  texture  is  herbaceous,  their  sur- 
face perfectly  smooth,  and  their  underside  slightly 
glaucescent.  They  do  not  last  long  when  cut ; 
even  in  water  they  shrivel  up  immediately,  and 
the  first  autumn  frosts  always  destroy  them  ;  late 
frosts  in  spring,  too,  often  do  the  same.  These 
remarks  apply  to  barren  fronds  only,  which  are  by 
far  the  most  numerous  and  also  the  handsomest. 


Onoclea  seusihilis. 

Fertile  fronds  are  not  very  common,  and  so  unlike 
the  sterile  ones,  that  no  one  unacquainted  with 
the  plant  would  suppose  them  related  to  each 
other.  They  stand  about  half  as  high  as  the 
barren  ones,  and  are  perfectly  rigid  and  nearly 
black  in  colour.  Another  peculiarity  is  that  they 
dry  up  in  winter,  bat  remain  erect  during  the  fol- 
lowing summer,  so  that  a  fruiting  plant  often  has 
fertile  fronds  standing  of  two  years'  growth. 
There  exists  also  a  variety  called  obtusiloba, 
which,  however,  is  not  a  constant  variation  of  the 
species  ;  and  another  form  described  by  Maximo- 
wicz  from  the  Amoor  region,  which  he  named 
interrupta.  In  this  the  fertile  fronds  nearly  equal 
the  sterile  in  size,  and  have  elongated  pinnre  with 
remote  segments,  a  condition  also  sometimes  seen 
in  the  North  American  species.  It  is  a  plant 
much  better  adapted  for  planting  out  in  the  cold 
or  outdoor  rockery  than  for  pot  culture,  as  its  rhi- 
zomes creep  widely  below  the  surface  of  the  soil, 
root  freely,  and  fork  out  in  all  directions ;  there- 
fore in  cultivation  it  is  often  difficult  to  confine 
the  plant  to  one  spot.  It  is  perfectly  hardy  in 
this  country,  and  recjuires  a  good  loamy  soil. 

Fronds  ilimorphous,  borne  on  robust  stalks  n.ittenej, 
disoloureil,  and  very  sparingly  chatty  at  tlie  base  ;  upper 
part  green,  smooth,  and  naked,  rounded  at  the  back,  and 
slif^htly  furrowed  in  front.  Barren  fronds,  which  are  much 
the  strongest  and  most  numerous,  have  from  four  to  ten 
segments  un  each  side  ;  the  lowest  pair  of  them  are  ratlier 
more  than  lialf  as  long  aa  the  whole  frond.  Like  the  I'e- 
niaining  ones,  which  go  rapidly  decreasing  in  size  towainls 
the  apex,  they  are  lanceolate  or  oblong-lanceolate,  narrowed 
at  the  base,  especially  the  b.wer  ones,  and  rounded  at  the 
extremity,  or  sometiiaes  sub  acute,  minutely  serrulate  on 


the  edges,  the  larger  ones  either  with  sinuous  margins  or 
deeply  sinuous  and  pinnatilid.  Fertile  fronds,  which  are 
sparingly  produced,  consist  of  from  four  to  ten  pairs  of 
appressed  lieshy  orcartilagineous  pinnre,  which  are  divided 
into  a  double  row  of  sub-globose,  bead-like  segments  or  pin- 
nules, the  whole  looking  like  a  small  and  narrow,  but  dense 
cluster  of  diminutive  Grapes.  Each  pinnule  has  its  edges 
so  much  recurved,  that  the  whole  forms  a  sort  of  pouch 
apparently  tilled  with  sporangia. 

Onychium, — Up  to  the  present  time  two  species 
only  belonging  to  this  genus  have  been  introduced 
to  cultivation,  both  extremely  elegant  and  possess- 
ing some  useful  qualities.  Their  fronds  are  so 
light  and  finely  cut,  and  of  so  lovely  a  green,  that 
they  are  specially  well  adapted  for  mixing  with 
flowers,  amongst  which  they  look  as  graceful  as 
some  of  the  Adiantums,  and  they  last  fresh  much 
longer.  Although  somewhat  similar  in  general 
aspect,  their  habits  are  entirely  distinct,  a  charac- 
ter which  in  this  case  cannot  possibly  be  attri- 
buted to  different  habitats.  While  O.  auratum 
produces  its  handsomely  decompound  fronds  from 
a  single  crown,  thus  forming  a  sort  of  miniature 
Pteris  tremula  with  finely  cut  fronds,  0.  japoni- 
cum,  on  the  contrary,  produces  them  from  nume- 
rous underground  rhizomes,  making  thick  tufts  of 
graceful  and  pleasingly  coloured  foliage,  green  on 
both  sides ;  whereas  that  of  the  former  species, 
when  in  a  fertile  state,  is  of  a  beautiful  golden 
colour  underneath,  which  gives  it  quite  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  gold  Fern.  That  colouring,  how- 
ever, is  not,  as  in  Gymnogramma  and  Nothochlsena, 
due  to  the  presence  of  powder ;  it  is  simply  the  in- 
dusium,  which  is  of  a  bright,  rich,  golden  hue,  and 
gives  the  whole  plant  a  lovely  appearance.  It  is 
not  in  habit  only  that  these  two  species  differ,  for 
the  treatment  which  they  require  is  also  dissimi- 
lar ;  while  O.  japonicum  will  thrive  well  in  a  cool 
house,  and,  in  fact,  will  not  stand  stove  treatment, 
where  it  soon  becomes  attacked  by  thrips,  O. 
auratum  must  have  a  stove,  or  at  least  an  inter- 
mediate house  all  the  year  round.  The  same  com- 
post, however,  suits  them  both,  viz.,  a,  mixture 
of  filrrous  loam,  peat,  or  leaf-mould,  and  silver 
sand  in  about  equal  proportions.  Both  should  hs 
potted  softly,  as  they  have  a  great  aversion  to  hard 
soil  at  any  time.  Care  must  be  taken  also  to  en- 
sure their  fronds  being  kept  dry  at  all  seasons,  as 
if  allowed  to  get  wet  they  soon  turn  of  a  darkish 
brown  colour  and  begin  to  decay.  O.  japonicum 
is  easily  propagated  either  from  spores,  which  ger- 
minate freely,  or  from  division,  but  the  same  can- 
not be  said  of  O.  auratum,  which  no  doubt  would 
be  equally  popular  if  its  propagation  was  more 
rapid  ;  the  fact  of  its  forming  single  crowns  only 
prevents  it  from  being  increased  by  division ; 
therefore  the  only  mode  of  dealing  effectually 
with  this  handsome  species  is  by  means  of  seed- 
ling5,  which  come  up  freely  enough,  but  which 
have  a  natural  tendency  to  damp  off  just  above 
ground  when  in  a  young  state. 

0.  AURATUM. — This  lovely  stove  Fern,  a  tho- 
roughly evergreen  species,  is  a  native  of  the  Malay 
Islands ;  it  is  also  found  wild  on  the  Nilgiris,  where 
it  grows  abundantly,  and  on  the  Paulghaut  Moun- 
tains, where,  however,  it  is  not  so  plentiful.  In 
this  species  the  fertile  and  barren  fronds  are  quite 
different,  the  former  being  much  more  finely 
divided  than  the  latter,  or,  as  it  may  be  termed, 
decompoundly  pinnatisected.  It  is  usually  dis- 
tinguished at  tirst  sight  by  its  very  narrow  seg- 
ments. The  upper  part  of  both  kinds  of  fronds  is 
of  a  dark  glossy  green  and  very  attractive.  In 
potting  or  planting  this  species  the  utmost  care 
should  be  taken  to  keep  the  crown  well  above  the 
surface  of  the  soil,  which  must  be  thoroughly  well 
drained. 

Fronds  20  inches  to  30  inches  long,  ovate-lanceolate, 
acuminate  in  shape,  of  submembranaceous  texture,  and 
very  compound,  four  or  more  times  pjnnatisected,  with  seg- 
ments in  the  st-rile  portions  all  narrow,  linear-,  subcuireate, 
short,  and  all  pointing  towards  the  outer  part  of  the  frond. 
All  fertile  segments,  especially  the  terminal  ones,  are 
elongated,  silii|Uifornr,  and  mncronate.  These  fronds  are 
borne  on  firm,  ruinul,  green  stalks,  hispid,  with  a  few 
narrow  scales  only  at  tlie  base  where  they  are  of  a  light 
browrr  colour.  The  sori.  which  .are  linear  elongated,  oc- 
cupy the  whole  liaek  of  the  fertile  eegmf  nts  and  the  golden 
coloured  involucres  ([uite  meet  at  their  edges. 

O.  JAPONICUM  (lucidum). — This  species,  by 
far  the  commoner  of  the  two,  though  perhaps  not 
the  handsomer,  is  much  more  useful  than  the  pre- 1 


ceding  on  account  of  its  being  of  much  freer 
growth  and  producing  its  fronds  shorter,  but  in 
greater  abundance.  These,  however,  are  of  a 
semi-deciduous  character,  and  although  the  species 
is  essentially  a  cool  one,  coming  as  it  does  from 
Japan,  Nepaul,  Simla,  Khasya,  &o ,  where  it  is 
generally  found  at  an  elevation  of  GOOO  feet  to 
7500  feet,  still  if  not  kept  in  an  intermediate 
house  during  the  winter  months  it  is  apt  to  lose 
its  foliage,  in  which  case  it  usually  starts  up  very 
strong  in  the  spring. 

Eliizorae,  creeping  underground,  from  which  rise  some 
numerous  stalks  about  C  inches  high,  round  and  pale  browu 
as  well  as  the  rachises.  Fronds  rarely  exceeding  12  inches 
iir  length,  ovate-acumrnate  and  submembranaceous  in  tex- 
ture, tliree  or  four  times  pinnatisected.  Contrary  to  those 
of  O,  auratum,  the  segments  in  this  species,  either  fertile 
or  barren,  are  uniform,  bting  all  narrow,  linear,  a  little 
tapering  below,  ultimate  ones  modt^rately  long,  all  pradit- 
ally  acuminated.  Sori  oblong,  short,  occupying  nearly  the 
whole  of  the  back  o£  the  segments. 

rELL.TSA. 


Kitchen    Garden. 


TRENCHING,  DIGGING,  AND  MANURING. 

Now  is  the  time  to  think  of  the  winter  trenching 
and  digging  to  be  done,  for  the  earlier  in  the 
autumn  that  all  rough  digging  is  done  the  better. 
The  object  is  to  turn  the  soil  up  to  the  weather  in 
order  tg  let  the  frost  break  it  up,  kill  insects  and 
larva3,  and  ameliorate  its  condition  generally ; 
hence,  the  longer  the  tnrned-up  soil  lies  exposed 
the  better.  The  object  of  trenching,  which  should 
always  be  done  in  the  autumn  and  winter  if  pos- 
sible, is  to  deepen  and  eniicli  the  soil.  For  this 
purpose  it  is  turned  up  two  or  three  spades  deep, 
but  usually  two  spades  and  a  shovelling,  loosening 
the  hard  bottom  with  a  strong  fork.  Whether  this 
much  can  be  done  with  safety,  however,  depends  on 
the  nature  of  the  subsoil.  If  thelatterbebadorpoor, 
like  gravel  or  sand,  not  much  good  can  be  done  by 
bringing  it  up  to  the  surface.  In  one  large  new 
kitchen  garden  I  am  acquainted  with  the  sub- 
soil was  poor  and  stony ;  the  surface  was,  how- 
ever, trenched  as  deep  as  it  could  be,  but  pre- 
viously many  hundreds  of  loads  of  surface  sods 
were  carted  into  the  garden  to  be  buried  in  the 
trenching  and  thereby  deepen  the  soil.  No  good 
is  done  by  bringing  up  poor  or  bad  subsoils  ;  the 
surface  soil  almost  always  partakes  of  the  charac- 
ter of  the  subsoil,  consisting  as  it  usually  does  of 
the  gatherings  and  washings  from  the  original 
formation  of  the  district,  and  if  that  be  poor, 
stony,  gravelly,  or  sandy,  the  surface  soil  cannot 
be  enriched  by  bringing  it  up  to  the  surface.  The 
best  plan  on  all  such  poor  subsoils  is  to  dig  the 
surface  2  feet  or  3  feet  deep  if  anything  in  the 
nature  of  a  moderately  fertile  soil  can  be  found 
to  that  depth,  but  if  not  then  it  is  best  to  dig  no 
deeper  than  the  soil  does  go,  and  to  eniich  the 
same  by  adding  manure  and  good  soil  to  the 
top.  This  is  the  only  way  a  shallow  soil 
lying  on  a  really  poor  subsoil  can  be  either 
deepened  or  enriched.  It  is  different,  however, 
where  stiff  loams  or  clay  form  the  subsoil,  and 
when  they  lie  below  an  ordinary  fertile  surface 
soil.  In  trenching,  these  may  be  brought  up  and 
spread  on  the  surface  exposed  to  the  winter  frosts, 
which  will  break  them  up,  and  if  manured  and 
mixed  with  the  better  and  lighter  surface  soil  they 
will  be  very  productive.  Sometimes  old  kitchen 
garden  soils  lying  upon  clayey  or  stiff  loamy  sub- 
soils, and  which  have  never  been  deeply  dug,  are 
much  benefited  by  deep  trenching,  because  the 
heavier  soil  from  the  bottom  is  really  what  they 
need,  and  which  when  brought  up  exposed  to  the 
weather  in  winter,  and  dug  in  again  on  the  surface, 
restores  the  land  to  its  original  basis.  The  time 
to  deepen  vegetable  ground  in  this  way  is  in  the 
autumn  or  early  winter,  because  the  frost  only, 
even  if  slight,  can  break  it  up  thoroughly.  I 
have  seen  the  clods  of  pure  clay  reduced  to  the 
finest  powder  by  April,  in  which  condition  it 
mixes  freely  with  the  top  spit  in  digging  or  fork- 
ing in  spring.  As  regards  trenching  in  manure — 
a  common  practice -I  do  not  believe  in  it.  Where 
I  was  once,  vast  quantities  of  rough  stable  manure  ■ 
were  turned  overto  the  gardens  from  very  extensive 


324 


THE    GARDEN 


[Oct.   U,   1884, 


stables,  and  to  get  quit  of  it  readily  the  gardener 
had  it  spread  on  the  next  quarter  to  be  trenched 
in  a  ten-acre  kitchen  garden,  and  there  it  was 
buried  without  doing,  as  I  used  to  think  then  and 
think  now,  much,  it  any,  good.  I  was  there  long 
enough  to  see  a  good  deal  of  the  same  ground 
trenched  over  again,  for  trenching  is  a  periodical 
practice  in  all  well-managed  Scotch  gardens,  and 
what  was  the  rank  dressing  of  manure  when  it 
was  turned  up  from  the  bottom  ?  Only  a  thin  seam 
of  rotten  mould  that  had  contributed  little  or 
nothing  to  the  production  of  crops.  Since  then  I 
have  never  buried  any  manure  more  than  one  spit 
deep,  unless  it  was  very  rough  refuse  like  Pea  or 
Potato  haulm,  &c.,  all  of  which  is  returned  to  the  soil 
with  us  the  same  season.  Trenching  2  feet  or  "<  feet 
deep  I  consider  only  needful  at  long  intervals 
without  manure,  unless  the  ground  has  produced 
an  exhausting  crop  and  has  to  be  planted  again 
immediately,  in  which  case  I  would,  if  time  per- 
mitted, trench  first  and  manure  the  top  spit  when 
planting  or  sowing.  All  rank  manure  must  be  well 
buried,  but  under  any  circumstances  the  nearer  the 
manure  is  to  the  surface  the  better  if  it  is  not  of  a 
nature  to  be  spread  on  the  surface  itself  as  a 
dressing.  Hence,  by  following  the  rotation 
system  of  having  one  crop  succeed  another  of  a 
different  description,  and  trenching  at  intervals, 
the  best  way  is  to  dig  all  rank  or  fresh  manure  in 
one  spit  deep  in  autumn  on  any  vacant  ground, 
and  fork  over  and  crop  in  the  spring  or  summer 
following.  By  that  time  the  rankest  stable  or 
farm  manure  will  be  pretty  well  rotted,  and  is 
within  ready  reach  of  the  roots  of  any  crop  as 
soon  as  it  begins  to  grow. 

When  manure  is  not  plentiful,  then  deep  trench- 
ing must  of  necessity  be  resorted  to  ;  it  is  to  a 
certain  extent  an  equivalent  for  manure.  Thus,  if 
we  remove  say  an  exhausting  crop  of  Cabbage  or 
Peas  from  the  ground,  manure  will  be  necessary 
for  the  crop  following  if  the  ground  is  only  to  be 
dug  a  single  spit  deep  ;  but  if  no  manure  can  be 
given,  then  double  digging,  or,  still  better,  deep 
trenching  must  be  practised,  and  the  deeper  the 
better  if  the  soil  be  of  good  quality.  This  prac- 
tice, however,  means  taking  the  strength  out  of 
the  soil  on  both  sides,  and  if  continued  will  end 
in  serious  exhaustion  very  quickly.  It  is  only  ex- 
cusable when  the  soil  is  in  good  heart.  With  pe- 
riodical trenchings  and  double  digging  at  times 
not  so  much  manure  is  needed  as  some  imagine  to 
keep  kitchen  garden  ground  in  good  condition. 
Moderate  dressings  will  answer  if  dug  into  the 
top  spit,  and  after  repeated  applications  of  vege- 
table manure,  such  as  stable  litter,  mould,  and  ve- 
getable refuse,  &c  ,  a  good  dressing  of  lime  alone 
will  be  sufficient  for  one  year.  The  common  prac- 
tice of  wheeling  all  the  vegetable  refuse  out  of 
the  kitchen  garden  to  the  compost  heap  is  a  bad 
one ;  far  better  is  it  to  dig  it  in  where  it  lies  or 
wheel  it  on  to  a  quarter  where  it  can  be  dug  in. 
Such  refuse  represents  the  very  essentials  needed 
for  other  crops  of  the  same  kind,  and  by  digging 
it  in  in  the  green  state  we  restore  all,  and 
sometimes  more  than  all,  that  has  been  taken  out 
of  the  soil.  As  is  well  known  to  gardeners,  it  is 
not  advisable  to  manure  ground  for  Winter  Greens 
too  freely,  as  it  makes  them  ranker  in  the  blade 
than  is  desirable  from  the  cook's  point  of  view.  I 
have  seen  crops  of  Greens  taken  off  the  same 
ground  for  many  years  in  succession  without  any 
manure  being  added,  although  all  the  old  leaves 
and  stocks  were  cleared  away,  and  yet  the  crop 
was  always  good  ;  in  this  case,  however,  the  soil 
was  heavy.  With  us  Greens  are  planted  between 
the  Potato  rows,  where  they  are,  of  course,  bene- 
fited by  the  manure  given  to  the  Potatoes ;  but  the 
main  crop  of  Curled  Greens  (a  north  border  100 
yards  in  length)  has  not  received  any  manure  for 
years,  except  the  old  blades  and  stumps,  which 
are  pulled  up  and  dug  in  annually  with  the  top 
spit  when  they  run  to  flower.  This  is  all  they  get, 
and  I  cannot  say  there  is  the  least  deterioration  in 
the  crop,  although  Greens  have  succeeded  Greens 
without  trenching  the  whole  of  the  time. 

S.  W. 

Inodorous  manures.—"  D."  seems  to  have 
missed  the  exceptions  I  made  (p.  110)  of  inorganic 


manures  like  salts,  soda,  soot,  &c.,  which  with 
others  he  mentioned  last  week  as  valuable  in- 
odorous manures.  What  I  spoke  of  as  not  being 
of  so  much  value  if  they  did  not  smell  were 
manures  "  composed  of  half  decomposed  vegetable 
or  animal  matters," and  I  would  like  "  D."  to  men- 
tion one  of  these  that  is  inodorous,  and  get  the 
best  for  Potatoes  or  anything  else.  Why  does  he 
not  tell  us  the  name  of  the  "  best  Potato  manure 
that  is  absolutely  inodorous,  and  yet  will  beat,  in 
productiveness  of  crop,  the  most  offensive  of  other 
patent  manures  "  ?  Of  course  the  most  offensive 
manures  can  be  rendered  inodorous,  but  only  by 
adding  absorbents  to  them,  that  increase  their 
cost  and  bulk  without  adding  to  their  value.  Most 
people  would  prefer  good  Peruvian  guano  in  its 
native  state  than  in  an  inodorous  condition. — 
J.  S.  W. 


Narcissus   pallidue  prsecox.— There  is 

some  mistake  evidently  as  regards  the  identity  of 
this  flower.  The  first  notice  which  I  have  seen 
of  it  appeared  in  The  Garden,  February  tl  of 
this  year.  It  was  certificated  by  the  Royal  Hor- 
ticultural Society  on  February  12,  and  was  illus- 
trated in  "Veronica's"  notes  on  March  the  8th. 
In  all  three  places  it  is  described,  and  also  in 
Barr's  catalogue  for  this  autumn,  as  the  early  pale 
straw-coloured  Daffodil  of  Southern  Europe,  and 
known  to  Parkinson,  and  described  by  him  at  page 
73  of  his  "  Paradisus."  In  Kegel's  Garten  flora  for 
July,  pHte  1156  (noticed  in  The  Gabden,  August 
30,  p.  181),  this  same  Daffodil  is  spoken  of  as 
being  a  perfect  bicolor.  I  have  the  plate  now 
before  me,  and  it[  is  indeed  a  true  bicolor 
Daffodil  and  a  gem  in  its  way  ;  bulbs  of  the  latter 
appear  quite  distinct  in  colour  from  Barr's  form, 
being  deep  brown  and  very  handsomely  shaped.  I 
know  Mr.  Barr's  to  be  silver-skinned  and  quite 
different  judging  by  bulb  evidence.  My  supply 
came  direct  from  Southern  Europe,  the  home  of 
Mr.  Barr's  also.  I  want  Daffodil  experts  to  settle 
this  question,  trifling  though  it  be,  between  Dr. 
Kegel  and  Jlr.  Barr,  and  shall  be  happy  to  send 
Mr.  Barr  a  few  bulbs  for  test  if  needful. — B.  II., 
Corlt. 


WINTER-FLOWERING  BEGONIAS. 

A  SELECTION  of  the  best  flowering  kinds  of  the 
shrubby  evergreen  Begonias  will,  if  properly 
managed,  prove  of  good  service,  both  as  flowering 
plants  for  the  conservatory  and  as  a  prolific  source 
of  useful  flowers  for  cutting  during  the  dull 
months  of  winter.  The  bla/.e  of  brilliant  colours 
made  by  the  now  indispensable  tuberous-rooted 
Begonias  during  the  summer  being  past,  we  turn 
to  the  winter-flowering  kinds  to  fill  the  vacancy 
left  by  the  going  to  rest  of  their  more  gaudy 
brethren.  Although  not  so  brilliant  in  colours  nor 
so  large  in  the  size  of  their  blossoms  as  the 
tuberous-rooted  kinds,  yet  there  is  much  to  admire 
in  the  large  drooping  bunches  of  white,  rose,  or 
scarlet  flowers  which  are  borne  bj'  the  winter- 
blooming  Begonias.  In  addition  to  the  true 
species  of  shrubby  habit  from  which  many  useful 
garden  plants  might  be  selected,  we  have  the 
more  or  less  popular  hybrids,  of  which  B.  ascoten- 
sis,  B.  Knowsleyana,  B.  Ingrami,  and  B,  insignis 
are  familiar  examples.  Some  of  the  numerous 
forms  of  B.  semperflorens  are  also  favoured,  be- 
cause of  their  free  flowering  and  ornamental 
characters,  and  in  the  several  recently  distributed 
kinds,  of  which  B.  Carrierei  is  one,  we  have  other 
useful  plants  for  service  in  winter.  Other  good 
useful  plants,  such  as  B.  Lynchiana  (Roezli),  B. 
Listeri,  and  B.  socotrana,  have  recently  been 
added  to  the  cultivated  species  of  this  genus.  The 
following  is  a  selection  of  the  best  kinds  for 
growing  as  flowering  plants  for  the  winter  : — 

B.  ASCOTENSis.— A  tall-growing,  fleshy-leaved 
plant  with  large  terminal  drooping  bunches  of 
bright  red  flowers.  A  first-class  autumn  and 
winter-flowering  kind.  A  seedling  raised  by  Mr. 
J.  Standish,  nurseryman.  Ascot. 

B.  CORALLINA.— A  woody-stemmed  species 
with  leaves  green  above  and  purple  below,  and 


flowers  in  long  pendent  racemes,  bright  coral-red, 
reminding  one  of  Berberidopsis  corallina.  This 
species  may  be  grown  so  as  to  flower  either  in  win- 
ter or  summer.  We  saw  a  plant  of  it  at  the  Man- 
chester exhibition  where  it  was  much  admired. 

P..  Carrieeei  (see  p.  325;. — This  is  the  result  of 
a  cross  between  B.  semperflorens  and  B.  Schmidti. 
The  flowers  are  nearly  as  large  as  those  of  B. 
semperflorens,  pure  white,  and  produced  in  abund- 
ance. It  is  a  compact  grower  and  flowers  freely 
during  the  greater  part  of  winter.  B.  Smithi  and 
B.  Bruanti  are  other  names  by  which  this  plant  is 
known.  Under  the  last  name  it  has  been  recom- 
mended as  a  bedding  plant.  Messrs.  Cannell,  of 
Swanley,  have  lately  brought  this  fine  sort  into 
notice,  and  to  them  we  are  indebted  for  the  an- 
nexed illustration.  This  variety  received  a  first- 
class  certificate  last  spring. 

B.  Ditt.swELLiANA. — A  hybrid  raised  from  B. 
odorata  crossed  with  B.  fuchsioides.  It  is  a  short, 
robust  grower,  with  medium-sized  leaves,  and 
flowers  on  long  serai-erect  racemes,  very  nume- 
rous, and  pale  pink  in  colour. 

B.  niPETALA.  —  A  thick  succulent-stemmed 
plant  with  pale  green  white-spotted  leaves  and 
axillary  drooping  racemes  of  two-petalled,  large 
pink  flowers ;  most  likely  an  annual,  as  it  does 
not  thrive  if  kept  longer  than  a  year.  Should  be 
raised  from  summer-sown  seeds. 

B.  FUCHSIOIDES. — This  may  be  included  here, 
as  it  flowers  not  only  In  summer,  but  on  through 
the  autumn  and  winter  if  favourably  situated. 
The  tall  handsome  habit  and  the  large  branching 
pendent  panicles  of  bright  scarlet  flowers  which 
belong  to  this  plant  are  too  well  known  to  be  more 
than  referred  to  here. 

B.  HERACLEiroLiA. — A  stemless  species  with 
long-stalked  Heracleum-like  leaves  and  very  tall 
flower-scapes  bearing  a  large  bunch  of  pale  rose- 
coloured  flowers.  In  early  spring  this  plant  is  a 
handsome  object  in  the  Begonia  house  at  Kew. 

B.  INCABNATA. — A  Smooth  red-stemmed  plant, 
which  is  represented  by  several  well-marked 
varieties.  They  are  all  large  flowered,  rose 
coloured,  handsome,  and  useful  for  service  in 
winter. 

B.  iNGRAiMi  is  hardly  distinct  from  B.  Digs- 
welliana,  being  of  the  same  parentage  as  that 
kind.  It  is  a  pretty  flowered  plant,  and  blooms 
freely  in  winter. 

B.  LiNDLEVANA.  —  A  fleshy,  hairy-stemmed 
species,  with  rather  large  foliage  and  drooping 
panicles  of  white  flowers. 

B.  Lynchiana, — This  fine  winter  flowering 
Begonia  was  figured  in  The  Garden,  August  25, 
1883,  under  the  name  of  B.  Koezli.  The  immense 
heads  of  bright  scarlet  blossoms  borne  in  winter 
by  this  species  are  of  great  service  both  when  cut 
and  when  allowed  to  remain  on  the  plant.  It  is 
easily  grown,  and  should  become  popular. 

B.  MACULATA,  also  known  as  B.  argyrostigma, 
is  a  stout  grower,  with  oblong  green  leaves 
marked  with  silvery  spots.  The  flowers  are  coral- 
red,  and  are  borne  in  large  drooping  panicles. 

B.  NATALENSIS  — A  tuberous- rooted  species 
which  dies  down  in  summer  and  should  be  started 
in  heat  in  autumn.  The  soft  green  of  its  thin 
papery  foliage  habit  and  the  numerous  cymes  of 
large  pale  rose  flowers  which  it  bears  in  winter 
are  attractive  and  useful. 

B.  NITIDA. — Everyone  knows  this  useful  old 
plant,  its  large  shining  leaves,  borne  on  stout 
fleshy  stems,  and  its  terminal  and  axillary 
panicles  of  large,  rose-coloured,  sweet  .scented 
flowers  being  frequently  met  with  in  conserva- 
tories during  winter  and  spring. 

B.  POLYTETALA. — A  singular  and  handsome 
species,  which  grows  about  a  foot  high,  and  bears 
hairy  leaves  and  several  terminal  flowers  of  as 
many  as  ten  petals,  which  are  red,  the  whole  flower 
having  the  appearance  of  a  small  single  Dahlia. 

B.  Schmidti. — A  dark  green-leaved  plant  of 
compact  habit,  bearing  numerous  small  white 
flowers  which  are  abundantly  produced  all  over 
the  plant,  and  form  a  pretty  contrast  with  the 
foliage. 


Oct.   ]1,  1884. 


THE     GARDEN 


325 


B.  SEMPEEFLORENS.— This  is  always  in  flower 
botli  winter  and  summer.  By  pinching  oat  the 
flower-buds  in  the  summer  handsome  specimen 
plants  may  be  grown,  and  these  in  winter  will 
flower  fieely.  The  flowers  o£  the  type  are  white, 
but  there  are  also  varieties  of  this  which  bear  rose- 
coloured  or  pink  and  white  flowers. 

B.  socoTEANA.— The  pretty  peltate-leaved  plant 
about  which  so  much  has  been  said,  both  because 
of  the  delicate  beauty  of  its  bright  red  flowers  and 


posed, aredeservingof  favour  for  winter  decoration. 
With  the  exception  of  the  tuberous-rooted  and 
annual  kinds,  the  whole  of  the  above  may  be  grown 
in  a  cool  frame  or  even  out-of  doors  during  sum- 
mer. Cuttings  put  in  early  in  the  year  soon  strike 
root  and  start  into  growth.  They  should  then  be 
potted  into  4-inoh  pots  in  light  rich  soil  and  when 
large  enough  again  shifted  into  8-inch  pots.  By 
plunging  the  pots  in  Cocoa-nut  fibre  or  ashes  the 
roots  are  kept  sweet  and  cool.    Water  should  be 


Begonia  Carrierei. 


warm  house.  When  strong  enough  the  plantlets 
may  be  potted  on  and  grown  as  for  Achimenes. 
This  species  is  not  capable  of  being  satisfactorily 
cultivated  out-of-doors  nor  in  a  cool  house.  Most 
of  these  plants  ripen  seeds  every  year,  and  by 
gathering  and  sowing  these  in  spring  a  large 
supply  of  young  plants  may  be  obtained,  which, 
in  addition  to  the  vigorous  growth  they  make,  are 
not  unlikely  to  yield  variety,  or  even  a  hybrid 
race,  as  the  flowers  are  often  fertilised  by  bees, 
&c.,  which  fly  from  flower  to  flower,  and  so  trans- 
fer the  pollen  from  one  kind  to  another.  B. 

SEASONABLE   WORK. 


the  curious  nature  of  its  stem  and  rootstock.  It  liberally  supplied  during  the  whole  of  the  growing 
is  a  deciduous  species,  going  to  rest  in  spring  to  I  season,  and  a  syringe  overhead  morning  ana  even- 
start,  jurain  into  sTOWth  in  the  early  autumn.  ing  in  bright  weather  should  also  be  given  them    in 


start  again  into  growth  in  the  early  autumn 

B.  8UAVE0LENS  is  closely  related  to  B.  nitida, 
from  which  it  differs  in  having  smaller  flowers. 


September  the  plants  should  be  removed  into  a 
frame  or  greenhouse,  from  whence  they  may  be 


which  are  pure  white  and  powerfully  fragrant.   It  '  transferred  to  the  warm  conservatory  or  interme- 
is  also  known  as  B.  odorata.  I  diate  house  in  batches,  so  that  a  succession  of 

B  wELTONiENSis.— An  old  garden  favourite  !  bloom  may  be  ensured.  It  is  always  better  to  start 
which  was  raised  by  Colonel  Trevor  Clarke  from  i  with  young  plants  every  year  m  preference  to  tne 
B.  Drcgei  and  B.  Sutherlandi.  Its  graceful  ,  old  ones.  B.  socotrana  forms  a  faster  ot  bulbii» 
bunches  of  pink  flowers,  which  are  freely  borne  on  1  at  the  base  of  its  stem,  and  these  should  he  P"?i-ea 
the  numerous  branches  of  which  the  plant  is  com-  1  into  pans  of  light,  sandy  soil  and  started  in 


FLOWER  GARDEN. 
The  weather  must  now   be   closely  watched,  as 
before  the  occurrence  of  frost  anything  likely  to 
suffer  from  it  should  be  protected.    Already  Alter- 
nantheras    are    beginning    to    feel  the  effects  of 
the  cold,  but,  with  the  exception  of  these,  carpet 
beds  are  still  looking  well,  and  may,  with  shelter 
afforded  at  night,  be  preserved  in  fair  condition 
for  some  time  to  come.     Laurel  branches,  stuck  in 
or  laid  lightly  on  them,  form  an  excellent  covering, 
but  the  best  is  that  rendered  by  the  use  of  mats 
or  cloths,  either  of  which,  with  a  few  sticks  stuck 
in  here  and  there  to  bear  their  weight,  may  be 
thrown  over  quickly  and  removed  in  the  morning. 
.Succulent  plants,  such  as  Echeveria  metallica,  and 
any  others  that  are  tender  and  slow  to  get  up  to 
any  size,  had  better  be  lifted  and   repotted,  and 
there  are  many  plants  besides  with  fine   foliage 
which,  if    housed  before  being  injured,    may  be 
made  to  render  good  service   during   the  winter 
in   large    greenhouses    or    conservatories,   where 
plants  of  such    bold   type    are   wanted.     Among 
Pelargoniums,   the   first  to   feel    the   frost    are 
the   tricolors   and   variegated  section    generally, 
and,  if  wanted  again,  should  be  taken  up  at  once, 
shortened  back,  and  have  the  principal  portion  of 
the  leaves  striped  off,  when  they  may  be  packed 
closely   with   their   roots   in    earth   in  boxes   or 
potted  singly  in  small  pots,  and  thus  stored  safely 
on  any  light,  dry,  airy  shelf  near  the  glass  till 
spring.     The   green-leaved  sorts  are  the  next  to 
require  attention,  and    as  year-old  plants  flower 
with  more  freedom  than  young  ones,  it  is  impor- 
tant that  they  be  preserved,  and  if  cut  in  hard  it 
is  surprising  what  a  number  may  be  wintered  in  a 
small   space.     In  the    mixed  border,  that    grand 
herbaceous  plant  Anemone  japonica  is  still  gay, 
and  holds  its  own  in  spite  of  the  weather.     The 
next  things  to  come  in  are 

The  Chkysastiiemums,  which,  as  the  buds  are 
now  prominent  and  opening,  will  be  greatly  bene- 
fited by  a  soaking  or  two  of  strong  liquid  manure. 
This  is  best  administered  by  drawing  up  with  a 
hoe  a  low  ridge  of  soil  around  each,  so  as  to  form 
a  basin-like  receptacle,  as  then  the  roots  get  all 
without  any  waste.  In  cases  in  which  it  is  thought 
desirable  to  fill  up  vacancies  in  borders  it  may 
easily  be  done  by  means  of  spare  Chrysanthe- 
mumf,  which,  being  fibrous-rooted,  may  be  lifted 
with  large  balls  and  replanted  without  much 
check.  The  best  time  to  carry  out  the  operation 
is  during  a  dull,  showery  day,  when,  by  watering 
heavily  to  wash  in  the  soil,  the  leaves  will  con- 
tinue fresh  without  any  flagging.  To  support  the 
stems  a  few  weak  sticks  are  all  that  is  necessary, 
as  the  branches  may  be  looped  up  and  held  secure 
with  very  little  tying.    Where 

Bulbous  PLiNTS,  such  as  Hyacinths,  Tulips, 
and  Crocuses,  are  grown  it  is  nearly  time  they 
were  got  in,  in  order  that  they  may  be  enabled  to 
form  plenty  of  roots.  If  the  soil  of  the  beds  in 
which  they  are  to  be  planted  is  at  all  stiff  it 
should  be  deeply  dug  or  trenched,  and  during  the 
process  have  plenty  of  leaf-mould  and  sand  worked 
well  into  it  to  help  the  drainage.  This  is  an 
important  matter  with  bulbs,  for  should  they  lay 
wet  in  the  ground,  many  will  rot.  To  prevent 
this  it  is  a  good  plan  when  planting  to  place 
a  little  sharp  sand  around  each  bulb.  The 
proper  distance  for  planting  Hyacinths  in  beds 
to  produce  a  good  display  is  about  6  inches,  and 
they  should  be  placed  at  half  that  depth  in  the 


326 


THE    GARDEN 


[Oct.  11,  1884. 


ground.  To  show  them  off  to  the  greatest  advan- 
tage,  circular  beds  raised  in  the  centre  are  be^t., 
and  to  hide  the  bare  soil  a  carpeting  of  Mentha 
gibraltarica,  or  some  of  the  dwarf  spreading 
Sedums,  forms  a  good  setting.  Tulips  should  be 
treated  in  the  same  way,  as  the  fresh  green  helps 
to  tone  down  and  give  fine  effect  to  their  gay 
colours.  In  borders  Hyacinths  and  Tulips  are  the 
most  telling  in  patches  of  three,  which  may  be  all 
of  one  kind  or  of  distinct  colours,  according  to 
tiste,  however  arranged.  They  should  be  planted 
triangularly  6  inches  or  7  inches  apart,  and  at  the 
same  depth  as  in  beds.  As  many  bulbous  and 
tuberous-rooted  plants  get  lost  during  winter  and 
spring  through  digging  and  re-arranging  borders, 
the  site  of  each  should  be  marked,  either  by  means 
of  a  label  or  iron  peg,  in  order  that  workmen  may 
see  where  they  are. 

Cleaning  walks.  —  The  weather  has  been 
such  of  late  as  to  cause  walks  and  roads  on  which 
there  is  little  traffic  to  be  full  of  weeds.  Many 
break  the  gravel  to  destroy  these,  and  incur  much 
needless  labour  thereby,  as  well  as  discomfort 
from  having  the  surface  rough.  Common  salt,  such 
as  is  sold  to  farmers  for  dressing  land,  and  which 
may  be  obtained  almost  anywhere  at  about  2.js. 
per  ton,  will  eradicite  them  when  put  on  regularly 
and  carefully.  The  time  to  put  it  on  when  it  is 
most  effectual  is  during  dry  weather,  when  by 
dissolving  gradually  and  soaking  in  about  the 
roots  of  the  weeds,  they  soon  lose  their  hold  and 
the  sun  scorches  them  up.  The  most  economical 
way  of  applying  salt  is  to  dissolve  it  in  a  tub  of 
water,  and  then  pour  the  weak  brine  on  through 
a  fine-rosed  pot  so  as  to  distribute  it  regularly ; 
but  however  used,  the  thing  to  avoid  is  the  injury 
apt  to  result  to  the  edging  if  the  salt  or  liquid  is 
put  on  too  close  to  it.  In  cases  where  Box  is  grown 
as  an  edging  salt  is  dangerous,  but  the  risk 
to  Grass  verges  is  infinitessitnal,  as  the  principal 
roots  being  above  ground,  they  are  very  much  out 
of  the  way  of  its  influence.  One  great  advantage 
in  using  salt  for  the  eradication  of  weeds,  besides 
the  time  and  labour  saved,  is  the  brightening 
effect  it  has  on  the  gravel,  as  by  killing  all  mossy 
growth,  destroying  confervse.  Sec,  it  seems  to 
cleanse  it  right  through,  besides  which  it  makes  it 
bind  all  the  firmer.  We  have  heard  of  vitriolic  acid 
being  used  to  kill  weeds,  and  we  know  that  it  does 
so  thoroughly  on  lawns,  where  a  single  drop  in  the 
crowns  of  a  Plantain  or  Daisy  will  quickly  burn 
them  up.  The  worst,  however,  of  the  acid  is  that 
it  is  bad  stuff  to  have  anything  to  do  with,  for  if 
not  handled  carefully  it  destroys  any  clothing  it 
touches  and  blisters  the  hands.  In  kitchen  gar- 
dens all  walks  should  have  dead  edgings,  as  then 
they  can  be  dealt  with  by  means  of  salt,  and  al- 
ways kept  solid,  bright,  and  clean  at  a  very  trifling 
cost. 


PROPAGATING. 


Ko  time  should  now  be  lost  in  putting  in  such 
cuttings  of  stove  or  greenhouse  plants  as  are  to  be 
increased,  as  if  delayed  longer  it  will  be  much 
better  to  wait  till  February.  Cuttings  of  Solanums 
put  in  now,  and  potted  off  as  soon  as  rooted,  and 
i:)laced  in  a  light  position,  will  make  good  plants 
to  grow  on  for  nest  season.  Plants  obtained  in 
this  way  are  from  their  floriferousness  preferred 
to  seedlings,  besides  which  the  cuttings  may  be 
selected  from  a  few  of  the  finest,  and,  if  done 
carefully,  may  be  so  taken  off  as  to  in  no  way  dis- 
figure the  plant.  Store  pots  of  seedling  Ferns  in 
their  various  stages  of  development  will  now  re- 
quire careful  watching,  as  if  allowed  to  form  too 
dense  a  mass  they  are  apt  to  fall  a  prey  to  damp, 
on  the  first  appearance  of  which  the  young  plants 
should  be  pricked  off  into  other  pots.  Early  in  the 
year  is  the  best  time  for  sowing,  the  young  Ferns 
being  in  a  much  better  position  to  stand  the  winter 
than  if  sown  later.  Before  sowing  prepare  some 
6-inch  pots  by  filling  them  to  within  2  inches 
of  the  top  with  broken  crocks,  over  which  place 
a  layer  of  fibrous  peat,  then  fill  up  with  soil 
consisting  of  equal  parts  peat  and  loam,  with  a 
slight  admixture  of  sand,  the  whole  being  sifted 
tlurough  a  sieve  with  .}-inch  mesh  and  pressed 
moderately  fijrm.    Many  sow  on  very  [rough  soil, 


tut  in  that  case  some  difficulty  is  experienced 
when  it  becomes  necessary  to  prick  them  off ; 
therefore  fine  soil  will  be  found  most  suitable. 
The  spores  grow  most  readily  on  peat  alone,  but 
in  that  case  they  are  liable  to  be  overgrown  by 
conferva;,  which  on  loam  are  not  so  troublesome. 
All  things  considered,  a  mixture  of  the  two  is 
perhaps  best.  After  the  pots  are  filled  give  them 
a  good  watering,  or  rather  water  them  several 
times  with  a  fine  rose  till  they  are  thoroughly 
soaked  ;  then  sow  the  spores.  A  good  plan  is  to 
take  a  frond  in  each  Fern  in  which  the  spore 
cases  are  just  commencing  to  open,  and  lay  it  in 
a  piece  of  clean  white  paper  a  few  days  before  it 
is  wanted.  The  spores  when  ripe  will  fall  out, 
and  the  paper  being  white  they  will  be  readily 
recognised.  The  sowing  should  be  done  apart  from 
the  fernery,  as  Fern  spores  are  always  floating  in 
the  atmosphere,  and  a  mixture  would  be  the  re- 
sult. To  prevent  this,  care  must  be  taken  to 
thoroughly  wipe  the  hands  after  each  kind  is  sown, 
and  no  more  pots  should  be  brought  forward  at  a 
time  than  are  wanted  for  the  one  sort.  Sprinkle 
the  spores  as  lightly  as  possible  on  the  wet  surface 
of  the  soil,  and  place  them  in  a  close  case,  or 
a  pane  of  glass  may  be  laid  on  the  top  of  the  pot. 
They  should  then  be  kept  always  moist,  and  when 
water  is  needed  it  should  be  either  sprinkled 
with  a  fine  rose  or  the  pots  may  be  placed  about 
half  their  depth  in  a  pan  of  water  which  will  per- 
colate through  the  whole  mass  and  give  all  a 
good  soaking.  This  latter  mode  is  to  be  preferred, 
as  there  is  no  danger  of  displacing  the  spores.  It 
will  be  found  as  a  rule  that  hardy  Ferns  do  best 
in  a  greenhouse  temperature,  and  temperate  and 
stove  kinds  in  that  of  a  stove.  In  about  a  month 
the  surface  of  the  soil  will  be  quite  green  with  the 
growing  spores.  When  that  is  the  case  they  must 
be  carefully  watched,  and  if  they  commence  to 
damp  they  must  at  once  be  pricked  off,  an  opera- 
tion which  is  best  done  in  the  following  manner  : 
Prepare  some  pots  as  for  sowing,  except  that  the 
soil  should  be  put  in  them  very  lightly ;  then  with 
a  pointed  stick  take  a  mass  about  the  size  of  the 
end  of  a  lead  pencil  of  the  growing  spores  and 
place  it  on  the  surface  of  the  soil ;  then  press  it 
lightly  with  the  finger,  and  so  continue  till  the 
pot  is  full,  when  it  may  be  watered  and  returned 
to  the  case.  They  will  require  dividing  and  prick- 
ing off  three  or  four  times  before  they  are  ready 
for  potting,  and  in  that  case  large  numbers  of 
plants  are  obtained  from  a  single  pot.  The  above 
remarks  regarding  the  season  of  sowing  only  ap- 
ply to  the  evergreen  kinds  :  the  deciduous  torts 
should  be  sown  when  the  spores  are  ripe,  but  the 
treatment  required  is  the  same  in  both  cases.  It 
is,  however,  not  absolutely  necessary  to  sow  the 
spores  as  soon  as  they  are  ripe ;  many  kinds  will 
keep  good  for  months  and  even  years,  but,  on  the 
other  hand,  some  lose  their  vitality  in  a  very  short 
time.  In  the  case  of  trees  or  shrubs  that  have 
been  grafted,  see  that  the  grafts  are  not  blown  off, 
for  even  where  the  union  is  complete  that  part  is 
weak  for  some  time  ;  therefore  care  must  be  taken 
that  all  are  securelj'  staked  and  tied,  or  in  the 
event  of  storms  the  results  may  be  disastrous. 


INDOOR  PLANTS. 


Feens. — Where  there  is  a  regular  Fern  house 
the  atmosphere  should  at  this  time  of  the  year  be 
kept  considerably  drier  than  during  the  growing 
season,  but  sufficient  water  must  be  given  to  the 
roots,  for  Ferns  above  all  plants  cannot  bear  to 
have  the  material  in  which  their  roots  are  grow- 
ing dry ;  where  this  occurs  the  fronds  are  sure  to 
assume  a  sickly  hue,  out  of  which  they  rarely  can 
be  got  until  fresh  healthy  growth  is  made.  One 
of  the  great  mistakes  committed  in  the  cultivation 
of  Ferns  is  giving  them  too  much  warmth  ;  when 
so  treated  it  has  the  effect  of  causing  an  undue 
extension  of  the  fronds.  The  strong  growers  there- 
fore get  so  large  as  to  become  unmanageable 
and  smother  the  weaker  ones,  added  to  which 
it  favours  the  increase  of  thrips  and  makes  the 
plants  much  more  susceptible  of  injury  from 
fumigation  or  other  means  taken  to  destroy  them 
too.  The  growth  made  in  more  heat  than  is 
necessary  is  of  a  character  that  will  not  stand 


any  length  of  time  when  cut.  Davallias  are  very 
suitable  for  using  in  a  cut  state,  and  in  the  case 
of  the  deciduous  kinds  all  the  fronds  can  be  so 
used  after  the  season's  growth  is  completed  with- 
out material  injury  to  the  plants.  Of  all  Ferns 
used  for  cutting  none  is  such  a  general  favourite 
as  Adiantum  cuneatum,  but  to  have  it  in  the  best 
condition,  so  that  it  will  stand  without  flagging 
in  bouquets,  button-holes,  &c.,  it  needs  to  be  espe- 
cially prepared.  This  is  best  effected  by  giving 
comparatively  little  root  room,  so  that  the  pots 
get  thoroughly  filled  with  roots,  keeping  the  plants 
as  near  the  light  as  possible  whilst  growth  is  being 
made,  with  a  considerable  admission  of  air,  and 
now  letting  them  be  as  cool  as  they  will  bear. 
The  fronds  of  all  Ferns  used  for  cutting  will  last 
much  longer  if  severed  from  the  plants  and  steeped 
completely  overhead  in  water  for  a  few  hours  before 
being  used.  Ferns  that  are  planted  out  on  rock- 
work  and  that  are  inclined  to  get  too  large  may 
have  this  disposition  checked  a  good  deal  by 
periodically  cutting  away  as  many  of  the  older 
fronds,  whilst  still  fresh  and  healthy,  as  appear- 
ance in  the  house  will  permit. 

Tree  Fekns. — Dicksonias,  Cyatheas,  Alsophilasi 
and  similar  species  have  a  fine  appearance  when 
planted  out,  as  they  often  are,  in  houses;  but 
unless  the  structures  in  which  they  are  grown  are 
very  large,  it  is  a  mistake  to  so  treat  them,  for  it 
much  encourages  the  fronds  to  lengthen  and  the 
whole  growth  of  the  plants  to  increase  so  fast, 
that  they  not  only  overshade  everything  near  them, 
but  soon  get  too  large  for  the  houses  they  occupy. 
By  liberal  feeding  with  manure  water  these  plants 
may  be  grown  quite  large  enough  to  show  their 
natural  habit  in  pots  or  tubs  half  the  size  generally 
used,  and  if  in  place  of  planting  the  pots  are 
plunged,  the  appearance  will  be  quite  equal  to 
planting  out  without  the  disadvantages,  and, 
moreover,  it  gives  an  opportunity  of  altering  the 
position. of  the  plants  at  will.  Where  Tree  Ferns 
are  getting  too  tall  for  the  houses,  instead  of  dis- 
carding them,  as  is  frequently  done,  they  can  be 
shortened.  If  large  wire  baskets  are  made  open 
at  one  side,  that  they  can  be  fixed  round  the  stems, 
and  these  are  filled  with  a  mixture  of  Sphagnum, 
peat,  and  potsherds,  or  charcoal,  and  fastened  to 
the  stems  at  such  heights  as  may  be  deemed  de- 
sirable to  shorten  them  to  keeping  the  material 
moist,  they  will  root  into  it  sufliciently  to  admit 
of  the  trunks  being  sawn  off  immediately  below 
the  baskets.  The  present  is  a  good  time  to  com- 
mence with  such  plants,  as  they  will  at  once  begin 
rooting,  and  be  much  better  established  in  it  by 
next  autumn  than  if  the  baskets  were  fixed  on  in 
spring.  It  requires  a  year  to  prepare  them  before 
they  are  cut  off,  without  which  the  succeeding  lot 
of  fronds  formed  come  small. 

Cyclamens. — Young  plants  of  these  raised 
from  seed  some  fourteen  or  fifteen  months  ago 
will  now  be  pushing  up  their  flowers  ;  a  tempera- 
ture of  45°  in  the  night  suits  them.  With  Cycla- 
mens it  is  necessary  to  be  always  on  the  look-out 
for  aphides.  Where  seed  was  sown  about  mid- 
summer the  plants  will  shortly  be  ready  for  prick- 
ing out ;  they  are  best  put  in  shallow  pans  filled 
with  a  mixture  of  peat  and  sand,  or  where  very 
good  yellow  loam  can  be  obtained  in  addition  to 
the  sand,  a  little  leaf-mould  may  be  used.  What- 
ever soil  is  used,  we  have  found  it  necessary  that 
it  should  not  be  adhesive,  otherwise  the  roots  get 
broken  when  removed  to  pot  singly.  Keep  the 
young  stock  in  an  intermediate  temperature  near 
the  glass,  so  that  it  may  have  plenty  of  light. 

Fuchsias. — Old  plants  should  be  dried  off,  then 
pruned,  and  stored  away  in  their  winter  quarters. 
Young  examples  raised  from  cuttings  struck 
I  towards  the, end  of  summer  ought  to  be  potted 
singly  and  set  within  a  few  inches  of  the  glass 
in  an  intermediate  temperature,  so  as  to  keep  them 
growing  slowly  through  the  winter  without  being 
drawn. 

Eebet-beaeing  Solanums  and  Auctjbas. 
— Where  a  good  stock  of  Solanums  is  prepared 
they  are  for  some  purposes  during  the  winter 
more  useful  than  flowering  plants.  If  a  portion 
were  propagated  early  and  another  lot  struck  in 
the  spring,  the  latter  will  attain  their  colour  to 


Oct.  U,  1884.] 


THE   GARDEN 


succeed  the  former,  and  by  this  means  a  supply 
fully  fit  for  use  may  be  kept  up  from  the  present 
time  until  spring,  as  the  late-struck  plants  will 
yet  have  their  green  berries.  They  are  water- 
loving  subjects,  and  whether  grown  through  the 
season  in  pots  or  planted  out  and  then  repotted 
in  autumn,  the  soil  must  be  kept  continuously 
moist,  or  the  leaves  become  discoloured  and  the 
plants  thin.  Fumigate  or  dip  into  Tobacco  water 
until  the  stock  is  completely  free  from  aphides. 
The  female  forms  of  Auoubas  grown  in  6-inch  or 
8-inch  pots  standard  f-ashion,  with  stems  from 
1  foot  to  2  feet  high,  make  excellent  conservatory 
and  room  plants ;  where  they  have  been  well 
managed  they  will  be  now  fully  furnished  with 
ripe  berries,  and  may  be  employed  along  with 
greenhouse-flowering  and  fine-leaved  subjects. 

Sahracenias. — The  mistake  often  committed 
with  these  is  in  growing  them  too  hot  and  with 
insufficient  light ;  an  intermediate  temperature  is 
quite  enough  for  any  of  the  species  or  varieties. 
Even  the  difEerent  forms  of  S.  Drummondi,  which 
make  growth  in  late  autumn,  are  better  kept  now 
in  a  house  where  the  night  temperature  is  at  50° 
than  in  more  heat.  All  the  kinds,  both  species  and 
varieties,  require  to  be  kept  always  moist  at  the 
roots,  even  in  the  winter  time  when  at  rest,  but 
the  different  forms  of  S.  Drummondi,  through  the 
fact  of  their  being  now  growing,  need  especial 
attention  in  this  matter.  Thrips  are  the  greatest 
enemies  these  plants  have  to  contend  with,  and  at 
this  season,  when  there  is  necessarily  less  atmo- 
spheric moisture  maintained,  they  usually  are 
troublesome,  getting  under  the  recurved  margins 
of  the  mouths  of  the  pitchers.  Sponging  with 
Tobacco  water  or  fumigating  will  kill  them  ;  the 
former  is  preferable  provided  the  soluticn  is  not 
used  too  strong,  so  as  to  injure  the  pitchers,  as  it 
destroys  both  the  live  insects  and  their  eggs.  To 
those  inclined  to  cultivate  these  interesting  plants 
the  names  of  the  most  desirable  sorts  may  be  an 
assistance.  They  are  S.  Drummondi  rubra,  S. 
D,  alba,  S.  fiava,  8,  flava  picta,  S.  purpurea,  S.  vario- 
laris,  S.  psittacina,  S.  Chelsoni,  S.  atrosanguinea, 
and  S.  rubra.  The  flowers  of  the  latter  are  as 
sweet-scented  as  the  most  fragrant  Violets,  which 
their  odour  is  much  like. 

Stove  Palms. — There  is  nothing  gained,  but 
rather   the  reverse,  by  allowing  these  plants  so 
mnch  pot  room  as  they  are  frequently  given,  as  it 
tends   to  their  growing  so  rapidly  as  to  get  too 
large  for  the  space  available.     Still,  on  the  other 
hand,  it  is  possible  to  err  in  the  opposite  extreme 
of   insufficient  root  room  ;  this  applies  more  par- 
ticularly to  the  large  entire-leaved  kinds,  such  as 
Verscbaffeltia  splendida  and  Stevensonia  grandi- 
folia,  two  distinct  and  handsome  species  for  a 
large  stove,  and  which,  as  they  attain  their  full 
size  of  leaf,  require  good-sized  pots,  otherwise  the 
foliage    gets   yellow  and   sickly  in  appearance. 
To  this  broad-leaved  section,  but  mnch  more  com- 
pact, consequently  not  taking  up  so  much  room, 
belongs  the  yet  scarce  Pritchardia  grandis,  which 
may  justly  be  set  down  as  not  only  the  finest 
dwarf  Palm  of  the  entire-leaved  character,  bat 
one  of  the  finest  of  the  whole  family.    It  is  de- 
serving of  a  place  everywhere.     Any  specimens 
of  the  heat-requiring  section  of  these  plants  that 
are  suffering  through  insufficient  root  room  may 
at  once  have  larger  pots.     This,  in  all  cases,  is 
subject  to  their  being  kept  through  the  winter  in 
enough  heat  to  induce  regular  root  action,  for  if 
this  cannot  be  secured  it  would  be  a  mistake  to 
move  them.     All  Palms  are  not  very  particular  as 
to  the  nature  of  the  soil  they  are  grown  in,  as 
most  of  the  kinds  will  thrive  in  either  peat  or 
loam,  light  or  heavy,  but  they  seem  to  enjoy  loam 
when  it  is  of  a  heavy  adhesive  nature,  provided 
the  pots  are  well  drained,  but  when  grown  in  it, 
the  dark  colour  in  the  leaves  is  not  usually  so 
apparent  as  when  psat  is   used.     Amongst  the 
kinds  of  stove  Palms  that  take  up  comparatively 
little  room  is  Chamaedoreaglaucophjlla,  one  of  the 
most  elegant  kinds  in  cultivation.     In  habit  it  is 
like   Ptychosperma    Alexaadrrc,  with  a  head  of 
elegant  drooping  leaves  surmounting  a  straight 
bare  stem,  but  much  thinner  than  the  Ptycho- 
sperma.  There  are  few,  if  any,  species  that  can  be 


grown  with  such  little  pot  room  as  this  kind,  but 
with  this,  as  with  all  other  Palms,  it  is  well  to 
give  it  manure  in  either  a  liquid  or  a  solid  state, 
otherwise  the  leaves  often  assume  a  sickly  hue,  es- 
pecially in  the  autumn,  and  in  the  case  of  those 
that  are  much  pot-bound.  When  in  this  condition, 
therefore,  and  there  is  any  deficiency  of  heat  to 
keep  up  through  the  winter  free  root  action, 
manurial  assistance  in  this  way  should  be  given. 
Cocos  Weddelliana,  now  well  known  for  its  beau- 
tifully arched  slender  leaves,  will  bear  a  much 
lower  temperature  than  is  generally  supposed  ; 
something  above  that  of  a  warm  greenhouse,  say 
from  48°  to  50°  will  keep  it  in  condition  equally 
well  as  where  more  heat  is  used,  with  the  advan- 
tage of  it  not  so  soon  outgrowing  the  space  at 
command.  Any  of  the  more  tender  Palms,  such 
as  the  Geonomas,  Diemonorops,  Chamiedoreas,  and 
others  of  a  like  nature,  that  have  been  placed  for 
the  summer  in  conservatories  where  the  tempera- 
ture is  insufficient  to  preserve  them  in  health 
through  the  winter,  should  be  at  once  moved  to 
warmer  quarters. 

Greenhouse  Palms. — Where  a  large  or  me- 
dium-sized cool  conservatory  exists  there  are  no 
better  plants  for  permanent  use  than  cool  kinds  of 
Palms,  such  as  the  Kentias,  Cham.-erops,  and  Cory- 
phas ;  the  first-named  of  the  above  in  particular 
are  especially  deserving  of  notice.  K.  Belmoreana 
and  K,  australis  are  handsome  in  all  their  stages  of 
growth  either  in  a  small  state  or  when  more  fully 
developed,  their  beautifully  curved  leaves  being  at 
all  times  effective.  At  no  time  are  they  more  use- 
ful than  through  the  late  autumn  and  winter, 
when,  associated  with  Chrysanthemums,  Camel- 
lias, and  such  other  (lowering  plants  as  may  be  in 
bloom,  they  produce  a  beautiful  effect  which  few 
other  forms  are  capable  of.  Cordyline  australis, 
Dasylirions,  variegated  Yuccas,  and  Aralias,  which 
are  now  often  employed  for  standing  out-of-doors 
on  terraces,  or  for  grouping  amongst  other  things 
that  give  a  tropical  effect  during  the  summer  sea- 
son, and  for  conservatory  use  in  winter,  should  be 
taken  in  before  cold  nights  come  on,  for  although 
these  things  are  not  particularly  tender,  still  they 
are  better  out  of  the  reach  of  frost,  and  they  can 
usually  be  grouped  amongst  flowering  and  other 
plants  in  the  conservatory  at  this  season. 


FPxUIT. 
Pines. — If  the  final  arrangement  of  the  plants 
for  the  winter  months  remains  incomplete,  a  single 
day  should  not  be  lost  in  getting  the  different 
sections  together — fruiters    and    recent    starters 
where  they  can  have  plenty  of  heat  and  light,  and 
successions  in  light,  well-ventilated  pits  where 
atmospheric  moisture  from  the  plunging  beds  is 
always  present.     If  any  of  the  beds  require  reno- 
vating, great  watchfulness  must  be  observed,  as 
an  excess  of  heat  now  the  pots  are  full  of  roots 
might  soon  do  serious  injury.    In  all  cases  the  tan 
or  leaves  should  be  well  worked  and  fermented  in 
an  open  shed,  and  where  the  mixing  of  the  old 
and  new  together  is  likely  to  produce  too  much 
bottom-heat,  the  latter  may  be  spread  over  the 
surface  of  the  bed,  and  the  general  turn  over  may 
be  deferred  until   Januar}'.     Be   careful   in   the 
application  of  water  to  the  roots,  but  supply  it 
freely  when  the  plants  actually  require  it.     Keep 
them  free  from  muckers  until  the  plants  become 
strong  enough  to  throw  up  fruit,  and  then  in  the 
case  of  ordinary  kinds  allow  one  sucker  to  each 
fruiting   plant.     Scarce  or  shy  kinds  may  carry 
two  suckers,  and  when  the  fruit  is  cut  divest  the 
old  stems  of  their  leaves  ;  lay  them  close  together 
in  shallow  boxes  filled  with  soil,  and  plunge  in  the 
strongest  bottom-heat  at  command.    Having  done 
away  with  shading,  give  plants  in  all  stages  the 
benefit  of  the  highest  attainable  temperature  from 
sun-heat  by  shutting  up  at  1  p.m.    Make  but  little 
difference   in  the  mean  until  the  fine  weather 
breaks,  and  then  be  prepared  with  suitable  cover- 
ings for  placing  over  the  glass  by  night. 

Vines. — Where  the  first  crop  of  Grapes  is  ob- 
tained from  \'ines  in  pots,  the  house  in  which  they 
are  to  be  grown  should  now  be  ready  for  placing 
them  in  position.  Wash  the  young  canes  with 
soap  and  water,  see  that  the  drainage  is  right,  and 


top-dress  with  old  turf  and  bone  dust.  If  bottom- 
heat  is  to  be  applied  to  the  roots,  each  pot  should 
be  elevated  on  a  firm  pedestal  of  bricks,  so  as  to 
admit  of  the  removal  or  renovation  of  fermenting 
material  without  disturbing  the  roots  later  on. 
Suspend  the  rods  in  a  horizontal  position  over 
the  fermenting  material,  start  with  a  minimum 
temperature  of  50°,  and  gradually  increase  it  as 
the  buds  swell  and  show  signs  of  breaking  into 
growth.  If  the  outside  borders  of  early  housse 
have  been  thoroughly  moistened  by  the  autumn 
rains,  and  top-dressing  has  been  finished,  get 
them  covered  up  with  dry  Fern  or  litter,  and  place 
lights  or  shutters  over  and  well  above  it  for  the 
purpose  of  throwing  off  rain,  which  will  now  have 
a  tendency  to  chill  the  surface  roots.  Encourage 
the  formation  of  internal  roots  by  the  removal  of 
every  particle  of  inert  soil,  and  replacing  it  with 
fresh  turf  and  bones,  resting  on  good  drainage. 
With  some  internal  drainage  is  considered  unne- 
cessary, but  this  is  a  great  mistake,  as  a  well 
managed  inside  border  will  take  3  feet  of  water 
in  the  couise  of  the  growing  season,  and  the 
quicker  it  is  carried  off  the  more  healthy  will  the 
roots  be.  Houses  in  which  Hamburghs  and  other 
thin-skinned  Grapes  are  hanging  will  require  nice 
management  to  prevent  the  berries  from  damping. 
Look  the  bunches  over  twice  a  week,  discontinue 
sweeping  and  raking;  remove  pot  plants  of  all 
kinds,  at  least,  if  they  require  water,  and  keep  the 
house  dry,  cool,  and  well  ventilated.  Where  first- 
class  autumn  and  early  winter  Grapes  are  in  de- 
mand, Venn's  Seedling  should  not  be  overlooked, 
as  it  sets,  colours,  and  finishes  well  under  Ham- 
burgh treatment,  and  keeps  a  long  time  after  it  is 
ripe.  In  a  Hamburgh  house,  from  which  we  com- 
menced cutting  early  in  July,  this  delicious  Grape 
is  still  hanging  fresh  and  plump,  never  having  lost 
a  berry. 

Strawberries  in  roTs.  — Although  these 
plants  will  now  require  water  less  frequently,  see 
that  they  ha%'e  enough  to  keep  the  balls  moist 
and  to  prevent  them  from  shrinking  away  from 
the  sides  of  the  pots.  The  old  system  of  drying  off 
and  stacking  the  plants  in  cones  for  the  winter 
has  been  given  up  by  the  majority  of  growers, 
and  the  more  rational  mode  of  placing  them  in 
cold  pits  has  taken  its  place ;  but  here  even  they 
should  be  fully  expo.^ed  to  the  elements  by  having 
the  lights  thrown  off  them  every  day  when  the 
weather  is  not  wet  or  intensely  severe.  If  plunged 
to  the  rims  of  the  pots  in  Oak  leaves  or  spent  tan, 
free  from  worms,  and  reguUrly  attended  with 
water,  they  will  retain  their  roots  in  a  healthy 
state,  and  the  foliage  will  be  free  from  mildew 
and  spider  when  they  are  taken  in  for  forcing. 
Where  cold  pits  are  not  available.  Strawberry 
plants  will  winter  well  plunged  in  an  open,  but 
sheltered  place  in  the  kitchen  garden  with  skeleton 
lights  placed  over  them  for  supporting  Fern  or 
mats  in  very  severe  weather.  Here  the  latest  kinds 
may  remain,  giving  very  little  trouble  until  they 
throw  up  flower-stems  in  the  spring,  and  tender 
kinds  like  British  Qaeen  and  Sir  Charles  Napier 
will  be  more  vigorous  than  they  would  be  after 
passing  three  or  four  of  the  darkest  months  in  a 
close  pit  or  before  open  ventilation  in  a  cold  arid 
house. 

Peaches.— Now  that  the  Peach  season  is  over, 
advantage  must  be  taken  of  every  fine  day  for 
renovating  the  borders  in  succession  and  late 
houses,  as  it  is  of  no  use  trying  to  grow  first-rate 
Peaches  where  the  roots  are  in  an  unsatisfactory 
state.  It  unfortunately  too  often  happens  that  the 
proper  period  for  lifting,  which  extends  from  the 
gathering  of  the  last  fruit  up  to  the  fall  of  the  leaf, 
isallowed  to  pass  away  before  this  important  matter 
receives  attention,  and  when  this  is  the  case,  very 
few,  if  any,  new  roots  are  formed  before  the  trees 
are  again  excited  into  growth.  Another  important 
ma'  ter  which  is  sometimes  overlooked  during  the 
quiet  time  in  this  department  is  the  watering  of 
inside  borders ;  hence  the  advantage  of  having 
portable  roof  lights,  which  can  be  taken  off  for  a 
few  weeks  after  the  wood  is  ripe  to  expose  the 
foliage  to  the  cleansing  influence  of  dew  and 
autumn  rains,  and  to  insure  a  complete  and  even 
soaking  of   every  part  of  the  border.    If  well 


328 


THE     GARDEN 


[OfiT.  II,  1884. 


drained  and  properly  made,  an  internal  Peach 
border  can  hardly  be  over-watered  in  summer,  and 
certainly  it  should  never  be  allowed  to  get  dry  in 
winter,  neither  should  the  buds  be  exposed  to  an 
exciting  temperature  after  the  leaves  fall ;  but  the 
chief  aim  should  be  thorough  ripeness  by  the 
application  o£  warmth  and  complete  rest  by 
exposure  to  the  elements.  We  should  then  hear 
less  of  failures  from  young  beginners,  and  bud 
dropping  would  be  no  more  prevalent  than  it  now 
is  where  trees  are  well  managed  on  open  walls. 
Next  to  the  management  of  a  I'each  tree  comes 
the  importance  of  getting  exactly  what  we  want 
to  manage,  as  it  unfortunately  happens  that  great 
confusion  and  incorrect  nomenclature  very  often 
leail  to  serious  consequences  both  to  the  vendor 
and  the  buyer  by  late  kinds  being  placed  in  the 
early  house  and  early  kinds  in  the  latest.  To  avoid 
or  reduce  the  chances  of  falling  into  this  difficulty 
a  visit  to  the  nursery  before  the  leaves  fall  should 
always  precede  the  purchase  of  young  trees,  as 
many  of  the  kinds  can  be  determined  by  their 
foliage.  One  section  is  without  glands  ;  nearly  all 
the  varieties  have  large  flowers,  and  the  trees  are 
more  or  less  subject  to  mildew.  The  next  section, 
including  many  of  the  best  vanetie.%  may  be 
determined  by  the  leaves  having  round  glands, 
and  the  last  by  their  assuming  the  kidney  shape 
Equally  important  is  the  selection  of  the  stock,  as 
all  the  varieties  cannot  be  induced  to  succeed  on 
any  one  particular  kind. 


KITCUEN  GARDEN. 
Fkost  may  now  be  expected  at  any  moment ; 
therefore  it  behoves  us  to  be  on  Ihe  safe  side. 
Proceed  at  once  to  lift  and  lay  in  all  autumn 
Broccoli ;  some  break  the  leaves  over  the  heart, 
but  this  is  not  sufficient  protection ;  much  the 
better  plan  is  to  lift  the  whole  and  lay  the  plants 
in  thickly,  having  dry  Fern  at  hand  to  throw  over 
them  whenever  the  frost  sets  in.  Endive  should 
also  be  lifted  as  it  is  required,  say  from  three  to 
four  dozen  weekly,  placing  it  in  the  Mushroom 
house,  plunged  in  any  light  soil,  sprinkled  over 
with  powdered  charcoal  to  prevent  damping. 
Look  over  all  newly  planted  Cabbage,  and  wage 
war  against  the  Cabbage  grub.  Lettuces  are  some- 
times preferred  for  salad  to  Endive  ;  therefore 
lift  them  in  quantities  and  protect  them  under 
glass  frame?.  Keep  up  good  supplies  of  Mustard 
and  Cress  by  sowing  thickly  in  boxes  in  heat. 
When  up  shift  the  boxes  to  a  cool,  airy  vinery, 
where  the  plants  will  acquire  the  necessary  colour. 
The  seed  should  never  be  covered,  but  pressed 
down  in  the  soil  and  sprinkled  over  with  fine 
charcoal.  Onions  will  now  be  mostly  harvested  ; 
therefore  the  land  can  be  at  once  utilised  for  Cab- 
bages, Lettuces,  &c.  Dig  and  manure  all  vacant 
borders  or  quarters,  laying  the  soil  up  roughly  for 
the  winter.  There  is  nothing  that  sweetens  all 
soils  so  well  as  frost,  which  appears  to  quits  alter 
their  character,  making  the  stiffest  of  clays  like  a 
bed  of  ashes.  Keep  up  the  stock  of  French  Beans, 
and  sow  Fulmer's  Early  in  small  pots  for  shifting 
on  to  succeed  those  just  potted.  There  is  no  enemy 
like  thrips  for  damaging  French  P.eans  ;  therefore 
syringe  them  in  the  morning  with  the  following 
solution;  Procure  one  shovelful  of  fresh  lime  and 
half  that  quantity  of  soot,  put  them  into  a  tub, 
and  pour  in  say  one  gallon  of  water ;  then  take 
an  old  broom  and  well  mix  them  together ;  then 
add  40  gallons  of  clean  soft  water.  In  twenty- 
four  hours  skim  it,  and  the  colour  will  be  like 
that  of  bitter  beer.  By  syringing  with  this  every 
morning  you  will  kill,  or  rather  drive  away,  the 
thrips,  and  at  the  same  time  add  to  the  health  of 
the  plants. 

WORK  DONE  IN  WEEK  ENDING  OCT.  8,  1884. 
October  2. 
Dull  weather,  slight  showers  ;  cut  verges  and 
weeded  the  front  of  shrubbery  clumps ;  planted  a 
few  bulbs,  such  as  Crocuses,  Narcissi,  Hyacinths  ; 
also  potted  bulbs  for  forcing,  placed  them  in  a  cold 
frame,  and  covered  with  Cocoa  fibre ;  housed 
Azaleas  and  Camellias  after  wasliing  the  pots  and 
clearing  the  surface  soil  of  Moss  and  weeds.  Thrips 


has  been  troublesome  on  Azaleas,  but  now  that  the 
old  leaves  are  all  gone,  and  they  have  had  a  good 
washing  with  a  strong  lather  of  soft  soap,  they  are 
probably  settled,  at  any  rate,  for  the  present.  A 
few  pot  Roses — principally  Teas— have  also  been 
selected  as  an  early  batch  for  forcing,  and  these 
have  been  examined  as  to  drainage,  the  old  sur- 
face soil  taken  off,  and  replaced  with  good  loam, 
a  little  bone  dust  being  added  as  manure.  No 
pruning  has  been  done  to  the  plants,  except 
shortening  back  the  weakest  and  dead  shoots,  and 
cutting  away  dead  flowers  and  foliage.  The  plants 
will  now  be  kept  rather  drier  than  usual  for  a 
month  or  so,  and  then  be  placed  in  the  forcing 
pit.  Roses  in  the  open  air  have  been  made  tidy 
by  cutting  off  faded  flowers.  They  are  flowering 
well,  though  many  are  mildewed,  which  is  more 
prevalent  this  season  than  for  several  years  back, 
thus  showing  that  dryness  at  root  is  the  great  pre- 
disposing cause.  Where  they  can  be  given  con- 
veniently good  supplies  of  water  and  syringing 
with  soap-suds  are  excellent  remedies  and  pre- 
ventives also. 

October  3. 

Windy  and  dry,  just  the  weather  for  clearing  the 
Asparagus  plots,  which  we  cut  off  with  a  rip-hook 
close  to  the  soil ;  we  do  not  like  to  pull  the  stems 
out,  as  any  that  are  not  quite  ripe  do  not  come 
away  readily,  and  by  pulling  hard  part  of  next 
season's  crowns  might  come  away  with  them. 
Surface  hoed  the  ground  to  destroy  weeds 
and  self-sown  seedlings,  and  as  soon  as  these  are 
dead  a  rich  top-dressing  will  be  given  of  manure 
and  soil  mixed.  The  latest  planted  lirussels 
Sprouts  had  the  large  under-leaves  taken  oft  to 
expose  the  stems  and  harden  the  Sprouts.  The 
ground  between  them  was  also  hoed.  They  are 
planted  a  yard  apart  each  way,  and  yet  they 
appear  too  close  together,  a  fact  that  shows  how 
robust  the  plants  are,  and  so  they  ought  to  be,  as 
they  have  the  best  ground  in  the  garden,  and 
it  was  deeply  trenched  and  manured  specially 
for  them.  Dwarf  strains  of  lirussels  Sprouts  are 
to  be  avoided,  as  it  is  only  from  tall  stems  that  a 
sufficiency  of  Sprouts  can  be  obtained  to  ade- 
quately compensate  for  the  liberal  cultivation 
required.  Put  a  few  handlights  over  Straw- 
berries that  are  ripening  in  the  open  gar- 
den for  the  double  purpose  of  protecting  from 
birds  and  hastening  their  ripening.  The  fruit 
is  on  plants  that  were  forced  in  spring  and 
were  planted  out  at  midsummer  ;  the  variety  is 
Vicomtesse  Hericart  de  Tluiry.  We  have  still  a 
few  to  plant ;  they  would  have  been  done  long  ago, 
but  time  to  prepare  the  ground  was  wanting. 
Thinned  out  the  last  sown  winter  Spinach  to  G 
inches  apart,  and  hoed  the  ground  deeply.  The 
earliest  sown  will  be  too  forward,  but  we  shall 
cripple  it  by  picking  it  extra  hard,  and  should  it 
manifest  any  tendency  to  run  to  seed,  it  will  be 
hoed  up  instantly.  Housed  the  forwardest  Chry- 
santhemums ;  they  are  put  incur  earliest  vineries, 
which  have  been  pruned  and  the  houses  cleaned. 
As  we  shall  have  to  begin  forcing  about  the  middle 
of  November,  the  plants  will  have  to  be  moved  to 
later  vineries,  by  which  time  the  Grapes  in  them 
will  b3  cleared.  This  plan  of  shifting  about 
plants  entails  a  lot  of  extra  labour  and  at 
no  season  of  the  year  do  we  find  it  more  per- 
plexing than  the  present,  when  bedding  and  other 
plants  that  have  stood  out  during  the  summer 
must  have  space,  Grapes  or  no  Grapes  ;  but  in  our 
ca^e  we  put  the  fruit  first,  and  get  over  the  diffi- 
culty by  crowding  the  plants  together,  and  post- 
pone neatness  of  arrangement  of  them  till  the 
fruit  is  cut. 

October  4. 

Much  colder ;  minimum  thermometer  registered 
31°  this  morning,  so  that  there  will  soon  be  rapid 
fading  of  tender  bedding  plants,  and  we  shall  at 
once  set  about  making  arrangements  for  replacing 
the  tender  kinds,  but  having  got  stock  plants  of 
all  the  sorts,  none  in  the  beds  will  be  moved  till 
the  frost  has  done  its  worst.  Tuberous  Begonias 
have  done  exceedingly  well,  and  are  wonderfully 
effective  on  a  cushion  of  green  or  grey  Sedum, 
with  central  plants  of  variegated  Abutilon  and 
Grevillea  robusta.     They  are  fine  plants  to  take 


the  place  of  Pelargoniums,  or  rather  to  use  a  few 
of  them  instead  of  so  many  Pelargoniums ;  they 
flower  quite  as  freely,  and  withstand  rain  much 
better  than  most  kinds.  Mowed  flower  garden 
plateau  and  clipped  Grass  verges  and  the  raised 
edgings  of  Herniaria  that  are  round  all  the  beds, 
and  which  will  not  require  cutting  again  this  year. 
All  the  beds  were  picked  over  and  made  neat,  the 
finishing  touch  being  rolling  of  the  walks.  In- 
doors, being  Saturday,  the  usual  all-round  cleaning 
up  has  been  done,  and  plants  in  frames  picked 
over.  Grapes  in  bottles  looked  over  and  bad  berries 
cut  out,  and  the  same  has  been  done  in  respect  of 
fruit  still  on  the  Vines.  Figs  are  ripening  whole- 
sale, but  as  the  foliage  is  fast  fading,  a  large  pro- 
portion of  the  fruits  are  but  second-rate  in  flavour; 
hence  from  now  the  trees  rather  than  the  remainder 
of  the  fruits  will  be  studied,  by  giving  more  air 
(the  wood  is  quite  ripe),  and  increasing  it  gra- 
dually till  the  house  can  be  left  entirely  open, 
except  in  frosty  weather.  Gathered  a  few  more 
Apples  and  Pears,  arranged  all  that  have  been 
gathered,  and  tidied  up  the  room.  The  ventila- 
tors are  left  open  night  and  day,  and  will  continue 
so  to  be  till  all  the  fruit  has  been  housed  and 
sweating  is  over. 

OcTonEE  6. 

Being  still  rather  crowded,  a  few  more  of  the 
shoots  of  Peaches  and  Nectarines  on  Eouth  and 
west  walls  that  had  not  been  nailed  or  tied  in 
were  cut  away,  and  it  will  be  all  the  better  for  the 
remainder ;  the  foliage  is  unusually  large  this  year, 
and  the  shoots  look  thicker  than  they  really  are. 
It  is  the  same  in  the  latest  house,  and  a  few  more 
of  the  shoots  have  been  taken  off  the  trees  there. 
As  showing  the  extraordinary  dryness  of  the  sea- 
son, we  found  it  necessary  to  water  the  outside 
trees,  as  the  soil  was  cracking  in  all  directions,  and 
next  the  wall  it  had  come  away  sufficiently 
to  admit  one's  hand  into  the  opening ;  there- 
fore whilst  the  hose  was  at  work  pounding 
up  of  these  apertures  was  needed.  Borders 
in  the  latest  house  were  also  well  watered 
and  the  old  mulching  again  spread  over  till  such 
times  as  top-dressing  can  be  done.  The  laterals 
in  late  house  of  Lady  Downes,  Muscat  of  Alexan- 
dria, and  Alicante  Vines  still  grow  vigorously, 
and  they  have  all  again  been  stopped.  The  Grapes 
are  quite  ripe,  and  the  houses  are  kept  as  cool  as 
possible  consistent  with  safety  from  condensation 
of  moisture  on  the  berries,  so  that  growth  can 
hardly  be  sufficient  to  necessitate  a  repetition  of 
pinching,  though  if  needed  it  will  be  done,  as  in- 
variably such  late  new  growth  is  attacked  with 
mildew,  and  if  it  spreads  no  further  it  is  bound  to 
attack  the  berry  stalks  of  the  bunches,  and,  worse 
than  that,  it  lays  the  foundation  for  an  earlier 
spread  of  the  parasite  the  following  season. 
Turned  over  the  leaves  and  litter  that  are  to  be  used 
for  renewing  the  heat  in  the  fruiting  and  first  suc- 
cession Pine  pits,  and  prepared  soil  for  top-dressing 
the  plants.  The  greater  part  of  our  hands  have 
done  nothing  to-day  but  sweep  up,  and,  unfortu- 
nately, the  prospects  fordoingmuch  else  to-morrow 
are  not  of  the  brightest. 

October  7. 

With  the  exception  of  such  late  varieties  as 
Deux  Ans,  Northern  Greening,  and  Court  Pendu 
Plat,  all  our  Apples  have  been  gathered  to-day, 
also  a  few  more  Pears.  Ne  Plus  Meuris,  Jose- 
phine de  Malines,  P,ergamotte  d'Esperen,  Easter 
Beurre,  and  one  or  two  other  late  kinds  will  be 
allowed  to  remain  on  the  trees  as  long  as  they 
will  hang.  Bird  and  wa=^p-injnred  fruits  that  will 
not  keep  are  being  used  for  stewing,  as  the 
crop  being  so  short  we  must  make  the  most  of 
the  few  there  are.  The  only  other  outside  work 
to-day  has  been  the  usual  sweeping  up  on 
pleasure  grounds  and  the  firing  of  all  that  would 
burn  at  the  rubbish  heap,  it  being  desirable  to  get 
such  work  done  before  rain  comes  and  makes  it 
more  difficult.  The  ash  from  a  fire  containing  so  much 
vegetable  matter  is  as  valuable  a  manure  as  are 
many  of  the  preparations  of  guano,  &c  ,  that  can 
only  be  had  at  a  dear  rate.  Perhaps  it  ought  to  be 
added  that  in  addition  to  all  the  refuse  from  the 
kitchen  garden  and  houses,  the  sweepings  from 
under  trees — sticks  and  leaves — and  the  trimmings 


OfT.   II,    1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


329 


of  hedges  are  all  included  in  this  general  smother. 
Indoors  we  have  been  again  busy  preparing  for 
winter,  for  although  we  hope  not  to  have  to  disturb 
the  flower  beds  for  some  time  to  come,  there  is 
such  uncertainty  about  the  matter,  that  space  for 
the  plants  must  be  prepared.  Chrysanthemums 
have  all  been  housed  to-day,  and  being,  like  so 
many  others,  affected  with  "  Chrysanthemum 
fever,"  they  really  take  up  the  space  that  ought  to 
be  reserved  for  other  plants ;  overcrowding  is,  there- 
fore, unavoidable  till  the  Grapes  are  cut  in  other 
bouses.  Hants. 


Societies. 


CRYSTAL  PALACE  HARDY  FRUIT  SHOW. 

October  7  to  11. 
A  GOOD  show  of  hardy  fruits  wa?  anticipated  at 
the  Crystal  Palace  this  week,  as  the  company  had 
offered  such  liberal  prizes.  The  show  seemed  to 
be  even  more  satisfactory  than  was  expected,  for  a 
finer  display  of  Apples  and  Pears  could  not  have 
been  brought  together,  and  it  may  fairly  be 
regarded  as  one  of  the  best  that  has  been  held  here 
this  season.  It  was  not  a  very  extensive  show,  as 
only  about  a  dozen  classes  were  scheduled,  but 
some  of  these  were  represented  by  enormous  col- 
lections in  classes  were  no  definite  number  was 
specified,  so  that  the  whole  exhibition  occupied  a 
considerable  area  in  the  central  transept  of  the 
palace.  As  far  as  the  fruit  was  concerned,  it  might 
j  astly  have  been  called  an  exhibition  of  the  Kentish 
fruit  growers,  for  some  few  of  them  carried  off  the 
chief  bulk  of  the  prizes.  For  instance,  Mr.  Roger 
Leigh's  garden  at  Barham  Court,  Maidstone,  con- 
tributed the  chief  prize  collection;  in  fact,  Mr. 
Haycock,  the  gardener,  was  unapproachable  in 
every  class  he  exhibited.  The  gardens  at  HoUan- 
den  Park,  Tonbridge,  and  Preston  Hall,  Ayles- 
ford,  likewise  contributed  the  finest  fruit  in  the 
show.  The  schedule  was  divided  into  two  sec- 
tions, one  embracing  open  classes,  the  other  classes 
restricted  to  amateurs.  In  the  open  classes  the 
prizes  were  offered  for  the  best  exhibitions  with 
no  restriction  as  to  the  number  of  dishes  to  be 
shown,  but  as  there  were  four  prizes— viz.,  £\0, 
£G,  £i,  £'^,  these  were  a  suflicient  inducement  for 
even  the  largest  and  best  known  growers  to 
compete. 

Apples.—  Four  collections  of  Apples  were  shown 
in  the  open  class,  each  containing  from  .lO  lo  100 
dishes  of  distinct  sorts.  The  finest  collection  by 
far  was  that  from  Barham  Court,  which  was  with- 
out exception  the  finest  that  we  ever  remember 
seeing  exhibited  by  Mr.  Haycock,  and  it  was  the 
more  remarkable  having  regard  to  the  fact  that 
the  present  is  not  a  good  Apple  year.  This  col- 
lection contained  upwards  of  100  dishes,  and  there 
was  not  an  inferior  dish  among  them,  some  of  the 
samples  being  exceptionally  fine,  and  all  repre- 
senting the  variety  in  perfection.  To  enumerate 
even  those  wliich  were  of  unusual  size  and  merit 
would  make  a  long  list,  but  we  cannot  refrain  from 
mentioning  that  finer  examples  of  the  following 
sorts  have  rarely  been  seen.  These  were  Cox's 
Orange  Pippin,  Northern  Greening,  Ribston  Pippin, 
Warner's  King,  Cox's  Pomona,  Blenheim  Orange, 
Reinette  trt^s  Tardive,  Alfriston,  Peasgood's 
Nonsuch,  and  Small's  Admirable.  Every  dish 
contained  clean  and  even-sized  fruits,  and 
all  indicated  the  thorough  manner  in  which  hardy 
fruit  culture  is  carried  out  at  Barham  Court. 
The  second  best  great  collection  was  that  from 
Messrs.  Rivers,  of  the  Sawbridgeworth  Nurseries, 
who  had  also  over  a  hundred  dishes,  the  whole  of 
excellent  quality  and  some  of  superior  excellence. 
Besides  the  ordinary  kinds  the  collection  con- 
tained many  less  common,  such  as  Belle  de  Bos- 
koop,  Amasia,  Guernsey  Pippin,  Jonathan,  Rox- 
burgh Pippin,  Wadhurst  Pippin,  Lady  lienniker, 
Flandres  Pippin,  Baron  Ward,  and  many  others, 
all  of  which  exemplified  the  resources  of  this  cele- 
brated fruit  tree  nursery.  The  third  best  collec- 
tion was  that  from  Mr.  Brassey's  gardener,  Mr.  A. 
Waterman,  Preston  Hall,  Aylesford.  This  also 
was  a  large  collection,  numbering  some  six  dozen 
dishes,  representing  fruit  of  high  quality.    The 


fourth  collection  came  from  the  Earl  of  Harring- 
ton's garden,  at  Elvaston  Castle,  Mr.  Goodaore 
having  no  fewer  than  a  hundred  dishes,  some,  par- 
ticularly the  culinary  sorts,  being  uncommonly 
fine. 

In  the  amateurs'  class  for  two  dozen  distinct 
sorts  of  kitchen  and  dessert  Apples  Mr.  Haycock 
was  first  with  a  grand  collection  ;  each  dish  repre- 
sented the  sort  as  fine  as  could  well  be.  The  fol- 
lowing is  a  list  of  the  sorts  with  which  Mr.  Hay- 
cock took  the  first  prize ;  — 
Ilenhcim  Orango  Melon  Apple 


stoiu's  Pippm 
l.ni-a  Ihil.y 
I'.cllf  (hi  n.iia 
Ciollen  Noble 
More  de  Manage 
Lord  Sum>-ld 
Annie  Elizabeth 
I'easgood's  Nonsuch 
lieinette  du  Canada 
Reinette  Van  Mons 
Dumelow's  Seedling 


Claygate  I'earmaia 
Cox's  Orange  Pippin 
King  of  the  Pippins 
Ribston  Pippin 
White  Nonpareil 
Golden  Knob 
Margil 

Eeinette  du  Caxix 
Adam's  Pearmaia 
ManningtoD'a  Pearmaiu 
Gulden  Nonpareil 


Mr.  Sydney  Ford,  of  Leonardslee,  Horsham, 
showed  a  grand  collection  also  for  the  second 
prize,  there  being  but  few,  if  any,  inferior  dishes 
among  the  entire  twenty-four;  and  Mr.  Water- 
man's collection  for  the  third  prize  was  likewise 
good.  The  class  for  twelve  dishes  was  represented 
by  only  tliree  collections,  the  best  being  that  from 
HoUanden  Park,  and  the  following  is  a  list  of  the 
sorts  Mr.  Goldsmith  showed  : — 


P>lenheim  Orange 
Uibston  Pippin 
King  of  the  Pippins 
Cox's  Orange  Pippin 
Kearn's  Pippin 
Golden  Noble 


Beauty  of  Kent 
lUll  Door 
Warner's  King 
lieinette  du  Canada 
Colonel  Vaughan 


Pears. — The  corresponding  classes  for  the 
largest  and  best  collection  of  Pears  was  repre- 
sented by  three  exhibitors,  who  all  had  excep- 
tionally fine  collections,  the  best  again  being  that 
from  Mr.  Haycock,  of  Barham  Court.  This  collec- 
tion numbered  about  six  dozen  dishes,  each  repre- 
senting a  different  variety,  and  every  one  without 
exception  being  of  high  quality.  The  most  note- 
worthy dishes  consisted  of  Beurru  Ranee,  Mdme. 
Trejve,  Beurrfi  Diel,  Chaumontel,  Conseillerde  la 
Cour,  General  Todleben,  Vicar  of  Winkfield, 
Louise  Bonne  of  Jersey  (very  highly  coloured), 
Glou  Morceau,  Bellissime  d'Hiver,  Uvedale's  St. 
Germain,  BeurrcS  Bachelier,  and  Beurre  Clairgeau. 
All  these  sorts  were  as  fine  as  could  possibly  be, 
and  those  having  a  tendency  to  colour  showed 
their  true  characters.  Mr.  Goldsmith's  second 
best  collection  from  Hollanden  Park  was  but  little 
inferior  in  point  of  quality  taken  as  a  whole, 
though  it  was  not  so  numerou?.  His  best  dishes 
consisted  of  Brockworth  Park,  Doyenne  da 
Cornice,  Beurr6  Hardy,  Duehesse  d'Angouleme, 
Seckle,  'Verulam,  Thompson,  Beurr6  Clairgeau, 
Beurru  Superfin,  Beurr6  Bosc,  Glou  Morceau, 
andPitmaston  Duchess. 

Mr.  Waterman  with  about  fifty  dishes  took  the 
third  prize,  his  dish  of  Doyenne  Boussoch  being 
uncommonly  fine.  In  the  amateurs'  class  for 
twelve  dishes  of  Pears  there  was  an  excellent 
competition,  and  such  collections  as  were  shown 
for  the  first  two  prizes  would  be  hard  to  beat  any- 
where. Mr.  Haycock  was  first  with  a  picked 
dozen  dishes  from  his  large  collection.  The  fol- 
lowing are  the  sorts  he  showed  : — 
Conse'.ller  de  la  Cour  Durandeau 

Passe  Crassane  Bcurr(i  Hardy 

lieurri^  Diel  Louise  Bonne  of  Jei-sey 

Noveau  Poiteau  Beurre  SuperHn 

Easter  Beurr6  Duehesse  d'AngoulGme  , 

Pitmaston  Duchess  Beurr6  Bachelitr 

Mr.  Goldsmith's  selection  included  Brockworth 
Park,  Pitmaston  Duchess,  Louise  Bonne  of 
Jersey,  Doyenne  du  Comice,  Marie  Louise,  Doy- 
enne Boussoch,  Beurre  Hardy,  Durandeau,  Beurre 
Superfin,  and  Conseiller  de  la  Cour.  There  were 
four  other  collections  of  twelve  dishes  shown,  the 
third  being  that  from  Gosfield  Hall,  also  in  Kent. 

■Vegetables. — Prizes  amounting  to  £16  for 
the  best  exhibition  of  vegetables  to  be  arranged 
for  effect,  but  as  in  all  cases  where  there  is 
no  definite  number  of  dishes  stated  in  the 
schedule,  the  competitors  were  few,  there  being 
but    three    collections,    but    these   were  highly 


creditable  to  the  exhibitors,  Messrs.  Waterman 
and  Goodacre  and  Neighbour.  The  first-named 
had  a  collection  of  no  fewer  than  61  distinct  kinds, 
all  for  the  most  part  well  grown  and  arranged 
effectively,  and  we  imagine  that  every  conceivable 
kind  of  vegetable  was  shown,  not  even  excluding 
Maize.  A  capital  collection  of  twelve  dishes  was 
shown  by  Lord  Barrington's  gardener  (Mr.  Meads) 
for  the  first  of  a  series  of  six  prizes  offered  by 
Messrs.  Sutton,  Reading,  for  the  best  collection  of 
ten  kinds.  Finer  Celery  of  Major  Clarke's,  red 
variety  could  not  be  desired,  and  equally  fine  were 
the  Tomatoes  President  Garfield,  Autumn  Giant 
Cauliflower,  Tender  and  True  Cucumbers,  Hollow 
Crowned  Parsnips,  white  Globe  Turnips,  ■^eitch's 
Exhibition  Sprouts,  which  Mr.  l>;ads  showed.  Two 
other  collections,  from  Mr.  Waite  and  Jlr.  Osman, 
were  shown  for  Messrs.  Sutton's  prizes.  Classes 
were  set  apart  in  the  schedule  for  the  heaviest 
Mammoth  Gourd,  a  collection  of  Pumpkins  and 
Gourds,  and  a  collection  of  ornamental  Gourds. 
There  was  a  fair  exhibition  of  these,  the  curious 
shapes  and  colours  of  the  ornamental  Gourds 
being  especially  attractive  to  the  public,  and 
formed,  moreover,  quite  an  uncommon  feature  at 
the  exhibition.  The  heaviest  Mammoth  Gourd 
weighed  80  lbs.,  and  was  sent  by  Mr.  Sturges,  Dr. 
Freshfield's  gardener,  at  Mint  House,  Chipstead, 
Other  Mammoth  Gourds  shown  were  not  much 
less  in  siz3  or  weight ;  the  best  collection  of 
Pumpkins  and  Gourds  came  from  Mr.  Osman,  of 
Sutton,  and  Mr.  Glen  showed  the  best  collection 
of  ornamental  Gourds.  A  capital  collection  of 
Gourds,  all  correctly  named,  was  sent  by  Mr. 
Barron  from  the  R.  H.  S.  Gardens  at  Chiswick, 
and  these  had  a  special  interest  for  the  visitors,  as 
it  quite  eclipsed  all  the  others  for  extent  and 
variety. 

Miscellaneous  class. — Among  fruit  ex- 
hibited not  for  competition  was  an  extensive  col- 
lection (numbering  some  100  dishes)  of  Apples 
and  Pears  from  Messrs.  Cheal's  nurseries  at  Low- 
field,  Crawley.  The  fruit  for  the  most  part  was 
from  the  cordon  trained  trees,  and  very  fair  they 
were.  A  collection  of  some  ninety  dishes  of 
Apples  came  from  Messrs.  Veitch,  Chelsea,  which 
included  a  selection  <  of  the  finest  sorts  and  one 
new  one.  The  Sandringham  certificated  last  year 
received  another  first-class  certificate  on  this  oc- 
casion. Messrs.  Rivers  showed  a  few  sorts  of  new 
Peaches  and  Plums,  and  among  vegetables  Mr. 
Deverill,  of  Banbury,  showed  his  new  Onion  Rou- 
sbam  Park  Hero,  which  is  undoubtedly  a  sort  of 
the  highest  merit.  The  above  were  awarded  extra 
prizes,  as  were  also  Mr.  Butler  and  Mr.  Langley 
for  Pears. 


INTERNATIONAL  POTATO  EXHIBITION. 
The  great  annual  exhibition  of  Potatoes,  held,  as 
usual,  at  the  Crystal  Palace,  was  opened  on 
Wednesday  last  by  the  Lord  Mayor.  It  was 
generally  expected  that  this  year's  show  would 
not  be  so  extensive  or  so  fine  as  most  of  its  pre- 
decessors, on  account  of  the  exceptionally  dry 
season  which  we  have  experienced,  which  checked 
the  growth  of  the  tubers,  though  so  favourable  for 
keeping  the  disease  in  check.  The  majority  of 
Potato  growers  who  visited  the  exhibition  were, 
however,  agreeably  surprised  to  find  what  was 
really  a  very  fine  display.  Throughout  the  entire 
show  there  were  very  few  inferior  exhibits,  and 
the  prize-winning  collections  would  certainly 
compare  favourably  with  those  that  have  been  the 
finest  in  more  favourable  seasons.  As  regards 
numbers,  there  was  a  considerable  ^falling  cff, 
though  the  exhibition  comprised  no  fewer 
than  l.'iOO  dishes,  exclusive  of  the  extensive 
collections  shown  by  non-competitors.  In  look- 
ing over  the  list  of  prize-winners,  the  names 
of  several  well-known  Potato  exhibitors  were 
noticeably  absent,  among  them  being  Messrs. 
Finlay,  Gribble,  Pickworth ;  but,  on  the  other 
hand,  several  new  names  were  conspicuous. 
The  best  Potatoes  came  from  the  midland  and 
northern  districts,  and  growers  in  the  south,  par- 
ticularly on  light  soils,  could  not  approach  the 
prize-winners.  Therefore,  the  names  of  several 
well-known  southern  growers  were  not  prominent 


330 


THE    GARDEN 


[Oct.  11,  1884. 


in  the  prize  list.  By  far  the  most  Buccesstul  ex- 
hibitor was  Colonel  Cartwrighfs  gardener  (Mr. 
Hughes),  at  Eydon  Hall,  Byfield,  Notts.  Mr. 
Hughes  is  a  well-known  grower  of  Potatoes,  as 
well  as  a  raiser  of  new  varieties,  and  he  has  added 
considerably  to  his  reputation  in  carrying  oS  the 
first  prizes  for  collections  of  twenty-four,  eighteen, 
twelve,  and  nine  dishes,  besides  many  other  minor 
prizes.  Such  success  is  unprecedented  in  the 
history  of  these  Potato  exhibitions,  and  it  re- 
dounds to  the  credit  of  so  young  a  grower.  His 
dishes  in  every  class  he  exhibited  were  simply  per- 
fection, not  too  large,  of  uniform  size,  and  in  the 
large  collections  a  judicious  selection  of  varieties. 
The  tubers  did  not  run  large  in  the  show,  but 
were  quite  large  enough,  and  certainly  had  a 
better  appearance  than  coarsely-grown  tubers. 

The  premier  class  in  the  schedule  for  two  dozen 
varieties  was  admirably  represented  by  no  fewer 
than  twelve  collections.  Mr.  Hughes  showed  the 
finest  collection,  which  was  in  every  respect  excel- 
lent.    The  selection  of  sorts  was  the  following  :— 

.Schoolmaster 
Prime  Minister 
Woodstock  Kiduey 
International 
Favourite 
Reading  Russet 
Lady  Truscott 
Snowdrop 
ilyatt's  Prolific 
Fidler's  Success 
Adirondack 
E.xcelsior 


Prizetaker 
American  Purple 
Blanchard 
Vicar  of  Laleham 
Queen  of  the  V' alley 
First  and  Best 
Cardinal 
Edgecote  Purple 
Red  Emperor 
Sir.  Bresee 
Early  Regent 
Beauty  of  Hebron 


The  other  prize-winners,  who  also  showed  first- 
rate  collections,  were  Mr.  Ellington,  West  Row 
Gardens,  Suffolk,  second;  Mr.  Kerr,  Dungarvel, 
third  ;  Mr.  Allen,  Ramsbnry  Manor,  Hungerford, 
fourth  ;  Mr.  E.  G.  Wiles,  Edgecote  Park,  Banbury, 
fifth  ;  Mr.  Pickworth,  Loughborough,  sixth. 

Fourteen  collections  of  eighteen  kinds  were 
shown,  the  finest  being  that  from  Mr.  Plughes. 
The  selection  consisted  of  the  following  sorts  : — 

Mr.  Bresee 
Prizetaker 
Fidler's  Prolific 


Woodstock  Kidney 
Fidler's  Success 
Schoolmaster 
Porter's  Excelsior 
.Snowdrop 
Ked  Emperor 


Edgecote  Seedling 
Reading  Russet 
Radsfock  Beauty 
The  l>ean 
Cardinal 
Edgecote  Purple 
Adirondack 
Early  Regent 
ilyatfs  Prolific 


The  next  best  collection,  shown  by  Mr.  Charles 
Ilott,  gardener  to  Major  AUfrey,  AVokefield  Park, 
Mortimer,  was  likewise  excellent.  In  the  class 
for  twelve  dishes,  Mr,  Hughes  was  again  first  with 
an  excellent  assortment.  The  list,  including  Pro- 
lific, Queen  of  the  Valley,  The  Dean,  Edgecote 
Purple,  Schoolmaster,  Snowdrop,  Woodstock  Kid- 
ney, Blanchard,  Favourite,  Reading  Russet,  and 
Excelsior.  The  second  prize  was  taken  by  Mr. 
Ellington,  the  third  by  Mr.  Pickworth,  fourth  by 
Mr.  Lye,  and  fifth  by  Mr.  West. 

Once  more  Mr.  J.  Hughes  showed  the  finest 
collection  of  nine  sorts  among  fifteen,  the  selec- 
tion being  Blanchard,  Prime  Minister,  The  Dean, 
Woodstock  Kidney,  Porter's  Excelsior,  Snowdrop, 
Reading  Russet,  Schoolmaster,  and  Mr.  Bresee ; 
Mr.  Tooley,  of  Banbury,  was  second  with  a  very 
even  collection,  while  Mr.  R.  Dean  was  third,  Mr. 
W.  Kerr  fourth,  and  Mr.  Ironside,  Keith  Hall, 
Aberdeenshire,  fifth.  The  best  set  of  six  dishes 
was  shown  by  Mr.  R.  Dean,  who  had  fine  examples 
of  Mr.  Bresee,  Cosmopolitan,  Vicar  of  Laleham, 
The  Dean,  Sunrise,  and  Snowflake ;  Mr.  Hughes 
was  second,  Mr.  Stanton  third,  Mr.  Tooley 
fourth,  and  Mr.  Allen  fifth.  Only  exhibitors  of 
four  dishes  competed,  the  most  successful 
being  Mr.  Ellington,  who  had  Iroquois,  Vermont 
Champion,  and  Schoolmaster ;  Mr.  Hughes  was 
second,  Mr.  Kerr^third,  and  Mr.  Pickworth  fourth. 
Among  ten  sets  of  three'  dishes  of  coloured 
rounds,  Mr.  Dean'was  first; with'  Matchless,  Vicar 
of  Laleham,  Reading  Russet;  Mr.  Wiles  was 
second,  Mr.  Ellington  third,  and  Mr.  Hughes 
fourth.  Among  eight  exhibitors  of  three  dishes 
of  white  kidney  sorts,  Mr.  Kerr  was  first  with 
Pride  of  America,  Early  King  Ofia,  and  Myatt's 
Kidney,  while  Mr.  Ellington  was  second,  Mr. 
Creed  third,  and  Mr.  Bloxham  fourth.  The  best 
three  dishes  of  coloured  kidney  sorts  came  from 


Mr.  Hughes,  who  had  Prizetaker,  Mr.  Bresee, 
and  Edgecote  Purple ;  Mr.  Kerr  taking  second, 
Mr.  Elrington  third,  and  Mr.  Wiles  the  fourth 
prize.  The  best  dish  of  a  white  round  sort  among 
twenty-four  was  Schoolmaster,  from  Mr.  Howard 
Bridge,  Canterbury  ;  second.  Excelsior,  from  Mr. 
Lye ;  third,  Donaldson's  Victoria  alba,  from  Mr. 
Ironside;  fourth.  Schoolmaster,  from  Mr.  Sjotch- 
brook,  Whittlesea. 

The  class  for  one  dish  of  any  coloured  kidney 
sort  of  English  origin  brought  eighteen  competi- 
tors. The  best  was  shown  by  Mr.  Sydney  Ford, 
Leonardslee,  Horsham,  who  had  a  fine  dish  of 
Prizetaker  ;  Defiance,  from  Mr.  Kerr,  was  second  ; 
Edgecote  Purple,  from  Mr.  Wiles,  was  third,  while 
Lifeguard,  from  Mr.  Ross,  was  fourth.  Other  sorts 
shown  were  Cosswell's  Red,  Mr.  Bresee,  White 
Elephant  (by  four).  Progress,  Cardinal,  Beauty  of 
Hebron,  and  Prizetaker  (by  four).  The  class  for 
one  dish  of  any  new  white  variety  not  in  commerce 
previous  to  the  present  year.  Out  of  seventeen 
the  judges  selected  a  fine  dish  of  Chancellor, 
showed  by  the  hon.  secretary,  Mr.  P.  McKinlay, 
Headley  Lodge,  Penge.  This  is  a  longish  and 
flattish  tuber  of  moderate  size,  and  very  even.  The 
second  was  a  fine  dish  of  Welford  Park  from  the 
raiser,  Mr.  Ross ;  third.  Chancellor,  from  Mr.  R. 
Dean ;  fouith,  Fidler's  Prolific,  from  Mr.  J. 
Hughes.  Other  sorts  shown  in  this  class 
were  ClifEe  Hall,  Garfield,  Telephone,  Northern 
Hero,  Prime  Minister.  Ten  dishes  of  a  new 
red  sort  were  shown,  the  best  being  The 
Dean,  shown  by  Mr  R.  Dean,  and  the  same 
sort  was  also  awarded  the  second  and  third 
prizes,  shown  by  Mr.  Hughes  and  Mr.  Ross  respec- 
tively, a  proof  of  its  excellence.  Edgecote  Purple, 
from  Mr.  Wiles,  was  foarth,;and  other  sorts  shown 
in  this  ,class  were  Cardinal,  Progres.=,  and  Purple 
King.  Among  thirteen  exhibitors  of  three  dishes 
of  white  rounds  Mr.  Chopping,  Sittingbourne,  was 
first  with  Giant  King,  Early  Household,  and  Read- 
ing Hero.  Mr.  Allen's  second  lot  consisted  of 
First  and  Best,  Excelsior,  and  Schoolmaster ; 
third,  from  Mr.  Lye,  Cliflfe  Hall,  Excelsior  and 
Schoolmaster ;  while  Mr.  Skarratt,  with  Reading 
Hero,  Schoolmaster,  and  Early  Regent,  was  fourth. 
Sixteen  sets  of  three  red  rounds  were  shown,  the 
best  from  Mr.  Kirkland,  Bletchington,  being  Vicar 
of  Laleham,  Heading  Russet,  and  Adirondack ; 
second,  Mr.  Lye,  with  Vicar  of  Laleham,Beauty  of 
Kent,  and  Blanchard  ;  third,  Mr.  Skarratt,  Maiden- 
head, with  Adirondack,  Vicarof  Laleham,  and  Read- 
ing Russet ;  fourth,  Mr.  Allen,  with  Vicar  of  Laleham , 
Harlequin,  and  Reading  Russet.  Among  thirteen 
sets  of  three  white  kidney  sorts,  Mr.  Skarratt  was 
first  with  Cosmopolitan,  Magnum  Bonum,  and  In- 
ternational ;  Mr.  Allen  was  second,  with  Edgecote 
Kidney,  Snowdrop,  and  Woodstock  ;  Mr.  Chopping 
third,  with  Clarke's  Main  Crop,  Improved  'White 
Rose,  and  Snowdrop ;  Mr.  West  fourth,  with  Cos- 
mopolitan, Bresee's  Prolific,  and  Lilywhite. 

Messrs.  Sutton's  prizes. — These  were  offered 
by  Messrs.  Sutton,  of  Reading,  for  four  dishes  of 
sorts  put  in  commerce  by  them,  for  competition 
among  amateurs  and  gentlemen's  gardeners  only. 
The  first  prize  was  taken  by  Mr.  Hughes  with  ex- 
cellent dishes  of  Reading  Russet,  Prizetaker,  First 
and  Best,  and  Woodstock  Kidney ;  second,  Mr. 
Osman  Sutton,  with  Reading  Hero,  Early  Regent, 
Fillbasket,  Reading  Russet ;  Mr.  Allen  third,  with 
Reading  Hero,  Magnum  Bonum,  Woodstock  Kid- 
ney, and  Fillbasket ;  fourth,  Mr.  Lazzell,  with 
First  and  Best,  Magnum  Bonum,  Prizetaker,  and 
Reading  Russet.  There  were  nine  collections  in 
all. 

Seedling  varieties. — There  was  a  good  dis- 
play of  new  and  seedling  varieties  for  the  opinion 
of  the  judges,  but  only  about  half  a  dozen  were 
awarded  certificates  of  merit.     These  were  named 

Miss  Fowler,  a  flattish  kidney  sort,  first 
named  Aspirant.  Shown  and  raised  bv  Mr.  Ross, 
Welford  Park. 

Pride  op  Eydon,  a  white  kidney,  a  seedling 
from  Beauty  of  Hebron  crossed  by  Myatt's 
Prolific.     Shown  by  Mr.  Hughes. 

Ellingtonia,  a  coloured  kidney,  a  cross 
between  American  Purple  and  Royal  Ashleaf. 
Shown  by  Mr.  Ellington. 


J.  Abbiss,  a  coloured  kidney.  Raised  and 
shown  by  Mr.  Fenn. 

Harvester,  a  white  round.  Grown  and  exhi- 
bited by  Mr.  R.  Dean,  Ealing. 

M.P.,  a  white  round,  large,  and  of  smooth 
form.     Shown  and  exhibited  by  Mr.  Ross. 

Miscellaneous.— Among  the  exhibits  not  for 
competition  among  the  most  extensive  was  that 
from  Messrs.  Sutton,  of  Reading,  whose  name 
is  so  well  known  in  connection  with  our  leading 
varieties  of  Potatoes.  On  their  stand  was  displayed 
a  collection  numbering  one  hundred  sorts  of 
English  and  American  Potatoes,  including  all  the 
kintis  most  generally  cultivated,  prominentamong 
which  were  to  be  seen  well-grown  specimens  of 
Sutton's  Magnum  Bonum,  Reading  Hero,  Reading 
Russet,  Early  Regent,  Fifty  fold,  and  others  of 
Messrs.  Sutton's  own  introduction,  while  in  addi- 
tion to  these  we  observed  an  entirely  distinct 
collection  of  seedlings  not  yet  sent  out,  compris- 
ing some  thirty-seven  dishes,  and  we  understand 
several  of  these  have  proved,  after  careful  testing, 
to  be  a  great  advance  on  the  varieties  already  in 
commerce. 

There  were  numerous  other  seedlings  shown, 
but  most  of  them  were  under  numbers  only. 
Those  which  obtained  certificates  have  been 
thoroughly  tested  during  the  season  at  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society's  Gardens  at  Chiswick. 

Messrs.  Carter's  collection  on  this  occasion  con- 
sisted of  about  a  dozen  heaps  of  new  sorts  which, 
shown  in  quantities,  were  good  samples  of  the  re- 
spective sorts.  Among  the  sorts  were  Beauty  of 
Hebron,  Schoolmaster,  Cosmopolitan,  Ashtop 
Fluke,  First  Crop  Ashleaf,  Rivers'  Royal  Ashleaf 
and  Early  Ashleaf,  and  Cetewayo,  the  latter  with 
flesh  almost  the  colour  of  a  Beetroot.  Besides,  a 
remarkable  specimen  of  a  Potato  plant  was  shown 
called  Carter's  Champion  Forcing  Kidney  crossed 
with  Ashtop  Fluke.  The  produce  of  this  plant 
consisted  of  above  200  tiny  tubers—  such  a  quantity 
as  has  never  before  been  seen  on  one  plant. 

Mr.  Fidler,  Potato  grower.  Friar  Street,  Read- 
ing, exhibited  an  extensive  collection  of  the  finest 
sorts,  which  numbered  some  8t  dishes,  represent- 
ing distinct  kinds,  besides  heaps  of  White  Ele- 
phant, Reading  Hero,  and  Fidler's  Improved  Ash- 
leaf. All  this  collection  was  grown  under  field 
culture,  yet  the  tubers  were  of  even  size  and  of 
the  highest  quality. 

Names  of  fruits. — Petfr  Daictiay.—l,  Ken-y  Pippin  ; 

2,  Golden  Knob  ;  3.  Slanks  Codlin  ;  4,  Golden  Pippin. 

G.   ir.  is'.— I,  Court  Rendu  Plat ;   2,  Stirling  Castle. 

M.  D.  C. — Apple  not  known  ;  Pear  too  much  decayed. ■ 

K.  R. — 1,  M  ellington  ;  3,  F^arn's  Pippin  ;  4,  Court  Rendu 

Plat. J.  W.  K.—l  and  3,  Yorkahire  Beauty;  4,  Dume- 

low's  Seedling. Scot. — Appears  to  be  a  local  sort. 

ff.  Tai/lor,—3,  Warner's  King. — -S.  Buckland.—l,  Cellini ; 

'2,  Co.x's  Orange  Pippin  ;  3,  Warner's  Rin^. L.  M.  E. — 

1,  Motlier  Apple. M.  D.—l,  Pott's  Seedling  ;  2,  Emperor 

Alexander ;  4,  Catshead. F.  Sale.— 2,  Cellini. G.  Daw. 

—  Not  known. S.  W.  S. — 1,  Beurre  Clairgeau. Anon. 

(three  large  green  Pears).— Pear  Beurrd  Bachelier. A  von. 

—1,    DucksbUl  ;    2,    Cockle    Pippin W.    H.-i,    King 

Pippin. B.  T.  Daneburif.--!,  Beurr^  Bosc  ;  2,  Duchesse 

d'Angoult-me ;  3,  Pitmastou  Duchess  (small);  4,  Eeuir^ 
Diet. .V.  T.  Z. — iS''one  of  your  fruits  are  in  a  fit  condi- 
tion for  naming. /'.  M.  JV.— 6,  Catshead. C.  D.  —  l, 

l>:enheun  Pippin ;  2,  King  Pippin  ;  Pear  appears  to  be 
Hacon's  Incomparable,   but  was  too  much  decayed    for 

naming (?.  J.  B. Senders  of   other  fruit   will   b 

answered  next  week. 

Names  of  plants.— G.  W.  .£■.— Orchid  is  Phalsenopsis 

amethystina;  climber  is  Clitorea  Ternatea. //.  C.  W.— 

Linum    peienne    (Flax). J.   W.  E. — Fern,  Niphobolus 

Lingua  ;  shrub,  Leycesteria  formosa. G.  W. — 1,  Plioli- 

dota    imbricata  ;    2,    Acropera    Loddigesi. Fielding. — 

Probably  Dendrobium  Farmeri  album,  but  cannot  be  cer- 
tain from  such  a  crushed  specimen. Twiifurd. — Inula 

dysenterica   (Fleabane). J.    llai'vey.  —  Phytolacca  de- 

candra. Sub.  (Cot/ord). — Next  week. 3Iac. — Thymus 

Serpyllum  lanuginosua. J.  L.  Balwin. — Appears  to  be 

the  double  variety  of  Rosa  cinnamomea. J.  W.  B. — 1, 

Aster  paniciUatus  ;  2.  Aster  lajvis ;  3,  Pyrethrum  uligino- 

sum;   4,    Anemone  japonica F.  F. — 1,    Aster   .Nova;- 

AngU;e  roseus ;  2,   A.    longifolius ;   3,   A.  longifolius  for- 

mosus  ;    4,   Helianthua  decapetalus. C.    B.    C.  —  The 

Dahlia  was  much  crushed  when  received.  It  seems  to  be 
what  is  called  the  Cactus  Dahlia,   which  can    only    be 

increased  by  roots  or  cuttings. F.  EncUer. — A  species 

of  Nicotiana  (Tobacco),  but  cannot  name  from  leaves  only. 

II'.  G.  Caldivell.—l,  Aster  longifolius;  2,  A.  turbinel- 

lus ;  3,   A.   hevis ;  4,   apparently  Geranium  prateuse,  but 

flowers  had  dropped. Archer  Uutd.—l  and  2,  species  of 

Cai'cx,  Ijut  what  species  the  specimens  sent  are  insufficient 

to  determine;  3,  Juncus  lamprocarpus. T.  H,  A    II. — 

A  species  of  Amsiuckia  (Californian  Bugloss). 


THE     GARDEN 


331 


No.  674.  SATURDAY,  Oct.  IS,  1834.  Vol.  XXVI. 


"  Tliis  is  an  Art 
T\1ucTi  (Ides  ni?nrl  Nature  :  cliance  it  rnther  :  Iv.it 
The  art  itjelf  is  Nature."— S/inJ-cspcaw. 


EAELY  WINTER  FLOWERS. 
It  may  be  necessary  sometimes  to  have  a  quantity 
of  bulbous  plants  all  in  flower  at  one  time  for  a 
certain  purpose,  but  as  a  rule  a  continued  supply 
over  as  long  a  period  as  possible  is  a  matter  of 
greater  importance.  Some  pot  their  whole  stock 
of  bulbs  when  received  in  September,  and  think 
that  by  forcing  some  and  retarding  others  a  suc- 
cession may  be  maintained  as  long  almost  as  de- 
sired. This  may  be  done,  but  bulbs  will  keep  on 
growing  even  in  a  cool  place,  and  by  attempting 
to  retard  too  much,  a  glut  is  in  the  end  the  result. 
In  our  case,  and  in  that  of  many  others,  the  flower- 
ing season  of  Dutch  bulbs  commences  with  Roman 
Hyacinths  early  in  November,  and  is  continued  by 
others  of  various  descriptions  until  the  end  of 
May.  Some  may  think  this  might  be  done  easily 
if  only  one  had  the  requisite  quantity,  but  quan- 
tity is  only  of  secondary  importance;  the  secret, 
if  there  be  one,  lies  in  the  management.  Should  the 
annual  supply  of  bulbs  be  reduced  by  half  or  one- 
third,  the  flowering  season  need  not  be  shortened 
thereby  ;  on  the  contrary,  the  whole  of  it  should  be 
made  to  sustain  the  loss  by  having  a  lesser 
quantity  at  all  times.  The  best  method  of  keep- 
ing up  a  succession  daring  the  whole  time  is 
to  divide  the  bulbs  into  at  least  three  portions  and 
pot  them  at  intervals  of  a  month  or  six  weeks. 
The  first  cannot  be  potted  too  early  for  forcing,  as 
the  more  gradual  the  latter  is  performed  the 
better  the  results.  Roman  Hyacinths  are  received 
early,  and  if  potted  in  August  may  be  had  in 
flower  early  in  November,  a  season  when  they 
are  most  welcome.  Their  season  need  not  be 
limited  to  one  particular  display,  as  if  some 
bulbs  are  retained  and  potted  at  the  same  time  as 
the  later  varieties,  they  will  flower  equally  well 
later  on.  It  requires  rather  severe  and  careful 
forcing  to  obtain  good  Hyacinths  of  the  coloured 
varieties  by  Christmas,  although  it  is  tolerably 
easy  to  get  them  ten  days  later. 

Paper-white  and  double  Roman  Narcissi  flower 
very  early,  and  are  most  useful,  especially  the 
first  named.  All  other  varieties  of  Polyanthus 
Narcissus  are  well  suited  for  pot  culture  to  flower 
in  spring.  The  first  portion  of  the  general  col- 
lection of  bulbs  should  be  potted,  if  practicable, 
in  September,  the  second  at  the  end  of  October, 
and  the  third  and  last  in  the  beginning  of  Decem- 
ber. A  rich  soil  should  be  used,  as,  although  a 
great  deal  depends  on  the  quality  of  the  bulbs,  a 
by  no  means  small  share  of  success  must  be 
attributed  to  cultivation.  The  pots  are  best  filled 
lightly  rather  fall ;  the  bulbs  thenseleoted  should 
each  be  pressed  in  singly  by  the  hand.  This  is 
more  important  than  many  suppose,  as  all  the 
bulbs  will  be  found  much  more  firmly  placed  in 
position  at  the  base  than  would  be  the  case  if 
placed  on  firmer  soil  at  first  and  covered  after- 
wards. When  potted,  all  should  be  set  outside, 
watered,  and  covered  with  about  6  inches  of 
rather  fine  ashes.  This  quantity  should  be  in- 
creased in  winter  to  exclude  frost ;  the  young 
shoots  when  growing  are  very  tender  and  much 
injured  by  being  frozen.    The  ashes  ate  necessary 


at  first  as  a  weight  to  prevent  the  bulbs  rising 
out  of  the  soil  when  forming  roots.  As  soon  as 
the  latter  take  a  good  bold  they  will  be  no 
longer  required  for  that  purpose.  No  one  should 
attemjjt  introducing  any  bulbs  into  heat  until 
the  pots  are  well  filled  with  roots.  When 
removed  from  the  ashes  inverted  pots  should 
be  placed  over  them  in  a  cool  house  for 
a  few  days,  and  positions  in  higher  temperatures 
should  be  given  very  gradually.  When  the  flower- 
stem  starts  into  growth  the  plants  will  bear  more 
heat  than  before  that  stage  is  reached.  Many  are 
impatient  in  regard  to  this,  and  place  bulbs  in  too 
high  a  temperature  at  first,  with  the  result  that  the 
foliage  grows  and  the  flowers  often  do  not,  but 
instead  either  damp  or  wither  away.  Crocuses 
and  Snowdrops  will  not  bear  the  least  forcing  in 
heat,  but  they  will  bloom  a  little  earlier  in  a  cold 
frame  than  outside.  Good  potfuls  are  very  pretty 
when  in  flower,  but  their  season  is  very  short,  as 
the  flowers  soon  fade. 

Various  methods  are  adopted  for  preparing 
Hyacinths  and  Tulips  for  early  forcing.  Some 
place  them  in  boxes  or  pans  thickly  and  pot  up  as 
fast  as  any  are  in  flower.  When  three  or  more  are 
placed  together  in  a  pot  it  is  seldom  that  all  open 
together  in  winter,  and  as  such  severely  forced 
bulbs  are  of  little  value  afterwards,  the  box  plan 
has  some  advantages  to  recommend  it.  The  later 
ones  are  best  placed  in  the  pots  in  which  they 
are  to  flower,  and  5-inch  and  6-inch  sizes  are  the 
most  suitable.  Hyacinths  not  much  forced  will 
produce  useful  flowers  for  cutting  a  second  season 
indoors,  but  Tulips  are  not  worth  the  trouble. 
P.oth  of  these,  with  others,  may  be  used  for  plant- 
ing outside  after  they  have  flowered  in  spring. 

Many  bulbs  beside  those  already  mentioned 
should  be  added  if  possible  by  those  who  require 
them  for  conservatory  decoration.  The  beautiful 
white  variety  of  Gladiolus  Colvillei  named  The 
Bride  is  easily  grown  if  potted  now  and  kept 
quite  cool  all  the  winter  in  a  frame.  The  flowers 
of  G.  Colvillei  itself  are  also  very  attractive  and 
well  worth  attention.  Narcissus  Bulbocodium  is 
well  adapted  for  cultivation  in  pots  or  pans,  and 
is  not  half  enough  used  in  that  way.  Although 
the  bulbs  are  not  large,  each  will  generally  throw 
up  four  or  five  flowers,  and  as  about  this  number 
of  bulbs  may  be  grown  well  in  a  5-inch  pot,  the 
effect  produced  may  be  easily  imagined.  These 
are  also  best  kept  quite  cool.  Others  requiring 
similar  treatment,  and  well  deserving  it,  are  single 
and  double  Jonquils,  Soillasibirica,  Iris  reticulata, 
and  Milla  uniflora.  To  these  may  be  added  Ixias 
and  Sparaxis,  either  in  named  varieties  or  in 
separate  mixtures,  which,  combined  with  Dutch 
bulbs,  make  a  fine  display.  J.  G.  K. 


CHURCH  DECORATIONS. 

.lusT  now  thanksgivings  for  the  past  harvest  are 
of  daily  occurrence  in  every  church,  and  the  de- 
corations on  these  occasions  occupy  much  time 
and  attention.  At  Christmas,  Easter,  and  other 
festivals,  flowers,  beautiful  and  varied,  choice  and 
common,  fragrant  and  scentless,  and  indeed  every 
thing  in  the  form  of  flowers,  are  much  valued  and 
extensively  used  ;  but  at  the  harvest  thanksgivings, 
which  should  be  emblematic  of  the  ingathering  of 
the  fruits  of  the  earth,  flowers,  in  my  opinion, 
should  be  nearly  or  wholly  dispensed  with,  and 
grains,  fruits,  and  leaves  alone  should  be  used. 
There  are  many  leaves  which  now  assume  lovely 
tints,  and  which  are  capable  of  being  introduced 
in  church  decoration  with  excellent  effect.  Oats, 
Wheat,  and  Barley  may  all  be  used  in  a  variety 
of  ways  with  most  satisfactory  results,  and  fruits 


should  be  extensively  employed.  Well-fruited 
pot  Vines  and  Vine  branches  bearing  clusters  of 
ripe  fruit  are  worthy  of  a  foremost  place  in  har- 
vest decorations.  Apple  and  Pear  branches  laden 
with  fruit  may  be  placed  in  many  appropriate  posi- 
tions, and  there  are  many  wild  berry-bearing 
plants,  such,  for  instance,  as  the  Blackberry, 
which  are  charming  in  spray  and  form  of  cluster. 
The  growths  of  Asparagus,  too,  when  thickly 
dotted  with  their  pendent  scarlet  fruits,  are  of 
the  utmost  value  ;  but  vegetables,  as  a  rule,  unless 
it  be  finely  coloured  clusters  of  small-fruited 
Tomatoes,  are  not  good  material  with  which  to 
decorate  churches,  not  even  on  harvest  festivals. 

J.  MuiE. 


PLANTS    IN    FLO  WEE; 

The  African  Lily  in  Co.  Dublin.— Lady  Ardilaun 
writes  to  us  in  praise  of  ttie  blue  African  Lily  (Agapantlms) 
in  tlie  open  air  at  St.  Ann's.  Beds  liave  iK'en  out  four 
years  and  seem  tiuite  h.ordy.  The  tffect  is  charmlDg  in 
autumn. 

Eucharlg  amnzonica.— I  send  you  an  abnormally 
large  flower  of  Eucliaris  araazonica  with  a  double  set  of 
petals  set  round  a  very  large  crown  of  good  shape.— Wm. 
Allan,  Ounton. 

***  It  consists  of  two  flowers  fused  into  one— a  showy 
bloom  measuring  5  inches  across  being  the  result.— Ed. 

New  Nerlnes.— I  send  you  two  trusses  of  \erine. 
The  one  — a  blight  rose — is  my  own  raising,  and  is  a  cross 
between  pudica  and  humilis  ;  I  call  it  amabilis.  The  other 
is  better  in  substance,  and  is  a  variety  of  sarnieusis,  which 
I  call  insignis.— Max  LEICHTLIN,  Baden-Baden. 

**^  Both  very  handsome,  especially  the  rose-coloured 
kind,  which  is  very  brigllt  and  etfective.  The  other  re- 
sembles N.  FothergtUi  m  colour,  and  is  equally  showy. — 
Ed. 

Eelianthus  californicus.— This  seems  to  us  a  very 
handsome  .Sunflower,  of  a  bold  and  elegant  habit,  very  stiff 
and  firm,  so  much  so  as  not  to  require  stakes.  The  tiow'er 
is  also  striking- a  dark  black  centre  and  rich  yellow  ray. 
Among  the  10,000  composites  we  grow  or  may  grow,  this 
one  we  should  not  reject  I 

October  open-air  flowers.- A  pretty  gathering  of 
open-air  flowers  has  been  sent  to  us  by  ilrs.  Webster,  of 
Llandegai,  showing  that  the  North  Wales  climate  is  more 
favourable  for  late  hardy  flowers  than  that  of  London. 
The  sorts  include  several  of  the  Ijest  Asters,  some  showy 
Snapdragons  and  Fentstemons,Kudbeckiaspeciosa,  Achillea 
Millefolium  rubra,  Cbrysantliemum  ma.\imuru,  .Spartium 
junceura.  Arbutus,  Erica  vagans.  Cyclamen,  Aubrietia,  and 
the  pretty  Himalayan  Polygomim  vaccinifolium. 

Seedling  CoronlUa  glauca  — I  send  you  a  branch  of 
a  Coronilla  selected  from  amongst  some  seedlings  of  C. 
glauca.  It  is  a  much  dw.arfer  variety  than  V.  glauca,  and 
equally  hardy  and  floriferous  ;  as  a  pot  plant,  it  would 
look  e(iually  as  well  as  a  Genista.  I  think  it  deserves  a  dis- 
tinctive name.  I  have  shown  it  to  several  nurserymen  and 
they  all  say  that  they  have  Lever  seen  anything  like  it.  I 
also  enclose  a  branch  of  the  ordinary  C.  glauca  for  com- 
parison.— W.  C.  R. 

^ .''  Quite  d'stinct  from  the  common  C.  glauca,  the 
l)ranches being  more  densely  set  with  foliage  and  the  flowers 
of  a  deeper  orange.  We  consider  it  superior  in  every  re- 
spect to  the  type.— Ed. 

Oattleya  speciosisslma— Two  uncom- 
monly fine  blooms  ot  a  superb  named  variety  of 
this  Cattleya  have  been  sent  to  us  by  Mr.  Lums- 
den,  Balmedie,  Aberdeenshire,  who  states  they 
were  produced  on  the  current  years  growth.  The 
flowers  are  remarkable  for  large  size  and  broad 
sepals,  which  are  deep  lilac  in  colour ;  the  lip, 
which  is  large  and  circular,  is  deep  amethyst  with 
yellow  in  the  throat.  Such  a  fine  Cattleya 
is  particularly  valuable  in  mid- October.  Mr. 
Lumsden  also  sends  a  good  twelve-flowered  spike 
of  Odontoglossam  crispum. 

Polygonum  vaccinifolium. — This  is  a 
beautiful  rock  garden  plant.  It  is  a  native  of  the 
Himalayas,  and  is  perfectly  hardy  in  this  country. 
It  forms  a  dwarf  trailing  tuft  of  slender  stems, 
clothed  with  small  shining  foliage.  The  flowers 
are  small  and  of  a  delicate  rose  colour,  arranged 
in  neat  spikes  from  2  inches  to  3  inches  long, 
tapering  to  a  fine  point.  The  habit  is  neat,  and 
the  procumbent  branches  produce  their  flowers  in 
great  abundance  during  the  autumn  months ; 
when  hanging  over  large  stones  they  have  a 
charming  appearance.  This  Polygonum  is  cot 
verj'  particular  as  to  soil  and  situation,  but  it 
seems  to  do  best  in  light,  sandy  soil  on  the 
southern  a.spect  of  a  rockwork  or  Ivy  bank,  where 
it  spreads  very  rapidly.  It  flowers  at  the  present 
season  when  the  rockery  is  almost  bare,  but  it  c  f  n 
also  be  easily  grown  in  pots,  and  forms  a  most 


332 


THE     GARDEN 


[Oct.  18,   1884. 


effective  plant  for  greenhouse    decoration. — Cl. 

SONNTAG. 

Gigantic  OdontogloEsuta   spike.— An 

extraordinary  flower-spike  of  O.  crispum  (Alex- 
andra;) has  been  sent  to  us  by  Dr.  Paterson,  of 
Fernfield,  Bridge  of  Allan.  It  carries  upwards  of 
fifty  blooms  on  various  branchlets.  Dr.  Paterson 
writes  as  follows  respecting  it ;  "  When  in  Mr. 
Low's  nursery  some  years  ago,  and  he  had  just 
received  an  importation  of  Alexandiajs,  I  observed 
that  half  a  dozen  of  the  lots  had  unusually  large 
and  thick  dried  flower-stems,  so  I  purchased  three 
of  the  smallest  plants.  The  spike  I  send  you  is 
from  one  of  the  plants ;  the  other  two,  being 
equally  robust  in  habit,  also  throw  very  strong 
spikes,  and  are  even  finer  varieties.  Can  these 
plants  have  been  seedlings  with  vigorous  consti- 
tutions ?  I  think  the  variety  might  be  called 
giganteum.  All  orohidists  who  have  seen  the 
spike  declare  they  never  saw  a  finer  flowered 
Alexandrse."  Whether  this  exceptionally  tine 
spike  is  due  to  a  particular  variety  or  not  is  a 
doubtful  point.  We  should  rather  attribute  it  to 
Dr.  Paterson's  skill  in  Orchid  culture. 

Fuchsia  Sir  Henry  Pottinger.— This  fine 
old  Fuchsia  is  probably  nearly  extinct,  yet  in 
some  respects  it  has  not  been  surpassed  by  the 
thousand  and  one  varieties  raised  since  its  day. 
It  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  light  race.  The 
flowers  when  in  their  best  state  are  very  large,  of 
great  substance,  and  have  a  glittering  surface, 
although  their  shape  does  not  much  accord  with 
the  modern  criterion.  The  habit  of  the  plant, 
which  is  only  of  moderate  height,  is  decidedly 
weeping.  The  specimen  from  which  the  spray 
sent  was  taken  is  a  '  .S-foot  standard  and  about 
forty  years  old.  It  is  in  a  12-inch  pot,  and  from 
associations  is  much  revered  here.  The  bloom  is 
arranged  in  thick,  drooping  racemes  at  the  ends 
of  the  branches,  some  of  which  are  pendent  from 
the  top  of  the  plant  to  a  foot  below  the  base  of 
the  pot  standing  on  a  bench.  It  has  been  in 
flower  nearly  the  whole  of  the  summer.  To  bring 
about  this,  however,  it  requires  a  sumptuous  diet, 
and  it  is  necessary  to  remove  the  berries,  which  it 
yields  in  abundance. — J.  M.,  Chit nnouth,  Dorset. 

*,*  A  showy  variety  in  the  way  of  the  Lord 
Beaoonsfield. — Ed. 


NOTES  OF  THE  WEEK. 

Flnsbury  Park— The  usual  display  of  Clirysanthe- 
mums  in  thi.s  park  will  be  opened  to  the  public  to  day, 
October  IS.  The  usual  annual  displays  also  in  the  Temple 
Gardens  are  open. 

"  Forestry. "  — The  proprietorship  of  this  monthly 
magazine  work  has  passed  from  Messrs.  William  Kider  & 
i>oii  to  Mr.  Charles  Aiideison,  jun.,  the  proprietor  of  the 
"  North  British  Agriculturist,"  and  in  future  the  magazine 
will  be  published  in  Edinburgh. 

The  'Walnut  crop.— The  crop  of  Walnuts  in  the  dis- 
trict from  which  1  write  is  the  best  we  have  had  for  several 
years  past.  It  is  not  only  abundant  but  the  qualiity  is  also 
good,  there  being  but  few  Kuts  without  kernels.  I  notice 
that  the  green  sliell  is  unusually  thick  this  season.— 
J.  C.  C. 

Town  trees— Trees  are  being  planted  on  each  side 
of  the  improved  portion  of  Gray's  Inn  Road  ;  and  it  is  ex- 
pected that  the  planting  will  be  continued  by  the  St  Pan- 
eras  Vestry  on  that  part  of  the  thoroughfare  which  is  under 
their  jurisdiction  as  far  as  King's  Cross.  This  cotitem- 
])lated  improvement  will  convert  a  rather  dingy  London 
road  into  a  handsome  promenade. 

A  ne'W  industry  has  Just  been  started  in 
East  Kent — that  of  growing  crops  of  Lavender 
and  Peppermint  for  the  purpose  of  extracting  the 
oil  and  supplying  it  wholesale.  A  large  breadth  of 
land  at  Grove,  near  Canterbury,  has  been  planted 
with  Lavender  and  Peppermint  by  way  of  expe- 
riment, and  the  result  has  proved  in  every  way 
satisfactory.  It  has,  therefore,  been  determined 
to  establish  extensive  works  on  the  spot  in  order 
to  carry  on  the  process  of  extracting  the  oil  from 
these  plants,  neither  of  which,  it  is  stated,  has 
ever  been  cultivated  before  in  Kent. 

Distribution  of  plants.  — The  commis- 
sioners of  Her  Majesty's  Works  and  Public  Build- 
ings intend  to  distribute  this  autumn,  among  the 
working  classes  and  the  poor  inhabitants  of  Lon- 
don, the  surplus  bedding-out  plants  in  Battersea, 
Hyde,  the  Kegent's,  and  Victoria  Parks,  and  the 


Royal  Gardens,  Kew,  and  the  pleasure  gardens, 
Hampton  Court.  If  the  clergy,  school  committees, 
and  others  interested  will  make  application  to  the 
superintendent  of  the  park  nearest  to  their  re- 
spective parishes,  or  to  the  director  of  the  1  loyal 
Gardens,  Kew,  or  to  the  superintendent  of  Hamp- 
ton Court  Gardens,  in  the  cases  of  persons  resid- 
ing in  those  neighbourhoods,  they  will  receive 
early  intimation  of  the  number  of  plants  that 
can  be  allotted  to  each  applicant,  and  of  the  time 
and  manner  of  their  distribution. 

Tito  International  Forestry  Exhibi- 
tion in  Edinburgh  was  brought  to  a  close  on 
Saturday.  Throughout  the  day  and  during  the 
evening  the  attendance  was  very  large,  the  build- 
ings and  the  grounds  outside  being  crowded.  The 
high,  unsteady  wind  and,  it  was  said,  a  slight  acci- 
dent prevented  the  ascent  of  the  balloon.  It  is  esti- 
mated that  nearly  500,(X)0  people  have  visited  the 
exhibition.  As  to  the  financial  results,  it  is  believed 
that  there  is  likely  to  be  a  deficit  of  not  less  than 
in  all  probability  between  I'JOO  and  .£1000.  The 
accounts  have  not  yet  been  made  up,  and,  accord- 
ingly, no  exact  statement  can  be  given ;  but 
the  above  estimate  is  believed  to  be  only  too  well 
grounded,  and  certainly  not  over  the  amount 
of  the  deficit  that  may  be  looked  for  when  every- 
thing now  due  has  been  paid  off.  This  de- 
ficit is  attributed  chiefly  to  the  heavy  ex- 
penditure that  has  been  necessary  to  the 
carrying  on  of  the  exhibition,  with  all  its  attrac- 
tions. The  buildings,  in  the  first  place,  cost  up- 
wards of  i'TOOO ;  that  of  the  electric  light  has 
been,  it  is  said,  about  i'LjOO  ;  and  J36  a  night  has 
been  paid  for  other  illuminations.  The  general 
expenses  have  been  very  heavy — heavier  than  was 
at  tirst  anticipated ;  and  in  the  general  expenses 
are  included  a  vast  number  of  important  items  for 
every-day  requirements,  which  have  run  up  into  a 
formidable  figure.  The  promoters  of  the  proposed 
^ichoo!  and  Museum  of  Forestry  have  now  obtained 
from  the  Lawson  Seed  Company  a  place  for  the 
temporary  accommodation  of  the  exhibits  that 
have  been  promised  for  the  museum,  and,  accord- 
ingly, it  is  understood  they  do  not  propose  to 
acquire  any  considerable  portion  of  the  exhibition 
buildings.  These  in  the  course  of  a  short  time 
will  be  taken  down  and  removed. 

Blue  Grapes. — I  send  you  some  clusters 
from  my  blue-berried  Vine  described  in  your 
columns  some  few  years  ago  as  one  of  the  good 
things  in  my  garden.  I  should  not  be  far  wrong 
this  year  if  I  said  it  is  the  best.  Certainly  it  is 
so  if  the  admiration  of  beholders — and  specially 
of  ladies — is  any  proof  of  excellence.  I  could  not 
say  how  often  I  have  been  asked  for  some  of 
these  Grapes  in  order  that  they  may  be  painted, 
and  I  have  sent  away  boxes  full  of  them  for  that 
purpose  in  all  directions.  I  see  now  why  Vitis 
bumulifolia  is  so  little  known,  and  it  comes  as  a 
surprise  even  to  such  experienced  gardeners  as 
the  Kev.  T.  H.  Ellaoombe,  of  Clyst  St.  George,  or 
to  his  son,  the  vicar  of  Bitton.  The  beauty  of  this 
Vine  when  it  is  at  its  best  is  quite  undeniable, 
but  it  often,  even  here,  goes  three  or  four  years 
without  coming  to  perfection,  and  it  scrambles 
all  over  the  place  with  astonishing  vigour.  The 
summer  must  be  a  continuously  hot  one  for  the 
Grapes  to  ripen  well  in  September ;  if  it  is  wet 
in  July  while  the  Vine  is  in  blossom,  it  will  do 
nothing  more.  It  follows  from  all  this  that  either 
it  must  be  grown  under  glass,  or  success  must  be 
looked  for  only  once  in  three  or  four  ytars.  The 
first  supposition  is  not  often  complied  with, 
because  Black  Hamburghs  stand  in  the  way,  and 
the  Vine  becomes  so  discredited  by  the  failure  of 
two  or  three  years  in  succession  in  open  air,  that  it 
is  at  once  given  up.  Moreover,  I  should  not  think 
it  ever  would  do  anything  at  all  in  a  place  which 
is  damp  and  cold.  But  given  only  a  really  old- 
fashioned  hot  summer  and  an  entire  absence  of 
rain  for  weeks  and  months  together  and  in  any 
suitable  place,  Vitis  humulifolia  is  sure  to  be  an 
object  of  exquisite  beauty.  Its  numerous  clusters 
of  clear  tuiquoise-blue  are  very  engaging,  and  they 
are  so  utterly  unlike  anything  else  which  I  have 
ever  seen,  that  they  command  attention  at  once. 
Even  so  great  a  traveller  as  Colonel  Stuart  Wortley 


has  been  very  much  struck  by  them,  and  he  is  only 
one  out  of  many.  The  chorus  cf  praise  has  been 
unstinting  the  last  few  weeks  which  my  blue- 
berried  Vine  has  received.  I  would  just  add  that 
it  strikes  easily  in  a  little  heat  in  mid- winter,  and 
I  daresay  it  may  be  grown  from  seed — at  any 
rate,  Mr.  Horner  tells  me  he  intends  to  try  and 
raise  it  in  that  way.— H.  EwbANK,  St.  John's, 
Byde,  Isle  of  Wight. 

' ^*  A  pretty-fruited  Vine,  the  berries  of  which 
are  about  the  size  of  Peas  and  pale  blue  in  colour. 
—Ed. 

Apples  and  Lilies.— In  a  sloping,  walled- 
in  garden  I  recently  saw  a  clump  of  gold-rayed 
Japan  Lilies  with  half  opened  blossoms  and  great 
plump  buds,  and  quite  near  to  it,  for  contrast, 
great  rosy-cheeked  Apples  hung  in  festoons  down 
the  grey-leaved  branches.  Those  Apple  trees  are 
twice  beautiful  within  the  cycle  of  one  short  year. 
In  spring  the  trees  are  like  rosy  snow  rucks  against 
the  sky,  while  now  one  may  perceive  that  the 
ancient  dream  of  Hesperidian  "  Apples  of  gold  "  is 
true  in  our  own  time.  On  a  sunny  border  the 
lilac-starred  Asters  were  in  bloom,  and  it  is  to 
them  the  butterflies  come  for  nectar  and  to  sun 
their  wings.  Red  Admirals  and  the  Tortoise- 
shell,  large  and  small  alike,  are  there  with  the 
bees  a  jocund  company.  The  best  of  the  old 
Michaelmas  Daisies  are  beautiful  in  themselves, 
and  afford  us  the  joys  of  lovely  insect  life  as  well, 
but  one  le.sson  this  old  walled-in  garden  teaches  is 
an  old  one  :  we  must  never  divorce  the  fruit  trees 
from  the  flowers.- F.  W.  B. 


RICHARD  GILBERT. 


Amongst  the  foremost  of  British  gardeners  is  Mr. 
Gilbert,  of  Burghley,  a  man  well  known  to  readers 
of  The  Garden.  He  began  his  career  in  the 
gardens  at  ^\'orksop  Manor,  under  the  late  Mr. 
John  Wilson.  Afterwards  he  spent  some  time  in 
the  Castle  Gardens  at  Arundel,  and  he  was  like- 
wise a  student  gardener  at  Chiswick  during  the 
best  times  of  that  grand  old  garden.  For  the 
past  ten  or  fifteen  years  he  has  had  charge  of  the 
gardens  at  Burghley,  where  his  cultural  successes 
have  been  greater  than  those  of  most  men,  a  fact 
to  which  our  pages  bear  ample  testimony.  As  an 
inventor,  Mr.  Gilbert  has  given  us  improved  hand- 
lights  or  portable  protective  plant  frames,  and  as 
a  raiser  of  new  flowers  and  vegetables  he  is  like- 
wise favourably  known.  The  charming  double- blos- 
somed Chinese  Primroses  which  he  originated  are 
still  to  the  fore,  and  amongst  vegetables  we  need 
only  mention  Chou  de  Burghley,  and  the  Universal 
Savoy,  and  an  improved  selection  of  Brussels 
Sprouts  to  show  what  he  has  done  in  that  branch 
of  gardening.  In  short,  in  fruit  and  vegetable 
culture  Mr.  Gilbert  has  been  especially  successful, 
as  the  many  first-class  awards  which  he  has 
received  abundantly  testify.  As  a  contributor  to 
horticultural  literature  he  is  well  known,  and  his 
communications,  while,  as  a  rule,  brief,  are  full  of 
humorous  point,  and  abound  in  strong  common 
sense.  The  annexed  portrait  is  acknowledged  to 
be  an  excellent  likeness  of  him. 


ROYAL  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 
An  E.xample. 
While  our  Royal  Horticultural  Society  has  been 
frittering  away  its  opportunities  and  resources 
and  lamenting  Its  misfortunes,  it  is  interesting  to 
turn  to  a  kindred  institution,  founded  under  far  less 
favourable  circumstances  at  a  much  later  date, 
prosecuting  its  work  with  far  less  assistance,  and 
yet  efficiently  and  successfully  aided  by  a  small 
army  of  observers,  which,  strange  to  say,  are 
mostly  gardeners.  I  allude  to  the  Scottish  Meteo- 
rological Society,  concerning  which  a  few  parti- 
culars may  be  interesting.  This  society  may  be 
said  to  have  begun  almost  without  funds — casting 
its  bread  upon  the  waters,  so  to  speak — and  trust- 
ing to  public  encouragement  to  help  it  to  continue 
a  useful  work,  the  importance  of  which  is  now  be- 
ginning to  be  fully  realised.  The  object  of  thi3 
society  is  to  investigate  meteorological  phenomena 
generally,  its  connection  with  public  health,  agr 


Oct.    18,  1884.] 


THE  GARDEN 


ort  rt 
000 


culture,  and  natural  history,  and  with  that  view  it 
has  established  "  stations  "  under  the  care  of  com- 
petent observers,  mostly  head  gardeners,  over  the 
whole  of  Scotland,  at  the  Faroe  Islands,  Iceland, 
and  elsewhere,  while  it  is  in  communication  also 
with  other  observers  and  societies  in  other  parts 
of  the  world.  One  of  the  latest  stations  formed 
is  on  the  summit  of  Ben  Nevis,  from  which  great 
things  are  expected,  while  a  marine  station, 
equipped  with  all  the  necessary  appliances,  in- 
cluding a  steamboat,  has  been  established  at 
Granton  for  the  purpose  of  investigating  problems 
connected  with  our  sea  fisheries  and  other  matters 
connected  with  marine  animal  and  vegetable  life. 
Annually,  or  oftener,  the  society  publishes  a  full 
and  most  interesting  report  of  its  proceedings, 
many  of  which  have  a  real 
interest  for  gardeners  and 

farmers.     Under  tlie  pre-  

sidency  of  the  Duke  of 
Richmond,  an  influential 
council,  and  an  able  and 
enthusiastic  secretary  and 
his  staff,  the  work  pro- 
ceeds smoothly  and  me- 
thodically, and  extends  in 
importance  and  useful- 
ness every  year.  The 
working  expenses  amount 
to  an  incredibly  small 
sum,  showing  the  most 
rigid  economy  necessita- 
ted by  the  very  limited 
funds  at  tlie  disposal  of 
the  society,  and  provided, 
I  believe,  mostly  by 
voluntary  subscriptions. 
The  report  is  an  exhaus- 
tive and  laborious  com- 
pilation, such  a  task  as 
our  Royal  Horticultural 
Society  has  never  had  to 
face,  and  before  which 
its  reports,  if  they  saw 
the  light,  would  dwindle 
into  insignifSoance.  And 
yet  the  Scottish  lleteoro- 
logical  Society  is  for  all 
praclical  purposes  simi- 
lar to  the  much  more 
pretentious  Royal  Horti- 
cultural Society.  It  is 
constituted  on  the  same 
lines  and  does  its  work 
by  the  same  means. 
There  is  only  this  dif- 
ference between  the 
two  —  that  whereas  the 
one  knows  its  work 
and  does  it,  the  other 
never  seems  to  know 
what  it  is  going  to 
do  next,  and  is  always 
waiting  for  something  to 
turn  up,  notwithstand- 
ing that  it  has  had  by  far 
the  best  opportunities. 
Yet  if  the  Royal  Hor- 
ticultural Society  would 
divest     itself     of    some 

of  its  needle.ss  responsibilities,  cease  those  aspira- 
tions which  it  can  never  realise,  and  confine  itself 
to  the  work  that  it  can  do,  and  which  belongs  to 
it,  it  might  yet  beat  the  Meteorological  Society  in 
its  sphere  of  usefulness,  because  it  has  a  more 
popular  and  wider  field,  and  would  no  doubt  be 
helped  in  its  work  by  many  voluntary  assistants. 

The  great  want  of  horticulture  at  the  present 
time  is  exact  information  and  tabulated  facts  on 
almost  every  important  subject,  which  are  easily 
procurable  it  only  some  properly  organised  body, 
working  with  a  will,  would  collect  them,  arrange 
them,  and  generally  digest  them  for  the  benefit  of 
all  concerned.  The  Apple  show  was  a  step  in  the 
right  direction,  ;'  c,  if  we  get  the  promised  report, 
and  anything  comes  of  it,  but  on  that  occasion  the 
"  congress "  seems  to  have  saddled  itself  with 
more  than  it  could  accomplish.  Half-a-dozen 
pomologists  or  intelligent  fruit  growers  sitting 


periodically  in  council,  and  taking  the  work  de- 
liberately, might  settle  Apple  nomenclature  and 
the  question  of  kinds  best  adapted  for  difTerent 
parts  of  the  country,  and  other  matters  pertaining 
to  culture  in  a  year  or  two,  and  without  any  great 
exertion,  if  they  set  about  it  in  the  right  way,  and 
placed  themselves  in  connection  with  cultivators 
throughout  the  country,  not  encumbering  them- 
selves with  the  help  of  everybody  who  chooses  to 
offer  it,  but  only  that  of  responsible  and  appointed 
agents  and  correspondents.  In  this  way,  by  taking 
upone  thing  at  a  time,  and  working  it  out  me- 
thodically, the  work  would  proceed  and  something 
would  be  done. 

As  constituted  at  present  the  Royal  Horticul- 
tural Society  appe.irs  to  consist  of  a  number  of 


stands  at  present  it  might  be  blotted  out  of  exist- 
ence, and  would  never  be  missed.  J.  S.  W. 


*  .7/  •  Xf^'    '  •    • 


EICHAKD   GILBERT. 


individuals,  each  acting  on  his  own  responsibility, 
and  doing  what  seems  right  in  his  own  eyes,  but 
by  far  the  greater  portion  of  them  do  nothing  at 
all,  and  are  mere  dummy  members.  We  shall  be 
told,  I  daresay,  that  there  are  three  committees, 
one  scientific,  one  for  fruit,  and  one  for  llowers, 
all  doing  useful  work.  Well,  the  two  last  appear 
to  exist  principally  for  the  benefit  of  the  trade  to 
register  their  productions  and  help  their  sale,  and 
as  for  the  scientific  committee,  nobody  seems  to 
think  it  worth  while  hardly  to  record  its  desultory 
conversations.  Still,  these  bodies  exist  and  spend 
time  and  money,  and  if  anyone  belonging  to  them 
had  the  courage  and  enterprise  to  take  the  ini- 
tiative, and  start  a  proposal  to  place  the  society 
on  a  new  footing,  with  the  purpose  of  performing 
some  good  work,  some  specified  task,  I  have  no 
doubt  they  would  receive  support  from  horticul- 
turists of  all  degrees.    As  the  Royal  Horticultural 


THE  GARDENS  AT  TRESCO  ABBEY. 
Tresco  Abbey,  a  foundation  of  the  Benedictine 
monks  of  Tavistock,  dates  from  the  tenth  century. 
From  the  insignificant  ruins  that  now  remain  of 
it,  it  could   never  have   been  very  grand.     The 
present  abbey  is   a   queer,  many-gabled   house, 
built  on  a  rocky  cairn  facing  the  channel  which 
intervenes  between  Tresco  and  the  largest  of  the 
islands — St.   Mary's.     In    the   rear    the    ground 
ascends  still  higher.     To  the  left  of  the  entrance 
a  descent  conducts  to  the  gardens  ;  to  the  right  a 
carriage  drive  leads  to  the  populous  parts  of  the 
island.  The  Abbey  Walk, 
a    carriage    drive,   could 
not  be  improved  upon,  if 
only   Mr.   Dorrien- Smith 
would  plant  out  one  ugly 
gap  disclosing  some  un- 
couth sheds.    It  is  about 
three-quarters  of  a  mile 
long,  and  thickly  planted 
on  both  sides  with  ever- 
varying    kinds    of    foli- 
age.     The     commonest, 
but    at    the    same   time 
the  handsomest,  tree   is 
Cupressus      macrocarpa. 
This  sea-loving    Cypress 
is  the   Conifer  that  suc- 
ceeds best  on  the  islands. 
Its  growth  in   the  sandy 
soil    of    Tresco   is   more 
vigorous  even  than  on  the 
mainland  ;     and     when 
hundreds    of    them    are 
seen  in  close  proximity, 
as  in  this  drive,  the  effect 
of  the  bright  green  foli- 
age peculiar  to  the  tree 
is  most  exhilarating  and 
entrancing.   The  late  Mr. 
Augustus  Smith  wrought 
quite    a    change   in   the 
vegetation  of  the  island, 
and    none   of  his  intro- 
ductions have  turned  out 
a    failure,     except     the 
Pinaster.       Those      who 
have   seen   the    magnifi- 
cent   old     Pinasters     of 
Mount  Edgcumbe  cannot 
credit  the  report  of   its 
being  a  short-lived  tree, 
and  so  the  verdict  anent 
the  Scilly  specimens  must 
be  that  they  have  been 
wind  -  tossed     into     the 
reverse  of   a    green   old 
age.     It  is  a   pity  they 
are  so  gnarled,  dwarfed, 
and     brown,    for     there 
are   some    thousands   of 
them.      However,     they 
have    answered     the 
main  purpose  for  which 
they   were  planted,  and 
have  afforded  ample  protection  for  the  younger 
and  more  tender  trees.     The  carriage  drive  is  cut 
along  the  side  of  a  slope,  and  on  one  side  the 
ground  rises  sharply.     It  is  on  this  side  the  Pinas- 
ters are  planted,  with  an  undergrowth  of  Rhodo- 
dendron ponticum.     At  every  few  steps  Dracienas 
are  mixed  with  the   Rhododendrons,  one,  a  local 
hybrid     between     Cordyline     erythrorachis    and 
Dracaena  australis,  and  combining  the  habit  of  the 
former  with  the  foliage  of  the  latter,  being  very 
striking.  Wheie  the  Rhododendrons  will  not  grow 
the  ground  is  covered  with  Bracken.     The  various 
New  Zealand  Flaxes  are  planted  largely,  and  every 
now  and  then  occur  large  examples  of  Chamocrops 
excelsa.   Turkey  Oaks,  bronzy  Elfeagni,  and  silvery 
Eucalypti  abound,  and  in  a  sheltered  alcove  are 
brought  together  Pinus  insignis  and  Picea  nobilis, 
with  some  spiny  Araucaria  Bidwilli  at  their  feet. 
A  very  noticeable  plant  abutting  on  the  road  is 


oo4 


THE    GARDEN 


[Oct.   18,  1884. 


a  Sparmancia  africana  quite  30  feet  high  and 
thick  in  proportion.  A  springy,  mossy  path  leads 
down  through  a  glade  of  Cypresses  and  blue 
Hydrangeas,  the  latter  large  dense  shrubs,  to  a 
Keed-grown  lake.  There  is  one  retreat,  with  tall 
Cypresses,  Rhododendrons,  and  Acacia  Melanoxy- 
lon  planted  round,  and  devoted  to  Indian  Rhodo- 
dendrons. Here  are  healthy  plants  of  arboreum 
argenteum,  Edgworthi,  Thomsoni,  ciliatum,  Hodg- 
soni,  jasminiflorum,  Maddeni,  NuttalU,  and  other 
well-known  kinds.  I  must  leave  to  the  reader 
the  picturing  of  this  orderly  medley  of  tropical 
and  cool  vegetation.  Let  him  try  to  keep  in  view 
what  the  entire  cchajijiee  dc  vue  must  be  and  also 
the  strange  beauty  of  each  single  group  as  it  un- 
rolls itself  to  the  advancing  footsteps.  For  the  first 
hundred  yards  as  one  leaves  the  abbey  the  fore- 
ground on  the  left  is  a  bank  of  Hydrangeas.  In 
the  month  of  August  they  were  densely  covered 
with  azure  blooms.  On  the  opposing  side  are 
]i'uchsias  galore,  some  20  feet  high,  also  in  bloom. 
From  this  point  a  path  arched  over  with  foliage 
leads  down  to  the  foot  of  the  cairn  of  rocks  on  which 
the  house  is  built.  Turning  to  the  left,  on  reach- 
ing the  bottom  is  a  pathway  leading  along  the 
side  of  some  marshy  ground  in  which  the  Arum 
Lily  is  growing  in  a  wild  state. 

EOCKWORK. 

The  position  of  the  house  on  a  basis  of  natural 
rockwork  offers  an  opportunity,  of  which  there 
can  be  but  few  parallels,  to  the  landscape  gar- 
dener. Very  little,  except  in  the  cutting  of  a 
path,  has  been  done  to  alter  the  natural  forma- 
tion. Soil  has,  of  course,  been  brought  to  it,  and 
all  the  other  usual  means  taken  advantage  of,  to 
make  plant  lite  possible  on  a  rocky  bed.  Some  of 
these  methods  by  which  a  succulent  is  made  to 
flourish  on  what  looks  like  the  arid  face  of  a  rock 
richly  deserve  a  note,  but  space  in  this  paper  for- 
bids. The  rockwork  surrounds  the  house  on  the 
garden  and  lake  sides  of  it,  and  it  is  different  in 
character  with  each  aspect.  Taking  the  latter 
side  first,  let  us  make  our  survey  of  it  from  a  low 
battlemented  wall  which  commands  it,  and  at  the 
fame  time  edges  a  narrow  path  round  the  house. 
Beneath  the  wall  is  a  row  of  Agave  americana 
d(  stined  to  flower  in  the  course  of  a  few  years,  and 
below  it  a  small  group  of  shrubs  which  separates 
the  two  rocTsworks.  The  one  to  the  left  is  bright 
with  flowering  I'elargoniums,  and  the  good  old- 
fashioned  varieties  are  nearly  all  here— macran- 
thum,  Shrubland  Pet,  Rollisson's  Unique,  Prince  of 
Orange,  &c.  These  flower  all  through  the  year  and 
are  as  pretty  in  winter  as  in  summer.  Hardy  as  well 
as  Mexican  Yuccas  are  dotted  about.  Other  plants 
there  are,  but  these  are  the  two  prevailing,  and  as 
the  next  list  will  be  multitudinous,  let  this  be 
known  as  the  Pelargonium  rockwork.  The  other 
on  the  garden  side  contains  one  of  the  richest  and 
most  varied  collections  of  Crassulacea^,  Cacti,  and 
other  suitable  plants  to  be  met  with.  There  is  a 
hollow  basin  at  the  base  in  which  is  an  Aponoge- 
ton-covered  pool.  Overhanging  are  plants  of 
Acacia  dealbata  and  the  curious  and  leafless  Beef- 
wood,  or  Casuarina.  As  the  rockwork  ascends  the 
eye  notices  that  every  crevice  is  filled  with  8edums 
or  Echeverias,  and  any  little  gap  closed  by  Sem- 
pervivumtabulaiforme.  The  Mesembryanthemums, 
in  great  variety,  trail  everywhere  and  encroach 
one  upon  the  other.  A  path  leading  up  to  the 
abbey  intersects,  and  at  the  summit  of  the  rock- 
work is  a  flagstaff.  The  part  above  the  path  is 
rich  with  Cacti  of  various  kinds  and  Aloes  ;  of  the 
latter  the  following  varieties  are  noticeable : 
spicata,  depressa,  chinensis,  .Saponaria,  socotrina, 
ciliaris  ;  other  plants  are  Apicra  deltoides,  Kochea 
pcrfoliata,  Crassula  coccinea,  Cotyledon  velutina. 
Taller  growth  is  represented  by  the  bearded 
Dasylirion,  Drac-ena  Draco,  Fourcroya  longneva 
(which  frequently  flowers  in  these  gardens),  the 
Prickly  Pear,  Agave  americana  variegata,  and 
others.  Besides  all  this  a  large  quantity  of  Ferns 
are  planted  ;  and  just  below  the  fl.igstaff  an  Arau- 
caria  imbricata,  cut  off  about  1  feet  up,  throws  its 
branches  over  the  cliff,  from  which  they  hang  down 
gracefully.  From  the  stump  three  youne  upright 
shoots  have  sprung.  This  is  only  a  very  imperfect 
list  of  the  plants  to  be  seen  here,  but  it  ought  to 


be  enough  to  give  some  conception  of  a  unique 
display  of  flowers  and  foliage. 

General  Plan  of  the  Garden. 
It  is  formed  on  a  considerable  slope,  and  con- 
sists of  three  terraces,  with  walks  along  the  top  of 
each,  parallel  to  each  other.  Every  inch  of  ground  is 
planted,  and  the  whole,when  looked  down  upon  from 
an  eminence,  shows  as  one  dense  mass  of  foliage. 
A  tennis  ground  at  the  foot  is  the  only  expanse  of 
lawn  to  be  seen,  and  as  a  great  part  is  meant  to  be 
a  wild  garden,  any  exact  description  would  be 
futile.  The  paths  and  walks  between  the  terrace 
walls  are  many  and  various,  and  it  requires  a  stay 
of  a  week  or  more  to  have  a  full  comprehension  of 
their  botanical  importance.  Adjoining  the  tennis 
lawn  is  what  is  called  the  Wilderness.  It  is  a 
grove  of  Alders  and  Sycamores,  beneath  whose 
shade  and  shelter  are  planted  Tree  Ferns.  Plants 
of  Alsophila  australis  and  excelsa  and  the  various 
Dicksonias  have  stood  here  for  a  long  period.  I 
have  seen  specimens  at  Penjerrick,  one  of  the 
most  favoured  localities  in  Cornwall,  that  have 
stood  out  for  five  years,  but  they  have  all  suc- 
cumbed in  very  severe  winters.  But  in  Scilly 
severe  frosts  are  unknown,  so  much  is  the  atmo- 
sphere tempered  by  warm  sea  breezes.  Cyathea 
medullaris  has  made  extraerdinary  growth  and  is 
furnished  with  giant  elliptical  fronds.  The  stems 
are  all  set  in  fanciful  rockwork  bases,  and  piles 
and  lines  of  stones,  overgrown  with  Lomaria 
magellanica  and  some  hardy  British  Ferns,  are 
scattered  about  under  the  trees.  This  part  of  the 
garden  takes  the  fancy  of  visitors  d\mtrc  mer  as 
much  as  any,  and  justly  so,  for  the  effect  is  not 
only  pleasing,  but  it  is  also  strange  and  unique. 

The  Terrace  Walks. 
The  first  of  these,  or  the  long  walk,  has  been 
illustrated  in  most  of  the  gardening  papers.  It  is 
confined  on  both  sides  by  an  endless  variety  of 
plants,  and  has  in  parts  an  exact  tropical  appear- 
ance. The  Dracrenas,  planted  about  thirty  years, 
have  attained  a  height  of  as  many  feet,  and  are 
sturdy-looking  trees  with  sulcate  bark.  They  can 
be  counted  by  the  score,  and  whole  avenues  of 
them  diverge  from  the  main  pathway.  They  flower 
and  seed  in  profusion,  as  likewise  do  many  of  the 
Chamairops,  numbers  of  which  are  also  to  be 
seen.  One  very  large  Eucalyptus  has  unfortu- 
nately been  wind-scorched,  but  the  smaller  ones 
are  very  healthy.  Club  Palms,  Camellias,  and 
Oranges  mingle  with  Araucaria  excelsa  and 
Seaforthia  elegans,  one  large  plant  of  which 
has  fronds  quite  12  feet  long.  All  the  Myr- 
taceaj  nearly  are  hardy,  and  by  the  side  of 
this  walk  are  the  re.=plendent  Metrosideros  ro- 
busta  and  various  varieties  of  New  Holland  Calli- 
stemons  and  Leptospermums.  Clethra  arborea' 
greenhouse  Andromedas,  Melaleuca  hypericifolia, 
Correas, Tetranthera californica,  Jlyrsine  undulata. 
Cassia  corymbosa,  Candollea  tetrandra,  Griselinia 
lucida  also  go  to  swell  the  list  of  plants  in  its  im- 
mediate margin.  Variegated  foliage  is  supplied 
by  Bambusa  variegata,  the  creamy  edged  Coprosma 
variegata,  and  the  variegated  forms  of  Eheagnus 
and  other  shrubs.  Vases  are  placed  at  regular  in- 
tervals containing  Opuntias,  Cacti,  Aloes,  and  so 
on.  Flowering  plants  are  littered  about  every- 
where, and  the  vacant  spaces  between  the  shrubs 
are  either  filled  up  with  them,  or  with  such  plants 
as  Fourcroyas  or  Dasylirions.  Besides  the  Dra- 
caena avenue  mentioned  above,  there  are  nume- 
mous  outlets  from  it  all  more  or  less  remarkable, 
one  piercing  a  passage  through  a  Bamboo  thicket, 
another  through  an  arbour  of  Veronicas  ;  two  paths 
also  cross  at  right  angles,  going  in  one  straight 
line  from  the  base  to  the  top  of  the  gardens  ;  but 
of  these,  more  in  another  place.  The  highest  walk 
of  all,  although  not  less  attractive  in  plant  life, 
has  the  additional  attraction  of  a  wide  view.  From 
here  the  sea  in  its  different  moods,  whether  lazily 
dallying  in  the  srnglare,  or  showing  its  white 
teeth  when  the  wind  blows  wild  and  free,  can  be 
wa'ched.  Here  also  are  vases  and  various  stone 
receptacles  and  orifices  filled  with  Mammillarias, 
Aloes,  Gasteria  glabra,  various  of  the  Crassulaceaj, 
and  such  plants  as  Pachyphytum  bracteosum.  The 
following  shrubs  may  also  be  mentioned  :  Senecio 
Fosteri,  Esoallonia  montevidensis,  Polygala  Dal- 1 


maisiana  (quite  a  large  bush),  Solauum  lanceola- 
tum,  Ulearia  stellulata,  Dodona^a  viscosa,  Beau- 
fortias,  and  Myoporums.  All  the  above  are  in- 
terspersed among  numberless  flowering  plants,  and 
above  the  terrace  the  ground  rises  to  a  Gorse- 
covered  ridge. 

Intersecting  Walks. 
Two  of  these  deserve  notice.  Their  direction  is 
straight  up  the  slope ;  one  begins  from  an  old  stone 
seat  surmounted  by  Lichen-covered  rocks,  and  with 
a  mound  planted  with  Agave  americana,  D^aca^na 
australis.  Fuchsias,  and  other  plants  in  the  back- 
ground. After  a  little  distance  it  bisects  a  circular 
parcel  of  ground,  called  the  Hop  Circle,  from  the 
graceful  festoons  that  the  Hops  trained  on  iron 
bars  form  around  it.  AVithin  this  charmed  circle 
are  also  Aralia  papyrifera,  Chama;rops  humilis, 
and  some  free-flowering  Fuchsias.  Any  of  onr 
older  gardeners  and  amateurs  would  be  vastly 
pleased  to  wander  about  the  Tresco  grounds,  for 
most  of  the  dear  old  Fuchsias  are  still  preserved 
here,  among  them  being  Riocartoni,  corymbiflora, 
corymbosa,  splendens,  Thomsoni,  globosa,  conica, 
and  coccinea.  From  the  Hop  Circle  this  path  leads 
under  an  Ivy-clad  arch  to  the  remains  of  the  old 
abbey — 

Where  the  dead  red  leaves  of  the  year  lie  rotten, 
The  cold  old  crimes  and  tlie  deeds  thrown  by. 

But  Mr.  Swinburne's  verses  are  not  applicable  in 
this  case,  for  the  few  gravestones  are  almost  hid 
by  masses  of  Agapanthus,  and  the  interior  looks 
like  some  old-fashioned  garden.  A  little  further 
is  a  rocky  escarpment  burning  with  Crassula  coc- 
cinea (August).  The  second  of  these  paths  takes 
its  origin  from  an  old  cresset  burner  brought  from 
the  island  of  St.  Agnes,  but  now  filled  with  Gera- 
niums. After  crossing  the  long  walk,  it  is  enclosed 
on  both  sides  by  tall  hedges.  At  the  head,  visible 
all  the  way  up,  is  a  fine  head  of  Neptune,  to  reach 
whicli  is  a  flight  of  steps  cut  in  the  rock.  As  the 
ascent  of  these  steps  is  made  the  eye  ranges  over 
the  part  of  the  garden  intervening 

Between  the  Terraces. 
Just  below  this  standpoint  is  a  quadrangular 
flower  garden  devoted  to  Geraniums,  Calceolarias, 
and  their  usual  concomitants.  It  is  bounded  on 
one  side  by  a  wall,  upon  which  are  trained  Sola- 
num  jasminoides,  Abutilon  vexillarium,  Clianthus 
puniceus,  Mandevilla  suaveolens,  and  some  rare 
Acacias.  Opposite  is  a  hedge  of  Eugenia  Ugni. 
At  the  head  is  a  bank  of  large  golden  Agave  ame- 
ricana, almost  in  a  flowering  state,  and  at  the 
foot  is  a  group  of  shrubs,  with  such  Palms  as 
Areca  sapida,  Phconix  dactylifera,  and  Chamasrops 
Palmetto.  The  shrubs  behind  them  consist  of 
various  Aralias,  including  Sieboldi,  trifoliata,  and 
dactylifera,  and  also  Tupidanthus  calyptratus, 
which  resembles  an  Aralia.  Still  further  back 
and  well  sheltered  are  Banksia  serratifolia  and 
grandis,  the  former  in  flower.  Across  the  middle 
of  this  strange  flower  garden,  which  grows  lovelier 
the  more  we  gaze  at  it,  is  a  row  of  tall  Dracaena 
australis.  Not  far  from  the  outskirts,  and  adjoin- 
ing the  abbey  ruins,  is  a  very  dainty  corner.  Here 
is  a  fine  clump  of  Hydrangeas  surrounding  an 
ornamental  stretch  of  rockwork  thronging  with 
the  everlasting  Dracaena,  and  nestling  under  the 
wall  is  a  bank  of  I'uya  chilensis.  This  Bromeliad 
flowers  most  seasons,  and  has  increased  in  stock 
to  a  remarkable  degree.  Near  here  is  also  a  fine 
plant  of  Ozothamnus  rosmarinifolius.  On  the 
opposite  side  to  this  there  is  a  very  pretty  walk 
joining  the  terraces.  By  its  side,  in  stall-like 
enclosures  formed  of  hedges,  have  been  planted 
out  for  many  years  Eriostemons,  Boronias, 
Croweas,  liarosmas,  and  such  greenhouse  plants 
as  Brachysema  acuminatum  and  IVIitraria  coccinea. 
So  hardy  have  they  proved  themselves,  and  so 
satisfied  is  Mr.  Dorrien-Smith  with  their  growth, 
that  he  intends  to  plant  out  a  large  collection  of 
Ericas.  This  will  be  an  additional  charm  to  what 
is  already  a  garden  and  treasury  of  dainty  devices 
and  beauties.  This  walk  is  one  of  the  prettiest 
in  it,  for  after  crossirg  the  long  walk  it  threads 
its  way  through  a  dense  shrubbery,  two  notice- 
able trees  it  passes  near  being  tall  specimens  of 
Taxodium  sinense  and  Araucaria  Bidwilli.  This 
latter  has  unfortunately  grown    too   high,  and 


Oct.   18,   1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


335 


has  lost  its  leader  thorovigh  the  force  of  the 
wind.  Other  parts  of  the  garden  are  known 
as  higher  and  lower  Australia,  and  are  planted 
with,  amongst  others,  Corypha  australis,  Tasmannia 
aromatica,  and  several  varieties  of  Hakea.  A  very 
common  climber,  and  one  which  in  Scilly  grows  as 
freely  as  any  other,  is  Muhlenbeckia  complexa. 
Bulbous  plants  again  do  extremely  well,  and  the 
ground  is  full  of  Nerines,  Narcissi,  and  Amaryllis 
Belladonna  Agapanthus  africanns  forms  large 
dense  masses  of  foliage,  and  throws  up  enormous 
flower-spikes,  and  under  a  sheltering  wall  Hedy- 
chium  flavum  usurps  a  large  extent  of  ground. 
There  is  no  better  vantage  ground  than  the  top 
terrace  from  which  to  note  the  position  and  con- 
tour of  the  different  islands.  Scilly  sunsets  are 
famous,  and  to  stand  here,  with  the  fragrance  of 
the  gardens  wafted  up  in  the  still  twilight  hoar  and 
watch  the  rocks  changing  and  flashing  as  they 
answer  the  long  farewells  of  the  departing  sun,  is 
to  taste  one  of  the  purest  of  terrestrial  pleasures. 
Oa  a  stone  slab  near  one  of  the  entrances  is  writ- 
ten, after  some  injunctions  and  requests,  which  a 
man  mast  be  mal  lichr  indeed  not  to  respect, 
"  Enter  then,  and  it  so  please  thee,  and  welcome." 
Scilly  is  not  a  seaside  place  agreeable  to  the  hearts 
of  wives  and  daughters,  but  do  ye,  who  love  our 
craft,  be  marble  to  their  complaints  and  go.  There 
is  no  excuse  for  unfettered  birds. 

C.  A.  M.  Cahmichael. 


Orchids. 

HARDY  ORCHIDS. 
Early  in  April  the  first  Orchis  (0.  mascula)  was 
in  flower,  and  from  that  time  up  to  a  fortnight 
since,  when  the  Lady's  tresses  (Spiranthes  au- 
tumualis)  closed  the  season,  we  have  had  an  almost 
uninterrupted  succession  of  bloom.  The  past 
warm,  dry  summer  has  no  doubt  been  beneficial 
to  many  Orchids,  more  especially  those  of  Conti- 
nental origin,  and  we  may  fully  expect  that,  owing 
to  the  tubers  being  well  ripened  off,  a  fair  amount 
will  reappear  in  full  vigour  next  season.  To  begin 
with  our  native  species,  0.  mascula,  O.  fusca,  and 
0.  pyramidalis  have  done  exceedingly  well,  the 
latter  especially  being  quite  a  treat  when  in 
full  bloom.  Indeed,  too  much  can  hardly  be  said 
in  favour  of  this  plant,  as  for  ease  of  culture, 
beauty  of  flower,  and  lasting  qualities  when  in  a 
cut  state  it  is  perhaps  unsurpassed  by  any  other. 
0.  fusca  is  also  a  most  desirable  species,  but  ex- 
ceedingly rare  and  difficult  to  obtain  true.  For 
both  these  species  good  red  loam  is  all  that  is 
required,  with  a  handful  of  rough  grit  or  sand 
placed  round  the  tubers  at  the  time  of  planting. 
The  spotted-leaved  Orchis  (0.  maculata)  is  a  first- 
class  plant,  but  requires  a  great  amount  of  care 
in  transplanting  and  rich,  damp  loam  in  which  to 
grow.  Like  most  of  the  palmate-tubered  Orchises, 
this  plant  is  very  impatient  of  disturbance,  and 
when  once  thoroughly  established,  should  be  left 
alone. 

The  Marsh  Orchis  (0.  latifolia)  I  cannot  man- 
age, although  with  this  species  I  have  gone  to  a 
great  amount  of  trouble  in  transferring  it  to  my 
garden.  Destruction  or  injury  to  the  least  rootlet 
may  be  relied  on  as  destruction  to  the  plant  as 
well — at  least  such  is  my  experience.  It  is,  how- 
ever, a  lovely  plant,  with  a  peculiar  fresh  green 
tint  of  foliage  that  is  wanting  in  any  other  species. 
The  flower  is  also  beautiful  in  the  extreme,  and 
cannot  but  induce  anyone  who  has  seen  it  in  its 
native  haunts  to  cultivate  the  plant.  I  believe 
Miss  Hope's  plant  (0.  maculata  superba)  to  be 
more  nearly  allied  to  this  species  than  to  its 
namesake,  O.  maculata. 

I  have  frequently  found  this  plant,  or  what  I 
consider  equally  as  good,  in  conjunction  with  the 
Marsh  Orchis,  and  could  not  help  thinking  how 
nearly  allied,  both  in  appearance  and  habit,  these 
two  plants  were.  O.  ustulata,  a  miniature  copy 
of  0.  fusca,  is  hard  to  deal  with,  and  requires  some 
peculiar  treatment ;  I  wish  I  knew  what.  It 
flowers  well  for  a  season  or  so,  and  then  disap- 
pears without  the  least  warning.  What  a  lovely 
little  gem  is  the  Musk  Orchis  (llerminium  Mon- 


orchis)  !  It  is  one  of  the  easiest  to  grow,  increases 
rapidly,  and  has  deliciously-scented  flowers  re- 
sembling tiny  pearls.  It  wants  a  raised  mound 
of  limy  loam,  where  the  plants  will  not  suffer 
from  excess  of  moisture,  and  to  be  left  alone. 
This  Orchid  is  different  from  most  others  in  the 
young  tubers  being  formed  at  the  end  of  the  roots, 
so  that  in  lifting  the  plant  great  care  is  necessary 
to  avoid  damage.  It  is  an  autumn  or  end  of  sum- 
mer flowering  species. 

Of  Habenarias,  the  Butterfly  Orchid  (H.  bifolia) 
is  a  good  thing,  pretty  easily  cultivated,  and  a 
profuse  bloomer.  The  flowers,  like  those  of  the 
latter  species,  though  in  a  much  greater  degree, 
are  sweetly  scented,  more  especially  in  the  evening, 
when,  after  a  shower,  the  delicious  fragrance  can 
be  distinctly  smelt  at  some  distance  from  the  plants. 
II.  albida  and  II.  viridis,  two  dwarf-growing  plants, 
are  interesting,  but  not  ornamental,  and  rather 
diflioult  to  cultivate,  the  latter  especially.  Good 
damp  loam  is  the  secret,  if  there  is  any,  in  the 
cultivation  of  these  plants,  to  which,  for  H.  albida, 
a  slight  peaty  mixture  will  be  a  good  addition.  I 
have  a  variegated- leaved  Butterfly  Orchis  which 
offers  a  rich  contrast  to  the  normal  form. 

Most  of  the  species  of  Cephalanthera  and 
Epipactis  are  difficult  to  manage,  except  C,  ensi- 
folia  and  E.  palustris.  The  latter  is  a  most  orna- 
mental plant  when  in  full  flower,  and  one  that  I 
can  honestly  recommend  Xo  anyone  possessing  a 
damp  bed  in  which  to  grow  it.  Liparis  Loeseli, 
one  of  our  rarest  little  bulbous  Orchids,  succeeds 
well  with  me,  and  increases  in  size  from  year  to 
year.  Mr.  Burbidge,  if  I  remember  rightly, 
describes  this  plant  as  epiphytal,  but  if  so,  it  is 
epiphytal  with  me  in  pure  leaf-mould  and  brick 
dust.  I  cannot  grow  Malaxis  paludosa— perhaps 
it  is  epiphytal. 

Various  species  of  Spiranthes  are  ornamental 
plants,  notably  S.  aistivalis  and  S.  autumnalis, 
that  is  when  well  grown  and  seen  in  perfection.  Of 
the  Ophrys  tribe,  O.  apifera  and  0.  arachnites  are 
the  most  desirable,  but  they  are  difficult  to  keep 
and  require  occasional  renewing.  0.  apifera  has, 
however,  been  established  and  flowering  well  with 
me  for  some  years  past. 

Amongst  foreign  hardy  Orchids,  0.  foliosa  is 
the  best  and  most  easily  managed.  Planted  in  a 
damp,  peaty,  somewhat  shady  bed,  it  gives  no 
further  trouble,  unless  it  be  to  divide  the  tubers 
when  they  have  increased  beyond  the  limits  of 
the  patch  which  they  were  allotted.  Both  foli- 
age and  flower  of  this  Orchid  are  ornamental, 
the  latter  often  rising  3  feet  in  height,  and 
appearing  at  some  distance  like  a  gigantic  Fox- 
glove. The  wavy-leaved  Orchis  (O.  nndulatifolia) 
is  well  worthy  of  cultivation,  and  amongst  Euro- 
pean forms  certainly  bears  the  palm.  It  succeeds 
better  here  than  any  other  of  the  Continental 
species,  being  extremely  hardy  and  well  suited  for 
different  positions.  The  flowers,  which  are  thrown 
well  above  the  foliage  in  bold  handsome  spikes, 
are  very  conspicuous,  and  being  of  good  substance 
last  for  a  considerable  time.  There  is  a  variety  of 
this  plant  with  spotted  leaves  that  is  a. decided 
improvement,  the  flowers  being  much  larger  and 
the  plant  altogether  of  a  more  robust  habit  than 
the  original.  Orchis  globosa  bears  large  spherical 
heads  of  bright  pink  flowers,  and  has  several 
qualities  which  specially  recommend  it  for  cultiva- 
tion. Another  Italian  Orchid  that  does  well  here 
is  O.  sambucina,  which  bears  moderately  large 
spikes  of  yellow  flowers  strongly  scented  of  Elder. 
The  several  forms  of  Serapias  are  most  curious 
and  interesting,  not  only  from  their  varied  colours, 
but  peculiar  construction  as  well.  S.  Lingua  bears 
large  showy  flowers  of  a  brownish  purple  colour, 
the  lip  being  exceedingly  long  and  resembling  a 
tongue,  from  whence  the  name  is  derived. 

Of  Cypripediums,  C.  parviflorum  is  distinct  and 
rare.  The  flowers,  usually  two  on  a  stem,  are  of  a 
bright  yellow  like  a  Calceolaria,  and  the  sepals 
long,  twisted,  and  of  a  dull  brown  colour.  I  have 
been  more  snccesstul  with  this  plant  than  any 
other  of  the  class,  which  may  no  doubt  be  attri- 
buted to  my  receiving  good  healthy  specimens  to 
start  with.    It  is  planted  in  leaf-mould  and  sand. 


and  has  increased  to  a  greater  extent  than  any 
other  Orchid  in  my  collection.  C.  acaule,  C. 
pubescens,  and  that  rare  form  with  almost  pure 
white  flowers  (I  refer  to  C.  candidum)  all  do  well, 
and  seem  quite  at  home  in  their  respective 
quarters.  Our  native  C.  Calceohis  I  cannot  coax 
into  flowering,  but  I  will  try  Mr.  Wood's  sand 
recipe,  and  at  some  later  time  report  the  success. 
One  thing,  I  have  never  been  able  to  obtain  really 
good  roots  of  this  Orchid,  though  I  have  more 
than  once  purchased  it  by  the  half  dozen,  to 
which,  more  than  cultivation,  I  attribute  my 
repeated  failures ;  and  if  someone  who  has  suc- 
ceeded with  this  plant  will  send  me  an  established 
specimen,  I  will  be  most  thankful,  and  reward 
them  by  some  other  species  in  return. 

With  the  North  American  Habenarias  I  can  do 
little  or  no  good,  our  summers  being  too  cold  to 
ripen  the  tubers.  They  bloom  well  enough  for  a 
season  after  being  imported,  but  seldom  again. 
After  paying  a  great  deal  of  attention  to  hardy 
Orchids  I  must  confess  that  they  are,  as  a  rule, 
by  no  means  easy  subjects  to  deal  with,  and  it  is 
only  after  repeated  failures  that  I  have  got  some 
species  to  become  established,  or  rather  reappear, 
from  year  to  year.  They  are,  however,  well 
worthy  of  a  little  extra  attention,  which  is  amply 
repaid  by  the  beauty  of  bloom  produced  by  most 
of  the  species.  A.  D.  Webster. 

Llandcgal^  Bangor. 


Orchid  sales. — Seeing  the  prices  now  being 
paid  at  Stevens's  "  for  really  good  forms  of  Odon- 
toglossum  crispum  one  would  think  it  would 
be  a  profitable  employment  for  a  collector  abroad 
who  would  select  the  best  varieties  and  m.ark 
them  ere  he  consigned  them  to  Europe.  Only  the 
other  d.iy  we  heard  of  half  a  plant  in  flower 
fetching  i'30  or  i'40,  and  yet  imported  plants 
may  be  had  for  as  many  pence.  I  know  a  little 
of  the  difficulties  and  dangers  under  which  col- 
lectors must  ever  labour,  but  I  also  know  the  ad- 
vantages they  often  have  of  liberal  European 
assistance,  and  native  labour  not  over  expensive, 
and  in  their  own  interests  I  ask  of  them  as  a 
favour  that  they  will  select  and  mark  exceptional 
variations,  seeing  that  most  men  who  buy  are 
liberal  enough  when  they  can  conscientiously 
write  '  for  value  received.'"  I  wrote  this  much 
in  December  last  after  hearing  a  collector  com- 
plain of  the  low  prices  paid  at  auction  sales,  and  I 
now  am  glad  to  find  that  the  plan  suggested  has 
been  adopted  by  Jlr.  Maw  in  the  case  of  Masde- 
vallia  Harryana.  Out  of  several  thousand  plants 
seen  in  flower,  only  the  finest  varieties  were 
selected,  and  every  plant  offered  was  numbered, 
and  had  one  of  its  own  flowers  dried  beside  it  and 
on  view.  The  plants  had  been  carefully  selected, 
and  were  brought  home  in  good  condition.  About 
four  hundred  plants  only  were  offered,  and  the 
best  plants  realised  from  four  to  six  guineas  each, 
the  whole  importation  realising  nearly  I'lOO — not 
at  all  a  bad  result  for  a  single  consignment. 
Messrs.  Protheroe  &  Morris  were  the  salesmen, 
and  we  have  no  doubt  whatever,  now  that  the  ice 
has  been  broken  in  such  a  practical  way,  that  a 
little  more  care  in  selecting  only  the  best  of  varie- 
ties will  now  become  general.  In  the  case  of 
Odontoglossum  Alexandra;  this  care  is  especially 
necessary,  as  many  of  the  later  imjiortations 
have  contained  many  weedy  p'ant-',  having  small, 
poorly  coloured  flowers,  "with  petals  like  .a  wind- 
mill," as  an  old  Orchid  fancier  once  told  me  after 
blooming  some  of  them.  Just  now  the  cost  of 
collecting,  packing,  carriage,  and  shipment  to 
Europe  of  Odontoglossum  Alexandra;  varies  from 
£iO  to  iJ.-iO  per  thousand,  and,  as  we  already 
know,  one  really  first-class  variety  is  worth  the 
same  money.  Now  that  we  have  made  a  successful 
beginning  in  the  way  of  choice  selection  instead 
of  the  indiscriminate  scraping  up  of  good  and 
bad  alike,  we  may  hope  for  better  and  more  satis- 
fying results  to  collector,  salesman,  and  purchaser 
alike. — Veronica. 


Sand  (/J.  }'.).— The  Eample  you  semi  appears  to  be 
suitable  for  horticuUural  purposes— i  e  ,  if  free  from  lime, 
which  it  seems  to  be. 


336 


THE    GARDEN 


[Oct.   18,   1884. 


Books. 


PLANT-LORE,  LEGENDS,  AND  LYRICS.* 

A  FEW  years  ago  gardeners  were  contented  with 
knowing  something  about  the  few  plants  that 
were  useful  for  bedding-out  purposes,  but  the 
present  more  wholesome  fashion  of  growing  any- 
thing and  everything  that  is  ornamental  has  led 
to  one  result  that  could  have  been  anticipated 
only  by  those  who  studied  and  cultivated  plants 
in  the  widest  range  possible  to  them.  The  result 
we  mean  is  a  large  crop  of  books  dealing  not 
merely  with  the  botany  or  the  cultivation  of 
flowers,  but  with  their  literary  and  historical 
association,  their  poetry,  and  legends.  During 
the  last  ten  years  there  have  been  many  such 
books,  but  long  before  that  the  old  gardening 
authors  delighted  in  such  bye-paths  in  their 
favourite  pursuit,  while  many  readers  of  The 
Garden  will  be  old  enough  to  recollect  how  much 
was  collected  in  this  way  and  published  by  Brand, 
Hore,  Miller,  Foster,  and  many  others.  The  sub- 
ject is  really  almost  inexhaustible,  and  therefore 
we  are  not  surprised  that  Mr.  Folkard  has  been 
tempted  to  add  yet  another  work  to  the  many 
already  published  during  the  last  ten  or  fifteen 
years.  The  book  is  daintily  got  up,  and  to  those 
who  have  not  other  books  on  the  subject  it  can  be 
thoroughly  recommended  as  a  very  full  and  trust- 
worthy account  of  the  "  myths,  traditions,  super- 
stitions, and  folk-lore  of  the  plant  kingdom." 

The  title  is  rather  misleading.  Plant-lore 
means  the  knowledge  of  plants,  but  Mr.  Folkard 
tells  us  little  or  nothing  of  the  botany,  struc- 
ture, habits,  or  cultivation  of  the  many  plants  he 
names,  and  very  little  of  their  geography.  Of 
"legends"  he  has  abundance,  but  of  "lyrics" 
he  gives  a  very  limited  selection.  Assuming  that 
be  means  the  poetry  connected  with  plants,  his 
quotations  are  chiefly  confined  to  translations  from 
Ovid,  to  Ropin,  and  such-like  authors,  while  of  the 
old  English  poets  —  Qower,  Chaucer,  Spenser, 
Shakespeare,  Milton,  Jonson,  &c. —  he  seems  to 
know  very  little ;  and  the  modern  poets  whose 
pages  are  so  full  of  flowers,  such  as  Words- 
worth, Tennyson,  Shelley,  and  Browning,  he  en- 
tirely omits.  The  work,  therefore,  is  by  no  means 
exhaustive,  yet  it  contains  600  closely-printed 
pages,  many  of  which  must  be  classed  as  "  pad- 
ding." The  book  is  divided  into  two  parts,  the 
first  containing  sixteen  chapters  on  plants  under 
various  heads,  as  sacred  plants,  fairy  plants. 
Christian  plants,  fabulous  plants,  plants  and 
planets  (in  which  he  omits  all  mention  of  Gower's 
elaborate  description  of  the  planets,  with  their 
appropriate  plants),  funeral  and  bridal  plants,  &c., 
while  the  second  part  contains  a  sort  of  dictionary 
of  about  600  different  plants  arranged  alphabeti- 
cally. 

The  book  is  full  of  legends  and  curious  historic  s, 
but  the  author  is  evidently  so  much  at  home  here 
that  we  regret  he  did  not  make  a  selection  of 
the  better  myths,  and  still  more  that  he  did  not 
(as  we  feel  sure  he  could  have  done  in  many  instances, 
perhaps  in  nearly  all)  trace  the  growth  of  the  myths 
from  the  first  germs  of  truth  to  the  fuller  develop- 
mentswhich  they  gradually  attained.  Weknow  well 
the  attraction  that  such  myths  have  upon  collec- 
tors of  them,  but  we  have  now  passed  the  stage  of 
mere  collection,  and  we  now  recognise  the  fact 
that  the  old  writers  were  neither  knaves  nor  fools, 
but  generally  built  up  an  imaginary  structure  from 
a  perfectly  sound  foundation.  As  instances  of  what 
we  mean  we  may  quote  the  well-known  and  much- 
derided  accounts  of  the  barnacle  geese  and  the 
vegetable  lamb.  In  their  late  developments  the 
accounts  of  these  creatures  were  tissues  of  false- 
hoods, but  they  sprang  originally  from  ill-observed 
specimens  of  real  creatures,  and  the  earlier  ac- 
counts are  not  very  far  from  the  truth.  Mr.  Fol- 
kard quotes  freely  from  Mandeville  and  Gerard 
(whose  name  he  spells  wrong  throughout),  but  he 
seems  unacquainted  with  the  vast  amount  of  plant- 
lore  to  be  found  in  our  Anglo-Saxon  and  early 
English  herbals. 


*  "Plant-lore,  Legend?,  and  Lyrics."    By  Eichard  Fol- 
kard, Jun.    8vo.    London  :  Sampson  Low  &  Co.    1834. 


The  second  part  (the  dictionary)  contains  600 
names  of  plants,  with  long  accounts  of  several  of 
them,  but  it  is  not  easy  to  see  on  what  principle 
any  plants  were  admitted  or  excluded.  Latin, 
English,  Greek,  and  Indian  names  are  all  used  in- 
discriminately, and  are  mixed  up  together  in  a 
very  queer  manner.  Thus  we  have  our  common 
wayside  Good  King  Henry  between  such  unknown 
plants  as  Golubetz  and  Gool-Alchin,  while  our  old 
favourites  King's  Cup  and  Knotgrass  are  pre- 
ceded by  Kerzereh  and  Ketakia,  and  followed  by 
Kooidara,  Kounalnitza,  Kuddum,  Kusa-grass,  and 
Kushta,  names  entirely  unknown  to  English 
botanists.  Of  course  in  a  universal  dictionary  of 
plants  such  names  might  perhaps  find  a  place,  but 
they  have  no  claim  to  a  place  in  a  selected  list  of 
only  600  plants,  supposed  to  be  more  or  less  fami- 
liar to  the  ordinary  reader. 

We  have  noted  a  few  points  for  short  comments. 
In  page  216  the  author  says:  "In  '  Midsummer 
Night's  Dream  '  Oberon  bids  Puck  place  an  Ane- 
mone flower  on  the  eyes  of  Titania."  Shakespeare 
nowhere  names  the  Anemone  ;  he  bids  Puck  place 
'  Drans  bud,"  which  can  only  be  the  bud  of  the 
plant  sacred  to  Artemes,  the  Artemisia,  or  Worm- 
wood. Chestnut  should  always  have  its  middle 
"t"  to  show  its  connection  with  the  Nux  Cas- 
tanea ;  Mr.  Folkard's  spelling  "  Chesnut"  gives 
the  false  connection  with  cheese.  The  generic 
name  of  Aquilegia  for  Columbine  is  most  probably 
not  from  Aquila,  but  from  Aquilegus,  a  water 
collector. 

The  book  has"  good  indexes,  but  though  occa- 
sionally an  author's  name  is  given,  there  is 
scarcely  a  reference  throughout.  Where  a  book 
is  composed  by  a  compilation  from  many  authors, 
the  entire  absence  of  references  is  a  very  serious 
omission. 


Parks  &  Public  Gardens. 


FOOTPATH  PRESERVATION  SOCIETY. 
A  PRELIMINARY  meeting  to  inaugurate  this  society 
lately  took  place  at  its  temporary  offices,  6,  Fetter 
Lane,  Fleet  Street,  Mr.  W.  P.  Freeland  in  the 
chair,  who  having  briefly  opened  the  proceedings, 
called  upon  Mr.  Allnutt,  the  promoter,  to  state  his 
views  on  the  association.  Mr.  Allnutt  then  ex- 
plained at  some  length  the  objects  of  the  society, 
viz.,  to  preserve  to  the  public  foot  and  bridle 
paths,  also  all  rights  of  way  by  land  and  water, 
vacant  spaces,  such  as  village  greens,  &c.  The 
society  will  also  advocate  the  purchase  of  land 
near  towns  and  villages  for  public  recreation 
grounds.  The  society  was  to  be  a  central  society 
from  which  branches  should  be  established  at 
various  towns  all  over  the  country.  At  Henley, 
Reading,  and  Birmingham  there  were  already 
local  societies  in  existence  ;  but  in  many  places 
where  footpaths  were  encroached  upon  no  pro- 
tective organisation  existed,  and  this  want  the 
present  society  proposed  to  meet.  The  Rev.  J.  M. 
Taylor  said  that  it  was  most  important  to  preserve 
to  the  public  the  numerous  footpaths  in  the 
country.  Footpaths,  he  said,  were  continually 
meddled  with  by  landowners,  and  there  was  a 
frequent  tendency  to  narrow  them  until  it  was  an 
impossibilty  to  walk  through  a  field  of  corn  with- 
out brushing  the  Wheat  on  either  side.  There 
ought  to  be  a  l-foot  track,  but  farmers  and  others 
in  many  instances  ploughed  up  the  footpath  so 
that  it  could  not  be  defined.  He  did  not  know  if 
there  was  a  specified  width  to  which  footpaths 
should  extend.  Mr.  Hugh  Browne  said  that  one 
of  the  objects  of  the  National  Footpath  Preserva- 
tion Society  was  to  get  a  settlement  of  that  ques- 
tion by  obtaining  a  minimum  width  fixed  by  law. 
The  Rev.  J.  M.  Taylor  then  spoke  of  a  labourer  in 
Buckinghamshire  who  when  going  through  a  field 
of  Wheat  on  a  public  footpath  got  wet  up  to  his 
thighs ;  he  straightway  returned  home  and  ob- 
tained a  sickle  with  which  he  cut  the  Wheat  right 
across  the  whole  field  until  the  footpath  was  wide 
enough  to  walk  over  without  a  person  getting  wet 
through.  The  farmer  summoned  him,  but  the 
magistrate  said  that  the  defendant  was  perfectly 


right,  as  there  should  have  been  sufiicient  room 
left  for  him  to  have  gone  through  the  field,  and 
not  a  mere  haie  track.  Mr.  Taylor  then  spoke  of 
the  value  of  footpaths  in  hi5  locality,  his  parish 
being  very  much  scattered,  and  stated  that  it 
would  be  a  great  boon  to  the  poor  if  the  existing 
footpaths  were  properly  defined.  Mr.  Allnutt  re- 
marked that  the  paths  should  not  only  be  shown 
on  the  ordnance  maps,  but  a  description  of  them, 
which  he  thought  was  of  equal  importance,  should 
be  printed.  Mr.  Hugh  lirowne,  solicitor,  Notting- 
ham, said  he  thought  the  difficulties  for  the 
society  to  overcome  were  twofold,  viz.,  bad  law 
and  bad  administration  of  bad  law.  He  described 
the  efforts  of  a  landed  proprietor  to  stop  a  foot- 
path near  Newstead  Abbey  in  which  he  was 
eventually  successful,  and  stated  that  such 
attempts  were  constantly  being  made  in  the 
country  with,  in  the  main,  equally  successful 
results.  A  society  like  the  National  Footpath 
Preservation  Society  would  unite  the  scattered 
efforts  of  those  who  stood  up  against  these 
practices.  It  should  be  made  known  throughout 
the  country  that  wherever  there  is  an  infraction  of 
the  law  by  the  stopping  of  footpaths  the  law  will 
be  appealed  to. 


Indoor    Garden. 


VENTILATED  FLOWER-POTS. 

Surely  Mr.  Crute  (p.  301)  must  have  been  ill  ad- 
vised to  invest  in  a  patent  for  a  flower-pot  that 
has  in  principle,  and  as  nearly  as  possible  in  shape, 
been  in  existence  for  many  years,  It  must  be  quite 
thirty  years,  I  think,  since  what  were  called  Heath 
pots  were  common  in  Scotland  at  least,  and  these 
pots  had  raised  bottoms,  holes  at  the  sides,  and 
were  nearly  as  wide  at  the  bottom  as  at  the  top, 
as  most  Scotch  pots  are  now.  Some  years  ago  I 
pointed  out  in  The  Garden,  in  a  discussion  on 
the  sizes  of  pots  for  Vines  and  Pines,  that  10-inch 
Glasgow  pots  were  equal  to  the  P^-inch  ones 
usually  made  in  England,  owing  to  their  being 
straight-sided.  Mr.  Crute's  patent  has  also  been 
anticipated  by  various  makers  in  other  ways 
Pots  with  several  drain  holes  flush  with  the  bot- 
tom and  a  groove  from  the  centre  hole  to  the  sides 
are  common  enough,  and  have  been  for  years. 
Some  of  the  advantages  claimed  by  Mr.  Crute  for 
his  pots  are  purely  fanciful.  They  will  not,  for 
example,  prevent  worms  from  entering  the  bot- 
tom, but  as  a  matter  of  fact  will  facilitate  their 
ingress,  for  whereas  a  flat-bottomed  pot  with  only 
one  holedoes  preventwormsfromgettingin,  except 
from  one  direction,  Mr.  Crute's  pots  admit  them 
on  all  sides.  Any  man  who  has  ever  carried  a  tin 
of  worms  in  his  pocket  on  a  fishing  excursion 
knows  how  worms  will  crawl  up  the  smoothest 
surface  if  they  wish  to  do  so.  As  to  ventilation, 
the  fault  of  a  porous  earthenware  pot  is  that  it  is 
too  much  ventilated  already.  Ventilation  in  the 
sense  provided  by  Mr.  Crute's  pot  is  not  needed 
in  the  least,  but,  on  the  contrary,  gardeners  reduce 
the  ventilation  whenever  they  can  by  plunging 
their  pots  up  to  the  rims  in  earth  or  something 
else,  the  amount  of  air  that  plays  around  and  in  a 
flower-pot  exposed  being  one  of  the  worst  evils 
connected  with  its  use.  In  fact,  double  pots  have 
been  invented  to  provide  against  this  very  evil 
when  the  pots  could  not  be  plunged.  The  idea 
that  any  plant  in  a  pot  needs  ventilating  from  the 
bottom  is  only  one  of  those  fanciful  notions  that 
sometimes  originate  in  the  brain  of  non-practical 
people,  but  have  no  foundation  in  practice.  One 
hole  in  the  bottom  of  a  flower-pot  is  ample,  and  if 
the  bottom  of  the  pot  be  grooved  or  elevated  by  a 
shallow  rim,  like  the  Heath  pots  just  mentioned, 
no  more  is  needed  ;  to  elevate  the  bottom  like  the 
bottom  of  a  champagne  bottle,  as  shown  in  Mr. 
Crute's  sketch,  is  only  to  encroach  needlessly  on 
the  rooting  space.  A  flat  or  very  slightly  dished 
bottom  with  a  hole  in  the  centre  answers  every 
purpose,  because  the  condition  of  the  roots  depends 
on  the  drainage,  which,  no  matter  what  the  bot- 
tom of  the  pot  is  like,  must  be  effected  by  means 
of  crocks  or  stones  laid  carefully  above  the  holes. 

S.  W. 


Oct.  18,  1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


337 


LIVISTONA  AUSTEALIS. 

Under  the  name  of  Corypha  australis  this  Palm 
has  long  been  cultivated  liecause  of  its  ornamental 
characters,  both  when  small  and  when  grown  to 
the  dimensions  of  the  specimen  represented  in  the 
adjoining  woodcut,  and  which  is  now  growing  in 
the  Jardin  des  Plantes,  Paris.  In  botanical  gar- 
dens, and  especially  in  the  Eoyal  Gardens,  Kew,  L. 
australis  is  to  be  seen  as  large  and  as  luxuriant  in 
health  as  it  ever  is  in  the  woods  of  Tropical  Aus- 
tralia where  it  is  a  native.  We  owe  the  introduc- 
tion of  this  useful  Palm  to  a  somewat  novel  cir- 
cumstance. In  his  "  Popular  History  of  Palms  " 
Seemann  says :  "  When  Allan  Cunningham,  the 
kings  botanist,  was  in  New  Holland,  he  sent  a 
case  with  living  plants  to  the  Royal  Gardens,  Kew, 
which  on  being  disturbed  was  found  to  have,  in- 
stead of  the  crocks  usually  placed  at  the  bottom  of 
such  cases  for  drainage,  seeds  of  a  Palm,  nearly  all 
in  process  of  germination.  Cunningham's  atten- 
dants, too  indolent  to  look  for  the  crocks,  had  sub- 
stituted the  seeds  of  the  Livi.stona  australis  which 
happened  to  be  more  handy.    These  young  plants 


is  a  little  straggling,  or,  as  some  Eay,ragged,  when 
in  a  small  state,  and  is  not  therefore  perhaps  quite 
so  useful  as  the  other,  at  least  for  table  decoration. 
All  the  Livistonas  are,  however,  really  serviceable 
garden  Palms,  all  being  palmate,  graceful,  toth 
when  small  and  when  large,  and  hard  enough  to 
stand  a  good  deal  of  rough  usage  with  impunity. 
Seeds  are  imported  in  plenty  from  various  tropical 
countries,  where  these  Palms  are  now  established 
and  fruit  freely,  and  these  soon  germinate  if  sown 
in  a  warm  house,  after  which  liberal  treatment  in 
the  matters  of  soil,  water,  and  warmth  will  soon , 
make  the  seedlings  into  plants  of  nsef  ul  size,  when 
they  should  be  gradually  hardened  off,  so  that  if 
desired  they  may  be  used  as  greenhouse  plants,  or 
for  the  decoration  of  rooms,  &c. 

In  the  "  North  "  Gallery  at  Kew  there  are  two 
groups  of  L.  australis  represented  in  pictures 
Xos.  549  and  582.  B. 


V.  ' 


?ij(t'- 


^~      III,    M  ■     '~M^\ 


^^S>i^~* 


^^z- 


jilHiiiii'is^'.^::. 


' 


LivUtona  avetraiis. 

were  carefully  nursed,  and  one  of  them  has  now 
become  one  of  the  gems  ot  the  collection  of  Palms 
at  Kew  ;  another  adorns  the  chief  conservatory  at 
the  Royal  Gardens  at  Hanover  ;  and  again  another 
at  the  Crystal  Palace,  at  Sydenham."  Since  See- 
mann wrote,  the  Kew  specimen  has  been  removed, 
owing  to  its  having  reached  the  top  of  the  Palm 
house.  This  was,  however,  replaced  by  another 
which  in  its  turn  will  have  to  be  sacrificed,  owing 
to  its  height.  L.  australis  is  a  fast-growing  Palm, 
soon  developing  into  a  noble  tree,  as  is  seen  in  the 
size  of  the  Kew  specimens,  several  of  which  rear 
their  massive  heads  of  shining  green  fan-shaped 
foliage,  supported  on  straight  cylindrical  rich 
brown  stems,  high  above  the  other  Palms. 
For  decorative  purposes  and  for  cultivation  in 
small  stoves  this  Palm  is,  when  young,  one 
of  the  best  and  most  useful.  This,  along  with 
another  equally  useful  Palm,  viz ,  L.  chinensis 
(Latania  borbonica),  is  grown  in  thousands  in  Con- 
tinental nurseries,  and  a  large  proportion  of  these 
are  annually  imported  by  London  nurserymen  to 
be  sold  to  the  decorator,  &c.  Very  young  plants 
in  6-inch  pots  of  L.  australis  make  good  table 
plants,  their  little  hand-like  leaf  blades,  supported 
on  semi-erect,  prickly  stalks,  and  so  arranged  as 
to  form  a  graceful  pyramid  of  dark  green  foliage, 
being  effective  when  thus  employed.   L.  chinensis 


Chrysanthemum    Lady   Selborne.  — 

This  variety  of  Chrysanthemum,  grown  in  the  way 
about  to  be  described,  is  one  of  the  best  we  have 
for  early  blooming.  Its  pure  white  flowers  are 
highly  prized  in  a  cut  state,  and  its  free  blooming 
habit  combined  with  its  earliness  make  it  doubly 
valuable.  Just  now  it  is  in  good  condition,  and 
will  continue  so  for  another  fortnight,  when  we 
shall  have  plenty  of  others  in  bloom  to  take  its 
place.  Cuttings  should  be  struck  early  in  January, 
either  in  heat  or  in  a  cold  frame,  as  may  be  thought 
best.  When  rooted  and  commencing  to  grow  pinch 
out  the  points  of  each  and  allow  three  shoots  to 
each  plant.  These  in  time  will  branch  into  three 
more,  and  the  nine  shoots  thus  obtained  should  be 
carefully  tied  to  stakes ;  all  side  shoots  should  be 
pinched  off,  leaving  the  centre  bud  to  each  branch 
only.  Pot  in  good,  rich  soil,  water  freely  when 
necessary,  and  use  liquid  manure  two  or  three 
times  a  week  during  summer,  when  the  pots  in 
which  they  are  to  bloom,  which  should  be  9  inch 
ones,  are  full  of  roots.  They  should  occupy  a  free, 
open  position  out  of  doors  during  summer,  but  as 
soon  as  the  flower  buds  show  colour,  or  earlier  if 
required  very  early,  they  should  be  placed  in  a 
greenhouse  or  vinery  and  given  plenty  of  air,  when 
they  will  soon  produce  blooms  of  snowy  white- 
ness, which  will  be  much  appreciated. — E.  Moly- 

NEUX. 

A  cottager's  Lily.— I  read  with  interest  the 
account  of  a  cottager's  Lily  given  in  The  Gar- 
den (p.  200).  Permit  me  to  give  an  account  of 
one  that  has  been  grown  here  and  looked  after  by 
the  gardener's  wife  (Mrs.  Day).  It  was  given  to 
her  by  a  friend  in  the  autumn  of  1882,  and  was 
potted  by  the  gardener  in  a  24-inoh  pot  in  a  com- 
post of  half  yellow  loam,  quarter  peat,  and  quarter 
leaf -mould,  adding  a  little  cow  manure  and  a  good 
sprinkling  of  silver  sand.  It  was  watered  and 
placed  in  a  cellar  in  the  gardener's  cottage,  where 
it  stood  all  winter.  In  spring  it  threw  npa  strong 
spike.  It  was  gradually  brought  out  of  the  cellar 
each  day  (weather  permitting)  and  taken  in  at 
nights  until  all  signs  of  frost  were  over,  when  if 
was  put  out  altogether,  and  it  bore  eleven  good 
flowers  on  one  spike.  In  the  following  winter  (in 
December)  it  was  again  potted  in  a  10-inch  pot, 
using  the  same  compost  as  before.  It  was  watered 
and  placed  in  the  cellar  again,  where  it  remained 
until  spring.  When  it  commenced  to  grow  it  was 
again  set  out  of  doors  each  day,  and  taken  in  at 
night  until  the  weather  was  sufficiently  favour- 
able for  it  to  stand  outside  altogether.  This  time 
it  threw  up  two  spikes,  and  when  about  1  foot  high 
it  was  given  a  top-dressing  of  fibrous  'peat  and 
kept  well  watered.  It  this  time  produced  eighteen 
fully  expanded  flowers  ;  six  were  on  one  spike  and 
twelve  on  the  other.  Several  of  them  measured 
11  inches  across,  and  they  were  finely  marked. 
From  the  bottom  of  the  pot  to  the  top  of  the 
largest  spike  is  5i  feet— quite  enough,  I  think,  to 
convince  anyone  how  easy  it  is  to  grow  a  fine 
Lily  to  perfection  without  the  aid  of  a  glasshouse. 
This  plant  never  received  any  manure  water. — A. 
Hawkes,  Casino  House,  Ueriie  Hill. 


Police  Court,  which  will  interest  the  owners  of  sub- 
urban villas.  The  district  surveyor  for  East  Hack- 
ney (North)  summoned  a  gentleman  for  a  fee  in 
respect  of  a  detached  greenhouse,  16  feet  long  and 
9  feet  wide,  which  had  been  erected  in  a  back 
garden.  The  magistrate  said  that  he  would  allow 
that  a  greenhouse  attached  to  a  building  was  not 
exempt,  but  thought  one  which  was  detached,  as  in 
this  case,  was  exempt,  and  therefore  dismissed  the 
summons.  District  surveyors  will  not  approve  of 
this  opinion,  but  from  an  occupier's  point  of  view 
it  is  satisfactory.  The  small  greenhouses  which 
are  found  in  the  gardens  of  London  houses  are 
often  so  simple,  that  they  hardly  deserve  to  be 
called  structures.  But,  like  fowlhouses,  they  have 
been  brought  within  the  terms  of  the  Building 
Act.  We  know  of  a  case  where  the  flue  in  a  small 
greenhouse,  entirely  constructed  by  an  amateur, 
was  treated  by  a  surveyor  as  if  it  were  a  factory 
chimney ;  and  many  similar  cases  oould  be  re- 
lated. 


Fruit  Garden. 


Detached  greenhouses.— A  decision  has 
been  given  by  Mr.  Hosack,  in  the  Worship  Street 


LARGE  y.  SMALL  BUNCHES  OF  GRAPES- 
No  gardener,  or  employer  either,  I  imagine,  objects 
to  large  bunches  of  Grapes,  provided  they  are  of 
good  quality.  Bunches  that  are  large,  well  coloured, 
and  well  flavoured  cannot,  I  think,  be  regarded 
as  anything  else  than  examples  of  high  culture, 
and  they  ought  to  be  rewarded  accordingly.  I 
do  not  think  the  plea  of  their  being  less  useful 
than  small  ones  can  be  sustained  under  such  cir- 
cumstances ;  but  the  fault  of  sensational  bunches  is 
their  inferior  quality.  As  a  rule,  they  are  neither 
well  coloured  nor  well  flavoured,  and  to  all  the 
sensationally  large  bunches  that  have  been  ex- 
hibited these  faults  have  been  common.  Some  of 
them  have  been  quite  inferior  in  every  respect 
except  size ;  so  much  so,  that  when  opposed  to  good 
but  small  bunches  at  exhibitions  they  have  gene- 
rally been  passed  over  altogether  by  the  j  udges ; 
in  fact,  I  cannot  recall  an  instance  of  the  large 
bunch  growers  competing  successfully  in  the 
"  single  dishes,"  a  class  in  which  the  cultivator's 
strength  is  tried  more  severely  than  anywhere 
else.  All  the  monstrous  bunches  of  Black  Ham- 
burgh have  been  badly  coloured,  small  in  berry, 
and  not  well  flavoured,  and  white  Grapes  have 
not  been  much  better.  The  problem  interesting 
to  gardeners  is,  "  Why  should  large  bunches  be  of 
inferior  quality?"  Somehow  or  other  the  colour- 
ing matter  never  seems  to  reach  their  extremities, 
even  under  the  most  favourable  circumstances, 
and  the  bigger  the  bunch  of  course  the  worse  the 
Enish.  If  there  be  an  ill-finished  bunch  on  a  Vine, 
it  is  almost  sure  to  be  the  largest.  This  is  a  fact 
to  begin  with,  and  seems  to  go  to  show  that  a 
Vine  shoot  or  branch  may  produce  a  monstrous 
bunch  which  it  cannot  really  ripen  perfectly,  just 
as  the  Vine  under  artificial  culture  does  produce 
constantly  far  more  bunches  and  berries  than  it 
can  carry  to  the  end  ;  hence  the  custom  of  thin- 
ning both  severely  in  every  case,  and  it  follows 
that  to  get  large  bunches  to  finish  properly  they 
should  be  reduced  in  size  by  the  cutting  away  of 
their  extremities,  for  it  appears  that  a  reduction 
of  the  number  of  bunches  on  the  Vine  does  not 
enable  those  left  to  ripen  perfectly,  even  when  the 
number  of  bunches  on  a  Vine  has  been  reduced  to 
one  or  two.  Another  thing  is  that  large  bunches  can 
only  be  produced  by  very  strong  Vines  reared  on 
very  strong  food,  and  hence  probably  not  well 
ripened  annually,  nor  of  sound  constitution,  a 
fact  borne  out  by  the  circumstance  that  such 
Vines  are  either  notoriously  short-lived  or  soon 
enfeebled,  as  their  history  goes  to  show.— S.  W. 

Many  will   doubtless    agree    with  what 

"  J.  G.  H."  has  advanced  upon  this  subject  (p.  319), 
but  for  my  part  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  ho  is 
not  altogether  correct  in  his  ideas  concerning  the 
greater  superiority  of  a  crop  of  medium  sized 
bunches  over  excessively  large  bunches.  It  may 
be  such  is  the  case  with  him,  but  if  he  had  some 
employers  to  please  he  would  find  the  reverse  to 
be  the  case,  i.e.,  he  would  find  that  fine  bunches, 
if  much  fewer  in  number,  would  give  the  greatest 


338 


THE    GARDEN 


[Oct.  18,  1884. 


satisfaction.     It  seems  to  me  that  employers  have 
of  recent  years  taken  much  greater  interest  in 
all   matters  pertaining  to  their  gardens  than  they 
used  to  do,  and  not  only  pay  frequent  visits  to  the 
kitchen  garden,  in  which  the  fruitand  plant  houses 
are  generally  located,  but  also  take  every  oppor- 
tunity of  bringing  their  friends  to  see  their  fruit 
and  flower  treasures.     Moreover,  I  find  that  there 
is  also  much  less  objection  to  occasional  visits 
being  paid  by  their  more  humble   neighbours  or 
amateurs,  who  like  to  see  what  is  being  done  at 
the  castle,  hall,  or  house,  as   the  case  may  be. 
Now  it   happens  that  anybody   can  grow  small 
bunches,  but  it  is  not  such  an  easy  matter  to  se- 
cure excessively  large  ones.  All  will  admire  a  crop 
of  medium-sized,  well  finished  bunches,  but  they 
do  not  excite  the  onlooker.  They  are  "very good," 
some  would  say,  but  it  is  the  adjective  "  grand  " 
that  best  pleases,  and  which  for  my  part  I  should 
always  feel  proud  to  hear  expressed  about  a  crop 
under  my  care.  Not  only  do  employers  like  to  see 
fine  bunches  hanging  on  the  Vines,  but  they  are 
also  very  proud  of  them  when  placed  on  their 
tables.    They  furnish  a  topic  for  conversation,  and 
many  will  even  sacrifice  quality  to  appearance, 
this  with  many  fruits  perhaps  being  a  mistake, 
though  as  far  as  Grapes  are  concerned  there  is  no 
reason  why   they  should  not  be  both   large   in 
bunch  and  good  in  quality.     Even  the  noble-look- 
ing Gros  Colmar  can  be  ripened  to  perfection  if 
started  early  and  be  given  a  fair  amount  of  fire- 
heat,  some  I  have  tasted  this  year  being  quite 
equal  to  Black  Hamburgh.  Black  Alicante  bunches 
well  finished  and  weighing,  say,  about    1  lbs.  look 
particularly  beautiful  both  on  the  Vines  and  the 
dinner-table,  and  these,  too,  may  be  fairly  good  in 
quality  if  ripened  in  heat  or  along  with  Muscat 
of  Alexandria,  the  bunches  of  which  cannot  well 
be  too  large,  and  such  large  bunching  sorts  as 
White   Tokay,  Calabrian  Kai^in,  and  Gros  Guil- 
laume   look   remarkably  well   on  the   table,  and 
when  in  season  are  not  to  be  despised  when  their 
turn  comes  to  be  eaten.    I  say  their  turn  comes 
to  be  eaten,  as  these  fine  bunches  are  rarely  cut 
np  when  first  put  on  the  table,  but  do  duty  for 
perhaps  two  or  three  nights.    In  such  cases  dishes 
of  Grapes  cut  into  small  pieces  are  set  on  the  side- 
board and  duly  handed  round   to  the   company 
present.     What  "J.G.  H."  has  to  say  upon  the 
necessity  or 

Advisability  op  shoetekino  the  bunches 
is,  I  readily  admit,  most  instructive,  and  should 
commend  itself  to  many  readers  who  from  choice 
or  necessity  crop  heavily,  as  in  such  cases  there  is 
no  doubt  the  plan  of  shortening  the  bunches  or 
selecting  medium-sized  ones  is  a  most  commend- 
able one.  Better  do  it  in  the  first  instance  than 
later  on,  when  perhaps  the  points  are  shanking 
and  the  Vines  weakened  from  the  efllect  of  trying 
to  perfect  a  too  heavy  crop.  Medium-sized  bunches 
are  also  the  easiest  to  pack,  and  being  also 
very  frequently  the  most  compact,  are  the  best 
travellers.  They  are  also  to  be  preferred  where 
it  is  the  custom  to  send  in  a  certain  number 
of  bunches  each  day,  what  is  left  of  these  being 
eaten  perhaps  by  those  who  have  no  right  to  them. 
After  all  has  been  said,  however,  it  is  a  question 
of  judgment  on  the  part  of  the  grower.  What 
should  first  be  determined  is  the  weight  of  Grapes 
the  Vines  are  capable  of  properly  finishing,  and 
this  weight  may  be  divided  among  so  many  large 
bunches  or  double  the  number  of  smaller  ones. 
The  mistake  which  so  many  of  us  have  made  in 
the  course  of  our  gardening  career  is  to  attempt  to 
finish  too  many  large  bunches,  or  a  greater  weight 
of  Grapes  than  should  reasonably  be  considered  to 
be  a  crop.  In  that  case  we  must  either  shorten 
the  bunches  and  reduce  their  shoulders  or  severely 
thin  out  the  bunches.  It  is  quite  possible  to  have 
compact  large-berried  bunches  of  Muscat  of  Alex- 
andria fully  15  inches  long,  and  with  shoulders 
nearly  as  much  across,  such,  for  instance,  as  many 
of  those  now  hanging  on  the  Vines  at  Longleat-; 
but  the  Vines  must  not  be  over-cropped  that  are 
to  perfect  these.  Does  not  "J.  G.  H.''  rather 
malign  exhibitors  when  he  asserts  that  they  "  set  a 
high  value  on  a  few  monstrous  bunches  ?'  Were 
the  twenty  beautiful  bunches  which  gained  Mr. 
"Wildsmith    the    premier    prize    at    the    recent 


Grape  competition  at  South  Kensington  mon- 
strous in  any  sense  of  the  word  ?  As  it  happens, 
this  collection  was  selected  from  a  great  number 
of  bunches  only  slightly,  if  at  all,  inferior,  and 
"J.G.  H."  would  have  done  better  to  have  alluded 
to  this  instance  of  superior  culture  as  being  a 
good  example  of  the  superiority  of  the  finish  of 
medium  sized  bunches  than  attempting  to  prove 
that  exhibitors  were  mistaken  in  their  ideas  as  to 
the  best  class  of  bunches  to  be  grown.  It  is  quite 
possible  for  exhibition  bunches  to  be  large  with- 
out being  monstrous,  and  for  such  bunches  to  be 
perfect  in  every  respect  without  any  shortening. 
There  are  times  when  the  bunches  may  be  much 
improved  in  appearance  by  having  the  shoulders 
materially  reduced,  and  in  a  few  instances  the 
bunches  may  well  be  slightly  shortened,  though  I 
never  yet  saw  a  bunch  of  Mrs.  Pince's  Muscat  that 
required  shortening  to  improve  its  appearance,  or 
which  might  not  have  been  perfected  its  full  length 
^W.  I.  JI. 


MANURE  FOR  FRUIT  TREES. 
Tub  planting  season  being  now  at  hand,  a  few 
remarks  on  preparing  ground  for  fruit  trees  may 
be  acceptable  to  those  who  are  halting  between 
two  opinions,  or  what  may  be  termed  the  new  and 
old    syetems  of  fruit  culture.     The  old  system 
taught  us  in  our  young  days  that   giving  manure 
to  fruit  trees  was  a  dangerous  practice,  but  every- 
day experience  proves  the  contrary.    Never  under 
the  starvation  system  and  hard  cutting  in  of  the 
branches  was  such  collections  of  fruit  seen  as  are 
now  shown  at  our  exhibitions,  and  from  personal 
experience  in  the  gardens  that  produce  the  finest 
collections  of   Apples,  Pears,  and  other  kinds  of 
fruits,  I  know  that  good  short  stable  manure  is 
used  in  unlimited   quantities ;    in   fact,  walking 
between  the  rows  of  trees  seemed  like  walking  in 
a  farmyard.     Yet  we  still  hear  many  who  con- 
template planting  fruit  trees    quoting  the    old 
theory  that  manure  promotes  all  sorts  of  ailments. 
But  what  are  the  facts  ?     If  we  visit  any  of  the 
large  nurseries  in  which  the  thousands  of  fruit- 
ful young  trees  annually  sent  out  are  produced, 
we  shall  find  large  stacks  of  rotten  manure  at  this 
time  of  year  ready  to  be  dug  into  the  quarters 
in  course  of  preparation  for  young  stock  ;  we  find, 
too,  the  trees  in  spring  bristling  with  flower-buds, 
and    in   autumn   producing   fine    crops  of   fruit. 
Apples  in  fruit  tree  nurseries  thus  managed  bear 
good  crops  when  two  years  old ;  therefore  the  old 
maxim  respecting  planting  fruit  trees  for  the  next 
generation  to  reap  the  benefit  is  no  longer  ten- 
able.   In  preparing  a  site  for  new  trees  let  the 
soil  therefore  be  not  only  deeply  cultivated,  but 
liberally  enriched  with  thoroughly  rotten  manure, 
and  if  the  position  has  been  long  occupied  by  old 
fruit  trees,  wheel  out  a  good  proportion  of  the  ex- 
hausted soil,  and  replace  it  by  fresh  material  from 
other  parts  of  the  garden.     Turf  and  top-spit  pas- 
ture soil  are  not  always  available,  but  this  need 
not  matter,  for  any  good  soil  that  grows  vegetables 
well  will  grow  fruit  trees  to  perfection,  provided 
its   fertility  is  kept  up  by  annual  dressings  of 
manure,  a  little  and  often  being  a  good  maxim  in 
this  matter.     If  we  consider  the  weight  of  crop 
which  a  fruitful  Apple  tree  produces,  it  is  evident 
that  the  soil  must  soon  become  exhausted,  and  if 
this  is  not  made  good  the  roots  will  strike  down 
into  the  cold  subsoil,  and  watery,  unripe,  and  con- 
sequently unfruitful  shoots  will  be  the  result.     It 
is  by  keeping  the  roots  actively  at  work  near  the 
surface,  where  the  sun's  rays  can  act  on  them,  that 
the  modern  fruit  grower  gets  young  trees  to  be  so 
fruitful. 

The  kixd  or  manure  that  I  have  seen  most 
extensively  employed  for  fruit  trees  with  good  re- 
sults is  such  as  one  finds  on  market  gardeners' 
homeward-bound  waggons,  and  which  is  mainly 
composed  of  stable  manure  with  more  or  less  of 
every  conceivable  kind  of  town  refuse.  This  is 
stacked  in  heaps  and  turned  over  once  or  twice 
until  it  is  thoroughly  decomposed,  when  it  is  fit 
for  use,  and  for  healthy,  fruitful  trees  there  is  no 
artificial  compound  new  or  old  that  I  have  yet 
tried  equal  to  it.  In  the  case  of  new  plantations 
the  main  thing  is  to  have  the  manure  thoroughly 


mixed  with  the  soil,  and  for  this  purpose  steel 
forks  are  better  than  spades,  and  with  from  2  feet 
to  3  feet  of  good  friable  soil  moderately  enriched 
with  good  manure  the  trees  will  not  be  so  easily 
affected  by  adverse  seasons  as  they  often  are  ; 
their  vigorous  nature  will  carry  them  safely 
through  visitations  of  drought  or  wet  that  would 
prove  fatal  to  those  in  a  weakly,  debilitated  con- 
dition. 

Top-dressing  or  mulching  the  soil  with  manure 
has  of  late  years  been  most  successfully  carried 
out.     By  this  plan   of  annually  adding  a  little 
fresh  food   in  the  shape   of  a  top-dressing,  the 
active  rootlets  find  something  congenial  close  to 
the  surface,  for  the  worms  draw  it  in  and  the 
rains  wash  down  the  nutriment,  so  that  there  is 
little  difficulty  in  keeping  up  the  fertility  of  trees 
when  once  properly  started.     But  we  frequently 
meet  with  trees  that  have  been  thrust  into  small 
holes  in  hard,  half-prepared  soil ;  such  trees  yield 
but  very  indifferent  crops,  mainly  because  the  sur- 
face roots  have  perished  from  neglect  to  supply 
them  with  food  ;  consequently  a  few  large  coarse 
roots  have  struck  down  into  the  cold  subsoil  with, 
as   I  have  said,   the  result  that  the    shoots  are 
gross  and  watery,  and  fail  to  ripen  or  produc2 
flower-buds,  or  if  they  do   flower  and  produce 
fruit  it  never  finishes  off  well.    Canker  follows 
unripe  wood,  and  severe  frost  splits  the  watery 
tissues,   while    hard,   well-ripened    wood   passes 
safely  through  the  ordeal.     This  is  the  time  to 
take  such  trees  in  hand.  Open  a  good-sized  trench 
from  2  feet  to  :!  feet  from  the  stem  of  the  tree 
according  to  its  size  and  age  ;  large  old  trees 
require  more  space  than  younger  ones.    Dig  down 
two  spits  deep ;  cut  any  large,  thong-like  roots, 
but  carefully  preserve    all   fibrous  ones.     Then 
proceed  to  undermine  the  ball  of  earth,  cutting 
off   the  roots  that  strike  down  perpendicularly. 
Ram  the  soil  in  again  as  firmly  as  possible  ;  then 
proceed  to  fill  up  the  sides  with  the  loosened  soil, 
enriched  with  some  thoroughly  decomposed  ma- 
nure and  some  of  the  surface  soil  from  the  vege- 
table quarters,  spread  out  the  fibrous  roots,  and 
cover  them  with  fine  soil ;  tread  the  whole  quite 
firmly,  and  finish  off  with  a  good  barrowful  of 
manure  spread  on  the  surface.     If  anyone  who  is 
not  satisfied  with  the  result  of  letting  the  roots 
take  care  of  themselves  will  try  more  liberal  diet, 
they  will  soon  find  a  marked  improvement  both  in 
the  trees  and  their  produce.  J.  Groom. 

Gosjjort,  Hants. 


LEAF  FALL  UNDER  GLASS. 
I  DARESAY  many  besides  myself  have  noticed  that 
Vines  and  Peaches  that  are  forced  early  under 
glass  retain  their  foliage  much  longer  than  those 
grown  in  later  houses.  For  example,  I  have  seen 
Vines  started  in  January  retain  their  foliage  long 
after  the  fruit  was  cut  and  as  long  as  Vines  started 
two  months  later,  the  leaves  falling  in  both  cases 
when  the  cold  weather  came.  Our  second  early 
vinery,  although  the  wood  was  quite  ripe  and  hard 
in  June  and  the  crop  cut  in  July  and  onwards, 
long  after  it  was  quite  ripe,  still  carries  fine  green 
leaves,  but  hard,  leathery,  and  ripe,  and  they  will 
not  now  fall  any  sooner  than  the  later  Vines, 
unless  the  Vines  are  pruned  as  they  are.  In  our 
Peach  house  it  is  just  the  same.  We  gathered  the 
fruit  in  Jlay  and  June,  and  have  done  so  for  years, 
and  the  wood  was  quite  ripe  and  hard  shortly 
afterwards,  the  buds  plump,  and  growth  at  a 
standstill,  but  the  leaves  are  still  on  the  trees,  and 
the  only  difference  between  them  and  those  in  the 
later  houses  is  that  the  leaves  fall  off  in  showers 
if  the  trellis  is  shaken  in  the  case  of  early  trees, 
showing  that  they  are  quite  ripe.  The  reason  of 
the  leaves  remaining  on  so  long  is,  I  have  no 
doubt,  simply  the  temperature,  which  sustains 
their  vitality.  I  have  noticed  many  a  time  that 
when  we  experience  one  or  two  chill  nights  in 
August  or  September  the  leaves  in  our  early 
vineries  and  Peach  houses  turn  yellow  quite 
suddenly  and  fall  off  in  the  natural  manner.  Just 
the  same  thing  happens  in  the  case  of  the  trees 
out-doors.  If  the  autumn  be  mild  the  leaves  hang 
long,  but  a  night's  cold  or  frost  turns  them  yellow 
at  once  and  brings  them  down  in  showers  in  a 


Oct.  18,  1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


339 


couple  of  days.  The  question  is,  does  the  long 
duration  of  the  leafage  work  good  or  harm  on 
forced  frait  trees  ?  and  would  it  not  be  just  as  well 
to  prune  when  the  wood  is  thoroughly  mature 
whether  the  leaves  are  there  or  not .'  or  do  by  the 
hand  what  the  cold  would  do — pull  the  leaves  off 
and  let  the  Vines  go  to  the  rest  they  need  ?  I  cer- 
tainly like  Vines  to  have  a  rest  after  pruning  of 
at  least  sis  weeks  or  two  months,  yet  I  have  seen 
unpruned  early  Vines  that  were  started  the  Novem- 
ber previous  begin  to  grow  early  in  August  from 
the  points  of  the  laterals  after  being  at  a  stand- 
still (but  before  all  the  leaves  had  fallen),  most  of 
the  summer  pruning  having  been  delayed  to  pre- 
vent the  buds  proper  from  starting  too  soon.  In 
other  words.  Vines  started  at  the  natural  season, 
about  April,  will  cast  their  leaves  in  October  or 
November  quite  ripe,  and  Vines  started  some 
months  earlier  will  not  cast  them  much,  if  any, 
sooner.  The  latter,  I  think,  however,  are  not 
benefited  by  leaves  remaining  on  so  long,  although 
they  may  do  no  harm.  Their  existence  is  only 
prolonged  by  heat  and  exercises  no  influence  upon 
the  wood  and  buds.  S.  W. 


52.J1.— Blackberry  jelly.— Put  10  lbs.  of 
ripe  Blackberries  and  half-a-pint  of  water  into  a 
covered  jar,  and  put  the  jar  in  a  gentle  oven  for 
four  or  five  hours  or  till  the  fruit  is  quite  soft ; 
then  ladle  all  into  a  sieve  on  a  basin,  and  allow 
the  juice  to  run  through  without  pressing.  Weigh 
the  juice,  and  boil  it  for  three-quarters  of  an  hour 
in  a  preserving  pan.  Remove  the  pan  from  the 
fire  (a  gas  stove  is  the  best),  and  add  three-quar- 
ters of  a  pound  of  white  sugar  to  every  pound 
of  juice ;  when  the  sugar  is  all  melted,  replace  the 
pan  on  the  fire,  and  boil  gently,  stirring  con- 
stantly, till  a  teaspooafnl  will  set  when  left  to 
cool  on  a  plate.  This  should  be  in  half-an-hour. 
Ladle  into  jars,  and  the  next  day  put  on  brandy 
papers  and  tie  down.  This  jelly  will  be  quite 
firm,  and  keep  for  three  or  four  years  in  a  dry 
place.  The  Blackberries  may  be  simmered  on  the 
fire  till  soft,  but  the  oven  extracts  the  juice  best. 
— C.  P.  G.  M. 

The  following  recipe  for  making  Black- 
berry chee.'e  or  jelly  has  been  sent  to  us  by  Col. 
Stuart  Wortley  ;  Boil  the  fruit  first,  then  work  it 
through  a  sieve,  then  add  three-quarters  of  a  pound 
of  lump  sugar  to  one  pound  of  the  strained  juice. 
Boil  this  for  three-quarters  of  an  hour  over  a  clear 
fire,  stirring  it  all  the  time,  and  keeping  a  close 
watch  over  it,  or  it  may  burn  ;  then  put  it  hot  into 
glass  bottles  which  have  been  well  heated,  and  it 
will  keep  good  a  long  time. 

If  "  Adolescens  "  is  a  beginner  at  preserve- 
making,  the  best  way  is  to  put  weight  for  weight 
at  first,  but  many  put  three-quarters  of  a  pound 
ot  sugar  to  every  pound  of  fruit,  and  have  always 
a  good  preserve.  Respecting  the  time  of  boiling, 
although  we  always  look  at  the  time  when  it  be- 
gins to  boil,  we  have  no  stated  time.  When  we 
think  it  looks  ready  to  come  off  the  fire,  we  put 
a  small  quantity  on  a  plate,  set  it  in  a  cool  place, 
and  in  a  few  minutes,  if  boiled  enough,  it  will 
have  a  thin  skin  over  it,  and,  if  properly  managed 
afterwards,  will  keep  for  years.  Blackberries 
make  one  of  the  most  wholesome  preserves  that 
cm  be  made ;  they  are  gathered  in  large  quanti- 
ties in  this  district  for  the  market.  This  year 
they  fetched  from  3^d.  to  Id.  per  lb.— A.  H. 


SHORT  NOTES.— FR  TUT. 

Wasps  among  Grapes.— If  your  correspondent  will 
grow  a  few  plants  of  Ti.iniatocs  among  or  in  the  ]iou=e  "n-ith 
Ills  Grapes,  wasps  will  nut  so  near  the  house.— Belfast. 

New  Peacbes.- Colorabier  anrl  Alexis  Lepere  are 
seedlin;.'s  raised  by  M.  Lepfere,  of  Montreuil,  and  are  said 
to  be  of  great  merit.  President  de  Paris,  raised  by  M. 
Defresne,  of  Vitry.  and  about  to  be  distributed,  is  also  de- 
clared to  be  of  fine  appeai-ance  and  j,'Ood.— J.  C.  B. 

Strawbarry  Vlcomtesse  Herlcart  de  Thury.— 
There  can  be  no  tluiibt  as  to  the  value  of  this  variety  for 
outdoor  culture.  A  cotta;;er  here  has  a  plantation  of  it 
which  hcos  Imrne  abundantly  four  years  in  su<-cession.  anil 
the  plants  are  now  so  large,  that  a  linshcl  basket  would  not 
covei  them  individually.  No  other  kind  lasts  and  fruits 
in  this  way  in  our  district.— J.  C.  B, 


Brockworth  Park  Pear.— The  few  fruits 
which  we  have  had  of  this  Pear  this  season 
have  been  both  large  and  handsome,  and  in  flavour 
nearly,  if  not  quite,  equal  to  that  of  Williams' 
Bon  Chretien.  Every  fruit  came  perfect  in  out- 
lice,  which  is  quite  characteristic  of  this  Pear;  it 
is  always  in  a  preeentable  condition.  Unfor- 
tunately, it  is  an  uncertain  bearer,  although  the 
tree  grows  well ;  the  uncertainty  is  doubtless 
owing  to  its  flowering  early,  for  whether  grown  as 
a  pyramid  or  trained  to  a  wall  it  is  the  first  to 
expand  its  blossoms,  a  circumstance  which  ex- 
poses it  to  the  severest  of  spring  frosts. — J.  C.  C. 

*„*  The  above  I'ear  is  an  old  French  Pear,  the 
proper  name  of  which  is  Bezi  de  Mai. — Ed. 

Foxy  Grapes— "A  Third  Scot  "(p.  273) 
has,  I  think,  hit  on  a  very  fertile  cause  of 
foxy  Grapes  and  the  means  by  which  they 
are  generally  produced  ;  but  with  regard  to 
their  flavour,  I  have  heard  practical  men  of 
large  experience  say  that  Red  Hamburghs  were 
better  flavoured  than  Black  ones.  My  opinion, 
however,  is  that  this  arises  from  black  Grapes 
being  often  used  as  soon  as  black  ;  whereas  red 
ones  are  permitted  to  hang  much  longer  in  the 
hope  of  their  ultimately  turning  black.  Over- 
cropping is  a  very  common  cause  of  foxy  Grapes. 
Twenty-five  years  ago  I  served  as  second  gar- 
dener under  a  good  practical  man,  and  during  the 
time  I  was  with  him  we  thoroughly  renovated  a 
very  old  Vine  that  filled  a  large  house  by  lifting 
the  roots,  making  a  new  border,  and  cutting 
out  the  old  wood  of  thirty  and  forty  years' 
growth,  laying  in  a  quantity  of  young  rods— one, 
in  fact,  to  each  rafter  of  the  house  as  before. 
The  work  of  renovation  was  well  done,  and  when 
fruiting  time  came  a  moderate  crop  was  left  on 
each  rod.  The  result  was  some  nice  compact 
bunches  as  black  as  Sloes.  After  two  crops  of 
well-finished  Grapes  had  been  produced,  the  gar- 
dener who  renovated  the  Vine  left,  and  his  suc- 
cessor, a  man  of  very  limited  experience  in 
Grape  growing,  left  on  the  Vine  nearly  all  the 
bunches  that  formed,  two  and  three  being  on  a 
shoot.  The  result  was  a  fine  Vine  and  house  of 
Grapes  spoilt.  The  Grapes  were  foxy,  and  it  took 
the  Viae  several  years  to  regain  its  vigour.  — 
R,  M.  Y. 

Ripening  the  -wood  —It  is  seldom  we  get 
such  a  glorious  time  as  that  which  we  have  been 
having  for  ripening  the  wood  of  fruit  trees.  The 
sky  through  the  whole  of  last  month  was  clear 
and  the  sun  hot— just  the  proper  conditions  for 
hardening  young  growth  and  plumping  up  and 
maturing  the  flower  buds.  That  these  will  be 
abundant  is  now  manifest ;  they  may  be  seen  dis- 
tinctly, and  though  no  one  can  be  sure  that  we 
shall  get  a  crop  next  year,  it  is  certain,  even 
thus  early,  that  we  shall  have  a  great  show  ot 
blossom.  Ripe  wood  has  much  to  do  with 
strengthening  the  organs  of  flowers,  and,  judging 
from  remarks  made,  some  evidently  think  that  it 
enables  them  to  stand  a  greater  amount  of  cold. 
Ripe  wood  means  perfectly  finished  buds,  and 
except  they  reach  that  state,  anthers  and  stigma 
are  not  properly  formed  and  developed,  and  if 
there  is  any  detect  in  either,  fruit  cannot  set.  In 
order  to  aid  ripening,  all  superfluous  shoots  should 
be  removed  from  I'eaches  and  Nectarines,  as  now 
when  the  trees  have  nothing  on  them  they  can  be 
thinned,  and  nearly  all  wood  cut  out  that  is  not 
required  for  laying  in  and  fruiting  next  year.  By 
doing  this,  both  light  and  air  will  be  let  in  amongst 
the  foliage,  and  the  entire  strength  of  the  tree 
forced  into  the  remaining  branches  and  buds,  the 
latter  of  which  will  then  fill  up  and  mature.  It 
is  too  late  now  to  do  much  to  benefit  Apples  and 
Pears,  but  if  any  shoots  have  been  left  standing 
out  from  the  spurs,  they  should  be  taken  off  in 
order  that  the  slow-llowing  sap  may  be  forced 
into  the  parts  where  it  is  wanted. — S.  D. 

Blackberries  in  Ireland  —During  the 
last  fortnight  I  have,  says  a  writer  in  the  Moriiimi 
Past,  visited  the  south  of  Ireland,  including  Cork, 
Queenstown,  Mallow,  Killarney,  .tc.     In  the  little 

I  excursions  I  have  made  from  these  towns  into  the 
country  I  was  struck  with  the  superabundance  of 


what  might  be  a  source  of  great  wealth  to  the 
poor  people  of  these  districts,  namely,  the  splen- 
did crop  of  Blackberries,  which  along  the  hedge- 
rows and  waysides  are  so  abundant  as  to  abso- 
lutely weigh  down  the  hedges  upon  which  they 
grow.  On  making  inquiry  I  found  that  this  whole- 
some fruit  is  not  utilised  or  gathered,  but  allowed 
to  ripen  and  rot,  and  thus  a  large  amount  of  food 
is  lost.  I  am  within  bounds  when  I  assert  that 
thousands  of  tons  might  be  gathered  for  preserv- 
ing and  making  into  jam.  The  jam  and  jelly  of 
the  Blackberry  is  not  only  valuable  as  an  article 
of  food,  but  is  invaluable  medicinally  made  into  a 
tea  in  cases  of  cold,  sore  throat,  diarrhoea,  and 
other  complaints.  With  sugar  at  Id.  per  pound, 
or  so  low  in  price  that  it  is  suggested  that  it  might 
be  advantageously  substituted  for  oil-cake  in  the 
feeding  of  cattle,  I  do  think  it  is  sinful  to  allow 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  tons  of  fine  Blackberries, 
which  cost  nothing  but  the  gathering,  to  perish  at 
our  very  doors,  when  we  are  sending  millions  of 
money  to  other  countries  for  fruit  which  is  not 
half  so  wholesome  and  deliciou.=. 

Fraud  at  fruit  exhibitions.- According 
to  the  report  of  the  Dundee  show  in  a  contem- 
porary, one  of  the  "  leading  exhibitors  "  attempted 
to  impose  on  the  judges  by  tying  two  bunches,  or 
pieces  of  bunches,  of  the  Duchess  of  Buccleuch 
Grape  together  to  make  the  bunch  of  sufiicient 
weight.  I  can  well  believe  in  such  practices  if 
the  following  be  true,  which  I  had  two  days  ago 
quite  inadvertently  from  one  of  the  parties  con- 
cerned, and  which  relates  to  a  leading  exhibitor. 
My  informant  called  here  to  have  a  look  round, 
and  in  going  through  our  Peach  houses  observed 
that  they  bad  had  a  fine  crop  this  season,  adding 

that  "  I  would  probably  see  them  at  the 

great  show,  as  it  was  his  Peaches  Mr.  ^—^— 
showed  in  his  prize  collection."  "  Do  you  mean 
to  say,"  I  asked,  "  that  it  was  your  fruit  which  he 
showed  instead  of  his  own  ?  "  and  the  reply  was, 
"  Yes.  Well,  you  know  it  is  often  done  ;  he  once 
lent  me  Pears  in  the  same  way."  One  of  the 
parties  is  gardener  to  a  lord  and  the  other  to  a 
wealthy  esquire,  and  one  of  the  two  at  least  had 
less  occasion  than  most  gardeners  to  resort  to 
such  practices.  The  names  of  the  parties 
astonished  me,  and  seeing  this  my  informant 
said,  "  Perhaps  I  had  better  have  said  nothing 
aliout  it,"  but  the  information  was  given  unasked 
before  two  others.  I  therefore  declined  to  con- 
sider it  private,  and  the  parties  will  no  doubt 
gueES  who  your  informant  is.  It  is  evident  that 
where  such  practices  prevail,  any  unscrupulous 
exhibitor  with  one  or  two  good  centre  dishes  of 
his  own  to  begin  with  may  easily  supplement  the 
rest  from  other  sources  and  defeat  any  honest 
opponent.  It  was  remarked  at  the  show  in  ques- 
tion that  in  the  collection  containing  the  borrowed 
Peaches  every  dish  of  fruit  was  ot  remarkable 
excellence,  as  well  it  might  be  if  there  were 
many  of  them  procured  in  the  same  way  as  the 
Peaches. — Correspondekt. 


5246. — Waspa'  nests.— I  should  advise  Mr. 
Verney  (p.  241)  to  destroy  all  the  wasps'  nests  to 
be  found  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the  Elm 
trees  which  he  wishes  to  preserve.  I  have  de- 
stroyed thirty-eight  wasps'  nests  this  season  in  a 
most  effective  and  economical  way,  all  within  a 
radius  of  300  yards.  At  one  time  they  seemed  to 
threaten  the  destruction  of  all  Plums,  Pears,  and 
Grapes  ;  in  fact,  everything  that  came  in  their 
way.  Hanging  bottles  up  and  other  traps  is  worse 
than  useless  ;  they  get  full  of  butterflies,  moths, 
bluebottle  flies.  &c  ,  but  few  wasps.  My  plan  is 
to  search  for  their  nests  and  destroy  them  by 
means  of  boiling  water.  Do  not  pour  the  water 
down  the  hole  or  the  entrance  to  the  nest,  but 
simply  stop  the  hole  up  and  probe  with  a  spade 
until  the  nest  is  found  ;  then  empty  about  two 
gallons  of  hot  water  on  the  by  this  time  savage 
foe.  Wasps,  grubs,  and  everything  will  be  thus 
scalded  in  an  instant.  A  little  stratagem  must 
be  used  even  in  storming  a  wasp's  nest,  for  they 
are  at  times  most  determined  opponents.  1 
have  taken  or  destroyed,  as  I  have  said,  thirty-eight 
nests,  and  received  very  few  stings  indeed.    In 


310 


THE    GARDEN 


[Oct.  18.  1884. 


one  nest  I  had  the  curiosity  to  count  the  mature 
wafps,  and  found  the  total  to  be  over  4000,  be- 
sides the  young  grubs  or  brood  in  all  stages  of 
growth  from  the  egg  upwards.  Wasps  are  un- 
usually numerous  this  year.  A  neighbour  of  mine 
has  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  his  Grapes  getting 
beautifully  less,  three-fourths  of  his  crop  having 
gone  to  feed  the  young  wasps.  Mr.  Verney's  case 
of  wasps  eating  galleries  into  the  stem  of  a  tree 
is  one  of  extremely  rare  occurrence,  though  I  have 
known  hornets  gnawing  holes  through  the  bark  of 
Elms  in  order  to  obtain  an  excretion  which 
seemed  to  be  a  source  of  great  attraction  to  them. 
— Hy.  Dobbie,  ThicJitlinrn,  jyorn'/ch. 

To  destroy  wasps,  get  3  ounces  cyanide  of 

potassium ;  dissolve  it  in  a  quart  of  water,  saturate 
a  piece  of  tow  or  cotton  wool  with  it,  and  put  it 
in  the  entrance  to  their  nest,  when  all  that  are 
inside  will  be  killed,  and  all  that  approach  the 
nest  will  share  the  same  fate.  We  have  tried 
this  plan,  and  have  found  it  to  be  effectual. — 
X.  Y.  Z. 


delicate  parts,  and  too  little  allows  them  to  shrivel. 
The  drying  paper  should  be  of  the  same  size  as  the 
mounting  paper.  For  the  latter,  that  of  writing- 
demy,  about  16  inches  by  lO.V  inches,  is  (!om- 
monly  used.  In  mounting  the  specimens  no  more 
than  one  species  should  be  fastened  on  to  the  same 
sheet.  The  label  should  be  gummed  on  to  the 
bottom  of  each  mount.  A  mixture  of  gum-arabic 
and  gum-tragacanth  should  be  used  for  fastening 
the  specimens  down ;  any  loose  or  stiff  portions 
may  be  secured  by  gumming  a  narrow  strip  of 
paper  over  them.  Cabinets  for  herbarium  speci- 
mens, poisons  for  the  insects  which  sometimes 
infest  them,  and  other  particulars  may  be  obtained 
from  tradesmen  who  deal  in  such  articles.  The 
specimens  should  be  kept  in  a  perfectly  dry  room. 


PREPARING  SPECIMENS  FOR  HERBARIA. 
We  are  frequently  asked  for  information  on  this 
subject,  and  as  the  preparation  of  perfect  speci- 
mens entails  much  care  in  selection  and  drying, 
the  following  instructions  may  prove  useful.  A 
botanical  specimen  to  be  perfect  should  have  root, 
stem,  leaves,  flowers,  and  fruit.  It  is  not,  how- 
ever, always  possible  to  gather  such  complete 
specimens,  but  the  coUecter  should  aim  at  com- 
pleteness. Fragments,  such  as  leaves  without 
flowers  or  flowers  without  leaves,  are  of  little  use. 
If  the  plant  is  small  the  specimen  should  consist 
of  the  whole  plant,  including  a  portion  of  the  root. 
If  it  be  too  large  to  preserve  tlie  whole,  a  good 
flowering  branch  should  be  selected  with  the 
foliage  as  low  down  as  can  be  gathered  with  it, 
and  if  tlie  radical  leaves  differ  a  few  of  them 
should  be  included.  For  bringing  the  specimens 
home  a  light  portfolio  of  pasteboard  containing  a 
few  sheets  of  stout,  coarse  paper  and  furnished 
with  straps  is  better  than  the  old-fashioned  tin  box 
(except,  perhaps,  for  stiff,  prickly  plants).  The 
specimens  as  gathered  are  placed  between  the 
sheets  of  paper,  and  may  be  crowded  together  if 
not  left  too  long  before  sorting.  A  note  should  be 
taken  of  the  date,  place,  and  situation  in  which 
the  specimen  was  gathered ;  also  of  particulars 
which  it  does  not  supply,  such  as  habit  and 
stature  in  the  case  of  trees,  shrubs,  &c.  These 
memoranda  should  be  written  on  a  label  at- 
tached to  the  specimen  and  preserved  with  it. 
In  drying  specimens  they  are  laid  flat  between 
several  sheets  of  bibulous  paper  and  subjected  to 
pressure.  The  paper  is  subsequently  changed  at 
intervals  until  they  are  dry.  In  laying  out  the 
specimen  the  natural  position  of  the  parts  should 
be  preserved  as  far  as  consistent  with  the  laying  it 
flat.  Bushy  specimens  may  be  thinned,  and  thick 
parts,  such  as  the  head  of  a  Thistle  or  bulb  of  a 
Lily,  may  have  their  under  side  sliced  oft  before 
drying.  Succulent  specimens,  such  as  Sedums,  Or- 
chises, and  other  plants  that  are  tenacious  of  life, 
may  be  dipped  in  boiling  water  all  but  the  flowers. 
This  will  kill  the  plant  at  once,  and  enable  it  to 
be  dried  rapidly.  Heaths  and  other  plants  which 
are  apt  to  shed  their  leaves  during  the  process  of 
drying  are  best  dipped  in  boiling  water  before 
being  placed  in  the  drying  paper.  The  paper 
ought  to  be  coarse,  stout,  and  unsized,  and  the 
more  and  the  better  the  paper  used  the  less  fre- 
quently will  it  be  necessary  to  change  it,  and  the 
sooner  the  plants  will  dry.  For  pressing  plants, 
all  that  is  required  is  a  pair  of  boards  the  size  of 
the  paper,  and  a  stone  or  heavy  weight  upon  them 
if  at  home,  or  a  pair  of  strong  leather  straps  it 
travelling.  The  more  frequently  the  plants  are 
shifted  into  dry  paper  the  better.  The  collector 
must  be  guided  by  the  nature  of  the  plants  to  be 
dried  as  to  the  number  of  changes  they  will  re- 
quire before  they  are  perfectly  dry.  The  first  shift 
shoula  always  be  after  a  few  hours.  The  amount 
ot  pressure  will  depend  on  the  consistence  of  the 
specimens  and  the  quantity  of  paper.  It  must  be 
torne  in  mind  that  too  much  pressure  crashes  the 


Garden   Flora- 


plate  462. 
a  group  of  ixias.* 

The  genus  Ixia  as  defined  by  botanists  is  com- 
posed of  about  a  score  of  distinct  species,  most  of 
which  have  been  in  cultivation  at  some  time  or 
other  in  gardens  in  this  country.  As  in  the  case  of 
Crocuses,  Tulips,  Narcissi,  and  other  genera  of 
bulbous  plants  which  have  been  long  cultivated, 
the  Ixias  have  been  crossed  and  recrossed  one  with 
another,  both  naturally  and  artificially,  to  such  an 
extent  as  to  have  given  rise  to  what  are  termed 
numerous  garden  forms,  and  in  by  far  the  ma- 
jority of  these  the  distinguishing  characters  of 
the  original  species  are  no  longer  traceable.  In 
many  of  these  the  variegation  in  the  flowers  is  of 
the  most  strikingly  beautiful  description,  so  that 
in  a  bed  of  mixed  Ixias  we  find  an  endless  va- 
riety of  shade  and  colour.  Both  at  the  Cape  and 
in  the  Scilly  Islands,  in  France  and  in  the  Nether- 
lands, Ixias  are  grown  on  a  large  scale  for  the 
supply  of  the  bulb  market.  In  England  the  culti- 
vation of  these  plants  out  of  doors  does  not  meet 
with  much  favour,  owing  to  the  unfitness  of  an 
average  English  season  for  their  growth  and  the 
production  of  flowers.  In  a  few  nurseries,  how- 
ever, and  in  some  private  gardens  in  the  south 
very  fair  success  has  been  met  with  in  the  out-of- 
door  management  of  Ixias. 

The  beautiful  blooms  represented  in  the 
accompanying  plate  show  better  than  words  could 
do  what  charming  garden  plants  Ixias  are.  Cheap, 
easily  grown,  and  when  in  flower  full  of  elegance 
and  rich  in  brilliant  colours,  these  little  Cape  weeds 
should,  and  indeed  do,  find  wide  favour  with  us 
both  as  pot  plants  for  spring  flowering  and  for 
the  beautifying  of  warm,  sheltered  borders  out-of- 
doors  in  summer.  For  a  few  shillings  one  may 
procure  almost  a  peck  of  Ixia  bulbs  in  "  fifty  cr  a 
hundred  of  the  finest  and  newest  varieties" — good 
sound  bulbs,  too,  such  as  will  not  fail  to  flower  if 
their  requirements,  which  are  simple,  are  afforded 
them.  Let  no  one  wishing  to  "  go  in  "  for  Ixias 
trouble  about  species  or  even  named  varieties 
unless  it  is  desired  to  keep  the  colours  separate. 
Prom  good  bulb  houses  one  is  sure  to  get  a  choice 
assortment  of  the  most  beautiful  kinds  in  the 
mixed  sets,  and  mixed  pots  or  clumps  of  Ixias  are, 
to  our  taste,  much  more  beautiful  to  look  upon 
than  when  the  colours  are  kept  distinct.  Having 
obtained  the  bulbs,  we  have  now  to  grow  and 
flower  them.  First  let  me  offer  a  hint  on  the 
best  time  to  buy  bulbs  of  these  and  of  all  the 
early-flowering  Cape  bulbous  plants.  What  has 
been  said  lately  with  regard  to  the  harmful  effects 
of  an  unduly  prolonged  exposure  of  certain  bulbs 


'  Drawn  June  10  at  Hile  Farm  Nursery,  Tottenliam. 


in  dry  warehouses  and  shops  applies  just  as  much 
to  these  natives  of  dry,  sandy  plains  as  to  those 
which  inhabit  a  moister  soil.  An  excess  of  exposure 
is  unnatural  for  both  bulbs  and  seeds,  and  although 
neither  may  succumb  to  it,  yet  its  effects  on  their 
vegetative  strength  must  be  more  or  less  harmful. 
That  they  do  not  perish  is  no  proof  that  both 
bulbs  and  seeds  are  not  better  when  left  in  the 
ground  than  when  exposed,  and  we  have  direct 
evidence  in  the  case  of  many  bulbs  of  the  advan- 
tage of  early  planting,  by  which  is  meant  obtain- 
ing the  bulbs  as  soon  as  possible  and  planting  or 
potting  them  at  once.  Of  course,  the  treatment 
for  early-planted  bulbs  must  be  different  from 
what  would  be  sufEoient  for  those  planted  in  spring. 

Species. — In  the  early  volumes  of  the  -ffote- 
nical Miigazine  no  fewer  than  seventeen  species  of 
Ixiaare figured,  that  is  if  we  include  the  Morphixias 
with  the  Ixias,  as  is  done  in  the  "  Genera  Planta- 
rum.''  These  are  I.  polystachya,  flowers  medium 
size,  pure  white;  I.  flexuosa,  flowers  small  and 
variable  in  colour  ;  I.  hybrida,  flowers  white  with 
a  purple  eye  ;  I.  f  ucata,  a  slim  species  with  grassy 
leaves  and  a  two-flowered  spike  of  small  whitish 
flowers ;  I.  aristata,  flowers  large,  deep  rose  with  a 
pale  eye  ;  I.  lutea,  flowers  orange-red  ;  1.  patens, 
flowers  large,  of  a  uniform  deep  crimson  colour ; 
I.  speciosa,  flowers  large,  incurved,  deep  crimson 
within,  paler  on  the  outside  ;  I.  maculata,  flowers 
large,  variable  in  colour,  but  always  with  a  blotch 
of  deep  purple  at  the  base  of  each  petal ;  I.  cola- 
mellaris,  flowers  medium  size,  petals  narrow, 
bright  red  with  a  purple- maroon  blotch  at 
the  base ;  I.  viridiflora,  flowers  large,  emerald- 
green,  the  eye  almost  black,  anthers  yellow ;  I. 
monadelpha,  flowers  large,  blue,  purple,  yellow,  or 
white,  but  always  daik-eyed,  anthers  united  to  the 
top ;  I.  curta,  flowers  large,  petals  broad  and 
rounded,  red  with  a  zone  of  purple  at  the  base. 
The  following  are  what  have  been  called  Mor- 
phixia  :  I.  capillaris,  flowers  medium  size,  tubular, 
blue,  purple,  or  red  ;  I.  linearis,  leaves  narrow 
and  hair-like,  flowers  singly  on  drooping  scape, 
campanulate,  pale  rose;  I.  aulica,  flowers  medium 
size,  turbinate,  flesh  coloured ;  I.  paniculatai 
flowers  on  tall  spikes,  tube  very  long  and  slender, 
creamy  yellow  (this  is  often  called  I.  longiflora). 
Besides  these  there  are  I.  anemonseflora,  a  large- 
flowered  species,  of  variable  colour  ;  I.  campanu- 
lata,  and  one  or  two  others.  The  whole  of  the 
above  are  supposed  to  be  good  species,  but  how 
far  their  characters  would  hold  good  compared 
with  the  hosts  of  wild  forms  known  to  exist  iu 
their  native  country  (the  Cape)  we  need  not  stay 
to  discuss.  Certain  it  is  that  few  of  them  come 
true  from  seed,  and  that  they  all  cross  and  recross 
with  the  greatest  freedom,  so  that  by  cultivating  a 
selection  of  the  most  distinct  in  a  bed  or  frame 
together  and  raising  plants  from  their  seeds 
numerous  varieties  may  be  obtained.  Under  these 
circumstances,  it  might  be  well  to  class  them 
under  the  heads  of  three  races,  as  is  proposed  by 
Mr.  Baker,  in  the  following  manner;  Group  1, 
flowers  with  a  large  blotch  at  the  base  of  each 
petal ;  group  2,  flowers  without  a  blotch  on  the 
petal ;  group  3,  the  Morphixias.  As  will  be  seeu 
by  the  description  of  the  flowers  of  the  above 
species,  the  genus  Ixia  is  rich  in  colours,  almost 
every  shade,  from  white  to  purple,  and  green  to 
yellow  and  blue,  being  represented. 

FoK  CULTIVATION  IN  POTS  the  bulbs  of  Ixias 
should  be  potted  in  October  in  a  light  sandy  loam 
with  a  little  leaf-mould  added.  A  5-inch  pot  for 
eight  or  ten  bulbs   will  be  suitable.    The  bulbs 


^ 


^l- 


I 


,#v 


A  C-ROUP   OF   IXIAS 


Oct.  18,  1884.] 


THE  GARDEN 


341 


should  be  bnried  in  the  soil  about  an  inch  below 
the  surface.  Place  the  pots  in  a  cool  dry  frame 
and  do  not  water  until  growth  commences.  All  the 
sunlight  obtainable  during  the  winter  and  spring 
should  be  admitted  to  them.  Care  must  be  taken 
that  cutting,  frosty  winds  do  not  gain  access  to 
the  young  growths  through  careless  ventilation. 
From  March  till  May  the  flowers  of  Ixias,  treated 
as  above  ought  to  be  plentiful  and  good.  After 
flowering  place  the  pots  in  a  frame  or  out  of-doors, 
and  keep  the  soil  moist  until  the  leaves  have  com- 
pletaly  withered.  It  dried  off  directly  after  they 
have  flowered  the  bulbs  are  checked  in  the  midst 
of  building  up  flower-force  for  the  year  following. 
For  planting  in  the  open  borders  October 
and  November  is  the  proper  time  for  Ixias,  Babia- 
nas,  Sparaxis,  and  other  bulbous  plants  of  similar 
requirements.  A  light  loamy  soil,  on  a  warm, 
sheltered,  well-drained  south  border  is  a  favour- 
able position  for  them.  Plant  the  bulbs  deep,  that 
is  6  inches  below  the  surface ;  a  handful  of  sand 
Should  be  placed  round  each  bulb,  especially  if  the 
soil  in  the  border  is  inclined  to  heaviness.  If  the 
rains  during  winter  are  excessive,  some  means 
should  be  devised  for  sheltering  the  borders  in 
which  these  bulbs  are  planted.  In  severe  frosty 
weather  a  covering  of  leaves  will  be  found  suffi- 
cient to  protect  the  bulbs  from  injury.  In  spring 
the  winds  are  often  cold  and  cutting,  and  there- 
fore it  will  be  well  if  hurdles  or  some  other  means 
of  protection  are  provided  should  the  foliage  be 
forward  enough  to  be  injured  by  wind.  B. 


Flower   Garden. 

AURICULA  COLONEL  CHAMPNEYS. 
Mr.  Tymons  and  "  Delta  "  seem  to  have  got  very 
unnecessarily  into  an  excited  state  over  the  re- 
marks of  "  H.  S.  15."  on  "  Delta's  "  few.  sentences 
on  Mr.  Tymons'  Auriculas.  From  their  communi- 
cations to  The  Garden  of  October  4  it  would 
appear  that  the  merits  of  Color  el  Champneys  form 
now  the  subject  of  dispute.  Well,  taking  up  that 
point,  Mr.  Tymons  asks,  "  When  has  Colonel 
Champneys  been  found  in  any  winning  class  out- 
side that  of  fifties  1 "  and  says  further,  "  A  class 
of  twelve  or  of  six  in  which  Colonel  Champneys 
figured  would  have  but  small  chance  of  taking 
honours."  I  reply  that  at  the  National  Auricula 
Show  (southern  section),  held  at  South  Kensing- 
ton in  April,  1882,  Colonel  Champneys  was  in  the 
winning  stand  of  six  dissimilar  varieties  which 
obtained  the  fifth  prize  for  Messrs.  Cannell  &  Sons, 
and  that  there  was  a  prize  behind  that.  I  think 
this  disposes  of  the  question.  His  defence  of 
"  Delta's  '  communication  is  not  to  the  point. 
Nobody  could  have  thought  on  reading  the  para- 
graph that  the  mistake  in  the  names  was  a 
printer's  error,  and  "  H.  S.  B."  was  quite  justified 
in  thinking  that  the  writer  knew  little  about 
Auriculas.  "Delta"  says  that  Colonel  Champ- 
neys has  not  one  good  point  to  a  florist's 
eye.  See  how  florists  differ.  In  a  catalogue 
of  280  show  Auriculas  published  two  years 
ago,  and  which  is  often  referred  to  by  Au- 
ricula growers,  I  find  that  Colonel  Champneys 
is  characterised  as  having  a  yellow  tube  (one  good 
point),  good  shape  (another  good  point),  smooth 
paste  (yet  another  good  point),  and  it  is  called  "  a 
fine  and  effective  variety."  I  think  I  know  Auri- 
culas as  well  as  "  Delta"  can  do,  and  I  would  be 
sorry  to  class  either  Colonel  Champneys  or  General 
Neill,  which  he  singles  out,  as  rubbish.  I  do  not 
know  a  perfect  Auricula,  according  to  the  standard 
set  up  by  florists  ;  even  Headley's  George  Light- 
body,  Traill's  Prince  of  Greens,  and  Read's  Acme 
are  not  free  from  fault.  Some  excel  in  one  point 
and  are  deficient  in  another,  but  I  can  say  that  I 
never  saw  a  named  stage  Auricula  which  had  "  not 
one  good  point  to  a  florist's  eye."  When  "  Delta  " 
says  that  Chapman's  Sophia  is  one  of  the  blue 


grounds  (which  it  is  not)  from  which  Colonel 
Champneys  may  have  been  raised,  I  am  inclined  to 
think,  with  "  H.  S.  B.,"  that,  notwithstanding  his 
fifty  years'  growing,  his  opinion  must  be  taken 
with  a  discount.  Between  the  sending  out  of 
Maria— whose  ground  colour  is  not  blue,  as  he 
says,  but  violet-purple — and  Colonel  Champneys 
there  was  only  a  period  of  eight  years.  Does 
"  Delta  ''  attach  the  idea  of  "  ages  "  to  eight  years? 
I  hold  with  "  H.  S.  B."  that  the  information  which 
"  Delta  "  thought  he  was  giving  in  relation  to  Mr. 
Tymons'  Auriculas  was  of  no  value  to  Auricula 
growers.  I  regard  the  idea  of  discarding  from  any 
collection  all  sorts  but  those  "  cracks  "  which  are 
only  grown  to  take  prizes  as  thoroughly  wrong. 
Of  course  any  man  can  grow  as  few  or  as  many 
varieties  as  seem  to  him  good ;  but  there  are 
"  cracks "  among  the  older  varieties,  many  of 
which  do  not  now  appear  in  winning  stands, 
which  some  of  the  newer  sorts,  good  as  they  are, 
cannot  touch.  If  competitors  at  shows  would  only 
grow  some  of  the  old  favourites  as  well  as  they  do 
the  more  recent  varieties,  I  have  no  doubt  their 
success  with  the  judges  would  be  equally  great. 

J.  M. 


THE    BALM  OF  GILEAD. 

(CEDRONELLA  TRIPHYLLA.) 

Among  sweet-scented  plants  which  one  likes  to 
have  in  a  garden,  the  Balm  of  Gilead,  or  Canary 
Balm  as  it  is  also  called,  is  one  of  the  most  desir- 


Balm  of  Gilead  in  flower. 

able ;  its  foliage  is  handsome,  and,  when  gently 
rubbed,  has  a  rich  and  pleasant  odour.  It  is  a 
shrubby  plant,  which  in  mild  localities  reaches 
a  height  of  .S  feet  or  4  feet.  The  flowers  are  not 
showy,  being  small,  pale  purple,  and  crowded  in- 
to dense  heads,  but  the  leaves  are  of  a  rich  deep 
green  and  much  wrinkled.  It  is  particularly  use- 
ful at  this  season  for  associating  with  cut  flowers. 
It  thrives  in  any  light  garden  soil,  and  likes  a 
warm  spot  best,  as  it  is  apt  to  be  injured  during 
severe  winters.  The  Balm  of  Gilead  is  a  very 
old  garden  plant,  having  been  introduced  so  long 
ago  as  ICft"  ;  it  was  first  brought  to  Europe  from 
the  Canary  Islands  under  the  name  of  Permenta 
de  Tana.  It  is  also  known  as  Dracocephalum 
canariense. 


MANURING  HERBACEOUS  BORDERS. 
If  "  J.  C.  C."  alone  was  interested  in  this  matter, 
I  should  be  prepared  to  agree  with  him  that  "  no 
useful  purpose  would  be  served  by  discussing  the 
subject  further,"  for  he  seems  to  be  of  "the  same 
opinion  still"  ;  but  as  his  remarks  are  preceded  by 
three  or  four  questions,  such  a  course  seems 
scarcely  advisable.  Pie  appears  not  to  have  read  the 
first  and  last  but  one  sentences  in  my  remarks,  viz., 
those  in  which  I  state  that  "  where  practicable,  a 
mulch  of  manure  is  of  great  service  even  to  her- 
baceous plants,"  and  that  "  where  it  seems  impera- 
tive, a  sprinkling  of  old,  crumbly,  rotten  manure 
answers  the  purpose  and  does  not  look  so  unsightly 
as  the  annual  manurings  given  to  our  flower-beds 
occupied  with  tender  plants,  as  recommended  by 
'J.  C.  C"     I  argue  that  to  compare  the  exhaus- 


tive effects  on  the  soil  of  herbaceous  plants  with 
those  produced  by  such  esculents  as  Onions  and 
Cauliflowers  is  to  greatly  exaggerate  ;  that  if  the 
stems  be  allowed  to  die  down,  the  nutrient  matter 
is  returned  to  the  storehouses  of  subterranean 
stems,  root?,  tubers,  and  bulbs ;  whereas  in  the  case 
of  vegetables  it  is  carried  away  for  food  and  must 
be  replaced  by  annual  manuring  or  rotation  of 
crops.  If  people  cut  away  the  green  stems  and 
leaves  of  such  things  as  Dahlias,  Sunflowers, 
Lilies,  Delphiniums,  Phloxes,  and  all  manner  of 
bulbs,  and  remove  them  to  the  manure  heap  as 
soon  as  flowering  is  over,  then  I  can  see  the  abso- 
lute necessity  of  regular  manuring  ;  but  if  they  are 
allowed  to  die  down  naturally,  there  is  very  little 
to  be  removed  excepting  empty  cells  and  woody 
tissues  which  we  know  to  consist  of  carbo-hydrates 
(when  charred  the  carbon  represents  50'^/o  of  the 
residue)  of  little  value  as  manure,  except  that  when 
rotted,  they,  in  the  shape  of  humus,  form  an  ab- 
sorbent medium  for  the  nutrient  compounds  sup- 
plied in  farmyard  and  other  manures ;  they  are 
organised  matters,  and  as  such  are  not  used,  in 
their  then  condition,  by  plants  as  food.  The 
object  of  manuring  is  to  restore  nitrogenous, 
phosphoric,  and  potassio  compounds,  which  are 
removed  from  the  soil  where  fruit  and  green  pro- 
duce are  grown,  not  to  supply  carbon  compounds, 
which  are  obtained  from  the  atmosphere  solely. 
One  generally  supposes  the  soil  in  a  herbaceous 
border  to  be  almost  filled  with  subjects,  ranging 
from  clumps  of  Anemones,  Ranunculuses,  Snow- 
drops, Scillas,  and  the  like,  amidst  a  carpet  of 
Sedums,  Antennarias,  Herniarias,  Achilleas,  &c.,  in 
the  foreground  ;  through  a  middle  distance  of 
Gentians,  Pinks,  Pentstemons,  Poppies,  Antirrhi- 
nums, Lychnis,  Gladioli,  Gaillardias,  tall  Ane- 
mones, Irises,  Rudbeckias  ;  with  a  background  of 
Tritomas,  Lilies,  Lupines,  Delphiniums,  Foxgloves, 
Dahlias,  Sunflowers,  and  Hollyhocks.  These,  with 
a  hundred  suitable  things  calculated  to  give  us 
bloom  all  the  year  round,  are  constantly  dying 
down  to  make  way  for  each  other  in  proper  season  ; 
consequently  to  fork  in  manure  round  clumps  of 
such  plants  is  to  do  more  mischief  to  hidden  gems 
than  ever  becomes  known ;  crowns  of  Lilies, 
Funkias,  Aquilegias,  Phloxes,  and  what  not  get 
heart-thrusts  liable  to  kill  them.  If  the  border 
be  properly  furnished,  and  the  labels  could  be 
asked  where  a  fork  is  admissible,  they  would 
answer,  "  Not  here  at  any  rate  ; "  and  woe  betide 
the  plants  if  their  positions  are  not  indicated  I 
The  occasional  lifting,  say  once  in  a  few  years, 
for  the  purpose  of  division  is  a  different  thing 
from  an  annual  forking  over ;  besides,  the  method 
of  procedure  is  different  and  the  risk  of  damage 
minimised.  What  chance  would  "J.  C.  C."  by 
his  regular  manuring  give  his  plants  of  reproduc- 
tion by  seeds  self-sown,  one  of  the  most  interesting 
of  gardening  anticipations  ?  Underground  stems 
also  would  be  likely  to  get  injured. 

Since  writing  the  above  I  have  looked  up  a 
witness  or  two  amongst  authorities  against  the 
disturbance  of  her  aceous  borders.  In  "  Hardy 
Flowers  "  (p.  1 1 )  we  read :  "  In  the  case  of  the  pro- 
perly mixed  border  one  preparation  is  all  that  we 
require.  No  sensible  person  will  begrudge  the 
labour  necessary  in  the  first  instance.  .  .  . 
As  the  kind  of  arrangements  I  recommend  give 
little  trouble  after  the  first  planting,  they  should 
get  the  best  attention  at  first,  and  then  they  are 
finished  for  years.  It  is  a  most  unsatisfactory, 
and  to  some  extent  contemptible,  mode  of  garden- 
ing, that  of  continually  '  muddling  '  over  the  same 
ground  spring  after  spring,  and  autumn  after 
autumn.  .  .  .  The  best  and  highest  pleasure 
to  be  derived  from  our  gardens  will  soon  be  found 
to  lie  in  those  things  which,  when  once  well  done, 
we  may  leave  alone  for  years,  and  in  some  cases 
for  the  course  of  our  natural  lives.''  "Alpine 
Flowers  "  (p.  50)  says,  "  It  is  a  great  mistake  to 
dig  among  choice  hardy  plants,  and  therefore  no 
amount  of  pains  should  be  spared  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  ground  at  first.  If  thoroughly  well 
made  then,  there  will  be  no  need  of  any  dig- 
ging for  a  long  time.  ...  No  practice  is 
more  general,  or  more  in  accordance  with  ancient 
custom,  than  that  of  digging  shrubbery  borders, 


342 


THE    GARDEN 


[Oct.  18,  1884. 


and  there  is  none  in  tlie  whole  coarse  of  garden- 
ing less  profitable  or  worse  in  its  effects.  When 
winter  has  once  come,  almost  every  gardener,  al- 
though animated  with  the  best  intentions,  simply 
prepares  to  make  war  upon  the  roots  of  every- 
thing in  his  shrnbbery  border.  The  generally 
accepted  practice  is  ....  to  dig  all  over  the 
surface  that  must  be  fall  of  feeding  roots.  Her- 
baceous plants  if  at  all  fragile  and  not  easily  re- 
cognised are  destroyed  ;  bulbs  are  often  displaced 
and  injured.  ...  If  we  resolve  that  no 
annual  digging  or  manuring  is  to  be  permitted, 
nobody  will  begrudge  a  thorough  preparation  at 
first.  The  planting  should  be  so  arranged  as  to 
defeat  the  digger."  Hems-ley's  "Handbook  of 
Hardy  and  Herbaceous  Plants  ''  (p.  590)  says, 
"  To  improve  or  renovate  the  soil,  a  surface  dress- 
ing of  leaf-mould  or  rotten  manure  may  be 
applied  if  desir.able  ;  but  the  better  plan  is,  if  the 
borders  have  been  properly  prepared,  to  leave 
them  alone  for  a  few  years,  and  then  partially  or 
wholly  renew  them,  and  transplant  the  whole  of 
the  occupants."  In  the  preface  to  "  Hardy  Peren- 
nials "  Mr.  AVood  tells  us  that  "  if  a  right  selection 
is  made  and  properly  planted,  the  plants  may  be 
relied  upon  to  appear  with  perennial  vigour." 

These  quotations  speak  for  themselves  as  to  the 
evils  that  result  from  digging  borders  filled  with 
herbaceous  plants.  E.  A.  H.  G. 


NARCISSUS  CATALOGUES. 

Chill  October  will  soon  have  left  us  nothing,  as 
"  J.  C.  L."  observes  (p.  218),  but  these  and  our 
anecdotage.  And  these  catalogues  are  certainly 
fascinating,  and  grow  in  interest  every  autumn. 
The  elaborate  pages  of  the  Daffodil  specialists, 
and  the  increasing  space  given  to  Daffodils  by  the 
ordinary  bulb  dealer,  prove  that  the  popularity  of 
these  flowers  is  not  yet  on  the  wane.  Messrs.  Barr's 
illustrated  "  Daffodil  Conference  Supplementary 
Catalogue"  of  coarse  takes  the  first  place.  It  is  well 
got  up,  and  forms  a  useful  addition  or  companion 
to  Mr.  Burbidge's  book.  The  group  of  Daffo- 
dils on  the  cover  is  excellent ;  the  small  woodcuts 
are  fairly  good,  but  all  seem  to  me  to  represent 
the  flowers  rather  more  drooping  than  in  Wature, 
and  a  few,  <f,^  ,  the  drawing  of  poeticns  omatus, 
fail  to  give  a  true  idea  of  the  plant.  Mr.  Barr  is 
a  little  too  dogmatic  in  his  statements  upon  ques- 
tions which  are  still  svh  Jiidicr,  such  as  the  doub- 
ling of  single  Daffodils  and  the  identification  of 
the  single  form  of  the  common  double  poeticus. 
Varieties,  too,  of  doubtful  identity  are  forced  by 
him  somewhat  too  precipitately  into  Parkinson's 
and  Haworth's  pigeon-holes.  Nevertheless,  this  is 
a  great  way  in  advance  of  any  catalogue  hitherto 
publiished.  There  are  seemingly  good  things  still 
in  store  for  us  in  the  inexhaustible  Leeds  and 
Backhouse  collections.  The  yellow  Ajax  M.  J. 
Berkeley,  for  instance,  "  nearly  one-third  larger 
than  maximus,  which  it  much  resembles,"  will  be 
worth  having. 

Mr.  Ware  has  this  year  brought  out  a  separate 
list  of  Daffodils  and  Ijilies,  containing  an  abstract 
of  the  paper  read  at  the  conference  by  Mr.  Bur- 
bidge.  Messrs.  Collins  &  Gabriel  have  made  con- 
siderable additions  to  this  part  of  their  bulb  list 
and  offer  some  new  Daffodils,  chiefly  Italian.  Mr. 
W.  Baylor  Hartland,  of  Cork,  sends  us  a  very 
pretty  and  tastefully  printed  "  Little  Book  of  Daf- 
fodils," and  offers  some  new  Irish  forms,  single  and 
double.  The  following  items  in  these  catalogues 
are  noticeable  : — • 

CoRBULAKiA  TENUIFOLIA. — This  is  offered  by 
Messrs.  Barr  for  the  first  time  since  1881.  It  is 
figured  by  Sweet,  I  think,  with  upright  foliage, 
but  the  tiny-flowered  species  which  I  have  had 
for  some  while  in  my  garden  under  this  name  has 
entirely  prostrate  leaves. 

BicOLOR  J.  B.  M.  Camm  is  greatly  advanced 
in  price  this  season.  From  what  Mr.  Barr  tells 
me,  and  from  my  own  experience,  I  fear  this 
beautiful  variety  has  a  bad  constitution.  Two 
exceedingly  fine  bulbs  planted  here  with  all  care 
in  autumn,  1883,  refused  to  flower  or  make  any 
growth.  I  have  now  planted  it  in  my  special  little 
south  border,  excavated  nearly  3  feet  deep  and 


filled  with  rich  sandy  soil,  in  which  Tazettas  and 
subjects  demanding  perfect  drainage  thrive  won- 
derfully. If  it  will  not  bloom  there,  I  can  do  no 
more  for  it.  Mr.  Burbidge  tells  me  that  he  has 
flowered  this  Daffodil  successfully  the  last  two 
years, 

F.  W.  BUBBIDOE,  a  fine  pale  Ajax,  I  flowered 
here  last  spring.  It  is  remarkable  for  opening 
quite  yellow  (much  more  so  than  ordinary  cer- 
nuus),  and  then  quickly  fading  to  almost  pure 
white. 

Paludus  pr.ecos  is  apparently  the  palest 
selection  from  the  wild  Narcissus  of  the  Lower 
Pyrenees.  Mr.  WoUey  Dod  tells  me  that  he  has 
for  some  time  past  received  flowers  and  bulbs  (of 
which  he  has  kindly  given  me  a  share)  varying 
in  colour,  but  all  pale,  from  the  Bayonne  district. 
Two  dealers  offer  bulbs  of  a  yellow  praecox  from 
Italy.  It  is  remarkable  that  the  Pyrenean 
Daffodils  are  mostly  pale,  yellow  selfs  being  rare, 
while  in  Italy  the  wild  Trumpets  are  generally 
yellow.  It  is  doubtful  whether  pallidus  praecox 
will  long  retain  its  early-blooming  character,  or, 
indeed,  establish  itself  at  all  in  our  gardens. 

Rebecca  Syme  (the  Violet-scented  Daffodil). — 
Thi.s  pretty  little  Daffodil  was  shown  by  Messrs. 
Barr  at  the  conference,  and  certainly  has  quite  a 
strong  scent  of  Violet?.  It  is  probably  a  natural 
seedling  or  hybrid  from  some  form  of  N.  moscha- 
tus.  The  Dutch  trade  moschatus  (which  includes 
more  than  one  form  of  white  Daffodil)  was,  I 
suppose,  so  named  from  its  scent,  and  is  still 
described  in  catalogues  as  Musk-scented.  I  once 
only  found  a  single  flower  in  my  garden  with 
a  faint  fragrance,  which  struck  me  as  being 
more  like  V'iolets  than  Musk.  With  this  solitary 
exception  I  have  found  these  forms  scentless. 

SruRius  CORONATUS  is  offered  by  Mr.  Ware. 
The  description  of  this  flower  sounds  not  unlike 
that  of  a  remarkably  fine  Ajax,  which  has  been  in 
my  garden  for  at  least  two  years,  bought,  I  believe, 
amongst  Dutch  trade  maximus.  My  flower  is 
exceedingly  like  the  specimen  of  major  superbus 
so  called  which  Mr.  Barr  showed  at  the  Kensing- 
ton Conference,  so  much  so,  that  I  cannot  help 
thinking  that  if  not  identical  with  it,  it  must  be 
a  seedling  of  the  same  parentage.  Mr.  Barr's 
flower,  by  the  way,  was  not  at  all  like  the  drawing 
given  in  his  illustrated  catalogue.  I  am  looking 
forward  with  interest  to  an  opportunity  in  the 
spring  of  comparing  my  plant  with  this  spurius 
coronatus  and  with  Mr.  Barr's  major  superbus. 
The  sudden  appearance  of  this  fine  sort  among  my 
Daffodils  shows,  I  tliink,  that  there  are  in  the  gar- 
dens and  smaller  nurseries  of  Holland  good 
varieties  unknown  as  yet  to  commerce.  A  friend 
of  mine  has  in  her  garden  a  very  beautiful  and 
distinct  golden  Ajax,  much  like  a  small  maximus, 
which  came  to  her  among  some  Dutch  major. 

BicoLOR  MINOR  is  offered  by  Messrs.  Collins 
and  Gabriel.  I  do  not  know  at  all  what  this  may 
prove  to  be ;  there  is  nothing  answering  to  the 
description  in  Messrs.  Barr's  large  list. 

Eegina  Mariiiierita  AND  l'.MBERTO  I.  are 
new  Italian  forms  introduced  this  season  by 
Messrs.  Collins  and  Gabriel,  and  are  described  as 
being  very  large,  the  former  a  bicolor,  the  latter  a 
yellow  self. 

LORiFOLius  AND  RUGILORUS, — Has  Mr.  Barr 
decided  at  last  that  these  are  one  and  the  same 
plant  ?  They  have  appeared  to  me  to  be  identical 
as  established  in  my  garden,  and  lorifolius  has 
dropped  from  Messrs.  Barr's  trade  list,  while  in 
the  larger  list  it  is  bracketed  with  anceps. 

Tottenham  Yellow  (Ware)  is  apparently  the 
same  as  a  handsome  yellow  trumpet  which  I  have 
hitherto  called  pale  maximus.  It  increases 
quickly  and  seeds  freely  with  me,  and  is  likely  to 
prove  valuable  for  hybridising  purposes. 

Princeps— Mr.  Hartland's  list  includes  a  fine 
late  form  of  this.  For  my  own  part  I  have  always 
reckoned  princeps  to  be  one  of  the  least  beautiful 
of  Daffodils.  The  trumpet  is  disproportionately 
long,  giving  the  flower  an  overbalanced  appear- 
ance, and  the  perianth  is  weak.  Some  varieties  of 
this  long-crowned  Ajax  arc  not  uncommon  in  old 
gardens  in  Hampshire  and  AViltshire. 


The  Humei  forms  are  worthless,  except  as  a 
proof  that  even  Daffodils  can  be  made  unsightly. 
We  can  now  have  our  full  choice  of  beautiful 
shapes  and  colours,  and  these  abortions  might 
very  well  be  expunged  from  the  catalogues. 

CERNUU.S  PLENUS  seems  to  be  very  scarce, 
judging  by  the  price  asked  for  it.  I  shall  be  glad 
next  year  to  give  this  in  exchange  for  other  bulbs 
or  plants. 

MINIM0S, — This  rare  little  plant  is  offered 
by  two  dealers.  One  could  not,  after  all,  actually 
supply  it ;  from  the  other  I  obtained  bulbs  which 
do  not,  however,  look  like  the  genuine  article. 
This  little  Daffodil  in  its  finest  form,  as  found 
among  the  Pyrenees  by  Mr.  Harpur  Crewe,  is  in 
shape  and  colour  one  of  the  most  exquisite  of  its 
race. 

Incomparabilis  albus  Dr.  Gorman,  as  ex- 
hibited by  Jlr.  Walker  at  the  conference,  is  a 
splendid  kind,  quite  the  finest,  I  thought,  of  all 
the  pale  varieties  of  incomparabilis,  a  large, 
yellow-cupped  form,  with  pure  white  perianth. 
Mr.  Walker  told  me  that  it  is  not  a  new  seedling, 
but  an  old  sort,  and  Mr.  Barr  now  identifies  it  with 
Haworth's  l.iueltia  alba,  but  by  mistake  marks  it 
with  an  asterisk  as  a  modern  flower. 

Incomparabili.s  albus  Mary  Anderson 
(Single  Orange  Phoenix). — This  was  shown  and 
remarked  upon  at  the  conference.  It  is  strange 
that  we  have  not  before  had  this  singularly 
brilliant  flower.  It  will  probably  prove  bardy 
and  easily  increased.  In  orange-red  colouring  it 
is  little,  if  at  all,  inferior  to  the  high  priced  C.  J. 
Backhouse. 

Leed.si  Beatrice  seems  a  near  approach  to  a 
really  pure  white  form  of  the  chalice-crowned 
Narcissus.  Montanus  is  white,  but  useless  for 
cutting,  from  its  habit  of  bearing  imperfect 
blossoms.  A  shapely,  pure  white  incomparabilis, 
holding  its  flowers  well  up,  would  be  a  fortune  to 
its  introducer. 

Threeformsof  tridymus,  or  Polyanthus  Trumpet 
Daffodil,  are  offered  by  IMessrs.  Barr.  They  are 
more  curious  than  decorative. 

Odorus  rugulosus  is  to  be  recommended  as 
quite  the  best  variety  of  its  class  for  cut  flowers. 
It  is  the  most  compact  in  growth,  and  of  a  pecu- 
liarly rich  yellow.  Odorus  minor  is  quite  wrongly 
described  in  one  list  as  "  nice  for  cutting."  The 
truth  is  that  it  seldom  produces  perfect  flowers. 

BiFLORUS. — Mr.  Barr  gives  in  his  supplementary 
catalogue  an  interesting  quotation  from  Herbert 
with  reference  to  the  supposed  sterility  of  this 
Narcissus.  Herbert  also  refuses  to  call  biflorus  a 
hybrid.  I  have  never  been  able  to  detect  either 
pollen  or  ovules  in  this  flower  in  my  garden,  but  I 
know  a  locality  in  Wiltshire  where  it  is  plenti- 
fully naturalised  in  the  meadows,  and  where  I  in- 
tend to  examine  the  plants  carefully.  Mr.  Brock- 
bank,  I  think,  suggested  that  the  great  incom- 
parabilis Sir  Watkin  has  some  blood  of  biflorus  in 
it,  but  such  an  origin  is  extremely  improbable. 

Poeticus  vervaensis  (Colhns  &  Gabriel). — 
What  does  vervaensis  mean  ?  Is  this  the  small 
wild  poeticus  so  abundant  at  Vevay  and  elsewhere  1 
Poeticus  verbanensis  (Lago  Jlaggiore)  is  described 
as  a  rare  kind  and  produced  but  sparingly  in  its 
native  habitat.  There  are  probably  more  varieties 
of  Poet's  Narcissus  than  have  yet  been  recorded. 

Tazetta  Bazelman  major  has  gone  up  in 
price  this  year.  This  fine  Polyanthus  Narcissus 
is  a  species  (trewianus),  as  is  also  Grand  Monarque 
(floribundus).  These  have  been  cultivated  in  Hol- 
land for  at  least  200  years  under  the  same  names, 
and  it  is  curious  that  no  new  seedling  forms 
should  in  so  long  a  period  have  surpassed  them. 
Old  Miller,  in  his  excellent "  Gardener's  Lexicon," 
gives  minute  directions  for  raising  Polyanthus 
Narcissus  from  seed,  and  takes  our  gardeners  to 
task  for  not  competing  in  this  work  with  the 
Dutch.  G.  H.  Engleheart. 

Ajijileshaiv,  Andovcr. 


Camellias  on  north  •walls  are  a  decided 

success   on   the  south  coast,  for,  although  hardy 
enough  to  stand  as  open  bushes,  they  well  repay 


Oct.   18,    1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


343 


the  shelter  of  a  wall,  and  I  find  that  a  north  one 
suits  them  admirably.  They  begin  to  flower  in 
the  open  air  about  Christmas  ;  they  keep  in  bloom 
at  least  three  months,  and  I  find  that  even  sharp 
frost  does  not  injure  the  bloom  nearly  so  much  on 
a  north  wall  as  on  aspects  where  the  sun's  rajs 
reach  them.  Anyone  having  a  space  to  fill  on  a 
northern  aspect  will  do  well  to  give  the  Camellia 
a  trial.— J.  (i.,  ihtnis. 

Montbretia  Pottsi.— The  reason  why  your 
correspondent  dating  from  Farnborough  Grange 
has  failed  to  bloom  this  plant  seems  obvious.  The 
pass  of  bulbs  it  must  have  produced  if  standing 
in  the  same  place  for  three  or  four  years  is  quite 
sufficient  to  explain  its  paucity  of  flowers.  If  he 
will  break  up  the  mass  and  plant  the  strongest 
bulbs  (j  inches  apart  in  rows,  or  in  small  clumps 
of  three  to  five  bulbs  each,  he  may  confidently 
reckon  on  flower-spikes  from  every  plant.  It  is  so 
prolific  of  oflEset.",  that  they  are  inevitably  starved 
unless  frequently  divided.— W.  T.,  Ij/swic/i. 

What    does    Chelranthus    mean  ?— I 

think  Mr.  WoUey  Dod  has  satisfactorily  answered 
this  question,  and  I  willingly  withdraw  my  im- 
pugnment of  "gardener's  Greek."  I  am  happy  to 
profit  once  more  by  Mr.  Wolley  Dod's  erudition. 
Alas  !  it  is  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  since  I 
was  "  up  to  "  him  in  fifth  form.  I  wonder  if  my 
pseudonym  recalls  to  him  the  idle  boy  who  used 
to  lay  traps  for  an  indulgent  preceptor  ;  traps  in 
the  shape  of  sketches  of  salmon-fishing,  in  the 
discussion  and  criticism  of  which  he  (the  pre- 
ceptor) would  sometimes  be  wiled  to  spend  part 
of  a  wearisome  school  hour. — Salmoniceps. 

Single  Asters.— I  lately  saw  a  bed  of  these 
in  Mr.  Dobree's  garden  at  liy  fleet,  and  a  very 
bright  and  pleasing  appearance  they  presented, 
Mr.  Kirk,  the  gardener,  tells  me  that  he  grows 
them  expressly  for  cutting,  a  purpose  for  whicli 
they  are  evidently  much  better  suited  than  the 
double  kinds,  being  so  light  and  graceful.  I  have 
no  doubt  that  single  Asters  have  a  future,  and 
that  in  a  short  time  they  will  become  popular.  In 
my  opinion  they  are  superior  to  Pyrethrums,  some 
of  the  shades  of  pink  beicg  very  lovely.  I  would 
advise  those  who  need  many  cut  flowers  in 
summer  to  give  single  Asters  atrial.  I  feel  sure 
they  will  afford  satisfaction.— J.  C.  B. 

Nicotiana  afflais.- 1  find  people  begin  to 
think  that  this  plant  has  lieen  too  much  praised. 
Everybody  seems  to  have  got  it,  and  it  is  planted 
in  many  oases  in  positions  totally  unsuited  for  it. 
I  lately  saw  some  large  beds  in  a  conspicuous  part 
of  a  flower  garden  filled  with  it ;  its  flowers  close 
up  as  soon  as  the  sun  begins  to  shine  ;  they,  how- 
ever, open  again  in  the  evening,  and  emit  an 
agreeable  scent,  but  in  what  way  this  plant  is 
suited  for  the  flower  garden  I  am  at  a  loss  to 
know,  as  at  the  best  time  to  see  it  gardens  are 
seldom  visited,  and  I  feel  sure  that  many  who 
have  been  tempted  to  plant  it  largely  this  year 
will  not  repeat  the  experiment  next  season. — 
J.  G.  11. 

Marigold  Meteor.— It  is  not  every  double 
flower  that  harmonises  well  in  floral  arrange- 
ments, and  I  was  surprised  to  note  the  pleasing 
appearance  effected  by  this  one.  A  few  blooms  of 
it,  interspersed  with  sprays  of  B'uchsias,  Clematises, 
and  other  hardy  flowers,  looked  very  distinct  and 
pleasing.  This  new  Marigold  is  a  fine  addition  to 
the  family,  the  flowers  being  beautifully  formed 
and  distinctly  and  regularly  striped.  It  is  not 
particularly  showy,  but  its  beauty  gains  by  close 
insipection,  and  is  more  impressive  in  a  cut  state 
than  on  the  plant.  I!y  the  way,  what  a  pity  it  is 
that  Marigolds  are  so  liable  to  mildew;  they  get 
completely  eaten  up  by  it  here,  becoming  at  times 
as  white  as  flour.  It  came  on  about  three  years 
ago,  and  is  now  a  regular  visitant. — J.  C.  B. 

Narcissus  pallidus  prsecox  (p.  324). — 
I  have  left  an  open  line  for  "  B.  II.'s  "  roots,  and  if 
he  sends  them  at  once  they  will  be  planted  within 
three  or  four  days  of  my  N.  pallidus  praioox,  and  in 
spring  any  question  as  to  identity  will  be  settled, 
as  the  two  will  grow  side  by  side,  and  being 
planted  about  the  same  date  their  time  of  flowering 


will  be  fairly  tested.  "  B.  H."  remarks,  "  This  same 
Daffodil  is  spoken  of  as  being  a  perfect  bicolor." 
If  by  this  is  meant  two  colours,  well  and  good  ; 
but  if  intended  to  convey  the  idea  that  the 
Daffodils  figured  in  Regel's  Onrten/forn  are  in  the 
way  of  N.  bicolor  (Ilaworth),  it  is  not  so.  The 
figures  2  and  3,  pallidus  precox  and  gracilis,  are 
simply  Pseudo-narcissus,  and,  unless  my  eye  de- 
ceives me,  I  saw  baskets  of  cut  flowers  in  Covent 
Garden  Market  last  spring,  said  to  be  from  Mar- 
seilles, that  would  match  with  Kegel's  figures  2 
and  3.  No.  5  is  in  the  same  line,  and  did  it  not 
bear  another  name  I  should  have  felt  inclined  to 
recognise  it  as  the  one  I  named  some  years  back 
Exquisite. — Peter  Baer. 

The  white  Lily  (L.  candidum).— I  am  glad 
that  Mr.  Cornhill  has  called  attention  to  the  un- 
satisfactory behaviour  of  this  Lily,  which  seems 
to  be  the  same  in  widely  different  places.  I  am, 
however,  of  tlie  same  opinion  as  Mr.  Cornhill, 
viz,  that  it  would  be  a  difficult  matter  to  indi- 
cate the  conditions  that  suit  it  best.  I  have 
planted  both  in  shade  and  sunshine  with  the  same 
result.  Some  years  it  flowers  as  well  as  I  would 
wish  ;  in  others  the  leaves  and  stems  are  scorched 
into  black  tinder  without  any  apparent  cause 
just  as  the  flowers  should  begin  to  expand.  I 
have  long  looked  for  a  satisfactory  explanation  of 
this  matter,  and  I  am  sorry  that  Mr.  Cornhill  can- 
not throw  more  light  than  he  does  on  it. — J.  C.  C. 

Chryaanthemunis  on  walls  are  very 
effective,  possessing  as  they  do  so  many  shades  of 
colour,  and  they  are  more  secure  from  early  frosts 
on  walls  than  when  grown  in  open  borders.  Any- 
one therefore  having  a  spare  wall  (one  with  a 
southern  aspect  answers  best)  may  have  good 
blooms  of  Chrysanthemums  in  November.  Cut- 
tings struck  in  March,  stopped  once,  hardened  off, 
and  planted  out  in  May,  will  produce  many 
blooms  if  water  be  given  them  during  summer 
when  dry  ;  keep  them  fastened  to  the  wall  to  pre- 
vent breakage  by  wind.  Almost  any  variety  will 
succeed  under  this  treatment,  but  if  one  kind  is 
better  suited  for  the  purpose  than  another,  it  is 
Mrs.  G.  Eundle,  a  free  bloomer  and  a  very  desirable 

sort, — E.  MOLYNEUX. 

White  Everlasting  Pea  (Lalhyrus  lati- 
folius  albus). — Amongst  the  many  good  hardy 
plants  that  one  seldom  sees  is  this  Pea,  fine  ex- 
amples of  which  were  shown  in  August  last  by 
Messrs.  Sutton  at  the  Farnborough  flower  show, 
held  in  the  park  belonging  to  the  Empress 
Eugenie  at  Farnborough  Hill.  They  had  a  good 
bunch  of  it,  and  it  was  much  admired.  It  is  one 
of  those  good  things  that  deserve  to  be  better 
known  than  they  are.  So  chaste  and  beautiful  is 
it,  that  it  forms  a  fit  companion  for  the  choicest 
Orchid  or  Stephanotis  for  bouquet  and  other 
floral  work  of  that  class.  Amongst  cut  flowers  at 
the  same  show  I  also  noticed  a  perennial  Sun- 
flower with  large  yellow  blossoms,  broad  petals, 
and  a  dark  centre,  Harpalium  rigidum,  two  hand- 
some Gaillardias,  and  grand  bunches  of  Coreopsis 
coronaria  and  Diadem  Pinks.  There  were  also 
double  white  Chrysanthemums  of  the  Dunnetti 
type,C.  atro-coocineum,  the  old  double  Sweet  Sul- 
tan, purple  and  white,  and  good  spikes  of 
Gladioli.  Large  seed  firms  and  nurserymen  who 
take  exhibits  to  small  shows  like  this  are  to  be 
congratulated ;  they  help  the  societies  and  in- 
crease people's  taste  for  flowers. — J.  C,  Farn- 
borough llriDKji'. 


SHORT  NOTES.— FLOWER. 


Daffodils  abroad.— On  the  coast  line  of  Guernsey, 
down  to  the  VLir^^e  uf  the  cliffs,  I  huve  seen  D.itfodils  iinil- 
ding  f^aily  to  cue  another  in  countless  hordes.  In  Ilolland 
I  fancy  they  must  be  late  in  flowerinf;,  for  in  the  middle  of 
April  I  did  not  see  one  iu  the  neighbourhood  of  Haarlem. 
Perliaps  I  ought  to  have  stopped  at  Leyden.— C.  A.  M. 
CARMicn-iEL. 

Hardy  Cyclamens.-  The  rose  and  white-flowered 
varieties  of  Cyclamen  commenced  to  bloom  with  us  early 
in  August.  At  that  time  the  flowers  were  not  numerous, 
but  for  the  last  si.\  weeks  they  have  been  abundant,  and 
the  plants  promise  to  go  on  flowering  for  a  week  or  two 
longer.  When  once  a  stock  of  plants  is  secured  they  give 
no  trouble.  They  may  remain  undisturbed  for  several 
years  ;  no  sort  of  weatlier  injures  them,  and  they  blossom 
as  regularly  as  the  season  comes  round.- J.  C.  C.  I 


Chrysanthemum  Madame  Des  grange. 

— This  variety  blooms  well  out-of-doors.  When 
planted  at  the  back  of  herbaceous  borders  its 
creamy  white  flowers  are  very  effective.  Cuttings 
of  this  Chrysanthemum  should  be  struck  in  the 
usual  way  in  the  beginning  of  February,  pinched 
once,  and  allowed  to  grow  with  from  four  to  six 
shoots  to  each  plant.  About  the  middle  of  May 
they  should  be  planted  out  in  good  soil  with  a 
little  manure  added  to  it.  They  should  not  be 
pinched  again,  but  allowed  to  break  of  their  own 
accord,  and  they  should  be  kept  neatly  tied  to  a 
stake.  Thus  treated  they  will  grow  about  -1  feet 
high,  and  produce  on  each  shoot  a  great  number 
of  blooms,  which  during  September  and  the  early 
part  of  the  present  month  will  be  much  appre- 
ciated.--E.  MOLYNEUX. 

Narcissus  princeps.— "  F.  W.  B."  (p.  289) 
expresses  a  belief  that  it  was  from  Ireland  I  ob- 
tained this  Daffodil,  but  not  so.  In  1871)  or  1877 
(I  am  not  certain  which)  my  friend  De  Graaff,  of 
Leyden,  sent  me  bulbs  of  a  Narcissus,  express- 
ing a  wish  that  I  should  grow  it  and  find  out  its 
name,  adding,  "  I  found  it  growing  in  a  farmer's 
garden."  When  it  flowered  I  referred  it  to  prin- 
ceps. I  am  not,  however,  quite  certain  I.  was  right, 
<as  I  have  now  a  suspicion  that  it  is  a  variety  of 
Telamonius,  and  may  be  found  growing  near 
Florence ;  at  least,  roots  collected  for  me  some 
years  back  have  for  the  last  two  years  shown  an 
admixture  of  Telamonius  and  princeps.  Seeing 
this,  I  have  had  some  more  roots  collected,  and 
when  these  flower,  perhaps  in  188i),I  shall,  I  hope, 
know  for  certain  what  it  is.  It  was  in  1882  I  first 
bought  roots  of  Daffodils  in  Ireland,  having  the 
previous  spring  named  some  specimens  of  cer- 
nuus  Isent  to  me  by  ladies,  one  of  whom  offered 
me  roots  in  the  autumn,  and  also  a  large  trumpet 
variety  (name  not  known),  and  which  proved  on 
flowering  to  be  princeps,  and  so  far  as  I  have  been 
able  to  investigate  this  variety,  it  is  not  so  abun- 
dant in  Ireland  as  "  F.  W.  B."  imagines.  I  think 
that  Mr.  De  Graaff,  who  has  hitherto  supplied  the 
United  Kingdom  with  this  Daffodil,  need  have  no 
fear  of  competition  from  that  quarter. — Peter 
Barr. 

Early  -  blooming   Chrysanthemums 

planted  in  outside  borders  amongst  herbaceous 
plants  are  showy,  useful,  and  interesting  plants, 
particularly  to  those  who  have  a  partiality  for 
Chrysanthemums  in  any  form,  and  they  bloom  at 
a  time  when  outside  flowers  are  getting  scarce. 
If  cuttings  of  then  struck  in  a  gentle  hotbed  in 
February  or  March  are  potted  off,  and  grown  on 
in  frames  till  the  beginning  of  Jlay,  and  then 
planted  out  and  freely  watered  if  the  summer  is 
dry,  they  will  succeed  admirably,  and  will  require 
no  more  attention  beyond  staking  and  tying.  The 
following  are  a  few  of  the  best  kinds,  together 
with  their  time  of  flowering  and  respective 
heights,  viz. :  JIadame  Desgrange,  a  showy  white 
Japanese  variety,  Elightly  shaded  with  yellow, 
3  feet  to  -t  feet,  September  and  October ;  M. 
Pynaert  Van  Geert,  a  very  free-flowering  Japanese 
kind,  orange-yellow,  with  bright  red  stripes,  4 
feet,  September;  Anastasio  (pompone),  soft  violet- 
purple  in  colour,  sturdy  habit,  2  feet,  September 
and  October;  Frederick  M.arronet  (pompone), 
reddish  orange,  free-flowering,  3  leet,  September  ; 
La  Petite  Marie  (pompone),  white,  with  yellow 
tinge,  blooms  freely,  dwarf  habit,  l.'j  inches,  one 
of  the  best,  August  to  October ;  Lyon  (hybrid 
pompone),  rosy  purple,  very  fine,  3  feet,  Septem- 
ber and  October;  Jlr.  Cullingford  (pompone), 
blush  white,  a  good  companion  to  the  preceding, 
being  of  the  same  height  and  flowering  at  the  same 
time ;  Mdme.  Jolivart,  nanum,  and  St.  Mary  are 
good  light-coloured  sorts  which  flower  freely  dur- 
ing July  and  August,  height  2  feet;  La  Vierge 
(hybrid  pompone),  fine  large  white  flower,  2  feet, 
October;  Prficocitc,  bright  j'ellow  flowers,  2  feet ; 
Madeline  Davis  (pompone),  an  exceedingly  free 
blooming  kind,  very  early,  June  to  September, 
pure  yellow,  18  inches  high  ;  L'Or  du  Rhin  (.Japa- 
nese), yellow,  October;  Alexander  Dufour  (Japa- 
nese), purple  -  violet,  October ;  L'Admirable 
(Japanese),  orange,  good  in  habit,  and  hardy, 
October.      If    more  are  required,   the   following 


344 


THE     GARDEN 


[Oct.  18,  1884. 


which  are  all  good  varieties,  flower  freely  from 
July  to  September,  viz.  :  Curiosity,  lilac;  Illustra- 
tion, blush ;  Lucinda,  blush  ;  Little  Bob,  crimson  ; 
Madame  Picol,  rose-purple ;  St.  Cloud,  pink,  and 
Virginia,  white.— E.  Molyneux. 

Kitchen    Garden. 

ONIONS,  TURNIPS,  AND  CARROTS. 
A  GOOD  supply  of  these  is  o£  the  utmost  import- 
ance ;  nothing  can  be  done  without  them.  A  dish 
of  Kidney  Beans  may  be  wanted  to-day.  Peas  to- 
morrow. Tomatoes  next  day,  and  other  things  in 
succession  before  the  same  may  be  required  again, 
but  there  is  no  interval  in  the  demand  for  Onions, 
Turnips,  and  Carrots.  Cooks,  male  and  female, 
use  one  or  the  other  or  all  of  them  in  nearly  every 
one  of  their  compositions,  and  if  they  are  with- 
held from  one  dish,  they  certainly  cannot  be  from 
a  full  dinner  supply.  Happy  the  man,  then,  who 
has  plenty  of  Onions,  Turnips,  and  Carrots ;  but 
those  who  have  the  misfortune  not  to  possess  them 
may  have  failed  while  doing  their  utmost  to  secure 
them,  as  Onions  and  Carrots  are  two  of  the  most 
difficult  crops  to  produce  in  the  whole  range  of 
kitchen  garden  subjects,  and  it  is  no  easy  matter 
at  all  times  to  grow  Turnips  large,  sound,  clean, 
and  sweet.  It  is  only  too  well  known  that  Onions 
are  most  liable  to  "  go  off  "  at  all  stages  of  growth 
through  being  attacked  by  worms  or  maggots ; 
Carrots  are  equally  liable  to  their  attacks,  and 
Turnips  frequently  bear  worm  traces  through  the 
base  of  the  bulb.  Wherever  these  crops  grow  well 
one  may  conclude  that  the  soil  is  good  snd  well 
managed,  but  some  soils  take  a  great  deal  of 
managing  before  they  produce  perfect  specimens 
of  the  esculents  now  under  notice,  and  it  is  to  this 
part  of  the  matter  that  attention  should  now  be 
directed.  There  is  no  time  better  than  autumn 
and  winter  for  dressing  soils  for  these  crops.  If 
the  materials  used  in  doing  this  now  were  applied 
in  spring  or  just  before  sowing  time,  the  cure 
might  be  worse  than  the  disease ;  but  any  dressing 
given  now  will  be  considerably  toned  down  before 
seed  time,  .and  so  will  grubs.  One  of  the  best  of 
all  antidotes  for  Onion,  Turnip,  and  Carrot  pests 
is  gas-lime.  Provided  the  soil  is  suitable  in  other 
ways  for  the  growth  of  the  crops  just  named,  I  will 
venture  to  assert  that  gas-lime  will  do  its  part 
with  regard  to  getting  rid  of  insects.  I  have  never 
known  it  to  fail  when  properly  used.  Now  is  the 
time  to  dig  it  in.  The  surface  of  the  ground 
should  be  cleared  from  the  preceding  crop  and 
the  lime  should  be  spread  all  over  it  at  the 
rate  of  one  and  a  half  tons  per  acre,  then 
dig  it  well  into  the  soil  and  do  not  disturb 
it  further  until  spring.  Another  way  is  to 
spread  it  on,  but  not  to  dig  it  in  until  a 
good  deal  of  rain  has  fallen  on  it.  I  have  tried 
soot  and  salt,  together  and  separate,  in  the  same 
way  as  the  lime,  but  in  my  opinion  they  are  not 
so  efficacious.  No  manure  should  be  dug  into  the 
ground  at  the  same  time  as  the  lime,  but  manure 
may  be  applied  in  spring  for  the  Onions  and  Tur- 
nips. Care  must,  however,  be  taken  that  in- 
sects of  an  injurious  character  are  not  introduced 
afresh  with  the  manure.  To  prevent  this,  I  would 
recommend  the  manure  for  the  quarters  to  be 
put  by  itself,  and  a  hundredweight  of  salt  and 
three  bushels  of  soot  to  be  added  to  every  ton  of 
it,  mixing  all  well  up  together  some  time  before 
use.  This  might  appear  to  some  to  be  rather 
troublesome  work,  but  it  really  is  not  so,  and, 
indeed,  no  amount  of  labour  should  be  considered 
too  great  to  secure  good  crops.  Sand,  such  as 
that  which  can  generally  be  had  in  unlimited 
quantities  along  the  seashore,  is  capital  mate- 
rial for  roots,  as  they  turn  out  of  it  beautiful 
and  clean,  and  in  heavy  soils  it  may  he  used  ex- 
tensively with  much  advantage.  J.  MuiR. 

Daniel's  new  Cabbage  Lettuce.— That  this  is  an 
espellent  Lettuce  I  think  all  who  have  grown  it  will  admit. 
In  April  I  planted  out  several  huuiireds  of  it  on  a  south- 
east border,  and  without  any  extra  attention  we  had  from 
the  middle  of  June  to  the  end  of  September  a  dail.v  supply 
of  large,  close,  and  well-hearted  Lettuces,  and,  notwith- 
standing the  hot  weather  which  we  had,  not  one  bolted 
It  comes  white,  crispy,  and  good  in  flavoiu'.— G.  L.  E  , 
Tenanng. 


LEEKS  AND  YELLOW  TURNIPS. 
Scotland  has  always  been  noted  for  exceptionally 
fine  Leeks.  The  quality  of  the  Leek,  like  that  of 
most  other  culinary  vegetables,  varies  much 
according  to  the  way  in  which  it  is  grown.  The 
small  tough  examples  often  met  with  in  England 
have  little  in  common  with  the  immensely  thick, 
long,  blanched  Leeks  grown  north  of  the  Tweed. 
As  might  have  been  looked  for,  the  Leeks  at  the 
late  Dundee  show  were  amongst  the  most  notice- 
able of  the  many  excellent  vegetables  there 
shown,  several  of  the  best  dishes  staged  being 
wonderfully  fine,  of  immense  size,  as  even  in 
thickness  as  possible,  and  blanched  12  inches  or 
1.")  inches;  the  dish  of  Debbie's  Seedling,  shown 
by  Mr.  Thomson,  Kirkintilloch,  which  took  the 
first  prize,  was  unusually  fine. 

In  the  sorts  of  Turnips  that  are  generally 
liked,  Scotland  and  the  north  of  England 
are  quite  different  from  the  south  of  the  king- 
dom. In  London,  trying  to  find  a  yellow 
Turnip  would  be  all  but  a  hopeless  task,  even 
if  every  greengrocer's  shop  for  miles  was  ran- 
sacked, as  the  preference  for  white  ones  is  so 
decided,  that  no  one  ever  thinks  of  growing  the 
yellow  sorts.  Just  in  the  same  way  the  white 
ones  are  discarded  in  the  north  ;  even  in  the  Man- 
chester market  few  white  ones  are  to  be  seen.  As 
to  the  preference  given  to  the  white  before  the 
yellow  varieties  of  this  vegetable,  and  inee  rersn, 
each  part  of  the  country  will  most  likely  keep  on 
as  they  hitherto  have  done;  but,  putting  prejudice 
and  the  influence  of  custom  aside,  I  think  those 
who  .are  really  fond  of  Turnips  and  have  had  fair 
opportunities  of  judging  the  merits  of  both  the 
white  and  the  yellow  kinds  will  scarcely  fail  to 
like  the  yellow  best.  It  is  scarcely  necessary  to 
say  that  soil  with  enough  moisture  has  a  good  deal 
to  do  with  the  quality  of  Turnips.  In  dry,  parch- 
ing summers,  such  as  the  past  has  been  in  the 
south  of  England,  it  has  been  no  easy  matter 
to  have  them  otherwise  than  tough  and  hot- 
flavoured.  Cool,  moist  weather  suits  them  ; 
hot,  poor,  hungry  soils  do  not  answer  for 
them.  The  variety  has  also  much  to  do  with 
quality.  As  a  rule,  the  thinnest  rooted  sorts  are 
the  best ;  the  thick,  coarse-rooted  varieties  rarely 
fail  being  coarse  and  stringy  in  the  flesh,  and  only 
by  careful  selection  of  the  best  shaped  roots  for 
seed  can  the  strain  be  kept  up  to  the  mark.  At 
the  recent  Dundee  show  the  yellow  Turnips  in  the 
numerous  collections  of  vegetables  exhibited  were 
remarkable  for  their  excellence,  as  smooth  in  the 
skin  as  Apples,  with  tap  roots  no  thicker  at  their 
junction  with  the  bulb  than  a  Cedar  pencil.  Seed 
saved  from  well-shaped  examples,  such  as  those 
shown  at  Dundee,  may  be  depended  on  for  giving 
only  a  small  percentage  of  thick-rooted,  mis- 
shaped bulbs,  but  with  the  best  strain  possible 
selection  of  the  roots  for  seed  purposes  is  neces- 
sary, as  if  saved  indiscriminately  Turnips  soon  dege- 
nerate, just  in  the  way  that  occurs  with  Carrots, 
however  true  the  seed  may  be  to  the  particular 
variety  represented.  T.  B. 


AUTUMN  PLANTING  POTATOES. 
It  is  more  than  thirty  years  since  I  was  first  en- 
gaged in  garden  work,  and  my  first  tutor  was  a 
man  who  thoroughly  believed  in  planting  his  early 
crop  of  Potatoes  in  November.  Since  then  I  have 
more  or  less  seen  the  same  system  practised  and 
with  varying  results,  the  latter  depending  entirely 
on  the  character  of  the  land  in  which  the  crops 
were  planted.  At  the  same  time  I  am  decidedly  of 
opinion  that  in  certain  cases  autumn  planting  is 
the  proper  course  to  adopt,  and  were  it  not  that 
the  tender  nature  of  the  Potato  is  opposed  to  it, 
there  could  be  no  doubt  about  the  matter.  This 
is,  however,  not  so  serious  an  objection  as  some 
would  suppose.  If  we  balance  the  facts  obtained 
from  actual  experience  in  dealing  with  tuberous 
and  bulbous-rooted  plants,  it  will  be  found  that 
they  all  suffer  more  or  less  from  being  kept  for 
any  length  of  time  out  of  the  ground.  If  we  take 
this  as  a  set-off  against  the  tender  character  of 
the  Potato,  and  its  supposed  incapacity  to  resist 
frost  when  planted  in  the  autumn,  we  have 
ample    testimony    that    it    must    suffer    to    a 


greater  or  less  extent  through  being  kept  out 
of  the  ground  for  a  period  of  .six  months. 
It  may  be  said  that  we  get  excellent  crops  from 
tubers  wintered  in  clamps  and  cellars,  but  I  main- 
tain that  we  have  no  direct  evidence  that  they  do 
not  suffer,  and  the  probability  is  that  if  the  same 
care  was  taken  in  the  preparation  of  the  land 
for  autumn  as  for  spring  planting,  better  results 
would  be  obtained.  Given  rather  light  and  well- 
drained  land,  1  believe  that  all  the  probabilities  of 
earlier  ripened  and  better  crops  are  in  favour  of 
autumn  planting.  The  chief  argument  used 
against  it  is  the  liability  of  the  sets  to  get  injured 
by  frost,  but  there  is  very  little  grounds  for  such 
fears  if  the  work  is  done  in  a  proper  manner.  The 
risk  from  frost  is  in  proportion  to  the  amount  of 
air  that  reaches  the  sets  from  above.  If  air  is 
excluded,  the  action  of  frost  is  modified,  but  it 
must  be  understood  that  I  am  not  advocating  a 
hard,  compact  surface.  There  is  a  great  difference 
between  a  compact  mass  of  earth  and  one  made  up 
of  many  paiticles  recently  moved.  The  good 
old  gardener  to  whom  I  have  just  referred 
used  to  dig  in  his  crops — that  is  to  say,  we 
began  at  one  side  of  the  piece  of  ground  in 
the  direction  in  which  the  rows  were  to  run 
and  the  sets  were  planted  in  the  trenches  as  the 
digging  proceeded.  For  every  row  of  sets  a  cut 
was  made  in  the  trench,  so  that  every  set  was  at 
one  uniform  depth  of  G  inches  or  7  inches  from 
the  surface.  The  crumbs  in  the  trench  were  then 
packed  carefully  over  them  before  the  next  spit 
was  thrown  upon  them.  This  left  tlie  surface  soil 
in  the  same  condition  as  freshly-dug  ground,  and, 
except  to  run  the  Dutch  hoe  between  the  rows  to 
keep  down  weeds  in  spring,  nothing  more  was 
done  to  them,  for  earthing  autumn-planted  Pota- 
toes was  eschewed  as  injurious  to  the  early  matu- 
ration of  the  crop.  I  feel  bound  to  state  that  ha 
was  too  keen  a  practitioner  to  continue  any  method 
of  cultivation  that  did  not  secure  for  him  corre- 
sponding results,  which,  I  have  no  reluctance  in 
saying,  that  autumn  planting  did.  The  garden, 
however,  in  which  this  plan  of  Potato  culture  was 
worked  out  so  successfully  was  eminently  favour- 
able for  autumn  planting,  as  there  was  a  depth  of 
2  feet  of  good  fibrous  soil  that  was  naturally  well 
drained.  Coming  to  my  own  practice,  I  may  say 
that  I  have  at  different  times  and  places  adopted 
autumn  planting,  with  results  varying  according 
to  the  nature  of  the  soil  on  which  it  was  tried.  • 
Where  the  staple  was  easily  worked  into  a  fine 
tilth  it  answered  very  well,  but  in  heavy  land  with 
a  cold,  ungenial  sub- soil  I  have  nevft  gained 
anything  either  in  point  of  earliness  or  in  bulk  of 
crop.  Of  one  thing,  however,  1  am  quite  certain, 
and  that  is  that  in  many  cases  it  is  quite  safe  to 
plant  Potatoes  at  any  time  during  the  winter 
months  if  the  work  is  done  in  the  way  I  have  de- 
scribed. It  is  a  fallacy  to  suppose  that  frost  will 
injure  the  sets  at  the  depth  mentioned.  In  a  word, 
I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  there  are  two 
substantial  advantages  to  be  derived  from  autumn 
planting :  one  is  the  earlier  maturation  of  the 
crop,  and  the  other  a  decided  gain  in  getting  the 
crop  planted  when  work  does  not  press  so  heavily 
as  in  spring.  That  autumn  planting  cannot  be 
recommended  for  large  areas  I  am  quite  aware, 
but  that  does  not  in  any  way  detract  from  the 
merits  of  the  system  as  practised  in  gardens. 

J.  C.  C. 


Storing  Onions.—"  J.  C.  C."  (p.  310)  is  right 
in  pointing  to  the  mistake  committed  in  storing 
Onions  in  a  place  that  is  at  all  warm,  but  it  is 
also  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  they  will  not  bear 
frost.  The  best  way  of  keeping  Onions  is  to  tie 
them  up  by  their  necks  in  bunches  of  ten  or 
twelve  together,  and  hang  them  as  close  as  to  let 
the  bunches  just  touch  each  other  on  the  north 
side  or  end  of  a  building,  where  the  eave  or  gable 
projection  of  the  roof  will  keep  tlie  roof  water 
from  reaching  them.  In  this  way  they  will  keep 
sound  and  firm  without  sprouting  for  a  month  or 
six  weeks  later  in  spring  than  it  in  a  building 
o\it  of  the  reach  of  frost.  With  the  thermometer 
down  to  zero  they  will  not  suffer  treated  in  the 
above  way.  I  never  knew  them  injured  but  once, 
and  that  was  in  the  winter  of  1860-61,  when  in 


Oct.   18,   1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


345 


Che -hire,  where  I  was  tlien  living,  there  were  4° 
below  zero  of  frost.  When  Onions  have  sprouted 
in  spring  they  become  soft,  and  lose  a  deal  of 
their  properties  for  culinary  use,  and  in  places 
where  much  used  and  continuously  wanted,  gar- 
deners often  fiud  it  difficult  to  keep  the  old 
stock  in  usable  condition  until  the  autumn-sown 
crop  is  large  enough,  but  by  treating  them  in  the 
manner  described,  there  is  no  difficulty  in  having 
them  until  the  winter  kinds  are  lit  for  use. — T.  V>. 


SEASONABLE   WORK. 


FLOWER  GARDEN. 

Spring  bedding. — Where  spring  gaiety  has  to 
be  studied,  no  time  should  be  lost  in  clearing  out 
the  summer  bedders  and  giving  the  necessary 
dressing  to  and  digging  to  the  beds.  This  can 
now  be  done  without  much  sacrifice,  as  although 
there  has  not  yet  been  sufficient  frost  to  cut  off 
many  of  the  plants,  it  may  occur  any  night  now ; 
besides,  it  is  very  desirable  that  spring-flowering 
plants,  and  particularly  bulbs,  should  be  planted 
soon.  As  to  the  arrangement  of  the  plants,  much 
depends  on  the  siz3  and  number  of  the  beds  to  be 
filled  and  the  plants  at  command.  Provided  there 
is  no  stint  or 
limit  as  to  plants, 
then  preference 
should  be  given 
to  planting  them 
in  masses  ;  but 
when  plants  and 
bulbs  are  short, 
then  plant  thinly 
and  fill  the  inter- 
vening space  with 
hardy  carpeting 
plants.  Small, 
choice,  evergreen 
shrubs  are  also 
excellent  for  dot- 
ting about  the 
beds  as  single 
plants  in  central 
positions,  thus 
saving  a  certain 
number  of  bulbs 
or  plants,  and  at 
the  same  time 
imparting  an  im- 
mediate finished 
effect  to  the 
beds.  Hyacinths, 
Crocuses,  Nar- 
cissi, Primroses, 
Forget-me-nots, 
Daisies,  Pan- 
sies.  Wallflowers, 
Stocks,   Silenes,  Candytufts, 


the  formal  growing  kinds  with  those  of  an  oppo- 
site habit.  By  attention  to  this  simple  rule,  same- 
ness of  colour  and  a  nursery-like  appearance  will 
be  avoided. 

General  work. — Lift  all  plants  that  must  be 
saved ;  any  that  are  not  valued,  and  of  which 
there  is  sufficient  stock  for  another  year,  may  be 
left  till  frost  has  destroyed  them.  Get  all  kinds 
of  tender  plants  under  cover,  but  air  freely  in 
favourable  weather.  Damp,  atmospheric  and  at 
the  root,  is  at  this  season  the  sole  cause  of  plants 
rotting  off ;  hence  this  should  be  guarded  against. 
Proceed  with  shrub  and  tree  planting  as  opportu- 
nity offers,  there  being  more  time  for  such  extra- 
neous jobs  at  this  time  of  year  than  there  is  in  the 
busj'  spring-time,  besides  the  additional  incentive 
there  is  for  doing  such  work  now,  namely,  that  the 
plants  as  a  rule  flourish  better. 


INDOOR  PLANTS. 
Nepenthes. — These  most  interesting  plants  are 


cut  lower  than  so  as  to  leave  two  or  three  leaves 
to  the  stools  below  the  point  where  cut  back. 
Where  a  sufficient  temperature  can  be  kept  up 
through  the  winter— and  it  is  little  use  attempt- 
ing the  cultivation  of  Nepenthes  without  this  — 
any  plants  thit  are  getting  too  tall  may  at  once 
be  cut  in  as  above  described.  By  being  so  treated 
now  they  will  get  much  better  furnished  in  the 
ensuing  summer  than  if  the  operation  was  de- 
ferred until  spring. 

Chrysanthemu.ms.— If  flowers  of  these  have 
not  already  been  thinned,  this  operation  should  be 
no  longer  deferred.  The  extent  to  which  the  dis- 
budding is  carried  requires  to  be  regulated  in 
accordance  with  the  nature  of  the  varieties  to  be 
operated  upon.  There  is  a  very  great  difference 
even  amongst  the  large-flowered  section  in  the 
ability  of  particular  kinds  to  produce  fully  deve- 
loped flowers ;  some  of  the  largest  exhibition 
sorts  are  not  able,  even  in  the  case  of  strong, 
vigorous  examples  in  large  pots,  to  mature  more 
than  a  single  bloom  on  the  top  of  each  shoot, 
whilst  other  kinds  bearing  medium-sized  flowers 
will  carry  four  or  five  times  the  number.  In  like 
manner  the  larger-bloomed  pompone  varieties 
should  have  their  buds  thinned  more  freely  than 
the  smallest  flowered  section,  which,  for  general 
need  little  thinning.    It  is  well  to  bear 


ome  aspects  of  jardca  L-egctatiuu. 


naturally  of  a  soandent  habit,  and  consequently 

can  be  used  as  roof  climbers  or  trained  to  a  pillar 

or  rafter,  in  which  way,  where  well  grown,  they 

not  unusually  are  effective  objects  ;  yet  when  so 

managed  the  pitchers  quickly  lose  the  fine  shape 

which  is  present  in  such  as  are  produced  by  the  i  purposes, 

in  mmd  that, 
even  for  ordinary 
decorative  use, 
where  there  is  no 
disposition  to 
grow  flowers  up 
to  the  exhibition 
standard,  it  is 
advisable  to  thus 
thin  them  mode- 
rately, especially 
in  the  case  of  the 
latest  blooming 
kinds,  as  where 
the  buds  are  in 
this  way  suffici- 
ently thinned  the 
flowers  that  are 
allowed  to  re- 
main have  corre- 
spondingly more 
substance  in 
them,  and  when 
expanded  will 
last  on  them  pro- 
porti  onately 
longer, in  this  way 
prolonging  their 
season  of  bloom. 
There  are  now  a 
number  of  new 
varieties  of  these 


Time,  first  month  of  summer.    A  cut  needing  no  commeyit, 
too  deep  and  ivild/or  expression. 


There  are  thoughts 


plants,  mostly 
Limnanthes,  Sapo-  shoots  before  they  attain  much  height.  This,  it '  of  Continental  origin,  that  bloom  early,  coming 
narias,'and  hardy  annuals  generally  are  among  the  :  may  be  remarked,  is  one  characteristic  of  these  into  Aower  by  the  end  of  September,  filling  up  the 
kinds  that  ought  now  to  be  planted,  and  as  soon  singular  plants.  Take,  for  instance,  a  strong  '  'ime  between  the  summer  blooming  varieties  and 
as  done,  if  the  ground  be  not  clothed  with  sur-    healthy,  well-managed  example  whilst  the  shoots  I  the  ordinary  later  flowerers,  and  where  there  is  a 

■■■•-'     -■--  " "=■--  -■'  — '-    ^,.jyg  ojjiy  attained  a  height  of  say  from  2  feet  to  j  demand  for  cut  flowers  in  considerable  quantities, 

3  feet;  the  pitchers  it  produces  will  keep  to  the  '  "o'e  of  these  should  be  taken  with  a  view  to  ob- 

true  pitcher  shape— broad  at  bottom,  narrowing  I  taming  stock  for  another  year. 

towards  the  neck,  with  those  curious  appendages,        Mignonette.— Plants  raised  from  the  earliest 


facing  plants,  it  should  be  with  Cocoa  fibre  it  only 
for  neatness  sake,  though  it  is,  we  believe,  of  some 
little  value  manurially. 

Winter    bedding.  — In    those   places   where,  .  .._..  .j.:,^ 

spring  effectiveness  is  of  less  importance  than  the  wings,  fully  developed  ;  but,  as  the  plants  sowing  will  now  hive  attained  considerable  size, 
winter  a  much  better  effect  can  at  once  be  made  attain  a  gretaer  height,  more  or  less  according  1  and  if  they  have  been  properly  attended  to,  ought 
than  is  possible  with  spring  bedding  plants.  This  to  their  kinds,  the  pitchers  they  produce  assume  ]  to  be  well  furnished  with  plenty  of  stout,  healthy 
is  done  by  using  dwarf  shrubs  principally,  though  quite  a  different  character,  coming  very  much  ,  foliage.  If  the  pots  are  very  full  of  roots  they 
many  other  species  of  plants  can  be  worked  in  longer  and  thinner,  especially  at  the  base,  which,  :  must  be  assisted  by  the  occasional  use  of  manure 
well  ■  amono-  them  are  Thyme  (green  and  varie-  in  place  of  being  inflated  and  broader  than  the  ,  water,  or  the  application  of  some  concentrated 
gated)  Latniums,  Ajugas,  Veronica  incana,  Se-  top,  often  has  its  shape  so  near  reversed  as  to  be  i  solid  manure  to  the  surface  of  the  soil  that  will 
dums  Saxifrages,' and  hardy  Heaths.  These  all  do  much  narrower  at  the  bottom,  with  the  wings  all  invigorate  them  as  it  is  washed  down  to  the 
welffor  outer  lines  and  groundwork,  the  shrubs  but  absent.  Some  kinds  that,  whilst  the  shoots  j  roots  in  the  operation  of  watering,  otherwise  the 
being  used  for  central  masses  or  as  standards,  have  not  attained  a  height  more  than  above  named,  plants  get  a  yellow,  unhealthy  appearance,  and 
The  best  kind  of  shrubs  are  the  Retinosporas,  '  produce  pitchers  heavily  spotted  ;  afterwards  as  [  there  is  a  premature  loss  of  foliage,  and  a  corrc- 
Thuias  Cupressus,  Osmanthuses,  Aucubas,  Cotone-  they  get  longer  they  come  wholly  green  ;  in  fact,  {  spondingly  weak  condition  of  the  advancing 
asters  variegated  Hollies,  variegated  Yews,  varie-  with  all  the  different  species  that  we  have  culti-  j  flowers.  Where  this  sweet-smelling  favourite  is 
gated'lvies  green  and  variegated  Periwinkles,green  vated  there  has  been  a  marked  difference  in  !  in  regular  demand,  a  suflicient  stock  of  the  new 
and  varietrated  Euonymuses,  Box,  and  Berberis.  ,  either  form  or  colour,  or  in  both,  when  the  shoots  j  double  white  variety  ought  to  be  grown,  for 
In  the  disposition  or  arranging  of  shrubs  for  win-  have  reached  a  considerable  length,  in  all  cases  although  it  does  not  seed  so  as  to  be  raised  in  the 
ter  bedding  the  colours  being  so  nearly  allied,  care  resulting  in  their  deteriorating.  This  condition  ;  usual  way,  it  can  be  readily  struck  from  cuttings. 
is  needed  to  keep  them  as  distinct  as  possible  by  can  easily  be  avoided  by  cutting  the  shoots  back  '  The  enduring  character  of  the  flowers  and  its 
nlanting  the  lightest  greens  with  the  variegated  ,  to  within  6  inches  to  1  foot  of  the  collar  of  the  I  general  excellent  qualities  are  such  as  to  make  it 
kinds    the  darkest  with  the  silvery  greens,  and   plants.  Whenever  so  headed  in  they  should  not  be  ^  well  worth  the  little  extra  trouble  involved  in  its 


346 


THE     GARDEN 


fOcT.  18,  1884. 


propagation.  Where  young  plants  of  it  exist 
that  are  at  all  short  of  pot  room,  they  ought  to 
have  a  shift  at  once,  using  good  loam  well  en- 
riched with  manure,  and  to  which  has  been  added 
a  moderate  amount  of  leaf  mould,  a  material  in 
which  Mignonette,  in  common  with  most  other 
soft-wooded  plants,  makes  roots  more  freely  than 
in  loam  alone.  After  this  the  plants  should  be 
kept  in  a  light,  airy  pit  with  an  ordinary  green- 
house temperature,  never  allowing  them  to  get 
too  cold. 

Azaleas.  —  Plants  that  bloomed  early  last 
winter  and  completed  their  growth  at  a  corre- 
spondingly early  period  will  be  in  a  condition  to 
again  force  early  this  season.  The  time  that  they 
can  be  brought  into  flower  will  in  a  great  measure 
be  dependent  upon  the  way  they  have  been  treated. 
If  kept  warm  through  the  early  spring  until  their 
flower-buds  were  large  and  prominent,  they  may 
now  be  brought  into  bloom  by  subjecting  them  to 
moderate  heat  in  five  or  si.x  weeks,  as  in  many 
cases  the  buds  will  be  almost  ready  to  burst.  A 
temperature  of  C(J°  in  the  night  will  not  be  too 
much,  but  if  they  are  less  forward  than  here 
indicated  they  must  not  be  kept  too  warm,  or  the 
blooms  will  be  soft  and  subject  to  flag  when  cut, 
for  which  purpose  many  of  these  early -forced 
flowers  will  most  likely  be  required.  See  that  the 
plants  are  quite  clear  from  thrips  or  their  eggs 
before  being  placed  in  heat,  otherwise  these  will 
quickly  increase  and  cause  much  trouble  after- 
wards. Keep  them  well  up  to  the  glass  in  the 
lightest  position  available,  and  do  not  at  this 
season  syringe  them  much  overhead  or  keep  much 
moisture  in  the  atmosphere,  as  water  applied  now, 
except  sparingly,  either  by  the  use  of  the  syringe 
or  in  the  form  of  vapour,  tends  to  a  soft  condition 
of  the  flowers  much  more  than  in  the  spring,  when 
there  is  more  daylight  and  a  drier  condition  of  the 
external  air. 

TROr.EOLUMS. — Tubers  of  the  tricolor  section 
will  now  be  about  commencing  growth ;  as  soon 
as  this  is  apparent  they  ought  at  once  to  be  re- 
potted. They  thrive  in  either  peat  or  loam,  but  it 
should  be  of  a  good  open  character,  and  as  these 
plants  require  directly  they  commence  growing  to 
have  whatever  support  they  are  to  receive  in  the 
way  of  a  trellis  to  train  them  on  applied,  it  is 
necessary  to  put  them  in  the  pots  in  which  they 
are  to  bloom  ;  on  this  account  it  is  requisite  to  be 
careful  in  the  application  of  water  until  the  new 
roots  begin  to  move  freely  in  it.  Give  them  a  light 
position  in  the  greenhouse,  and  look  diligently  for 
the  appearance  of  green  fly. 

Fuchsias. — Young  plants  struck  about  the  end 
of  July  or  beginning  of  August,  if  not  already 
transferred  to  the  pots  in  which  they  are  to  remain 
for  some  time  yet,  which  should  be  5  inches  or 
6  inches  in  diameter,  ought,  without  further  delay, 
to  be  moved  into  them.  Use  good  loam,  with  about 
one-fourth  or  one-lifth  of  leaf  mould  added,  which 
will  assist  their  rooting  freely  through  the  winter. 
They  ought  to  be  kept  all  but  touching  the  glass 
in  a  night  temperature  of  about  51)^,  and  syringed 
overhead  two  or  three  times  a  week,  so  as  to  keep 
down  any  red  spider  that  may  be  about  them,  for 
though  this  pest  does  not  increase  much  during 
the  winter,  still  it  is  partial  to  Fuchsias  that  it 
sometimes  gets  established  on  them  at  this  season. 
Old  examples  that  have  done  flowering  should  now 
be  sparingly  watered  to  induce  a  state  of  rest ; 
when  the  leaves  are  partially  fallen  they  may  be 
cut  back  as  close  as  it  is  deemed  advisable  to 
shorten  them,  and  if  a  corner  can  be  spared  for  them 
in  a  house  or  pit  out  of  the  reach  of  frost  they 
will  be  better  if  the  soil  is  not  allowed  to  become 
quite  dry  ;  so  treated  they  will  not  be  subject  to 
EO  much  loss  of  root  and  will  start  away  much 
freer  when  submitted  to  a  little  warmth  after  the 
turn  of  the  days.  If  subjected  to  a  sort  of  semi- 
dark  treatment,  such  as  under  a  greenhouse 
stage,  or  where  there  is  insuflicient  light  for  any 
healthy  growth  to  be  kept  up,  the  soil  may  be 
allowed  to  get  quite  dry. 

ScmzANTHUS. — There  are  few  more  effective 
plants  for  greenhouse  decoration  in  spring  than 
this  showy  annual  when  well  managed  in  pots.  If 
plants  are  at  band,  the  result  of  a  little  seed  sown 


about  the  end  of  August,  they  should  be  wintered 
singly  in  4  inch  or  5-inch  pots,  keeping  them  on  a 
shelf  close  to  the  glass  with  a  stick  to  support  the 
main  shoot  of  each,  nipping  off  the  points  of  the 
side  growths  to  induce  them  to  break  out  bushy. 
This  is  all  they  require  until  well  into  the  new 
year,  when  they  must  have  a  liberal  amount  of  pot 
room. 

Roman  Hyacinths,— Where  these  were  potted 
early  they  will  by  this  time  have  made  plenty  of 
roots,  so  as  to  admit  of  their  being  moved  into 
heat  previous  to  exposing  the  crowns,  which  will 
be  in  a  blanched  condition  when  taken  from  the 
material  in  which  they  have  been  plunged.  They 
should  be  shielded  from  the  full  light,  for  if  sud- 
denly exposed  when  in  this  state  to  its  influence 
it  has  the  effest  of  crippling  the  foliage.  After 
they  have  been  thus  gradually  brought  to  bear  its 
power  they  are  better  for  having  a  light  position, 
especially  if  subjected  to  a  high  temperature,  for 
in  forcing  these  and  all  other  plants  it  is  well  to 
bear  in  mind  that  wherever  much  heat  is  used  the 
amount  of  light  should  be  porportionate,  with 
enough  air  on  all  favourable  occasions.  Only  by 
these  counteracting  influences  can  the  growth  be 
kept  sufficiently  short  and  stout. 


FRUIT. 
Hardy  fruits  — With  the  exception  of  late 
Apples,  which  will  be  quite  fit  for  gathering,  most 
of  the  fruit  will  now  be  in  the  f rnit  room,  and  the 
weather  being  so  mild  and  favourable  for  ground 
work,  every  operation  pertaining  to  the  disturb- 
ance of  the  roots  of  trees  will  require  and  repay 
early  attention.  On  high  and  dry  soiU  the  im- 
portance of  root  pruning  is  notalways  appreciated  ; 
but  in  cold  damp  gardens  it  forms  the  keystone 
of  success  in  the  production  of  good  crops  of 
nearly  every  kind  of  fruit.  Another  important 
matter  in  the  management  of  wall  trees  is  good 
coping,  temporary  or  otherwise,  for  protecting  the 
blooms  from  frost.  It  is  generally  discussed  once 
a  year,  and  is  again  forgotten  until  the  early 
flowers  remind  us  that  time  is  on  the  wing,  and  it 
is  again  too  late  to  carry  out  the  good  intentions 
formed  after  the  sharp  frost  of  the  preceding 
month  of  April.  It  is  not  for  us  to  advise  the 
kind  of  protection,  as  circumstances  alter  cases, 
but  we  may  say  we  give  preference  to  portable  glass 
lights  2  feet  in  depth,  which  can  be  taken  down 
and  stored  away  as  soon  as  the  fruit  is  set  and 
safe  from  spring  frosts.  Now  is  the  time  to  set 
about  making,  purchasing,  or  providing  protectors 
for  next  spring.  It  will  not,  however,  be  well  to 
put  them  up  until  they  are  actually  wanted,  as 
constant  protection  makes  the  trees  tender  and 
more  liable  to  be  injured  by  severe  frost.  When 
the  usual  routine  of  root  pruning  and  planting  of 
what  may  be  termed  modern  trees  has  been  brought 
to  a  close,  there  generally  remains  a  large  section 
formed  of  old  friends  in  the  orchards  which  would 
well  repay  the  smallest  favour;  and  as  many  of 
the  trees  are  profuse  bearers,  the  old-fashioned 
plan  of  taking  away  the  surface  soil  down  to  the 
roots  and  replacing  it  with  a  rich  mixture  made 
up  of  fresh  turf,  manure,  charred  refuse,  road 
scrapings,  or  almost  anything  that  can  be  got 
together  for  the  purpose,  will  have  the  desired 
effect  in  increasing  the  size  and  quality  of  the 
fruit.  We  will  assume  that  tlie  ground  is  properly 
drained  and  the  heads  of  the  trees  well  thinned 
out  to  let  in  sun  and  air,  but  if  these  matters  are 
not  satisfactory,  the  dead  months  now  before  us 
will  be  profitably  employed  in  making  them  so. 

Pruning  and  nailing. — Where  the  winter 
dressing  of  fruit  trees  forms  a  heavy  item,  an 
effort  should  be  made  to  get  this  work  forward 
before  severe  weather  sets  in,  as  men  can  get  on 
much  faster,  the  work  is  performed  in  a  better 
manner,  and  the  early  removal  of  all  superfluous 
matter  exposes  the  trees  and  walls  to  the  cleansing 
influences  of  frost  and  rain.  With  us  the  Currant 
is  nearly  ready  for  pruning ;  then  will  follow  the 
Plum,  the  Cherry,  and  the  Raspberry.  The  latter 
will  have  the  canes  securely  tied  to  stakes  or 
trellises,  the  shortening  back  being  deferred  until 
later  on,  and  a  good  mulch  of  rotten  manure  will 
make  all  safe  for  the  winter.    Peaches  and  Nec- 


tarines we  always  prune  as  soon  as  the  fruit  is 
gathered ;  the  shoots  are  then  neatly  nailed  in 
close  to  the  wall  to  ripen,  and  nothing  more  is 
needed  until  the  time  arrives  for  unnailing  and 
drawing  the  branches  away  from  the  walls  to  pre- 
vent the  buds  from  getting  too  forward.  To  pre- 
vent the  shoots  from  being  injured  by  wind  a  few 
stout  Ash  rods  are  placed  in  the  border  1  foot  from 
the  base  of  the  wall  and  bowed  in  to  the  coping. 
Every  part  of  the  tree  is  then  washed  with  strong 
soap  water  or  a  solution  of  Gishurst,  8  ounces  to 
the  gallon  of  water ;  the  shoots  are  tied  np  in 
small  bundles  and  made  fast  to  the  rods,  and  the 
walls  are  left  quite  clear  and  ready  for  cleansing 
with  a  wash  made  of  quicklime,  linseed  oil,  and 
Venetian  red  mixed  with  boiling  water.  One 
quart  of  oil  and  a  pound  of  Venetian  red  to  every 
gallon  of  wash  will  produce  a  warm  old  brick-red 
colour  when  dry,  and  to  avoid  having  two  shades 
of  colour,  a  suftioient  quantity  for  the  season 
should  be  mixed  up  at  once.  If  a  fine  dry  day  ia 
selected  for  applying  the  wash  and  working  it  in- 
to the  old  nail-holes,  the  enemies  which  usually 
attack  and  cripple  the  first  spring  growths  will  be 
destroyed,  and  the  chances  will  be  two  to  one  in 
favour  of  useful  early  shoots  getting  thoroughly 
ripened  before  the  following  winter.  In  modern 
gardens,  where  the  walls  are  well  built,  a  brine  or 
Quassia  wash  may  be  preferred;  but  where  they 
are  centuries  old,  and  bricks  of  every  conceivable 
shape  and  colour  have  been  introduced,  a  wash 
made  of  materials  fatal  to  insect  life  produces  a 
cheerful  effect,  while  it  increases  the  chances  in 
favour  of  better  crops  of  fruit. 

Figs, — If  the  early  pot  trees  are  still  standing 
out  of  doors  no  time  should  be  lost  in  getting  them 
pruned,  cleaned,  and  tied  into  form,  ready  for 
starting,  and  as  three-fourths  of  a  year  will  elapse 
before  the  roots  can  be  again  disturbed,  let  the 
drainage  be  carefully  examined  and  put  right 
prior  to  top-dressing  with  rich  loam  and  rotten 
manure.  If  the  house  in  which  the  trees  are 
usually  forced  has  been  devoted  to  other  plants, 
see  that  it  is  properly  cleansed  to  free  it  from  in- 
sects, place  each  tree  on  a  solid  pedestal  composed 
of  bricks  or  inverted  pots,  give  water  occasionally 
to  get  the  soil  moist,  and  keep  the  house 
thoroughly  ventilated  until  the  time  arrives  for 
shutting  up  in  November.  Proceed  with  the  root 
pruning  and  cleansing  of  trees  that  are  planted  • 
out  in  internal  borders,  as  trees  cannot  be  kept  in 
a  fruitful  state  where  head  room  is  limited  and 
the  roots  are  allowed  to  run  down  through  the 
drainage  or  ramble  beyond  their  prison  walls.  IE 
pruning  is  considered  necessary,  let  it  be  confined 
to  a  general  thinning  away  of  barren  shoots  which 
have  reached  the  extremity  of  the  trellis  to  make 
room  for  younger  pieces  now  thickly  studded  with 
embryo  fruits,  barely  perceptible,  at  the  base  of 
every  leaf-stalk.  Let  the  house  be  well  ventilated 
and  only  shut  up  to  shield  the  trees  from  sharp 
frost  or  to  protect  the  roots  in  very  wet  weather. 
I'.y  this  time  the  latest  house  will  have  been 
cleared  of  all  the  fruit  that  is  likely  to  ripen  well, 
and  the  trees  wUl  be  the  better  for  a  course  of 
steady  firing  to  mature  the  young  wood.  Rub  off 
all  partially  swelled  Figs,  wash  well  with  the  en- 
gine to  clear  off  spider,  and  dress  parts  affected 
with  a  suffocating  insecticide  to  prevent  scale 
from  spreading  until  the  time  arrives  for  winter 
dressing. 

Cucumbers — If  any  of  the  pits  usually  devoted 
to  the  growth  of  winter  or  spring  fruit  are  still 
occupied  with  Melons,  lose  no  time  in  getting  the 
latter  removed,  as  Melons  after  this  late  period 
are  of  little  value,  and  the  loss  of  a  fortnight  in 
getting  weak  Cucumbers  started  often  affects 
them  until  after  the  turn  of  the  year.  Having  so 
often  directed  attention  to  the  importance  of 
cleanliness,  it  is  hardly  again  necessary  to  remind, 
the  young  beginner  that  a  pure  atmosphere  cannot 
be  maintained  where  it  is  neglected,  and  without 
this  and  an  abundance  of  light,  also  secured  by 
keeping  the  glass  clean,  it  is  useless  to  expect  good 
fruit  from  Christmas  np  to  the  end  of  March.  IE 
the  pot  system  is  adopted  let  the  pots  be  well 
drained,  and  fill  them  quite  up  to  the  level  of  the 
rim  with  light,  rich  turfy  loam  and  leaf  mould. 


OrT.   18,   1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


347 


Turn  the  plants  out  before  tlioy  get  pot-bound, 
otherwise  they  will  have  spider  before  they  lose 
their  seed  leaves.  Give  plenty  of  moisture,  but 
avoid  scalding  steam,  and  maintain  a  bottom-heat 
of  85°  to  90°  until  they  get  well  established,  when 
80°  will  suffice  for  the  winter.  Where  winter  cul- 
ture is  not  thoroughly  understood,  the  planting- 
out  system  should  be  adopted,  provided  a  good 
bottom-heat  can  be  maintained  in  the  chamber 
beneath  the  soil,  and  the  plants  are  not  so  closely 
crovded  together  as  is  often  the  case  where  pots 
are  used.  Under  either  system  their  food,  be  it 
solid  or  liquid,  must  alwaj's  be  supplied  at  a  tem- 
perature equal  tothat  of  the  house.  Insect  enemies 
of  all  kinds  must  have  no  quarter,  and  mildew 
must  be  prevented  from  entering  by  good  culture 
and  light  cropping  in  an  efficiently  heated  and 
perfectly  ventilated  house. 


ORCHIDS. 

East  Ikdia  house. — Now  that  the  season  has 
advanced  so  far,  shading  may  be  entirely  dis- 
pensed with.  We  remove  all  our  blinds  and  rollers 
now,  and  store  them  in  a  dry  place  for  the  winter. 
Many  keep  them  up,  and  let  them  down  to  cover 
the  glass  when  a  keen  frost  sets  in  at  night ;  this 
is  very  well  so  far  as  the  covering  of  the  glass  is 
concerned,  but  the  blinds  become  frozen  or  soaking 
wet,  and  cannot  be  rolled  up  early  in  the  morning, 
and  the  plants  are  robbed  of  a  few  hours'  light 
when  every  ray  is  of  advantage  to  them.  For  this 
reason  we  prefer  to  remove  the  blinds  altogether. 
In  ordinary  weather  the  temperature  should  range 
about  (;.")='  at  night,  rising  to  10°  in  the  daytime, 
or  even  to  I'O"  with  sun  heat.  Atmospheric  mois- 
ture, too,  must  be  regulated  by  the  state  of  the 
weather  outside.  Where  it  has  been  necessary  to 
make  the  hot-water  pipes  very  warm  on  cold 
nights  to  maintain  a  brisk  temperature,  the  atmo- 
sphere will  be  rather  dry  in  the  morning ;  there- 
fore the  paths  and  stages  must  be  well  watered 
just  before  the  top  ventilators  are  opened  a  little. 
We  have  no  water  in  the  evaporating  trough  after 
this  time.  Pay  careful  attention  to  the  different 
species  of  Thalajnopsis.  If  they  receive  too  much 
water  now,  the  roots  are  likely  to  rot  and  the 
leaves  to  spot ;  on  the  other  hand,  they  must  not 
be  allowed  to  become  so  dry  as  to  injure  the 
Sphagnum,  else  the  plants  will  perhaps  suffer  too, 
■  as  they  have  not  pseudo-bu'.bs,  like  Cattleyas,  to 
support  the  leaves.  They  ought  at  this  time  of 
year  to  be  placed  as  near  the  glass  as  possible,  but 
not,  of  course,  so  near  that  the  leaves  will  be 
injured  by  frost.  Up  to  this  time  we  have  had 
Cattleya  gigas  in  the  cool  end  of  this  house,  where 
it  has  made  very  fine  growth.  This  most  beautiful 
spscies  is  well  known  to  be  shy  in  producing 
flowering  sheaths,  but  we  were  told  the  other  day 
that  this  is  generally  owing  to  the  plants  being 
kept  too  warm  in  winter.  Some  of  the  plants 
have,  therefore,  been  placed  in  the  cool  house, 
wliere  the  temperature  falls  as  low  as  45°;  they 
are  kept  there  until  they  start  into  growth  in  the 
spring,  when  it  is  found  that  such  plants  invariably 
flower  well.  Of  course,  they  must  have  very  little 
water  while  they  are  in  cool  houses.  It  is  best,  we 
imagine,  to  keep  Odontoglossum  Boezli  in  the  cool 
end  of  the  house ;  that  is  the  way  in  which  we 
treat  it,  and  our  plants  make  very  fine  growths 
during  winter  and  throw  up  flower-spikes  in 
spring.  La;lia  purpurata  that  may  be  late  in 
making  its  growth  should  be  placed  in  this  house  ; 
when  necessary  to  water  it  be  careful  not  to  wet 
the  young  growth.  Calanthe  veratrifolia  is  now 
growing  freely;  we  potted  ours  in  good  sandy 
loam,  leaf-mould,  and  a  little  rotten  stable  manure 
a  few  weeks  ago.  The  deciduous  species,  such  as 
C.  Veitchi  and  the  vestita  section,  are  now  throw- 
ing up  their  flower-spikes.  They  lose  their  leaves 
as  the  flowers  open,  and  as  the  decaying  foliage 
is  not  attractive,  we  place  the  plants  amongst 
Maiden-hair  Ferns ;  they  require  but  little  water 
while  they  are  producing  their  flowers. 

Cattleya  house.— About  55°  is  a  good  tem- 
perature for  this  house  now.  The  quantity  of  water 
whicli  any  particular  plant  may 'require  must  be 
regulated  according  to  the  state  of  its  growth  ;  it 
making  growth,  it  might  cause  a  check  if  the 


plants  were  suffered  to  become  too  dry.  Any  of 
the  species  that  may  have  completed  their  growth 
should  be  watered  with  caution.  The  very  beauti- 
ful Odontoglossum  citrosmum,  which  does  best  in 
this  house,  should  receive  very  little  water  indeed. 
When  the  growths  are  completed  some  place  their 
plants  in  a  cooler  house  to  rest ;  they  ought 
certainly  to  be  placed  in  the  cool  end  of  the 
Cattleya  house ;  .50°  would  be  the  best  tempera- 
ture for  them  in  the  winter.  We  have  now  the 
beautiful  I'leiones,  which  produce  their  flowers 
very  freely.  They  are  all  of  very  easy  growth, 
but  we  prefer  Pleione  maculata,  its  flowers  with 
their  rich  crimson  markings  on  a  pure  white 
ground  being  so  delicately  beautiful.  Our  plants 
have  lost  all  their  leaves,  and  the  flowers  look  best 
against  a  green  setting  of  Ferns  or  small-foliaged 
plants.  They  have  been  kept  dry  at  the  roots  up 
till  now,  but  as  the  flowers  open  we  give  them 
water  rather  freely.  Pay  attention  to  the  different 
species  of  Dendrobium  in  this  house,  and  as  the 
growths  are  completed  let  them  be  removed  to  a 
cool,  airy  position  in  another  house.  Some  of 
them,  such  as  D.  Wardianum,  D.  nobile,  D.  Ains- 
worthi,  kc,  will  start  into  growth  again  if  they 
are  not  removed  as  soon  as  they  have  completed 
their  summer  growth.  Our  largest  specimen  of 
D.  Devonianum  started  to  make  a  second  growth  a 
month  ago,  and  we  must  keep  growing  the  plant 
on  until  that  second  growth  is  completed.  The 
various  species  of  Vandas,  such  as  V.  snavis,  V, 
tricolor,  &c.,  are  still  growing  freely,  a  circum- 
stance quite  evident  by  the  large  healthy  roots 
still  thrown  out  from  the  main  stem.  While  this 
is  the  case  they  must  not  lack  sufficient  water  to 
keep  the  Sphagnum  fresh.  The  Fox-brush  Aerides 
(A.  Fieldingi),  A.  crassifolinm,  A.  Lobbi,  &c.,  are 
now  receiving  the  same  treatment  as  the  Vandas. 

Cool  house. — We  find  that  the  temperature  of 
this  house  falls  rather  low  on  the  mornings,  fol- 
lowing an  outside  temperature  not  far  above  the 
freezing  point,  but  we  do  not  trouble  about  arti- 
ficial heat  so  long  as  it  is  not  below  40°  ;  better 
however,  it  should  not  fall  below  45°,  as  we  have 
Masdevallias  which  do  not  like  so  little  warmth 
and  our  fine  plant  of  Cattleya  gigas  is  in  the  same 
house.  It  is  getting  late  now  for  potting,  but  if 
any  plants  are  in  an  unsatisfactory  state  at  the 
roots,  it  is  better  to  pot  them  than  leave  them  in 
that  condition  all  through  the  winter.  The  beau- 
tiful bright  scarlet  Sophronitis  grandiflora  will 
soon  enliven  us  with  its  dazzling  brightness.  See 
that  the  plants  are  well  exposed  to  the  light ;  they 
do  best  on  blocks  or  in  small  pans  suspended  from 
the  roof.  We  have  numerous  spikes  of  the  very 
popular  Odontoglossum  crispum  and  Pescatorei 
well  advanced  towards  the  blooming  stage.  They 
must  be  very  jealously  guarded  from  slugs,  and 
green  fly  must  be  removed  before  the  blooms  open. 


THE  ORCHARD  HOUSE. 
Now  is  the  time  when  this  structure  should 
undergo  any  necessary  repairs,  improvements,  or 
alterations  which  may  be  deemed  requisite,  such 
as  painting,  or  at  all  events  the  thorough  cleansing 
of  the  woodwork  and  the  inside  of  the  glass,  &c., 
as  by  this  time  most,  if  not  all,  of  the  fruit  will 
have  been  gathered.  If  a  few  late  varieties  of 
Peach  trees  still  retain  a  portion  of  their  fruit,  or 
Grapes  still  remain  on  Vines  in  pots,  or  on  Vines 
planted  out,  and  trained  to  the  roof  or  elsewhere, 
that  need  not  prevent  the  repotting  or  surface 
dressing  of  other  trees.  It  is  unnecessary  to  wait 
until  the  leaves  have  all  fallen  before  this  opera- 
tion is  effected  ;  on  the  contrary,  it  is,  perhaps, 
better  that  it  should  be  performed  even  before 
that  has  taken  place,  as  the  leaves  may  to  some 
extent  assist  the  newly  repotted  trees  to  form 
fresh  roots  and  to  become  to  some  extent  esta- 
blished in  their  pots  before  the  gradual  diminu- 
tion of  temperature  suspends  for  a  time  root 
action.  Peach  and  other  trees  which  may  be 
planted  out  in  borders,  and  to  which  it  may  be 
intended  to  apply  portions  of  fresh  soil,  or  in  case 
of  over-luxuriance  where  a  salutary  check  may  be 
thought  necessary  by  the  partial  raising  of  the 
roots,  or  judicious  root  pruning— all  such  work 
should  have  attention  now  rather  than  in  mid- ' 


winter  or  spring.  All  trees  in  pots  or  tubs  which 
may  have  been  placed  in  favourable  situations  in 
the  open  air,  with  the  view  of  thoroughly  ripening 
their  wood,  ought  now  to  be  brought  under  cover 
of  some  kind,  in  order  that  the  soil  may  become 
somewhat  dry,  a  condition  which  greatly  facilitates 
repotting  or  surface  dressing,  as  well  as  prevents 
injury  to  the  roots  through  coming  into  contact 
with  cold  and  saturated  soil.  In  long-established 
orchard  houses  some  of  the  trees  may  have  become 
unhealthy,  and  consequently  unfruitful,  and  where 
that  is  the  case  they  should  be  replaced  by  young 
trees.  Some,  also,  though  in  the  largest  sized  pots 
or  tubs,  and  repeatedly  surface  dressed,  may 
nevertheless  be  what  is  Icnown  as  pot-bound,  that 
is,  the  pots  crammed  full  of  roots,  a  condition  in 
which  they  will  be  likely  to  becoms  unhealthy, 
and  as  it  may  not  be  practicable  to  repot  them 
into  larger  pots,  the  balls  of  soil  should  be  allowed 
to  become  tolerably  dry ;  the  pot  should  then  be 
placed  on  its  side  and  the  ball  of  soil  carefully 
drawn  out  of  the  pot,  the  inside  of  which  will 
generally  be  found  to  be  perfectly  clean,  but 
everything  in  the  form  of  drainage  will  have 
disappeared,  and  the  lower  part  of  the  ball 
will  possibly  be  found  to  be  one  solid  mass 
of  roots,  the  greater  part  of  which  it  will  be 
necessary  to  cut  off,  thus  reducing  consider- 
ably the  ball  of  exhausted  soil.  Then  repot  the 
tree  in  the  same  pot,  which  should  be  thoroughly 
drained,  without,  however,  using  more  material 
for  drainage  than  is  really  necessary.  The  soil 
employed  for  potting  should  be  good  turfy  loam 
enriched  with  rotten  manure.  This  is  an  operation 
which  in  most  instances  may  not  require  to  be 
repeated  for  two  or  even  three  years,  surface 
dressings  being  all  that  will  be  needed.  In  the 
case  of  younger  trees,  the  pots  of  which  are  less 
filled  with  roots,  surface  dressing  of  a  rich 
character  will  be  all  that  is  necessary,  and  before 
applying  that  as  much  of  ihe  old  soil  should  be 
removed  as  possible.  Healthy  trees  in  compara- 
tively small  pots  should  at  once  be  transferred  in- 
to larger  pots,  using  suitable  soil  for  the  purpose, 
such  as  light,  rich,  turfy  loam,  with  a  fourth  part 
of  well-rotted  pig  or  stable  manure  in  it. 


KITCHEN  GARDEN. 


Take  up  and  store  all  roots  forthwith,  except 
Parsnips,  which  are  better  left  in  the  ground,  of 
all  the  varieties  of  Parsnips  we  find  Maltese  to  be 
the  best ;  it  is  short,  but  thick,  and  does  not  take 
one  half  the  time  to  lift  that  the  others  do.  The 
quality  is  also  quite  on  a  par  with  that  of 
Hollow  Crown  or  The  Student,  the  two  varieties 
usually  grown.  Fill  up  blanks  in  the  Cabbage 
quarter,  and  keep  the  hoe  moving  among  all 
growing  crops.  Lettuces  for  spring  cutting  may 
now  be  planted^  and  the  latest  quarter  of  spring 
Cabbage.  Endive  should  now  be  lifted  as  wanted  ; 
we  put  in  from  three  to  four  dozen  at  a  time 
in  any  out-of-the-way  corner,  but  under  cover, 
plunged  in  any  light  material,  sprinkling  pow- 
dered charcoal  all  over  the  plants ;  no  decay 
then  takes  place,  and  they  blanch  beautifullj' ; 
in  fact,  our  opinion  is  that  they  look  much  better 
than  they  taste.  Cut  all  unripe  Tomatoes,  and  lay 
tliem  singly  on  shelves  placed  above  hot-water 
pipes  in  late  vineries,  where  they  will  ripen 
nicely.  We  find  the  smoother  fruits  to  be  prefer- 
able to  the  ridged  ones ;  no  moisture  can  lodge 
on  the  former  ;  not  so  the  latter.  Our  Mushroom 
beds,  spawned  on  September  15,  are  now  pro- 
ducing a  fine  crop.  Put  no  fire  heat  at  all  in 
the  house,  but  keep  the  latter  closed  until  the 
beds  are  all  well  covered  with  Mushrooms  ;  then  a 
little  air  adds  to  their  flavour.  Outside  beds  should 
be  kept  quite  dry ;  ours  are  semi-thatched  with 
long  rough  Grass.  .Wheat  straw  is  not  warm  enough 
for  these  esculents,  but  dried  Grass  teased  out 
makes  the  best  of  all  coverings.  A  mat  thrown 
over  all  adds  to  the  cost,  but  pays  well  in  the 
long  run.  Keep  a  good  supply  of  Mustard  and 
Cress,  and  on  favourable  days  tie  up  Lettuces.  At 
this  season  a  good  salad  is  enjoyed  immensely ; 
in  fact,  no  dinner  table  is  complete  without  it. 
Finish  earthing  up  Celery  ;  we  are  now  using  the 
produce  of  our  first  or  early  sowing.    If  time  per. 


348 


THE     GARDEN 


[Oct.  J  8,  1884. 


mitted,  we  would  tie  up  all  now  with  matting,  a 
plan  which  we  consider  excellent. 


WOEK  DONE  IN  WEEK  ENDING  OCT.  U,  1881. 
October  8. 
The  weather  has  been  so  continuously  fine  that 
our  work  has  advanced  more  rapidly  than  we  ex- 
pected, and  till  we  get  a  good  fall  of  rain  we  can 
afford  to  take  things  easy.  Sweeping  we  always 
have  in  plenty,  but  it  is  wearying  at  this  season, 
and  therefore  we  do  not  attempt  to  do  all  that 
perhaps  ought  to  be  done  daily,  but  only  such  parts 
as  are  regularly  frequented  by  the  family  or 
visitors.  Wheeled  manure  on  to  ground  from 
which  Peas  and  Cauliflowers  had  been  cleared,  and 
started  trenching  it.  Three  spits  and  break  the 
bottom  is  cur  depth;  all  the  surface  soil  is 
shovelled  into  the  bottom  by  way  of  getting  rid  of 
weeds  and  seeds,  and  the  manure  is  put  Imme- 
diately under  the  top  spit.  Renewed  heating 
material  in  fruiting  I'iue  pit,  and  replunged  the 
plants,  and  which  we  now  consider  safe  till  about 
the  middle  of  January. 

OCTOBEn  9. 
At  last  the  rain  has  come,  and  with  a  vengeance, 
too ;  three  quarters  of  an  inch  has  fallen  since 
six  o'clock  last  evening.  It  was  badly  wanted', 
and  having  abundance  of  inside  work  waiting  to 
be  done,  we  can  contemplate  its  continuance  with 
pleasure.  Finished  arranging  Apples  and  Pears 
in  fruit  room,  and  made  space  for  the 
fruit  that  has  yet  to  be  gathered.  Our  rule 
as  to  arrangement  is  to  have  the  handsomest 
fruit  on  shelves  that  are  most  seen,  and  the  oppo- 
site in  regard  to  small  and  specked  samples.  There 
can  be  no  objection  to  thus  studying  appearances, 
as  it  is  only  what  is  constantly  practised  in  all 
other  departments  of  a  garden.  I  ought  perhaps 
to  add  that  evsry  fruit  that  is  at  all  bruised  is 
placed  aside  for  immediate  use.  The  ventilators 
are  now  closed  on  cold  nights,  but  opened  when- 
ever the  weather  is  mild  and  dry.  The  Potato 
stores,  too,  have  been  overhauled,  bad  tubers  taken 
out,  and  all  have  been  laid  thinner  and  covered 
with  mats.  The  house  is  quite  dark,  but,  never- 
theless, a  mat  or  straw  covering  keeps  them  from 
the  least  taint  of  greening,  and  by-and-by  will  be 
needful  to  protect  them  from  frost.  In  the  houses 
we  have  been  busy  cleaning  plants,  whitewashing 
the  walls  of  early  Muscat  vinery,  and  also  the 
Vines  with  a  strong  lather  of  soft  soap.  Peeling  off 
the  outer  bark,  sogenerally  practised  when  the  Vines 
are  given  their  winter  dressing,  we  never  allow, 
as  to  say  the  least  it  is  unnatural,  and  I  believe 
injurious  at  the  same  time.  Where  insect  pests 
are  numerous  it  may  be  justifiable  by  way  of  de- 
stroying any  that  have  taken  refuge  in  the  cre- 
vices of  the  bark,  but  even  then  the  clean  scraping 
so  often  done  should  be  avoided.  Woodwork  and 
glass  have  also  had  a  thorough  cleaning.  Furing 
to  exclude  damp  from  vineries  where  Grapes  are 
still  hanging  has  been  increased,  and  air  is  left  on 
night  and  day.  Hamburghs  keep  most  indifferently 
with  us  from  now  onwards,  and  having  tried  every 
known  means  of  preservation  without  avail,  late 
kinds  are  being  substituted  for  use  from  November 
till  new  Hamburghs  are  ready  early  in  May.  Gros 
Maroc,  Alicante,  and  Alnwick  Seedling  are  all 
three  of  them  excellent  kinds  to  take  the  place  of 
Hamburghs  till  the  new  year  or  the  end  of  Janu- 
ary, and  after  that  comes  that  invaluable  late 
variety.  Lady  Downes. 

October  10. 
Rolled  all  walks — the  heavy  rain  had  made 
this  a  necessity — to  ensure  firmness  of  gravel 
when  dry  ;  besides,  frequent  rolling  saves  time 
that  must  otherwise  be  employed  in  weeding  the 
walks,  for  rolling,  to  some  extent,  prevents  the 
weeds  growing.  It  has  been  so  boisterous,  that 
much  as  sweeping  under  trees,  tec,  was  needed, 
it  was  not  done,  but  the  more  profitable  work  of 
clearing  up  and  mixing  together  the  summer's  ac- 
cumulation of  manure  instead,  also  the  tying  up 
a  few  flower  garden  plants  that  seemed  likely  to 
be  injured  by  the  wind.  Put  in  cuttings  of 
Gnaphalium  lanatum  ;  this  we  strike  and  winter 
in  a  cold  frame  the  same  way  as  Calceolarias.     It 


is  cue  of  our  best  plants  for  forming  the  outlines 
of  designs,  its  greyish  white  colour  contrasting 
well  with  dark  foliage  plants  such  as  Coleus  and 
Iresine,  and  it  harmonises  well  with  any  coloured 
flower  except  scarlet  and  crimson.  Leucophyton 
Browni  (white  Whipcord  plant),  invaluable  for 
carpet  bedding,  we  propagate  in  the  same  way, 
and  the  cuttings  have  been  put  in  to-day,  and 
shortly  will  follow  Calceolarias  and  the  remainder 
of  Violas.  It  is  now  so  cold  that  any  morning 
we  may  expect  to  find  Dahlias  blackened,  and 
unable  to  recognise  their  varieties;  hence,  we 
have  to-day  had  all  the  kinds  labelled,  except 
such  as  are  to  be  destroyed.  About  a  dozen 
single  varieties  are  all  we  intend  to  keep,  besides 
the  scarlet  Cactus,  the  so-called  (but  falsely) 
white  Cactus,  Constance,  and  three  or  four 
varieties  of  bouquet  Dahlias.  The  new  white 
Cactus  variety,  Mr.  Tait,  and  the  old,  but  newly 
resuscitated,  variety,  formosissima  picta,  are 
completely  worthless,  and  are  doomed  to  be  dis- 
carded. Gathered  the  last  Peaches  from  the 
open  walls.  Princess  of  Wales  and  Gregory's  Late, 
and  both  are  of  first-class  quality.  Our  best 
Peaches  from  the  open  walls  have  been  the  two 
kinds  just  named,  Alexandra  Noblesse,  Crimson 
Galande,  Eellegarde,  Walburton  Admirable,  Lady 
Palmerston,  and  the  Nectarine  Peach.  The 
Nectarine  of  all  others  has  been  Lord  Napier, 
earlier,  larger,  handsomer,  and  of  higher  flavour 
than  any  other  variety  yet  sent  out,  and  the  tree 
has  an  excellent  constitution,  and  never  fails  to 
fruit  abundantly. 

October  11. 
Finer,  very  cold,  but  as  yet  no  frost, and  probably 
we  shall  now  be  free  from  such  a  visitation  till  the 
end  of  the  month.  I  have  noted  for  years  that  a 
wave  of  cold  sets  in  from  the  7th  to  the  11th  of 
this  month,  and  if  this  leaves  us  witliout  nipping 
the  tender  plants,  we  may  consider  them  com- 
paratively safe  till  quite  the  end  of  the  month ; 
and  in  this  hope  we  took  just  the  same  pains  to- 
day with  flower  garden  tidying  as  we  have  all  the 
summer;  bad  leaves  and  flowers  and  irregular 
growths  of  plants  have  been  cleared  away,  the 
grass  swept  and  rolled,  and  vases  and  baskets 
picked  over  and  watered.  There  are  still 
lots  of  succulents  that  might  with  advantage  have 
the  side  shoots  taken  off  for  stock,  and  these  we 
must  try  to  get  done  next  week  ;  then  all  the  old 
plants  may  remain  till  killed  by  frost.  Sweeping 
up  pleasure  grounds  completed  the  labours  of 
outside  hands.  The  houses  had  some  clearing  up, 
though  little,  there  being  other  more  pressing 
duties  to-day  in  the  form  of  getting  under  shelter 
all  plants  likely  to  be  injured  by  cold,  as  well  as 
the  looking  over  of  the  stock  of  cuttings  in  the 
propagating  pit  to  remove  all  decaying  leaves, 
which  quickly  engender  damp  and  sometimes 
mildew.  Strawberries  in  pots  have  again  been 
weeded;  growth  is  all  we  can  wish,  the  crowns 
being  brown  and  well  hardened.  The  first  batch 
has  been  put  in  frames,  and  will  now  be  kept 
rather  drier  (by  no  means  dry)  till  they  are  wanted 
to  be  put  in  the  forcing  house.  Watered  Pines, 
C^ucumbers,  and  Melons ;  tepid  water  is  used  for 
all,  and  that  without  exception.  Late  Melons  are 
good  crops.  They  are  just  as  handsomely  netted 
and  the  foliage  as  green  and  free  from  insects  as 
any  I  have  previously  beheld,  so  that  their  excel- 
lence is  a  foregone  conclusion ;  the  variety  is 
Scarlet  Invincible. 

October  13. 
Wind  and  wet  had  done  their  worst  to  make 
every  place  untidy,  and  being  much  finer,  partial 
cleaning  up— the  worst  places  only — was  done  ; 
then  lifting  of  Carrots  and  laying  them  on  the 
ground  to  dry  after  screwing  off  the  tops  an  inch 
or  ^two  above  the  crowns.  Beet  will  be  left  for 
the  present.  This  root  never  keeps  so  well  as  it 
does  in  the  ground,  but  it  soon  gets  frost-bitten, 
and  should  either  be  housed  or  protected  with 
litter  or  Bracken  as  it  stands  before  there  is  any 
likelihood  of  severe  frost.  Tied  up  Celery  pre- 
paratory to  giving  it  the  fin.il  earthing, 
which  will  be  done  as  soon  as  the  soil  gets 
a  bit  drier.  Lifted  several  young  Peach  trees 
that    had    grown    too    strong,  shortened    back 


the  roots,  and  replanted  them  in  the  same 
places,  making  the  soil  about  them  very  hard  by 
treading.  The  trees  were  of  course  forked  out 
carefully  and  lifted  with  good  balls  of  soil  ad- 
hering, so  that  they  will  hardly  feel  the  moving 
other  than  the  check  intended,  which  is  lessened 
vigour  of  wood  growth  and  consequently  a  more 
certain  fruitingcondition.  Additional  trees  were  also 
planted  in  one  of  the  Peach  houses.  Early  Rivers, 
a  variety  that  invariably  produces  a  large  number 
of  fruit  having  split  stones,  and  therefore  pre- 
maturely ripened  fruit,  being  taken  out,  and 
in  place  thereof  Lord  Napier  Nectarine  and 
Alexander  Peach  have  been  planted.  Top-dressed 
part  of  fruiting  and  first  succession  Pines,  re- 
newed fermenting  material,  and  replunged  the 
plants  ;  a  bottom  heat  of  9.j°  does  not  harm  them, 
but  we  would  much  prefer  an  even  one  of  75".  After 
renewal  the  heat  sometimes  gets  too  intense,  and 
if  there  is  any  danger  of  this  being  the  case,  it  is 
best  not  to  plunge  the  plants  for  a  few  days  till 
the  heat  has  subsided. 

OCTOEEIl  U. 
Put  in  C'alceolaiia  cuttings  in  a  frame ;  also 
finished  taking  offsets  from  succulents,  and  now, 
with  the  exception  of  Echeveria  metallica  (so  bad 
to  increase),  Echeveria  Peacocki,  and  Pachyphyton 
ro5eum,  all  other  old  plants  will  be  left  to  take 
their  chance ;  the  varieties  named  will  be  covered 
up  in  the  beds  whenever  it  appears  likely  for  frost. 
Pelargoniums  struck  in  the  open  borders  are  being 
potted,  and  those  that  were  put  in  boxes  direct, 
though  still  exposed,  are  so  arranged  that  cover- 
ing can  be  quickly  applied  on  there  being  indica- 
tions of  its  being  needed.  Marguerites,  Grevilleas, 
Bjuvardias,  and  other  plants  that  have  been  grown 
in  pots  for  winter  decoration  have  been  housed  of 
course,  top-dressing  and  washing  of  pots  having 
been  previously  done.  Thinned  out  winter  Onions 
and  Endive,  and  weeded  borders  and  walks  in 
kitchen  garden ;  also  cut  herbs  and  bunched  them 
up  for  drying.  The  flower  garden  is  still  in  great 
beauty;  not  a  flower  has  yet  been  injured  by 
frost,  though  Coleus  and  Alternantheras  show 
signs  of  the  changed  temperature,  and  remind  us 
that  their  place  must  soon  be  occupied  by  other 
plants  or  material ;  hence,  we  have  made  note 
about  cutting  turves  of  closely  nibbled  Heather, 
and  getting  in  readiness  tlikes  of  Sedums,  which 
we  use  as  groundwork  for  small  shrubs  that  are 
now  in  our  reserve  garden,  together  with  hardy 
Heaths  and  spring-flowering  plants.       Hants. 


OBITUARY, 


Died  suddenly  at  his  country  residence  in  Lexing- 
ton on  the  20th  of  September  last,  the  Hon. 
Francis  B.  Hayes,  in  his  C.5th  year.  The  leading 
cultivators  around  London,  as  well  as  Continental 
florists,  will  read  with  regret  the  death  of  this 
estimable  man,  whose  grounds  have  been  enriched 
with  all  the  novelties  and  most  beautiful  hardy 
shrubs  and  rare  plants  introduced  into  our  col- 
lections during  the  last  ten  years.  Rhododendrons 
were  his  especial  favourites,  and  his  collection 
embraced  the  most  recent  of  the  English  and 
Belgian  varieties,  as  well  as  all  the  old  and  really 
desirable  kinds.  His  collection  of  Camellias  was 
extensive,  and  included  the  largest,  finest,  and 
original  plants  of  the  American  seedlings.  He 
was,  with  one  or  two  exceptions,  the  most  liberal 
patron  of  gardening  in  America,  and  it  was  his 
delight  to  show  his  grounds  at  all  times,  and  open 
invitations  were  extended  to  the  leading  amateurs. 
It  was  refreshing  to  follow  Mr.  Hayes  around  his 
extensive  grounds  (500  acres),  and  to  note  the 
pleasure  which  every  new  plant  seemed  to  give 
him.  He  had  nearly,  or  quite,  completed  one  of 
the  finest  mansions  in  New  England,  built  wholly 
from  the  various  kinds  of  rocks  on  his  own  grounds, 
and  in  a  chaste  and  original  style  from  plans  by 
an  eminent  American  architect.  As  president  of 
the  Massachusetts  Horticultural  Society  for  five 
years,  he  has,  by  his  ardour  and  enthusiasm,  infused 
new  life  into  that  association,  which  for  ten  or 
twelve  years  has  scarcely  kept  up  its  advanced 
1  position.     His  death  is  a  severe  loss,  and  it  will  be 


Oct.   18,  1884, 


THE     GARDEN 


349 


difficnlt  to  find  one  to  take  the  place  which  he  has 
BO  well  and  honourably  filled.  His  funeral  took 
place  on  Sept.  24,  and  he  was  buried,  agreeably  to 
his  last  request,  in  Mount  Auburn  Cemetery. — 
C.  M.  HOVEY,  Boston. 


Societies. 


KOVAL   HORTICULTUEAL. 
October  H. 
At  this  exhibition  fruit  and  vegetables  formed  the 
main  feature,  but  there  was  a  small  gathering  of 
interesting  plants,   among  which  the    following 
were  awarded  first-class  certificates  :  — 

Sakracenia  Wrigleyana. — A  hybrid  between 
S.  psittacina  and  S.  Drummondi.  The  pitchered 
leaves  are  intermediate  both  in  size  and  form  be- 
tween those  of  their  parents.  They  are  about  a 
foot  in  length,  slightly  carved,  and  handsomely 
netted  and  mottled  with  white,  and  they  also 
possess  a  reddish  tinge.  Exhibited  by  Messrs. 
Veitch. 

Lapageria  rosea  (Nash  Court  variety). — 
This  magnificent  variety,  possessed  by  Mrs. 
Lade,  Nash  Court,  Faversham,  was  described  a 
short  time  ago  in  The  Garden.  The  flowers 
which  Mr.  Humphreys  showed  on  this  occasion 
were  even  finer,  both  in  size  and  colour,  than  those 
he  brought  to  the  last  meeting.  Such  an  excep- 
tional fine  variety  worthily  deserved  the  distinc- 
tion accorded  it. 

Dendrobium  Phal^enopsis.— a  new  species, 
reminding  one  of  D.  bigibbum,  but  different  in 
growth  and  the  flowers  are  larger.  The  lateral 
sepals  are  broad  and  round  and  of  a  rich  ame- 
thyst, while  the  tint  of  the  lip  is  even  much 
deeper.     Shown  by  Messrs.  Veitch. 

I'TERIS  serrulata  cristata  compacta.— A 
singularly  beautiful  Fern,  different  from  all  the 
other  varieties  of  P.  serrulata  on  account  of  its 
dwarf,  dense  growth.  Each  frond  is  broadly  tas- 
selled,  and  the  fronds,  being  short  and  numerous, 
form  a  dense,  yet  graceful,  tuft.  It  was  exhibited 
by  Mr.  H.  11.  May,  Edmonton,  a  market  grower, 
who  will  no  doubt  find  it  an  invaluable  decora- 
tive plant. 

Dahlia  Frad  Emil  Heinicke  and  La  Pe- 
tite Barbier  — Both  bouquet  or  pompone  varie- 
ties, the  first  having  small,  compact  flowers  of  a 
pleasing  rose-pink  colour,  the  other  pure  white. 
Exhibited  by  Messrs.  Cannell  &  Sons,  Swanley. 

Chrysanthemum  Golden  Madame  De,s- 
GRANGE. — A  new  sport  from  the  white  Madame 
Desgrange,  which  is  pre-eminently  the  finest  of 
early-flowering  Chrysantbemams.  The  flowers  of 
the  sport  are  identically  the  same  as  those  of  the 
parent,  except  that  the  colour  is  a  clear  golden 
yellow  instead  of  white.  It  is  a  valuable  acquisi- 
tion. Exhibited  by  Mr.  G.  Wermig,  Westfield 
Nurseries,  Woking. 

Begonia  King  op  Kings  and  Felix  Crousse. 
— Two  tuberous-rooted  varieties.  The  former  is  a 
splendid  single  sort  with  very  large,  finely  shaped 
flowers  of  a  brilliant  fiery  scarlet.  The  latter  is  a 
double-flowered  variety,  the  blooms  of  which  are 
large  and  resetted,  and  of  a  glowing  scarlet.  In 
habit  and  floriferousness  it  is  all  that  can  be  de- 
sired.    Exhibited  by  Messrs.  Cannell. 

Among  other  plants  of  Interest  shown  were  the 
following :  From  Mr.  B.  S.  Williams  came  fine 
flowering  plants  of  his  two  lovely  new  hybrid 
Amaryllises,  Mrs.  Garfield  and  Mrs.  W.  Lee, 
sister  plants,  we  might  say,  but  it  would  be  diffi- 
cult to  decide  which  is  the  lovelier  of  the  two. 
They  both  seem  to  be  perpetual  flowerers,  as  Mr. 
Williams  has  them  in  flower  at  his  nursery 
throughout  the  year.  Other  plants  from  Mr. 
Williams  were  Cyrtanthus  Mackeni,  a  beautiful 
South  African  bulbous  plant,  with  umbelled 
heads  of  long  curved  blossoms ;  Corynocarpus 
l.-cvigatus  aureo-marginatus,  a  handsome  leaved 
shrub,  which  no  doubt  we  shall  see  more  of  in 
future ;  and  Sonchus  elegantissimus,  perhaps  the 
most  elegant  of  all  Thistles,  but  very  unlike  our 
native  representatives   of  Sonchus.    Its   special 


place  is  a  vase  on  the  dining-table,  for  which  pur- 
pose there  could  not  be  a  more  suitable  plant. 

Phalainopsis  Sanderiana  magniSca  is  the  name 
given  to  a  superb  form  of  this  new  Orchid,  which 
Mr.  Vanner  sent  from  his  collection  at  Camden 
Wood,  Cbislehurst.  Roughly  speaking,  we  should 
say  that  it  is  quite  three  shades  darker  in  tone 
than  the  deepest  variety  of  P.  Sanderiana  that  has 
hitherto  been  shown,  and  Mr.  Lee  was  supposed 
to  have  flowered  and  shown  the  darkest  up  to  the 
present  time.  As  may  be  imagined,  it  is  a  most 
lovely  flower.  Mr.  Bealby  showed  another  new 
double  Begonia  named  Mrs.  Crousse,  a  further 
instance  of  the  French  raiser's  industry.  It  is, 
however,  not  so  fine  as  some  of  the  older  sorts.  Mr. 
Sheppard  sent  from  Woolverstone  Park  two  seed- 
ling Crotons  that  he  has  raised.  Both  were 
labelled  differently,  but  it  was  a  puzzle  to  discern 
the  distinction.  One  was  named  Sheppardi,  the 
other  Gem,  the  former  an  alleged  cross  between 
)Weismanni  and  majesticus,  the  other  between 
Weismanni  and  Mooreanus.  They  both  have  long 
leaves  like  Weismanni  and  very  brightly  and 
handsomely  barred  and  mottled. 

Messrs.  Cannell's  exhibits  consisted  chiefly  of 
Dahlias,  cut  zonal  Pelargoniums,  and  single 
Begonias,  which,  by  the  way,  were  particularly 
fine,  and  being  arranged  on  flat  trays  were  very 
dazzling.  Besides  those  certificated  was  Rose 
Perfection,  also  a  first-rate  sort  of  a  deep  rose 
carmine.  The  most  striking  plant,  however,  from 
Messrs.  Cannell  was  the  old,  but  nearly  forgotten, 
Lion's-tail  plant  (Leonotis  Leonurus),  a  Labiate 
from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  It  is  an  attractive 
and  most  distinct-looking  plant,  having  erect 
slender  branches  beset  with  whorls  of  long  reddish 
orange-coloured  flowers  like  a  I'hlomis.  Another 
noteworthy  plant  from  Swanley  was  Begonia  di- 
versifolia  (Martiniana),  a  showy  autumn-flowering 
species  of  slender  erect  growth,  and  extremely 
floriferous.  The  colour  is  a  clear  pink.  There 
were  about  a  dozen  plants  of  it  shown. 

Dihlias  were  again  shown  plentifully  by  Messrs. 
Rawlings,  of  Romford,  Mr.  Keith,  Brentwood,  and 
Messrs.  Cheat,  of  Crawley.  Those  from  the  latter 
included,  among  a  selection  of  the  finest  singles, 
the  new  Formosa,  which  is  unquestionably  a  first- 
rate  sort.  Messrs.  Cheat  had,  besides  the  Dahlias, 
a  selection  of  about  a  score  of  hardy  trees  and 
shrubs,  either  in  flower  or  with  variegated  or 
coloured  foliage.  Among  these  were  Prunus  Pis- 
sardi,  the  purple-leaved  I'lum,  the  golden  Catalpa, 
the  tricoloured  Dogwood,  golden  variegated  Snow- 
berry,  and  Ceanothus  Berthieri,  one  of  the  best 
of  the  hardy  kinds. 

A  new  C'oleus,  named  Duke  of  Connaught,  was 
shown  by  the  C'oleus  raiser,  Mr.  King,  of  Row- 
sham.  It  is  a  beautiful  sort  with  brilliant  carmine- 
tinted  leaves  edged  with  gold  and  green.  Mr. 
Wiggins,  of  Twickenham,  showed  a  few  precocious 
Cyclamens  and  a  few  having  handsomely  marbled 
foliage.  Besides  the  Pteris  certificated  Mr.  May 
showed  another,  a  crested  variety  of  P.  cretica 
albo-lineata.  It  is  elegant  and  distinct,  but  not 
so  ornamental  as  the  other. 

Fruit  committee. —  A  cultural  commenda- 
tion was  accorded  to  Mr.  Pochin,  Bodinant, 
Denbigh,  for  some  wonderfully  fine  bunches  of 
Muscat  of  Alexandria  and  Alicante  Grapes,  some 
half  a  dozen  bunches,  all  large  and  perfect  in 
finish.  Mr.  Bull  exhibited  from  Messrs.  Lusk, 
Oakland,  California,  some  excellent  fruits  of  Kel- 
sey's  Japan  Plum,  which  resembles  in  colour  and 
size  a  deep-skinned  Nectarine,  while  the  shape  is 
conical.  Several  sorts  of  Apples  were  shown  Ijy 
Mr.  Breese,  of  Petworth  Park,  including  the 
Nanny,  a  first-rate  local  sort,  and  another  called 
Cumberland  Codlin.  Mr.  B.  S.  Williams  showed 
two  splendid  bunches  of  the  new  Grape  Winter 
King,  which  variety  is  said  to  be  the  result  of 
grafting  Gros  Colmar  on  Raisin  de  Calahre.  The 
bunches  were  large,  the  berries  oval,  and  as  black 
as  Sloes.  Several  new  Tomatoes  were  shown.  Mr. 
R.  Dean  had  a  large,  new  yellow-fruited  sort 
called  Prince  of  Orange,  the  best  yellow  we  have 
seen.  Mr.  Phillips  showed  his  new  Perfection,  and 
Mr.  Miles,  of  Wycombe,  his  new  Wycombe  Abbey 
seedling.     Logan's   Seedling  Apple  was  shown 


well  by  Messrs.  Dickson,  of  Belfast,  and  a  fine 
dish  of  Margil  came  from  Mr.  Williams,  Alder- 
maston  Lodge.  Mr.  Ward,  of  Bishop  Stortford, 
exhibited  his  contrivance  for  preserving  cut 
Grapes,  which  consists  of  shallow,  oblong,  earthen- 
ware pans  fitted  on  stands  ;  it  is  an  excellent  and 
simple  plan,  and  ought  to  meet  with  patronage 
from  gardeners.  Several  large  miscellaneous  col- 
lections of  fruit  were  shown.  Messrs.  Veitch 
had  a  collection  of  100  dishes,  and  were  awarded 
a  bronze  medal.  Jlessrs.  Bunyard  also  took 
a  bronze  medal  for  a  large  collection  likewise. 
Messrs.  Cheal  for  a  collection  of  Apples  and  Pears 
numbering  about  100  dishes.  Messrs.  Paul  &  Son 
showed  a  large  collection,  and  a  particularly  fine 
collection  of  Apples  fit  for  exhibition  came  from 
Mr.  Sydney  Ford,  of  Leonardslee,  Horsham,  and 
who  was  awarded  a  bronze  medal.  A  silver  medal 
was  taken  by  Mr.  T.  B.  Thomas,  Covent  Garden, 
for  eighteen  barrels  of  American  Apples  just 
imported  in  fine  condition.  The  sorts  consisted 
chiefly  of  Baldwin,  Northern  Spy,  Greening, 
Golden  Russet,  Fameuse,  and  Hubbardson.  Messrs. 
Sutton,  of  Reading,  were  awarded  a  silver  medal 
for  an  extensive  collection  of  Potatoes,  including 
numbers  of  new  seedlings  and  the  best  of  the 
older  sorts,  making  altogether  a  fine  display.  A 
large  exhibition  of  Potatoes  was  also  made  by 
Messrs.  Carter  &  Co.,  High  Holborn,  which  was 
likewise  rich  in  varieties. 


FRUIT  AND  VEGETABLE  SHOW. 
Again  there  was  an  excellent  exhibition  of  hardy 
fruits  and  vegetables,  the  chief  features  being 
Pears,  Apples,  and  Potatoes.  The  schedule  had 
evidently  been  arranged  on  this  occasion  with  the 
view  of  bringing  together  respresentative  displays 
of  Pears  and  Apples,  and  the  exhibition  so  far  as  it 
went  could  not  possibly  have  been  finer. 

Peaks. — There  were  classes  for  collections  of 
fifty  sorts  from  nurserymen,   the  same  number 
from  amateurs,  and  a  class  specially  set  apart  for 
the  French  and  Channel  Islands,  but  these  latter 
did  not  respond.     There  were  classes  for  collec- 
tions of  twelve,  six,  and  three  sorts,  besides  one 
each  for  the  best  flavoured  variety  and  varieties 
that  have  been  certificated  by  the  Royal  Horticul- 
tural Society.    As  may  be  seen  by  the  prize  list 
published  in  our  advertising  columns,  the  competi- 
tion was  confined  to  a  few  exhibitors,  chiefly  from 
Kent,  the  most  successful  being  Mr.  Roger  Leigh's 
gardener  (Mr.  Haycock),  at  Barham  Court,  Maid- 
stone, who  took   the  first  prize    in  every  class 
he  showed,  with  the  exception  of  the  single  dish 
classes.    Another  successful  exhibitor  was    Mr. 
Goldsmith,  of   Hollanden  Park,  Tonbridge,  who, 
with  Mr.  Haycock,  was  so  prominent  in  the  hardy 
fruit  show    the  week    previous    at    the   Crystal 
Palace.  Three  collections  of  fifty  sorts  were  shown, 
and  both  those  from  Barham  Court  and  Hollanden 
Park  were  grand,  even  finer  than  those  shown  from 
these  places  at  the  Crystal  Palace,  and  having  re- 
gard to  the  large  number  of  varieties  for  a  private 
garden  to  muster,  the  collections  were  remarkable. 
There  was  but  one  collection,  that  from  Messrs. 
Rivers,  in  the  nurserymen's  class  which  fact  speaks 
for  itself  of  this  season's  Pear  crop.     The  dozen 
dishes  Mr.  Haycock  showed  for  the  first  prize  were 
without  question  the  finest  that  has  been  exhibited 
in  London  for  years,  and  it  is  doubtful  if  they 
could  be  surpassed  anywhere.     Each  fruit  shown 
was   fully   enough   for   four   persons,  and  some 
would  turn  the  scales  on  three  pounds.     The  sorts 
were  Pitmaston  Duchess,  Beurre   Hardy,  Doyenne 
du  Cornice,  Triomphe  de  Jodoigne,  Beurre  Bache- 
lier,     BeurrC     Superfin,    Duchesse    d'Angoulc-me, 
General  Todleben,  lieurru  d'Anjou,  Beurre  Clair- 
geau,    Durandeau,    Marie    Louise.      The    second 
dozen  was  from  the   Duke  of  Richmond's  garden 
at  Goodwood.    Among  the  most  prominent  sorts 
which  Mr.  Rutland  showed  in  this  collection  were 
Pitmaston  Duchess,  Beurru  Diel,  Easter  Beurre, 
General    Todleben,    Chaumontel,  Glou  Moroeau, 
Marie  Louise,  and  Duchesse  d'AngouK-me. 

The  best  six  dishes  from  Barham  Court  were  of 
Conseiller  de  la  Cour,  Durandeau,  Pitmaston 
Duchess,  Beurre  Diel,  and  Beurre  d'Anjou.  The 
second  collection  from  Bayham  Abbey  was  like- 


350 


THE     GAEDEN 


[Orr.  18,  1884. 


wise  a  very  fine  one,  also  from  Mr.  Goldsmith.  Five 
collections  were  shown  in  this  class.  The  three 
best  dishes  of  dessert  sorts  were  from  Mr.  Hay- 
cock, who  had  Pitmaston  Duchess,  Beurrij  .Superfin, 
and  Durandeau,  Mr.  Goldsmith's  second  best  being 
Benrre  Diel,  Beurre  Superfin,  and  Louise  Bonne  of 
Jersey.  An  equal  second  was  taken  by  Mr.  John- 
son, of  Bayham,  who  bad  fine  samples  of  Doyenne 
da  Cornice,  Beurrc  Superfin,  and  Duchesse  d'Angou- 
16 me.  Among  eight  sorts  shown  for  the  finest 
flavour  Seckle  was  first,  Gansel's  Bergamot  second, 
and  Beurrcj  Supetfin  third.  Other  sorts  shown 
were  Louise  Bonne  of  Jersey,  Soldat  d'Esperen, 
and  Bergamot.  Only  one  certificated  sort  was 
shown,  which  was  Pitmaston  Duchess,  from  Mr. 
Haycock.  The  three  best  stewing  Pears  were  Bellis- 
sime  d'Hiver,  Uvedale's  St.  Germain,  and  Catillac, 
other  sorts  shown  being  Grosse  Calabasse  and 
Verulam. 

Apples.— There  was  no  class  for  collections, 
but  one  each  were  set  apart  for  the  following 
sorts:  Blenheim  Orange,  of  which  there  were 
twenty  dishes  shown  ;  Cox's  Orange  I'ippin,  repre- 
sented by  twenty-three;  King  of  the  Pippins, 
shown  by  twenty-three  ;  M6re  de  Menage,  shown 
by  six  ;  Golden  Noble  or  Waltham  Abbey  Seed- 
ling, by  seventeen  ;  and  Court  of  Wick,  by  eight. 
There  was  a  class  for  the  old  Golden  Pippin,  but 
of  the  six  dishes  shown  none  represented  that 
variety  correctly,  thus  showing  how  many  spurious 
Golden  Pippins  there  are  in  cultivation.  There 
were  some  exceptionally  fine  examples  shown  in 
the.se  classes,  but  the  prize  list  will  show  that  the 
chief  of  the  prizes  in  these  classes  were  taken  by 
the  Kentish  growers.  In  the  class  provided  for 
any  sort  of  Apple  certificated  by  the  Royal  Horti- 
cultural Society,  there  were  some  eight  competi- 
tors, Mr.  Haycock  being  first  with  a  fine  dish  of 
Peasgood's  Nonsuch.  A  marvellously  fine  dish  of 
Loddington  or  Stone's  Apple  from  Mr.  Friend, 
Margate,  was  second,  while  Messrs.  Lane  were 
third  with  the  new  kitchen  Apple,  Prince  Albert 
Other  sorts  shown  were  The  Queen,  from  Messrs. 
Saltmarsh,  Lady  Henniker,  from  Mr.  Sydney 
Ford,  and  Cellini. 

Peachf,.s  and  Plums.  —  The  best  dish  of 
Peaches  among  about  a  dozen  was  Salway,  some 
very  fine  fruits  of  which  were  shown  by  Mr.  llut- 
land,  from  Goodwood.  I,ate  Admirable  was  se- 
cond, and  Walburton  Admirable  third.  Other 
sorts  shown  were  Lord  Palmerston,  Princess  of 
Wales,  and  Golden  Eagle.  Among  a  score  of 
dishes  of  Plums,  Coe's  Golden  Drop  took  all  the 
prizes,  and  was  shown  by  twelve  in  all,  other 
sorts  being  Blue  Imp6ratrice  and  Piivers'  Grand 
Duke. 

Out-door  Grapes.— Two  classes  were  set  apart 
for  these,  one  for  six  bunches.'the  other  for  two. 
All  the  prizes  in  the  class  for' six  were  taken  by 
the  common  Sweetwater  variety,  of  which  there 
were  some  creilitable  bunches  shown,  and  the 
same  variety  took  the  prizes  in  the  class  for  two 
bunches.  Mr.  Camp  showed  some  creditable  ex- 
amples of  Royal  Muscadine,  but  were  a  little 
over-ripe.  There  was  a  class  for  Crab  Apples, 
Siberian  or  other  variety,  and  several  dishes  were 
shown,  all  being  commendable  examples.  Prizes 
were  offered  for  Cranberries,  but  no  exhibitor 
came  forward,  and  only  one  showed  home-grown 
Oranges  or  Lemons,  and  these  numbered  but  three 
sorts. 

Miscellaneous  class.— There  were  more  ex- 
hibits than  usual  of  a  miscellaneous  character. 
The  first  prize  was  taken  by  Mr.  Herrin,  of  Chal- 
font,  who  showed  fourteen  fine  Melons,  including 
the  new  Chalfont  Favourite  variety.  Mr.  Harris, 
of  Singleton,  Swansea,  was  second  with  six  fine 
Pines.rand  Mr.  Ross  third  with  two  grand  Smooth 
Cayenne  Pines,  weighing  respectively  8  lb.  4  oz. 
and  8  lb.  6  oz.  Besides  these  were  several  other 
exhibits.  Captain  Le  Blanc's  gardener  (Mr.  May), 
of  Northaw  Plouse,  Barnet,  showed  a  really  fine 
collection,  including  Prince  of  Wales  Peach,  Blue 
Imperatrice  Plum,  some  monster  Pitmaston  Du- 
chess Pears,  Coe's  Golden  Drop  Plum,  and  Victoria 
Nectarine.  Mr.  Johnson,  of  Bayham  Abbey 
Gardens,  showed  a  fine  large  Tomato  named 
Bayham  Seedling,  a  new  sort  seemingly  of  first- 


rate  quality.  Mr.  Miles,  of  Wycombe  Abbey, 
showed  several  dozen  fruits  of  his  new  Wycombe 
Abbey  Tomato,  which  for  evenness  of  size  could 
not  be  surpassed.  Mr.  S.  Ford,  Leonardslee, 
Horsham,  showed  a  dish  of  Red  Currants  in  per- 
fection, also  Morello  Cherries  and  Siberian  Crabs. 

Vegetables— There  were  eight  exhibitors  of 
collections  of  eight  kinds,  the  finest  being  that 
from  Mr.  Miles,  Lord  Carington's  gardener,  at 
Wycombe  Abbey,  which  in  every  sense  was  all  that 
could  be  desired.  His  selection  of  sorts  were 
Stamfordian  Tomatoes,  fine  in  colour  and  of  extra 
size,  this  dish  of  eighteen  fruits  being  one  of  the 
strong  points  of  the  collection  ;  Cave's  Pinesfield 
Improved  Onion,  apparently  an  ally  of  the  Brown 
Spanish,  the  bulbs  being  very  solid  and  weighty; 
Canadian  Wonder  Beans,  an  excellent  Bean  both 
for  exhibition  or  the  dinner-table ;  Allan's  Cham- 
pion. Peas  in  the  way  of  William  I.  in  appear- 
ance, but  with  better  filled  pods,  evidently  a  good 
Pea  for  late  work ;  Lady  Paget  Potatoes,  partaking 
of  the  Lapstone  in  shape,  a  good  dish;  Veitch's 
Exhibition  Brussels  .Sprouts,  ,of  extra  size,  yet 
solid,  also  a  good  dish;  James's  Intermediate 
Carrots  and  Tender  and  True  Cucumbers,  of  good 
table  size,  being  fine  examples  of  what  Cucum- 
bers should  be  when  fit  for  use.  From  the  Earl 
of  Radnor's  gardener,  at  Coleshill  House,  Mr, 
Haines  showed  a  capital  representativecoUection, 
which  was  an  excellent  second.  The  stronge.st 
points  in  this  lot  were  Major  Clarke's  fine  solid 
red  Celery ;  Autumn  Giant  Cauliflowers,  good  in 
colour,  very  firm,  and  close ;  Reading  Onion,  a 
fine  selection  of  White  Spanish,  and  an  excellent 
di.-h  of  twelve  Schoolmaster  Potatoes.  Mr. 
Philips'  third  collection  from  Dr.  Baber's  garden, 
at  Meopham,  contained  some  finely  grown,  long 
red  Surrey  .Carrots  ;  Phillips' Perfection  Tomato, 
an  excellent  kind,  resembling  the  Stamfordian  in 
appearance.  In  another  collection  from  Mr.  H.  A. 
Brassey's  garden,  at  Preston  Hall,  were  capital 
dishes  of  Ashleaf  Kidney  Potatoes  from  tubers 
planted  in  July  last,  and  likewise  Nantes  Horn 
Carrots,  which  we  should  imagine  were  sown  dur- 
ing the  same  month. 

Potatoes.— The  competition  in  the  six  classes 
provided  for  Potatoes  was  not  so  strong  as  at  the 
Crystal  Palace  last  week,  but  many  of  the  leading 
exhibitors  were,  however,  quite  up  to  their  usual 
form.  In  the  large  class  for  fifty  varieties,  Mr. 
KeiT,  of  Dumfries,  was  first  with  a  capital  all- 
round  collection.  The  most  prominent  sorts  were, 
among  kidneys.  Lady  Truscott,  Magnum  Bonum, 
Wonderful  lied,  Wiltshire  Giant,  Dargavel  Beauty, 
Defiance,  Red  Fluke  (very  taking).  Cosmopolitan, 
and  Sir  Garnet  Wolseley;  whilst  of  rounds,  the 
best  were  Duke  of  Albany,  King  Noble  (very 
fine  dish),  'Vicar  of  Laleham,  Tiftie's;  Annie, 
Reading  Eusset  (fine).  Lord  Rosebery  (of  Gram- 
pian type),  Manhattan,  'and  Schoolmaster.  Mr. 
Dean's  second  prize  collection  was  very  close  to 
Mr.  Kerr's.  Of  kidney-shaped  kinds  the  best 
were  Edgecote  Purple,  Chancellor  (a  promising 
kind).  Beauty  of  Hebron,  Princess  of  Wales, 
Cardinal  (a  fine  red),  American  I'urple,  Lady 
Truscott,  Magnum  Bonum,  Edgecote  Seedling, 
Snowflake,  Trophy,  Snowdrop,  Fenn's  Bountiful, and 
Prizetaker;  of  rounds.  Early  Border,  FiUbasket, 
Bedfont  Rose  (a  fine  late  kind).  Schoolmaster,  The 
Dean,  Reading  Russet,  Porter's  Excelsior,  and 
Vicar  of  Laleham  were  some  of  the  best  dishes. 
Three  collections  only  of  fifty  kinds  sorts  were 
shown,  the  number  evidently  being  too  many, 
except  for  the  largest  growers. 

In  the  following  class  Mr.  Dean  won  the  first 
prize  for  twelve  'kinds  suitable  for  garden  cul- 
ture. He  showed  an  excellent  assortment  of  the 
best  kinds,  each  dish  of  which  was  of  first-class 
quality.  The  sorts  selected  were,  of  kidneys.  Lap- 
stone,  Snowflake,  Snowdrop,  Cosmopolitan,  Wood- 
stock Kidney,  Beauty  of  Hebron,  and  Ashleaf 
Kidney  ;  of  rounds.  Sunrise,  Reading  Russet,  Rad- 
stock  Beauty,  Matchless,  and  Vicar  of  Laleham. 
The  second  prize  went  to  a  collection  of  excellent 
quality  from ,  the^garden  of  Col.  Cartwright,  Eydon 
Hall, Northampton  (Mr. Hughes, gr.)  Thisselection 
contained  Edgecote  Purple,  Snowdrop,  Prizetaker, 
Myatt's  Prolific,  Cardinal,  and  iidgecote  Seedling 


among  kidneys,  and  Sutton's  Favourite,  Reading 
Russet,  Early  Regent,  I'orter's  Excelsior,  The 
Dean,  and  Red  Emperor.  The  latter  kind  should 
not,  we  think,  be  included  in  the  first  twelve  chosen 
for  garden  culture.  Ecjual  thirds  were  awarded  to 
Mr.  Kerr  and  Mr.  Howard,  seven  collections  in  all 
being  staged. 

The  next  class  for  twelve  kinds  suitable  for 
field  culture  was  not  so  well  contested,  but  the 
quality  nevertheless  was  good,  Mr.  Dean  again 
taking  the  premier  place  with  Magnum  Bonum, 
Chancellor,  Cosmopolitan,  Woodstock  Kidney, 
Beauty  of  Hebron,'  and  Snowdrop;  The  Dean, 
Vicar  of  Laleham,  Reading  Russet,  Reading 
Hero,  Schoolmaster,  and  Adirondack  rounds  ;  Mr. 
Howard  taking  second,  and  Mr.  Kerr  third  prizes 
in  the  same  class. 

A  class  was  also  provided  for  English  raised 
varieties  with  pedigrees  attached  to  the  names  of 
each  sort.  In  this  class  Mr.  Dean  was  again  first 
with  a  high  class  selection,  having  fully  complied 
with  the  schedule  requirements  in  giving  the  re- 
quisite information  as  to  pedigree  in  each  instance. 
The  following  kinds  shown  were  all  of  his  own 
raising,  viz.,  Chancellor,  President,  Harvester, 
Itecorder,  Standwell,  Bedfont  Rose,  Alderman, 
London  Hero,  Rosebud,  Cardinal,  Sunrise,  Prime 
Minister,  Cosmopolitan,  The  Dean,  Lilywhite, 
Uufus,  and  the  Lord  Ma.yor.  Sorts  from  other 
raisers  were  Reading  Eusset,  International, 
and  Prizetaker,  all  raised  by  Mr.  Fenn; 
Clyffe  Hall,  Pride  of  Cljffe,  Progress,  Wilt- 
shire Giant,  and  Perfection,  by  Mr.  Lye; 
Edgecote  Purple,  by  Mr.  Wiles;  and  Vicar  of 
Laleham,  by  Mr.  Peake,  completed  this  collec- 
tion of  twenty-seven  dishes.  The  second  prize 
was  awarded  to  a  smaller  collection  from  Mr. 
Ross,  which  was  interesting  inasmuch  as  each 
kind  was  of  his  own  raising,  Woodstock  Kidney 
in  nearly  every  instance  being  one  of  the  parents. 
A  similar  class  was  provided  for  American  varie- 
ties, but  only  one  collection  of  about  ten  kinds 
was  shown,  and  this  did  not  comply  with  the 
schedule  with  regard  to  the  pedigree.  Mr.  Kerr 
was  the  exhibitor,  but  no  award  was  made,  as  the 
pedigrees  were  not  mentioned.  In  a  class  for 
twelve  varieties  for  late  use  Mr.  Dean  showed  for 
the  first  prize  fine  samples  of  Magnum  Bonum, 
Chancellor,  Wiltshire  Giant,  Reading  Hero,  Prime 
Minister,  Schoolmaster,  Mr.  Bresee,  Vicar  of 
Laleham,  P.edfont  Rose,  The  Dean,  Manhattan, 
and  Beauty  of  Kent ;  Mr.  Kerr  being  second,  and 
Mr.  Prangnell  third. 


Salopian— The  Liverpcol  Chi-ysanthenumi  Sh'w  will 
take  iilace  in  St.  George  s  Hall,  November  '.5  and  26. 

Chiswlcll  trials  (£.  F.;.- Apply  to  Mr  Barron,  bu- 
peiintendout  of  the  Royal  Hortii'iiltural  Society's  Gardens 
at  Chiswiek,  who  will  give  you  the  iuforraation  you  seek. 

Hybrid  Columbines  (A'fmo).— The  jilatc  was  dr.awu 
ill  Messrs.  Veitch's  nursery,  who  will  give  you  the  infonaa- 
tinn  you  require. 

Kcck'woik.— Sir.  Pnlham,  of  Eroxliourne,  writes  to 
say  that  the  gardens  at  Nevill  Court  were  laicl  out  by  Mr. 
Thomas,  jind  not  by  Mr.  Marnock,  as  stated  (p.  3CG).  and 
that  the  line  rockwork  there  was  formed  by  him  ;  and  we 
may  add  that  it  is  in  his  best  style,  the  artificial  portion 
lieiiig  indistinguishable  from  that  which  is  natural. 

Names  of  plants.— if.  /'.  Grfi/ion.— Masdevallia  m.v 

culata. C   M.   (i?«j/^f{)7i)— Appears  to  be  a   sjiecies  of 

Montbretia.     We  will  endeavour  to  find  the  specific  name. 

M.  F.  B  — Skimniia  japonica. J.  A. — Senecio  pul- 

cher. E.  F.  C. — Red  Dogwood  (Cornus  sanguinea). 

E.  ir.  Xflwe.— Dendroldum  album. R.   ^Y.  i7.— Panda- 

nus  graminifolius. J.    W.   H. — Eccreniocarpus  scaber. 

U.  B. — 1,  Oncidium  Forbesi ;  2,  Miltonia  Candida 

K.  A.  S. — Aster  Amellus,  Cratiegus  coccinea  (**carlet 
Thorn),  Chrysanthemum  coronarium  tl.-pl  ,  llegonia  Dregi. 

//.   Z>.  is'.— Oncidium  tigrinum. H.  K.  (East  Far- 

lei'ih)  — Probaldy  Oueidiuni  sphegiferum,  hut  cannot  be 

certnin  without  fuller  mattrial. S.  D.  JJ.— Aster  Nova;- 

.\ngli;e  ro.seus. 

Names  or  tr-aita.— Alpha— \,  Celliui ;  2,  Hanwell 
.Souring;  3,  Korthern  Greening;  4,  Franklin's  Golden 
Pippin. —  D.  J.  (?.— 1,  Hawtboruden  ;  2,  Golden  Noble. 

G.  C— Catshead G.  J.  iJ. -Fondante  d'Autorane. 

M.  J'.  N,—l,  Co-\'s  Orange  Pippin  ;  2,  Blenlieim  Orange ; 

a,  Jlinchal  Crab  ;   4,  Royal  .Somerset. O.   W.   £.— Not 

known.- — J.  Sale.~ly  not  known  ;  2,  Celliui. H.  L.  E. 

— 1,  .^lien's  Everlasting  ;  2,  not  known  ;  3,   Bedfordshire 

Foundling:  4,  Hanwell  Souring. J.  Croofr.  — 1,  Hanwell 

Souring  :   2,  not  known :  3,  Mannington's   Peaimain. 

11.  Ta;iloi\—  1,  Hollandbury  ;  4,  A\'inter  Nonsuch. W.  B. 

— 1,   Dumelows  Seedling  ;    3,   .Minchal  Crab  ;    G,   Scarlet 

Nonpareil.. M.    F.    H.    (tioti/well). — Graveustein. 

P.  H  itcs  —1,  Egg  of  Paradise  ;  2,  Loudon  Pippin  ;  3,  Court 
of  Wick  ;  4,  Downton  Pippin. 


THE     GARDEN 


351 


No.  675.  SATURDAY,  Oct.  25,  1884.  Vol.  XXV  . 


"  This  is  an  Art 
Which  does  mend  Nature  :  chanee  it  rather :  but 
The  art  itself  is  Nature."— SAatMjwai-i!. 


MISSING  PLANTS. 


What  an  interesting  and  useful  feature  in  the 
garden  would  be  a  column  for  lost  and  missing 
plants.  The  number  of  good  things  that  have 
dropped  out  of  cultivation  during  the  last  quarter 
of  a  century  is  far  larger  than  most  people  suspect. 
Change  in  fashion — for  there  is  a  fashion  in  flowers 
as  in  other  things — may  have  something  to  do 
with  the  matter,  but  the  missing  subjects  are  in 
most  cases  plants  not  quite  hardy  enough  to 
wholly  take  care  of  themselves,  or,  perhaps, 
slightly  difficult  to  propagate,  and  which  in  con- 
sequence never  were  really  very  common.  As  an 
nstance,  I  may  quote  some  of  the  herbaceous 
Lobelias.  What  per-centage,  I  wonder,  of  the 
present  generation  of  hardy  flower  cultivators 
know  the  tall,  showy,  blue  L.  amcena,  introduced 
from  America  more  than  seventy  years  ago.  The 
number  must  be  few,  for  it  is  never  heard  of  in 
current  floial  literature,  yet  in  the  not  quite 
hardy  section  of  border  flowers  there  are  few  finer 
things  to  be  met  with.  It  is  just  such  a  plant  as 
we  would  expect  to  find  nestling  in  some  sweet 
out-of-the-way  rectory  garden  in  Devon  or  Corn- 
wall, waiting  to  make  its  re-appearance  when 
called  upon,  through  some  such  agency  as 
that  which  I  suggest.  It  would  also  seem  to  be 
unknown  to  the  trade,  judging  from  the  fact  that 
I  have  never  yet  found  it  in  any  English  catalogue. 
Twice  I  "  ordered  "  it  from  nurserymen  who  said 
they  could  procure  it,  and  in  both  cases  the 
plants  sent  turned  out  to  be  L.  syphilitica,  a  quite 
common  and  much  inferior  species.  There  is  also 
in  hiding  somewhere  an  orange-coloured  species, 
L.  colorata,  though  I  must  confess  I  have  never 
seen  it.  Could  it  be  "  resurrected  '  and  crossed 
with  L.  fulgens,  or  the  handsome  L.  Tupa  ?  What 
a  noble  array  of  hybrids  our  skilful  florists  might 
place  before  us.  Another  plant  that  may  well  be 
thought  to  be  as  extinct  as  the  dodo  for  all  that  is 
seen  of  it,  is  the  little  dark  purplish  double 
Rocket  (Hesperis  matronalis).  This  variety — for  it 
is  nothing  more — is  much  dwarfer  and  has  a 
denser  spike  than  any  of  those  forms  commonly 
grown.  Unfortunately,  it  is  very  subject  to  the 
attacks  of  a  species  of  Cabbage  grub,  and  the  pro- 
babilities are  that  they  have  all  but  worried  it  out 

of  existence.     To  save  these  and  similar  plants 

more  than  stove  or  greenhouse  plants — from  pass- 
ing away  into  the  limbo  of  the  lost,  I  think  a  little 
corner,  such  as  I  suggest,  would  prove  an  interest- 
ing nook  indeed.  K.  D.  Taylor. 


AUTUMN-BLOOMING  CROCUSES. 

Few  flowers  are  more  beautiful  or  harmonise 
better  with  the  "  sere  and  yellow  leaf  "  than  the 
Crocus.  Where  provision  has  been  made  for  ample 
supplies  of  these,  gardens  are  all  ablaze  with  their 
charming  and  delicate  shades  of  bluish  purple  and 
snow-white  flowers.  One  of  the  best  for  this  pur- 
pose is  C.  nudiflorus,  a  gem  in  its  way.  It  is  just 
now  opening  its  pale  purplish  flowers,  which  are 
set  off  to  good  advantage  by  the  exquisitely  fringed 
orange-colonred  stigmas.    This  kind  has  also  the 


recommendation  of  increasing  rapidly  under" 
ground.  C.  asturicus  is  also  a  beautiful  species, 
and  well  worth  cultivating  in  quantity.  C.  Clusii, 
which  is  dwarfer  and  more  compact  than  any  of 
the  above,  should  find  a  place  where  the  Grass  is 
short.  C.  iridiflorus,  a  handsome,  large,  bright 
purple-flowered  species,  has  also  a  remarkable 
fringed  stigma.  It  is  useful,  owing  to  its  size,  for 
planting  amongst  the  ranker  Grass,  a  position  in 
which  it  has  a  fine  appearance.  C.  medius  is  a 
charming  purple-flowered  Crocus,  which,  although 
limited  in  its  distribution,  has  been  much  sought 
after,  and  may  now  be  had  in  quantity.  It  com- 
mences to  flower  in  October,  and  is  very  florife- 
rous.  C.  Salzmani,  a  pretty  lilac  or  blue-flowered 
kind,  flowers  well  into  December  in  mild  seasons. 
C.  longiflorus,  a  pale  blue  sort,  is  also  very  desir- 
able. Amongst  white  autumn-flowering  Crocuses, 
C.  ochroleucus,  creamy  white  with  orange  throat 
is  very  handsome ;  it  is  remarkable  for  the  length 
of  its  flowering  season,  continuing  in  bloom  often 
well  into  the  new  year,  and  unless  the  frost  is 
very  severe  its  flowers  escape  injury.  C.  hadriati- 
cus,  another  pure]  snow-white  Crocus,  is  distinct 
enough  from  the  above  to  deserve  a  place  in  every 
garden,  as  is  also  Boryi  and  vitellinus,  both  of 
which  are  very  handsome.  K. 


New  Rosea. — Thinking  that  it  may  interest 
your  readers,  I  send  you  herewith  a  list  of  the  best 
new  Roses  raised  in  Lyons,  which  will  be  sent  out 
shortly.  I  have  given  the  descriptions  as  accurately 
as  I  can,  and  added  the  names  of  the  raisers: 
Tea  Annette  Murat  (Levet),  lemon-yellow,  very 
full,  firm  shape,  free  bloomer,  seedling  from 
Gloire  de  Dijon ;  Tea  Alexandrine  Bruel  (Levet), 
very  pure  white,  fine  shape,  full,  free  bloomer,  also 
a  seedling  from  Gloire  de  Dijon ;  Tea  Charles  de 
Legrady  (Pernet  fils),  fine  shape,  nearly  full, 
light  crimson  passing  to  deep  rose,  fine  trusses, 
free  bloomer  ;  Tea  Souvenir  de  Gabrielle  Drevet 
(Guillot),  large,  full,  fine  shape,  white  shaded 
light  salmon,  centre  rose ;  Bengal  Mdme,  .Jean 
Sisley  (Dubreuil),  medium  size,  full,  fine  shape, 
pure  white,  very  large  trusses,  constant  bloomer ; 
Bourbon  Mdlle.  Berger  (Pernet  p&re),  medium 
size,  full,  fine  light  rose ;  Hybrid  Perpetual  Baronne 
Nathaniel  de  Rothschild  (Pernet  p6re),  very  large, 
globular,  nearly  full,  fine  tender  rose ;  Hybrid 
Perpetual  Amiral  Courbet  (Dubreuil),  fine  shape, 
full,  medium  size,  dark  pink,  fine  scent,  free 
bloomer  ;  Hybrid  Perpetual  Mdme.  D.  Wettstein 
(Levet),  good  shape,  cherry  red,  constant  bloomer  ; 
Hybrid  Perpetual  Docteur  Dor  (Liabaud),  very 
large,  full,  dark  cherry  red,  shaded  darker  form, 
and  scented  like  a  Tea;  Hybrid  Perpetual  Eten- 
dard  de  Lyon  (Gonod),  large,  fine  shape,  purplish 
crimson,  free  bloomer;  Hybrid  Perpetual  Mdme, 
Pitaval  (Liabaud),  large,  full,  light  cherry  red  ; 
Hybrid  Perpetual  Mdme.  Stingue  (Liabaud),  very 
large,  purplish  red,  free  bloamer ;  Hybrid  Per- 
petual Mons.  Hoste  (Liabaud),  large,  full,  velvety 
crimson,  very  fine  ;  Hybrid  Perpetual  Souvenir  de 
Labrnyc^re  (Gonod),  fine  shape,  vivid  rose,  centre 
darker,  very  free  bloomer ;  dwarf  Perpetual  Poly- 
antha  and  Mignature  (Alegatiere),  very  dwarf, 
flowers  small,  but  very  full,  very  fine  in  shape, 
flower-buds  rose,  changing  to  white  edged  rose 
when  expanded,  large  stalks,  abundant  and  con- 
stant bloomer,  very  fine  ;  Hybrid  Perpetual  Gloire 
Lyonnaise  (Guillot),  large,  full,  and  fine  in  shape, 
vivid  creamy  white  or  straw,  centre  yellowish,  fine 
scent,  very  free  bloomer,  flowers  solitary.— Jean 
Sisley,  Monplaisir,  Lyons. 

Cyprlpedium  Godefroyse.— This  lovely 
Lady's  Slipper,  one  of  the  latest  additions  to  the 
genus,  has  just  flowered  in  France,  and  proves  to 
be  in  every  way  superior  to  what  it  was  thought 
to  be  judging  by  a  solitary  flower  that  had  pre- 
viously been  produced  by  an  imported  and  non- 
established  plants  handsome  even  though  that 
was.  The  plant  which  has  just  bloomed  was 
exhibited  at  ^the  last  meeting    of   the    Soci^te 


Centrale  d'Horticulture,  in  Paris,  by  Mons.  Berg- 
man, gardener  to  Baron  Alphonse  de  Rothschild, 
at  Ferriferes,  who  has  been  most  successful  with  it. 
It  is  unanimously  acknowledged  to  be  a  grand 
Lady's  Slipper,  not  only  as  regards  the  size  of  the 
flowers,  but  also  and  especially  on  account  of  their 
very  pretty  markings,  which  in  their  way  are  quite 
unique.  The  specimen  in  question,  though  small, 
has  produced  an  extraordinary  fine  bloom,  measur- 
ing 2.|  inches  in  height  and  a  good  2  inches  in 
breadth.  It  is  similar  in  form  to  that  of  a  large 
C.  niveum  with  lateral  sepals  gracefully  recurved 
and  a  long  narrow  slipper  in  the  way  of  C.  con- 
color.  The  colouring  of  the  spotting  with  which 
the  divisions  are  almost  entirely  covered  is  rich 
and  beautiful.  It  is  deep  magenta -purple,  form- 
ing a  pleasing  contrast  with  the  creamy  white 
ground  colour.  It  is  undoubtedly  one  of  the 
most  striking  of  recent  introductions,  being  grace- 
ful in  aspect  and  apparently  a  free  bloomer.  We 
shall  probably  soon  be  enabled  to  admire  the 
beauty  of  this  fine  Lady's  Slipper  in  this  country, 
as  Mr.  Lee,  of  Leatherhead,  is  the  fortunate  pos- 
sessor of  a  strong  specimen  of  it,  which  is  show- 
ing flowers.  This  species  is  likely  to  remain 
scarce  in  collections  for  some  time  to  come,  as  its 
native  habitat,  besides  not  being  generally  known, 
is  difficult  of  access. — S. 

Hybrid  Begonias. — The  enclosed  Begonia 
flowers  may  interest  you.  In  1882  we  fertilised  a 
white-flowered  seedling  from  B.  Rex  with  pollen 
from  B.  Davisi,  the  result  being  fifty  plants  prc- 
ducing  most  lovely  pink  flowers  and  very  orna- 
mental foliage.  Only  one  plant  differed  from  the 
others,  and  that  produced  white  flowers.  These 
correspond  very  closely  indeed  with  the  B.  Rex 
seedling  just  mentioned.  Would  you  kindly  say 
whether  you  know  of  any  Begonias  in  commerce 
producing  flowers  or  foliage  at  all  like  the  speci- 
mens sent  ?— Sutton  &  Sons,  Reading. 

*jf*  After  examining  carefully  the  specimens 
which  accompanied  this  letter  and  comparing  them 
with  the  species  of  Begonia  from  which  they  are  said 
to  have  been  obtained,  we  are  inclined  to  suspect 
that  some  error  has  been  committed  either  at  the 
time  when  the  flowers  were  fertilised  or  in  the 
names  of  the  plants  operated  upon.  In  the  first 
place,  it  is  well  known  that  the  South  American 
tuberous-rooted  Begonias,  which  form  a  distinct 
group,  and  which  include  B.  Davisi,  have  hitherto 
refused  to  cross  with  any  species  outside  the  limits 
of  their  own  group.  All  our  popular  tuberous- 
rooted  kinds  are  the  progeny  of  plants  of  this 
group  exclusively.  No  cross,  or  rather  no  plant,  is 
known  in  which  the  characters  of  any  one  of 
the  species  of  this  group  and  another  distinct 
species  are  combined.  In  Burbidge's  "  Propagation 
and  Improvement  of  Cultivated  Plants "  theie 
occurs  a  list  of  the  hybrids  raised  by  Col.  Trevor 
Clarke,  and  in  this  list  we  find  it  stated  that 
crosses  were  obtained  from  B.  discolor  x  B.  cinna- 
barina,  B.  insignis  v,  B.  cinnabarina,  B.  nitida  x 
B.cinnabarina,  and  several  other  equally  surprising 
combinations.  None,  however,  of  these  crosses 
have  ever  been  recorded  as  being  in  cultivation, 
so  that  if  ever  they  existed  they  were  too  weak  to 
thrive,  or  else  the  characters  of  one  of  the  parents 
became  obliterated.  Begonia  specialists  have  long 
been  trying  to  break  through  the  barrier  which 
stands  between  the  tuberous-rooted  section  and 
the  shrubby  evergreen  species  of  the  Begonia 
family,  but  hitherto  no  good  or  permanent  results 
have  been  obtained.  Let  us  now  turn  to  the  speci- 
mens supplied  by  Messrs.  Sutton.  The  white- 
flowered  one  mentioned  above  is  almost  typical  B. 
sinuata  ;  in  fact,  it  is  near  enough  to  be  considered 
the  type  plant  itself.  The  second  plant,  with  pink 
flowers,  is  probably  a  cross  of  some  kind,  but  we 
doubt  very  much  its  being  the  result  of  crossing 
B.  Rex  with  P..  Davisi.  The  specimens  before  us 
are  apparently  from  an  erect-stemmed  plant ;  the 
leaves  are  uniform,  sinuately  lobed,  dentate,  4 
inches  wide,  dark  olive-green  above,  the  veins 
paler,  and  deep  red  below.  Flowers  in  cymes 
(?  axillary);  each  pedicel  is  subtended  with  a  pair 
of  thin  bracts ;  ovary  of  female  flowers  large  and 
broad-winged,  one  wing  longer  than  the  others 
and  broadening  upwards  from  the  base  ;  each  has 


552 


THE     GARDEN 


[Oct.   25,   1884 


five  petals.  Male  flowers  not  seen.  Peduncle, 
pedicels,  and  llowers  deep  pink,  almost  scarlet.  In 
the  form  of  the  ovary,  the  colour  of  the  flowers, 
and  the  dark  red  of  the  under  side  of  the  foliage, 
these  specimens  show  some  touch  of  B.  Davisi. 
Bat  B.  Davisi  and  B.  Rexi  have  no  stems,  and  are 
characterised  by  thick  fleshy  leaves  and  hairy 
leaf -stalks.  If  we  might  hazard  a  guess  at  the 
parentage  of  the  plant  from  which  the  specimens 
before  us  have  been  gathered,  we  would  say  that 
flowers  of  B.  sinuata  had  been  fertilised  with 
pollen  from  B.  Davisi,  and  the  result  showed  a 
slight  touch  of  the  latter  parent.  Of  course,  this 
is  but  a  guess,  as  without  better  materials  and 
more  reliable  information  a  safe  decision  on  this 
point  is  impossible.  We  may,  however,  add  that 
whatever  its  parentage  may  have  been,  this  plant 
has  distinct  and  ornamental  characters,  and  may 
prove  a  beautiful  garden  Begonia. 


PLANTS    IN    FLOWER; 

Gentian  and  Sternbergla.— Mr.  Groom  sends  us 
from  his  nursery  at  Gosport  a  sathering  of  these  two  beau- 
tiful hardy  flowers,  though  their  colours  are  not  such  as 
harmonise,  the  contrast  being  too  violent.  Mr.  Groom  ob- 
serves that  the  Gentian  (G.  acaulis)  has  taken  quite  a 
fresh  start  since  the  drought  broke  up  and  is  now  again 
in  full  Ijloora. 

Autumn  Roses. — A  gathering  of  very  fine  Roses  has 
reached  us  from  a  correspondent  in  Scotland.  All  the 
blooms  are  perfect  and  for  the  season  finely  coloured.  The 
most  prominent  sorts  are  JIdlle  Eugenie  Verdier,  ferdi- 
nand  de  Lesseps,  Madame  Charles  Wood,  Victor  Verdier, 
Charles  Lefevre,  Xavicr  Olibo,  La  France,  .Sir  Garnet 
Wolsclcy,  Cloth  of  Gold,  and  Souvenir  de  la  Malmaisou— 
all  seemingly  excellent  sorts  for  autumn  flowering. 

Sternbergia  lutea.— This  bright  yellow 
Crocus-like-flowered  plant  is  now  in  charming  con- 
dition, and  is  a  favourite  with  everybody.  I  find 
it  to  be  a  good  plant  for  placing  in  Kose  beds  or 
similar  situations  where  it  can  enjoy  the  luxury 
of  being  left  alone.  In  such  positions  it  socn 
spreads  out  into  good-sized  clumps,  and  at  this 
season  makes  a  bright,  spring-like  display  where 
little  else  can  be  grown.  It  is  not  at  all  fastidious 
as  to  soil  or  position ,  on  the  contrary,  it  grows 
freely  in  any  fairly  good  garden  soil.  It  appears 
to  be  benefited  by  being  planted  moderately  deep, 
say  (j inches  from  the  surface.-- J.  G.,  Hants 

Datura  meteloides.— This  fine  species  has 
flowered  abundantly  this  season  from  Californian 
seeds  planted  in  the  open  ground  last  year.  The 
flowers  are  7  inches  or  8  inches  long,  white,  tinged 
with  a  beautiful  violet-blue,  and  produced  in  suc- 
cession from  August  till  now.  It  appears  to  be 
perennial,  and  a  stem  Ijing  in  the  ground  is  root- 
ing freely.  It  agrees  exactly  with  the  description 
in  Asa  Gray's  new  "  Flora  of  North  .\merica,' 
vol.  ii.,  pt.  i,  p.  210.  It  has  just  ripened  seeds 
with  me,  and  I  sliall  be  pleased  to  send  a  few  to 
anyone  wishing  to  grow  it,  who  will  send  me  a 
stamped  and  directed  envelope.  —  Au'Red  K 
Wallace,  Frith  Hill,  Godalming. 

Prince  Consort  Violet  —Under  this  name 
Mr.  Underdown  sends  from  Colehayes,  liovey 
Tracey,  a  beautiful  single  Violet,  one  of  his  own 
raising.  The  flowers  are  large,  of  an  intensely 
rich  purple  with  light  centres,  while  the  fragrance 
is  most  agreeable.  "It  is  the  best  single  Violet," 
says  Mr.  Underdown,  "  I  ever  met  with.  I  have 
tried  all  the  singles,  and  now  I  have  only  this 
one,  as  it  is  far  in  advance  of  the  others  in  size 
of  flower  and  freedom  of  blooming.  With  this 
and  Marie  Louise  I  can  gather  Violets  during  nine 
months  of  the  year.  Of  course,  the  greatest  quan- 
tity of  flowers  at  one  time  and  the  largest  blooms 
would  be  about  March  or  April."  Mr.  Under- 
down  considers  Marie  liOuise  the  best  double. 

Paatliered  Celosias.— It  is  not  often  that 

such  admirably  grown  examples  of  these  beauti- 
ful greenhouse  annuals  are  seen  as  those  which 
were  shown  last  week  at  South  Kensington  by  Mr. 
Beard,  from  Mrs.  Adams'  garden  at  Ashton-on- 
Mersey.  So  remarkably  well  grown  and  flowered 
■were  they,  that  the  committee  accorded  to  Mr. 
Beard  a  cultural  commendation.  The  plants  were 
comparatively  dwarf,  and  each   was   terminated 


by  a  large,  dense,  plumy  mass  of  flowers.  The 
plants  were  also  remarkable  for  their  rich  and 
varied  colours,  amongst  which  were  crimsons,  reds, 
and  yellows,  and  some  intermediate  tints.  Grace- 
ful plants  such  as  these  are  capable  of  adding 
much  beauty  to  the  conservatory  or  greenhouse  at 
this  season. 

Chrysanthemums. — We  are  reminded  of 
the  return  of  the  Chrysanthemum  season  by  an 
uncommonly  fine  boxful  of  incurved  and  Japanese 
varieties  from  Mr.  Underdown,  Captain  Levett's 
gardener  at  Colehayes,  Bovey  Tracey.  Though  so 
early,  every  one  of  the  numerous  blooms  sent  would 
stand  well  on  an  exhibition  table  in  November, 
every  flower  being  large  and  perfect  in  shape  and 
rich  in  colour,  the  result  of  a  judicious  system  of 
disbudding.  The  most  prominent  sorts  sent  are 
Mrs.  George  Handle,  pure  white ;  filrs.  Dixon,  a 
golden  sport  of  the  latter  ;  Mr.  Bunn,  bright  yel- 
low; while  among  the  Japanese  sorts  are  the 
beautiful  early  white  Elaine,  large  and  fine;  and 
the  lovely  Bironne  de  Frailly,  with  its  large,  rose- 
blush  flowers. 

Antholyza  panioulata.— Flowers  of  this 
pretty  plant  have  been  sent  to  us  by  Mr.  C.  Miles, 
who  collected  it  in  the  Transvaal,  and  in  whose 
garden  at  Eoyston  it  has  grown  3  feet  high,  bear- 
ing Gladiolus-like  leaves,  and  a  long  panicle  of 
brown,  red,  and  yellow  flowers.  Mr.  Miles  says  it 
is  growing  out-of-doors,  has  increased  rapidly, 
and,  judging  by  the  specimen  before  us  and  his  de- 
scription, the  plant  must  be  quite  at  home.  The 
Antholyzas  constitute  a  small  genus  of  Iridaceous 
plants  closely  related  to  the  Gladiolus,  but  more 
like  the  TritoniasSnd  Montbretias  than  the  Gladio- 
lus. It  is  likely  to  prove  a  useful  addition  to  the 
several  good  bulbous  plants  which  we  already 
grow  in  our  outdoor  borders,  /  c,  Jlontbretia,  Tri- 
tonia,  Watsonia,  Gladiolus,  and  the  old  Antholjza 
Kthiopica,  which  is  something  like  Mr.  Mile's 
plant,  but  altogether  smaller.  Mr.  Miles  says  the 
leaves  of  his  plant  are  serrated.  We  suspect  he 
means  plicated,  as  no  member  of  the  large  order 
Iridacere  has  serrated  leaves. 

Coronilla  Valentina.  —  A  well-flowered 
branch  of  this  was  sent  to  us  the  other  day  by 
"  W.  C.  R,"  who  stated  that  it  was  a  seedling 
from  C.  glauca ;  C.  Valentina,  however,  it  cer- 
tainly is.  It  is  a  native  of  South  Europe,  where  it 
is  a  common  plant,  and  it  is  also  cultivated  in 
various  gardens  in  this  country.  It  was  even 
grown  by  Gerard  as  far  back  as  1.596.  It  was 
figured  in  the  ISotanical  Miiij(i:iiu',t.  185,  ninety- 
two  years  ago,  and  it  is  also  figured  in  Loudon's 
"Arboretum."  Miller  grew  it  in  the  Chelsea  gar- 
den, and  described  it  in  his  '■  tJardener's  Dic- 
tionary." It  would  be  difficult  to  find  an  exotic 
plant  with  a  record  dating  further  back  than  this 
Coronilla,  and  which  at  the  same  time  still  retains 
a  place  in  English  gardens.  The  most  prominent 
character  by  which  the  difference  between  C.  Va- 
lentina and  glauca  is  easily  seen  is  that  of  the 
stipules,  which  in  C.  glauca  are  small  and  almost 
linear,  whilst  in  C.  Valentina  they  are  large  and 
almost  orbicular.  C.  Valentina  is  neither  so  grace- 
ful in  habit  nor  so  large  in  foliage  as  C.  glauca, 
nor  are  the  flowers  so  large,  bright,  or  fragrant  as 
those  of  the  latter.  It  has  erect  shoots  and  looks 
like  the  Rue  Plant  (Rata  graveolens).  Both  it  and 
C.  glauca  are  half-hardy,  and  are  best  when  grown 
in  pots  out-of-doors  in  summer,  and  taken  into  a 
cool  house  during  winter. 

Swertlabimaculata. — The  genns  Swertia 
is  composed  of  about  fifty  annual  or  perennial 
herbs  with  opposite  leaves,  and  bine,  yellow,  or 
white  flowers,  which  are  borne  in  large  paniculate 
heads.  Few  of  the  species  are  good  enough  to 
be  cultivated  as  garden  plants,  and  these  few  are 
limited  to  what  are  generally  known  as  Ophelias, 
now  included  in  the  genus  Swertia.  These  are  all 
annuals  with  [erect  stems  and  variegate  or 
panicled  flower-heads.  S.  alata,  with  yellowish 
flowers,  S.  angustifolia,  with  purplish  flowers, 
and  S.  paniculata,  with  flowers  white  spotted  with 
purple,  are  sometimes  met  with.  S.  corymbosa,  a 
strong  grower  with  biue  flowers,  and  S.  umbel- 
lata  with  white,  blue-veined  flowers,  also   have 


been  in  cultivation.  In  S.  bimaculata  we  have  a 
pretty  addition  to  the  above  kinds.  It  is  now 
flowering  at  Kew.  The  stems  are  3  feet  high, 
and  are  clothed  on  the  upper  half  with  ovate, 
strongly  nerved,  dark  green  leaves,  the  lower 
leaves  falling  away  |as  the  flowers  develop.  The 
flowers  are  in  a  large  panicle  a  foot  long  and 
nearly  as  much  wide,  and  are  three  quarters  of  an 
inch  across,  perfectly  flat,  the  five  petals  being 
white,  the  upper  half  covered  with  little  dots  of 
purple,  and  exactly  in  the  middle  of  each  petal  is 
a  pair  of  green  viscid  spots.  The  form  and  position 
of  these  glandular  spots  are  important  characters 
in  this  genus.  Although  best  when  grown  in 
pots  in  a  cool  house,  this  species,  and  indeed  all 
of  those  above  mentioned,  thrive  well  in  a 
sheltered  position  out-of-doors.  S.  bimaculata  is 
flowering  on  the  rookery  as  well  as  in  a  cool  frame 
at  Kew. 


NOTES  or  THE  WEEK. 


October  Baspberrlea.— We  have  in  our  gardens  a 
line  of  Ka-^pberries  at  present  in  full  bearing.  We  send 
you  a  few  of  the  tops  in  fruit.— Youna,  OAKENHEAD,  ANU 
Co.,  Cork. 

*,*  Very  good  fruit  indeed  tor  the  end  of  October.— Ed. 

Pltmaston  Duchess.— I  send  you  a  fruit  of  thisPe.ar 
weighing  ]llli.  We  have  had  several  on  the  tree  about 
the  same  size.  It  is  growing  on  a  south-east  wall,  and  is 
comparatively  young-  It  bore  a  good  crop  last  year.  The 
fruit  sent  is  the  largest  I  have  seen.  When  better  known 
than  it  is  this  variety  of  Pear  will,  I  think,  ba  largely 
planted.— J.  ANDEBson,  Clifton  Ball,  Notts. 

^i.*  .^  noble  fruit,  resembling  a  llvedale'a  St.  Germain  in 
size  rather  than  delicious  dessert  Pear,  which  it  is.  It  is  a 
handsome  yellow-skinned  fruit,  here  and  there  tinged  with 
russtt,  and  e.vcellent  in  quality.— Ed. 

Forget-me-nots  in  bouquets.- Miss  Cypher,  of 
Cheltenham,  who  invariably  takes  jirizes  with  her  bouquets 
when  exhibited  at  shows,  is  particularly  fond  of  using 
Korget-me-nots  in  their  composition.  The  stems  are  cut 
short  and  a  few  of  the  blooms  are  wired  in  light  clusters, 
and  of  the  choice  flowers  used  I  think  they  are  the 
prettiest  and  sweetest  looking.— CAMBitiAN. 

Fruit  and  vegetable  show. — We  are  in- 
formed that  the  exhibition  which  will  be  held  on 
Tuesday,  Wednesday,  and  Thursday  next  in  the 
conservatory  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society, 
being  the  last  of  the  series  of  the  most  successful 
meetings  which  have  been  held  in  connection  with 
the  International  Health  Exhibition,  will  be  of 
more  than  usual  interest  and  extent.  It  has  been 
decided  by  the  authorities  to  allow  it  to  remain 
open  until  the  close  of  the  "  Healtheries "  at  10 
o'clock  p.m.  on  Thursday,  the  30th  inst.  All  ex- 
hibits to  be  removed  oa  Friday  morning,  Octo- 
ber 31. 

The  Sea  Buckthorn. — We  have  received 
from  the  gardens  of  Baron  Ferdinand  Roths- 
child, at  Waddesdon  Manor,  Aylesbury,  the  finest 
berry-laden  branches  of  Sea  Buckthorn  (Hippophae 
rhaiimoides)  that  we  have  ever  seen,  and  they  are 
all  the  more  remarkable  inasmuch  as  Waddesdon 
is  far  inland,  while  the  Sea  Buckthorn  is  essenti- 
ally a  seaside  shrub.  Such  finely-berried  speci- 
mens must,  indeed,  be  a  great  ornament  to  the 
grounds  at  Waddesdon  at  the  present  time.  The 
branches  sent  consist  of  numerous  long  twigs 
covered  for  about  a  foot  of  their  length  with 
crowded  clusters  of  bright  orange  berries  about 
the  size  of  Peas.  These  berried  twigs  are  termi- 
nated by  the  current  year's  shoots,  furnished  with 
shining,  silvery.  Willow-like  leaves.  Seeing  that 
the  Sea  Buckthorn  succeeds  so  well  at  Waddesdon, 
there  is  no  reason  why  it  should  not  be  planted  in 
every  garden,  for  there  are  few  shrubs  whose 
berries  are  so  attractive  at  this  season.  It  would 
be  interesting  to  know  under  what  conditions  it  is 
growing  at  Waddesdon. 


Mark's  line  divider.— This  little  instru- 
ment, recently  invented  and  patented,  is  useful 
for  dividing  any  space  into  a  number  of  equal 
parts.  It  consists  of  a  hinged  rule  with  firm  joint, 
the  limb  fitted  to  slide  in  an  undercut  groove  upon 
a  plain  rule.  The  latter  has  needle  points  on  the 
underside  to  prevent  it  from  slipping  when  placed 
in  any  position.    One  of  the  limbs  of  the  rule  is 


Oct.  2.>,  1884, 


THE     GARDEN 


353 


divided  on  both  edges  into  eights,  quarters,  half- 
inches,  and  inches,  which  are  consecntively  num- 
bered so  that  an}'  set  may  be  taken.  It  will  be 
found  convenient  not  only  to  engineers,  but  for 
garden  plan  drawing  in  cases  where  lines  have  to 
be  divided  into  equal  parts  for  setting  out  plant- 
ing. For  drawing  parallel  lines  for  walks,  roads, 
cfcc,  it  is  more  applicable  than  an  ordinary  paral- 
lel ruler. 


Ferns. 

BEST  CULTIVATED  FERNS. 
(  Continued  from  p.  ."23.^ 

OPniOGLOSSUM. — This  interesting,  though  nn- 
pretentious,  genus  consists  of  plants  of  most  ex- 
traordinary habits  and  of  a  generally  peculiar  ap- 
pearance, unlike  that  of  any  other  known  Ferns. 
The  Eotrychiums  most  closely  resemble  them,  and 
they  are  also  found  in  somewhat  similar  situations, 
that  is,  growing  amongst  Moss  and  Grass  in  moist 
me.adows.  None  of  them,  it  must  be  admitted, 
are  what  may  be  termed  very  ornamental,  but 
several  of  them  should  nevertheless  be  grown,  as 
they  deservedly  are  in  some  of  our  best  collections 
simply  as  curiosities.  It  is  a  genus  the  members 
of  which  are  widely  scattered  all  over  the  globe  ; 
yet,  with  the  exception  of  0.  pendulum,  which  is 
found  throughout  the  tropics  of  the  eastern  hemi- 
sphere, and  consequently  requires  warm  treat- 
ment, all  the  other  known  species  are  distributed 
over  Europe  and  America,  and  need  no  artificial 
heat ;  America,  indeed,  is  particularly  prolific  in 
Ophioglossums,  the  majority  of  which  come  from 
Florida,  Louisiana,  Alabama,  Texas,  and  Arizona. 
They  are  useless  as  pot  plants,  and  do  best  when 
planted  out  in  the  rockery,  where  a  naturally 
damp  spot  should  be  selected  and  prepared  for 
them.  The  compost  should  consist  of  fibrous  loam 
and  half  decayed  Sphagnum  in  about  equal  pro- 
portions, with  an  admixture  of  sand,  in  which 
their  fleshy  roots  plunge  with  avidity.  Ophioglos- 
sums are  not  aquatic  plants ;  therefore,  although 
requiring  a  damp  situation  at  all  times  of  the 
year,  they  must  not,  on  any  account,  be  planted 
where  there  is  stagnant  water. 

0.  BULBOSDJI. — This  is  one  of  the  smallest 
of  the  North  American  species.  It  is  found  in  old 
fields  and  low,  sandy  grounds  from  South  Caro- 
lina and  Florida  to  Louisiana.  It  has  even  been  im- 
ported from  Chili.  From  four  to  six  of  its  curi- 
ously shaped  fronds  are  produced  in  one  season 
from  a  solid  and  subglobose  rootstock,  which  is 
furnished  with  only  a  few  fleshy  descending  roots, 
and  from  the  centre  of  each  of  these  barren,  nearly 
round  fronds  rise  the  fertile  ones,  which  have  an 
entirely  different  character,  and  are  of  short 
duration  only. 

Fronds  from  2  inches  to  6  inches  higli ;  sterile  segment 
set  below  the  middle  of  the  plant,  about  hfilf  an  inch  long, 
somewhat  fleshy,  broadly  ovate  or  cordate  and  abruptly 
contracted  at  tlie  base  Into  a  short  petiole.  Fertile  spike 
nearly  1  inch  long,  rather  thick,  apiculate,  and  itspednncle 
generally  three  or  four  times  longer  than  the  common  stalls, 
round,  and  light  brown  in  colour. 

O.  LUSITANICUM  — This  seems  to  be  only  a  very 
permanent  variety  of  the  exceedingly  cosmopoli- 
tan species  O.  vulgatum,  from  which  it  differs 
mostly  in  the  size  of  its  singular  fronds,  which  are 
smaller  in  all  their  parts  than  those  of  vulgatum, 
and  produced  in  greater  quantities,  the  plant  being 
generally  furnished  with  five  or  six  of  them.  They 
are  also  a  little  different  in  form,  being  long- 
stalked  and  spear-head  shaped,  and  the  fertile  seg- 
ments are  borne  on  longer  stalks,  and  are  always 
well  above  the  fronds.  Like  the  species  from 
which  it  seems  to  have  sprung,  this  dwarf-grow- 
ing kind  is  found  scattered  all  over  the  globe,  and 
grows  luxuriantly  among  some  short  herbage  on 
the  summit  of  rocks  in  the  vicinity  of  Petit  Pot 
Bay,  on  the  south  coast  of  the  island  of  Guernsey. 
It  requires  greenhouse  protection  in  winter  if  cul- 
tivated in  pots,  and  should  then  be  potted  firmly, 
and  particularly  well  drained. 

Fronds  ovate,  home  on  comparatively  long  stalks  ;  barren 
segments  fleshy,  rarely  exceeding  4  inches  in  height ;  fertile 
ones  borne  on  longer  pednncles  and  keeping  well  above 
them.  Sporangia  situated  on  one  row  of  about  fifteen  cap- 
sules on  each  side  of  the  fertile  spike.;  ^Colour  light  green. 


O.  NUDICAULE.— This  North  American  species, 
probably  the  smallest  kind  known,  seldom  exceeds 
4  inches  in  height.  It  may  to  the  casual  observer 
appear  only  a  variety  of  the  preceding,  but  it 
differs  from  it  greatly,  inasmuch  as  it  has  no 
bulbose  rootstock,  all  roots  starting  from  a  some- 
what succulent,  but  straight  and  downward- 
growing,  stump.  Another  distinctive  character  is 
the  length  of  the  fertile  segment  or  spike  of 
sporangia,  which  rests  on  a  very  slender  peduncle, 
which,  contrary  to  other  known  species,  is  usually 
several  times  as  long  as  the  sterile  segment.  The 
fronds,  which  are  of  a  bright  pale  green  oolonr, 
number  about  from  four  to  six  on  one  crown,  and 
the  fertile  segments  make  their  appearance  in 
October  and  November  only.  This  little  species 
may  be  plentifully  met  with  on  sandy  borders  of 
ponds  in  South  Carolina,  Georgia,  Alabama,  and 
Florida. 

From  a  sliort  and  flesliy  rootstock  rise  some  five  or  six 
fronds  of  an  elliptical-ovate  shape,  acute  at  both  ends, 
sub-sessile  near  tlie  base  of  tlie  plant,  and  borne  on  fleshy 
stalks,  part  of  which  is  generally  buried  in  the  soil.  Stalks 
and  fronds  are  both  of  a  fleshy  nature.  Fertile  segment 
starting  from  the  centre  cf  the  sterile  one,  and  standing 
high  aljove  it,  apiculate,  and  borne  on  a  long,  slender 
stalk.  Spores  enliglobose  and  closely  set  on  each  side  of 
a  central  vein,  smooth  and  trivittate,  as  they  are  also  in  0. 
bulbosum. 

0.  PALMATUM.— This  is  the  most  interesting,  as 
well  as  the  most  showy,  of  all  the  North  American 
species,  and  differs  from  all  other  kinds  from  the 
same  country  in  being  thoroughly  epiphytal.  It 
is  found  growing  wild  in  the  axils  of  the  Palmetto 
in  Florida.  It  is  also  a  native  of  Southern  Brazil 
and  Mexico,  where,  according  to  Tweedie,  "it 
only  grows  in  the  axils  of  old  leaves  of  a  specie? 
of  Palm,"  and  more  rarely  on  moist  schistose 
rocks.  It  is  a  stronger  growing  kind  than  any 
of  the  species  just  described,  and  has  a  totally 
different  appearance,  the  great  weight  of  its  gene- 
rally palmate  fronds  giving  them  a  gracefully 
pendent  habit.  These  fronds,  which  are  of  a  light 
green  colour  and  rather  fleshy,  are  borne  on  round 
stalks  varying  in  length  from  6  inches  to  13  inches, 
and  are  somewhat  tough  in  texture  ;  besides  being 
generally  fan-shaped,  they  arecuneate  at  the  base, 
and,  unlike  all  others,  deeply  lobed  into  a  variable 
number  of  tongue-shaped  segments.  It  is  an  ex- 
tremely variable  plant ;  therefore  in  a  collection 
of  dried  specimens  many  odd  shapes  occur.  The 
fructification  of  this  curious  plant  is  most  singular, 
and  is  produced  in  the  form  of  small  spikes 
forming  miniature  catkins  about  2  inches  long 
and  borne  on  peduncles  shorter  than  themselves. 
These  arise  mostly  from  the  incurved  edges  of  the 
frond,  just  where  it  begins  to  widen  into  the 
common  stalk,  sometimes  from  the  stalk  itself. 
This  must  be  grown  suspended  in  a  cool  house. 

Rootstock  erect,  a  little  longer  than  thick,  profusely 
rooting  along  its  sides ;  roots  several  inches  long  anii 
dichotnmously  branched.  Several  fronds  produced  at  a 
time,  the  base  of  which  is  covered  by  long  and  entangled, 
minute,  ichaffy  scales  of  a  ferruginous  colour ;  they  are 
divided  into  several  segments  from  2  inches  to  8  inches 
long,  nearly  or  quite  an  inch  broad,  obtuse  or  acute,  and 
often  forked  at  the  tip.  The  fertile  segments,  which  vary 
from  two  to  si.x  on  each  frond,  are  rarely  produced  from 
the  upper  surface  of  it,  but  start  eacli  one  from  a  vein 
some  distance  from  the  margin  ;  they  are  sometimes  forked, 
but  generally  simple,  and  are  manifestly  appendages  of  the 
frond  and  not  special  fronds  partly  consolidated  with  the 
sterile  lamina.  Each  spike  contains  about  tlurty  sporangia 
on  each  side. 

0.  PENDULUM. —This  is  the  only  species  which 
requires  stove  treatment.  It  is  a  thoroughly  epiphy- 
tal kind  from  the  Malayan  Archipelago,  where  it 
is  found  plentifully  on  branches  of  trees  from 
which  its  curious  sterile  fronds,  which  are  much 
longer  than  the  fertile  ones,  hang  gracefully  down 
avA  often  attain  a  length  of  3  feet.  In  Madagas- 
car the  same  plant,  or  at  least  one  which  only 
differs  from  it  in  size,  is  found  decorating  the 
forest  trees  on  which  it  grows  with  green  ribbons 
some  12  feet  in  lengthand  2  feet  in  breadth,  while 
in  Ceylon  it  rarely  exceeds  6  feet.  This  shows 
how  extremely  variable  it  is  in  siz3  according  to 
the  habitat  in  which  it  is  found.  Although  many 
times  imported  by  different  firms,  it  is  even  now 
found  only  in  very  select  collections.  True,  it  is 
not  very  handsome,  but  it  is  extremely  interesting. 
In  its  natural  state  it  is  generally  found  growing 
along  with  Flatycerium  grande,  a  plant  to  which 


it  bears  a  great  resemblance — i.e.,  as  far  as  the 
drooping  portion  of  it  is  concerned.  As  in  Platy- 
cerium,  its  roots,  which  are  of  a  fleshy  character, 
are  deeply  imbedded  in  a  spongy  mass  of  JIoss 
and  roots.  To  cultivate  it  with  anything  like  suc- 
cess it  requires  either  to  be  suspended  in  a  basket 
or  grown  in  a  warm  house  on  a  board  in  about 
equal  parts  of  spongy  peat  and  Sphagnum 
Moss. 

Fronds  produced  sparingly  ;  the  barren  ones  simple,  en- 
tire,  linear-lanceolate,  much  longer  than  the  fertile  seg- 
ments, whicli  are  stipitate,  spike-like,  and  simple,  seldom 
exceeding  6  inches  in  length  and  hang  from  the  midrib  of 
the  fronds  about  a  foot  from  the  apex.  Colour  bright 
green. 

0.  VULGATUM. — Although  found  in  some  parts 
of  England,  this  curious  species  deserves  a  place 
among  exotic  Ferns  on  account  of  its  won- 
derfully cosmopolitan  character.  It  is  not  only 
found  wild  in  Europe,  Madeira,  and  the 
.Azores,  but  also  in  We-tern  Asia,  and  it  is 
plentiful  in  North  America  from  Canada  to 
Texas  and  Arizona.  It  is  commonly  found  grow- 
ing in  low  meadows  and  moist  pastures,  but 
sometimes  also  on  dry  hillsides,  and  its  size  gene- 
rally varies  according  to  the  elevation  at  which  it 
grows  to  such  an  extent  that,  although  it  is  un- 
doubtedly one  and  the  same  plant,  the  fronds 
of  specimens  found  in  grassy  damp  meadows  at 
West  Felton,  .Shropshire;  Blymill,  Staffordshire; 
or  Wrexham,  in  Wales,  are  four  times  as  large  as 
those  from  specimens  gathered  in  Dalmeny  "Wood, 
near  Edinburgh,  or  near  Richmond,  in  Yorkshire. 
The  common  stalk  is  usually  a  little  shorter  than 
the  peduncle  of  the  fruiting  spike,  but  this  propor- 
tion varies  much  in  different  specimens.  Some- 
times the  peduncle  of  the  fruiting  spike  is  so  short 
that  the  latter  scarcely  rises  above  the  apex  of 
the  sterile  segment  which  is  sessile  on  the  side  of 
the  stem.  A  character  peculiar  to  this  species  only 
is  that  its  roots,  which,  as  in  all  others,  are  of  a 
fleshy  nature  and  extend  horizontally  from  the 
rootstock  often  to  a  distance  of  6  inches,  occasion- 
ally form  an  adventitious  bud  which  produces  a 
new  plant  at  some  little  distance  from  the  old 
one.  The  fronds  for  the  year  grow  from  just  be- 
low the  apex  of  the  rootstock,  and  although  gene- 
rally one  frond  only  is  produced  each  season,  two 
and  even  three  of  them  are  sometimes  found  on 
one  plant  at  the  same  time. 

Fronds  from  3  inches  to  12  inches  long,  of  a  bright  green 
colom- ;  sterile  segments  fle.sliy,  sessile  near  the  middle  of 
the  plant,  ovate  or  elliptical  in  shape.  Fertile  spike  2 
inches  to  4  inches  long,  apiculate,  commonly  long  stalked 
and  overtopping  the  barren  segment.  Spcrangia  situated 
on  each  side  of  the  spike  aliout  twenty  on  each  side.  The 
spores  are  pale  yellow,  smooth,  subglobose,  and  trivittate 
as  in  otlier  species. 

Pell.ea. 


Extermination   of   native    Ferns— It 

has  been  said  lately  that  Windermere  Lake  has 
become  a  gigantic  cesspool ;  how  far  this  is  correct 
it  is  not  for  me  to  say.  But  this  may  be  said, 
without  fear  of  contradiction,  that  there  has  of 
late  years,  and  still  keeps  going  on,  a  gigantic 
system  of  plunder  or  extermination  of  many  kinds 
of  native  Ferns  from  their  natural  habitats.  In 
a  large  fissure  where  Polystichum  angulare  not 
long  ago  could  be  seen  growing  in  abundance  not 
a  single  plant  is  now  to  be  seen.  In  another 
ravine  where  Scolopendrinms,  I'olypodium  Phegop- 
teris,  P.  Dryopteris,  and  several  other  varieties  of 
Ferns  could  be  seen  and  admired  growing  in  all 
their  natural  beauty,  the  place  that  once  knew 
them,  alas,  now  knows  them  no  more.  Then  comes 
the  noblest  of  our  British  Ferns,  Osmnnda  regalis. 
This  Royal  Fern  used  to  be  plentiful  by  the  sides 
ofj  rivers  and  in  swamps;  but,  like  the  other  kinds 
mentioned,  it  is  also  rarely  to  be  found,  unless  it  be 
in  some  secluded  spot  where  human  footsteps  sel- 
dom find  their  way,  and  these  spots,  like  their  in- 
habitants, are  by  degrees  getting  fewer.  The 
number  of  visitors  and  tourists  to  the  various 
parts  of  the  lake  district  increases  every  year,  and 
to  supply  their  wants  Fern  dealers  keep  springing 
up  like  Mushrooms  in  all  directions.  All  this 
means  a  diminution  in  extent  of  many  kinds,  and 
a  total  extermination  of  others  from  their  natural 
abodes. — W.  B.,  M'iuih'rmere. 


364 


THE    GARDEN 


[Oct.  25,  1884. 


TWO  GARDENS. 
It  would  be  curious  to  contrast  the  different 
aspects  which  garden  vegetation  presents  in 
different  countries,  though  in  Europe  they  are 
not  so  noticeable  as  they  are  when  one  goes 
a  little  further  afield.  And  yet  to  spend  a 
night  and  day  in  getting  from  English  gar- 
dens to  those  of  Southern  France  is  to  experi- 
ence a  very  pleasant  change  !  The  fashion 
of  gardening  for  a  good  many  years  past  has 
tended  to  make  things  monotonous,  even  in 
widely  diverse  places.  Where  the  old  mixed  and, 
so  to  say,  natural  way 
prevails,    the     greatest 

amount   of   contrast   is  ^»  -, 

seen ;     bedding    is    the  •'-fc* 

same  everywhere  almost.  v '^as^ 

We  remember  seeing 
a  very  pretty  arrange- 
ment necessitating  a 
finer  climate  than  ours 
almost,  and  that  was  a 
bold  group  of  line  foliage 
plants  taken  from  the 
hotliouses  and  green- 
houses in  a  large  garden 
in  France,  and  placed 
out-of-doors  for  the  sum- 
mer. The  plants  in  pots 
and  tubs  were  arranged 
in  a  graceful  and  bold 
manner  on  a  high  bank, 
the  foliage  serving  to 
hide  the  said  pots  and 
tubs.  They  were  under 
and  near  deciduous  trees 
for  the  sake  of  shade  and 
shelter.  The  sun  was  a 
good  deal  warmer  than 
we  have  it.  The  grouping 
was  very  good,  and  the 
whole  effect  quite  charm- 
ing. 

In  countries  warmer 
than  ours,  hothouses  and 
conservatories  are  not 
much  frequented  in  sum- 
mer, except  by  the  gar- 
dener ;  whereas  a  beau- 
tiful group,  such  as  we 
describe  and  illustrate, 
is  a  very  important  addi- 
tion to  the  outdoor  gar- 
den. In  ourcountry, how- 
ever, such  things  cannot 
be  as  often  pr.uctised, 
though  some  graceful 
examples  may  be  seen 
about  London  and  else- 
where. 

Forming  a  complete 
contrast  with  this  grace- 
ful group  is  the  little  gar- 
den of  an  English  parson- 
age (p.  355),so  simple  and 
unaffected  in  all  ways, 
from  the  "  old-fashioned" 
Vines  on  the  wall  to  the 
simple  disposition  of  the 
ground.  Than  such  gar- 
dens there  are  none  more 
beautiful.  There  is  noob- 
tru.sive  design,  and  the 
hardy  flowers  scattered 
about  usually  give  the 
happiest  effect.  An  Eng- 
lish cottage  garden  and  an  English  parsonage,  or 
small  country  house  garden,  are  often  among  the 
most  beautiful,  from  the  absence  of  apparent  effort 
as  regards  elaborate  or  showy  design.  In  them  one 
can  grow  what  one  wants,  from  a  t^ypress  to  a 
rock  plant,  without  having  to  consider  the  "pro- 
prieties." It  is  doubtful  if  the  art  of  man  can  ever 
produce  anything  more  fitting  for  its  purpose. 


OUR  GARDENS  IN  WINTER. 
When  one  remarks  the  absence  of  interesting 
features  in  the  majority  of  gardens  in  winter,  more 
especially  in  the  outdoor  ornamental  department, 
and  remembers  what  a  wealth  of  subjects  of  a 
striking  character  a  walk  through  a  nursery  well 
furnished  with  hardy  trees  and  shrubs  reveals,  it 
seems  difficult  to  understand  why  owners  of  gardens 
do  not  oftener  avail  themselves  of  such  a  choice 
of  subjects  for  the  embellishment  of  their  gar- 
dens than  they  do.  The  scarcity  of  such  subjects 
in  private  places  can  only  be  accounted  for  in  one 


"A  Dictionary  op  Enolish  Names  or  Plants"  ap- 
plied ill  England  and  among  English-speaking  people  to 
cultivated  and  wild  plants,  trees  and  shrubs,  by  Wm. 
Miller,  will  shortly  be  published  by  Mr.  John  Murray. 


Group  of  flne-leave  J  plants  placed  out  for  summer  among  deciduous  traes  in  a  Continental  garden. 


way,  and  that  is  that  it  appears  those  most  in- 
terested are  not  aware  how  wide  a  range  of  choice 
there  is  amongst  hardy  evergreen  shrubs  and  strik- 
ing trees,  which,  if  judiciously  used,  would  be 
effective  during  the  dull  months  of  winter. 

Variegated  plants  alone  might  be  made 
capable  of  lighting  up  the  dreary  aspect  of  our 
gardens  at  a  time  when  the  surroundings  are  dull 
and  ineffective.  As  to  the  best  positions  to  be 
selected  for  the  sort  of  plants  here  alluded  to,  the 
front  lines  of  a  shrubbery  border  will  do  if  no 
better  are  to  be  had.  It  would,  however,  be  pre- 
ferable to  have  them  grouped  in  such  a  way  as  to 


render  them  effective,  and  the  arrangements 
should  be  such  as  to  give  scope  for  different 
habits  both  as  to  form  and  colour.  Let  us  take 
the  Holly  as  an  example  of  the  multitude  of 
foliage  variations  that  might  be  obtained.  In 
Hollies  we  have  deep  golden  as  well  as  silver 
variegation.  The  Milkmaid  varieties  with  their 
irregular  blotches  in  the  middle  of  the  leaves 
instead  of  round  the  edges  are  very  pretty,  and 
there  are  various  other  forms  which  I  need  not 
stop  to  mention  sufficient  in  themselves  when 
judiciously  associated  with  other  plants  to  make 
pleasing  and  lasting 
combinations.  In  the 
El3eagnuses,too,the  irre- 
gular variegation  is  most 
striking  in  winter.  It  is 
not  too  much  to  say  that 
they  are  but  little  in- 
ferior to  a  well-coloured 
C'roton,  yet  they  are  sel- 
dom met  with.  Then 
there  are  the  various 
forms  of  the  Euonymus, 
some  of  which  are  very 
beautiful,  and  in  all  shel- 
tered situations  they  will 
withstand  a  severe  win- 
ter, as  will  also  the  Os- 
manthus,  a  shrub  not 
only  remarkable  for  its 
distinct  variegation,  but 
in  habit  of  growtli  it 
is  dense  and  compact. 
Groups  of  such  ;;Iants  ef- 
fectively arranged  and 
displayed  at  different 
points  about  the  grounds 
render  a  walk  round  the 
gardeu  at  all  times  in- 
teresting. In  gardens  of 
moderate  extent  there  is 
no  reason  why  we  should 
not  also  have  groups  of 
the  various  varieties  of 
Yews  Amongstthesethe 
pretty  little  Taxus  ad- 
pressa,  a  native  of  Japan, 
is  very  effective,  as  is 
also  the  Weeping  Yew. 
The  golden  variety  and 
the  silver  variegated 
are  both  distinct  and 
useful.  The  Irish  Yew 
is  well  known,  but  not 
so  much  so  the  Cana- 
dian species,  which  is 
a  low  -  growing  bush, 
very  distinct  in  ap- 
pearance, and  ad- 
mirably suited  for  the 
front  lines  of  shrub- 
beries or  for  a  posi- 
I  tion    near    a    walk    or 

Grass. 

Amongst    otiiee 
ornamental    shrubs 

may  be  mentioned  the 
various  forms  of  Ber- 
beris,  some  of  which 
flower  very  early  in 
spring,  and  are  valu- 
able on  that  account. 
Cotoneasters  are  also  ef- 
fective shrubs,  growing, 
as  they  do,  in  a  variety 
of  forms ;  C.  microphylla  is  a  beautiful  weeper, 
as  well  as  a  low-growing  bush  ;  C.  Simonsi  is  very 
effective,  and  capable  of  being  grown  in  a  variety 
of  forms.  During  winter  it  is  gaily  decked  with 
bright  red  berries.  The  Juniper  family  is  rather  a 
large  one,  but  it  contains  a  variety  of  forms, 
which,  if  artistically  arranged  in  a  group,  would 
make  a  pleasing  picture.  The  erect-growing  J. 
chinensis,  when  compared  with  the  low-growing 
form  of  J  prostrata,  commonly  known  as  the 
Carpet  Juniper,  serves  to  show  the  wide  difference 
in  habit  that  may  exist  in  a  genus.  Nearly  allied 
in  character  to  these  are  the  Retinosporas.     In 


Oct.  25,   1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


355 


11.  plumosa  we  have  an  effective  shade  of  blue, 
while  R.  pisifera  is  remarkable  for  its  strong  tint 
of  yellow.  Amongst  Cypresses  tliere  are  several 
that  are  very  beautiful.  0.  Lawsoniana  erecta 
viridis,  although  formal  in  growth,  are  sure 
to  attract  attention,  owing  to  the  charming  depth 
of  lively  green  which  they  always  wear.  C.  Cor- 
neyana  is  also  elegant  in  growth,  and  perhaps  in 
some  respects  the  most  remarkable  of  all  of  them. 
But  I  need  single  out  no  more  ;  enough  have  been 
named  to  show  that  there  need  be  no  dearth  of 
attractive  objects  in  the  ontdoor  garden,  even  in 
the  dullest  of  winter  months.  We  cannot  dispense 
with  shrubs  with  whicli  we  have  for  so  long  been 
familiar,  but  we  can  do  with  fewer  of  them,  and 
thus  make  room  for  new  material,  and  in  the  end 
it  will  be  found  that  our  gardens  have  been  bene- 
fited by  the  change.  J.  C.  C. 


Strawberry-like  fruit,  but  these  are  not  prized  for 
dessert  purposes.  Grouped  amongst  various  ordi- 
nary flowering  and  finc-foliaged  plants  I  noticed 
severalplants  of  avery  distinct  form  of  the  common 
Balsam.  The  seed  of  this  variety  was  sent  from 
India,  and  all  the  plants  are  exactly  alike  and 
remarkable  for  their  free-branching  habit,  narrow 
or  Willow-like  leaves,  and  the  colour  of  the 
flowers— a  peculiar  shade  of  carmine.  All  that 
is  wanted  is  an  improvement  in  the  form  of  the 
flowers  and  more  variety  in  the  way  of  colours. 
If  these  points  could  be  effected,  a  very  superior 
strain  of  Balsams  would  be  the  result.     In 


is  JIusa  Cavendishi.  Suckers  of  this  taken  ofl: 
an  old  "  stool  "  early  in  the  season  are  grown 
on  rapidly ;  at  present  they  are  in  1  .'">-incli  pots, 
and  early  in  the  year  they  will  be  shifted  into 
tubs  or  larger  pots,  a  rich,  loamy  soil  being  given 
them.  This  shift  induces  fruiting,  and  the  fresh 
soil  affords  a  good  root-run,  and  as  a  consequence 
materially  strengthens  the  clusters  of  fruits, 
which  usually  perfect  in  time  to  afford  several 
dishes  when  most  wanted,  viz.,  for  the  shooting  or 
winter  parties.  At  present  there  is  a  cluster  of 
fruit  on  a  plant  about  seventeen  months  old  which 
will  weigh  nearly  or  quite  .50  pounds.     Musas  are 


NOTES  FROM  CRANMORE  HALL. 
The  gardens  connected  with  this  beautiful  Somer- 
setshire residence  are  not  very  extensive,  but  they 
are  particularly  well  cared  for.  The  flower  garden, 
especially  when  I  saw  it,  was  remarkably  bright, 
each  style  of  bedding  being  successfully  carried 
out.  The  most  striking  beds  were  those  filled 
with  Calceolaria  am- 
plexicaulis  edged 
with  Iresine  bril- 
liantissima  (a  good 
form  of  I.  Herbsti)  ; 
a  mass  of  Lobelia 
fulgens  edged  with  a 
broad  band  of  Leu- 
cophyton  ISrowni  ; 
and  Salvia  patens 
grouped  with  the 
more  common!}-  em- 
ployed summer  bed- 
ding plants.  Im- 
mense annual  Sun- 
flowers were  distri- 
buted about  the 
shrubberies,  and 
these,  with  great 
numbers  of  all  sorts 
of  Dahlias,  helped  to 
make  the  grounds 
gayer  in  September 
than  at  any  time  pre- 
viously. Overlooking 
the  flower  garden 
and  connected  with 
the  house  are  an 
orangery  and  con- 
servatory. In  the 
former    the    Orange 

trees  are  of  great  height  and  in  excellent  health, 
and  the  large  tubs  in  which  they  are  growing 
being  on  wheels,  they  are  easily  moved  out  when 
necessary.  Instead  of  ordinary  conservatory 
climbers,  the  gardener  (Mr.  Moore)  has  covered 
the  roof  with  Grape  Vines.  The  varieties  are 
Lady  Downes  and  Mrs.  I'inoe,  which  annually 
perfect  serviceable  crops,  and  a  better  example 
of  the  combination  of  the  ornamental  and  the 
useful  could  not  well  be  adduced.  The  conserva- 
tory was  designed  with  the  view  of  harmonising 
with  the  residence.  It  is  a  handsome,  roomy 
structure,  but,  as  generally  happens  under  such 
circumstances,  it  is  not  the  best  of  places  for 
plant  culture.  The  climbers  in  it,  which  are  in  ex- 
cellent health,  form  a  conspicuous  feature.  They 
include  large  plants  of  Begonia  fuchsioides,  Tac- 
sonias,  Cobasas,  Tropseolums,  and  Bougainvilleas  ; 
while  on  the  back  wall  are  floriferous  plants  of 
Heliotropes,  double-flowered  zonal  Pelargoniums 
(notably  Guillon  Mangilli,  one  of  the  best  for  the 
purpose),  and  other  plants.  A  basket  filled  with 
freely  fruited  plants  of  Fuchsia  procumbens  was 
singularly  beautiful.  Brugmansia  arborea  planted 
out  in  the  central  bed  is  fully  18  feet  high,  with  a 
good  spread  of  branches.  This  annually  produces 
three  crops  of  its  great  white  bell-shaped  blooms, 
and  is  perhaps  when  well  treated  one  of  the 
noblest  conservatory  plants  which  we  possess. 
Benthamia  fragifera,  also  planted  out,  is  about 
15  feet  high,  and  has  set  a  heavy  crop  of   its 


The  plant  house.?  may  be  seen  the  usual  i  worth  growing  in  large  plant  stoves  on  account 
variety  of  fine-foliaged  and  flowering  plants,  and  1  of  their  noble  appearance,  and  probably  they 
all  in  good  condition,  notably  some  large  batches  '  would  be  more  generally  grown  if  all  were  aware 
of  Poinsettias,  Euphorbia  jacquini:i:flora,Gesneras,  I  how  easily  they  can  be  fruited,  and  how  much 
and  some  well-prepared  table  plants.  A  small  ,  liked  they  are  by  those  who  acquire  a  taste  for 
newly-erected  fernery  at  the  back  of  other  houses  them.  There  are  several  Peach  houses  at  Cran- 
has  been  very  quickly  made  attractive.  The  Ferns  ;  more,  and  at  the  time  of   my  visit  the  trees  in 


are  planted  out,  while  the  back  wall  is  furnished 
with  a  series  of  cast-iron  troughs  or  gutters,  such 
as  are  usually  fixed  under  the  eaves  of  houses. 
In  these  are  planted  a  variety  of  trailing  plants, 
such  as  Lycopods,  I'ellionias,  Fittonias,  Panicums' 
and  Tradescantias,  a  very  pretty  effect  being  thus 
produced,     I  know  from  experience  that  all  such 


Garden  at  OviBgham  Parsonage,  where  Bewick  w^at  to  school  (sec  p. 


plants  grow  much  better  in  these  gutters  than  they 
usually  do  when  planted  in  soil  enclosed  by  strong 
wire  netting,  and  also  that  from  such  plants  thus 
grown  can  be  cut  quantities  of  foliage  useful 
alike  for  vases  and  dinner-table  decoration.  It  is 
for  this  purpose  that  the  fernery  was  formed,  and 
a  similar  structure  or  larger,  according  to  the 
demand  for  greenery,  might  with  advantage  be 
erected  in  every  garden. 

Fruit  gkowing  is  well  carried  out  at  Cran- 
more,  both  under  glass  and  in  the  open.  The 
pot  Vines  raised  from  eyes  this  season  are  re- 
markably fine  and  well  ripened  ;  and  it  is  a  fact 
for  which  I  can  vouch  that  i\Ir.  Moore  annually 
succeeds  in  perfecting  heavy  crops  on  pot  Vines. 
In  the  late  vinery  are  good  crops  of  Mrs.  Pince's 
Muscat,  Black  Alicante,  and  Gros  Colmar,  and  the 
flavour  of  the  latter  grafted  on  a  Black  Hamburgh 
is  surprisingly  good.  Melons  are  alf  o  well  grown, 
and  such  sorts  as  lilenheim  Orange,  Eastnor  Castle, 
and  Burghley  Pet  are  all  finishingoff  heavy  crops. 
The  last-mentioned  is  small  and  round,  ribbed, 
prettily  netted,  and  good  in  quality.  It  is,  per- 
haps, one  of  the  prettiest  Melons  grown.  Cucum- 
bers are  in  demand  all  the  year  round,  principally 
for  cooking,  and  I  never  saw  Cucumbers  in  better 
condition  at  any  time  of  year  than  those  now 
fruiting  at  Cranmore.  Bananas  are  also  grown 
for  dessert,  though  necessarily  in  limited  numbers, 
and  they  are  by  no  means  so  insipid  in  taste  as 
those  imported  generally  are.    The  variety  grown 


the  earliest  house  were  being  lifted  and  replanted ; 
being  still  in  full  leafage,  they  would  speedily 
form  fresh  roots  into  the  new  border,  and  the 
trees  will  thus  be  in  a  condition  to  start  and  fruit 
next  season  to  their  full  extent,  renovation  being 
thus  tffected  without  the  loss  of  a  crop.  Early 
Beatrice  and  Early  Louise  are  grown  for  the 
earliest  supplies,  but 
their  fruits  are  rather 
small  ;  Crawford's 
Early  is  much  liked, 
and  this  is  perhaps 
the  best  of  the  yel- 
low-skinned Peaches; 
Grosse  Mignonneand 
Royal  Georgeare still 
considered  indispen- 
sable, and  for  late 
crops  Barrington  and 
Late  Admirable  do 
good  service.  Pit- 
maston  Orange  and 
Lord  Napier  Necta- 
rines are  the  favour- 
ites, the  latter  being 
considered  the  best 
early  sort. 

Late  Strawber- 
ries are  a  speciality 
at  Cranmore,  and  re- 
markably well  they 
are  grown,  too.  The 
variety  relied  upon 
is  the  now  well- 
known  Vicomtesse 
Huricart  de  Thury ; 
this  is  found  to  be 
the  only  variety  that 
really  well  repays  the  trouble  that  it  is  necessary 
to  take  in  order  to  secure  a  second  crop  during 
the  same  season.  After  the  first  crop  is  gathered 
from  the  plants  in  pots,  they  are  hardened  off 
and  then  transferred  to  open  quarters.  Part 
of  them  are  planted  out  on  a  good  piece  of 
ground,  and  from  these  are  gathered  during 
September  and  October  many  really  good  dishes 
of  fruit.  A  certain  number  of  plants  is  plunged 
in  their  pots  near  a  long  path,  and  sutticiently 
deep  to  ensure  their  rooting  over  the  tops  of  the 
pots  into  the  good  soil  around  them.  They  are 
kept  regularly  supplied  with  water,  and  in  due 
time  they  push  up  a  great  quantity  of  bloom. 
Before  severe  frosts  are  anticipated  they  arc  lifted, 
and  have  the  surface-roots  reduced  ;  they  are  then 
set  in  saucers  on  suspended  .shelves  or  along  the 
front  of  the  I'each  houses.  They  receive  abund- 
ance of  water  and  liquid  manure,  and  do  not 
appear  to  suffer  at  all  from  the  severe  reduction  of 
the  roots.  The  strong  bunches  of  fruit  which  they 
produce  are  supported  with  neat  stakes,  and  being 
distributed  evenly  and  well  above  the  foliage  they 
present  a  very  attractive  appearance.  During 
October,  November,  and  December  a  considerable 
quantity  of  fair  sized  fruit  of  excellent  quality 
is  obtained  from  the  successional  batches,  and  the 
plants  being  in  C-inch  pots,  some  of  the  best  are 
usually  placed  on  the  table  when  "  parties  "  are 
held.  With  more  house  room  Mr.  Moore  could 
easily  maintain  a  supply  of  Strawberries  all  the 


356 


THE    GARDEN 


[Oct.  2:>,  1884. 


year  round,  but  the  forcing  houses,  which  are  the 
proper  places  for  the  very  latest,  are  somewhat 
small  at  Cranmore.  Mr.  Moore's  method  of  pre- 
paring Strawberries  for  early  forcing  may  be 
worthy  of  mention.  One  or  more  rows  are  left  un- 
trimmed  in  the  autumn,  and  these  afford  a  number 
of  well-rooted  runners  in  the  spring,  which  are  de- 
tached in  March  and  planted  on  a  cool  border, 
where  they  form  strong  plants  during  the  summer. 
About  the  last  week  in  July  they  are  potted  up, 
and  when  I  saw  them  late  in  September  they  had 
thoroughly  filled  the  pots  with  roots,  and  the 
crowns  were  remarkably  strong.  This  plan  is  a 
very  simple  one,  and  may  well  be  generally 
imitated.     The  work  of 

Renovatino  the  fruit  trees  on  open  walls 
has  been  gradually  and  thoroughly  done,  the  Pear 
trees  especially  being  now  in  excellent  condition. 
When  first  taken  in  hand  they  were  furnished  with 
great  ugly  spurs,  and  the  fruit  produced  was  in^ 
variably  of  very  poor  quality.  The  whole  of  them 
were  found  to  be  rooting  much  too  deeply,  and  the 
first  step  towards  renovation  was  taken  during  the 
late  autumn  and  early  winter  months.  A  deep 
trench  was  cut  round  each  tree  at  a  distance  of 
about  6  feet  from  the  stems  ;  all  roots  found  were 
sawn  through,  the  trees  were  next  completely 
undermined,  and  all  the  deep  running  roots 
severely  shortened.  After  all  preserved  roots 
spreading  from  the  ball  were  properly  cut  over  to 
facilitate  healing-,  they  were  re-laid  in  good  turfy 
loam,  taking  care  to  bring  them  up  as  near  the 
surface  as  possible.  Nothing  was  done  to  the 
spurs  at  this  time,  but  the  following  winter  all  the 
longest  were  sawn  off  nearly  close  to  the  main 
branches,  and  the  trees,  by  this  time  being  well 
established  in  the  new  soil,  had  become  suffi- 
ciently vigorous  to  push  out  a  number  of  shoots 
wherever  pruned.  In  this  way  the  long  spurs  were 
gradually  got  rid  of,  the  trees  were  soon  furnished 
with  abundance  of  fruit  spurs,  and  the  cropsofsuch 
sorts  as  Marie  IiOuise,  Glou  Morceau,  and  Easter 
Beurre  I  have  seen  on  these  trees  were  of  the 
finest  quality.  In  a  generally  well-cropped 
kitchen  garden  what  most  impressed  me  was  a 
bed  of 

Spinach  Beet.  This,  as  grown  at  Cranmore, 
is  of  the  greatest  service ;  it  is  an  excellent  sub- 
stitute for  Spinach,  and  when  cooked  not  dis- 
tinguishable from  it.  This  Spinach  Beet  is  treated 
exactly  as  ordinary  Beetroot,  but  is  perfectly 
hardy,  and  yields  an  almost  unlimited  supply  of 
green  leaves  throughout  the  winter ;  in  fact,  the 
more  the  leaves  are  picked,  the  more  productive 
becomes  the  Beet.  Mr.  Jloore  procured  his  stock 
of  it  from  a  friend  in  the  neighbourhood  who  has 
grown  it  for  many  years,  and  it  proves  better  than 
anything  of  the  sort  he  can  purchase.  I  experi- 
ence the  greatest  dilfijulty  in  preserving  the 
winter  Spinach  from  slugs,  but  for  the  future 
Spinach  Beet  will  be  grown,  and  thus  one  more 
difficulty  will  be  removed.  W.  I.  M. 


New  garden  plants.— I  should  like  to  direct 
attention  to  two  plants  which  are  much  admired 
by  visitors  to  our  garden  at  Oakwood.  The  first  is 
the  dwarf  Pampas  Grass  (Gynerium  argenteum 
pumilum).  This  was  exhibited  at  South  Kensing- 
ton by  Mr.  Noble,  of  Bagshot.  The  two  plants  I 
bought  have  a  beautiful  effect,  and,  not  having  the 
bulk  of  the  old  Pampas  Grass,  can  be  placed 
where  a  great  plant  would  be  unsuitable.  The 
second  consists  of  the  seedling  Pernettyas  exhi- 
bited by  Mr,  Davis,  of  Hillsborough,  County 
Down.  We  have  two  beds  of  them  of  about  fifty 
plants  each ;  the  plants  at  Oakwood  placed  in  fall 
sun  have  berried  most  beautifully,  and  are  of  all 
colours,  from  the  palest  pink  to  almost  black  ; 
those  at  our  cottage  garden  at  Weybridge 
were  planted  in  partial  shade,  and  have  hardly 
any  berries.  Visitors  constantly  ask  where  these 
.new  Pernettyas  are  to  be  got.  I  would  strongly 
recommend  any  grower  to  put  the  plants  in  full 
sun,  at  any  rate  at  first.  The  only  puzzling  fact 
is  that  isolated  plants  of  the  old  Pernettyas  in 
our  wood  have  berried  well,  though  getting  but 
little  sun.  We  have  cut  a  fine  spike  of  Eryngium 
pandanifolium  for  my  friend,  Mr.  Hancock,  to  be  ' 


preserved  in  the  Newcastle  Museum.  It  was 
about  10  feet,  and  the  stem  at  base  about  4  inches 
in  diameter. — George  F.  Wilson,  Scatherbanh, 
WeyhriihjL'. 


Trees  and  shrubs. 


WHAT  AND  WHEN  TO  PLANT. 
Where  new  grounds  have  to  be  laid  out,  or 
additions  or  alterations  effected,  a  very  common 
mistake  is  to  put  oft'  the  work  of  preparation  until 
the  planting  is  necessarily  driven  too  late,  by 
which  means  much  loss  and  annoyance  usually 
results.  The  subject  relating  to  the  comparative 
advantages  of  autumn  versus  spring  planting  of 
Evergreens  has  often  been  discussed  with  the 
apparent  result  of  _  the  ^advocates  of  each  season 
failing  to  become  converts  to  the  views  of  their 
opponents.  Yet  those  who  are  not  prejudiced  and 
have  had  enough  opportunity  of  seeing  the  results 
following  the  planting  of  Evergreens  in  autumn, 
with  the  exception  of  some  Conifers,  as  compared 
with  spring,  can  scarcely  fail  to  see  that  the 
advantages  are  much  on  the  side  of  early  autumn 
for  the  work,  and  that  the  old  maxim  applied  to 
deciduous  trees  about  their  growing  of  their  own 
accord  if  planted  before  Christmas,  and  requiring 
to  be  made  to  grow  if  planted  afterwards, 
holds  good  with  Evergreens  with  this  differ- 
ence, that  their  planting  should  not  be  de- 
layed nearly  so  late  in  the  year  as  the  deci- 
duous section.  A  plea  frequently  urged  for 
delaying  the  necessary  preparations  for  work 
of  this  kind  is  that  where  such  operations  as 
draining  and  trenching  have  to  be  carried  out,  in 
many  places  the  work  is  more  difficult,  and  neces- 
sarily costs  more  when  the  land  is  hard  and  dry 
than  if  deferred  until  softened  by  the  autumn 
rains.  Yet  this  short-sighted  economy  has  often 
to  be  paid  for  dearly,  not  alone  by  the  actual 
deaths  of  the  evergreen  shrubs  and  trees,  the 
timely  planting  of  wliich  has  thus  been  delayed 
but  equally  so  by  the  dwindling  condition  many 
that  are  not  killed  outright  frequently  remain  in 
for  two  or  three  years  afterwards.  It  is  scarcely 
necessary  to  say  that  in  work  of  this  kind  the 
nature  of  the  land  to  be  dealt  with  goes  far  to 
determine  the  character  of  the  work  that  in  each 
case  becomes  requisite. 

Draining  where  needed  is  manifestly  the  first 
operation,  and  before  going  further  it  may  be 
well  to  say  a  few  words  about  a  mistake  often  com- 
mitted in  draining  where  shrubs  and  trees  are  to  be 
grown,  and  through  which  the  work  has  frequently 
to  be  re-done  under  disadvantages.  Draining 
for  ordinary  purposes  in  the  ordinary  way,  so  as 
to  get  rid  of  superSuous  water,  is  sufficient ;  but 
with  land  where  during  the  future  countless  roots 
thirsting  for  moisture  will  be  penetrating  in  all 
directions,  entering  every  crevice  where  they  can 
get  in,  the  case  is  so  far  different,  that  a  drain 
alone  consisting  of  the  ordinary  pipes  laid  at  the 
requisite  depth  to  receive  and  carry  away  the 
water  is  useless  beyond  the  requirements  of  the 
present,  as  the  roots  are  sure  to  get  in  and  choke 
the  pipes.  Wherever  there  is  danger  of  this  hap- 
pening, in  addition  to  the  pipes  there  should  be 
C  inches  or  8  inches  of  some  hard  open  material 
laid  on  them,  such  as  ordinary  stone  rubble  or  any- 
thing of  a  like  nature  that  is  free  from  fine  matter 
that  is  calculated  to  attract  the  roots  or  be  liable 
to  get  clogged  up.  By  this  precaution  the  roots 
have  less  inducement  offered  them  to  push  near 
the  pipes,  and  if  in  time  the  worst  happens,  and 
they  enter  and  choke  them,  the  open  material 
above  will  afford  egress  for  the  water.  The  little 
extra  cost  that  the  precaution  involves  should 
cause  its  adoption  wherever  draining  has  to  be 
carried  out  in  gardens.  As  to  the  depth  that 
drains  should  be  made,  all  that  is  needful 
to  say  is  that  the  contentions  that  used  to  be 
carried  on  about  certain  uniform  depths  in  drains 
for  land  devoted  to  agricultural  purposes  were 
only  remarkable  for  their  manifest  unsoundness ; 
no  precise  depth  can  be  named,  as  that  required 
in  each  particular  case  can  only  be  determined  on 
the  spot ;  all  depends  on  the  depth  of  the  surface  soil 
and  the  nature  of  the  sub-stratum.      The  same 


may  be  said  as  regards  the  distance  that  drains 
should  be  apart.  But  this  much  may  be  said,  that 
the  more  retentive  the  character  of  the  land  the 
nearer  the  drains  require  to  be  together,  as  in 
such  soil  the  water  is  so  much  slower  in  percolat- 
ing through  it.  With  respect  to  the  depth  the 
land  should  be  dug,  this  also  requires  to  be  de- 
termined by  the  depth  and  nature  of  the  upper 
soil,  combined  also  with  that  immediately  under- 
neath. In  trenching  for  any  crop  it  is  not  well  to 
get  the  aerated  top  soil  down  too  deep,  as  this 
usually  means  bringing  too  much  of  the  crude 
under  stratum  to  the  top  ;  at  the  same  time,  ground 
if  at  all  heavy  and  calculated  to  hold  water  should 
be  moved  as  deep,  or  deeper,  than  the  holes 
wherein  the  trees  are  to  be  planted  need  to  be 
made. 

What  to  plant. — This  is  a  wide  subject,  and 
one  in  which  the  judgment  of  the  operator  requires 
to  be  largely  drawn  on.  Taking  the  negative  side 
of  the  question,  there  is  one  safe  rule  that  should 
never  be  departed  from,  that  is  not  to  be  tempted, 
through  the  too  prevalent  feeling  of  following  the 
fashion,  to  plant  anything  that  has  given  evidence 
of  not  thriving  well  in  the  locality,  and  following 
the  same  course  by  only  making  spare  use  of  such 
things  as  are  at  all  doubtful  in  succeeding,  only 
planting  them  in  positions  where  their  presence 
will  be  little  missed  if  they  fail.  Want  of  due 
caution  in  this  matter  is  often  exemplified  by  the 
unhappy  appearance  of  unproved  novelties  that 
from  the  fact  alone  of  their  being  new  and  rare 
have  been  pat  in  the  most  prominent  positions  ; 
whereas  if  any  of  the  well-known,  well-proved 
kinds,  whose  only  fault  is  their  being  common, 
had  been  used,  it  would  have  been  a  gain 
in  every  way.  Evergreen  trees  in  moderate 
numbers  and  well-chosen  positions  more  or 
less  proximate  to  a  dwelling  are  necessary,  but 
on  that  account  it  does  not  follow  that  they 
should  be  used  indiscriminately  in  such  numbers 
as  in  recent  times  they  often  are  met  with.  After 
giving  the  newer  kinds  of  coniferous  trees  all  that 
is  their  due,  few  will  dispute  that  an  old  Scotch 
Kir  with  a  ma?sive  straight  trunk  and  propor- 
tionate head,  and  a  Cedar  of  Lebanon  that  has 
attained  its  full  proportions,  have  not  yet  been 
matched,  nor  are  they  likely  to  be  by  any  of  the 
many  kinds  of  evergreen  trees  that  during  the 
last  thirty  or  forty  years  have  had  so  much  pre- 
ference shown  them,  that  few  people  have  thought 
of  planting  the  old  kinds  named;  and  as  to 
Evergreens  that  attain  less  proportions,  have  we 
anything  that  surpasses  the  native  Yew  or  Holly, 
which  in  their  way  hold  their  own  against  all 
comers  ?  Not  that  I  would  say  anything  disparag- 
ing of  the  many  fine  evergreen  trees  that  during 
the  present  century  have  been  introduced,  and 
which  deserve  planting  wherever  they  can  be 
suitably  placed  ;  but  when  we  see  preference  so  far 
given  to  kinds  that  are  manifestly  inferior,  it 
is  well  now  and  then  to  look  facts  in  the  face. 
Amongst  the 

Least  used  of  the  Pines  that  have  been  long 
enough  known  is  Pinus  Laricio  (the  Corsican  Pine). 
Its  quick  growth,  tall,  stately  appearance,  adapta- 
bility to  soils  and  situations  alike  make  it  a 
desirable  tree  for  effect,  as  also  for  its  value  as 
timber.  For  its  healthy,  deep  green  colour,  free 
growth,  and  hardy,  vigorous  constitution  there  is 
nothing  to  surpass  the  Austrian  Pine.  Its  habit 
of  throwing  much  strength  into  the  lower  branches 
where  room  is  given  it  in  its  early  stages  of  growth 
renders  it  the  best  of  all  the  Pines  where  a  perma- 
nent mass  of  foliage  is  required.  The  merits  of 
P.  Strobus  (the  Weymouth  Pine)  and  P.  exoelsa  are. 
sufficiently  known  not  to  require  comment  further 
than  saying  that  their  distinct  habit,  combined 
with  ability  to  thrive  well  in  most  situations,  com- 
mend them  to  planters.  P.  Cembra  is  also  well 
known  ;  its  deep  green  colour,  freedom  of  growth, 
and  the  erect,  cylindrical  habit  it  assumes  make  it 
as  well  as  the  others  named  desirable  for  standing 
in  a  prominent  position.  The  beautiful  Californian 
species  (P.  insignis)  should  never  be  left  out 
where  and  climate  is  such  that  it  may  be  cal- 
culated on  to  bear  the  severest  winters,  but, 
unfortunately,  it  suffers  so  much  in  many  parts  of 
even  the  southern  counties  as  to  much  detract 


Oct.  25,  1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


357 


from  its  value ;  for  the  lovely  green  shade  of 
colour  it  possesses  it  stands  unrivalled  where  a 
variety  in  the  Pine  family  is  required.  I'.  Bunge- 
ana,  the  Chinese  Lace-bark  Pine,  is  worth  having ; 
for  independent  of  its  curious  habit  of  throwing  off 
its  bark,  like  the  native  Birch,  in  broad  ribbons  of 
a  lace- like  character,  it  is  a  handsome  tree  of 
moderate  growth.     The  different  sections  of 

The  Fies  (Abies),  as  well  known,  contain  some 
of  the  most  elegant  evergreen  trees.  The  com- 
mon Spruce  when  seen  in  its  best  form,  such  as 
where  suitable  soil  and  situation,  includingcriough 
shelter,  are  present  along  with  plenty  of  room, 
from  its  lirst  being  planted,  so  that  its  plume-like 
branches  are  perfect  down  to  the  base,  is  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  of  pyramidal  trees.  Abies 
pectinata,  the  Silver  Fir,  needs  no  praise ;  its 
feathery  spreading  branches  are  handsomest  in  the 
early  stages  of  growth  of  the  tree  ;  it  likes  shelter 
and  deep  soil,  such  as  are  often  present  in  a  river 
valley  where  the  deep  alluvial  deposit  and  protec- 
tion from  winds  afford  what  it  likes.  The  grace- 
ful habit  of  A.  Smitliiana  (Jlorinda)  commends 
it  to  all  lovers  of  elegant  growing  trees  ;  it  must 
not  be  too  much  exposed  to  the  wind ;  it  likes 
good  soil,  moderately  dry  ;  its  delicate  pale  green 
coloured  foliage  affords  a  perfect  contrast  to  the 
darker  leaved  kinds.  A.  nobilis,  A.  Xordmanuiana, 
A.  magnifica,  all  of  which  are  Silver  Firs,  have 
been  seen  enough  of  to  confirm  the  high  opinion 
first  entertained  of  their  merits  ;  the  distinct  ap- 
pearance which  these  beautiful  trees  individually 
possess  is  not  their  least  desirable  property.  For 
the  neighbourhood  of  a  walk,  where  lower  growing 
trees  of  more  bush-like  habit  are  preferable  to 
the  taller  larger  kinds,  A.  Pinsapo  will  be  found 
suitable.  A.  polita  and  A.  Parryana  deserve 
the  high  opinions  first  formed  of  them ;  their 
distinct  appearance  is  such  as  to  entitle  them 
to  a  place  where  even  the  most  select  collection 
of  evergreen  trees  is  attempted.  The  noble  pro- 
portions which  A.  Douglasi  assumes  in  its  native 
country  may  be  set  down  as  beyond  what  is 
possible  with  ns  ;  nevertheless  in  the  southern  and 
western  parts  of  the  kingdom  it  has  a  majestic  ap- 
pearance where  the  situation  suits  it ;  but  so  far 
as  I  have  seen,  however  well  it  may  thrive,  as 
soon  as  ever  its  top  gets  high  enough  to  be  under 
the  influence  of  the  wind  t  gets  cut.  Of  all 
evergreen  trees  that  have  been  introduced  there  is 
none  with  so  distinct  an  appearance  as 

Aeaucaria  imbkicata,  and  few  if  any  that 
almost  everyone  with  a  bit  of  shrubbery  seems  to 
have  been  so  determined  to  have;  its  distinct 
character,  so  different  from  everything  else,  never 
fails  in  making  it  effective,  and  wherever  the 
place  is  suitable  a  few  examples  should  be  pre- 
sent. Yet  with  all  this  it  has  turned  out  a  some- 
what disappointing  tree,  for  in  comparatively  few 
places  where  first  planted  has  it  continued  to 
keep  on  growing,  usually  thriving  well  for  a 
time  and  then  getting  prematurely  round-headed, 
and  making  little  progress  afterwards.  Xo  doubt 
even  in  the  hands  of  many  who  might  have  been 
supposed  to  know  better  it  has  been  mistakenly 
treated;  with  it,  as  with  a  fewother  new  Conifers, 
there  was  an  evident  disposition  to  get  it  on  at  a 
rate  that  partook  more  of  speed  than  permanence. 
Prepared  sites  of  rich,  deep  soil  calculated  to  in- 
duce quick  growth  were  often  given  it.  Someone 
was  recently  recommending  this  as  a  preventive 
of  the  loss  of  its  bottom  branches.  More  mistaken 
advice  could  scarcely  have  been  offered,  as  the 
rapid  growth  made  under  such  conditions  is  just 
the  sort  that  gets  killed  in  exceptionally  severe 
winters:  whereas  when  the  soil  is  not  too  rich, 
but  of  fair  quality,  with  more  or  less  gravel  or 
stone  in  it  and  with  a  rooky  or  gravelly  subsoil, 
the  growth  is  slower,  and  the  trees  do  not  get 
injured  with  a  low  temperature.  The  effects  of 
these  opposite  conditions  in  the  soil  I  have  several 
times  seen  in  the  same  grounds.  Next  to  the 
Lebanon  Cedar,  and  superior  _to  it  in  rate  of 
growth,  stands  the 

Mount  Atlas  Cedar  (Cedrus  atlantica).  This 
fine,  hardy,  evergreen  tree,  like  the  Lebanon 
Cedar,  is  so  well  known  as  not  to  require  a  word 
from  me,  only  to  point  out  that  if  it  had  been  as 


freely  planted  during  the  last  forty  years  as  has  its 
more  fashionable  relation,  C  Deodara,  the  grounds 
attached  to  a  vast  number  of  dwellings  would  to 
a  certainty  in  time  to  come  have  been  better  em- 
bellished than  they  now  will.  Without  question, 
Cedrus  Ueodara  is  a  distinct-looking,  handsome 
tree,  that  thrives  freely  for  a  time  where  soil  and 
situation  suit  it ;  but  the  winters  we  now  and  then 
get  make  sad  havoc  with  it,  reducing  it  to  a  state 
out  of  which  it  often  does  not  grow  ;  in  addition 
to  this  it  has  the  habit  in  many  places  of  assum- 
ing a  premature  stunted  condition. 

Of  Cypresses,  too  much  cannot  be  said  in 
favour  of  C.  Lawsoniana  ;  it  thrives  well,  and  looks 
well  in  most  places  where  the  necessary  shelter, 
which  by  farthe  greater  number  of  evergreen  trees 
require,  exists,  and  without  which  it  is  little  use 
planting  them.  Of  the  many  forms  of  this  Cypress 
existant,  there  are  none  for  general  purposes 
equal  to  the  normal  green  type,  although  a  few 
of  the  variegated  varieties  may  frequently  be 
uied  by  way  of  contrast.  C.  Lawsoniana  erecta 
viridis  is  likely  to  be  always  a  favourite  with 
planters  where  a  straight,  erect,  cylindrical  plant 
is  wanted.  C.  nutkaensis  (syn.,  Thujopsis  borea- 
lis)  it  would  be  difficult  to  speak  too  highly  of, 
for  although  it  has  not  yet  reached  in  this 
country  the  stage  in  which  it  may  be  said  to  have 
begun  to  throw  off  its  infantile  character,  yet  for 
its  beautiful  habit  of  growth  and  the  freedom 
with  which  it  thrives  in  most  soils,  and  its  gene- 
rally vigorous  constitution,  it  may  be  set  down  as 
standing  in  the  front  rank  of  the  evergreen  trees 
of  this  century. 

LIB0CEDRU3  DECUREENS  (Thuja  gigantea)  has 
now  been  proved  so  far  as  to  enable  a  fairly  reli- 
able estimate  to  be  formed  of  it ;  its  growth  is 
not  such  as  to  lead  to  the  supposition  that  it  will 
ever  reach  a  great  size  in  this  country  ;  neverthe- 
less, it  deserves  a  place  wherever  evergreen  trees 
of  the  character  under  notice  succeed  ;  the  erect 
cylindrical  outline  which  its  branches  assume  is 
quite  distinct  from  that  of  all  others.  The  little 
space  it  occupies  makes  it  much  more  suitable  for 
planting  near  dwellings  than  many  others  that  are 
used  in  preference  to  it.  Of  the  Retinosporas  in 
their  many  forms,  so  elegant  and  plume-like  in 
their  younger  stages,  it  is  doubtful  if  they  will 
long  be  held  in  such  estimation  as  their  first 
appearance  led  people  to  suppose.  Many  of 
the  oldest  examples  now  to  be  met  with  show  a 
disposition  to  get  prematurely  thin  and  ragged 
to  an  extent  that  sadly  mars  their  beauty.  The 
apparent  ability  in  the  green  forms  to  stand  our 
severest  winters  is  so  much  in  their  favour,  as  to 
make  them  deserving  of  being  used  in  moderate 
numbers. 

Sequoia  (Wellinctonia)  gigantea. — It  is 
doubtful  if  any  tree  ever  introduced  to  this  country 
made  such  a  sensation  at  the  time  as  did  this 
gigantic  denizen  of  the  world-famed  Californian 
valley,  and  to  which  the  subsequent  disappoint- 
ment has  been  quite  equal,  for  not  only  will  it  fail 
to  ever  be  a  giant  in  this  part  of  the  world,  but 
the  wretched  stunted  appearance  which  it  oftener 
than  otherwise  in  a  few  years  is  reduced  to  is  such 
that  frequently  necessitates  its  removal.  In  a 
sheltered  place  near  a  river,  where  there  is  a  deep 
rich  alluvial  soil,  not  subject  in  dry  seasons  to  get 
so  devoid  of  moisture  as  in  ordinary  situation,-,  it 
keeps  on  growing  longer. 

S.  SEMPERVIEENS.— This  is  evidently  destined 
to  be  a  better  tree  in  this  country  than  the  Wel- 
lingtonia,  as  well  as  being  less  formal  in  habit ; 
but  for  it  ever  to  have  a  chance  of  attaining  any- 
thing approaching  its  natural  gigantic  proportions 
it  must  obviously  have  a  deep  valley  sheltered 
from  the  western  gales,  as  if  at  all  exposed  its 
top  goes  at  once. 

Thuja  gigantea. — Should  this  free-growing 
Californian  tree  continue  to  thrive  well  as  it  gets 
older,  and  maintain  the  elegant  appearance  which 
it  has  whilst  young,  it  will,  indeed,  be  an  acquisi- 
tion. But  at  the  rate  at  which  it  grows  it  should 
evidently  be  planted  where  it  will  have  high 
ground  to  shelter  it  at  the  side  from  which  the 
gales  come,  or  it  can  scarcely  fail  to  get  injured. 
Enough  has  been  seen  of  it  to  stamp  it  as  one  of 


the  most  elegant  of  trees  in  its  early  stages  of 
growth. 

Thujopsis  dolobeata. — From  the  bushy, 
compact  habit  of  this  Japanese  Arbor-vitse,  it  has 
proved  itself  to  be  well  adapted  for  use  where 
larger  growing  trees  are  unsuited,  such  as  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  terraces,  walks,  or  buildings, 
where  trees  of  large  growth  soon  get  beyond  the 
bounds  that  can  be  allowed  them. 

The  above  is  not  intended  to  be  an  exhaustive 
listof  this  class  of  evergreen  trees,  but  those  favour- 
ably noticed  are  a  selection  which  anyone  defi- 
cient in  acquaintance  with  trees  may  rely  on  as 
representing  the  best  and  most  desirable  kinds, 
and  that,  moreover,  may  be  reckoned  upon  to 
thrive  freely  in  situations  adapted  to  their  require- 
ments. T.  Baines. 


AEAUCARIAS  IX  THE  WEST  OF  SCOTLAXD. 

There  are  many  fine  specimens  of  Arancaria 
imbricata  in  this  country,  and  from  its  various 
habits  of  growth  one  feels  inclined  to  think  there 
are  different  varieties  of  it.  Here  we  have  about 
a  dozen  specimens,  all  different,  some  being  con- 
torted in  a  singular  manner,  othersstiff  and  formal, 
while  others  again  are  most  graceful  in  habit.  We 
have  one  in  particular  which  for  perfection  in 
general  outline  and  furnishing  nothicg  eonld  excel. 
This  specimen  is  35  feet  high  ;  the  stem  measures 
-1  feet  2  inches  at  3  feet  from  the  ground,  and  has 
a  circumference  in  spread  of  branches,  which  rest 
on  the  green  sward,  of  63  feet.  The  branches  are 
all  beautifully  curved,  and  furnished  with  nume- 
rous side  shoots,  in  many  cases  numbering  over 
forty,  all  gracefully  pendent. 

In  lifting  and  planting  these  and  kindred 
subjects  great  care  is  necessary,  in  order  to  pre- 
vent barking  or  mutilating  the  roots.  In  planting, 
the  most  should  be  made  of  every  root,  and  in 
furtherance  of  this  end,  all  the  fibres  should  be 
neatly  spread  outand  equally  divided  over  the  space 
allotted  to  them.  They  should  be  spread  out  at 
full  length,  and  not  be  twisted  or  cramped  into  a 
given  space.  Make  the  pit  large  enough  to  hold 
the  roots  comfortably,  and  leave  a  foot  or  two 
clear  all  round  them.  Before  proceeding  to  plant, 
place  in  the  pit  a  quantity  of  good  friable  loam, 
leaf-mould,  and  burnt  wood  ashes  in  equal  parts; 
also  have  a  quantity  of  the  same  material  in  readi- 
ness to  place  over  the  roots,  and  apply  it  liberally. 
As  the  planting  proceeds  make  all  firm  by  steady 
packing  and  trampling,  working  the  soil  well  in 
amongst  the  roots.  In  the  case  of  large  plants 
the  stakes  should  be  in  position  before  the  roots 
are  covered.  I  have  no  belief  in  the  single-stake 
systemofsupporting top-heavy plants,nor do  I  like 
the  three-stake  bolster  plan;  both  injure  both  stem 
and  roots,  and,  moreover,  serve  no  good  purpose.  To 
prevent  oscillation— the  cause  of  many  failures — 
drive  in  three  stakes  at  equal  distances  apart 
round  the  plant  and  sufficiently  far  from  it  to 
give  a  good  angle ;  then  fully  half  way  up  the 
stem  place  some  matting  or  other  soft  material  to 
prevent  chafing,  and  on  the  outside  of  this  place 
a  piece  of  leather  or  wax-cloth  firmly  bound  round 
with  a  piece  of  wire ;  in  this  fi.x  three  eyes,  each 
facing  the  stakes  already  driven  in,  and  from  these 
eyes  stretch  a  strong  wire  to  each  stake,  and  fix  it 
with  a  staple ;  this  done,  proceed  to  drive  the 
stakes  again  with  caution,  so  as  to  place  no  undue 
strain  on  any  of  them,  but  have  all  tight  alike. 
When  finished,  supports  of  this  kind  have  a  neat 
appearance,  the  stakes,  being  quite  overhead  in  the 
ground,  and  the  wires  tight  are  scarcely  visible, 
even  at  a  short  distance  off,  and  what  is  of  primary 
importance,  blow  as  it  may,  the  v;ind  has  no  effect 
on  a  plant  thus  fettered,  at  least  as  far  as  its  roots 
are  concerned. 

Soil. — Most  growers  of  Conifers  are  of  opinion 
that  this  Araucaria  must  have  a  deep  alluvial  soil 
in  which  to  grow,  and  doubtless  it  would  do  well 
in  such  a  soil,  but  we  have  no  such  material  here 
for  it.  All  our  Araucarias,  as  well  as  other 
Coniferas,  are  growing  on  a  very  indifferent  soil 
indeed.  In  the  pinetum  and  different  parts  of  the 
grounds  where  Araucarias  are  growing  we  have 
only  from  12  inches  to  15  inches  in  depth  of  light. 


358 


THE    GARDEN 


[Oct.  25,   1884, 


gravelly  loam,  resting  on  a  bed  of  gravel.  The 
exceptionally  humid  atmosphere  of  the  west  coast 
of  Scotland  seems  peculiarly  favourable  to  all 
evergreen  trees,  and  perhapsj  this  accounts  partly 
for  the  vigour  and  equally- balanced  growth  of  our 
Araucarias.  Be  that  as  it  may,  one  thing  is  cer- 
tain, and  that  is  that  in  all  my  travels  I  never  saw 
Buch  healthy  specimens  of  this  Chilian  Pine  as 
may  be  seen  all  over  the  west  coast  of  Scotland. 
Glcnjiiuirt,  Greowck.  J.  PbocTOB. 


WINDSOR  FOREST. 


At  a  recent  meeting  of  the  Windsor  and  Eton 
Scientific  Society,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Gee,  vicar  of  Wind- 
sor, read  a  paper  on  "  The  Trees  of  Windsor 
Forest."  In  the  course  of  his  remarks  he  said  our 
knowledge  of  the  forest  dated  from  1820,  when  the 
present  arrangement  was  introduced.  In  1811 
Kent  reported  that  there  were  50,000  good  trees, 
yielding  a  million  and  a-half  cubic  feet  of  timber  ; 
I'JOO  acres  were  sold,  £25,000  worth  of  timber  cut 
down,  and  3(JOO  acres  planted.  The  Great  Park 
now  consisted  of  3000  acres,  the  Little  Park  of  500, 
and  the  Forest  of  10,000  acres.  The  soil  was  poor 
and  wet,  and  little  to  be  envied  by  agriculturists. 
Of  the  three  principal  trees — the  Oak,  the  Beech, 
and  the  Elm — the  Oak  might  be  claimed  as  an 
aborigine,  although  much  of  the  old  Oak  timber 
in  this  country  was  not  of  the  same  kind  as  that 
now  in  use.  The  Beech  tree  claimed  as  its  own 
the  neighbouring  county  of  Buckingham.  The  Elm 
was  undoubtedly  the  shortest-lived  of  these  three 
trees,  its  limit  being  about  200  years,  while  as  a 
rule  it  began  to  decay  at  the  age  of  SO  years.  The 
trees  in  the  Long  Walk  were  planted  in  lC8o  by 
Charles  II.,  and  the  walk  w.-is  perfected  by  William 
III.,  though  the  ground  was  not  appropriated  until 
the  reign  of  Queen  Anne.  The  number  of  the 
trees,  which,  though  very  fine,  were  inferior  to 
those  at  Eton  College,  was  said  at  one  time  to  be 
ir>52,  the  double  avenue  being  70  feet  across. 
The  finest  grown  Oaks  by  far  were  just  at  the 
back  of  the  Rhododendron  Walk.  One  was  70  feet 
high,  and  rose  10  feet  before  it  threw  out  a  single 
branch;  and  there  was  a  tree  100  feet  high  near 
Cumberland  Lodge.  In  Cranbourne  Chase  stood 
the  largest  tree  known  in  the  Forest.  It  was 
hollow,  and  might  have  existed  800  or  900  years, 
its  greatest  circumference  being  nearly  40  feet. 
Outside  the  Forest  Gate,  at  Ascot,  was  a  line  speci- 
men of  a  tree  of  middle  age.  It  was  in  about  the 
600th  year  of  its  life,  and  was  about  27  feet  or  28 
feet  in  circumference. 


Oeltis  occidentalls— A  specimen  of  this 
tree  growing  on  Main  Street,  West  Springfield,  is 
notable  for  its  great  size  and  also  for  its  perfect 
shape.  The  following  careful  measurements  show 
that  it  is  not  the  "  small  or  middle-sized  tree,"  as 
described  in  Gray's  "  Manual  " :  Circumference  4 
feet  from  the  ground,  12  feet  3  inches  ;  height,  75 
feet  C  inches  ;  spread  of  branches,  80  feet.  This 
locality  seems  to  be  a  favourable  one  for  the 
development  of  this  tree.  Though  only  a  few 
sneciraens  have  ever  been  known  here,  they  have 
all  reached  a  great  size.  One  is  standing  in 
Springfield  nearly  as  large  as  the  one  whose 
measurements  are  given  above.  Two  formerly 
ftood  on  Main  Street,  which  were  a  little  larger 
than  either  of  these  now  standing.  They  received 
fpecial  mention  in  Emerson's  book.  They  were 
still  vigorous  and  sound  when  cut  down  a  few 
years  ago.  The  two  large  ones  now  standing  are 
apparently  in  all  the  vigour  of  middle  life,  making 
considerable  growth  each  year.  It  is  to  be  hoped 
that  they  will  be  spared  to  reach  their  greatest 
possible  development. — Turmj  Butxnical  Cluh 
Bulletin. 


Benthamla  fraglfera  — This  has  fruited  with  us 
tjiis  season  fc^r  tlie  first  time,  although  it  has  been  grown 
here  for  twenty  yeiu-s.  It  is  trained  to  a  wall  facing  the 
east,  and  is  in  a  very  cold  position.  Tliere  ai-e  now  great 
numbers  of  flower-buds  upon  it,  and  therefore  if  we  get  a 
mdd  winter  tliere  i3«a  good  prcspect  of  its  fruiting  mucli 
more  freely  next  year  than  this.  Although  we  Iiave  nevei- 
sueceeded  in  fruiting  it  liefoie,  it  is  not  an  unusual  occur- 

r'^'n™^'"'  '^  '"  ''"  ^^  '"  other  places  in  Somersetsliire.- 
J.  0,  c. 


Abelia  rupestris.— One  of  the  most  persis- 
tent little  lilooming  shrubs  that  we  possess  is  this 
Abelia ;  it  has  been  in  Uower  nearly  three  months, 
and  still  there  are  blossoms  to  come.  It  is  a  neat- 
habited  shrub,  of  rather  spreading  growth,  with 
deep,  glossy  green  leaves  and  tubular-shaped, 
sweet-scented  blossoms,  borne  in  clusters  on  the 
point  of  every  shoot.  The  llowers  are  about  an 
inch  long,  and  in  colour  white  tinged  with  pink. 
This  shrub  was  introduced  into  England  from 
Japan  about  thirty  years  ago  by  Fortune,  and  is 
fairly  hardy,  except  during  severe  winters.  It 
makes  a  good  covering  for  low  walls.  It  is  a  shrub 
that  should  be  made  a  note  of,  for  it  will  succeed 
under  ordinary  [conditions,  and  flovser  well  where 
simply  planted  in  the  open  ground.  Cuttings  of 
the  half -ripened  shoots  root  readily  enough  if  kept 
close  till  that  takes  place. — Alpha. 

Cupressus  nutkaenels.— The  dark  olive 
green  which  pervades  the  whole  growth  of  this 
Cupressus  gives  it  a  distinct  appearance.  I  believe 
it  to  be  the  best  of  the  family  ;  indeed,  I  know  of 
no  other  that  attains  such  stately  dimensions  and 
retains  such  a  tree-like  character.  One  noticeable 
feature  about  it  is  that  as  it  reaches  a  good  age 
the  main  branches  bend  upwards  and  the  small 
ones,  or  lateral  growths,  droop  down.  It  is  not  a 
scarce  tree,  though  it  is  not  so  often  seen  as  it 
should  be.  What  enhances  its  value  is  that  it  is 
very  hardy.  No  spring  frost  or  cold  winds  ever 
do  it  any  harm,  and  it  always  retains  its  colour. 
Judging  by  a  specimen  of  it  which  we  have  here 
that  has  been  planted  rather  more  than  twenty 
years,  and  which  is  now  more  than  30  feet  high, 
I  should  say  that  trees  of  it  may  be  expected  to 
ultimately  reach  a  height  of  GO  feet  or  more. — 
J.  C.  C. 

Variegated  Dog'wood.— Even  with  the 
scorching  weather  we  have  experienced  this  sum- 
mer, the  variety  of  Cornus  i\Ias  known  as  elegan- 
tissima  aurea  has  not  been  in  any  way  inj  ured,  but, 
on  the  contrary,  its  variegation  has  been  rendered 
still  more  striking.  It  is  with  us  one  of  the  most 
effective  of  variegated  shrubs,  the  golden  margin 
to  the  leaf  being  broad  and  clearly  defined,  while 
the  more  exposed  parts  of  the  foliage  become  suf- 
fused with  a  beautiful  reddish  tint,  which  is  much 
heightened  when  in  the  full  sun.  On  dry  sandy 
soils  it  sometimes  suffers  during  the  summer,  but 
where  sufficiently  moist  to  prevent  such  a  thing 
occurring,  exposure  to  strong  sunshine  does  not 
hurt  it.  Another  prettily  variegated  Cornns  is  a 
form  of  the  red-barked  Dogwood  (C.  sibirica),  in 
which  the  variegation  consists  of  a  wide  margin 
of  clear  white  with  sometimes  a  pinkish  tinge  on 
the  extreme  edge.  The  pure  white  variegation  is 
very  constant,  and  contrasts  in  a  marked  manner 
with  the  deep  red  bark  of  the  young  shoots.  The 
above  are  two  pretty  variegated  shrubs. — T. 

Propagating  Auouba  japonlca.    Au- 

cubas  are  in  general  procured  from  a  nursery  when 
any  are  required  ;  still,  raising  them  by  means  of 
cuttings  is  so  simple,  that  a  few  remarks  thereon 
may  not  be  out  of  place.  Aucubas  will  grow  in 
almost  any  position  and  thrive  much  better  under 
trees  than  many  plants.  Strong  retentive  clayey 
soil  suits  them  admirably ;  in  this  the  leaves  are 
larger  .and  the  markings  more  clearly  defined  than 
when  grown  in  light  sandy  soil.  They  are  the 
easiest  plants  to  move  which  we  have,  and  owing 
to  the  quantity  of  fibry  roots  which  they  make 
they  lift  with  plenty  of  soil  around  the  roots.  A 
good  way  of  increasing  the  stock  of  this  plant  is 
as  follows  :  At  this  season  take  off  small  pieces  of 
shoots  from  4  inches  to  6  inches  long  with  a  small 
heel  attached  to  them  ;  insert  them  firmly  in  C-inch 
pots  in  sandy  soil,  placing  about  nine  cuttings  in 
each  pot ;  give  a  good  watering  and  plunge  the  pots 
in  ashes  in  a  cold  frame,  where  they  may  remain 
until  February ;  by  that  time  each  cutting  will  be 
nicely  callused.  During  winter  they  will  not  re- 
quire much  air  -  just  a  little  at  times  to  dry  up 
superfluous  moisture.  At  the  time  just  named 
(February)  they  should  be  plunged  in  a  gentle 
bottom-heat,  either  in  a  hotbed  or  propagating 
house,  where  they  will  soon  start  into  growth,  and 
by  the  month  of  April  or  Jlay  they  will  have  made 
good  shoots.     They  should  then  be  gradually  bar- ' 


dened  off,  when  they  may  be  planted  in  lines  on  a 
border.  A  west  one  suits  them  well.  They  will 
grow  into  good  sized  plants  the  same  year.  In  the 
following  spring  they  may  be  planted  in  any 
vacant  places  in  front  of  shrubberies,  or  they  may 
be  again  transplanted  to  wider  distances  apart  on 
the  same  border,  this  time  using  some  well  rotted 
manure,  which  will  assist  their  growth. — E.  M.  S. 


Indoor    Garden. 


POTTING  LILIES. 

1  CANNOT  do  any  of  your  readers,  who  have 
hitherto  not  grown  some  of  the  hardy  Lilies,  a 
greater  service  than  to  commend  a  trial  of  their 
culture,  either  outdoors,  in  beds,  or  indoors  in 
pots  for  decorative  purposes.  Some  of  the  finest, 
strongest,  and  most  floriferous  Japanese  and 
American  Lilies  I  have  ever  noticed  were  grown 
in  Azalea  (hardy)  and  Rhododendron  beds,  and 
undisturbed  for  years.  At  present  I  will  confine 
my  observations  to  potting  (as  this  is  a  good  time 
for  the  purpose  it  not  already  done)  for  indoor 
blooming,  and  without  any  pretence  to  have  any- 
thing new  to  say.  In  several  lists  upwards  of 
one  hundred  varieties  are  given,  and  these  are 
generally  classified  into  five  groups,  according 
to  the  shape  or  position  of  the  flower.  For  potting 
purposes,  a  division  into  home-grown  and  imported 
will  be  the  most  suitable.  Those  I  have  in  my 
mind  are  chiefly  Lilium  auratum,  L.  speciosum 
(lancifolium),  L.  longifloram,  L.  candidum,  and  L. 
pardalinum—  I  need  not  include  the  tigrinum  sec- 
tion, as  I  prefer  growing  them  outdoors—  and  their 
varieties.  Taking  first  home-grown,  as  soon  as 
the  flowering  is  over,  and  when  the  foliage  begins 
to  assume  the  sere  and  yellow  leaf,  shake  them 
out.  Most  of  the  fleshy  roots  will  still  seem 
healthy ;  remove  those  that  are  decayed,  or  show 
incipient  signs  thereof.  1  am  now  about  potting 
several  dozen,  or  rather,  I  should  say,  repotting,  for 
they  are  all  grown  at  home,  the  Japanese  imported 
generally  not  arriving  until  the  end  of  November 
or  thereatouts,  .and  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  Liliums  are  perennial  in  their  root  growth. 
For  instance,  L.  speciosum  or  L.  .auiatum  that  had 
flowered  in  August  had  commenced  to  make  new 
roots  in  September,  which  I  consider  the  best  in- 
dication of  the  necessity  of  at  once  repotting. 
Growth  immediately  recommences,  and  has  pro- 
ceeded a  long  distance  on  its  way  before  imported 
bulbs  have  even  arrived  ;  and  further,  you  pot  up 
your  home-grown  with  every  root  intact,  except 
those  decayed,  including  those  in  the  form  of  a 
mop  that  grow  from  the  base  of  the  stem.  I  never 
remove  the  stem  until  it  comes  away  decomposed 
a  month  or  two  after  repotting,  but  if  it  is 
withered,  I  cut  down  to  near  the  pot  for  appear- 
ance and  convenience.  As  .a  rule,  those  repotted 
in  September  and  October  flower  first  the  follow- 
ing July  or  August,  but  in  the  time  of  blooming 
they  are  very  capricious.  Perhaps  I  should  make 
an  exception  of  L.  Harrisi,  a  variety  of  L.  longi- 
florum,  as  to  potting.  This  I  do  not  interfere  with, 
except  to  divide  and  then  repot.  It  seems  to  never 
cease  growth  and  to  multiply  rapidly. 

L.  CANDIDUM  and  its  varieties  require  also  a 
special  reference  on  the  point  of  repotting.  As  a 
general  rule,  indoor  or  out,  the  less  this  Lily  is 
disturbed  the  better.  I  got  L.  c.  maculatum  from 
London  last  year,  and  though  most  carefully 
packed  and  managed,  it  did  not  flower,  nor  will 
not  until  next  year.  It  takes  two  or  three  years 
to  re-establish.  I  would  make  this  note  in  refer- 
ence to  L.  pardalinum,  and  in  a  less  degree  it 
applies  to  L.  auratum  and  L.  speciosum.  Large 
bulbs  and  large  pots  will,  as  a  general  rule,  require 
head  room  of  0  feet  and  often  7  feet  high.  If, 
then,  you  have  an  option,  and  you  do  not  desire 
them  so  tall,  take  small  sound  bulbs  and  smaller 
pots.  An  8-inch  pot  will  finely  flower  a  medium- 
sized  bulb  from  4  inches  to  C  inches  in  circumfe- 
rence, and  that  might  come  in  more  usefully  than 
monsters  15  inches  and  16  inches  round.  Where 
there  is  ample  space  it  is,  however,  very  tempting 
to  grow  such  for  indoor  conservatory  effect ;  other- 
wise they  suit  admirably  in  the  pleasure  ground 


Oct.  25,   1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


359 


planted  out.  One  word  as  to  soil.  L.  auratum  is 
said  to  prefer  a  mixture  of  peat  with  the  loam  ;  I 
gave  it  in  the  proportion  of  one-third,  but  saw  no 
advantage  over  loam  and  a  mixture  of  old  rotten 
hotbed  manure  with  some  sand.  Sand  I  use  more 
sparingly  than  perhaps  with  most  other  flowers, 
though  some  is  necessary  to  give  firmness  to  the 
woody  stems. 

Turning  now  to  imported  Lilies,  and  confining 
my  view  to  .Japan,  though  there  are  few  places 
from  China  to  Peru  that  have  not  been  drawn  on, 
California  especially.  These  you  cannot  have 
until  December,  and  then  they  arrive  practically 
without  roots.  I  have  found  it  a  great  mistake  to 
pot  up  at  once  or  to  water  heavily.  With  bad 
treatment  they  are  extremely  liable  to  a  mildew 
or  fungoid  rot.  The  best  method  of  treatment 
seems  to  be  to  plunge  them  in  Cocoa-nut  fibre 
until  root  action  is  commencing,  and  then  pot. 
They  should  be  examined  every  few  days,  and  if 
anything  of  the  kind  appears  at  the  base  of  the 
scales,  cut  clean  away,  for  if  allowed  to  progress 
the  bulb  will  soon  get  infected.  I  dusted  such 
cuts  with  powdered  charcoal.  However,  the  vast 
majority  arrive  in  splendid  condition,  and  may  be 
expected,  with  good  treatment,  to  yield  larger  and 
finer  flowers  than  we  can  possibly  secure  from 
those  grown  in  our  climate.  However,  the  great 
attraction  imported  Lilies  have  for  me  and  others 
is  the  variety.  Take  L.  auratum  ;  every  one  of  a 
dozen  may  differ  more  or  less,  as  has  happened 
with  me  this  year.  I  have  before  me  as  I  write 
one  with  four  gorgeous  blooms,  potted  in  January, 
pure  white,  with  faint  streaks  of  yellow  on  each 
petal ;  while  among  the  L.  speciosum  one  came  pure 
white — Kraetzer's  Lily,  described  in  The  Garden 
(p.  246).  W.  J.  Murphy. 

Cloivmcl, 


VALLOTA  rURPCREA. 
One  of  two  things  has  happened  to  "  A.  G.'s " 
plant ;  it  has  either  suffered  from  want  of  water 
when  growing,  or  it  has  had  too  much  when  at 
rest.  This  plant  is  by  no  means  troublesome  to 
grow  if  these  two  extremes  are  guarded  against. 
Turn  the  plant  out  of  the  pot,  and  if  the  roots 
look  black  they  are  rotten,  and  have  been  over- 
watered.  In  a  state  of  health  Vallota  roots  are 
very  white,  and  the  pot  should  be  matted  with 
them.  When  a  plant  has  gone  wrong,  the  old  soil 
should  be  quite  shaken  from  it,  just  as  the  first 
leaf  is  issuing  from  the  bulb  in  spring.  Choose  a 
pot  only  sufliciently  large  to  contain  the  roots, 
give  good  drainage,  and  pot  firmly.  Vallotas  will 
grow  well  in  good  fibrous  loam,  also  in  lumpy 
peat,  but  I  prefer  about  equal  parts  of  each,  using 
white  sand  pretty  liberally.  By  watering  care- 
fully, roots  are  quickly  made,  so  that  by  the  end  of 
the  summer  the  pots  are  full  of  new  roots,  and  in 
autumn  the  bulbs  will  throw  up  stout  flower- 
spikes  from  the  midst  of  abundant,  healthy,  rich 
green  foliage.  One  great  mistake  is  to  be  fre- 
quently shifting  this  plant.  Probably  no  plant  re- 
quires fresh  soil  so  seldom,  in  proof  of  which  I 
may  state  that  I  have  had  five  good  bulbs  in  a 
t^-inch  pot  for  five  years  without  shifting  or  top- 
dressing,  and  every  year  each  one  throws  up  a 
strong  flower-stem  15  inches  high,  bearing  some 
half  dozen  perfect  blooms,  making  in  all  nearly 
thirty  large  vivid  scarlet  flowers. 

Some  three  or  four  years  ago  I  gave  a  friend 
a  single  bulb  in  a  6-inch  pot,  and  this  plant 
is  now  the  finest  I  ever  saw  in  small  pots. 
It  has  formed  several  new  bulbs,  and  bears 
this  year  three  fine  trusses  of  bloom,  but 
what  is  remarkable  is  the  wonderfully  vigorous 
leaf  development,  the  length  and  breadth  of  the 
foliagebeing  far  beyond  anythingleversaw.  When 
November  arrives,  or  perhaps  a  little  later  on,  this 
plant  is  set  down  on  the  damp  ground  floor  of  a 
little  greenhouse,  where  it  remains  entirely  with- 
out water  until  spring.  It  gets  plenty  of  light 
there,  and  the  moisture  from  the  soil  probably 
keeps  the  roots  in  an  equable  state  of  moisture,  so 
that  they,  do  not  suffer  either  one  way  or  the 
other.  In  summer  the  pot  is  set  in  a  saucer.'which 
is  filled  up  now  and  then.  The  numerous  active 
roots  thus  supplied  with  a  large  amount  of  water 


are  naturally  the  cause  of  the  vigorous  leaf 
development.  Vallotas  generally  bloom  during 
October,  and  after  the  flowers  fade  they  should 
get  a  little  water  until  about  the  middle  of  Novem- 
ber, after  which  time  they  will  require  very  little 
indeed.  If  placed  on  a  dry  stage  in  an  airy  house 
they  will  need  a  slight  watering  about  twice  be- 
tween December  and  March,  or  the  leaves  will 
lose  so  much  sap  as  to  cause  them  to  turn 
yellow,  and  here  I  may  as  well  observe  that  want 
of  light  will  have  the  same  effect.  The  Vallota  is 
an  evergreen,  a  fact  which  must  never  be  lost 
sight  of.  Drip  or  an  overdose  of  water  will,  how- 
ever, soon  make  a  sad  wreck  of  it. 

Last  spring  I  saw  that  mine  were  not  growing 
well,  and  I  found  the  roots  were  mostly  rotten, 
caused,  I  believe,  by  their  standing  where  the  wet 
blew  in  on  them  through  a  ventilator.  I  shook 
them  out,  and  although  some  of  the  bulbs  had 
lost  nearly  all  their  roots,  they  are  now  com- 
pletely restored,  the  pots  being  crammed  so  full 
of  big  white  fibres  as  in  some  instances  to  raise  the 
soil  above  the  level  of  the  pots.  Indeed,  this  is 
sure  to  happen  if  they  are  kept  any  time  without 
shifting,  and  for  this  cause  alone  they  need  pans 
during  growing  time.  When  they  first  begin  to 
grow  they  need  a  light  watering  about  once  a 
week  only,  but  by  July  they  will  be  growing 
freely,  and  must  get  enough  to  keep  the  soil  con- 
stantly moist.  Seeing  how  long  the  Scarborough 
Lily  has  been  in  this  country,  it  is  strange  that  in 
a  general  way  it  should  be  so  indifferently  grown. 
Perhaps  it  is  too  old  fashioned  for  many,  but  can 
anything  be  more  graceful  or  effective. 

J.  C.  B. 


Belladonna   Lilies   planted  out.— We 

have  these  planted  out  in  the  bed  of  a  conserva- 
tory and  others  in  a  south  border  in  the  open  air, 
and  in  both  cases  they  do  much  better  than  when 
confined  to  pots.  Under  glass  our  first  planted 
out  bulbs  began  to  bloom  about  the  middle  of 
August,  and  they  are  still  throwing  up  and  open- 
ing many  good  flowers.  We  could  never  grow 
them  in  pots  to  give  us  such  a  long  succession  of 
fine  flowers  from  one  set  of  bulbs,  and  in  all  cases 
where  convenience  exists  I  would  recommend  the 
plan  of  planting  them  out.  They  grow  freely  in 
any  rich,  open  mixture,  and  require  much  less 
attention  than  when  kept  in  pots. — Cambrian. 

Vitis  humulifolia.— Where  this  does  not 
succeed  out  of  doors  some  of  your  readers  may 
like  to  know  that  it  can  be  fruited  easily  in  a 
12-inch  pot.  A  specimen  of  it  so  grown  and 
allowed  a  rafter  in  a  small  ordinary  Peach  house 
here  has  fruited  fairly  well  for  the  last  two  seasons, 
but  I  notice  that  the  berries  are  brighter  coloured 
this  year  than  usual,  a  circumstance  doubtless 
attributable  to  the  fine  season  which  we  have  had. 
This  plant  receives  the  same  treatment  as  the 
Peach  trees,  that  is  frequent  syringing  and  plenty 
of  air.  I  believe,  however,  that  abundance  of 
direct  sunlight  is  indispensable  to  success. — J.  M., 
('harmoutli,  Dorset. 


SHORT  NOTES.— INDOOR. 


Soil  for  Palms. — Wlmt  is  the  proper  soil  for  Palms, 
anil  wliat  the  proper  time  for  repotting  them?-- J.  L. 

'."  .\  strong  loam  suits  the  majority  of  Palms  ;  a  little 
peat  to  be  added  for  the  more  delicate  smaller  kinds.  Any 
time  of  year  will  do  for  repotting,  provided  care  I)c  taken 
not  to  bleak  or  injure  the  roots.  Of  course,  with  tliese,  as 
with  almost  all  pl.ants,  spring  is  the  season  most  favoiir- 
able  in  a  general  way  for  repottijig.— Ed. 

Tritelelas.— I  last  year  tried  these  in  pots  and  was 
much  pleased  witli  the  result.  I  put  them  six  in  a  pot, 
plunged  them  in  ashes  witli  other  bulbs  in  October,  and 
tlicy  tiowered  freely  along  with  Cyclamens  and  Dog's-tooth 
Violets,  just  succeeding  Crocuses  and  Scilliis.  They  cost  me 
9d.  a  dozen.— A. 

Madame  Desgrange  Chrysanthemum— I  quite 
agree  with  all  that  is  said  in  reference  to  Madame  Des- 
grange  being  an  early-tlowering  Chrysanllicmum.  We  have 
Iiad  it  in  flower  Iiere  during  the  last  month,  and  it  is  not 
only  early,  but  tlie  individual  flowers  are  good,  and  there 
arepleiity  of  them.  "We  find  it  invaluable  for  early  work, 
and  shall  grow  it  largely  another  year.  It  fills  up  a  gap  at 
this  season  before  the  later  ("hrisantheraums  come  in,  and 
when  few  forced  things  are  forvtard  enough  to  be  useful.— 
A.  H.,  Thoresltj. 


5261.— Freeslas  from  seed.— About  two 
years  ago,  like  "  S.,"  I  was  in  possession  of  Freesia 
seed  from  flowers  which  bloomed  with  me  out  of 
doors  in  the  course  of  the  summer.  I  kept  it  in 
my  room  till  the  beginning  of  February  and  then 
sowed  it  in  5-inch  pots  filled  with  a  mixture  of 
peat  and  leaf  soil.  The  pots  were  placed  in  a 
house  in  which  the  temperature  ranged  from  60° 
to  70°,  and  the  soil  was  kept  moist  like  that  for 
other  seeds.  In  about  a  fortnight  almost  all  germi- 
nated, and  grew  very  well  afterwards.  As  I  had 
sown  the  seeds  rather  too  thickly  in  the  pots,  I 
thinned  the  seedlings  out  and  pricked  them  into 
smaller  pots ;  but  to  my  vexation  the  pricked 
out  ones  did  not  move  for  several  weeks,  and  re- 
mained a  good  deal  weaker  than  those  which  I 
left  in  the  seed  pots,  which  flowered  the  same 
year.  These  seedlings  were  put  in  a  frame  to- 
wards the  end  of  April  and  kept  there  all  the 
summer,  plenty  of  air  being  always  allowed  to 
prevent  them  from  getting  lanky.  I  prefer  sowing 
Freesia  seed  thinly  in  small  pots,  and  not  touch- 
ing the  young  plants  except  they  require  a  shift. 
— E.  HiNDEELiCH,  Anv  Palaci;  ]Vili/j),iH;  Ger- 
many. 

We  sow  our  seeds  of  Freesias  as  soon  as 

gathered,  or  at  about  the  same  time  as  the  bulbs 
are  shaken  out  of  the  old  soil  and  repotted.     This 
is  done  in  September.  For  the  bulbs  we  use  sandy 
loam  with  a  little  leaf-mould,  potting  them  in 
5-inch  pots,  and  a  few  in  pans  about  9  inches 
across.     By  sorting  the  bulbs  is  meant  separating 
the  large  from   the  smaller  ones,  so  that  when 
potted,  bulbs  of  equal  strength  may  be  put  to- 
gether, and   thus    plants  of    uniform    size    and 
flowering  strength  be  in  the  same  pot  or  pan.    If 
the  soil  is  moist  at  the  time  when  the  bulbs  are 
potted,  no  water  will  be  required  by  them  until 
their  leaves  appear  above  ground,  when   water 
may  be  given  and  continued  until  the  bulbs  go  to 
rest  again.     For  position,  a  cool,  ash-bottomed 
frame  is  selected,  and  in  this  the  pots  of  Freesia 
bulbs  are  placed  for  the  winter.    The  principal 
cause  of  failure  with  these,  and  indeed  with  a 
large  proportion  of  the  small  bulbous  plants  from 
the  Cape,  is  a  temperature  too  high  during  the 
winter.    This  induces  them  to  start  too  early,  to 
make  weak,  spindly  growth — in  fact,  to  exhaust 
themselves,   so  that    when    the    flowering    time 
comes  they  are  incapable  of  doing    more  than 
push  forth  a  poor  apology  for  a  flower-spike,  and 
flowers  of  no  substance  at  all.     The  temperature 
should  be  kept  low  and  regular ;  frost  should  be 
excluded,  and  more  than  this  is  not  necessary. 
Let  the  temperature  rise  with  sunshine,  and  avoid 
cold,  cutting  winds, which  are  too  often  admitted 
to'plants  in  frames  on  sunny,  but  cold,  days  during 
winter  by  inexperienced  growers.     I  call  particu- 
lar attention  to  this  point,  because  three  years  ago 
when  I  first  had  a  number  of   Freesias  to  culti- 
v;ite,  [^inattention     on     the    part    of    the    man 
whose    duty    it     was     to    air     the  frames    in 
which    the    Freesias   were   placed     resulted   in 
their  being  literally  blasted  by  a  cold  morning 
wind,  which  blew  while  the  sun  shone   rather 
brightly,  and  which  was  allowed  to  blow  over  the 
tender  leaves  of  the  young  Freesias.     When  the 
flower-spikes  begin  to  appear,  a  little  extra  heat 
may  be  given  should  the  spring  be  at  all  cold.    So 
much  for  the  management  of  the  bulbs  of  Free- 
sias.    With  seeds,  the'treatment  under  which  we 
have  succeeded  is  as  follows  :     Sow  thinly  in  pots 
filled  with  a  compost  similar  to  that  advised  for 
bulbs.    Just  cover  the  seeds,  then  water  them 
and  place  them  in  a  warm,  sunny  frame,  keeping 
them  close  till  germination  takes  place  ;  then  let 
the  treatment  be  as  for  newly  started  bulbs,  or,  in 
other  words,  that  adopted  for  the  management  of 
seedling  Primulas,  added  to  all  the  sunshine  pos- 
sible.    Thin  out  when   the  seedlings  are   large 
enough  to  be  safely  handled,  about  eight  plants 
in  a  5-inch  pot  being  quite  thick  enough.     There 
will  be  no  flower  the  first  year,  but  the  young  bulbs 
formed  by  seedlings  treated  as  above  will,  when 
started  again  in  the  succeeding  autumn,  flower 
satisfactorily.     Dr.  Foster  says  he  sowed  freshly 
gathered  seeds  of  Freesias  in  September,  and  they 
failed  to  germinate  till  the  following  spring,  while 
seeds    sown    in    May    germinated   at  once  and 


360 


THE    GARDEN 


[Oct.  25,  1884. 


flowered  in  the  following  spring.  The  failure  of 
the  first  sowing  may  possibly  have  been  owing  to 
seed  drying;  ai  all  events  our Jse^eds;  germinated 
soon  after  they  were  sown,  which  was  in  Septem- 
ber.—B. 

Scarborough  Lilies.— Allow  me  to  thank 
•'  Veronica  "  for  the  kind  offer  of  a  bulb  of  the 
typical  form  of  Vallota,  but  since  reading  his  last 
note  on  this  subject  I  have  had  no  difficulty  in 
deciding  that  I  was  in  error  in  thinking  that  mine 
are  eximia.  When  I  last  wrote  my  plants  were 
not  in  bloom,  and  I  now  perceive  that  they  lack 
the  distinguishing  mark  of  that  variety.  If  "  Ve- 
ronica '  can  help  me  to  a  bulb  of  eximia  or  major 
I  should  be  truly  thankful,  as  I  have  repeatedly 
tried  to  get  them  ;  and  although  I  have  a  small  bulb 
brought  me  by  a  friend  who  thinks  it  must  be 
what  I  want,  I  fear  it  will  turn  out  to  be  nothing 
more  than  what  I  have.  "Veronica"  asks  if  I 
know  of  any  instance  of  successfully  hybridising 
the  Vallota.  I  cannot  say  I  do,  but  I  have  a  hazy 
notion  of  having  read  or  heard  that  a  hybrid 
Amaryllid  exists  of  uncertain  origin,  and  that  the 
Scarborough  Lily  is  credited  with  being  one  of  its 
parents.  If  any  of  your  readers  know  of  such  a 
plant,  they  would  oblige  by  furnishing  details 
concerning  it.  "  Veronica  "  does  not  say  what  he 
tried  to  cross  the  Vallota  with.  My  impression  is, 
that  the  common  Amaryllis  would  furnish  the  best 
chance  of  success,  but  the  difficulty  is  to  get  the 
Vallota  in  bloom  at  the  same  time.  It  does,  how- 
ever, sometimes  happen  that  a  bulb  misses  bloom- 
ing in  autumn  and  flowers  in  spring.  This  oc- 
curred once  with  me,  but  I  had  no  Amaryllis  pollen 
sad  did  not  know  where  to  get  any,  or  I  would 
have  tried  the  experiment.  I  have  often  regretted 
notbeing  able  to  do  so. — J.  Coenhill,  Byjleit. 


AUTUMN  DAYS, 
The  year,  whose  progress  through  the  long  de- 


lightful summer  and  early  autumn  has  been  one  of 
royal  splendour,  now  arrayed  in  robes  of  russet  and 
gold,  is  passing  away  to  its  grave  amid  the  snows  of 
December.     But  the  path  of  its  decline  is  strewn 
with  flowers.     True,  the  mornings  are  often  dull 
and  misty,  but  they  frequently  usher  in  warm  and 
cloudless   days ;  and    though  the  evenings    are 
chilly,  the  glorious  colours  in  the  western  sky 
form  a  bright  background  to  the  trees  in  their 
autumnal  dress,  and  throw  out  in  fine  relief  the 
grey  towers  and  spires  of  our  churches  and  the 
warm-looking  brick  houses  and  buildings  of  towns 
and  villages.     I  never  saw  our  midland  scenery 
so  lovely  as  in  this  "  chill  October."     The  Oaks 
and  Elms  which,  at  the  beginning  of  the  month, 
were  still  green  as  in  the  middle  of  summer,  have 
now  assumed  their  richest  tints.    Chestnuts  are 
almost  leafless,  but  the  foliage   of  the  Maples, 
Sycamores,    Beeches,    and   Planes  is  turning  to 
autumn  gold.     The  Willows  are  pale  yellow,  while 
the  Poplars  in  many  districts  are  still  unchanged 
in   colour,   though   the   soft,    balmy    winds    are 
causing  their  leaves  to  fall   in    showers.      The 
hedgerows  are  very  beantifal,  exhibiting    every 
shade  of  tint  peculiar  to  the  season,  and  covered 
with  masses  of  scarlet  and  crimson  berries,  while 
the   Brambles,   though   the  Blackberries  are   all 
gathered,  still  garland  the  hedges,  flinging  sprays 
and   trailing    branches   of   their  richly   coloured 
foliage  over  Reeds  and  Bracken,  and  contrasting 
finely  [with   the   many  hued  Grasses  on    heath 
and  moor.     To  see  hedgerows  in  perfection,  one 
should  go  into  a  country  less  highly  cultivated 
than  our  part  of  England.     When  I  was  in  South 
Wales  in  the  early  part  of  September  the  hedge- 
rows   were   in  their  full    beauty :   Eever  being 
clipped,  but  left  to  their  own  wild  will,  they  ex- 
hibit in  spring,  summer,  and  autumn  a  succession 
of  climbing  plants.     In  September  the  Hips  and 
Haws  were  already  deeply  coloured ;  but  mixed 
with  these  were  luxuriant  growths  of  white  Cle- 
matis   and    fragrant    Honeysuckle,    "  the  well- 
attired-  Woodbine  "  of  Milton,  while  many  varie- 
ties of  Ivies  clothed  the  ruined  castles  and  grey 
old  church  towers,  the  glory  of  the  Principality. 
I  have  said  nothing  about  garden  flowers.     Was 
there  ever  an  English  summer  more  beautiful  than 
the   one  which  has  just  left  us?    It    reminded 


me  of  bright  days  spent  under  Italian  skies,  but  it 
possessed  a  charm  peculiarly  its  own.     We  value 
things  in  proportion  totheir  rarity,  and  we  are  so 
unused  to  a  succession  of  blue,  unclouded  weather, 
that  we  hardly  know  how  to  praise  it  enough.  The 
summer  suited  particularly  well  the  flowers  in 
herbaceous  borders,  though  they  required  much 
lime  and  care  in  watering,  as  did  the  Geraniums, 
Asters,  Petunias,  and  Heliotropes,  which  are  com- 
monly planted  in  beds  to  themselves.     Our  mid- 
land garden  has  been  gay  for  many  months,  to 
say  nothing  of  spring  flowers),  though  the  flower 
ing  shrubs — Lilacs,  Laburnums,  and  Syringas — 
suffered  much  from  want  of  rain.     The  summer 
brought    us   great    store    of   Roses,   Clematises, 
Lilies  of  various  sorts.   Hydrangeas,    Foxgloves, 
Sweet    Williams,   Canterbury   Bells,  Pinks,  Car- 
nations, and  Sweet  Peas,  while  Asters,  Zinnias, 
Salpiglossis,    and    many    varieties    of    Dianthus 
were    grand;     even    now    many    of     these     are 
still  with  us.     We  have  beds  of  Heliotrope,  Petu- 
nias, and  Mignonette,  which  might  rival  those 
of  July.    Our   Sunflowers,  excepting  the  peren- 
nial   ones,    are   over,    but    the    rows    of    Sweet 
Peas    still    provide    nosegays    for    every    day. 
Oar  single  Dahlias  are  in  full  flower  ;  that  pretty 
little  double  one,  the  Fire  King,  has  done  parti- 
cularly well,   while  our   red  and   white    Cactus 
Dahlias  have  not  been  successful.     The   White 
Queen,  a  great  favourite  in  most  gardens,  seems 
ditBcult  and  uncertain  to  propagate  from  seed.     A 
gardener  I  know  sowed  some  seeds  of  this  variety, 
and  when  the  plants  flowered,  only  two  or  three 
out  of  more  than  a  dozen  were  white ;  there  were 
yellows,  light  and  dark  reds,  and  other  shades.  We 
planted  our  Dahlias  in  a  bed,  and  gave  them  two 
or  three  copious  waterings  with  a  thorough  top- 
dressing  early  in  the  season,  and  they  never  looked 
back.     That  peerless  gem,    the  white   Japanese 
Anemone,  is  full  of  blossoms  ;  it  mixes  well  in  a 
vase  with  the  dark  Heliotrope,  needing  hardly  any 
foliage  but  sprays  of  Mignonette.     This  Anemone 
suffers  (as  its  admirers  well  know)  more  almost 
than    any    other    herbaceous    plant    from    dry- 
ness.    Copious   waterings  and  top-dressing    are 
absolutely  necessary  during   the    burning    days 
of  summer  if    you    wish   for    autumn    flowers. 
Our   Honeysuckles  are   in  full  bloom  and  frag- 
rance,   while   beds     of    Violets    (both    in    cold 
frames  and  in  the  open  ground)  whose  flowers, 
just  beginning  to  peer  out  from  their  glossy  leaves, 
would  fain  cheat  us  with  the  promise  of  another 
spring.     The    birds  I    mute,    alas.    All  but    the 
robin,    whose  plaintive    songs  alone   break    the 
silence  of  fields  and  gardens.     No  more 
The  merry  lark  her  matios  flings  aloft 
The  thriuh  replies,  the  mavis  ueacant  plays. 

The  robin,  like  a  "  brother  born  for  adversity," 
alone  remains  to  cheer  us  when  all  the  woodland 
music  has  ceased. 

In  the  sad  lime  of  the  wanine;  year, 
lu  the  long  month  of  November  drear. 
The  robin's  note  rings  soft  and  clear. 

I  wonder  if  many  persons  noticed  the  departure  of 
the  swallows  this  year;  it  would  be  interesting  to 
compare  dates.  Having  been  in  London  for  a 
week  or  two  lately,  I  returned  to  my  home  feel- 
ing sure  that  I  had  missed  the  bustle  of  their 
assembling  and  the  preparations  for  their  flight, 
a  sight  I  always  look  forward  to.  However,  spend- 
ing the  afternoon  of  the  11th  at  our  county 
town,  I  observed  as  it  began  to  grow  dusk  a  great 
concourse  of  swallows  evidently  on  the  eve  of 
their  departure  (they  might  have  been  going  off 
by  train,  as  this  assemblage  took  place  near  the 
two  railway  stations).  Many  of  them  were  perch- 
ing on  the  telegraph  wires  awaiting  directions ; 
others  rushing  madly  about,  darting  in  and  out 
among  the  little  parties  of  feathered  travellers, 
doubtless  arranging  the  order  of  their  going.  I 
felt  sure  that  on  the  morrow  not  one  of  the  emi- 
grants would  be  left  behind.  One  of  the  great 
blessings  of  a  country  life  is  being  able  to  notice 
the  seasons,  marking  many  interesting  circum- 
stances connected  with  the  animal  and  the  plant 
world.  Nothing  is  lost  to  an  observant  eye.  A  feel- 
ing of  sadness  steals  over  the  spirit  as  we  look  back 
on  the  departed  summer  and  watch  the  decline  of 
the  year.   Let  us  ponder  the  lessons  which  Nattire 


gives  us,  and  treasure  up  her  unspoken  sermons  aa 
they   fall  on  the  ear  of  the   mind.     She   never 
preaches  more  powerfully  than  when  we  are 
Looking  on  the  happy  autumn  fields, 
Aud  thinking  of  the  days  that  are  no  more. 

M.  N. 


Garden   Flora. 


PLATE  163. 
HEUCHERA  SANGUINEA.* 
Within  the  last  few  years,  and  since  North 
American  plants  have  been  grown  in  our  gardens 
to  a  much  greater  extent  than  formerly,  the  general 
appearance  of  our  hardy  collections  has  been  pro- 
portionately enhanced  thereby.  To  California  and 
Mexico  too  we  are  indebted  for  many  handsome 
summer- flowering  plants  which,  though  chiefly 
annual*,  are  more  generally  grown  than  could 
have  been  expected ;  perennials,  with  a  few  ex  • 
ceptions,  succumb  to  our  trying  winters,  but,  like 
the  Dahlia,  they  can  be  taken  up  on  the  first  ap- 
proach of  frost,  and  safely  stored  away  until  the 
ensuing  spring.  The  Heucheras,  however,  are 
nearly  all  natives  of  a  climate  analagous  to  our 
own,  and  therefore  they  are  better  able  to  with- 
stand our  winters,  provided  a  proper  soil  and 
situation  be  given  them.  The  more  common  kinds, 
such  as  H.  americana  and  H.  Eichardsoni,  may  be 
used  with  striking  effect  for  massing  in  the  wild 
garden,  in  which  the  former  at  least  will  be  quite 
at  home,  and  for  edging  evergreen  shrubberies  few 
plants  will  be  found  more  suitable.  For  the  more 
rustic  part  of  rookeries,  too,  they  are  also  very 
useful,  especially  when  planted  in  combination  with 
large-leaved  Saxifrages.  A  good  rich  peaty  soil 
suits  the  generality  of  them  best,  though  they  also 
grow  well  and  flower  freely  in  the  ordinary  mixed 
border,  a  little  shade  and  plenty  of  moisture 
being  essential  to  their  well-being  during  the 
growing  season.  As  all  of  them  deserve  a  place  in 
gardens,  the  following  is  an  enumeration  of  the 
species  as  they  now  stand  :  — 

H.  AMERICANA.  —  The  common  American 
Alum  root  is  the  most  common,  having  been  in- 
troduced to  English  gardens  as  early  as  1704,  and 
it  still  quietly  holds  its  own  as  a  fine-foliaged. 


Heuchera  americana. 

if  not  as  a  flowering,  plant.  It  is  very  useful  for 
massing  under  trees  or  in  deep,  shady  places,  to 
which  indeed  it  may  be  said  to  be  partial.  The 
root  leaves,  which  are  borne  on  long  stalks,  are 
seven-lobed,  and  are  doubly  and  very  sharply 
crenate,  and  of  a  beautiful  green  colour,  which 
gets  dense  toward  the  winter  season ;  the  others 
are  from  four  to  five-lobed,  oval  shaped,  and  cor- 

'  Drawn  in  the  Hals  Farm  Nursery,  Tottenham.  June  6. 


i^*\^' 


^ 


.l^- 


.*» 


-  ^- 


^1^:^'"i|^\^' 
^0*} 


^ 


« 


HEUCHERA    SAN  GUINEA. 


Oct.  25,  1884.] 


THE   GARDEN 


361 


date  at  the  base.  The  flower-stems  are  generally 
about  a  foot  high,  dividing  towards  the  top  into 
loose  panicles,  on  which  are  borne  the  dull 
purplish  flowers,  conspicuous  on  account  of  their 
protruding  styles.  They  are  in  perfection  during 
June  and  July. 

H.  MiCEANTiiA  has  much  the  same  habit  as  the 
above.  It  is  pretty  generally  distributed  under 
the  name  of  rubescens,  from  which,  however,  it 
is  totally  different.    To  show  to  advantage,  H. 


Heudieia  micrantha. 

micrantha  should  find  a  conspicuous  place  on  the 
rockery,  as  there  its  long  graceful  panicles  pro- 
jecting beyond  the  stones  are  not  unlike  those  of 
the  pyramidal  Saxifrage.  It  grows  from  1  foot  to 
2  feet  in  height,  and  the  flowers,  which  are  borne 
in  loose  panicles  and  of  a  bright  purplish  colour, 
though  small,  are  numerous  and  attractive ;  the 
leaves  are  round  or  slightly  oval  with  a  cordate 
base,  and  from  2  inches  to  i  inches  in  diameter  ; 
lobes  blunt  toothed,  and  having  hairy  veins  on  the 
under  surface.  The  flowers  are  produced  in  the 
latter  end  of  Jane  and  July.  It  is  a  native  of 
woods  on  the  coast  ranges  of  Siarra  Nevada,  and 
is  easily  increased  by  seed  or  offsets,  which  strike 
readily. 

H.  RicnAKDSONl. — As  a  fine  foliage  plant  this 
claims  a  first  place  in  the  genus,  and  on  that  ac- 
count it  has  lately  become  very  popular  under  the 
name  of  Satin-leaf.  It  is  a  handsome  plant  for 
any  open  place  or  rockery,  where  it  forms  fine 
graceful  masses  that  are  equally  as  ornamental  in 
winter  as  in  summer.  It  grows  from  a  foot  to  18 
inches  high,  and  the  flowers,  which  are  borne  in 
loose  panicles  and  of  a  pale  purplish  or  yellowish 
colour,  are  large  for  those  of  a  Heuchera ;  the 
leaves  are  cordate,  and  have  a  deep  recess ;  the 
lobes  are  rather  blunt,  and  crenated,  and  hairy 
on  both  sides.  It  is  a  native  of  dry  banks  in  N. 
America,  and  flowers  in  June  and  July. 

H.  Menziesi. — This  is  a  distinct  and  a  desirable 
plant,  and  a  first-rate  companion  for  H.  ameri- 
cana,  being  easily  distinguished  from  the  others, 
inasmuch  as  it  has  leafy  stems.  It  grows  about 
2  feet  high ;  leaves  large,  cordate,  very  acutely 
lobed,  and  deeply  serrated  ;  stem  much  branched ; 
and  the  flowers,  which  are  without  petals,  are 
more  curious  than  ornamental.  From  the  funnel- 
shaped  calyx  the  stamens  protrude  about  half-an- 
inch.  It  comei  from  the  north-west  coast  of 
America,  and  flowers  in  July.'  A  variety  of  it 
nearly  quite  devoid  of  hairs  is  also  in  cultivation. 

H.  PUBESCENS.— This  is  a  pretty  species,  being 
covered  all  over  with  a  soft,  powdery  down ;  the 
leaves,  which  are  sharply  lobed,  have  roundish 
teeth ;   the  flowers,  which  are  borne  on    dense 


clustered  panicles,  are  large  and  of  a  pale  red 
colour,  intermixed  with  a  yellowish  tint.  It  grows 
about  1  foot  in  height,  and  flowers  from  Jlay  to 
July. 

H.  SANGUINEA,  represented  in  the  annexed 
plate,  is  perhaps  the  most  beautiful  and  delicate 
of  all  the  Heucheras.  It  grows  with  surprising 
robustness  at  Tottenham  in  the  ordinary  border, 
and  seemingly  without  any  special  care,  a  fact 
which  bodes  well  for  its  future  prosperity.  A 
plant  so  handsome  that  requires  no  particular 
treatment  surely  deserves  extensive  cultivation. 
When  seen  in  masses  it  has  a  charming  effect.  It 
has  a  neat,  bushy  habit,  dense  near  the  ground, 
from  which  rise  numerous  loose  ]|and  graceful 
flower-spikes  about  a  foot  in  height,  and  covered 
with  blossoms.  The  leaves  in  outline  are  nearly 
circular,  deeply  cordate,  five  to  seven-lobed,  and 
these  again  are  sharply  crenated ;  they  are  of  a 
light  green  colour  and  slightly  hairy.  The  an- 
thers are  darker  than  the  flowers,  a  circumstance 
which  considerably  enhances  their  beauty.  It  is  a 
native  of  the  Porphey  Mountains  of  Llanos,  and 
flowers  in  July  and  August.  It  will,  no  doubt,  be 
easily  increased  by  division. 

The  only  others  worth  mentioning  are  H.  glabra 
and  longipetala,  the  latter  with  pure  white 
flowers,  but  rare  in  commerce.  D.  K. 


Fruit  Garden. 


FOXY  GRAPES. 

While  thanking  Mr.  Douglas  and"  A  Third  Soot" 
for  their  warning  voice  against  the  evils  atten- 
dant upon  the  over-cropping  of  Vines,  mine  in 
particular,  I  at  the  same  time  may  be  allowed  to 
point  out  some  misunderstanding  on  the  part  of 
both  in  reference  to  my  letter  on  this  subject. 
Mr.  Douglas,  while  convinced  that  over-cropping 
is  at  the -root  of  the  whole  matter,  falls  into  error 
when  he  applies  this  to  the  late  house  as  the 
cause  of  the  Grapes  therein  not  colouring.  In 
colour  they  were  everything  that  could  be  wished, 
and  were  only  mentioned  in  conjunction  with  the 
early  crop  for  the  purpose  of  comparison.  "  A 
Third  Scot,"  who  jumps  at  conclusions  as  do  fish 
at  flies,  and  with  like  results,  makes  mistakes  and 
hooks  himself.  At  the  outset  he  takes  it  for 
granted  that  the  Vines  here,  to  have  produced 
Grapes  of  a  foxy  colour,  are  in  a  diseased  and  de- 
bilitated condition,  the  direct  consequences  of 
spider  and  thrips  and  overcropping.  As  he  tells 
us,  well  coloured  Grapes  are  only  to  be  found  in 
conjunction  with  good  foliage  and  general  good 
health. 

Now,  as  I  have  already  slated,  the  Vines  in 
question  are  in  perfect  health,  nor  are  they  in 
the  least  affected  by  either  spider  or  thrips,  or 
any  other  insect  pest  whatever.  Regarding  both 
wood  and  foliage  I  have  already  written,  but  I  may 
again  state  that  the  former  is  very  strong  and  well 
ripened,  and  that  the  latter  is  leathery  in  texture 
and  ample.  "  A  Third  Scot ''  has  made  the  most  he 
could  of  the  rate  of  cropping  given  by  me,  viz., 
from  sixteen  to  twenty-six  bunches  on  a  12-foot 
rod,  in  weight  from  half  a  pound  to  ii  pounds 
per  bunch;  but  before  writing  down  52" pounds, 
and  following  it  cp  with  the  term  "  preposter- 
ous," why  not  have  first  ascertained  the  number 
at  half  a  pound  ?  I  also  wish  to  state  that  the 
Grapes  in  question  were  not  ripe  until  the  end  of 
June  instead  of  May,  as  stated  by  "  A  Third  Scot." 
He  seemsto  be  joking  when  herecommends  anyone 
who  may  be  disposed  to  test  the  difference  in 
flavour  between  red  and  black  Grapes  to  take 
both  from  the  same  bunch,  i-c.  No%v,  according 
to  his  own  showing,  "  really  well-coloured  Grapes, 
or  Grapes  that  are  going  to  colour  well,  seldom  or 
never  shank,  and  shanked  Grapes  are  always  red," 
&c.  A  red  berry  on  a  black  bunch  must  there- 
fore be  a  shanked  one.  From  this  argument  he 
would  have  us  believe  that  in  pronouncing  in 


favour  of  the  red  berries,  the  editor's  taste  was 
at  fault.  That  the  editor's  taste  in  this  matter, 
however,  and  which  I  hope  is  still  unimpaired, 
was  perfectly  correct,  is  substantially  corroborated 
by  the  verdict  of  over  thirty  persons  who  had 
tasted  the  fruit. 

I  cannot  yet  believe  that  these  Vines  have  been 
over-cropped,  because,  in  the  course  of  five  years, 
an  advance  from  a  state  of  decrepitude  and  weak- 
ness to  one  of  health  and  strength  could  never 
have  taken  place.  That  the  rate  of  cropping  given 
by  me  is  not  so  much  beyond  what  "  A  Third  Scot " 
considers  the  "  best  growers  "  expect  will  be  best 
seen  when  looked  at  as  follows,  viz.,  given  a  12- 
foot  rod  and  laterals  at  18  inches  apart — wider 
than  the  majority  allow.  You  get  at  this  dis- 
tance eight  on  each  side,  which  is  sixteen  bunches 
to  a  rod.  If  each  bunch  were  to  turn  the  scales  at 
3  lbs.  or  a  trifle  over,  one  at  once  gets  the  "  pre- 
posterous "  weight  of  48  lbs.  or  52  lbs.  per  rod,  and, 
given  the  best  of  care,  what  is  there  to  prevent 
a  Vine  doing  this  ?  The  "  best  growers  "  may  have 
a  motive  in  not  going  beyond  the  1  lb.  or  2  lbs.  to 
the  foot  run  standard;  but  that  that  standard  is 
not  the  bearing  limit  of  healthy  Vines,  none,  per- 
haps, know  better  than  those  who  set  it  up.  lam 
still  anxious  to  hear  the  opinions  of  your  readers 
as  to  the  unique  colouring  in  question  ;  but  as 
none  of  your  correspondents  have  had  the  pleasure 
of  testing  the  flavour,  that  question  had  better  be 
kept  out  of  sight  for  the  present. 

Another  Scot. 


HEADING  DOWN  FRUIT  TREES. 
If  there  is  one  part  of  fruit  culture  in  which  we 
have  made  more  progress  than  another  it  is  in  tie 
matter  of  pruning,  and  more  especially  is  this  the 
case  with  regard  to  young  freshly-planted  trees, 
which  in  my  earliest  recollections  of  fruit  tree 
cultivation  were  invariably  headed  down  close 
directly  they  were  planted  with  a  view,  it  was 
averred,  to  strengthen  them.  A  more  certain  mode 
of  weakening  the  tree,  however,  could  hardly  be 
devised.  With  roots  mutilated  in  the  course  of 
removal  and  vitality  at  a  low  ebb,  the  trees  were 
in  the  worst  possible  condition  to  operate  on 
with  the  knife,  and  there  can  be  little  doubt  that 
much  of  the  gumming  and  cankering  that  occurred 
was  caused  "by  too  much  pruning.  I  have  fre- 
quently thought  it  a  strange  beginning  with  young 
Vines  to  cut  them  down  to  the  ground,  not  only 
the  first  year's  growth,  but  also  that  of  the  second 
year,  in  cases  where  the  owner  was  resolved  to 
spare  no  pains  to  get  up  some  specially  good 
cane",  and  was  firmly  impressed  with  the  prevail- 
ing idea  that  cutting  down  would  vastly  increase 
their  vigour,  while  wall  trees,  standard  trees 
bushes,  and  in  fact  every  kind  of  tree  that  could 
be  so  operated  on  had  nearly  all  the  young  wood 
cut  down  to  a  few  eyes  at  the  base.  Happily,  a 
more  rational  system  has  by  degrees  worked  its 
way  into  almost  general  practice,  and  now  we  find 
the  plan  of  planting  young  trees  and  leaving  the 
shoots  entire  just  as  they  arrive  from  the  nursery 
very  generally  adopted,  and  with  excellent 
results,  not  only  as  regards  the  health  and 
future  well-being  of  the  tree,  but  especially  as 
respects  early  fruitfulness.  One  of  the  most 
general  complaints  and  drawbacks  to  fruit  culture 
used  to  be  the  length  of  time  during  which  one 
had  to  wait  for  any  return  from  young  trees.  I 
could  adduce  hundreds  of  instances  to  illustrate 
the  folly  of  hard  cutting  back  ;  but  as  the  practice 
is  nearly  obsolete,  I  will  rather  turn  to  the  brighter 
side  of  the  picture.  I  can  safely  say  that  in  the 
case  of  stone  fruits  especially  the  knife  is  too 
frequently  the  cause  of  half  the  evils  to  which 
they  are  liable. 

During  the  present  season  I  have  seen  walls 
covered  with  Peaches,  Nectarines,  Plums,  and 
Cherries  that  have  not  had  the  knife  used  on  them 
at  all ;  the  only  pruning  ;they  have  ever  had  was 
that  done  with  the  finger  and  thumb,  viz,  disbud- 
ding and  pinching.  Planted  with  the  shoots  at 
full  length,  the  trees  formed  fruit  buds  the  first 
year,  and  in  the  second  bore  several  fruits  each ; 
by  the  fourth  year  they  covered  the  wall  entirely 
froru  base  to  guwmit,  and  produced  crops  of  fruit 


362 


THE    GARDEN 


[Oct.  25,  1884. 


quite  equal  to  what  they  used  to  do  in  ten  or 
twelve  years  under  the  hard-pruning  system. 
When  allowed  to  extend  freely  the  strongest 
shoots  soon  lose  their  grossness  and  become 
fruitful.  One  of  the  greatest  evils  attending  the 
hard-pruning  system  was  the  fact  that  where  one 
strong  shoot  was  cut  several  others  were  pro- 
duced, thus  augmenting  the  evil.  Cutting  off 
branches  of  any  size  is  in  all  cases  a  dangerous 
proceeding,  for  the  simple  reason  that  the  cuts  on 
a  tree  are  similar  to  wounds  on  the  body,  and  have 
to  be  healed  over  by  new  bark  before  the  tree  can 
be  said  to  have  recovered  from  the  shock  to  its 
system.  The  evil  results,  moreover,  are  not  con- 
fined to  the  tops  of  trees ;  the  roots,  too,  soon  get  in- 
to as  bad  a  condition  as  the  tops,  and  young  trees 
are  soon  converted  into  prematurely  old  ones. 

Some  few  years  ago  I  took  charge  of  a  quantity 
of  trees  of  all  kinds  that  had  been  severely  pruned 
for  years.  Standards  with  clean  straight  stems 
had  had  their  tops  cut  into  the  form  of  an  um- 
brella, and  they  were  not  larger  than  an  ordinary 
one  after  twenty  years'  growth.  As  might  be  ex- 
pected, too,  the  fruit  produced  by  such  trees  was 
poor,  from  the  fact  that,  the  young  wood  being 
constantly  cut  away,  only  hard,  snag  like  spurs 
were  left  to  produce  the  crop.  In  order  to  remedy 
this  state  of  affairs  I  allowed  the  young  growths 
to  extend  without  any  stopping  at  all  for  a  year  ; 
at  the  winter  pruning  they  were  merely  thinned 
out  where  very  thick  ;  all  the  rest  were  left  at  full 
length.  This  course  was  pursued  for  three  years, 
and  the  trees  are  now  perfectly  recovered,  and 
have  without  any  training  formed  most  beautiful 
pyramidal-shaped  heads  covered  with  flower-buds. 

I  can  strongly  recommend  anyone  having  old 
trees  rendered  decrepit  by  over-pruning  to  try  the 
effect  of  letting  the  growth  extend  at  will.  More 
shoots  mean  more  roots,  and  this  will  soon  produce 
a  more  fruitful  tree  than  any  kind  of  training  can 
do.  James  Geoom. 

Gos2>ort. 


Shrivelled  Grapes.  —  I  send  you  some 
berries  of  Lady  Downes  Grape  which  every  year 
about  this  time  shrivel,  as  you  see  them,  and  then 
become  mouldy  ;  the  bunches  were  very  fine  about 
three  weeks  ago,  but  now  are  very  poor,  lilack 
Alicante,  the  next  cane,  bears  a  very  fine  crop. 
Can  you  tell  me  the  cause  and  cure  ? — 11.  W. 

*^*  The  shrivelling  of  the  berries  of  your  Lady 
Downes  Grape  in  this  particular  instance  is 
what  is  technically  termed  scalding,  and  this 
variety  is  much  more  liable  to  it  at  certain  stages 
of  growth  than  any  other  Grape.  Usually  the 
evil  is  greatest  when  colouring  first  commences, 
but  I  have  known  it  to  occur  right  up  to  the  time 
when  the  Grapes  have  been  fully  ripe.  The 
remedy  is  abundance  of  air  ;  in  fact,  the  ventila- 
tors of  vineries  in  which  Lady  Downes  Grape  is 
grown  should  never  be  quite  closed,  and  as  a 
matter  of  course  there  should  always  be  a  little 
warmth  in  the  pipes  to  ensure  the  air  of  the 
house  being  lighter  than  that  outside.  It  is  the 
condensation  of  moisture  on  the  berries  combined 
with  sudden  changes  of  temperature,  high  or  low, 
that  must  be  credited  with  the  mischief.  Once 
the  Grapes  are  fully  ripe,  the  evil  ceases  ;  hence  it 
is  desirable  to  hasten  this  process  by  firing  rather 
liard  and  airing  freely,  without  either  of  which 
this  Grape  is  never  more  than  third-rate,  but  given 
these  no  late  Grape  excels  it  for  quality  and  long 
keeping  properties. — W.  H. 


SHORT  NOTES.— FRUIT. 

6252.-  Select  Peaches.— For  tlie  early  crop  I  should 
plant  Hales  Early,  .Stirling  Castle,  and  Early  Grosse  Mig- 
nonne  ;  and  for  three  late  siats  I  shoulil  select  Koyal 
Hiltive,  Bellegarde,  and  Barrington.— J.  C.  C. 

Tomatoes  i'.  wasps.-  "Belfast"  (p.  339)  says, 
"wasps  will  not  go  near  a  house  in  which  Tomatoes  are 
grnwiug,"  hut  either  his  wasps  or  his  Tomatoes  must  he 
ditt'el-ent  from  ours.  I  have  repeatedly  seen  wasps  make 
their  way  through  Tomato  screens  to  get  to  our  Grapes, 
and  although  we  grow  many  Tomato  plants  between  Plum 
and  Peach  trees  on  open  walls,  we  annually  lose  many 
Blood  fruits  through  wasps  eating  them.  This  remedy  was 
brought  forward  some  few  years  ago,  but  Ln  practice  it  proves 
to  be  valueless.— CiMBElAN, 


Flower   Garden. 

DAFFODIL  NOTES. 
Now  that  we  have  got  our  bulbs  planted  and  have 
leisure  to  look  around,  it  will  be  interesting  to 
have  a  little  talk  about  the  catalogues  in  continua- 
tion of  Mr.  Engleheart's  notes  in  your  last  (p. 
342).  There  will  be  plenty  of  work  for  many  of 
us  in  the  coming  spring,  to  re-name  all  our  Nar- 
cissi as  they  come  into  bloom,  it  we  are  to  follow 
out  the  new  nomenclature.  For  my  own  part,  I 
prefer  many  of  the  old  names  to  the  new,  as  the 
former  are  associated  with  pleasant  memories, 
like  old  familiar  friends.  I  shall,  therefore,  for 
the  present  use  double  labels.  It  will  take  us  all 
a  long  time  to  unlearn  the  names  we  have  been 
educated  with,  and  to  get  used  to  the  long  string 
of  non-descriptive  fancy  names  which  the  Daffodil 
Conference  has  thrust  upon  us. 

The   Leedsi   Daffodils. — What  strikes   me 
most  forcibly  in  looking  carefully  through   Mr. 
Barr's  "  Daffodil  Conference  Supplementary  Cata- 
logue "  is  the  extraordinary  number  of  varieties 
marked  with  the  letter  L,  which  indicates  that 
they  were  raised  by  the  late  Thomas  Leeds,  of 
Longford  Bridge,  near  Manchester.     They  are  as 
follows :    In  the  Ajax  or   trumpet  group,  thirty- 
two  varieties ;  in  the  bicolors,  twelve  varieties  ; 
lorifolius  group,  two  varieties  ;  in  the  moschatus, 
three  varieties ;  in  the  incomparabilis  group  the 
extraordinary  number  of  sixty-five  varieties  ;  be- 
sides the  following  in  the  minor  groups  of  this 
series,   Earri,  seven  ;  Leedsi,  twenty-one  ;  Humei, 
four;   and  Nelsoni,  six.     In  all  a  total   of   152 
varieties  of  the   Narcissus,  all  presumably  quite 
distinct,  as  they  have  passed  the  severe  ordeal  of 
scrutiny  by  those  deputed  to  settle  the  identity 
and  revise  the  names  of  each  variety.  Not  only  are 
these  Leedsi  Daffodils  very  numerous,  but  they  are 
also   of    great    merit.     In    the  Ajax    group    we 
find   John  Nelson,  which  is  one  of  the  grandest 
trumpet  Daffodils;  Captain  Nelson,  Her  Majesty, 
Hudibras,  a  well-named,  quaint-looking  Daffodil; 
Volutus,  now  J.  G.  Baker,  my  favourite  of  all  the 
trumpets,  and  which  was  especially  honoured  as 
having  been  selected  by  our  Kew  chieftain  to  bear 
his  name;  and  major  superbus,  which  was  figured 
in  the  Ganhiic/.t  Mmjazine  some  thirty  years  ago. 
Then  in  the  bicolors  we  have  that  most  symme- 
trical in  form  of  all  the  Daffodils,  bicolor  maxi- 
mus,  now  called  grandis,    with  its  pure    white 
perianth  and  exquisite  tube,  fitly  stated  by  Mr. 
r.arr  to  be  perhaps  the  finest  of  all  the  bicolors; 
albidus,  now  called  James  Walker,  also  a  most 
beautiful  Daffodil ;  and  there  are  amongst  others 
Professor  M.  Foster,  Dean  Herbert,  a  very  large 
and   fine  variety ;    William    Robinson,    a   grand 
flower ;    and    others    of    great    value.      Of    the 
moschatus,  or  white  Daffodils,  we  are  indebted  to 
Mr.  Leeds  for  cernuus  pulcher,  the  Marchioness  of 
Lome,  and  William  Goldring ;  and  when  we  come 
to  the  sixty- five  incomparabilis  varieties  of  Leeds's 
raising  we  find  almost  all  our  favourites  amongst 
them — Frank  Miles,  Edward  Hart,  Leedsi,  Princess 
Mary,  Harpur   Crewe,  splendens,  sulphureus,  &c. 
The  Barri  and  Humei  series  both  emanated  from 
the  Leedsi  raisings,  and  of  course  the  beautiful 
Leedsi   group   are    his;   and,  lastly,  the   curious 
Nelsoni,  which  has  the  peculiar  tube  of  Macleayi. 
Mr.  Barr  does   not  give    the  origin  of  Nelsoni, 
but  he  makes  it  follow  Macleayi,  and  I  think  he 
might    safely  attribute  it   to  incomparabilis    x 
Macleayi,  as  it  bears  the  strongest  evidence  of  this 
parentage.  (He  gives  the  parentage  of  Macleayi  as 
Pseudo- Narcissus  x  Tazetta.  It  would  be  interest- 
ing to  know  how  this  has  been  arrived  at,  and  if 
there  is  any  positive  information  on  the  point.) 

The  thought  must  occur  to  everyone  acquainted 
with  Daffodil  literature  how  little  do  we  know  of 
this  greatest  raiser  of  our  favourite  flower.  Who 
will  write  his  history  ?  It  is  yet  unwritten.  Poor 
Mr.  Leeds  was  an  invalid  for  the  last  few  years  of 
his  life,  and  had  to  be  trundled  about  his  garden 
in  a  bath  chair.  He  did  not  live  to  see  the  full 
fruition  of  his  labours.  Finding  that  he  could  not 
attend  to  his  numerous  Narcissus  seedlings,  he 
sold  the  whole  of  his  stock  a  short  time  before  his 
death  to  the  Rev.  John  Nelson  and  Mr.  Barr.  Since 


Mr.  Nelson's  decease  they  have  all  come  to  Mr. 
Barr,  and  it  is  only  now  that  we  are  beginning  to 
realise  the  vast  extent  of  the  successful  labours  of 
Jlr.  Leeds.  Mr.  Tyerman  probably  knows  more 
than  any  man  of  the  gardening  methods  followed 
by  Mr.  Leeds,  and  of  his  doings  at  Longford 
Bridge.  I  hope  he  will  contribute  his  recollec- 
tions to  your  columns.  It  is  a  history  worth  re- 
cording, and  if  once  commenced  others  would 
probably  add  their  contributions,  and  the  recital 
would  certainly  be  of  great  interest. 

N.  INCOMPARABILIS  GIGANTEUS  SlE  WATKIN. — 

Mr.  Barr  gives  this  a  class  to  itself,  as  the  largest 
of  the  Queltia  section,  and  as  raised  by  "  P.'' — Mr. 
Pickstone.  Mr.  Engleheart  refers  to  it  in  his  notes 
(p.  312),  remarking  that  I  suggested  that  it  had 
the  blood  of  biflorus  in  it,  which  he  thinks  ex- 
tremely improbable.  It  is  quite  true  that  I  made 
this  surmise  in  my  first  paper  on  this  Daffodil, 
but  I  do  not  hold  the  opinion  as  strongly  as  I  did. 
I  have  come  to  the  conclusion,  after  further  inves- 
tigation, that  it  is  far  older  than  Mr.  Pickstone's 
finding  of  fifteen  years  ago,  and  it  is  far  more 
plentiful  now  than  anyone  knew  at  that  time. 
The  very  high  prices  at  which  the  bulbs  have  been 
placed  on  the  m.arket  have  stimulated  enquiries, 
and  many  thousands  of  bulbs  are  forthcoming 
which  are  believed  to  be  the  same  Daffodil  from 
other  mountain  districts  in  Wales.  The  coming 
spring  will  show  us  if  this  be  so,  when  they  are 
bloomed  alongside  of  Mr.  Pickstone's  Daffodil, 
here  and  elsewhere.  I  am  told  that  this  Daffodil 
has  been  known  in  Wales  for  forty  years  as  the 
Giant  or  Mountain  Daffodil,  and  that  the  same  is 
to  be  found  in  many  gardens  through  North  and 
South  Wales  in  its  larger  cultivated  form,  and  in 
its  wild  state,  nearly  as  large,  over  a  consideiable 
area.  But  the  evidence  goes  further  back  than 
this.  In  Hale's  "  Eden,"  first  edition,  1757,  and 
also  in  Hill's  "Eden,"  published  1773,  this  large 
form  of  N.  incomparabilis  is  figured,  the  diameter 
of  the  flower  being  4  inches,  and  its  height  stated 
to  be  2  feet.  It  is  described  at  page  481  in  both 
volumes  as  follows;  "  The  Nonpareil  Daffodil. — 
It  was  early  distinguished  by  writers  on  plants, 
and  obtained  from  its  great  size  and  fine  colour- 
ing very  honourable  natnes — the  Incomparable, 
the  Nonpareil,  and  the  Excellent  Daffodil.  The 
late  authors  have  called  it  maximus,  and  omnium 
maximus,  the  greatest  Daffodil,  and  C.  Bauhine , 
N.  latifolius  pallidus,  calyce  ample,  the  broad- 
leaved  pale  Daffodil  with  a  great  cup."  To  me 
it  appears  clear  that  this  is  the  very  Daffodil  we 
have  recently  hailed  as  our  grandest  novelty, 
whereas  it  was  a  well  known  giant  Daffodil  nearly 
a  century  and  a  half  ago.  It  seems  to  have  been 
the  original  incomparabilis  ;  whereas  those  varie- 
ties known  to  us  under  this  name  are  only  dwarfed 
descendants,  quite  unworthy  of  the  title.  In  my 
last  note  on  this  Daffodil  I  expressed  a  fear  lest 
it  might  deteriorate  when  brought  away  from  its 
mountain  and  sea  air,  and  this  seems  to  confirm 
my  opinion.  Wm.  BBOCKBANK. 

Brocl;hurst,  DicUbury. 


ALPINE  AURICULAS. 
Now  that  very  fine  varieties  of  alpine  Auriculas 
can  be  bought  at  moderate  prices,  and  as  with 
ordinary  care  they  are  not  diflicult  to  cultivate, 
there  is  no  reason  why  many  persons  with  leisure 
and  convenience  should  not  grow  a  collection  of 
them.  What  is  necessary  is  a  small  lean-to  or  low 
span-roofed  house  on  a  north  aspect  or  in  a  posi- 
tion where  it  can  be  shaded  from  the  sun  during  a 
portion  of  mid-day  and  during  the  afternoon.  Fail- 
ing this,  a  cold  frame  with  a  movable  wooden 
stage  with  shelves  one  above  the  other,  which  can 
be  removed  at  will — even  an  ordinary  garden 
frame  without  a  stage  can  be  made  to  grow  these 
charming  plants,  provided  the  necessary  attention 
be  given  them.  It  should  face  the  south  in  winter 
and  spring  and  the  north  in  summer  and  early 
autumn.  Then  some  pots,  3-inch  and  5-inch,  will 
be  required,  some  good  fibry  yellow  loam,  leaf- 
mould,  rough  Bedfordshire  sand,  and  well-decayed 
stable  manure.  In  these  things  we  have  what 
are  necessary  to  the  well-being  of  the  plants  when 
'  properly  grown.    We  may  divide  alpine  Auriculas 


Oct.  2:i,  1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


363 


into  two  sections,  though  it  is  hardly  necessary  to 
do  so,  viz.,  those  that  have  shaded  margins — that 
is,  a  margin  composed  of  two  colours,  in  which  the 
darker  one  is  shaded  ofiE  to  the  lighter  marginal 
zone — and  margins  that  are  wholly  self-coloured. 
Then  there  are  golden  centres  and  others  with 
white  or  creamy  centres.  The  latter  type  is  gene- 
rally found  in  combination  with  violet  and  mauve 
shades,  and  they  are  always  very  pretty. 

Now  for  a  selection  of  pretty  varieties.  I  begin 
with  Colonel  Scott,  bright  yellow  ground  or  centre 
and  very  dark  maroon  margin,  fine  in  pip  and  very 
showy ;  Duchess  of  Connaught,  creamy  centre, 
dark  ground  shaded  with  bright  purplish  rose, 
large  pip,  very  fine  and  pleasing;  Conspicua,  a 
fine  old  variety,  creamy  ground  with  bright  pale 
mauve  shading,  very  pretty  ;  Evening  Star,  golden 
centre,  slight  dark  ground  with  a  broad  salmon- 
buff  shading  or  margin,  very  fine ;  I^red  C'opeland, 
golden  centre  with  dark  crimson  margin,  fine 
and  striking ;  George  Lightbody,  white  centre, 
dark  ground,  shaded  with  pale  violet,  very  attrac- 
tive ;  John  Ball,  bright  yellow  centre,  edged  with 
rich  dark  crimson,  very  fine  pip,  and  striking  in 
every  way  ;  Mariner,  bright  pale  golden  centre, 
dark  ground,  with  shading  of  purplish  crimson, 
very  fine ;  Mercury,  golden  centre,  with  rich 
shining  maroon  margin,  very  fine ;  Mrs.  Ball, 
lemon  centre,  black  ground  shaded  with  purplish 
crimson,  large  and  very  fine ;  Mrs.  Phipps,  white 
centre,  black  ground  with  violet  shading,  fine ; 
Mrs.  Thompson,  rich  golden  centre,  maroon  ground, 
with  bright  crimson  shading ;  Philip  Frost, 
creamy  centre,  dark  ground,  shaded  with  purplish 
rose,  fine  and  striking  ;  Phoenix,  rich  golden  centre, 
crimson-maroon,  edged  with  slight  carmine 
shading,  very  fine ;  President,  golden  centre, 
maroon  ground,  with  pale  satiny  purple  shading ; 
Queen  Victoria,  creamy  centre,  dark  ground, 
sh.aded  with  violet,  very  pretty  ;  Spangle,  bright 
golden  centre,  maroon,  with  slight  brilliant  crim- 
son shading ;  Sultan,  bright  golden  centre,  dark 
ground,  with  broad  edging  of  crimson,  very  fine ; 
Tenniel,  cream  centre,  with  bright  bluish  lilac 
edge,  very  chaste  and  pretty ;  Susie  Matthews, 
white  centre,  shaded  with  bright  pale  mauve  on  a 
dark  ground  ;  and  William  Bragg,  pale  golden 
centre,  with  a  broad,  bright  maroon  edging,  very 
fine. 

Now  is  a  good  time  of  year  to  obtain  a  collec- 
tion. If  they  do  not  come  from  the  nursery  in 
pots,  they  should  be  potted  on  arrival,  using  a 
free,  sandy  compost,  placing  the  plants  in  small 
pots,  and  potting  rather  firmly,  and  then  placing 
the  pots  in  a  frame  or  house,  keeping  them  close 
for  a  few  days  to  encourage  them  to  draw  root, 
as  the  florists  term  it,  and  the  plants  should 
not  be  over-watered  at  this  season  of  the  year, 
but  the  soil  should  be  just  moist  enough  to  keep 
them  growing  comfortably.  K.  D. 


EAKLY-BLOOMING  CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
These  are  often  stated  to  be  suitable  for  the 
backs  of  herbaceous  borders,  but  I  would  give 
them  a  more  prominent  position,  and  recommend 
them  as  the  best  of  all  plants  for  the  general 
embellishment  of  flower  gardens.  We  have  grown 
some  of  the  best  of  them  for  several  years,  and 
our  stock  is  annually  increasing,  and  it  will  con- 
tinue to  do  so,  as  we  have  no  half  tender  bedding 
plants  which  can  withstand  intense  heat,  severe 
cold,  or  excessive  wet  so  well  as  these  Chrysanthe- 
mums can  do.  They  grow  luxuriantly  and  bloom 
profusely  independent  of  all  weathers.  At  one 
time  yellow  flowers  in  our  flower  garden  were 
wholly  represented  by  Calceolarias  and  Violas, 
and  these  did  very  well  for  a  time,  especially  in 
the  cool  fore  part  of  the  season,  but  frequently 
during  the  hottest  weather,  when  flowers  should 
have  been  at  their  best ,  some  of  them  would  "  go 
off,"  leaving  ugly  blanks,  and  by  September  or  a 
little  later  not  one  of  them  was  really  in  fine 
bloom,  the  majority  having  become  exhausted,  so 
far  as  the  production  of  flowers  was  concerned. 
This  was  not  satisfactory  ;  indeed,  such  failures 
were  a  great  source  of  annoyance,  and  the  only 
remedy  we  have  ever  found  is  the  use  of  early-flower- 
ing Chrysanthemums.  These,  if  got  up  into  fairly 


good  plants  by  the  middle  of  April,  and  planted 
in  their  blooming  quarters  then,  will  begin  to 
flower  in  June  and  July,  and  not  cease  or  flag 
until  well  nigh  Christmas.  Some  of  our  yellow 
ones  have  been  in  full  bloom  since  July,  and  they 
are  now  as  full  of  flowers  and  as  fresh  and  attrac- 
tive as  ever.  I  know  nothing  to  equal  them  in 
general  usefulness,  and  they  are  not  by  any  means 
out  of  place,  even  in  the  choicest  of  flower  gar- 
dens. Their  habit  of  growth  is  graceful  enough, 
and  their  unhampered,  natural-like  style  of  flower- 
ing makes  them  much  more  attractive  than  any 
level  mass  of  Geraniums,  or  other  plants  of  simi- 
lar growth.  In  my  opinion,  they  will  yet  be 
largely  used  in  the  flower  garden,  and  no  doubt, 
as  the  demand  for  them  increases,  additional 
varieties  will  be  produced.  Apart  from  their 
wonderful  tenacity  in  the  way  of  growth  and 
bloom,  they  may  be  classed  amongst  the  hardiest 
of  hardy  plants,  so  far  as  artificial  treatment  is 
concerned,  as  when  once  planted  they  qre  always 
there.  If  the  old  growths  are  cut  down  about 
midwinter,  or  after  that,  the  young  shoots  will 
spring  up  freely  from  the  base  and  form  a  fresh 
display  so  long  as  this  system  is  practised,  or  all 
the  old  plants  may  be  lifted  in  spring,  little 
growths  taken  from  them  with  a  few  roots 
attached  to  them,  and  replanted  in  the  same  place 
or  in  fresh  beds.  This  is  the  plan  most  suitable 
for  people  who  have  no  glasshouses  or  frames, 
but  where  these  can  be  used,  the  young  plants 
may,  when  taken  off,  be  put  closely  together  in 
shallow  boxes  in  a  light,  sandy  mixture,  and  be 
kept  in  them  until  they  have  formed  many  roots 
and  good  tops.  They,  however,  succeed  admirably 
when  treated  as  perfectly  hardy  plants,  and  on 
this  account  they  deserve  to  be  widely  known 
amongst  your  many  readers  who  have  no  artificial 
means  of  saving  their  plants  during  winter.  Al- 
together, it  would  be  quite  impossible  to  over-rate 
the  value  of  these  summer-blooming  Chrysanthe- 
mums. J.MuiK. 


ClIPiYSANTHEMUMS  AT  FINSBDRY  PARK. 

The  display  now  opened  for  public  view  in  this 
park  is  a]  very  attractive  one,  and  will  be  at  its 
best  in  a  week  or  ten  days'  time.  The  plants  are 
remarkably  fresh  and  healthy,  and  are  staged 
in  a  convenient  and  well-ventilated  span-roofed 
house,  situated  near  one  of  the  main  entrances. 
The  following  is  a  list  of  the  best  varieties  now 
fully  in  bloom,  and  all  interested  in  these  flowers 
would  do  well  to  inspect  them.  To  working 
people,  the  collection  being  on  view  on  Sundays  as 
well  as  on  week  days,  it  will  be  a  boon.  Amongst 
flowers  fully  open  the  following  were  conspicuous, 
viz  :  Gliick,  golden;  Mrs.  Buun,  golden,  in- 
curved ;  Chang,  terra-cotta,  Japanese ;  Miss  Hope, 
recurved;  L'lle  des  Plaisirs,  sea  anemone-like, 
orange,  Japanese;  Gloria  Mundi,  golden  ;  Ensign, 
lilac-purple;  La  Nymphe,  pink,  quilled.  Anemone 
centre  ;  Duke  of  Edinburgh,  pink;  Le  Negre,  very 
dark  red  ;  Rosa  Bonheur,  magenta  ;  Constance, 
darker  than  Le  Nf^gre;  Empress  Eugc^-nie,  Golden 
Beverley,  I'limpo,  Sarnia,  quilled,  pink  and  white; 
Mr.  Corbay,  dark  red;  James  Salter,  like  Elaine 
inform,  but  lilac-rose;  Hereward,  Hiver  Fleur, 
yellow  in  centre,  shading  off  to  pink,  very  pale, 
Japanese;  Rifleman,  quilled,  dingy  red;  Hi-loise, 
small  and  good  ;  Marguerite  d'Anjou,  quilled, 
Anemone  centre,  golden  bronze ;  La  Frisure, 
small,  pinkish,  distinct,  frilled  flower;  Clytie,  old 
gold  and  red  ;  Criterion,  bronzy  gold  ;  Lady  Tal- 
fourd,  quilled,  dull  pink  or  rose  ;  George  Glenny, 
golden  ;  George  Glenny,  straw  coloured ;  Striatum, 
quilled  ;  Ref ulgens,  maroon-red  ;  Elaine,  white ; 
Dr.  Sharp,  crimson-purple;  Mrs.  Parncll,  white, 
like  Mrs.  Rundle  ;  Madame  Godillot,  quilled,  red 
and  yellow;  Ethel,  white;  Triomphe  du  Nord, 
brick  red,  fine  reflexed  flower  ;  Gloire  de  Toulouse, 
magenta ;  Chevalier  Domage,  very  rich  golden  ; 
Mdlle.  Toulouse, pale  magenta;  Blrs.  W.  Shipman, 
quilled ;  Cccur  Fidi>le,  Japanese,  red ;  Citi5  des 
Fleurs,  pale  magenta ;  Cassandra,  white,  tinged 
with  pink  :  Fair  Maid  of  Guernsey,  quilled,  white ; 
Llncomparable,  gold  speckled ;  Lord  Derby, 
Duchess  of  Manchester,  white  ;  Alfred  Salter, 
Red  Dragon,   Felicity,   very  good,  white.     Some 


varieties,  such  as  Baron  Prailly,  Le  Negre,  L'lle 
des  Plaisirs,  and  Hiver  Fleur,  are  most  distinct ; 
so  also  is  George  Gordon  among  the  newer  kinds. 
The  two  collections  in  the  Temple  Gardens  are 
now  also  worth  a  visit,  some  of  the  newer  kinds 
being  represented  by  good  blooms  there,  although 
the  plants  are  not  so  fresh  and  vigorous  as  are 
those  grown  out  in  the  fresh  air  andelevated  at- 
mosphere of  the  park  at  Finsbury.  We  make  no 
invidious  comparisons  ;  indeed,  anyone  seeing  the 
flowers  at  the  Temple  Gardens  will  wonder  that 
so  much  beauty  and  freshness  can  be  secured  at 
this  dull  season,  and  perhaps  feel  grateful  that 
our  gardens  possess  such  a  thing  of  beauty,  as  the 
Chrysanthemum  undoubtedly  is.'under  good  cul- 
ture. F.  W.  B. 


FLORISTS'  MODELS. 
My  letter  on  Carnation  and  Picotee  "models" 
(p.  230)  is  open  to  no  such  interpretation  as  that 
which  "  S.  W."  seeks  to  put  upon  it,  viz.,  that  it  is 
an  attempt  to  whitewash  the  modern  at  the  ex- 
pense of  the  older  florists.  I  pointed  out  to 
"  S  W."  what  as  a  critic  of  florists  he  ought  to 
have  known,  that  these  "  models  "  of  Glenny  which 
he  fancied  —  Heaven  forgive  him  ! — were  the 
florists'  ideals  had  been  from  the  first  denounced 
by  them.  On  being  driven  from  this  ground  he 
seems  to  have  thought  he  would  be  safe  in  taking 
his  stand  on  Mr.  Douglas'  book.  But  here  he  fared 
no  better,  as  it  is  perfectly  well  known  to  all  who 
know  anything  of  the  matter  that,  however  excel- 
lent otherwise,  Mr.  Douglas'  book  is,  as  regards 
the  properties  of  florists'  flowers,  of  no  authority 
at  all,  but  that,  on  the  contrary,  it  contains  mani- 
fold errors  which  have  already  been  pointed  out 
by  florists. 

These  "  models  "  of  Glenny,  worked  up  in  nur- 
sery catalogues,  and  unluckily  also  in  Mr.  Douglas' 
book, being,  as  "  S.W. "confesses,  "the  only  ones  to 
which  he  has  had  access,  have  been  a  sad  snare 
to  him.  They  offered  a  temptation  for  what 
seemed  a  safe  shot  at  the  florists  which  proved 
irresistible. 

"  S.  V,'.,"  however,  is  not  one  of  the  feeble  folk 
who,  having  been  betrayed  into  a  mistake,  are 
content  to  acknowledge  it,  so  he  continues  to 
quote  the  author  of  "  Hardy  Florists'  Flowers"  as 
an  "  authority,"  and  wants  to  know  where  the 
models  that  are  now  in  vogue  are  to  be  found,  as 
if  my  letter  at  p.  280,  or  the  far  abler  contribution 
of  your  correspondent  "  Nemo,"  p.  251,  had  never 
been  written.     "  S.  W."  is  imjmi/able.        M.  R. 


Oentaurea  babylonica. — This  is  a  singular, 
if  not  a  handsome,  plant ;  a  stately  flower-spike 
rising  out  of  a  bed  of  shield-shaped  silvery 
foliage  towers  to  a  height  of  7  feet.  The  stem,  too, 
is  so  much  twisted,  that  this  Centaurea  might  not 
inaptly  be  called  the  Cork-screw  plant.  From 
several  points  up  the  stem  the  Thistle-like  heads 
of  flowers  appear  as  well  as  many  more  near  and 
at  the  top.  The  orange-coloured  mass  of  florets  of 
which  the  flower-head  is  composed  is  not  alto- 
gether unattractive.  It  is  a  plant  that  evidently 
likes  a  rather  deep  and  rich  soil,  or  else  it  requires 
a  very  favourable  summer  in  which  to  properly 
develop  itself. -J.  C.  C. 

Autumn-flo'wering  Saxifrages.— S.  oor- 
tusc-efolia,  a  kind  nearly  allied  to  the  old  Straw- 
berry Saxifrage,  from  which,  however,  it  differs 
widely  in  being  devoid  of  the  runners  so  charac- 
teristic of  S.  sarmentosa,  and  also  in  the  form  of 
the  leaves,  will  undoubtedly  prove  of  great  value 
in  hardy  plant  gardens,  coming  as  it  does  into 
flower  at  a  season  when  most  rockwork  plants  are 
going  out.  It  is  also  nearly  allied  to  Fortune's 
Saxifrage,  the  popularity  of  which  can  hardly  fail 
to  give  a  proper  idea  of  its  value.  It  has,  how- 
ever, smaller,  though  more  numerous,  flowers,  and 
it  is  a  plant  which  is  much  freer  in  habit  than 
Fortune's  variety.  It  is  said  to  be  a  very  variable 
plant  in  South  China  and  Japan,  where  it  is  a 
native,  and  to  run  into  the  two  kinds  mentioned 
above,  but  the  form  at  present  in  cultiv.ation,  and 
which  was  introduced  some  time  ago,  is  distinct 
enough  to  warrant  a  separate  name,  and  where 


364 


THE    GARDEN 


[Oct.  25,  1884. 


only  the  showiest  of  hardy  plants  are  grown  it  is 
quite  likely  to  supersede  S.  Fortune!  altogether, 
as  it  is  much  freer  habited,  increases  more 
rapidly,  and  adapts  itself  with  ease  to  almost  any 
position,  with  the  exception  of  a  very  dry  one.  It 
grows  about  a  foot  in  height,  and  the  dark  shiny 
green,  cordate,  or  half  uniform-toothed  leaves  are 
thickly  covered  with  stout  hairs,  which  give  it 
quite  a  unique  appearance.  The  flowers,  which 
are  borne  in  loose  panicles,  are  very  handsome  and 
graceful,  pure  white,  making  a  striking  contrast 
with  the  numerous  bright  reddish  brown  anthers. 
It  may  be  propagated  easily  from  seed  or  by 
division  of  the  roots.— K. 

Grown  Dalsies.—These  certainly  give  a 
large  amount  of  pleasure  for  the  labour  they 
incur.  Sown  in  the  open  ground  in  April  they 
come  into  bloom  by  August,  and  are  effective  all 
through  the  autumn  months,  being  especially  at- 
tractive during  September,  when  the  flowers  come 
large  and  develop  their  colours  better  than  in  very 
hot  weather.  Crown  Daisies  do  very  well  on  dry 
poor  soils,  but  it  is  a  mistake  to  starve  them,  as 
the  flowers  then  come  small  and  are  not  nearly  so 
numerously  produced  as  when  they  have  good 
soil.  Grown  liberally,  they  form  large  bushes  by 
autumn  and  have  a  fine  appearance.  Of  these 
annual  Chrysanthemums,  Burridgeanum  is  far  the 
best,  the  combination  of  colours  in  it  being  novel 
and  telling. — J.  C.  L. 

Narcissus  princeps— Mr.  Barr  (p.  343) 
tells  us  that  he  originally  introduced  this  variety 
of  Daffodil  from  a  bulb  farm  in  Holland  in  18/ Ij 
or  1877,  in  which  country  it  had  been  found  in  a 
farmer's  garden.  Is  the  variety  wild  in  Holland  t 
That  it  is  abundantly  naturalised  in,  even  if  not 
indigenous  to,  Ireland  is  a  well-known  fact.  As 
to  whether  Ireland  will  ever  compete  with  Hol- 
land in  the  matter  of  bulb  farming  is  beside  the 
question,  but  that  some  parts  of  Southern  Eng- 
land and  the  Scilly  Isles  will  eventually  do  so  is  a 
foregone  conclusion.  For  all  I  know  N.  princeps 
may  be  an  Italian  plant,  but  that  it  is  commonly 
naturalised  in  Ireland  by  the  tens  of  thousands  is 
a  fact.— F.  W.  B. 

Ornameatal  Vines.— Vines  are  all  fine- 
foliaged  plants,  but  some  are  liandsomer  than 
others,  and  some  are  even  well  worthy  of  culture 
as  wall  climbers.  In  this  part  of  the  south  coast 
Vitis  humulifolia,  or  the  Hop  leaved  Vine,  is  ex- 
tensively used  in  that  way,  and  very  handsome  it 
is  when  covered  with  its  highly  ornamental  foliage 
and  pretty  clusters  of  berries.  It  enjoys  a  warm, 
sunny  position,  especially  the  roof  of  any  building 
where  it  gets  the  benefit  of  reflected  solar  heat. 
It  clings  by  means  of  its  tendrils  tightly  to  any 
support  which  it  can  reach  ;  and  for  covering  old 
tree  stumps,Vines  of  all  kinds,  if  once  planted  and 
given  a  start,  make  very  pretty  objects  in  a  short 
time.  They  are  vigorous  growers,  and  in  no  way 
do  they  show  their  beauty  so  fully  as  when  allowed 
to  grow  in  wild  luxuriance,  with  only  sufficient 
fastening  of  the  main  shoots  to  keep  them  in 
position. — J.  Groom,  Gosport. 

Wintering  bedding  Pelargoniums.- 

On  the  approach  of  every  winter  numerous 
enquiries  are  set  on  foot  as  to  the  best  mode  of 
keeping  old  plants  of  Pelargoniums  safely  through 
the  winter,  and  many  are  the  devices  adopted, 
with  more  or  less  success.  One  of  the  most  fre- 
quent mistakes  is  that  of  cutting  the  shoots  down 
at  lifting  time  ;  the  consequence  of  this  is  that  the 
dampness  of  the  atmosphere  causes  the  shoots  to 
decay,  and  unless  the  plants  can  be  pushed  into 
fresh  growth  by  means  of  fire-heat,  great  portions 
of  them  perish.  Now  I  find  that  the  best  plan  is 
to  lift  carefully,  so  as  not  to  break  either  roots  or 
shoots,  but  to  preserve  both  entire,  pick  off  all  the 
largest  leaves,  and  then  place  the  plants  in  boxes 
moderately  thick,  filling  in  around  the  roots  with 
finely  sifted  soil ;  give  one  good  soaking  of  water, 
and . afterwards  only  enough  to  keep  them  from 
withering.  Just  enough  fire-heat  should  be  used 
to  keep  the  atmosphere  dry,  as  the  less  they  grow 
at  the  darkest  period  of  the  year  the  better.  As 
soon  as  the  days  begin  to  lengthen,  however,  more 
heat    and  moisture   may    be   given,  and    every 


shoot,  if  taken  off  and  used  as  a  cutting,  will  make 
good  plants ;  the  old  plants  will  make  fine  bushes. 
Few  plants  are  so  easily  propagated  and  grown 
as  the  Pelargonium,  if  only  reasonable  precautions 
are  taken,  but  there  are  few  more  easily  injured 
by  using  the  knife  too  freely  when  vitality  is  at 
its  lowest  ebb.  One  may  cut  when  growth  is  pro- 
gressing freely,  but  when  lifted,  mutUating  both 
roots  and  tops  at  once  is  more  than  even  the 
hardiest  plants  can  endure,  and  I  need  hardly  say 
that  the  variegated-leaved  sorts  are  more  easily 
injured  than  the  green-leaved  kinds. — J.  G.,  Hants. 


IRIS  SIBIRICA. 

Within  the  last  half  dozen  years  few  plants  have 
engaged  so  much  attention  as  the  truly  beauti- 
ful Irises,  and  that  they  deserve  all  the  en- 
couragement they  have  received  few  will  deny, 
the  variety  both  of  form  and  colour  to  be  found 
amongtt'them  being  endless ;  and  although  some  of 
the  rarer  sorts  are  taxing  the  patience  of  even  our 
best  growers,  the  time  may  not  be  far  distant  when 
a  more  thorough  knowledge  of  their  requirements 
will  be  attained.  I.  sibirica,  itself  one  of  the 
easiest  to  cultivate,  has  given  us  many  distinct 
and  graceful  forms  or  varieties,  and  although  not 
so  plentiful  as  the  germanica  of  the  cottar's 
garden,  is  distinct  and  unique  in  habit,  a  circum- 


Iris  siljiiica. 

stance  which  enhances  its  value.  I.  Ksempferi  and 
its  many  fine  varieties  form  a  sort  of  semi-aquatic 
section,  for  which  a  bog  or  similar  place  must  be 
found,  /.('.,  if  they  are  to  be  had  in  perfection,  but 
they  may  at  the  same  time  be  grown  in  the  ordi- 
nary border  with  a  fair  amount  of  success,  pro- 
vided plenty  of  water  be  given,  and  the  plants  are 
never  allowed  to  get  dry,  I.  sibirica,  represented 
by  the  annexed  engraving,  on  the  other  hand,  has 
many  wants,  and,  although  it  will  grow  fairly  well 
in  the  ordinary  border,  never  favours  one  with 
that  depth  of  colour  by  which  it  is  characterised 
unless  it  is  grown  in  well  prepared  peaty  soil.  It 
grows  from  2  feet  to  3  feet  high,  and  is  neat  in 
habit,  the  long,  narrow,  sharply  pointed  leaves  ris- 
ing from  the  crown  in  very  regular  form.  The 
stems,  which  are  hollow  inside,  eac'n  bear  several 
flowers,  bright  blue  in  colour,  with  markings  or 
nettings  of  a  darker  shade.  It  is  a  native  of 
Siberia,  kc,  and  flowers  with  ns  in  May  and  June. 
It  increases  pretty  rapidly  at  the  root,  by  which 
it  may  be  propagated,  or  by  seed,  which  it  ripens 
freely.  K. 


Lobelias  from  seed.— The  blue  Lobelia 
speciosa  and  its  varieties  are  such  indispensable 
plants  with  which  to  edge  beds,  borders,  &c.,  that 
even  in  small  gardens  considerable  numbers  are 
used.  For  getting  up  stock  of  them  here,  plenty 
of  space  under  glass  is  available,  cuttings  are  pro- 
bably best,  but  where  glass  is  limited  plants 
raised  from  seeds  answer  perfectly,  especially  if 


sown  in  autumn  and  wintered  in  cold  frames.  I 
find  October  to  be  the  best  month  for  sowing  the 
seed,  for  wbjch  we  use  boxes  about  li  feet  long, 
1  foot  3  inches  wide,  and  3  inches  deep ;  in  these 
we  put  1  inch  of  drainage,  fill  up  with  finely  sifted 
soil  pressed  down  firmly  and  covered  with  silver 
sand,  and  on  the  latter  the  seed  is  spread  mode- 
rately thick.  If  the  soil  is  well  watered  before 
sowing  and  afterwards  covered  with  a  large  sheet 
of  glass,  the  young  plants  will  soon  appear,  but 
very  little  water  will  be  needed  during  the  dark 
days  of  November  and  December.  In  the  event 
of  sharp  frosts  occurring  the  frames  may  be 
covered  up  for  a  week  together  without  the  plants 
taking  any  harm,  but  in  mild  periods  they  can 
hardly  be  too  freely  ventilated.  In  January  or 
February  the  plants  will  be  fit  for  pricking  off  into 
boxes  or  frames  about  2  inches  apart,  and  by 
keeping  the  points  of  the  shoots  closely  pinched, 
excellent,  sturdy,  little  plants  will  be  ready  for 
turning  out  in  May.  These  will  be  found  superior 
to  those  raised  in  heat  in  spring,  for  I  find  that, 
like  Calceolarias,  the  less  fire-heat  they  get  the 
better :  and  I  feel  sure  that  anyone  giving  autumn 
sowing  a  trial  will  never  sow  in  spring  again — at 
least,  such  is  my  opinion.  It  is  surprising  how 
much  frost  blue  Lobelias  will  endure,  and  in  cold 
pits  they  are  quite  safe  with  plenty  of  external 
covering. — J.  G.,  Hants. 

Herbaceous  plants  from  cuttings.— 

Now  is  a  good  time  to  increase  one's  stock  of 
many  varieties  of  herbaceous  plants  by  means  of 
cuttings,  some  kinds  being  difficult  to  increase  by 
division.  The  tops  of  herbaceous  Phloxes,  for 
instance,  where  they  have  not  bloomed,  if  cut  off 
about  t  inches  long  make  excellent  cuttings.  These, 
placed  in  a  cold  frame  in  sandy  soil  and  kept  close 
for  a  time,  soon  strike,  and  by  spring  have  good  roots, 
being  an  advantage  gained  over  cuttings  put  in 
in  spring.  Centrauthus  ruber  and  albus,  although 
some  may  consider  them  common  plants,  are 
useful  for  cutting  from ;  they  also  brighten  up  the 
borders  when  in  bloom,  a  condition  in  which  they 
are  more  or  less  all  the  summer.  Cuttings  of  the 
side  shoots  which  have  not  bloomed  strike  freely. 
Buphthalmuoi  salicifolium  is  another  showy  plant, 
usually  well  furnished  with  pale  yellow  flowers. 
It  grows  compactly,  and  is  easily  increased  by 
cuttings  made  of  the  side  shoots  and  put  in  a  cold 
frame.  Cheiranthus  alpinns,  which  is  dwarf  and 
well  adapted  for  the  fronts  of  herbaceous  borders, 
also  strikes  freely  if  inserted  now  in  a  cold  frame. 
The  Mule  Pink  treated  in  the  same  way  will  pro- 
duce its  bright  magenta  flowers  all  through  the 
summer.  It  is  compact  in  growth  and  well  suited 
for  the  fronts  of  borders.  Hesperis  matronalis, 
Iberis  cordifolia  and  I.  Tenoreana,  Mimulus  cardi- 
nalis,  Matricaria  inodora  fl.-pl ,  Pentstemons,  Pinks, 
and  many  others  may  be  treated  in  the  same 
manner  with  success  and  involve  very  little  trouble. 
— E.  M.  S. 


SHORT  NOTES.— FLOWER. 


The  fine  Lllium  auratum  shown  at  Dundee,  and  of 
wliicll  favomalile  notice  lias  Iieen  taken  in  The  GarDFN, 
was,  it  may  be  inteiesting  to  know,  grown  by  Geo.  David- 
son, a  house  carpenter  at  Locliie. — W.  Johnstone,  The 
£lins.  Arbroath. 

Hollyhock  dieea.se.— I  fancy  many  experts  must 
have  been  puzzled  ttus  season  to  account  for  the  lu.\uriance 
of  ilieir  tioUyliocks,  heat  and  drought  being  considered 
to  bL-  favourable  to  the  development  of  Hollyhock  fungus. 
Any  hcht  that  can  be  thrown  on  the  subject  cannot  fail  to 
be  botli  interesting  and  instructive.— J.  C.  C. 

Viola  Mrs.  Gray  is  bo  often  recommended  as  the  best 
wliite,  tliat  I  feel  constrained  to  give  my  opinion  of  it,  whicll 
is  tliat  it  is  very  delicate,  late  in  coming  into  flower,  and 
that  the  flowers  stain  so  much  tlirougli  lieat  or  drought  id 
aumnier,  that  there  is  as  much  blue  as  white  in  them.  It 
may  be  tha^^  the  climate  of  the  west  of  England  does  not 
suit  it,  but,  be  that  as  it  may,  it  is  much  too  deliCAte  for 
spring  bedding.— J.  C.  C. 

Dividing;  Vlolap.— Every  year  about  the  middle  of 
July  we  cut  back  all  the  floweriog  shoots  on  our  Violas  ; 
we  then  earth  them  up  with  some  tine  sandy  soil,  working 
it  well  in  between  the  cut-back  shoots  to  the  depth  of  an 
inch,  and  the  same  depth  is  continued  for  a  few  inches 
away  from  the  plant.  We  are  just  now  lifting  our  slock  for 
transplanting,  and  we  find  tliat  the  new  soil  is  full  of  roots 
emitted  from  the  earthed-up  stems  ;  we  are  therefore  able 
to  make  a  large  plant  into  three  or  four.  This  is  a  simple 
as  well  as  a  safe  way  of  increasing  oui'  stock.— J.  C.  C. 


Oct.  2o,   1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


365 


Manure  for  herbaceous  plants.— I  had 

no  intention  of  returning  to  this  subject,  and  I 
should  not  do  so  now  only  I  think  I  can  in  a  few 
words  explain  the  points  on  which  ".R.  A.  H.  CJ." 
(p.  342)  and  I  ditler.  "  R.  A.  PI.  G."  is  his  own 
master,  and  he  can  deal  with  his  herbaceous  bor- 
ders in  the  way  which  he  finds  most  conducive  to 
success.  If  be  leaves  the  old  stems  to  die  away 
on  the  plants  until  they  have  become  dry  sticks, 
he  knows  what  he  is  doing,  and  bears  with  the 
effect  of  decaying  matter,  because  he  knows  it  is 
serving  a  useful  purpose.  So  far  so  good.  Bat 
surely  "  K.  A.  H.  G."  must  know  that  that  is  the 
very  practice  that  has  brought  more  discredit  on 
herbaceous  borders  than  anything  else  ;  from  that 
cause  alone  have  they  been  considered  weedy  by 
those  who  do  not  so  well  understand  the  exact 
conditions  under  which  they  should  be  cultivated. 
Now  as  regards  myself,  as  a  gardener  and  having 
to  deal  with  herba'jeous  borders  like  many  others 
similarly  situated,  where  the  borders  are  beside 
prominent  walks  they  must  be  kept  sightly.  If  I 
were  to  work  on  the  same  lines  as  "  R.  A.  H.  G," 
it  is  quite  possible  that  my  ability  to  keep  such 
borders  in  a  presentable  condition  might  be  ques- 
tioned :  therefore,  after  all  we  do  not  differ  so 
much  in  principle  as  in  regard  to  details.  But 
seeing  that  herbaceous  borders  are  being  generally 
ra-introduced  where  a  constant  succession  of 
flowers  is  expected  to  be  kept  up,  I  am  quite  satis- 
fied that  there  are  many  soils  that  will  require 
some  stimulant  to  keep  up  their  fertility. — J.  C.  C. 


SEASONABLE   WORK. 


FLOWER  GARDEN. 
Rose  gaedex.— If  Roses  be  planted  at  this 
early  season,  they  will  next  year  flower  just  as 
freely  as  old-established  plants.  In  our  light  soil 
we  find  it  advantageous  to  lift  all  the  plants  every 
alternate  year.  They  are  heeled  in  for  a  couple  of 
days  or  so  till  the  beds  are  deeply  trenched  and 
manured  with  well-rotted  stable  manure.  The 
soil  is  then  well  firmed  by  treading,  and  the  plants 
at  once  put  in,  the  roots  having  previously  been 
examined  as  to  the  removal  of  useless  portions, 
suckers,  &c.  They  are  at  once  staked,  tied,  and 
well  mulched  with  Cocoa  fibre  for  the  winter.  In 
strong,  loamy  soils  (the  bert  description  for  Rosea) 
the  treading  must  of  course  be  dispensed  with, 
except  just  as  much  as  is  needed  when  planting 
to  keep  each  one  in  position  and  to  ensure  the  soil 
being  in  close  contact  with  the  roots.  We  have 
observed  that  Roses  moved  thus  early  are  not 
nearly  so  liable  to  injury  from  severe  weather  as 
are  those  not  moved,  the  reason  doubtless  being 
that  the  check  assists  perfect  maturity  of  the 
wood,  the  frowst  having  the  worst  effect  on  plants 
full  of  sap.  There  is  one  drawback  to  this  early 
transplanting,  and  that  is  the  sacrificing  of  num- 
bers of  flowers  which  by  reason  of  the  protracted 
summer  are  this  season  more  than  usually  abun- 
dant ;  still,  it  is  better  that  this  should  be  than  to 
risk  even  the  slightest  failure  at  the  proper  Rose 
season. 

SnRlTBBEElES.— Till  the  leaves  have  all  fallen 
not  much  can  be  done  in  the  way  of  clearing  out 
of  shrubbery  clumps  and  plantations,  but  mean- 
while any  replanting  or  thinning  out  should  have 
attention,  and  this  will  lighten  the  labour  when  a 
general  clear  up  and  mulching  of  shrubs  that  have 
been  lately  transplanted  has  to  be  done,  which 
should  take  place  as  soon  as  all  danger  of  further 
litter  from  leaves,  &c.,  has  passed.  As  a  rule 
shrubberies  do  not  receive  that  amount  of  cul- 
tural attention  which  in  all  cases  they  well  de- 
serve. Couch,  Nettles,  Docks,  Brambles,  and  the  like 
too  frequently  holding  sway  amongst  them  ;  and 
it  is  only  with  a  view  to  the  extirpation  and  pre- 
vention of  these  weeds  getting  the  upper  hand 
that  we  would  advise  that  the  clumps  be  forked 
over  annually.  Push  along  with  the  preparation 
of  ground  that  has  to  be  planted  this  winter; 
plBnty  of  drain-pipes  and  a  free  outlet  in  lo;v- 
lying  situations  are  the  first  essentials  of  success. 
la  such  positions  it  is  also  a  good  plan  to  raife  the 
soil  well  above  the  general  ground  level,  but  if 


such  raising  be  considered  objectionable,  it  is  not 
really  necessary  so  long  as  the  drainage  at  bottom 
is  effectively  done. 

General  work. — There  is  now,  and  will  be 
for  some  time  to  come,  plenty  of  sweeping  and 
raking  up  of  leaves  and  rolling  to  remove  worm 
casts — heartless  work,  certainly,  but  in  the 
interest  of  neatness  and  satisfaction  to  all  con- 
cerned it  should  be  done  regularly.  Walks  that 
need  re-gravelling  or  fresh  surfacing  can  also  now 
be  done,  and  all  should  be  freed  of  weeds  and  well 
rolled  down  now  that  there  has  been  abundance 
of  rain  to  admit  of  the  roller  having  full  effect  on 
them.  Uneven  parts  of  the  lawn  should  now  be 
levelled,  and  any  that  need  returfing  be  done  at 
the  first  convenience  ;  in  fact,  alterations  of  every 
kind  should,  whilst  the  weather  continues  so  open, 
be  proceeded  with  as  expeditiously  as  possible. 


FLORAL  DECORATIONS. 
IIavixg  been  favoured  with  such  mild  weather 
for  the  time  of  year  and  an  unusual  absence  of 
white  frosts,  we  have  been  able  up  to  the  present 
time  to  get  a  good  supply  of  bloom  from  single 
Dahlias,    Anemone  japonica,    late    Hybrid    Per- 
petual Roses,  East  Lothian,  fcarlet,  purple,  and 
white   Stocks,  White  Lady   Heliotrope,   and  Be- 
gonia ascotensis,  all  of  which  are  still  in  flower 
in  open  borders.     Sprays  of  the  Lemon-scented 
Verbena  (Aloysia  citriodora)  have  also  been  use- 
ful, being  ever  welcome  for  the  sake  of  their  per- 
fume.    We  recently  took  the  opportunity  of  a 
bright  sunny  day  to  secure  all  the  perfect  flowers, 
and  even  the  undeveloped  ones  of  the  Helichry- 
sums,  catching  them  for  once  when  they  were  just 
at  their  best.     These  will  all  come  into  use  for 
various  purposes,  along  with  dried  Grasses  pre- 
viously secured.     Jasminum    nudiflorum   is  thus 
early  opening  some  of  its  flowers,  and  expanded 
trusses  may  be  found  on  the  Laurustinus,  so  that 
even  yet  for  a  few  weeks  outdoor  flowers  can   be 
had   by    those    who    do   not  rely  on  an  indoor 
supply.     Violets    are    also     flowering    freely    in 
places,  though  with  us  they  have  scarcely   yet 
opened  a  flower.     Of  indoor  flowers  we  are  now 
deriving  an  abundant  supply  from   a   pitful  of 
Bouvardias  grown  in  the    open  soil ;  these    are 
flowering    splendidly,    and    prove    valuable    for 
button-hole  bouquets  and  specimen  glasses.     Our 
most  useful  sorts  are  B.  Hogarthi,  Vreelandi,  and 
nmbellata  carnea.     Sweet-scented  kinds,  as  Hum- 
boldti  corymbifiora,  are    not   approved  of   here ; 
therefore  scarcely  any  of  them  are  grown.     For 
other  specimen  glasses  we  have  had  a  good  supply 
of  Dipladenias  and  Eucharis  up  to   the  present 
time,  and  occasional  trusses  of  Ixora  have  been 
useful  for  the  same  purpose.     So  likewise  have  the 
yellow  and  white  i'aris  Daisies,  the  former  in  par- 
ticular.    Sprays  of  the  winter-flowering  Epacrises 
in  various  shades  of  colour  are  also  very  service- 
able ;  from    the    beginning    of    this   month    on 
throughout   the    winter  we   shall   have  them   in 
abundance,  and  very  valuable  they  are  for  almost 
all  kinds  of  arrangements.     With  us  Chrysanthe- 
mums of  all  sections  are  backward,  but,  consider- 
ing the  season,  this  is  fortunate.     Later  on  we 
shall,    no    doubt,   be    glad    of    them.     Davallia 
bullata   still   proves  to   be  one  of  the  very  best 
Ferns  in  a  cut  state,  excepting  the  Maiden-hair 
(Adiantum  cuneatum).     We  now  use  the  former 
rather  freely,  as  the  whole  of  the  fronds  will  soon 
die  off,  and  the  plants  go  to  rest  for  the  winter. 
Leaves  of  several  kinds  of  Grape  Vines  are  excel- 
lent now  for  the  dessert ;  the  brilliant  tints  in 
many  of  the  late  kinds  especially  cause  these  to 
be  valuable  between    now    and    Christmas.     In 
dishing  up  some  fruit  lately  we  used  sprays  of  the 
Virginia  Creeper  in  the  case  of  some  tall  dishes  of 
nearly  white  china,  entwined  around  the  stems  of 
which  they  were  very  effective.     Coloured  foliage, 
in  fact,  is  now  plentiful  everywhere,  and  may  be 
advantageously  used  in  many  ways. 


PROPAGATION. 
Tins  will  now  be  confined  principally  to  hardy 
plants.     As  regards  cuttings  of  stove  and  green- 
bouse  plants,  all  that  will  be  necessary  will  be 


to  keep  them  well  watered  ;  give  them  air  when 
moisture  condenses  too  freely,  and  above  all 
remove  any  decaying  matter.  Care  must  also 
be  taken  not  to  shade  too  heavily,  although 
of  course  cuttings  of  most  plants  recently  put 
in  will  require  a  certain  amount,  but  as  a  rule  it 
need  not  be  put  on  before  ten  o'clock,  and  should 
be  removed  soon  after  three,  even  on  bright  days. 
Where  it  is  desired  to  propagate  in  quantity  Primu- 
las of  the  amoena  section,  the  present  is  a  suit- 
able time  for  so  doing,  as  they  are  in  most  cases 
dormant  and  succeed  better  than  when  divided 
later.  For  this  purpose  break  up  the  mass  of 
roots  and  select  the  strong  crowns  to  be  repotted, 
several  in  a  pot  for  flowering  purposes,  which  they 
will  do  in  the  spring  without  showing  any  ill 
effects  from  removal,  and  where  there  are  great 
numbers  of  strong  roots  attached  to  them,  a  few 
may  be  taken  off  without  weakening  the  plant. 
All  the  small  crowns  should  then  be  sorted  out 
and  dibbled  into  a  frame  in  which  is  a  prepared 
bed,  consisting  of  loam,  lightened  by  a  liberal 
admixture  of  leaf-mould.  Any  piece  of  root  taken 
off  during  the  process,  even  if  without  perceptible 
eyes,  should  not  be  thrown  away,  but  cut  into 
lengths  of  about  1  inch,  and  dibbled  thickly  into 
pots  or  pans  of  sandy  soil.  These,  if  kept  in  a 
cold  frame,  will  push  forth  buds  in  spring  from 
the  upper  part,  and  root  action  will  also  commence, 
when  they  may  be  potted  off  or  dibbled  into  a 
frame  as  recommended  above.  The  Himalayan 
Primula  denticulata  may  also  be  propagated  to 
any  extent  in  this  way.  Cuttings  of  deciduous 
trees  and  shrabs  will  strike  better  put  in  now 
than  two  months  later,  although  the  latter  prac- 
tice is  most  frequently  followed,  especially  where 
cuttings  of  all  kinds  are  put  in  on  an  extensive 
scale,  as  in  that  case  they  can  be  prepared  during 
bad  or  severe  weather,  whereas  now  many  other 
things  demand  attention.  For  such  cuttings 
choose  to  some  extent  a  sheltered  spot,  both  from 
the  drying  winds  of  March  and  the  hot  sunshine 
of  the  summer,  and  where  the  soil  is  not  too  tena- 
cious, but  rather  of  a  light,  open  character.  Take 
firm,  well-rooted  shoots,  leave  them  from  12  inches 
to  15  inches  long,  and  insert  about  three  parts  of 
their  length  in  the  ground.  The  latter  having 
been  dug,  stretch  a  line  in  the  direction  which  the 
rows  of  cuttings  are  intended  to  take.  Make  a 
trench,  one  side  of  which  should  be  quite  firm, 
and  against  this  place  the  cuttings  in  an  upright 
position,  with  the  base  of  each  resting  on  the  bot- 
tom of  the  trench  ;  this  done,  fill  up  with  soil  and 
tread  firmly.  Special  attention  must  be  given  to 
this  last  operation,  or  failure  will  be  the  result. 
About  1  foot  is  a  good  distance  between  the  rows, 
as  it  allows  of  a  hoe  to  be  used  during  the  follow- 
ing summer,  but  the  cuttings  may  stand  about  3 
inches  asunder  in  the  rows.  Where  propagated  in 
large  quantities,  as  has  just  been  stated,  they  are 
generally  left  till  later  in  the  season,  in  which  case 
the  cuttings  are  made,  sorted,  and  tied  up  in 
bundles  ready  for  insertion,  and  laid  in  till  the 
weather  is  suitable  for  that  purpose.  In  either 
case  they  will  want  little  or  no  attention,  except 
to  keep  them  clear  of  weeds,  and  if  the  summer  be 
very  dry  watering  them  occasionally  ;  by  autumn 
they  will  in  most  cases  be  rooted  and  ready  for 
transplanting.  Evergreens  should  be  all  in  before 
this  time. 


INDOOR  PLANTS. 


Double  Primplas.— These  ought  now  to  have 
a  little  warmth  if  their  flowers  are  required  soon, 
and  under  any  circumstances  they  must  not  be 
kept  too  cool,  or  they  are  all  but  certain  to  suffer 
by  damp.  If  not  potted  sufficiently  deep  in  the 
soil,  a  little  should  be  added,  so  that  it  comes 
right  up  to  and  slightly  covers  the  base  of  the 
lower  leaves.  At  first  sight  this  practice  would 
seem  to  endanger  their  damping  at  the  collar,  but 
it  has  a  directly  opposite  effect. 

Hardy  plants  for  forcing  should  now  be  taken 
up  and  potted.  These  include  Roses,  Deutzias, 
Azalea  mollis  and  the  Ghent  varieties.  Rhododen- 
drons, double  Prunus,  Andromedas,  Lilacs,  Lau- 
rustinus, &c ,  for,  though  the  leaves  of  some  of 
the  deciduous  things  may  not  yet  be  off,  still  the 


366 


THE    GARDEN 


[Oct.  25,  1884. 


buds  are  now  fully  matured  ;  and  it  is  much  better 
to  get  work  of  this  description  done  at  once  and 
to  have  the  plants  in  hand,  so  that  the  pots  may 
be  plunged  where  they  can  be  protected  in  a  way 
that  will  prevent  the  soil  getting  saturated  with 
wet.  A  sufficient  quantity  of  Dielytras  and  Spi- 
ralis should  be  treated  in  like  manner,  so  as  to 
have  them  in  readiness  for  potting  in  warmth 
later  on. 

Chrysanthemums. — If  fine  flowers  are  wanted 
the  buds  must  be  thinned,  for  all  varieties  form 
very  many  more  than  they  can  perfect.  The  ex- 
tent, however,  to  which  the  thinning  process 
should  be  carried  with  individual  kinds  can  only  be 
arrived  at  by  observation.  Nevertheless,  as  some 
guide  to  the  matter,  it  may  be  accepted  as  a  rule 
that  the  larger  the  flowers  the  variety  produces, 
the  fewer  it  will  be  able  to  fully  develop ;  and, 
with  few  exceptions,  the  incurved  kinds  cannot 
support  near  so  many  as  those  with  reflexed  petals, 
of  which  latter  the  old  yellow  variety,  Annie  Sal- 
ter, may  be  taken  as  an  example.  The  latest 
flowering  sorts  are  much  the  most  useful ;  conse- 
quently, we  have  always  found  it  advisable  to  thin 
these  the  most,  for  the  fewer  flowers  a  plant  is 
allowed  to  bear  the  longer  the  individual  blooms 
will  last  after  they  are  expanded.  The  plants  are 
better  out-of-doors,  so  long  as  they  are  not  in  danger 
of  being  subjected  to  more  than  2°  or  ?>°  of  frost, 
for  if  housed  too  soon,  unless  stood  thinly  in  a  very 
light,  airy  structure,  they  get  drawn  and  suffer 
from  the  attacks  of  mildew.  On  the  first  appear- 
ance of  this,  sulphur  should  be  dusted  on  the 
affected  leaves,  otherwise  the  fungus  spreads  most 
rapidly,  disfiguring  the  plants  as  well  as  affecting 
their  ability  to  mature  their  bloom.  A  little  more 
soot,  say  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch,  laid  on  the 
surface  of  the  pots  will  much  assist  the  develop- 
ment of  the  buds,  and  will  also  banish  worms 
from  the  soil. 

Conservatory.— There  is  considerable  differ- 
ence in  what  can  be  done  in  structures  that  come 
under  this  denomination,  on  account  of  the  differ- 
ence in  the  temperature  kept  up.  Where  the  prin- 
cipal occupants  are  such  as  only  require  or  will 
bear  a  temperature  similar  to  that  of  an  ordinary 
greenhouse,  anything  that  needs  more  heat  cannot 
at  this  season  be  accommodated.  The  early- 
flowering  Chrysanthemums,  of  which  there  are 
several  that  bloom  well  through  October ;  early- 
blooming  Salvias,  of  which  o.  liethelli  is  one  of 
the  most  distinct  and  freest  flowerers  ;  early 
varieties  of  Epacris,  Veronicas,  Witsenia  corym- 
bosa.  Primulas,  Lasiandras,  Heliotropes,  Croweas, 
and  Cyclamens  will  be  the  principal  things  to  be 
depended  upon,  along  with  a  selection  of  light 
and  dark-coloured  zonal  Pelargoniums,  which,  if 
well  managed,  are  much  more  useful  at  this 
season  than  in  the  spring  and  summer,  when  their 
presence  in  large  numbers  often  gives  insufficient 
room  for  enough  variety.  In  the  way  of  roof 
climbers  there  is  not  much  in  bloom  at  this  season, 
but  where  there  is  a  good  plant  of  Habrothamnus 
elegans  and  the  beautiful  Mandevilla  suaveolens, 
with  red  and  white  Lapagerias,  these  four  will 
give  a  cheerful  appearance  to  the  structure.  Such 
roof  climbers  as  are  not  in  flower  and  have  at  all 
extended  so  as  to  shade  the  general  occupants  of 
the  house  should  be  well  cut  in,  using  judgment 
in  the  work,  for  if  the  shoots  of  all  are  indiscri- 
minately sjiortened,  the  result  is  that  a  good  many 
never  bloom  satisfactorily.  In  place  of  this  it  is 
much  better  with  all  plants  that  flower  from  the 
ripened  previous  season's  growth  to  thin  out  and 
cut  away  completely  such  a  number  of  the  shoots 
as  will  bring  the  plants  within  reasonable  compass. 


FKUIT. 
Peaches. — Where  the  lights  have  been  taken 
off  the  roof  of  the  early  house  they  may  be  re- 
placed towards  the  end  of  the  month.  In  many 
places  in  years  gone  by  it  was  the  practice  to 
close  for  forcing  in  November ;  but,  thanks  to  the 
late  Mr.  Rivers,  early  Peaches  and  Nectarines  of 
bis  raising  or  introduction,  started  a  month  late, 
still  give  us  ripe  fruit  for  the  Queen's  birthday. 
If  all  the  old  fruit-bearing  shoots  have  been  care- 


fully removed,  as  previously  advised,  but  little 
pruning  will  be  needed.  It  will,  however,  be  neces- 
sary for  an  experienced  hand  to  go  over  the  trees 
after  they  are  let  down  from  the  trellis,  when  the 
usual  cleansing  may  be  performed,  and  tying  in 
will  give  work  for  days  unfavourable  to  outdoor 
operations.  When  all  is  finished  remove  loose 
materials  and  inert  soil  from  the  surface  of  the 
borders,  and  replace  with  fresh  compost  consisting 
of  strong  calcareous  turfy  Icam,  old  lime  rubble, 
or  charred  refuse.  Be  guided  by  the  state  of  the 
trees  in  the  application  of  manure  ;  if  old  and 
weakened  by  heavy  cropping,  a  good  dressing  in 
the  autumn  will  be  a  great  help,  while  vigorous 
young  trees  will  be  best  without  it  until  the  crop 
is  set  and  swelling.  See  that  the  internal  borders 
are  thoroughly  moistened  before  they  are  top- 
dressed,  as  dryness  at  the  roots  in  winter  is  fatal 
to  good  Peach  culture. 

Late  houses. — The  trees  in  this  department 
are  now  quite  ripe,  and  promise  a  profusion  of 
good  blo.ssom.  If  the  wood  has  been  properly 
thinned  and  the  houses  are  not  wanted  for  plants 
allow  the  leaves  to  fall  naturally  and  give  an 
abundance  of  air,  but  do  not  remove  the  lights 
from  the  roof  unless  they  require  painting.  Let 
all  root  pruning,  lifting,  and  border-making  be 
brought  to  a  close  at  once,  as  trees  on  open  walls 
have  set  their  flower-buds  and  may  be  removed 
with  safety. 

Fruit  room. — By  this  time  the  latest  Pears  and 
Apples  will  have  been  gathered  and  stored  away 
in  the  fruit  room,  which  must  be  kept  cool  and 
well  ventilated  to  admit  of  the  escape  of  moisture. 
For  some  time  after  the  fruit  is  stored  it  will  be 
necessary  to  look  over  the  shelves  at  least  once  a 
week  for  decaying  specimens  before  they  have 
time  to  taint  the  sound  ones,  which  they  will  soon 
do  if  this  precaution  is  neglected.  Late  kinds  of 
Apples  and  Pears  should  be  placed  in  a  cool  room 
wliere  the  temperature  does  not  fluctuate,  and 
when  the  time  for  ripening  approaches  dessert 
Pears  will  be  greatly  improved  in  flavour  by  re- 
moval to  a  higher  temperature  for  a  few  days  be- 
fore they  are  wanted  for  use.  To  prolong  the 
season  of  the  finest  kinds  unblemished  fruit  from 
the  latest  gatherings  should  be  stored  away  in 
clean  earthern  jars  and  covered  with  a  few  fronds 
of  dry  Bracken,  an  invaluable  article  in  the  fruit 
room,  as  it  absorbs  moisture  and  does  not  impart 
an  unpleasant  flavour  to  the  fruit.  Owners  of 
model  fruit  rooms,  capable  of  resitting  20°  to  .W^ 
of  frost  without  firing,  do  not  require  covering  of 
any  kind  ;  but  unfortunately  they  are  the  excep- 
tion to  the  rule,  as  many  gardeners  have  to  make 
use  of  an  upper  storey,  which  is  affected  by  every 
change  from  heat  to  cold,  from  drought  to  chilling 
dampness,  with  nothing  better  than  a  batten  of 
straw  (the  worse  thing  they  can  use)  for  keeping 
out  the  frost.  Where  this  is  the  case,  good  dry 
Fern,  if  obtainable,  combined  with  extreme  clean- 
liness, will  be  found  the  best  covering  material 
that  can  be  used. 

Plums  and  Cherries. — The  above  treatment 
as  to  the  removal  of  exhausted  top-dressing 
applies  to  these  also ;  and  it  is  surprising  how 
quickly  fresh  roots  find  their  way  into  the  new 
compost.  In  course  of  time  these  trees  make  very 
little  wood,  and  become  thickly  set  with  blossom 
buds,  which  may  require  thinning  out  for  the  two- 
fold purpose  of  preventing  exhaustion  and  facili- 
tating the  cleansing  process.  When  all  the  trees 
have  been  arranged  in  blocks  or  rows  for  the 
winter  or  season  of  rest,  throw  a  light,  but  rather 
small  meshed,  fishing  net  over  them  to  keep  ofl: 
small  birds,  otherwise  they  will  soon  ruin  the  pro- 
spect of  fruit  when  the  buds  begin  to  swell. 

Cherry  house. — Nothing  will  be  gained  by 
leaving  the  trees  exposed  after  the  end  of  this 
month.  If  the  lights  and  rafters  were  painted  im- 
mediately after  removal,  the  paint  will  now  be 
firm  and  in  the  best  possible  condition  for  resist- 
ing the  weather.  The  painting  of  forcing  houses 
forms  such  a  heavy  item  in  the  expenditure,  that 
too  much  attention  cannot  be  devoted  to  the  ex- 
traction of  moisture  from  the  wood  before  it  is 
painted  and  proper  hardening  before  the  lights  are 
again  wanted  for  use.     If  the  usual  occupants  of 


cold  houses  are  placed  under  the  trees  for  protec- 
tion from  the  elements,  they  should  be  capable  of 
standing  a  very  low  temperature,  that  is  to  say,  an 
approach  to  the  freezing  point,  as  Cherries  under 
glass  are  easily  excited  after  a  long  season  of  rest. 
Follow  former  directions  with  regard  to  cleans- 
ing, and  spare  no  pains  in  getting  rid  of  the  Iarv;e 
of  aphis,  the  most  troublesome  insect  we  have  to 
contend  with  when  the  trees  are  in  flower.  Gis- 
hurst  compound,  eight  ounces  to  the  gallon, 
makes  an  excellent  wash  for  the  trees  and  trellis. 
When  quite  dry,  tie  in  and  ventilate  to  the  full 
extent  in  mild  weather  until  the  time  arrives  for 
starting. 

Vines.— The  late  excessive  fall  of  rain  having 
permeated  every  part  of  the  external  borders, 
some  kind  of  covering  should  now  be  placed  over 
the  main  roots  of  Muscats,  Lady  Downes,  and 
other  late  kinds  intended  for  winter  use  or  bot- 
tling. By  this  time  the  former  will  have  attained 
perfection,  and  the  latter  will  be  sufficiently  ad- 
vanced to  admit  of  a  general  lowering  of  the 
temperature  to  about  55'^  at  night  and  a  few  de- 
grees higher  by  day,  when  gentle  fire-heat  is 
needed  to  keep  the  atmosphere  of  the  houses  dry 
and  favourable  to  the  ripening  of  the  foliage. 
Houses  in  which  the  remains  of  the  crop  of  late 
summer  Grapes  are  still  hanging  may  now  be 
cleared  with  advantage,  as  the  bunches  will  keep 
quite  as  well,  if  not  better,  in  the  Grape  room. 
The  Vines  can  then  be  divested  of  all  lateral 
growths  and  subjected  to  a  course  of  dry  fire-heat 
to  insure  the  perfect  maturation  of  the  wood. 

Prune  successional  houses  as  soon  as  the  leaves 
fall,  and  take  advantage  of  wet  days  for  cleansing 
the  canes  ;  also  wash  or  paint  the  internal  wood- 
work and  ventilate  freely  if,  as  is  too  often  the 
case,  they  are  not  wanted  for  plants.  If  the  ear- 
liest house  was  pruned  at  the  end  of  September 
and  shutting  up  in  November  is  contemplated,  a 
course  of  gradual  watering  will  now  be  needful  to 
bring  the  internal  Ijorders  into  a  satisfactory 
state  before  the  Vines  are  excited  by  the  applica- 
tion of  artificial  heat.  Pot  Vines  which  were 
^hortened  back  about  the  same  time  may  also  be 
watered,  top-dressed,  and  placed  in  position,  and 
as  these  do  not  always  break  so  kindly  as  old 
Vines  which  have  been  forced  for  a  number  of 
years,  it  will  be  well  to  tie  down  the  points  before 
the  terminal  buds  begin  to  swell.  Remove  plant- 
ing canes  to  the  shelter  of  a  wall,  place  pieces  of 
tile  under  the  pots  to  keep  out  worms,  and  cover 
up  with  spent  tan  or  Fern  to  protect  the  roots 
from  frost. 


ORCHIDS. 

East  India  house.— The  change  in  the  out- 
of-doors  temperature,  especially  at  night,  has  di- 
rected attention  to  the  heating  apparatus.  There 
has  been  rather  more  than  the  average  amount  of 
sunshine,  but  the  shading  material  has  now  been 
dispensed  with,  so  that  there  has  been  no  great 
difficulty  in  shutting  up  the  house  with  a  high 
temperature.  It  is  towards  morning  that  the  tem- 
perature falls  below  the  minimum,  but  there  is  no 
need  that  it  should  do  so  if  ordinary  care  is  exer- 
cised. It  is  safer  to  have  the  temperature  of  this 
house  rather  over  than  under  the  minimum  of  C")", 
as  some  plants,  notably  some  of  the  Phalainopsids, 
which  are  near  the  glass,  may  suffer  with  the  lower 
temperature.  Epidendrum  bicornutum  has  been 
brought  into  notice  lately,  and  is  a  charming  spe- 
cies seldom  well  managed.  It  does  best  near  the 
roof  glass  in  the  warmest  part  of  the  house,  and 
is  more  easily  injured  by  cold  than  the  Phalie- 
nopsis.  Some  people  have  been  very  successful 
with  this  Epidendrum  by  merely  growing  it  in  a 
warm  stove,  where  the  plants  are  frequently 
syringed.  The  house  ought  not  to  be  very  damp 
at  the  time  the  flowers  open,  as  they  are  delicate 
and  easily  injured  by  decay  spots.  The  singular- 
looking,  though  handsome,  Grammatophyllum  El- 
lisi  does  best  near  the  roof  glass  in  this  house. 
The  growths  will  now  be  formed,  and  the  only 
chance  to  get  some  of  the  plants  to  flower  is  to 
keep  them  as  dry  as  they  will  stand  it  during  the 
winter.  The  arrangement  of  the  plants  in  the  cool 


Oct.   25,  1884.] 


THE  GARDEN 


367 


and  warmest  end  of  the  house  is  a  matter  of  great 
importance.  In  some  of  our  houses  we  tiud  the 
difference  in  temperature  as  much  as  5°.  Those 
who  are  fond  ot  Bolleas  and  Pescatoreas  will  find 
the  cool  end  of  this  house  the  best  place  to  winter 
them  in.  They  are  a  class  ot  plants  that  do  not 
take  kindly  to  artificial  treatment ;  they  must  not 
sutler  for  want  of  water  either  at  the  roots  or  in 
the  atmosphere ;  the  leaves  also  to  be  kept  clean 
by  careful  sponging.  The  deciduous  winter- 
flowering  Calantbes  prefer  the  warmest  end  of  the 
house  at  this  season.  Our  plan  is  to  keep  them 
warm  until  the  first  flowers  on  the  spikes  are 
about  opening,  when  they  are  removed  to  a  light 
part  of  the  Cattleya  house.  The  flowers  open  well 
here,  and  the  leaves  speedily  die  off  in  the  cooler 
temperature. 

Cattleya  house.— We  are  not  fearful  of  the 
plants  in  this  house  being  injured  in  the  same  way 
as  those  in  the  warmest  division.  Of  course,  it  is 
as  well  to  keep  the  temperature  as  nearly  uniform 
as  possible,  and  where  there  is  but  one  heating 
apparatus  for  all  the  divisions,  the  work  is  greatly 
simplified.  There  is  no  need  to  use  much  water 
for  evaporating  purposes.  If  the  paths  are  damped 
twice  a  day  and  the  stages  once,  it  will  be  quite 
sufficient.  The  occupants  of  the  house  require  of 
course  very  ditfarent  treatment ;  some  plants  are 
in  the  midst  of  their  growth,  others  are  maturing 
their  bulbs.  As  regards  watering,  the  Cym- 
bidiums  will  yet  require  a  full  supply,  especially 

C.  Lowi,  which  has  not  yet  completed  its  growth. 
This  species  should  be  suspended  near  the  glass 
with  the  tips  of  the  leaves  almost  touching  it.  We 
saw  it  growing  and  flowering  very  freely  the  other 
day,  potted  in  much  the  same  compost  as  one 
would  use  for  Pelargoniums  or  any  soft-wooded 
plants.  Oar  own  are  potted  in  peat  with  a  little 
Sphagnum  and  give  equal  satisfaction.  C.  Mas- 
tersi  is  now  showing  its  flower-spikes,  and  placed 
on  a  side  stage  with  C.  eburneum  they  are  look- 
ing vigorous,  the  foliage  of  a  deep  green  colour. 
The  potting  material  for  these  is  principally 
turfy  loam  with  a  little  decayed  manure.  Nearly 
all  the  deciduous  and  most  of  the  evergreen 
Dendrobiums  have  about  finished  their  growths, 
and  a  few  of  the  earliest  of  them  will  immediately 
be  removed  into  the  greenhouse  or  some  vinery 
where  the  Vines  are  at  rest  and  the  atmosphere 
dry.  D.  Wardianum,  for  instance,  has  a  tendency 
to  start  into  growth  again  as  soon  almost  as  the 
old  growths  are  formed,  but  the  instant  it  is  seen 
that  the  secondary  buds  are  forming,  the  plants 
must  be  taken  into  the  cool  house.  Those 
removed    into    a    greenhouse    temperature    are 

D.  Wardianum,  D.  orassinode,  D.  nobile,  D  Fal- 
coneri,  and  others  of  this  type.  Those  that  re- 
main in  the  Cattleya  house,  but  are  dried  off  in 
winter,  are  D.  densiBorum,  D.  Farmer!,  D.  Schroe- 
deri,  D.  GrifBthianum,  D.  Devonianum,  D.  Ben- 
soniie,  and  some  others.  We  are  trying  some 
plants  in  the  Cattleya  house  this  year  that  have 
been  usually  wintered  in  the  cool  house.  Oar 
cool  house  used  to  be  a  span-roof  running  north 
and  south  ;  now  it  is  a  lean-to  with  a  north  aspect, 
and  plants  that  used  to  do  well  with  us  partially 
fail  under  the  new  arrangement.  Odontoglosium 
cirrhosum  requires  more  heat  and  light  than  it 
gets  in  a  lean-to  house  of  the  above  descrip- 
tion, and  nearly  all  the  Masdevallias  will 
do  with  5°  more  heat  than  Odontoglos- 
sum  Alexandras,  O.  Pesoatorei,  Oncidium  ma- 
cranthum,  and  some  others.  We  saw  last  winter 
a  fine  lot  of  Masdevallia  Harryana  and  others 
requiring  similar  treatment  in  a  Cattleya  house, 
where  the  atmosphere  was  unusually  dry,  and  yet 
the  plants  were  in  much  better  condition  than 
our  own  in  the  cool  house.  A  practical  demonstra- 
tion of  this  kind  is  of  inestimable  value  to  the 
practical  cultivator.  M.  tovarensis  and  the 
chamieroid, species  have  always  been  treated  to  a 
Cattleya  house  temperature  ;  probably  the  num- 
bers requiring  it  will  be  indefinitely  increased. 
This  is  acting  on  the  assumption  that  the  mini- 
mum temperature  is  55°,  falling  occasionally  to 
50°. 

Cool  house. — The  treatment  of  the  plants  must 
vary  a  little  according  to  the  form  and  position 


of  the  house  in  which  they  are  growing.  We  are 
inclineil  to  attach  considerable  importance  to  the 
matter  of  atmospheric  moisture.  Some  persons 
have  an  idea  that  cool  Orchids  should  be  grown  in 
an  atmosphere  constantly  saturated  with  mois- 
ture, and  this  during  the  dull,  dark  days  of 
winter  as  well  as  in  the  heat  of  summer. 
Recent  importations  seem  to  grow  away  freely 
enough  at  first  under  such  conditions,  and 
give  fairly  satisfactory  results  for  the  first  year 
or  two  ;  but  old  established  plants  need  a  decided 
season  of  rest  to  keep  them  in  a  healthy  state.  At 
this  time  of  the  year  the  water  supply,  both  in  the 
atmosphere  and  at  the  roots,  must  be  consider- 
ably reduced.  A  span-roofed  house  well  exposed 
to  the  sun  will  require  much  more  moisture  than 
one  of  a  lean-to  description  facing  north.  The 
one  may  require  damping  three  times  in  a  day 
and  the  other  not  more  than  once  or  twice  at  pre- 
sent. All  the  details  would  be  much  more  simpli- 
fied if  the  plants  made  their  growth  in  the  sum- 
mer, matured  them  in  the  autumn,  and  rested  in 
the  winter.  This  will  never  happen;  and  as  all 
through  the  winter  Odontoglossums,  Masdevallias, 
Oncidiums,  ^a.,  are  making  their  growths,  more 
moisture  will  be  required;  but  this  is  a  matter 
which  must  be  left  to  the  individual  judgment  of 
the  cultivator.  For  our  own  part  the  longer  we 
have  to  do  with  Orchids  the  more  we  feel  inclined 
to  treat  them  to  a  dry  atmosphere  in  winter  and  to 
keep  them  from  being  unduly  excited  by  a  higher 
temperature  than  may  be  thought  necessary.  If 
the  house  contains  Masdevallias  as  well  as  Odon- 
toglossums, 5U°  is  a  better  minimum  than  45°. 


THE  ROCK  GARDEN. 
Campanula  garganica  is  a  charming  plant  for 
the  base  of  a  rock,  and  if  planted  partly  under  an 
overhanging  stone,  it  will  show  itself  oil'  to  con- 
siderable advantage,  clinging,  as  it  were,  to  the 
under  surface  of  the  stone.  C.  fragilis,  often  con- 
foundei  with  the  Garganian  Hairbell,  is  not  so  de- 
sirable for  the  purpose  justmentioned,  for  its  ten- 
dency is  to  hang,  whereas  that  of  the  species  in 
question  is  to  grow  in  an  upright  manner.  One 
great  drawback  towards  this  plant  becoming  more 
popular  than  it  is  is  its  impatience  of  division,  and 
the  consequent  necessity  of  propagation  by  cut- 
tings. A  bronze-flowered  variety  of  the  alpine 
Wallflower  is  very  ornamental  and  of  easy  culture. 
Amongst  Pinks,  Dianthus  alpinus,  a  diminutive 
rose-flowered  kind,  grows  in  calcareous  soil ;  so 
also  does  the  Cneddar  Pink  (D.  ca-sius),  and  upon 
walls.  In  Mr.  Ellacombe's  garden,  at  Bitton,  we 
saw  some  fine  examples  of  the  Maiden  Pink  (D. 
deltoides)  growing  on  a  high  wall,  and  the  pale- 
flowered  variety  of  this  Pink  would  be  equally 
well  adapted,  we  should  think,  for  walls.  Whether 
seedlings  nosr  appearing  about  this  variety  will 
come  true  to  their  parent,  or  revert  to  the  type, 
has  yet  to  be  proved.  Like  the  rest,  it  enjoys  a 
lime  soil.  D.  neglectus,  the  Glacial  Pmk,  a  beauti- 
ful species,  is  rather  difilcult  to  grow,  that  is  if 
one  does  not  give  it  the  soil  which  it  requires.  It 
grows  upon  the  primary  rocks.  We  can  grow  it  in 
loam,  but  it  fails  in  limestone;  but  the  soil  it  likes 
best  should  be  analogous  to  that  of  its  native 
habitat,  that  is,  peat,  loam,  and  granite  gravel.  The 
same  treatment  will  suit  the  nearly  allied,  quite 
as  beautiful,  and  earlier  flowering  typical  D.  gla- 
cialis.  Epilobium  Dodonsi  is  a  plant  of  very 
easy  [culture,  seedlings  springing  up  around  the 
parents.  Really,  according  to  stature  ultimately 
attained,  it  ought  to  be  classed  amongst  border 
plants,  but  flowering  early  in  the  year  and  upon 
its  young  growths  until  September,  and  its 
seedlings  flowering  too  in  their  early  stages  of 
growth,  is  is  well  worth  a  place  in  the  rock 
garden.  It  is  interesting  to  note  how  a  nearly 
allied  species,  E.  Fleischeri,  under  cultivation 
adapts  itself  to  a  limestone  soil,  while  in  its  native 
habitat  it  grows  on  a  soil  entirely  free  from  lime  ; 
its  relative,  on  the  other  hand,  prefers  lime.  If 
ever  there  was  an  alpine  Aster  (Erigeron)  worthy  of 
cultivation  it  is  E.  glaucum,  a  hybrid  variety.  It  is 
hardier  than  the  type  and  more  abundant  as 
regards  flowering.  lis  blossoms,  too,  are  quite  as 
'arge  f  s  this©  o£  the  type,  and  possess  a  charming 


rosy  tinge.  The  flower-stems  are  not  erect,  but 
decumbent,  and  while  the  type  shows  no  sign  of 
flowering  until  the  approach  of  autumn,  this 
flowers  persistently  from  spring  until  autumn. 
The  Heron's-bills  are  a  genus  worthy  of  more 
general  culture  than  has  hitherto  been  given 
them.  Of  the  .self-sowing  group  with  finely  divided 
leaves  may  be  mentioned  Erodium  oheilanthi- 
folium,  E.  petnuum,  E.  macradenum,  and  E. 
absinthioides.  There  are  also  two  biennial 
Epilobiums  worthy  of  culture,  rather  coarse  in 
habit,  with  ovate  leaves,  deeply  lobed  at  the  base, 
which  sow  themselves  freely. 


KITCHEN  GARDEN. 


No  time  should  now  be  lost  in  lifting  and  properly 
storing  Potatoes.  We  question  if  any  system  is 
better  than  hilling  them  up  in  pits,  laying  them 
in  rows  about  5  feet  wide,  and  putting  from  G  tons 
to  7  tons  in  each  heap.  Scotch  Champions  with 
us  are  a  wonderfully  fine  crop,  and  the  few  diseased 
tubers  among  them  are  not  worth  mentioning ;  the 
quality  is  excellent  in  all  ways,  except  that  they 
are  deep-eyed.  We  are  also  busy  lifting  Turnips 
and  Carrots,  which  we  pit  in  the  same  manner  as 
Potatoes.  We  are  trenching  and  highly  manuring 
one  of  our  south  borders  for  early  Peas,  which  we 
always  sow  from  the  5th  to  the  12th  of  November 
as  follows ;  We  draw  the  drills  i  feet  apart,  roll 
all  the  seeds  in  red  lead  to  keep  off  mice,  and 
directly  the  young  plants  break  through  the 
ground  we  cover  with  ashes  to  keep  away  slugs, 
and  put  across  them  strings  of  red  worsted  to 
frighten  off  the  birds.  It  is  a  mistaken  idea  to 
suppose  that  frost  kills  young  Peas  ;  what  kills 
them  are  the  sharp  surface  winds  that  occur  in 
February  and  March.  Therefore  stick  them  as 
soon  as  possible,  putting  Scotch  or  Silver  Fir 
branches  up  each  side.  The  usual  look-out  in  the 
case  of  all  young  crops,  such  as  Cabbage  or  Let- 
tuce, sliould  be  given  for  grubs,  and  the  soil  be- 
tween the  rows  should  be  stirred  occasionally. 


WORK  DONE  IN  WEEK  ENDING  OCT.  21, 18S1. 

OCTORER    15. 

Another  return  of  summer;  truly,  this  is  an  un- 
usually favourable  season.  Slight  frost  has 
blackened  Alternantheras  and  Coleus  a  little,  but 
every  plant  else  has  escaped.  Single  Dahlias, 
Marguerites,  Fuchsias,  and  Pelargoniums  are  yet 
in  fall  glory,  and  numerous  hardy  perennials. 
Asters  iu  particular  are  still  flowering  marvellously 
well,  and  therefore  we  daily  try  to  make  the  most 
of  such  beauty  by  keeping  all  the  surroundings  in 
neat  condition,  by  sweeping  up  fallen  leaves  and 
worm  casts  whenever  time  can  be  spared  for  doing 
work  that  now  requires  to  be  repeated  almost 
daily.  But  when  we  have  done  with  mowing  and 
sweeping  we  must  balance  against  that  work 
the  grandeur  that  just  now  is  presented  by 
deciduous  trees,  which  is  worth  all  the  labour  en- 
tailed by  shedding  then:  f  jliage.  I  would  like  to 
add,  for  the  information  of  intending  planters, 
that  two  species  of  trees  are  specially  worthy  of 
attention  for  autumnal  effect ;  they  are  Liquidam- 
bar  styraciflua  and  Liriodendron  Tulipifera  (Tulip 
tree).  Both  these  are  just  now  a  gorgeous  golden 
yellow,  with  here  and  there  a  tip  of  bronzy  red. 
Both  trees  stand  out  conspicuously  beautiful  amid 
numerous  other  splendid  autumnal-tinted  trees. 
Completed  Apple  gathering.  Court  pendu  Plat 
and  one  or  two  other  late  sorts  would  perhaps 
have  been  better  had  they  been  left  a  week  or  so 
longer,  but  as  they  were  falling  (I  think  owing  to 
the  extended  drought),  we  deemed  it  best  to  gather 
them.  Housed  Carrots;  westackthem  in  a  cool  shed, 
using  a  little  dry  soil  between  each  layer,  and  by 
takingcare  to  stack  those  only  that  are  really  sound, 
we  are  seldom  troubled  with  decay  amongst  them, 
and  they  keep  just  as  firm  as  if  in  the  ground. 
Parsnips  are  lett  in  the  ground  till  new  growth 
begins  in  spring,  and  Beet  is  also  left  in  the 
ground  as  long  as  it  is  safe  to  leave  it.  Occasion- 
ally we  have  left  it  in  the  ground  all  winter  and 
protected  it  from  frost  with  Bracken,  and  there  can 
be  no  doubt  but  that  this  is  the  best  way  to 
winter  it  for  preservation  of  juiciness  and  quality 


368 


THE     GARDEN 


[Oct.  25,  1884. 


generally;  bat  then  the  ground  to  so  winter  it 
cannot  always  be  spared,  but  must  be  got  ready 
for  spring  cropping,  and  when  this  is  a  necessity, 
the  next  best  mode  of  wintering  is  that  mentioned 
for  Carrots.  Finished  the  propagation  of  Violas  ; 
they  are  put  in  cold  frames  and  handlights. 
Sundry  hardy  carpeting  plants,  as  Sedums,  Herni- 
arias,  Veronicas,  and  Thymes,  are  being  propagated 
by  planting  small  bits  on  borders  having  a 
southern  exposure.  All  such  kinds  of  plants  need 
renewal  every  spring,  and  this  we  find  the  best 
way  of  getting  new  stock. 

OCTOBEK  16. 
We  shall  soon  be  ashamed  of  writing  "sweeping 
up,'  so  that  if   readers  do  not  happen  to  come 
across  the  words,  they  had  better  take  for  granted 
that  we  still  have  some  on  hand,  and  do  as  much 
as  other  and  more  important  duties  will  admit  of 
our  doing.     Apricot  trees  die  with  us    in    that 
mysterious  way  peculiar  to  them  in  most  other 
gardens,  and  having  long  since  given  up  trying  to 
solve  the  mystery,  we  now  replace  with  healthy 
trees  as  soon  as  any  collapse ;  to-day  two  have 
been  grubbed  np,  the  ground  trenched  and  fresh 
soil  added,  and  two  healthy  young  trees  planted. 
We   had    them    in    reserve,    and    having    lifted 
with    plenty    of    small    fibrous  roots  and    good 
balls    of    soil    adhering,    they    are    expected!  to 
fruit    next    year    just    the     same     as  'if     they 
had  never   been    moved ;    this,  in  fact,  is  why 
we  have  transplanted  so  early. 
A  soaking  of  water  and  a  mulch- 
ing  of   litter  have   been  given 
them,  the  former  to  well  settle 
the    soil  about  the   roots,   and 
the  latter  to  exclude  frost  and 
drought.    Our  Teach  wall  border 
is  being  trenched,  and  all   the 
roots  at  1  feet  from  the  wall  is 
being  cut  clean  off  as  trenching 
proceeds.     Soon  as  the  leaves  are 
off,  the  i  feet  next  the  trees  will 
have  all   the  surface  soil  taken 
away,  and  this  will  be  replaced 
with  good  loam,  a  few  half-inch 
bones,  and  rotten  manure,  and 
over  the   whole  a  mulching  of 
stable  litter.     This  is  the  whole 
of   our  culture  (as  regards  the 
roots),  and  has  generally  proved 
satisfactory,   for   it    has   rarely 
happened  that  there  has  not  been 
an  abundant  crop  of  fruit,  whilst 
foliage  and  wood  have  been  all 
that  could  be  desired.     I  ought, 
perhaps,  to  add  that  the  border  is  used  for  such 
crops  as  early  Potatoes,  Lettuce,  and  French  Beans, 
and  being  heavily  manured  annually  the  new  roots 
that  the  Peach  trees  make  from  the  line  of  root 
pruning  get  as  good  a  share  of  the  manure  as  do 
the  vegetable  crops  ;  indeed,  it  is  this  unavoidable 
circumstance  that  renders  annual  restriction  of  root 
growth  a  necessity.    The  4-foot  space  is  never  dis- 
turbed, except  to  rake  off  the  loose  top  soil  to  apply 
fresh  top-dressing,  and  yet  is  a  complete  network 
of  roots,  and  as  hard  as  the  garden  walks.  Apricots, 
Grapes,  and  Strawberries   are    other   fruits   that 
delight  in  having  their  roots  in  firm  soil.     I  have 
always  observed  that  if  any  part  of  a  border  con- 
taining these  fruits  has  had  more  trampling  than 
another,  there,  to  a  certainty,  would  be  found  the 
most  roots,  not  the  thickest  certainly,  but  frills  of 
them ;  the  quill  size  run  the  whole  length  of  the 
borders,  and  to    destruction  too,   for  they    are 
generally  dead  when  most  needed.     Indoor  Figs 
are  over  for  this  year,  and  the  wood  being  ripe  the 
lights  are  left  quite  open,  but  will  be  closed  on 
cold  frosty  nights,  a  precaution  that  we  deem 
necessary  to  preserve  from  injury  the  embryo  fruit 
that  is  now  to  be  seen  on  the  principal  shoots,  the 
dropping  of  which  when  about  half  grown  being, 
I  believe,  attributable  to  winter  injury  from  cold 
more  than  to  any  other  cause.     The  lights  of  Pine 
pits  and  all  other  frames  are  being  well  washed, 
as  besides  the  neatness,  which  counts  for  some- 
thing, the  added  light  to  the  plants  must  be  of 
some  benefit.    Grapes  have  been  examined  as  to 
lemoval  of  bad  berries,  and  any  laterals  having  the 


faintest  taint  of  mildew  on  them  have  been  cut 
away.  The  latest  houses— Lady  Downes  and 
Alicante — having  inside  borders  were  well  watered, 
and  this  may  possibly  serve  them  till  the  fruit  is 
cut  for  preservation  in  bottles. 

October  17. 

Summer-like  weather.  Trenching,  also  earthed 
up  Broccoli,  late  Savoys,  and  Scotch  Kales,  and 
hoed  between  the  rows  of  winter  Spinach,  Onions, 
Lettuce,  and  Endive ;  also  sowed  Lettuce  on  a 
south  bank ;  Black-seeded  Bath  Cos  is  our  best 
winter  variety.  Lifted  and  potted  a  few  Pelar- 
goniums that  we  want  for  stock  and  a  few  of  the 
rarer  plants  from  the  sub-tropical  beds.  Gathered 
ripe  Dahlia  seeds,  and  completed  the  labelling  of 
such  as  we  wish  to  preserve.  Trimmed  up  the  her- 
baceous  plant  borders.  Many  plants  are  now  get- 
ting to  look  rusty,  and  these  have  had  their  decay- 
ing stems  cut  off,  and  pegs  or  labels  put  in  to 
indicate  their  whereabouts  when  the  borders  are 
given  their  annual  dressing  and  rearrangements. 
Planted  out  another  batch  of  Queen  and  Bromp- 
ton  Stocks,  Canterbury  Bells,  and  Antirrhinums; 
all  these  will  prove  useful  for  cut- flower 
purposes  early  in  the  spring.  Pinched  ofE 
runners  from  Violets  in  frames ;  at  present  the 
flowers  are  picked  as  fast  as  produced,  that  the 
plants  may  get  as  strong  as  possible  before  mid- 
winter when  growth  is  stationary,  more  by  reason 
of  persistency  of   flowering,  perhaps,  than  from 


GourJs  ou  pig-stye. 

shortened  daylight  and  sunshine.  Partially  pruned 
midseason  Vines ;  they  are  all  Black  Hamburghs, 
and  at  least  sixty  years  old ;  and  as  showing  the 
fallacy  of  waiting  till  the  leaves  have  all  fallen 
before  pruning  is  done,  I  may  say  that  for  many 
years  they  have  been  pruned  whilst  a  large  pro- 
portion of  the  leaves  have  been  on,  and  without 
any  perceptible  injury.  Were  we  to  wait  till  all 
the  leaves  dropped  naturally,  it  would  not  be  till 
the  sap  had  become  active,  as  once  we  proved  by 
the  loss  of  vigour  through  bleeding,  solely  through 
waiting  for  the  leaves  to  fall.  The  partial  prun- 
ing that  was  done  to-day  consisted  in  cutting  back 
all  the  shoots  to  within  6  inches  or  9  inches  of  the 
main  stem.  This  check  done  now  stops  all 
further  attempt  at  growth,  and  hastens  the  matur- 
ing of  the  large  leaves  nearest  the  main  stem,  and 
thus  prepares  the  way  for  final  pruning  a  fort- 
night hence. 

October  18. 
In  addition  to  the  usual  weekly  round  of  clean- 
ing up  here,  there,  and  everywhere,  and  about 
which  it  is  not  necessary  to  write  more  fully,  we 
to-day  managed  to  get  weeded  Parsley,  herb,  and 
other  narrow  borders  in  the  kitchen  garden,  a  de- 
partment that  we  delight  to  honour  by  neatness 
equally  with  the  more  ornamental  parts,  though, 
unfortunately,  short-handedness  sometimes  com- 
pels us  to  neglect  it ;  but  the  well-being  of  the 
crops,  as  well  as  our  own  hatred  of  weeds,  does 
not  allow  the  neglect  to  be  long  continued.  This, 
splendid  season  has  given  no  quarter  or  excuse  to 
any  of  us  in  the  matter  of  weediness. 


October  20. 
Gathered  all  outside  Tomatoes  (Iiat  were  likely 
to  ripen  their  fruit  if  hung  on  the  trellis  in  the 
houses.  Of  course  they  are  not  so  highly  flavoured 
as  are  fruit  that  ripen  naturally,  but    they  do 
fairly  well,  and  help  to  eke  out  a  sjanty  supply 
from    indoors.     Earthing  Celery    and    trenching 
have  been  other  kitchen  garden  "  doings  "  to-day. 
In  the  houses  the  work  has  been  solely  preparatory 
to  housing  flower  garden  plants,  space  being  made 
for  these    by    shifting    Bouvardias,    Poinsettias, 
winter-flowering    Pelargoniums,    &c.,  from    cold 
frames  into  warmer  quarters,  bad  flowers,  leaves, 
weeds,  and  Moss  from  the  surface  of  the  pots 
being    cleared   as   the    plants   were  moved.     In 
another  direction  also  preparatory  work  has  been 
done,  namely,  cutting  of  Heather  in  turves  to  form 
a  groundwork  for  beds  in  which  Alternantheras 
have  been  used.   The  closely  rabbit-nibbled  pieces 
are  what  we  prefer,  and  it  is  simply  pressed  on 
the  ground,  the  dot  or  central  plants  of  the  designs 
being  planted  previously  ;  many  of  them,  indeed, 
have    done    duty    during  the   summer,   such  as 
Chamspeuces  (green  and  grey  Thistles),  Aralia 
Sieboldi,    small    Pvetinosporas,   and    Yuccas.     Of 
course  all  are  not  so  favoured  as   to   have    the 
Heather  to  cut  at,  but  they  may  have  the  com- 
moner Sedums— planted  with  this  intent— and  use 
them  just  in  the  same  way,  or,  on  a  small  scale. 
Cocoa-fibre  refuse  will  answer  the  same  ends  ;  at 
any  rate,  this  material  gives  a  pleading  tone  of 
colour  to   bare  places   in   beds 
when  there    are    not    sufficient 
plants  to  fill  out  with. 
October  21. 
Cut  all  Black  Hamburgh  Grapes 
and  put  them  in   bottles;  from 
now  onwards  with  us  this  variety 
keeps  far  better  in  theGraperoom 
than   on  the  Vmes.     Our  Grape 
room   is  heated,  but  very  rarely 
indeed  do  we  require  to  turn  the 
heat  on,  the  temperature  seldom 
receding    lower    than    i~j°,   our 
average  being  about  18°.     Damp 
more  than  cold  is  what  has  to  be 
guarded  against,  and  it  is  to  expel 
this  that  fire  is  oftener  required 
than  for  warmth,  and  whilst  the 
heat  is  on  both  door  and  venti- 
lators are  left  open.     The  Ham- 
burgh vinery  can  now  be  utilised 
for  plants,  and  Chrysanthemums, 
Azaleas,    Australian     Dracenas, 
Fuchsias,  and  Palms  are  already 
being   put    in    it.      Potted    for 
forcing  from  the  open  ground    layers  of  White 
Clove  Carnation,  Gloire  de  Nancy,  and  Pink  Mrs. 
Sinkins,  two  of  the  very  best  of  these  classes  of 
plants  that  have  ever  been  introduced,  and  both 
force  as  well  as  does  the  old  white,  or,  in  fact,  as 
any  other  forcing  Pink  or  Carnation.     Potted  the 
first  batch  of  Spirasa  japonica  for  forcing.     We 
have  two  sets  of  plants,  those  forced  last  winter 
and  spring  being  planted  out  as  soon  as  turned 
out  of  the  forcing  pit,  and  they  will  not  be  used 
again  till  next  autumn  ;  they  have  then  two  sea- 
sons to  recruit  their  energies.     The  plants  now 
being  potted  are  those  that  were  forced  in  the 
winter  and  spring  of  1882  and  1883,  and  having 
been  grown  on  a  deeply  trenched  soil  they  are  all 
that  can  be  desired.     We  used  the  smallest  size 
pots  that  the  plants  can  be  got  into,  as  the  plants 
are  mostly  required  for  furnishing  baskets  and 
vases  in  rooms.     Were  the  plants  required  for  cut- 
liower  purposes  only,  we  would  use  larger  pots 
with  a  view  to  save  time  in  watering,  of  which 
they  require  abundant  supplies.     Work  in  other 
departments  has  been  much  the  same  as  yester- 
day, with  clipping  of  Privet  hedges  in  framing 
ground    and   turf-cutting   for   potting   purposes 
added.  Hants. 


ORNAMENTAL  PIG-STYE. 
Herb  is  a  little  picture  from  a  photograph  which 
a  lady  sends    us,   showing   the   use    of  Gourds, 
and  which  tells  its  own  tale.    There  is  no  doubt 
these  fat  Gourds  have  fine  ornamental  qualities  and 


Oct.  25,    1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


369 


are  seldom  seen,  because  the  one  kind  we  grow  is 
generally  allowed  to  grow  flat  on  tlie  ground.  The 
finer  Gourds  grow  freely  up  the  roofs  of  low 
buildings,  along  low  walls,  and  up  stakes.  As 
their  great  fruits  swell  up  in  the  autumn  their 
effect  is  extremely  handsome,  and  they  are  worthy 
of  gracing  many  better  positions  than  that  shown 
in  our  illustration. 


RECENT  PLANT  PORTRAITS. 
Vriesia  fenestealis  {JSclgique  HoHicolc  for 
March,  1884) — A  fine  double  plate  of  this 
Brazilian  Bromeliad,  which  has  light  green,  strap- 
shaped  leaves,  latticed  all  over  with  curious  lines, 
whence  its  specific  name.  The  flowers  are 
greenish  with  brown  spots  on  outer  tube,  and  the 
inside  edges  of  the  petals,  which  are  slightly 
reflexed,  are  greenish  white.  The  flowers  are  pro- 
duced on  atall  slight  stem,  with  curious  regularity 
alternately  on  either  side. 

OKNITHOCErHALUS    GRANDIFLORUS    (BfJglque 

Ilirticole  for  April,  1884). — A  rather  insignificant 
greenish  white-flowered  Orchid  from  the  cooler 
regions  of  Brazil,  and  requiring  only  the  tempera- 
ture of  a  warm  greenhouse  for  its  cultivation. 

Feitillaeia  imperialis  inodora  (Kegel's 
6artcn1ipra,  plate  lllio) — A  variety  of  Crown 
Imperial  with  medium-sized  reddish  brown 
flowers,  said  to  be  totally  devoid  of  the  unpleasant 
smell  for  which  these  plants  are  all  usually 
remarkable. 

(Ethocarpds  purpueascens  (Kegel's  Gartcn- 
fi>r<i,  plate  116G) — A  rather  insignificant  and 
dull  purplish  flowered  Calitornian  annual  belong- 
ing to  the  family  of  the  Scrophulariacetc,  which 
bloomed  for  the  first  time  in  May,  1883,  in  the 
nursery  garden  of  Messrs.  Haage  and  Schmidt,  of 
Erfurt.  Though  the  foliage  is  pretty,  it  can 
scarcely  be  considered  an  acquisition. 

Vanda  Sandeeiana  {Illustration  Horticole, 
plate  532). — A  fine  double  plate  of  this  most 
beautiful  Orchid,  which  is  a  native  of  Mindanao, 
one  of  the  Southern  Philippine  Inlands,  where  it  is 
found  growing  on  the  branches  of  trees  in  slightly 
shaded  localities,  and  blooming  in  the  month  of 
October.  It  was  first  imported  by  Messrs.  Sander, 
of  St.  Albans,  and  has  far  the  largest  blooms  of 
any  of  its  family  as  yet  known  to  European  gar- 
dens, reminding  one  in  size  and  shape  of  the 
finest  forms  of  Odontoglossum  vexillarium. 

Dahlia  coccinea  vau  Nov^e  {Illustration 
Horticole,  plate  .533). — Three  pretty  single- 
flowered  Dahlias  are  here  figured,  one  of  them,  a 
fine  shade  of  dark  maroon  named  Negress ;  the 
others,  a  pleasing  shade  of  purple-rose  and  a  deep 
yellow  shaded  with  orange,  areunnamed. 

Rosaindica  odobatissima  Peincesse  Julie 
D'Aremberg  {Illustration  Horticohi,p\a,te  534). — 
A  most  beautiful  and  fully  double  Tea  Rose  of  a  clear 
canary  yellow,  shaded  towards  the  centre  with 
a  deeper  golden  tint.  It  was  raised  by  Slessrs. 
Soupert  and  Netting,  Mdme.  Berard  being  the 
seed-bearing  parent.  It  is  said  to  be  of  a  fine 
vigorous  constitution  and  a  very  free  bloomer ; 
both  of  which  qualities,  not  often  to  be  found  in 
yellow  Tea  Roses,  should  make  this  newcomer  a 
most  desirable  acquisition.  \V.  E.  G. 


Unfair  exhibiting.— No  amount  of  expo- 
sure, I  fear,  as  regards  borrowing  and  lending 
amongst  gardeners  will  pot  a  stop  to  this  practice. 
It  has  got  a  strong  footing,  and  will  require  severe 
measures  to  get  rid  of  it.  An  exhibitor  with  whom 
lam  acquainted,  who  has  taken  many  prizes,  regu- 
larly searches  the  gardens  in  his  neighbourhood 
for  the  best  subjects  with  which  to  make  up  his 
exhibits,  and  yet  men  who  stand  aloof  from  exhi- 
biting because  they  know  that  the  competition  is 
not  conducted  fairly  are  often  twitted  that  they 
are  afraid  to  meet  so  and  so  on  the  exhibition 
table.  As  to  myself,  I  positively  refuse  to  exhibit 
until  I  am  placed  under  fair  and  just  conditions. 
Honest  exhibitors — and  there  are  some — have  to 
suffer  through  the  misdeeds  of  others. — J.  C.  C. 

A  great  cause  of  dishonesty  at  exhibitions 

(which  is    by    no  means    confined  to  the  fruit 


classes)  is  societies  offering  tempting  prizes  for 
collections.  A  would-be  exhibitor  has  perhaps 
ten  good  dishes  out  of  the  twelve,  and,  not  caring 
to  be  excluded  altogether,  obtains  the  others  from 
his  friends,  quieting  his  conscience,  I  presume, 
by  reflecting  that  others  do  the  same  thing.  Far 
be  it  from  me  to  say  one  word  .against  exhibiting 
when  done  honestly  and  fairly.  It  engenders  a 
healthy  spirit  of  emulation  amongst  gardeners, 
and  brings  growers  together  in  friendly  rivalry. 
What  I  would  like  to  see  is  a  higher  standard  of 
morality  amongst  exhibitors.  I£  societies  would 
offer  better  prizes  for  single  dishes  and  none  for 
collections,  horticulture  would  be  benefited  and 
we  should  have  better  shows;  there  would  be 
more  exhibitors,  and  not  a,  quarter  of  the  tempta- 
tion to  dishonesty  that  now  exists. — W.  H. 
DivEBS,  Ketton  Hall. 


THE  GARDENERS'  ROYAL  BENEVOLENT 
INSTITUriON. 
May  I  ask  you  kindly  to  announce,  in  reply  to 
numerous  enquiries,  that  the  collection  this  year 
in  aid  of  the  Pension  Augmentation  Fund  will 
close  on  the  30th  of  November  next.  The  committee 
are  determined  if  possible  to  raise  the  amount  of 
the  pensions,  but  they  do  not  consider  it  safe  (and 
this  has  been  frequently  stated)  to  make  this  large 
increase  of  expenditure  (over  £400  a  year)  until 
the  reserve  fund  has  reached  £20,000,  thus  plac- 
ing beyond  doubt  that  the  annuities  can  always 
be  met.  I  am  very  fearful  that  many  of  your 
readers  ai  e  not  aware  that  a  nameless,  but  generous, 
gentleman  has  promised,  and  he  spoke  to  me  on  the 
subject  a  few  days  ago,  to  give  the  sum  of  £500 
provided  the  amount  of  £1750  be  secured  by  the 
31st  of  December  next,  thus  making  the  £20,000, 
which,  invested  in  3  per  cent,  consols,  would 
bring  in  an  income  of  £600  per  annum.  By  the 
strenuous  exertions  of  the  committee  we  are 
within  a  reasonable  distance  of  attaining  the  de- 
sired object,  but  it  now  depends  upon  the  gar- 
deners themselves  whether  we  do  so  or  not. 

To  complete  the  sum  of  £20  000  we  require 
about  £420,  but  I  regret  to  say  that,  so  far  as  I 
can  at  present  see,  there  is  little  chance  of  it 
being  obtained.  It  is  a  curious  fact  that  many 
gardeners  and  others  who  have  been  persistent  in 
urging  the  increase  of  the  pensions,  and  stating 
what  they  would  do  in  the  event  of  it  taking 
place,  will  not  in  the  slightest  degree  assist  the 
committee.  I  am  sure  you  will  agree  with  me 
that  it  will  be  a  lasting  disgrace  upon  the  libe- 
rality of  the  gardening  profession  that  throughout 
the  length  and  breadth  of  old  England,  where 
over  20,000  gardeners  are  employed,  the  paltry 
sum  of  £420  cannot  be  raised.  True,  as  a  rule, 
gardeners  do  not  receive  large  wages  ;  if  they  did, 
there  would  hardly  be  a  necessity  for  this  institu- 
tion ;  but  there  are  many  gardeners  holding  good 
positions  (and  who  take  many  prizes)  to  whom  a 
trifle,  say  lOs.  or  20s.,  could  not  and  would  not  be 
an  object,  and  if  the;e  would  only  combine  to- 
gether in  one  common  cause,  viz.,  to  assist  their 
distressed  brethren,  and  sink  their  petty  objec- 
tions to  this  rule  and  that  rule,  the  object  of  the 
committee  would  be  easily  attained,  and  they 
would  have  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  they 
had  contributed  to  assist  in  their  old  age  many 
who  from  various  circumstances  had  been  unable 
to  provide  for  themselves. 

Why  the  gardeners  withhold  support  to  the 
institution,  I,  after  an  experience  of  forty-two 
years,  am  at  a  loss  to  understand.  They  are,  as  a 
rule,  known  to  be  charitable  and  a  good  and 
intelligent  class  of  men,  but  somehow  they  fail 
to  see  the  benefits  of  and  to  support  the  institu- 
tion. How  often  has  it  been  my  unpleasant  posi- 
tion to  see  a  man  who  has  lived  all  his  time 
and  served  with  fidelity  and  truthfulness  a 
family ;  that  family  dies  out,  the  estate  passes 
into  the  hands  of  a  stranger  who  knows  nothing, 
and  care  less,  for  the  old  servant ;  he  is  dis- 
charged without  a  provision,  and  probably  with 
little  savings,  and  he  has  to  apply  to  this  institu- 
tion for  assistance.  If  he  has  been  a  subscriber 
for  fifteen  years  and  upwards  (which,  I  am  sorry 


to  say,  is  not  a  common  occurrence),  and  he  com- 
plies with  the  rules,  he  is,  at  the  first  opportunity, 
placed  upon  the  list  of  pensioners  without  the 
slightest  trouble  or  election,  and  in  one  year  he 
receives  back  nearly  all  that  he  has  paid  to  the 
institution ;  and,  as  an  example,  I  would  state 
that  one  pensioner  who  had  subscribed  eighteen 
years  was  placed  on  the  list  in  18o0;  he  has  re- 
ceived the  sum  of  £384,  and  he  is  still  living. 
Surely  this  is  placing  money  to  very  good  inte- 
rest. If  he  has  not  so  subscribed,  he  has  to  stand 
the  chance  of  an  election,  and  that  may,  and  it 
usually  does,  extend  over  many  years,  and  we  all 
know  the  old  proverb,  "  that  hope  deferred  maketh 
the  heart  sick."  Under  these  circumstances  I  ven- 
ture to  appeal  to  the  good  feeling  which  should, 
and  I  believe  does,  exist  throughout  the  gardening 
community  towards  this  institution.  It  now  re- 
mains with  the  gardeners,  and  gardeners 
alone,  to  determine  if  the  pensions  shall  be  raised 
during  the  ensuing  year.  Gentlemen,  em- 
ployers of  labour,  and  others  interested  in  horti- 
culture have  done  their  part,  and,  as  I  said  before, 
it  depends  upon  gardeners  if  the  comforts  of  their 
poor  professional  brethren  in  their  old  age  and 
days  of  distress  are  to  be  increased. 

One  word  in  conclusion,  and  of  this  I  am  sure, 
that  if  the  gardeners  as  a  body  will  only  show 
their  wiltingness  to  assist  the  institution,  there  are 
many  gentlemen  who  will  come  forward  with  their 
money  and  influence  ;  and  one  ihing  is  certain, 
that  any  gardener  who  may  lend  us  a  hand,  no 
matter  how  small  (for  a  man  can  only  give  in  pro- 
portion to  his  means),  will  never  regret  his  gene- 
rosity, and  will  sleep  none  the  worse  for  having 
assisted  to  the  best  of  his  endeavours  in  this  work 
of  charity.  Edw.  K.  Cutler. 


QUESTIONS. 


52fii.— OxiUs  luteola.— Will  some  reader  of  The 
Gari'KN  kindly  s.-jy  if  this  is  still  in  cultivation  in  England  ? 
and  if  so,  a  bulb  of  it  sent  to  nie  here  iu  excliange  for  some- 
thing elie  would  be  welcDmo.— M.v\  Leichtun,  Baden- 

."i 2(;r.  — Wlnte  lug  yjun?  Celars— I  hive  some 
younj^  Cedir  trees  wliic*i  weru  raised  from  seed  in  p<ns  in 
a  stove  and  planted  out  in  trie  ground  late  in  spring.  Ttiey 
are  now  about  3  inches  high.  Will  a-iy  of  your  readers 
liindly  iaform  me  what  should  be  done  with  them  daring 
the  winter  V—Q.  H. 

62iS.— German  paat  ll'.ter.-ln  The  Garhen  of 
September  ti  a  correspondent  mentioned  having  bought 
some  German  pjat  litter,  and  after  l)edding  his  horses 
with  the  litter,  he  made  it  into  a  bed  for  Vegetable  Mar- 
rows, when  Mushrooms  sprang  up  in  great  quantities. 
Can  any  of  your  readers  k'lidly  say  where  German  peat 
litter  can  be  obt  lined,  and  abojt  what  the  price  woul  1  be? 
— A.  C. ,  Is'c  of  Man. 

6269.— Blue  Passion  flower.-I  have  on  my  houss 
at  Kensington  a  p'uut  of  Passillora  c<ernlea  whicli  has 
flowered  well  throughout  the  past  summer,  and  is  now 
liearing  a  good  crop  of  its  golden  egg-shaped  fruits.  It  is 
a  plant  I  admire  greatly,  but  as  its  rapid  growth  has  now 
covered  the  space  origieally  allotted  to  it,  I  am  anxious  to 
know  the  best  course  of  treatment  to  adopt  to  keep  it 
within  bounds  .Should  itlia  pruned  back  now  or  in  the 
spring?  I  shall  be  very  grateful  for  any  practicil  infor- 
mation as  to  the  treatment  of  this  handaome  Brazilian 
climber.  -S.  K. 

5270.— Fernq.— Would  some  of  your  correspondents 
kindly  tell  me  what  wouli  be  best  to  do  under  the  follow- 
ing circumstances  ?  I  have  several  young  Ferns  that  I  wish 
to  grow  on  into  exhibition  specimens.  'I  liey  are  urowing 
nicely  in  a  temperature  of  between  (jO*  or  7u^.  They  are 
Adiantum  formosum,  A.  magnilicum,  A.  tetraphyllum, 
Blechnum  occidentale,  Woodwurdia  radicans,  and  Pteris 
scaberula.  Should  I  pot  them  into  larger  pots  and  keep 
them  growing  all  winter?  or  shall  I  remove  them  into  a 
cooler  house  and  give  them  a  rest,  starting  them  again  in 
the  spring?  A  little  advice  on  the  subject  will  greatly 
oblige.— L.  W. 

5  27 1.— Fish  ponds  —Would  .any  of  your  correspondents 
well  versed  in  the  construction  of  ponds  and  lakes  inform 
me  whether  I  can  construct  a  tmall  like  or  pond  and  keep 
the  water  In  good  condition  for  fish  and  .aquatics  under  the 
following  conditions  ?  First,  my  ground  U  of  a  fine  sandy 
loam  with  a  deep  bed  of  sand  and  gravel.  I  propose  to 
excavate  to  the  depth  of  5  feet,  and  then  puddle  the 
bottom  and  three  parts  of  the  sides  with  1  foot  of  clay,  the 
overflow  to  filter  tlirough  the  upper  part  of  the  sides.  The 
pond  can  only  be  fi  led  by  the  rain  and  also  a  pump,  the 
latter  to  be  used  three  or  four  tiuies  a  w-eeU  to  keep  the 
water  up  to  its  level.  I  have  not  any  wa'  er  in  the  grounds  or 
other  means  of  filling  the  pond  except  rain  and  the  pump. 
Before  commencing  the  affair  I  should  like  to  know  my 
chances  of  success  or  failure.  Here  some  say  I  can  succeed, 
and  others  that  I  cannot ;  so  I  venture  to  ask  for  help 
from  those  versed  in  such  matters.— W.  H.  C. 


370 


THE    GARDEN 


[Oct.  25,  1884. 


Orchids. 


CYPEIPEDIUM  CALCEOLUS. 

The   bulky  crowns  of  this  Lady's  Slipper,  of  a 
healthy  bronzy  green  just    cropping  out  of  the 
ground  and  getting  stouter  day  by  day,  remind 
one  that  this  is  the  best  time  to  transplant  it.     If 
the  roots  are  examined,  young  succulent  feeders 
may  be  seen  pushing  from  the  base  of  the  crowns, 
and  if  these  are  carefully  lifted  and  placed  in 
suitable  material,  they  will  grow  away  naturally, 
and  get  a  start  before  they  can  be  ice-bound,  or 
the  buds  become  scale-bound.     It  is  well  known 
that  this  Orchid  is  not  one  of  the  easiest  plants  to 
establish,  but  anyone  who  cares  to  try  the  experi- 
ment of  October  planting  with  a  healthy  root  that 
has  not  become  shrunken  through  exposure  will 
find  his  chances    of   success    largely  increased. 
There  is  likely,   however,  to  be  a  difficulty  in 
growing  it  well  in  the  natural  soil  of  most  gar- 
dens, as  they  do  not  all  suit  it.    We  can,  however, 
mix  material  and  find  a  situation  in  almost  any 
garden  in   which   it  may  be  made  to    flourish. 
Timely  planting  in  a  flat,  deep  bed  of  brown  loam 
mixed  with  plenty  of  sand  and  a  little  fine  peat, 
in  a  moist,  but  not  too  shady  situation,  may  be 
said  to  embrace  the  main  conditions  under  which 
it  succeeds  ;  but  that  the  chances  of  failure  may 
be  reduced  to  a  minimum,  the  teachings  of  re- 
peated  trials  would  point  to  sand  (almost  pure. 
but  properly  placed)  as  the  surest  and  best  kind 
of  material  to  give  it.     In  a  sand  bed  18  inches 
deep,  flat,  and  where  moisture  can  collect,  but  not 
remain  stagnant,  healthy  roots  have  not  failed  to 
flower  well  for  three  seasons  in  succession.     Often 
there  have  been  twins  and  seed ;  but  the  best  proof 
of  all  that  the  roots  were  in  suitable  material  has 
been  the  increase  of  crowns,  both  from  dormant 
eyes  on  the  rhizome  and  from  new  growth.    Some 
may  not  care  to  grow  this  or  any  other  hardy 
flower  under  such  artificial  conditions ;  but  at  pre- 
sent we  have  only  to  do  with  the  question  of  get- 
ting it  to  flourish  in  the  open   air.     The  sand 
should  be  fine  and  clean,  and  a  very  small  portion 
of  dusty  peat  will  be  of  advantage.     Put  this  ma- 
terial in  a  dug-out  square  adjoining  a  walk-gutter, 
where  it  will  receive  an  extra  supply  of  water,  and 
plant  in  October.  I  havebeen  in  the  habit  of  reviving 
roots  in  a  bed  like  this  which  had  lost  their  vigour 
from  being  subjected  to  pot-culture,  also  of  start- 
ing dormant  back  pieces  of  rootstock.     Under  no 
circumstances  is  a  piece  of  healthy  root  soon 
killed  in   the  ground,  whilst  I  take  it  that  the 
purity  and  porous  nature  of  the  sand  and  peat  are 
as  favourable  as  any  conditions  we  can  set  up  for 
the  growth  of  stout  wiry  roots.     The  orthodox 
"  bit  of  sand  "  we  are  so  careful  to  apply  when 
setting  bulbs  may  be  profitably  given  to  other 
newly  planted  roots,  and  if  many  vigorous  her- 
baceous things  which  can  hardly  be  said  to  need 
it  were  so  favoured,  they  would  be  all  the  better 
for  it.     Clean  sharp  sand  that  has  been  exposed 
to  the  summer  sun  is  most  useful  at  the  autumnal 
planting  season.     It  acts  like  sunshine  on  dormant 
plants.  J.  Wood. 

WoodviUc,  Kirlistall. 


vey's  gardener  seems  to  be  particularly  snccesSg 
f  ul,  as  the  spike  sent  is  longer  than  usual.  Thi^ 
species  bears  a  similarity  to  0.  citrosmum,  but  i 
even  more  delicate  in  tone.  Other  noteworthy 
specimens  sent  include  a  very  fine  form  of  Cattleya 
maxima  (Backhouse's  variety),  remarkable  for  the 
richness  of  colour  ;  also  Cattleya  or  Lailia  margi- 
nata,  one  of  the  prettiest  forms  of  this  dwarf- 
growing  species. 

Masdevallia  Chimsera  — Sir  Trevor  Law- 
rence sends  us  from  Burford  Lodge  an  extraordi- 
nary variety  of  this  Masdevallia,by  farthe  largest 
we  have  yet  seen.  The  flower  measures  across 
the  outspread  tail-like  sepals  just  12.}  inches.  The 
broad  portions  of  the  sepals,  which  form  an 
equilateral  triangle  in  outline,  are  white,  heavily 
barred  with  chocolate,  particularly  towards  the 
margins,  but  in  the  centre  the  white  ground  is 
only  spotted.  The  whole  of  the  interior  surfaces  of 
the  sepals  is  covered  with  hair-like  papillfe.  The  lip 
forms  a  white  and  wrinkled,  shell-like  pouch.  The 
flowers  of  this  Masdevallia  have  a  most  grotesque 
appearance,  and  their  strangeness  in  this  respect 
is  enhanced  by  the  peculiar  manner  in  which  they 
are  produced  from  the  base  of  the  plants. 

"Vanda  ccerulea. — This  is  one  of  the  most 
chaste  and  beautiful  Orchids  in  cultivation.  It 
is  very  liable,  however,  unless  properly  treated,  to 
be  affected  with  spot,  which  seriously  detracts 
from  its  appearance,  as  the  foliage  when  healthy 
is  so  dark  and  rich  as  to  add  considerably  to  its 
beauty.  This  spotting  proceeds  in  many  instances 
from  too  damp  an  atmosphere  being  maintained 
in  proportion  to  the  heat  and  light,  especially 
during  the  resting  season.  With  me  this  plant 
commences  growth  early  in  March,  when  it  is 
removed  to  the  warmest  house,  where  the  tempera- 
ture maintained  is  from  65°  Jto  8U°,  and  as  the 
season  advances  it  ranges  from  70°  to  8.5°,  and 
the  atmospheric  moisture  varies  from  l'>  to  95 
per  cent.  It  remains  in  this  temperature  till  it 
comes  into  bloom  in  October;  it  is  then  trans- 
ferred while  in  bloom  to  a  house  where  the  tem- 
perature ranges  from  60°  to  70°,  and  afterwards 
during  the  resting  season  from  50°  to  60°,  and 
where  the  atmospheric  moisture  ranges  from  70  to 
',10  per  cent.  It  is  annually  potted  in  March  into 
rather  a  small  pot,  using  Sphagnum,  charcoal,  and 
crocks.  During  the  resting  period  it  is  never 
watered,  unless  moderately  dry.  Under  these 
conditions  the  leaves  never  become  spotted,  and 
the  blooms  alwajs  assume  an  unusually  deep 
tinge,  with  delicate  lace-like  markings  on  the 
sepals  and  petals. — W.  C.  T. 


fall  in  their  locality  was  heavy  or  not  during  the 
winter  of  1883  and  1884.  I  might  also  add  that 
we  were  also  free  of  Onion  maggot  this  season, 
and  the  life  history  of  this  with  us  usually 
troublesome  pest,  being  very  similar  to  the  Celery 
maggot,  there  is  no  doubt  the  same  causes  have 
contributed  to  their  destruction.  It  is  something 
to  be  free  of  both  pests  for  one  season,  and  there 
being  apparently  none  to  hybernate,  we  may  also 
reasonably  anticipate  exemption  from  a  severe 
attack  next  season. — W.  I.  M. 


OBITUABT. 

The  death  is  announced  of  Dr.  Eoden,  of  Kidderminster,  an 
event  wliich  took  place  on  the  12th  inst.  at  the  age  of  7ft 
years.  Dr.  Roden  has  long  been  known  in  horticultural 
circles  chietiy  as  a  raiser  of  new  Strawberries,  several  of 
which  tiikc  Idgh  rank  among  established  sorts.  As  a  medi- 
cal man  Dr.  Koden  stood  high  in  his  profession. 


LATE  NOTES. 


Cyprlpedium  Spicerlanum. Under  the  name 

of  biflorum  magniticxmi  Mr.  Adcock,  of  Dulwich,  sends  us 
a  twin-rtowered  stem  of  this  beautiful  Cypripedium.  The 
flowers  are  large,  highly  coloiu-ed,  particularly  on  the  exte- 
rior of  the  dorsal  sepal.  The  plant  from  which  this  stem 
was  cut  is  said  to  haliitually  produce  twin-flowered  stems. 

Orchid  weevils  (IT.  J.  <?.).— The  beetles  attacking 
your  Orchids  are  a  species  of  wee^'il  belonging  to  the  genus 
Aeythopeus  ;  they  are  not  natives  of  this  country;  but  have 
nodoubt  been  imported  with  the  Orchids.  Handpicking 
is  the  best  means  of  getting  rid  of  them.  Many  of  our 
English  weevils  are  night  feeders  :  if  these  have  the  same 
haldt,  search  the  plants  « ith  a  light  after  dark.  No  insecti- 
cide  applied  t(j  tlic  plants  in  the  usual  way  would  kill  them, 
as  they  are  very  tenacious  of  life.— G.  S.  S. 

A  fe'w  choice  Orchids  have  been  sent  to 
US  by  Mr.  Harvey,  of  Aigburth,  Liverpool,  among 
them  being,  a  twin-flowered  spike  of  that  gem 
among  Lady's  Slippers,  Cypripedium  concolor.  It 
has  creamy  yellow  flowers  of  the  same  size  and 
form  as  C.  niveum  produced  on  short  stems. 
Another  little  gem  in  the  gathering  is  Odontoglos- 
sum  Krameri,  so  rarely  seen  in  flower.    Mr.  Har- 


Celery  maggot. — Our  rows  of  Celery  are 
singularly  free  from  this  pest  this  season,  and  I 
find  that  the  experience  of  others  in  the  west  of 
England  is  identical  with  mine.  All  agree  that 
a  more  favourable  season  for  Celery  in  this  respect 
could  not  well  be.  In  our  case,  not  a  grub  or  leaf 
miner  is  to  be  seen.  I  find,  however,  that  in  the 
eastern  and  northern  counties  grubs  are  plentiful. 
One  correspondent  of  mine  asserts  that  he  never 
saw  the  Celery  so_badly  damaged  by  caterpillars  as 
it  is  this  season.  "  This  at  first  rather  puzzled  me ; 
the  question  naturally  arose,  why  should  we 
escape  the  attack,  seeing  that  grubs  were  plenti- 
ful enough  last  season  ?  It  occurred  to  me  that 
the  nature  of  our  soil  has  had  something  to  do 
with  this.  It  is  of  a  cold,  clayey  character,  and 
naturally  much  affected  by  the  heavy  rains  that 
generally  fall  to  our  lot,  this  being  particularly 
heavy  last  winter  and  early  in  spring.  This  must 
have  destroyed  the  pup^  which  hybernate  in  the 
soil  during  winter  ;  whereas  in  warmer  soils  they 
found  an  exceptionally  congenial  home  last 
winter,  and  as  a  consequence  an  unusual  number 
of  flies  emerged  in  May  or  June,  these  depositing 
the  fggs  from  which  the  many  grubs  were 
hatched.  I  may  be  altogether  wrong  in  my  sup- 
positions, but  have  not  the  slightest  objection  to 
be  proved  mistaken  in  my  ideas  so  long  as  the 
truth  is  elicited.  Perhaps  the  publication  of  these 
remarks  will  induce  other  correspondents  to  state 
their  experience,  and  they  will  further  oblige  by 
describing  their  soil,  mentioning  also  if  the  rain- 


Slngl©  Dahlias. — A  good  selection  cfseedUngs.  No  1 
is  precisely  similar  to  that  received  lately  from  Mr.  Fisli 
and  Mr.  Teesdale,  reppecting  which  you  will  find  a  note  at 
page  280. 

Seedling  Dahlia.— I  send  you  a  seedling  Dahlia  saved 
from  a  senii-douljle  of  much  darker  colour.  \Yould  you 
call  it  a  Cactus  or  rather  one  of  the  Juarezi  tribe?  It  is  a 
very  free  blooraer. — T.  C. 

*„*  E.xactly  identical  with  the  variety  which  Messi-s. 
Cannell.  of  Swanley,  are  exhibiting  this  season  under  the 
name  of  D.  picta  formosissima,  which  is  said  to  be  a  very 
old  variety. — ED. 

Bhus  radlcans.— I  enclose  leaves  of  this  .ind  of  Rosa 
rugosa.both  of  which  seem  well  worth  a  place  in  every  gar- 
den on  account  of  their  autumn  coloirring.  Rosa  rugosa 
is  a  mass  of  gold.  The  autumn  colouring  of  trees  and 
shrubs  is  singularly  brilliant  here  this  season  .— C.  51. 
Owen,  KnockmuUen,  Oorcy,  Ireland. 

*,'  The  leaves  of  the  Rose  are  of  a  bright  golden  yellow 
those  of  the  Elrus  yellow  mottled  with  red.— Ed. 

Drv  rot.— I  send  you  a  fungus,  two  or  three  of  whic 
have  lieen  found  on  the  surface  of  a  floor  of  deal  which 
was  laid  down  about  eighteen  months  ago  of  new  timber 
and  well  ventilated  underneath.  They  have  grown  under  a 
piatu}.  Could  you  give  any  information  as  to  what  it  is 
and  what  would  prevent  its  further  growth? — T.  V.  E. 

*,'  The  nairre  of  the  fungus  sent  is  Merulius  lacrymans. 
It  is  the  dry  rot  fungus,  and  if  the  other  examples  .ire  like 
the  luxuriant  cue  sent,  they  may  possibly  destroy  all  the 
wood  in  the  houee  unless  carefully  removed.  lis  spawn 
can  be  destroyed  by  creosote  or  carbolic  acid,  but  the  pest 
seldom  or  never  appears  on  dry  wood  in  a  dry  position.  It 
is  aided  in  its  growth  by  damp  wood  in  an  insufliciently 
ventilated  place. — W.  G.  S. 

Autumn  Raspberries.— I  send  you  a  small  box  of 
autumn  Raspberries  which  we  find  very  useful  at  this  time 
of  the  ytar.  It  is  not,  perhaps,  generally  known  how  pro- 
lific they  are,  or  they  would  be  oftener  grown  than  they  are. 
Owing  probably  to  the  fine  autumn,  the  fruit  has  been  ex- 
ceptionally good.  The  soil  here  is  heavy  magnesian  lime- 
stone.—G.  SOMMEES,  Sandbcck  Park,  Rotherham. 

',"  The  branches  sent  were  loaded  with  fruit,  not  large, 
but  well  flavoured.— Ed. 


Namingr  plants. — Four  hinds  of  plants  or /lowers 
onlif  can  be  named  at  one  time,  and  this  only  when  good 
Specimens  are  sent. 

Names  of  plants.— .B.  Jf.— Please  send  a  better  spe- 
cimen ;    the   one   sent  is    not  recognisable. Constant 

Reader.  — \,  Kerria  japonicafl.-pl. ;  2,  Helenium  autumnale. 

^fac. — Pyrethrum  uligiuosum  ;  1,  A.  longifolius  ;  2,  A. 

horizontalis  ;  3,  A.  diftusus. M.  ScoK. —Chiysanthemum 

coronarium  ;  coloured  leaves  are  from  Rhus  radicans. 

Brajii.- Cattleya  labiata. 

Namins  fruii.— Readers  who  desire  our  help  m  naming 

Jruit  will  kindly  bear  in  mind  that  several  specimens  rf 
different  stages  oj colour  and  size  of  the  same  kind  greatly 
assist  in  its  determination.  Local  varieties  should  be 
named  by  local  growers,  and  are  often  only  known  to  them. 
We  can  only  undertake  to  name  fuxir  varieties  at  a  time, 
and  these  only  when  the  above  condition  is  observed.  Un- 
^)aid  parcels  not  received. 

Names  of  fruits.— S.  IT.  S.-2,  Duchesse  d'Angou- 

lOme  ;  other  not  known. J.  Baylis.— You  do  not  .attach 

numbers  to  your  fruits. R.  Jf.— Jacques'  Early  Julien. 

G.  F.  T.—\,  King  of  the  Pippins ;  2,  not  known ;  3, 

Lemon  Pippin  ;    4,  Cox's  Orange  Pippin. Reader.— 1, 

Tibbet's  Pearmain ;  2,  Kibston  Pippin  ;  3,  not  known ;  4, 

Norfolk   Beaufin. J.  House.— 1,  Golden  Noble  ;  2,  Al- 

friston  ;  3,  Beauty  of  Kent ;  4,  Rhode  Island  Greening. 

Centurion. — Apple  not  known,  a  very  fine  sort ;  3,  Duchesse 

d'Angouleme ;  4,  Beurri5  Bosc. Jimerald.—2.  Glou  Mor- 

cearr  ;   3,  Charlotte  de  Erouwer. ./.  Shankland  — Far- 

leigh  Pippin. FtoifHp. —Trumpington  or  Eve  Apple, - 

M.   B.  B.   C— Pear  Black  Achan, S.  F.-\,   Summer 

Strawberry  ;  4,  Blenheim  Orange  ;  others  not  known. • 

A.  C.  B.  0.— large  white  Apple,  Manks  Codlin ;  small 
yellow  Apple,  Small's  Golden  Pippin. M.  0.-1,  Blen- 
heim Orange  ;  2,  Nonsuch  ;  3,  King  of  the  Pippins  ; 
known. Others  next  week. 


;  4,  not 


THE    GARDEN 


371    . 


No.  876. 


SATURDAY,  Nov.  J,  1884. 


Vol.  XXV 


"  This  ia  an  Art 
Wliicli  does  mend  Xatnre  :  chansc  it  rather :  but 
The  art  itself  is  Nature.  "—SAaif»j)car<'. 


MUSCAT  GRAPES  IN  COOL  HOUSES. 

We  are  now  cutting  thoroughly  well-iipened  Mus- 
cat of  Alexandria  Grapes  that  have  been  ripened 
■without  fire-heat ;  in  fact,  they  are  in  houses  that 
cannot  be  heated  to  any  great  extent,  inasmuch 
as  they  only  have  one  flow  and  return  3-inch  pipe 
in  them,  and  this  can  only  be  slightly  warmed, 
owing  to  the  long  distance  at  which  it  is 
placed  from  a  small  boiler,  and  the  fire  has  not 
been  lighted  more  than  a  dozen  days  this  year, 
and  that  was  only  to  dispel  damp,  not  to  raise  the 
temperature,  and  has  happened  since  the  Grapes 
were  St  to  cut.  Yet  people  who  own  extensive 
ranges  of  glass,  and  still  go  in  for  the  orthodox 
Muscat  temperature,  have  acknowledged  that 
Grapes  thus  produced  are  superior  in  every  way  to 
those  ripened  in  greater  heat.  As  regards  regu- 
larity of  bunch,  we  never  had  so  good  a  set  in  any 
way  when  we  used  to  keep  the  temperature  up  to 
what  is  generally  supposed  to  be  proper  for  Mus- 
cats, viz.,  70°  at  night  and  from  80°  to  90°  by 
day.  Our  plan  is  to  give  plenty  of  air  early  in 
the  day,  and  to  shut  up  with  all  the  sun-heat 
which  we  can  get,  i.e.,  as  soon  as  its  rays  begin  to 
decline  ;  scorching  after  2  p.m.  need  not  be  feared. 
Good  late  Grapes,  I  know,  can  be  grown  with  fire- 
heat,  but  we  like  to  keep  the  coal  bill  as  low  as 
possible,  for  owing  to  the  low  price  of  hothouse 
Grapes  there  is  not  much  margin  for  profit.  I  send 
you  a  sample  both  of  Muscat  of  Alexandria  (true) 
and  its  best  companion.  Lady  Downes  Seedling,  a 
Grape  that  many  say  cannoo  be  grown  without 
plenty  of  fire-heat.  James  Groom. 

Gosjiort,  Hants. 

*,,*  The  Muscats  were  quite  ripe  and  excellent 
in  flavour.  The  Lady  Downes  were  not  quite  so 
good. — Ed. 


A  FEW  GOOD  ASTERS. 

The  term  Michaelmas  Daisies  as  applied  to  Asters, 
although  now  a  general  one  denoting  no  sort  in 
particular,  was,  we  have  reason  to  believe,  origin- 
ally applied  to  Aster  Novi-Belgii,  a  name  which 
may  be  safely  taken  to  include  almost  one-third 
of  the  Asters  cultivated  in  gardens,  for,  according 
to  Dr.  Gray's  "  New  American  Flora,"  all  the  forms 
of  laivigatus,  formosus,  and  minimus  are  com- 
prised under  Novi-Belgii,  creating  perhaps  greater 
confusion  than  ever  before  existed  in  the  history 
of  this  intricate  genus.  The  epithet  weedy  has 
been  applied  to  Asters,  but  put  everything  in  its 
right  place  and  the  epithet  vanishes.  In  the  Cam- 
bridge Botanic  Gardens  as  well  as  elsewhere  we 
have  seen  even  second-rate  Asters  quite  at  home  in 
a  mixed  belt  of  plantation,  with  an  undergrowth 
of  rank  Grass  and  low  characteristically  straggling 
bushes,  leaving  nothing  to  be  desired  in  the  way 
of  natural  effect  or  suitability  with  their  sur- 
roundings. In  many  of  the  old-fashioned  gardens 
skirting  the  Thames  between  London  and  Hampton 
Court  Michaelmas  Daisies  may  be  seen  growing  in 
wild  luxuriance,  uncared  for.  In  such  places  even 
second-rate  Asters  harmonise  infinitely  better  with 
their  surroundings  than  in  a  well-kept  garden. 
Some  of  the  larger  and  better  sorts  might,  how- 
ever, with  advantage  be  planted  at  intervals  in 
mixed  borders,  and  as  their  sizes  are  as  varied  as 
their  forms,  some  of  the  smaller  plants  of  Novi- 
Belgii,  Reevesi,  alpinus,  and  others  might  stand  in 


the    front  row,  lajvis    and    Novie-Anglije    being 
further  back. 

Amongst  kinds  flowering  just  now,  and  which 
may  be  planted  for  late  effect,  are  the  following  : 
A.  turbinellus,  a  fine,  graceful  habited  plant,  some 
of  the  smaller  forms  of  which  seldom  attain  more 
than  2  feet  in  height,  with  flowers  about  the  size 
of  a  florin,  bluish  purple  in  colour  with  a  promi- 
nent bright  yellow  disc.  A  variety  with  flowers 
of  much  the  same  colour  as  the  latter  is  known 
in  gardens  as  A.  Chapmani,  although  the  species 
to  which  this  name  correctly  belongs  is  a  wholly 
different  plant,  much  taller  than  the  typical  form, 
which  is  about  5  feet,  and  has  more  distinctly  stem- 
clasping  leaves.  Of  A.  ericoides  there  is  a  variety 
called  Reevesi,  quite  a  little  gem  for  rockwork ; 
it  does  not  grow  more  than  a  foot  high,  and  bears 
a  dense  head  of  white  flowers,  through  which  it  is 
difficult  to  see  either  stem  or  leaves.  Ericoides 
itself  grows  from  2  feet  to  3  feet  in  height,  and 
has  very  numerous  flowers  ;  they  are  white,  about 
the  size  of  a  sixpence,  and  have  a  yellow  disc. 
The  leaves  are  very  narrow,  the  habit  spreading 
and  free.  A.  multillorus  is  much  taller  than  the 
foregoing ;  it  produces  more  numerous  and 
smaller  flowers,  borne  thickly  on  much  branched 
stems.  They  are  pure  white  and  very  compact. 
DifEusus,  which  grows  about  2  feet  in  height,  has 
its  flowers  crowded  on  horizontal  stems ;  the 
petals,  being  narrow  and  white,  contrast  well  with 
their  bright  purple  discs.  It  has  a  denser  habit 
than  ericoides  and  larger  leaves.  Pendulus  grows 
from  i  feet  to  5  feet  in  height,  and  is  graceful  in 
habit.  Its  flowers  are  white.  L^vis,  which  grows 
about  5  feet  high,  has  large  bright  purple, 
Amellus-like  flowers,  closely  set  rays,  and  each 
flower  is  about  as  large  as  a  penny.  The  leaves 
are  very  narrow,  half  stem  clasping,  and  lance 
shaped,  and  about  halt  of  them  are  always  more 
or  less  withered.  Amethystinus,  unless  for  variety 
of  form,  is  hardly  desirable  for  small  gardens, 
being  only  a  diminutive-flowered  Novai-Anglia;.  It 
grows  from  2  feet  to  6  feet  in  height.  Cordifolius 
has  numerous  and  very  peculiar  slate-coloured 
flowers.  Its  lower  leaves  are  quite  cordate,  the 
upper  inclining  and  lanceolate,  but  always  keep- 
ing more  or  less  the  cordate  form.  It  grows  about 
5  feet  high.  Sagittifolius  is  dwarf er  than  the  fore- 
going and  has  totally  difierent  leaves.  The  latter 
are  broadly  lanceolate,  tapering  gradually  to  the 
foot-stalk,  and  distinctly  serrated.  It  grows  about 
3  feet  in  height,  and  is  suitable  for  a  shrubbery  or 
rough  rockery .  Versicolor,  including  discolor  major 
and  minor,  is  a  very  distinct  species,  with  flowers 
varying  from  white  to  purple  or  rose  on  the  same 
plant.  Its  height  ranges  from  9  inches  to  4  feet 
or  5  feet,  leaves  long  and  narrow,  and  the  habit 
bushy.  Amelias  is  a  handsome  autumn-flowering 
Aster,  as  is  also  the  variety  bessarabicus,  but  both 
are  too  well  known  to  need  a  word  said  in  their 
praise.  What  is  called  Archer  Hinds  variety 
seems  to  belong  to  spectabilis,  the  only  difference 
being  its  later  flowering  habit.  It  has  a  much 
longer  involucre  than  Amellus  and  entirely  gla- 
brous leaves — a  wide  distinction  botanically.  The 
varieties  of  Novai-Anglia;,  roseus  ruber,  altissimus, 
and  others  are  very  fine,  and  hard  to  surpass  at 
this  late  season  ;  all  of  them  are  tall  growers  and 
more  suitable  for  isolating  in  woodlands  than  for 
planting  in  the  mixed  border,  unless  in  a  back- 
ward position.  They  range  in  colour  from  rose  to 
deei)  purple,  and  are  all  very  handsome.  K. 


Laurustlnua  hedges.— These  form  con- 
picnous  features  in  gardens  on  the  south  coast; 
they  begin  to  flower  just  when  they  are  most 
needed,  viz.,  when  the  falling  leaves  of  deciduous 
trees  indicate  the  end  of  the  floral  year,  as  far  as 
the  majority  of  our  garden  flowers  are  concerned. 
The  Laurustinus  is,  however,  an  exception  ;  it 
begins  to  expand  its  pretty  heads  of  blossom  in 
October  and  is  in  full  bloom  about  Christmas,  and 
there  are  then  few  more  atttactive  sights  than  the 
pretty  hedges  of  Laurustinus  that  enclose  the 
villa  gardens  in  this  district.  Hedges,  I  may 
remark,  are  a  necessity  here  in  order  to  break  the 
force  of  the  south-west  gales  that  batter  tender 
garden  inmates  to  pieces,  and  for  this  purpose  the 


Laurustinus  is  a  favourite.  The  usual  course_  in 
forming  hedges  is  to  dig  out  a  trench  IJ  feet  wide 
and  1  foot  deep,  thoroughly  breaking  up  the 
bottom,  and  in  this  to  plant  thrifty  little  bushes 
two  years  old  from  cuttings  at  about  \h  feet 
apart.  They  quickly  form  a  dense  hedge,  as  the 
soil  being  light  and  strong,  they  form  an  abundance 
of  roots  in  comparison  with  the  amount  of  top 
growth.  The  only  pruning  they  require  consists 
in  shortening  any  strong  shoots  with  a  knife 
during  the  spring  months,  when  the  flowers  begin 
to  fade  and  before  growth  commences.  March  or 
April  are  good  months  for  the  operation,  as  they 
get  a  long  season  of  growth,  and  I  may  add  that  a 
position  in  full  sunshine  where  the  wood  gets  fully 
ripened  is  the  best,  in  order  to  ensure  plenty  of 
bloom.  As  single  specimens  on  Grass  the  Laurus- 
tinus is  extremely  beautiful,  and  as  a  shrub  for 
cemetery  decoration  there  are  few  more  generally 
useful. — J.  G.,  Hants. 

Blackberries  in  South  Hants.— This 
has  been  a  grand  season  for  Blackberries,  and  I 
question  if  in  any  part  of  England  they  are  pro- 
duced  in  greater  quantities  than  here.  This  is 
partly  owing  to  the  great  extent  of  Crown  lands 
that  are  allowed  to  lie  in  a  semi-wild  state,  and 
partly  to  the  hedgerows  being  allowed  more  free- 
dom of  growth  than  in  most  agricultural  counties. 
Brambles  spring  up  spontaneously  in  the  soil  here, 
and  only  need  letting  alone  to  produce  in  due 
course  loads  of  their  useful  fruit.  The  weather 
was  hot  and  dry  while  they  were  in  bloom,  then 
copious  rains  fell  to  swell  the  berries,  and  again  a 
long  protracted  spell  of  fine  summer-like  weather 
occurred  during  the  autumn  months ;  consequently 
during  the  whole  of  September  and  October 
Blackberries  have  been  brought  into  south  coast 
towns  in  great  quantities,  and  realised  from  3d. 
to  6d.  per  quart.  The  greater  part  of  them  was 
used  for  culinary  purposes,  and  great  quantities 
were  sold  for  preserving.  As  regards  the 
latter  purpose,  even  in  districts  where  there  is  no 
sale  for  them,  they  might  with  advantage  be  con- 
verted into  preserves,  and  for  jelly  they  are  ex- 
tremely well  suited.  Hereabouts  the  whole  of  the 
crop  is  gathered  by  the  poor  inhabitants  from 
towns  who  make  excursions  to  the  country  on 
purpose  ;  in  fact,  for  weeks  past  many  have 
gained  a  livelihood  by  this  means  alone.— J. 
Groom,  Gosj/ort. 


PLANTS    IN    FLOWEE; 

Tuberous  Begonias.— A  very  fine  series  of  tuberous- 
rooted  Beiionia  flowers  has  been  sent  to  us  by  Mr.  E.  Owen, 
florist,  of  Yewdon,  Henley-on-Thames,  who  states  that  the 
sorts  sent  are  of  his  own  r.iising.  The  flowers  are  remark- 
able for  large  size,  symmetrical  shape,  and  brilliant  colours, 
though  there  are  no  new  tints  amongst  them. 

Escallonla  rubra— This  is  smaller  than  the  com- 
moner E.  macrantha,  but  elegant.  The  flowers  are  reddish, 
loosely  set  on  slender  shoots.  Mr.  Stevens  semis  flowering 
twigs  of  it  from  his  garden  at  Grasmere,  Byfleet,  together 
witli  Veronica  imperlalis  and  Kubus  rosa;folius,  both  now 
fully  in  bloom. 

Aster  spectabilis.— We  saw  this  species  in  flower 
at  Kew  a  few  days  since,  and  were  much  struck  with  its 
showiness  and  distinctness.  It  reminds  one  of  A.  Amellus, 
perhaps  the  best  of  all  the  Michaelmas  Daisies,  but  it  is  of 
slenderer  growth,  and  the  colour  is  richer.  It  is  one  of 
medium  height.  We  should  include  it  in  a  selection  of  the 
best  dozen  Michaelmas  Daisies. 

Ourisla  coccinea.— This  little  plant  is  brightening 
up  the  rock  garden  just  now  with  its  spikes  of  showy  red 
flowers.  Mr.  Stevens  sends  us  good  spikes  of  it  from 
Byllcct  where  it  grows  well  in  Ills  light  soil.  Some  persons 
cannot'gct  on  with  it,  do  what  they  will  to  coax  it.  It 
seems  to  delight  in  hugging  a  moist  bit  of  soft  sandstone, 
against  which  it  roots  freely. 

Senecio  puloher.— Where  this  late  flower- 
ing perennial  succeeds  well  it  is  really  a  most 
valuable  plant ;  it  is  not  only  showy,  but  different 
from  all  other  open-air  flowers  in  autumn.  It  is 
liable  to  be  attacked  in  the  leaves  by  a  kind  of 
fungus,  which  soon  cripples  the  growth  of  the 
plant.  It  grows  apparently  with  luxuriance  in  Mr. 
( ;.  F.  Wilson's  garden,  at  Oakwood,  Wisley,  judg- 
ing by  some  uncommonly  fine  flowers  which  he 
sent  us  among  a  gathering  of  vaiious  hardy  floweis 
a  few  days  since. 


372 


THE    GAKDEN 


[Nov.  1,  1884. 


Schlzostylls  OOCCinea.— Again  this  au- 
tumn Mr.  G.  F.  Wilson  brings  us  some  fine  growths 
of  this  beautiful  Chilian  plant  from  his  garden  at 
Wisley.  The  specimens  are,  however,  not  quite 
so  fine  as  those  he  brought  last  season,  from  which 
the  plate  published  in  The  Garden  was  drawn. 
This  circumstance  may  be  accounted  for  probably 
by  the  dry  season.  Other  tiowers  sent  by  Mr. 
Wilson  in  good  flowering  condition  include  Gail- 
lardias,  Morina  longifolia,  Geum  coccineum, 
Erica  ciliaris,  Snapdragons,  Pentstemons,  and 
Funkia  grandiflora. 

Scotch  autumn  flo'wers.— 1  send  you  a 
gathering  of  flowers,  which  are  still  in  profusion 
here  ;  all  are  cut  from  the  open  border.  The  Pent- 
stemons have  yielded  a  profusion  of  flowers  since 
early  in  July,  and  though  those  now  sent,  owing 
to  the  lateness  of  the  season,  are  not  so  fine  as 
those  I  sent  you  formerly,  they  are  fairly  good  for 
the  season,  and  most  effective  in  the  beds.  The 
long  continuance  of  these  plants  in  flower,  coupled 
■with  the  little  trouble  attending  their  cultivation 
and  the  great  variety  of  colours  and  markings  now 
existing  amongst  them,  render  the  Pentstemon  one 
of  the  most  effective  of  summer  and  autumn- 
blooming  plants.  For  a  late  autumn  display  out- 
side, and  especially  for  cutting  purposes,  perhaps 
no  plant  excels  the  perennial  Aster,  of  which  I 
send  yon  specimens  of  a  few  of  my  select  kinds. 
These  plants  deserve  to  be  more  generally  culti- 
vated than  they  are  ;  they  would  be,  no  doubt,  if 
the  range  of  colours  found  in  the  various  species 
were  better  known.— John  Fokbes,  Buocleuch 
nurseries,  Haiviclt. 

*^*  A  remarkably  fine  gathering  for  the  last 
week  in  October ;  indeed,  such  a  gathering  would 
be  difficult  to  surpass  even  in  the  south,  and  every 
specimen  sent  is  good  of  its  kind.  Among  them 
are  the  following:  Early-flowering  , Chrysanthe- 
mums, Stocks  of  sorts,  Pentstemons,  a  fine  selec- 
tion ;  Gaillardias,  various  kinds  ;  Coreopsis  lanceo- 
lata.  Asters,  the  best  of  the  Michaelmas  Daisies, 
such  as  A.  longifolius  formosus,  Amellus,  and  bess- 
arabicus;  also  Lupinus  polyphyllus,  Rudbeckiaspe- 
ciosa,  Helenium  autumnale,  and  Chrysanthemum 
maxlmnm. — Ed. 


the  secretary's  address  is  Mr.  Robert  P.  M'Cagie, 
Bridge  of  Allan. 

Mangoes.— Mr.  Maries,  Durbhungah.we  learn, 
has  in  two  years  collected  and  made  coloured 
illustrations  of  upwards  of  200  distinct  sorts  of 
these  useful  Indian  fruits.  He  has  also  formed  a 
model  plantation  of  them,  consisting  of  about  65 
acres,  in  which  he  has  some  .500  varieties.  He  has 
started  a  new  system  of  nomenclature  in  reference 
to  them,  founded  on  names  given  to  him  by  one  of 
the  largest  growers  of  Mangoes  in  India,  an  old 
landowner.  Hindustani  and  Persian  names  will 
be  used,  being,  Mr.  Maries  thinks,  more  suitable 
than  English  ones,  as  they  are  generally  under- 
stood there.  Mango  names  are  handed  down 
from  generation  to  generation.  Seeds  have  been 
carefully  selected  with  the  view  of  improving  the 
present  race  of  Mangoes,  and  for  this  purpose  Mr. 
Maries  would  be  glad  to  get  seeds  from  other 
countries  in  which  the  Mango  is  grown,  together 
with  a  pencil  drawing  or  tracing  of  the  fruit. 
Seeds  packed  in  damp  soil  travel  well.  He  would, 
he  adds,  send  other  seeds  in  exchange. 


NOTES  OP  THE  WEEK. 

Peaches  on  open  walls  at  Tortworth— Outdoor 
Peach  culture  is  pursued  with  remarkable  success  at  Tort- 
worth.  We  have  not  for  years  aeou  such  perfectly  covered 
walls.    The  crops  this  year  were  enormous. 

The  gold  medal  for  seedsmen  at  the  Health  Exhibition 
has  been  awarded  to  Messrs.  James  Carter  A-  Co.,  High 
Holborn,  and  the  silver  medal  to  Messrs.  Sutton  &  Sons, 
Keading.  Silver  medals  have  also  been  awarded  to  Mefsrs. 
Wheeler  tt  Son,  Gloucester,  and  to  Messrs.  Webb  &  Soji, 
Wordsley. 

Royal   Botanic   Society.— Meetings   for 

1885  :  Spring  exhibitions,  AVednesdays,  March  25, 
April  22  ;  gates  open  at  2  o'clock.  Summer  exhi- 
bitions, Wednesday,  May  20,  June  17  ;  gates  open 
at  2  o'clock.  Evening  fete,  Wednesday,  July  1, 
8  p.m.  to  12  p.m.  Special  exhibition  of  American 
plants  by  Mr.  Anthony  Waterer,  Knap  Hill, 
Surrey;  daily  during  June.  Promenades  every 
Wednesday,  from  May  6  to  July  29,  excepting 
May  20,  June  17,  and  July  1.  Lectures  at  4  p.m. 
Fridays,  May  1  to  June  19.  General  meetings  lor 
election  of  new  Fellows,  &c.,  Saturdays  at  3.15. 
January  10,24;  February  14,28;  March  14,  28; 
April  11,25;  May  9,  23;  June  13,27;  July  11,  25; 
November  14,  28;  December  12.  Anniversary, 
Monday,  August  10,  at  1  p.m. 

Testimonial  to  Dr.  Paterson.- In  con- 
sideration of  Dr.  Paterson's  general  philanthropy, 
and  the  interest  he  has  always  taken  in  natural 
science,  as  instanced  in  the  impetus  he  has  given 
to  horticulture  in  his  own  district,  including  the 
cultivation  of  Orchids  and  other  beautiful  and  in- 
teresting plants,  which  he  is  at  all  times  ready  and 
pleased  to  show  to  the  public,  it  is  proposed  to 
present  him  with  a  substantial  testimonial,  indi- 
cating the  appreciation  in  which  he  is  held  by  his 
numerous  friends  in  all  parts  of  the  three  king- 
doms. Dr.  Paterson  is  well  known  to  our  readers, 
and  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  may  wish  to  sub- 
scribe to  this  testimonial,  we  may  mention  that 


Orchids. 

AUTUMN  ORCHIDS  IN  AMEPvICA. 
The  flowering  seasons  of  Orchids  seem  to  be  much 
the  same  in  the  United  States  as  here,  though  the 
difference  in  the  climate,  as  regards  extremes  of 
heat  and  cold,  no  doubt  influences  the  growth  and 
flowering  to  some  extent.  Judging  by  the  long 
list  of  choice  species  and  varieties  that  were  in 
bloom  at  the  beginning  of  October  in  Mr.  Com- 
ing's rich  collection  at  Kenwood,  near  Albany,  N.  Y., 
we  doubt  if  any  one  European  collection  could 
yield  such  a  display.  Among  I'halajuopsids,  which 
are  among  Mr.  Coming's  special  favourites,  there 
were  a  large  number  of  species  out,  some  of  them 
of  the  choicest.  These  included  P.  Lowi,  fasciata, 
Valentinei,  Schroederi,  violacea  alba,  Esmeralda;, 
brachyodon,  besides  the  common  P.  grandiflora, 
amabilis,  and  others.  In  addition  to  these  the 
flowering  display  comprised  such  lovely  kinds  as 
Cattleya  Sanderiana,  Eldorado  and  varieties,  L. 
callistoglossa.  which  is  without  question  one  of  the 
most  magnificent  of  all  the  Lselias,  numerous 
Aerides,  and  Odontoglossums.  With  regard  to  the 
latter,  Mr.  Grey,  who  has  for  many  years  cultivated 
Mr.  Coming's  collection  so  successfully,  gives  it  as 
his  opinion  that  all  the  hybrid  Odontoglossums 
have  a  stronger  tendency  to  flower  continuously 
than  the  typical  species.  For  example,  he  says 
0.  Wilkeanum  and  other  hybrids,  such  as  0.  Cora- 
dinei,  Ruckerianum,'  Andersonianum,  Chestertoni, 
all  flower  more  than  once  in  a  year,  and  some  as 
constantly  as  a  scarlet  Pelargonium,  whereas  the 
type  species  rarely  flower  more  than  once.  No 
doubt  Mr.  Grey's  experience  can  be  corroborated 
by  orchidists  in  these  islands,  though,  perhaps, 
owing  to  the  changeableness  of  the  climate,  the 
conditions  are  not  so  marked. 


New  hybrid  Orchids.— Some  startling  new 
hybrid  Orchids  have,  we  learn,  seen  the  light  in  the 
Royal  Exotic  Nursery,  Chelsea,  in  the  form  of  a 
splendid  new  Cattleya,  a  new  hybrid  Masdevallia 
between  M.  Davisi  and  M.  A'eitchi,  and  a  white- 
flowered  variety  of  the  popular  Cypripedium 
Sedeni.  \'aluable  as  are  the  discovery  and  im- 
portations of  beautiful  primitive  species,  these 
hybrids  are  even  more  valuable,  inasmuch  as  in 
almost  every  instance  they  possess  such  vigorous 
constitutions  and  free  flowering  propensities  as 
render  them  more  amenable  to  cultivation.  When 
every  region  of  the  Tropics  has  been  scoured  for 
novelties, we  shall  probably  watch  with  even  keener 
interest  than  now  for  the  results  of  the  hybridist's 
industry. 

Aerides  Houllettianum.  —  This  Orchid 
combines  showiness  and  fragrance  in  a  remarkable 
degree,  and,  moreover,  possesses  a  certain  amount 
of  elegance,  always  a  telling  point  in  an  Orchid. 
The  flowers,  produced  in  long  pendulous  spikes, 
possess  those  quiet  harmonious  tints  which  always 
captivate  the  refined.  The  labellum  and  its  horn- 
like spur  are  of  a  soft  fawn  tint  inclining  to  prim- 


rose, while  the  sepals  are  tipped  with  rose-pink. 
These,  set  on  graceful  spikes  drooping  from  the 
rich  green  of  the  tall  tiers  of  foliage,  produce  a 
charming  effect,  which  is  enhanced  by  the  de- 
lightful fragrance  of  the  flowers.  It  is  deservedly 
becoming  popular,  being  imported  rather  plenti- 
fully, and  it  seems  to  be  a  plant  of  easy  culture. 
It  is  now  one  of  the  chief  objects  of  interest  in  the 
East  Indian  Orchid  houses  at  the  Royal  Exotic 
Nursery,  Chelsea. 

Lse'.ia  elegans  Turneri. — We  had  not  a 

clear  idea  of  what  Turner's  variety  of  Lajlia  ele- 
g.-ins  was  until  we  saw,  the  other  day,  a  magnifi- 
cent spike  of  it  carrying  five  flowers,  sent  by  Sir 
Trevor  Lawrence  from  his  garden  at  Burford 
Lodge,  Dorking.  The  genuine  variety,  which  this 
was,  is  indeed  a  splendid  Orchid,  and  it  is  not 
surprising  that  orchidists  pay  high  prices  for  even 
small  plants  of  it.  The  flower  is  larger  than  an 
ordinary  form  of  the  typical  L.  elegans,  and  the 
sepals  and  lips  are  broader  and  of  more  substan- 
tial texture.  The  sepals  are  of  a  rich,  vinous 
purple,  shining  as  if  varnished ;  the  labellum 
measures  1  h  inches  across  the  lobe,  which  is  of  the 
most  glowing  tint  of  amethyst  imaginable,  the 
richness  of  which  is  intensified  by  the  pale,  al- 
most white  throat.  We  consider  this  one  of  the 
loveliest  of  Orchids  in  cultivation,  the  harmony  of 
colour  being  more  pleasing  than  the  strong  con- 
trast of  the  white  sepals  and  amethyst  lips  of  the 
white  variety  of  L.  elegans. 

Orchids  In  room  windows  In  the  early 
part  of  the  present  week  a  friend  called  here  and 
invited  me  to  see  his  Orchids — exotic  Orchids,  he 
said — growing  in  an  ordinary  bay-window,  and 
without  artificial  heat.  After  reading  in  your 
columns  the  treatment  to  which  this  class  of 
plants  is  usually  subjected,  I  assure  you  I  was  by 
no  means  prepared  for  the  treat  in  store.  On  en- 
tering the  room,  the  first  plant  to  attract  my 
attention  was  a  fine  specimen  of  Lailia  Dayana 
growing  on  a  block  of  wood  suspended  from  the 
window-sill.  This  plant,  which  was  in  full 
flower  and  had  been  so,  my  friend  said,  for  the 
past  three  weeks,  took  my  fancy  immensely,  not 
only  from  the  natural  way  in  which  it  was  growing, 
but  beauty  of  flower,  which  shed  quite  a  halo  of 
delight  around  the  room.  Amongst  others  in 
excellent  health  were  Odontoglossnm  odoratum, 
Maxillaria  leptosepala,  M.  nigrescens,  and  M.  ve- 
nusta,  Lycaste  aromatica  and  L.  Deppei,  Dendro- 
bium  nobile,  Oncidium  ornithorhynchum  and  O. 
praitextum,  Angrscum  falcatum,  and  others. 
Several  of  these  were  in  flower,  notably  Odonto- 
glossum  odoratum,  Dendrobium  nobile,  Oncidium 
ornithorhynchum,  and  AugriECum  falcatum.  The 
window  had  a  north-western  aspect,  and  was  well 
supplied  with  light.  If  exotic  Orchids  can  thus 
be  successfully  cultivated  in  an  ordinary  sitting- 
room  window  (a  fact  that  I  was  not  before  aware 
of),  what  an  amount  of  pleasure  and  delight  will 
be  in  store  for  the  lovers  of  these  plants  who  can- 
not afford  them  the  glass  structure  and  methodi- 
cal treatment  usually  recommended. — A.  D.  W., 
Bangor, 

SHORT  NOTES.— ORCHIDS. 


Cypripedium  Godefroyse.— We  hear  that  this  new 
Lady's  Slipper,  about  which  so  much  has  been  written,  is 
now  flowering  in  Mr.  Lee's  garden  at  Downside,  Leather- 
head,  It  is  described  as  a  most  beautiful  species,  diflerent 
from  all  others,  and  one  that  will  be  admired  by  everyone 
besides  enthusiasts  in  Orchids. 

Vanda  Sanderiana  var.— Sir  Trevor  Lawrence  sends 
us  au  fcight-llowfred  spike  of  this  new  Orchid,  havint; 
flowers  of  a  much  deeper  tint  of  rose  than  those  which  »e 
have  hitherto  seen.  Indeed,  all  the  colours  seem  more 
pronounced  than  usual.  Accompanj  ing  this  was  an  enor- 
mous flower  of  Phatenopsis  amabilis,  the  diameter  of  wldch 
was  just  4  inches,  while  the  breadth  of  tlie  lateral  sepals 
was  exactly  2.4  inches.  We  have  not  seen  or  heard  of  a 
larger  Howereii  vai  itty  than  this,  and  it  is  probably  unique. 

Cyprlpediunn  Lawrenclanum.— A  very  flne  twin- 
flowered  spike  of  this  noble  Lady's  Slipper  has  been  sent 
to  us  by  Jlr.  Macdon.ald,  Woodlands  House,  Perth,  but 
probably  it  is  only  an  accidental  occurrence.  Accompanying 
it  is  a  spike  of  Pilumna  nobilis,  a  major  variety  of  P.  fra- 
giaus,  a  chastely  beautiful  and  deliciously  fragrant  Orchid, 
which  we  should  recommend  for  even  a  small  selection.  It 
is  a  continuous  flowerer,  and  is  by  no  means  diflicult  to 
grow  Buccesifully. 


Nov.    1,   1884.] 


THE  GARDEN 


378 


Trees  and  Shrubs. 

SPECIMEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 
If  cultivators  had  only  spent  a  little  of  the  time 
in  producing  good  outdoor  specimens  of  shrubs 
and  trees  that  has  in  times  past  been  spent  in 
growing  formal  and  distorted  specimens  of  green- 
house and  stove  plants,  &c.,  many  of  our  gardens 
would  have  presented  a  different  aspect  from  what 
they  do  at  this  time.  The  extension  of  glass  in 
gardens  for  plant  culture  has  not  been  an  unmixed 
good,  because  it  has  doubtless  distracted  atten- 
tion from  objects  of  culture  out-of-doors  equally 
or  even  more  worthy  of  care  than  those  under 
glass.  We  can  recall  many  specimens  of  indoor 
plants,  that  have  been  the  chief  hobby  of  those 
who  had  the  care  of  them  for  nearly  the  whole  of 
their  horticultural  lifetime,  in  places  where  per- 
haps not  a  single  example  of  outdoor  special  cul- 
ture was  to  be  found.  Bedding  out  also  helped  to 
drive  other  phases  of  gardening  out  of  peoples' 
minds,  and  hence  the  general  complaint  now  is 
that  shrub  and  tree  culture  has  been  neglected  to 
a  degree  quite  incompatible  whith  other  phases  of 
gardening.  These  reflections  occurred  to  me  not 
long  since  when  going  through  the  reserve  grounds 
of  a  noted  nursery,  where  fine  old  specimens  of 
many  of  the  best  shrubs  kept  in  stock  grew,  con- 
sisting of  named  varieties  of  Rhododendrons,  Aza- 
leas, Golden  Yews,  Hollies,  and  other  shrubs.  I 
was  particularly  struck  with  the  two  first  species 
of  shrubs,  as  many  of  them  were  of  large  size  as 
well  as  symmetrical  in  shape,  although  not  formal. 
Each  plant  had  room,  of  course,  to  grow  and  show 
itself  ;  only  being  in  beds  or  quarters,  they  did  not 
look  as  well  as  they  would  have  done  on  a  garden 
lawn  or  terrace.  We  are  too  prone  in  gardens  to 
mixing  shrubs  up  too  mach,  leaving  each  subject 
to  straggle  for  existence  as  it  may,  and  what  I 
wish  to  suggest  is  the  growing  of  single  specimens 
of  the  best  types  here  and  there  in  suitable  situa- 
tions, or  on  walls  where  the  shelter  of  these  is 
needed.  What,  for  example,  could  form  a  finer 
floral  object  than  a  large  Rhododendron  or  Azalea 
bush,  perhaps  10  feet  or  12  feet  high,  more  though, 
and  covered  with  bloom  in  every  part,  as  the  plants 
referred  to  in  the  nursery  were  when  I  saw  them  ? 

Rhododendrons  in  good  loam  or  peat  grow 
amazingly  fast,  especially  if  they  have  room, 
because  it  is  all  they  want  to  make  them  grow 
dense  and  symmetrical  down  to  the  ground.  There 
would  be  no  objection  to  putting  several  of  the 
same  sort  together  to  make  a  specimen  quickly, 
and  which  they  readily  do  in  that  way.  One  of 
the  Ghent  Azaleas  which  I  saw  in  the  nursery  was 
as  good  in  its  way  as  the  pretty  greenhouse  Rho- 
dodendron jasminiflorum,  and  far  better  flowered, 
while  it  was  as  large  as  a  bush  Apple  tree.  But 
scarcely  any  of  the  ornamental  shrubs  come  amiss 
for  the  purpose,  as  in  good  soil  and  with  the  ne- 
cessary room  all  grow  more  or  less  symmetrically. 
I  speak  now  of  single  specimens  of  select  subjects 
grown  on  the  lawn  or  where  they  can  be  seen 
singly.  The  Pyrus  Malus  floribunda,  for  example, 
is  a  fine  subject  for  the  purpose ;  also  the  common 
Fuchsia  (near  the  seaside),  Euonymus,  Veronica, 
Lilacs,  Weigelas,  Pyr.icantha,  Laburnum,  Deutzia, 
Brooms,  Spiraeas,  and  many  others  both  deciduous 
and  evergreen.  Not  a  few  also  lend  themselves 
to  wall  culture  exceedingly  well,  and  in  two  or 
three  years  rise  up  into  fine  specimens  if  rightly 
pruned  and  trained.  Some  of  the  best  for  this 
purpose  are  the  Cotoneasters,  Pyracantha,  For- 
sythia  suspensa,  Pyrus  japonioa,  P.  Malus  flori- 
bunda, Weigela,  Hibiscus,  Ampelopsis,  Ivies, 
double  Peach,  Prunus,  and  Cherries,  and,  indeed, 
all  the  free-growing  and  branching  shrubs, 
which,  when  trained  as  carefully  and  methodically 
as  one  would  do  a  Peach  or  a  Pear  tree,  make  far 
handsomer  specimens  at  least  than  these  do. 

Hitherto  wall  shrubs  have  been  greatly  neglected 
in  culture,  being  generally  nailed  up  just  as  they 
happen  to  grow,  being  most  accommodating  in 
that  respect.  For  my  part,  whether  in  leaf  or  in 
flower,  I  do  not  know  of  a  prettier  plant  than  a 
well-trained  Pyrus  japonica,  or  of  any  kind  of 
shrub  that  can  be  sooner  trained  into  the  natural 


fan  shape  on  a  wall.     The  only  point  is  to  give 
each  plant  the  room  it  requires  and  let  it  grow. 

S. 

SMALLER  FLOWERED  MOCK  ORANGES. 
The  two  varieties  of  these  charming,  free- 
blooming,  and  usually  fragrant  shrubs  are  not  by 
any  means  as  well  known  in  our  gardens  as  they 
certainly  deserve  to  be.  The  larger  flowered  of 
the  two,  viz ,  Philadelphus  hirsutus,  so  named 
from  its  hairy  under-leaf,  I  have  only  met  with  in 
the  botanic  garden  belonging  to  Trinity  College  in 
Dublin,  where  I  was  much  struck  by  the  compact- 
ness of  its  habit  of  ,  growth]  and  the  charming 
wreaths  of  its  pure  white  flowers,  each  surrounded 
by  its  whorl  of  leaves,  and  produced  with  great 
freedom  all  along  the  slender  shoots,  and  branchlets 
so  well  pourtraycd  in  the  accompanying  woodcut 
(p.  375).  About  fifty-five  varieties  of  this  family  are 
known  to  European  gardens,  and  were  a  few  years 
ago  all  to  be  seen  in  cultivation  in  the  splendid 
arboretum  of  the  late  M.  Alphonse  Lavallee,  at 
Segrez,  in  France.  P.  hirsutus  approaches  nearest, 
as  far  as  I  know,  in  size  of  bloom  to  the  Japanese 


Flower-spray  of  Philadelphus  microphjUus 
(natural  size). 

variety,  P.  Satsumanni,  but  the  blooms  of  this 
latter  are  produced  in  small  racemes  of  from 
three  to  four  flowers  on  each.  P.  microphyllus  is 
the  smallest  flowered,  as  well  as  the  smallest 
leaved,  of  the  family,  and  came  to  me  in  the 
autumn  of  last  year  from  Messrs.  Woolson,  of 
Passaic,  New  Jersey,  D.S.A.  It  bloomed  copiously 
in  my  shrubbery  in  the  early  summer  of  this  year. 
It  is  an  exceedingly  pretty  and  very  sweet  scented 
little  shrub,  and  from  its  dwarf  and  very  slender 
habit  of  growth  would  be  well  adapted  for  the 
decoration  of  a  rock  garden.  W.  E.  G. 


CONIFERS  AT  THE  GRANGE,  KINGSTON. 
The  founder  of  the  fine  collection  of  Conifers  to 
be  found  here  spared  neither  time  nor  expense  in 
forming  it,  nor  in  its  after  management  so  long  as 
he  was  the  owner  of  it.  The  ground  is  naturally 
deep  and  good,  but  notwithstanding  this  it  was 
deeply  trenched,  and  liberal  supplies  of  farmyard 
manure  were  incorporated  with  it ;  besides  this  the 
trees  were  annually  mulched  with  rich  manure, 
and  their  condition  shows  that  such  treatment 
suited  them,  though  very  different  from  that  to 
which  Conifers  are  generally  subjected.  There  are 
some  who  maintain  that  manure  of  any  kind  is 
injurious  to  this  class  of  trees ;  it  is  thought  to  make 


the  growth  tender  and  susceptible  of  frost ;  but  that 
cannot  be  correct,  for  none  of  the  trees  here  have 
suffered  from  it,  though  in  the  winter  of  18G9  and 
1870  the  thermometer  at  Taunton,  only  four  miles 
from  The  Grange,  went  down  to  1°  below  zero.  I 
hardly  know  in  which  I  was  interested  the  most — 
the  great  variety  of  sorts  or  the  noble  proportions 
that  some  of  the  specimens  have  attained.  There 
are  enough  of  both  to  interest  any  lover  of  trees. 
Of  Thuja  Lobbi,  two  fine  specimens  stand  on  the 
lawn  near  the  house.  They  are  dense  in  growth 
and  perfect  in  outline ;  they  are  about  35  feet 
high  and  25  yards  in  circumference.  Several  fine 
Araucarias  reach  a  height  of  more  than  10  feet,  a 
female  variety  amongst  them  bearing  cones.  A 
remarkable  variety  of  the  male  stands  out  boldly, 
and  is  densely  clothed  with  branches.  Pinus 
insignis  has  been  freely  planted,  and  justifies  the 
partiality  that  has  been  shown  it  by  growing 
vigorously  and  maintaining  its  fine,  bright  green 
colour.  Picea  nobilis  in  this  part  of  the  ground 
is  a  tree  60  feet  high  and  in  excellent  health.  Of 
Cupressus  macrocarpa  there  are  many  examples, 
and  in  better  condition  than  that  in  which  they 
are  usually  found.  Cupressus  Lawsoniana  is  re- 
presented by  a  specimen  of  singular  beauty ;  its 
growth  is  dense  and  the  outline  perfect.  Abies 
orientalis  is  a  handsome  tree,  as  is  also  the  Hem- 
lock Spruce.  A.  Douglasi,  as  seen  in  different 
parts  of  the  grounds,  fully  sustains  its  character, 
for  it  is  a  truly  handsome  tree,  Picea  nobilis  and 
P.  Pinsapo  must  have  been  some  of  the  earliest 
planted,  for  both  are  noble  specimens  of  these  kinds. 
P.  amabilis  is  also  becoming  a  grand  tree ;  its 
striking  character  appears  to  increase  with  its  age, 
as  does  also  that  of  P.  Nordmanniana.  A  fine  plant 
of  Cryptomeria  elegans  is  now  fast  assuming  its 
winter  colouring.  Retinospora  plumosa  forms  a 
good  companion  to  it.  Its  light  feathery  growth 
and  distinct  shades  of  colour  render  it  quite  con- 
spicuous. The  dwarf  form  of  Abies  excelsa  is  re- 
presented by  a  capital  p!ant  about  5  feet  high, 
with  a  corresponding  diameter.  The  growth  is  so 
closely  set  and  the  plant  in  such  perfect  health, 
that  one  can  hardly  realise  how  it  can  remain  such 
a  pigmy  surrounded  as  it  is  by  so  many  trees  of 
noble  stature.  By  the  side  of  a  stream  which 
skirts  one  part  of  the  grounds  several  varieties  of 
Bamboos  have  got  thoroughly  established.  The 
sort  named  Metake  has  grown  into  a  huge  bush  10 
feet  high  and  several  yards  in  circumference,  and 
associated  with  them  is  a  fine  plant  of  the  green- 
leaved  Aralia.  It  will,  therefore,  be  seen  that 
there  is  sufficient  here  to  please  a  wide  range  of 
tastes.  J.  C.  C. 


Autumn  leaves.— Hardly  anybody  who  is 
interested  can  have  failed  to  notice  the  brilliant 
colouring  of  the  Sumachs  and  Liquidambar  in  the 
year  now  waning.  Amateurs  with  the  smallest 
of  shrubberies  should  never  be  without  Rhus 
Cotinus  and  laciniata,  if  it  were  only  for  their 
gorgeous  autumn  tints.  People  are  very  apt  to 
say,  having  but  a  darkened  recollection  of  fore- 
gone falls,  that  the  present  natural  beauties  are 
the  finest  they  have  ever  seen.  There  is,  however, 
some  reason  this  year  for  such  assertions.  ^Kolus 
has  kept  the  winds  tied  up  till  the  last  day  or  two, 
and  the  leaves  have  fallen  silent  as  snowflakes. — 
C.  A.  M.  Caemichael. 

The  G-olden  Chestnut  at  Tortworth. 

— This  beautiful  evergreen  tree,  a  native  of  the 
Pacific  coast  of  N.  America,  we  had  this  week  the 
pleasure  to  see,  in  fine  vigour  in  Lord  Ducie'a 
grounds  at  Tortworth.  It  is  usually  a  very  stunted 
thing ;  here  it  seemed  as  free  as  any  hardy  ever- 
green, and  showed  well  the  soft  russet  gold  of  the 
underside  of  the  leaf.  It  is  probable  that  the 
stunted  character  of  most  of  the  specimens  of 
this  precious  evergreen  we  see  is  owing  to  their 
being  at  first  coddled  in  pots  or  grafted.  The 
brown-gold  hue  of  the  under  side  of  the  leaf  is 
lovelier  than  usual  when  the  foliage  is  moved  by 
high  winds.  We  remember  the  same  charming 
peculiarity  in  one  of  the  Evergreen  Oaks  we  saw 
in  California.  Few  men  have  planted  with  more 
vigour  and  taste  than  Lord  Ducie,  and  it  must 
be  gratifying  to  him  to  succeed  so  well  with  the 


374 


THE    GARDEN 


[Nov.  1,  1884. 


Golden  Chestnut,  and  to  help  others  to  a  better 
knowledge  of  what  for  many  years  has  been  an 
obi'jt  of  great  interest  to  those  knowing  and 
c  ihn'^  for  choice  trees.  Its  fate  in  our  country 
may  "seem  uncertain.  We  h>ive  no  doubt  that  it 
will  thrive  better  than  many  Conifers  which  have 
been  extensively  planted,  and  that  it  will  some 
day  adorn  many  an  English  lawn  in  the  south 
and  western  counties  if  not  elsewhere.  It  would 
hasten  that  day  if  we  could  get  fresh  seeds,  and 
sow  them  where  we  wished  the  trees  to  grow.  Oaks 
are  impatient  of  being  pulled  about  when  young. 
—Field. 

Praxlnus  aucubsefolia.— There  are  several 
kinds  of  variegated  Ash,  but  this  is  the  most  ef- 
fective of  any  that  have  come  under  my  observa- 
tion. It  is  a  form  of  the  American  Ash  (Fraxmus 
americana),  in  which  the  leaves  are  distinctly 
blotched  with  yellow  after  the  manner  of  the 
oldest  type  of  the  Aucuba.  It  sustained  no 
injury  from  the  hot,  scorching  weather  which  we 
experienced  last  summer ;  on  the  contrary,  expo- 
sure to  full  sunshine  seemed  to  render  its  variega- 
tion still  more  distinct.  The  American  Ashes 
have  mostly  much  larger  leaflets  than  are  to  be 
found  in  the  European  species,  and  to  this  rule 
the  variegated  kind  under  notice  forms  no  excep- 
tion.—Alpha. 
Wasps  and  Elm  trees.— At  Aswarby  of 

late  years  wa^ps  have  been  very  destructive  to 
Elm  trees,  and  how  to  prevent  them  being  so 
puzzled  me  for  a  long 'time  until  the  thought 
struck  me  that  they  might  be  destroyed  on  Elm 
trees  just  as  in  their  nests.  For  a  number  of  years 
1  have  used  for  killing  wasps  cyanide  of  potassium, 
a  deadly  poison,  a  few  grains  of  which  are  suffi- 
cient to  destroy  human  life.  I  buy  a  shilling's 
worth  at  a  time  from  our  chemist ;  half  of  this 
quantity  I  put  into  a  pint  bottle  and  fill  up  with 
cold  water;  I  then  take  a  tine-haired  painter's 
brush,  dip  it  in  the  liquid,  and  well  paint  the  parts 
of  the  trees  affected  by  the  wasps.  This  soon 
drives  them  away,  never  to  return— at  least  such  is 
my  experience  of  it  here  on  trees  from  twenty  to 
sixty  years  of  age.  When  not  in  use  the  bottle 
must  be  securely  corked  and  kept  under  lock  and 
key.  Within  a  radius  of  half  a  mile  I  have  this 
season     destroyed     forty-eight    wasps'    nests.— 

ElClIARD  NiSBET. 

The  Golden  Aeh.—  Being  a  few  days  in  the 
park  of  llighnam,  near  Gloucester,  we  had  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  the  beauty  of  this  tree  to  greater 
advantage  than  it  is  commonly  seen.  The  effect 
of  the  foliage  was  that  of  a  cloud  of  clear  lemon, 
very  distinct  from  any  other  tree.  The  tree  was 
planted  in  the  open  park  by  Mr.  Gambler  Parry, 
and  thus  acquired  a  size  which  it  often  fails  to  do 
in  the  common  shrubbery.  The  stems  are  yellow, 
and  the  black  buds  contrast  richly  with  them. 
Here  is  a  case  in  which  a  variety  of  a  well- 
known  tree  presents  a  striking  difference  in  foliage 
fromthatof  thecommonkind  without beingavarie- 
gation.  It  would  be  difficult  to  say  too  much  in 
favour  of  it.  It  is  one  of  the  things  which  would 
well  repay  for  planting  in  groups  where  good 
effects  of  foliage  were  desired.  Mr.  Gambier 
Parry,  who  has  planted  so  extensively,  and  with 
such  taste  and  knowledge  as  is  rarely  displayed  in 
planting,  has  few  trees  in  his  richly  stored  pine- 
tum  and  park  more  deserving  of  a  place  in  our 
ornamental  plantations.  Our  woods  have  rarely 
been  seen  so  beautiful  as  this  fall.  In  several 
parks  and  woods  unusually  rich  in  colour  we  saw 
nothing  more  valuable  than  this  form  of  a  common 
native  tree. 

Ivy  on  trees. — I  never  remember  to  have 
seen  Ivy  so  full  of  bloom  as  this  year.  In  this 
district  every  twig  terminates  in  a  head  of  bloom, 
literally  smothering  the  plants  with  flowers,  which 
harmonise  well  with  the  lustrous  foliage.  Ivy-clad 
walls  are  charming,  but  they  give  only  a  feeble 
idea  of  the  beauty  and  ornamental  character  of 
this  fine  Evergreen.  Several  years  ago  some  large 
Elms,  the  trunks  and  main  branches  of  which  were 
covered  with  Ivy,  were  topped  and  the  branches 
shortened — an  operation  which  gave  the  Ivy  an 
opportunity  of    developing    into    bushy  masse. 


forming  irregular  columns  of  verdure  more  than 
40  feet  high  and  loaded  with  bloom  from  top  to 
bottom— the  finest  things  of  the  kind  I  have  seen 
this  year.  Ivy  grows  with  freedom  in  dense  shade, 
out  it  neither  flowers  nor  fruits  there,  and  it  will 
not  assume  a  bush-like  form  unless  upward  pro- 
gress is  stayed.  Those  who  have  many  trees  on 
which  Ivy  is  growing  freely  would  do  well  to 
head  one  or  two  of  them  back,  both  top  and  side 
branches.  They  look  ugly  for  a  time,  but  the  Ivy 
soon  relieves  them  from  all  appearance  of  de- 
formity, and  when  the  foliage  drops  in  autumn 
there  is  the  never-changing,  ever-verdant  Ivy  for 
the  eye  to  rest  upon.  A  few  trees  clothed  in  this 
way  scattered  about  a  wood  are  pleasant  to  look 
upon  when  the  summer's  verdure  is  past.  _  Some 
say  that  Ivy  is  injurious  to  trees  ;  no  doubt  it  robs 
the  soil  of  a  good  deal  of  nourishment ;  otherwise, 
when  trees  have  become  large,  I  doubt  if  it  affects 
them  much.  No  one  would,  of  course,  think  of 
allowing  it  to  fasten  on  young  trees.  In  my  case 
a  tree  or  two  sacrificed  to  it  is  amply  repaid.— 
J.  C.  B. 


Clipping  in  gfardens.— We  met  a  poor  fel- 
low the  other  day  with  his  arm  in  bandages,  which, 
he  told  us,  arose  from  a  painful  infliction,  the  re- 
sult of  six  weeks'  clipping  of  hedges  in  a  garden. 
Among  the  many  objections  we  have  urged  to 
clipping,  we  had  not  previously  mentioned  this. 
We  do  not  now  speak  of  the  clipping  to  keep 
hedges  in  order,  such  as  is  necessary  on  the  farm, 
but  of  the  clipping  of  choice  Evergreens  iu  formal 
gardens,  such  as  may  be  seen  in  Elvaston  and 
some  other  places,  old  and  new.  In  very  old  gar- 
dens in  which  clipped  hedges  form  a  feature  we 
would  preserve  them,  but  in  a  modern  garden 
clipping  is  worse  than  ridiculous.  When  this 
ancient  phase  of  gardening  arose  in  Europe  there 
were  very  few  Evergreens  obtainable,  and  it  was 
occasionally  desirable  to  clip  for  certain  reasons ; 
but  now-a-days  almost  every  type  of  habit  or  de- 
gree of  size  that  one  might  desire  can  be  obtained. 
Therefore,  we  say,  clip  nothing  whatever  in  the 
modern  garden.  If  things  are  too  thick,  pull  them 
out  of  each  other's  way ;  and  if  they  are  too  high, 
plant  dwarfer  ones.  There  is  no  position  for  which 
suitable  things  cannot  be  found.  In  the  very  gar- 
dens where  this  waste  of  labour  goes  on  there  is 
often  not  enough  help  for  the  necessary  cropping 
or  other  work  of  the  place. — Field, 


What  to  plant.— Mr.  Baines  gives  (p.  356) 
the  practical  advice  which  one  would  expect  from 
him  when  he  recommends  the  Mount  Atlas  Cedar 
to  be  planted   in  preference  to  the   Deodar  and 
Sequoia  (Taxodium)  sempervirens  in  preference  to 
the  Wellingtonia.     His  remarks  respecting  these 
two  trees  are  unquestionably  true.     But  Welling- 
tonias  and    Deodars    are    notorious    trees,    and 
planters  of  little  experience  or  none  are  apt  to  fall 
into  the  common  error  of  assuming  their  adapt- 
ability for  all  soils  and  situations.     They,  in  com- 
mon with  other  Conifers  of  comparatively  recent 
introduction,  have  now  been  long  enough  in  this 
country  to  have  been  well  scrutinised,  and  those 
that  have  come  satisfactorily  through  the  ordeal 
Mr.  Baines  points  out,  with  the    important    ex- 
ception of  Thuja  Lobbi.    "  When  in  doubt  plant 
a   Lobb"  is   a  maxim  of   two  or  three   of   the 
authorities.     Like   most   terse    and    bluff    state- 
ments, it  requires  dilution,  but  is  substantially 
true.     I  have  lately  had  good  opportunities    of 
fixing   or    changing    opinions,  having  journeyed 
horticulturally-minded  from  the  Yorkshire  lime- 
stone to  the   Cornish  granite,    and    my    predis- 
position   in    favour    of    Thuja   Lobbi    has  been 
increased.     Whether  the  soil  be  deep  or  shallow, 
whether  the  position    be   bleak  or  sheltered,  it 
appears  to  thrive  and  grow  fast  and  keep  vivid. 
There  is  a  specimen  of  it  at  Penjerrick,  in  Corn- 
wall, 7G  feet  high,  with  every  br.inch  perfect  from 
the  ground  to  the  leader.    No  Conifer  ever  im- 
pressed me  so  much  as  this  one.     It  has  elevated 
itself  above   the  surrounding  shelter,    and    has 
apparently   suft'ered  no  harm.     Cornwall   is    not 
England,  it  is  true,  but  there  are  numberless  fine 
trees  of  it  in  East  Anglia  and  Yorkshire.     The 
timber  is  very  durable,  and  for  telegraph  poles,  &o., 
would   be  as  good  as  Larch.     Mr.   Baines,    too, 
might  have  coupled  Athrotaxus  selaginoides  with 
Thujopsis  dolobrata  for  the  purposes  he  advocates 
therewith.     Before  leaving  this  subject  I  should 
like  to  say  that  the   glaucous   form   of    Cedrus 
atlantica  must  be  to  most  minds  handsomer  than 
the  Deodar ;   and   many,   too,   must    prefer    the 
irregular  growth  of  Taxodium  sempervirens  to  the 
monotonous  sugar-cone  shape  of  the  Wellingtonias 
The  Taxodium,  too,  is  a  tree  which  is  often  bene- 
fited   and    made  more    effective   by  cutting  off 
its  lower  branches  and  exposing  its  curious  umber- 
coloured  bark.— -C.   A.   M.  Caemiciiael,  Ardcn 
Ho  use,  Henley-  in- A  rdtn. 


SHORT  NOTES.— TRKE3  AND  SHRUBS. 


Parro'tla  persica.  has  been  in  this  country  upwar.ls 
of  forty  years.  When  first  introduced  it  was  kept  in  .1 
(jreenhou-e,  but  it  h.as  proved  to  ba  quite  haray.  'the 
l)cauty  of  its  foliage  can  scarcely  be  so  well  known  as  it 
should  be,  or  it  would  And  a  place  in  every  collection  of 
trees  and  shrub)  where  varied  and  richly  coloured  foliaso 
is  admired.  The  leaves  change  from  pale  green  to  red  and 
gold.    It  succeeds  in  any  good  soil.— \V.  0.,  Fota,  Cork. 

Sea  Backthoro.— It  is  stated  (p.  253)  that  the  Sea 
Buckthorn  (Uipp  phic  rhamnoides)  is  essentially  a  seaside 
shrub.  It  is  liy  no  mrans  exclusively  so.  It  is  common  in 
many  parts  of  the  Continent  tar  from  the  sea  ;  for  instance, 
I  liave  seen  it  in  profusion  and  very  vigorous  near  Inns- 
briick  the  nearest  sea  to  which  is  the  Adriatic,  distant  iu 
a  direct  line  at  least  130  miles.— J.  JENNER  WEUt,  Cliirliurij, 
Coper's  Cope  Road,  Beckenham. 

Erica  codonodss.— I  find  this  to  be  tolerably  hardy  ; 
but  that  it  will  not  bear  a  severe  winter  in  an  exposed  pi>3i- 
tiin  I  had  ample  proof  in  the  winter  of  1370-80,  when 
plants  of  it  that  had  grown  4  feet  high  were  terribly 
criopled  and  in  the  nest  winter,  which  was  etiually  severe, 
they  were  killed  outright.  I  hwe,  however,  lately  seen  it 
ill  a  giirden  near  here  growing  vigorously  in  a  sheltered 
border,  where  it  has  stood  many  years.— J.  C.  C. 

Autumn  tints  —The  great  preponderance  of  reds  in 
the  fading  foliage  is  very  marked  hereabouts  this  year. 
Several  trees  which  usually  go  off  clad  in  yellows  and 
browns  are  now  most  brilliant,  and  the  Brambles,  some  of 
the  frnit  of  which  is  of  very  large  size  and  most  abundant, 
are  marvellous  combinations  of  colour.  If  the  present 
glorious  werither  is  not  interrupted  for  a  week  or  two 
longer,  the  woodland  landscape  bids  fair  to  be  one  of  the 
most  gorgeous  in  liring  memory.— J.  M.,  Charmouth. 

Can  any  reader  of  The  G^eden  explain  why  the 

foliage  of  some  of  my  Guelder  Roses  turns  a  very  fine 
colour  now,  while  others  remain  green  till  it  falls?  X'liosc 
th.at  turn  at  all  are  a  finer  colour  than  any  of  the  other 
trees  and  shrubs  which  I  grow  for  that  purpose,  including 
scarlet  Oaki,  Liquidambar,  Mespilus,  Cherries,  &c.  All  the 
Guelder  Roses  appear  to  Ije  in  similar  situations.  Are 
there  two  varieties  ?— H.  E.  B.,  Yarmouth. 


FERNS. 

SOME  GOOD  HARDY  FERNS. 
A  GARDEN  can  scarcely  be  said  to  be  well  furnished 
unless  it  contains  a  few  hardy  Ferns,  which  fill  up 
dark  corners  and  similar  places  most  effectively. 
Free  use  should  also  be  made  of  some  of  the 
strong-growing  kinds  in  shrubbery  borders.  How 
very  pretty  large  spreading  plants  of  the  common 
Male  Fern  look  rising  from  amongst  low-growing 
shrubs  or  nestling  amongst  those  of  larger  dimen- 
sions I  By  the  edge  of  water,  too,  what  looks 
flner  than  a  colony  of  Ferns,  especially  when 
associated  with  the  common  Flag  Iris  and  other 
moisture-loving  plants  ;  The  following  are  a  few 
of  the  best  of  the  many  species  of  hardy  Ferns 
now  in  cultivation  :  — 

Lastkea  FiLix-MAS  ciilSTATA. — This  is  a  hand- 
some tasselled  form  of  the  common  Male  Fern, 
and  one  of  the  noblest  habited  of  all  the  hardy 
kinds.  The  fronds,  which  are  rich  green  in  colour, 
attain  under  good  cultivation  a  length  of  nearly 
3  feet.  This  is  a  well-known  Fern,  but  it  is  not 
nearly  so  much  grown  as  it  might  be.  Being 
quite  as  hardy  and  vigorous  as  the  typical  form, 
it  is  capable  of  holding  its  own  when  growing 
amongst  rank  herbage,  and  is  therefore  suitable 
tor  the  wild  garden  or  water  margins. 

ATHYRIUM  FiLIX-FffiMINA  'FlELDENI.— A  Very 
pretty  form  of  the  Lady  Fern,  having  tasselled 
fronds  thickly  set  together.  It  is  tolerably 
vigorous,  and  attains  considerable  proportions  in 
a  cool  shady  position  and  in  free  soil  having  plenty 
of  organic  matter  in  it.  A  dry  parching  atmo- 
sphere causes  the  fronds  to  turn  yellow.    Of  the 


Nov.  1,   1884,] 


THE    GARDEN 


375 


many  varieties  of  the  Lady  Fern  this  is  one  of  the 
very  best.  There  is  another  variety  called  Frazelli 
having  the  pinnaj  much  contracted ;  it  is,  in  my 
opinion,  more  curious  than  beautiful,  but  has  the 
merit  of  being  quite  distinct.  The  red-stemmed 
Lady  Fern  is  a  very  ornamental  kind  ;  it  is  rather 
more  robust  than  the  type,  and  the  stems,  being 
strongly  tinged  with  red,  it  has  a  distinct  and  or- 
namental appearance. 


tenderest  green.  This  Fern  likes  good  food  and 
plenty  of  it,  not  objecting  to  a  little  rotten 
manure  in  the  soil,  and  in  the  case  of  established 
plants,  an  annual  top-dressing  of  the  same. 
Treated  generously,  a  small  plant  soon  develops 
into  a  handsome  specimen.  Unfortunately,  it  is 
quite  barren,  never  in  my  experience  producing 
spores,  which  may  account  for  its  not  being  so 
frequently  met  with  as  one  might  naturally  sup- 


Pliiladelphus  hirsutus  (natural  size).    Seep.  37 J, 


SCOLOPENDKIUM   TULGABE   CRISPUM.— One   of 

the  very  finest  Ferns  in  cultivation,  and  where 
six  kinds  are  grown  this  should  form  one  of  them. 
The  fronds  are  regularly  and  beautifully  crisped 
their  whole  length,  are  pale  green,  and  numer- 
ously produced,  forming  bushes  of  foliage  in  the 
case  of  well-established  specimens  almost  3  feet 
across  and  18  inches  high.  This  variety  affords  a 
fine  contrast  to  the  type,  the  one  having  fronds  of 
the  richest  hije  imaginable,  the  other  being  of  the 


pose  it  would  be.  By  planting  in  good  soil,  how- 
ever, so  as  to  promote  luxuriance,  a  stock  of  it 
may  soon  be  worked  up.  It  is  a  fine  kind  for  pot 
culture,  being  much  favoured  by  exhibitors,  and 
if  sheltered  under  a  glass  roof  will  retain  its  foli- 
age through  the  winter. 

POLYrODIUM       VULGARE       CAMBRICUM.  —  No 

hardy  Fern  known  to  me  can  excel  this  in  ele- 
gance of  growth.  The  fronds  are  broader  and 
paler  in  colour  than  the  common  kind,  the  pinna; 


being  cut  and  notched  in  a  charmingly  irregular 
manner.  They  arch,  too,  very  gracefully,  spread- 
ing one  over  the  other,  forming  dense  tufts  offen- 
der green.  There  is  one  peculiarity  about  this 
Polypody  worth  mentioning;  it  is  the  latest  of  all 
the  hardy  Ferns  to  grow,  strange  to  say,  not  start- 
ing into  growth  before  other  kinds  have  formed 
their  fronds.  It  is  only  by  late  autumn  that  these 
are  matured,  and  unless  the  weather  should  be 
very  severe  they  last  fresh  and  green  all  through 
the  winter.  It  is  quite  barren.  This  Fern,  like  the 
type,  will  do  well  where  many  other  Ferns  would 
perish,  and  is  a  capital  plant  for  dry  banks,  being 
quite  happy  in  the  full  sun,  doing  best,  however, 
where  it  gets  plenty  of  light  and  the  sun  for  an 
hour  or  two  during  the  day.  It  must  on  no  ac- 
count be  planted  in  dense  shade,  or  it  loses  its 
sturdy  character  and  looks  weak  and  drawn. 
Grown  in  pots,  it  would  be  excellent  for  cold 
greenhouse  corridors,  &c.,  in  winter. 

POLYSTICHUM     ANGULARE     PROLIFKRUil.  —  A 

much-divided  form  of  the  common  angulare, 
growing  some  2  feet  high.  It  is  one  of  the  prettiest 
of  hardy  Ferns,  being  very  indifferent  as  to  soil. 
Little  bulblets  form  on  the  base  of  leaf-stalks,  and 
if  taken  off  and  inserted  in  sandy  soil  they  make 
plants. 

POLYSTICHUM  AcuLEATUM. — A  more  robust 
plant  than  the  preceding,  and  having  a  fine  ap- 
pearance when  doing  well.  Likes  plenty  of  mois- 
ture at  the  roots  and  a  cool  atmosphere.  Seems 
to  require  shade  more  than  most  kinds. 

OSMUNDA  REGALTS.— This  must  be  included  in 
any  list  of  good  hardy  Ferns  ;  it  is  the  noblest  and 
most  ornamental  of  them  all.  If  any  of  your 
readers  want  to  see  this  Fern  at  its  best,  give  it 
a  cartload  of  good  loam  and  leaf-mould,  and  there 
will  be  something  worth  looking  at  in  the  course 
of  a  year  or  two,  that  is  if  strong  plants  are  set 
out.  I  have  known  this  Fern  to  make  fronds 
7  feet  long,  but  they  were  on  an  old  specimen 
that  had  an  unlimited  root  run.  Choose,  if  possible, 
a  moist  situation  ;  near  a  water  margin  is  a  good 
place.  There  are  several  tolerably  distinct  varie- 
ties of  the  Royal  Fern,  of  which  iuterrupta  and 
oinnamomea  are  about  the  best. 

ASPLENIUM  VIEIDE.  —  This  is  a  little  gem 
amongst  hardy  Ferns,  one  of  the  smallest  forming 
little  tufts  of  foliage  not  more  than  a  few  inches 
high  and  of  the  loveliest  green  possible.  Unfor- 
tunately, this  Fern  is  just  a  little  hard  to  please, 
sometimes  refusing  to  respond  to  the  care  be- 
stowed on  it,  at  others  thriving  as  well  as  could 
be  wished.  The  best  plant  I  ever  had  was  on  a 
stumpery  close  to  the  edge  of  it,  where  the  drain- 
age was  exceptionally  good,  and  where  it  got 
plenty  of  light  and  a  little  sun  in  the  morning. 
Very  free  drainage,  with  a  good  depth  of  loam 
material  for  the  roots  to  go  into,  seem  to  be  the 
principal  points  in  the  culture  of  this  charming 
little  Fern. 

Struthiopteris  germakica  is  not,  as  the 
specific  name  indicates,  a  native,  but  is  quite 
hardy.  In  the  course  of  time  it  forms  a  stem 
6  inches  or  more  in  height,  which  carry  a  plume- 
like crown  of  fronds.  Grown  in  light  soil,  it  forms 
numerous  rhizomes  from  which  young  plants 
spring,  thus  forming  colonies  in  varying  stages  of 
development. 

Cyrtomium  falcatum.— This  is  a  native  of 
Japan,  and  although  not  quite  so  hardy  as  could 
be  desired,  is  so  handsome  and  totally  distinct  from 
all  outdoor  Ferns,  that  I  cannot  pass  it  by.  The 
fronds  attain  a  length  of  about  2  feet,  and  are  of 
extraordinary  substance,  and  in  depth  of  verdure 
are  not  approached  by  any  other  hardy,  and  by 
very  few,  if  any,  indoor  Ferns.  The  pinna;  are 
pointed  and  prickly,  and  I  should  think  a  good 
name  for  it  would  be  the  Japan  Holly  Fern.  It 
seems  to  bear  about  18°  of  frost  very  well,  but 
more  than  this  destroys  the  crown.  In  very  hard 
weather  it  can  easily  be  preserved  by  cutting  off 
the  fronds,  covering  the  crown  with  dry  material, 
inverting  a  flower-pot  over  that  to  keep  it  in 
place.  It  is  really  worth  this  trouble,  as  it 
affords  such  complete  variety.  It  is  an  evergreen 
kind. 


376 


THE    GARDEN 


[Nov.  1,   1884. 


Adiantum  pedatum. — Here  we  have  another 
exotic  species,  bat  hailing  from  North  America, 
and  therefore  hardy  with  us.  It  requires  a  rather 
elevated  position  to  keep  the  crowns  dry  in  winter 
and  a  light  soil.  Then  it  grows  in  good  tufts 
2  feet  or  more  across,  and  is  very  attractive, 
which  it  cannot  be  said  to  be  when  only  doing 
moderately  well.  Like  the  preceding,  it  is  fine  for 
pot  culture  for  cool  or  cold  greenhouses.  It  is  all 
the  better  for  a  little  peat  in  the  compost  with 
some  pounded  brick  rubble. 

Onoclea  sensibilis. — Also  an  exotic,  but 
very  hardy.  It  forms  a  creeping  rhizome,  from 
which  the  very  pale  green  delicate-looking  leaves 
issue  singly.  They  are  of  peculiar  shape,  remind- 
ing one  so  forcibly  of  those  of  the  Oak,  that  I  am 
surprised  it  should  not  have  been  named  querci- 
folia.  I  call  it  the  Japan  Oak-leaf  Fern,  and  I  do 
not  think  a  better  name  could  be  found  for  it.  It 
likes  a  free  light  soil,  which  it  soon  occupies  with 
its  creeping  stems,  extending  in  this  way  con- 
siderably in  the  course  of  a  year  or  two.  With 
one  exception,  the  above  list  contains  only  kinds  of 
the  e  isiest  culture.  They  are  by  no  means  fas- 
tidious as  to  soil,  growing  freely  enough  in  such 
as  is  naturally  of  a  free  description.  Garden  refuse 
thoroughly  rotted  is  excellent  material,  mixing 
with  it  some  loam  or  some  ordinary  garden  soil. 
As  a  rule,  these  free-flowering  kinds  do  not  get  all 
the  food  they  require,  and  it  is  astonishing  how 
they  thrive  with  really  generous  treatment.  When 
they  have  been  a  year  or  two  established,  a  top- 
dressing  of  quite  rotten  manure  does  a  large 
amount  of  good.  .J.  C.  B. 


Kitchen    Garden. 


VSE  OF  ANIMAL  MANURE  IN  GARDENS. 
I  NOTICE  in  The  Garden  several  communica- 
tions from  correspondents  on  the  use  of  animal 
manure  for  flowers,  fruits,  vegetables.  Sec.  I  there- 
fore venture  to  give  you  my  experience  of  about 
fifteen  years.  My  strict  orders  have  been  that 
no  animal  manure  is  to  be  used  in  the  kitchen 
garden  or  elsewhere.  Leaves,  kitchen  refuse, 
sifted  cinders,  and  lime  are  used,  and  burnt  rub- 
bish. The  ground  is  trenched  every  other  year 
about  2  feet  deep.  The  garden  slopes  to  the  south- 
west, a  stiff,  clay  soil,  but  well  drained.  The 
usual  practice  with  Seakale  is  to  cover  it  with 
earthenware  pots,  and  load  the  plants  with  manure. 
For  many  years  I  have  given  up  the  pots,  and 
cover  the  plants  with  sifted  ash  a  week  before 
Christmas.  The  plants  are  planted  in  good  earth,  but 
no  manure  or  dressing  of  any  kind  is  given  ;  with 
this  system  I  get  the  very  best  results.  The  ash 
is  removed  at  the  proper  time,  and  compact  heads 
of  Seakale  are  cut  from  5  inches  to  7  inches  long, 
white,  and  with  the  most  delicate  sweet  flavour, 
perfect,  and  fit  to  be  eaten.  With  Asparagus  I 
use  nearly  the  same  system.  The  seed  is  sown  in 
beds,  well  dug,  but  no  manure  or  dressing.  The 
thirds  year  the  Asparagus  is  fit  to  cut,  but  only 
about  6  inches  of  the  all  green  part  is  ever  used  ; 
this  is  tender  and  well  flavoured,  and  can  all  be 
eaten.  A  relation  of  mine  spent  ilil  for  manure  for 
two  Asparagus  beds,  determined  to  have  large 
Asparagus  ;  he  had  large  Asparagus,  but  spoilt  in 
flavour  by  the  foul  juices  of  the  manure.  The  same 
system  is  adopted  with  Teas.  I  only  use  two  sorts, 
Ne  Plus  Ultra  and  Veitch's  Perfection  ;  no  manure 
is  used,  but  plenty  of  lime.  The  Peas  are  large 
and  excellent.  With  Celery,  Carrots,  Onions, 
Beans,  Cauliflower,  Cabbage,  the  same  plan  is 
adopted,  ground  well  trenched,  but  no  manure,  and 
I  have,  I  consider,  perfect  vegetables,  not  large 
in  size,  rather  small,  but  sweet,  healthy,  delicious 
— all  that  a  reasonable  man  could  desire.  With 
Vegetable  Marrows  and  Cucumbers  I  adopt  the 
same  system,  and  these  generally  are  considered 
unprofitable  to  grow  without  plenty  of  manure. 
Marrows  are  first  raised  in  pots,  then  planted  out 
under  a  handglass  in  a  good  mound  of  earth.  In 
about  a  fortnight  the  glass  is  removed,  and  they 
are  left  to  grow  naturally  ;  if  the  weather  is  dry, 
water  must  be  freely  given.  I  have  a  thorough 
dislike   for  the  ordinary  grown  jMarrows — great. 


large,  tasteless,  watery  vegetables  ;  but  grown  on 
my  plan  I  get  as  nice  a  vegetable  as  can  be  eaten, 
sweet  and  firm  in  the  flesh,  about  9  inches  long, 
rarely  longer,  very  different  from  the  gigantic 
2-foot  Marrows  generally  grown.  Cucumbers  are 
grown  in  a  frame  filled  with  good  earth,  no  heat- 
ing materials  of  any  kind,  and  I  get  the  best 
flavoured  Cucumbers  about  10  inches  long,  very, 
different  from  the  great  2-foot  Cucumbers  grown 
at  "  express  speed,"  which,  as  far  as  I  have  tasted, 
have  every  flavour  but  the  right  one.  No  manure 
has  ever  been  placed  on  my  Strawberry,  Rasp- 
berry, or  Rhubarb  beds,  and  I  get  them  as  fine  as 
I  could  desire.  Of  Tomatoes  this  year  I  have  a 
most  satisfactory  crop,  all  grown  in  the  open  air, 
planted  in  earth  without  any  dressing. 

I  am  quite  aware  that  the  system  of  gardening  I 
adopt  would  not  do  for  market  gardeners,  or  even 
for  the  gardens  attached  to  large  mansions,  or 
for  the  purpose  of  exhibition.  In  these  cases, 
quantity  and  size  appear  the  chief  matters  aimed 
at ;  the  pocket  and  the  eye  must  be  satisfied ;  but 
surely  this  should  not  be  the  first  consideration. 
The  chief  point  I  consider  to  be  a  healthy  and 
well  flavoured  vegetable  of  moderate  size,  and  this 
you  cannot  obtain  if  you  charge  the  ground  with 
gross  animal  manure.  If  I  recollect  rightly,  even 
the  editor  of  The  Garden  himself  once  admitted 
that  some  of  the  large  Asparagus  he  so  much 
praised  for  size  and  appearance  had  rather  a  queer 
taste.  I  am  not  certain  of  the  exact  words,  but  I 
believe  I  express  the  meaning  of  his  words;  and 
not  long  since  I  was  in  a  large  market  garden,  and 
I  saw  Rhubarb  and  Seakale  covered  in  coarse 
manure,  and  I  said  to  the  owner,  "  Why,  surely 
you  do  not  eat  Rhubarb  grown  in  this  manure  /  " 
"  Oh,  no,"  was  his  reply  ;  "  this  is  for  the  market. 
I  have  a  little  patch  of  Rhubarb  grown  in  simple 
earth  for  myself." 

As  to  the  digging  and  dressing  herbaceous  bor- 
ders and  shrubberies  with  manure,  I  consider  it 
an  act  of  the  greatest  possible  follj',  and  never 
adopt  it,  and  never  did  adopt  that  greatest  of  all 
gardening  errors,  bedding  out.  In  the  conserva- 
tory and  greenhouse  only  good  earth  and  peat- 
earth  is  used,  and  I  have  both  outdoor  and  in  as 
good  a  display  of  flowers  all  the  year  round  as 
need  be  desired.  X.  Y. 

Devon. 

Autumn  planting  Potatoes. — If  any- 
one feels  disposed  to  try  this  experiment — for 
to  most  people  it  would  be  an  experiment  —  I 
would  advise  its  being  done  at  once  while  the 
ground  is  dry  and  friable.  Where  the  soil  always 
lies  loose  and  porous  the  tubers  can  take  no  harm  ; 
but  in  cold,  clay  soils  that  are  very  retentive  of 
moisture,  and  consequently  get  exceedingly  run 
or  close  in  wet  seasons  and  much  affected  by  frost 
in  hard  winters,  I  should  say  that  it  was  folly  to 
attempt  the  experiment.  If,  however,  in  such  case 
anyone  is  disposed  to  try,  let  him  take  out 
trenches  9  inches  in  depth,  place  in  the  bottom  of 
each  some  3  inches  in  thickness  of  long  stable 
manure,  and  then  placing  the  tubers  on  that  add 
a  little  short  manure  over  them,  finally  adding 
some  6  inches  of  soil,  which  may  lie  over  the 
rows  in  a  ridged  form.  To  admit  of  the  free 
passage  of  surface  water,  the  furrows  between 
should  be  forked  up  roughly.  In  the  spring  the 
tops  of  the  ridges  may  with  advantage  be  drawn 
off  with  a  coarse  rake,  and  the  growth  would  find 
in  the  soil  little  or  no  obstruction  to  its  develop- 
ment. As  to  beneficial  results  that  may  flow  from 
autumn  planting,  I  hold  these  to  be  very  pro- 
blematical. No  matter  what  soil  or  position  may 
be  planted,  I  am  certain  that  good,  sound  seed, 
properly  stored  and  carefully  planted  at  the  end 
of  March  or  beginning  of  April,  will  always  give 
as  good  results  and  probably  better.  The  notion 
that  self-planted  Potatoes  are  both  more  prolific 
and  precocious  than  are  spring-planted  ones  is 
erroneous,  as  I  have  often  proved.  The  tubers 
lying  in  the  soil  all  the  winter,  even  if  they  es- 
cape frost,  are  exposed  to  the  depredations  of  mice, 
wireworms,  and  grubs,  and  many  may  thus  be 
destroyed.  That  the  practice  of  spriag  planting 
is  so  universal  tells  much  in  its  favour,  although 
not  everything,  because  practice   is  not  always 


consistent  with  Nature.  Still,  the  matter  is  one 
easily  decided  upon  by  all  who  garden,  and  if  they 
wish  to  experimentalise  they  should  set  about  it  at 
once. — D. 

ROSE  Garden. 


PROPAGATING  ROSES. 
Dwarf  Roses  on  their  own  roots  are,  I  believe, 
generally  preferred  to  those  that  are  worked  on 
any  kind  of  stock,  as  not  only  do  they  very  fre- 
quently grow  more  vigorously,  but  they  also  re- 
main in  good  health  for  a  greater  length  of  time. 
On  our  heavy  soil,  Roses  on  the  Manetti  stock 
especially  are  very  apt  to  gradually  produce 
weakly  growth,  and  to  die  back  in  an  unaccount- 
able manner,  this  happening  in  spite  of  their 
being  planted  sufKciently  deep  to  ensure  the  plant 
emitting  strong  roots  above  the  point  of  union  of 
stock  and  scion.  We  have  at  different  times 
planted  a  considerable  number  of  worked  Roses, 
but  as  a  rule,  fully  20  per  cent,  fail  to  start  into 
growth  properly,  and  an  uneven  bed  is  the  result. 
This  never  happens  with  those  which  we 
have  recently  struck.  These  plants  continue 
to  throw  up  strong  shoots  or  suckers,  and  it  is 
owing  to  this  good  habit  that  superior  robustness 
is  maintained,  as  any  not  too  succulent  are  avail- 
able for  replacing  exhausted  or  weakly  growth 
cut  away.  The  quickest  way  of  raising  a  stock  of 
Hybrid  I'erpetuals  on  their  own  roots  is  by  dib- 
bling in  strong,  well-ripened  lengths  of  growths 
any  time  during  the  latter  part  of  October, 
November,  and  even  December,  and  it  is  also 
possible  to  root  a  considerable  number  of  the 
March  prunings.  As  a  rule,  those  inserted  in 
October  and  early  in  November  strike  roots  with 
the  greatest  certainty,  and  that,  too,  in  a  position 
where  many  will  perfect  several  blooms  during 
the  followicg  season.  The  best  position  for  these 
is  the  open  ground,  this  being  manured  if  at  all 
poor  and  thoroughly  broken  up  prior  to  the 
insertion  of  the  cuttings.  The  latter  may  be  of 
any  size — say,  fromG  inches  to  12  inches  in  length 
— preference  being  given  to  those  of  the  largest 
size,  and  the  harder  or  better  ripened  they  are  the 
more  certain  are  they  to  strike.  Heels  are  neither 
necessary,  easy  to  procure,  nor  advantageous  ;  but 
the  cuttings  should  be  cleanly  cut  to  a  joint,  and 
be  dibbled  in  or  laid  in  Box  fashion  at  once,  as  so 
much  depends  upon  their  being  preserved  fresh 
and  plump.  Only  a  few  minutes  elapse  from  the 
time  ours  are  taken  off  the  plants  till  they  are  in- 
serted, and  they  invariably  strike  well ;  whereas  if 
allowed  to  lie  about  for  a  few  hours  they  get  dry 
and  commence  to  shrivel,  thus  completely  spoiling 
all  chances  of  a  good  strike.  We  usually  put  in 
the  cuttings  in  rows  18  inches  apart  and  9  inches 
asunder  in  the  rows.  About  half  their  length  is 
buried  in  the  ground,  and  particular  care  is  taken 
that  each  touches  the  bottom  of  the  hole  or  trench 
made  for  them,  the  ground  about  them  being  made 
as  firm  as  possible  by  trampling.  We  also  find 
that  ashes  of  any  kind,  well  mixed  with  our  heavy 
soil,  suits  Rose  cuttings,  which  also  lift  with  fewer 
broken  roots  where  it  is  used  than  would  other- 
wise be  the  case.  A  surfacing  of  the  same  ma- 
terial and  an  occasional  trampling  also  serve  to 
prevent  upheaval  by  frosts,  and  in  the  case  of 
very  severe  weather  being  imminent,  it  is  con- 
sidered advisable  to  roughly  cover  the  cuttings 
with  strawy  litter.  Supposing  all  has  gone  on 
satisfactorily,  the  following  winter  or  early  in 
spring  every  other  plant  should  be  transplanted 
and  blanks  made  good  where  necessary.  In  this 
manner  we  have  a  cheaply  and  quickly  formed 
bed  of  serviceable  Roses,  which  are  again  replanted 
or  re-arranged  when  too  large  for  the  space  al- 
lotted to  them.  It  is  frequently  stated,  as  a  fact 
founded  upon  experience,  that 

Late  winter  and  spring-made  cuttings 
seldom  root  at  all  satisfactorily ;  but  I  do  not 
think  it  has  ever  been  explained  why  this  shoidd 
be  so — at  least,  not  to  my  knowledge — in  any  hor- 
ticultural periodical.  Those  who  do  not  possess 
a  stock  of  healthy  dwarf  Roses  experience  a  dif- 
ficulty in  procuring  a  number  of  strong  cuttings, 
unless,  indeed,  they  cut  back  their  standards  to  an 


Nov.  1.    1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


377 


injurious  extent,  and  tbis  but  few  would  think  of 
doing.  In  February  or  early  in  March  no  lurm 
would,  however,  be  done  by  freely  thinnicg  out 
a  number  of  their  particularly  well  ripened  shoots 
suitable  for  making  into  cuttings.  To  dibble  out 
these  cuttings  into  an  open  piece  of  ground 
similar  to  that  recommended  for  the  autumn  cut- 
tings would,  however,  be  so  mucli  labour  and 
space  wasted,  as  it  is  quite  certain  but  few  if 
any  of  them  would  strike  root.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  the  cuttings  must  form  a  callus  before  leaf 
growth  commences,  and  it  has  been  found  that  it 
takes  fully  three  months  for  the  cuttings  to  ac- 
complish this.  Should  the  stored-up  tap  in  a  cut- 
ting by  any  chance  be  expended  on  leaf  growth, 
and  which  in  the  case  of  the  spring  cuttings  is  not 
easily  prevented,  then  a  collapse  may  soon  be  ex- 
pected. From  this  it  will  be  seen  that  the  foot 
of  a  north  wall  or  a  north  border  is  the  best  place 
for  them,  and  even  in  this  position  they  will  start 
into  growth  long  before  there  has  been  time  to 
form  the  necessary  callus.  When  this  happens 
disbudding  must  be  resorted  to  till  the  three 
months  have  expired,  and  then  when  the  lower 
shoots  are  allowed  to  develop,  it  will  be  found 
that  roots  will  also  be  forming  for  their  support. 
The  American  plan  of  burying  a  number  of  Rose 
cuttings  in  layers  in  a  box  of  sand  at  the  first 
trial  was  satisfactory  up  to  a  certain  point,  as 
nearly  the  whole  of  them  during  the  winter 
formed  a  good  callus,  but  beyond  this  only  a  very 
few  advanced,  and  in  the  end  the  experiment,  both 
in  my  case  and  that  of  a  friend,  was  a  failure 
To  sum  up,  then,  we  find  that  cuttings  made  in 
October,  November,  and  even  as  late  as  the  early 
part  of  December,  should  be  given  an  open  posi- 
tion, and  those  made  later  should  be  given  the 
coolest  position  available,  and  be  kept  from  grow- 
ng  till  root  action  is  also  tolerably  certain. 

Vakietie.s  that  strike  readily. — There  are 
some  sorts  that  do  not  strike  so  readily  as  others, 
and  also  some  that  bloom  more  freely  than  do 
others  under  similar  treatment.  It  is  a  curious 
fact  that  thornless  or  nearly  thornless  sorts  are 
the  easiest  to  propagate,  and  fortunately  all  of 
these  I  am  acquainted  with  are  good  and  useful. 
Some  of  the  best  are  John  Hopper,  Countess  of 
Oxford,  Captain  Christy,  Hippolyte  Jamain, 
Franrois  Jlichelon,  E.  Y.  Teas,  Dr.  Andrii,  Miss 
Hassard,  Paul  de  Malleray,  John  S.  Mill,  Dupuy 
Jamain,  Mdme.  Lacharme,  I'erle  Blanche,  Em- 
pereur  de  Maroc,  Charles  Margottin,  Mdme. 
Chirard,  Senateur  Vaisse,  Celine  Forestier,  Marie 
Finger,  Marguerite  de  St.  Amand,  and  Egeria. 
Other  good  sorts  that  we  have  also  established  on 
their  own  roots  are  Duke  of  Edinburgh,  Comtesse 
de  Chabrillant,  Marie  Baumann,  Maurice  Bernar- 
din,  Charles  Darwin,  A.  K.  Williams,  Victor  Ver- 
dier,  Etienne  Levet,  Exposition  de  Brie,  General 
Jacqueminot,  Louis  Van  Iloutte,  and  Souvenir  de 
la  Malmaison.  W.  I.  M. 


SHORT  NOTES.— ROSES. 


Rose  Hyminee  {Mrs.  Z/.).— Concerning  this  Rose 
aliout  which  you  emiuire,  Mr.  Wm.  Paul  writes  to  us  as 
follows  :  ''  I  remember  the  Rose  Hyminee  very  well,  but 
have  not  seen  it  or  heard  of  it  fur  years."  I  doubt  if  it  can 
now  he  bought  anywhere. 

The  single  Macartney  Rose.— We  have  never  seen 
this  Rose  so  healthy  and  handsome  as  in  Sir  William  How- 
man's  garden,  hi  Surrey,  a  few  weeks  ago.  It  is  growing 
against  a  wall,  and  the  bold  single  flowers  are  very  hand- 
some. \\'e  did  not  inquire  how  it  was  worked,  but  could  not 
help  noting  its  beauty. 

Tea  Roses  in  cottage  gardens.— Many  are  the 
treasures  to  he  found  by  the  diligent  searcher  in  cottage 
gardens.  The  pretty  semi  douiile  Noisette  (?)  Rose  enclosed 
came  from  one.  It  is  graceful  in  all  stages  of  flower  and 
bud,  beautiful  in  colour  {palest  sulphur,  deepening  to  the 
centre,  and  shomng  the  orange-coloured  anthers),  and 
tlowers  in  clusters  till  the  middle  of  October.— G.  J. 

*,.'  One  of  many  apparently  nameless  Tea  Roses,  which, 
ill-grown  and  sliglitly  degenerate,  are  often  very  pretty  and 
graceful  late  in  the  year. — ED. 

Rose  La  Relne.— This  Rose,  although  introduced 
many  years  ago,  is  surpassed  by  but  few  similar  in  colour  ; 
in  fact,  it  is  an  open  iiuestion  whether,  as  an  all  round 
Rose,  it  is  surpassed  by  any.  It  is  a  c<Kd  grower,  whetiier 
on  its  own  roots  or  budded  on  the  Brier,  and  its  glossy  full 
sized  flowers  are  very  striking  on  a  stand  ;  but  it  is  as  a 
garden  Rose  that  I  recommend  it,  ol  account  of  its  fra- 
grance, which  is  very  sweet.— J.  C.  C. 


TREATMENT  OF  RAMPANT  ROSES. 
Passekgebs  by  coast  steamers  are  all  too  familiar 
with  the  cry,  "stop  her."  Instantly  there  is  a 
grating  sound — a  slackening  of  speed ;  the  steam  is 
shut  ofE  from  paddle-wheel  or  screw,  and  the 
vessel  drifts  with  the  current  or  lies  to.  At  last  it 
seems  needful  to  raise  the  same  cry  among  the 
budded  Briers.  Stop  them,  or  the  Briers  will 
starve  out — wither  up  the  Rose  buds  at  their  base. 
For  the  purpose  of  keeping  the  latter  dormant, 
the  Briers  have  been  allowed  to  run  till  the  end 
of  September ;  but  now  that  the  dormancy  seems  in 
danger  of  being  purchased  at  the  risk  of  shrivelled 


buds,  the  latter  may  be  plumped  up  now  with  but 
little  risk  of  being  forced  into  active  growth. 

D.  T.  Fish, 


NOTES. 


Native  flcwers. — Anxious  as  we  now  are  to 
collect  the  wild  flowers  of  other  countries,  beauti- 
ful as  are  the  floral  treasures  of  Alp  and  Apen- 
nine,  yet  our  gardens  at  home  can  never  be 
complete  without  the  introduction  and  culture  of 
the  best  of  our  native  flowers.  At  one  time  Eng- 
land must  have  been  one  vast  wild  garden.  It  is 
not  so  very  long  since  the  common  Bulrush  and 
Butomus  umbellatus  were  banished  from  Shep- 
herd's Bush,  now  a  builder's  paradise,  near  Ham- 
mersmith, but  ages  ago,  when  the  painted  Briton 
was  snaring  wild  fowl  on  the  site  of  St.  Paul's 
Cathedral,  then  would  have  been  the  time  to  have 
seen  the  beauty  and  luxuriance  of  our  native  flora. 
As  it  is,  our  wild  flowers  are  very  varied  and  very 
beautiful.  Even  steam  has  left  us  here  and  there 
green  flowery  spots  among  the  Corn  fields ;  our  woods 
and  commons  are  yet  fresh  and  beautiful ;  flowering 
meadows  and  what  a  modern  farmer  would  call 
"  weedy  hedges  "  are  happily  not  quite  things  of 
the  past.  The  steam  age  has  left  us  all  these,  and 
let  us  hope  that  electricity  will  have  wild  blos- 
soms for  a  coronal  when  its  work  is  done.  Nothing 
can  well  be  more  lovely  than  the  snow-white  Stitch- 
wort,  as  its  slender  shoots  thread  themselves 
through  the  Thorns  and  Briers  in  early  summer 
time  ;  we  have  a  big  patch  of  it  on  the  rockery 
here,  and  its  young  growths  among  the  warm 
browns  of  the  dead  Fern  fronds  is,  as  we  think, 
very  lovely.  A  few  starry  wood  Anemones  in  a 
glass  of  spring  water  is  a  picture  for  eyes  dimmed 
by  city  smoke  and  dust ;  but  to  walk  through  a 
sunny  glade,  knee-deep  in  Bluebells  and  Ane- 
mones, is  a  dream.  Long  may  our  rocky  hillsides 
be  enamelled  with  golden  Gorse  and  purple 
Heather,  and  our  breezy  commons  be  studded 
with  Juniper  and  Broom. 

Violets— It  is  only  a  little  bunch  of  big 
purple  Violets,  but  then  all  the  incense  of  a  sunny 
garden  seems  to  have  been  distilled  into  their 
velvety  petals,  or  does  it  lie  deep  buried  in  the 
golden  centres  of  their  silky  flowers  7  Deep  buried 
in  their  hearts,  perhaps,  since  death  itself  cannot 
rob  them  of  their  sweet  breathing.  At  this  season 
Violets  are  especially  welcome,  bringing  with 
them,  as  they  do,  some  sweet  assurance  of  warm 
spring  days  to  come.  The  pleasures  of  hope  and 
of  memory  alike  seem  blended  in  their  presence. 


Stitchwort  and  Wood  ^Vnemoncs. 


up  starvation,  it  may  be  better  and  safer  to  stop 
the  Briers.  This  may  now  be  done  with  the  satis- 
factory result  of  plumping  up  rather  than  bursting 
the  Rose  buds  at  their  base  ;  for  though  the  tops 
of  the  Briers  run  on  as  if  they  would  grow  for 
ever,  yet  their  leaves  become  brown,  showing  a 
near  approach  to  maturity ;  hence  the  partial 
arrestment  of  the  sap  has  become  safe,  and  is 
likely  to  strengthen  rather  than  unduly  excite  the 
Rose  buds.  However,  the  cutting  back  must  not 
be  carried  too  far,  as  should  a  dripping  November 
and  a  mild  December  ensue,  the  buds  maybe  forced 
to  burst  on  the  very  threshold  of  winter— the  most 
destructive  of  all  seasons.  But  if  a  foot  or  two  of  the 
Brier  shoot  is  still  left  in  advance  of  the  Rose 


They  are  the  queen's  messenger  blossoms  of  the 
garden,  carrying  the  last  secret  of  the  autumnal 
Sunflower  all  through  the  Siberia  of  our  wmter 
and  breathing  its  sweet  news  into  the  opening 
florets  of  the  Auricula  and  into  the  golden  chalice 
of  the  earliest  Daffodil. 

Autumnal  Narolsei.— When  I  was  at 
Ware's  nursery  the  other  day  I  saw  the  little 
Narcissus  elegans  in  flower.  It  has  Rush-like 
leaves  and  scapes,  and  flowers  about  the  size  of 
those  of  a  common  white  Jasmine.  I  have  here  m 
pots  bulbs  of  the  green-flowered  Narcissus  (N. 
viridiflorus) ;  but,  alas,  they  refuse  to  throw  up 
their  flowers  with  me,  although  they  made  strong 
leaf  growth.     But  I  live  in  hope,  knowing,  as  I 


378 


THE    GARDEN 


[Nov.  1,  1884. 


do,  that  in  the  garden  "  nothing  is  impossible." 
This,  indeed,  should  be  the  motto  or  watch-word 
of  all  gardeners,  especially  of  the  younger  ones 
— "  Nothing  is  impossible  ;  "  but  I  was  just  a  little 
surprised  this  morning  (October  27)  to  see  a  plant 
of  N.  Tazetta  var.  throwing  up  a  couple  of  scapes, 
one  of  which  bore  an  expanded  flower  and  a 
couple  of  buds.  Narcissus  Tazetta  blooming  in 
the  open  air  in  October  is  quite  a  new  experi- 
ence to  me.  The  chances  are  that  it  was  forced 
early  last  season  and  went  to  rest  in  spring,  and 
so,  after  our  exceptional  summer,  has  awakened 
sooner  than  usual  on  the  "  early-to-bed-early-to- 
rise  "  principle. 

Before  the  frost.— The  Dahlias  are  yet  in 
bloom.  Senecio  pulcher  is  bright  and  pretty,  and 
there  are  blossoms  bright  and  beautiful  on  the 
beds  of  spring-sown  Anemones.  The  purple 
trumpets  of  Convolvulus  Jalapa  dangle  from  the 
branches  of  a  Rose  tree  on  a  sunny  wall,  and  the 
flies  yet  cluster  on  the  honeyed  flowers  of  the 
Michaelmas  Daisies  in  the  sunshine.  Milla 
biflora  and  Eessera  elegans  are  in  flower ;  so  also 
is  Saxifraga  Fortunei,  and  at  Cambridge  the  other 
day  I  saw  aclump  or  two  of  the  golden  Sternbergia 
lutea  bearing  a  hundred  flowers  or  more.  The 
Golchioums  are  blooming  still,  and  the  fragile 
autumn  Croci  are  pretty,  albeit  tossed  and  broken 
by  rude  winds.  Even  yet  there  are  late  auratum 
Lilies  and  scarlet  Gladioli  in  flower  among  the 
swirl  of  yellow  fallen  leaves. 

Gardeners'  Benevolent  Institution  — 

The  secretary  of  the  above  society  is.  as  I  learn 
from  the  papers,  anxious  to  obtain  a  sum  of  £420 
to  complete  the  capital  necessary  for  an  increase 
of  £i  yearly  in  the  pensions  now  granted.  The 
sum  is  not  a  large  one,  and  if  every  gardening 
journal  would  lend  its  aid  and  receive  subscrip- 
tions of  not  less  than  a  shilling  nor  more  than 
half-a-crown  from  hoiui-jide  gardeners,  the  whole 
sum  might  be  obtained  in  less  than  a  month. 
Hundreds,  if  not  thousands,  of  gardeners  would 
give  a  small  donation  in  this  way  who  cannot 
afford  to  subscribe  a  guinea  annually.  If  the 
secretary  will  take  the  trouble  to  ask  the  aid  of 
the  press  and  of  the  principal  nurserymen  through- 
out the  country,  I  think  the  sum  desired  may  very 
soon  be  realised. 

Narcissi  abroad.— I  was  much  interested 
in  an  article  under  the  above  heading  in  The 
Garden  for  October  4,  but  what  I  should  like  to 
hear  is  how  and  where  Narcissi  are  most  luxuriant 
and  abundant  in  their  native  habitats.  Mrs. 
Bridges,  in  her  "  Travels  Round  the  World," 
alludes  to  yellow  Jonquils  as  growing  wild  on  the 
hillside  roads  in  India,  and  a  friend  has  just  sent 
me  the  following  note  on  the  same  subject :  "  I 
observed  a  note  recently  in  The  Garden  about 
Indian  Daffodils.  My  son,  who  is  in  India,  lately 
came  home,  bringing  me  about  a  dozen  Daffodils 
from  the  hills  of  Cabul,  where  he  says  they  grow 
wild.  They  are  from  his  description  a  variety  of 
Tazetta  (?  orientalis).  When  I  planted  them  in 
July  they  began  to  grow  at  once,  and  those  out- 
of-doors  must  be  killed  by  winter,  being  a  foot 
high  (no  buds)  ;  those  in  pots  will  perhaps  flower 
in  the  greenhouse."  Can  anyone  else  give  us  any 
information  on  Daffodils  abroad  ? 

Daffodil  notes.— Mr.  Brockbank's  notes  at 
p.  oG2  are  very  interesting,  and  I  do  not  wonder 
that  he  should  have  thought  that  the  late  Mr. 
Leeds  raised  more  seedling  Narcissi  than  anyone 
else.  I  thought  so  my.self  until  quite  recently,  when 
Mr.  Barr  informed  me  that  Mr.  Backhouse  bears 
away  the  palm  for  quantity,  as  well  as  for  quality. 
I  am  surprised,  however,  that  Mr.  Brockbank 
should  ask  us  to  believe  that  the  form  of  N.  incom- 
parabilis,  figured  in  Hale's  "  Eden,"  is  the  same  as 
the  Sir  Watkin  chalice  flower,  now  being  sent  out 
by  Messrs.  James  Dickson,  of  Chester.  In  the 
Gardeners'  Ckrot\cU\  April  2(5,  1S84,  Mr.  Brock- 
bank  tells  us  he  saw  flowers  of  Sir  Watkin 
in  the  Manchester  shop  windows  in  the  spring  of 
1883,  and  that  he  then  mistook  them  for  those  of 
N.  Princess  Mary  of  Cambridge.  Again,  in  the 
spring  of  ISSi  he  saw  it,  and  at  first  mistook  it  for 
N.  Emperor.    Now  we  are  asked  to  believe  that  it 


has  been  known  a  century  and  a  half !  That  it 
should  have  escaped  recognition  for  the  fifteen 
years  it  was  in  Mr.  Pickstone's  possession  is  little 
short  of  a  miracle,  but  that  it  is  the  old  original 
N.  incomparabilis,  as  figured  in  Ilale,  is  a  sugges- 
tion not  to  be  believed.  Even  were  it  so,  its  value 
as  the  very  finest  of  the  Queltia  section  is  none  the 
less.  No  matter  whether  old  or  new,  it  is  the 
finest  of  its  race,  and  that  is  saying  a  great  deal. 
As  to  the  high  priced  varieties,  not  half  as  good 
have  been  offered  of  late  years  at  three  times  the 
cost  of  this  one.  That  it  may  possibly  exist  in 
other  parts  of  Wales  is  not  unlikely,  but  it  is  not 
likely  to  be  wild  (t  e  ,  indigenous),  however  plen- 
tifully it  may  be  naturalised.  As  to  its  beauty, 
there  can  only  be  one  opinion,  and  under  good  cul- 
ture it  is  quite  as  likely  to  gain  in  size  as  it  is  to 
deteriorate. 

English  names.— The  publication  of  a  com- 
prehensive dictionary  of  the  English  names  of  gar- 
den and  other  plants  (see  p.  354)  is  a  step  in  the 
right  direction,  and  is  a  venture  likely  to  meet  with 
success.  Latin  names  must  ever  be  used  first  and 
always,  but  there  is  a  large  and  intelligent  class 
who  cannot  learn,  or  care  not  for  learned  nomen- 
clature. Besides,  it  is  in  the  vulgar  tongue  that 
all  the  poetry,  the  sentimental,  the  cherished  asso- 
ciations of  home  and  country  and  of  friends  re- 
side. The  very  name  of  the  field  Daisy  calls  up 
the  genial  spirit  of  Chaucer  and  the  pathos  of 
Burns.  Speak  of  Daffodils,  and  the  names  of 
Shakespeare  and  Wordsworth  and  Herrick  stand 
writ  on  their  golden  petals  more  firmly  than  if 
writ  on  brass.  I  think  it  was  Leigh  Hunt  who 
said  that  no  fairies  ever  swung  themselves  in  the 
bells  of  the  wild  Hyacinths  in  his  time,  and  when 
asked  why  not  as  well  as  in  the  time  of  Shake- 
speare, he  said  the  dreadful  language  used  by 
botanists  in  speaking  of  innocent  blossoms  drove 
them  all  away. 

Pitcher  Plants  at  Chelsea— Nepenthes 
have  been  for  years  better  grown  and  more  nume- 
rous at  Messrs.  Veitch's  nursery  than  anywhere 
else,  but  we  never  saw  them  so  luxuriant  as  they 
are  at  the  present  time.  It  is  something  to  see 
the  great  speckled  urns  dangling  by  the  thousand, 
and  to  see  the  plants  as  vigorous  amid  London 
smoke  as  they  are  in  the  Tropics  10,000  miles 
away.  N.  Mastersiana  as  seen  in  the  warm 
houses  at  Chelsea  is  most  luxuriant,  and  promises 
to  be  the  best  of  all  the  hybrid  kinds,  and  superior 
even  to  N.  sanguinea.  N.  Northiana  and  N. 
Rajah  are  both  showing  fine  pitchers.  In  unique 
grace  and  beauty  there  are  but  few  other  plants 
which  can  rival  these  when  well  grown.  The  main 
points  essential  to  their  vigorous  growth  are  heat 
and  moisture,  and  a  houseful  of  the  best  kinds 
will  yield  as  much  pleasure  as  do  the  choicest  of 
Orchids  or  other  exotics.  N.  Northiana  is  now  in 
great  beauty,  the  rim  of  its  pitcher  being  most 
beautifully  painted. 

Kew  Gardens.— Notwithstanding  that  this 
is  the  dull  season  in  gardens  generally,  the  Kew 
establishment  is  most  enjoyable  at  the  present 
time.  That  great  improvements  and  additions 
have  been  made  of  recent  years  goes  without  the 
saying,  and  Kew  is  at  the  present  time  more  truly 
representative,  not  only  as  a  collection  of  plants, 
but  of  cultural  skill  than  ever  it  was  before.  The 
old  Victoria  house  is  now  used  for  a  collection  of 
tropical  Water  Lilies,  and  to  see  these  when  at 
their  best  is  like  a  beautiful  dream.  Here  the 
rosy  and  white  Lotus  are  flowering;  so  also  is  Nym- 
pha^a  zanzibarensis,  with  erect  flowers  of  a  rich 
metallic  blue  colour.  The  noble  collections  of 
Cycads  in  the  Palm  house  are  greatly  in  advance 
of  what  they  were  in  vigorous  growth  and  in 
arrangement,  and  the  removal  of  the  hot-water 
pipes  from  the  main  walk  in  the  great  temperate 
house  is  a  gain  in  several  ways.  The  Marianne 
North  gallery  is  one  of  the  most  notable  additions 
of  recent  years,  and  is  alone  worth  a  long  journey 
to  see,  but  turn  where  one  may  order,  health,  and 
energy  are  displayed.  Veronica. 


Fruit  Garden. 


Fuchsias  (imaimr  Gardener).— Cut  doivn  your  Fudi- 
sias  which  have  shed  their  leaves  in  spriog. 


CANKER  IN  FRUIT  TREES. 
A  LETTER  just  received  from  a  friend  in  the 
north  of  England  says,  "  We  have  a  poor  crop  of 
Apples  and  Fears,  but  the  quality  is  good.  The 
trees  are  badly  cankered,  but  we  cannot  do  any- 
thing with  them,  as  we  are  so  overdone  with 
work."  The  Apple  is  by  far  the  most  useful  of 
our  hardy  fruit  trees.  It  is  cultivated  in  every 
garden,  sometimes  very  successfully,  but  ottener 
the  results  are  not  such  as  a  gardener  ought  to 
feel  proud  of.  During  the  last  season  1  would  be 
afraid  to  say  how  many  questions  I  have  had  to 
answer  about  canker  in  Apple  trees,  and  the  data 
have  seldom  been  sufficient  to  enable  me  to  give  a 
satisfactory  Answer.  For  instance,  if  the  trees 
are  old  and  badly  cankered  all  over,  their  case  is 
hopeless,  and  the  only  practical  advice  is  to  order 
their  removal,  and  to  plant  young  healthy  ones. 
Even,  however,  if  the  trees  are  cankered,  they 
may,  in  some  cases,  be  all  that  there  is  to  keep 
up  a  supply  of  fruit  for  the  household,  and  to 
grub  them  up  all  at  once  would  put  a  sudden  stop 
to  the  supply.  It  is  just  twenty-one  years  ago 
this  month  since  I  undertook  to  renovate  an  old 
garden.  It  was  of  considerable  size,  and  con- 
tained several  hundreds  of  fruit  trees ;  nearly  all 
of  them  were  very  old,  most  of  them  of  large  size, 
and  suffering  from  many  years  of  neglect.  The 
Apple  trees  were  badly  cankered,  even  where 
young  trees  had  been  planted  to  supply  the  place 
of  old  ones ;  they  seemed  to  become  attacked 
by  canker  in  a  year  or  two.  Moreover,  there  were 
no  proper  walks,  or  any  division  of  the  garden  into 
quarters.  The  first  thing  I  did  was  to  construct 
paths  5  feet  wide,  and  on  each  side  of  the  paths 
borders  were  made  1)  feet  wide.  These  were 
trenched  up  to  the  depth  of  2  feet,  and  any  trees 
that  were  in  the  way  were  grubbed  out,  taking 
care  to  trace  the  roots  as  far  as  possible,  and 
grubbing  out  every  one  of  them  as  we  went  on 
with  the  work.  'The  ground  being  very  poor,  a 
layer  of  manure  was  placed  in  the  bottom  of  the 
trench  ;  over  this  was  put  the  top  spit  of  the  next 
trench  besides  the  loose  earth,  then  another  layer 
of  manure,  and  another  spit  with  the  loose  earth 
were  thrown  out ;  every  trench  had  the  bottom 
well  forked  up  before  the  manure  was  thrown  into 
it. 

Planting. — About  7  feet  from  the  Box  edging 
a  row  of  fruit  trees  was  planted,  principally 
Apples  on  the  Paradise  stock ;  but  we  also  had 
Pears  on  the  Quince,  Cherries  on  the  Mahaleb, 
and  also  some  Plum  trees.  A  good  sized  hole  was 
taken  out  for  each  tree,  and  about  a  barrow-load 
of  good  loam  was  placed  round  the  roots  of  each. 
I  fancy  we  gave  them  too  much  manure  in  the 
trenches,  as  it  caused  them  to  make  such  vigor- 
ous growth  that  I  thought  it  desirable  to  lift  the 
trees  the  next  season.  This  we  did,  and  took  the 
opportunity  to  trench  the  ground  over  again.  The 
trees  were  carefully  planted  with  more  loam 
round  the  roots,  and  encouraged  to  form  roots 
near  the  surface  by  mulching  with  decayed 
manure.  The  7-foot  space  between  the  path  and 
the  trees  was  filled  with  a  row  of  Gooseberry  and 
Currant  bushes.  After  a  while,  the  trees  occupied 
the  entire  space.  The  borders  received  a  dressing 
of  decayed  manure  annually  in  preference  to  dig- 
ging amongst  the  roots,  and  two  or  three  times  we 
were  able  to  cover  the  manure  with  fresh  soil,  and 
by  a  good  system  of  management  and  summer 
pruning  the  trees  came  into  bearing  at  once; 
indeed,  we  had  some  good  fruit  the  second  year. 
It  was  predicted  that  we  would  never  be  able  to 
grow  trees  in  the  garden  free  from  canker,  but  we 
did.  Three  varieties  of  Apples  only  showed  signs 
of  it,  viz.,  Ribston  Pippin,  Cellini,  and  Wellington ; 
but  as  soon  as  they  were  lifted  and  replanted  the 
disease  was  arrested  and  t'ae  cankered  places,  after 
being  cut  out,  healed  over.  When  the  young  trees 
came  into  full  bearing  we  had  abundance  of  fruit 
and  the  old  trees  were  taken  out  entirely.  A  few 
were  left  to  experiment  upon,  principally  for  the 
purpose  of  seeing  whether  the  canker  could  be 
arrested  by  root  pruning  in  cases  where  it  had 
not  gone  too  far.     A  Ribston  Pippin  and  Sturmer 


Nov.  1,  1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


579 


Pippin  on  the  Crab  stock  were  botli  rejuvenated 
by  being  root-pruned. 

Root  rnuNlKG. — This  being  the  right  time  to 
do  this,  I  will  describe  the  mmliis  operandi  in  as 
few  words  as  possible.  A  tree  from  ten  to  fifteen 
years  old  should  have  a  trench  cut  half  round  it  at 
a  distance  of  5  feet  or  6  feet  from  the  bole.  The 
trench  must  be  deep  enough  to  enable  the  operator 
to  cut  through  all  the  roots :  then  take  a  fork  and 
work  well  under  the  ball  of  earth,  cutting  oflE  all 
roots  that  have  struck  deep  into  the  ground.  For 
the  soil  that  has  been  thrown  out  some  from 
another  part  of  the  garden  should  be  substituted  ; 
the  new  soil  will  be  better  for  the  tree  than  the  old 
exhausted  material.  In  applying  the  new  soil 
endeavour  to  get  the  roots  nearer  the  surface  than 
they  were  before.  The  object  in  doing  half  the 
roots  only  is  to  prevent  the  tree  from  receiving  too 
great  a  shock  to  the  system.  During  the  follow- 
ing season  new  fibres  will  be  formed  where  the 
roots  were  cut,  and  the  other  half  of  the  tree  can 
be  done  the  following  season.  When  the  work  is 
done  in  this  way  there  is  no  danger  of  the  true 
being  blown  over,  nor  will  the  crop  of  fruit  be  lost 
the  first  year  after  the  pruning. 

What  IS  CANKER?— Fruit  trees  are  subject  to 
several  different  diseases,  and  each  of  them  often 
goes  by  the  name  of  canker.  Practical  cultivators, 
however,  know  well  enough  what  canker  is.  A 
portion  of  the  b?rk  tecomes  diseased  and  dies; 
the  dead  portion  falls  off,  leaving  the  wood  ex- 
posed, which  also  decays,  and  when  the  trees  are 
badly  attacked  whole  branches  die  off.  Of  course, 
wherever  there  is  decay  insects  or  fungoid  growths 
appear,  and  it  is  not  unreasonable  to  assume  that 
insects  may  be  the  cause  of  canker,  which  some 
have  averred,  but  in  reality  they  are  only  the 
result  of  the  disease.  At  all  events,  it  has  been 
proved  over  and  over  again  that  the  roots  getting 
into  bad  subsoil  is  the  cause  of  canker,  and  that 
lifting  them  up  nearer  to  the  surface  and  giving 
them  suitable  soil  to  work  into  will  cure  it,  or  at 
lesst  arrest  the  decay.  J.  D.  E. 


Big  flavourless  Peaches. — Among  the 
Peaches  sent  out  of  late  years  are  several  kinds 
that  have  a  very  poor,  or  even  a  bad  flavour.  The 
Peach  varies  much  as  regards  climate,  position, 
and  soil,  but  our  experience  with  some  kinds  is 
that  they  are  invariably  bad.  Now,  the  Peach  is 
so  peculiarly  delicate  a  fruit  that,  if  there  is  any 
deficiency  of  flavour  in  a  kind,  it  is  not  worth  one 
farthing  a  tree.  The  whole  charm  of  this  queen 
of  northern  fruits  lies  in  its  delicate  flavour,  and  a 
shade  in  one  direction  less  good  than  we  are  ac- 
customed to  in  the  fine  old  kinds  may  make  a  tree 
not  worth  its  place.  Our  raisers  concern  them- 
selves far  too  much  about  size  and  appearance, 
and  too  little  as  regards  the  main  point.  Do  not 
grow  any  Peaches  but  those  yon  know  to  be  first- 
rate  in  flavour.  Any  new  ones  worth  growing 
should  be  as  good  in  flavour,  or  nearly  as  good,  as 
the  Noblesse  or  Royal  George.  Lord  Palmerston 
may  be  named  as  a  bad  Peach,  except,  perhaps 
for  the  market  grower's  wants. — Field. 


SHORT  NOTES.— FRTJJT. 

Apple  Tom  Futt.  —  This  Apple,  mentioned  by 
"  J.  C.  f."  (p-  319),  is  one  which  does  well  here.  It  is  one 
of  onr  best  varieties  throuphout  October,  November,  and 
December.  The  trees  invariably  bear  heavily.  The  fruit 
swells  to  a  fxood  ordinary  size,  assumes  an  intensely  bright 
and  attractive  colour,  and  cooks  better  than  tlie  majority 
of  Apples.  It  also  gives  general  satisfaction  as  a  dessert 
fruit.— J.  MniR. 

6251.— Blackberry  jelly.— Put  12  lbs.  of  Blackberries 
Into  a  jar  with  2  quarts  of  water.  Place  them  in  a  slow 
oven  or  on  a  stove  tiU  the  juice  is  extracted  ;  then  strain 
through  a  line  hair  sieve.  Pare  and  core  G  lbs.  of  jelly 
Apples,  and  stew  them  down  with  1  quart  of  water  as 
before.  5iix  the  juices  together,  and  to  every  pound  of 
juice  allow  three-(tuarters  of  a  pound  of  lump  sugar,  and 
boil  altogether  till  it  becomes  a  jelly.— E  M. 

We  matte  Blackberry  jelly  very  snccessfnlly  in  the 

following  manner  :  Boil  the  Blackberries  for  about  twenty 
minutes  rather  slowly ;  then  let  the  juice  drain  through 
book  muslin  all  night,  and  in  the  morning  to  every  pounil 
of  juice  add  1  lb.  of  preserving'  sng.tr.  Let  it  boil  briskly 
for  al)Out  ten  nunutes  and  it  will  be  nicely  jollied  and  will 
turn  out  of  the  pots.  In  a  cold  wet  season  the  jeliy  will 
take  more  boiling  the  second  time  thau  when  it  has  been 
bright  and  warm.— E.  N.  T. 


TOMATOES  AND  WASPS. 
"  Belfast  "  recommends  planting  Tomatoes  to 
prevent  wasps  from  attacking  Grapes.  1  have 
Tomatoes  growing  in  the  back  and  front  of  a 
vinery  here  and  it  lias  been  swarming  with  wasps  ; 
therefore  I  should  not  recommend  anyone  to 
trust  to  Tomatoes  as  a  remedy.  I  find  hexagon 
netting  to  be  the  only  preventive  when  wasps  are 
so  numerous  as  they  are  this  season,  and  also 
destroying  their  nests.  My  plan  of  destroying 
the  latter  is  to  mark  all  nests  with  a  piece  of  white 
paper,  then  at  night  to  go  round  with  a  small  can 
of  gas  tar,  and  pour  about  a  quart  down  the 
entrance  ;  place  a  little  turf  in  the  hole,  and  there 
need  be  no  fear  as  to  the  result.  I  have  taken 
fifty  nests  this  season  within  a  radius  of  a  quarter 
of  a  mile,  and  have  not  been  stung  once. — E. 

"  Belfast "  says  (p.  .339),  "  if   Mr.  Verney 

will  grow  a  few  plants  of  Tomatoes  among  or  in 
the  house  with  his  Grapes,  wasps  will  not  go  near 
the  house."  This  statement  I  can  from  personal 
experience  contradict.  I  can  positively  assert  that 
Tomatoes  in  vineries  have  little  or  no  effect  in 
keeping  out  wasps.  Few  have  this  season  suffered 
more  than  we  have  through  their  ravages,  many 
bunches  of  JIuscats  and  other  varieties  being 
completely  ruined  by  them,  nothing  but  skins 
being  left.  We  had  Tomatoes  in  our  vineries  all 
the  season.  Tiffany  nailed  over  the  ventilators 
top  and  bottom  somewhat  stopped  their  ravages, 
but,  notwithstanding  this  precaution,  hundreds 
effected  an  entrance.  We  had  also  bottles  and 
jars  of  sweetened  mixture  hung  up  to  entrap  them, 
and  many  were  killed  in  that  way.  The  bunches 
were  put  in  bags,  some  even  in  double  bags,  made 
of  tiffany ;  nevertheless  the  wasps  eat  their  way 
through  them  to  the  Grapes.  I  have  seen  them 
frequently  settle  on  the  Tomatoes,  so  I  am  con- 
vinced wasps  will  enter  vineries  in  spite  of  To- 
matoes being  placed  therein.  1  never  saw  wasps 
so  numerous  as  they  are  this  year,  though  we 
have  destroyed  more  than  thirty  nests. — George 
Harris,  Arlc  Court,  Cheltenham. 

Fo^y  Grapes. — "  Another  Scot "  lays  him- 
self open  to  sharp  criticism  this  week  if  one  was 
so  disposed.  He  takes  me  to  task  for  accepting 
his  own  average  of  weight  of  crop,  viz.,  half  a 
pound  to  ii  lbs.  per  bnnch,  because,  I  suppose, 
when  reduced  to  accurate  dimensions  by  me  from 
his  figures,  the  crop  looked  as  preposterous  and 
impossible  to  himself  as  it  did  to  others.  He 
amusingly  hints  now  that  I  should  have  allowed 
for  a  predominance  of  "  the  number  at  half  a 
pound."  I  should  first,  he  says,  have  ascertained 
that,  whereas  it  was  his  duty  to  state  the  facts 
plainly  at  the  first.  However,  I  accept  the  "half- 
pound  "  explanation,  in  which  case  I  ask  him  what 
there  was  to  boast  about  concerning  the  vigour 
and  fertility  of  the  Vines.  I  am  now  driven  by 
him  to  put  the  bad  colour  of  his  Grapes  down  to 
the  same  cause  that  produced  the  half-pound 
bunches,  viz  ,  debility  of  some  kind.  "  Another 
Scot "  next  goes  on  to  show  that  because  I  said 
"shanked  Grapeswere  nearly  always  red,"  I  meant 
that  red  Grapes  must  also  be  always  shanked  ; 
whereas  I  said  nothing  of  the  kind,  nor  does  it 
follow,  and  hence  the  comparison  I  suggested  may 
easily  be  made.— A  Third  Scot. 

Dishonest  exhibitors.— I  hope  this  subject 
will  be  fairly  ventilated.  I  believe  I  know  the 
name  of  the  party  referred  to  by  "  J.  C.  C." 
(p.  o69),  but  there  are  two  down  in  that  direction 
who  are  noted  exhibitors,  and  also  noted  borrowers 
and  lenders.  They  both  showed  fine  collections 
at  a  big  show  not  a  thousand  miles  from  Carlisle 
a  year  or  two  ago  that  were  made  up  to  such  an 
extent  from  various  gardens,  that  they  were 
dabbed  the  "  limited  liability  collections."  It  is 
to  be  regretted,  in  one  sense,  that  such  things 
have  to  be  hinted  at  in  this  way,  because  suspicion 
may  be  thrown  upon  people  who  are  innocent,  but 
it  is  open  to  these  parties  to  disclaim  connection 
with  the  offenders,  who  are  so  well  known,  that 
they  will  hardly  venture  to  join  the  list.  It  may 
be  asked,  why  do  not  honest  exhibitors  take  action 
when  they  know  of  a  case  ?  but  the  answer  is, 
that  they  cannot  saddle  themselves  with  such  a 
responsibility.     The  fear  of  detection  will,  how- 


ever, sometimes  pr&vent  the  dishonest  exhibitor 
from  showing.  Some  years  ago,  at  an  international 
provincial  show,  where  valuable  money  prizes  were 
offered  for  collections  of  fruit,  it  was  known  that 
a  notorious  offender  had  entered  for  the  chief 
prize,  and  three  other  intending  exhibitors  under- 
took to  keep  an  eye  on  him,  and  also  took  the  sec- 
retary into  their  confidence,  who  promised  to  aid 
them  all  he  could.  The  suspected  party,  however, 
got  a  hint  of  what  was  going  on,  and  on  the 
morning  of  the  show,  the  space  and  his  name 
were  there,  but  neither  he  nor  his  fruit  put  in  an 
appearance  on  that  occasion.  It  came  out  at  the 
time  that  this  same  man  had  frequently  had  Pines 
from  Covent  Garden  for  his  collections,  and  had 
returned  them  after  the  shows.  The  long  and 
short  of  the  matter  is,  fraud  of  this  description  is 
now  quite  prevalent  where  it  would  not  be  ex- 
pected, and  the  result  is  that  honest  exhibitors 
have  no  alternative  but  to  stand  aside,  for  they 
have  no  chance.  It  is  for  horticultural  societies 
to  say  whether  they  will  allow  their  best  prizes  to 
be  appropriated  by  such  men.  I  have  no  doubt 
that  if  single  dishes  only  were  encouraged  by  good 
prizes  being  offered  for  them,  shows  would  be 
equally  successful,  and  the  system  would  give 
quite  a  new  aspect  to  showing.— Correspondent. 


Indoor    garden. 

HYACINTHS  IN  WATER. 
There  is  something  peculiarly  interesting  in  the 
cultivation  of  Hyacinths  in  water.  Many  people 
cannot  grow  plants  because  they  have  no  glass- 
houses, and  others,  especially  in  towns,  because 
they  have  no  accommodation  or  soil,  but  here  we 
have  some  of  the  most  beautiful,  and  certainly  the 
most  fragrant,  of  flowers,  capable  of  being  culti- 
vated to  a  very  high  and  satisfactory  degree  of 
perfection  without  a  square  yard  of  garden  ground, 
glasshouse,  particle  of  soil,  or  flower-pot.  Probably 
those  who  possess  all  these  might  never  desire  to 
grow  Hyacinths  in  water,  but  those  less  favour- 
ably situated  need  not  be  deterred  from  doing  so, 
as  anyone  who  cares  to  try  may  be  successful. 
The  only  appliances  needed  are  bulbs,  water,  and 
glasses.  In  order  to  have  flowers  for  a  long  time, 
and  in  succession,  early,  medium  and  late-flower- 
ing bulbs  must  be  secured,  but  a  very  few  succes- 
sional  sorts  will  be  found  more  useful  than  a 
large  quantity  of  very  early  or  very  late  ones. 
Some  of  the  earliest  sorts  may  be  taken  in  hand 
at  once.  Sound,  medium-sized,  well-ripened  bulbs 
are  best.  Glasses  for  growing  them  in  vary  in 
form  and  hue,  and  may  be  had  to  suit  all  tastes. 
Colour  and  form  or  quality  has,  however,  nothing 
to  do  with  the  development  of  the  flowers ; 
indeed,  as  good  spikes  may  be  grown  in  a  common 
upright  sixpenny  |glass  as  in  a  rich,  six-shilling 
transparent  and  ornamental  one. 

In  beginning  their  culture,  each  glass  should  be 
almost  filled  with  clean  water,  and  if  a  small  piece 
or  two  of  charcoal  can  be'put  in  the  water,  it  will 
help  to  keep  it  pure  and  benefit  the  bulb,  but  this 
is  not  absolutely  necessary.  When  the  glasses 
have  had  water  put  in  them,  the  bulb  should  be 
placed  on  the  top  with  its  base  all  but  touching 
the  water ;  then  move  them  into  a  cool,  dark  place. 
A  cupboard  or  some  such  place  suits  them  per- 
fectly, and  there  they  should  remain  until  roots 
have  been  emitted,  and  have  nearly  reached  the 
bottom  of  the  glass  ;  they  may  then  be  gradually 
brought  to  the  light.  The  roots  will  soon  increase, 
and  the  top  growths  push  upwards,  and  when 
growing  freely  they  may  be  fully  exposed  to  the 
light  and  air  of  an  ordinary  room.  In  a  warm 
atmosphere  the  water  soon  evaporates,  and  this 
must  be  filled  up  from  time  to  time  as  may  be 
necessary.  Should  the  water  begin  to  smell  offen- 
sively, empty  it  out,  and  fill  up  immediately  with 
more  perfectly  clean. 

As  the  flower-spikes  grow  up  and  become  top- 
heavy,  they  must  be  supported  with  wires  made 
for  the  purpose,  and  it  is  well  to  put  these  in  be- 
fore the  heads  of  bloom  fall  to  one  side,  as  if 
once  twisted  their  expansion  may  be  checked.  In- 
valids, and  all  who  are  much  confined   to  rooms, 


380 


THE     GARDEN 


[Nov.  1,  1884. 


should  try  the  culture  of  Hyacinths  in  this  way, 
as  watching  the  delicate  root  growth,  the  increase 
of  the  leaves,  and  the  expansion  of  the  sweet 
flowers  is  interesting.  J.  MuiB. 


Ctiristinas  Boses  in  pots.— At  one  time 
it  was  rather  rare  to  see  Christmas  Koses  in  pots  ; 
now  one  frequently  meets  with  them  in  good  con- 
dition grown  in  that  way,  a  fact  which  testifies  to 
the  estimation  in  which  this  line  old  hardy  flower 
is  now  held.  Seeing  how  highly  white  flowers  are 
valued  in  winter,  it  seems  strange  that  this  way  of 
growing  Christmas  Roses  should  not  have  become 
more  popular  years  ago.  The  blooms  come  so 
much  finer  when  protected  than  out  of  doors  and 
yvith  so  little  forcing,  that  they  can  be  had  in 
abundance  at  Christmas  and  during  January,  just 
when  there  is  a  more  or  less  scarcity  of  white 
flowers.  I  do  not  know  whether  it  is  better  to 
keep  the  plants  in  pots  the  year  round  or  to  plant 
them  out  after  flowering,  but  I  know  that  they 
can  be  well  grown  either  way.  If  grown  in  pots, 
they  should  be  plunged  and  get  plenty  of  liquid 
manure  when  growing.— J.  C.  B. 

5265.  —  Anthracite  coal. —  We  use  large 
quantities  of  this  coal,  and  find  it  to  be  in  every 
way  satisfactory.  For  those  who  have  long  ranges 
of  houses  to  heat  there  is  nothing  to  equal  it  for 
cheapness  and  heating  power.  It  takes  a  little 
longer  to  light  than  coke,  but  I  find  that  I  can 
light  it  and  get  up  the  heat  in  at  least  three- 
quarters  of  an  hour,  and  our  boiler  has  to  heat 
1000  feet  of  4-inch  pipe.  Some  have  an  idea  that 
this  coal  is  difficult  to  manage,  but  that  is  a  mis- 
take ;  it  is  not  so  difficult  to  manage  as  coke,  and 
it  requires  less  attention.  All  the  trouble  it  gives 
ns  is  first  thing  in  the  morning  to  draw  out  the 
dampers  for  about  an  hour,  and  if  any  coal  is 
wanted  It  is  supplied  during  that  time ;  then  the 
dampers  are  put  in,  and  the  same  thing  is  done 
again  in  the  evening.  Treated  in  this  way,  I  never 
find  it  to  burn  too  fast,  and  it  keeps  up  a  steady, 
constant  heat.— John  Stapelton,  Bristol. 

Ixias  an  d  their  treatment.— The  coloured 
plate  of  Ixias  which  appeared  in  a  recent  number 
of  The  Gauden  will  probably  be  the  means  of 
inducing  some  to  grow  these  charming  Cape  bulbs 
who  have  not  hitherto  done  so.  To  me  it  is  a 
matter  of  some  surprise  that  Ixias  should  not  be 
more  popular  than  they  are,  seeing  that  they  are 
just  the  class  of  plant  which  anyone  having  but 
limited  accommodation  for  tender  plants  would 
be  likely  to  take  in  hand.  Their  growing  time  is 
in  winter  and  early  spring,  and  yet  they  need  no 
fire  heat  to  keep  them  safe,  only  just  the  protec- 
tion of  an  ordinary  frame,  and  at  no  period  of 
their  growth  do  they  demand  more  than  the  most 
ordinary  care.  No  time  should  now  be  lost,  how- 
ever, in  potting  the  bulbs,  as  the  sooner  they  com- 
mence to  make  roots  the  fuller  will  the  pots  be  of 
them  when  they  commence  to  throw  up  their 
bloom-spikes,  and  it  is  well  known  that  all  bulbs 
bloom  best  in  a  root-bound  state.  Sandy  loam 
and  a  little  leaf  soil  suit  them  best,  and  they 
should  be  potted  rather  lirmly,  burying  the  bulbs 
about  an  incli,  and  putting  quite  a  dozen  good- 
sized  ones  in  a  C-inch  pot.  It  is  better  to  use  the 
soil  just  moist  only,  then  a  moderate  watering 
wets  it  sufficiently.  It  is  the  same  with  Ixias  as 
with  Lilies ;  if  the  pots  can  be  plunged  up  to  their 
rims,  they  make  roots  more  freely  than  they  other- 
wise would  do,  the  soil  being  thus  preserved  in 
a  more  uniform  state  of  moisture.  In  a  general 
way,  they  will  not  need  water  from  November  to 
February  or  March  when  plunged,  otherwise  they 
want  looking  to  occasionally.  A  frame  is  the 
best  place  for  them  until  they  come  into  flower, 
giving  abundance  of  air,  in  fact,  never  taking  it 
oflE  except  when  there  is  hard  frost.  Greenhouse 
temperature  is  too  high  for  them.— J.  C.  B. 

Salvia  Pltcheri.- Few  plants  are  more  de- 
serving of  notice  for  conservatory  decoration  in 
autumn  than  this  distinct  and  beautiful  Salvia. 
Although  it  cannot  approach  S.  patens  in  size  of 
fl  Jwer,  its  deep  blue  colour  is  nearly  equally  good, 
aid  Its  distinct  habit  and  flowering  season  should 
be  sufficient  to  make  it  a  favourite  with  cultiva- 


tors. Both  are  indispensable  plants,  and  both  re- 
quire similar  treatment  as  regards  preservation  in 
winter.  All  other  greenhouse  Salvias  are  propa- 
gated from  cuttings  made  of  the  points  of  the 
branches,  and  these  invariably  root  readily  when 
placed  in  heat ;  but  by  adopting  this  plan  of  pro- 
pagation in  the  case  of  S.  Pitcheri  last  year,  it 
failed  to  strike.  The  wood  was  hard,  and  the  cut- 
tings remained  fresh  for  a  long  time,  but  did  not 
emit  roots.  When  autumn  came,  a  repetition  of 
the  fine  display  of  the  previous  year  was  unfortu- 
nately missed.  The  old  plants  did  not  make  much 
growth,  yet  they  formed  the  stock  for  the  present 
year.  On  the  advice  of  a  correspondent  of  The 
GAKDENat  the  time,  we  cut  the  plants  back  hard 
and  placed  them  in  a  cool  house  all  winter,  giving 
some  water  occasionally  when  the  soil  appeared  to 
be  too  dry.  Plenty  of  fine,  strong  young  shoots 
were  produced  early  in  spring  that  rooted  and 
grew  as  freely  as  the  other  sorts  taken  from 
branches.  The  young  plants  were  grown  on  and 
frequently  pinched  when  young  ;  but  the  habit  of 
the  variety  under  notice  is  so  tall  and  the  branches 
so  slender,  that  it  is  well-nigh  impossible  to  keep 
it  dwarf  and  at  the  same  time  obtain  good  flowers. 
Plants  grown  in  C-inch  pots  attain  a  height  of 
3  feet,  or  even  more,  and  as  Salvias  are  terminal 
flowering  plants  and  very  brittle,  they  must  be  al- 
lowed to  grow  uji  straight.  Those  propagated  by  cut- 
tings in  March  are  now  flowering  most  profusely, 
and  prove  a  distinct  and  pleasing  acquisition.  A 
light  and  airy  position  in  the  greenhouse  is  indis- 
pensable it  the  flowering  season  would  be  pro- 
longed. To  avoid  the  somewhat  leggy  appear- 
ance of  S.  Pitcheri  being  noticed,  the  plants  should 
be  arranged  on  the  ground,  and  Ferns  or  other 
dwarf,  fine-foliaged  plants  should  be  intermixed 
with  them.  A  much  better  effect  is  produced  by  a 
group  than  when  the  plants  are  dotted  about 
separately.  All  Salvias  are  much  benefited  by 
being  supplied  with  manure  water  after  the  pots 
become  nearly  filled  with  roots.  They  may  be 
all  grown  outside  and  treated  similarly  in  summer  ; 
but  the  importance  of  cutting  down  S.  Pitcheri 
and  wintering  it  as  a  distinctly  herbaceous  plant, 
is  a  material  point  towards  success  in  its  propaga- 
tion the  following  season. — Beta. 


Selaginella  canaliculata.— This  is  of  the 

most  striking  of  the  scandent  Selaginellas — 
indeed,  we  might  almost  call  it  arboreal,  for  it  is 
by  far  the  stoutest  and  most  tree-like  species  with 
which  we  are  acquainted.  The  stem  is  erect, 
round  (not  tetragonal,  as  described  by  its  intro- 
ducer, Mr.  Bull),  as  thick  as  the  little  finger,  very 
succulent,  dark  brown  at  the  base,  becoming  paler 
near  the  top,  the  topmoat  portion  being  light  or 
translucent  green.  Its  thickness,  succulence,  and 
the  few  scale-like  leaves  which  are  scattered  over 
its  surface  give  the  stem  the  appearance  of  the 
tallest  and  best  grown  French  Asparagus.  The 
main  branches  are  developed  in  a  distichous 
manner,  and  are  semi-erect ;  from  these  spring 
the  secondary  branches  or  fronds  proper,  which 
are  flat,  triangular  in  outline,  and  pale  green.  The 
length  of  the  whole  branch  is  3  feet,  and  the 
width  about  IS  inches  at  the  base.  We  have  re- 
cently become  acquainted  with  several  new  and 
distinct  species  of  scandent  Selaginellas,  but 
S.  canaliculata  is  by  far  the  finest  of  them.  What 
it  will  be  when  fully  grown  we  cannot  at  present 
say,  for  our  measurements  were  taken  from  a 
healthy  young  plant  in  the  Kew  collection,  which, 
we  believe,  is  less  than  six  months  old.  It  is  potted 
in  a  strong  loamy  soil,  with  a  little  leaf-mould, 
sand,  and  cow  manure  added.  We  take  this 
opportunity  to  call  the  attention  of  admirers 
of  the  most  ornamental  of  the  Cryptogamic  family 
to  the  fine  collection  of  Selaginellas  which  exists 
at  Kew.  These  plants  are,  in  our  opinion,  suffi- 
ciently varied  both  in  form,  habit,  and  other 
characters  to  afford  much  delight  to  anyone  who 
grew  a  collection  of  them  alone.  They  are  all  so 
easy  to  grow  that  almost  anyone  could  succeed 
with  them.  We  are  much  in  want  of  a  good 
descriptive  list  of  the  cultivated  species  and 
varieties  of  tropical  and  temperate  Club  Mosses. 
— B. 


Garden   Flora. 


PLATE  464. 
THE  ICELAND  POPPY. 
(papaver  nudicaulb.*) 
A  few  years  ago  the  Iceland  Poppy  was  scarcely 
known  outside  of  a  botanic  garden,  but  now  it  is 
justly  considered  to  be  an  indispensable  hardy 
plant,  and  its  flowers  amongst  the  most  beautiful 
of  those  of  summer.  At  one  time  only  the  white 
and  yellow  forms  of  this  Poppy  were  known,  but 
now  we  have  all  gradations  of  tint,  from  snow- 
white  and  yellow,  through  reds,  to  almost  a 
scarlet.  The  petals,  moreover,  are  generally  beau- 
tifully crimpled  and  shine  with  a  satiny  lustre, 
and,  as  may  be  seen  by  the  plate,  of  a  beautiful 
cup-like  form.  To  each  of  the  varieties  a  name 
has  been  given  indicating  the  colour  of  the  flowers. 
That  in  the  typical  P.  nudicaule  is  considered  to 
be  a  clear  yellow.  This  typical  form  has  a  wide 
geographical  range  ;  it  is  found  in  Eastern  Siberia, 
the  Altaian  Alps,  Asia  Minor,  Dauria,  &c.,  but  is 
confined  to  the  northern  half  of  the  Old  World. 
The  reddish  orange-flowered  form  is  named  rubro- 
aurantiacum  ;  the  citron-yellow,  luteum  ;  while 
the  richest  colour,  almost  a  scarlet,  bears  the 
name  of  puniceum.  The  kind  called  album 
is  a  delicately  beautiful  variety,  the  satiny 
white  flowers  of  which  are  as  plentifully  pro- 
duced as  in  the  other  forms  of  1'.  nudicaule. 
There  has  been,  and  still  is,  a  good  deal  of  con- 
fusion with  regard  to  this  Poppy.  Linnreus 
named  two  Poppies  respectively  Papaver  alpinum 
and  P.  nudicaule,  but  long  ago  botanists  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  these  two  names  applied  to 
one  plant  only,  inasmuch  as  every  intermediate 
gradation  can  be  found  between  the  Linnean  P. 
alpinum  and  P.  nudicaule.  The  former  is  charac- 
terised by  its  dwarf  growth,  its  finely  divided 
foliage,  and  its  small  white  cup-like  flowtrs,  hav- 
ing a  greenish  spot  at  the  inner  base  of  each  petal. 
This  form,  too,  is  probably  identical  with  the  so- 
called  species  P.  Burseri.  Taking  this  fine  cut- 
leaved  and  white-flowered  form  as  the  one  ex. 
treme,  almost  every  connecting  link  can  be  traced 
in  the  Kew  herbarium  specimens  to  the  other  ex- 
treme form,  which  is  represented  by  P.  nudicaule, 
and  which  is  popularly  called  the  Iceland  Poppy. 
Whether  there  is  one  or  more  distinct  species 
among  these  alpine  Poppies  must  be  left  to  bo- 
tanists to  settle,  but  for  garden  purposes  it  is 
evident  that  the  names  P.  alpinum  and  P.  nudi- 
caule must  be  retained,  inasmuch  as  the  plants 
which  are  represented  by  them  are  abundantly 
distinct  from  a  cultivator's  point  of  view.  Of  the 
true  alpine  Poppy  there  appears  to  be  one,  if  not 
two  distinct  varieties.  One  named  pyrenaicum, 
found  among  rooks  in  sunny  places  on  the  calca- 
reous mountains  in  the  south  of  Europe,  and  par- 
ticularly the  Pyrenees,  has  deep  orange  red  flowers  ; 
another,  named  flaviflorum,  has  yellow  flowers. 
These  two  appear  to  differ  in  no  way  except  in 
colour,  but  they  come  true  from  seed. 

P.  NUDICAULE  may  be  at  once  distinguished 
from  the  true  P.  alpinum  by  its  larger  and  more 
robust  growth,  and  especially  by  the  foliage,  which 
is  much  less  divided  ;  in  fact,  in  some  instances  it 
is  scarcely  cut  at  all.  As  in  P.  alpinum,  the  flower- 
scapes  are  naked,  but  they  are  taller  than  those  of 
that  species  ;  they  vary  from  6  inches  to  15  inches 
in  height,  and  their  flowers  are  often  as  much 
across  as  the  width  of  an  ordinary  sized  teacup. 


Drunn  at  Muustead,  July  20. 


L.AK_ 


( 


'^       m 


J" 


^ 


^ 


Nov.   1.   1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


381 


Culture.— p.  alpinum  and  its  varieties  are 
essentially  rock  garden  plants,  but  P.  nudicaule 
Is  a  capital  plant  for  growing  in  borders,  and 
there  are  few  prettier  sights  than  a  large  and 
well-grown  mass  of  seedlings,  representing  all  the 
varied  colours  of  this  Poppy.  The  best  soil  is  a 
moderately  rich  and  light  loam  for  P.  nudicaule, 
but  P.  alpinum  is  better  in  a  poorer  soil.  P.oth 
must  have  fully  exposed  positions,  and  the  soil 
must  be  well  drained  in  order  to  secure  success. 
Both  of  the  alpine  Poppies  are  strictly  haidy 
perennials,  bat,  like  a  good  many  other  alpine 
perennials,  they  are  liable  to  perish.  It  is,  there- 
fore, best  to  raise  seedlings  annually  in  order  to 
keep  up  a  good  stock  of  plants.  Seeds  are  abun- 
dantly produced,  and  should  be  gathered  and  sown 
as  soon  as  ripe  in  pots  in  a  frame  or  under  a 
handlight,  so  that  by  the  autumn  the  seedlings 
will  have  grown  strong  enough  to  withstand  the 
winter.  Indeed,  seed  may  be  sown  at  any  time 
daring  spring,  summer,  or  autumn.  On  warm  soils 
the  plants  are  quite  at  home,  and  even  become 
naturalised.  By  far  the  best  results  as  regards 
growing  the  Iceland  Poppy  that  we  have  seen  are 
in  the  garden  at  Munstead,  near  Godalming,  where 
Miss  Jekyll  pays  especial  attention  to  this  plant. 
Her  plan  is  to  save  seeds  only  from  the  white  and 
vermilion  varieties,  but  she  always  has  amongst 
the  resulting  seedlings  a  large  proportion  of  the 
typical  yellow  kind. 

On  the  light,  warm  soil  at  Jlunstead  this  Poppy 
is  thoroughly  at  home,  and  during  several  months 
from  late  in  the  spring  till  late  in  summer,  it  forms 
one  of  the  chief  features  of  the  garden.  Miss 
Jekyll  does  not  confine  herself  to  a  few  plants 
here  and  there,  but  makes  large  beds  consisting  of 
the  different  colours  mixed,  the  result  being  a 
most  beautiful  display.  Some  are  under  the  im- 
pression that  all  Poppies  are  so  fugacious  that  they 
are  worthless  for  cutting.  Such,  however,  is  not 
the  case,  as  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  P. 
nudicaule  is  being  grown  largely  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  London  for  supplying  cut  flowers  for 
market.  Miss  Jekyll  puts  them  to  good  use  in  a 
cut  state.  She  says,  "  If  the  flowers  .ire  cut 
early  every  morning  soon  after  expansion,  they 
endure  fresh  and  fair  several  days  in  vases  in- 
doors."—G. 


Selaginella  grandis.— Amongst  a  host  of 
beautiful  Club  Mosses  S.  grandis  stands  out  pro- 
minently as  a  very  distinct  and  handsome  species. 
Introduced  from  Borneo  about  two  years  ago  by 
the  Messrs.  Veitch,  this  plant  on  being  exhibited 
at  South  Kensington  won  golden  opinions  from 
all  who  saw  it.  In  the  broad,  flattened,  bright, 
shining  green  fronds  or  branches,  in  the  unusual 
width  and  closely  set  arrangement  of  its  leaves, 
and  in  the  graceful  tassels  of  long  spikelet  points 
which  fringe  the  ends  of  the  branches,  S.  grandis 
possesses  characters  of  the  most  exquisite  grace 
and  beauty.  In  height  the  branches  grow  to  about 
18  inches,  and  measure  quite  a  foot  across  the 
broadest  part ;  the  ends  of  the  branchlets  have  a 
slight  curve  downwards  all  round  the  frond.  S. 
grandis  is  distinctly  tropical  in  its  requirements ; 
in  fact,  it  is  really  a  glass-case  plant,  for  we  have 
never  seen  it  thriving  very  satisfactorily  unless  in 
a  Fern  case  or  under  a  bell-glass  in  a  moist,  shaded 
stove.  In  the  tropical  fernery  at  Kew  there  is  a 
specimen  of  this  plant,  which  in  the  health  and 
luxuriance  of  its  growth  is  all  that  can  be  desired. 
It  is  planted  in  a  pan  In  a  mixture  of  peat,  leaf- 
mould,  and  chopped  Sphagnum  ;  this  pan  is  buried 
under  a  thick  layer  of  green  Moss,  the  whole  being 
covered  with  a  Fern  case  and  kept  moist  to  satu- 
ration. From  the  base  of  the  plant  runners  are 
sent  out  under  the  Moss  for  about  6  inches  before 
pushing  up  and  growing  erect,  and  finally  deve- 


lopicg  into  fronds.  This  habit  makes  the  layer  of 
Moss  of  great  service  to  the  plant.  The  green  of 
the  leaves  of  S.  grandis  gives  the  branches  a  shell- 
like appearance,  and  the  likeness  to  a  shell  is  en- 
hanced by  the  flattened,  smooth  surface  and  the 
curve  of  the  branchlets. — B. 


Flower  Garden. 


DEEP   V.  SHALLOW-PLANTED  BULBS. 

Doubtless  much  may  be  said  upon  both  sides  of 
this  question.  The  most  successful  cultivator  of 
bulbs  or  other  plants  is  generally  he  who,  by  long 
and  watchful  experience,  learns  what  the  particular 
plant  does  when  left  to  itself.  It  is  absurd  to  lay 
down  a  hard-and-fast  line  as  to  how  deep  bulbs 
in  general  may  and  ought  to  be  planted,  seeing 
that  different  species  of  the  same  genus  will  be 
found  naturally  at  widely  varying  depths.  Take, 
for  instance,  a  collection  of  Crocus  seeds ;  sow 
them  in  pots— all  in  the  usual  way — covering 
them  with  hall  an  inch  of  soil ;  turn  the 
young  bulbs  out  when  one  year  old,  and  note  the 
result.  Some  will  be  found  where  you  sowed  the 
seeds,  others  half  way  down  the  pot,  and  others 
again  right  down  amongst  the  crocks  ;  the  same 
thing  happens  if  sown  in  the  open  ground.  Now, 
in  the  face  of  this,  would  it  not  be,  to  say  the 
least,  unpractical  to  assert  that  all  Croci  should  be 
planted  on  the  surface,  immediately  below  it,  or  at 
any  greater  or  lesser  depth  1  The  same  applies  to 
Tulips,  to  Narcissi,  and,  in  fact,  to  all  other  families 
of  bulbous  plants.  I  cannot  see  what  can  be 
gained  at  all  from  planting  Daffodil  bulbs  on  the 
surface.  They  may  be,  and  no  doubt  are,  hardy 
enough  to  suivive  the  summer's  heat  and  winter's 
cold  so  placed  ;  but  are  they  any  the  better  for 
either  ?  And  seeing  that  if  planted  on  or  near  the 
surface  they  have  a  knack  of  getting  down  to  a 
safer  and  more  comfortable  level,  of  what  use  is 
it  to  endeavour  to  make  them  conform  to  unsuit- 
able conditions,  or  those  under  which  they  are  not 
happy  ? 

Planting  rare  bulbs  on  the  surface  is  objection- 
able, inasmuch  as  slugs  sometimes  eat  out  their 
centres ;  but  of  course,  on  the  other  hand,  it  is 
quite  possible  to  put  down  bulbs  so  deep  that  they 
cannot  come  up.  Daffodil  bulbs  as  a  whole  will 
take  care  of  themselves  and  grow  and  bloom  in  a 
satisfactory  manner  if  planted  at  a  reasonable 
depth,  and  the  line  need  not  be  drawn  at  an  inch 
or  two  more  or  less  ;  4  inches  or  5  inches  is  a  safe 
enough  distance  from  the  surface,  and  all  hardy 
bulbs  will  succeed  so  placed.  The  arguments  in 
favour  of  shallow  planting  are  so  far  worthless. 
For  example,  "  J.  S.  W."  (p.  ::!02)  instances  a  row 
of  Tritomas  planted  close  to  the  surface  that 
bloomed  weeks  before  another  line  or  clump 
planted  deeper.  Is  he  aware  that  there  are  Tri- 
tomas and  Tritomas— species  which  bloom  natu 
rally  in  June  or  July,  and  others  again  which  never 
bloom  before  October  ?  I  recorded  in  the  pages 
of  The  Garden  a  few  weeks  since  six  days'  growth 
of  the  flower-stem  of  Tritoma  nobilis  ;  the  total 
was  20J  inches,  or  nearly  3.|  inches  per  day.  Now, 
is  it  not  absurd  to  say  that  half-a-dozen  inches  of 
soil  over  the  crown  of  this  plant  would  affect  its 
time  of  blooming  by  several  weeks  ?  When  Tri 
toma  growth  really  begins,  its  upward  push  makes 
short  .work  of  a  few  inches  of  soil,  and  instead  of 
there  being  weeks  between  the  blooming  of  shal- 
low and  deep-planted  clumps,  there  could  not  be 
at  most  more  than  a  few  hours.  Another  point 
against  shallow  planting  in  this  case  will  probably 
be  discovered  by  "  J.  S.  W."  after  the  first  hard 
winter.  By  that  time  he  and  others  may  have 
learned  that  it  is  the  invigorating  influence  of 
genial  sunshine  upon  the  leaves  which  causes 
bulbs  to  ripen,  and  not  the  exposure  of  the  bulbs 
themselves  to  elements  not  their  own. 

1  am  surprised  to  see  any  writer  with  a  know- 
ledge of  our  Irish  climate  advocating  the  shallow 
planting  of  bulbs,  which  usually  ripen  indifferently 
in  consequence  of  the  absence  of  summer  warmth, 
and  which  require  a  period  of  summer  rest. 
Summer    rest    I     take    to    mean    a    period    of 


uniform  dryness  and  comfort — conditions  which 
they  most  assuredly  would  never  enjoy  during 
an  average  Irish  summer  if  planted  close  to 
the  surface,  during  which  they  would  usually 
be  dry  for  a  week,  then  soaking  wet  for  a  fort- 
night, perhaps  a  month,  get  half  dry  again,  and 
then  be  subjected  to  another  downpour,  the  very 
conditions,  in  fact,  which  render  the  cultivation  of 
many  bulbous  plants  here  most  difficult.  Summer 
rains,  as  a  rule,  only  affect  the  surface  soil.  It 
follows  that  bulbs  at  a  reasonable  depth  must  be 
in  a  more  comfortable  medium.  No  doubt  the 
gradual  withholding  of  water  from  all  bulbs 
which  come  from  warmer  climates  than  our  own 
would  be  sure  to  bring  about  the  ripening  which 
we  desire,  and  this  is  j  ust  the  difliculty  experienced 
here.  Our  skies  are  too  dripping  and  the  soil 
never  sufficiently  devoid  of  moisture  to  compel 
them  to  cease  growing.  Narcissus  Tazetta  planted 
here  in  ordinary  moist  soil  goes  on  growing  all 
the  summer,  and  dies  in  about  three  years  after 
planting.  The  same  thing  happens  with  N.  Bulbo- 
codium.  "  F.  W.  B.'s  "  case  of  the  latter  under 
Holly  trees  fairly  illustrates  what  I  have  just  said. 
The  position  is  sunny;  the  trees  are  spreading;  the 
surface  soil  is  completely  occupied  by  Holly  roots, 
all  active  and  ready  to  drink  up  every  drop  of 
moisture  which  succeeds  in  getting  through  the 
mass  of  foliage  overhead ;  the  Narcissus  bulbs 
and  roots  being  down  below,  get  next  to  no 
moisture  after  their  winter's  soaking,  which 
would  be  moderate  enough  probably.  They  have 
a  maximum  of  warmth  with  a  minimum  of  mois- 
ture, and  are  forced  to  complete  their  growth 
simply  through  lack  of  cold  and  moisture  to  re- 
tard it.  Now  what  we  have  to  do  is  not  to  subject 
plants  to  conditions  of  growth  altogether  unna- 
tural and  at  variance  with  their  ordinary  require- 
ments, but  to  imitate  as  well  as  we  can  those 
under  which  they  naturally  succeed,  and  "J.  S.W.'s" 
theory,  that  as  we  go  north  we  should  steadily 
plant  our  bulbs  nearer  and  nearer  to  the  surface, 
has  not  at  all  a  practical  ring.  Considering  that  we 
are  at  present  a  long  way  from  the  Pole,  he  would 
either  have  to  stop  at  the  surface  a  long  way  short 
of  the  Pole,  or  plant  them  up  above  it  in  advanc- 
ing from  south  to  north.  The  only  change  required 
is  to  move  from  the  open  field  towards  the  foot  of 
a  warm  wall,  and  a  proper  soil  preparation,  and 
glass  or  other  protection  as  the  coldest  region  was 
reached,  would  give  much  better  results  than  stick- 
ing the  bulbs  In  the  surface  could  do. 

A'ln-ri/.  T.  SMITH. 


DAFFODIL  NOTES. 


N.  BICOLOR  HORSBFIELDI. — After  several  years- 
discussion  as  to  the  merits  of  this  grand  flower,  it 
has  by  general  consent  assumed  the  title  of  the 
King  of  Daffodils.  Its  history  has  frequently 
been  noticed  in  your  columns,  but  as  the  subject 
has  recently  been  thoroughly  discussed  in  the 
M<uickester  City  JS'ews,  a  few  remarks  may  be  o£ 
general  interest.  At  the  Daffodil  conference  it 
was  stated  by  Mr.  Burbidge,  on  the  authority  of 
Mr.  Percival,  the  president  of  the  Lancashire 
Botanists'  Association,  that  it  was  a  chance  seed- 
ling ;  and  as  it  appeared  to  me  that  this  tended 
to  rob  John  Hor.-efield  of  the  merit  which  attaches 
to  the  successful  raising  of  a  florist's  flower,  and 
having  always  understood  that  it  was  a  carefully 
raised  seedling,  I  wrote  to  the  editor  of  the 
Manchester  Citij  ^'en■s,  asking  information  from 
the  many  botanists  who  had  known  llorsefield. 
The  subject  attracted  much  notice.  Everybody 
who  knew  anything  about  it  was  consulted ; 
many  letters  appeared  in  the  City  Xe>r.%  and  the 
matter  was  thrashed  out  in  true  Lancashire  fashion. 
One  of  Horsefield'sold  friends  who  had  known 
him  thoroughly  wrote  that  he  could  not  see  how 
he  could  be  deprived  of  the  merit  of  raising  this 
seedling,  "  for  surely  nobody  else  raised  it ;  and 
had  it  not  been  for  the  fine  pod  of  seed  which 
he  detected  in  his  garden,  sowing  it,  and  watching 
it  with  the  greatest  anxiety  for  the  result,  we 
should  not  have  bad  any  N.  Horsefieldi  now." 
Others  also  testified  to  having  seen  this  seed-pod 
growing  upon  N.  bicolor.  It  is  thus  perfectly  clear 
that  the  seedling  came  not  by  chance,  but  was 


382 


THE     GARDEN 


[Nov.  1,  1884. 


the  reward  of  careful  culture.  None  of  the  cor- 
respondents could  state  that  Horsefield  took  any 
special  care  in  crossing  N.  bicolor ;  but  there  is 
the  evidence  of  the  late  E.  K.  Norris,  of  Northen- 
den,  that  it  was  the  result  of  the  pollen  from  a  very 
fine  flower  of  N.  Pteudo-narcissus.  This  is  denied  by 
many,  but  there  is  no  direct  evidence  to  the  contrary : 
whereas  it  transpired  during  the  correspondence 
that  the  father  of  Mr.  E.  K.  Norris  was  an  inti- 
mate friend  of  Hcrsefield's,  lived  in  his  neighbour- 
hood, and  was  a  frequent  visitor  at  his  garden,  as 
also  his  son  had  been.  It  is  thus  very  likely  that 
Horsefield  may  have  told  Norris  what  he 
divulged  to  no  one  else,  and  that  it  thus  came  to 
his  son,  who  told  it  to  me,  and  who  knew  that  1 
had  made  public  use  of  the  information.  I  firmly 
believe  that  this  is  the  true  history  of  the  origin  of 
this  fine  Daffodil,  and  it  is  further  confirmed  by 
the  statement  of  a  correspondent  to  the  Citi/ 
Xcn-s,  who  said  that  from  the  same  batch  of  seed- 
lings there  were  two  other  forms,  one  of  them 
resembling  N.  princeps.  This  certainly  points  to 
the  parentage  of  the  large  form  of  Pseudo-narcis- 
sus, which  would  be  very  like  N.  princeps,  and  one 
would  expect  the  result  of  such  a  combination  to 
produce  X.  Horsefieldi.  John  Horsefield,  although 
a  handloom  weaver  by  trade,  was  no  common 
man.  Richard  Buxton  speaks  of  him  in  1821  as 
being  not  a  mere  country  herbalist,  but  an  excel- 
lent scientific  botanist.  He  was  president  of  the 
Prestwich  Botanical  Society  for  thirty-two  years, 
and  served  in  like  capacity  at  all  the  botanical 
meetings  in  the  county,  so  that  in  his  autobio- 
graphy, published  in  the  Manrhcster  Gw/rdinn, 
March  2,  1830,  he  stated  that  he  had  attended  400 
meetings,  and  had  had  thousands  of  specimens 
through  his  hands.  Grindon  describes  him  as  a 
profound  botanist  and  a  well-read  man.  These 
botanical  meetings  are  continued  to  this  day, 
and  there  is  an  excellent  botanical  library  in  the 
meeting  room  at  the  "Eagle  and  Child"  Inn, 
Whitefield,  within  sight  of^the  place  where  Horse- 
field's  house  and  garden  formerly  stood.  Over 
the  chimney-piece  is  a  framed  memorial  card  to 
his  memory,  containing  the  following  tribute  to 
his  worth  by  a  celebrated  Lancashire  poet,  Charles 
Swain : — 

In  Memory  of  John  Horsefield,  of  Whitefield, 
Botanist,  who  died  on  the  sixth  of  March,  1854,  in 
the  sixty-second  year  of  his  age. 

Ye  who  behold  God's  works  in  Nature's  w.lys, 
And  Ihid  in  flowers  mute  anthems  to  His  praise. 
Who  read  the  volume  of  eternal  love 
In  seeds  of  earth,  as  in  the  stars  above. 
Here  read  a  name,  whose  fame  shall  long  endure, 
One  of  poor  birih,  but  gifted,  although  poor. 
God,  unlike  man,  the  humblest  spirit  lifts. 
Nor  asks  hia  wealth  before  He  sends  His  gifts. 
"Where'er  botanic  science  could  be  learned, 
New  links  disclosed,  new  species  yet  discerned, 
Where'er  by  wood,  or  lane,  or  heath,  or  hill 
God  ope'd  the  book  that  taught  botanic  skill ; 
There  Horsefield's  foot  from  dawn  to  eve  was  seen 
To  learn,  to  teach,  to  be  what  he  has  been — 
An  honour  to  the  soil  that  gave  him  birth, 
A  mind  of  truth,  a  heart  instinct  with  worth. 
Oh  !  may  the  spirit  for  whose  loss  we  grieve 
Our  God  accept — our  Saviour  Lord  receive. 

Until  1854  Horsefield  retained{"the  stock  of 
bulbs  of  his  Daffodil,  and  they  were  sold  for  the 
benefit  of  his  widow  after  his  decease.  There 
■were  then  twenty-eight  blooming  bulbs  and  nine 
small  ones.  This  would  fix  the  probable  date  of 
the  first  blooming  of  the  seedling  about  1847.  I 
often  think  one  might  trace  the  commencement 
of  the  Daffodil  culture,  both  in  the  case  of 
Tiiomas  Leeds  and  John  Horsefield,  to  the  in- 
fluence of  Dean  Herbert,  who  had  published  in  his 
"  Amaryllidacere,"  in  1837,  full  particulars  for 
hybridising  the  Narcissi,  and  who  came  to  Man- 
chester in  1840  as  warden  of  our  collegiate  church, 
of  which  he  subsequently  became  the  first  dean 
when  it  was  made  a  cathedral.  In  184.'!  his  Narcis- 
sus hybrids  were  figured  in  one  of  the  Jiotmiical 
Mar/azbies,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  he  would 
influence  our  working  florists  to  take  up  the  me- 
thods of  hybridising  the  Narcissi,  which  he  de- 
tailed in  his  great  work.  All  this  is,  however, 
conjecture  for  the  present,  but  the  dates  agree 
with  it  in  a  remarkable  manner. 

Wm.  Brockbank. 

Broclthnrst ,  Diclshurij. 


ORNAMENTAL  WALL  PLANTS. 
Now  that  the  busy  planting  season  is  again 
rapidly  approaching,  if  not,  indeed,  already  upon 
us,  a  few  remarks  regarding  the  above  useful  cla=s 
of  plants  may  not  be  out  of  place.  The  list  of 
climbers  or  plants  suitable  for  wall  covering  is 
usually  considered  a  very  small  one  indeed,  and 
this  is  no  doubt  the  case  it  we  confine  ourselves 
to  the  dozen  or  so  offered  in  nursery  lists,  or  to  the 
still  more  misleading  notes  of  those  who  cannot 
get  beyond  the  idea  of  the  Clematis  and  Ivy.  In 
the  following  notes  I,  however,  intend  to  deviate 
from  the  already  well-worn  list  of  plants  usually 
recommended  for  wall  covering,  and  to  briefly 
describe  some  half  dozen  of  those  which  can  be 
thoroughly  recommended  as  being  in  every  sense 
of  the  word  adapted  for  this  purpose.  First  on 
the  list  I  would  place 

The  Maiden-iiair  tree  (Salisburia  adianti- 
folia),  which,  although  deciduous,  is  one  of  the 
most  ornamental  coverings  for  a  bare  will  with 
which  I  am  acquainted.  In  my  mind's  eye  I  am 
at  present  depicting  an  oft-frequented  flower  gar- 
den, where  a  4-yard  high  wall  is  covered  from  top 
to  bottom  and  for  a  length  of  20  feet  with  this 
graceful  and  distinct  plant,  than  which  one  more 
conspicuous  or  beautiful  it  would  be  difficult  to 
imagine.  .The  glossy  green,  fan-shaped  leaves,  cut 
up  like  some  of  the  species  of  Adiantum,  give  to 
the  plant  a  most  conspicuous  and  remarkable 
appearance.  As  a  wall  plant  the  Salisburia 
requires  regular  and  heavy  pruning,  which,  how- 
ever, it  bears  with  impunity  ;  indeed,  it  is  greatly 
improved  thereby.  The  plant  just  referred  to  has 
a  northern  aspect,  and  is  growing  in  ordinary 
loam,  the  surface  of  which  is  occasionally  enriched 
by  a  dressing  of  leaf-mould  or  decayed  vegetable 
refuse.  Equally  serviceable  as  a  wall  plant,  and 
but  little  inferior  to  the  latter  in  point  of  beauty, 
is  that  useful,  though  much-neglected  plant, 

Garrya  elliptica.  This  is  a  capital  shrub, 
possessing  a  quick,  dense  growth,  and  admirably 
adapted  for  covering  large  breadths  of  bare  dead 
walls.  The  dark.  Holly-like  foliage  and  abun- 
dant racemes  of  long  drooping  flowers  render  this 
plant  one  of  the  most  conspicuous,  if  not  orna- 
mental, that  we  can  remember  having  seen  used 
as  a  wall  coverer.  Like  the  Maiden-hair  tree,  it  is 
by  no  means  averse  to  pruning,  which,  for  the  sake 
of  flowering,  and  in  order  to  produce  a  close,  even 
surface,  should  be  oft  resorted  to.  Any  soil  of 
moderately  good  quality  will  be  found  suitable 
for  the  Garrya,  and  the  position  in  which  I  have 
noticed  it  most  at  home  is  covering  a  wall  with 
either  a  southern  or  western  aspect. 

Magnolia  grandiflora  is  another  wall  plant 
of  considerable  merit,  and  one  which  for  a  bold, 
majestic  appearance,  combined  with  beauty  of 
bloom,  has  but  few  equals.  Being  somewhat  ten- 
der, it  should  be  allotted  the  southern,  and  conse- 
quently warm,  side  of  a  wall  or  building,  where 
also  extra  temptation  is  offered  for  the  per- 
fecting of  its  large  pure  white  and  deli- 
ciously  scented  flowers.  The  leaves,  which 
are  persistent  and  from  8  inches  to  10  inches 
in  length,  very  nearly  resemble  those  of  onr  com- 
mon Laurel,  though  of  course  on  a  larger  scale. 
They  are  ferruginous  beneath'  and  of  a  bright 
shining  green  above.  It  succeeds  well  as  a  wall 
plant  here,  although,  owing  to  our  damp  climate, 
the  flowers,  which  are  usually  produced  pretty 
freely,  seldom  expand  in  a  satisfactory  manner. 
This  tree  is  a  native  of  North  America,  where  it 
usually  attains  a  height  of  about  70  feet,  although 
in  this  country  it  rarely  reaches  more  than  half 
that  size.     With 

The  Euonymus  as  a  dwarf  shrub  or  plant  for 
a  window-box  or  pot  we  are  all  familiar,  but  as 
a  wall  plant  it  is  not  nearly  so  common  as  it  de- 
serves to  be.  There  are  at  least  three  forms  or 
varieties  of  the  Euonymus  all  well  worth  atten- 
tion, viz.,  E.  radicans,E.radicans  aureus  variegatus, 
and  E.  radicans  argenteus  variegatus.  These  I  have 
seen  appropriately  used  as  plants  for  wall-covering, 
but  in  every  respect  the  silver  form  is  the  best. 
When  seen  in  luxuriant  growth,  this  lovely  plant 
almost  defies  description,  there  being  something 
peculiarly  soft  and  pleasing  in  its  bright,  clean 


foliage.  The  contrast  between  this  and  the  other 
wall  plants  just  recommended  is  also  very  striking, 
the  sombre  green  of  the  one  and  the  bright,  dis- 
tinct variegation  of  the  other  being  very  marked. 
A  little  difficulty  may  at  first  be  experienced  in 
getting  this  plant  to  grow  upwards,  it  having 
usually  a  rather  procumbent  habit,  but  when  once 
started  it  will  grow  at  an  amazing  rate  and  soon 
cover  a  large  surface  of  wall.  For  planting  in 
the  smoky  atmosphere  of  a  town  garden  the  Euony- 
mus is  about  the  best  shrub  that  can  be  used. 
It  grows  freely  even  under  the  most  adverse  cir- 
cumstances, stands  smoke  well,  and  thrives  under 
bushes  and  trees ;  even  in  the  shade  of  houses  and 
dark  corners  it  is  as  healthy  and  looks  as  happy 
as  when  planted  in  the  most  favourable  situation 
— facts  which  deserve  wide  circulation,  as  there  is 
any  demand  for  plants  suitable  for  such  positions. 
Where  other  shrubs  have  failed  under  such  condi- 
tions, I  would  recommend  those  interested  in  such 
matters  to  give  the  Euonymus  a  fair  trial ;  the 
results  will  be  anything  but  disappointing.  For 
planting  in  maritime  situations  it  is  also  invalu- 
able, as  it  is  certainly  by  far  the  most  weather- 
proof of  the  limited  number  of  shrubs  able  to 
withstand  the  full  force  of  the  sea  breeze,  and 
contrasts  strangely  with  the  bruised  and  weather- 
beaten  foliage  of  almost  any  tree  or  shrub  that 
dares  to  rear  its  head  even  a  few  feet  above  the 
ground.  The  Euonymus  is  perfectly  hardy,  readily 
propagated,  and  a  plant  that  is  by  no  means  fas- 
tidious about  soil. 

Ceakothus  dentatus  and  C.  d.  rigidus 
grandifiorup,  though  perhaps  better  known  than 
any  of  the  otlier  plants  just  mentioned,  might  be 
largely  used  as  wall  plants,  both  having  many 
qualities  to  recommend  them  for  that  purpose. 
Though  perhaps  not  perfectly  hardy,  it  is  only 
during  very  severe  winters  and  when  growing  in 
exposed  situations  that  they  suffer  at  all  from 
frost.  These  Ceanothuses  are  well  adapted  for 
training  to  a  wall  or  wooden  fence,  against  which 
they  spread  rapidly  and  bloom  profusely.  In  a 
compost  of  good  rich  loam  with  an  addition  of 
peat  or  leaf-mould  they  grow  freely,  and  if  suit- 
ably situated  the  young  wood  becomes  well  ma- 
tured during  summer  and  passes  through  the 
winter  unharmed.  Ceanothuses  may  be  made  to 
bloom  more  freely  by  attending  to  cutting  back 
the  leading  shoots  in  February,  not  in  a  stiff  and 
formal  manner,  but  so  as  to  produce  an  open  and 
elegant  appearance.  The  variety  rigidus  grandi- 
florus  has  the  leaves  as  it  were  turned  back  at  the 
edges,  a  circumstance  which  gives  the  whole  plant 
a  stiff  and  by  no  means  pleasant  appearance.  It 
is,  however,  a  most  profuse  bloomer. 

The  Wistaria  sinensis  as  a  free-flowering 
wall  plant  has  few  equals,  and  deserves  extensive 
cultivation,  more  especially  where  ample  room  can 
be  afforded  for  its  extension.  Being  of  free  growth, 
it  soon  covers  a  considerable  space  if  each  season's 
growth  is  allowed  to  grow  its  full  length.  This 
may  be  permitted  until  such  time  as  the  desired 
space  is  covered,  but  afterwards  the  flowering  is 
much  enhanced  by  a  free  use  of  the  pruning  knife. 
When  pruned  in  winter  the  shoots  should  be  made 
moderately  short,  which  will  induce  the  formation 
of  breast-wood  ;  this  in  its  turn  should  be  cut  back 
to  a  couple  of  eyes  the  first  season  and  kept  closely 
spurred  in  afterwards.  These  spurs  will  produce 
an  abundance  of  flowers.  The  Wistaria  is  per- 
fectly hardy,  and  quite  at  home  in  any  position  or 
aspect.  It  is  readily  propagated  by  means  of  cut- 
tings made  of  the  ripe  one-year-old  shoots,  which 
should  be  cut  into  9-inch  lengths  and  inserted  in 
sandy  loam  in  a  cool  frame.  It  is  also  frequently 
increased  by  layering,  but  cuttings  form  the  best 
plants.  Another  plant  of  undoubted  merit  for 
wall  covering  is 

Crataegus  Ptracantha.  What  can  be  more 
beautiful  than  the  rich,  brilliant  berries  of  this 
plant  during  autumn  and  early  winter  ?  So  ef- 
fective are  these,  that  a  single  plant  well  covered 
with  ripe  fruit  is  an  ornament  to  the  village  or 
street  in  which  it  grows.  It  is  also  capable  of 
accommodating  itself  to  a  great  variety  of  soils  and 
situations  ;  indeed,  under  the  most  unfavourable 
circumstances  it  seems  to  fruit  most  freely.     The 


Nov.   1,  1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


383 


Pyracantba  should  receive  an  annual  pruning  in 
March,  which  not  only  induces  flowering,  but  also 
a  close,  compact  habit  of  growth.  Various  species 
of 

Aeistolochias  are  recommended  as  wall 
plants,  but  amongst  them  the  Birthwort  (A.  Sipho) 
certainly  bears  the  palm.  It  is  perfectly  hardy, 
having  stood  unharmed  during  our  most  severe 
winters.  It  is  a  rapid  grower,  and,  from  its  large 
leaves,  one  of  the  most  conspicuous  coverings  for 
a  wall  that  can  be  imagined.  The  flowers,  which 
resemble  a  siphon,  are  small  and  inconspicuous, 
although  of  peculiur  construction,  and  always 
hidden  beneath  the  foliage.  It  is  rather  difficult 
to  propagate,  but  cuttings  of  it  inserted  in  loam 
and  silver  sand  and  placed  under  glass  generally 
do  well.  Before  bringing  this  list  to  a  close  I 
would  like  to  add  a  word  in  favour  of 

The  Banksian  Eoses— white  and  yellow — 
these  being  plants  which,  with  a  minimum  of 
attention,  will  be  found  both  desirable  and  beauti- 
ful for  wall  covering.  Once  thoroughly  esta- 
blished in  a  favourable  soil  and  situation,  they 
grow  apace  and  bloom  profusely.  No  better 
covering  for  a  wall  can  be  found  than  these  Bank- 
sian  Koses,  which,  even  when  out  of  bloom,  are  by 
no  means  unattractive.  At  Glyn-y-garth,  on  the 
Menai  Straits,  there  is  one  of  tlie  finest  specimens 
of  this  Rose  I  have  yet  seen.  It  covers  an  almost 
perpendicular  rock  for  over  30  feet  in  height  and 
18  feet  in  width.  When  in  full  bloom  during  sum- 
mer this  is  an  object  of  general  admiration,  its 
clusters  of  small  yellow  Roses  being  produced  in 
rich  profusion.  A.  D.  Webstee. 

Penrhyn  Castle,  Korth  Wales. 


AURICULAS. 


I  THIKK  I  know  "J.  M.'  as  an  Auricula  grower, 
and  have  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  him.  If  so, 
I  feel  sure  he  will  not  imagine  that  I  take  up  his 
communication  of  October  18  out  of  a  wanton 
spirit  of  opposition.  An  Auricula  competent  to 
win  in  a  fifth  prize  collection  is  not  necessarily  a 
first-rate  sort ;  and  where  this  is  the  highest  that 
can  be  said  for  Colonel  Champneys  so  far  back  as 
1882,  I  think  the  faintness  of  the  praise  is  signifi- 
cant, and  lowers  its  worth.  The  pace  is  quick  to  the 
Auricula  in  these  days.  It  has  developed  most 
encouragingly  and  most  beautifully  under  the  nur- 
ture of  recent  years  ;  and  whatever  the  variety 
Colonel  Champneys  was  to  the  florist  world  at  the 
period  of  its  first  appearance,  it  is  relatively 
nothing  now  as  a  classic  Auricula.  It  has  been 
surpassed  in  its  sub-class  by  Simonite's  Frank,  and 
that  again  by  his  Aurora,  while  higher  yet  stands 
Heather  Bell,  and  another  of  his  more  lovely  still, 
whose  existence  now  is  but  a  memory,  like  the 
name  it  bore ;  till  it  seems  a  long  line  back  to  old 
Bonny  Lass  of  Ashton's,  an  antique,  pale-eyed 
beauty  in  blue  and  silver,  not  forgotten  by  old 
florists  and  little  known  to  new. 

The  descriptions  of  Colonel  Champneys  by  Mr. 
Tymona  and  "Delta"  are  correct  (October  4), 
and  that  given  of  the  flower  in  the  list  of  28u 
sorts  is  a  too  flattering  tale.  It  ought  not  to  be 
necessary  to  explain  to  anyone  conversant  with 
the  Auricula  that  when  the  term  blue  is  technically 
used  of  a  ground  colour  in  this  flower,  it  is  never 
supposed  to  be  the  blue  of  the  Lobelia,  Salvia,  or 
Forget-me-not.  It  is  a  blue  by  brevet  rank.  The 
blues  of  the  Gentians  are  hues  to  only  dream 
about  and  hope  for  in  the  Auricula  as  yet ;  mean- 
while, the  approaches  are  the  realities  in  which  we 
live  and  work  at  present.  So,  flowers  like  Maria  in 
the  edges  and  Perry  in  the  selfs  are  the  old- 
fashioned  blue  ground  flowers,  and  they  are  far  be- 
hind the  seedlings  that  are  to  come  forward 
among  the  blues.  I  cannot  but  say  that  "J.  M." 
would  drag  us  far  behind  the  day,  if  with 
him  we  would  "  regard  the  idea  of  discarding  from 
any  collection  all  sorts  but  those  cracks  which  are 
only  grown  to  take  prizes  as  thoroughly  wrong." 
I  do  not  know  a  raiser  whose  practice  agrees  with 
that "  as-you-were  "  policy  ;  the  flower  itself  forbids 
it.  The  cracks  that  can  take  prizes  are  just  the 
purest,  brightest,  smoothest,  richest  of  the  flowers. 
We  could  not,  if  we  would,  keep  touch  with  feebler 


character  and  properties  and  attributes  in  fogs  of 
undevelopment.  Nay ;  every  year,  to  my  fancy, 
some  of  our  florists'  flowers  seem  to  say  :  "  You 
can  do  without  me  now  ;  my  day  is  past,  and  my 
help  given  towards  the  brighter  future."  And  so 
they  go — not  with  a  thankless  and  unkind  dis- 
missal, but  from  the  feeling  that  practically  it  is 
too  great  a  stretch  to  stand  metaphorically  with 
one  leg  on  the  lowest  and  the  other  on  the  last- 
gained  round  of  the  long  ladder  of  improvement. 
Where  some  old  favourite  is  with  us  still,  it  is  less 
as  a  flower  than  as  some  cherished  help  that  keeps 
old  memories  green.  I  would  state  as  a  matter  of 
fact  that  there  are  none  of  the  "  old  cracks  '  now 
missing  at  exhibitions  which  are  not  beaten  by 
younger  sorts  superior.  New  varieties  are  valued 
not  for  their  similitude,  but  for  their  superiority 
to  old  ones ;  and  a  new  flower,  no  better  than  a 
commonplace  old  one,  is  not  sought  or  valued 
more.  Invisible  greens  now  are  Freedom,  with  its 
brilliance,  but  angularity,  and  Champion,  with 
the  beauty,  but  transience  of  its  velvety  ground 
colour  ;  and  yet  they  are  not  the  best  green  edges 
in  existence ;  neither  are  Colonel  Taylor  and  Prince 
of  Greens  that  do  appear.  In  grey  edges.  Hero 
and  Lightbody  remain  the  strength  of  the  old 
flowers,  and  can  beat  all  of  those  that  appear  less  ; 
yet  they  themselves  have  not  always  stood  un- 
beaten, and  when  anything  like  such  a  stock  as 
there  is  of  these  can  be  obtained  of  young  varie- 
ties, yet  within  small  compass,  the  progress  that  is 
accomplished  will  be  made  more  fairly  manifest. 
In  the  white  edges,  also,  none  of  the  old  kinds, 
whether  seen  or  not  seen  at  the  shows,  remain 
unconquerable ;  there  are  whiter  edges,  rounder 
petals,  purer  grounds,  and  greater  steadfastness 
of  character.  As  for  the  lovely  class  of  the  selfs, 
old  flowers  are  over-passed,  and  among  the  young- 
est beauties  are  some  of  the  most  fresh  and 
winning  types  of  loveliness.  It  is  so  with  all 
the  flowers,  whether  in  the  foreground  or 
the  back,  with  the  acquisition  of  which  there 
ended  the  work  of  such  florists  as  Lightbody, 
Headley,  Hepworth,  Traill,  and  Campbell.  The 
work  of  us  who  labour  now  will  doubtless  also 
leave  its  mark  and  have  its  bound,  which  others 
will  again  surpass,  ploughing  with  our  heifers. 
Last  of  all  to  be  cast  down  or  envious  are  those 
that  have  the  work  in  hand.  Our  wish  is  that  it 
should  not  perish,  but  be  taken  up. 

I  am  sorry  to  disagree  quite  near  the  close  of 
"J.  M.'s"  remarks  with  what  he  says — "that  if 
only  the  competitors  at  shows  would  grow  some 
of  the  old  favourites  as  well  as  they  do  the  new, 
success  with  the  judges  would  be  equally  great." 
I,  for  one,  have  grown  old  and  new  with  equal 
care,  but  under  equal  care  the  greatest  part  of  the 
old  varieties  have  proved  of  unequal  or  inferior 
merit,  and  that  is  why  I  cannot  consistently,  with 
the  end  I  have  had  in  view,  occupy  space  and  time 
with  what  is  not  more  beautiful,  and  not  so  help- 
ful, nor  so  interesting,  as  the  fresh  and  higher 
results  that  are  vouchsafed  to  the  fascinating  pur- 
suit of  cultivating  a  florist  flower  from  seed. 

F.  D.  HOBNEE. 

Svrton  in-Lotisdale,  Torlishire. 


THICK  AND  THIN  PLANTING. 
It  appears  to  me  that  in  the  planting  of  flower 
beds  and  in  massing  plants  generally  we  are  slow 
to  acknowledge  the  merits  of  thin  planting  and  the 
superior  results  to  be  obtained  therefrom.  I  have 
in  view  more  purticularly  beds  of  Pelargoniums, 
Verbenas,  &o.  These  are,  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten, 
planted  as  thick  again  as  they  should  be ;  but  it 
will  be  said  we  must  have  masses  of  flower,  and 
this  cannot  be  obtained  by  thin  planting.  That 
I  grant  up  to  a  certain  point,  but  the  n  it  must  be 
conceded  that  the  thick  planter  loses  individuality 
and  power  of  natural  development.  By  it  we 
perhaps  get  a  larger  number  of  blossoms  on  a 
given  space,  but  they  must  be  proportionately 
weak  and  ineffective.  I  have  been  noticing  Pelar- 
goniums in  masses  and  planted  singly,  and  I  find 
that  those  with  ample  room  in  which  to  develop 
their  side  growths  have  the  largest  trusses  of 
flowers,  the  individual  parts  of  the  blossoms  are 
stouter,   and  they  have  come  through  a  gale  of ' 


wind  and  rain  with  very  little  injury;  whereas 
the  blooms  of  most  of  those  in  masses  have  been 
washed  away  or  beaten  into  black  masses. 
This  is  no  more  than  what  might  reasonably 
have  been  expected,  as  we  all  know  that  over- 
crowding has  a  tendency  to  weaken  all  the  parts 
of  plants  subjected  to  it — a  fact  which  should 
enter  into  our  calculations  at  planting  time.  The 
prevailing  opinion  that  pure  earth  between  plants 
is  objectionable  is  not  always  justified  by  results. 
I  feel  satisfied  that  we  should  secure  more  sta- 
bility in  our  bedding  plants  if  we  gave  them  more 
room.  In  more  ways  than  one  it  is  a  mistaken 
notion  to  suppose  that  a  few  bare  spaces  at  plant- 
ing time  is  wrong.  Thin  planting  increases  the 
number  and  strength  of  the  roots,  from  which  a 
decided  gain  is  derived.  Therefore,  all  things  point 
to  the  conclusion  that  results  more  satisfactory 
would  be  obtained  than  those  we  now  get  by 
allowing  all  naturally  strong  growing  plants 
suflicient  room  in  which  to  properly  develop  them- 
selves. J.  C.  C. 


Solanum  jasminoidesasa'wallplaiit. 

— Among  the  wall  climbers  at  Ightham  Mote,  we 
were  pleased  to  see  this  plant,  better  known  as  a 
greenhouse  climber.  Those  hoary  old  walls  were 
covered  with  every  graceful  climber,  old  and  new, 
that  one  remembered  ;  and  among  them,  high  up 
in  a  corner,  were  the  pale,  elegant  trusses  of  this 
fine  plant,  well  worth  the  attention  of  those  who 
wish  for  beautiful  wall  plants  on  their  houses  if 
they  have  no  old  or  nicely  coloured  walls.  We  do 
not  know  how  far  north  it  may  be  trusted  to  do  as 
a  wall  plant ;  but  tliat  it  will  do  in  the  warm 
southern  mild  districts  is  clear. 

The  Canary  creeper. — The  prettiest  mid- 
October  picture  we  have  seen  this  year  in  a  garden 
was  on  the  porch  of  the  Crown  Point  Inn,  on  the 
road  between  Sevenoaks  and  Ightham.  It  was 
completely  covered  with  the  old  Canary  creeper, 
which  wandered  off  the  porch  among  the  Cherry 
and  Plum  trees  on  the  house.  English  cottage 
gardens  contain  many  pretty  examples  like  it; 
but  we  never  saw  quite  so  effective  a  one  as  this. 
Those  who  are  fond  of  their  gardens,  and  who 
live  in  them  in  autumn,  should  take  care  to  give 
the  Canary  creeper  a  place,  and  some  work  to  do. 
It  is  so  fresh  and  graceful  when  so  many  things 
begin  to  fade. — Field. 

Daffodils  abroad. — I  am  more  than  an 
octogenarian,  and  from  early  boyhood  have  been 
fond  of  gardening.  I,  therefore,  constantly  peruse 
your  most  useful  publication — The  Gaeden — and 
in  it  I  see  an  inquiry  concerning  Daffodils. 
Though  so  much  thought  of  in  England,  they  are 
ratherneglected  in  our  gardens,  in  which  they  grow 
almost  wild  ;  here  we  do  ample  justice  to  Hya- 
cinths, Tulips,  Violets,  Lily  of  the  Valley,  and  to 
all  the  tribe  of  spring  blooming  plants,  but  Nar- 
cissi are  seldom  honoured  with  admission  into 
first-rate  nosegays.  The  kinds  commonly  seen 
here  are  the  yellow  and  the  white  single  and 
double  varieties  of  Daffodils  and  the  poeticus — that 
is  to  say,  the  one  with  a  red  circle  in  the  chalice. 
Narcissi  are  met  naturally  growing  on  our  moun- 
tains, as  represented  in  the  beautiful  book  on  the 
wild  flowers  of  Switzerland. — The  Gardener, 
Villa  Tarerna,  Luhe  of  Como. 

Lily  failure. — In  my  own  mind  I  have  asso- 
ciated the  blackening  of  the  leaves  of  Lilies  to 
some  disease  analogous  to  that  which  has  attacked 
the  Hollyhock,  because  it  is  only  within  the  piist 
five  years  that  our  Lilies  have  been  affected.  I 
have  tried  deep  and  shallow  planting,  but  the 
result  is  the  same  in  both  cases,  and  as  yet  I  am 
not  sufficiently  convinced  as  to  the  effect  that  dry 
and  wet  summers  have  upon  the  failure,  but  I 
rather  incline  to  the  opinion  that  a  wet  summer 
favours  the  spread  of  the  disease,  if  disease  it  be. 
I  may  add  that  the  healthiest  and  best  flowered 
clumps  of  Lilies  that  I  have  seen  for  these  past 
two  seasons  are  where  the  soil  is  poor  and  brashy. 
The  bulbs  in  the  case  which  I  have  in  my  mind's 
eye  have  almost  pushed  themselves  out  of  the  soil, 
and  are  lying  on  their  sides  with  the  roots  fixed 
in  the  ground.    Than  these  no  Lilies  could  thrive 


884 


THE    GARDEN 


or  flower  better,  and,  lookicg  at  the  nature  of  the 
material  in  which  they  are  growing,  I  should  say 
that  a  rich  soil  is  unnecessary  for  them,  and  that 

the  bulbs  should  be  planted  near  the  surface 

J.  C.  C. 

Leaf  gardeningr— Notwithstanding  that 
The  Garden  does  not  look  favourably  on  carpet- 
bedding,  we  have  no  flowers  in  our  garden  at  the 
present  time  (the  middle  of  October)  that  can 
compare  with  a  carpet  bed  of  large  size,  contain- 
ing about  3000  plants,  consisting  of  Alternan- 
theras  in  variety,  Mesembryanthemum  cordifolium 
variegatum,  Leucophyton  Browni,  Kleinia,  Golden 
Feather,  and  Echeveria  secunda  glauca.  This  bed 
has  not  been  brighter,  if  so  bright,  all  the  summer 
as  it  is  now.  The  subdued  light  of  an  autumn 
day  appears  to  bring  out  the  colours  more  dis- 
tinctly than  when  the  light  is  stronger.— J.  C.  C. 

Tall  Lobelias.— Notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  all  the  tall  Lobelias  without  exception  re- 
quire a  slight  protection  during  severe  winters, 
unless  in  sheltered  nooks,  the  trouble  is  amply  re- 
paid in  such  seasons  as  the  present  by  the  dis- 
play which  these  truly  handsome  plants  make  all 
through  the  autumn  months.  L.  splendens  and 
its  varieties  grandiflora,  ignea,  and  many  others, 
are  appreciated,  but  L.  Tupa,  a  plant  no  less  hand- 
some, is  comparatively  seldom  seen  in  good  condi- 
tion, even  in  places  in  which  hardy  plants  are 
made  a  speciality.  In  the  herbaceous  ground  at 
Kew,  where  the  soil  is  evidently  light  and  sandy, 
a  plant  nearly  2  yards  through,  with  flowering 
stems  7  feet  high,  has  been  in  bloom  for  the  last 
two  months.  This  plant  has  been  in  the  tame 
position  for  two  or  three  years,  protected  in  win- 
ter simply  by  a  small  conical  heap  of  ashes.  The 
flowers,  which  are  borne  in  abundance,  cover  about 
2  feet  of  the  flower-stalk,  and  are  a  bright  scar- 
let, the  woolly  leaves  being  also  very  pretty.— K. 

Red  autumn  -  flowering  Sage.  —With 
the  exception  of  Salvia  coccinea  and  S.  porphy- 
rantha,  neither  of  which  are  hardy,  none  of  the 
Salvias  are  so  handsome  as  S.  involucrata  or  red 
autumn-flowering  Sage.  Against  a  wall  at  Kew 
ithas  stood  the  test  of  the  last  five  or  six  winters 
without  protection,  and  that,  too,  in  a  very  cold 
position,  but  even  in  the  open  border,  where  it  has 
been  for  two  years,  it  is  now  throwing  up  spikes 
of  beautiful  flowers  with  remarkable  freedom.  It 
is  probably  the  moisture  lying  at  the  roots  more 
than  actual  cold  that  destroys  many  of  our  re- 
puted tender  plants  in  winter.  In  the  present  in- 
stance success  is  attributed  to  thorough  drainage 
directly  under  the  plant.  In  the  open  border  it 
grows  from  3  feet  to  5  feet  in  height,  and  the 
flower-spikes,  which  are  a  little  behind  those  of  S. 
Bethelli,  of  which  it  is  the  type,  are  very  hand- 
some, and  produced  freely;  the  leaves,  too,  are 
of  a  beautiful  light,  soft  green  veined  with  purple. 
It  may  be  easily  increased  by  cuttings  taken  off 
now  or  in  spring,  when  it  begins  to  grow.— K. 

Cheap  bulbs —About  this  time  every  year 
local  auctioneers  have  generally  large  quantities 
of  Hyacinths,  Tulips,  and  other  bulbs  consigned  to 
them  for  disposal,  and  small  growers,  especially 
those  with  light  purses,  are  thus  afforded  an 
opportunity  of  securing  a  large  amount  of  bulbs  at 
less  than  wholesale  prices,  but  this  is  all  that  can 
be  said  in  favour  of  the  matter,  for  the  bulbs,  as  a 
rule,  are  not  third-rate  in  quality,  and  there  is  no 
faith  to  be  placed  in  their  being  true  to  name.  A 
single  red  Lady  I'almerston  of  the  auctioneer  may 
ultimately  become  a  double  blue  Garrick,  or  an 
early-flowering  white  Princess  Beatrice,  a  late 
yellow  Due  de  Malakoff.  The  same  thing  is 
also  liable  to  occur  in  the  case  of  Tulips  and 
other  bulbs.  Indeed,  I  have  known  some  who  have 
bought  for  Tulips  bulbs  what  were  not  Tulips  at 
all,  but  Ranunculuses  or  sometlinj  of  that  sort, 
and  bulbs  of  Lilium  auratum  at  Is.  each  have 
proved  to  be  those  of  the  common  grinum.  It  is 
this  uncertainty  of  getting  anything  true  to  name 
which  makes  dealings  at  little  auction  sales  so 
unsatisfactory,  and  there  is  anot  er  important 
reason  why  I  do  not  approve  of  them,  and  that  is, 
that  as  a  rule  they  are  simply  mediums  for  the 
disposal  of  bulbs  of  the  most  inferior  description 


[Nov.   1,   1884. 


and  although  they  may  often  be  bought  at  what  is 
considered  a  cheap  rate,  they  are  really  not  so  in 
the  end.  They  are  certainly  better  than  none  at 
all,  and  may  be  acceptable  to  those  who  posi- 
tively cannot  afford  to  buy  good  bulbs,  but  I  am 
sere  people  with  money  who  go  to  such  places 
for  their  bulbs  make  a  mistake.— Cambrian. 

Holianthus  orgyalis  is  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  of  Sunflowers.  Tied  up  in  the  conven- 
tional fashion  prevalent  in  many  gardens,  the 
flower-heads  being  crowded  out  of  all  foim  and 
the  stem  leaves  crushed  out  of  character,  there  is 
nothing  striking  about  it,  but  as  seen  in  the  col- 
lection at  Kew  at  the  present  time  untied  and 
natural,  the  effect  produced  by  it  leaves  nothing 
to  be  desired.  The  flower-stems  hang  or  bend  in 
long  graceful  curves,  at  once  suggesting  isolation 
or  a  dark  background.  Blooming  in  autumn,  it 
comes  in  usefully  for  a  mixed  shrubbery  or  for 
clumps  near  woodland  walks.  In  good  situations 
it  is  seldom  less  than  from  10  feet  to  12  feet  in 
height,  and  except  as  regards  the  much  more 
crowded  leaves,  which  are  also  longer  and  nar- 
rower, it  resembles  U.  angustifolius,  another  use- 
ful plant,  which,  unfortunately,  is  hardly  hardy, 
while  H.  orgyalis  is  not  in  the  least  affected  by 
severe  weather.  The  flowers,  which  are  orange- 
yellow,  are  about  the  size  of  a  florin  and  very 
effective. — K. 

Lantanas. — It  was  a  happy  thought  on  the 
part  of  "B.'(p.  312)  to  call  Lantanas  shrubby 
Verbenas,  as  the  trusses  of  flowers  greatly 
resemble  those  of  \'erbenas ;  but  the  Lantanas 
have  advantages  over  Verbenas  in  being  more 
compact  and  in  affording  so  many  different 
colours,  besides  which  they  stand  the  weather 
better,  and  are,  therefore,  more  valuable  for  bed- 
ding or  planting  out  in  borders.  We  have  a 
yellow  and  a  white  which  we  much  prize,  as  the 
former  takes  the  place  of  Calceolarias,  and  the 
white  forms  a  pleasing  contrast  when  associated 
with  blues  or  scarlets,  and  the  hotter  the  weather 
the  better  they  do.  Years  ago  when  in  the  west 
of  England  we  had  Lantana  Sellowiana,  which 
was  a  very  compact  kind,  neat  in  habit,  and 
having  flowers  of  bright  lilac  that  looked  well  in  a 
bed.  Since  then  I  have  tried  to  get  the  same 
variety,  but  I  fear  it  is  lost  to  cultivation,  as  I 
cannot  find  its  name  in  nurserymen's  lists.  The 
way  in  which  we  manage  our  Lantanas  is  to 
winter  some  of  the  old  plants  on  the  back  shelf  of 
a  greenhouse,  where  they  are  kept  dry,  or  nearly 
so.  Early  in  spring  they  are  placed  in  heat  to  in- 
duce them  to  make  shoots  for  cuttings.  The  latter 
when  taken  off  strike  freely,  and  soon  make  good- 
sized  plants  ready  for  bedding.  Lantanas  are  also 
very  useful  for  pot  culture,  for  which  purpose  old 
plants  should  be  kept,  as  they  bloom  best,  the  ten- 
dency of  young  ones  being  to  make  too  much  wood 
when  grown  under  glass. — S.  D. 

Veronicas  as  eeaside  plants.— I  find 
the  Kew  Zealand  Veronicas  to  be  most  useful  for 
exposed  gardens  on  the  coast ;  they  even  seem  to 
enjoy  rough  gales  that  destroy  more  tender  plants. 
Anderson!  is  now  in  lovely  blossom,  and  helps 
considerably  to  maintain  the  fast  declining  beauty 
of  the  flower  garden.  In  this  locality  Veronicas 
seldom  suffer  from  frost,  and  being  vigorous 
rooters  and  growers  they  soon  form  large  shrubs. 
Young  plants  of  them  put  out  in  spring  are  now 
sturdy  bushes,  and  as  they  can  be  lifted  and  trans- 
ferred to  pots  without  injury,  they  are  most  use- 
ful for  indoor  decoration.  Older  plants  supply 
plenty  of  flowers  for  cutting,  a  purpose  for  which 
they  are  well  adapted,  as  blue  and  purple  flowers 
are  not  usually  too  plentiful.  For  pot  plants  the 
best  plan  is  to  insert  some  cuttings  at  this  time  of 
year,  and  keep  them  under  glass  until  spring, 
potting  them  off  as  soon  as  the  days  lengthen  and 
pinching  out  the  points  of  the  leading  shoots  in 
order  to  promote  a  bushy,  well-furnished  base; 
gradually  harden  them  off,  and  plant  them  out  in 
May,  they  will  need  little  further  attention  until 
ready  for  lifting  in  autumn.  They  are  very  little 
affected  by  insect  pests,  and  I  may  mention  that 
the  variegated  form  of  Andersoni,  in  addition  to 
its  other  merits,  makes  a  capital  edging  plant  for 
beds  or  borders,  being  one  of  the  best  variegated 


plants  in  cultivation,  and,  moreover,  being  nearly 
hardy,  one  which  commends  itself  to  those  having 
limited  glass  accommodation  for  storing  tender 
plants.     It   may  be  safely  wintered  along  with 

Calceolarias    and    other    half-hardy     plants J 

Grooji,  Gosjwrt. 


THE  CHINESE  OE  INDIAN  PINK. 
The  difference  between  this  Pink  as  first  intro- 
duced more  than  a  century  and  a  half  ago  and 
Dianthus  Heddewigi  laciniatus  and  its  varieties 
is  very  great  indeed,  and  shows  how  plants  change 
in  form  under  cultivation.  These  I'inks,  when 
treated  simply  as  annuals,  though  they  are  of 
biennial,  and  probably  in  many  cases  of  peren- 
nial, duration,  produce  their  best  coloured  and 
largest  flowers  the  first  season  ;  indeed,  it  is  only 
a  matter  of  sowing  seed  at  two  or  three  different 
times  to  have  these  charming  plants  in  flower  all 
the  year  round.  When  grouped  in  large  beds  of 
light,  rich,  sandy  soil,  in  a  warm,  but  slightly  ex- 
posed situation,  they  are  seen  to  greater  advan- 
tage than  when  grown  singly  or  in  small  patches 
in  the  mixed  border.  D.  chinensis  (represented  in 
the  annexed  cut)  is  the  type  or  parent  of  all  this 
group.  Of  D.  Heddewigi  there  are  many  finely 
coloured  varieties;  of  these  some  have  graceful. 


Dian'.lius  cliiiieusia 

flowing,  jagged  edges  like  a  much  exaggerated 
D.  superbus  or  fimbriatus,  and  range  in  colour 
from  pure  white  to  deep  crimson  and  maroon. 
They  are  also  both  single  and  double,  the  former 
often  attaining  4  inches  in  diameter,  and  a  per- 
fect maze  as  regards  colour.  D.  H.  atro-pur- 
pureus  is  a  new  and  beautiful  kind  well  worth 
attention ;  it  has  double,  dark  purple  flowers. 
The  double  atro-sanguineus  Eastern  Queen,  Crim- 
son Beauty,  and  many  others  are  also  good  kinds. 
H.  laciniatus,  one  of  the  most  extreme  forms,  is 
a  trailing  plant  and  exquisitely  beautiful.  Its 
flowers  are  nearly  i  inches  in  diameter,  and  vary 
from  white  and  pink  to  crimson,  variously  marked 
and  blotched  with  pretty  protruding  styles,  and 
possessing  beautifully  fringed  edges.  D.  striatus 
multiflorus  is  likewise  a  pretty  pink-striped  variety, 
and  very  interesting.  These  Pinks  may  be  easily 
propagated  from  cuttings  put  in  in  the  ordinary 
way,  or  by  layering,  but  1  prefer  raising  them 
from  seed  sown  where  they  are  intended  to  re- 
main. It  may  be  put  in  early  in  spring,  about 
midsummer,  and  again  in  August.  K. 


Llthospermum   prostratum.— With  us 

this  grows  most  freely  ;  we  have  a  plant  of  it  more 
than  a  yard  across  and  so  dense  as  to  quite  hide 
the  ground  over  which  it  runs,  and  lies  close, 
sending  up  its  fine  twiggy  shoots  abundantly,  and 
flowering  profusely  for  several  months  in  the 
year.     The  situation  is    in    full    sunshine,    and 


Nov.  I,  1884.] 


THE   GARDEN 


385 


though  some  peat  was  given  to  start  the  plant 
with,  the  roots  must  long  since  have  got  through 
that  and  into  the  clay  below,  which  may  account 
for  its  fine  health  and  vigour  and  the  way  in 
which  it  endures  dry  weather,  as  it  never  gets 
water  or  other  attention  beyond  keeping  it  clean. 
As  to  propagation,  we  often  find  some  of  the 
slender  branches  self-layered  and  rooted,  and 
cuttings  taken  off  and  put  in  under  handlights  in 
sandy  soil,  where  they  can  have  natural  shade, 
like  that  of  a  wall,  root  readily,  although  they 
sometimes  take  a  long  time  to  do  so.  When  once 
established  they  transplant  badly,  and  therefore 
should  not  be  moved  if  it  can  be  avoided.  Even 
young  plants  should  be  potted  first,  in  order  that 
they  may  be  kept  close  for  a  week  or  two  to  give 
them  a  start.  Where  Lithospermums  show  them- 
selves off  best  is  trailing  over  rocks  or  elevated 
ground,  positions  for  which  they  are  specially 
adapted.  There  they  exhibit  their  lovely  deep 
blue  flowers  to  advantage,  and  look  quite  at  home 
along  with  such  things  as  Arabis,  Phlox  Nelsoni, 
and  similar  plants. — S.  D. 


SEASONABLE   WORK. 


FLOWER  GARDEN. 
Floaveu  beds  should  now  be  cleared  of  all  plants 
that  will  not  withstand  frost.  Dahlias,  Begonias, 
and  other  tuberous-rooted  plants  should  be  placed 
in  safe  quarters — a  cool  shed — and  the  roots  laid 
in  dry  vegetable  soil,  in  sand,  or  Cocoa  fibre,  there 
to  remain  till  February.  The  beds  should  then 
be  replanted  for  the  winter,  cither  with  bulbs  and 
spring  flowering  plants  and  annuals,  or  else  with 
evergreen  shrubs.  Violas  and  Pansies  may  re- 
main, for  with  mild  weather  they  will  flower  more 
or  less  the  winter  through,  so  that  all  that  is 
needed  to  furnish  these  kinds  for  beds  for  the 
winter  are  a  few  small  shrubs,  such  as  Cnpressus, 
Ketinosporas,  or  Aacubas ;  they  should  be  planted 
at  regular  intervals  over  the  beds,  the  Violas  serv- 
ing as  a  groundwork,  into  which  may  advantage- 
ously be  dibbled  a  few  Tulips  or  Plyacinths  for 
early  spring  flowering.  Other  beds  may  be  treated 
in  like  manner,  as,  for  instance,  those  that  have 
been  carpeted  with  hardy  plants  of  the  Sedum 
type.  Do  not  remove  this,  but  plant  in  it  Stocks, 
Wallflowers,  Forget-me-nots,  &o  ,  as  well  as  suit- 
able shrubs  in  the  Larger  and  more  conspicuons 
positions.  By  this  means  the  work  of  re-furnish- 
ing will  not  onlv  be  less,  but  the  beds  will  look 
well  at  once.  We  need  hardly  add  that  the 
edgings  of  beds  ought  to  be  neatly  trimmed,  and 
bare  spots  of  earth  be  mulched  with  tine  vege- 
table mould  or  fibre.  This  done,  an  occasional 
sweep  up  and  rolling  of  turf  will  be  all  the  atten- 
tion the  parterre  will  need  for  months  to  come. 

Mixed  flower  boudees. — There  is  at  pre- 
sent a  look  of  untidiness  about  these  which  must 
be  remedied.  Chrysanthemums  need  tying  up, 
and  some  of  the  clumps  may  be  worth  protecting 
from  frost,  which  is  easily  done  by  placing  a  few 
sticks  round  the  plants  and  lightly  wrapping 
round  them  pieces  of  tifiiany  or  matting.  Other 
plants,  such  as  Antirrhinums,  Michaelmas  Daisies, 
and  Anemones  that  have  done  flowering  should  be 
relieved  of  useless  spray  and  seed-pods.  Annuals 
should  be  encouraged  to  make  sturdy  growth  by 
being  well  thinned  out,  and  the  entire  surface  of 
the  border  should  be  freed  from  weeds  and  be 
lightly  pointed  over,  but  previous  to  that  all  va- 
cant spots  should  be  filled  up  with  any  spare  bien- 
nials or  bulbs  there  may  be  left  from  the  general 
planting. 

General  work — The  due  preservation  of  neat- 
ness must  have  first  place  under  this  heading,  and 
next  comes  the  pressing  forward  alterations  and 
improvements  whilst  the  weather  continues  open, 
and  therefore  favourable  to  all  transplanting 
operations;  but  under  no  circumstances  should 
planting  be  done  when  the  soil  is  in  a  puddled 
condition.  Bedding  plants  now  need  careful 
treatment  to  keep  them  in  good  health.  All  kinds 
should  be  watered  but  sparingly — Pelargoniums 
more  particularly  so,  or  the  late  struck  plants  that 
have  as  yet  made  little  root  will  quickly  rot  oil. 


Verbenas,  Petunias,  Ageratums,  and  others  of 
similar  hardiness  should  be  kept  as  cool  as  pos- 
sible ;  cold  pits  that  can  be  well  covered  in  the 
event  of  frost  are  the  best  structures  for  these. 
Prepare  protection  in  the  way  of  litter  or  Bracken 
for  protecting  plants  that  are  being  wintered  in 
ordinary  cold  frames.  Of  course  this  need  be 
applied  only  in  exceptionally  severe  weather,  as 
the  coverings  with  ordinary  mats  will  suflice  at 
other  times. 


FLOllAL  DECORATIONS. 
For  using  in  many  ways  the  autumn-flowering 
varieties  of  Salvia  will  now  prove  valuable.  S. 
splendens  is  still  one  of  the  best  of  its  colour  and 
very  floriferous,  S.  Bethelli  is  also  a  fine  variety 
of  a  purplish  shade.  These,  with  one  or  two  more 
distinct  colours,  will  at  all  times  make  an  e.xcel- 
lent  arrangement  for  the  dinner-table,  being  care- 
ful to  preserve  at  least  some  of  their  own  foliage 
intact.  Medium-sized  epergnes,  with  either  a 
trumpet-shaped  glass  or  one  more  dish-shaped, 
will  do  excellently  for  these  flowers,  their  colours 
contrasting  well  with  that  of  the  silver  and  other 
surroundings  of  a  dinner-table.  Some  Fern  fronds 
of  any  approved  kind  will  add  to  the  .effect,  or  in 
lieu  thereof  the  elegant  foliage  of  the  cut-leaved 
Bramble  and  a  few  pieces  of  one  of  the  ornamen- 
tal Grasses  can  be  turned  to  good  account.  An- 
other valuable  class  of  plants  at  this  dull  season 
of  the  year  are  the  Gesneras;  for  tall  trumpet 
vases  the  spikes  of  these,  when  well  developed,  are 
excellent.  The  old  G.  zebrina  is  especially  telling 
when  used  in  this  way  ;  its  own  foliage,  which  is 
always  handsome  when  the  plants  can  be  kept  in 
good  health,  will  be  quite  suflJcient  to  show  off 
the  flowers  to  good  advantage.  The  handsome 
blossoms  of  the  Belladonna  Lily  will  also  be 
valuable  just  now  for  arranging  in  many  ways, 
The  individual  flowers  can  be  used  in  association 
with  those  of  the  Amazonian  Lily  for  a  dinner- 
table  arrangement,  selecting  a  glass  stand  with  a 
flat  base  resting  on  a  table-cloth,  and  a  trumpet- 
shaped  glass  arising  out  of  its  centre.  Around 
the  stem  of  this  a  few  blossoms  of  the  red  and 
white  Lapagerias  and  some  small  growths  of  these 
climbers  might  be  entwined  with  good  effect.  In 
the  glass  itself  two  or  three  nice  feathery  pieces 
of  the  red  and  yellow  varieties  of  Celosia  pyra- 
midalis  and  a  few  spikes  of  dried  Grasses  would 
make  a  pretty  arrangement  under  artificial  light. 
Some  few  hesllhy  green  tufts  of  either  Cyperus 
aPernifulius  or  laxus  would  look  well  with  the 
Lilies,  which  should  be  resting  on  a  carpet  of 
green  Moss  or  Selaginella,  and  there  should  be  a 
fringing  of  Fern  fronds  of  a  somewhat  bold  cha- 
racter. Spikes  of  both  of  these  Lilies  cut  to  a 
good  length  and  having  several  expanded  flowers 
will  also  do  well  as  a  bold  arrangement  for  either 
a  sideboard  or  entrance  hall.  The  foliage  of  the 
green  variety  of  Aspidistra  will  associate  well 
with  them,  and  a  leaf  or  two  of  Amaryllis  aulica 
if  to  be  spared.  A  small  spike  or  more  of  the 
Pampas  Grass  towering  above  all  would  be  effec- 
tive. A  dark  blue,  or  even  a  black-coloured  china 
vase  might  be  selected  for  such  an  arrangement 
as  this.  Camellias  in  many  places  will  now  be 
yielding  a  fair  quantity  of  their  blooms  ;  these 
will  come  in  handy  for  specimen  glasses.  It  is 
well,  however,  to  take  a  precautionary  measure 
with  these  to  prevent  them  from  dropping  any  of 
their  petals  prematurely.  A  little  gum  worked  in 
between  the  outside  petals  will  generally  prevent 
this  annoyance.  Choice  bits  of  Orchids  should  be 
made  the  most  of  for  small  glass  vases,  taking 
care  that  these  do  not  stand  too  close  to  any 
window  that  is  opened  on  chilly  or  windy  days. 
If  this  be  overlooked  the  blossoms  will  quickly 
fade. 


INDOOR  PLANTS. 
CAMELLIAS. — One  of  the  most  disagreeable 
circumstances  connected  with  gardening  is  that 
it  is  necessary  to  keep  up  a  war  with  insects  that 
never  comes  to  an  end.  Plants  in  the  open  air, 
with  a  few  exceptions,  are  little  affected  with  ani- 
mal parasites  that  hold  on  to  them  beyond  a  limi- 
ted time  during  the  year;  but  with  those  grown 


under  glass  the  conditions  are  wholly  favourable 
to  insects,  which  go  on  increasing  more  or  less, 
according  to  the  active  or  more  dormant  time  of 
the  year,  and  unless  there  is  unremitted  attention 
given  to  their  destruction,  the  plants  never  can 
thrive  or  appear  as  they  ought  to  do.  The  course 
sometimes  followed  of  allowing  plants  to  get 
badly  infested,  and  then  to  subject  them  to  extra 
cleansing,  is  the  worst  possible  method,  for  net 
only  is  the  work  thereby  much  increased,  but  the 
plants  themselves,  beyond  the  harm  done  to  them 
by  the  insects,  have  their  leaves  more  or  less  in- 
jured by  whatever  means  are  employed  in  the 
cleansing  process.  Gardeners  who  keep  the  best 
ahead  in  the  destruction  of  insects  not  only  re- 
duce the  amount  of  latiour  to  a  minimum,  but  in- 
variably reap  more  satisfactory  results  by  the 
cleaner  and  better  condition  of  their  plants.  The 
best  season  to  attack  the  enemy  is  during  the 
autumn  and  winter,  when  insects  increase  much 
more  slowly,  and  the  press  of  other  matters  gives 
more  leisure  for  the  work.  Camellias  more  than 
most  plants  suffer  through  the  presence  of  white 
scale,  the  most  difficult  of  all  insects  to  get  lid  of, 
for  the  reason  that  many  of  the  plants  subject  to 
it  will  not  bear  the  application  of  any  insecticide 
sufficiently  strong  to  destroy  the  pest  without  se- 
riously injuring  the  foliage.  When  the  plants  are 
much  infested  it  congregates  about  the  extremities 
of  the  shoots  and  on  the  flower-buds  ;  where  the 
growth  is  vigorous,  and  the  buds  are  set  in  clus- 
ters, it  is  well  to  thin  them  out  sufficiently,  so  as 
to  be  better  able  to  get  at  the  scale.  This  thinning 
out  is  also  essential  to  obtain  full-sized  flowers, 
for  although  the  reduction  of  the  buds  is  not  neces- 
sary to  be  carried  so  far  now  that  the  blooms  of 
these  plants  are  generally  gathered  without  any 
of  the  wood  in  the  way  that  was  long  looked  upon 
as  essential,  and  consequently  through  the  non- 
mutilation  of  the  shoots  they  are  enabled  to  de- 
velop more  flowers;  still,  it  is  bad  practice  to 
allow  too  many.  Some  of  the  best  of  the  market 
growers,  who  naturally  are  anxious  to  let  as  many 
remain  as  the  plant  can  fully  support,  thin  out 
the  buds  to  two  or,  at  most,  three  to  a  shoot.  We 
have  found  nothing  better  to  clean  these  plants 
with  than  an  ordinary  tooth-brush  for  removing 
the  scale,  finishing  by  sponging  with  ordinary 
soap  and  water.  The  strong  application  of  soft 
soap  not  unfrequently  used  in  the  cleaning  of 
many  plants  often  does  more  harm  than  good,  and 
in  the  case  of  Camtllias  causes  numbers  of  the 
buds  to  drop,  although  this  often  occurs  so  long 
after  the  dressing  as  not  to  be  attributed  to  the 
effects  of  the  soap.  If  the  plants  are  badly  af- 
fected it  will  be  well  to  go  over  them  twice.  With 
the  damp  weather  we  have  recently  had,  necessi- 
tating a  considerable  use  of  fire  heat  in  most  con- 
servatories to  expel  the  vapour,  it  will  be  requisite 
to  see  well  that  the  plants  are  sufliciently  moist 
at  the  roots.  This  not  alone  applies  to  those  that 
are  grown  in  tubs  or  boxes,  but  also  where  planted 
out,  the  soil  often  being  too  dry  below  when  the 
surface  looks  moist  enough. 

Oranges  and  Citrons.— These  are  trouble- 
some plants  to  deal  with  in  the  matter  of  scale, 
and  now  when  transferred  to  their  winter  quarters 
should  be  thoroughly  overhauled,  so  as  to  remove 
the  pest,  which  in  their  case  often  establishes  itself 
where  there  is  the  least  inequality  in  the  bark,  as 
well  as  on  the  leaves,  the  young  wood,  and  about 
the  stalks  of  the  fruit.  The.«e  plants  should  never 
be  allowed  to  get  badly  affected  with  scale,  as  it 
seldom  fails  to  give  a  yellow  sickly  hue  to  the 
leaves,  and  causes  their  premature  falling  off,  and 
so  imparting  a  half-clothed  appearance,  which  much 
reduces  their  beauty.  Where  Oranges  are  grown 
in  numbers  with  a  view  to  their  fruit  being  u.sed, 
they  should  have  much  more  warmth  than  wheii 
only  required  for  ordinary  decoration,  otherwise 
the  fruit  can  neither  be  plentifulnorhigh flavoured. 
Bottom-heat  is  sometimes  advised  where  the  crop 
is  required  for  use  in  this  way,  but  it  is  not  abso- 
lutely necessary.  A  genial  warmth  of  about  55^  in 
the  night  through  the  winter,  with  an  atmosphere 
neither  too  dry  nor  too  moist,  will  answer  for  them. 
By  some  the  flowers  are  as  much  esteemed  for 
their  scent  as  Violets,  and  where  this  is  the  case 


386 


THE    GARDEN 


[Nov.  1.  1884. 


much  may  be  done  in  lengthening  the  supply  by 
introducing  a  plant  or  so  at  a  time  to  a  little  more 
heat,  as  there  is  no  particular  season  in  which  they 
cannot  be  had  in  bloom.  Though  smaller  in  the 
flowers,  the  small  Otaheite  variety  is  useful  for 
blooming.  There  is  one  advantage  with  this  sort ; 
the  plants  not  being  large,  a  succession  may  be 
brought  on  to  flower  without  the  over-abundance 
at  a  time  that  often  occurs  where  the  large  kinds 
are  forced. 

Winter.  FORCED  flowers — Lily  of  the 
Valley. — Where  this  is  wanted  in  bloom  by 
Christmas  there  is  no  difl3culty  in  having  it,  if 
strong,  full-sized  crowns  are  obtainable  that  have 
been  cultivated  under  conditions  such  as  to  bring 
their  growth  to  maturity  early  in  the  season. 
The  German  roots  that  are  now  sent  to  this  coun- 
try have  been  in  this  way  especially  prepared  for 
forcing,  so  th.it  when  they  arrive  by  the  middle  of 
October  the  crowns  have  already  pushed  a  half 
inch  or  so.  If  these  are  at  once  potted,  and  al- 
lowed a  week  or  two  before  putting  them  in  strong 
bottom-heat,  there  is  little  doubt  about  their 
moving  freely,  and  coming  into  flower  during  the 
latter  part  of  December. 

POINSETTIAS     AND     EUPHORBIA     JACQUINI.E- 

FLORA. — Poinsettias  intended  to  come  in  early 
should  now  be  subjected  to  a  brisk  stoveheat,  keep- 
ing their  heads  if  possible  all  but  touching  the  roof, 
by  which  means  additional  brilliancy  of  colour  and 
a  hardier  condition  such  as  to  enable  their  bearing 
a  cooler  temperature  when  fully  expanded  will  be 
secured,  very  different  to  that  which  will  result 
from  their  being  brought  into  bloom  with  their 
heads  several  feet  from  the  glass,  liegarding  the 
Euphorbia,  the  time  it  can  be  had  in  flower  will 
depend  upon  how  the  plants  have  been  treated. 
Cut-back  e.'iamples,  such  as  bloomed  last  season, 
that  were  started  into  growth  sufliciently  early  in 
spring  and  pushed  on  in  a  warm  house  with  the 
shoots  not  stopped  more  than  once,  will  flower 
much  earlier  and  produce  double  the  quantity  of 
bloom  that  such  as  are  weaker  and  have  made 
their  growth  later  will.  There  is  no  plant  that  we 
have  ever  used  for  forcing  that  has  the  condition 
of  its  flowers  so  much  dependent  upon  its  being 
brought  on  to  bloom  with  the  tops  of  the  shoots 
all  but  touching  the  glass  as  the  Euphorbia. 
When  so  treated  it  will  stand  in  a  cut  state 
for  a  week  ;  whereas  plants  in  a  dark  house 
or  under  less  influence  of  light  are  of  so  little 
use  for  cutting,  that  both  the  leaves  and  flowers 
flag  almost  as  soon  as  they  are  severed  from  the 
plants.  Neither  of  the  above  plants  will  do  well 
with  the  soil  keeping  so  wet  as  many  things ; 
the  comparatively  few  and  delicate  fibres  which 
the  Euphorbia  especially  makes  cannot  at  any 
season  bear  the  soil  being  wet,  unless  in  very  small 
well-drained  pots,  and  under  an  exceptionally  high 
temperature.  Anyone  possessing  a  large  plant  of 
the  old  Euphorbia  splcndens  trained  on  a  back 
wall,  round  a  pillar,  or  in  any  situation  where  it 
will  receive  a  moderately  brisk  heat  through 
the  winter,  will  have  a  continual  succession  of 
brilliant  flowers.  This  plant  likewise  is  impatient 
of  much  moisture  in  the  soil  unless  the  roots  are 
confined  within  a  restricted  space.  Even  when 
allowed  plenty  of  head  room  in  the  way  above 
indicated,  it  is  better  kept  in  a  comparatively 
small  pot  than  turned  out  in  a  border. 


ORCHIDS. 
East  India  house.— It  will  now  be  a  good 
time  to  thoroughly  overhaul  the  plants,  and  wash 
them  well  with  soft  soapy  water.  Those  that  are 
growing  in  pots  should  have  these  washed,  and 
where  the  plants  have  been  placed  on  inverted 
pots  they  also  should  be  removed,  and  clean  ones 
be  put  in  their  place.  The  best  stages  for  an 
Orchid  house  are  those  made  of  slate  with  a  neat 
cast-iron  edging  screwed  on  to  them.  Some  gravel, 
spar,  or  broken  sea  shells  may  be  placed  on  the 
stages  to  stand  the  plants  upon.  Another  matter 
which  demands  attention  is  cleaning  the  glass 
roof.  The  wood  and  glass  work  should  be  well 
washed  with  clean  rain  water ;  a  very  little  soap 
should  be  used,  as  strong  soapy  water  has  a  ten- 
dency to  take  the  paint  off  the  wood.  The  import- 


ance of  a  clear  light  at  this  season  through 
clean  glass  is  of  much  importance  in  any  of  the 
departments,  but  much  more  so  in  this  one.  We 
should  not  advise  any  potting  of  the  inmates  of 
this  house  until  after  Christmas,  when  the  plants 
will  succeed  better  with  the  lengthening  days.  The 
earliest  ripened  Dendrobiums  should  be  placed  in 
the  coolest  end  of  this  house,  and  they  ought  also 
to  be  placed  quite  close  to  the  glass,  so  that  the 
young  growths  may  be  strengthened  by  the  light 
and  also  by  the  more  buoyant  atmosphere.  The 
growth  of  some  species  and  varieties  may  even 
have  started  ;  in  the  cool,  airy  house  where  they 
have  been  at  rest  they  will,  of  course,  grow  with 
more  vigour  when  placed  in  the  warm,  moist  at- 
mosphere of  this  house.  The  Vanda  teres  and  V. 
Hookeri,  which  have  been  grown  in  this  house  up 
till  now,  ought  to  be  removed  to  the  temperature 
of  the  Mexican  house,  and  they  should  be  placed 
where  they  will  be  fully  exposed  to  the  light.  They 
must  also  be  gradually  dried  off,  so  that  from  the 
middle  of  November  until  about  the  end  of 
February  they  get  no  water  whatever.  Some  of 
the  Cypripediums  that  delight  in  a  warm  house 
should  be  carefully  examined,  as  a  section  of  them, 
notably  C.  Veitchi,  are  very  liable  to  be  attacked 
by  thrips  ;  and  as  the  leaves  cling  so  closely  to  tbe 
surface  of  the  compost,  it  is  not  very  easy  to  dip 
them.  We  usually  go  over  them  with  a  brush, 
dipping  it  into  the  soapy  water,  and  then  it  is 
easy  with  the  brush  to  get  at  the  thrips  in  the 
centre  of  the  plants.  Laalia  autumnalis  and  varie- 
ties of  it  in  flower  claim  a  high  position  ;  although 
usually  grown  in  this  house,  we  have  grown  L. 
autumnalis  in  the  cool  house,  and  find  it  succeeds 
well  there.  We  have  always  given  it  and  its 
near  relative,  L.  majalis,  the  lightest  corner  in  the 
house,  and  find  the  first  named  species  succeeds 
well  and  flowers  every  year;  whereas  the  latter 
scarcely  grows  and  but  seldom  flowers.  The 
Lailias  are  watered  freely  while  making  their 
growth,  but  during  the  resting  season  they  do 
not  receive  nearly  so  much  water.  Lfelia  albida 
is  one  of  the  prettiest  of  the  small-flowered  spe- 
cies, and  they  are  even  more  useful  because  they 
bloom  now.  We  have  always  grown  L.  albida 
warmer  than  the  others ;  it  may  not  require  more, 
but  we  find  it  succeeds  well  in  a  warmer  house. 
L.  anceps  and  varieties  of  it  are  highly  valued  in 
the  winter,  and  are  now  showing. 

Cool  hou.se. — The  last  night  or  two  the  tempe- 
rature has  fallen  as  low  as  42°,  and  as  it  would 
not  be  safe  to  allow  the  temperature  to  fall  lower 
than  this,  a  little  heat  in  the  pipes  will  be  neces- 
sary to  keep  up  the  temperature  to  45°.  It  is 
worthy  of  remark  that  our  cool  Orchid  house  has 
not  required  any  artificial  heat  from  May  until 
the  end  of  October.  Indeed,  it  is  a  question 
whether  the  New  Grenadan  Odontoglossums  re- 
quire more  heat  than  the  majority  of  New 
Zealand  plants,  which  are  cultivated  in  a  cool 
greenhouse.  At  any  rate,  most  Orchid  growers  give 
their  plants  more  air  now  than  was  deemed  ad- 
visable less  than  ten  years  ago,  and  the  cool  sec- 
tion may  be  aired  more  freely  than  the  others. 
We  have  heard  of  plants  of  Odontoglossum 
crispum  being  placed  near  the  open  ventilators  of 
a  greenhouse,  where  they  succeeded  well,  making 
good  flowering  growths  with  the  ventilators  open 
night  and  day.  We  have  removed  a  few  of  the 
plants  of  some  Orchids  that  flower  best  in  a  tem- 
perature of  not  less  than  50°  at  night,  and  in  mild 
weather  this  ought  to  be  5.j°.  If  the  cool  house 
is  kept  at  50°  as  a  minimum,  a  temperature  at 
which  most  of  the  occupants  of  the  house  will  do 
well,  there  is  no  need  to  remove  the  white  winter- 
flowering  Masdevallia  tovarensis,  M.  Wagneri,  or 
the  Restrepias  ;  whereas  if  the  temperature  occa- 
sionally falls  to  40°,  it  is  better  to  remove  them  to 
the  cool  end  of  the  Cattleya  house.  Odontoglossum 
vexillarium  should  also  be  in  a  Cattleya  house 
temperature  now  ;  it  does  not  like  a  high  tempe- 
rature, nor  are  the  plants  safe  in  a  low  cool  house 
one.  If  a  winter  temperature  of  55°  as  a  minimum 
can  be  afforded  them,  it  will  suit  better  than 
any  other.  The  handsome  Oncidium  macranthum 
succeeds  well  in  the  lowest  temperature.  In  some 
cases  the  flower-spikes  will  be  showing,  and  they 


are  very  attractive  to  slugs ;  these  troublesome 
pests  may  be  found  any  time  at  night,  and  also  at 
daybreak  in  the  morning.  A  little  caution  is  ne- 
cessary in  damping  the  house  at  this  season,  an 
over-moist  atmosphere  causing  the  flowers  to  spot 
almost  as  soon  as  they  open. 

PROPAGATING. 

Abutilons. — These  may  be  increased  with 
equal  facility  either  by  seeds  or  by  means  of  cut- 
tinge.  The  former  are  easily  obtained,  and  to 
produce  plants  for  winter  blooming  should  be 
sown  about  April  in  pans  of  moderately  light  soil 
and  placed  in  a  warm  greenhouse,  in  which  they 
will  soon  germinate,  but  as  many  seedlings  grow 
away  very  strongly  before  flowering  for  general 
purposes  plants  raised  from  cuttings  are  preferred. 
The  cuttings  may  also  be  taken  in  April  and  in- 
serted in  pots  of  sandy  soil  without  removing  or 
shortening  any  of  the  leaves  and  placed  in  a  close 
case  in  the  propagating  house  or  in  a  frame  with 
a  slight  remaining  bottom  heat.  There,  if  kept 
close  and  shaded,  they  will  be  rooted  in  a  fort- 
night, when  they  may  then  be  hardened  off. 

Acacias. — The  smaller  growing  kinds,  such  as 
Drummondi  and  armata,  are  readily  propagated 
from  cuttings  in  this  way.  When  the  flowering 
season  is  over  shorten  back  any  irregular  branches 
at  which  they  will  break  forth  into  fresh  growth, 
and  when  the  new  growth  is  moderately  firm  take 
off  the  cuttings.  The  pots  should  be  filled  to 
within  1  inch  of  their  rims  with  broken  crocks,  over 
which  must  be  placed  the  soil,  consisting  of  sandy 
peat  with  a  small  proportion  of  loam,  the  whole 
being  pressed  down  firmly.  A  little  sand  should 
be  put  on  the  top.  About  2  inches  will  be  found 
the  best  length  for  the  cuttings,  the  leaves  being 
carefully  removed  from  the  lower  half.  When 
inserted,  the  base  of  the  cuttings  will  rest  on  the 
crocks,  which  for  the  top  should  be  broken  small, 
and  care  must  be  taken  that  it  is  made  firm,  or  it 
will  shrivel  up.  When  the  pot  is  filled  with  cut- 
tings, place  a  bell-glass  over  them,  and  keep  it  in 
a  greenhouse  temperature  well  shaded  for  a  few 
weeks  until  they  callus,  when  they  may  be  re- 
moved to  more  heat  and  will  then  quickly  root. 
When  rooted,  which  will  be  perceived  by  growth 
taking  place,  tilt  the  bell-glass  and  gradually 
harden  them  off. 

Anthuriums. — The  Flamingo  plant  and  its 
white  variety  are  both  readily  increased  by  division 
in  spring ;  all  that  is  requisite  is,  if  the  roots  have 
been  very  much  disturbed,  to  keep  them  close 
until  they  recover  from  the  check.  Its  ally,  An- 
thurium  Andreanum,  is  propagated  by  taking  off 
the  top  of  a  plant  when  it  has  attained  a  snflicient 
length,  and  putting  it  in  as  a  cutting  in  a  small, 
well-drained  pot.  The  soil  best  suited  for  this 
purpose  is  fibrous  peat.  Sphagnum,  and  sand.  As 
soon  as  the  side  shoots  produced  after  that  opera- 
tion are  large  enough,  they  may  be  taken  off  and 
treated  in  the  same  way.  The  cuttings  must  be 
kept  in  a  close  case  in  the  stove  till  established 
in  their  pots. 

BouvARDiAS. — These  beautiful  winter-flower- 
ing plants  are  increased  either  by  cuttings  of  the 
young  growth  taken  in  the  spring,  or,  as  preferred 
by  some,  root  cuttings.  For  the  former  method, 
which  is  the  one  most  generally  followed,  intro- 
duce the  stock  plants  into  a  brisk  heat  about  the 
middle  of  February,  when  they  will  grow  rapidly, 
and  as  soon  as  the  young  and  succulent  growth 
has  attained  a  length  of  2  inches,  take  off  the  cut- 
tings, not  at  a  joint,  but  immediately  above  one, 
thus  leaving  a  portion  of  bare  stem  below  the 
bottom  pair  of  leaves,  which  must  on  no  account 
be  removed.  The  cuttings  must  be  inserted  in 
light,  sandy  soil,  taking  care  that  the  bottom 
leaves  are  not  buried,  but  rest  as  it  were  on  the 
surface.  Thus  treated  and  placed  in  a  close  case 
in  the  stove,  they  will  root  in  a  fortnight,  when 
they  must  be  hardened  off.  For  root  propaga- 
tion shake  out  the  old  plants  early  in  spring,  and 
cut  up  all  the  principal  roots  in  pieces  about 
1  inch  in  length,  inserting  them  perpendicularly 
as  cuttings,  so  that  the  upper  part  is  on  a  level 
with  the  soil ;  treat  them  in  all  respects  the  same 
as  cuttings  made  of  the  shoots. 


Nov.  1,  1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


387 


FRUIT. 
Cherhies. — Where  these  are  wanted  very  early, 
the  first  set  of  trees  may  now  be  pruned  and 
cleansed  ready  for  tying  in  when  opportunity 
serves.  As  these  and  Plums  are  often  injured  by 
a  sudden  outbreak  of  aphis  when  the  trees  are  in 
flower,  too  much  attention  cannot  be  devoted  to 
the  washing  and  dressing  of  the  stems  and  spurs, 
care  being  taken  that  the  insecticide  used  is  not 
strong  enough  to  injure  the  buds.  If,  as  is 
generally  the  case,  these  excitable  trees  have  the 
benefit  of  a  movable  roof,  the  lights  should  be 
thoroughly  washed,  or,  what  is  almost  as  cheap, 
paiated  inside  at  least  before  they  are  put  on  for 
the  winter.  Vigorous  young  trees  which  have 
been  partially  lifted  or  root-pruned  will  not 
require  mulching  or  stimulating  until  after  the 
fruit  is  set,  but  the  borders  occupied  by  the  roots 
of  old  ones  may  be  covered  with  a  good  layer  of 
rotten  manure  as  soon  as  they  are  tied,  and  to 
prevent  the  buds  from  dropping,  an  occasional 
soaking  with  diluted  liquid  will  be  highly  bene- 
ficial to  these,  as  it  is  to  all  other  kinds  of  stone 
fruit  trees  when  grown  under  glass.  When  all  is 
finished  the  house  must  be  kept  well  ventilated 
and  as  cool  as  possible  until  the  time  arrives  for 
forcing.  If  trees  in  pots  are  still  standing  out  in 
their  autumn  quarters  they  may  be  placed  closer 
together  and  well  packed  with  Fern  or  litter  to 
keep  out  frost.  Where  birds  are  numerous  a 
piece  of  fishing-net  should  be  thrown  over  them 
to  protect  the  blossom  bnds  when  they  begin  to 
swell. 

Stkawbereies  in  pots. — The  rainfall  of  the 
past  week  or  two,  combined  with  mild  weather, 
has  kept  the  plants  growing  rather  more  freely 
than  is  good  for  them,  :is  it  is  now  getting  late  for 
them  to  ripen  up  their  crowns  properly.  Much, 
however,  may  be  done  to  facilitate  this  process  by 
moving  the  pots  occasionally  to  let  in  light  and 
air,  and  to  prevent  the  roots  from  penetrating  into 
the  bed  of  ashes  upon  which  they  are  placed.  If 
forward  batches  of  early  kinds  are  wanted  for 
starting,  a  more  decided  check  may  be  given  to 
vegetation  by  placing  them  on  their  sides,  or  set- 
ting the  pots  in  cold  pits  where  the  lights  can  be 
pushed  down  and  tilted  in  wet  weather.  As  the 
general  stock  will  continue  growing  for  a  consi- 
derable time  yet,  they  may  with  advantage  remain 
out-of-doors  until  severe  weather  approaches, 
when  they  must  be  placed  in  their  winter  quarters 
until  wanted  for  forcing.  When  thoroughly  at  rest 
pot-plants  should  not  be  allowed  to  become  dry  at 
the  roots  ;  neither  should  they  be  coddled  by  being 
kept  in  a  close  pit  when  the  weather  is  mild.  In 
our  own  management  we  prefer  leaving  all  the 
plants  out-of-doors  until  the  middle  of  November, 
when  they  are  removed  to  cold  pits,  and  plunged 
up  to  or  slightly  over  the  rims  in  Oak  leaves  or 
tan,  for  the  two-fold  purpose  of  keeping  the 
roots  moist  and  the  protection  of  the  pots  from 
the  action  of  frost.  The  lights  are  thrown  off  in 
fine  weather,  and  well  tilted  to  shelter  them  from 
heavy  rains.  No  attempt  is  made  to  keep  out 
ordinary  frost,  as  decided  rest  is  highly  important ; 
but  a  thin  layer  of  dry  Fern  is  spread  over  the 
crowns  when  it  is  unusually  severe.  When  Straw- 
berry plants  are  wintered  in  houses  they  should 
be  placed  close  together  on  a  cool,  damp  floor  in 
preference  to  elevating  them  on  shelves. 

Cucumbers. — If  plants  in  manure  pits  and 
frames  are  still  giving  a  supply  equal  to  the  de- 
mand, keep  September-sown  plants  divested  of 
all  male  and  female  blossoms,  and  train  the  young 
growths  regularly  over  the  wires.  Add  more  lumps 
of  turfy  loam  to  the  roots  as  they  appear  on  the 
surface  of  the  hills  or  pots,  but  avoid  the  use  of 
stimulants  until  they  begin  to  bear  fruit.  Keep 
a  sharp  look-out  for  mildew,  and  check  it  at  once 
by  the  application  of  dry  sulphur  to  the  leaves, 
renovation  of  the  fermenting  material,  and  the 
abundant  use  of  water  at  a  temperature  equal  to 
that  of  the  soil  containing  the  roots.  Keep  suc- 
cession plants  growing  by  shifting  them  on  before 
they  become  pot-bound  if  the  pit  in  which  they 
are  to  be  planted  is  not  ready  for  them.  Never 
bury  the  stems  of  winter  plants,  as  deep  potting 
or  heavy  earthing  is  the  frequent  cause  of  their 


going  off  before  the  inexperienced  are  aware  of 
their  danger ;  but  in  potting  or  planting  always 
keep  the  top  of  the  ball  near  the  surface,  and 
coax  the  roots  away  into  feeding  ground  some 
distance  away  from  the  stems.  Where  old 
veterans  are  still  doing  good  service  keep  them 
copiously  supplied  with  good  warm,  generous 
liquid,  mulch  the  balls  with  short  stable  manure, 
and  encourage  an  extension  growth  by  allowing  a 
number  of  the  most  promising  Vines  to  ramble 
over  any  unoccupied  part  of  the  trellis.  In  every 
department  keep  the  foliage  free  from  insects  by 
means  of  sponging  or  fumigating,  and  endeavour 
to  maintain  a  healthy  sturdy  condition  by  internal 
cleanliness  and  the  frequent  removal  of  matter 
which  may  accumulate  upon  the  glass,  and  so 
interfere  with  the  passage  of  solar  warmth  and 
light. 

KITCHEN  GARDEN. 
Globe  Artichokes. — Give  these  a  good  mulch 
with  manure,  and  afterwards  protect  them  with 
dead  Bracken.  February  is  the  best  time  to 
make  new  plantations.  Slipping  off  the  offshoots 
from  the  parent  plant  is  a  much  better  system 
than  growing  them  from  seed.  Digging,  trench- 
ing, or  manuring,  as  the  case  may  be,  all  vacant 
quarters  or  borders  after  the  crops  are  secured  will 
be  the  order  of  the  day.  The  time  is  fast  ap- 
proaching when  Seakale,  Asparagus,  and  Rhubarb 
will  want  looking  to ;  Rhubarb,  in  fact,  may  be 
taken  up  now  to  force  ;  it  is  quite  ripe  enough  for 
that  purpose.  We  gathered  our  first  Mushrooms 
on  October  2G ;  they  promise  to  be  a  good  crop. 
Now  is  a  capital  time  to  plant  Cauliflower  plants 
under  hand-lights,  planting  five  under  each  light 
in  a  warm  corner  on  a  south  border.  In  the  case 
of  Cauliflowers  to  plant  out  in  March,  we  find  by 
far  the  best  plan  is  to  plant  them  in  small  3-inch 
pots.  Keep  them  in  cold  frames,  and  expose  them 
fully  on  all  occasions  except  when  there  are  heavy 
rains  or  sharp  frosts.  They  get  nice,  stiff,  and 
sturdy  plants  by  March,  and  if  turned  carefully 
out  of  the  pots,  they  never  feel  the  effects  of  the 
shift. 


WORK  DONE  IN  WEEK  ENDING  OCT.  28, 1884' 

October  22. 
Though  still  very  gay,  circumstances  being 
favourable  to  our  commencing  to  dress  the  par- 
terre in  winter  garb,  all  tender  plants  were  taken 
up  and  a  start  made  to  substitute  hardy  plants. 
These  notes  do  not  admit  of  entering  into  de- 
tails concerning  planting  other  than  simply  re- 
cording that  every  plant  of  a  tender  character  is 
cleared  out,  and  that  the  vacancies  made  are 
filled  up  with  hardy  plants  that  best  associate 
with  the  hardy  kinds  that  have  done  duty  during 
the  summer,  a  leading  feature  in  our  summer  ar- 
rangements being  the  use  of  hardy  plants,  mainly 
with  a  view  of  saving  the  labour  of  replacing  the 
same  at  this  season,  when,  as  in  our  case,  winter 
furnishing  of  every  bed  and  vase  isdem.anded  just 
as  much  as  it  is  in  summer,  and,  I  may 
add,  far  more  appreciated,  especially  by  visi- 
tors. We  use  small  shrubs.  Thymes,  Veroni- 
cas, Sedums,  Saxifrages,  Stachys,  hardy  Heaths, 
bulbs,  annuals,  and  other  plants  too  numerous  to 
mention,  much  more  describe  how  arranged  within 
the  limits  of  these  notes,  but  the  curious,  if  so  in 
clined,  may,  through  the  editor,  obtain  a  permit 
to  see  for  themselves.  Potted  Pelargoniums.  Our 
best  bedding  kinds  are,  pink.  Master  Christine ; 
scarlet,  Vesuvius,  John  Gibbons,  and  Henri 
Jacoby ;  ro.ie  colour,  Waltham  Seedling;  white 
variegated,  Mary  Queen ;  tricolored,  Sophia  Dumar- 
esque ;  and  bronze.  The  Shah  and  Marshal  Mc- 
Mahon.  They  are  placed  in  warmth  to  start 
them,  and  will  be  shifted  then  into  cold  pits  or 
vineries  at  rest.  Tender  succulents  are  being 
planted  out  in  a  pit  that  is  heated  with  hot  water. 
Our  best  kinds  of  these  for  bedding  purposes  are 
Echeveria  metallica,  E.  farinosa,  E.  I'eacocki,  E. 
gibba,  and  E.  glauca  metallica,  Kleinia  tomen- 
tosa,  K.  repens,  Sempervivum  arboreum  variega- 
tum — the  best  of  all  for  use  as  a  standard  succu- 
lent— S.  canariense,  and  S.  Donckelaari. 


October  23. 
Planting  the  flower  beds  for  the  winter  has  been 
onr  principal  labours  to-day,  and  we  get  it  done 
the  more  expeditiously  by  appointing  one  man  to 
put  in  the  plants,  another  to  [follow  to  complete 
the  pressing  and  smoothing  down  the  soil,  and 
another  to  cover  the  surface  with  either  Cocoa 
fibre  refuse,  Sedum,  or  Heather,  as  the  various 
arrangements  require,  and  another  to  remove  all 
dirt,  dead  leaves,  &c.,  from  the  ground-work  plants 
of  the  summer,  the  finishing  touch  being  a 
thorough  washing  of  the  whole  by  watering  with 
a  coarse  rosed  watering  pot.  Potting  off  plants  con- 
tinued. Standard  Heliotropes  and  Abutilons  that 
are  always  useful  during  the  winter  for  conserva- 
tory and  cut  flowers  purposes  are  put  into  strong 
heat  till  they  get  well  hold  of  the  fresh  soil,  and 
having  no  better  place  they  are  stood  on  the  floors 
of  the  Pine  pits,  being  regularly  syringed  and 
watered.  The  inconvenience  and  necessarily  un- 
tidy appearance  of  thus  housing  them  is  a  fore- 
gone conclusion,  but  necessity  knows  no  choice. 
Busy  as  all  such  work  makes  us.  Grapes  still  hang- 
ing on  the  Vines  cannot  be  neglected  in  the  mat- 
ter of  cutting  out  decayed  berries,  and  all  were 
done  to-day,  this  splendid  dry  weather  making 
such  work  very  light  indeed,  whilst  firing  as  a  pre- 
ventive of  decay  is  all  but  unnecessary. 

October  24. 
Still  planting  flower  beds.  I  ought  perhaps  to 
mention  that  the  beds  nearest  to  and  overlooked 
from  the  windows  of  the  mansion  are  filled  solely 
with  plants  that  are  most  telling  during  the 
winter  season  only,  the  non-residence  of  the 
family  in  spring  making  it  unnecessary  to  study 
appearances  at  that  season,  but  beds  in  other 
parts  of  the  garden  are  arranged  for  effectiveness 
in  spring  as  well,  and  for  this  purpose  bulbs 
annuals,  and  spring-flowering  perennials,  as  well 
a^  small  shrubs,  are  used.  Brompton  and  Queen 
Stocks,  Silenes,  Limnanthes,  Candytufts,  and 
Arabis  are  now  being  planted,  and  others  will 
presently  be  planted  in  the  Rose  beds  as  soon  as 
the  plants  have  been  given  their  winter  dressing 
of  manure.  Potting  up  of  flower  garden  plants 
also  continues.  We  are  getting  overcrowded, 
and  therefore  have  to  turn  out  the  young  stock 
plants  into  colder  quarters  till  such  times  as  other 
vineries  are  cleared  of  their  fruit.  I  would  like  to 
say,  however,  that  such  inconvenience  is  not 
entirely  caused  by  bedding  plants,  but  also  by  the 
increased  demand  here,  as  elsewhere,  there  now  is 
for  cut  flowei's  the  winter  through,  the  space  the 
bedding  plants  use  to  fill  being  now  occupied  with 
Bouvardias,  Primulas,  Cinerarias,  Begonias,  Pelar- 
gonium?, Chrysanthemums,  and  other  plants  that 
were  once  grown  by  the  unit  are  now  required  by 
the  dozen.  This  increased  demand  for  forced 
flowers,  and  consequent  need  of  space  to  grow 
them,  being  one  of  several  strong  reasons  for 
reducing  tender  summer  bedding  plants  to  the 
lowest  possible  point.  It  turned  much  colder  this 
evening,  and  the  remaining  tender  plants  yet  in 
the  beds  were  covered  over,  and  early  Broccolis 
had  their  central  leaves  bent  over  the  flower  to 
prevent  injury  in  case  of  frost.  They  are  turning 
in  much  too  rapidly,  and  the  forwardest  will  be 
lifted  in  a  day  or  two  and  heeled  in  under  a  north 
wall  to  let;gthen  out  the  supply,  else  there  will  be 
a  break  between  these,  the  Penzance  and  the 
Protecting  Broccoli,  which  are  our  nest  sorts. 

October  2,"i. 
Filled  vase  and  basket  beds  with  shrubs.  The 
small  Retinosporas  are  unique  plants  for  small 
vases  ;  the  varieties  plumosa,  and  plumosa  aurea, 
and  pisifera  aurea  are  the  best  kinds  for  this  pur- 
pose, and  bear  biennial  removal  very  well.  The 
soil  we  cover  over  with  turves  of  Heather,  which 
impart  finish  and  neatness,  and  at  the  same  time 
are  protectors  of  injury  from  frost  in  severe 
weather.  Large  basket  vases  are  being  planted 
with  Hollies,  M.ihonias,  Cupressus,  variegated  Box, 
Portugal  Laurels,  Golden  Yews,  and  other  shrubs, 
the  only  summer  plants  remaining  being  the  Phor- 
miums,  green,  bronze,  and  varieg.ated  Bamboos  and 
Yuccas.  The  edgingpIantsareCotoneaster.Jap.anese 
Honeysuckle,  Ivies,  variegated  Periwinkles  (Vin- 


388 


THE     GARDEN 


[Nov.  1,  1884. 


cas).  Thesoilissnrfaced  with  Cocoa  fibre  refuse,  this 
brown  colour  making  a  very  excellent  setting  for 
all  the  kinds  of  shrubs  used.  Planting  of  beds  in- 
terfered with  our  cleaning  up  to-day,  such  only 
as  was  really  necessary  about  the  houses  being 
done.  The  outside  must  wait,  a  matter  of  but 
little  consequence  just  now,  when  the  leaves  are 
falling  so  rapidly.  The  fruit  room  was  overhauled, 
every  bit  of  decaying  fruit  removed,  and  all  laid 
as  thinly  on  the  shelves  as  space  would  allow.  The 
weather  has  been  most  favourable,  and  there  has 
been  little  of  sweating,  and  now  that  all  is  so  dry, 
we  shall  endeavour  to  maintain  that  state  ;  hence 
ventilators  will  be  closed  at  night,  and  be  kept  so 
night  and  day  whenever  the  atmosphere  is  charged 
with  moisture.  The  Pears  now  in  use  are  Marie 
Louise,  Doyenn6  da  Comice,  Beurre  Clairgeau, 
Conseiller  de  la  Cour.^and  Pitmaston  Duchess. 

OCTOBEE27. 

We  had  hoped  to  have  finished  planting    the 
flower  beds  to  day,    but  the  rain   of  yesterday 


but  not  in  that  precise  "  rule  of  thumb  '  form  that 
some  practise,  simply  because  we  have  neither 
time  nor  patience  for  such  precision  of  training,  and 
as  it  does  not  affect  the  fruiting  properties  one 
way  or  other,  we  shall  not  adopt  the  "just  so  " 
style  till  we  are  quite  worked  out  of  other  jobs, 
and  at  present  there  is  no  immediate  prospect 
of  that.  Gathered  more  Dahlia  seeds  ;  also  seeds 
of  Sunflowers,  Sweet  Williams,  and  Sweet  Peas. 
The  new  variety  of  the  latter,  named  Princess 
Beatrice,  is  really  a  beautiful  one ;  colour,  light 
pink,  and  the  flowers  are  large,  lasting,  and  very 
sweet.  This  and  the  varieties  Butterfly  and 
Scarlet  Invincible  are  a  trio  of  unsurpassed 
beauties. 

October  28. 
Completed  the  furnishing  of  parterre  flower- 
beds for  the  winter,  and,  without  boasting,  I  may 
say  that  the  whole  looks  so  well  that  few  persons 
could  help  admiring  the  beds  as  now  arranged, 
and  which  plan  ought  to  be  more  generally 
adopted,    more    especially    in    gardens    in     the 


Societies. 


ROYAL  HORTICULTURAL, 

October  28,  29,  30. 

Tins  was  the  last  of  the  series  of  fruit  and  vege- 
table shows  held  in  the  conservatory  at  South 
Kensington,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Heilth 
Exhibition  committee.  The  schedule  on  this 
occasion  contained  some  thirty-sis  classes,  twelve 
of  which  were  set  apart  for  Apples  alone ;  therefore 
these  constituted  the  principal  part  of  the  show  ; 
indeed  the  Apple  exhibits  entirely  filled  the  centre 
of  the  conservatory,  there  being  no  fewer  than  2000 
dishes  shown.  No  such  exhibition  of  Apples  has 
taken  place  since  the  great  Apple  congress  held 
at  Chiswick,  notwithstanding  the  general  com- 
plaint that  the  crop  this  season  is  much  below  the 
average.  The  compilers  of  the  schedule  evidently 
desired  to  bring  together  a  representative  exhi- 
bition  of  seasonable  fruits   and   vegetables,   for 


Funkia  Sieboldi,  showing  value  of  grouping  as  compared  with  dotting.    (From  a  sketch  by  A.  Parsons.) 


hindered  us  getting  on  to  the  ground  as  soon  as 
we  otherwise  would  ;  however,  we  can  well  afford 
to  compound  the  delay  for  the  rain,  as  it  was  sadly 
wanted,  and  indeed  still  is  before  much  trans- 
planting work  of  shrubs  and  fruit  trees  can 
be  done,  or  at  any  rate  before  it  is  desirable  to  do 
such  work.  Besides  planting  beds  and  doing  the 
necessary  clearing  up  connected  with  it,  the  turf 
edgings  to  beds  have  all  been  clipped,  and  the 
gravel  walks  swept  hard  with  a  whale-bone  broom 
to  get  off  slight  coverings  of  Moss,  and  they 
are  now  ready  for  rolling  as  soon  as  there  has 
been  sufficient  rain  to  admit  of  its  being 
done  effectively.  Pruned  early  Peaches.  The 
wood  is  hard  and  brown  and  the  buds  prominent ; 
never  saw  them  so  fine.  Summer  pruning,  or 
rather  pinching  and  disbudding  that  we  practise, 
rendered  winter  pruning  a  very  light  matter.  Only 
badly  placed  and  long  naked  shoots  are  taken  our, 
but  every  branch  is  loosened  from  the  trellis,  and 
after  washing  both  trellis  and  trees  with  a  strong 
solution  of  soft  soap  or  Gishurst  Compound,  the 
whole  are  again  tied  in  neat  form  to  the  trellis, 


immediate  vicinity  of  the  mansion.  The 
labour  and  slightly  additional  expense  for 
shrubs  are  as  nothing  in  comparison  with  the 
satisfaction  and  pleasure  there  is  of  daily 
viewing  a  well-furnished  garden,  rather  than  the 
bare  beds  still  far  too  common  in  [many  places 
that  in  other  respects  are  models  of  good  garden- 
ing. Potting  flower  garden  plants.  The  tender 
kinds  we  stand  about  on  the  floors  of  the  warmest 
houses  till  such  times  as  room  can  be  made  for 
them  by  moving  out  less  tender  plants  that  have 
got  established  in  the  new  soil.  Housed  Eche- 
verias  and  Kleinias ;  they  are  wintered  very  thickly 
together  in  cold  frames  and  give  but  little  trouble, 
as  they  are  planted  out  in  light  soil  and  need  no 
removal  till  they  are  again  required  at  bedding- 
out  time.  Lobelias  of  the  oardinalis  section  and 
Salvia  patens  are  being  served  precisely  the  same 
way.  Cannas  we  heel  in  close  together,  in  leaf- 
soil,  in  a  dark  shed,  from  which  frost  can  be  ex- 
cluded ;  Dahlias  we  treat  in  the  same  manner,  and 
then  the  roots  do  not  shrivel,  but  keep  plump  and 
good.  Hants. 


prizes  were  even  offered  for  such  little  used 
vegetables  as  Skirret,  Salsafy,  Scorzonera,  and 
Cardoons.  The  display  of  vegetables  was  no  less 
remarkable  than  that  of  fruit ;  indeed,  we  have 
rarely  seen  such  high  class  produce  at  an  October 
show  as  that  shown  on  this  occasion.  The  fruit 
and  vegetable  shows  held  here  this  season  have 
all  been  most  successful,  and  cannot  have  failed  to 
have  done  good  in  bringing  before  the  public  ex- 
amples of  high  class  culture. 

Collections  of  Apples. — There  were  classes 
devoted  for  100  sorts  from  nurserymen,  50  sorts 
from  amateurs,  and  for  the  same  number  of 
dishes  from  exhibitors  from  the  midland  counties, 
Scotland,  France,  and  the  Channel  Islands,  . 
America  and  Canada,  but  the  classes  beyond  the 
first  two  were  poorly  represented.  No  fewer  than 
five  nurserymen  showed  collections  of  100  dishes, 
the  finest  being  that  from  Messrs.  Lane  and  Son, 
of  Berkhamstead,  and  as  the  collection  shown  by 
this  well-known  firm  of  fruit  growers  was  com- 
prised of  the  very  best  sorts,  we  may  mention 
those  that  were  the  most   conspicuous.    These 


Nov.  1,  1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


889 


consisted  of  fine  examples,  large  in  size,  and  good 
in  colour. 

Amongst  kitchen  sorts  the  finest  were 

Warner's  King 

Mere  de  Mu-nage 

K  nuA  Winter  Nonsuch 

Annie  Elizabeth 

Lord  Suffield 

Lord  Derby 

Wellington 

Cellini 

I'rince  Albert 


Stone's  Apple 
Cat's-head 
Lady  Heuniker 
New  Hawthornden 
Peapgood's  Nousucfl 
Waltham  Abbey  Ssedlins 
Grenadier 
Blenheim  (irange 
Engli;h  Codlin 


Dessert  sorts  included  the  following  selection :  — 


Nonsuch 

Kibston  rippin 

Mother  Apple 

Gol'en  Knob 

Calville  Eouge  (lilood  red) 

Golden  Winter  rearmain 

EvagU 


Abbott's  Pearmain 

Gipsy  King 

Adam's  Pearmain 

Small's  Golden  Pippin 

Court  o(  Wick 

Margil 

Yellow  Ingestre 


The  second  best  large  collection  was  that  from 
Messrs.  G.  and  T.  Lane,  of  St.  Mary's  Cray,  while 
Messrs.  Bunyard,  of  Maidstone,  were  third.  Each 
of  these  showed  representative  collections  of  well- 
grown  fruits,  the  other  exhibitors  in  the  class  being 
Messrs.  Wheeler,  of  Gloucester,  and  Messrs.  Cheal, 
of  Crawley. 

Among  eight  collections  of  fifty  sorts  from 
amateurs,  the  finest  was  that  from  Jlr.  Roger 
Leigh's  garden  at  Barham  Court,  Maidstone,  whose 
gardener,  Mr.  Haycock,  again  showed  a  grand 
collection,  but  as  the  sorts  were  much  the  same  as 
we  have  enumerated  on  previous  occasions,  we 
will  not  repeat  them  here.  Mr.  S.  Ford  showed 
from  Ijeonardslee,  Horsham,  the  second  best  col- 
lection, while  the  third  came  from  another  well- 
known  hardy  fruit  grower,  Mr.  Goldsmith,  of 
HoUanden  Park,  Tonbridge.  Each  of  the  eight 
collections  in  this  class  were  remarkably  fine,  a 
fact  which  speaks  well  for  high-class  Apple  culture 
in  private  gardens.  There  was  but  one  collection 
of  fifty  sorts  from  growers  in  the  midland 
counties.  This  was  from  the  Earl  of 
Harrington's  garden  at  Elvaston  Castle,  Derby; 
some  uncommonly  fine  dishes  were  included 
in  it,  and  some  of  the  sorts  were  particularly 
lemarkable  for  high  colour.  One  collection  only 
came  from  Scotland,  and  this  was  a  very  poor  one, 
and  we  imagine  that  the  exhibitor  of  it  had  a 
diflicult  matter  to  muster  the  necessary  number  of 
sorts,  judging  by  the  appearance  of  several  of  the 
dishes,  A  poor  display  was  also  made  in  the  class 
for  collections  of  American  Apples,  Messrs. 
Thomas,  of  C'ovent  Garden,  being  the  only 
exhibitors,  and  to  them  a  third  prize  only  was 
awarded.  The  same  firm,  however,  showed  some 
extremely  fine  samples  of  imported  Apples  in 
barrels,  the  chief  sorts  being  Baldwin,  Lady's 
Blush,  Red  Pippin,  Newtown  Pippin,  Greening, 
Winter  Blush,  and  Ked-cheek  Pippin.  The  Channel 
Island  exhibitors  were  only  conspicuous  by  their 
absence.  It  is  singular  that  these  growers  have 
not  been  represented  at  a  single  exhibition  in 
London  this  year,  notwithstanding  the  tempting 
prizes  offered.  They  may,  however,  send  their 
produce,  as  they  usually  do,  to  the  November 
shows. 

There  was  a  brisker  competition  in  the  classes 
for  twelve  and  six  sorts,  and  numbers  of  the  best 
Apple  growers  in  the  home  counties  competed. 
Among  nine  collections  of  six  culinary  sorts  the 
best  was  that  from  Mr.  Boss,  at  Welford  Park, 
who  showed  a  really  grand  half-a-dozen  dishes, 
the  sorts  beingPeasgood's  Nonsuch,M6re  deMenage, 
Blenheim  Orange,  Lane's  Prince  Albert,  Brabant 
Bellefleur,  and  Annie  Elizabeth.  Mr.  Haycock 
showed  for  the  second  prize  Lord  Derby,  Mdre  de 
Menage,  Belle  Dubois,  Reinettedu  Canada,  Blen- 
heim Orange,  and  Beinette  de  Caux.  This  was  a 
fine  class  throughout,  as  was  likewise  that  for 
twelve  sorts,  of  which  there  were  also  nine 
exhibitors.  In  this  class  Mr.  Haycock  was  first, 
the  sorts  he  showed  being  a  capital  selection, 
comprising  Reinette  Tr^s  Tardive,  Warner's  King, 
Bedfordshire  Foundling,  Peasgooa's  Nonsuch, 
Reinette  du  Canada,  Blenheim  Orange,  Stone's 
Pippin,  and  Mere  de  Menage.  The  two  next  best, 
from  Welford  Park  and  HoUanden  Park,  were 
both  uncommonly  fine. 

The  best  twelve  sorts  of  dessert  kinds  among 
nine  were  those  from  the  Dnke  of  Richmond's 


garden,  at  Goodwood.  This  was  without  ques- 
tion the  finest  dozen  of  dessert  Apples  that  has 
been  shown  at  South  Kensington  this  year,  and 
afforded  evidence  of  the  care  and  attention 
bestowed  on  Apple  culture  by  Mr.  Rutland.  Every 
sort  was  represented  to  perfection,  the  selection 
being  Adam's  Pearmain  (extremely  fine).  Scarlet 
Pearmain,  King  of  the  Pippins,  Yellow  Ingestre, 
(very  fine).  Cockle  Pippin,  Cox's  Orange  Pippin, 
Lewis's  Incomparable,  Pennington's  Pearmain 
Melon  Apple,  Ribston  Pippin,  and  Nanny,  a  good 
old  Sussex  Apple  which  deserves  to  be  more 
generally  cultivated.  A  fine  collection  from  Bar- 
ham  Court  was  second,  while  scarcely  inferior  was 
the  third  from  Welford  I'ark.  This  class  was  so 
excellent  throughout,  that  an  extra  prize  was 
awarded  to  Mr.  Ford,  of  Leonardslee,  Horsham, 
for  a  highly  creditable  collection.  No  fewer  than 
thirteen  exhibitors  competed  in  the  class  for  six 
sorts,  the  best  being  an  exceedingly  fine  set  from 
Mr.  Goldsmith,  who  had  the  following  sorts 
admirably  representing  lyenheim  Orange,  Ribston 
Pippin,  Fearn's  Pippin,  King  of  the  Pippins,  Cox's 
Orange  Pippin,  and  Scarlet  Nonpareil.  Mr.  Hay- 
cock showed  a  capital  half  dozen  for  the  second 
prize,  as  did  likewise  Mr.  Rutland  for  the  third. 

The  heaviest  dish  of  six  fruits  among  eight  was 
that  from  Mr.  Rutland,  who  had  six  huge  fruits  of 
Gloria  Mnndi,  weighing  just  7 lbs. ;  the  second  was 
More  de  Menage,  weighing  6  lbs.  8  ozs.,  while  the 
third  was  Warner's  King,  weighing  6  lbs.  2  cz3. 
Other  sorts  in  this  class  were  Lord  Derby,  Warner's 
King  (shown  by  three),  and  Blenheim  Orange. 

The  best  flavoured  sort  among  eighteen  was  an 
exceptionally  fine  dish  of  Cox's  Orange  Pippin 
from  Mr.  Waterman,  of  Preston  Hall.  The  second 
and  third  prizes  were  both  taken  by  Ribston 
Pippin  from  Mr.  Haycock  and  Mr.  Ford  respec- 
tively. The  sorts  shown  were  Cox's  Orange  by  six 
exhibitors,  Ribston  by  five.  King  of  the  Pippins  by 
one,  Margil  by  two,  Crofton  Pippin,  Eve  Apple, 
Whiting  Pippin,  and  Winter  Strawberry. 

Peaks — There  was  but  one  class  on  this  occa- 
sion for  Pears.  This  was  for  six  sorts,  of  which 
there  were  six  exhibitors.  The  finest  collection 
was,  as  usual,  from  Barham  Court,  the  sorts  which 
Mr.  Haycock  showed  being  Pitmaston  Duchess, 
General  Todleben,  Conseiller  de  la  Cour,  Duchesse 
d'Angouleme,  Passe  Crassane,  and  Doyenne  du 
Cornice,  all  enormous  fruits.  Mr.  Goldsmith 
showed  the  second  best  set,  his  selection  being 
Beurre  Diel,  Koveau  Poiteau,  Beurre  Superfin, 
Beurre  Hardy,  Conseiller  de  la  Cour,  and  Doyenne 
du  Cornice.  Mr.  Rutland  was  third  with  very  fine 
dishes,  and  among  the  other  collections  was  a 
dish  from  Mr.  Searle's  gardener  at  Crediton  of 
Catillac,  one  fruit  of  which  weighed  20  ozs.,  and 
another  of  Uvedale's  St.  Germain,  weighing  31  ozs., 
produced  on  open-air  trees. 

There  were  classes  for  Quinces,  Medlars,  and 
Filberts,  but,  with  the  exception  of  the  latter,  all 
were  poorly  represented.  The  first  prize  in  the 
miscellaneous  class  was  taken  by  Mr.  Ross,  of 
Welford  Park,  for  three  enormous  Smooth  Cayenne 
Pines,  weighing  respectively  8  lbs.  12^ ozs,  7  lbs. 
3  0Z3 ,  and  G  lbs.  15  ozs.  The  second  prize  was 
taken  by  Mr.  Smith,  Cobham,  for  Lady  Downes 
and  Mrs.  Pearson  Grapes,  fine  bunches,  though 
grown  without  fire-heat ;  also  for  Pears  and  Plums. 
An  interesting  exhibit  by  Mr.  A.  .J.  R.  Trendell 
consisted  of  five  bunches  of  Black  Hamburgh 
Grapes.  These  five  bunches  are  selected  from 
about  sixty,  all  of  which  have  grown  and  ripened 
outside  his  house  in  the  Bayswater  Road.  This 
successful  cultivation  out  of  doors,  although 
doubtless  very  much  aided  by  an  exceptionally 
fine  summer,  is  an  evidence  of  what  may  be  done 
outside  London  houses  in  bringing  Grapes  to  a 
condition  fit  for  the  table. 

Numerous  other  miscellaneous  exhibits  of  fruit 
were  shown,  the  chief  being  a  grand  collection  of 
about  100  sorts  of  Apples  from  Messrs.  Veitch, 
of  Chelsea,  which  included  all  the  leading  sorts, 
together  with  some  fine  examples  of  the  new 
Sandringham  Apple,  the  sort  which  obtained  a 
first-class  certificate  at  the  Apple  Congress  last 
year.     Messrs.  W.  Paul,  of  Waltham  Cross,  and 


Messrs.  Rivers,  of  Sawbridgewortb,  also  showed 
collections  of  Apples. 

Vegetables.  —  Nineteen  classes  were  pro- 
vided for  various  kinds  of  vegetables  in  season. 
Most  of  the  classes  were  well  represented,  whilst 
the  competition  in  a  few  instances  was  very  keen. 
The  productions  exhibited  were  also  of  excellent 
quality  in  most  instances ;  the  tendency,  how- 
ever, was  in  some  few  cases  towards  coarseness 
rather  than  quality.  This  was  notably  so  in  the 
first  prize  collection  ef  Beet,  some  three  or  four 
kinds  being  only  fit  for  cattle  feeding  ;  whilst  of 
three  or  more  dishes  in  the  class  for  "TurnipB,  the 
same  might  be  said  in  all  propriety.  Of  collections 
of  Gourds  and  Squashes  there  were  only  two  com- 
petitors, the  first  prize  being  awarded  to  a  large 
collection  occupying  a  considerable  amount  of 
table  space.  The  curious  as  well  as  ornamental 
kinds  were  represented  in  this  collection,  but 
only  a  few  of  them  were  named,  whilst  small 
sorts  generally  predominated.  This  collection 
came  from  Mr.  Osman,  of  Sutton.  The  second 
award  was  taken  by  a  smaller  collection,  the  effect 
of  which  was  enhanced  by  a  garnishing  of  Par- 
sley. This  was  exhibited  from  Mrs.  Montefiore's 
garden,  Worth  Park,  Sussex,  whose  gardener  also 
won  the  premier  award  in  the  class  for  ten 
varieties  of  Gourds.  Mr.  Cochrane,  of  Hamp- 
stead,  took  the  first  prize  for  the  heaviest  or 
largest  specimen  with  an  enormous  fruit,  which 
weighed  168  lbs.  when  it  was  cut  from  the  plant. 
The  largest  collection,  however,  of  Gourds  and 
Squashes  was  exhibited  from  the  Royal  Horticul- 
tural Society's  Gardens  at  Chiswick  by  Mr. 
Barron.  This  was  an  excellent  representative 
collection  of  both  large  and  small  kinds  from 
among  the  useful  as  well  as  ornamental  sections  of 
the  Cucurbit  family.  The  prizes  offered  in  the  three 
classes  for  Gourds  and  Squashes  amounted  to  about 
two-thirds  of  the  whole  surruof  money  set  apart 
for  prizes  in  the  sixteen  classes  for  other  vege- 
tables, but  taking  into  consideration  the  utility  of 
these  latter  classes,  the  result  must  be  considered 
as  far  more  satisfactory  than  in  the  case  of  the 
Gourds. 

Eleven  collections  of  six  heads  of  Celerj-  were 
shown.  Major  Clarke's  Solid  Red  being  the  predomi- 
nating kind.  A  sort  bearing  close  resemblance  to 
this  won  the  first  prize  for  Mr.  Thomas,  of  Covent 
Garden.  These  six  heads  were  well  blanched, 
of  good  length,  but  pithy  in  the  case  of  the  one 
example  that  was  cut.  Enormous  heads  were 
shown  by  Mr.  May,  Northaw  House,  Barnet,  but 
werenot  sufiiciently  blanched  in  comparison  with 
those  in  the  winning  collections.  The  red 
Celeries  evidently  (and  we  think  rightly,  too) 
meet  with  more  approval  by  those  who  exhibit 
than  do  the  white  kinds,  being  generally  more 
solid  and  of  hardier  constitution. 

For  Parsnips  there  were  eight  entries,  and  these 
were  of  uniform  excellence  throughout,  Mr. 
Haycock  winning  the  first  prize  with  very  fine 
roots  of  the  Hollow-crowned  sort.  These  roots 
left  nothing  to  be  desired  in  any  way,  being  of 
good  colour,  very  clean,  and  not  too  tapering. 
Specimens  of  The  Student  from  Mr.  Bloxham  were 
awarded  the  second  prize,  and  in  all  four  sets  of 
each  kind  were  shown.  The  class  for  Carrots 
broughtout  fifteen  exhibitors,  James'  Intermediate 
being  the  favourite  kind  in  nearly  every  instance, 
Mr.  Davis  winning  the  first  prize  with  very 
clean  samples  of  this  sort.  Fifteen  exhibitors  also 
competed  in  the  class  for  Turnips,  but,  as  previously 
remarked,  a  portion  of  the  productions  was  far 
too  large  and  coarse  for  the  table.  The  first  prize 
was  taken  with  Snowball,  while  among  others 
shown  were  White  Stone  and  White  and  Red 
Globe. 

For  a  collection  of  Onions  Mr.  Wingroye, 
gardener  at  Rousham  Park,  won  the  first  prize 
with  a  collection  of  thirteen  kinds,  as  follows : 
Rousham  Park  Hero  (of  white  Spanish  type),  very 
solid  and  weighty ;  Nuneham  Park,  Sutton's 
Improved  Reading,  and  Walker's  Improved,  bear- 
ing a  close  resemblance  to  each  other,  and  all 
after  the  brown  Spanish  ;  Williams'  Magnum 
Bonum,  a  fine  form  of  Brown  Globe,  James'  Long- 
keeping,  and  Bedfordshire  Champion,  again  bear- 


390 


THE    GARDEN 


[Nov.  1,  1884. 


ing  close  resemblance ;  Brown  Globe,  Cranston  s 
Excelsior  (paler  in  colour  than  the  last  named), 
White  Spanish  (good  and  true  to  the  type).  The 
Wroxton,  Flat  Tripoli,  and  Danver's  Yellow.  The 
second  award  was  taken  by  a  collection  from  Mr. 
Haycock,  and  consisted  of  varieties  far  more  dis- 
tinct from  each  other  than  those  shown  in  the 
premier  collection,  and  as  follows  :  viz.,  Banbury 
Improved,  Deptford  Giant,  Madeira,  Blood  Red, 
Bedfordshire  Champion,  Globe  Tripoli,  Giant 
Eocca,  Brown  Globe,  White  Globe,  and  The 
Queen.  For  the  prizes  offered  for  a  single  dish  of 
Onions  there  were  fourteen  exhibitors,  Willingrove 
again  winning  the  first  prize  with  a  very  fine  set 
of  nine  roots  of  Rousham  Park  Hero,  extra  large, 
of  fine  shape,  and  very  weighty,  Mr.  Miles  being 
placed  second  with  a  fine  dish  of  Cave's  Pinesfield 
Improved.  One  exhibit  in  this  class  was  to  all 
appearance  of  foreign  growth,  though  not  stated 
as  such,  but  the  home-grown  samples  easily  beat 
this  lot,  to  which  no  prize  was  awarded. 

For  Cardoons  there  was  but  one  entry,  at  least 
only  one  set  of  four  heads  was  shown.  These 
came  from  Mr.  Osman,  and  were  well  grown  ex- 
amples, solid,  and  blanched  to  a  good  length.  Four 
plants  were  required  in  the  class  for  Brussels 
Sprouts,  and  seven  sets  of  that  number  were 
•  shown ;  but  by  far  the  best  came  from  Mr.  May, 
being  a  variety  of  his  own  raising  named 
May's  Northaw  Prize.  These  were  everything 
that  one  could  desire  in  this  esteemed  vege- 
table, having  Sprouts  of  medium  size,  but 
very  solid  and  compact,  the  growth  of  the  plant 
being  very  vigorous  with  a  long  stem,  well 
furnished  with  Sprouts  all  the  way  up  the  stem. 
Mr.  Richards  won  the  second  prize  with  a  set 
of  Veitch's  Exhibition  variety,  a  dwarfer  grow- 
ing kind  with  larger  Sprouts  than  in  the  first  prize 
four.  For  Endives,  both  in  the  collection  and  for 
one  kind  only,  Mr.  Richards  well  won  the  first 
prizes,  showing  in  each  case  finely  blanched 
samples  which  many  of  the  other  exhibitors  ap- 
parently lost  sight  of  as  being  a  necessary  point 
in  their  culture.  He  showed  six  kinds  in  the  col- 
lection, the  three  best  being  Broad  leaved  Bata- 
vian.  Green  Curled,  and  Picput's  Curled,  and  with 
the  latter  kind  he  took  the  first  prize  for  one 
kind,  whilst  Broad-leaved  Batavian  gained  the 
second  for  Mr.  Neighbour ;  these  latter  were  also 
well  blanched. 

Collections  of  Beet  were  shown  by  two,  the  first 
prize  being  awarded  to  Mr.  Woodward,  Isleworth, 
for  a  collection,  the  best  among  which  from  a 
culinary  point  of  view  were  Dell's  Crimson, 
Nutting's  Selected,  and  Dimmiok's  Nonpareil,  the 
other  kinds  being  generally  speaking  too  large 
and  coarse.  Four  capital  kinds  were  shown  by 
Mr.  Meads,  Beckett  Park  Gardens,  for  the  second 
prize.  These  were  the  two  first  kinds  above 
named  to  which  were  added  Pragnell's  Exhibition 
and  Sutton's  Selected.  For  one  kind  of  Beet  only 
there  were  21  exhibits,  the  first  prize  going  to 
three  roots  of  medium  size  from  Mr.  A.  Reed, 
Newark-on-Trent,  and  the  second  again  to  Mr. 
Meads ;  Carter's,  Dell's,  Nutting's,  Sutton's,  and 
Pragnell's  selections  being  the  best  types  shown  in 
this  class. 

Ten  exhibitors  of  three  Cauliflowers  competed 
for  the  three  prizes,  which  in  each  case  were 
awarded  to  extra  large  samples,  evidently  in  each 
instance  from  market  growers,  and  no  criterion 
of  what  a  Cauliflower  should  be  for  a  gentleman's 
table,  all  being  far  too  large  for  cooking  whole. 
The  exhibits  in  this  class  from  gentlemen's  gar- 
deners were  on  the  whole  of  far  better  size  for  even 
general  use. 

QUESTIONS. 


Louise  pyramid  Pears  have  turned  dark  brown  both  last 
autumn  and  tliis.  Kotliins  has  Ijeen  done  to  the  roots  of 
the  tree  since  it  wiis  planted  ten  years  ago  in  a  hole  3  feet 
deep  and  floored.    I  enclose  some  of  the  leaves.— 15. 

'^»  The  leaves  sent  seem  merely  to  show  a  natural  dis- 
colouration before  the  fall.  There  is  no  fungus  on  them.— 
Ed. 

6275.— Peach  and  Nectarine  stones  splitting.— 
What  is  the  cause  of  this  happening  before  the  fruits  are 
ripe  in  the  case  of  both  old  and  young  trees  of  Koyal 
George  Peach  and  Violette  Hative  Nectarine  ?  Water  they 
have  had  in  abundance.  Will  Gishurst  compound,  8  ounces 
to  the  gallon,  injure  iu  any  way  the  buds  if  used  over  all 
v.-hile  quite  dormant  ?  or  is  there  any  better  remedy  for 
brow^n  scale  ?— AMATEUR. 

6276.— Begronia  croises.- Will  any  of  your  corre- 
spondents kindly  give  me  the  reason  why  Begonia  xanthina 
seeds  so  sparingly,  the  female  llowtrs  falling  off  the  stem 
even  before  they  receive  the  pollen  on  their  stigmas  ?  I 
have  several  of  these  plants  in  the  glasshouse,  and  only 
one  or  two  seed  vessels  have  come  to  maturity.  I  should 
also  be  obliged  if  some  of  your  readers  would  tell  me 
whether  this  Begonia  has  ever  been  crossed  with  Rex,  and 
the  name  of  the  hybrid  obtained. -D.  L.  F.,  Co  tel  Rovere, 
Salerno,  Italy. 

5277.— Primula  Parryl.— I  have  some  seedlings  of 
Primula  Parryi  which  appear  to  be  dying  down,  and  would 
be  very  much  otjliged  for  information  as  to— 1,  whether 
the  species  is  ileciduous  in  winter  or  otherwise  ;  2.  whe- 
ther they  need  much  or  any  protection  ;  and  3,  if  they 
need  as  much  water  during  the  winter  as  they  do  during 
the  period  of  growth.  I  had  the  seeds  from  Mr.  Thompson, 
of  Ipswich,  and  am  pleased  to  say  they  gerniinsted  very 
well  by  following  his  mstructions.  Perhaps  Mr.  Thompson 
would  kindly  give  me  the  information  I  need  thi'ough  The 
Garden.— G.  H.  W. 

6278.— Stephanotls  not  flowering. -I  have  in  the 
stove,  trained  to  the  rafters,  three  large  plants  of  Stepha- 
notls, and  should,  judging  from  the  growth  made,  be  able 
to  cut  a  large  amount  of  flowers ;  but  in  this  I  am  disap- 
pointed ;  the  flowers  come  very  scanty.  The  roots  are  in 
prepared  beds  iu  front  of  the  stove,  inside.  I  should  be 
glad  of  information  as  to  how  to  treat  them  during  the 
coming  winter  and  spring.  Flowers  are  required  here 
more  in  autumn  than  at  any  other  time.  No  doubt  some 
of  your  correspondents  will  be  able  to  help  me  in  reference 
to  this  matter  by  giving  their  advice  and  experience.-  F.  A. 


Belladonna  Lilies.— These  do  well  out-of- 
doors  if  planted  in  sheltered  situations,  which  are 
necessary,  not  so  much  for  the  bulbs  as  for  the 
young  foliage  which  they  make  very  early  in 
spring,  when  it  is  liable  to  get  destroyed  or  in- 
jured by  frost.  To  prevent  this  it  is  necessary  to 
give  the  plants  a  warm,  sunny  border,  the  most 
suitable  places  being  either  close  along  the  foot 
of  a  south  wall  or  in  front  of  a  hothouse  or  green- 
house, the  last  named  position  being  the  best,  as 
there  the  soil  extracts  a  little  warmth  from  the 
pipes  inside ;  frost  is  thus  warded  off,  and  the 
leaves  kept  safe  from  its  grip.  To  give  the  plants 
a  fair  start  and  to  insure  their  well-being,  the 
earth  forming  the  border  should  be  dug  out  a 
yard  deep,  and  the  bottom  then  drained  by  having 
6  inches  or  so  of  broken  bricks  put  in,  and  over 
them  some  half-rotten  manure.  The  soil,  if  light, 
rich,  and  good,  may  then  be  returned,  and  if  not, 
some  fresh  put  in  its  place,  and  then  all  willbe 
ready  for  planting.  Now  is  a  good  time  for  doing 
all  this,  as  the  bulbs  are  at  rest.  They  will,  how- 
ever, soon  be  making  fresh  roots,  and  should  be 
planted  before  this  takes  place,  so  as  to  give  them 
a  chance  of  getting  established  and  making 
plenty  of  foliage,  on  which  their  flowering  in  a 
great  measure  depends.  When  planted,  the  bor- 
der ought  at  once  to  be  mulched,  the  best  mate- 
rial for  the  purpose  being  leaf-mould  or  Cocoa- 
nut  fibre,  both  of  which  are  of  a  non-conducting 
character  and  will  keep  out  a  great  deal  of  frost. 
As  an  additional  protection  in  spring,  it  is  a  good 
plan  to  arrange,  by  the  aid  of  a  rod  and  a  few 
stakes,  to  have  a  covering  of  mats  by  night,  or  to 
stick  in  some  evergreen  branches,  for  if  the  foliage 
gets  cut  the  plants  are  greatly  weakened  thereby, 
and  refuse  to  throw  up  any  bloom. — S.  D. 


LATH  NOTES. 


6272.  —  Garden  f-tructures.  —  will  some  of  yoiu 
readers  kindly  say  if  the  wood  of  either  home  gi-own 
Scotch  Fir  or  Silver  Pine  is  suitable  for  horticultural 
buildings  ?— ENQOIRER. 

6273.— Aciphylla  squarrosa.— Can  any  reader  of 
T^E  GARDEN  spare  a  plant  of  this,  or  tell  me  where  it  can 
be  purchased  ?  I  have  perused  about  half-a-hundred  nur- 
serymen's lists  this  evening,  but  cannot  find  it  offered  in 
any  of  them.  It  is  a  native  of  New  Zealand,  and  known  to 
the  settlers  as  Spear  Grass  or  Wild  Spaniard.— A.  D.  W. 

B274.— Pear  leaves.— I  shall  be  obliged  if  any  of  yom' 
readers  can  tell  me  why  the  leaves  of  one  of  my  Marie 


GARDENERS'    BENEVOLENT   INSTITaTION. 

Earlier  in  the  year  Mr.  Cutler  had  good  hopes  of 
being  able  to  bring  up  the  reserve  fund  to  i:.'0,000, 
a  circumstance  which  would  enable  the  committee 
to  materially  augment  the  pensions,  but  now  he 
seems  to  despair  of  attaining  his  object.     I  am 
exceedingly  sorry  for  this,  and  venture,  therefore, 
to  supplement  his  last  appeal  with  a  few  remarks 
of  my  own.     It  is  to  gardeners  I  would  especially 
appeal,  as  it  appears  the  majority  do  not  appre- 
ciate the  efforts  of  Mr.  Cutler  and  others  on  their 
behalf.     For  my  part  I  long  abstained  from  sup- 
porting the  institution  from  motives  which  need 
not  be  gone  into,  and  which  I  now  regret  ever 
having  entertained.     For  years  I  have  paid  a  sum 
into  an  insurance  agency,  but  if  I  had  been  wise  I 
should  have  first  become  a  life  member  of  the 
Gardeners'  Benevolent  Institution,  or  at  any  rate 
have  become  an  annual  subscriber,  for  the  simple 
reason  that  it  is  the  best  form  of  assurance  with 
which  I  am  acquainted.  No  other  institution  open 
to  us  can  possibly  guarantee  such  liberal  provision 
for    my  widow  and    children,    should  I  unfor- 
tunately be  prematurely  cut  off,  and   no  other 
institution  makes  such  good  provision  for  those  of 
its  supporters  who  in  their  helpless  old  age  may 
stand  in  need  of  it.    If  we  are  able  to  provide  for 
ourselves,  so  much  the  better ;  and  in  this  case  we 
shall  have  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  our 
subscription  was  by  no  means  expended  on  an 
unworthy  object.     Selfish  motives  alone  ought  to 
induce  all  gardeners  to  support  such  a  deserving 
institution ;  but  I  would  rather  appeal   to  their 
higher  feelings,  and  suggest  that  all  should  assist 
more  with  the  idea  of  helping  their  needy  co- 
workers than  themselves.    No  one  need  think  that 
large  sums  only  would  be  thankfully  accepted  by 
the  secretary  ;  all  should  give  according  as  their 
means  and  position  justify  them  in  doing  so.    If 
all  would  send  a  postal  order  for  one  shilling  only, 
how  large  a  sum  would  soon  be  at  the  disposal  of 
the  committee ;  but  there  are  plenty  who  do  not 
hesitate  to  subscribe  larger  sums  to  a  less  worthy 
object.    The  address  of  the  secretary  is  14,  Tavi- 
stock  Bow,    Covent  Garden,  and  doubtless  the 
editors  of  the  different  garden  papers  would  gladly 
receive  subscriptions  in  aid  of  the  institution. 

W.  I.  M. 


Telephone  Peas  from  the  open  ground  have  been 
sent  to  us  from  the  gardens  at  little  CassiobuiT,  Watford, 
by  Mr.  F.  Bowles,  who  states  that  he  has  been  gathermg 
dishes  of  this  variety  up  to  the  present  date. 

New  Chrysanthemum  —I  send  you  some  blooms 
of  a  new  semi-double  Clirj  santhemum,  which  seems  to  mo 
likely  to  be  one  of  our  best  autumn  varieties.  What  is 
your  opinion  of  it!— John  Forbes,  Bucckvch  KunerUi', 
Hawick. 

»,*  A  very  pretty,  medium-sized,  creamy  white  Chrysan- 
themum, which  only  wants  a  good  name.  Please  send  one, 
as  we  have  made  a  sketch  of  the  flower. — EP. 

Horticultural  builders.- It  will  be  seen  by  an  ad- 
vertisement in  anotlicr  coliinin  that  the  name  of  the  firm 
of  Dennis  &  Co.,  of  Chelmpford,  has  been  changed  to  that 
of  Crompton  &  Fawkes,  the  latter  being  the  managing 
partner 

Tomato  King  Humbert— I  have  seen  this  Tomato 
on  several  occasions  during  the  summer.  It  appears  to 
bear  more  freely  than  some  others,  but  that  is  all  I  can  say 
in  its  favour;  in  other  points  I  do  not  see  that  it  excels 
even  the  very  oldest  sorts.  —J.  C.  C. 

■Vallota  purpurea  seeding.- It  may  interest  your 
readers  to  hear  that  a  plant  of  Vallota  purpurea  tore  seed 
here  in  1880.  The  seed  was.  I  think,  sown  in  the  following 
February,  and  the  bulbs  have  flowered  this  season.— GEO. 
C.  Davie,  Bishop's  Tawton,  Barmtaple. 

Comte  Brazza'a  'Violet —My  opinion  is  that  this 
Violet  is  better  than  the  one  named  Swanley  White.  I  had 
the  pleasure  of  seeing  Mr.  Allan's  Violets  last  February, 
when  the  two  were  growing  side  by  side  in  6-inch  pots,  and 
Comte  Brazza's  was  (|uite  ahead  of  the  one  just  named  both 
in  quantity  and  size  of  bloom. — A.  D.  II. 

Seedling  Dahlias  (-E.  J.  Lowe), —The  flowers  of  the 
seedling  called  Yellow  and  White  Paragon  are  very  pretty  ; 
it  is  ideutical  with  the  variety  sent  to  us  by  Mr.  leesdale 
and  Mr.  Fish.  The  other  seedlings,  being  crosses  from  D. 
glabrata,  show  a  distiuctness  from  ordinary  sorts,  hut  the 
flowers  sent  were  too  nmch  bruised  to  enable  us  to  form  an 
opinion  upon  them. 


Naming  plants.— i^our  kindi  of  plants  or /lowers 
only  can  be  named  at  one  time,  and  this  only  when  good 
specimens  are  sent. 

Names    ot    plants— if.    F.—l.   Aster    Novi-Belgii 

minimus  ;  2,  A.  lougifolius  ;  3.  A.  turbinelhis. T.  CoUer. 

— Ailanthus  glandulosa  is  called  the  Tree  of  Heaven  ;  it  is, 

as  you  say,  somewhat  tike  a  .Sumach. J.  C.  C— 1,  Ilex 

opaca  (United  States)  ;  2,  Spartiom  jimceum  (S.W.  Europe) ; 

3,  Fagus  lietuloides  (Chili,  P.atagonia,  Ac). A.  f.— We 

cannot   possibly    name    Fuchsias   from    leaves   only. 

B.  ^f.  G.— Next  week. J.  E.  K.- Tree  is  'VThlte  Bean 

(Pyrus  Aria) ;  other  name  next  week. Hordis.- Next 

week. F.— Aster  I(ovi-Belgii. 


BOOK  RECEIVED. 
"  Les  Plantes  des  Alpe8,"by  Henry  Coirevon,  Director  uf 
the  Jardlu  d'Acclimatation,  Geneva. 


THE     GARDEN 


591 


Ho.  677. 


SATURDAY,  Nou.  8  1834. 


Vol.  XXVI. 


"  This  is  an  Art 
Which  does  mend  Nature  :  chaujre  it  rather :  but 
The  art  itself  is  Nature."— s/idJesiJcarc 


SEEDLING  CROCUSES. 
A  CASUAL  remark  by  Mr.  Smith,  of  Newry, 
on  seedliiig  Crocuses  brings  to  my  mind  the 
fact  that  but  few  gardeners  in  private  places  or 
amateurs  think  it  worth  their  while  to  raise 
Crocuses  from  seeds —home  saved  seeds  I  mean  in 
our  English  gardens.  Seed  is  very  often  produced 
upon  warm,  sandy  soils,  and  in  Holland  of  course 
seedlings  are  raised  by  the  thousand  annually. 

Everyone  nearly  now-a-days  knows  of  the  late 
Mr.  Edward  Leeds,  of  Manchester,  as  a  raiser  of 
new  Daffodils,  but  few  perhaps  credit  him  with 
having  paid  attention  to  the  rearing  of  Crocuses 
from  seeds  as  well.  That  he  did  so,  however,  is  proved 
by  some  remarks  in  vol.  iii.  of  Moore  and  Ayres' 
"  Magazine  of  Botany,''  where  at  p.  305  there  is  a 
good  coloured  figure  and  description  of  one  of  his 
seedlings  named  Crocus  vernus  var.  Leedsi.  The 
plate  by  Rosenberg,  lithographed  on  zinc  and 
coloured  by  hand,  represents  a  dwarf  vigorous 
plant,  bearing  large  plum-purple  flowers,  with 
broad  blunt  perianth  segments,  margined  and 
tipped  with  white.  It  is  evidently  a  distinct  and 
showy  variety.  Mr.  Leeds  himself  thus  writes  of 
it  at  the  page  cited  above :  "  This  Crocus  is  one  out 
of  many  thousands  which  I  raised  some  years  ago, 
and  the  most  distinct.  It  is  probably  from  C. 
vernus  var.  obovatus  crossed  with  some  purple 
variety,  for  I  took  some  pains  in  fertilising 
one  sort  with  another.  When  well  established  the 
white  edging  is  seen  from  a  "ong  distance,  but  it 
does  not  appear  in  perfection  until  the  plant  is  in 
vigorous  growth."  In  the  history  of  the  Crocuses, 
published  by  the  late  Dean  Herbert  in  the  journal 
of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society,  he  thus  alludes 
to  C.  vernus  ; — 

"  C.  VEENCS  is  one  of  the  most  widely  extended 
Crocuses  and  of  the  easiest  culture,  producing  seeds 
abundantly,  which  grow  up  spontaneously.  It  is 
the  Crocus  of  the  Alps,  but  its  flower  is  small 
there,  promiscuously  purple  and  white,  or  whitish, 
generally  with  the  throat  purple  on  the  outside, 
but  always  white  and  hairy  within.  It  reaches 
Cevennes,  and  I  am  told  is  to  be  found,  though 
rare,  on  the  Pyrenees.  It  extends  with  white 
flowers  into  Carinthia,  and  !s  found  white  with 
very  blunt  obovate  flowers  on  the  Bavarian  Alps, 
sometimes  assuming  a  blush  of  purple.  I  believe 
it  is  only  found  on  particular  spots  on  the  Pyrenees, 
affecting  the  oolitic  or  Jurassic  limestone.  On  the 
Alps  it  reaches  above  5000  feet  of  altitude.  I 
have  had  it  both  white  and  purple  from  the  Tyrol. 
The  fine  purple  Neapolitan  variety  ("neapolitanus) 
inhabits  the  loftiest  mountains  of  Calabria  and 
Sncania,  not  descending  lower  than  5000  feet. 
On  Monte  Pollino  it  flowers  as  late  as  June 
and  July,  reaching  an  elevation  of  6000  feet. 
On  the  Wengern  Alps  its  flowers  actually  pierce 
the  remaining  snow  in  June.  The  Odessa 
variety  (nubigena),  which  grows  on  part  of  the 
Steppes  is  much  finer,  and  from  that  stock  the 
finest  garden  varieties  seem  to  be  derived.  The 
segments  of  the  flower  are  bo  rounded  and  concave 
that  the  half-expanded  flower  is  nearly  spherical. 


They  are  white,  sometimes  beautifully  striped  on 
the  inside,  or  deep  purple."  Interesting  as  this 
account  is,  there  is  to  me  something  wanting.  I 
have  never  seen  C.  vernus  growing  wild  abroad, 
but  in  the  Nottingham  meadows,  within  arrow- 
shot  of  the  Castle  and  its  honeycombed  rock 
of  sandstone,  there  are  acres  of  this  Crocus  which 
if  not  actually  wild  there,  is  at  any  rate  abun- 
dantly naturalised.  It  crops  up  here  and  there, 
indeed,  all  by  the  silvery  Trent  between  Notting- 
ham and  Newark,  or  even  as  far  as  Derby,  and 
late  in  March  or  in  April,  according  to  the 
season,  the  green  meadows  here  and  there  as  seen 
from  3  distance  seem  to  have  a  pale  lilac  veil  over 
them,  an  effect  caused  by  the  myriads  of  its 
blossoms  nestling  among  the  young  Grass.  Now 
and  then  you  see  a  white  one  or  one  faintly 
striped,  but,  as  a  rule,  all  are  of  a  pale  lilac-gurple 
tint. 

A  plant  so  hardy,  and  withal  so  variably  beauti- 
ful, is  well  worth  raising  from  seed  in  our  gardens, 
and  the  genus  itself,  with  its  numerous  lovely 
species  from  Europe  and  Asia,  offers  to  the  careful 
hybridist  a  splendid  harvest  of  new  forms.  Like 
its  first  cousin,  the  Iris,  the  Crocus  has  been  some- 
what neglected  until  quite  recently  in  our  gardens, 
but  now  that  some  of  our  most  skilful  bo- 
tanists and  most  successful  amateurs  are  taking 
up  its  culture  in  right  good  earnest,  we  may  hope 
for  better  things ;  and  no  doubt  Mr.  Maw's 
splendidly  illustrated  monograph  will,  when  pub- 
lished, give  quite  an  impetus  to  the  study  and 
admiration  of  such  a  lovely,  albeit  somewhat 
fragile,  garden  flower.  F.  W.  B. 


Impatiens  Jerdonlse. — The  importance  of 
the  large  genus  Impatiens  to  horticulturists  has 
been  added  to  recently  by  the  introduction  of 
three  very  pretty  species  to  the  already  numerous 
kinds  grown  in  gardens — we  allude  to  I.  Sultani, 
I.  flaccida,  and  its  white  variety,  I.  flaccida  alba. 
For  the  possession  of  these  we  are  indebted  to 
Kew,  the  flrst  mentioned  kind  having  found  its 
way  thither  as  a  stray  or  little  stowaway  in  a 
Wardian  case  of  plants  from  Zanzibar,  and  the 
other  two  by  means  of  imported  seeds.  Through 
Kew  also  we  flrst  became  acquainted  with  the 
pretty  little  Indian  species  I.  Jerdonia;,  it  having 
been  introduced  into  those  gardens  more  than  oO 
years  ago.  Unlike  the  majority  of  the  Impatiens, 
including  the  three  kinds  above  named,  which 
have  a  Pansy-shaped  flower,  with  a  thin  spur,  I. 
Jerdoniffi  is  characterised  by  a  flower  composed 
almost  wholly  of  spur,  which  is  inflated  like  a  sack, 
and  may  be  compared  to  a  French  clog  or  "  sabot '' 
with  a  very  pointed  toe.  The  whole  flower  is  an 
inch  long  by  ha!f-an-inch  in  width,  and,  with  the 
exception  of  the  mouth,  which  is  yellow,  is  of  a 
bright  red  colour.  They  are  borne  in  axillary 
racemes  on  the  ends  of  the  short  thick  fleshy 
stems  ;  the  colour  of  the  stems  is  dark  purple,  that 
of  the  leaves  being  green.  This  species  bears  some 
resemblance  to  I.  Walkeri,  a  Ceylon  species  with 
sack-shaped  flowers,  which  differ  from  those  of  I. 
Jerdonise  in  being  wholly  red  and  in  having  longer, 
thinner  arcuated  stems.  Both  species  require 
stove  treatment.  I.  Jerdcniie  is  now  flowering  in 
the  T  range  at  Kew,  where  it  appears  to  be  quite 
at  home,  planted  in  a  wire  basket  of  peat  soil  and 
suspended  near  the  glass. — B. 

Leaf  gardening'. — Allow  me  to  add  my 
testimony  to  that  of  "  J.  C.  C'  respecting  the 
suitability  of  leaf  gardening  for  a  late  display. 
Here  we  annually  plant  out  about  100,000  bedding 
plants  of  all  kinds,  and  all  the  beds  in  close 
proximity  to  the  mansion  are  "  carpeted,"  in  the 
execution  of  which  about  70,000  plants  are  em- 
ployed, all  for  foliage  effect,  with  the  exception  of 
a  few  dwarf  Lobelias,  and  these  we  intend  discard- 
ing from  the  arrangement  as  far  as  practicable 
another  season.     These  beds  at  this  date  (Novem- 


ber 4)  have  of  course  lost  some  of  the  brightness 
which  they  showed  a  month  ago.  Coleuses  have 
dropped  their  leaves  and  Alternantheras  are  dull ; 
still  the  additional  lustre  which  Echeverias, 
Sedums,  &c.,  possess  now  compared  with  their 
aspect  during  the  heat  of  the  summer  is  ample 
recompense  for  any  loss  sustained  in  the  way  of 
colour,  and  the  effect  produced  is  infinitely  supe- 
rior to  the  bedraggled  appearance  of  the  usual 
flowering  plants  after  a  storm  of  rain  even  early  in 
September.  Nevertheless,  we  do  not.  confine  our- 
selves to  one  style  of  bedding  ;  we  find  ample  and 
suitable  space  to  plant  Pelargoniums,  &c.,  sepa- 
rately, as  well  as  in  combination,  with  fine- 
foliaged  plants.  We  place  them  along  the  kitchen 
garden  borders  around  large  Rhododendron  and 
other  beds,  where,  besides  the  display  which  they 
make  during  fine  weather,  they  have  the  additional 
merit  of  assisting  us  in  filling  the  cut-flower  bas- 
ket. Sub-tropical  bedding  also  finds  a  place  here, 
and  herbaceous  plants  and  their  requirements  are 
not  forgotten,  nor  their  manifold  good  qualities 
overlooked. — J.  R.,  Tan-y-Bwlch,  N.  Wales. 


PLANTS    IN    FLOWEK; 

Clustered  Lapagerlas.— I  send  you  -nhat  I  think  is 
of  rare  occurrence— namely,  ten  (ully  expanded  blooms  of 
Lapageria  rosea  on  a  single  stem.  The  plant  from  which  I 
cut  the  specimen  sent  is  srowins  in  a  pot  in  a  greenhouse 
and  is  trained  on  a  halloon  trellis.— Jons  Cruickshask, 
Runhton  Ball,  Kettering. 

-,*  A  remarkably  tine  cluster  of  flowers,  the  pro- 
duce, as  our  correspondent  states,  of  one  bud.— Ed. 

Asters  and  Violets. -I  send  flowers  of  Aster  cassu- 
bicus,  a  variety  of  A.  Amellus,  sent  to  us  a  few  years  ago 
by  Mr.  Niven,  of  Hull.  It  is  tlie  latest  to  blossom  of  any 
of  the  Asters  here,  the  others  being  now  nearly  over.  The 
drought  has  nearly  killed  some  of  the  Czar  Violets,  while 
others  seem  all  the  better  for  it.— C.  M.  Owes,  £"71004- 
miillen,  Gorey,  Ireland. 

«,'  The  Aster  is  reaUy  a  good  0]}e,   almost  as  hne  as 
Amellus  itself,  aud  of  additional  value  being  so  late.    Th 
Violets  are  lovely,  their  large  flowers  aud  broad  foliage  in- 
dicating luxuriant  growth. — Ei>. 

Impatiens  flaccida  alba.— This  pretty 
white  Balsam  is  just  now  attractive  in  the  Water 
Lily  house  at  Kew,  where  a  group  of  it  forms  a 
fringe  to  a  bold  mass  of  the  old  Gloxinia  insignis. 
The  flowers  of  the  Balsam  are  as  white  as  snow, 
and  not  being  double,  as  is  the  ordinary  garden 
Balsam,  are  very  elegant,  the  flowers  hanging 
gracefully  on  slender  stems.  It  is  a  plant  to  be 
recommended  for  stove  culture.  It  is  planted  out 
in  free  soil  at  Kew,  as  well  as  the  Gloxinia,  and 
both  show  by  their  luxuriant  growth  the  advan- 
tage of  thus  planting  them. 

The  climbing  Aloe  ciliaris  is  a  desirable 
plant  to  grow  in  the  corner  o£  a  hothouse  in  which 
the  air  is  too  heated  and  dry  for  the  well-being  of 
most  other  plants.  There  is  in  almost  every  house 
some  such  a  corner  which  this  succulent  Alee 
would  just  suit.  It  is,  moreover,  a  showy  plant, 
particularly  when  in  flower,  as  it  is  at  this  season. 
In  the  great  Cactus  house  at  Kew  a  large  plant 
of  it  trained  beneath  one  of  the  rafters  is  now 
bearing  numerous  clusters  of  orange- red  floweis, 
which  remain  in  perfection  a  considerable  time.  It 
likes  plenty  of  heat  and  a  dry  air,  but  we  have 
seen  it  often  growing  luxuriantly  in  an  ordinary 
stove  with  other  plants. 

Colchlcum  Parkinsoni.  —  This  pretty 
chequered  Meadow  Saffron  is  now  beautifully  in 
bloom  in  Messrs.  Barr  &  Sons'  grounds,  at  Tooting, 
aud  has  been  so  for  some  time ;  it  is  flowering 
considerably  earlier  this  season,  than  usual,  a 
circumstance  which  may  probably  be  accounted 
for  by  the  earlier  ripening  of  the  bulbs,  the  result 
of  the  hot,  dry  weather.  C.  Parkinsoni  and  C.  varie- 
gatum,  which  both  have  peculiarly  chequered 
flowers,  are  highly  interesting  as  well  as  beautiful, 
inasmuch  as  they  take  us  back  to  the  early  days 
of  gardening  when  they  were  among  the  com- 
paratively few  bulbs  cultivattd  in  the  days  of 
Parkinson.  He  figures  it  admirably  in  his  quaint 
book. 

S  agittarla  montevidensi  s.— A  good  namn 
for  this  new  South  American  aquatic  plant  would 
be  the  Giant  Arrowhead,  fur  it  is  really  a  giant 
comoared  with  our  native  Arrowhead  C*'^-  sagitti- 


392 


THE    GARDEN 


[Nov.  8,  1884. 


folia).  At  Kew  this  South  American  species  has  been 
grown  for  the  past  year  or  two.  At  first  it  was  in 
a  pot ;  then  it  grew  bigger  than  our  native,  but  so 
soon  as  it  was  planted  out  in  a  rich  bed  of  free 
soil  it  began  to  grow  apace,  till  now  its  huge 
leaves  are  borne  on  stalks  over  6  feet  high.  The 
flower-spikes,  moreover,  are  large  in  proportion. 
They  almost  reach  the  leaves  in  height,  and  carry 
numerous  whorls  of  flower  which  at  once  remind 
one  of  some  of  our  beautiful  Cistuses,  being  white 
with  a  maroon-crimson  blotch  at  the  base  of 
each  petal  encircled  by  gold.  Here  again  is 
another  instance  of  the  good  results  of  planting 
out,  and  ihis  is  more  striking,  inasmuch  as  a  yard 
or  so  from  these  gigantic  plants  is  a  puny  plant  of 
the  same  species  growing  in  a  pot,  and  which  is 
scarcely  larger  than  our  native  species.  We  hope 
to  figure  this  handsome  plant  shortly. 

Salvia  PItcheri.— The  extreme  beauty  and 
elegance  of  this  Kage  are  admirably  exemplified  in 
a  spike  sent  to  us  a  few  days  since  by  Mr.  Bed- 
ford, from  Straffan  House,  Kildare.  The  spike  is 
much  branched,  the  central  branch  being  over  a 
foot  in  length,  and  quite  covered  with  its  bright 
azure-blue  flowers.  A  lovelier  plant  could  not  be 
found  in  gardens  at  this  season,  and  it  is  on  this 
account  invaluable.  Mr.  Bedford  remarks  that  he 
is  still  unsuccessful  in  flowering  well  spring-struck 
cuttings  of  this  Salvia,  and  he  is  doubtful  if  the 
species  described  by  Mr.  Mayne  last  December 
(p.  .')39)  is  the  true  Pitcheri.  Perhaps  Mr.  Mayne 
•would  send  us  a  specimen  of  his  Salvia,  which 
probably  would  settle  the  question  of  identity  of 
the  two  kinds.  S.  azurea  is  very  similar  to  S. 
Pitcheri,  and  Mr.  JIayne's  plant  may  be  that. 

Schizostylis  cocoinea.— We  have  received 
from  Straflian  House,  Kildare,  some  very  fine 
specimens  of  this  beautiful  plant,  fully  2  feet 
high  and  well  furnished  with  blooms.  Mr.  Bed- 
ford, the  gardener,  states  that  it  grows  at  Stratfan 
in  quantity,  and  is  as  free  in  growth  as  a  weed  ; 
no  amount  of  cold  seems  to  hurt  the  roots,  but 
in  the  cold,  wet  soil  there  sharp  frosts  will  soon 
injure  the  flowers,  which  are  soon  spoilt.  Since 
writing  our  note  on  the  plants  from  Mr.  Wilson 
last  week  he  brings  us  other  specimens  of  the 
Schizostylis,  which  quite  refutes  what  we  said  as 
to  the  plant  not  being  so  fine  as  usual  at  Wisley. 
The  present  flower-stems  are  over  3  feet  high,  and 
are  carrying  numbers  of  bloom.  Those  who  have 
only  seen  some  half-developed  specimens  of  this 
plant  would  scarcely  credit  that  it  can  be  grown 
so  tall  and  fine  as  Mr.  Wilson  and  Mr.  Bedford 
grow  it.  It  is  an  extremely  beautiful  plant  for 
the  autumn  garden  or  greenhouse. 

Begonia  eoootrana.— The  flowering  season 
of  this  pretty  new  Begonia^has  just  commenced, 
and  will  continue  without  "intermission  through- 
out the  winter.  This  continuous  and  free-flower- 
ing character  adds  greatly  to  the  value  of  this 
plant,  apart  from  the  pleasing  colour  of  its  flowers 
and  bold  shield  -  shaped  leafage.  The  plant, 
moreover,  seems  to  improve  much  in  the  hands  of 
good  cultivators,  the  flowers  being  larger  and 
more  plentiful  than  when  first  introduced  at  Kew 
(its  birthplace,  so  to  speak).  Some  attention  is 
paid  to  the  culture  of  this  Begonia,  and  just  now 
it  is  enlivening  one  of  the  stoves  with  a  goodly 
display  of  bloom.  We  are  pleased  to  see  that  in 
the  arrangement  of  the  numerous  plants  of  this 
Begonia  grown  at  Kew,  instead  of  being  dotted 
about  here  and  there,  they  are  made  to  form 
groups,  thereby  displaying  to  better  advantage 
their  true  habit  and  beauty.  Those  who  would  like 
to  grow  a  Begonia  distinct  from  all  others  ought 
to  make  the  acquaintance  of  this  one. 

The  tropical  Water  Lilies  at  Kew  are 

about  the  most  attractive  plants  in  the  garden  at 
the  present  time,  as  indeed  they  have  been  during 
the  whole  season.  Such  lovely  Lilies  as  Nymphaia 
zanzibarensis,  as  well  as  devoniensis,  dentata, 
stellata,  and  others,  open  numbers  of  flowers  daily, 
apd  which  are  particularly  beautiful  in  the  early 
morning.  Since  the  new  heating  arrangements 
have  been  effected  in  connection  with  this  house 
It  has  been  much  more  satisfactory  than  hitherto. 
There  is  now  a  separate  boiler  independent  of  the 


Palm  house.  The  house  will  be  opened  throughout 
the  winter  to  the  public  ;  whereas  formerly  visitors 
were  excluded  from  it  for  several  months.  It  is 
to  be  regretted  that  the  Victoria  regia  is  not 
grown  in  this  house,  as  it  would  have  a  better 
effect  than  in  the  square  tank  in  which  ii  is  grown 
and  which  is  much  too  high  to  see  the  plant  pro- 
perly ;  besides  there  is  a  certain  incongruity  in  the 
large  circular  leaves  being  in  a  square  tank.  The 
round  tank  in  the  old  Lily  house,  originally  built, 
we  believe,  for  the  Victoria,  is  very  properly  cir- 
cular and  considerably  below  the  eye. 

Notes  from  Munetead.  —  Smilax  aspera 
is  now  flowering  very  freely  on  a  south  wall.  In 
the  case  of  Iris  stylosa  the  first  flower  of  the  sea- 
son opened  on  November  2,  the  earliest  date  on 
wliich.I  have  yet  observed  it.  Helenium  autum- 
nale  pumilum  is  a  valuable  plant  both  for  border 
decoration  and  for  cutting,  blooming  for  four 
months  or  more.  The  taller  kind  (Helenium 
autumnale)  has  a  later  and  much  shorter  flowering 
season.  Some  well-established  plants  of  Lithos- 
permum  prostratum  have  a  fair  sprinkling  of  their 
bright  blue  flowers  —  the  beginning  of  their 
bloomingseason,  that  will  continue  throughout  the 
winter  and  culminate  in  May.  Bright  as  their 
flowers  are,  they  are  surpassed  by  the  vivid 
brilliancy  of  L.  rosmarinifolium  now  in  flower 
with  us  in  sheltered  sunny  rockwork. — G.  J., 
^^'el!t  Surrey. 

,j*j,  Ceanothus  Gloire  de  Versailles  and  the 
handsome^ flowers  of  the  Tree  Poppy  (Eomneya) 
with  good  Roses  and  Pansies,  are  among  the  fresh 
flowers  that  come  with  this  note ;  also  finely- 
coloured  foliage  of  the  Barbarossa  Grape.— Ed. 


ORCHID    NOTES. 


Barkerla  Sklnnerl.  —  It  is  not  often  one  sees 
Barkerias  well  ^towu  and  flowered,  liut  they  are  evidently 
understood  by  Dr.  Duke's  gardener  at  Lewisham.  In  the 
Orchid  collection  there  there  is  a  plant  of  this  species 
carrying  tlower-spikes  which  have  been  in  erfection  for  a 
long  time.  Such  a  specimen  as  this  is  remarkable  and 
must  be  a  beautiful  sight,  as  this  Barkerla  is  so  lovely  in 
colour  and  so  elegant  in  growth. 

Zygopetalum  forcipatum.  —  There  is 
something  so  distinct  about  this  new  Orchid  that 
causes  it  to  at  once  arrest  attention,  although  it 
cannot  be  called  a  showy  species  in  the  ordinary 
sense  of  the  term.  It  has  growths  somewhat 
similar  to  those  of  a  Batemannia,  and  the  flowers 
are  produced  singly  on  slender  stems  from  the 
collar  of  the  plant.  The  flower  measures  between 
1  inch  and  2  inches  across,  with  white  sepals  and  a 
broad  lip  peculiarly  curled  under  itself ;  this  is 
white  with  a  few  specklings  of  purple.  It  is  evi- 
dently a  cool  house  Orchid,  as  Messrs.  Shuttle- 
worth  &  Carder  (who  introduced  it)  grow  it  well 
with  Odontoglossums.  It  is  now  in  flower  in  their 
nursery. 

Promensea  Rolliesoni.— This  isquitea  gem 
among  Orchids,  and,  moreover,  so  extremely  rare 
that  it  is  well  worth  a  note.  It  may  now  be  seen 
beautifully  in  bloom  in  Messrs.  Shuttleworth  and 
Carder's  nursery.  Park  Eoad,  Clapham.  It  is 
different  from  either  P.  citrina  or  P.  stapelioides 
as  regards  the  flowers,  but  is  similar  in  growth, 
the  bulbs  being  small  and  flattish,  and  with  foliage 
of  that  membranaceous  texture  and  peculiar  pale 
green  which  is  quite  unmistakable.  The  flowers 
of  P.  RoUissoni  are  about  an  inch  in  diameter,  and 
are  produced  on  short  stalks  proceeding  from  the 
base  of  the  bulbs.  The  sepals  are  creamy  white, 
and  the  broadish  lip  is  white,  heavily  barred  with 
blackish  crimson.  Several  flowers  are  borne  on  a 
plant,  and  when  seen  fully  expanded  together  are 
exceedingly  attractive.  Mr.  Shuttleworth  grows 
his  plants  of  it  very  successful  in  a  cool  Odonto- 
glossum  house  in  suspended  shallow  pans  or 
baskets. 

Cattleya  aurea. — A  really  superb  variety  of 
this  gorgeous  Orchid  has  just  opened  its  flowers  in 
Messrs.  Shuttleworth  &  Carder's  nursery,  and  is 
much  the  richest  coloured  form  we  have  seen. 
The  chief  beauty  resides  in  the  broad  labellum, 
on  which  there  is  a  broad  band  of  velvety 
maroon-crimson  of  the  i^tensest  shade  imagin- 


able. This  deep  band  forms  a  margin  to  the  fine 
parallel  pencillings  of  crimson  and  bright  gold 
which  extends  the  whole  way  up  the  labellum. 
The  sepals  when  we  saw  them  just  after  expan- 
sion were  pale  primrose,  but  probably  they  would 
become  darker,  and  so  give  additional  richness  to 
the  lip.  This  is  not  a  chance  plant  from  an  im- 
portation, but  was  specially  marked  by  the 
collector  as  " extra  fine."  Other  Orchids  in  flower 
in  this  nursery  include  Paphinia  rugosa  and  its 
fine  variety  P.  grandis,  which  is  indeed  a  very 
handsome  and  scarce  Orchid  ;  a  very  pale  form  of 
Cattleya  Harrisoniae,  a  variety  of  Pleione  Wallichi- 
ana  of  several  shades  deeper  than  ordinary,  and 
the  two  forms  of  that  pretty  Lady's  Slipper  Orchid, 
Cypripedium  Schlimi.  One  of  these  forms  comes 
from  the  Eastern  Andes,  while  the  other  comes 
from  the  western  range.  The  latter  is  much  freer 
in  growth,  and  is  altogether  a  superior  plant. 

Cattleya  gigas.— An  exceedingly  fine  form 
of  this  charming  species  is  now  in  flower  in  tho 
choice  collection  belonging  to  Mr.  Whyte,  Pentland 
House,  Lee.  The  plant  has  been  in  this  collection 
for  some  time,  but  until  now  has  failed  to  flower. 
It  is  not  to  the  quantity,  but  the  quality  of  the  in- 
dividual blooms  that  I  wish  to  direct  attention. 
There  are  only  two  flowers  on  the  spike,  but  each 
of  these  exceed  the  normal  size  in  length  and 
breadth  of  sepals,  petals,  and  labellum,  as  well  as 
in  depth  and  purity  of  colours.  The  labellum  is 
very  large  and  broad,  of  good  substance,  and  in 
colours  intense  rich  purple  with  well-defined 
bright  yellow  spots  in  the  throat.  The  petals  and 
sepals  are  also  very  large  and  well  formed,  and  of 
a  delicate,  soft  rose  colour.  In  the  same  house, 
too,  I  noted  amongst  the  cool  section  a  good  and 
well-flowered  variety  of  Odontoglossum  Uro-Skin- 
neri,  which  Mr.  Whyte's  gardener  informed  me 
had  been  in  flower  for  a  long  time  past.  Several 
varieties  of  Oncidium  Forbesi  were  in  flower  in 
the  same  house,  one  of  which  was  a  very  superior 
variety.  The  collection  here,  although  not  large, 
is  a  very  choice  one,  and  pains  are  taken  to  grow 
only  the  best  varieties,  especially  those  belonging 
to  the  Odontoglossum  family. — T.  W.  S. 


5278.  —  Stephanotis  not  flowering.— 
Three  large  plants  of  this  useful  stove  climber 
ought  to  produce  a  large  amount  of  bloom,  /  e., 
if  the  variety  is  good,  but  I  have  a  word  or  two  to 
say  in  reference  to  that  matter.  I  planted  a  good 
strong  plant  in  a  well-prepared  bed  some  seven 
years  ago ;  it  covered  the  roof  of  the  house  in 
which  it  was  placed  with  plenty  of  growth,  but 
produced  very  little  bloom.  I  therefore  resolved 
to  try  another  plant,  a  cutting  from  a  neighbour's 
Stephanotis,  which  always  bloomed  well.  This 
was  substituted  for  the  old  plant,  and  now  we 
have  no  lack  of  blossom.  It  has  covered  the  roof 
of  a  span-roofed  itove  about  15  feet  long,  and 
from  the  middle  of  March  tUl  the  end  of  October 
we  get  a  very  large  amount  of  bloom.  I  may 
state  that  the  plant  has  had  no  shade  this  summer ; 
it  used  to  flag  for  a  time  during  the  hottest  part 
of  the  day,  but  after  the  house  was  shut  up  and 
damped  down  it  soon  looked  as  fresh  as  ever.  I 
have  just  pruned  it  back  to  keep  it  at  rest  till  the 
turn  of  the  year. — John  Guyell,  Lijnton  House, 
Clii}>ham  Common. 


ROSE  AND  CATALPA. 


During  various  pleasant  visits  which  we  made  to 
the  late  Mr.  Bohn's  garden  at  Twickenham  we 
saw  some  interesting  plants  and  trees,  but  nothing 
quite  so  beautiful  as  that  of  which  a  sketch  is  here 
reproduced.  It  consisted  of  a  white  climbing 
Hose  which  had  long  grown  over  an  old  Catalpa 
tree.  Here  and  there  were  among  both  a  few 
sprays  of  Virginian  Creeper.  Perhaps  no  sketch 
could  do  justice  to  the  myriads  of  Roses  that 
tumbled  gracefully  over  the  tree.  Such  things 
serve  to  show  that  Uving  pictures  are  quite  easily 
made  in  our  gardens,  and  that  we  may  have  a, 
great  many  of  them.  This  delightful  white  Rose 
climbs  and  tosses  about  in  such  a  graceful  way, 
that  it  often  takes  to  picture-making  by  itself. 


Nov.  8,   1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


393 


Flower   Garden. 


WINTERING  BEDDING  PELARGONIDJIS. 

"  J.  G."  (p.  304)  seems  to  condemn  the  practice  of 

catting  back  bedding  relargoninma  after  they  are 

taken  up,  but  what,     would  ask,  can  otherwise  be 

done  with  them  ?  To 

winter  them  without 

cutting  back  would 

require  a  great  deal 

of  room,  as  the  tops 

would     iiU     almost 

aa    much    space    as 

they     did    on     the 

ground.      If    the 

plants    are    wanted 

for  purposes  of  pro- 
pagation, then  I,  like 

"  J.  G.,"   would  say, 

save  the  heads  ;  but 

if      to      plant      out 

again,  by  all  means 

prune     them     hard 

in,  as    by    so   doing 

hundreds     may     be 

packed     away     and 

wintered      on     any 

light     shelves.      As 

to  their  damping  at 

the  cut  parts,  much 

depends  on  how  they 

are    treated,    and 

whether    the    wood 

left  is  ripe  and  hard, 

which  it  should  be, 

all    soft,     immature 

shoots  being  cut  out 

or  removed.     If  this 

is     done     and     the 

branches  are  only  left 

an  inch  or  two  long, 

so  as  to  contain  one 

or    two     buds,     the 

plants    may   be  put 

close  together  in 

boxes   or    pots,   and 

kept  in  a  dry  house 
without    any    decay 

taking  place.  The 
way  in  which  we 
manage  is  this  ;  we 
shorten  the  roots  as 
well  as  the  tops,  and 
after  the  plants  are 
packed  close  in  the 
soil  give  a  watering 
to  settle  it  about 
them ;  they  then  get 
no  more,  unless  they 
begin  to  shrivel,  till 
the  eyes  break.  In 
spring  we  either  pot 
singly  or  bind  a 
little  Moss  and  loam 
about  the  roots,  and 
then  lay  them  in 
frames,  using  sifted 
leaf  soil  to  bury 
the  roots;  out  of 
this  they  lift  capi- 
tally in  the  spring, 
having  good  balls, 
and  are  then  planted 
direct  in  the  beds. 
Gold  Chain  and  most 
others  of  the  varie- 
gated kinds  are  only 

thinned  out  by  having  any  awkward  or  misplaced 
shoots  removed  ;  then  all  the  leaves  are  picked  off 
those  left,  and  the  plants  are  placed  in  boxes  as 
close  as  they  can  be  worked  in  together ;  they  are 
then  watered  heavily  to  wash  the  soil  among  the 
roots  and  left  to  dry.  As  variegated  Pelargoniums 
are  more  tender  than  the  green-leaved  sorts,  they 
require  a  little  more  heat  to  winter  them  well,  and 
should  be  placed  near  the  light,  where  they  can 
have  a  fair  amount  of  air  to  keep  them  from  damp- 
ing.    Early  in  spring  some  of  the  shoots  may  be 


taken  off  for  cuttings,  as  just  as  they  are  begin- 
ning to  grow  they  strike  freely  if  kept  a  little  dry 
and  stood  near  the  glass  on  a  shelf.  The  advan- 
tage of  having  as  many  old  plants  of  Pelargo- 
niums as  can  be  saved  is  that  they  are  so  much 
better  than  young  ones,  as  they  flower  more 
readily  without  making  much  growth.         S.  D. 


previous  to  sowing ;   therefore  it  is  not  so  often 
found  in  large  gardens  as  in  small  ones. — J.  C.  B. 


Climbing  Rose  on  an  old  Catalpa  tree  in  the  late  Mr  Bohn's  garden  at  Twickenham.    (See  p.  392.) 

Canary  Creeper  in  autumn.— I  have 
seen  no  fresher  looking  open-air  flower  than  the 
Canary  Creeper  this  autumn.  It  blooms  as  freely 
now  as  at  an  earlier  period  of  the  season,  unmind- 
ful of  cold  nights  and  heavy  rains.  Whether 
covering  a  trellis,  rambling  over  bushes,  or  trained 
round  Pea  sticks,  this  well-known  climber  is  al- 
ways effective.  Were  it  more  difficult  to  grow,  it 
would  probably  be  more  thought  of,  but  it  happens 
to  be  one  of  those  things  which  demand  no  more 
cultural  care  than  proper  preparation  of  the  soil 


PLANTING  BULBS. 
I  CANNOT  help  saying  that  if  writers  like  Mr. 
T.  Smith,  Newry  (p.  381),  would  first  endeavour  to 
understand  other 
people's  statements 
before  they  attempt 
to  dispute  them,  it 
would  save  much 
needless  wrangling. 
I  wrote  some  time 
ago  that  plantations 
of  Narcissus  poeticus 
and  Tritoma  fiowei  e  3 
better  at  different 
seasons  than  others 
did,  explaining  that 
the  only  difference 
between  the  two  was 
that  one  of  them 
was  planted  shal- 
low and  the  other 
deep,  which,  I 
thought,  accounted 
for  the  difference  in 
their  time  and  free- 
dom of  blooming, 
that  being  the  point 
at  issue.  Now,  what 
is  Mr.  Smith's  reply  ? 
It  is  that  there  are 
Tritomas  that  bloom 
in  June  and  July 
and  others  whicli 
bloom  in  October, 
and  he  jumps  to  the 
conclusion  that  our 
early  Tritomas  b(  - 
longed  to  the  for  Jii  r 
and  the  late  ones  to 
the  latter  variety, 
although  I  explair  ed 
at  the  outset  that 
the  only  differen<  e 
between  the  two 
plantations  was  tLe 
positions  which  they 
occupied.  What, 
moreover,  have  the 
different  varieties  of 
Tritoma  to  do  with 
the  flowering  of  the 
Narcissi  ?  Why  does 
Mr.  Smith  not  deal 
with  them  I  Have 
we  got  a  late  and 
early  variety  of  these 
also?  and  did  the 
two  sets  of  {.lants 
change  their  na- 
tures after  they 
were  taken  out  cf 
the  same  sack,  so 
to  speak  ?  I  also 
wrote  that  the  Nar- 
cissus bulbs  had 
been  shallow- planted 
and  exposed  for 
years  to  the  severity 
of  the  winters,  and 
Mr.  Smith  asks  me 
to  wait  and  report 
after  the  first  hard 
winter,  thus  show- 
ing that  h  has  not 
even  read  the  article  which  he  professes  to  criti- 
cise. I  am  aware  that  there  are  varieties  of  Tri- 
toma, and  I  have  them  both  from  division  and 
seed,  but  the  Tritomas  about  which  I  wrote  be- 
longed to  the  same  variety,  and  that  is  what  Mr. 
Smith  has  to  deal  with,  not  hypothetical  explana- 
tions of  his  own  invention. 

The  fact,  however,  of  certain  varieties  of 
Narcissus  not  blooming  so  freely  as  could  be 
desired  in  all  situations  is  acknowledged  by  those 
who  know  most  about  them,  and  the  question  i?. 


394 


THE    GARDEN 


[Nov.  8,  1884, 


Why  that  is  so  In  cold  and  late  districts  I  say 
that  deep  planting  is  the  cause  and  shallow  plant- 
ing the  cure,  and  the  proposal  made  by  another 
correspondent,  "Delta,"  I  think,  to  dig  the  bulbs 
up  in  summer  to  ripen  them,  is  just  another  way 
of  accomplishing  the  end  in  view  for  ripening  the 
bulbs,  only  the  digging-up  plan  is  impracticable 
in  gardens  generally. 

I  am  prompted  to  ask  if  Mr.  Smith  has  any 
bulbs  in  his  garden  of  the  kinds  he  mentions,  as 
I  notice  that  he  has  not  a  single  fact  of  his  own 
to  record  having  any  bearing  on  the  subject.  His 
allusions  to  planting  at  the  North  Pole  indicate 
that  he  has  lost  his  bearings,  and  I  do  not  intend 
to  follow  him  there.  I,  however,  press  for  an 
explanation  of  the  free-flowering  habit  of  the  shal- 
low-planted Narcissi,  seeing  I  am  prepared  to 
vouch  for  the  fact.  Those  who  would  dispute  the 
influence  of  the  sun  and  air  in  ripening  tubers  and 
bulbs  have  their  work  cut  out.  We  know  Potatoes 
are  best  to  eat  that  are  not  exposed  ;  but  it  is  also 
known  that  a  Potato  that  has  been  greened  in  the 
sun  is  not  only  so  changed  as  to  be  unfit  for  food, 
but  to  make  the  best  and  hardiest  set  for  future 
propagation  ;  hence  the  custom  of  greening  Pota- 
toes for  seed.  It  is  the  same  with  bulbs  and  other 
things.  Shallow  planting  brings  them  within  the 
influence  of  the  ripening  agents,  and  with  good 
results.  J-  S.  W. 


interesting  Da£Eodil.  To  Mr.  Pickstone  belongs 
the  merit  of  its  practical  introduction,  and  he  de- 
serves the  profit  he  has  reaped.  We  are,  however, 
interested  in  its  earlier  history.  When  spring-time 
comes  I  hope  to  investigate  the  matter  on  the 
spot.  A  further  question  arises.  How  did  this 
grand  Daffodil  become  wild  t  It  is  commonly  be- 
lieved to  have  come  from  Portugal,  and  Mr.  Per- 
cival  states  this  to  be  so  in  the  Manchentcr  City 
Xcws.  But  here  we  have  it  spread  over  high-lying 
districts  in  two  counties,  and  more  or  less  through- 
out twenty  miles.  How  came  it  there,  and  how 
did  it  spread  ?  It  is  the  same  with  the  Tenby  Daf- 
fodil in  South  Wales,  as  I  find  it  is  plentiful  over 
a  very  considerable  area,  and  not  only  in  the  old 
locality  near  Tenby.  Here  again  we  have  a 
Spanish  Daffodil  wild  and  spread  over  a  very  ex- 
tensive tract  of  mountainous  country.  • 
Brochliurst,  Didshurij.            W.  Beockbank. 


Yellow  Dwarf;  Zonal  Pelargonium  Waltham 
Seedling,  Henry  Jacoby,  John  Gibbons,  Bonfire, 
and  Master  Christine  as  one  of  the  most  useful 
pinks  for  the  purpose.  E.  D. 


DAFFODIL  NOTES. 
The  great  mount.un  ok  giant  Daffodil. 

•'  Veronica  "  (p.   378)  expresses  surprise  that  I 

should  ask  your  readers  to  believe  that  the  form  of 
N.  incomparabilis  figured  in  Hale's  "  Eden  "  is  the 
same  as  the  Sir  Watkin  chalice  Daffodil.    Allow 
me  to  explain  that  my  words  had  especial  refer- 
ence to  the  bulbs  which  are  forthcoming  from  the 
other  district  in  Wales,  and  which  are  believed  to 
be  the  semi-wild  variety  of  which  the  Sir  Wat- 
kin   is  the  larger  garden   form.     If  anyone  will 
compare,  side  by  side,  the  drawing  supplied  by  the 
Rev.  C.  Wolley  Dod,  and  figured  in  the  Ourdcners' 
Chronicle,   April    26,   1884,  and    which   is   a  per- 
fectly truthful  representation  of  a  large  flower  of 
the    Sir    Watkin    Daffodil,    with    the    plate    in 
Hale's  "  Eden,"  p.  481,  the  Nonpareil  Daffodil,  he 
will   find  the  two  so  singularly  alike,  that  they 
might  pass  for  portraits  of  the  same  flower.   Hill's 
description  is  still  more  exact.    I  had  a  visit  last 
week  from  the  florist  who  introduced  this  flower  to 
notice  in  our  markets,  and  it  appears  that  he  first 
sent  hampers  of  the  blooms   to  market  five  years 
ago,  or  at  least  two  years  earlier  than  his  first 
purchase  from  Mr.   Pickstone,   as   stated  in  my 
original  note   {Gartl.    Ckron.,   April  26.  p.  553). 
I  have  before  me  his  narrative  taken  down  in 
shorthand  from  his  dictation.     His  recollection  of 
the  flower  goes  back  twenty  years,  and  it  was  from 
previous  knowledge  of  its  market  value  that  he 
was  led  to  visit  Mr.  Pickstone.    He  also  supplied 
bulbs  to  three   gentlemen   in   whose   gardens  he 
believes  they  are  now  growing.     I  have  since  ap- 
plied to  one  of  the  gardeners  at  the  address  he 
gave  me,   and  have    received  a  reply    that  the 
bulbs    flowered  plentifully   last  spring,  and  are 
as   stated.     I   hope   to   verify   this   next  spring. 
I  laid  before  this  man,  who  had  had  thousands  of 
blooms  through  his  hands,  the  two  plates  above 
referred  to,  and  he  at  ones  recognised  them,  the 
one  as  the  mountain  or  semi-wild,  and  the  other 
the  garden  form  of  this  Daffodil.     He  remarked 
that  when  growing,  or  freshly  gathered,  the  peri- 
anth segments  are   separated   by   being  slightly 
twisted,  and   this  is  the  character  given  to  the 
flower  by  the  artist  in  Hale's  "  Eden."  When,  how- 
ever, the  flower  has  been  a  day  or  two  gathered 
and  in  water,  the  perianth  segments  soften  and 
flatten,  and  they  then  appear  to  join  and  overlap, 
as  shown  in   Mr.  Wolley   Dod's  picture.     He  also 
remarked  that  the  flowers  when  found  wild  were 
always  larger  in  sheltered  valleys  than  in  more 
exposed  places  higher  up  the  hills,  and  it  was  the 
same  with  the  bulbs,  but  that  both  increased  in 
size  with  liberal  garden  treatment. 

I  simply  offer  these  notes  for  what  they  are 
worth  as  contributions  towards  the  history  of  this 


FLOWER  GARDENING  AT  HECKFIELD. 
When  visiting  this  place  a  short  time  ago  I  was 
pleased  to    notice  how  charmingly   the  terrace 
garden  looked,  notwithstanding  the  drought  from 
which  Heckfield  has  had  to  suffer  in  common 
with    many  other  places.     I   never  before  saw 
the   beds   in  the    flower   garden   arranged  with 
so  much  taste   and   with   such   delightful  effec- 
tiveness.    Ijord  Eversley  takes  the  greatest  in- 
terest  in  the    planting   of    the  beds;    he    even 
takes  cognisance    of  what  sonse  would    regard 
as  trifles,  forgetful  of  Michael  Angelo's  dictum, 
that  "  trifles  make  perfection,  and  that  perfection 
is    no  trifle."      One  leading    characteristic    was 
noticeable— viz.,  that  there  was  less  of  the  dwarf 
and  formal-looking  embroidered  beds  than  usual, 
and  more  of  grace  and  elegance  in  many  of  the 
plants  employed.     In  the  large  basket  vases,  and 
also  as  centres  of  beds,  were  to  be  seen  Acacia 
lophantha.  Asparagus  dulcis,   Bocconia  cordata, 
Cannas,     Ferula    communis,    Grevillea    robusta, 
Humea    elegans,    Nicotiana  wigandioides,    Rici- 
nus,     Zea    japonica     variegata,    single    Dahlias, 
Fuchsias,    Heliotropes,   Abutilons,   and    Pelargo- 
niums.    The    following    were    used    with    good 
effect  for  drooping  over  the  edges  of  vases— viz.. 
Ivy-leaved    Pelargoniums,     Tropasolums    of    the 
Lobbianum  type.  Petunias,   and  the  variegated 
Japanese  Honeysuckle.     Then   of    hardy  plants 
used  for  edgings  and  groundwork  there  were  the 
following  ;   Herniaria  glabra,  Sedum  acre  elegans, 
Sedum  Lydium,  Ecbeveria  secunda  glanca,  Sem- 
pervivum  montannm,   S.  californicum,   Veronica 
rupestris,  and  a  few  others.     The  foregoing  were 
the  principal  subjects,  but  the    best   plant  for 
groundwork  is  Herniaria  glabra;  this  forms  the 
principal   lines,    and    in  the    case  of    the    em- 
broidered   beds   it   supplies  a   broad  and    sym- 
metrical framework,  enclosing,  as  it  really  does, 
charming    pictures,    and    this    forms    an    excel- 
lent   edging    in    winter     also     for    the    beds 
of  choice  Evergreens  that  are  used    with  such 
pleasing  effect  at  Heckfield.     "Dot"  plants,  as 
they  are  appropriately  termed,  are  much  used  at 
Heckfleld.      They  consist  of  Acacia  lophantha, 
Grevillea    robusta,  Centaurea   ragusina,  Chamaj- 
peuce  diacantha,  C.  CasabonKi,  Lobelia  fulgens, 
L.  Queen  Victoria,  Abutilon  Eoule  de  Neige,  A. 
Due  de  JIalakoff ,  and  A.  Lemoinei,  Aloe  variegata. 
Yucca  aloitolia,  and  Y.  variegata.    Then  there  are 
certain  tender  plants  used  also  with  striking  effect 
for  edgings  and  groundwork,  such  as  Alternan- 
theras,    that    always    take    on     rich    colouring, 
Pyrethrum  Golden  Feather,  Mesembryanthemum 
cordifolium    variegatum,   Koniga  variegata,  and 
Gnaphalium  variegatum.   Amongst  Pelargoniums 
grown  here  I  noticed  such  kinds  as  Mrs.  Pollock 
and   Sophia   Dnmaresque,   representing   the    tri- 
colors ;     The    Shah    and     Marshal    MacMahon, 
bronzes ;  Crystal  Palace  Gem,  Robert  Fish,  Mrs. 
Laing,  one  of  the  best  of  the  silver   tricolors ; 
Prince    Silverwings,    Happy     Thought,    Princess 
Alexandra,  May  Queen,  Flower  of  Spring,  Lady 
Plymouth,  and   Jlanglesi.     Flowering  plants  in- 
clude Petunia  Shrnbland    Rose    and  seedlings; 
Trop^olum  Bedfont   Rival  (dwarf)  and    Perfec- 
tion  (climbing) ;    Verbena   Purple   King ;    Viola 
Mrs.  Grey,   white;    True   Blue,   Blue    Bell,  and 


NOTES  ON  HARDY  PLANTS. 

Gaultheria  procumbens. — There  is  nothing 
very  striking  about  this  American  evergreen  creeper, 
but  for  all  that  it  is  very  useful  and  pretty,  and 
it  would  be  hard  to  name  many  better  things  for 
growing  either  on  flat  surfaces  or  on  rockwork 
where  there  is  peat.  It  never  seems  to  be  out  of 
flower,  and  for  a  good  part  of  the  year  it  bears 
bright-coloured  berries.  Moreover,  its  foliage  is 
always  pleasing  and  crisp,  shining  and  variously 
tinted  with  shades  between  green  and  red.  In  a 
barrowful  of  peat  cast  into  a  hole  9  in.  or  10  in. 
deep  quite  effective  specimens  may  be  had  in  a 
short  time,  for  it  is  a  rapid  surface  rooter.  The 
wonder  indeed  is  that  it  is  not  more  grown  than  it 
is.  A  ready  way  of  establishing  it  is  to  form 
a  dip  in  rockwork,  and  fill  it  np  with  half-decayed 
Cocoa-nut  fibre  in  which  a  few  roots  may  be 
pressed  firmly,  and  small  stones  placed  over  them. 
In  two  years  all  will  be  covered  with  tinted 
foliage  and  fruit.  As  the  old  fibre  settles,  fresh 
dressings  should  be  applied,  preferably  of  peat 
and  sand. 

Sweet-smelling  plants  — The  seed  vessels  of 
Hypericum  orientale  contain  a  powder  having  a 
spicy  fragrance,  of  which  one  is  sensible  a  long  dis- 
tance off.  Eupatorium  Fraseri  smells  like  "  new- 
mown  hay."  The  common  Fennel  when  seedy 
and  yellow  has  lost  its  rankness,  and  then  strongly 
reminds  one  of  the  sweet  and  wholesome  smell  of 
Carraway  seeds.  But  there  can  be  few  scents 
more  pleasant  than  that  of  the  sered  leaves 
of  the  Rudbeckias,  especially  of  R.  intermedia. 
These  have  been  so  desirable,  that  they  have 
been  gathered  dry  and  used  for  winter  scent 
jars.  There  are  other  kinds  of  sweet  materials 
(by  which  term  I  do  not  mean  such  plants  as  are 
naturally  scented  in  their  verdant  state,  as,  for 
example,  the  Monarda,  Cedronella,  Santolina, 
Mimulus,  i:c.)  which  are  worth  growing  where 
there  is  plenty  of  room  for  the  sake  of  their 
pleasing  exhalations  in  autumn,  and  more  or  less 
throughout  winter. 

Saxifraga  (Megasea)  puhpurascens. — 
One  is  bound  to  stop  and  admire  the  rich 
colouring  of  this  fine  plant.  This  dry  autumn 
the  leaves  of  young  plants  scarcely  a  year 
old  from  root  cuttings  have  coloured  almost  as 
finely  as  those  on  older  plants,  and  they  are  of  a 
clear  vermilion  and  very  effective.  It  may  be 
useful  to  say,  however,  that  they  only  assume  fine 
autumnal  tints  when  grown  well  exposed  to  sun- 
shine, and  if  the  situation  is  rather  dry  all  the 
better.  Rockwork  having  a  south  aspect  would 
suit  this  Saxifrage  admirably.  What  a  fine  paint- 
ing it  would  make ! — leaves  green,  coppery  red,  ver- 
milion and  yellow,  all  existing  at  one  time  on  the 
same  plant. 

LiNARiA  origanifolia. — This,  one  of  the 
brightest  and  most  enduring  plants  grown,  flowers 
freely  from  early  summer  to  October,  and  latterly 
it  has  weekly  grown  brighter  and  brighter,  so  that 
at  present  its  lilac  or  soft  purple  blossom  is  simply 
a  mass,  hiding  not  only  the  leaves,  but  also  every 
other  part  of  the  plant.  It  is  less  than  a  foot  high, 
and  has  a  twiggy  and  procumbent  habit.  It  would 
seem  to  be  a  rock  plant,  but  I  have  only  grown  it 
with  such  results  as  the  above  in  a  flat  bed  of  black 
soil,  where  moisture  is  never  wanting  at  the  roots, 
but  the  situation  is  quite  open,  with  the  exception 
of  a  dwarf  shrub  on  its  west  side. 

CoLCHicuM  maximum. — This  is,  perhaps,  the 
most  effective  of  this  genus  of  naked  flowering 
bulbs.  '  Its  strong  points  are  stoutness,  great  size, 
reddish  purple  colour  shading  off  to  lilac  inside 
the  perianth,  and  to  wall  Sower  or  mahogany  on 
the  outside  of  the  tube ;  it  dies  erect,  measures  4 
inches  or  more  across  in  sunshine,  lasts  in  good 
form  a  fortnight,  and  flowers  a  long  while  in  suc- 
cession from  the  same  bulb  ;  it  is  one  of  the  latest, 
and  conveniently  adorns  the  little  corner  left  dark 
by  the  "gone-out"  lights  of  C.  speciosum.    With 


Nov.  8,  1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


me  all  the  Colchicums  have  flowered  earlier  this 
year  than  usual,  and  the  bloom  has  not  been  quite 
so  fine.  I  imagine  the  earliness  to  be  owing  to  the 
hot  season,  and  the  second-rate  flowers  to  the 
lack  of  moisture  at  the  roots,  for  in  digging  about 
them  a  few  days  ago  I  observed  at  the  depth  of 
5  inches  or  6  inches  a  stratum  of  dust-dry  earth,  and 
in  transplanting  1  find  this  condition  to  be  general 
in  borders. 

Sedusi  spectabile,  of  a  bright,  warm,  rosy 
colour,  has  been  a  centre  of  attraction  for  many 
weeks ;  its  flat  corymbs  of  bloom  are  slow  to 
develop  and  as  slow  to  fade,  and  all  the  while  the 
bees  and  coloured  butterflies  have  enlivened  them 
with  their  presence  in  great  numbers.  Wherever 
honey  plants  are  in  request  this  and  the  allied 
varieties  of  Stonecrop  are  worth  bearing  in  mind. 

Onosma  fkuticosum. — This  has  pretty  flowers 
when  examined,  and  to  this  plant  belongs  the 
good  quality  of  bearing  blossom  all  through  the 
summer ;  and  perhaps  at  no  time  have  plants  of 
it  been  better  furnished  with  flowers  than  in  the 
latter  half  of  October.  But  the  golden  tubes, 
though  more  than  an  inch  long,  are  not  con- 
spicuous— in  fact  they  have  a  half-developed 
appearance ;  the  leafy  stems,  large  calicos,  and 
numerous  young  buds  all  help  to  hide  the  coloured 
portion,  otherwise  it  rather  resembles  0.  tauricum ; 
but  if  a  freer  grower,  it  lacks  the  effect  produced 
by  the  more  prominent  blossom  of  that  species. 

Anthericum  Liliastrum.— In  transplanting 
this  it  transpired  that  self-sown  seeds  of  two 
years  back  had  stocked  the  plot  with  young  roots, 
formed  of  well-developed  fleshy  radicles,  and  re- 
sembling young  star-fish.  This  has  happened  on 
a  raised  bed  of  light,  black  soil  fully  exposed  to 
the  sun.  This  Lily  is  not  yet  appreciated  as  it 
should  be,  not  but  that  it  is  well  known  to  be 
easily  grown  and  increased,  and  to  be  one  of  the 
best  white  flowers  in  its  season  ;  but  it  has  not 
yet  been  taken  in  hand  for  winter  forcing,  as  it 
should  be,  by  hundreds,  like  the  Roman  Hyacinth 
and  Valley  Lily.  It  forces  admirably,  and  the 
way  in  which  it  goes  to  rest  so  early  and  entirely 
gets  us  over  one  of  the  chief  diSiculties  which  we 
have  to  encounter  in  the  case  of  some  home-grown 
roots.  Still,  it  would  not  be  a  good  plan,  according 
to  my  experience,  to  take  even  large  roots  for 
potting  without  some  sort  of  preparatory  culture. 
Big  clumps  would  not  only  be  unhandy,  but  the 
crowded  state  of  the  crowns  would  make  too  much 
Grass,  and  there  would  be  a  want  of  vigour,  even 
when  but  little  forcing  was  actually  done ;  but  if 
the  method  by  which  single  crowns  of  Lily  of  the 
Valley  are  had  so  plump  and  fibrous  is  adopted, 
all  will  be  changed,  and  the  results  a  good  spike 
and  foliage  of  good  substance,  reminding  one  of 
a  miniature  white  Amaryllis.  I  have  grown  single 
crowns  in  this  way  for  several  years,  taking 
stock  clumps  for  dividing  purposes,  and  allowing 
each  crown  a  year's  growth  in  light  rich  earth, 
removing  all  scapes  as  they  appear.  Thus  treated 
this  plant  would  astonish  its  friends  if  they  could 
see  its  regular  arrangement  of  wheel-spoke-like 
radicles,  furnished  with  a  mat  of  fibre  which  would 
cover  a  dinner  plate.  There  is,  indeed,  no  com- 
parison between  young  prepared  roots  of  this  class 
and  big  old  roots,  which  seem  to  live  on  one 
another.  Potting  may  be  done  from  August  to 
November.  Unlike  bulbs,  they  may  be  started  as 
soon  as  potted. 

Ourisia  coccinea.— This  still  produces  flowers 
at  once  brilliantand effective;  itisoneof  thosegood 
plants  which  everybody  admires,  and  it  never 
looks  shabby,  even  when  flowerless.  It  is  said  to  be 
shy,  and  I  never  saw  it  in  what  we  often  speak  of 
as  a  mass  of  bloom,  but  over  the  neat  foliage, 
densely  grown  and  of  a  light,  shining  green,  a 
spike  or  two  here  and  there  of  its  richly  coloured 
blossoms  are  so  telling  as  to  leave  little  else  to  be 
desired.  It  only  seems  to  succeed  in  moist  and 
shady  quarters.  I  grow  mine  in  a  mixture  of 
coal  ashes  and  what  is  practically  chopped  clay, 
on  the  north  side  of  a  dense  hedge.  The  surface- 
creeping  stems,  which  seem  to  get  quite  out  of 
the  ground  in  a  year  or  two,  are  all  the  better  for 
being  divided  and  set  deeper.  I  have  often  tried 
this  in  pots  in  a  cold  frame,  in  order,  if  possible,  i 


to  get  a  greater  proportion  of  bloom,  but  it  never 
did  any  good ;  the  leaves  turned  black,  whereas 
in  the  open  they  usually  keep  green,  more  or  less, 
all  winter. 

Many  hardy  plants  suddenly  die  about  this 
season,  though  they  have  been  perfectly  healthy 
up  to  the  day  on  which  they  collapse.  The  large, 
thick-skinned  grub  which  burrows  in  the  surface 
soil  and  lodges  about  the  collars  of  plants  is 
seen  to  be  the  cause  of  much  of  this  mi.s- 
chief.  It  is  well  to  periodically  look  over  the 
rarer  hardy  plants  in  order  to  see  that  they  are 
not  eaten.  Yesterday  from  seeing  the  soil  lifted 
in  the  pots  of  Gentiana  ornata,  which,  by  the 
way,  is  yet  in  flower,  Saxifraga  Macnabiana,  and 
some  double  Gorse,  the  intruder  was  found.  If 
not  looked  after  now,  grubs  of  this  kind  can  do  a 
deal  of  harm  before  they  change  their  state  in 
spring.  As  the  autumnal  rains  charge  the  pots 
plunged  in  the  open  with  moisture. 

Worms  make  their  way  into  pots,  and  often 
among  such  things  as  Primulas  commit  great 
havoc ;  the  alpine  species  cannot  endure  the  pots 
being  clog;ged.  The  advantage  of  sand  as  a  plung- 
ing material  is  felt  in  nothing  more  than  in  that 
it  allows  the  trowel  to  cut  an  inch  or  two  lower 
than  the  pot's  bottom  reaches,  so  that  the  vacant 
space  not  only  helps  more  perfect  drainage,  but 
prevents  worms  making  their  way  up  into  the  pots. 
Small  worms  often  get  into  the  pots  at  potting 
time  and  do  mischief.  A  general  overhauling 
now  will  pay  where  there  is  a  valuable  collection 
of  hardy  plants  plunged.  J.  Wood. 

WooilvUle,  Kirhstall. 


NARCISSUS  BICOLOR  HORSEFIELDI. 
In  The  Garden  for  last  week  (p.  381)  Mr.  Brock- 
bank  states  that  "at  the  Daffodil  conference 
it  was  stated  by  Mr.  Burbidge,  on  the  authority 
of  Mr.  Peroival,  the  president  of  the  Lancashire 
Botanists'  Association,  that  it  (N.  Horsefieldi) 
was  a  chance  seedling  " — a  statement  which  I  did 
not  make,  nor  did  I  mention  Mr.  Peroival's  name 
in  the  matter.  What  I  said  at  the  Daffodil  con- 
ference anent  .Tohn  Horsefield's  Daffodil  was  this 
(see  The  Garden,  April  5,  p.  28,5) :  "  The  late 
Mr.  Leeds,  of  Longford  Bridge,  Manchester,  gave 
us  no  information  whatever  (ic,  as  to  hybrid  or 
seedling  Narcissi)  nor  did  thelate John  Horsefield, 
the  Lancashire  weaver,  who  raised  the  bicolor 
Horsefieldi  Daffodil,  decidedly  one  of  the  most 
robust  and  beautiful  of  its  race."  Thus,  instead 
of  my  remarks  at  the  conference  tending  "  to  rob 
•John  Horsefield  of  the  merit  which  attaches  to  the 
raising  of  a  florist's  flower,"  au  Mr.  Brockbank 
says  they  did,  the  raiser  was  given  all  credit ; 
indeed,  I  characterised  his  production  as  one  of 
the  "most  robust  and  beautiful"  —  no  mean 
honour  surely,  merely  regretting,  as  I  still  do, 
that  Horsefield  did  not  leave  us  some  record  of 
how  such  a  beautiful  flower  was  produced.  I  am 
quite  as  much  concerned  about  the  credit  belong- 
ing to  the  raiser  of  a  beautiful  flower  as  anyone 
could  be,  but  I  am  none  the  less  anxious  to  prevent 
my  published  statements  being  mis-represented, 
especially  as  Mr.  Brockbank  has  dragged  in  Mr. 
Percival's  name  in  a  most  unwarrantable  manner. 
F.  W.  Burbidge. 

NEW  CHRYSANTHEMUMS  OF  1881. 
Notwithstanding  the  many  varieties  of  the 
florists  Chrysanthemum  that  now  exist,  new  sorts 
still  make  their  appearance  annually,  and  this 
season  the  list  of  novelties  seeEs  to  be  longer  than 
ever.  The  majority  ofthe.se  have  some  distinctive 
character,  and  as  a  rule  are  improvements  on  older 
kinds.  The  following  are  the  names  of  the  new 
sorts  contained  in  the  comprehensive  collection  of 
both  new  and  old  kinds  in  the  Royal  Exotic  Nur- 
sery, Chelsea  :  — 

Large  -  flowered  Chinese  varieties. — 
Madame  Feral,  glossy  white,  and  Carmen,  deep  red 
with  yellow  centre. 

Varieties  with  fringed  flowers.— Dia- 
mant,  fiery  reddish  crimson ;  Elise  Layellon, 
flame  -  red  ;  and  Etincelant,  reddish  crimson, 
shaded  with  brown. 


Japanese  varieties.— Anna  D(Slaux,  flame- 
red  ;  M.  Cochet,  silvery  white,  tinted  with  rose ; 
Frizon,  canary  yellow  ;  Colibri,  deep  crimen  ; 
.Souvenir  du  Japon,  rosy  lilac,  with  a  golden  centre; 
John  Laing,  deep  reddish  crimson  ;  Fleur  des 
Bois,  deep  blood  red;  Embliime,  deep  crimson, 
striated  with  yellow ;  Beautu  des  Jardins,  bright 
amaranth,  shaded  with  violet ;  Fernand  Feral, 
rosy  mauve;  Belle  Alliance,  deep  red,  yellow 
centre ;  Madame  de  Sevin,  rosy  lilac ;  SfEur  du 
Cair,  red  bordered  with  yellow  :  Brise  du  Matin, 
rosy  mauve  with  a  white  centre  ;  Aurore  Boreale, 
flame  red ;  M.  Comte,  reddish  violet ;  L'Or  de 
France,  deep  yellow  ;  Mignon,  rose  with  a  paler 
centre;  Mdlle.  Antoinette  Brunei,  white  and 
rosy  carmine  ;  M.  Leon  Brunei,  deep  yellow  tipped 
with  reddish  brown  ;  M.  Roux,  tawny  yellow ; 
Rubra  perfecta,  reddish  crimson  ;  M.  Urgel,  reddi* 
scarlet  ;  Madame  Urgel,  pale  rose  ;  L'Ami; 
Boucharlet  aine,  amaranth  shaded  with  violet; 
Jonquille,  yellow ;  Boule  Doree,  sulphur-yellow ; 
Chinoiserie,  reddish  maroon  ;  Blanche  neige,  pure 
white ;  Hebe,  rosy  lilac  tipped  with  white  ;  La 
Geante  de  Valence,  rosy  lilac ;  L'Alsace,  deep 
violet-red  tipped  with  white;  Cendrillon,  rosy 
peach  ;  Lorraine,  bronzy  yellow ;  Incarnatum, 
deep  rose  passing  to  white  ;  Ceres,  canary  yellow  ; 
Formosum,  amaranth-red  ;  Boucharlet  a'ine, 
maroon-red  ;  Commandant  Rividre,  tawny  yellow  ; 
Docteur  Creveux,  rosy  peach  ;  Ganymede,  greyish 
lilac  tipped  with  white ;  Ruy  Bias,  fiery  reddish 
crimson  ;  Galath.^e,  pale  rose  suffused  with  white  ; 
Ls  Niger,  deep  slaty  red;  Camieu,  bright  rose 
passing  to  white;  and  William  Robinson,  a  kind 
with  large  shaggy  flowers  of  a  peculiar  shade  of 
chestnut-brown,  distinct  and  fine.  This  sort  was 
figured  in  The  Garden  last  April. 

These  new  sorts,  like  the  rest  of  the  collection, 
are  at  present  in  the  height  of  their  flowering 
season,  and  being  all  grown  together  in  one 
capacious  house,  the  relative  merits  of  each  sort 
may  be  seen  at  a  glance. 


Cineraria  maritima,with  its  silvery  foliage' 

is  a  most  useful  plant  for  cutting  ;  when  flowers 
are  scarce  very  effective  arrangements  may  be 
made  by  means  of  foliage  alone,  and  the  silvery 
serrated  leaves  of  this  Cineraria  contrast  beauti- 
fully with  the  dark  bronzy  leaves  of  Berberis 
Aquifolium,  and  with  some  of  the  bright  coral 
berries  of  the  Gladwyn  (Iris  fcetidissima).  Thus 
not  only  can  a  pretty,  but  a  very  lasting  bouquet 
be  made.  On  poor  stony  soil  the  leaves  are  far 
whiter  than  on  rich  soil,  for  if  grown  too  strongly 
they  assume  a  greenish  hue. — J.  G.  H. 

Lavender  when  young  is  much  more  flori- 
ferous  than  when  old.  I  would  therefore  advise 
anyone  having  old  plants  to  take  them  up  now 
and  divide  them  into  as  many  pieces  as  can  be  got 
with  roots  attached  to  them  and  replant  them. 
Bury  them  right  up  to  the  young  wood,  as  they 
root  freely  from  the  old  wood.  A  quantity  thus 
treated  and  planted  in  poor  stony  soil  has  produced 
three  good  crops  of  bloom,  and  continues  even 
thus  late  in  the  season  to  send  up  fresh  flower- 
spikes,  while  old  plants  produced  but  one  crop  of 
blooms.— J.  G.  H. 

Daffodil  catalogues.— I  am  greatly  obliged 
to  Mr.  Engleheart  for  noticing  my  little  efforts  in 
the  distribution  of  Daffodils.  I  have  been  a  lover 
of  the  Trumpet  or  Ajax  section  foryears.  I  remem- 
ber buying  Horsefieldi  for  15s.  or  20s.  per  100.  I 
grew  it,  and  gave  it  away  to  friends  as  a  gift, 
never  put  it  in  my  trade  list  until  the  last  three 
years,  and  yet  I  look  upon  this  Daffodil  as  one  of 
the  finest  spring  flowers  grown.  The  blooms,  asso- 
ciated with  Adiantum  farleyense,  make  one  of  the 
finest  sprays  a  lady  could  wear  in  spring.  This 
Daffodil  lasts  for  weeks  in  water  if  cut  in  the  bud 
state  and  kept  in  a  cool  room  With  reference  to 
Narcissus  princeps  maximus,  I  doubt  very  much 
if  I  will  not  be  asking  some  of  the  experts  to  give 
it  a  new  name  ;  indeed,  I  am  surprised  if  it  comes 
under  the  head  of  princeps  at  all,  the  perianth 
being  much  stronger,  the  blooming  later,  the  flowers 
larger,  and  the  trumpet  wider  tjaan  that  of  any 
form  of  princeps  with  which  I  am  ac(iuainted.   To 


396 


THE     GARDEN 


[Nov.  8,  1884. 


my  mind  the  great  advantage  which  princeps  has 
is  its  earliness.  My  first  blooms  were  cut  last 
season,  the  first  v?eek  in  February  ;  what  we  want 
now  in  Narcissi  are  the  white  ones  of  Spain— the 
cernuus  class.  It  is  useless  writing  in  English  to 
the  Spanish.  I  got  a  consignment  of  what  I  be- 
lieve to  be  a  variety  of  Pancratium,  or  if  not  a 
giant  Leucojum,  or  some  such  thing  for  Daffodils. 
Now  for  a  bit  of  information  to  travellers  in  Spain. 
Let  them  ask  the  natives  for  Mansanillas,  and 
they  will  be  on  the  track  of  white  Daffodils. — 
W.  B.  H.,  Cork. 

Narcissi  abroad. — "Veronica"  wishes  to 
hear  (p.  378)  where  Narcissi  are  most  luxuriant 
and  abundant  in  their  native  habitats.  I  can 
speak  for  Tazetta,  for  when  in  Corsica  I  one  day 
saw  a  sheet  of  white  in  the  far  distance,  and  well 
remember  greatly  wondering  what  could  possibly 
give  rise  to  the  very  curious  effect  this  presented. 
You  can  judge  of  my  surprise  on  finding  that  for 
certainly  many  acres  the  ground  was  literally 
covered  with  N.  Tazetta.  So  closely  were  they 
growing,  that  it  was  easy  to  gather  half-a-dozen 
blooms  in  one  handful.  The  scent  from  such  a 
mass  of  flowers  was  something  to  remember,  even 
in  Corsica,  where  the  air  is  always  filled  with  a 
most  delicious  aromatic  fragrance. — A.  K. 

Violets  and  drought.— That  Violets  are 
moisture-loving  plants  is  proved  by  the  fact  that 
the  blossoms  are  unusually  scarce  and  dear  just 
now.  The  common  blue  kinds  are  grown  in 
cjuantity  by  market  gardeners  and  florists  for  the 
supply  of  shops,  and  they  usually  furnish  great 
quantities  all  through  the  winter  months.  Violets 
commence  to  flower  very  early  in  this  district. 
This  year  has  been  unusually  dry  ;  we  have  had  not 
only  a  hot,  dry  summer,  but  an  exceptionally  fine 
dry  autumn  that  has  brought  out  most  flowers  in 
perfection,  but  Violets  have  not  been  proportion- 
ally benefited  ;  indeed,  they  have  been  injured 
by  the  drought.  The  leaves  have  been  infested 
by  red  spider,  the  plants  are  later  in  flowering 
than  usual  in  consequence,  and  the  quality  of  the 
flowers  is  inferior  to  what  it  should  be.— J.  G.  H. 
Lobelia  fulgens  cardinalis.— Accompa- 
nied by  a  number  of  garden  friends,  I  went  to  see 
Mr.  H.  Clibborn's  200  varieties  of  Chrysanthe- 
mums to-day,  but  we  were  all  first  very  much 
struck  with  long  lines  and  beds  of  this  Lobelia, 
that  The  Garden  has  often  commended,  but  that 
in  my  travels  through  English  or  Irish  gardens  I 
rarely  meet  with,  as  here,  in  quantity.  I  think  I 
may  safely  challenge  any  reader  to  name  any 
hardy  plant  that  will  compete  in  brilliancy  and 
intensity  of  colour  with  this  in  the  last  days  of 
October.  I  ought  to  qualify  the  word  "  hardy,"  for 
in  severe  winters  a  heap  of  coal  ash,  or,  better  still, 
some  barrowfuls  of  short  stable  litter,  would  be 
desirable  to  spread  on  the  beds.  Division  is  the 
ordinary  method  of  increase,  but  propagation  from 
seed  is  very  easy  also  in  early  spring.  For  the 
past  five  months  these  beds  have  been  masses 
of  tlie  deepest  crimson-scarlet. — W.  J.  Muri'Iiy, 
CloiDnfl, 

Viola  Mrs.  Gray.—"  J.  C.  C.  '  says  this 
Viola  is  not  suited  for  spring  bedding  in 
the  west  of  England  ;  he  might  have  stated 
clearly  the  county  to  which  he  alluded,  also 
the  character  of  his  soil,  and  especially  the 
culture  which  the  plants  received.  As  the  raiser 
of  Viola  Mrs.  Gray,  and  knowing  how  it  was 
had,  I  know  that  under  poor  culture  it  will  de- 
velop a  little  blue,  but  many  thousands  of  visi- 
tors saw  it  growing  here  long  before  the  public 
had  it,  and  it  was,  and  is  now,  admired  as  really  a 
good  hardy  white.  We  planted  in  April,  1882,  two 
borders  containing  over  3000  plants  ;  they  were  a 
sheet  of  white  throughout  the  whole  season,  stood 
the  winter  of  1882  anil  1883,  bloomed  from  spring 
to  autumn,  1883,  and  by  referring  to  The  Garden 
"  J.  C.  C."  will  see  what  I  sent  gathered  from  the 
open,  clearly  proving  its  hardiness  and  earliness. 
-^J.  Gray,  E(jUngtvii  Castle. 

.52G9.— Blue  Passion-flower.—"  S.  K." 
will  find  that  the  best  course  to  pursue  with  re- 
gard to  his  blue  I'assion-flower  is  to  leave  it  as  it 
is  for  the  winter.and  to  prune  back  in  spring  j   st 


before  it  breaks  ;  then  all  the  young  shoots  of  the 
present  year  may  be  cut  away,  and  only  just  the 
leading  branches  left,  as  this  Passion-flower 
flowers  on  the  fresh  growth.  The  latter  may  be 
thinned  out  as  it  forms,  and  only  sufficient  laid 
in  or  kept  to  fill  the  space  required  without  being 
crowded.  Although  considered  hardy,  the  blue 
I'assion-flower  often  gets  much  cut  up  during 
severe  winters,  and  sometimes  killed  outright. 
Therefore,  as  "  S.  K."  values  his,  it  will  be  well  to 
protect  it  in  some  way  if  sharp  weather  sets  in. 
This  may  be  done  by  tacking  or  fastening  a  mat 
in  front  of  it,  and  it  is  a  good  plan  also  to  put 
some  Cocoa-nut  fibre  about  the  collar  and  over 
that  part  of  the  roots  ;  by  doing  so,  if  the  top  gets 
killed,  the  plant  will  break  again  and  grow  almost 
as  freely  as  ever. — S.  D. 

List  of  flowers  in  bloom  at  Worlingham 
Hall,  Beccles,  Suffolk,  on  November  2,  188-1  :  — 


Winter  Cherry 
White  Scotch  Brier 
Rudbecliia 
Suuflowers,  double 
single 
perennial 
Delpliiniums,  two 
Verbenas  of  all  kinds 
Large  white  Daisy 
Double  white  Pyrethrums 
Japanese  Anemones,  2  liinds 
Dsdilias,  single  antl  double, 

21  kinds 
Salvia,    scarlet,    in    fullest 
bloom 
variegated  leaved,  ditto 
blue 
Nasturtiums  of  all  kinds 
Gazanias 
Giant  Musk 

Stocks,  red  and  white,  single 
and  double 
variegated 
Chrysanthemums,       double 
summer 
single 
Gladiolus.brencUeyensia 
Lolielia 

Several  kinds  of  Petunias 
Maiigold,  African 

Krench 
Purple  PhIo.\ 
Piu'ple  and  scarlet  Pentste- 

mons 
Canary  Creeper 
Chrysanthemums,     3    kinds 

small  double 
Sedums 

Alysaum  maritima 
Pink  HoUyliock 
Cineraria  maritima 
Ageralum,  white 

blue  dwarf 
.\rbutus 
Pampas  tirass 


Ivy 

Single  Pyrethrum 

Yellow  Daisy 

Scabious 

Corncockles  of  all  kinds 

Petunias  of  4  varieties 

Antirrhinums 

Periwinlcle 

Sweet  William 

Mignonette 

White  Eschscholtzia 

Carnations,  3,  pink,  white, 

and  Clove 
Pansies 

Blue  Campanula 
Godetias 
Zinnias 
Violets 

Mesembryauthemum 
Calceolaria 
Laiirustinua 
Thrifts 
Violas 

Coreopsis,  two 
Gaillardia  picta 
Borage 
Lavender 
Wallflower 
Solanums 
Forget-me-nots 
Heliotrope 
Geranium  Harry  Ilieover 

Crystal  Palace  Gem 

Pl-ince  Bismarck 

Lord  Palmerstou 

Bluebell 

Mrs.  Paul 

Mdme.  Vaucher 

Dr.  Edwards 

Jay's  Seedling 
Rose  G6ant  des  Batailles 

Mdme.  Alfied  de  Rouge 
moot 

Gloire  de  Dijon 

Monthly  Ruse 


bioolor  is  two-coloured.  If  I  can  correct  so  far, 
what  will  certainly  cause  confusion  in  spring,  in 
the  case  of  two  forms  of  early  Italian  Dalfodils,  I 
shall,  I  hope,  have  done  some  good.  Some  new 
Italian  varieties — -viz.,  the  King  and  Queen  of 
Italy— are  not  procurable,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  and 
yet  I  do  not  believe  they  can  possibly  be  finer  than 
our  Emperor  and  Empress,  though  said  to  be 
superior.  I  expect  there  will  be  a  great  rush  for 
these  Italian  Daffodils  next  season.  I  myself  have 
planted  ten  or  fifteen  varieties  of  the  incompara- 
bilis  class,  both  double  and  single  forms. — 
W.  B.  H.,  Cork. 

Marie  Louise  and  Neapolitan  Violets. 
— The  Marie  Louise  is  thought  by  some  to  be  a 
great  .improvement  on  the  old  Neapolitan.  If 
earliness  alone  be  considered  important,  this 
opinion  may  be  correct ;  but  if  general  excellence 
is  the  test,  then  I  think  the  Neapolitan  still  bears 
the  palm.  Some  growers  tell  us  that  it  will  not 
bloom  well  in  early  winter,  but  it  well  cared 
for  in  summer  it  willyield  an  abundance  of  bloom 
all  through  the  dreary  months  of  winter  and  right 
on  through  the  spring,  and  as  regards  fragrance, 
no  other  variety  can  compare  with  it.  I  send  you 
blooms  from  plants  which  came  into  full  bearing 
only  ten  days  later  than  Marie  Louise. — John 
Crawford,  CoddiiKjivn,  Mall,  A'ctcark.Nott.i. 

*jf*  The  blooms  sent  were  long  and  stout  in  the 
stem,  large  in  size,  and  good  in  colour,  and  last, 
but  not  least,  deliciously  fragrant. — Ed. 

Aster  Chapmanni. — I  am  glad  to  see  that 
"  K."  (p.  371)  has  drawn  attention  to  the  fact  that 
the  Aster  sold  in  nurseries  by  this  name  is  not  the 
true  species,  but  probably  a  variety  of  A.  turbi- 
nellus.  It  was  sent  to  me  as  Chapraanni  from  an 
American  nursery,  but  I  am  unable  to  find  the 
true  Chapmanni  in  cultivation  in  England.  With 
rispect  to  Aster  Archer  Hind,  as  I  was  its  god- 
father, I  may  be  allowed  to  tay  a  word  about  it. 
It  was  returned  to  me  from  Kew  last  year  as 
certainly  A.  Ia2vigatus  of  Asa  Gray.  Now  in  Aia 
Gray's  "  Handbook  of  North  American  Plants," 
published  in  1876,  A.  laivigatus  was  made  a 
variety  of  A.  lasvis,  but  in  his  new  "  Synoptical 
Flora  "  it  is  referred  to  A.  Novi-Belgii.  A.  Archer 
Hind  certainly  lies  between  these  two,  and  has 
nothing  to  do  with  A.  spectabilis,  an  early-flower- 
ing Aster  with  tlender  .stems  not  much  more  than 
a  foot  high,  and  both  flowers  and  leaves  not  un- 
like those  of  A.  Amellus.— C.  Wolley  Dod, 
Lhiiuludtio, 


We  live  within  seven  miles  of  the  sea,  and  have 
as  yet  had  no  lower  degree  of  temperature  than 
32".  Most  of  the  Dahlias  are  unsheltered ;  one 
bed  has  a  fishing-net  over  it,  and  is  as  gay  as  it 
ever  has  been. — M.  F. 

The    Flame    Flowers   (Tritomae)    in 

1884.— These  plants  have  flowered  extremely  well 
during  the  present  year,  and  have  great  value  in 
all  warm  soils  in  hot  seasons.  Some  years  ago  the 
hard  frosts  destroyed  a  great  number,  but  let  us 
hope  plants  will  be  not  less  abundant  for  that. 
By  division  of  the  roots  they  are  not  difficult  to 
increase,  and  new  groups  and  combinations  of 
them  should  be  made.  We  see  too  many  of  the 
common  T.  Uvaria  kind,  and  all  who  care  for  these 
fine  plants  should  make  an  attempt  to  get  some 
of  the  other  species,  such  as  T.  Rooperi,  grandis, 
Macowani,  sarmentosa,  and  caulescens — the  last  a 
fine  bold  plant  for  a  warm  bed  or  border.  It  seems 
hardy  all  about  the  home  counties,  but  I  have 
no  experience  of  it  in  northern  districts.  Tritoma 
Macowani  is  a  very  pretty  little  plant,  much 
dwarfer  than  the  old  kinds,  and  very  graceful  in 
habit.  The  flower  is  of  a  fine  orange  and  yellow, 
particularly  brilliant  in  the  evenings.  It  seems 
quite  hardy,  and  is  a  plant  of  the  first  class.  When 
plentiful  enough,  it  should  be  grown  in  little 
groups,  well  placed  and  well  treated,  and  not 
scattered  about  in  the  usual  way  in  which  hardy 
flowers  are  often  arranged  .  —  V. 

Narcissus  pallidus  prsecox.- Mr.  Barr's 
remarks  as  to  what  is  termed  bicolor  in  Daffodils 
I  cannot  attempt  to  dispute.     What  I  mean  by 


SIIOBT  NOTES.— FLOWEB. 


Ttie  Shamrock  Pea  In  autumn.— The  little  Paro- 
chetus  is  lovely  now,  a  Hist  rate  late  autumn  tluwir, — 
G.  J.,  ^urrei/. 

Missing  plants.— It  M.  Taylor  will  give  me  h's 
addiess,  I  can  send  liiiii  a  bush  of  tliat  apptrently  lipst 
lleypensmatronaUsrulira  plena.— Ma.\  LEK'iriLlN,  Uadi'-a- 
BaUtii. 

Falvla  Pltclierl.— At  Trelissiek,  in  Cotnwal,  (his 
beautiful  plant  is  always  planted  out  on  one  of  the  Vine 
borders  where  it  does  excellently  well.  The  .adjoining 
Ijorder  is  devoted  to  the  Evening  Lamp  (Lychnis  vesper- 
tina).-  C.  A.  M.  C. 

Sagittal  la  latlfolia.— Will  "J.  M..  Charniouth,"  save 
for  me  a  tuber  of  Ids  single  variety  of  Sagittaria  latlfolia"? 
The  usual  double  form  is  of  course  not  sagittif  olia,  but  latl- 
folia, and  tlie  single  form  is  often  shown  on  Japanese 
screens.— Framk  Miles,  Sunnyhill,  Shirehamptan,  near 
Brifitol. 

Aclphylla  squarrosa.— If  "  A.  D.  W."  will  apply  to 
my  friend  Mr.  John  Wood,  WoodviUe  House,  Kirkstall, 
near  Leeds,  he  wiUbe  able  to  obtain  very  fine  plants  of  the 
above  Spear  Grass,  Sir.  Wood  having  grown  it  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.— \V.  H.  Browne,  AhWnwgh,  Uull. 

Aciphylla  squarrosa  is  oH'ered  by  Haage  A:  Schmidt, 

of  Erfurt,  at  63  each,  in  theii-  last  catalogue.— P.  Bosan- 
4UET,  Ponfield,  Hertford. 

"A.  D.  W."  can  get  Aciphylla  squarrosa  from  here 

by  the  dozen.- Max  Leichtlin,  Baden-Badtn. 

Herbaceous  plants.— You  will  be  pleased  to  hear 
tliat  we  are  going  laigely  in  for  a  collection  of  herbaceoui 
plants.  I  was  in  Scotland  lately  and  was  charmed  in  find- 
ing on  Loch  Striven  side  wliole  breadths  of  Grass  of  Par- 
nassus, also  in  the  same  place  the  Scotch  Aspliodel  and 
Myrica  Gale.  On  the  island  of  Statfa  I  found  a  large- 
leaved  variety  of  Armeria,  and  on  the  top  of  same  island 
lots  of  the  common  blue  Scabious.- Wm.  Miller,  Combe 
Abb-y. 


Nov.  8,  1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


397 


Berry-bearing  planta.~In  open,  genial 
seasons  like  the  present  there  is  not  much  fear  of 
these  sutfering  much  from  the  attacks  of  birds, 
and  they  go  a  long  way  towards  brightening  up 
the  dull  corners  of  the  rock  garden.  The  berry- 
bearing  plants  at  our  command  for  this  purpose, 
though  few  in  number,  are  well  varied,  and 
capable  of  being  grown  in  almost  any  garden. 
Amongst  them  must  be  mentioned  Gaultheria 
procumbens,  a  low-growing,  almost  prostrate 
plant,  and  one  of  the  best.  Its  leaves  seem  to 
concentrate  nearly  every  conceivable  tint,  as  if 
catching  the  colour  of  the  best  of  the  bright 
scarlet  berries  thut  are  half  hidden,  or  just  peep 
sufficiently  high  above  the  foliage  to  be  seen  at  a 
short  distance.  This  plant,  although  it  grows  on 
expo.sed  places,  never  seems  to  bear  berries  so  well 
as  when  grown  in  full  shade  and  in  a  peaty  soil, 
or  with  just  a  glimpse  of  the  morning  sun.  Vac- 
cinium  Myrtillus  with  its  black  glaucous  berries 
is  very  handsome,  but  inferior  to  the  Marsh  Cran- 
berry (V.  Oxj'coccos),  with  its  graceful  creeping  or 
trailing  habit  and  dull  red  berries,  V.  Vitisldjea, 
the  Crowberry,  with  its  dark,  shiny,  evergreen 
leaves  and  pretty  purplish  berries,  is  very  hand- 
some. Margyricarpus  setosus,  a  trailing  habited 
Rosaceous  plant,  with  small,  wiry,  shining  leaves, 
white  stems,  and  white  snow-like  berries,  is  also 
very  pretty,  as  is  also  the  handsome  red-berried 
Hemiphragma  heterophylla,  a  Himalayan  plant 
with  a  prostrate  habit.  The  various  Pernettyas 
are  also  deserving  a  place  on  the  rockery,  the 
variety  of  colour  amongst  them  being  almost  end- 
less.— K. 


PHOEMIUM  TENAX  IN  WEST  ENGLAND. 

Hard   weather  or  other    unpleasant  conditions 
seem  to  have  made  this  plant  scarce  in  the  open 


tiew  Zealand  Flax  (riiormium  tenax)  in  West  of  England. 

air  about  London.  In  the  south  and  west  of  Ire- 
land it  succeeds  better,  and  in  many  districts  in 
the  west  and  south  of  England  it  even  grows 
rapidly.  At  Berkeley  Castle  lately  we  were  pleased 
to  see  it  doing  well  in  a  bold  rock  garden.  It 
might  be  put  to  noble  use  by  the  tasteful  gardener 
who  knows  how  to  group  it  with  his  Bamboos  and 
Pampas  Grass  and  New  Zealand  Reed,  as  well  as 
effectively  for  its  own  sake  and  alone. 


very  apt  to  perish,  even  in  the  case  of  the  hardy 
Laurel  and  Rhododendron — at  least,  when  these 
two  have  reached  a  mature  age.  Again  and  again 
I  have  seen  plants  of  these  die  outright  when  cut 
over  late  in  the  autumn,  and  no  injury  result  from 
spring  pruning  under  the  same  conditions.  In 
many  places  in  the  north.  Sage,  Thyme,  and 
Lavender  die  when  cut  over  late  ;  whereas,  when 
cut  in  time  for  the  shoots  to  sprout  again  before 
November,  they  take  no  harm.  It  is  best  to  leave 
Evergreens  alone  till  growth  is  about  to  commence 
again.  Dwarf  Box  edgings  clipped  late,  hedges, 
and  low  borders  of  Heaths,  and  other  subjects 
behave  in  the  same  manner ;  if  they  do  not  die, 
they  get  brown  and  are  injured.  Where  cut- 
ting has  to  be  done,  it  should  be  done  in 
time  to  permit  a  second  growth,  if  ever  so  little, 
j  ust  to  get  the  wounds  healed  or  covered. — J.  S.  W. 


FRUIT    GARDEN. 


Pruning  Evergreens  in  autumn.— This 

is  one  of  the  worst  practices  I  know  of  in  the  case 
of  tender  Evergreens,  or  indeed  any  Evergreens 
where  the  winters  are  .severe.  The  covering  of 
foliage  appears  to  be  Nature's  protection  to  the 
trunk  and  limbs,  and  when  removed  these  are 


FAULTY  VINE  BORDERS. 
Gaedeneks  are  frequently  called  in  by  neigh- 
bouring amateurs,  or  the  proprietors  of  compara- 
tively small  gardens,  to  give  advice  on  various 
queer  cases,  and  more  especially  to  prescribe  for 
Vine  diseases,  or  to  explain  why  Vines  fail  to  per- 
fect such  good  crops  of  Grapes  as  formerly.  Quite 
recently  I  have  had  some  strange  experiences 
among  Vine  borders,  and  the  lessons  to  be  learnt 
from  them  may,  I  think,  with  advantage  be  given 
in  The  Garden.  In  one  instance  the  Vines  had 
been  completely  ruined,  owing  to  the  faulty  con- 
struction of  the  border,  and  in  another,  although 
far  from  being  ruined,  the  Vines  had  not  for  a 
long  time  done  well  owing  to  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  roots  having  wandered  into  bad  soil,  and 
far  beyond  their  legitimate  limit.  I  will  first  re- 
fer to  the 

Badly  constructed  border  as  it  was  con- 
nected with  a  vinery  fully  fifty  years  old,  and  the 
border  had  been  re-made  more  than  once ;  unfortu- 
nately on  each  occasion  fully  one-half  of  the  old 
soil  had  been  retained,  and  this  was  the  primary 
cause  of  the  failure.  The  state  of  the  Vines  con- 
vinced me  that  root  action  must  be  very  bad  in- 
deed, and  at  my  suggestion  a  sectional  trench  was 
cut  through  the  border,  which,  it  should  be  added, 
is  entirely  outside  the  house.  The  drainage  was 
found  to  be  in  good  condition,  but  the  border  was 
too  deep,  being  at  places  nearly  i  feet  in  depth. 
A  layer  of  fresh  loam  appeared  to  have  been  placed 
on  the  drainage ;  ne.xt,  about  1  foot  of  the  old  soil, 
then  more  fresh  loam,  and  finally  fully  a  depth  of 
18  inches  of  the  old  border  soil.  Labourers  who 
assisted  to  form  this  border  state  that  a  consider- 
able quantity  of  half -inch  and  larger  bones  had  been 
evenly  sprinkled  over  the  whole  of  the  material  as 
it  was  added  to  the  border,  but  we  failed  to  find 
any  till  we  came  to  the  wall  of  the  house,  and 
here  there  were  great  quantities — in  fact,  more 
bones  than  anything  else.  A  flue  is  carried  along 
just  inside  of  this  wall,  and  this  warming  the  bor- 
der renders  it  a  favourite  run  for  rats  and  mice. 
Here  also  were  the  greater  portion  of  the  Vine 
roots,  and  probably  if  these  had  had  a  weekly 
watering,  so  complete  a  collapse  as  happened 
would  not  have  occurred.  A  few  comparatively 
lively  roots  were  found  in  the  rich  top-dressing 
that  had  been  frequently  given,  but  these  came 
from  the  stems  and  not  from  the  border  below,  as 
in  this  scarcely  a  live  root  was  to  be  found.  Near 
the  wall,  where  the  border  was  loose  and  bones 
abundant,  the  roots  existed  and  multiplied,  but 
wherever  they  came  into  contact  with  the  wretched 
inert  mass  of  soil  that  did  duty  for  a  border,  they 
perished,  and  this  bad  been  going  on  for  about 
sixteen  years.  A  mistake  was  made  in  the  first  place 
in  attempting  to  form  so  large  a  border  with  in- 
sufficient materials,  this,  however,  being  by  no 
means  an  isolated  occurrence.  Neither  should 
so  deep  a  border  have  been  formed,  my  opinion 
being  that  a  depth  nearer  2  feet  than  1  feet  is  most 
suitable.  The  greatest  mistake  of  all,  however, 
was  in  burying  the  best  soil— that  is  to  say,  the 
good  turfy  loam — at  the  bottom  of  the  border  in- 
stead o£  at  the  top.    A  better  plan  would  have 


been  to  have  mixed  a  liberal  quantity  of  ashes  and 
rough  mortar  rubbish  with  this  old  border  soil ; 
this  compost  would  then  have  been  good  enough 
for  the  lower  part  of  the  border.  Then  supposing 
turfy  loam  to  be  scarce,  to  every  two  barrow-loads 
of  roughly-chopped-up  turf  I  would  add  a  barrow- 
load  of  good  garden  soil  and  a  good  sprinkling  of 
half -inch  bones  and  wood  ashes,  or,  failing  the 
latter,  a  greater  quantity  of  burnt  garden  refuse. 
This  compost,  well  mixed,  should  complete  the 
border.  In  this  the  A'ines  should  have  been  planted, 
and  in  it  the  roots  should  have  been  encouraged  to 
remain  by  simply  giving  rich  autumnal  top-dress- 
ings of  good  loam  and  manure  and  by  mulching 
during  summer.  We  ought  not  to  induce  or  even 
permit  deep  root  action,  and  therefore  the  food 
needed  or  sought  after  by  the  roots  should  be  at 
the  top  and  not  at  the  bottom  of  the  border.  For 
my  part  I  should  prefer  to  make  a  border  piece- 
meal ;  but  if  the  whole  must  be  completed  at  once, 
and  that  too  in  spite  of  a  scarcity  of  suitable 
material,  rather  than  distribute  this  little  through 
a  mass  of  inferior  soil,  I  would  concentrate  it 
where  it  would  be  most  available  to  the  roots,  and 
where  also  it  could  be  readily  renewed  or  supple- 
mented at  any  time.  The  other  case  to  which  I 
wish  to  allude  may  perhaps  be  said  to  be  corrobo- 
rative of  certain  views  that  have  been  advanced 
with  regard  to 

Vine  roots  preferring  outside  borders. 
I  have  no  thought,  however,  of  reviving  the  con- 
troversy on  this  subject,  but  merely  relate  what  I 
consider  to  be  interesting  facts.  .  The  crops  ui  a 
certain  vinery  near  the  garden  of  which  I  have 
charge  have  for  several  years  proved  to  be 
rather  disappointing,  and  why  this  should  be 
so  has  been  rather  puzzling,  as  they  have  for 
the  past  three  years  at  any  rate  received 
liberal  and  what  I  consider  to  be  fairly  intelli- 
gent treatment.  The  Vines  were  not  overcropped, 
and  the  border  received  rich  top-dressings,  fre- 
quent heavy  waterings,  and  appeared  to  be  well 
stocked  with  lively  roots.  They  formed  good 
foliage  and  matured  stout,  well  ripened  wood,  yet 
the  bunches  were  comparatively  small,  and  the 
fairly  large  berries  on  tlae  Black  Hamburghs  espe- 
cially failed  to  colour  well,  shanking  also  being 
prevalent.  The  border  was  wholly  inside,  and  the 
front  wall  was  not  arched  with  the  view  of  some 
day  adding  an  outside  border.  In  spite  of  this 
I  still  thought  the  Vines  were  rooting  in  unsuit- 
able material  and  most  probably  outside,  and  I 
now  find  that  I  was  so  far  correct,  though  it  was 
not  clay  or  very  cold  subsoil  that  was  doing  the  mis- 
chief ;  quite  ;the  reverse.  We  found,  on  digging 
down  deeply  in  front  or  the  house,  that  great  num- 
bers of  the  Vine  roots  had  penetrated  to  the  out- 
side through  both  brick  and  stone  walls,  and,  still 
more,  had  found  their  way  out  below  the  founda- 
tions. It  appears  that  at  one  time  water  was  very 
scarce,  and  all  the  Vine  border  got  was  collected 
into  a  tub  from  the  roof  of  the  house ;  then  it  was 
that  the  roots  started  on  a  voyage  of  discovery, 
but,  unfortunately  for  the  Vines,  they  found 
nothing  but  an  open  space  that  had  been  filled  in 
principally  with  ashes,  and  what  little  food  might 
have  existed  among  this  great  depth  of  rubbish 
was  soon  exhausted.  Now  the  water  is  laid  on 
from  the  town  supply  the  inside  border  appears  to 
suit  the  roots,  and  it  is  my  belief  that  these  have 
fed  the  Vines  and  also  the  roots  outside.  The 
latter  were  plentiful  enough  and  very  healthy, 
although  rambling  among  very  poor  loose  mate- 
rial, and  if  they  did  not  injure  rather  than 
strengthen,  how  am  I  to  account  for  the  crops  being 
disappointing  ?  Perhaps  I  ought  not  to  have  re- 
lated this  experience  till  next  autumn,  when  the 
matter  will  be  settled  one  way  or  the  other,  but 
next  year  will  bring  its  own  experiences  and  queer 
occurrences,  and  I  prefer  to  "  strike  while  the  iron 
is  hot."  The  occurrence  may  be  instructive,  aBd_  so 
also  may  be  the  description  of  the  remedy,  which 
I  feel  confident  will  prove  effective.  A  trench  was 
cut  about  1  feet  from  the  wall,  all  roots  crossing  it 
being  unhesitatingly  cut  through.  Next,  the  re- 
mainder of  the  soil  or  rubbish  between  the  trench 
and  wall  was  loosened  with  forks,  shovelled  out  and 
wheeled  away,  care  being  taken  to  preserve  as  many 


398 


THE    GAEDEN 


[Nov.  8,  1884. 


roots  as  possible.  The  front  wall  below  the  proposed 
level  o£  the  border  was  then  "  pigeon-holed,"  that 
is  to  say,  a  considerable  number  of  openings  were 
cut  through  it  so  as  to  give  the  roots  plenty  of 
opportunities  of  rambling  outside  in  a  legitimate 
manner.  Wherever  possible  the  holes  were  cut 
at  the  places  through  which  the  roots  had  already 
found  their  way  in  order  to  prevent  their  even- 
tually becoming  choked.  In  the'meantime  a  con- 
siderable quantity  of  turves,  some  good  decayed 
manure  and  bones  had  been  mixed  together,  and 
■with  this  a  good  border  was  formed,  the  roots, 
previously  cleanly  cut  over  and  all  bruised  por- 
tions removed,  being  evenly  distributed  through 
it  as  near  the  surface  as  their  positions  would 
permit.  A  mulching  of  leaves  surfaced  with  strawy 
litter  completed  the  work,  and  by  this  time  I  have 
no  doubt  a  number  of  fresh  roots  have  already 
been  formed.  Supposing  the  Vine  roots  to  "  take 
kindly  "  to  this  fresh  border,  it  is  proposed  to  cut 
a  trench  and  renovate  the  inside  border  next 
autumn.  W.  I.  M. 


APPLES  AND  APPLE  CULTURE. 
The  Apple  is  unquestionably  the  most  useful  of 
all  hardy  fruits.  In  its  wild  state  it  is  one  of  the 
most  durable  as  well  as  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
of  all  our  indigenous  trees,  its  flowers  and  fruit 
being  equally  attractive.  As  a  field  crop  it  requires 
little  care  when  once  the  trees  are  established,  an 
occasional  pruning  being  all  that  is  required.  If 
grown  in  the  form  of  a  pyramid  it  involves  more 
labour,  the  cost  of  which  will,  however,  be  amply 
repaid  by  the  increased  quantity  and  by  the  im- 
proved quality  of  the  fruit.  It  is  difficult  to  say 
what  quantity  of  Apples  can  be  grown  on  an  acre, 
as  much  depends  on  the  soil,  situation,  cdBtivation, 
and  also  on  the  variety  of  Apple  planted,  some 
varieties  being  much  more  prolific  than  others. 
The  maximum  crop  which  may  be  grown  on  an 
acre  has  been  estimated  by  some  to  be  as  high  as 
600  bushels  or  15  tons  per  acre,  an  enormous  crop, 
and  one  which  could  only  be  realised  under  the 
most  favourable  conditions.  The  produce  can 
usually  be  sold  direct  from  the  orchard,  or  it  may 
be  stored  at  little  cost,  requiring  no  preserving,  as 
all  soft  fruits  do.  The  fruit  may  be  used  in  many 
ways,  and  when  ripe  is  equally  palatable  whether 
eaten  raw  or  cooked.  Nevertheless,  though  the 
Apple  possesses  so  many  good  qualities,  it  has  not 
received  from  those  who  till  the  soil  anything  like 
the  amount  of  attention  to  which  it  is  justly  en- 
titled. The  greater  portion  of  home-grown  Apples 
brought  into  the  Manchester  market  is  produced  in 

Farm  Okchaeds, 
and  in  these  orchards,  with  the  exception  of  those 
in  a  few  favoured  localities,  all  the  trees  appear  to 
have  been  planted  from  fifty  to  a  hundred  years 
ago.  Most  of  them  are  in  the  last  stage  of  decay, 
the  fruit  being  small  and  utterly  worthless  either 
for  market  or  for  home  consumption.  Most  of 
these  old  trees— and  I  know  thousands  of  such- 
are  the  last  remaining  specimens  of  old  varieties, 
such  as  Treadleholes,  Rodneys,  Leatherhides, 
Oaken  Pegs,  and  many  other  ancient  sorts,  some 
of  which  have  been  in  cultivation  for  hundreds  of 
years.  Not  only  is  the  quality  of  the  fruit  of  the 
worst  possible  description,  but  the  quantity  which 
such  old  worn-out  trees  can  produce  is  quite  in- 
significant. No  wonder  that  the  owners  of  such 
trees  complain  that  it  does  not  pay  to  grow  fruit 
now,  as  the  American  fruit,  they  say,  is  so  much 
finer  than  others,  apparently  quite  oblivious  of  the 
fact  that  while  the  English  farmer  was  quite  con- 
tent with  a  crop  of  Leatherhides  and  Oaken  Pegs, 
the  American  farmer  was  planting  Baldwins  and 
Newtown  Pippins,  both  good  sorts,  but  certainly 
not  better  than  can  be  grown  in  England  if  we  only 
Uevot^  suflicient  attention  to  the  subject;  at  any 
rate,  it  is  of  no  use  blaming  the  soil  or  the  climate. 
Accordmg  to  the  returns  of  the  year  1SS3,  there 
were  m  England  186,782  acres  of  land  planted 
with  fruit  trees.  If  we  deduct  35,782  acres  (a 
liberal  estimate)  for  land  planted  with  Pears, 
T^a^aX  Cherries,  and  Filberts,  there  remain 
150,000  acres  devoted  exclusively  to  the  cultiva- 
tion   of   Apple   trees.     About    seventy  standard 


Apple  trees  can  be  grown  on  an  acre ;  150,000  x 
70  =  10,500,000.  There  are  probably  as  many 
Apple  trees  grown  in  hedgerows,  farm  orchards, 
not  returned  as  such,  and  in  farm,  cottage,  and 
market  gardens  as  are  grown  on  all  the  land 
specially  devoted  to  their  cultivation.  This  would 
bring  up  the  number  of  Apple  trees  to  21,000,000— 
nearly  one  tree  for  every  individual  in  England. 
The  above  calculation  includes  all  Apples  grown 
for  making  cider  and  all  young,  non-bearing  trees. 
If  we  deduct  one-half,  it  still  leaves  10,500,000 
trees,  and  assuming  each  tree  to  bear  2  bushels 
per  annum — a  very  low  estimate — the  annual  crop 
would  amount  to  21,000,000  bushels,  the  market 
value  of  which  at  4s.  per  bushel  amounts  to 
i^4, 200,000.  Supposing  these  to  be  grown  on 
150,000  acres,  the  annual  value  of  the  crop  would 
be  .£28  per  acre,  a  very  low  estimate,  which,  with 
good  cultivation  and  a  better  selection  of  sorts, 
might  easily  be  doubled.  In  fact,  I  do  not  know 
of  any  purpose  to  which  the  land  could  be  put 
which  would  bring  in  so  large  a  return  for  the 
capital  employed  if  farmers  and  market  gardeners 
only  knew  how  to  go  about  it.  The  question  will 
probably  be  asked. 

What  is  to  become  of  all  this  fruit  1  To  this  I 
would  reply,  Send  it  to  market.  The  demand  is 
enormous,  and  if  the  English  grower  is  not  ready 
to  meet  it,  the  American,  and  Belgian,  and  Ger- 
man farmers  are  quite  prepared  to  do  so.  In  the 
year  1862  the  value  of  raw  fruit,  not  including 
Oranges  and  Lemons,' imported  into  the  United 
Kingdom  was  ^512,284;  in  1871  it  had  risen  to 
,£596,107  ;  in  the  following  year  it  rose  to 
£1,024,685  ;  and  in  1882  it  amountad  to  £2,199,158, 
of  which  amount  £783,906  was  for  Apples  ;  yet, 
in  spite  of  this  vast  importation  of  foreign  pro- 
duce, good  fruit  is  still  scarce  and  dear.  From 
the  foregoing  figures  it  is  clear  that  a  demand 
exists  and  is  increasing  in  a  greater  ratio  even 
than  the  population.  Mr.  John  Page,  in  his  excel- 
lent essay  on  the  "  Manchester  Markets,"  published 
in  1879,  says — "  There  are  yet  growers  bringing 
their  goods  to  Manchester  market  who  can  re- 
member the  time  when  they  had  no  foreign  fruit 
to  compete  with.  Oranges,  Lemons,  and  the  dried 
fruits  of  the  '  sunny  south  '  were  merchandise  that 
never  excited  their  jealousy,  but  it  would  be  diffi- 
cult to  say  in  these  days  what  kind  of  fruit  is  not 
imported  and  pitched  in  our  'markets  alongside 
and  in  competition  with  that  which  is  home-grown. 
If  we  had  to  depend  solely  upon  the  British  grower 
now,  however,  I  fear  fruit  would  be  a  luxury  out 
of  the  reach  of  the  working  classes.  Up  to  the 
16th  August,  1838,  the  duty  on  imported  Apples  was 
Is.  per  bushel,  and  in  that  year  but  20,502  bushels 
were  imported.  The  duty  was  then  reduced  £5 
per  cent.,"and  the  very  next  year  120,000  bushels 
were  brought  into  the  port  of  London  alone,  and 
the  average  price  at  which  they  were  sold  was 
4s.  9d.  per  buShel.  The  importation  of  Apples 
went  on  steadily  increasing  up  to  the  year  1846, 
when  it  received  a  great  impetus  by  the  total 
abolition  of  the  duty  ;  yet  the  price  of  good  Apples 
is  higher  now  than  when  the  maximum  duty  was 
exacted."  The  cost  of  bringing  Apples  from  Ame- 
rica to  the  Manchester  market  is  Is.  3d,,  and  from 
Belgium  Gd.  per  bushel ;  so  that  if  one  acre  pro- 
duced 140  bushels,  the  carriage  alone  would 
amount  to  £8  15s.  from  America  and  £^3  10s.  from 
Belgium  per  acre.  The  English  grower  can  pro- 
bably put  his  fruit  into  the  market  quite  as 
cheaply,  so  far  as  carriage  is  concerned,  as  the 
foreign  grower  can  put  his  on  board  the  ship  ;  so 
that  the  English  grower  may  be  said  to  have  a 
protective  duty  of  £8  lus.  and  ,£3  10s.  per  acre  as 
compared  with  America  and  Belgium  respectively, 
which  sums  would,  of  course,  be  doubled  if  the 
farmer  could  grow  4  bushels  on  each  tree  instead 
of  2  bushels,  as  estimated — "  a  consummation 
devoutly  to  be  wished,"  and  which  could  easily 
be  achieved  if  those  who  grow  .\pples  would  plant 
only  the  best  varieties  and  pay  reasonable  atten- 
tion to  their  subsequent  cultivation. 

In  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society's  catalogue, 
published  in  1831,  1200  sorts  of  Apples  are  de- 
scribed. In  the  introductory  observations  the 
editor  says:  "A  considerable  reduction   of   the 


names  is  to  be  anticipated  whenever  a  general 
comparison  of  the  varieties  can  be  effected ;  but 
after  all  the  discovery  of  synonyms  that  can  be 
expected,  the  list  will  remain  far  more  extensive 
than  can  be  either  desirable  or  useful.  No  suffi- 
cient reduction,  however,  can  effectually  take  place 
until  a  public  declaration  shall  be  made  of  those 
sorts  which  are  undeserving  further  cultivation." 
Such  an  opportunity  occurred  at  the  Apple  con- 
gress held  at  Chiswick  last  year,  and  though  many 
synonyms  were  undoubtedly  discovered,  there 
were  also  many  new  varieties  added  to  the  already 
too  extensive  list ;  so  that  now  we  have  from 
3000  to  5000  names,  though  I  very  much  doubt 
if  we  have  anything  like  as  many  varieties. 

Seedlings  and  their  Teeatment. 
JIany  Apples,  including  some  of  our  best  kinds, 
have  been  raised  by  chance,  but  there  is  no  doubt 
that  the  process  of  artificial  hybridising  is  the 
most  certain  way  of  obtaining  new  and  improved 
varieties.  To  have  a  fair  chance  of  success,  the 
operator  should  select,  for  the  seed-bearing  parent, 
a  tree  of  good  vigorous  habit,  the  fruit  of  which 
comes  nearest  to  the  standard  of  excellence  to 
which  the  raiser  desires  to  attain  ;  he  should  then 
fertilise  the  flowers  with  the  pollen  of  another  good 
variety  from  which  it  is  desired  to  obtain  a  cross. 
Selection  is  of  great  importance  in  raising  new 
varieties,  as  the  seedling  always  partakes  more  or 
less  of  the  character  of  its  parents,  the  qualities 
of  which  are  concentrated  in  the  embryo  when  it 
has  arrived  at  maturity.  The  flowers  that  are  to 
be  artificially  fertilised  should  have  the  anthers 
removed  with  a  pair  of  sharp-pointed  scissors  im- 
mediately after  they  expand,  and  if  the  desired 
pollen  is  not  ripe,  the  flowers  should  be  carefully 
enclosed  in  very  fine  muslin  bags  to  exclude  in- 
sects, and  also  to  prevent  pollen  being  con- 
veyed to  the  stigma  by  the  action  of  the 
air.  The  style,  or  stigma,  will  remain  vigor- 
ous for  a  considerable  time  if  unimpregnated. 
Care  should  be  taken  to  select  the  seed  not  only 
from  Apples  of  the  most  desirable  shape,  colour, 
and  size,  but  also  from  the  most  perfectly  ripened 
specimens.  Select  the  largest  seeds,  which  may 
be  sown  in  the  open  ground  in  JIarch  or  April.  A 
friable  loam  is  the  best  soil  for  the  purpose,  but 
any  kind  will  do  if  well  drained  and  properly  pre- 
pared. In  the  following  autumn  they  should  be 
planted  in  rows  from  12  inches  to  15  inches  apart 
each  way.  Two  years  afterwards  they  may  be 
transplanted  where  they  are  intended  to  produce 
their  fruit,  and  for  this  purpose  6  feet  will  not  be 
too  much  to  allow  between  the  plants.  The  best 
way  of  treating  them  is  to  encourage  vigorous 
growth  by  high  cultivation,  and  then  to  give  them 
a  check,  either  by  root-pruning  or  transplanting  ; 
this  generally  has  the  desired  effect  of  inducing 
them  to  form  fruit  buds.  In  order  to  save  time  in 
fruiting  seedling  plants,  many  growers  prefer  to 
graft  the  strongest  shoots  on  Paradise  stocks,  or 
on  old  and  healthy  free-bearing  Apple  trees. 
Seedling  Apple  trees  should  be  kept  for  two  or 
three  years  after  they  first  bear  fruit,  as  the  latter 
often  improves  with  the  development  of  the  tree. 
If  the  fruit  of  the  newly  raised  variety  is  not  in 
some  respects  an  improvement  on  existing  varie- 
ties, the  new  kind  should  not  receive  a  distinctive 
name,  nor  should  any  trees  be  grafted  from  it,  as 
it  is  not  desirable  to  increase  the  number  of  varie- 
ties unlesssome  advantage  is  to  be  gained  by  doing 
so.  Dessert  Apples  should  be  sugary  and  rich  in 
flavour,  the  flesh  firm,  crisp,  and  juicy,  the  fruit  of 
medium  size,  handsome  in  form,  and  better  if 
highly  coloured,  as  such  fruit  always  produces  a 
good  effect  on  the  table.  However,  it  does  not 
by  any  means  follcw  that  the  handsomest  Apples 
are  also  the  best  in  flavour  ;  in  fact,  it  is  very  often 
the  reverse.  We  may  take,  for  example,  Cellini 
and  Emperor  Alexander,  both  highly-coloured 
varieties,  yet  not  sufficiently  rich  in  flavour  to 
entitle  them  to  be  classed  as  dessert  fruit. 

Apart  from  its  merits  as  a  dessert  fruit,  the 
Apple  is  of  still  greater  value  for  cooking.  For 
this  purpose  the  fruit  should  be  large,  firm  in  flesh, 
juicy,  tart  in  flavour,  and  when  cooked  should 
shrink  but  little,  and  should  retain  its  form,  but 
should  be  easily  reduced  to  pulp  when  required. 


Nov.  8,    1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


399 


Apples  may  be  nsed  in  many  different  ways— baked 
whole,  or  peeled  and  sliced  for  tarts,  sauce,  pre- 
serves. Sec.  Prepared  in  any  of  these  ways,  the 
Apple  is  one  of  the  most  wholesome  and  nutritious 
of  all  cultivated  fruits.  Its  value  is  increased  by 
the  fact  that  it  can  be  had  in  perfection  all  the 
year  round  ;  indeed,  it  is  stated  that  one  variety, 
the  French  Crab,  will  keep  for  two  years. 
Stocks. 
These  aie  raised  from  seed,  suckers,  layers,  or 
cuttings.  They  have,  it  is  believed,  the  power  of 
influencing  the  productiveness  and  size  of  the 
fruit  budded  or  grafted  on  them.  Young  stocks 
may  be  used  for  budding  or  grafting  when  they 
have  attained  from  half  an  inch  to  an  inch  in 
diaineter  where  the  bud  or  graft  is  to  be  interted. 
The  habit  of  the  stock  should  be  taken  into  consi- 
deration in  selecting  the  variety  that  is  to  be 
worked  on  it.  If  the  stock  grows  more  vigorously 
than  the  bud  or  scion,  an  enlargement  occurs 
below  the  point  of  union  ;  but  if  the  scions  grow 
more  vigorously  than  the  stock,  an  enlargement 
takes  place  immediately  above  it.  In  either  case 
the  tree  is  usually  rendered  more  fruitful  during 
its  term  of  existence,  which,  when  the  stock  grows 
slowly,  is  frequently  of  short  duration.  It  is, 
therefore,  important  to  employ  stocks  the  growth 
of  which  is  similar  to  that  of  the  tree 
from  which  the  grafts  or  buds  were  obtained. 
The  stocks  generally  employed  are  the  Crab,  the 
free  stock,  and  the  Paradise.  Crab  stocks  are 
raised  by  sowing  seeds  of  the  wild  Crab.  Apples 
woiked  on  this  stock  are  the  most  durable,  the 
most  vigorous  in  growth,  and  the  least  liable  to 
disease.  Free  stocks  are  produced  from  the  seeds 
of  the  cultivated  Apple.  The  foregoing  are  the 
best  stocks  for  standard  or  orchard  trees.  The 
Paradise  stock,  of  which  there  are  several  varie- 
ties, all  of  them  being  of  a  dwarf  character,  is 
increased  by  layers  or  suckers.  The  Doucin,  being 
of  intermediate  growth  between  the  Crab  stock 
and  the  French  Paradise,  which  is  '•  the  smallest 
growing  sort,"  is  the  best  stock  for  pyramids, 
bushes,  or  cordons  to  be  planted  in  borders  round 
the  kitchen  garden,  or  in  situations  where  it  would 
be  inconvenient  to  have  a  large  tree.  It  exercises 
a  dwarfing  influence  on  any  variety  of  Apple 
worked  on  it,  and  induces  an  earlier  state  of  fruit 
bearing  than  would  otherwise  happen.  The  Para- 
dise is  most  suitable  for  heavy  land,  but  it  will 
succeed  very  well  in  light  ground  if  it  receives  an 
abundant  supply  of  manure.  The  roots  of  this 
stock  do  not  travel  so  far  away  from  the  stem  in 
search  of  nourishment  as  those  of  the  Crab  do  ; 
consequently,  the  soil  in  which  they  are  planted 
soon  becomes  exhausted  unless  liberally  supplied 
with  manure.  Moreover,  the  Paradise  stock  has 
the  natural  faculty  of  producing  its  roots  near  the 
surface,  a  consideration  of  the  highest  import- 
ance in  checking  a  too-vigoions  growth,  which 
seldom  becomes  thoroughly  ripened,  and  unless  it 
is,  the  flowers  usually  fall  off  shortly  after  they 
expand.  In  nurseries  where  Apple  trees  are  raised 
by  thousands  every  year  the  all  but  universal  cus- 
tom is 

P.UDDIKG, 

this  method  being  the  most  expeditious  and 
certain.  Budding  is  usually  performed  in  July  and 
August  (any  which  fail  to  take  may  be  grafted  in 
the  following  spring),  but  the  precise  time  must 
be  determined  by  the  state  of  the  bark  both  in  the 
case  of  the  bud  and  stcck.  The  bark  in  both  in- 
stances must  separate  freely  from  the  wood  that  is 
underneath  it,  for  if  either  be  deficient  in  this 
respect,  there  will  be  little  chance  of  success.  The 
secret  of  success  is  in  having  the  bud  and  stock  in 
a  proper  condition  ;  the  bud  should  be  perfectly 
formed,  and  should  be  taken  from  the  middle  of 
a  shoot  of  the  current  year's  growth.  Buds  near 
the  base  do  not  part  freely,  and  those  near  the 
top  are  imperfectly  ripened.  When  both  are  in 
proper  condition,  the  operator  should  choose  the 
shoots  from  which  he  is  to  obtain  the  buds  and  re- 
move the  leaves  therefrom  to  prevent  loss  of  sap  by 
evaporation,  leavirg  part  of  the  leaf-stalk  to 
serve  as  a  handle  for  inserting  the  bud. 
The  severed  ends  of  the  shoots  should  then  be 
placed  in  a  bucket  of   water  and  shaded   from 


bright  sunshine ;  then  proceed  to  make  a  T" 
shaped  incision  in  the  bark  of  the  main  stem  of 
the  stock  as  near  the  ground  as  may  be  conve- 
nient. Great  care  should  be  exercised  in  raising  the 
lark  of  the  stock,  for  if  the  cambium  layer  is  in- 
jured it  becomes  less  capable  of  effecting  a  union 
between  bud  and  stock.  The  bud  should  then  be 
removed  with  a  portion  of  bark  somewhat  shield- 
shaped,  and  about  three-quarters  of  an  inch  in 
length.  Remove  the  small  portion  of  wood  under- 
neath the  bud,  and  insert  the  latter  as  quickly  as 
possible  ;  then  bind  it  securely  with  moist  raffia, 
by  passing  it  round  the  stock  immediately  above 
and  below  the  bud.  The  cut  part  of  the  bark 
should  he  entirely  covered  with  raffia  or  other 
tying  material  to  exclude  the  air  and  preserve  the 
bud  in  a  moist  state;  thus  the  union  will  be 
effected  more  quickly  than  if  the  cut  farts  are  ex- 
posed to  the  air. 

Gbapting. 
This  consists  in  placing  a  scion  or  part  of  a 
branch  of  one  plant  upon  the  stem,  branch,  or  root 
of  another,  which  must  be  of  a  nearly  allied 
species.  By  grafting  seedling  plants  they  will 
produce  fruit  earlier  than  on  their  own  roots. 
There  are  several  modes  of  grafting,  but  whip  or 
tongue  is  the  mode  usually  employed.  It  is  not 
only  the  most  certain,  but  also  the  most  expedi- 
tious in  the  case  of  young  stocks  which  are  of 
about  the  same  thickness  as  the  scions.  The  grafts 
or  scions  should  be  of  the  previous  season's  growth 
and  well  ripened.  They  should  be  cut  off  in 
January  or  February,  bound  in  bundles,  and  cor- 
rectlv  labelled  ;  their  lower  ends  should  then  be 
placed  in  sand  or  soil  on  a  border  in  a  northern 
aspect,  or  some  such  situation,  where  they  will 
be  cool  and  shaded  from  sunshine,  so  as  to 
retard  their  growth  until  the  sap  is  rising 
in  the  stock.  Whip  or  tongue  grafting  is  per- 
formed by  heading  down  the  stock  to  the  de- 
sired height,  then  inserting  a  sharp  knife  about 
2  inches  below  where  the  head  of  the  stock  was 
removed,  and  with  one  smooth  upward  cut  re- 
moving a  thin  slice  of  bark  and  wood.  About  the 
middle  of  this  cut  a  thin  tongue  three-eighths  of 
an  inch  in  length  should  be  made  by  inserting  the 
knife  and  pressing  it  downwards.  The  graft  or 
scion  should  have  three  or  four  buds,  one  of  which 
should  be  at  the  lower  end  to  assist  in  uniting  it 
to  the  stock  ;  it  should  be  prepared  by  making  a 
sloping  cut  on  the  lower  end  to  correspond  with 
that  on  the  stock.  A  tongue  should  be  cut  similar 
to  that  in  the  stock,  but  in  an  upward  instead  of  a 
downward  direction.  The  tongue  does  not  assist 
in  uniting  the  stock  and  scion,  but  serves  to  hold 
the  scion  in  position  until  it  is  bound.  The  scion 
should  be  placed  on  the  stock.iuEerting  the  tongue 
of  the  former  into  that  of  the  latter.  They  must  be 
carefully  adjusted,  so  that  the  edge  of  the  inner 
bark  of  the  scion  will  fit  exactly  the  inner  bark 
of  the  stock  on  one  side  at  least;  they  should  then 
be  bound  firmly  together,  but  not  so  tightly 
as  to  injure  the  bark,  with  raffia  or  bast, 
beginning  1  inch  below  where  the  graft  is  put  on 
and  continuing  to  the  top  of  the  stock.  Grafting 
wax  or  clay  should  now  be  applied  to  those  por- 
tions of  the  stock  and  scion  that  are  joined  to- 
gether. If  clay  is  used,  the  stocks  should  be 
planted  in  the  bottom  of  a  drill  so  that  when  the 
soil  is  levelled  down  it  would  cover  the  clay  and 
prevent  it  from  cracking  or  falling  off.  If  the 
grafts  are  put  on  too  high  for  soiling  up,  and  clay 
is  used,  it  should  be  wrapped  in  Sphagnum  Moss 
and  kept  moist.  The  use  of  was  or  clay  is  to  ex- 
clude the  air  until  such  time  as  a  union  is  effected. 
Choose  young  trees  of  a  free  vigorous  growth, 
avoiding  those  of  a  weakly,  stunted  character,  as 
such  plants  seldom  grow  into  healthy  free-bearing 
trees.  Never  purchase  fruit  trees  with  Moss  or 
Lichen  growing  on  them,  nor  any  affected  with 
canker,  American  blight,  or  any  other  injurious 
insect  or  disease,  but  select  such  as  have  a  smooth, 
clean,  shining  bark— a  clear  indication  of  health. 
Trees  that  have  been  budded  or  grafted  from  four 
to  five  years  are  the  most  suitable  for  making  new 
plantations.  Such  trees  should  be  i  feet  or  .5  feet 
in  height  and  well  fet  with  flower-buds.  Although 
the  first  cost  is  greater  for  such  trees  than  for 


smaller  ones,  it  will  be  found  that  they  are  much 
cheaper  in  the  long  run.  Young  trees  should  have 
a  regular,  well-balanced  growth,  for  those  which 
are  irregular  or  one-sided  require  a  large  amount 
of  time  and  training  to  bring  them  into  shape, 
and  they  seldom  develop  into  trees  of  handsome 
form.  Amateurs  who  have  not  convenience  for 
raising  a  suflrcient  number  of  young  trees  will 
generally  find  it  best  to  get  them  from  a  nursery- 
man. W.  Nbild. 
(To  he  continued.) 


EXKTER  APPLE  FAIR. 


This,  the  first  exhibition  of  the  kind  held  in 
Exeter,  was  formally  opened  on  the  3Uth  ult.  It 
took  place  in  the  Lower  Market  in  Fore  Street, 
and,  although  only  thought  of  towards  the  end  of 
September,  a  good  working  committee,  headed  by 
the  mayor,  was  soon  formed,  who  brought  the 
affair  to  a  successful  issue.  The  principal  object 
was  to  attract  attention  to  the  recognised  best 
sorts  of  Apples  and  Pears,  and  thus  conduce  to 
an  improvement  in  the  special  culture  of  these 
fruit  in  the  county  of  Devon.  Competition  was 
open  only  to  English-grown  fruit,  of  which  there 
were  collections  frcm  Essex,  Maidstone,  Tenbury, 
Hereford,  Isle  of  Wight,  &c.  The  finest  exhibit 
came  frcm  Mr.  John  Watkins,  of  Pomona  Farm, 
Hereford.  It  consisted  of  twenty-five  dishes  of 
six  fruits  each,  but  by  some  mistake  only  twenty- 
four  dishes  were  staged,  and  therefore  it  was  dis- 
qualified. It  contained,  among  other  sorts,  large 
and  highly  coloured  specimens  of  Blenheim 
Orange,  Beauty  of  Kent,  Striped  Beaufin,  Cellini, 
Eibston,  Winter  Quoining,  and  King  of  the  Pip- 
pins. The  first  prize  (two  guineas,  given  by  the 
Vegetarian  Society,  Manchester)  was  awarded  to 
Mr  H.  Berwick,  Sidmouth.  Among  his  best  frurts 
were  Beauty  of  Kent,  Royal  Russet,  Wareham  Rus- 
set Brabant  Bellefleur,  Blenheim  Orange,  and  Alex- 
andra Russet.  Mr.C.G.  Sclater  was  second;  his  col- 
lection contained  capital  specimens  of  Gravenstem, 
Winter  Warden,  Scarlet  Pearmain,  Golden  Noble, 
Buff  Coat,  Cox's  Orange  Pippin,  and  King  of  the 
Pippins.  In  twelve  dishes  of  culinary  Apples  Mr. 
J.  Ham,  Budlake  Farm,  Broadclyst,  was  first; 
among  his  best  fruit  were  Dumelow's  Seedling, 
Hoary  Morning,  Beauty  of  Wilts,  Tcm  Putt^ 
Gravenstein,  and  Warners  King.  In  the  class  of 
six  dishes  of  culinary  Apples,  Mr.  W.  P.lackmore 
was  first  with  sorts  similar  to  those  just  named. 
For  twelve  dessert  kinds,  Mr.  C.  G.  Sclater  was 
first  with  beautiful  dishes  of  Blenheim,  Lord 
Burghley,  Ross  Nonpareil,  Old  Nonpareil,  Winter 
Warden,  Ribston  Pippin,  Adam's  I'earmain,  atd 
others.  In  class  eight,  six  dishes,  first  prize  2 
guineas,  given  by  the  mayor,  fine  dishes  of  Cornish 
Gilliflower  were  among  the  exhibits. 

Foe  Peaes  there  were  fourteen  classes,  but  they 
were  not  so  strongly  represented  as  Apples, 
although  some  very  fine  dishes  were  staged.  In 
class  twenty-five,  six  dishes,  five  fruits  each.  Sir  T. 
D  Acland,  Bart.,  was  first,  the  sorts  being  Doy- 
enub  du  Cornice,  weighings  lbs.  2  ozs. :  Pitmastcn 
Duchess,  G  lbs.  10  czs.,the  two  heaviest  being  1  lb. 
!)  ozs  each  (both  these  sorts  were,  Mr.  Garland 
said,  from  pyramid  trees).  The  collection  also 
contained  Easter  Eeurre,  Glou  Morceau,  and 
Winter  Nelis,  one  of  the  latter  weighing  10  ozs. 
Mr  Berwick  was  second  with  good  dishes  of  Mane 
Louise,  Beurre  Diel,  Beurre  Clairgeau,  Uvedale's 
St  Germain,  and  Catillac.  Mr.  Searle  was  third 
with  Beurre-  de  Capiaumont,  Beurru  Diel,  Esster 
Beurre  Bergamot  d'Esperen,  Victoria,  and  Nou- 
veau  Poiteau.  In  classes  for  single  dishes,  most  of 
the  above  dessert  kinds  were  shown,  but  magnifi- 
cent fruit  of  Catillac  came  from  Sir  B.  Samuelson, 
and  very  fine  fruit  of  Uvedale's  St.  Germain  frcm 
Mr.  J.  Blythe  and  Mr.  T.  Hussey. 

In  addition  to  the  competitive  exhibits  there 
were  large  collections  for  exhibition  only.  Messrs 
R  Veitch  and  Son  showed  120  dishes  of  named 
sorts  grown  in  their  nursery;  Messrs.  Luce  ml  r, 
Pince.and  Co.  had  100  named  sorts:  and  Metsr^. 
Bunyard  sent  100  dishes  from  Maidstone.  Tl  e 
competition  was  very  keen  in  the  Ibhty-cgbt 
classes,  the  whole  of  the  fruit  being  exceptionally 


400 


THE    GARDEN 


[Nov.  8,  1884. 


good,  2000  dishes  being  staged.  It  may  be 
remarked  that  many  of  the  Apples  were  quite 
polished  by  being  rubbed  with  a  cloth,  a  process 
which  detracts  rather  than  adds  to  their  beauty. 
Quite  different  was  the  appearance  of  Mr.  Ham's 
dish  of  highly  coloured  Hoary  Morning,  covered 
with  their  beautiful  thick,  hoar-frost-like  bloom. 

G.J. 


Large-sized  Peaches.— Undoubtedly  Mr. 
Bivers  has  distributed  too  many  varieties,  and 
some  of  them,  like  Lord  and  Lady  Falmerston, 
with  hardly  any  good  qualities  but  size  of  fruit. 
Princess  of  Wales,  although  not  first  class  in 
flavour,  is  a  very  useful  late  Peach,  and  almost 
indispensable  notwithstanding  its  great  size.  On 
the  other  hand.  Goshawk  is  one  of  the  best 
flavoured  Peaches  grown,  and  an  extremely  good 
variety  for  forcing.  Sea  Eagle  is  another  very 
valuable  kind,  but  it  is  sour  in  some  soils,  even 
under  glass.  Golden  Eagle  is  good,  and  this  year 
has  been  a  great  success  on  the  open  wall  in  many 
places,  and  the  same  remark  applies  to  Magdala. 
Early  Rivers,  as  is  well  known,  cracks  in  some 
soils,  and  in  others  does  not.  In  many  Cornish 
gardens  it  is  a  great  favourite.  Early  Louise  is 
put  altogether  out  of  court  by  Hale's  Early.  Be- 
sides Mr.  Kivers'  seedlings  there  are  other  valuable 
varieties,  the  good  qualities  of  which  are  by  no 
means  widely  known.  They  are  High's  Early 
Canada,  Tippicanoe,  a  very  free  setting,  good 
flavoured,  mid-season  Peach  of  medium  size,  and 
Frogmore  Golden.  This  latter  is  one  of  the 
hardiest  varieties  grown,  and  is  as  good  flavoured 
as  any  of  the  yellow-fleshed  kinds.  Malta,  again, 
I  have  seen  ripening  magnificent  fruit  on  an  east 
wall,  but  that  was  in  the  days  when  Peaches 
would  do  out-of-doors  without  glass  copings.  Two 
of  the  best  late  Peaches  are  Thames  Bank  and 
Desse  Tardive,  and  it  is  a  mystery  to  anybody  who 
knows  Marquis  of  Downshire  that  it  is  not  one  of 
the  most  popular  varieties  grown.  Raymackers 
is  exquisitely  flavoured,  but  a  shy  bearer  and  bad 
to  force.  Prince  of  Wales,  Exquisite,  and  Tar- 
dive d'Oullins  I  have  never  seen  good,  and  Early 
Ascot,  although  fair,  is  not  worth  growing.  A  Bee 
and  Dymond  are  now  well  known.  Chancellor 
and  Belle  Beauce,  if  you  get  the  true  varieties,  are 
of  great  utility.  The  very  early  Belle  Beauce 
which  many  nurserymen  supply  is  not  extra  good. 
— C.  A.  M.  Cakmichael. 

Dishonest  exhibitors.— I  am  glad  to  see 
dishonest  work  at  exhibitions  exposed,  as  I  have 
known  it  to  be  done  in  more  cases  than  one. 
Some  fourteen  years  ago  I  was  foreman  at  a  large 
fruit-growing  establishment.  The  head  gar- 
dener said  to  me  one  day,  just  before  a  large  fruit 
and  flower  show,  "  ]  am  going  out  this  evening  ; 
should  Mr.  So-and-so  call  while  I  am  away,  show 
him  round  and  let  him  have  whatever  he  wants." 
I  answered,  "  Yes."  We  had  not  parted  more  than 
ten  minutes  before  Mr.  So-and-so  arrived,  bringing 
with  him  a  conveyance  and  a  number  of  small 
hampers.  He  looked  round,  and  said,  "  ^Vell,  it  is 
evident  I  can  get  what  I  want  here."  He  took  two 
bunches  of  Black  Hamburgh  Grapes.  Muscats, 
he  said,  he  had  better  himself,  but  he  took  two  of 
Buckland  Sweetwater,  also  a  dish  of  President 
Strawbe:rry,  a  dish  of  Elruge  Nectarines,  a  Queen 
Pine,  and  a  scarlet  and  green-fleshed  Melon.  These 
he  packed  up  and  took  his  departure.  Next  day, 
at  the  fruit  show,  six  dishes  out  of  ten  staged 
were  from  our  place— the  fruit  cut  the  night  before. 
The  other  four  were  his  own  growing,  and  he  was 
awarded  a  flrst  prize,  value  £o.  Everybody  re- 
marked what  fine  fruit  Mr.  So-and-so  had  got. 
No  wonder,  thought  I,  when  he  had  two  large  gar- 
dens to  choose  from.  How.  I  ask,  can  a  honest 
grower  cope  with  such  men  as  that  1  Moreover,  1 
am  sorry  to  say,  frauds  of  this  kind  are  not  con- 
fined to  fruit  only,  but  extend  also  to  plants.  A 
silver  cup  was  offered  for  some  bulbous-rooted 
flowering  plants  (the  exact  number  I  forget),  and 
in.  this  instance  every  plant  staged  but  one  was 
bought,  and  that  was  a  potf  ul  of  Lily  of  the  Valley. 
The  same  exhibitor  staged  a  quantity  of  Chrysan- 
themums in  pots,  fine  plants,  and,  to  use  his  own 
words,  the  judges,  he  said,  "  were  rather  doubtful 


about  them  being  genuine.  They  took  hold  of 
them,  and  tugged  away  at  them  to  find  if  they 
were  stuck  in  the  pots."  "  How  did  you  treat 
them  ?  "  I  enquired.  He  said,  "  I  put  three  plants 
into  one,  tied  the  balls  together  with  copper  wire, 
put  them  into  pots  two  sizes  larger  than  those 
they  were  in,  and  rammed  the  soil  round  them." 
He  admitted,  however,  that  they  showed  towards 
night  that  something  was  wrong,  and  thought  he 
never  would  have  had  the  prize  money,  but  he  had 
it,  and  it  was  paid  without  a  murmur.  In  another 
case  a  gardener  showed  a  collection  of  fruit  and 
gained  a  prize  (but  not  the  first  this  time),  and 
out  of  the  ten  dishes  staged,  only  two  dishes  were 
his  own  growing.  "  Correspondent's "  case  of 
Peach  exhibiting  is  nothing  compared  with  what 
I  have  just  related.  I  am  glad,  however,  to  find 
that  there  are  still  some  "  gardeners  "  left  who 
stand  up  for  honesty  at  exhibitions,  and  I  trust 
that  evil  doing  may  be  put  a  stop  to. — A  Lover 
OF  Faie  Play. 

Tomatoes  v.  wasps.— "Belfast'  (p.  339) 
recommends  growing  Tomatoes  in  a  vinery  as  a 
prevention  to  wasps  attacking  the  Grapes.  I  have 
charge  of  a  large  vinery  in  which  Tomatoes  are 
grovring  up  the  back  wall,  and  stUl  the  wasps  are 
now  and  have  been  very  troublesome. — Berks. 

The  only  way  to  preserve  Grapes  from  the 

ravages  of  wasps  is  to  prevent  their  getting 
at  them,  which  can  be  effectively  done  by  cover- 
ing the  ventilators  with  hexagon  netting.  This 
bids  defiance  not  only  to  wasps,  but  also  to  every 
other  winged  depredator.  It  also  acts  beneficially 
in  robbing  the  air  of  its  moisture  in  passing 
through  it,  thus  rendering  fire  heat  less  needed  to 
keep  the  air  snfliciently  dry  to  insure  good  preser- 
vation of  the  Grapes.  I  find  the  hexagon  netting 
to  be  the  most  effectual  fruit  protector  we  have 
for  all  purposes,  and  for  cheapness  and  durability 
combined  it  has  no  rival. — R.  Westcott,  Hahi/ 
Castle,  Darlington. 


G-umming  Roses. — At  our  last  show  a  case 
of  gumming  Roses  was  discovered,  and  after  the 
exhibitor  had  prevaricated  and  then  confessed,  he 
was  unanimously  disqualified.  Afterwards,  at  his 
solicitation,  it  was  resolved  to  obtain  an  opinion 
from  the  National  Rose  Society,  and  to  reconsider 
the  resolution  of  disqualification  if  necessary.  To 
our  astonishment,  after  waiting  some  months,  we 
received  from  the  hon.  secretary  a  "  decision  "  that 
the  exhibitor  was  not  disqualified,  and  that  the 
medals  had  been  sent  to  him.  To  this  treatment 
the  committee  decidedly  object,  and  have  pro- 
tested their  discontent.  Until  this  time  we  had 
thought  the  National  Society  represented  the 
English  rosarians,  but  this  extraordinary  action 
led  us  to  doubt  whether  it  was  really  a  represen- 
tative body.  We  therefore  addressed  a  letter  to 
about  thirty  of  the  leading  Rose  growers  in  Eng- 
land, and  are  not  a  little  pleased  to  find  that 
they  strongly  condemn  the  practice  and  award 
disqualification  as  the  punishment,  exactly  as  we 
did  and  exactly  as  the  National  Rose  Society  did 
not. — A.  Johnson,  hin.  secretary,  Leelt  Base 
Society. 

RECENT  PLANT  PORTRAITS. 

Ravenia  Hildebranti  {IManical  Magazine, 
plate  6776)  — A  very  elegant  dwarf  Palm,  a  native 
of  the  Comoro  Islands.  The  plant  figured  flowered 
last  summer  on  the  shelf  of  the  I'alm  house  at 
Kew  while  still  quite  a  small  plant. 

Crinum  ledcophyllum  {Botanwal  Magazine, 
plate  6783).— A  very  curious  new  Crinum  of  the 
asiaticum  group.  It  is  a  native  of  Damaraland, 
in  Central  Africa,  whence  the  bulb  of  the  plant 
here  figured  was  brought  in  1880  by  a  Danish  sea 
captain,  from  whom  it  was  bought  for  the  Kew 
collection,  and  flowered  for  the  first  time  in 
August,  1881.  It  is  peculiar  for  its  very  large 
bulb,  very  short,  stout,  flattened  peduncle,  and 
very  numerous  fragrant  pink  flowers.  An  exceed- 
ingly handsome  varietj'. 

Dendkobium  addncum  (Botanical  Magazine, 
plate  6784).— A  rather  pretty  Orchid  from  China, 


with    medium-sized  solitary  purple-lilac  flowers 
with  creamy  centres. 

PINGUICULA  HIETIFLORA  {Botanical Magazine, 
plate  6785). — A  pretty  little  plant,  native  of  Italy 
and  Greece,  with  small  purple-lilac  flowers.  The 
specimen  here  figured  was  sent  to  Kew  by  Miss 
C.  BI.  Owen,  of  Gorey,  Ireland.  It  has  also  been 
described  under  the  following  synonyms  :  P.  me- 
gaspilaja,  P.  albanica,  P.  lusitanica.  It  requires 
the  protection  of  a  cool  pit. 

TULIPA  PEIMULINA  (Botanical  Magazine,  plate 
6786). — An  interesting  new  Tulip  discovered  by 
Mr.  Elwes  in  May,  1882,  in  the  Aures  Mountains, 
in  Eastern  Algeria.  The  flower  is  very  fragrant, 
with  funnel-shaped  perianth  of  a  pale  primrose- 
yellow  suffused  with  red  on  the  back. 

Iris  hesagona  (Botanical  3fagazine,  plate 
6787). — A  very  distinct,  tall,  showy  species  of  Iris, 
from  the  Southern  United  States,  with  large, 
bright  purple  flowers.  Sent  to  Kew  by  Professor 
Michael  Foster,  F.R.S.  Of  doubtful  hardiness, 
but  well  worth  protection  from  frost. 

W.  E.  G. 


GARDEN    FLORA. 


PLATE  465. 

ROMNEYA  COULTBRL* 

Among  plants  of  recent  introduction  perhaps  none 

surpass  in   stately   beauty   this   fine  Californian 


fruit  Lif  Eonineya  Coultiri. 

Poppjwort.  In  favourable  localities  it  has  this 
year  flowered  freely  on  lengths  of  the  current 
year's  growth  fully  7  feet  high,  when,  with  some 
twelve  or  fifteen  flowers  in  bloom  at  the  same 
time,  the  plant  has  a  truly  imposing  appearance. 
The  flowers  are  of  a  peculiarly  delicate  texture, 
the  petals  scarcely  opaque,  and  yet  enduring  in 
a  good  state  for  many  days ;  their  fragrance  is 
equally  delicate,  sometiiing  like  that  of  a  Mag- 
nolia. It  is  perennial,  but  not  herbaceous,  and 
the  deeply-cut,  glaucous  foliage  is  retained  through- 
out the  winter.  It  does  not  appear  to  flower  on 
the  last  year's  growth,  though  that  growth  re- 
mains in  good  condition.  The  flowers  are  borne 
mainly  on  the  points  of  the  new  shoots  and  on 
laterals  nearest  the  points,  but  more  sparingly 
on  the  lower  laterals. 

The  capabilities  of  this  fine  plant  have  as  yet 
hardly  been  fully  tested  in  our  climate,  but  we 
may  consider  it  hardy  in  genial  soils  in  our 
southern  counties.  It  certainly  enjoys  a  warm, 
sandy  soil.  One-year-old  plants  in  a  garden  on 
*  Drawn  at  Munstead,  Godalmiug,  July  20. 


Nov.  8,  1884.] 


THE   GARDEN 


401 


clay  have  grown  but  poorly,  while  others  from  the 
same  batch  on  a  warm,  peaty  sand,  in  an  elevated 
position,  have  grown  vigorously  and  flowered 
abundantly,  blooming  continuously  from  the  end 
of  June  to  the  end  of  September.  It  would  pro- 
bably do  Vfell  in  many  places  against  or  near  a 
wall  with  a  southern  or  western  aspect.  It  seems 
unwilling  to  be  propagated  by  cuttings  or  layers, 
and  seed  ripens  sparingly  in  England,  but  it  is 
now  being  imported  from  California,  so  that  we 
may  hope  before  long  to  see  this  grand  plant  at 
home  in  many  gardens.  The  flower  shown  in  the 
plate  is  one  of  moderate  size ;  they  are  frequently 
larger. 

NOTES  FKOM  THE  CONTINENT. 
New  way  of  growing  Caladlums.— In 

the  January  number  of  the  Journal  of  the  Tuscan 
Horticultural  Society  M.  Nencioni  describes  a 
method  of  growing  Caladiums  which,  so  far  as  I 
am  aware,  is  not  practised  in  this  country.  M. 
Nencioni's  object  is  to  have  the  plants  just  coming 
into  full  beauty  when  in  a  general  way  they  have 
died  down,  and  this  is  accomplished  by  starting 
the  tubers  the  first  year  in  May  and  June  and  the 
second  year  in  August  and  September,  so  that  in 
two  seasons  the  growing  and  resting  periods  are 
entirely  reversed,  and  the  plants  are  in  full  growth 
during  the  winter  months.  It  is,  of  course,  a 
great  advantage  to  have  these  fine-leaved  plants  in 
full  vigour  in  the  winter  time,  for  Caladiums  are 
almost  matchless  as  regards  decorative  value,  and 
a  few  well  grown  plants  would  render  a  warm 
house  very  attractive  through  the  dullest  months 
of  the  year.  One  distinct  advantage  gained  by 
this  way  of  growing  Caladiums  should  be  men- 
tioned. The  task  of  preserving  the  tubers  whe  i 
at  rest  is  much  facilitated,  as  it  will  be  readily 
understood  that  the  requisite  preservative  condi- 
tions can  more  easily  be  maintained  in  summer 
than  in  the  coldest  months  of  the  year. 

Date  Palms. — It  will  probably  be  new  to 
most  of  your  readers  that  quite  150  more  or  less 
distinct  varieties  of  the  Date  Palm  are  in  cultiva- 
tion. A  list  recently  published  in  the  Journal 
d' AccJimatatioti  gives  nearly  that  number,  and 
it  is  quite  probable  that  as  many  more  are 
grown  by  the  Arabs  in  the  oases  of  the  Sahara. 
No  doubt  the  Date  Palm  amongst  the  Arabs 
occupies  a  position  somewhat  analogous  to  that 
of  the  Apple  with  us,  with  the  important  differ- 
ence, that  the  fruit  of  the  former  is  a  neces- 
sity of  Arab  life,  so  that  surprise  need  not  be  felt, 
seeing  how  easily  this  Palm  is  raised  from  seed, 
that  so  many  varieties  of  it  exist.  In  the  list  re 
ferred  to  the  varieties  enumerated  may  be  roughly 
divided  into  two  classes,  the  one  composed  of 
those  which  keep  well  for  a  year,  the  other  con 
taining  only  such  as  must  be  eaten  when  ripe.  In 
other  respects  the  various  kinds  seem  to  differ 
considerably  from  each  other,  both  as  regards 
vigour,  fertility,  and  colour  of  fruits.  In  illustra- 
tion of  this  I  take  No.  1  on  the  list,  the  El  Holo- 
naia,  which  is  described  as  "  tall  and  slight  of 
growth ;  fruit  of  middling  size,  very  mild  in  flavour, 
golden  yellow  in  colour,  and  of  excellent  quality. 
Kipe  in  October,  keeps  well,  bears  twelve  clusters 
of  fruit."  No.  10  is  the  Tadala,  "low  in  growth, 
fruit  large,  white,  dry,  and  much  esteemed  by  the 
Arabs."  No.  47  is  Baar  el  Maar,  "a  big  Palm 
bearing  from  ten  to  twelve  clusters  ;  fruit  medium, 
green,  soft,  and  good."  No.  100  is  the  Eobel 
el  Uadjen,  a  "  tall-growing,  robust  kind,  producing 
from  eight  to  nine  clusters  ;  fruit  large,  soft,  and 
green  in  colour."  No.  125,  the  El  Aden  Nouri, 
a  "  tall-growing  kind,  slender,  bearing  from 
seven  to  ten  clusters,  the  fruit  being  long,  black, 
and  dry."  From  the  above  examples  a  good  no- 
tion may  be  obtained  of  how  these  diflierent 
varieties  of  the  Eate  I'alm  vary  both  as  regards 
proportions,  colour  of  fruit,  and  fertility. 

Tropaeolum  digltatum.  —  Although  dis- 
covered some  years  ago  on  the  mountains  of  Jle- 
rida,  in  Columbia,  by  M.  Karsten,  and  introduced 
to  the  Botanical  Gardens  of  Berlin,  this  Tropaeo- 


lum was  apparently  not  in  cultivation  until  re- 
cently re-introduced  by  Messrs.  Haage  &  Schmidt, 
of  Erfurt,  who  have  succeeded  in  growing  it  well. 
According  to  the  GartenHora,  in  which  it  is 
figured  and  described,  it  has  some  aflinity  to  T. 
aduncum  and  Heyuianum,  but  is  distinct  from 
them.  The  flowers  are  orange-yellow  in  cclour, 
with  a  large  red  spur,  the  division  of  the  calyx 
being  of  a  fine  green,  whilst  the  petals,  which  are 
of  unequal  sizes,  are  strongly  fringed.  The  sta- 
mens have  red  filaments,  the  anthers  being  bluish 
green.  Kaised  from  seed  in  warmth  in  February 
and  planted  out  in  spring,  this  Tropasolum  makes 
a  fine  effect  in  summer,  or  it  may  be  raised  during 
the  summer  months  and  wintered  in  a  cool  house. 
It  may  also  be  propagated  by  means  of  cuttings. 

Plum  Bonne  de  Bry.— In  July  of  thi^ 
year,  M.  Sellier,  cultivator,  of  Bry-sur-Marne' 
brought  some  branches  loaded  with  fruit  of  a 
Plum  largely  grown  in  that  commune,  but  which, 
curiously  enough,  does  not  appear  to  have  been 
known  to  French  fruit  growers  generally,  to  the 
meeting  of  the  National  Horticultural  Society  of 
France.  The  fruit  committee,  being  highly 
impressed  with  the  quality  and  exceptional 
precocity  of  this  Plum,  immediately  deputed 
some  of  its  members  to  visit  the  locality 
where  it  grows  and  investigate  its  merits. 
According  to  the  report  by  M.  Carriiire,  pub- 
lished in  the  journal  of  the  society,  this  Plum 
was  a  chance  seedling,  which  came  up  quite  by 
itself  in  a  field  about  sixty  years  ago.  For  a  long 
time  it  was  but  little  heeded  ;  it  is  only  some 
fifteen  years  since  that  it  became  an  object  of 
speculation  on  the  part  of  the  local  fruit  growers, 
and  it  is  but  recently  that  it  was  christened  Bonne 
de  Bry.  The  strangest  part  of  the  affair  is  that 
for  a  long  time  considerable  quantities  of  it  have 
been  sold  in  the  Halles  Centrales  of  Paris,  where 
it  has  obtained  a  high  reputation,  and  yet  was, 
until  exhibited  by  M.  Sellier,  absolutely  unknown 
to  such  experienced  horticulturists  as  M.  Carri^re, 
M.  Baltet,  and  M.  Lepftre.  No  wonder  then,  consi- 
dering its  exceptional earliness,  that  itssuddenap- 
pearance  under  such  peculiar  circumstances  should 
have  created  somewhat  of  a  sensation  amongst 
the  members  of  the  fruit  committee.  M.  Carrifere 
states  that  the  tree  is  vigorous  and  wonderfully 
productive,  attaining  a  height  of  from  1-1  feet  to 
20  feet,  with  a  spreading,  rounded  head.  The 
branches,  which  are  long,  at  first  having  an  up- 
right tendency,  eventually  spread  out,  and  are, 
by  the  weight  of  the  fruit,  brought  into  a  droop- 
ing position,  so  that  the  tree  has  some  resem- 
blance to  a  Weeping  Willow.  The  fruit,  which  is  of 
a  fine  violet  when  ripe,  commences  to  ripen  very 
early  in  July.  The  skin  is  smooth,  covered 
with  a  beautifi:l  glaucous  bloom  ;  the  flesh, 
which  comes  away  freely  from  the  stone,  is  of  a 
greenish  yellow,  with  abundant  juice  ;  flavour  ex- 
cellent. The  trees  appear  to  be  all  growing 
in  one  particular  locality,  principally  amongst 
the  Raspberry  plantations  and  vineyards,  and 
are  from  suckers  which  spring  from  roots 
growing  near  the  surface.  So  highly  is  this  Plum 
esteemed  in  the  Paris  markets,  that  some  growers 
make  in  favourable  years  from  a  few  trees  as 
much  as  £130,  and  the  total  average  value  of  the 
crop*  in  the  district  is  estimated  at  about  £2000. 
M.c'arrii^reconcludeshisreportas follows:  "1.  The 
committee  of  inquiry  has  to  state  that  at  Bry-sur- 
Marne  there  exists  a  variety  of  Plum  which  up  to 
the  present  was  unknown  in  the  annals  of 
pomology,  although  every  year  its  fruit  has  been 
sold  in  the  markets  of  Paris  in  considerable  quan- 
tities, but  without  name  or  knowledge  of  its 
origin.  2.  That  it  is  owing  to  M.  Sellier 
that  the  National  Central  Society  of  Horticul- 
ture of  France  has  become  acquainted  with 
this  Plum,  which  will  be  much  grown,  and 
will  materially  contribute  to  the  fruit  supply 
of  our  markets."  The  only  conclusion  that  can  be 
drawn  from  the  above  is  that  Bonne  de  Bry  Plum 
is  one  of  the  most  valuable  hardy  fruits  in  culti- 
vation, probably  the  most  important  addition  that 
has  been  made  to  them  for  many  years.  It  seems 
to  have  every  quality  desired  by  the  grower  for 
profit,  its  remarkable  earliness  alone  being  enough 


to  recommend  it.  I  would  strongly  urge  English 
nurserymen  and  market  growers  to  endeavour  to 
secure  this  Plum  as  soon  as  possible,  for  it  un- 
doubtedly has  a  great  future.  There  are  no  better 
judges  of  the  commercial  value  of  a  hardy  fruit 
than  M.  Baltet,  of  Troyes,  and  M.  Lepfere.of  Mon- 
treuil,  and  they  appear  to  have  been  much  im- 
pressed with  its  value.  No  doubt  M.  Baltet  will 
take  prompt  measures  to  get  up  a  stock  of  it,  but 
probably  an  application  for  grafts  or  rooted 
suckers  {drayeons)  to  M.  Sellier,  of  Bry-sur- 
Marne,  who  is  one  of  the  largest  growers  of  it, 
would  meet  with  attention. 

M.  Oarriere. — Those  who  are  acquainted  with 
the  able  chief  editor  of  the  Iteviie  Ilorticolc,  or 
with  his  works,  will  be  pleased  to  learn  that  the 
French  Government  has  conferred  upon  him  the 
Cross  of  the  Legion  of  Honour.  Probably  no 
horticulturist  living  better  deserves  this  compli- 
ment than  M.  Carriftre,  who  has  ever  been  noted 
for  remarkable  activity,  great  practical  know 
ledge,  and  the  art  of  imparting  the  same  in  clear 
and  concise  language.  For  many  years  in  charge 
of  the  outdoor  department  of  the  Paris  Botanical 
Gardens,  he  possesses  an  intimate  knowledge  of 
hardy  plants  of  all  kinds,  their  capabilities  and 
propagation.  Besides  constantly  contributing 
valuable  articles  to  the  French  gardening  papers, 
M.  Carri^re  has  written  a  number  of  works,  some 
of  which  are  highly  esteemed.  The  most  impor- 
tant are  the  "  Propagator's  Guide,"  illustrated, 
which  is  considered  the  best  work  of  that  kind  in 
the  French  language ;  a  "  General  Treatise  on 
Conifers,""Encyclop!Ediaof  Gardening"  ("Encyclo- 
p6di6  Horticole  "),  and  "Obtaining  and  Fixing  Va- 
rieties of  Vegetables."  M.  Carrif're's  last  work  just 
issued  is  called  "  Ornamental  Fruit  Trees,"  and  is 
a  small  illustrated  volume  of  175  pages,  contain- 
ing all  necessary  information  concerning  those 
small  fruited  Apples  which  are  only  useful  from 
an  ornamental  point  of  view.  In  France  these 
ornamental  Apples  are  more  planted  than  with 
us.  John  Cobniiill. 

Byfieet,  Surrey. 


Kitchen   Garden. 

CARROT  CULTURE. 
A  DBEPLT-STIRBED  and  well-worked  soil  is  in- 
dispensable for  the  production  of  good  Carrots. 
The  fine  samples  of  the  Long  Surrey  and  Inter- 
mediate which  are  to  be  seen  all  the  winter 
through  in  Covent  Garden  are  grown  on  light  loam, 
verging  in  many  instances  on  sand.  In  such  soils 
the  roots  have  no  difficulty  in  getting  down,  and 
consequently  grow  straight  and  handsome.  It  is 
also  said  that  they  come  of  a  much  brighter 
colour  than  where  the  natural  staple  is  of  a 
tenacious  character.  If  theground  is  not  well  broken 
to  the  depth  of  from  a  foot  to  1 5  inches,  the  roots 
fork  and  are  deprived  of  half  their  market  value. 
There  is  no  occasion  to  work  light  soils  before  the 
beginning  of  March,  but  heavy  lands  ought  to 
be  thrown  up  in  ridges  for  the  winter ;  then  the 
frosts  and  winds,  followed  by  spring  sunshine, 
bring  it  into  that  fine  mellow  condition  which 
characterises  perfect  tilth.  Carrots  should  fol- 
low a  crop  for  which  the  ground  has  been  well 
manured,  so  that  no  manure  is  required  for  them. 
This  is  a  rule  invariably  followed  by  the  Surrey 
market  growers,  who  would  consider  the  dressing 
of  Carrot  ground  previous  to  sowing  as  almost  an 
act  of  insanity,  as  it  is  sure  to  cause  the  roots  to 
come  more  or  less  forked  and  rough  in  the  skin. 
If  manure  is  applied  at  all  it  should  be  very  old,  so 
as  to  resemble  earth  rather  than  manure,  when,  if 
thoroughly  incorporated  with  the  soil,  it  will  not 
produce  the  effects  above  alluded  to.  The  greatest 
enemies  of  the  Carrot  are 

WiEEWOEM,   BEOWN    GRUB,   AND   FLY,  the  twO 

former  attacking  the  roots,  the  latter  the  foliage. 
Gas  lime  and  a  mixture  of  salt  and  soot  are  popu- 
lar remedies  for  wireworm,  and  if  the  first-named 
is  :ipplied  in  the  beginning  of  the  winter  it  will 
doubtless  prove  eflicacious  without  injuring  the 
crop,  but  I  should  be  loth  to  lay  it  on  in  spring, 
or  if  I  did  so  it  would  be  in  very  moderate  quan- 


402 


THE    GARDEN 


[Nov.  8,  1884. 


tities,  for  it  is  as  powerful  an  agent  for  evil  as  for 
good.  Probably  a  moderate  dressing  of  salt  and 
soot  applied  when  the  ground  is  got  ready  will  be 
found  as  good  a  preventive  as  anything,  for  both 
these  materials  are  held  in  aversion  by  the  insect 
tribe,  and  they  are  both  fertilisers,  the  former 
helping  to  retain  moisture  in  the  soil,  the  latter 
imparting  colour  and  substance  to  the  foliage. 
So  far  as  I  am  aware,  there  is  no  remedy  for 
the  grub  but  that  of  hand-picking,  and  this 
must  be  followed  up  unremittingly  until  the 
roots  are  large  enough  to  withstand  its  attacks. 
Here,  where  Carrot  culture  has  formed  an  industry 
longer,  perhaps,  than  the  oldest  inhabitant  can 
remember,  no  remedy  but  this  has  been  found  for 
the  worst  of  Carrot  pests.  Should  any  of  your 
readers  know  of  any  preventive  or  remedial 
measure  of  fairly  easy  application,  I  wish  they 
would  make  the  same  known.  Hot,  dry  weather 
is  in  favour  of  the  grub  in  just  the  same  propor- 
tion as  it  is  against  the  plants,  as  from  want  of 
moisture  they  cannot  gather  suiBcient  strength 
and  growing  force  to  escape  from  its  persistent 
attacks.  This  year  it  has  been  very  troublesome, 
and  some  growers  were  afraid  to  thin  out,  as,  the 
crop  being  already  thin,  there  was  a  danger 
of  its  being  totally  destroyed.  As  soon  as  growers 
here  perceive,  by  the  drooping  foliage  here  and 
there,  that  the  grub  is  at  work,  they  visit  the  crop 
every  day  and  pick  out  the  grubs  which  are  sure 
to  be  found  near  the  surface. 

Carrot  fly. — With  respect  to  this  where  Car- 
rots are  grown  on  a  large  scale,  it  is  not  attempted 
to  be  dealt  with,  for  although  it  may  check  the 
plants  for  a  time,  a  showery  week  or  two  sets  them 
growing  at  such  a  rate  as  to  quickly  put  them  out 
of  danger.  It  is  only  in  harsh,  dry  weather  that 
the  fly  proves  troublesome,  and  then  it  turns  the 
foliage  to  a  rusty  brown,  or  what  is  called  foxy. 
By  May,  stored  roots  become  dry  and  flavourless, 
and  should  be  superseded  by  the  young,  tender, 
juicy  French  Horn  variety,  which,  if  sown  about 
the  beginning  of  February  on  a  gentle  hotbed,  will 
come  in  by  that  time.  This  is  the  kind  which  is 
60  largely  imported  into  this  country  from  France 
during  spring,  and,  strange  to  say,  although  the 
demand  for  them  has  been  constant,  our  market 
growers,  instead  of  taking  advantage  of  the  fact, 
have  allowed  their  French  brethren  to  almost 
monopolise  this  particular  branch  of  market  gar- 
dening industry.  As  1  have  previously  stated, 
early  Carrots  only  require  gentle  warmth,  but 
they  should  have  a  very  free  and  rich  soil. 
There  is  nothing  better  than  old  well-rotted 
manure,  the  output  of  hotbeds,  and  which  is  not 
distinguishable  from  earth,  but  this  is  not  to  be 
had  in  a  general  way  in  English  gardens,  although 
scarcely  ever  absent  in  Continental  ones  ;  there- 
fore the  most  suitable  material  at  command  must 
be  employed.  If  thinned  out  when  up  to  about 
3  inches  apart,  and  freely  ventilated  in  fine 
weather,  so  as  to  keep  the  foliage  dwarf  and 
healthy,  the  Carrots  will  come  juicy  and  of  excel- 
lent flavour  and  colour.  A  sowing  made  the  last 
week  in  January  and  another  about  the  middle  of 
February  will  keep  up  a  supply  until  the  first 
open-air  crops  come  in.  For  these  a  warm,  sunny 
border  is  the  best  place,  and  where  the  soil  is  by 
nature  somewhat  close  and  moisture-holding,  it 
should  if  possible  get  the  addition  of  some  light 
material,  and  in  any  case  should  be  well  stirred. 

The  main  crops  should  be  sown  about  the  first 
week  in  April;  then  they  get  a  long  season  of 
growth.  If  the  Intermediate  and  Long  Surrey 
are  sown  about  the  same  time,  the  former  lasts  from 
October  to  Christmas,  and  the  latter  continues  the 
supply  through  the  winter  until  the  Early  French 
Horn  again  comes  in.  In  Covent  Garden,  however. 
Long  Surreys  are  generally  in  demand  through 
May,  and  if  that  month  should  be  cold,  the  market 
grower  often  gets  a  better  price  for  them  then  than 
in  winter.  It  is,  however.'only  a  few  of  the  largest 
growers  who  have  them  at  that  time  of  year,  those 
who  have  a  limited  area  of  ground  devoted  to 
them  finishing  in  April.  In  sowing  for  the  main 
crop  it  is  best  to  do  so  in  drills  8  inches  apart,  as 
this  admits  of  easily  keeping  the  weeds  down,  and 
cleanliness  is  a  most  important  item  in   Carrot 


culture.  Few  things  so  soon  suffer  from  negligence 
in  this  respect,  and  a  crop  which  once  gets  overrun 
with  weeds  never  again  becomes  thoroughly 
thrifty.  As  soon  as  the  plants  can  be  seen  hoe- 
ing between  the  rows  should  be  done,  to  be  fol- 
lowed by  cutting  out  the  plants  to  3  inches  or 
i  inches  apart.  J.  C.  B. 


WINTER  CUCUMBERS. 

Those  who  were  able  to  turn  out  good  sturdy 
plants  into  the  Cucumber  house  any  time  during 
August  or  the  beginning  of  September  should 
now  be  cutting  good  fruit,  and  with  care  a  winter's 
crop  may  be  secured.  Thin  cropping  is  an  essen- 
tial feature  in  the  winter  cultivation  of  Cucum- 
bers, as  if  the  plants  once  become  exhausted  from 
a  heavy  yield  they  are  a  long  time  in  recovering 
their  strength,  and  stimulants  cannot  be  resorted 
to,  as  in  summer.  It  is  probable  that  the  unhealthy 
growth  often  seen  on  winter  Cucumbers  arises 
from  mistaken  kindness  in  over-feeding  and  in 
giving  too  much  fire-heat.  It  is  always  advisable 
at  this  season  to  look  through  the  Cucumber 
house  every  other  day,  stopping  and  thinning 
where  necessary,  in  order  to  avoid  the  removal  of 
a  quantity  of  superfluous  growth  at  one  time. 
Some  part  of  the  plant  should  always  be  moving 
during  the  dull  months.  If  all  young  growth  is 
stopped  at  once,  say  to-day,  the  effect  the  follow- 
ing morning  wOl  be  a  yellow  tinge  pervading  the 
foliage,  which  will  not  disappear  until  the  plant  is 
again  well  on  the  move.  This  may  generally  be 
managed  by  thinning  out  at  intervals  weakly 
growth,  and  allowing  the  strongest  breaks  to  run 
on  without  stopping  until  the  plant  is  again  fur- 
nished with  healthy  foliage.  The  roots  may  be 
slightly  sprinkled  with  soil  as  they  make  their  way 
to  the  surface,  this  little  occasional  help  being 
decidedly  preferable  to  heavy  top-dressing  all 
through  the  winter  months.  I  find  65°  to  be  a 
good  maximum  night  temperature  all  through  the 
winter  months,  and  unless  the  outdoor  thermome- 
ter runs  high,  this  point  should  not  be  exceeded.  I 
omitted  earlier  in  these  notes  to  enter  a  protest 
against  the  distance  from  the  glass  Cucumbers  are 
often  planted,  especially  in  small  span-roofed 
houses.  It  is  a  mistake,  and  the  origin  of  many 
failures.  If  the  collar  of  the  plant  when  first  put 
out  is  not  more  than  a  foot  from  the  glass,  so  much 
the  better.  I  have  found  the  few  rules  enumerated 
above  of  service  in  keeping  up  a  supply  of  winter 
Cucumbers,  always  providing  (and  this  is  an  im- 
portant feature)  a  good  ^healthy  plant  has  been 
turned  out  not  later  than  the  middle  of  Septem- 
ber. To  defer  planting  until  autumn  is  well 
advanced,  and  then  to  fire  away  sharply  at  weakly 
stuff  in  the  hope  of  getting  plenty  of  Cucumbers 
through  the  winter  is  time,  plants,  and  firing 
wasted.  An  occasional  slight  fumigation  should 
be  given  and  the  house  kept  clean,  as,  with  care, 
plants  that  commence  to  fruit  now  can  be  ran  on 
until  next  June.  E.  B.  C. 


WINTER  PARSLEY. 

A  GOOD  supply  of  Parsley  is  always  needed  both 
in  large  and  small  gardens.  It  should  be  pro- 
vided by  making  sowings  at  different  seasons 
of  the  year.  This  has  been  a  trying  summer  for 
Parsley,  owing  to  the  drought  which  so  long  pre- 
vailed ;  in  fact.  Parsley  crops  are  all  but  a  failure 
in  a  good  many  gardens.  I  have  not  seen  a  good, 
vigorous  bed  of  it  this  season  ;  the  plants  all  look 
sickly,  their  young  rootlets  being  eaten  by  insects. 
Numerous  remedies  have  been  applied,  some  in  the 
form  of  a  liquid  and  some  in  a  dry  state,  the 
latter  being  hoed  deeply  into  the  ground  between 
the  rows.  I  have  used  guano  in  both  conditions 
with  a  certain  amount  of  success.  When  used  in 
a  liquid  state  I  dissolved  3  ounces  of  guano  in  a 
gallon  of  water  and  poured  it  close  to  the  roots  of 
the  plants.  When  used  in  a  dry  state  I  sowed  it 
close  to  the  roots,  hoeing  it  into  the  ground  at  the 
same  time.  Some  have  employed  paraffin,  but  it 
should  be  used  with  care,  or  it  may  destroy  the 
entire  crop.  Mix  one  wineglassful  of  paraffin 
with  a  gallon  of  water,  stirring  the  liquid  con- 
stantly while  it  is  being  applied.     Perhaps  the 


most  successful  remedy  is  to  procure  some  liquid 
manure  from  the  stable,  or  steep  some  horse  drop- 
pings in  a  tub  of  water,  using  about  a  pint  of  the 
liquid  in  each  gallon  of  water,  which  should  be 
poured  close  to  the  roots  through  a  watering-pot 
having  a  small  spout.  Apply  this  liquid  every 
third  day  for  several  times,  when  the  plants  will 
soon  change  their  sickly  colour  for  one  of  dark 
green,  which  will  show  that  the  roots  are  growing 
freely. 

Those  who  have  to  keep  up  a  continuous  supply 
during  winter,  after  this  dry  summer,  will  have  to 
be  making  preparations  either  to  grow  a  supply 
under  hand-lights  or  in  cold  frames  filled  with 
fibrous  loam,  using  a  portion  of  soot,  and  wood 
ashes  may  also  be  had.  These  materials  should  be 
well  mixed  before  planting.  Lift  the  plants  from 
the  seed  beds  sown  early  in  July,  plant  6  inches 
from  plant  to  plant,  and  water  them  with  a  water- 
ing-pot furnished  with  a  rose ;  this  will  settle  the 
soil  about  the  roots.  Keep  the  frame  close  for  a 
few  days,  when  the  plants  will  soon  strike  roots 
and  become  strong  before  winter  sets  in.  A  plenti- 
ful supply  may  be  expected  during  winter  by 
covering  the  lights  with  mats  on  frosty  nights.  If 
thought  desirable,  a  frame  might  be  placed  over 
one  corner  of  the  bed  before  the  approach  of 
frost ;  keep,  however,  the  lights  open  upon  all 
favourable  occasions.  When  only  a  few  leaves 
are  required  occasionally  and  a  greenhouse  at 
command,  a  few  pots  may  be  filled  with  ordinary 
potting  soil  and  planted  with  plants  taken  from 
the  seed  beds,  watering  them,  and  place  them  in 
any  spare  corner  of  the  greenhouse  or  upon  the 
front  stage  near  the  glass.  Fine  leaves  may  then 
be  had  all  through  the  winter  and  spring  months. 
Fill  now  as  many  7-inch  pots  as  may  be  required 
for  a  supply  late  in  the  spring,  when  Parsley  is 
often  scarce.  Fill  them  with  turfy  loam  and  a 
portion  of  rotten  stable  manure,  together  with  a 
sprinkling  of  sand  to  keep  the  whole  open  and 
porous.  Sow  the  seeds  upon  the  surface,  covering 
them  lightly  with  fine  soil.  Place  the  pots  in  a 
cold  frame  until  the  seeds  germinate ;  keep  the 
lights  close,  increase  the  ventilation  as  the  plants 
get  stronger,  and  if  required  for  immediate  use, 
place  them  in  a  warm  house,  keeping  them  near 
the  glass,  when  a  supply  of  leaves  may  soon  be  had. 

If  there  is  a  vinery  at  work  during  the  early 
spring  months,  place  a  few  pots  in  it  as  may  be 
required,  transferring  them  to  cooler  quarters  as 
the  leaves  get  full  grown.  Place  the  pots  again 
in  warmth  as  the  crop  of  leaves  is  picked  for  use. 
During  April  they  may  be  put  out-of-doors  and 
planted  in  a  warm,  sunny  border,  when  they  will 
produce  plenty  of  good  leaves  until  the  earliest 
sowing  is  fit  for  use.  Wm.  Chbisiison. 

Homervood,  ChishJmrst. 


Scotch  Leeks  — I  see  that  the  remarkable 
size  of  the  Leeks  at  the  Dundee  and  Edinburgh 
shows  has  been  the  subject  of  comment  in  the 
gardening  papers.  It  is  quite  true  that  Scotch 
gardeners  excel  in  the  culture  of  this  vegetable. 
They  pay  so  much  attention  to  it,  indeed,  that 
one  might  suppose  the  Leek,  and  not  the  Thistle, 
was  the  national  emblem ;  but  why  they  spend  so 
much  time  and  labour  in  growing  monstrous  Leeks 
nobody  has  ever  yet  discovered,  unless  the  reason 
be  that  it  is  a  vegetable  that  readily  lends  itself 
to  monstrosity  culture.  Cooks  care  little  about 
large  Leeks,  small  ones  being  just  as  good  in 
every  way,  so  long  as  there  are  enough  of  them. 
English  gardeners,  by  sowing  the  seed  in  April 
where  it  is  to  grow,  can  have  Leeks  6  inches  in. 
circumference,  if  not  more,  by  November,  and  as 
deeply  blanched  as  need  be,  and  more  is  not  re- 
quired. In  Scotland,  on  the  other  hand,  enthu- 
siastic Leek  growers  sow  their  seed  in  January  or 
February  in  heat,  and  sometimes  pot  them  off, 
planting  them  later  in  the  season,  as  if  they  were 
tender  exotics.  They  also  bestow  no  end  of  pains 
upon  them  in  order  that  they  may  produce  mon- 
strous stems,  but  serving  no  good  practical  pur- 
pose.— Northerner. 

Celery  in  this  neighbourhood  is  the  best 
this  year  that  I  have  seen  for  many  seasons  ;  in 
fact,  I  have  not  seen  anywhere  a  bad  crop.     There 


Nov.  8,  1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


403 


is  no  trace  of  fly  to  be  seen.  It  made  its  appear- 
ance jast  after  the  Celery  was  pricked  ont,  but  soon 
disappeared.  Last  season  our  Celery  crop  was 
quite  white  from  its  effects.  Oar  soil  is  just  the 
reverse  of  that  of  "  W.  I.  M."  (p.  3T0),  being  very 
light  and  sandy.  Rain  in  this  district  was  not  par- 
ticularly heavy  last  winter,  and  since  March  it  has 
been  very  dry.  We  have  not  had  a  good  soaking 
rain  during  the  whole  summer.  The  result  is  that 
after  the  surface  soil  is  removed,  which  is  moist 
about  4  inches  in  depth,  it  is  very  hard  and  dry 
for  quite  2  feet  deep  in  places.  I  cannot  say  that 
we  were  free  from  Onion  maggot  this  season,  but 
we  have  had  a  much  better  crop  than  usual.  The 
maggot  was  a  little  troublesome  at  one  time,  but 
it  never  did  very  much  harm. — Geo.  Carpenter, 
Jttjdens,  Walton-on-Thanu'S. 


LETTUCES  AND  ENDIVE. 
Althodgh  the  season  is  getting  past  for  salads, 
many  look  for  them  during  the  winter,  and  to 
have  them  from  this  time  onward  retjuires  some 
management.  Although  young  Lettuces  will  stand 
the  winter  if  pricked  out  or  planted  in  favourable 
situations,  those  that  have  turned  in  or  are  about 
doing  so  will  not  bear  severe  weather.  They 
should,  therefore,  be  taken  up  and  placed  under 
cover,  the  best  situation  for  them  being  a  cold  pit 
or  frame,  as  there  they  can  be  placed  well  up  to 
the  glass  in  full  light  and  have  plenty  of  air,  both 
of  which  are  essential  for  their  welfare.  In  lift- 
ing it  is  necessary  to  handle  the  plants  with  great 
care,  so  as  not  to  break  or  bruise  their  leaves,  and 
to  get  them  up  with  good  balls.  If  this  is  done, 
and  they  are  packed  just  clear  of  each  other  in 
moist  soil  pressed  firmly  around  them,  they  will  be 
but  little  the  worse  for  removal.  To  prevent  damp- 
ing, advantage  should  be  taken  of  every  fine  mild 
day  to  draw  off  the  sashes,  which  ought  also,  ex- 
cept during  sharp  weather,  to  be  tilted  at  night, 
but  covered  and  protected  from  frost.  Before 
using  the  Lettuce,  unless  well  hearted  and 
blanched,  it  is  a  good  plan  to  put  them,  in  succes- 
sion a  week  or  so  in  advance  of  the  time  when 
they  are  wanted,  into  a  Mushroom  house  or  other 
dark,  warm  place  to  give  them  a  start,  which  will 
change  their  green  colour  and  make  them  tender 
and  crisp.  Endive  may  be  improved  in  the  same  way 
and  wintered  almost  anywhere,  as,  so  long  as  it  is 
kept  dry,  it  will  do  well  in  a  light,  open  shed,  and 
blanch  in  a  dry,  dark  one.  Young  Lettuces  in- 
tended for  turning  in  early  in  spring  should,  if 
possible,  be  planted  close  to  the  foot  of  a  south 
wall  or  on  some  warm,  sunny  border,  where  the 
soil  is  light  and  rich,  as  there  they  will  winter 
in  safety.  The  best  sorts  are  the  old  Bath  Cos 
and  Hick's  Hardy  Green,  both  of  which  are  very 
superior  Lettuces,  and  will  endure  more  frost  than 
any  others  I  know.  The  great  difBculty  many 
have  in  wintering  Lettuce  is  in  keeping  them  from 
slugs,  to  prevent  the  ravages  of  which  there  is 
nothing  equal  to  air-slaked  lime  and  soot  mixed, 
as  they  can  be  dusted  over  the  ground  without 
doing  any  harm  to  the  plants.  S.  D. 


SHORT  NOTES.— KITCHEN. 


Brussels  Sprouts  are  hereabouts  dreadfully  blichted 
this  season,  and  ao  is,  indeed,  all  the  Cabbage  tribe  — G  C 
Wallunon-Tkames. 

Celery  fly  last  year  was  in  many  places  most  destruc- 
tive. Kow  here  we  are  in  the  middle  of  October  and  I  have 
not  yet  seen  or  heard  of  the  least  signs  of  our  old  enemy. 
Certainly  at  this  time  last  year  every  leaf  on  our  Celery 
was  punctured  by  this  insect ;  now  it  is  perfectly  free.  I 
should  like  to  ask  what  are  the  conditions  that  bring  into 
action  such  a  troublesome  enemy.  Are  its  habits  in  early 
life  sufficiently  well  known  to  enable  gardeners  to  grapple 
with  it  so  as  to  destroy  It  altogether,  or  at  least  check  its 
progress.— J.  C.  C 

Jerusalem  Artichokes  flowerlni?.— We  have  a 
long  row  of  these  Artichokes  now  in  full  bloom.  Their 
height  ranges  from  10  feet  to  12  feet,  and  the  points  of 
their  shoots  are  well  furnished  with  bright  yellow  flowers, 
which  when  cut  may  be  used  with  good  effect  for  dinner-table 
decoration  or  for  filling  vases  for  ornamenting  ordinary 
rooms.  I  have  only  seen  this  tuberous  Eelianthus  in 
flower  upon  one  occasion  before.  It  must  have  been  the 
extreme  heat  and  drou^t  last  simimer  which  have  caused 
it  to  flower  more  freely  this  year  than  usual.— SVM.  Chbis- 
TISOK,  Homewood,  Bromley. 


Roweham  Park  Hero  Onion.— I  see  (p. 

274)  that  "  R.  D. "  speaks  well  of  this  Onion  as 
seen  at  Dundee,  and  I  am  glad  he  has  stated  its 
average  weight ;  1  lb.  is  a  good  weight  for  a  spring 
sown  Onion,  but  it  is  not  unattainable  by  other 
standard  varieties.  In  February  last  I  had  several 
ounces  of  Webb's  Improved  Banbury  Onion  from 
Stourbridge.  It  was  sown  on  the  ISth  of  March, 
and  last  week  I  sent  a  specimen  to  Messrs.  Webb, 
the  produce  of  this  seed,  weighing  1  lb.  3  oz.  It 
was  dried  and  cleaned  before  weighing,  and  as 
handsome  a  specimen  of  an  Onion  as  I  have  ever 
seen.  It  was  grown  with  others  of  almost  equal 
merit  on  a  piece  of  land  30  yards  wide  and  10 
yards  long,  and  received  no  special  attention.  I 
have  grown  this  Onion  for  half  a  dozen  or  more 
years  now,  and  in  my  opinion  it  is  one  of  the  best 
in  cultivation  for  sowing  in  spring. — J.  JIuiR, 
bargain. 


ANIMAL  MANURES  IN  GARDENS. 

The  use  of  animal  manures  in  gardens  is  a  sub- 
ject of  some  importance.  "  X.  Y."  (p.  376)  may 
indeed  be  congratulated  on  his  success  in  being 
able  to  grow,  for  a  period  of  fifteen  years,  a  satis- 
factory rotation  of  kitchen  garden  crops  without 
the  aid  of  animal  or  artificial  manures.  Un- 
doubtedly he  must  be  favoured  with  soil  of  great 
fertility  ;  but  perhaps  he  does  not  follow  up  what 
many  gardeners  are  obliged  to  do,  viz.,  keeping  up 
a  supply  of  vegetables  from  a  limited  space  of 
ground  and  by  a  constant  rotation  of  crops.  Many 
gardeners  are  obliged  to  do  this  from  soil  that  has 
been  under  vegetable  cultivation  for  fifty  or  sixty 
years,  and  I  do  not  think  "  X.  Y.'s  "  method  would 
answer  under  such  circumstances.  I  quite  disagree 
with  him  as  to  animal  manure,  when  properly  ap- 
plied to  certain  crops  and  at  the  right  time,  spoil- 
ing their  sweet  and  proper  flavour.  On  the  con- 
trary, when  the  soil  becomes  impoverished  through 
constantand  regular  cropping  there  does  not  remain 
therein  the  proper  and  requisite  nourishment  to 
give  flavour  to  such  gross-feeding  vegetables  as 
Cabbage,  Cauliflower,  or  Broccoli.  These  are 
much  better  in  colour  and  flavour  when  grown  in 
our  average  garden  soils  with  a  liberal  addition  of 
animal  manure  properly  prepared  and  applied 
than  without  it — a  well  recognised  fact. 

"X.  Y."  says.  "With  Celery,  Carrots,  Onions, 
Beans,  Cauliflowers,  and  Cabbages  the  same  plan 
is  adopted  ;  the  ground  is  well  trenched,  but  no 
manure  is  added  to  the  soil.  Of  course  no  one 
who  desires  to  have  clean  and  sweet  Carrots  would 
add  strong  doses  of  rank  animal  manure  before 
sowing  the  seed.  On  the  contrary,  undoubtedly 
in  this  instance  "  X.  Y."  would  be  right  in  fol- 
lowing up  his  adopted  plan.  Celery  must  be 
grown  to  a  good  size  in  order  to  obtain  the 
much-coveted  blanched  large  crisp  heart.  To 
secure  this  on  most  of  our  kitchen  garden  soils 
manure  of  some  kind  is  necessary.  The  proper 
stimulant  for  this  vegetable  is  well  worked  animal 
manure,  applied  to  the  trenches  in  a  moderately 
dry  condition,  and  to  which  a  little  soot  and  lime 
should  be  added.  This  will  add  to  the  size  and  crisp- 
ness  of  the  heart,  and  in  nowise  detract  from  the 
flavour.  Size  is  not  always  gained  at  the  expense 
of  quality,  as  hinted  at  by  "  X.  Y.''  As  to  Cauli- 
flowers and  Cabbages,  the  quicker  they  are  grown 
the  tenderer  they  are  when  cooked,  and  the  finer 
are  both  colour  and  flavour.  Cabbages  when  grown 
on  poor  soil  take  a  long  time  to  come  to  an  eatable 
size,  and  are  always  strong  and  stringy. 

R.  H.  G. 


Tomatoes  out-of-doors. — The  past  season 
has  been  unusually  favourable  for  Tomatoes,  being 
hot  and  dry,  and  the  autumn  has  been  exception- 
ally fine  and  bright ;  therefore  the  fruit  had  a  long 
season  to  ripen  in.  I  have  seen  many  excellent 
crops  this  season  both  on  sunny  walls  with  a  south 
aspect,  and  on  borders  with  a  good  slope  to  the 
south.  I  find  that  the  variety  called  Conqueror 
is  one  of  the  best  for  out-doors,  produciug  as  it 
does  enormous  quantities  of  fair  sized  fruits.  In 
this  district  a  good  deal  of  the  soil  is  full  of  stones, 
a  condition  which  just  suits  the  Tomato,  as  in  very 


rich  soil  it  grows  too  luxuriantly  to  be  so  fruitful 
as  in  soil  of  a  poorer  character.  I  would  advise 
anyone  giving  this  Tomato  a  trial  next  season  to 
sow  in  February  in  gentle  heat,  and  have  the  plants 
a  good  size  when  turned  out-of-doors  about  the  first 
week  in  May ;  even  then  they  must,  however,  have 
some  slight  protection  at  night,  as  very  little  frost 
injures  them,  but  the  earlier  they  are  out  the 
greater  is  the  chance  of  their  bearing  a  full  crop. 
Keep  the  shoots  thin  and  when  a  good  lot  of  fruits 
are  set  and  swelling,  a  mulching  of  manure  may 
be  put  over  the  roots,  and  some  liquid  manure 
also  applied  if  the  weather  is  hot  and  dry.  The 
Tomato  revels  in  strong  solar  heat,  and  if  moist 
at  the  root  the  tops  are  best  kept  dry. — J.  G  , 
Hants. 

5268.—  German  peat  Utter.—"  A.  C ,  Isle  of 
Man,"  enquires  as  to  where  this  can  be  obtained. 
Allow  me  to  refer  him  to  the  Eclipse  I'eat  Moss 
Manufactory,  Milford  Station,  Salisbury.  It  is 
used  here  in  quantity  by  stable  keepers,  as  it 
takes  up  less  space  than  straw,  being  packed  in 
bales  of  2  cwts.  or  3  cwts.  each  like  compressed 
hay  when  prepared  for  exportation,  and  in  towns 
economising  space  is  a  matter  of  importance.  I 
have  had  it  when  cleared  out  of  the  stables,  and 
can  testify  to  its  value  as  a  fertiliser ;  it  absorbs 
liquid  manure  better  than  straw.  As  regards  heat- 
producing  power,  I  can  say  from  experience  that  it 
is  very  great,  and  for  growing  Slushrooms  it  would 
require  great  care  to  moderate  it  to  a  safe  degree  ; 
but  this  could  be  done  by  mixing  soil  with  it, 
when  I  have  no  doubt  it  would  produce  very  good 
Mushrooms.  I  have  no  doubt  that  if  "  A.  C."  gets 
this  litter  for  his  stables  and  afterwards  utilises  it 
for  Mushroom  beds,  he  will  have  no  cause  to  com- 
plain of  the  result.  I  may  add  that  in  order  to  grow 
Mushrooms  well,  a  gentle,  lasting  heat  in  the  bed 
of  75°  is  required ;  if  it  exceeds  this,  it  will  do 
more  harm  than  if  kept  lower,  as  the  more  gentle 
the  forcing  the  finer  and  firmer  are  the  Mushrooms. 
—  James  Groom,  Gosport. 


NOTES  FROM  BELMONT,  TAUNTON. 

The  fine  Anthurium  Andreanum  noticed  in  The 
Garden  two  years  ago  is  making  here  most  satis- 
factory progress.  It  has  a  large  number  of  well 
developed  healthy  leaves  and  several  flowers  upon 
it ;  one  which  I  measured  was  6.^  inches  long  and 
nearly  8  inches  across.  The  flowers  stand  out 
nobly  amongst  the  foliage,  the  flower-stems  having 
sufficient  length  and  consistency  to  hold  them  well 
up  above  their  associates.  I  did  not  measure  the 
height  of  the  plant,  but  I  should  say  it  is  quite 
i  feet  high,  independent  of  the  pan  in  which  it  is 
growing.  It  is,  of  course,  known  that  there  are 
two  varieties  of  this  plant,  one  tufted,  the  other 
withlongerstems,which  keep  constantly  increasing 
and  sending  down  aerial  roots  that  quickly  fix 
themselves  in  the  soil.  The  plant  in  question  is 
of  the  latter  form.  It  is  evidently  not  a  deep- 
rooted  subject,  as  it  is  growing  in  a  pan  about  8 
inches  deep  and  about  2  feet  across. 

The  Dove  Plant  (Peristeria  elata).— Of 
this  the  collection  contains  a  fine  plant,  which 
has  again  flowered  with  great  freedom.  It  has 
produced  six  flower-spikes,  which  have  grown  to  a 
height  of  4  feet.  It  will  therefore  be  seen  that  the 
specimen  here  is  a  fine  one,  and  it  occupies  a 
rather  large  pot.  It  receives  a  liberal  supply  of 
heat  and  moisture,  which  evidently  suit  it,  for  the 
bulbs  are  unusually  large  and  as  green  and  plump 
as  it  is  possible  for  them  to  be.  It  is  always  given 
a  rest  in  a  cooler  and  dryer  house  than  the  stove 
when  it  has  completed  its  growth,  but  water  at 
the  roots  is  not  withheld  so  long  as  to  cause  the 
bulbs  to  shrivel. 

Tigrldlas — These  are  grown  in  the  open  bor- 
ders rather  largely,  and  I  have  no  hesitation  in 
saying  that  the  success  attained  here  surpasses 
anything  I  have  before  seen  ;  they  are  planted  in 
good  sized  clumps  in  spring,  the  soil  being  made 
thoroughly  rich  with  well-rotted  manure.  Through 
the  summer  they  are  watered  with  manure  water. 
Under  this  treatment  they  make  plenty  of  healthy 
leaves  and  flower-stems  more  than  1  foot  high, 
and  bear  a  corresponding  number  of  flowers,  which 


i'M. 


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Nor.  8.  1884-1 


THE    GAKDES 


405 


m  «te 


-  =  _=   WORK. 


O. 


OBtfceMlgv 
jM  iiw  i|Mlly  : 
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'    't  aWfii'r- 


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tafe^ 


406 


THE    GARDEN 


[Nov.  8,  1884. 


growth  attached  thereto.  If  cut  as  soon  as  they 
are  properly  open,  they  will  last  nearly  or  quite  a 
week  with  a  change  of  water.  Sprays  of  Libonia 
floribnnda  are  also  pretty  when  used  in  a  similar 
way,  either  by  themselves  or  in  association  with  a 
small  blue  Salvia ;  failing  the  latter,  an  early  spike 
or  two  of  the  white  Koman  Hyacinth  would  be  a 
good  substitute.  Though  only  lasting  in  beauty 
one  day,  the  lovely  colour  of  Ipomfea  Horsfallise 
will  always  recommend  it.  Two  or  three  of  its 
blossoms  and  a  spray  of  Maiden-hair  Fern  ar- 
ranged in  a  small  glass  or  white  china  vase  will 
be  appreciated  either  in  the  boudoir  or  drawing- 
room.  Another  lovely  flower  of  which  stray  speci- 
mens still  open  occasionally  is  the  major  variety 
of  Franciscea  calycina ;  this  could  be  used  in  a 
similar  way.  Of  white  flowers  for  this  season, 
Jasminum  gracillimnm  is  one  of  the  best,  and 
when  better  known  it  will  be  grown  extensively 
tor  the  purposes  just  named,  as  well  as  for 
bouquets  and  coat  flowers.  The  seldom  -  seen 
Urceolina  aurea  is  another  useful  subject  at  this 
time  of  year.  Its  singular  pendent  flowers  are 
always  attractive ;  a  spike  or  two  of  them  would 
associate  well  with  the  Paper-white  Narcissus  in  a 
small  vase.  The  thing  to  be  regretted  is  that  it  is 
still  so  seldom  met  with  in  any  quantity. 

Of  plants,  the  following  are  suitable  for  in- 
door decoration  at  this  season,  especially  in  dark 
positions  and  likewise  where  large  fires  may  be 
kept  up  or  a  considerable  amount  of  gas  consumed, 
viz.,  Ficus  elastica  and  Aspidistra  lurida  and  its 
variegated  variety— three  of  the  best.  Aralia  Sie- 
boldi,  with  palmate  foliage,  is  another  useful  in- 
door plant.  The  Rhopalas  are  likewise  useful  sub- 
jects that  will  stand  a  good  deal  of  bad  usage.  R. 
corcovadense  and  De  Jonghei  are  two  of  the  best 
of  them.  Cyperus  alternifolius  from  seed  makes 
an  excellent  table  plant ;  raised  in  this  manner  a 
greater  quantity  of  small  growth  is  obtained  than 
in  any  other  way.  Amongst  Dracsenas  the  best  of 
the  coloured  section  is  D.  terminalis,  and  amongst 
green-leaved  sorts  D.  congesta  and  rubra.  For 
rather  large  vases  D.  australis  and  indivisa  are  the 
best.  The  Lomatias  and  Grevillea  robusta  fur- 
nish us  with  a  class  of  Fern-like  plants  that  are 
most  useful  in  a  small  state.  The  Grevillea,  being 
easily  raised  from  seed,  ought  not  to  be  overlooked. 
Of  Ferns,  Asplenium  bnlbiferum  and  flaccidum  are 
two  of  the  hardiest.  Cyrtomium  falcatum,  with 
fronds  of  a  dark,  glossy  green,  is  an  excellent  Fern 
for  keeping  in  a  room  the  year  round.  Davallia 
canariensis  is  the  best  of  its  genus  as  an  in- 
door plant.  Niphobolus  Lingua  is  another  Fern 
that  will  thrive  long  under  adverse  circumstances  ; 
so  will  Pteris  tremula,  which,  in  a  half  specimen 
size,  is  a  handsome  subject  for  a  large  basket  or 
vase.  Nephrolepis  pectinata  is  likewise  a  good 
kind,  not  too  robust  or  straggling  in  growth. 
Platycerium  alcicorne,  when  well  established,  will 
be  found  to  withstand  a  large  amount  of  rough 
treatment,  lasting  long  in  good  condition  even 
where  there  is  but  little  light.  Of  Palms,  the 
hardiest,  and  therefore  the  most  valuable  during 
the  next  few  months,  are  Phoenix  reclinata  and 
tenuis,  Chamserops  humilis  and  Fortunei,  Corypha 
australis,  Latania  borbonica,  and  Seaforthia  ele- 
gans,  together  with  the  invaluable  varieties  of  the 
comparatively  new  kinds  of  Kentia.  In  order  to 
ensure  success  and  to  enable  the  plants  to  with- 
stand a  considerable  amount  of  adverse  treat- 
ment, they  should  be  well  established  before  being 
brought  forward  for  any  kind  of  decorative  work. 
Where  the  time  can  be  spared,  an  occasional 
sponging  of  the  foliage  in  the  case  of  such  as  can 
be  operated  on  without  injury  to  the  leaves  will 
be  found  to  be  beneficial.  Close  attention  must 
also  be  paid  to  watering;  the  happy  medium 
should  be  hit  upon,  neither  allowing  them  to  be- 
come too  dry  nor  too  wet.  Care  should  also  be 
taken  not  to  allow  them  to  absorb  stagnant  water 
drained  from  them  into  the  receptacle  in  which 
they  have  been  placed. 

INDOOR  PLANTS. 
I.XORAS.— Where  not  already  done,  large  plants 
of  these  should  be  sufliciently  cut  in  and  the  weak 
shoots  removed  altogether,  otherwise  where  treated 


so  as  to  induce  free  growth,  they  get  unwieldy, 
with  quantities  of  small  branches  that  produce 
small  heads  of  flower.  This  holds  good  with  most 
of  the  varieties  now  in  cultivation,  as  well  as  with 
the  different  species,  including  I.  coocinea,  the  best 
of  the  whole  family  when  so  managed  as  to  bring 
out  its  true  character. 

DiPLADENiAS. — Pot  specimens  of  these  that 
have  had  a  short  rest  under  dry  treatment  may 
now  be  freely  cut  back,  shortening  them  in  to  a 
few  eyes  beyond  where  they  were  headed  back  to 
last  season,  turning  them  at  once  out  of  the  pots, 
removing  most  of  the  old  soil,  and  repotting  in 
the  best  fibrous  peat,  to  which  a  liberal  amount 
of  sand  has  been  added.  This  treatment  is  ad- 
visable for  plants  that  are  wanted  to  bloom  early 
in  the  spring,  say  to  commence  opening  their 
flowers  about  the  middle  of  May,  and  where  a 
sufBcient  amount  of  heat  can  be  kept  up  through 
the  winter ;  otherwise  it  is  better  to  defer  the  cut- 
ting back  and  repotting  for  several  months  yet. 
In  all  cases,  plants  so  managed  should  have  a 
thorough  cleansing  from  insects. 

Clerodendron  Balfouri. — This  plant  at  one 
time  was  looked  upon  as  a  spring  and  summer 
bloomer,  but  when  treated  suitably,  with  a  sufti- 
cient  number  to  be  brought  on  in  succession,  it 
may  be  had  in  flower  during  each  month  in  the 
year,  for  growth  that  has  been  made  under  condi- 
tions to  give  enough  solidity  to  the  wood  seldom 
fails  to  bloom  when  placed  in  a  growing  tempera- 
ture after  being  fairly  rested.  Few  things  are 
more  effective  than  its  pure  white  bracts,  but  in 
their  case,  as  with  many  other  things,  where 
required  for  cutting  they  must  be  grown  in  a 
manner  that  will  impart  to  them  a  hardy  character. 
In  no  way  is  this  better  attained  than  by  training 
the  shoots  up  the  rafters  of  an  ordinary  stove. 
Examples  that  flowered  in  the  spring  and  after- 
wards made  growth  early  and  had  the  soil  allowed 
to  become  dry,  so  as  to  stop  further  extension  and 
ripen  up  the  foliage,  will  now  have  lost  most  of 
their  leaves,  and  should  have  such  portion  of  the 
extremities  of  the  shoots  as  are  at  all  soft  cut 
away,  so  as  to  induce  them  to  break  back  ;  all  the 
side  growths  produced  after  being  so  treated  will, 
where  the  plants  have  been  properly  matured, 
show  flower  by  the  time  they  have  extended  a  foot 
or  so.  If  very  full  of  roots,  the  plants  should 
have  more  room  given  them,  not  attempting  to 
shake  them  out  or  disturb  the  roots,  as  this  would 
most  likely  interfere  with  their  blooming.  In  all 
cases,  whether  thus  given  more  room  or  sustained 
by  the  help  of  manure  water,  which  they  will 
require  after  breaking  into  growth,  the  dry  balls 
ought  to  be  moistened  by  soaking  for  several 
hours  in  tepid  water.  It  is  not  well  to  hurry  them 
at  this  season  ;  a  night  temperature  of  60°  to  65° 
with  a  proportionate  rise  in  the  day  will  cause 
them  to  move  slowly  for  a  time.  Plants  of  this 
Clerodendron  that  bloomed  late  in  the  summer 
and  have  since  made  snfiicient  growth  may  at 
once  be  put  to  rest,  withholding  water  until  the 
foliage  flags  freely,  after  which  give  a  little,  but 
not  nearly  so  much  as  to  fully  moisten  the  soil, 
which  would  have  the  effect  of  again  starting  them 
into  growth  where  the  warmth  is  enough  to  induce 
this ;  when  they  again  flag  from  want  of  water 
apply  a  little  more.  This  alternate  flagging  and 
partial  revival  of  the  leaves  is  the  best  method 
that  we  have  found  with  this  and  a  few  other 
plants  to  mature  the  wood,  so  as  to  insure 
a  full  amount  of  flower  subsequently,  as  if 
the  leaves  are  allowed  to  die  off  suddenly 
through  water  being  entirely  withheld,  the 
shoots  are  deficient  in  solidity  to  produce 
growth  that  will  bloom  freely.  Jt  is  much  more 
conducive  to  the  well-being  of  tliis  Clerodendron 
and  its  subsequent  flowering  to  stop  growth  in 
the  way  recommended  than  to  do  so  by  submit- 
ting to  a  lower  temperature,  as  if  kept  for  any 
length  of  time  much  below  C0°  the  plants  are  liable 
to  perish  unless  they  have  been  subjected  to  very 
cool  treatment  through  the  summer. 

Anthueiums. — A.  Scherzerianum  does  much 
better  when  grown  in  an  intermediate  tempera- 
ture than  kept  in  the  stove,  making  larger  leaves 
with  the  flowers  which  follow    proportionately 


bigger.  The  plants  will  now  be  completing  their 
growth,  and  until  the  leaves  are  fully  matured  the 
soil  should  be  kept  quite  wet.  It  is  a  swamp 
plant,  and  will  never  grow  so  strong  as  it  should 
unless  the  material  in  which  the  roots  are  placed 
is  very  much  wetter  than  the  generality  of  plants 
will  bear ;  48°  or  50°  in  the  night  with  a  few 
degrees  higher  by  day  is  the  right  temperature  for 
A.  Scherzerianum  throughout  the  autumn  and 
winter.  The  new  A.  Andreanum  is  now  beginning 
to  develop  its  true  character ;  the  first  imported 
plants  as  they  get  stronger  produce  larger  flowers, 
in  this  keeping  on  increasing  proportionately.  It 
will  most  likely  be  found  to  require  a  considerably 
higher  temperature  than  A.  Scherzerianum ;  it 
appears  to  go  on  flowering  regularly  as  the  leaves 
are  produced  and  attain  their  full  size.  Plenty  of 
moisture  and  loose  open  materials,  such  as  are 
suitable  for  epiphytal  Orchids,  answer  for  it.  Its 
habit  in  its  native  country  is  quite  epiphytal, 
although  in  a  pot  it  does  not  develop  this 
character. 

AniELANDRAS. — The  flowering  of  that  useful 
autumn  kind,  A.  cristata,  can  be  regulated  by  the 
way  in  which  it  is  treated  through  the  summer  ; 
where  grown  comparatively  cool  it  will  be  in 
bloom  up  to  the  middle  of  November,  at  which 
season  its  erect  spikes  of  bright  orange-red  flowers 
are  very  effective.  In  the  case  of  old  plants  after 
the  blooming  is  over  the  shoots  should  be  headed 
back  to  within  a  joint  or  two  of  where  they  were 
cut  in  last  year,  placing  them  for  the  winter  where 
they  can  be  kept  comparatively  dry  at  the  roots. 
The  small  growing  A.  Roezli  is  one  of  the  freest 
winter  flowering  plants  we  possess,  blooming  when 
not  more  than  a  few  inches  high ;  by  keeping  a 
portion  of  the  stock  in  an  intermediate  tempera- 
ture they  may  be  had  in  flower  in  succession  up  to 
spring. 

BotJGAiNViLLEAS. — When  grown  in  a  warm 
stove,  treatment  similar  to  that  advised  for  the 
Clerodendron  answers  well  for  B.  glabra,  which  is 
so  manageable  that,  with  the  aid  of  two  or  three 
good-sized  pot  specimens,  it  may  be  had  in  flower 
for  the  greater  portion  of  the  year,  ranging  from 
April  to  the  end  of  October.  It  likewise  succeeds 
well  when  planted  out  in  a  low,  intermediate  heat, 
little  above  that  of  a  greenhouse,  flowering  as  a 
matter  of  course  later  in  the  summer,  but  when 
thus  subjected  to  cool  treatment  it  differs  much 
from  most  other  things  in  rarely  blooming  any- 
thing worth  notice  if  the  roots  are  confined  to  a 
pot,  keeping  on  growing  through  the  summer 
without  much  disposition  to  flower.  B.  spectabilis 
at  one  time  was  supposed  to  be  a  very  difficult 
plant  to  flower,  only  succeeding  in  a  high  tempera- 
ture, where,  in  addition,  its  roots  could  be  almost 
baked  with  heat  when  at  rest ;  yet  it  grows  and 
blooms  freely  either  planted  out  or  accommodated 
with  a  large  box  or  tub  in  a  warm  greenhouse 
or  conservatory,  usually  coming  in  about  May 
or  June,  and  sometimes  again  in  the  autumn. 
Its  intensely  deep  bright  pinkish  mauve  bracts  are 
finer  coloured  than  those  of  B.  glabra,  but  as  this 
plant  blooms  from  the  ripe  wood  the  knife  must 
be  little  used,  except  after  the  spring  flowering, 
when  the  shoots  should  be  so  far  reduced  as  to 
keep  it  within  the  requisite  bounds.  It  is  a  strong 
grower,  covering  a  large  space  when  it  has  plenty 
of  roots  and  also  head  room.  It  should  now  be 
gradually  dried  off  for  the  winter,  giving  very  little 
water  for  a  considerable  time. 

Tuberous-rooted  SUMMER-FLOWERING  stove 
PLANTS. — Such  things  as  Gloxinias,  Achimenes, 
herbaceous  Gesneras,  and  Gloriosas,  although 
bearing  in  many  cases  a  lower  temperature 
through  the  winter  than  might  be  supposed  from 
the  warm  countries  from  which  they  originate, 
will  not  do  to  be  kept  too  cool,  as  many  to  their 
cost  yearly  discover  when  it  is  too  late,  through 
the  tubers  going  off  in  a  damp,  mouldy  condition. 
In  most  cases,  as  we  have  before  mentioned,  the 
roots  keep  best  in  the  pots  in  which  they  were 
grown,  the  soil  having  been  allowed  to  get  quite 
dry  ;  yet  pots  with  apparently  nothing  in  them 
beyond  the  soil  which  they  contain  are  not 
sightly  objects  in  plant  houses,  and  it  often  hap- 
pens that  there  is  no  other  place  where  they  can 


Nov.   8,  1884.] 


THE   GARDEN 


407 


be  kept  at  a  suitable  temperature.  This  beingso, 
it  is  best  to  put  them  in  paper  bags  with  a  good 
body  of  dry  sand  round  them,  the  object  o£  which 
Is  to  keep  the  air  to  a  great  extent  from  them  ; 
otherwise,  if  the  atmosphere  is  too  dry,  they  not 
unusually  shrivel  up.  In  a  temperature  of  55°, 
or  a  few  degrees  above  that,  they  are  not  likely 
to  take  any  harm. 

CaladiHiMS  should  be  similarly  treated.  The 
small  C.  argyrites  is  now  by  many  grown  in  quan- 
tity for  the  use  of  the  leaves  to  mis  with  cut 
flowers,  as  well  as  for  general  decoration  in  small 
pots.  Where  the  stock  of  it  happens  to  be  limited, 
it  will  best  be  increased  by  now  turning  the  plants 
out  of  the  soil  and  repotting,  keeping  them  grow- 
ing instead  of  allowing  them  to  remain  in  a  dor- 
mant state  through  the  winter.  Moderate-sized 
tubers  that  have  been  in  a  state  of  semi-rest,  if 
now  placed  in  a  brisk  heat,  will  at  once  commence 
to  grow,  and  as  soon  as  the  young  crowns  have 
got  two  or  three  leaves,  and  attained  a  height  of 
3  inches  or  4  inches,  they  may  be  taken  off  from 
the  parent  tuber  and  placed  singly  in  small  pots, 
keeping  them  well  up  to  the  light. 

MARKET  FRUIT  GARDENS. 

The  principal  work  in  these  will  for  some  time  to 
come  consist  in  grubbing  up  exhausted  trees  and 
in  the  planting  of  new  ones.  Gooseberries  and 
Currants  that  have  occupied  the  intermediate 
spaces  between  standard  trees  for  a  certain  num- 
ber of  years  should  be  grubbed  up.  When  the 
trees  begin  to  meet  and  intercept  the  light  they 
are  no  longer  useful ;  such  thick  cropping  can 
only  be  successfully  carried  on  by  extra  supplies, 
and  as  the  tall  standard  trees  are  the  most  profit- 
able it  is  a  bad  policy  to  let  the  under  fruit  stand 
so  long  as  to  check  their  growth.  The  work  of 
clearing  the  ground  is  done  in  Kent  in  rather  a 
summary  manner  by  means  of  a  horse  and  a  chain, 
one  end  of  which  is  slipped  round  the  stem  of  the 
bush,  which,  with  a  sharp  jerk,  is  drawn  out  with 
all  its  roots  adhering  to  it.  The  ground  is  then 
well  scarified  with  harrows,  and  sown  down  with 
permanent  Grass  seeds  early  in  spring  for  feeding 
off  with  sheep.  The  bushes  are  drawn  to  an  open 
space  and  burned,  and  their  ashes  are  strewn  on 
the  surface.  Orchards  thus  treated  make  rapid 
progress,  for  the  upper  roofs  take  early  possession 
of  the  freshly  cultivated  soil,  and  the  trees  gene- 
rally become  very  fertile,  as  tlie  surface  soil  is 
kept  rich  by  top  dressings.  The  Grass  being  al- 
lowed to  get  long  at  gathering  time  makes  good 
winter  keep  for  sheep.  Apples  are  generally 
considered  to  keep  better  from  trees  grown  on 
Grass  than  on  cultivated  ground,  and  in  this 
locality  anyone  purchasing  winter-keeping  sorts 
always  give  the  preference  to  those  from  trees  on 
Grass. 

Plums  as  bush  trees  are  being  largely  planted 
in  many  places,  for,  next  to  Apples,  they  are  about 
the  best  market  fruits  we  have.  Dwarfs  or  half 
standards  are  also  very  popular  planted  15  feet 
apart  each  way,  with  two  rows  of  Gooseberries  or 
Currants  between  them.  The  ground  about  these 
is  generally  manured  and  roughly  dug  up  very 
soon  after  the  fall  of  the  leaf,  and  the  trees  are 
pruned  after  Christmas,  when  all  Couch  Grass  and 
weeds  are  forked  out.  The  sorts  in  greatest  re- 
quest for  market  are  the  Early  Orleans,  Rivers' 
Early  Prolific,  Rivers'  Grand  Duke,  Cox's  Emperor, 
the  Bush  Plum,  The  Czar,  Victoria,  Pond's  Seed- 
ling, Pershore,  Belle  de  Septembre,  and  Black 
Diamond.  Plums  require  pruning  in  the  young 
stage  to  keep  the  strong  leading  shoots  from  rush- 
ing up  too  quickly,  and  thereby  making  weak, 
straggling  trees,  but  after  they  get  into  bearing 
they  require  very  little  pruning  beyond  cutting 
away  dead  or  weakly  branches  and  shortening  any 
straggling  growths. 

Pears  are  being  more  planted  as  market  fruits 
than  formerly,  and  in  soils  where  they  succeed 
they  are  a  remunerative  crop.  Tall  standards 
treated  like  Apples  on  Grass  are  best,  but  dwarf 
bushes  or  pyramids  produce  the  largest  fruit.  We 
have  lately  frathered  very  fine  fruits  from  trees  so 
managed  of  such  sorts  as  Louise  Bonne  of  Jersey, 


Van  Mons  LC-on  Leclerc,  Catillac,  Josephine  de 
Malines,  Gratioli  of  Jersey,  Beurre  Clairgeau, 
Jlarie  Louise,  IMarie  Louise  d'Uccle,  Vicar  of  Wink- 
field,  i:c.  These  always  command  a  remunerative 
price  in  the  market,  not  only  for  dessert,  but  also 
for  stewing.  Bellissime  d'Hiver,  Verulam,  and 
Catillac  are  best  for  culinary  purposes,  but  second- 
rate  dessert  sorts  like  Vicar  of  Winkfield  can  be 
utilised  for  the  purpose. 

Cob  Nuts  and  Filberts  are  being  largely 
planted  just  now;  they  flourish  on  stony  land, 
such  as  that  of  the  higher  elevations  where  other 
fruits  are  precarious.  They  may  be  grown  beneath 
tall  standards,  but  are  best  when  they  get  more 
sunlight.  We  observe  lately  that  they  are  being 
planted  in  alternate  rows  with  Damsons,  as  both 
succeed  on  light  soil,  and  the  Damson,  planted  as 
a  standard  and  kept  topped  in  rather  closely,  does 
not  create  much  shade.  The  Nuts  are  planted 
about  15  feet  apart  as  bashes,  and  pruned  in  the 
open  cup  fashion. 

Bush  fruits,  such  as  Gooseberries  and  Cur- 
rants, are  planted  C  feet  apart  each  way  generally 
as  intermediate  crops  in  young  orchards,  and 
lately  Raspberries  have  been  largely  planted  as 
field  crops.  They  are  planted  in  clumps  3  feet  or 
4  feet  apart,  and  cut  down  annually  to  3  feet  high, 
not  staked  or  tied  as  in  gardens,  but  nevertheless 
in  good  soils  and  under  liberal  cultivation  they 
yield  fine  crops  that  are  all  sold  to  jam  manu- 
facturers by  the  ton,  as  many  as  4  or  5  tons  being 
sent  into  Maidstone  in  one  lot.  The  sorts  most  in 
demand  are  Fastolf,  Carter's  Prolific,  and  Prince 
of  Wales  ;  only  red  sorts  suit  the  market. 


WORK  DONE  IN  WEEK  ENDING  NOV.  i,  1884. 

October  29. 
The  sharp  frost  of  yesterday  morning— 5° 
— and  the  strong  gale  of  last  night  having 
brought  down  the  leaves  very  rapidly  and  drifted 
them  together,  advantage  was  taken  of  the  dead 
calm  that  followed  to  rake  them  in  heaps  for 
carting.  Being  so  dry,  they  will  be  invaluable  for 
stacking,  to  be  used  for  the  renewal  of  the  heat  in 
Pine  pits  early  in  the  new  year.  All  the  best  will 
be  reserved  for  that  purpose,  and  the  remainder 
will  be  used  for  making  up  hotbeds  for  forcing 
various  things,  and  for  strewing  over  and  between 
to  protect  the  roots  from  frost  of  pot  Roses,  forcing 
shrubs,  and  late  Strawberries,  that  are  left  out  of 
doors  till  needed  for  the  forcing  pit.  Cleaning  up 
generally,  and  well-watered  small  shrubs  used 
in  the  winter  bedding.  Euonymuses,  Portugal 
Laurels,  Aucubas,  and  others  of  that  nature 
have  flagged  very  much,  and  rain  in  quantity  will 
not  come  ;  we  therefore  thought,  it  best  not  to 
wait  for  it.  In  and  about  the  houses  the  principal 
work  has  again  been  the  potting  and  planting  out 
in  frames  of  plants  used  for  summer  bedding,  not 
that  all  old  plants  are  saved,  but  only  such  as  do 
not  increase  readily,  or  those  that  the  young  stock 
is  insufEcient  for  next  year's  needs,  and  the  old 
ones  are  therefore  needed  for  the  production 
of  cuttings  for  spring  striking,  or  for  use  as  vase 
and  central  plants  they  are  required  to  be  large. 
In  potting  old  plants  of  Pelargoniums,  they  are, 
what  may  be  described,  as  partially  pruned,  that 
is,  irregular  and  long  growths  are  cut  off,  and  the 
plants  made  to  look  compact  and  even,  and  if  any 
that  are  bo  treated  be  rare,  'or  we  are  short  of 
stock,  cuttings  are  obtained,  are  inserted,  and 
placed  in  a  warm  house,  where  they  strike  just  as 
freely  as  they  did  out  of  doors  two  months  ago,  or 
as  they  do  in  heat  in  spring.  A  dry  atmospheric 
heat  and  rather  dry  at  root,  together  with  firm 
planting  of  the  cuttings  round  the  sides  of  the 
pot,  never  fail  to  result  in  a  good  strike. 
October  30. 
More  leaf  raking,  and  Oaks  being  still  quite 
green  we  are  not  likely  to  have  done  with  it  for  a 
long  time  to  come,  but  this  work  we  never  be- 
grudge, as  we  get  more  than  full  value  for  what- 
ever labour  we  spend.  Began  some  alterations 
which  necessitated  the  transplanting  of  Rhodo- 
dendrons, and  really  the  ground  is  as  dry  as  it  was 
in  August,  and  not  being  prepared  for  drenching 
the  plants  before  and  after  removal,  which  is  the 


only  alternative,  we  purpose  deferring  all  other 
transplanting  till  a  change  in  the  weather 
arrives,  which  we  hope  will  be  very  soon.  House 
work  has  been  more  potting  of  bedding  plants. 
The  large  plants  of  Heliotropes,  Marguerites, 
and  Abutilons  are  potted  with  a  view  to 
doing  service  for  use  as  conservatory  plants 
and  for  cut  flowers  during  the  winter  and 
early  spring,  and  therefore  more  pains  are 
taken  with  them,  both  as  regards  potting,  com- 
post, and  housing,  than  with  old  plants  to  be  used 
for  bedding  next  year.  They  are  put  in  the 
warmest  houses  and  kept  syringed  till  new  growth 
has  fairly  started,  and  pruning  is  also  deferred  till 
then,  for  the  reason  that  some  of  the  branches,  or 
portions  of  them,  flag  so  much  that  they  do  not 
recover,  and  have  therefore  to  he  cut  off  to  the 
points  at  which  new  growth  begins  as  soon  as  this 
growth  is  about  an  inch  long.  Bedding  tuberous 
Begonias  are  being  packed  closely  together  in 
boxes  of  light  soil,  and  will  be  wintered  in  a  dry 
shed,  and  when  necessary  will  be  covered  thickly 
with  mats  to  keep  them  free  from  frost.  Fuchsias 
are  also  being  roughly  planted  on  the  floor  of  a 
shed,  as  house  space,  for  the  present  at 
any  rate,  is  out  of  the  question.  They 
winter  very  well  in  this  manner,  a  good 
watering  being  given  them  as  soon  as  planted,  and 
about  one  other  good  watering  a  month  or  six 
weeks  hence  will  serve  them  all  the  winter  through. 
Whoever  before  heard  tell  of  having  to  shade 
Chrysanthemums  from  sunshine  in  England?  and 
yet  we  actually  had  recourse  to  shading  to-day  ; 
the  flowers  having  opened  so  rapidly,  and  being 
required  for  a  special  purpose,  we  wished  to  keep 
them  as  late  as  possible.  I  may  add  that  the  sun 
was  powerful  enough  to  cause  the  plants  to  flag 
just  as  much  as  they  do  in  summer  under  bright 
sunshine,  and  the  watering  required  is  great  by 
comparison  with  other  years. 

October  31. 
Another  splendid  day  ;  warm  and  sunny  as  in 
midsummer.  All  outside  hands  in  kitchen  gar- 
den finished  earthing  up  Celery,  weeded  the 
rows  of  winter  Spinach,  and  hoed  between  the 
rows;  also  weeded  winter  Onions,  Lettuces, 
and  Endive,  and  the  borders  of  Violets 
and  Strawberries.  Earthed  up  remainder  of 
winter  greens  and  hoed  between  the  rows  of  young 
Cabbages  and  Coleworts.  Owing  to  the  mild 
weather  the  former  are  getting  too  forward,  and 
will  be  likely  to  run  to  seed,  and  plants  from  a 
later  sowing  will  take  the  place  of  any  that  mani- 
fest such  a  tendency.  Pulled  up  French  Beans 
and  roughly  cleared  the  border  of  weeds,  &c.,  till 
such  times  as  manure  can  be  wheeled  on  for  the 
ground  to  be  trenched.  We  are  still  gathering  a 
few  Peas  (Ne  Plus  Ultra),  and  they  would  be  very 
good  if  the  birds  would  but  let  them  alone,  or  at 
any  rate  be  content  with  a  reasonable  amount  of 
the  produce,  or,  better  still,  take  their  flight  to  the 
gardens  of  those  who  do  not  believe  in  either  rob- 
bing a  bird's  nest  or  shooting  even  a  single  delin- 
quent ;  such  people  would  then  soon  change  their 
opinionas  to  tomtits,  sparrows,  thrushes,  and  black- 
birds. The  dry  weather  has  doubtless  made  them 
more  ravenous  and  caused  them  to  defy  our  usual 
mode  of  protection,  namely,  by  netting  over,  which 
we  always  have  to  do  in  autumn  as  soon  as  the 
grain  has  been  gathered  in  from  the  fields.  Pulled 
up  the  haulm  and  sticks  of  earlier  sown  Peas  and 
cleared  the  ground  as  named  for  French  Beans, 
and  this,  in  common  with  all  the  ground  that  has 
yet  to  be  cleared,  will,  as  opportunity  offers,  be 
trenched,  for,  with  the  exception  of  sowing  a  few 
Peas  and  Broad  Beans  a  fortnight  hence,  cropping 
is  over  for  this  year.  The  ground  for  the  early 
Peas  is  now  being  prepared,  the  position  being  a 
southern  border  that  has  already  produced  two 
crops,  namely,  early  Potatoes  and  Lettuce ;  this 
last  is  just  now  finished,  and  deep  digging  and  a 
light  dressing  ot  manure  is  now  being  given. 
Potted  Tomatoesinto  8-inch  pots,  and  placed  them 
on  the  soil  of  the  old  Melon  beds,  the  late  lot  of 
which  is  just  over.  They  will  be  allowed  to  root 
through  the  bottom  of  the  pots  into  the  soil,  and 
the  warmth  from  the  one  4-inch  pipe  that  there  is 
for  bottem  heat  will  help  them  greatly,  and  yet 


408 


THE     GARDEN 


[Nov.  8,   1884. 


the    cramping  the  roots  get  by  being    in   pots 
will  check  all  tendency  to  undue  luxuriance  that 
would  otherwise  result  at  the  cost  of  proportionate 
shyness  ot  fruiting.     They  will  be  trained  to  the 
trellis  with  one  principal  stem  only,  and  as  soon  as 
the  fruit  is  set  on  the  laterals  they  will  be  kept 
closely  pinched.     Picking  off  the  bad  leaves  of 
Pelargoniums  and  other  bedding  plants  that  have 
started  into  new  growth,  and  arranging  them  as 
neatly  and  thinly   as  space  will  allow.     I'otted 
clumps  of  Valley  Lily  and  placed  them  in  a  cold 
frame  with  Spiraeas  and  other  plants  intended  for 
forcing.      Filled   all 
the  frames  we  have 
to  spare  with  Straw- 
berry     plants      for 
forcing, but  ot  course 
the  lights  will  be  kept 
entirely  off  except  in 
frosty    or   very  wet 
weather.      The     re- 
mainder will  be  ar- 
ranged close  together 
with  leaves  between 
to  prevent  the  frost 
breaking    the    pots, 
and  shutters  covered 
with  asphalt ;  canvas 
will  be  placed  over 
them     in     wet     or 
showery  weather. 

NOVEMBEB  1. 

The  general  over- 
haul in  the  matter  ot 
neatness    customary 
on  Saturday,  though 
now  less  as  regards 
flower     garden     la- 
bours,   is    increased 
in   other    directions, 
walks  and  lawn  re- 
quiring       all        our 
strength  to  keep  in 
anything    like    pre- 
sentable    condition, 
and  just  now  we  do 
not   attempt,  if   we 
may  bo  put  it,  "  full 
dress  ;  "    that   stage 
must  be  left  till  the 
litter    from    falling 
leaves    is  over    and 
worm  casts  are  ended 
through  the   worms 
seeking  warmer  quar- 
ters at  a  greater  depth 
in  the  ground.     We 
therefore  to-day  only 
cleared  up  the  walks 
and  parts  of  ground 
that    are   most    fre- 
quented and  roads  in 
the  immediate  vici- 
nity of  the  mansion. 
All  the  houses   had 
their  usual  brush  up. 
Grapes  looked    over 
to  cut  out  bad  ber- 
ries, and  in  the  late 
houses     the     leaves 
that    seemed    ready 
to  tall  were  taken  off, 
as  in  that  state  they 
rather    engender 
damp,  and  a  dry  at- 
mosphere is  now  a  necessity  ot   good  keeping. 
Peaches  were  given  a  shake  to  bring  down  the 
matured    foliage,  Cucumbers  tied   and  pinched. 
Pines  watered,  and  fungus  and  weeds  pulled  out 
of  the  plunging  beds.     The  remainder  of   Poin- 
settias  were  put  into  stronger  heat.     Ferns  that 
had  stood  in  frames  for  the  summer  were  put  in 
the    Strawberry    house,    together    with    winter- 
flowering     Pelargoniums,   and    here    they    will 
remain    till    the    end   of    the   year,    when    the 
house  will  be  required  for  Strawberry  forcing, 
the   plants    meanwhile  being  started  in  frames 


filled  with  Oak  leaves,  on  which  the  pots  are 
stood,  to  gently  excite  the  roots  in  advance  ot 
the  crowns. 

November  S. 

The  rain  that  fell  last  night  and  early  this 
morning  (over  half  an  inch)  was  as  welcome 
as  any  rain  that  ever  fell  in  August,  for  many 
plants  seemed  to  be  suffering  just  as  much  as 
they  do  at  that  season.  Our  first  job  was  to 
roll  all  walks,  as  in  places  the  ground  was  getting 
loose  and  rough.   Finished  transplanting  the  Rho- 


View  ot  waterfalls  In  Yellowstone  Park. 

dodendrons  that  a  few  days  ago  we  were  obliged 
to  desist  from,  owing  to  the  dry  state  of  the  gravel, 
and  even  now  it  is  nothing  to  bo'ast  of,  and  further 
planting  must  be  postponed  till  the  ground  is 
wetter.  Pricked  out  Cauliflower  and  Lettuce  plants 
at  the  foot  of  south  walls,  where  they  can  be 
easily  protected  should  occasion  require.  Trench- 
ing has  been  our  other  kitchen  garden  work.  Work 
in  the  houses  has  been  sponging  Gardenias  and 
Eucharis.  Fly  and  soft  scale  are  the  insects  that 
bother  us,  mealy  bug  having  long  since  been  ex- 
terminated, thanks  to  the  paraffin  oil  cure.  Lifted 


from  the  open  borders  and  potted  plants  of 
Sohizostylis  coccinea  ;  though  in  full  flower, 
they  lifted  with  good  balls,  so  that  they  will 
hardly  feel  the  moving.  For  the  present 
they  occupy  a  heated  pit,  which  will  be 
kept  rather  close  till  the  plants  get  esta- 
blished ;  then  they  will  be  useful  for  fur- 
nishing vases  in  the  coolest  part  of  the  mansion 
and  prevent  the  loss  of  more  valuable  plants, 
which  for  the  most  part  are  ruined  by  being 
required  to  do  duty  in  halls  and  corridors 
that  are  suitable  for  anything  except  plant 
culture.  The  har- 
dier Palms  are 
the  best  of  all 
plants  for  such  po- 
sitions, but  then 
the  cry  is,  "  We 
want  flowers,"  and 
in  obedience  to  that 
demand,  the  present 
sacrifice  is  that  ot 
Chrysanthemums, 
reason  having  no 
voice  in  the  matter 
when  fashion  is  con- 
cerned. 

NOVEMBEB  4. 

At  last  the  frost 
has  come  sufliciently 
sharp  to  cut  down 
Dahlias,  7°  last  even- 
ing, which  has  been 
quickly  followed  by 
slight  rain  and  a  tem- 
perature 2U°  warmer. 
Grubbed  up  old  Rho- 
dodendrons and 
trenched  ground  for 
planting  other 
shrubs.  Vegetable 
or  leaf  mould  is  the 
only  manure  we  use 
for  shrubs,  and  this 
we  place  immediately 
under  the  top  spit, 
so  that  in  making 
the  holes  for  the 
plants  it  gets  well 
mixed  with  the  soil, 
and  the  roots  get 
the  benefit  of  it  at 
once.  T3  ing  early 
Peach  trees  to  trelli.<!, 
and  began  to  prune 
the  second  house. 
Washing  plants,  as 
ye^terc!ay.  Cut  all 
green  Tomatoes,  and 
hung  them  up  in 
vineries  to  ripen. 
Gathered  the  last 
French  Beans  from 
the  open  air ;  the 
frost  of  last  night 
has  cut  off  supplies 
ot  both  these,  Run- 
ner lieans,  and  the 
few  Peas  we  had 
left.  Autumn  Giant 
Cauliflower  is  now 
plentiful,  and  the 
heads  are  protected 
and  retarded  by  half 
lifting  to  cause  them 
then  the  leaves  are  bent  over  the  flowers. 

Hants. 


to  flag  ; 


VIEW  IN  YELLOWSTONE  PARK. 
This  illustration  shows  one  ot  the  many  strange 
and  beautiful  scenes  in  this  great  park,  which  the 
American  nation  has  wisely  resolved  to  devote  to 
national  purposes  and  to  the  preservation  of  the 
national  flora  and  fauna  ot  the  district.  It 
is  full  of  weird  scenes  and  wonderful  pheno- 
mena, or  evidence  of  phenomena,  while  its 
water   and    woods    are    of    a    type    of    beauty 


Nov.  8,   1884.] 


THE    GAEDEN 


409 


which  all  can  appreciate.  The  idea  is  excellent, 
and  well  worth  the  attention  of  other  countries. 
The  poorest  in  Europe  have  large  stretches  of  pic- 
turesque and  often  useless  land,  which,  enclosed 
and  planted,  might  serve  well  the  purpose  of  a 
great  national  forest  and  a  refuge  for  the  original 
fauna  of  the  country  and  even  flora,  so  far  as  it 
is  desirable  to  preserve  it.  How  many  districts 
there  are,  for  example,  in  our  own  small  islands 
not  worth  sixpence  an  acre  which  could  be  made 
of  delightful  interest  and  not  wholly  without  value 
to  the  country  ! 


Trees  and  Shrubs. 


SILVER  FIR  DISEASE. 

(FICEA    TECTINATA.) 

Botanists,  and  especially  British  and  Conti- 
nental "  professors,"  have  of  late  years  involved 
the  subject  of  some  parasitic  fungi  in  inex- 
tricable confusion,  and  the  fungus  which  causes 
the  disease  of  Silver  Fir  is  one  of  their  vic- 
tims. We  will  endeavour  in  as  simple  a  manner 
as  possible  to  explain  how  the  case  stands  with 
the  Silver  Fir  fungus  without  using  too  many  of 
the  uncouth  and  ill-formed  Greek  and  dog-Latin 
terms  with  which  the  imperfectly  educated  "  pro- 
fessors "  delight  to  embellish  their  supernaturally 
learned  lucubrations. 

First,  as  to  the  name.  The  best  known  name  of 
the  fungus  is  Peridermium  columnare ;  for  a 
change  we  sometimes  see  the  name  given  as 
.I'^cidium  columnare,  or  O'xidium.  Of  late  these 
names  have  not  been  deep  enough,  so  the  Con- 
tinental "  professors  "  now  know  the  fungus  under 
the  delightful  cognomen  of  Melampsora  Goepper- 
tiana.  They  also  term  it  a  Melampsoropsis. 
If  we  turn  to  a  paper  written  by  our  friend  Mr. 
C.  B.  Plowright,  a  paper  whose  aim  is  to  make 
these  dark  subjects  clear,  we  find  under  Perider- 
mium columnare  the  strange  addition  of  "  not 
British."  One  might  well  come  to  a  sudden  "  pull 
up "  on  reading  so  startling  an  announcement ; 
but  on  writing  to  our  friend  for  an  explanation, 
he  laconically  informs  us  that  the  words  "  not 
British  "  were  inserted_in  mistake.  The  unfortu- 
nate mistake  adds  considerably  to  the  already 
existing  confusion. 

Now,  it  is  probable  that  every  reader  of  The 
Garden  knows  that  a  certain  number  of  agri- 
culturists and  botanists  say  that  Corn  mildew 
is  only  one  form  of  the  blight  of  Barberry 
bushes ;  that  Barberry  bushes,  in  fact,  blight 
Corn.  For  our  part,  we  believe  the  case  unproven. 
The  believers  in  the  Barberry  bush  business  also 
inform  us  that  the  disease  of  Silver  Fir  is  caused 
by  a  blight  of  the  Cowberry  or  red  Whortleberry 
(Vaccinium  Vitis-idaaa),  But  in  the  same  way  as 
no  Barberry  bush  whatever  is  native  of  Australia 
or  India,  where  Corn  mildew  is  extremely  common, 
so  the  fungus  or  blight  of  Vaccinium,  although 
searched  for  in  the  most  persevering  manner,  has 
never  yet  been  found  in  Britain. 

There  are  three  other  species  of  Peridermium 
which  invade  the  Conifers.  We  will  refer  to  two, 
P.  corticolum  and  P.  acioolum  ;  one  grows  on  the 
branches  and  the  other  on  the  leaves  of  the  Scotch 
Fir.  These  two  fungi  are  very  different  from  each 
other,  and  the  spores  or  seeds  of  the  latter  are 
nearly  or  quite  twice  the  size  of  those  of  the  for- 
mer. The  Barberry  bush  "  professors  "  tell  us  that 
these  two  fungi  are  only  one  condition  of  an 
orange  fungus  extremely  common  on  Groundsel, 
and  called  Coleosporium  senecionis.  The  learned 
teachers  must  of  course  use  fantastic  words,  so 
they  term  the  fungus  a  Eucoleosporium.  It  will 
be  seen  that  a  diflSculty  crops  up  here,  for  how  can 
one  blight  of  Groundsel  cause  the  production  of 
two  dilferent  fungi  on  Firs,  one  with  spores  twice 
the  size  of  the  other  ?  "Oh,"  say  the  professors,  "the 
size  of  the  spores  is  of  no  importance ;  the  fungi 
you  call  by  two  names  we  will  call  by  one ; 
they  are  both  the  same  with  each  other." 
But  we  reply  "  there  are  two  iEcidium  blights  on 
Barberries  ;  one  with  large  spores,  and  the  other 
with  small  spores,  precisely  the  same  as  in  the 
Peridermia  of  the  ConifeiEe,  and  you  accept  these 


as  two  species."  "  Ah,"  say  the  professors,  "  the 
size  of  the  spores  is  of  the  highest  importance ; 
therefore  one  must  be  named  ^Ecidium  berberidis, 
and  the  other  shall  be  permanently  known  as  ^lici- 
dium  magelhanicum."  In  some  examples  of  true 
.•Eoidium  berberidis  the  spores  are  nearly  twice 
the  size  of  those  in  other  examples,  but  this  tact 
is  considered  by  the  professors  to  be  of  no  mo- 
ment. It  must  be  called,  they  say,  a  Hetereupuc- 
oinia  (sic).  In  the  very  latest  publication  relating 
to  this  unhappy  subject,  Mr.  C.  B.  Plowright  has 
published  what  is  supposed  to  be  a  complete  list 
of  the  fungi  of  Norfolk.  We  have  turned  to  the  list 
to  see  if  the  Firs  of  Norfolk  are  invaded  by  Peri- 
dermium, and  we  find  the  genus  is  not  even  men- 
tioned. When  we  turn  to  the  contemptible  fungus 
of  Groundsel  (the  suppositious  second  condition  of 
the  fungi  of  our  Firs)  we  find  that  paltry  fungus 
honoured  with  a  position  under  the  name  of  Coleo- 
sporium senecionis,  whilst,  the  much  more  impor- 
tant parasites  of  Firs  are  nowhere.  It  will  be 
seen  from  these  remarks  that  unless  practical 
arboriculturists  and  agriculturists  are  acquainted 
with  every  one  of  the  deep  ramifications  and  intri- 
cacies of  the  new  little  school  of  sensational  bo- 
tanists, it  is  quite  useless  for  practical  men  to  con- 
sult any  of  the  "  professors'  "  works.  But  even  if 
one  can  find  his  way  through  the  mazes,  he  will 
still  remain  uncertain  as  to  whether  many  fungi, 
as,  for  instance,  the  Fir  fungi,  exist  or  do  not  exist 
in  Britain.  If  none  of  the  wonderful  botanists  just 
mentioned,  or,  as  they  love  to  term  themselves, 
"  mycologists,"  is  asked  why  no  Fir  fungus  is  pub- 
lished in  the  list,  he  will  reply,  "  Because  it  is  a 
metcecious  Coleosporium ;  "  or  if  he  be  still  more 
learned  he  will  say,  "  Because  it  is  one  of  the 
hetercecismal  Uredines,  or  a  hetercecismal  Me- 
lampsora." 

From  what  we  have  said  on  this  subject  it  will 
be  seen  that  the  "  professors  "  are  not  only  con- 
stantly inventing  new,  uncouth,  ill-formed,  and 
unnecessary  terms,  but  they  are  constantly  twist- 
ingand  manipulating  facts  to  suit  theory.  When  the 
size  of  spores  suits  theirtheory,  they  say  size  is  of  the 
utmost  importance  ;  when  it  does  not  suit,  they  at 
once  say  size  is  of  no  importance  whatever.  They 
blow  hot  and  cold  with  the  same  breath.  We  do 
not  say  it  is  impossible  that  one  form  of  two  de- 
structive diseases  of  our  Conifers  does  not  grow 
on  Groundsel,  or  that  the  disease  of  Silver  Fir 
cannot  exist  as  a  blight  on  Cowberry,  but  we  un- 
hesitatingly say  that  no  such  connection  has  ever 
been  proved. 

Since  this  account  was  written  Mr.  Scott  Wilson, 
a  son  of  one  of  your  contributors,  has  sent  us 
Geraniums  from  Cambridge  infested  with  fungi, 
and  requesting  a  name.  The  correct  name  of  the 
fungus  is  Uromyces  Geranii  ;  sometimes  it  is 
called  Uredo,  or  for  a  change  Trichobasis.  We 
turned  to  friend  Plowright's  essay  to  see  if  any 
new  ideas  obtained  as  to  this  fungus,  and  found 
that  it  was  omitted.  It  had  vanished — it  was  not 
there.  Turning  to  another  work  written  by  a  great 
"  professor,"  we  found  that  the  latter  grandee  had 
callen  the  fungus  an  Auteuuromyces,  belonging  to 
a  section  of  the  Euuromyces.  We  then  turned  to 
friend  Plowright  again,  and  soon  found  these 
sections,  but  altered  to  Auteuromyces  and 
Euromyces ;  still  no  Geranium  fungus  was  to  be 
found.  We  then  wrote  to  our  friend  for  an  explana- 
tion, and  he  replied  that  he  had  forgotten  to  put 
it  in.  The  names  we  have  given  above  are  samples 
of  the  superlative  tip-top  botany  of  the  "  younger 
school  of  botanists,"  of  the  "  professional  profes- 
sors," and  the  anonymous  newspaper  critics. 

WORTHINGTON  G.  SMITH. 


■What  to  plant. — In  my  previous  note  I 
perhaps  Laid  myself  open  to  the  charge  of  advis- 
ing something  to  be  planted,  which  is  not  hardy 
everywhere.  I  mean  Athrotaxis  selaginoides. 
Your  correspondents  would  do  excellent  service  in 
recording  their  experiences  thereon.  There  was 
nothing  more  admired  at  the  Forestry  Exhibition 
in  the  nurserymen's  collections  than  this  well- 
named  Athrotaxis.  Close  to  the  sea  nothing 
will  succeed  better  than  Cupressus  macrocarpa 
and  Lambertiana,   the  former  being  more  pyra- 


midal in  growth  than  the  latter.  Mr.  Baines  in 
his  remarks  takes  notice  of  the  contrast  which 
Picea  Morinda  and  nobilis  and  Pinus  insignia 
make  with  the  surrounding  foliage.  And  one  of 
the  prettiest  things  in  Nature  is  the  appearance  of 
the  Hemlock  Spruce  when  the  old  branches  put 
forth  their  fresh  green  tips. — C.  A.  M.Caemiciiael. 


THE  TEMPLE  CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
VisiTOR.9toLondoninterested  in  Chrysanthemums 
should  spare  a  few  moments  to  look  in  at  the  two 
fine  collections  in  the  gardens  of  both  the  Inner 
and  Middle  Temple.  Both  are  uncommonly  fine 
this  season,  and  both  ought  to  be  seen,  inasmuch 
as  they  differ  somewhat.  For  example,  the  Middle 
Temple  display  very  largely  consists  of  the 
earlier  sorts,  especially  of  the  Japanese  race ; 
while  that  in  the  Inner  Temple  is  composed 
largely  of  incurved  varieties,  which  are  now  in 
perfection.  These  collections  will  compare  fa- 
vourably with  any  grown  in  pure  country  air, 
and  they  show  admirably  how  amenable  the  Chry- 
santhemum is  to  culture  in  a  smoke-laden  atmo- 
sphere. Both  collections  contain  good  selections 
of  the  old  and  well-known  sorts,  together  with  a 
good  intermixture  of  novelties,  among  others 
being  the  following,  which  attract  attention : 
Agrements  de  la  Nature,  long  twisted  petals, 
golden  yellow,  shaded  brown ;  Bacchus,  crimson 
centre  ;  Bendigo,  light  canary,  of  exquisite  shape  ; 
Boule  d'Or,  yellowish  bronze  ;  Bras  Rouge,  crimson 
and  yellow ;  Cite  des  Fleurs,  velvety  amaranth, 
with  twisted  petals  ;  Comet,  centre  bronzy  reddish 
rose  passing  to  golden  yellow  ;  Duchesse  de  Gerol- 
stein,  rose  with  silvery  shade  ;  Etoile  Toulousaine, 
red,  drooping  florets  ;  Flamme  de  Punch,  orange- 
red  streaked  with  golden  yellow,  fine  large  flower 
with  twisted  florets ;  George  Gordon,  crimson, 
very  fine ;  He  Japonnaise,  rosy  violet,  golden  re- 
verse ;  Joseph  Mahood,  ground  colour  yellow, 
striped  with  reddish  hue ;  Le  Rio,  vermilion-red  ; 
Lord  Alcester,  a  very  fine  primrose  sport  from 
Empress  of  India ;  Lord  Wolseley,  purplish  crim- 
son, incurved,  very  large ;  L'Or  du  Rhin,  very 
bright  gamboge-yellow,  large  flower  with  twisted 
florets  ;  Mdme.  Deveille,  white,  striated  with  pale 
rosy  violet,  large  flower  with  broad  florets;  Margot, 
centre  white,  faintly  tinged  with  rose,  outer  rays 
rosy  lilac,  very  large  flower  with  broad  florets ; 
Marguerite  Marrouch,  crimson,  edged  yellow, 
a  fine  exhibition  flower;  M.  Elie,  bright  amaranth  ; 
Mons.  Astorg,  fine  white  flower  with  broad  florets, 
occasionally  tinged  with  pale  rose ;  Mons.  De- 
veille, deep  vermilion-red,  shaded  with  crimson, 
centre  gold  and  yellow,  large  flower  with  broad 
florets ;  Mons.  Planchenau,  silvery  mauve,  large ; 
Mrs.  Todman,  rosy  mauve,  incurved  notched 
florets,  reverse  silvery,  splendid  globose  flower, 
very  distinct  and  attractive ;  Perle  des  Blanches, 
a  fine  white  ;  roseum  superbum,  beautiful  satiny 
rose,  centre  suffused  with  pale  sulphur-yellow, 
changing  to  white ;  Salteri,  deep  red,  passing  to 
scarlet,  and  shaded  with  carmine ;  Single  White, 
outer  rays  broad  and  spreading,  pure  white. 


NATIONAL  CHRYSANTHEMUM  SOCIETY. 
We  are  anxious  to  increase  as  far  as  possible  the 
number  of  members  of  this  Society,  in  order  that 
the  success  and  usefulness  hitherto  attending  its 
operations  under  the  title  of  the  Boro'  of  Hackney, 
may  not  only  be  maintained,  but  sufficiently  en- 
hanced to  justify  the  new  departure  of  having 
adopted  the  title  of  National,  an  alteration  that 
has  long  since  been  considered  desirable  from  the 
facts,  among  others,  that  the  exhibitions  are  now, 
and  have  been  for  years  past,  held  in  the  metro- 
polis, and  that  so  large  a  share  of  support  from 
cultivators  of  the  Chrysanthemum  has  been  ac- 
corded to  this  Society.  This  can  only  be  accom- 
plished by  an  accession  from  time  to  time  of  new 
members,  and  although  we  have  ever  received  a 
most  generous  support,  yet  now  that  it  is  pro- 
posed to  increase  the  sphere  of  operations  to  the 
fullest  possible  extent,  by  way  of  encouraging  the 
cultivation  of  the  Chrysanthemum  even  more 
than  has  yet  been  accomplished,  and  at  the  same 
time  to  develop  the  grand  competitions  in  fruit 


410 


THE    GARDEN 


[Nov.  8,  1884. 


and  vegetables  as  far  as  practicable,  we  trust  we 
may  receive  a  more  general  support  from  exhi- 
bitors and  others  residing  at  a  distance  from 
London  than  we  have  hitherto  had.  Our  anxiety 
has  ever  been  to  make  the  schedule  as  comprehen- 
sive as  possible,  so  that  exhibitors  of  all  classes 
may  have  the  opportunity  of  competing,  but  it  has 
not  been  by  any  means  so  complete  as  we  could 
wish.  We,  however,  earnestly  hope  that,  with 
increased  support,  we  may  be  enabled  to  include 
some  of  the  many  subjects  that  are  worthy  to  be 
more  fully  provided  for  in  the  schedule,  and,  with 
this  object  in  view,  suggestions  from  any  friends 
of  the  Society  are  specially  invited.  An  annual 
subscription  of  not  less  than  5s.  entitles  to  all 
privileges,  both  as  exhibitor  and  member. 

William  Holmes,  Hon.  Sec. 
Frampton  Pari:  Bnrsertes,  Hackney. 


The  Chrysanthemum.— Under  this  title 
Mr.  Burbidge  has  introduced  his  admirable  and 
timely  book  upon  the  most  favoured  of  our  early 
winter  flowers,  and  I  can  very  heartily  commend  it 
to  all  who  may  feel  interested  in  the  cultivation 
of  the  class  of  plants  which  give  the  book  its  name. 
It  gives  us  the  history  of  the  plant,  and  a  record 
of  its  cultivation  both  outdoors  and  indoors. 
Being  one  of  our  popular  show  plants,  all  relat- 
ing to  exhibiting  is  very  fully  treated  of,  and  even 
non-exhibitors  may  read  all  Blr.  Burbidge's  very 
practical  details  with  advantage.  Probably  the 
shows  will  stimulate  a  great  demand  for  the  book, 
and  if  something  results  in  the  way  of  lifting  them 
out  of  their  present  rather  parochial  surroundings 
much  good  may  result. — D. 


NOTES  or  THE  WEEK. 


Mr.  Anderson-Henry's  plants.— We  Ic.-im  that 
the  rich  collection  of  h.-irdy  plants  formed  by  the  late  Mr. 
I.  Auderson-IIenry,  at  Uay  Lodge,  Edinhursh,  will  shortly 
be  (lisrosed  of  by  aiictiou.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  they,  par- 
ticularly the  rarities,  will  pass  into  good  hands.  Mr. 
Anderson-llenry  has  left  his  rich  botanical  library  to  the 
public  of  Dundee. 

Apple  Congress  Eeport— We  are  requested  to 
state  that  the  report  on  the  Apple  Congress,  wliich  was 
held  at  C'hiswick  in  1SS3,  is  now  ready,  and  that  nursery- 
men and  seedsmen  who  desire  to  purchase  it  iu  large  quan- 
tlties  can  have  it  on  special  terms  on  application  to  Mr. 
J.  D.  Dick,  at  theofflccs  of  the Eoyal  Horticultural  Society, 
South  Kensington. 

National  Bose  Society.— We  have  received  this 
society's  revised  edition  of  the  catalogue  of  exhibition 
Roses,  which  is  supplemented  by  a  catalogue  of  garden 
Koscs.  The  list,  which  is  alphabetically  arranged,  com- 
prises the  raiser's  name  of  each  sort  and  the  date  at  which 
it  was  put  in  commerce.  The  form  and  colour  of  the  flower 
are  also  given,  and  likewise  the  habit  of  growth,  the  whole 
forming  a  useful  guid  to  the  rosarian,  be  he  an  exhibitor 
or  not. 


Subscriptions  to  Gardeners'  Benevo- 
lent Institution  Augmentation  Fund. — The  follow- 
ing sums  as  a  first  instalment  have  been  collected 
by  Jlr.  Coleman,  Eastnor  Castle,  Ledbury,  in  two 
days  without  meeting  with  a  single  refusal.  Two 
of  the  undermentioned  have  become  annual  sub- 
scribers and  one  a  life  member  ; — 

T    „.  „  ,  £  s.  J. 

Jlr.  W.  Coleman  llO 

Mr.  P.  Anderson,  London     ..        ..        ..        .  2    2  0 

Dr.  Henry,  Haflield !!  2    0  0 

Mrs.  Eic.ardn,  Bromesberrow         „        ..        ..  i    o  0 

Eev.  II.  P.  Hill,  Bromesberrow       0  10  6 

Mr.  Macrobie,  gardener,  Broraesberrow  ..        ..  0  10  0 

Mr.  Henderson,  gardener,  Haftield 0  10  0 

Mr.  G.  Piper,  Ledbury           0  10  C 

Mr.  E.  Webb,  Ledbury           0  10  C 

Mr.  J.  Dawes,  gardener.  Priory,  Eeigate  . .        . .  0  10  6 

Mr.  Fisher,  g,ardener,  Fli.xton  Hall,  Bimgay      . .  0    6  0 

Mr.  Parr,  Ledbury       060 

Mr.  Fraser,  Upper  Hall  Gardens,  Ledbury         . .  0  10  6 

Mr.  W.  A.  H.  Martin,  Upper  H.all 2    0  0 

Mr.  C.  Stevens,  Ledbury        . . 0    6  0 

Mr.  J  Hopton,  Canon,  Fronio        ..        ..  2    0  0 

Captain  Archdale,  Ledbury 1    0  0 

Mr.  H.  Baillie,  Eastnor          '  0  10  0 

Mr.  C.  Radcliffe  Cooke '  0  10  0 

Mr.  P.  E.  Wheatley,  West  Bank,  Ledbury         '.'.  0  10  0 

Total     ..        „        ..        ..    17    0    6 

Let  us  hope  that  Mr.  Coleman's  excellent  example 
may  be  the  means  of  awakening  an  interest  in 
theinstitution  in  other  quarters. 


ACKKAGE  UNDER  GARDEN  CROPS. 

Oechaeds  in  Great  Britain,  according  to  parlia- 
mentary returns  just  published,  again  show  an 
enlarged  area,  covering  191,648  acres,  as  compared 
with  190,710  acres  in  the  previous  year.  In  the 
county  of  Somerset,  and  in  one  or  two  others  in 
less  degree,  the  apparent  increased  acreage  is 
partly  attributable  to  more  complete  returns.  The 
exclusion  of  land  planted  with  fruit  trees,  but 
returned  under  another  classification,  is  doubtless 
an  occasional  cause  of  fluctuation  in  the  returns, 
and  one  which  not  unfrequently  can  only  be  dis- 
covered by  personal  communications  with  the 
occupier. 

The  acreage  under  market  gardens  shows  a  de- 
crease in  the  tot.al  of  91  acres,  but  this  is  due 
chiefly  to  the  fact  that  upon  inquiry  it  was  found 
that  a  large  quantity  of  land  in  Essex  which  was 
occupied  last  year  by  Peas  and  Potatoes,  and 
which  in  any  following  years  might  be  under 
Wheat  or  other  crops,  was  erroneously  returned  in 
1883  as  market  gardens,  instead  of  being  enume- 
rated under  the  proper  classification  in  the  returns. 
The  collectors  report  indeed,  generally,  in  refer- 
ence to  both  orchards  and  market  gardens  a  con- 
siderable extension,  and  that  in  some  localities 
every  available  plot  of  land  is  being  devoted  to 
the  purpose,  in  order  to  meet  the  continued  de- 
mand for  fruit  and  fresh  vegetables  for  large 
towns.  \Vere  it  not  for  the  apparent  diminution 
here  alluded  to,  the  returns  would  have  shown  an 
increase  in  the  area  under  market  gardens  of 
3500  acres.  Occasionally,  indeed,  portions  of  land 
appear  to  have  j_been  sub-divided  specially  for 
these  purposes. 

AcBEAGE  under  orchards,  market  gardens,  and 
nursery  grounds,  as  returned  upon  June  4,  1884  ; 
and  of  woods,  as  returned  in  1881,  in  each 
county  in  England,  Wales,  and  Scotland. 


Counties. 


ENGLAND. 


Bedford.. 

Berks 

Buckingham    . . 

Cambridge 

Chester  ..         _ 

C'ornwall 

<'umhcrlaud     .. 

Derby     . . 

Devon     . . 

Dorset    . .         „ 

Durham 

Essex     .. 

Gloucester 

Hants     .. 

Hereford 

Hertford 

iliintingdon     ,. 

Kent 

Lancaster 

Leicester 

Lincoln  .. 

Middlesex 

Monmouth 

Norfolk.. 

Xorthampton  . . 

Northumberland 

Notts     „ 

Oxford   .. 

Eutland 

.Salop      ^ 

Somerset 

Stafford.. 

Suffolk  .. 

Surrey   .. 

Sussex    .. 

Warwick 

\N'estmoreland 

Wilts      .. 

Worcester 

"i'ork,  East  Ridinj^ 
,,      North  Kiding 
,,      West  Riding 

Total  fok  England 


W.'\XES. 

Anglesey 
Brecon  _ 
Cardigan 
Carmarthen     . . 
Carnarvon 
I>enbigh 
I'liut       . . 


Orchard 
&c. 


696 
2,066 
2,120 
2,043 
2,030 
6,006 

311 

863 
26,3<S 
4,111 

245 

1,3,W 

16,377 

1,!)!)2 

27,106 

1,-281 

468 

17,494 

2,440 

801 
1,863 
3,604 
3,977 
2,006 

762 

202 
1,872 
1,461 
64 
3,859 
23,772 
1,118 
1,.W8 
1,989 
2,176 
1,450 

294 
3,128 
17,636 

812 

979 
l,f)25 


189,767 


Market 
Gardens 


Acres. 

962 

446 

392 

910 

1,286 

1,244 

268 

497 

986 

116 

716 

2,617 

1,537 

1,197 

63 

626 

212 

8,071 

1,202 

423 

749 

7,682 

326 

1,010 

447 

653 

721 

226 

36 

65 

672 

777 

39e 

2,864 

1,266 

666 

14 

233 

2,631 

466 

283 

2,499 


47,900 


7 

1,097 

60 

136 

66 

267 

135 


2 
6 

10 
32 
230 
23 


Nur- 
series 


Acres. 

14 

149 
141 
135 


47 
204 
380 
340 

87 

44 
423 
263 
180 
208 
468 

81 
694 
322 
138 
231 
615 

19 
162 
162 

83 
163 

64 
2 

96 
176 
208 
123 
1,380 
4.56 
190 

22 
110 
372 
206 
164 
694 


Woods 


A  errs. 

11,829 
29,120 
27,373 

6,321 
20,132 
28,987 
26,771 
24,624 
77,469 
36,250 
26,190 
27,934 
62,892 
105,489 
37,S32 
22,782 

3,964 
82,849 
37,766 
11,262 
39,481 

2,382 
29,866 
60,638 
24,289 
30,977 
26,387 
21,661 

3,156 
46,041 
39,850 
34,911 
32,486 
42.974 
113,043 
16,659 
14,752 
46,270 
18,871 
14,480 
48,106 
66,014 


10,522  1,466,038 


1,769 
10,414 
14,738 
21,616 
10,938 
16,705 

7,579 


Counties. 


Glamorgan 
Merioneth 
.Montgomery 
rcmbroke 
Radnor  .. 


Total  fok  Wales 


.SCOTLAND. 

vVberdeen 

Argyll    .. 

Ayr 

Banff      . . 

Berwick 

Bute       .. 

Caithness         « 

Clackmannan  .. 

Dumbarton 

Dmnfries 

Kdinburgh 

Elgin,  or  Sloray 

Fife 

Forfar    . . 

Haddington 

Inverness 

Kincardine 

Kinross.. 

Kirkcudbriglit 

Lanark  .. 

Linlithgow 

Nairn     . . 

Orkney  . . 

Peebles  .. 

Ltrth    '..        _ 

Itcnfrew 

Rijss  and  Cromarty 

Roxburgh 

Selkirk  .. 

Shetland 

Stirling  .. 

Sutherland 

Wigton  . . 

Total  for  .Scotland 


GREAT  BRITAIN—) 
TOTAL  I 


Isle  of  5Ian 
Jersey    .. 
Guernsey,  &c... 


Orchard 
Ac. 


Market 
Gardens 


Acres. 
281 

23 
507 

67 
571 


3,236 


Acres. 
416 


Nur- 
series 


Acres. 
63 
17 
17 
9 
4 


265 


65 
103 
16 
35 
22 
110 
30 

1 
45 
544 

6 
12 


436 

37 

20 

47 

1 


477 
28 

140 

7 

30 

101 
4 
13 
64 
62 


89 

315 

629 

6 

58 

1 

6 

671 

16 

2 

2 
C86 
139 


1,730 


4,326 


194,723   62,975   12,602 


158 
9 

102 
24 
22 
22 


14 
200 
410 
116 

42 

95 
6 

66 


24 

36 

10 

3 

6 
103 
67 

8 
63 

1 

53 


1,716 


Woods 


Acres. 
23,687 
16,049 
22,744 
10,064 
7,683 


162,786 


103,166 
42,741 
22,177 
28,188 
13,376 

3,464 
210 

2,028 

7,926 
31,162 
11,364 
60,130 
19,471 
30,287 
10,474 
102,-201 
27,880 

2,576 
19,741 
18,780 

4,899 
13,241 

10,177 
94,662 

6,424 
43,201 
14,679 

3,228 

12,483 
12,260 
8,009 


829,476 


84  148 

1,359  206 

534  118 


Sefton  Park,  Liverpool  (.Hegular  iteader).— This 
w.-is  laid  out  by  M.  Andre;  within  the  last  twenty  yeara 
or  so. 

Japanese  Chrysanthemum    Source   d'Or.  — 

Among  the  many  varieties  of  .Tapanese  Chrysanthemums 
recently  brought  out,  I  find  tliis  to  be  one  of  the  best. 
The  flowers,  which  are  recurved  and  freely  produced,  are 
of  a  clear,  brilliant  orange,  slightly  tinged  with  red  and 
tipped  with  light  yellow.  Habit  and  foliage  all  that  can 
be  desired.  Being  an  early  bloomer,  it  fonns  a  fine  com- 
panion to  Elaine  for  decorative  purposes.— E.  A.  L. 


Naming  trait— r.eailersvhn detire onrhcl-p in  namir.g 
fruit  mil  kimlly  bear  <n  mind  that  several  specimens  i.f 
different  stages  oj  colour  and  size  of  the  tame  kind  greatly 
assist  in  its  determination.  Local  varieties  should  Ve 
named  by  local  yroioers,  and  are  often  only  kncicn  to  them. 
We  can  only  vndertake  to  name  four  varieties  at  a  time, 
and  these  only  when  the  above  condition  is  observed.  Un- 
paid parcels  not  received. 

Names  of  fruits.— /.  J.  iJ.- Muscat  of  Alexandria. 

D.  trailer.— i,  Jlinchal  Crab  ;  3,  Beauty  of  Kent ;  1  and 

4  not  recognised. J.  A'.— 1,  probiibly  Bciuty  of  Kent; 

2,  Oslin  ;  3,  Queen  Core  line  ;  4,  not  known. H.  M.  Grove. 

— 1,   not  known  ;  2,  Blenheim  Orange  ;  3,   Bedfordshire 

Foundling;  4,  too  much  decayed. £.  B.  IT.— 2,  Fe.am'a 

Pippin  ;  3,  Bess  Pool ;  4,  Flower  of  Kent. A.  Bone.— 

American    Mother. Major-Geiieral   Moody,  —'i,    Rur- 

chardt's  Eeinette  ;  2,  New  Hawthorndeu ;  3,  not  knrwn. 

L.  J  Iff  fn.— Probably    Crimson    Caraway  Russet. 

li.  £.— Apparently  King  o£  the  Pippins. Others  next 

week. 

Naming  plants.— Four  kinds  of  plants  or  flowers 
only  can  be  named  at  one  time,  and  this  only  when  good 
specimens  are  sent. 

Names  of  plants  —X  C.  O.—l,  Tea ;  2,  Gnaphalium 

lanatum ;  3,  Pleione  lagenaria  :  4,   Maxillaria  picta. 

11'.  O.—l,  Epidendrum  fragrans  ;  2  and  3,  Oncidium  Forbesi 

vars.  ;  4,  O.  variccsum. E.  M.  O.—l,   Euonymus  flm- 

briatus ;  2,  Juniperus  virginiana  var.  Bedfordiana  ;  3, 
probably  some  herbaceous  Leguminosa;,  impossible  to  name 
from   such   wretched   specimens. — -iiicol  (Aberdeen). — 

(Juercus   coceinea. F.    J.    R.—2   and   3,    varieties   of 

common  shrubljy  Calceolaria  ;  4,  species  of  Iberis. 


BOOKS  RECEIVED. 

"A  Book  about  Roses,"  by  Canon  Hole;  Sth  elitlou. 
Blackwood  &  Sons. 

"  The  Australiau  in  America,''  by  J.  L.  Dow,  M.P.  Mel- 
bourne A'je  Office. 


THE     GARDEN 


411 


Ho.  678.  SATURDAY,  Nov.  15,  1884.  Vol.  XXVI- 


"  This  is  an  Art 
Wliich  does  mend  Xatnre  :  chance  it  rather  :  hut 
The  art  itself  is  Nature."— S/irjJ-c«p''«w. 


NOTES  FKOM  NEWKT. 
Autumn  flowers. — It  is  a  most  iinusoaloc- 
currence  indeed  here  in  this  humid  valley  to  have 
Dahlias,  Salvia  patens,  Calceolaria  amplexicaulis, 
and  similar  plants  in  full  flower  on  the  10th  of 
November,  but  such  is  the  case.  These  things  are 
flowering  far  beyond  their  usual  season,  and 
others  again  are  blooming  quite  out  of  season. 
Primula  japonica,  for  instance,  is  in  full  bloom,  and 
not  in  solitary  case.<i,  but  in  numbers.  I  am  afraid 
that  if  cold  weather  does  not  come  soon  spring 
flowers  will  be  excited  into  growth  and  bloom  at 
the  expense  of  the  spring  display,  ynowdrops  are 
well  above  ground,  especially  in  positions  near 
trees,and  where  they  had  a  thoroughly  good  baking 
during  the  summer,  and  consequent  reft.  Now 
the  copious  autumn  rains  have  come  they  are  at 
once  excited  into  active  growth,  and,  from  present, 
appearances,  will  bloom  long  before  spring  is  here 
Tritoma  grandis  is  undoubtedly  one  of  the  finest 
and  most  attractive  of  late  autumn-blooming 
plants.  Here  it  is  in  full  flower  and  has  been  so 
for  quite  a  month— huge  clumps  of  it  with  twenty 
heads  or  so  growing  near  water.  Others  associated 
with  Pampas  Grass,  and  others  again  planted 
amongst  evergreen  shrubs,  have  a  very  fine  effect. 
All  who  are  at  all  interested  in  maintaining  the 
brightness  of  the  flower  garden  till  as  late  a  date 
as  possible  should  make  a  note  of  this. 

With  the  value  of  Tropajolum  tuberosum  for 
garden  decoration  I  was  never  fully  impressed 
until  the  other  day,  when,  looking  through  an  old 
garden,  I  saw  it  in  quantity ;  it  formed  broad 
panels  on  walls  fully  12  feet  high, and  was  profusely 
flowered  from  top  to  bottom— the  flowers  scattered 
freely  all  over,  and  hanging  besides  in  huge  sheets 
of  twenty  or  thiity  blooms  each.  How  seldom  do 
we  see  any  attempt  made  to  produce  effects  of  a 
pleasing  character  on  garden  walls.  The  stereo- 
typed plan  is  to  plant  fruit  trees  against  them  at 
regular  distances  apart,  and  to  wait  for  any 
returns  that  in  the  ordinary  course  may  accrue. 
In  the  garden  just  alluded  to  the  fruit  trees  were 
planted  wide  apart,  and  the  spaces  between  filled 
in  with  panels  of  Tropa^olum  tuberosum,  and 
various  Clematises,  and  the  better  sorts  of  wall 
Eoses.  The  fruit  trees  were  fruitful  and  vigorous 
— altogether  a  very  happy  blending  of  the  useful 
with  the  beautiful. 

Escallonla  leucantha  deserves  a  word  of 
commendation  as  a  distinct  and  useful  early  and 
late-flowering  wall  shrub.  It  is  of  very  free 
growth,  and  equally  free  as  regards  bloom.  At 
the  present  time  it  is  profusely  laden  with  small 
spikes  of  white  flowers,  which  contrast  nicely  with 
the  deep  green,  glossy  foliage.  Billardiera  longi- 
flora,  the  autumn  Blueberry,  as  I  think  I  have 
heard  it  called,  planted  here  against  an  ornamental 
glass-coped  fruit  wall  is  quite  hardy  and  most 
vigorous  ;  so  much  so,  that  fully  4  feet  of  its  top. 
which  had  twined  up  into  a  Peach  tree,  had  to  be 
cut  off.  It  is  pretty  in  spring  when  profusely 
laden  with  its  green-tinted  white  bells,  and  is 
the  most   distinct     thing   upon  the    wall    from 


July  to  the  present  time,  heavily  laden  as  it  is 
with  its  large  sized  turquoise-blue  berries.  Doro- 
nicum  draytonense  has  woke  up  in  earnest  since 
the  moist  weather  set  in,  and  is  now  in  full  growth 
and  bearing  finer  flowers  than  it  did  in  the  spring, 
some  of  which  are  nearly  -1  inches  across. 

Qynerium  iubatum.in  my  opinion,  is  by  far 
the  finest  of  all  the  kinds  of  Pampas  Grass.  Vigor- 
ous clumps  bearing  from  twenty  to  thirty  distinct 
club-shaped  panicles  of  silvery  inflorescence,  all 
standing  quite  erect  and  about  9  feet  high,  have  a 
striking  appearance  associated  with  Khododen- 
dions,  Tritomas,  &c.,  near  the  margins  of  orna- 
mental water.  Our  climate  we  consider  to  be  a 
favourable  one  for  the  full  development  of  many 
plants,  and  no  doubt  it  is ;  but  how  far  short  it 
falls  of  that  of  the  south  of  England  is  fully 
shown  in  the  case  of  Vitis  humulifolia.  Here, 
placed  in  the  warmest  position  we  can  give  it,  it  is 
only  just  going  out  ol  flower,  whereas  Mr.  Ewbank 
wrote  some  weeks  since  that  the  berries  on  his 
plant  were  fully  blue.  T.  S. 


Iporaaea  rubro-ccsrulea. — This  is  a  hand- 
some and  useful  Bindweed  for  the  intermediate 
house  or  warm  conservatory — handsome,  inasmuch 
as  it  bears  all  along  its  far-reaching  shoots  little 
bunches  of  large  pale  blue  flowers,  which  remain 
expanded  all  day  ;  and  useful  because  it  flowers  in 
mid- winter,  continuing  in  beauty  for  several  weeks 
when  properly  treated.  The  cultivated  species  and 
varieties  of  Bindweeds  number  some  hundreds, 
counting  the  now  numerous  forms  of  I.  hispida, 
or  Morning  Glory.  A  good  many  of  these  are 
somewhat  too  weedy  to  be  classed  among  plants  of 
real  value.  In  I.  Horsfalliie,  I.  Thompsonise,  and 
two  or  three  other  strong  growers  we  have  first- 
rate  plants  for  draping  pillars,  rafters,  and  similar 
positions  in  the  stove,  and  in  I.  Leari,  I.  bona-nos, 
and  the  species  above  mentioned  we  have  other 
kinds  equally  useful  for  cultivation  in  the  warm 
greenhouse.  In  the  Water  Lily  house  at  Kew  a 
number  of  species  and  varieties  of  tropical  Bind- 
weeds have  been  tested  this  year,  and  the  majority 
of  them  have  proved  comparatively  worthless  in  a 
decorative  sense,  the  kinds  which  gave  most  satis- 
faction being  those  here  named.  They  are,  how- 
ever, now  all  past,  except  I.  rubro-ccerulea,  which 
is  only  just  entering  upon  its  flowering  career. 
Being  a  strong  grower,  this  species  requires  a 
liberal  allowance  of  root  room,  a  rich  soil,  and  a 
good  supply  of  water.  Its  flowers  are  funnel- 
shaped,  with  a  spreading  limb  i  inches  wide,  and 
are  clear  porcelain-blue  in  colour.  By  cutting 
them  so  soon  as  they  open  and  placing  them  in  a 
dish  of  sand  and  water  with  a  bell-glass  over  them, 
these  flowers  have  a  novel  effect  when  placed  on 
the  dinner  table. 

Japanese  Bindweeds.— The  Ipomica  his- 
pida of  botanists  and  Morning  Glory  of  gar- 
dens is  known  to  all  of  us  as  being  very  variable 
in  the  size,  form,  and  colour  of  its  flowers,  the 
many  varieties  to  be  found  amongst  plants  of  it 
raised  from  a  threepenny  packet  of  seeds  being 
probably  of  English  or  at  least  European  origin. 
The  Japanese  are,  however,  far  ahead  of  us  in  the 
number  and  distinctness  of  the  varieties  which 
they  have  obtained  from  this  plant,  a  fact  gleaned 
from  the  reports  of  travellers  and  others  who  had 
had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  Japanese  gardening. 
Just  lately  several  collections  of  these  Japanese 
forms  of  I.  hispida  have  found  their  way  into  this 
country  ;  one  of  them  we  saw  a  short  time  ago  in 
the  gardens  of  Sir  George  Macleay,  and  a  second 
is  now  open  to  inspection  in  one  of  the  houses  at 
Kew.  The  plants  at  Kew  are  small  and  weak, 
owing  to  the  lateness  of  the  arrival  of  the  seeds, 
but  in  the  flowers  borne  by  many  of  them  are  to 
be  seen  characters  of  the  most  quaint  and  singular 
description.  Some  of  the  flowers  are  double, 
others  semi-double,  and  other  differences  of  form 
are  observable  in  most  of  them.  In  colours  they 
vary  from  white  to  almost  black,  and  between 


these  two  extremes  there  are  pinks,  lavenders, 
blues,  reds,  and  browns,  all  in  what  are  termed 
selfs ;  these  colours  occur  again  in  other  flowers 
with  the  addition  of  a  white  border  or  white 
stripes  or  flakes.  In  addition  to  the  differences  of 
their  floral  characters  these  plants  are,  many  of 
them,  either  spotted  or  edged  with  yellow  in  their 
foliage.  The  weakness  of  the  plants  no  doubt 
affects  more  or  less  strongly  the  size  and  colouring 
of  their  flowers,  but  even  as  they  are,  many  of 
them  are  beautiful,  and  all  are  distinct  enough  to 
be  desirable.  Next  year,  should  these  plants  ripen 
seeds,  these  Japanese  Bindweeds  may  be  tested 
better  than  has  been  possible  this  season. 

Exotic    Wood    Sorrels.  -There    are    no 

fewer  than  T20  species  of  Oxalis  described  in 
botanical  works  and  figured  in  various  books  and 
magazines  ;  there  are,  however,  perhaps  not  more 
than  a  dozen  of  them  that  may  be  called  garden 
favourites.  Nothwithstanding  this  great  dispro- 
portion between  the  species  known  and  the  species 
grown  in  gardens,  it  is  a  fact  that  almost  every 
one  of  the  former  is  not  wanting  in  beauty  and 
distinctness  such  as  usually  win  favour  among 
plantsmen.  It  is  strange  how  some  plants  aie, 
as  it  were,  picked  up,  cherished,  and  grown,  and 
made  popular,  whilst  others  equally  worthy  are 
totally  neglected.  As  an  instance  we  may  point 
to  four  genera  which  are  peculiar  to  or  abundant  in 
South  Africa,  and  which  were  started  together  in 
the  race  for  favour  in  English  gardens,  viz..  Ericas, 
Mesembryanthemums,  Pelargoniums,  and  Oxa- 
lises.  The  first  and  third  genera  ate  now  every- 
body's plants,  whilst  the  other  two  are  cared  for 
by  only  a  few.  Now,  both  the  Mesembryanthe- 
mums and  the  Oxalises  are  quite  as  beautiful,  as 
varied,  and  well  marked,  and  as  easy  to  grow  as 
the  now  popular  Ericas  and  Pelargoniums.  Last 
summer  we  saw  the  Mesembryanthemums  at  Kew 
in  charming  condition,  and  now  we  notice  in  the 
Cape  house  of  the  same  establishment  a  collection 
of  Oxalises  just  commencing  to  bloom.  About  a 
dozen  distinct  and  beautiful  kinds  were  in  flower 
when  we  saw  them  ;  white,  pink,  purple,  yellow 
and  lilac  colours  were  represented,  and  formed  a 
pretty  and  novel  picture. 

Q-alllardlas. — Itis  the  second  week  in  Novem- 
ber, a  time  when  all  the  gardening  world  is  running 
mad  after  big  show  Chrysanthemums  and  other 
fashionable  flowers.  But  whilst  all  tender  flowers 
have  been  destroyed  by  frost  and  nearly  all  haidy 
ones  have  stopped  blooming,  there  is  here  some 
plants  of  Gaillardias  that  continue  to  bloom  abun- 
dantly, and  I  think  ch.armingly.  Early  in  the 
summer  I  was  much  taken  with  the  double  or 
quilled  variety  Lorenziana,  for  then  when  the 
whole  of  the  bloom  develops,  it  is  at  least  ex- 
ceedingly pretty,  and  especially  the  crimson  and 
orange  mottled  forms.  But  now  that  the  flowers 
open  only  an  outer  ring  of  petals,  and  the  centre 
remains  a  body  of  green  closed  ones,  its  beauty 
is  far  from  striking,  although  it  is  a  season  when 
almost  any  flowers,  however  imperfect,  are  accept- 
able. But  some  of  the  more  common,  though  still 
in  gardens  far  too  little  known,  singles,  especially 
picta  and  grandiflora  hybrida,  are  most  beautiful, 
and  as  flowers  for  cutting  at  this  dull  season  are 
worthy  of  a  good  place  in  our  gardens.  These  are 
not  only  now  as  perfect  as  at  any  time,  but  seem  to 
look  even  brighter  than  in  summer,  as  the  red, 
chestnut,  and  crimson  flowers,  edged  with  bright 
yellow,  give  hues  that  are  strikingand  acceptable. 
Gaillardias  are  so  easily  raised  from  seed,  sown 
under  glass  in  the  spring,  that  detail  seems  need- 
less. Very  striking  kinds  may  be  easily  perpe- 
tuated by  means  of  cuttings  put  in  duringOctober, 
and  with  these  the  following  year  it  is  an  excel- 
lent plan  to  reserve  some  in  pots,  keeping  them 
pinched  and  bushy,  and  finally  shifting  them  into 
larger  blooming  pots  in  August  for  winter 
flowering  under  glass. — D. 

■Wintering  Dahlias.- During  the  past  four 
winters  we  have  left  most  of  out  Dahlia  roots  in 
the  open  ground  undisturbed  and  unprotected, 
and  the  results  are  so  satisfactory,  that  this  winter 
we  intend  leaving  all  out  (about  500)  excepting  a 
few  scarce  varieties  and  others  that  must  be  lifted 
on  account  of  alterations,  Sec.    We  find  them  late 


412 


THE    GARDEN 


[Nov.   \5,   1884. 


in  starting  into  growth,  thus  escaping  spring 
frosts,  but  they  are  in  bloom  quite  as  early  as 
those  started  in  heat,  and  produce  quite  a  mass 
of  flowers, and  annually  gain  strength.  Many  are 
now  veritable  bushes,  5  feet  high  and  6  feet 
through.  Cannas,  Gladioli,  Lilies,  &c.,  are  simi- 
larly treated,  and  with  libe  result.^.  I  should  add 
that  our  soil  (if  it  can  boast  of  the  name)  is  very 
shaley  and  open.  To  those  who  are  so  unfortu- 
nate as  to  have  similar  soils  to  deal  with  I  should 
say  go  and  do  likewise. —  JOHN  Roberts,  Tan-y- 
Bn-lch,  Xorth  Wales. 


PLANTS    IN    FLOWER. 


Lapaseria  alba.— I  send  you  the  terminal  flowers 
from  a  growth,  of  8  Indies  of  which  there  were,  as  you 
will  see,  sixteen  flowers,  foarteen  of  which  were  open  at 
one  time,  and  there  are  two  green  flower-buds  unopened. 
It  is  cut  from  a  very  vigorous-growing  plant  — John  Gar- 
land, EMerton,  Exeter. 

*»'  The  flowers  sent  with  this  were  very  fine  In  every 
way.— Ed. 

Late  Dahlias.- 1  send  flowers  of  Dahlia,  white  Aster, 
and  the  Cactus  variety,  to  show  yuu  how  favoured  we  have 
been  from  frost.  The  t.'actua  i>ahlia  flowers  I  gathered 
from  a  plant  in  an  open  position.  It  is  fully  6  feet  high 
and  (i  feet  through,  and  hai  this  morning  (November  lii) 
forty  expanded  blooms  upon  it.— G.  CHEQUER,  Shedjield 
Lodge,  Botferj,  Southampton. 

**y*  Excellent  blooms  for  this  time  of  year.— ED. 

A  gathering'  of  hardy  flowera  from 
Messrs.  Paul  &  Son's  herbaceous  plant  nursery  at 
Eroxbourne  reminds  us  that  the  (lower  season  has 
not  yet  terminated.  Some  really  fine  specimens  are 
sent,  including  such  interesting  plants  as  the  fol- 
lowing : 


Polygonum  vaccinifolium 
Crocus  longiflorua 
Cheiranthus  mutabilis 
liithospermum  prostratum 
Campanula  muralis 

glomerata  pallida 
Achillea  tomentosa 
Senecio  pulcher 
Sternbergia  lutea 


Linum  flavum 
Erigeron  speciosum 

bum 
Papaver  orienl.ale 
Viola  pedata  bicolor 
Callirhoe  involucrata 
Iberis  gibraltarica 
Cyclamen  griecum 
Aubrietia  purpuiea 


super- 


Belladonna  Lilies  have  been  unusually  fine 
with  us  this  season  ;  we  have  still  (November  11) 
a  few  flowers  left.  They  are  grown  under  a  wall 
in  a  sunny  situation,  CO  yards  long,  in  clumps 
about  2i  feet  apart,  in  rich  soil,  and  have  remained 
undisturbed  for  many  years,  with  the  e.xception  of 
surface  culture  and  manuring.  On  some  of  the 
clumps  there  have  been  twenty-five  spikes  of  bloom. 
They  should  be  planted  under  a  south  wall  and  in 
good  soil,  and  be  allowed  to  well  establish  them- 
selves. Their  spikes  look  well  in  vases.— John 
Garland,  Killerton,  Exrter. 

HedychlumQardnerlanum.— Mr.  Kings- 
mill  sends  us  a  fine  flower-spike  of  this  noble 
plant  which  he  received  from  Guernsey,  where  it 
it  is  grown  to  perfection  in  the  open  air.  Messrs. 
Smith,  of  the  Caledonia  Nursery,  who  sent  the 
spike,  say,  "  Many  cultivators  think  that  this  plant 
requires  heat,  but  we  think  it  is  quite  satisfied 
with  a  warm  position  outside,  especially  if  lef  t  .ilone 
and  on  this  we  think  much  depends.  Hence  suc- 
cess often  with  it  comes  hand  in  hand  with 
apparent  neglect."  This  may  apply  to  the  Channel 
Islands,  but  the  plant  is  certainly  better  for  a 
little  artificial  heat  in  this  climate. 

Open  -  air    flowers    in    November.— 

During  the  week  we  have  received  numerous 
gatherings  of  open-air  flowers  sent  from  various 
parts  as  proofs  of  the  mildness  of  the  month. 
Among  these  Mr.  Stevens  sends  from  his  garden 
at  Grasmere,  By  fleet,  no  fewer  than  forty  distinct 
kinds  cut  from  the  open  air.  These  include  the 
following :  Chrysanthemums  of  various  sorts, 
Irish  Heath  (Menziesia),  Salvia  Pitcheri,  Gladioli, 
TroUius  (second  flowering).  Snapdragons,  Stocks, 
Arbutus,  Delphiniums  (second  bloom).  Phloxes, 
hardy  Fuchsias,  Berberis  Wallichiana,  Ceanothus 
azureus  vars.,  Escallonias,  shrubby  Veronicas, 
Laurusiinus,  Michaelmas  Daisies. 

Seedling  single  Chrysanthemums.- - 
Mr.  Burbidge  sends  us  flowers  of  two  good 
single  Chrysanthemums  which  he  has  raised  in 
the  Trinity  College  Botanic  Gardens,  Dublin.  Both 
are  pretty,  one  being  of  a  rich  magenta  colour,  the 


other  a  soft  rose-pink.  Both  have  full  yellow 
centres,  which  add  richness  to  the_flowers.  There 
is  an  elegance  and  simpleness  about  these  single 
Chrysanthemums  which  render  them  very  attrac- 
tive, and  now  that  raisers  are  turning  their  atten- 
tion to  them  we  may  soon  see  some  pretty 
sorts,  which  will  sure  to  be  appreciated. 

Pandanus  furcatus.— A  male  plant  of  this 
Screw  Pine  at  Kew  is  now  bearing  several  of  its 
long  pendent  racemes  of  large,  boat-shaped,  yellow 
bracts,  and  thousands  of  small,  closely-packed 
flowers,  which  when  mature  are  thickly  covered 
with  dust-like  pollen.  At  Cambridge  we  saw  last 
summer  a  female  plant  bearing  a  fine  bunch  of 
fruits,  which  in  form  were  like  gigantic  Pine- 
apples, with  a  pair  of  carved  horns  on  each  node. 
Had  these  two  plants  flowered  together  we  might 
have  had  P.  furcatus  from  seeds  ripened  in  this 
country.  Except  when  feen  in  a  large  state,  as  at 
Kew  and  in  the  Cambridge  Botanic  Gardens,  P. 
furcatus  is  not  p,articularly  ornamental.  It  is  one 
of  the  commonest  of  the  Screw  Pines  in  the  Indian 
Tropics. 

Open-air  flowers  from  Wales.— One  of 

the  finest  and  most  varied  gatherings  of  open-air 
flowers  we  have  ever  seen  in  the  middle  of  No- 
vember has  been  sent  to  us  by  Mr.  Piobcrts,  gar 
denerat  Tan-y-Bwlch.  The  climate  of  that  part 
of  Jlerionethshire  must  indeed  be  highly  favour- 
able for  autumn  gardening.  The  following, 
amongst  others,  have  been  received  by  us  in  great 
beauty,  viz  ;  Various  kinds  of  Dahlias,  Berberis 
Darwini  (second  flowering,  very  fine),  Nicotiana 
aflinis.  Hydrangeas,  Pentstemons  (various  .sorts). 
Arbutus,  Phygelius  capensis,  Laburnum,  Wall- 
flowers, Mignonette,  Violets,  Fuchsias  (hardy), 
Michaelmas  Daisies  of  sorts,  Laurustinus,  Irish 
Heath  (Menziesia),  Salvia  Pitcheri,  Chrysanthe- 
mums (chiefly  early  sorts),  and  Hybrid  Perpetual 
Roses. 

Flowers  In  Derbyshire.— I  think  the 
bravest  flower  that  I  have  had  this  year  is  the 
white  perennial  Lupine.  Planted  in  March,  it 
began  to  bloom  in  May,  has  bloomed  continually 
ever  since,  and  is  still  (November  11)  sending  up 
fresh  spikes  of  bloom.  That  is  what  I  call  a  use- 
ful hardy  plant.  (lOnothera  Voungi  is  also  still 
covered  with  flowers,  and  has  been  since  July. 
Veronica  corymbosa  is  still  in  flower,  and  is  one  of 
the  most  graceful  and  elegant  plants  grown,  in 
my  opinion.  The  Erigerons  also  and  Asters  are 
still  in  bloom  ;  also  Armeria  cephalotes  splendens. 
I  feel  a  sort  of  painful  curiosity  to  know  whether 
all  my  plants  put  in  in  March  will  stand  the  cold 
and  damp  here.  It  may  be  interesting  to  your 
readers  next  spring  to  know  the  result,  and 
whether  it  is  possible  to  grow  the  Acanthus,  Alstrce- 
meria,  and  Gaillardia  on  the  Peak  of  Derbyshire. 
— G.  H.  C. 

Pereskla  aouleata. — A  short  time  ago  we 
noted  the  flowering  of  P.  Bleo  in  the  succulent 
house  at  Kew,  and  now  we  observe  in  the  same 
house  a  flowering  specimen  of  P.  aculeata.  The 
rarity  of  the  flowering  of  this  species  is  no  doubt 
owing  to  its  seldom  being  allowed  to  grow  into  a 
large  plant  and  encouraged  to  flower,  its  chief 
use  to  gardeners  being  as  a  suitable  stock  on  which 
to  graft  Epiphyllums  and  other  Cactuses.  P. 
aculeata  is  not  as  handsome  as  P.  Bleo,  its  flowers 
being  single,  the  petals  a  somewhat  dirty  white, 
and  the  .-^epals  green  and  fleshy  in  form ;  the 
flowers  resemble  a  Blackberry  bloom.  They  are 
borne  singly  in  the  axils  of  the  leaves  on  the 
twiggy  growths,  and  last  only  a  day  in  bloom.  In 
the  West  Indies  the  name  Barbadoes  Gooseberry 
has  been  given  to  this  plant  from  the  resem- 
blance of  its  green  fleshy  fruits  to  Gooseberries, 
for  which  fruits  this  plant  is  here  and  there  culti- 
vated as  a  garden  plant  in  some  of  the  above 
islands. 

Marie  Louise  and  Neapolitan  Violets. 

— It  is  gratifying  to  know  that  Mr.  Crawford  (p. 
390)  has  been  able  to  grow  the  Neapolitan  Violet 
successfully.  After  repeated  trials  I  have  entirely 
failed  to  grow  it  so  as  to  approach  the  Marie 
Louise  either  for  earliness,  quantity  of  bloom,  or 
prolonged  flowering ;  therefore  I  have  had,  though 


reluctantly,  to  discard  it.  I  send  you  a  box  of 
blooms  of  Marie  Louise  from  plants  that  have 
supplied  us  with  abundance  since  July,  and  which 
will  undoubtedly  continue  to  do  so  until  next 
May,  when  they  will  be  transferred  to  the  borders 
from  the  earth-pits  they  now  occupy.  The  blooms 
are  not  quite  so  fine  as  we  expect  them  to  be  a 
little  later  on,  for  the  plants  have  only  been  re- 
moved into  pits  a  fortnight  ago ;  therefore  they 
have  not  fully  recovered  from  the  check.  I  think 
I  am  within  the  mark  when  I  say  that  from  this 
one  variety  alone  we  pick  flowers  eleven  months 
out  of  the  twelve.  I  have  great  hopes  of  Comte 
Brazza's  white  Violet  proving  a  fit  companion 
for  it,  although  as  yet  we  have  no  blooms  of 
it  open  ;  but  as  the  plants  were  only  obtained 
this  autumn,  they  have  not  had  the  same  treat- 
ment as  our  Marie  Louise.  I  hope  to  give  it 
a  thorough  and  fair  trial  during  the  coming 
season. — J.  K.,  Ttinij-Btrlch,  jV,  ]Vulcs. 

*,*  Charming   blooms,    large    in   size,  deeply 
coloured,  and  exquisitely  fragrant. — Ed. 


NOTES  OP  THE  WEEK. 

Rose  Mrs.  Caroline  Swalles.- This  new  H.   P. 

Rose  exhibited  at  the  National  Rose  .Society's  show  at  Man- 
chester was  much  admired  by  rosarians.  It  is  said  to  be 
raised  from  Mdlle.  Eugi^nie  Verdier,  colour  light  flesh,  very 
pleasing,  something  like  Captain  Christy,  but  more  certain 
in  its  bloom  I  saw  tliis  Rose  last  year,  when  a  Ecedling,  at 
Mr.  Swailes'  extensive  nurseries  at  Beverley.  As  an  ama- 
teur, having  won  many  prizes  for  Roses  at  Malton  and 
Hull,  I  take  the  more  pleasure  in  my  neighbour's  success. — 
B.  B.  Haworth  Booth,  lluUbank  Ilotise,  Hull. 

Street  trees.  -The  Rev.  Holland  Sandford, 
rector  of  Eaton,  has  offered  to  plant  with  Lime 
trees  the  whole  of  the  road  on  both  sides,  from 
the  railway  station  to  the  top  of  the  High  Street, 
of  Church  Stretton,  at  his  sole  expense,  each  tree 
to  be  12  feet  high  when  planted.  A  committee  is 
in  process  of  formation,  and  if  the  town  consents 
to  receive  the  gift,  application  will  be  made  to  the 
proper  oflicials  to  permit  workmen  to  commence 
planting  the  trees  at  an  early  date.  The  beauty 
of  such  an  approach  to  the  town  cannot  be  over- 
estimated. It  is  intended  to  call  it "  The  Sandford 
Avenue." 

Royal  Botanic  Society.— The  first  meet- 
ing of  this  society  since  the  recess  was  held  on 
Saturday  in  the  gardens,  Regent's  Park,  Lord 
Aveland,  vice-president,  in  the  chair.  A  long 
list  of  donations  of  plants  and  seeds  from  various 
parts  of  the  world  was  read  as  received  since  the 
last  meeting.  It  included  a  collection  of  Acacias 
from  Australasia  and  a  very  extensive  collection 
of  ornamental  Gourds,  many  of  very  quaint  form 
and  colouring,  from  the  garden  of  Mrs.  Montefiore, 
at  Crawley.  The  secretary  reported  that  the 
society's  collection  of  Chrysanthemums  was  Just 
at  its  prime;  it  contains  over  150  varieties  of 
this  ancient  flower,  which,  according  to  historians, 
was  cultivated  by  the  Chinese  3600  years  ago. 


Books. 

"  Mustiroom  Culture  Simpllfled,''  by  an  expe- 
rienced grower,  and  published  by  Messrs.  Hurst  &  Son, 
Uouudsditcb,  is  a  welcome  contribution  to  this  interesting 
department  of  gardening.  It  is  a  small-sized  pamphlet  of 
eleven  pages,  suitably  illustrated,  and  containing  apparently 
sounil  practical  instruction  on  the  subject  on  which  it 
treats. 

D.  G.  MitoheU's  works.— 'We  have  re- 
ceived from  Messrs.  Scribner,  of  New  York,  speci- 
mens of  the  charming  books  of  this  writer,  /  c , 
"  My  Farm  at  Edgewood,"  "  Wet  Days  at  Edge- 
wood,"  and  "  Out-of-town  Pl.ices."  He  is  a  writer 
of  the  finest  taste,  and  possesses  a  true  love  for 
country  life  with  the  graceful  style  of  a  scholar 
and  the  insight  of  a  good  gardener.  Long  ago  his 
books  have  made  their  way  in  our  country,  winning 
the  favour  and  good-word  of  our  best  critics ;  and 
we  hope  they  will  be  better  known  among  the 
people  and  lovers  of  rural  life  even  than  they  have 
been.  The  author  is  a  student  of  all  our  own  good 
old  writers,  while  he  is  perfectly  conversant  with 
"rural  studies  "  himself  in  his  own  home  in  New 
England.  These  editions  which  Messrs.  Scribner 
now  send  us  are  very  well  printed. 


Nov.  15.    1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


413 


GARDENS  OF  THE  VILLA  TASCA.  PALERMO. 

The  annexed  illustration  represents  one  of  a  series 
of  photographs  recently  sent  to  us  by  the  Princess 
Mertschersky.  They  were  taken  in  a  garden  near 
Palermo,  in  Sicily,  which  is  generally  admitted  to 
possess  the  most  delightful  climate  in  Europe. 
When  it  is  stated  that  the  mean  temperature  of 
the  winter  is  52°  and  that  of  the  summer  74°,  it  is 
not  surprising  that  Palermo  is  quite  a  paradise  as 
regards  semi-tropical  vegetation.  Being  close  to 
the  sea,  it  suffers  from  no  extremes  of  tempera- 
ture, while  it  enjoys  a  rainfall  averaging  some 
22  inches.  The  plants  represented  in  the  photo- 
graphs sent  are  stately  specimens  of  Date  Palm, 
Cham.'crops,  Pampas,  Arundo,  Cycads,  and  a  whole 
host  of  other  noble  and  beautiful  sub- tropical  plants. 
The  Norfolk  Island  Pine  (Araucaria  excelsa)  forms 
a  prominent  feature  in  all  the  views.  It  succeeds 
here  admirablj',  and  its  towering  stems  furnished 


ROSE  Garden. 


PROPAGATING    TEA    ROSES. 

I  WAS  interested  in  the  remarks  made  (p.  376) 
on  propagating  Hybrid  Perpetual  Roses  from 
cuttings.  It  is  a  system  that  I  have  practised  for 
many  years,  and  is  one  that  may  be  safely  recom- 
mended to  amateurs  who  are  anxious  to  get  up  a 
stock  of  any  particular  variety,  but  my  experi- 
ence suggests  that  October,  or  at  least  not  later 
than  November,  are  the  best  months  to  put  in  the 
cuttings.  If  left  until  spring  many  of  them  die. 
"  W.  I.  M.",explains  (p.  ,377)  why  they  do  not  suc- 
ceed so  well  as  those  put  in  during  autumn  ;  the 
tact  is  the  cuttings  form  leaf  growth  above 
ground  before  they  have  well  callused.  The  forma- 
tion of  roots  comes  afterwards,  and  one  would 
think  that  the  formation  of    leaves   would  be 


and  supplied  a  very  large  number  of  buds  during 
the  season.  Next  to  it  was  a  remarkable  speci- 
men of  Madame  Margottin,  and  equally  beautiful 
was  a  grand  plant  of  alba  rosea.  The  two  varie- 
ties that  made  the  least  growth,  and  which  were 
not  a  success,  were  Souvenir  d'un  Ami  and 
Niphetos.  The  cuttings  of  these  were  weak  to 
start  with,  the  plants  they  were  taken  from  not 
being  vigorous,  and  they  never  seemed  to  get  out 
of  their  weakly  state.  I  fancy  all  Tea  Roses 
might  easily  be  propagated  by  means  of  cuttings, 
and  my  experience  suggests  August  as  the  best 
month  in  which  to  propagate  them.  They  do  well 
in  pots  and  flower  very  freely  indeed.  Were  I 
limited  in  the  selection  of  pot  plants  to  a  very  few 
genera.  Tea  Roses  and  Carnations  would  be 
amongst  them.  Let  us  return  to  the 

Plants    in    4-inch    pots  ;  they    made  good 
healtliy  growth  until  the  pots  were  well  filled  with 


Garden  of  the  Villa  Tasca,  Palermo. 


with  tier  above  tier  of  branches  give  it  a  distinct 
appearance  from  the  rest  of  the  vegetation.  The 
Eucalypti  also  luxuriate  to  perfection  here,  and 
some  fine  specimens  are  to  be  seen  in  the  photo- 
graphs. Our  view  is  taken  from  a  point  looking 
towards  the  villa,  and  gives  a  good  idea  of  the 
style  of  design  carried  out  in  the  garden.  There 
is  an  absence  of  that  formal  and  rigid  appearance 
which  one  sees  in  so  many  South  European  gar- 
dens, but  even  in  this  case  the  grounds  are  too 
much  cut  up  by  apparently  needless  walks. 
"  These  Tasca  gardens,  says  the  Princess  Merts- 
chersky, "are  open  to  the  public  and  are  full  of 
avenues  formed  with  exotics,  such  as  Araucarias, 
Palms,  and  Cycads,  while  the  rest  of  the  garden 
contains  Cactuses  and  other  South  African  jilants, 
all  of  which  flourish  to  perfection.  Added  to  these, 
a  delightful  stream  of  transparent  water  flows 
through  this  beautiful  Eden."  Such  is  the  kind  of 
garden  which  one  may  have  in  Sicily,  and  ot  which 
we  can  only  expect  to  have  glimpses  in  our  hot- 
houses in  this  country. 


followed  by  that  of  roots ;  but  such  is  not  the 
case ;  the  growths,  after  having  exhausted  the 
latent  sap  in  the  cutting,  come  to  a  full  stop,  and 
ultimately  die. 

The  MOST  successful  strike  of  Tea  Roses  I 
ever  had  was  effected  by  taking  off  the  cuttings  in 
August.  Six  or  eight  cuttings  were  put  into  a 
5-inch  pot,  the  'pots  being  plunged  in  Cocoa-nut 
fibre  refuse  and  covered  with  close  hand-lights. 
They  were  not  shaded  further  than  by  being 
placed  on  the  north  side  of  a  low  wall.  In  some- 
thing like  six  weeks  they  were  not  only 
rooted  (at  least  most  of  them),  but  had 
also  started  to  grow.  The  young  plants  were 
potted  off  singly  in  4-inch  pots,  and  being  placed 
near  the  glass  in  a  greenhouse  soon  established 
themselves,  and  produced  flowers  in  spring.  A  few 
of  them  were  planted  out,  some  against  walls, 
others  in  the  open  ground,  and  more  of  them  in 
pots.  Some  of  the  wall  plants  formed  the  finest 
specimens  I  ever  saw  of  their  respective  kinds.  A 
plant  of  Safrano  grew   with  remarkable    vigour, 


roots,  when  they  required  to  be  repotted  into 
7-inch  pots.  That  was  about  midsummer;  and 
here  I  ought  to  remark  that  the  time  for  repotting 
Tea  Roses  on  their  own  roots  is  of  some  import- 
ance. Perhaps  it  is  best  to  do  so  when  they  are 
in  active  growth,  and  midsummer  is  as  good  a 
time  as  any  other.  If  the  roots  do  not  work  into 
the  fresh  potting  material  at  once  or  soon  after 
repotting,  the  new  compost  gets  sour.  The  same 
disastrous  results  happen  when  a  Tea  Rose,  or, 
indeed,  any  other  plant,  is  over-potted  ;  in  either 
case  the  soil  gets  into  bad  condition  before  it  is 
thoroughly  permeated  with  roots.  It  is  quite  ne- 
cessary to  sound  a  note  of  warning,  as  the  mistake 
of  potting  at  the  vrrong  time,  and  also  of  over- 
potting,  are  being  made  daily. 

The  poTTiNi}  MATERIAL  is  also  important. 
"  Clay  soil  for  Strawberries,  Wheat,  and  Roses  " 
is  a  common  saying  in  which  there  is  truth,  but 
it  will  not  do  to  pot  Tea  Roses  on  their  own  roots 
in  clay  soil ;  it  is  not  open  enough.  The  best 
compost,  if  it  can  be  obtained,  is  turfy  loam  from 


414 


THE    GARDEN 


[Nov.  15,  1884. 


medium  clay ;  to  this  add  one  part  of  peat,  some 
fand,  broken  charcoal,  and  a  moderate  sprinkling 
of  decayed  manure.  This  compost  will  grow  Tea 
Eoses  well,  but  there  are  other  necessary  matters 
that  must  be  dealt  with.  One  of  the  most 
successful  exhibitors  of  pot  Roses  told  me  that  his 
Tea  Eoses  were  always  kept  under  glass,  and 
doubtless  this  is  the  best  way  in  which  to 
manage  them.  They  are  entirely  under  the  con- 
trol of  the  cultivator  and  present  a  decided  con- 
trast to  those  turned  out  of  doors  in  the  open, 
where  they  are  exposed  to  all  weathers,  and  are 
liable  to  be  soaked  by  heavy  rains,  which  are  in- 
jurious; besides,  they  suffer  much  from  mildew 
as  well  as  green  fly.  It  the  plants  are  kept  under 
glass  it  is  quite  easy  to  keep  them  clean  and 
healthy.  One  point  must  not  be  lost  sight  of,  and 
that  is  the  importance  of  keeping  them  close  to 
the  glass,  and  the  avoidance  of  crowding  them  up 
amongst  other  plants.  I  would  rather  put  them 
out  of  doors  than  in  a  greenhouse  amongst  flower- 
ing plants  where  the  necessities  of  the  case 
required  that  they  should  be  constantly  shaded 
from  the  sun.  They  require  and  well  deserve  a 
span-roofed  house  to  themselves.  It  is  impossible, 
however,  for  an  amateur  with  only  one  or  two 
houses  in  which  all  sorts  of  plants  are  grown  to 
he  anything  like  so  successful  in  the  culture  of 
any  one  thing  as  a  grower  forCovent  Garden  Mar- 
ket, for  instance. 

Market  growers  from  long  experience  know 
exactly  what  each  plant  requires  ;  they  will  build 
a  house  for  Tea  Roses,  and  will  have  nothing  else 
in  it,  in  order  that  they  may  study  the  re- 
quirements of  that  one  class  only.  Their  ex- 
perience has  also  taught  them  not  to  cultivate  fifty 
different  kinds  of  Tea  Roses  ;  on  the  contrary,  they 
will  rather  fill  a  house  100  feet  long  with  one  or  two 
varieties  only,  and  they  will  be  those  most  popular 
in  the  market,  as,  for  instance,  Niphetos,  Madame 
Falcot,  or  some  other  popular  sort.  The  chief  end 
of  the  market  grower  is  to  get  as  much  money  as 
possible  for  his  house  of  Tea  Roses,  while  amateurs 
please  their  own  fancy,  and  probably  grow  a  great 
many  distinct  varieties.  Besides  the  interesting 
work  of  propagation  and  pot  culture,  there  is  a 
fund  of  healthy  enjoyment  in  growing 

Teas  out  of  doors.  The  best  collection  I 
have  ever  seen  in  an  amateur's  garden  was  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Little  Orme,  near  Llandudno,  in 
the  garden  of  Mr.  Samuel  Barlow,  Shimdda  Hir. 
At  the  lime  of  my  visit  (the  middle  of  September 
last)  they  were  in  full  beauty.  Scores  of  perfectly 
developed  Roses  could  be  gathered  every  morning. 
They  had  been  carefully  cultivated,  but  they  had 
received  no  more  attention  than  other  good  gar- 
deners bestow  upon  their  Roses.  The  ground,  a  rich 
deep  loam,  bad  been  dug  and  well  manured,  and 
the  season  being  dry  the  Roses  had  to  be  watered 
and  mulched  with  decayed  manure;  they  had  also 
been  kept  free  from  that  troublesome  parasite, 
mildew.  This  insidious  pest  if  not  checked  or 
destroyed  on  its  first  appearance  will  speedily 
undermine  the  constitution  of  the  plants  which  it 
attacks.  Few  people  can  command  such  a  fine 
soil  and  climate  as  that  of  the  Little  Orme  ;  but, 
nevertheless.  Tea  Roses  may  be  grown  more 
successfully  in  gardens  than  they  are  in  the 
majority  of  cases  at  present.  We  have  been 
favoured  with  some  very  good  Tea  Roses  in  our 
own  garden,  though  the  soil  is  not  of  the  best,  nor 
the  situation  very  favourable.  The  ground  is 
damp,  although  drained.  Our  plan,  which  is  also 
that  adopted  by  Messrs.  Paul  and  Sons,  is  to  raise 
the  bed  about  a  foot  higher  than  the  ground  level. 
Its  sides  are  neatly  turfed,  and  this  itself  has  a 
good  effect.  Tea  Roses  like  rich,  deep  soil ;  there- 
fore the  ground  was  trenched  18  inches  deep,  and 
two  layers  of  good  manure  were  worked  in  with 
the  trenching  ;  another  layer  of  manure  was  placed 
on  the  surface,  and  on  that  the  soil  intended  to 
raise  the  ground  to  the  required  height.  Some 
might  perhaps  think  so  much  trouble  and  expense 
■as  this  quite  unnece.-sary  ;  but  it  is  a  mistake  to 
suppose  so.  The  basis  of  all  good  cultivation  out 
of  doors  is  the  preparation  of  the  ground,  whether 
it  be  Roses  or  Pumpkins.  The  complaint  which 
one  too  often  hears  when  crops  fail  is  that  the 


soil  or  the  garden  does  not  suit  them,  while  all  the 
time  it  is  not  the  soil  that  is  at  fault,  but  the 
cultivator,  who  has  not  taken  sufficient  pains  to 
get  it  into  suitable  condition.  The  Roses  in  Mr. 
r.arlow's  garden  were  budded  on  the  seedling 
Brier  and  on  the  Manetti.  Those  on  the  latter 
seemed  to  have  the  greatest  profusion  of  bloom, 
while  those  on  the  seedling  Brier  were  larger,  and 
what  the  judges  at  an  exhibition  would  call  better 
in  quality  than  the  others.     I  noted  a  few  of 

The  best  autumn -bloomikg  varieties, 
and  append  a  list  of  their  names.  They  are  all 
good  growers,  and  produce  at  the  same  time 
a  profusion  of  bloom.  The  pale  yellow  Perle  des 
Jardins  is  excellent  in  the  bud  state;  Anna 
OUivier,  rosy  salmon,  full  sized  and  distinct ; 
Ma  Capucine,  very  free ;  Amazone  also  good 
in  the  bud  state,  lemon  coloured  ;  Madame 
llippolyte  Jamain  ;  Madame  Charles,  bull ;  Sou- 
venir de  Paul  Neron,  very  pretty,  white  with 
rose  blush  ;  Madame  Willermoz ;  Madame  Angcle 
Jacquier,  blush,  large  flower;  Etoile  de  Lyon, 
sulphur;  Comtesse  Riza  du  Pare,  large  salmon- 
rose  ;  Alba  rosea,  a  well-known  good  Rose  ; 
Devoniensis,  also  very  fine ;  Mac'atne  Joseph 
Schwartz,  a  pretty  blush  white  kind  ;  Souvenir 
d'Elise  Vardon,  superb  Tea  Rose ;  Safrano  and 
Madame  Falcot,  two  of  the  best  to  cut  in  the  bud 
state  ;  Reine  Marie  Henriette,  a  distinct  Hybrid 
Tea  of  a  deep  rosy  red  tint ;  lion.  Edith  Gifford, 
the  best  of  the  new  Teas,  rosy  salmon  colour  ; 
Catherine  Mermet,  flesh,  superb  Rose ;  Madame 
Lambard,  also  a  superb  kind  ;  William  Allen 
Richardson,  quite  unique  in  its  distinct  colour  and 
prof  usion  of  bloom,  but  it  is  a  Noisette  ;  Beaute  de 
i'Europe,  brownish  yellow  ;  Madame  Berard,  a 
neat  and  pretty  flower  of  the  Gloire  de  Dijon  type  ; 
Jean  Dacher,  a  handsome  kind;  and  Marie  Van 
Houtte,  yellowish.  The  above  is  merely  a  selec- 
tion, but  they  are  carefully  selected  as  the  best 
autumn  bloomers  and  the  most  vigorous  in  their 
respective  colours.  J.  Douglas. 


SEASON  FOR  PLANTING  ROSES. 
Tins  has  once  more  come  round,  and  there  is 
likely  to  be  more  Roses  planted  this  November 
than  in  any  former  season.  The  taste  for  and  love  of 
Roses  are  constantly  extending  and  becoming 
stronger.  There  is  no  pro.spect  of  either  reaching 
their  utmost  limits  for  many  years  to  coice.  Go 
where  one  will.  Rose  nurseries  are  broadening  out 
into  farms,  and  the  Rose  farms  are  adding  field 
to  field  until  there  is  little  more  space  near  to 
them  for  Corn  or  Slangold.  New  Rose  nurseries 
are  also  starting  up  in  all  directions,  and  the  signs 
of  the  times  all  point  to  the  elevation  and  expan 
sion  of  the  rosy  side  of  horticulture,  until  it  far 
outruns  all  other  branches  in  commercial  value 
and  horticultural  importance.  Society  almost 
seems  smitten  with  the  Rose  fever,  a  far  milder 
and  more  hopeful  malady  than  that  of  any  pre 
vious  floricQlturai  fever  through  which  it  has 
passed.  The  Rose  family  is  so  rich  and  varied 
that  there  is  no  fear  of  any  dangerous  run  being 
made  on  one  colour,  as  was  the  case  with  scarlet 
Geraniums,  for  hardly  does  the  rosarian  dip  deeply 
into  the  scarlet  or  crimson  sections  than  he  be- 
comes enamoured  with  the  softest  pinks,  prim- 
roses and  whites  ;  and  so  the  intense  colourists 
find  alike  bane  and  antidote  among  the  Roses.  Nor 
only  this,  but  the  set  of  the  current  of  fashion  is 
now  in  the  direction  of  the  softer  and  more  deli- 
cate colours,  and  even  colourless,  that  is,  white 
Roses.  For  example,  that  rather  old  Rose 
Niphetos  has  had  quite  a  rcnahmnce  of  late. 
From  being  but  seldom  seen,  it  is  now  met  with 
everywhere,  and  is  having  walls  and  houses  all  to 
itself  in  all  directions.  It  is  only  second — if  in- 
deed it  be  second — in  popularity  and  commercial 
value  to  the  famous  Man'chal  Niel  itself.  For 
many,  it  may  almost  be  added  most,  purposes  the 
whiteness  of  Rose  Niphetos  gives  it  a  decided 
advantage  over  the  golden-coloured  Marechal.  The 
form  and  size  are  also  far  better  for  Vjonquet  and 
wreath  work.  Considering  the  wonderful  useful- 
ness of  pure  white  Roses  with  tapering  buds,  it  is 
surprising  that  we  have  as  yet  so  few  of  them.  It 
is  hardly  too  much  to  aflirm  that  all  our  white 


Hybrid  Perpetual  Roses,  with  the  single  exception 
of  Boule  de  Neige,  which  is  hardly  a  Hybrid  Per- 
petual, though  classed  among  them,  are  useless  for 
bouquet  and  general  decorative  purposes.  The 
later  additions  to  the  white  Hybrid  Perpetuals, 
such  as  White  Baroness,  are  no  better  than  the 
earlier  attempts  at  white  Perpetuals;  and  we  are 
yet  destitute  of  a  second  good  white  Tea.  The 
more  the  pity.  But  I  did  not  intend  to  discuss 
the  merits  of  particular  Eoses,  but  rather  to  urge 
the  immediate  planting  of  more  of  all  the  best. 
As,  however,  Niphetos  has  been  named,  it  may  be 
added  now  that  no  Rose  is  more  deserving  of  a 
warm  south  border  or  south  or  west  wall  than 
this  same  Niphetos.  On  a  warm  southern 
border,  and  with  a  slight  covering  of  litter  and 
boughs,  Rose  Niphetos  will  winter  safely.  Should 
the  tops  get  killed  down  to  the  ground,  no  Eose 
thrives  better  treated  as  an  annual  than  Niphetos, 
for  hardly  has  it  sprung  up  G  inches  or  so  from 
the  ground  than  the  young  shoots  break  into 
flower-buds.  It  is  this  habit  of  perpetual  growth 
and  successional  blooming  that  gives  such  special 
value  to  this  Rose.  On  a  warm  wall  it  is  still 
more  useful  than  in  the  open.  But  having  said  so 
much  about  Niphetos,  a  word  of  caution  must  be 
added  against  planting  it  extensively,  or  at  all,  at 
this  season  of  the  year.  Better  get  the  ground 
ready  for  it  now  by  deep  trenching  and  liberal 
manuring,  and  adding  cinder  ashes,  charcoal  dust, 
&c.,  if  too  heavy,  to  lighten  it ;  leave  it  to  sweeten 
all  winter,  and  put  out  the  plants  of  Niphetos,  or 
other  Tea  Roses,  and  Marechal  Niel  next  spring  or 
summer ;  but  now  is  the  best  time  to  plant  out 
all  the  Hybrid  Perpetual  and  other  Roses.  And  to 
return  to  our  starting-point,  not  only  is  more 
than  an  average  number  of  Roses  likely  to  be 
planted  this  November  because  the  fashion  is  in 
full  swing  rosewards,  but  also  on  account  of  the 
compound  crippling  force  of  the  severe  frosts  last 
April  and  the  semi-scorching  heat  of  the  past 
summer.  Whatever  may  be  true  of  the  Rose 
species,  our  cultivated  varieties  of  the  Rose  are 
by  no  means  tropical  plants  ;  they  suffered  so  se- 
verely from  the  heat  cf  the  lastsummer,that  a  good 
many  have  perished  thisautnmn,  and  many  more  are 
so  abnormally  weak  that  they  are  hardly  likely  to 
recover.  One  of  the  most  singular  incidents  of  the 
Rose  season  just  closed  was  the  widely  different 
effects  the  heat  and  the  drought  had  on  the  Roses 
and  the  wildling  Briers.  While  the  Roses  suffered 
severely,  the  Briers  appeared  to  luxuriate  in  the 
tropical  heat,  and  turned  out  the  finest  and 
strongest  we  have  had  for  years.  Wherever  and 
whenever  it  is  practicable  to  plant  Briers  where  they 
are  to  remain  and  grow  into  Roses,  let  this  sen- 
sible and  successful  plan  be  adopted.  The  plants 
will  thus  grow  into  Rose  trees  or  bushes  in  far 
less  time  than-  by  any  system  of  transplanting 
afterwards,  and  the  chances  are  they  will  also  be 
more  vigorous  and  durable.  Neither  is  there  any- 
thing unsightly  in  planting  Briers  on  the  site  of 
the  Rose  bed  or  borders  in  the  case  of  those  ama- 
teurs and  others — aconstantly  growing  class — that 
bud  their  own  Roses.  Our  last  ramble  among  the 
Roses  consisted  in  dibbling  in  two  long  lines  of 
Tea  Rose  cuttings  at  the  back  of  Rose  borders.  The 
cuttings  averaged  G  inches  long,  all  duly  heeled, 
put  in  firmly,  and  we  expect  most  of  them  to  grow 
and  form  a  couple  of  hedges  of  Teas  before  the 
autumn.  D.  T.  FISH. 


Arithreclt©  coal. — "Alpha"  (p.  312)  asks 
for  information  as  to  the  suitability  of  this  for 
horticultural  purposes  and  its  relative  value  to 
coke  and  bard  steam  coal.  After  eight  years' 
trial  I  have  proved  it  to  be  about  one-third  less 
costly  than  coke  or  other  coal,  although  the  price 
per  ton  here  is  £1.  It  gives  a  more  regular  and 
much  longer  lasting  heat  than  either  coke  or  ordi- 
nary coal.  It  does  not  light  quite  so  easily,  but 
thi*  slight  difficulty  isnotwortb  consideration.  It 
is  said  by  some  that  it  will  not  burn  except  where 
there  is  a  quick  draught,  but  we  find  no  difficulty 
in  this  respect,  as  it  is  generally  used  in  the  house 
grates  as  well,  where  it  burns  freely.  In  the  heat- 
ing apparatus  we  use  one-fourth  chalk  with  it. 
The  coal  is  placed  evenly  over  the  bars,  and  thea 


Nov.  15,  1884.] 


THE     GAEDEN 


415 


the  chalk  in  Sinch  cubes  is  placed  in  an  even 
layer  over  the  top  and  left  undisturbed.  By  this 
means  a  more  moderate,  more  uniform,  and  much 
longer  lasting  heat  is  secured.  It  is  also  more 
economical  than  when  coal  only  is  used,  and  the 
chalk  effectually  prevents  clinkers  being  formed 
on  the  bars ;  the  lime  is  afterwards  found  very 
useful  as  manure  in  the  garden. — \V.  C.  T. 


Fruit  Garden. 


APPLES  AND  APPLE  CULTURE. 
( Ccnchiilcd  from  p.  399,) 
If  the  situation  for  an  orchard  or  fruit  garden  isnot 
naturally  sheltered, a  screen  of  somequick  growing 
trees,  such  as  Austrian  Pine  or  Spruce  Fir  or  com- 
mon Holly,  should  be  planted  thickly,  as  then  they 
nurse  each  other,  but  should  be  thinned  out  before 
they  become  so  thick  as  to  injure  one  another. 
They  should  be  planted  on  the  east  and  north-cast 
sides,  and  should  be  sufficiently  distant  from  the 
fruit  trees  not  to  overshadow  them  or  impoverish 
the  land  in  which  they  are  growing. 

Soil. 
The  Apple  may  be  grown  in  almost  any  de- 
Ecription  of  soil,  provided  it  is  well  drained,  but 
it  succeeds  best  in  a  moderately  heavy  fibrous 
loam.  Should  the  land  to  be  planted  be  of  a  dry 
sandy  character,  it  will  be  much  improved  by 
adding  a  heavy  dressing  of  marl,  and  afterwards 
trenching  it  from  12  inches  to  15  inches  deep; 
but  if  the  situation  is  low  and  wet,  it  should  be 
thoroughly  drained  and  thrown  up  into  broad 
ridges.  A  row  of  trees  should  be  planted  along 
the  middle  of  each  ridge,  leaving  the  sides  to  be 
planted  with  cordons  or  bush  fruit  trees,  as  may 
be  desired.  In  cases  where  it  is  inconvenient  to 
throw  the  soil  into  ridges  it  would  be  advisable 
to  draw  in  the  surrounding  soil,  or  to  wheel  in  a 
few  barrowloads  of  good  soil  to  form  a  mound  on 
■which  to  plant  each  tree.  In  tilling  up  blank 
spaces  where  fruit  trees  have  been  grown  for  a 
number  of  years,  the  soil  for  a  considerable  dis- 
tance round  where  they  stood  will  have  become 
exhausted,  and  may  contain  the  eggs  of  injurious 
insects  ;  therefore  the  whole  or  a  large  proportion 
of  it  should  be  removed,  and  its  place  supplied 
with  good  loam  from  a  field  which  has  been  pas- 
tured for  a  number  of  years  and  on  which  no  trees 
have  pieviously  been  grown. 

Plastisg. 
Success  in  fruit  growing  very  much  depends 
upon  keeping  the  roots  near  the  surface;  deep 
planting  is  the  source  of  many  of  the  diseases  to 
which  fruit  trees  are  liable.  Canker,  Moss,  and 
blights  of  various  kinds  seldom  attack  trees  that 
have  been  planted  properly  and  under  suitable 
conditions.  It  is  a  great  mistake  to  make  a 
hole  and  thrust  the  roots  therein,  and  then 
expect  a  tree  to  thrive  and  bear  fruit. 
Early  autumn  is  undoubtedly  the  best  time  for 
planting,  because  the  wounds  unavoidably  re- 
ceived in  the  process  of  lifting  soon  heal  over  and 
fresh  rootlets  are  formed  ;  the  plants  therefore 
become,  to  a  great  extent,  established  before 
severe  weather  sets  in,  and  in  the  following 
spring,  if  they  have  been  removed  with  reasonable 
care,  they  will  start  into  growth  with  almost  as 
much  vigour  as  if  they  had  not  been  transplanted. 
Another  point  in  favour  of  early  autumn  trans- 
planting is  the  fact  that  the  temperature  of  the 
soil  is  considerably  higher  at  that  time  than  during 
the  winter  and  spring  months.  Moreover,  the 
moist  atmosphere  generally  prevailing  at  that 
season  diminishes  the  amount  of  evaporation 
carried  on  by  means  of  the  bark,  and  consequently 
the  demand  made  upon  the  roots  is  not  so  great  as 
it  would  be  at  a  season  of  the  year  when  the 
weather  is  warmer  and  drier.  Previous  to  plant- 
ing, a  space  from  3  feet  to  -4  feet  square  should  be 
covered  with  flags,  slates,  or  concrete,  placed  at 
such  a  level  that  when  the  tree  is  planted  over 
them  the  flags  or  slates  will  be  from  8  inches  to 
12  inches  below  the  surface  of  the  soil,  so  that  any 
descending  roots  coming  in  contact  with  them  may 
be  made  to  take  a  horizontal  direction,  and  by 


thismtansbe  kept  from  striking  down  into  the 
cold  crude  subsoil.  In  our  damp  climate 
wood  will  not  ripen  well  unless  trees  are  planted 
high  and  their  roots  kept  near  the  surface.  In 
planting,  spread  the  roots  out  in  all  directions 
and  cover  them  with  soil  not  more  than  6  inches 
deep.  Immediately  after  planting,  the  tree  should 
be  securely  staked  if  re<quired,  which  will  always 
be  needful,  except  in  the  case  of  very  small  bushes 
or  maiden  trees.  The  best  way  of  doing  this  is  to 
take  a  stake  of  sufficient  length  and  strength  and 
drive  it  into  the  ground,  at  an  angle  of  4.5°,  2  feet 
to  3  feet  from  the  base  of  the  tree,  so  as  to  avoid 
any  injury  to  the  roots  or  displacement  of  the 
flags  or  slates  on  which  the  tree  may  have  been 
planted.  The  main  stem  of  the  tree  should  then 
be  firmly  fastened  to  the  stake,  by  means  of  a 
handful  of  straight  straw  passed  round  the  tree, 
and  securely  tied  with  tarred  cord  on  the  side 
next  the  stake ;  then  part  the  ends  of  the  straw 
and  place  it  round  the  stake,  to  which  it  should 
be  securely  fastened.  The  bark  of  trees  staked 
and  tied  in  this  way  receive  less  injury  than  by 
any  other  method  with  which  I  am  acquainted. 
Afcer  planting  and  staking,  the  ground  so  far  as 
the  roots  extend  should  be  covered  with  fresh, 
littery  manure  or  with  leaves,  to  exclude  frost,  and 
also  to  prevent  the  escape  of  heat  and  moisture. 
Fruit  trees,  especially  such  as  have  been  trans- 
planted or  root  -  pruned,  should  be  carefully 
watered  during  the  following  spring  and  summer 
months  if  the  soil  becomes  dry,  but  watering  is 
seldom  necessary  on  heavy  soils.  The  land  if  not 
laid  down  for  pasture  should  be  kept  free  from 
weeds,  and  should  frequently  have  the  surface 
stirred  with  a  Dutch  hoe,  particularly  if  the 
weather  is  dry  and  windy,  as  it  tends  to  prevent 
too  great  an  evaporation  of  moisture  from  the  soil. 
The  ground,  so  far  as  the  roots  extend,  should  not 
be  dug,  as  it  is  impossible  to  do  so  without  de- 
stroying some  of  the  surface  roots,  thus  defeating 
the  object  in  view,  viz.,  keeping  them  near  the 
surface. 

FOEM  OP  Teee. 

Apple  trees  may  be  trained  in  various  ways,  but 
for  ordinary  garden  culture  the  pyramidal  form  is 
the  best.  This  form  of  tree  offers  many  advan- 
tages to  the  cultivator  compared  with  standard 
trees.  It  is  at  a  more  convenient  height  for  pruning, 
cleaning,  or  gathering  the  fruit,  and  is  not  so 
liable  to  be  injured  by  high  winds,  which  fre- 
quently damage  trees  to  such  an  extent  as  to 
render  them  almost  useless  for  fruit-bearing. 
Pyramids  on  the  Crab  or  free  stock  should  be 
planted  from  10  feet  to  12  feet  apart,  but  if  on 
the  Paradise  stock,  from  6  feet  to  8  feet  will  be 
sufficient;  at  that  distance  the  trees  will  not  over- 
shade  each  other,  and  will  allow  of  a  free  circula- 
tion of  air  among  them.  The  intervening  spaces 
may  be  cropped  with  vegetables  or  planted  with 
bush  fruit  trees  until  such  time  as  the  roots  of 
the  Apple  trees  occupy  all  the  ground.  Pyra- 
midal trees  should  have  a  straight  centre  leader 
or  main  stem,  from  which  the  side  branches  are 
produced  at  regular  distances  apart ;  they  should 
be  well  furnished  with  branches  sufficiently  dis- 
tant from  each  other  to  admit  of  a  free  circulation 
of  light  and  air  to  the  centre  of  the  tree,  and  also 
to  avoid  injury  to  the  bark  from  rubbing  against 
each  other  during  high  winds.  When  the  bark  is 
injured  canker  usually  sets  in,  and  the  result  is 
the  loss  of  the  injured  branches.  The  lowermost 
branches  should  be  12  inches  above  the  ground, 
and  should  be  stronger  and  longer  than  those  im- 
mediately above  them  ;  otherwise  if  the  upper 
branches  are  allowed  to  extend  beyond  the  lower, 
the  latter  will  cease  to  grow  vigorously  and  will  in 
time  die  off,  thus  spoiling  the  symmetry  of  the  tree. 
Standard  trees  are  most  suitable  for  planting  on 
land  to  be  sown  down  formowingorpasturingsheep. 
They  should  be  planted  25  feet  apart  each  way  ; 
they  should  have  a  clean  straight  stem  6  feet  high, 
on  the  top  of  which  there  should  be  from  four  to  six 
branches  of  equal  strength,  which  should  diverge 
in  the  proper  direction  ;  from  those  as  many  side 
branches  should  be  allowed  to  grow  as  may  be 
required  for  forming  a  uniform  and  equally 
balanced  head.    From  want  of  attention  to  this 


matter  many  trees  become  spoiled  in  the  early 
stages  of  their  growth,  an  error  which  no  subse- 
quent pruning  can  correct. 

Summer  pruning  of  pyramids  and  bushes  when 
necessary  should  be  performed  during  the  latter 
half  of  August,  but  it  is  injurious  if  done  much 
earlier,  as  then  it  causes  a  number  of  immature 
growths  to  be  produced  that  have  to  be  cut  away 
at  the  winter  pruning.  Our  practice  is  to  com- 
mence on  the  upper  half  of  the  tree,  to  shorten  all 
the  lateral  growths  to  6  inches,  and  a  week  later 
to  treat  the  lower  half  in  the  same  manner. 
This  admits  a  free  circulation  of  air  to  the  centre 
of  the  tree  while  the  influence  of  the  sun  will  im- 
prove the  flavour  of  the  fruit  and  bring  the  wood 
into  a  higher  state  of  maturity.  The  leading 
shoots  at  the  ends  of  the  branches  should  not  be 
shortened  until  winter. 

KooT  Pruniko. 

Young  trees  frequently  produce  gross  wood  at 
the  expense  of  fruit,  particularly  when  the  roots 
go  down  into  the  subsoil.  When  this  occurs  the 
best  remedy  is  root  pruning,  which  should  be  per- 
formed when  the  trees  have  finished  their  growth 
for  the  year  and  before  the  leaves  fall  cff.  The 
best  way  of  doing  it  is  to  dig  a  trench  2  feet 
deep  all  round  the  tree  and  at  a  distance  of  from 
3  feet  to  6  feet  from  it,  according  to  the  size  of 
the  tree,  and  sufficiently  wide  to  enable  the  work- 
man to  undermine  the  ball  of  earth  beneath  the 
bole  of  the  tree.  Then  proceed  to  reduce  this  ball 
of  earth  so  as  to  ascertain  if  there  are  any  roots 
which  strike  downwards.  If  any  are  found,  they 
should  be  cut  clean  away,  all  thick  roots  shortened 
back,  and  any  that  may  have  been  bruised  during 
the  operation  should  have  the  injured  parts  re- 
moved. In  trimming  the  roots  a  sharp  knife  should 
be  used,  placing  it  under  the  root  and  making  a 
long  slanting  cut  in  an  upward  direction.  From 
this  a  large  number  of  fibrous  roots  will  be 
emitted,  which  will  greatly  assist  the  tree  in 
bringing  its  fruit  to  maturity.  If  it  is  thought 
desirable  to  retain  any  roots  that  are  too  deep, 
they  should  be  brought  near  the  surface.  The  soil 
may  then  be  put  back  into  the  trench,  using  a 
little  fresh  loam  to  cover  the  roots,  making  it  firm 
as  the  work  proceeds.  Then  apply  a  mulching  of 
fresh  manure  to  the  surface  to  assist  the  formation 
of  root-fibres  by  keeping  the  soil  in  a  moist,  warm 
condition.  The  roots  of  young  fruit  trees  should 
be  pruned  every  second  or  third  year,  accord- 
ing to  the  quantity  and  strength  of  the  wood 
which  they  make,  until  they  are  in  a  free- 
bearing  condition,  when  it  may  be  dispensed 
with,  as  there  is  nothing  better  than  a  good 
crop  of  fruit  for  checking  over-luxuriance. 

I  am  convinced  that  the  subject  of  root  pruning 
has  not  received  from  cultivators  the  amount  of 
attention  to  which  it  is  entitled.  It  is  quite  amis- 
take  to  severely  prune  the  head  of  a  tree  with  the 
idea  of  checking  its  growth  and  makirg  it  form 
fruit  buds.  A  much  better  plan  would  be  not  to 
prune  at  all,  so  that  the  roots  would  have  enough 
to  do  in  supplying  nouri£hmer.t  to  the  already 
existing  branches  instead  of  forming  new  ones. 
In  cases  in  which  the  fruit  has  set  so  thickly  that 
the  tree  cannot  bring  all  to  perfection,  it  will  be 
advisable  to  thin  out  all  small  or  unshapely  fruit 
and  any  that  are  shaded  by  overhanging  branches. 
Then  apply  a  mulching  G  inches  in  depth  of  rich 
decomposed  manure,  for  as  I  have  frequently 
noticed  when  fruit  trees  are  allowed  to  carry  a 
heavy  crop  in  one  season,  the  trees  become  so  ex- 
hausted that  they  are  not  in  a  proper  condition  to 
bear  a  crop  the  followingyear.  It  is  not  necessary 
that  we  should  have  to  wait  eight  or  nine  years 
from  the  time  of  grafting  before  the  trees  bear 
fruit.  By  a  judicious  .'ystem  of  root-pruning  (or 
transplanting,  which  necessarily  amounts  to  the 
same  thing),  Apple  trees  may  be  induced  to  bear 
fruit  while  they  are  very  young  and  small  This 
was  clearly  proved  by  the  sample  of  Apples 
which  were  staged  at  the  Chrysanthemum  show 
held  in  Manchester  last  year.  The  fruits  then 
shown  were  gathered  from  trees  four  years  from 
the  graft  and  less  than  24  inches  in  height,  the 
second  crop  off  the  same  trees. 


416 


THE    GARDEN 


[Nov.  15.   1884. 


Branch  Truning. 

The  principal  object  ot  pruning  is  to  thin  out 
the  branches  so  that  light  and  air  may  penetrate 
every  part  of  the  tree,  and  that  the  fruit  may 
be  equally  distributed  over  it.  The  winter  prun- 
ing should  be  performed  as  soon  as  possible  after 
the  fall  of  the  leaf,  in  order  that  the  wounds  may 
soon  heal  over  and  be  less  liable  to  injury  from 
loss  of  sap  than  if  pruned  during  spring.  Fyra- 
midal-trained  trees  should  have  the  lateral  growths 
cut  back  to  within  two  or  three  buds  of  their  base, 
with  the  exception  of  any  that  are  required  to 
form  fruit-bearing  branches  ;  these  should  be  cut 
back  to  a  bud  that  is  growing  in  the  direction  in 
which  the  branch  is  wanted  to  grow  in  order  to 
form  a  symmetrical  tree;  also  any  branches  which 
cross  each  other  and  all  dead  spurs,  together  with 
unripened  growths,  should  be  removed.  The  ter- 
minal shoots  on  the  ends  of  the  branches  should 
be  left  from  12  inches  to  18  inches  in  length,  ac- 
cording to  their  strength  and  the  size  which  the 
tree  is  intended  to  attain,  being  careful  to  cut 
each  shoot  a  little  shorter  than  that  immediately 
below  it,  and  to  cut  to  a  bud  that  is  pointing  in 
the  direction  most  desirable  for  the  e.xtension  of 
the  branch.  When  the  tree  is  sulUciently  large 
the  leading  shoots  may  be  treated  in  tlie  same 
way  as  lateral  growths.  Standard  trees  should 
be  allowed  to  assume  their  various  habits  of 
growth,  simply  thinning  out  any  misplaced  or 
superfluous  branches  to  prevent  the  fruit  from  being 
blown  off  by  wind-waving ;  dead  spurs  and  watery 
shoots  which  frequently  spring  from  the  branches 
and  trunk  of  the  tree  should  also  be  removed.  In 
pruning  always  use  a  sharp  knife  and  draw  it  in 
an  upward  direction,  leaving  a  smooth,  clean  cut, 
and  in  removing  young  wood  leave  about  an  inch 
of  the  shoot  above  the  last  bud.  But  in  removing 
a  branch  cut  it  as  close  as  possible  to  the  stem  or 
branch  from  which  it  proceeds,  so  that  the  bark 
may  cover  the  wound  the  sooner.  When  a  saw  is 
used  to  remove  a  branch  the  cut  part  should  after- 
wards be  trimmed  over  with  a  knife,  and  a  coat  of 
painter's  knotting  applied  to  exclude  moisture. 
Renovating  Old  Tebes. 

The  safest  and  best  way  of  renovating  old  and 
neglected  fruit  trees  such  as  have  not  had  either 
roots  or  branches  pruned  for  a  number  of  years  is  to 
cut  out  all  dead  wood  and  any  brandies  which 
cross  each  other  ;  then  give  the  heads  ot  the  t  rees 
a  dressing  of  lime  to  remove  Moss,  &c. ;  if  they  are 
affected  with  blight  or  scale,  paraffin  must  be  sub- 
stituted for  the  lime.  If  too  weak  to  produce 
fruit,  it  will  be  best  to  remove  a  few  inches  of  the 
surface  soil  and  substitute  a  mixture  of  good  loam 
and  manure.  Over-luxuriant  trees  should  have  a 
trench  taken  outata  suitable  distance  from  the  bole 
and  be  root-pruned,  as  I  have  already  directed.  Only 
one-third  of  the  roots  should  be  operated  on  in 
one  season,  as  it  is  much  safer  than  cutting  back 
all  of  the  strong  roots  at  once.  I  have  known 
cases  in  which  the  strong  roots  of  old  trees  which 
had  not  been  systematically  root-pruned  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  were  severely  shortened  back,  but 
such  treatment  has  often  been  followed  by  the 
destruction  of  the  trees. 

Moss  AND  Insects. 

For  destroying  Moss  or  Lichen  on  fruit  trees 
there  is  nothing  better  than  lime  thinned  to  the 
consistency  of  whitewash  and  strained  through  a 
fine  sieve  or  thin  canvas  to  keep  out  all  rough 
sediment.  It  will  then  be  ready  for  applying  to 
the  trees  with  a  syringe  or  garden  engine.  In 
this  way  we  can  go  over  the  trees  much  quicker 
and  cover  them  more  effectually  than  by  using  a 
dredger  and  dry  lime.  For  the  destruction  of 
scale  and  American  blight  I  have  tried  several  of 
the  many  preparations  now  offered  to  the  public 
as  being  infallible  for  the  eradication  of  parasites, 
but  I  have  found  none  so  cheap  or  effectual  as  soft 
soap  and  the  ordinary  paraffin  oil  of  commerce, 
prepared  in  the  following  way  :  To  make  4  gallons 
ot  the  mixture  take  half-a-pound  of  soft  soap  and 
a  half-pint  of  paraffin  oil  ;  place  them  in  a  bucket 
or  other  suitable  vessel,  and  add  a  quantity  ot 
boiling  water;  stir  the  mixture  well  until  the  soap 
is  dissolved  and  then   add  the  remainder  of  the 


water.  The  mixture  may  be  applied  with  a  syringe 
or  garden  engine  to  the  trees  which  are  affected, 
and  is  more  penetrating  when  used  at  the  tem- 
perature of  120°  than  it  would  be  if  used  cold. 
The  small  quantity  of  oil  which  falls  on  the  earth 
will  not  injure  the  roots.  I  find  no  difficulty 
in  getting  the  paraffin  to  mix  with  rain  water  if 
treated  in  the  way  just  described. 

Best  Varieties  to  Plant. 
This  is  not  so  easily  determined  as  some 
may  imagine ;  not  because  there  is  any  scar- 
city of  sorts,  but  because  they  are  so 
numerous.  I  would  advise  anyone  intending 
to  plant  to  ascertain  before  purchasing  the 
correct  names  of  good  varieties  which  succeed 
best  in  the  district  in  which  he  resides,  for  it 
frequently  happens  that  those  which  do  well  in 
one  district  will  not  thrive  in  another,  owing  to 
the  difference  of  soil  and  atmospheric  conditions. 
I  have  no  hesitation  in  stating  that  even  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Manchester,  by  planting  the 
right  sorts  in  sufficient  numbers  and  treating 
them  in  the  way  described,  we  should  be  able  to 
grow  fruit  enough  to  supply  all  our  wants,  except 
in  very  unfavourable  seasons.  Thus  we  should 
retain  at  home  the  thousands  of  pounds  which 
now  pass  every  year  into  the  pockets  of  the 
foreigner  as  payment  for  .Apples  which  we  import. 
I  can  strongly  recommend  the  following  twenty- 
four  varieties,  twelve  dessert  and  twelve  culin- 
ary, as  being  suitable  for  growing  in  the 
midland  counties,  especially  near  Manchester  ; 
all  of  them  have  borne  good  crops  during  the  last 
seven  years,  even  when  climatic  conditions  have 
been  unfavourable  for  their  production.  The  list 
of  dessert  Apples  contains  some  of  the  earliest  and 
latest  sorts,  which  I  have  placed  in  their  order 
of  (ripening  as  follows  :  Devonshire  Quarienden, 
Kerry  Pippin,  King  of  thePippins,  Barchard's  Seed- 
ling, Winter  I'earmain,  Cox's  Orange  Pippin,  Man- 
ningtou's  I'earmain,  Ribston  Pippin,  Adam's  Pear- 
main,  Court  pendu  Plat,  Nonpareil,  Sturmer  Pippin, 
The  culinary  varieties  I  have  divided  into  four 
groups  of  three  each,  and  have  placed  the  name  of 
the  best  sort  first  in  each  group.  As  it  is  not 
necessary  that  culinary  Apples  should  be  perfectly 
ripe  when  used,  my  object  in  thus  dividing  them 
is  that  the  inexperienced  grower  who  may  require 
only  three  or  four  should  not  select  all  from  the 
early  to  the  exclusion  of  the  late-keeping  varieties. 
The  best  three  early  varieties  are  Grenadier,  Lord 
Sullield,  and  Pott's  Seedling.  The.se  ripen  their 
fruit  early  in  the  season,  and  therefore  should  be 
used  first.  The  second  group  consists  of  Echlin- 
ville  Seedling,  Stirling  Castle,  and  llawthornden, 
which  will  form  a  good  succession  ;  in  the  third 
group  we  have  Cellini,  Wareham  Russet,  and 
Dumelow's  Seedling.  The  best  late  varieties  are 
Golden  Noble,  Alfriston,  and  Northern  Greening, 
and  if  these  are  carefully  gathered  and  stored  in  a 
suitable  place,  they  should  keep  sound  and  firm 
until  such  time  as  the  nest  year's  fruit  is  ready  for 
use. 

Gathering  and  Storing. 

In  gathering  the  fruit  it  is  advisable  to  go  over 
the  trees  two  or  three  times,  each  time  selecting 
only  those  that  are  ready.  This  may  easily  be 
ascertained  by  gently  lifting  each  fruit,  so  that  the 
stalk  is  in  a  horizontal  position  ;  if  the  latter  then 
parts  freely  from  the  wood  it  may  be  assumed  that 
the  fruit  is  ripe.  A  large  quantity  of  fmit  is 
spoiled  every  year  by  being  gathered  before  it  is 
properly  matured.  The  Apples  when  gathered 
should  be  at  once  taken  to  the  fruit  room  and 
there  placed  on  wooden  shelves  free  from  hay  or 
straw,  as  these  deteriorate  the  flavour.  All  fruit 
should  be  placed  in  single  layers,  and  should 
remain  undisturbed  until  required  for  use.  It 
should  be  frequently  examined  for  the  purpose  of 
removing  any  decaying  ones,  for  if  these  are 
allowed  to  remain  they  injure  the  others.  The 
fruit  room  should  have  a  northern  aspect,  for  in 
such  a  position  it  will  be  less  liable  to  sudden 
fluctuations  ot  temperature.  It  should  be  provided 
with  the  means  of  giving  ample  ventilation  when 
required,  and  provided  with  hot-water  pipes  for 
the  purpose  of  drying  up  superabundant  moisture 
as  well  as  to  exclude  frost.  The  windows  should  be 


furnished  with  shutters  to  keep  out  light  and  cold. 
The  temperature  may  range  from  40'^  to  4.'j°,  but 
fro.st  must  be  carefully  excluded.       W.  Neild. 
^'i/iliens/iawe  Hall,  Northenden,  Cheshire. 


PACKING  FRUIT. 


It  seems  shameful  hew  good  fmit  is  at  present 
sent  to  our  markets.  We  bought  a  bushel  of 
Blenheim  Apples  the  other  day,  and  whilst  many 
were  big  on  the  top,  some  in  the  middle  were  not 
lit  to  be  offered  for  sale.  This  is  the  way  in  which 
people  put  up  their  fruit.  Some  do  not  condescend 
to  put  even  a  few  good  ones  on  the  top,  but  send 
all  rubbish,  so  that  they  do  not  bring  the  cost  of 
their  carriage  to  the  market.  Anything  more 
short-sighted  and  foolish  cannot  be  imagined,  or 
more  detrimental  to  trade,  which,  of  course,  will 
go  to  the  Americans,  Canadians,  or  foreigners,  who 
pack  well,  and  give  the  salesman  a  brand  he  can 
depend  upon.  Bad  cultivation  and  want  of  thin- 
ning the  shoots  are  the  cause,  no  doubt,  of  this  bad 
fruit.  But  why  send  it  ?  It  is  much  more  profit- 
able to  turn  it  into  the  ground  as  manure,  if  there 
be  no  better  use  for  it.  As  an  example  of  different 
ways,  we  would  refer  to  the  Canadian  barrels  of 
Apples  which  have  been  coming  for  some  year", 
and  which  please  the  buyers  so  much  that  they 
actually  hinder  the  sale  of  the  less  well-packed 
American  fruit.  Everybody  is  humbugged  by  this 
mixing  up  of  all  sorts  of  quality— the  cook,  whose 
labours  are  so  much  forwarded  by  getting  things 
all  of  a  size,  whether  Potatoes  or  Apples ;  the 
buyer,  the  salesman,  who  is  partly  held  respon- 
sible for  the  bottom  of  the  box,  and  the  grower 
himself,  on  whom  the  whole  thing  reacts.  The 
most  remarkable  advance  we  have  seen  in  packing 
this  year  is  in  the  French  manner  of  sorting 
Duchesse  Pears  and  classifying  them  according  to 
size,  so  that  one  may  get  them  in  the  London 
market  in  boxes  just  as  may  be  desired.  The  plan 
has  succeeded  admirably,  and  the  sale  this  year 
has  been  very  large.  In  America  and  France  we 
believe  there  are  syndicates  or  public  bodies  of 
growers,  which  are  formed  for  the  purpose  of 
teaching  the  grower  the  necessity  of  care  in  this 
direction,  or  which  supervise  the  deliveries  them- 
selves. However  the  end  be  arrived  at,  we  are  cer- 
tain that  our  own  fruit  growing  is  not  likely  to  pay 
until  there  is  a  wholesale  change  in  the  way  ot 
packing  and  sorting.  How  anybody  can  send  a 
lot  of  rubbish — windfalls,  as  we  have  often  seen 
— to  Covent  Garden,  or  any  other  market  in  the 
face  of  the  splendid  supplies  that  come  from 
various  countries,  surprises  us ;  and  yet  much  of 
our  own  country  can  grow  excellent  fruit,  and  fruit 
which,  when  good,  brings  a  better  price  in  the 
market  than  foreign  fruit  will  ever  do.  A  very 
large  area  in  Southern  and  Western  England  may 
compete  with  France  and  America  in  the  growth 
of  the  Apple  ;  but  young,  vigorous,  and  well-cul- 
tivated orchards,  some  care  in  pruning  and  thin- 
ning, and,  lastly,  vigorous  sorting  of  the  fruit  into 
two  good  sizes,  and  the  rejection  ot  all  useless 
fruit,  are  essential. —  Field. 


Mildewed  Grapes.— What  is  the  cause  of 
Grapes  becoming  mildewed  ?  For  the  last  two 
years  a  friend  of  mine  has  lost  all  his  Grapes 
through  mildew,  and  I  hear  of  others  who  are 
suffering  from  the  attacks  of  this  fungus. — H.  N. 

*tf*  There  are  several  predisposing  causes,  the 
more  common  being  cold  currents  of  air,  a  stag- 
nant atmosphere,  and  lack  of  water  at  the  roots. 
Obviously,  therefore,  the  remedy  is  to  avoid 
these  evils.  The  best  treatment  to  adopt  with 
mildewed  Vines  is  first  to  decide  from  which  of 
the  causes  named  the  evil  arises,  and  this  being 
settled  and  treatment  given  accordingly,  the 
destruction  of  the  fungus  must  then  have  atten- 
tion ;  and  it  is  by  no  means  a  difficult  task,  though 
it  frequently  entails  the  loss  of  a  quantity  of  fruit, 
particularly  if  the  pest  has  got  a  strong  hold.  Mix 
sulphur  with  water  to  the  thickness  of  paint,  and 
with  a  brush  made  of  matting  apply  it  to  the  Vine 
stems  ;  also  paint  the  hot-water  pipes,  and  syringe 
the  walls  and  floors  with  a  thinner  mixture  ;  this 
done,  keep  a  gentle  heat — not  hot — in  the  pipes. 


Nov.  15,  1884.] 


THE   GARDEN 


417 


and  a  little  air  on  all  night  and  more  by  day,  and 
in  a  short  time  the  mildew  will  disappear,  and  a 
recurrence  will  not  take  place  if  due  regard  be 
had  anent  prevention  by  avoiding  the  predispos- 
ing causes  named  above. — W. 


Garden  Destroyers. 

GALL  MITES. 

(PHYTOPTID^.) 

The  Acari,  or  mites,   are  a  very  numerous  and 
ubiquitous  family.     They  may  be  found  on  our 


1,  Birch  buds  attacked  liy  mites  (natural  size) ; 
2,  comraencement  of  mtch's  l>room  (natural  size). 


trees  and  plants,  our  domestic  animals,    in  our 
food,  and  not  unfrequently  on   our  own  bodies 


4,  secliuri  of  Birch  liud  (magnined) ;  ,S,  Hazel  Ijuds  distorted 
l)y  mites  (natuial  size) ;  6  and  7,  gall  mites  (much 
magnitled). 


even.  The  red  spiders  and  gall  mites,  &c.,  attack 
our  plants,  &c. ;  ticks  and  louse  mites  our  animals 
and  birds ;  and  cheese  mites  and  their  near  allies 
our  food ;  harvest  bugs,  itch  mites,  and  some 
others  our  bodies.  The  gall  mites  are  a  division 
of  this  family  which  live  on  trees  and  plants. 
They,  cause  an  unusual  growth  of  the  tissues  of 
the  leaves  and  buds  which  they  attack,  which  in 
many  cases  form  a  complete   covering    or  gall 


over  them.     These  mites  are  very  small  and  are 
hardly  visible  to  the  naked  eye,  yet  they  are  able 
to  make  their  presence  known  in  a  very  apparent 
manner.      Host  persons    are  familiar  with    the 
bunches  of  twigs  on  Birch  trees  commonly  known 
.as  witches'  brooms,  which  may  at  first  sight  be 
taken  for   birds'  nests,  but  which  are  really  the 
work  of  colonies  of  a  little  mite  belonging  to  the 
genus    rhytoptus.     The   leaves  of  the   common 
Maple  may  frequently  be  found  studded  with  little 
red  roundish  galls,  like  small  coral  beads,  or  the 
leaves  of  the  Lime  with  long  pointed  excrescences 
commonly  called  nail  galls   (fig.  8).     These  are 
also  caused  by  mites  belonging  to  the  same  genus. 
These  mites  are  very  sluggish  in  their  movements, 
and  do  not  spread  rapidly,  being  often  found  on 
one  particular  tree,  while  others  of  the  same  kind 
and  close  to  it  are  not  attacked.    They  do,  how- 
ever, pass  from   one  tree  or  plant  to  another  in 
course  of   time,  probably  being   transported  by 
the  wind  or  birds.     They  have  no  means  of  flying, 
and,  unlike  most  mites,  which  have  four  pairs  of 
legs,    they    have     only     two,    so    that    without 
some  accidental  assistance  it  would  be  almost 
impossible    for    them    to  travel  from   one   tree 
to  another.     The  life  and  history  of  these  little 
creatures  are  by  no  means  propetly  understood. 
Some    persons    are   of  opinion   that  these  four- 
legged   mites  are  only  immature  specimens   of 
other  kinds  ;  others  believe  they  are  fully  deve- 
loped. I  am  of  this  latter  opinion.  I  have  examined 
numbers  from  the  buds  of  the  common  Hazel,  and 
have  never  seen  any  showing  signs  of  any  depar- 
ture from  the  ordinary  form.    Another  question  is, 
Do  the  mites  hibernate,  or  do  they  die,  having 
previously  laid  their  eggs  in  some  suitable  place 
where  they  may  safely  hatch  in  the  spring  .'     As 
regards  those  which  infest  buds,  either  of  these 
courses  would  be  an  easy  matter,  but  it  is  very  dif- 
ferent with  those  which  make  galls  on  leaves.    The 
leaves  fall  in  the  autumn ;  if  the  mites  or  their 
eggs  fall  with  the  leaves,  it  would  be  impossible 
for  the  old  or  young  mites  to  reach  the  new  leaves 
in  the  spring,  so  one  must  imagine  that  before  the 
leaves  drop  the  mites  must  leave  the  galls  and 
seek  the  stems,  or  more  probably  the  buds,  to  find 
winter  quarters  in  or  places  in  which  to  lay  their 
eggs.     A  great  number  of  our  trees  and  plants  are 
attacked  by  these  little  creatures,  though,  except 
in  a  few  cases,  they  do  not  cause  any  appreciable 
injury,  Nut  bushes.  Currant   bushes,  liirch,  and 
Yew  trees  being  attacked  by  species  which  live  in 
buds ;  while  those  which  form  galls  or  curl  the 
leaves     attack   the    Alder,    Apple,    Ash,    Birch, 
Beech,  Elm,  Hornbeam,   Horse  Chestnut,  Lime, 
Maple,  Mulberry,  Oak,  Pear,  Plum,  Poplar,  Scotch 
li'ir.  Vine,  Walnut,  White  Thorn,  Willow,  Clover, 
.Salvias,  and  Strawberry  plants.     When  a  tree  or 
plant  is  badly  infested,  no  doubt  it  is  much  in- 
jured by  the  loss  it  sustains  from  so  many  of  its 
leaves  being  rendered  useless,  or  its  buds  abor- 
tive.   It  is  those  species  which  attack  the  buds 
which  are  most  destructive. 

Nut  and  Currant  bushes  are  sometimes  seriously 
injured  by  the  majority  of  their  buds  being  spoilt 
by  numbers  of  these  mites  feeding  on  the  juices  of 
the  leaflets  they  contain.  This  action  of  the  mites 
seems  to  almost  entirely  arrest  the  growth  of  the 
leaves  ;  they  never  develop  properly,  and  increase 
but  little  in  size  ;  the  bud  merely  swells  and 
opens  somewhat  (figs.  1  and  .5).  On  cutting  such 
a  bud  open  and  examining  it  under  a  microscope 
hundreds  of  the  mites  may  be  found  between  the 
leaflets.  When  those  species  which  form  galls 
attack  leaves,  the  latter  will  be  generally  found 
more  or  less  covered  with  little  raised  excrescences 
or  galls,  and  though  trees  attacked  in  this  manner 
are  not  so  much  injured  as  those  whose  buds  are 
destroyed,  they  are  much  weakened  by  so  many  of 
their  leaves  being  rendered  useless.  These  galls 
are  perhaps  more  folds  or  pockets  in  the  leaves 
than  real  galls  (figs.  8,  9,  10),  for  they  are  all 
open  at  the  bottom,  and  are  probably  commenced 
by  a  mite  or  mites  feeding  at  a  part  of  the 
under  side  of  the  leaf,  which  then  grows  more 
rapidly  than  the  rest  of  the  leaf,  owing  to  an 
increased  flow  of  sap  induced  by  the  irritation  .of 
the  mites,  and  gradually  forms  a  chamber  round 
them.    True  galls,  such  as  are  made  by  the  grubs 


of  gall  flies,  two-winged  flies,  some  saw  flies,  and 
other  insects,  are  formed  in  a  different  manner, 
the  abnormal  growth  entirely  surrounding  the 
insect,  and  in  the  midst  of  which  it  lies  in  a  cell 
a  complete  prisoner.  The  galls  formed  by  gall 
mites  are  frequently  lined  with  hairs,  and  the 
mouth  is  generally  furnished  with  a  tuft  of  hairs 
and  is  on  the  lower  side  of  the  leaves.  Some 
species  attack  the  edges  of  the  leaves,  which  then 
begin  to  curl,  and  thus  afford  them  protection 
(figs.  11  and  12).  Quick-set  hedges  are  sometimes 
for  yards  together  attacked  in  this  way,  the  edges 
of  nearly  every  leaf  being  rolled  up,  giving  that 
part  of  the  hedge  a  very  strange  appearance.  The 
plants  attacked  must  be  considerably  injured  by 
their  leaves  being  treated  in  this  manner.  As  the 
mites  so  thoroughly  shelter  themselves  either  in 
buds  or  leaves,  it  is  clear  no  insecticide  can  be  of 
any  use,  unless  their  winter  quarters  could  be 
found,  when  it  is  possible  it  might  then  be  made 
to  reach  them ;  but  even  then,  as  they  are  very 
tenacious  of  life,  it  would  not  be  of  much  use. 
The  best  means  I  can  suggest  for  getting  rid  of 
them  is  by  removing  the  infected  parts  and  burn- 
ing them ;  or  if  thrown  on  the  rubbish  heap  it 


t^^^  i  ^.v 


'T. 


4      : 

■^ 

'f 

>' 

Lime  leaf  with  nail  sails  (natural  size) ;  'J,  nail  galls 
(magnitied):  10,  section  of  nail  gall  (uiaiir  itied)^  11, 
\Vhite  Thorn  leaf  rolled  by  mites,  imder  side  (natural 
size);  12,  section  of  roll  (magnitled);  13,  transparent 
stout  hairs  from  roll  (magnified). 


will  not  much  matter,  as  the  mites  will  not  be 
able  to  regain  the  trees.  All  the  I'hytoptida;  re- 
semble one  another  very  closely  and  are  very 
minute,  being  less  than  1-lOOth  of  an  inch  in 
length.  On  account  of  their  minute  size  and  the 
difficulty,  owing  to  their  fragileness,  of  mounting 
them  for  examination,  I  have  been  unable  to 
detect  any  diaerence  between  the  species  which 
attack  the  I'.lrch,  Hazel,  and  White  Thorn,  except 
that  the  last-named  does  not  appear  to  have  the 
two  long  curved  hairs  near  the  tail ;  but  I  have  no 
doubt  that  they  are  different  species. 

These  mites  (figs.  0  and  7)  are  cylindrical,  long, 
and  narrow.  They  are  widest  where  their  cepha- 
lo-thorax  joins  their  body ;  they  taper  gradually 
towards  the  tail,  where  their  body  is  somewhat 
curved  downwards,  and  is  terminated  by  a  bilobed 
sucker.  The  front  part  of  the  body  (cephalo-thorax) 
is  striated  longitudinally,  and  the  remainder  of 
the  body  transversely  ;  between  every  two  of  the 
latter  stria;  is  a  row  of  minute  tubercles.  Nearly 
all  the  Acari  have  four  pairs  of  legs,  but  the  mem- 


418 


THE    GARDEN 


[Nov.  15,  1884. 


bers  o£  this  genus  have  only  two.  This  has  much 
puzzled  entomologists,  and  made  some  think  that 
they  are  only  immatare  specimens  of  some  other 
species.  The  four  legs  which  these  creatures  have 
are  what  would  be  the  first  two  pairs  in  other 
mites.  On  either  side  of  the  body  near  its  base  is 
a  long,  stiffish  hair,  and  near  the  tail  are  two  stiff 
curved  hairs.  When  the  mite  moves,  it  crawls 
with  its  legs  and  moves  its  body  forward  in  rather 
a  worm-like  manner,  clinging  on  with  the  sucker 
at  its  tail  now  and  then.  It  is  able,  having  taken 
a  good  hold  with  this  appendage,  to  raise  its  body 
into  an  erect  position  ;  the  use  of  the  bent  hairs  is 
not  very  obvious.  The  witches'  broom  in  the  Birch 
trees  are  formed  by  Phytoptus  betulinus  in  the 
following  manner :  The  mites  attack  a  bud,  which 
then  grows  (as  in  fig.  1,  and  of  which  fig.  4  is  a 
magnified  section) ;  from  this  bud  various  shoots 
and  buds  grow.  These  are  in  turn  attacked  by 
the  mites,  and  gradually  the  commencement  of  a 
"  broom"  is  formed  (fig.  2).  This  eventually  grows 
by  the  mites  continually  distorting  the  buds  into 
the  well-known  tangled  mass  of  twigs.  The 
species  which  attacks  the  Hazel  buds  (Phytoptus 
cjryli)  go  to  work  much  in  the  same  manner,  but 
the  result  is  merely  the  abortion  of  the  bud  (fig.  5). 
Those  which  form  the  nail  gall  on  the  Lime 
leaves  (Phytoptus  tilia;,  fig.  5)  and  other  galls 
attack  the  leaves  at  various  points,  from  which, 
as  before  mentioned,  the  leaf  grows,  forming  a 
chamber  over  them  (figs.  8,  9,  and  10).  White 
Thorn  leaves  when  infested  behave  in  a  very  dif- 
ferent manner.  The  mites  (Phytoptus  o.^ycanthfe) 
congregate  near  the  edges  underneath,  which 
cause  them  to  curl  over  towards  their  lower  sides 
(figs.  11  and  IL'),  and  that  part  of  the  underside 
which  is  thus  enclosed  is  covered  with  short,  stout, 
transparent  hairs  (fig.  12);  among  these  hairs 
the  mites  may  be  found.  The  part  of  the  leaf  thus 
rolled  up  is  paler  in  colour  than  the  rest. 

G.  S.  S. 

Indoor    Garden. 

CHEAP  BULBS. 
I  QUITE  agree  with  all  your  correspondent 
"  Cambrian  "  fays  about  the  worthlessness  of 
cheap  sale  bulbs.  When  I  started  to  grow  a  few 
flowers,  I  went  to  some  of  the  bulb  sales,  but 
found  the  bulbs  to  be  small  and  worthless,  and 
not  a  name  or  description,  as  pointed  out  by 
"Cambrian,"  could  be  depended  upon.  No  one 
who  knows  anything  of  bulbs  ever  goes  near 
auction  rooms.  There  is,  however,  a  large  num- 
ber of  amateurs  who  understand  little  of  such 
matters  who  buy  such  bulbs,  the  offscourings  of 
fourth  and  fifth-rate  Dutch  gardens.  As  an 
amateur  who  has  grown  large  numbers  of  Dutch 
bulbs  for  twenty  years,  and  who  is  careful  to  buy 
in  the  most  economical  way,  I  should  advise  all 
to  buy  from  thoroughly  respectable  seedsmen.  A 
bulb  is  a  curious  thing.  For  example,  a  Hyacinth 
takes  from  four  to  six  years  to  attain  perfection. 
The  first  year  of  its  cultivation  it  has  no  bloom  at 
all ;  the  second  year  hardly  any  ;  the  third  a  little 
more;  its  fourth  a  fair  bloom;  fifth  andsixth  years 
a  strong  bulb,  and  large  massive  spike  of  bloom. 
It  is  essential  to  get  thoroughly  matured  and  well- 
cultivated  bulbs,  otherwise  their  flowers  are  of  the 
most  disappointing  kind.  These  cheap  sale  bulbs 
that  I  have  seen  are  of  second  and  third  years' 
growth  and  quite  immature,  and  not  a  third  of  the 
size  and  weight  they  should  be.  I  cannot  say 
how  a  gardener  with  some  hundreds  of  these 
cheap  bulbs  under  his  charge  would  feel,  but 
I  can  speak  feelingly  from  my  own  experience  of 
them._  After  buying!  scores  of  'pots  for  them, 
spending  much  time  and  money  to  procure  proper 
soil,  polling  and  carefully  watering,  and  tending 
them  night  and  day,  the  result  was  of  the  most 
paltry  kind— a  lot  of  worthless  little  spikes.  The 
same  trouble,  expense,  and  anxiety  would  have 
p  oduoed  me  magnificent  spikes  had  the  bulbs 
b;en  genuine  and  fully  matured.  Nothing  can  be 
wcTsa,therefore  than  to  savB  a  few  pence  by  buy- 
ing at  cheap  bulb  sales.  When  we  make  a  bad 
burgam  in  Oiisiuess,  its  results  often  end  the  same 
day  ;  but  after  the   bad  bulbs  are  bought,  with 


them  the  matter  does  not  so  easily  terminate.  Pots 
are  bought ;  good  soil  bought  or  procured  ;  they 
are  watered,  and  most  carefully  ventilated  and 
tended  day  and  night  for,  say,  five  or  six  months, 
when  it  is  found  that  all  this  expense  and  well- 
nigh  half  a  year  of  anxious  trouble  and  care  are 
virtually  wasted.  To  those,  therefore,  who  value 
their  time,  or  have  any  regard  for  their  pocket, 
I  would  again  say,  buy  good  sound,  well-ripened 
bulbs  from  thoroughly  respectable  seedsmen. 

Amateur. 


Palms  In  small  pots. — Few  plants  can  be 
kept  longer  in  good  health  without  shifting  than 
Palms.  The  great  point  is  not  to  allow  them  to 
become  dry  during  the  growing  time,  and  to  feed 
them  with  liquid  manure  from  the  moment  they 
come  into  a  root-bound  condition.  Then  the  leaves 
do  not  turn  yellow,  but  retain  the  rich,  dark  hue 
of  perfect  health.  In  a  general  way  Palms  are 
shifted  too  frequently,  and  in  many  instances  it 
would  be  better  to  keep  them  another  year  in  the 
same  pots,  at  the  same  time  feeding  them  libe- 
rally. The  great  point  is  not  to  let  them  become 
stunted  from  want  of  food,  but  to  give  them 
weak  liquid  mafiure  about  twice  a  week  from  the 
time  they  start  into  growth.— J.  Cornhill. 

Freesia  seed.— With  regard  to  the  sowing 
and  growth  of  Freesia  seed  (p.  359),  my  experience 
is  that  there  is  great  uncertainty  about  it.  On 
June  27,  1883,  Dr.  Foster  sent  me  fresh  seeds  of 
F.  refracta  alba  and  F.  Leichtlini.  These  were 
sown  in  shallow  pans  the  same  day,  placed  under 
glass,  and  left  alone.  F.  r.  al'oa  began  to  bloom 
at  the  end  of  November  and  kept  on  blooming 
through  the  winter.  F.  Leichtlini  came  up  equally 
well,  and  has  not  shown  a  bloom  yet.  I  carefully 
kept  the  seed  of  F.  r.  alba,  which  was  sown  im- 
mediately it  was  ripe,  and  it  did  not  begin  to 
vegetate  till  October.  How  can  this  be  accounted 
for  1  It  is  now  growing  strongly,  but  is  not^likely 
to  bloom  for  six  months.  I  agree  with  "  B."  that 
the  seedlings  are  better  left  alone,  as  I  find 
the  removal  of  the  small  bulbs  makes  them 
"  sulky,"  and  they  will  not  start  for  months.  I 
can  strongly  recommend  Freesias  to  your  readers  ; 
they  are  very  attractive,  and  I  advise  their  growth 
from  seed.  To  ensure  fertilisation  the  stigma 
should  be  touched  with  pollen  from  another  flower, 
or  there  may  be  a  failure.  Sow  as  soon  as  ripe 
and  keep  the  seeds  moist. — A.  R.,  Windermere. 

Cyperus  alternifolius  from  seed.— This 

useful  and  popular  JIadagascar  Sedgemay  be  pro- 
pagated either  by  division  of  the  crowns,  by  layer- 
ing the  mature  tops,  by  severing  the  tops  and 
inserting  them  in  sandy  soil  in  small  pots 
plunged  in  bottom  heat,  or  by  seed  sowing.  This 
last  method  is  easiest  and  best  for  producing  hand- 
some young  plants  of  the  green-leaved  variety. 
Seedlings  have  a  marked  advantage  as  regards 
gracefulness  of  habit,  and  they  very  quickly  grow 
to  a  serviceable  size  ;  old'plants  seed  freely,  and 
one  head  will  produce  seed  enough  for  furnishing 
hundreds  of  plants.  We  sow  in  heat  in  March 
pretty  thickly,  and  when  the  seedlings  are  about 
an  inch  high  pot  them  off  in  little  tufts  in  small 
pots  filled  with  light,  rich  soil ;  each  tuft  will  con- 
tain perhaps  a  dozen  plants,  which  rapidly  grow 
into  well-furnished  potf uls  of  elegant  greenery — 
far  prettier  than  the  stiffer  kind  of  growth  result- 
ing from  other  modes  of  increasing  this  plant. 
Besides  its  general  value  as  a  decorative  plant, 
this  Cyperus  is  a  very  enduring  and  also  a 
favourite  plant  for  growing  in  rooms.  It  will  bear 
vicissitudes  of  temperature,  confinement,  gas, 
and  smoke  as  well  as  any  green-leaved  plant 
with  which  lam  acquainted,  except  Ficus  elastica, 
while  its  semi-aquatic  nature  renders  it  safe  as 
regards  excess  of  water— the  most  fertile  cause  of 
plant  mortality  in  the  hands  of  amateurs.  Another 
recommendation  is  the  length  of  time  during  which 
this  Cyperus  will  remain  healthy  iti  the  same  pot 
and  in  pots  of  small  size  if  its  chief  need, 
abundance  of  water,  is  attended  to  ;  the  tops  cut 
off  short  may  be  used  with  excellent  effect  for 
dinner-table  decoration  when  the  materials  are 
laid  on  the  cloth,  and  they  are  also  valuable  helps 


in  the   way  of  lasting  greenery  for  mixing  with 
some  kinds  of  cut  flowers. — A.  MooBE,  Cranmoro. 


Kitchen    Garden. 

MARKET  GARDEN  NOTES. 

Maeket  gabdeners  are  now  busy  at  work  tak- 
ing up  and  storing  roots,  and  the  ground  thus  set  at 
liberty  is  immediately  prepared  for  green  crops, 
or  ploughed  up  roughly  in  order  to  expose  it  to  the 
mellowing  inUuence  of  the  atmosphere.  Market 
garden  land  gets  very  little  rest ;  no  sooner  is  one 
crop  cleared  off  than  another  is  got  in  as  speedily 
as  possible,  and  by  means  of  liberal  manuring  the 
land  is  kept  in  good  condition.  It  is  a  mistake  to 
suppose  that  soil  is  worn  out  by  a  rapid  rotation  of 
crops,  for  it  would  be  impossible  to  find  more 
luxuriant  crops  than  those  produced  by  those  who 
grow  for  market.  The  extra  drain  on  the  land  is 
made  up  by  abundant  supplies  of  manure  and 
thorough  pulverisation  by  means  of  deep  cultiva- 
tion. Breaking  up  the  subsoil  so  as  to  get  a  great 
depth  of  friable  material  is  also  a  great  point  as 
regards  good  vegetable  culture.  Amongst  crops 
that  at  present  claim  attention  I  may  mention 

AsPAEAGua.  Beds  of  this  are  now  being  dressed 
for  winter  ;  the  tops  being  quite  matured  are  cut 
off  just  above  the  ground,  and  the  ripe  seed  is 
gathered  from  them  ;  they  then  make  good  cover- 
ing for  salad  material  or  any  kind  of  tender  vege- 
tables, such  as  young  Cauliflower  plants,  as  they 
break  the  cutting  winds  and  admit  light  and  air. 
All  weeds  are  then  removed  from  the  surface,  and 
a  good  dressing  of  manure  or  seaweed  is  applied 
to  it,  and  also  a  little  soil  from  the  alleys  between 
the  beds — just  enough  to  cover  the  manure,  but 
not  enough  to  injure  the  roots,  as  was  the  custom 
in  bygone  days.  In  fact,  beds  and  alleys  are  now 
made  nearly  on  a  level,  the  alleys  being  required 
for  gathering  the  crop  and  for  providing  extra 
rooting  ground  for  the  Asparagus. 

Globe  Artichokes  are  now  having  a  little 
protection  applied  to  their  crowns ;  some  rather 
littery  manure  is  packed  round  each  clump,  and 
in  spring  when  all  danger  of  sharp  frost  is  over  it 
is  forked  in  between  the  rows  of  plants. 

Jeeusalem  Aetichokes  are  being  lifted  for 
market ;  they  keep  best  in  the  soil,  and  if  the  land 
is  required  for  other  crops,  they  are  lifted  just  the 
same  as  Potatoes  and  stored  in  covered  pits.  When 
well  grown  they  yield  an  enormous  weight  of  roots 
per  acre,  and  do  not  need  very  rich  soil  on  which 
to  grow. 

Beetroot  is  being  lifted  and  stored  secure 
from  frost.  It  is  pulled  up  carefully,  so  as 
not  to  injure  it,  for  if  the  juice  escapes,  the  colour 
when  cooked  is  impaired.  The  leaves  are  only 
cut  off  about  half  their  length  ;  if  cut  off  closely, 
juice  escapes  which  ought  to  be  retained. 

Broccoli,  for  spring  crops,  is  being  frequently 
stirred,  in  order  to  encourage  growth.  Owing  to 
the  drought  it  was  late  in  the  season  before  the 
plants  could  be  got  out.  The  way  in  which  they 
have  grown,  however,  during  the  last  two  months 
is  surprising.  On  good  soil,  if  the  winter  proves 
mild,  fine  heads  will  be  produced  in  large  quanti- 
ties ;  and  in  open  field  culture,  where  the  plant 
gets  full  exposure  to  sun  and  air,  the  heads  are 
even  larger  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  plant 
than  within  walled  gardens,  where  the  foliage 
draws  up  long  and  weak. 

Brussels  Sprouts.— Of  these  the  largest  are 
now  being  sent  to  market.  The  old  large 
leaves  are  removed  in  order  to  let  air  freely  in 
amongst  the  stalks.  Green  fly  has  been  unusually 
plentiful  on  all  green  crops  in  gardens  this 
autumn,  the  mild  calm  weather  and  absence  of 
heavy  rains  having  favoured  its  development. 

Cabbage  and  Coleworts  are  plentiful  and 
good,  and  are  being  marketed  in  quantity.  Nice 
little  Coleworts  tied  in  bunches  are  a  valuable 
vegetable  at  all  times,  and  the  quicker  they  grow 
the  better  they  are  in  quality.  Planting  of  all 
kinds  of  Cabbages  is  being  pushed  on  rapidly ; 
the  soil  is  manured,  ploughed,  and  rolled,  and  the 
plants  are  inserted  in  the  furrows  at  distances 


Nov.  15,   1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


419 


apart  varying  with  variety  and  whether  they  are  in- 
tended to  grow  to  full  size,  or  be  drawn  in  a  half- 
grown  state  for  Ininching.  In  this  locality  the  acre- 
age planted  with  Cabbage  during  the  last  month  is 
almost  incredible.  Red  Cabbages  are  now  being 
marketed  in  quantity.  Being  now  full  grown,  they 
are  liable  to  split  if  heavy  rains  set  in.  Young 
plants  are  being  put  out  a  yard  apart  each  way. 

Cauliflowers  are  at  present  represented  by 
that  well-known  market  kind  called  Veitch's 
Autumn  Giant.  It  is  the  very  ideal  of  a  market 
Caulirtower,  the  heads  being  very  large,  firm,  and 
white  as  snow.  Large  waggon-loads  have  been 
turning  in  for  some  weeks  past,  and  by  having 
successional  crops  this  kind  keeps  the  market 
supplied  until  the  early  winter  Broccoli,  such  as 
Hnow's,  is  fit  to  cut.  Young  plantations  of  Early 
London  Cauliflower  are  being  formed  on  sheltered 
borders,  or  close  to  hedgerows  and  sunny  banks, 
or  under  handlights  or  cloches,  and  a  reserve  of 
plants  is  kept  in  cold  frames  for  planting  out  in 
March. 

Celeri'  is  now  claiming  daily  attention  ;  early 
crops  are  being  dug  for  marke!,  and  late  ones 
earthed  up  for  blanching.  The  red  sorts  are  in 
greatest  favour,  being  hardier,  and  when  well 
blanched  white  as  ivory. 

Carrots  are  being  lifted  and  stored  in  pits,  like 
Potatoes,  or  laid  in  heaps  and  covered  with  litter 
in  sheds  secure  from  frost. 

Onions,  consisting  of  good  keeping  kind.",  such 
as  Bedfordshire  Champion  and  James'  Long 
Keeping,  that  have  been  well  harvested  this  year, 
are  spread  out  in  thin  layers  in  cool,  dry  sheds  or 
lofts,  in  order  to  keep  them  from  starting  into 
growth  until  quite  late  in  spring,  when  they  inva- 
riably realise  good  prices  ;  while  at  this  time  of 
year  soutii-coast  towns  are  glutted  with  Onions 
from  France  and  the  Channel  Islands.  As  soon, 
however,  as  this  supply  ceases  the  price  goes  up. 
All  the  year  round  there  is  a  demand  for  green 
Onions  for  salads,  and  in  order  to  supply  this 
large  quantities  of  White  Spanish  and  other  mild- 
flavoured  kinds  are  grown  rather  thickly.  The 
main  crop  for  spring  is  now  growing  freely,  and 
the  late  dry  weather  has  been  favourable  for  get- 
ting the  beds  thoroughly  free  fiom  weeds. 

Potatoes. — The  latest  kinds  arc  now  being 
lifted  and  stored  in  pits— a  capital  crop.  For  field 
crops  Jlignum  Bonura  is  still  the  greatest  fa- 
vourite here.  The  soil  being  light  and  well 
drained,  the  tubers  can  safely  be  left  in  it  much 
later  than  where  it  is  of  a  retentive  character. 
There  is  scarcely  any  disease,  and  Potatoes  are 
again  cheap. 

Parsnips  are  now  being  lifted.  They  are  a  fine 
crop,  their  roots  having  gone  too  deep  to  be 
affected  by  the  drought.  They  are  decidedly  best 
left  in  the  soil  until  required  for  use.  The  practice 
of  lifting  and  exposing  them  to  frost  to  improve 
their  flavour,  as  practised  in  some  part?,  has  long 
since  been  abandoned  here  as  worse  than  useless. 
The  old  Hollow  Crown  and  The  Student  are  both 
largely  grown  as  market  crops. 

Spinach  is  a  favourite  market  vegetable  at  cer- 
tain periods  of  the  year.  It  is  now  in  excellent 
condition.  The  Round-seeded  Summer  Spinach  is 
the  sort  most  largely  grown.  It  is  sown  in  rows 
a  foot  apart  moderately  thick,  and  when  fit  to  cut 
is  cleared  off  by  cutting  it  close  to  the  ground  ;  it 
is  then  placed  in  hampers  and  sent  to  market. 
The  Prickly-seeded  Winter  Spinach  is  now  growing 
freely,  and  is  being  thinned  and  surface-stirred, 
in  order  to  promote  growth.  Peing  of  a  hardy 
character,  this  kind  is  reserved  for  latest  use  in 
winter  and  spring,  and  only  the  largest  leaves  are 
gathered  as  tliey  become  fit  for  use. 

Seakale  is  now  being  lifted  for  forcing;  it  is 
nearly  all  grown  on  the  one-year  system,  as  prac- 
tised in  the  London  market  gardens,  viz ,  sets 
made  of  the  roots  planted  in  spring  make  tine 
crowns  by  autumn.  These  are  lifted  as  required 
during  winter  and  spring,  and  forced  on  a  gentle 
bottom-heat  in  pits  dug  out  in  the  fields  and  filled 
with  hot  manure.  The  crowns  are  covered  with 
mats  to  exclude  light,  and  with  litter  to  exclude 
frost^and  retain  the  bottom-heat.     The  old  plan 


of  forcing  by  means  of  Seakale  pots  placed  over 
permanent  crowns  is  nearly  obsolete  in  market 
gardens. 

Turnips  are  in  excellent  condition,  and  are 
being  sent  to  market  in  large  quantities  ;  only  the 
white  varieties  are  in  demand  here.  Late-sown 
crops  are  being  thinned,  hoed,  and  encouraged  to 
make  growth.  If  mild  weather  prevails,  they  will 
continue  growing  freely  and  come  in  well  after 
Christmas ;  but  if  severe  frost  sets  in  and  cuts  off 
tenderer  vegetation,  the  hardy  Turnip-tops  come 
in  most  acceptable,  and  realise  good  prices ;  for 
this  reason  late  sowings  are  made  as  a  sort  of 
chance  crop,  which  if  not  required  is  fed  off  by 
sheep ;  in  any  case  they  repay  the  trouble. 

To.MATOES  have  been  a  first-rate  crop  on  walls, 
boarded  fences,  and  on  sunny  banks.  The  green 
fruit  remaining  is  now  being  gathered  and  placed 
in  any  warm  room  or  glasshouse  to  ripen,  and  by 
this  means  a  supply  is  kept  np  till  Christmas. 

Other  crops  grown  in  smaller  quantities  con- 
sist of  salading  of  various  kinds,  such  as  Lettuces, 
Endive,  Radishes,  Mustard  and  Cress.  These  are 
generally  grown  by  market  gardeners,  who  make  a 
speciality  of  them,  and  have  some  accommodation 
in  the  way  of  glass  pits  and  hou^s  for  insuring  a 
supply  of  them  during  any  kind  of  weather  in 
winter. 

Here,s,  both  in  a  green  and  dried  condition, 
are  always  more  or  less  in  request.  This  has  been 
a  grand  season  for  them,  and  plenty  of  them  dried 
are  now  bunched  and  hung  up  in  dry,  airy  sheds  or 
lofts  ready  for  use,  while  Sage,  Thyme,  and  other 
evergreen  herbs  are  encouraged  to  make  good 
growth  before  winter  sets  in.  Parsley  is  one  of 
the  crops  that  are  especially  valuable  when  severe 
weather  occurs.  For  the  winter  supply  the  moit 
sheltered  positions  are  selected,  and  temporary 
protection  is  kept  in  readiness  for  covering  it  up 
in  the  event  of  severe  frost. 

Market  gardening  is  not  only  holding  its 
own  as  an  important  rural  industry,  but  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  large  towns  is  rapidly  extending 
and  absorbing  much  of  the  farm  land.  The  in- 
creasing demand  for  vegetables  and  fruits  pro- 
mises to  assume  proportions  never  yet  dreamed 
of.  James  Groom. 

Oosjioft,  Hauls. 


ANIMAL  MANURES  IN  GARDENS. 
"  X.  Y. '  (p,  ",'!))  declaims  strongly  against  the  use 
of  animal  manures  in  gardens,  but  acknow- 
ledges that  he  uses  leaves,  ashes,  kitchen  re- 
fuse, lime,  &c.,  and  with  plenty  of  these  materials 
there  can  be  no  question  that  good  vegetables 
may  be  grown.  But  it  is  altogether  a  different 
affair  to  argue  that  soil  of  any  kind  will  remain 
fertile  if  we  continue  to  take  crops  out  of  it  and 
return  little  or  nothing  to  make  good  the  loss.  It 
is  against  Nature's  plan  entirely.  "  X.  Y."  says 
his  Seakale  is  covered  with  ashes,  his  Peas  get 
plenty  of  lime,  and  his  other  crops  get  refuse  of 
all  kinds  ;  therefore  he  manures  nearly  as  much 
as  I  do,  for  I  mix  up  all  these  substances  together, 
and  find  no  difficulty  in  keeping  the  soil  in  good 
condition  with  dressings  of  this  kind  when  we  can 
get  enough  of  them  ;  but  as  we  cannot,  we  are  com- 
pelled to  fall  back  on  animal  or  artificial  ma- 
nures of  some  kind.  "  X.  Y. "  says  truly  that 
his  system  would  not  do  for  market  growers ; 
they  soon  find  out  that  only  first-class  produce 
pays  the  cultivator.  Half-starved  vegetables,  fruits 
or  plants  are  left  on  band  while  those  grown  to 
perfection  sell  readily,  and  one  never  hears  com- 
plaints as  to  flavour  in  the  case  of  any  crops  grown 
quickly.  Give  them  plenty  of  soluble  food  and  no 
check  of  any  kind,  and  the  flavour  will  be  all  that 
can  be  desired.  We  had  a  good  illustration  of 
this  during  the  late  summer,  when  drought  pre- 
vailed for  several  weeks  in  succession,  and  the  soil 
was  so  dry  that  crops  were  practically  starved  to 
death  often  for  want  of  soluble  food,  even  in  rich 
soil.  The  result  of  want  of  moisture  was  that  Cab- 
bages and  similar  crops  were  hard  and  stringy, 
and  no  amount  of  boiling  would  make  them 
tender.  It  is  a  mistake  to  sujjpose  that  gardeners, 
either  in   private  p!aoes  or  those  who  grow  for 


market,  use  manure  for  crops  that  do  not  require 
it ;  it  is  an  expensive  commodity,  and  the  prjfic 
and  loss  account  is  calculated  to  a  nicety.  No 
gardener  would  think  of  manuring  his  Carrot 
crop,  or  Beetroot,  or  Tomatoes  ;  they  do  best  with- 
out it ;  but  to  attempt  to  grow  Celery,  Mushrooms, 
Cucumbers,  and  many  other  crops  in  poverty- 
stricken  soil  would  be  a  waste  of  time  and 
labour  ;  and  as  to  Strawberries  and  Raspberries,  it 
is  useless  to  expect  a  crop  without  a  liberal  use  of 
manure.  Of  course  much  depends  on  what  is 
required.  If  the  owner  of  a  garden  is  content 
with  meagre  results,  all  well  and  good ;  but  if 
"X.  Y."  wants  to  be  assured  that  the  use  of  ma- 
nure is  a  necessity,  let  him  enter  a  prize 
competition  with  those  who  do  use  it,  and 
note  the  result.  In  order  to  make  the  soil 
yield  crops  to  its  utmost  capacity,  animal  manures 
must  be  used.  In  the  case  of  indoor  plants  he 
says  only  good  earth  and  peat  soil  are  employed — 
no  obnoxious  manure  ;  but  good  earth,  means  new 
top  spit  soil  full  of  stored-up  manure,  and  peat  or 
decayed  vegetable  fibre  is  the  best  form  of  plant 
food  that  can  be  devised;  in  fact,  "  X.  Y."  treats  his 
crops  pretty  much  as  other  people  do,  although  the 
substances  used  are  different.  He  gives  them 
what  may  be  called  moderately  good  living,  and 
gets  faiily  good  results.  But  we  cannot  get  away 
from  the  manuring  question  if  we  would,  and  one 
of  the  most  pressing  needs  of  our  day  is  a  more 
perfect  mode  of  utilising  manures  that  at  present 
go  to  pollute  our  rivers,  or  are  carried  wholesale 
to  the  sea,  while  we  are  spending  millions  of 
money  in  ransacking  the  globe  tor  guano. 
Ilanli.  J.  G. 


Raised  beds  for  vegetables.— It  is  well 

■known  that  low-lying,  damp  localities  are  not  so 
well  suited  for  vegetable  culture  as  those  which 
are  naturally  well  drained,  for  the  simple  reason 
that  all  kinds  of  winter  greens  are  liable  to 
perish  in  hard  winters  when  stagnant  moisture 
lies  about  their  roots.  Potatoes,  too,  invariably 
come  of  a  better  quality  where  the  soil  easily  casts 
off  superfluous  moisture.  A  method  of  dealing  with 
wet  ground,  adopted  by  Mr.  Kirk  in  Mr.  Dobrce's 
garden  at  liyfleet,  is  worthy  of  mention,  as  it  in 
a  great  measure  neutralises  the  ill  effects  above 
alluded  to.  This  plan  consists  in  dividing  it  into 
beds  by  taking  out  rather  deep  alleys  at  regular 
intervals,  as  these  serve  to  drain  off  super- 
fluous moisture  in  a  time  of  heavy  rains.  A  cot- 
tager here  has  a  piece  of  very  low-lying  ground, 
and  h.aving  more  than  once  lost  all  his  winter 
greens  in  a  frosty  time  he  threw  it  up  into  beds 
some  9  feet  to  12  feet  across,  thus  providing  drain- 
age whilst  increasing  the  depth  of  the  soil.  I  never 
saw  Strawberries  do  better  than  on  this  bit  of 
ground ;  some  plants  set  out  four  years  ago  have 
borne  abundantly  ever  since,  and  are  this  year 
individually  so  large  that  they  could  hardly  be 
crammed  into  a  bushel  basket.  In  the  case  of 
heavy  lands,  which  suffer  more  from  wet  than 
drought,  the  advantages  gained  by  adopting  the 
above  mentioned  plan  would  be  great,  as  it 
would  admit  of  their  being  worked  at  an  earlier 
period  of  the  year.— J.  C.  B. 

Salads.— The  year  1SS4  will  long  be  remem- 
bered as  the  year  of  salads.  Never  before  have  I 
supplied  so  many,  and,  if  I  speak  the  sentiments 
of  salad  eaters,  never  have  they  been  so  much  en- 
joyed. It  behoves  gardeners  to  take  special  note 
in  the  matter  of  growing  salads.  The  summer 
just  passed  has  indeed  been  a  golden  one ;  never- 
theless, not  just  in  harmony  with  salad  growing; 
still,  by  a  little  careful  thought,  we  have  wea- 
thered the  storm  without  one  word  of  complaint. 
The  chief  things  in  a  salad  are  well-blanched 
Lettuces,  and  these  we  have  had  in  abundance  by 
sowing  the  seed  on  well-manured  land  and  letting 
the  plants  grow  until  they  come  to  maturity. 
This,  I  admit,  is  an  old,  but  still  a  capital  plan. 
The  roots  strike  down  to  find  moisture,  and  so  are 
well  protected  from  the  scorching  sun,  while,  un- 
like thetransplantingsystem.expeutivewaterirg  is 
completely  done  away  with.  Not  one  rropof  w.tter 
have  I  given  the  whde  of  my  Lettuce  crop  this 
year.    Wh'sn  sown  in  the  mirner  I  have  just  ce- 


420 


THE     GARDEN 


[Nov.  15,   1884. 


scribed,  they  afford  a  refreshing  shade,  i.e.,  one 
shades  the  other.  They  also  stand  much  longer 
without  running  to  seed,  and  so  thickly,  that  "  cut 
and  come  again  "  is  the  order  of  the  day.  The 
variety  which  I  grow  for  summer  use  is  the  white 
Paris  Cos.  I  may  add,  however,  that  fairly  good 
Cabbage  Lettuces  are  to  some  tastes  preferable, 
and  in  this  class  I  find  nothing  suits  my  purpose 
better  than  Tennis  Ball.  When  this  variety  is 
dressed  for  table,  it  should  be  divested  of  all 
its  outer  leaves,  and  nothing  but  the  white  heart 
left.  This  should  be  put  into  the  salad  bowl 
whole.  When  handed  round,  I  find  that  people 
much  enjoy  cutting  them  on  their  plates.  This 
little  hint  I  picked  up  from  a  thorough  con- 
noisseur in  these  matters.  To  make  salads  orna- 
mental we  use  Tropaiolum  flowers  sparingly.  Of 
the  several  other  salad  plants  we  use,  the  most 
important  are  Chives  ;  the  very  delicate  Onion 
flavour  which  they  possess  is  much  relished. 
Then  comes  green  Sorrel,  with  a  very  small  por- 
tion of  Chervil  and  Tarragon.  These  nicely 
blended  and  smothered  with  a  well  made  salad- 
dressing,  is  the  most  enjoyable  thing  one  can  pos- 
sibly have.  I  may  add  that  a  few  slices  of  Beet- 
root not  only  improve  a  salad,  but  add  to  its 
beauty. — R.  Gilbert,  in  Field. 


THE  SEASON  IN  BERKSHIRE. 
My  recollection,  extending  over  some  thirty  sum- 
mers, cannot  recall  to  remembrance  such  a 
lengthened  and  beautiful  summer  and  autumn  as 
we  have  had  this  year.  At  this  moment  we  have 
double  and  single  Dahlias  and  Chrysanthemums 
flowering  side  by  side ;  zonal  Pelargoniums  are 
also  still  flowering  freely  in  their  summer  quarters. 
Heliotropes  and  dwarf  blue  Ageratums  still  hold 
their  own,  and  yellow  Marguerites  are  producing 
as  fine  flowers  as  they  have  done  during  the  sea- 
son. With  regard  to  autumnal  fruits,  on  October 
20  I  had  a  piece  of  Garibaldi  Strawberry  netted 
the  second  time.  The  plantation  contains  ninety 
plants,  seventy-five  of  which  are  showing  fruits, 
not  plants  that  have  been  forced,  but  plants  put 
out  three  years  ago.  From  these  I  picked  a  nice 
little  dish  on  October  2G,  and  they  are  still  bear- 
ing well  flavoured  fruit.  With  regard  to  vegetables, 
on  October  18  and  2.5  and  November  1  we  were 
able  to  pick  good  dishesof  Sutton's  Latestof  AUand 
British  ( ^'ueen  Pea3,the  former  of  which  well  deserves 
its  name,  for  it  is  still  producing  pods  plentifully. 
And,  again,  who  shall  describe  the  beauty  of  the 
autumnal  tints  of  the  trees  and  shrubs,  the  crim- 
son and  ruby  and  gold  of  various  shades  of  the 
English,  Norway,  and  Japanese  Maples,  the 
orange,  ruby,  and  bronze  of  the  Sumachs,  the 
scarlet,  yellow,  and  bronze  of  the  Champion  Oaks, 
the  ruby  leaves  and  scarlet  berries  of  the  Mespilns 
canadensis,  the  golden  leaves  of  the  Tulip  trees, 
the  bronzy  leaves  of  the  Guelder  Rose,  or  the 
ruddy  glow  of  Cotoneaster  Simonsi  ?  A  lovely 
picture  has  been  an  Elizabethan  window  facing 
westward,  draped  on  either  side  with  Ampelopsis 
Veitchi,  clinging  to  the  smooth-surfaced  terra-cotta 
which  showed  itself  here  and  there  through  the 
mass  of  glistening  ruby  and  purple — truly  "a  thing 
of  beauty."  Even  the  humble  denizens  of  our 
native  woods  and  hedgerows,  under  the  benign 
influence  and  long-continued  summer-like  weather, 
the  Spindle  tree  (Euonymus  europisus),  have 
assumed  a  ruddy  crimson  colour.  The  lowly 
Bramble,  too,  in  many  cases  put  on  a  dress  of 
scarlet  and  gold,  the  Mountain  Ash  a  ruddy  brown 
and  gold,  the  Beech  many  shades  of  brown  and 
bronze  and  gold,  the  Elm  pale  gold  and  green,  and 
last  of  all  we  have  the  Oak,  type  of  strength  and 
rugged  beauty,  about  which  there  is  a  soft  mellow- 
ness that  is  neither  brown,  yellow,  nor  green. 
Such  is  our  autumn  of  1884.  R.  Maher. 

Yatfemloit,  jVcn^hiiry. 


he  once  did  send  some  to  Manchester  or  some- 
where, but  that  no  means  existed  there  to  extract 
the  gum.  It  will  grow  in  very  poor  land  and 
might  become,  if  we  had  proper  machinery,  a 
paying  crop.  In  the  Tresco  Abbey  gardens  great 
and  very  effective  use  is  made  of  the  variegated 
forms,  both  Phormium  variegatum  and  P.  Veitchi ; 
and  there  are  also  quantities  of  P.  atro-purpureum 
and  Colensoi. — G.  A.  M.  C. 


New  Zealand  Flaxes.— Is  it  not  possible 
for  some  of  our  manufacturers  to  turn  to  use  native 
grown  New  Zealand  Flax  ?  In  the  Scilly  Islands, 
where  tons  and  tons  of  it  can  be  cut  annually,  it 
is  of  no  use  except  for  protection  from  wind  and 
for   ornamentation.     Mr.  Vallance  told  me  that 


Garden  Flora. 

PLATE  466. 
THE  ROCK  ROSES. 

(HELIANTHEMUMS  ) 

Pbobably  there  are  few  natural  orders  which  can 
boast  of  so  large  a  proportion  of  thoroughly  de- 
sirable garden  plants  as  Cistineae,  of  which  Cistus 
and  Helianthemum  are  the  two  most  important 
genera,  A  glance  through  the  pages  of  Sweet  * 
will  be  sufficient  to  prove  to  anyone  un- 
acquainted with  the  subject  the  great  beauty 
of  the  vast  majority  there  figured.  Those 
who  are  familiar  with  the  general  run  of 
outdoor  subjects  could  not  fail  to  be  surprised 
on  finding  that  so  many  of  the  species  culti- 
vated in  1825-183J  (the  period  of  the  publica- 
tion of  the  work,  the  title  of  which  is  quoted 
below)  are  no  longer  to  be  met  with  in 
British  gardens.  Sweet  gives  illustrations  of  no 
fewer  than  seventy  to  which  he  accords  specific 
rank,  and  Loudon  in  his  "Arboretum  et  Fruti- 
cetum  Britannicum "  describes  ninety-nine.  In 
Ny man's  "Conspectus  Flor:i3  Europae"  fifty-nine 
species  are  given,  whilst  according  to  the  "  Genera 
Plantarum  "  the  total  number  from  all  parts  of  the 
world  is  about  thirty.  The  head-quarters  of  the 
genus  is  the  Mediterranean  region  ;  a  few  occur 
from  the  Levant  to  the  Punjaub,  some  half-dozen 
hail  from  North  and  Central  America,  three  from 
South  America,  and  a  few  are  found  all  over 
Europe  and  the  Canary  Islands.  As  some  Ileli- 
anthemums  are  frequently  met  with  in  garden  and 
other  literature  under  the  name  of  Cistus,  it 
may  be  as  well  to  briefly  indicate  here  the 
principal  distinctive  characters  of  the  two. 
In  Cistus  the  placent;e  are  five  in  number 
(rarely  three),  and  the  valves  of  the  seed 
vessel  number  five  also ;  the  embryo  is  circi- 
nate  or  spiral,  the  flowers  solitary  or  cymose, 
rarely  racemed.  This  genus  is  entirely  confined 
to  the  Old  World.  In  Helianthemum,  on  the  other 
hand,  the  placent.'e  and  valves  are  three  in  number : 
the  embryo  is  folded,  hooked,  or  circumflex,  and 
the  flowers  are  frequently  racemed.  As  before 
stated,  true  Ilelianthemums  are  found  in  both 
hemispheres.  The  leaves  are  simple  and  mostly 
entire,  the  lower  usually  opposite  and  the  upper 
alternate.  The  flowers  of  some  species  are 
dimorphic,  the  earlier  ones  being  large  with 
numerous  stamens  and  many-seeded  pods,  whilst 
those  produced  later  in  the  season  are  much 
smaller  in  size  (the  petals  being  sometimes  alto- 
gether absent),  the  stamens  much  less  numerous, 
and  the  seed-pods  smaller  with  fewer  seeds.  The 
flowers  open  only  once,  and  cast  their  petals  be- 
fore the  next  day ;  they  are  produced  in  such  pro- 
fusion, however,  that  few  plants  make  a  brighter 
display  during  their  flowering  season,  which  in 
some  species  is  a  somewhat  prolonged  one. 

The  cultural  requirements  of  all  are  of  the  sim- 
plest. H.vulgare  and  the  numerous  garden  varieties 

"  "  CistineiL' " — the  natural  order  of  CiBtuB,  or  Rock  Roses, 
Illustrated  by  coloured  figures  and  descriptions  of  all  the 
distinct  species  and  the  most  prominent  varieties  that 
could  be  at  present  procured  in  the  gardens  of  Great 
Britain. 


of  that  species  will  succeed  almost  in  any  soil  or 
situation ;  the  more  exclusively  southern  kinds 
should  have  a  thoroughly  well-drained  position  in 
the  shrubbery  border  or  rockery.  These  latter,  it 
is  safe  to  assert,  suffer  much  more  from  the  ex- 
cessive moisture  than  from  the  severity  of  English 
winters.  In  any  case  a  pot  of  cuttings  could  be 
placed  in  a  eold  frame  each  autumn,  in  order  to 
replace  the  parent  plants  should  they  succumb. 
Theannual  kinds — and  there  are  many  well  worthy 
of  a  place  in  any  sunny  portion  of  the  garden — do 
best  if  sown  in  pots  under  glass  in  spring  and 
planted  out  when  2  inches  or  8  inches  high. 

As  it  would  require  too  much  space  to  include 
all  the  species,  only  the  more  showy  ones  are 
mentioned  in  this  article.  Probably  some  of  these 
are  not  now  in  cultivation,  but  it  is  to  be  hoped 
that  not  a  few  will  be  re-introduced  now  that 
attention  has  been  called  to  them.  Nothing  could 
be  easier  than  for  summer  visitors  to  Spain, 
Portugal,  North  Africa,  and  the  Mediterranean 
region  generally  to  collect  and  send  home  seeds 
of  some  of  these  beautiful  plants. 

For  convenience  of  reference  the  Helianthe- 
mums  here  described  are  arranged  in  alphabetical 

order. 

II.  C.\NADENSE. — Michaux,  "Flora  horealiamerl- 
cana,"  i .  308 ;  Dunal,  in  De  CandoUe's  "  Prodromus," 
i.,  269  ;  Sweet,  "  Cistinecc,"  t.  21  ;  Gray,  "  Manual  of 
the  Botany  of  the  Northern  United  States,"  p.  80. 

This  is  a  perennial  herbaceous  plant  with  several 
erect  or  ascending  purplish  brown  hairy  stems, 
simple  below  and  branched  above,  springing  from 
the  same  root.  They  attain  a  height  of  a  foot  or 
more,  and  produce  a  large  number  of  beautiful 
clear  yellow  flowers  an  inch  or  so  in  diameter ; 
these  are  solitary,  the  small  apetalous  flowers 
being  borne  in  nearly  sessile  clusters  in  the  axils 
of  the  leaves.  It  is  found  in  sandy  or  gravelly 
dry  soil  from  Maine  to  Wisconsin  and  southward. 
The  flowering  season  lasts  from  June  to  August. 
The  name,  Frostweed— under  which  it  is  gene- 
rally known  in  its  native  habitats— is,  according 
to  Lir.  Asa  Gray's  "  Manual  of  the  Botany  of  the 
Northern  United  States,'  owing  to  the  fact  that 
late  in  autumn  crystals  of  ice  shoot  from  the 
cracked  bark  at  the  root. 

H.CAROLINIANUM. — Michaux,"  Flora  boreali-ameri- 

cana,"  i ,  307 ;  Dunal  in  De  CandoUe's  "  Prodromus," 

1.,  269 ;  Sweet,  "  Cistinesc,"  t.  99. 
Cikftts  c irdd'nianus.— Walter," Flora  Caroliniana,"  152. 

Like  the  last,  this  is  a  herbaceous  perennial 
with  large  pale  yellow  flowers.  Several  erect, 
very  hairy  stems  spring  from  the  somewhat  creep- 
ing root  and  attain  a  height  of  from  6  inches  to 
1  foot.  These  mostly  die  back  in  winter  for  the 
greater  part  of  their  length,  and  are  replaced  by 
fresh  growths  the  following  spring.  The  branches 
are  slender,  very  hairy,  when  young  clothed  with 
a  hoary  tomentum  more  or  less  tinged  with  purple. 
The  leaves  are  shortly  stalked,  hairy,  clothed  with 
a  whitish  tomentum.  This  species  is  a  native  of 
the  Southern  United  States,  and,  according  to 
Sweet,  requires  to  be  grown  in  peat.  The  same 
authority  recommends  its  being  wintered  either 
in  a  greenhouse  or  cold  frame. 

H    FOBMOSUM.* — Dunal  in  De  Ciudolle's  "Prodro- 
mus," i.,  286 ;  Sweet,  "  Clstineoe,"  t.  60. 
Ct>itus.formos-iis. — Bofanical  Magazine,  t.  264. 
//uiimiuHi/oiinosMiyi.— Willliomm," Clstinearum  orbla 
veteris    deacriptio    monographica    Iconibus    illua- 
trata,"  p  5'j,  1. 102  a. 
This  is  an  erect,  much-branched,  bushy  shrub,  with 
leaves  greenish  when  old,  but  covered   with    a 
whitish  tomentum  when  young,  and  large  bright 
yellow  flowers  with  a  deep  purplish  brown  blotch 
near  the  base  of  each  petal.     The  species  thrives 
well  in  any  rich,  dry  soil,  but  is  apt  to  succumb  to 
the  cold  and  wet  of  English  winters.     It  is,  how- 
ever, such  a  beautiful  plant,  that  it  is  well  worth 
the  trouble  of  putting  in  a  pot  of  cuttings  each 
autumn  in  a  cold  frame  and  planting  these  out  in 
the  open  the  following  spring.    It  is  one  of  the 

»  Drawn  at  Munstead,  July  S.  * 


1-1 


c. 


Nov.   15,   1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


421 


largest  flowered  species,  and  one  of  the  most  dis- 
tinct and  handsome  of  all  the  Sun  Koses.  If 
raised  from  seeds,  which  in  ordinary  seasons 
ripen  in  abundance,  a  considerable  range  of 
variation  in  the  depth  of  the  yellow  colour  and 
in  the  size  and  Intensity  of  the  purplish 
blotch  is  obtained.  Seedlings  also  vary  a 
good  deal  in  foliage  characters,  so  that  any 
especially  desirable  variety  should  always  be  in- 
creased by  cuttings,  which  root  readily  if  made  of 
half-ripened  wood  and  inserted  in  a  shaded  cool 
frame  in  autumn.  The  coloured  plate  published 
herewith  and  drawn  from  a  specimen  from  Miss 
Jebyll's  garden,  represents  a  fine  garden  form  of 
this  species. 

H.  FOEMOSU.M  does  not  appear  to  be  common  in 
a  wild  state,  but  has  long  been  cultivated  in 
Britain  ;  it  is  a  native  of  Portugal. 

H.  FUMANA. — Miller,  "  Gardeners'  Dictionary,"  n.  C  ; 

Sweet,  "CistiDt[r,"t   IC. 
H.   cricmdfs  and  U.  yrocunideiis. —Donal  in  De  Can- 

dolle's  "  Prodromus,"  i.,  274. 
Fumana    procumbetis    and    F.  Spachi—Vfillkomm, 

"Cistinearum  orbis  veteris  descriptio  monographica 

iconibus  illustrata,"  p.    165,  t.  16Sa  ;  p.  166,  t.  168b. 

This  is  a  pretty  little  Heath-like  plant,  with  some- 
what fleshy  linear  leaves  and  yellow  flowers.  It 
thrives  in  a  sunny  well-drained  spot  on  the  rockery 
and  does  well  in  pots  in  a  cold  frame.  Widely 
distributed  throughout  Southern  Europe. 

H.  GLOBCLAni.EFOLIUM-    Persoon;  Dunal  in   De 

CandolJe's  "  ProdromU3  "  i,,  270. 
B.  Tuheraria.—B'ilanical  Majazinc,  tab.  4873  (not  of 

-MUler). 
Tuberaria  glohulariceVia  — Willkomm,  "Clatinearum 

orbis     veteris    descriptio    monographica    iconibus 

illustrata,"  p.  71,  t  111. 

A  dwarf  perennial  with  a  rosette  of  long- 
stalked  oval,  oval-lanceolate,  or  spathulate,  three- 
nerved  hairy  leaves  and  bracteate  flowering  stems 
with  large  yellow  flowers.  This  is  a  near  alley  of 
the  true  H.  Tuberaria,  but  differs  in  its  long-stalked 
green  leaves,  in  the  citron-yellow,  black-spotted 
flowers  borne  in  denser  racemes,  and  in  the  violet- 
coloured  filaments.  A  native  of  Portugal  and 
North  and  West  Spain. 


Cis- 


H.  HALIMIFOLIUII.— Willdenow   ;     Sfreet, 
tinea;."  t.  4. 

Ualiiiiium  tepidnlum.—Hpich.  "  Hittoire  des  Vegetans 
Phanerogame3,"  vi.,  56:  Willkomm,  "Cistinearum 
orbis  veteris  descriptio  monographica  iconibus  illus- 
trata," p.  65,  t.  107. 

The  Sea  Purslane-leaved  Sun  Rose  is  a  beautiful 
evergreen  shrub.  In  a  wild  state  it  varies  not  a 
little  according  to  the  conditions  under  which  it 
grows,  and  under  cultivation  it  alters  so  much  as 
to  render  it  at  times  diSicult  to  determine.  In 
English  gardens  it  attains  a  height  of  3  feet  or 
i  feet,  is  of  erect  habit,  and  forms  a  densely- 
branched,  compact  bush,  clothed  with  a  short, 
close,  hoary  tomentum.  It  is  a  native  of  Central 
and  Southern  Spain,  and  a  near  alley  of  the  species 
represented  in  the  accompanying  plate,  H.  for- 
mosum. 

H.  L^VIPES.— Willdenow,  "  Eniuneratio  Plantarum," 

p.  570 ;  Dunal  in  Da  Candolle's  "  Prodromus,"  L,  275  • 

8weet,  "  Cistineaj,  t.  24.  ' 

Ciitus  Icevipes.—Liaaxm, ' '  Species  Plantarum,"  p.  739 ; 

Botanical  Magazine,  t.  1782. 
Fumann  tei>)>e.s --Spach.  "  Histoiredes  Vcgetani  Pha- 
niirogames,"  vi.,  p.  14;  Willkomm,  "Cistinearum 
orbis    veteria    descrintio    monographica     iconibus 
illustrata,"  p.  162,  t.  166. 

A  much-branched  dwarf  shrub  with  slender  rigid 
branches,  Heath-like  leaves,  and  yellow  flowers. 
An  elegant  little  plant  for  a  sunny  spot  on  the 
rockery  or  for  cultivation  in  pots  for  cool  green- 
house decoration.  It  is  readily  increased  either 
by  cuttings  or  seeds.  A  native  of  South-west 
Europe. 

H.  LAVANDULJEFOLIUM.  — De  Candolle,  "  Flore 
Francaise,"  iv.,  S20;  Dunal  in  DeCandol'e's  "  Prodro- 
mus, i  .  278  ;  Willkomm,  "  Cistinearum  orbis  veteris 
descriptio  monograpliica  iconibus  illustrata,"  p  134 
t.  162  b,  153  ab.  ' 

The  Lavender-leaved  Sun  Rose  is  a  beantifnl  dwarf 
slirub  a  foot  or  more  in  height,  with  leathery 
Lavender- like  leaves,  often  glaucescent  above  and 
stellately-tomentose  below,  and  dense  racemes  of 
yellow  flowers.  In  the  common  form  the  leaves 
are  linear-lanceolate  with  revolute  margins ;  in 
another,  var.  syriacum,  they  are  broader  and  flat 


(not  with  revolute  edges).  A  native  of  the 
Jlediterranean  region. 

H.  LEPTOPHYLLUM.— Dunal,  in  De  Candolle's " Pro- 
dromus," i.,  p.  279;  Sweet,  "Cistine^,"  t.  20;  Will- 
komm, "  Cistinearum  orbis  veteris  descriptio  mono- 
graphica," p.  12S,  t.  160. 

A  dwarf  shrub  about  a  foot  high,  with  ascending 
ashy  grey  branches,  linear-oblong,  shortly-stalked 
leaves,  dark  green  above,  and  clothed  beneath 
with  a  dense  grey  tomentum.  The  flowers  are  a 
bright  yellow  colour.  This  species  is  an  excellent 
rockery  plant ;  it  is  a  native  of  Southern  Spain. 

H.  LiBANOTIS. — Willdenow,  "  Enumeratio  Plant- 
arum,'" p.  570 ;  Dunal,  in  De  Candolle's  "  Prodromus," 
i ,  2j7. 

Cistus  Libanotis. — Linnjeas,  **  Species  Plantarum," 
p.  7S9. 

bativuttm  rosmarinifoliirni. — Spach,  "  Histoire  des 
Vogetaux  Phanerogames,"  62  ;  Willkomm,  "  Cisti- 
nearum orbis  veterig  descriptio  monographica  iconi- 
bus illustrata,"  p.  65,  t.  101. 

A  charming  dwarf  shrub,  from  6  inches  to  2  feet 
in  height,  with  slender  branches  clothed  with 
ashy  grey  bark  and  deep  green  Rosemary-like 
leaves.  'The  yellow  flowers  are  produced  in  great 
profusion.  This  species  is  confined  to  the  littoral 
south-west  Mediterranean  region. 

H.    OCCIDESTALE. — Njman,    "  Conspectus    Florje 
Europa;,"  p.  72. 
nalimium    occidentale. —  Willkomm,     "Cistinearum 
orbis  veteris  descriptio  monographica,"  p.  60, 1. 103, 
104. 
Helianthemum    a'yAsoidf.?.— Ventena*,    "  Choix    des 
Plantes,"  t.  20 ;  Dunal,  in  De  Candolle's  "  Prodro- 
mui,"i.,  267. 
H.  microithyllum  —Sweet,  "Cistinejc,"  t.  06. 
U.  scabrosum. — Perscon;  De  Candolle,  "Prodrcmus," 

i.,  268  ;  Sweet,  "  Cistinete,"  t-  81. 
E.  n^j7ostan.— Dunal  in  De  Candolle's  "  Prodromus," 

i.,  268;  not  of  .Sireet. 
H.  cheiranthoidey.—FersQon  ;  Sweet,  "  Cistinere,'  1. 107. 
A  very  variable  much-bracched  evergreen  shrub  ; 
in  its  more  northern  habitats  and  towards  the 
limits  of  its  extension  up  the  mountains,  procum- 
bent or  diffuse  ;  in  the  warmer  southern  regions, 
an  erect  bush  sometimes  3  feet  high.  The  leaves 
vary  very  much  in  size  and  colour  from  deep 
green  to  a  dull  whitish  hue,  owing  in  the  latter 
state  to  the  presence  of  a  dense  covering  of  stel- 
late hairs.  All  the  names  and  figures  quot-ed 
above  represent  forms  of  this  somewhat  protean 
species  which,  in  cultivation,  sometimes  assumes 
altogether  different  proportions  and  aspect  from 
its  usual  ones  in  a  wild  state.  The  flowers  attain 
double  the  size  of  those  of  wild  plants,  and  they 
exhibit  a  range  of  various  shades  of  yellow,  the 
petals  being  totally  without  any  dark  blotch  at 
the  base  or  conspicuously  marked. 

H.  OCYMOIDES. — Persoon  ;  Dunal  In  De  Candolle's 
'■  Prodromus,"  i.,  267  ;  Sweet,  "  Cistineae,"'  t.  ]3. 
Ealiinium  hcterophi/Uum.  —  iipich,  "Histoire  des  Ve- 
getans Phant^rogames,"  vi  ,  52;  Willkomm,  "Cisti- 
nearum orbis  veteris  descriptio  monographica  iconi- 
bus illustrata,"  p  66,  t.  102. 
Beiianthtniuin  a^^an-ent^'.  — Dunal  in  De  Candolle's 

"  Prodromus,"  i.,  263;  Sweet,  "Cistinea;,"  40. 
Cibtu^  algarbiensis. — Botanical  Magazine,  G27. 
H.  candidnm. — Sweet,  "  Cisttneai,"  t.  25. 
B.   micTophyUnm.—  ^w^Gi,  "Clstinex","  t.  9H  (not  of 

Dunal). 
B.  rugosum, — Sweet,  "  Ciatine.'e,"  t.  65. 
The  half-dozen  names  and  figures  above  quoted 
represent  more  or  less  slightly  varying  forms  of  a 
very  variable  species.  It  grows  from  1  foot  to 
3  feet  in  height,  and  varies  a  good  deal  in  the 
size  of  the  leaves  and  in  the  form,  size,  and  inten- 
sity of  colouring  of  the  dark  blotch  at  the  base  of 
each  srolden  yellow  petal.  In  many  parts  of  this 
country  this  species  and  its  allies  are  not  safe, 
except  against  a  dry,  warm  wall.  Grown  in  pots 
for  corridor  or  cool  conservatory  decoration,  few 
plants  make  more  beautiful  objects  than  any  of 
the  forms  of  the  Basil-leaved  Sun  Rose.  A  native 
of  South-western  Europe. 

II.  PIL0SU3I — Persoon;  Grenicr  et  Godron.  "Flore 
de  la  France,"  L,  p.  170;  Sweet,  "Cistiue.'c,"  t.  40; 
Willkomm,  "  Cistinearum  orbis  veteris  descriptio 
monographica  iconibus  illustrata,"  p.  103,  t.  132,  133. 

B.  lineare.—VeT&oon  ;  Sweet,  "Cistiueic,"  t.  48. 

//.  raccinosinn. — Dunal,  in  De  Candolle's  "Prodro- 
nius,"i.,  '2S2;  Sweet,  "Cistineie,"  t.  S3. 

This  is  a  beautiful  little  shrubby  plant,  a  near 
ally  of  our  native  D.  polifolium,  which  it  re- 
sembles in  habit.  It  has  slender  ascending 
branches  covered  when  young  with  a  whitish  to- 


mentum; the  leaves  are  linear  or  linear-oblong  |  in  diameter. 


with  strongly  revolute  margins.  The  pure  white 
flowers,  about  an  inch  aoross,  are  borne  in  long 
terminal  racemes  produced  during  nearly  the 
whole  summer.  A  native  of  the  western  parts  of 
the  Mediterranean  region. 

H.  POLIFOLIUM.— Persoon  ;  "Student's  Flora  of  the 

Briti.'h  Islands, " ed.  iii.,  46  ;  Sweet,  "  Cistinere,"  88. 

B.    i)u!ii?»M(sn(uin.  —  Willkomm,     "Cistineae    orbis 

veteris  descrip.io  monographica  iconibus  illustrata," 

p.  108,  t.  137,  13S. 

B.  caicarcwm.— Jordan. 

B.  apenninum.  —  Oe  Candolle,  "  Flore  Francaise,"  iv  , 
824;  Dunal  in  Ue  Candolle's  "  Prodromu*,"  i ,  282  ; 
Sweet,  "  Cistinejc,"  t.  62. 
B.  confusum.— Sweet,  "  Ciatinese."  t.  91. 
A  dwarf  under  shrub  with  opposite  leaves  hoary 
and  downy  on  both  surfaces  ;  margins  recurved. 
In  habit  it  resembles  our  common  native  Rock 
Rose,  but  differs  from  that  in  being  more  shrubby 
in  the  leaves,  being  recurved  or  even  revolute 
margins,  and  in  the  white  flowers.  A  native  of 
Central  and  Southern  Europe  and  North  Africa. 
The  British  localities  given  in  the  "  Student's 
Flora "  are  Brean  Down,  Somerset,  and  Babbi- 
combe,  near  Torquay.  This  species  is  one  of  the 
prettiest  of  our  native  plants,  and  it  is  needless 
to  say  is  quite  hardy.  There  is  a  very  beautiful 
Continental  variety  of  this,  H.  roseum  (Sweet, 
"  Cistineae,"  t.  5')),  with  rosy  red  flowers. 

H.   TUBEEARIA. — Miller,  "Gardeners'   Dictionary," 
No.  10;  Dun»l  in  De  Candolle's"  Prodromus,"!.,  270; 
Sweet,  "  Cistineae, "  t  IS- 
Tuberaria  cKij/arts  — Widkjmm,  "  Cistineirnm  orbis 
veteris  descriptio  mono^aphica,"  p.  63,  t.  110. 
This  is  a  near  ally  of  H.  globularisfolinm,  pre- 
viously mentioned.     From  that  species  it  differs 
in  its  shortly  stalked  often  silky  hoary  leaves. 
It  is  a  charming  little  perennial,  succeeding  well  in 
sandy  soil  in  any  sunny  spot    on    the    rockery. 
During  the  summer  months  it  grows  freely  enough 
in  the  ordinary  herbaceous  border  and  ripens  an 
abundance  of  seeds,  which  should  be  saved  and 
sown  under  glass  in  spring,  the  excessive  moisture 
of  our  English  winters  very  often  proving  fatal  to 
the  plants  left  in  the  open  ground,  except  in  dry 
well-drained  sandy  soils.  The  flowers  are  a  bright 
light  yellow  colour,  and  measure  about  an   inch 
across.     A  native  of  the  Western  Mediterranean 
region. 

II.  UMBELLATUM.— Miller,  "  Gardeners' Dictionary," 
No.  5  ;  Dunal,  in  De  Candolle's  "  Prodromus,"  i.,  p. 
267  ;  Sweet,  "  Cistinete,"  t.  5. 
Cistus   umbcllatus. — Linnjcus,  "  Species  Plantarum," 

L.  729. 
Balimium  umbellatutn — Spach,  "  Histoire  des  V^g^- 
taux  Phan^rogames,"  vi.,  61 ;  Willkomm,  "Cistine- 
arum orbis  veteris  descriptio  monographica  iconibus 
illustrata,"  p.  62,  t.  lOO. 

A  dwarf,  branching  shrub,  from  9  inches  to  li  feet 
in  height,  with  sessile  linear-lanceolate  or  linear- 
nerved  leaves  with  revolute  margins,  and  numerous 
white  flowers  terminating  the  branches  in  a  kind 
of  umbel.  In  cultivation  several  superposed 
whorls  are  often  produced  in  the  same  inflores- 
cence. The  leaves  are  a  deep  glossy  green  above 
and  clothed  beneath  with  a  dense  rusty  white 
tomentum.  This  a  beautiful  little  shrub,  one  of 
the  most  distinct  and  desirable  of  all  the  Sun 
Roses.  It  has  a  rather  wide  distribution  through- 
out the  Mediterranean  region. 

H.  VULGAKE. — Gaortner  ;  Willkomm,  "  Cistinearum 
orb:a  veteris  descriptio  monographica,"  p.  112  ; 
Hooker,  "Student's  Flora  of  ths  British  Islands," 
ed.  iii.,  p.  46. 

The  common  Rock  Rose  is  the  most  variable  of 
all  the  Helianthemums,  and  none  have  a  wider 
geographical  distribution.  It  is  found  throughout 
Europe  —  even  within  the  Arctic  circle  —  North 
Africa,  and  West  Asia.  A  host  of  varieties  have 
originated  in  gardens,  and  the  hybrids,  natural 
and  artificial,  between  this  species  and  some  of 
its  allies  are  almost  innumerable.  Some  of  the 
most  distinct  forms  are  mentioned  here,  raost  of 
them  having  been  regarded  by  different  authori- 
ties as  species.  The  ordinary  yellow-flowered 
type  is  a  common  British  plant,  ascending  to 
about  2000  feet  above  sea  level.  It  generally 
affects  dry  soils,  and  exhibits  a  considerable  range 
of  differences  in  the  form  and  size  of  the  leaves 
and  the  size  of  the  flowers,  these  latter  varying 
from  three-quarters  of  an  inch  to  about  1^  inches 


422 


THE    GARDEN 


VAB.  KUMlirLARItJM. 

Eelianthemum  nurajjiuianum.— Miller,  "Gardeners' 
Dictionary,"  No.  11 ;  Sffett,  "Cistineie,"  t.  £0. 
This   has  the    ysUow  flowers  of    the    type,   but 
differs  in  the  lower  leaves    being    suborbicular, 
flat,  and  green  on  both  surfaces. 
Vab.  baebatum. 
B.  iarbatum.— Sweet,  "Cistinerc,"  t.  73. 
The  distinguishing  characteristics  of  this  form  are 
the  more  erect  habit  and  the  elliptic-lanceolate  oi 
ovate  leaves  clothed  with  long  white  hairs. 
Vab.  htssopifolium. 
n.hi/isopifolium.— Sweet,  "  Cistinea',"  t.  5S,  91 
This  variety,  of  which  .Sweet  figures  two  forms, 
one  with  coppery  red  and  another  with  saffron- 
coloured   flowers,   has-linear  lanceolate  or  lanceo- 
late flat  leaves,  green  on  both  surfaces,  the  upper 
one  being  glossy,  and  both  clothed  with  long  hairs. 
There  is   a    double- flowered    form    of    the   first 
named,  viz.,  the  one  with  coppery  red  flowers. 

Vab.  OVALIFOLIUM.-Willkomm. 
H.  serpylbfolium.—Swest,  "  Ciatiiie.-e,"  t.  C). 
In  this  varietj  the  lower  leaves  are  roundish  or 
oval,  glossy  green  above,  and  covered  with  a  white 
tomentum  beneath.  The  margins  are  more  or  less 
revolute,  and  fringed  with  rather  distant  hairs- 
the  flowers  are  yellow. 

Vab   GRAXDIFLOBUM.-DeCandone,  "Flore  Fran- 
9ane,   iv.,  821 ;  Sweet,  "Cistineffi,"  t.  C9. 

This  has  large  bright  straw-coloured  flowers  and 
oblong,  bluntish  leaves,  green  on  both  surfaces, 
and  beset  with  close  adpressed  hairs. 

Vab.  ilUTABILE. 

B.  inutabile.—TeTaoon  ;  Sweet,  "  Cistine.-e,"  1. 106 

When  the  flowers  of  this  open  at  first 'they  are  a 

pale  rose  t»lour,  yellow  at  the  base ;  before  the 

petals  drop,  however,  they  become  almost  white 

Jio>/ul  Garden,  Kew.  Geo.  Nicholson 


[Nov.  15,  1884. 


SEASONABLE   WORK. 


FLORAL  DECORATIONS. 
A  rEETTi-  arrangement  may  be  made  for  the 
dinner-table  without  either  the  aid  of  epergne  or 
any  kind  of  glass  stand  whatsoever.  Select  an 
appropriate  plant  for  a  centre-piece  ;  Cocos  AVed- 
delhana  Geonoma  gracilis,  Areci  anrea,  or 
Chamredorea  glaucifolia  are  especially  adapted  for 
this  purpose,  being  elegant  in  growth  and  grace- 
ful m  outline.  Having  fixed  on  a  plant,  turn  it 
carefully  out  of  its  pot,  / ,-,,  if  larger  than  a  3- 
inch  one  ;  then  set  it  in  the  centre  of  a  soup  plate 
and  surround  it  with  sand,  covering  the  latter 
with  Moss.  After  this  has  been  done,  suitable 
foliage  .=hould  be  selected  to  form  a  margin,  rest- 
ing on  the  table-cloth.  The  variegated  leaves  of 
several  kinds  of  Begonias  make  an  excellent 
change  for  this  purpose  in  place  of  Fern  fronds  or 
other  material.  Of  the  latter,  Davallia  Tyermanni 
or  elegans  would  make  a  durable  edging.  Insert 
a  few  fronds  of  the  common  Maiden-hair  Fern 
over  the  Moss,  and  then  some  flowers  may  be 
dotted  over  the  surface.  A  good  selection  could 
now  be  made  from  the  various  sorts  of  Primula 
sinensis  interspersed  with  a  few  spikes  of  white 
Roman  Hyacinth.  These  will  arrange  well  to- 
gether. Bonvardias  in  divers  colours  would  look 
well,  adding  a  spike  or  two  of  scarlet  Salvia  If 
larger  and  bolder  flowers  are  desired,  use  those  of 
Lucharis  in  conjunction  with  a  few  blooms  of  any 
coloared  Chrysanthemum.  If  flowers  are  scarce, 
foliage  only  will  make  a  beautiful  effect  arranged 
as  a  base,  choosing  such  as  that  of  Fittonias, 
Feperomias,  or  the  points  of  bright-coloured 
Coleus,  with  the  addition  of  a  small  growth  or  two 
of  Pandanus  graminifolius  or  a  few  points  of  high- 
coloured  Croton.  For  specimen  glasses  Chrysan- 
themums will  now  be  valuable.  Excellent  ar- 
rangements may  also  be  made  with  these  flowers 
alone  for  sideboard  decoration ;  for  this  latter 
work  long  sprays  should  be  used  and  arranged  in 
a  free  and  easy  style,  with  a  backing  up  of  some 
hardy  Fern  fronds  if  at  hand.  Now  that  the  leaves 
of  many  late  Grapes  possess  such  beautiful  tints, 
they  should  be  made-use  of  for  the  dessert  from 
this  time  onwards  tUl  the  Vines  ripen  and  drop 


their  foliage.  A  few  stray  blooms  of  climbing  Roses 
may  still  be  found  here  and  there,  and  clusters  of 
these  make  a  good  change  for  the  drawing-room. 
Blooms  of  Indian  Crocuses  (Pleiones)  look  well  in 
a  flat  glass  dish  in  a  little  Moss  and  water. 
Flowers  of  Tree  Carnations  also  look  well  ar- 
ranged (a  few  only)  in  a  specimen  glass  with  their 
own  foliage. 

FLOWER  GARDEN. 
The  planting  of  all  kinds  of  deciduous  trees  and 
shrubs  should  now  be  pushed  on  with  despatch,  as 
the  earlier  these  are  got  in  after  the  fall  of  the 
leaf  the  less  check  they  receive  in  their  removal, 
and  the  better  they  will  succeed,  for  with  open 
weather  roots  are  formed  at  a  great  rate,  and 
plants  under  such  circumstances  quickly  become 
re-established.  For  flowering  subjects,  such  as 
double  Cherries,  Almonds,  all  kinds  of  CratsBgus 
and  Pyrus,  poor  soil  is  the  most  suitable,  as  in  it 
they  make  less  growth  and  more  blossom  buds, 
but  for  ornamental  foliaged  plants  that  one  wishes 
to  become  larger  assistance  should  be  given  in  the 
shape  of  a  little  fresh  earth  to  enable  them  to 
start.  The  best  for  this  purpose  is  rich  turfy  loam, 
such  as  may  be  obtained  from  the  trimmings  of 
paths  or  roads  or  any  old  banks,  and,  failing  this, 
a  good  substitute  is  the  soil  that  has  been  in  use 
for  the  borders  or  under  cultivation,  which  is  far 
more  congenial  to  the  roots  of  plants  than  such  as 
is  dug  up  from  below,  which  is  generally  dead 
and  inert.  It  is  a  good  plan,  therefore,  when 
excavating  the  holes  for  planting  to  throw  this 
on  one  side,  and  fill  first  with  the  surface  soil, 
which,  from  having  been  exposed  to  the  atmo- 
sphere and  aerated,  is  sweet  and  wholesome 
Leaf-mould,  so  much  in  favour  with  many,  is  a 
thing  to  be  avoided,  as,  unless  perfectly  free  from 
sticks  and  thoroughly  decomposed,  it  is  almost 
sure  to  generate  fungus,  which  is  apt  to  fasten 
itself  on  the  roots  of  plants,  and  prove  fatal  to 
their  well-being,  as  it  poisons  the  sap,  stops  all 
healthy  growth,  and  is  a  frequent  cause  of  death 
and  decay.  Instead,  therefore,  of  using  leafy 
naatter  as  a  stimulant,  it  will  be  much  better  to 
give  each  tree  or  plant  a  mulching  of  half-rotten 
manure,  which,  lying  on  the  surface,  acts  benefi- 
cially in  a  variety  of  ways,  as  its  j  uices  are  washed 
down,  and  it  keeps  the  ground  below  uniform  as  to 
moisture,  and  prevents  any  injury  from  frost. 

In  planting  trees  and  shrubs,  one  of  the  most 
important  points  to  attend  to  is  the  spreading 
out  and  regulating  the  roots,  and  another  to  see 
that  the  plants  are  not  buried  too  deeply,  as  when 
the  collars  are  lower  than  is  needful,  they  rarely 
succeed  satisfactorily.  To  keep  the  heads  from 
swaying  about,  suitable  stakes  and  ties  should  be 
used,  and  the  soil  made  firm  about  the  roots  by  tread- 
ing. Many  are  of  opinion  that  American  shrubs, 
such  as  Rhododendrons  and  Azaleas,  will  not  grow 
in  anything  but  peat,  which  is  a  great  mistake, 
as  they  succeed  almost  equally  well  in  a  sharp, 
gritty  loam,  but  what  they  do  object  to  is  ch.ilk 
or  calcareous  matter  of  any  kind,  which  is  fatal 
to  their  existence.  If  peat  can  be  got  to  give 
them  a  start  all  the  better,  but  if  not,  sharp  turfy 
trimmings  from  the  roadside  answer  well  and 
will  grow  them  to  perfection,  especially  if  mixed 
with  rotten  leaves,  which  are  a  good  substitute 
for  peat.  Grit  or  sand  is  essential,  and  should  be 
thoroughly  mixed  with  the  soil  before  planting, 
and  in  carrying  out  this  latter  operation  it  is 
necessary  to  make  the  soil  very  firm,  as  otherwise 
the  fine  hair-like  roots  of  the  plants  cannot  get 
hold,  and  they  perish  from  drought. 

Not  only  is  this  a  good  time  to  carry  out  the 
planting  of  all  kinds  of  deciduous  things,  but  it  is 
the  best  season  for  taking  up  and  relaying  turf 
and  making  any  alterations  in  beds  involving  the 
removal  of  Box,  in  edgings  of  which  gaps  should 
at  once  be  made  good  and  walks  re-formed  where 
defective  and  otherwise  put  in  order  for  the 
winter.  The  great  point  in  having  firm,  sound 
walks  is  to  get  rid  of  surface  water,  for  if  this 
soaks  in  or  lies  on  gravel,  the  latter  is  sure  to  be 
loose,  however  good  and  binding  its  nature  may 
be.  To  get  rid  of  it  properly  the  walks  should  be 
provided  with  drains  and  gratings  to  carry  it  off 


quickly,  as  the  more  wash  there  is  the  brighter  and 
cleaner  will  the  gravel  be  kept.  That  the  gratings 
may  be  as  inconspicuous  as  possible,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  have  them  small,  and  the  best  for  setting 
and  the  neatest  are  those  cast  in  iron  frames, 
which,  placed  close  along  the  edge  of  the  walk, 
are  scarcely  seen.  Under  the  gratings  small 
traps  or  receptacles  to  catch  the  silt  should  be 
formed  so  as  to  prevent  the  drains  being  blocked 
by  the  sand  and  rubbish  carried  in  by  the  water. 
In  the  formation  of  walks,  nest  to  efficient  drains 
the  most  important  thirg  is  the  foundation, 
which  to  stand  wear  shonld  be  solid,  for  if 
the  bottom  of  a  path  shifts  the  top  will  be 
disagreeable  to  walk  on.  Brick-bats  and  rough 
material  of  that  kind  are  suitable,  as  the  angular 
sides  are  favourable  as  a  key  for  gravel  to  bind  on, 
but  the  interstices  among  the  bats  should  be  filled, 
for  which  purpose  there  is  nothing  better  than 
,^fine  chalk,  which,  after  it  gets  wetted  a  few  times, 
binds  almost  as  hard  as  a  rock,  and  therefore 
keeps  down  worms,  which  where  it  is  not  used 
throw  up  their  castings  and  sadly  disfigure  the 
surface. 


INDOOR  PLANTS. 

With  a  good  stock  of  well-grown  Chrysanthe- 
mums there  should  now  be  no  scarcity  of  flowers 
in  conservatories  or  greenhouses,  but  where  there 
is  not  a  considerable  extent  of  glass  structures,  in 
the  endeavour  to  make  an  effective  display  it  often 
happens  that  the  plants  are  so  much  crowded  to- 
gether that  they  do  serious  injury  to  the  more 
permanent  occupants  of  the  house  ;  for  although 
plants  of  most  kinds  will  bear  standing  closer 
together  in  the  winter,  when  little  growth  is  being 
made,  than  they  will  in  the  spring  and  summer, 
still  over-crowding  is  always  injurious,  not  alone 
on  account  of  the  mischief  it  does  to  the  foliage, 
but  also  through  the  liability  that  exists  of  plants 
getting  overlooked  in  the  attention  they  require 
in  watering  and  other  matters  when  standing  so 
close  together  rs  not  to  be  easily  got  at.  For  this 
reason  it  is  better  at  this  season,  when  the  houses 
devoted  to  plants  are  the  most  crowded,  to  keep 
as  much  of  the  successional  stock  as  can  be  accom- 
modated in  any  pits  or  empty  vineries  available. 
So  located,  until  such  things  as  Chrysanthemums 
and  Salvias  are  over  and  all  but  enough  of  them  to 
propagate  from  can  be  dispensed  with,  the  general 
collection  will  be  found  in  better  condition  than 
when  indiscriminately  crowded  together. 

Haedwooded  plants.  —  Whatever  training 
and  tying  has  to  be  done  should  now  be  got  on 
with  without  delay,  so  that  the  work  may  be  got 
out  of  hand  before  the  time  comes  for  other  mat- 
ters requiring  attention.  Few  operations  better 
exemplify  the  taste  and  judgment  of  the  operator 
than  tying  plants,  for,  whatever  use  they  are  re- 
quired, one  individual  will  succeed  in  givingjustthe 
support  needed  to  keep  them  in  shape  and  to  pre- 
vent their  having  a  straggling,  unnatural  appear- 
ance, whilst  another  will  only  manage  to  show 
what  to  avoid  by  using  ten  times  the  sticks  and 
ties  that  are  necessary,  the  result  being  that  the 
support  that  should  have  been  as  far  as  possible 
concealed  becomes  the  most  prominent  feature. 
So  far  as  the  altered  circumstances  under  cultiva- 
tion will  allow,  the  form  which  each  species  of 
plant  assumes  when  growing  naturally  should  be 
preserved,  merely  giving  the  support  which  the 
lengthened,  weaker  growth  resulting  from  culture 
under  glass  requires.  There  is  another  important 
matter  connected  with  plant  tying  which  cannot  be 
too  often  urged  upon  young  hands  at  the  work.  The 
roots  of  a  plant  confined  within  a  pot  are  packed 
together  thickly  to  an  extent  that  would  not  take 
place  if  it  was  growing  where  its  roots  had  full 
scope  to  extend,  and  it  follows  that  every  stick 
which  is  thrust  into  the  soil  must  necessarily 
break  a  number  of  fibres  and  so  far  injure  the 
most  vital  part  of  the  plant.  This  obviously  points 
to  the  desirability  of  not  using  more  sticks  than  can 
be  avoided,  and  also  of  not  pushing  them  deeper 
into  the  soil  than  can  be  helped.  In  the  case  of 
plants  that  have  attained  considerable  size,  and 
that  merely  require  the  old  sticks  replacing,  if  care 


Nov.  15,  1884.] 


THE    GAEDEN 


423 


is  taken  to  pat  the  new  ones  in  the  old  holes,  no 
root  injury  will  follow. 

Primulas. — The  early  sown  plants  will  now 
be  well  in  flower.  There  has  been  so  much  im- 
provement in  the  single  strains  of  these  plants, 
that  out  of  a  package  of  seed  there  are  hardly  any 
bad  ones,  but  it  frequently  happens  that  a  few 
will  be  found  so  much  superior  as  to  be  worth  re- 
taining for  seed  purposes.  These  should  at  once 
have  all  the  flowers  pinched  out,  as  it  is  much  too 
soon  for  them  to  set  freely,  and  if  left  to  go  on 
blooming,  the  plants  will  be  so  weakened  as  to 
yield  few  seeds.  Where  possible,  they  should  be 
kept  where  they  can  have  a  night  temperature  of 
from  -10°  to  15°,  and  be  stood  as  near  the  glass  as 
can  be.  So  situated,  they  will  be  benefited  by  the 
application  of  manure  water  once  a  fortnight. 

Arum  Lilies.— There  are  few  plants  so  ap- 
propriate for  using  in  entrance  halls  and  rooms  as 
what  is  called  the  Arum  Lily  (Richardia  aithio- 
pioa).  Intermixed  with  suitable  foliage,  its  flowers 
are  unequalled  for  large  vases.  It  is  doubly 
valuable  when  in  flower  early,  and  where  wanted 
at  Christmas  or  soon  after,  the  plants  should  at 
once  be  put  in  a  brisk  heat.  For  this  early  work 
nothing  but  the  strongest  examples  ought  to  be 
used,  and  such  as  have  been  grown  through  the 
summer  in  pots,  for  though  those  that  are  turned 
out  in  the  open  ground  during  summer  are  more 
compact  in  their  foliage  and  have  a  nicer  appear- 
ance, they  will  not  force  quite  so  early  as  the 
stock  that  has  been  kept  in  pots.  This  Richardia 
is  very  subject  to  green  fly,  which  increases  fast 
upon  it,  and  quickly  spoils  its  white  flowers; 
consequently  before  putting  the  plants  in  heat  it 
is  needful  to  take  care  that  there  is  no  trace  of 
this  insect:  if  any  are  found,  fumigate  well  once 
or  twice,  or,  what  will  be  much  more  effectual  in 
killing  both  the  insects  and  their  eggs,  give  agood 
washing  with  Tobacco  or  strong  Quassia  wafer. 

Lilt  op  the  Valley  axd  Hoteia  japonic.^. 
— No  time  should  now  be  lost  in  potting  all  that 
will  be  required  of  these  useful  winter  forcing 
plants.  Such  portion  of  the  stock  as  is  wanted 
to  come  in  early  may  at  once  be  put  in  heat.  The 
Lily  will  bear  a  higher  temperature  than  it  is 
advisable  to  subject  the  Hoteia  to  ;  a  brisk  bottom 
heat  witli  the  crowns  well  covered  from  the  light 
will  quickly  bring  up  the  flower-spikes,  and  this 
plint  when  not  taken  out  of  the  ground  until 
time  has  elapsed  to  allow  of  its  foliage  dying  off 
naturally  will  bear  harder  forcing  than  if  taken 
up  too  soon  with  a  view  to  have  it  in  bloom  very 
early.  The  failures  sometimes  experienced  with 
Lily  of  the  Valley  when  it  refuses  to  move  at  all, 
however  much  heat  is  given  it,  are  not  unfre- 
quently  traceable  to  their  being  lifted  from  the 
ground  before  the  leaves  were  properly  ripened 
off.  The  Hoteia  if  wanted  early  must  neverthe- 
less not  yet  be  kept  too  warm,  or  the  flowers  will 
be  few  and  thin  in  appearance. 


FRUIT. 

Vines. — When  the  leaves  are  off  the  Vines, 
steady  attention  to  cleanliness,  gentle  warmth, 
and  ventilation  will  carry  all  the  late  keeping 
kinds  on  to  Christmas,  when  they  may  be  cut, 
bottled,  and  the  Vines  pruned  and  rested.  If  not 
already  done,  the  internal  borders  in  the  Lady 
Downes  house  may  be  well  covered  with  loose,  dry 
Bracken  for  the  twofold  purpose  of  keeping  down 
dust  and  absorbing  moisture.  Outside  bor- 
ders may  also  be  covered  with  shutters,  to 
throw  oS  cold  rain  and  snow,  from  the  time 
the  leaves  fall  until  the  Grapes  are  cut, 
when  exposure  will  again  be  preferable  to  getting 
the  roots  too  dry.  Where  late  Unseats  are  wanted 
to  keep  as  long  as  possible  the  houses  will  require 
very  careful  management  during  the  fall  of  the 
leaf.  Let  the  temperature  decline  to  50°  in  mild 
weather,  and  give  no  more  fire  heat  than  is  re- 
quisite to  the  maintenance  of  a  dry,  cool  atmo- 
sphere and  safety  from  frost.  Remove  all  plants 
and  evaporating  pans,  cover  the  floor  with  p''ern, 
and  dry  out  or  cover  up  water  Jcisterns  to  prevent 
the  absorption  of  moioture  by  the  atmosphere, 
which  mutt  now  be  dry  and  buoyant.  As  thoroughly 


ripened  Muscats  are  easily  caught  by  the  sun,  it 
is  a  good  plan  to  strain  a  piece  of  Nottingham 
netting  or  thin  canvas  across  the  roof  of  modern 
houses  to  protect  the  shoulders,  and  to  secure  an 
equable  temperature  through  the  night.  If  any 
late  Hamburghs  are  still  hanging  on  the  Vines 
in  houses  which  were  retarded  in  the  spring, 
they  will  now  keep  better  in  the  Lady  Downes 
house  or  Grape  room,  and  in  order  to  thoroughly 
ripen  up  the  wood  the  house  may  be  subjected  to 
a  period  of  sharp  dry  firing  with  plenty  of  air  on 
fine  days. 

Early  vineries  from  which  the  first  crop  of 
fruit  is  to  be  gathered  in  Jlay  may  be  closed  at 
once.  If  fermenting  material  is  applied  to  the 
internal  borders,  a  temperature  ranging  from  45° 
to  55°  may  be  maintained  without  the  aid  of 
much  fire  heat,  but  in  the  event  of  the  weather 
becoming  very  cold  the  pipes  must  be  warmed 
every  morning,  and  the  swelling  of  the  buds  aided 
by  frequent  syringing  with  warm  water.  The  best 
material  for  producing  gentle  warmth  is  fresh 
Oak  leaves  and  short  stable  manure,  thoroughly 
worked  and  fermented  before  it  is  taken  into  the 
house.  The  outside  borders,  hitherto  exposed  to 
the  elements,  may  be  protected  with  litter  or 
shutters,  but  no  artificial  warmth  must  be  applied 
to  them  until  the  buds  begin  to  swell.  After  the 
house  has  been  closed  for  a  week  or  two  the  tem- 
perature may  range  about  55°  with  a  rise  of  5°  to 
10°  on  sunny  days.  Examine  the  borders,  and  if 
the  repeated  waterings,  little  and  often,  pre- 
viously recommended,  have  not  thoroughly  pene- 
trated to  and  through  the  drainage,  give  a  tho- 
rough soaking  with  water  at  a  temperature  of  90° 
and  cover  up  immediately  with  the  fermenting 
material.  If  the  Vines  are  young  they  may  be 
slung  in  a  horizontal  position,  as  more  time  and 
attention  will  be  needed  to  secure  an  even  break, 
while  old  ones  will  break  equally  well  if  tied  up 
to  the  wires  as  soon  as  they  are  pruned  and 
dressed  and  exposed  to  a  few  degrees  more  heat 
by  day ;  but  in  all  cases  from  the  beginning  to 
the  end  a  low  or  resting  night  temperature  will  be 
found  one  of  the  main  features  of  success  in  the 
cultivation  of  Grapes. 

Late  houses  in  which  Grapes  are  hanging  will 
now  require  careful  management  to  prevent  the 
fruit  from  shrivelling  under  too  much  fire  heat 
and  damping  through  the  want  of  it.  Thin- 
skinned  kinds  like  the  Hamburgh  will  keep  best 
off  the  Vines  in  a  well-ventilated  Grape  room 
from  which  the  light  is  excluded.  Muscats  now 
quite  ripe  may  have  just  sufficient  fire  heat  to 
expel  damp  and  to  maintain  a  temperature  of  50° 
to  55°  at  night.  See  that  the  surface  roots  have 
suflicient  moisture  to  prevent  the  berries  from 
shrivelling,  and  cover  the  inside  borders  with  dry 
P^ern  to  check  evaporation  from  the  soil  and  to 
prevent  dust  from  rising  and  settling  on  the  ber- 
ries. In  modern  houses  composed  almost  entirely 
of  glass,  ripe  Muscats  are  liable  to  change  colour 
and  sometimes  scald  after  this  season  ;  and  as 
this  defect  greatly  depreciates  their  value,  a  few 
breadths  of  canvas  strained  across  the  roof,  while 
preserving  the  delicate  amber  colour  of  the  berries, 
will  prevent  fluctuations  of  temperature  and 
reduce  the  necessity  for  applying  fire  heat.  Where 
Lady  Downes  and  other  black  kinds  remain  un- 
finished, fire  heat  with  plenty  of  air  will  still  be 
needed.  If  heavily  cropped,  and  perfect  colour 
is  doubtful,  a  nice  surface  watering  with  tepid 
liquid  on  a  fine  morning  will  help  them,  but  no 
time  must  be  lost  in  applying  it,  as  the  foliage 
will  soon  be  ripe  and  falling  from  the  Vines. 

Orchard  jiouse. — We  have  recently  re- 
moved all  the  trees  that  were  repotted  from  the 
orchard  house  to  a  sheltered  situation  out  of 
doors,  and  others  which  had  not  become  pot- 
bound  have  been  top-dressed  and  placed  with 
them,  where  they  will  remain  until  the  winter 
occupants  are  taken  out  in  the  spring.  Birds  being 
destructive  when  the  buds  begin  to  swell,  we  are 
obliged  to  net  the  whole  block,  and  dry  Fern  is 
used  for  protecting  the  roots  from  frost  and 
drought.  For  some  years  we  have  grown  trained 
standard  and  half-standard  Peachesand  Nectarines 
in  pots  and  tubs  upon  a  trellis  IG  inches  from  the 


roof,  where  the  roots  being  confined  and  highly 
fed,  we  obtain  very  heavy  crops'  of  fruit  greatly 
superior  to  that  obtained  from  bushes  and  pyra- 
mids— so  much  so,  that  we  have  no  hesitation  in 
recommending  the  system  to  amateurs  and  others 
who  wish  to  grow  the  cream  of  the  cream,  fit  to 
eat  or  exhibit,  at  a  tithe  of  the  expense  of  an 
ordinary  orchard  house.  Trees  intended  for  pot- 
ting should  be  secured  without  delay.  Meantime 
have  a  good  supply  of  dry  compost  mixed,  and 
clean,  dry  pots  crocked  ready  for  use,  as  the  deli- 
cate roots  of  a  tree  should  never  become  dry,  as 
is  too  often  the  case  when  brought  from  a  distant 
nursery.  To  obviate  this  difficulty  and  to  econo- 
mise time,  a  few  maidens  should  be  bought  in 
every  year  and  planted  or  potted  and  plunged  in 
a  dry,  warm  border  in  the  garden,  where  they  can 
be  mulched,  pinched,  and  manufactured  into 
perfect  pyramids,  ready  for  filling  up  blanks  as 
they  occur.  Pears,  Plums,  Cherries,  and  Apricots 
lifted,  root-shortened,  and  replanted  in  new  loam 
every  year  soon  make  handsome  fruit-bearing 
trees  ;  but  unless  the  climate  is  very  good,  Peaches 
and  Nectarines  do  best  under  glass. 

Peaches. — To  have  May  Peaches,  the  house 
should  be  ready  for  closing  by  the  end  of  this 
month.  If  the  roots  of  the  trees  have  the  range 
of  internal  and  external  borders,  it  will  be  neces- 
sary to  see  that  the  soil  is  in  a  nice  growing  state 
quite  down  to  the  drainage,  while  those  running 
outwards  will  require  some  kind  of  covering  to 
protect  them  from  the  chilling  influence  of  cold 
rain  and  snow.  It  is  not,  however,  at  all  impera- 
tive that  the  roots  have  an  external  border,  as  the 
finest  fruit  may  be  grown  for  a  great  number  of 
years  where  the  internal  space  is  extremely  limited, 
provided  the  borders  are  frequently  renovated  with 
fresh  maiden  loam,  top-dressed  with  good  rotted 
manure,  and  well  fed  with  a  liberal  hand  through- 
out the  growing  season.  If  the  weather  is  mild 
no  fire-heat  will  be  needed  at  first,  as  the  trees 
are  easily  excited ;  but  a  soft,  genial  atmosphere 
may  be  secured  by  the  introduction  of  fermenting 
Oak  or  Beech  leaves,  to  which  may  be  added  one- 
third  of  fresh  stable  manure.  This  will  require 
turning  occasionally  to  liberate  moisture,  and  the 
trees  must  be  syringed  twice  a  day  when  fine,  care 
oeing  taken  that  the  second  syringing  is  performed 
early  in  the  afternoon,  as  it  is  not  well  to  have  the 
buds  loaded  with  moisture  at  nightfall.  Let  the 
temperature  at  the  outset  range  from  10°  to  45° 
at  night,  and  10°  higher  by  day.  Open  the  top 
and  bottom  ventilators  when  the  weather  is  bright 
and  warm,  and  the  bottom  ones  only  when  keen, 
cutting  winds  will  produce  a  draught.  Continue 
this  treatment  until  the  buds  show  signs  of  swell- 
ing freely,  and  the  first  danger,  that  of  dropping, 
has  been  overcome.  Then  coax  them  along  by 
warming  the  pipes  every  morning  to  increase  the 
day  temperature,  and  shut  oS  the  heat  when  a 
night  temperature  of  45°  can  be  maintained  with- 
out it. 

Figs. — Assuming  that  the  early  pot  trees  are 
now  in  position,  and  ripe  Figs  are  wanted  early  in 
May,  the  third  week  in  this  month  will  be  quite 
early  enough  to  close  the  house  for  forcing.  In 
former  papers  I  have  stated  that  I  place  my 
pots  on  firm  pedestals  and  pack  them  round  with 
fresh  maiden  turf  before  forcing  is  commenced  ; 
but,  instead  of  starting  with  fire-heat,  a  good  body 
of  fermenting  material  is  introduced,  the  moist 
warmth  from  which  soon  penetrates  the  pots^and 
stimulates  the  trees  into  action,  and  by  the  time 
the  fruit  requires  assistance  the  new  turf  is  a  mat 
of  roots,  capable  of  absorbing  an  unlimited  quan- 
tity of  liquid  of  the  best  quality.  When  treated 
in  this  way  it  rarely  happens  that  any  of  the  fruit 
drops  ;  and  all  the  roots  being  fresh  and  active, 
Figs  of  the  first  size  and  quality  may  always  be 
secured  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  the  sea- 
son. If  the  balls  have  become  very  dry  it  will  be 
necessary  to  give  repeated  supplies  of  tepid 
water  to  bring  the  soil  into  a  growing  state, 
and  to  syringe  the  stems  and  shoots  two  or  three 
times  a  day.  When  the  house  has  been  closed  ten 
days  or  a  fortnight,  and  the  stimulating  moisture 
from  the  bed  is  beginning  to  tell  upon  the  buds, 
gentle  fire  heat  must  be  applied  to  maintain  a 


424 


THE    GARDEN 


[Nov.   15,  1884. 


temperature  of  50°  to  55'=  at  night  and  60°  to  65° 
by  day,  when  a  little  air  may  be  given  to  sweeten 
the  atmosphere. 

Habdy  fruits. — When  the  root  pruning  of 
pyramids  and  bushes  has  been  brought  to  a  close, 
the  renovation  of  older  trees  should  receive  im- 
mediate attention.  In  many  old  gardens  we  often 
find  trees  of  large  dimensions  to  which  the 
modem  system  of  root  lifting  cannot  be  applied, 
or  if  it  is  attempted,  one  side  only  should  be  ope- 
rated upon  in  any  one  season,  and  when  the  strong 
roots  which  have  to  be  cut  have  made  new  roots 
into  fresh  compost  the  other  side  may  be  treated 
in  a  similar  manner.  If  the  trees  are  healthy  and 
crop  well,  and  disturbance  at  the  tap  root  is  not 
considered  necessary,  the  quality  of  the  fruit  may 
be  greatly  improved  by  the  entire  removal  of  the 
surface  soil  quite  down  to  the  roots,  replacing  it 
with  fresh  compost  consisting  of  good  loam,  road 
scrapings,  charred  refuse,  and  rotten  manure. 
Conjointly  with  these  operations  the  heads  of 
standards  may  be  thinned  preparatory  to  the  re- 
moval of  loose  bark  and  Moss,  when  all  the 
strongest  branches  may  be  washed  with  a  mixture 
of  soot,  lime,  and  stiff  loam  reduced  to  the  con- 
sistency of  paint  with  strong  soap  water,  two 
pounds  to  the  gallon.  Wall-trained  trees  and  es- 
paliers should  be  unfastened,  spur-pruned  where 
the  spurs  have  got  too  far  away  from  home, 
washed  and  dressed  in  a  similar  way,  and  tied  up 
in  bundles  until  the  time  arrives  for  nailing  or 
tying  in  for  the  season. 

Teuning. — Where  much  of  this  work  has  to 
be  performed  advantage  should  be  taken  of  the 
mild  weather  which  generally  prevails  through 
November  for  getting  this  operation  well  ad- 
vanced. Commence  with  Currants,  Plums,  and 
Cherries,  thin  and  tie  up  Raspberries,  but  defer 
shortening  the  tops  until  the  spring.  JIulch 
heavily  with  rotten  manure  when  the  weather  is 
favourable  for  wheeling,  and  avoid  all  digging  or 
disturbance  of  the  surface  roots.  If  new  planta- 
tions have  to  be  made  now  is  a  favourable  time 
for  getting  in  the  canes.  The  Raspberry  enjoys  a 
light,  rich  soil,  and  produces  the  finest  fruit  when 
grown  in  single  rows  running  north  to  south  and 
trained  to  a  V-shaped  trellis  which  admits  of  the 
young  growths  rising  up  the  centre.  Unnail 
Peaches  and  Nectarines  as  soon  as  they  are  clear 
of  the  foliage,  and  draw  them  away  from  the  walls 
to  prevent  the  buds  from  getting  too  forward 
early  in  spring. 

Strawberries. — If  pot  Strawberries  are  still 
standing  out-of-doors  care  should  be  taken  to  pre- 
vent them  from  becoming  infested  with  worms, 
for,  useful  as  these  creatures  may  be  in  our  fields 
and  pastures,  the  Darwinian  theory  is  not  likely 
to  find  favour  with  the  grower  of  pot  .Strawberries. 
Prepare  the  cold  pits  intended  for  their  reception 
by  covering  the  bottom  with  a  thick  coat  of  coal 
ashes,  examine  the  bottoms  of  the  pots,  and  plunge 
to  the  rims  in  Oak  leaves  or  old  tan.  See  that  the 
soil  is  in  a  nice  growing  state  when  they  are  put 
aw.iy,  throw  the  lights  off  at  all  times  when  the 
weather  is  mild,  and  close  them  when  very  wet  or 
unusually  severe.  If  the  first  batch  intended  for 
early  forcing  has  been  some  time  under  glass,  have 
them  moderately  supplied  with  water,  as  damage 
often  follows  keeping  them  too  dry. 


coal  ashes ;  this  wards  off  their  enemy,  the  slug  ; 
and  placing  four  strings  of  white  worsted  along 
the  rows  elevated  about  6  inches  above  the 
ground  in  a  great  measure  keeps  off  the  birds. 
When  the  Peas  show  through  the  ashes,  they 
should  be  earthed  and  rodded  immediately.  No- 
thing is  so  bad  for  Peas  as  sharp  cutting  surface 
winds  in  spring,  but  by  adding  a  few  Spruce 
branches  along  each  side  all  will  be  satisfactory. 
Broad  Beans  (Old  Green  Windsor  is  still  one  of 
the  best)  should  .also  be  planted  ;  these  brave  the 
winter  winds  better  than  Peas ;  still,  if  earliness 
is  a  consideration,  protect  them,  and  they  will  pay 
for  it. 

Forcing  vegetables.— We  are  busily  engaged 
emptying  brick  pits  to  be  in  readiness  to  fill  with 
leaves  for  Rhubarb,  Seakale,  and  Asparagus.  These 
vegetables  when  forced  with  good  sweet  leaves  are 
not  only  tender,  but  the  flavour  is  much  better 
than  when  manure  is  used  ;  in  fact,  they  are  not 
only  eatable,  but  enjoyable.  Keep  good  stocks  of 
French  r.eans  at  work ;  Osborn's  variety  is  a  good 
one.  Make  up  at  once  beds  of  manure  and  leaves 
for  early  Potatoes.  Start  the  sets  in  a  mild  heat 
in  boxes.  Our  first  Mushroom  bed,  spawned  seven 
weeks  ago,  is  now  in  bearing,  and  the  house  is 
kept  cool  and  humid.  The  second  bed  will  be  in 
plenty  of  time  to  succeed  the  first.  Inside  Mush- 
rooms are  poor  examples  compared  with  those 
grown  on  ridges,  where  the  buttons  are  as  big  as 
Oranges  and  firm  as  rocks.  Still,  we  must  have 
them  in  the  dark  days  of  winter.  Keep  up  good 
supplies  of  Mustard  and  Cress,  Tarragon,  and, 
above  all,  Chives,  which  are  always  in  demand. 


KITCHEN  GARDEN. 
Earthing  Celery  forms  at  present  the  greater 
part  of  our  work.  Whenever  the  weather  is  dry 
get  it  well  banked  up  ;  a  sharp  frost  coming  be- 
fore the  final  earthing  is  most  detrimental  to  its 
well-being.  Continue  to  lift  Carrots,  Turnips,  and 
Beet,  stacking  them  outside  in  small  round  pits  ; 
a  cartload  in  each  is  plenty  ;  cover  up  first  with 
dry  straw,  then  put  on  the  soil  about  (J  inches 
thick.  Our  earliest  sowing  of  Peas  we  make  about 
the  middle  of  the  month.  We  find  Laxton's  Wil- 
liam I.  tojbe  a  hardy  and  good  standard  variety. 
A  good  site  for  Peas  is  a  warm  south  border  ;  we 
sow  them  injdtills  about  4  feet  apart,  and  if  the 
following  advice  is  adhered  to,  a  good  crop  will  be 
the  result.  As  soon  as  the  plants  show  themselves 
above  ground  cover  them  over  1  inch  thick  with 


WORK  DONE  IN  WEEK  ENDING  NOV.  1 1, 188i. 

November  5. 
Fine  mild,  drying  day  ;  therefore  .ill  air  possible 
was  given  to  vineries  in  which  ripe  fruit  is  hang- 
ing,  every  lateral  being  cut  back  and  decayed 
leaves  removed.     All   Hamburghs  were  cut  and 
put  in  Grape  room  some  time  since,  and  Alnwick 
Seedling  has  been  housed  today,  as  it  was  begin- 
ning to  shrivel,   which   cannot  be  from  lack  of 
water,  there  being  Alicante  and  Lady  Downes  in 
the  same  house  with  their  berries  as  plump  as  any- 
one could  wish.     Jly  opinion  of  Alnwick  Seedling 
has  changed,  or  is  changing,  as  I  once  thought  it 
would  prove  a  rival  to  Alicante,  but  neither  in 
quality  nor  keeping  is  it  as  good  as  that  variety, 
and  its  occasional  freaks  of  non-setting  will  ever 
cause  it  to  be  classed  in  the  doubtful  list  cf  Vines, 
otherwise  worthy  of  cultivation.  Up  to  the  present 
year  it  has  always  set  well  with  us,  but  our  best 
Vine  of  it  was  this   season  a  complete  failure ; 
whilst  two  other  Vines  under  exactly  similar  con- 
ditions of  culture  set  their  fruit  perfectly  ;  and  as 
we  cannot  afford  to  have  such  failures,  we  mean 
in  future  to  reduce  our  stock  of  this  variety  to 
about  one  Vine,  and  the  first  time  that  this  fails 
we  shall  doom   this    Grape  to   entire  exclusion. 
Gave  more  space  for  Chrysanthemums,  now  in  full 
flower,  and  requiring  abundance  of  air  and  light 
to  keep  the  foliage  and   fiowers  good    for    the 
longest  period.     Atmospheric  moisture  is   detri- 
mental to  their  long  keeping,  and,  therefore,  if 
rainy  weather  sets  in,  the  ventilators  will  be  kept 
open  and  a  slight  warmth  in  the  pipes  to  keep  the 
air  in  motion.     Wheeling  manure  and  soil  on  to 
vacant  plots  of  ground  in  kitchen  garden,  weeding 
amongst  Broccoli  and  Kale,  and  trenching  were 
the  whole  of  our  outdoor  work. 
November  6. 
Heavy  rain  nearly  all  day.  Potato  stores  looked 
over  and  bad  tubers  removed,  and  all  laid  as  thin 
on  the  floors  and  shelves  as  space  will  admit  of. 
The  disease  has  been  all  but  y«7  this  season,  and 
none  have  been  affected  with  it  since  they  were 
housed.     We  grow  early  kinds  principally,  and  so 
get  them  dug  and  housed  before    the    disease 
spreads  much.     The  late  kinds  that  we  grow  most 
largely  are  Magnum  Bonum  and  Beading  Hero, 
and  these  are  both  of  them  excellent  disease-re- 
sisters.     Washing   pots,    scrubbing  and   washing 
the  woodwork — doors  in  particular — in  the  houses, 
and  potting  up  the  remainder  of  old   bedding 
plants,  at  least  such  as  have  been  lifted,  for  there 


are  numbers  that  have  not  yet  been  injured  by 
frost,  and  these  will  not  be  removed  till  they  are 
Tying  Peaches,  pruning  others,  and  cutting  ties 
preparatory  to  pruning  and  painting  the  trees 
over  with  Gishurst  as  a  preventive  against  the 
attacks  of  insects.  Washing  and  sponging  Dra- 
caenas, Crotons,  and  Gardenias  completed  the  w  ork 
of  to-day. 

November  7. 
Again    showery,  and   much  the  same  jobs   as 
yesterday  occupied  all  our  hands.     Onion  stores 
were  overhauled,  non-keepers  and  any  that  were 
bruised  and  not  likely  to  keep  long  being  put 
aside  and  marked  for  immediate  use.     Apples  and 
Pears,  too,  were  looked  over,  and  Nuts,  Filberts, 
and    Cobs    freed    of    the    husks.      After    being 
thoroughly  dried  they  keep  very  well  on  the  top 
shelves  of  the  fruit  room  ;  they  require  an  occa- 
sional turn  over  and  a  rub  with  a  rough  dry  cloth 
to  prevent   their  getting  mouldy.      Cleared  out 
old  leaves  from  pit  in  early  vinery,  and  which  will, 
the  first  chance,  be  again  filled  with  Oak  leaves, 
for  the  double  purpose  of  producing  atmospheric 
moisture  and  warmth  when  forcing  begins  a  week 
hence.  The  warmth  is  also  helpful  to  start  forcing 
shrubs,  Spir^as,  Deutzias,  and  Roses.     The  plants 
are  not  plunged,  but  simply  stood  on  the  bed,  so 
that  there  is  no  danger  of  the  bottom  heat  proving 
injurious.     Tying  Peaches,  stored  Dahlia  roots  in 
a  cool  dark  shed,  packed  them  as  close  together 
as  possible,  and  placed  over  them  a  little  rough 
leaf  soil,    so  that   they   may    not    get   too   dry. 
Fuchsias  are  being  served  the  same ;  old  plants 
of    these   m.ake   such   excellent  bedding   plants 
that  we  like  to  save  all  we  can.     One  of  our  most 
admired  arrangements  this  year  was  tall  Fuchsias, 
with  undergrowth  of  white  Viola  Mrs.  Grey  and 
Agath.^M  ccclestis  (blue  Marguerite),  surrounded 
with  a    band    of    tricolor    Pelargonium    Sophia 
Dumaresque  and  edged  with  Herniaria  glabra. 
November  8. 
Bright  and  sunny  all  day  long.     Rain  and  wind 
of  the  last  two  days  caused  us  an  unusual  amount 
of  outside  clearing  up  and  carting  of  leaves  ;  but 
besides  that  we   managed  to  get  all  the  walks 
rolled  and   to    clear  some    of    the    sub-tropical 
beds,  Solanums  and  Wigandias  and  other  annual 
species  being  thrown  away.   Australian  Dracionas, 
Aralias,  Ficuses,  and  others  of  that  stamp  are  pre- 
served and  will  be  potted  the  first  opportunity. 
Indoors,  though  work   was  pressing,    Saturday's 
usual  clean  up  had  first  place.    Watered  vines  and 
tidied  up  plunging  beds ;  also  watered  inside  bor- 
der of  intermediate  vinery,  the  Grapes  being  cut 
and     bottled.      Picked    the    bad    foliage    from 
Cinerarias,  and  gave  them  more  space ;  they  are 
still  in  airy  frames,  and  are  well  protected  with 
mats  at  night.     Other  work  consisted  of  sundry 
little  jobs  of  rearrangement  of  plants,  flowering 
ones  in  particular,  to  show  them  off  to  the  best 
advantage,  the  greater  jobs  being  such  as  have 
been  on  hand  for  some  time    past,    viz ,  tying 
Peaches,  painting  them  with  insect  solution,  and 
pruning  and  top-dressing  of  borders. 
November  10. 
There  has  now  been  sufficient  moisture  to  render 
transplanting  operations    comparatively  easy,  in 
addition  to  the  greater  confidence  that  such  mois- 
ture has  inspired  in  us  to  begin  the  work,  knowing 
that  it  will  be  successful,  because  the  conditions 
are  favourable.  Ground  having  been  well  trenched, 
we  planted  a  new  clump  of  Rhododendrons.  Our 
soil  is  a  light  loam  inclining  to  peat,  and  therefore 
a  suitable  one  for  Rhododendrons ;  but  in  some 
parts  of  the  park  and  grounds  the  soil  is  pure 
loam,  yet  Rhododendrons  and  Ghent  Azaleas  do 
splendidly,    thus     showing    that     peat     is    not 
essentially     necessary    to    their    growth.      Turf 
cutting  for  laying  down  as  lawn  a  piece  of  ground 
that  was  previously  an  old  shrubbery,  but  which 
has  been  destroyed  to  open  out  a  view,  showing 
the  boles  of  Oaks  and   Beeches,  together  with  a 
few  specimen  Conifers,  that  before  were  concealed 
till  close  to  them.     Potted  the  last  Pelargoniums 
and  the  remainder  of   sub-tropicals.     Some  few 
single  Dahlias  are  yet  in  good  flower,  and  Mar- 
guerites are  quite  full  of  flower,  the  frost  as  yet 
having  had  no  effect  on  them,  and  having  lifted 


Nov.   IT),  1884,] 


THE     GARDEN 


425 


all  we  require  for  stock,  the  rest  will  be  left  to 
take  their  chance,  as  will  also  the  remaincler  of 
the  Dahlias.  Tied  Eaphorbiajaciiuinix'florato  Melon 
trellis ;  also  tied  Cucumbers.  The  latter  look 
sickly,  and  m\ist  have  an  increase  of  bottom-heat. 
I'ut  a  few  Strawberries  in  the  forcing  pit ;  they 
are  stood  on  a  bed  of  leaves,  but  not  plunged. 
The  moisture  and  warmth  arising  from  the  leaves 
is  a  wonderful  aid  to  them  at  this  early  season, 
when  it  is  generally  difficult  to  get  the  crowns  to 
burst  evenly,  and  by  no  other  way  have  we  ever 
been  so  successful  as  by  this.  Of  course  later  on 
when  the  plants  have  had  a  longer  rest,  they  will 
start  into  growth  better  without  the  bottom  or 
moist  heat  than  with  it. 

November  11. 

Turf  cutting  and  laying  it  down ;  cleared  away 
old  roots  and  stumps  to  fire-heap,  where  they  all 
help  to  burn  up  the  refuse  that  other  than  as  ash 
would  be  useless,  but  which  in  that  form  is  of 
great  service  for  kitchen  garden  use  especially. 
Trenching  in  kitchen  garden  ;  this  work  we  find  it 
convenient  to  do  at  odd  times ;  as,  for  instance, 
when  a  large  job  is  nearly  finished,  and  a  number 
of  hands  cannot  therefore  be  employed  on  it ; 
then  it  is  that  part  are  drafted  off  to  trenching 
till  such  times  as  the  work  is  complete  and 
another  large  job  began.  New  gravelled  plant  house, 
or  rather  the  shelves  and  bed  on  which  the  plants 
stand.  Small  pebbles— quarter  to  half-inch  size — 
always  look  clean,  and  admit  of  the  water  draining 
away  rapidly,  and  yet  hold  moisture  sufficient  to 
give  off  the  necessary  humidity  the  plants  so  much 
relish,  more  particularly  so  in  spring  and  summer. 
At  this  season  such  humidity  must  be  of  a  re- 
stricted nature,  which  perhaps  may  be  best  ex- 
pressed as  neither  humid  nor  arid.  Looked  over 
ripe  Grapes.  We  found  it  necessary  during  the 
recent  rain  to  keep  the  fires  gently  going  and  the 
ventilators  slightly  open,  and  even  now  the  degree 
of  humidity  in  the  air  necessitates  a  continuance — 
in  a  modified  form — of  the  same  treatment ;  when 
the  atmosphere  is  clear  the  ventilators  are  thrown 
wide  open,  but  are  closed  very  early  to  prevent 
condensation  of  moisture  on  the  fruit.  Indeed, 
this  is  why  we  advocate  slight  warmth  in  the  pipes 
at  all  times,  which  ensures  the  internal  air  being 
lighter  than  the  outside,  and  therefore  renders  con- 
densation of  moisture  an  impossibility.  Began  to 
prune  I'ears  on  wall ;  the  summer  pruning  we 
practise  leaves  but  little  to  be  done  at  this  season 
other  than  thinning  out  spurs  by  cutting  them 
clean  back  to  the  main  stems,  and  shortening 
others  that  are  getting  too  far  away  from  the  wall, 
and  therefore  out  of  range  of  protection,  not  to 
mention  their  ugly  appearance.  Hants. 


5272.— Material  for  glass  structures.— 
I  would  strongly  urge  "  Enquirer  "  not  to  use  a 
particle  of  Scotch  Fir  in  the  construction  of  glass- 
houses. Years  ago,  when  Mr.  Rivers  published  the 
first  edition  of  "  The  Orchard  House,'  a  large 
house  was  put  up  in  this  neighbourhood  in  which 
was  used  unplaued  Scotch  Fir,  which  grows  abun- 
dantly here.  The  event  was  disastrous,  the  rafters 
in  a  short  time  coming  inwards,  so  that  the  glass 
became  displaced,  and  in  the  course  of  a  few  years 
the  house  had  to  be  pulled  down.  Scotch  Fir 
rapidly  decays  if  much  exposed  to  the  weather, 
and  it  is  also  extremely  subject  to  the  attacks  of 
an  insect  resembling  .a  wasp,  but  smaller,  which 
bores  holes  in  the  wood  and  deposits  its  eggs, 
which  in  due  course  develop  into  maggots.  The 
latter  eat  their  way  into  the  solid  wood,  which 
in  time  becomes  honeycombed,  and  ultimately 
rots  or  falls  to  pieces.  It  does  not  matter  whether 
the  wood  is  exposed  to  the  weather  or  not ;  this 
insect  attacks  it  all  the  same  even  if  covered 
in  by  a  close  roof.  I  recently  saw  the  effect  of 
using  Scotch  Fir  for  the  rafters  of  a  shed.  This 
shed  has  not  been  erected  many  years,  but  it 
must  be  pulled  down  on  account  of  the  weakening 
and  decay  of  the  rafters  caused  through  the  opera- 
tions of  this  wood-boring  insect.  It  is  cheapest  in 
the  end  to  use  the  best  material  in  the  erection  of 
glasshouses,  and  every  sappy  bit  of  wood  should  be 
rejected,  as  in  spite  of  all  the  paint  that  can  be 


laid  on  it  the  wet  gets  into  it  and  rots  it  in  a  short 
time.  Many  are  now  using  I'itch  I'ine,  for  although 
this  costs — owing  to  its  hardness  -more  to  work 
up,  it  is  so  weather-resisting  as  to  need  but  little 
care  in  painting.— J.  C.  15. 


NOTES. 


Field  flowers. — "  What  ornament  is  there, 
what  supply  of  light  or  beauty  could  we  discover, 
at  once  exquisite  and  cheap,  that  should  furnish 


minds  you  of  the  beauties  of  creation,  and  gives 
you  a  link  with  the  poets  and  sages  that  have 
done  it  most  honour.  I'ut  but  a  Rose,  or  a  Lily, 
or  a  Violet  on  your  table,  and  you  and  Lord  llacon 

have  a  custom  in  common Flowers  on  a 

morning  table  bring  the  breath  of  Nature  into 
your  room  ;  they  seem  the  representations  and 
embodiments  of  the  very  smiles  of  your  home,  the 
graces  of  its  good-morrow."  Thus  writes  Leigh 
Hunt.  Indeed,  a  habit  of  cultivating  cheerful 
thoughts  and  surrounding  himself  by  lovely  objects 
conducive  to  inspire  refined  and  beautiful  ideas 
was  a  main  feature  in  his  daily  life. 

Green  leaves.— His  worship  of  Nature  was 
not  confined  to  bright  blossoms— the  budding 
bough  and  tenderest  little  leaflets  had  honour  of 
him— since  he  goes  on  to  say  that  *' Even  a  few 
leaves,  if  we  can  get  no  flowers,  are  far  better  than 
no  such  ornament  —a  branch  from  the  next  tree,  or 
the  next  herb  market,  or  some  twigs  that  have 
been  plucked  from  a  flowering  hedge.  They  are 
often,  nay,  always,  beautiful,  particularly  in 
spring,  when  their  green  is  tenderest.  The  first 
new  boughs  in  spring,  plucked  and  put  into  a 
water-bottle,  have  often  an  effect  that  may  com- 
pete with  flowers  themselves,  considering  their 
novelty,  and  indeed  '  leaves  would  be  counted 
flowers,  it  earth  had  none.'  For  our  part,  as  far 
as  ourself  alone  is  concerned,  it  seems  to  us  that 
we  would  not  be  mastered  by  the  blackest  storm 
of  existence,  in  the  worst  pass  that  our  pilgrimage 
could  bring  us  to,  as  long  as  we  had  shelter 
over  our  heads,  a  table  with  bread  and  a  cup  of 
tea  upon  it,  and  a  single  one  of  these  green  smiles 
upon  the  board,  to  show  us  that  good-natured 
Nature  was  alive.' 

The  tidylng-up  season  is  now  upon  us, 
and  old  flower-stalks  and  dead  leaves  will  all  be 
swept  up  and,  perhaps,  burned  on  the  rubbish  heap 
all  for  the  sake  of  neatness.  Perhaps  dead  stalks 
amid  a  swirl  of  sere  and  yellow  leaves  are  not 
quite  beautiful,  but  there  is  no  doubt  but  that 
Nature's  covering  during  winter  is  a  great  pro- 
tection and  help  to  the  plants  beneath.  l!ut  if  for 
neatness  sake  we  do  sweep  up  all  natural  ma- 
nure and  shelter,  we  must  at  least  add  something 
stimulating  to  the  soil  in  place  of  what  we  absc- 
lutely  carry  away.  Our  plan  is  to  wait  until  the 
November  gales  have  swept  the  leaves  around  the 
Hollies  and  other  shrubs  and  then  to  cover  them 
with  a  few  spadesful  of  earth.  In  shrub,  and 
especially  in  fruit  tree,  culture  there  are  one  or 
two  points  worth  attention.  We  must  never  for- 
get, for  example,  that  occupying,  as  they  do,  per- 
manent positions,  that  principle  described  as 
"change  of  soil"  or  "rotation  of  crops  "  is  in  their 
case  suspended  for  many  years,  and  even  the  ua- 


Gowslip  and  Centaury. 


our  humble  board  with  a  grace,  precious  in  the 
eyes  of  the  most  intelligent  among  the  rich  ? 
Flowers.  Set  flowers  on  your  table,  a  whole  nose- 
gay if  your  can  get  it,  or  but  two  or  three,  or  a 
single  flower,  a  Rose,  a  Fink,  nay,  a  Daisy.  Bring 
a  few  Daisies  and  Buttercups  from  your  last  field- 
walk,  and  keep  them  alive  in  a  little  water  ;  aye, 
preserve  but  a  branch  of  Clover,  or  a  hand- 
ful of  flowering  Grass — one  of  the  most  ele- 
gant as  well  as  cheap  of  Nature's  productions — 
and  you  have  something  on  your  table  that  re- 


tural  mulch  or  covering  of  dead  leaves  which 
Nature  gives  in  autumn  is  raked  or  brushed  away 
from  them  for  the  sake  of  neatness.  These  are 
reasons  why  hardy  plants,  and  fruit  trees  especi- 
ally, should  be  well  manured  at  least  once  every 
year  with  leaf-mould  or  well-rotted  manure. 

ChrysanthemumB.— "Now  is  the  winter 
of  our  discontent  made  glorious  summer  "  by  the 
many  hues  of  fringed  and  tasselled  and  quilled 
Chrysanthemums.  Not  only  are  our  own  gardens, 
private  as  well  as  public,  gay  with  them,  but  they 


426 


THE     GAEDEN 


[Nor.  15,  1884. 


are  equally  popular  in  America.  In  the  West, 
Dr.  Waloot,  Mr.  Thorpe,  and  others  are  now  add- 
ing much  to  the  variety  of  this  now  popular 
flower  by  raising  seedlings,  some  of  which  are 
quite  different  from  any  of  those  known  in  Europe 
All  who  are  interested  in  our  winter  queen 
should  see  the  beautiful  sketches  in  Harper's 
Maijaune  for  November,  in  which  Mr.  W.  H.  Gib- 
son has  given  us  some  idea  of  the  variety  and 
grace  of  these  American  kinds.  His  sketches  il- 
lustrate a  paper  by  Mr.  John  Thorpe,  and  it  is 
quite  evident  that  the  trammels  of  the  florist  are 
far  leas  regarded  in  the  West  than  here  with  us. 
The  twisted  fringe  and  quill  of  the  Japan  varie- 
ties, however,  are  welcome  here,  and  even  single 
or  Daisy-blossomed  kinds  are  tolerated  to-day, 
although  banished  for  years  from  our  gardens. 

Imperial  Kew. — Mr.  Joseph  Hatton  con- 
tributes an  interesting  paper  to  the  current 
number  of  Harper's  Magazine,  entitled  "A  Day 
with  Sir  Joseph  Hooker  at  Kew."  It  is,  moreover, 
illustrated  by  some  of  Alfred  Parsons'  lovely  little 
sketches  on  wood,  representing  glimpses  of  the 
Green  near  the  little  churchyard  sacred  to  the 
bones  of  Gainsborough,  the  Queen's  Cottage  in  the 
private  grounds,  and  some  characteristic  scenes  in 
the  Orchid  and  Palm  houses,  as  also  a  view  of  the 
big  Water  Lily  (Victoria  regia).  A  view  of  the 
lake  in  the  arboretum  is  especially  charming,  and 
there  is  a  good  portrait  of  Sir  Joseph  Hooker  him- 
self and  a  truthful  sketch  of  his  study.  Mr. 
Hatton  tells  us  that  the  little  paik  around  the 
Queen's  Cottage  is  a  real  wild  garden.  "One  day  in 
the  spring  I  walked  over  it,  and  it  was  a  little 
world  of  Bluebells ;  the  wild  Hyacinths  literally 
covered  every  yard  of  ground.  The  great  trees 
grew  up  as  it  were  out  of  them,  hiding  the  sky 
and  keeping  down  the  perfume  which  every  breeze 
seemed  to  stir  into  a  delicious  activity."  Again  we 
are  told  that  the  director's  special  work  just  now 
at  Kew  is  finding  out  what  is  desirable  for  a 
colony,  and  then  providing  it;  indeed.  Sir  Joseph 
never'seemed  more  pleased  than  when  discoursing 
upon  the  benefits  that  accrue  from  the  propagation 
and  cultivation  of  economic  plants. 

H  ar  vest  feativalB.-^"  E  very  church  has  been 
gay  with  harvest  festival  decorations,  and  this  year 
it  seems  as  if  people  had  come  to  their  senses  in 
the  matter,  and  while  taking  care  that  the  harvest 
itself  is  well  represented,  have  not  produced  that 
appearance  of  a  horticultural  show  which  was  so 
usual  when  harvest  festivals  were  firsit  organised. 
Perhaps  one  of  the  very  prettiest  effects  was  pro- 
duced by  a  bordering  of  dark  Box,  with  tiny  bou- 
quets of  Corn  and  scarlet  berries  from  the  hedge 
Iris,  arranged  alternately.  These  berries  are  most 
valuable  for  all  church  work,  and  should  be 
gathered  now  and  preserved  for  the  swiftly  coming 
Christmas  festivities.  Mountain  Ash  berries  are 
also  most  valuable,  and  their  colour  can  be  kept 
as  fresh  as  possible  by  either  sealing  the  stalk  of 
each  bunch,  or  else  dipping  the  berries  into  spirits 
of  wine.  If  Holly  berries  are  scarce,  they  look 
exactly  like  them  at  a  distance,  although  they  are 
really  a  much  yellower  shade  of  red.  Artificial 
berries  are  out  of  place  in  church  work,  and  a 
little  foresight  in  autumn  would  always  render 
them  quite  unnecessary."  A  friend  of  mine  has 
this  year  used  the  long  wreaths  of  Black  Briony 
(Tamus)  berries  with  excellent  effect  in  harvest 
festivities,  together  with  the  silvery  pods  of  the 
common  Honesty  (Lunaria),;the  glowing  Chinese 
lantern-like  fruits  of  the  Winter  Cherry  (Physalis), 
and  the  ever  graceful  leaves  and  flower-stems  of 
the  Banshee's  Kod  or  Bulrush  (Typha),  which 
are  most  effective  contrasted  with  Pampas  plumes. 

The  Blue  Gum  — "  What  kinds  of  seeds  are 
most  asked  for  by  your  correspondents  at  the 
present  time  /  '  was  the  question  put  to  Sir  Joseph 
Hooker  some  time  ago.  "  The  Eucalyptus, '  was 
the  reply,  "  and  we  have  good  reports  of  it  from 
Assouan,  l^engal,  Bombay,  Jamaica,  Saharunpore, 
Singapore,  Zanzibar,  and  other  places."  "  While 
the  Eucalyptus,  or  Australian  Blue  Gum  tree,  de- 
stroys malaria  and  keeps  off  mosquitoes  in  marshy 
soil,  it  has  no  such  effect  on  dry  soil.  The  difference 
is  ascribed  by  a  German  scientist  to  the  fact  that 


the  tree  is  constructed  to  act  as  an  evaporating 
machine,  and  so  does  its  work  best  in  marshy  land. 
A  feature  of  the  tree  is  its  adaptability  to  different 
climates,  it  being  now  grown  in  almost  every 
civilised  country  where  frosts  do  not  occur."  In 
a  word,  the  beneficial  influence  of  this  quick- 
growing  tree  would  seem  to  be  mechanical  rather 
than  medicinal.  Its  action  is  that  of  a  powerful 
natural  pump,  extracting  moisture  from  the  earth 
by  its  far-reaching  roots,  then  distilling  it,  and 
throwing  off  the  surplus  by  respiration.  In  cold 
countries  Poplars  serve  the  same  purpose,  and  a 
crop  of  Sunflowers  would  in  this  way  do  as  much 
perhaps  as  the  Blue  Gum  in  warding  off  malaria. 

Mangoes. — What  the  finest  of  Peaches  or 
Pears  are  in  Europe,  the  Mango  may  be  said  to  be 
in  those  tropical  countries  where  it  will  thrive, 
and  if  Mr.  Maries  (see  p.  372)  follows  up  his  idea 
and  produces  a  good  monograph  of  this  delicious 
tropical  fruit,  he  will  do  good  service,  and  gain 
the  thanks  of  many  Europeansand  Orientals  alike. 
No  written  description  could  do  justice  to  such  a 
deliciously  variable  fruit  as  the  Mango  un- 
doubtedly is  when  eaten  fresh  from  the  tree.  The 
seedling  varieties  are  innumerable,  but  the  best 
are  carefully  perpetuated  by  grafting.  As  with 
Pears,  so  with  Mangoes.  Some  are  rich,  some 
piquant,  others  overflow  with  delicate  juice,  while 
there  are  some  with  melting  flesh  of  quite  a  buttery 
nature,  and  an  exquisite  flavour  too  subtle  for 
words. '^The  tree  itself  is  beautiful— something  like 
a  large-leaved  Portugal  Laurel.  Near  the  Equator 
two  crops  are  produced  every  year,  and  the  young 
growth  of  the  tree  is  of  a  bright  red  tint,  quite 
ornamental.  Now  and  then  you  may  get  Mangoes 
in  Covent  Garden,  but  they  are  generally  of  the 
"  tow  and  turpentine  "  order,  or  second  rate  at  the 
best. 

A  new  Daffodil  book  is  promised  us  by 
Mr.  Barr,  and,  judging  from  the  proof-sheets 
which  we  have  seen,  it  will  prove  of  considerable 
service  and  interest  to  all  lovers  of  the  Narcissus. 
Its  main  value  as  a  work  of  reference  consists  in  a 
complete  list  of  some  450  varieties  of  these 
charming  spring  flowers,  and  it  is  illustrated  with 
two  portraits  of  John  Parkinson,  who  was  in  1629 
the  original  monographer  of  the  genus.  Mr. 
Barr's  list  of  species  and  varieties  includes  all 
those  known  or  grown  in  English  gardens  for  a 
period  of  at  least  three  centuries.  The  work  will 
consist  of  forty -four  pages,  and  being  similar  in 
form  and  size  to  Burbidge's  "  Narcissus,"  it  may  be 
bound  up  with  that  work  as  a  useful  appendix. 
Verily  Mr.  Barr  is   the  champion  of  the  Daffodil  I 

Ipomsea  rubro-ccerulea — This  is  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  of  all  climbing  plants  for  a 
warm  and  sunny  stove,  blooming  as  it  does  during 
the  autumn  and  winter  months.  Its  flowers  are 
large  and  of  the  most  lovely  sky  blue  colour  with 
a  soft  white  throat.  There  is  also  a  milk-white 
variety  scarcely  less  interesting.  Our  plants  of 
both,  now  blooming,  were  raised  from  Mr.  Thomp- 
son's seed  sown  in  March  last.  Like  most  other  tro- 
pical Bindweeds,  this  Ipomica  requires  plenty  of 
room  to  display  itself  and  liberal  pot  culture,  or 
planting  out  in  a  bed  or  border  is  essential  for 
securing  the  best  results.  Our  plan  is  to  train 
the  main  shoots  up  strings  to  the  roof  of  a  tall 
house  from  whence  the  lateral  growths  and  ter- 
minal flowering-stems  hang  at  their  own  sweet 
will. 

Ootoneaster  frigida  is  just  now  one  of  the 
most  effective  of  all  our  berry-bearing  trees,  and 
to  see  its  coral  clusters  of  fruit  as  they  stand 
out  against  a  fleecy  sky  on  a  sunny  November 
day  is  a  pretty  sight ;  indeed,  it  is  so  distinct  and 
effective,  that  the  wonder  is  it  is  so  rarely  seen  in 
good  gardens.  C.  Simonsi  is  also  very  pretty 
trained  on  walls  with  the  golden  Japanese  Jas- 
mine (J.  nudiflorum)  for  company,  and  the  Pyra- 
cantha  is  brilliant  on  some  soils.  I  saw  a  bush  of 
it  the  other  day  on  a  sunny  wall  growing  amongst 
golden-leaved  Ivy,  and  the  effect  was  really  so 
cheerful  and  pleasing,  that  1  shall  try  the  combi- 
nation for  myself ;  but  all  these  are  only  shrubs, 
while  the  subject  of  my  note,  Cotoneaster  frigida, 
really  forms  a  good  sized  tree.  Veeonica. 


Flower  Garden. 


LEEDS'  SEEDLING  NARCISSI. 

Some  time  ago  I  said  that  the  late  Mr.  Edward 
Leeds  gave  us  no  information  as  to  the  origin  of 
his  seedling  and  hybrid  Narcissi,  but  I  have 
recently  found  out  I  was  mistaken  in  this,  and  so 
now  hasten  to  make  reparation.  I  am  indebted 
to  a  fair  lover  of  Narcissus  for  a  reference  to 
Ayres  and  Moore's  "  Gardener's  Magazine  of 
Botany,"  where  in  vol.  iii ,  at  pp.  169  and  289,  we 
really  find  not  only  ample  detailed  descriptions 
of  six  varieties  of  new  seedling  Narcissi,  but  also 
some  interesting  information  as  to  how  these  were 
originated,  as  also  some  most  valuable  details  as 
to  the  rearing  of  seedling  Narcissi  generally  from 
Mr.  Leeds'  own  pen.  It  is  most  interesting  to  find 
him  acknowledging  the  writings  of  his  contem- 
porary, the  late  Dean  Herbert,  on  the  same  subject, 
and,  as  has  been  before  suggested,  it  seems  quite 
possible  that  Mr.  Leeds  was  encouraged  by 
the  information  on  the  hybridising  of  Narcissus 
previously  published  by  the  Dean  of  Manchester 
and  others,  even  if  these  writings  were  not 
actually  the  original  inducement  of  his  efforts  in 
this  direction.  It  may  here  be  mentioned  that 
hybrid  Narcissi  raised  by  Dean  Herbert  in  his 
garden  at  Spoflorth  were  figured  and  desciibed  in 
Lindley's  "  Botanical  Register"  for  1813. 

As  we  have  said,  Ayres  and  Moore's  valuable 
magazine  was  published  in  1850-61,  and  it  is 
therein  clearly  stated  that  Mr.  Leeds  had  already 
been  engaged  in  the  rearing  of  Narcissus  seedlings 
and  hybrids  for  many  years  previously.  All  this  is 
very  pleasant  to  know  now  that  Mr.  Leeds'  Nar- 
cissi are  so  abundant  in  our  gardens  and  so 
beautiful  withal.  The  following  are  the  descrip- 
tions and  directions  to  which  I  have  alluded,  but 
all  who  are  interested  should  lose  no  opportunity 
of  seeing  the  original  work  and  its  illustrations 
for  themselves.  It  only  remains  for  me  to  say 
that  all  these  six  varieties  are  now  in  cultivation. 
Tlie  only  figure  about  which  there  is  any  doubt  is 
that  purporting  to  be  a  portrait  of  N.  bicolor  var. 
maximus  (  =  N.  grandis).  Is  this  really  the  N. 
bicolor  maximus  of  our  gardens  to-day  ?  If  so, 
then  the  artist  painted  a  young  flower  and  em- 
phasised the  yellowish  hue  of  the  perianth  segments 
a  little  too  much.  To  my  mind  the  figure  is  more 
suggestive  of  N.  b.  primulinus  (=  N.  Dean  Herbert), 
or  perhaps  N.  b.  sulphurescens  ( =  N.  Michael 
Foster),  seeing  that  the  perianth  segments  are 
yellow  and  not  milk  white,  as  they  are  in  the  true 
N.  b.  maximus  of  our  gardens  to-day. 

Having  said  this  much  by  way  of  introduction, 
I  must  let  the  following  transcripts  tell  their  own 
tale : — 

In  the  "  Gardener's  Magazine  of  Botany  "  for 
the  year  1851,  page  169,  three  varieties  of  seedling 
Narcissi  are  figured  on  a  lithographed  plate,  C.  T. 
Rosenberg  being  the  artist.  These  three  varieties 
are  described  as  follows  : — 

No  1.  N.  pocuLiroEMia  elegans. — Flowers 
large  ;  segments  of  the  perianth  more  than  twice 
the  length  of  the  cup,  somewhat  undulated,  creamy 
white,  cup  cyathiform,  with  a  crennlate  nankin- 
coloured  margin ;  epathe  narrow  and  much 
elongated. 

No.  2.  N.  Leedsi. — Flowers  large;  segments 
of  the  perianth  broadly  and  obtusely  oval,  about 
twice  the  length  of  the  cup,  yellow,  spreading 
plane  ;  cup  between  cyathiform  and  cnpulate, 
deep  yellow  ;  the  margin  indistinctly  lobed,  and  of 
a  deep  bright  orange  colour ;  spathe  somewhat 
elongated. 

No.  3.  N.  MAJOR  SUPEEBUS. — Flowers  very  deep 
yellow  ;  segments  ovate  spreading ;  scarcely 
equalling  the  broad  campanulate  cup,  which  is 
plaited,  deeply  lobed,  and  spreading  at  the  margin ; 
spathe  short,  obtuse.  The  fine  varieties  of  Nar- 
cissus represented  in  the  accompanying  plate  are 
seedlings  raised  by  E.  Leeds,  Esq  ,  of  St.  Ann's, 
Manchester,  a  gentleman  who  has  been  for  many 
years  engaged  in  the  cross-breeding  of  this  tribe 
of  plants,  and  who  has  originated  many  distinct 
and  beautiful  varieties.    Those  now  figured  along 


Nov.  Ifi,    1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


427 


with  some  other  very  handsome  seedlings,  which 
we  shall  publish  shortly,  were  most  obligingly 
sent  to  us  last  April  by  Mr.  Leeds,  who  gives  the 
following  account  of  their  origin  :  The  variety 
poculiformis  elegans  was  obtained  from  poculi- 
formis  (montanus)  crossed  with  angustifolius 
or  poeticus.  N.  Leedsi,  differing  chiefly  from  in- 
comparabilis  in  the  colour  of  the  margin  oE  the 
cup,  was  produced  from  major  crossed  with  poeti- 
cus,  which  latter  has  communicated  to  it  the  deep 
orange  ring.  N.  major  superbus  is  a  seedling  from 
major  or  Ajax  maximus.  "There  is  no  end," 
writes  BIr.  Leeds,  "  to  the  varieties  and  elegant 
forms  that  may  be  obtained.  It  is  quite  clear, 
however,  that  incomparabilis  is  no  species.  I  think 
bicolor  is  not  a  species,  and  that  the  number  of 
species  is  very  small.  The  late  Dean  Herbert  in 
his  papers  on  this  tribe  mentions  N.  montanus  (or 
Tros  poculiformis)  as  being  difficult  to  obtain 
seeds  from.  I  have  three  crops  of  seedlings  from 
this  crossed  both  with  long  and  short-tubed  kinds ; 
it  will  cress  with  Ajax  of  all  sorts,  with  poeticus 
and  angustifolius,  and  I  think  with  the  Rush- 
leaved  species.  Calathinas  never  seeds  with  me, 
but  its  pollen  fertilises  the  long-tubed  species. 
liicolor  seeds  occasionally,  but  not  freely.  I  have 
varieties  from  this  with  angustifolius,  poeticus, 
and  poculiformis,  also  pumilus  ;  they  are  all  very 
distinct  and  curious.  Moschatus  and  torluosus 
seed  pretty  freely;  they  will  cross  with  poeticus, 
poculiformis,  and  any  of  the  long-tubed  kinds,  and 
the  produce  is  always  beautiful.  I  think  much 
remains  to  be  done  in  the  production  of  fine 
hybrids  of  this  beautiful  tribe  of  plants,  and  it 
may  be  mentioned  these  are  not  ephemeral 
productions  like  many  modern  florist's  flowers,  but 
will  last  for  centuries  with  very  little  care,  as  the 
common  kinds  have  done  in  our  gardens."  In  the 
same  volume,  p.  289,  is  another  coloured  plate  as 
before  likewise  containing  three  of  Mr.  Leeds' 
seedlings.     These  are  as  follows  ; — 

N:.  1.  N.  Aur.EO-TiNCTUS. — Flowers  large;  seg- 
ments of  the  perianth  twice  as  long  as  the  cup, 
oblong-lanceolate,  spreading,  sulphur  coloured  ; 
cup  almost  cylindrical,  yellow,  faintly  tinged  with 
orange  on  the  margin  ;  spathe  one-liowered,  about 
as  long  as  the  pedicel. 

No.  2.  X.  INCOMPARABILIS  EXPANSUS.— Flowers 

large ;  segments  of  the  perianth  oblong-obtuse, 
mucronate,  plane,  spreading  sulphur-yellow  ;  cup 
short,  expanded,  and  indistinctly  lobed,  bright 
yellow,  spathe  rather  exceeding  the  pedicel. 

Ko.  3.  N.  BICOLOK  MAXIMUS. — Flowers  large; 
segments  oE  the  perianth  oblong-ovate,  spreading, 
pale  yellow,  equalling  the  larger  deeperyellow  fun- 
nel-shaped cup,  which  is  lobed  and  wavy  at  the 
margin  ;  spathe  one-flowered,  more  than  twice  as 
long  as  the  pedicel;  leaves  IJ  inches  broad. 

Here  again  we  are  told  that  "  the  annexed 
figures  are  representations  of  some  other  of  the 
seedling  Narcissi  raised  by  E.  Leeds,  Esq.,  of 
Manchester,  and  referred  to  at  p.  169.  The 
varieties  now  published,  though  perhaps  less 
strikingly  novel  in  appearance  than  those  just 
alluded  to,  are  yet  very  handsome  and  showy 
plants,  and  quite  different  from  any  of  the  kinds 
at  present  in  cultivation.  The  most  remarkable 
is  perhaps  N.  bicolor  maximus,  which  has 
leaves  resembling  those  of  I'ancratium  maritimum 
more  than  the  foliage  of  a  Narcissus  ;  the  flowers 
too  are  very  large,  though  not  possessing  novelty 
of  colour.  In  this  respect  N.  aureo-tinctus,  with 
its  pretty  tinge  of  orange  on  the  cup,  is  a  desirable 
variety,  though  possessing  a  less  perfect  form  than 
some  others  as  regards  the  perianth  ;  it  is  remark- 
able also  for  its  straight-sided  cup.  N.  incom- 
parabilis expansus  is  remarkable  for  the  wide- 
spreading  form  of  its  cup  and  the  broad  flat  lobes 
of  its  perianth.  The  variety  N.  bicolor  maximus, 
was  obtained  from  bicolor,  crossed  either  with 
maximus  or  propinquus;  N.  aureo-tinctus,  Mr. 
Leeds  believes  to  have  been  produced  between 
propinquus  and  calathinus;  while  N.  incompara- 
bilis expansus  is  the  offspring  of  major  crossed 
with  poeticus." 

There  are  two  names  used  in  the  above  descrio- 
tions  which  requiie  some  ezplanatioD,    Thus  the 


N.  calatliinus  mentioned  by  Mr.  Leeds  is  a  variety 
of  N.  odorus,  a  Uuth-leaved  kind,  that  will  be 
found  figured  in  the  Bofuniad  Maijininr,  vol.  xxiv., 
t.  y:U,  under  the  erroneous  name  of  calathinus. 

N.  pumilus,  again,  is  Herbert's  name  for  N. 
(Ajax)  minimus.  There  is  also  a  N.  pumilus 
figured  in  liedoute's'-LesLiliacces,"  t.  40'J.  Under 
the  head  of  "Culture,"  at  page  ICy,  the  editors 
publish  some  hints  on  raising  seedlings  and 
their  treatment,  for  which  they  were  indebted 
to  Mr.  Leeds.  The  advice  of  such  a  veteran 
is  well  worth  repetition  now  that  so  many 
of  our  Narcissus  amateurs  are  engaged  in 
hybridising  and  cross-breeding  experiments.  "  To 
obtain  good  varieties,"  says  Mr.  Leeds,  "  it  is 
needful  the  previous  season  to  plant  the  roots  of 
some  of  each  kind  in  pots  and  to  bring  them  into 
the  greenhouse  in  spring  to  flower,  so  as  to  obtain 
pollen  of  the  late-flowering  kinds  to  cross  with 
those  which  otherwise  would  have  passed  away 
before  these  were  in  flower.  With  me  the  plants 
always  seed  best  in  the  open  ground.  When  the 
seed-vessels  begin  to  swell  the  flower-stems  should 
be  carefully  tied  up  and  watched  until  the  seeds 
turn  black.  I  do  not  wait  until  the  seed-vessel 
bursts,  as  many  seeds  in  that  case  fall  to  the 
ground  and  are  lost,  but  take  them  off  when 
mature  with  a  portion  of  the  stem,  which  I  insert 
in  the  earth  in  a  seed  pot  or  pan  provided 
for  their  reception.  I  place  them  in  a  north  aspect, 
and  the  seeds  in  due  season  are  shed  as  it  were 
naturally  into  the  pot  of  earth.  I  allow  the  seeds 
to  harden  for  a  month  on  the  surface  before  cover- 
ing them  with  half  an  inch  depth  of  sandy  soil 
The  soil  should  be  two-thirds  pure  loam  and  one- 
third  sharp  sand  ;  the  drainage  composed  of  rough 
and  turfy  soil.  In  October  I  plunge  the  seed  pots 
in  a  cold  frame  facing  the  south,  and  the  young 
plants  begin  to  appear  in  December  and  through- 
out the  winter,  according  to  their  kinds  and  the 
mildness  of  the  weather.  It  is  needful  in  their 
earliest  stages  to  look  well  after  slugs  and  snails. 
The  seedlings  should  be  protected  from  frosts,  but 
should  have  abundance  of  air,  or  they  will  soon 
draw.  As  soon  as  they  will  stand  exposure 
plunge  the  pots  under  some  sheltered  wall  or 
hedge,  and  they  will  form  their  first  bulbs. 
Let  them  become  dry  in  summer,  and  if  it  be 
a  wet  season,  turn  the  pots  on  their  sides 
until  the  time  for  them  to  grow  again.  Let  them 
remain  in  the  seed  pots  and  top-dress  them  with 
fresh  loamy  soil.  When  the  bulbs  are  two  years 
old,  prepare,  in  an  open,  airy  situation,  a  bed  of 
good  loam  mixed  with  sharp  sand  ;  prepare  the 
bed  as  for  Tulips,  kc,  covering  the  entire  surface 
with  sand,  in  which  the  bulbs  should  be  embedded; 
plant  the  roots  in  rows  ,?  inches  apart,  and  each 
root  1  inch  apart  in  the  row.  They  will  stand 
three  years  in  this  bed,  when  they  may  be  finally 
removed  into  a  fresh  bed  of  similar  soil  to  flower  ; 
a  few  will  flower  the  fifth  year,  but  the  greater 
portion  not  until  the  seventh.  I  do  not  take  up 
the  flowering  roots  of  tener  than  every  third  season, 
but  top-dress  the  beds  every  autumn.  A  little 
thoroughly  decayed  hotbed  manure  mixed  with 
the  surface  soil  aids  them  to  produce  fine  flowers, 
but  it  must  be  well  decomposed,  or  it  will  do  harm 
The  beds  should  be  well  drained,  the  prepared  soil 
at  least  2  feet  deep,  and  the  situation  sheltered 
from  north  and  east  winds,  which  do  much  damage 
to  the  flowers." 

To  Mr.  Leeds'  advice,  one  of  the  editors  (Mr. 
Jloore)  adds  the  following  note :  "  When  the 
strength  of  the  flowering  bulbs  is  an  object  they 
should  not  be  permitted  to  produce  seeds  except 
such  as  may  be  actually  required,  as  in  hybridising 
experiments  or  for  the  purpose  of  increasing  the 
stock  of  rare  kinds.  This,  indeed,  is  a  general 
principle  in  the  culture  of  flowering  plants,  but 
is  sometimes  overlooked  in  practice.  Nor  in 
transplanting  should  the  bulbs  be  kept  out  of  the 
ground  longer  than  sufficient  to  dry  and  rest 
them." 

I  hope  we  shall  be  able  to  secure  other  reliable 
accounts  of  Mr.  Leeds'  life  history  and  work — in- 
deed, of  all  those  who  have  in  any  way  helped  to 
enrich  our  gardens  with  these  most  lovely  flowers 
of  spring.  F.  W.  Bubbidge. 


Aolphylla  equarrosa  has  done  well  this 
season  bedded  out  in  the  Edinburgh  Botanic 
Garden.  In  the  neighbourhood  of  London  this 
and  many  other  New  Zealand  plants  get  affected 
by  the  damp  foggy  weather  which  we  experience. 
Some  large  beds,  part  of  a  design  cut  out  in  Grass 
in  front  of  the  houses  at  Edinburgh,  were  filled 
with  this  plant,  and  well  it  looked,  its  long  spiny, 
beautifully  glaucous  leaves  being  very  handsome. 
I  am  told  that  here  even  in  winter'.this  plant  gives 
no  trouble  whatever,  a  statement  borne  out  by 
its  robust  and  healthy  growth.  In  a  bed  close  by 
Erica  vulgaris  with  double  flowers^.was  in  full 
Hoom,  and  a  fine  sight  it  was. —  K. 

Tigridias. — These  were  unusually  fine  with 
us  throughout  August  and  September.  I  grow 
them  in  a  bed  adjoining  an  Orchid  pit,  with  an  air 
drain  under  the  bed  connected  with  a  stoke-hole 
which  is  8  feet  below  the  ground  level.  The  bed, 
when  made  up,  is  well  dressed  with  old  hotbed 
manure,  composed  of  three-quarters  leaves  and 
one-quarter  stable  litter.  I  planted  the  bulbs 
about  the  middle  of  April ;  they  grew  .3  feet  high 
and  produced  very  fine  blooms.  We  are  now 
gathering  seed  every  day  or  two  as  it  ripens,  pro- 
tecting it  with  thin  shading  on  frosty  nights.  I 
have  a  good  batch  oE  seedlings,  raised  from  seed 
sown  last  spring,  for  planting  next  April.  Nothing 
can  be  more  gorgeous  than  a  well-grown  bed  of 
Tigridia  Pavonia  when  in  flower. — John  Gar- 
land, Kilh'Hun,  Exeter. 

Oaraation  mounds.— In  front  of  a  pretty 
cottage  belonging  to  the  owner  of  a  small  farm, 
who  is  also  an  enthusiastic  gardener,  are  masses 
of  Carnations  and  Pinks  growing  on  a  mound. 
These,  I  was  told,  were  planted  ten  years  ago  ; 
large  rustic  blocks  of  tree  trunks,  with  part  of  the 
middle  scooped  out  to  hold  soil,  were  placed  there, 
and  the  Carnations  and  Pinks  planted  in  them. 
There  the  original  plants  have  remained.  As  the 
wood  decayed  and  the  soil  shrunk,  more  good 
mould  was  added,  until  now  only  the  skeletons  of 
the  blocks  are  left,  and  nothing  can  be  seen  but 
an  attractive,  natural-looking  mound  of  strong, 
healtliy  Grass,  the  foliage  of  the  Carnations;  very 
charming,  too,  the  latter  are  when  covered,  as  they 
are  naturally  with  their  fragrant  and  beautiful 
flowers. — A.  M.,  Cranmore. 

The  Tree  Poppy  (Romneya  Coulteri),  well 
figured  from  a  drawing  by  Mr.  Moon  in  last  num- 
ber of  The  Garden,  size  of  nature,  is  the  only 
plant  hitherto  honoured  with  a  coloured  portrait 
twice  in  The  Garden.  It  was  the  superb  beauty 
of  the  plant  at  Munstead  this  summer  that  made 
u^  resolve  to  figure  it  again.  The  first  plate  was 
from  specimens  not  nearly  so  fine.  It  is  difKcult 
to  find  any  terms  which  give  a  just  idea  of  the 
airy  grace  of  this  fragile-looking,  but  tall  and 
wiry,  bush  with  blossoms  like — well,  we  seek  in  vain 
for  a  comparison,  for  we  have  seen  nothing  so  fair 
in  the  way  of  a  flower  as  these  enormous  white 
blossoms,  with  the  rich  yellow  mass  of  stamens 
bossed  in  the  centre  of  the  translucent  petals, 
plaited  in  texture  and  so  fine  in  form,  as  to  bear 
comparison  with  the  drapery  of  a  fine  Greek 
statue.  We  think  the  name  Tree  Poppy  a  good 
one  for  this  plant. 

Naroiesus  princeps.— "  F.  W.  B."  (p.  3G4) 
states  that  this  Daffodil  is  naturalised  in  Ireland 
by  tens  of  thousands  ;  this  may  be  so,  and,  person- 
ally, am  quite  willing  to  wait  till  the  point  is 
proven.  I  should  not  be  surprised,  if  the  subject 
was  looked  into,  that  more  of  this  Daffodil  has  up 
to  the  present  time  gone  from  England  and  Hol- 
land to  Ireland  than  have  been  shipped  from  Ire- 
land to  England.  I  have  corresponded  a  great 
deal  with  amateurs  living  in  different  part  of  Ire- 
land, and,  curious  to  say,  only  two  had  this  plant, 
and  one  of  the  two  had  a  clump  or  two,  while  the 
other  has  no  great  quantity.  The  question  is  one 
easily  settled,  seeing  how  generally  The  Garden 
is  read  in  Ireland.  Does  "  F.  W.  B.''  really  mean 
that  N.  princeps  is  wild  in  Ireland  in  the  sense 
that  N.  pseudo-Narcissus  is  wild  in  England,  that 
is,  found  in  places  where  it  is  probable  no  human 
habitation  ever  existed  1  "  F,  W.  B."  asks  if 
N.  princeps  is  wild  in  Holland,    I  cannot  answer 


428 


THE     GARDEN 


[Nov.  IJ.  1884. 


that  question  with  certainty,  but  so  far  as  my  en- 
quiries have  gone  there  is  but  one  Narcissus  wild 
in  Holland  viz.,  pseudo-Narcissus,  and  it  is  not 
plentiful.  I  have  seen  clumps  o£  N.  spurius  grow- 
ing by  the  side  of  canals  in  Holland,  but  not  as 
a  wild  plant.  If  England  chose  now  to  compete 
in  the  Daffodil  line  with  Holland,  it  would  be  an 
easy  matter,  as  I  doubt  not  that  in  quantity  we 
have  more  of  these  roots  than  there  is  in  Holland, 
and  we  have  a  soil  that  can  grow  them  better. 
Still,  bulb  growing  is  a  trade  in  Holland,  and  en- 
joying the  flowers  is  a  pleasure  in  England. 
1".  Barb. 


THE  WHITE  AND  ORANGE  LILIES. 

What  hardy  flowers  have  held  such  high  rank 
for  so  long  in  our  gardens  as  these  two  beautiful 
Lilies  ?  For  nearly  .SOO  years  have  they  been  the 
especial  favourites  of  flower  lovers.  The  white 
Lily  has  always  been  a  particular  favourite,  and 
it  has  been  the  theme  of  the  poets,  the  model  of 
painters,  and  the  symbol  of  spotless  purity.  It  is 
peculiarly  a  cottagers  flower,  for  while  it  grows 
and  flowers  with  the  greatest  freedom  in  old- 
fashioned  cottage  plots,  it  absolutely  refuses  to 
even  grow  if  subjected  to  the  coddling  treatment 


Lilium  croceura. 


which  the  majority  of  newer  Lilies  undergo. 
Again,  as  regards  the  sturdy  orange  Lily,  L. 
croceum,  what  finer  object  can  there  be  in 
early  summer  than  a  bold  clump  of  it  peeping  out 
of  the  fringe  of  a  shrubbery  ?  The  massive  heads 
of  apricot-yellow  flowers  vie  in  brightness  with 
those  of  any  other  Lily.  As  it  flowers  earlier  than 
the  white  Lily,  both  are  seldom  seen  in  flower  to 


gether ;  but  it  such  could  be  the  case,  what  beauti- 
ful harmony  of  colour  would  be  the  result. 
Innumerable  recipes  have  been  given  from  time  to 
time  in  The  Garden  for  the  successful  culture  of 
the  white  Lily,  but  after  all  a  great  deal  of  the 
success  depends  upon  the  locality,  and  particularly 
on  the  character  of  the  soil.  The  orange  Lily 
is  not  so  fastidious,  although  some  experience  a 
little  difliculty  with  it,  particularly  in  chalky  soils. 
It  never  seems  to  thrive  better  and  certainly  never 
shows  to  better  advantage  than  when  peeping  out 
of  the  fringe  of  a  Rhododendron  bed,  the  deep  leaf- 
age of  the  shrubs  being  an  admirable  set  off  to 
the  flowers.  The  white  Lily,  on  the  contrary,  must 
have  an  open  spot,  though  not  too  much  exposed, 
in  order  to  successfully  grow  it.  Moreover,  the  soil 
must  be  of  a  heavier  description  than  that  of 
a  Rhododendron  bed,  and  nothing  seems  to  suit  it 
so  well  as  a  stiffish  loamy  soil  that  baa  been  under 
cultivation  for  generations. 


SOCIETIES. 


ROYAL  HORTICULTURAL. 
Nov.  II. 
The  principal  exhibits  on  this  occasion  were 
Chrysanthemums,  of  which  there  was  an  attractive 
display,  composed  chiefly  of  new  sorts  submitted 
for  the  opinion  of  the  committees.  First-class 
certificates  were  awarded  to  the  following;  — 

Cattleya  tbiophthalma. — A  hybrid  Orchid, 
said  to  be  a  cross  between  C.  superba  and  C. 
exoniensis.  The  flowers  bear  a  strong  resemblance 
to  those  of  Lx'liaelegans,  being  of  about  the  same 
size,  with  rosy  sepals  and  a  deep  amethyst-tinted 
lip.  Though  pretty,  this  is  quite  a  second-rate 
hybrid  compared  with  others  which  have  been 
raised  by  Messrs.  Veitch.  Shown  by  Mr.  Dalian- 
tine,  gardener  to  Baron  Schroeder,  The  Dell, 
Egham. 

Aerides  Sandkrianum. — Probably  the  finest 
of  all  the  species  of  the  section  of  Aerides  to  which 
it  belongs,  and  is  even  finer  than  the  new  A.  Law- 
rences. The  latter,  together  with  A.  Sanderianum, 
may  be  best  described  as  magnified  forms  of  A. 
odoratum,  the  flowers  being  similar  in  form,  but 
twice  as  large.  The  flowers  of  A.  Sanderianum 
have  creamy  white  sepals  tipped  with  the  intensest 
carmine,  while  the  fragrance  is  powerful  and  de- 
licious. It  is  unquestionably  a  first-ra'^e  Orchid, 
and  one  of  she  finest  of  new  introductions.  The 
plant,  exhibited  by  Mr.  Lee,  Downside,  Leather- 
head,  bore  a  fine  long  raceme  of  flowers. 

Ipom.'ea  Tiiomsoni, — The  new  stove  climber 
which  has  been  described  as  a  white  variety  of 
the  well-known  I.  Horsfallia;,  which  it  so  much  re- 
sembles in  growth.  The  flowers  are  pure  white, 
but  the  specimen  shown  on  this  occasion  by 
Messrs.  Veitch  did  not  represent  the  plant  in  good 
condition.  It  will  probably  prove  a  desirable 
stove  climber. 

Oncidi  um  incurvum  album.— This  differs  from 
the  type  only  by  the  flowers  being  white  instead 
of  rose.  It  is  an  extremely  rare  Orchid.  It  was 
shown  by  Mr.  Lee,  Downside,  Leatherhead. 

CUPRESSUS  Lawsoniana  Fleeti.  —  Of  the 
numerous  varieties  of  this  variable  Cypress  now  in 
cultivation  we  have  never  seen  one  so  distinct 
from  the  original  as  this.  The  growth  is  different, 
stiffer,  and  more  erect,  while  every  part  of  the 
plant  is  covered  with  a  bluish  grey  glaucous  hue, 
giving  it  a  most  ornamental  appearance.  Exhi- 
bited by  the  raiser,  Mr.  G.  Fleet,  Uckfield. 

Caraguata  angdstipolia.— a  Bromeliaceous 
plant  of  a  dwarf  tufted  habit  of  growth,  somewhat 
resembling  a  Tillandsia.  In  the  middle  of  the 
rosette  of  leaves  a  dwarf  flower-spike  is  produced, 
scarcely  overtopping  the  foliage.  This  is  furnished 
with  bright  scarlet  bracts,  while  the  tubular 
flowers  are  of  a  clear  chrome-yellow.  If  it  habitu- 
ally flowers  at  this  season,  it  may  prove  a  useful 
decorative  plant.     Shown  by  Messrs  Veitch. 

A'inURNUM  TiNUS  aureo-marginatum. — A 
golden-edged-leaved  Laurustinus,  pretty  and  dis- 
tinct, as  the  variegation  is  pronounced  and  con- 
stant.   It  will  be  valuable  for  conservatory  deco- 


ration in  winter,  even  it  it  is  not  hardy  in  the 
open.  Exhibited  by  Messrs.  Lee  &  Sons,  The 
Vineyard  Nursery,  Hammersmith. 

Pelargonium  La  Cvgne.— The  finest  double 
white  zonal  variety  yet  raised.  The  trusses  are 
large  and  dense,  and  each  flower  is  quite  a  rosette 
of  petals  of  pure  white.  The  habit  of  growth, 
moreover,  is  all  that  can  be  desired.  Shown  by 
Messrs.  Cannell,  Swanley. 

Carnation  Chevalier.— A  perpetual-flowering 
variety,  of  great  merit,  inasmuch  as  the  colour  of 


%*• 


The  white  Lily  (Lilium  candidum). 

the  flowers  is  so  different  from  the  usual  stamp. 
The  blooms  are  large  and  full ;  the  petals  are  of  a 
soft  primrose-yellow,  edged  and  flaked  with  car- 
mine. Exhibited  by  the  raisers,  Messrs.  Hooper 
&  Co.,  Covent  Garden. 

Senecio  pulciier. — Though  so  many  years 
have  elapsed  since  this  handsome  composite  was 
introduced,  it  appears  that  it  had  never  received 
a  certificate,  so  the  committee  awarded  one  to 
some  very  fine  specimens  of  the  plant  which  Mr. 
Barron  had  brought  from  the  society's  garden  at 
Chiswick.  These  had  been  grown  in  a  cold  frame, 
and  the  spikes,  about  18  inches  high,  bore  each 
about  a  dozen  blooms  and  buds. 

Chrysanthemum  Cullingfordi.— Undoubt- 
edly one  of  the  best  new  varieties  of  the  season, 
and  one  that  will  become  popular,  as  the  colour,  a 
bright  crimson-red,  is  so  distinct  and  attractive  ; 
the  flowers  are  large  and  the  florets  are  broad  and 
reflexed.  Shown  by  Messrs.  Cannell ;  raised  by 
Mr.  CuUingtord. 

Chrysanthemum  La  Bien  Aimee.  —  A 
Japanese  varietj'  with  large  flowers,  long  and  nar- 
row florets  of  a  delicate  blasb-white.  Messrs. 
Cannell. 


Nov.  15,  1884] 


THE    GARDEN 


429 


Chrysaktiiemum  Star  of  Wvke  -A  small- 
flowered  sort,  though  not  a  trae  pompon.  The 
blooms  have  reflexed  florets,  yellowish  in  the 
centre,  but  the  rest  paie  white.     Messrs.  Cannell. 

Chrysanthemum  roseum  ncTUM.— A  Ja- 
panese variety  with  large  shaggy  blooms  of  a  deep 
rosy  carmine,  with  the  reverse  sides  of  the  florets 
whitish.     A  very  fine  sort.     Messrs.  Veitcb. 

Chrysanthemum  La  Purete. — A  Japanese 
sort,  with  large  loose  heads  of  long  and  drooping 
florets,  which  are  snow  white,  and  therefore  very 
chaste  and  beautiful.  Shown  by  Messrs.  Laing, 
Stanstead  Park  Nurseries,  Forest  Hill. 

Chrysanthemum  Criterion. — One  of  the 
Japanese  seciioD  ;  flowers  large,  florets  long  and 
slender,  of  a  cinnamon-buff  colour.  Shown  by 
Messrs  Veitch. 

Chrysanthemum  Anais.— A  singular-looking 
pompon  variety,  not  very  showy,  but  neat  and 
pretty.  The  colour  is  peculiar  and  indescribable  ; 
the  blooms  quite  conform  to  the  florist's  model  as 
regards  form.     Messrs.  Laing. 

Chrysanthemums,  as  before  remarked,  were 
the  chief  attraction,  the  principal  exhibitors  of 
them  being  Messrs.  Cannell,  Messrs.  Laing,  and 
Messrs.  Veitch.  The  collection  of  cut  blooms 
from  Messrs.  Cannell  numbered  about  100  varieties, 
representing  all  classes  of  the  flower,  all  admir- 
ably grown.  Besides  a  selection  of  the  best  of  the 
older  sorts  of  incurved  and  Japanese  varieties,  the 
following  new  sorts  were  shown  by  this  firm  ; 
Mad.  Feral,  broad  florets,  rosy  pink,  very  fine , 
Julius  Scharff,  florets  long  and  narrow,  rosy  car- 
mine ;  Mignon,  like  James  Salter,  but  darker;  M. 
r>ODcharlet  aine,  crimson  florets,  pale  reverse  side; 
Mary  Anderson,  blush  florets,  yellow  centre  ;  Rev. 
A.  H.  Glennie,  deep  chestnut,  crimson-yellow 
centre;  Magenta  King,  deep  magenta;  Neatness, 
quilled  :  Val  d'Andorre,  deep  red-crimson ; 
Volcan  and  Black  Douglas,  both  pompons,  the 
latter  of  a  deep  crimson,  the  former  light. 

Messrs.  Laing's  collection  comprised  the  follow- 
ing new  sorts :  John  Laing,  buff-ciimson  florets 
peculiarly  twisted  ;  Cendrillon,  Mdme.  de  Sevin, 
CJalathee,  deep  rosy,  long  narrow  florets ;  La 
Flamboyante,  florets  crimson,  outer  surfaces  pale 
yellow ;  President  Lavall^e,  incurved,  reddish 
bronze  florets,  very  broad ;  Le  Niger,  reflexed 
florets,  rich  claret  crimson,  one  of  the  best; 
Camieu,  large,  rosy  carmine  ;  Mons.  Tarin,  florets 
long  and  narrow,  white,  changing  to  pink  ;  Mons. 
Henri  Jacotot,  bright  orange-crimson,  golden 
tipped ;  Timbale  d'Argent,  white  Anemone-flowered, 
neat  and  pretty ;  Beaute  des  Jardins,  reflexed 
florets,  deep  rose-carmine;  Joseph  Rozain,  deep 
rose,  flowers  large  ;  La  France,  highly  attractive, 
florets  long  and  narrow,  bright  yellow  changing  to 
chestnut-red;  Frou-frou,  bright  crimson -red, 
golden  tipped ;  Jeanne  d'Arc,  incurved  white, 
tipped  pink ;  Mons.  Comte,  deep  carmine-rose, 
half  reflexed  ;  Souvenir  de  Francjois  Marrouch,  in 
the  way  of  James  Salter,  but  with  tubular  florets 
in  the  centre  ;  Brisc  du  Matin,  similar  to  the  last, 
but  with  smaller  flowers ;  Reine  des  Alveoles, 
large.  Anemone-flowered  rose-purple;  Elegant, 
pompon  flowers,  small  bronzy  yellow,  neat  and 
pretty. 

Among  the  new  sorts  from  Messrs.  Veitch'a  was 
Tubiflorum,  a  singular  variety,  with  narrow  tubular 
flowers  of  a  pale  pink.  The  finest,  however,  of  the 
whole  collection  was  Talfourd  Salter,  a  reflexed 
variety  of  a  bright  Indian  red  tipped  with  gold, 
very  floriferous  and  showy.  Besides  these  were 
the  following,  most  of  which  we  described  last 
week  ;  Prince  of  Orange  (Salter) ;  Mdme.  Feral, 
incurved,  pleasing  rose-pink  ;  Etoile  du  Midi,  re- 
flexed Japanese,  vermilion-crimson  ;  Carmen,  deep 
rosy  carmine  ;  Colibri,  reflexed,  reddish  crimson  ; 
Elise  Layeillon,  reflexed  pompon ;  John  Laing, 
bright  chestnut-crimson ;  Beanto  des  Jardins, 
vivid  carmine-purple ;  Mary  Salter,  pure  white ; 
Orange  Quill,  Belle  Alliance,  Souvenir  du  Japon, 
Fernand  Feral  (pale  pink),  M.  Leon  Brunei, 
Mdme.  Antoinette  Brunei,  Fleur  des  Bois,  crimson 
(Veitch). 

Besides  the  Chrysanthemums  a  few  other  in- 
teresting plants  were  shown.     Mr.  Lee  showed  a 


fine  spike  from  the  Vanda  Sanderiana  plant  which 
first  flowered  in  Europe.  It  was  much  finer  than 
the  original  spike.  Mr.  Norman  Cookson,  of 
Wylam-on-Tyne,  showed  a  beautiful  and  most  in- 
teresting hjbrid  Calanthe  named  Sedeni,  which, 
however,  is  distinct  from  the  hybrid  origically 
named  Sedeni,  and  in  our  opinion  superior.  It 
was  obtained  from  a  cross  effected  in  1881  be- 
tween C.  vestita  lubro  oculata  and  C.  Veitchi. 
Messrs.  Lee,  Hammersmith,  showed  a  new  varie- 
gated Lawson  Cypress  named  erecta  viridis  argen- 
tea  variegata.  It  is  pretty  and  distinct,  but  not 
snfliciently  developed  to  judge  rightly  of  its  merits. 
Mcs.'-rs.  Carter  showed  their  new  blue  Primula 
Holborn  Gem,  which  we  are  pleased  to  see  is  be- 
coming bluer  every  season.  A  few  early  Cjcla- 
mens  were  shown  by  Mr.  Clay's  gardener  (Mr. 
Wiggins), Twickenham,  and  Mr.  Stevens,  St.  John's 
Nursery,  Putney,  showed  two  new  chrysanthemums, 
one  of  which,  a  semi-double  white,  we  thought  very 
pretty.  Mesfrs.  Veitch  had,  besides  the  plants 
certificated,  a  new  Dracajna  named  Rudolph 
Seidel  and  Phyllanthus  Chantrieri,  the  latter  an 
elegant-leaved  plant. 

Fruit. — There  were  but  few  exhibits  submitted 
to  the  committee,  the  chief  being  three  fine 
bunches  of  Mrs.  Pearson  Grape,  large  and  well 
finished,  sent  by  Mr.  Taylor,  Mr.  Mcintosh's 
gardener  at  Dnneevan,  Weybridge.  Other  exhibits 
consisted  of  seedling  Apples  sent  from  various 
sources,  all  of  which  were  passed  by  the  com- 
mittee without  comment. 


NATIONAL  CHRYSANTHEMUM  SOCIEIY. 
November  12  and  13. 
The  grand  exhibition  of  Chrysanthemums,  which 
took  place  at  the  Royal  Aquarium,  Westminster, 
on  Wednesday  and  Thursday  last,  was  the  first 
held  under  the  auspices  of  the  newly-constituted 
National  Chrysanthemum  Society,  formed  from 
what  was  originally  the  Stoke  Newington  Society, 
the  oldest  of  the  London  Chrysanthemum  socie- 
ties, and  later  the  Borough  of  Hackney  Society. 
The  present  amplification  of  the  society  is  the 
outcome  of  a  generally  expressed  opinion  that  a 
Chrysanthemum  society  should  be  formed  which 
should  be  other  than  local.  Therefore,  the  Hack- 
ney Society,  which  felt  itself  strong  enough  to 
undertake  the  responsibility  of  a  wider  exten- 
sion, determined  to  re-model  itself  so  as  to 
make  it  a  national  society.  The  expectations 
of  the  promoters  of  this  change  have  been  more 
than  realised,  a  fact  exemplified  by  the  magni- 
ficent show  which  took  place  at  the  Aquarium  on 
Wednesday.  It  was  by  far  the  largest  that 
has  yet  been  held  there.  Another  proof  that 
support  to  the  national  society  is  forth- 
coming may  be  gleaned  from  the  fact  that 
whereas  last  year  the  members  numbered  only 
100,  now  there  are  upwards  of  200.  The  exhibi- 
tion itself,  moreover,  clearly  showed  that  it  was  not 
at  all  local,  inasmuch  as  exhibitors  from  distant 
counties  took  part  in  the  competition.  The  very 
liberal  prize  list  no  doubt  was  the  principal  means 
of  attracting  the  distant  exhibitors,  the  prizes 
ranging  from  £\i>  to  5s.  Out  of  thirty-eight 
classes  devoted  to  Chrysanthemums  no  fewer  than 
twenty-nine  were  set  apart  for  open  competition, 
the  remainder  being  restricted  to  competitors  in 
the  metropolitan  district,  or  rather  those  residing 
within  a  radius  of  3.]  miles  from  Shoreditch 
Church.  We  might  suggest  to  the  society  that  it 
would  be  advisable  to  extend  this  area  for  the 
metropolitan  classes,  and  take  a  more  central 
point  for  a  focus  than  Shoreditch  Church,  which 
tends  to  give  the  society  too  much  of  a  local 
character.  Why  not  take  the  cab  radius  for  the 
metropolitan  classes,  which  would  be  four  4  miles 
from  Charing  Cross  as  a  centre  ?  This  would  in- 
clude all  the  town  districts  where  Chrysanthemums 
are  grown  in  the  smoke.  If  this  area  were 
adopted,  the  society,  we  feel  sure,  would  find 
many  more  supporters  than  it  now  has ;  moreover, 
it  would  be  less  local  than  it  now  is.  The  arrange- 
ment of  the  show  was  better  than  we  had  hitherto 
seen  it  at  the  Aquarium,  and  the  management 
throughout,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  minor 


details,  left  nothing  to  be  desired.  It  was  quite 
evident,  judging  from  the  visitors  from  all  parts 
of  the  country,  that  great  interest  is  taken  in  a 
representative  central  society,  and  that  London  is 
the  place  in  which  to  hold  a  national  show  goes 
without  ihe  saying. 

By  the  prize  list,  which  we  publish  in  full  in  our 
advertising  columns,  it  may  be  seen  that  one  or  two 
exhibitors  were  exceptionally  fortunate,  and  none 
more  so  tl  an  Mr.  Herrin,  of  Chalfont  Park,  Ger- 
lard's  Cross,  who,  as  it  were,  carried  everything 
before  him,  his  collections  being  first  in  almost 
every  case.  It  would  have  been  interesting  to 
have  seen  him  in  competition  with  other  noted 
growers,  such  as  Mr.  Molyneux,  of  Swanmore 
Park,  who  was  successful  in  carrying  off  the 
Challenge  Trophy,  worth  some  i'2.5,at  the  Kingston 
show  the  day  previous.  Mr.  Gibson  was  a  strong 
opponent  to  Mr.  Herrin,  his  blooms  being  remark- 
able for  large  size,  though  they  lacked  somewhat 
the  refinement  of  the  Chalfont  blooms.  Coming 
to  the  town-grown  blooms,  there  were  no  more 
creditable  blooms  in  the  show  than  those  shown 
by  Mr.  Sanderson,  the  veteran  president  of  the 
society.  His  stand  of  twenty-four  incurved  blooms 
were  perfection,  as  were  also  his  first  prize  twelve 
incurved  blooms.  Mr.  Berry,  from  Roehampton, 
also  showed  grandly.  The  classes  for  incurved 
sorts  throughout  were  good  on  the  whole,  but  some 
very  inferior  stands  were  shown.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  Japanese  blooms  were  unexceptionally 
good,  particularly  those  from  Mr.  Herrin  and  Mr. 
Child  in  the  first  prize  collections.  It  is  difficult 
to  say  which  the  general  public  admired  most, 
the  old-fashioned  incurved  sorts  or  the  new 
Japanese  race,  but  the  latter  seemed  to  come  in 
for  the  greatest  attention,  their  informal  shape 
and  diverse  and  subtle  colours  being  the  admira- 
tion of  all. 

Forty-eight  blooms. — This  was  the  principal 
class  in  the  show,  comprising  twenty-four  in- 
curved sorts  in  eighteen  varieties,  or  twenty-four 
Japanese  sorts  in  the  same  proportion.  There  was 
an  excellent  competition,  there  being  seven  exhi- 
bitors, all  showing  finely.  The  most  successful 
of  these  was  Mr.  Herrin,  Chalfont  Park,  Gerrard's 
Cross  His  selection  consisted  of  eight  blooms, 
a  first-rate  selection,  every  bloom  possessing  good 
solidity  of  petal,  form,  neatness,  and  colour.  The 
names  were  :  Alfred  Salter ;  Empress  of  India, 
large  (2);  Golden  Empress,  massive  (2);  Lord 
Wolseley,  fine  in  form  (2)  ;  Queen  of  England,  rich 
in  colour;  Jeanne  d'Arc,  deep,  neat  form  (2);  Prince 
Alfred,  neat;  John  Salter,  Mr.  Heales,  very  fine; 
Lady  Hardinge,  extra ;  White  Venus,  Princess 
Beatrice,  Barbara,  good  (2);  Princess  Teck,  Ee- 
falgens.  Cherub,  Lord  Alcester,  Pink  Venus,  fine 
in  form.  Japanem-  siyris.—  Comiet^e  de  Beaure- 
gard, large  (2)  ;  F.  A.  Davis,  rich ;  Madame  C. 
Audiguier  (2);  Boule  d  Or,  extra  large,  rich  in 
colour;  Fair  Maid  of  Guernsey  (2);  Baron  de 
Prailly,  Themberg,  Fanny  Boucharlet  (2) ; 
Triomphe  de  la  rue  du  Chatelet,  M.  Ardi^ne,  SoleiJ 
Levant,  Agrt^ments  de  la  Nature,  Roseum  super- 
bum.  Alba  plena,  full  flower;  Duchess  of  Albany, 
Mdlle.  Moulise,  slightly  faded  ;  J.  Delaux  (syn., 
W.  A.  Davis),  Hiver  Fleur,  Grandiflora,  finely 
coloured. 

Twenty-foub  incurved  blooms.  —  Among 
nine  the  best  collection,  a  very  fine  one,  came  from 
Mr.  E.  Sanderson,  Harlesdon,  the  president  of 
the  Society.  This  selection  comprised  ;  Alfred 
Salter,  Hero  of  Stoke  Newington,  Emily  Dale, 
(.laeen  of  England,  John  Salter,  Princess  Beatrice, 
Bliss  Mary  Morgan,  Madame  Madeleine  Tezier, 
Mr.  Brunlecs,  Jardin  des  Plantes,  Nil  Desperan- 
dum,  Mabel  Ward,  Golden  Empress  of  India, 
Empress  Eugenie,  Princess  of  Teck,  Empress  of 
India,  Lady  Hardinge,  Princess  of  Wales,  Barbara, 
Mrs.  W.  Shipman,  Golden  Eagle,  Cherub,  Yellow 
Perfection,  Antonelli.  The  other  prize-winning 
collections  in  this  class  were  likewise  good. 

Eighteen  incurved  blooms.  — Only  nine 
collections  were  shown  of  these  ;  the  first  prize, 
sent  from  Mr.  E.  Berry,  coi  sisted  of  Alfred  Salter, 
Golden  Empress,  Prince  of  Wales,  Empress  of 
India,  Prince  Alfred,  Princess  of  Wales,  Barbara, 
Empress  Eugenie,  White  Venus,  Refulgens,  Jar- 


430 


THE     GARDEN 


[Nov.  15,  1884. 


din  des  Plantes,  Lady  Slade,  Nil  Desperandum, 
Mr.  Bunn,  Lord  Wolseley,  8t.  Patrick,  Hero  of 
Stoke  Newington,  Mrs.  Dixon,  Lady  Talfourd, 
Mrs.  G.  Randle,  Bronze  Jardin  des  Plantes. 

Twelve  incueved  blooms.— Thia  was  a  large 
class,  no  fewer  than  sixteen  collections  being 
shown.  Mr.  Sanderson  again  showed  the  finest, 
the  sorts  being  Empress  of  India,  Barbara,  Empress 
Eugenie,  Lady  Hardinge,  Emily  Dale,  Princess 
Beatrice,  Hero  of  Stoke  Newington,  Princess  Teck, 
Mrs.  W.  Shipman,  Alfred  Salter,  Golden  Empress 
of  India,  Qaeen  of  England.  This  was  a  fine 
class  throughout,  the  second  and  third  collections 
being  particularly  remarkable  for  high  quality. 

Six  incurved  blooms  (one  sort).— Among 
nine  sorts  the  new  Lord  Alcester,  a  very  fine 
creamy  white  sort,  was  first ;  Empress  of  India,  a 
lovely  ivory  white,  was  second  and  third.  Other 
sorts  shown  were  Mrs.  G.  Bundle,  Barbara,  Hero 
of  Stoke  Newington,  John  Salter,  and  Jardin  des 
Plantes. 

The  class  for  twelve  blooms,  to  consist  of  four 
incurved,  four  Japanese,  and  four  Anemone- 
flowered  sorts,  was  represented  by  thirteen  exhi- 
bitors, Mr.  Herrin  being  the  most  successful.  He 
had  a  very  fine  stand,  consisting  of  The  Daimio, 
Fair  Maid  of  Guernsey,  Triomphe  de  la  rue  du 
Chit^elet,  and  Duchess  of  Albany  among  Japanese 
sorts;  Golden  Empress  of  India,  Queen  of  Eng- 
land, Empress  of  India,  and  John  Salter  among 
incurved ;  and  Lady  Margaret,  Mdme.  Berthier 
Pignez,  Mdlle.  Cabrol,  and  Fabian  de  Mfidiana 
among  Anemone-flowered  sorts. 

Twenty-four  Japanese  riLooiis,— Among 
seven  Mr.  Herrin  was  first  with  the  following : 
C'omtesse  de  Beauregard,  Triomphe  de  la  rue  du 
Chiitelet,  Mdme.  C.  Andiguier,  lioule  dOr  (rich). 
Baron  de  Prailly,  Fair  Maid  of  Guernsey,  M.  Ardene, 
Grandiflora,  Alba  plena.  Dr.  Macary,  M.  Delaux 
J.  Delaux,  Fanny  Boucharlet,  Thunberg,  M.  As- 
torg.  Magnum  Bonum,  Agruments  de  la  Nature, 
Meg  Merrilies,  Roseum  superbum,  Peter  the  Great, 
Margaret  Marroucb,  Sarnia,  Duchess  of  Albany, 
Iliver  Fleurie. 

Twelve  Japanese  blooms.—  The  best  dozen 
blooms  among  twenty  collections  was  shown  by 
Mr.  Child,  Claygate,  Esher.  His  selection  consisted 
of  Elaine,  M.  Desbreaux,  Balmoreau,  I'eter  the 
Great,  Hiver  Fleur,  M.  Delaux,  Fanny  Boucharlet, 
M.  C.  Audiguier,  Alba  plena,  F.  A.  Davis,  Baron 
de  Prailly,  and  L'Incomparable.  Some  half-a- 
dozen  collections  in  this  class  left  little  to  be 
desired. 

One  Japanese  sort.— Among  twenty  sets  of 
six  blooms  the  sort  Mdme.  Audiguier  took  the 
first  and  second  prize.s,  by  Messrs.  Anderson  and 
Glen,  both  showing  some  uncommonly  fine  blooms 
of_  this  beautiful  rose-pink  variety.  The  third 
prize  was  taken  by  the  yellow  grandiflornm,  while 
other  sorts  shown  in  this  class  were  Baron  de 
Prailly,  Yellow  Dragon,  Mdme.  B.  Rendatler, 
Elaine,  Lady  Selborne,  Meg  Merrilies,  Roseum 
superbum. 

Twelve  Anemone-flowered  sorts.— Among 
ten  dozens  the  finest  was  from  Mr.  Herrin.  His  selec- 
tion consisted  of  Empress  Louis  Bonamy,  Georges 
Sand,  Mdme.  Berthier  I'ignez,  Fabian  de  Me- 
diana.  Lady  Margaret,  Minnie  Chate,  Louis 
Bonamy,  Mdlle.  Cabrol,  Mrs.  Pothers,  Mdme. 
Goderaux,  Souvenir  de  I'Ardenne.  Among  six- 
teen sets  of  one  sort  the  lovely  large  white  Lady 
Margaret  took  all  the  prizes,  and  some  wonder- 
fully fine  blooms  were  shown  for  the  first  prize. 
This  sort  was  the  principal  one  shown  by  the 
other  exhibitors. 

Pot  plants. — These  were  in  every  way  superior 
to  what  has  been  shown  for  years  at  this  place, 
and  some  really  wonderfully  fine  specimens  of 
dwarf-trained  plants  (pompons)  were  shown  for 
the  first  prize  in  the  metropolitan  class  for  nine 
trained  plants.  These  were  all  about  5  feet 
through,  and  the  Mushroom-shaped  heads  were 
literally  covered  with  bloom.  The  sorts  were 
Rose  Andrometer,  pink;  La  Vogue,  yellow  ;  Lilac 
Cedo  NuUi,  Fanny,  red ;  Sceur  Melanie,  white ; 
Marguerite  de  Coi,  lilac.  Anemone-flowered.  Some 
excellent   plants   were  also  shown  in  the  open 


classes  in  the  first  prize  groups,  particularly 
those  in  the  class  for  nine  plants.  The  groups 
arranged  for  effect  on  a  space  of  100  square  feet 
were  of  the  usual  stamp,  consisting  of  a  mass  of 
plants  arranged  with  a  sloping  bank.  The  first 
prize  group,  though  the  quality  of  the  blooms  did 
not  equal  that  of  the  second  prize  group  shown, 
was  effectively  arranged  with  due  regard  to  light- 
ness, and  as  the  merit  of  effect  was  specially 
mentioned  in  the  schedule,  the  judges  adjudicated 
accordingly.  The  second  group,  from  Mr.  Stevens, 
of  Putney,  consisted  of  well-grown  plants  carry- 
ing flowers  of  good  quality.  These  groups 
arranged  for  eiiect  are  at  the  best  a  garish  dis- 
play, and  we  wonder  the  society  does  not  allow 
exhibitors  to  arrange  their  plants  with  foliage  to 
tone  down  and  harmonise  the  colours. 

FRUIT  AND  VEGETABLES. 
Numerous  prizes  were  offered  for  Grapes, 
Apples,  Pears,  and  Potatoes,  and  collections  of 
vegetables,  and  these  added  considerable  interest 
to  the  exhibition.  Some  really  fine  exhibits  were 
shown  in  the  Grape  classes,  the  collection  of 
twelve  bunches  from  Mr.  Pratt,  of  Longleat,  who 
took  the  first  prize,  being  exceptionally  fine.  He 
had  enormous  bunches  of  Alicante,  some  large 
highly-coloured  Muscats,  and  equally  fine  Lady 
Downes.  The  class  for  three  bunches  was  not  so 
much  represented,  though  some  first-rate  Muscats 
were  shown  in  the  class  for  a  white  sort.  Only 
three  exhibitors  showed  white  Grapes  and  two  a 
black  variety.  Among  a  dozen  collections  of 
twelve  dessert  Apples,  Mr.  Miller,  of  Northdown, 
Margate,  was  first;  he  also  showed  the  finest 
half-dozen  dishes  of  cooking  Apples  among  eight. 
Mr.  Ross,  of  Welford,  and  Mr.  Goldsmith  were  also 
prize  winners  in  the  Apple  classes,  while  Mr.  Gold- 
smith and  Mr.  Waterman  were  the  only  exhibi- 
tors of  Pears,  which  usually  is  a  numerously  repre- 
sented class  at  this  show.  There  was  a  strong 
competition  in  the  classes  for  Potatoes,  no  fewer 
than  ten  showing  sets  of  six  dishes  and  six 
of  twelve  dishes,  all  being  of  first-rate  quality. 

Messrs.  Sutton'sprizes  for  vegetables  brought 
out  a  strong  competition,  there  being  thirteen  ex- 
hibitors. The  first  prize  winner  amongst  these  was 
Mr.  May,  Captain  Le  Blanc's  gardener  at  Northaw 
House,  Barnet,  who  is  now  well  known  as  a  suc- 
cessful vegetable  cultivator  and  exhibitor.  His 
selection  on  this  occasion  consisted  of  selected 
Brussels  Sprouts,  Autumn  Giant  Cauliflower,  Lyon 
Leek,  Lapstone  Kidney  Potato,  Hathaway's  Excel- 
sior Tomato,  and  Major  Clarke's  Celery.  This  was 
in  every  way  an  excellent  collection.  The  second 
and  third  collections,  from  Messrs.  Miller  and 
Howard  respectively,  showed  some  uncommonly 
fine  examples. 

Messrs.  Webb's  prizes  for  six  kinds  of  vege- 
tables also  attracted  a  goodly  number  of  com- 
petitors, there  being  ten  collections,  none  of  which 
were  inferior.  The  first  prize  winner,  Mr.  Miller, 
of  Rood  Aston  Park,  had  an  uncommonly  fine 
set,  his  dishes  being  Autumn  Giant  Cauliflower, 
Vicar  of  Laleham  Potato,  Sandringham  White 
Celery,  Banbury  Onions,  Carenton  Leek,  Snowball 
Turnip,  and  Student  Parsnip.  The  collections 
shown  for  Messrs.  Webb's  prizes,  as  well  as  those 
for  Messrs.  Sutton's,  have  rarely  been  surpassed  at 
any  show. 

Prizes  for  Potatoes  were  offered  by  Mr.  R.  Dean, 
of  Ealing.  The  competitors  were  to  show  three 
dishes  selected  from  a  list  of  about  twenty-five  sorts 
which  have  been  either  raised  or  sent  out  by  Mr. 
Dean.  Some  half-a-dozen  exhibitors  competed  for 
these  prizes,  the  most  successful  being  Mr.  Herrin, 
of  Chalfont.  Messrs.  Hooper  also  offered  prizes 
for  twenty  fine  tubers  of  their  Earliest  of  All 
Potato,  but  there  were  but  three  or  four  competi- 
tors. Jlessrs.  Barr  offered  a  prize  for  six  plants 
of  Brussels  Sprouts,  the  only  exhibitor  being  Mr. 
May,  who  showed  some  fine  specimens  of  his  new 
selected  sort. 


Ohrysanthemum  sho-ws— The  past  has 
been  the  Chrysanthemum  week  in  the  south,  and 
next  week  the  northern  growers  will  hold  their 
exhibitions,  those  at  Manchester,  Liverpool,  Bir- 


mingham, and  Hull  being  the  most  important. 
Particular  interest  attaches  to  the  Hull  show,  in- 
asmuch as  so  young  a  society  is  able  to  offer  such 
liberal  prizes,  JIO,  £',  £i,  and  i'2  being  offered 
for  48  blooms  in  the  open  competition.  The  sche- 
dule is  divided  into  three  sections  or  classes — open, 
first  amat«nr,  and  second  amateur— a  capital 
arrangement,  as  it  invites  everybody,  including 
bouquetists.  With  energetic  secretaries  and  an  in- 
fluential chairman  (Mr.  Bohn,  the  son  of  the  late 
Mr.  Bohn,  of  Twickenham),  the  society  augurs  well 
for  the  future. 


Gumming  Roses.— In  reply  to  the  com- 
munication which  you  have  received  from  Mr. 
Johnson,  hon.  secretary  of  the  Leek  Rose  Society, 
we  are  requested  by  the  committee  of  the  National 
Rose  Society  to  say  that  they,  in  their  deci- 
sion,  expressed  no  opinion  whatever  upon  the 
practice  of  gumming  Rose  blooms,  as  they  had  no 
law  to  guide  them  in  the  matter.  After  taking 
all  the  circumstances  of  the  particular  case  sub- 
mitted to  them  into  consideration,  they'came  to  the 
conclusion  that  as  the  exhibitor  in  question  had 
infringed  no  existing  regulation  of  either  society, 
the  prize  could  not  be  withheld  from  him.  When 
the  new  bye-laws  and  regulations,  which  the  com- 
mittee have  for  some  time  past  had  under  con- 
sideration, and  which  will  be  submitted  to  the 
society  at  their  next  general  meeting,  are  in  print 
it  will  be  seen  that  the  committee  of  the  National 
Rose  Society  discountenance  the  practice  of 
tampering  in  any  form  or  shape  with  Rose  blooms 
intended  for  exhibition.  At  the  same  time  they 
wish  it  to  be  clearly  understood  that  in  their 
opinion  it  is  ,.but  very  seldom  indeed  that  such 
practices  are  resorted  to  by  exhibitors. — H.  HoNY- 
wooD  D'Ombrain,  Edward  Mawley,  Moh. 
Secretaries. 


LATE  NOTES. 


Seedling  CbrysanthemumsCXJc'onj.—Theiingle 
yellow  sort  is,  we  think,  pretty  and  well  worth  perpe- 
tuating ;  the  others  are  not  remarkable. 

Primulas  (A.T.  nr.tmf).—  We  do  not  remember  havlnR 
seen  a  variety  exactly  similar  to  yours,  bat  without  means 
of  direct  comparison  it  i3  difllcult  to  say  whether  or  not  it 
is  distinct  from  others  in  the  class  to  which  it  belongs. 

Covent  Garden.— Among  the  other  improvements 
now  bting  made  liy  the  Duke  of  Bedford  in  Covent  Garden 
is  a  very  considerahlc  enlargement  of  the  wholesale  tiower 
market,  in  order  to  afford  greater  facilities  for  the  mcreasing 
trade  that  is  being  done  in  flowers. 

Gardening  changee.— Sir.  George  Parkin,  late  wood 
agent  to  the  Earl  of  Wharncliffe  on  that  nobleman's  exten- 
sive estates  in  South  Yorkshire,  has  been  succeeded  in  that 
post  by  Mr.  John  Simpson,  who  will  in  future  conduct  both 
the  gardens  and  woods  there.  Mr.  Parkin  held  the  above 
situation  for  nearly  forty  years. 


Naming  plants.— Four  kinis  of  plants  or  ftoieers 
finhi  can  he  named  at  one  time,  and  this  only  when  good 
specimens  are  sent. 

Names    of   plants.  —  //.  —  Eeineckia    camea. 

C.  Z,'y;/.— True  Service  tree  (Pyrusdomestica). £,  F.  C, 

— Euonymus  europxus  (-ipindle  tree). G.    Chequer. 

Black-fruited  Thorn  (Craticgus  nigl-a). C.  George.— The 

seedling  Dahlia  is  Cosmos  atropurpureus,  called  also  Dahlia 

Zimapaui,  now  tolerably  common. Anon. — 1,  Cerastiuni 

tomentosum  ;  2,  Corouilla  glauca  ;  3,  Gasteria  verrucosa  ; 

4,'Nerium  Oleander. .7.  P.  ( Nortolk).—Lycmm  barbarum 

(the  Tea  plant). C.  C.—l,  Aspidium  acrostichoides  ;  2, 

Polystichum  munitum ;  3,  cannot  identify  (Athyrium?); 
4,  Asplenium  Trichomanes ;  5,  Asplenium  Adiantum  ni- 
grum  R.    C.   Ax^pleton.—^nosonum   raceraosum- 

./.  iV.  BriV/A?.— .Terusalem  Artichoke  (Heliantlius  tubero- 
sus),  tubers  of  which  are  edible. 

Naming  fruit. — Headers  who  desire  our  help  in  naming 
fruit  will  kindUi  bear  in  mind  that  several  specimens  cf 
different  stages  oj colour  and  size  of  the  same  kind  greatly 
assist  in  its  detennination.  Local  varieties  should  he 
named  hy  local  growers,  and  are  often  only  known  to  them. 
We  can  only  undertake  to  name  four  varieties  at  a  time, 
and  these  only  when  the  ahove  condition  is  observed.  Un- 
paid parcels  not  received. 

Names  of  fruits.— .4.  D.—2,  Bound  'Winter  Non- 
such ;  3,  Y'orkshire  Beauty. T.  jr.— 1,  Irish  Peach,  pro- 

bal)ly  ;    2,  Luffness   Matchless. S.   A.   &.— 1,    Beurrfi 

d'Aremburg ;    2,    Broom    Park ;     3,    Winter    Nelis. 

A.  C.  II.  0. — Not  known. Thomas  W.  Simpson.— Not 

known. H.   Liney.—G,    Fearn's    Pippin  ;    7,    Northern 

Greening. F.  Geeson.—l,  Golden  Ducat  i  2,  Eeinette  du 

Canada. J.    Day.  — I,    Grange's  Pearmain  ;    4,    Egg    or 

Paradise  ;  2  and  3,  not  recognised. J.  F.  S.  T.—\,  King 

of  the  Pippins ;  2,  Yellow  Ingestrie ;  others  next  week. 


THE     GARDEN 


431 


Ho.  679. 


SATURDAY,  Nov.  22.  1884. 


Vol.  XXVI. 


"  This  is  nn  Art 
Which  doe';  nieni  Vntiire  :  phnnee  it  rather;  but 
The  art  itself  is  'S KTW.7.."Shttkpspfare. 


COTONEASTER  AFFINIS. 
Nothing  can  be  more  beautiful  in  the  way  of 
berried  shrubs  at  this  season  than  a  well-grown 
specimen  of  this  Cotoneaster.  We  have  a  plant 
of  it  in  the  shrubbery  20  feet  high  and  about  as 
much  through,  every  branch  of  which  is  heavily 
laden  with  bunches  of  glossy  red  berries.  Every 
year  it  produces  fruit  in  the  most  profuse  manner. 
It  is  a  plant  that  well  deserves  a  place  in  every 
shrubbery,  and  it  requires  no  more  attention  than 
the  common  Laurels,  among  which  it  is  growing. 
It  is  also  well  adapted  for  planting  along  the 
margins  of  covers  or  game  preserves,  as  it  affords 
abundance  of  food  for  pheasants,  which  are  very 
fond  of  its  berries.  I  have  started  from  eighteen 
to  twenty  pheasants  at  a  time  from  under  its 
branches.  Our  plant  of  it  here  is  exposed  to  the 
east,  and  is  partially  shaded  on  the  south  and  west 
by  a  very  large  Lucombe  Oak  and  other  trees. 
Probably  the  more  fully  it  is  exposed  to  the  in- 
fluence of  the  sun,  the  more  freely  does  it  produce 
its  beautiful  clusters  of  fruit.  All  visitors  greatly 
admire  it,  but  scarcely  any  of  them  know  what  it 
is.  Young  plants  of  it  are  readily  raised  from 
seed.  John  Garland. 

Killer  ton,  Exeter, 

*,*  That  this  lovely  berry-bearing  shrub  should 
be  comparatively  unknown  is  to  be  regretted.  It 
would,  indeed,  be  difficult  to  match  it  either  for 
beauty  or  effectiveness.  Its  berries,  which  are 
produced  in  clusters  in  the  greatest  abundance, 
would  be  invaluable  about  Gbristmas-time  when 
Holly  berries  are  scarce.  It  will  succeed  perfectly 
well  in  all  the  warmer  parts  of  the  country,  and 
now,  when  we  are  in  the  midst  of  the  planting 
season,  it  should  not  be  overlooked. — Ed. 


THE  HILLSBOROUGH  PERNETTYAS. 
Eefeeence  was  made  to  these  really  charming 
berry-bearing  shrubs  in  The  Gabden  a  few  weeks 
since,  but  I  think  their  special  qualifications — I 
mean  as  rockwork  ornaments — have  not  yet  been 
set  forth.  No  doubt  they  are  very  beautiful  any- 
where— dotted  about  the  margins  of  sunny  shrub- 
beries, in  beds  by  themselves,  or  in  chinks  round 
the  margins  of  Rhododendron  and  other  flowering 
shrub  beds.  All  these  positions  they  can  occupy 
with  much  credit  to  themselves,  but  their  position 
■par  excellence  is  the  embellishment  of  rockwork 
nooks.  None  of  them  are  either  rampant  or  ram- 
bling in  growth.  All  are  suitable  for  either  small 
or  large  arrangements,  and  as  they  are  of  such 
diversified  colours,  ranging  from  white  through 
lilac  on  to  rich  purple,  and  from  pale  rose  to  deep 
crimson,  and  as  all  bear  their  berries  in  such  pro- 
fusion and  retain  them  from  early  in  autumn  until 
late  in  spring,  thus  lighting  up  the  dreariest  months 
of  the  year  with  masses  of  colour  hitherto  quite 
unattainable  at  that  season,  they  become  a  power 
in  the  hands  of  the  landscape  gardener  which  he 
need  not  be  slow  to  use.  They  appear  to  succeed 
in  many  kinds  of  soil.  I  have  seen  them  flourish 
in  wet,  clayey  ground,  in  pure  peat,  and  in  stony, 
dry  soil ;  but  what  they  seem  to  thrive  best  in  is 
a  yellowish  loam,  enriched  with  a  liberal  admix 


ture  of  leaf  mould,  and  an  open,  fully  exposed 
position  is  the  one  in  which  they  most  rejoice ;  in 
fact,  they  succeed  admirably  on  the  boisterous  hill- 
side where  scarcely  anything  else  but  Gorse  will 
live;  their  low,  close,  bushy  habits  and  small, 
rigid,  shining  foliage  offer  nothing  really  for  the 
wind  to  lay  hold  of.  The  following  I  have  found 
the  most  suitable  for  limited  spaces,  being  speci- 
ally low  growing  and  compact ;  there  is  only  one 
fault,  so  far  as  I  can  discover,  about  them,  and 
that  is  their  nomenclature.  It  is  quite  evident 
that  the  raiser  was  puzzled  at  their  baptism ; 
though  some  of  them  bear  the  most  diversified 
names,  they  are  not  unlike  each  other.  If  half 
the  number  distributed  under  name  had  been  se- 
lected, it  would  have  comprised  about  all  that  were 
really  distinct. 

Among  very  dwarf  forms  are  atro-lilacina,  the 
berries  of  which  are  half-an-inch  in  diameter  and 
lilac  in  colour,  distinctly  shaded  with  purple; 
oarnea  nana,  a  beauty,  berries  small-sized,  of  a 
deep  flesh  colour,  and  produced  in  great  profu- 
sion ;  coocinea  purpurea,  berries  medium-sized 
and  bright  crimson  suffused  with  purple  ;  purpurea 
macrocarpa,  a  beautiful  shade  of  purple,  berries 
half-an-inch  in  diameter;  rosea  macrocarpa, 
berries  very  large,  bright  rose ;  r.  lilacina  ma- 
crocarpa, berries  full  size,  rich  rosy  lilac  ;  r.  pur- 
purea, rosy  red,  shaded  with  purple ;  and  san- 
guiuea,  crimson-scarlet,  distinct. 

Larger  growing  varieties  whose  ultimate  height 
would  be  about  2  feet :  alba,  the  most  distinct  of 
all ;  on  the  shaded  portion  of  the  plant  the  berries 
are  pure  white,  where  exposed  tinged  with  blush ; 
atro-coccinea,  rich  dark  shiny  crimson  ;  atro-pur- 
purea,  berries  large,  of  a  shaded  purple  colour; 
elegans,  free  in  growth,  and  one  of  the  prettiest, 
berries  bright  pink  ;  lilacina,  whitish  lilac,  pretty ; 
macrocarpa,  berries  bright  crimson,  full  half  an 
inch  in  diameter,  and  borne  in  great  profusion ; 
rubra  lilacina,  of  precisely  the  same  colour  as 
rosea  lilacina  macrocarpa  in  first  group,  but  with 
larger  berries ;  nigra  major — this  has  no  doubt 
attained  the  major  degree  of  blackness,  but  it  is 
certainly  not  major  in  any  other  sense ;  it  is,  how- 
ever, very  distinct. 

It  is  not,  however,  alone  as  a  berry-bearing  shrub 
that  the  Pernettya  is  valuable.  It  is  also  an  excel- 
lent flowering  shrub,  being  in  the  spring-time 
profusely  laden  with  pure  white  Lily-like  bells — 
often  so  much  so  as  to  quite  hide  the  foliage. 

Kewry.  T.  Smith. 

ORCHID  NOTES  FROM  ST.  ALBANS. 

No  one  interested  in  Orchids  can  at  any  season 
visit  Messrs.  Sander's  nursery  at  St.  Albans  with- 
out seeing  something  uncommon — either  some 
startling  novelty,  some  re-discovered  species,  or 
some  long-lost  favourite  recovered  by  some  one  of 
the  dozen  or  more  trained  collectors  that  are  con- 
stantly employed  to  satisfy  the  demands  of  this 
gigantic  Orchid  establishment.  Scarcely  a  week 
passes  but  some  new  or  rare  Orchid  is  announced, 
for  vast  importations  are  consigned  to  St.  Albans 
from  every  quarter  of  the  globe,  culled  from 
trodden  tract?  as  well  as  from  unexplored  regions. 
Even  Schomburgk's  footsteps  have  been  retraced 
in  Tropical  America,  the  result  being  that  after  a 
lapse  of  some  fifty  years  Cypripedium  Lindleyanum 
is  again  among  us.  In  short,  the  St.  Albans 
Orchid  depot,  octopus-like,  stretches  out  its  arms 
to  gather  in  its  supplies  from  all  quarters.  Among 
novelties  expected  to  make  their  appearance  in 
due  time  are  some  new  Angrtecums,  alleged  to 
possess  a  quaint  and  altogether  novel  appearance. 
Then,  again,  there  is  the  new  Oncidium  vernixium, 
which  has  just  flowered,  and  the  new  Barkeria 


Barkeriola,  both  exceptionally  beautiful  and  en- 
tirely new. 

Floweeing  plants  even  now  in  the  middle  of 
November  are  by  no  means  scarce.  We  noticed 
some  hundreds  of  the  lovely  autumn-flowering 
form  of  Odontoglossum  vexillarium  Klabochorum, 
unquestionably  a  most  distinct  and  invaluable 
Orchid.  Its  flowers  are  not  so  large  as  those  pro- 
duced in  summer,  but  their  colour  is  richer, 
and  under  a  leaden  sky  look  ten  times  lovelier 
than  in  June.  Odontoglossum  Alexandrse  has  just 
commenced  its  long  and  continuous  flowering  sea- 
son, and  the  thousands  of  plants  pushing  up  spikes 
will  be  a  fine  sight  at  Christmas-time.  The  new 
Aerides  Leoni,  a  handsome  species,  Vanda  lim- 
bata,  various  Cypripediums  and  Oncidiums  con- 
tribute to  the  display,  and  among  flowering 
Cattleyas  we  observed  C.  Dowiana  and  a  superb 
variety  of  C.  Loddigesi,  the  finest  we  ever  remem- 
ber to  have  seen.  The  centre  of  attraction,  how- 
ever,  was  a  pair  of  magnificent  specimens  of  Lselia 
elegans  alba,  one  of  which  has  no  fewer  than  150 
bulbs.  The  chaste  beauty  of  the  white  blossoms  of 
this  Laslia  renders  it  quite  unapproachable  when 
seen  en  masse.  The  home  nursery  in  the  town  is,  as 
usual,  crammed  full  of  newly-imported  plants,  but 
the  most  interesting  are  two  housef  uls  of  Masde- 
vallia  Harryana  and  its  varieties,  including  ayellow 
form  and  one  called  tricolor,  particularly  remark- 
able even  among  select  varieties,  which  alone  find 
a  place  here.  The  other  houses  contain  flowering 
specimens  of  the  rare  Phalienopsis  Peichenbachi 
and  the  new  white  Saccolabium  Harrisonia;,  a 
lovely  plant — indeed  the  counterpart  of  the  origi- 
nal, but  having  its  long  racemes  of  blossoms  of 
pure  ivory  whiteness.  It  fragrance,  moreover,  is 
delicious,  and  much  enhances  the  value  of  the 
plant. 

A  NEW  PnALiENOPSis  HOUSE  is  among  the 
principal  new  structures  erected  since  our  last 
visit,  and  as  we  consider  it  a  model  in  its  way,  it 
may  be  well  to  describe  it  somewhat  in  detail. 
Its  dimensions  are  120  feet  by  21  feet.  In  the 
centre  is  a  cemented  tank,  into  which  heated  water 
flows  direct  from  the  boilers  at  a  point  nearest  the 
furnace,  and  at  the  opposite  end  the  water  finds 
an  exit  through  the  return  pipe  to  the  boiler ; 
therefore,  a  constant  supply  of  highly-heated 
water  is  contained  in  this  huge  tank,  which  gives 
off  its  heat  gradually  and  uniformly,  and  thus 
maintains  the  house  at  an  equable  temperature. 
Fears  were  entertained  at  first  as  to  the  success  of 
the  scheme  on  account  of  the  great  body  of  water 
to  be  kept  in  circulation,  but  they  were  dispelled 
when  a  strong  tubular  saddle  boiler  was  set  to 
work  ;  this  put  the  tank  water  in  slow  motion  ef- 
fectually. The  tank,  which  is  of  course  quite 
closed,  is  covered  at  the  top  with  slates,  over 
which  is  spread  a  layer  of  short  horse  manure  to  a 
depth  of  about  G  inches.  On  this  is  placed  a  thin 
layer  of  small  pebbles  upon  which  the  plants  are 
set.  Besides  the  heating  power  afforded  by  this 
tank,  there  are  sixteen  rows  of  4 -inch  pipes  in  the 
house.  These,  however,  will  not  be  often  used ; 
they  are  provided  merely  as  an  auxiliary  in  case 
of  need.  The  moist,  hot  tank,  it  is  found,  main- 
tains a  very  congenial  atmosphere  for  the  Pbalfe- 
nopsids,  and  this  moisture  is  augmented  by  that 
from  two  other  tanks  which  run  the  entire  length 
of  the  house  on  both  sides ;  through  each  of  the 
latter  is  placed  a  return  hot-water  pipe,  so  as  to 
raise  the  temperature  of  the  water,  but  the  pipe  is 
regulated  by  a  valve,  so  as  to  prevent  over-heat- 
ing. Above  the  side  tanks  double  stages  are 
erected,  and  upon  the  lower  one  is  placed  a 
layer  of  manure  ;  the  upper  stage  consists  of 
Pitch  Pine  laths.  Along  the  whole  length  of 
the  sides,  as  in  the  case  of  every  other  house 
erected  here,  pipes  half  an  inch  in  diameter  are 
fixed  for  the  purpose  of  ejecting  sprays  of  water 
ever  the  paths  and  side  beds.  The  ventilation  at 
top  is  on  one  side  only,  Mr.  Sander  disliking  the 
counter  draught  of  top  air  in  his  Orchid  houses,  as  it 
tends,  he  considers,  to  deprive  the  atmosphere  of 
its  moisture.  The  side  ventilation  is  effected  by 
means  of  openings  so  arranged  that  the  incoming 
air  has  to  pass  downwards  and  come  in  contact 
with  the  heated  pipes  before  it  is  diffused  in  the 


432 


THE     GARDEN 


[Nov.  22,   1884. 


house.  The  paths  consist  of  Staffordshire  bricks 
having  the  frog  uppermost,  an  arrangement  which 
keeps  the  path  dry,  while  the  frog  retains  moisture. 
This  is  a  capital  plan,  and  should  be  adopted  in 
all  Orchid  houses.  Every  one  of  the  houses  here 
have  paths  of  this  description. 

The  new  Cattleya  house,  an  immense  struc- 
ture previously  described,  is  now  filled  to  over- 
flowing with  huge  specimen  plants,  and  the  mul- 
titudes of  roots  which  one  sees  fixing  themselves 
to  whatever  comes  in  their  way  is  a  sure  indication 
that  though  Orchid  houses  be  capacious,  size  is 
not  prejudicial  to  the  health  of  the  plants  provided 
the  necessary  conditions  are  looked  to.  As  regards 
these  aerial  roots,  they  afford  quite  an  interesting 
study  ;  BO  much  do  they  differ  from  each  other  in 
form,  that  the  various  species  may  often  be  deter- 
mined by  the  root  alone,  and  in  all  cases  the  roots 
of  a  Cattleya  are  taken  into  consideration  in  the 
matter  of  nomenclature.  The  roots  of  C.  Eldorado, 
superba,  and  Skinneri  are  particularly  distinct. 
All  the  several  sections  are  grouped  together  in 
this  house ;  thus  there  are  the  labiata,  Trianiu, 
Mossiie,  Mendeli  sections  all  separate.  There  are 
some  2000  specimens  in  this  house,  and  some  very 
large,  and  a  few  of  Lailiaelegans,  numbering  from 
100  to  300  bulbs.  The  invaluable  new  C.  Ga.skel- 
liana,  introduced  lately  by  this  firm,  is  among  the 
most  conspicuous  of  the  flowering  Cattleyas,  and 
comprises  some  remarkable  forms. 


PLANTS    IN    FLOWER. 


November  Pansles.— Some  really  good  Pansy  flowers 
have  bf  en  sent  to  U8  during  the  week  hy  Mr.  Kinpsniill, 
who  states  that  he  cut  dozens  of  Idooms  the  other  day  in 
his  ^'arden  at  Eastcott,  Pinner. 

Helianthus  arptyrophyllus  is  here  the  best  of  the 
annnal  Sunflowers  that  have  moderate-sized  blooms.  It 
has  been  gay  since  .luly  anil  still  is;  several  degrees  of 
frost  this  morning  have  in  no  way  affected  it.  Its  numerous 
branches  are  still  covered  with  buds,  although  it  is  too 
much  to  expect  it  to  last  much  longer.  This  and  the  peren- 
nial H.  cincreus  are  the  last  in  [lower  out  of  a  collection  of 
nearly  a  score  of  kinds.  Helenimn  giandlflorum  still  dis- 
phiys  finely  its  large,  curiously  reHexed  blooms.— J.  M., 
Charmouth. 

Flowers  In  Anglesey.—*  lady,  writing  from  Angle- 
sey, says  ;  "  We  have  a  wonderful  show  of  out-of-door 
flowers  Btill,  consisting  of  Koses,  Petunias,  Heliotropes, 
Passion  Flowers,  f  entians,  Geraniums,  Mignonette,  white 
.Tessamine  and  yellow  ;  the  Iiesfontainea  is  in  great  beauty, 
and  the  pink  Belladonna  Lilies  are  not  i|uite  over.  We 
have  also  quantities  of  red  Schizostylis,  white  and  yellow 
Daisies,  Ageratum,  Marigolds,  and  the  fancy  Fuchsias, 
besides  Chrysanthemums,  Spincas,  Veronicas,  and  what  we 
regard  as  our  wiuter  flowers." 

Plants   in  bloom   at  "Wisley.— Six  de- 
grees of  frost  at  Oakwood  last  night  gave  warn 


this  for  pietty  effect;  it  is  almost  perennial 
flowering.  Hjpericum  patulum  and  uralum  (ne- 
palenso)  are  still  profusely  dotted  with  golden 
cups  ;  Godetias  of  torts  are  about  the  most  con- 
tinuous flowering  and  showiest  of  annuals,  and 
still  profusely  in  bloom ;  Primula  japonica  is 
flowering  out  of  season,  but  it  is  none  the  less 
acceptable  for  all  that;  Fuchsia  reflexa  is  a 
sweetly  pretty  shrub,  and  still  profusely  flowered  ; 
Canterbury  Bells  are  quite  a  feature  in  some  parts 
of  the  garden.  Plants  which  were  cut  over,  and 
not  allowed  to  go  to  seed  after  flowering,  broke 
into  new  growth,  and  a  fresh  crop  of  flowers  is  the 
result.— T.  Smith. 

Muea  ooocinea. — This  is  again  in  flower  in 
the  Palm  house  at  Kew,  where  a  number  of  pot- 
fuls  of  it  are  grown  for  the  sake  of  its  brilliant 
scarlet  flower-heads  produced  during  the  winter 
months.  By  separating  1  he  suckers  from  the  bases 
of  old  plants,  by  which  they  are  borne  in  abund- 
ance after  flowering  is  over,  and  potting  them  in 
threes  in  lO-inch  pots  in  a  strong,  loamy  soil, 
pl.ants  of  flowering  size  are  obtained  by  the  end  o£ 
the  year.    A  full-grown  specimen  of  M.  coccinea 


ng  that  the  end  of  this  season's  summer  flowers   ^^gg  ^^j  exceed  6  feet  in  height,  the  stem  is  not 


was  at  hand,  so  I  looked  round  to  see  what  plants 
had  still  blooms  on  them  and  made  a  list  of  them  ; 
some  had  many  flowers,  some  only  one  or  two : — 
Fuchsia  Riccartoni 

coralUna 
Morina  longifolia 
Malva  lateritia 


Imported  Orchid   sales.— I  was  pleased 

to   see   "Veronica"   again  directing  attention  to 

this  subject.  It  is  scarcely  possible  to  over-estimate 

the  importance  of  careful  selection,  not  only  to 

the  collector,  but  to  the  grower  here.      It  is  to  be 

feared  that  in  many  instances  quantity  rather  than 

quality  is  the  object  in  view.     The  experiment  of 

Sir.  Mann  appears  encouraging  and  the  result  of 

the   sale   satisfactory.     Whether  other  collectors 

will  be  induced  to  make  more  careful  selections 

remains  to  be  seen.     The  cost  of  transit,  &c.,  would 

not  be  greater,  and  any  additional  expense  incurred 

in  selecting  and  packing  would  doubtless  be  fully 

compensated.    No  doubt  many  growers,  as  well  as 

actual  purchasers,  will  anxiously  watch  the  pro- 

gressof  Mann's  plants,  and  should  the  result  justify 

the  expectations  formed,  great  credit  will  be  due 

to  that  collector.     It  is  certainly  vexatious  to  find 

plants,   for  which   considerable   sums   have  been 

paid,  turn  out  to  be  inferior  to  older  and  probably 

much  cheaper  varieties.     It  is  small  satisfaction  to 

the  grower,  after  all  the  anxious  care  bestowed  on 

their  cultivation,  cost  in  time,  firing,  &c.  (and  may 

be  neglect  of  some  older  and  worthier  variety), 

when  complaint   is  made,  to  be  told  that  the 

amount   paid   for   the    plant   will    be    refunded. 

Surely  something  better  could  be  arranged,  or  the 

risk  of  disappointment  reduced. — M.  J.  Pv. 


An  ancient  Myrtle. — The  disappearance  of 
remarkable  trees  as  well  as  remarkable  buildings 
deserves  recording.  About  half  a  mile  from  Lyme 
Begis  and  one  mile  from  here  stands  an  old  mill 
which  played  a  part  in  Messrs.  Besant  &  Pace's 
well  known  story, "  Trafalgar's  Bay,"  and,  with  the 
adjacent  waterfall,  is  the  constant  subject  of 
artists.  Until  within  a  few  weeks  ago  there  stood 
against  it  a  Myrtle  tree,  probably  one  of  the  oldest 
and  larges^t  in  England.  The  trunk  at  1  footfrom 
the  ground  was  within  a  trifle  of  2  feet  in  diame- 
ter. That  part  of  the  building  against  which  it 
spread  is  of  considerable  antiquity,  doubtless 
nearly  three  centuries  old.  If  I  may  hazard  a 
guess  at  the  approximate  age  of  this  venerable 
Myrtiu,  I  think  I  should  not  be  far  out  if  I  set  it 
down  at  over  200  years.  It  could  not  have  much 
increased  in  size  during  the  last  half  or  three-quar- 
ters of  a  century,  as  it  grew  out  of  the  roadway, 
where  it  received  only  the  barest  sustenance,  and 
which  doubtless  ultimately  starved  it  to  death. 
The  comparatively  limited  space  which  it  covered 
•  is  explained  by  the  fact  that  large  limbs  had  at 
different  times  been  lopped  oft'.  It  would  be  in- 
teresting to  know  if  any  of  your  readers  can  fur- 
nish instances  of  larger  growth  or  authenticated 
greater  antiquity.— J,  M.,  Ckurmoxtth,  Dorset. 


Malva  capensis 
Agathffia  ccclestis 
Neja  gracilis 
(Knothera  taraxacifoUa 
riparia 
niissouriensia 
Lychnis,  double-flowered 
Scabiosa  parnas^i 
Andriisaco  lanuginoea 
Abelia  rupestris 
Thymus  rutundifolius 
Mazus  Puniilio 
Campanula  Pnrtenschlagiana 
Rulnis  roswfolius 
Vinca  acutiloba 
Carnations,  a  few 
Pinks,  ditto 
Schizostylis  coccinea 
.Senecio  pulcher 
Kudbeckia  Newmanni 
Pyrethrums,  double 

siDgle 
Arenaria  laricifolia 
Coronilla  iberica 
Phlox  Nelsoni 

ama'ua 

Geum  miniatum 

aureum 

Erodium  Manescavi 
Richardi 

Potentilla  duhia 
other  species 

Erigeron  mucronatum 
glaucum 

Pernettyas 

Matricaria  inodora  fl.-pl. 

Anthemis  tinctoria 

Arabis  procurrena 

Clu-ysanthemum  maximum 
atratum 

Coreopsis 

Calamintha  grandiflora 

Eryngium  faleatum 
I)andunifolium 

Aster  sikkimensis 

Geraniums 

Delphiniums 

Pentstemons 

Pansit'S 

Antirrhinums 


Gcutiana  acaulis 

verna 
Lobelia  splendena 
Gaillardia  spleudens 
Tradescanti.'is 
Croci,  several  species 
Zauschneria  callfoniica 
Lychnis  Lagascro 
Plumbago  Larpentic 
Verbena  venosa 
Primula  denticulata 
lloribunda 
obconica 
Primrose?,  double  yellow 
Cheiranthus,  bcuquct 

mutabilis 
Erpetion  renifonne 
Artemisia  maritima 
Viola  glabella 
Bellium  bellidioides 
Iloustonia  cicrulea 
fiphiopogon  Jaburan 
Salvia  patens 

Horminum 
Parochetus  communis 
Meconopsis  cambrica 
Astrantia  major 
Linum  monogynum 
Silene  maritima  11  -pi. 
Lobelia  ilicifolia 
Campanula  Tlosti  alba 
Veronica  elliptica 

dccussata 
Lamium,  white 
Heaths 
Menziesias 

Rhododendron  Wilson! 
Aponogeton  distachyon 
Wahlenbergia  saxieola 
Leycesteria  formosa 
\'iolets 
Launistinus 
Arbutus  Croomi 
Gynerium  argeuteum  pumi 
lum 


— G.  F.  Wilson,  HeKthcrlxuil, 


Wtyhriiliif  Heath. 

Open-air  flo'wers   at  No'wry.— I  send 

you  a  gathering  of  autumn  flowers.  The  Anemone 
season,  as  you  will  see,  has  begun,  and  will  con- 
tinue without  interruption  until  .lune  next. 
Fuchsia  Mdme.  Cornellissen  is  still  about  the 
hardiest  of  its  race,  and  a  profuse  and  continuous 
bloomer;  Schizostylis  coccinea  is  bright  and 
beautiful ;  Tritoma  grandis  i.-*  truly  so  called,  and 
Lilium  speciosum  album,  the  latest  of  all,  is  still 
blooming  freely,  though  some  of  the  buds  get 
injured  by  wet  before  they  expand ;  Tobacco 
(Nicotiana)  is  not  at  all  a  bad  autumn  subject. 
Good  bushes  of  it  4  feet  high  have  rather  an  im- 
posing appearance  among  shrubs,  and  are  quite  a 
mass  of  rosy  flowers.  Genista  canariensis  flowers 
the  whole  season  through,  and  is  now  golden  and 
cheery  ;  Calceolaria  amplexicaulis  is,  perhaps,  the 
best  yellow-flowered  plant  for  late  autumn ; 
Spiraja  Bumalda  is  still  bearing  buds  and  blos- 
soms profusely.    There  is  no  dwarf  shrub  like 


so  thick  as  a  man's  wrist,  and  the  leaves,  which 
are  pale  green,  are  about  3  feet  long  and  curve 
gracefully.  In  the  centre  of  the  whorl  of  fohage 
the  inflorescence  appears ;  it  is  composed  of  a 
number  of  large  overlapping  bracts,  inside  which 
the  whorls  of  insignificant  flowers  are  borne,  the 
whole  forming  a  head  or  cone  of  some  8  inches  in 
length  and  of  the  brightest  scarlet.  This  cone  re- 
mains in  beauty  for  several  weeks,  and  when  cut 
and  placed  in  water  forms  an  ornament  not  un- 
worthy of  a  place  amongst  flowers  for  the  decora- 
tion of  rooms,  kz,.  An  interesting  species  of  Musa, 
viz.,  M.  textilis,  which  in  size  and  habit  resembles 
the  above,  and  which  yields  a  fibre  employed  in 
the  making  of  thread  and  textile  fabrics,  is  also  in 
cultivation  at  Kew.  Unlike  M.  coccinea,  this 
species  seems  very  difficult  to  flower,  at  least  we 
learn  that  at  Kew  it  has  not  been  known  to  blos- 
som. Perhaps  some  of  our  readers  may  be  able  to 
afford  some  information  on  how  this  Musa  may  be 
induced  to  produce  flowers. 

Anthurlum  ferrlerense.— As  is  the  case 
with  the  majority  of  hybrid  plants, this  Anthurium, 
which  has  been  obtained  by  crossing  A.  Andrea- 
num  with  A.  Koezli,  proves  to  be  very  prolific  in 
the  way  of  flowers,  even  more  so  than  A.  Andrea- 
num,  which  is  not  slow  in  the  production  of  its 
queer-looking  blossoms.  A.  ferrierense  has  been 
represented  at  Kew  for  the  past  twelve  months 
by  a  rather  small  specimen,  and  this  has  not  been 
without  one,  and  often  two  together,  of  its  bright 
looking  flowers  during  the  whole  of  that  time.  In 
our  opinion  this  hybrid  is  a  more  useful  plant  than 
either  of  its  parents,  as  it  grows  more  compactly 
and  flowers  much  earlier  and  with  more  freedom 
than  its  white-flowered  parent,  A.  Koezli,  whilst 
when  compared  with  A.  Andreanum  it  proves  su- 
perior in  the  tinting  of  its  bracts  as  well  as  in  the 
structure  of  the  whole  flower.  A.  Andreanum  is 
a  curiosity— a  freak  of  nature— remarkable  enough 
in  its  curiously-puckered  spathe  and  curving  bi- 
coloured  spadix.  But  it  is  not  beautiful,  though 
quaint.  In  the  Kew  collection  we  noticed  both 
the  parents  of  A.  ferrierense  in  flower,  and  it 
occurred  to  us  that  it  would  be  worth  while  trying 
to  cross  this  hybrid  with  one  or  both  of  its  parents. 
We  learn  that  at  Kew  A.  ferrierense  does  not 
produce  seeds,  although  both  of  its  parents  seed 
freely.  The  result  of  experiments  made  with  a 
view  to  testing  the  reproductive  capacity  of  this 
distinct  hybrid  would  be  an  interesting  contribu- 
tion to  the  knowledge  which  we  at  present  possess 
of  this  capacity  in  other  plants  of  distinctly  hybrid 
origin. 


Aubrietla  olymplca  — What  is  known  of  this  plant? 
Is  Kovember  its  normal  blooming  season  ?  If  this  la  the 
case,  it  is  a  valuable  addition  to  our  late  autumn  rock 
plants.  A  large  plant,  given  me  a  year  ago,  is  now  bril- 
liantly in  flower  on  rockwork.  It  is  less  dw:irf  than  the 
spring  flowering  Aubrietias,  and  the  flower-stalks  rise  with 
a  certain  air  of  importance  that  distinguishes  it  at  once  iQ 
character  from  the  more  modest  tufted  growth  of  the 
spring-flowering  kinds.— G.  J. 


Nov.  2?,  1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


433 


INDOOR    Garden. 


TOTTING  LILIES. 
The  annual  root  disturbance  to  which  Lilies  in 
pots  are  subjected  is,  I  am  convinced,  often  mis- 
directed energy.  In  many  instances  they  would 
flower  just  as  well  or  better  if  allowed  to  remain 
in  the  same  pots  two  or  more  years  in  succession. 
I  am  comfirmed  in  this  belief  by  the  behaviour  of 
a  pot  or  two  of  white  Japan  Lilies  which  were 
not  shifted  or  in  any  way  disturbed  at  the  roots 
last  season.  As  is  well  known,  the  white  variety 
is  not  so  strong  of  growth  as  the  red-flowered 
sorts,  but  with  me  this  year  it  threw  up  very 
strong  flower-stems,  which  attained  a  height  of 
5  feet,  and  the  flowers  were  quite  as  large  and  the 
foliage  as  broad  and  handsome  as  on  those  which 
had  been  shaken  out  and  repotted.  One  pot 
carried  about  twenty  stems,  each  one  bearing 
from  six  to  a  dozen 
flowers,  which  were  as  good 
as  I  ever  remember  to  have 
seen  those  of  the  white 
variety.  There  is  another 
item  in  Lily  culture  to 
which  I  would  direct  at- 
tention— /  ('.,  the  top-dress- 
ing of  the  plants  when 
they  have  come  into 
growth.  It  is  a  generally 
accepted  rule  that  in  pot- 
ting the  bulbs  sufliicient 
space  should  be  left  for 
applying  a  top-dressing 
of  some  light  material 
at  a  later  period,  but  is 
there  any  good  reason  why 
the  pots  should  not  be 
filled  up  at  once  ?  I  fail 
to  perceive  that  any  good 
purpose  is  served  by 
delaying  this  operation  ; 
on  the  contrary,  I  be- 
lieve that  sometimes 
harm  results  from  it.  I 
have  remarked  that  roots 
issue  in  a  general  way 
from  the  lowermost  por- 
tion of  the  stems  as  soon 
as  these  are  2  inches  or  3 
inches  in  height.  If  they 
have  to  grow  through 
several  inches  of  soil,  they 
push  roots  into  it  just 
when  they  are  ready  to  do 
so,  but  they  cannot  if 
the  soil  is  not  there ; 
and  it  frequently  occurs 
that  through  press  of  work 
the  top-dressing  is  unduly  deferred,  or  that  the 
grower  fails  to  realise  the  importance  of  applying 
it  at  an  early  period  of  growth,  in  which  case  time, 
and  consequently  strength,  is  lost,  for  the  older 
the  flower-stems  become  the  more  reluctantly 
do  they  emit  roots. 

In  the  open  geound  Lilies  have  often  to 
push  through  C  inches  of  mould,  and  they  can  do 
this  just  as  well  as  when  in  pots.  Before  I  leave  this 
part  of  the  subject  I  would  like  to  ask  your  Lily- 
growing  readers  whether  they  have  accurately 
marked  the  difference  in  the  growth  of  top-dressed 
plants  and  those  which  have  been  potted  in  the 
manner  commonly  practised  in  the  culture  of  pot 
plants.  I  have  grown  them  both  ways  and  with, 
so  far  as  I  can  perceive,  but  little  difference  in  the 
result.  It  is  said  that  top-dressing  increases  the 
size  of  the  blossoms  and  intensifies  the  hue  of  the 
foliage,  but  bulbs  potted  so  that  they  come  within 
an  inch  of  the  rim  of  the  pot  were  in  these  respects 
no  way  behind  those  treated  in  orthodox  fashion. 
For  top-dressing  the  bulbs  must  be  set  low  in 
the  pots,  so  that  the  amount  of  soil  at  the  disposal 
of  those  roots  which  issue  from  the  bulbs  is  ma- 
terially reduced  ;  and  after  all,  these  are  the  main- 
stay of  the  plants,  and  if  I  am  not  very  much 
mistaken,  their  health,  numbers,  and  activity,  in 
conjunction  with  the  amount  of  nourishment  at 


their  disposal,  must  always  be  the  primary  consi- 
deration. What  caused  my  attention  to  be  more 
particularly  directed  to  this  matter  was  the  way 
in  which  some  plants  grew  and  bloomed  which 
were  shifted  on  from  6-inch  into  12-inch  pots 
without  disturbing  the  roots.  The  balls  being  a 
mass  of  healthy,  active  fibres,  I  diil  not  have  the 
heart  to  disturb  them,  so  that  when  put  into  the 
fresh  pots  there  was  .scarcely  any  space  left  for 
top-dressing.  The  flower-stems  of  these  plants 
attained  many  of  them  a  height  of  6  feet,  and 
bore  from  twenty  to  thirty  flowers,  some  of  the 
pots  carrying  nearly  200  expanded  flowers  and 
buds.  I  never  saw  stronger  plants  than  these, 
and  they  were  the  admiration  of  all  who  saw 
them.  It  is  therefore  certain  that  top-dressing  is 
not  absolutely  necessary  to  high  development  of 
Lily  growth.  There  was  one  thing  about  these 
plants  that  particularly  pleased  me — tliey  looked 
so  natural ;  there  was  not  the  slightest  appearance 
of  formality  or  stiffness  about  them. 
This  was  caused  by  their  being  shifted 
on  from  small  pots  without  disturbing 
the  bulbs,  so  that,  increasing,  as  they 
do,  annually,  they  ranged  at  last  in 
size  from  the  dimensions  of  a  good- 
sized  Walnut  to  that  of  a  cricket- 
ball.  Therefore,  when  they  grew,  some 
shot  up  very  strong  and  tall,  whilst 
the  remainder  came  in  varying  height, 


been  put  round  the  stems,  as  the  Italians  do  their 
Camellia  plants,  some  18  inches  from  the  top  of 
the  plants,  and  they  had  rooted  so  strongly  that 
many  of  the  pots  vrere  full  of  strong  cuttings. 
Some  days  before  the  show  they  were  cut  off  from 
the  mother  plant.  They  are  now  blooming  in  a 
cold  house,  and  the  blooms  look  to  stand  as  long 
as  if  they  had  been  on  the  mother  plants.  They 
are  useful  for  room  decoration,  mantelpieces, 
tables,  sick  rooms,  &c.,  where  large  plants  cannot 
be  used. — J.  R.  D.,  Stamford  HiU. 


Khododeudron  multicolor  var.  Ciirliai  (detached  flower  natural  size  ;  colour  crimson). 


coming  down  to  quite  small  growths,  which, 
though  they  did  not  yield  flowers,  furnished  the 
base  of  the  specimens,  overlapping  the  pots,  and 
forming  a  mass  of  leafage  and  bloom  as  irregular 
and  natural  of  growth  as  clumps  left  alone  in  the 
open  ground  do.  Very  little  staking  was  done ; 
only  the  strong  stems  had  sticks,  and  these  were 
rather  supported  than  tied  up  so  as  to  avoid 
rigidity,  whilst  those  stems  which  carried  several 
blooms  only  grew  at  will,  and  assumed  that 
graceful  arching  habit  which  is  characteristic  of 
this  fine  Lily  when  growing  naturally,  and  which 
is  quite  obliterated  by  the  usual  method  of 
staking.  A  few  more  words  in  conclusion.  If  you 
want  flower-stems  from  4  feet  to  0  feet  in  height, 
pot  now,  and  never  at  any  time  after  flowering 
allow  the  roots  to  shrivel  from  want  of  water ;  but 
if  you  want  a  succession  of  bloom  from  mid- 
August  to  mid-October,  pot  some  in  December 
and  again  early  in  February.  Btfleet. 


Striking  flowering  tops  of  Chrysan- 
themums.— At  the  Stoke  Newington   Chrysanthe- 


KHODODENDRON  MULTICOLOR  CURTISI. 
To  every  newly-introduced  species  of  Rhododen- 
dron our  gardens  accord  a  hearty  welcome,  and 
more  particularly  if  so  much  distinct  from  older 
species  as  to  be  likely  to  bring  about  a  new  race 
of  hybrids.  Such  is  the  case  with  R.  Curtisi  here 
illustrated.  It  is  a  native  of  Sumatra,  but  affects 
high  elevations,  often  as  much  as  3000  feet ;  hence 
it  is  tolerably  hardy.  It  is  of  dwarf  spreading 
growth,  only  growing  2  feet  high.  The  branches 
are  slender,  and  the  leaves  long  and  narrow  and 
not  very  abundant.  The  flowers  are  campanulate, 
of  wax-like  texture,  and  hang  in  clusters,  three 
and  four  together,  terminating  the  twigs.  It  seems 
to  be  remarkably  floriferous,  as  even  small  plants 
produce  numbers  of  flowers,  which  are  of  a  deep 
crimson-red.  It  has  been  introduced  by  Messrs. 
Veitoh  through  their  col- 
lector, Mr.  Curtis,  and  when 
shown  last  year  at  South 
Kensington  was  awarded 
a  first-class  certificate. 
Since  then  Messrs.  Veitch 
have  flowered  a  pale  co- 
loured variety,  which  they 
call  lutecium  It  is  quite 
distinct  from  any  other 
Rhododendron  as  regards 
colour,  and  may  be  put 
to  good  use  in  the  produc- 
tion of  hybrids. 

It  is  now  nearly  forty 
years  since  horticulturists 
m.ade  their  first  acquaint- 
ance with  the  magnifi- 
cent race  of  Rhododen- 
drons that  inhabit  the 
mountainsof  South-eastern 
Asia  and  the  islands  of 
the  adjoining  archipela- 
go. The  first  important 
introduction  was  R.  ja- 
vanicum.  This  fine  species 
was  closely  followed  by 
R.  jasminiflorum,  from 
Mount  Ophir,  R.  Lobbi 
and  R.  Erooki,  from 
Borneo,  the  progenitors  of  that  grand  race  of 
hybrids  raised  in  the  Exotic  Nursery,  Chelsea, 
which  are  destined  to  occupy  a  foremost  place 
amongst  decorative  plants  for  the  intermediate 
house  and  warm  conservatory.  The  species  just 
named  were  followed  in  time  by  R.  citrinum,  R. 
malayanum,  and  one  or  two  others  now  not  often 
met  with.  Quite  distinct  from  all  these,  however, 
is  R.  Curtisi,  the  latest  addition  to  the  group,  and 
at  the  same  time  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and 
effective. 


FERN  JARS. 

Information  was  recently  sought  in  The 
Garden  (see  p.  301))  as  to  the  mode  of  cover- 
ing Egyptian  porous  jars  with  Ferns,  and  the 
variety  best  suited  for  the  purpose.  Only  com- 
paratively few  gardeners  have  had  anything  to  do 
with  this  somewhat  strange  method  of  growing 
Ferns,  and  perhaps  some  of  those  who  have  would 
not  have  regretted  if  they  had  been  denied  the 
privilege  of  making  the  experiment.  The  jars  are 
in  shape  something  like  an  earthenware  crutch. 


mum  Show,  which  took  place  the  other  day,  our  j  with  a  loop  handle  at  each  side  and  a  hole  in  the 
neighbour,    Mr.  Chitty,    and    another    exhibitor  :  top.     Water  is  poured  in  daily,  and  the  clay  of 


showed  some  dozen  plants  about  18  inches  high 
in  3-incL  pots,  of  the  recurved  and  other  good 
blooms.    In  August  and  September  the  pots  had 


which  the  jar  is  made  is  sufficiently  porous  to  allow 
it  to  percolate  through  it  gradually.  Ferns  are 
placed  over  the  outside  of  the  jar,  which  is  after- 


484 


THE    GARDEN 


[Nov.  22,  1884. 


wards  suspended  to  the  roof,  and  they  must  of 
necessity  almost  entirely  subsist  on  the  water 
that  oozes  through  from  the  inside.  I  once  saw 
some  of  these  jars  that  had  been  brought  from 
Malta,  where  they  must  have  been  grand,  as 
seen  suspended  in  porches  outside  the  houses, 
and  forming  globular  balls  of  Fern  3  feet  or 
more  in  diameter.  We  afterwards  had  some  new 
jars  to  cover  in  a  similar  way  that  had  been 
specially  sent  for.  Thinking  that  some  soil  would 
be  necessary,  and  knowing  it  would  be  difficult  to 
fi.x  it  to  the  jars,  some  fresh  turf  was  cut  thinly, 
and  the  vitality  of  the  Grass  destroyed  by  placing 
it  on  a  warm  flue.  With  this  and  other  methods 
we  did  not  succeed  satisfactorily  in  all  cases, 
although  a  few  afterwards  did  well.  An  examina- 
tion of  those  imported  ready  furnished  showed 
that  only  a  small  portion  of  a  yellow  tenacious 
loam  and  plenty  of  copper  wire  had  been 
used  for  fixing  purposes.  We  then  obtained  some 
tempered  clay,  and  proceeded  on  the  same 
lines  with  strong  little  plants  of  Adiantum 
Capillus- Veneris,  the  same  variety  we  observed 
that  had  been  used  on  the  others,  and  which 
is  best  suited  for  the  purpose,  on  account 
of  its  mode  of  spreading  on  the  surface  and 
the  means  thereby  afforded  for  tying  it  on 
the  jar.  We  turned  the  jar  upside  down,  and 
having,  fixed  it  on  three  inverted  empty  pots,  we 
began  on  the  lower  part,  placing  alternately  a 
plant  and  a  lump  of  the  soft  tempered  clay.  This 
adhered  sufficiently  to  the  jar  to  hold  the  Ferns, 
and  when  the  surface  was  covered  so  far  as  pos- 
sible we  reversed  the  jar  and  finished  the  upper 
part ;  it  was  then  suspended.  Rather  large  copper 
wire  was  then  bound  round  in  all  directions, 
crossing  the  rhizome-like  roots  of  the  Ferns,  and 
by  drawing  it  rather  tightly  it  became  hid  in  the 
clay,  while  at  the  same  time  it  held  all  firmly 
together.  The  jars  were  then  filled  with  water  and 
suspended  to  the  roof  in  a  stove  temperature.  I 
have  no  data  to  which  I  can  refer  respecting 
the  season  at  which  this  experiment  was  per- 
formed, but  believe  it  was  either  in  winterer  early 
in  spring.  Nearly  every  plant  grew  admirably, 
but  those  that  were  strongest  when  put  on  suc- 
ceeded by  far  the  best.  In  twelve  months,  speak- 
ing from  memory,  the  clay  was  nearly  hid  by  the 
Ferng.  A  more  immediate  effect  might  have  been 
obtained  by  placing  them  closer  together  at  first, 
but  then  a  considerable  number  would  be  required, 
the  surface  being  much  larger  than  it  appears 
to  be  at  first  sight.  The  spores  from  the  Ferns 
employed  grew  in  large  numbers  on  some  parts  of 
the  clay,  but  I  do  not  think  it  practicable  to  fur- 
nish the  jars  by  these  alone,  as  it  would  take  much 
too  long  a  time.  Again,  the  spores  appear  so 
thickly  together  that  it  would  be  impossible 
for  them  to  grow  satisfactorily  without  being 
pricked  out.  It  is  advisable  to  withhold  water 
for  a  few  days  occasionally,  but  not  long 
enough  to  allow  the  clay  or  soil  to  crack 
through  dryness.  The  process  of  covering  and 
the  after  treatment  for  some  time  require  con- 
siderable patience  and  attention  to  accomplish  all 
properly.  When  once  established  and  become 
balls  of  Pern,  these  jars  at  least  represent  a 
novel  mode  of  cultivation,  and  are,  in  addition, 
certain  to  prove  a  source  of  much  interest  to  all 
who  may  have  to  do  with  them.  J.  G.  K. 


FLOWER-POTS. 


Lately  patents  have  been  taken  out  for  both 
flower-pots  and  flower -pot  saucers,  and  from  time 
to  time,  ever  since  we  remember,  alterations  and 
so-called  improvements  of  the  form  of  both  have 
been  introduced,  some  of  which  showed  quite  a 
misconception  of  the  purposes  for  which  flower- 
pots are  used.  There  have  been  single  and  double- 
sided  pots,  deep  pots,  shallow  pots,  straight-sided 
pots,  ventilated  pots,  glazed  pots,  and  other  shapes 
and  qualities,  all  advocated  for  some  special  pur- 
pose or  other,  but  on  the  whole  the  common  old- 
fashioned  pot  still  holds  the  first  place.  The  first 
thing  which  cultivators  have  to  recognise  is  the 
fact  that  the  flower-pot  is  just  a  necessary  evil 
that  cultivators  would  be  glad  to  dispense  with 


if  they  could,  and  which  they  do  dispense  with 
whenever  they  can.  It  was  found  necessary,  how- 
ever, to  employ  some  kind  of  vessel  in  which  to 
grow  plants,  and  the  common  earthenware  pot, 
with  a  hole  in  the  bottom,  presented  itself  as  the 
cheapest  and  most  convenient  article  for  that  pur- 
pose, and  it  is  not  likely  to  be  soon  superseded, 
although  some  of  the  samples  produced  by 
makers  are  anything  but  handsome  or  of  good 
quality.  A  flower-pot  standing  out  of  the 
ground  is  not  a  good  receptacle  for  the 
roots  of  a  plant,  because  it  exposes  the  roots  to 
vicissitudes  and  alternations  of  heat  and  moisture 
not  suited  to  them,  and  to  which  nearly  all  the 
difficulties  of  plant  culture  in  pots  are  traceable, 
such  as  diseases,  insect  attacks,  failure  of  crops, 
and  many  other  troubles.  It  is  above  all  ne- 
cessary that  a  flower-pot  should  provide  ready 
means  of  drainage,  because  a  plant  in  a  pot  having 
to  be  frequently  watered  would  soon  be  water- 
logged if  the  supplies  of  moisture  could  not  run 
off  quickly.  This  has  led  to  a  great  variety  of 
shapes  in  flower-pot  bottoms,  and  makers  have 
competed  keenly  with  each  other  in  devising 
schemes  of  drainage  and  ventilation  in  that  direc- 
tion. At  first  the  fiower-pot  had  only  one  hole  in 
the  bottom,  the  hole  being  in  the  centre ;  then 
more  holes  were  added,  and  the  bottoms  were  also 
raised  off  the  ground  or  made  concave;  and  just 
at  present  makers  are  wrangling  as  to  who  were 
the  originators  of  this  so-called  improvement 
Pot  manufacturers  have  all  along  fallen  into  the 
error  of  supposing  that  it  was  the  number  or  ar- 
rangement of  the  holes  and  the  shape  of  the 
bottom  of  the  pot  on  which  proper  drainage  de- 
pended ;  whereas  the  drainage  depends  on  the 
placing  of  clean  cinders,  stones,  or  potsherds  in 
the  bottom  of  the  pot,  and  not  upon  the  holes, 
which  are  merely  outlets  for  the  water.  Providing 
so  many  large  holes  in  a  pot,  the  biggest  of  which 
rarely  holds  more  than  a  cubic  foot  of  soil,  is 
absurd,  for  all  cultivators  know  that  one  hole  in 
the  centre  of  the  bottom  is  quite  sufficient  in  all 
cases,  and  cultivators  need  not  trouble  their  heads 
about  the  number  of  holes  or  the  shape  of  the 
bottom  so  long  as  they  take  care  to  drain  properly 
before  potting.  No  arrangement  yet  provided 
keeps  worms  out  of  pots,  unless  it  be  placing  a 
piece  of  finely  perforated  zinc  over  the  hole  inside 
before  putting  in  the  crocks.  Worms  are  only 
troublesome,  however,  when  pots  are  set  on  the 
ground  without  ashes  or  a  piece  of  slate  under 
them,  and  even  then  they  can  be  quickly  dislodged 
by  a  single  watering  with  lime  water.         J.  S. 


rising  well  above  the  foliage,  and  are  of  a  bright 
rosy  pink.  The  Garden  says  this  seems  to  be 
the  forerunner  ofq  uite  a  new  and  distinct  race, 
as  its  characters  are  peculiar  to  itself."  In  1882 
Messrs.  Veitch  distributed  under  the  name  of  B. 
Autumn  Rose  a  hybrid  raised  from  B.  socotrana 
X  B.  insignis,  which  was  exhibited  at  one  of  the 
Horticultural  Society's  meetings,  and  also  was 
noticed  in  the  pages  of  The  Gabden  in  the 
autumn  of  that  year. — J.  H.  V. 

*,*  The  result  of  "  J.  H.  V.s "  experiment  on 
B.  Rex  and  B.  Davisi  appears  to  have  been  prac- 
tically a  failure,  or  at  least  no  more  satisfactory 
than  the  crosses  made  by  Col.  T.  Clarke,  as  re- 
corded by  Mr.  Burbidge.  "  J.  H.  V.'e  '  seedlings 
were  remarkable  in  taking  almost  wholly  after 
the  male  parent.  It  is  to  be  regretted  they  were 
destroyed,  as  although  they  were  not  sufficiently 
distinct  to  prove  useful  as  garden  plants,  they  might 
have  been  made  use  of  in  further  crossings.  We  sus- 
pect, however,  that  in  such  a  case,  as  in  all  cases 
where  two  totally  distinct  species  of  plants  are 
crossed,  the  progeny  would  be  sterile  ;  for  although 
there  are  many  instances  of  the  offspring  of  two 
species  proving  fertile,  as,  for  instance,  the  South 
American  tuberous-rooted  Begonias.it  is  urged  that 
such  cases  are  only  proofs  of  the  close  relation- 
ship of  the  parents,  and  that  they  are  not  really 
specifically  distinct.  It  would  therefore  be  in- 
teresting to  test  such  a  cross  as  that  of  B.  Rex  x 
B.  Davisi  by  crossing  again  their  progeny.  When  we 
said  the  South  American  tuberous-rooted  Bego- 
nias had  "  hitherto  refused  to  cross  with  any  species 
outside  the  limits  of  their  own  group,"  we  were 
thinking  of  the  shrubby  section  rather  than  of  the 
species  with  tuberous  root-stocks,  and  whose  stems 
are  annual.  B.  lineata  is  of  the  latter  charac- 
ter and  belongs  to  the  section  which  includes  B. 
JIartiana,  li.  picta,  and  the  new  P..  Beddomei. 
These  plants  are  very  closely  allied  to  B.  Davisi, 
P..  Veitchi,  and  the  rest  of  the  South  American 
kinds ;  they  are  therefore  the  most  likely  species 
to  unite  with  B.  Davisi.  In  our  opinion  the  second 
cross  mentioned  by  "  J.  H.  V."  is  not  so  interest- 
ing as  the  B.  Rex  cross.  Nor  do  we  think  any 
really  valuable  results  are  to  be  obtained  by  mix- 
ing the  Rex  group  with  the  South  American 
tuberous-rooted  kinds.  The  hybrid  raised  from 
B.  socotrana  x  B.  insignis  is  interesting,  but 
hardly  a  case  in  point. — Ed. 


HYBRID  BEGONIAS. 
In  The  Gakden  (p.  3.51)  an  account  is  given  of 
some  seedling  Begonias  which  had  been  obtained 
by  crossing  B.  Rex  with  B.  Davisi  by  the  Messrs. 
Sutton,  and  some  doubt  was  expressed  as  to  the 
possibility  of  such  a  cross  being  made.  In  July, 
1882,  I  obtained  a  plant  of  B.  Davisi  from  the 
nursery,  which  when  in  flower  I  fertilised  with 
pollen  from  B.  Rex.  The  result  of  this  was  about 
eighteen  plants,  all  more  or  less  like  the  male 
parent,  the  only  difference  that  I  could  see  being 
a  slightly  dwarfer  habit.  They  were  not  distinct 
enough  to  keep,  although  they  differed  from  each 
other,  no  two  being  exactly  alike ;  they  were 
therefore  thrown  away.  The  writer  of  the  note 
on  Messrs.  Sutton's  Begonias  says  it  is  well  known 
that  the  South  American  tuberous-rooted  Bego- 
nias have  hitherto  refused  to  cross  with  any 
species  outside  the  limits  of  their  own  group. 
Allow  me  to  differ  from  that  statement.  You  will 
see  from  the  following  extract  from  the  catalogue 
issued  by  Messrs.  Veitch  for  this  year  that  such  a 
cross  has  been  obtained  :  "  Begonia  Novelty  is  a 
hybrid  raised  by  our  foreman,  Mr.  Heal,  from  B. 
lineata,  a  native  of  Java,  and  the  Peruvian  species 
B.  Davisi,  the  latter  being  the  seed  parent.  The 
plant  has  the  dwarf,  compact  habit  of  B.  Davisi 
with  a  modification  of  the  fine  foliage  of  B. 
lineata.  The  leaves  are  obliquely  cordate-ovate 
and  pointed,  the  upper  surface  slightly  rough, 
of  a  deep  metallic  green,  densely  spotted  with 
silver-grey.  The  flowers  are  produced  in  the 
autumn  in  twos  and  threes  on  slender  scapes 


Anthracite  coal. — Anthracite  coal  and  coke 
cannot  be  compared  together.  The  coal,  being  so 
much  less  in  bulk  than  coke,  gives  a  steady  heat 
of  perhaps  more  than  double  the  duration  of  coke 
and  requires  much  less  attention.  When  your 
correspondent  names  steam  coal,  I  presume  he 
refers  to  a  good  sample  of  bituminous  or,  as  it  is 
called  in  this  country,  soft  coal,  to  distinguish  it 
from  the  non-bituminous  or  hard  coal,  the  term 
usually  given  to  the  anthracite.  The  latter  is 
exclusively  used  in  greenhouse  boilers  east  of 
Pittsburg,  which  probably  includes  nine-tenths 
of  the  greenhouses  in  the  States.  This  coal  gives 
a  very  strong,  steady,  and  lasting  heat  without 
any  smoke  or  soot,  and  very  little  flame.  If  of 
good  quality,  it  makes  but  little  ash  and  very  few 
clinkers,  but  contains  much  sulphur,  which,  if  the 
fireplace  is  damp,  rusts  on  the  boiler  in  the  form 
of  sulphuric  a'jid.  We  find  the  best  sizes  for  large 
boilers  requiring  a  steady  fire  from  10  p.m.  to  6 
a.m.  to  be  what  are  called  here  egg,  which  run 
from  the  size  of  a  small  to  a  large  hen's  egg,  and 
broken,  which  run  from  the  large  egg  to  about 
half  a  lirick  in  size.  A  tolerably  thin  fire  of  this 
will  last  many  hours  without  attention  if  the 
ashes  are  thoroughly  cleared  out  when  started  in 
the  afternoon.  With  moderate  attention  the  fires 
are  never  out  from  the  start  in  autumn  until 
spring.  We  often  require  a  much  mere  intense 
heat  in  our  greenhouse  boilers  in  this  country  than 
is  ever  required  in  England,  but  I  fail  to  see  how 
,  that  should  affect  a  boiler  full  of  water.  Anthra- 
cite coal  is  universally  used  in  the  New  Y'ork  dis- 
trict for  steam  boilerfl  and  for  hot  air  and  stove 
heating  for  dwellings.  I  consider  it  best  in  every 
respect  for  all  purposes  except  for  making  gas. — 
Jambs  Taplin,  Mai/tvood,  New  Jersey,  U.S.A. 


Nov.  22,  1884.] 


THE   GARDEN 


435 


Rose  Garden. 


ROSES  FROM  CUTTINGS. 
The  time  has  now  arrived  when  the  long  growths 
on  Roses  are  of  no  further  use  on  the  plants,  and, 
as  a  matter  of  fact,  the  latter  will  be  benefited  by 
having  them  shortened  back,  so  as  to  reduce  the 
size  of  the  head  and  give  the  wind  less  power  to 
blow  them  about.  The  shoots  thus  obtained  may 
be  turned  to  profitable  account  by  converting  them 
into  cuttings,  which  by  careful  planting  may  in 
due  time  be  made  into  plants.  There  are  two  ways 
of  dealing  with  the  cuttings  from  which  a  fair 
proportion  of  plants  may  be  expected.  In  our  own 
case,  having  an  odd  light  to  spare,  we  have  made 
a  temporary  frame  on  a  warm  border,  and,  having 
mixed  some  sand  with  the  soil,  have  dibbled  in 
the  cuttings  pretty  thickly,  and  put  the  light  over 
them.  The  latter  we  shall  cover  up  during  very 
severe  weather,  and  once  or  twice  during  winter 
we  shall  get  a  short  thick  stick  and  ram  the  soil 
firmly  between  the  catlings,  as  I  find  they  root 
better  in  a  firm  soil  than  in  a  loose  one,  and 
the  worms  will  be  sure  to  work  amongst  them 
and  loosen  the  earth.  Another  way  is  to  plant  the 
cuttings  on  a  warm  border  in  the  open.  The  best 
way  of  doing  this  is  to  cut  a  niche  4  inches  deep 
with  a  spade,  then  put  in  some  road  grit  or  sand,  an 
inch  thick,  to  receive  the  base  of  the  cuttings.  Let 
the  rows  be  1  foot  apart,  and  the  cuttings  3  inches 
asunder  in  the  rows.  Press  the  cuttings  firmly 
into  the  sand  so  that  they  may  have  a  firm  bed  on 
which  to  rest,  and  then  press  the  earth  firmly  with 
the  feet  about  them,  so  as  to  securely  fix  them  in 
the  soil. 

In  securing  the  cuttings,  no  attempt  should  be 
made  to  prune  the  Roses,  but  on  most  established 
plants  there  will  be  long  shoots,  which,  as  before 
suggested,  may  be  advantageously  reduced  in 
length.  It  is  from  this  surplus  growth  that  any 
number  of  cuttings  may  be  obtained,  and,  as  has 
been  already  stated,  it  will  do  the  plants  no  harm 
if  these  long  shoots  are  shortened  back  to  within 
6  inches  of  where  they  will  have  to  be  cut  back 
to  in  spring  from  the  hardest  of  the  shoots.  Thus 
obtained,  the  cuttings  may  be  made,  rejecting  the 
soft  tops,  as  they  will  be  sure  to  die.  For  this 
purpose,  a  rather  long  cutting  is  desirable,  as  it 
enables  the  operator  to  fix  it  more  securely  in  the 
soil  than  a  short  one.  As  nearly  as  possible,  every 
cutting  should  be  8  inches  long.  It  is  not  of  much 
importance  whether  they  have  leaves  on  them  or 
not ;  although,  it  they  can  have  two  or  three  leaves 
above  ground,  they  will  be  likely  to  form  roots 
sooner  than  such  as  have  none. 

I  find  that  when  the  cuttings  are  put  in  at  this 
time,  whether  under  glass  or  in  the  open,  it  is  best 
to  let  them  stand  one  year  before  being  moved,  as 
by  that  time  they  will  have  made  a  sufficient 
cumber  of  roots  to  bear  removal  with  safety. 
Some  like  to  take  them  up  in  spring  just  as  they 
have  formed  a  callus,  and  pot  and  place  them  in 
heat ;  but  unless  they  can  be  dealt  with  in  a  care- 
ful manner,  great  risk  of  losing  many  of  them  will 
be  incurred.  Those  put  in  frames  will  require  an 
occasional  watering  as  spring  advances,  and  the 
lights  should  be  tilted  in  warm  weather  to  admit 
air.  At  the  end  of  May  the  lights  may  be  removed 
altogether,  and  as  summer  advances  many  of  them 
will  begin  to  grow  vigorously.  The  strongest  may 
have  their  tops  cut  off  when  they  have  reached  a 
height  of  18  inches.  If  left  to  themselves,  some 
will  flower  during  the  summer ;  but  if  strong 
plants  are  wanted,  they  should  not  be  allowed  to 
do  so.  By  the  time  they  have  been  twelvemonths 
in  the  ground  they  will  be  ready  for  potting,  or 
for  any  other  purpose  for  which  they  may  be  re- 
quired. J.  C.  C. 

Gumming  Roses.— The  letter  of  the  hono- 
rary secretaries  of  the  National  Rose  Society  upon 
gumming  Roses  (p.  430)  is  by  no  means  satis- 
factory. They  say  that  the  committee  "  expressed 
no  opinion  upon  the  practice  of  gumming  Rose 
blooms,"  but  they  altogether  ignore  the  fact  that 
this  was  exactly  what  they  were  asked  to  do. 
They  were  distinctly  asked  either  "  to  approve  or 


condemn  the  practice,"  and  they  improperly  gave 
a  "  decision "  in  favour  of  this  newest  form  of 
trickery.  They  did  this,  it  seems,  because  they 
had  no  law  to  guide  them  in  the  matter.  "  No  law, 
forsooth  1  "  Why,  our  schedule,  a  copy  of  which 
was  sent  to  them  with  our  case,  has  the  following 
rule  printed  in  large  type :  "  Roses  to  be  shown  as 
cut  from  the  plants."  If  this  rule  does  not  apply, 
it  must  follow  that  Roses  may  be  cut  from  the 
plants  with  their  centres  full  of  gum  !  As  it  is 
evidently  their  intention  to  frame  some  rule  for 
future  guidance,  their  "  decision  "  seems  as  ridicu- 
lous as  that  of  the  intelligent  jury  who  returned  a 
verdict  of  "  not  guilty,  but  don't  do  it  again." — 
A.  Johnson,  Hon.  See,  Leeh  Rose  Society. 


STANDARD  ROSES. 

These  with  me  often  die,  and  I  think  the  cause 
may  in  a  great  measure  be  traced  to  the  condi- 
tions under  which  they  are  grown,  although  it  is 
not  an  easy  matter  always  to  say  what  will  suit 
them,  and  what  will  not.  I  have,  I  may  say, 
almost  given  up  planting  standards,  because  I  can- 
not keep  them  alive  more  than  five  or  six  years, 
and  many  die  even  in  less  time  than  that ;  yet 
Roses  on  their  own  roots  and  on  the  Manetti  and 
seedling  Brierdo  fairly  well  in  our  soil,  and^promise 
to  last  a  lifetime.  Thirteen  years  ago  I  planted 
a  line  of  standards,  and  at  the  same  time  I  put 
several  in  a  large  unheated  house.  Those  in  the 
open  were  all  dead  at  the  eni  of  six  years  :  but 
those  under  glass  are  in  the  most  luxuriant  health. 
It  therefore  appears  that  glass  protection  is  all 
that  is  necessary  to  secure  their  thriving.  That 
my  experience  is  somewhat  exceptional  I  am  pre- 
pared to  admit,  for  there  is  no  county  in  England 
where  Roses  thrive  better  in  the  open,  as  a  rule, 
than  in  Somerset.  A  walk  through  any  of  our 
country  villages  at  the  end  of  June  will  prove  this. 
Our  cottagers  generally  are  great  growers  of  Rose', 
and  standards  with  heads  2  feet  through,  and 
stems  nearly  as  large  as  one's  wrist,  are  not  un- 
common. At  the  same  time  the  number  of  varie- 
ties to  be  found  in  this  condition  is  not  great. 
Aimee  Vibert  is  the  variety  of  Rose  most  fre- 
quently met  with.  Anna  Alexieff,  Marechal  Vail- 
lant,  Mdme.  Laffay,  Jules  Margottin,  Due  de 
Rohan,  Mdme.  Domage,  Acidalie,  Souvenir  de  la 
Malmaison,  and  Gloire  de  Dijon  are  frequently 
seen  in  a  thriving  condition.  These  sorts  are 
known  for  the  most  part  to  be  good  growers,  and 
therefore  likely  to  do  well  under  any  conditions  ; 
but  I  cannot  help  thinking  that  the  let-alone  sort 
of  treatment  which  they  get  has  something  to  do 
with  the  matter.  In  the  first  place,  the  cottager 
brings  home  the  Brier  and  buds  it  where  planted, 
and  there  it  is  allowed  to  remain ;  therefore  there 
is  no  mutilating  the  roots.  Then  there  is  a  sort  of 
chance  about  the  tree  being  pruned,  and  if  pruned 
at  all,  not  so  severely  as  the  professional  gardener 
would  do  it.  This  sort  of  treatment,  I  believe,  is 
much  more  conducive,  in  the  case  of  the  Rose,  to 
a  long  life  than  that  accorded  to  it  by  professional 
growers.  The  behaviour  of  the  plants  generally 
clearly  shows  that  all  the  varieties  of  Roses  are 
not  suitable  for  standards.  The  weakly  growers 
are  the  first  to  die,  but  whether  this  is  the  result 
of  weak  root  action  or  the  changed  conditions 
under  which  they  are  grown,  is  not  quite  clear.  I 
am  inclined,  however,  to  think  that  both  have 
something  to  do  with  the  matter.  The  sort  of  weak 
root  action  I  mean  is  caused  by,  first,  the  Brier 
being  torn  from  its  bed  and  then  mutilated  to  suit 
the  fastidious  taste  of  the  grower ;  then  it  is 
further  weakened  by  being  removed  from  the 
nursery  and  taken  to  some  distant  place ;  and, 
further,  the  annual  hard  pruning  which  the 
branches  receive  only  aggravates  the  evil.  In  a 
word,  I  believe  we  prune  both  top  and  bottom  too 
much.  I  have  noticed  in  many  cases  that  the 
stock  dies  upwards.  This  may  be  caused  by  one 
of  two  things — either  the  stock  is  hide-bound  and 
cannot  expand,  so  as  to  maintain  a  healthy  action 
between  roots  and  branches,  or  it  resents  the  arti- 
ficial conditions  under  which  we  endeavour  to 
make  it  grow.  This  is  by  no  means  unreasonable, 
seeing  that  many  Briers  are  taken  from  warm  and 


sheltered  situations ;  and  it  is  not  at  all  impro 
bable  that  their  energies  are  so  crippled  by  expo- 
sure that  they  dwindle  away  and  die  when  ex- 
posed to  the  sudden  changes  of  an  open  position, 
and  no  doubt  the  restricted  conditions  under 
which  they  are  cultivated  are  in  part  answerable 
for  the  difliculty  experienced  in  making  them 
grow.  Taunton. 


PLANTING  ROSES. 


One  sees  so  many  half-starved  Rose  trees  about 
the  country  that  one  wonders  how  their  owners 
can  bear  to  look  upon  them.  This  condition  is 
often  brought  about  by  an  indifferent  preparation 
of  the  soil  when  the  trees  are  first  planted.  Rose 
trees  to  be  grown  in  beds  or  borders  require  the 
soil  to  be  trenched  to  a  depth  of  at  least  18 
inches  or  2  feet.  It  will  depend  entirely  upon  its 
character  what  additions  will  be  required  to  make 
it  suitable  for  the  growth  of  Roses.  If  a  suitable 
loam,  a  good  dressing  of  farmyard  manure  is  all 
that  will  be  needed  ;  but  if  light  and  sandy,  or  in- 
clining to  be  peaty,  half  of  it  should  be  taken 
away,  and  a  strong  heavy  loam  should  be  well 
mixed  up  with  the  remainder. 

Dwarf  Roses  require  quite  as  good  soil  as 
standards,  but  they  do  not  always  get  it,  which  is 
a  mistake,  as  the  dwarfs,  as  a  rule,  live  longer 
than  standards.  The  question  of  getting  fresh  soil 
is,  I  know,  often  a  serious  one,  but  if  no  better  is 
to  be  had,  the  roadsides  in  country  places  will  fur- 
nish very  good  material  if  got  together  and  laid 
in  a  heap  for  a  few  months.  I  have  seen  very 
satisfactory  beds  of  Roses  grown  in  such  a  soil ; 
the  grit  which  it  usually  contains  suits  them,  and 
their  growth  is  not  so  succulent  as  that  made  in  a 
stronger  soil. 

Isolated  standards  are  not  to  be  recom- 
mended unless  a  position  can  be  specially  made 
for  them.  Where  the  soil  is  poor  a  hole  2  fees 
wide  and  13  inches  deep  should  be  provided  for 
each  plant,  and  the  soil  ought  to  consist  of  three 
parts  loam  and  one  part  rotten  manure.  Such 
manipulation  need  not,  however,  in  all  cases  be 
insisted  on,  because  there  are  many  gardens  in 
which  the  soil  is  quite  good  enough  to  grow  Roses 
in  a  fairly  satisfactory  manner  without  any  pre- 
paration except  an  application  of  manure  before 
planting,  i.e.,  provided  always  that  the  ground  is 
trenched  deeply  and  the  position  not  close  to  the 
roots  of  trees.  Roses  are  really  not  fastidious  as 
regards  soil,  and  those  who  do  not  require  flowers 
for  exhibition  may  often  get  all  they  want  with- 
out an  extravagant  outlay.  What  I  dislike  is 
Roses  in  places  where  the  soil  is  as  hard  as  a 
public  highway  and  also  about  as  poor,  and  the 
owner  complaining  that  his  Roses  do  not  grow. 
There  is  really  no  art  in  growing  Roses  to  suit 
ordinary  purposes  if  people  will  only  give  the 
branches  a  position  where  they  can  obtain  light 
and  the  roots  sufHcient  food  and  moisture.  If  the 
branches  are  crowded  and  the  ground  over  the 
roots  cropped  with  other  plants,  failure  wholly  or 
partially  will  be  the  result.  It  is  a  mystery  tome 
how  people  in  many  cases  expect  their  Roses  to 
thrive.  I  have  in  my  time  seen  long  borders  pre- 
pared in  the  most  elaborate  manner,  the  best 
standard  Roses  secured  from  the  most  trustworthy 
sources  and  planted  with  the  greatest  care  in  the 
autumn,  and  in  the  following  summer  every  avail- 
able foot  of  ground  between  them  has  been 
planted  with  bedding  plants,  as  if  put  in  on  pur- 
pose to  suck  out  the  nourishment  which  the  Roses 
ought  to  have  had.  One  feels  almost  inclined  to 
condemn  such  treatment  as  irrational.  In  dealing 
with  other  subjects,  cultivators  generally  are  satis- 
fied with  one  crop  at  a  time,  and  why  should  not 
the  same  treatment  be  accorded  to  Roses  ? 

Draining  and  planting. — Drainage  is  un- 
necessary, except  in  very  wet  soils  or  in  low-lying 
situations ;  whether  necessary  or  not,  however,  can 
only  be  determined  on  the  spot.  Of  one  thing  we 
may  be  sure,  and  that  is  that  the  trees  will  not 
thrive  in  a  water-logged  soil  for  many  years,  and 
where  drainage  is  necessary  it  should  be  tho- 
roughly well  done.  In  not  very  serious  cases  the 
drainage  may  be  dispensed  with  by  raising  the 


436 


THE    GARDEN 


[Nov.  22,  1884. 


beds  about  9  inches  above  the  surrounding  level. 
As  to  planting,  i£  we  could  always  reckon  on  a 
mild  winter,  I  should  always  recommend  it  to  be 
done  early  in  November,  but  as  severe  frost  is 
liable  to  injure  newly  planted  Roses  as  well  as 
other  kinds,  it  is  best  to  deter  such  work  in  very 
exposed  places  until  the  first  week  in  February, 
and  if  it  must  be  done  before  that  time,  it  will 
afford  the  branches  some  protection  if  a  wisp  of 
dry  Fern  is  securely  fixed  amongst  them.  When 
possible,  the  planting  should  be  done  when  the 
soil  is  moderately  dry,  in  order  that  the  soil  may 
be  firmly  trodden  about  the  roots  without  its 
working  into  a  paste.  Firmly  fixing  the  roots  in 
the  earth  is  a  matter  of  the  greatest  importance ; 
so  also  is  the  staking  of  standards  directly  they 
are  planted,  for  much  mischief  may  be  done  if  the 
heads  are  not  made  secure.  We  always  put  a 
short  stake,  even  to  dwarf  plants ;  if  this  is  not 
done,  the  wind  rocks  them  about  more  than  is 
good  for  them. 

Mulching  newly  planted  Roses  helps  to  quickly 
establish  them  by  keeping  the  roots  in  a  more 
uniform  temperature.  The  best  mulching  material 
is  a  thick  layer  of  half-rotten  manure  spread  on 
the  surface  over  the  roots  and  allowed  to  remain 
there  all  winter.  If  what  remains  in  spring  can 
be  left  during  the  summer,  it  will  be  all  the  better 
for  the  Roses.  J.  C.  C. 


FLOWER  Garden. 


DAFFODIL  NOTES. 
N.  BICOLOR  HORSEPIELDI.— I  have  myself  little 
doubt  that  the  parentage  of  this  Daffodil  is  what 
Mr.  Brockbank,  supported  by  the  testimony  of  the 
late  Mr.  E.  K.  Norris,  thinks  it  to  have  been,  viz  , 
N.  bicolor  x    N.  pseudo-Narcissus.     If  the  "  fine 
seed  pod  "  on  N.  bicolor  had  not  come  from  a  pur- 
posely hybridised  Bower,  Horsefield  would  probably 
not  have  paid  such  careful  attention  to  it  as  he 
did,  for  self-fertilised  or  chance-fertilised  pods  of 
N.  bicolor  are  common  enough — at  least  such  is 
my  own  experience.     Here  N.  bicolor  is  a  sure 
seed-bearer,  and  I  have  at  the  present  time  many 
young  seedlings  from  it.     The  internal   evidence, 
too,  viz.,  that  afforded  by  the  plant  itself,  is  to  my 
mind  strongly  in  favour  of  the  alleged  impreg- 
nation of  N.  bicolor  with  pollen  from  a  fine  form 
of  N.  pseudo-Narcissus.   N.  Horsefieldi  presents  in 
all  points    the  blended  characteristics  of  these 
two  plants.     With  the  sturdy  upright  growth  and 
substantial  flower  of  N.  bicolor  it  combines  the 
vigour  in  blooming  and  increasing  of  the  wild 
Daffodil.   And  I  think  that  those  who  have  looked 
long  and  carefully  at  Daffodils  will  agree  with  me 
that  the  shape  and  bearing  of  the  blossom  of 
N.  Horsefieldi   is  suggestive  of  a  magnified  Lent 
Lily,  though  with  the  additional    whiteness  of 
perianth  and  solidity  of  N.  bicolor  of  Haworth. 
There  are  several  lesser  particulars  which  might 
be  dwelt  upon  as  additional  proof  of  this  paren- 
tage. 

N.  iNCOMPARABiLis  SiR  Watkin.— "  Veronica" 
(p.  378)  opposes,  but  does  not  bring  a  syllable  of 
evidence  against  Mr.  Brockbank's  opinion  as  to 
the  identification  of  this  variety.  Mr.  Brock- 
bank's  investigation  of  its  history  (pp.  3C2— 391) 
is  most  interesting,  and  his  conclusions  seem  to 
be  well  upheld  by  facts.  He  raises  the  question, 
"  How  did  this  fine  Daffodil  become  wild  ?  "  and 
says  it  is  commonly  believed  to  have  been  brought 
from  Portugal.  Will  he  kindly  refer  me  to  the 
evidence,  if  there  is  any,  of  its  importation  ?  The 
question  of  the  "wildness"  of  British  Daffodils  is 
an  interesting  one.  For  my  own  part,  I  am 
disposed  to  think  that  botanists  have  novv  gone 
too  far  in  assigning  a  foreign  origin  to 
certain  of  our  plants— Daffodils  among  them. 
There  was,  no  doubt,  a  time  of  credulity  when 
plants  were  recorded  in  books  and  magazines  as 
native  which  we  know  now  could  not  possibly  be 
such.  But  the  reaction  against  these  mistakes 
has  gone  too  far.  Personally,  I  feel  a  good  deal 
staggered  at  the  notion  of  N.  incomparabilis,  and 
N.  incomparabilis  Sir  Watkin  in  particular,  being 
native ;  yet  I  am  somewhat  decidedly  of  opinion 


that  N.  biflorus  may  be  so,  constantly  as  this  has 
been  denied,  and  should  hold  out  obstinately  against 
the  theory  that  "our  native  Lent  Lily  "  is  an  alien 
after  all.     And  what  proof  have  we  that  Tenby  is 
a  Spanish  Daffodil  (p.  S94),  or,  I  should  rather  say, 
a  Daffodil  peculiar  to  Spain  ?  It  may  occur  in  Spain, 
and  I  havemyself  seen  aPyrenean  yellow  Daffodil  a 
good  deal  like  it,  though  smaller.  But,  on  the  other 
hand,  I  have  seen  forms  of  N .  pseudo-Narcissus  from 
Kent  and  elsewhere  which  are  evidently  connect- 
ing links   between  the  common  wild  type  and 
Tenby.     It  is  probable  that  with  a  little  trouble 
we  might  collect  for  the  next  conference  a  series 
of  N.  pseudo-Narcissus  advancing  from  a  large- 
perianthed  bicolor  form  (such  as  prevails  in  my 
neighbourhood)  to  the  small  golden  Tenby  with 
reduced  segments.    No  theory  of  the  geographi- 
cal distribution  of  plants   has  conclusively  set 
aside  the  claim  of  the  Narcissus  family  to  have 
truly  native  representatives  in  our  islands.     The 
case  of  certain  insects  is  analogous  to  that  of  the 
Daffodils.     For  a  long  time  entomologists  were 
over-hasty  in  setting  down  any  insect  as  British 
which  happened  to  be  seen  alive  in  the  country 
once  or  twice.     Then  the  reaction  against   this 
error    ran    into    extremes,    and    whenever    such 
a    butterfly    as,    eg.,   the    Camberwell    Beauty, 
appeared,   it   was   pronounced   to  be   an  exclu- 
sivelyContinental  species,  and  only  "  blown  over  " 
here.    Now   this  insect  is  believed  by  all  good 
authorities  to  be  really  indigenous,  but  existing 
here  only  under  difficulties  since  the  separation  of 
our  islands  from  the  Continent.  So  it  may  be  with 
the  Daffodils.  Under  former  conditions  of  climate, 
&c.,  before  certain  geological  changes  came  about, 
there  may  have  flourished  in  our  meadows  and  on 
our  hills  Daffodils  of  which  some  are  now  lost  to 
us  as  wild  flowers,  but  some,  as,  eg,  N.  biflorus, 
and  possibly  even  N.  incomparabilis,  may  still 
linger  here  and  there  where  the  local  conditions  of 
situation  and  climate  are  congenial  to  them.     It 
is  of  course  difticult  to  prove  that  any  plant  is 
really  an  "  original  inhabitant."  But  it  seems  to  me 
quite  as  scientific  to  say  that  such  Daffodils  as 
these  may  possibly  be  truly  indigenous  survivals 
as  to  deny  that  such  a  plant  as  our  common  Lent 
Lily  is  a  native  on  the  grounds  of  some  cut-and- 
dried-and-only-lialf-workcd-out  theory  of  geogra- 
phical distribution.  G.  H.  Engleiieart. 
Aj/jiles/itai',  Andover. 


AURICULA  COLONEL  CHAMPNEYS. 
When  I  wrote  the  strictures  on  "Delta's"  con- 
demnation of  this  Auricula,  which  appeared  in 
The  Garden  (p.  341),  it  was  only  to  lift  it  off 
the  "  rubbish  heap  '  on  to  which  he  had  so  con- 
temptuously thrown  it.  I  did  not  mean  thereby 
to  raise  it  to  the  proud  position  of  a  perfect 
Auricula.  Even  Mr.  Tymons  of  taste  severe  ad- 
mits that  he  would  not  relegate  it  to  the  rubbish 
heap.  Then  Mr.  Douglas,  perhaps  as  severe  a 
judge  of  Auriculas  as  is  in  England,  commends  it. 
Then  "J.  M."  disposes  of  Mr.  Tymons' statement 
that  it  is  never  seen  in  a  winning  set  by  taking 
him  to  the  "law  and  the  testimony,"  and  adds 
other  evidence  that  it  is  a  good  flower.  Then  fol- 
lows Mr.  Horner  supporting  the  descriptions  of 
"  Delta  "  and  Mr.  Tymons,  but  mentioning  only 
Frank  Simonite  (among  known  flowers)  as  sur- 
passing it  in  its  sub-class.  This  I  also  mentioned. 
Mr.  Horner  also  names  Aurora  and  Heather 
r.ell  and  another,  "  only  a  memory,"  as  being 
superior,  but  as  these  are  not  known  flowers  in  the 
wider  sense  of  the  word  they  can  scarcely  betaken 
into  account.  Indeed,  Mr.  Simonite  does  not  have 
them  on  his  printed  list,  so  that  so  far  as  outside 
growers  are  concerned  they  may  be  not  a  memory, 
but  a  dream.  Tiie  pace  must  be  "  killing  "  if  in 
every  two  years  every  Auricula  is  out  distanced. 
I  fancy  from  Mr.  Horner's  tone  that  we  are  on  the 
eve  of  a  volcanic  eruption  in  the  Auricula  world, 
and  that  at  the  next  two  shows  we  will  see 
"  something  never  seen  before."  They  will  need 
to  be  ahead  of  Sapphire  (a  warning  word  to 
Mr.  Horner). 

A  parting  explanation  to  "  Delta."  I  have  not 
the  advantage  of  Mr.  Tymons  and  Mr.  Douglas  of 
knowing  him,  but,  putting  the  error  (I  did  not 
know  it  was  a  printer's)  in  the  name  and  the  con- 
tempt with  which  he  wrote  of  "  my  friend  the 
Colonel  "  together,  I  could  not  help  thinking  that 
he  did  not  know  Auriculas.  W.  S.  B. 


SHORT  NOTES.— FLOWMR. 


Llnarla  antlcarla.— The  delicate  beauty  of  this  littl.- 
flower  recommeiuis  it  to  all  lovers  of  beautiful  alpines  It 
is  still  (November  10)  HoweriiiR  In  perfect  condition  on  n 
sheltered  rockeiy.  It  stiimld  Ije  sowu  yearly,  for  tlio\igh  it 
is  a  perennial,  it  is  one  of  those  whose  lives  are  short  and 
bomewhiit  precarious. — G.  .1. 

Polygonum  vacclnlfolium. -Among  our  latest 
autumn  rock  beauties  this  cannot  be  too  highly  praised. 
Through  the  summer  its  slender  trailing  stems  have  a 
somewhat  bare  and  unfurnished  look,  and  every  autumn  it 
is  a  renewed  surprise  to  see  the  crowds  of  little  pink  spires 
coming  into  beauty  in  October  and  enduring  till  near  the 
middle  of  November.  It  is  beautiful  among  moEsy  stones. 
—G.J. 

The  Black  Bryony  in  the  garden.— At  Ightham 
we  saw  this  native  plant  very  brilliant,  running  for  12  feet 
or  so  up  one  side  of  the  house,  with  its  fine  coral  hemes. 
Our  native  plants  should  not  lie  quite  neglected  in  our 
gardens  •  familiarity  should  not  breed  contempt  in  their 
case,  and  among  our  native  plants  there  are  not  a  few 
beautiful  ones.  Some  of  our  native  plants  grown  in  gardens 
would  scarcely  be  suspected  of  being  iudigenous  by  the 
ordinary  observer. 

Salvia  Pltclierl.— I  notice  Jlr.  Bedford's  remarks 
(p.  392)  concerning  this  Salvia,  but  I  cannot  act  upon  his 
suggestion  in  regard  to  forw.ardiiig  a.  specimen  to  Thk 
Garden  Office.  I  have  left  Broadlands,  from  which  last 
year  as  foreman,  I  wrote  ;  but  doubtless  should  this  catch 
the  eye  of  Mr.  Shirley,  the  head  gardener  there,  and  his 
plants  of  this  Salvia  are  in  bloom,  he  will  have  much 
pleasure  in  forwarding  a  spike  for  decision.— JAMBS  Mayke, 
rentillie  Castle,  St.  Mellion,  Cornwall. 

Tlgrldla  Pavonla.  —  This  grows  most  lujuriantly 
here ;  we  have  some  with  stems  3  feet  G  inches  long,  half 
an  inch  in  diameter  at  the  joint,  and  more  than  three- 
eighths  of  an  inch  in  diameter  at  other  places.  A  stem  taken 
from  the  inside  of  a  bed  measured  3  feet  9  inches  long,  and 
one  of  its  leaves  measured  exactly  2  feet  8  inches  from  base 
to  tip.  Uow  flue  the  Howers  were  from  such  growth  may 
be  imagined  ;  of  course  the  slight  bottom-heat  which  the 
plants  had  had  much  to  do  with  it.— JOHN  GaelasI',  Kit- 
lerton,  Exeter.  ,  ^  ,, 

«„•  Some  stems  and  leaves  sent  by  Mr.  Garland  fully 
bore  out  these  statements.- Ed. 


Salvia  Hormlnum  violacea— This  is 
certainly  a  very  interesting  plant  for  the  mixed 
border,  and  I  am  not  sure  that  it  would  not  make 
a  very  pretty  small  bed  ;  at  any  rate  it  will  be  sure 
to  attract  attention,  not  only  for  the  length  of  time 
during  which  it  continues  to  maintain  a  cheerful 
look,  but  for  its  somewhat  strange  appearance, 
arising  from  the  top.s  of  the  growth  having  four  or 
five  pairs  of  purple  bracts.  What  makes  it  more 
remarkable,  too,  every  shoot  has  these  bracts,  and 
the  plants  are  constantly  pushing  up  fresh  shoots, 
so  that  as  soon  as  one  or  two  fades  there  are  others 
to  take  their  place.  Our  plants  of  this  Salvia 
commenced  to  show  these  bracts  in  the  beginning 
of  July,  and  the  number  has  gone  on  increasing 
till  now  they  are  more  attractive  than  earlier  in 
the  year.  Our  stock  was  raised  from  seed  sown 
last  February.  This  Salvia  has  all  the  appearance 
of  being  a  herbaceous  plant,  and  if  so  it  will 
probably  prove  to  be  hardy.  Whether  hardy, 
however,  or  not  is  not  of  much  consequence,  for 
treated  as  an  annual  it  answers  admirably.  I 
may  mention  that  it  grows  about  15  inches  in 
height  and  is  rather  spreading  in  habit,  but  the 
growth  requires  no  support.  It  is  very  distinct 
from  all  the  better  known  forms  of  Salvia. — 
J.  C.  C. 

Hardy  Chrysanthemums.— For  quite  two 
months  past  my  garden  has  been  gay  with  outdoor 
Chrysanthemums,  beginning  with  the  so-called 
"  summer"  ones  and  following  on  with  pompones, 
the  new  early  Japanese,  and  various  reflexed  sorts. 
I  venture  to  say  that  with  a  suffioient  knowledge 
of  the  best  outdoor  varieties  of  Chrysanthemums 
the  hardy  flower  garden  may  be  as  bright  now  as 
at  any  time  of  the  year.  The  early  Japanese 
varieties  are  a  great  gain,  for  they  are  not  so  stiff 
as  the  pompones  or  reflexed  sorts,  and  they  supply 
fresh  tints  of  red.  I  believe  that  the  beautiful 
new  single  sorts,  such  as  Oscar  Wilde,  Patience,  and 
Esthetic,  will  probably  be  found  to  do  well  in  the 
open  air,  where  they  will  add  a  fresh  charm  to  the 
garden.  I  write  this  on  returning  from  a  Chrysan- 
themum show,  where  I  was  surprised  to  see  that 
the  old  "  florist "  notions  are  still  in  the  ascendancy. 


Nov.  22,  1884,] 


THE     GARDEN 


437 


Plants  tied  and  bent  and  pinched  till  they  are  in 
the  exact  shape  of  an  inverted  Cabbage,  and  with 
blobs  of  white  or  yellow  placed  over  them  at  ex- 
actly regular  intervals,  evidently  formed  the  judges' 
canon  of  beauty.  In  cut  flowers  the  monstrous 
incurved  specimens,  marvels  of  horticultural  skill 
no  doubt,  but  about  as  beautiful  as  a  freshly  curled 
wig,  or  the  really  graceful  Japanese  sorts  with  all 
their  beauty  twisted  out  of  them  and  as  carefully 
combed  out  as  a  pet  poodle's  hair — these  floral 
abortions  still  seem  to  be  admired.  The  labour 
bestowed   upon  them   seems  worse  than  wasted 


shades  of  colour,  surmounted  by  spikes  of  crim- 
son, scarlet,"  orange,  and  yellow  flowers  ;  they  are 
the  most  useful  plants  we  possess  for  imparting  a 
sub-tropical  aspect  to  the  garden.  If  all  the 
members  of  the  family  are  not  hardy,  there  are  a 
number  of  sorts  which  can  be  left  out  in  the  open 
air  all  the  winter  with  impunity  by  covering  the 
roots  with  some  light  material,  the  old  stems  and 
leaves  being  quite  suflicient  in  ordinary  seasons. 
But  in  the  case  of  cold,  wet  soils  it  is  but  to  lift 
and  store  the  roots  in  a  cold  cellar  or  a  shed,  where 
they  can  be  kept  away  from  the  frosts  and  remain 


Cliiys.iuthemum  maximum  ;  flowers  white,  natural  size  (see  p.  441). 


when  compared  with  the  beauty  that  tlie  plants 
and  flowers  would  show  if  left  alone.  As  it  is,  I 
saw  nothing  at  our  local  exhibition  to  compare 
with  the  beauty  of  a  wayside  cottage  garden  near 
here  with  three  or  four  large  masses  of  various 
coloured  pompones  which  had  been  left  to  Nature ; 
or  than  our  old  almshouses,  over  the  walls  of  which 
the  inmates  have  nailed  old-fashioned  Chrysan- 
themums, which  lighten  up  the  old  red  brick  of 
the  "  harbour  of  refuge  "  and  make  a  really  beau- 
tiful floral  display. — R. 

Cannas.  —  One  sometimes  wonders  if  these 
plants  are  valued  as  they  deserve  to  be.  They  re- 
present a  stately  genus  of  ornamental  foliaged 
plants,  haying  broad  massive  foliage  of  various 


until  the  spring,  when  they  may  be  replanted. 
There  are  many  varieties ;  one  of  the  most  striking 
is  C.  iridiflora  or  Ehemanni,  truly  a  splendid  plant, 
and  bearing  huge  bunches  or  spikes  of,  say,  seven 
or  eight  vivid  crimson  flowers.  Now  this  is  a  fine 
subject  to  grow  in  pots.  The  roots  can  be  divided 
in  February,  if  necessary,  and  potted  singly  into 
Ginch  pot.s,  placed  in  a  little  heat,  then  grown  on 
in  a  Fern  house  until  they  are  shifted  into  12-inch 
pots,  then  kept  growing  in  a  warm  house.  To 
grow  it  successfully  it  should  have  stove  treatment, 
plenty  of  heat,  moisture,  and  feeding.  It  is  a  fine 
subject  for  a  warm  conservatory  when  in  flower. 
There  is  a  bed  of  this  in  the  Chiswick  garden  of 
the  Koyal  Horticultural  Society,  and  some  remark- 


ably fine  and  striking  trusses  of  flower  can  be  seen 
on  the  plants. — N.  D. 

Arapelopsis  Veitchi.— All  who  delight  to 
see  richly  coloured  leaves  in  autumn  should  plant 
this.  It  is  a  Virginian  Creeper,  which  clings  to 
wood  or  stone  with  the  tenacity  of  the  strongest 
Ivy,  and  there  is  no  kind  of  foliage  with  which  I 
am  acquainted  that  assumes  such  a  bright  colour 
in  October  and  November.  Its  leaves  are  like  the 
brightest  of  our  scarlet  Pelargonium  flowers,  and 
I  am  sure  if  your  readers  could  see  this  creeper,  as 
I  did  the  other  day,  against  the  wall  of  the  resi- 
dence of  Mr.  T.  M.  Franklin,  at  St.  Hilary,  in 
Glamorganshire,  it  would  be  planted  extensively 
this  winter. — Cambrian. 

Argemone  grandiflora.— I  am  forcibly 
reminded  by  the  illustration  of  Romneya  Coulteri 
in  T)iE  Garden  of  Nov.  8  of  a  plant  of  Argemone 
grandiflora  which  has  bloomed  in  my  garden  here 
during  the  past  summer.  I  raised  it  originally 
from  seed,  and  it  survived  out  of  doors  throughout 
last  winter,  but  it  did  not  bloom  last  year.  The 
bloom,  though  not  so  large  as  that  figured  in  The 
Gakden,  is  of  the  same  shape  and  delicate  texture 
with  a  centre  of  yellow  stamens,  and  the  buds  are 
similar.  The  foliage  is  glaucous  and  streaked  with 
white,  and  my  plant  grew  about  2.|  feet  high.  I 
find  the  seed  mentioned  in  few  catalogues  ;  indeed, 
I  have  come  across  it  only  in  that  of  Biddle  & 
Co.,  Loughboro'  (from  whom  I  procured  it),  and 
in  an  old  one  of  Henderson  &  Co.,  St.  John's  Wood. 
— W.  J.  T  ,  BrU-ton. 

Early  Violets  (Marguerite  de  Sa- 
voie). — Going  through  the  gardens  at  Sunning 
Hill  to-day,  I  was  greatly  struck  with  two  beds 
against  a  south  wall,  a  perfect  mass  of  bloom,  es- 
pecially when  I  remembered  seeing  in  one  of  your 
contemporaries  lately  directions  for  successful 
culture  in  frames  in  November.  The  method  of 
culture  was  briefly  to  strike  cuttings  the  first  week 
in  April  on  a  slight  hotbed ;  transplant  into  a 
richly-prepared  bed  in  May,  sunny  aspect,  and 
with  the  plants  not  less  than  12  inches  asunder; 
hoe  and  stir  between,  with  an  occasional  dusting 
of  soot  or  soot  water,  a  sure  antidote  against  red 
spider.  In  a  rich  deep  soil  no  watering  is  required. 
There  is  no  better  deep  blue  Violet  than  this,  and 
I  understand  it  came  here  originally  from  Swanley. 
Bunches  of  It  can  be  gathered  here  for  months. — 
W.  J.  Murphy,  Clonmcl. 

Eremurus  aurantiacus.— It  seems  that 
through  a  misconception  on  the  part  of  the  distri- 
butor of  the  above-named  very  ornamental  hardy 
Indian  Amaryllid  and  the  botanical  authorities 
consulted  by  him  before  he  sent  it  out,  and  to 
whom  he  submitted  specimens  for  naming,  that  a 
mistake  has  been  made  in  the  naming  of  the 
plant,  which  turns  out  to  be  in  reality  the  species 
described  by  P.oissier  (the  great  authority  on  these 
plants)  under  the  name  of  E.  Bungei,  which  it 
must  henceforth,  of  course,  bear  in  all  correctly 
named  collections.  It  has  been  well  figured  by 
Dr.  Regel  in  the  last  issued  number  of  his  Gar- 
tenflora,  along  with  the  real  E.  aurantiacus  on 
same  plate,  which,  however,  seems  to  be  merely  a 
synonym  for  a  pretty  j)aler- flowered  form  of  E. 
Bungei,  with  pale  straw-coloured  anthers  in  place 
of  the  conspicuous  red  ones  appearing  in  the  type 
form.  The  name  given  to  this  pale  form  by  Bois- 
sier    is    E.    Bungei    var.    stenophyllus.— W.    E. 

GUMBLETON. 

Beds  of  plants  distinguished  for  beauty  of 
foliage  alone  produce  a  pleasing  effect  in  the  open 
air,  especially  when  the  season  happens  to  be  a 
warm  one.  One  of  the  prettiest  beds  I  ever  saw 
was  this  year  in  Mr.  Dobree's  garden  at  liyfleet.  It 
was  composed  mainly  of  Castor-oil  plants,  varie- 
gated Mai/.e,  Cannas,  and  Perillas,  allowed  to  grow 
at  will  with  Cineraria  maritima  and  Echeveria 
secunda  glauca  round  the  edge.  In  another  part 
ofthe  garden  was  the  usual  bedding-out  arrange- 
ment, i.e.,  a  number  of  small  beds  planted  in 
orthodox  manner,  but  I  thought  this  group  of  fine- 
leaved  plants  icore  than  worth  the  whole  of  the 
display  afforded  by  them,  an  opinion  which  Mr. 
Kirk  informed  me  was  shared  by  his  employers, 
who  considered  it  the  prettiest  bed  in  the  garden. 


438 


THE    GARDEN 


[Nov.  22,    1884. 


In  seme  gardens,  notably  at  Hampton  Court,  fine- 
leaved  plants  are  used  with  admirable  eilect  in 
conjunction  with  the  ordinary  bedders,  breaking 
up  the  fiat  surface  which  the  latter  more  or  less 
produce.— J.  Cornhill. 


Trees  and  Shrubs. 


TREE  COLOUR  IN  188i. 

Everyone  who  has  seen  our  country  this  year, 
when  viewing  the  landscapes  or  woods,  must  have 
been    struck  with  the    splendid   beauty  of  the 
foliage.     It  is  the  fashion  to  speak  of  American 
trees  as  being  remarkable  in  colour ;  but  our  own 
impression  is  that  our  native  trees  are  often  quite 
as  good,  and,  in  addition,  we  can  have  American 
kinds  if  we  choose  to  plant  them.    We  went  from 
London  to  the  west  of  England  on  October  18, 
and  about  that  time  the  difficulty  was  not  to  find 
the  best  plants  in  colour  of  foliage,  but  what 
hardy  tree  or  bush  had  not  a  good  colour  !     We 
went  to  the  south  side  of  the  North  Downs,  a  long 
way  by  road,  on  November  2,  and  there  the  colour, 
though  a  little  more  mature,  was  no  less  fine,  not- 
withstanding some  previous    rains    and   storms 
Even  the  common  Hawthorn  was  often  beautiful 
in  colour  in  the  hedgerows  in  Gloucestershire,  the 
field   Maple  being  also  particularly  good.    And 
some  herbaceous  plants  were  very  remarkable ; 
but  these  are  planted  in  such  small  quantities, 
that  they  would  not  tell  like  important  trees.     We 
may,  however,  mention  the  large  Japan  Plantain 
Lily,  Funkia  Sieboldi,  and  the  common  Solomon's 
Seal  as  being  really  good  and  distinct  in  colour. 
Lord  Moreton  showed  us  trees  of  the  wild  Cherry 
in  Tortworth  Park  which  had  as  good  a  colour  as 
the  Liquidambar.    Among  the  pure  clear  yellows, 
the  best  tree  we  saw  was  the  Golden  Ash  at  Mr. 
Gambler  Parry's,  at  Ilighnam,  in  Gloucestershire. 
The  vine  foliage  in  the  west  country  had  not,  at 
the  time,  assumed  a  good  colour ;  but  in  Surrey, 
early  in  November,  the  foliage  of  the  Vine  on  the 
cottages  was  often  of  a  beautiful  colour,  thereby 
adding  to  the  reasons  for  treating  the  Vine  as  an 
ornamental   plant.     The  curious  way  the   Elms 
around  Berkeley  Castle— and  we  believe  every- 
where else — showed  clouds  of  gold  here  and  there 
on  a  rich  green  tree  was  beautiful.    The  Limes 
were  splendid  in  colour  in  many  places ;  the  com- 
mon garden  Azaleas  intense  in  their  reds.     There 
is  no  end  to  the  beautiful  effects  one  may  produce 
in  most  seasons  with  careful  planting,  and  all  we 
have  to  urge  about  the  matter  is,  that  colour  is 
best  got  by  grouping  and  massing,  instead  of  by 
the  ordinary  dottings  or  mixing  principle.     We 
shall  never  know  what  colour  means  in  our  land- 
scapes and  parks  until  there  is  a  revolution  in  our 
ways  of  planting  both  forest  and  park.    The  true 
way  is  to  adapt  the  tree  to  the  soil,  and  grow  one 
thing  in  a  place  as  a  rule,  that  place  being  the 
best  fitted  for  it.     The  tree  that  surprised  us  most 
by  its  beauty  of  colour  during  the  present  autumn 
is  the  Wild  Service  (Pyrus  torminalis),  of  which  a 
tree  at  Lady  Donaldson's  near  Pangbourne  was 
very  beautiful  and  most  effective    in    colour. — 
Field. 


TREE  LEAVES  AND  THEIR  USES. 
JnsT  behind  the  garden  here  there  is  an  Oak 
wood,  consisting  of  about  800  acres,  from  which 
we  collect  about  this  time  an  unlimited  quantity 
of  leaves,  but  all  cultivators  are  not  so  favourably 
circumstanced  as  regards  getting  leaves — a  matter 
for  regret— few  materials  being  more  useful  in  a 
garden  than  tree  leaves,  both  fresh  and  decayed. 
They  may  be  used  in  many  ways  with  much  ad- 
vantage. Nothing  equals  them  for  making  up 
beds  in  which  to  plunge  Pine-apple  plants.  If 
beds  3  feet  or  4  feet  deep  are  filled  with  them 
now  or  any  time  during  the  winter,  they  will  re- 
main fresh  and  retain  a  genial  warmth  for  up- 
wards of  twelve  months.  In  order  that  they  may 
last  as  long  as  possible,  it  is,  however,  important 
that  they  be  collected  and  stored  while  quite  dry. 
In  that  condition  they  always  last  longest.  Wet 
leaves  heat  violently  wljen  massed  together  and 


soon  begin  to  decay.  I  would  never  put  wet 
leaves  in  the  bottom  of  a  bed  it  I  could  help  it, 
but  they  might  go  on  the  top,  where  they  could  be 
easily  renewed.  At  one  time  we  had  to  bring 
tan  a  distance  of  eight  miles  for  the  Pine  beds, 
but  we  soon  got  tired  of  that,  as  the  heat  pro- 
duced by  the  tan  was  more  fluctuating  and  not 
so  lasting  as  that  from  leaves  ;  when  the  tan 
was  spent,  too,  we  regarded  it  as  worse  than 
useless,  and  blamed  it  for  producing  fungi  when 
thrown  on  the  quarters  of  the  kitchen  garden. 
The  right  way  would  probably  be  to  burn  it  and 
to  use  the  ashes,  but  even  then  it  would  hardly 
pay  for  the  labour  bestowed  on  it.  Besides  leaves 
being  useful  for  Pines,  there  are  no  kinds  of  beds 
which  they  do  not  benefit.  Hotbeds  for  early 
vegetables  never  fail  to  meet  their  requirements 
if  composed  of  one-half  or  three  parts  of  tree 
leaves  ;  and  where  pits  and  frames  have  to  be  filled 
up  with  slightly  fermenting  material,  leaves  will 
be  found  to  be  of  the  utmost  service.  A  layer  of 
them  makes  an  excellent  bed  on  which  to  place 
Melon  and  Cucumber  mounds  in  pits,  and  we  have 
used  quantities  of  them  in  forming  Mushroom 
beds,  mixing  them  with  the  droppings  when  short 
straw  in  them  was  deficient  and  when  they  were 
liable  to  lie  too  close.  Just  now,  when  Rhubarb, 
Seakale,  and  Asparagus  are  being  put  under  glass 
for  forcing,  a  bed  of  leaves,  whether  in  house,  pit, 
or  shed,  will  give  them  a  gentle  start  and  bring 
forth  well-flavoured  produce.  Hot  manure  alone 
in  such  cases  sometimes  smells  badly,  ferments, 
and  not  nnfrequently  imparts  a  disagreeable 
flavour  to  the  tender  growths,  but  leaves  never 
do  this  ;  moreover,  their  usefulness  does  not  end 
here. 

When  rotted  down  so  that  they  maybe  put 
through  the  meshes  of  a  quarter-inch  sieve,  they  are 
still  useful  as  ever.  Indeed,  to  many  who  do  not  re- 
quire hotbeds  they  are  more  useful  in  a  decayed 
state  than  fresh,  and  we  frequently  hear  people, 
especially  those  living  near  towns,  where  leaf-soil 
is  not  easily  to  be  had,  express  a  wish  that  they 
had  some  of  our  leaf-mould.  I  sometimes  wonder 
it  is  not  offered  at  so  much  per  cwt.  like  peat  and 
sand,  as  in  propagating  material  and  in  that  for 
potting  young  plants  it  is  as  useful  as  either  sand 
or  peat.  When  mixed  with  the  right  proportion 
of  sand  there  is  no  better  mixture  in  wiiich  to  root 
all  kinds  of  soft-wooded  plants  than  one  in  which 
leaf-mould  forms  a  part,  and  it  may  be  used  in  the 
subsequent  potting  mixture  while  the  roots  are 
young  and  tender.  When  made  in  large  quanti- 
ties, such  as  that  resulting  from  some  scores  of 
loads  of  leaves  emptied  into  houses  or  pits,  it  may 
be  used  in  flower  beds  and  in  the  kitchen  garden 
with  advantage  to  many  crops.  Potatoes  turn  out 
of  leaf-mould  clean  and  bright,  but,  as  a  rule,  it  is 
not  very  rich,  and  those  who  depend  on  it  alone 
to  produce  a  heavy  and  superior  crop  might  be 
disappointed.  When  mixed,  however,  with  artifi- 
cial or  ordinary  manure  of  a  strong  charac- 
ter, it  plays  its  part  well.  It  will  always 
induce  abundance  of  fresh  fibrous  roots  if 
other  material  is  supplied  to  feed  them. 
There  is  just  a  possibility,  however,  of  using  leaf- 
soil  too  freely.  When  this  happens  the  soil  is  not 
so  productive  as  when  less  is  used ;  but  no  one 
can  do  wrong  in  putting  it  freely  on  heavy,  cold 
soils  and  trenching  it  well  down.  In  spring  we 
generally  sift  a  large  quantity  of  it  and  mix  it 
with  old  potting-shed  soil  and  scraps  of  different 
kinds — material  which  makes  a  good  covering  for 
vegetable  or  flower  seeds  during  the  sowing  season ; 
young  seedlings,  too,  luxuriate  in  it.  When  hotbeds 
are  made  up  with  half  manure  and  half  leaves 
they  ultimately  make  a  good  mixture  in  which  to 
grow  vegetables,  but  for  propagating  and  potting 
choice  things  we  dislike  soil  which  results  from 
leaves  rotted  in  large  heaps  or  hotbeds,  and 
prefer  nice  mellow  material,  the  produce  of  leaves 
that  decay  naturally  and  without  having  been  put 
into  heaps  or  fermented. 

The  best  op  all  leap  soil  for  propagating 
and  similar  purposes  is  that  which  has  decayed 
under  trees  in  a  thin  layer  on  the  surface  of  the 
ground.  This  is  always  fresh,  and  has  none  of 
that  worn-out  look  about  it  which  may  bg  observed 


in  the  case  of  old  hotbed  soil.  The  leaves  of 
Beech  and  Oak  are  best,  as  they  do  not  decay  so 
fast  as  those  of  the  Elm,  Lime,  and  other  soft- 
leaved  trees.  Beech  and  Oak  leaves  should  alone 
be  collected  where  they  can  be  had  in  suflicient 
quantities,  but  where  deficient,  other  kinds  must 
be  taken,  as  any  kind  of  leaf-soil  is  better  than 
none.  The  fresher  they  can  all  be  kept  the  better. 
For  beds  in  spring  or  summer  for  Melons  and 
Cucumbers  it  would  be  a  great  disadvantage  to 
have  them  by  that  time  half  or  three  parts  de- 
cayed. Last  winter  we  stored  many  cartloads  of 
leaves  in  a  shed  when  perfectly  dry,  and  in  six 
months  afterwards  they  turned  out  as  fresh  as  the 
day  on  which  they  were  put  in.  We  would  always, 
if  possible,  store  a  quantity  away  in  a  shed  to  keep 
for  late  use,  and  these  should  consist  of  the  best 
leaves  ;  the  soft  ones  should  be  collected  together 
for  immediate  use.  They  may  be  stored  in  the 
manure  or  rubbish  ground,  and  they  keep  better  in 
sharp  ridges  than  in  one  great  heap,  but  this  de- 
pends a  good  deal  on  the  state  they  are  in  when 
stored  ;  if  wet  they  will  soon  begin  to  decay.  It 
should  be  so  arranged  that  all  leaf  beds  may  be 
wholly  renewed  about  the  time  when  the  leaves 
can  be  collected.  They  can  then  be  taken  straight 
to  the  beds  when  fresh  and  dry.  J.  MuiE. 


TREE  P.EONIES. 


Being  desirous  of  knowing  how  far  it  was  possible 
to  succeed  with  Tree  Pioonies  in  this  country,  I 
have  been  searching  through  various  books  and 
papers  wherever  I  thought  the  information  1 
wanted  might  be  found.  Almost  the  first  note  I 
came  across  was  the  following:  "I  have  a  Tree 
Pa3ony  on  my  lawn  which  has  now  on  it  about  200 
blossoms.  It  is  nearly  30  feet  round,  and  has  not 
had  any  protection  for  years.  It  was  almost  as 
large  some  years  since,  but  the  fro-t  cut  it  down 
and  left  only  the  stool,  which  is  now  about  as 
large  as  a  man's  thigh."  I  was  not  a  little  sur- 
prised at  this  statement,  for  my  experience  of  P. 
Moutan  was  of  a  not  very  satisfactory  character, 
i^urther  enquiry  only  tended  to  show  me  how 
ignorant  I  bad  been  of  the  real  nature  and  require- 
ments of  Tree  Pajonies,  for  I  found  abundant 
testimony  to  their  hardiness  and  massive  beauty 
when  treated  properly.  It  may  be  that  I  am  un- 
acquainted with  good,  well-managed  collections 
of  these  plants,  because  I  have  never  had  the  good 
luck  to  go  where  they  are  in  favour.  We  know 
that  in  many  Continental  gardens  P.  Moutan  is  to 
be  found  in  as  great  variety  and  abundance  as  the 
herbaceous  PEeonies  are  fast  becoming  with  us ; 
but  so  far  as  I  can  glean,  the  shrubby  species  are 
but  rarely  met  with  in  English  gardens.  Allow 
me,  therefore,  to  make  a  few  observations  in  refer- 
ence to  the  management  of  Tree  Pa;onies  in  the 
hope  that  they  may  prove  of  some  use  to  those 
who,  like  myself,  are  desirous  to  possess  a  collec- 
tion of  these  plants,  as  well  as  to  those  who  are 
on  the  out-look  for  good  things  for  the  outdoor 
garden.     That 

P.  Moutan  and  its  varieties  are  hardy 
enough  to  be  treated  as  outdoor  plants  appears  to 
be  proved  beyond  all  question,  and  that  the  gor- 
geous beauty  and  large  size  of  their  freely-borne 
flowers  render  them  of  quite  extraordinary  merit 
for  garden  purposes  will  be  admitted  by  all  who 
know  anything  about  them.  It  is  reported  that 
"  one  of  the  largest  Tree  Peonies  within  ten  miles 
of  London  stood  in  the  grounds  of  Spring  Grove, 
where  it  was  planted  by  Sir  Joseph  Banks.  It 
was  6  feet  or  8  feet  high,  and  formed  a  bush  8  feet 
in  diameter  in  1825.  South  of  London  there  are 
equally  large  plants  at  Rook's  Nest,  near  God- 
stone,  Surrey,  which  were  planted  in  1818.  North 
of  London  the  largest  plant  in  the  country  is  at 
the  seat  of  Sir  Abraham  Hume  at  Wormleybury, 
in  Hertfordshire.  It  is  7  feet  high,  and  forms  a 
bush  11  feet  in  diameter,  after  having  been  planted 
thirty  years.  In  the  year  1835  this  plant  perfected 
320  flowers,  but  it  has  been  known  to  bear  three 
times  that  number."  In  the  spring  of  1853  a 
severe  frost,  which  injured  Laurels  and  Aucubas, 
proved  harmless  to  a  collection  of  Tree  Pasonies 
which  at  that  time  existed  in  the  Chiswick  Gardens. 
The  severe  frosts  of  recent  years  also  proved  the 


Nov.  22,  1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


439 


hardiness  of  these  plants  in  the  few  gardens  where 
they  are  still  grown.  According  to  Fortune  (who 
ought  to  be  an  authority  in  this  matter,  seeing  that 
he  did  a  great  deal  towards  introducing  and  popu- 
larising Tree  TcBOnies),  a  hard  winter  is  conducive 
to  their  health,  providing  that  the  summer  previous 
was  warm  and  moist.  Loudon  says  they  prefer 
an  open  situation  for  the  proper  maturing  of 
their  wood,  but  recommends  protection  from  cold 
spring  winds,  not  so  much  to  prevent  their  injury 
during  winter  as  to  protect  the  tender  leaves  and 
flowers  when  they  first  appear.  Mr.  Curtis  found 
that  by  giving  the  plants  no  protection  whatever 
they  flowered  somewhat  later,  and  the  experience 
of  others  goes  to  prove  that  protection  to  the 
plant  itself  had  the  opposite  effect  to  what  was 
intended,  because  of  its  tendency  to  make  the 
plant  delicate  and  much  more  susceptible  to  cold 
than  when  left  unprotected. 

The  soil  preferred  by  the  Peonies  is  a  strong, 
deep  loam,  in  which  their  thick  fleshy  roots  seem 
to  go  down  to  a  great  depth.  Moisture  is  also 
preferred,  especially  during  the  summer  months, 
when  the  plants  are  making  their  growth.  It  ap- 
pears that  the  first  plant  of  P.  Moutan  was  brought 
to  England  in  1787,  Sir  Joseph  Banks,  who  learnt 
of  the  existence  of  this  plant  in  Chinese  gardens 
through  a  collection  of  drawing?,  exerting  him- 
self to  obtain  a  specimen  of  it  for  the  Kew  collec- 
tion, where  it  first  appeared  in  cultivation.  Not- 
withstanding this  early  introduction  it  appears 
very  little  indeed  has  been  done  to  extend  the 
cultivation  of  Tree  Pfeonies.  Fortune's  plants 
were  for  some  years  in  the  Chiswick  Gardens,  but 
we  learn  that  owing  to  mismanagement  these 
never  arrived  at  the  perfection  they  were  known 
to  attain  in  the  gardens  of  the  Chinese.  In  18G4 
Mr.  Bateman  surprised  the  gardening  world  by 
exhibiting  at  Chiswick  a  splendid  collection  of 
the  blooms  of  P.  Moutan,  which  had  been  produced 
by  plants  growing  in  his  garden  at  Biddulph 
Grange.  Shortly  afterwards  he  presented  his 
plants  to  the  Horticultural  Society  for  their  gar- 
den at  South  Kensington,  but,  according  to 
Fortune,  they  were  soon  destroyed  by  giving 
them  too  much  protection  in  winter.  I  have  met 
-with  several  records  of  large  specimens  which 
existed,  and  perhaps  still  exist  in  a  few 
English  gardens  at  the  present  time,  but 
unfortunately  they  are  very  few  indeed.  For- 
tune, Loudon,  Messrs.  Standish  and  Noble, 
and  others  have  proved  how  easily  these 
Tree  Pieonies  may  be  propagated  by  grafting 
shoots  of  them  on  to  the  ttout,  fleshy  roots  of  the 
herbaceous  kinds  or  on  the  roots  of  P.  Moutan,  and 
at  the  present  time  I  find  several  English  nursery- 
men are  offering  them  in  quantity  for  pot  culture, 
BO  that  there  appears  to  be  no  difficulty  in  obtain- 
ing a  good  supply  of  plants.  P.  Moutan  appears 
to  vary  very  much  both  in  the  size,  doubleneas, 
and  markings  of  its  flowers.  When  first  intro- 
duced the  varieties  were  mostly  light  coloured — 
white,  blush,  or  pink  ;  the  petals  were  somewhat 
ragged  at  the  edges,  and  were  rather  too  few  in 
number  to  fill  out  the  flowers  well.  Since  that 
time,  however,  great  improvements  have  been 
brought  about  by  the  few  who  have  continued  to 
cultivate  these  plants.  Mr.  Bateman's  plants, 
alluded  to  above,  bore  flowers  both  brilliant  and 
varied  in  colours,  and  were  possessed  of  a  beauty 
"which  surpasseth  the  Dahlia  and  the  Hollyhock 
in  gaudy  splendour."  One  of  the  first  to  appear 
of  these  fine  varieties  was  Gloria  Belgarum,  which 
was  raised  in  Belgium,  and  which  was  pronounced 
"ii  marvel  among  marvels,"  the  flowers  being  of 
the  deepest  rose  colour,  nearly  full  double,  and 
more  than  a  foot  in  diameter,  or  about  4  feet 
round.  Souvenir  de  Gand  is  another  grand  variety. 
It  would  be  difficult  to  imagine  a  more  gorgeous 
picture  than  would  be  presented  by  a  specimen  of 
either  of  these  two  varieties,  with  a  diameter  of 
10  feet,  and  bearing  200  blooms  each  as  large  as  a 
Victoria  regia  flower;  and  that  this  is  not  an 
impossibility  we  have  shown  in  what  was  accom- 
plished in  the  garden  of  Sir  A.  Hume  fifty  years 
ago.  In  Andrews'  "  Botanical  Repository  "  there 
is  a  figure  of  a  variety  with  single  white  flowers, 
except  that  at  the  base  of  each  petal  there  is  a 


large  blotch  of  deep  crimson.  This  flower  is  a  foot 
in  diameter,  and  looks  like  an  immense  Poppy. 

In  DBsciarxivE  catalogues  we  find  white, 
rose,  pink,  red,  red-violet,  lilac,  and  bicolored 
varieties  offered,  some  single,  others  semi-double, 
and  again  others  with  flowers  as  compact  and  full 
as  a  double  Dahlia.  Here  we  have  proof  of  the 
ornamental  characters  possessed  by  P.  Moutan 
and  its  numerous  forms,  ornamental  enough  and 
varied  enough  to  be  in  themselves  a  flower  garden 
of  the  most  dazzling  and  beautiful  description. 
In  the  large  share  of  attention  now  being  paid  to 
out-door  gardening,  and  especially  to  ornamental 
trees  and  shrubs,  it  may  be  hoped  that  the  Tree 
Pteonies  will  be  allowed  to  take  that  prominent 
position  which  they  are  in  every  way  qualified  for. 
It  has  been  well  said  that  "  if  cultivators  had  only 
spent  a  little  of  the  time  in  producing  good  out-door 
specimens  of  shrubs  and  trees  that  has  in  times 
past  been  spent  in  growing  formal  and  distorted 
stove  and  greenhouse  plants,  &c.,  many  of  our 
gardens  would  have  presented  a  diSerent  aspect 
from  what  they  do  at  this  time."  Whether  to 
such  a  cause  may  be  attributed  the  neglect  into 
which  Tree  Pieonies  have  been  allowed  to  remain 
need  not  be  discussed,  but  certainly  it  may  be 
said  that  gardeners  generally  have  hitherto  been 
asleep  to  the  first-rate  qualities  of  P.  Moutan  and 
its  varieties.  B. 


"Waepa  injuring  Elm  trees.— I  think 
that  if  Mr.  Nisbet  (p.  374)  will  examine  his  Elm 
trees  closely,  he  will  find  that  the  wasps  were 
attracted  to  them  by  the  sap  oozing  through 
burrows  made  by  the  Elm  bark  beetle  (Scolytus 
destructor),  which  is  very  prevalent  this  year ;  at 
least,  we  find  it  to  be  so  here.  In  the  beginning 
of  June  this  beetle,  which  is  from  2  lines  to  3  lines 
long,  and  of  a  black  colour,  begins  boring  into  the 
inner  bark,  where  it  forms  galleries  from  2  inches 
to  3  inches  long  ;  along  the  sides  of  these  are  laid 
from  100  to  IfiO  eggs.  From  these  he  will  find  the 
grubs,  about  this  time  turning  into  the  pupic  state, 
at  the  end  of  their  burrows,  where  they  pass  the 
winter,  and  come  out  as  beetles  about  the  end  of 
May.  This  pest  has  destroyed  several  fine  trees 
here  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  years  old.  We  are 
cutting  down  all  trees  that  are  badly  infested,  the 
bark  of  which  is  stripped  off  and  burned.  Those 
trees  which  are  likely  to  recover  will  be  watched 
in  May  and  June,  and  means  will  be  taken  to 
exterminate  the  beetle  if  possible.  It  was  quite 
a  sight  to  see  the  large  number  of  wasps  that  col- 
lected on  the  infested  parts  of  the  trees  to  devour 
the  sap  during  the  hot  weather,  and  I  think  they 
eat  the  grubs  also. — P.  Sharp,  Claydon  Park, 
Winston',  liucltn. 


BOOKS. 


A  DICTIONARY  OF  GARDENING.* 
Since  the  appearance  of  Loudon's  "  Encyclo- 
pajdia  of  Plants,"  the  object  of  which  was  to  give 
a  historical  and  descriptive  account  of  all  plants 
cultivated  in,  or  natives  of,  Britain,  a  vast  number 
of  plants  of  all  kinds  have  been  introduced  into 
our  gardens,  and  considerable  changes  in  nomen- 
clature, as  well  as  in  other  botanical  matters 
which  concern  horticulture,  ;^have  been  wrought. 
For  present  use,  therefore,  the  value  of  Loudon's 
works  is  less  than  when  they  were  first  published. 
Many  of  the  plants  which  hs  described  have  dis- 
appeared from  our  collections,  and  the  information 
which  he  gave  about  those  that  still  remain 
requires  more  or  less  modifying.  Horticulture 
as  a  whole  has  greatly  changed  during  the  last 
half  century  or  so.  The  cheapness  of  glass  com- 
pared with  what  it  was  before  the  repeal  of  the 
glass  duty  may  to  some  extent  account  for  this, 
but  we  are  inclined  to  attribute  it  more  to  increase 
of  wealth  among  the  middle  classes  and  to  the 
popularisation  of  science.  Horticulture  now 
engages  the  attention  of  almost  everybody.  It  is 
gradually  assuming  an  important  place  as  a  com- 

•  "  A  Dictionary  ol   tiardeuing."    Loqdou  :  C.  Upcott 
Gill,  170,  Strand. 


mercial  industry,  and  we  have  now  hundreds  of 
nurseryman  where  tens  only  existed  half  a  century 
ago.  The  demand  for  plants  and  garden  pro- 
duce is  so  great,  that  many  of  the  large  pri- 
vate gardens  which  once  ministered  to  the 
wants  of  a  single  household  are  now  devoted  to 
growing  supplies  for  the  public  market,  and  aie 
made  self-supporting.  The  effect  of  all  this  has 
been  to  weed  out  from  cultivated  plants  all  those 
which  were  not  sufficiently  beautiful  or  useful 
to  satisfy  the  popular  taste,  and  to  introduce  a  vast 
number  of  new  kinds  such  as  the  public  market 
seemed  to  require.  In  the  literature  devoted 
to  gardening  great  strides  have  also  been  made 
since  Loudon's  time  ;  in  short,  it  may  be  said  that 
never  did  horticulture  occupy  so  important  a  posi- 
tion among  the  industries  of  Britain  as  it  now 
does.  Numerous  books  devoted  to  gardening  of 
all  kinds  now  appear  annually,  but  until  recently 
no  serious  attempt  to  arrange  and  describe  all 
plants  supposed  to  be  now  in  cultivation  in 
English  gardens  had  appeared. 

In  the  "  Dictionary  of  Gardening  "  under  notice 
an  attempt  is  made  to  meet  this  want,  and,  so  far 
as  can  be  determined  from  the  parts  already  issued, 
this  book  is  likely  to  prove  a  valuable  contribution 
to  garden  literature.  The  arrangement  is  alphabe- 
tical, and  it  purports  to  give  an  accurate  descrip- 
tion of  every  plant  in  cultivation,  with  references 
to  figures  in  various  botanical  and  gardening 
works,  accompanied  by  numerous  figures  of  the 
most  striking  and  interesting  plants.  For  the 
descriptions  recourse  has  been  had  to  numerous 
botanical  works,  such  as  floras,  monographs,  &c  , 
so  that  the  account  given  of  each  plant  may  in 
most  cases  be  considered  trustworthy.  The 
characters  of  each  genus  are  carefully  defined, 
and  where  possible  the  derivations  of  the  generic 
and  specific  names  are  given.  We  are  not 
certain  that  all  the  plants  enumerated  in 
this  work  are,  or  ever  have  been,  in  culti- 
vation in  English  or  even  European  gardens,  nor 
that  every  cultivated  plant  is  herein  included.  To 
obtain  sure  information  on  thesepointsin  every  case 
would  involve  immense  labour ;  indeed  it  would 
be  practically  impossible  to  avoid  errors  in  matters 
of  this  nature.  Such  errors  are,  however,  of  com- 
paratively small  importance.  The  figures,  of  which 
a  liberal  sprinkling  runs  through  the  book,  have 
been  gathered  from  all  sorts  of  sources,  and  al- 
though they  are  not  in  every  case  as  accurate  as 
could  be  wished,  they  are  generally  characteristic 
enough  to  identify  the  plants  by.  The  idea  of 
interspersing  the  popular  names  alphabetically 
with  the  botanical  ones  is  a  good  one,  and  in  this 
respect  the  list  appears  to  be  dealt  with  as  tho- 
roughly as  the  rest  of  the  work.  The  paper,  type, 
and  general  get  up  of  the  book  leave  little  to  be 
desired,  and  it  deserves  to  meet  with  success.  Ac- 
curacy in  points  connected  with  nomenclature  and 
description  in  an  undertaking  of  this  kind  is  of 
the  first  importance,  and  it  is  therefore  satisfactory 
to  know  that  this  work  is  placed  in  reliable  and 
trustworthy  hands. 

Cultural  directions  are  given  at  the  head  of  each 
genus,  but  these  are  not  of  a  very  high  standard  ; 
in  some  cases,  indeed,  we  should  say  they  are  apt 
to  mislead.  The  amount  of  space  devoted  to  them 
is  quite  disproportionate  to  their  relative  import- 
ance. For  instance,  four  columns  are  devoted  to 
the  Auricula  and  about  a  quarter  of  a  column  to 
Azalea  indica,  whilst  only  five  lines  are  given  to 
.Vsters.  In  almost  every  case  the  cultural  infor- 
mation is  overburdened  with  the  most  elementary 
details,  and  is  quite  out  of  keeping  with  the  rest  of 
the  book.  It  is,  however,  rather  as  a  descriptive 
and  historical  list  of  cultivated  plants  than  as  a 
guide  to  their  management  that  this  work  will 
prove  useful.  Comparingit  with  Loudon's  "Eccy- 
clopiedia"  of  Plants,  we  have  in  the  former  less 
information  of  a  purely  botanical  character,  but 
much  more  of  that  kind  of  useful  knowledge  which 
gardeners  stand  most  in  need  of.  W. 


Agapanttius  Feeding-.— I  have  just  picked  smie 
perfectly  ripe  seed  from  a  plant  of  the  blue  Ag.ipautluis 
tliat  ha.s  stood  for  several  years  in  tlie  open  jjronnd.  I  do 
notrememlicr  ever  knowing  tills  plant  to  liptu  seed  before 
in  the  opeu  air.— J.  (.'.  C. 


440 


THE    GARDEN 


[Nov.  22,  1884. 


Garden   Flora. 


PLATE  467. 
CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
(with  a  coloured  figuke  of  c.  coronaeium.*) 
Only  a  few  years  ago  this  beautiful  Crown  Daisy 
was  scarcely  ever  seen  outside  of  botanic  gardens, 
but  at  last,  with  the  decidedly  improved  tone  of 
later  fashion,  it  has  become  popular,  and  receives, 
to  some  extent,  the  attention  which  it  so  worthily 
merits.  To  my  mind  it  was  always  beautiful,  and 
before  the  Daisy-like  flowers  became  popular,  I 
used  to  think  that  this  was  one  of  the  best  of  all 
plants  for  window  boxes.  Sometimes,  of  course,  it 
is  too  tall,  but  where  other  window  plants  did  not 
flourish  I  found  this  to  do  admirably.  It  seems 
to  care  little  for  drought  or  exposure.  The  ac- 
companying plate  faithfully  represents  the  single 
white  and  pale  yellow,  and  to  my  taste  the  single 


Ohi-ys!uitheumm  cariuiituai. 

forms  are  much  the  most  lovely.  There  are  double 
forms  of  these  and  they  grow  about  '2^  feet  high. 
C.  coronarium  nanum  is  comparatively  a  new 
strain,  and  it  grows  only  about  U  feet  high,  but  I 
have  not  observed  that  any  singles  are  offered. 
The  colours  are  white  and  shades  of  yellow.  It 
has  been  known  as  the  African  Daisy  and  Garland 
Chrysanthemum.  Native  of  South  Europe  and 
North  Africa.     Introduced  in  162t). 

Other  Annual  Species. 
C.  CAKliNATliM  (C.  tricolor).— The  tricolor  Chry. 
santhemum  in  many  of  its  varieties  is  extremely 
beautiful,  and  ranks  among  the  finest  of  hardy 
annual--.  It  has  great  variety  in  colour,  ranging 
from  white  to  maroon-purple  or  crimson  and 
yellow,  a,nd  there  are  doubles  of  similar  colours. 
The  stniin  known  as  llurridgeanum  is  very  tine 
and  particularly  handsome,  and  one  of  the  forms 
is  pure  white,  with  a  crimson  circle  round  the 
disc.  Dunnett's  strain  includes  tine  doubles  of 
white,  purple,  and  yellow.  Lord  Beaconsfield, 
distributed  a  few  years  ago,  is  an  improved  form 
of  vepustum,  with  maroon  rays.     A  good  selection 


^  Drajvn  at  MuuEtead,  July  2?. 


may  be  made  from  almost  any  seed  catalogue,  and 
all  may  be  accepted  as  beautiful.  This  species  may 
be  distinguished  from  coronarium  by  the  scales 
of  the  involucre,  which  are  keeled,  as  the  name 
denotes.  It  was  introduced  in  1796,  and  is  a  native 
of  North  Africa 

C,  MULTICAULE. — An  annual,  with  apparently 
very  beautiful  yellow  flowers.  I  have  not  grown 
it,  but  it  is  sometimes  offered  in  seed  catalogues, 
and  as  herbarium  specimens  promise  so  much 
from  their  appearance,  I  shall  have  it  next  year. 
It  differs  in  habit  from  every  other,  the  numerous 
branches,  spread  so  immediately  over  the  ground, 
taking  their  origin  directly  from  the  summit  of 
the  root.  The  leaves  are  finely  divided,  and  the 
flower-heads  have  a  diameter  of  about  1.}  inches. 
Native  of  North  Africa. 

C.  MiX'ONis. — I  received  this  from  the  south  of 
Europe  two  years  ago,  but  I  think  it  is  not  nearly 
so  well  worth  growing  as  C.  segetum.  It  is  de- 
cidedly distinct  from  these  other  annual  kinds,  as 
it  is  the  only  one  among  those  now  mentioned 
with  undivided  leaves.  The  latter  are  obovate  or 
spathulate  and  serrated  ;  the  flower-heads  resemble 
those  of  C.  segetum,  but  this  plant  is  not  so  neat 
in  habit.  Seeds  under  this  name,  distributed  last 
spring  as  those  of  a  probably  good  novelty,  pro- 
duced the  next  species.  Native  of  South  Europe 
and  the  Mediterranean  region  ;  introduced  1775. 

C.  SEGETUM  (Com  Marigold). — There  are  those 
who  seem  to  doubt  whether  a  British  plant  can  be 
admitted  properly  into  the  garden,  but  there  are 
many  I  know  who  would  not  like  to  be  without 
this  pretty  plant,  which  I  understand  has  even 
become  a  favourite  in  Covent  Garden.  Single 
specimens  are  somewhat  stately,  the  glaucous  laci- 
niated  leaves  are  handsome,  and  the  golden  flower- 
heads,  nearly  2  inches  across,  are  decidedly  showy. 
I  have  a  flower  before  me  now,  in  the  middle 
of  November,  and  flowers  are  to  be  had  whenever 
in  winter  the  weather  continues  mild  for  a  little 
while.  Mr.  WoUey  Dod,  I  think,  says  this  plant  is 
more  than  annual ;  with  us  it  seems  strictly  an- 
nual, but  we  have  from  self-sown  seeds,  at  all  times, 
plants  in  every  stage.  It  is  said  not  to  be  a  true 
native  of  l!ritain.  In  England  it  is  not  very  com- 
mon, but  in  Scotland,  where  it  is  called  Goulands, 
I  have  seen  whole  fields  a  sheet  of  colour  with 
it.  The  height  is  about  1  foot  or  1 J  feet,  and  it 
may  be  sown  as  C.  coronarium,  though  generally, 
I  think,  young  plants  self-sown  can  be  found  for 
transplanting,  and  in  moist  weather  it  transplants 
very  easily.  Mr.  B.  S.  Williams  has  distributed 
an  improved  strain  as  grandiflorum.  Last 
spring  I  raised  this  from  seeds  distributed  under 
the  name  C.  Myconis,  which  I  consider  decidedly 
inferior.  Native  of  Europe,  North  Africa,  and 
West  Asia. 

Culture  of  an.nual  kinds.— All  those  sorts 
are  most  valuable  for  culture  out  of  doors,  though, 
perhaps,  there  are  no  annuals  more  easily  grown 
in  pots.  The  seeds  should  be  sown  out-of-doors 
in  September,  March,  and  May,  but  we  have 
always  a  number  of  self-sown  seedlings,  and 
now  there  are  nice  little  self-sown  plants  that  will 
bloom  in  the  spring.  The  summer  brings  the  finest 
flowers,  but  we  have  them  during  a  considerable 
part  of  the  year,  even  in  winter  when  the  weather 
is  mild.  As  annuals  are  so  often  left  too  thick,  it 
is  necessary  to  reiterate  that  to  have  fine  plants, 
thinning  must  be  resorted  to.  These  Chrysanthe- 
mums are  bushy  in  habit,  and  the  natural  habit 
is  always  the  best — to  be  attained  only  by  giving 
sufticient  room.  There  is  another  consideration, 
and  it  is  that  if  annuals  have  the  space  they  re- 
quire, the  season  of  blooming  is  longer  and  the 
flowers  finer  than  when  they  are  crowded.  These 
Chrysanthemums  need  nothing  more  than  good 
garden  soil,  and  their  culture  is  so  easy  that  suc- 
cess must  follow  rational  treatment.  I'ot  culture 
we  have  not  lately  adopted,  there  being  so  many 
things  to  grow,  but  in  wmter  the  flowers  are 
of  great  value.  The  simplest  plan  perhaps  is 
to  sow  a  few  seeds  early  in  September,  thinly  in 
the  open  ground,  putting  three  in  a  6-inch  pot  as 
soon  as  they  are  large  enough,  then  to  be  placed 
under  glass  in  a  cold  frame,  according  to  the 
weather.    For  potting  I  think  it  worth  while  to 


use  a  good  sandy  loam.  If  sown  out  of  doors 
in  a  small  bed,  the  seedlings  are  not  so  likely  to 
be  starved  as  if  sown  in  pots,  and  as  nice  little 


Clivysantliemum  liurrUgeanum. 

plants  .3  inches  or  4  inches  high  lift  easily  with 
plenty  of  roots,  the  trouble  of  pricking  off  or  re- 
potting may  be  avoided. 

Hardy  Perennials. 

C.  (PvRETHBUM)  ALPINUM. — This  is  quite  rare 
in  cultivation,  and  I  do  not  happen  to  know  where 


Cliryaantlieniuni  (Pyrethium)  roseuni. 

it  can  be  found.  Herbarium  specimens  show  it 
to  vary  considerablj',  but  it  may  be  described 
generally  as  a  small  ca;spitose  plant,  with  leaves 
pinnately  divided  or  pectinated  into  narrow  divi- 


TF 


i-,^ 


'NMi 


if 


Nov.  22,    1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


441 


fiions,  bearing  comparatively  large,  white,  solitary 
flower-heads  on  stalks  about  G  inches  high.  It  has 
been  confused  with  C.  arcticum,  with  which  it  ha? 
nothing  to  do.  As  C.  alpinum  I  have  received  a 
totally  different  plant,  with  leaves  more  than  once 
divided,  and  flower-stems  bearing  about  three 
flower-heads,  which  possibly  is  G.  arcticum  as 
figured  in  Loddiges'  "  Botanical  Cabinet."  It  has 
been  called  Leucanthemum  alpinum,  but  is  rightly, 
no  doubt,  placed  under  Pyrethrum  by  De  CandoUe. 
Native  of  the  Alps  and  Pyrenees. 

C.  (Leucanthemum)  akcticum.— Under  this 
name  I  speak  of  a  plant  sometimes  grown  as  C. 
alpinum,  with  slender  underground  stems,  which 
produce  the  shoots  not  in  a  tuft.  The  leaves  are 
deeply  divided  and  have  about  two  lateral  divi- 
sions like  that  of  the  centre,  each  of  them  being 
again  divided,  though  not  so  deeply,  and  the 
ultimate  divisions  are  broad  and  toothed.  The 
leaves  are  tufted  on  short  woody  stems  ;  the  flower- 
stalk  is  stiff  and  erect,  about  8  inches  high,  bear- 
ing about  three  flowers.  This  plant,  I  think,  is 
the  C.  arcticum  of  Loddiges'  "  Botanical  Cabinet, ' 
but  without  a  specimen  in  flower  it  is  impossible 
to  be  certain.  Wr.  W.  Dod  sends  it  to  me  as  C.  arc- 
ticum or  C.  speciosum,  so  that  the  former  name  is 


Chi-ysanthemuiu  iiiodoruin  plenisBimum. 

somewhat  conflrmed.  De  Candolle  describes  a 
plant  with  solitary  flower-heads,  but  with  the 
figure  above  referred  to,  it  is  said  that  more  are 
produced  by  cultivation.  This  figure  shows  an 
immense  flower-head  nearly  2.}  inches  across 
such  as  I  have  never  seen  on  this  plant.  It 
is  not  one  of  the  best  kinds.  Native  of  Kamt- 
Bchatka. 

C.  (Leucanthemum)  atratum. — This  is  the 
Chrysanthemum  atratum  of  Linnsus,  and  from 
specimens  in  the  Cambridge  herbarium  it  appears 
to  be  handsome  in  foliage.  They  seem  to  accord 
with  De  CandoUe's  description.  The  stem  is  erect 
and  one-flowered ;  the  leaves  below  are  cuneate 
and  divided  into  three  or  five  large  characteristic 
teeth,  which  are  again  dentate  or  serrated.  It  is 
not,  however,  this  plant  that  is  cultivated  under 
the  name,  which,  Sir.  WoUey  Dod  in  a  recent 
letter  informs  me,  is  said  by  Sir  Joseph  Hooker  to 
be  certainly  C.  maximum.  C.  atratum  was  intro- 
duced in  1731,  and  is  a  native  of  Austria,  Switzer- 
land, and  Auvergne. 

C.  (Pyeethrum)  caeneum. — A  near  ally  of  C. 
roseum,  and  the  typical  plants  are  so  distinct  that 
they  should  be  kept  apart,  though  probably  a  series 
of  links  might  be  found  to  connect  the  two.  Both 
have  very  similar  rosy  flowers,  but  the  habit  of  this 
is  less  robust  than  that  of  the  other ;  the  flowers  are 
rather  smaller  and  the  leaves  leas  finely  divided. 


In  this  case  the  pinnaj  are  incised  instead  of  being 
pinnate  or  pinnatisect.  This  is  figured  in  the 
Botanical  Magazine  as  Chrysanthemum  coc- 
cineum.     Native  of  the  Caucasus. 

C.  Catananc  he. — The  beauty  of  this  plant  is  such 
that  it  must  be  mentioned,  though,  unfortunately, 
it  is  no  longer  in  cultivation.  It  is  one  of  the 
interesting  novelties  discovered  by  Sir  Joseph 
Hooker,  Messrs.  Ball  and  Maw,  when  they  visited 
Morocco  some  years  ago.  The  rootstock  divides 
into  several  heads,  and  the  leaves,  covered  with  a 
silky  tomentum  and  divided  into  narrow  segments, 
form  a  close  silvery  tuft.  The  flower-stalks  are 
from  3  inches  to  6  inches  long,  and  bear  solitary 
heads  Ik  inches  or  2  inches  across,  the  ray  being 
pale  yellow  with  a  blood-red  ring  around  the 
central  disc.  Sir  Joseph  Hooker  says  that  this  is 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  plants  of  the  Greater 
Atlas.  It  grows  in  the  valley  of  that  range  at  an 
elevation  of  from  7000  feet  to  9000  feet.  Intro- 
duced in  1871.  It  flowers  in  April,  and  a  good 
figure  of  it  will  be  found  in  the  Botanical  Maga- 
zine, 1874,  t.G  107.  The  specific  name  was  given  on 
account  of  the  silvery  white  involucral  bracts, 
which  resemble  those  of  the  genus  Catananche. 
Although  hardy  it  may  perish  from  damp,  and 
therefore  when  re-obtained  it  must  not  be  trusted 
entirely  out-of-doors. 

C.  (Pyrethrum)  cineeaei-efoliom. — This  is 
a  pretty  plant  found  in  botanic  gardens,  but  not 
often  in  private  collections.  The  leaves  are  grace- 
ful, glabrous  above,  below  silky,  and  pinnately 
divided  into  narrow  and  rather  distant  segments  ; 
the  white-rayed  flower-heads  are  produced  singly 
on  slender  stalks,  which  much  exceed  the  leaves, 
and  measure  about  \h  inches  across.  It  was 
figured  in  the  Votanical  Magazine  of  October  in 
this  year,  and  it  is  stated  that  the  Dalmatian 
insect  powder  is  from  the  flowers  of  this  plant— a 
fact  not  known  till  comparatively  recently.  In- 
troduced 182G.    Native  of  Dalmatia. 

C.  (Pyrethrum)  corymbosum. — A  distinct 
kind,  about  4  feet  high  when  in  flower,  with  leaves 
somewhat  similar  to  those  of  P.  roseum,  and  broad 
corymbs  of  white-rayed  flower-heads  about  X^ 
inches  across.  It  is  perfectly  hardy  and  deserves 
to  be  better  known,  though  under  certain  circum- 
stances it  becomes  coarse.  If  it  could  be  crossed 
with  P.  roseum  the  result  might  be  good,  and  a 
distinct  race,  with  stems  bearing  many  heads  like 
those  of  P.  roseum,  might  be  produced. 

C.  INODORUM,  Hort.=MATRICARIA  INODOEA. 

C.  (Leucanthemum)  latifolium  var.  la- 
custre. — I  am  not  sure  that  the  form  ranked  as 
typical  is  in  cultivation,  but  this  variety,  cor- 
rectly determined  at  Kew,  must  now  be  com- 
mon, as  I  myself  distributed  in  exchange  im- 
mense quantities  when  this  kind  of  flower  be- 
came popular.  It  is  a  very  handsome  and 
strong  growing  plant,  in  the  Cambridge  soil 
about  3  feet  high,  forming  a  close  arrangement 
of  strong,  erect  stems,  with  coriaceous,  oval, 
strongly  serrated  leaves.  The  stems  branch  spar- 
ingly at  the  top  before  flowering,  and  the  only 
other  similar  kind  which  does  this  is  C.  maximum, 
which  is  distinguished  by  having  the  stem  leaves 
about  five  times  as  long  as  broad,  instead  of  about 
three  times  as  long  as  broad,  as  in  this  case.  This 
I  notice  from  scraps  before  me,  and  the  difference 
in  foliage  is  very  evident.  The  present  is  one  of 
the  best  kinds  ;  it  is  very  ornamental  in  autumn, 
and  the  flowers  are  valuable  for  cutting.  They 
are  of  good  substance  and  possess  great  beauty. 
Native  of  Portugal. 

C.  Leucanthemum  (Ox-eye  Daisy).^There 
is  much  beauty  in  this  common  British  plant,  and 
were  there  not  other  species  better  suited  in  some 
respects,  it  would  decidedly  claim  a  place  in  our 
gardens.  It  is  so  well  known  as  to  need  no  de- 
scription, and  its  culture  can  only  be  a  matter  of 
taste.  It  is  no  doubt  capable  of  improvement  by 
cultivation,  and  in  the  Cambridge  Botanic  (iarden 
is  a  curious  form  with  tubular  ray  florets.  It  is 
a  native  of  Europe,  Siberia,  and  West  Asia. 

C.  Mawi.  —  This  apparently  is  a  charming 
plant,  with  much  the  habit  of  C.  Etoile  dOr.  The 
flower-heads  are  from  1  inch  to  IJ  inches  across. 


with  a  white  or  blush  ray  rose-coloured  at  the 
back.  It  is  half  shrubby  and  referable  to  no  pre- 
viously known  section.  It  is  a  native  of  the 
Greater  Atlas  south  of  the  city  of  Morocco,  on  dry 
rocky  places,  near  Jlouli  Ibrahim,  at  4000  feet  to 
5000  feet  elevation,  in  the  Reraia  Valley.  Most 
probably  it  has  been  lost  to  cultivation.  It  should 
not  be  entrusted  entirely  out-of-doors.  It  is 
figured  in  the  Botanical  Magazine,  t.  5997. 

C.  (Leucanthemum)  maximum. — Speaking  of 
this  as  C.  atratum,  Mr.  WoUey  Dod  has  described 
it  as  the  best  garden  form  of  the  genus.  He  says, 
"It  begins  to  flower  early  in    July    and    bears 


Chrysauthcinaiii  frutesceus. 

flowers  4.4  inches  across,  while  the  plant,  even  in 
my  strong  wet  soil,  is  not  more  than  2  feet  high." 
Mr.  Ware  supplies  a  plant  under  this  name,  and  as 
I  know  he  has  the  true  C.  lacustre,  it  is  probably 
this  of  which  he  speaks  when  he  says  that  it 
is  as  showy  in  autumn  as  the  Japan  Anemone. 
It  is  allied  to  C.  lacustre  with  which  it  has  been 
confounded,  but  the  great  difference  in  foliage 
makes  it  conspicuously  different.  In  this  plant  the 
leaves  are  narrowly  lanceolate,  but  in  the  case  of  C. 
lacustre  they  are  nearly  oval.  As  before  remarked, 
the  stems  of  this  branch  before  flowering,  not 
being  one-headed,  as  in  the  case  of  C.  montanum. 
It  is  a  native  of  the  Pyrenees. 

C.  (Leucanthemum)  montanum.— This,  I 
think,  is  one  of  the  handsomest  and  most  useful 
of   its   group.     It  is  much  loss  coarse  than  the 


-am' 


ChrysiiiitUeniuin  oiUL-iisc. 

popular  C.  latifolium  lacustre,  and  it  has  a  better 
habit  than  the  Ox-eye  Daisy.  It  also  has  larger 
flowers,  and  it  forms  a  rounder  and  better  fur- 
nished tuft  than  almost  any  other.  In  our  soil  it 
is  about  18  inches  high.  It  has  been  thought  to 
resemble  C.  Leucanthemum,  but  there  are  several 
points  of  difference,  especially  in  the  lower  leaves 
at  this  time  of  the  year.  In  C.  Leucanthemum 
they  are  long-petioled  and  obtusely  cut,  or  they 
form  little  rosettes,  spathulate  and  lobed  ;  but  in 
C.  montanum  they  are  thick  instead  of  thin- 
textured,  lanceolate,  and  serrated.  It  is  earlier 
than  similar  kinds,  except  C.  maximum,  flowering 
in  July.    The  stems  grow  erect  and   bear  one 


442 


THE    GARDEN 


[Nov.  22,  1884. 


flower-head,  each  more  than  2|  inches  across. 
The  leaves  decrease  in  length  from  below  to  about 
the  middle  of  the  stem,  where  the  latter  becomes 
naked.    Native  of  the  south  of  Europe. 

C.  (Pyrethrum)  Paethenium. — The  golden- 
leaved  variety  of  this  is  the  Golden  Feather,  so 
■well  known  to  all  gardeners.  The  normal  plant  is 
wild  in  Britain.  It  is  scarcely  worth  cultivation, 
though  some  have  much  admired  the  Golden  Fea- 
ther when  in  (lower.  There  is  a  double  variety, 
which  certainly  is  not  common,  if,  indeed,  it  is 
cultivated  anywhere.  There  are  new  varieties  of 
Golden  Feather  which  delight  lovers  of  bed- 
ding out,  especially  aureum  selaginoides,  which 
does  not  flower  the  first  year,  and  consequently 
does  not  require  pinching.  Native  of  Middle  and 
South  Europe. 

C.  (PyRETiiRUM)  ROSEUM.— Of  this  species  we 
have  now  many  splendid  varieties  from  the  hands 
of  the  florist  known  as  the  double-flowered  Pyre- 
thrums,  and  to  such  perfection  have  they  been 
brought  within  comparatively  a  few  years  that 
they  rival  the  Aster  and  Chinese  Chrysanthe- 
mum, The  first  improvement,  a  single  rose 
variety,  came  from  M.  Themisterri,  of  llelgium, 
into  the  hands  of  the  late  Mr.  John  Salter,  of 
Hammersmith,  and  he  gradually  produced  the 
double  forms.  The  Continental  florists  also  have, 
produced  some  of  the  finest  doubles  we  have. 
In  one  catalogue  alone  over  100  double  varieties, 
as  well  as  single  ones,  are  ofEered.  The  single 
kinds  have  great  variety  in  colour,  and  are  more 
lovely  and  graceful  for  vases  than  the  heavier 
double  varieties.  Both  sections  are  offered  by  the 
leading  nurserymen,  and  a  selection  is  easily  made 
from  their  catalogues.  Good  single  kinds  may  be 
obtained  from  a  packet  of  seed,  and  we  have  had 
a  very  good  result  from  the  selection  offered  as 
atrosanguineum.  As  a  g.irden  plant  the  typical 
P.  roseum,  being  comparatively  poor  in  colour, 
need  not  be  grown.  These  showy  plants  require 
some  care  in  cultivation  in  order  to  produce  the 
most  satisfactory  results.  They  will  not  succeed  in 
poor  soil.  A  good  loam  is  best,  and  it  requires  to 
be  well  manured.  Dry  soils  should  be  mulched 
with  manure  in  order  to  keep  the  ground  moist 
and  cool.  Cultivation  in  this  way  is  very  easy 
and  the  plant  is  perfectly  hardy.  The  flowers  are 
very  showy,  and  the  finest  display  comes  in  June, 
though  flowers  are  produced  more  or  less  through- 
out the  summer,  and  if  the  plants  are  cut  down 
after  the  first  flowering  they  flower  again  in 
autumn.  In  November  we  have  now  some  single 
flowers.  Propagation  is  effected  easily  by  divi- 
sion, and  when  the  flowers,  by  getting  small,  show 
it  to  be  necessary,  the  clumps  must  be  taken  up 
and  divided,  as  the  finest  flowers  are  produced  by 
tufts  of  moderate  size.    Native  of  the  Caucasus. 

C.  (Pyrethrum)  sinense  (Chinese  Chrysanthe- 
mum) — This  is  the  well-known  florist's  flower  now 
so  valuable  and  important.  Probably  the  wild 
original  has  never  been  introduced,  but  it  may 
exist,  and  it  would  be  of  great  interest  to  obtain 
it  for  botanic  gardens.  The  few  single  varieties 
we  have  are  no  doubt  very  different,  having  been 
obtained  from  the  so-called  double  kinds.  I  have 
grown  a  few  this  year,  and  some  of  them  are  very 
pretty,  but  they  do  not  take  the  place  of  thedouble 
kinds  a5  ornamental  flowers.  Much  more  may 
be  done  by  raising  and  selection,  and  probably 
much  better  ones  will  be  forthcoming.  It  is  un- 
necessary to  say  anything  here  about  the  numer- 
ous -cultivated  improved  forms  which  are  so  fre- 
quently treated  of  in  this  and  other  journals,  and 
every  Chrysanthemum  grower  can  now  have  col- 
lected information  in  the  valuable  work  by  Mr. 
F.  W.  Burbidge  quite  recently  published. 

C.  (Lbucanthbmum)  speciosum.— Under  this 
name  is  cultivated  a  hardy  perennial  about  1  foot 
in  height,  with  large  white  flowers,  but  it  is  said 
not  to  be  one  of  the  best.  The  name,  I  believe,  is 
undoubtedly  wrong,  and  I  can  only  find  it  as  a 
synonym  of  C.  coronarium  or  C.  grandiflorum. 
Mr.  Ware  kindly  sends  me  flowers,  and  it  is  neither 
of  those  ;  it  is  most  like  C.  montanum,  but  appears 
to  differ  from  it,  and  with  the  material  now  to  be 
had  it  is  impossible  to  find  the  name. 


C.  (Pyrethrum)  tanacetoides.— A  pretty 
silvery-leaved  plant,  of  which  there  are  old  clumps 
in  the  Cambridge  Botanic  Garden.  I  have  not 
known  it  elsewhere,  nor  has  it  been  known  to 
those  who  have  seen  it  here.  It  is  very  distinct 
and  attractive  in  foliage,  but  it  does  not  flower. 
The  stems  are  short  and  woody ;  the  leaves  are  4 
inches  to  6  inches  long,  and  half  an  inch  to  1  inch 
broad,  covered  with  silky  tomentum,  twice  pinnate, 
the  pinnae  pectinate.  The  main  leaf-stalk  lasts 
in  autumn  long  after  the  leaf  is  dead.  I  am  in- 
debted to  Mr.  N.  E.  Brown  for  this  probably 
correct  name. 

C.  (Pyhethrum)  Tanacetum. — This  by  no 
means  deserves  attention  as  a  flower  garden  plant. 


Chrys.inthemum  (rjrethrum)  uliginosum. 

It  is  better  known  as  Balsamita  vulgaris  or  Pyre- 
thrum Tanacetum.  Some  interest,  however,  at- 
taches to  it  as  being  the  Costmary  or  Alecost 
formerly  put  into  ale.  Two  forms  flowering  at 
different  times  used  to  be  in  cultivation  at  Kew. 
Native  of  South  Europe. 

C.  (Pyrethruji)  Tchihatchewii — A  place 
for  this  may  be  found  in  most  gardens.  It  is  a 
creeping  plant  with  pretty  foliage  and  good  white 
flowers,  like  those  of  the  Ox-eye  Daisy,  very  sult- 
an le  for  dry  banks,  where  most  herbaceous  plants 
would  fail  to  succeed.  The  stems  root  as  they 
grow,  and  quickly  produce  a  carpet  of  bright  green 
foliage.  The  leaves  are  H  inches  long  and  much 
divided.    It  has  not  been  used  as  a  bedding-out 


plant  probably,  but  it  appears  to  be  very  suitable 
for  certain  arrangements.  Native  of  Central  Asia, 
whence  it  was  introduced  in  1869. 

C.  (Pyrethrum)  uligtnosum  =  P.  sekotinum. 
(Hort  ). — This  is  the  handsomest  of  all  the  culti- 
vated kinds,  if  we  omit  the  forms  of  C.  sinense 
and  C.  roseum,  as  improved  by  the  florists,  and  it 
deservedly  ranks  as  one  of  the  best  herbaceous 
plants.  It  grows  from  4  feet  to  6  feet  high,  and 
is  worthy  of  a  conspicuous  position.  The  leaves 
are  lanceolate  with  pointed  teeth  directed  forward, 
and  the  foliage  is  decidedly  pretty.  At  this  time 
of  the  year  there  are  no  leaves  at  the  base  of  the 
plant,  as  in  most  other  species,  and  it  is  very  dif- 
ferent from  any  other  we  grow.  The  flowers  are 
of  great  size  and  of  very  pure  white.  The  stems 
do  not  blanch  below,  but  towards  the  summit  they 
are  divided  into  many  slender  stems,  each  bearing 
a  solitary  flower.  The  habit  of  the  plant  is  very 
stately.  It  is  sometimes,  though  erroneously, 
known  as  P.  serotinum.  It  prefers  a  moist  posi- 
tion and  decidedly  likes  good  soil.  In  poor  and 
dry  soil  it  sometimes  scarcely  exceeds  a  foot  in 
height.  Under  favourable  circumstances  it  grows 
with  great  vigour,  and  almost  becomes  a  weed. 
Native  of  Hungary. 

C.  (Pyrethrum)  Willemoti. — I  have  a  plant 
from  Mr.  Wolley  Dod  under  this  name,  but  I  can 
find  the  name  in  no  book  nor  with  specimens  to 
which  I  have  access.  The  character  of  the  leaf  is 
in  some  degree  like  that  of  C.  cinerariajfolium,  but 
the  divisions  of  the  pinna;  are  very  much  broader. 
I  have,  I  believe,  under  this  name  known  a  sub. 
shrubby  kind,  with  finely  cut  leaves  and  good 
yellow  flowers,  which  was  not  a  good  perennial  or 
not  quite  hardy. 

Culture  op  the  perennial  sorts. — The 
herbaceous  species  without  exception  grow  best  in 
rich  soil.  Some  do  not  need  manure,  but  others,  if 
the  soil  is  not  good,  cannot  succeed  without  it.  C. 
roseum  generally  needs  manure,  and  C.  uliginosum 
may  often  be  very  much  benefited  by  it  as  regards 
appearance.  In  the  dry  and  rather  poor  soil  of  the 
Cambridge  Botanic  Garden  it  scarcely  exceeds  a 
foot  in  height  without  special  preparation  for  it, 
and  C.  roseum  is  altogether  unworthy  of  its  capa- 
bilities. Surely  it  is  impossible  to  discuss  the 
question  whether  manure  is  cr  is  not  required  for 
herbaceous  plants,  without  overlooking  the  im- 
mense variety  included  within  that  term,  to  say 
nothing  about  the  different  kinds  of  soil,  often 
poor  and  indifferent,  in  which  they  are  grown.  I 
know  they  of  ten  want  manure  badly  enough.  With 
regard  to  these  plants,  the  necessity  of  manuring 
must  be  considered  from  observation  on  the  spot, 
because  in  some  gardens  they  grow  as  strongly  as 
could  be  desired.  When  the  clumps  get  large  all 
kinds  are  benefited  by  division.  They  are  easily 
propagated  by  division,  and  are  generally  very 
easy  to  grow.  C.  arcticum  is  the  only  one  I  have 
found  not  to  do  well,  and  that  has  been  evidently 
from  its  dry  position. 

Frutlcoee  and  Tender  Species. 

C.  (Argyeanthemum)  Beoussoneti.— This 
appears  to  be  the  correct  name  of  the  plant 
grown  as  Halleri  maximum,  though  flowering  speci- 
mens have  not  yet  been  compared.  With  C.  Halleri 
it  has  nothing  to  do.  It  is  decidedly  or  e  of  the  two 
best  frutescent  species.  The  foliage  is  very  hand- 
some, and  the  flowers  large  and  freely  produced. 
The  leaves  are  broadly  obovate,  green,  divided 
into  about  six  segments,  which  are  again  laciniated 
and  toothed.  Native  of  the  Canaries  ;  introduced 
in  1817. 

C.  FCENICULACEUM. — This  is  a  very  pretty 
plant,  with  glaucous  leaves  cut  into  slender 
divisions.  They  are  glaucous,  like  those  of  C. 
frutescens,  but  much  more  graceful.  The  flowers 
are  white  and  pretty.     Native  of  the  Canaries. 

C.  frutescens  (Paris  Daisy  or  Marguerite). — 
Better  called  the  Paris  Daisy  or  Marguerite  than 
simply  Marguerite,  because  that  word  means 
Daisy,  to  express  which  the  French  have  no  other, 
and  this  plant  is  strongly  associated  with  Paris, 
where  it  was  a  favourite  years  ago,  when  even  it 
was  scarcely  known  in  Britain.  The  French  call 
the  Daisy   Marguerite    on  account  of  its  pearly 


Nov.  22,  1884.] 


THE    GAEDEN 


443 


whiteness,  Marguerite  being  the  French  for  a, 
pearl,  though  not  now  or  but  rarely  so  used.  It  is 
supposed  generally  that  the  name  came  from 
direct  association  with  St.  Margaret,  and  I  mention 
this  therefore  on  the  authority  of  Dr.  Ilrewster. 
Daring  the  last  few  years  the  Paris  Daisy  has  been 
in  favour  with  us,  but  even  yet  it  is  not  so  popular 
as  it  ought  to  be,  for  it  is  so  easily  grown  that 
good  plants  might  be  sold  at  a  cheap  rate  for  the 
million.     Knowing  the  nature  of  it,  no  cultivator 


Chrj'snnthemum  (Pyrethrum)  roseimi  (Jouble). 

would  fail  to  grow  excellent  spscimens  of  any 
size  he  saw  lit.  An  immense  specimen  of  it,  a 
white  elephant  in  size,  but  more  than  that 
in  usefulness,  is  rather  an  imposing  object, 
especially  in  terrace  vases  or  on  Grass.  Small 
specimens,  too,  are  valuable  for  the  conserva- 
tory, where  they  flower  freely  in  winter ;  indeed, 
it  is  easy  to  have  it  in  flower  all  the  year  round. 
Another  use  for  it  is  found  in  the  flower  garden, 
where  with  seedling  Petunias  it  makes  one  of  the 
best  beds.  This  is  one  of  the  best  mixtures,  and 
such  are  a  great  relief  in  place  of  masses  of 
scarlet  Geraniums.  In  the  greenhouse  at  this 
time  of  the  year  it  associates  agreeably  with 
Salvias,  such  as  S.  splendeus  and  S.  Hoveyi.  No 
plant  can  better  withstand  extremes  of  damp 
and  drought  than  this.  In  small  pots  it  flowers 
better  than  in  large  ones,  because  the  growth  is 
restricted  and  a  greater  number  of  flowers  is  the 


c.V;-T\ 


Chrysanthemum  Tchihatcheivii. 


result.  Plants  may  be  taken  up  from  the  open 
ground  for  flowering  in  winter,  but  I  prefer  to 
grow  them  in  pots  and  pinch  to  postpone  flower- 
ing until  the  right  time.  When  the  cuttings  should 
be  struck  depends  upon  the  intended  size  of  the 
plant,  but  cuttings  struck  in  May  grow  to  a  very 
useful  size.  Native  of  the  Canaries.  It  is  a 
curious  fact  that  insular  floras  often  represent  the 
continental  herbaceous  species  by  shrubby  allies, 
and  these  Argyranthemums  are  cases  in  point. 
Introduced  in  1699. 

C.  FBUTE.scENS  vAR.  Etoile  d'Or.  —  I  men- 
tion this  with  C.  frutescens,  as  it  is  so  generally 
regarded  as  a  variety  of  it,  but  I  think  that  it  u  I 


more  or  less  a  mistake,  because  although  C.  frutes- 
cens is  shown  by  specimens  to  vary  much,  yet  it 
does  not,  so  far  as  I  can  discover,  vary  in  the 
direction  of  Etoile  d'Or,  which  seems  to  me  to 
have  some  relationship  with  another  species.  In 
the  Cambridge  herbarium  I  find  a  specimen  of 
G.  ochroleucum,  and  if  it  were  a  hybrid  with  this, 
so  far  as  my  consideration  goes,  I  should  not  be 
surprised.  1  shall  endeavour  to  settle  this  question 
as  soon  as  I  have  a  specimen  in  flower.  C.  Etoile 
d'Or  was  distributed  a  few  years  ago  by  Mr. 
Howard,  of  Southgate,but  no  doubt  it  had  been  in 
cultivation  some  time  before.  The  evidence  with 
regard  to  its  origin  is  conflicting.  In  the  Itcvue 
Horlicole  it  is  stated  to  have  been  raised  from  C. 
frutescens  near  Lyons  or  near  Cannes.  In  the 
Gardeners'  Chronicle  of  March  G,  1880,  "  S.  E.  F." 
writes  that  it  was  raised  about  the  year 
1874  by  Nicholas  Desgeorges,  gardener  at  the 
Villa  des  BruySres,  at  Golfe  Juan,  near  Cannes, 
from  seed  gathered  from  Comtesse  de  Chambord, 
another  similar  kind.  In  this  there  is  much  pro- 
bability, but  then  what  is  the  origin  of  this  last 
named  form  ?  Finally,  M.  Ed.  Morren  writes  in 
the  Bdgiq  ue  HorUcole  that  it  was  brought  to  notice 
so  long  ago  as  1844  by  M.  Pepin  in  the  same  jour- 
nal, and  that  it  was  raised  in  the  south  of  France 
from  seed  of  the  common  white  C.  frutescens. 
That  is  perhaps  possible,  but,  as  1  have  said,  it 
does  not  seem  to  me  probable  without  the  assist- 
ance of  another  species.  Whatever  its  origin, 
however,  it  is  certainly  a  valuable  kind  and  one  of 
the  best  of  this  section.  Its  cultivation  is  the 
same  as  that  for  [C.  frutescens,  except  that  it  re- 
quires, I  think,  more  liberal  treatment.  With  treat- 
ment in  small  pots  and  confinement  under  which 
C.  frutescens  has  flourished,  I  have  found  the 
flowers  smaller  than  they  should  be.  This  I 
believe  may  be  considered  to  supersede  the  variety 
Comtesse  de  Chambord,  which  I  have  not  grown. 
It  was  cultivated  ten  years  ago  at  Ferri^res. 

C.  PINNATIFIDUM  — Not  unlike  C.  Broussoneti, 
but  the  primary  divisions  of  the  leaf  are  not  so 
deeply  divided.  The  leaves  are  three  or  four  times 
as  long  as  broad,  pinnati-lobate  or  pinnatifid,  with 
from  six  to  eight  lobes  or  pinnse.  The  flowers  have 
a  golden-yellow  disc  and  a  white  ray.  A  good 
greenhouse  plant,  but  not  so  useful  as  C.  frutes- 
cens, nor  so  fine  as  C.  Broussoneti.  Native  of 
Madeira. 

Remarks. — All  Chrysanthemums  appear  to 
vary  very  much,  and,  as  will  have  been  seen,  the 
names  of  some  kinds  are  doubtful.  Throughout 
the  genus  figures  and  illustrations  are  much 
wanted.  There  are  many  curious  species  which 
might  be  introduced,  but  there  are  none  perhaps 
so  fine  in  their  several  groups  as  those  we 
have  already  in  cultivation,  except  probably  C. 
(Argyranthemum)  hjematoma,  of  which  Mr. 
Lowe  says  that  in  the  island  of  Jladeira  "  a  bush 
of  this  species  on  its  native  black  or  grey  and 
barren  crags — one  mass  of  lovely  rose-pink  flowers, 
and  conspicuous  from  afar  like  a  Camellia  or  Rose 
bush — is  a  truly  splendid  and  surprising  sight." 
I  shall  be  extremely  glad  to  receive  doubtful 
kinds,  or  any  not  here  mentioned,  for  cultivation, 
comparison,  and  identification.  It  is  the  Leucan- 
themum  section  which  at  present  shows  diificulty, 
and  gradations  though  all  the  species  might 
perhaps  be  found  in  a  wild  state. 

R.  IBWIN  Lynch. 

Botanic  Garden,  Camlrridge. 


FRUIT  Garden. 


Fraud  at  exhibitions. — As  Air.  McTndoe,  of  ITutton 
n.ill,  has  written  to  the  editor  of  The  Gabtien  to  compl.iin 
of  the  paraprraph  en  this  subject  in  The  Garden  of  Octo- 
ber 18  as  a  "  malicious  libel,"  directed  at  bimself  by  a  party 
whom  he  names  (Mr.  Mclndoe  stating  in  his  letter  tliat  "  it 
is  well  known  he  is  the  party  alluded  to  in  the  Dundee 
case  ' ),  I  wTite  to  say  that  the  party  he  names  and  suspects 
is  entirely  innocent  in  the  matter  and  personally  unknown 
to  me.  Moreover,  my  allusion  to  the  Duchess  of  Buccleucb 
Grape  case  at  Dundee  was  based  wholly  on  the  report  of 
the  show  in  the  Gardeners'  Chronicle  of  September  20, 
which  mentioned  no  names,  and  I  did  not  know  then,  nor 
until  a  further  communication  appeared  in  the  Chronicle 
of  October  2.5,  that  Xfr.  Mclndoe  was  the  person  alhided 
to.  I  was  not  at  the  Dimdee  show,  and  know  nothini: 
about  it,  except  from  the  newspaper  reports.  My  note 
could  not,  therefore,  be,  and  was  not,  prompted  Ijy  malice 
against  anyone,  but  was  suggested  by  recent  occurrences 
and  written  in  the  interest  of  e}dubitors.— OoKRESPONPEHT. 


APPLES  WORTH  GROWING. 

The  planting  season  has  already  commenced,  and 
those  who  contemplate  making  additions  to  their 
orchards  or  garden  trees,  or  who  intend  to  form 
new  plantations,  will  do  well  to  get  their  trees  at 
once  ;  not,  however,  because  nurserymen  are  gene- 
rally in  the  habit  of  sending  the  best  trees  to  those 
ordering  first,  but  for  the  simple  reason  that  a  few 
of  the  most  popular  sorts  are  very  frequently 
quickly  cleared  out,  and  those  purchasing  late  in 
the  season  must  then  either  dispense  with  them  or 
be  satisfied  with  the  best  that  can  be  procured 
elsewhere.  This  season  I  have  had  exceptionally 
good  opportunities  of  judging  of  the  merits  of 
various  sorts  of  Apples,  and  am  therefore  in  a  posi- 
tion to  make  a  good  selection.  Apples  generally, 
though  fewer  in  number  than  last  season,  have 
been  much  finer  than  usual,  the  true  character  of 
each  sort  being  better  developed  than  I  ever  re- 
member to  have  seen  it. 

CCLINARY  VARIETIES,  besides  being  extra  fine, 
are  also  remarkably  highly  coloured,  and  present 
a  singularly  handsome  appearance  on  the  exhibi- 
tion table.     Probably  the  most  valuable  in  this 
section  is  the  old  Blenheim  Pippin,  but  unfortu- 
nately this  does  not  bear  well  when  in  a  young 
state,  and  it  is  the  large  orchard  trees  that  pro- 
duce the  most  profitable  crops  of  fine  fruit.     It  is 
a  good  keeper,  splendid  cooker,  and  the  medium 
sized  fruits  are  very  good  for  purposes  of  dessert. 
Flower  of  Kent,  a  variety  extensively  cultivated 
in  the  western  counties,  is  not  unlike  Blenheim 
Orange  in  appearance  and  quality,  but  scarcely  so 
long  keeping.     It  grows  into  a  fine  orchard  tree, 
and,  like  the  Blenheim,  commands  the  best  prices 
in  the  market.     Peasgood's  Nonsuch  is  a  compara- 
tively new  variety  that  should  be  included  in  every 
collection.     It  "dears  well  in  a  young  state,  and 
both  pyramids  and  cordons  will,  under  favourable 
treatment,  produce  splendid  fruits  considerably 
larger  than  Blenheims,  though  with  rather  less 
colour.     It  is  of  a  globular  shape  and  perfect  in 
outline,  is  a  good  keeper,  and  available  for  either 
dessert  or  culinary  purposes.  Loddington  or  Stone's 
Apple  is  another  acquisition,  and  this  also  grows 
to  a  great  size,  and  young  trees  bear  fairly  well. 
Emperor  Alexander  is  good  alike  for  orchard  or 
garden  culture,  and  produces  heavy  crops  of  fine 
highly-coloured  fruit,  which  sell  well  either  for 
culinary  or  dessert  purposes.     Lady  Henniker  is 
becoming  a  very  popular  sort,  and  this  produces 
large  and  slightly  coloured  fruit  on  quite  small 
trees,  and  though  classed  as  a  culinary  sort,  the 
medium  sized  fruit  must  not  be  despised  for  dessert 
purposes.     Lord  Derby,  a  large  yellow-skinned  and 
rather  coarse-looking  sort,  is    a  sure  cropper  on 
either  small  or  large  trees,  and  a  good  cooker.     It 
is  at  its  best  during  November.     Red  Hawthornden 
is  a  very  large  and  highly-coloured  variety  in  season 
from  August  to  November,  and  suitable  for  orchard 
culture,  and  the  fruit  when  sent  to  the  market  will 
sell  readily.     Gravenstein,  a  grand-looking  sort,  is 
in  season  during  the  early  winter  months,  and 
this  valuable  sure-cropping  variety  ought  to  be 
much  more  generally  grown  than  at  present.     It 
will  do  well  in  a  bush  or  pyramid  form,  but  is 
most  at  home  when    allowed    to    grow    freely 
in    an    orchard.    It  is  one  of  the  best  cooking 
varieties     we     have,     and     is     also     available 
for    dessert   purposes.      Dumelow's    Seedling  or 
Wellington  is  too  well  know  to  need  any  comment 
beyond  repeating  the  advice  to  market  growers  to 
plant  it  extensively  and  store   the  produce   for 
spring  sales.   Gloria  Mundi,  a  pale  yellow  variety, 
grows  to  a  great  size  and  is  a  fairly  good  keeper, 
but  will  not  succeed  well  on  all  soils.     M6re  de 
Menage,  also  very  large  and  highly  coloured,  is  of 
good  habit,  and  the  produce  sells  well.     Alfris- 
ron   is    extensively    grown   in  various  parts    of 
the  country,  and  generally  does  well;  it  is  a  fine 
large  Apple  and  particularly  good  for  culinary 
purposes   from    October  till   the  end  of   March. 
Warner's  King  is  perhaps  the  largest  Apple  grown  ; 
I  have  seen  specimens  of  it  weighing  24  ounces.  It 
is  a  good  orchard  variety,  seldom  fails  to  bear 


444 


THE    GARDEN 


[Nov.  2?,   1884. 


well,  and  is  fit  for  use  from  November  till  late  in 
March.  Golden  Noble,  a  large,  heavy,  and  hand- 
some yellow-skinned  variety,  is  a  great  favourite 
in  the  south-western  counties,  and  should  be  more 
generally  grown.  It  will  keep  till  Christmas  and 
sometimes  later,  and  is  much  liked  by  the  cooks. 
Royal  Somerset  also  ought  to  be  better  known 
than  it  is  in  many  parts.  It  is  a  yellow  and  clear 
skinned  variety,  conical  shaped  and  large,  and  is 
said  to  be  a  good  bearer  as  an  orchard  tree.  Scarlet 
TifBng  is  seldom  met  with,  but,  as  far  as  appear- 
ance goes,  it  should  be  worth  increasing,  as  it 
would  undoubtedly  sell  well  in  the  London  mar- 
kets. Hollandbnry  is  a  great  favourite  among 
market  growers  generally,  as  it  forms  a  good  tree, 
bears  well  from  the  commencement,  and  the  fruits 
are  large,  usually  highly  coloured,  and  good  for 
use  from  October  till  January.  Hoary  Morning 
does  particularly  well  in  the  southern  counties, 
and  the  crops  of  large,  richly  coloured,  and  much- 
striped  fruit  are  singularly  beautiful,  either  on  the 
trees  or  the  exhibition  dishes.  The  quality  is  not 
first-rate,  but  growers  for  the  markets  are  not 
always  particular  in  this  respect.  Other  better 
known  and  more  generally  grown  sorts  of  culinary 
Apples  are  Cellini,  Cox's  Pomona,  Stirling  Castle, 
Lord  Suffield,  Tower  of  Glamis,  Norfolk  Beefing, 
Brownlee's  Russet,  Winter  Majetin,  and  Hamble- 
don  Deux  Ans,  the  last  four  mentioned  being  good 
keepers  and  certainly  not  so  extensively  grown  as 
they  deserve  to  be.     The  list  of  really  valuable 

Dessert  varieties  is  not  a  long  one,  and  the 
best  sorts  are  pretty  well  known,  but  there  are  a 
few  that  may  well  be  commented  on.  I  believe 
Cox's  Orange  Tippin  to  be  the  most  valuable  des- 
sert Apple  in  cultivation,  being  of  good  habit  and 
especially  well  adapted  for  small  gardens  ;  it  is  a 
sure  bearer,  and  the  fruits,  of  medium  size,  are  of 
the  best  quality,  keeping  well,  and  fit  for  use  from 
October  till  late  in  January.  Where  prizes  are 
offered  at  the  late  autumn  shows  for  the  best  fla- 
voured variety,  this  Apple  is  almost  certain  to 
secure  the  premier  award.  King  of  the  Pippins 
which  is  earlier  in  ripening  than  the  foregoing  and' 
certainly  not  so  good  in  quality,  is  yet  such  a  useful 
sure-bearing  sort,  that  this,  too,  should  be  grown  in 
every  garden  or  orchard.  Ribston  Pipp'.n  is  a  great 
favourite  with  the  majority  of  Apple  eaters,  but 
the  trees  are  too  much  liable  to  canker  to  be 
classed  as  a  profitable  sort.  Adams'  Pearmain  is 
a  sure  bearer  on  almost  any  soil  and  form  of  tree, 
and  keeps  well.  This  season  it  has  coloured  re- 
markably well,  and  forms  a  most  handsome  dish. 
Ross  Nonpareil  is  not  often  met  with,  but  it  is  a 
most  excellent  and  profitable  sort,  and  succeeds 
well  on  our  heavy  garden  soil.  The  fruits  are 
rather  small  and  covered  with  russet,  and  this 
season  they  are  highly  coloured  as  well.  The 
flavour  is  distinct  and  good,  and  the  variety  is  in 
season  from  November  till  the  end  of  January,  and 
sometimes  still  later.  Sam  Young  is  rather  small, 
but  is  still  worth  growing  on  account  of  its 
superior  quality.  Seek-nofarther  is  a  much  ne- 
glected sort,  bat  those  who  have  it  think  highly  of 
it.  l!oth  small  garden  and  orchard  trees  of  it 
usually  bear  well ;  the  colour  is  pleasing  and  the 
flavour  excellent.  If  carefully  stored  it  may  be 
kept  good  till  late  in  February.  Sturmer  Pippin  is 
one  of  the  best  keeping  sorts  we  have,  and  owing 
to  its  good  habit  and  free-bearing  quality  it  is  a 
great  favourite  with  growers  for  market.  Tom 
Putt  is  principally  grown  in  Devonshire  and 
adjoining  counties,  but  why  such  an  attractive 
good-flavoured  sort  should  so  long  have  been 
localised  is  one  of  the  mysteries  unexplainable. 
From  what  I  can  learn  from  those  who  are  well 
acquainted  with  it,  no  variety  is  more  worthy  of 
being  generally  cultivated.  I'.raddick's  Nonpareil 
is  a  good  keeper,  being  in  season  from  November 
till  April,  and  does  well  in  the  western  counties, 
though  not  as  an  orchard  tree.  Court  pendu  Plat 
is  a  general  favourite,  and  rarely  fails  to  bear  wf  II. 
It  is  best  adapted  for  garden  culture,  and  tlie 
rather  flat,  but  very  handsome,  fruit  if  not  gathered 
too  early,  keeps  plump  and  good  till  late  in  April. 
Margil,  also  a  good  garden  variety,  but  not  a  sure 
cropper,  produces  handsome  fruits  of  excellent 
quality,  which  with  us  are  at  their  best  about 


Christmas.  Cornish  Gillyflower  I  must  confess  to 
being  disappointed  with,  as  I  fail  to  detect  its 
very  great  superiority  in  point  of  flavour.  It  is  a 
shy  bearer  and  keeps  well,  the  latter  being  its 
best  quality.  There  are  several  very  superior  un- 
named sorts  which  have  a  local  reputation  that  in 
time  will  be  brought  into  notice,  and  quite  recently 
I  was  shown  a  variety  remarkably  handsome  and 
good  in  quality  that  has  been  grown  for  many 
years  in  one  particular  orchard.  Of  new  or  com- 
paratively new  sorts,  the  two  best  that  I  am 
acquainted  with  are  Worcester  Pearmain  and 
Beauty  of  Bath.  Both  are  free-bearing  early  sorts, 
and  both  particularly  well  adapted  for  exhibition 
purposes.  Victory  of  Bath,  I  believe,  will  become 
a  great  favourite,  being  in  every  respect  a  most 
desirable  sort.  W.  I.  M. 


Dark    coloured    leaves     on     Marie 

Louise  Pear  tree. — In  answer  to  an  inquiry  in  a 
recent  number,  allow  me  to  say  that  I  have  three 
trees  of  this  Pear,  one  a  large  pyramid  2i5  years  old. 
This  has  been  grandly  coloured  this  autumn,  the 
bulk  of  the  leaves  being  first  a  dark  purplish  brown 
and  finishing  off,  especially  on  the  south  side,  a 
most  rich  and  striking  crimson.  The  other  trees 
are  trained  to  a  south  wall ;  one  a  large  tree,  the 
leaves  of  which  are  still  green  ;  the  other  a  cordon 
three  or  four  years  old.  This  is  nearly  as  richly 
coloured  as  the  large  pyramid,  but  not  quite.  I 
can  offer  no  suggestion  as  to  the  cause  of  the  dif- 
ferent appearances  of  the  dying  foliage  of  these 
trees ;  it  cannot  be  exposure  alone,  for  all  alike 
are  fully  exposed  to  the  south,  and  they  are  grown 
in  soil  as  nearly  alike  as  possible. — E.  W.  B. 

Warts  on  'Vines.  -What  is  the  cause  of 
warts  on  Vines,  like  the  two  I  send  herewith  ?  I 
have  a  house  of  Black  Ilamburghs,  the  Vines  in 
which  are  very  old.  They  are  planted  in  an  outside 
border,  and  every  cane,  more  or  less,  has  warts  on 
it ;  they  are  also  appearing  on  some  of  the  Vines 
in  an  adjoining  house.  'The  latter  are  planted 
inside,  but  the  roots  have  an  outside  border  as 
well.  The  Vines  in  this  house  are  about  ten  years 
old,  and  bear  very  good  crops— at  least,  they  have 
done  so  up  to  the  present.  Is  it  canker  or  the 
work  of  some  insect  ?  I  may  state  that  I  made 
an  inside  border  in  the  first  named  house  last 
spring  and  planted  it  with  late  kinds,  such  as 
Muscat  of  Alexandria,  West's  St.  Peter's,  Alicante, 
and  Lady  Downes.  These  have  grown  and  ripened 
very  well,  and  my  intention  was  to  keep  the  old 
Vines  tor  a  year  or  two,  cutting  off  the  spurs  from 
the  bottom  upwards  as  the  young  Vines  get  up,  so 
that  I  might  get  part  of  a  crop  until  the  young 
canes  were  established. — Alicante. 

*j,*  The  cause  of  warts  or  tubers  on  Vines  is 
imperfectly  known.  They  are  generally  supposed 
to  originate  from  adventitious  buds,  like  the  gnaurs 
on  Beech  and  Elm  trees.  They  do  not  cause  any 
injury  to  the  Vines  any  more  than  the  analogous 
growths  do  to  Beeches  or  Elms. — W.  G.  S. 


SHORT  NOTES.— FRVIT. 


Apple  Northern  Greening.— Amongst  really  good 
Apples,  Northern  Greening  is  cue  of  the  best  and  most 
reliable,  being  vei-y  hardy.  It  is  used  extensively  in  large 
Apple  orchards  for  outside  rows,  where  it  acts  as  a  screen 
for  tenderer  kinds  ;  nevertheless,  it  seldom  fails  to  carry  a 
good  crop  of  hard,  solid  fniit,  that  keeps  in  sound  condi- 
tion very  late  in  the  seaEon,  and  for  culinary  purposes  but 
few  Apples  excel  it.  — J.  G.  H. 

American  Cranberries.— Wisconsin  is  the  best 
Cranberry  state  ;  Alichigau  is  second.  The  average  yield 
of  a  marsh  is  lf)0  bushels  to  200  bushels  to  the  acre.  The 
picking  season  lasts  two  weeks,  and  3  bushels  is  a  good 
da.v'swoik.  The  Wisconsin  crop  is  nearly  all  shipped  to 
Clriago  commission  houses  at  lis.  to  l'2s.  a  bushel.  .\ 
A^  llniana;.'ed  marsh  containing  some  400  acres  will 
>  icld  aliout  .£10,000,  and  with  a  very  large  crop  the  sum 
tan  be  nearly  doubled. 

The  Dominie  Apple.— With  us  this  i«  a  trustworthy 
Apple,  free  bearing,  healthy,  and  robust  in  growth.  In  low, 
cold  soils  most  Apples  cankei-  badly,  but  none  repel  its 
attacks  better  than  The  Dominie.  It  is  an  American 
variety,  iutroduced  by  Mr.  Scott,  of  Merriott,  in  1868,  and 
is  supposed  to  be  a  seedling  from  Itambour.  Next  to  the 
Keswick  CodliD,  it  is  the  surest  cropper  in  the  garden, 
bearing  heavy  crops  of  good  sized  fruits  excellent  for 
kitchen  use.— A.  Jil.,  Cranmorc. 


No  manure  best  for  young  'Vines.— 
I  have  seen  for  some  time  past  a  good  many  new 
vineries  and  young  Vines,  and  the  most  sub- 
stantial rods  and  finest  fruit  have  been  produced 
in  borders  on  which  no  manures  have  been  used. 
Four  years  ago  Mr.  Crossling,  when  gardener  to 
Lord  Windsor,  at  St.  Fagan's  Castle,  Cardiff,  had 
two  new  vineries  erected,  new  borders  formed,  and 
young  Vines  planted,  and  the  second  year  after 
planting  these  Vines  had  attained  a  strength 
which  I  never  saw  surpassed.  They  were  mixed 
varieties,  all  the  leading  and  best  kinds  being 
planted,  and  all  seemed  to  vie  with  each  other  in 
robust  development.  The  bunches  which  each 
rod  was  allowed  to  carry  the  second  year  were 
magnificent  in  size,  and  the  berries  were  all  that 
could  be  desired,  being  finely  swelled  and  beauti- 
fully bloomed.  Another  instance  of  the  kind  has 
lately  come  under  my  notice.  This  is  at  St.  Hilary, 
Cowbridge,  in  Central  Glamorgan,  where  Mr.  T. 
Mansel  Franklin  has  lately  erected  some  good 
vineries,  and  planted  Vines  which  are  now 
on  a  par  with  those  at  St.  Fagaa's  as  regards 
extraordinary  development.  I'h  ^  borders  have 
been  carefully  formed  with  maiden  loam  and  a 
very  small  percentage  of  bones,  but  stimulating 
manures  of  the  ordinary  stable  and  cowshed 
description  have  been  strictly  withheld ;  and, 
therefore,  from  pure  loam  Grapes  of  the  highest 
class  have  been  produced.  I  have  seen  many 
borders  made  where  manure  was  freely  used,  but 
I  never  saw  Vines  succeed  in  them  as  they  have 
done  in  the  two  cases  to  which  I  have  just  referred. 
—Cambrian. 

Peaches  and  Nectarines.- Why,  writes  a 
friend,  have  you  omitted  Stirling  Castle  in  your 
list  of  not  extensively  grown  Peaches  given  in  The 
Garden  (p.  400)  ?  My  reason  was  that  it  has  now 
become  so  well  known  that  it  is  the  rule  and  not 
the  exception  to  find  it  growing  alongside  of  Royal 
George  and  Bellegarde.  There  was  one  important 
omission,  however,  namely,  Condor.  This  is  an 
extremely  valuable  kind  for  the  early  house,  as  it 
fills  up  the  gap  between  Hale's  Early  and  Royal 
George,  and  is  always  good  and  well  coloured. 
My  friend,  and  he  is  a  savant  in  Peach  lore,  thinks 
highly  of  Waterloo.  It  is  strange  that  growers  do 
not  plant  stones  more  frequently,  as  the  seedlings 
therefrom  are  generally  as  good  as  their  parents. 
My  father,  who  has  a  penchant  for  growing  seed- 
ling Apricots  and  Peaches,  instead  of  trees  grafted 
on  Plum  stocks,  once  imported  a  number  of  seed- 
ling Peaches  from  the  nurseries  at  Germantown, 
near  Philadelphia.  Most  of  these  he  budded,  but 
some  of  the  strongest  he  left.  One,  notwith- 
standing the  long  voyage,  and  although  only  rising 
three  years  old,  bore  two  large  and  fine  fruits. 
Two  or  three  others  also  fruited.  The  subject  of 
Peaches  on  their  own  roots  has  been  by  no  means 
threshed  out.  In  regard  to  Apricots,  the  late  Mr. 
Ingram,  of  Frogmore,  generally  used  to  grow 
seedlings.  He  found  them  longer  lived  than 
budded  trees,  and  not  affected  by  canker,  and  in 
free  bearing  propensities  little,  if  anything, 
inferior.  The  Sawbridgeworth  Nectarines  are  a 
distinct  advance.  And  three  of  them,  namely. 
Lord  Napier,  Humboldt,  and  Spenser,  are,  in  my 
opinion,  nearly,  if  not  quite,  the  three  best 
varieties  grown.  The  qualities  of  Pine  Apple  and 
Victoria  are  well  known,  and  also  the  demerits  of 
the  latter.  Byron  and  Stanwick  Elruge  ought  to  be 
in  every  collection,  and  are  to  be  preferred  to  Ad- 
vance and  Albert  Victor,  which  could  be  without 
great  loss  dispensed  with.  Two  good  Continental 
varieties  are  Galopin  and  ILitif  de  Lelhem. — 
C.  A.  M.  Carmichael. 


."j270.— "young  Perns.— It  is  like  burning 
the  candle  at  both  ends  to  keep  Ferns  or  any  other 
plants  growing  during  the  winter,  as  though  there 
may  be  an  apparent  gain,  there  is  none  in  reality. 
Under  such  treatment  they  lose  strength,  and  do 
not  start  with  that  energy  they  otherwise  would 
do.  Not  only  is  this  so,  but  several  of  the  Ferns 
mentioned  are  greenhouse  kinds,  and  therefore 
heat  during  the  winter  would  be  injurious  to 
them.  When  subjected  to  its  influence  they  would 
be  almost  sure  to  become  infested  with  scale  and 


Nov.  22     1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


445 


thrips,  insects  that  generally  assail  them  when 
artificial  warmth  is  applied.  The  best  treatment 
would  be  to  keep  them  in  a  cool  temperature  ar'i 
a  little  dry  at  the  roots,  which  will  aiford  them  tlie 
necessary  rest.  In  spring  they  should  be  turned 
out  of  their  pots,  have  the  balls  reduced  slightly  by 


water,  it  is  important  to  have  the  drainage  perfect, 
or  the  balls  will  soon  become  sour.  To  prevent 
this  the  pots  should  have  an  inch  deep  of  broken 
crocks  over  the  bottom,  and  on  them  some  Moss, 
which  will  keep  the  interstices  from  becoming 
I  blocked  by  the  soil.     After  potting  in  the  way  re- 


soft  in  the  fronds,  that  they  look  weedy  and  poor 
by  the  side  of  others  that  have  been  properly 
treated.— H.  D. 

Of  the  kinds  mentioned  (p.  369),  Wood- 

wardia  radicans  and  Blechnnm  occidentale  are 
nearly  liardy,  and  would  be  quite  out  of  place  in  a 


working  out  the  soil  carefully,  and  then  repotted. 
This  should  be  done  in  a  mixture  of  equal  parts 
peat  and  loam  in  a  somewhat  fresh,  rough  state, 
and  if  a  sprinkling  of  small  pieces  of  charcoal,' 
with  some  sand,  can  be  put  in,  all  the  better,  as 
the  charcoal  will  keep  the  soil  porous.  The  next 
suitable  substitute  for  charcoal  is  fine  cinders  or 
soft  red  brick,  in  the  proportion  of  about  a  peck 
to  three  bushels ;  and  as  Ferns  require  plenty  of 


ferred  to,  the  next  thing  is  to  place  the  plants 
where  they  can  get  a  close,  moist  atmosphere  for  a 
time  to  give  them  a  start,  after  which  they  will 
require  more  air  to  prevent  the  young  fronds  from 
becoming  drawn.  It  is  necessary  to  shade  Ferns 
sometimes,  but  they  often  get  more  of  it  than  is 
good  for  them,  the  result  being  that  when  taken 
out  of  the  house  in  which  they  have  been  standing 
they  flag,  or  are  so  weak  in  the  stalk  and  thin  and 


temperature  of  between  60°  and  70°.  Pteris  sca- 
berula  is  a  cool  house  kind,  as  is  also  Adiantum 
formosum,  but  the  others  require  a  slightly  higher 
temperature,  s.ay  55°,  through  the  winter.  I  do  not 
think  that  any  advantage  would  be  gained  by  en- 
deavouring to  make  them  grow  through  the  winter, 
but  in  all  probability  the  reverse,  as  the  apparent 
progress  would  be  at  the  expense  of  the  constitu- 
tion of  the  plants.    At  the  same  time  they  should 


446 


THE    GAKDEN 


[Nov.  22,  1884. 


be  shifted  quite  early  in  the  year,  say  the  last  week 
in  January,  and  if  they  then  had  a  constant  genial 
warmth  of  from  50°  to  55°  up  to  mid-April,  time 
would  be  gained,  and  the  plants  would  get  larger 
than  if  grown  quite  cool. — J.  C.  B. 


SEASONABLE   WORK. 


FLORAL  DECORATIONS. 
Chetsanthemum.s  of  many  kinds  will  now  be 
yielding  an  abundant  bloom  ;  but  where  the  plants 
are  arranged  for  effect  it  is  not  expedient  to  cut 
the  most  prominent  flowers  unless  required  for 
very  special  purposes.  A  plentiful  supply  for  all 
ojdinary  uses  can,  however,  be  taken  from  plants 
that  have  not  been  too  severely  thinned,  and  also 
without  spoiling  the  general  effect.  For  decora- 
tive work  the  flowers  of  some  kinds  are  prettiest 
when  of  a  medium  or  even  small  size,  such,  for 
instance,  as  Mrs.  Rundleand  Golden  George  Glenny. 
The  abundance  of  side  blooms  on  these  valuable 
kinds  will  cause  them  to  be  in  much  request 
where  any  amount  of  cut  flowers  is  required.  Julie 
Lagravt^re  is  another  good  kind  in  a  cut  state, 
having  stiff  and  sturdy  growth.  Its  dark  flowers 
associate  well  with  that  fine  yellow  Pompone,  St. 
Michael,  which  when  cut  is  one  of  the  most  endur- 
ing Chrysanthemums  grown.  For  coat  flowers 
and  bouquet  work,  as  well  as  for  arranging  with 
eitherof  the  two  foregoing  varieties,  we  find  Mdlle. 
Marthe  to  be  one  of  the  prettiest  amongst  whites. 
Two  very  distinct  and  pleasing  sorts  are  the 
white  Marabout  and  Adt^le  Frizette,  a  lilac  form 
of  the  same ;  for  small  specimen  glasses  these, 
when  used  in  conjunction,  will  be  found  to  be 
very  effective.  For  bolder  forms  of  arrangement 
with  large  flowers,  Jardin  des  Plantes  and  its 
bronze  sport  are  excellent ;  whilst  of  dark  varie- 
ties Progne  and  John  Salter  are  both  good.  Virgin 
Queen  is  a  very  useful  white,  its  large  flowers 
standing  erect ;  and  Lady  Talfourd,  rosy  lilac,  is 
another  kind  distinct  in  colour.  Of  the  Japanese 
section,  we  find  the  following  to  be  all  excellent 
in  their  respective  colours,  viz.,  Elaine  and  Fair 
Maid  of  Guernsey,  whites ;  James  Salter,  lilac ; 
Peter  the  Great,  yellow  ;  Fulton,  bright  yellow  ; 
Fulgore,  rosy  purple  ;  La  Frisure,  rose  ;  and  Red 
Aragon,  chestnut-red.  Having  grown  and  proved 
these  varieties  to  be  good  for  floral  decoration,  we 
can  recommend  them.  Of  foliage  to  associate 
with  them,  nothing  looks  prettier  or  more  appro- 
priate than  the  shoots  and  leaves  of  Berberis  Aqui- 
folium,  varying  as  it  does  in  colour  from  deep 
green  to  bronzy  red.  The  deep  tints  of  some  of  its 
leaves  look  most  effective  associated  with  white 
and  yellow  flowers.  A  few  shoots  arranged  first 
in  a  fair  sized  vase,  and  then  some  of  the  larger 
blooms  of  two  or  three  distinct  shades  with  suffi- 
cient length  of  stem  to  stand  justabove  them,  will 
make  a  striking  arrangement  and  one  that  will 
last  for  several  days  in  perfection. 


FLOWER  GARDEN. 


Herbaceous  border. — Many  of  oar  plants 
have  outgrown  their  positions.  Some  have  spread 
to  the  injury  of  adjoining  plants;  some  are  too 
tall  for  their  present  places,  and  so  we  are  lifting 
them  all,  and  this  will  enable  us  to  prepare  the 
border  thoroughly  by  trenching  out  all  the  old 
roots  and  adding  liberally  both  fresh  loam  and 
manure.  This  done,  the  arrangement  of  plants 
will  be  something  after  this  fashion :  For  the 
most  part  the  tall  growers  will  be  in  groups  of 
three  plants  at  the  back  part  of  the  border,  but  there 
will  be  here  and  there  a  group  nearer  the  front,  as 
uniformity  either  as  to  height  or  position  seems 
out  of  character  with  this  class  of  plants.  In  the 
front  part  of  theborder  willbearranged  the  weaker 
growers ;  these  will  be  in  groups  also,  and  vary  in 
number  from  three  to  nine  according  to  the  vary- 
ing height  and  spread  of  the  plants.  This  done,  so 
far  as  plants  and  time  to  do  it  will  allow,  the  more 
naked  spots  both  between  and  over  such  plants  as 
Lilies,  Pajonies,  and  Funkias  will  be  carpeted  with 
evergreen  Sedums  and  other  suitable  plants ;  and 
those  portions  of  border  not  so  treated  will  be 


surfaced  either  with  finely  sifted  leaf-soil  or  Cocoa 
fibre.  If  there  is  likely  to  be  a  scarcity  of  her- 
baceous subjects,  small  evergreen  shrubs,  disposed 
at  regular  intervals  throughout  the  border,  may 
be  used  with  excellent  effect,  and  of  course  can 
be  moved  at  any  time  that  the  herbaceous  plants 
need  additional  space.  This,  together  with  re- 
gravelling  of  walks  and  planting  a  clump  or  two 
of  Rhododendrons,  constitute  some  of  our  present 
doings  in  the  flower  garden. 

Soil  and  manure  for  Roses.— As  all  Roses 
are  fond  of  deep,  rich  soil,  the  beds  or  positions 
intended  for  them  should  be  trenched  or  double 
dug,  and  have  plenty  of  rotten  manure  worked  in 
as  the  digging  or  trenching  proceeds.  In  cases 
where  the  land  is  very  stiff  and  heavy  the  best 
manure  to  use  is  that  from  horses,  as  this  contains 
much  vegetable  matter,  and  is  a  great  help  in  pre- 
venting the  stiff  soil  from  binding  too  closely  and 
shutting  out  air,  which  has  such  a  sweetening, 
beneficial  influence  on  the  character  and  texture 
of  all  soils.  For  light  sandy  ground  cow  manure 
is  the  most  suitable,  on  account  of  being  cooler  in 
its  nature,  and  when  in  a  decomposed  state  highly 
congenial  to  the  roots  of  most  plants,  and  particu- 
larly so  to  those  of  the  Rose.  What  improves  light 
land  more  than  anything  else  for  growing  the 
queen  of  flowers  is  clay  ;  not  the  sticky  stuff  one 
so  often  sees,  but  the  flaky  material  to  be  met 
with  in  layers  in  pits  where  brick  earth  is  got, 
which,  when  exposed  to  the  atmosphere,  crumbles 
to  pieces.  These  fine  nodules  mixed  up  and  buried 
retain  moisture  for  a  very  long  time,  and  it  is  sur- 
prising the  way  in  which  roots  thread  their  course 
along  and  through  them,  and  with  what  avidity 
they  find  them  out  and  feed  upon  them.  Knowing 
this  to  be  the  case,  and  having  witnessed  the  good 
effect  of  such  clay  as  that  mentioned  in  the  culture 
of  Roses  in  light  land,  we  strongly  recommend  its 
use,  but  it  should  be  applied  in  moderate  quantity 
and  kept  well  under  the  surface.  In  the  planting 
of  Roses  all  the  preparation  they  require  when  re- 
ceived is  just  to  trim  the  ends  of  any  roots  that 
may  have  become  jagged  or  injured  in  the  process 
of  taking  them  up,  as  the  tops  are  best  left  intact 
till  the  spring.  As  soon  as  the  planting  is  finished 
and  the  soil  made  tolerably  firm  around  the  plants 
by  treading,  the  next  thing  is  to  mulch  the  ground 
over  with  some  light,  half  rotten  manure,  which  is 
a  most  important  matter  to  attend  to,  as  it  insures 
the  safety  of  the  plants  against  frost  by  protecting 
the  most  vital  parts,  viz  ,  the  collars,  or,  say,  the 
junction  of  the  Piose  with  the  stock.  Not  only  is 
mulching  requisite  for  freshly  planted  Roses,  but 
it  is  just  as  essential  for  those  established,  and  if 
Teas  are  to  be  saved  from  injury  by  the  severity 
of  the  weather,  additional  protection  must  be 
afforded.  The  best  way  to  treat  standards  of  these 
is  to  bind  haybands  round  about  the  part  where 
they  were  budded  and  at  the  base  of  the  lower 
branches,  which,  with  a  mulching  over  the  roots, 
will  carry  them  safely  through  any  ordinary  winter. 
Teas  in  beds  may  be  easily  sheltered  by  working 
in  among  them  some  fresh,  dry  leaves  or  Bracken, 
which  may  be  kept  securely  in  their  place  by  stick- 
ing some  Gorse  or  other  evergreen  twigs  thickly 
between  the  plants,  and  the  twigs  will  also  be  a 
great  help  in  warding  off  sharp,  cutting  winds.  To 
have  Tea  Roses  in  perfection  and  get  flowers  from 
them  both  late  and  early,  there  is  no  situation 
equal  to  a  warm,  sunny  border  under  a  wall  or 
fence  or  other  similarly  sheltered  position,  but 
they  should  be  far  enough  from  trees  to  escape 
being  robbed  by  their  roots.  To  prolong  the  season 
of  such  sterling  useful  sorts  as  Marechal  Niel, 
Celine  Forestier,  Climbing  Devoniensis,  andGloire 
de  Dijon,  it  is  a  good  plan  to  plant  on  different 
aspects  where  they  all  have  plenty  of  room  to 
ramble,  as  it  is  only  the  long,  free  shoots  that 
afford  the  fine  flowers.  To  train  these  and  other 
climbers  on  walls  strained  wire  is  best,  as  by  its 
use  there  is  no  occasion  to  nail  and  spoil  or  deface 
the  bricks. 


INDOOR  PLANTS. 
Heaths.— The    different   varieties    of   winter 
flowering  Heaths  are  always  effective  when  in 
bloom,  grouped  as  they  usually  are  with  other 


plants  in  greenhouses  and  conservatories  ;  never- 
theless, v?hen  subjected  to  the  treatment  they 
often  receive,  their  cultivation  is  far  from  being 
satisfactory,  inasmuch  as  they  frequently  fail  to 
survive  their  first  season  of  blooming.  Similar  to 
the  whole  Erica  family,  they  like  cool,  airy  treat- 
ment, with  a  position  where  they  receive  plenty  of 
light,  in  place  of  which  when  used  in  conserva- 
tories that  are  kept  above  a  greenhouse  tempera- 
ture that  at  once  has  the  effect  of  starting  them 
into  growth,  more  especially  if,  for  appearance 
sake,  they  are  stood  in  the  body  of  the  house, 
crowded  and  overhung  with  other  plants.  It 
is  very  much  better  to  confine  their  use  to  struc- 
tures where  a  lower  temperature  is  maintained, 
and  in  all  cases  to  keep  them  as  near  the  glass  as 
possible,  even  if  some  little  sacrifice  is  made  in 
the  arrangement  for  general  effect.  They  should 
be  frequently  looked  over  to  see  that  they  are  free 
from  mildew,  for  if  this  att.acks  them,  in  a  very  few 
days  so  much  of  the  foliage  will  be  destroyed  as  to 
endanger  their  existence.  Dry  flowers  of  sulphur 
is  a  safer  application  at  this  season  than  syringing 
with  water  impregnated  with  sulphur.  Where 
spring  and  summer-flowering  Heaths  are  grown, 
they  should  be  looked  over  for  mildew  every  ten 
days  during  such  moist  weather  as  we  have  had 
through  the  autumn ;  this  is  the  more  necessary 
after  a  cool,  sunless  summer,  in  which  the  season's 
growth  has  had  less  than  the  ordinary  opportunity 
of  getting  fully  hardened  up.  It  is  a  pity  that  in 
so  comparatively  few  places  Heaths  are  now  in- 
cluded amongst  the  greenhouse  plants.  An  im- 
pression often  exists  that  even  when  required  for 
home  decoration,  they  must  necessarily  be  sub- 
jected to  the  stiffly  trained,  formal  condition  in 
which  they  are  frequently  seen  on  the  exhibition 
stage ;  this  is  altogether  a  mistake.  Most  of  the 
many  varieties  now  in  cultivation  are  naturally  of 
a  compact,  bushy  habit,  requiring  little  support 
from  stakes  and  ties  if  the  groundwork  has  been 
properly  laid  by  judicious  training  in  the  first 
stages  of  their  existence.  After  this,  when  they 
have  to  be  no  farther  moved  about  than  from  one 
house  to  another,  very  little  support,  with  a  total 
absence  of  the  formality  present  in  highly-trained 
specimens,  will  suffice.  But  to  arrive  at  this  the 
plants  should  be  well  cut  back  each  season  after 
flowering.  With  a  judicious  selection  of  the  freest 
growing,  vigorous  kinds,  a  collection  can  be  kept 
up  at  a  less  cost  than  is  often  expended  on  plants 
that  do  not  possess  half  the  beauty  and  interest 
which  they  do.  Anyone  disposed  to  begin  the 
cultivation  of  these  plants,  or  add  to  the  stock 
they  already  have,  will  find  this  a  better  season  to 
get  them  in  than  waiting  until  spring,  when  the 
soft  growth  then  present  is  much  more  likely  to 
get  injured  by  packing  and  transit.  Where  a 
house  or  pit  is  devoted  to  them  they  should  be 
kept  well  up  to  the  glass  and  have  air  admitted 
liberally  every  day  when  not  frosty,  avoiding  a 
direct  draught  on  them  as  much  as  possible  by 
letting  it  in  on  the  side  opposite  to  where  the 
wind  happens  to  be.  For  the  next  three  months 
the  plants  will  require  less  water.  This  applies 
more  particularly  to  the  hardest  wooded,  slowest 
growing  kinds. 

Bulb  forcing.— The  last  lot  of  Roman  Hya- 
cinths should  now  be  put  in  heat,  to  give  a  succes- 
sion to  such  as  were  brought  on  earlier ;  at  the 
same  time  a  selection  of  the  most  forward  large 
flowered  varieties  ought  also  to  be  put  in  warmth, 
bringing  them  on  gradually,  as  if  at  all  hurried 
both  the  foliage  and  the  flower-stems  will  have  a 
drawn,  sickly  appearance  that  goes  far  to  destroy 
their  beauty.  In  all  cases  see  that  plenty  of  roots 
have  been  formed  before  they  are  submitted  to 
heat. 

Pancratiums  — So  manageable  are  these  plants 
that  with  a  suflicient  supply  they  may  be  had  in 
bloom  almost  all  the  year  round.  There  is 
scarcely  any  flower  in  cultivation  that  gives  such 
a  finish  to  an  artistic  bouquet  as  do  these  elegant 
fragrant  flowers.  In  such  arrangements  they  pro- 
duce an  effect  that  even  the  choicest  Orchids  fail 
to  do.  By  putting  a  few,  say  half  a  dozen,  plants 
in  a  brisk  heat  once  a  month  through  the  winter  a 
saccession  may  be  had  that  will  permit  of  a  few 


Nov.  22,  1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


447 


blooms  always  being  available.  All  that  is  neces- 
sary is  that  the  plants  should  have  had  from  their 
last  blooming  a  sufficient  time  to  make  and 
mature  a  fair  proportion  of  leaf-growth,  with  a 
subsequent  rest  through  somewhat  drier  and 
cooler  treatment. 

EuCHARis. — Some  growers  of  the  useful  E. 
amazonica,  fail  to  bloom  it  satisfactorily  by  the 
usual  treatment  of  growth,  rest,  and  excitement. 
The  cause  of  this  will  usually  be  found  in  the 
growth  never  being  fairly  stopped  through  the 
presence  of  combined  heat  and  moisture — too 
much  to  allow  the  necessary  cessation.  When 
any  difficulty  in  this  way  is  experienced,  they  can 
be  made  to  liower  by  turning  them  out  of  their 
pots,  and  shaking  the  soil  from  the  roots 
and  repotting.  This  rarely  falls  to  induce 
strong  bulbs  to  (lower.  With  some,  E.  Candida 
does  not  bloom  so  freely  as  the  older  kind,  but 
shaking  out  and  separating  has  a  like  effect  in 
Inducing  it  to  flower.  When  better  known  this  sort 
is  likely  to  be  a  general  favourite,  its  smaller, 
more  elegant  blooms  being  better  adapted  for 
some  purposes  than  those  of  E.  amazonica. 

BouvARDiAS. — Where  a  good  stock  of  these  is 
at  hand  in  the  sh.ape  of  plants  possessing  the  full 
complement  of  vigour,  there  are  few  things  that 
yield  such  a  continuous  supply  of  flowers.  Where 
they  have  been  grown  on  the  planting-out  method 
in  pits  or  frames  during  the  summer  and  taken  up 
and  potted  some  time  ago,  each  plant  will  have 
several  shoots,  something  like  18  inches  or  20  inches 
long,  and  as  thick  at  the  base  as  an  ordinary 
pencil.  Growth  such  as  this  will  produce  flowers 
from  six  to  eight  joints  below  the  leading  points, 
coming  in  in  succession  after  the  first  are  over ; 
but  to  bring  these  up  to  their  full  size,  they  must 
be  kept  in  a  brisk  growing  temperature  close  to 
the  glass,  so  as  to  counteract  the  effect  of  the 
warmth.  Without  this  the  flowers  will  be  soft 
and  liable  to  flag  when  cut.  Plants  that  have 
been  grown  on  the  planting-out  system  are  better 
able  to  give  a  succession  of  full-sized  flowers  than 
the  weaker  examples  resulting  from  pot-growth 
all  through  the  season.  Such  as  are  cultivated  in 
the  latter  way  should  be  regularly  supplied  with 
manure  water  once  every  ten  days  or  fortnight, 
othersfise  the  successional  bloom  will  be  weak  and 
poor  ;  this  is  especially  the  case  if  much  restricted 
to  root  room. 

Heliotropes. — Where  sweet-scented  flowers 
are  in  demand  for  cutting,  these  plants  should 
be  grown  in  considerable  quantities,  for  so  accom- 
modating are  they,  that  with  an  intermediate 
temperature  they  will  keep  on  flowering  the 
greater  portion  of  the  winter ;  but  to  have  them  at 
this  season,  the  plants  should  be  specially  pre 
pared.  Small  examples  struck  from  cuttings  in 
the  spring  and  grown  on  in  6-inch  or  8-inch  pots, 
and  well  hardened  up  by  exposure  to  the  sun 
through  the  latter  part  of  summer,  will  bloom 
freely  now  with  a  temperature  of  55°  in  the  night. 
Old  plants  grown  in  large  pots  and  placed  out-of 
doors  during  the  season  will  answer  equally  well 
and  furnish  flowers  in  such  quantities  as  will  well 
repay  for  the  room  they  occupy,  but  in  all  cases 
they  should  have  all  the  light  it  is  possible  to 
give  them,  with  a  little  air  on  mild  days,  or  the 
flowers  when  cut  will  be  more  liable  to  flag  than 
many  other  things.  These  and  other  plants  that 
bloom  from  growth  that  is  made  during  the  winter 
are  very  different  from  those  that  make  growth 
and  set  their  flower-buds  in  summer;  with  the 
latter  winter  forcing  simply  causes  the  develop 
ment  of  the  bloom  already  formed  without  the 
shoot  extension  that  goes  on  with  the  former  de 
scription  of  plants,  and  which,  from  the  dimin- 
ished light  and  air  which  are  present  in  winter,  are 
necessarily  softer  and  less  able  to  bear  the  hard 
nsage  to  which  cut  flowers  are  usually  more  or 
less  exposed 

Perpetual  Carnations.— If  these  are  grown 
in  sufficient  quantity,  and  they  have  been  treated 
so  as  to  give  the  requisite  succession  of  bloom, 
there  will  be  many  of  the  old  plants  that  flowered 
in  the  spring,  or  seedlings  where  these  are  grown, 
that  will  be  furnished  with  flower-stems,  the  buds 
of  which  are  well  advanced  in  size;  if  these  are 


placed  in  the  temperature  of  an  intermediate 
house  they  will  go  on  opening  slowly  and  be  found 
very  useful.  See  that  the  plants  before  being  put 
in  warmth  are  quite  free  from  aphides,  to  which 
they  are  subject.  These  insects  may  be  destroyed 
by  dipping  in  tobacco  water  or  fumigating  with 
tobacco,  but  aphides  that  subsist  on  the  sap  of 
such  hard-leaved  plants  as  Carnations  are  propor- 
tionately more  difficult  to  kill  than  when  they  live 
on  more  succulent  foliage  ;  consequently,  a  second 
or  third  application  of  whatever  is  used  may  be 
necessary. 

FRUir. 

Vines. — As  soon  as  the  leaves  are  down  Vines 
infested  with  insects  must  be  made  thoroughly 
clean.  Stop  all  suspicious  holes  and  cracks  with 
pure  Gishurst,  and  paint  with  a  solution  of  the 
same  8  ounces  to  the  gallon  of  water,  thickened 
to  the  consistency  of  cream,  with  sifted  loam.  On 
the  other  hand.  Vines  which  have  not  been  infested 
with  insects  may  be  passed  over  with  a  good  wash- 
ing, as  nothing  is  gained  by  dressing  where  there 
is  nothing  for  the  dressing  to  destroy.  Of  all  the 
insects  with  which  the  Grape  grower  has  to  con- 
tend, the  mealy  bug  is  most  to  be  dreaded,  as  it 
too  often  springs  into  life  year  after  year  where 
the  most  careful  attention  has  been  devoted  to  its 
destruction.  Spirits  and  oils  of  various  kinds  have 
been  used,  and  all  of  them  kill  where  they  touch, 
but  it  generally  happens  that  some  escape,  and  the 
only  way  in  which  they  can  be  successfully  ex- 
terminated is  by  careful  watching  and  searching 
in  the  spring,  when  every  bug  may  be  destroyed  as 
it  emerges  from  its  winter  quarters  by  dressing 
the  place  with  Gishurst  compound  or  methylated 
spirits  of  wine. 

Late  houses.— If  the  laterals  and  extension 
growths  have  not  been  removed,  take  them  off  at 
once,  as  they  hold  moisture  and  keep  the  sap  in 
motion.  Remove  the  ripe  foliage  as  it  parts  freely 
to  the  touch,  but  not  before,  as  many  late  Vines 
often  carry  their  foliage  well  into  December.  In 
damp  or  foggy  weather  keep  the  front  ventilators 
closed,  and  gave  a  chink  of  air  at  the  apex  with 
just  sufficient  fire  heat  to  expel  moisture.  On 
bright,  dry  days  create  a  circulation  of  air  by 
opening  the  top  and  bottom  ventilators  for  a  few 
hours,  warm  the  pipes  to  set  it  in  motion,  and 
shut  up  in  time  to  prevent  the  temperature  from 
descending  below  45"  after  the  heat  is  turned  off. 
Get  all  external  borders  well  covered  with  Fern 
or  litter,  and  place  lights  or  shutters  over  all 
where  the  Grapes  are  intended  to  hang  until  after 
Christmas.  From  this  time  forward  the  bunches 
must  be  looked  over  twice  a  week,  and  if  Gros 
Colmar  do  not  keep  well  in  the  low  temperature 
which  suits  the  other  kinds,  cut  and  bottle  them, 
and  place  them  within  the  influence  of  warmth 
from  the  pipes  in  the  Grape  room  or  Muscat 
house. 

Orchard  houses. — Though  the  weather  is  still 
favourable,  yet  the  little  frost  we  have  had  is  a 
proof  that  the  time  has  arrived  for  getting  all 
pot  trees  now  standing  out  of  doors  well  plunged 
to  protect  the  pots  from  injury  by  the  expansion 
of  the  soil.  When  thus  taken  care  of  the  general 
stock  may  remain  out  in  the  open  air  until  the 
middle  or  end  of  January,  when  they  will  be  the 
better  under  glass.  Meantime  steps  must  be 
taken  for  cleansing,  painting,  and  preparing  the 
interior  of  the  house  particularly  where  it  is  or 
has  been  used  for  soft-wooded  plants  like  Chry- 
santhemums, which  sometimes  leaves  an  unwel- 
come legacy  behind  them.  The  general  pruning 
having  been  performed  early  in  the  autumn, 
shortening  back  and  washing  will,  as  a  matter  of 
course,  be  deferred  until  the  time  arrives  for 
housing,  but  on  no  account  allow  the  last  named 
operation  to  be  neglected,  as  the  work  is  quickly 
performed,  and  careful  washing  with  strong  soap 
water  is  quite  as  beneficial  to  young  wood,  be  it 
ever  so  free  from  insects,  as  sponging  is  to  plant 
foliage.  A  few  words  may  here  be  said  with  re- 
gard to  shortening  back,  as  serious  mistakes  are 
sometimes  made  by  cutting  the  dormant  trees  into 
shape,  when  shy  kinds  like  the  Noblesse,  which 
only  make  terminal  wood  buds,  lose  some  of  their 


most  promising  shoots  by  their  removal.  Practical 
men  who  know  that  it  is  always  safe  to  prune  to  a 
triple  bud  can  make  no  mistake  ;  but  the  amateur, 
whose  great  delight  is  centred  in  the  performance 
of  his  own  knife  work,  will  do  well  to  wait  until 
the  buds  begin  to  swell,  or  if  he  leaves  it  until  the 
fruit  is  set  no  harm  will  be  done.  Where  pot 
Figs  are  grown  in  the  cool  orchard  house  they 
need  not  be  removed  from  beneath  the  glass,  as  a 
severe  winter  like  that  of  1880-81  might  render 
them  useless,  or  nearly  so,  for  the  following  sea- 
son. If  Strawberry  plants  intended  for  this  house 
are  removed  from  the  open  air,  set  them  on  the 
floor  in  preference  to  placing  them  on  shelves. 


KirCHEN  GARDEN. 


We  are  now  just  lifting  Rhubarb  and  Aspa- 
ragus for  forcing.  The  former  forces  best  when 
kept  quite  dark,  but  the  latter  must  have  air 
and  light  if  flavour  is  wanted.  We  are  provided 
with  a  capital  place  in  which  to  force  this 
delicacy,  viz,  an  old  Pine  pit  just  emptied  of 
Tomatoes.  This  pit  will  again  be  planted  with 
Tomatoes  in  January  and  February;  therefore. 
Asparagus  just  fills  up  the  blank.  We  have  Mint 
in  shallow  boxes.  Tarragon,  Mustard  and  Cress, 
and  a  host  of  other  little  things,  including  most 
kinds  of  spring  flowers  for  forcing,  also  in  this 
pit ;  therefore  it  is  a  most  useful  and  accommo- 
dating structure.  Outside  we  are  manuring, 
trenching,  and  digging  every  available  inch  of 
land,  throwing  it  up  rough.  By  February  it  will 
be  like  a  bed  of  ashes,  well  pulverised  and  well 
sweetened — certainly  one  of  the  main  things  as 
regards  kitchen  garden  cropping.  Our  site  for 
Onions  next  season  is  just  cleared,  having  been 
cropped  with  Snow's  Broccoli,  which  is  now  laid 
in  in  a  spare  border.  To  this  ground  we  give  a  tho- 
rough manuring,  dig  it  deeply  and  roughly,  and 
in  the  meanwhile  we  mix  np  old  night  soil  with 
ashes  and  wait  for  frost ;  then  we  give  a  good  top- 
dressing  with  this  mixture,  and  as  we  never  sow 
our  Onions  before  the  end  of  JIarch,  ample  time 
is  given  for  all  to  be  mixed  and  worked  together. 
Cos  Lettuce  should  now  be  lifted  and  protected. 
Endive  we  find  most  useful,  and  the  same  may  be 
said  of  Chicory,  which  we  blanch  in  the  Mushroom 
house ;  we  find  that  a  sprinkling  of  powdered 
charcoal  among  the  plants  helps  to  dispel  damp. 


WORK  DONE  IN  WEEK  ENDING  NOV.  18, 1881. 

November  12. 
Dry,  sunny,  and  but  little  wind  tempted  us  to 
devote  the  whole  day  to  sweeping,  raking,  and 
carting  away  leaves,  the  best  being  stacked  for 
hotbed  purposes,  and  the  remainder  for  rotting 
down  as  leaf  soil.  This  latter  consists  principally 
of  the  sweepings  from  roads  and  walks,  and  con- 
sequently there  is  in  it  a  good  deal  of  grit,  which 
is  by  no  means  an  objectionable  ingredient,  but 
rather  the  reverse,  when  used,  as  ours  for  the  most 
part  is,  for  potting  bedding  plants  and  for  incor- 
porating with  the  soil  in  flower  beds  that  do  not 
require  a  richer  manure.  We  also  find  it  an  excel- 
lent Potato  manure  for  heavy  or  stiff  soils,  and 
even  on  light  soils,  if  sifted  and  placed  in  drills, 
and  the  sets  on  it  and  covered  with  it,  the  tubers 
turn  out  extra  clean  and  handsome.  Work  in 
the  houses  has  been  much  the  same  as  for  several 
days  past,  viz.,  tying  Peaches  and  arranging  plants 
of  all  kinds  as  closely,  yet  neatly,  together 
as  we  can  in  structures  that  are  to  be  heated, 
that  there  may  be  as  little  labour  in  regard  to 
covering  up  ccld  frames  and  pits  as  possible, 
these  last  structures  being  entirely  given  over  to 
plants  that  will  stand  10°  or  12"  degrees  of  frost 
without  being  injured,  and  to  this  class  belong 
Calceolarias,  Echeverias,  Verbenas,  Abutilons, 
Grevilleas,  and  others. 

November  l.S. 
Another  grand  day;  more  leaf  harvesting,  made 
up  bed  in  early  vinery  with  leaves  and  small  per- 
centage of  fresh  stable  litter,  which  will  help  them 
to  heat  the  more  quickly.  This  hotbed  is  in- 
tended solely  for  atmospheric  moisture  and 
warmth,  and  not  for  heating  the  border,  as  that  ia 


448 


THE     GARDEN 


[Nor.  22,  1884. 


entirely  outside,  .and  was  covered  over  weeks  ago 
with  leaves  and  litter  to  keep  in  the  summer 
warmth,  and  no  other  covering  is  necessary,  nor 
will  any  be  given.  I  once  thought  that  a  hotbed  for 
early  Vine  borders  was  a  necessity,  but  having  for 
several  years  quite  difcontinued  the  practice,  the 
improved  state  of  the  Vines  generally,  freedom 
from  shanking  and  perfect  finish  are  now  the 
rule ;  but  under  this  hotbed  system  such  results 
were  quite  the  exception.  Hence  whilst  we  save 
an  immensity  of  labour  in  regard  to  frequent 
renewals  of  heating  material,  we  can  also  with 
greater  certainty  predict  satisfactory  results. 
Personally,  I  should  prefer  to  have  all  early  Vine 
borders  inside,  but  in  respect  of  the  one  now  in 
question  such  an  arrangement  was  impracticable  ; 
and  a  good  job  it  was  so,  for  it  has  taught  us 
easily  the  most  valuable  practical  lesson  of  the 
many  we  have  had  to  learn  very  hardly  during  our 
gardening  career.  The  Vines  have  been  tied  down 
in  horizontal  form  over  the  heating  material— 
the  moisture  from  which  renders  syringing  almost 
unnecessary— and  in  this  form  they  will  remain 
till  the  buds  burst.  This  hotbed  is  useful  for 
starting  Spiraeas,  Deutzias,  Lily  of  the  Valley,  orany 
other  forcing  plants,  or  even  for  forcing  Aspara- 
gus. Cut  down  and  cleared  away  the  Asparagus 
stems  from  the  piece  that  was  planted  two  years 
ago,  and  which  at  the  time  that  the  older  plots 
were  cleared  was  quite  as  green  as  in  summer ; 
hence  it  being  left  till  now.  The  bed  will  be 
weeded  at  once,  and  the  first  frosty  morning  that 
the  ground  will  admit  of  being  wheeled  over  with- 
out indentation  it  will  be  given  a  good  dressing 
of  well  rotted  manure,  and  later  in  the  spring  a 
sprinkling  of  refuse  Vine-border  soil,  or  rather  the 
old  soil  that  has  been  saved  for  such  purposes 
when  new  borders  have  been  made. 

November  14. 

Planted  a  few  dwarf-trained  trees  of  Peaches 
and  Apricots.     Of  the  latter  we  find  it  desirable 
to  keep  a  stock  of  young  trees,  and  soon  as  older 
ones  manifest  a  disposition  to  die  off — as    the 
manner  of  Apricot  is— they  are  at  once  dug  up 
and  replaced,  for  it   is    labour  lost  and  anxiety 
prevented  to  attempt  to  devise  ways  and  means 
of    cure.      Mulching    is    at    once    given    to    all 
freshly  planted   trees.     There   being  indications 
of  a  sharp  frost,  all   P,roccolis  were  looked  over 
and    covered  with  their  own  leaves.      Brussels 
Sprouts,  cottager's    Kale,  and  young  Coleworts 
are  at  present  swarming  with  the  white  fly  that 
is   peculiar  to  the  Cabbage    tribe,  and  require 
frost  to   settle  the  pests.     We  have  had  all  the 
large  and  useless  leaves  cut  away  in  hope  of  get- 
ting rid  of  some  and  letting  the  frost  have  full 
play  at  the  remainder.     The  injury  to  Brussels 
Sprouts  is  really  serious,  a  large  proportion  of  the 
sprouts  being  so  covered  with  the  excrement  as  to 
be  quite  useless.     The  cause  of  such  a  visitation 
is,  I  think,  due  to  the  extraordinary  drought,  and 
will  only  be  effectually  subdued  by  sharp  frost  and 
heavy  rain.     Pruning  Pears  on  walls.     Soft  scale 
has  gained  a  lodgment  on  some  of  the  trees,  and 
this  is  rubbed  ofE  as  pruning  proceeds,  and  soon  as 
this  operation  is  complete  walls  and  trees  will  be 
syringed  with  Gishurst  compound,  at  a  strength  of 
4  ounces  to  the  gallon  of  water,  in  places  where 
the  scale  is,  but  other  parts  will  have  a  heavy 
syringing  with  soap-suds  only,  after  which  the  old 
mulching  will  be  removed,  and  good  manure,  and 
in  some  instances  new  soil,  be  given,  the  latter  to 
trees  that  are  not  over  robust  and  would  be  bene- 
fited by  taking  away  the  old  top  soil  right  down 
to  the  roots  and  replacing  with  new.     Put  a  few 
Strawberries  on  early  vinery  shelves.    Our  plants 
for  earliest   forcing  are  grown  in  -)i-inch  pots. 
We  find  by  using  this  small  size  that  a  scarce 
plant  fails  to  burst  its  buds  and  set  its  fruit  well, 
but  such  is  not  the  case  with  the  plants  in  larger 
pots,  and  therefore  plants  in  G-inch  pots  are  not 
put  into  force  till  after  Christmas,  at  which  season 
they  do  as  well  as  the  smaller  size  do  earlier.    The 
plants  get  very  dry  by  standing  in  frames  and 
other  sheltered  spots,  that  when  placed  in  the 
house  it  is  advisable  to  examine  them  carefully  as 
to  the  balls  being  wet  throughout,  and  when  once 


this  is  assured  very  little  water  will  suffice  till 
the  roots  get  active  and  the  plants  into  full  growth. 
November  15. 
Sweeping  up  leaves  at  this  season  is  heartless 
work,  but  necessity  knows  no  choice.  The  extra 
sharp  frost  of  this  morning  brought  them  down 
rapidly,  and  being  calm  we  reluctantly  left  other 
work    to    get  them    together,  and    to    tidy   up 
generally,  Sunday  neatness  being  ever  our  aim. 
The  work  in  the  houses  has  been  of  the  same 
nature  ;  extra  scrubbing  of  floors,  &c  ,  is  always 
the  rule  on  Saturdays.     Put  in  cuttings  of  Pelar- 
gonium for  pot  culture.     Double  varieties  are  our 
favourites  for  winter  flowering,  and  the  cuttings 
put  in  to-day  will  make  the  best  plants  for  next 
winter's  use.     Put  in  first  lot  of  Chrysanthemum 
cuttings,  and  cut  down  plants   that  have   done 
flowering,  and  housed  them  in  late  Peach  house, 
that  we  may  get    cuttings    at    an    early   date. 
Looked  over  Grapes,  and  cleared  out  all  decaying 
leaves.     Washing  out  of  vineries  containing  ripe 
fruit  is  of  course  not  done  at  this  season,  but 
every  part  of  them  is  well  swept  with  hair  brooms. 
Spiders  and  their  webs,  if  not  frequently  removed, 
spoil  the  appearance  of  Grapes  by  smearing  the 
bloom,  and,  I  think,  of  the  houses  too. 
November  17. 
Lifted  remainder  of  Dahlias  and  Cannas,  and 
tidied  the  beds  and  borders.    Began  to  lift  Eoses ; 
our  soil  being  very  light  and  soon  exhausted,  it  is 
necessary  to  do  this  every  alternate  year.    The 
plants  are  taken  up  and  heeled  in  near  at  hand 
the  soil  is  then  taken  quite  out  of  the  beds,  and 
as  much  new  as  can  be  had,  together  with  well- 
rotted  manure,  is  mixed  with  part  of  the  old  and 
well  trodden  into  the  beds  and"  the  plants  put  in 
at  once  (as  a  matter  of  course,  suckers  and  long, 
useless  roots  are  shortened  back  previously),  the 
whole  having  a  final  mulching  of  the  best  manure 
available,  which  also  acts  as  a  protector  from  frost. 
Hyacinths,  Tulips,  and  Lilies  are  planted  amongst 
the  Roses,  and  as  edgings  Crocus,  Violas,  Daisies, 
and    Primroses.     Brompton    Stocks,    Canterbury 
Bells,    and   other  biennials    we   have    occa.'iion- 
ally    planted    amongst    them,    but    they    grow 
too    large,    unless    the     Roses    are    planted    a 
long  di.stance  apart,  and  therefore  it  is  preferable 
to  use  smaller  growing  plants.    Pruned  midseason 
vinery  and  all  Hamburghs.     The  foliage  had  not 
all  fallen,  but  we  could  not  wait,  as  it  was  time  the 
Vines  were  at  complete  rest,  and  a  part  of  our 
creed  is  that  this  state  is  not  attained  till  pruning 
is  done.     The  house  will  now  be  kept  open  in  all 
weathers,  except  during  the  prevalence  of  sharp 
frost.  Housed  Beetroot ;  we  pull  it  up  as  carefully 
as  possible  and  stack  it  in  sand  in  a  cool  shed. 
The  tops  are  left  intact  till  the  roots  are  wanted 
for  use.     Were  it  not  for  the  inconvenience  and 
labour  of  covering  with  litter  or  Bracken  when- 
ever frost  seemed  imminent,  the  roots  would  keep 
in  the  best  condition— as  regards  quality— in  the 
ground  where  they  have  been  grown.   The  ground 
will  now  be  prepared  for  the  Onion  crop  of  next 
year  by  trenching,  and  the  use  of    earth-closet 
manure  and  soot  as  a  dressing. 
November  18. 
Replanting  Roses,  and  trenching  other  borders 
ready  for  planting.     Hyacinths  and   Tulips  are 
being  planted  in  the  widest  spaces  between  the 
Eoses,  and  a  few  Pansies,  Violas,  and  Stocks  in 
the  larger  beds,  trenching  in  the  kitchen  garden 
being  our  other  outdoor  labours  to-day.    Indoors 
the  canes  of  intermediate  Vines  have  been  well 
washed  with  Gishurs-t,  not  as  a  cure,  but  a  preven- 
tive against  the  attacks  of  insects.  Peeling  off  the 
outer  bark  of  the  canes,  which    some    practise, 
seems  so  unnatural,  if  not  harmful,  that  we  never 
do  it,   other  than  tearing  away  unsightly  loose 
pieces,  which  never  amounts  to  much.  The  vinery 
under  notice  is  full  of  Camellias  planted  out,  and 
as  soon  as  the  Vines  are  done  and  tied  in  their 
places,  these  also  will  be  given  a  thorough  washing 
with  the  hose  and  the  border  a  drenching,  as  since 
the  Grapes  ripened  very   little  water    has  been 
given  them.     They  grow  and  flower  to  perfection 
under  the  Vines,  and  the  plan  is  worthy  of  copy- 
ing by  all  that  are  fond  of  Camellias  and  have  a 


lofty  vinery  in  which  to  plant  them.  Cleared  out 
fruit  room,  all  decaying  fruit  being  either  thrown 
away  or  brought  out  for  present  use.      Hantis. 


Societies. 


CRYSTAL 


PALACE    CHRYSANTHEMUM 
SHOW. 
November  14  and  15. 

The  series  of  flower  and  fruit  exhibitions  which 
have  been  held  at  the  Crystal  Palace  this  season 
was  brought  to  a  close  on  Friday  and  Saturday 
last  on  the  occasion  of  the  Chrysanthemum  show, 
at  which  the  company  offered  no  less  than  .£200 
and  upwards  in  prizes,  the  largest  amount  that 
has  probably  ever  been  offered  at  a  Chrys.anthe- 
mum  show.     Notwithstanding  this,  however,  the 
competition  was  somewhat  limited,  and  some  of 
the  classes  were  not  represented.     This  may  be 
accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  a  Chrysanthemum 
show  at  the  Palace  is  an  innovation  this  year,  and 
probably  exhibitors  were  not  aware  it.      Should 
the  company  continue  to  hold  a  Chrysanthemum 
show,  we  might  suggest  a  little  modification  of  the 
present  year's  schedule,  which  was  characterised 
by  being  unusually  liberal  with   respect  to  the 
money    offered    for  prizes  in  some  classes  and 
exceptionally     mean    in     others,    and     perhaps 
the   circumstance  in    some    measure    accounted 
for  the  scanty  muster   of   exhibitors.    If,  how- 
ever,   cut  flowers  and  trained  plants  were  not 
plentiful  on    the    present   occasion,   the    public 
certainly    had  the  pleasure  of   seeing  the  capa- 
bilities   of    the  Chrysanthemum  as  a  decorative 
flower ;  for  of  all  the  groups  which  we  have  seen 
exhibited,  we  never  remember  seeing  a  more  im- 
posing or  better  arranged  one  than  that  at  the 
foot  of  the  orchestra  in  the  central  transept,  ar- 
ranged by  Mr.  Head  with  plants  from  the  com- 
pany's own  collection.     This  group  could  not  have 
occupied  less  than  1000  square  feet,  and  formed 
a  gracefully  sloping    bank   of    well-grown    and 
flowered  specimens,  consisting  of  the  best  sorts. 
This  group  had  a  background  of  noble  Palms,  Tree 
Ferns,  and  such  similar  fine-leaved  plants,  some 
of  which  were  also  interspersed  among  the  Chry- 
santhemums, in  order  to  tone  down  their  brilliant 
colours  and  to  form  a  graceful  fringe.    A  few 
happily  arranged  marble  statues  dotted  here  and 
there  in  the  midst  of  the  plants  added  consider- 
ably   to    the    effect.      This    group    was    indeed 
"  arranged    for    effect,"  and    exemplified    in    a 
striking  manner  what  beautiful  effects  Chrysan- 
themums are  capable  of  producing  when  intelli- 
gently and  tastefully  arranged  with  other  plants. 
As  a  rule.  Chrysanthemum  groups  at  shows  ar- 
ranged for  effect  represent  a  jumbled  mass  of 
plants,  the  tall  behind  and  the  short  in  front,  un- 
relieved by  greenery  of  any  kind  and  without  re- 
gard to  harmony  or  massing  of  kindred  tints.     Of 
course,  until  compilers  of  schedules  define  what  an 
effective  group  is  to  consist  of,  exhibitors  cannot  be 
expected  to  break  from  the  conventional  practice. 
Good  illustrations  of  ordinary  show  groups  were 
to  be  seen  at  the  Palace  from  Messrs.  Laing's  nur- 
series at  Forest  Hill.     One  of  these  consisted  en- 
tirely of    Japanese  sorts,  the  other  of  incurved 
varieties.     There  was  no  doubt  as  to  which  group 
was  the  brightest  and  most  effective  from  a  colour 
point  of  view.     The  Japanese  sorts  produced  a 
telling  effect  50  yards  away  ;  the  others,  consist- 
ing of  incurved  varieties,  required  closer  inspec- 
tion.    Both  these  groups  were  exceptionally  fine 
and  a  credit  to  the  exhibitors,  particularly  that 
composed    of    Japanese    sorts,    which    included 
numerous  novelties. 

Incurved  sorts  — Mr.  Herrin,  Chalfont  Gar- 
dens, Garrard's  Cross,  as  at  Westminster  last  week, 
showed  the  finest  in  the  class  for  36  sorts. 
He  had  the  following  :  Empress  Eng(5nie,  Princess 
Teck,  Jardin  des  Plantes,  Lord  Wolseley,  Empress 
of  India,  Queen  of  England,  Golden  Empress  of 
India,  Jeanne  d'Arc,  Venus,  Mr.  Brunlees,  White 
Venus,  Lady  Hardinge,  Sir  S.  Carey,  Mrs.  Hali- 
burton,  John  Salter,  Barbara,  Princess  Beatrice, 
Golden   Eagle,   Mrs.   Dixon,  Eefulgena,  Cherub, 


Nov.  22,  1884.] 


THE    GAKDEN 


449 


Lord  Alcester,  Mrs.  Shipman,  White  Globe,  all 
firbt-rate  examples. 

The  best  twelve  incurved  varieties  shown  by 
Mr.  Slogrove  included  the  following  :  Empress  of 
India,  White  Globe,  Guernsey  Nugget,  Venus, 
Queen  of  England,  Jardin  des  I'lantes,  Cherub, 
Prince  Alfred,  Mrs.  G.  Eundle,  Isabella  Bott, 
Baron  Beust,  and  Jlrs.  Dixon. 

The  best  nine  incurved  sorts,  shown  by  Mr. 
G.  G.  Stone's  gardener  in  the  amateurs'  class,  con- 
sisted of  Golden  Empress,  Princess  Teck,  Jardin 
des  Plantes,  White  Venus,  Nil  Desperandum,  Eve, 
Princess  of  Wales,  Mrs.  Shipman,  and  Mrs. 
Sharp. 

Japanese  sorts — Mr.  Charles  Gibson,  gar- 
dener to  Mr.  Wormald,  Morltn  Park,  Mitcham, 
won  the  first  prize  for  thirty-six  sorts.  He  had  line 
examples  of  Fair  Maid  of  Guernsey,  The  Sultan, 
Sarnia,  Criterion,  M.  Ardene,  J.  D<;aux,  Grandi- 
florum,  Ceres,  Thunberg,  Mdlle.  Lacroix,  Comte 
de  Germiny,  Mdme.  C.  Audiguier,  Boule  d'Or, 
Alba  striata,  Triomphe  de  la  rue  du  Chdtelct,  Alba 
plena,  Red  Dragon,  Peter  the  Grea',  Striatum, 
Fanny  Boucharlet,  Pire  Dulaux,  Baronne  de 
Prailly,  Bismarck,  Duchess  of  Albany,  Ethel,  Meg 
Merrilies,  Nnit  d'Automne,  I'lncomparable,  Naga- 
saki Violet,  Hiver  Fleuri,  M.  Dulaux,  Fulgore, 
Arleqnin,  Fulton,  The  Daimio,  Elaine.  The  first 
prize  collection  of  twelve  Japanese  sorts  from  Mr. 
Wyatt  comprised  Criterion,  "Triomphe  de  la  rue  du 
tJhatelet,  Fair  Maid  of  Guernsey,  Mdme.  C.  Audi- 
guier, Peter  the  Great,  The  Daimio,  Comte  de 
Germiny,  Baronne  de  Prailly,  Fanny  Boucharlet, 
Cry  Kang,  Thunberg,  and  R.  Ballantine.  The 
nine  best  Japanese  in  the  amateurs'  class  were 
the  following :  Soleil  Levant,  Elaine,  Mdme.  C. 
Audiguier,  Henri  J.acotot,  I'lncomparable,  Mons. 
Hubert,  Peter  the  Great,  Comte  de  Germiny,  and 
Baronne  de  Prailly. 

Reflexed  sorts.— The  best  dozen  reflexedand 
Anemone  sorts  were  shown  by  Mr.  G.  Chadwick, 
who  had  Progne,  Golden  Christine,  Christine,  Lady 
Margaret,  Fleur de  Marie,  Julie  Lagrav^re ;  all  first- 
rate.  The  class  for  twelve  reflexed  sorts  was  well 
represented  by  a  collection  from  Mr.  Arnold,  who 
had  Peach  Christine,  Golden  Christine,  Pink 
Christine,  White  Christine,  Annie  Salter,  Cheva- 
lier Domage,  Progne,  Garf  eld,  and  King  of  the 
Crimsons.  With  the  except'on  of  a  very  fine  dozen 
blooms  of  Anemone-flowered  sorts  from  Mr. 
Herrin,  the  pompone,  Anemone  pompone,  and 
Anemone- flowered  sections  were  poorly  repre- 
sented. Mr.  Herrin's  collection  of  a  dozen  blooms 
was  disqualified  on  account  of  its  containing  two 
blooms  of  one  sort. 

Miscellaneous  class.— There  were  several 
classes  set  apart  for  ornamental  hardy  trees  and 
shrubs,  but  there  was  but  one  representative  ;  this 
was  Mr.  Turner,  of  Slough,  who  sent  a  very  fine 
group  of  some  thirty  distinct  sorts  of  Ivy  from  his 
large  collection.  All  were  large  trained  plants, 
and  the  group  produced  an  uncommon  and  at- 
tractive feature  in  the  show.  A  showy  group  of 
cut  flowers,  consisting  of  Primulas,  Pelargoniums, 
and  cut  Chrysanthemums,  was  exhibited  by  Messrs. 
Cantell,  to  whom  an  extra  prize  was  awarded, 
likewise  to  Messrs.  Dixon,  Hackney,  for  cut 
Chrysanthemums  tastefully  arranged  with  Ferns, 
and  to  Messrs.  Nothard  for  a  collection  of  Ameri- 
can Apples. 

First-class  certificates  for  Chrysanthe- 
mums were  awarded  to  Mr.  Springbelt,  Holly 
Nursery,  Cheshunt,  for  three  Anemone-flowered 
sorts,  named  Madame  Cabrol,  very  large,  ray 
florets  long,  twisted,  and  rose-pink,  paler  in  centre ; 
Fabias  de  Maderannaz,  outer  florets  long,  pale 
rose. pink,  inner  paler:  Sojur  Dorothue  Souille,  of 
medium  size  and  pale  pink,  and  possessing  the  best 
centre  of  any  Anemone-flowered  .sort.  To  Messrs. 
J.  Laing,  Stanstead  Nurseries,  for  the  following 
Japanese  sorts  :  La  fur^te,  pure  white,  an  im- 
provement on  Mdme.  La  Croix  ;  M.  Tatin,  delicate 
blush,  large ;  M.  Astorg,  very  like  Elaine,  but  with 
broader  florets  and  pure  white ;  Carmen,  broad, 
reflexed  florets,  rose-pink,  pale-tipped  ;  Beaute  des 
Jardins,  a  reflexed  Japanese  sort  of  a  deep  rose- 
purple,  very  free  and  showy.    To  Messrs.  CannelJ, 


Swanley,  for  Cullingfordi,  the  splendid  new  Eng. 
libh-raised  sort  described  last  week ;  its  large, 
bright  crimson-red  flowers  had  a  telling  ellect  in 
Messrs.  Cannell's  group.  To  Mr.  Watson,  The 
Grange,  Heme  Hill,  for  Mdme.  La  Croix,  a  pure 
white  Japanese  sort  in  the  way  of  Lady  Selborne, 
but  with  narrower  florets. 

A  list  of  awards  is  given  in  our  advertising 
columns. 


Ghent  Horticultural  Society.— At  ihe 

monthly  meeting  of  this  society,  held  on  November 
10,  the  following  plants  were  awarded  certificates 
of  merit:  Batemannia  nivalis  major,  from  M.  Louis 
Van  Houtte;  Vriesia  fenestralis,  from  M.  Van 
Houtt« ;  Globba  coccinea,  from  M.  De  Smet- 
Duvivier.  Certificates  of  cnlture  :  Maranta  Makoj- 
ana,  from  M.  Ad.  D'Haene ;  Vanda  Lowi,  Cypti- 
pedium  Lowi,  Cypripedinm  la;vigatum,  Cypri- 
pedium  Parishi,  from  M.  Beaucarne  d'Eename ; 
Philodendron  Sellowi,  from  M.  Pynaert  A'an 
Geert.  Honourable  mentions  were  accorded  to 
Abutilon  Thompsoni  fl.-pl.,  from  M.  F.  Desbois  & 
Co.;  Begonia  hybrids,  from  the  same  exhibitors; 
Aerides  Eohanianum,  from  M.  Aug.  Van  Geert, 
p6re;  Cattleya  aurea,  from  M.  Aug.  Van  Geert, 
fils. ;  Bollea  species,  from  M  Vervaet  &  Co. ; 
Phyllanthus  Chantrieri,  from  M.  Aug.  Van  Geert, 
fils. 

Boyal  Horticultural  Society  of  Ire- 
land.—The  annual  meeting  of  this  society  was 
held  on  November  1.3,  the  Duke  of  Leinster  in  the 
chair.  Mr.  Nathaniel  Powell  read  the  report,  which 
congratulated  the  society  on  the  marked  and  pro- 
gressive excellence  of  its  exhibitions,  but  stated 
that  the  financial  results  have  been  exceptionally 
small  and  unsatisfactory.  All  liabilities  have  been 
cleared  off,  but  in  order  to  do  this  it  was  found 
necessary  to  draw  upon  the  reserve  balance  to  the 
amount  of  £155  7s.  2d.  The  deficit  in  the  exhi- 
bitions for  the  last  five  years  must  principally  be 
attributed  to  a  somewhat  inconsiderate  change 
made  in  Rule  (J  about  that  time,  by  means  of 
which  members  have  since  been  able  to  crowd  the 
exhibitions  with  non-paying  visitors  to  the  number 
of  nearly  SOOOoverandabovethepersonaladmission 
of  some  .SOO  members  themselves.  It  was  therefore 
proposed  that  in  future  each  member  should  have 
a  free  admission  and  one  free  ticket  for  each  exhi- 
bition, with  the  further  privilege  of  competing 
for  all  the  society's  prizes  without  payment  of 
entrance  money,  such  as  non-subscribers  have  to 
pay  for  every  class  in  which  they  may  compete 
It  is  intended  to  hold  most  of  the  exhibitions  of 
the  coming  year  in  the  Rotunda  grounds,  the 
central  position  of  which  makes  them  equally 
convenient  and  accessible  to  exhibitors  and  visitors 
from  all  parts  and  sides  of  Dublin.  The  proceed- 
ings then  terminated. 


Pompone  Chryeanthemums.- It  is  but 
seldom  that  this  beautiful  race  of  varieties  is 
exhibited  in  perfection  even  .it  the  principal 
Chrysanthemum  shows.  The  finest  we  ever  re- 
member seeing  at  a  show  were  those  at  Walton- 
on-Thames  last  week.  In  the  class  for  twelve 
blooms  there  were  three  collections,  all  so  admir- 
ably grown,  that  it  was  a  diflicult  task  for  the 
judges  to  fay  which  was  best.  The  first  prize 
collection  was  from  Mr.  Lavers  Smith's  p.nrdener 
(Mr.  Plowman),  who  had  the  following  fine 
selection  of  sorts :  Golden  Mdme.  Marlhc,  Crim- 
son Perfection,  Marabout  (a  beautiful  white  with 
fringed  florets),  President,  Mrs.  Flutt,  Mrs.  Tal- 
fourd,  Mdme.  R.  Pignez,  and  Mdme.  Marthc. 
Thete  were  all  represented  by  enormous  blooms 
for  pompones,  and  being  set  up  elegantly  in 
clusters  of  threes  with  the  foliage  had  an  extremely 
pretty  efltect.  Mr.  Plowman  not  only  grows  pom- 
pones to  perfection,  but  the  other  chisses  of 
Chrytanthemums,  he  being  the  chief  prize  winner 
at  the  show,  which  was,  as  usual,  a  good  one.  Some 
admirably  trained  plants  (half  a  dozen)  were 
shown  by  Mr.  Lavey,  and  we  were  pleased  to  see 
that  special  prizes  were  offered  for  dwarf  un- 
trained plants  suitable  for  embellishing  a  con- 
servatory without  requiring  so  much  space  as 
trained  plants.     Some  of  the    untrained    plants 


shown  were  highly  creditable,  being  dwarf,  well- 
furnished  with  luxuriant  foliage,  and  carrying 
very  fine  flowers.  The  Japanese  race  seems  to  be 
the  f:ivourite  sort  for  this  style  of  culture. 

Gardeners'  Benevolent  Institution  — 

From  the  "  appeal "  that  has  already  been  given 
in  The  Garden,  it  would  be  seen  that  our  object 
is  to  raise  the  funded  property  to  £'20,000.  We 
are  within  a  reasonable  distance  of  reaching  that 
amount,  the  sum  of  £420  being  all  that  is  re- 
quired to  be  secured  before  December  31.  If  this 
amount  be  not  forthcoming  we  shall  lose  the  sum 
of  £500  promised  by  an  unknown,  but  generous 
donor.  Should  we  be  unsuccessful  in  our  efforts, 
the  wish  dear  to  the  hearts  of  the  committee  will 
be  delayed  for  at  least  two  years,  and  that  would, 
in  their  opinion,  be  a  disastrous  blow  to  the 
interests  of  the  institution.  In  making  you 
acquainted  with  this  state  of  affairs,  we  trust  that 
you  will  see  the  paramount  necessity  of  affording 
us  if  possible  a  little  help  to  attain  the  object  in 
view.  To  those  generous  friends  who  have  already 
responded  we  return  our  best  thanks.  To  those, 
who  from  various  causes  have  delayed  their  reply, 
we  can  only  say  that  "  charity  is  twice  blessed  ;  it 
blesseth  him  who  gives  and  him  who  receives ;  " 
and  that  we  hope  and  look  for  their  aid  in  this 
work  of  benevolence,  so  that  the  committee  may 
be  enabled  to  communicate  to  the  subscribers  in 
their  report  at  the  general  meeting  in  January 
the  greatpleasure  and  gratification theywillhaveof 
lecommending  during  the  ensuing  year  an  increase 
to  the  amount  of  the  annual  pensions  — Edward 
TiDSWELL,  Treasurer;  John  Lee,  Cliairma7i. 

It  appears  to  me  that  the  best  method  for 

raising  money  for  the  augmentation  fund  has  not 
been  tried.  Imean  a  bazaarand  fancy  fair.  Onewas 
held  a  week  or  so  ago  in  this  small  town  of  15,000 
inhabitants  for  a  local  object  and  over  £2000  was 
raised.  Now  £500  would  more  than  cover  the  sum 
required  to  raise  the  funded  property  to  £20,000 — 
the  required  amount.  But  why  stop  there  ?  If  a 
few  pounds  more  were  secured  it  would  not  matter, 
and  I  feel  sure  that  if  a  strong  pull  together  was 
once  begun  and  the  thing  wisely  and  well  started 
it  could  be  brought  to  a  very  successful  issue. 
The  Horticultural  buildings  at  South  Kensington 
could,  I  should  think,  be  had  for  such  a  purpose 
and  for  any  length  of  time  required,  for  if  they 
exist  for  any  useful  purpose  at  all,  surely  it  is  for 
the  benefit  of  the  gardening  fraternity.  The  ladies' 
sympathy  could  be  easily  enlisted,  and  the  ready 
help  of  nearly  everybody  who  would  be  appealed 
to  would  be  quite  a  foregone  conclusion.  I  for 
one  would  undertake  to  sell  a  few  pounds'  worth 
of  tickets— fully  as  much  as  the  neighbourhood 
ought  to  take.  Let  the  matter  be  thought  over, 
and  let  the  gardening  world  for  once  in  a  way 
show  that  if  properly  roused  it  can  do  something 
to  be  proud  of. — T.  Smith,  Ketvrij. 

*,*  We  have  been  requested  by  Mr.  Cutler  to 
annunnce,  in  order  to  meet  the  wishes  and 
convenience  of  many  pco]>le  who  have  collecting 
cards  for  the  augmentation  fund  of  this  institution, 
that  the  time  for  closing  the  list  for  this  year  has 
been  extended  to  Monday,  15th  December.— Ed. 

£     8.    ll. 

Donations  to  .aiigiEent.-itiMii  fuiul,  iu- 

BL-rttil  November  8          17    0  8 

,Scconii  list  (i/  xiibscrilji  rs. 

Mr.  E.  D.1WCS.  Teniple  Newfain,  Leeds   „         ..  0  10  (i 

Miss  I'ilKiar,  ILiinstiine,  Leilliury 10  0 

Mr.  I'.owen,  Mainstone,  Letlhiiry 0    6  0 

Uov.  .1.  Iluclile,  Aslipeitnn,  LeillJUlT         ..         ..  0  10  0 
Mr.  C.  Riley,  I'utlcy  Court,  Ledbury  10  0 
Mr.  C.  Lea,   P.arktleld,  Worcester  (seeond  dona- 
tion tottiisfund) 500 

Mr.  . I.  D.  Pe'rins,  fireat  Malvern 6    0  0 

Lady  Elizabeth  Biddulpli,  Ledbury  ..         ..100 

.Mr.  liasil  Ma,setleld,  Ledbury            0    6  0 

Sir  Joseph  Bailey,  Hart  ,  M.r 110 

Mr.  A.  Buck,  Worcester        0    6  0 

Mr.  A.  Ward,  Stoke  Edith 0  10  0 

Mr.  c.  A.  Hewitt,  Ijopend,  I.iilbmy        ..  10  0 

Mr.  .1.  \\  i.  kens,  ji.inninKton  Hall 6    0  0 

Mr.  W.  BiL'tis,  <;ardens,  liurnstone 10  0 

Mr.  F.  Helps.  Fortinau,  Oarnstone                      ,.  6  0 

Lady  Emily  Foley,  Stoke  Edilh       5    0  0 

Mr.  G.  H.  (ileen,  Knville,  Stourbridge      ..         ..  10  0 

Total 4.^,  1-2    8 

— W.  CoLE.MAN,  Edi'nor  Caell-,  Lcdbur;/. 


450 


THE    GARDEN 


[Nov.  22,  1884. 


The  Garden  Annual  for  1885.— Great 

pains  have  been  taken  to  make  this  very  com- 
plete in  all  ways  this  year.  We  believe  it  to  be 
the  most  correct  and  fall  directory  of  British 
gardens,  their  proprietors,  the  nursery  and  seed 
trades,  and  gardeners,  that  can  be  produced  in 
such  a  simple  way.  Of  course  there  are  critics  of 
such  things  who  do  not  remember  that  there  is 
such  a  thing  as  a  death  rate ;  that  places  change 
hands,  or  are  not  occupied,  and  that  people  also 
change  their  gardeners — some  with  unfortunate 
frequency.  But  aU  who  do  not  quite  forget  these 
facts  and  the  other  difficulties  of  such  an  under- 
taking will  confess  that  "The  Garden  Annual"  ful- 
fils a  want  in  a  satisfactory  way.  The  features 
we  most  refer  to  in  this  notice  are :  An  alpha- 
betical list  of  nurserymen  and  seedsmen,  florists, 
horticultural  builders,  engineers,  and  of  the  horti- 
cultural trade  generally.  The  principal  gardens 
and  country  seats  in  Great  Britain  and  Ireland, 
arranged  in  the  order  of  counties,  extended  and 
corrected  to  date.  Alphabetical  list  of  country 
seats  and  gardens  in  the  United  Kingdom,  with 
names  of  their  owners,  very  much  extended  and 
corrected  to  date.  Alphabetical  list  of  head  gar- 
deners in  the  principal  gardens  of  the  United 
Kingdom,  re-written  with  nearest  post  towns 
added.  This  list  has  been  augmented  by  nearly 
800  names  and  addresses. 

English  ('.  American  fruit.— I  have  before 
me  a  price  list  of  a  Liverpool  fruit  merchant  who 
imports  American  Apples  largely.  This  list  is 
dated  the  7th  of  October,  and  states  that  American 
Apples  are  coming  across  in  very  good  condition. 
The  price  for  table  fruit  is  quoted  at  from  2.53.  to 
30s.  per  barrel  (containing  120  lbs.),  and  fine 
cooking  Apples  at  from  15s.  to  203.  Contrasting 
these  prices  with  those  at  which  English  Apples 
were  selling  at  the  same  time,  it  would  ap- 
pear that  American  fruit  must  be  vastly  superior 
to  that  grown  in  England,  or  our  fruit  growers 
must  be  placed  at  disadvantages  that  to  me  ap- 
pear to  be  inexplicable.  Here  in  Somerset,  at 
the  end  of  September,  any  quantity  of  Apples 
that  would  keep  until  Christmas  could  have  been 
purchased  at  one-third  the  price  realised  by  the 
American  fruit.  It  appears  to  me  that  our  fruit 
growers  do  not  make  use  of  the  facilities  afforded 
them  for  getting  their  fruit  to  the  proper  markets, 
or  is  it  that  consumers  are  willing  to  pay  a  higher 
price  for  imported  fruit  than  for  that  which  is 
home  grown  ?  If  they  can  secure  fruit  of  better 
quality  at  an  advanced  price,  there  is  nothing  to 
be  said  against  it,  but  one  can  hardly  understand 
how  that  can  be  bo. — J.  C.  C. 


PARKS  &  Public  Gardens. 

EPPING  FOREST. 
Some  demur  having  been  made  as  to  the  sale  of  cer- 
tain outlying  portions  of  this  forest  by  the  Corpora- 
tion,Mr.  T.  J .  Nelson,  of  Guildhall,  refers  to  the  mat- 
ter in  the  Times  as  follows :  When  the  Bpping  Forest 
Act  was  passed  in  1878  it  was  foreseen  that  there 
were  many  small  strips  of  land  lying  a  long  Way 
from  the  main  body  of  the  forest,  the  preservation 
of  which  it  was  useless  to  impose  upon  the  con- 
servators, as  they  would  be  sure  to  be  absorbed  in 
the  highways  or  become  receptacles  for  nuisances. 
The'Act  accordingly  provided  that,  as  to  any  of  such 
strips  or  pieces  of  land  pointed  out  to  him  by  the 
conservators,  the  arbitrator  mieht  direct  how  they 
should  be  dealt  with.  The  first  idea  of  the  con- 
servators was  to  hand  them  over  to  the  various 
local  authorities  within  whose  district  they  are 
situate,  but  it  was  found  they  had  no  legal  autho- 
rity to  take  charge  of  them,  and  so  more  than  two 
years  ago  the  arbitrators  made  an  order  directing 
the  conservators  to  sell  them  and  to  carry  the 
proceeds  to  the  credit  of  the  Epping  Forest  Fund. 
The  area  of  Epping  Forest  is  5531  acres,  while 
the  total  of  these  strips,  situate  over  many  miles, 
is  under  6  acre.=,  and  the  proportion  of  those 
directed  to  be  sold  to  those  that  are  to  remain  is 
very  small.  From  time  to  time,  as  the  adjoining 
owner  has  desired  to  have  these  strips,  many  of 
which  are  as  tmall  as  two  or  three  perches  in  ex- 
tent, they  have  been  sold  to  him.  They  were  all 
carefully  inspected  by  the  conservators  before 
they  were  determined  to  be  given  up  as  part  of 
the  forest,  and  I  believe  Sir  Arthur  Hobhouse  took 
the  trouble  to  visit  every  one  of  them  himself  be- 
fore he  made  his  order.  They  are  not,  and  have 
not  been  since  the  arbitrator's  final  award,  any 
part  of  Epping  Forest,  as  has  been  asserted,  but 
are  expressly  excluded  from  it,  and  the  only  duty 
of  the  Corporation  is  to  get  rid  of  them. 


QUESTIONS. 


by  such  a  proceeding ;  let  them'  be  judiciously 
applied  in  making  the  parks  more  enjoyable  by 
planting  suitable  trees  and  shrubs. 


B279.— Vaee  plants. —Will  someof  your  correspondents 
kindly  give  me  the  namt's  of  a  few  of  the  most  suitable  vase 
plants  ?  I  want  them  for  cullivatlDg  in  terra-cotta  vases 
in  a  garden  at  Brixton.— C.  U. 

B280.— Palms.— Can  any  of  the  readers  of  The  Garden 
tell  me  where  I  can  get  fruit  of  Lodoicea  sechellarum  and 
lecythis  Ollaria.  and  about  what  would  be  the  pi  ice?  Any 
advice  will  greatly  oblige.— H.  G.  Doebner,  Hacking,  near 
Vienna. 

62S1.— Killing  ants.- Will  any  of  the  readers  of  The 
Gariien  kindly  tell  me  what  will  destroy  exotic  ants- 
something  not  injurious  to  plants?  We  have  been  trapping 
them  with  sugar  and  water,  but  the  process  is  too  slow  ; 
they  seem  to  dislike  going  into  it.— E.  T.  B. 

5282. — Peaches. — Will  some  of  your  correspondents 
assist  me  by  naming  six  of  the  best  early  Peaches  for  pots, 
six  of  the  beat  early  kinds  for  outdoors,  six  of  the  best 
mid-season' sorts,  and  six  of  the  best  late  varieties?  I  have 
consulted  the  pages  of  THE  GARDEN,  but  I  am  still  at  a  loss 
to  know  which  is  the  very  best  to  grow. — GEORGE  Barnes, 
£tinbUTi/. 

6283.  —  AmpelopBls  Bempervlrens  (alias  Vitis 
striata?). — W^ are's  last  catalogue  says  it  has  "the  same 
clinging  nature"  as  A.  Veitchi.  Is  this  so?  A  genuine 
evergreen  Veitchi  would  be  a  delight,  but  a  plant,  sold  as 
sempervirens,  which  I  had  three  years  ago.  and  which  died 
off  somehow,  did  not,  to  my  inspection,  form  any  organs 
of  adhesion.— T.  T. 

6284.— Fruit  trees  for  a  north  wall.-  We  have  a 
stone  wall  facing  north-north-ei\st  furnished  with  Pear 
trees,  which  are  very  large  and  old  and  bear  no  fruit.  The 
soil  is  very  wet  aiul  heavy,  and  we  are  thinking  of  doing 
away  with  the  Pear  trees.  We  would  therefore  be  glad  if 
some  of  your  readers  would  give  us  some  information  as  to 
what  would  do  best  in  their  steail.  Would  Gooseberries  do  ? 
We  do  no  want  Morello  Cherries.— J.  A.  C,  Watsrford 


Preston  Parll,  which  was  recently  purchased 
by  the  Corporation  of  Brighton  at  a  cost  of  over 
£50,000,  was  formally  opened  to  the  public  on 
Saturday  by  the  mayor,  Mr.  Alderman  A.  H.  Cox, 
in  the  presence  of  at  least  20.000  people.  A  pro- 
cession, in  which  the  members  of  the  Town  Coun- 
cil and  their  friends  took  part,  made  a  tour  around 
the  park.  At  tlie  southern  entrance  a  halt  wa? 
made  to  enable  the  mayoress  to  plant  a  Chestnut 
tree  presented  by  Lord  Salisbury,  at  a  short  dis- 
tance from  one  sent  by  Mr.  Gladstone,  and  planted 
by  the  same  lady  a  few  weeks  ago.  Prior  to  the 
commencement  of  the  ceremony  the  mayoress  was 
presented  with  a  silver  spade.  After  the  tree  had 
been  planted  a  move  was  made  to  another  part  of  the 
park,  wherea  square  had  been  formed  by  tlie  military 
and  naval  forces.  Here  the  mayor  was  presented 
with  a  silver  key  and  congratulated  on  the  acqui- 
sition of  the  park  for  the  public  during  his  year  of 
office.  The  mayor  having  declared  the  park  open 
amidst  hearty  cheers,  the  bands  played  the  Na- 
tional Anthem,  and  the  bodies  forming  the  pro- 
cession moved  out  of  the  park  and  returned  to 
their  respective  headquarters.  A  number  of  roads 
have  been  made  in  the  park  and  flower  beds  laid 
out,  and  in  addition  a  fine  horse  ride  has  been 
cut. 

Southwark  Park. — It  is  said  that  the  Parks 
Committee  of  the  Metropolitan  Board  of  Works 
have  viewed  this  park  with  the  idea  of  forming  a 
lake,  and  have  gone  as  far  as  selecting  the  site. 
The  representative  of  the  local  vestry  has  stated 
that  he  has  every  reason  to  believe  that  this  pro- 
posal would  be  successfully  carried  out.  Where 
will  the  Board  of  Works  put  a  duck-pond  next  1 
Perhaps  in  the  Embankment  gardens.  There  would 
be  quite  as  much  propriety  in  doing  so  as  to  try 
to  form  an  ornamental  lake  in  a  handful  of  space 
such  as  is  contained  in  Southwark  Park,  which  is 
already  too  small  to  meet  the  requirements  of  the 
locality,  and  a  lake  would  not  only  curtail  this 
limited  space,  but  could  never  be  made  really 
ornamental.  There  are  better  ways  of  disposing  of 
the  surplus  funds  of  the  Parks  Committee  than 


OBITUAEY. 

MRS.  MILES. 
We  regret  to  announce  the  death  of  this  accom- 
plished lady,  widow  of  the  late  rector  of  Bingham 
and  mother  of  Mr.  Frank  Miles.  Mrs.  Miles  had 
a  singularly  graceful  and  true  touch  as  a  flower 
painter,  and  did  a  good  deal  of  beautiful  work  in 
that  way,  notwithstanding  her  numerous  home 
duties.  Of  her  qualities  as  an  artist  our  readers 
have  some  means  of  judging  by  her  plates  in  The 
Garden  of  Daffodils  (p.  202,  Vol.  XV.,  1879), 
Veronica,  Japanese  (p.  448,  Vol.  XIX.,  1881),  Cri- 
num  Mooreanum  (p.  260,  Vol.  XIX.,  1881),  and 
Leichtlin's  Lily  (p.  236,  Vol.  XXI.,  1882).  Mr. 
Ruskin  had  the  keenest  delight  in  her  command  of 
tint,  and  bought  someof  her  sketches  for  his  school 
at  Oxford,  and  Millais  had  a  high  appreciation  of 
her  flower  drawing.  Her  father,  the  Rev.  C.  Peach, 
was  a  well-known  gardener  and  fruit  grower,  and 
her  brother  is  the  Rev.  C.  Peach,  of  Mai  ton,  also 
known  among  the  good  gardeners.  She  was  taken 
suddenly  and  seriously  ill  on  the  anniversary  of 
her  husband's  burial,  and  died  a  few  days  after- 
wards, on  Saturday,  November  15,  at  Shirehamp- 
ton,  near  Bristol,  whence  she  removed  after  the 
death  of  Canon  Miles  at  Bingham  Rectory  last 
year. 

Mr.  William  Parker  Hamond,  of  Pampistord 
Hall,  Cambridgeshire,  and  of  Haling,  near  Croy- 
don, Surrey,  formerlj'  high  sherifl!  of  the  former 
county,  died  on  the  12th  inst.  at  his  seat  near 
Cambridge.  He  was  the  only  son  of  the  late  Mr. 
William  Parker  Hamond,  and  was  born  in  1827. 
Mr.  Hamond  was  educated  at  Eton  and  at  Trinity 
College,  Cambridge,  and  was  called  to  the  Bar  at 
Lincoln's  Inn  in  Michaelmas  term,  1853.  He  was 
also  well  known  as  one  of  the  most  extensive 
planters  of  coniferous  trees  in  England. 

We  learn,  just  as  we  are  going  to  press,  that 
Mr.  Lockett,  of  Stamford  Hill,  died  at  his  resi- 
dence there  on  Wednesday  last,  the  19th  inst. 
Mr.  Bockett  has  long  been  known  in  connection 
with  Orchid  culture,  and  his  collection  is  remark- 
able both  for  extent  and  richness  of  variety. 


ZATJE  NOTES. 


Odontoglossuma  (&'.  //.  Coie).— All  three  blooms 
represent  veiy  ^'nud  fonns.  No.  2  is  the  most  distinct,  the 
spots  being  unusually  lai-ge  tind  bright.  The  number  of 
flowers  on  each  spike  (eighteen  and  twenty)  is  considered 
an  average  nmuber. 

Crocus  nudlflorus.— Can  anyone  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Nottingham  send  me  some  bulbs  of  this  Crocus  ? 
I  have  two  or  three  bulhs  nf  the  white  Martagon  Lily  to 
spare,  and  should  be  glad  to  give  them  in  exchange.— 
M.  P.  FORSTER,  Lesbury,  Northuiriberland. 

Diseased  leaves  (R.  C ,  St.  Bosu)dVs).—We  have 
examined  your  leaves  carefully.  They  appear  to  he  scorched 
or  scalded,  perhaps  by  the  sun  shining  on  them  wliilst  wet. 
The  white  material,  which  looks  like  mildew,  is  inorganic, 
and  probably  something  which  has  been  syringed  over  the 
plants.    There  are  no  traces  of  fungi  or  insects.- W.  G.  S. 


Names  of  plants.— J/.  .E?Ji«.— Euonymus  europteus ; 
appears  to  be  a  variety  of   Rhododendron  Nobleanum, 

which  is  an  early-flowering  kind. J.  Lindsay.— I,  species 

of  Argemone  (send  in  Hower) ;  2,  Hibiscus  Trionum  ;  3, 

Alonsoa  Warscewiczi. G.  Harris.— I,  Alchemilla  alpin^a ; 

2,  Primula  Sieboldi  (cortusoides  amo;na), B.  J.  H.—l, 

Cryptomeria  japonica  ;  2,  Thujopsis  dolobrata ;  3,  Thuja 

gigantea ;  4,  Cryirtomeria  elcgans. 2/or(«s.— Please  send 

specimens  of  yoiu-  Ferns  again. W.  Shepherd.— Second 

flowers  of  L.aburnum  alpinimi. B.  F.  G. — 1,  Hoya  car- 

nosa  ;  2.  Begonia  metallica  ;  3,  Platycerium  alcicorne  ;  4, 

Eupatorinnrj'raseri. T.  M.  i'.-Dendrobium  is  probably 

D.  cai-iniferum,  but  the  specimen  is  too  small  to  identify 
with  accuracy  ;  name  of  creeper  next  week. 

Names  of  fruits  —J.  D.  11.— 1,  not  knomi ;  2,  Scarlet 
Pvussct ;  !>,  Barcelona  Pearmain  ;  6,  Fearn's  Pippin  ;  7,  Cox'a 

Orant'i-  I'iiijiin  ;  8,  Pe,ars  too  much  decayed. H.  T  Myers. 

—1,  Sliiincl  Hceflng;  2,  Wellington  ;  3,  Golden  Codlin ;  4, 
Bedfordshire  Foundling ;  S  and  6.  Eeinette  du  Canada  ;  7, 

not  known  ;  8,  Coiurt  of  Wick. 0.  Mitchison.— Yorkshire 

Greening. J.  K.—l,  Court  of  Wick;   2,  King  of  the 

Pippins  ;  3,  iUli-iston  ;  4,  King  of  the  Pippins ;  others  next 
week. 


THE     GARDEN 


451 


Mo.  680.  SATURDAY,  Hon.  29,  7884.       Vol.  XXVI. 


"  This  is  an  Art 
\Miich  does  mend  Nature  :  chancre  it  rather :  but 
The  art  itself  is  Natpkk."— SAatojwarc. 


BELGIAN  WAY  OF  PACKING  FRUIT. 
The  following  practical  remarlis  on  the  packing 
and  carriage  of  some  of  the  more  delicate  kinds 
of  fruit  by  M.  Ed.  Pynaert,  professor  in  the  School 
of  Horticulture  at  Ghent,  will,  we  have  no  doubt, 
be  read  with  interest :  "  Fruits  destined  for 
carriage  should  not,"  he  says,  "  be  too  ripe,  and  all 
bruised  or  attacked  by  insects  should  be  set  aside, 
as  they  are  certain  to  spoil  the  rest.  They  should 
te  carefully  picked  over,  one  by  one,  each  fruit 
being  at  the  same  time  gently  brushed  over  with 
a  soft  brush,  except  in  the  case  of  fruit  covered 
with  bloom,  such  as  Plums  or  black  Grapes,  or 
those  which  are  very  soft,  such  as  Raspberries  and 
Mulberries.  The  fruit  should  be  picked  a  day  or 
two  beforehand  and  laid  in  a  dry,  airy  place  in 
order  to  get  rid  of  a  portion  of  its  superabundant 
moisture.  The  materials  which  are  used  in  pack- 
ing to  prevent  the  fruit  from  rubbing  should  also 
be  thoroughly  dried.  It  is  scarcely  necessary  to 
add  that,  in  gathering,  the  fruit  should  be  gently 
laid  in  a  broad  basket  having  in  the  bottom  a  thick 
layer  of  soft  Moss  covered  with  tissue  paper,  that 
they  should  not  be  allowed  to  touch, and  must  not 
be  heaped  on  one  another  in  layers.  The  boxes  in 
which  the  fruit  is  to  travel  must  not  be  too  large, 
as  it  is  an  essential  condition  that  it  should  be 
packed  closely  enough  to  prevent  the  least  shaking, 
an  arrangement  which  would  render  the  boxes 
inconveniently  heavy  if  they  were  of  too  great 
size.  When  several  kinds  of  fruit,  as  Peaches, 
Raspberries,  Cherries,  Grapes,  kc,  are  to  be  ssnt 
together,  there  should  be  a  separate  box  for  each, 
unless  when  the  quantity  is  very  small,  in  which 
case  they  may  be  laid  on  trays  or  false  bottoms 
in  the  same  box.  The  strength  and  solidity 
of  the  boxes  should  be  proportioned  to  the 
length  of  the  journey  and  the  amount  of  rough 
treatment  they  are  likely  to  meet  with.  They 
should  be  made  of  any  soft  timber  except  deal,  as, 
generally  speaking,  there  is  a  resinous  odour  from 
it  which  might  affect  the  natural  perfume  of  the 
fruit.  For  constant  use  we  would  recommend 
boxes  with  hinged  lids,  and  locks  of  which  both 
the  sender  and  the  consignee  should  have  keys. 
In  winter  the  fruit  should  be  protected  from  frost 
by  covering  the  boxes  with  an  outside  coating  or 
layer  of  Moss  or  straw  at  least  2|  or  3  inches  thick 
and  surrounding  the  whole  with  matting.  Peaches, 
if  picked  two  or  three  days  before  they  are  per- 
fectly ripe,  will  bear  a  journey  of  several  days' 
duration  well.  Clingstone  Peaches  and  Necta- 
rines should  be  quite  ripe  when  gathered,  and  will 
keep  longer  than  freestone  Peaches,  In  packing, 
each  fruit  should  be  put  up  separately  in  tissue 
paper.  The  fruits  should  then  be  laid  on  a  bed  of 
bran  or  good  dry,  white  sawdust,  from  which  the 
finer  particles  have  been  sifted.  They  should  then 
be  placed  about  half  an  inch  apart  every  way  and 
covered  up  with  bran  or  sawdust,  which  should  be 
pressed  into  all  the  interstices.  On  this  layer  of 
bran  or  sawdust  another  layer  of  fruit  should  be 
placed  and  treated  in  the  same  way,  but  not  more 
than  three,  or  at  most  four,  layers  of  fruit  should 
be  packed  in  the  same  box.     The  box  should  be 


gently  shaken  from  time  to  time  while  packing,  so 
as  to  settle  the  contents  and  fill  up  all  crevices  ; 
it  should  never  be  more  than  10  inches  long,  13 
inches  wide,  and  11  inches  deep.  A  box  of  this 
size  will  hold  about  five  dozen  Peaches.  When 
the  quantity  of  Peaches  to  be  sent  is  considerable, 
and  more  especially  in  cases  where  a  supply  has 
to  be  sent  regularly  to  a  great  distance,  the  pack- 
ing must  be  of  a  more  elaborate  kind.  Each  box 
should  be  made  with  a  number  of  trays  or  false 
bottoms,  so  that  the  fruits  may  be  placed  in  sepa- 
rate layers  with  a  space  of  3  inches  or  3J  inches 
between  them.  The  trays  or  false  bottoms  rest  on 
ledges  nailed  on  the  inside  of  the  box,  and  the  in- 
termediate spaces  are  divided,  like  a  chess-board, 
into  small  squares  of  3  inches  or  3.i  inches,  inside 
measurement,  in  each  of  which  is  placed  one 
Peach,  wrapped  in  tissue  paper  and  carefully 
packed  firmly  in  its  place  with  tow  or  bran. 
Apricots  and  Plums,  not  being  so  delicate  as 
Peaches,  require  less  care.  They  are  wrapped  in 
tissue  paper  and  packed  in  layers,  with  dry  Moss 
between  the  layers.  When  the  Apricots  are  large 
they  should  be  packed  like  Peaches,  and  this  should 
always  be  done  when  they  have  to  travel  long  dis- 
tances. Plums  will  keep  for  some  time,  some 
varieties  longer  than  others.  Apricots  also  will 
keep  longer  than  Peaches.  Cherries  should  first 
be  washed  in  a  basin  of  water  with  a  very  soft 
brush ;  they  should  then  be  wiped  dry,  laid  be- 
tween two  sheets  of  tissue  paper,  and  packed  with 
alternate  layers  of  tow.  Grapes  may  be  packed 
like  Peaches.  The  bran  or  sawdust  settling  down 
between  the  fruit  prevents  injury  from  rubbing, 
but  it  has  the  disadvantage  of  always  adhering  to 
the  latter  to  a  greater  or  less  extent.  When  the 
fruit  is  perfectly  dry  it  may  be].blown  off,  or  the 
fruit  may  be  in  the  first  place  done  up  in  tissue 
piper.  When  Grapes  are  sent  by  rail,  and  the 
distance  is  not  very  great,  as  from  Paris  to 
Brussels,  it  is  generally  considered  sufficient  to 
pack  them  in  layers,  two  or  three  in  a  box,  with  a 
little  Moss  between  them.  Raspberries  will  not 
bear  a  longer  journey  than  one  of  a  couple  of 
days'  duration.  They  should  be  ripe,  but  not  too 
ripe,  and  should  be  packed  immediately  after  they 
are  gathered.  They  are  packed  in  tow  like 
Cherries,  being  first  wrapped  separately  in  tissue 
paper.  They  should  not  be  packed  in  more  than 
four  or  five  layers,  as  they  are  very  liable  to  be- 
come heated.  The  same  remark  applies  to  Mul- 
berries and  Gooseberries,  but  the  last  named  are 
not  so  delicate,  and  will  keep  longer.  Figs  will 
keep  for  some  time.  They  should  be  packed  in  dry 
Moss." 


ORCHARDS  IN  FRUIT-SICK  SOILS. 

Much  attention  has  lately  been  paid  to  the  selec- 
tion and  cultivation  of  suitable  varieties  of 
Apples  ;  therefore,  just  now  we  can  dispense  with 
any  further  reference  to  these  matters.  But  there 
is  a  good  deal  that  may  yet  be  said  on  other 
points  in  connection  with  this  subject.  No  one 
has,  for  instance,  sufliciently  insisted  on  the 
need  there  is  for  new  sites  for  our  orchards. 
This  is,  however,  important,  for  I  am  satisfied  if 
we  are  in  this  country  to  derive  the  benefits  from 
an  extension  in  the  way  of  fruit  culture  which  so 
many  are  advocating,  there  must  be  a  wide  depar- 
ture from  the  course  that  has  been  so  long  fol- 
lowed. The  practice  of  retaining  old  orchards 
must  be  given  up,  and  fresh  sites  selected  if  we  are 
to  reap  a  full  measure  of  success.  No  argument  is 
necessary  to  show  how  short-sighted  the  policy 
must  be  which  advocates  the  planting  of  young  trees 
in  a  tree-sick  soil,  yet  in  most  of  our  fruit  growing 
districts  this  system  has  been  going  on  for  gene- 


rations, and  I  see  no  hope  of  improvement.  Land- 
owners should  insist  on  stipulations  that  shall  secure 
the  destruction  of  old  orchards  and  the  replanting 
of  new  ones  on  land  that  has  not  previously  grown 
fruits.  These  remarks,  I  ought  to  say,  do  not 
apply  to  growers  for  market ;  they  are  meant 
to  apply  more  particularly  to  the  farm  orchards 
of  Hereford,  Somerset,  and  Devonshire,  and  I 
think  all  will  admit  that  the  condition  of  the 
majority  of  orchards  in  these  counties  is  such 
that  no  intelligent  foreigner  would  gain  the  im- 
pression that  we  were  capable  of  managing 
fruit  trees  in  a  proper  manner.  Of  course  while 
there  was  no  depression  in  agricultural  matters,  a 
few  acres  of  orchard  land  that  did  not  yield  a  fair 
return  for  the  outlay  was  not  of  much  conse- 
quence, but  now  people  have  to  look  to  something 
else  than  Corn  with  which  to  pay  rents  and  taxes. 
The  energies  of  sufferers  from  bad  times  may  be 
profitably  devoted  to  fruit  culture,  but  it  must  be 
conducted  on  different  lines  from  those  hitherto 
followed. 

The  kequirements  of  feuit  trees  form  no 
exception  to  those  of  any  other  crops.  Their 
wants  must  be  studied  if  their  cultivation  is  to  be 
made  a  source  of  profit.  Suitable  sorts  must  be 
selected  to  meet  local  conditions.  A  sheltered 
situation  and  good  soil  must  also  be  provided,  and 
the  planting  and  after  management  must  be  con- 
ducted in  a  liberal  manner.  In  fact,  the  care  and 
intelligence  usually  devoted  to  other  crops  must 
be  exercised  if  we  are  to  realise  the  full  extent  of 
the  benefits  that  ought  to  accrue  from  an  exten- 
sion of  Apple  culture.  Those,  however,  most  in- 
terested in  the  land  must  be  the  first  to  move  in 
this  matter.  If  landlords  find  it  necessary  to  have 
covenants  that  will  insure  a  proper  course  of  hus- 
bandry as  regards  corn  crops,  it  is  equally  essen- 
tial that  the  same  course  be  adopted  in  regard  to 
Apple  orchards ;  and  what  is  there  to  prevent 
this  ?  As  at  present  arranged  most  land- 
lords insert  such  clauses  in  leases  as  bind 
the  tenant  to  replace  any  dead  trees  and 
keep  the  orchards  well  attended  to  in  other 
respects.  Therefore  it  would  be  easy  to  make  it 
imperative  to  plant  a  certain  number  of  acres  on 
each  farm  with  Apple  trees  once  in  seven  years 
on  land  on  which  fruit  trees  have  not  been  grown 
before.  There  would  be  no  hardship  in  that,  pro- 
vided the  terms  between  landlord  and  tenant  were 
just  and  equitable. 

As  TO  CULTIVATION,  I  Only  need  stop  to  say 
that  a  change  in  the  arrangement  of  the  trees  is 
most  desirable.  In  the  majority  of  cases  the  trees 
are  planted  in  the  first  place  much  too  far  apart. 
The  most  fruitful  orchards  are  those  in  which  the 
trees  are  sufficiently  close  together  to  shelter  each 
other.  This  would  seem  to  show  that  the  best 
kind  of  shelter  is  that  secured  by  the  trees  them- 
selves. It  I  were  about  to  plant  an  orchard  I 
should  select  trees  on  stems  5  feet  high,  plant 
them  from  16  feet  to  20  feet  apart  each  way,  and 
feed  off  the  Grass  with  sheep.  Much  of  the  fruit 
supplied  to  local  markets  in  the  west  of  England 
is  grown  in  small  orchards  and  gardens  where  the 
trees  stand  even  closer  than  the  distances  just 
named,  and  no  particular  form  of  tree  is  pre- 
ferred. Some  of  them  are  half  bush  and  half 
standard,  but  in  many  cases  the  branches  touch 
and  mingle  with  each  other. 

The  next  question  which  arises  in  connection 
with  this  subject  is.  Will  it  pay  to  grow  Apples  ? 
or  rather  will  it  pay  to  extend  the  land  now  occu- 
pied by  them  1  The  answer  must  depend  entirely 
upon  the  facility  of  obtaining  a  market  for  them. 
Undoubtedly  fruit  growing  would  pay  provided  the 
grower  could  get  his  just  share  of  the  proceeds. 
Compared  with  what  the  public  pays  for  iinported 
fruit  at  present,  small  growers  do  not  obtain  suffi- 
cient money  for  their  produce,  yet  from  small 
gardens  the  best  fruit  comes,  because  as  a  rule 
more  attention  is  paid  in  them  to  selection  than 
in  large  ones.  Where,  however,  people  reside  in 
outlying  districts,  it  is  difficult  to  find  a  market 
for  their  produce,  which  is  often  too  small  to  make 
it  worth  while  to  incur  the  expense  of  taking  it 
8  miles  or  10  miles  to  the  nearest  market.  They 
therefore  sell  their  fruit  at  home  for  what  they 


45i 


THE    GARDEN 


[Nov.  29,   1884. 


can  get  for  it.  People  hardly  believe  me  when  I 
say  that  at  the  end  of  last  September  I  could 
have  bought  plenty  of  Apples  that  would  keep  till 
Christmas  at  4s.  per  bag  of  120  pounds.  I  do  not 
blame  them  for  their  incredulity,  but  I  can  assure 
them  that  that  was  the  case. 

As  TO  THE  EXTENSION  OF  APPLB  CULTUEB,  I 

have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  it  is  not  wanted 
until  suitable  markets  are  provided.  In  the  western 
counties  we  have  a  good  soil  and  climate,  and  if 
we  only  set  about  growing  fruit  in  the  right  way 
I  believe  it  conld  be  had  equal  to  any  that 
is  imported,  but  we  must  have  better  markets. 
Some  think  that  Apples  grown  in  England  are 
not  equal  to  those  imported.  I  very  much  doubt, 
however,  if  better  fruit  was  ever  imported  than 
that  which  was  to  be  seen  at  the  Apple  show  at 
Exeter  in  October  last,  and  again  at  Yeovil  and 
Taunton  Fruit  Shows,  held  on  the  18th  and  20th 
inst.  The  Apples  shown  on  these  occasions  proved 
•  that  nothing  was  wanting  in  the  west,  at  least,  to 
produce  fine  fruit.  If  the  selection  and  manage- 
ment are  right,  it  is  just  as  easy  to  grow  fruit  on 
a  large  scale  as  on  a  small  one,  and  given  a  suit- 
able market,  good  Apples  would  in  a  few  years  be 
forthcoming  in  any  quantity.  J.  C.  C. 


PLANTS    IN    FLOWEB; 


Autumn  flowers.— still  some  Tea  Roses — Madame 
Falcot  and  buds  of  Rubeue.  lliree  days  ago  I  coimtt-d 
uearly  eighty  plants  and  shrubs  in  flower.  — G.  J.,  Aor.  20. 

*»''  The  Tea  Roses  very  good  indeed.— Ed. 

Ceanothus  Gloire  de  Versailles —I  send  you  a 
fpiay  of  this  beautiful  Ceanotlius  which  is  planted  against 
a  soutli  wall.  It  is  8  feet  high  and  is  a  mass  f>f  blue.  Next 
it  is  Solanum  jasminoides,  a  mass  of  white  blcssoni.  The 
two  together  contrast  well.  We  have  twice  had  10"^  of 
frost  here  this  autumn.  Our  Dahlias  have  long  since  died 
down.— M.  A  ,  Hall  Court,  Botlrij. 

*, '  Beautiful  sprays  of  this  Ceanothu",  which  is  untpies- 
tiouably  the  finest  of  all  the  hybrid  varieties  and  one  of  the 
hardiest.  The  fact  that  Solanum  jasminoides  is  now 
floweritig  in  the  open  air  speaks  much  for  its  hardiness. — 
Ep. 

Linarla  triornlthODhora.— A  few  months  ago  I 
sent  you  some  biennis  of  this  Linaria  with  a  hope  it  mipht 
he  brought  into  Tujtire  as  an  exceedingly  pretty  border 
plant.  I  now  send  a  few  more  blooms,  just  cut  from  plants 
out-of-doors,  both  to  show  the  length  of  time  it  keeps  in 
ll'^wer  .as  well  as  the  great  variety  of  colour.— A.  RAWSON, 
M'indermere. 

***  The  specimens  which  Mr.  Rawson  now  send  are 
almost  as  fine  as  those  he  sent  in  the  summer.  There  are 
two  distinct  varieties,  one  with  deep  purple-maroon  flowers, 
the  colour  of  the  other  being  a  delicate  pink  with  the 
raouth  and  spur  of  a  reddish  purple.  lioth  are  extremely 
pretty,  and  we  hope  that  Mr.  Rawson's  note  may  lead  to 
bring  a  neglected  plant  under  the  notice  of  hardy  flower 
lovers. — Ell. 

SchizoBtylis  coccinea.  —  A  handful  of 
spikes  of  this  bright  autumn-flowering  plant  has 
been  sent  to  us  by  Mr.  Cannell  from  his  nursery 
at  Swanley,  with  a  note  saying  that  "  it  is  the  best 
cut  flower  to  continue  in  perfection  for  a  week  in  a 
warm  room."  We  have  proved  what  Mr.  Cannell 
says  ;  for  the  last  six  days  the  flowers  have  success- 
fully expanded  widely  in  a  warm  room  until  all 
the  buds  are  exhausted  on  the  spike.  Such  a 
beautiful  crimson  flower  as  tliis  ought  tobe grown 
in  quantity  in  every  garden,  more  especially  as  it 
is  so  easily  grown  and  flowered.  It  likes  a  light, 
rich,  warm  soil,  and  if  the  weather  is  dull  at 
flowering  time  the  spikes  had  better  be  cut  and 
placed  in  a  warm  room. 

Kniphofla  foliosa.— This  is  probably  best 
known  under  its  old  name  of  K.  Cjuartiniana. 
Although,  perhaps,  not  so  handsome  as  K. 
caulescens,  a  nearly  allied  species,  it  is  not  with- 
out merit.  In  warm,  sandy  soils  and  in  shel- 
tered positions  it  is  seldom  harmed,  even  during 
severe  winters,  but  where  the  soil  is  retentive  it 
should  be  protected.  Unlike  the  others,  which  all 
grow  upright,  the  stems  of  this  species  are  pro- 
duced at  almost  right  angles  with  the  base.  The 
flower- stalks,  however,  slowly  turn  upwards  when 
quite  young,  and  assume  a  vertical  position,  which 
they  afterwards  retain.  At  Kew,  a  large  healthy 
plant  of  it  is  throwing  cp  numerous  spikes  of  its 
light  red  ealmon-coloured    flowere,     The  young 

Rhoots  if  taKen  off  d'^w  rnay  bg  easily  rooted  in 
sand,  -     ,    .r    .        .^    ,,,^  ^ 


Impatlens    Hookeriana.  —  This   is   the 
largest  flowered  and  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of 
Indian  Balsams,  but  unfortunately  it  is  of  com- 
paratively little  value  to  English  cultivators,  be- 
cause of  its  being  somewhat  difficult  to  flower. 
It  was  introduced  more  than   thirty  years  ago 
from  Ceylon  to  Kew,  where  it  flowered  soon  after 
its  arrival,  and  was  figured  in  the  Botanical  Maga- 
zine, t.  4701.     Since  that  time,  although  cultivated 
in  several   gardens,  a  plant  of   this  Impatiens 
bearing  flowers  has  been  of  extremely  rare  occur- 
rence.   We  saw  it  in  Mr.  Bull's  nursery  at  Chelsea 
several  years  ago,  and  now  again  we  find  it  in 
flower  at  Kew,  where  Balsams  have  recently  re- 
ceived much  attention.    The  Kew  plants  of  it  are 
about  l.|  feet  high,  somewhat  bushy  in  form,  the 
branches  being  stout,  succulent,  and  green.    The 
foliage  is  of   the  ordinary   Balsam  type,  about 
3  inches  long,  and  over  an  inch  in  width.     The 
flowers  are   borne  on  erect  peduncles  near   the 
ends  of  the  shoots,  from  two  to  six  flowers  being 
on  each  stalk.     They  are  large,  white,  except  a 
few  streaks  of  red  on  the  lower  divisions,  and 
may  be  fittingly  likened  to  a  good  flower  of  Odon- 
toglossum  Roezli,  with  the  addition  of  a  long, 
curving,  tapering  spur.     Altogether  it  is  a  hand- 
some flowering  plant,  but  difiicult  to  bloom.     In 
Ceylon  this  Balsam  forms  a  shrub  often  il  feet  in 
height,  with  branches  as  thick  as  the  finger,  and, 
of    course,  plenty   of    flowers  in  the    flowering 
season.     India,  as  well  as  Ceylon,  literally  teems 
with  distinct   and  beautiful  Balsams,   many   of 
which  would,  if  introduced,  prove  as  useful  for 
garden  purposes  as,  for  instance,  the  African  I. 
Sultani  has  proved  to  be.     The  species,  too,  com- 
prise a  host  of  varieties.    Sir  Joseph  Hooker  says : 
"  It  would  be  difficult  to  indicate  another  genus 
in  the  vegetable  kingdom  presenting  among  its 
species  so  many  and  such  different  modifications 
of  structure  and  of  which  the  species  are  so  uni- 
versally and  so  excessively  prone  to  vary." 


NOTES  or  THE  WEEK. 


Gardeners'  Benevolent  Institution 
Augmentation  Fund.— If  gardeners  in  general 
were  as  energetic  in  collecting  money  for  this 
fund  as  Mr.  Coleman,  of  Eastnor  Castle,  Mr.  Owen 
Thomas,  of  Chatsworth,  and  his  neighbour,  Mr. 
Swaine  (cashier  to  the  Duke  of  Devonshire),  the 
£420  needed  to  complete  the  i20,000,  the  sum 
required  to  be  raised,  would  soon  be  obtained.  Mr. 
Coleman  has  collected  no  less  than  i40  4s.  6d , 
and  Mr.  Thomas  and  Mr.  Swaine  i'40  I'.is.  6d. 
The  latter  sum  has  been  collected  among  some 
seventy  subscribers. 

Exhibition  of  flowering  bulbs  at 
Haarlem.— In  1885  the  General  Society  for  Bulb 
Cultureat  Haarlem  will  celebrate  the  fourth  centiiry 
of  its  existence,  and  on  that  occasion  an  exhibition 
will  be  opened  on  a  large  scale— one  of  the  quin- 
quennial shows  of  the  society.  Similar  exhibi- 
tions took  place  in  1875  and  1880.  That  now  an- 
nounced, however,  will  surpass  all  its  predecessors, 
and  if  it  realises  the  expectations  of  its  promo- 
ters it  will  be  the  best  show  of  flowering  bulbs 
and  tuberous-rooted  plants  ever  held  in  Haarlem. 
It  will  be  open  from  March  20  to  24.  In  the 
schedule  of  prizes  there  are  140  entries,  for  which 
.■)81  medals  are  offered  (gold,  gilt,  silver,  and 
bronze),  and  to  some  of  them  money  prizes  are 
added,  the  value  being  more  than  i'500.  There 
are  87  medals  for  Hyacinths,  CO  for  Tulips,  17  for 
Narcissi,  and  smaller  numbers  for  Crocuses,  Fri- 
tillarias.  Snowdrops,  Leucojums,  Scillas,  Cbiono- 
doxas,  Muscari,  Erythroniums,  Anemones,  Ranun- 
culuses, Liliums,  Gladioli,  Irises,  Helleborus,  He- 
paticas,  Trillium^,  Convallarias,  Hoteias,  Spir^as, 
Dicentras,  terrestrial  Orchids,  I'aeonias,  Amaryl- 
lises, Imantophyllums,  Eucharis,  Orchids,  Ges- 
neraccie.  Begonias,  Anthuriums,  Caladiums,  Callas, 
Cyclamens,  Tropaoolums,  Lachenalias,  Sparaxis, 
Phormiums,  and  Yuccas,  as  well  as  for  miccella- 
neous  subjects,  rare  or  new  bulbous  and  tuberous- 
rooted  plants,  Moreover,  large  numbers  of  medals 
are  offered  for  table  decorations,  bouquets,  ar. 
rangements  of  flowers,  hanging  baskets,  iiO.,  with 
I  tlii?  QooditJon  tbftt  all  tb?  flowers  of  vfhich  tbe 


arrangements  consist  ought  to  be  those  of 
bulbous  or  tuberous-rooted  plants.  This  show  will 
doubtless  prove  a  great  attraction  to  all  those  who 
take  an  interest  in  bulb-growing.  It  will  convey 
a  better  idea  of  the  kinds  of  spring  bulbs  grown 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Haarlem  than  any  show 
hitherto  held  there,  and  will  be  well  worth  going 
to  Holland  to  see. 

Bed-spotted  Potatoes. —  On  examining 
the  Potatoes  earthed  upon  the  Jensenian  plan  at 
Chiswick  many  tubers  were  found  to  be  spotted 
internally  with  reddish  brown,  no  symptom  of  the 
disease  being  visible  on  the  surface.  A  large  pro- 
portion of  certain  crops  both  in  Yorkshire  and 
Norfolk  have  this  autumn  been  found  to  be  un- 
saleable from  this  cause.  The  scientific  committee 
of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  would  be  glad 
of  any  information  on  the  subject,  especially  (1) 
as  to  the  amount  of  crops  thus  diseased,  (2)  the 
character  of  the  soil,  (3)  nature  and  quantity  of 
the  manure  used,  (4)  whether  early  or  late  varie- 
ties are  most  attacked,  (5)  name  of  the  varieties 
most  affected.  The  disease  appears  to  be  quite 
distinct  from  the  ordinary  Potato  disease.  Com- 
munications are  requested  to  be  sent  to  the  Rev. 
G.  Henslow,  Drayton  House,  Ealing. 

Cranberries. — The  annual  imports  of  Ameri- 
can Cranberries  have  made  their  appearance  in 
the  London  markets.  A  sample  of  fruit  of  a 
variety  called  the  Black  Duck,  grown  at  Wood- 
ville.  Nova  Scotia,  has  been  sent  to  us  by  Mr. 
Thorpe,  one  of  the  fruit  salesmen  in  Covent  Gar- 
den. This  is  a  variety  of  the  large  American 
Cranberry  (Vaccinium  macrocarpum),  having  glo- 
bular red  or  carmine  fruits  about  the  size  of  small 
Cherries.  It  is  an  excellent  kind  with  which  to 
make  jellies  or  preserves.  Cranberries  are  coin- 
paratively  unknown  fruits  in  England ;  only  in 
very  large  gardens  do  we  find  Cranberry  beds, 
and  these  often  do  not  receive  much  attention.  In 
America  Cranberry  culture  forms  an  important 
industry,  and  large  tracts,  often  many  acres  in 
extent,  are  devoted  specially  to  it.  As  Cran- 
berries require  a  moist  peat  for  their  successful 
culture,  the  first  preparation  of  the  ground  is  an 
important  consideration,  and  sometimes  expensive. 
There  is  a  little  book  on  Cranberry  culture  by 
J.  J.White,  published  by  Orange  Judd  &  Co  ,  New 
York,  in  which  there  is  much  useful  information 
on  the  subject.  Its  perusal  may  tempt  cultiva- 
tors in  this  country  to  devote  a  little  space  to 
Cranberries  in  localities  where  the  necessary  con- 
ditions for  their  successful  culture  exist. 


QUESTIONS. 


62s.i.— To-wn  trees.— The  head  master  of  Oiifton  Col- 
lege has  promised  to  plant  with  trees  and  shrubs  a  piece  of 
land  in  Bristol  which  has  recently  been  purchased  by  the 
Corporation  of  Bristol.  Be  is  anxious  to  do  it  well  and  to 
secure  the  greatest  variety  possible  of  plants  beautifnl 
either  for  foliage  or  flower  which  will  grow  in  a  rather  low 
and  damp  part  of  a  large  city.  WUl  some  of  your  readers 
have  the  kindness  to  supply  him  with  lists  of  such  plants 
as  their  experience  has  sliown  to  be  suitable  ?— G.  H.  W 

5286.- OH  lamp  stovea— We  are  looking  for  a  good 
oil  stove  for  consenatories,  &c.  We  have  tried  many 
American  sloves,  but  can  And  none  to  do  what  is  claimed 
for  them.  They  smoke  the  house  and  give  out  an  offensive 
gas,  which  .smells  badly.  Wc  see  two  different  oil  stoves 
advertised  in  THE  GAKDEN— one  Rippingille's  Patent,  made 
by  the  Holliorn  Lamp  Company,  and  the  other  made  by  the 
Albion  Lamp  Company,  Birmingham.  Can  any  of  your 
readers  tell  us  anything  about  these  stoves?  Will  they  do 
for  conservatories  ?  aud  do  they  work  satisfactorily  ?- J.  v ., 
N»w  i'orfr. 

5287. -Abortive  Amaryllis  blooms.— I  have  just 
taken  charge  of  a  collection  of  AmiU-yllises,  good  named 
sorts.  They  are  all  in  various  stages  of  flowering  and 
growing  quite  strongly,  but,  strange  to  say,  as  yet  not  one 
of  them  has  jierfected  a  .single  flower.  Pome  of  them  just 
show  colour  and  then  wither ;  more  of  the  flijwer-stems 
gt(.w  from  6  Inches  to  10  inches  high  and  then  become 
abortive.  In  all  cases  the  flower-stems  keep  fresh  and 
sappy.  The  plants  are  reiiuired  to  be  in  flower  from  August 
onwards.  They  have  been  grown  aU  summer  on  the  side 
stage  of  a  span-roofed  house  in  a  temperature  of  from  60° 
to  65°  and  distant  from  the  glass  about  7  feet.  They  have 
not  been  dried  off  ;  all  that  lost  their  foliage  were  kept  a 
little  (Irv,  I  turned  several  o\it  of  their  puts  and  found 
the  roots  in  all  caaes  in  good  active  condition  ;  they  bava 
nut  bci'ii  in.lled  fur  two  or  threo  years.  1  will  be  very 
niuih  ubli-ed  to  simio  ct  your  eonespondcnts  it  they  win 
favoiii  in,-  Willi  tlieir  opinion  on  this  nwttei',- 11,  K,   IMt: 


Nov.  29,  1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


453 


WARWICK  PRIORY. 
The  Priory,  unlike  Warwick  Castle,  only  shows  in 
part  it3  ancient  character,  the  garden  front  being 
mo  lern.  As  a  residence  in  the  very  heart  of  a 
town,  and  therefore  circumscribed  in  limit,  it  is 
hard  to  surpass,  and  the  improvements  that  have 
been  effected  in  the  last  two  decades  have  all  been 
in  the  right  direction.  Formerly  it  was  the  site  of 
the  church  and  priory  of  St.  Sepuljhre,  but  in  the 
reign  of  Elizabeth  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  a 
lucky  plebeian  yclept  Fisher,  and  since  then,  after 
an  interesting  series  of  change  of  ownership,  it 
has  passed  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  T.  Lloyd. 
At  any  season  you  may  visit  this  priory  you  may 
take  it  for  granted  that  Mr.  Greenfield,  an 
eminently  practical  gardener  from  that  best  of  all 
schools,  Dalkeith,  will  have  something  out  of  the 
Gammon  to  show.  Perhaps,  however,  the  spring 
season  is  the  best  time.  No  one  can  help  noticing 
how  well  the  grounds  harmonise  with  the  contour 
of  the  house.  On  the  e.xposed  side  they  slope 
down  to  the  railway,  which  is  exclude!  from  view 
by  a  woodland-like  walk,  which  circles  round 
about  midway  up  the  incline.     In  May  on  either 


that  an  avenue  has  lately  been  made  with  it. 
There  are  also  forty  varieties  of  Holly,  inclurling 
fine  specimens  of  uncommon  ones.  Laburnums 
and  Scarlet  Thorns  are  very  effectively  grouped 
and  planted,  and  there  are  not  too  many  of  them, 
as  is  very  often  the  case.  I  did  not  see  any 
Coluteas  however.  This  pretty  shrub  is  not 
nearly  so  well  known  as  it  deserves  to  be. 
Together  with  the  Sumach  it  will  carry  on  to  the 
end  of  July  the  effect  of  the  Laburnum  and 
Scarlet  Thorn  The  hedges,  as  one  would  expect 
ill  a  place  with  traditions  of  Elizabeth's  reign,  are 
very  plentiful,  and  they  are  well  cared  for.  There 
is  a  pretty  path  above  the  kitchen  garden  hemmed 
in  on  both  sides  by  hedges,  and  here  and  there 
breaks  of  lawn.  The  bjds  here  are  filled  with 
showy  flowers,  and  the  Rose  beds  looked  pictures 
of  good  condition.  Mr.  Greenfield  approves  of  no 
pruning,  except  the  removing  of  dead  shoots  and 
an  occasional  thinning.  The  shoots  are  allowed  to 
grow  at  will  and  are  merely  pegged  down,  attaining 
very  often  a  length  of  1 1  feet  or  more.  That  this 
is  the  best  system  to  be  adopted  with  Moss  Roses 
can  admit  of  no  doubt.  The  chief  feature  on  the 


dance  flowering  when  about  a  foot  high,  although 
it  reaches  a  height  of  :>  feet  or  I  feet.  I'russels 
SprouLs  planted  at  the  same  time  as  autumn  Cab- 
bages looked  vigorous  and  healthy,  and  had  every 
appearance  of  very  early  maturity. 

The  dlassiiouses  are  particularly  well  stocked. 
In  the  stove  is  one  of  the  finest  Stephanotis  plants 
in  the  kingdom.  Other  prominent  plants  are 
Eurycles  Cunningham!,  Croton  Etna,  and  the  old 
Thunbergia  fragrans.  In  the  cooler  houses 
Fuchsias  trained  under  the  glass  produce  masses 
of  bloom.  Old  varieties,  such  as  Avalanche  and 
Lord  Beaconsfield,  are  still  the  freest  bloomers. 
Primula  obconica  is  a  pretty  Primrose  not  gene- 
rally known.  The  best  houses  are  the  ferneries. 
Under  the  shelves  are  planted  among  the  Ferns 
various  kinds  of  Pegonias,  and  the  back  wall  is 
covered  with  Ficus  nana  or  minima,  the  effect  of 
which  is  delightful.  Why  ferneries  are  not  erected 
on  a  larger  scale  and  decorated  with  greater  taste 
is  singular.  However,  there  seems  to  be  an  incli- 
nation in  this  direction,  and  if  only  the  exorbitant 
demand  for  supplies  of  cut  flowers  were  to  be 
limited   they  would  soon    become  popular.    The 


side  are  Bluebells,  dancing  like  Daffodils  in  the 
breeze ;  wherever  they  are  present  the  Grass  is 
left  uncut,  and  how  pretty  they  look,  bashfully 
keeping  their  gaze  on  Mother  Earth.  Daffodils, 
too,  would  be  iu  keeping  here  under  the  canopy  of 
trees.  Strolling  from  this  path  across  the  lawn  to 
the  house,  the  prospect  all  round  is  tasteful  and 
pleasing ;  in  fact,  anyone  with  a  residence  sur- 
rounded by  about  twenty-five  acres  could  not 
do  better  than  take  this  quaint  old  place  as  a 
model. 

The  flow'EK  G.\ltDEN  is  of  considerable  size, 
and  is  illuminated  early  in  the  year  by  beds  of 
Violas.  These  beds  are  arranged  with  a  cross  in 
the  middle  cf  one  colour,  an  edging  of  a  second 
colour,  and  the  intervening  space  is  filled  up 
with  a  third.  One  especially  took  my  fancy,  con- 
taining bronze,  purple  cross,  and  lavender  edging. 
The  favourite  varieties  are  Holyrood,  Cliveden 
Purple,  compacta,  Mr.--.  Grey,  Duchess  of  Suther- 
land, Sportsman,  Pihig  Park,  and  Queen  of  the 
Valley.  Between  the  Bower  and  kitchen  gardens 
intervene  well-managed  shrubberies.  Notable 
among  the  trees  are  fine  specimens  of  Thujopsis 
borealis,  one  of  them  a  pendulous  variety  and 
exlremelj'  rare.     So   well  does  this  tree  do  here  ' 


Warwick  Priory  (yardeu  front). 

other  tide  of  the  house  is  a  prettily  conceived  dell, 
in  which  Osmunda  rcgalis  is  growing  strongly.  A 
noticeable  matter,  as  regards  the  undergrowth  of 
the  shrubberies,  is  the  immense  quantity  of 
Primula  japonica,  which  seeds  itself,  and  promises 
to  overrun  the  ground  as  freely  as  the  common 
Primroee.     It  is  a  pleasure  to  go  into  the 

Kitchen  garden,  so  well  are  the  herbaceous 
borders  arranged.  Few  of  these  beautiful  plants 
were  in  flower  when  I  was  there,  but  the  foliage 
of  many  makes  up  for  this  deficiency  in  spring. 
The  more  common  Pyrethrums,  Potentillas,  and 
Spirseas  are  well  represented.  One  of  the  outside 
borders  is  planted  with  Columbines,  Carnations, 
and  Violas.  Although  thus  ornamental,  the 
kitchen  garden  shows  in  every  respect  evidence  of 
careful  attention.  To  every  novelty  of  sterling 
merit  a  trial  is  given.  Put  in  this  respect  so 
much  change  does  variety  of  soil  effect,  that  each 
cultivator  must  buy  his  own  experience  by  tests 
carried  on  by  himself.  Why,  however,  it  may  be 
asked,  are  so  many  contented  with  the  old  kinds 
of  Rhubaib  when  varieties  like  Stott's  Monarch 
are  so  infinitely  superior  ?  Gooseberries  are 
grown  on  espaliers  and  present  a  very  fertile  ap- 
pearance.    Among  Peas  I  noticed  Bliss's  Abun- 


illustration  on  p  408  represents  the  old  banquet- 
ing hall  and  this  the  modern  garden  front. 

C.  A.  M.  Carmichael. 


Cape  bulbs.— I  shall  be  glad  to  exchange 
bulbs  of  Antholyza  paniculata  for  other  Cape 
bulbs,  such  as  Watsonia,  Tritonia,  Isia,  Sparaxis. 
Those  of  your  readers  who  have  walked  over  the 
Cape  Flats  in  September  and  noticed  the  immense 
variety  of  bulbous  flowers  in  full  bloom  will  not 
wonder  that  so  many  try  to  make  collections  of 
Cape  bulbs.  Have  any  of  jour  readers  noticed 
the  hedges  of  a  large  white  single  Rose — I  believe 
Rosa  rugosa— near  Claremont  I  The  hedges  of 
Plumbago  and  tall  trees  of  P.ougainvillea  and 
Camellia  are  familiar  objects  to  all  visitors  to  the 
Cape.  Perhaps  it  may  be  worth  while  to  notice 
that  the  soil  of  the  Cape  Flats  is  almost  entirely 
peat  and  pure  white  sea  sand.  Collectors  of  Cape 
bulbs  should  take  a  note  of  this.  The  Arums 
grow  in  the  bottoms  of  wet  ditches,  and  are  com- 
monly called  Pig  Lilies.  I  never  saw  Freesias  grow- 
ing wild  at  the  Cape,  but  I  know  a  spot  near  one 
of  the  diamond  mines  at  Kimberley  where  there 
are  5U0  or  more  growing  in  hard  red  clay  and 
sand  ;  these  have  a  good  deal  of  yellow  in  their 


454 


THE     GARDEN 


[Nov.  29,  1884. 


blossoms.  Need  I  add  that  the  climate  of  Kim- 
berley  is  entirely  different  from  that  of  the  Cape 
— a  dry  winter  with  constant  frost,  and  with 
heavy  rain  in  spring,  i.e.,  September  ;  whereas  the 
Cape  has  a  wet  winter.  Tne  Convolvulus  seed  I 
offered  In  your  columns  some  months  back  turns 
out  to  be  Ipomsea  coccinea,  and  is  comparatively 
worthless.  My  attempts  to  hybridise  it  were  un- 
successful. During  my  holiday  my  Jocvni  terieu.^ 
took  it  into  his  head  to  rearrange  my  greenhouse, 
and  threw  away  the  plant  of  Ipomsea  coccinea  and 
the  seeds  I  had  hybridised,  which  were  nearly  ripe. 
— C.  0.  Miles,  BarUij,  Royston,  Herts. 


Flower   Garden. 


FLOWERS  IN  THE  ISLE  OF  WIGHT. 
In  The  Garden  (p.  411)  Mr.  Smith,  of  Newry, 
draws  a  comparison  between  the  climate  of  Ire- 
land and  that  of  the  Isle  of  Wight,  but  he  does 
not  say  enough  in  favour  of  the  latter.  At  this 
time  of  the  year,  when  a  few  flowers  are  in 
blossom  here  and  there,  it  is  natural  for  their 
admirers  to  rush  into  print  and  to  chronicle  the 
event.  I  can  quite  sympathise  with  their  feelings, 
for  I  so  often  do  it  myself ;  but  my  object  in 
taking  up  my  pen  now  is  to  ask  if  any  of  your 
readers  can  tell  me  why  flowers  hold  on  so  long 
and  so  well  in  the  Isle  of  Wight  in  comparison 
with  what  they  do  in  most  other  places.  It  is  a 
veritable  home  for  flowers  in  a  sense  to  which 
Swanley  can  lay  no  claim  at  all.  The  lists  in  your 
paper  of  plants  which  are  in  bloisom  now  make 
me  thankful  for  the  advantage  I  enjoy,  but  I  am 
puzzled  to  account  for  it.  I  send  you  some  of 
the  beautiful  blossoms  of  Exogonium  Purga.  I  was 
at  Bitton  about  a  month  ago,  and  its  glory  had 
departed  and  its  service  was  done  ;  but  here  this 
morning  it  is  exquisite  in  the  extreme,  and  its  long 
wreaths  of  blossom  seem  perfectly  indifferent  to 
the  cold  east  wind  which  one  would  have  thought 
would  cut  them  to  pieces  and  make  an  end  of  the 
display.  I  am  told  by  Mrs.  Foster  that  a  plant 
which  I  gave  her  never  blossomed  near  Cambridge 
in  a  greenhouse  at  all;  whereas  my  four  or  five 
plants  have  been  smothered  with  blossom  for  some 
three  or  four  months,  and  are  so  still.  If  I  were 
a  plant  I  should  infinitely  prefer  the  fostering 
care  of  the  greenhouse  at  Cambridge  to  the  cold 
winds  of  tliis  inland,  but  this  is  not  the  choice 
which  many  a  plant  would  make.  My  beautiful 
Hop-leaved  Vine  has  just  passed  its  best,but  innu- 
merable clusters  of  sky-blue  berries  still  cover  an 
outhouse  near  to  which  it  is  pi  iced.  Yucca  Ella- 
combei  is  a  sight  to  see,  and  it  would  please  the 
heart  of  the  aged  gardener  in  Devon  if  he  could 
look  on  the  red  varnished  buds  of  his  namesake 
and  its  glorious  spikes  of  bloom.  Other  Yuccas 
keep  pace  with  it.  Tbey  seem  to  like  this  time  of 
year,  and  they  are  very  grand  indeed.  Habro- 
thamnns  fascicularis  is  still  very  pretty  in  the 
open  ground.  Schizostylis  coccinea  is  in  great 
beauty  all  over  my  garden.  It  is  our  best  Novem- 
ber flower,  but  many  others  accompany  it.  Kubus 
rosnsfolius  fl  -pi.  is  also  very  nice  just  now.  A 
patch  of  Jjinaria  anreo -reticulata  is  charming  on 
the  rockwork,  and  attracts  every  beholder.  Gen- 
tiana  acaulis  is  in  full  blossom,  and  I  could  add 
name  to  name  if  there  were  any  occasion 
for  doing  so.  And  this  is  not  all  that  can 
be  said  about  gardening  in  the  Isle  of 
Wight.  I  frequently  read  of  difliculties  in 
your  paper  and  explanations  of  difliculties  about 
which  I  know  nothing  at  all.  The  minds  of  some 
of  your  correspondents  were  exercised  lately 
about  the  well-being  and  blossoming  of  Mont- 
bretia  Pottsi.  I  have  no  doubt  that  Mr.  Thomp- 
son is  quite  right  in  what  he  said  about  the  matter, 
but  still  the  fact  remains  that  Montbretia  Pottsi 
blossoms  in  my  borders  if  it  be  crowded,  and  it  it 
be  torn  to  pieces  alike.  It  seems  perfectly  in- 
different to  any  process  of  that  sort ;  so  also  I 
read  to-day  in  your  contemporary  that  Iris  cuprea 
resents  being  matted,  and  will  do  nothing  in  a 
condition  of  that  sort.  That  is  so,  no  doubt,  in 
other  places,  but  I  leave  it  alone  here  for  years, 
except  to  cut  off  bits  for  my  friends,  and  Iris 


cuprea  never  fails  to  have  blossom,  so  that  I  have 
come  to  the  conclusion  I  can  adopt  such  words  as 
those  of  Mr.  Smith  with  an  emphasis  on  them, 
"  Our  climate  we  consider  to  be  a  favourable 
one  for  the  full  development  of  many  plants," 
but  why  it  should  be  so  in  such  an  ex- 
ceptional degree  is  not  yet  clear  to  me.  Is  it  be- 
cause of  the  sun,  or  the  sea,  or  the  soil,  or  is  it 
because  of  a  combiuation  of  all  these  things  ?  The 
sea  must,  I  think,  have  something  to  do  with  it. 
At  any  rate,  no  gardener  need  take  credit  to  him- 
self for  any  success  in  the  Isle  of  Wight ;  it  seems 
to  come  of  itself.  H.  Ewisank. 

St.  John's,  liijde. 


AURICULAS  LATE  IN  AUTUMN. 
My  plants  never  before  looked  better  at  this 
season  of  the  year  than  they  do  at  the 
prcRdnt  time,  and  I  have  been  troubled  so  far 
with  but  few  autumn  trusses.  A  great  many 
of  my  plants  were  potted  early,  and  they  made 
such  vigorous  growth  that  I  feared  many  would 
throw  up  flower-stems  in  September  and  October. 
I  think  it  has  been  a  good  season  for  Auriculas  if 
well  looked  after.  Mine  are  always  in  a  north 
house,  for  I  have  unfortunately  no  convenience 
for  giving  them  a  south  a.spect  in  winter  and 
early  spring.  I  wish  I  had,  for  then  I  could 
get  them  in  flower  earlier  in  the  spring.  I 
am  debating  within  myself  whether  early 
potting  is  favourable  to  early  blooming,  and 
I  do  not  at  all  think  it  is.  It  may  induce  autumn 
trusses,  and  it  is  held  by  some  cultivators  that 
plants  that  do  this  in  autumn  are  certain  to  be 
late  in  flowering  in  spring.  Some  of  my  latest 
potted  plants  in  1883  were  among  the  earliest  to 
flower  in  the  past  spring.  Perhaps  late  potting 
most  nearly  approximates  to  the  natural  con- 
ditions under  which  the  Auricula  grows  in  its 
native  habitat.  Our  plants  are  top-dressed  in 
spring;  they  then  flower,  and  a'ter  flowering,  aided 
by  the  top-dressing,  they  perfect  their  summer 
growth.  While  this  is  being  done  the  plants 
should  not  be  neglected  ;  the  surface  soil  should 
be  stirred,  dead  foliage  removed,  and  watering 
carefully  looked  after.  If  allowed  to  rest  a  bit, 
the  growth  is  brought  on  to  the  middle  of 
August.  Then,  it  seems  to  me,  is  a  good  time 
to  repot,  shaking  out  all  the  old  soil  from 
the  roots,  trimming  them,  cutting  away  any 
unnecessary  parts  of  the  carrot  or  main  stem, 
and  then  potting  deeply  in  good,  sweet,  genuine 
soil.  The  plants  appear  to  get  to  work  at  once ; 
they  generally  root  freely  and  strongly,  and  esta- 
blish themselves  before  the  winter  comes  on.  It 
is  sometimes  convenient  to  pot  early.  I  think  it 
is  a  good  plan  then  to  re-pot  into  a  small  pot,  and 
give  another  shift  in  August  when  the  pots  are 
full  of  roots.  As  a  matter  of  course.  Auriculas  in 
small  pots  require  careful  looking  after  during 
hot,  dry  weather  to  see  they  do  not  want  for 
moisture.  Would  this  second  shift  encourage  the 
production  of  autumn  trusses  ?  This  is  a  point  on 
which  I  should  like  the  opinion  of  experienced 
cultivators. 

There  are  some  growers  who,  like  myself,  find  it 
diflicult  to  get  hold  of  a  good  Auricula  soil.  They 
have  to  put  up  with  what  they  can  get,  and  it  is 
apt  to  go  sour.  In  such  a  case  a  second  potting  in 
August  or  early  in  September  might  be,  and  no 
doubt  is,  advantageous.  I  have  experienced  great 
difficulty  in  gettirg  a  good  loam  in  which  the 
plants  may  be  said  to  flourish.  Apparently  good 
loams  soon  become  stagnant  and  sour,  however 
much  one  may  desire  to  keep  them  open  and  free. 
Happy  is  that  grower  who  can  obtain  a  soft,  silken, 
yellow  loam  about  the  touch  of  which  there  is 
something  suggestive  of  suitability  and  fertility, 
and  out  of  some  500  plants  I  have  scarcely  lo-t 
one  this  season.  Such  a  loam  I  have  been  able 
to  use  in  1884. 

For  some  reason  I  have  been  but  little  troubled 
with  the  woolly  aphis  this  season,  and  I  do  not  think 
I  have  seen  a  single  little  green  caterpillar— one  of 
those  hurtful  wretches  that  bore  their  way  into 
the  filbert  heart  of  an  Auricula,  and  if  they  are 
not  detected,  eat  it  out.    I  hope    other  growers 


have  been  equally  fortunate.  Though  my  house 
faces  the  north,  yet  during  June,  July,  and  part 
of  August  a  good  deal  of  midday  sunshine  falls 
upon  it,  and  it  is  very  hot  and  dry.  ^Vhen  the 
weather  is  of  this  character,  I  syringe  freely  over- 
head in  the  morning,  and  the  plants  appear  to  like 
it  immensely.  It  keeps  the  leaves  clean  and  fresh, 
and  certainly  checks  the  increase  of  green  fly.  The 
floor  of  the  house  is  also  kept  thoroughly  mois- 
tened. Prince  of  Greens  and  Colonel  Taylor  are 
doing  grandly  ;  Anna  and  Talisman  are  decidedly 
satisfactory;  Lincoln  Green,  one  of  the  late  Mr. 
J.  Head's  seedlings,  has  much  of  the  habit  of 
Colonel  Taylor,  and  I  think  is  likely  to  make  a 
useful  sort.  How  I  should  like  to  get  hold  of 
some  of  the  fine  greens  raised  by  the  Rev.  F.  D. 
Horner.  Ar3  they  never  to  be  put  into  commerce  ? 
Among  the  grey  edges  I  cannot  succeed  as  yet 
with  Victor,  and  I  regret  it  all  the  more,  for  it  is 
a  fine  flower.  After  it  reaches  a  certain  stage  it 
appears  to  go  back.  All  my  good  greys  are  full 
of  promise.  Among  the  white  edge.''.  Acme  is  in 
excellent  form.  Read's  Cleopatra  is  an  excellent 
grower,  but  for  three  years  past  I  have  not  been 
able  to  get  a  good  bloom  from  it.  I  once  had  it 
very  good.  What  a  grower  Hetty  Dean  is  among 
the  selfs  !  It  has  a  very  distinct  habit  of  growth, 
horizontal,  the  leaves  very  round,  and  of  a  leathery 
thickness.  It  has  the  very  best  of  constitutions. 
Hitherto  we  have  been  led  to  associate  weakness 
of  constitution  with  yellow  selfs.  If  this  be  true, 
Hetty  Dean  is  a  conspicuous  exception.  If  it  may 
be  said  to  have  a  drawback,  it  is  that  it  comes 
into  bloom  very  early.  It  did  so  last  year,  and  I 
was  able  to  exhibit  it  a  fortnight  before  the 
National  Auricula  Show,  and  when  I  had  not 
another  variety  in  flower.  This  precocity  might 
have  been  an  accident  of  the  season.  I  have 
three  very  strong  plants  of  it,  and  I  am  antrcipat- 
ing  a  fine  head  of  bloom  in  April  next.        R.  I). 


CHRYSANTHEMUMS  IN  THE  OPEN  ATK. 
In  the  following  remarks  I  am  not  going  to  refer 
to  that  useful  class  of  Chrysanthemums  now  be- 
coming known  and  appreciated  for  their  value  in 
the  summer  and  autumn  decoration  of  the  flower 
garden ;  on  the  contrary,  what  I  am  going  to 
write  of  are  the  numerous  fine  varieties  commonly 
grown  in  pots  for  the  embellishment  of  green- 
houses and  conservatories.  It  does  not  appear  to 
occur  to  many  to  grow  the  best  kinds  of  these  in 
the  open  air  to  bloom  in  November,  and  I  know  of 
many  who  think  that  the  magnificent  flowering 
sorts  which  they  see  under  glass  are  too  tender 
for  the  open  air,  but  that  is  incorrect ;  one  kind  of 
Chrj'santhemum  is  just  as  hardy  as  another.  For 
some  weeks  past  and  just  now  Fair  Maid  of 
Guernsey,  James  Salter,  Queen  of  England,  and 
many  others  of  all  sections  have  been  blooming 
in  one  of  our  kitchen  garden  borders  as  beautiful 
and  well  as  any  under  glass,  and  we  have  cut  large 
quantities  of  flowers  from  them.  As  flower  gar- 
den subjects  generally  are  now  almost  out  of 
flower  and  herbaceous  borders  are  not  very  bright, 
the  Chrysanthemums  are  most  con-picuous  and 
attractive.  Many  people  say  they  never  thought 
they  would  flower  so  well  in  the  open  air  at  this 
season,  and  they  are  going  to  try  them  more  ex- 
tensively another  year,  which  is  just  what  I  want 
them  to  do,  as  I  feel  certain  that  all  who  do  so 
will  be  satisfied  with  the  result. 

A  grower  not  far  from  here  has  a  very  large  col- 
lection in  his  kitchen  garden  borders  this  season, 
and  is  delighted  with  his  success ;  his  blooms  of 
the  finest  sorts  are  just  as  large  and  numerous  as 
any  which  he  had  from  pot  plants  under  glass. 
His  plants  are  all  from  spring  cuttings,  and  they 
have  grown  well.  Indeed,  considering  the  little 
attention  which  they  have  had,  they  are  remark- 
ably good.  Our  plants  flowering  just  now  are 
mostly  old  pot  ones  of  last  year  ;  after  we  took  the 
cuttings  from  them  in  spring  they  were  planted 
out  here  and  there  in  the  borders,  and  plants  of 
this  kind  are  very  useful,  but  we  are  so  much  im- 
pressed with  their  good  qualities  in  the  open  at 
this  season,  that  we  intend  propagating  largely 
next  spring  for  open-air  culture.  They  will  be 
planted  in  mixed  rows  and  masses. 


Nov.  29,    1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


455 


In  my  opinion  we  have  no  flower  indoors  or  out 
to  surpass  the  Chrysanthemum  at  this  season,  and 
those  with  no  glasshouses,  who  see  such  grand 
displays  of  them  at  shows,  must  feel  sorry  they  do 
not  possess  the  means  of  growing  them  to  such 
perfection  ;  but  let  all  who  have  a  little  front  gar- 
den or  a  back  one  either,  or  a  piece  of  ground  any- 
where, plant  some  of  the  best  kinds  in  spring,  and 
they  will  be  delighted  with  the  result.  I  often 
see  rows  of  some  puny  flowering  sort  grown  in  the 
open  air,  but  rarely  any  of  the  large  incurved  or 
Japanese  sorts,  and  it  is  these  which  are  capable 
of  giving  the  greatest  satisfaction.  Even  in  gar- 
dens with  plenty  of  glasshouses,  I  would  recommend 
a  good  collection  to  be  grown  in  the  open  air,  as 
they  supply  large  quantities  of  blooms  for  cutting, 
and  this  saves  the  pot  plants.  Newly  rooted 
cuttings  of  good  sorts  can  always  be  bought 
cheaply  in  spring,  and  all  who  may  be  induced  to 
invest  in  them  may  rest  assured  that  they  will 
prove  highly  remunerative.  J.  MuiR. 

Margiim. 

EAFFODIL  NOTES. 

The  Leedsi  varieties.— At  last  we  have 
before  as  (p.  -426)  some  correct  information  as  to 
the  origin  of  the  Leeds'  seedling  Narcissi.  The 
wonder  is  that  it  has  lain  hidden  so  long  in  the 
volumes  of  an  old  botanical  magazine.  Mr.  Bur- 
bidge  stated  at  the  Daffodil  conference,  according 
to  the  reference  he  gave  us  last  week  (Garden, 
April  5,  p.  28.j)  :  "  The  late  Mr.  Leeds,  of  Longford, 
who  raised  more  new  kinds  than  anyone  else,  gave 
ns  no  information  whatever,  nor  did  the  late  John 
Horsefield."  I  think  your  readers  will  thank  me 
for  reviving  the  subject  in  these  Daffodil  notes, 
as  we  have  now  before  us  the  record  in  both  cases. 
Of  the  latter  we  have  still  a  very  incomplete 
record,  but  it  is  all  that  can  be  gleaned  ;  but  that 
of  the  Leedsi  is  very  complete  and  most  instruc- 
tive, and  it  further  proves  the  correctness  of  the 
conjecture  I  made  as  to  the  influence  of  Dean 
Herbert,  who  wrote  in  1843  ;  "  It  is  desirable  to 
call  the  attention  of  the  humblest  cultivators— of 
every  labourer,  indeed,  or  operative  who  has  a  spot 
of  garden  or  a  ledge  of  window  to  the  infinite 
variety  of  Narcissi  that  may  be  raised,  and 
most  easily  in  pots  at  his  window,  if  not  too 
much  exposed  to  sun  and  wind,  oilering  him  a 
source  of  harmless  and  interesting  amusement, 
and  perhaps  a  little  profit  and  celebrity."  This 
was  evidently  one  of  his  lay  sermons,  which  he 
would  preach  as  he  went  about  in  Yorkshire  and 
Lancashire,  and  it  is  now  becoming  clear  that  it 
was  through  his  influence  that  Leeds,  Horsefield, 
and  Backhouse  achieved  such  successes. 

In  The  Garden  (May  19,  1883,  p.  451)  will  be 
found  an  article  of  mine  on  "  The  late  Mr.  Leeds's 
garden  at  Longford  Bridge  "  which  may  be  worth 
turning  to  at  this  time,  when  so  much  interest  is 
centred  in  Mr.  Leeds.  The  first  and  last  para- 
graphs refer  to  the  seedling  Crocus  Leedsi,  of 
which  Mr.  Burbidge  wrote  last  week.  There  were 
two  seedlings  retained  by  Mr.  Leeds  and  propa- 
gated for  stock — the  purple  and  white-tipped  va- 
riety, as  figured  in  the  "Magazine  of  Botany,"  and  a 
rich  cream  white  variety.  Both  have  a  sturdy 
dwarf  habit  of  growth  and  are  excellent  varieties. 
1  had  the  whole  carefully  collected  and  removed 
to  Brockhurst  three  years  ago,  and  there  is  now  a 
large  stock  of  them.  A  few  bulbs  have  been  given 
to  Mr.  Maw,  Mr.  .Shortt,  and  other  amateurs,  but 
beyond  this  I  do  not  believe  that  they  have  ever 
been  distributed. 

All  the  Narcissi  from  the  seedling  beds  were 
also  removed  here,  and  they  now  amount  to  some 
4000  bulbs.  They  have  been  carefully  assorted 
over  the  last  three  years,  and  there  are  a  great 
many  excellent  varieties  amongst  them  well  worth 
naming  when  the  stock  is  large  enough.  These 
added  to  the  152  varieties  already  included  in  Mr. 
liarr's  catalogue  will  make  a  pretty  long  list  of 
Leedsi  Daffodils. 

Mr.  Leeds's  garden  is  now  a  thing  of  the  past.  The 
site  has  been  cleared  of  every  plant  and  laid  out  for 
building  land.  I  often  rejoice  that  it  was  my  good 
fortune  to  hear  of  it  before  the  plants  were  dis- 


persed. For  two  years  I  regularly  visited  the 
garden  and  marked  down  for  removal  every  bulb 
and  plant  worth  having,  and  these  were  all  trans- 
ferred to  my  garden  here.  We  have  thus  pleasant 
memorials  of  Thomas  Leeds  all  over  the  place,  and 
many  of  these  are  plants  of  great  rarity.  The 
article  above  referred  to  contains  a  brief  notice  of 
Mr.  Leeds.  I  still  hope  that  more  may  be  forth- 
coming. 

The  seeding  op  double  Daffodils.— It  will 
be  remembered  that  I  introduced  this  subject  at 
the  Daffodil  conference,  and  afterwards  reported 
that  on  June  21  we  gathered  a  capsule  containing 
nine  ripe  seeds  from  a  double  Daffodil  which  had 
been  carefully  marked  and  watched  for  the  pur- 
pose. These  seeds  were  sown  in  a  pot  at  once, 
and  there  are  now  four  of  them  showing  Grass- 
like growths  an  inch  above  the  soil.  This,  there- 
fore, completes  the  proof  that  full  double  Daffodils 
may  bear  ripe  seeds.  As  it  will  be  some  five  years 
before  the  seedlings  bloom,  we  must  wait  for  the 
further  information  as  to  whether  the  flowers  will 
be  single  or  double.  Wm.  BbOCKBANK. 

]Jnelihnrst,  Didshury,  Nor.  15. 


NOTES  ON  HARDY  PLANTS. 
A  frame  fob  odds  and  ends  is  one  of  the 
handiest  appliances  one  can  have  where  rare  or 
little-known  plants  are  being  cultivated.  Only 
hardy  plants  are  meant,  and  whilst  it  is  very  con- 
venient to  pot  up  new  comers  as  they  arrive  singly 
or  in  small  batches,  they  may  be  so  treated  in  a 
frame  as  not  practically  to  be  under  abnormal 
conditions  as  regards  their  hardy  nature.  On  the 
contrary,  it  is  helpful  to  such  things  if  we  soften 
the  hardness  of  their  first  winter  by  screening 
them  with  a  glass  cover  against  frost  and  what 
often  proves  equally  trying — fogs  and  rain.  To 
fill  up  the  frame  pretty  well  with  sand  in  which, 
when  plunged,  the  plants  are  brought  near  the 
glass,  both  provides  for  good  drainage  and  sturdy 
growth,  with  the  advantage  of  open-air  treatment 
by  removing  the  lights  when  the  weather  is  at  all 
favourable.  Where  plants  of  a  miscellaneous  kind 
have  been  coming  to  hand  all  through  the  sum- 
mer, it  would  now  be  well  to  look  them  over 
thoroughly — take  all  out,  in  fact  —turn  the  plung- 
ing material,  examine  each  pot,  and  make  the 
drainage  good  where  it  is  at  fault,  remove  from 
the  surface  all  such  pests  as  Liverwort  and 
Spurry,  and  top-dress  each  plant  with  their 
respective  composts,  to  which  may  be  added  with 
benefit  a  liberal  dash  of  fine  charcoal. 

Iris  olbiexsis  is  one  of  the  dwarfest  kinds, 
but  its  flowers  are  very  large  and  superbly  coloured 
—violet-purple.  No  one  who  has  flowered  it  would 
like  to  be  without  it,  and  those  who  have  not  yet 
made  its  acquaintance  have  a  treat  in  store  if  they 
will  avail  themselves  of  it.  I  have  often  heard 
of  its  "  going  off,"  but  I  venture  to  say  that  if  one 
condition  is  rigidly  carried  out  in  setting  it,  it 
may  be  grown  with  increased  yearly  vigour. 
Plant  it  in  rubble,  and  if  in  a  pot,  drain  to  half 
its  depth  with  small  clinkers,  but  give  a  large  pot 
to  allow  the  roots  to  creep  on  the  surface  for  two 
or  three  years,  during  which  time  a  young  plant 
is  better  left  alone.  Whether  planted  in  pot  or 
border,  the  compost  should  be  poor  and  of  a  dry 
nature  ;  the  sweepings  from  a  gravel  walk,  with 
just  a  little  peat,  will  not  be  far  wrong,  but  a 
sprinkling  of  charcoal  dust  will  improve  it.  It 
is,  however,  one  thing  to  healthily  grow  this 
Iris,  but  quite  another  to  flower  it  well.  Doubt- 
less an  important  factor  in  accomplishing  the 
latter  is  climatic  conditions ;  still,  much  can  be 
done  that  is  not  usually  done  for  the  class  to 
which  this  Iris  belongs.  I.  stylosa,  I.  verna, 
I.  susiana,  I.  iberica,  and  a  few  others  all  need 
sunny  positions,  loose  rubbly  soil,  and  their  crowns 
well  exposed  to  air  and  sunshine.  Some  of 
these  I  never  did  flower  until  they  were  planted 
in  a  raised  bed  made  of  walk  sweepings,  to  which 
a  little  lime  was  added.  A  handy  and  safe  way 
of  increasing  this  class  of  Iris  where  plants  are  of 
good  size  is  to  operate  now  when  the  new  roots 
and  crowns  are  pushing.  Do  not  disturb  the  roots 
more  than  is  needed  to  bare  the  tuberous  part  or 


rhizome  ;  cut  this  through  in  such  a  way  that  each 
piece  will  have  one  crown  or  more  and  also  some 
roots ;  open  the  cut  and  drop  in  powdered  wood 
charcoal,  which  prevents  decay.  The  advantages 
of  this  plan  are  that  flowering  is  little  if  at  all  in- 
terrupted, seasonable  root  action  goes  forward, 
and  useful  back  breaks  are  obtained  from  the 
oldest  parts  of  the  roots.  After  flowering  the 
roots  may  be  taken  up,  and  each  division  will  be 
ready  for  separate  duty,  and  by  that  time  will 
very  likely  show  several  fresh  eyes. 

Autumn-flowering  Crocuses  in  pots. — A 
few  of  the  less  common  kinds  potted  for  handi- 
ness  have,  after  two  years'  growth,  not  only 
Howered  well,  but  suggested  a  mode  of  culture  at- 
tending which  there  are  several  important  advan- 
tages. These  naked  flowers  when  grown  in  beds 
have  no  protection  but  such  as  they  afford  each 
other  in  masses  against  high  winds  which  often 
prevail  at  their  flowering  period.  They  are 
known  to  be  fairly  durable  as  regards  blossom, 
but,  nevertheless,  it  is  no  uncommon  thing  to  see 
them  broken  in  the  tube  the  first  day  the  flowers 
open.  This  can  be  prevented  by  potting  and 
keeping  them  in  cold  frames,  where  even  greater 
purity  can  be  secured  than  when  out  of  doors. 
Amongst  the  species  there  is  sometimes  some  un- 
certainty as  to  when  the  bulbs  are  in  a  fit  state 
for  transplanting,  and  those  kinds,  having  stoloni- 
ferous  corms,  are  even  more  critical  to  deal  with 
in  this  respect  than  the  others,  besides  showing  a 
straggling  habit  when  in  the  open,  but  when  in 
pots  they  can  be  examined  without  any  trouble. 
I  do  not  mean  to  say,  however,  that  these  lovely 
autumn  garden  gems  should  be  generally  trans- 
ferred to  close  quarters ;  but  as  many  of  us  have 
yet  much  to  learn  about  them,  it  may  be  worth  a 
little  extra  care  to  grow  them  under  such  condi- 
tions as  they  can  be  best  observed. 

The  Narcissi  (Ajax  section)  Umbeeto  I. 
AND  Regina  Maegherita  have  lately  been  re- 
ferred to  twice,  and  Mr.  Hartland,  I  understand, 
says  (p.  39G)  that  they  are  not  obtainable.  Doubt- 
less that  is  so  now,  but  as  early  as  June  I  chanced 
to  get  a  few  bulbs,  and  set  them  at  once.  I  shall 
be  surprised  if  they  come  up  to  the  description 
given  of  them,  for  they  seem  too  small  to 
produce  very  large  flowers.  The  bulbs  were 
about  the  size  of  tho.e  of  Scilla  sibirica,  quite 
sound  and  plump,  not  mere  offsets.  I  may  add 
that  now  the  Grass  is  6  inches  or  9  inches  long, 
but  nothing  like  the  broad  foliage  of  our  bicolors. 
The  flowers  are  appearing,  too,  and  at  their  pre- 
sent rate  of  growth  should  open  in  another  fort- 
night ;  hitherto  they  have  been  in  the  open  air,  but 
should  frosty  weather  come  on,  we  will  take  them 
indoors  to  try  and  bring  them  forward.  For  two 
months  we  tried  to  keep  them  back  first  in  dark- 
ness, then  by  putting  the  pots  on  their  sides,  bnt 
clearly  they  are  much  earlier  than  ours,  after 
making  allowance  for  their  unacclimatised  condi- 
tion, and  this  they  are  said  to  be,  so  we  must  wait 
and  see  if  they  do  or  do  not  surpass  our  English 
bicolor  varieties. 

Amfelopsis  japonica  —A  very  dwarf  shrub 
sent  to  me  two  years  ago  under  this  name  is  one 
of  the  brightest  objects  in  the  garden  just  at  pre- 
sent. The  leaf  tints  are  a  golden  ground  with 
scarlet  stains  starting  from  the  edges  of  the  foli- 
age. The  habit  is  dwarf  and  tree-like ;  in  fact 
quite  rigid.  The  effect  is  all  the  more  to  be  ad- 
mired from  the  whole  set  of  foliage  adhering  and 
the  tint  period  thus  prolonged — just  the  opposite 
of  the  hardy  Azaleas,  whose  tints  soon  turn  and 
leaves  fall,  often  showing  the  wood  but  thinly  fur- 
nished with  high  coloured  leaves. 

Geum  montanum  deserves  more  attention  as 
an  autumn  bloomer.  In  summer  the  somewhat 
lluttercup-like  flowers,  though  really  far  more 
beautiful,  are  perhaps  too  tame  to  attract  much 
notice  when  the  flower  season  is  in  full  swing,  but 
in  November  when  yellow,  and,  indeed,  any  kind 
of  open  garden  flowers  are  scarce,  it  is  very 
noticeable.  Not  only  do  the  flowers  last  a  long 
time,  but  they  are  finer  where  the  plants  have  been 
cultivated  and  the  seed  removed.  What  I  mean 
by  cultivated  is  this :  every  two  or  three  years 
there  should  be  division  and  deeper  planting.  To 


456 


THE    GARDEN 


[Nov.  29,  1884. 


this  section  of  tlie  fieums,  whow  root-stocks  got 
high  and  dry,  this  operation  is  more  needful  than 
for  the  ordinary  run  of  alpine  and  herbaceous 
plants.  It  may  be  interesting  to  note  their  habit, 
but  only  by  generous  treatment  can  they  be  had 
of  a  lively  green,  and  often  flowering  in  mid- 
winter. Practically,  as  well  as  botanically,  the 
flowers,  nearly  2  inches  across,  are  single  yellow 
Koses. 

Veronica  cobymbosa. — If  one  wanted  a  truly 
beautiful  and  delicate  blue  flower  from  the  open 
borders  or  rockwork  without  that  worn-outness 
common  to  most  at  this  season,  hardly  another  so 
sjitable  as  this  could  be  found,  and  it  may  be 
added  that  it  is  a  kind  adapted  for  cutting.  Faro- 
chetus  communis  is  pretty  and  Violets  are  indis- 
pensable, but  they  do  not  cut  and  work  up  like 
the  delicate  spikes  of  tliis  five  months'  flowering 
.Speedwell,  which  after  all  is  not  more  than 
8  inches  high.  I  consider  it  one  of  the  best  rock 
plants  or  for  cut  flowers.  V.  satureifolia  and  V. 
prostrata  have  also  their  deep  green  mats  of  foliage 
brightened  with  slender  fresh,  but  lax  spikes  of 
bloom.  Satureifolia  reminds  one  strongly  of 
Linaria  linifolia,  not  in  foliage,  but  flowers. 

Physalis  Alkekengi,  or  Winter  Cherry,  is  one 
of  the  ugliest  as  well  as  most  tiresome  of  herba- 
ceous plants  for  the  greater  part  of  the  year.  It 
is  well  known  for  four  things— coarse  foliage  and 
habit,  in.signilioant  flowers,  rapid-running  roots, 
andadlfficult  name  ;  but  "everything  has  its  day," 
and  the  Winter  Cherry  is  now  on  duty.  Tlie  large 
orange-red  inflated  pods  hang  pleasingly  on  the 
bare  stems,  and  they  sometimes  remain  until 
Christmas.  Theie  may  be  cut  for  indoor  use ; 
with  Iris  leaves,  Heather,  or  ripe  Ilracken  they 
form  a  sombre,  but  seasonable,  decoration. 

Ai'ios  TUBEUOSA,  Or  what  the  Americans  call 
Ground  Nut,  is  known  for  its  slender  growth  and 
climbing  habit,  also  sweet  autumnal  flowers,  but 
until  a  fc-w  days  ago  its  Nuts  were  an  almost 
hidden  secret  to  me.  There  were  the  long  trails 
and  flowers,  but  I  could  never  find  but  a  few  small 
Nuts,  until  we  had  occasion  to  take  up  some  old 
and  deeply  rooted  White  I'ea,  when  literally  we 
fathomed  the  secret,  for  at  a  depth  of  IH  inches  or 
21  inches  the  big  tubers  were  found  in  strings,  in 
the  style  of  saveloys.  It  would  appear  that  the 
small  tubers  which  we  had  formerly  found  be- 
longed to  the  near  end  of  the  string-like  roots, 
and  that  until  the  off  ends  get  well  down  the 
bigger  Nuts  are  not  produced.  For  the  successful 
planting  of  this  elegant  and  uncommon  climber 
the  tubers  cannot  be  returned  to  the  ground  too 
quickly.  Light  and  air  appear  to  make  them 
woody,  when  they  may  not  vegetate  at  all  the  first 
year.  It  the  strings  are  cut  up  and  the  tubers  set 
singly,  like  Potatoes,  whilst  in  a  succulent  condi- 
tion, they  grow  rampantly. 

Lathyrus  latifolius  albus,  though  so  much 
esteemed  and  as  hardy  as  can  be.  Is  really  a  scarce 
plant.  Doubtless  there  are  reasons  for  this.  As 
a  variety  only  it  does  not  always  come  true  from 
seed,  yet  that  ba=!  been  the  handiest  way  of  getting 
good  plants,  provided  they  were  carefully  looked 
after  until  they  were  proved ;  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
tlie  pink  or  typical  form  often  gets  about  for  it, 
and  many  do  not  care  to  begin  anotlier  two  years' 
trial ;  to  many  the  common  kind  is  not  desirable 
in  the  least.  To  divide  the  roots,  no  matter  how 
strong  or  large,  in  the  usual  way  is  out  of  the 
question.  The  somewhat  long,  tuberous  roots  set 
from  a  sort  of  mid-stem,  at  the  apex  only  of  which 
are  found  the  vital  parts.  A  four-year-old  or  five- 
year-old  root  resembles  a  good  bunch  of  Banana 
fruit,  only  the  tubers  are  longer  and  the  mid-stem 
shorter.  I  am  glad  to  say  that,  from  trials  made, 
I  have  been  able  to  get  not  only  quicker,  but 
(what  is  of  main  importance)  more  certain 
results  by  the  following  plan ;  Take  a  strong 
root  from  light  land  if  possible,  where  the  tubers 
are  sure  to  be  better  developed.  There  may  be 
ten  or  there  may  be  thirty  tubers  from  C  inches  to 
12  inches  long,  and  half  an  inch  or  more  thick  in 
the  middle.  Imagine  the  Banana  fruit ;  begin  at 
the  top  and  take  off  the  tubers  one  by  one,  but  in- 
stead of  stripping  them  from  the  mid-stem,  cut  a 
portion  of  it  to  every  tuber.     I  fancy  this  to  be  of 


importance,  as  securing  to  each  an  eye  at  the  most 
vital  part  of  tlie  tuber  ;  so  the  root  will  all  be  cut 
into  parts  each  with  a  heel  or  knob,  which  only 
need  to  be  planted  in  light,  but  rich  soil.  Some 
may  flower  the  first  year,  but  as  a  rule  they  will 
not  do  so  until  the  second.  To  the  tops  or  sprouted 
parts  I  leave  two  or  three  of  the  uppermost  tubers ; 
these  carry  it  on  in  vigorous  flowering,  especially 
if  the  ground  is  well  tilled  for  it.  J.  Wood. 

Wonilrillf,  KirlistaU. 


OPEN-AIR  FLOWERS  AT  WYNNSTAY. 

At  this  date  (November  2.")  I  have  before  me  a 
large  basket  of  outdoor  flowers  whicli  might  be 
worthy  of  record  in  your  columns  as  showing  the 
capriciousness  of  our  climate :  — 


Verbenas,  various 
Saponar;a  calabrxca 
Matthiola  sicula 
Polyanthus,  red  anil  yellow 
Primroses,  red  and  yellow 
Agrosteninia  coron3rla(atro- 

saufjuinea) 
Chrysanthemum  carinatum 
Ifeliotrojje 
Mignonette,  v.arieti  s 
Pot  Marigold 
Mari','  A<\  Meteor 
Frenell  Mali-old 
African  M  .ri,-"W 
Po[ipie3  of  sorts 
(Jaillardia  pteta 
Love-in-a-mist 
Ceiitranthus  niaerosiphon 
(-'e!ltl^^nt]uls  coecineus 
Centranthus  c.  albus 
OoMiiliiwer,  various  coloui's 
WallMowers 
Ilelielnysums,  various 
Lavender 
Sca'uous,  various 
Campanula  inuralis 
.Senecio  puieh  r 
Pldox 

Pentstemons,  vario  is 
Erigeron  maerantlliim 
Asttr  nmltiHorns  and  Novi- 

Hel-ii 
Foxgloves 

Mallow,  curled  variety 
Aiitirliiinums 


P.(  iraLre 

strawlierry 

lieck's   Gem    Bean    in    full 

flower 
Pyrethrum  aureum 
Roses  in  variety 
D.aisies,  double 
Toljacco,  various 
Castor-oil  Plant 
Pansies 
Stachys lanata 
.Spirn?a  callosa 
Lolielii  speciosa 
Lohelia  c.ardinalis 
Dalilias,  double  and  sin;;Ie 
Abutiloii  'riioiiiiiioui 
Aulu-ietia  deltoidea 
Jasmine  nuditforuin 
OiisaTium  Tourneforti 
Aiiilrosaee  sarm^^ntosa 
Carnatio  is,  various 
Anemone  japoniea 
Senecio,  annual,  various 
Aurieulas,  various 
('aleeoia'ias,  v-rioiu 
(ieraniums,  various 
Ai^eratums 
l.e  PI  lilt 
•  •hristmas  Roses 
\'iolets,  various 
Erica  carnea 
Geranium  pratense 
l.aunHtinus 
Vittadenia  triloba 
Fuchsia  gracilis 


The  chaffinch,  sparrows,  and  robins  disport  them- 
selves merrily,  catching  the  numerous  winged 
injects  ;  still,  there  is  a  crisp,  dry,  cool  atmosphere, 
that  keeps  our  bud  world  fairly  dormant.  The 
leaf  fall  has  been  healthy  and  regular ;  and,  in 
the  words  the  other  day  of  a  worthy  Shropshire 
s(|uire,  "  this  has  been  a  season  worth  living  for." 
In  addition  t5  the  above,  Wd  have  cut  at  Llanged- 
wyn  :  — 


Doronicum  plantagineum  e.v 

celsura 
Moriaa  lougifolia 
Alyssum  (varieiiated) 
Arneliia  echioides 
Coreopsis  grandillora 
Haipalium  ligidum 
Linaria  Cymbalaria 
Sedums  (various) 
Verbena  venosa 


<Tladi)lii3 

.Sehizostylis  coecinea 
Echinops  Ritro 
Clematis  Jaekmanni 
Anthemis  tinctoria 
Ergyngium  broraelia?folium 
Helianthns  multillorus 
Evening  Primrose 
t'leniatis  coecinea 
Achillea  Ulipenduliua 

Flora  has  fairly  bloomed  herself  to  sleep  in 
most  instances,  but  in  some,  as  shown,  she  is  de- 
termined not  to  take  her  annual  nap.  Some  fine 
dishes  of  Mushrooms  have  been  gathered  here 
during  the  past  few  days— a  fine  dish  this  morn- 
ing. Some  specimens  of  a  sub-variety  of  the  true 
Mushroom  were  brought  me  yesterday,  0  icches 
across,  with  gills  temptingly  pink  and  fresh.  We 
are  still  gathering  Red  Currants  from  Llangedwyn 
gardens  in  excellent  condition.  We  sent  in  to-day 
our  last  (?)  dish  of  Raspberries  and  alpine  Straw- 
berries. During  the  past  few  days  we  have  ma- 
chined the  lawns,  and  still  the  Grass  grows.  The 
buds  of  the  Horse  Chestnut  trees  are  covered  with 
their  spring  viscous  fluid  ;  Daffodil  growths  are 
some  inches  out  of  the  ground  ;  moths  and  bats 
are  frequent;  thrushes  have  been  singing  till 
within  the  last  few  days  ;  Jenny  wren  sings  gush- 
ingly ;  worms  swarm  on  the  lawn. 

P.  MiDDLETON. 


Hardy  plants  in  bloom  in  Kent.— The 

following  flowers  I  cut  out-of-doors  on  Wednes- 
day, the  12th  inst.,  and  exhibited  them  at  the 
Tunbridge  Wells  Chrysanthemum  show  on  Thurs- 
day.    As  will  be  seen,  the  list  is  a  long  one,  con- 


sisting of  over  eighty  varieties.  Many  of  the 
flowers  were  very  plentiful.  Dahlias  especially. 
Since  then  we  have,  however,  had  several  degrees 
of  frost,  and  all  the  tender  plants  are  cut  down. 
The  following  is  the  list  alluded  to,  viz. :  — 


Anchusa  sempervirens 
Agrostemma  corouaria 
Alyssum  variegatum 
Anemone  japoniea  alba 
Aponogeton  distachyon 
Aster  horizontalis 
Aubrietii  purpurea 
Aiitirrhinura  majus 
Ageiatum 
Alonzoa  linifolia 
Aiimioliium  alatinn 
Calceolaria  (yellow) 
Carnation  (seedlings) 
Clematis  \'italba 
Centaurea  Cyanus 
Chrysauthemunis  (various) 

annual 
Cuphea  platycentra 
Cactus  Dahlia 
Dalilias,  single  .and  double 
Diauthus  sinensis 
Echeveria  nietallica 
Erica  carnea 

vagans 
Eseallonia  rubra 
Eccremocarpus  scaber 
Fuchsia  Riccartoni 

various 
Gentiana  acaulis 
Geranium  sanguineam 

red  and  white  Vesuvius 
Gaillardia  granilitiora 
Gl.iU.diis  (seedlings) 
lielianthemum  vutgare 
He  iotropium 
lloueyauck'e 
Hydrangea 

tielichrysum  mo-strosum 
Jasiiiiu'im  nudieaiile 
L'tbospermum  piostratum 
Lobelia  cardiiialis 


Matricaria  H,-pl. 
Mignonette 
Marigold,  African 

French 
Menzie:iapolifolia 

alba 
Malupe  grandillora 
Osmanthus  ilicifolius 
Papaver  eainbricum 
Passillora  eierulea 
Pernettya  mucronata 
Petuni-as 

Phlox  Drummondi 
Primroses,     common 

coloured 
Polyanthus 
Pyrethrum,  double 
Polygonum  vacciiiifolium 
R-^ses,  several  varieties 
Rudlieckia  Wewmanni 
Rhododendrons,  two  vars, 
Sapouaria  calabrica 
Scabiosa,  double 
Stocks,  East  Lothian 
Spirrea  Ulmaria 

japoniea 
Tritoma  Lfvaria 
Tiadescanlia  virginica 
Tropieolum,  vaiious 
Tag-tes  siguaf.a  pumila 
Veroena  venosa 

Cannell'a  eiinison 
Viburnum  Tinus 
Violets,  Russian 
Vinca  major 
Verbascum  Thapsus 
Sweet  Williams 
Sweet  Peas 

Nemop!iila  diseoidalis 
Y'ucca  gloriosa 


and 


-W.  IIOLAit,  iledleaf,  Penshurst. 


Black  Brionyln  tho  garden.— I  do  not 

think  it  is  neglect  of  such  a  lovely  plant  as  the 
Briony  that  makes  it  scarce  in  the  garden,  but  the 
length  of  time  young  plants  require  before  they 
produce  the  fine  shoots  which  one  sees  in  the 
hedges.  Though  I  have  several  young  plants, 
which  increa.se  perceptibly  every  year,  all  attempts 
to  move  large  pieces  have  ended  in  the  roots 
rotting,  which  is,  I  believe,  because  the  tubers 
have  so  very  little  root  attached  to  them.  Perhaps 
others  may  have  had  similar  or  different  expe- 
rience.—J.  R.  D  ,  Slaiiford  Hill. 

Fious  repens  on  a  wall  In  the  open  air. 

— In  the  very  interesting  gardens  at  King's 
Weston,  near  Bristol,  we  were  charmed  to  see  this 
plant,  usually  grown  under  glass,  covering  walls 
in  a  very  pretty  way  and  in  perfect  health.  It  was 
a  low  wall  in  front  of  a  glasshouse,  and  was 
densely  covered  with  foliage,  swelling  in  many 
pretty  little  waves  and  hillocks,  and  yet  never 
getting  loose  or  patchy.  We  have  never  seen 
quite  so  perfect  or  delicate  a  carpet  for  a  wall. 
We  remember  also  to  have  seen  this  plant  in 
perfect  health  on  a  wall  at  Col.  Tighe's  place  in 
Kilkenny,  but  there  the  leaves  were  larger  and 
quite  of  a  bronzy  colour. 

The   chimney  Campanula  as  a  wall 

plant.— This  fine  border  plant  we  were  surprised 
to  see  growing  freely  on  walls  at  King's  Weston, 
near  I'.ristol,  lately.  One  growing  on  a  low  wall 
surrounding  a  tank  was  5  feet  high,  and  must 
have  been  a  pretty  object  when  in  flower.  Among 
the  many  plants  we  have  recommended  for  grow- 
ing on  walls  we  had  not  previously  considered  thi-i. 
It  clearly  is  as  happy  as  the  common  Ivy  Toad 
Flax  in  such  a  position.  Most  wall  plants  are 
dwarf,  and  fine  spikes  of  this  would  be  very 
desirable  among  them,  especially  on  ruins  and 
grey  old  walls.  Its  merits  as  a  hardy  border  plant 
and  as  a  pot  plant  are  well  known. 

The  white  Sweet  Pea. — I  have  been  much 
pleased  lately  at  the  effect  of  certain  groups  of 
this  plant,  the  white  varietj'  of  the  common  Sweet 
Pea,  but  selected  and  grown  by  itself.  It  is  very 
graceful  and  pretty  in  autumn.  The  practice  of 
keeping  the  various  colours  of  the  Sweet  Pea  dis- 
tinct is  very  desirable.  Practically,  each  has 
almost  the  value  of  a  distinct  plant.     Patches,  or 


Nov.  29,  1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


457 


lines,  or  groups  of  such  need  not  prevent  us  en- 
joying the  usual  mixture.  I  hope  most  growers  are 
aware  of  the  importance  of  autumn  sowing  in  tlie 
case  of  the  Sweet  Tea.  Some  of  the  finest  I 
have  seen  are  from  autumn-sown  seed— I  mean 
early  autumn.  Even  if  harm  comes  to  the  plant 
during  winter,  it  need  not  prevent  the  usual  sow- 
ing in  spring.  It  should  be  an  invariable  practice 
to  sow  in  autumn  as  well  as  in  spring.  —  Z. 


PLANTS  IN  BLOOM  AT  CULVEEWELL,  BATH. 

The  following,  owing  to  the  mildness  of  the  sea- 
son, were  in  bloom  on  November  1.5.  I  have  not 
attempted  any  classification,  but  merely  jotted 
them  down  as  they  came  under  observation  in  my 
stroll  round  the  garden  : — 


Agatlia\i  cu'lestis 
LoliL'lia  puinila 
Chrys<iutlieimmi3  frutescens 

Leucanthemum 

Cum  Marigold,  yellow 
auiiual 

indicum,     double     and 
single 
(Euotliera  Lamarckiana 

taraxacifoUa 

macrocarpa 
Ruse  Campion 
Pentstemous,  various 
Byperioum  patulum 

calycinura 
Hydrangeas 
Arbutus 

Polyanthus,  v.-irious 
Primroses,  various  tingle 

double  lilac 
Daisies 
Michaelmas    Daisies,    three 

varieties 
Sweet  Williams 
Geranium  laiicastrieuse,  pin  li 

blue 
Alicanet,  native 

italicum 
Omplialodes  verna 
Campanula  pyrami  "alis 

Calycanthcma 
Jlyosotis  palustris 
Roses,  many  varieties 
Pelaigcjniums,    scarlet    aud 

otliera 
Clematis  .Mad.  Cholmoudeley 

Symesiana 

Flanimula 
Nasturtiums,  till 

Tom  Thumb 
Tropreolum,  single 

doul)le 
Jlarigolds,  French 

Airicau 
Tagetes 

Calendula  othcinalis 
Fuchsias,  various 
Wallflower  Harbinger 
Carnation  Grenadin 
Ceanothus   Gloire   de    Ver- 
sailles 
Jligncnette 
Abelia  rupestris 
Zauschneria  califurnica 
Veronica  spicata 

glauca 

Andersoni 

salicifulia,  whit© 
Laurustinus 
Jasraiuum  nudiflorum 


Anemone  coronana 

japonica  rosea 

j.  alba 
Dahlias,  single 
Berberis  Darwini 

stenophylla 

Jamesoni 
Periwinkle  major,  blue 

minor,  blue 

miuor,  white 
Convolvulus  maiiritanicus 

major 
Phlo.x,  tall 

Drummondi 
Strawberries,  garden 

alpine 
Violets,  Russian  and  Czar 
Sedum,  two  varieties 
Cyclamen  hederajfolium 

pyrenaicum 
Honeysuckle,  Dutch 

evergreen 

seal  let  trumpet 
Stock,  white  perpetual 

Ten-week 
Christmas  Roses 
Calceolaria,  three  varieties 
Antirrhinums 
Ageratum,  two  varieties 
.•Salvia  splendens 
Pansies  in  variety 
Vi'^las  in  variety 
Linum  g^andJHorum 
Coreopsis  tiuctoria 

Atkinson! 
Godetia  Brilliant 
Eichscholtzia  Mandarin 
Limnanthes  Douglssi 
Everlastings 
Candytuft,  white 
Iberis  Tenoreana 
Pcipy  Carnation 
Borage 
Sweet  Pe<as 
Lavendula  spicata 
Alyssum,  white 
Aubrietia,  purple 
Phygelius  capensis 
Oxalis  purpurea 
Heaths,  two  varieties 
Spiraea,  white,  shrub 
Escallonia  macrantha  • 

Ingrami 
Pyrethrum.  double  white 
Furze,  double 
Pyrus  japnnica 
Nemophila  insignis 
Fumitory,  yellow 
Osmanthus  ilicifolius 
Tricyrtis  hirta 

J.  Mallbtt. 


Billbergia  macroealyx.— This  is  one  of 

the  best  of  the  genus  to  which  it  belongs.  It  has 
long  dark  green  curving  leaves,  with  folding  bases 
so  as  to  form  a  tall  vasiform  plant,  out  of  the 
middle  of  which  the  erect  spike  of  brilliant  bracts 
and  flowers  pushes  up  to  a  height  of  2  feet  or 
even  more.  The  flower-stalk  is  covered  with  a 
pale  brown  meal-like  coating,  and  on  its  upper 
portion  bears  a  rather  compact  cluster  of  long 
green  and  blue  flowers,  the  blue  being  along  the 
margins  of  the  curving  petals.  In  this,  as  in  all 
the  Billbergias,  the  main  attraction  resides  in  the 
large  boat-shaped,  brilliant  scarlet  bracts,  of 
which  there  are  about  a  dozen  arranged  on  the 
spike  just  below  the  cluster  of  flowers.  Bracts 
arc  often  attractive  characters  in  the  plants  of 
our  gardens,  the  I'oinsettias,  Euphorbias,  Dale- 
champias,  and  the  new  and  beautiful  introduction 
recently  shown  by  Messrs.  Veitch  under  the  name 
of  Amasonia  punicea  being  amongst  the  most 
conspicuous.  Beautiful  colours  are  always  at- 
tractive whether  seen  in  flowers,  in  bracts,  or  in 


foliage,  and  that  the  colour  of  this  Billbergia  is 
most  brilliant  we  were  enabled  to  see  at  Kew  a 
few  days  ago  where  several  plants  of  it  were  in 
flower,  and  .also  in  the  garden  of  Sir  George 
Macleay,  where  this  and  numerous  other  Brome- 
liads  are  cultivated  with  the  care  and  attention 
which  they  deserve. — B. 


NOTES  ON  HELLEBOKES. 
H.  NIGER  ALTIFOLIUS  Is  nnusually  fine  this  year, 
and  is  now  plentifully  in  flower.  The  mild  autumn 
has  favoured  its  blooming,  so  that  it  is  less  pink- 
shaded  than  usual.  I  never  saw  the  blossoms  so 
purely  beautiful  as  they  now  are  in  sheltered 
situations.  We  have  a  great  many  plants  of  this 
Hellebore  collected  in  all  parts  of  the  country, 
and  many  of  them  kindly  contributed,  during  the 
last  two  years,  when  it  was  known  I  was  study- 
ing the  varieties  of  H.  niger.  The  plants  are  now 
well  established  and  are  showing  in  their  true 
forms,  and  it  is  most  interesting  to  mark  that 
they  are  almost  precisely  alike,  although  the 
plants  came  from  the  north  and  south  of 
Scotland,  from  London,  Cornwall,  Gloucester, 
Devon,  Yorkshire,  Cheshire,  Cambridge,  and  Essex. 
They  all  possess  the  purple-mottled  stalks, 
sturdy  foliage  held  well  aloft,  white  sepals 
often  delicately  tinted  with  pink,  and  the  most 
distinctive  coronet  of  pink  crowning  the  pistils. 
They  all  flower  together,  the  earliest  of  the  Helle- 
bores, and  slightly  before  the  ordinary  H.  niger. 
This  proves  conclusively  to  my  mind  that  H.  n. 
altifolius  is  a  distinct  variety,  and  it  is  now  well 
known  that  it  comes  to  us  from  Carniola  and 
Southern  Au.«tria.  I  have  had  several  young 
plants  sent  from  its  native  habitat,  but  they  have 
not  bloomed  yet. 

One  of  the  Heinemanni  varieties  is  also  well  in 
flower  here,  having  four  scapes  bearing  flowers, 
and  many  more  showing.  It  is  called  Albin  Otto, 
and  has  white  sepals,  green  tinged  and  spotted 
with  purple,  but  more  sparsely  than  in  the 
well-known  Commerzienrath  Benary.  The  parent- 
age of  this  pretty  Hellebore  is  probably  well 
known,  but  if  not,  I  think  its  early  blooming  is 
some  evidence  that  it  may  be  a  cross  between  H. 
niger  and  guttatus.  Its  proper  time  of  blooming 
would  surely  be  with  the  Lenten  Roses,  but  here 
we  have  it  with  the  autumnal  ones. 

H.  NIGER  ANGUSTiFOLius.— Our  Cheshire  and 
Lancashire  "true  Christmas  Rose"  shows  its  buds 
now  plentifully,  but  no  flowers,  and  there  are  not 
likely  to  be  many  for  a  month  yet.  The  leafage  is 
much  loorer  this  year  than  usual,  owing  to  the 
very  dry  season.  That  which  favours  the  develop- 
ment of  H.  altifolius  does  not  equally  help  this 
v.ariety,  which  is  a  moisture-loving  plant,  almost 
preferring  a  damp,  peaty  situation.  Except  where 
grown  under  trees,  it  is  this  year  very  deficient  in 
leaf,  but  its  crowds  of  buds  show  that  in  flowers 
it  will  be  even  more  profuse  than  usual.  Plants 
obtained  now  will  bear  removal  well  if  a  boss  of 
soil  is  sent  with  them,  and  will  flower  by  Christ- 
mas. All  the  leading  florists  have  acquired  a 
stock  of  them,  or  at  any  rate  Barr,  Collins  and 
Gabriel,  Backhouse,  and  Clibran  can  supply  the 
true  variety.  It  will  be  found  that  these  Helle- 
bores do  not  show  well  the  year  after  removal  or 
replanting.  It  is  the  same  with  the  Iri^h  variety 
— "  St.  Brigid's  " ;  the  plants  depend  upon  the  fibrous 
rootlets,  which  are  spread  widely  out  from  the 
woody  main  roots.  When  the  plant  is  taken  from  the 
ground  these  are  rudely  torn  away,  and  for  the 
ne.xt  year  the  pl.ant  has  to  use  up  its  strength  for 
flowers  and  leaves  without  the  usual  amount  of 
nourishment  which  the  fibrous  roots  would  have 
supplied. 

After  flowering,  the  plant  has  to  begin  afresh  by 
throwing  out  its  fibres  into  the  new  soil,  and  this 
has  to  be  done  before  it  can  produce  a  flourisliing 
crop  of  leaves  and  flowers  as  before.  In  this  way 
a  year  is  lost.  I  give  these  details  because  many 
have  written  to  me  on  the  subject,  including  pro- 
fessional gardeners,  and  this  is  my  explanation 
based  upon  experience.  It  is  the  custom  here  to 
break  up  a  large  plant  that  has  been  forced,  and 
to  plant  out  the  divisions  in  specially  prepared  soil, 


richly  manured,  and  to  grow  on  until  the  third 
year.  If  properly  managed  these  will  furnish 
large  plants  ready  for  forcing,  and  if  done  every 
year  there  will  always  be  a  succession  available. 

I  have  seen  it  mentioned  lately  that  you  should 
force  a  Hellebore  one  year,  and  then  plant  it  out 
for  a  year's  rest  and  force  again.  But  this  will 
not  answer.  The  plants  will  dwindle  away  under 
such  treatment.  It  would  be  better  to  keep  them 
in  pots  and  manure  and  top-dress  annually.  There 
i?,  however,  very  little  to  be  gained  by  forcing.  If 
the  plants  are  planted  in  suitable  soil  and  in  a  quiet 
fcheltered  situation  where  cold  winds  are  kept 
away,  and  if  they  are  covered  by  cloches  or  with 
sheets  of  glass  at  blooming  time,  the  flowers  will 
come  very  nearly  as  early  and  will  be  quite  as 
beautiful.  They  will  also  retain  their  whiteness 
longer  and  not  so  readily  turn  green. 

JInicliJnirst,  Didxhurij.         Wm.  BROCKBANK. 


Planting  Daffodila.  The  following  ex- 
tracts from  a  letter  from  Jlr.  Vallance,  dated 
November  16,  may  be  of  interest:  "The  Narcissi 
in  the  Scilly  Islands  are  planted  in  beds  about  4 
feet  wide  with  1,5-inch  alleys  between  them. 
First  the  ground  is  dug,  and  manure  is  well  mixed 
with  the  soil  as  the  digging  proceeds  ;  then  it  is 
nicely  levelled.  Frames  are  made  just  the  width 
of  the  beds,  with  cross-bars  (like  a  sash)  at  dis- 
tances of  9  inches  or  10  inches ;  these  bars  are 
bevelled  off  at  the  bottom.  When  placed  on  the 
beds  and  firmly  pressed  down  each  bar  impresses 
a  line.  The  bulbs  are  then  placed  in  a  line  on  the 
marks  left  by  the  frame  on  the  soil,  the  space  be- 
tween each  pair  being  about  the  size  of  a  bulb,  so 
as  to  allow  for  increase  of  size  and  stock.  They 
are  then  pressed  down  to  the  level  of  the  ground 
and  about  an  inch  of  soil  is  thrown  over  them  from 
the  alleys.  Another  sprinkling  is  added  in  about 
a  fortnight's  time  to  cover  the  first  lot  of  seedling 
weeds;  as  soon  as  these  reappear  the  beds  have  a 
good  top-dressing  of  fresh  sea-weed  from  the 
beach.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  covering  of  soil 
is  only  about  an  inch  deep.  The  top-dressing  of 
sea-weed  answers  a  two-fold  purpose:  it  keeps 
down  weeds  and  maintains  the  soil  in  a  moist, 
soft  state,  and  besides  it  acts  as  a  very  accept- 
able manure  to  the  Narcissi.  We  have  tried 
deep  planting,  but  we  find  by  so  doing  that 
the  flowers  are  later  than  they  otherwise  would 
be ;  the  plants,  too,  are  not  so  healthy  and  the 
increase  not  so  large  as  under  sh.allow  planting." 
In  another  part  of  his  letter  Mr.  Vallance  says, 
"  We  are  now  cutting  a  nice  lot  of  Paper-whitos, 
and  I  should  like  you  to  see  the  Narcissus  fields 
just  now  ;  they  look  so  neat  and  well  cared  for, 
and  the  bulbs  are  just  coming  up  through  the 
brown  sea-weed.  We  are  cutting  Arum  flowers  in 
the  open  field  alio."  I  wish  I  could  persuade 
some  of  your  readers  to  pay  the  «cilly  Islands  a 
visit.  Besides  the  attractions  of  the  bulb  fields 
they  would  find  plenty  to  interest  them.— C.  A.  M. 

CABMICHAEL. 


SHORT  NOTES.— FLOWER. 


The  Crown  Daiay.-The  plant  figured  last  week  was 
rilised  from  seeds  uatheie.l  in  the  south  of  tun.pe  by  Mr. 
Kin-smill,  ami  may  therefore  be  supposed  to  represent  the 
native  type.     It  is  a  free  aud  liandsome  annual. 

Seneclo  pulcher.-From  remarks  that  have  been 
made  it  does  nut  seem  to  be  generally  known  that  this 
plant  is  not  hardy.  It  was  killed  in  the  winter  of  ls,n  in 
the  north  of  Ireland.-CHARLKS  E.  MAr.lLl,  Dalgmsc, 
ilonkslown,  Dublin. 

Sweet-scented  Rudbecklas.-Youv  correspondent 
(p  391)  mentions  Riidbeekia  intermedia  as  the  most  fra- 
grant. A  kind  wliich  I  reeeive.l  from  Worcester  under  the 
Same  of  R.  subtomentosa  n.,w,  in  ,  ertain  comlitions  of  the 
atmosphere,  dilfuses  its  Antlioxautlinui-llke  odour  far  and 
wide  nor  is  it  by  any  means  fugitive  ;  pieces  of  the  plant; 
laid  by  last  year  are  still  sweet.- J.  M.,  Charmonth. 

Shallow  V.  deep-planted  bulbs---lf  "i- s.  w." 
win  read  my  remarks  ou  this  subject  carefully  .ami  then 
criticise  them  fairly,  I  will  reply,  but  I  have  not  the  least 
intention  of  following  him  into  the  misty  region  in  which 
he  has  now  taken  refuge.  If  he  esres  to  undertake  a 
iiuirney  to  Newry  next  spring  I  will  undertake  to  .show  him 
in  a  garden  with  both  a  habitatb.n  aud  a  name  I  .ilfodils 
and  other  eye-openers-  facts  in  plenty  which  would  most 
likely  just  as  much  siu-prise  as  instruct  hmi.— T.  rtMlTB, 
Neiifi/. 


458 


THE    GAEDEN 


[Nov,  29,  1884. 


GARDEiSf  OF  THE  VILLA  TASCA,  PALERMO. 
The  illustration  in  The  Garden  (Nov.  1.5)  of  this 
villa  reminded  me  of  a  visit  I  paid  to  it  in  the 
April  of  this  year.     It  lies  a  little  off  the  high 
road.     Leaving  Palermo  by  the  Porta  Nuova,  you 
reach  first  the  Cuba,  a  Saracenic  palace  built  by 
theNorman  King,  William  II.,  1182.  (It  is  singular 
that  the  princes  of  this  line  copied  exactly  the 
architectural  style    which    prevailed  during    the 
period  of  the  Arabian  occupation  of  Sicily.)     The 
edifice  formerly  stood  in  splendid  and  extensive 
gardens,  whose  glories   have  been  described  by 
various  writers.  Among  others,  Boccacio  mentions 
them  in  one  of  the  stories  of  the  "  Decameron." 
Further  on  to  the  right  you  enter  the  pleasure 
grounds  of  the    Cavaliere    di  Napoli,   where    is 
found  a  small  vaulted  pavilion   called    La  Cubola, 
■which  Hare  says  is  "  the  most  perfect  Saracenic 
remnant  in  Sicily."     I  have  a  drawing  of  it  now 
before  me.     It  is  built  of  a  reddish  sort  of  stone, 
which    time    has    mellowed.     In    the    centre   is 
a  fountain   now  dry.    It    stands  in    an   Orange 
grove,   while   beyond  are  seen   the  purple  hills 
which  surround   the  Vega,  or  plain  of   Palermo. 
These  hills  are  crowned  to  their  summits  with  ver- 
dure. That  white  roaci,  winding  through  the  groves 
of  Olives  and  bordered  with  Aloes  and   prickly 
Pears,  leads  to  the  majestic  cathedral  of  Monreale, 
built,  together  with  the  Benedictine  monastery  ad- 
joining, by  a  Norman  king,  in  obedience  to  a  vision. 
The  whole  plain,  called  the  Conca  d'Oro,  is  one  vast 
garden.    As  you  look  down  upon  it  your  eye  rests 
on  the  deep  green  of  the  Orange  and  Lemon  trees 
and  the  half-hidden  gold  of  their  fruit;  these  con- 
trast with  the  pale  shadowy  branches  of  the  Olive. 
The  excellent  system  of  irrigation  introduced  into 
the  island  by  the  Saracenic  conquerors  of  Sicily 
and   the  natural  richness  of  the  soil  alike  con- 
tribute to  the  amazing  fertility  of  this  "  earthly 
Paradise."    Of  the  Tasca  garden  there  does  not 
remain  much  to  be  said.     You  approach  it  by  the 
high    road  before   mentioned,  and    entering  the 
lodge  gates,  you  traverse  for  some  distance  a  shady 
lane  bordered  by  hedges  of  Roses,  which  were  in 
full  bloom  in  spring.    The  first  view  of  the  villa  is 
imposing  ;     the   plate   gives   a   very   good    idea 
of  it.     The  luxuriance  of  the  semi-tropical  vege- 
tation, particularly  the  Palms,  the  Pampas,  and 
the  New  Zealand  Flax,  seems  to  produce  an  orien- 
tal effect.     Formal  gardening  there  was  little  or 
none.     A  few  beds  of  Cinerarias  and  Ranunculus 
in  full  flower  were  dotted  here  and  there,  but  they 
had  had  evidently  little  care  bestowed  on  their 
cultivation;  they  grew  as  they  liked.     The  Eu- 
calypti and  other  fine  trees  form  the  glory  of  the 
place.    By  a  winding  path,  planted  so  thickly  with 
over-arching  shrubs  that  the  view  ia  hidden,  you 
come  suddenly  upon   a  sheet  of  water  where  a 
number  of  aquatic  plants  flourish.  Here  and  there 
is  a  miniature  cavern  full  of  Ferns ;  a  flight  of 
steps  leads  up  to  a  Grecian  temple,  well  provided 
with  seats,  from  which  there  is  a  lovely  and  exten- 
sive view.  I  cannot,  however,  say  much  in  praise  of 
this  arrangement.     The  garden  is  not  very  large, 
and  it  seemed  almost  a  pity  to  cut  it  up  into  what 
after   all   had   rather   a    tea-garden   effect.     The 
stream  would  have  been  very  well  if  the  shallow 
lake  had  not  been  attempted.     I  should  have  pre- 
ferred broad  stretches  of  verdure  ;  smooth  turf  (as 
known  in  England)  is  impossible;  but  low-growing 
Mosses  are  a  fair  substitute,  as  we  see  in  the  Flora,  a 
public  pleasure  ground  within  the  wallsof  Palermo, 
which  has  already  been  described  in  these  pages. 
But  the  evening  approaches;  the  bells  from  the 
countless  churclies  of  the  city  are  ringing   the 
"  Angelus  ;  "  and  the  faint  perfume  of  the  Orange 
and  Lemon  flowers,  together  with  that  of  the  Rose 
and  the  white  Daphne,  are  watted  to  ns  as  we 
drive  along  the  dusty  road  back  to   the  quaint 
little  hotel.     Life  in  Palermo  is  delightful.     Who 
could  be  dull  under  so  fair  a  sky  ?     Everything  is 
new  and  strange.     Happy  those  who  can  escape 
for  a  while  from  the  care  and  turmoil  of  a  busy 
lite  to  "  fresh  woods  and  pastures  new." 

M.N. 


NOTES  FROM  PORT  ELIOT. 
This,  the  residence  of  the  Earl  of  St.  Germans,  is 
built  upon  the  site  of  the  Augustine  priory,  which 
formerly  stood  adjacent  to  the  fine  old  Norman 
church  that  remains  to  this  day.  St.  Germans, 
like  Sherborne,  was  formerly  a  bishopric.  Port 
Eliot  is  a  battlemented  house  in  a  hollow,  with 
close-shaven  lawns  all  round  its  Magnolia-bound 
walls.  On  the  north  and  east  sides  there  is  a 
broad  valley  gradually  merging  into  a  fringe  of 
foliage.  On  ^the  garden  side  the  lawn  slopes 
abruptly  to  some  high  Beech  trees.  This  Beech 
grove  is  pierced  by  many  walks,  and  by  the  sides 
of  nearly  all  of  them  is  a  thick  undergrowth  of 
Laurels,  Yews,  and  Rhododendrons.  The  latter 
are  planted  in  prepared  soil  in  which  no  peat  has 
been  used — only  leaves  and  soil.  Every  now  and 
then  large  open  spaces  are  cut  for  them.  The 
Lynher — here  a  tidal  stream,  and  at  low  water  a 
river  of  mud,  in  which  it  is  a  puzzle  to  find  the 
watercourse — meanders  through  the  park.  Walks 
wind  by  its  side,  and  very  tasteful  planting  is 
observable  in  all  directions.  The  Conifers  that  do 
best  are  Picea  cephalonica,  Pinus  insignis,  one  of 
which  has  a  girth  of  11  feet.  Thuja  Lobbi,  and 
Cupressus  macrooarpa  and  Lambertiana. 

The  chief  deciduous  trees  are  Turkey  Oaks,  in- 
cluding the  variegated  varieties,  and  Spanish 
Chestnuts.  Impressive  also  was  the  effective  use 
that  is  made  of  the  deciduous  Taxodium.  Whether 
in  the  spring  or  autumn,  this  tree  is  a  thing  of 
beauty,  and  is  capable  of  giving  as  much  change 
of  tone  as  any  tree  in  cultivation.  A  delightful 
spot  near  the  riverside  is  the  Horse-shoe  Glade. 
It  is  a  high  precipitous  bank  of  rock  and  soil  in 
the  form  of  a  horse-shoe,  mantled  from  base  to 
summit  with  foliage.  At  the  top,  standing  out 
against  the  sky,  are  some  tall  Scotch  Fir  trees. 
The  grounds  arc  very  extensive,  and  include  a  great 
length  of  shrubbery  walks,  a  lesson  to  be  learnt 
from  the  latter  being  the  beauty  and  adapta- 
bility for  such  positions  of  Cotoneaster  frigida. 
Its  leaves  are  long  and  shaped  like  a  spear-head, 
and  in  autumn  it  is  loaded  with  .bright  vermilion 
clusters  of  berries.  It  attains  a  considerable 
height,  and  affords  a  lively  and  attractive  object 
for  the  background. 

The  kitchen  garden  is  a  pleasant  old-fashioned 
place  in  the  highest  state  of  cultivation.  A  chief 
feature,  both  in  this  and  previous  years,  is  the 
successful  culture  of  Peaches  on  the  open  wall 
without  copings  or  any  covering  except  that  of  a 
net  in  early  spring.  This,  during  the  blooming 
season,  is  let  down  from  the  top  of  the  wall  and 
fastened  to  pegs  placed  at  a  distance  of  2  feet  0 
inches  from  the  base  of  the  wall.  The  climate  is 
not  very  favourable  in  this  part  of  Cornwall,  and 
frosts  are  far  more  severe  than  at  Mount 
Edgcumbe,  about  eight  miles  south.  Autumn- 
sown  Cauliflowers  were  being  cut  from  plants  a 
year  old,  and  very  large  and  white  they  were. 
The  plant  houses  are  filled  for  the  most  part  with 
old  favourites,  amongst  them  being  Billbergias, 
Jleyenia  erecta.  Hibiscus  Cooperi,  and  Duranta 
Baumgardi,  the  foliage  of  which  was  copiously 
blotched  with  blue.  Alongside  the  walks  most 
suitable  for  promenades  are  gay  herbaceous 
borders,  closed  in  the  rear  with  lines  of  Sweet 
Peas.  Flowers  of  every  hue  were  there,  and  most 
of  them  with  English  names.  C.  A.  51.  C 


we  are  compelled  to  water  newly-planted  forest 
trees  of  the  Pine  class  as  copiously  as  in  summer 
weather.  No  one  here,  even  the  oldest  inhabitant, 
remembers  anything  like  it.  1868  was  very  dry, 
but  the  rains  in  October  restored  the  supply, 
whereas  this  year  we  have  not  had  much  more 
than  2  inches  or  3  inches  since  August.  The 
barometer  is  high  and  steady,  and  has  been  so  for 
a  long  while. — J.  S.  W. 


PREPARING  FOR  WINTER. 
The  wood  of  Peach  and  Nectarine  trees  on  open 
walls  is  in  most  oases  so  well  ripened  this  year, 
that  the  young  shoots  may  be  unnailed  and  set 
free  from  the  wall  without  any  risk  of  frost  injur- 
ing them,  while  the  ripening  of  those  not  so  far 
advanced  will  be  accelerated.  In  all  but  in  the 
most  exposed  gardens  I  hold  with  the  practice  of 
unnailing  them.  It  hardens  up  the  wood  and 
helps  to  clean  the  trees  from  insect  pests.  All  old 
shreds  and  nails  should  be  removed  and  the  sur- 
face of  the  wall  exposed  to  the  weather.  Thus 
many  insects  that  would  have  been  benefited  by 
the  protection  of  the  branches  will  be  fully  ex- 
posed. The  surface  of  old  walls  that  have  become 
uneven  through  age  should  be  fresh  pointed  where 
necessary,  and,  if  appearances  are  not  considered, 
the  wall  should  first  be  washed  with  hot  lime. 
Now  that  the  leaves  are  off  Fig  trees  their  branches 
should  be  unnailed  and  tied  into  bundles  and 
wrapped  in  straw  or  Fern. 

Tea-scented  Roses  in  beds  or  borders  should 
have  their  stems  earthed  up  with  6  inches  of  soil ; 
then  if  the  tops  are  injured,  the  plants  will 
renew  themselves  from  underground.  To  preserve 
the  tops,  there  is  no  better  plan  than  securely 
fixing  a  wisp  of  hay  or  Fern  amongst  them.  Those 
on  exposed  walls  should  be  treated  as  recom- 
mended for  Fig  trees,  but  in  the  case  of  Roses  it 
is  decidedly  better  not  to  protect  until  frost  is 
likely  to  be  severe  ;  considerable  harm  may  be 
done  by  giving  protection  when  not  wanted,  as  in 
mild  weather  it  encourages  them  to  grow.  In 
gardens  where  Myrtles,  Magnolias,  and  similar 
other  rather  tender  plants  require  protection  it 
should  be  in  readiness  when  required.  I  have 
found  that  a  covering  of  frigi  domo  has  been  quite 
sufficient  for  Myrtles.  Cannas  in  the  open  ground 
should  have  a  cone  of  cinder  ashes  put  over  their 
roots. 

In  the  frame  ground  we  have  already  on  hand 
several  loads  of  long  litter  to  use  in  case  of  an 
emergency.  We  find  it  useful  to  shake  lightly 
over  such  subjects  as  young  Lettuces  and  Cauli- 
flower plants  and  Echeverias  planted  close  to  a 
warpi  wall.  We  also  use  it  for  protecting  the  sides 
and  ends  of  frames  in  which  Violets  and  young 
Carrots  are  growing.  In  very  severe  weather  we 
heap  it  on  the  tops  of  handlights  and  frames  in 
which  cuttings  of  bedding  Calceolarias  are  grow- 
ing, and  in  that  case  we  do  not  remove  it  until 
all  danger  of  frost  is  over,  as  they  take  no  harm 
in  such  weather,  even  if  covered  up  for  a  month 
or  six  weeks.  J.  C.  C. 


Messes.  Nutting  &  Sons  h.ive  removed  from  Barbican, 
owmg  to  the  expiration  of  their  lease,  to  1C6,  Southwark 
Street.  ' 


The  dry  season  and  the  water  supply 

— The  condition  of  things  hereabouts  at  present 
is  abnormal  as  regards  the  water  supply,  and  it 
is  safe  to  predict  that,  unless  the  winter  rains  are 
ample,  next  season  will  bring  a  state  of  matters 
fearful  to  contemplate.  It  is  now  close  upon 
December,  and  the  drought  is  as  severe,  or  even 
worse,  than  it  has  ever  been  known  at  this  season. 
In  the  villages  around  water  is  being  carted 
from  long  distances.  Manchester,  Bradford, 
Rotherham,  and  other  towns  are  on  the  verge  of  a 
water  famine.  The  springs  are  quite  dry  every- 
where, and  some  here,  which  have  never  been 
known  to  fail,  at  the  present  moment  have  not 
a  drop  in  them.  In  planting  trees  and  shrubs  the 
soil  is  found  to  be  dust  dry  several  feet  deep,  and 


.5271.— Fishponds.— There  is  no  doubt  that 
"  W.  H.  B."  will  succeed  in  making  his  pond  for 
aquatics  and  fish  water-tight  by  carrying  out  the 
work  in  the  way  he  proposes,  viz.,  to  excavate  to 
the  depth  of  5  feet,  and  then  puddle  the  bottom 
and  sides  with  a  foot  thick  of  clay.  The  difficulty 
will  be  to  keep  it  full  of  water  from  the  limited 
supply  mentioned.  He  seems  to  be  dependent  on 
the  rain  and  a  pump;  and  therefore  unless  much 
surface  drainage  could  be  conducted  to  the  pond, 
or  a  great  deal  of  labour  expended  in  pumping, 
it  would  be  impossible  to  keep  the  pond  full ;  or 
even  if  that  could  be  accomplished,  the  water, 
from  having  no  overflow  and  so  little  going  in, 
would  become  offensive,  especially  during  a  hot 
summer  like  the  one  just  over.  Is  there  not  a 
spring  or  stream  at  no  great  distance,  that  could 
be  utilised  by  putting  a  ram  down,  which  might 
supply  the  house  and  garden,  and  then  the  waste 
could  be  carried  into  the  pond? — S.  D. 

If  "W.  H.  B."  will  profit  by  my  dearly- 
bought  experience  in  pond-making,  he  will  not 


Nov.  29,   1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


459 


clay  his  bottom  before  he  has  laid  down  4  inches 
of  well-rammed  concrete,  otherwise  the  water  will 
f  urely  sooner  or  later  escape  into  the  porous  soil 
beneath.  He  should  also  construct  a  thin  wall, 
which  must  be  grouted  round  the  sides  from  the 
lowest  level  of  the  bottom  up  to  the  edge,  as  a 
backing  for  the  clay  and  a  safeguard  against  the 
incursions  of  moles  and  rats ;  he  may  then  ram 
on  the  clay,  gradually  sloping  it  from  the  edge  to 
the  centre.  If  thus  properly  made  he  will  have  a 
pond  that  will  give  him  no  further  trouble.  In  no 
kind  of  work  does  the  old  adage,  "  A  thing  well 
done  is  twice  done,"  better  apply  than  to  pond- 
making.  Imperfectly  performed,  it  is  a  source  of 
continual  annoyance  and  vexation.  The  pumping 
is  merely  a  question  of  labour,  which  "  \V.  H.  B." 
best  knows  whether  he  can  command  or  not. — 
J.  M.,  Cliarmmtih,  Dorset. 


Fruit  Garden. 


FEUIT  GROWING  FOR  MARKET. 
The  most  favourable  season  for  planting  the  ma- 
jority of  fruits  having  now  arrived,  a  few  notes  on 
kinds  most  in  request  may  be  acceptable.  Enor- 
mous as  are  the  importations  of  foreign  fruit,  our 
markets  are  not  overstocked,  and  there  is  jet  a 
good  demand  for  English-grown  fruit,  which  is 
better  flavoured  than  that  which  is  imported.  The 
latter  is  good  to  look  at,  but  as  more  than  the  eye 
has  to  be  satisfied,  it  is  essential  that  the  flavour 
be  also  good.  Foreign  Grapes  are  at  present 
offered  in  every  shop  window  at  6d  per  pound, 
but  English-grown  ones  are  selling  at  from  Is.  (id. 
to  2s.  (id.  per  pound — a  difference  solely  due  to 
quality.  The  fruits  of  France  and  the  Channel 
Islands  come  to  hand  about  as  fresh  as  our  home- 
grown supplies,  yet  they  are  not  so  good.  Boxes 
of  French  Plums,  especially  Green  Gages,  look 
most  tempting,  but,  like  the  Grapes,  they  fail 
when  one  comes  to  taste  them.  Tomatoes,  too, 
come  in  large  consignments,  but  their  quality  is 
inferior  to  that  of  English  ones  ;  and  last,  but  not 
least,  the  American  Apples  now  arriving  in  barrels 
are  not  equal  to  home-grown  produce;  indeed,  the 
more  I  see  of  foreign  fruit,  the  more  am  I  con- 
vinced that  we  can  hold  our  own  in  regard  to  many 
kinds,  Pine-apples  excepted.  In  these  days,  when 
the  question  of  how  to  profitably  employ  arable 
land  is  occupying  so  much  attention,  it  is  sur- 
prising that  fruit  culture  does  not  make  even 
more  advance  in  this  country  than  it  is  doing.  It 
is  only  in  Kent  and  a  few  other  metropolitan  dis- 
tricts that,  one  finds  fruit  culture  receiving  that 
attention  which  it  deserves. 

Apple  trees  are  unquestionably  the  safest  to 
plant,  the  demand  for  good  home-grown  Apples 
being  far  beyond  the  supply.  A  ready  sale  is 
always  to  be  found  for  really  good  fruit,  but  to 
get  the  maximum  price  in  the  market  the  sample 
must  be  good.  Poor  specked  fruits,  the  produce 
of  worn-out  trees,  do  not  pay  ;  therefore  the  old 
decrepit  standard  trees  seen  in  all  parts  of  the 
kingdom  should  be  grubbed  up,  and  young 
healthy  bushes  or  standards  substituted.  It  is  a 
mistake  to  suppose  that  one  must  wait  years  for 
fruit,  for  if  good  trees  are  planted  they  commence 
to  bear  at  once,  and  soon  repay  the  extra  money 
which  they  cost.  Dwarf  bush  trees  planted  10  feet 
or  12  feet  apart  will  be  found  to  yield  better 
returns  than  any  other  kind  of  tree,  but  no  inter- 
mediate crop  whatever  should  be  planted  on  the 
same  ground.  Crops  from  trees  thus  managed 
would  not  only  be  large  in  quantity,  but  of  first- 
rate  quality.  If  the  soil  is  well  prepared  before 
planting,  very  little  cultivation  will  be  needed 
afterwards,  except  keeping  the  surface  free  from 
weeds  and  top-dressing  the  roots  every  winter. 
The  pruning  of  such  bushes  is  of  the  easiest  kind, 
viz.,  pinching  the  points  off  the  shoots  in  July  and 
cutting  out  weakly  or  immature  growths  in  winter. 
At  the  present  time  good  home-grown  Apples  are 
worth  5s.  per  bushel,  a  sum  which  pays  for  good 
culture.  It  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  Apples 
only  thrive  in  Kent,  Somerset,  or  Devon ;  give 
them  a  fair  chance  in  other  counties,  and  they  will 
do  equally  well.     In  this  locality  the  soil  is  by  no 


means  adapted  for  producing  large  standard  trees, 
but  dwarf  bushes  we  could  grow  equal  to  any  part 
of  the  kingdom  ;  the  moderate  growth  they  make 
gets  thoroughly  ripened,  and  plenty  of  fruit  buds 
are  produced  every  year. 

Cherries  are  one  of  the  fruits  that  do  best  as 
standards  in  Grass  orchards,  kept  grazed  down 
close  by  sheep ;  they  are  surface-rooters,  and  do 
not  like  having  their  fibres  cut  by  constant  dig- 
ging. The  Morello  may,  however,  be  most  success- 
fully grown  as  a  bush  on  the  Mahaleb  stock. 
One  of  the  things  to  avoid  in  Cherry  culture  is 
pruning  ;  they  do  not  like  the  knife,  nor  do  they 
need  it,  for  every  shoot  becomes  wreathed  with 
bloom,  and  the  only  pruning  they  require  is  to 
break  out  the  dead  wood. 

Currants,  Red,  White,  and  Black,  are,  perhaps, 
the  surest  cropping  fruits  we  have,  and  the  demand 
increases  quite  as  fast  as  the  supply.  In  order  to 
get  fine  fruit  the  bushes  should  be  planted  in  open, 
sunny  positions ;  it  is  useless  to  expect  first-rate 
fruit  from  bushes  grown  under  the  shade  of  tall 
standard  trees.  Plant  from  6  feet  to  8  feet  apart, 
treat  liberally,  and  they  will  well  repay  the  cultiva- 
tor. I  have  seen  bushes  of  Raby  Castle  Red  and  of 
the  Black  Naples  and  Baldwin  varieties,  well  treated, 
produce  fruit  in  bunches  more  like  Grapes  than 
the  Currants  one  too  often  sees,  and  the  English- 
grown  Currants  are  equal  to  any  in  the  world  ;  in 
fact,  we  could  export  them  at  a  profit. 

Damsons  akd  Bullaces  are  amongst  fruits 
long  neglected ;  they  are  well  grown  in  Kent  and 
in  a  few  other  counties,  but  in  many  towns  they 
can  hardly  be  procured  at  all.  They  grow  freely 
in  hedgerows  or  in  any  kind  of  position,  but  as 
standards  in  orchards  on  Grass,  or  as  bushes  in 
cultivated  land,  they  are  most  prolific  and  remu- 
nerative. Plenty  of  land  now  idle  would  yield  a 
good  return  if  planted  with  these  hardy  and  use- 
ful fruits. 

Figs  are  well  worthy  of  more  extensive  culture 
than  they  receive,  for  in  localities  where  they 
succeed,  as,  for  instance,  on  the  south  coast,  they 
scarcely  ever  suffer  from  frost,  and  ripen  good 
crops  as  standards  or  bushes.  This  season  I 
tasted  as  thoroughly  ripened  fruit  of  the  White 
Marseilles  and  Brown  Turkey  as  ever  I  had  from 
trees  under  glass,  and  yet  the  trees  were  more  than 
a  century  old  ;  therefore  there  is  nothing  new  in 
the  fact  that  good  Figs  may  be  grown  out  of  doors. 
How  we  systematically  ignore  many  of  the  advan- 
tages for  doing  so  which  we  possess  is,  however, 
singular.  Fig  culture  needs  carrying  out  properly 
to  make  it  a  success  ;  the  fruit  would  sell  freely 
enough  if  sent  to  market,  but  it  occurs  there  in 
no  great  abundance. 

Grapes. — Well,  enough  has  been  written  about 
Grapes.  I  will  only,  therefore,  briefly  state  that 
it  is  here  where  we  get  the  full  force  of  foreign 
competition.  I  do  not,  however,  despair  of  home 
growers  being  yet  able  to  produce  Grapes  at  a 
profit,  though  sold  at  a  price  that  would  ensure  a 
rapid  sale.  Of  course  the  supply  varies  in  diffe- 
rent localities;  for  instance,  in  coast  towns  it  is 
greatest  during  the  autumn  months,  when  they 
can  be  produced  without  the  aid  of  fire  heat,  or 
with  but  very  little,  and  notwithstanding  great 
competition  I  think  it  will  be  many  years  before 
Grape  growing  for  market  is  a  thing  of  the  past, 
although  it  does  not  offer  any  golden  dreams  to 
cause  a  rush  into  the  undertaking. 

Gooseberries  seldom  fail,  and  the  demand  for 
them  in  a  green  state  for  culinary  purposes,  and 
ripe  for  dessert,  and  lately  for  preserving  or  jam 
manufacture,  is  very  great.  They  do  fairly  well  as 
an  intermediate  crop,  but  I  like  to  grow  them  by 
themselves  planted  from  6  feet  to  8  feet  apart.  The 
Warrington  is  still  one  of  the  best  late  kinds,  and 
by  netting  it  up  it  can  be  kept  good  for  many 
weeks. 

Filberts  and  other  Nuts,  especially  Cob  Nuts, 
are  fruits  about  which  there  need  be  no  fear  that 
they  will  be  excelled  or  driven  out  of  cultivation 
by  foreign  competion.  Kent  Cobs  are  noted  for 
their  superior  quality,  and  they  could  be  grown  to 
perfection  in  many  other  parts  of  the  kingdom  if 
the  same  attention  was  given  them  as  they  get  in 


Kent.  They  flourish  on  stony  land,  such  as  pre- 
vails on  the  south  coast,  and  a  good  crop  of  Nuts 
is  one  of  the  most  profitable  crops  that  market 
fruitmen  can  grow.  The  bushes  should  be  planted 
about  12  feet  apart  and  trained  in  cup-shaped 
form,  the  centre  being  kept  quite  open.  The  main 
point  needing  attention  is  the  mode  of  pruning. 
In  districts  where  Nuts  are  largely  grown  it  is 
performed  by  men  who  make  pruning  a  speciality, 
and  anyone  attempting  the  culture  of  Nuts  without 
the  aid  of  experienced  pruners  would  probably 
fail. 

Peabs  have  never  been  very  popular  with  mar- 
ket growers.  They  have  hitherto  only  grown 
common  kinds  that  succeed  as  standards,  leaving 
the  best  dessert  sorts  to  be  supplied  by  the  Chan- 
nel Islands  or  French  growers.  There  is,  how- 
ever, a  good  opening  for  our  own  growers,  pro- 
vided they  would  produce  the  choicest  kinds. 
Anyone  who  has  visited  Barham  Court  and  seen 
the  splendid  crops  of  Pears  grown  there  in  the 
open  air  may  rest  assured  that  in  the  south  of 
England  at  least  as  good  fruit  can  be  produced 
as  we  now  import ;  such  kinds  as  Duchesse  d'An- 
gouleme,  Easter  BeurrC-,  and  others  of  that  type 
that  are  always  saleable  at  good  prices  offer  far 
better  prospects  for  the  grower  than  many  of  the 
crops  grown  wholly  under  glass.  In  this  part  the 
Pear  ripens  to  perfection  on  bush  trees,  and  with 
half  the  attention  required  to  produce  Grapes,  I 
feel  sure  that  Pears  would  yield  far  more  profit. 

Plums  have  long  been  a  popular  market  fruit, 
and  in  years  of  plenty  prices  for  them  sometimes 
run  very  low,  but  the  reason  of  this  is  a  glut  of 
ripe  fruit  at  one  time.  In  planting  for  market, 
the  very  earliest  kinds,  like  the  Early  Prolific 
(Rivers's),  that  ripens  in  July,  and  that  valuable 
late  kind  called  Wydale,  should  be  largely  planted, 
for  they  prolong  the  season  at  both  ends,  and  if 
fruit  growing  is  to  prosper,  skill  and  intelligence 
of  this  kind  must  be  brought  to  bear  on  it.  The 
requirements  of  the  market,  too,  must  be  studied 
by  those  who  supply  it. 

Peaches  and  Nectarines  are  safe  fruits  to 
plant  under  glass,  for  they  never  fail  to  produce  a 
crop,  i  c ,  if  not  overdone  one  year,  so  as  to  cripple 
them  for  the  next.  Under  the  protection  of  a 
glass  roof  these  valuable  fruits  are  safe  from  vicis- 
situdes of  weather,  and,  above  all,  the  wood  gets 
well  ripened.  In  some  localities  Peach  forcing 
pays  well,  but  for  the  majority  of  provincial 
towns  it  will  be  found  the  most  remunerative  to 
grow  a  good  selection  of  kinds  rhat  ripen  in  suc- 
cession by  means  of  solar  heat  alone.  As  to  the 
question  of  houses  r.  walls  and  glass  copings,  I 
should  say,  decidedly  have  houses  and  make  sure 
of  crops  ;  good  fruit  will  always  pay  the  grower. 

Raspberries  have  of  late  been  extensively 
planted  as  a  field  crop  in  rows  about  a  yard  apart, 
no  stakes  being  used  ;  the  canes  are  cut  down  to 
about  3  feet  high,  and  are  at  that  height  self-sup- 
porting. The  great  demand  for  Raspberries  for 
preserving  will  keep  the  market  from  being  over- 
stocked for  some  time  to  come.  Raspberries  need 
liberal  treatment  and  good  soil  deeply  cultivated 
to  begin  with ;  afterwards  they  are  easily 
managed,  and  at  present  they  offer  a  good  pro- 
spect of  remaining  a  lucrative  crop. 

Strawberries  are,  in  this  locality,  the  most 
largely  grown  of  any  market  fruit,  the  soil  being 
specially  suited  to  their  requirements.  Hundreds 
of  acres  of  good  beds  exist  within  a  few  miles  of 
us,  and  if  we  get  a  jam  factory  to  take  off  the 
surplus  fruit  when  it  gets  too  low  in  price  to  be 
remunerative  for  dessert,  we  may  reasonably  ex- 
pect a  great  impetus  to  be  given  to  planting.  Near 
large  towns,  however,  local  growers  who  can  carry 
their  fruit  into  market  freshly  picked  will  not 
need  such  means  for  disposing  of  it. 

Tomatoes. — If  there  is  one  fruit  more  than 
another  that  has  exceeded  our  most  sanguine  ex- 
pectations as  regards  demand  it  is  the  Tomato. 
In  this  district  good  crops  of  it  are  ripened  out  of 
doors,  but  it  is  under  glass  that  I  can  most  confi- 
dently recommend  its  culture  to  the  attention  of 
market  growers.  Although  foreign  competition  in 
this  frnit  is  great,  I  feel  sure  that  home  growers 
have  only  to  supply  a  superior  article  to  defy  all 


460 


THE    GARDEN 


[Nov.  29,  1884. 


comers  ;  up  to  the  present  I  have  seen  no  foreign 
Tomatoes  equal  to  those  of  home  growth.  I  am 
still  of  opinion  that  market  fruit  growing  offers  a 
good  6eld  for  enterprise  to  those  who  can  bring 
practical  Isnowledge  as  well  as  capital  into  the 
undertaking,  but  the  land  must  be  at  a  reasonable 
rent,  and  tenants  must  be  made  secure  as  re- 
gards outlay  on  improvements. 

Gosimrt.  James  Groom. 


Apples  worth  growing.— If,  in  your 
issue  of  last  week  (p.  413),  "  W.  I.  M."  really 
means  Flower,  and  not  Beauty,  of  Kent,  the  Apple 
he  is  growing  by  that  name  is  very  different  from 
the  one  supplied  from  the  Merriott  Nurseries. 
Flower  of  Kent,  as  supplied  from  that  establish- 
ment, is  a  conical  Apple  streaked  nearly  all  over 
the  surface  with  red.  It  is,  in  fact,  as  unlike 
Blenheim  Orange  as  Emperor  Alexander  is. 
Nevertheless,  it  is  a  good  culinary  fruit  and  an 
extraordinarily  heavy  cropper  on  the  Paradise 
stock.  I  am  speaking  in  this  instance  of  trees 
planted  in  a  heavy  brick  earth,  with  a  calcareous 
subsoil.  Perhaps  I  may  be  allowed  to  call  atten- 
tion to  two  varieties  not  so  much  grown  as  they 
ought  to  be,  i  e..  Grenadier  and  Dredge's  Fame. 
The  former  is  very  like  Lord  Suffield  in  shape  and 
texture  of  flesh,  but  is  green  and  hard  when  his 
lordship  is  yellow  and  soft.  On  the  Crab  it  is  very 
prolific,  and  is  altogether  a  most  desirable  Apple, 
which  keeps  up  the  supply  of  Lord  Suffields  till 
December.  The  other  is  one  of  the  best  cordon 
Apples  in  cultivation.  It  is  a  late  keeping  sort, 
and  good  enough  for  a  select  dessert.— C.  A.  M.  c! 

No  manure  beat  for  young  Vines.— 

It  any  of  your  readers  should  adopt  the  treatment 
recommended  by  "  Cambrian  "  for  borders  for 
freshly-plantedVines(p.  44 1),  they  will  never  regret 
it.  It  is  high  time  that  this  question  of  manuring 
was  treated  more  rationally  than  it  hitherto  has 
been  by  those  interested.  Curiously  enough,  the 
day  after  reading  "  W.  I.  M.s  "  paper  on  faulty 
Vine  borders,  I  saw  one  in  which  the  lowest  spit 
of  soil  had  been  so  copiously  manured,  that  all  the 
roots  had  gone  thither.  The  consequence  was 
that  all  the  surface  manuring  was  useless.  For 
additional  nutriment  a  dead  horse  had  been  buried, 
and  it  is  needless  to  say  that  not  a  root  went  tb.at 
way  if  it  could  help  it.  On  no  sane  principle  of 
hygiene  can  it  be  maintained  that  young  things, 
whether  animal  or  vegetable,  ought  to  be  started 
on  a  surfeit  of  nutriment.  As  "  Cambrian  "  ad- 
vises, let  them  be  planted  in  good  maiden  loam, 
and  then  the  after  manuring  will  keep  the  roots 
on  the  surface.  In  damp  seasons,  if  the  border  is 
outside,  it  ought  to  be  covered  with  boarding  or 
corrugated  iron. — C.  A.  M.  C. 

***  The  burying  of  dead  animals  in  Vine 
borders— a  practice  recommended  by  the  late  lUr. 
Roberts  in  his  book  on  the  Vine— has  long  ago 
been  shown  to  be  bad,  and  few  now  think  of  re- 
sorting to  it.  Carrion  killed  the  roots  of  the  Vines 
at  Raby,  and  it  Is  equally  destructive  wherever  it 
is  used. — Ed. 

Muscat  Grapes  in  cool  houses.- That 

Muscat  Grapes  may  be  ripened  in  cool  houses,  or 
rather  id  houses  not  artificially  heated,  has  been 
proved  again  and  again,  but  much  of  the  success 
in  getting  them  in  that  forward  condition  depends 
on  the  situation  and  form  of  the  structure  they 
are  in  and  the  weather  we  happen  to  get,  for  unless 
favoured  with  a  sunny  summer,  it  is  impossible  to 
obtain  th 3  necessary  warmth  by  early  closing  to 
mature  the  beriies  and  finish  them  properly.  In 
a  season  like  that  just  over,  ripening  Muscats  is 
anywhere  easy  enough.  For  a  house  to  be  of  any 
^ervice  to  ripen  Muscats  without  being  artificially 
warmed,  it  must  be  a  lean-to,  stand  full  south,  so 
as  to  catch  all  the  sun-rays  possible,  but  even  then 
a  vinery  is  of  very  little  use  unless  there  are  means 
of  drying  it,  cither  by  the  aid  of  pipes  or  flues, 
as  should  there  come  a  dull  time  when  the  Vines 
are  in  fiower,  damp  will  spoil  their  S3tting,as  well 
as  the  berries  when  ripe.  The  only  difference  in 
Mr.  Groom's  treatment  from  that  of  others  is  that 
he  appears  to  have  a  slightly  lower  night  tem- 
jeralure,  as  his  shutting  up  at  2  p.m.  would  most 


certainly  raise  the  heat  to  80°  or  90°  or  more,  and 
no  one  would  think  of  greater  warmth.  Next 
season  perhaps  Mr.  Groom  may  have  reason  to 
fall  back  on  the  help  of  his  fires,  exceptionally 
well  situated  as  he  is  as  regards  climate. — S.  D. 


Garden   Flora. 

PLATE  468. 
COREOPSIS  LANCEOLATA.* 
The  genus  Coreopsis,  as  far  as  it  concerns 
English  flower  gardens,  is  confined  in  its  native 
range  to  the  eastern  half  of  North  America,  for 
though  it  contains  species  belonging  to  Tropical 
Africa  and  the  South  Sea  Islands,  these  are,  of 


Asa  Gray,  though  in  some  instances  differing  from 
those  which  have  hitherto  prevailed  in  England. 
Coreopsis  is  now  made  to  include  Calliopsis,  by 
which  name  the  annual  forms  are  still  geneially 
called. 

C.  LANCEOLATA  (with  lanceolate  leaves),  the 
subject  of  our  coloured  illustration,  is  decidedly 
for  English  gardens  the  best  perennial  of  the 
genus.  It  grows  about  2  feet  high,  bearing 
through  July  and  August  its  large  golden  flowers 
on  stiff,  slender  stalks  admirably  adapted  for  cut- 
ting. The  undivided,  opposite  leaves  are  the  most 
obvious  distinctive  character.  The  plant  has  a 
wide  range  in  North  America,  extending  to  Upper 
Canada,  so  that  it  is  perfectly  hardy  and  easy  of 
cultivation.     It  likes  a  warm,  sunny,  well-drained 


Coreopsis  aristosa  (flowers  yellow,  naturul  size). 


course,  not  available  for  out-door  gardening.  The 
name  signifies  "  bug  formed,"  and  was  given  from 
theresemblance  of  the  broad  and  Bat  brown  seeds  to 
that  insect.  Dr.  Asa  Gray,  in  his  "  Synoptical  Flora 
of  North  America,"  describes  twenty-eight  species, 
of  which  more  than  half  are  perennial.  Some  of 
these,  which  belong  exclusively  to  the  Southern 
.States  bordering  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  seem 
incapable  of  being  domesticated  in  England,  but 
others  are  well  known  as  amongst  the  brightest 
ornaments  of  our  summer  gardens.  In  the  de- 
scription of  those  which  are  selected  for  notice 
here  we  have  adopted  the  names  and  characters  of 


*  Drawn  at  Munstead,  August  1. 


position,  and  should  be  watered  in  dry  weather 
whilst  coming  into  flower.  The  plant  is  easily 
divided  early  in  autumn  by  lifting  it  and  pulling 
it  to  pieces  carefully  -  a  plan  far  preferable  to 
the  barbarous  practice  of  chopping  to  pieces  with 
a  spade.  By  planting  small  pieces  separately  in 
rich  soil  a  larger  crop  of  finer  flowers  is  obtained 
than  by  allowing  the  heads  to  become  crowded 
for  want  of  frequent  division. 

C.  GRANDIFLOEA. — This  comes  very  near  the 
last,  which  is  often  sold  for  it  in  English  nur- 
series, and  I  am  not  sure  where  the  true  plant  can 
be  seen  growing  in  England.  It  differs  in  having 
the  cauline  leaves  finely  divided  into  three  or  fiva 
linear  parts.  It  is  said  in  its  native  country  to 
bear  larger  flowers  than  C.  lanceolata,  but  being 
a  more  southern  species,  it  is  less  adapted  to 


3  LATA- 


Nov.  it),   1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


461 


English  gardens,  where  it  is  often  only  of  annual 
duration,  and  where  it  seldom  is  seen  at  its  best. 
It  is  well  figured  in  Sweet's  "  English  Flower 
Garden,"  tab.  1 75.  Asa  Gray  gives  C.  longipes  as 
a  synonym  (see  Botunicnl  Mngazine,  358(1),  but 
the  C.  longipes  in  English  cultivation  is  inferior  to 
C.  lanceolata,  and  has  generally  entire  leaves. 

C.  PUBESCENS  (with  downy  leaves). — The  down 
which  gives  its  name  to  this  species  is  by  no 
means  conspicuous,  but  easily  seen  with  a  small 
magnifying  power,  under  which  C.  lanceolata  ap- 
pears quite  smooth.  The  plant  is  generally  known 
in  England  as  C.  auriculata.     It  is  much  taller  and 


Coreopsis  cjrona'a. 

more  leafy  than  C.  lanceolata,  and  has  smaller 
flowers,  and  the  leaves  have  mostly  two  lateral 
lobes  or  auricles. 

C.  AURICULATA  (with  leaves  bearing  lateral 
appendages)  resembles  a  low  and  weak  form  of  the 
last,  with  flowers  even  smaller,  stalks  not  more 
than  a  foot  long,  generally  growing  prostrate. 
Probably  not  in  cultivation  in  England,  not  being 
worth  it. 

C.  PALMATA  (with  palmate  leaves,  i  c,  with 
divisions  diverging  from  a  flat  centre,  like  fingers 
spreading  from  the  palm  of  a  hand),  a  species  of 
no  great  merit,  and  perhaps  not  now  remaining  in 
cultivation  with  us,  mentioned  on  account  of  its 


*. 


Coreopsis  tinotoria. 

synonym,  C.  precox,  which  often  appears  in  nur- 
sery catalogues.  The  plant  I  have  received  under 
the  name  is  a  very  inferior  form  of  Helenium 
autumnale. 

C.  VEUTiciLi.ATA  (with  whorlcd  leaves),  gene- 
rally grown  as  C  tenuifolia,  which  Dr.  Gray  gives 
as  a  synonym,  is  a  neat  and  elegant  plant  a  foot 
high,  with  leaves  finely  dissected  into  filiform 
divisions,  bearing  quite  at  the  end  of  summer 
pale  yellow  flowers  1^  inches  across.  Its  native 
range  extends  into  Canada ;  still  it  is  a  weak 
grower  in  English  gardens  and  is  easily  lost,  re- 
quiring a  warm,  moist  sandy  soil. 

C.  DELPHiNiioLiA  (with  leaves  like  a  Delphi- 
nium or  Larkspur),  generally  grown  in  England 


as  C.  verticillata,  by  which  name  it  is  figured  in 
JtotanU'id  Maijazinc,  tab.  150,  is  a  taller  and  stouter 
plant  than  the  last,  2  feet  high,  with  more,  but 
smaller  flowers.  The  divisions  of  the  leaves  are 
fewer  and  wider  and  the  roots  spread  less. 

C.  SENIPOLIA  (with  leaves  in  whorls  of  six,  each 
of  the  opposite  leaves  being  divided  into  three 
lanceolate  lobes,  so  as  to  give  this  appearance) 
is  stouter  and  taller  than  the  last,  3  feet  high. 
Figured  in  Botanioal  Magiizinc,  tab.  3484. 

C.  TKiPTERis  (with  leaves  like  three-feathered 
wings). — A  tall  and  rather  coarse  plant,  6  feet  or 
more  high,  not  unlike  a  magnified  form  of  the 
last.  The  flowers,  whichare  produced  late,  hardly 
compensate  either  in  size  or  brightness  for  the 
room  the  plant  takes. 

C.  ROSEA. — A  Coreopsis  with  rose-coloured 
flowers  sounds  attractive,  but  I  have  cultivated 
this  plant  for  many  years  without  being  able  to 
discover  much  merit  in  it  as  an  orn.ament.  It  is  a 
weak-stemmed,  little  plant,  less  than  a  foot  high, 
with  crowded  stalks  bearing  flowers,  of  a  dull  pink, 
with  dingy  greenish  discs,  hardly  larger  than  lawn 
Daisies. 

The  following  annual  forms  are  all  worth  grow- 
ing. They  are  generally  offered  in  seed  cata- 
logues under  the  name  of  Calliopsis.  When  well 
grown  they  bear  flowers  nearly  as  large  and  as 
bright  as  those  of  C.  lanceolata,  mostly  varied  with 
daik  markings  : — 

C.  TINCTORIA  (figured  in  Botanical  Magazine, 
3511,  and  Sweet's  "  English  Flower  Garden,"  i.,  72) 
grows  3  feet  high,  with  golden  flowers  more  or 
less  marked  in  the  centre,  according  to  the  variety, 
with  crimson-brown. 

C.  Drummondi  (figured  in  Botanical  Magazine, 
347 1,  and  in  Sweet's  "  English  Flower  Garden,"  ii., 
315),  not  nearly  as  tall  as  the  last,  but  with  larger 
flowers  ;  dark  ciimson  marks  confined  to  the  base 
of  the  petals. 

C.  COKONATA  (figured  in  Botanical  Magazine, 
34C0),  a  foot  or  more  high  ;  bright  yellow.with  deep 
orange  in  centre,  marked  delicately  with  brown- 
purple. 

C.  ARI8T0SA  (figured  in  Botamcal  Magazine, 
0462),  2  feet  or  more  high  ;  flowers  uniform  golden 
yellow  ;  leaves  incised  and  the  divisions  serrate ;  a 
fine  species.  C.  Wollet  Dod. 

Edge  Hall. 


Cape  Pondweed. — Late  and  early  this  is 
always  a  welcome  visitor  to  our  tanks  and  lakes, 
emitting  a  fragrance  hardly  equalled  by  our  own 
native  May  ;  indeed,  we  have  somewhere  seen  it 
called  Cape  May- thorn— not  a  very  appropriate 
name,  however.  As  long  as  the  weather  remains 
open,  it  throws  up  well  above  the  water  its  ivory- 
white,  curiously  formed  flowers,  relieved  by 
intensely  black  anthers.  This  season  it  is  flower- 
ing now  with  as  great  freedom  as  it  generally 
does  in  the  middle  of  July,  and  we  are  not  with- 
out hope  of  a  gathering  of  its  blossoms  at  Christ- 
mas, weather  permitting.  It  also  stands  forcing 
well,  and  abundantly  repays  any  extra  care  taken 
in  securing  for  it  a  favoured  spot  in  an  inter- 
mediate house,  a  good  sized  tub  being  all  that  is 
necessary.  Out-of-doors  the  secret  of  success,  we 
think,  lies  in  deep  planting — not  less  than  a  foot 
below  the  surface,  and  where  the  roots  will  be 
away  from  frost.  The  Aponogeton  is  also  partial 
to  good  feeding,  and  will  be  all  the  better  for  a 
top-dressing  of  half-spent  manure  in  spring, 
which  never  fails  to  give  fresh  vigour  to  the  hard- 
worked  tubers.  It  ripens  seeds  freely,  but  as 
these  come  to  maturity  under  water  they  are 
gathered  with  difficulty.  Young  seedlings  may, 
however,  be  seen  by  the  hundred  early  in  spring 
pushing  their  tiny  light  green,  strap-shaped  leaves 
through  the  water.  We  believe  this  plant  has 
been  successfully  naturalised  in  some  of  the  High- 
land lakes.  So  robust  and  thoroughly  at  home 
does  it  seem,  that  we  lately  had  a  difficulty  io 
convincing  a  discoverer  of  the  locality  in  which  it 
grows  that  it  was  not  a  native  of  this  country.  Its 
home  in  the  Highlands  is  at  present  nameless,  and 
not  easily  accessible. — K. 


Indoor    Garden. 


POTS  WITHIN  POTS. 

I  HAVE  often  felt  surprise  that  the  advantages  of 
placing  one  pot  within  another  has  not  been  re- 
cognised by  plant  growers.  In  one  pot  the  roots 
must  be  exposed  to  atmospheric  changes  calcu- 
lated to  act  prejudicially  upon  them.  In  warm 
houses  which  do  not  get  much  ventilation,  and 
which  are  shaded  from  hot  sunshine,  this  disad- 
vantage is  not  so  apparent,  but  in  the  case  of  cool 
bouses  where  air  is  freely  admitted  and  where  the 
force  of  the  sun  is  fully  felt,  it  is  evident  that 
those  roots  which  work  their  way  to  the  side  of 
the  pot  are  not  happily  placed.  Let  anyone  place 
their  hand  on  the  outside  of  a  pot  nearest  the  sun 
on  a  fine  day  and  they  will  be  ready  to  admit  that 
the  tender  rootlets  of  the  plant  growing  in  it  must 
be  sorely  tried.  It  is  the  same  in  the  open  air,  al- 
though it  is  possible,  if  not  always  practicable, 
to  plunge  the  pots,  but  it  is  even  worse  in  the  case 
of  pots  standing  on  window-ledges,  balconies,  and 
similar  places,  as  they  not  only  often  get  the  fuU 
sun  upon  some  portion  of  their  surface,  but  are 
exposed  to  every  drying  current  of  air.  The 
wonder  is  that  plants  thus  circumstanced  can  live 


Coreopsis  Drummondi. 

and  thrive.  Wherever  plant  culture  is  attempted 
on  the  outside  of  windows  some  provision  should 
be  made  for  screening  the  pots  from  the  full  force 
of  the  sun.  There  is  nothing  better  than  a  box 
made  to  fit  the  window-ledge  and  the  full  depth 
of  the  pots  intended  to  be  placed  in  it.  This 
alone  will  infinitely  help  the  plants,  and  if  in  ad- 
dition some  Moss  is  stuffed  in  between  the  pots 
there  will  be  a  greater  resemblance  to  the  condi- 
tions which  plants  enjoy  when  growing  naturally. 
Where  this  plan  cannot  be  adopted  the  pots  may 
be  put  in  others  a  size  larger,  so  that  the  roots 
will  at  any  rate  receive  double  protection. 

When  growing  delicate-rooted  plants  in 
cool  houses  I  have  frequently  placed  one  pot  in 
another  two  sizes  larger,  ramming  Moss  or  some- 
thing similar  in  between  them.  The  advantage  of 
this  is  that  it  not  only  guards  the  roots  against 
the  chilling  influence  of  a  free  circulation  of  air, 
but  preserves  the  soil  in  a  more  equable  condition 
as  regards  moisture.  Everyone  who  has  much  to 
do  with  plant  growing  is  aware  that  there  is  one 
condition  of  the  soil  which  greatly  favours  root 
production — viz ,  between  wet  and  dry,  or  what 
is  often  termed  "  just  moist. "  It  is  a  knowledge  of 
this  fact  which  causes  us  to  plunge  and  cover  over 
bulbs  when  potted,  as  the  greatest  quantity  of 
roots  is  made  wlitu  the  soil  has  not  to  be  watered 
and  yet  does  not  become  dry  ere  the  growth  issues 
from  the  bulb.  Mainly  on  this  account,  too,  are 
cuttings  and  seedlings  kept  rather  close  and  al- 
ways screened  from  currents  of  air  until  the  roots 
fairly  touch  the  sides  of  the  pot.     At  one  time  I 


462 


THE    GARDEN 


[Nov.  29,  1884. 


used  to  rather  largely  grow  the  tuberons-rooted 
Tropseolum,  and  never  succeeded  so  well  under  pot 
culture  as  when  I  set  one  pot  within  another  and 
filled  the  space  between  them  with  Moss.  Until  I 
adopted  this  method  I  never  could  manage  the 
rather  miffy,  delicate-rooted  T.  azureum. 

The  poT-wiTHiN-roT  system  I  used  to  find 
helpful  in  regulating  the  watering  of  such  plants 
as  this,  as,  if  on  looking  through  in  the  morning 
the  soil  was  nearly,  but  not  quite  ready  for  more 
water,  I  knew  I  could  leave  it  till  the  next  day  ; 
and  there  is  nothing  so  injurious  as  giving  a  plant 
water  now,  because  it  will  in  all  probability  need 
some  a  few  hours  hence.  I  feel  sure  that  in 
the  case  of  plants  grown  in  small  pots  for  de- 
corative purposes  the  plan  here  recommended 
would  be  found  to  answer  well,  and  as  to  the 
labour  involved  therein,  it  would  simply  be  a  mat- 
ter of  first  outlay,  to  be  quickly  compensated  for 
by  a  decrease  in  the  watering.  A  plant  with  its 
roots  in  a  2.J-inch  pot  put  into  a  4|-inch  pot  with 
Moss  rammed  in  between  the  two  is  more  easily 
managed  and  does  not  require  half  the  attention 
that  it  would  have  done  had  it  been  shifted.  My 
impres.'ion  is  that  plants  are  far  too  often  repotted  ; 
with  a  top-dressing  and  double  potting  better 
plants  would  often  be  obtained,  and  they  would 
be  better  fitted  for  the  purpose  for  which  they 
are  intended.  In  the  raising  of  seeds  I  have  often 
practised  the  pot-within-pot  system,  as  when  the 
pots  or  pans  are  removed  to  a  more  airy  situation, 
more  water  is  generally  required,  and  tender  root- 
lets frequently  get  surcharged.  By  thoroughly 
moistening  the  Moss  stufling  every  day  or  two  the 
soil  is  easily  kept  in  just  the  right  state  of  mois- 
ture down  to  the  bottom  of  the  pot ;  whereas  in  an 
ordinary  way  the  lowermost  part  of  the  compost 
dries  out  nearly  as  soon  as  the  top,  and  a  rather 
heavy  watering  is  required  to  moisten  it  through. 
By  wetting  the  stufling  material  and  giving  a 
light  sprinkling  over  the  surface  soil,  the  condi- 
tions best  suited  to  root  production,  and  therefore 
to  healthy  growth,  are  easily  maintained. 

J.  C.  B. 

PERSIAN  CYCLAMENS. 
There  are  few,  if  any,  dwarf  tiowerir  g  plants  to 
equal  the  Cyclamen  persicum  and  its  varieties  for 
decorative  purposes  during  winter.  When  well 
grown  they  are  wonderfully  effective,  whether  ar- 
ranged in  groups,  lines,  or  singly  among  other 
plants.  For  affording  cut  flowers  in  quantity  and 
over  a  long  period  they  are  invaluable.  The  im- 
provements effected  of  late  years  in  the  various 
strains  have  been  most  marked ;  the  foliage  of 
many  is  now  strikingly  handsome,  and  the  fine 
large  flowers,  ranging  in  colour  from  purest  white 
to  the  deepest  purple,  are  in  many  cases  strongly 
and  pleasingly  scented.  A  large  mixed  packet 
should  contain  suiBcient  seeds  to  meet  the  require- 
ments of  most  private  gardens,  and  the  present  is 
the  best  time  for  sowing.  Use  for  the  purpose  well- 
drained  pots  or  seed  pans  ;  fill  these  to  within  an 
inch  of  the  rim  with  a  finely-sifted  mixture  of 
loam,  leaf-soil,  and  sand.  On  this  the  seeds  should 
be  sown,  pressed  in,  and  covered  with  about  a 
quarter  of  an  inch  of  fine  soil ;  then  place  them 
in  a  house  where  a  temperature  of  from  50° 
to  60°  is  maintained  and  water  them  through 
a  fine-rosed  pot  it  the  soil  is  at  all  dry,  cover- 
ing them  with  squares  of  glass.  As  soon  as  the 
seedlings  appear  they  should  have  a  light  position 
to  prevent  them  from  becoming  unduly  drawn, 
and  by  the  time  they  have  made  a  couple  of 
leaves  they  will  be  ready  for  pricking  off  into 
pans  in  a  soil  similar  to  that  just  named.  It  is 
important  that  they  be  kept  in  a  warm  house 
until  spring,  so  as  to  keep  them  steadily  growing, 
as  they  make  but  little  progress  when  subjected 
to  cool  treatment.  In  fact,  they  do  better  if  kept 
warmer  than  most  greenhouse  plants  until  they 
begin  to  open  their  flowers,  when  they  will  last 
longer  in  perfection  if  kept  somewhat  cooler. 

In  spring  they  will  require  potting  off  singly 
into  3-inch  pots,  which  ought  to  be  filled  with 
roots  by  the  beginning  or  end  of  June  :  then  they 
should  be  potted  into  others  o  inches  in  diameter, 
which  we  find  sufliciently  large  for  the  first  year's 


growth.  The  best  soil  for  this  shift  consists  of 
three  parts  of  good  turfy  loam  to  one  of  well- 
rotted  cow  manure,  adding  a  little  soot  and  sand, 
and  the  corms  should  not  be  more  than  half 
buried  in  the  soil,  otherwise  when  the  flowering 
season  arrives  many  of  the  blooms  will  decay  pre- 
maturely. From  this  date  a  warm  pit  would  be 
the  best  position,  kept  as  near  the  glass  as 
possible,  and  giving  sufiicient  air  to  maintain  a 
sturdy  growth.  Slight  shading  must  be  resorted 
to  during  bright  weather,  either  by  means  of  lime- 
wash  or  thin  shading  material  drawn  over  the 
lights ;  the  former  is  the  method  most  generally 
adopted,  and  perhaps  the  best.  Watering  must  be 
carefully  attended  to ;  do  not  allow  them  to  become 
very  dry  or  very  wet,  and  the  water  should  never  be 
poured  directly  into  the  centre  of  the  plant,  but 
around  the  sides  of  the  pot.  Cyclamens  are  bene- 
fited bv  syringing  on  the  afternoons  of  fine  days, 
an  operation  which  also  serves  to  keep  insects  in 
check.  They  are  most  liable  to  attacks  from 
green  fly,  thrips,  and  also  red  spider  ;  fumigating 
with  tobacco  paper  will  destroy  the  former. 
Sponging  carefully  with  soapy  water  is  the  most 
effectual  for  the  two  latter,  but  none  of  them 
must  be  allowed  to  become  well  established,  or 
they  will  seriously  check  growth. 

When  they  begin  to  throw  up  their  flowers  they 
should  be  favoured  with  a  light  position  in  the 
greenhouse  and  receive  an  occasional  watering 
with  liquid  manure ;  plenty  of  air  should  also  be 
given  on  favourable  occasions.  After  they  have 
finished  blooming  all  the  old  flower-stems  should 
be  removed  and  the  plants  kept  a  little  dry  at  the 
roots  in  order  to  rest  them  for  a  time,  but  they 
should  not  be  dried  off  too  severely,  or  many  of 
them  will  become  cearly  or  quite  blind.  When 
the  corms  show  signs  of  growing,  they  should  be 
shaken  out  of  the  old  soil  and  repotted  in  pots  one 
or  two  sizes  larger,  using  a  compost  similar  to  that 
recommended  for  the  young  plants,  and  their  sub- 
sequent treatment  should  also  be  similar.  Old 
plants  will  grow  and  flower  for  several  years,  but 
it  is  a  good  plan  to  raise  a  number  of  seedlings 
every  year,  as  they  produce  much  the  finest  blooms 
if  somewhat  fewer  in  number.  Old  plants  do  re- 
markably well  when  planted  out  in  moderately 
rich  soil  about  the  beginning  of  June.  They 
should  be  lifted  again  in  the  autumn  and  repotted, 
taking  care  to  shade  them  from  bright  sunshine 
till  re-estaljlished.  Whenever  flower-stems  are 
removed  or  blooms  are  required,  they  should  be 
pulled  clean  off  the  corms,  as  should  a  part  of  a 
stem  be  left,  this  is  liable  to  spread  decay  all 
around  it.  W.  I.  M. 


Eucbaria  Sanderl.— Mr.  Hardy,  Fickering 
Lodge,  Timperley,  grows  this  lovely  Eucharis  to 
perfection.  It  is  not  only  a  free  flowerer,  pure 
white,  and  good  in  substance,  but  several  of  the 
blooms  which  I  saw  consisted  of  nine  petals,  the 
inner  ones  being  smaller  than  the  others  and 
finely  imbricated.  This  is,  perhaps,  the  result  of 
high  cultivation,  as  the  other  varieties  of  Eucharis 
here  are  also  very  fine  and  robust.  All  seem  to  luxu- 
riate in  sandy  loam  and  a  warm,  moist  atmosphere, 
with  an  occasional  dose  of  liquid  manure. — A.  I. 


SHORT  NOTES.— INDOOR. 


Fuch-  i«i  Domlniana  may  be  safely  cal'ed  one  of  the 
hri^litest  ami  best  of  cool  conservatory  pillar  shrubs.  It 
has  never  hQPn  rnt  of  b'oom  since  this  time  last  year,  and 
promises  never  to  go  ( ut  of  bloom  any  more.  It  must, 
however,  be  planted  out. — T.  Smith,  St  wry. 

Blvina  humillp.— As  showing  the  tropical  character 
of  the  past  summer,  I  may  mention  that  I  dus  up  on  one 
of  the  outsicte  Vine  borders  at  the  end  of  October  a  self- 
sown  plant  of  Rivina  humilis  that  had  g:i-own  to  a  height 
of  6  in  lies.  Being  a  stove  plant,  I  thought  the  position 
an  unusual  one  in  which  to  find  it,— J.  C.  C. 

HotbouRe  boilers  —The  adoption  of  what  are  called 
Rochford's  boileis greatly  simplifies  the  i|uestion  of  heating 
hothouses  and  lilce  structures.  They  are  simply  prolonga 
lions  in  the  boiler  of  the  ordinary  water  companies'  small 
pipes.  Some  of  the  greatest  market  gardeners  aliout  London 
are  employing  them  successfully  to  heat  their  enormous 
houses.  It  does  away  with  the  enormous  amount  of  com- 
plicated and  expensive  ironwork,  and  many  of  the  puzzles 
that  have  hitherto  amused  the  bniler  maker,  Air.  Ladds, 
of  Bexley,  has  employed  them  e.xtensively  aud  with  great 
success  and  economy. 


IpomaBa  rubra  ccstulea.— This  beautiful 

winter  -blooming  annual  climber  is  a  great 
favourite  in  the  boudoir  here  in  the  mass  as  a  cut 
flower.  It  is  not  often  treated  with  too  much 
heat.  Our  treatment  is  as  follows  :  We  sow  in 
heat  in  spring,  prick  off  the  young  plants  into 
3-inch  or  I-inch  pots,  grow  them  on  in  heat  until 
ready  for  another  shift,  say  into  G-inch  pots,  keep 
them  in  a  moderate  temperature  until  the  roots 
begin  to  feel  the  pots,  then  place  them  in  cold 
frames  during  the  summer  months.  We  take 
them  into  an  intermediate  house  in  October,  from 
the  end  of  which  they  will  bloom  profusely  more 
or  less  till  April,  if  shifted  into  8-inch  pots  still 
longer.  One  proviso  must  be  attended  to,  and 
that  is  every  spent  bloom  with  its  seed-pod  must 
be  picked  off  each  eve  or  morn,  for  one  seed-pod 
allowed  to  develop  will  curtail  the  existence  of 
the  plant  by  months.— Cymro. 

Naturally  grown    Chrysanthemums. 

— On  a  recent  visit  to  Eastbury  Manor,  Guildford, 
I  saw  a  charming  display  of  Chrysanthemums,  the 
quantity  of  bloom  that  some  plants  in  8-inch  pots 
were  carrying  being  remarkable.  They  were  fully 
a  yard  in  diameter,  with  at  least  a  hundred  good 
blooms  on  each.  These  plants  were  plunged  in 
ashes  in  the  open  air  during  summer  and  kept 
well  supplied  with  liquid  manure ;  when  the  time 
for  taking  them  indoors  arrived  they  were  found 
to  have  rooted  through  the  pots  considerably,  but 
by  setting  them  in  a  shaded  place  and  keeping 
them  well  supplied  with  water,  both  at  roots  and 
overhead,  they  soon  recovered  the  check  sustained 
by  removal.  Thus  plants  in  8-inch  pots  were  quite 
as  large  as  they  possibly  could  have  been  bad  they 
been  in  very  large  pots  with  roots  confined  folely 
to  the  soil  in  the  pot,  and  I  need  hardly  say  that 
for  decorative  purposes  a  large  plant  in  a  small 
pot  is  a  ereat  gain.  Not  the  least  of  the  many 
good  qualities  belonging  to  Chrysanthemums  is 
the  way  in  which  they  submit  to  a  reduction  of 
their  roots  after  the  bloom  buds  are  formed,  and 
growers  who  have  to  fill  large  conservatories  will 
find  the  plan  just  recorded  to  produce  plants 
marvels  of  good  health  with  a  minimum  of  labour 
expended  on  theirproduction. — J.  Geoom,  Gosj)07-t. 

Sonerilas.— Like  Pleromas,  Lasiandras,  and 
several  other  Melastomads,  Sonerilas  are  pretty 
and  useful  winter-flowering  plants.  If  grown  in 
baskets  suspended  near  the  roof  of  a  warm,  moist 
house  and  kept  free  from  insects  during  the 
summer,  all  the  Sonerilas  prove  good  flowerers  on 
the  approach  of  winter.  In  the  T  range  at  Kew 
we  noticed  several  pretty  baskets  of  them  obtained 
in  this  way,  and  these  last  week  were  almost  per- 
fect balls  of  pale  pink  flowers  and  silver-mottled 
leaves.  Under  favourable  treatment  Sonerilas 
seed  freely  under  cultivation,  and  thus  afford  an 
easy  means  of  obtaining  a  stock  of  them,  for, 
being  annuals,  it  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  keep 
them  through  the  winter,  so  as  to  obtain  cuttings 
of  them  in  spring.  The  effect  of  the  fogs  of  the 
last  few  days  on  Sonerilas  has  already  shown 
itself  in  the  clamping  off  of  their  flowers  and  leaves. 
It  is  surprising  how  disastrous  a  London  fog  is  in 
a  house  filled  with  flowers.  We  have  observed  its 
ill  effects  on  many  plants  this  year  which  hitherto 
did  not  appear  to  have  been  injured  by  it ;  Bego- 
nias, Streptocarpus,  Chrysanthemums,  and  many 
other  plants  were  affected  by  the  fogs  of  last 
week.  For  this  the  only  remedy,  or  rather  partial 
remedy,  is  the  judicious  use  of  fire-heat  and 
careful  ventilation,  with  a  view  to  keeping  the 
atmosphere  in  the  houses  as  dry  as  possible  during 
the  prevalence  of  foggy  weather, — B. 

Fuchsias  planted  out  under  glsss.— 
Few  plants  are  so  well  adapted  for  planting  out 
in  cool  conservatories  as  Fuchsias,  and  yet  one 
does  not  often  see  them  thus  employed.  What 
can  be  finer  than  a  Fuchsia  10  feet  in  height 
and  i  feet  through,  laden  with  flowers  ?  It  re- 
quires really  skilful  culture  to  obtain  such  a  result 
in  pots,  but  there  is  no  difficulty  in  doing  so  by 
planting  out.  Then,  again,  how  fine  they  look 
trained  to  the  rafters,  a  position  in  which  the 
major  portion  of  the  varieties  display  themselves 
to  the  best  advantage.     I  once  saw  on  the  banks 


Nov.  20,  lg84.] 


THE    GAEDEN 


463 


ot  the  lake  of  Thnn,  in  Switzerland,  a  house  in 
which  the  best  kinds  were  used  in  that  way.  It 
formed  one  of  the  prettiest  floral  pictures  I  ever 
saw,  the  plants  being  very  luxuriant  and  carrying 
an  immense  number  of  tinely-developed  blooms.  I 
think  it  is  a  great  pity  that  Fuchsias  should  not 
be  more  frequently  employed  in  this  way  in  ordi- 
nary greenhouses,  as  they  would  effectually  em- 
bellish them  during  the  summer,  and,  being  easily 
kept  within  bounds,  would  not  interfere  much 
with  the  well-being  of  other  plants  grown  in  pots. 
Dropping  their  foliage  by  the  time  the  darkest 
days  arrive,  they  would  not  materially  obstruct  the 
light  from  bedding  plants  or  other  things  wintered 
in  such  places.  Single  varieties  are  most  suitable 
for  the  purpose,  but  some  of  the  stronger  growing 
doubles  would  do  very  well.  The  principal  point 
is  to  thoroughly  sweeten  the  soil  for  their  recep- 
tion, as  a  compost  which  clogs  and  becomes  in 
the  least  sour  is  not  fitted  for  the  growth  of 
Fuchsias,  the  roots  of  which  are  more  tender  and 
have  less  penetrative  power  than  those  of  many 
flowering  plants.  If  this  is  attended  to,  they 
will  not  need  a  change  of  soil  for  years. — J.  C.  B. 


Kitchen    Garden. 


SEED  POTATOES  IN  WINTER. 
When  Potatoes  are  being  grown  or  harvested 
much  anxiety  is  shown  in  regard  to  their  welfare, 
but  when  under  cover  it  is  thought  they  are 
right  for  months,  and  little  or  no  concern  is  felt 
for  their  safety  or  attention  devoted  to  the  care  of 
the  seed  so  long  as  it  does  not  actually  decay.  In 
my  opinion,  however,  great  benefits  result  from 
attending  well  to  seed  Potatoes  in  winter,  no 
matter  how  sound  they  appeared  to  be  when 
stored.  In  looking  them  over  once  a  month  or  so 
until  planting  time  it  will  be  found  that  some  of 
them  are  decaying,  and  especially  will  this  be  the 
case  with  such  beautiful  show  kinds  as  Interna- 
tional, Porter's  Excelsior,  Red  Emperor,  Grampian, 
and  other  delicate  sorts.  When  stored  in  heaps, 
as  they  have  to  be  in  many  instances,  one  or  two 
decaying  in  the  centre,  and  allowed  to  remain 
there,  will  soon  cause  others  to  perish.  This  must 
be  guarded  against  where  sound  seed  is  valued, 
and  a  general  turning  over  and  picking  out  of 
bad  tubers  at  frequent  intervals  is  the  only  way 
to  keep  the  seed  in  good  condition.  Small  and 
medium-sized  tubers  generally  keep  better  than 
very  large  ones,  and  those  who  selected  their  seed 
at  digging-up  time  will  have  fewer  decaying  ones 
amongst  them  than  if  the  whole — large  and  small 
— had  been  stored  up  together. 

Seed  Potatoes  may  be  kept  very  well  in  the 
dark,  but  they  will  do  equally  well,  and  often 
better,  in  the  light.  The  objection  to  a  dark,  close 
place  is  its  tendency  to  force  the  tubers  into 
growth.  The  shoots  of  many  are  rather  liable  to 
start  prematurely  under  all  conditions,  but  they 
are  less  so  when  kept  cool  and  in  the  light. 
Robust  green  shoots  will  never  push  out  so  rapidly 
as  drawn-out  white  ones.  The  latter  are  absolutely 
worthless,  and  should  never  be  encouraged.  When 
they  grow  to  any  great  length  the  seed  cannot  be 
planted  with  them  attached  to  it,  and  in  breaking 
them  off  a  good  deal  of  harm  is  done.  The  best  of  all 
seed  Potatoes  are  those  which  never  require  to  be 
disbudded.  The  first  shoots  or  main  eyes  are  the 
strongest  as  a  rule,  and  when  these  have  to  be 
broken  oS  owing  to  coming  too  soon,  those  which 
follow  are  always  weaker :  and  if  the  seed  can  be 
stored  so  as  to  retard  growth  until  as  late  as 
possible,  and  then  produce  it  of  a  robust  character, 
strong  stems  and  a  good  crop  are  sure  to 
te  the  result.  Some  of  the  best  Potato  growers 
with  whom  I  am  acquainted  never  put  one 
of  their  seed  Potatoes  on  the  top  of  each 
other,  or  more  than  two  layers  deep  at  most, 
and  this  is  a  good  way  of  storing  seed  in  winter. 
As  the  shelves  in  fruit  rooms  are  emptied  they 
might  be  profitably  refilled  with  layers  of  the  best 
seed  Potatoes,  and  any  spare  rooms  or  lofts  may  be 
used  in  the  same  way — cool  places,  well  lighted, 
but  free  from  frost.  In  mild  weather  a  good  deal 
of  air  should  be  admitted,  and  in  times  of  severe  j 


frost,  when  they  have  to  be  covered  over  with  hay 
or  some  other  material,  this  should  be  taken  off 
whenever  it  is  not  wanted. 

Kidneys  or  any  early  varieties  for  frame  culture 
and  planting  immediately  after  the  new  year  need 
not  now  be  checked,  as  it  would  be  an  advantage 
to  allow  them  to  sprout  and  have  strong  shoots  by 
planting  time.  Other  seed  which  may  not  be 
wanted  until  February  or  JIarch  should  not  be 
sprouting  yet ;  but  if  it  is,  check  it  as  much  as 
possible  by  a  cool  atmosphere,  and  if  some  persist  in 
growing  after  that  it  is  best  to  break  the  most  for- 
ward of  the  shoots  off  and  let  the  back  ones  take 
their  place.  Shoots  1  inch  or  2  inches  in  length  now 
would  be  of  no  use  on  seed  intended  for  planting 
in  March,  as  they  would  be  much  too  long  by  that 
time  to  be  handled  or  put  under  ground.  It  is  a 
difficult  matter  to  keep  the  shoots  from  growing 
when  once  they  have  fairly  begun  to  push ;  it  is 
much  better  to  keep  them  back  now  than  allow 
them  to  grow  and  keep  them  at  a  standstill  further 
on.  Nothing  worse  could  happen  to  seed  Potatoes 
than  having  them  stored  in  mounds  during  the 
winter,  and  allowing  them  to  remain  in  that  state 
until  they  have  become  an  intricate  mass  of  young 
shoots  and  roots,  as  the  shoots  do  emit  roots  when 
growing  in  this  manner,  and  they  all  derive  vita- 
lity from  the  seed.  Many  who  possess  seed 
Potatoes  may  be  unable  to  keep  them  thinly  laid 
out  in  winter,  but  everyone  may  turn  and  air  them, 
a  practice  that  is  very  beneficial.  When  we  are 
obliged  to  keep  more  than  we  approve  of  on  the 
top  of  each  other  in  autumn,  we  always  find  some 
means  of  spreading  them  out  thinner  in  spring  to 
harden  the  shoots  before  planting.  The  very  late 
sorts,  such  as  Rocks  and  Champions,  do  not 
start  freely  into  growth  at  this  season,  or, 
indeed,  during  the  winter,  and  it  is  kinds  like 
these  which  should  be  massed  together,  when 
massing  must  be  done,  and  as  the  early  ones 
are  cleared  out  and  planted  in  spring,  these 
can  be  spread  out  in  their  places.  I  do  not  ap- 
prove of  planting  Potatoes  with  the  eyes  perfectly 
dormant,  as  it  takes  them  so  long  to  come  through 
the  soil,  and  some  may  fail  altogether,  which  is 
hardly  ever  the  case  with  properly  sprouted  seed, 
as  none  but  those  with  shoots  need  be  planted.  I 
am  inclined  to  think  that  a  good  deal  of  the  de- 
generacy in  Potato  crops  may  be  traced  to  badly 
used  seed,  and  really  good  crops  can  only  be  ex- 
pected from  seed  which  is  treated  in  a  proper 
manner  throughout  the  winter  and  spring. 

J.  MuiB. 


Road  scrapings.  —  In  country  districts 
these  are  generally  obtained  during  the  winter, 
and  for  certain  purposes  are  most  valuable.  In 
the  case  of  old  vegetable  gardens  their  application 
would  often  do  much  more  good  than  two  or  three 
dressings  of  manure.  For  close,  moisture-holding 
soils,  difficult  to  work  after  rain,  road  scrapings 
are  excellent,  as  owing  to  their  gritty  character 
they  render  such  soils  more  friable  and  porous. 
More  valuable  than  the  scrapings,  too,  are  the  par 
ings,  which  consist  of  grassy  particles,  and  there 
fore  contain  a  considerable  amount  of  organic 
matter.  A  liberal  addition  of  these  to  poor,  light 
soils  infinitely  improves  them.  In  a  general  way 
both  scrapings  and  parings  can  be  bought  for  (3d. 
a  load,  but  I  would  recommend  all  who  think  of 
using  the  former  to  obtain  the  first  lot  collected, 
as  this  contains  a  large  amount  of  manurial  mat- 
ter—horse droppings,  which  during  the  summer 
have  been  ground  down  into  powder. — J.  C.  B. 

Onions. —  Mr.  Muir's  note  upon  Rousham 
Park  Hero  and  Banbury  Improved  Onions  natu- 
rally leads  on  to  the  asking  whether  there  is  any 
real  distinction  between  these  so-called  kinds,  and 
if  there  be,  in  what  form  is  it  to  be  found.  Indeed, 
the  same  may  be  asked  of  not  a  few  other  so-called 
distinct  Onions,  all  of  which  of  the  white  Spanish 
type  have  diverse  names,  though  little  else  that  is 
diverse.  It  would  be  exceedingly  interesting  if 
some  dozen  or  so  of  your  best  known  kitchen  gar- 
deners would  obtain  direct  from  the  trade  houses 
which  send  out  these  kinds  seed  of  each  and  sow 
it,  growing  bulbs  as  good  as  their  soil  would  give 


and  then  comparing  notes  in  these  pages  at  the 
end  of  the  season.  Now  and  then  a  trial  of  Onions 
takes  place  at  Chiswick,  for  instance,  but  the 
general  and  interested  mass  of  gardeners  learn 
nothing  of  the  results  arrived  at.  Still  farther 
attached  to  such  a  trial  is  the  disadvantage  that 
it  has  taken  place  in  one  spot  only,  and  not  in 
many.  Now,  were  a  trial  of  Onions  conducted 
simultaneously  in  a  dozen  gardens  in  as  many 
parts  of  the  kingdom,  the  gardener  in  each  case 
agreeing  to  favour  no  sort  or  seedsman,  but  culti- 
vate all  alike  and  to  the  very  best  of  his  ability, 
and  to  report  upon  the  results  fairly  and  with  the 
utmost  impartiality,  the  reports  would  be  read 
with  remarkable  interest,  and  would  be  productive 
of  great  good.  There  are  few  gardeners  who  could 
not  also  get  their  reports  countersigned  by  a 
couple  of  fellow-gardeners,  who  would  assist  the 
reporters  in  their  interesting  task.  I  might  men- 
lion,  for  instance,  such  names  as  Muir,  Simpson, 
Wildsmith,  Clarke,  Sheppard,  and  Claytcn  as  a 
few  who  would  probably  be  willing  to  a.ssist,  es- 
pecially if  seedsmen  would  furnish  each  with  a 
packet  of  seed  of  their  pet  or  selected  kinds. — 
A.  D. 

Parsley. — When  we  read  the  elaborate  de- 
scription given  by  Mr.  Christison,  and  the  trouble 
and  precaution  needful  in  his  estimation  to  be 
taken  in  order  to  secure  a  crop  of  ordinary  garden 
Parsley,  we  may  well  wonder  what  gardening  is 
coming  to.  Possibly,  I  am  more  fortunate  than  he 
is,  and  as  it  would  seem,  and  indeed  I  know, 
many  other  gardeners  are,  yet  I  have  out  in  an 
open  field  a  bed  of  Parsley  that  is  as  good  and  as 
fresh,  green,  and  vigorous  as  can  possibly  be 
desired ;  and  from  seed,  too,  sown  in  the  open 
ground  last  JIay.  Really,  beyond  the  fact  that 
the  soil  bore  a  crop  of  Potatoes  last  year,  that  it  is 
rather  poor  than  otherwise,  and  that  the  seed  bed 
has  been  kept  free  from  weeds  by  hoeing  twice  or 
thrice  during  the  summer,  I  have  nothing  more  to 
say.  It  is  hardly  the  season  for  anyone  to  be 
anxious  to  refresh  their  eyes  from  the  glare  of  the 
flower  garden  by  gazing  on  a  Parsley  bed,  but 
should  such  a  desire  haunt  anyone,  certainly  they 
can  have  a  thorough  ocular  reviver  here.  It  is 
interesting  to  find  that,  although  so  near  to  us 
as  Syon,  and  in  a  large  number  of  the  West 
Middlesex  market  gardens,  it  is  a  matter  of  ex- 
treme difficulty  to  raise  respectable  Parsley,  and 
has  been  so  for  years ;  yet  here  we  never  have 
such  trouble  ;  in  fact  in  a  patch  where  some  plants 
seeded  last  year  seedlings  have  come  up  in  thou- 
sands. During  last  summer,  when  heat  and 
drought  did  so  much  harm  to  many  things,  the 
old  seedling  plants  lost  all  their  leaves,  and  the 
young  seedlings  seemed  in  danger  of  extermina- 
tion. All  leaves  generally  turned  red,  and  it  was 
thought  they  were  being  eaten  up  by  a  fungus, 
but  that  was  a  mistake ;  all  is  right  now.  To 
what  cause  we  owe  the  extreme  difficulty  found 
in  raising  Parsley  nearer  London  I  cannot  say ; 
whether  it  be  from  fungus,  or  insects,  or  other 
causes,  good  service  would  be  done  to  gardeners 
if  a  remedy  could  be  found. — A.  D.,  Bedfont. 


ANIMAL  MANURES  IN  GARDENS. 

The  remarks  on  this  subject  in  The  Garden  by 
"  X.  Y."  (p.  376)  are  not  in  accordance  with  my 
experience.  Will  "  X.  Y."  kindly  state— first,  in 
what  month  he  cuts  Seakale,  Rhubarb,  Cucum- 
bers, and  Marrows,  and  in  what  month  he  picks 
his  first  dish  of  Peas  from  the  two  late  sorts 
which  he  grows  ?  Second,  will  he  also  state  what 
length  and  width  his  friend's  two  Asparagus  beds 
are  to  require  £16  for  manure,  and  at  what  price 
animal  manure  is  per  load  at  his  place  in  Devon  I 
"  X.  Y."  says  the  usual  practice  with  Seakale  is  to 
cover  it  with  earthenware  pots  and  to  load  the 
plants  with  manure,  but  most  gardeners  at  present 
lift  their  Seakale  and  Rhubarb  and  force  them 
in  either  a  Mushroom  house  or  other  dark,  warm 
place.  "  X.  Y."  seems  to  be  under  the  impression 
that  any  kind  of  vegetables  will  do  for  large 
places,  no  matter  how  coarse  so  long  as  they  are 
large ;  but  that  is  a  mistake.  Marrows,  Peas, 
Carrots,  and  similar  vegetables  are  required  here 


iU 


THE    GARDEN 


[Nov.  29,  1884. 


for  table  very  small  and  yoang;  we  do  not  use 
such  thicgs  as  2-foot  Marrovps,  neither  do  I  think 
many  gardeners  grow  such  large  Marrows  except 
for  soups.  I  use  manures  in  large  quantities  here 
both  for  vegetables  and  fruit.  Our  soil  is  clay,  and 
quite  impossible  to  trench  2  feet  deep;  indeed, 
10  inches  is  about  the  depth  we  can  dig  for  crops. 
"  X.  Y.'s  '  statements  are,  I  am  afraid,  likely  to 
mislead  and  cause  vegetable  growers  trouble. 
Robert  Giddings. 
Coldra,  Caerleon,  Monmouth. 


Parsley  and  Carrot  crops.  Of  the  im- 
portance of  these  crops  to  the  gardener  I  need 
not  speak,  as  he  must  find  Parsley  nearly  every 
day  in  the  year  from  some  source,  and  has  to 
procure  it  elsewhere  when  he  has  none  of  his  own, 
if  it  cost  him  3s.  or  4s.  per  pound  in  spring  after 
severe  winters,  at  which  price  I  have  seen  it  sold, 
roots,  tops,  and  all  going  together.  All  round 
here  Parsley  is  a  complete  failure  this  season. 
We  have  been  getting  ours,  or  most  of  it,  from 
our  poulterer  in  London  with  the  fish  for  some 
time  back.  I  met  a  number  of  gardeners  at  a 
show  not  long  since,  and  none  of  them  had  a 
crop.  The  crop  was  fine  in  promise  till  the  middle 
of  July,  after  which  it  went  off  at  the  root,  and 
although  alive  now,  that  is  all.  Carrots  were 
equally  promising,  but  tamed  out  a  failure.  I 
have  rarely  seen  the  crop  go  off  so  wholesale  in 
the  garden  or  field.  Grub  and  the  fly  did  the 
mischief,  but  the  real  cause  was  the  drought, 
against  which  no  amount  of  water  we  were  able 
to  give  was  of  much  good.  Such  failures  point 
to  the  need  of  deep  trenching  for  such  crops  — 
S.  W. 

Celery  maggot.— It  is  somewhat  remarkable 
that  Celery  should  be  so  free  from  maggot  this 
year,  considering  the  way  in  which  it  was  infested 
last  summer  and  autumn.     Its  immunity  this  sea- 
son cannot  be  from  any  effect  of  the  past  winter, 
as  that  was  mild  and  free  from  heavy  rain  and 
snow,  all,  one  would  think,  in  favour  of  the  pupae, 
and  yet  these  could  not  have  reached  the  fly  stage, 
or  we  should  now  see  Celery  leaves  eaten  up  by 
the  grub  in  the  way  they  have  been  before.  One 
or  two  correspondents  appear  to  be  troubled  with 
this  pest,  but  most  gardens  are  free  from  it,  and 
in  all  that  I  have  been  Celery  is  looking  remark- 
ably well.     We  never  had  ours  better,  for  though 
the  summer  was  hot  and  dry,  ours  did  not  suffer 
in  the  least,  for,  according  to  our  usual  practice, 
we  had  it  between  the  rows  of  Peas,  which  we  sow 
at  8  feet  or  1(1  feet  part,  according  to  the  height 
to  which  the  tops  run.     By  managing  in  this  way 
the  Celery  gets  the  necessary  shade  and   fresh 
ground  every  year,  as  the  one  crop  takes  the  place 
of  the  other.     I  note  that  one  grower  attributes 
his  exemption  from  maggot  this  season  to  having 
heavy  soil,  but  that  seems  to  have  little  to  do  with 
the  matter,  as,  according  to  his  showing,  he  hail 
suffered   severely  when  others  had  it.    Another 
writer  is  of  opinion  that  he  kept  the  fly  away  by 
the  use  of  soot  sown  on  the  plants  at  different 
times,  but  there  really  seems  to  have  been  no  flies 
to  ward  off.     That  soot  is  a  good  insecticide  there 
can  be  no  doubt,  and  it  might  have  been  effectual 
had  the  insects  been  on  the  wing,  and  as  it  does 
no  harm,  but  a  great  deal  of  good  by  acting  as  a 
fertilising  agent,  it  is  advisable  to  use  it  on  Celery 
if  it  can  be  got.    As  we  appear  to  be  much  in  the 
dark  with  regard   to  the  maggot,  perhaps  some 
entomologist  will  tell  us  more  about  it,  and  why 
it  has  vanished  in  most  places  so  suddenly  after 
the  ravages  of  last  season,  and  whether  we  may 
hope  to  be  as  free  from  it  next  year.  Perhaps  we  are 
indebted  for  its  absence  to  our  friends  the  birds, 
as  they  were  able  to  work  during  the  whole  of  last 
winter.— S.  D. 


Green  Peas.— Mr.  F.  Howies  sends  you  sreen  Peas  (ei-e 
p.  391)  troiii  Watroril.  I  Ii.iil  from  mucli  farther  uortli,  aiicf 
send  you  a  fuw  Yorlisliii-e  Hero,  from  wliicfi  we  liave 
gatliefed  diiriiiK  the  last  few  days.  Tliey  are  not  very  full, 
but  are  very  ^ood.  Our  Dafilias  are  still  untouctied  liy 
froRt ;  in  fact,  Tomatoes  and  Heliotropes  are  tlie  only 
plants  ttiat  Iiave  as  yet  suceumlied.— A.  R.,  Windermere. 

^^'  Good  Peas  for  the  middle  of  November,  but,  as 
stated,  tlie  pods  are  not  very  full  and  tlie  Peas  tliem'^elves 
irregufar  in  size.— Ed. 


Scotch  Leeks.- 1  am  afraid  "Northerner" 
has  never  attempted  to  grow  Leeks  to  such  per- 
fection as  those  shown  at  Dundee  and  Edinburgh, 
or  it  he  has  he  must  have  failed,  as  I  can  conceive 
no  other  reason  "  Northerner  '  has  for  saying  that 
Scotch  gardeners  bestow  so  much  trouble  on  Leek 
growing- as  to  treat  them  as  exotics.  If  "Nor- 
therner "  was  fortunate  enough  to  see  the  Leeks  at 
Dundee  shown  both  by  gardeners  and  amateurs,  he 
must  have  discovered  for  once  that  they  did  serve 
a  practical  purpose  in  letting  northerners  as  well 
as  southerners  see  to  what  perfection  the  Leek  can 
be  brought.  "  Northerner  "  labours  under  a  mis- 
taken idea  in  supposing  that  the  Leek  readily  lends 
itself  to  monstrosity-culture  any  more  than  many 
of  our  common  vegetables.  There  is  no  doubt  that 
the  Leek  requires  skilful  culture  if  it  is  to  be  grown 
well,  for  it  is  one  thing  to  have  Leeks  in  November, 
but  quite  another  to  produce  Leeks  in  the  begin- 
ning of  September  thick  and  well  blanched,  as 
shown  at  Dundee  and  Kdinburgh.  To  treat  them 
as  exotics  would  be  to  court  total  failure.  And  as 
one  who  has  been  long  accustomed  to  supply  first- 
class  cooks  with  vegetables,  I  must  say  I  never 
heard  a  complaint  about  big  Leeks,  but  the  reverse. 
The  Leeks,  however,  formed  but  a  small  item  in 
the  vegetable  department  at  Dundee,  as  when  did 
"  Northerner"  or  anyone  else  see  such  an  amount  of 
really  first-class  vegetables  as  were  seen  both  in 
gardeners'  and  amateurs'  classes  on  that  occasion  ? 
Certainly  not  in  Scotland  ;  and  if  there  were  any 
monstrosities  among  the  many  varieties  of  vege- 
tables exhibited  there  that  served  no  practical  pur- 
pose, they  were  not  seen  by  me. — Midlandek. 

Old    garden    eoils  and   lime.— Owners 
of  old  gardens  that  have  been  long  manured  and 
cropped  know  that  in  the  end  the  original  basis  of 
soil  almost  disappears,  and  is  replaced  by  black 
humus  or  mould,  derived  from  repeated  manurings. 
I  know  gardens  in  which  the  surface  soil,  for  per- 
haps   2  feet   down,    has    become  a    sour   black 
mould,  and   nothing  else,  although  originally  it 
was  a  stiff  and  yellow  loam.     In  such  old  soils 
many   crops  refuse  to  thrive,  Carrots,    Parsley, 
Onions,  Cabbages,  Cauliflowers,  Peas,  Potatoes, and 
Turnips,  for  example.     Some  of  these  annually 
fall  a  prey  to  grubs,  and  others  are  not  so  produc- 
tive as  they  should  be,  because  the  elements  they 
need  are  absent  or  do  not  exist  in  sufficient  quan- 
tity.    All  such  old  soils  usually  swarm  with  the 
plagues  that  prey  upon  plants.     The  cure  for  this 
state  of  things  is  lime,  which  is  not  applied  to 
gardens  half  as  much  as  it  ought  to  be.    Agricul- 
turists find  it  needful  to  lime  periodically,  although 
field  culture  does  not  entail  liming  nearly  so  much 
as  garden  culture.     I  am  speaking  of  soils,  of 
course,  where  lime  is  not  naturally  present,  and 
that  have  been  over-manured.  To  these  a  dressing 
of  lime  is  of  the  first  importance,  because  it  re- 
duces to  plant  food,  in  a  chemical  sense,  all  the 
effete  vegetable  and  animal  substances  existing  in 
the  soil  previously  only  encumbering  it,  and  makes 
a  sour  soil  sweet  and  healthy.     Its  effect  in  pro- 
ducing fine  clean  Potatoes,  where  previously  they 
have  been  worm-eaten  and  scabbed,  is  familiar  to 
most  cultivators,  and  its  effect  on  other  crops  is 
similar.     It  does  not  matter  much  when  lime  is 
applied  to  kitchen  garden  ground,  but  it  is  best 
to  apply  it  in  the  dry  or  newly-slaked  state,  and 
no  fear  need  be  felt  about  giving  plenty  of  it ;  it 
should  not,  however,  be  dug  in  in  a  wet  state.     If 
spread  on  the  surface,  it  should  be  left  there  till 
the  soil  becomes  dry,  when  it  may  be  forked  in. 
I  prefer  to  apply  it  in  spring  to  previously  trenched 
ground,  forking  it  in  with  the  crops.     It  may, 
however,  be  scattered  on  the  ground  now  and  left 
exposed  all  winter ;  and  where  gas  lime  is  used, 
that  is  the  best  way  to  apply  it,  as  it  is  full  of 
sulphur   and   other  impurities,   but,  after   being 
exposed  for  some  time,  is  just  as  good  as  any 
other.  It  is  also  cheaper  and  more  easily  procured 
in  some  places.     One  certain  sign  that  a  soil  is 
over  rich  in   humus  and  vegetable  matter  is  the 
presence  of  worms,  which  in  very  old  garden  soils 
often  exist  in  great  numbers.     A  good  dressing  of 
lime  put  on  and  allowed  to  lie,  and  dug  in  when 
dry  in  spring,  will  banish  them  as  if  by  magic- - 
S.  W. 


EECENT  PLANT  PORTRAITS. 

Begonia  Gloibe  db  Sceau.x  {jRcviw  Eorticole 
for  November  1 6). — This  appears  to  be  a  very  beau- 
tiful and  free  blooming  hybrid  with  good-sized 
pale  rose-coloured  flowers,  which  are  said  to  be  all 
males ;  at  least  no  female  flowers  have  yet  ap- 
peared on  any  of  the  plants.  It  is  also  interesting 
as  being  the  first  hybrid  obtained  between  the 
distinct  and  curious  peltate-leaved  species  B.  so- 
cotrana  and  any  other  variety.  It  was  obtained 
by  the  well-known  hybridists,  Messrs.  Thibaut  and 
Keteleer,  of  Sceaux,  near  Paris,  by  fertilising  B. 
socotrana  with  the  pollen  of  B.  subpeltata.  It  has 
a  stout  erect  stem  growth  and  very  handsome 
foliage,  dark  green  marbled  with  white  and  with 
red  veins  above  and  deep  vinous  red  underneath.  It 
is  said  to  be  an  almost  constant  bloomer,  e.=pe- 
cially  during  the  dull  and  flowerless  months  from 
October  to  May,  which  should  add  greatly  to  its 
value. 

TUBEE0U.S  Begonia  Madame  Linden  {Ilhis- 
tnitinn  Uurticolc,  plate  535). — A  very  fine  single- 
flowered  variety  of  these  most  beautiful  plants, 
raised  by  Messrs.  Blancquaert  and  Vermeire ;  it 
is  dwarf  and  compact  in  habit,  and  produces 
large  and  perfectly  formed  male  blooms  of  fine, 
substance,  borne  on  short  stout  upright  footstalks, 
and  of  a  bright  carmine  shade. 

K.ICMPFERIA  ORNATA  (Illusiraf'wn  Horticole, 
plate  537).— A  fine  double  plate  of  this  handsome 
Bornean  foliage  plant,  producing  a  profusion  of 
long  narrow  pointed  leaves,  which  are  deep  green 
with  a  broad  white  band  down  the  centre  above, 
and  deep  chocolate-brown  underneath.  It  was 
sent  to  the  Compagnie  Continentale  by  their  col- 
lector, M.  Teuscher. 

Vriesia  Duvaliana  {Bdijlque  Ilorticolc  for 
May,  1884). — A  fine  double  plate  of  this  new  Bro- 
meliad,  which  is  a  native  of  Brazil,  whence  it  was 
introduced  in  1875  by  M.  Binot.  It  is  named 
after  M.  E  Duval,  of  Versailles,  who  first  bloomed 
the  plant  in  France,  and  exhibited  it  at  the  meet- 
ing of  the  National  Horticultural  Society  in  Paris 
in  May,  1883. 

Nidularium  acanthoceateh  {Belgique  Hor- 
i  icole  for  June, 1881 ). — A  singular,  low-growing,  and 
somewhat  inconspicuous  and  dull-coloured  Brome- 
liad,  which  is  also  a  native  of  Brazil,  whence  it 
was  introduced  in  1877  by  M.  Glaziou,  and  bloomed 
for  the  first  time  in  the  Liege  Eotanic  Garden  in 
1881.  It  was  distributed  during  last  year  by 
Messrs.  Jacob-Makoy,  of  Liege. 

ChaMvECLADon  metallicum  {Illustration  Hor- 
^ifoZc, plate  53'J). — A  fine  double  plate  of  this  hand- 
some Bornean  Aroid,  whose  compact  habit  of 
growth  and  dark,  bronzy  green,  deeply  veined 
foliage,  with  light  red  stems,  should  make  it  an 
acquisition  to  collections  of  stove  ornamental  foli- 
aged  plants. 

Phal/ENOPSIS  Stuartiana  (UhiKtrntioii  Hor- 
ticole, plate  540). — A  pretty  plate  of  this  charming 
Orchid,  believed  by  some  to  be  a  natural  hybrid 
between  P.  amabilis  or  grandiflora  and  P.  Sohil- 
leriana  from  fertilisation  effected  by  insects.  It 
has  medium  sized,  pure  white  flowers  with  prettily 
orange-spotted  lip  and  foliage  exactly  resembling 
that  of  P.  Schilleriana.  W.  E.  G. 


Mountain  Aeh  berries.— The  writer  on 
"  Harvest  Festivals  '  (p.  42(i)  recommends  the  use  of 
the  Mountain  Ash,  waxed  or  dipped  in  spirits  of 
wine,  to  which  let  me  add  P.erberries,  or,  as  usually 
pronounced.  Barberries,  such  as  are  to  be  found 
growing  in  different  parts  of  Perthshire,  as  these 
keep  their  colour  and  form  better  than  Rowans 
(Scotch  for  Mountain  Ash),  even  when  used  with- 
out being  subjected  to  any  artificial  treatment. 
Nothing  can  be  prettier  than  a  Barberry  hedge 
laden  with  fruit  in  various  stages  of  ripeness 
about  the  end  of  September,  and  I  am  surprised 
that  this  bush  is  not  better  known  and  more 
widely  used  for  ornamental  purposes  than  it  seems 
to  be.  It  is  easily  grown  from  seed,  beriies  which 
have  hung  upon  a  gasalier  all  winter  germinating 
quite  freely  when  sown  in  the  open  in  spring,  as  I 


Nov.  29,  1884.] 


THE   GARDEN 


465 


can  testify  from  practical   experience  during  the 
last  three  years. — A.  O.  L. 


FLORAL  MIMICRV. 
To  MAKE  a  list  of  the  plants  which  in  some  way 
resemble  others  not  in  the  least  related  to  them 
would  be  a  long  task,  but  a  few  of  these  resem- 
blances may  be  instanced  here.     Thus  the  resem- 
blance between  Fabiana  imbrioata,  a  Solanaceous 
plant,  and  some  of  the  Ericas  is  so  close  as  to  de- 
ceive anyone  at  the  first  glance;  so  also  a  bush  of 
Colletia  lienthamiana  might  readily  pass    for  a 
clump  of  the  Iris  i  Furze  or  Gorse.   Or,  again,  why 
the  Salisburia,  a  Conifer,  should  produce  leaves 
like  the  pinnules  of  a  gigantic  Maiden-hair  Fern 
is  another  puzzle.     Even  a  good  botanist  might 
be  excused  if  he  thought  that  Henecio  macroglos- 
sus  was  some  kind  of  Ivy,  so  closely  do  their  leaves 
resemble  each  other ;   and 
we  have  one  South  American 
Calceolaria  (fuchsiKfolia  or 
deflexa)   which  has  leaves 
singularly  like   those   of  a 
Fuchsia,  and  might  be  mis- 
taken for  one  when  not  in 
bloom.    That  some  Euphor- 
bias, when  out  of  flower,  can 
scarcely    be    distinguished 
from    Cacti     is    a     well- 
known  fact.   The  milky  sap 
of    the    Euphorbias    is    so 
different   from  the   watery 
juices  of  the  Cactus  family, 
however,  that  a  prick  with 
a    knife-point    settles    the 
question    when    one's  eye- 
sight fails  to  decide.  Again, 
we  have  Cycads  (Stangera) 
resembling      Ferns,    while 
some  of   the  Ferns  and  at 
least  one  Pandanad  mimic 
the  Palms  in  port  and  leaf- 
age.     That    the  flowers  of 
some  plants,  notably  those 
of   Orchids,   bear  some  re- 
semblance to  spiders,  birds, 
and  insects,  is  an  old  story, 
and  one  which  is  well  illus- 
trated   in    the    engraving. 
Among  our  native  wildings 
we    have    the  bee,  spider, 
fly,     and      butterfly      Or- 
chids, to    say    nothing    of 
our    Lady's    Slipper   plant 
(Cypripedium)      and     that 
other  terrestrial  Orchis,  the 
flowers  of  which  resemble 
a  lizard   or    newt  in  con- 
tour and  markings.     In  the 
engraving    we     have    the 
yellow    Cycnoches     repre- 
sented, and  its  likeness  to 
a  swan  is  not  far  to  seek. 
There    also     is    the     tro- 
pical Butterfly  Orchid  with 
outspread  wings  and  long 
antenn.'e;  so  also  a  flower 
of      the      waxy  -  sepalled 

Peristeria,  in  the  centre  of  which  a  little  dove  U 
formed  bv  the  column  and  the  petals.  There  are 
Brassia  flowers  like  long-legged  green  spiders, 
and  a  Cypripedium  from  Siberia  has  big  pouched 
flowers,  the  lips  and  petals  of  which  are  singularly 
suggestive  of  an  octopus  as  it  propels  itself 
through  th'i  water.  Here  also  we  note  flower- 
spikes  of  I'leurothallis  and  Dendrochitum,  the 
flowers  of  which  are  not  unlike  those  of  some 
tropical  gnats  or  midges,  so  airily  do  they  float  in 
mid-air,  suspended  on  the  most  dainty  of  hair- 
like stalks.  Near  the  base  of  the  illustration  are 
shown  some  curious  examples  of  the  "  leaf  "  and 
"  dead  stick  "  insects  which  Miss  North  has  pour- 
trayed  so  well  in  some  of  her  paintings  of 
tropical  life  now  to  be  seen  in  Kew  Gardens.  It 
is  indeed  wonderful  how  closely  these  living  ani- 
mals resemble  things  inanimate,  so  closely  indeed 
that  I  have  of  en  been  a  little  startled  when  I  saw 
them  move,  just  as  I  was  once  when  I  caught  hold 


of  a  harmless  little  green  flower  snake,  thinking 
it  was  the  stem  of  a  Nepenthes  of  which  the 
spotted  pitchers  were  dangling  overhead.  No 
doubt  this  mimicry  in  the  case  of  insects  and 
animals  is  to  some  extent  protective,  inasmuch  as 
it  aids  their  concealnient  from  their  natural 
enemies,  but  why  Orchid  flowers  should  resemble 
insects,  or  why  a  Groundsel  should  try  to  look 
like  Ivy,  is  a  question  perhaps  not  quite  so  easy  of 
solution.  F.  W.  B. 


SEASONABLE   WORK. 


FLOWEK  GARDEN. 
The  frosts  have  brought  down  the  remainder  of 
the  leaves,  a  few  Oaks  excepted  ;  therefore  we  shall 
now  have  a  general  clear  up.     The  leaves  will  be 
saved;  ths  best,  i  c,  the  driest  Oak  and  Beech, 


A  Ijunch  of  iiuiiut  flowers. 


will  be  stacked  for  forcing  purposes,  and  the  re- 
mainder for  rotting  down  into  leaf-soil.  Contrary 
to  the  general  practice,  we  also  clear  out  all  the 
leaves  from  Rhododendrons  and  other  shrubbery 
clumps,  for  the  simple  reason  that  were  they  left 
we  should  be  pestered  with  sweeping  up  whenever 
there  was  the  least  wind,  and  so  we  prefer  to 
j  mulch  the  clumps  as  soon  as  cleared  out  with  the 
I  mould  from  leaves  stacked  two  or  more  years  ago, 
and  the  plants  that  have  been  recently  moved  re- 
j  ceive  a  treble  portion  by  way  of  protection  to 
their  injured  roots,  and  no  doubt,  also,  the  extra 
warmth  thus  assured  aids  new  root  formation. 
Advantage  is  taken  of  dry  frosty  mornings  to 
wheel  this  material  to  tlie  desired  spots,  and 
also  to  stack  up  fresh  leaves,  and  to  wheel  ma- 
nure and  soil  to  plots  that  are  being  prepared  for 
planting,  as  we  have  always  some  of  this  on 
hand ;  and  though  we  would  prefer  to  discon- 
tinue moving  shrubs  after  December  has  com- 


menced till  February,  necessity  often  compels 
us  to  keep  on  all  through  the  winter  whenever 
the  weather  permits,  and  hitherto,  by  taking  extra 
care  not  to  allow  the  plants  to  be  out  of  the  ground 
longer  than  is  absolutely  necessary  and  staking 
and  thickly  mulching  them  as  scon  as  planted,  we 
have  found  winter  planting  to  be  just  as  successful 
as  autumn  or  spring.  With  one  exception  only, 
viz  ,  Hollies,  all  kinds  of  trees  and  shrubs  may  be 
successfully  transplanted  throughout  the  winter. 
Hollies  we  have  also  done,  but  cannot  recommend 
the  practice,  at  least  not  as  compared  with  plants 
moved  during  April  and  May. 

PnuNiNrt  AND  CLIPPING. — As  with  planting,  so 
with  pruning  shrubs  and  cutting  hedges,  we  are 
compelled  to  be  heterodox,  and  do  them  whenever 
an  opportunity  occurs  without  reference  to  the 
season,  and  at  the  present  time  are  busy  clipping 
Vew  screens.  Holly  and  Privet  hedges,  and  cutting 
straggling  shoots  of  Rhodo- 
dendrons that  are  growing 
under  the  shade  of  large 
trees  that  in  such  positions 
develop  this  kind  of  growth, 
and  to  keep  them  in  any- 
thing like  compact  form 
they  need  such  attention 
every  year.  Common  and 
Portugal  Laurels  are  being 
pruned  into  form,  and  up- 
right-growing shrubs,  such 
as  Junipers  and  Irish  Tews, 
are  being  drawn  together 
with  tar  cord  to  prevent 
wind  and  snowstorms  from 
breaking  ofl'  any  of  the 
outside  branches.  Some  few 
Conifers,  especially  the 
strongest  -  growing  young 
plants,  need  to  have  some 
of  the  uppermost  branches 
stopped  and  the  points 
pinched  out,  that  the  plants 
may  grow  into  a  good  shape. 
The  leaders  should  be  pre- 
served from  injury  from 
birds  perching  on  them  by 
tying  straight  sticks  to  the 
stems,  the  top  of  which 
should  be  a  foot  or  so  above 
the  top  of  the  trees.  The 
above  constitutes  the  bulk 
of  our  outdoor  work  at  the 
present  time. 

Indoors. — There  is  much 
to  do  in  the  way  of  picking 
off  the  dead  leaves  of  Pelar- 
goniums, dusting  Verbenas 
with  sulphur  to  destroy 
mildew,  and  fumigating 
others  that  are  attacked 
with  green  fly.  Violas,  Gna- 
phaliums.  Calceolarias,  and 
other  kinds  that  are  planted 
out  in  cold  pits  are  being 
surfaced  with  Cocoa  fibre  for 
the  double  purpose  of  keep- 
ing out  frost  and  rendering 
it  unnecessary  to  water 
them  for  some  weeks  to  come.  Seeds  of  the  fol- 
lowing kinds  of  succulents,  if  sown  now,  will  make 
good  plants  for  next  season  :  Echeveria  metallica, 
E.  glauca  metallica,  E.  secunda  glauca,  Semper- 
vivum  tabular  forme,  S.  canariense,  and  S.  Don- 
kelaari.  The  propagation  of  other  kinds  by  leaves 
or  offsets  may  go  on  all  through  the  winter. 

FLORAL  DECORATIONS. 

The  weather  being  extremely  mild  of  late,  Jas- 
minum  nudiflorum  has  opened  freely.  Sprays  of 
this  handsome  winter-flowering  climber  associate 
well  with  the  dark  bronzy  foliage  of  Berberis 
Aquifolium.  A  few  stray  blooms  of  China  Roses 
which  continue  to  open  are  very  useful  at  this 
end  of  the  season.  Chrysanthemums  of  all 
colours  and  sizes  can  now  be  had  in  abundance, 
and  therefore  they  should  be  largely  employed  in 
floral  arrangements  for  the  next  few  weeks.  After 


466 


THE    GARDEN 


[Nov.  29,  1884. 


they  are  cut  they  absorb  a  quantity  of  water,  a  cir- 
cumstance to  which  attention  should  be  paid.  The 
vases  should  be  emptied  and  refilled  at  least  twice 
a  week.  When  this  is  done  the  stems  should  have 
a  trifle  cut  off  them,  and  then-  re-arranged.  Some 
of  the  very  finest  flowers  look  well  placed  singly 
in  specimen  glasses,  and  the  Pompones  make  good 
coat  flowers  with  the  addition  of  a  leaf  or  two  of 
scented  or  Oak-leaf  Geranium.  Occasional  stray 
blooms  from  Tea-scented  Rosea  in  pots,  Niphetos, 
or  Madame  Falcot  in  particular,  make  beautiful 
button-hole  flowers,  more  attractive,  if  possible, 
at  this  season  of  the  year  than  at  any  other.  Of 
Bouvardias,  two  of  the  best  and  most  durable  for 
this  work  are  Vreelandi  (white)  and  Hogarth  or 
elegans  (scarlet).  About  three  flowers  of  Calanthe 
vestita  rosea  carefully  wired  will  make  a  hand- 
some button-hole ;  so  will  one  small  spray  of 
Eu[jhorbia  jacquiniasflora,  with  its  own  foliage,  a 
small  spike  of  white  Roman  Hyacinth  being  added 
thereto.  Blossoms  of  Gardenia  intermedia  like- 
wise make  choice  coat  flowers,  using  its  own 
foliage  now  instead  of  Fern  fronds.  For  the 
drawing-room  an  efllective  arrangement  may  be 
made  just  now  with  the  following  subjects.  Let 
us  suppose  the  stand  to  be  filled  has  one  tall 
cornucopia,  with  three  smaller  ones  as  branches 
near  the  base.  For  the  topmost  glass  use  spikes 
of  Salvia  splendens  and  white  Roman  Hyacinth, 
with  a  fringe  of  Maiden-hair  Fern  and  two  or 
three  rather  long  growths  of  Myrsiphyllum  aspara- 
goides  trailing  below.  In  the  lower  glasses  place 
bunches  of  Violets  or  choice  bits  of  Orchids,  add- 
ing a  few  Fern  fronds.  Among  plants  that  may 
be  advantageously  used  just  now  in  the  house  the 
following  will  be  found  serviceable,  viz,  ;  Pan- 
danus  Veitchi,  small  well-coloured  plants  of 
Crotons  and  Dracienas  for  the  dinner-table,  and 
Ficus  elastica,  Curculigo  recurvata,  and  Dracaina 
rubra  for  the  drawing-room  or  entrance  hall.  All 
theiie  plants  will  stand  well  where  gas  is  burned, 
taking  ordinary  precautions  to  change  them  every 
few  days. 

INDOOR  PLANTS. 
Ferns.— The  adcaptability  for  cutting  which 
Ferns  possess  in  a  great  measure  depends  upon 
the  way  in  which  they  have  been  grown.  Adian- 
tums,  such  as  A.  cuneatum,  A.  gracillimum,  A. 
trapeziforme,  A.  formosum,  and  A.  farleyense,  with 
the  common  and  crested  drooping  forms  of  Pteris 
serrulata,  are  mostly  in  demand  for  cutting,  but  if 
these  are  grown  under  conditions  of  too  much 
warmth  and  atmospheric  moisture,  with  an  insuffi- 
ciency of  light  and  air,  they  invariably  flag  when 
cut,  a  state,  it  is  needless  to  say,  that  renders 
them  useless.  In  growing  these  Ferns  with  a  view 
to  using  them  in  a  cut  state,  very  little  shade 
should  be  given,  and  none  during  the  autumn  and 
winter  months,  with  no  more  moisture  in  the  at- 
mosphere than  is  consequent  upon  the  evaporation 
of  such  water  as  percolates  through  the  soil  after 
watering,  and  from  that  which  is  unavoidably 
spilled  about  in  the  operation,  plenty  of  air  admit- 
ted daily  and  the  plants  kept  well  up  to  the  glass. 
The  favourite  A.  cuneatum  in  the  London  market 
is  now  much  better  liked  when  it  possesses  the 
pale  greenish  yellow  shade,  such  as  the  half -ma- 
tured fronds  have,  than  when  of  a  darker  colour. 
This  may  usually  be  secured  by  subjecting  the 
plants  to  quite  cool  treatment  when  the  fronds 
are  about  half  grown,  which  invariably  has  the 
effect  of  arresting  their  much  further  develop- 
ment, and  in  a  great  measure  fixes  the  light  tint. 
Previous  to  use,  all  Ferns  should  be  cut  and  im- 
mersed overhead  in  water  for  several  hours,  the 
water  thus  absorbed  doing  much  to  prevent  their 
flagging  Adiantum  formosum  is  the  best  of  the 
species  for  lasting  long  without  drooping,  and  is 
very  useful  for  mixing  in  the  larger  arrangements 
of  flowers,  such  as  vases,  &c.  The  same  may  be  said 
of  the  best  large  drooping-crested  forms  of  Pteris 
serrulata,  which  in  large  stands  have  a  fine  effect. 
Plants  of  Adiantum  that  have  been  hard  cut 
during  the  summer  and  have  been  induced 
to  make  growth  iate  in  the  season  should 
now  have  an  abundance  of  air  and  be  kept  at 
an.  ordinary  greenhouse  temperature   for   some 


weeks  before  the  fronds  are  cut  for  use.  It  seems 
strange  that  the  elegant  Gleichenias,  such  as  G. 
Speluncfe,  G.  rupestris,  and  G.  semi-vestita,  are 
not  more  generally  used  for  cutting,  as  there  is 
nothing  that  can  be  mixed  in  this  way  with  flowers 
that  has  a  more  beautiful  effect,  in  addition  to 
which  they  last  for  a  long  time  when  grown  cool. 
.ECHMEAS  AND  BiLLBERGiAS. — The  summer- 
flowering  Billbergias  and  the  nearly  allied  iEch- 
meas  of  the  fulgens  and  miniata  section,  that 
usually  commence  growth  as  soon  as  they  have 
done  blooming,  should  be  kept  on  growing  through 
the  winter,  placing  them  at  the  warmest  end  of 
the  stove,  but  at  the  same  time  keeping  them 
well  up  to  the  glass.  In  their  native  countries 
these  plants  are  mostly  of  an  epiphytal  character, 
growing  on  the  stems  and  branches  of  trees  where 
they  necessari-ly  get  more  light  than  it  low  down 
on  the  ground.  To  grow  them  so  as  to  secure  the 
full  amount  of  flowers,  the  plants  need  plenty  of 
light  at  all  times  For  general  use  they  are  best 
cultivated  in  small  pots,  with  not  more  than  two 
or  three  crowns  in  each ;  the  bright  coral-red 
branching  flower-stems  of  A.  fulgens  and  its  allies, 
lasting  as  they  do  for  several  months,  rank  them 
amongst  the  best  small  plants  for  general  culti- 
vation where  there  is  enough  warmth  to  grow 
them  well. 

Cyclamens. — To  insure  as  long  a  season  for 
these  as  possible  the  plants  should  be  divided  and 
kept  in  two  different  temperatures  ;  those  that  are 
flowering  or  fast  approaching  this  conditicn  pro- 
duce the  finest  blooms  when  accommodated  with 
the  temperature  of  a  warm  greenhouse,  say  15°  to 
50°  by  night  and  a  little  warmer  in  the  day,  but 
with  this  they  should  be  kept  well  exposed  to  the 
light  with  air  every  day.  Give  particular  atten- 
tion to  keeping  down  aphides,  which,  if  allowed  to 
remain  undisturbed  even  for  a  short  time,  do 
irreparable  mischief  to  the  leaves  and  advancing 
flowers.  Those  that  are  intended  to  succeed  the 
earliest  blooming  lot  should  be  kept  quite  cool,  so 
as  to  retard  the  expansion  of  the  flowers  as  long  as 
possible. 

Epacrises  — These,  if  grown  in  sufficient  quan- 
tities and  well  managed,  will  be  extremely  useful, 
lasting  individually  for  many  weeks,  and  being 
equally  adapted  for  cutting  as  for  ordinary  de- 
coration on  the  plants.  They  will  bear  more 
warmth  than  Heaths,  but  unless  where  they  are 
backward  in  bloomin,o;  and  flowers  are  required  at 
once,  it  is  better  to  keep  them  quite  cool.  Their 
time  of  flowering  is  best  regulated  by  the  way 
they  are  managed  in  respect  to  growth.  Those  that 
were  late  in  completing  and  maturing  their  wood 
will  come  into  bloom  later  as  a  matter  of  course. 
To  still  further  retard  those  that  are  wanted  to  last 
until  spring  they  should  be  kept  as  cool  as  con- 
sistent with  the  exclusion  of  frost ;  this  they  will 
bear  without  any  injury,  as  a  low  temperature 
with  them  has  not,  as  in  the  case  of  some  plants, 
the  effect  of  inducing  the  appearance  of  mildew. 
r,ut  Epacrises  are  very  impatient  of  the  least  ap- 
proach to  over-watering,  and  never  should  have  it 
applied  until  the  soil  has  got  so  dry  as  to  be  dan- 
gerous if  it  is  longer  withheld. 

Epiphyllum  teuncatum. — Plants  of  this, 
although  individually  so  effective  when  in  bloom, 
are  unfortunately  not  of  long  duration  in  the  in- 
dividual flowers ;  consequently  it  is  not  well  to 
have  many  in  at  once.  With  this  view  only  a  few 
should  be  put  into  heat  at  a  time  at  intervals 
of  two  or  three  weeks,  and  on  no  account  should 
they  be  hurried  on  too  fast,  otherwise  their  fuga- 
tive  tendency  will  be  increased ;  and  with  all 
soft  textured  flowers  like  these  it  is  particularly 
essential  that  there  is  not  too  much  moisture  to 
the  atmosphere  of  the  house  or  pit  where  they 
are  brought  on  into  bloom.  Large-flowered  Epi- 
phyllums  and  the  Cactus  family  generally  should 
at  this  season  not  be  located  in  a  cold,  damp 
house,  and  care  ought  to  be  taken  that  the  soil  is 
not  too  moist ;  the  condition  best  described  as  be- 
tween slightly  moist  and  quite  dry  suits  them 
best  when  cool  and  at  rest,  otherwise  the  compara- 
tively few  roots  which  they  make  are  liable  to 
perish.  These  large-flowered  species  bloom  natu- 
rally later  than  the  truncatuo  section ;  neverthe- 


less, they  will  bear  forcing  if  required  early,  and 
with  this  intention,  if  there  is  any  likelihood  of  a 
scarcity  of  flowers  during  the  early  months  of  the 
year,  they  may  be  put  in  heat  and  brought  on 
slowly,  being  careful  not  to  give  much  water  at 
the  roots  until  the  heads  of  the  plants  have  got 
into  a  plump  condition,  which  they  soon  will 
through  the  moisture  absorbed  from  the  atmo- 
sphere of  a  forcing  house. 

MONOCH.'ETUMS.  —  The  comparatively  short- 
lived nature  of  the  flowers  of  these  pretty  plants 
is  compensated  for  by  the  profusion  in  which  they 
are  produced.  In  a  conservatory  kept  continuously 
above  a  greenhouse  temperature  they  are  particu- 
larly adapted  for  standing  on  side  tables,  brackets, 
or  shelves,  as  when  well  managed  in  small  pots — 
to  which  when  confined  they  are  most  useful — 
they  literally  become  a  mass  of  flowers.  Plants 
brought  on  in  an  intermediate  warmth  will  do  good 
service  in  a  conservatory  kept  at  a  temperature 
such  as  above  indicated,  and  for  this  purpose  they 
should  be  forwarded  in  succession. 


FRUIT. 

Eaelt  Strawberries. — Where  early  fruit  is 
wanted,  the  first  batch  of  Vicomtesse  Hericart  de 
Thury  or  La  Grosse  Sucree,  an  equally  valuable 
variety,  should  now  be  under  glass,  as  the  plants 
must  have  an  abundance  of  time  allowed  to  enable 
them  to  throw  up  their  scapes  and  perfect  their 
flowers.  If  the  Strawberry  house  proper  is  not 
ready,  a  spent  Melon  or  Cucumber  frame  with  a 
little  latent  heat  in  the  bed  and  linings  will 
answer  very  well  for  a  time,  provided  they  are 
kept  well  up  to  the  glass  and  the  roots  are  regu- 
larly attended  with  water.  If  worms  have  found 
their  way  into  the  pots,  lose  no  time  in  dislodging 
them  with  lime  water;  examine  the  drainage, 
wash  the  pots,  and  top-dress  with  rich  manure  as 
they  are  placed  in  position.  Many  people  plunge 
their  plants  or  place  them  on  a  bed  of  fermenting 
material  at  the  outset,  but  we  have  never  felt 
quite  satisfied  with  the  plan,  as  the  premature  ex- 
citement of  the  roots  induces  a  weakly  growth  of 
white  fibrps,  which  are  injurious  to  the  crowns,  as 
they  rob  them  of  matter  which  should  go  to  the 
formation  of  leaves  and  flowers  When  the  crowns 
of  Strawberries,  like  the  buds  of  Vines,  are  fairly 
on  the  move,  then  is  the  time  to  slightly  stimulate 
the  roots  with  genial  warmth  from  fermenting 
materials. 

Pines. — Maintain  a  bottom  heat  of  85°  to  90°  in 
the  house  where  Smooth  Cayennes  and  other  win- 
ter kinds  are  now  swelling  their  fruit.  Keep  them 
fairly  moist  at  the  roots  until  the  fruit  begins  to 
change  colour  ;  then  withhold  water  altogether, 
as  too  much  is  apt  to  produce  black  hearts  at  this 
dull  season.  When  ripe  the  fruit  may  be  cut,  or 
the  plants  can  be  removed  to  a  Muscat  house, 
where  Cayennes,  Rothschilds,  and  Jamaicas  will 
keep  sound  for  several  weeks  if  not  wanted  for 
immediate  use.  Late  starters  will  require  and  re- 
pay all  the  attention  that  can  be  given  to  them,  as 
they  will  come  in  at  a  time  when  English  Pines 
are  very  scarce ;  and  here  again  the  sectional 
system  of  management  will  tell,  as  a  light  pit  with 
a  strong  bottom  heat  of  90°  and  a  top  heat  ranging 
from  70°  at  night  to  80°  by  day  will  be  the  most 
suitable  structure  for  keeping  the  fruit  steadily 
progressing  through  the  winter.  Avoid  wetting 
the  fruit  or  allowing  much  water  to  accumulate 
in  the  axils  of  the  lower  leaves,  but  give  just 
enough  tepid  liquid  with  the  syringe  to  keep  the 
stem  roots  moist  and  to  throw  up  stimulating 
vapour  from  the  surface  of  the  bed  in  which  they 
are  plunged.  Suckers  that  were  potted  in  Sep- 
tember will  now  be  well  rooted  and  in  a  fit  state 
for  resting  through  the  dark,  dull  period  now  be- 
fore us.  If  the  bed  has  settled  too  far  away  from 
the  glass,  take  advantage  of  a  favourable  day  for 
introducing  more  partially  spent  tan  or  leaves,  and 
replunge  the  pots  up  to  the  rims  to  reduce  the 
necessity  for  frequent  watering.  Aim  at  a  bottom 
heat  of  75°  to  80°,  and  a  top  heat  of  55°  to  .58° 
when  sharp  firing  is  needed  on  cold  nights.  Give 
a  little  air  on  bright  mornings  when  the  glass 
ranges  between  65°  and  70°,  and  shut  up  with 


Nov.  29,  1884] 


THE     GARDEN 


467 


sullicient  atmospheric  moisture  to  keep  the  plants 
steadily  progressing  in  preference  to  allowing 
them  to  become  stunted  in  their  growth. 


ORCHIDS. 
East  India  house.— We  are  now  getting  into 
the  season  of  the  year  when  great  care  is  neces- 
sary to  keep  the  plants  in  a  healthy  condition.  We 
have  evaporating  troughs  fixed  in  the  house,  but 
after  this  time  of  the  year  they  are  not  used  ;  we 
rather  prefer  to  obtain  all  the  moisture  required 
from  damping  the  paths  and  stages  twice  a  day — 
in  the  morning  and  in  the  afternoon.  Nothing 
need  be  said  about  re-potting  or  disturbing  the 
roots  of  any  of  the  occupants  of  this  house  at 
present.  That  is  much  better  delayed  until  the 
days  increase  in  length  after  Christmas,  although 
there  may  be  reasons  for  repotting  isolated  speci- 
mens even  at  this  time.  The  spikes  of  all  the 
popular  species  of  Phala^nopsis,  such  as  P.  ama- 
bilis,  P.  grandiflora,  P.  Schilleriana,  P.  Stuartiana, 
P.  violaoea,  and  others  will  now  be  pushing  freely. 
See  that  they  receive  no  injury  in  any  way  from 
drip.  The  cold  water  dripping  into  the  centre  of 
a  valuable  plant  would  do  it  much  injury.  If  by 
no  other  means,  the  appearance  of  the  plants  will 
show  where  it  is  either  by  the  extra  green  colour 
of  the  Sphagnum  or  by  the  wet  state  of  the  com- 
post. Snails  and  slugs  would  soon  injure  the  spikes 
if  they  were  not  captured  by  setting  baits  for  them 
where  they  can  be  caught  feeding  at  night  and  also 
early  in  the  morning.  Although  Phahenopsids  do 
not  like  to  be  exposed  to  the  sun,  they  succeed  best 
when  suspended  near  the  glass,  and  better  in  teak 
baskets  than  in  the  shallow  pans  in  which  they  are 
also  grown.  Angr:eaam  sesquipedale  and  others  of 
this  genus  are  also  showing  their  flower-spikes. 
These  also  seem  to  do  well  in  a  shady  part  of  the 
house,  with  the  strong-growing  species  placed  on 
thestages  and  the  dwarf  species  suspended  from  the 
rafters  in  pans  or  baskets  the  same  as  the  Phalajnop- 
sis;  indeed.the  treatment  suitable  to  Phalsenopsids 
is  that  best  adapted  to  the  dwarf  Angraicums,  such 
a^  A.  citratum,  A.  Ellisi,  &c.  We  had  some  Angra;- 
cums  which  have  been  a  source  of  much  trouble  to 
us  owing  to  their  being  infested  with  red  thrips  ; 
thi<  seems  to  be  a  distinct  species,  and  is  also  very 
difficult  to  destroy.  These  Orchids  seem  to  like 
a  goodly  supply  of  tepid  water,  and  it  must  not 
be  withheld  now,  as  the  plants  seem  to  be  pushing 
into  growth  in  some  cases.  There  is  no  difficulty 
at  present  in  keeping  the  temperature  up  to  65°  at 
night,  but  no  one  need  be  alarmed  if  the  glass 
should  drop  to  5°  less  than  this.  The  Calanthes 
that  are  not  yet  in  flower  may  be  pushed  on  in 
this  house,  but  they  will  do  in  the  Cattleya  house 
temperature  if  this  cannot  be  afforded  them. 


WORK  DONE  IN  WEEK  ENDING  NOV.  25, 188i. 

November  19. 
Finished  replanting  in  Rose  garden,  also  of 
bulbs,  &c!.,  between  them  ;  afterwards  over  the 
whole  sprinkled  rather  thickly  Beeson's  manure. 
a  fertiliser  that  we  have  proved  to  be  most  excel- 
lent, certainly  much  superior  to  any  guano  we 
have  ever  used.  The  entire  series  of  beds  have 
been  thickly  mulched  with  Cocoa  fibre  refuse; 
well-rotted  manure  would  have  been  preferable, 
but  appearances  have  to  be  studied,  and  birds 
make  such  havoc  with  manurial  mulchings,  that 
they  have  to  be  dispensed  with  where  neatness 
must  be  maintained;  hence  aUo  the  application 
of  artificial  manure  prior  to  the  mulching.  Other 
Eoses  that  we  have  growing  together  with  Pears  in 
the  kitchen  garden  are  now  in  process  of  trans- 
plantation, the  ground  being  trenched  and  the 
Pearrootscurtailed,  particularly  thoie  that  areget- 
ting  a  long  way  from  home;  all  fine  or  fibrous  roots 
are  carefully  preserved  and  are  raised  as  near  the 
surface  as  possible,  and  fresh  additions  of  soil  and 
manure  consist  of  any  spare  loam  or  refuse 
Vine  and  Peaoh  border  soil  and  burnt  ashes, 
such  materials  being  placed  near  the  Pears,  and 
the  Roses  are  given  the  best  stable-yard  manure 
we  can  get.  This  process  is  repeated  every  second 
or  third  year  at  the  most,  according  as  time  can 
be  spared  for  the  work,  the  result  being  abundance 


of  good  fruit  and  Roses  in  plenty,  with  plants 
usually  free  of  mildew  and  other  parasites.  Work 
in  the  houses  has  been  purely  of  a  routine  charac- 
ter— watering,  cutting  back  the  decayed  parts  of 
bedding  plants  that  have  started  into  growth ; 
also  bad  ilowers  from  Primulas,  Chrysanthemums, 
and  Pelargoniums,  also  the  loose  foliage  from 
Vines  where  Grapes  are  still  hanging.  Frames 
containing  Violas,  Calceolarias,  Echeverias,  &c  , 
are  frequently  picked  over  to  remove  Moss  from 
the  surface  of  the  sail  and  every  particle  of  de- 
caying matter  to  prevent  loss  through  damp. 

NOVEMBEB  20, 


As  yesterday,  the  principal  work  has  been 
trenching  for  Roses  and  root-pruning  Pears 
More  rain  is  sadly  needed,  the  ground  a  few 
inches  below  the  surface  being  dust  dry,  and  it  is 
to  be  feared  that,  ripe  as  the  wood  of  fruit  trees 
is  and  so  full  of  fruit  buds  as  all  kinds  are,  such 
unusual  dryness  at  root  will  prove  disastrous  to 
next  year's  crop ;  certainly  this  will  be  the  case  if 
the  general  theory  in  regard  to  indoor  fruits  holds 
good,  viz.,  that  lack  of  water  is  almost  the  sole 
cause  of  failure.  With  myself  that  is  quite  a 
settled  opinion,  and  I  shall  act  up  to  my  belief 
by  giving  abundance  of  water  to  all  trees  possi- 
ble, and  to  wall  trees  especially,  hoping  thereby 
to  prevent  some  amount  of  loss.  Many  will 
no  doubt  envy  us  being  so  fortunate  as  to  have 
more  tree  leaves  than  are  needed  for  compost 
and  other  purposes,  and  therefore  those  contain- 
ing most  scraps  of  sticks.  Acorns,  Nuts  and 
other  refuse,  and,  therefore,  of  least  service  for 
composts,  we  burn,  together  with  all  old  tree-roots 
and  clippings  of  hedges.  Two  fires  have  been 
started  to-day,  as  the  charcoal  is  wanted  for  mix- 
ing with  the  materials  for  a  new  Vine  border,  and 
the  finer  ashes  for  mixing  with  the  other  soil  as 
top  dressings  for  fruit  trees  of  every  description. 
Work  in  the  houses  varies  but  little  daily-  -tying 
second  house  of  Peaches,  untying  trees  from  trellis 
in  late  house,  preparatory  to  pruning  and  washing ; 
l^ottiiig  up  from  the  open  ground  a  few  more 
Spir.Tjis  for  forcing;  putting  a  few  pots  of  Lily  of  the 
Valley,  Hj.acinths,  and  Tulips  into  heat  are  the 
more  important  doings  of  to-day. 

November  21. 

Very  sqo.ally    and  a  little    rain.      The   latter 
is     most    acceptable,  and    will    help  our  newly 
transplanted     Roses    and     fruit    trees     to    start 
into    growth  at    once,    and  the  wind  is  equally 
welcomed,    for  we  want  to   see   the    leaves  all 
down,   that  we    may  get  the  pleasure    grounds 
tidy ;  then  we  can  tackle  other  work,  such  as  plant- 
ing and  alterations,  with  some  degree  of  comfort, 
because  there  will  be  no  hindrance,  as  is  now  the 
case,  owing  to  there  being  more  or  less  sweeping 
up  of  leaves  to  be    done  daily.      Trenching  in 
kitchen  garden ;    pruning    pyramidal    Pears  and 
cordons  on    walls ;    the  latter  require  but  very 
little,  only  here  and  there  a  long  spur  taken  out  ; 
summer  pinching  of  shoots  is  the  best  kind  of 
pruning  for  these,  as  doubtless  all  would  admit 
were  they  to  see  the  trees  bristling  as  they  now 
are  with  well  plumped-up  fruit  buds.      The  only 
thing  necessary  to  keep  cordons  in  a  good  bearing 
state  is  the  application  of  rich  top-dressings  of 
manure  twice  a  year,  the  first  being  given  now, 
i-oon  as  the  trees  have  been  nailed  or  tied,  and 
the   other  in   early    summer   when  the    fruit  is 
taking    its    first   swelling.     Turned    manure  for 
hot-beds      and     used     with     it     more     leaves, 
which  makes    the    warmth    more    lasting.     The 
heat  in  one  or  two  of  the  Pine  pits  has  declined 
greatly  of  late,  and  a  heap  has  therefore  been 
specially  prepared  for  this  purpose,  consisting  of 
two-thirds  Oak  leaves  and  the  other  of  litter,  and 
soon  as  well   warmed  through  we  shall  hope  to 
have  a  warm  day  to  get  it  into  the  fruiting  pits, 
else  we  shall  certainly  have   badly-swelled   and 
black-hearted  fruit  from  want  of  a  greater  bottom- 
heat,  which  ought  never  to  be  less  than  85°  for 
winter  fruiters,    and   for    which  season  Smooth 
Cayennes    and    Charlotte     Rothschilds    are    our 
favourite    varieties.     Work  indoors    has  for  the 
most  part  been  of  the  same  description  as  that  of 
yesterday. 


November  22. 
The  weather  has  been  quite  a  contrast  to 
that  of  yesterday— calm,  with  intervals  of  sun- 
shine. Cleaned  up  and  rolled  the  walks  that 
are  most  used,  and  swept  lawn  near  mansion. 
The  outlying  parts  of  ornamental  grounds  can- 
not possibly  be  kept  in  trim  condition  till  the 
leaves  have  all  fallen,  and  for  the  present,  there- 
fore, the  paths  only  are  kept  cleared  ;  these  and  the 
most  important  parts  of  coach  roads  occupied 
the  whole  of  our  outdoor  hands  the  entire  day. 
In  the  houses  the  usual  weekly  round  of  putting 
every  place  straight  was  done,  and  afterwards  time 
was  found  to  put  in  a  few  more  Chrysanthemum 
cuttings  and  to  cut  down  old  plants  that  had  done 
flowering,  and  rearranged  the  remainder  to  set  the 
plants  and  flowers  o&  to  the  best  advantage. 
Turned  over  the  fermenting  material  in  early 
vinery  and  put  in  the  house  to  force  a  few  pot 
Roses  and  the  white  and  yellow  Abutilons  that 
were  lifted  from  the  flower-beds.  Usually  these 
flower  very  well  by  Christmas  and  continue  flower- 
ing throughout  the  spring  months. 

November  21. 
To-day  has  been  misty  and  very  cold— a  sort 
of  day  that  is  usually  followed  by  severe  frost, 
so  that  we  took  the   precaution  to  cover  up  all 
Broccoli  that  are  fit  for  use  and  dug  up  supplies  of 
Parsnipsand  Jerusalem  Artichokes.  Saladings  are 
not  much  in  request  with  us,   but  the  little  we 
need  of    Lettuce  and  Endive  is  so  arranged  on 
south  borders  that  covering  can  be  applied  in  a 
few  minutes,  mats  and  Bracken  being  used  for 
protecting  both   these    and    Cauliflower    plants. 
Trenching    Rose    borders,  and   also    in    kitchen 
garden.     Pruning    Pears,  also    Raspberries.     The 
latter   are    trained   to   stout    wires   running    the 
entire  length   of    the  garden,  and  the  canes  are 
tied  in  oblique  form  at  a  distance  of  a  foot  from 
each    other,   all    others    being    cut  away.     The 
ground   is   never   disturbed   nearer  to  the  roots 
than    a  yard  on   each   side   of   the   fence,   but 
thick   surface   coatings    of    manure    are   given 
now  and  again  about  the  end  of   May.     Potted 
Seakale  roots  and   placed  them  on  the  floors  of 
Pine    stoves    for     forcing  ;     the     crowns     are 
covered  with  the   usual  Seakale  pots,  and  over 
these  mats  to  prevent  any  tendency  to  the  pro- 
duce being  green.     Rhubarb  we  force  in  any  out- 
of-the-way  place  where  there  is  a  little  warmth, 
and  the  first   roots   have    been  put    in    to-day! 
Apples  are  plentiful,  else  earlier  forcing  would 
have  been  necessary.     Finished  tying  Peaches  in 
second  house,  and  filled  it  with  such  kinds  of  bed- 
ding plants  as  do  not  require  heat,  cr,  at  any  rate, 
only  a  sufficiency   to  preserve  them   from  frost! 
Pruning  late   Peaches ;  mixed    up  soil   for  top- 
dressing  them,  and  also  for  making  a  new  Peach 
border  ;  loam,  chalk,  wood  ashes,  and  a  few  half- 
inch  bones  are  our  mixture.  We  are  still  gathering 
Violets  in  quantity  from  the  open  ground  ;  Marie 
Louise,  double,  and  Qaeen  Victoria,  single,  are  our 
best  kinds.     Seedling  Primroses  —  Dean's  hybrid 
kinds— that  were  sown  in  heat  in  February,  and 
planted  in  the  open  borders  early  in  the  summer, 
are  now  flowering  freely,  and   to-day  have  beeri 
covered  with  handlights,  which  possibly  may  help 
them  to  continue  flowering  for  some  time  to  come. 

November  25. 
Being  a  sharp  frost,  and  therefore  suitable  for 
wheeling,  our  first  job  was  to  get  manure  on  to 
vacant  plots  in  kitchen  garden,  and  the  refuse- 
heap  fires  had  more  fuel  put  on  in  the  shape  of 
scraps  of  sticks, Cabbage  stump5,grnbbed-np  roots, 
and,  in  fact,  of  anything  that  would  burn  and 
make  ash  and  charcoal.  Other  work  was  much 
the  same  as  yesterday— viz.,  mixing  soil,  trench- 
ing, and  pruning  Pears,  Raspberries,  and  Cur- 
rants. Looked  over  all  Grapes  and  clipped  out  bad 
berries.  Alnwick  Seedling  is  not  a  late  keeper,  for 
it  is  badly  shrivelled  now,  and  yet  Alicante  in 
same  house  is  plump  as  ever.  Filled  Grape  room 
with  fruit  from  an  intermediate  house  that  is 
wanted  for  plants  ;  the  sorts  are  Black  Hamburgh 
Golden  Queen,  Alicante,  Mrs.  Pearson,  and  Gros 
Colmar ;  the  latter  has  not  finished  well,  the 
I  cause,  I  fancy,  being  that  the  Vines  were  partiaUy 


468 


THE    GARDEN 


[Nov.  29,  1884. 


lifted  last  year,  and  the  roots  were,  perhaps,  cut 
back  a  little  too  hardly.  Painting  Peaches  with 
Gishurst,  tying  and  training  the  same  to  trellis, 
and  protecting  frames  from  frost  with  leaves  and 
litter  were  amongst  our  doings  to-day. 

Hants. 


Orchids. 

ORCHIDS  AT  THE  GLEN,  LEWISHAM. 
Theub  are  doubtless  many  owners  of  gardens, 
both  large  and  small,  who  have  a  desire  to  grow 
Orchids,  but  are  deterred  from  attempting  their 
cultivation  chiefly  on  account  of  the  prevalent 
supposition  that  there  is  some  mystery  connected 
therewith,  that  it  cannot  be  carried  on  except  in 
specially  constructed  houses  exclusively  devoted 
to  Orchids.  Happily,  this  idea  is  now  losing  its 
hold,  particularly  in  the  case  of  owners  of  small 
gardens,  who  generally  like  to  attempt  to 
grow  as  much  as  they  possibly  can,  even 
in  their  limited  spaces.  About  London  Or- 
chid   culture    in    small    gardens  is  not  ouly  be- 


of  the  Orchid';,  inasmuch  as  they  maintain  a 
moist  atmosphere,  and  in  the  case  of  tall,  robust- 
growing  plants  the  small  dwarf  Orchids  receive 
the  necessary  shade.  Dr.  Duke  is  particularly 
partial  to  fine-foliaged  plants,  and  these,  inter- 
mixed with  tlie  Orchid.'',  produce  a  charming 
effect,  especially  when  there  is  a  good  sprinkling 
of  bloom.  The  houses,  numbering  some  half- 
dozen,  are,  as  has  been  said,  small,  and  this 
amallness  no  doubt  conduces  in  a  large  degree  to 
the  healthy  growth  of  the  plants.  There  is  no 
greater  mistake  in  the  construction  of  Orchid 
houses  than  making  them  large,  except  in  gardens 
where  a  special  stafi  of  skilled  workmen  is  em- 
ployed to  attend  to  them.  If,  for  instance.  Dr.  Duke 
had  his  plants  in  one  or  two  large  houses  instead 
of  in  six,  it  is  doubtful  if  he  would  be  able  to 
show  such  good  results.  Three  or  four  of  the 
houses  are  kept  almost  exclusively  devoted  to 
Orchids.  Thus  there  is  one  solely  occupied  by 
Cattleyas,  consisting  of  the  various  sections, 
and  some  exceptionally  good  varieties  of  0.  Trian.'c, 
Mendeli,  Mossiir,  and  others.  Every  available 
space  in  this  Iiouse  is  occupied  by  plants.     A  high 


though  it  is  not  one  of  the  easiest  to  manage  well. 
Odontoglossums  of  the  crispum,  Pescatorei,  and 
other  popular  kinds  have  a  long  narrow  house  to 
themselves,  whicli  is  cool  and  airy,  though  amply 
heated  during  severe  weather.  The  ventilators 
at  the  top  all  open  together  by  an  ingenious 
contrivance,  different  from  the  ordinary  way,  and 
the  front  air  at  the  bottom  Is  admitted  through  a 
frame,  also  filled  with  plant",  and  of  course 
heated  from  the  house.  There  are  some  hundreds 
of  strong  healthy  plants  placed  on  a  broad  stage 
held  as  much  up  to  the  light  as  is  practicable  for 
wateringthem  comfortably.  Adjoining  this  is  atiny 
house,  a  sort  of  hospital  where  Orchids  in  declining 
health  are  placed  so  as  to  be  under  special  treat- 
ment. This  is  a  capital  idea,  which  should  be 
carried  out  in  every  Orchid  collection.  The  small- 
ness  of  the  place  is  no  doubt  chiefly  instrumental 
in  recruiting  the  health  of  the  plants,  as  the  atmo- 
sphere can  be  adjusted  to  a  nicety.  Some  of  the 
Orchids  seem.  Dr.  Duke  says,  to  have  a  particular 
liking  for  this  little  hou«e,  and  refuse  to  flourish 
in  the  others.  Mexican  Orchids,  such  as  Darkerias 
and  Lailias,  are  among  those  that  thrive  to  perfec- 


coming  prevalent,  but  also  thoroughly  well  under- 
stood, though  often  by  force  of  circumstances 
carried  out  under  adverse  conditions.  In  this 
category  may  be  classed  the  garden  about  to  be 
described.  It  belongs  to  Dr.  Duke,  and  lies  in  the 
thickly  populated  district  of  Lewisham,  where  the 
atmosphere  is  not  always  the  most  favourable  for 
cultivating  plants,  whether  in  the  open  air  or 
under  glass.  Dr.  Duke's  garden  is  but  a  small 
one,  but  it  is  a  veritable  mult i< in  in  jiiiriv, 
crammed,  as  it  is,  full  of  plants  both  hardy 
and  tender.  Orchids,  however,  monopolise  the 
chief  attention  of  both  owner  and  gardener, 
and  on  the  whole,  both  with  regard  to 
numbers  and  the  health  of  the  plants,  the  collec- 
tion is  highly  creditable.  Seldom  have  we  seen 
Orchids  grown  to  such  perfection  in  small  crowded 
housses  mixed  with  other  plants.  It  is  rather 
unfortunate  as  regards  the  Orchids  that  Dr. 
Duke  is  so  fond  of  all  kinds  of  plants,  for  the 
latter,  on  account  of  their  ranker  growth,  as 
a  rule  are  liable  to  overcrowd  the  Orchids.  Not 
that  the  latter  are  in  any  way  harmed  by 
them ;  on  the  contrary,  their  presence.  Dr. 
Duke  maintains,  is  conducive  to  the  well-being 


^Viuwick  Priory  ;  Tudor  bamiucting  hall  (-f  e  p.  4.'.3). 

stage  in  the  centre  and  others  along  the  sides  are 
crowded  with  specimens  in  robust  health,  and 
the  roof  also  is  profusely  furnished  with 
plants  on  blocks  and  in  baskets.  Dr.  Duke 
is  no  advocate  for  shading;  only  when  the 
sun  is  shining  fiercely  does  he  shade  his  Cat- 
tleyas; hence  one  finds  plump  and  firm  bulbs 
fully  developed  and  ripened.  Another  house, 
small,  snug,  and  moist,  is  occupied  with  the 
warmer  Cattleyas,  such  as  Dowiana,  Sanderiana, 
superba,  also  by  Phala^nopsidsand  the  warm  house 
Odontoglossums.  Of  I'eristeria  elata,  the  Dove 
Plant,  there  is  an  uncommonly  fine  specimen 
which  evidently  revels  in  such  a  house  as  this ;  it  is 
in  company  with  Pitcher  Plants  (Nepenthes)  and 
similar  plants.  Over  head  at  the  end  are  large 
plants  of  the  shrubby  Hibiscus  Eofa  sinensis,  a 
particular  favourite  here.  This  is  grown  in  several 
varieties  with  different  coloured  flowers,  crimson, 
salmon,  red,  and  one  almost  an  orange.  Sus- 
pended from  the  roof  were  some  plants  of  Scu- 
ticaria  Steeli  with  undamaged  leaves  fully  a  yard 
in  length.  These  were  beautifully  in  flower  and 
very  handsome  they  were.  It  is  one  of  the 
choicest  Orchids  which    an    amateur  can  grow, 


tion  in  it.  A  proof  of  this  was  afforded  at  the 
lime  of  our  visit,  when  there  was  a  plant  of 
Parkeria  Lindleyana  carrying  over  sixty  flowers 
upon  about  half  a  dozen  spikes.  Orchid  growers, 
knowing  how  difficult  to  manage  the  Barkerias 
are,  will  appreciate  this  fact.  Anotlier  little  house 
is  devoted  entirely  to  tiny  plants  of  Odontoglos- 
sum  just  imported.  An  excellent  plan  we  saw 
here  of  keeping  off  slugs  was  surrounding  the 
stages  with  a  trough  of  water,  which  not  only 
keeps  off  the  slugs,  but  maintains  a  moist  atmo- 
sphere in  the  house. 

The  last  house  we  entered  was  the  principal 
one,  devoted,  as  we  before  observed,  to  a  mixture 
of  Orchids  and  stove  plants.  It  is  span-roofed 
and  divided  into  two  parts,  so  that  the  tempera- 
ture may  be  varied.  An  indescribable  heterogeneous 
mixture  is  grown  in  this  house,  and  kinds  which 
are  generally  considered  to  require  diverse  treat- 
ment are  growing  together  in  the  happiest  way 
possible.  Cattleyas,  Dendrobiums,  Cypripediums, 
Odontoglossums,  PhaliEDopsids,  and  JIasdevallias 
among  Orchids,  for  instance,  may  be  seen  in  ex- 
cellent health.  Overhead  run  creepers,  such  as 
Lapagerias,  Ipoma;a  Horsfallia;,  Fuchsias,  Abuti- 


Nov.  29.   1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


4  69 


Ions,  and  these  afford  the  necessary  shade  except 
in  very  bright  weather.  Even  at  this  dull  season 
this  house  was  qnite  gay  with  bloom ;  various 
Odontoglossums  were  in  full  flower,  surpassing  all, 
being  some  finely  blossomed  specimens  of  the  noble 
O.  grande  which  is  grown  to  perfection  here,  the 
plants  having  large,  plump  bulbs,  producing  stout 
Epikes  of  huge  llowers  some  4  inches  and  5  inches 
across.  Amorg  flowering  Dendrobiums  were  L>. 
bigibbum,  the  new  D.  leucolophotum,  a  white- 
flowered  species  in  the  way  of  D.  barbatum,  D. 
formosum  giganteum,  and  the  Australian  D.  Tat- 
tonianum,  which  is  singular,  bnt  not  very  showy. 
Among  Cattleyas,  the  most  notable  were  the  rarely- 
seen  C.  luteola,  an  interesting  if  not  a  very  showy 
species.  It  has  smallish  flowers  of  a  greenish 
yellow  colour.  In  fine  flower  also  was  the  dwarf 
C.  Walkeriana,  which  is  grown  admirably  in  this 
house  in  suspended  baskets.  A  fine  specimen  of  C. 
gigas  formosa  was  producing  a  second  crop  of 
bloom — a  remarkable  circumstance.  The  flowers 
are  very  large  and  of  a  delicate  shade  of  rose- 
pink.  The  lovely  white  Pilumna  fragrans  and  the 
larger  variety  nobilis  quite  filled  the  house  with 
their  delightful  fragrance,  mingling  with  that  of 
other  kinds.  Paphinia  cristata  was  also  nicely  in 
bloom ;  it  is  grown  in  suspended  pans  close  be- 
neath the  roof  in  the  same  manner  as  Sophronitis 
grandiflora,  of  which  there  is  a  long  row  of  healthy 
tufts.  These  in  the  flowering  season  must  present 
a  beautiful  sight.  Other  noteworthy  Orchids  that 
Dr.  Duke  is  successful  in  growing  in  this  house 
include  Laelia  harpophylla  and  L.  flava;  Den- 
drobium  pulchellum,  a  fine  ma*s  of  which  seems 
to  enjoy  its  quarters  close  beneath  the  glass; 
Leptotes  bicolor,  beautifully  in  bloom  ;  Oncidium 
Papilio,  Aerides  Rohanianum,  showing  a  flowering 
spike ;  and  Epidendrum  rhizophorum,  one  of 
the  brightest  of  the  genus,  but  rather  a 
rambling  grower.  The  Phalamopsids  find  a 
snug  shelf  in  one  corner  of  the  inner  compart- 
ment, and  where  they  do  amazingly  well ;  indeed, 
one  plant  of  P.  Schilleriana,  having  four  breaks 
with  leaves  a  foot  or  more  in  length,  would  be 
diflicult  to  match  for  size  or  health.  P.  Sanderi- 
ana  was  in  Dower,  but  a  very  pale  form,  almost 
white,  and  not  nearly  so  beautiful  as  others  we 
have  seen  of  this  new  species.  The  dull  weather, 
however,  may  account  for  the  absence  of  colour. 
P.  Stuartiana,  amabilis,  grandiflora,  all  succeed 
well,  and  the  little  P.  rosea  has,  which  has  been  in 
bloom  for  months,  expanded  no  fewer  than  fifty 
flowers  on  one  spike.  Among  the  other  plants  we 
particularly  noted  some  fine  specimens  of  the  true 
Tillandsia  Lindeni,  one  of  the  loveliest  of  the  I!ro- 
meliads ;  Toxicophylaja  spectabilis,  an  Ixora-like 
shrub  with  clusters  of  white,  sweet-scented  flowers ; 
and,  strange  to  say,  the  little  Chilian  Sarmienta 
repens  was  also  growing  beautifully  in  company 
with  the  foregoing  plants.  There  is  every  pro- 
mise of  a  fine  show  of  winter  bloom  in  Dr.  Duke's 
houses,  judging  by  the  flower-spikes  of  Lselias, 
Cattleyas,  Odontoglossums,  and  other  genera  that 
are  daily  showing  themselves. 


LyCftSte  Sklnnerl.— Mr.  Vicary  sends  from  Mr.  IVa- 
cock's  panlcn  at  Sutllinry  House,  Hainiiiersniith,  one  of  (lie 
riehest-cnluured  forms  of  this  Orchid  that  we  have  seen. 
Its  llowers  are  not  particularly  large,  but  they  are  very 
handsome  ;  the  sepals  are  of  a  very  pale  blush,  and  the 
petals  of  the  richest  carmine-crimson,  as  is  also  the  upper 
surface  of  the  labelUuu.  Of  the  enormous  number  of  i)lants 
of  this  I.ycaste  fr^ow^l  by  Mr.  Peacock,  few  will  compare 
with  that  under  notice. 

Dendrobium  formosum  giganteum  —A  truly 
frigantic  flower  of  this  Dendrobe  has  been  sent  to  us  by  Mr. 
Thomson,  of  Clovenfords.  It  measures  over  4  inches  across 
and  the  petals  are  proportionate  in  size,  thus  forming  a 
llower  fynimetrical  in  outline.  The  colour  is  snow  white, 
save  the  yellow  dash  on  the  lip  ;  the  thick  texture  of  the 
flower  gives  it  [the  appearance  of  being  mouldeil  in  wa.K. 
Mr.  Thomson  also  sends  a  bloom  of  the  white  Ifeliaelegaus, 
a  lovely  variety— the  queen  of  November  Orchids. 

OdontoglosBumadspersum.—  TbisDovel 

variety,  which  flowered  in  this  country  for  the 
first  time  last  year,  is  now  flowering  in  Messrs. 
Shuttleworth  &  Carder's  nursery,  Clapham,  It  is 
a  beautiful  Orchid ;  the  colours  of  the  flowers 
^re  not  only  showy,  but  soft,  and  blend  hu)- 
moDiously,  The  flowers  are  the  exact  counter. 
p%rt  oi  those  of  0.  Ttosei  m^jue;  irideed,  this 


variety  is  already  known  as  a  form  of  that  variety 
under  the  name  of  aureum.  The  heart-shaped 
labellum  is  white  ;  the  lateral  sepals  half  canary- 
yellow,  half  mottled  with  chestnut-brown,  a  colour 
which  forms  the  ground  of  the  other  three  sepals. 
It  has  been  suggested  that  this  is  a  cross  between 
0.  Rossi  majusand  0  cordatum.  It  is  grown  suc- 
cessfully by  Mr.  Shuttleworth  in  suspended  pans. 

Dendrobium  taurinum. — Mr.  Scott  sends 
from  his  gardtn  at  Ashfield  House,  Belfast,  aspike 
of  this  strange-looking  Dendrobe,  which,  though 
introduced  over  forty  years  ago  by  Messrs. 
Loddiges,  is  still  rarely  met  with.  The  flowers 
are  mo.'e  curious  than  beautiful,  the  twisted 
sepals  having  some  resemblance  to  a  bull's  horns ; 
hence  the  specific  name.  The  flowers  measure 
about  2  inches  across,  the  colour  of  the  sepals 
being  a  yellowish  green,  while  that  of  the  much 
longer  petals  is  sulf  used  with  purple.  The  stems 
are  slender  and  are  said  to  grow  5  feet  long.  It 
is  a  native  of  Manilla.  This  is  the  first  time  it 
has  flowered  with  Mr.  Scott.  Accompanying  this 
spike  was  a  fine  example  of  a  very  deep  form  of 
L.tlia  autumnalis  atro-rubens. 

Cymbldlum  elegans.— Of  this  extremely 
rare  species  of  Orchid  a  fine  flower-spike  has  been 
sent  to  us  by  Dr.  Paterson,  of  Fernfield,  Bridge  of 
Allan,  who  seems  to  manage  the  culture  of  this 
Orchid  with  as  much  success  as  that  of  the  rest  of 
his  collection.  This  is  not  what  one  would  call  a 
very  attractive  species,  though  very  curious  and 
quite  distinct  from  others  of  the  genus  in  gardens. 
The  spike  measures  about  18  inches  in  length,  and 
for  about  a  foot  from  the  tip  it  is  densely  covered 
with  flowers  of  a  yellowish  white  tint.  The  blos- 
soms do  not  fully  expand,  otherwise  the  spike 
would  be  more  showy.  The  growth  is  much  the 
same  as  that  of  C.  Mastersi.  This  species  has  only, 
we  believe,  flowered  a  few  times  in  this  country, 
and  many  experienced  orchidists  about  London 
have  not  seen  it  in  bloom.  It  is  a  native  of 
Northern  India,  among  other  districts  about 
Khasyia  and  Darjeeling. 

Orchids   from   France.— I   send   you  a 

couple  of  flowers  of  a  Vanda  citrulea  which  has 
flowered  this  autumn  with  me  in  a  most  surprising 
manner,  having  yielded  two  spikes,  one  bearing 
seventeen  flowers  and  the  other  fifteen  flowers 
(thirty-two  flowers  in  all),  the  plants  being  only 
2.^  feet  high.  I  have  grown  it  in  the  C'attleya 
house  all  summer.  I  send  also  a  couple  of  flowers 
from  a  fine  plant  of  the  rare  Oncidium  incurvum 
album,  which  is  showing  three  spikes,  one  of  which 
is  2  yards  long  at  present ;  a  plant  of  Calanthe 
Veitchi  has  produced  a  spike  bearing  forty-six 
flowers  ;  I  have  one  other  as  deeply  coloured.  [A 
very  highly  coloured  form.]  I  have  a  fine  O. 
nevadense  in  bloom,  with  a  spike  of  eleven  flowers, 
and  Masdevallia  ignea  Eckhardti ;  the  fine  dark 
one  of  which  I  sent  you  a  flower  last  spring  is 
bearing  six  grand  flowers.— Howard  H.  Ches- 
SHIRE  (,Iardinier-en-chef),  i?«e  do  Havre,  St. 
A  dresise. 


Parks  &  Public  Gardens. 

At  a  recent  meeting  of  the  Metropolitan  Public 
Garden,  Boulevard,  and  Playground  Association, 
the  secretary  reported  much  work  as  having  been 
undertaken  and  accomplished  during  the  past 
month.  Several  letters  have  been  written  to  the 
press  and  public  bodies,  including  protests  against 
illegal  building  operations  upon  certain  disused 
burial  grounds.  Grants  of  money  were  voted  for 
the  laying  out  as  a  public  garden  of  the  church- 
yard of  St.  Bartholomew,  Bethnal  Green,  the 
opening  of  the  ground  surrounding  Christ  Church, 
Battersea,  the  formation  of  a  gymnasium  at 
Stepney,  and  the  further  improvement  ct  t'anon- 
bury  Square.  Letters  were  ordered  to  be  written 
to  the  proper  authorities  concerning  a  proposed 
cricket  ground  in  Kensington  Gardens,  the  utili- 
sation of  the  main  drainage  embankment,  and  the 
planting  of  trees  in  the  Eiompton  Eoad.  The 
opening  to  the  publio  of  the  gardens  of  Blackfrisrs 
Bridge,  which  have  been  tastefully  laid  out  by  the 
oorpor.alioD,  w(i,s  annovinced,  antj  the  conversion 


of  the  disused  burial-ground,  Benjamin  Street, 
E.G.,  into  a  public  garden  was  to  be  immediately 
proceeded  with. 


ROYAL  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 

Scientific  committee.— Sir.  Loder  in  the 

chair. 

\]'irviU  attackiiKj  Orchic/s. — Mr.  Pascoe  ex- 
hibited specimens  of  Aoythopeus,  n.sp ,  from 
Borneo  and  elsewhere  in  East  Indies,  imported 
with  the  Orchids  which  they  attacked. 

Orchids,  2>^i'^lograj)li  of. — Mr.  Smee  exhibited 
photographs  of  Orchids  as  growing  during  the 
summer  out  of  doors.  They  were  taken  into  the 
house  in  October.  Several  had  flowered  during 
the  three  months  they  were  out. 

Knot  in  Birch. — Mr.  McLachlan  showed  solid 
woody  knots,  apparently  embryo  buds,  of  1  inch 
to  li  inches  in  diameter.  Also  specimens  of  a 
cockroach  (I'eriplaneta  americana)  occurring  at 
Kew,  in  the  Palm  stove,  received  from  Mr.  Dyer. 

MtudcvidUa  leaves  diseased. — Mr.  Smith  showed 
specimens  badly  infested  with  Protomyces  con- 
comitans  growing  in  the  intercellular  spacts.  Mr. 
Boscawen  thought  it  might  have  been  attacked  by 
a  thrips.  Mr.  Smith  had  cot  ob-erved  any.  Mr. 
McLachlan  remarked  that  Portschinsky  said  that 
thrips  only  attacked  unhealthy  plants,  but  could 
not  assent  to  the  statement. 

Lilivm  auratum  Ivlbifcrotts.  —  Mr.  Wilson 
brought  stems  of  this  Lily  provided  with  aerial 
bulbs  like  the  bulbiferons  section.  He  remarked 
that  L.  longifolium  often  bears  them.  He  stated 
that  the  frosts  of  April  cut  down  the  young  stems 
of  L.  speciosuni,  but  the  bulbs  left  in  the  ground 
appeared  to  be  larger,  with  bulbils  also  in  some 
cases,  notwithstanding  the  foliage  being  unformed. 

Ii.rjicri incuts  at  Chisn'ic/^  to  test  the  Jin.^c/iiaii 
iiiniililiiig  of  Potatoes.— The  report  was  sent  by  Dr. 
M.  T.  Masters,  embodjing  the  results  of  experi- 
ments carried  out  under  the  superintendence  of 
the  sub-committee.  The  chief  conclusions  arrived 
at  were  as  follows  :  1.  Earthing  up  increases  the 
period  of  vegetation  and  amount  of  produce  ;  "ex- 
cept in  one  instance  (whole  tubers,  bent  tops, 
Adirondack),  the  produce  of  the  sections  earthed 
up  for  the  longest  period  is  maikedly  in  excess  of 
that  yielded  by  the  sections  earthed  up  for  the 
shortest  time.''  It  may  be  also  observed  that 
tubers  not  earthed  up  at  all  (control  rows)  yielded 
the  largest  quantity,  but  the  worst  in  quality  and 
most  liable  to  disease.  2.  P.ending  the  haulm  re- 
duces the  produce,  but  conclusions  from  these  ex- 
periments cannot  be  accurately  deduced, "  nor  is  it 
practicable  to  dissociate  the  effects  of  the  bending 
from  those  of  earthing  up."  [Mr.  Plowright  ob- 
serves that  bending  should  not  be  done  while  the 
Potatoes  are  in  blossom,  but  before  July  1.5,  and 
after  23rd  no  deterioration  of  the  tubers  occurred 
in  experiments  in  Holland.]  Moreover,  the  bend- 
ing the  tops  is  practically  almost  impossible  from 
the  rjuantity  of  foliage  and  the  quick  recovery  of 
position,  'i.  The  effect  of  cutting  the  tubers  is 
shown  in  a  marked  deficiency  of  produce  com- 
pared with  the  result  from  using  whole  tubers, 
there  being  a  difference  of  about  10  lbs.  in  favour 
of  whole  tubers  of  Recorder  and  of  12  lbs.  in  the 
case  of  Adirondack.  4.  Amount  of  disease.  So 
trifling  has  been  the  attacks  of  Peronospora,  that, 
as  far  as  any  results  could  be  obtained  to  test  the 
Jensenian  method  of  moulding,  they  are  practi- 
cally nil.  Many  Potatoes  were,  however,  charac- 
terised by  the  reddish  spots  dispersed  through  the 
tuber,  the  cause  of  which  is  at  present  inexplicable. 
Tubers  thus  affected  are  called  "  suspects"  in  the  re- 
port. The  true  Potatodisease  wasalmostexclusively 
confined  to  Recorder  and  to  tubers  earthed  up  a 
proportionately  short  time.  In  the  control  rows, 
however,  both  varieties  were  affected,  It  was 
moved  by  Mr.  Grote  and  seconded  by  the  Hon.  and 
Rev.  Mr.  Boscawen  that  the  same  sub-committee 
be  instruoted  to  carry  out  a  repetition  of  the  ex. 
periments  at  Ohiswiok  in  1885  to  test  the  Jen. 
secian  method  of  protecting  PotfttQes  fioqi  tjig 
Rttaoke  of  Phytophthora, 


470 


THE    GARDEN 


[Nov.  29,  1884. 


Potato  diseases. — A  communication  was  read 
from  Mr.  Plowright,  which  the  following  is  an 
abstract.  The  chief  diseased  conditions  are  :  A, 
diseased  conditions  arising  from  causes  affecting 
the  growth  of  the  plant  itself:  1,  green  tubers  ; 
2,  hollow  tubers ;  3,  supertuberation.  B,  diseased 
conditions  arising  from  causes  external  to  the 
plants :  1,  the  Potato  disease  (Pbytophthora 
infestans);  2,  wet  rot  (Bacillus  amylobacter,  Van 
Leigh) ;  3,  dry  rot ;  i,  scab ;  5,  spotting  or 
mottling.  Passing  over  A  (1)  as  unimportant,  the 
author  observes  that  hollow  tubers  are  a  reversion 
to  the  normal  state  of  aerial  stems.  The  cells 
bordering  the  cavity  have  no  starch,  and  are 
suberised.  Tubers  diseased  by  Pbytophthora  are 
characterised  by  being  first  affected  on  the  surface, 
as  Kiiln  pointed  out  in  1850,  as  the  zoospores 
attack  it  through  the  epidermis.  The  author 
quotes  the  view  that  the  mycelium  penetrates  the 
tuber  by  the  haulm,  a  view  held  in  this  country, 
but  not  on  the  Continent,  and  he  remarks  that  the 
former  view  is  proved  by  experiments,  whereas  the 
latter  has  not  been  experimentally  tested,  except 
that  when  cotton  wool  is  wrapped  round  a  portion 
of  the  stem,  and  all  the  rest  artificially  infected 
with  the  disease,  the  protected  part  alone  remains 
entirely  free  from  mycelium.  The  deep  brown 
and  opaque  places  are  not  diffused,  but  harder  and 
drier  than  the  rest.  The  cultivation  of  the  fungus 
is  easy,  but  it  soon  loses  the  power  to  produce 
conidia.  The  browning  appears  in  two  days  at  a 
temperature  of  75°,  but  after  longer  periods  with 
lower  temperatures.  Wet  rot. — Potatoes  diseased 
with  this  decay  in  pits  and  in  ground.  It  is 
caused  by  Bacillus  amylobacter.  This  microbe 
attacks  the  cell-walls.  It  is  very  infectious.  To 
cultivate  Pbytophthora  without  the  Bacillus  it  is 
necessary  to  desiccate  the  slices  charged  with  the 
former,  as  the  latter  then  dies,  or  is  quiescent. 
Dry  rot. — This  occurred  to  a  great  extent  in  Ger- 
many in  1830,  and  has  been  common  there  ever 
since  18i2.  The  Potato  is  dead-looking,  and 
has  brownish  or  blnishy  spots  within  ;  in  old  stages 
the  interior  is  a  mass  of  yellowish  white  and 
friable  substance.  It  has  not  been  noticed  to  any 
extent  in  England.  Scab. — This  is  unimportant. 
The  cause  appears  to  be  unknown,  but  the  author 
is  inclined  to  think  it  is  an  effort  to  form  cork  to 
prevent  the  entrance  of  fungi. 

Spotted  and  mottled  tubers. — These  spots  differ 
from  those  due  to  Pbytophthora — 1.  Being  inside 
the  tubers.  2.  They  are  neither  so  opaque  nor  so 
dry  nor  deep  in  colour.  No  trace  of  a  mycelium 
was  to  be  found,  and  no  conidia  could  be  obtained 
by  cultivation  by  De  Bary,  Rostrap,  Jensen,  Plow- 
right,  Murray,  or  Henslow.  Mr.  Jensen  suggested 
it  might  be  an  incipient  stage  of  dry  rot,  but  Kiiln 
negatives  this  view.  Mr.  I^lowright  adds  that  a 
crop  was  unsaleable  this  season,  as  it  cannot  be 
foretold  how  many  tubers  may  not  be  attacked. 
Mr.  Plowright  also  forwarded  specimens  of  tnber.s 
— 1.  Diseased  by  Pbytophthora  through  the 
epidermis.  2.  Mottled.  3.  Wet  rot  as  it  occurs 
naturally  with  Pbytophthora.  4.  Artificially  in- 
duced on  sound  tubers.  5.  Spicaria  Solani.  6. 
Acrostalagmus  cinnabarinus.  He  also  sent  copies 
of  Kencke  and  Berthhold's  figures  of  Bacteria, 
showing  starch  grains  in  the  process  of  dissolution 
of  Bacillus  amylobacter.  With  reference  to  Mr. 
Plowright's  statement,  that  mycelium  was  not 
found  in  the  part  protected  by  cotton  wool,  Mr. 
W.  G.  Smith  reported  that  he  had  carefully 
examined  the  experimental  specimens  forwarded 
to  the  last  meeting,  and  had  found  mycelium 
throughout  the  stem  quite  as  much  under  the 
wool  as  elsewhere.  Mr.  Plowright  alluded  to  Mr. 
Murray's  experience  in  getting  the  mycelium  to 
penetrate  the  tough  skin  of  Champions  as  corro- 
borating De  Bary's  statement.  Mr.  Murray  said 
that  it  was  only  in  the  case  of  about  three  or  four 
tubers  out  of  100  that  succeeded,  but  that  he  had 
repeatedly  traced  the  mycelium  down  the  haulm 
along  the  subterranean  branches  and  into  the 
tubers. 

Potato  sclerotia. — Mr.  W.  G.  Smith  had  care- 
fully isolated  these  bodies  on  a  slide,  and  treated 
them  with  nitric  acid,  which  destroyed  a  coat  of 
calcium  oxalate,  and   revealed  an  oval  plasmic 


body  exactly  as  Mr.  Wilson  has  done,  as  reported 
below.  He  had  found  similar  bodies  with  P. 
Schleideniana  in  Onions  and  P.  nivea  in  Parsley. 
Mr.  Murray  said  he  had  found  similar  bodies  in 
perfectly  healthy  plants,  and  suggested  that  Mr. 
Wilson  should  repeat  his  experiments,  and  that  he 
would  test  Mr.  Wilson's.  Mr.  Bennett  raised  the 
question  whether  malate  of  lime  might  not  be 
present,  as  malic  acid  was  particularly  abundant 
in  vegetables. 

T/ie  Potato  disease. — A  communication  was  read 
from  Mr.  A.  Stephen  Wilson  on  the  so-called 
sclerotia  found  in  the  foliage  of  Potatoes.  After 
referring  to  the  history  of  them,  and  to  the  nega- 
tive results  of  Mr.  Murray  and  Dr.  Flight,  who 
regarded  them  as  calcium  oxalate,  and  not  living 
bodies,  he  considers  those  observers  as  acting 
under  a  misconception,  in  that  they  attempted  to 
make  a  parasite  grow  in  dead  matter.  Hence 
Mr.  Wilson  traced  the  results  of  "  myceliation  " 
while  the  tissue  was  living,  and  found  that  the 
granules  of  the  spherical  bodies  contained  within 
the  coating  of  lime  threw  up  a  complete  crop  of 
Peronspora  in  a  night's  time.  He  gives  a  descrip- 
tion of  his  experiments  with  nitric  acid,  which, 
by  careful  application,  dissolves  the  lime,  but  leaves 
a  pellucid  ball  of  granular  plasm  behind.  "  This 
is  everywhere  permeated  by  sporadic  granules, 
some  of  a  round  form,  others  of  an  oblong  form, 
like  short  pieces  of  excessively  delicate  mycelium. 
The  whole  has  a  soft  hue,  like  fine  pencilling,  and 
the  outline  is  in  most  places  perfectly  definitive, 
with  here  and  there  a  break,  as  if  part  of  the  ma- 
terial has  flowed  out  at  the  side."  ..."  A  coni- 
dium  of  P.  infestans  is  about  half  the  size  of  one 
of  these  bodies,  and  the  contents  of  the  conidium 
are  optically  very  similar  to  those  of  the  sclero- 
tium  as  seen  after  being  divested  of  its  calcareous 
coating,  and  both  equally  give  rise  to  mycelium." 

The  author  then  gives  measurements,  and  ob- 
serves that  other  plasmodiating  fungi  are  coated 
with  lime,  as  some  of  the  Myxomycetes. 

Sjiariiumiiia,  and  Ilotja  roots  chibhing. — Mr. 
Plowright  sent  specimens,  which  were  referred  to 
Mr.  Smith  and  Mr.  McLachlan  for  examination 
and  report. 


THE  GARDEN  ANNUAL  FOR  1885. 

Gkbat  pains  have  been  taken  to  make  this  very 
complete  in  all  ways  this  year.  We  believe  it  to 
be  the  most  correct  and  full  directory  of  British 
gardens,  their  proprietors,  the  nursery  and  seed 
trades,  and  gardeners,  that  can  be  produced  in 
such  a  simple  way.  Of  course  there  are  critics  of 
such  things  who  do  not  remember  that  there  is 
such  a  thing  as  a  death  rate ;  that  places  change 
hands,  or  are  not  occupied,  and  that  people  also 
change  their  gardeners — some  with  unfortunate 
frequency.  But  all  who  do  not  quite  forget  these 
facts  and  the  other  difliculties  of  such  an  under- 
taking will  confess  that  "  The  Garden  Annual  " 
fulfils  a  want  in  a  satisfactory  way.  The  features 
we  most  refer  to  in  this  notice  are : — 

An  aljihabetical  li.it  of  nurserymen  and  seeds- 
men, Jiorifts,  liorticultural  builders,  engineers,  and 
of  the  horticultural  trade  generally. 

The  principal  gardens  and  country  scats  in 
Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  arranged  in  the  order 
of  counties,  cctended  and  corrected  to  date. 

Alphabetical  list  of  country  seats  and  gardensin 
the  llnited  Kingdom,  with  names  of  their  on-ners, 
rerij  much  extended  and  corrected  to  date. 

Alphabetical  list  of  head  gardeners  in  the  prin- 
cipal gardens  of  the  United  Kingdom,  re-neritten 
nith  nearest  post  tonus  added.  This  list  has  been 
augmented  by  nearly  800  names  and  addresses. 


French  name  for  Daisy. — I  feel  sure  that 
Mr.  Irwin  Lynch  will  not  mind  my  correcting  a 
slight  error  in  his  very  interesting  paper  on  the 
genus  Chrysanthemum  (p.  440).  He  there  says 
that  the  only  French  word  for  Daisy  is  Margue- 
rite. This  is  true  of  the  large  Daisies  (Margue- 
rites-pleines),  but  for  the  common  Daisy  (Bellis 
perennis)  the  word  Paquerette  is  more  usual.   The 


word  itself  is  interesting,  and  I  have  often  thought 
it  more  likely  to  be  the  origin  of  our  Basque 
Flower  (Anemone  Pulsatilla)  than  is  Pascha 
(French,  P;ique),  Easter.  It  is  derived  from  the 
old  French  v/oidpasquiet  (which  in  its  turn  comes 
from  the  Jjaiin  pascujem),  and  thus  means  literally 
"the  meadow  flower."— G.  H.  Wollaston,  24, 
College  Boad,  Clifton,  Bristol. 

Round-leaved  Laurel. — As  this  is  the 
time  for  transplanting  Evergreens,  I  feel  inclined 
to  say  that  I  have  found  the  round-leaved  Laurel 
to  be  so  superior  in  every  way  to  the  old  sort,  that 
I  wonder  anyone  who  is  acquainted  with  the 
difference  should  now  plant  any  of  the  old  kind, 
as  the  former  is  better  shaped  in  leaf  and  plant, 
better  in  colour,  more  compact,  and  hardier,  so 
I  am  discarding  all  the  old  sorts  for  this.  1  know 
it  is  not  the  only  sort,  as  the  narrow,  dark-leaved 
Caucasian  is  worth  growing,  so  is  a  very  large- 
leaved  one,  the  name  of  which  I  do  not  know.  The 
last  severe  winter  all  the  common  Laurels  were 
cut  down  in  many  low  places,  but  the  round- 
leaved  has  never  been  affected  with  me  at  an  ele- 
vation of  600  feet  for  the  last  five  years  in  which 
I  have  grown  it,  so  I  feel  full  confidence  in  this 
recommendation. — H.  Richardson,  Cherry  Banlt, 
lUdey. 

LATE  NOTES. 

Open-air  Dahlias  (J.  C.  £ond).— Excellent  blcs.iis 
for  so  Lite  in  the  season. 

Fungus  (£.  H.  S.,  Bodmi7i).—The  name  of  the  fungus 
is  Phallus  impudicus,  sometimes  called  from  its  hon-il)le 
eHhniiun  the  "stinking  polecat."  The  specimens  should 
be  sought  for  and  burnt,  as  this  fungus  is  at  times  an  into- 
lerable nuis.ance  in  gardens.— \V.  G.  S. 

A  fine  climbing:  Rose.  — Longworth  Knmbleris  an 
excellent  American  climbing  Rose  with  bright  crimson 
flowers  and  very  pretty  buds.  It  is  the  only  Kose  now  in 
fair  bloom  in  Canon  Hole's  collection.  It  is  a  free  grower 
and  appears  to  be  very  hardy. 

Chrysanthemums(D.  Dorii'dri).— Very  good  blooms. 
The  si.rts  you  send  are  Queen  of  Enghand,  pink  ;  I'air  Maid 
of  Guernsey,  white  Japanese  ;  George  Glenny,  yeUow  ; 
Mrs.  George  Rundle,  white ;  Prince  Alfred,  purple.  The 
others  we  do  not  recognise. 

■Various  (J.  r. J.— Emerald  Gem  or  Dillistone's  Prolific 
are  good  early  Peas.  Three  of  the  best  large  Gooseberries 
ate  London  (red),  Leveller  (yellow),  and  Thumper  (green) ; 
if  you  want  flavour,  you  must  seek  it  amongst  the  smaller 
sorts.  Of  Currants,  "select  Knight's  large  lied  and  White 
Dutch, 

Wftlnute.  —What  is  the  n.nme  of  the  Watnut  free  that 
bears  tlie  very  large  sized  fiuit,  and  the  one  bearing  Iflrge 
and  very  thin-skinned  fruit?  The  former,  I  think,  is  called 
Juglans  gigantea,  and  I  have  heard  the  latter  called  the 
Digli  Flyer,  but  nurserymen  do  not  know  them  by  these  or 
.any  other  names. — H. 

*^*  The  very  large-fruited  Wnlimt  is  Juglans  regia  var. 
macrocarpa  ;  the  very  large  ttin-shelled  form  is  J.  regia 
membranacea,  the  Soix  iioiantje  of  the  French  nuiseries. 
—  Ed.  L— ' 

Chryeaithemum  W.  Robinson.  —  Very  large 
Ijlooms  of  this  superb  Chrysanthemum  have  been  sent  to 
us  lately  by  llr.  May,  gardentr,  Northaw  House,  B.arnet. 
This  variety  was  figured  in  TuE  Garden  last  year,  but 
nothing  can  do  justice  to  its  fine  and  distinct  new  colour. 
The  size  and  habit,  too,  seem  remarkable.  It  wiU  have  a 
great  decorative  value  as  a  cut  flower. 

King  of  the  Pippins.- The  state  in  which  the  taste 
of  our  Apple  ^'vow  (.IS  is  in  may  l>e  estimated  from  the  fact 
that  in  the  list  of  120  Apples  selected  the  greatest  ntunber 
of  times  in  the  Apple  Congress  report  this  stands  first, 
while  it  is  one  of  the  hardest,  poorest,  and  most  deceptive 
Apples  we  know.  It  illustrates  well  the  humbug  of  our 
pomology,  in  which  far  too  mirch  is  sacrificed  to  looks. 

Carnation  (Jf.).— The  bloom  sent  is  very  pretty,  a  rich 
magenta-purple.  If  it  is  a  dwarf-haljited  plairt,  and 
flowers  well  in  the  autumn  or  winter,  it  would  be  worth 
gi-owtng ;  l-)Ut  the  flower  is  very  small  and  not  of  good 
form  There  are  now  some  really  good  dwarf  forms  of 
perpetual-flowering  Carnations  bright  and  varied  in  colour, 
and  unless  new  varieties  are  dwarf  and  floriferous,  there  is 
no  room  for  them  unless  the  flowers  aie  of  exceptionally 
good  quality. 

Naming  plants.— Four  Hnds  of  plants  or  flowers 
oiibj  can  be  named  at  one  time,  and  this  only  when  good 
specimens  are  sent. 

Names  of  plants. —  ir.  H.  —  l,  Cannabis  sativa 
(Hemp) ;  2,  Arbutus  I'nedo  -,  3,  Rhus  Cotinus  ;  4,  Cratajgus 

Pyracantha  ;    5,    Cotoneaster    .Simonsi. Mrs.  M.  A. — 

Cotoneaster    Simonsi. G.    H.— Oncidium    pulvinatum. 

If^fl.i!.— Datura  sanguinca. F.  B. -Next week. 

J.  George.— We  do  not  attempt  to  name  Chrysanthemums 

or  other  florists'  flowers. Balmoral— Appears  to  be  the 

variety  Homere,  but  we  cannot  bo  certain,  as  the  petals  had 

dropped  when  the  flower  reached  us J.  i{.— We  cannot 

name  your  Camellia. K  F.  C— Common  Reed  (Phrag- 

mites   communis). J.    Pra«.— Odontoglossum  grande. 

E.  J.  H.  -Please  send  Lrrger  and  better  specimens. 


THE     GARDEN 


471 


No.  681.  SATURDAY,  Deo.  6,  138*.        Vol.  XXVI. 


"  This  is  an  Art 
WTiicli  does  men<l  N'atnre  :  chancre  it  rather :  but 
The  art  itself  is  Nature."— S/i(i*-csi)mre. 


CHRYSANTHEMUMS  IN  VASES. 
That  all  the  finest  Chrysanthemums  grown  about 
liomlou  do  not  find  their  way  to  exhibitions  is 
evident  from  the  fact  that  we  received  finer 
blooms  of  some  sorts  from  Mr.  May,  the  gardener  at 
Northaw  House,  Barnet,  than  we  have  seen  at  any 
show  this  year.  He  has  sent  us  by  far  the  finest 
gathering  of  these  flowers  that  has  yet  reached  us. 
The  great  blooms  of  the  incurved  sorts  were  not 
so  faultlessly  globular  as  one  sees  them  on 
exhibition  stands,  a  ruffled  petal  here  and  there 
just  serving  to  obviate  monotony.  Then,  again. 
the  Japanese  sorts,  with  their  long  dishevelled 
florets  twisting  in  all  directions,  looked  much 
handsomer  and  more  picturesque  than  when  spread 
out  formally  on  a  board,  as  is  customary  at  exhibi- 
tions. Thisgathering  of  blooms,  cut  with  longstalks 
and  with  foliage  sufficient  to  set  off  the  colours  of 
the  flowers  to  advantage,  had  a  charming  effect 
arranged  in  tall  vases  and  grouped  according  to 
their  tints.  It  is  greatly  to  be  wished  that  some 
encouragement  was  given  to  exhibitors  at  shows 
to  thus  display  their  blooms.  Then  the  true 
beauty  of  the  Chrysanthemum — that  of  form  in 
the  incurved  and  picturesqueness  in  the  Japanese 
race — could  be  seen  and  appreciated,  instead  of 
huddling  the  blooms  close  together  on  a  board 
without  foliage,  or  anything  else,  to  set  off  their 
colours  in  the  best  way.  It  is  not,  however,  for 
exhibition  alone  that  Chrysanthemums  are  grown. 
Many  drawing-rooms,  boudoirs,  and  halls  have 
during  the  past  month  been  beautified  by  them, 
and  in  most  cases  they  have  been  displayed  with 
plenty  of  stalk  and  healthy  foliage — the  proper 
mode  of  arranging  them.  Charming  combina- 
tions may  also  be  effected  by  intermixing  the 
decaying  leafage  of  deciduous  trees  with  some  of 
the  brighter  coloured  Chrysanthemums.  Examples 
o£  this  style  of  arrangement  were  sent  to  us  lately 
by  Miss  Jekyll,  who,  we  scarcely  need  add,  knows 
thoroughly  how  to  deal  with  such  matters.  The 
chief  fault  to  be  found  with  the  ordinary  way  of 
arranging  Chrysanthemums  is  that  no  regard  is 
paid  to  harmony  of  colour.  There  is  certainly  no 
cla.ss  of  flowers  in  which  so  much  diversity  of 
tint  is  to  be  found  as  in  the  present  race  of  Chry- 
santhemums, and  equally  certain  is  it  that  no 
flowers  possess  such  subtle  shades  forming  an  un- 
interrupted gradation  between  two  extremes.  For 
instance,  from  yellows  one  may  pick  out  tints  that 
will  form  a  chain  of  shades  up  to  the  deepest  crim- 
son, such  as  that  of  the  beautiful  Julie  Lagraviire. 
In  the  series  of  varieties  sent  by  Mr.  May,  all 
these  variations  exist.  The  Jafanese  sorts 
number  between  twenty  and  thirty,  and  nearly  as 
numerous  are  the  incurved  sorts.  A  selection  of 
the  finest  of  this  gathering  includes,  among 
Japanese  sorts,  Boule  d'Or,  Fair  Maid  of  Guernsey, 
Hiver  Fleur,  Elaine,  Bouquet  Fait,  Triomphe  de  la 
rue  da  Chatelet,  Mons.  Ardene,  Criterion,  Meg 
Merrilies,  one  of  the  latest,  and  the  new  variety 
raised  by  Mr.  May  and  named  W.  Robinson.  This  is 
a  beautiful  sort,  having  large  shaggy  heads  of 
long  florets  of  a  warm  shade  of  chestnut-brown. 
It  originated  as  a  sport  from  Bouquet  Fait  two 


years  ago.  It  occurred  as  a  solitary  bloom  on  a 
branch,  and  being  bronzy  instead  of  rosy  pink, 
the  shoot  was  taken  off  and  rooted,  the  result 
being  the  present  excellent  variety,  which  is  to  be 
sent  out  by  Messrs.  Veitch.  The  incurved  sorts 
sent  are  of  the  ordinary  stamp,  but  all  are  per- 
fection as  regards  growth,  and  among  the  Ane- 
mone-flowered race  are  some  blooms  of  the  white 
Lady  Margaret  nearly  5  inches  across.  This  snow- 
white  sort,  associated  with  the  maroon-crimson 
Julie  Lagrav^re,  a  pale  yellow,  and  the  bronzy 
Barbara,  made  a  beautiful  vaseful— a  fit  ornament 
for  any  table. 


SINGLE    CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 

Pretty  as  many  of  these  undoubtedly  are,  and 
likely  in  all  probability  to  be  popular  for  a  season 
or  two,  yet  I  do  not  think  they  will  become  fa- 
vourites for  any  length  of  time.  The  danger  to 
the  popularity  of  the  single  Chrysanthemums 
arises  from  the  fact  that  efforts  to  improve  them 
in  the  way  of  raising  new  varieties  result  in  much 
the  same  as  we  have  seen  in  the  case  of  single 
Dahlias— the  flowers  become  larger  in  size,  un- 
gainly in  appearance,  and  coarse  in  character. 
This  occurred  in  the  case  of  some  of  the  new  Ameri- 
can varieties  produced  by  Messrs.  H.  Cannell  at  the 
last  meeting  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  ; 
they  were  large  and  coarse,  and  altogether  want- 
ing in  that  refinement  which  is  to  be  seen  in  many 
of  the  pretty  pompone  varieties. 

Let  us  pass  in  review  a  few  of  the  American 
importations.  There  was  W.  A.  Harris,  which 
looks  like  a  single  form  of  Peter  the  Great,  pale 
yellow  in  colour,  large  and  loose  in  appearance  ; 
Kate  Henderson,  with  white  petals  broadly  mar- 
gined with  pink,  pretty  and  attractive ;  Peter 
Henderson,  with  surface  reddish  dark  brown,  the 
yellow  reverse,  slightly  tinted  with  red.  These 
may  be  taken  as  representatives  of  the  American 
productions,  but  we  scarcely  think  that  they 
are  likely  to  be  greatly  approved  of  by  the  English 
flower-loving  public.  Other  new  single-flowered 
varieties  were  Sidonia,  dark  pink  surface  and  rosy 
purple  reverse,  but  having  four  rows  of  marginal 
petals  ;  Magenta  King,  rich  deep  magenta,  bright 
and  showy,  one  of  the  best ;  and  Mr.  Wells,  rosy 
magenta,  large  and  showy,  but  a  little  loose-looking. 
There  is  quite  a  long  list  of  American  varieties, 
single  and  semi-double,  but  only  the  few  named 
above  were  seen  on  this  occasion.  A  few  of  the 
single  forms  are  undoubtedly  pretty,  but  we  can 
scarcely  think  there  is  a  future  before  them.  At 
the  meeting  of  the  National  C'hrysanthemum  So- 
ciety, at  the  Royal  Aquarium,  Jlr.  H.  Ware  set  up 
a  stand  of  small-flowered  single  varieties,  more 
like  single  Helichrysums  than  anything  else,  but 
they  did  not  appear  to  find  much  favour.  One 
thing  is  certain,  the  committee  of  the  National 
Society  did  not  provide  classes  for  them  at  the 
recent  exhibition  at  the  Rojal  Aquarium. 

The  interest  created  in  these  single  Chrysanthe- 
mums may  perhaps  have  a  tendency  to  encourage 
the  production  of  seedlings  in  this  country;  not, 
of  course,  from  English  saved  seed,  but  from  seed 
obtained  from  the  Continent  or  the  Channel 
Islands.  A  few  days  since  I  saw  an  extremely  in- 
teresting batch  of  seedlings  raised  from  seed  sown 
in  a  gentle  heat  in  January  last,  and  planted  out 
in  the  open  ground  in  early  summer,  care  having 
been  taken  in  the  meantime  to  grow  them  on  into 
as  large  a  size  as  possible  before  doing  so.  As 
the  plants  were  carefully  looked  after  when 
planted  out,  they  soon  giew  into  size,  and  in 
October  every  one  flowered  out  of  a  considerable 
number  of  plants.  These  were  laige-flowered 
Japanese,  pompone.  Anemone-flowered,  and  single 
varieties,  very  few  inferior,  and  all  of  an  interest- 
ing character ;  really  they  were  annuals  and  not 
biennials,  as  might  have  been  expected.  No  doubt 
the  season  was  favourable  to  the  development  of 
the  plants,  and  perhaps  it  is  only  the  accident 
of  such  a  dry,  warm  summer  as  that  of  the  pre- 
sent year  that  could  have  produced  flowering 
plants  from  seed  in  ten  months.     The  narration 


of  these  facts  may  induce  others  to  attempt  to  raise 
seedlings.     Let  us  hope  it  will  have  that  effect. 
R.  D. 

An  avenue  of  Michaelmas  Daisies.— 
I  was  never  so  much  impressed  with  the  beauty  of 
these  plants  to  produce  effects  as  the  other  day, 
when,  after  travelling  for  some  hours  over  fields  and 
ditches,  I  came  upon  a  farmhouse  standing  back 
about  30  yards  from  the  entrance  gate.  On  either 
side  of  the  pathway  leading  up  to  the  front  door 
was  a  row  of  large  bushes,  about  4  feet  high  and 
as  much  through  and  just  touching  each  other,  of 
one  of  the  best  sorts  of  Michaelmas  Daisies.  I  do 
not  know  the  Asters  well  enough  to  give  the 
species  or  variety  a  name.  The  flowers,  however, 
were  large  and  bright  blue  in  colour,  much  like  A. 
Amellus.  The  shoots  were  not  tied  up  at  all ; 
some  of  the  stems  stood  erect,  others  bent  over, 
and  some  laid  upon  the  Grass,  all  being  covertd 
entirely  with  flowers  just  at  their  very  best— a 
veritable  avenue  of  blue,  and  just  about  the  last 
thing  one  would  have  thought  of  to  plant  an 
avenue  with. — T.  Smith,  JVi-n-ri/. 

The  eeedling  Gladioli  of  French  origin 
as  of  ordinary  home  growth,  are  as  short-lived 
under  ordinary  culture  as  they  are  beautiful  when 
really  well  grown.  True,  we  have  now  a  new  race — 
those  of  the  G.  purpureo-auratus  section,  which 
are  perfectly  hardy,  and  which  instead  of  dying 
out  actually  luxuriate  and  increase  rapidly  on 
warm,  dry  soils.  Planted  out  under  a  sunny  wall. 
The  Bride  variety  flowers  here  most  copiously  in 
May  and  June,  or  in  pots  we  may  have  it  in 
flower  by  the  end  of  April,  and  if  well  grown  but 
few  white  blossoms  are  more  elegant  or  acceptable. 
So  also  the  varieties  of  G.  ramosus  bloom  in  May 
and  June  along  with  the  latest  Narcissi,  and  add 
colour  and  variety  to  the  summer  beauty  of  the 
best  of  gardens,  but  the  fact  remains  that  we  have 
twenty  or  thirty  species,  perhaps  more,  of  Gladioli 
known  in  books  and  herbaria  which  are  rarely 
if  ever  seen  in  even  the  best  of  gardens.  Is  it 
too  much  to  ask  some  well-to-do  amateur  to 
do  for  the  Gladiolus  what  Mr.  Jlaw  is  doing  for 
the  Crocus,  and  what  Mr.  Elwes  has  done  for  the 
Lily  Queen  ?— F.  W.  B. 

Gladiolus  Vllle  de  Versailles.— Some  day 
we  shall  have  people  fond  of  gardens  and  garden- 
ing fall  in  love  with  the  Sword-flower,  just  as,  in 
times  past,  they  loved  the  Tulip  and  the  Fig  Mari- 
gold, and  as  now  they  offer  their  allegiance  to 
the  painted  Orchid  or  the  golden  Daffodil.  True, 
even  now  we  have  our  Kelways  and  Souchets  as 
masters  in  the  art  of  Gladiolus  culture,  so 
far  as  seedling  varieties  are  concerned  ;  but  we 
want  admirers  of  a  broader  taste,  who  will  grow 
all  the  old  Cape  species  as  well  as  the  seedlings 
of  modern  origin  and  nomenclature.  To  turn 
over  some  of  the  older  volumes  of  Curtis'  "  Bo- 
tanical Magazine  "  is  like  a  dream  to  anyone  fond 
of  Gladioli ;  but  how  few  of  those  therein  pour- 
trayed  are  known  in  our  gardens  of  to-day.  From 
the  soft,  warm  May  days  until  now  the  Sword- 
flower  has  given  us  bright  glints  of  colour;  from 
the  time  the  pale  "Bride''  (G.  Colvillei  albus) 
opens  its  paper-white  buds  until  G.  Ville  de  Ver- 
sailles opens  its  pale,  blood-spotted  blossoms 
to  a  wintry  sun.  In  a  word,  from  May  to  No- 
vember the  Sword-flower  may  be  had  in  bloom. 
— F.  W.  B. 

Justicla  specioea-— Where  flowering  plants 
are  required  in  quantity  for  decorative  purposes 
this  Justicia  is  especially  valuable,  as  it  is  a  plant 
of  the  easiest  culture,  and  is  just  now  thickly 
covered  with  bloom  of  a  pleasing  shade  of  light 
purple,  blotched  on  the  upper  part  with  the  same 
colour.  Though  individually  the  flowers  do  not 
remain  long  in  perfection,  yet  they  are  produced 
in  such  numbers,  that  by  means  of  them  the  plant 
is  rendered  effective  for  weeks  together.  It  makes 
a  good  companion  to  winter-flowering  Salvias,  and 
supplies  a  tint  which  is.as  far  as  I  am  aware.unrepre- 
sented  among  thein.  Cuttings  made  of  the  young 
shoots  strike  root  in  a  short  time,  and  after  being 
potted  off  grow  away  quickly.  Though  requiring 
no  great  amount  of  heat  during  summer,  it  should 


472 


THE    GARDEN 


[Dee.  6,  1884. 


be  grown  under  glass,  as  its  foliage  is  apt  to  be- 
come discoloured  if  too  much  exposed.  Through- 
out the  growing  season  the  syringe  must  be  used 
pretty  freely,  otherwise  red  s-pider  is  apt  to  make 
its  appearance. — H.  P. 


Indoor    Garden. 


IMPORTED  CYCADS. 
In  some  parts  of  the  Continent,  more  especially 
in  the  northern  states  of  Germany,  Cycads  are 
valued  for  decorative  purposes,  and  largely  grown 
by  some  nurserymen.  In  a  nursery  at  Leip,-ic  I 
once  saw  many  thousands,  varying  in  size  from 
such  as  were  only  large  enough  for  4i-inch  pots 
to  big  specimens  with  stems  6  feet  high  or  more, 
and  bearing  an  ample  crown  of  finely-developed 
leaves.  So  great  and  constant  is  the  demand  for 
these  Cycads  in  Germany,  that  they  are  grown  by 
the  acre  in  Cuba  specially  for  importation  to 
Europe.  An  acquaintance  of  mine  brought  over 
many  hundreds  of  Cycas  revoluta,  varying  in  size 
from  an  egg  to  that  of  a  large  Turnip,  and  they 
were  packed  in  200,000  Latania  borbonica  seeds. 
They  arrived  in  perfect  condition,  nearly  all  the 
Cycads  growing,  and  90  per  cent,  of  the  Palm 
seeds  germinated.  I  once  had  several  hundreds  of 
these  imported  Cycads,  and  succeeded  in  esta- 
blishing the  greater  portion  of  them.  When  they 
came  into  my  hands  I  thought  that  I  had  never 
had  anything  so  unpromising  to  operate  on. 
To  all  appearance  they  were  worthless,  there  being 
absolutely  no  heart  to  them-  nothing  but  the 
thick  outer  rind,  so  that  they  closely  resembled 
a  Cocoa-nut  cut  in  half,  not  only  in  thi.s  respect, 
but  in  shape  as  well.  It  was  late  in  August  when 
they  arrived,  and  I  thought  the  best  plan  would  be  to 
make  up  a  hotbed  for  them,  as  I  felt  sure  that  a 
strong  bottom-heat  would  be  necessary  to  induce 
them  to  root.  Some  were  just  about  the  size  of  an 
egg  cut  in  two,  but  the  largest  were  nearly  a  foot 
across.  Tliey  were,  however,  as  I  have  just  said, 
one  and  all  hollow  right  up  into  the  apex  of  the 
stem.  Pots  of  varying  sizes  were  filled  two-thirds 
full  of  crocks,  and  on  these  was  placed  fibrous 
peat ;  on  that  the  Cycas  stems  Were  set,  slightly 
bedding  them  in  it  and  adjusting  the  pots  to  the 
plants,  leaving  just  room  enough  for  water.  They 
were  then  plunged  in  a  hot-bed  composed  of 
manure  and  leaves,  with  about  8  inches  of  saw- 
dust on  the  top  for  plunging  material.  The  soil 
was  kept  just  nicely  moist.  On  fine  days  they 
were  gently  sprinkled  with  water,  and  in  the 
course  of  two  months  they  had  mostly  pushed  out 
leaves.  One  rather  important  detail  I  have 
omitted,  viz.,  that  the  hollow  stems  were  all 
filled  with  charcoal  in  small  lumps,  which  it  was 
thought  would  help  to  preserve  them  against 
decay.  The  result  was  that  a  very  small  propor- 
tion of  them  rotted.  J.  C.  B. 


Eupatoriums.  — As  winter  decorative  plants 
these  are  most  usefal.  Cuttings  of  them  taken  in 
spring  are  now  thrifty  little  plants  in  :i-inch  [lots 
and  showing  bloom  buds.  The  cuttings  may  be 
struck  in  a  hotbed,  potted  off,  and  set  out-of-doors 
in  the  Summer,  and  a  cool  Peach  house  suits  them 
well  in  winter.  Large  plants  of  them  are  also 
very  useful  to  cut  from  where  room  for  their 
growth  can  be  afforded.  E.  riparium  and  E 
ageratoides  are  two  of  the  most  useful,  the  latter 
forming  a  good  succession  to  the  former. — 
F.  W.  S. 

Pinks  for  forcing.— These  should  now  be 
established  in  .5-inch  and  6-inch  pots  in  cold 
frames.  If  the  pots  are  plunged  in  Cocoa-nut  fibre 
refuse,  they  will  not  be  injured  by  any  amount  of 
frost.  They  will  require  but  little  water  at  the 
roots,  but  they  must  not  be  allowed  to  get  dust 
dry.  Between  Christmas  and  the  first  week  in 
the  new  year  they  may  be  placed  in  any  forcing 
house  in  which  there  is  a  night  temperature  of 
from  45°  to  50°  to  begin  with.  Keep  them  near 
the  glass;  if  they  are  at  a  distance  from  it,  and 
where  they  do  not  get  much  air,  they  will  not  do 
well.     It  is  worth  some  trouble  to  obtain  good 


heads  of  bloom  of  the  pure  white  Lady  Blanche  or 
of  the  rich  reddish  purple  Lord  Lyons. — J. 
Douglas,  Great  Gearics,  ll/ord. 

Rhododendron  Auckland!. — It  seems 
this  fice  Rhododendron  is  to  be  deprived  of  this 
name,  by  v/hich  it  has  been  so  long  known,  and 
for  the  future  is  to  be  called  R.  GrifBthianum, 
that  name  having  the  claim  of  priority  in  its 
favour ;  but  how  is  it  that  this  change  has  not 
been  made  before,  seeing  that  R.  Aucklandi  has, 
among  other  places,  flowered  at  Kew  for  several 
years  past  ?  Even  quite  recently  the  specimen  of 
it  there  still  bore  on  the  label  the  name  of  R. 
Aucklandi.  Such  alterations  in  nomenclature 
cause  much  confusion,  and,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
lessen  the  depecdence  to  be  placed  upon  authorities 
who  give  a  plant  a  certain  name  one  day,  so  to 
speak,  and  change  it  the  next.— H.  P. 

Acacia  platyptera. — Among  the  large  col- 
lection of  Acacias  in  the  temperate  bouse  at  Kew 
this  is  every  season  the  first  to  expand  its  blos- 
soms ;  several  plants  of  it  there  are  now  in  full 
bloom,  while  none  of  the  others  have  yet  reached 
that  stage.  Resides  its  value  as  an  autumn  and 
early  winter  flowering  plant,  this  Acacia  is  also  so 
distinct  from  all  others,  as  to  well  merit  cultiva- 
tion, even  if  it  bloomed  with  the  bulk  of  its  asso- 
ciates, from  the  peculiarly  flattened  conformation 
of  the  stems  and  branches,  along  the  edges  of 
which  the  little  golden  flower  balls  are  freely  pro- 
duced. It  succeeds  well  under  ordinary  green- 
house treatment  and  lasts  in  flower  several  weeks 
at  a  time. — T. 

PoinBettias  in  the  open  air  in  Kent.— 
As  my  foreman  was  in  the  act  of  consigning  some 
surplus  Poinsettias  to  the  lubbith  heap  after  all 
were  potted  which  we  wanted,  I  stopped  him  and 
had  them  planted  on  a  border  close  at  hand,  and 
the  result  as  regards  good  growth  was  most  satis- 
factory. Ever  since  I  have,  therefore,  grown  my 
Poinsettias  in  the  open  air  during  the  summer 
months.  After  blooming,  the  plants  are  dried  off 
in  the  usual  way,  and  towards  the  middle  or  end 
of  June  the  old  soil  is  shaken  from  the  roots  and 
they  are  planted  out  on  a  south  border  in  light, 
rich  soil  at  distances  of  about  18  inches  apart, 
after  which  a  good  soaking  of  water  is  given. 
During  hot  weather  I  mulch  with  Cocoa-nut  fibre 
or,  better  still,  short  manure  or  decayed  leaf  soil, 
and  as  soon  as  growth  commences  we  occasionally 
give  a  little  manure  water  to  the  roots.  Care  is 
necessary  in  lifting  and  potting,  operations  gene- 
rally done  in  the  end  of  September,  when  they 
are  transferred  to  a  slight  bottom  heat,  in  order  to 
encourage  root  action.  Shading  must  be  attended 
to  during  the  middle  of  the  day,  and  by  this  means 
we  seldom  lose  any  or  few  of  the  leaves.  At 
present  we  have  a  fine  lot  of  strong,  healthy, 
dwarf  plants  with  large  bracts  now  colouring.  It 
has  been  my  practice  for  the  past  four  years  to 
plant  out  Bouvardias,  Callas,  Eupatoriums,  &c.,  as 
above  described,  and  I  may  add  with  the  very  best 
results  — TuojiAs  Carlton,  'Hie  WiMi-rm-nsi;  near 
St'veiiotil'ii. 

*,*  We  saw  these  plants  in  the  open  air  in  Sep- 
tember and  were  surprised  at  their  fine  health  and 
sturdy  vigour — Ed. 


SHORT  NOTES.— INDOOR. 


NymDheea  zanzlbarensie.— Flowers  of  tli's  nolile 
Water  Lily  liave  come  to  us  in  a  little  box  from  America 
without  note  or  letter.  Tliey  have  opened  well  with  us, 
and  even  after  contineraent  for  stmie  ten  days  in  a  c!ose 
room  emit  a  very  delicate  Primro^e-lilie  scent. 

Amaryllis  flowers  not  opening  (^ubsmber).~'lt 
is  difficult  to  say  why  your  flowers  have  not  opened.  Tliis 
is,  however,  tlie  wrong  time  of  year  for  Amaryllises  to 
flower.  They  ouglit  to  be  resting  instead  of  making  a  second 
arowth  and  rtowerinst,  which  must  impair  tlieir  vigour  in 
March  and  April— their  proper  season  for  flowering.— J. 

UOCGLAS. 

Triplet  blooms  on  Lapageria  rosea.— I  have  a 

plant  of  tlie  red  Lapageiia  growing  in  a  large  pot  whicli 
has  made  this  season  a  growth  bearing  eight  triplet 
blooms.  Is  not  tliis  an  uncommon  occurrence?  I  have 
fed  the  plant  with  sheep  manure,  which  I  think  deepens 
tlie  colour  of  the  blooms.— W.  iliLLABP,  H'cod  Qreen  Park, 
Che^hunt. 

"^.*  Blooms  in  triplets  do  sometimes  occur  on  Lapagerias, 
but  seldom  to  the  extcut  of  eight  on  a  shoot.— Ep 


Single  Chrysanthemums.— I  send  six 
sorts  of  single  Chrysanthemums  which  I  think  are 
well  worth  cultivating,  as  they  flower  after  a  good 
many  of  the  large  flowering  sorts  are  past  their 
best.  My  plants  are  now  masses  of  bloom,  some 
of  them  with  hundreds  of  flowers  the  same  as  I 
send.  They  are  invaluable  for  small  vases  and 
glasses,  as  they  look  so  much  lighter  than  the 
larger  flowered  sorts  ;  in  fact,  they  take  just  the 
same  place  as  the  single  Dahlias  do  in  relation  to 
the  doubles. — G.  Jurr,  Jiranhricl ge  Parh,  Bal- 
cnmbe. 

*,*  All  pretty  varieties,  the  deep  rosy  magenta 
flowers  being  particularly  bright.— Ed. 

Chrysanthemum  Val  d'Or.-  This  is  a 
newvaiietyof  the  pompone  race  of  Chrysanthe- 
mums, flowers  of  which  we  have  received  from 
Messrs.  Laing,  Stanstead  Nurseries,  Forest  Hill. 
It  ij  a  pretty  sort  with  small  globular  flowers,  per- 
fectly symmetrical  in  outline  and  of  a  clear  jonquil 
yellow.  Some  may  think  it  too  formal,  but  it  will 
please  those  who  like  sj  mmetrically  shaped  blooms. 
Messrs.  Laing,  who  are  devoting  a  good  deal  of  at- 
tention to  new  Chrysanthemums,  have  in  their 
large  collections  several  other  new  pompone  sorts  ; 
among  the  best  are  those  named  Pompone  Rose, 
lilac- rose  ;  Guillaume  Dolaux,  rose  and  white ; 
Arbre  de  Noel,  bright  orange-yellow ;  Diamant, 
ciimson-red  ;  La  Di58iree,  snow-white;  and  Elise 
Laycillon,  rose  and  deep  golden  yellow. 


Welsh  flo'wers.  The  following  were  cut 
from  plants  growing  in  the  open  air  at  Baglan 
Lodge,  Briton  Ferry,  South  Wales,  on  the  27th 
ult.:- 


Anemone  japoijica 

Agcrjitums 

Calendula  officinalis 

CalceoLarias 

Carnations 

Coronilla  glauca 

Chrysanlhemun,s 

Dalilias 

GazaLia  splendens 

l.arktpurs 

I'entstcmons 

Peldrgoniuni?,  scarlet 

H.  Clarke. 


stocks  Ten-week 

Pyrethrums 

Phlox  Drummondi 

Marguerites 

Tritoma  I'varia 

Veronicas  of  different  sorts 

Antirrhinums 

Aubrietia  purpurea 

Roses 

Pansies 

Violas 

Nastiutiums ' 


QUESTIONS. 


S2S5.— Shanked  Grepfs.- It  has  been  stated  tha 
Grapes,  if  not  thinned,  will  never  sliank.  Is  that  so?— 
La.ncasuiee. 

6280.— OeJontogloesum  blooms  railing.- tan  any 
Orchid-growing  reader  tell  me  why  odontoglossum  flowers 
when  half  grown  turn  yellow  and  fall  off  ?— A.  T.. 

5287.— Roman  Hyaclnthe.- 1  potted  some  of  these 
aViont  six  weeks  ago,  jjlaced  tliem  in  a  thed,  and  cov»rcd 
them  with  ashes,  but  as  jct  tlicre  are  no  signs  of  growth. 
Will  someone  Idndly  tell  me  if  I  have  given  them  the 
proper  treatment?-  .Amateur. 

6288.— Tap  roots  of  fruit  trees.- Do  these  influence 
productiveness  in  any  way?  Ifto.how?  Atameetingof 
the  Harnsley  Gardeners'  Mutual  Improvement  .Society  this 
matter  was  recently  discussed,  but  not  settled  at  all  satis- 
factorily. It  was  therefore  resolved  to  ask  the  opinion  of 
the  readers  of  The  Ga  kpen  on  the  subject,  and  to  theic 
decision  I  willing  y  submit  it.— 8.  B.,  iLlmhirst. 

6289  — Cobeea  ecanden?  was  supplieil  to  me  in  error 
for  Clematis  Jackmanni,  and  it  was  planted  in  soil  as 
directed  for  the  Clematis.  It  has  grown  luxuri-intly  out- 
of-dours,  covering  a  lajge  disused  fountain,  and  has  pro- 
duced over  200Iaige,  beautiful,  bell-shaptd  violet  or  purple 
flowers ;  it  is  even  full  of  bloom  now.  I  am  told  that  it 
will  die  this  winter.  Can  I  protect  or  save  it  by  covering 
its  roots?  It  would  be  disappointing  to  lose  so  beautiful  a 
plant-  Perhaps  some  of  your  correspondents  wdl  favour 
me  with  a  word  of  advice  on  the  subject.— Cob.j:a,  Claphain 
Park. 

6290.— Figs  casting  their  fruit.— Having  a  few  Figs 
in  pots  tliat  annually  cast  their  first  crop,  I  should  be 
glad  if  someone  would  tell  me  how  to  prevent  this.  I 
noticed  in  The  Gardfn,  October  25,  an  article  on  this 
subject,  in  winch  it  was  said  that  exposure  to  frosty  weather 
was  the  cause  of  l-'igs  falling  ( ff.  Mine  have  been  grown 
in  a  house  l)y  themselves,  and  have  not  been  subjected  to 
frosty  weather,  and  to  all  appearances  the  wood  has  been 
properly  ripened.  Should  they  be  root-pruned  annually 
ana  started  in  bottom-heat  ?  What  will  be  the  l>est  method 
to  adopt?  Also,  is  it  a  wise  plan  to  fork  Peach  and  inside 
Vine  Ijorders  up  and  folk  in  the  manure  with  which  they 
are  annually  mulched  ?  Any  information  on  these  subjects 
will  be  thankfully  received.  I  may  add  that  the  Figs  were 
carefully  watered  at  starting  time  and  not  allowed  to 
become  too  dry  or  wet.— T.  W.  W. 


Dec.  C,   1884.] 


THE     C.ARDKN 


47: 


Sr.  NICHOLAS  HOUSE,  SCAKCOKOUGH. 
At  St.  Nicholas  House,  the  residence  of  Mr. 
Woodall,  gardening  operations  are  carried  on 
nnder  the  personal  and  practical  direction  of 
Mr.  E.  H.  Woodall,  whose  name  is  well  known  to 
readers  of  The  Garden  from  his  frequent  valu- 
able notes  on  Tea  Hoses  and  other  plants.  Garden- 
ing is  here  of  a  distinctly  two-fold  character,  as 
are  also  the  two  gardens.  The  decorative,  I  will 
not  say  bedding,  garden,  as  it  is  by  no  means 
limited  to  that,  which  is  around  the  honse  in  view 
of  the  windows,  stretches  down  the  cliff  to  the 
seashore,  where  are  also  delightful  rock-banks 
and  sheltered  nooks,  some  of  which  shall  be 
alluded  to  hereafter,  and  the  fruit  and  vegetable 
garden,  which  is  quite  apart,  and  some  distance 
from  the  house  at  the  other  side  of  the  town. 
Here  flowers  are  also  extensively  grown  both  in 
the  houses  and  out  of  doors.  liut  to  return  to  the 
former.     Under  the  terrace  at  the  south    front, 


On  descending  still  further  nearer  the  sea,  of 
which  one  gets  a  peep  now  and  then  through  the 
frees,  one  comes  on  a  delightful  series  of  sheltered 
slopes  and  nooks  where  Bamboos  flourish  and 
Veronicas  provide  an  abundance  of  bloom  and 
foliage.  Here  also  Cypripedium  spectabile  has 
found  a  comfortable  home  and  flowers  in  great 
beauty.  But  the  great  feature  of  this  part  of  the 
gardenia  the  beds  of  Bouvardia  Humboldticoiym- 
biflora,  which  are  a  thing  to  remember  for  a  life- 
time— such  profusion  of  bloom  and  abundant 
growth  forming  excellent  plants  to  raise  for  pro- 
viding cut  flowers  during  the  winter.  Fine  speci- 
mens of  Pampas  Grass  and  New  Zealand  Flax 
and  Yuccas  also  add  to  the  effect  of  this  part  of 
the  grounds. 

Now  we  must  take  a  walk  to  the  other  side  of 
the  town  to  the  fruit  and  vegetable  garden, 
situated  on  a  height  above  the  town,  where  Grapes 
and  I'eaches,  Nectarines  and  Tomatoes  are  grown 


at  least  a  joy  for  many  months  in  succession,  for 
so  recently  as  November  II  a  splendid  bunch  was 
gathered  from  the  open  borders.  IMany  and  choice 
are  the  varieties  grown  there,  and  I  for  one  out  of 
many  can  testify  to  the  liberality  of  Mr.  E.  H. 
Woodall,  ever  so  ready  to  distribute  and  extend 
the  cultivation  of  his  "  good  things." 

Itirerstun.  J.  T.  Poe. 


ROSE  Garden. 


THE  MARECHAL  NIEL  CANKER. 

Seven  years  ago  I  gave  half  a  guinea  for  three 
strong  plants  on  their  own  roots  of  this  Rose. 
All  are  big  plants  now.  They  have  all  flowered 
freely,  though  not  in  the  prolilic  way  which  I  have 
seen  and  heard  that  others  do.  They  are  in  a 
fair-sized  and  lofty  house,  bat  we  have  had  to  cut 


St.  Nicholas  House,  Scarborout,'h. 


shown  in  the  engraving,  is  a  deep  border  with 
mosaic  pattern  of  summer  bedding  plants  of  low 
growth  in  front  and  noble  groups  of  various  varie- 
ties of  Tritoma  behind,  well  thrown  out  by  the 
evergreen  draping  of  the  terrace  wall  and  balus- 
trade. Here  the  beds  of  Gazania  are  a  fight  to 
delight  one,  as  it  is  just  the  sort  of  sun-trap  they 
revel  in,  and  where  through  more  than  one  winter 
they  have  lived  on  to  do  duty  for  a  second 
year.  A  parterre  with  varied  groups  of  bedding 
plants  with  a  background  of  trees  and  shrubs 
lies  at  some  distance  across  the  closely  mown 
lawn.  Beneath  the  terrace  at  the  east  front, 
under  '■,he  drawing-room  windows,  is  an  orna- 
mental conservatory  with  lantern  roof,  wherein 
are  to  be  found  choice  climbers,  such  as  Lapa- 
gerias,  Passifloras,  Roses,  and  Camellias,  planted 
out,  and  stands  for  groups  of  flowering  and  foliage 
plants,  with  easy  chairs  to  recline  in  and  enjoy  the 
continuous  succession  of  bloom  which  is  to  be  seen 
there  at  all  seasons  of  the  year.  Further  down 
the  cliff,  towards  the  sea,  are  banks  and  slopes  for 
choice  herbaceom  plants.  Lilies,  Dianthus,  &c., 
and  glass-coped  dwarf  walls  for  Tea  Roses,  as  well 
as  a  house  de.voted  to  their  culture 


to  perfection  in  the  extensive  ranges  of  houses 
under  the  skilful  direction  of  Mr.  Hughes,  the 
head  gardener.  One  of  the  views  given  (p.  485) 
is  part  of  the  fernery  showing  a  fine  mass  of 
Polypodiura  and  Nephrolepis  on  rockwork  in  the 
foreground,  with  a  background  of  Asp.iragus 
trained  on  the  roof,  providing  an  ample  supply  of 
exquisite  foliage  to  associate  with  the  quantities 
of  cut  flowers  required  for  room  and  table  decora- 
tion. The  other  view  (p.  477)  is  in  one  of  the 
stoves,  where  Caladiums,  Ferns,  and  Palms  are 
grouped  in  graceful  combination.  The  bright 
and  sunny  days  of  winter  on  the  north-east  coast 
render  successful  plant  growing  under  glass  a 
more  certainly  attained  result  than  in  the  southern 
and  western  districts,  where  cloudy  weather  is  so 
prevalent  during  the  short  days  of  November  to 
March.  Violets,  too,  such  as  Marie  Louise  and 
Victoria  Regina,  being  much  in  request  for  out- 
ting  in  winter,  are  extensively  grown  in  frames 
and  boxes,  as  are  also  zonal  Geraniums  and 
Primulas.  Last,  but  by  no  means  least,  should  I 
mention  how  well  Carnations  and  Pinks  are  culti- 
vated in  this  garden,  soil,  situation,  and  climate 
all  tending  to  make  them  if  not  "  a  joy  for  ever," 


armfuls  of  wood  out  of  them  for  several  years  in 
order  to  get  a  reasonable  amount  of  light  down 
amongst  other  plants,  and  two  Vines  have  been 
cut  out  as  well  to  accommodate  them.  From  the 
day  on  which  they  were  planted  to  the  present 
they  have  Icen  watched  and  treated  on  certain 
premises  as  to  the  cause  of  canker,  which,  gene- 
rally speaking,  may  be  said  to  be  peculiar  to  and 
inherent  in  this  Rose.  What  the  premises  were 
when  these  three  trees  were  set  in  different  ways 
and  subjected  from  their  first  year's  growth  to 
different  treatment  shall  be  stated,  as  then  the 
line  of  experiments  will  not  only  be  better  com- 
prehended, but  the  results  may  be  more  readily 
summedupandtakenforwhatthej  areworth.  About 
fourteen  years  ago  I  remember  spending  a  day  with 
Mr.  John  Harrison  at  the  Catterick  and  Darlington 
Nurseries.  The  conversation  about  Roses  during 
tea-time  and  the  treat  afterwards,  in  the  shape  of 
testing  the  then  new  and  deliciously  flavoured 
Grape  Mrs.  Pince,  I  have  not  forgoften.  In  his 
genial  and  quiet,  but  sanguine,  way  Mr.  Harrison 
ppoke  about  his  new  Napoleon  Ro.se  stock,  which 
I  saw  growing  in  large  quantities  like  Willows  (it 
Low  goes  by  the  name  of  Harrison! ,  and  is  an 


474 


THE    GARDEN 


[Dec.  T),  1884. 


Austrian  Brier).  One  remark  which  he  made 
about  this  stock  was  both  instructive  and  teasing 
to  me,  who  up  to  that  time  had  had  but  a  town 
experience  with  the  Marechal,  and  could  hardly 
get  it  to  grow,  much  less  flower.  He  said,  "  I  find 
this  stock,  from  its  gross  and  rampant  growth,  to 
carry  the  Marechal  better  than  any  other."  That 
was  the  first  idea  I  received  of  the  robust  charac- 
ter of  Marechal  Niel,  and  I  had  it  amply  verified 
on  being  shown  some  one-year's  growths,  all  the 
length  of  a  Kose  house  (I  cannot  remember  how 
long  now).  Mr.  Harrison  seemed  only  to  have  one 
doubt,  and  that  was  whether  on  his  new  stock  the 
Marechal  would  resist  canker.  On  own  roots  being 
,  he  said  he  believed  that  to  be  the  best 


remedy  against  canker  if  only  people  had  patience 
and  would  pay  the  trade  for  the  longer  time  which 
it  took  to  grow  as  strong  plants  as  worked  ones. 
Premise  No.  1  is  that  the  Marechal  is  safest  on  its 
own  roots.  Premise  No.  2,  canker  follows  the 
habitual  stoppage  of  the  sap  tubes.  This  was  sug- 
gested by  the  canker  often  being  met  with  on 
trees  from  four  to  seven  years  old  frequently  at  a 
part  where  two,  three,  or  more  strong  branches 
issued  from  the  main  trunk,  their  junctions  being 
but  a  few  inches  distant— that  part  of  the  trunk 
becoming  so  unnaturally  thickened  (warted),  that 
the  bark  at  first  split  lengthwise  and  afterwards 
snapped  crosswise  all  round,  when  collapse  ensued 
Premise  No.  3,  canker  is  caused  by  accidental 
injury  to  the  joints  and  barker  sap-tubes.  This, 
without  question,  often  happens  from  the  way  in 
which  this  Rose  is  grown  in  heated  houses,  pruned 
and  trained.  Very  often  canker  sets  in  just  over 
a  set  of  pipes  ;  then,  though  the  disease  is  seldom 
serious,  except  on  the  stoutest  parts  of  a  tree,  it  is 
much  more  rapid  and  serious  in  its  development, 
where,  by  straining  the  thick  shoots  at  their  joints, 
in  order  to  train  them,  the  joint-sockets  get  unduly 
stretched. 

Let  us  return  now  to  the  three  trees  experi- 
mented upon  on  the  line  of  these  premises. 
Tree  A  is  planted  outside  ;  immediately  ir  enters 
the  greenhouse  the  moist  warmth  must  affect  it. 
Bole  1  inch  in  diameter,  but  j  ust  over  the  pipes  five 
or  six  very  strong  growths  have  been  allowed  to 
push;  the  bole  about  their  junctions  is  more  than 
double  the  natural  thickness,  and  canker  has  set 
in  there ;  own  root.  Tree  B  planted  inside  and 
where  no  heat  from  pip:s  can  affect  the  main  stem ; 
all  stout  shoots,  but  one  di.sallowed  on  bole  until 
it  has  reached  the  glass  at  the  back  wall  (10  feet) 
of  a  half-span.  By  this  plan  a  more  twiggy  style 
of  growth  is  obtained,  in  which  theie  is  no  canker. 
The  one  shoot  from  bole  was  allowed  to  push  at 

4  feet  from  the  ground  and  to  grow  to  a  length  of 

5  feet  or  G  feet ;  then  it  was  pruned  to  three  bads. 
These  pushed,  and  from  their  strength  and  near- 
ness together  on  thick  wood  the  only  canker  on 
that  tree  is  found  there  ;  same  age  as  A,  also  own 
root.  C  is  planted  at  back  wall  near  to  B,  roots 
inside ;  has  twin  shoots  from  the  root,  but  no 
growth  of  note  until  the  glass  is  reached.  No 
training,  away  from  warm  pipe ;  same  age  as 
others  ;  own  root,  sound. 

It  seems,  therefore,  that  own-root  Marechals  are 
not  exempt  from  canker,  but  they  have  proved 
much  better  able  with  me  to  resist  it  than  worked 
trees.  In  example  A  it  is  seen  that  where  a  given 
part  of  the  main  stem  meets  with  genial  condi- 
tions, either  from  a  bend  to  better  light,  heat,  or 
moisture,  the  sap  breaks  out  in  a  number  of  stout 
shoots,  and  from  the  closeness  of  their  junctions 
with  the  stem  they  contort  the  older  tissues,  ex- 
crescences are  developed,  the  sap  tubes  are  rup- 
tured, and  canker  sets  in.  Does  not  the  treatment 
and  condition  of  B  indicate  thaf-  to  prune  away 
these  gross  shoots  to  one  here  and  there  would  be 
safer?  Twiggy  growth  is  best  and  certainly  the  only 
flowering  wooil.  I  have  come  to  dread  seeing  shoots 
start  out  of  the  bole  half  an  inch  thick,  which  if 
allowed  will  grow  L'O  feet  or  more  in  a  season. 
.The  white  spongy  excrescence  about  their  junc- 
tion with  the  stem  is  what  precedes  canker ;  it 
such  shoots  come  from  the  roots  they  are  welcome, 
and  it  is  a  question  whether  such  shoots  would 
not  emanate  thence  were  the  trees  under  natural 
conditions.     It  has  often  been  remarked  that  the 


Marechal  collapses  from  canker  when  at  an  age 
capable  of  putting  out  strong  shoots,  and  nearly 
always  after  a  show  of  extra  vigour  ;  whether  the 
premise  is  right  or  wrong,  that    the   Marechal 
kills  himself  by  living  "  too  fast,"  I  cannot  say  ; 
but  the  above  two  sets  of  facts  seem  to  agree 
that  he  dees,  and  that  as  just  stated.  The  supposi- 
tion that  much  canker  is  caused  by  accident  or 
careless  training,  I  feel  sure  deserves  some  atten- 
tion.    My  tree  A  reads  like  a  book  on  this  point : 
strong  shoots  bent    too   sharply  develop  canker 
where   the    tissues    are     broken ;  strong    shoots 
naturally  forked  from  the    main    stems   are  too 
often  pulled  into  horizontal  positions,  and  when 
this  happens  where  the  shoot  is  new   and  green, 
the  unnatural  strain  at  the  joint  of   old  and  new 
wood  has  in   several  cases  ended  in  canker.     I 
find,  and  anyone  who  cares  to   try  it  may  soon 
learn,  that  the  old  bark  of  Marechal  Niel  is  sus- 
ceptible to  canker  on  receiving  the  least  injury; 
a  tie  too  tight  will  certainly  cause  it,  and  so  will 
undue  pressure  against  wire  with  which  the  shoots 
are   interwoven  ;  a  pierce   with  one    of   its   own 
prickles  is  a  striking  proof  of  this.     Two  facts  are 
worth    keeping   in   mind    when  it  is  sought   to 
avoid   the  loss  of    favourite    specimens   of   this 
Rose,   and  they  are  these :  Whilst  young  wood 
will   outgrow  an  injury  or  may  be  cut  out,  old 
bark  is  slow    to    or  rarely  heals.     Next,  where 
several  thick  shoots  near  together  issue  from  old 
wood  there  is  danger,  more  or  less  according  to 
their  number  and  strength.     Example  C  shows 
that  where  all   stout  strong  growths  come  only 
from  the  root,  and  the  risks  of  damage  are  mini- 
mised by  leaving  the  twiggy  growths  alone,  canker 
is  at  least  longer  kept  at  bay  than  it  otherwise 
would  be.     I  think  there  is  something  in  the  fact 
that  this  disease  often  sets  in  on  parts  over  warm 
pipes,  and  the  way  in  which  our  glasshouses  are 
constructed  generally,  and  the  almost  compulsory 
way  in  which  we  have  to  bring  climbers  over  the 
pipes  might   account  for  a  general  evil  of  this 
kind.     Doubtless  the  remedy  for  canker  will  be 
dependent  upon  the  correct  finding  as  to  its  cause, 
and  which  the  foregoing  remarks  are  not  at  all  sup- 
posed to  have  elucidated,  but  which  constitute  a 
mite  of  information,  to  which  I  hope  more  will  be 
added ;  for,  after  all,  when  such  observations  are 
restricted  to  one  place  or  batch  of  plants  from  a 
possible  set  of  peculiar  conditions,  the  deductions 
to  be  made  therefrom  can  only  have  a  relative  value. 
It  would  be  interesting  to  learn  how  far  others 
have  made  similar  or  dissimilar  observations,  for 
surely  a  disease  so  fatal  to  a  Rose,  and  such  a 
Rose,  ought  not  to  be  left  unattacked. 

]\ooiiviUe,  Xirl'Stall.  J.  WOOD. 


is  !).}  inches  round  and  the  other  7i  inches  ;  where 
the  lowest  branch  joins  the  stock  it  is  16  inches. 
This  last  measurement  is  round  the  branch  alone. 
— C.  A.  M.  Cabmichael. 


Flower  Garden. 


RAISING  NEW  AURICULAS. 
I   CANNOT  imagine  where  "  W^.  S.  B."  (p.  436) 
picked   up  the   notion    that    every    Auricula    at 
present    known    would    be  outdistanced  in  two 
years.  I  know,  however,  that  there  are  many  good 
seedlings  at  present  only  in  the  hands  of  raisers, 
and  that  it  is  not  unlikely  that  every  year  will 
add  to  the  number  of  distinct  and  good  kinds.   As 
to  Sapphire,  Mr.  Horner  gave  me  a  small  plant  of 
it  some  three  years  ago,  and  was  very  cautious  as 
regards  saying  anything  in  praise  of  it.  His  words 
were;  "It  is   pretty,    and    an    improvement    on 
Smith's  Formosa."  It  certainly  is  a  great  improve- 
ment on  Formosa,  and  is  by  far  the  best  of  the 
blue    selfs.     Like    nearly    all   Auriculas,   it  will 
flower  coarse  sometimes,  and  it  has  a  pale  tube, 
but  none  of  the  violet  or  blue  selfs  have  yellow 
tubes.     We  must  take  the  best  we  can  get,  and 
will  have   to    be    content  with  Sapphire  as  the 
greatest  advance  in  its  colour  until  Mr.  Horner  or 
■'  W.  S.  B."  raises  a  better.   What  does  "  W.  S.  B." 
think  of  Heroine  (Horner)  ?     As  Sapphire  takes 
the  lead  in  the  blue   selfs,  so   Heroine  is  ahead 
of   the  dark  or  maroon  selfs.    It  can  be  com- 
pared   with  none  of  the    old  varieties.     Camp- 
bell's  Pizarro,   which  held  the  highest  position 
hitherto,  will  not  be  able  to  compete   with  it. 
Another  dark  variety  certainly  inferior  to  Pizarro 
is  Othello  (Netherwood),  so  much  esteemed  by 
the  northern  growers,  that  they  placed  it  highest 
on  the  list  at  the  last  general  election.     Mazzini 
(Pohlman)   and   Ellen   Lancaster,    by  the    same 
raiser,  have  not  kept  up  their  maiden  promise  of 
first-class  quality.     There  are  ofner  varieties  being 
proved  which  will  certainly  supersede  all  the  old 
varieties,  with  the  exception  of  Heroine.     Duke  of 
Albany,  raised  and  exhibited  by  myself,  is  the 
darkest  of  all  the  selfs,  with  pure  white  paste  and 
bright  yellow  tube ;  the  petals  are  notched,  which 
is  a  fault.     Sir  W.  Hewitt,  exhibited  for  the  first 
time  at  the  Rojal  Botanic  Society's  exhibition  in 
March  last,  is  also  very  promising ;  it  was  awarded 
a  first-class  certificate  on  that  occasion.    It  is  but 
reasonable  to  imagine  that  there  are  other  varieties 
in  the  hands  of  those  who  have  produced  such 
good  things,  but  it  must  not  be   supposed  that 
these  new  varieties  are  to  be  introduced  to  the 
public  in  a  year  or  two  after  they  are  raised.  They 
cannot  be  propagated  so  rapidly  as  Carnations, 
Dahlias,   Hollyhocks,    Pelargoniums,    and    other 
Howers  of  that  type. 

Some  vaeieties  op  Auriculas  grow  freely 
enough;  others  are  just  as  slow  of  increase.  Some 
kinds  may  be  cultivated  for  six  years  and  never 
produce  an  offset,  unless  some  violent  opposition 
is  opposed  to  the  ordinary  forces  of  Nature,  such 
as  decapitation  and  trusting  to  the  head  forming 
roots  under  a  bell-glass,  while  the  trunk  may  be 
induced  to  form  an  offset  or  two.  The  right  way 
in  which  to  get  up  a  unique  collection  of  Auri- 
culas is  to  raise  seedlings.  I  have  continually 
urged  upon  fanciers  the  importance  of  doing  this, 
and  have  not  unfrequently  been  met  with  the 
objection  that  they  have  not  teen  able  to  obtain 
seed  from  the  best  varieties.  There  is,  however, 
much  pleasant  amusement  in  improving  such 
flowers  as  one  can  get  seed  from.  It  may  be  use- 
ful to  state  that  in  order  to  obtain  anything  like 
good  results,  the  flowers  ought  to  be  hybridised 
as  follows,  viz.,  green  edge  with  green  edge,  and 
grey  with  grey.  Such  flowers  as  George  Light- 
body  can  easily  be  obtained,  and  may  be  crossed 
with  such  as  Dr.  Horner,  Alexander  Meiklejohn,  or 
John  Waterton.  In  green  edges  Alderman 
Napier,  Prince  of  Wales,  or  Trail's  Anna  might 
be  used,  but  Talisman,  Prince  of  Greens,  and 
Col.  Taylor  can  be  obtained  now  at  a  moderate 
price.  In  the  white  edges.  Read's  Acme  grows 
almost  like  a  weed,  and  should  be  cheap  enough ; 


Preparing  Roses  for  forcing.— By  this 
time  Roses  should  be  well  established  in  the  pots 
in  which  they  are  to  flower,  and  they  ought  now 
to  be  pruned — that  is,  if  they  are  to  be  started 
into  growth  early  in  January.  If  the  plants  are 
placed  in  a  house,  kept  quite  cool,  and  if  they  are, 
as  they  ought  to  he,  kept  dry  at  the  roots  for 
about  ten  days  or  perhaps  two  weeks,  the  wounds 
will  heal  over  and  there  will  be  no  bleeding.  If 
no  other  accommodation  exists  for  them  at  forcing 
time,  they  may  be  started  in  an  early  vinery. — 
J.  Douglas. 

Lar^e  Marechal  Niel  Rose.— Mr.  Val- 
lance,  a  well-known  gardener  and  exhibitor  about 
Bristol,  is  culLivatiug  at  Redland  Lodge,  on  the 
outskirts  of  that  town,  what  the  Americans  would 
call  a  "mighty  tall"  Mart5chal.  The  house  in 
which  it  is  growing  is  span-roofed,  33  feet  by  18 
feet;  in  the  centre  13  feet  above  the  path.  The 
Rose  was  planted  on  the  middle  of  the  north 
side  eight  years  ago,  and  covers  the  whole  of  one 
half  of  the  span,  and  wou'd  long  since  have 
covered  the  whole  house,  but  Mr.  Vallance,  having 
learned  by  experience  to  mistrust  "  the  loveliest 
of  the  lovely,"  planted  another  on  the  opposite 
side  in  order  that  if  one  should  retire  from  the 
battle  of  life  and  go  dead  in  a  week  or  so,  he 
might  not  be  left  comfortless.  The  following  are 
some  of  its  dimensions  :   The  stock  just  below  the 

bud  is  in  girth   8.1  inches ;  where   the  two  buds  .  _ 

are  inserted  it  is  20  inches ;  one  of  the  branches  |  cross  this  with  Smiling  Beauty  or  John  Sunomte 


Dec.  r>,  1884.] 


THE   GARDEN 


475 


if  it  can  be  obtained.  Conservative,  recently  sent 
out  by  Mr.  Turner,  has  a  vigorous  constitution, 
combined  -with  good  qnality  in  the  flowers.  Earl 
Grosvenor  and  Miss  Arkley  are  two  old  white 
edged  flowers  that  might  be  crossed  with  the  best 
of  the  recent  kinds.  In  theselfs  there  is  consider- 
able room  for  improvement  in  the  blue  and  violet 
colours.  Sapphire  and  Formosa  are  both  novel  in 
colour.  Mrs.  Douglas  and  Charles  J.  Perry  are 
brighter,  and  may  bo  described  as  violet-tinted. 
Any  or  all  of  them  can  be  improved  by  judicious 
crossing.  After  the  seeds  have  been  obtained,  the 
next  thing  is  raising  the  plants.  Some  of  the 
best  and  most  successful  cultivators  sow  the  seeds 
as  soon  as  they  are  ripe,  and  some  of  the  young 
seedlings  appear  above  ground  two  or  three  weeks 
afterwards,  the  remainder  of  the  seed  Ij'ing  in  the 
ground  until  the  spring,  when  it  vegetates  early 
in  February.  Last  season  I  did  not  sow  until 
January,  acd  placed  the  pots  containing  the  seeds 
in  a  hotbed,  where  they  had  what  was  thought 
the  advantage  of  a  little  bottom-heat.  But  this 
did  not  help  them  much  if  any,  as  the  plants  did 
not  appear  quite  so  freely  as  was  expected.  They 
were  then  removed  to  a  pit  from  which  frost  was 
jast  excluded,  and  the  young  plants  appeared  much 
more  freely.  Most  of  them  are  now  good  plants 
in  .3-inch  pets,  and  three  parts  of  them  at  least 
will  produce  good  flower  trusses  next  season. 

The  flowekikg  specimeks,  named  varieties, 
and  seedlings  alike  should  now  be  kept  quite  at 
rest.  They  require  very  little  water  ;  indeed,  for 
the  next  two  months  they  will  do  without  it  alto- 
gether. Admit  air  quite  freely  ;  even  during  the 
recent  frosty  weather  we  had  the  lights  open  at 
night,  and  they  are  drawn  off  altogether  in  the 
daytime.  The  outer  leaves  are  now  rapidly  de- 
caying, and  it  is  well  to  look  over  the  plants  once 
in  two  or  three  weeks  and  remove  them  ;  at  the 
same  time  any  green  fly  that  may  be  seen  should 
be  removed  with  a  fine  brush.  Green  fly  above 
ground  and  the  white  beneath  do  much  damage 
if  not  destroyed  in  time.  J.  DouGL.\s. 


CHRYSANTHEMUMS  AT  HOLMBUEY. 

Theough  the  liberality  of  the  Hon.  F.  L.  Gower, 
M.P.,  the  gardens  at  Holmbury  were  lately  thrown 
open  to  the  public  for  the  third  season,  the  object 
being  to  give  the  inhabitants  of  the  surrounding 
neighbourhood  an  opportunity  of  viewing  the  fine 
collection  of  Chrysanthemums  then  in  full  flower. 
As  evidence  of  the  appreciation  of  the  boon  I  may 
state  that  on  Sunday,  the  l'3rd  nit.,  no  fewer  than 
536  persons  visited  the  gardens  evidently  much 
interested.  The  collection,  which  this  year  is  un- 
usually fine,  contained  some  eighty  varieties  of 
the  best  in  cultivation,  including  notably  the 
following  :  Chevalier  Domage,  Alma,  Lady  Gran- 
ville, The  Cossack,  Jardin  des  Plantes  (yellow  and 
bronze).  Lady  Slade  (a  beautiful  incurved  lilac 
flower),  Gloire  de  Toulouse,  Fair  Maid  of  Guern- 
sey, Meteor,  Yellow  Dragon  and  its  red  variety, 
Bismarck,  Christmas  Number  (in  fine  condition), 
Barbara,  Refulgence,  Paul  Delaux  (with  its  golden 
tips),  Meg  Merrilies  and  Mrs.  C.  Carey  (good  late 
varieties),  Vesuvius,  Chang,  Chromatella,  Empress 
of  India  (white  and  yellow).  Dr.  Masters,  M.  Juan 
Cruz  d'Eguileor,  Mdme.  G.  Audiguier,  George 
Gordon,  Bouquet  Fait  (a  lovely  rosy  lilac).  Star  (a 
remarkable  variety),  Flambeau,  Marquis  of  Lome, 
Hiver  Fleuri,  Mrs.  G.  Bundle,  Model,  Angelina, 
Peter  the  Great  (very  good).  The  Sultan  (another 
p'easing  rosy  lilac),  Fleur  de  Marie  (Anemone- 
flowered),  Orphee,  Prince  Alfred,  Grandiflorum  (a 
very  fine  yellow  flower),  and  Golden  Queen  of 
England. 

In  addition  to  the  Chrysanthemums,  attention 
was  directed  to  a  houseful  of  Euoharis,  consist- 
ing of  healthy  plants  throwing  up  some  120  spikes 
of  flowers,  some  of  which  were  fully  expanded. 
The  stove,  in  which  were  tastefully  arranged 
Dracfenas,  Crotons,  Alocasias,  Anthuriums,  kc, 
and  the  ever-pleasing  Rivina  humilis  with  its 
transparent  coral-coloured  berries,  was  also  an 
object  of  interest,  as  was  also  the  conservatory,  a 
house  of  large  dimensions,  the  walls  and  rockery 
being  covered  with  Nephrolepis  and  other  Ferns 


growing  luxuriantly,  accompanied  by  Selaginellas, 
Begonias,  and  other  kindred  plants.  The  grounds 
likewise  afforded  much  pleasure  from  their  well- 
kept  condition.  Although  upwards  of  1000  people 
visited  the  gardens  on  this  occasion,  no  damage 
to  plants  or  flowers  was  perceptible.  C.  U. 


MANURING  PAMPAS  GRASS. 
TiiEKE  is  such  a  difference  between  stunted  speci- 
mens of  this  noble  Giass  and  those  luxuriating  in 
a  rich  congenial  soil,  that  it  is  well  worth  while, 
when  it  is  first  planted,  to  be  at  the  expense  of 
thoroughly  preparing  the  ground  for  its  reception. 
A  moderately  good  soil,  if  broken  up  and  well  en- 
riched with  manure  to  a  depth  of  3  feet,  will  suit 
it  well,  but  if  naturally  poor  it  is  better  to  replace 
it  with  soil  of  a  better  character.  Where,  how- 
ever, large  old  plants  show  s'gts  of  weakness  and 
soil  exhaustion,  much  may  be  done  to  re-invigorate 
Ihem  by  means  of  surface  applications  of  liquid 
and  solid  farmyaid  manure.  We  have  a  few  fire 
old-established  clumps  of  this  Grass  whose  ap- 
pearance indicated  want  of  food,  and  while  anxious 
to  improve  their  condition,  we  wished  to  avoid  the 
slightest  risk  as  regards  their  safety  by  undue  root 
disturbance ;  the  turf,  therefore,  was  removed 
to  a  distance  of  about  5  feet  frcm  the  stem 
of  the  plants  all  lonnd.  The  old  soil  was  then 
forked  off  till  the  roots  were  reached  ;  maiden  loam 
and  well  decayed  farmjard  manure  in  equal  parts 
were  applied  and  the  turf  was  relaid.  Thiswasdone 
last  autumn,  and  since  then  the  plants  have  grown 
and  flowered  with  doubly  increased  vigour.  During 
the  dryest  period  of  last  summer  gocd  delugings  of 
water  were  given  them.  Whether  the  good  tffect 
was  the  result  of  the  exceptionally  fine  season  or 
the  treatment  just  recorded,  I  cannot  say,  but  cer- 
tain it  is  our  plants  have  flowered  earlier  and  much 
better  this  year  than  usual.  The  beautiful  feathery 
plumes  are  much  valued  for  indoor  decoration,  and 
therefore  we  have  usually  to  resort  to  some  means 
of  protection  to  keep  them  from  being  disfigured 
by  early  frosts  till  fully  developed,  or  nearly  so. 
They  retain  their  graceful  lightness  best  when  dried 
in  an  upright  position  just  as  they  grow  :  in  fact, 
all  Grasses  are  best  dried  in  that  manner.  If  not 
quite  fully  developed,  we  free  the  bottom  flowers 
Irom  the  sheath  and  gently  shake  the  heads  out 
before  a  large  fire  :  afterwards  we  fix  them  in  an 
upright  position  in  some  dry,  aiiy  place. 

Crpumore.  A.  MooEE. 


The  Tree  Poppy  (Romneya  Coulteri)  from 
which  our  plate  was  drawn  continued  flowering  at 
Munstead  until  November  16.  On  that  date  a 
bunch  of  not  fully-grown  flowers  was  picked  from  a 
pl.ant  in  a  fully-exposed  bolder.  The  blooms  lasted 
for  five  days  later  in  the  house  in  water.  They 
were  agreeably  scented— not  the  Poppy  scent,  but 
more  like  that  of  a  Magnolia.  In  all  this  plant 
flowered  four  months,  and  is  now  quite  fresh  and 
healthy  and  about  7  feet  high. 

5283.— Ampelopsis  sempervirene.  —  I 
can  answer  fully  the  query  of  "T.  T.'  as  to  the 
clinging  nature  of  this  plant.  When  first  I  pur- 
chased it  the  diflBculty  was  in  making  it  grow, 
but  after  three  removals  I  have  quite  succeeded. 
It  is  growing  well,  and  clings  firmly  to  the  tree 
against  which  it  is  growing,  just  like  Ampelopsis 
Veitchi.  As  to  its  merit,  there  has  not  been  time 
enough  since  its  introduction  to  speak  positively, 
but  at  present  I  think  well  of  it  for  the  purpose 
to  which  I  have  [applied  it.— K,  K.,  Taddi/forde, 
Devon. 

Flowers  In  the  Isle  of  Wight.— Perhaps 
I  can  help  Mr.  Ewbank  to  account  for  his  success 
in  the  Isle  of  Wight,  while  friends  inland  com- 
plain that  they  cannot  bloom  such  and  such  plants. 
It  is  simply  light  that  makes  such  a  difference. 
The  two  plants  that  he  mentions  (Exogcnium 
Purga  and  Montbretia  Pottsi)  give  me  the  clue. 
Here,  in  a  somewhat  tree-grown  garden,  darkened 
by  town  smoke  when  the  good  westerly  wind 
blows,  these  two  plants  refuse  to  flower,  though 
they  grow  well  enough ;  but  a  mile  and  a  half 
away,  in  an  exposed  upland  garden  with  nothing  | 


to  break  the  force  of  the  wind  or  the  light  of  the 
sun,  they  bloom  profusely  without  any  special 
attention.  Gardeners  abroad  whitewash  their 
walls  to  obtain  more  light ;  how  much  more  neces- 
sary is  it  in  this  island,  and  yet  how  rarely  thought 
of  !  The  absence  of  any  great  summer  heat  and 
the  milder  autumn  nights  are  the  causes  of  Mr. 
Ewbank's  flowers  continuing  so  long. — E.  fl.  W. 

Chrysanthemums   out  -  of-  doors.  —  I 

agree  with  all  that  is  said  by  "  11  '  (p.  436)  in  re- 
ference to  his  garden  being  gay  with  Chrysanthe- 
mums ;  when  well  grown  they  are  grand  plants 
for  out-door  decoration,  particularly  when  placed 
under  the  protection  of  a  wall.  Thus  situated, 
the  blooms  are  larger  than  they  otherwise  would 
be,  and  they  last  longer  in  consequence  of  their 
escaping  rain  and  frosts  to  which  they  would  be 
subjected  in  open  borders.  Pompones,  reflexcd, 
and  Japanese  kinds  are  better  suited  for  out-door 
growth  than  incurved  sorts,  as  the  petals  of  the 
latter  hold  water ;  w  hereas  the  reflexcd  and  Japanese 
kinds  have  no  cups  in  which  rain  water  can  lodge. 
-E.  M. 

Wintering  Tigrldias.— With  me  the  bulbs 
of  these  are  very  liable  to  decay  if  allowed  to  re- 
main in  the  ground  throughout  the  winter.  In 
order  to  prevent  this,  therefore,  they  are  lifted  as 
soon  as  the  foliage  dies  down,  stored  in  boxes  of 
silver  sjnd,  and  kept  in  a  dry,  airy  shed,  just  out 
of  the  reach  of  frost,  till  the  return  of  spring,  when 
they  are  again  planted  in  the  open  ground.  To 
this  mode  of  treatment  exception  must  be  made 
in  the  case  of  a  large  clump  which  has  become 
established  at  the  foot  of  a  south  wall  and  which 
every  year  yields  a  great  profusion  of  blossoms. 
Sometimes  in  lifting,  if  the  autumn  has  been  a  wet 
one,  the  bulbs  will  show  signs  of  decay,  and  as  far 
as  possible  to  prevent  this  they  are  surrounded  at 
planting  time  with  clean  silver  sand,  which  tends 
to  preserve  them.— Alpha. 

Linarla  multipunctata— Allow  ns  to  send 
you  a  small  plant  of  this  Linaria  which  has  been 
in  bloom  now  over  four  months,  and  to  all  appear- 
ance will  continue  to  bloom  for  some  time  to  come, 
the  plants  being  covered  with  flower  buds.  It  is 
still  growing  at  present,  though  we  have  had 
f  eveial  severe  frosts,  which  have  cut  down  Chrysan- 
thfmums  in  more  sheltered  positions.  We  have 
two  lines  of  this  little  gem  fully  exposed  to  all 
weathers.  It  is  not  so  tall  as  any  of  the  Lobelia 
speciofa  section  and  is  quite  bright  with  heads  of 
yellow  flowers,  which  at  this  season  help  to 
brighten  our  gardens.  The  plant  sent  is  in  its 
natural  foji;],  never  having  been  pinched  or 
stopped  in  any  way,  and  is  full  of  ripe  seed  as 
well  as  the  old  seed  vessels.— Eodgee,  McClel- 
LAKD  &  Co.,  Aen-ry. 

*,*  A  pretty  little  tnfted  plant  with  slender 
stems  terminated  by  clusters  of  bright  jellow 
flowers  ccpioutly  spotted  with  black.  The  leaves 
are  small,  narrow,  and  glaucous.  It  would  make, 
we  imagine,  a  capital  rock  garden  plant. — Ed. 

Evergreen    plants    for    rockwojk.  — 

Rockeries  should  now  be  examined  with  a  view  to 
improving  their  appearance  in  winter  as  well  as 
summer  by  introducing  plants  that  retain  Iheir 
foliage  intact  throughout  the  year.  In  large 
rockeries,  or  even  where  the  individual  stones  are 
above  the  average  size,  a  few  evergretn  plants 
scattered  here  and  there  are  indispensable.  They 
hide  the  bare  stones  and  set  off  to  advantage  spring 
and  autumn-flowering  bulbs.  Nearly  all  the  species 
of  Acanthus,  most  of  them  being  striking  plants, 
are  valuable  in  such  positions,  more  especially  A. 
longifolius,  spinosus,  and  mollis.  In  well-drained 
soil  they  succeed  admirably  and  are  not  at  all 
troublesome.  When  in  flower  they  are  veiy  effec- 
tive. The  Pampas  Grass  is  also  very  attractive, 
especially  when  in  flower,  the  variety  of  it  called 
plumosum  being  quite  a  gem  ard  exccedirgly 
beautiful.  The  common  Globe  Artichoke,  although 
ordinarily  grown  for  culinary  purposes,  is  one  of 
the  most  useful  of  fine-foliagtd  plants;  when  al- 
lowed to  flower,  however,  it  becomes  leggy,  and, 
therefore,  the  flower-head  should  Ve  picked  cff 
when  quite  young.  The  leaves  are  very  deeply- 
divided,  and  downy  white  on  loth  sides-   rescm- 


476 


THE     GARDEN 


[Dec.  6,  1884. 


bling,  in  fact,  frosted  silver.  A  good  mulching 
assists  it  considerably.  Both  Helleborus  fcetidus 
and  H.  lividus  can  also  be  used  effectively  in  this 
way. — K. 

Planting  Daffodils.— In  my  reply  to  Mr.  T. 
Smith,  of  Newry,  on  this  subject  a  week  or  two 
back  I  stated  that  his  assumption,  that  our  Tri- 
tomas  consisted  of  early  and  late  varieties,  was  a 
mistaken  one;  that  the  two  plantations  of  Narcissi, 
one  of  which  bloomed  freely  because  it  was  shallow 
planted,  and  the  other  sparsely  because  it  was 
deeply  planted,  were  both  practically  out  of  the 
same  bag  ;  and  that  hence  Mr.  Smith's  conclusions 
were  wrong  and  irrelevant.  These  statements, 
Mr.  Smith  (who  sought  this  controversy)  says,  are 
too  "  misty  "  for  his  comprehension,  and  he  de- 
clines to  answer  them.  I  therefore  leave  them  to 
your  readers,  that  they  may  judge  whose  compre- 
hension it  is  that  is  at  fault.  For  my  part,  I  am 
(jaite  unable  to  make  the  matter  clearer.  Mr. 
Smith  does  not  appear  to  have  experimented  in 
the  direction  indicated,  but  I  commend  Mr.  Car- 
michael's  note  in  last  week's  Garden  to  his  atten- 
tion, which  states  practically  that  it  does  not  pay, 
even  in  the  Scilly  Islands,  to  plant  Daffodils  deep, 
and  that  shallow  planting  is  practised  universally 
there J.  S.  W. 

Wintering  bedding  Pelargoniums.— 

This  is  an  easy  matter  in  the  case  of  experienced 
gardeners,  such  as  "  S.  D"  (p.  393)  is,  but  in  the 
remarks  which  I  made  (p.  364)  I  was  thinking  of 
that  numerous  class  of  amateur  gardeners  who 
have  not  heated  structures  at  command  or  means 
for  carrying  out  the  details  of  culture  properly. 
Such  growers  have  often  no  means  of  preserving 
their  stock,  except  housing  it  in  a  vinery  that 
serves  for  plant  house  and  many  other  purposes  or 
a  cold  frame  or  two,  as  the  case  may  be.  We  have 
hundreds  of  such  culturists  in  this  locality.  I 
must  say  that  more  Pelargoniums  are  lost  by 
damping  off  in  mild  winters  than  in  those  that 
are  severe.  Frost  renders  it  absolutely  necessary 
to  have  fire-lieat  to  keep  it  out ;  this  dries  the  at- 
mosphere, and  renders  the  Pelargoniums  safe  from 
damping.  I  have  tried  all  sorts  of  ways  of  win- 
tering Pelargoniums,  and  I  can  confidently  say 
that  leaving  the  tops  entire  gives  the  best  results. 
As  to  space  occupied,  we  get  the  contents  of  a  large 
bed  into  one  box  about  1  foot  G  inches  square,  and 
in  spring  every  one  makes  a  fine  bushy  plant,  and 
we  get  several  young  ones  from  the  top  cut  off. 
This  plan  is  quite  as  easily  carried  out  in  the  case 
of  plain-leaved  as  in  that  of  variegated  kinds — at 
least,  I  find  it  to  be  so. — J.  G. 

Winter-flowering  plants.— The  follow- 
ing four  stand  in  the  foremost  rank  amongst 
plants  which  bloom  in  winter,  because  of  their 
beauty,  the  lasting  qualities  of  their  Uowers,  and 
the  ease  with  which  they  can  be  managed.  They 
are  Habrothamnus  (now  called  Oestrum)  elegans, 
to  the  good  and  useful  qualities  of  which  we  have 
again  and  again  directed  attention,  and  which  con- 
sist in  its  sturdy  growth,  long,  gracefully  pen- 
dent shoots,  and  large  bunches  of  deep  red,  urn- 
shaped  flowers,  which  are  borne  on  the  ends  and 
along  the  sides  of  the  shoots,  remaining  long  in 
beauty.  We  call  this  plant  a  winter  flowerer,  but 
it  is  reallya  perpetual  bloomer  ;  at  least,  the  plant 
to  which  we  are  alluding  has  not  been  without 
bunches  of  flowers  on  it  for  these  past  two  years. 
It  is  growing  in  a  cool  greenhouse,  where  it  is 
planted  on  the  corner  of  a  Camellia  bed,  and 
grows  wild,  i.e.,  wants  little  or  no  attention.  The 
second  plant  of  our  handsome  quartet  is  LucuUa 
gratissima,  a  plant  frequently  noticed,  yet  even 
now  comparatively  unknown  or  nncared  for  by  a 
certain  class  of  cultivators.  At  this  time  of 
the  year  a  large  bush  of  it  with  healthy  green 
leaves  and  enormous  heads  of  blush-coloured 
flowers,  most  fragrant  and  beautiful,  is  a  fit  sub- 
ject for  special  eulogy.  Such  a  plant  we  saw  a 
day  or  two  ago,  a  tall,  n  ell-furnished  specimen 
bearicg  about  fifty  heads  of  bloom,  the  odour  of 
which  was  most  delightful.  This,  too,  is  planted 
in  a  bed  along  with  Camellias.  Hibbertia  dentata, 
thethird  plant, isa  handsome  climber,  with  twining 
fhoots  of  bronzy  green  and  dark  red  foliage,  the 
Ifctter  forming  a  telling  background  to  the  bright 


yellow  flowers,  something  like  those  of  the  St. 
John's-wort,  and  which  are  scattered  in  profusion 
all  along  the  twining  shoots.  For  people  with 
artistic  tastes  this  is  a  grand  plant.  The  fourth 
plant  is  Bomarea  Carderi,  one  of  the  first  of  the 
Bomareas  to  become  popular,  and  still,  perhaps 
the  best  of  them.  In  its  large  pendent  umbels, 
which  on  strong  healthy  plants  are  nearly  a  yard 
in  diameter,  and  are  composed  of  numerous  rose, 
green,  and  chocolate-brown  flowers,  in  form  like 
those  of  the  Lapageria,  and  like  them  lasting  in 
perfection  for  several  weeks,  this  I'omarea  pos- 
sesses characters  of  exceptional  merit.  It  flowers, 
too,  at  almost  any  time  of  the  year,  but  it  is  now 
in  great  beauty,  and  will  remain  so  during  the 
greater  part  of  the  winter.  I  saw  all  these  four 
plants  in  perfection  lately  at  Kew. — W. 

Flowers  in  bloom  at  Dangstein.— The 

following  flowers  were  gathered  in  this  high  ex- 
posed part  of  Sussex  on  November  21.  As  they  are 
a  singular  mixture  of  spring,  summer,  and  autumn 
blooms,  a  list  of  them  may  be  of  interest  to  some 
of  the  readers  of  The  Garden.  They  consist 
of- 

Spirsea  japonica 

Lithospenuum 

Linum  grandiflorum 

Nasturtium 

Viscaria 

Clarkia  pulchella 

Godetia 

.Sweet  Poas 

Chrysanthemum  coronarlum 

Helichrj'sum 

Acroclinium 

Xeranthemum 

.Sweet  Sultan 

Comllower 

Senecio  elegans 

.Scabious 

Lupines 

Wallflowers 

Marigolds  of  all  kinds 

The  majority  of  these  had  numerous  well-formed 
flowers  in  no  way  deficient  in  size  or  colour.  Some 
Yuccas  have  thrown  up  large  flower-spikes,  but 
the  weather  can  hardly  last  for  them  to  expand. 
— L. 

Fuchsia-leaved  Calceolaria.— This  Cal- 
ceolaria (C.  fuchsia3folia)  is  seldom  seen  in  a 
flourishing  condition,  but  just  now  in  a  narrow 
border  close  to  one  of  the  houses  of  the  "f"  range 
at  Kew  a  small  plant  of  it  is  flowering  freely. 
Its  blooms,  which  are  pale  yellow,  are  borne  in 
large  clusters,  but  those  on  the  Kew  plant  are  not 
nearly  so  fine  as  some  grown  by  Messrs.  Rodger 
and  McClelland,  in  whose  nursery  at  Newry  this 
Calceolaria  thrives  unusually  well.  Under  green- 
house treatment  it  flowers  throughout  the  autumn 
and  well  on  into  the  winter.  Its  winter  flowering 
qualities  are  also  inherited  by  a  hybrid  raised  be- 
tween this  kind  and  the  tall-growing  C'.  I'avoni,  by 
Mr.  Burbidge,  whose  name  it  bears.  C.  Burbidgei 
possesses  a  great  advantage  over  C.  fnchsiaefolia, 
inasmuch  as  it  thrives  well  under  ordinary  condi- 
tions, inheriting,  as  it  does,  some  of  the  vigorous 
character  of  C.  Pavoni,  which  in  foliage  it  a  good 
deal  resembles.  It  has,  however,  the  branching 
habit  and  finer  flowers  of  C.  fuchsizefolia.  It  is  a 
really  good  winter  flowering  plant.  C.  Pavoni 
itself  quickly  forms  quite  a  bush  if  planted  in  the 
open  ground,  and  around  London  survives  the 
winter  with  but  little  protection.  Out  of  doors  it 
flowers  towards  the  end  of  summer  and  beginning 
of  autumn,  while  in  winter  it  may  be  cut  to  the 
ground,  when  all  the  protection  needed  will  be  a 
little  litter  placed  over  its  crown. — T. 


Coreopsis 

Michaelmas  Daisies 

Arctotis 

Kudbeckia 

Canterbury  Bell 

Petunia 

Stock  and  Virginian  Stock 

Tritoma    Vvaria    (this   has 

been   in  bloom    since 

May) 
Auricula 
Guntianella 

Dahlias,  single  and  double 
Cactus 
Ziniapani 
Gaillardia 
Eschscholtzia 
Anemone 
Althaea 


Coreopsis  lanceolata.— I  never  meet  with, 
this  Coreopsis  now-a-days,  and  as  it  is  a  great 
favourite  of  mine,  if  one  of  your  readers  could  post 
me  a  small  piece  I  should  be  greatly  obliged,  and 
would  send  in  return  a  plant  of  the  hardy  Cactus 
(Opuntia  Raftrnesquiana,  true).  I  think  this 
Coreopsis  likes  a  rather  light  and  well  stirred  soil, 
where  it  is  safe  against  stagnant  moisture  and  yet 
does  not  suffer  much  from  drought.  Under  favour- 
able conditions  it  runs  up  to  a  height  of  nearly 
3  feet,  and  forms  a  bush  as  much  through — bright 
and  attractive  in  appearance. — J.  Cornhill,  Jii/- 
t/t'ct,  Surrei/. 


Kitchen    Garden. 


SHORT  NOTES.— FLOWER. 


Polygonum  vaccinlfoUum— On  November  20  this 
rock  plant  was  very  pretty  in  SlUTey  on  the  sand.  It  grows 
less  vigorously  than  on  clay  soils,  and  the  flowers  are  more 
profuse  and  compact ;  in  fact,  the  plant  in  this  state  is  a 
tirst-rate  rock  gai'den  one. 

Japan  Hop.— Specimens  of  tliis  were  exhibited  by  if. 
Cornu,  of  the  Jardin  des  Plantes,  at  a  recent  meeting  of 
the  lYench  National  Horticultural  Society.  This  Hop  was 
obtained  from  seeds  sent  to  that  establishment  in  18S0.  It 
is  of  extremely  rapid  growth,  fonning  masses  of  line  foliage 
S  feet  high  in  the  course  of  a  season,  and  is  said  not  to 
liecome  bare  at  the  bottom.  This  woukl  seem  to  be  a 
desirable  addition  to  our  list  of  atroug-gi'owiug  hardy 
climbers.— Byfleet. 


MANAGEMENT  OF  GARDEN  SOILS. 

The  cultivation  of  kitchen  garden  and  fruit  crops 
is  annually  becoming  more  important.  Many 
amateurs  are  anxious  to  grow  good  vegetables  and 
fruit,  but  in  only  a  few  cases  are  anything  like 
successful  results  obtained.  The  question  arises, 
As  to  why  business  men  and  others  who 
own  suburban  gardens  of  moderate  dimen- 
sions fail  either  to  obtain  much  pleasure  or  profit 
from  them.  As  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  judge, 
at  least,  one  cause  of  failure  is  to  be  found  in  the 
mismanagement  of  the  soil.  It  is  impossible 
either  to  obtain  good  fruits  or  vegetables  unless 
the  ground  is  in  good  condition.  One  very  important 
part  of  the  management,  and  one  that  is  some- 
times not  even  thought  of,  is  draining.  A  sour, 
wet  subsoil  is  not  good  for  vegetables,  but  it  is 
positively  pernicious  to  fruit  trees.  A  case  occurred 
within  my  own  knowledge  which  shows  the  neces- 
sity of  draining  for  carrying  off  superfluous  water. 
A  commercial  man  built  himself  a  house  on  a  piece 
of  ground  of  considerable  si  ze ;  the  part  most  distant 
from  his  house  was  far  too  wet  in  which  to  grow 
anything  satisfactor}-  in  winter,  but  he  either  could 
not  or  would  not  see  the  value  of  having  it 
drained  until  an  energetic  neighbour  bought  the 
portion  adjoining,  which  was  also  wet.  His  first 
attention  was  given  to  draining,  and  one  drain 
was  cut  within  (>  feet  of  his  neighbour's  property. 
The  result  was  so  good,  that  the  neighbour  was 
delighted,  and  saw  at  once,  by  this  practical  illus- 
tration, its  value  in  improving  wet  soils.  The 
drains  should  be  cut  3  feet  deep,  and  they  must 
have  a  fall  to  one  3  feet  6  inches  deep  at  the 
lowest  part  of  the  ground.  This  main  drain 
should  be  of  4 -inch  pipes  ;  the  others  should  be  3- 
inch.     The  next  step  to  be  taken  is 

Pulverising  the  soil.  This  is  most  fre 
quently  done  by  digging  ;  but  in  the  case  where 
new  ground  has  to  be  broken  up  this  is  not  suHi- 
cient.  Trenching  is  necessary  ;  but  in  doing  this 
a  serious  mistake  is  often  made,  and  that  is  the 
common  one  of  trenching  up  new  ground  18 
inches  or  2  feet  deep,  burying  all  the  surface  soil 
in  the  bottom  of  the  trench,  and  placing  9  inches 
or  a  foot  of  sterile  soil  on  the  surface.  The  re- 
sult of  this  is  that  the  first  crop  is  often  lost,  and 
no  good  results  are  obtained  until  the  ground 
is  retrenched  and  the  subsoil  returned  to  its  old 
position.  In  some  soils  the  subsoil  is  good 
to  the  depth  of  2  feet,  but  in  heavy  clay 
soil  it  is  almost  impossible  to  grow  anything 
in  it  until  it  has  been  thoroughly  broken  up  and 
exposed  to  the  weather  for  some  years.  The  right 
way  to  break  up  such  soils  is  one  that  will  gradu- 
ally bring  them  into  cultivation  without  losing  a 
crop  at  all.  Our  plan  is  to  take  out  an  opening  at 
one  end  of  the  ground  about  3  feet  wide.  An 
ordinary  spit  must  be  taken  out,  also  the  loose 
earth,  which  will  give  a  depth  of  9  inches  or  10 
inches.  The  bottom  of  this  trench  must  be  dug 
up,  which  will  give  6  inches  more  ;  over  the  loose 
bottom  a  dressing  of  manure  should  be  placed  ; 
then  mark  off  a  similar  width,  dig  out  another  spit, 
and  throw  it  over  the  manure  with  the  loose 
earth.  The  bottom  is  again  dug  up,  the  manure 
placed  over  it,  and  the  same  process  is  repeated  to 
the  end  of  the  garden.  In  this  way  the  soil  that 
ought  to  be  on  the  top  is  kept  there,  while  the 
subsoil  is  loosened,  and  thus  made  pervious  to  the 
air.     Next  season  the  ground  may  be  worked  a 


Dec.  6,   1884] 


THE    GARDEN 


477 


little  deeper,  the  next  year  deeper  still,  until  the 
full  depth  of  2  feet  is  reached,  if  the  ground 
admits  of  it.  In  case  it  is  intended  to  crop  a  part 
of  the  ground  with 

Fruit  trees,  this  gradual  pulverisation  of 
soil  is  not  so  easily  carried  out,  but  it  is  not  so 
essential  for  fruit  trees.  Some  years  ago  I  had  to 
deal  with  a  garden  that  might  fairly  be  said  to  be 
the  very  worst  possible  for  growing  fruit.  The 
ground  varied  very  much,  as  it  does  do  in  almost 
every  garden  of  even  moderate  dimensions.  The 
ground  in  this  case  was  marked  out  for  the  fruit 
trees,  and  it  was  trenched  about  20  inches  deep. 
To  do  this  it  was  necessary  in  some  places  to  take 
out  9  inches  of  gravel  and  substitute  for  it  9  inches 
of  soil.  This  might  appear  gardening  under  diffi- 
culties, but  it  was  really  not  so,  as  the  gravel  was 
wanted  for  walks,  and  a  large  portion  of  it  was 
used  for  that  purpose  ;  indeed,  as  it  was  taken  out 
of  the  ground  it  was  wheeled  on  to  the  walks.  In 
some  cases  the  depth  of  ground  was  ample,  but 
all  through  the  piece  it  was  necessary  that  the 
poor  subsoil  should  come  up  to  the  surface.     Tb's 


placed   round   the  roots  of    each, 
we    started    at   one    end    of    the 


Next  season 
fruit    borders 


blossomed  well.     Pyramid  Morello  Cherries  on  the 
Cerasus  Mahaleb  stock  were  annually  laden  with 


Creeping  rock  plants  on  a  wall  at  St.  >.icli"la.-i  iluuse  (see  p.  4"3). 


and  re-trenched  the  whole  of  the  ground,  replant- 
ing the  trees  with  some  fresh  loam  round  the 
roots  of  each.  The  trees  did  remarkably  well, 
and  only  two  cankered  in  150.    They  comprised 


ViL-w  ill  uue  u£  the  stuve  liuiises  at  ^t.  M(  ii"i:is  lloiise,  Scarborough  (see  p.  473) 


was  a  case  where  surface-rooting  stocks  were  not 
only  best,  but  the  use  of  them  was  the  only  means 
whereby  anything  like  good  results  could  be  ob- 
tained, and  the  results  were  most  satisfactory. 
All  the  trees  were  planted  in  the  subsoil,  but 
half  a  barrowload  of   good  decayed  loam  was 


Apples,  Tears,  Tlums,  Cherries,  and  Medlars.  The 
Medlars  were  a  great  success ;  they  have  been 
bearing  annually  tor  twenty  years ;  the  Apples,  too, 
were  of  excellent  quality,  though  not  large.  The 
Pears  were  only  of  medium  size,  but  the  flavour 
good.    Plums    were  large  in  size  and  the  trees 


their  crimson  fruit.  I  am  at  present  dealing  with 
a  heavy  clay  soil,  getting  it  into  good  condition 
for  fruits  and  vegetables.  The  soil  referred  to 
above  did  not  require  to  bedrained  ;  it  was  drained 
naturally.  Digging  drains  would  not  only  have 
been  a  misapplication  of  capital,  but  might  have 
been  positively  injurious.  In  the  case  we  are  now 
dealing  with  it  was  easy  to  see  by  the  state  of  the 
soil  that  the  ground  must  be  drained ;  this  was 
done,  of  course,  and  the  soil  was  trenched 
20  inches  deep,  and.  being  poor,  some  manure  was 
added,  but  it  does  not  answer  to  use  too  much  of 
this  in  the  preparation  of  the  soil  for  fruit  trees, 
as  it  causes  them  to  produce  vigorous  wood 
growths  instead  of  fruit-bearing  wood.  If  the 
trees  should  not  be  sufficiently  vigorous,  this  can 
be  remedied  by  mulching  round  the  roots  with 
rich,  partially  decayed  manure.  The  different 
kinds  of  kitchen  garden  crops  require  treatment 
suitable  for  each.  Take  Asparagus,  for  instance  ; 
this  requires  very  deep  and  very  rich  soil ;  if  the 
ground  can  be  trenched  3  feet  deep,  so  much  the 
better.  1  made  six  Asparagus  beds  just  twenty-one 
years  ago,  and  they  are  now  producing  excellent 
Asparagus,  quite  as  good  in  quality  and  quantity 
as  they  did  at  first.  A  piece  of  ground  was  chosen 
that  could  be  trenched  3  feet  deep.  In  the  bottom 
of  the  trench  a  good  layer  of  stable  manure  was 
placed,  over  this  a  foot  of  earth,  then  another 
layer  of  manure,  more  earth,  manure  again,  and 
the  spit  of  earth  from  the  bottom  of  the  next 
trench  finished  off  the  work ;  this  was  continued 
trench  by  trench  until  the  work  was  finished.  We 
planted  in  March,  but  I  would  much  preferred  to 
have  cropped  the  ground  lightly  with  something 
else  the  following  season  and  re-trenched  it  in 
the  autumn,  planting  it  out  with  one-year-old 
Asparagus  the  following  spring.  I  did  not  intend 
to  go  into  the  culture  of  crops,  but  may  remark  in 
passing  that  the  young  plants  should  be  carefully 
supported  with  sticks  the  following  season  to  pre- 
vent their  being  snapped  off  by  winds.  The  ground 
for 

Globe  Artichoices  may  be  prepared  in  the 
same  way,  although  it  is  not  quite  so  essential 
to  cultivate  so  deep  for  this  crop  as  it  is  for  As- 
paragus. Heavy  soils  are  as  a  general  rule  much 
improved  by  a  dressing  of  quicklime— a  bushel  to 
the  rod  is  a  good  dressing  ;  it  can  be  slaked  and 
thrown  over  the  ground  at  once,  forking  it  in  im- 
mediately after.  Seeds  can  be  sown  or  Potatoes 
planted  on  the  ground  at  once;  they  are  not 
injured  by  the  lime.  The  market  gardeners  near 
London  use  a  great  deal  of  gaslime  to  throw  over 
the  land,  but  it  must  either  be  applied  very 
sparingly,  or  if  a  good  dressing  is  used,  the  ground 
must  not  be  cropped  for  a  few  months  after.  It 
is  not  a  bad  plan  to  use  it  now  on  ground  that  has 
to  lie  fallow  during  the  winter  and  be  cropped 
in  the  spring.  Perhaps  the  best  way  to  use  gas- 
lime  is  to  mix  it  with  weeds,  trimmings  from 
ditches,  or  the  roots  of  Couch  Grass  gathered  from 
fields.  The  lime  will  kill  any  sort  of  weeds  or 
seeds  of  weeds  mixed  in  the  proportion  of  two 
parts  of  the  weeds  to  one  of  the  gaslime. 
A  great  deal  of  mischief  is  done  by  working 
the  ground  when  it  is  not  in  good  condi- 
tion. When  soils,  especially  heavy  soils,  are 
wet,  it  is  best  to  let  them  alone :  it  is  better 
almost  to  be  idle  than  to  dig  or  trench  heavy  soils 


478 


THE    GAKDEN 


[Dec.  6,  1884. 


in  a  wet  state.     Take  advantage  of  the  surface 

being  dry  to  do  the  digging.     Another  mistake 

made  by  gardeners  and  amateurs  alike  is  that  of 

hoeing  and  raking  waste  ground  in  summer.    It 

would  not  take  longer  to  dig  the  weeds  into  the 

ground  than  it  does  to  hoe  the  ground  and  rake 

them  off ;  and  the  ground,  after  being  dug,  is  in  a 

much  better  condition  than  it  is  after  being  hoed. 

The  more  heavy  soils  are  dug  or  forked  over  during 

the  summer  months  the  better  are  they  prepared 

for  the  reception  of  the  crops.    If  lime  rubbish 

can  be  readily  obtained,  this  makes  an  excellent 

dressing  for  stiff  soils.     Stable  manure  is  also  to 

be  preferred  to  any  other  ;    we  find  that  from 

stables  where  peat  or  Moss  litter  is  used  the  best. 

J.  D.  E. 


where  fruit  trees  are  planted— at  least  not  till  we 
want  to  remove  them. — Field. 


THE  KITCHEN  GARDEN  HOPELESS. 

We  have  chosen  this  name  for  a  common  type  of 
kitchen  garden  which  we  sometimes  see  in  country 
places.  Wild  and  rugged  is  the  general  effect,  the 
walls  half  covered  with  many  fruits,  inferior  as  a 
rule,  weeds  often  rampant,  and  an  ugly  air  of 
ragged  desolation  prevailing  everywhere,  as  if  the 
owner  had  not  sixpence  to  spare.  The  last  picture 
of  this  sort  we  have  seen  was  in  a  place  where, 
however,  he  had  spent  £70.000  in  "  improvements." 
The  error  is  in  the  planting.  It  is  quite  a  mistake 
to  grow  fruit  trees  over  the  kitchen  garden  every- 
where. We  cannot  grow  vegetables  well  in  such 
places,  and  in  an  attempt  to  do  so  we  break  away 
the  roots  of  the  trees.  We  believe  that  this  induces 
canker  and  other  troubles  and  is  the  main  cause 
of  our  poor  garden  fruit  culture.  One-fourth  of 
the  place  entirely  given  to  vegetables,  divested  of 
walks,  large  hedges,  old  frame  grounds,  old  walls, 
rubbish,  and  other  impedimenta  would  give  a  far 
better  stock  of  vegetables.  Such  a  spot  well  cul- 
tivated would  be  a  pleasure  to  see.  On  the  other 
hand,  dig  up  the  trees  and  put  them  together  in 
the  other  half,  prepare  the  ground  thoroughly  for 
them,  let  tlieir  roots  come  up  to  the  surfAce  and 
feed  them  there,  hoe  it  regularly  to  keep  it  clean 
until  such  time  as  the  trees  begin  to  cover  the 
ground  ;  then  they  assist  in  keeping  the  latter 
clean.  It  is  not  merely  the  ugliness  and  the  loss 
of  the  mixed  garden  which  we  have  to  deplore,  but 
the  miseries  of  the  unfortunate  gardener  who  has 
to  look  after  such  a  garden  in  addition  to  a  large 
pleasure  ground.  How  is  he  to  do  his  duty  by  the 
many  things  so  hopelessly  mixed  up  ?  Here  a 
decaying  I'lum,  there  on  one  side  a  patch  of  Black 
Currants,  then  a  lot  of  Gooseberries,  backed  up  by 
and  held  in  with  a  rank  Privet  hedge  made  to  pro- 
tect some  plants  in  old  times,  and  so  on  through 
the  sorry  catalogue.  The  continual  mutilation  of 
the  roots  of  fruit  trees  has  made  such  irregularities 
in  their  ranks,  that  anything  like  systematic 
planting  does  not  exist.  In  fact,  if  the  whole  cost 
of  the  garden  were  doubled,  and  all  put  in  some 
of  the  kitchen  gardens  of  this  sort  that  we  see,  it 
would  be  absolutely  impossible  to  get  a  good  re- 
sult. Clear  them  out,  trench  thoroughly,  and 
otherwise  refresh  the  soil.  Put  the  fruit  trees  in 
one  part— the  higher  ground  if  any — to  such  an 
extent  as  you  desire,  and  the  remaining  part 
thoroughly  devote  to  vegetables,  cultivating  the 
ground  in  the  best  way,  and  having  it  always  a 
fertile  green  vegetable  garden,  a  pleasure  to  look 
at  and  an  example  to  the  neighbourhood.  The 
vegetable  food,  too,  would  be  more  wholesome 
from  continual  good  light  and  air ;  for  shade 
from  ragged  and  profitless  trees  and  bushes  and 
hedges  is  one  of  the  evils  of  this  hopeless  kind  of 
garden.  The  broken  crops,  too  (sickly  patches 
they  often  are),  are  not  such  as  one  can  be  proud 
of.  Within  the  past  few  weeks,  in  the  garden, 
well  kept  and  by  no  means  starved,  of  a  fine  old 
place,  we  saw  the  gathered  rubbish  of  the  borders, 
long  stems  of  flowers,  such  as  Golden  Rods,  being 
trenched  in  deeply  around  the  fruit  trees  !  Who, 
■  with  any  thought  of  what  plants  and  trees  are,  can 
expect  a  good  result  from  fruit  trees  in  such  a 
case  ?  Separation  of  the  two  things  complete  and 
final  is  the  true  remedy.  There  should  not  be  the 
root  of  a  fruit  tree  in  the  way  of  the  vegetable 
grower.    No  spade  should  even  enter  the  ground 


Blight  on  the  BrasBica  tribe  is  unusually 
prevalent  this  year,  the  long-protracted  drought 
and  absence  of  storms  being  favourable  to  its 
development.  Market  growers  are  in  many  cases 
ploughing  up  large  breadths  of  winter  Greens, 
that  are  so  much  affected  as  to  be  useless  for 
culinary  purposes.  It  is  not  often  that  one  sees 
water-carts  employed  in  November  for  watering 
Cabbage  plants,  yet  such  is  the  case  in  this  locality 
this  season,  and  those  who  have  neglected  this 
precaution  have  experienced  great  loss  in  the  way 
of  plants.  The  soil  being  dry  as  dust  and  a  dry 
breeze  prevailing  are  very  trying  to  recently- 
planted  crops  of  any  kind. — J.  G.,  JIanis. 

Improving  shalio'w  soils.— In  this  locality 
soil  varies  very  considerably.  It  is  no  uncommon 
thing  to  find  barely  depth  enough  to  support  any 
kind  of  crop  in  one  part  of  a  field,  and  this  of  the 
lightest  description,  resting  on  a  bed  of  gravel, 
and  only  a  few  yards  oif  a  good  depth  of  vegetable 
soil  resting  on  several  feet  of  good  clayey  loam, 
such  as  is  used  for  brick  making.  Many  culti- 
vators of  such  soils  turn  this  to  account  by  digging 
out  pits  of  loam  and  carting  it  on  to  the  light  thin 
portions,  spreading  it  out  at  this  time  of  year  like 
a  coat  of  manure,  and  letting  it  lie  for  some  weeks 
exposed  to  the  winter's  frosts  or  rains  ;  it  is  then 
ploughed  in,  and  is  found  to  well  repay  the  labour. 
Not  only  does  it  produce  a  marked  and  speedy 
improvement  on  the  crops,  bat  it  permanently  in- 
creases the  depth  of  soil,  and  by  this  simple  me.ins 
alone  land  that  a  few  years  ago  would  hardly  keep 
the  scantiest  herbage  alive  now  produces  fine  crops 
of  vegetables.  The  main  thing  is  putting  on  little 
and  often,  rather  than  a  great  depth  at  any  one 
time.  It  is  surprising  what  fine  crops  fresh  soil 
will  produce  without  any  stimulating  manure  ;  old 
hedgerows  grubbed  up,  or  banks  levelled  even 
where  composed  of  soil  of  but  moderate  quality, 
will  yield  good  crops  for  a  long  time. — J.  G., 
liosport. 

Seakale  from  seed.— Although  the  cus- 
tom of  increasing  Seakale  by  means  of  .root  cut- 
tings has  nearly  superseded  the  older  plan  of 
r  lising  it  from  seed,  there  can  be  little  doubt  that 
for  permanent  plantations  healthy  seedling  plants 
are  best.  If  large  roots  are  used  for  cuttings  they 
frequently  bear  traces  of  decay  that  in  a  short 
time  spreads  and  eventually  destroys  the  plant.  I 
find,  therefore,  that  in  order  to  obtain  good, 
healthy  roots,  seedlings  have  a  great  advantage 
over  cuttings  ;  they  push  out  long  thong-like  roots 
that  in  the  loose  stony  soil  of  the  south  coast 
penetrate  to  a  great  depth,  so  that  even  in  periods 
of  the  greatest  drought  they  find  plenty  of 
moisture.  Some  of  the  huge  clumps  of  native 
Seakale  growing  on  the  shore  about  Southampton 
are  of  enormous  size  and  probably  of  great  age, 
and  young  seedlings  that  spring  up  around  these 
old  plants  show  extraordinary  vigour  even  in  the 
poorest  soil.  In  fact,  Seakale  appears  to  grow 
best  among  loose  shingly  stones  about  which  there 
is  nothing  but  sand,  and  although  this  vegetable 
is  looked  on  as  a  luxury,  there  can  be  no  question 
that  many  a  garden  in  which  it  is  but  sparingly 
grown  could  be  made  to  yield  an  abundant  sup- 
ply. Seed  sown  in  March  in  drills  1  foot  apart 
will  produce  good  plants  fit  for  transplanting  by 
the  autumn,  and  as  soon  as  the  leaves  die  down  is 
the  time  to  do  this.  JIany  are  deterred  from 
growing  this  useful  vegetable  under  the  impres- 
sion that  a  large  outlay  to  produce  it  is  needed  ; 
whereas  it  can  be  had  in  the  highest  state  of  ex- 
cellence without  any  outlay  beyond  what  any 
moderate  garden  can  command. — J.  G.,  Hunts. 


Forced    vegetables — It  has  often  been 
our  practice  to  purchase  new  kinds  of  French 
Beans,  Turnips,  Carrots,  Potatoes,  Tomatoes,  Ra- 
dishes and  Cucumbers,  as  well  as  to  give  a  trial  to 
any  vegetables  which  have  been  grown  and  tested 
by  cultivators  who  have  reported  favourably  on 
them.     The  past  season  we  have  found  French 
Bean  Ne  Plus  Ultra  to  out-distance,   as  a  free 
cropper,   several  of    our  old    favourites,   among 
which  were  Osborn's  Forcing,  Newington  Wonder, 
and  Canadian  AVonder.     Our  earliest  Turnip  was 
Munich,  which  came  into  use  about  the  middle  of 
April,  quite  three  weeks  before  the  White  Dutch, 
Silver   White,   Snowball,    Red    Stone,  and  some 
others.     Munich,   being   tender,    juicy,  and    not 
given  to  "  bolt,"  is  of  much  value  for  forcing. 
We  find  Milan  ready  for  use  in  the  open  ground 
weeks  before  any  other  kind  (  Munich,  being  forced 
under  glass  only,  is  not  included  in  the  outdoor 
trial).     Short  Dutch   Horn  is  the  earliest  Carrot, 
but  we  find  little  difference  among  the  "  Horn  " 
kinds.      Potatoes  (among  which  are  several  new 
names)  are  best  represented  by  a  good  selection  of 
the   old   Ashleaf   Kidney.     Veitch's  Kidney   and 
Mona's  Pride  are  about  equally  good  as  the  first 
named.    A  number  of  kinds  selected  from  adver- 
tisements are  not  equal  to  their  recommendations. 
Of  Tomatoes  we  gather  good  samples  of  Hatha- 
ways  Excelsior  in  March.     But,  taking  all  points 
into  consideration,  we  prefer  Acme  to  all  others 
which  we  have  yet  tried.     Last  season  we  grew 
these  very  largely ;  none  were  more  productive 
than  old  Large  Red  and  Orangefield.   Their  corru- 
gated forms  are,  however,  against  them.     Oar  best 
Radishes  under  glass  were  French  Breakfast  and 
oval-shaped   Scarlet.      Early  France  seems    less 
liable   to   run   to   seed   than  most    other    kinds. 
Cucumbers  are  always  a  very  important  crop,  and 
among  a  number  of  kinds  grown  for  trial  we  con  - 
sider  Telegraph   (a  true  sample)  to  be  the  best. 
Monroe's  Duke  of  Edinburgh  fruited  very  abun. 
dantly,  and  the  produce  was  of  a  very  useful  size. 
Our  Cucumbers  were  grown  in  a  span-roofed  house, 
and  the  other  vegetables  just  named  in  ordinary 
brick  pits.      I  observed  on  a  sharp  ridge  where 
a  number  of  kinds  of   Lettuce  were  planted  that 
Bath  Brown  Cos  was  in  capil.al  condition  on  June 
23.     Hardy  Hicks  and  All  the  Year  Round  were 
also  good.— M.  Temple. 


Hackwood  Park  Tomato.  ■-  Mr.  Crook,  Fam- 
l)orough  Gr.inge,  thinks  this  variety  superior  to  all  others  ; 
he  put  a  plant  of  it  in  a  box  2J  feet  by  1  foot  on  June  1, 
and  it  has  yielded  many  pounds  of  fruit,  flnelyformed,  thin 
in  the  akin,  and  well  flavoured  It  bears  its  fruit  in  clusters 
consisting  of  a  dozen  or  so  together.  It  resembles  .Stam- 
fordian,  but  is  iu  some  respects  even  better  than  that  fine- 
lookins  variety. 


DUNSTER  CASTLE. 
There  are  numerous  points  of  interest  con- 
nected with  this  old  castle,  which  dates,  I  be- 
lieve, from  the  early  days  of  the  kingdom  of  Wes- 
sex.  Every  thoughtful  person  who  passes  through 
the  old  town  stops  to  see  its  fortress,  enticed 
thither  not  only  from  its  eventful  history,  but 
by  its  commanding  position.  By  all  means,  if 
possible,  stroll  through  the  grounds.  The  climate 
seems  kind,  and  Fuchsias,  Laurustinuses,  Camel- 
lias, and  Veronicas  flourish  with  unchecked  vigour. 
From  a  tennis  lawn,  which  is  nearly  as  aerial  as 
the  highest  of  the  battlements,  a  magnificent  view 
over  the  park,  broken  up  with  woody  valleys,  to 
the  monarch  of  Exmoor,  Dunkery  Beacon,  can  be 
obtained.  In  the  borders  Pelargoniums  are 
allowed  to  stand  out  through  the  winter.  The 
view  on  the  other  side  from  the  threshold  of  the 
iron-studded  and  massive  oak  door,  the  portals  of 
which  are  of  the  time  of  Edward  III ,  is  over  some 
low-lying  mcidows  to  the  sea,  a  pleasant  break 
being  the  verdurous  height  surmounted  by  Cone- 
gar  Tower.  On  the  southern  wall  of  the  castle  is 
a  very  ancient  Lemon  tree — how  old  I  should  not 
like  to  hazard  a  guess.  In  winter  it  is  covered 
with  a  glass  framework.  Lining  a  path,  which 
leads  from  a  flower  garden  beneath  the  windows, 
is  a  Yew  hedge  50  feet  high,  and  in  length  quite 
100  yards.  Are  there  any  higher  Yew  hedges  than 
this  ?  A  large-limbed,  far-spreading  Cedar  of  Leba- 
non stands  on  a  ledge  or  platform  with  abrupt 
sides  ;  under  it  is  a  glistening,  crimpling  carpet  of 
Hart's-tongne  Fern.  Considering  how  pretty  a 
Spruce  stem  looks  when  rising  from  a  bed  of  Peri- 
winkle or  Moss,  surely  this  is  an  example  worthy 
of  being  copied.  Many  trees  of  Cupressus  macro- 
carpa  in  all  stages  of  growth  likewise  clothe  the 
hillside  on  which  the  castle  stands.    The  winding 


Dec.  6,   1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


479 


paths  which  wind  up  and  down  are  associated  with 
Holly  and  other  Evergreens.     The  kitchen  garden 
is  in  four  divisions  in  the  very  centre  of  the  town. 
C.  4.  M.  Carmichael. 


Books. 


THE  PLANTS  OF  THE   ALPS.* 
Tins  is  an  interesting  little  book,  and  should  be 
in  the  hands  of  all  lovers  of  alpine  plants.     At 
the  beginning  of  it  those  questions  are  discussed 
which  occur  to  the  mind  in  relation    to  them. 
Such,  for  instance,  are  the  chapters   on  the  "  Alps 
and  their  Xature,"  "  Forests  and  their  Destruction," 
"  The  Vegetation  of  the  Alps  ; "  and  in  chapter  C 
we  come  upon  a  most  interesting  discussion  on 
the    conditions  of   existence   of   alpine    plants. 
Chapter   7   has   to   do  with  the  acclimatisation 
and  culture  of  alpine  plants  and  the  best  methods 
of  growing  them.     Lists  of  a'pine  plants  are  then 
given    in    chapter   8,  vrith   some   of   their   chief 
characteristics,  and  the  book  ends  in  chapters  f) 
and    10   with   some  reflections   upon  rockeries— 
their  construction  in  oar  gardens,  the  material  to 
be  employed-and  with  some  notes  on  alpine  gar- 
dens in  general.     Such  briefly  are  the  contents  of 
31.  Correvon's  little  book.     We  might  select  the 
following  as  a  passage  which  gives  some  idea  of 
the  subjects  he  treats  of:  "  Plant  life  in  the  Alps 
is  subservient  to  laws  absolutely  different  from 
those  which  regulate  vegetation  in  general.     The 
conditions  resemble  a  little  those  of  the  polar 
regions,  without,  however,  being  identical  with 
them.  In  oor  plains  snow  commences  to  disappear 
inFeSrnary,  and  by  the  beginning  of  March  field 
labour  can   be  proceeded   with ;  whereas  alpine 
pastures  remain  under  their  white  mantle  until 
May,  June,  and  even  July.     The  highest  summits 
are  never  clear,  and  there  are  but  few  spots  in  the 
sub-alpine  region— those  of  a  southern  aspect  and 
exposed  to  the  sweeping  influence  of  the  wind- 
that  become  clear  of  ice  for  any  length  of  time 
A   cryptogamic  vegetation  takes  place,  but  does 
not  make  much  headway."     And  this  our  author 
works  out  in  a  very  interesting  manner  at  some 
length.     Under  his  guidance  one  can  almost  see 
in  mountainous  districts  in  the  month  of  May  the 
blue  Gentian  opening  its  brilliant  petals  before 
the  sun,  the  golden  Potentilla  and  Primula  farinosa, 
and  many  others.     Put  it  is  not  so  in  the  higher 
regions.     Nothing  is  changed  there ;   all  is  ice- 
bound as  before.     And   this  of  course  contracts 
the  flowering  season  very  much,  and  we  see  at 
once  how  the  plants  must  be  under  a  different  set 
of   laws    with   very   different   conditions    indeed 
from    what   is   obtaining   in    the  regions  below. 
We  must  be  at  the  end  of  Junebefcre  many  alpine 
flowers  are  visible  at  all.    This  chapter  we  account 
to  be  one  of  the  most  interesting  in  the  book. 
M.  Correvon  insists  on  the  fact  that  the  humidity 
of  the  air  has  a  very  great  deal  to  do  with  the 
well-being  of  alpine  plants.     He  says  that  with- 
out the  vapours  which  permeate  the  atmosphere, 
the  rays  of   the  sun  would  be  so  strong  that  all 
vegetation  would  die.     He  then  tells  us  that  the 
light  is  so  intense,  that  when  once  the  plants  are 
exposed  to  it  by  removal  of  the  snow,  they  develop 
with  wonderful  rapidity.     Indeed,  great  heat  (see 
page  7(5),  intense   light,  and  a  sort  of  vaporous 
veil  which  permeates  the  atmo,=phere  are  the  three 
things  on  which  he  insists  as   being  necessary  to 
the  life  and  growth  of  alpine  plants.    Into  all 
this  and  several  cognate  considerations  we  have 
not  time  to  follow  him  now.     M.  Correvon  writes 
with  great  knowledge  and  love  of  his  subject,  and 
after  the  experience  of  many  years.     The  chief 
point  of  importance  where  we  cannot  accept  him 
so  readily  as  a  final  guide  is  where  he  discourses 
on  the  cultivation  of  alpine  plants  in  our  own 
gardens.      We  do  not  join  issue  with  him  so  much 
about  the  performance  of  alpine  plants  in  their 
own  native  habitats  as  we  do  about  their  require- 
ments under  treatment  of  our  own.     The  whole 
thing  turns  on  this — are  we  to  try  to  reproduce 
exactly  alpine  conditions  in  our  own  gardens,  or 


'  The  I'Unt  of  the  Alps,"  by  Hy.  Con-evon,  i:;. 


can  we  grow  these  plants  successfully  without  any 
such  attempt  at  all  ?  For  ourselves,  we  hold  that 
it  is  so  utterly  impossible  to  give  an  alpine  plant 
just  that  to  which  it  has  been  accustomed, 
that  there  is  no  use  in  minutely  thinking  about 
it.  Something  is  sure  to  go  wrong  somewhere, 
and  it  puts  everything  else  out  of  order  at  once. 
Of  course  certain  broad  lines  must  be  laid  down, 
and  one  would  not  try  to  grow  Kamondia  pyre- 
naica  in  a  chalky  soil,  nor  a  Draba  in  peat,  but 
it  is  perfectly  wonderful  with  regard  to  alpine 
plants  how  they  often  belie  their  supposed  charac- 
teristics and  they  seem  to  take  readily  to  food  of 
which  they  can  have  known  nothing  before— <■  y., 
M.  Correvon  writes  that  Anemone  vernalis  is  a  lover 
of  granite,  and  that  A.  alpina  is  devoted  to  lime. 
We  can  answer  for  it  that  in  cultivation  these 
two  plants  care  nothing  at  all  for  either  one  or 
the  other,  and  Anemone  vernalis  will  even  flourish 
in  a  peaty  soil.  Our  author  says  about  Polygala 
Chamajbux us,  "This  plant  is  very  capricious.  At 
times  it  succeeds  well  in  any  ordinary  soil  so  long 
as  it  is  in  a  shady  position.whileat  others  it  is  im- 
possible to  make  it  grow,  take  what  care  one  will 
with  it  "  Our  experience  does  not  accord  with  this. 
It  seems  to  live  in  shade,  in  full  sun,  on  the 
rockery,  or  in  a  common  border  with  the  utmost 
inditterence.  Then,  again,  a  list  of  some  Andro- 
saces  is  given  in  this  way  ; — 

Androsace  lactea  L  (calc). 
„  carnea  L  (granit.). 
„  obtusifolia.  All. 
„  villosa  L  (calc). 
„  Chamiejasme.  Host. 
Aretia  Vitaliana  L  (calc). 
We  can  only  remark  about  this  that  we  know 
where  every  one  of  these  Androsaces  are  growing 
happily  together  in  a  sandy  border,  and  no  differ- 
ence is  made  about  their  treatment  at  all.  Space  for- 
bids that  we  should  enlarge  upon  this.  If  we  differ 
from  the  writer  in  some  particulars,  we  agree  with 
him  in  many  more.  After  innumerable  failures 
with  Aquilegia  alpina,  it  is  consolatory  to  read 
the  following ;  "  It  requires  a  cold,  light,  unctuous 
soil  and  a  shady,  damp  position.  It  is  apt  to  de- 
generate under  cultivation  ;  therefore  it  is  abso- 
lutely necessary  as  far  as  possible  to  grow  it  under 
conditions  similar  to  those  under  which  it  grows 
naturally.''  We  only  wish  that  M.  Correvon  could 
more  fully  put  us  in  the  way  of  doing  it.  It  strikes 
us  that  he  is  sometimes  incorrect  in  his  localities 
for  the  species.  Thus,  the  locality  for  Ranunculus 
crenatus  (p.  HI)  should  be  Styria  and  Patra  Car- 
pathians ;  for  K.  amplexicaulis  the  Pyrenees ;  for 
Arabis  vochiuensis  should  be  Carinthia  and  Car- 
niola;  Geranium  macrorhizum  should  be  Carinthia; 
Saxifraga  Hosti  and  elatior  (really  one  species) 
do  not  occur  in  Switzerland.  Saxifraga  lantos- 
cana  is  certainly  not  in  Eastern  Alps,  but  in  the 
Alpes  Maritiraes,  and  down  to  Mentone,  &c.  We  are 
glad  that  our  author  does  not,  as  many  French 
writers  do,  ignore  all  that  is  done  in  his  sub- 
ject matter  by  German  or  English  writers,  but 
quotes  freely  from  Kerner's  "  Cultur  der  Alpen- 
pflanzen'  (see  p.  118,  &c  ),  and  at  p.  Ill  refers 
with  approval  to  the  "Atlas  der  Alpenflora  "  of  the 
Austro-lJerman  Alpine  Club,  only  just  now  com- 
pleted, with  an  accompanying  volume  of  text  by 
Prof.  V.  Dalla  Torre,  of  Innsbriick,  Vienna,  1882, 
of  134  pp.,  and  to  Seboth's  "Alpine  Plants,"  the 
fourth  volume  of  which  came  out  last  August  in 
the  English  edition  of  it  by  A.  W.  Bennett.  On 
the  whole  we  are  much  pleased  with  M.  Correvon's 
little  book,  and  we  heartily  commend  it  to  the  at- 
tention of  our  readers.  E. 


voured,  for  it  was  by  the  merest  chance  that  I 
looked  through  them,  and  I  may  add  that  there 
were  some  in  every  packet.  When  I  gathered  the 
seeds  I  laid  them  out  in  an  airy  greenhouse  for  a 
time,  and  I  can  only  surmise  that  the  eggs  were 
then  deposited  on  them  and  hatched  later  on  when 
put  up  in  parcels.  Be  that  as  it  may,  the  fact  is 
worth  recording,  and  the  moral  to  be  deduced 
therefrom  is  that  seeds  should  be  put  up  as  soon 
as  ripe  and  not  allowed  to  lie  about.  They  should 
also  all  be  examined  early  in  the  winter.  Any- 
thing like  Primula  or  Calceolaria,  if  attacked  in 
this  way,  would  soon  be  ruined. — J.  Coenhill. 


Ferns. 


Gr'Uba  in  seeds. — Last  winter,  when  over- 
hauling some  packets  of  Cyclamen  seed,  I  found 
in  them  numbers  of  white  grubs  just  like  those  of 
the  cockchafer,  but  not  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in 
length.  I  naturally  expected  to  find  many  of  the 
seeds  eaten,  but  the  instinct  of  the  insect  which 
laid  the  eggs  had  in  this  case  failed  it,  as  the 
tough  coat  of  the  Cyclamen  seeds  defied  the  attacks 
of  the  grubs,  which  I  found,  on  close  examination, 
to  present  a  rather  famine-struck  appearance. 
Had  these  seeds  been  of  a  soft  character,  they 
would  certainly  have  been  to  a  great  extent  de- 


HAKDY  FERNS  AT  ROCKVILLE. 
There  is  always  much  of  fresh  interest  to  be 
seen  in  the  collection  of  Ferns  from  various  parts 
of  the  world,  so  carefully  got  together  by  Mr. 
Neill  Eraser,  including,  as  it  does, several  hundred 
varieties  of  British  Ferns.  The  following  are 
amongst  the  most  distinct  of  the  rarer  kinds,  and 
are  all  well  worth  growing.  There  are  some 
curious  forms  of  Lastrea  Oreopteris  ;  L.  O.  crispa, 
a  crested  form  (raised  or  found  wild  by  Mr. 
Barnes,  of  Milnethorpe,  in  Westmoreland):  L.  O, 
coronans,  a  much  crested  and  cut  led  form  ;  L.  O 
Baylicai,  very  finely  cut  and  distinct;  also  other 
forms  differing  less  distinctly  from  the  type.  A 
form  of  Lomaria  Spicant,  with  each  frond  divided 
into  four  parts,  is  very  singular  ;  it  is  one  of  Mr. 
Barnes's  varieties.  Another  of  them  is  Lomaria 
S.  coronans,  crested  at  the  top  in  a  peculiar  way. 
L.  S.  Smithi  has  extremely  narrow  and  almost  un- 
divided fronds,  and  L.  S.  Aitkeniana  is  a  much- 
branched  variety. 

Amongst  the  most  distinct  forms  of  Poly- 
stichum  angulare  is  P.  a.  ramosissimum,  a  very 
dwarf-crested  and  highly  divided  form;  P.  a.  con 
jestum,  hardly  3  inches  high,  very  dense,  and 
curled ;  P.  a.  cristatum,  a  much  less  rigid  form 
than  the  type,  and  well  crested  ;  and  P.  angulare 
Pateji,  with  very  feathery  fronds.  Pteris  aqui- 
lina  grandiceps  is  a  most  singular  form,  and  there 
is  a  dwarf  form  of  the  Holly  Fern,  dense  in  habit 
and  very  prickly,  and  a  crested  form  of  it  found 
by  Mr.  Fraser  on  the  Grampians  almost  without 
prickles,  and  the  only  specimen  of  this  kind  that 
has  been  found  wild.  There  is  a  form  of  Asple- 
nium  Trichomanes  found  by  Mr.  Fraser  near  Killar- 
ney  which  sometimes  grows  II  inches  high.  Las- 
trea Filix-mas  Stableri,  4  feet  to  5  feet  high,  re- 
sembles a  large  Pindari ;  L.  Filix-mas  crispa  gra- 
cilis, an  old,  but  rare  variety,  is  very  dwarf,  and 
the  leaflets  much  recurved.  L.  Filix-mas  ramulo- 
sissima  is  hardly  3  inches  high,  much  divided  and 
crested,  and  a  form  much  resembh'ng  it,  Atbyrinm 
Filix-fiiemina  ramosistimum,  is  equally  distinct. 
A.  Filix-fcemina  Edwardsi  is  like  A.  Filix-fcomina 
Simpsoni,  but  not  quite  so  dwarf.  The  curious 
form  A.  Filix-fccmina  Frizelli  ramosum  is  grown  in 
this  collection,  and  also  part  of  the  original  plant 
of  A.  Filix-fcemina  Victoria'.  There  is  a  splen- 
did mass  of  Polypodium  alpestre  with  fronds 
about  3  feet  long,  very  feathery  and  graceful. 
Amongst  foreign  Ferns  are  three  from  Madeira — 
Lastrea  elongata,  like  L.  Filix-mas,  Polystichum 
frondosum,  and  P.  drepanum.  These  have 
proved  hardy  the  last  one  or  two  winters, 
the  two  latter  kinds  being  very  distinct  and 
fine.  Polystichum  falcinellum,  also  from  Madeira, 
is  quite  hardy,  and  equally  so  is  P.  munitum  from 
North  America.  Polypodium  hexagonopterum  (N. 
America)  resembles  the  Beech  Fern,  but  is  larger. 
Asplenium  fissum,  from  the  Austrian  Alps,  is 
rather  like  the  Parsley  Fern.  Cjstopteris  alpina, 
a  finely-cut  form  from  the  Engadine;  Lastrea 
marginalis,  a  feathery  kind  with  the  fructification 
near  the  margin  of  the  lobes ;  Woodsia  poly- 
stichoides  Veitchi,  from  Japan ;  and  a  finely-cut 
and  crested  form  of  Lomaria  alpina  from  New 
Zealand,  probably  the  only  plant  of  this  form  as 
yet  introduced — all  these  exotic  kinds  are  inte- 
resting additions  to  an  outdoor  fernery.  Poly- 
stichum  vestitum  and  P.  proliferum  (New  Zealand) 
have  shining  leaves  and  are  very  effective,  and 


480 


THE    GARDEN 


[Dec.  C^^   1884. 


near  the  apex  of  each  leaf  in  the  latter  species  is 
one  bulbil.  C.  M.  Owen. 


A  good  window  Fern. — The  Maiden-hair 
is  considered  by  many  to  be  the  best  of  all  window 
Ferns,  but  wiih  this  I  do  not  agree.  Some  succeed 
with  it  fairly  well,  but  it  has  two  serious  defects, 
viz.,  it  does  not  well  resist  an  arid  atmosphere  and 
cold  draughts,  and  it  is  not  strictly  evergreen,  as 
the  fronds  die  off  under  ordinary  room  culture 
early  in  spring     None  of  these  objections  exist  in 


Garden   Flora. 

PLATE  469. 
EVENING  PRIMROSES. 

(WITH   A    PLATE    OF    CENOTHERA    MARGINATA.*) 

In  this  important  genus,  which  comprises  a  great 
number  of  useful  and  showy  herbaceous  plants, 
both  annual  and  perennial,  we  have  a  great 
variety  of  form,  both  in  stature  and  also  in  the 


although  most  of  them  germinate  freely  in  the 
open  border,  the  young  seedlings  will  be  none  the 
worse  for  a  little  protection  until  able  to  take  care 
of  themselves.  The  species  worthy  of  cultivation 
are  here  grouped  into  four  sections.  The  first 
group  comprises  the  annuals,  most  of  which  are 
well  known  under  the  familiar  name  of  Godetia, 


the  case  of  Asplenium  bulbiferum,  which  is  about 
the  hardiest  of  all  cool  house  Ferns,  continuing  to 
grow  through  the  winter  if  merely  kept  from 
frost.  It  is  compact,  yet  graceful  in  growth,  and 
will  live  for  years  healthily  in  the  same  pot  if 
kept  moist  at  the  roots.  Little  bulblets  form  on 
the  stem,  and  if  taken  off  quickly  form  plants.  I 
cannot  too  strongly  recommend  this  Fern  to  all 
who  want  a  thoroughly  satisfactory  window  plant. 
— Byplebt. 

Large  Walnuts.— These  are  calleil  in  .Shroijshire 
Baitats,  whioh  is  said  to  bo  a  corruption  of  bird-nut,  fiom 
some  resemblance  to  a  ljii-d  when  opened.  I  do  not  know 
how  widely  this  name  is  known,  but  as  an  established 
iinKlish  one  it  seems  to  me  better  to  use  than  either  Latin 
or  French  — C.  NAVLOii,  Ecrnj,  Monl^/omeri/xliirc. 


size  and  colour  of  the  flowers  Some  of  the  species, 
such  as  CE.  biennis  and  others,  bloom  forj'a  con- 
siderable length  of  time.  They  have  large  and 
attractive  flowers,  which  should  be  seen  in  the 
"  gloamin' "  if  one  would  enjoy  their  fragrance 
and  beauty.  Plenty  of  sun  and  a  light  dry  soil 
seem  to  be  enjoyed  by  all  the  species  at  present 
in  cultivation ;  although  they  will  thrive  for  a 
time  in  heavy  wet  soil,  the  result  is  generally  un- 
satisfactory. In  the  case  of  the  biennial  section 
seeds  seem  the  easiest  mode  of  propagation,  and 


a-;iiothera  macrocarpa  (flowers  yellow). 

but  which,  according  to  the  "  Genera  Plantarum," 
are  placed  under  (Enothera.  Both  for  flower  beds 
and  mixed  borders,  where  spring  bulbs  are  grown, 
they  are  very  useful,  keeping  up  as  they  do  a  suc- 
cession of  flowers  from  early  summer  until 
autumn.  They  require  little  or  no  attention 
after  the  thinning-out  process  has  been  completed, 
and,  indeed,  unless  where  quality  is  more  desir- 
able than  quantity,  this  is  hardly  necessary.  For 
pot  culture,  too,  they  are  largely  used,  coming  in 
at  a  time  when  their  various  and  bright  colours 
are  heartily  welcome. 

Annual  Species. 

Qi;.  (Godetia)  Whitney:  is  one  of  the  showiest 
of  this  group,  and  nseful  for  the  greenhouse. 
It  forms  neat,  compact,  bushy  plants,  seldom 
more  than  a  foot  in  height,  and  well  fur- 
nished with  branches ;  the  flowers,  which  are 
rarely  less  than  4  inches  in  diameter  when 
the  plants  are  liberally  treated,  are  produced 
in  profusion  nearly  the  whole  of  the  summer. 
They  are  rosy  or  reddish  coloured,  have  a  large 


*  Drawn  in  Messrs.   Paul's  hardy  plant  niu'sery,  Bros- 
bourne,  July  S. 


CEuothera  taraxacifolia  (flowers  white). 

spreading    purple    blotch  above    the  claw,  and 
golden  yellow  anthers.    The  leaves,  which   are 
oblong,  are  about  2  inches  in  length  and  taper  to  - 
each  end.     It  is  a  native  of  California. 

ffi.  (Godetia)  amosna  or  roseo-alba  is  also  a 
very  desirable  plant,  whicli  flowers  from  June  to 
August.  Its  blossoms,  which  are  large,  are  whitish, 
running  into  rose  at  the  base,  where  there  is  a 
three-cornered  purple  blotch.  The  leaves  are 
lanceolate,    blunt,    glaucous,   and    very    slightly 


;AKiJh.iN 


'h 


ViV 


\ 


\ 


CE,NOTHERA  MARGINATA. 


Dec.  6,   1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


481 


toothed.     The  plant  grows  about  a  foot  in  height, 
and  is  a  native  of  North  America. 

CE  (GODETIA)  TENELLA  is  remarkable  for  its 
glaucous  appearance.  It  grows  about  a  foot  high, 
is  compact  in  habit,  and  makes  a  handsome  mixed 
border  plant.  The  leaves,  which  are  narrow  and 
spathulate,  are  quite  entire.  The  flowers,  which  are 


worth  attention  both  for  the  sake  of  variety 
and  also  for  its  ready  growth.  Its  leaves  are 
oval-shaped,  entire,  and  smooth,  and  it  flowers 
from  May  to  August.  The  following,  among  many 
in  this  group,  may  be  mentioned  as  worthy  of 
cultivation,  viz. ;  (E.  Lindleyana,  (E.  rubicunda, 
CE.  Lady  Albemarle,  and  others. 


taper  to  the  base.  The  flowers  emit  no  fragrance, 
and  are  produced  in  profusion  from  the  base  of 
the  leaf  tufts,  large,  bright,  and  shining  yellow; 
very  useful  as  a  border  plant  in  dry,  sunny  posi- 
tions, where  it  ripens  seed  freely.  It  flowers  in 
August  and  September,  and  is  a  native  of  Brazoria, 
Southern  United  States,  Texas. 


CEnothera  linearis  (natui'al  size) ;  flowers  yellow. 


purple,  have  beautiful  crenated  edges  and  a  dark 
blotch  at  tlie  base  of  each  petal.  It  blooms  from 
June  until  August,  and  is  a  native  of  Chili.  Qi. 
quadrivulnera  and  UC.  Romanzovi,  both  of  which 
are  in  gardens,  may  well  come  under  CE.  tenella 
for  all  ordinary  purposes,  the  difference  being 
more  technical  than  apparent. 

(E.  (GODETiA)  PURPUREA. — This  species,  from 
the  western  coast  of  North  America,  has  large 
purple  flowers    and    dark    stigmas.    It    is    well 


(E.  Drummondi.  -Found  by  Drummond  when 
accompanying  Franklin's  expedition  as  botanist. 
It  is  an  annual  of  singular  and  rare  merit,  and 
may  be  said,  both  in  the  size  and  colour  of  its 
flowers,  to  vie  with  CE.  macrocarpa,  or  even  grandi- 
flora.  The  whole  plant  is  covered  with  a  soft 
down,  and  rarely  exceeds  more  than  9  inches  in 
height.  The  leaves,  about  half  a  foot  long,  are 
nearly  oblong,  upper  barely  toothed  and  stalkless, 
while  the  lower  are  dented  at  the  margins  and 


(K.  BI.STORTA. — This  is  another  annual  species 
of  little  garden  value,  but  one  of  its  varieties  is  ; 
this  is  named  Veitchiana,  having  been  imported 
by  Messrs.  \'eitch  from  San  Gabriel,  South  Cali- 
fornia. It  is  an  excellent  plant  for  bedding, 
owing  to  its  compact  and  profuse  flowering  habit. 
It  rarely  exceeds  a  foot  in  height :  stem  closely 
branched,  with  the  lower  leaves  broad,  lanceolate, 
sharp  pointed,  and  the  upper  broader,  sessile,  and 
gradually  passing  into  slightly   dentate   bracts. 


482 


THE    GAEDEN 


[Dec.  C),   1884. 


The  flowers  are  borne  singly  in  the  axil  of  each 
leaf  or  bract,  spread  open,  and  about  the  size  of  a 
florin,  rich  yellow,  and  having  a  purplish  or  reddish 
spot  or  blotch  at  the  tase  of  each  petal,  resem- 
bling a  Cistns  or  Helianthemum.  Flowers  from 
June  often  until  September.  It  is  the  UO.  hetero- 
phylla  of  Nuttall. 

Shrubby  Perennial  Species. 

(K.  FRUTICOSA.— In  this  group  none  are  com- 
moner than  this  species.  Its  flowers,  which  open  in 
the  evening,  last,  even  in  hot  weather,  all  the  next 
day.  For  the  mixed  border  or  rockwork  this  and  its 
varieties,  (E.  Youngi  and  05  Fraseri,  are  extremely 
nsefal,  owing  to  their  neat,  sturdy  habit  and  also 
on  account  of  their  flowering  season,  which  lasts, 
as  a  rule,  from  the  beginning  of  June  until  Sep- 
tember. The  flowers,  which  are  freely  produced, 
are  large  and  showy  and  deep  rich  yellow, 
which  is  considerably  enhanced  by  the  rich 
colour  of  the  opening  buds.  They  grow 
from  2  feet  to  3  feet  in  height,  and  have 
leaves  varying  from  oval  to  oval-lanceolate, 
richly  tinted  or  bronzed  in  autumn.  It  is  a  native 
of  Virginia  and  Canada,  and  is  one  of  the  easiest 
to  cultivate. 

(F:.  macrocarpa.  —  This  species,  although 
shrubby,  has  a  graceful  trailing  habit,  which  makes 
it  suitable  for  rockwork,  where,  indeed,  it  feels 
quite  at  home  overhanging  boulders  or  leisurely 
Bcrambling  amongst  loose  stones.  Thus  situated,  its 
large  glossy  blossoms  show  themselves  off  to  per- 
fection. A  well-drained  position  should  hechosen  for 
it  in  the  full  blaze  of  the  sun.  Its  stems  are  downy 
purple  and  very  handsome ;  the  leaves  lanceolate, 
quite  entire,  and  shiny,  their  margins  being  covered 
with  a  soft  silky  down.  The  flowers,  which  are 
large  and  bright  clear  yellow,  are  produced  freely 
from  June  to  September.  It  is  a  native  of  North 
America. 

(E.  MISSOURIENSIS  is  Said  to  be  a  form  of 
macrocarpa  ;  indeed,  it  is  now  considered  botani- 
cally  as  synonymous.  There  are  no  doubt  extreme 
geographical  forms  of  (E.  marginata,  and  one  of 
these  seems  to  fit  (E.missouriensis;  flowers  the  same 
colour  and  size,  and  are  produced  at  the  same 
time.  It  is  the  Q';.  elata  of  Nuttall  (Gen  Am.,  tab. 
1592),  and  is  figured  in  the  Jlotiinical  Jlagazim: 

CE.  LINEARIS.— This  is  a  distinct  and  hand- 
some species,  and  has  often  been  confounded  in 
gardens  with  (E.  riparia,  which  is  quite  an  inferior 
plant.  For  rock  gardens  this  plant  is  well 
suited.  Being  of  slender  habit,  it  often,  and  espe- 
cially in  shady  positions,  becomes  of  a  trailing 
habit,  enhancing  rather  than  otherwise  its  value. 
In  sunny  borders,  however,  and  to  which  it 
seems  partial,  it  attains  18  inches  in  height,  and 
generally  upright  in  habit,  well  furnished  with 
narrow,  linear,  entire  smooth,  dark  green  leaves. 
It  bears  a  profusion  of  flowers,  which  begin  to  open 
early  in  June,  extending  through  July  into 
August,  about  the  size  of  a  crown-piece,  deep 
shining  yellow,  and  very  handsome.  Native  of 
North  and  Upper  Carolina.  It  is  a  perennial,  and 
easily  increased  from  cuttings,  which  should  be 
taken  in  spring. 

(E.  RIPARIA  — It  may  not  be  out  of  place  here, 
although  the  plant  is  of  no  garden  value,  to  in- 
sert a  slight  description,  which  may  help  growers 
to  guard  against  being  imposed  upon,  even  when 
the  plant  is  out  of  flower.  It  grows  from  a  foot 
to  18  inches,  always  erect,  and  nearly,  or  quite, 
devoid  of  hairs  ;  the  leaves  are  much  broader  than 
the  above,  and  toothed  or  denticulate  at  the  mar- 
gins. The  flowers,  which  are  small  and  eompara- 
tively  inconspicuous,  are  yellow,  and  produced  on 
spikes.  It  flowers  in  June  and  July.  It  is  figured 
by  Nuttall  in  his  "  Genera  of  North  American 
Plants." 

(E.  SPECIOSA. — Few  white-flowered  perennials 
are  more  beautiful  or  worthier  of  a  place  even  in 
small  gardens  than  this,  and  still  fewer  possess  the 
raret  quality  of  adapting  themselves  to  almost  any 
situation.  Even  for  pot  culture  it  is  not  to  be 
despised,  and  it  is  not  infrequently  met  with  on 
the  Continent  as  a  bedding  plant,  a  purpose  for 
which  it  is  weU  adapted.  To  make  the  best  of  it, 
however,  it  should  have  plenty  of  room  in  a  rich, 


well-drained  border  in  full  sun,  or  it  may  be 
placed  on  the  top  of  rockeries  or  on  sloping  banks. 
It  grows  from  1  ft.  to  2  ft.  high,  and  forms  compact 
clumps  of  numerous  erect  stems,  laden  with  large 
showy  flowers,  which  become  purple  on  fading. 
They  are  produced  from  April  to  September,  and 


fEnothera  speciosa  (flowers  white). 

are  sweet  scented.  The  leaves  are  narrow,  oblong, 
and  prettily  serrated,  often  pinnated.  It  is  a 
native  of  N.  America.  Among  others  belonging  to 
this  group  may  be  mentioned  (!•:.  pumila  rosea  and 
<E  serrulata. 

Stemless  Perennial  Species. 

IE.  MARGINATA  ((E,  eximia)  is  without  doubt 
the  handsomest  species  of  this  small  group,  not 
more  than  four  really  true  species  belonging  to  it 
being  in  cultivation  at  the  present  time.  This, 
although  reputed  to  be  a  diflicult  plant  to  keep 
through  the  winter,  gives  much  less  trouble  than 
one  or  two  of  the  others  ;  on  sloping  banks  or  in 
well-drained  pockets  on  rockwork  it  proves  a  great 
acquisition.  It  is  better  than  HO.  acaulis,  throwing 
up  its  large  blooms,  fully  4  inches  in  diameter, 
indiscriminately  and  in  great  profusion  from  early 
summer  until  autumn.  Eight  sandy  soil  suits  it 
best,  as  it  is  very  apt  to  damp  on  heavy  wet  places. 
It  grows  from  6  inches  to  'J  inches  high,  and  has 
numerous  soft  green  irregularly  pinnatifid  lanceo- 
late leaves.  The  large  pure  white  flowers,  which 
when  in  bud  are  bright  pink,  are  produced  on 
short  stalks  and  are  very  handsome.  It  is  a  native 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  also  Fpper  California. 

(E.TARAXACiro  LI  A  is  a  pretty  and  extremely  free 
flowering  species,  suitable  alike  for  border  or  rock. 
Wanted  out  in  the  usual  style  in  the  mixed  border, 
it  is  undoubtedly  handsome,  but  it  requires  plenty 
of  room  and  large  masses  to  show  to  advantage. 


(Enothera  Lamarckiana  (flowers  yellow). 

It  makes  a  flne  bedding  plant,  and  in  sunny 
positions  flowers  freely  from  Jlay  to  September. 
It  grows  from  half  to  a  foot  in  height,  has  deeply 
pinnatifid  leaves,  nearly  stemless,  and  produces 
an  abundance  of  large  white  flowers,  fading  o2  to 
purple.     It  is  a  native  of  Chili. 

(E.  ACAULIS  AND  (E.  TANACETIFOLI.^  are  the 
other  species  in  this  group  worth  cultivating  ;  the 


latter  is  a  handsome  yellow-flowered  species  from 
California,  quite  hardy  in  dry  positions  and  a  free 
flowerer ;  very  rare  at  present. 

(E.  TRICHOCALTX.— This  is  one  of  the  prettiest 
of  garden  plants,  although  unfortunately  not  in 
general  cultivation.  It  forms  at  first  a  small  ro- 
sette of  deeply  notched,  woolly  leaves,  which,  in- 
creasing by  underground  stems,  form  dense  silvery 
carpets  in  one  season,  from  1  i  feet  to  2  feet  across. 
The  blooms,  which  are  pure  white, tinged  with  rose, 
are  produced  in  great  abundance,  and  they  are 
nearly  2  inches  in  diameter.  Flowers  in  July  to 
September,  and  promises  to  be  an  extremely  useful 
garden  plant,  never  attaining  more  than  4  inches 
or  5  inches  high.  We  think  this,  if  protected,  will 
prove  a  true  perennial,  although  reputed  an  annual, 
as  the  rosettes  die  down  or  back  in  the  same  way 
as  in  Androsace  sarmentosa.  Native  of  Sierra 
Nevada,  California,  and  Arizona. 

Biennial  Species. 
This  section  of  Evening  Primroses  includes  Qi]' 
biennis,  which  was  cultivated  by  Parkinson  as  early 
as  Kl.'iO,  It  is  very  common,  especially  in  the  north, 
where  few  cottars  are  without  it.  It  is  perhaps 
the  most  interesting  of  all,  especially  as  regards  its 
peculiar  mode  of  expansion.  The  petals  are  held 
together  at  the  top  by  hooks  attached  to  the  calyx, 
the  segments  of  which  separate  first  at  the  bottom, 
whereby  the  corolla  gains  sufficient  expansive 
power  to  unhook  itself.  When  this  takes  place 
the  whole  flower  opens  almost  instantaneously  to 


(Enothera  grandiflor.!  (flowers  yellow). 

a  certain  point,  and  then  gradually  spreads  out 
flat.  It  grows  generally  from  2  feet  to  5  feet  high 
and  has  erect  strongly-branched  stems  and  ob- 
long radical  leaves  of  a  light  soft  green.those  on  the 
stem  being  lanceolate,  hairy,  and  slightly  toothed. 
The  flowers,  which  are  numerous,  are  produced  all 
along  the  axillary  branches  as  well  as  on  the  termi- 
nal spike.  They  are  bright  yellow,  alioat  2  inches  in 
diameter,  and  faintly  fragrant.  It  makes  a  hand- 
some plant  for  woods  .and  wild  places,  where  it 
seeds  and  holds  its  own  in  a  remarkable  manner. 
It  flowers  from  June  until  late  in  autumn  and  is  a 
native  of  North  America.  QO.  Lamarckiana  is  larger 
than  the  above  and  a  first-rate  border  plant,  ffi. 
grandiflora  is  also  a  handsome  species,  not  unlike 
CE.  biennis,  but  it  has  larger  flowers. 

(F..  ODORATAisdwarferthananyof  the  above  and 
a  desirable  plant  for  borders,  where  its  deliciously 
scented  blooms  are  very  attractive  when  they  first 
open  in  the  evening.  It  grows  from  1  foot  to  2  feet 
in  height,  has  a  half  shrubby  habit,  and  long  nar- 
row undulated  or  curled  leaves,  flowers  yellow  on 
opening,  but  becoming  purple  as  they  fade.  They 
are  about  as  large  as  those  of  tE.  biennis,  and  are 
produced  in  succession  from  April  and  often 
until  August.  D.  K. 


Abies  grandis. — I  have  been  much  inte- 
rested in  noticing  the  rapid  growth  of  one  of  the 
Abies,  viz ,  A.  grandis.  Last  year's  shoot  was 
20  inches,  and  I  could  then  measure  it  from  the 
ground  ;  this  year's  shoot  is  quite  as  long,  and  the 
tree  is  II  feet  G  inches  from  the  ground,  so  it 
proves  that  it  gains  in  height  much  more  than  the 


Dec.  6,  1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


483 


summer  shoot,  and  I  would  advise  those  who  grow 
this  species  to  make  a  few  measurements,  which 
would  be  interesting  to  themselves  and  to  the 
readers  of  The  Garden,  and  I  may  say  that  a 
measuring  pole  of,  say,  15  feet  high,  with  the  feet 
marked,  will  be  found  useful  up  to  this  height. 
Trees  above  this  it  might  be  sometimes  necessary 
to  call  trigonometry  to  determine. — H.  Richakd- 
60K,   ( 'hirry  Bank,  IlJdvij. 


Fruit  garden. 


THE  BEST  PEARS. 

Now  that  we  are  in  the  midst  of  the  work  of 
planting  and  renovating  fruit  trees,  a  few  notes 
upon  the  merits  of  various  Pears  may  prove  of 
service  to  some,  at  least,  who  have  not  such  good 
opportunities  of  forming  an  opinion  of  their  own  as 
I  happen  to  have.  I  do  not  wish  it  to  be  thought 
that  all  the  sorts  I  shall  allude  to  are  at  this  time 
under  my  care,  but  all  information  I  shall  advance 
is  either  gleaned  from  present  or  past  experience, 
with  a  few  facts  furnished  me  by  most  trustworthy 
men.  According  to  my  ideas.  Pears  are  the  most 
valuable  hardy  fruit  we  have,  and  well  repay  for 
any  extra  pains  that  may  be  taken  with  them. 
Pyramidal  trees  under  certain  conditions  very 
frequently  produce  excellent  crops  of  fruit,  but, 
as  a  rule,  it  is  the  wall  trees  that  yield  much  the 
best  fruit,  and  these  especially  that  repay  for 
renewing  root-pruning  and  various  renovating 
measures  as  well  as  protection  in  the  shape  of 
blinds  or  mats  when  in  bloom.  So  much  do  I 
value  the  walls  for  Pear  culture,  that  I  would  go 
the  length  of  destro}'ing  many  Peach,  Nectarine, 
and  Apricot  trees  that  in  many  positions  are  fre- 
quently failing,  and  would  devote  the  space  they 
occupied,  and  which  is  always  the  best  in  the 
garden,  to  Pear  trees.  The  season  of  Peaches 
and  Nectarines  is  a  short  one,  but  with  Pears  the 
case  is  very  different,  as  it  is  quite  possible  to  have 
these  in  good  condition  from  August  to  April. 
Not  a  little,  however,  depends  upon  a  suitable 
selection  being  made  to  assist  in  this,  and  it  is 
this  object  that  I  have  in  view.  If  asked  to  state 
which  I  considered  the  best  flavoured  Pear  in  cul- 
tivation, I  should  decide  in  favour  of  Winter  Nelis, 
but  unfortunately  this  is  one  of  the  smallest  sorts 
we  have,  and  small  Pears,  like  many  other  small 
fruits,  do  not  find  much  favour  now-a-days.  As  it 
happens  there  are  plenty  of  fine  sorts  that  are  also 
very  good  in  quality,  and  it  is  of  large  sorts  that  I 
will  first  speak,  taking  them  somewhat  in  theirorder 
of  ripening.  The  Jargonelle  is  a  general  favourite, 
and  it  is  a  most  delicious  early  variety.  Tliis 
season,  though  not  at  all  plentiful,  many  of  the 
fruit  have  been  exceptionally  fine,  it  is  very 
difficult  to  grow  as  a  pyramid,  owing  to  the  habit 
it  has  of  forming  only  a  few  extra  strong  pendu- 
lous branches,  and  fhese  same  branches  are  also 
liable  to  be  blown  off  standard  trees.  Fan  train- 
ing, a  warm  wall,  and  occasional  root-prunings 
best  suit  this  style  of  tree. 

Beuure  de  l'Assomption  is  a  remarkably  fine 
early  sort,  ripening  late  in  August  and  of  the 
very  best  quality,  but  does  not  keep  long.  I  have 
seen  and  had  it  equally  good  on  cordon,  pyramid, 
and  wall-trained  trees  and  on  the  Pear  and  Quince 
stocks.  It  is  not  advisable  to  grow  many  of  this 
sort,  but  at  least  one  tree  of  it  should  be  included 
in  every  collection.  Souvenir  du  Congres  very 
much  resembles  Williams'  Bon  Chretien,  and  those 
who  happen  to  be  fortunate  enough  to  have  the 
latter  in  good  condition  may  well  be  satisfied  with 
it.  We  have  the  Bon  Chrutien  in  three  different 
sites,  and  this  affords  a  long  succession  of  this 
delicious,  but  bad-keeping  variety.  The  finest 
fruit  I  have  yet  seen  of  it  were  grown  on  an  old 
standard  tree  in  Kent ;  plenty  of  them  weighed 
one  pound,  and  were,  as  may  be  imagined,  of  de- 
licious quality.  Beurre  d'Amanlis  with  us  gene- 
rally bears  well  either  as  a  pyramid,  cordon,  or 
espalier,  ripening  late  in  September,  and  the  fairly 
large  and  not  very  tempting-looking  fruit  are  of 
excellent  quality.  Grown  on  some  soils  the  quality 
is  poor,  and  I  have  never  yet  tasted  it  good  from 


an  east  wall.  Beurro  Superfin  is  a  great  favourite 
with  me.  It  is  a  free  grower  without  approaching 
grossness,  and  can  easily  be  formed  into  a  par- 
ticularly handsome  pyramid,  but  the  fruit  are 
considerably  finer  on  the  wall  trees.  It  seldom 
fails  to  bear  well,  and  when  ripe,  late  in  Septem- 
ber, the  fruit  are  most  delicious,  having  the  firm 
buttery-like  consistency  of  a  Glou  Morceau  with 
the  briskness  of  a  Louise  Bonne  of  Jersey.  No  col- 
lection can  be  complete  without  it. 

Doyenne  Boussoch  is  a  grand-looking  sort 
and  seldom  fails  to  bear  well.  Our  only  tree  is  an 
obliquely-trained  triple  cordon,  and  as  far  as 
weight  of  crop  is  concerned  is  the  most  profitable 
tree  we  have.  The  fruit  must  be  eaten  in  about 
three  days  after  they  are  gathered,  or  otherwise 
they  soon  become  mealy  and  worthless.  It  ripens 
early  in  October,  but  is  scarcely  to  be  commended 
unless  the  grower  happens  to  be  an  admirer  of 
fruit  more  for  their  fine  appearance  when  growing 
than  for  their  good  quality.  Beurre  Hardy, 
though  seldom  attaining  a  large  size,  is  yet  a 
valuable  sort.  It  is  free  growing,  and  can  soon 
be  formed  into  handsome  horizontally  or  pyra- 
midally trained  trees,  is  a  good  bearer,  ripens  late 
in  October,  keeps  fairly  well,  and  is  of  excellent 
quality.  Brown  Beurre,  another  October  Pear,  I 
have  seen  particularly  good  in  every  respect  when 
given  the  benefit  of  the  shelter  of  a  west  wall, 
but  have  never  met  with  it  really  good  on  any 
other  site  or  as  a  pyramid.  The  quality  of  well- 
grown  fruit  is  very  good,  and  it  may  well  be  given 
a  trial  where  variety  is  preferred. 

Louise  Bonne  of  Jersey  I  consider  the  most 
handsome  Pear  grown,  and  still  one  of  the  very 
best  sorts  we  have.  It  is  perfectly  distinct  in 
every  respect,  forms  a  handsome  pyramid,  and 
on  the  walls  appears  to  do  well,  whether  the  posi- 
tion be  hot  or  cold.  It  is  a  prolific  variety,  and  if 
properly  thinned  out  will  grow  to  a  good  size  ; 
colours  up  beautifully,  and  when  ripe  about  the 
middle  and  the  end  of  October  is  peculiarly  dis- 
tinct and  of  good  quality.  So  also  is  the  good  old 
Bishop's  Thumb,  and  in  addition  it  is  a  better 
keeper,  though  as  far  as  appearance  goes  it  has 
not  much  to  recommend  it.  I  have  never  yet 
seen  a  young  tree  of  this  variety,  but  a  very  old 
tree  seldom  fails  to  bear  well,  and  we  like  it  suffi- 
ciently well  to  graft  a  standard  tree  of  an  inferior 
sort  with  it. 

It  may  be  thought  that  I  have  enumerated 
enough  October  Pears,  but  JIarie  Louise  d'Uccle 
does  so  well  as  a  pyramid,  and  which  cannot 
always  be  said  Marie  Louise,  that  I  should  strongly 
advise  lovers  of  pyramid  trees  to  give  it  a  trial. 
It  is  a  good  cropper  and  of  excellent  quality. 
Marie  Louise  is  everybody's  Pear,  and  a  better  sort 
it  would  be  difficult  to  point  out.  In  Sussex  I 
have  gathered  it  in  good  condition  from  a  north 
wall,  and  here  we  usually  have  it  good  from  trees 
on  a  wall  with  a  north-east  aspect.  By  planting 
in  different  aspects  it  is  possible  to  have  fruit  fit 
for  table  from  the  middle  of  October  till  near  the 
end  of  November,  but  not  this  and  similar  seasons 
when  so  many  sorts  are  either  very  scarce  or  ripen 
much  earlier  than  usual.  Doyenne  du  Comice  is 
a  good  companion  for  the  Marie  Louise,  as  it 
ripens  and  lasts  about  the  same  time,  and  is 
distinct,  though  equally  good  in  quality — at  least, 
in  some  people's  estimation.  A  friend  of  mine 
has  remarkably  handsome  pyramids  of  it,  and 
seldom  fails  to  secure  a  crop. 

Gansel's  Beboamot,  though  extensively 
grown,  is  scarcely  worthy  of  it.  We  have  it  on  a 
west  wall,  and  also  on  a  rather  colder  site,  but  in 
neither  does  it  do  well,  and  the  fruit,  though 
fairly  large,  is  gritty  and  poor  in  quality.  Beurre 
Diel  is  grown  in  nearly  every  garden,  and 
deservedly  so,  as  it  is  very  hardy,  may  be  grown 
in  any  form,  seldom  fails  to  bear  well,  and  the 
fruit,  which  are  fairly  large,  are  usually  of  good 
quality.  Undersized  fruit  are  oftentimes  unfit  to 
eat,  and  thinning  the  fruit  should  be  resorted  to 
pretty  freely.  Beurre  Boso,  which  ripens  about 
the  same  time,  is  not  so  robust,  and  this,  too,  is 
apt  to  be  gritty  and  rather  poor  in  quality. 
Thompson's  I  have  seen  much  of,  and  both  as  re- 
gards appearance  and  quality  of  the  fruit  should 


say  it  closely  resembles  Urbaniste.  The  latter 
forms  an  excellent  pyramid,  but  I  am  only  ac- 
quainted with  one  place  where  it  is  grown,  and  in 
this  case  it  is  much  appreciated.  It  is  not  a  large 
sort,  but  is  certainly  much  superior  to  several  other 
sorts  that  are  extensively  grown.  Marfichal  de  la 
Cour  is  a  grand  sort ;  the  tree  possesses  a  good  con- 
stitution, and  does  well  either  as  a  cordon,  pyra- 
mid, or  wall  tree.  It  is  a  good  bearer ;  the  fruit 
are  extra  large,  ripen  early  in  November,  some- 
times earlier,  and  are  of  excellent  quality.  What 
applies  to  this  variety  applies  equally  well  to 
Van  Mons  Leon  Leclerc,  with  this  difference  only 
tliat  this  grand  sort  ripens  rather  later.  Pitmas- 
ton  Duchess  again  is  another  remarkably  fine 
variety,  the  fruit  sometimes  attaining  a  weight  of 
one  pound  and  upwards,  the  quality  being  first 
class.  This  may  be  said  to  be  a  November  Pear, 
and  should  be  extensively  planted,  as  it  succeeds 
nearly  everywhere  and  in  any  fcrm  or  position. 
It  is  perfectly  distinct  from  the  better-known  and 
certainly  much  inferior  Dachesse  d'Angouleme, 
and  if  it  does  not  actually  replace  the  latter,  it 
ought  to  receive  the  preference.  Duchesse  d'An- 
gouleme forms  a  good  pyramid,  and  seldom  fails 
to  produce  good  crops  of  very  fine  fruit,  which, 
however,  are  not  of  good  quality,  being  coarse  in 
texture. 

Eeuebe  Claieoeau,  if  given  a  good  west  wall, 
will  generally  bear  well,  and  its  very  fine  fruits 
colour  prettily,  and  are  of  fairly  good  quality. 
This  season  the  quality  is  better  than  usual.  With 
us  it  is  usually  in  .season  during  November. 
Haoon's  Incomparable  is  a  very  serviceable  variety, 
and  not  so  much  grown  as  it  deserves  to  be.  I 
have  seen  very  fine  trees  of  it  in  several  Berkshire 
gardens,  and  it  seldom  fails  to  bear  well.  It 
makes  a  good  orchard  tree  and  a  fairly  good  pyra- 
mid. The  fruit  is  of  medium  size,  though  this 
year  it  is  .above  medium  size,  and  it  is  good  during 
November  and  December.  Huyshe's  Prince  Con- 
sort does  not  attain  its  full  size  with  us,  but  it  is 
valued  nevertheless,  as,  like  other  varieties  raised 
by  Mr.  Huyshe,  it  is  of  good  habit  and  quality, 
and  seldom  fails  to  bear  well.  With  us  it  ripens 
by  the  middle  of  November,  and  keeps  good  for 
some  time.  Like  Huyshe's  Victoria,  which  ripens 
a  month  later,  it  is  a  good  firm-eating  Pear,  and 
both  do  well  as  pyramids. 

Gloi;  Morceau  is  too  well  known  to  need 
many  eulogistic  remarks  from  me.  It  is  rarely 
good  on  a  pyramid,  but  on  walls  the  trees  seldom 
fail  to  bear  well,  and  the  fruit  are  of  good  size  and 
excellent  in  quality.  It  is  one  of  the  "  buttery  " 
Pears,  and  keeps  good  till  the  end  of  December. 
It  is  ripening  earlier  than  usual  this  season,  and 
with  us  was  in  use  by  the  middle  of  November. 
General  Todleben  is  a  very  large  sort,  and  forms 
an  excellent  pyramid,  but  the  quality  is  best  from 
wall  trees.  It  bears  well,  ripens  in  December 
and  January,  and  sometimes,  but  not  always,  is 
of  very  good  quality.  The  flesh  has  a  rosy  tinge, 
and  is  very  different  from  any  other  sort  I  am  ac- 
quainted with.  Beurre  Bachelier  must  also  be 
classed  as  a  very  fine  sort,  and  the  fruit, 
which  ripen  e.arly  in  December,  are  firm  and  good 
in  quality.  I  have  not  seen  a  good  pyramid  of 
this  variety ;  the  finest  fruit,  and  which  weighed 
one  pound  each,  I  have  yet  handled  were  gathered 
from  a  young  wall  tree  growing  on  a  west  aspect. 
Lovers  of  fine  sorts  should  grow  Beurre  Bachelier. 
Beurre  R.ance  is,  perhaps,  the  most  valuable 
late  I'ear  we  have.  It  succeeds  almost  under  any 
kind  of  treatment  or  method  of  training,  and  I 
have  seen  ve^y  heavy  crops  on  orchard  trees.  Its 
season  is  said  to  be  from  February  to  Jlay,  but  it 
too  often  ripens  earlier,  and,  as  a  rule,  may  be  said 
to  be  fit  for  use  from  late  in  December  till  March. 
Easter  Beurrfi  is  another  general  favourite,  and  on 
the  wall  trees  especially  it  seldom  fails  to  bear 
heavily.  I  do  not  think  highly  of  its  quality,  but 
it  is  available  when  Pears  are  usually  rather  scarce 
—viz.,  from  January  to  March.  There  are  several 
good 

Smaller  sorts  of  Pears,  and  to  these  I  will 
allude  as  briefly  as  possible.  Citron  des  Carmes, 
a  small  green-skinned  sort,  and  one  of  the  first  to 
ripen,  is    a  good  bearer,  and  for  a  short  time 


484 


THE     GARDEN 


[Dec.  6,   1884. 


fairly  good  in  quality.  Comte  de  Lamy  is  well 
adapted  for  growing  either  as  a  standard  or 
pyramid,  bears  well,  and  ripens  about  the  middle 
of  October.  The  fruit  are  rather  small,  but  very 
good  in  quality.  Jersey  Gratioli  also  does  well  as 
a  pyramid,  crops  well,  and  the  medium-sized  fruit, 
as  a  rule,  are  very  good  in  quality.  Passe  Colmar 
I  have  only  on  walls  ;  it  is  a  good  bearer,  and  the 
fruit,  medium  in  size,  are  very  delicious  in 
November  and  sometimes  later.  Althorp  Crassane 
does  well  in  the  open,  and  some  of  the  best  and 
most  prolific  pyramids  I  have  yet  seen  are  of  this 
variety.  In  this  same  garden  none  but  the 
hardiest  sorts  and  those  on  the  Pear  stock  would 
thrive.  The  fruit  of  Althorp  Crassane  are  rather 
small,  but  they  are  good  in  quality,  and  frequently 
available  from  October  to  the  middle  of  December. 
Napoleon  In  some  gardens  grows  to  a  fairly  large 
size,  but,  as  a  rule,  it  is  rather  small.  I  have  only 
seen  it  against  walls,  and  on  our  cold  soil  it  is  a 
failure.  The  smooth  green  fruit  are  very  distinct 
and  fairly  good  in  quality;  in  season  during 
November.  Beurre  d'Aremberg  is  decidedly 
valuable,  especially  for  open  ground  culture. 
It  makes  a  good  pyramid,  and  rarely  fails  to 
bear  well.  The  fruit  are  rather  small,  but 
are  very  good  at  Ohristmas  and  sometimes  later. 
Winter  Nelis  is  best  grown  against  walls  and  on 
the  Pear  stock.  It  seldom  fails  to  bear  well,  but 
of  late  years  it  appears  to  have  changed  its  season, 
as,  instead  of  being  a  midwi  nter  variety,  it  is 
now  generally  fit  for  use  not  later  than  November. 
Knight's  Monarch  is  a  profitable  late  sort  and  bears 
well  under  any  treatment.  It  is  a  good  midwinter 
sort,  but  as  a  rule  is  rather  small.  Bergamotte 
d'Esperen  I  consider  the  best  small  late  sort  we 
have.  It  makes  a  good  pyramid,  is  very  hardy 
and  prolific,  and  is  fit  for  use  during  February 
and  March  and  sometimes  still  later.  Ne  Plus 
Meuris  is  a  remarkably  hardy  sort,  and  ought  per- 
haps to  be  classed  as  a  large  sort,  as  unless  the 
fruits  are  of  good  size  there  is  little  besides  core  in 
them.  The  fruit  requires  to  be  freely  thinned, 
especially  the  large  clusters  that  frequently  form. 
Its  long  keeping  is  its  best  property  with  us,  but 
I  have  tasted  fruit  of  it  that  have  been  of  excel- 
lent quality.  W.  I.  M. 

WINTER  DRESSING  FRUIT  TREES. 
Now  is  a  good  time  to  undertake  this  important 
operation,  not  only  because  there  is  usually  more 
leisure  time  for  such  work  early  in  winter  than  at 
any  other  time,  but  because  it  mild  weather  pre- 
vails the  buds  get  excited  and  begin  to  swell  up 
directly  the  shortest  day  is  over, and  then  the  risk 
of  injury  is  greatly  increased,  for  any  kind  of 
dressing  sufficiently  strong  to  kill  insects,  though 
safe  while  the  buds  are  dormant,  may  cause  them 
to  drop  off  when  ready  to  burst,  or  imperil  their 
vitality.  When  frosty  weather  prevails  advantage 
should  be  taken  of  it  to  push  on  this  work.  I  am 
frequently  called  on  by  owners  of  orchards  to 
examine  their  trees  and  tell  them  why  they  fail 
to  carry  good  crops.  In  many  cases  I  find  the 
bark  completely  covered  with  scale  fixed  so 
tightly  as  to  appear  like  part  of  the  trees,  and 
their  owners  can  hardly  comprehend  how  such 
harmless-looking  mites  can  possibly  throw  trees 
into  ill  health;  but  when  it  is  considered  that 
their  very  life  is  being  slowly  sucked  out  of  them 
by  these  apparently  insignificant  insects  it  will  be 
readily  understood  that  trees  cannot  possibly  thrive. 
For  scale,  American  blight,  or,  in  fact,  any  of  the 
insect  pests  that  attach  themselves  to  the  bark 
or  remain  in  crevices  during  winter,  I  find  soap- 
suds syringed  over  the  trees  in  frosty  weather 
one  of  the  best  of  old-fashioned  remedies,  and  one 
that  costs  little  beyond  the  labour  of  applying  it ; 
but  for  thoroughly  clearing  trees,  not  only  of 
insect,  but  parasitic  plant  growths,  nothing  is 
equal  to  parartin  oil  mixed  at  the  rate  of  half  a 
pmt  to  a  gallon  of  water.  This  will  clear  off 
msects,  Moss,  and  Lichens,  and  leave  the  bark 
clear  and  shining— a  proof  of  good  health.  The 
only  diflioulty  in  applying  paraffin  is  to  get  it 
thoroughly  mixed  with  the  water.  I  find  it  best 
to  use  warm  water  at  from  SO-^  to  90°,  with  a 
little  soft  soap  in  it  worked    up  to  a  froth  by 


stirring  it  sharply ;  then  add  the  paraffin,  and 
apply  it  with  a  syringe  or  garden  engine,  so  as  to 
wet  every  branch  and  spray  affected.  As  a  rule, 
the  young  wood  is  pretty  clear  from  such  pests, 
and  by  operating  every  winter  on  the  main 
branches  of  any  tree  badly  affected,  the  worst 
cases  will  soon  be  overcome,  for  as  the  trees 
regain  healthy  vigour  they  are  enabled  naturally 
to  divest  themselves  of  these  troublesome  pests. 
A  dressing  of  limewash  on  the  stem  and  branches 
of  standard  trees  will  destroy  Moss  and  Lichen, 
and  some  fine  powdered  lime  dusted  over  the 
twigs  on  a  calm,  damp  day  will  clean  the  young 
growths  ;  thus  by  a  little  timely  attention  many 
an  apparently  worn-out  orchard  may  be  restored 
to  health  and  vigour.  J.  Groom. 

Goqmrt. 

EXPERIMENTS  IN  VINE  CULTURE. 
With  a  view  to  test  the  theory  that  white  Grapes 
should  not  be  used  as  a  stock  for  black  ones,  I,  a 
few  years  ago,  inarched  Mrs.  Pince  on  Foster's 
Seedling  and  another  on  a  Black  Hamburgh,  with 
the  result  that  there  was  no  difference  between 
the  two  either  as  regards  size  or  shape  of  the 
bunch  or  colour.  From  what  I  had  read  I  expected 
to  see  the  rod  which  was  worked  on  the  white  Grape 
produce  very  indifferently  coloured  berries,  because 
it  is  an  accepted  theory  that  the  stock  would  influ- 
ence the  scion  to  such  an  extent  as  to  change  its 
character,  but  such  is  not  my  experience. 

Horizontal  training  of  the  old  rods  I  do  not  re- 
commend when  it  can  be  avoided ;  not  that  the 
Vines  do  not  grow  and  fruit  as  well,  but  because 
there  is  considerable  danger  of  breaking  off  the 
young  lateral  growths  when  getting  them  down 
into  their  places.  The  growth  on  the  upper  side 
of  the  rods  may  be  readily  dealt  with,  but  very 
great  care  is  necessary  in  dealing  with  that  on  the 
lower  side.  We  find  it  necessary  to  allow  the 
shoots  to  extend  until  they  get  2  feet  long,  as  by 
that  time  they  get  harder,  and  do  not  break  off  at 
their  base  so  readily  as  when  younger.  In  any 
case,  they  must  be  brought  down  a  little  at  a  time 
until  finally  fixed  where  they  are  wanted.  It 
should  be  remembered  that  every  shoot  broken  off 
is  not  only  the  loss  of  a  bunch  of  Grapes  that  year, 
but  the  loss  of  the  spur  altogether.  To  avoid  the 
latter  contingency,  none  of  the  other  shoots  should 
be  removed  from  the  spur  until  it  is  quite  clear 
that  the  one  which  is  to  remain  is  reliable  ;  that 
point  settled,  no  time  should  be  lost  in  removing 
the  others. 

Double-rooled  Vines  I  find  to  be  no  gain.  This 
matter  has  been  well  tested  here  in  a  large  house 
in  which  three  Vines  are  growing  and  trained 
horizontally.  They  are  planted  at  one  end,  and 
the  tops  are  brought  down  on  the  other  side  and 
rooted  in  the  border  there.  So  far  as  I  can  see, 
we  have  not  been  benefited  to  the  extent  of  an 
additional  pound  of  Grapes,  although  they  have 
had  the  benefit  of  two  sets  of  roots  for  these  past 
five  years. 

Growing  pot  Vines  in  leaf  soil  only  has  been  a 
hobby  of  mine.  I  potted  two  plants  in  16-inch 
pots,  and  fruited  them  the  next  year.  I  found 
the  first  year  that  I  got  very  short-jointed  growth, 
but  very  small  canes;  the  next  year  every  bud 
produced  a  bunch,  but  it  was  weak,  and  conse- 
quently the  bunches  were  small.  The  only  satis- 
factory point  about  the  experiment  was  that 
the  berries  coloured  well  and  the  flavour  was 
excellent,  but  the  quantity  of  water  which  the 
plants  required  was  considerably  more  than  when 
Vines  are  grown  in  a  heavier  compost.  For  dinner- 
table  decoration  I  made  several  attempts  to  induce 
Vines  to  make  all  their  growth  on  wire  frames,  on 
which  they  were  to  be  sent  to  table,  but  I 
signally  failed.  I  found  that  the  only  satisfactory 
way  was  to  grow  them  on  vertical  wires,  or 
stretched  under  thereof  of  the  house  as  permanent 
Vines  are  grown,  and  when  ripe  to  fix  them  care- 
fully on  the  wires.  j.  c.  C. 

5282.— Select  Peaches.— Allow  me  to  re- 
commend your  correspondent  (p.  450)  the  follow- 
ing as  the  best  varieties  for  the  respective  seasons 


and  purposes  he  mentions—  Six  best  early  varieties 
suitable  for  pot  culture :  Early  Louise,  Early 
Grosse  Mignonne,  Hale's  Early,  Early  Rivers, 
Early  Alfred,  and  Dr.  Hogg.  Six  best  early  varie- 
ties for  outdoor  culture  :  Early  Beatrice,  Early 
Louise,  Hale's  Early,  Grosse  Mignonne,  Dr.  Hogg, 
and  Noblesse.  Six  best  mid-season  varieties  for 
outdoor  culture  :  Royal  George,  Stirling  Castle, 
Barrington,  Belle  Ceauce,  Crimson  Galande,  and 
Bellegarde.  Six  best  late  varieties  for  outdoor 
culture ;  Prince  of  Wales,  Violette  Hative,  Late 
Admirable,|LordPalmerston,Walburton  Admirable, 
and  Salway.  From  these  lists  the  following  may 
be  selected  as  the  very  best  varieties,  viz. :  Hale's 
Early,  Dr.  Hogg,  Grosse  Mignonne,  Stirling  Castle, 
Noblesse,  Bellegarde,  Prince  of  Wales,  and  War- 
burton  Admirable. — W.  C.  T. 

Apples  at  Sherborne  Castle.— Mr.  Prag- 
nell,  the  well-known  gardener  at  Sherborne  Castle, 
is  an  enthusiastic  and  experienced  pomologist, 
and,  among  other  matters,  has  succeeded  in  form- 
ing a  good  collection  of  Apples.  They  are  grown 
principally  as  cordons,  and  very  rarely  does  he 
fail  to  secure  good  crops  of  fine  fruit.  A  list  of 
the  sorts  which  he  has  found  to  be  the  most  pro- 
lific this  season,  all  of  which  are  considered  valu- 
able, especially  for  storing,  should  be  instructive. 
Among  dessert  varieties  the  best  are  Robinson's 
Pearmain,  Lord  Burghley,  Cornish  Aromatic, 
Coxs  Orange  Pippin,  Adam's  Pearmain,  Loan's 
Pearmain,  Claygate  Pearmain,  Fearn's  Pippin, 
Dutch  Mignonne,  Brickley  Seedling,  and  Egre- 
mont  Russet;  while  good  culinary  sorts  are  Golden 
Noble,  Beauty  of  Kent,  Cox's  Pomona,  Annie 
Elizabeth,  Warner's  King,  Lemon  Pippin,  Winter 
Majetin,  Alfriston,  Devonshire  Buckland,  Lady 
Henniker,  and  Dredge's  Fame,  the  last  three  being 
also  available  for  dessert. — W.  I.  M. 

Pine  growing  at  Castle  Hill.  -There  is 
here  such  a  magnificent  display  of  Pines,  that  a 
few  notes  on  their  culture  may  be  useful.  The 
house  in  which  they  are  grown  is  a  semi-span 
160  feet  long,  and  is  divided  into  five  divisions. 
With  the  exception  of  the  roof,  it  is  double  glazed 
all  round  ;  this,  of  course,  is  to  keep  draughts  of 
cold  air  from  rushing  in  and  to  prevent  the  hot 
air  from  escaping.  There  are  ten  rows  of  pipes, 
four  of  which  are  used  for  bottom-heat.  The 
pots  stand  on  stone  slabs,  which  rest  on  hot-air 
chambers,  and  packed  around  them  is  tan  to  a 
depth  of  14  inches.  The  average  temperature  is 
80°  at  night,  95°  by  day  ;  the  bottom-heat  ranges 
from  75°  to  80°,  but  is  lowered  in  winter.  Great 
stress  is  laid  on  the  matter  of  watering,  particu- 
larly as  regards  the  temperature  of  the  water, 
every  pot  of  which  is  tested  with  a  thermometer  ; 
the  water  is  first  boiled  and  then  cooled  to  the 
required  temperature.  Too  much  moisture  is 
studiously  avoided.  In  summer  the  plants  are 
watered  once  a  fortnight,  in  winter  hardly  at  all. 
From  this  non-pampering  treatment,  they  are 
sturdy  and  not  drawn  up.  The  manure  used  is 
deer  droppings,  which  are  kept  for  a  month  or  six 
weeks  before  being  used.  Finally,  air  is  only 
given  when  the  temperature  is  95°.  The  Smooth 
Cayennes  average  over  7  pounds,  and  one  I  saw, 
which  was  afterwards  exhibited,  weighed  9  pounds 
10  ounces,  and  there  was  a  very  strong  sucker  on 
the  same  plant.  As  regards  propagation,  a  wooden 
box  is  filled  with  3  inches  of  soil ;  in  it  is  laid 
horizontally  a  sucker,  and  another  3  inches  of  soil 
is  then  added.  The  leaves  being  cut  off,  fresh 
suckers  burst  from  the  joints,  and  in  some  instances 
as  many  as  seven  can  be  obtained  from  this  one 
sucker.  These  are  then  twisted  out,  potted,  and 
plunged  in  sawdust,  not  tan.— C.  A.  M.  C. 

Apples  worth  growing.— I  find  that  in 
my  remarks  the  other  day  under  this  head  I 
wrongly  described  the  Apple  Flower  of  Kent,  and 
should  have  corrected  my  mistake,  even  had  not 
"C.  A.  M.  C. "  called  attention  to  it.  There  appears 
to  be  much  confusion  existing  in  Apple  nomencla- 
ture in  this  and  adjoining  districts,  especially  with 
regard  to  the  Kentish  Apples.  What  we  have  for 
the  Flower  of  Kent,  and  which  is  also  grown  under 
the  same  name  in  the  Bristol  district,  is  probably 
Kentish  Pippin  or  else  an  inferior  form  of  Blen- 
heim Pippin.     At  four  important  fruit  shows  this 


Dec.  6.    1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


485 


season  1  have  seen  Kentish  Fillbasket,  Beauty  of 
Kent,  and  Flower  of  Kent  shown  in  grand  condi- 
tion, but  which  were  rightly  and  which  were 
wrongly  named  1  have  not  had  sufficient  experi- 
ence to  determine.  It  is  my  belief  that  much  of 
the  confusion  now  existing:  as  regards  nomencla- 
ture is  entirely  due  either  to  the  carelessness  or 


I  distributed,  and  not  a  few  disappointments  have 

I  been  the  consequence. — W.  I.  M. 

A  few  words  about  Apples  and  Pears. 
— That  King  of  the  Pippins  should  head  the  list 
of  dessert  Apples  in  the  Chiswick  Conference  Re- 
port seems  to  me  preposterous,  and  shows  that  our 
knowledge  of  fruit  must  after  all  be  but  limited. 


Beurr^  Ranceis  put  in  air-tight  drawers  it  is  invari- 
ably edible.  And  if  some  of  the  later  varieties 
were  treated  in  the  same  way,  or  put  in  air-tight 
boxes  in  the  stove  ere  shrivelling  commenced, 
growers  would  not  always  be  barking  up  the  wrong 
tree.  Since  writing  the  note  on  Grenadier,  I  have 
j  seen  that  it  was  certificated  by  the  Apple  Con- 


recklessness  of  the  nurserymen  who  supply  the 
trees.  If  they  cannot  supply  the  sort  ordered, 
they  often  send  another  in  its  place.  This  may 
appear  an  extravagant  assertion ;  but  if  a  well 
known  and  much  respected  nurseryman  substi- 
tutes a  tree  of  Alexandra  Noblesse  for  Early  Alex- 
ander I'eacb,  what  am  I  to  think  /  I  ordered  two 
trees  of  Early  Alexander  when  that  variety  was 
rather  scarce,  but  only  got  one  and  the  Noblesse. 
Apples  and  Pears  have  been  equally  carelessly 


Gardeners,  too,  take  little  pains  to  extend  it.  I 
remember  once  trying  to  persuade  a  well-known 
grower,  who  had  at  his  command  every  facility, 
to  test  some  of  the  very  late  varieties  of  Pears 
enumerated  in  Leroy.  Not  he ;  he  had  tried  Bezi 
Mai,  Beurre  de  Bolwiller,  and  Directeur  Alphand ; 
they  had  never  ripened,  and  had  stood  on  the 
shelves  stony  and  shrivelled  until  Pears  had  come 
again.  But  is  it  fair  to  treat  March  and  April  j 
Pears  in  the  same  way  as  Christmas  ones?    If  | 


I  ference.  Court  of  Wick  in  the  conference  re- 
port is  branded  with  being  too  small,  but  if 
grown  on  the  cordon  system  it  very  often  attains 
to  what  is  known  as  "  below  medium  size.'  The 
finest  Ribstons  can  likewise  be  grown  on  cordons, 
and  the  trees  seem  to  be  cankerless.  A  third  good 
cordon  Apple  is  Jonathan.  It  has  none  of  the  out- 
side appearance  of  a  dessert  Apple,  but  in  April  it 
is  soft-fleshed  and  luscious.  Stirling  Castle  on 
the   Paradise,  like   Bonne  Louise   Pear   on   the 


486 


THE    GARDEN 


[Dec.  6,  1884. 


Qaince,  is  apt  to  bear  itsel£  to  death.  Small's 
Admirable,  a  stronger  grower  on  the  same  stock, 
is  quite  as  good  in  qaality  and  almost  as  prolific. 
One  of  the  most  prolific  Apples,  particularly  on 
the  Paradise,  is  a  French  kind  named  Jacqnes 
Lebel.  In  Scott's  "  Orchardist "  this  variety  is 
unstintingly  praised,  and  every  word  said  of  it 
there  is  true,  yet  I  do  not  suppose  more  than  twenty 
people  know  it. — C.  A.  M.  (J. 


SEASONABLE   WORK. 


FLOWER  GARDEN. 
Pleasure  grounds.— All  recently  planted 
ornamental  trees  and  shrubs  should  be  examined 
to  see  that  they  are  properly  staked  and  tied  to 
prevent  wind-waving  ;  a  good  mulching  will  also 
be  useful  to  heep  out  frost.  Make  preparations 
for  screening  and  protecting  tender,  half-hardy 
evergreen  trees  and  shrubs  during  a  time  of  severe 
frost.  Collect  and  remove  leaves,  branches,  and 
rubbish  of  every  kind  from  the  lawn  and  pleasure- 
grounds  in  order  to  render  them  neat  and  tidy 
during  winter.  In  places  where  the  lawn  is  get- 
ting covered  with  Sloss,  a  good  top-dressing  of 
lime  and  earth  mixed  and  properly  blended  to- 
gether will  be  useful  in  eradicating  the  latter  and 
rendering  the  Grass  more  close  and  green.  Clean 
all  shrubberies  and  beds  exposed  to  view  from  the 
principal  walks,  and  in  places  where  it  is  desirable 
to  extend  game  covert,  take  advantage  of  the  pre- 
sent open  weather  to  peg  down  Laurels,  Rhodo- 
dendrons, and  other  shrubs  for  that  purpose.  In 
the  formation  of  new  walks  use  plenty  of 
stones,  brickbats,  or  other  rough  material  for 
bottoming,  so  that  when  finished  they  may  be 
dry  and  firm.  In  laying  down  turf  edgings,  let 
the  turf  when  finished  be  about  1  inch  higher 
than  the  gravel  at  the  sides,  but  the  latter  at  the 
centre  of  the  walk  should  be  on  a  level  with  the 
Grass  margin.  This  would  give  a  declivity  of  1 
inch  from  the  centre  to  the  sides  both  ways. 


FLORAL  DECORATIONS. 
Orchids  in  goodly  numbers,  as  regards  various 
species  and  varieties,  may  now  be  turned  to  good 
account  in  different  ways  for  the  decoration  of  the 
dinner  table  and  drawing-room.  In  a  cut  state, 
effective  arrangements  may  be  made  with  a  few 
spikes  each  of  Calanthe  Veitchi  and  vestita,  se- 
lecting a  trumpet-shaped  vase  of  medium  height, 
so  that  the  well-developad  spikes  of  these  beauti- 
ful autumnal  Orchids  can  be  displayed  to  good 
advantage.  Those  spikes  should  be  chosen  that 
have  but  a  few  remaining  buds  to  expand,  as  by 
so  doing  no  needless  sacrifice  of  flowers  need  be 
made.  Of  foliage  to  associate  with  these  the  fol- 
lowing will  harmonise  well,  viz.,  a  few  heads  of 
Cyperas  alternifolius  of  different  sizes,  or  a  shoot 
or  two  of  Pandanus  graminifolius,  or  a  few 
small  leaves  of  Eucharis  amazonica  might  be  used 
with  advantage  in  lieu  of  either  of  the  afore- 
named, or,  failing  a  supply  of  Eucharis,  Ferns 
might  be  used,  the  best,  perhaps,  for  the  purpose 
being  the  pendent  fronds  of  the  Goniophlebiums 
or  Nephrolepis,  some  sorts  of  Davallias,  as  D.  ele- 
gans,  dissecta,  or  Tyermanni.  A  few  fronds  of  the 
Maiden-hair  might  also  be  added,  but  would  not 
be  in  themselves  of  a  sufficiently  bold  character  to 
rely  upon  entirely.  Single  flowers  of  Cattleyas 
or  L.-elias  in  specimen  glasses  for  the  dinner- 
table  cannot  be  easily  excelled.  As  a  back- 
ing to  these  handsome  exotics,  one  Davallia 
and  two  or  three  medium-sized  fronds  of  Maiden- 
hair would  be  the  best  selection.  Cypripedium 
insigne  and  Sedeni  may  now  be  had  in  good  con- 
dition. The  first-named  can  be  cut  with  a  good 
length  of  stem.  About  three  flowers  placed  in  a 
small  upright  vase  with  a  few  durable  Fern  fronds 
will  last  many  days  in  good  condition.  The  some- 
what perpetual  character  of  C.  Sedtni  in  develop- 
ing so  many  flowers  from  the  same  spike  for 
months  in  succession  causes  one  to  avoid  cutting 
any  length  of  stem  in  the  case  of  this  Lady's 
Slipper.  We  break  ours  at  the  base  of  the  flower- 
stalk  and  use  them  in  small  glasses  with  rather 
wide  tops.    Spikes  of  the  Alexandrian  Odonto- 


glossum  (0.  crispum)  look  well  in  almost  any  form 
or  arrangement.  Lasting,  as  they  do,  a  long  time 
en  the  plant,  it  is  a  charity  to  cut  them  in  order 
to  ease  the  plant  of  its  burden.  A  warm  room, 
however,  should  not  be  their  position — the  coolest 
place  free  from  draught  will  be  the  best,  taking 
the  precaution  also  to  have  a  good  depth  of  water 
in  the  glass  which  holds  them.  Single  blooms  of 
this  and  one  or  two  at  the  most  of  Dendrobium 
nobile  will  be  excellent  for  button-hole  bouquets. 
The  old,  but  still  valuable,  Zygopetalum  Mackayi 
with  its  delicious  perfume,  especially  under  bright 
sunshine,  may  be  advantageously  used  in  like 
manner. 


INDOOR  PLANTS. 

Fermenting  materi.\l  for  stove.?  — 
Nothing  in  the  thape  of  fermenting  material  has 
yet  been  found  more  conducive  to  a  genial  grow- 
ing atmosphere  than  good  fresh  tan.  And  it  is 
much  better  to  get  this  in  at  once  than  to  put  the 
work  off  until  later,  for  if  the  arrangement  of  the 
house  is  such  as  to  admit  of  a  sufficient  body,  say 
3  feet  or  i  feet  in  thickness,  it  will  keep  up  a  heat 
for  three  months.  In  the  use  of  this  material  care 
should  always  be  taken  to  procure  it,  if  possible, 
immediately  it  has  been  taken  out  of  the  pits, 
before  it  has  had  time  to  ferment,  and  on  no 
account  to  mix  any  with  it  that  has  lain  long 
enough  to  get  worms  in  it,  as  if  these  exist  only 
in  small  quantities  they  breed  in  the  warmth  of  a 
stove  to  such  an  extent  as  to  become  a  positive 
nuisance  by  getting  into  the  soil  of  all  plants 
that  are  even  not  plunged  in  the  material,  but 
simply  placed  upon  it.  To  destroy  the  worms 
that  are  sure,  more  or  less,  to  have  got  possession 
of  the  old  tan  that  has  been  in  use  during  the 
preceding  year,  the  pit,  before  the  new  is  put  in, 
should  be  thoroughly  dusted  with  dry,  newly- 
slaked  lime.  The  work  will  necessitate  the  tem- 
porary removal  of  a  considerable  number  of  the 
occupants  of  the  house.  Advantage  of  their  ab- 
sence should  be  taken  to  scrub  and  clean  all  the 
glass  and  woodwork,  and  if,  in  addition,  the 
trickwork  is  limewashed  it  will  be  an  advantage. 
This,  with  the  pointing  of  all  cracks  and  ine- 
qualities, is  essential  where 

Mealy  bug  has  been  plentiful.  Where  this 
intolerable  pest  has  got  possession  of  the  wood- 
work, the  bars,  rafters,  wall-plates,  shelves,  and 
every  portion  should  be  painted  over  with  clear 
paraflin,  using  it  without  stint,  so  as  to  get  it  well 
into  the  cracks  and  open  joints  where  the  insects 
congregate.  The  penetrating  nature  of  this  oil  is 
such  as  to  be  more  effectual  in  the  destruction  of 
this  insect  than  any  other  material,  and  it  likewise 
has  the  advantage  of  being  so  cheap  as  to  entail 
little  cost,  even  when  used  freely.  In  addition  to 
this,  if  not  already  done,  an  effort  should  be  made 
to  reduce  these  insects  on  the  plants  as  low  as 
possible.  There  are  some  who,  through  the  incau- 
tious use  of  paraffin,  have  killed  or  injured  plants 
with  it,  who  are  timid  at  again  trying  it,  but  there 
is  nothing  to  fear  from  its  use  on  all  smooth-leaved 
subjects  that  are  at  all  firm  in  their  texture,  if 
only  it  is  sufficiently  diluted  and  care  is  taken 
that  it  is  kept  thoroughly  mixed  with  the  water 
during  the  time  it  is  being  syringed  on  to  the 
plants.  Without  this  its  naturally  light  nature 
causes  it  to  float  almost  entirely  on  the  top,  so 
that  if  the  syringe  or  a  sponge  is  charged  from  the 
surface  it  is  almost  certain  to  contain  the  oil  in 
such  proportion  as  to  be  destructive  to  the  plants. 
For  the  same  reason  plants  should  not  be  dipped 
in  water  mixed  with  paraffin  as,  unless  the  pre- 
caution is  taken  to  keep  it  continually  agitated 
whUst  the  dipping  is  going  on  the  chances  are  that 
the  leaves  get  coated  with  oil  in  an  all  but  undi- 
luted condition.  All  this  in  reference  to  the 
use  of  paraffin  as  an  insecticide  has  been  often 
urged,  yet  from  the  injury  frequently  seen  through 
its  careless  use  the  caution  cannot  be  too  often 
repeated.  Where  either  dipping  or  syringing  is  to 
be  carried  out  it  is  a  good  plan  with  any  plants, 
the  foliage  of  which  is  at  all  tender,  to  syringe 
them  overhead  with  clean,  warm  water  imme- 
diately previous  to  the  application  of  the  paraffin 
mixture.    Such  things  as  Gardenias,  Stephanotis, 


and  others  of  a  similar  character,  bearing  leaves 
of  considerable  substance,  may  be  syringed  freely 
overhead  as  they  stand  in  the  houses,  as  the 
paraffin  in  such  proportion  as  it  is  necessary  to  use 
will  do  no  harm  to  the  roots.  A  good-sized  wine- 
glassful  of  the  oil  to  a  gallon  of  water  is  sufficient. 

Zonal  Pelargoniums.— At  no  season  of  the 
year  are  these  so  useful  as  in  the  winter.  A  great 
number  of  new  varieties  make  their  appearance, 
yet,  further  than  having  large  individual  flowers, 
with  possibly  an  infinitessimal  difference  in  the 
shade  of  colour,  many  have  little  to  recommend 
them.  The  double  kinds  possess  the  merit  of 
lasting  longer  than  the  single  sorts,  the  petals  of 
which  fall  much  sooner.  For  general  purposes 
the  bright  red  or  scarlet  with  the  pink  and  white 
colours  are  most  useful.  During  the  winter  season 
the  individual  flowers  are  finer  and  the  colours 
better  brought  out  where  a  considerable  amount  of 
heat  is  used,  but  under  such  conditions  to  enable 
them  to  stand  well  when  cut  the  plants  require  to 
be  kept  with  their  heads  close  to  the  glass  and 
have  air  admitted  continuously  through  the  day, 
and  in  the  night  as  well,  except  when  the  weather 
is  severe.  When  treated  in  this  way  the  plants 
will  bear  much  more  heat  than  is  usually  supposed, 
producing  a  proportionately  greater  quantity  of 
flowers. 

Greenhouse  Rhododendrons.— There  has 
been  recently  a  number  of  fine  kinds  raised  of  tha 
R.  javanicnm  race,  possessing  more  or  less  the 
character  of  flower  which  that  species  exhibits ; 
the  colours  run  through  the  different  shades  of 
yellow,  with  light  and  dark  pink,  red,  and  crimson. 
One  of  their  good  qualities  is  that  with  little 
warmth  they  can  be  had  in  flower  almost  any 
time  through  the  winter,  when,  in  addition  to  their 
merits  for  conservatory  decoration,  the  flowers  are 
useful  for  bouquets.  This  race  of  Rhododendrons, 
though  good  growers,  are  not  so  vigorous  as  to 
outrun  the  space  at  command,  even  where  the 
glass  accommodation  is  limited,  and  on  this  ac- 
count they  deserve  a  place  in  small  establishments. 
They  do  not  require  much  pot  room  as  compared 
with  many  hard-wooded  plants. 

Ijiantopiiyllums. — Though  these  plants  will 
thrive  if  kept  continuously  in  a  greenhouse,  they 
succeed  very  well  forced,  and  where  there  is  a 
sufficient  stock  it  is  well,  with  a  view  to  keeping 
up  a  succession,  to  put  a  plant  or  two  in  heat  every 
three  weeks  or  so,  by  which  means  there  will  be 
some  in  flower  almost  continually.  The  cool  end 
of  the  stove  or  forcing  pit  or  anywhere  where 
they  will  receive  an  intermediate  temperature  is 
better  suited  to  them  than  a  strong  heat.  They  are 
plants  that  do  not  soon  outgrow  reasonable  limits ; 
they  divide  readily,  and  moderate-sized  examples 
are  of  more  service  than  larger  ones.  Big  plants 
may  be  broken  up  after  they  have  done  flowering 
just  before  growth  commences,  reducing  them  to 
one,  two,  or  three  crowns,  keeping  them  in  small 
pots  as  compared  with  such  as  are  required  for 
many  things,  and  although  when  restricted  for  root 
room  in  this  way,  they  do  not  increase  quite  so 
fast,  still  they  bloom  just  as  freely.  Successional 
plants  that  are  .wanted  to  come  in  later  should  be 
kept  comparatively  dry  at  the  roots  and  quite 
cool.  There  are  now  a  number  of  fine  varieties 
raised  from  seed,  the  flowers  of  which  are  marked 
improvements  upon  the  older  forms. 

Berry-bearing  Solanums. —  Where  these 
useful  decorative  plants  are  required  with  their 
berries  in  a  fully  ripe  coloured  state  for  as  long  a 
season  as  possible,  some  cuttings  should  be  rooted 
as  soon  in  the  new  year  as  they  can  be  got,  for 
unless  the  plants  are  struck  early  they  will  not 
flower  and  set  their  fruit  so  as  to  admit  of  it 
getting  coloured  in  the  autumn.  These  Solanums 
vary  much  in  their  habit  when  raised  from  seed, 
and  the  best  way  to  secure  a  uniform  profuse- 
berried  condition  is  to  raise  the  stock  from  cut- 
tings ;  if  some  of  these  are  put  in  at  once  and 
another  lot  later  on,  the  first  will  have  their  fruit 
ripe  by  the  beginning  of  October,  the  later  batch 
coming  in  to  succeed  them.  If  the  plants  have  no 
young  growth  about  them  suitable  for  cuttings,  a 
few  of  the  best  should  immediately  be  put  in  a 
little  warmth,  where  they  will  quickly  commence 


Dec.  fi,  1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


487 


to  grow ;  as  soon  as  the  young  shoots  are  2  inches 
long  they  will  be  large  enough,  and  will  strike  in 
two  or  three  week^s  if  put  in  genial  warmth,  after 
which  they  should  be  moved  singly  into  small  pots 
and  kept  on  growing  in  an  intermediate  tempera- 
ture until  spring,  stopping  them  two  or  three 
times,  so  as  to  lay  the  foundation  for  a  close, 
bushy  form.  The  small-growing  S.  capsicastrum 
with  its  slender  drooping  shoots  is  quite  as  hand- 
some as  the  bushy  habited  sorts  more  usually 
grown.  It  requires  similar  treatment  in  every 
way,  only  that  the  principal  shoot  should  be  sup- 
ported with  a  stick,  leaving  the  side  branches  to 
droop  naturally,  which  they  will  so  as  to  form 
a  pretty  pyramid  hanging  down  and  all  but  cover- 
ing the  pot. 

FRUIT. 

Fios.— lly  this  time  the  trees  in  the  early 
house  will  have  been  brought  into  a  satisfactory 
state  by  frequent  waterings,  and  the  fermenting 
material  will  be  gently  e.tciting  the  roots,  but 
until  the  embryo  Figs  begin  to  push  forth,  and 
the  terminal  buds  show  signs  of  breaking,  no 
increase  must  be  made  upon  the  temperatures 
given  in  the  last  paper  ;  indeed,  should  the  weather 
become  severe  the  minimum  heats  there  advised 
will  be  quite  sufficient  throughout  the  present 
month.  Syringe  the  trees  regularly  twice  a  day. 
Keep  the  evaporating  pans  filled  and  turn  the 
fermenting  material  frequently,  adding  fresh 
leaves  from  the  reserve  as  they  are  required, 
always  bearing  in  mind  that  a  steady  warmth  of 
65°  to  75°  about  the  roots  is  at  all  times  one  of 
the  most  important  points  in  early  forcing.  Give 
a  little  air  at  the  apex  whenever  the  temperature 
touches  C5°,  and  close  again  before  it  recedes 
below  C0°.  Keep  the  glass  quite  clean  and  free 
from  accumulations,  which  are  apt  to  settle  in  the 
lower-side  where  fermenting  materials  are  used, 
as  Figs  in  the  brightest  and  best  of  houses  cannot 
have  too  much  light  and  warmth  from  above  in 
winter,  while  neglect  of  these  conditions  very 
often  fosters  elongated  growths,  sickly  foliage, 
and  imperfectly  fertilised  fruit,  which  falls  before 
it  is  ripe. 

Succession  house. — Where  a  second  house 
is  to  be  started  to  succeed  the  early  pot  trees  it 
should  now  be  pruned,  or,  more  correctly  speaking, 
thinned  out,  cleansed,  and  tied  in  ready  for  shut- 
ting up  at  Christmas.  It  scale  has  taken  a  hold, 
spare  no  pains  in  scrubbing  and  cleaning  the 
shoots,  but  carefully  avoid  bruising  the  embryo 
Figs  near  the  points,  thoroughly  scald  and  lime- 
wash  the  walls,  paint  the  wires  and  woodwork, 
and  finally  dress  the  trees  with  a  solution  of  Gis- 
hurst  compound,  8  ounces  to  10  ounces  to  the 
gallon  of  water.  Examine  the  roots,  and  if  root 
pruning  has  been  neglected,  the  operation  may 
still  be  performed  by  cutting  trenches  round  the 
balls  and  filling  them  in  with  fresh  compost  of 
a  rich  calcareous  nature.  When  filling  in  the 
trenches  use  the  compost  in  a  dry  state  and  ram 
it  in  until  it  becomes  as  firm  as  the  old  balls  which 
have  not  been  disturbed  for  years,  then  mulch  well 
with  good  rotten  manure,  and  give  a  series  of 
waterings  at  short  intervals  throughout  the  month 
to  ensure  a  healthy  growing  state  before  the  trees 
are  excited. 

Cherries.— IE  the  trees  in  the  early  house 
from  which  ripe  fruit  is  expected  early  in  May, 
have  not  been  pruned  and  cleansed  ready  for 
starting,  this  operation  must  not  be  delayed.  Old 
established  trees  which  have  filled  their  allotted 
space  do  not  as  a  rule  make  much  young  wood 
consequently  there  will  now  be  very  little  to 
remove  ;  but  good  service  may  be  done  by  thin- 
ning out  the  old  spurs  and  cutting  away  barren 
branches  where  they  can  be  spared  to  make  room 
for  younger  growths.  When  this  has  been  done, 
wash  the  trees  and  the  trellis  with  strong  soap 
water,  and  dress  with  a  solution  of  Gishurst, 
8  ounces  to  the  gallon  of  water  ;  also  wash  the 
glass  and  woodwork,  unless  the  latter  has  been 
painted,  and  limewash  the  walls.  If  the  trees 
have  had  full  exposure  to  autumnal  rains,  the 
borders  will  be  wet  enough  for  the  present,  but 
otherwise  make  repeated  waterings  untU  the  soil 


is  thoroughly  moistened.  Remove  all  old  mulch- 
ing and  inert  surface  soil,  and  replace  with  good, 
fresh,  friable  loam  and  lime  rubble  if  the  trees 
are  young  and  vigorous,  and  add  2  inches  or 
3  inches  of  rotten  manure  where  they  are  old  and 
require  rich  stimulants  from  the  outset.  I£  pot 
trees  are  used  for  the  first  crop  or  for  filling  up 
vacant  spaces,  get  them  washed,  top-dressed,  and 
ready  for  taking  in  when  the  house  is  closed 
about  the  middle  of  the  month.  When  forcing  is 
commenced  do  not  exceed  a  night  temperature  of 
iO°  in  severe  weather  and  15°  when  it  is  mild. 
Always  force  with  a  chink  of  air  on  the  venti- 
lators, and  run  up  to  50°  or  55°  with  a  circulation, 
when,  as  is  often  the  case,  these  figures  can  be 
touched  without  having  recourse  to  fire-heat  or 
perhaps  the  most  gentle  warming  of  the  pipes. 
Where  Plums  occupy  a  portion  of  the  house,  the 
same  careful  thinning  of  the  spurs,  cleansing,  and 
dressing  will  apply,  and  the  crop  will  come  on  very 
well  under  the  same  conditions  as  to  syringing, 
watering,  and  temperature  ;  but  the  Plum  being 
more  tardy  in  its  later  stages,  the  trees  should  be 
conveniently  arranged  for  syringing,  when  the 
application  of  water  would  be  highly  injurious  to 
the  Cherries,  or,  better  still,  they  might  be  grown 
in  pots  or  tubs,  as  they  could  tlien  be  removed  to 
another  house  to  finish,  when  a  dry  atmosphere 
becomes  indispensable  to  the  proper  ripening  and 
preservation  of  the  Cherries.  To  carry  on  the 
successful  forcing  of  Cherries,  a  few  healthy  trees, 
including  such  kinds  as  May  Duke,  Black  Circas- 
sian, Governor  Wood,  and  Bigarreau  Napoleon, 
should  be  kept  against  a  reserve  wall,  where  by 
means  of  annual  lifting  and  replanting  in  pure 
loam  they  can  be  maintained  in  a  fit  state  for  re- 
moval to  the  houses  at  any  time  after  the  fruit  is 
gathered  with  the  certainty  of  their  giving  a  full 
crop  the  following  season. 

Pot  Peaches. — Where  the  first  Peaches  and 
Nectarines  are  obtained  from  trees  in  pots,  such 
kinds  as  A  Bee,  Early  Grosse  MIgnonne,  Rale's 
Early,  and  Alexander  Peaches,  Lord  Napier  and 
Stanwick  Elruge  Nectarines  should  now  be  taken 
into  the  house  and  placed  on  the  bed  or  pedestals 
if  fermenting  material  Is  to  be  used  for  exciting 
them  into  growth.  Avoid  the  use  of  fire-heat  at 
first  unless  the  night  heat  falls  below  40°,  and  then 
apply  it  through  the  early  part  of  the  day,  when  air 
can  be  admitted  and  the  trees  can  be  syringed  with 
tepid  water  to  help  the  buds  forward.  Pay  par- 
ticular attention  to  the  roots,  as  stone  fruit  trees 
are  often  ruined  for  the  season  by  being  allowed 
to  suffer  from  want  of  water.  Always  apply  it  at 
a  temperature  exceeding  that  of  the  house  and  in 
sufficient  quantity  to  insure  a  satisfactory  state  of 
the  balls  quite  down  to  the  drainage.  W^ash  the 
trees  with  soap  and  water  either  before  or  after 
they  are  taken  in.  Top-dress  with  well-rotted 
manure,  thin  the  flower-buds  if,  as  is  often  the 
case,  well  managed  trees  of  this  class  are  so 
thickly  set  that  the  flowering  process  is  likely  to 
weaken  them,  and  defer  shortening  tack  until  the 
wood-buds  on  shy  kinds  become  prominent. 

Cucumbers.  —  Autumn-sown  plants  now  in 
bearing  will  require  liberal  supplies  of  diluted 
liquid  at  the  temperature  of  the  bed.  If  in  pots 
or  boxes,  keep  adding  light,  rich  turf  to  the  roots 
as  they  appear  on  the  surface,  and  renovate  the 
plunging  material  when  the  bottom-heat  thermo- 
meter indicates  a  fall  below  80°.  Keep  the  foliage 
well  up  to  the  glass,- but  guard  against  crowding, 
otherwise  many  of  the  old  leaves  will  turn  yellow 
and  require  removal  at  a  dead  time,  when  the 
knife  should  be  sparingly  used.  Let  the  night 
temperature  be  regulated  by  the  state  of  the 
weather,  as  nothing  is  gained  by  hard  firing  when 
external  conditions  aie  unfavourable  ;  much,  how- 
ever, may  be  done  by  covering  with  mats  or  blinds 
during  the  hours  of  darkness,  when,  aided  by 
steady  firing,  a  minimum  of  08°  on  cold  nights 
will  maintain  progress  until  days  become  longer. 
On  bright  days  run  up  10°  or  12°,  and  whenever 
the  air  temperature  equals  that  of  the  bed  give  a 
chink  of  air  to  prevent  it  from  rising  higher,  but 
not  to  cause  a  depression,  as  sudden  depressions 
from  this  cause  do  more  harm  than  a  lower 
temperature  without   air.    Avoid  much   syring- 


ing if  the  foliage  can  be  kept  clean  without 
it ;  otherwise  choose  the  lesser  evil,  as  good 
fruit  cannot  be  expected  when  the  plants  are 
infested  with  insects,  but  keep  the  evaporating 
pans  filled  and  the  atmosphere  properly  charged 
with  moisture  by  damping  the  walls,  paths,  and 
other  surfaces  with  warm  water  of  a  slightly 
stimulating  nature.  Keep  plants  intended  for 
later  use  steadily  progressing.  Stop  the  leaders 
when  they  have  ascended  two-thirds  of  the  trellis, 
and  thin  out  the  side  shoots  as  soon  as  they 
appear  if  all  of  them  are  likely  to  produce  more 
foliage  than  can  be  exposed  to  the  influence  of 
light  when  fully  developed.  If  the  fruit  is  not 
likely  to  be  wanted,  remove  all  male  and  female 
blossoms  as  they  appear,  tie  out  the  young  growths 
horizontally,  and  endeavour  to  get  the  ridges  or 
hills  well  filled  with  roots  by  frequent  additions 
of  rich,  light,  turfy  loam  in  preference  to  forcing 
with  stimulants  a  luxuriant  growth  which  cannot 
be  maintained  when  dead  winter  is  upon  us,  and 
the  plants  are  expected  to  produce  fruit  Look 
after  the  weakest  plants  from  the  late  sowings,  as 
they  very  often  come  into  use  in  the  months  of 
March  and  April,  when  Cucumbers  are  not  over 
plentiful. 

Late  Grapes  will  require  constant  looking 
over  for  decaying  berries.  Keep  the  houses  dry  and 
cool,  free  from  plants,  and  scrupulously  clean. 
Avoid  all  sweeping  or  other  disturbances  which  will 
set  dust  in  motion,  and  have  the  Grape  room  fired 
and  aired  on  fine  days  ready  for  their  reception 
at  the  end  of  the  month-  Pot  Vines  will  now  stand 
a  little  more  heat,  particularly  by  day  when  the 
weather  is  bright  and  fine,  but  no  hard  and  fast 
line  can  be  laid  down  for  forcing  at  this  uncer- 
tain season,  and  it  is  always  best  to  err  on  the 
side  of  low  night  temperatures  until  after  the 
turn  of  the  year,  when  time  appaieifly  lost  can 
be  redeemed  without  distressing  the  Vines.  A  ttend 
to  disbudding  and  tying  out,  select  the  most  com- 
pact shows  for  the  crop,  and  guard  against  leaving 
too  many  bunches,  as  an  overcropped  pot  Vine  is 
always  an  expensive  failure.  From  this  time 
forward  more  care  will  be  needed  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  additional  supplies  of  fermenting 
material,  as  rank  steam  would  prove  fatal  to  the 
tender  foliage.  A  few  of  the  strongest  and  best 
ripened  Vines  may  now  be  selected  from  the 
spring-struck  stock  for  growing  info  fruiting 
canes.  Cut  them  down  to  within  2  inches  of  the 
base,  and  remove  them  to  a  cold  house  where  they 
can  be  protected  from  frost. 

Strawberries  in  pots.  —  Where  very  early 
fruit  is  a  necessity,  a  few  of  the  most  promising 
plants  of  Vicomtesse  Hericart  de  Thury  may  be 
taken  into  a  light  airy  pit  where  they  can  be 
placed  near  the  glass,  regularly  syringed  and 
supplied  with  tepid  water.  If  a  body  of  fer- 
menting material  can  be  introduced,  fire-heat  will 
hardly  be  needed,  at  least  until  we  have  a  change 
to  colder  weather,  when  a  night  temperature  of 
15°  with  a  rise  of  10°  by  day  will  suffice  until  we 
get  over  the  shortest  day.  Where  convenient  pits 
or  suitable  Strawberry  houses  are  not  available, 
the  shelves  in  early  Peach  houses  and  early  vine- 
ries may  be  filled  with  plants  ;  but  this  practice  is 
not  recommended,  as  they  invariably  leave  a  legacy 
of  red  spider,  which  does  more  injury  to  the  per- 
manent occupants  than  the  ripe  Strawberries  are 
worth-  The  unseasonably  mild  weather  is  causing 
early  kinds  on  sheltered  borders  to  throw  up  an 
abundance  of  flowers,  and  unless  they  are  kept  as 
cool  as  possible,  the  same  easily-excited  varieties 
in  pots  will  soon  follow ;  it  will  therefore  be  well 
to  keep  the  lights  off  plants  which  have  been 
stored  away  in  pits  and  to  defer  the  housing  of 
others  until  the  weather  becomes  colder.  On  a 
dry  day  examine  maiden  plants  by  the  margins  of 
walks,  from  which  next  year's  runners  are  to  be 
obtained.  Tread  them  firmly  into  the  soil  and 
feed  and  protect  the  roots  from  frost  by  mulching 
with  rich  rotten  manure. 


ORCHIDS. 
Cattleya  house. — Here  we  maintain  a  dry  at- 
mosphere,and  the  temperature  reduced  to  the  mini- 
mum. It  used  to  be  thought  essential  to  the  welfaio 


488 


THE     GARDEN 


[Dec,  6,  1884. 


of  the  plant  to  damp  np  the  house  twice  a  day 
during  winter.  The  best  growers  seldom  damp  up 
the  house  at  all  during  the  winter,  and  this  with  a 
comparatively  low  temperature  keeps  the  plants 
in  capital  condition  to  start  into  growth  again  in 
the  spring.  A  few  Orchids  may  be  potted  now,  or 
they  may  remain  until  after  Christmas,  with  the 
exception  of  the  Pleiones.  As  soon  as  the  flowers 
fade  or  are  gathered  the  plants  must  be  potted,  as 
even  before  that  the  roots  are  pushing  out  for  next 
season's  growth,  and  the  sooner  they  are  potted 
the  better.  P.  maculata  is  the  latest  to  flower 
this  year;  they  are  now  (November  29)  in  full 
beauty.  All  the  other  species  in  our  collection 
are  over  and  have  been  potted;  we  use  G-inch 
pots,  and  place  about  nine  bulbs  in  each ;  they 
will  double  themselves  on  an  average  by  this  time 
next  year.  They  also  do  well  in  shallow  pans  sus- 
pended from  the  roof  of  the  house.  Indeed,  we 
found  that  they  would  not  thrive  on  the  stage 
in  the  Cattleya  house,  but  did  well  suspended  from 
the  roof  with  the  pots  placed  in  teak  baskets. 
These  pretty  Orchids  may  be  classed  amongst  the 
easiest  grown  of  win- 
ter flowering  plants ; 
and  as  tliey  can  be 
grown  suspended  from 
the  roof,  or  placed  on 
a  shelf  near  the  glass 
in  the  cool  stove,  no 
garden  should  be  with- 
out them.  They  are 
■well  named  Indian 
Crocuses.  We  grow 
Lj  caste  Skinneri  in 
this  house,  and  the 
rather  low  temperature 
and  dry  atmosphere 
suit  them  at  this  sea- 
son ;  they  are  finishing 
their  growths,  and  the 
flowers  are  either  open 
or  pushing  up  from 
the  base.  Under  these 
circumstances  the 
flowers  do  not  spot, 
and  they  last  in  full 
beauty  a  very  long 
time.  We  found  a 
few  weeks  ago  that 
some  of  the  leaves 
not  fully  developed 
showed  signs  of  be- 
ing attacked  by  red 
spider  or  the  sma'l 
yellow  thrips  ;  they 
were  immediately 
washed  with  soapy 
water,  to  which  some 
tobacco  water  had  been 
added.     Soapy   water 

will  not  kill  red  spider  unless  tobacco  water  is 
used  with  it.  The  Vandas  must  also  be  kept  in  a 
rather  dry  condition  ;  even  V.  ccerulea,  though 
producing  its  flowers,  may  not  be  freely  watered. 
Cymbidiams  are  either  in  flower  or  the  flower- 
spikes  are  gradually  pushing  out  from  the  axils  of 
the  leaves.  C.  Mastersi  is  now  in  flower,  and  very 
beautiful  the  ivory-white  flowers  are  and  of  a 
delicate  perfume  ;  they  also  depend  more  grace- 
fully from  the  flower-stems  than  those  of  C.  ebur- 
ueum.  The  slugs  seem  to  be  remarkably  fond  of 
the  flower-s[3ikes  of  Odontoglossum  hastilabium, 
and  as  they  are  just  poshing  out  from  the  bulbs 
they  require  attention.  C.  vexillarium  is  now 
making  its  growth ;  these  must  be  carefully 
watched  for  yellow  thrips.  This  troublesome 
pest  appears  suddenly  when  it  was  thought  not 
even  to  be  present  in  the  house.  The  only  way  to 
get  rid  of  it  is  by  dipping  the  plants  in  diluted 
tobacco  water,  and  this  must  be  done  before  it 
has  time  to  do  any  injury.  If  we  see  any  trace  of 
it  on  any  of  the  plants,  the  whole  of  them  are 
dipped.  C.  Phalasnopsis  is  frequently  attacked  by 
a  small  thrips,  which  does  much  mischief  before  it 
is  even  discerned  by  those  who  have  not  had  much 
experience.  This  pest  is  also  destroyed  by  the 
diluted  tobacco  water.  Now  that  time  can  be 
spared  from  other  duties,  we  have  been  looking 


over  the  whole  collection,  washing  them  and  re- 
moving any  weeds  that  had  rooted  in  the  compost. 
The  temperature  is  about  55°. 

Cool  hou.se.— Except  the  difference  in  tempera- 
ture, the  treatment  of  the  plants  is  much  the  same 
as  that  recommended  for  the  others.  Odontoglos- 
sum crispum  is  now  to  be  found  in  the  form  of  many 
flowering  examples,  and  plants  are  in  all  the  various 
stages  of  growth.  If  the  temperature  is  about 
right  the  plants  seem  to  maintain  a  more  uniformly 
healthy  condition  when  the  atmosphere  is  on  the 
side  of  dryness;  they  grow  none  the  less  freely, 
and  the  flowers  remain  in  good  condition  very 
much  longer  in  the  drier  atmosphere.  C.  Edwardi 
seems  to  like  a  cool  atmosphere,  and  as  it  is  making 
its  growth  must  not  be  allowed  to  become  dry. 
We  do  not  yet  know  what  this  plant  is  capable  of 
doing  under  cultivation  ;  it  has  not  yet  produced 
spikes  approaching  in  size  those  to  be  found  on 
the  imported  plants  ;  but  as  its  flowers  are  so  dis- 
tinct in  their  rich  violet-purple  colour,  and  as  it 
flowers  in  the  winter,  it  is  sure  to  become  popular 
Oncidium   macranthum  and  this  Odontoglossum 


M.  Nichulas  iluuse,  Scarborough  (gai'tlen  front). 

seem  to  require  the  same  treatment ;  neither  of 
them  should  get  anything  like  dry  at  the  roots. 
Most  of  the  Masdevallias  like  a  rather  warmer  tem- 
perature than  the  most  of  the  Odontoglossums  will 
thrive  under ;  some  of  them  have  been  placed  in 
the  Cattleya  house  and  others  are  at  the  warmest 
end  of  the  cool  house.  There  is  not  much  potting 
being  done  at  present  ;  but  Disa  grandiflora,  if 
grown  in  this  house,  should  be  potted ;  the  roots 
will  now  be  found  to  be  pushing  and  are  easily 
injured  ;  it  is  only  necessary  to  pot  those  that  have 
become  too  much  crowded  in  the  pots  or  pans  in 
which  they  are  growing  ;  part  the  plants  out  very 
carefully.  In  potting,  use  good  turfy  peat,  broken 
bits  of  limestone,  and  some  sharp  sand.  Where  we 
have  seen  the  plants  doing  best  ordinary  green 
Moss  was  encouraged  to  grow  on  the  surface  of  the 
compost  instead  of  Sphagnum,  and  some  bits  of 
limestone  were  mixed  in  the  soil  instead  of  pot- 
sherds. This  is  at  best  an  uncertain  subject  to 
deal  with  and  does  not  succeed  in  many  places. 

Me-XICAN  house. — Just  a  word  about  fresh  im- 
ported Cattleyas  and  Lselias.  We  have  seen  good 
growers  pot  them  at  once  in  the  usual  compost  after 
washing  well  with  soapy  water,  of  course.  Here  we 
never  use  any  potting  material  until  fresh  roots  are 
formed.  The  pots  are  merely  filled  up  with  clean 
potsherds.     During  the  last  season   or  two   the 


imported  plants  have  come  to  hand  in  capital 
condition,  the  leaves  green  and  pseudo-bulbs 
quite  plump.  We  are  not  sure  whether  they  are  so 
very  much  the  better  for  this  ;  we  had  some  Lnjlia 
elegans  and  L.  purpurata  which  seemed  all  right, 
but  they  have  not  made  such  a  growth  as  one  would 
like.  The  new  growths  are  weak  and  watery- 
looking,  and  none  of  them  are  showing  flowering 
sheaths.  It  may  be  our  bad  management,  but  as 
we  have  had  the  same  Orchids  succeed  well  with 
identical  treatment  years  ago,  one  feels  inclined 
to  ask  whether  it  is  not  the  way  of  bringing  them 
over  that  is  to  blame.  The  Pleiones  are  now  going 
out  of  bloom,  and  as  soon  as  the  decaying  flowers 
have  been  removed  they  may  be  repotted  ;  indeed, 
the  sooner  this  is  done  after  flowering  is  over  the 
better.  It  is  not  necessary  to  repot  them  every 
year ;  if  they  are  done  every  alternate  season  it 
would  be  enough.  They  give  a  greater  mass  of 
bloom  the  year  following  that  on  which  they  have 
not  been  divided.  Where  there  is  a  good  stock 
of  plants  it  is  the  best  plan  to  repot  a  half 
each  year.  As  a  rule  each  strong  bulb  will 
produce  two.  The 
Pleiones  succeed  well 
in  shallow  pans,  sus- 
pended from  the  roof 
or  placed  on  shelves 
near  the  glass.  Pot 
in  good  turfy  peat 
and  Sphagnum,  with 
some  broken  charcoal 
and  potsherds  to  keep 
the  compost  open. 
Any  Orchids  starting 
into  growth  should  be 
encouraged  by  being 
watered  with  warmish 
water.  Any  Den- 
drobes  that  may  be 
starting  to  grow  from 
the  base  come  under 
this  treatment.  Den- 
drochilum  glumaceum 
may  be  removed 
from  this  house  into 
the  East  India  house, 
and  be  watered  freely; 
this  species  may  not 
be  so  delicately 
beautiful  as  its  near 
relative,  D.  filiforme, 
but  it  flowers  at  a  dif- 
ferent season  of  the 
year,  and  is  so  dis- 
tinct amongst  Or- 
chids, that  one  can- 
not fail  to  admire 
it.  See  that  all  Orchids 
in  this  section  that 
are  not  making  their 
growth  are  kept  only  moderately  moist ;  those 
growing  or  making  roots  should  receive  more. 

East  Ixdia  house. — We  are  now  fairly 
into  the  winter  season,  and  the  treatment  now 
must  be  such  as  will  not  excite  the  plants  into 
unseasonable  growth.  The  winter  season  has 
during  the  last  few  years  been  more  decidedly 
accepted  as  a  season  of  rest ;  consequently,  the 
temperature  in  this  house  has  not  been  driven  to  a 
very  high  point,  rather  letting  it  fall  to  58°  or  00° 
than  over-driving  the  heating  apparatus  to  main- 
tain the  temperature  5°  higher.  The  atmosphe- 
rical conditions  have  to  be  taken  into  account,  as 
a  very  moist  atmosphere  is  injurious  with  a  low 
temperature,  and  it  also  acts  injuriously  by  excit- 
ing the  plants  with  a  high  temperature.  There  is 
no  need  to  damp  the  house  more  than  once  a  day. 
About  10  a.m.  is  a  good  time  to  do  this.  One  of 
the  most  unique  and  handsome  Orchids  in  flower 
at  present  is  Cypripedium  Spicerianum ;  it  does 
best  in  this  house,  growing  with  the  greatest 
freedom  and  flowering  profusely.  We  have  it  now 
in  flower  with  C.  Dominianum,  and  the  contrast 
between  the  two  is  very  striking.  Up  to  this  time 
Vanda  Ilookeri  and  V.  teres  have  been  growing 
together  in  the  lightest  part  of  the  house ;  they 
have  now  been  removed  to  another  house,  where 
they  have  a  lower  temperature,  and  are  placed 


Dec.  6    1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


489 


close  to  the  glass  and  in  the  full  sun.  They  will 
scarcely  get  any  water  all  through  the  winter 
months.  The  only  chance  to  get  them  to  flower 
well  is  by  keeping  them  dry  at  the  roots,  as  well 
as  in  a  dry  atmosphere.  The  Saccolabiums  must 
also  be  kept  comparatively  dry,  even  to  the  extent 
of  causing  the  Sphagnum  on  the  surface  to  become 
sickly  and  of  a  whitish  hue.  The  Angrscums  re- 
quire rather  more  moisture,  and  we  do  not  like 
them  to  become  anything  like  dry  ;  they  are  show- 
ing their  spikes,  or  approaching  the  (lowering 
stage,  and  require  attention  to  see  that  no  slugs 
or  other  marauders  attack  the  flower-spikes  ;  their 
tips  are  in  some  cases  just  pushing  out  of  the  stems, 
and  are  easily  destroyed.  The  truly  handsome 
Ihajas  tuberculosus  is  now  in  the  midst  of  its 
growth  and  throwing  up  its  flower-spikes  ;  the 
plant  seems  to  thrive  best  in  a  warm  temperature 
and  on  a  surface  of  fresh  green  Moss. 


KITCHEN  GARDEN. 
That  all-important  affair,  the  weather,  as  regards 
outside  garden  operations,  is  just  now  all  that  can 
be  desired ;  therefore  take  time  by  the  forelock 
and  be  up  and  doing.  Every  available  inch  of 
land  should  now  be  turned  over,  and  where  manure 
is  required  use  It  freely.  We  find  from  many 
years'  experience  that  good  farmyard  manure  is 
still  the  best  for  most  purposes.  If  Globe  Arti- 
chokes are  not  yet  protected,  delay  that  operation 
no  longer.  We  are  now  sowing  Rhubarb,  Aspa- 
ragus, and  Seakale.  We  thus  keep  the  stock  well 
to  the  front,  so  that  we  have  always  plenty  on 
hand.  Jlint,  Tarragon,  and  Chives  will  now 
require  due  attention.  Of  these  we  have  a  capital 
stock  outside  :  therefore  the  trouble  of  puiting  in 
a  few  boxfuls  is  not  great.  Keep  a  sharp  look-out 
for  mice  on  the  early  Tea  border.  The  old  "  brick 
and  stick  "  traps  we  still  corsider  the  best. 
Directly  the  young  Peas  come  up  cover  them  an 
inch  thick  with  sifted  coal  ashes,  which  will  help 
to  keep  off  mice  and  protect  them  from  cold  sur- 
face winds.  Beans,  of  which  we  like  Cireen 
Windsor  best,  should  now  be  sown,  if  not  already 
done.  Young  Cauliflowers  expose  fully  all  day, 
except  in  severe  weather,  shutting  them  up  in  the 
evening. 

WORK  DONE  IN  WEEK  ENDING  DEC.  2, 1884. 
November  26. 

Ten  degrees  of  frost,  and  therefore  just  right 
for  manure  wheeling;  gave  Strawberry  plots  a 
good  coating,  also  cordon  Pears,  the  second-rate 
manure  being  wheeled  on  to  the  vacant  quarters 
in  kitchen  garden.  Rain  and  sleet  setting  in  at 
noon,  inside  work  was  clearing  up  sheds,  washing 
pots,  sorting  over  Potatoes,  the  seed  being  laid 
thinly,  and  those  for  use  in  heaps,  and  covered 
with  mats  and  straw  as  a  precaution  against  frost. 
In  the  houses  the  principal  work  still  is  Peach 
pruning,  washing  with  insect  solution,  tying  and 
top-dressing  of  borders  ;  rearranged  plant  stove, 
Poinsettias  and  Calanthes  being  intermixed  with 
Ferns,  principally  Lomaria  gibba  and  Adiantum 
cuneatum  as  a  groundwork,  and  the  effect  is  most 
pleasing.  Dracsnas,  Palms,  and  Crotons  are 
made  to  do  duty  as  standards  for  dwarfer  and 
bushy  growing  stove  plants,  with  the  like  good 
effect  as  the  preceding. 

November  27. 

Again  mild,  and  unfortunately  still  dry ;  the 
rain  of  yesterday  only  amounted  to  8-lOOthsof 
an  inch.  Leaf-carting,  digging,  spreading  manure 
on  Strawberry  plots,  and  clearing  up  walks  con- 
stitute the  whole  of  our  outside  work  to-day. 
House  work  has  been  watering  Camellia  border 
and  well  washing  the  plants  with  the  garden  hose, 
and  afterwards  arranging  under  the  Camellias  large 
bedding  plants  of  Agaves,  Yuccas,  Australian 
Drac«!nas,  and  other  kinds  of  bedding  plants 
that  are  not  particular  as  to  light  or  position, 
so  long  as  they  are  kept  free  of  frost.  All  the 
best  kinds  of  bedding  Pelargoniums  are  kept 
in  this  house,  and  being  a  sort  of  half-show 
house,  they  are  kept  as  trim  looking  as  pick- 
ing and  neat  arrangement  can  make  them.     Very 


little  heat  can  be  given,  but  the  Vines,  with 
which  the  roof  is  covered,  should  be  prematurely 
excited  into  growth,  a  circumstance  that  suits  the 
Camellias  perfectly,  if  one  may  judge  by  the 
vigour  and  long  lasting  of  the  flowers.  Uedding 
plants  generally  were  gone  over  to  remove  every 
vestige  of  decay,  and  being  dry  and  mild,  the 
lights  were  drawn  quite  off  Calceolarias,  Violas, 
Gnaphaliums,  Lencophytons,  kc.  Violets  in  frames 
were  also  weeded  and  Moss  removed  from  the 
surface  of  the  soil,  and  a  few  Hyacinths  and 
Tulips  were  put  on  bed  in  early  vinery  to  force. 
November  28. 

Pruned  Pears,  nailed  cordon-trained  treec,  and 
continued  trenching  for  Roses  and  root-pruning 
of  pyramidal  Pears ;  unnailed  Peach  trees  from 
walls,  not  with  a  view  of  retarding  them — which 
I  think  it  does — so  much  as  to  be  able  to  give  the 
walls  a  thorough  wash  with  Gishurst,  sulphur, 
and  clay.  This  work  will  be  done  at  the  first 
opportunity,  but  pruning  will  be  deferred 
till  the  middle  of  January.  Turf  levelling  on 
ground  that  was  once  occupied  with  shrubs ; 
having  settled  the  unevenness  hindered  the  lawn 
mower  from  doing  its  work  so  well  as  it  otherwise 
would.  All  such  jobs,  though  apparently  trifling, 
by  no  means  are  so,  if  saving  of  labour  by  scythe 
mowing,  prevention  of  injury  to  machine,  and 
peace  of  mind  on  the  matter  to  ones-self  be 
taken  into  consideration.  Mixing  up  soil  for  a 
new  Vine  border;  digging  turf  for  the  foundation 
of  the  same,  or  rather  to  place  over  the  drainage. 
This  is  of  a  very  light  description,  but  contains 
plenty  of  fibre,  and  to  make  amends  for  its  sandy 
nature  it  is  well  pounded  together.  Our  sliSier 
soil  being  scarce,  about  three  layers  of  this 
ighter  turf  is  laid  in  at  regular  intervals  through- 
out the  border,  and  over  each  layer,  before  it  is 
pounded,  are  sprinkled  half-inch  bones,  soot,  and 
wood  ashes.  Loosed  Figs  from  trellis  and  pruned 
them,  our  mode  of  pruning  being  to  cut  out  all 
the  longest  and  most  budless  shoots,  just  the 
same  as  is  dote  in  pruning  Peaches,  though  not 
near  so  much  cutting  out  is  required,  simply  by 
reason  of  the  frequent  stopping  of  shoots  in  sum- 
mer, our  aim  being  to  have  the  trees  as  full  of 
bearing  wood  at  bottom  as  at  top,  and  this  can 
only  be  assured  by  persistent  summer  pinching 
and  selection  for  removal  at  the  winter  pruning  of 
every  shoot  that  it  is  possible  to  spare  that  has 
fewest  buds  near  the  base.  Watered  late  Vines 
(border  entirely  inside),  the  sorts  being  Alicante 
and  I>ady  Downes  ;  the  former  seems  a  little  dis- 
posed to  shrivel,  hence  the  watering.  The  border 
has  been  remulched  with  straw  to  keep  in  t  he  mois- 
ture, and  it  also  looks  neater  than  the  bare  soil  — 
an  item  to  be  studied  particularly  in  private  gar- 
dens where  daily  visits  of  the  owners  or  their 
friends  are  made  to  the  vineries. 
November  29. 

It  turned  bitterly  cold  again  to-day,  and  there 
were  indications  of  a  snowstorm,  and  therefore  all 
coldpitsand  frames  were  thickly  covered  up  and  the 
usual  precautionary  measures  taken  in  reference 
to  a  supply  of  culinary  roots.  Harvested  more 
leaves,  swept  up  pleasure  ground  walks  and  flower 
garden,  lawn,  and  also  swept  walks  and  roads  in 
kitchen  garden  and  frame  ground.  At  this  season 
of  the  year  we  find  it  next  to  impossible  to  do 
ought  else  on  Saturdays ;  but,  as  a  rule,  such 
sweeping  sets  us  free,  or  comparatively  so,  all  the 
first  part  of  the  following  week,  to  do  other  work. 
Indoors  the  work  was  of  the  usual  Saturday's  de- 
scription, and  needs  not  be  further  particularised, 
other  than  to  add  that  in  all  re-arrangements  and 
shitting  of  plants  we  endeavour  to  make  the  most 
of  every  bit  of  flower,  first  by  placing  the  best  in 
the  most  conspicuous  places,  and  secondly,  by  dis- 
tributing it  over  the  house  as  much  as  possible 
White  and  red  Bouvardias,  intermixed  with  sprays 
of  Plumbago  rosea,  and  underneath  tricoloured 
bedding  Pelargoniums,  at  the  present  time  make 
one  of  the  divisions  of  our  Melon  house  gay  in  the 
extreme.  At  present  the  late-flowering  Chrysan- 
themums put  in  their  claim  for  effectiveness,  our 
early  Muscat  vinery  being  quite  filled  with  the 
following  varieties  in  grand  flower:  Meg  Merrilies 
and  Yellow  Dragon  (Japanese),  Duchess  of  Teck 


(incurved ),  and  the  beautiful  Anemone-flowered 
pompone  Dick  Turpin,  all  these  plants  have  been 
grown  in  bush  form,  and  to-day  have  been  given 
greater  space,  to  set  off  both  plants  and  flowers 
to  the  best  advantage. 

December  1. 

Though  the  expected  snow  did  not  come,  the 
more  welcome  rain  did  last  evening,  our  register 
being  :U°.  Recent  frosts  and  the  rain  of  yester- 
day have  given  us  our  with  as  to  leaves,  for 
nearly  all  are  now  down,  and  a  beginning 
has,  therefore,  been  made  to-day  to  clear 
out  shrubberies  and  every  nook  to  which  leaves 
have  drifted.  Continued  levelling  of  lawn, 
planted  a  few  Roses,  also  Apricots,  and  did 
a  little  more  pruning  and  leaf  carting.  Made 
the  first  sowing  of  Peas  on  a  border  having  a  sunny 
aspect  and  that  is  well  sheltered  from  winds  ;  the 
rows  are  4  feet  apart  and  the  variety  William  I. 
Pruned  another  vinery  (mixed  sorts),  and  the  wood 
of  every  kind  is  the  perfection  of  ripeness.  The 
Vines  are  two  years  old,  and  have  doubtless  used 
up  a  large  proportion  of  the  best  feeding  proper- 
ties of  the  soil.  We  shall  give  them  additional 
supplies  now  in  the  shape  of  top-dressings  of  good 
loam,  bones,  and  farmyard  manure,  the  latter 
being  mixed  with  the  loam  the  mere  readily  by 
first  mixing  dry  wood  ashes  with  it.  I  ought 
perhaps  to  add  that  the  border  is  an  inside  one,  so 
top-dressing  can  be  done  any  time  that  is  conve- 
nient ;  a  thorough  watering  will  be  given  before 
the  fresh  material  is  added.  Washed  Fig  trees  with 
a  strong  lather  of  soft  soap,  and  to-morrow  they 
will  have  another  brush  over  with  Gishurst.  We 
have  been  bothered  with  a  small  white  scale  on 
them  ;  hence  the  double  washing.  The  lights  and 
woodwork  of  the  house  have  all  been  well  cleansed 
and  the  walls  limewashed,  a  procedure  that  we 
carry  out  with  every  house  and  pit  at  least  once 
a  year. 

December  2. 

Riin  continuously  all  day  long.  It  is  most 
acceptable  to  all,  and  to  tillers  of  the  ground 
particularly,  who  have  not  for  many  years  past 
tad  to  complain  of  drought  in  November. 
Nothing  whatever  could  be  done  outside,  and  all 
our  hands  have  therefore  been  employed  in  look- 
ing over  root  stores,  Potatoes,  Carrots,  Beet,  and 
Onions.  Fruit  rooms,  too,  have  had  a  share  of  the 
labour,  all  bad  fruit,  cobwebs,  and  diit  of  every 
kind  having  been  cleared  out.  Pears  are  allnpen- 
ing  quite  out  of  their  usual  season.  Knight's 
Monarch,  Easter  Beurre,  Ne  Plus  Meuris,  and 
even  Bergamotte  d'Bsperen  being  now  quite  ripe, 
and  it  is  equally  the  same  with  Apples— Cockle  Pip- 
pin, Court  pendu  Plat,  Margil,  and  Sturmer  Pippin 
being  now  fit  for  table  ;  took  lights  ct£  late  Peach 
house  to  expose  the  border  to  the  rain,  for  though 
not  dry,  the  drainage  being  good,  a  soaking  of  rain 
will  be  beneficial ;  painted  Fig  trees  with  Gis- 
hurst, and  began  to  re-tie  to  the  trellis.  \Ve  like 
to  see  the  shoots  as  straight  as  possible,  but 
utility  is  a  first  consideration— that  is,  the  regular 
furnishing  of  the  trellis  with  fruiting  wood, 
and  whenever  exactitude  of  training  runs  counter 
to  this  rule,  then  it  is  given  up.  Washing  pots, 
sponging  the  foliage  of  Dracienas,  Eucharis. 
Palms,  and  Crotons,  and  picking  over  stock  pots 
and  boxes  of  bedding  plants  completed  the  day  s 
labour.  H^NTS- 


Doings   In   the    kitchen    garden    at 

Burghley.— We  have  just  completed  sowing  our 
early  border  of  Peas,  which  is  about  150  feet  by  10 
feet,  making  the  third  crop  with  only  one  digging. 
Last  March  it  was  well  manured  and  deeply  dug. 
In  April  we  planted  it  with  Ashtop  Potatoes,  the 
Wilson  variety,  and  lifted  them  in  July— a  most 
excellent  crop.  The  very  day  the  Potatoes  were 
lifted  we  gave  the  border  a  rough  rake  over,  and 
planted  it,  crowbar  fashion,  with  Cauliflowers  and 
Veitch's  Giant  Broccoli,  which  has  given  us  some 
good  serviceable  heads.  The  ground  being  again 
cleared  up,  by  November  12  we  lookout  Celery 
trenches,  in  miniature,  at  every  4^  feet  apart, 
merely  taking  out  one  spit  and  leaving  the  shovel- 
lings.   We  then  got  20  lbs.  of  Beeson's  manure. 


490 


THE    GARDEN 


[Dec.  C,  1384. 


which  to  my  fancy  beats  all  others ;  we  mixed  it 
with  one  good  barrow-load  of  charred  rubbish,  and 
nsed  about  half  a  peck  of  it  to  each  row.  We  then 
dug  up  the  trenches,  well  breaking  up  the  soil, 
and  drew  a  shallow  drill  down  the  middle  of  each 
row.  In  this  we  sowed  the  seed ;  and,  here  let  me 
add,  we  set  figure  i  mouse-traps  baited  with 
cheese,  which  attracts  the  mice,  and  as  a  rule  they 
seldom  hurt  the  Peas.  We  have  also  another 
enemy,  viz.,  the  pheasants ;  these  we  guard  off 
by  placing  old  Pea  sticks  thickly  up  each  row.— 
B.  GlLBEHT. 


ORCHID    NOTES. 


six  strong  spikes ;  I'hajus  P.lumei,  Trichosma 
suavis,  Burlingtonia  decora  imperialis,  an  exceed- 
ingly pretty  variety.  Later  on  there  will  be  a 
good  display  of  Cattleyas  and  of  Lailia  purpnrata. 
— E.  S. 

NOTES  OF  THE  WEEK. 


Cymbidium  Mastersl.-Of  this  lovely  Orchid  Mr. 
Fowler's  g.-irdener  (Mr.  Elliott)  sends  tis  from  Ashgrove, 
Pontypool,  a  spike  be.iriDg  no  fewer  th.iii  Eeventeen  fine 
flowers.  The  pliiit  from  which  this  spike  was  cut  is  stated 
to  be  carrying  two  otiiers  with  fourteen  and  twelve  flowers 
respectively-    It  nnist,  indeed,  l)e  a  beautiful  specimen. 

Odontoglossum  Alexandra.  —  Has  not  this 
branched  more  than  usual  this  year?  In  our  small 
collection  we  have  four  plants,  which  have  branched 
spikes,  one  with  forty  five  flowirs  and  buds.  Has  this 
branching  been  general?  and  is  it  owing  to  the  unusually 
flue  summer  which  we  have  had?— GEORGE  F.  WILSON, 
Heathcrbank,  Weybriilf/e  Heath. 

Odontoglossum  crlspum  var.  —  What  do  you 
think  of  the  flowers  I  have  sent  of  O.  crispum?  When  it 
first  opened  it  had  i|Uite  a  l.ilue  tint.  It  is  now  past  its 
best,  having  been  out  a  long  time  The  spike  has  eleven 
finely  developed  llowers  on  it  and  the  bulbs  are  large  and 
red.  I  bought  the  plant  last  summer  at  .Stevens'  rooms. 
It  is  one  I  picked  out  of  a  large  number  that  had  a  reserve 
price  set  on  them.  I  hope  to  have  it  stronger  another 
season. —W.  H. 

*^*  One  of  the  deepest  tinted  varieties  we  have  seen,  the 
colour  being  a  ricli  purple-magenta,  and  the  flower  large 
and  linely  Ehaped. — ED. 

Vanda  ocerulea. — Much  has  been  said  and 
written  as  to  the  treatment— cool,  hot,  or  inter- 
mediate— required  by  this  Vanda.  Mr.  Curie,  of 
Jlelrose,  grows  it  to  perfection  in  a  house  in  which 
Vanda  suavis  and  tricolor,  Saccolabiums,  and 
Aerides  flourish.  The  plants,which  were  purchased 
some  five  years  ago,  throw  up  annually  long  spikes 
of  beautiful  flowers.  It  seems  that  when  this 
Vanda  is  really  well  grown  the  flowers  always 
come  large  sized  and  deeply  coloured  ;  at  least 
this  is  so  at  Melrose.  In  the  same  house  is  a 
specimen  of  the  rare  Vanda  vandarum  (Aerides 
cylindricum),  the  finest  plant  perhaps  in  the 
country ;  it  has  some  fifteen  growths  which  flower 
every  year.— A.  B. 


Orchids   at   Hunbury.— Calling  at  Major 
Leudy's  garden,  at  Sunbury,  during  the  week,  I 
was   surprised    to  find   his  JOrchid    houses   gay 
with  bloom  at  this  generally  dull  season.  Leaving 
aside  varieties,  I  counted  no  fewer  than  fifty  dis- 
tinct species  in  bloom,  and  these  included  not  a 
few  rare  and  interesting  kinds.     The  following 
list  includes  the  flowering  sorts  except  the  very 
common  kinds:     Dendrobinm  tetragonum,  an  ex- 
ceedingly curious  and  pretty  Dendrobe;  D.  for- 
mosum  giganteum,  very  fine ;  D.  Lowi,  a  good  va- 
riety  of  this  uncommon  species  ;    Cypripedium 
Ilarrisianum,   C.   Hedeni,  very  dark  varieties ;  C. 
Crossianum  ;   C.   Spicerianum,  very    fine,  several 
plants  with  two  flowers  on  a  stem  ;  C.  concolor, 
with  two  flowers  on  a  stem  ;  C.  Lawrencianum,  a 
very  fine  variety ;  Vanda  cccrulea,  splendid  dark 
varieties,  several  with  fifteen  flowers  on  a  spike ; 
A'anda  tricolor  ;  Cattleya  aurea,  very  fine  flowers, 
but  only  moderately  deep  in  colour ;  C.  Dormani- 
ana,  fine  variety;  C.  Holfordi  (luteola),  pretty  and 
distinct ;   C.  maxima,  good  varieties ;   Ccelogyne 
ocellata ;  Oncidium  Weltoni,  the  true  species ;  O. 
Forbesi,  some  remarkably   fine  forms ;  0.  tigri- 
num  ;  0.  cheirophorum ;  Lycaste  Deppei,  with  two 
flowers  on  a  spike ;  Phalsnopsis  rosea,  P.  ama- 
bilis,   P.  Stuartiana,    P.  grandiflora,  P.  Schilleri- 
ana ;  Calanthe  Veitchi,  fine  in  colour ;  Odontoglos- 
sum Roezli,  0.  Halli  xanthoglossum,  O.  madrense, 
O.  Uro-Skinneri,  0.  blandum,  quite  the  gem  of  the 
genus ;  Masdevallia  tovarensis,  M.  Harryana,  M. 
bella,  Barkeria  Skinneri,  Lielia  prasstans,  L.  Day- 
ana,  L.  anceps,  fine  varieties  and  several  plants 
bearing  numbers  of  spikes ;  L.  superbiens,  with  a 
very  strong  spike  terminated  by  a  huge  cluster  ; 
Epidendrnm  rhizophorum,  a  fine  plant  showing 


Boyal  Botanical  and  Horticultural  Societ''  of 

Manchester.— The  exhibitions  for  next  year  will  be  held  on 
the  following  d.ates  :  March  1"  and  18  and  April  28.  Na- 
tional horticultural  exhibition.  Jlay  -22 ;  Rose  show,  July  11 ; 
Chrysanthemum  show,  November  17  and  18. 

A  general  meeting  of  the  National  Carna- 
tion and  Picotee  Society  (Southern  Section)  and  of 
the  National  Auricula  Society  (Southern  Section) 
will  be  held  on  December  9,  in  the  conservatory 
of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society,  South  Ken- 
sington, at  1.. SO  pm.  The  principal  business  will 
be  the  consideration  of  the  report  of  the  sub  com- 
mittee appointed  by  resolution  of  October  14, 
for  the  preparation  of  rules  for  the  government  of 
these  societies,  and  the  arrangement  of  schedules 
for  the  exhibitions  for  18S.J. 

National  Ohi  ysanthemum  Society.— 
At  the  annual  dinner  of  this  Society,  which  was 
held  on  the  L'nd  inst.,  several  interesting  facts 
were  elicited  ;  amongst  them  the  secretary  stated 
that  no  fewer  than  373t  blooms  were  entered  for 
competition  at  the  late  show  at  the  Royal  Aquarium ; 
that  the  number  of  members  during  the  last 
twelve  months  had  increased  from  143  to  257,  and 
that  no  less  a  sum  than  i'109  Is.  had  been  paid 
in  prizes  to  successful  exhibitors.  Special  refer- 
ence was  al.'io  made  to  the  important  work  of  the 
floral  committee  during  the  late  Chrysanthemum 
season,  and  it  was  also  stated  that  the  next  and 
last  meeting  of  this  committee  for  this  year  would 
be  held  at  84,  Bishopsgate  Street,  on  Thursday 
evening,  December  11,  at  seven  o'clock  precisely. 
An  annual  subscription  of  not  less  than  5s.  en- 
titles to  all  privileges  as  a  member. 

We  hear  that,  after  the  publication  of  the  next 
number,  T/ie  Fieri  ft  ami  Pomologist  will  cease  to 
exist.  It  has  lived  for  thirty-six  years,  from 
January,  1848,  first  as  Tlw  F/orist  anil  Garden 
MisceUany,  conducted  by  the  late  Mr.  Edward 
Beck,  of  Isleworth.  lo  18.")1  Mr.  Charies  Turner 
succeeded  Mr.  P.eck,  and  continued,  in  alliance 
with  Mr.  John  Spencer,  of  Bowood,  to  direct  its 
affairs  until  the  end  of  18C0,  when  Dr.  Hogg  be- 
came its  proprietor.  In  1867,  when  it  became 
the  property  of  Dr.  Hogg,  Mr.  William  Paul,  and 
Mr.  Thomas  Moore,  of  Chelsea,  the  title  was 
changed  to  its  present  form,  and  Jlr.  Jloore  be- 
came its  very  competent  editor,  and  a  few  years 
later  its  proprietor.  Its  death  adds  anothtr  to 
the  many  changes  that  have  taken  place  in  the 
horticultural  press  during  the  past  few  years.  In 
these  we  have  seen  pass  away  the  principal 
monthly  magazines— i'/;c;  Gardentr,  I'lic  Fhiral 
Magazine,  and  IJihherd's  Floral  World.  We  be- 
lieve Tlie  llorist  is  the  last  of  the  English  monthly 
gardening  periodicals. 


cess  ;  if  he  lost,  he  bore  his  loss  with  grave,  un- 
complaining patience.  He  was  much  in  request 
for  miles  round  his  home  as  a  judge,  and  no 
matter  the  show,  whether  a  grand  one  or  a  small 
one,  he  never  refused  if  he  could  help  it;  if  the 
show  was  a  small  one  with  a  good  object,  he 
would  not  go  empty-handed,  but  would  take  with 
him,  not  for  competition,  but  to  add  to  its  attrac- 
tions, a  box  or  boxes  of  his  best  blooms.  He  was 
also  a  very  earnest  fruit  grower,  particularly  of 
Apples  and  Pears.  His  local  knowledge  of  these, 
and  what  sorts  were  best  suited  to  the  neighbour- 
hood, was  extensive  and  sure  ;  and  as  he  weeded 
out  unhesitatingly  every  variety  which  he  found 
not  to  do  well  with  him,  planters  of  fruit  trees, 
chiefly  farmers  and  cottagers,  had  learned  to  trust 
his  judgment  iwith  confidence.  As  a  tradesman 
he  was  upright,  reasonable,  and  faithful  to 
anxiety  in  his  business  transactions.  His  manner 
of  business  was  that  of  a  tradesman  of  the  old 
school,  not  caring  to  advertise  bis  productions 
much,  but  rather  trusticg  to  their  goodness  to 
get  him  custom,  so  that  they  should  speak  for 
him  rather  than  he  should  speak  for  them.  In 
other  and  more  private  relations  of  life  he  was 
most  estimable.  He  was  an  honour  to  the  garden- 
ing profession.  P- 


Mildness  of  the  season  at  Exmouth.— 

It  may  be  worth  mentioning  that  there  is  still, 
even  at  this  date,  a  considerable  amount  of  foliage 
left  on  the  trees  in  this  neighbourhood.  The  view 
from  my  residence  across  a  park  is  very  lovely. 
The  rich  tints  of  the  Elms,  each  with  a  golden 
shadow  of  fallen  leaves  on  the  greensward  beneath 
it,  and  the  varied  greens  of  the  Oaks,  ranging 
from  the  dark  hues  of  the  Turkey  and  of  the  Ilex 
to  the  lighter  colours  and  sparser  drapery  of  the 
indigenous  species,  serve  to  impart  a  beauty  to 
the  landsctpe  that  is  seldom  to  be  seen  in  this 
country  at  this  late  period  of  the  year.  The  Sweet 
Peas  in  the  open  garden  and  the  well-bloomed 
Gloire  de  Dijon  Roses  on  the  house  wall  bear  like 
testimony  to  the  mildness  of  the  season. — J.  B.  P. 


LATE  NOTES. 


OBITUARY. 


A  FAMILIAR  figure  and  face  will  henceforth  be 
absent  from  all  future  Rose  gatherings.  On 
Sunday,  the  30th  ult.,  Mr.  Henry  Fretfingham, 
of  the  Rose  Nurseries,  Beeston,  near  Nottingham, 
passed  away  from  amongst  us  somewhat  sud- 
denly, in  the  ('.(ith  year  of  his  age.  His  was  a 
notable  presence  at  all  Rose  shows,  especially  of 
late  years,  his  bright,  cheery  face,  silvered  hair,  and 
active,  robust  person  being  noticeable,  even  by  the 
least  impressionable  of  visitors.  He  was  a  dear 
lover  of  the  Rose,  the  chief  of  his  powers  and 
means  being  centred  on  its  cultivation.  As  an 
exhibitor  he  had  had  a  long  and  a  large  experience, 
and  had  shown  side  by  side  with  all  the  veteran 
growers  in  the  country.  In  the  exhibition  tent 
he  was  transparently  honest  and  strictly  con- 
scientious, always  setting  up  the  best  Roses  he  had, 
and  that  in  all  their  natural  loveliness  in  his  best 
way,  and  trusting  to  their  excellences  to  win.  If 
fortune  favoured  him,  he  quietly  enjoyed  his  suc- 


Vines  bleeding  (^ .  B.)  —Use  Thomson's  styptic. 

Chrysanthemums  (,J.  Young).- A  very  fine  lot  of 
blooms,  fit  for  any  exhibition,  but  most  of  them  past  their 
best. 

OH  lamp  stoves  {J.  V.).-  1  have  used  two  of  Eippin- 
gille's  patent  stoves  for  these  last  three  years  in  my  20-toot 
long  conservatory  to  keep  out  frost,  and  have  been  per- 
fectly satisfied  with  their  behaviour.  Their  manage- 
ment is  of  the  simplest  description.— Alice  Malcolm, 
Achnamai-a. 

Chrysanthemum  SDorta  (S.  Kmwles).  —  Both 
sports  arc  curious,  particularly  that  from  Mis.  O.  Bundle, 
in  which  half  the  flowers  are  yellow  and  the  other  half 
white.  We  never  remember  seeing  this  before  in  Chrysan- 
themums. The  sport  from  Mad.  B.  Kendatler  is  pretty  and 
distinct,  and  well  worth  perpetuating. 


Naming  trait.— Readen  who  desire  our  help  m  naming 
fruit  will  kindly  hear  in  wind  that  several  specimens  (J 
different  stages  oj colour  and  size  of  the  satne  kind  greatly 
assist  in  its  determination.  Local  varieties  should  be 
named  by  local  growers,  and  are  often  only  known  to  them. 
We  can  only  undertake  to  name  Jour  varieties  at  a  time, 
and  these  only  when  the  above  condition  is  observed.  Un- 
paid parcels  not  received. 

Names  of  fruits.-.".  C.—l,  Eeun-e  d'Aremberg;  2, 

Glou  Morceau. J.  /i.  —  'Vour  Pear  was  ([Uite  rotten. 

r.— Some  cider  Apple  unknown  tons W.M.  T.- Pears  : 

1,  not  known  ;  3,  Chaumontel.    Apples  :  1,  Grange's  Tear- 

m.ain;  2,  Fearn'a  Pippin. T.  F.—i,  Cellini;  4,  liymer. 

W.   Pattrick. —Youi  Apple  is  Hanwell  Souring,   not 

Newtown  Pippin. T.  ilyers.—Yom  Apples  were  named 

in  issue  of  November  22. —  Others  next  week. 

Naming  plants.— Four  kinds  of  plants  or  flowers 
onlij  can  be  named  at  one  time,  and  this  only  when  good 
specimens  are  sent. 

NamPB  of  plants.— ff.  Ainsworth.—WaxWlaria  picta. 

B.  J.  Boss.— Adiantum  tenerum  ;  Polypodium  pectina- 

tum Horlus.—  l,    D.avallia  Tyermanni ;    2,  Asplenium 

lucidnm;  3,  Pleris  serrulata  cristata  variegata. F.  B.  L. 

-  1  species  of  Pteris  (send  frond  with  spores)  ;  2,  Doryop- 
teri's  palmata ;    3,   Adiantnm  hispidulum  ;    i,  Adiantum 

tenerum. T.  M.  Franklin.— Ipomxa  coccinea. G.U. 

—Epidendrnm  ciliare. 


Books  (C  R  ,  ife!6o7(TOf).—"  The  Illustrated  Dictionary 
of  Gardening,"  published  by  L.  Upcott  Gill,  170,  Strand, 
London, 


THE     GARDEN 


491 


Ho.  682.         SATURDAY,  Dec.  13  188*.       Vol   XXVI. 


"  This  is  an  Art 
■Which  does  mend  Nature  :  change  it  ratlier :  l>ut 
The  art  itself  is  Nature."— StaJ-espcore. 


GE4rE  GROWING  EXTKAOKDINAKY. 
Rumours  of  some  wonderful  houses  of  Grapes  in 
the  parish  of  Bracon-ash,  in  this  county,  some  sis 
miles  south-west  of  Kcrwich,  on  the  farm  of  Mr- 
J.  Church,  who  is  both  farmer  and  gardener,  led 
me  to  accept  an  invitation  from  Mr.  Annis,the  gar- 
dener at  Keswick  Hal),  to  go  and  see  the  Conifers 
there  (which  by  the  way  are  very  fine,  especially  so 
several  specimens  of  Wellingtoniaand  Piceacepha- 
lonica)  and  have  a  drive  over  to  Dracon-ash  and 
an  introduction  to  Jlr.  Church,  whom  we  found  at 
home  busy  superintending  the  threshing  of   his 
corn.     He  nevertheless  gave  us  a  hearty  welcome 
and  courteously  conducted  us  through  his  vineries 
— vineyards  they  ought  to  be  termed  from  their 
great  size.     The  first  house  entered  is  span-roofed. 
110  feet  long,  30  feet  wide,  15  feet  high  to  the 
ridge,  and  5  feet  high  at  the  sides.     It  is  planted 
with  1.50  Vines  (all  Alicantes)  in  six  lines  5  feet 
apart,  grown  as  standards,  at  first  sight  reminding 
one  forcibly  of  a  Hop  garden.  The  four  inner  rows 
of  Vines  are  10  feet  high,  and  are  carrying  fourteen 
and  fifteen  bunches  each.     The  two  rows  next  the 
sides  of  the  house  are  necessarily  shorter,  about 
C  feet,  and  have  twelve  bunches  each— in  colour, 
as  black  as  Sloes,  and  averaging  2  lbs.  a  bunch  all 
over  the  house.    A  rough  calculation  gives  the 
weight  near  upon  two  tons.     These  Vines  have 
been  planted  three  years,  and  they  carried  about 
half  this  crop  in  1883,  or  the  second  season  after 
planting.   This  system  of  growing  Grapes  as  stan- 
dards, having  no  stakes  or  poles  for  support,  but 
only  a  stout  piece  of  wire  at  the  top  of  the  Vine 
attached  to  cross  wires  fastened    to    the  rods, 
was  so   entirely   new   to   me,  that    I  was    per- 
fectly astonished  and  delighted,  never  having  read 
of  a  similar  experiment  having  been  made.     The 
strangest  feature  about  it  was  to  find  some  of  the 
heaviest   bunches   (all    equally    black)    hanging 
within    G    inches    of    the    border,    not    solitary 
bunches,  but  on  every  Vine  throughout  the  house. 
To  my  question,  will  the  Vines  continue  to  bear 
trained  in  this  way  ?    jlr.  Church's  reply  was. 
"  Come  and  see  my  other  houses  that  have  been 
planted  five  and  seven  years  respectively."    We 
proceeded  to  the  next  house,  which  is  100  feet 
long  and  the  same  height  and  width  as  the  last. 
The  Vines  in  this  are  five  years  old,  and  we  found 
the  crop  of  Grapes  equally  good  and  heavy.  From 
some  of  the  Vines  three  lateral  shoots  or  rods  had 
been  allowed  to  grow  to  fill  up  vacancies  where 
Lady  Downes  and  Gros  Colmarhad  been  removed, 
these  two  Grapes  not  having  proved  satisfactory 
along  with  the  Alicantes  ;  in  fact  they  require  a 
longer  season.     Some  of  the  lateral  shoots  pre- 
viously alluded  to  had  been  trained  to  the  tie-rods 
across  the  house ;  consequently  the  bunches  were 
fully  exposed  to  the  sun,  and  these  were  the  only 
bunches,  strange  to  say,  that  were  not  perfectly 
coloured.     Moving  on  to  Mr.  Church's  first  experi- 
ment of  this  style  of  planting  where  the  Vines  are 
Feven  years  old,  we  found  the  Grapes  cut  and  the 
Vines  extremely  vigorous,  some  of  the  foliage 
measuring  16  inches  acro;f.  Lateral  shoots  or  lods 
were  here  employed,  as  in  the  last  house.    This 


house  is  not  so  large  as  the  two  preceding;  it  is 
100  feet  long,  but  only  21  feet  wide  and  11  feet 
high;  sides,  5  feet.  It  was  originally  constructed 
to  grow  Cucumbers,  but  prices  not  proving  of 
late  years  very  remunerative  for  them,  the  idea 
occurred  to  Mr.  Church  to  plant  it  with  standard 
Vines — and  truly  it  has  proved  a  success. 

Mr.  Church  is  also  an  extensive  grower  of  Toma- 
toes and  Cucumbers,  having  some  nine  or  ten 
houses,  each  100  feet  long  (his  favourite  length)  for 
the  purpose.     His  method  of  supplying  this  large 
number  of  houses  with  warm  water  for  syringing 
and  watering  is  ingenious  and  worth  recording. 
He  built  into  a  mass  of  brickwork  40  feet  high 
(which  answers  for  a  chimney-stack  as  well)  an 
iron    cylinder   23  feet  in   depth    and   4   feet    6 
inches   wide,   with  a  furnace  under  it   to  heat 
the    water,    which  is  pumped    into    the    cylin- 
der by  horse-power  and    then  conveyed  to    all 
the  houses  through  an  inch  pipe,  having    con- 
venient taps  placed  for  screwing  on  a  hose  ;  then 
by  keeping  up  the  fire  and  the  pump  going  the 
borders  can  be  supplied  with  warmed  water  ad 
libitum.    The  water  used  for  watering  is  collected 
from  all  the  houses  into  two  very  large  cemented 
tanks,  and  if  these  fail  in  a  dry  season,  he  has  a 
deep  well  to  fall  back  on.    What  would  gardeners 
give  in  large  private  establishments  for  a  similar 
huge  water-warming  apparatus  that  does  all  the 
watering  and  syringing  by  gravitation  1    Casting 
a  hasty  look  over  the  farm,  I  came  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  Mr.  Church  had  found  out  how  to  make 
farming  pay.     I  noticed  large  breadths  of  Rasp, 
berries,   Strawberries,   bullocks  grazing  in   their 
boxes,  sleek  horses  carting    home  corn  for   the 
threshing  machine ;  but  it  is  not  given  to  every 
farmer  to  do  likewise.     Mr.  Church  owes  his  suc- 
cess as  a  farmer  and  fruit  grower  to  his  early 
training  as  a  gardener.  Wm.  Allan. 

Gunton  Pari;,. 


WINTER  DECORATION  OF  DINNER  TABLES. 
I  surpo.SE  it  is  hardly  an  exaggeration  to  say  that 
days  are  taken  up  now  with  this  particular  branch 
of  gardening  where  hours  formerly  sufficed,  and 
although  the  time  can  often  be  ill  spared,  it  has  to 
be  sacrificed,  not  only  for  the  actual  work,  but  to 
devise  ways  and  means  in  order  to  avoid  the  risk 
of  sameness.  It  is  comparatively  an  easy  matter 
during  summer  for  anyone  with  only  a  small  gar- 
den to  find  material  for  the  purpose,  but  where 
resources  are  limited  there  is  occasionally  during 
winter  a  tendency  to  be  short  of  material.  In 
carrying  out  the  following  suggestion  as  regards 
winter  decoration  I  may  say  that  the  different 
subjects  to  be  used  may  be  found  in  most  gardens, 
and  the  arrangement  will  be  found  to  harmonise 
with  the  outdoor  aspect  of  vegetation.  An  ordi- 
nary trumpet-shaped  vase,  with  the  basin  and 
trumpet  filled  with  damp  sand,  will  answer  for  the 
centre  of  the  table,  and  the  materials  for  dressing 
this  may  consist  of  Escallonia,  Euonymus,  the  dif- 
ferent varieties  of  Box,  one  or  two  fine-foliaged 
Conifers,  Alaternus,  and  Laurustinus.  A  pyramid 
of  foliage  may  be  woiked  np  with  this,  well 
feathered  at  the  base  and  filled  in  tastily,  so 
as  to  present  when  finished  a  light  and 
graceful  appearance.  Similar  pyramids  on  a 
somewhat  smaller  scale  may  be  used  if  ne- 
cessary towards  the  ends  of  the  table.  Flowers 
may  of  course  be  worked  in  at  the  will  of  the  operator, 
but  these,  with  the  exception  necessarily  of  the 
Laurustinus,  are  not  essential,  a  pleasing  ttl'ect 
being  produced  by  the  flowers  of  this  shrub,  and 


the  variegation  of  the  Alaternus  standing  out  from 
the  foliage  of  the  Escallonia  and  the  Conifers- 
Small  vases  with  flowers  and  foliage  will  be  re- 
quired it  the  table  is  large,  and  these  maybe  filled 
with  bronze  Chrysanthemums  or  with  Primulas 
with  the  foliage  (if  Maiden-hair  is  scarce)  of  the 
small  Marguerite.  Tracery,  in  some  shape  or 
form,  seems  now-a-days  an  indispensable  feature 
on  the  table,  and  it  must  be  confessed  it  is  pre- 
ferable to  the  hideous  little  tins  that  were  in  force 
some  time  ago.  Where  the  stock  of  Fern  or  Se 
ginella  is  limited,  substitutes  for  tracery  may  be 
found  in  the  leaves  of  the  Banksian  Rose,  the 
foliage  of  Taxodium  scmpervirens,  or  Abies  cana- 
densis, relieved  at  intervals  by  tiny  clusters  of 
some  scarlet  berry.  The  foliage  of  Taxodium 
distichum  will  be  found  to  be  very  useful  for  the 
purpose  in  summer  and  early  autumn.  The  design 
may,  of  course,  be  varied  to  meet  the  require- 
ments of  the  table,  but  whatever  it  is  it  should  in 
all  cases  be  carefully  executed.  A  little  light 
tracery  is  usually  advisable  round  each  pyramid, 
but  anything  in  the  shape  of  crowding  should  be 
most  carefully  avoided  either  in  the  manipulation 
of  the  pyramids  or  in  the  arrangement  of  the 
vases.  B.  B. 


Tea  Rose  houee  at  Lythe  Hill.— There 

is  now,  and  has  been  during  ths  past  month,  a  fine 
display  of  Tea  Roses  in  this  house  ;  the  varieties 
consist  chiefly  of  the  following  ;  Catherine  Mer- 
met,  Niphetos,  Mdme.  Falcot,  Safrano,  Celine, 
Isabella  Sprunt,  General  Tartas,  I'erle  des  Jardins, 
Adam,  Mdme.  Jules  Margottin,  Mdme.  Bravy, 
Pearl,  and  Marie  Van  Houtte.  The  plants  are 
grown  in  tubs  and  pots,  and  are  trained  on  round 
pyramidal  trellises,  which  vary  from  (5  feet  to 
8  feet  in  height,  and  from  3  feet  to  I  feet  in 
diameter.  These  trellises  are  covered  from  bottom 
to  top  with  buds  and  blooms  ;  the  plants  are  pre- 
pared for  forcing  annually,  so  as  to  come  in  at  the 
shooting  season,  when  there  is  a  great  demand  for 
flowers,  especially  Tea  Roses.  As  many  as  GOO  are 
frequently  used  at  one  time  on  the  dinner  table. 
Some  growers  recommend  Tea  Roses  to  be  kept 
indoors  throughout  the  year,  but  here  they  are 
turned  out  in  June  for  three  months,  and  then 
after  being  thinned  and  tied  in  they  are  taken 
back  to  the  house  from  which  they  came,  and 
started  into  growth  gradually.  The  house  is 
span-roofed  and  upwards  of  70  feet  long.  Prun- 
ing is  only  resorted  to  in  cases  in  which  the  shoots 
are  too  long  to  bend  on  to  the  trellis,  but  thinning 
out  all  old  and  weakly  growths  is  adopted.  The 
great  drawback  to  Tea  Rose  growing  is  mildew, 
which  is,  however,  unknown  here,  although  the 
same  plants  have  been  subjected  to  forcing  for  the 
past  eight  years.  They  all  look  in  robust  health. 
— H.  G. 

Piunlng  climbing  houae  Roses.— I  have 
recently  pruned  the  climbing  Tea  Roses  in  a  large 
house,  and  badly  they  needed  it,  although  some- 
what hard  thinned  early  in  the  summer  just  after 
blooming.  Really  when  in  good  soil  and  thriving 
well,  strong-growing  Roses  make  such  rapid 
growth,  that  the  knife  must  be  used  freely,  or  else 
a  terrible  mat  of  growth  soon  results.  I  have 
been  astonished  to  see,  in  spite  of  a  wondrously 
dry  season,  what  vigorous  growth  Marochal  Niel 
made  during  the  summer ;  indeed,  the  plants  then 
have  nothing  else  to  do  but  to  make  wood,  and  If 
the  weaker  branches  were  removed  as  the  season 
advanced,  giving  encouragement  to  the  strongest 
shoots,  so  much  the  better  for  the  blooms  next 
year.  I  have  often  noted  the  sparing  way  in 
which  the  knife  is,  or  has  been,  used  in  many 
places  where  flowers  are  grown  for  sale,  and  have 
noted  that  grand  old  trees  of  Man'-chal  Niel  have 
literally  run  to  waste  or  comparative  decay 
through  dread  of  using  the  knife  freely.  There 
are  few  Roses  that  possess  more  recuperative 
power  than  this  kind,  and  if  cut  back  ever  so 
hard,  it  will  soon  recoup  its  loss  by  the  production 


492 


THE     GARDEN 


[Df(.  13,  1884. 


of  some  very  robust  shoots,  which  produce  the 
finest  blooms.  Late  summer  prunings  are  to  be 
avoided,  because  then  the  trees  are  encouraged  to 
make  a  new  growth  that  is  neither  matured  nor 
capable  of  producing  flowers.  I  am  writing  of 
Koses  that  are  not  forced,  but  which  produce  their 
chief  blooms  during  the  months  of  April  and  May. 
Very  old  exhausted  shoots  should  be  clean  cut 
away  the  moment  the  bloom  is  over,  and  thus 
ample  time  is  given  to  reproduce  fine  robust 
shoots.  In  the  case  of  younger  wood,  a  thinning 
of  the  weaker  shoots  in  the  summer  and  a  hard 
pruning  now  is  the  most  desirable  course  of 
treatment. — D. 


Orchids. 


NOTES  ON  ORCHIDS  IN  FLOWER. 
The  richest  collections  of  Orchids  cannot  furnish 
a  very  long  list  of  flowering  plants  at  this  season, 
though  it  is  remarkable  how  many  species  are  in 
bloom  Just  now  in  the  various  collections  about 
London,  owing  to  the  absence  of  fogs,  which  as  a 
rule  play  havoc  with    incipient  Orchid    flower- 
epikes   long  before  the  middle   of   December  is 
reached.     Even  now,  however,  the  Orchid  houses 
In  Mr.  B.  S.  Williams'  nursery,  at  Upper  Holloway, 
can  furnish  a  tolerably  long  list  of  showy  species 
in  flower,  and  these  include  many  of  exceptional 
interest,  among  them  being  the  following  :     The 
white-flowered  variety  of   Dendrobium  bigibhum, 
called  candidum,  though  not  absolutely  pure  white, 
is  nevertheless  a  lovely  Orchid,  the  flowers  being 
flushed  with  a  soft  tinge  of  pink,  a  colour  which 
everyone  admires.     Except  in  colour,  it  dees  not 
differ  at  all  from  the  original,  which  may  be  seen 
in  flower  in  the  same  house.     The  large  Cattleya 
house  is  deliciously  perfumed  by  fine  flowering 
specimens  of  Trichosma  suavis,  a  modest  looking 
Orchid  so  far  as  colours  goep,  in  fact,  dull  and  un- 
attractive ;  but  it  is  indispensable  on  account  of 
its  sweet  odour.     The  flowers  are  like  those  of  a 
small-flowered  Ccelogyne,  ivory-white,  striptd  with 
dull  red  and  yellow.    It  is  leafy  in  growth  and 
bears  its  spikes  above  the  foliage,  from  five  to  tight 
blooms  being  on  a  spike.     Two  notable  Zygopeta- 
lums  are  iu  bloom  -  Z.  rostratum  and  Z.  Clayi. 
The  former,  till  lately  so  rare,  is  very  handsome  ; 
the  flowers  are  very  large,  and  have  a  bioad,  heart- 
shaped  lip,  pure  white,  the  sepals  being  tinged 
with  green  ;  it  can,  however,  only  be  recommended 
to  the  connoisseur.     On  the  other  hand,  Z.  Clayi 
is  everybody's  plant,  it  being  not  only  showy,  but 
of    the  easiett    culture    and    almost    perpetual- 
flowering.     It  is  one  of  the  beautiful  hybrids  ob- 
tained  from   Z.   maxillare.     It   bears   tall,  erect 
spikes    of    flowers,   having    broad    lips    of    the 
brightest    purple,    beautifully    marbled    with    a 
deeper  hue.     It  is  one  of  the  most  useful  Orchids 
one  can  grow   for  winter  blooming.     Two  other 
valuable  winter-flowering  Oichids  are  also  grandly 
represented  here  ;  these  are  Maxillaria  grandi  flora 
and  M.  venusta.     Both  of  these  bear  large  white 
flowers  of  that  wax-like  texture  and  purity  which 
are  so  much  sought  after  for  cut-flower  devices. 
The    fact    that    they    are     easily    grown    in    a 
greenhouse  temperature  renders  them  peculiarly 
adapted  for  growing  with  other  kinds  of  plant?. 
Both  are,    moreover,  extremely  floriferous,  and 
their    flowers    last    for    weeks    in    perfection, 
whether    on    the    plant    or  cut   in   water.    The 
Calanthep,    perhaps,    contribute    most     to    the 
gaiety    of    the    Orchid    houses    at    this    season, 
among  them  being  some  newly  imported  kinds, 
which  appear  to  be  distinct  from  the  ordinary  V. 
vestita,  and  bear  more  resemblance  to  the  later 
flowering  C.  Turneri.     In  the  Cattleya  house  there 
is  not  much  bloom,    save    C.    maxima    and    C. 
Warscewiczi  delicata,  but  the  Laslias  of  the  anceps 
forms  promise  to  be  exceptionally  fine  this  year. 
Already  there  are  several  in  bloom,  which  include 
the  Barkeri  superba   variety,  unquestiorably  the 
loveliest  of  the  dark -tinted  forms,  and  f.ar  superior 
to  the  ordinary   Barkeri,  the  colour  of  the  label- 
lum  being  several  shades  deeper.     Another  form 
nearly  resembles  that  named   Percivaliana,  there 
being  a  good  deal  of  white   in   the  labellum  bor- 
dered with  crimson.  The  true  L.  pedunculata,  the 


one  with  the  dark  crimson  centre,  has  been 
flowering  for  some  time,  and  still  continues  in 
bloom.  Some  lovely  varieties  of  Lycaste  Skinneri 
may  be  seen  in  bloom,  those  named  delicata  with 
flowers  faintly  flushed  with  pink,  and  purpurata 
with  deep  crimson-tinted  lips,  being  the  most 
remarkable.  The  singular,  though  not  showy,  L. 
lanipes  is  bearing  crowds  of  its  greenish  white 
blossoms.  Among  Cypripediums  the  most  attrac- 
tive are  the  varieties  of  C.  insigne,  named  Maulei 
and  Chantini.  Of  the  latter  there  is  a  grand 
specimen  with  fotirteen  spikes.  Seen  side  by 
side,  the  difference  between  these  two  forms 
is  plain,  Chantin's  variety,  also  called  violaceum 
punctatum,  being  the  best. 

The  Odontoglossum  house  contains  a  deal  of 
flowers  considering  the  season,  there  being  crowds 
of  spikes  of  O.  crispum,  0.  Pescatorei,  O.  Rossi, 
0.  Andersonianum,  and  others,  including  the  new 
O.  adspemum.  If  fogs  keep  off  there  is  every 
promise  of  the  present  winter  being  an  exception- 
ally good  one  for  flowering  Orchids,  as  the  plants 
got  thoroughly  ripened  during  the  past  hot  sum- 
mer ;  the  Cattleyas,  Vandas,  and  other  Orchids  of 
a  similar  nature  are  in  the  most  vigorous  health 
in  this  nursery,  chiefly  owing  to  the  exceptional 
summer  and  autumn. 


fpectabile,  which,  singularly  enough,  this  new 
hybrid  resembles  in  a  striking  degree.  It  belongs 
to  the  race  of  hybrids  of  which  C.  Sedeni  may  be 
said  to  be  the  type,  and  we  believe  that  it  was 
originated  by  intercrossing  Sedeni  with  Schlimi. 
The  flowers  are  about  the  same  size  as  those  of 
Sedeni,  but  different  in  shape  and  much  brighter 
and  clearer  in  colour.  The  pouch  is  of  a  deep 
and  rich  carmine-crimson,  intensified  towards  the 
rim  ;  the  lateral  sepals  are  almost  white,  while  the 
upper  (dorsal)  sepal  is  white  with  a  faint  sugges- 
tion of  green  at  this  season,  but  in  the  summer 
flowers  it  almost  entirely  disappears.  As  regards 
colour,  it  can  only  be  compared  with  C.  specta- 
bile,  and  it  is  a  great  gain  to  be  able  to  have 
these  bright  tints  infused  in  the  tender  Lady's 
Slippers.  Belonging  to  this  group  of  hybrids  are 
C.  calcarnm  and  porphyreum,  both  beautiful 
plants.  The  former,  together  with  C.  cardinale, 
may  now  be  seen  in  flower  in  the  Royal  Exotic 
Nursery,  Chelsea,  where  aI.«o  may  be  seen  flowering 
specimens  of  other  handsome  hybrid  Lady's 
Slippers,  such  as  C.  cenanthum  superbum,  oneof 
the  finest  crosses  of  the  insigne  set  of  hybrid?. 
Among  species  in  flower  are  C.  Boxalli,  the  true 
C.  purpuratum,  C.  insigne,  and  its  varieties 
Maulei  and  Chantini. 


Oncidlum  Lanceanum.— For  50  years  this 
superb  Orchid  has  been  in  cultivation,  and  even 
now  it  is  unsurpassed  in  its  way,  for  no  other  On- 
cidinm  is  so  beautiful  in  flower  or  so  handsome  in 
growth.  The  long  and  broad  pale  green  leaves 
speckled  with  dark  spots  is  a  peculiar  character- 
istic, and  this,  together  with  the  absence  of  pseudo- 
bulbs,  distinguishes  it  from  other  species.  The 
flower-spikes  are  erect  and  generally  stout  and 
branched,  so  as  to  form  a  panicle  of  numerous 
blossoms.  The  flowers  are  large  and  showy,  the 
lips  being  of  a  beautiful  violet-rose,  while  the 
sepals  are  yellowish  green  and  copiously  spotted. 
It  is  now  finely  in  flower  in  Messrs.  Veitch's  nur- 
sery, Chelsea,  where  it  is  one  of  the  chief  attrac- 
tions of  the  Orchid  houses. 

Inoreaeins   Phalaenopsis   by   means 

of  roots. — I  have  a  plant  of  V.  Stuartiana,  which 
this  season  produced  six  young  plants  on  two  of 
last  year's  roots,  overhanging  the  basket.  Some 
of  them  have  now  got  leaves  over  1.^  inches  lorg, 
and  have  attached  themselves  to  the  spars  by 
their  own  roots.  On  examining  them  the  other 
day,  I  found  that  parts  of  the  old  roots,  which 
were  covered  by  the  growing  Sphagnum  near  the 
parent  plant,  were  quite  gone ;  even  the  wiry 
centres  were  decayed,  and  had  evidently  been  so 
for  a  considerable  time.  I  am  inclined  to  think 
that  my  young  plants  are  root  cuttings.  Has  any 
of  your  correspondents  observed  I'halaenopsis  do 
so  before  ? — M.  Macdonald,   WoocUunih   House 

Prrtll. 

Oymbidlum  afflne.— This  lovely  Orchid,  so 
rarely  seen  in  even  the  richest  collections,  has  been 
in  great  beauty  in  the  Royal  Exotic  Nursery, 
Chelsea,  during  the  past  few  weeks.  It  bears  a 
great  resemblance  to  C.  Hastersi  in  habit  of 
growth,  as  well  as  in  the  size  and  shape  of  the 
flowers,  but  it  may  be  readily  di.stinguished  by  the 
labellum  of  C.  affine  being  of  a  different  shape  and 
copiously  spotted  with  rosy  purple  ;  the  rest  of  the 
flower,  as  in  C.  Mastersi,  is  of  ivory  whiteness. 
Its  delicate  perfume  gives  an  additional  charm  to 
the  flowers,  while  the  graceful  foliage  and  pendu- 
lous flower-spikes  render  it  one  of  the  most  elegant 
of  Orchids.  C.  Mastersi  is  also  a  great  attraction  in 
Messrs.  Veitch's  Orchid  houses,  in  which  one  spe- 
cimen bears  no  fewer  than  six  long  drooping  spikes 
of  expanded  flowers.  Both  these  Cymbidiums  are 
grown  in  the  intermediate  house,  and  whilst  in 
flower  are  placed  in  a  cool,  dry  house,  where  the 
flowers  last  a  long  time  in  perfection. 

Cypripedium  cardinale.— Of  the  nume- 
rous hybrid  Lady's  Slippers  which  Messrs.  Veitch 
h.ive  been  so  successful  in  originating,  we  are  in- 
clined to  place  the  newC.  cardinaleatthe  topof  the 
list  in  point  of  excellence,  for  no  other  Cypripedium 
can  compare  with  it  for  brightness  of  colour,  ex- 
cept it  be  the  hardy  North  American  species,  0. 


DISA  GRANDIFLORA  SUI'ERBA. 
This  charming  Cape  Orchid  seems  at  home  in  a 
span-roofed  house,  with  Pelargoniums,  Fuchsias, 
Primulas,  Cinerarias,  and  similar  plants,  if  given 
the  sunny  side  of  the  stage,  the  front  ventilators 
beicg  kept  cpen  on  all  possible  occasions.  In 
polticg  it  I  use  a  mixture  of  rough,  fibry  peat  and 
Icam  in  equal  parts,  to  which  charcoal  and  small 
crocks  are  added,  the  whole  being  well  mixed 
together.  I  generally  pot  our  plants  some  time 
after  they  have  flowered  and  take  care  not  to  dis- 
turb the  roots  too  much.  I  place  them  on  inverted 
pots  in  saucers  of  water,  which  tffectually  pre- 
vents slugs  from  getting  at  them  and  otherwise 
seems  to  have  a  beneficial  effect  on  them.  In 
addition  to  the  evaporation  thus  surrounding  them, 
I  have  also  great  faith  in  watering  Disas  overhead 
several  times  a  day  with  soft  rain  water.  The 
plant  illustrated  in  the  annexed  engraving  I  ob- 
tained a  few  years  ago  from  a  London  nursery- 
man, and  a  very  small  bit  it  was.  It  is  now  in  a 
L'O-inch  pan  and  has  borne  9.5  spikes,  each  bearing 
from  two  to  five  flowers.  I  have  had  nine  flowers 
on  a  spike.  Several  other  plants  of  smaller  dimen- 
sions are  growing  quite  as  strongly.  I  am  very 
particular  about  crocking  the  pots  in  which  Disas 
are  grown,  as  I  consider  free  and  effectual  drainage 
to  be  one  of  the  most  important  points  in  their 
cultivation.  W.  YouNO. 

I'nrdysbnrn,  Bi'lfrist. 


SHORT  NOTES.— OBCHIDS. 


The  entire  Orchid  collection  of  tlie  late  Mr.  Bockett  will 
lie  sold  on  Tuesday  and  Wednesday  next  at  Protheroe  & 
Morris's  Rooms,  Ctieapside. 

The  Fallowfleld  Orchids.-The  principal  {rices 
realidtd  .it  the  sale  of  the  fallowfleld  orchids  at  Messrs. 
Protheroe  iVr  Morris's  Kooms,  December  9,  were  the  fol- 
lowing :  Cypripedium  poliium,  61  guineas  :  Aerides  macu- 
iosum,  6  guineas  ;  Vanaa  Sandenana,  11  guineas  ;  Cypripe- 
dium vexUlarium,  40  guineas ;  Cattleya  Irianaj  alba, 
l)\  guineas. 

Zygopetalum  rostratum.— This  rare  and  beautiful 

Orchid  is  again  flowering  admirably  in  Mr  Bonny's  nur- 
Eery  at  88,  IJowns  Park  Road,  Haciiney,  where  its  culture 
is  evidently  well  understood,  notwitlistanding  that  it  is 
considered  a  difficult  plant  to  manage.  Mr.  Bonny  grows 
it  in  teak  liasicets  suspended  near  the  roof  in  the  Phalre- 
nopsis  house.  By  closely  attending  to  it,  as  reg.ards 
watering,  he  considers  it  not  a  difficult  plant  to  manage. 
He  has  been  most  successful  in  establishing  his  impoitatiou 
of  it. 

Cattleya  calumnata.— On  Thursday  last  five  plants 
of  this  new  Orchid  w  ere  sold  at  .Stevens'  Ijy  Messrs.  .Sander 
and  Co.,  wlio  have  acquired  the  stock  from  the  raiser.  It 
is  a  lovely  variety,  the  result  of  intercrossing  C.  AclandiBB 
and  C.  amethystina.  It  has  large  spotted  flowers  and  a 
broad  lip  of  the  deepest  amethyst  colour.  The  five  plants 
fetched  respectively  23  guineas  (eleven  bulbs),  5  guineas 
(Ave  l)ulbs),  '20  guineas  (five  bulbs),  7  guineas  (seven  bulbs), 
19  guineas  (five  bulbs).  A  figure  of  this  Orchid  occius  in 
the  "Orchid  Album  "  for  the  present  month. 


Dec.  13,  188t.] 


THE     GARDEN 


493 


NOTES  FROM  DEVONSHIRE. 
A     Hellebore     garden.  —  Combefishacre 
House  is  a  well-known  address  to  most  florists. 
It  is  about  five  miles  from  Newton  Abbott,  which 
stands  at  the  head  of    the  Teignmouth  estuary. 
As  you  leave  the  station  you  pass  through  the 
town,  which  is  built  of  limestone,  and  is  a  clean, 
picturesque      place, 
with   villas   perched 
on  the  hillsides.  The 
roads  are  steep,  and 
you  ascend  and  de- 
scend   limestone 
knolls,  which  follow 
each  other  in  quick 
succession,  gradually 
ascending  higher  and 
higher,    with     Dart- 
moor in  the  far  dis- 
tance crowned  by  its 
distinctive  tors.  After 
going    about     three 
miles  through   these 
picturesque     Devon- 
shire lanes,  and  with 
the   lofty    tower   of 
Ipplepen  Church  im- 
mediately before  you, 
yon  turn  off  to  the 
left    down    a    steep 
hill,  pass  under  the 
railway,      across     a 
brook,  and  come  sud- 
denly upon  Fishacre 
House,  the  residence 
of  Mr.  Archer-Hind. 
It  is  perched  upon  a 
steep  hillside,  some 
30    feet   above    the 
road,      the     ground 
rising  quickly  behind 
it,  and  with  a  pic- 
turesque     belvedere 
summer-house    near 
the  top.    The  forma- 
tion here  is  old  red 
sandstone,  the  fields 
and    gardens   being 
of  a  deep  purple-red 
colour,   and  the  soil 
much  intermixed 
with    pebbles    in    a 
Btrong     red      marl. 
The    house    is    old- 
fashioned  and  stuc- 
coed with  overhang- 
ing   eaves,    and    is 
covered  with  climb- 
ing Roses  and  many 
rare  creepers,  and  it 
stands  on  a  project- 
ing    knoll,    with    a 
slight  valley  on  either 
side,    and    a    brook 
running  through  the 
lower    garden     and 
forming  a  pool,  upon 
which      many     call 
ducks    were    sailing 
about.    Immediately 
through    the    lodge 
gate  were  some  large 
clumps  of  Helleborns 
nigeraltifolius.which 
clearly  showed  that 
Mr.     Archer- Hind's 
residence      was     at 
hand.       The      drive 
winds     up     to     the 
house,    and    narrow 
paths     are      carried 
along  the  hillside,  with 
informally  in  the    turf 
hardy  plants.     "" 


cialito "  has  been  the  Hellebore,  which  ho  has 
now  cultivated  most  lovingly  for  forty  years,  and 
of  which  he  has  a  most  unique  collection.  The 
place  is  peculiarly  well  suited  to  the  growth  of 
Hellebores.  You  may  see  at  once,  by  the  grey 
Moss  which  covers  the  bole  of  every  tree,  that  the 
climate  is  a  humid  one.     The  valley,  which  is  well 


Specimen  of  Diaa  grandifloia  tuptrla  Icaiirg  95  fiower-spikcs.    Grown  at  I'urdysburn,  EoUast.    (See  p.  4'J'2.) 


narrow  flower  beds  cut 
and  filled  with  choice 
The  whole  may  be  described  as  a 
charming  wild  garden  teeming  with  plants  of  the 
greatest  interest.  Mr.  Archer-Hind  is  one  of  a  few 
amateurs  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  the  whole- 
some change  which  has  recently  come  over  gar- 
dening in  England.    His  more  immediate  "spe- 


wooded,  high  lying,  and  near  thesoa,  is  yet  suffi- 
ciently sheltered  from  cold  winds,  and  the  rich  red, 
pebbly  marl  is  exactly  the  soil  in  which  most  of 
the  Hellebores  delight,  and,  above  all,  the  warm 
climate  of  Devonshire  in  winter,  when  these  plants 
make  their  flower  growths,  completes  the  condi- 
tions most  favourable  for  their  succestful  culti 
vation. 


The  principal  Hellebore  beds  are  at  the  bottom 
of  the  valley,  only  a  few  feet  above  the  brook. 
A  row  of  large  rockery  stones  is  laid  along  the 
fronts  of  the  beds,  which  are  filled  in  to  their  level 
with  carefully  prepared  soil,  sand  and  leaf  mould 
being  well  intermixed  with  the  natural  pebbly  loam . 
A  thick  band  of  Evergreens  is  beyond,  so  that  no 
wind  whatever  can 
sweep  across  the 
beds.  A  narrow  walk 
winds  along  in  front 
between  the  beds 
and  the  brook.  The 
luxuriant  growth  of 
the  plants  under  such 
conditions  is  asto- 
nishing, the  leaves 
being  of  immense 
size,  and  the  crowds 
of  buds  just  showing 
testify  to  the  com- 
ing wealth  of  bloom 
for  the  early  spring. 
H.  antiqnorum  was 
already  in  bloom, 
but  before  its  time. 
H.  n.  altif olios  was 
everywhere  in  its 
glory,  and  in  this 
sheltered  garden  the 
flowers  are  almost 
always  of  the  purest 
white,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  crown 
to  the  pistils ;  only 
a  few  flowers  in  ex- 
posed situations  on 
the  hillside  showed 
any  shade  of  pink  in 
the  sepals.  The 
flowers  appeared  'to 
be  smaller  than  usual 
here,  as  they  are 
with  us  in  the  north, 
owing  to  the  dry  sea- 
son, but  otherwise 
they  were  grandly  in 
bloom.  Our  northern 
variety,  H.  n.angus- 
tifolius,  was  not  very 
vigorous,  but  this 
was  their  first  year 
after  removal.  I 
think,  however,  that 
it  will  be  found  to 
prefer  a  lighter  soil 
than  is  obtainable 
at  Combefishacre, 
where  peat  is  not  to 
be  had.  Beyond  mix- 
ing sand  and  leaf- 
mould  in  the  marly 
soil  and  using  top- 
dressinesof  soot,  Mr. 
Archer-Hind  doesnot 
use  any  manure ;  the 
rich  marl  appears  to 
contain  all  the  need- 
ful constituents.  This 
is  very  different  from 
my  experience  with 
very  light,  black  soils 
where  dressings  of 
manure  appear  to  be 
absolutely  necessary, 
and  it  will  always 
be  a  most  impartant 
consideration  with 
Hellebore  growers.  I 
cannot  think  that  al- 
tifolius  and  angus- 
tifolius  diflter  in  their  food  requirements,  but  they 
certainly  do  require  very  different  treatment. 

Mr.  Archer-Hind  has  nearly  thirty  species  of 
Hellebores,  a  very  complete  collection,  and  be- 
sides these  there  are  large  numbers  of  hybrids. 
Amongst  the  species  are,  argutifoliu.o,  fcctidus 
niger,  n.  altifolius,  n.  angustifolius,  orientalis, 
antiquorum,    olympicus,     colchicus,     ("bchasicus, 


494 


THE    GARDEN 


[Dec.   13,  1884. 


kamtschatkensis,  lividescens,  odorus,  cupreus, 
torquatus,  purpurasoens,  graveolens,  intermedius, 
viridis,  Bocooni,  and  the  followicg  which  have  the 
Elder  scent  of  the  latter,  odoratus,  o.  nanus,  sam- 
buC'Odorns.  This  is  not  a  complete  list,  but  it 
will  serve  to  show  the  wealth  of  this  grand  col- 
lection and  every  plant  true  to  species  and  name. 
It  is  most  interesting  to  see  all  these  varieties 
side  by  side.  Mrs.  Archer-Hind  is  an  accomplished 
flower  painter  and  has  drawn  a  series  of  about 
thirty  most  accurate  portraits  of  Hellebores,  which 
are  bound  in  a  large  album.  These  will  have  a 
permanent  value,  as  our  species  are  fast  becoming 
hybridised,  and  it  is  even  now  difficult  to  single  out 
the  true  original  types  such  as  are  embodied  in 
this  collection. 

Hellebores  seed  well  in  this  garden,  and 
there  are  a  great  many  hybrids,  many  of  which 
have  foliage  of  extraordinary  size  and  vigour. 
Although  there  were  no  spotted  varieties  origin- 
ally, there  are  several  of  the  hybrids  spotted, 
which  is  remarkable,  and  leads  Sir.  Archer-Hind 
to  consider  guttatus  as  only  a  variety.  N.  tor- 
quatus Mr.  Archer-Hind  considers  his  own  Helle- 
bore, and  it  has  a  history.  He  only  knew  of  one 
plant  of  it  many  years  ago,  in  the  Botanic  Gardens 
at  Cambridge.  On  visiting  the  gardens  one  autumn, 
when  Mr.  Mndd  was  the  curator,  he  found  con- 
siderablealterations  in  progress, and  this  Hellebore 
had  been  covered  up  and  turfed  over.  On  his  at- 
tention been  drawn  to  it,  Mr.  Mudd  had  search 
made,  and  luckily  the  plant  was  found,  and  a 
piece  of  it  given  to  Mr.  Archer-Hind.  This  is  the 
origin  of  the  present  stock.  It  was  named  tor- 
quatus because  of  a  white  ring  which  encircles  the 
neck  of  the  flower. 

There  are  many  good  Narcissi  in  this  garden, 
and  of  these  N.  montanus  produced  seed  last  year, 
which  is  remarkable,  as  it  very  rarely  seeds  in 
England.  A  seed  capsule  was  also  obtained  by 
crossing  N.  incomparabilis  with  pollen  from  a 
flower  of  the  new  giant  Sir  Watkin,  so  we  may  look 
for  some  interesting  hybrids  in  due  time.  The  St. 
John's-worts  flourish  here  in  a  way  I  never  saw 
before.  H.  uralum,  H.  oblongifolium,  and  pseudo- 
patulum  form  large  bushes,  and  H.  empetrifolium, 
tritolium,  olympicum,  and  others  were  in  a 
very  healthy  condition.  The  varieties  of  Cistus 
were  also  very  noticeable.  The  beds  near  the 
house,  which  are  cut  out  in  the  turf,  are  filled  with 
rare  plants  and  bulbs  and  have  a  quaint  look, 
owing  to  the  peculiar  marker  which  is  used.  It  is 
a  length  of  galvanised  wire,  with  a  bit  of  wood 
about  2  inches  long  at  top,  painted  bright  yellow 
and  pencilled — a  useful  and  permanent  marker, 
but  a  little  obtrusive  when  the  plants  are  not  in 
bloom. 

Iris  stylosa  and  the  pink  Nerine  undulata  were 
in  bloom  and  Acis  autnmnalis  was  just  ove'.  But 
what  struck  me  most  of  all  was  the  tameness  of 
the  birds.  Robins,  chaffinches,  and  bluetits  fol- 
lowed us  all  over  the  garden,  and  every  now  and 
then  Mr.  Archer-Hind  stopped  and  took  a  little 
bon-bon  box  from  his  pocket  filled  with  crumbs  of 
girdle  cake.  A  bird  immediately  perched  on  one 
hand  while  he  fed  it  with  the  other.  Mr.  Marks, 
R.A.,  would  find  this  a  charming  subject  for  his 
pencil.  Wm.  Bkockbank. 

Teii/nmoutJi,  Devon. 


DARK  DAYS  IN  THE  GARDEN. 

In  these  latter  days  of  dull  November,  when  we 
may  fairly  consider  the  winter  to  have  begun — 

When  yellow  leaves,  or  none,  or  few  do  hang 
UpOD  those  boughs  wliich  shake  against  the  cold  ; 

when  the  flowers  have  nearly  all  departed  ;  when 
a  desolate  neatness  prevails  in  our  gardens  and 
fields  ;  when  the  scarlet  haws  and  some  russet 
foliage  still  clothe  hedges,  and  the  distance  as- 
sumes a  cold  grey  tint,  chilly  as  the  breath  of 
winter — 

Old  December's  liareness  everywhere  ; 
when  shortening  days  and  foggy  mornings  remind 
us  that  the  end  of   the  year  approaches — then 
these  thoughts  produce  a  feeling  of  sadness.     One 
can  understand  the  meaning  of  the  wailing  and 


regrets  of  the  old  heathen  world  for  the  death  of 
Thammuz  or  Adonis,  who,  as  we  know,  typified  the 
sun. 

Poets  of  all  times  have  never  tired  of  contrast- 
ing the  different  feelings  which  the  advent  of 
winter  and  the  return  of  spring  evoke.  The  true 
lover  of  his  garden,  undismayed  at  the  apparent 
death  which  reigns  around,  sets  himself  in  earnest 
to  the  work  of  preparation  for  a  floral  future. 
With  him  there  is  no  interregnum — no  intermission 
in  his  labours.  If  he  wishes  for  a  garden  of 
delight  in  early  spring  and  through  the  long 
months  of  summer,  he  must  be  up  and  doing  now. 
Leaving  out  all  greenhouse  business,  I  will  merely 
mention  a  few  thing.s  which  must  be  attended  to 
at  this  season  in  the  herbaceous  garden  in  order 
to  have  abundance  of  flowers — 

AMiose  bright  succession  decks  the  varied  year. 
We  will  suppose  this  garden  to  consist  of  mixed 
borders  and  shrubberies.  In  these  latter  situations, 
although  there  is  not  much  space  for  flowers  in 
summer,  as  they  are  commonly  shaded  by  branches 
of  thick  foliage,  still  in  spring  before  the 
deciduous  trees  are  in  leaf  a  good  deal  may  be 
done.  For  instance,  large  clumps  of  Daffodils  and 
Narcissus  will  flower  abundantly,  even  in  shady 
spots,  if  the  soil  is  good,  while  Violets,  Crocuses, 
Snowdrops,  and  Primroses  of  all  kinds  do  perfectly 
well  in  shrubberies.  Christmas  Roses  certainly 
require  a  more  open  space,  but  places  may  be 
found  for  them  in  parts  of  the  garden  less  thickly 
planted.  Amateurs  and  gardeners  who  love  this 
peerless  flower  know  that  much  of  the  success 
attending  its  growth  and  blossoming  depends 
on  never  letting  the  roots  get  dry  during  the 
summer.  If  the  season  is  rainless,  several  copious 
waterings  and  a  top-dressing  of  good  decayed 
manure  are  necessary.  Pansies  and  Anemones 
always  do  well  in  mixed  borders  if  carefully  cul- 
tivated. Pansies  should  be  divided  in  autumn 
and  replanted.  During  the  summer,  dead  flowers 
should  frequently  be  removed  and  manure  water 
given.  Anemones  require  a  light  sandy  Eoil  and 
a  top-dressing  of  leaf -mould.  We  always  sow  the 
seed  as  it  ripens  in  a  carefully  prepared  bed,  and 
transplant  late  in  the  year  to  the  places  where 
the  plants  are  to  remain.  These  bring  ns  to  the 
dawn  of  summer,  preceded  as  it  is  by  the  season 
of  flowering  shrubs.  Hawthorns,  red,  pink,  and 
white,  single  and  double,  the  snowy  Guelder  Rose 
and  the  fragrant  Syringa,  Lilacs,  and  later  on  the 
lovely  double  Deutzia. 

How  beautiful  is  an  English  garden  in  May 
and  June  !  One  can  never  be  tired  of  admiring 
those  lovely  trees  whose  blossoms  contrast  so 
finely  with  the  tender  green  of  their  fresh  foliage. 
I  should  regard  it  as  a  misfortune  to  be  out  of 
England  in  late  spring  and  early  summer — 
when  Philomel  in  summer's  front  doth  sing. 
The  aiirial  concerts  which  then  go  on  remind  us 
that  we  are  in  a  country  where  singing  birds  are 
protected  and  seldom  ruthlessly  slain.  After  the 
exceptionally  dry  summer,  it  would  certainly  be 
well  to  top-dress  any  flowering  shrubs  where  the 
soil  is  in  any  way  exhausted,  as  well  as  to  cut  off 
seeds.  Our  double  Deutzias  did  not  flower  well 
last  season,  owing  to  the  want  of  rain.  The 
time  of  Lilies  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  to  a 
lover  of  flowers — from  the  Crown  Imperial  yel- 
low and  orange  in  March  and  April,  the  different 
varieties  of  Martagons  and  tigrinums,  up  to  the 
grand  Lily  of  the  poets  and  old  masters — the 
.stately  candidum.  (We  must  not  forget  St.  Bruno's 
Lily,  a  queen  in  miniature.  It  is  very  useful  in 
small  floral  decorations.)  I  was  much  struck  on 
reading  Gregorovius' "  Wanderings  in  Sicily  "  with 
his  description  of  the  wild  Lilies  growing  on  the 
heights  where  stand  in  desolate  beauty  those 
mighty  remains  of  the  past,  the  Greek  temples  of 
Girgenti.  He  walked  up  to  the  Temple  of  Concord 
on  a  carpet  of  Lilies,  and  in  like  manner  he 
gives  an  account  of  the  tall  white  Lilies  growing 
in  masses  in  the  fields  strewn  with  the  colossal 
remains  of  the  ancient  Selinus.  I  looked  for  the 
Lilies  when  at  Girgenti  last  April,  and  sure  enough 
the  plants  were  there ;  the  hillsides  which  slope 
away  from  the  temples  were  thickly  overgrown  with 
the  leaves,  but  the  time  of  flowers  had  not  arrived. 


Anything  more  imposing  than  these  grand  remains 
can  hardly  be  imagined.  The  road  from  Girgenti, 
by  which  you  reach  them,  winds  through  Olive 
groves  and  gardens  of  Almonds,  and  was  carpeted 
in  spring  with  the  little  blue  Iris,  while  in  every 
shady  spot  under  overhanging  Vines,  masses  of 
Maiden-hair  and  other  Ferns  peep  from  every 
rocky  crevice  and  from  the  rough  stone  walls 
which  divide  the  road  from  the  adjoining  fields 
beyond.  These  are  the  ancient  rock-hewn  walls 
which  surrounded  the  Greek  city  of  Acragas 
before  its  conquest  by  the  Romans.  These  walls 
contain  the  now  empty  sepulchres  of  a  vast  nation  ; 
they  lined  the  city.  As  you  near  the  temples  a 
magnificent  panorama  spreads  out  before  you. 
Above  stands  Girgenti  on  the  site  of  the  Latin 
city  of  Agrigentum.  How  pearly  grey  is  the 
colour  of  the  old  buildings  in  the  soft  Sicilian 
atmosphere !  That  campanile  on  the  extreme 
height  is  the  Cathedral  of  St.  Gerlando ;  it  occu- 
pies the  site  of  the  Acropolis.  Straight  across  to 
the  sea,  nearly  4  miles  distant,  a  few  white  houses 
form  the  Porto  Empedocle,  the  harbour  of  Girgenti, 
named  from  the  famous  poet  who  is  said  to  have 
taught  his  countrymen  the  Pythagorean  philosophy, 
and  to  have  committed  suicide  by  throwing  himself 
into  the  crater  of  Etna.  The  plain  between  the 
port  and  the  present  city  is  a  vast  garden  of  Pal- 
metto, Almonds,  Prickly  Pear,  and  Vines.  On  a 
mountain  near  Girgenti  once  stood  the  celebrated 
Temple  of  Athene,  and  the  long  street  which 
occupies  the  length  of  the  town  is  called  Via 
Atenea.  No  trace  of  the  temple  is  left — hardly  a 
stone,  but  Asphodels  and  Lilies  cover  the  ground 
which  once  supported  it.  The  templts  of  Juno 
Lacinia  and  of  Concord  both  stand  on  a  slight 
eminence,  not  far  removed  from  each  other,  of 
yellow  sandstone.  They  contrast  finely  with  the 
unsullied  blue  of  that  southern  sky  and  with 
the  pale  green  of  the  surrounding  hills.  Even 
the  shadows  cast  by  their  tall,  stately  columns 
are  luminous.  To  the  right  of  them  is  the 
blue  Mediterranean.  There  they  stand,  mighty 
in  their  decay,  in  a  sort  of  royal  solitude  — 
vestiges  of  glory  long  departed.  Sicily  is  the  land 
of  flowers,  and  it  must  be  a  rare  sight  to 
see  the  Lilies  in  bloom.  We  found  many  lovely 
wild  plants— two  or  three  species  ot  Antirrhi- 
nums growing  chiefly  on  old  walls,  yellow  Daisies 
without  end,  a  pretty  blue  Gentian,  and  many 
others. 

Lilies  of  the  Valley  never  flower  well  with  us 
in  a  mixed  border.  We  find  it  better  to  have  them 
planted  in  beds  by  themselves,  where  they  will 
not  be  disturbed ;  just  now  we  are  giving  theni 
a  liberal  top-dressing  of  manure.  Stocks,  Wall- 
flowers, Canterbury  Bells,  Foxgloves,  and  Pinks  of 
different  sorts  are  excellent  plants  for  a  mixed 
border  ;  we  have  just  been  moving  them  from  beds 
in  the  reserve  garden.  When  they  have  done 
flowering  in  summer  and  are  cut  down,  we  fill 
vacant  places  with  Geraniums,  Heliotropes,  Agera- 
tums.  Petunias,  &c.,  not  forgetting  to  sow  patches  of 
Mignonette  early  in  spring,  which  will  make  our 
bouquets  fragrant  for  the  rest  of  the  year.  A 
good  deal  of  our  Mignonette  is  self-sown  ;  these 
are  the  finest  plants.  We  must  not  forget  Sweet 
Peas  ;  no  garden  of  any  size  should  be  without 
two  or  three  rows  sown  at  two  different  times  in 
order  to  have  a  succession.  Two  years  ago  we 
sowed  a  thick  row  of  Sweet  Peas  the  beginning  of 
July.  Chilly  weather  came  on  when  they  were 
about  half  grown,  and  though  they  looked  flou- 
rishing, they  never  blossomed.  We  did  not  clear 
them  away,  but  decided  to  let  them  stand  the 
winter.  Protected  by  a  tall  Hornbeam  hedge, 
they  did  very  well,  and  earlyinMay  werea  massof 
flowers.  I  never  had  any  so  fine  before  ;  you  could 
hardly  see  the  leaves.  They  were  grand,  and  kept 
on  flowering  till  the  frosts  came.  Late  on  in 
summer  tall  Sunflowers  rear  their  royal  heads 
aloft  in  our  mixed  borders  ;  they  were  planted  out 
early,  watered  with  manure  water,  and  carefully 
staked ;  then  Japanese  Anemones,  with  their 
star-like  blossoms,  which  last  till  the  autumn  is 
over.  I  must  not  forget  perennial  Phloxes,  so 
valuable  for  cuttings  and  lasting  in  flower  for 
months.  There  are  so  many  fine  varieties  now, 
that  it  would  be  well  worth  an  amateur's  while  to 


Dec.  13,  1884.] 


THE  GARDEN 


495 


reserve  a  part  of  tlie  garden  for  a  collection  of 
the  best  kinds,  but  tliey  look  very  well  in  a  mixed 
border  among  other  things.  A  plentiful  supply  of 
water  in  dry  seasons  is  indispensable  and  frequent 
enrichment  of  the  soil.  We  top-dress  onrs  in 
autumn  and  give  manure  water  during  the  summer. 
I  would  above  all  things  deprecate  the  indiscri- 
minate digging  and  forking  over  of  mixed  borders, 
of  which  some  gardeners  are  so  fond.  How  dearly 
have  I  often  paid  for  these  ruthless  proceedings  ! 
Many  are  the  delicate  little  plants  which  have  dis- 
appeared for  ever  through  these  processes.  How 
many  bulbs  have  been  dug  up  and  have— per- 
haps forgotten,  or  if  not,  been  so  fearfully 
mangled  as  to  render  recovery  well-nigh  impos- 
sible. Let  your  spiriting  be  done  gently.  When 
fresh  things  are  to  be  planted,  carefully  dig  a 
hole  and  throw  in  a  little  good  leaf-mould  and 


ceaseless  preparations  in   the  darkness  for  the 
advent  of  light  for  the  floral  glories  of  a  new  year. 

W.  N. 


Flower  Garden. 

WINTER  WORK  FOR  FLORISTS. 
The  weather  hitherto  has  been  very  pleasant  for 
all  outdoor  operations.  Flower  beds  and  borders 
are  in  capital  condition,  and  the  plants  so  well 
established  that  they  may  pass  unscathed,  even 
through  a  severe  winter.  It  is  the  changeableness 
of  our  winters  that  is  most  to  be  apprehended  in 
the  case  of  choice  florists'  flowers.  A  continued  dry 
frost,  even  if  intense,  would  not  do  much  harm, 
but  if  that  is  followed  by  a  thaw  and  cold  rains, 
to  be  again  succeeded  by  frost,  the  result  is  that 


decayed  manure,  but  avoid  injuring  surrounding 
plants,  or  uprooting  any  delicate  little  seedlings 
which  may  be  showing  above  ground.  The  plant- 
ing of  bulbs  requires  great  care.  We  generally 
plant  five  or  six  Daffodils  or  Narcissi  near  to- 
gether, just  throwing  in  two  or  three  spadefuls  of 
rich  soil ;  the  same  applies  to  Crocuses  and  Snow- 
drops. Patches  of  Anemones  should  now  be 
removed  from  the  seed  beds  with  a  ball  of  earth, 
and  carefully  placed  where  they  are  to  flower.  If 
the  soil  is  heavy,  it  will  be  necessary  to  add  river 
sand  or  powdered  granite.  Pinks  and  Carnations 
may  be  divided,  and  cuttings  which  have  well 
rooted  may  be  transferred  to  prepared  beds  (a 
plan  to  be  adopted  with  rare  kinds)  or  planted  in 
the  borders.  Thus  even  in  November  one's  gar- 
den thoughts  are  full  of  hope.  We  do  not  linger 
among  the  graves  and  idly  bewail  the  decay  of 
the  natural  world,  for  we  know  that,  in  tpite  of 
the  desolation  around  ns,  mysterious  processes 
are  going  on  in  the  ground  beneath  our  feet- 


many  plants  are  killed.  We  had  frost  last  week 
followed  by  sleet  and  snow,  which  left  the  plants 
in  an  uncomfortable  state.  Alpine  Auriculas 
which  were  green  and  healthy  befoie  the  frost 
have  now  many  dead  and  decaying  leaves  upon 
them.  When  the  ground  is  comparatively  dry  we 
remove  such  leaves,  at  least  those  that  are  quite 
decayed,  and  the  plants  are  gently  pressed  into 
the  ground  with  the  fingers.  Caterpillars  and 
slugs  also  damage  them.  The  leather- coated  grub 
is  often  found  feeding  on  them  at  night ;  one  of 
these  grubs  will  eat  the  heart  out  of  a  plant  in  one 
night.  Pinks,  Carnations,  and  Picotees  are  also 
in  danger  from  the  same  enemies.  Slugs  are 
deterred  by  strewing  the  ground  with  soot,  but 
the  tough  grubs  do  not  heed  it.  if  Pinks  are 
planted  out  in  September,  or  not  later  than 
tlie  first  week  in  October,  they  get  firm 
hold  of  the  ground,  and  an  ordinary  frost  does  not 
move  them.  Plants  of  them  recently  put  out  are 
thrown  out  of  the  ground  with  a  slight   frost. 


When  the  weather  is  dry  they  should  be  carefully 
pressed  into  the  ground  with  the  fingers.  We 
grow  very  few  Carnations  out  of  doors  except 
seedlings  to  flower  for  the  first  time ;  these  aie 
the  produce  of  seeds  sown  early  in  April,  and  are 
permanently  planted  out  where  they  are  to  flower 
early  in  July.  They  are  now  large  strong  plants 
firmly  rooted  into  the  ground,  and  will  scarcely  re- 
quire any  looking  after,  as  neither  frosts  nor  rains 
will  move  them.  Pansies  should  a'so  be  firmly  es- 
tablished before  winter.  Besides  their  liability  to 
be  injured  by  slugs,  &c.,  and  to  be  thrown  out  of 
the  ground,  their  stems  are  very  brittle  and  snap 
off  close  to  the  ground  during  high  winds ;  it  is 
therefore  a  good  plan  to  peg  them  down  ;  bat  if 
inconvenient  to  do  this,  each  plant  may  be  sup- 
ported by  a  neat  stick.  In  ordinary  mild  winters 
Pentstemons  stand  well  in  the  open  ground  ;  but 
to  trust  to  out-of-door  plants  entirely  will  not  do, 
as  many  of  them  get  killed.  It  is  best  to  treat 
them  like  ordinary  bedding  Calceolarias,  viz.,  put 
in  cuttings  under  handlights  or  in  cold  frames 
about  the  middle  of  October.  They  do  not  take 
long  to  form  roots  and  establish  themselves  for 
the  winter, 

PuLO.XES  are  perfectly  hardy,  and  may  safely 
be  trusted  out-of-doors.  I  was  once  shown  a  gar- 
den containing  many  good  things  in  the  way  of 
hardy  florists'  flowers,  Phloxes  amongst  the  rest, 
and  was  informed  that  they  had  been  in  the  same 
place  for  nearly  twenty  years.  This  is  not  the 
way  to  grow  Phloxes  well.  They  should  not  re- 
main in  the  same  place  more  than  three  or  four 
years ;  new  beds  should  be  formed  and  planted 
with  vigorous  young  plants  raised  from  cuttings. 
Halving  and  quartering  the  old  plants  with  a  spade 
and  planting  out  the  separate  portions  is  a  rough- 
and-ready  way  of  treating  them  not  to  be  recom- 
mended. Tulips  ought  to  have  been  planted  a 
month  ago,  while  the  weather  was  exceptionally 
favourable  for  that  kind  of  work,  but  we  have  not 
yet  been  able  to  plant  ours.  During  winter  some 
protect  with  mats  thrown  over  bent  hoops,  but  we 
leave  ours  quite  open,  and  never  lose  any  either 
through  frosts  or  damp.  Our  Dahlias  were  out 
much  longer  than  usual  this  year,  but  they  have 
now  been  taken  up,  the  tubers  well  dried,  and  then 
stored  away  for  the  winter  in  Cocoa-nut  fibre  re- 
fuse. Sometimes  there  is  no  alternative  but  to 
plant  them  out  on  the  same  ground  from 
which  they  were  lifted,  but  in  that  case  it 
ought  to  be  prepared  without  delay.  When  in  a 
dry  state  It  ought  to  be  trenched  and  possibly 
manured,  but  it  may  easily  be  overdone  in  this 
respect,  as  a  great  proportion  of  the  large-flower- 
ing varieties  and  fancies  have  a  tendency  to  be- 
come coarse  when 'overgrown,  and  the  pompones 
are  best  when  of  small  size.  Trench  the  ground 
2  feet  deep,  and  use  stable  manure  for  heavy  soils, 
and  cow's  manure  for  light  ones. 

The  Hollyhock  will  put  up  with  richer  ground 
than  the  Dahlia.  Being  a  gross  feeder,  we 
usually  trench  the  ground  for  it  2  feet  deep,  and 
put  in  it  two  good  layers  of  manure ;  the  plants 
under  such  circumstances  will  often  grow  10  feet 
high.  This  year  the  plants  have  all  been  left 
out-of-door.«,  in  the  hope  that  the  Hollyhock 
disease,  so  difiicult  to  eradicate,  may  be  stopped. 
Notwithstanding  that  this  autumn  has  been  so 
dry  and  warm,  no  trace  of  disease  appeared  on  the 
plants.  It  is,  however,  doubtful  if  even  leaving 
out  the  plants  all  winter,  at  the  risk  of  some  of  the 
delicate  varieties  being  killed  by  frost,  will  quite 
kill  this  fungus.  Our  wild  Mallows  are  exposed 
to  all  weathers,  and  yet  they  are  desiccated  by  the 
Hollyhock  disease.  The  mysterious  way  in  which 
this  parasite  appears  on  the  Hollyhock  would 
almost  lead  one  to  believe  in  spontaneous  genera- 
tion. Those  whose  plants  are  infected  in  a  mild 
way  should  pick  off  all  the  leaves  on  which  there 
is  any  trace  of  fungus,  and  dip  the  plants  in  a 
mixture  of  flowers  of  sulphur  and  soft  soap. 

Beds  should  be  in  readiness  to  plant  out  Ra- 
nunculuses in  February.  Choice  varieties,  unless 
the  ground  is  well  ai-rated  where  they  are  planted, 
do  not  succeed.  They  should  be  planted  from  the 
middle  to  the  end  of  February,  and  from  the 
middle  to  the  end  of  July  is  the  proper  time  to 


496 


THE    GARDEN 


[Dec.  13,  1884. 


dig  their  roots  up ;  as  soon  as  the  leaves  turn  yel- 
low they  must  be  taken  up,  otherwise  the  roots  are 
apt  to  start  again.  The  late  Mr.  Thomas  Hogg,  of 
Paddington,  in  his  treatise  on  florists'  flowers  is 
quite  enthusiastic  respecting  the  rich  variety  of 
colour  that  exists  in  the  Ranunculus.  He  says  : 
"  Here  yellow  globular  blossoms  present  them- 
selves in  all  shades,  from  pale  straw  to  golden 
crocus ;  reds  of  all  tints,  pink,  rose,  and  flame 
colour ;  purple  and  crimson  of  every  dye,  and 
black,  brown,  olive  and  violet  of  every  hue.  Be- 
sides these  there  are  yellow-spotted  flowers, 
brown-spotted,  and  white-spotted,  red  and 
purple-streaked,  red  and  white-striped,  red 
and  yellow-striped,  besides  mottled  and  brin- 
dled in  countless  varieties."  Ground  is  gene- 
rally wet  in  February  at  planting  time,  and 
in  order  to  give  the  roots  a  good  chance,  I 
put  3  inches  of  fine  mixed  soil  on  the  surface,  and 
in  this  the  small  tubers  are  planted,  with  their 
crowns  2  inches  below  the  surface,  a  pinch  of  sand 
being  placed  over  each  crown. 

EosES  are  now  well  at  rest.  Ours  are  nearly 
all  dwarfs  on  their  own  roots  or  budded  on  the 
seedling  Brier  or  Manetti  stock.  If  it  is  intended 
to  plant  any  out  in  the  open  ground  in  beds  or 
borders,  see  to  it  without  delay.  In  wet  and 
heavy  soils  raise  the  beds  above  the  ground  level ; 
a  foot  is  better  than  G  Inches.  We  plant  them 
2  feet  apart  and  finish  off  by  placing  a  good 
mulching  of  decayed  stable  manure  over  the 
surface  ;  this  is  put  close  to  the  stems.  One  season 
all  the  Teas  were  killed  down  to  the  manure  by  a 
severe  frost,  but  the  protected  part  was  safe,  and 
the  buds  started  away  from  it  freely  in  spring. 
They  require  no  further  attention  until  the  time 
comes  to  prune  them.  Jas.  Douglas. 


DAFFODIL  NOTES. 


I  FOR  one  especially  thank  Mr.  Brookbank  for  his 
interesting  comments  from  time  to  time  made 
in  The  Garden,  but  I  am  by  no  means  sure  of 
his  deserving  the  title  or  credit  of  having  been 
the  first  to  point  out  or  suggest  that  the  labours 
of  Leeds  and  Backhouse  were  due  to  the  writings 
of  Dean  Herbert.  The  first  suggestion  in  print  I 
can  just  now  find  is  by  "  Wyld  Savage,"  who  writes 
in  the  Jouriuil  of  Horticulture  for  May  22,  1879, 
p.  383,  as  follows :  "  I  may  now  perhaps  appro- 
priately supplement  the  above  notes  (referring  to 
N.  poeticus  and  N.  Tazetta  vars.)  by  referring  to 
some  of  the  more  promising  of  the  newer  hybrids 
and  varieties  in  the  different  sections — the  new 
Narcissi,  which  were  raised  by  the  late  Mr.  Leeds, 
of  Longford  Bridge,  near  Manchester,  and  the  late 
Mr.  Backhouse,  of  Weardale,  Yorkshire.  Thesi- 
Daffodils  nil  doubt  are  the  results  of  Dean  Herherfs 
treatise  on  'The  Hybridisation  of  Narcissi,'  jmb- 
lished  in  the  Transactions  of  the  Royal  Horticul- 
tural Society."  From  this  Mr.  Brockbank  will 
see  that  unless  he  published  the  conjecture  to 
which  he  alludes  (p.  455)  before  May,  187'J,  the 
credit  of  having  first  made  it  belongs  to  "  Wyld 
Savage  " :  unless  indeed,  as  is  scarcely  likely,  Mr. 
Brockbank  is  himself  the  "  Wyld  Savage  "  of  the 
Journal  of  Horticulture.  All  this  may  seem  to 
outsiders  of  but  little  moment,  but  to  myself  and 
others  interested,  the  history  of  Narcissi  is  a  serious 
matter,  and  so  I  am  anxious  to  sift  all  the  infor- 
mation brought  forward.  Original  information 
is,  however,  not  so  easy  to  obtain  as  one  might 
imagine. 

After  alluding  to  Mr.  Leeds'  seedling  Crocus  on 
p.  4:55,  Mr.  Brockbank  goes  on  to  say,  "  All  the 
Narcissi  from  the  seedling  beds  "  (in  Mr.  Leeds' 
old  garden)  "  were  removed  here  "  (^i.e.,  to  Brock- 
hurst,  or  Mr.  Brockbank's  own  garden).  This  in- 
formation is  true,  but  it  is  not  the  whole  truth. 
Mr.  Brockbank  simply  removed  what  few  Narcissus 
bulbs  remained  after  Mr.  Barr  and  his  friends  had 
lifted  the  bulk  of  Mr.  Leeds'  seedlings,  all  of 
which,  as  I  understand,  had  been  by  them  pur- 
chased from  Mr.  Leeds.  I  hope,  however,  that  Mr. 
Barr  will  himself  publish  a  full  account  of  his 
transactions  with  Mr.  Leeds  respecting  these 
seedling  Narcissi ;  but  one  thing  is  clear,  viz., 
that  Mr.   Brjokbauk    only    obtained    what   few 


Narcissi  Mr.  Barr  had  accidentally  or  otherwise 
left  in  Mr.  Leeds'  garden  or  rockery.  I  am  anxious 
to  make  this  point  clear,  because  anyone  un- 
acquainted with  the  facts  of  the  case  by  reading 
Mr.  Brockbank's  statement  (p.  455) — "All  the 
Narcissi  from  the  seedling  beds  were  also  removed 
here  " — might  innocently  be  led  to  believe  or  infer 
that  all  Mr.  Leeds'  seedling  varieties  of  Narcissus 
passed  into  Mr.  Brockbank's  hands,  an  inference 
which  would  be  contrary  to  fact.  In  a  word, 
"  All  the  Narcissi  from  the  seedling  beds"  (on 
p.  455)  simply  means  all  that  Mr.  Barr  left 
in  the  ground — that  is  to  say,  the  gleanings 
picked  up  after  the  main  harvest.  I  am  quite  sure 
Mr.  Brockbank  did  not  intend  what  he  wrote  on 
p.  455  to  be  misleading,  but  standing  alone,  as  it 
does,  the  statement  might  be  wrongly  interpreted 
by  the  reader — a  result  I  am  sure  Mr.  Brockbank 
would  deplore  as  much  as  myself.  There  is  another 
sentence  in  Mr.  Brockbank's  notes  to  which  all  I 
have  before  said  will  apply  ;  it  is  this  :  "  Mr.  Leeds' 
garden  is  now  a  thing  of  the  past.  The  site  has 
been  cleared  of  every  plant  and  laid  out  for 
building  land.  I  often  rejoice  that  it  was  my 
good  fortune  to  hear  of  it  before  the  plants  were 
dispersed.  For  two  years  I  regularly  visited  the 
garden  and  marked  down  for  removal  every  bulb 
atul  plant  tvorth  having,  and  these  mere  all  trans- 
ferred to  my  garden  here."  This,  again,  is  a  true 
statement,  but  not  the  whole  truth,  the  fact  being 
that  all  the  new  seedling  Daffodils  and  Narcissi 
were  purchased  from  Mr.  Leeds  and  removed  by 
Mr.  Barr,  after  which  removal  no  doubt  Mr.  Brock- 
bank did  as  he  has  stated.  Mr.  Brockbank  him- 
self has  told  us  some  of  the  facts  of  the  case, 
no  doubt,  and  may  j-et  tell  us  more,  but  I 
shall  look  to  Mr.  Barr  for  a  true  and  unvarnished 
tale  of  the  whole  transaction  relating  to  these 
Leedsi  Daffodils.  It  only  remains  for  me  to  say 
that  all  italics  here  are  mine.  Anent  the  seeding  of 

Double  Daffodils  I  have  a  few  words  to 
say,  and  a  quotation  to  make  which  has  a  bear- 
ing on  the  subject.  That  a  perfectly  double 
Daffodil  can  never  under  any  circumstances  bear 
seed  is  a  foregone  conclusion,  since  both  style  as 
well  as  stamens  are  rendered  abortive  by  being 
transmuted  into  petaloid  organs.  In  many  semi- 
double  flowers,  however,  the  style  is  perfect, 
although  there  are  no  stamens  developed.  Such  a 
flower  may  bear  seed,  being  cross-fertilised  by 
pollen  from  normal  or  single  flowers  growing  in 
its  vicinity.  Or,  again,  some  semi-double  Daffodils 
have  an  odd  pollen-bearing  anther  or  two  un- 
altered in  the  doubling  process,  |and  pollen  from 
these  might  be  effectual  in  fertilising  the  styles 
of  the  semi-double  blossoms  before  alluded  to,  but 
I  shall  quote  the  following  paragraph  in  full  from 
p.  40  of  "The  Epitome  of  Gardening."  It  is 
written  by  Dr.  M.  T.  Masters,  who  has  made 
vegetable  teretology  an  especial  study,  and 
it  originally  appeared  under  the  head  of  "  Horticul- 
ture" in  the  "  Encyclopiedia  Britannica."  The  para- 
graph is  that  devoted  to  double  flowers  as  follows  : 
"  The  taste  of  the  day  demands  that  double 
flowers  should  be  largely  grown.  Though  in  some 
instances,  as  in  Hyacinths,  they  are  decidedly  less 
beautiful  than  single  ones,  they  present  the 
advantages  of  being  less  evanescent.  Under 
the  vague  term  '  double '  many  very  different 
morphological  changes  are  included.  The  flower 
of  a  double  Dahlia,  e.g.,  offers  a  totally  dif- 
ferent condition  of  structure  from  that  of  a 
Rose  or  a  Hyacinth.  The  double  Poinsettia,  again, 
owes  its  so-called  double  condition  merely  to  the 
increased  number  of  its  scarlet  involucral  leaves, 
which  are  not  parts  of  the  flower  at  all.  It  is  rea- 
sonable, therefore,  to  infer  that  the  causes  leading 
to  the  production  of  double  flowers  are  varied.  A 
good  deal  of  difference  of  opinion  exists  as  to 
whether  they  are  the  result  of  arrested  growth 
or  of  exuberant  development,  and  accordingly 
whether  restricted  food  or  abundant  supplies  of 
nourishment  are  the  more  necessary  for  their  pro- 
duction. It  must  suffice  here  to  say  that  double 
flowers  are  most  commonly  the  substitution  of 
brightly  coloured  petals  for  stamens  or  pistils,  or 
both,  and  that  a  perfectly  double  flower,  where  all 
the  stamens  and  pistils  are  thus  metamorphosed. 


is  necessarily  barren.  Such  a  plant  must  needs  be 
propagated  by  cuttings  (or  division).  It  rarely 
happens,  however,  that  the  change  is  quite  com- 
plete throughout  the  flower,  and  so  a  few  seeds 
may  be  formed,  some  of  which  may  be  expected 
to  reproduce  the  double-blossomed  plants.  By 
continuous  selection  of  seed  from  the  best  varieties, 
and  '  roguing '  or  eliminating  plants  of  the  ordi- 
nary type,  a  strain  or  race  of  double  flowers  is 
gradually  produced." 

This  is  the  r«Yio?w^  of  the  subject  from  good 
authority,  so  that  it  is  quite  evident  that  Mr. 
Brockbank  and  Mr.  Comhill  have  both  obtained 
seeds  from  flowers  of  N.  Telamonius  fl.-pl.,  which 
were  semi  or  partially  double  only,  as  no  flower 
perfectly  double  can  possibly  produce  them.  I 
trust  both  Mr.  Brockbank  and  Mr.  Comhill  may 
be  rewarded  by  rearing  distinct  seedling  double 
forms  as  some  compensation  for  their  persever- 
ance. F.  W.  BURBIDOE. 


REPOTTING  AURICULAS. 

Observant  readers  will  note  that  almost  every 
grower  of  Auriculas  has  his  own  pet  notion  as  to 
points  of  treatment.  "R.  D.'s"  experience,  as 
shown  in  his  remarks  (p.  454)  on  "Auriculas  late 
in  autumn,"  are  worth  knowing,  and  his  ideas  are 
worth  considering.  His  practice  is  not,  however, 
in  accordance  with  that  of  some  other  growers  of 
repute.  That,  however,  only  shows  how  the  cul- 
ture of  the  Auricula  varies.  Take,  for  example, 
the  time  of  potting.  On  this  point  there  is  great 
diversity  of  opinion.  Some  growers  of  high  stand- 
ing maintain  that  the  proper  time  is  early  in  June. 
I  have  always  been  strongly  of  opinion  that  the 
result  of  potting  so  early  will  be,  and  generally  is, 
a  profusion  of  autumn  bloom.  It  stands  to  rea- 
son that  it  should  be  so,  as  Auriculas,  in  com- 
mon with  Primroses  and  other  kindred  flowers, 
have  a  propensity  to  bloom  twice  in  a  season,  and 
the  incitement  to  growth  and  inducement  to 
bloom  are  afforded  them  when  they  would  be 
better  at  rest.  My  own  experience  is  that  the 
best  time  to  repot  is  from  the  end  of  July  to 
the  end  of  August.  By  the  end  of  July  the 
seed  has  been  fully  ripened,  a  week  or  two  of 
rest  has  supervened,  and  consequently  the  plant 
is  in  the  best  condition  to  be  dealt  with  for  next 
season's  work.  There  are  some  varieties  which 
insist  on  blooming  in  autumn  whatever  time  they 
are  potted.  Maclean's  Unique  is  a  notable  ex- 
ample of  this.  Sometimes  you  get  an  autumn 
bloom  of  first-rate  quality,  though  this  does  not 
happen  as  a  rule.  This  year  I  have  had  a  trass  of 
Mrs.  Douglas  much  finer  and  brighter  than  I  have 
ever  had  it  in  spring.  I  seldom  have  autumn 
bloom,  which  I  attribute  to  my  potting  during 
August.  With  "R.  D.,"  I  do  not  think  that 
early  or  late  potting  has  any  effect  whatever 
on  early  bloom  in  spring.  As  to  top-dressing 
in  spring,  which  "  R.  D. '  seems  to  practise, 
I  consider  it  a  waste  of  time,  and  question  very 
much  whether  it  does  any  good  to  the  plant  or 
makes  the  bloom  any  better.  To  test  this,  I  top- 
dressed  one  of  my  frames  two  years  ago,  but  I 
failed  to  see  any  difference  in  those  top-dressed 
and  those  let  alone.  In  this  matter  I  was  glad  to 
see  recently  that  Mr.  Douglas,  who  all  will  acknow- 
ledge grows  Auriculas  successfully,  held  the  same 
opinion  as  I  do.  If  top-dressing  were  so  great  an 
advantage  as  some  suppose  it  to  be,  he  would  not 
take  so  high  a  place  in  competition  with  those 
who  practise  it.  Like  "  R.  D.'s"  plants,  mine 
have  looked  remarkably  well  all  this  season,  but  I 
never  adopt  his  practice  of  syringing  overhead 
with  water.  By  careful  watching  this  year  for  a 
few  weeks  I  prevented  the  little  green  caterpillar 
from  doing  any  injury.  Two  years  ago  one  of 
them  ate  out  the  heart  of  Prince  of  Greens,  but 
the  result  was  that  I  had  two  good  plants  next 
year.  Their  help  in  propagating,  however,  is  not 
always  desirable,  and  when  seen  they  should  be 
shown  no  mercy.  The  plants  should  now  be  tho- 
roughly at  rest,  and  attention  to  cleanliness  and 
seeing  that  they  do  not  get  too  dry  is  all  that  is 
needed  till  growth  starts  again  in  February.  I 
wish  "  R.  D."  had  described  the  flower  of  Hetty 


Dkc.  13,  1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


497 


Dean  as  well  as  the  foliage ;  if  it  is  a  marked 
improvement  on  any  yellow  we  have,  it  will  be 
worth  looking  after,  and  it  is  desirable  to  know  all 
about  it.  J.  M. 


BUR   MARIGOLDS. 


(BIDBNS.) 

The  liidens,  or  Bur  Marigolds,  as  they  are  com- 
monly called,  are  chiefly  natives  of  North  America; 
as  a  whole  they  are  not  by  any  means  valuable 
garden  plants,  such,  for  instance,  as  B.  minima,  B. 
cemna,  and  others  being  mere  weeds,  rarely  if 
ever  seen  outside  a  botanic  garden  ;  but  a  few  are 
really  useful  annuals,  which,  from  possessing  a 
shade  of  colour  and  a  large  share  of  linely-cut 
foliage  diilerent  from  that  of  plants  commonly 
grown,  help  in  a  measure  to  give  variety  to  our 
mixed  borders.     They  are  best  treated  as  half- 


Bidens  humilis ;  flowers  yellow  (natm-al  size). 

hardy  annuals,  and  as  such  need  well  thinning  out, 
for  if  this  is  neglected  the  chances  are  that  they 
will  be  leggy  and  the  flowers  small  and  worthless. 
B.  humilis,  represented  in  the  accompanying  illu- 
stration, was  introduced  from  China  quite  recently, 
and  promises,  owing  to  its  graceful  habit  and  pro- 
fusion of  sweet  flowers,  to  become  a  general  fa- 
vourite. It  grows  about  a  foot  in  height,  and  forms 
a  loose,  procumbent  bush,  the  leaves  of  which  are 
bipinnate,  some  being  finely  cat  and  quite  narrow, 
while  others  are  larger  and  nearly  oval  in  shape. 
The  flowers,  which  are  golden  yellow,  as  large  as 
a  florin,  and  either  fiat  or  beautifully  recurved, 
are  produced  singly  and  in  great  profusion.  It  is 
said  to  be  perennial,  but  its  hardiness  is  doubted, 
and  we  find  it  to  answer  well  as  an  annual,  sow- 
ing it  where  it  is  intended  to  remain  and  flower 
during  the  summer  months,  and,  indeed,  until  cut 
off  by  early  frosts.  B.  striata,  a  beautiful  white- 
flowered  annual  with  a  pretty  golden  centre,  is 
also  very  useful  in  mixed  borders.  It  grows  from 
1  foot  to  2  feet  in  height,  is  branched,  and  has 
finely-cut  pinnated  leaves.  It  is  a  native  of 
Mexico.    B.  Becki,  a  semi-aquatic  species,  found 


plentifully  in  the  vicinity  of  New  York  near 
ponds  and  also  running  streams,  has  opposite 
leaves  deeply  cut ;  the  flowers,  which  are  golden 
yellow,  are  about  S  inches  in  diameter.  This  is  a 
really  desirable  plant  for  the  margins  of  ornamen- 
tal water,  where  it  will  even  stand  being  sub- 
merged. It  flowers  in  August  and  September.  B. 
chrysanthemoides,  a  charming  annual  species 
which  grows  about  a  foot  in  height,  has  pretty 
serrated  leaves,  and  bears  a  profusion  of  flowers 
2  inches  to  3  inches  in  diameter,  the  ray  florets 
of  which  are  golden  yellow  and  the  disc  purple. 
It  is  a  native  of  Canada  and  the  United  States.  B. 
procera,  a  handsome  annual,  with  very  narrow, 
much-pinnated  leaves  and  large  yellow  golden 
shaded  flowers,  is  a  native  of  Mexico.  It  flowers 
in  October  and  November.  Others  worth  atten- 
tion are  B.  odorata,  a  sweet-scented  white-flowered 
very  pretty  species,  B.  suooisa,  B.  lineariloba,  tri- 
partita, and  ferulsefolia.  K. 


AURICULAS  AND  AUTUMN  BLOOM, 
Autumn  blooming  is  a  natural  habit,  which  we 
do  not  expect  to  overcome  in  the  Auricula.  Other 
members  of  the  family  possess  it,  and  a  mild 
autumn  seems  to  encourage  them  all  the  more  to 
exhibit  it.  To  a  spring-flowering  plant  that  has 
also  an  autumnal  season  of  activity  above  ground, 
the  conditions  of  the  daylight  and  temperature  in 
April  and  October  may  appear  sufficiently  similar 
and  suitable  to  admit  of  its  getting  up  more  or 
less  of  a  flower  show  at  the  latter  period ;  but 
the  display  at  the  half -ebb  of  autumntide  is,  we 
know,  comparatively  poor  and  cramped.  All  the 
signals  of  waning  light  and  falling  leaves  are 
against  it,  and  though  a  plant  may  run  past  these 
red  lights  of  caution,  yet  it  soon  draws  up  and 
stops.  Some  Auriculas  are  more  given  to  autumn 
blooming  than  others,  and  if  these  are  grown  or 
used  as  seed  parents,  the  habit  is  sure  to  be  kept 
up  and  transmitted  in  some  degree.  Taking  years 
together,  it  occurs  pretty  equally  among  all  the 
classes,  although  in  any  one  season  the  edges  or 
the  selfs  may  come  forward  as  the  chief  trans- 
gressors. So  far  as  culture  can  guide  them  in  the 
desired  way,  I  have  found  it  best  to  let  Auriculas 
feel  no  check  in  their  summer  growth,  and  no 
avoidable  excitement  during  their  autumnal 
activity — that  is,  they  are  kept  in  both  summer  and 
autumn  cool  and  moist.  The  plan  of  syringing 
them  during  their  growth,  which  Mr.  Dean  speaks 
of,  is  good,  provided  the  plants  can  be  naturally 
dried  by  abundant  circulation  of  air.  This  pro- 
cess of  course  takes  off  the  mealy  beauty  of  the 
white-foliaged  ones,  but  that  feature  is  of  less 
account,  is  of  less  intensity,  and  less  in  season 
during  the  summer  months ;  and  its  absence,  where 
the  plants  are  wetted,  is,  in  fact,  a  safeguard 
against  water  being  held,  as  it  is  sure  to  be,  in 
densely  mealed  foliage. 

As  TO  REroTTiNC4,  it  is  practically  no  check  at 
all  to  a  healthy  Auricula.  Times  are  generally 
chosen  when  the  root-fibres  are  stirring  and  soon 
have  fresh  hold  in  a  congenial  soil,  and  the  plant 
feels  the  change  as  little  as  the  express  train  does 
in  taking  the  points  for  change  of  line  at  the 
junction.  I  have  always  repotted  Auriculas  as 
they  pass  out  of  bloom.  Weight  and  speed  of 
growth,  at  that  high  season,  are  a  very  momentum 
of  life  that  carry  the  plant  past  the  apparent 
mechanical  check  ;  but  in  general  practice  I  may 
say  one  is  always  repotting  Auriculas  where  there 
are  full  plants  and  offsets  and  seedlings  of  all 
shapes  and  sizes  continually  in  hand.  The  sick 
list  is  small  and  the  death  rate  low,  but  the  se- 
lecting rate  is  severe,  and  the  "  pitching-out "  rate 
something  awful.  The  effect  is  brilliant  beyond 
the  conception  of  those  outside  the  florist  circle, 
to  whom  the  expression  of  an  outsider's  free-and- 
easy  and  irresponsible  judgment  is  a  delight. 
At  whatever  time  a  plant  with  me  is  ailing  it  gets 
pulled  up  and  repotted.  If  it  looks  too  tight  in 
the  pot — though  to  Auricula  roots  pretty  tight- 
lacing  is  no  evil — it  is  shaken  out,  and,  with  some 
of  the  oldest  roots  and  stem  cut  off,  is  put  back 
into  the  same  pot.  As  a  rule,  I  do  not  use  any 
pot  smaller  than  3  inches  or  larger  than  4  J  inches 
across.    The  plants  that  are  too  small  for  a  3-inch 


pot  are  grown  in  pans  or  boxes  till  large  enough  to 
pot  off,  and  those  that  seem  too  large  for  a  4J- 
inch  pot  are  made  to  go  in.  The  staple  trade 
of  our  village  is  a  clay  and  stoneware  pottery, 
and  the  manager  very  kindly  has  the  clay  of 
a  4J-inch  pot  used  up  in  making  me  a 
4-inch  pot  with  the  balance  given  towards 
an  extra  depth,  which  I  prefer  to  width  for  these 
plants.  My  friend,  Mr.  Dean,  I  think,  will  not 
find  that  the  "  second  shift  "  he  asks  about  (p.  454) 
has  an  appreciable  effect  either  way  upon  autumn 
blooming.  If  a  plant  has  a  bold  filbert  heart  in 
August  or  September,  it  is  very  likely  to  send  up  a 
flower-stem,  irrespective  of  any  hint  to  keep  quiet. 
Still,  it  is  always  worth  while  to  try  ones  best  to 
keep  a  fine  autumnal  heart  at  rest,  or  a  truss  that 
is  showing  from  getting  out  upon  its  legs.  This, 
I  think,  is  best  attempted  by  plunging  such  plants 
in  some  cool  and  equably  moist  bottom  in  an 
outdoor  north  aspect.  If,  however,  the  plant 
shows  determination  to  flower  by  sending  up  its 
stem  and  colouring  its  buds,  then  help  it  to  get 
done  with  it  as  soon  as  possible  by  placing  it  in  a 
warm,  bright  situation,  where  the  buds  may  come 
on  merrily,  to  be  rubbed  off  as  the  stem  clears  the 
foliage.  So  may  the  new  heart  be  the  better 
fashioned  before  it  is  time  for  the  foliage  to  die 
off,  and  the  plant  assume  the  sleeping  beauty  of 
its  frost-proof  winter  habit.  In  the  case  of  some 
valuable  seedling  or  scarce  variety  that  happens  to 
send  up  an  autumn  stem  with  a  guard  leaf  or  two 
upon  it,  the  stalk  vrill  not  attempt  to  wither 
while  a  leaf  is  green ;  and  it  is  worth  while  to 
leave  it  for  the  chance,  which  is  fairly  good,  of  a 
young  plant  being  formed  among  the  axils  of 
the  leaves  or  stalks  of  the  buds  that  were  rubbed 
off.  With  due  care  this  becomes  practically  an 
offset,  and  may  be  nursed  into  a  young  plant. 

As  to  the  yellow  selfs,  I  have  not  found  them  as 
a  class  to  be  shy  growers,  and  I  am  glad  to  hear 
that  Hetty  Dean  is,  well— a  pretty  thing,  which  I 
have  not  seen  in  flower  since  its  first  bloom  with 
me  as  a  seedling.  There  come  many  curious 
sports  among  seedlings,  that  have  a  green,  grey, 
or  white  edge  on  a  yellow  body  colour ;  and  the 
experience  of  several  growers  to  whom  I  have 
sent  these  is  that  they  have  a  great  tendency  to 
die  off  or  be  delicate.  F.  D.  Horneb. 

Burton-in-Lonsdale,  Yorkihire. 


Transplanting  Black  Bryony.  —  If 
"  J.  C.  B."  would  successfully  transplant  this  from 
its  native  site  into  his  grounds,  he  should  look  out 
for  a  hedge  that  is  being  levelled,  where  the  work- 
men would,  for  a  small  douceur,  carefully  go 
round  the  tubers  and  get  them  out  uninjured.  In 
this  way  I  have  succeeded  with  immense  roots, 
but  it  is  a  year  or  two  before  they  yield  strong 
bine.  It  grows  most  vigorously  in  rather  heavy 
soil.  As  it  is  dicEoious,  he  must  obtain  both  sexes 
if  he  would  fruit  it.  By  the  way,  it  is  this  year, 
like  nearly  all  our  indigenous  berry -bearing  plants, 
very  much  more  fruitful  and  finer  than  usual.  I 
have  often  thought  how  much  it  would  be  prized 
if  it  were  an  exotic.  I  have  before  now  gathered 
specimens  of  it  16  feet  to  18  feet  long,  berried  from 
end  to  end,  and  used  to  twine  them  up  the  rafters 
of  a  greenhouse  amongst  the  climbers.  In  a  dry 
greenhouse  the  berries  keep  fresh  and  bright  for 
months  if  collected  when  the  fruit  begins  to 
colour. — J.  M.,  Charmouth,  Dorset. 

Chrysanthemum  synonyms.  —  Doubt- 
less many  admirers  of  Chrysanthemums  have 
noticed  a  plurality  of  names  for  one  variety,  and 
have  been  as  much  misled  and  troubled  with  them 
as  myself.  As  far  as  I  can  judge,  the  various 
catalogues  sent  out  all  contain  similar  faults. 
For  instance,  Mabel  Ward  is  offered  as  Bendigo  ; 
Snowball,  Mrs.  Cunningham,  White  Queen  of 
England,  and  Lady  St.  Clair  are  but  other  names 
for  Empress  of  India;  and  a  host  of  others. 
Would  it  not  be  much  better  for  all  growers  to 
agree  to  one  list  of  names,  just  as  the  Daffodil 
conference  has  done  ?  Mr.  Burbidge's  book  is 
excellent,  but  has  one  great  fault,  viz  ,  the  type  is 
too  small,  even  for  the  best  of  eyes.  If  necessary, 
a  conference  of  the  chief  Chrysanthemum  growers 


498 


THE    GARDEN 


[Dec.  13,  1884. 


might    arrange  a  list    of    names    and    simplify 
matters.— Pere  Delaus. 

*  *  The  fault  here  complained  of  as  regards  Mr. 
Buroidge's  book  will  be  amended  in  the  next  edi- 
tion.— Ed.  

INDOOR    Garden. 

IMPROVED  GLOXINIAS. 
Few  plants  have  been  more  improved  of  late 
years  than  Gloxinias  ;  instead  of  the  small  flimsy 
blooms  vrhich  we  used  to  see,  resembling  those  of 
the  Foxglove,  we  now  have  them  more  like  the 
AUamanda  in  form  and  size,  and  not  only  are  they 
large,  but  they  are  of  great  substance,  and  exqui- 
site in  colour  and  marking.  The  improvement, 
too,  great  as  it  is,  has  not  been  confined  to  increas- 
ing the  size  and  stoutness  ;  it  has  fortunately  taken 
another  turn,  and  given  us  erect  flowers — an  im- 
mense gain,  as  instead  of  their  beauty  being 
hidden,  it  is  now  well  displayed  to  view.  At  one 
time  Gloxinias  were  only  to  be  met  with  in  sum- 
mer, but  now  that  more  attention  has  been  given 
to  them  and  their  cultivation,  they  may  be  had  at 
almost  any  season,  as  by  sowing  at  different 
periods  and  raising  fresh  plants,  it  is  an  easy 
matter  to  keep  up  a  constant  succession. 

Named  sorts  can  only  be  kept  true  by  being 
propagated  from  leaves  or  by  division,  which  may 
be  done  as  soon  as  the  bulbs  start ;  they  may  then 
be  cut  or  split  through,  so  as  to  secure  a  shoot  with 
each  piece,  and  then  potted,  at  the  same  time 
using  a  little  sand  to  dry  up  the  wounds.  When 
struck  from  leaves,  it  is  necessary  for  them  to  be 
fully  grown  and  firm,  as  when  in  a  soft  state  they 
are  apt  to  damp  off  or  rot  before  they  have  time 
to  heal  and  form  a  bulbule  at  the  foot  of  the  stalk. 
The  way  in  which  leaves  should  be  managed  is  to 
take  them  off  and  insert  them  in  sandy  peat  round 
the  edge  of  a  pot,  which  should  then  be  plunged 
in  another  a  little  larger  and  filled  round  with 
Moss,  or  set  in  a  pan  and  covered  with  a  bell-glass 
till  they  root.  To  induce  them  to  do  this  they  must 
have  brisk  heat,  a  shady  shelf  near  the  light  in  a 
stove  being  a  good  situation  for  them,  as  also  after 
they  are  struck  and  got  to  rest,  when  they  should 
be  left  intact  in  the  soil  till  the  beginning  of  the 
year  or  later ;  after  that  they  may  be  shaken  out 
and  potted,  as  wanted,  for  starting,  but  they  must 
be  sparingly  watered  till  they  get  plenty  of  foliage 
to  take  it  up  and  convert  it  to  use.  As  to  soil, 
nothing  answers  better  than  fibry  loam  and  leaf- 
soil  with  a  little  rotten  cow  manure  and  sand,  in 
which  mixture  they  should  be  potted  somewhat 
firmly  in  0-inch  pots,  a  size  sufliciently  large,  with 
good  feeding,  to  accommodate  neat  specimens,  as 
they  do  not  require  much  room.  To  get  the  plants 
to  be  of  real  service  and  fit  to  stand  in  a  green- 
house or  room,  they  must  not  be  grown  in  much 
heat,  from  fiO"  to  70°  being  quite  enough,  in  which 
temperature  they  will  make  stout,  sturdy  foliage 
and  flowers  that  do  not  flag  through  a  change  from 
the  stove. 

Gloxinias  from  seed  succeed  well.  The  first 
sowing  may  be  made  as  early  as  January,  but  the 
seedlings  got  up  at  that  time  of  year  require 
careful  watching  to  prevent  them  from  damping. 
Before  putting  the  seed  in,  it  is  necessary  to  be 
particular  in  the  preparation  of  the  pots  or  pans, 
wliich  should  be  well  drained  and  filled  with  very 
fine  light  soil  made  level  and  smooth  on  the  top, 
and  when  this  is  done  it  ought  to  be  watered  and 
left  for  a  few  hours  to  settle.  The  seed  should 
then  be  scattered  thinly  and  regularly  over,  but 
not  covered,  except  by  having  a  pane  of  glass 
over  it  to  prevent  evaporation ;  and  by  thus  keeping 
the  air  close  and  moist  the  seed  will  soon  germi- 
nate, after  which  the  pan  containing  the  young 
plants  should  be  stood  on  a  light  shelf  in  the  stove 
close  to  the  glass,  and  have  only  just  water  enough 
given  by  sprinkling  to  keep  the  soil  moist.  As 
soon  as  they  get  large  enough  to  handle  it  will  be 
necessary  to  prick  them  off,  which  may  be  done 
in  sjiallow  pans,  and  if  damped  by  syringing,  after 
that  their  growth  will  be  rapid,  but  before  they 
get  crowded  they  should  be  potted  singly  in  3-inch 
pots,  and  as  soon  as  they  have  filled  these  with 
loots,  shifted  into  6-inch  ones,  which,  as  observed 


above,  are  large  enough  for  them  to  stand  in  and 
bloom.  During  summer  almost  any  ordinary  pit 
or  frame  answers  for  growing  Gloxinias,  as  they 
may  be  stood  on  temporary  shelves  or  on  a  floor 
of  coal  ashes,  and  after  being  syringed,  shut  up 
early,  so  as  to  secure  suflioient  heat  from  the  sun. 
What  injures  the  plants  more  than  anything  is  a 
dry  atmosphere,  which  brings  on  red  spider  and 
thrips,  insects  which  soon  spoil  the  foliage  by 
turning  it  brown.  Old  plants  may  soon  be  started, 
but  the  best  way  is  to  bring  on  a  few  at  a  time 
and  to  depend  on  the  seedlings  to  keep  up  a  suc- 
cession. S.  D. 


PROPAGATING  LUCULIA  GEATISSIMA. 
The  flowering  of  this  plant  again  reminds  one  of 
its  beauty  and  usefulness  for  greenhouse  or  con- 
servatory decoration  at  this  time  of  the  year.  It 
is  unfortunately  rather  difficult  to  flower  in  a 
young  state,  or  even  to  get  established  as  a  large 
plant.  Its  noble  terminal  corymbs  of  rosy  pink 
flowers  are  very  fragrant,  and  on  a  healthy  bush 
produced  in  profusion.  They  are,  however,  of  no 
use  in  a  cut  state,  as  they  droop  almost  imme- 
diately and  do  not  revive  when  placed  in  water. 
It  is  generally  recommended  to  propagate  this 
plant  by  means  of  cuttings,  and  I  am  aware  thi« 
is  possible,  but  I  must  confess  to  being  unable  to 
obtain  a  single  plant  by  this  method.  Some  placed 
in  a  propagating  house  in  spring  damped  off  in 
two  days;  others  inserted  singly  in  small  pots  and 
covered  with  a  bell-glass  in  a  cool  house  retained 
their  leaves  for  three  or  four  months  quite  fresh, 
but  eventually  died  without  emitting  roots.  Some 
more,  treated  at  first  in  a  cool  house  and  then 
transferred  to  a  warmer  temperature,  also  failed. 
A  quantity  of  seeds  were  introduced  from  India 
and  distributed  some  time  ago.  These  apparently 
germinated  very  freely,  at  least  those  which  we 
received  did  so,  but  many  of  the  p'ants  obtained 
•ubsequently  died  after  being  potted  off  in  con- 
sequence of  the  roots  being  injured,  Luculias 
being  very  impatient  of  root-disturbance  at  any 
time.  Several  others  are  at  present  from  1  foot 
to  2  feet  high,  but  very  few  are  flowering  this 
year.  Speaking  from  memory,  the  seeds  were 
sown  about  eighteen  months  ago.  I  am  told  that 
Luculias  are  increased  for  the  trade  by  layering. 
I  have  not  tried  this  method,  but  should  be 
much  interested  to  know — as  would  doubtless 
many  other  readers  of  The  Garden — the  best 
time  for  performing  the  operation  and  the  plan  to 
be  adopted.  As  soon  as  a  plant  reaches  a  good 
size  I  should  advise  planting  it  out  in  a  light  posi- 
tion in  a  greenhouse,  or  other  structure  not  too 
cold.  If  placed  in  the  same  bed  as  other  perma- 
nent plants,  a  portion  of  loamy  soil,  about  a  yard 
square,  should  be  enclosed  either  by  a  brick  wall 
or  large  slates  made  to  fit  close  at  the  comers. 
Tliis  is  necessary  in  order  to  keep  the  soil  nearly 
or  quite  dry  when  the  plant  is  at  rest.  The  shoots, 
after  flowering  is  over,  may  all  be  removed  back 
to  about  three  eyes  at  the  base,  which  will  be 
sufficient  for  the  following  year.  From  the  time 
when  this  pruning  is  performed  until  growth  com- 
mences again,  about  April,  water  should  be  entirely 
withheld,  as  sufficient  moisture  will  invariably  be 
retained  by  the  ball  of  soil.  Plenty  of  water  may 
be  applied  in  summer.  The  site  selected  for  plant- 
ing out  should  be  a  permanent  one,  as  transplanting 
may  be  attended  with  fatal  results.  It  is  important 
that  light  should  not  be  excluded  by  creepers  or 
by  other  means,  as  tlie  growth  made  in  a  shaded 
position  is  rarely  sufliciently  solidified  to  produce 
flowers.  J.  G.  K. 


Potting  Lilies.— Surely  "  Byfleet "  (p.  43,3)  is 
not  in  earnest  in  maintaining  that  Lilies  would  do 
just  as  well  if  allowed  to  remain  in  the  same  pots 
two  or  more  years  in  succession.  When  properly 
potted  the  great  mass  of  roots  above  and  below 
the  bulb  feed  on  every  ounce  of  material  in  the 
pot ;  so  much  so,  that  to  perfect  the  blooms  in  the 
end  of  the  season,  I  and  most  other  growers  have 
to  keep  them  on  with  liquid  manure.  If  this  is 
so,  it  seems  unreasonable  to  suppose  that  the 
Lily  of  the  succeeding  year  can  live  and  thrive  on 
the  material  which  its  predecessor  bss  already  ex- 


hausted, except  it  can  be  shown  that  the  decom- 
posing roots  and  scales  afford  food  for  it.  This 
would  raise  the  whole  question  of  the  necessity 
of  the  customary  annual  potting,  planting,  reno- 
vation of  soil,  and  manuring  which  most  people 
consider  desirable.  I  agree  with  your  correspon- 
dent that  food  for  the  stem  roots  might  as  well 
be  put  in  at  flrst  as  subsequently,  but  I  have 
recently  written  on  this  subject  in  The  Garden. 
— W.J.  Murphy,  Clonmel. 

Encholirion  corallinum.  —  51.  Truffaut, 
of  Versailles,  possesses  a  variety  of  this  which  is 
said  to  far  surpass  the  type  in  beauty.  It  came 
amongst  a  number  of  seedlings  several  years  ago, 
and  was  exhibited  at  a  meeting  of  the  French 
National  Horticultural  Society,  where  it  obtained 
a  first-class  certificate.  The  leaves  are  striped 
with  red  on  a  dark  green  ground.  Its  habit  is 
good,  and  the  flowers  are  brilliant  and  last  a  long 
time  in  perfection.  Thus  it  combines  beauty  of 
form  with  handsome  foliage  and  brilliant  flowers. 
M.  Truffaut  predicts  that  this  Bromeliad  will  rank 
high  in  the  estimation  of  plant  lovers. — Byfleet. 

Sanaeviera  zeylanloa. — The  npnghtaspect 
and  long,  prettily  marked,  spear-like,  fleshy  leaves 
of  this  singular  looking  plant  invest  it  with  con- 
siderable interest.  Its  cultural  requirements 
appear  to  be  few.  We  have  a  large  potful  of  it 
growing  in  a  warm  hous^  which  has  had  no  other 
attention  than  plenty  of  water  in  summer  for 
several  years.  Some  of  the  leaves  are  from  4  feet 
to  5  feet  long,  and  the  pot  is  crammed  with  creep- 
ing fleshy  roots ;  this  root-bound  condition  has 
doubtless  induced  it  to  flower,  which  it  did  freely 
this  season.  The  flowers  are  comparatively  in- 
conspicuous, borne  on  long  spikes,  and  are  of  a 
whitish  green  colour ;  they  are  also  strongly — 
almost  disagreeably — fragrant.  Its  fruits  or 
berries  are  bright  red,  resembling  those  of 
Asparagas,  but  contain  only  one  seed  each.  This 
plant  is  largely  cultivated  in  the  East  Indies  for 
the  tenacious  flbre  which  it  affords.— A.  Moobe, 
Craumore. 

Brugmansias  planted  out.— These  showy 
plants  are  very  effective  in  conservatories  when 
planted  out,  and  they  submit  to  heading  down 
with  impunity.  I  lately  saw  some  very  fine  speci- 
mens of  them  at  Eastbury  Manor  covered  with 
blossoms  for  the  third  time  this  season,  and  the 
large  size  of  both  leaves  and  blossoms  showed 
that  planting  out  such  subjects  had  great  advan- 
tages over  pots  or  tubs.  In  the  latter  it  is  well- 
nigh  impossible  to  supply  their  wants  in  regard  to 
moisture  and  root  room.  Give  them  plenty  of 
space  and  they  will  flourish  in  almost  any  kind  of 
soil ;  the  plan  adopted  here  is  to  head  them  down 
as  soon  as  they  cease  flowering  in  autumn  to  about 
5  feet  high,  after  the  fashion  of  a  pollarded  tree, 
thus  admitting  light  and  air  to  the  other  occupants 
of  the  conservatory,  such  as  Camellias  and  other 
winter-flowering  plants.  Anyone  having  large 
conservatories  to  fill  will  find  these  Brugmansias 
most  useful  subjects  for  the  purpose. — J.  G.  H. 

Diseased  Gardenias. — I  lately  saw  what 
appeared  to  be  a  healthy  plantation  of  Gardenias 
in  a  pit-like  border  of  a  small  house.  They  were 
planted  out,  and  upon  examination  I  found  that 
they  were  all  in  various  stages  of  disease,  the  point 
of  attack  being  about  the  collar  and  about  an  inch 
upwards.  I  made  inquiries  as  to  their  treatment 
with  a  view  to  discover  the  cause.  I  was  told 
that  they  had  been  treated  in  the  ordinary  way 
as  regards  light,  nearness  to  the  glass,  air  in  the 
summer,  and  that  they  had  never  been  dry.  A 
plant  taken  up  for  my  inspection  showed  the  roots 
to  be  in  a  healthy  condition,  no  appearance  being 
visible  to  account  for  the  disease.  On  enquiring 
what  they  had  been  dressed  with,  I  was  told  that 
a  weak  solution  of  paraffin  had  been  used.  My 
impression  was  that  that  accounted  for  the  failure. 
I  found,  too,  that  quicklime  had  been  applied  to 
the  stems,  which  would  probably  aggravate  the 
evil.  The  bark  about  the  collar  was  in  a  wet,  de- 
caying state  and  emitted  an  offensive  odour  ;  ap- 
parently the  flow  of  sap  was  arrested  at  that 
point.  The  gardener,  however,  assured  me  that 
the  same  dressing  had  been  used  before  without 


Dec.  13,   1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


499 


causing  any  injnry,  and  stated  that  he  believed 
the  disease  to  be  dae  to  a  fungoid  growth.  Can 
any  of  your  correspondents  throw  any  light  on 
this  matter  .' — C.  D. 

5280.— Seeds  of  Lecythis  OUarIa  (Sapu- 

caya  Nat)  are  sometimes  exposed  for  sale  in  Covent 
Garden  Market.  We  obtained  a  stock  of  young 
plants  by  means  of  seeds  purchased  from  there 
about  two  years  ago.  The  whole  fruit  may  some- 
times be  seen  in  shops,  but  more  frequently  the 
seeds  only  are  imported.  Nuts  of  Sapucaya,  of 
Brazil  Nats,  and  of  the  Cannon-ball  tree  (Conrou- 
pita  guianensis)  are  imported  fresh  about  April.  I 
have  not  seen  seeds  of  the  latter  offered  for  sale 
in  Covent  Garden,  but  no  doubt  they  could  be 
procured  through  merchants  who  import  the  Brazil 
and  Sapucaya  Nats.  It  may  be  worth  while 
adding  here  that  good  seeds  of  Litchi  (Nephelium 
Lichi)  may  be  bought  in  Covent  Garden  Market. 
Seeds  of  Lodoicea  Seychellarum — the  double  Co- 
coa-nut— can  only  be  obtained,  so  far  as  I  know,  by 
importing  them  direct  from  the  Seychelle  Islands, 
where  this  Palm  is  endemic.  Seeds  of  it  reach 
Kew  now  and  then,  some  of  which  have  germi- 
nated, but  have  never  got  beyond  that  stage.  I 
need  hardly  add  that  living  plants  of  this  interest- 
ing Palm  are  not  known  to  exist  in  Europe — the 
only  one  of  the  Palms  of  the  Seychelle  Islands 
which  has  not  become  established  and  popular  in 
European  gardens. — W.,  Keiv. 

Cereus  flagelliformis,  commonly  called  the 
Cat's-tail  Cactus,  is  wor'thy  of  more  care  than  is 
generally  bestowed  upon  it.  Well  grown,  it  is 
one  of  the  most  attractive  and  distinct  plants  in 
cultivation.  We  have  a  specimen  of  it  upwards  of 
ten  years  old,  which  every  spring  is  a  perfect  pic- 
ture, bearing  upwards  of  a  hundred  of  its  ex- 
tremely graceful,  bright  rose-coloured  blooms.  This 
plant  has  been  seven  years  or  more  in  the  same 
pot  and  grows  as  finely  now  as  at  any  period  of 
its  existence.  It  gets  no  water  in  the  winter,  but 
has  a  little  liquid  manure  in  summer.  Comparing 
this  treatment  with  that  required  for  so  many 
flowering  plants,  one  wonders  that  a  plant  having 
so  much  to  recommend  it  as  this  Cactus  has  should 
be  so  neglected.  It  is  more  beautiful  than  many 
Orchids,  but  it  belongs  unfortunately  to  a  race  of 
plants  which  are  unpopular,  and  which  conse- 
quently receive  but  little  attt  ntion.  Even  when 
out  of  bloom  this  Cereus  is  ornamental,  forming 
quite  a  dense  curtain  of  slender  growths  clothed 
with  thickly-set,  glittering  spines ;  it  is  one  of  the 
best  of  plants  for  a  hanging  basket  in  a  cool  house 
or  window.  All  that  it  demands  in  summer  is 
plenty  of  sun  and  air ;  then  it  makes  strong 
growths  and  blooms  freely.  A  good-sized  plant  of 
it  lasts  a  considerable  time  in  flower,  as  while  the 
first  blooms  are  expanding  the  last  ones  are  only 
just  making  their  appearance. — J.  C.  B. 

Abortive     Amaryllis     blooms. —The 

withered  flower-stems  and  abortive  flowers  on 
the  Amaryllis  referred  to  by  "  H.  K."  (p.  -452)  are 
assuredly  the  result  of  imperfect,  ill-ripened 
growth  or  a  too  short  period  of  rest.  Having 
been  grown  so  far  away  from  the  glass,  they 
would  not  receive  the  amount  of  direct  rays  from 
the  sun  that  they  require  to  consolidate  their 
growth  perfectly,  and  this  would  have  the  effect 
of  preventing  the  foliage  from  drying  off  at  the 
usual  time,  nor  would  they  be  inclined  to  rest  so 
naturally  as  they  would  had  the  growths  been 
well  ripened  by  full  exposure  to  air  and  light.  The 
fact  of  the  roots  being  healthy  and  active  strongly 
corroborates  this  conclusion,  and  plainly  points  to 
atmospheric  conditions  as  the  cause  of  the  evil. 
No  plant  grown  under  artificial  treatment  requires 
more  exposure  to  sunlight  than  the  Amaryllis  ;  it 
should  therefore  be  placed  close  to  the  glass  and 
during  summer  receive  as  much  fresh  air  as  is 
consistent  with  a  proper  temperature,  such  as  that 
described  by  "  H.  K."  I  would  recommend  that 
those  which  are  now  making  growth  be  induced 
to  continue  the  same  as  slowly  as  possible  until 
more  light  can  be  secured.  They  should  be  placed 
in  the  lightest  position  in  the  house  and  as  clo.^e 
to  the  glass  as  possible.  They  should  receive  only 
just  sufficient   water  at  the  root  to  keep  them 


moderately  moist  at  this  dull  season,  with  an  occa- 
sional syringing  overhead  on  fine  mornings  to 
clean  the  foliage  and  prevent  too  great  exhaustion 
after  fire-heat  has  been  used.  Those  that  are  still 
at  rest  should  remain  in  a  cold  house  and  be  kept 
quite  dry  at  the  root  till  they  show  signs  of  growth, 
giving  them  at  all  times  as  much  light  as  possible. 
They  bloom  the  more  freely  for  being  root-bound, 
and  when  in  that  condition  are  greatly  benefited 
by  weak  applications  of  liquid  manure  when 
growing  freely,  and  especially  when  the  flower- 
stems  appear. — W.  C.  T. 

The  time  for  Amaryllises  to  flower  is  March 

and  April,  but  in  large  collections  isolated  spe- 
cimens may  be  found  in  flower  at  unreasonable 
dates.  If  it  is  intended  to  have  them  in  flower 
from  August  onwards,  it  would  be  best  to  grow 
the  recently  introduced  hybrids  of  A.  reticulata  of 
the  Autumn  Beauty  and  President  Garfield  type. 
Abortive  flowers  are  caused,  as  a  rule,  by  defective 
root  action.  In  other  cases  flowers  may  become 
abortive  through  being  too  far  from  the  glass ;  they 
ought  to  be  within  2  feet  or  3  feet  of  the  glass,  and 
should  be  aided  by  a  little  bottom  heat.  The  right 
treatment  for  plants  of  them  at  this  season  and  up 
to  the  middle  of  January  is  maintaining  perfect 
rest  by  keeping  them  cool  and  quite  dry  at  the 
roots.  It  is  not  a  good  plan  to  keep  them  in  the 
same  pots  for  two  or  three  years.  They  should  be 
potted  annually  about  the  middle  of  January,  and 
the  pots  should  at  once  be  plunged  in  a  gentle 
bottom  heat,  but  the  temperature  of  the  house 
should  not  be  more  than  from  4.5°  to  55°  with  a  moist 
atmosphere.  Under  thefe  circumstances  the  bulbs 
will  start  simultaneously  into  flower  and  growth. 
If  bottom  heat  cannot  be  afforded  them,  they  will 
start  in  any  house  having  the  same  temperature. 
I  have  grown  them  well  by  placing  the  pots  on  a 
shelf  in  a  vinery.  The  Vines  were  started  with  a 
temperature  of  45°  about  the  middle  of  January, 
and  the  temperature,  being  gradually  increased, 
just  suited  the  Amaryllises.  At  one  time  we  used  to 
make  a  heap  of  fermenting  manure  in  the  early 
vinery,  and  that  suited  the  Amaryllises  exactly. 
In  all  cases  in  which  plants  or  fruit  trees  are 
forced,  the  action  of  the  roots  and  that  of  other 
parts  of  the  plants  or  trees  should  move  together, 
but  it  is  better  that  root  action  precede  top 
growth  than  that  these  conditions  be  reversed.  As 
a  general  rule,  it  is  when  the  latter  conditions 
prevail  that  one  finds  abortive  flowers  and  fruits 
prevalent.— J.  Douglas. 

Gloxinias  in  •winter.— There  appears  to  be 
a  growing  disposition  to  utilise  Gloxinias  as  win- 
ter flowering  plants,  and  it  is  probable  that,  like 
winter  blooming  Pelargoniums,  they  will  increase 
in  popularity  as  their  capabilities  for  this  purpose 
become  better  known.  The  best  results  are  appa- 
rently obtained  from  seedlings,  the  seed  being 
sown  in  spring,  so  that  the  plants  are  well  formed 
by  autumn,  but  only  just  coming  into  flower. 
Gloxinia  seed  germinates  with  much  freedom  if 
sown  on  light  sandy  soil,  but  thinly  covered  and 
kept  in  a  temperature  of  about  60°.  When  large 
enough  to  handle,  the  young  plants  should  be 
pricked  off  into  6-inch  pots  or  pans  in  peat  or  leaf- 
soil  with  plenty  of  sand  in  it.  If  kept  in  a  light 
position  in  a  warm,  growing  temperature  and 
shaded  from  hot  sun,  they  will  soon  develop  into 
thrifty  little  plants  large  enough  for  2-inch  pots, 
and  should  be  placed  in  4.J-inch  pots  by  the  middle 
of  July.  Gloxinias  like  plenty  of  light  when 
growing,  or  the  foliage  becomes  too  much  drawn 
and  the  plants  have  not  that  nice  sturdy  appear- 
ance which  is  natural  to  them.  In  fine  weather, 
too,  they  should  get  plenty  of  air,  both  night  and 
day.  Careful  attention  in  the  matter  of  watering 
is  an  important  item  in  Gloxinia  culture,  as  al- 
though the  soil  must  never  get  dust-dry,  if  it  once 
becomes  close  through  overwatering  the  roots  never 
again  seem  to  be  able  to  work  with  freedom  in  it. 
—J.  C.  B. 

Tydseas  in  flower.  —Though  repeated  atten- 
tion has  been  directed  to  these  useful  autumn  and 
winter-blooming  plants,  strange  to  say,  they  are 
but  seldom  met  with  in  gardens.  Nevertheless, 
just  now  in  a  warm  house  their  pretty  quaintly- 
marked  flowers  are  the  a'lmiration  of  everyone 


who  sees  them.  The  plants  under  notice  were 
rested  for  a  little  time  after  flowering  last  season, 
and  when  repotted  were  started  in  gentle  heat, 
but  as  they  progressed  they  were  removed  to  a 
cold  frame,  where  they  remained  during  the  latter 
part  of  the  summer.  The  effect  of  this  was  good 
sturdy  growth  instead  of  the  spindly  shoots  which 
would  have  resulted  from  growing  them  through- 
out the  season  in  a  close  atmosphere,  and  as  soon 
as  they  were  removed  to  warmer  quarters  their 
flowers  opened  quickly.  These  plants  seem  to 
delight  in  a  light,  free  soil,  and  are  greatly 
benefited  by  doses  of  weak  manure  water  being 
given  them  during  the  later  stages  of  growth. 
Great  numbers  of  Tyda^s  may  be  found  in 
nurserymen's  catalogues,  but  a  few  of  the  best  are 
Cratdre,  Pluton,  Robert  le  Diable,  Mdme.  Heine, 
Lady  Caroline  Kerrison,  Mdme.  Halphen,  and 
gigantea.  It  is,  however,  by  no  means  necessary 
to  start  with  established  plants,  as  a  pinch  of  seed 
will  generally  yield  great  numbers  of  widely 
different  forms,  and  if  sown  early  in  spring  good 
flowering  plants  by  autumn  will  be  the  result. 
The  seeds  are  very  minute,  and  should  be  sown  on 
the  surface  of  the  soil,  the  only  covering  needed 
being  a  pane  of  glass  put  over  the  top,  as  is  done 
in  the  case  of  Gloxinia  seeds. — Alpha. 

Dracaena  Cantleyi. — A  plant  of  this  dis- 
tinct Draciena,  growing  in  the  T  range  at  Kew, 
gives  every  promise  of  proving  a  worthy  com- 
panion to  the  now  popular  D.  Goldieana  and 
D.  Lindeni.  In  habit  it  resembles  the  robust- 
growing  species  of  which  D.  fragrans  is  the  most 
familiar  and  to  which  D.  Lindeni  belongs,  whilst 
in  the  mottling  of  its  foliage  it  approaches  D. 
Goldieana.  This  new  addition  to  true  Drac^nas 
has  found  its  way  into  English  gardens  from 
Singapore,  where  Mr.  Cantley,  after  whom  it  has 
been  named,  is  superintendent  of  the  Botanical 
Gardens.  The  plant  at  Kew  is  about  18  inches 
high ;  the  stem  is  covered  closely  with  long 
curving  leaves  quite  2  feet  in  length  and  5  inches 
in  width.  The  ground  colour  of  these  leaves  is  a 
deep  shining  green,  upon  which  are  numerous 
large  blotches  of  a  much  paler  green  tint,  and 
each  blotch  is  surrounded  by  a  broadish  margin  of 
yellowish  green.  The  variegation  is  of  a  some- 
what singular  character,  and  has  the  appearance 
of  foliage  thickly  spotted  with  some  pale  green 
liquid  which  has  partly  dried  and  become  paler  on 
the  outside.  At  present  it  is  impossible  to  say 
how  valuable  this  distinct  Draccna  may  prove  for 
commercial  purposes,  as  we  do  not  know  whether 
its  multiplication  will  be  easy  or  difficult  of 
accomplishment.  As  an  ornamental  plant  of 
rather  novel  appearance  it  is  deserving  of  becom- 
ing better  known,  and  we  hope  sooner  or  later 
that  it  may  find  its  w.ay  into  other  collections  be- 
sides that  at  Kew,  where,  so  far  as  we  know,  it  is 
unique.  A  plant  in  the  Kew  collection  is  certain 
to  become  available  for  all  as  soon  as  Its  propa- 
gation admits  of  its  distribution. — B, 

Spiraea  palmata  for  forcing.- This  and 
Spiraea  japonica  are,  perhaps,  two  of  the  most  useful 
plants  for  early  forcing, but  whilst  the  latter  is  very 
easily  brought  into  flower  at  almost  any  time  after 
Christmas,  S.  palmata  not  unfrcquently  proves  a 
failure.  For  S.  japonica  the  only  treatment  re- 
quired to  bring  about  its  successful  forcing  is  the 
cramming  into  pots  and  storing  away  under 
stages  and  covering  with  ashes  or  fi  bre,  the 
crowns  obtained  either  from  dealers  or  from  the 
open  ground.  On  placing  these  in  a  w^i-m  house 
and  watering  them  freely,  leaves  and  flowers  are 
soon  produced  in  abundance ;  but  if  S.  palmata 
be  subjected  to  similar  treatment,  it  is  almost 
certain  to  prove  unsatisfactory.  A  sudden  change 
from  a  low  to  a  high  temperature  is  most 
injurious  to  this  plant,  but  by  gradually  raising 
the  temperature  a  degree  or  two  each  week,  the 
roots  are  coaxed  into  premature  growth,  and  the 
crowns  burst  and  develop  their  leaves  and  hand- 
some heads  of  deep  rose-coloured  flowers  as  freely 
as  does  the  commoner  S.  japonica.  We  pot  up 
our  crowns  of  S.  palmata  at  the  present  time,  and 
bury  them  in  ashes  in  a  cool  frame.  There  they 
remain  till  early  spring,  wlion  they  are  removeil 
into  a  greenhouse,  and  subjected  to  greenhouse 


500 


THE     GARDEN 


[Dec.   13,   1884. 


temperature  for  a  week  or  so.  By  removing  them 
into  a  warmer  house,  or  raising  the  temperature 
of  the  greenhouse,  growth  is  accelerated  without 
being  unduly  hastened,  till  finally  the  tempera- 
ture of  a  stove  proves  uninjurious  to  the  leaves 
and  flowers.  It  is  only  when  the  change  of  tem- 
perature is  extreme  that  S.  palmata  proves  unsatis- 
factory as  a  plant  for  early  forcing ;  when  treated 
as  above  recommended  it  never  fails  with  us.— W. 
Salvia  Pltoherl.— Some  fail  to  flower  this 
Sage  successfully  from  cuttings  struck  the  pre- 
vious spring  through  keeping  the  plants  in  small 
pots.  All  Salvias  are  gross  feeders  and  require 
plenty  of  root  room.  My  own  way  of  growing 
them,  and  one  which  I  have  succeeded  with,  is  to 
strike  the  cuttings  in  heat  in  spring,  harden  them 
off,  and  plant  them  out  on  a  south  border  in  May, 
pinch  occasionally,  and  water  with  liquid  manure 
when  the  flower  buds  are  formed.  I  thrust  a 
spade  round  the  roots,  and  in  a  week  afterwards 
I  pot  them.  In  this  way  I  have  grown  Salvias 
5  feet  through.— Charles  E.  Magill,  Dalguise, 
Monkstoyvn,  Dublin. 

Palms  on  rookwork.  —  The  only  place 
where  I  have  seen  these  used  in  this  way  is  at 
Bryn  Glas,  Newport,  Mormiouth,  where  in  the 
beautiful  conservatory  there  they  have  been  intro- 
duced with  excellent  effect.  The  interior  of  the 
north  wall  of  the  conservatory— a  long  and  high  one 
— has  been  charmingly  made  into  rockwork,  over 
which  Ficus  repens  grows  in  great  prof  usion,  but  the 
most  effective  of  all  plants  on  it  are  the  Palms,  con- 
sisting of  the  Seaf  orthia  and  Latania  types.  These 
had  been  planted  out  when  small  in  the  recesses 
of  the  artificial  rocks,  and  are  now  well  famished 
graceful  plants  from  3  feet  to  5  feet  in  height. 
They  have  certainly  a  much  more  natural  appear- 
ance grown  in  this  way  than  in  pots,  while  they 
impart  to  the  whole  arrangement  a  tropical-look- 
ing aspect.— Cambrian. 

PINCHING  LAPAGERIA  SHOOTS. 
Those  who  have  large  clusters  of  Lapageria 
flowers  should  pinch  the  young  growths  in  sum- 
mer. I  am  quite  sure  this  is  the  way  to  secure 
clusters  to  those  who  prefer  them,  but  care  must 
be  taken  to  pinch  at  the  right  time.  All  strong 
shoots  should  be  allowed  to  extend  till  they  pro- 
duce the  broad  leaf,  which  they  never  do  until  they 
have  run  out  to  a  good  length,  and  if  the  shoot  is 
stopped  at  a  narrow  or  base  leaf  it  will  only  need- 
lessly arrest  growth.  In  strong  shoots  pinching 
may  not  be  advisable  till  6  feet  or  7  feet  is  reached. 
The  pinching  hardens  the  wood  and  plumps  up 
the  buds,  and  the  best  clusters  are  always  found 
just  behind  the  pinched  point.  At  a  nursery 
near  here,  where  long  annual  growths  are  en- 
couraged in  order  to  produce  large  plants  quickly, 
I  notice  few  or  no  clusters,  but  the  ends  of  the 
shoots  produce  sometimes  as  many  as  twenty  and 
thirty  flowers  in  the  space  of  1  yard,  and  such 
wreaths  are  very  beautiful  and  useful  for  decora- 
tive purposes.  I  am  not  sure  that  the  one  plan 
produces  more  flowers  than  the  other,  but  the 
flowering  habit  induced  is  different  in  the  two 
cases.  I  have  generally  pinched,  and  have  in  con- 
sequence numerous  clusters  of  both  the  red  and 
white  kind,  but  this  season,  in  a  house  lately  de- 
voted to  the  Lapageria,  and  which  it  was  desired 
to  fill  with  shoots  that  have  been  allowed  to 
run  up  without  stopping,  we  have  no  clusters 
worth  speaking  of,  but  plenty  of  flowers  in 
ones  and  twos  and  threes  along  the  shoots,  one 
planting  filling  one  side  of  the  roof.  The  Lapa- 
geria will  root  freely  in  several  composts— peat, 
pure  loam,  and  half  and  half— but  I  think  it 
flowers  best  in  a  mixture  of  the  two,  with  plenty 
of  charcoal,  ground  brick,  and  burnt  soil,  &c.  In 
such  a  compost,  if  it  is  firm,  the  roots  are  nume- 
rous and  permeate  the  soil  in  every  direction.  In 
pure,  soft  peat  they  are  longer  and  thicker  and 
the  growth  corresponds,  but  the  flowers  are  not 
so  plentiful.  Has  anyone  tried  lime  rubbish  in 
the  compost  1  I  hear  of  it  being  recommended. 
I  have  not  tried  it  myself  as  yet,  but  in  a  bed 
drained  with  common  coal  ashes  I  once  found  the 
roots  in  great  abundance  in  the  drainage.  In 
some  cases  the  leaves  of  the  Lapageria  are  very 


apt  to  wither  and  die  at  their  points,  and  some- 
times whole  leaves  perish  in  that  way,  but  the 
cause  is  a  mystery.  Few  or  no  plants  are  quite 
without  some  of  the  older  leaves  in  this  state,  and 
I  lately  saw  an  otherwise  fine  plant  in  which 
nearly  every  leaf  was  withered  at  the  point, 
although  the  plant  was  growing  freely  at  the  time. 
J.  S.  W. 

French  Marigolds,  with  a  little  care,  may 
be  lifted  and  potted  without  losing  a  leaf  or 
showing  signs  of  distress  in  any  way,  and  they 
will  keep  on  blooming  almost  as  well  as  if  un- 
disturbed. About  a  month  ago  I  lifted  a  plant  by 
way  of  experiment,  cramming  the  roots  into  a  pot 
just  large  enough  to  hold  them,  and  that  plant 
now  carries  a  Ecore  of  bright  flowers,  while  those 
in  the  open  are  blackened  by  frost.  Marigolds 
show  themselves  off  to  great  advantage  under 
glass  at  this  time  of  year  when  the  beauty  of  the 
outdoor  garden  is  over.  Those  having  conserva- 
tories to  decorate  would  find  them  useful,  and  it 
would  be  worth  while  putting  out  a  few  plants 
expressly  for  that  purpose,  setting  them  a  foot 
apart,  so  as  to  admit  of  their  forming  compact, 
dwarf,  bush-like  specimens.  Plants  which  have 
bloomed  through  the  summer  and  autumn  will, 
however,  do  very  well,  taking  care  to  pot  them  up 
before  autumnal  frosts  tarnish  their  beauty.  There 
is  a  great  difference  in  the  growth  of  the  various 
strains  of  Marigolds,  some  not  running  more  than 
from  9  inches  to  1  foot  in  height,  others  attaining 
a  height  of  18  inches,  whilst  the  Scotch  strains 
grow  even  taller.  I  think  the  dwarf-habited  strains 
with  moderate  sized  blooms  far  before  the  more 
robust-growing,  large-flowered  ones. — J.  C.  B. 

Oil  stoves — A  correspondent,  I  see,  enquires 
as  to  the  usefulness  of  these  for  warming  pur- 
poses. Perhaps  my  experience  may  be  of  some 
use  to  him.  We  put  up  recently  a  glass  shed  30 
feet  long  by  10  feet  wide  and  1 1  feet  high  at  the 
back  ;  its  principal  use  is  for  storing  Tree  Ferns, 
large  Fuchsias,  Pelargoniums,  Abutilons,  and 
similar  things  used  for  the  decoration  of  the 
grounds  in  summer.  We  avoided  the  introduc- 
tion of  ordinary  heating  media— hot-air  flues  or 
hot-water  pipes,  because  generally  when  either  of 
these  methods  is  used  there  is  a  tendency  to  over- 
heat, especially  during  cold  weather,  with  the 
result  that  the  plants  are  induced  to  grow  at  a 
time  when  they  should  be  at  perfect  rest  and  to 
generally  commence  their  spring  growth  too  soon 
— our  desire  being  to  set  them  outside  before 
growth  began.  We  therefore  got  a  couple  of 
Rippingille's  smaller-sized  stoves.  They  are  about 
18  inches  high.  These  give  off  quite  enough  heat 
to  maintain  a  safe  temperature  in  a  house  of  the 
size  just  named.  When  these  stoves  are  new  and 
are  first  lighted  there  is  a  little  smell  of  varnish, 
but  that  soon  wears  off ;  and  on  each  occasion 
when  lighted  there  is  just  a  little  smell  of  oil,  not 
enough  to  be  objectionable  in  our  case,  but  in  that 
of  a  conservatory  adjoining  a  dwelling  house, 
where  it  would  be  objectionable,  a  stove  of  this 
kind  might  be  placed  outside  for  an  hour  after 
lighting,  after  which  there  is  no  smell  that  any- 
one could  object  to.  I  think  there  is  a  future  for 
stoves,  by  combining  with  them  a  hot-water  tank, 
when  a  most  useful  propagating  apparatus  would 
be  the  result.  The  length  of  time  during  which 
they  burn  withont  attention,  and  the  regular 
degree  of  temperature  so  easily  maintained,  com- 
bine to  produce  just  the  conditions  a  propagator 
requires,  to  say  nothing  about  economy  in  the  way 
of  fuel. — T.  Smith,  Neivry. 


Garden  Flora. 


Rusaelia  juncea.— ThU  is  one  of  the  best  of  all  stove 
plants  for  supplying  graceful  green  material  for  associating 
with  the  choicest  arrangements  of  cut  llowers.  I  saw  some 
nice  plants  of  it  at  Cheltenham  the  other  day,  and  when 
their  foliage  was  cut  and  placed  in  some  elegantly  filled 
vases  it  gave  them  an  exquisite  finish,  such  as  they  could 
not  otherwise  have  possessed. — Cambrian. 

Yellow-leaved  Coleus.— M.  Leseur,  gardener  to  M. 
de  Kothschild.'at  Paris,  recently  exhibited  a  Coleus  named 
Marie  Bacher,  ratsed  by  M.  Chantrier,  gardener  at  the 
Chateau  de  Karadoc,  Bayonne,  which  has  perfectly  yellow 
leaves,  and  which  become  brighter  in  full  exposure  to  the 
sun.  M,  LeseOT  has  given  it  a  fair  trial,  and  declares  this 
peculiar  feature  claimed  for  it  by  the  raiser  to  be  well 
marked.— J.  Coknhill 


PLATE  470. 
THE  GAILLAEDIAS, 

(WITH   A   COLOURED   FIGURE   OF   G.   AHISTATA 
GRANDIFLORA.) 

After  a  long  and  persistent  course  of  unreason- 
able neglect,  and,  indeed,  almost  entire  annihi- 
lation, these  charming  and  unique  border  flowers 
are,  we  are  glad  to  say,  once  more  receiving  the 
attention  which  their  singular  merits  have  long 


Gaillardia  pulchella  var.  Lorerziana. 

deserved,  and  the  more  so,  for  since  coming  under 
the  notice  of  the  hybridiser,  the  selecter,  or  the 
careful  cultivator,  the  size  of  the  blooms  and  their 
variety  in  the  way  of  colours  have  been  so  vastly 
improved,  that  they  may  now  well  claim  a  first 
place  amongst  summer-flowering  plants,  whether 
annual  or  perennial.  The  number  of  true  species 
of  Gaillardia  in  cultivation  at  the  present  time  is 
but  limited.  Dr.  Asa  Gray's  new  "American  Flora" 
includes  picta  and  Drummondi  under  pulchella. 


G»illardia  pulchella  fls'ulosa. 

To  these  species,  however,  belong  a  goodly  number 
of  really  distinct  garden  forms  or  varieties,  repre- 
senting all  shades  of  colour,  from  yellow  and 
orange  to  intense  crimson  or  purple. 

Gaillardia  amblyodon. — This  is  without  ex- 
ception one  of  the  most  useful  hardy  annuals  of 
recent  introduction.  It  is  suitable  alike  for  bed 
or  border,  and  perhaps  the  only  one  not  fastidious 
as  regards  situation.  It  is  of  an  extremely  free- 
flowering  character,  and  the  flowers,  which  are 
throughout  of  a  brownish  red,  maroon,  or  cinnabar 
colour,  are  very  peculiar  and  quite  unique  in  ap- 


.  1  ii_i  V_^.£-iJ.*wJ-^i-J  J 


GAILL ARDI A   ARI S TATA .  G¥'A ' 


Dec.   13,  1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


501 


pearance.  They  are  2  inches  and  often  3  inches 
broad,  and  the  leaves,  which  are  nearly  all  sessile, 
are  oblong  in  shape  and  rough  to  the  touch.  It 
is  easily  distinguished  by  its  fine  compact  habit 
and  very  pointed  ray  florets.  It  grows  about 
IJ  feet  high.  It  is  a  native  of  the  sandy  prairies 
of  Texas,  and  is  fairly  common  in  gardens.  The 
seeds  may  be  sown  in  the  open  border  about  the 
beginning  of  April  where  they  are  intended  to 
remain,  but  this  is  not  absolutely  necessary,  as 
they  stand  transplanting  very  well.  Coloured 
figures  of  it  may  be  found  in  Torrey  and  Gray's 
"  Flora "  and  in  Meehan's  "  Native  Flowers  of 
North  America."  In  the  latter  work  it  is  called 
the  Blunt-toothed  Blanket  Flower. 

G.  ARISTATA. — This,  although  very  variable 
both  in  size  of  flowers  and  cutting  of  the  leaves, 
even  in  its  natural  habitats,  always  retains  that 
robustness  of  growth  and  firm,  rough-textured 
leaves  so  characteristic  of  it,  and  which  so  dis- 
tinctly mark  it  under  cultivation.  It  is  perennial 
and  is  often  found  in  gardens  under  the  name 
Bichardsoni,  a  name  not  quoted  by  Dr.  Gray  in 
his  revision.     With  us  it  grows  a  little  less  than 


acquisition.  It  seldom  attains  more  than  a  foot 
in  height.  It  has  small  linear,  entire,  or  slightly 
toothed  leaves,  and  the  flowers,  which  are  of  a 
pretty,  soft  orange-yellow,  are  beautifully  marked 
with  dark  purplish  veins.  It  blooms  all  through 
the  summer  months.  It  is  a  native  of  the  dry 
Pine  barrens  of  South  Carolina,  and  even  reaches 
Texas.  It  is  figured  in  Torrey  and  Gray's  "  Flora," 
and  appears  in  Pursh's  "Flora"  as  G.  bicolor, 
and  in  De  CandoUe's  "  Prodromns"  as  Polypteris 
integrifolia. 

G.  PULCHELLA. — This  is  probably  the  oldest  of 
all  Gaillardias  and  most  generally  cultivated,  at 
least  in  some  of  its  various  forms.  It  was  first  in- 
troduced a  century  ago,  and  fortunately  found  a 
quiet  home  in  a  country  garden  during  the  relapse 
which  until  lately  had  befallen  this  class  of 
plants.  Many  varieties  undoubtedly  belong  to 
this  species,  and  some  aver  that  G,  aristata  has  also 
some  connection  with  them.  This  confusion  may, 
however,  have  arisen  through  a  form  of  G. 
pulchella  having  been  distributed  under  the  name 
of  G.  aristata.  All  the  varieties  have  been 
examined  carefully,  and  not  a  trace  of  the  per- 


teeth.  This  is  the  G.  bicolor  Drummondi  of  the 
Botanical  Magazine,  t.  3368,  and  the  G.  picta 
of  Don.     Amongst  other  varieties  that  may  be 


Gaillardia  pulchella  grandiflora  ma.\ima. 


2  feet  in  height,  but  seems  to  vary,  as  the  descrip- 
tion in  the  "  Botany  of  California  "  gives  only  a 
span.  When  well  grown  it  is  a  very  handsome 
plant,  but  in  damp,  low  localities  it  hardly  ever 
develops  its  rays  beyond  the  involucre.  The 
flowers  with  us  are  never  less  than  from  4  inches 
to  6  inches  broad,  are  of  a  pale  uniform  yellow, 
disc  purple,  with  hardly  if  ever  a  tint  at  the  base 
of  the  ray  florets.  The  leaves  are  always  broad 
lance-shaped,  and  partly  stem-clasping,  and  the 
whole  plant  is  covered  with  coarse  hairs,  which 
are  most  marked  on  the  unusually  large  and  irre- 
gular involucre.  The  ray  florets  are  always  trifid, 
but  this  is  not  characteristic.  It  flowers  from 
July,  and  is  still  in  the  open  air  (November  21) 
flowering  freely.  It  is  a  native  of  Columbia, 
Oregon,  South  Colorado,  and  even  to  California. 
Illustrations  of  it  occur  in  the  Jlotanical  Maga- 
zine, t.  2910.  Its  synonyms  are  G.  bicolor  of 
Hooker,  G.  bicolor  var.  aristata  of  Nuttall,  G. 
rustica,  Casa.,  and  G.  lanceolata,  D.C. 

G.  LANCEOLATA.  —  This  is  also  a  perennial 
species,  and  though  as  yet  sparingly  in  cultivation, 
it  is  a  very  beautiful  and  singularly  marked 
species.  It  generally  grows  about  2  feet  in  height, 
and  is  always  densely  covered  with  short,  stiff 
hairs,  which  enhance  its  appearance  considerably. 
Owing  to  its  neat,  compact  habit,  this  plant  is  well 
entitled  to  a  prominent  place  on  the  rockery,  where 
its  sweetly-fragrant  flowers  will  no  doubt  prove  an 


C  manent  characters,  so  characteristic  of  G.  aristata, 
have  been  found  in  them  ;  on  the  other  hand,  how- 
ever, there  is  overwhelming  proof  of  their  being 

'  varieties  or  cultural  developments  of  G.  pulchella. 
The  typical  G.  pulchella  seldom  grows  more  than 
a  foot  high ;  it  is  of  perennial  duration,  though 
erroneously  classed  among  annuals.  It  is  dif- 
fusely branched  from  the    base,   forming  loose 

;  natural,  bushy  tufts ;  the  leaves  are  much  softer 
than  those  of  G.  aristata,  and  nearly  always  pin- 

!  natifid,  and  not  stem-clasping.     The  flowers  are  a 

,  little  over  2  inches  in  diameter,  ray  florets  always 
two-coloured,  golden  yellow  at  the  tips,  and 
blending  half  way  down  into  red  or  dark  purple, 
which  becomes  intense  towards  the  base.  It 
flowers  freely  all  summer,  and  is  a  very  useful 
border  plant.  It  is  a  native  of  Louisiana,  Texas, 
and  Arizona.  G.  pulchella  is  synonymous  with  G. 
bicolor  of  Lambert  and  the  Botanical  Magazine, 
figure  1602,  and  also  figure  3.551  in  the  same  maga- 
zine as  G.  bicolor  var.  Drummondi  integerrima ; 
it  is  G.  Drummondi  of  the  "  Prodromus"  and  Virgi- 
lia  helioides  is  also  a  synonym.  These  may  be 
forms,  but  all  are  now  classed  under  G.  pulchella. 
G.  PULCHELLA  VAH.  PICTA,  which  for  garden 
purposes  differs  little  from  the  type,  unless  in 
having  more  succulent  leaves  and  having  shorter 

;  and  stouter  bristles  on  the  receptacle,  and  also  in 
having  a  distinct  mark  between  the  two  colours, 
the  yellow  part  extending  only  to  the  end  of  the 


Gaillardia  lanceolata. 

mentioned  are  G.  grandiflora,  a  fine  vigorous  form 
with  large  and  superb  coloured  flowers,  but  which 
is  surpassed  by  G.  maxima,  which  often  attains 
6  inches  in  diameter,  and  not  unlike  a  large 
coloured  Helianthus  multiflorus.  G.  picta  or 
tricolor  is  also  a  handsome  and  desirable  variety 
of  singular  merit.  There  are  others,  such  as  Loi- 
selli,  Bosselari,  Telemachi,  and  hybrida,  all  differ- 
ing more  or  less  in  intensity  of  colour,  but  G. 
Lorenziana,  a  large  double-flowered  form,  is  ex- 
ceedingly beautiful.  It  seems  to  come  in  some 
of  the  forms  singly,  not  probably  having  set, 
and  all  stages  may  be  seen  between  the  single 
and  double  forms.  Var.  fistulosa  and  Aurora 
Borealis  are  also  desirable. 

Among  desirable  species  not  in  cultivation  the 
following  may  be  noted  :^ 

G.  ACAULIS,  similar  in  aspect  to  Valeriana 
montana;  leaves  sagittate,  firm,  and  smooth, 
rising  from  a  short  stem;  flower-stalks  about  a  foot 
in  height,  light  sulphury  yellow,  and  large.  Native 
of  Arizona  and  perennial. 

G.  SIMPLEX,  more  straggly  than  the  above, 
leaves  divided,  with  purple  flowers. 

G.  BRASILIENSIS,  a  beautiful  little  perennial 
species,  with  finely-cut  Fern-like  foliage  and 
purple  and  yellow  flowers.  The  others  are  Doniana, 


Gaillardia  pulchella  v.ar.  Aurora  £orealis. 

pinnatifida,  and  scabiosoides,  the  latter  especially 
being  not  unlike  G.  braziliensis. 

G.  MEXICANA,  probably  a  true  species,  though 
also  referred  to  G.  pulchella,  is  of  no  appreciable 
garden  value. 


502 


THE    GARDEN 


Culture.— Most  Gaillardias  are  of  perennial 
duration,  although  they  generally  succumb  to  our 
trying  winters,  unless  in  extremely  favoured 
localities  or  with  a  little  protection.  In  the 
instance  of  G.  pulchella,  which  is  often  on  this 
account  cited  as  an  annual,  it  will  stand  very  well 
in  dry,  sandy  soil  in  warm  positions.  But  even 
were  the  possibility  of  their  living  through  the 
winter  doubtful,  they  may  be  perpetuated  by  cut- 
tings with  the  greatest  ease ;  they  strike  freely  taken 
off  in  autumn  and  treated  in  the  same  manner  as 
that  practised  in  the  case  of  Pelargoniums,  &c., 
i.e.,  in  a  cool  frame  where  frost  is  excluded,  or 
they  may  be  raised  from  seeds,  which  ripen  freely. 
Sown  in  spring  about  March,  they  may  be  had 
in  flower  almost  as  soon  as  those  that  may  have 
succeeded  in  living  through  the  winter. 

When  Gaillardias  are  planted  in  mixed  borders 
a  warm  dry  situation  should  in  all  cases  be  chosen, 
and  where  they  will  gat  plenty  of  sun,  the  soil 
light,  rich,  and  of  a  porous  nature,  loam,  leaf  soil, 
a  fourth  of  well-rotted  manure,  and  plenty  of 
sharp,  coarse  river  sand. 

However  well  they  may  look  in  the  above  posi- 
tion, and  no  one  will  doubt  their  appropriateness, 
I  prefer  devoting  a  bed  or  short  border  entirely  to 
the  numerous  varieties  cultivated,  or  a  small  bed 
to  each  shade  of  colour  as  taste  may  dictate,  and 
as  they  have  a  profuse  flowering  habit  and 
long  continuance  in  bloom,  from  early  summer 
arid,  in  such  open  seasons  as  the  present,  until  the 
middle  or  end  of  November,  they  are  much 
better  when  kept  by  themselves.  For  overhang- 
ing ledges  or  covering  bare  unsightly  banks  in  or 
near  a  rockery  they  are  also  desirable,  and  in  such 
places,  owing  to  the  better  drainage,  seven  in  ten 
may  be  safely  wintered.  On  the  Continent,  they 
are  said  to  ba  used  with  surprising  effect  in 
bedding  or  clumping  on  smooth  lawns.  Some  of 
the  larger  and  finer  sorts,  such  as  maxima  Tele- 
machi,  picta  splendida,  and  others,  may  be  advan- 
tageously used  for  greenhouse  decoration,  more 
especially  as  their  flowers  seldom  measure  less 
than  5  inches  or  6  inches  in  size,  with  a  corre- 
sponding intensity  of  colour  when  the  plants  have 
been  liberally  treated. 

The  cultivation  of  Gaillardias  in  naturally  damp 
localities  and  where  the  soil  is  of  a  stiff  nature, 
though  presenting  many  difficulties,  may  in  part 
be  overcome,  and  a  fair  amount  of  success  ob- 
tained by  mixing  rubble  with  the  soil  and  raising 
small  mounds  or  hillocks  on  which  to  plant  them  ■ 
the  highest  and  most  exposed  positions  should  be 
always  chosen.  p   j^ 


[Dee.  13,  1884. 


resinous  odour.  Cyclopea  is  another  genus  of 
LeguminosiE,  with  yellow  flowers.  Berzelia  is  a 
genus  of  Brunoniads,  Heath-like  in  habit,  and 
with  flowers  in  globose,  terminal  heads,  white, 
not  unlike  those  of  a  Diosma.— B. 


Fruit  Garden. 

HARDY  FRUITS  FOR  THE  MIDLAND 
COUNTIES.* 


Cape  of  Good  Hope  Plants.— A  corre- 
spondent (Rondebosch)  residiog  at  the  Cape  has 
sent  us  the  following  interesting  collection  of 
flowers  gathered  upon  or  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Table  Mountain : — 

Erica  Peteveriana 
liybrida  (? 
M'ilmoreana 
incurva 
Slomerata 

Psoralea  apliylla 
aculeata 

Cyclopia  (renistoidss 

Berzelia  atirotanoides 
lanuginosa 


Ronmlea  caulescens 

c.  var. 
Babiana  rnl)ro-cn?nilea 
Gladiolus  angustus 
Watsonia  aletroides 
Crassula  jasminea 
Erica  lateralis 

grandinosa 

cerinthoides 

persoluta  (?) 


Some  of  these  are  plants  rarely  seen  in  gardens 
here,  though  most  of  them  have  been  introduced 
at  one  time  or  another.  The  Ericas,  for  instance, 
are,  some  of  them,  unknown  to  gardeners  of 
to-day,  though,  according  to  Andrews,  they  were 
cultivated  in  this  country  eighty  years  ago  and 
were  figured  by  him  in  his  beautiful  "  Illustrations 
of  Heaths."  There  are  at  the  Cape  numerous 
species  of  Erica  that  both  for  their  rich  colours 
and  distinct,  often  curious,  forms  are  deserving  of 
re-introduction.  Amongst  the  bulbous  plants  here 
represented  are  several  well-known  favourites 
though  the  Romuleas,  or  Cape  Crocuses,  are  some- 
what rare  with  us,  notwithstanding  their  pretty 
Crocus-like  habit  and  flowers.  The  Psoraleas  are 
plentiful  in  South  Africa,  and  are  represented 
both  in  the  shape  of  shrubs  and  herbs.  They  are 
legnminose  plants,  with  flowers  mostly  blue  and 
borne  in  close  heads ;  their  leaves  have  a  strono- 


The  following  notes  on  hardy  fruits  are  given,  not 
so  much  as  the  result  of  my  own  experience  as 
because  I  have  perhaps  exceptional  advantages  in 
being  able  to  cull  from  the  experiences  of  three 
generations  before  me  on  a  scale  which  for  some 
kinds   of   fruits   (notably  Apples   and    Pears)   is 
seldom  equalled  in  this  country,  and  certainly  not 
in  this  district.     My  greatgrandfather  and  grand- 
father planted  somewhat  over  100  acres  of  orchard, 
principally  Apples,    Pear.»,   and    Plums,  and    the 
greaterpart  of  theseorchards  exist  to-day,  although 
many  of  the  trees  have  been  re- worked  with  kinds 
which  have  proved  more  profitable   than   those 
originally  planted.     We  have  heard  agood  deal 
lately  of  fruit  growing  and  orchard  planting,  and 
in  these  days  of  agricultural  depression,  when  land- 
owners and  occupiers  are  looking  in  every  direc- 
tion for  help,  even  "  jam  "  has  been   held  out  as  a 
sheet  anchor.     Such  being  the  case,  some  hints 
from  experience  gained  at  Chilwell  may  be  useful. 
I  shall  divide  my  subject  into,  first,  the  formatioii 
of  orchards,  and,  second,  the  best  sorts  of  fruit  to 
grow,  confining  myself  to  the  hardier  kinds. 
FonMiNG  AN  Orchard. 
When  we  begin  to  form  an   orchard,  the  first 
things  we  have  to  consider  are  the  soil  and  situa- 
tion.    The  stronger  soils  of  the  new  red  sandstone 
formation  are  considered  very  favourable  to  the 
growth  of  fruit  trees,  and,  indeed,  the  greater  part 
of  this  county,  from  Tuxford  on  the  one  side,  to 
Chilwell  on  the  other,  can  show  specimens  of  fruit 
tree  growth  which  are   rarely  to  be  met  with ;  a 
Marie   Louise   Pear  56  feet  in  height,  Beurre  de 
Capiaumont  'i^  feet,  and  Besspool   Apples  35  feet 
high  by  50  feet  in  spread,  are  worthy  of  notice. 
Of    course  the  stronger   soils  are  par  cecellcnce 
the  soils   for  fruit   tree?,  and  orchards  planted  on 
them  will  last  for  generations  ;  on  the  gravels  and 
lighter  soils  many  varieties  will  do  well  and  bear 
heavily,  but  the  trees  are  not  so  long  lived.  Almost 
any  soil  will  grow  fruit  trees  of  some  description. 
This  is  evident  from  the  trees  which  may  be  found 
in  every  cottage  garden.     The  chief  thing  to  be 
guarded  against  is  stagnant  water  in  the  soil. 
There  is  nothing  which  fruit  trees  resent  so  much 
as  this,  and  the  first  care  in  making  an  orchard 
should  be  to  insure  good  drainage  for  the  land. 
Next  to  soil  comes  situation  ;  as  a  rule,  slopes  ex- 
posed to  the  south  or  west  are  best.     An  eastern 
aspect  is  not    desirable,    from  the  fact   that  it 
catches  the  early  morning  sun,  which  in  the  case 
of  a  severe  spring  frost  thaws  the  frozen  blossoms 
too  rapidly,  and  thus  ensures  their  destruction. 
One  of  the  chief  objects,  however,  is  shelter  from 
the  prevailing  strong  winds.  Where  natural  shelter 
exists,  it  should  be  taken  advantage  of,  and  in 
many  cases  where  a  large  orchard  is  to  be  made, 
it  would  pay   to  plant  a    belt  of  quick-growing 
timber  trees,  such  as  Poplar,  Larch,  or  Siberian 
Elms,  to  form  a  break  from  the  wind,  but  where 
this  is  done  the  fruit  trees  must  not  be  planted  too 
near,  for  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  a  fruit 
tree,    however  vigorous,    cannot    compete    with 
strong-growing  forest  trees.     Ash  trees  especially 
rob  the  soil  to  a   great   distance;  one  may  see 
their  effects  in  any  arable  field   where  they  are 
found  in  the  hedgerows.     Where  no  other  shelter 
exists  the  hedges  may  be  allowed  to  grow  for  a 
few  years,  and  a  good  Thorn  hedge   10   feet  or 
12  feet  high    keeps   out  a  great  deal  of  wind. 
^\'hen  once  the  orchard  is  established  the  trees 
will  take  care  of  themselves,  and  the  hedges  may 
be  cut  down.     Again,   in  planting  much  may  be 
done  by  selecting  the  strongest-growing  kinds  for 


Paper  read  by  Sir.  A.  Pearson.  Chiiwell  Nurseries, 
before  tlie  Nottingliam  Horticultural  and  Botanical 
.'jociety. 


the  outside  rows.  A  large  pond  or  stream  is  not 
a  good  neighbour  for  fruit  trees,  as  the  damp 
rising  from  the  wafer  will  often  make  the  differ- 
ence between  a  spring  frost  injuring  the  bloom  or 
not.  In  forming  an  orchard  we  must  decide 
whether  the  land  is  to  be  laid  down  to  Grass  or 
kept  tilled. 

Grass  Orchards. 
Where    any    large  quantity  of   land  is  about 
to  be  planted,  and  especially  in  the  case  of  a  farm 
orchard,  I  should  strongly  recommend  the  land  to 
be  in  Grass,  because  the  prime  cost  is  so  much 
less  and  the  subsequent  management  so  much 
more  simple.    Where  the  area  is  small,  and  where 
the  orchard  is  to  be  in  the  care  of  a  professional 
gardener  or  a  market  gardener,  of  course  tilled 
land    presents  many  advantages.     Let    us    take 
first,  then,   the  formation  of  a  large  orchard,  say 
from  ten  to  fifty  acres.     This  is  a  question  which 
is  engaging  the  attention  of  many   landowners 
who  have  farms  on  their  hands  which  they  do  not 
know  how  best  to  profitably  cuPivate,  and  I  have 
many  times  during  the  past  few  months  been 
called  in   to  give  advice  on   this    matter.     This 
class  of  orchard  should  be  subsequently  laid  down 
to  Grass,  but  the  land,  if  arable,  should  have  all 
the  cultivation  possible  previous  to  the  trees  being 
planted.     Knowing,  as  we  do,  how  far  the  roots 
will  go  in  search  of  food,  we  are  convinced  that 
money  spent  in  well  breaking  up  the  land  previous 
to  planting,  whether  by  deep  ploughing  or,  better 
still,  by  steam  cultivation  crossing  the  land  both 
ways,  is  money  well  spent ;  even  after  the  trees 
are  planted  they  will  thrive  much  the  best  on  land 
that  is  cultivated   for    two  or  three  years.     The 
crops  grown  should    be   Potatoes,    Mangolds,  or 
Turnips,  and  a  space  be  left  on  each  side  of  the 
tree,  so  that  the  plough  may  not  come  too  near 
the  trees,  or  the  swingletrees  bark  them  in  pass- 
ing.    This  space  left  around  the  trees  must  be 
kept  clean   by   hoeing.    If,    as  in  cases  I    have 
seen    lately,    the    spaces    are     allowed     to    be 
overgrown  with  Twitch  (Couch  Grass),  they  had 
better    have   been     covered     with    good    Grass 
at    first.     Corn  crops  should  not  be    grown  be- 
tween  fruit   trees,  as  they  punish   the  land   too 
much.     And  here  let  me  say  never  mow  orchard 
Grass;   I   have  tried  it,    and    find    it  the  most 
ruinous  thing  one  can  do.     Fruit  trees  will  not 
carry  large  crops  or  fine  fruit  under  such  treat- 
ment.    If  the  soil  and  situation  permit,  it  will  be 
a  capital  preparation  for  both  the  fruit  trees  and 
the   coming   Grass   to  eat  off  a  crop  of  Turnips 
on    the   land,   care   being   taken   to   protect   the 
stems  of  the  fruit  trees  with  bunches  of  Thorns 
tied  round  them,  or  a  small  roll  of  wire  netting 
which   will  expand  as  the   tree    grows.     Where 
game  abounds  these  precautions  must    also    be 
taken  against  the  attacks  of  hares,  which  do  much 
mischief  by  barking  the  stems.     With  respect  to 
manure,  I  do  not  advocate  its  use  in  large  quanti- 
ties at  the  time  of  planting.     If  the  land  be  in  fair 
condition,  the  trees  will  make  good  growth    of 
themselves  for  the  first  year ;  but  if  they  require 
manure,  it  is  much  the  best  applied  as  a  surface 
mulching   or    to    crops  grown   on   the   land.     If 
the  manure  be  above  the  roots,  they  are  bound  to 
get  it,  and  our  object  should  always  be  to  tempt 
them  upwards  to  the  surface.     After  the  land  is 
laid  down  to  Grass  it  will  be  found  that  sheep  and 
young  stock  eating  cake  will  improve  the  orchard. 
Heavy  stock  should  be  kept  out  until  the  trees 
are  well  grown,  and  horses  strictly  excluded. 
Planting. 
The  trees  that  are    planted    in  this  class   of 
orchard  will  of  course  be  standards  ;  they  should 
be  planted  in  echellon  form,  20  feet  to  24  feet 
from  tree  to  tree,  the  distance  varying  with  the 
character  of  the  soil  and  the  habit  of  the  trees. 
Holes  should  be  got  out .?  feet  square  and  2.j  feet 
deep  ;  if  it  be  on  old  turf  land  make  them  larger, 
for  then  you  are,  so  to  speak,  placing  them  in 
pots,  and  they  should  have  plenty  of   room    to 
start ;  in  this  case  cut  up  the  top  spit  and  mix  it 
with  the  soil  to  go  about  the  roots.     In  ordinary 
good  soil  it  will  only  be  necessary  to  replace  the 
soil  taken  out,  taking  care  that  the  roots  of  the 
trees  are  spread  out  before  filling  in  the  soil,  and 


Dec.  13,   1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


503 


that  they  are  not  buried  too  deeply.  No  mistake 
is  more  frequently  made  than  that  of  planting 
fruit  trees  too  deeply,  and  few  things  are  more 
deleterious  to  their  success.  The  mark  on  the 
stem  where  it  was  planted  up  to  in  the  nursery 
will  be  a  good  guide,  but  it  may  be  taken,  as  a 
rule,  that  from  3  inches  to  -4  inches  of  soil  above 
the  roots  is  ample.  I  have  several  times  found 
trees  doing  badly  from  this  very  cause,  and  have 
been  told  it  was  necessary  to  plant  deeply  to  keep 
the  trees  from  rocking,  as  the  situation  was 
exposed.  In  reply  to  this,  1  say  every  standard 
tree  ought  to  be  securely  staked  when  planted, 
using  hay-bands  as  ties  to  prevent  the  tree  from 
chafing.  As  we  all  know,  it  is  quite  impossible 
for  a  tree  to  grow  if  each  wind  rocks  it  to  and  fro 
and  tears  ofi  all  the  young  points  of  the  roots 
which  are  endeavouring  to  establish  themselves  ; 
hence  the  necessity  of  securing  by  means  of 
staking  or  stays  all  standard  trees  or  such  as  pre- 
sent a  large  surface  to  the  wind  compared  with  the 
size  and  weight  of  their  roots.  With  regard  to 
the  best  time  for  planting,  I  would  choose 
November,  as  the  trees  have  then  a  little  sap  left 
in  them,  which  on  descending  nourishes  the  roots, 
and  in  many  cases  causes  them  to  make  fresh 
growth  before  the  winter.  Still,  as  all  the  work 
cannot  be  done  in  November,  we  may  with  safety 
continue,  in  the  absence  of  frost,  to  plant  up  till 
the  end  of  February  or  early  in  March. 
Tilled  orchabds. 

Let  us  now  turn  to  the  tilled  orchard ;  here 
the  land  between  the  rows  of  standards  may  be 
planted  with  pyramid  or  bush  Apples,  Pears, 
riums,  or  Nuts  or  small  fruits,  sucli  as  Gooseberries, 
Currants,  Raspberries,  Strawberries,  &c.  The 
selection  should  be  made  with  due  regard  to  the 
market  value  of  the  fruit  when  grown,  the  amount 
of  labour  available  (a  serious  question  in  these  days 
of  school  boards  and  high  wages),  and  the 
character  of  the  soil.  Speaking  roughly.  Apples, 
Pears,  Plums,  and  Strawberries  will  succeed  best 
on  strong  land,  Black  Currants  in  a  moist  situa- 
tion. Red  Currants  and  Gooseberries  almost  any- 
where. Nuts  where  nothing  else  will  grow,  although 
they  repay  a  better  position.  The  distances  apart 
will  vary  with  the  kind  of  tree  and  the  soil.  Tables 
for  the  use  of  planters  will  be  found  in  every  gar- 
dening annual  and  in  nurserymen's  catalogues,  so 
that  I  need  not  trouble  you  witli  one.  Previous 
remarks  as  to  deep  planting  will  apply  to  bush  or 
pyramid  trees,  but  they  should  be  well  secured  by 
trampling  the  soil  about  the  roots.  Manure  should 
be  applied  when  required  by  digging  in  during 
the  winter  on  strong  land,  and  on  light  soil  by  a 
top-dressing  after  the  digging  has  been  done.  In 
plantations  containing  small  fruits  care  should  be 
taken  not  to  dig  closely  to  them,  as  any  disturb- 
ance of  the  surface  roots  is  injurious.  This  is 
especially  the  case  with  Raspberries,  which  are 
very  impatient  at  being  disturbed  with  any  dig- 
ging beyond  taking  off  the  suckers.  Judgment 
should  be  used  in  the  application  of  manure,  as 
too  much  may  be  used  as  well  as  too  little.  Our 
object  should  be  to  obtain  a  free  growth,  but  well 
ripened ;  if  over-forced,  the  shoots  will  be  gross 
and  continue  growing  late  in  the  season,  when 
they  are  liable  to  suffer  from  frost.  Especially 
when  trees  are  in  a  bearing  state  is  it  necessary 
that  the  wood  should  be  well  ripened,  and  I  attri- 
bute the  recent  failures  in  fruit  crops  more  to  the 
sunless  summers  which  have  prevailed  of  late  than 
to  the  spring  frosts.  These  latter  we  rarelj'  escape 
altogether,  but  they  are  comparatively  powerless 
where  the  wood  and  flower-buds  are  well  ripened  ; 
hence  we  ought  to  hope  for  a  crop  of  fruit  after 
the  present  almost  unique  summer  and  autumn. 

Select  List  of  Apples. 

I  take  it  for  granted  that  in  planting  orchards 
on  any  scale  the  fruit  is  intended  for  market,  and 
we  must  consequently  be  guided  in  some  measure 
by  the  local  demand.  Amongst  large  fruits 
Apples  are  the  most  generally  useful;  but  looking 
at  the  competition  in  fruit  from  America  and  the 
Continent,  I  think  the  more  perishable  Pears  and 
Plums  should  not  be  neglected,  as  freshness  will 
.  always  tell  in  favour  of  the  home  grower.     The 


Damson,  too,  is  nciversally  esteemed,  and  now 
that  the  dyer  will  purchase  them  by  the  ton,  to 
say  nothing  of  the  jam  maker  and  (shall  we  hint 
it  ?)  the  port  wine  maker,  they  must  be  a  profitable 
crop  to  grow. 

Cooking  Apples. 

Early  sorts,  to  sell  as  gathered.— Cellini, 
♦Domino,  Golden  Nugget,  Frogmore  Prolific, 
New  Hawthornden,  »Keswick  Codlin,  Improved 
Keswick,  » Warner's  King,  Lord  SufBeld,  Potts' 
Seedling,  *  Russian,  Spencer's  Favourite,  Worcester 
Pearmain. 

Cooking  Apples  for  storing. — Alfriston, 
Small's  Admirable,  *Beauty  of  Kent,  *Brambley's 
Seedling,  New  Caldwell,  *Normanton  Wonder, 
Northern  Greening,  *New  Northern  Greening, 
Stent's  Incomparable. 

Cellini  (October  and  November).  —  Fruit 
rather  above  medium  size,  roundish,  and  flattened 
at  both  ends ;  skin  deep  yellow,  beautifully 
streaked  with  red  next  the  sun ;  flesh  white, 
tender  and  juicy,  with  a  brisk  aromatic  flavour. 
A  culinary  Apple  of  the  first  quality.  Tree  spread- 
ing grower ;  good  as  standard  or  pyramid ;  a 
regular  bearer. 

Domino  (October).— Fruit  large,  resembling 
the  Keswick  Codlin  In  shape ;  skin  yellow, 
spotted  next  the  sun ;  a  good  cooker.  Tree  close 
grower,  but  making  a  good  standard  ;  scarcely  ever 
fails  to  produce  a  heavy  crop.  (I  do  not  find  this 
variety  in  Dr.  Hogg's  "  Fruit  Manual,"  and  it  is 
quite  unknown  to  the  majority  of  the  nursery 
trade.  It  is,  nevertheless,  by  far  the  best  of 
the  Keswick  class,  and  sure  to  be  planted  in 
quantity.) 

Golden  Nugget  (October  and  November)  — 
Fruit  large,  resembling  Warner's  King,  but  of 
beautiful  gold  colour.  Tree  free  grower  and  good 
cropper.  This  variety  was  much  admired  at  the 
Nottingham  autumn  show  last  year. 

Frogmore  Prolific,  or  Pippin  (September  to 
Christmas).— Fruit  large,  roundish,  regular  in  out- 
line; skin  pale  greenish  yellow  shaded  with  crim- 
son next  the  sun ;  flesh  white,  tender,  and  juicy. 
Tree  very  compact  grower  and  great  bearer.  Never 
makes  a  good  standard,  but  as  a  pyramid  it  is  un- 
rivalled for  early  and  heavy  cropping.  Raised  at 
Frogmore  by  the  late  Mr.  Ingram,  and  considered 
one  of  the  finest  cooking  Apples  sent  into  the 
royal  household.  We  see  no  difference  between 
this  variety  and  Old  Hawthornden,  excepting  that 
it  is  rather  a  better  grower. 

Hawthornden,  New  (December  to  January). 
—Resembles  the  preceding  variety,  but  keeps 
much  longer.  A  most  valuable  variety  for  bush 
or  pyramid  culture ;  must  be  allowed  to  grow  with 
little  pruning,  as  it  produces  fruit  on  the  points 
of  the  shoots. 

Keswick  Codlin  (September  to  October).  — 
Fruit  too  well  known  to  need  description.  Tree 
compact  grower,  pendulous  habit,  forms  a  hand- 
some pyramid ;  free  cropper,  extremely  hardy, 
standing  the  spring  frost  well. 

Improved  Keswick. — Resembles  its  parent, 
but  keeps  longer. 

Warner's  King  (October  to  March).— Fruit 
very  large,  smooth  and  clear  greenish  yellow;  flesh 
white,  tender,  crisp,  and  juicy,  fine  sub-acid 
flavour  ;  a  first-rate  cooking  variety.  Tree  vigor- 
ous and  spreading,  of  very  distinct  growth  from 
any  other  kind. 

Lord  Suffield  (September).  —  Fruit  very 
large,  skin  smooth,  pale  greenish  yellow;  flesh 
white,  tender  and  firm,  very  juicy.  One  of  the 
very  best  early  kitchen  Apples.  Tree  generally 
recommended  as  a  pyramid  on  account  of  its 
being  such  an  abundant  cropper  and  the  fruit 
being  so  large  and  heavy.  We  have  some  very 
large  trees  worked  as  standards  in  our  orchards 
which  bear  heavily  and  produce  fine  fruit.  In 
cold  or  wet  situations  this  tree  is  liable  to  canker. 

Pott's  Seedling  (September  to  November). — 
Fruit  very  large  and  perfect  in  shape;  flesh  firm, 
white,  and  juicy.  Tree  very  handsome,  forming 
excellent  pyramids,  very  prolific;  a  valuable 
baking  Apple. 


Russian,  or  Duchess  of  Oldenbubgh 
(September). — Fruit  medium  size,  fine  shape ; 
skin  smooth,  greenish  yellow  streaked  with  red, 
and  carrying  a  bloom  like  a  Plum  ;  flesh  yellowish 
white,  firm,  crisp,  and  very  juicy,  with  a  pleasant, 
brisk,  and  refreshing  flavour.  Tree  moderate 
grower,  rather  pendulous  habit.  For  cooking  this 
is  a  variety  of  the  highest  excellence,  but  most  of 
the  London  and  southern  authorities  class  it  as  a 
table  Apple.  As  its  name  implies,  it  is  of 
Russian  origin,  very  hardy,  and  a  great  and  re- 
gular bearer.  My  opinion  of  it  coincides  with 
Canon  Hole's  opinion  of  Gloire  de  Dijon  Rose.  If 
I  were  a  "  pike  keeper  "  and  had  one  Apple  tree, 
it  should  be  a  Russian. 

Spencer's  Favourite,  or  Brown's  Seedling 
(October  to  December). — Fruit  large,  round,  and 
handsome ;  skin  smooth,  clear  bright  yellow ; 
flesh  yellow,  tender,  and  breaking,  of  a  clear  amber 
colour,  perfectly  melting.  Tree  makes  a  very  hand- 
some standard,  regular  bearer. 

Worcester  Pearmain  (August  and  Septem- 
ber).— Fruit  medium  size ;  skin  smooth,  completely 
covered  with  brilliant  red  ;  flesh  very  tender,  crisp, 
juicy,  and  sweet.  The  tree  is  a  great  bearer,  and 
from  the  beauty  of  its  fruit  will  always  be  a 
favourite  market  variety. 

Alfrlston  (November  to  April). — Fruit  of  the 
largest  size ;  skin  greenish  yellow  tinged  with 
orange  next  the  sun,  covered  all  over  with  veins 
of  russet ;  flesh  yellowish  white,  crisp,  juicy, 
sugary,  and  briskly  flavoured.  The  tree  is  a  strong 
and  vigorous  grower,  very  hardy,  and  an  abun- 
dant bearer.  This  is  one  of  the  largest  and  best 
late  culinary  Apples. 

Small's  Admirable  (November  and  Decem- 
ber).— Fruit  medium  size,  handsome  ;  an  excel- 
lent kitchen  and  dessert  Apple.  The  tree  is  an 
immense  bearer,  and  well  adapted  for  dwarf 
culture. 

Beauty  of  Kent  (November  to  January). — 
A  valuable  and  now  well-known  culinary  Apple ; 
when  well  grown  the  Beauty  of  Kent  is,  perhaps, 
the  most  magnificent  Apple  in  cultivation.  Its 
great  size,  the  beauty  of  its  colouring,  the  tender- 
ness of  its  flesh,  and  a  profusion  of  sub-acid  juice 
constitHte  it  one  of  our  most  popular  winter 
Apples  for  culinary  purposes.  The  tree  is  a  strong 
and  vigorous  grower,  attains  a  large  size,  and  is 
a  good  bearer. 

Brambley's  Seedling  (November  and  Decem- 
ber).— Fruit  enormous.  Mr.  Brown,  of  this  town, 
showed  this  autumn  forty,  taken  from  an  ordinary 
standard  tree,  which  weighed  41  lbs.  Skin  smooth, 
bright  green  colour.  Tree  a  very  free  bearer. 
Obtained  first-class  certificate  in  1883. 

New  Caldwell  (January).— Fruit  over  me- 
dium size  ;  skin  smooth,  yellow,  dashed  with  red. 
Tree  a  very  vigorous  grower,  suitable  for  a  standard ; 
a  better  bearer  than  the  Old  Caldwell  or  Rymer. 

NORMANTON  WONDER,  DUMELOW'S  SEEDLING, 

OR  Wellington  (November  to  March). — Fruit 
large ;  skin  yellow,  spotted  with  crimson  next  the 
sun ;  flesh  firm,  crisp,  j  uicy,  and  acid.  Tree  hardy  and 
a  good  bearer.  Under  its  various  names  this  is  per- 
haps as  well  known  as  any  Apple  grown.  One  of 
the  finest  baking  Apples  in  cultivation. 

Northern  Greening  (November  to  April).— 
Fruit  above  medium   size,  skin  smooth,  colour 
grass-green,  inclined  to  be  streaked  with  red  next  . 
the  sun.    Tree    vigorous,    upright    grower,   good 
cropper.    An  excellent  kitchen  ,\.pple. 

Northern  Greening,  New  (November  to 
April).— This  is  a  great  improvement  on  the  old 
variety ;  the  fruit  is  much  larger  and  is  more 
highly  coloured.  Tree  a  good  grower,  and  suc- 
ceeds well  either  as  a  standard  or  dwarf.  A  very 
valuable  cooking  Apple.  As  a  market  Apple  it 
has  the  recommendation  of  weighing  well. 

Stent's  Incomparable  (December  to  March). 
—Fruit  very  large,  greenish  yellow,  very  dark  red 
next  the  sun,  sound,  brisk,  and  aromatic.  The 
tree  is  a  good  grower,  bearing  its  fruit  at  the  end 
of  the  branches,  in  spite  of  which  it  makes  an  ex- 
cellent kind  for  exposed  situations,  as  the  fruit 
clings  very  firmly  ;  a  regular  heavy  cropper. 


504 


THE    GARDEN 


[Dec.  13,  1884. 


Dessert  Apples. 

The  list  of  kinds  used  for  dessert  will  ne- 
cessarily be  short,  as  although  there  are  many 
which  are  of  great  value  for  the  garden  or  orchard 
of  the  amateur,  we  are  now  looking  at  them  with 
a  view  to  profit,  and  must  have  quantity  as  well 
as  quality.  I  shall  mention  Blenheim  Orange, 
Bridgewater  Pippin,  Cox's  Orange  Pippin,  Here- 
fordshire Pearmain,  Irish  Peach,  Mr.  Gladstone, 
Pike's  Pearmain,  Peasgood's  Nonsuch,  WoUaton 
Pippin,  and  Waterloo. 

Blenheim  Orange  (November  to  January).— 
Fruit  large,  round,  and  flattened,  yellow,  tinged 
with  red  next  the  sun ;  flesh  yellow,  crisp,  and 
juicy.  The  common  complaint  against  the  Blen- 
heim Orange  is  that  the  tree  is  a  bad  bearer,  and 
this  is  undoubtedly  the  case  when  it  is  youug, 
being  of  a  strong  and  vigorous  habit  and  form- 
ing a  large  and  very  handsome  standard ;  but 
when  it  becomes  a  little  aged  it  bears  pretty  re- 
gularly and  abundantly.  Grafted  on  the  Paradise 
stock,  and  grown  as  a  bush  or  pyramid,  it  may  be 
made  to  bear  much  earlier,  and  to  produce  very  fine 
fruit.  This  well-known  old  Apple  is  classed  by 
nearly  every  authority  as  more  fit  for  cooking  than 
for  the  table.  I  ventuie,  however,  to  assert  that 
in  this  locality  it  is  far  more  of  an  eating  Apple 
than  a  cooker. 

Bridgewater  Pippin  (November  to  Decem- 
ber).—Fruit  large,  roundish,  with  prominent  ribs  ; 
skin  yellow,  strewed  with  russet.  Tree  a  good 
grower  and  fair  cropper.  Classed  in  the  "  Fruit 
Manual  "  as  a  cooker  ;  we  consider  this  an  excel- 
lent table  fruit. 

Cox's  Orange  Pippin  (October  to  February). 
— P'ruit  medium  size,  regular  in  shape ;  skin 
greenish  yellow,  beautifully  streaked  with  red ; 
flesh  very  tender,  rich,  and  juicy,  with  fine  per- 
fume. Tree  makes  a  small  standard,  but  is  ad- 
mirably adapted  for  dwarfs  or  pyramids.  Succeeds 
well  on  the  Paradise  stock.  One  of  our  finest 
table  Apples  and  ought  to  be  extensively  planted. 

Herefordshire  Pearmain  (November  to 
March). —  Fruit  over  medium  size;  skin  smooth, 
and  when  ripe  clear  greenish  yellow  stre.-iked  with 
red  ;  flesh  yellowish,  tender,  crisp  and  juicy.  The 
tree  attains  the  middle  size,  is  a  free  and  vigorous 
grower,  very  hardy,  and  an  excellent  bearer.  Mr. 
Ingram,  of  Bel  voir,  says  of  this  Apple  that  during 
the  past  ten  or  fifteen  years  it  has  never  failed  with 
him  to  carry  a  heavy  crop. 

Irish  Peach  (August).- Fruit  medium  size; 
skin  greenish  yellow,  fine  lively  red  spotted  with 
yellow  on  side  next  the  sun  ;  flesh  tender  and  crisp, 
abounding  in  a  rich,  brisk,  and  aromatic  juice. 
Tree  moderate  grower,  makes  a  nice  standard,  an 
abundant  bearer,  has  carried  good  crops  with  us 
for  seven  years  in  succession.  Without  doubt  one 
of  the  best  early  dessert  Apples.  Like  most  sum- 
mer Apples,  it  is  in  greatest  perfection  when  eaten 
from  the  tree. 

Mr.  Gladstone  (August).— Fruit  medium  size, 
bright  crimson-scarlet  skin  ;  flesh  juicy,  with  rich 
aroma.  Tree  of  rather  pendulous,  medium  growth. 
Although  this  Apple  is  of  recent  introduction,  and 
has  not  yet  had  time  to  be  fully  tested  in  the 
midlands,  the  young  trees  in  our  nursery  give  in- 
dications of  its  being  a  first-class  cropper,  and  it 
has  gained  such  a  character  for  hardiness  and 
abundant  cropping  in  the  market  gardens  of  Kent, 
that  I  think  I  may  venture  to  recommend  it. 

Pike's  Pearmain,  or  King  of  the  Pippins 
(October  to  Christmas).- Fruit  medium,  conical ; 
skin  golden  yellow,  streaked  with  crimson  next  the 
sun;  flesh  firm,  juicy,  with  a  nutty  flavour.  The  tree 
is  a  strong  and  vigorous  grower,  a  most  abundant 
bearer,  and  attains  a  considerable  size  ;  it  is  also 
very  hardy  and  will  grow  in  almost  any  situation. 

Peasgood's  Nonsuch.— Fruit  large  and  very 
handsome ;  skin  yellow,  covered  with  crimson 
streaks,  which  on  the  side  exposed  to  the  sun  are 
yery  vivid  ;  flesh  yellowish,  tender  and  very  juicy. 
This  is  another  new  Apple  of  which  we  hear  fa- 
vourable reports  from  various  parts  of  the  country. 

Wollaton  Pippin,  Court  pendu  Plat  (De- 
cember to  June).—  Fruit  medium  size ;  skin  green, 


changing  to  yellow  when  fully  ripe,  deep  red  next 
the  sun  ;  flesh  firm,  crisp  and  well  flavoured.  Tree 
such  an  abundant  bearer,  that  it  makes  but 
small  growth.  The  blossom  of  this  kind  expands 
later  than  that  of  any  other  variety,  and  thus  es- 
caping the  spring  frosts,  it  has  in  some  parts  of 
the  country  gained  the  name  of  "  Wise  Apple." 
The  Wollaton  Pippin  is  particularly  adapted  for 
pyramid  culture,  as  it  frequently  bears  the  first 
season  after  planting.  We  generally  gather  several 
pecks  of  fruit  from  a  flat  of  young  trees  in  the 
nursery. 

Waterloo  Pippin,  Devonshire  Quarrenden 
(September). — Fruit  r.ather  under  medium  size ; 
skin  smooth  and  shining,  colour  deep  purplish  red ; 
flesh  crisp,  very  j  uicy,  and  with  a  rich  vinous  flavour. 
Tree  attains  a  considerable  size  and  is  a  prolific 
bearer.  It  succeeds  well  in  almost  every  soil  and 
situation  and  is  grown  from  Devonshire  to  the 
Moray  Firth.  Before  leaving  the  Apples  let  me 
direct  attention  to  the  Paradise  stock  so  often 
mentioned.  There  are  several  varieties  of  Para- 
dise stock,  and  the  reason  that  some  people  have 
failed  to  grow  good  Apples  on  this  stock  is  because 
the  wrong  one  has  been  used.  My  father  and  the 
late  Mr.  Thos.  Rivers,  after  trying  them  all,  se- 
lected one  which  has  been  propagated  at  Chilwell 
ever  since. 

Standard  Pears, 

There  are  so  few  Pears  out  of  the  multitude  that 
are  recommended  that  are  really  suitable  for  stan- 
dard trees  in  this  district,  that  I  will  take  them 
first,  giving  a  list  of  those  suitable  for  growing  on 
the  Quince  subsequently. 

Doyenne  d'Ete,  *  Williams'  Bon  Chretien, 
*  Hessel,  *  Doyenne  Bou.ssoch,  Beurre  db 
Capiaumont,  Beurre  Grey.— A  very  small  list, 
it  will  be  said.  I  could  extend  it  with  other  sorts 
which  will  undoubtedly  fruit  as  standards,  but 
for  profit  I  think  these  are  all. 

Doyenne  d'Ete  (July).— Fruit  small  and 
roundish ;  skin  smooth,  of  a  fine  yellow  colour, 
beautifully  streaked  with  crimson  next  the  sun  ; 
flesh  white,  melting  and  very  juicy,  fine  flavour,  but 
should  be  gathered  before  fully  ripe,  or  it  gets 
mealy.  Tree  a  vigorous  grower  and  an  abundant 
cropper,  one  of  the  best  on  the  Quince  stock. 

Williams'  Bon  Chretien  (September).— 
Fruit  large  and  handsome  ;  skin  smooth,  clear 
yellow,  streaked  with  red  next  the  sun  ;  flesh  white, 
tender,  melting,  with  delicious  flavour.  Must  be 
gathered  before  ripe,  or  it  turns  musky  and  will 
not  keep.  Tree  a  good  grower,  heavy  bearer,  and 
makes  a  fine  pyramid . 

Hessel  (October).— Fruit  below  medium  size, 
skin  greenish  yellow,  very  much  covered  with 
russet  ;  flesh  tender,  very  juicy  and  aromatic. 
Tree  hardy,  vigorous  and  great  bearer.  Succeeds 
in  almost  any  situation,  and  is  perhaps  more 
widely  grown  than  any  Pear. 

Doyenne  Boussoch  (October).— Fruit  large; 
skin  lemon  coloured,  covered  with  large,  rough 
russetty  dots  ;  flesh  yellowish  white,  melting  and 
juicy,  with  brisk  vinous  flavour.  Tree  free  and 
vigorous  grower,  great  bearer.  This  variety  only 
requires  to  be  known  to  be  appreciated.  During 
the  past  eight  years  a  large  standard  in  our  or- 
chard has  never  failed  to  carry  a  crop,  and  seven 
of  them  have  been  heavy  crops.  Essentially  a 
market  Pear. 

Beurre  de  Capiaumont  (October  and  No- 
vember).— Fruit  medium  sized,  long;  skin  yellow, 
almost  entirely  covered  with  fine  cinnamon- 
coloured  russet;  flesh  white,  rich  and  melting. 
Tree  vigorous,  upright  grower,  bears  in  profusion, 
very  hardy.     Succeeds  well  on  the  Quince. 

Beurre  Grey  (October).— Fruit  medium  size, 
rus;et-coloured  ;  flesh  melting  and  very  juicy. 
Tree  makes  a  good  standard  and  bears  heavily. 

For  pyramids  on  the  Quince  stock  the  following 
grand  Pears  may  be  recommended,  and  with  thin- 
ning and  mulching  they  will  produce  fine  fruit 
fit  for  dessert  which  may  be  sold  by  the  dozen  : — 

Beurre  d'Amanlis.— Large,  very  free  bearer. 

Beurre  de  Capiaumont.— Previously  de- 
scribed. 


Beurre  Supebfin.- A  very  fine  dessert  Pear  of 
large  size  and  a  good  bearer. 

Bon  Chretien.— Previously  described. 

Conseillee  de  la  Cour.— Large,  melting 
Pear,  excellent  in  quality.  Tree  vigorous,  and 
forms  a  splendid  pyramid. 

De  Tongres.— Best  described  as  a  large,  hand- 
some Beurre  de  Capiaumont. 

Doyenne  d'Ete.— Previously  described. 

Doyenne  Boussoch.— Previously  described. 

Doyenne  du  Comice. — Large,  handsome  fruit, 
quality  unsurpassed  ;  bears  well  on  the  Quince. 

Josephine  de  Malines.— Small,  but  grown  on 
light  land  perhaps  the  best  of  all  late  Pears.  On 
cold  soil  requires  a  wall ;  good  bearer. 

Louise  Bonne  de  Jersey.— Large,  remark- 
ably handsome,  first-rate  quality,  one  of  the  best 
Pears  we  have  on  the  Quince. 

Marie  Louise  d'Uccle.— Resembles  the  old 
Jlarie  Louise,  but  is  more  hardy,  a  better  cropper, 
and,  unlike  Marie  Louise,  does  well  on  the  Quince. 

Plums. 

The  importance  of  the  Plum  as  a  market  fruit 
can  scarcely  be  over-rated.  Owing  to  the  short 
distance  these  trees  can  be  planted  apart  (about 
l'>  feet)  they  very  soon  produce  enough  fruit  to 
pay  expenses,  and  in  spite  of  the  enormous  im- 
poi  ts  from  abroad  the  fruit  always  commands  a 
good  price.  Plums  are  especially  suited  to  culti- 
vated orchards.  Where  stock  have  access  to  the 
trees  they  often  damage  the  weaker  growing  sorts. 

In  describing  orchard  Plums  I  think  I  might 
use  the  words  of  a  friend  of  mine  in  the  nursery 
trade  and  say,  *'  Vies  first  and  the  rest  nowhere." 
Nevertheless,  after  the  Victoria,  which  needs  no 
description,  I  may  mention  as  good  orchard  Plums 
the  following ; — 

Diamond. — Large,  handsome  purple  Plum,  very 
fine  for  cooking.     'Tree  grows  very  large. 

Goliath,  or  Caledonian. — A  large,  roundish 
Plum,  dark  reddish  purple,  heavy  cropper,  good 
for  cooking  or  preserving. 

Mrs.  Gisborne. — Medium,  yellow,  good  bearer. 

The  Czar, — Raised  by  Mr.  Rivers.  This  is 
likely  to  prove  our  most  valuable  market  Plum. 
E.arly,  bearing  in  clusters,  purple,  having  a  fine 
bloom.  The  tree  is  a  good  grower  and  makes  a 
fine  standard.  At  Sawbridgeworth  it  bears  im- 
mense crops  of  fruit,  and  the  demand  for  trees  in 
the  Kentish  plantations  is  so  great  that  for  several 
years  past  the  nurserymen  have  been  unable  to 
supply  the  quantities  required. 

Under  the  beading  of  Plums  we  must  take  the 
Damsons,  and  of  this  class  I  consider  the  Damas- 
cene or  Prune  far  away  the  b^t.  It  is  a  good 
cropper,  and  the  quality  is  not  to  be  compared 
with  that  of  any  other  variety.  I  have  spoken 
before  of  the  uses  to  which  Damsons  are  put.  The 
Prune  Damson  always  commands  a  high  price  for 
tarts  and  jam  making. 

The  Farleigh  Prolific,  or  Kentish  Cluster,  is 
a  mere  wildling  of  coarse  quality,  but  an  enor- 
mous cropper.  Mr.  Bunyard  in  his  work  thus 
describes  it :  "  The  profusion  of  fruit  it  produces 
can  scarcely  be  credited,  and  so  large  is  the  growth 
that  it  is  customary  in  estimating  crops  to  treat 
of  them  by  the  ton.  One  grower  took  3000  bushels 
in  one  (scarce)  year  and  made  14s.  per  bushel  of 
them."  The  trees  require  to  be  well  pruned  for  a 
few  years  until  a  head  is  formed,  otherwise  before 
there  is  sufficient  strength  the  first  heavy  crops 
break  the  young  shoots  and  the  tree  is  disfigured 
for  life. 

Damsons  are  rather  apt  to  be  broken  by  heavy 
gales,  as  the  wood  is  brittle.  They  succeed  well 
planted  in  a  thicket,  pretty  closely  together,  the 
thicket  running  north  and  south  in  the  orchard. 
If  planted  as  single  standards  they  should  be 
rather  closer  than  Apples  or  Pears,  as  they  do  not 
make  such  large  heads.  In  Cheshire  and  Derby- 
shire we  find  them  largely  planted  as  hedgerow 
trees,  and  although  they  make  slower  growth  in 
such  situations,  they  are  sturdy  and  less  liable  to 
be  broken  and  produce  heavy  crops.  • 


Dec.   13,  1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


505 


All  kinds  of  Plums  should  be  gathered  with  a 
step-ladder,  or  two  ladders  tied  at  the  top,  until 
the  trees  have  made  good  heads.  A  careless  man 
with  .1  heavy  ladder  will  ruin  a  young  plantation 
o£  standard  Plums. 

Cherries. 

It  is  useless  to  attempt  to  grow  Cherries 
on    a    small    scale   for    orchards,  as    the  birds 


Mr.  Harrison  Weir  says  so);  but  if  you  have  not  kept 
one  in  a  cage  and  fed  him  on  young  Cherry  shoots 
in  the  spring,  I  venture  to  say  you  have  not  the 
least  idea  of  the  quantity  he  will  eat  or  how  happy 
he  will  look  whilst  doing  it.  Again,  when  the  fruit 
is  ripe  it  is  ravaged  by  birds  which  touch  but  little 
of  other  fruit— notably  that  most  useful  bird,  the 
starling.  Cherries,  then,  to  begrown  in  the  orchard 
must  be  grown  in  sufficient  numbers  to  make  it 


grow  it  one  can  secure  them  from  the  depreda- 
tions of  trespassers.  There  seems  to  be  a  gene- 
rally conceived  opinion  in  the  minds  of  these 
people  that  Nuts  are  planted  for  their  special  bene- 
fit. Nuts  will  grow  in  bleak  situations  and  on 
gravelly  soils,  but  will,  of  course,  give  the  best 
results  under  the  best  conditions.  They  do  very 
well  planted  amongst  Damsons  where  they  each 
protect  the  other.    One  often  hears  that  Filberts 


would  inevitably  take  the  whole  of  the  fruit  unless 
it  were  " tented,'  which  would  cost  more  than  the 
fruit  was  worth.  It  is  surprising  how  many 
enemies  the  Cherry  has  amongst  the  feathered 
tribe.  In  the  spring  a  few  bullfinches  will  do 
immense  injury  by  eating  the  buds  just  as  they 
are  breaking,  and  loth  as  we  may  be  to  destroy 
this  handsome  bird,  he  must  be  shot  without  mercy 
in  a  Cherry  orchard  or  Gooseberry  plantation.  I 
know  his  friends  say  he  Is  only  after  insects  (even 


worth  while  to  look  after  them,  and  for  the  same 
reason  it  is  best  to  have  only  one  kind,  so  as  to 
ripen  all  at  once,  and  thus  shorten  the  time  for 
protection.  The  one  sort  I  shall  recommend  is 
May  Duke,  one  of  the  oldest  and  best  varieties. 
The  tree  is  a  free  grower,  of  upright  growth,  a 
good  cropper,  and  well  adapted  for  orchards. 

Nuts. 
Although  Nuts  are    somewhat  slow    in  mak- 
ing  a   return,    they  are   a   profitable    crop    to 


will  not  bear  well ;  the  reason  of  this  is  that  they 
are  deficient  in  male  bloom.  It  they  are  planted 
with  other  Nuts  this  is  remedied,  as  the  Nut  pro- 
duces a  profusion  of  pollen.  This  was  first  dis- 
covered at  Chilwell  by  my  father.  The  best  varie- 
ties are  Waterloo,  Cosford,  Pearson's  Prolific,  large 
white  Filbert,  and  Merveille  de  Bolwyller.  Kent 
Filbert  and  the  red  Filbert  are  of  no  use  in  this 
locality,  as  they  are  so  frequently  cut  by  spring 
frosts. 


506 


THE    GARDEN 


[Dec.  13,  1884. 


Bush  Fruits. 

These  are  the  cheapest  to  buy  and  the  quickest 
to  make  a  return,  but,  as  I  have  previously  said 
one  must  be  guided  by  demand  and  availability 
oE  labour  as  to  whether  they  are  worth  one's 
attention. 

As  the  culture  ot  small  fruits  is  so  well  under- 
stood, I  shall  content  myself  by  selecting  as  use- 
ful market  varieties  the  following  : — 

GoosEBEnEiES. — Crown  Bob,  Lancashire  Lad, 
Rifleman,  Whitesmith,  Warrington,  and  Yellow 
Champagne. 

CUKR ANTS. —Black  Naples  and  Lee's  Prolific 
(Black),  Raby  Castle  (Red).  This  variety  has  been 
rechristened  May's  Victoria;  Houghton  Castle, 
Uoliath,  Walker's  New  Red,  &c. ;  being  rather 
late,  it  comes  in  after  the  earliest,  and  always 
sells  well.  It  is  a  free  grower,  and  when  acres  of 
other  Currants  are  blighted  this  variety  escapes. 
To  grow  it  in  perfection  the  shoots  should  be 
stopped  during  the  summer  growth,  under  which 
treatment  it  is  a  great  bearer. 

Rasi'BEERIES.  —  The  two  best  varieties  are 
Fastolf,  which  is  a  good  bearer,  fruiting  when  Red 
Currants  are  plentiful,  and  Northumberland  Fill- 
basket.  This  latter  is  the  heaviest  cropper  known, 
and  essentially  a  market  variety,  as  it  is  of  robust 
habit  and  the  fruit  bears  carriage  well. 

I  fear  that  the  foregoing  remarks  have  ass^umed 
somewhat  of  the  character  of  a  catalogue,  but 
this,  I  think,  is  unavoidable.  We  read  every  day 
in  one  or  other  ot  the  horticultural  papers  a  glow- 
ing description  of  some  fruit,  and  forthwith  the 
inexperienced  demands  that  variety  from  the  nur- 
seryman with  whom  he  deals,  irrespective  of  the 
soil,  situation,  or  climate  of  the  locality  where  it 
is  intended  to  plant.  If  the  nurseryman  be  a 
fruit  grower  and  ventures  to  hint  that  it  is  not  a 
suitable  kind  for  the  position,  our  friend  the  par- 
chaser  generally  thinks  it  is  only  because  he  has 
not  the  variety  in  stock,  and  goes  elsewhere  for  it. 
Time  was  when  it  was  the  fashion  to  grow  every 
variety  of  fruft  which  came  out,  and  how  many, 
even  in  my  memory,  have  I  known  consigned  to 
the  tire  in  the  nurseries  and  replaced  in  the  garden 
of  the  amateur.  Amongst  Apples  and  Pears  alone 
I  can  number  upwards  ot  .SOO  varieties  which  have 
been  grown  in  our  nurseries  and  discarded  for 
others  better  suited  to  this  locality. 


Trees  and    Shrubs. 


ARBUrPS  CROOMEI. 

The  common  Strawberry  tree  (Arbatna  Unedo)  is 
generally  admitted  to  be  among  the  handsomest 
of  hardy  evergreen  shrubs,  yet,  handsome  as  it  is, 
it  is  surpassed  by  Croome's  variety,  of  which  we 
illustrate  (p.  505)  a  flowering  spray.  This  variety  is 
BO  distinct  from  the  variousotherformsoEA. Unedo, 
that  there  is  no  mistaking  it.  Its  foliage  is  much 
broader,  ot  thicker  texture,  and  of  the  darkest 
green,  which  in  contrast  with  the  dull  red  bark  of 
the  twigs  forms  in  itself  an  attractive  feature. 
Its  outline  is  massive,  yet  pleasing,  and  in  No- 
vember, when  profusely  laden  with  blush-tinted 
blossoms  and  scarlet  fruit,  it  is  extremely 
elective  on  a  lawn.  This  variety  of  the  Arbutus 
should  always  be  obtained  where  possible,  and 
now  it  is  not  much  dearer  than  the  ordinary  form. 
Among  other  distinct  varieties  of  the  common 
Arbutus  may  be  mentioned  crispa,  which  has 
leaves  crimpled  at  the  edges  ;  myrtifolia,  with 
leaves  small  and  narrow ;  salicifolia,  with  leaves 
narrow  and  long ;  quercifolia,  with  the  outline  of 
the  leaves  wavy  ;  rubra,  with  flowers  of  a  decided 
reddish  tinge ;  and  the  doable  kind  (flore-pleno), 
which,  however,  is  not  so  desirable,  inasmuch  as 
it  does  not  set  fruit,  in  which  resides  the  peculiar 
beauty  ot  the  Arbutus.  A.  hybrida  prooera  and 
hybrida  are  quite  distinct  from  the  common  spe- 
cies. In  the  southern  counties  the  Arbutus  is  one 
of  the  hardiest  of  Evergreens,  and  Croome's  variety 
is  no  exception.  Planted  where  the  soil  is  dryish, 
the  subsoil  porous  or  overlying  a  rocky  stratum, 
there  is  nothing  to  fear  from  the  Aibatns  soSerlng 


in  ordinary  winters.  Everyone  knows  that  the 
Arbutus  is  truly  native  in  Killarney,  to  which  it 
lends  a  peculiar  charm.  Our  drawing  was  pre- 
pared from  some  fine  flowering  sprays  brought  to 
us  a  fortnight  ago  by  Mr.  Stevens  from  his  garden 
at  Grasmere,  Byfleet. 


THE  PINETUM  A  MISTAKE. 
We  wish  country  gentlemen  would  plant  on  poor 
land  more  than  they  do,  though,  so  long  as  they 
cultivate  rabbits  to  the  present  extent,  planting  is 
not  of  much  use.  Unhappily,  a  great  many 
people  are  very  apathetic  about  planting,  but  the 
most  careless  are  not  such  enemies  to  trees  as  the 
rabbits  with  which  so  many  country  places 
swarm.  Mothing,  we  know,  destroys  young  trees 
in  such  a  way  as  the  rabbit,  which,  selling  at  9d., 
often  succeeds  in  destroying  lOs.  worth  of  trees 
or  shrubs.  We  have  seen  some  ot  the  choicest 
plantations  in  England  wholly  ruined  by  these 
pests.  They  spoil  pretty  nearly  everything,  from 
the  common  Holly  to  the  rare  Californian  Pine. 

Such  ornamental  planting  as  has  been  indulged 
in  for  a  generation  or  so  past  has  practically 
taken  the  form  of  what  is  called  a  pinetum. 
After  much  observation  of  these  arrangements  in 
many  parts  of  the  country,  we  are  inclined  to 
think  them  about  as  poor,  fruitless  attempts  at 
planting  as  can  well  he  devised.  They  are  often 
so  thickly  grouped  that  the  trees  run  up  and  injure 
each  other,  bat  the  more  general  rule  is  to  show 
isolated  specimens  dotted  about  and  struggling 
with  the  Grass.  They  are  useless,  except  as  mere 
tests,  and  not  much  good  as  that,  because  one 
single  specimen  of  a  grafted  plant,  perhaps  by  it- 
self in  Grass-covered  ground,  is,  after  all,  but  a 
very  poor  proof  of  what  the  same  kind  of  tree 
would  do  it  planted  in  a  bold  group  in  the  same 
place,  with  the  ground  kept  open  until  the  trees 
had  made  some  headway.  The  pinetum  is  ugly, 
too,  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten.  Why  should  we  see 
half-hardy  trees  dotted  about,  when  fine  bold 
groups  of  really  proved  kinds  might  cheer  the 
planter's  eye?  The  poor  specimens  are  as  useless 
from  an  artistic  as  from  a  forester's  point  of  view. 
They  half  justify  the  mixed  muddle  of  planting, 
which  too  often  takes  the  place  of  the  good 
plantation,  well  considered  in  relation  to  soil, 
situation,  and  climate.  They  are  mere  toys 
looked  at  from  the  point  ot  view  of  the  planter 
for  profit.  It  is  the  deliberate  opinion  of  some 
of  the  best  foresters,  both  abroad  and  at  home, 
that  poor  land  will  pay  best  if  planted  with  trees ; 
but  the  notion  of  planting  in  England  which  is 
popular  with  most  of  us  will  not  do  at  all.  The 
whole  system  deserves  reconsideration  by  all  who 
are  possessed  ot  land  that  cannot  be  cultivated 
with  profit.  And  even  the  pinetum,  a  portion  of 
the  garden  as  it  generally  is,  should  help  us  to  a 
better  knowledge  of  forest  trees  and  all  others 
suited  for  our  country.  It  should  be  bolder  and 
simpler,  composed  of  fewer  things  known  to  be 
hardy,  for  there  are  many  such.  It  should  not  be 
merely  a  museum  of  grafted  and  variegated  curio- 
sities and  "  experiments."  It  should  show  us 
bold  groups  or  groves  of  trees  that  have  beauty, 
value,  and  hardiness  tor  our  country.  Seven  well- 
grown  and  placed  hardy  species  of  Pine  would 
produce  a  far  better  effect  than  seventy  of  the 
species  and  varieties  gathered  from  Mexico  to 
Chili,  that  now  form  the  sorry  pride  ot  our 
pinetums. 

The  pinetum  is  usually  a  failure  in  all  ways, 
artistically  as  well  as  calturally.  People  who  took 
pride  in  such  a  thing  at  one  time  are  now  groaning 
over  the  losses  of  the  past  few  winters  ;  but  it  is 
the  usual  result  of  foolishness.  Years  ago,  while 
they  were  trying  every  green  thing  that  could  be 
got  from  all  countries  accessible  to  the  British 
traveller,  and  many  warm  and  splendid  climates 
like  Mexico  and  California,  they  should  have  been 
planting  the  proved  trees  of  Europe  and  the  cold 
north  of  Asia  and  America.  Of  course  it  is  well  to 
try  all ;  but  the  worst  of  it  is,  where  all  these  sticks 
were  put  out  to  die  or  lead  a  miserable  life,  one 
often  looks  in  vain  for  any  sensible  or  effective 
masses  or  groups  of  fine  species,  about  the  hardi- 
,  ness  of  which  there  need  hie  no  kind  of  doubt. 


Another  objection  to  the  pinetum  is  the  doubtful 
and  troublesome  seedling  forms  it  gives  rise  to. 
One  care  of  the  planter  is  to  secure  pure  strains  of 
the  trees  he  wants.  Owing  to  the  mixed  way  in 
which  the  pinetum  is  usually  planted,  crosses  are 
easy,  and  much  of  the  seed  saved  therein  is  of 
doubtful  value  and  purity. — Fields 


Populus  Bolleana.— This,  says  M.  Carri^re 
in  the  Eevne  HorticoJr,  is  very  hardy  and  not  at 
all  fastidious  in  respect  to  soils,  even  doing  well  in 
those  ot  a  clayey  character.  Its  pyramidal  growth 
would  seem  to  recommend  it  tor  the  formation  of 
avenues,  and  it  might  advantageously  replace  the 
Lombardy  variety,  which  it  resembles  in  growth. 
Isolated,  it  produces  an  equally  fine  effect,  for 
then,  besides  assuming  a  more  compact  form,  it 
becomes  larger  whilst  preserving  its  general  habit, 
thus  forming  an  upright,  slender  pyramid  of  fine 
appearance.  It  is  propagated  by  means  of  layers 
and  by  grafting  on  P.  nivea ;  also  from  cuttings, 
which  generally  strike  fairly  well. — Byfleet. 


SEASONABLE   WORK. 


FLOWER  GARDEN. 

Roses  and  spring  flowers  — We  are  now 
having  somewhat  more  seasonable  weather  than 
hitherto,  and  if  mulching  ot  Roses  has  not  yet 
been  done,  it  should  be  done  forthwith.  Though 
mulching  of  Roses  is  not  an  imperative  necessity, 
as  they  winter  safely  without  it  nineteen  winters 
out  of  twenty,  yet  there  can  be  no  doubt  of  its 
beneficial  effects  in  ensuring  robust  growth,  and 
for  that  reason  alone  it  should  be  done.  For  the 
tender  Tea  and  Noisette  sections,  any  kind  ot  a 
mulching  is  of  the  utmost  value ;  good  farmyard 
manure,  smoothed  down  with  a  spade,  and  over 
this  a  couple  of  inches  of  Cocoa  fibre  refuse,  is  the 
perfection  of  mulching.  By  way  of  protection  to 
spring  flowers,  a  thin  covering  ot  fibre  is  desir- 
able, and  also  for  plants  in  the  reserve  garden 
that  are  intended  to  make  good  losses  in  the 
spring  garden,  or  to  plant  out  as  summer  bedders  ; 
such  a  surface  covering,  applied  to  summer  bed- 
ding plants  that  are  planted  out  in  cold  pits,  will 
save  an  immensity  ot  labour  in  the  way  ot  mat 
protection,  for,  as  a  rule,  if  the  frost  does  not  get 
hold  of  the  roots,  the  tops  of  Violas  and  Pansies, 
and  even  Calceolarias,  will  stand  many  degrees  of 
frost.  Australian  Dracfenas,  Phormiums,  and 
any  plants  of  a  similar  nature,  as  regards  liability 
to  injury  from  severe  frost,  are  readily  protected 
by  a  covering  of  fibre,  leaf-soil,  or  cinder  ashes 
applied  to  the  base  of  the  plants,  and  it  may 
almost  be  desirable  to  mai  up  the  tops  ot  some  ot 
the  finer  plants,  but  this  kind  of  protection  should 
be  given  in  such  a  manner  that  it  can  be  quickly 
undone  when  there  is  a  probability  of  mild  weather 
setting  in. 

Bedding  plants. — Old  plants  of  Pelargo- 
niums that  were  lifted  from  the  beds  will  now 
have  started  into  good  growth,  and  should  have  all 
decayed  portions  ot  stems  cut  off  and  bad  leaves 
removed,  and  if  afforded  plenty  of  light  and  a 
minimum  temperature  of  60°,  they  will  produce 
good  cuttings  for  spring  propagation.  As  to  root 
moisture,  till  the  turn  of  the  year  this  should  be 
rathersparinglyapplied,more  particularly  in  regard 
to  the  tricolor  section,  which  are  somewhat  impa- 
tient of  too  much  water  at  the  root  at  this  dull 
season  ot  the  year.  Autumn-struck  plants  will 
need  little  or  no  watering  tor  the  next  month  or 
so,  and  to  prevent  mildew  frequently  go  over  them 
to  remove  all  decaying  leaves  ;  give  air  freely 
when  the  weather  is  favourable,  and  if  it  can  be 
accompanied  with  a  little  fire-heat,  damp  will  be 
the  more  effectually  expelled.  The  tender  kinds, 
such  as  Alternantheras  and  Coleus,  are  no  trouble 
to  winter  where  firing  is  plentiful,  but  otherwise 
it  is  risky  work,  and  those  who  cannot  command 
a  temperature  of  65"  or  70°  had  best  exclude  them 
altogether.  Keep  them  well  up  to  light  and  fumi- 
gate the  moment  there  is  the  slightest  trace  of  fly 
or  thrips.  Alternantheras  and  Iresines  are  very 
liable  to  attacks  ot  these  insects,  and  if  the  plants 
are  anyways  weakly,  the  more  quickly  do  these 


Dec.  13,    1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


507 


pests  increase.  Finally,  let  all  the  kinds  of  plants 
bs  arranged  as  neatly  as  if  they  were  intended  for 
conservatory  decoration,  and  this  apparently  small 
matter  will  not  only  be  productive  of  pleasure, 
but  serve  to  the  better  wintering  of  them,  as  they 
are  sure  to  get  more  attention  than  they  would  if 
stood  about  anywhere  and  anyhow.  Have  plenty 
of  extra  covering  at  hand  in  readiness  for  very 
severe  weather,  such  as  Bracken,  straw,  or  litter, 
to  cover  up  cold  frames  that  contain  Calceolarias, 
Eoheveriai,  and  the  like,  such  covering  to  be  left 
on  continuously  so  long  as  the  frosts  last,  and  not 
to  be  removed  for  at  least  a  couple  of  days  after  a 
thaw  has  taken  place. 

General  work.— Finish  up  leaf  raking  and 
stacking,  sweep  and  roll  walks,  and  where  JIoss- 
grown  scrape  it  oS,  or  else  prick  up  the  gravel 
with  a  fork,  sprinkle  over  a  little  fresh  gravel,  and 
roll  down  hard  ;  level  turf,  and  fresh  turf  bare 
spots  under  trees  ;  also  dig  out  old  tree  stumps, 
and  trench  up  ground  for  new  trees  that  are  to 
be  planted ;  choice  shrubs  and  trees  should  be 
top-dressed  as  frequently  as  circumstances  admit 
of.  Young  Conifers  —  all  sorts  —  and  Hollies 
are  much  benefited  by  surface  dressings  of  suit- 
able material ;  for  the  latter  we  use  old  Vine 
border  soil,  and  for  Conifers  well-decayed  manure 
and  light  sandy  loam.  For  the  most  part  the 
trees  that  we  have  to  top-dress  are  on  turf  ;  this, 
therefore,  has  to  be  rolled  back,  the  surface  soil 
lightly  loosened  with  a  fork,  and  the  dressing 
then  applied.  The  turf  is  then  rolled  back  at 
once,  but  not  beaten  down,  only  levelled,  and 
thus  the  trees  get  the  full  benefit  of  all  the  rain 
that  falls.  The  clipping  of  hedges  and  trimming 
into  form  of  evergreen  shrubs,  clearing  out  of 
drains  and  haw-haws,  as  also  the  wheeling  of  soil 
and  manure,  are  all  of  them  suitable  operations 
for  frosty  weather  when  little  else  can  be  done 
out  of  doors. 


INDOOR. 

Lapaqerias. — These  are  amongst  the  best 
climbing  plants  that  can  be  used  for  the  roof  of  a 
couservatory  or  greenhouse,  not  growing  so  vigor- 
ously as  to  much  injure  whatever  other  things  are 
grown  under  them  ;  but  to  have  them  continue  in 
a  strong,  healthy  state  they  should  be  planted  out 
where  the  roots  and  the  sucker-like  stems  they 
make  can  have  some  room  to  spread  ;  yet  it  is  not 
advisable  to  turn  the  plants  out  of  pots  until  they 
have  attained  a  moderate  size,  otherwise  from 
their  slow  growth  and  the  moist  condition  the 
roots  require  keeping  in  the  soil  gets  sour  before 
they  take  possession  of  it.  For  similar  reasons  it 
is  not  advisable  even  where  good-sized  examples 
are  to  be  planted  out  to  make  the  bed  over  large  to 
begin  with  ;  in  place  of  this  it  is  better  to  follow 
the  course  adopted  with  a  Vine  border  by  adding 
to  it  as  the  roots  extend.  The  best  time  we  have 
found  for  planting  out  or  in  any  way  disturbing 
the  roots  of  Lapagerias  is  about  the  present,  when 
in  most  cases  the  flowering  will  be  nearly  over,  for 
although  there  will  not  be  much  visible  signs  of 
growth  for  some  time  the  young  underground 
shoots  produced  from  buds  formed  below  the  sur- 
face will  soon  begin  to  run,  and  any  disturbance 
of  the  roots  that  is  to  take  place  ought  to  be  carried 
out  at  once.  A  thorough  cleaning  should  be  given 
to  all  Lapagerias  now  when  the  shoots  and  leaves 
are  in  a  hard,  mature  condition,  as  they  will  be 
better  able  to  bear  any  dressing  it  may  be  neces- 
sary to  apply  with  a  view  to  free  them  from  in- 
sects. 

FRUIT. 
Hardy  phuiT3  — Get  all  pruning  and  nailing 
pushed  forward  during  the  prevalence  of  mild 
weather,  as,  independently  of  the  fact  that  the 
men  can  do  more  work,  the  ground  will  be  clear 
of  refuse  and  ready  for  the  reception  of  manure 
when  weather  suitable  for  wheeling  sets  in.  If 
not  already  done,  now  is  a  good  time  to  unnail 
all  the  Cherries  preparatory  to  pruning  and  wash- 
ing with  a  strong  solution  of  Gishurst  compound 
or  any  other  insecticide  most  in  favour.  When 
dry  tie  the  shoots  together  in  small  bundles,  secure 


them  to  stakes,  and  wash  the  walls— if  old  and 
full  of  nail  holes,  with  strong  brine,  lime  water, 
or  the  composition  recommended  in  a  recent  paper 
upon  hardy  fruits.  These  precautions  this  season 
are  extremely  needful,  otherwise  the  myriads  of 
black  and  brown  fly  which,  owing  to  the  low  vita- 
lity of  the  trees,  made  such  persistent  attacks 
upon  the  enfeebled  growths,  will  again  appear  in 
increasing  numbers.  Where  labour  is  equal  to  the 
demand  the  same  treatment  applies  to  Plums, 
Apricots,  and  in  some  cases  to  Pears,  but  where 
the  latter  are  quite  free  from  scale  they  may  be 
nailed  in  without  delay.  When  pruning  old  trees 
it  is  a  good  plan  to  thin  out  the  spurs  and  to 
scrape  the  JIoss  and  Lichens  off  the  branches  for 
the  twofold  purpose  of  letting  in  warmth  and  air 
to  the  fullest  extent  and  increasing  the  size  and 
quality  of  the  fruit.  Trees  on  the  Quince  stock 
soon  become  one  mass  of  spurs,  and  unless  annual 
attention  is  paid  to  this  operation,  the  fruit  on 
many  of  the  kinds  becomes  small  and  gritty ; 
further,  the  root  run  being  limited,  mulching  with 
good  rotten  manure  is  an  important  factor  in  the 
production  of  fine  fruit;  but  as  this  annual  dress- 
ing; would  soon  raise  the  borders  inconveniently 
high,  the  difiiculty  may  be  got  over  by  casting 
the  whole  mulching  over  the  border  to  be  forked 
in  for  vegetable  crops  and  by  replacing  it  with 
fresh  from  the  frame  ground.  The  best  time  to 
do  this  is  early  in  autumn,  and  if  within  reaoh, 
the  remains  of  an  old  Melon  bed,  soil  included, 
will  be  found  a  suitable  material  for  the  purpose. 
Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  Peaches  and  Nec- 
tarines are  holding  their  leaves  a  long  time,  the 
growths  are  clean  and  kind,  and  the  blossom  buds 
are  fairly  prominent.  If  it  is  the  practice  to  un- 
nail the  trees  every  winter,  the  sooner  it  is  done 
the  better,  as  nothing  more  in  the  way  of  ripening 
must  be  expected  from  the  elements,  and  removal 
from  the  walls  does  not  render  the  young  growths 
more  liable  to  be  injured  by  severe  frost.  Get 
Raspb8rries  staked  and  tied  ready  for  mulching, 
but  defer  cutting  off  the  tops  until  the  buds  begin 
to  swell  in  the  spring.  Untie  Figs,  rub  off  the 
half-swelled  fruit,  and  tie  the  shoots  together  in 
bundles.  Have  protecting  material  ready,  but  do 
not  apply  it  during  the  continuance  of  mild 
weather. 

ORCHIDS. 

JlEXiCAN  HOUSE.— One  of  the  most  esteemed, 
and  consequently  most  valuable,  of  Cattleyas  is  C. 
.Mendeli.  Of  this  there  have  been  some  large 
importations  recently.  One  large  specimen  was 
purchased  for  fifty  guineas  at  Stevens'  rooms  just 
as  it  was  received  from  abroad,  and  the  bulbs 
very  much  shrivelled  ;  this  may  not  always  be  a 
fault,  for  we  have  often  found  when  the  bulbs  were 
shrunk  that  they  started  from  the  base  quite  as 
strongly  as  those  that  were  more  plump,  and  also 
made  a  stronger  growth.  All  these  imported 
Cattleyas  should  be  potted  in  clean  potsherds  and 
charcoal  only.  All  dead  and  decaying  matter 
should  be  removed,  the  stems  and  bulbs  well 
washed  with  soapy  water,  and  the  plants  to  be 
laid  out  to  dry  before  potting  them.  Vanda  tri- 
color in  its  many  varieties  and  others  of  this  type 
will  now  be  getting  into  the  resting  stage,  even 
although  they  may  be  flowering.  The  varieties  of 
V.  tricolor  are  very  numerous,  and  as  they  flower 
more  freely  than  V.  suavis  at  this  season  of  the 
year,  they  are  more  valuable  on  that  account,  for 
autumn  bloom  does  not  seem  to  prevent  their 
flowering  freely  again  in  April  and  May.  The 
Vandas  do  not  seem  to  be  so  liable  to  be  attacked 
by  insect  pests  as  some  other  Orchids ;  and  nearly 
all  the  attention  required  by  them  is  to  wash  the 
leaves  with  a  sponge  and  weak  soft-soapy  water. 
It  would  depend  something  upon  the  stage  of 
growth  the  plants  are  in  whether  they  would  re- 
quire much  water ;  if  the  roots  are  pushing  vigo- 
rously, they  must  be  kept  rather  moist ;  but  if 
from  the  appearance  of  the  points  of  the  roots 
they  do  not  seem  to  be  growing,  then  but  little 
water  will  be  required.  Just  a  word  to  tliose  who 
have  Dendrobiums  going  through  their  season  of 
rest,  that  is  D.  Wardianum,  crassinode,  nobile, 
Falconeri,  moniliforme,  crepidatnm,  Cambridgea- 


num,  &c.  It  is  best,  of  course,  to  have  them  in 
flower  at  different  times,  and  for  this  purpose 
they  should  be  brought  into  this  house.  In  our 
experience  we  have  found  that  by  removing  them 
from  their  cool  quarters  to  a  high  temperature 
they  are  apt  to  be, injured;  they  receive  such  a 
check,  that  the  flowers  will  drop  off.  This  does 
not  happen  if  they  are  gradually  inured  to  the 
heat  and  also  to  the  moisture.  A  gradual  change 
to  heat  and  also  to  moisture  at  the  roots  will  pre- 
vent much  disappointment. 

Cool  house. — Where  the  collection  is  a  mis- 
cellaneous one,  comprising  Masdevallias  and  Or- 
chids that  do  not  like  so  low  a  temperature  as 
Odontoglossums  of  the  0.  crispum  type,  it  may  be 
well  not  to  let  the  temperature  fall  much  below 
50°  if  it  can  be  avoided ;  the  ordinary  cool  house 
temperature  of  about  45°,  falling  to  40°  in  cold 
weather,  is  rather  too  low  for  some  species  of 
Orchids  usually  relegated  to  the  cool  house. 
Some  species,  as  previously  advised,  may  be  re- 
moved to  the  Cattleya  house.  The  very  handsome 
Dendrobiums,  D.  iufundibulum  and  D.  Jamesia- 
nam,  succeed  best  in  the  cool  house,  but  we  fancy 
they  do  not  like  the  temperature  to  fall  so  low  as 
the  cool  Odontoglossums;  they  also  like  to  be 
near  the  glass,  and  to  have  the  lightest  part 
of  the  house.  It  may  be  that  the  difference 
of  5°  exists  between  the  temperature  at  the  ex- 
treme ends  of  the  house,  or  even  more ;  in  that 
case  the  Orchids  that  like  the  most  heat  may 
have  the  warmest  end.  A  house  well  exposed  to 
the  sun  is  the  best  for  the  Dendrobiums,  and  one 
behind  a  north  wall  is  the  worst.  These  Dendrobes 
are  both  natives  of  Moulmein;  and  although  D. 
formosum  is  a  native  of  the  same  country,  and  is 
so  nearly  related  to  them,  it  does  best  in  the 
warmest  bouse.  The  Japanese  D.  jiponicum  also 
succeeds  well  in  the  cool  house.  Then  there  is 
also  the  Australian  species,  D.  Johannis,  which 
alio  succeeds  well  in  this  house  ;  being  very  dif- 
tinct  and  sweet,  it  is  worthy  of  a  place.  The  old 
D.  speciosum  is  not  the  least  desirable  of  the  spe- 
cies that  succeeds  in  a  cool  temperature.  Unless 
under  exceptional  circumstances,  it  may  be  as 
well  to  do  no  repotting.  From  now  until  January 
plants  almost  without  exception  do  not  like  to  be 
interfered  with  at  the  roots.  Preparations  may 
be  made  to  get  ready  for  the  work  when  the  time 
arrives.  Nearly  the  whole  of  the  cool  Orchids 
succeed  best  in  peat.  Sphagnum,  and  clean  pot- 
sherds mixed  with  a  little  charcoal.  With  few 
exceptions  the  Odontoglossums  and  Masdevallias 
do  best  in  pots,  draining  them,  so  that  there  is  no 
danger  of  the  compost  becoming  sour.  It  does 
not  need  that  much  water  should  be  sprinkled  on 
the  paths  and  borders  at  this  season ;  a  moderate 
degree  of  moisture  is  preferable  to  the  atmosphere 
being  always  at  saturation  point. 


PROPAGATING. 
Stocks  for  grafting. — During  the  winter 
attention  must  be  paid  to  the  preparation  of  stocks 
of  all  kinds  for  grafting  or  budding  next  season, 
such  as  trimming  off  all  superfluous  branches,  and 
where  necessary  replanting  the  stocks.  If  it  is 
intended  to  graft  under  glass,  which  is  the  prac- 
tice generally  followed  in  the  case  of  choice  or 
delicate  subjects,  the  stocks  should  be  potted  in 
as  small  pots  as  possible,  and,  if  hardy,  plunged 
out  of  doors  till  wanted.  In  selecting  stocks  of 
any  kind  choose  them  with  clean,  healthy  growth 
in  preference  to  such  as  are  stunted,  and,  as  the 
chances  of  success  are  greatest  when  both  stock 
and  scion  are  nearly  related  to  each  other,  the 
object  must  be  to  choose  those  in  which  that  rela- 
tionship most  nearly  exists.  Thus,  in  the  case  of 
the  Conifers;,  for  the  true  Thuja  select  as  a  stock 
the  North  American  T.  occidentalis  and  Biota 
orientalis  for  the  Biotas.  Among  these  latter  it 
is  absolutely  necessary  to  graft  one  of  the  forms 
of  the  Golden  Arbor-vita3,  viz.,  semperaurescens, 
as  it  roots  only  with  great  difficulty.  Picea  pecti- 
nata  is  used  as  a  stock  for  the  Silver  Firs,  the 
Norway  Spruce  for  the  needle-leaved  section  of 
the  Abies,  and  Abies  canadensis  for  the  Tsuga 
group.  In  selecting  stocks  for  the  various  species 
of  Pinus  the  selection  must  always  be  made  o£ 


508 


THE    GARDEN 


[Dec.  13,  1884. 


one  bearing  the  same  number  of  leaves  in  a  sheath 
as  the  scion ;  thus  graft  two-leaved  on  two-leaved, 
three  on  three,  and  so  on.  The  common  Yew  does 
well  as  a  stock  for  all  the  kinds  of  Taxus,  Podo- 
carpus,  and  Cephalotaxus,  and  seedlings  of  Cupres- 
sus  Lawsoniana  for  its  many  varieties,  and  also  for 
Cupressus  nutkaensis.  For  the  Retinosporas,  obtusa 
and  pisifera  from  seeds  are  used  as  stocks. 

Young  vigorous  plants  with  stems  varying 
from  the  size  of  a  straw  to  that  of  a  pencil  will 
be  found  the  most  useful  for  the  whole  of  the 
above,  and  when  potted  they  may  be  shortened 
somewhat  where  necessary,  as  at  the  time  of 
grafting  the  heads  must  not  be  cut ;  that  must  be 
left  until  a  union  has  taken  place.  The  common 
Euonymus  europa;as  does  well  as  a  stock  for  all 
the  deciduous  species,  and  on  it  also  the  evergreen 
kinds  succeed,  but  then  they  are  liable  to  lose  a 
few  leaves  during  the  winter.  Most  of  the  slight- 
growing  kinds  of  Ivies  are  grafted  on  the  Irish, 
but  before  potting  them  up  remove  all  under- 
ground buds,  or  suckers  will  be  always  trouble- 
some. The  Osmanthus  not  only  grows  well  and 
freely  on  the  Privet,  but  retains  its  leaves  as  well 
as  on  its  own  roots.  This  latter  stock  is  also  used 
for  all  the  various  species  of  Ligustrnm,  and  with 
it  the  Lilacs  readily  unite,  but  do  not  live  so  long 
as  when  grafted  on  the  common  Lilac,  which  is 
easily  raised  from  seed  for  that  purpose. 

Many  Cytisuses  do  well  on  the  common 
Laburnum  ;  among  others  the  beautiful  pendulous 
greenhouse  species,  Cytisns  filipes,  which,  grafted 
as  a  standard  some  2  feet  or  so  high,  has  a  very 
pleasing  effect.  Seedlings  of  Rhododendron  pon- 
ticum  are  principally  used  as  stocks  for  the  various 
members  of  that  genus,  being  in  some  places  grown 
in  very  large  numbers  for  tliat  purpose.  The  single 
red  is  the  stock  employed  for  the  numerous  varie- 
ties of  Camellia,  and  it  may  be  raised  either  from 
seeds  or  cuttings,  the  latter  being  principally  the 
method  adopted,  as  seed  is  seldom  readily  obtain- 
able. The  cuttings  are  made  of  the  halt-ripened 
wood  about  C  inches  in  length,  and  succeed  best 
when  taken  off  just  at  the  junction  of  the  new 
with  the  old  growth.  Remove  the  leaves  to  the 
depth  of  2  inches,  insert  the  cuttings  in  well- 
drained  pots  of  sandy  soil,  and  place  them  in  a 
close  frame  till  callused,  when  a  little  bottom-heat 
will  hasten  the  formation  of  roots,  or  a  bed  may 
be  prepared  in  the  frame,  the  cuttings  inserted 
thickly  therein,  and  allowed  to  remain  till  rooted. 
Of  course,  this  latter  method  takes  a  longer  time, 
as  rooting  does  not  commence  till  the  following 
spring  The  above  include  but  a  few  of  the  plants 
for  which  grafting  is  employed  ;  for  instance,  the 
greater  number  of  our  fruits  are  propagated  in 
that  way,  but  as  tliey  are  principally  grafted  in 
the  open  air,  the  stocks,  as  in  the  case  of  Roses 
for  budding,  do  not  require  potting. 


WORK  DONE  IN  WEEK  ENDING  DEC.  9, 1884, 

December  3. 
Though  there  were  occasional  showers,  we  man- 
aged to  get  soil  mixed  up  for  planting  the  back 
wall  of  a  new  vinery  with  Peaches.  We  do  not 
expect  to  keep  the  Peaches  in  a  good  bearing  state 
more  than  a  couple  or  three  years  at  most,  as  by 
that  time  the  Vines  will  shade  them,  but  the  trees 
will  then  move  well  enough,  and  be  useful  to  re- 
place worse  trees  that  may  then  need  renewal  on 
the  open  walls,  and  meantime  the  fruit  we  hope 
to  get  from  this  wall  will  enable  us  to  partially 
renew  the  trees  in  a  Peach  house  that  ought  to 
have  been  done  a  year  or  two  ago,  but  it  could 
not  be  spared  without  causing  a  break  in  the 
supply  of  fruit,  and  that  was  an  alternative 
not  to  be  entertained.  The  Peach  border  forms 
the  pathway  of  the  house,  there  being  a 
wooden  trellis  as  flooring.  The  varieties  of  Peaches 
are  Noblesse,  Nectarine  Peach,  Sea  Eagle,  and 
Alexander,  and  Nectarines  Lord  Napier  and  Pit- 
maston  Orange.  Trenching  in  kitchen  garden, 
turf  levelling  in  Rose  garden,  pruning  and  nailing 
Plums;  finished  pruning  and  nailing  Pears.  This 
damp  weather  Grapes  need  almost  daily  looking 
over  to  remove  decayed  berries.  Those  in  Grape 
room  we  examine  most  days,  and  for  about  an 


hour  at  midday  the  ventilators  and  door  are 
thrown  wide  open ;  there  being  just  a  little  warmth 
in  the  pipes  at  the  same  time,  the  clearance  of 
damp  is  effectual.  I  need  hardly  say  that  the 
heat  is  turned  off  as  soon  as  (often  before)  the  ven- 
tilators are  closed,  and  in  dry  weather  heat  is 
never  turned  on  at  all.  Potted  more  Seakale 
and  placed  in  Mushroom  shed  to  force.  Laid 
Ashleaf  Potatoes  on  leaf  soil  in  boxes,  and 
placed  them  in  Peach  house  to  sprout  prior  to 
planting  out  in  frames.  Lifted  Autumn  Giant 
Cauliflowers  that  were  ready  and  not  yet  required 
for  use,  and  heeled  in  close  together  where  pro- 
tection can  be  quickly  applied  should  it  be  needed ; 
the  ground  they  have  occupied  is  being  prepared 
by  deep  digging  and  manuring  for  the  second 
sowing  of  Peas  and  the  earliest  outdoor  sowings 
of  Radish  and  Lettuce. 

December  4. 
A  strong  gale    and  heavy  showers  prevailing 
throughoHt  the  day,  outdoor  work  has  been  all  but 
)i.il,  but  we  have  always  a  sufficiency  of  indoor  jobs 
tor  such  weather,  some  of  which  would  probably 
rarely  receive  attention  at  all  were  it  always  fine. 
Tool  sheds  have  been  thoroughly  cleared  out  and 
the  tools  overhauled,  old  implements  being  thrown 
away  and  new  ones  brought  out.     Fruit  and  store 
rooms  were  also    swept  out  and  otherwise    put 
straight ;  mats  tied,  some  labels  made,  also  boxes 
for  bedding  plants  and  the  old  ones  repaired.  Cut 
down  another  batch  of  Chrysanthemums  and  put 
in  cuttings.     Tied  up    Tree  Carnations.     Picked 
over  and  re-arranged  flowering  Pelargoniums  that 
had  got  to  look  a  little  disorderly,  owing  to  the 
demands  on  them  tor  furnishing  vases  in  the  man- 
sion.    I  think  that  double  zonal  Pelargoniums  are 
not  half  sufficiently  valued  as  they  deserve  to  be 
as  winter  decorative  plants,  for  they  flower  the 
winter  through  and  need  but  little  artificial  heat — 
."JO"  to  55°  is  ample — and  in  summer  they  give  really 
no  trouble,  as  they  do  best  grown  in  the  open  air, 
and  it  plunged  in  ashes,  watering  is  not  a  serious 
item  of  labour.   Cuttings  put  in  at  once  will  make 
grand  plants  for  next  winter.  Tying  Figs  to  trellis. 
Turned  over  fermenting  material  in  early  vinery, 
and  filled  another  shelf  with  Strawberry  plant,=. 
The  flowers  are  just  showing,  and  the  plants  will 
therefore   be  kept  as  close  up  to   the  glass  as 
possible,    and    the    temperature    at    about    C0°. 
Vicomtesse  Hfericart  de  Thnry  will  set  its  fruit 
freely  in  a  temperature  of  75°,  but  it  would  be  in- 
discreet to  give  the  plants  such  a  heat  now  whilst 
daylight    and    consequently    forcing     conditions 
generally  are  at  the  minimum  point. 
December  5. 
A  fine  drying  day.     Rolled  all  walks  ;  turfing  in 
Rose  garden ;  raked  up  and  carted  away  more 
leaves.     Our  practice  is  to  clear  them  out  of  all 
shrubbery  clumps  :  then  we  have  no  tear  of  being 
constantly  vexed  by  untidiness  through  pheasants 
and  other  birds  scratching  them  out,  or  by  wind 
sending  them  just  where  they  are  not  wanted,  and 
by  way  of  compensation  to  the  shrubs  they  get 
when  needed  a  dressing  of  decayed  leaves  and  a 
sprinkling  of  fresh  soil  on  top  of  that  material, 
which  not  only  makes  the  clumps  look   neater, 
but  the    roots    lay    hold    of    the    dressing    at 
once.      Nailing    Plums,    and    began     to    prune 
Currants  and    Gooseberries ;   tying  Figs ;  picked 
all  loose    foliage  off  late   Muscat    Vines.      The 
Grapes    seem    to    be    shrivelling    slightly,    that 
we  shall  risk  giving  the  border  another  supply  of 
water,  and  thereby  hope  to  check  any  further 
shrivelling ;  I  ought  perhaps  to  add  that  the  border 
is  entirely  inside.    More  heat  and  ventilation  will 
be  given  tor  a  few  days  after  watering,  to  dry  up 
as  much  as  may  be  the  atmospheric  moisture,  and 
in  addition  to  this  the  border    will  be  thickly 
covered  with  dry  straw.     Watered   Pines.     This 
has  now  to  be  done  with  great  circumspection. 
None  is  given  to  plants  that,  having  completed 
their  growth,  are  required  and  expected  to  show 
for  fruit  between  January  1  and  the  end  of  that 
month ;  fruiters  are  kept  moistened  through,  and 
manure    water    is    always    applied.      We    never 
discontinue  watering    till    the  fruit  has  nearly 
completed  colouring,  and  that  no  injury  accrues 
from  the   practice  is  a  certainty,  which  is  more 


than  can  be  said  for  the  practice  of  withholding 
of  water  the  moment  there  is  a  trace  of  ripening, 
as  that  generally  ends  in  badly  developed  pips, 
and,  I  think,  of  juiciness  of  fruit  also.  Suckers 
require  very  little  water  indeed  now,  but  succes- 
sions in  good  growth  ought  never  to  be  allowed  to 
get  quite  dry,  or  results  may  be  premature  fruit- 
ing as  soon  as  they  get  a  full  supply  of  water  or 
an  increase  of  bottom  heat.  Gave  Camellias  an- 
other good  washing  with  the  garden  hose ;  the 
flowers  are  now  expanding  fast,  and  this  watering 
and  washing  will  probably  serve  them  till  flower- 
ing is  over. 

December  6. 

Our  usual  weekly  round  of  cleaning  up  was 
barely  ended  ere  there  came  a  return  of  rain  and 
wind  storms,  which  caused  such  a  shower  of  sticks 
and  leaves,  that  could  we  have  foreseen,  our  out- 
side work  at  any  rate  would  have  been  of  a  more 
lasting  description  ;  it  was  all  in  vain  to-day,  and 
therefore  is  not  worthy  of  being  alluded  to. 
Indoor  duties  proved  more  satisfactory  ;  the  whole 
of  the  houses  had  their  modicum  of  attention. 
Plants  had  bad  leaves  taken  off,  and  turned  about 
and  shifted  to  make  them  look  their  best.  Floors, 
doors,  ledges,  and  sills  on  which  plants  stand  were 
well  scrubbed  down.  Strawberries  on  bed  of 
leaves  in  pit  were  lifted  to  prevent  them  rooting 
through  at  the  bottom  into  the  leaves.  Pine  beds 
were  cleared  of  fungus  and  the  walls  and  pipes  of 
cobwebs.  Bedding  plants  in  vineries  were  treed 
from  dead  leaves  and  carefully  watered,  and  the 
decaying  leaves  of  Lady  Downes  and  Alicante 
were  picked  off  and  the  straw  mulching  of  bor- 
ders put  straight.  Relays  of  forcing  plants  were 
introduced  into  warmth  and  a  tew  others  potted. 
Cat  down  Maiden-hair  Ferns  that  having  been  used 
for  furnishing  had  got  shabby,  and,  worse  than 
that,  part  of  them  were  badly  infested  with  a  soft 
brown  scale.  These  will  be  put  in  quarantine 
till  every  trace  of  the  pest  has  vanished,  the  first 
step  to  this  end  being  the  cutting  down,  next  the 
clearing  of  the  crowns  by  scraping  away  the  soil 
with  a  sharp-pointed  stick,  and  next  the  constant 
out-look  and  immediate  destruction  of  any  fresh 
appearance  of  the  enemy. 

December  8. 

Fine;  therefore  after  doing  certain  clean- 
ing up  that  the  wind  of  the  last  two  days  had 
rendered  necessary,  trenching  of  Pear  and  Rose 
borders  was  proceeded  with,  also  some  alterations 
that  entailed  the  moving  and  tiansplanting  of  Rho- 
dodendrons, grubbing  up  of  brush-wood  and  turn- 
ing and  partially  remaking  of  walk.  The  cutting  of 
turf  and  carting  of  gravel  also  formed  a  part  of 
to-day's  doings.  Finished  tying  Figs  and  top- 
dressed  border  with  good  loam,  a  bushel  or  two 
of  wood  ashes,  and  half-inch  bones.  Turned  over 
manure  in  early  vinery  ;  the  moisture  from  it  is 
now  but  little,  and  consequently  the  Vines  are  well 
syringed  with  tepid  water  at  2  p  m. ;  the  buds 
are  getting  very  prominent,  and  a  rise  in  tempera- 
ture will  now  be  made — the  lowest  at  night  being 
50°,  the  highest  by  day  (without  sun)  00°.  Pre- 
pared early  Muscat  vinery  tor  forcing  by  giving 
the  border,  which  is  inside,  a  soaking  with  tepid 
water.  The  Vines  have  been  let  down  from  the 
trellis  and  are  swung  horizontally.  As  there  is 
no  space  for  a  bed  of  leaves  and  litter  in  this 
house  syringing  will  begin  at  once,  but  in  cold, 
frosty  weather  it  will  be  discontinued — at  least 
so  tar  as  the  Vines  are  concerned.  Floors  and 
walls  will  be  damped  down  as  usual.  Early  Peach 
house  is  now  kept  closed  except  in  sunshine,  and 
syringing  is  done  at  mid-day.  Artificial  heat  will 
not  tor  the  present  be  applied,  unless  the  external 
temperature  falls  below  the  freezing  point; 

December  9. 

Another  rainy  day,  and  the  work  has  been  much 
the  same  as  that  of  other  recent  wet  days,  our 
outdoor  hands  being  employed  washing  pots, 
making  labels,  cutting  pegs,  and  making  shallow 
boxes  for  bedding  plants.  House  work  done  was 
pruning  late  Peaches,  lime- washing  walls,  washing 
the  pots  of  forcing  bulbs  before  placing  them  in 
heat,  tying  up  Tomatoes  and  Euphorbia  jacquinife- 
flora  to  liielon  trellis,  staking  Poinsettias  to  keep 


Dec.  13,   1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


509 


them  upright  that  the  bracts  may  not  grow  one- 
sided. Washed  with  a  sponge  the  foliage  and 
stems  of  Gardenias.  Scale  is  troublesome,  an 
insect  that  seems  to  be  even  more  tenacious  of 
life  than  mealy  bug,  for  though  we  have  settled 
the  latter  with  paraffin,  scale  still  survive?. 

Hants. 


Societies. 


ROYAL  HORTICULTUKAL. 
Decembeb  9. 
This  was  the  last  meeting  of  the  committees  for 
the  present  year.  The  exhibits  were  not  numerous, 
but  several  first-class  certificates  were  awarded  as 
follows : — 

Odontoglossum  Andersonianum  flaveo- 
LUM. — A  variety  at  once  distinguished  from  the 
ordinary  form  of  Andersonianum  by  the  ground 
colour  of  the  flower  being  more  yellow,  otherwise 
there  is  no  difference.  It  is  a  beautiful  variety, 
particularly  as  represented  by  the  plant  shown, 
which  bore  a  long  and  branched  spike  gracefully 
arched.  This  was  exhibited  by  Mr.  liallantine, 
from  Caron  Schroeder's  garden,  at  The  Dell, 
Egbam. 

Cattleya  bulbosa  gbandifloka. — A  superb 
variety  of  an  old  and  well-known  Orchid.  It  is 
dwarf  in  growth,  having  short,  oval-shaped  bulbs 
and  thick,  short  leaves.  The  flowers  of  the  present 
variety  measure  about  3  inches  across,  the  sepals 
all  being  broad  enough  to  form  a  flower  of  symme- 
trical outline.  The  colour  of  the  sepals  is  of  the 
deepest  rose-lilac,  while  the  lip  is  several  shades 
deeper.  It  is  by  far  the  most  beautiful  variety 
that  has  been  exhibited,  being  shown  on  this 
occasion  by  Baron  Schroeder  and  Mr.  H.  James, 
Castle  Nursery,  Lower  Norwood. 

CVPRirEDIUM    INSIGNE    VIOLACEUM    PUNCTA- 

TUM. — This  is  probably  the  finest  of  the  various 
forms  of  this  Lady's  Slipper,  and  is  apparently 
synonymous  with  that  named  Chantini.  The 
distinctive  character,  and  one  which  renders 
it  80  beautiful,  is  the  dorsal  sepal  being  nearly 
half  white  and  spotted  with  violet-purple.  A  fine 
specimen  bearing  fifteen  expanded  blossoms  was 
shown  by  Mr.  Heims,  gardener  to  Mr.  Philbiick, 
Q.C.,  Oldfield,  Bickley. 

Calanthe  Sandhurstiana. — A  most  lovely 
variety,  similar  to  C.  Veitchi,  but  having  the 
flowers  several  shades  deeper  in  colour  and  much 
richer  than  the  best  forms  of  that  variety.  A 
small  plant  bearing  a  few-flowered  spike  was  ex- 
hibited by  Sir  Trevor  Lawrence  from  his  garden 
at  Burford  Lodge,  Dorking,  where  it  has  long 
been  grown.  A  brilliant  future  may  be  predicted 
for  this  new  Orchid. 

Rhododendron  Conqueror. — Another  mem- 
ber of  the  beautiful  race  of  hybrid  varieties  which 
Messrs.  Veitch,  of  Chelsea,  have  so  successfully 
raised.  The  present  variety  is  remarkable  for  its 
massive  trusses  of  large  and  finely  shaped  flowers 
of  a  beautiful  orange-scarlet. 

Chrysanthemum  Fabias  de  Maderannez 
— One  of  the  Anemone-flowered  section  and  cer- 
tainly among  the  finest.  The  flowers  are  large, 
having  broad  centres  of  quilled  florets,  the  outer 
florets  being  long,  narrow,  and  very  numerous. 
As  shown  by  Messrs.  Laing  on  this  occasion  it 
was  of  a  pale  pink,  but  earlier  it  is  of  a  deeper 
shade. 

Carnation  Grand  Monarch.  —  A  new  per 
petual-flowering  sort,  having  large,  full  flowers  of 
a  deep  velvety  crimson,  just  the  colour  of  the 
deepest  forms  of  the  old  Clove ;  a  valuable 
addition  to  this  beautiful  class  of  winter-flowering 
plants.  Shown  by  Mr.  Turner,  Royal  Nurseries, 
Slough. 

Chrysanthemum  Val  d'Or.— A  pompone 
variety,  and  one  of  the  smallest  flowered  sorts  in 
cultivation.  The  flowers  form  little  dense  heads, 
perfectly  globular,  and  of  clear  yellow.  Being  a 
free  flowerer  and  of  a  good  habit  of  growth,  it  is 
extremely  attractive.  Shown  by  Messrs.  Laing, 
Stanstead  Park  Nurseries,  Swanley. 


Some  interesting  Orchids  were  exhibited  besides 
those  certificated.  Sir  Trevor  Lawrence  sent  a 
flowering  specimen  of  the  rare  HouUetia  odoratis- 
sima,  which  has  spikes  of  curiously  shaped  flowers 
somewhat  resembling  those  of  Mormodes.  Their 
colour  is  a  deep  vinous  purple,  and  the  perf  nme  is 
pleasant.  Accompanying  this  from  the  same  col- 
lection were  two  new  Calanthes,  presumably  hy- 
brids, named  tincta  delicata  and  bella.  The  for- 
mer has  its  flowers  faintly  tinged  with  rose,  those 
of  the  latter  being  ivory-white  with  a  carmine 
centre.  Mr.  Lee  sent  from  his  collection  a  small 
plant  of  Masdevallia  racemosa  Crossi  with  one  ex- 
panded flower  and  one  bud,  which  apparently  was 
not  suflioient  material  for  the  committee.  There 
was  also  a  small  plant  of  the  pretty  new  Odonto- 
glossum adspersum,  best  described  as  a  yellow 
variety  of  O.  Rossi  majus,  and  a  finely  flowered 
plant  of  Dendrobium  Leechianum,  a  beautiful  hy- 
brid similar  to  the  older  and  better-known  D. 
Ainsworthi.  Mr.  G.  F.  Wilson  sent  from  Heather- 
bank,  Weybridge,  a  remarkable  spike  of  Odonto- 
glossum crispum,  bearing  no  fewer  than  l.j  blos- 
soms, a  fine  example  of  good  culture,  and  accor- 
dingly the  committee  voted  a  cultural  commenda- 
tion to  Mr.  Wilson's  gardener.  Mr.  Ingram  sent  a 
beautiful  new  Odontoglossum,  but  unfortunately 
too  late  to  be  submitted  to  the  committee.  It  re- 
minded one  at  once  of  O,  Coradinei,  though  it  is 
abundantly  distinct  from  that  species,  the  flowers 
being  larger,  brighter  coloured,  and  altogether 
finer.  The  ground  colour  is  a  bright  clear  yellow, 
on  which  are  heavy  blotches  of  chestnut-brown. 
It  should  have  a  distinctive  name.  Mr.  Ingram 
likewise  showed  a  good  variety  of  O.  gloriosum, 
sweetly  scented  and  heavily  spotted. 

Other  plants  of  interest  tliown  included  a  new 
Maiden-hair  Fern  from  Messrs.  Veitch.  It  is 
named  Adiantum  Collisi.  It  is  a  most  elegant  and 
beautiful  Fern,  with  small  pinnse  on  the  broad 
spreading  fronds.  Messrs.  Veitch  also  showed 
Rhododendron  Queen  of  Roses,  a  new  seedling 
with  large  trusses  of  rosy  pink  flowers.  It  is  a 
strong  grower  and,  like  the  rest  of  its  race,  remark- 
ably fioriferous. 

A  cultural  commendation  was  accorded  to  Mr. 
\V.  Allan,  Gunton  Park,  Norwich,  for  a  fine  basket 
of  flowering  plants,  together  with  cut  flowers  of 
the  beautiful  double  white  Violet  called  Comte  de 
Brazza's  Neapolitan  White.  Mr.  Allan  certainly 
knows  how  to  cultivate  this  Violet  better  than 
anyone  we  know,  and  his  exhibits  on  this  occasion 
well  merited  the  commendation.  A  variegated 
Chinese  Primula  was  shown  by  Mr.  Woodham, 
which  may  prove  a  useful  ornamental  plant.  Mr, 
B.  S.  Williams  sent  specimens  of  one  of  his  new 
Poinsettias ;  it  was  named  ignescens,  the  colour 
of  the  bracts  being  a  bright  carmine  instead  of 
the  usual  scarlet  hue.  Messrs.  Veitch  showed  a 
new  variety  named  Maid  of  Athens  ;  it  is  white,  in 
the  way  of  Meg  Merrilies,  and  remarkable  for  its 
lateness. 

Carnations  of  the  perpetual-flowering  class 
were  shown  by  Messrs.  Hooper,  Covent  Garden, 
and  Mr.  Turner,  Slough.  These  were  particularly 
attractive,  and  both  collections  included  new 
kinds.  Among  Messrs.  Hooper's  sorts  was  a  lovely 
white  called  Mdlle.  Carle,  in  the  way  of  the 
summer-flowering  W.  P.  Milner.  Other  fine  sorts 
were  Irma,  Jean  Sisley,  Alegatiere,  Zouave, 
Triomphe  de  Lyon,  Chevalier,  the  yellow  ground 
sort  certificated  at  the  last  meeting,  and  C.  A. 
Hooper,  also  a  yellow  ground  flower  with  crimson 
edges,  even  finer  than  Chevalier,  and  one  we 
thought  the  finest  cf  the  collection,  The  best  of 
Mr,  'Turner's  sorts  .were  named  Emerald,  Garnet, 
Madeline,  Curiosity,  and  Black  Diamond. 

Chrysanthemums  were  shown  by  Messrs. 
Cannell  and  Messrs.  Laing.  The  former  had 
chiefly  single  sorts,  some  of  which  are  pretty  and 
elegant,  particularly  the  following :  Canariense, 
sulphur  ;  Miss  Fortescue,  blush  pink ;  Peter  Hen- 
derson, yellow  ;  Firefly,  small,  Indian  red ;  Bru- 
nette, brownish  red  ;  Magenta  King  ;  America, 
with  long,  pink,  shaggy  florets ;  and  Henry  Irving, 
pink.  Besides  these  was  a  beautiful  Anemone- 
flowered  sort  named  Virginale,  in  the  way  of 
Marie  Stuart,  but  whiter.    Messrs.  Laing's  new 


sorts  included  Dormillion  (Japanese),  purplish 
magenta  ;  I'lesident  Arthur,  large,  single,  tawny 
yellow;  America  (Japanese),  single,  large  and 
white;  M.  Urgil  (Japanese),  deep  orange-red; 
Peter  Henderson,  purplish  rose,  single ;  M.  Augusta 
Tegier,  like  Lord  Beaconsfield,  but  of  a  browner 
tint ;  and  Mad.  Louisa  de  Reydellet,  purplish 
rose. 

Zonal  Pelargoniums  were,  as  usual  at  these 
winter  meetings,  shown  admirably  by  Messrs.  Can- 
nell. On  this  occasion  their  collection  included  the 
following  fine  sorts  grown  to  perfection ;  Ltdy 
Reed,  salmon;  Ajax,  scarlet;  E.  George,  ma- 
genta-rose ;  Aloides,  crimson-scarlet ;  Advance, 
scarlet ;  Favourite,  dull  salmon-pink  ;  F.  Kauf- 
fer,  amaranth  ;  Lady  Chesterfield,  salmon-pink  ; 
Mrs.  Robertson,  deep  rose ;  Scarlet  Cloth,  fiery 
scarlet ;  Mrs.  Bowen,  delicate  blush  ;  Ida  Walter, 
deep  crimson  ;  Qaeen  of  the  Belgians,  the  finest 
of  all  single  whites  ;  and  Le  Cygne,  double  white. 
Messrs.  Cannell  also  showed  a  large  group  of  pot 
plants  of  Chinese  Primulas  in  beautiful  varieties, 
such  as  Swanley  Giant,  Invicta,  Swanley  Blue, 
Princess  of  Wales,  Queen  of  Whites,  Princess 
Beatrice,  Swanley  Red,  and  Christmas  Cheer. 

A  glaucous  variety  of  Abies  Donglasi  was  shown 
by  Messrs.  W.  Paul  &  Son,  Waltham  Cross.  It  is 
a  handsome  variety,  having  the  foliage  of  a  bluish 
glaucous  tint,  which,  in  contrast  with  the  typical 
kind,  is  all  the  more  striking.  Plants  of  A.  Doug- 
lasi  and  the  variety  glauca  were  shown  for  com- 
parison. 

A  remarkable  exhibit  came  from  Mr.  Bennett,  of 
Shepperton.  It  consisted  of  three  plants  of  the 
new  Rose,  Her  Majesty,  each  having  shoots  11  feet 
in  height  and  2  inches  in  circumference.  These 
extraordinary  shoots  are  the  result  of  six  months' 
growth  from  grafts.  Such  plants  as  these  are 
either  adapted  for  cutting  back  to  form  standards 
or  for  pillar  Roses. 

Fruit  and  vegetables —Some  fine  Pine- 
apples were  shown  by  Mr.  Hadson  from  Mr. 
Atkinson's  garden  at  Gunnersbury  House,  Ac- 
ton. These  consisted  of  two  examples  of  the 
Lord  Caringtcn  variety,  handsome  conical  fruits, 
both  weighty  and  of  good  shape,  a  pair  of  The 
Queen  variety,  and  a  Smooth  Cayenne,  a  large 
fruit  with  no  crown.  A  vote  of  thanks  was  ac- 
corded. 5Ir.  Roberts  showed  from  Gunnersbury 
Park  some  pot  plants  of  Negro  Largo  Fig  thickly  set 
with  fruit ;  also  gathered  fruit  of  the  same  variety, 
which  is  undoubtedly  the  finest  for  pot  culture. 
A  cultural  commendation  was  accorded  to  Mr. 
Roberts.  Mr.  G.lbert,  of  Bnrgbley,  showed  an  oval- 
shaped  green-fleshed  Melon  called  Ganges,  whichj 
however,  was  not  of  good  quality.  A  fine  dish  of 
Round  Nonsuch  Apple  came  from  Mr.  Turner, 
Slough,  and  another  exhibitor  showed  fine  fruits 
of  Peck's  Pleasant,  an  Apple  said  to  retain  its 
foliage  longer  than  any  other.  Mr.  G.  F.  Wilson 
showed  several  ripe  fruits  of  Diospyros  Kaki,  an 
uncommon  Japanese  fruit,  very  similar  in  size, 
shape,  and  colour  to  a  smooth  Tomato ;  the  flesh 
is  similar  to  that  of  a  Plum  in  texture,  and  agree- 
able to  the  taste.  Mr.  Wilson  is  particularly  suc- 
cessful in  growing  and  fruiting  this  tree  in  his 
orchard  house  at  Heatherbank,  Weybridge.  and  a 
cultural  commendation  was  accorded  to  him. 
Messrs.  Veitch  showed  a  new  Celery  named  White 
Plume,  the  peculiar  quality  of  which  is  that  it  is 
naturally  bleached,  and  therefore  requires  no 
earthing  up  to  whiten  it.  The  samples  shown 
were  excellent,  being  perfectly  blanched  and  of 
first-rate  quality.  It  seems  to  be  a  naturally 
etiolated  sort,  towards  the  centre  some  of  the 
leaves  being  green.  Mr.  Barron  showed  from  the 
society's  garden  at  Chiswick  four  sorts  of  Celery, 
of  which  Clayworth's  was  considered  by  the  com- 
mittee to  be  the  best. 


The  Floral  Committee.— A  joint  meeting 
of  the  two  sections  of  the  floral  committee  of  the 
Royal  Horticultural  Society  (presided  over  by  Mr. 
Shirley  Hibberd  and  Mr.  J.  O'Brien)  was  held  on 
Tuesday  last,  when  the  following  resolution  was 
unanimously  adopted :  "  That  the  council  be 
respectfully  informed  that  this  committee  has 


510 


THE    GARDEN 


[Dec.  13,  1884. 


endeavoured  loyally  to  conform  to  regnlations 
adopted  by  the  oonncil  for  the  present  year ;  the 
chief  featnre  of  which  is  the  division  of  the  com- 
mittee into  two  sections.  The  committee  had  no 
opportunity  of  expressing  an  opinion  in  advance 
of  the  change,  but  now  that  a  year  has  elapsed, 
feels  bound  to  say  that  the  change  has  proved  un- 
favourable to  the  dispatch  of  business.  The  com- 
mittee in  its  divided  state  cannot  command  the 
variety  of  knowledge  and  fulness  of  judgment 
that  are  requisite  to  its  deliberations,  and  the 
several  members,  being  restricted  in  their  critical 
considerations  of  subjects  submitted,  feel  less  in- 
terest than  formerly  in  the  business  that  calls 
them  together.  Moreover,  the  restriction  limits 
their  compensation  for  the  time  and  attention 
their  work  demands.  Under  former  arrange- 
ments, the  consideration  of  every  subject  by  the 
whole  body  was  of  advantage  to  all,  irrespective 
of  individual  opinions  and  the  votes  finally 
taken." 

Scientific  committee.- Sir  J.  D.  Hooker 
in  ihe  chair. 

Jlcya  and  Sjiarmannui  roots  chiibing.  —  Mr. 
McLachlan  reported  upon  these  roots,  sent  by  Mr. 
Plowright  to  the  last  meeting.  They  appear  to  be 
due  to  P.hizoglyphns  Robini  (?)  (gen.  of  Tyrogly 
pliida;).  Mr.  Albert  Michael  reports  that  it  has 
appeared  this  year  in  numerous  places  and  is  doing 
much  damage  to  bulbs.  The  individuals  are  con- 
siderably smaller  than  most,  but  this  is  not  unusual 
in  Acarf.  He  suggests  that  they  are  not  so  well 
nourished  as  by  bulbs.  Mr.  McLachlan  adds  that 
he  could  find  nothing  in  the  hard  swellings,  but 
only  in  those  that  were  softened  by  incipient  de- 
composition. He  suggested  that  inundation  at 
intervals,  if  practicable,  might  do  good,  or  satura- 
tion of  the  soil  with  kerofene  or  bisulphide  of 
carbon,  as  used  for  the  Phylloxera,  might  be  tried 
at  intervals,  so  as  to  destroy  the  eggs  as  well  as 
the  developed  mite.=.  He  further  remarked  on  the 
Tyroglyphidai,  that  they  have  been  supposed  by 
Bome  to  be  parasitic  on  the  Phjlloxera,  but  that 
this  idea  is  not  entertained  by  Mr.  Michael.  They 
usually  attack  the  Lily  bulbs  between  the  scales, 
apparently  giving  rise  to  a  resinous  exudation  not 
uncommon  on  bulbs.  Mr.  Smith  reported  on  the 
same  roots  that  he  had  discovered  nematoid  worms 
only  in  the  green  parts,  but  not  in  the  corroded. 

F/orul  monstrositi-s.—Dr.  M.  T.  Masters  exhi- 
bited drawings  of  Vicia  americana  and  Cypripe- 
dium  Sedeci.  In  the  former  the  calyx  had 
stipular  processes  developed  between  the  lobes ; 
the  petals  were  simple  or  variously  lobed,  five  to 
seven  in  number,  with  little  or  no  distinction  be 
tween  the  standard,  wings,  and  keel.  The  stamens 
were  variable  in  number,  some  consisting  of 
simple  threads  devoid  of  anthers,  others  bearing 
at  the  top  two  or  three  petal-like  lobes ;  when 
three  in  number  the  central  one  bore  an  abortive 
anther.  The  pistil  was  stalked  with  more  or  less 
foliaceons  carpels  without  ovules.  The  Cjpripe- 
dium  tad  the  three  sepals  distinct ;  the  two  lateral 
petals  were  arranged  diagonally,  unequal  in  size. 
A  lip-like  petal  was  slightly  calcarate  at  the  tip. 
The  column  had  the  two  lateral  stamens  perfect, 
but  no  staminode.  Each  stamen  bore  a  petaloid 
wing. 

Diospyros  Kali.  —  Mr.  Wilson  exhibited  five 
scarlet  fruits  of  this  Japanese  tree  of  good  flavour. 

Pufsijlora  fatiila. —  Mr.  Lynch  showed  fruits  of 
this  spEoies,  remarkable  for  the  pectinately 
divided  bracts  covered  with  glandular  hairs  and 
surrounding  the  globular  yellow  fruit. 

ilalva  nvibeUifc-ra  and  Abidilon  if/ncum. — Mr- 
Lynch  showed  specimens  of  these  fine-flowering 
plants  from  the  Cambridge  Piotanic  Gardens. 

Evergreen  Plane. — Sir  J.  D.  Hooker  referred  to 
a  species  described  by  Pliny  as  growing  in  Crete, 
and  of  which  he  had  just  received  foliage  and 
unripe  fruit.  It  closely  resembled  Platanus  orien- 
tals. 

Pran'inti  of  £(/ijjjti<ifi  iituniiiii/  n'ltli  n'reatha  in 
situ. — He  also  exhibited  a  drawing  sent  by  Dr. 
Schweinfortb,  showing  the  Lotas  leaves  and 
wreaths  in  situ  on  the  Egyptian  mummies.     The 


them    were 


wreaths   and   plants    contained    in 
described  in  J\'atjire  and  elsewhere. 

Sclerotia  in  Potatoes.— Mr.  Murray  said  he  had 
repeated  his  experiment,  and  still  failed  entirely 
to  corroborate  Mr.  Smith's  and  Jlr.  Wilson's  observa- 
tions as  to  the  presence  of  a  protoplasmic  body 
within  the  shell  of  calcium  oxalate.  It  was  pro- 
posed that  they  should  make  a  joint  examination, 
and  report  upon  the  result  at  the  next  meeting. 

Viola  acuminata.— III.  Ridley  exhibited  a  ger- 
minating specimen  in  which  a  tuft  of  flowers  was 
appearing  in  the  place  of  the  plumule,  and  ob- 
served that  the  Cotyledons  were  first  of  a  pinkish 
hue,  but  became  subsequently  a  bluish  green,  the 
colour  not  being  due  apparently  to  chlorophyll. 

Grajies  aitaclud  hy  Oidivm  .Bahami.—iU 
Barron  sent  specimens  in  which  the  peduncles 
were  attacked  by  this  fungus,  which,  however,  did 
not  appear  to  affect  the  fruit.  It  was  described  by 
Mr.  Smith  in  the  Gardeners'  C/i roni el e  tor  Septem- 
ber6,  1884. 

Ped  spotted  Potatoes.— A  communication  was 
read  from  Yorkshire  to  the  effect  that  "  a  large 
crop,  of  fully  10  tons  to  the  acre,  was  badly  at- 
tacked by  this  disease.  It  was  a  first  crop  after 
breaking  up  a  common  where  formerly  Heather 
and  Fern  grew.  The  soil  was  light  and  sandy.  The 
worst  affected  appeared  to  be  from  the  earliest 
planted  seed.  A  similar  attack  had  occurred  in 
Potatoes  grown  in  old  soil.  The  land  was  worked 
well  and  manured  with  a  dressing  of  long  manrrre, 
and  about  6  cwt.  per  acre  of  a  mixture  comprising 
sulphate  of  potash,  muriate  of  potash,  dissolved 
bones,  and  sulphate  of  ammonia,  this  mixture 
having  proved  to  be  eminently  suitable  in  sandy 
soil.' 

Information  was  also  received  from  Kent, 
where  the  disease  has  occurred  since  1879,  when 
it  attacked  Early  Rose,  since  which  year  it  has 
appeared  more  or  less  annually.  In  1882  "  Myall's 
Ashleat  was  badly  .'potted,  but  it  did  not  at  all 
affect  its  growing  qualities,  for  the  produce  from 
them  was  entirely  free  from  it.  This  year  the 
worst  is  Magnum  Bonum,  but  several  varieties  are 
more  or  less  attacked.  The  soil  is  a  light  sandy 
loam  on  a  high  and  dry  situation.  Different 
manures  appear  to  have  no  effect  in  either  pro- 
ducing or  reducing  the  spots." 

Another  writer  near  Clevedon  "  has  discontinued 
growing  Victoria  on  account  of  this  particular 
di  ease,  which  is  very  bad  in  dry  seasons.  The 
soil  is  a  sandy  one  more  or  less  in  every  place 
where  they  were  grown.  JIanure  appears  to  have 
nothing  to  do  with  it."  The  coincidence  of  red- 
spotted  tubers  with  a  sandy  soil,  and  the  agree- 
ment that  manure  has  nothing  to  do  with  it,  is 
thus  far  noticeable.  Further  observations  or 
experiences  are  desired,  and  communications  are 
requested  to  be  sent  to  Rev.  G.  Henslow,  Drayton 
House,  Ealing. 


chairman  (Mr.  Watt)  delivered  an  address,  in  the 
course  of  which  he  said  that  some  of  the  most 
important  questions  of  the  day  were  "  Tree  plant- 
ing versus  corn  growing,"  "  British  Schools  of 
Forestry,'  "  Re-aSoresting  of  Ireland,"  and " Colo- 
nial wood  conserving."  During  this  year  they  had 
inaugurated  the  first  forestry  exhibition  ever  held 
in  Europe.  Sir  John  Lubbock  would  shortly  move 
in  the  House  of  Commons  leave  to  inquire  into  the 
state  of  the  woods  and  forests  of  this  country. 
Dr.  Lyons  had  already  done  so,  and  had  also  lec- 
tured upon  forestry  in  Edinburgh,  Chester,  and 
other  places.  Essays  bad  been  written  and  read 
everywhere,  and  hardly  a  publisher's  catalogue 
appeared  without  a  reference  to  some  book  or 
work  upon  the  subject.  All  this  proved  that  the 
art  with  which  they  were  connected  was  receiving 
attention.  He  added  that  a  large  proportion  o£ 
land  hitherto  cultivated  in  more  prosperous  times 
would  be  better  under  woodlands,  inasmuch  as  it 
would  not  only  give  a  better  return,  but  also  im- 
prove the  value  of  the  adjoining  lands  in  every 
respect.  He  was  fortified  in  this  statement  by  a 
paper  read  by  Mr.  Baty,  at  the  Forestry  Exhibi- 
tion, in  which  he  gave  the  result  of  twenty-eight 
years'  management  of  the  Netherby  Woods,  show- 
ing that  the  receipts  from  2000  acres  of  woodlands 
amounted  to  £1  lOs.  lid.  per  acre,  and  the  expen- 
diture 12s.  4d.  Early  in  the  present  century  the 
Earl  of  Cawdor  planted  on  his  Nairnshire  pro- 
perty 80C  acres  of  hilly  land,  the  value  of  which 
was  but  nominal ;  and  now  that  it  had  been  cut 
and  sold  the  wood  realised  the  handsome  sum  of 
£16,000. 

OBITUARY. 


Wk  l.ave  to  record  with  regret  the  death  of  Mr. 
Dakiel  Judd  at  Shefford,  Bedfordshire,  aged  09. 
Mr.  Judd  stood  in  the  foremost  rank  amongst 
gardeners  of  his  day-  a  race  of  good  men,  few  of 
whom  unfortunately  now  exist.  As  gardener  he 
has  filled  some  of  the  best  places  in  the  country, 
including  Althorp  Park,  where  he  made  a  new 
flower  garden  from  designs  furnished  by  Mr. 
Thoma?.  He  v\as  an  occasional  contributor  to  the 
different  horticultural  papers  and  to  the  Transac- 
tions of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society,  and  was 
also  the  author,  conjointly  with  the  late  Mr.  W.  P. 
Ayres,  of  a  book  on  the  Cucumber. 


ZATS  NOTES. 


Thie  Auricula  and  Carnation  Socie- 
ties.— A  general  meeting  of  the  members  of  the 
southern  sections  of  the  National  Auricula  and 
Carnation  and  Picotee  Societies  was  held  in  the 
Conservatory  at  South  Kensington  on  Tuesday 
last,  for  the  consideration  of  the  report  of  the  sub- 
committee appointed  for  the  preparation  of  rules 
in  connection  with  both  societies,  and  the  arrange- 
ment of  the  schedules  for  the  ensuing  year.  Mr. 
Shirley  Hibberd  presided,  and  a  protracted  dis- 
cussion ensued  upon  various  matters  connected 
with  these  societies  and  their  secretaries.  It  v.-as 
evident  that  the  members  were  divided  amongst 
themselves,  and  various  protests  were  made 
against  the  proposed  changes  by  Mr.  Dodwell  and 
others.  Of  the  thirteen  rules  drawn  up  seven 
only  were  adopted  with  slight  alterations,  the 
remainder  being  set  apart  for  the  consideration  of 
a  sub-committee,  as  they  referred  specially  to 
exhibitors. 

English  Arborlcultural  Society.— At 
the  annual  general  meeting  of  this  society,  the 
secretary  submitted  the  annual  statement  of  ac- 
counts, which  showed  that  the  receipts  amounted 
to  £57  7s.  51.,  and  that  after  paying  expenses 
t'aere  was  a  balance  left  on  band  of  £23  8s.     The 


The  list  of  deaths  timong  gardenins  periodicals  has  been 
60  long  and  sad  ot  late,  that  it  is  cheering  to  hear  rumours 
that  one  or  more  marriages  are  contemplated  among  the 
survivors. 

Gardenerb'  Eoy^l  Benevolent  Institution 
Augmentation  fund —Mr.  Owen  Thomas,  Chatsworth, 
Chesterfield,  has  sent  us  a  third  list  of  contributions  to 
this  fund  amounting  to  £S  2s. 

Dendroolum  crassinode  (B.  D.  E.).-T\k  variety 
r.ailiciianum  differs  from  the  type  in  the  fepals,  being 
tipped  with  much  deeper  and  richer  colour,  but  this  vanes 
in  intensity  in  uidividual  plants. 

Papaver  nudicaule  (Mrs.  P.>— This  plant  may  be 
obtained  from  seed  from  the  principal  seedsmen.  Messrs. 
liarr  of  King  Street.  Covent  Garden,  wc  believe,  possess 
the  large  vaiietics  of  it.  The  Komneya  may  be  also  had 
from  seed,  but  is  not  so  common.  For  plants  try  some  ot 
the  chief  dealers  in  hardy  plants.  You  will  find  the 
country  seat  to  which  you  allude  in  the  "  Garden  Annual. 


ubro- 
J.   B. 


Naming  plants.— Four  kinds  of  plants  or  flowers 
only  can  be  named  at  one  time,  and  this  only  when  goad 
specimens  are  sent. 

Namf  s  of  plants— S.  Jacfcra.— 1,  Sedum  arborenm 
varieeatum ;  2,  Platyccrium  alcicotne ;  3,  larfugmm  grande ; 

4    Sedum  aiboreum. Calanthe.— Your   flowers   were 

crushed  lieyond  recognition.    Send  some  in  a  strong  box, 
not  in  an  envelope.    The  variety  is  Calanthe  vestita 

oculata. W.    B.    —  Brassia   cinnamomea. 

(S(ra/ii/i)-— ilio^i'iseniicrenata. 

CATALO.-.l'ES  RECEIVED. 

Sutton's  (Reading)  Pocket  fiarden  Calend.-ir  for  18S5.       ^ 

Corry,  Soper,  Fowler  &  Co.'s  Trade  List  of  Garden  Requi- 
sites and  Tobacco  Preparations. 

Tell  it  Co.'s  (Hexliaui)  Forest  and  Ornamental  Trees  and 
Shrubs,  Hardy  Plants,  &c.  ^       ,  „  . 

Ireland  &  Thomson's  (Edinbui-gh)Forest  and  Ornamenta 
Trees 

Haaje  &  Schmidts  (Erfurt)  Novelties  iu  Floiver  Seeds. 


THE    GARDEN 


511 


Ho.  S83. 


SATURDAY,  Dec.  20,  1884.       Vol.  XXVI. 


"  This  is  an  Art 
Which  doe?  nipni  Xntnre  :  chance  it  rather:  but 
The  art  itself  is  Nature."— S/inJ-cspcrtrd. 


CHRISTMAS  FLOWERS. 
Flower  growers  for  market  produce  about  this 
time  of  year  enormous  quantities  of  white  flowers. 
For  church  decoration  alone  large  quantities  are 
used,  while  for  evening  parties,  and,  in  fact,  for 
all  kinds  of  floral  decoration,    the  purest  white 
flowers  and  Fern  fronds    form  the  bulk  of  all 
arrangements.     Coloured  flowers  are  by  no  means 
popular,  and  growers  find  it  better  to  rely  on 
well-known  sorts  than  to  go  in  for  miscellaneous 
collections,  such  as  are  found  in  private  gardens. 
Amongst  the  most  noticeable  at  the  present  time 
may  be  mentioned  Azaleas.    Amongst  these,  the 
Old  White,  Fielder's  White,  and  narcissiflora  are 
forced  early  into  flower  every  year;  consequently 
they  make  their  young  growth  and  mature  their 
flower-buds  early,  and  therefore  they  are  prefer- 
able to  young  plants  that  take  much  longer  to 
unfold  their  blossoms.     For  very  early  forcing, 
large  plants  in  comparatively  small  pots  full  of 
active   roots  are  best,   and  in  this    respect  the 
Azalea  is  an  accommodating  plant,  but  it  must 
never  be  allowed  to  get  dry,  or  it  seldom  recovers 
from  the  check.     Abutilon  Boule  de  Neige  is  one 
of  the  freest  winter-blooming  white  flowers  in  cul- 
tivation ;  old    plants  of   it  trained    up  near  the 
glass  in  houses  in  which  there  is  a  temperature  of 
about  55°  yield  abundance  of  snow-white  blos- 
soms at  almost  any  time  of  the  year,  or  even  all 
the  year  round.     White  Camellias,  too,  are  greatly 
prized.  Theyare  usuallygatheredfrom  trees  planted 
out  in  rather  low  span-roofed  houses,  which  admit  of 
a  large  bed  in  the  centre  and  a  row  of  plants  all 
round :  they  grow  in  a  compost  of  turf  and  peat,  or 
one  composed  entirely  of  the  latter,  and  when 
kept  constantly  under  glass,  as  they  must  be  on 
the  planted-out  system,  there  is  little  difficulty  in 
getting  them  into  full  bloom  at  Christmas.     The 
safest  plan  with  Camellias  is  to  prepare  them  for 
forcing  when  making  their   growth    in    spring. 
Plants  that  flower  early  one  year  can  have  their 
young  wood  pushed  on  by  artificial  heat,   and 
when  the   buds  are  nearly  ready  to  burst  into 
flower  they  may  be  kept  back  or  forwarded  at 
pleasure,  but  the  attempt  to  force  buds  partially 
developed  into  bloom  by  means  of  strong  fire  heat 
too  frequently  ends  in  failure.     Amongst  coloured 
varieties  the  old  C.  Donckelaari  is  a  great  favou- 
rite, as  it  blooms  very  early  naturally,  and  semi- 
double  flowers  are  really  more  effective  than  the 
symmetrical  double  flowers  that  come  in  with  the 
lengthening    days    of    spring-tide.     The    stately 
white-spathed  Arum  Lilies  are  exceptionally  well 
suited  for  church  decoration,  a  purpose  for  which 
they  are   largely    employed.     They    are    mostly 
plants  put  out  in  summer  into  open-air  beds;  they 
are  lifted    in  September  and  placed   in  gentle 
heat  as   soon   as  they  are  well   rooted,   a   dry, 
warm  atmosphere  being  necessary  in  winter  to 
infuse  into  them  the  pure  white  colour  for  which 
they    are  distinguished.     Eupatorium  odoratissi- 
mum  bears  useful,  feathery,  white  flowers,  and 
requires  but  little  artificial  heat  to  get  it  into  full 
bloom  in  mid-winter.   Grown  out  of  doors  in  sum- 
mer and  kept   closely   stopped   in,   it  forms  a 


mass    of    flower-heads    that  open    in    a    genial 
temperature  of  about  50° ;  the  blossoms  must  be 
kept  dry,  or  their  purity  soon  becomes  spoiled. 
Gardenia  blooms  at  Christmas  are  indispensable,  but 
they   are   not  such  profitable  flowers  to  grow  in 
winter  as  one  might  imagine  ;  they  require  a  good 
deal  of  fire  heat  in  order  to  get  them  to  open 
during  the  dark  days,  and  under  the  most  careful 
management  a  great  number  of  the  buds  rot  at 
the  base  and  drop  off  just  as  they  appear  ready  to 
expand.    They  do  best  planted  out  on  mounds  of 
peat,  and  when  well  rooted,  mulched  and  copi- 
ously drenched  with  clear   soot-water,  that  im- 
parts to  the  foliage  that  dark  glossy  look  that  be- 
tokens good  health.     The  Christmas   Roses  are 
much  grown,  especially  the  large  white  kinds ; 
large  clumps  of  them  are  lifted  and  forced  in  pots, 
or  covered  with  cloches  or  hand-glasses  where 
they  grow,  the  latter  plan  being  unquestionably 
the  best  for  the  plants,  which  do  not  like  much 
root  disturbance.     Hyacinths  of  the  white  Roman 
variety  are  now  very  largely  grown,  yielding,  as 
they   do,   their   delightfully  fragrant  sprays   of 
bloom   with  but  little  artificial  heat,   and  thus 
doing  away  with    the   necessity  for  employing 
kinds  that  do   not  submit  to  early   forcing    so 
kindly  as  this  useful  variety  does.     Double  white 
Primulas  are  still  popular  market  flowers,  being 
well  suited  for  bouquets  of  all   kinds ;  they  are 
grown  mostly  in  5-inch  or  6-inch  pots  in  low  span- 
roofed  houses,  having  a  bed  in  the  centre  and  a 
border  all  round  ;  a  dry  warm  atmosphere  of  from 
55°  to  60°  suits  them  well.     Early-flowering  Nar- 
cissi, such  as  the  Paper-white,  are  grown  in  boxes 
for  the  sake  of  their  delicately  perfumed  blossoms, 
that  are  in  great  request  for  vase  decoration.  Half- 
expanded  Tea  Roses  are  much  used  for  button- 
hole bouquets,  and  for  this  purpose  none  are  more 
popular  than  the  white-flowered  Niphetos.     White 
Tulips,  too,  play  an  important  part  in  most  floral 
decorations,  as  do  also  Tree  Carnations  and  Violets, 
the  latter  for  their  sweet  scent.  J.  Groom. 

Gosjiorf. 


conclusion  that  a  tin  box  is  best.  They  have  se- 
lected as  the  recipients  of  their  award — a  silver 
medal — a  firm  who  manufacture  tin  boxes  for  the 
purpose,  the  dimensions  of  which  are  15  by  9  by  6 
inches,  and  sell  them,  as  will  be  seen  (see  p.  530) 
at  a  cheap  rate.  There  were,  it  appears,  eight 
competitors  in  all  who  sent  boxes  of  all  sorts  and 
sizes  in  wood,  cardboard,  and  metal.  We  have 
not  seen  the  silver  medal  box,  but  it  is  said  to 
be  provided  with  elastic  straps  for  keeping  in 
position  damp  Moss,  in  which  the  stalks  of  the 
flowers  are  inserted.  This  is  a  capital  plan,  and 
by  adopting  it,  flowers  may  be  kept  as  fresh  as 
gathered  in  the  boxes  for  a  couple  of  days  or 
longer.  Hinged  boxes  are  always  preferable,  as 
lids  often  get  mislaid.  As  regards  fastening  the 
boxes,  we  find  it  a  good  plan  to  simply  bore  a 
couple  of  holes  in  the  lid,  put  the  string  through 
from  the  under  side,  carry  it  round  the  box,  and 
tie  it  securely.  If  our  correspondents  who  send  us 
flowers  for  naming  or  otherwise  would  adopt  the 
strong  tin  box,  we  should  be  better  able  to  deter- 
mine their  flower  names  or  speak  of  their  merit 
Now  that  the  Parcels  Post  affords  such  a  ready  and 
cheap  mode  of  sending  flowers  and  fruit  by  post, 
it  is  quite  time  that  the  senders  studied  the  best 
plan  of  packing. 


FLOWERS  BY  POST. 
The  fact  that  the  Royal  Botanic  Society  has 
considered  the  subject  of  suitable  boxes  for 
transmitting  flowers  by  post  of  sufficient  im- 
portance for  the  deliberations  of  a  special  com- 
mittee is  an  indication  that  some  means  have  been 
taken  to  remedy  what  has  long  been  a  standing 
complaint  among  those  who  send  and  receive 
flowers  through  the  post.  That  a  suitable  vehicle 
for  transmitting  flowers  and  fruit  by  post  has  been 
a  desideratum  we  can  ourselves  testify,  as  we 
have  daily  instances  of  the  rough  usage  to 
which  fragile  boxes  are  subjected  at  the  merci- 
less hands  of  the  post-office  stampers.  In  most 
cases  the  flower  boxes  sent  to  us  consist  of 
flimsy  cardboard,  which  is  totally  incapable 
of  resisting  the  stamping  process  if  the  stamps 
are  stuck  directly  on  the  box  ;  consequently  the 
box  arrives  at  its  destination  often  in  a  flat- 
tened condition.  Cardboard  boxes  having  a  lip  at 
the  end  for  the  stamps  generally  arrive  safe  and 
sound.  There  are  also  some  neat  little  oblong 
wooden  boxes,  but  the  top  and  sides  of  these  often 
arrive  piecemeal.  The  best  of  all  we  find  to  be 
stout  tin.  It  is  not  only  strong  enough  to  resist 
the  force  of  the  most  energetic  stamper,  but  flowers 
always  travel  freshest  and  best  in  such  boxes,  and 
even  if  delayed  keep  fresh.  We  are  pleased  to  see 
that  the  Royal  Botanic  Society's  committee,  over 
which  Lord  Annesley  presided,  have  come  to  the 


Amaryllis  Comte  de  Germiny.— Such 

is  the  name  of  a  new  addition  to  the  beautiful 
race  of  hybrid  Amaryllises  which  Mr.  B.  S.   Wil- 
liams has  originated,  a  race  whose  beauty  as  well 
as  utility  for  affording  winter  bloom  cannot  be 
over-estimated.      This  new  variety  numbers  the 
third  of  the  race,  the  others  being  Mrs.  Garfield 
and  Mrs.  W.  Lee,  both  extremely  lovely  plants. 
This  race  has  been  obtained  by  intercrossing  the 
old  A.  reticulata,  the  species  having  broad  silvery 
midribs  on  the  leaves,  with  the  hybrids  derived 
from  A.  aulica,  Leopoldi,  pardina,    and    others. 
The  brilliant  colours,  the  large  flowers,  and  the 
free  flowering  tendency  have  been  most  success- 
fully blended  with  A.    reticulata,    the    peculiar 
beauty  of  which  is  the  delicate  rosy  tint  of  the 
flowers    and  the  evergreen  foliage.     This  inter- 
crossing has  not  only  effected  the  blending  of  these 
peculiarities,  but  it  has  done  more :  it  has  imparted 
to  the  progeny  not  only  a  free  flowering  character, 
butmade  them  perpetual  flowering.      The  reason 
is  this :  the  foliage  of  A.  reticulata  being  persistent 
or  evergreen,  is  continually  feeding  new  bulbs, 
which  as  soon  as  large  enough  commence  to  flower ; 
the  consequence  is  that  a  potful  of  bulbs  if  undis- 
turbed will  produce  flowers  every  month  through- 
out the  year,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Eucharis.  ,  In 
the   ordinary    race    of    hybrid    Amaryllises    the 
foliage  being  deciduous,  growth  is  arrested  as  soon 
as  the  current  year's  leaves  have  fallen.     These 
perpetual  flowering  sorts  are  therefore  a  great 
gain  and  particularly  for  winter,  when  no  other 
Amaryllises  and  very   few  other  bulbous  plants 
naturally  flower.     The  Comte  de  Germiny  variety 
is  the  deepest  of  the  three  kinds  just  named  in 
colour,  which  is  a  deep  rose-carmine  exquisitely 
netted,  as  in  the  case  of  the  others,  all  over  the 
petals,  which  in  addition  have  a  medial  band  of 
white.      The  flowers    in   other  respects  are  very 
similar  to  those   of  Mrs.   Garfield,  illustrated  in 
The  Garden    last  year.    There  are  some  fine 
flowering   specimens    of    this   new    sort  in   Mr. 
B.  S.  Williams'  nursery  at  the  present  time,  and, 
judging  by  the  stock  of  plants  all  showing  flower- 
spikes,  there  will  be  flowers  of  it  throughout  the 
winter.    We  noticed  that  Mr.  Williams  is  direct- 
ing attention  to  Amaryllises  more  than  ever.     He 
has  just  completed  a   fine  span-roofed  house  of 
capacious  dimensions  specially  for  Amaryllis  cul- 
ture.    It  is  now  filled  with   hundreds  of  plants 
in     preparation    for    the    spring    exhibition    of 
flowering  plants. 

A  Carnation  wall  and  a  good  Rose.— 

One  thing  I  am  looking  forward  to  is  one  of  my 
walled  banks,  with  large  three-year-old  plants  of 


512 


THE    GARDEN 


[Dec.  20,  1884. 


Carnations  hanging  down  as  they  do  in  Italy,  and 
there  are  divers  pretty  things  at  the  bottom,  which 
will  meet  those  from  above.  In  full  flower  it 
shoald  be  worth  seeing.  Mdme.  Lambard  Rose  is  so 
good  outside  still,  that  when  the  next  fine  spray  is 
out  I  will  send  it,  to  show  how  hardy  and  useful 
a  winter  Rose  it  is ;  of  course  its  colour  is  paler 
now  than  under  more  sun-light. — E.  H.  W. 


PLANTS    IN    FLOWEK; 


Bondeletia  brevlfolia  —This  bright-flowering  plant 
is  certainly  worth  growing,  if  only  for  .iffording  a  supply 
of  cut  flowers  in  midwinter.  Its  flowers,  which  are  borne 
in  clusters  as  in  other  cultivated  Kondeletias,  are  of  a 
peculiar  shade  of  reddish  orange.  It  seems  to  be  particu- 
larly free  flowering,  and  continues  in  bloom  a  consideral)le 
time.  It  is  now  in  flower  in  Mr.  W.  Bull's  nursery  at 
Chelsea. 

Gladiolus  VlUe  de  Versailles.— Some  flowers  of 
thii  lovely  variety  have  been  sent  to  us  by  Mr.  Baylor 
Hartland,  Temple  Hill,  Cork,  who  thinks  highly  of  it.  It 
is,  indeed,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  greenhonse  flowers 
one  can  grow  for  winter  bloom.  It  is  one  of  the  G.  raniosus 
section.  The  flowers  have  faintly  tinged  petals,  and  the 
lowermost  three  are  heavily  blotched  with  bright  carmine. 
Perhaps  Mr.  Hartland  will  say  how  he  treats  it  so  as  to  get 
it  to  flower  at  the  present  tune. 

Flowers  from  Scarborough. — I  send  a 
few  seasonable  flowers  on  the  chance  of  their  in- 
teresting you,  as  being  all  out-of-doors  and  un- 
protected, save  Jasminum  gracillimum,  Luculia 
gratissima,  and  Carnations  Mrs.  Keen  (darls)  and 
Beauty  of  Boston  (rose).  Veronica  Ville  dHy6res 
is  an  extra  hardy  crimson  variety.  The  Tea  Koses 
are  Mdme.  Lambard  and  Aline  Sisley,  which,  after 
5°  of  frost,  show  their  exceptional  hardiness  ;  also 
Sweet  Coltsfoot.— Edward  II.  Woodall. 

*j,*  A  beautiful  gathering  of  winter  flowers, 
the  long  wreath  of  white  Jasmine,  the  deliciously 
Bcented  Luculia  (a  fine  truss)  and  the  Carnations 
being  particularly  fine.  Mrs.  Keen  Carnation  is 
unquestionably  a  good  deep  crimson,  while  Beauty 
of  I'.oston  vies  in  beauty  with  the  favourite  Mary 
Morris,  the  flowers  being  quite  as  large  and  full, 
and  of  that  clear  pink  colour  so  much  admired. 
It  does  not  appear  to  be  much  known — at  least 
about  London.  The  Tea  Roses  indicate  the  mild- 
ness of  the  weather  at  Scarborough,  while  the 
Veronica  Ville  d'Hy^res  equals  imperialia  in 
colour,  and  being  hardy  is  a  great  gain. — Eo. 

Vriesia  braohystaohya.  —  Among  select 
kinds  of  Bromeliaceous  plants  suitable  for  general 
cultivation  we  should  put  this  in  the  front  rank. 
It  is  not  only  a  most  beautiful  and  showy  plant, 
but  it  possesses  qualities  which  render  it  very 
valuable  as  a  decorative  plant.  Its  vasiform  tufts 
of  leaves  are  so  small  and  dwarf,  that  they  do  not 
take  up  much  room.  It  may  be  grown  in  small 
pots  or  massed  several  together  in  pans.  The 
flower-stems  much  overtop  the  foliage,  being  about 
a  foot  in  height,  surmounted  by  two  rows  of  flowers 
spreading  in  a  comb-like  fashion  on  each  side, 
making  the  spike  about  3  inches  across.  The 
flowers,  which  are  clear  chrome  yellow,  protrude 
slightly  from  a  calyx  also  of  the  same  colour,  while 
the  bracts  are  brilliant  crimson-scarlet,  thus  af- 
fording a  striking  contrast  of  colour.  The  flower 
lasts  in  good  condition  for  several  weeks  in  a  stove, 
and  certainly  no  other  plant  can  vie  with  it  in 
point  of  colour.  It  is  now  in  great  beauty  in  Mr. 
Bull's  nursery  at  Chelsea. 

Tillandaia  Lindeni  vera-  Each  recurring 
December  has  revealed  to  us  the  extreme  beauty 
of  this  plant.  It  is  undoubtedly  a  queen  amongst 
dwarf  Bromeliads  ;  no  other  possesses  such  a  com- 
bination of  elegant  growth  and  charming  colour. 
Its  dense  tufts  of  narrow  leaves  recurve  grace- 
fully on  all  sides,  and  from  the  centre  are  pro- 
duced the  flattened  flower-spikes  rising  just  above 
the  foliage.  The  floral  bracts  are  clear  rose- 
pink,  while  the  blossoms,  which  peep  out  in  suc- 
cession two  or  three  at  a  time,  are  of  the 
deepest  violet-purple.  The  flowers  continue  to 
.expand  for  several  weeks  in  succession,  and  long 
after  all  have  unfolded  the  bracts  remain  fresh 
and  brightly  coloured.  It  is  so  totally  unlike 
any  other  stove  plant  flowering  at  this  season, 
and  85  beautiful  withal,  that  it  is  quite  indispens- 


able. Nowhere  can  it  be  seen  in  such  perfec- 
tion as  in  Mr.  Bull's  nursery,  where  in  one  of  the 
stoves  are  hundreds  of  plants  of  it  arranged  in 
a  mass,  many  of  which  are  in  flower. 

Luoulia  gratlseinia. — The  difficulty  of  in- 
creasing this  lovely  and  deliciously  scented  shrub, 
now  in  the  height  of  its  flowering  season,  has  been 
the  chief  reason  why  it  is  comparatively  uncom- 
mon. Even  the  most  expert  propagators  are  often 
defeated  in  their  attempts  to  increase  it,  and  it  is 
said  that  there  is  only  one  nursery — a  Scotch  one, 
we  believe — where  it  is  propagated  successfully, 
that  is,  in  sufficient  quantities  for  trade  purposes. 
In  the  face  of  this  difficulty,  Mr.  B.  S.  Williams 
imported  seed  of  it  some  time  ago,  and  has  fortu- 
nately been  able  to  raise  quantities  of  seedlings, 
many  of  which  are  now  flowering  in  his  nursery  at 
Upper  HoUoway.  These  exhibit  a  more  vigorous 
growth  than  plants  from  cuttings  ;  and,  moreover, 
there  is  a  chance  of  some  distinct  varieties  as  re- 
gards colour  cropping  up,  not  that  the  delicate 
rose-pink  of  the  original  kind  can  be  surpassed  in 
loveliness.  That  greenhouse  which  does  not  con- 
tain this  Nepalese  shrub  must  be  destitute  of  a 
deal  of  flower-beauty  during  the  dull  days  of 
November  and  December. 

Ne'w  Poinsettiaa. — Since  the  advent  of  the 
double  Poinsettia  (plenissima)  there  has  been  no 
new  addition  to  the  varieties,  except  the  white 
bracted  form,  until  lately.  Some  new  varieties, 
showing  a  variation  of  colour  in  the  bracts  from 
the  original  kind,  have  now  been  raised  and  ac- 
quired by  Mr.  B.  S.  Williams,  in  whose  nursery 
they  may  now  be  seen  flowering  side  by  side. 
These  differ  in  no  respect  from  the  type  except  in 
colour,  which  in  ignescens  is  brilliant  carmine- 
rose,  in  brilliantissima  a  vivid  scarlet  of  a  shade 
different  from  the  common,  while  that  named 
mirabilis  has  the  upper  bracts  scarlet  and  the  lower 
half  scarlet  and  mottled  with  green.  Seen  in 
groups  the  colouring  of  all  these  Is  very  fine,  and 
in  the  case  of  ignescens  the  softness  of  tint  is 
much  more  pleasing  than  that  of  the  original 
kinds.  Tastefully  arranged  with  Ferns  and  other 
elegant  foliaged  plants,  these  Poinsettias,  together 
with  the  white  bracted  variety,  are  capable  of 
producing  beautiful  effects,  particularly  when  seen 
in  rooms  under  artificial  light. 


QUESTIONS. 


6'29l  —Tuberoses.— I  should  feel  thankful  if  some  of 
the  readers  of  The  Garden  would  kindly  favour  me  with 
infoiTuation  as  to  the  best  way  to  grow  Tuberoses.— W.  C. 

6-29i.— Poinsettia  pulcherrlma  lutea.- A  friend 
insists  that  there  is  in  cultivation  a  yellow- bracted  variety 
of  Poinsettia  thus  named.  Is  that  so?  I  had  supposed  that 
there  was  no  idher  form  with  light  coloured  bracts  except 
the  creamy  white  albida. — A.  M. 

6293.— Growing  plants  In  zinc  pots.- 1  shall  feel 
obliged  if  anyone  will  inform  me  as  to  whether  or  not  zinc 
is  poisonous  to  plants.  I  have  for  some  time  past  been 
trying  to  grow  Pelargoniums  and  Fuchsias  in  zinc  pots, 
and  they  do  not  seem  to  thrive. — INQUIRER. 

,"^294. —Quince  caterpillars.  —  Can  anyone  kindly 
advise  me  as  to  how  to  deal  with  a  Quince  tree  which  every 
year  is  covered  with  flourishing  blossom,  but  which  hardly 
ever  produces  more  than  one  dozen  tjuinces,  as  each  flower 
contains  a  fat  green  caterpillar,  which  eats  away  the  entire 
caly.x  and  ovary  of  the  flowers  ?— H.  S. 

5295.— Violets.— I  would  be  much  obliged  for  informa- 
tion as  to  whether  air  ought  to  be  freely  admitted— and 
whether  by  night  as  well  as  by  day— to  Marie  ionise 
Violets  in  rather  a  deep  frame,  where  they  are  some  dis- 
tance from  the  glass.    My  gardener  is  averse  to  doing  this. 

1  believe  that  the  plants  have  become  mildewed  for  want 
of  Bufiicient  ventilation.— V.  M. 

520t>.— Diseased  Pines. — Can  any  of  your  correspon- 
dents hell'  nie  in  the  following  case  :  Our  Pines  are  planted 
out  in  eiiual  iiarts  of  peat  and  loam,  in  a  bed  0  feet  wide, 

2  feet  deep,  and  well  heated  with  hot-water?  When  they 
begin  to  change  colour  the  stems  commence  to  get  into  a 
bad  state,  resembling  shanking,  close  to  the  fniit.  The 
variety  is  principally  the  Smooth  Cayenne.  Can  anything  be 
done  for  them  ?— H.  KEARNEY. 

5297. — Iris*»s. — I  am  trying  to  grow  plants  of  Iris 
Kiempferi.  I  have  potted  them,  having  just  received  them 
from  Holland,  in  a  mixture  of  very  rotten  manure,  sand,  and 
peat.  I  propose  to  put  them  in  pans  full  of  water  and  then 
in  a  cold  frame.  Will  that  suit  them  ?  I  had  some  last 
year  and  set  them  in  the  open  ground,  but  they  failed.  Iris 
suaiana  I  am  treating  in  the  same  way,  excejit  standing  tlie 
pots  in  pans  full  of  water,  but  it  does  not  flourish.  Would 
both  Irises  be  better  off  in  a  greenhouse  in  which  the  tem- 
perature does  not  fall  below  45°  or  50°  at  night  ?  Will 
Eucomia  succeed  kept  in  the  same  greenhouse  ?— H.  S.  N. 


ST.  ANNE'S,  CLONTARF. 

Yachtsmen  in  the  bay,  or  the  stranger  who  comes 
into  Dublin  by  steamboat  direct,  may  see  Lord 
Ardilaun's  suburban  residence  of  St.  Anne's  nest- 
ling among  the  trees  far  away  to  the  right  of  the 
city  itself,  and  standing  on  soil  which  is  famous  in 
Irish  history.  Hereabouts  on  the  sunny  fringe  of 
shoreland  was  fought  the  memorable  battle  of 
Clontarf,which  put  an  end  to  the  Danish  power  in 
Ireland.  Here  on  this  domain  also  is  the  once 
celebrated  well  of  St.  Anne,  to  the  waters  of 
which  were  attributed  virtues  of  startling  efficacy. 
It  is  simply  a  natural  spring,  uninfluenced  by  cli- 
matic changes,  and  from  which  a  supply  of  the 
purest  water  bubbles  upward  at  the  rate  of  about 
fifteen  gallons  per  minute.  To  this  spot,  in  days 
not  very  far  distant,  many  pilgrims  came  to  drink 
of  or  to  bathe  in  its  waters.  Even  yet  tradition 
and  legend  linger  around  the  spot,  and  stories  are 
told  of  the  "  good  old  times  "  when  "  pattern 
fairs ''  were  held  in  booth  or  tent  around  the 
venerated  well. 

The  house  itself  is  a  plain,  but  classic  struc- 
ture, its  main  proportions  being  very  pleasing, 
and  from  window  and  terrace  alike  the  most  ex- 
tensive and  beautiful  views  are  obtained.  The 
rocky  headland  of  Howth  (originally  called  in 
Irish  "  Ben  Edir,"  or  "  Cliff  of  the  Eagles  ")  and 
Lambay  Island  lie  to  the  left,  while  to  the  right, 
looking  across  the  bay,  are  the  mountains  of 
Wicklow  towering  skyward,  and  still  more  to  the 
right  the  Dublin  mountains  are  clearly  seen.  The 
charming  views  of  sea  and  mountain,  with  a  fore- 
ground of  cool  turf  and  fine  trees,  are  perfectly 
indescribable,  so  lovely  are  the  varied  effects  of 
sun  and  cloud  shadow  which  they  afford.  There 
are  some  atmospheric  effects,  also  quite  peculiar 
to  the  country,  which  considerably  increase  its 
landscape  beauty.  The  humid  climate,  while 
adding  to  vegetation  a  verdant  luxuriance  rarely 
seen  elsewhere,  also  throws  a  blue  veil  over  the 
mountains  and  adds  a  charm  to  the  most  striking 
of  natural  scenery.  Thackeray  noted  this  atmo- 
spheric glamourie  long  ago,  so  also  did  the 
Baroness  Burdett-Coutts  during  her  recent  visit, 
so  that  one  cannot  help  regretting  that  Turner  did 
not  immortalise  the  scenery  of  Ireland  as  he  did 
that  of  Italy  and  of  England. 

The  mansion  at  St.  Anne's  is  surround  id  by 
some  twenty  or  thirty  acres  of  pleasure  grounds, 
well  planted,  and,  although  naturally  flat,  most 
agreeably  diversified  by  the  landscape  gr^rdener's 
art.  Since  the  property  came  into  L  jrd  Ardi- 
laun's possession,  on  his  father's  dea'.h,  he  has 
spared  no  pains  to  improve  its  natural  oeauty  and 
fertility,  and  a  new  entrance  drive  or  avenue, 
about  a  mile  in  length,  has  been  made  to  the  house 
from  the  Howth  Road.  The  drive  itself  is  24  feet 
wide,  and  the  turf  on  either  side  is  fringed  by  an 
avenue  of  Austrian  Pines.  In  all  alterations  and 
improvements  of  a  broad  and  permanent  character 
Lord  Ardilaun  takes  a  direct  personal  interest, 
and  that  he  has  an  efficient  aid  in  his  steward, 
Mr.  Smith,  goes  without  the  saying.  The  glass 
houses  are  in  good  order,  and  are  filled  with  orna- 
mental plants  in  the  most  exuberant  health  and 
vigour.  The  demand  for  cut  flowers  and  for  con- 
servatory or  decorative  plants  is  a  large  one,  and 
is  met  in  a  practical  and  liberal  manner,  and  the 
hothouses  are  now  quite  gay  with  Chrysanthemums, 
many  and  varied  in  form  and  colouring,  with  Eucha- 
ris,  Roses,  Primulas,  Cinerarias,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
hosts  of  things  in  store  pits  and  frames  to  form  a 
succession  to  those  now  available  for  use.  Dra- 
csenas  of  various  sorts.  Maiden-hair  and  other 
Ferns,  Palms,  Cnrculigo,  Cyperus,  and  Cordyline 
are  all  grown,  and  well  grown  in  quantity.  As  we 
have  said,  flowers  are  in  great  demand,  and  the 
way  these  are  cut  for  decorative  purposes  is  worth 
noting.  No  short  or  skimpy  bits  of  tall  grow, 
ing  flowers  or  elegant  foliage  are  tolerated.  For 
example,  Torch  Lilies,  Pampas  Grass,  Iris,  or 
Gladiolus  spikes  are  cut  full  length,  so  also  with 
tall  leafy  things  or  Grasses,  and  the  most  natural 
effect  is  produced  by  these  as  tastefully  arranged 
in  tall  jars  or  in  trumpet  glasses.  A  few  good 
and  graceful  flowers  are  placed  in  each  vase ; 
there  is  no  jamming  all  sorts  of  things  together, 


Dec.  20    1884.] 


THE     GARDEN 


513 


Q 
to 
O 
C 

o 

K 
E 


514 


THE    GARDEN 


[Dbc,  20,  1884. 


and  none  of  the  archaic  overcrowding  common 
until  the  dark  ages  of  floral  decorations  had  passed 
away. 

The  Orchids  at  St.  Anne's  are  especially  worthy 
of  note,  being  select  and  healthy,  and  we  never 
saw  Laelia  anceps  and  its  brighter  coloured  va- 
riety Barkeriana  more  luxuriant  and  floriferous 
than  here.  Ccelogyne  cristata,  Dendrobiums  of 
different  kinds,  and  Cypripediums  are  vigor- 
ous, and  La;lia  purpurata  is  also  throwing 
up  strong,  clean  growths  and  showing  its 
next  year's  flower  sheaths  in  a  way  almost 
as  delightful  to  an  Orchid  grower's  eyes  as 
are  the  lovely  blossoms  themselves.  The 
painted  flowers  of  the  Indian  Crocus  (Pleione 
lagenaria)  and  one  or  two  good  varieties  of  the 
ro.sy  Lycaste  Skinneri  are  also  blooming  well. 
One  of  the  finest  plants  of  Cattleya  Dowiana 
perhaps  ever  seen  was  exhibited  in  Dublin  from 
this  collection  by  Mr.  Smith  a  year  or  two  ago.  I 
am  afraid  to  say  how  many  bulbs  it  had  or  their 
.size,  but  the  plant  resembled  a  well-grown  speci- 
men of  C.  crispa  in  vigour  rather  than  what  it 
really  was.  It  had  five  leading  growths,  and  bore 
the  same  number  of  flower-spikes.  The  strongest 
of  these  bore  six  richly  coloured  blossoms,  and 
the  other  four  had  five  flowers  each — in  all  twenty- 
Mz  flowers — and  the  plant  was  a  sight  not  easy  to 
forget.  The  old  Oncidium  flexuosum  is  here  quite 
a  favourite,  and  a  strong  specimen  of  Oncidium 
macranthum  in  robust  health  is  showing  a  stout 
spike.  With  the  Orchids  a  plant  of  Nepenthes 
Hookeri  is  bearing  very  large  and  beautifully 
mottled  pitchers,  and  a  good  variety  of  N. 
Khasyana  is  in  great  beauty.  Here  are  some 
choice  Ferns,  also  in  excellent  condition,  such  as 
Davallia  Moorei,  Platycerium  grande,  Adiantum 
Williamsi.andaspecimenof  Clerodendron  Balfouri 
was  a  perfect  picture  at  the  time  of  my  visit.  A 
Kose  house  here  is  quite  an  especial  feature  during 
the  spring  and  summer  months,  and  a  well- 
arranged  conservatory  adjoins  the  mansion,  and 
among  other  choice  plants  it  contains  one  of  the 
finest  specimens  of  the  old  Cordyline  indivisa 
(true)  I  ever  saw.  Camellias  also  are  very 
promising,  and  the  rosy-flowered  Lapageriaon  the 
roof  is  most  healthy  and  floriferous.  This  con- 
servatory is  now  resplendent  with  Chrysanthe- 
mums, great  tall  bushes  laden  with  hundreds  of 
flowers.  Most  of  the  best  varieties,  old  and  new, 
are  represented,  there  being  several  hundred 
plants  altogether  on  the  place,  comprising  some 
seventy  or  more  varieties.  Elaine,  Peter  the 
(Ireat,  La  Charmeuse,  M.  Henri  Jacotot,  and 
others  are  indeed  most  lovely,  and  a  finer  show 
of  flower  would  be  diflionlt  of  attainment.  Beauti- 
ful as  is  the  floral  display  under  glass,  however, 
it  is 

The  outside  dkpaetment  which  possesses  the 
greatest  charm  for  the  real  lover  of  good  gardening, 
since  this  phase  is  far  less  commonly  met  with  in 
any  degree  approaching  perfection,  the  reason 
being  that  it  is  in  reality  far  more  diflicult  of 
attainment.  If  indoor  gardening  may  be  typified 
by  painting,  then  outdoor  planting  for  permanent 
effect  must  be  represented  by  sculpture,  and 
without  a  doubt  when  Bacon  wrote  his  celebrated 
essay  it  was  open-air  gardening  to  which  he  alluded 
as  being  so  rarely  perfect.  Of  course  absolute  per- 
fection is  impossible,  but  at  St.  Anne's  much  has 
been  done  to  deserve  success,  and  Lady  Ardilaun 
may  reasonably  be  congratulated  on  having  done 
much  to  beautify  a  place  to  which  Nature  herself 
has  also  been  very  generous.  Just  below  the 
mansion  itself  is  a  beautiful  bit  of  ornamental 
water,  fed  by  the  overflow  from  the  well  or  spring 
before  alluded  to.  Here  in  the  summer  months 
great  fat  carp  lie  in  the  shade  among  the  Water 
Lilies, or  come  to  the  side  in  shoals  to  be  fed,  just 
as  they  do  at  Chantilly  or  at  Versailles.  The  rosy 
Water  Lily  is  here  quite  at  home,  and  flowered  last 
July  in  great  luxuriance.  The  island  on  this  piece 
of  water  is  tastefully  planted  with  Ivy,  Yuccas, 
Arbutus  (now  covered  with  its  pale  wax-like 
flowers  and  red  fruits),  and  other  shrubs,  and  the 
surrounding  pleasure  grounds  are  well  planted 
with  choice  conifers  and  other  deciduous  and  ever- 
green trees.    Some  seedling  varieties  of  Holm  or 


Evergreen  Oak,  reared  on  the  place,  are  remarkable 
for  breadth  of  leaf  and  luxuriance  of  habit.  At 
one  end  of  the  lake  is  a  pretty  little  water  temple, 
and  near  the  entrance  on  a  dry  bank,  but  within 
reach  of  the  water,  is  a  remarkable  specimen  of 
Cupressus  macrocarpa,  while  on  the  adjoining 
lawn  are  some  weeping  Elms,  beautiful  in  outline 
even  now,  when  denuded  of  their  leaves.  Banks 
of  mossy  turf  here  and  there  are  enriched  with 
Daffodils,  Cyclamens,  and  scarlet  Windflowers, 
and  one  mound  is  just  now  covered  with  Tussilago 
fragrans,  which,  although  an  alien  in  Ireland,  is 
abundantly  naturalised  here  and  elsewhere  near 
Dublin.  It  is  even  thus  early  in  blossom,  and 
quite  perfumes  the  air  in  its  vicinity  with  an 
odour  like  that  of  Heliotrope.  Near  the  waterside 
the  Royal  Fern  (Osmunda)  and  the  giant  Saxi- 
frage (S.  peltata)  are  quite  at  home.  Big  bunches 
of  marbled  Cyclamen  leaves  stand  out  here  and 
there  in  the  Grass,  and  the  flaming  rods  of  the 
Torch  Lilies  or  Tritomas  have  only  just  lately 
become  dim,  while  silvery  Pampas  plumes  shiver 
in  the  wintry  sunshine.  This  little  pleasaunce  is 
reached  from  the  upper  gardens  through  a  shel- 
tered ravine  beside  a  Fern-fringed  watercourse, 
with  rising  Ivy-clad  banks,  here  and  there  an 
archway,  and  anon  open  glades,  which  springtime 
has  for  years  past  bejewelled  with  Wood  Hya- 
cinths, Pajonies,  scarlet  Anemones,  Snowdrops,  and 
soft  blue  Apennine  Anemones,  the  last  being  quite 
at  home  along  with  the  pale  trefoils  of  the 
^Vood  Sorrel  and  the  golden  buds  and  soft  green 
frill  of  the  Winter  Aconite.  This  undulating  walk 
is  screened  with  interlacing  boughs  overhead,  and 
the  more  open  spaces  have  been  well  prepared  and 
planted  with  bulbs  of  many  kinds,  notably  with 
Crocuses,  Anemones,  and  with  Daffodils.  If  these 
nodding  blossoms  of  the  April  days  will  thrive 
here,  as  it  is  hoped  they  may,  this  walk  in  spring- 
time will  be  like  a  beautiful  dream,  as,  indeed,  it 
is  in  any  case  when  carpeted  with  Ivy  and  Wood 
Sorrel  or  blue-flowered  Periwinkle,  and  enamelled 
with  Snowdrops,  Anemone  apennina,  and  with 
sweet  Bluebells. 

A  new  walk  is  to  pass  through  rocky  banks  and 
to  cross  this  ravine,  the  work  being  already  in  pro- 
gress, and  just  below  where  it  intersects  the  stream 
are  shady  pools  with  some  striking  Ivy-covered 
tree  trunks  beside  them,  and  with  golden  Willows 
quaintly  overhanging  the  water.  Ivy  grows  re- 
markably well  at  St.  Anne's;  indeed,  the  clock 
tower  at  the  kitchen  garden  is  one  of  the  features 
of  the  place,  being  clothed  from  base  to  summit, 
and  thus  having  an  air  of  antiquity  which  is  rather 
surprising  to  learn  it  cannot  claim.  The  Ivy- 
covered  tree  trunks — perfect  leafy  columns,  40  feet 
or  50  feet  in  height — by  the  pools  in  the  ravine  are 
so  remarkable,  that  it  is  a  wonder  such  good 
effects  so  easily  to  be  obtained  are  not  more 
generally  seen,  especially  as  the  varieties  of  Ivy 
are  now  so  numerous,  and  in  the  main  so  beauti- 
ful during  the  dullest  period  of  the  year.  Some 
day  perhaps  we  may  see  a  beautiful  garden  made 
by  the  use  of  Hollies,  Ivies,  Yews,  &c. — in  a  word, 
with  native  trees  and  shrubs  alone,  unmarred  by 
the  exotic  species  which  we  too  often  see  placed 
in  positions  that  are  unsuited  to  them.  Some 
sheltered  bays  and  nooks  near  the  house  itself  are 
planted  quite  thickly  with  Crocuses,  Colchicums, 
Scillas,  several  kinds  of  Muscari,  and  with  Pau 
Anemones,  and  the  tasteful  way  in  which  hardy 
Heaths  are  here  nsed  to  fringe  the  shrub  masses 
on  the  lawn  is  most  agreeable.  The  old-esta- 
blished kinds  are  E.  ramulosa  and  E.  stricta  or  E. 
arborea,  and  of  these  the  former  is  well  esta- 
blished in  clumps  and  groups  i  feet  high  or  more, 
and  seems  to  be  just  the  one  touch  of  colour  want- 
ing to  unite  the  carefully  dressed  foreground  with 
the  blue  mountains  which  rise  skyward  in  the  dis- 
tance. Recently  the  collection  of  hardy  Ericas  has 
been  supplemented  with  most  of  the  kinds  obtain- 
able, and  beds  of  them  have  been  made  on  the  turf 
with  good  effect. 

Lady  Ardilaun  takes  quite  an  especial  interest 
in  the  more  artistic  phases  of  gardening,  and  to 
her  taste  and  thought  are  due  many  of  the 
prettiest  pictures  which  spring  and  summer  bring 
to  this  sunny  garden.    I  can  conscientiously  say 


that  the  herbaceous  borders  at  St.  Anne's  are 
by  far  the  neatest  and  best  kept  that  I  have 
ever  seen.  Just  now  all  dead  leaves  and  other 
rubbish  is  cleared  away  and  the  earth  around  the 
plants  is  covered  with  a  warm  coating  of  Cocoa- 
nut  fibre,  which  gives  them  a  dressy  and  comfort- 
able appearance.  The  labels  are  made  oE  deal, 
into  the  lower  end  of  which  is  inserted  a 
stout  wire  stalk,  and  while  serving  their  pur- 
pose admirably,  they  are  likewise  durable. 
The  herbaceous  beds  and  borders  are  richly 
stocked,  and  while  most  things  thrive  satis- 
factorily, some  plants  absolutely  luxuriate  in  a 
way  but  rarely  seen  elsewhere.  Thus  the  scarlet 
Schizostylis  coccinea,  although  strong  and  healthy 
does  not  grow  so  tall  and  stately  as  at  Cong  (see 
Gauden,  September  27,  p.  269-270),  his  lordship's 
estate  in  Galway.  On  the  other  hand,  the  way  in 
which  auratum  Lilies,  Agapanthus,  Jonquils,  and 
that  most  lovely  of  all  the  flag  Irises  (I.  pallida) 
luxuriate  here  is  enough  to  compensate  for  many 
failures,  and  to  see  them  (the  Iris  more  especially 
when  at  its  best)  is  enough  to  make  one  love 
flowers  of  all  kinds  ever  afterwards.  I  never  saw 
half  so  much  Iris  pallida  in  any  hardy  plant  nur- 
sery as  may  be  seen  on  the  borders  here,  and  even 
if  it  never  Uowered  its  foliage  alone  is  most  effec- 
tive and  quite  different  in  form  and  colour  from 
that  of  all  other  species  in  its  class.  But  it  is 
when  the  stout  spikes  appear  above  its  broad 
glaucous  leafage,  when  each  branch  is  tipped  with 
its  satin-like  blossoms  of  lilac  hue,  that  one  feels 
how  noble  this  plant  really  is,  rivalling,  as  it 
does,  the  choicest  of  tropical  Orchids  in  its  delicacy 
of  tinting,  texture  of  petal,  and  in  having  a  fra- 
grance withal  of  the  most  subtle  kind.  Here  also  are 
great  patches  of  the  old,  sweet-scented  Jonquil,  a 
foot  or  more  across,  and  already  their  Rush-like 
leaves  appear  through  the  soil.  Another  speciality 
is  the  best  double  form  of  Narcissus  poeticus,  of 
which  Mr.  Smith  was  so  fortunate  as  to  secure  a 
large  stock  from  an  old  neglected  cottage  garden, 
in  which  it  had  absolutely  run  wild.  How  happy, 
thought  I  to  myself,  as  I  wandered  through  the 
pleasaunce  at  St.  Anne's,  ought  all  the  old  garden 
flowers  to  be  now  that  they  are  welcomed  back  to 
the  choicest  of  spots,  the  sunniest  corners,  the 
most  sheltered  nooks  around  our  fine  old  country 
houses.  What  a  happy  renaissanoe  is  this  to  them 
to  be  brought  back  along  with  the  Chippendale 
furniture  and  the  quaint  old  pots  and  plate,  and 
the  literature  which  is  welcomed,  let  us  hope,  not 
because  it  is  old,  not  merely  because  a  fleeting 
wave  of  fashion  wills  it  so,  but  because  these 
things,  like  the  flowers,  are  true  and  homely  in 
the  best  sense  of  that  phrase.  It  is  quite  easy  to 
understand  how  pleasant  are  the  seasons  as  thus 
measured  off  for  us  by  the  growth  and  blossoming  of 
our  favourite  flowers,  andone  may  quite  understand 
the  personal  interest  that  is  here  taken  in  all  the 
shrubs  and  flowers  of  a  good  garden,  seeing  that 
they  often  are  the  gifts  of  friends  or  souvenirs  of 
travel,  and  thus  fraught  with  many  pleasant 
memories.  A  good  garden  like  this  is  the  best  of 
all  remembrancers.  I  would  much  rather  smell  a 
spray  of  white  Hawthorn  (such  as  that  which 
William  Hunt  painted,  and  which  now  hangs  in 
the  Water  Colour  Gallery  at  South  Kensington) 
than  I  would  look  in  a  diary  to  see  if  May  had 
really  come,  and  so  the  time  of  white  Lilies,  the 
time  of  Irises,  of  Daffodils,  of  Snowdrops,  of 
Violets,  of  Roses,  or  of  Chrysanthemums,  is  far 
more  agreeably  told  to  us  in  the  garden  than 
anyhow  or  anywhere  else  besides. 

Quite  near  the  house  is  a  quaint  old  Italian 
garden,  surrounded  and  intersected  by  formally 
clipped  Yew  hedges,  which  remind  one  of  Hamp- 
ton Court,  of  Elvaston  Castle,  of  Holland  House, 
and  of  other  old  places  where  Dutch  and  Italian 
gardens  with  statuary  were  formerly  the  fashion. 
Formal  and  conventional  as  pleached  hedges  may 
be,  they  afford  good  shelter  and  seem  to  harmonise 
with  the  old-fashioned  Daffodils  and  Peonies, 
which  our  great  grandmothers  loved  to  cultivate 
and  admire.  White  or  marble  statuary  placed 
near  to  hedges  of  sombre  Yew  has  a  chilly  appear- 
ance in  our  wintry  climate,  even  when,  as  here,  of 
the  best,  and  a  spotty  effect  is  inevitable  when  it 


Dec.  20.  1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


515 


is  so  employed.  Good  bronzes  are  far  less  objec- 
tionable in  this  way,  and  ttiere  are  one  or  two  from 
Herculaneam  here  in  the  groands  which  are  alone 
well  worth  a  journey  to  see.  Within  the  shelter  of 
these  Yew  walls  are  beds  of  Carnations,  Koses, 
Agapanthus,  Pansies,  Polyanthus,  Primroses,  For- 
get-me-nots, Lilies,  Jonquils,  and  other  spring  blos- 
soms, and  here  also  is  a  tine  group  of  the  Alpenrose 
(Rhododendron  hirsutum),  among  which  we  saw 
some  noble  clumps  of  Lilium  auratum,  tall  and 
fair,  one  autumnal  evening  not  long  ago  ;  and  as 
seen  in  the  gloaming,  with  the  dark  Yews  as  a 
background,  it  is  difficult  to  imagine  any  plant 
more  stately  or  more  beautiful  than  is  this  wild 
flower  of  Japan.  Clematises  of  various  kinds  do 
well  here  on  walls  and  pillars  alike,  and  C.  Jack- 
mauni,  on  a  trellised  bed,  was  very  much  admired 
during  the  past  summer.  Magnolias  are  even  yet 
showing  soft  white  buds  among  their  glossy  leaves ; 
the  grey  tassels  of  the  Garrya  dangle  in  clusters 
beside  the  golden  stars  of  the  Winter  Jasmine, 
and  the  fluffy  seeds  of  the  Traveller's  Joy  shine 
bright  and  silvery  on  the  wire  arches  or  against 
the  grey  walls.  The  late-plauted  Colchicums  are 
barely  past  their  best.  I  saw  a  tuft  or  two  of 
Crocus  nudiflorus  fading  away,  and  there  were 
many  buds  and  blossoms  on  some  beds  of  seedling 
Anemones ;  and  that  the  best  of  Christmas  Roses 
are  luxuriant  there,  of  course  goes  without  the 
saying.  November  is,  as  a  rule,  a  dreary  month 
generally,  but  that  we  should  have  found  much  to 
see  and  admire  here  at  St.  Anne's  is,  perhaps,  the 
most  sincere  compliment  one  can  pay  to  a  good 
garden.  B. 

Fruit  Garden. 

ORCHARDS  ON  FRCIT-SICK  SOILS. 
HE  remarks  of  "J.  C.  C."  (p.  451)  on  this  sub- 
ject deserve  careful  consideration  ;  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  the  plan  of  going  on  generation  after 
generation  planting  the  same  kinds  of  fruit  trees 
on  the  same  spots  where  others  have  stood  is,  in  a 
great  measure,  the  cause  of  the  miserable  failures 
in  the  way  of  fruit  orchards  which  we  too  often  see, 
yet  a  remedy  for  such  proceedings  is  almost  hope- 
less, as  the  system  of  letting  land  is  so  full  of  pro- 
hibitive  clauses  as  to  defeat  the  very  object  for 
which  they  are  drawn  up.  The  copy  of  a  lease 
two  centuries  old  is  still  looked  on  as  the  perfec- 
tion of  an  agreement  that  should  compel  occupiers 
to  perform  their  duty  towards  the  land  in  their 
possession  for  a  given  term  of  years.  Under  such 
circumstances  it  is  useless  to  expect  our  home- 
grown fruit  industry  to  prosper,  and  the  sooner 
landlords  set  about  reforming  an  agreement  that 
reacts  so  prejudicially  to  their  own  interests  the 
better.  Looking  at  my  own  lease,  I  find  it  is  dis- 
tinctly stated  that  any  kind  of  fruit  tree  dying  or 
being  removed  is  to  be  replaced  by  a  young  one 
of  a  similar  kind,  and  in  fruit-growing  districts 
the  replacing  of  old  worn-out  trees  in  orchards  by 
young  ones  is  rigidly  enforced.  I  could  point  out 
hundreds  of  orchards  that  were  old  when  I  was  a 
boy,  the  occupiers  of  which  have  been  going  on 
under  the  hopeless  task  of  rejuvenating  them 
by  planting  young  trees,  that  never  can  do  any- 
thing but  linger  on,  the  soil  being  literally  worn 
out.  The  most  that  can  be  done  in  such 
cases  is  to  remove  a  portion  of  the  old  soil  and 
substitute  fresh  material,  so  as  to  give  the  tree  a 
start,  but  as  soon  as  the  roots  get  beyond  this 
failure  is  the  result.  The  remedy  is  simple  enough 
in  holdings  of  sufficient  size  to  allow  the  orchard 
to  have  a  fresh  site,  but  where  a  certain  space  is 
adhered  to,  all  the  knowledge  of  fruit  culture 
which  we  possess  will  not  help  us.  The  best 
orchards  which  I  have  yet  seen  are  those  either 
cultivated  by  small  landowners,  or  where  the  land 
is  rented  of  owners  who  have  given  up  restrictive 
covenants  as  useless.  Of  course,  it  is  to  landlords 
that  we  must  look  for  planting  on  a  large  scale, 
and  the  first  question  that  crops  up  is,  Will  it  pay  ? 
Speaking  from  some  years'  experience,  I  can  safely 
say  that  there  are  few  safer  investments  than  that 
of  planting-  orchards. 

In  the  neighbourhood  of  Maidstone  there  are 
very  few   farms  without  an  orchard,  and   some 


have  several  distinct  orchards  attached  to  them, 
and  as  the  crop  is  sold  by  auction  in  nine  cases 
out  of  ten,  one  can  form  a  pretty  correct  idea  of 
whether  orchards  pay  or  not.  The  usual  custom 
is  to  have  the  orchard  near  the  homestead  and  to 
use  the  Grass  for  sheep,  calves,  and  young  stock, 
and  for  this  purpose  the  Grass  is  nearly  as  valu- 
able to  the  farmer  as  his  other  pasture  land  ;  the 
close  grazing,  too,  insures  the  fruit  trees  being 
kept  well  supplied  with  manure  for  the  surface 
roots.  The  annual  sales  of  fruit  orchards  take 
place  during  July,  the  buyers  gathering  the  crop 
as  it  is  fit  for  market  and  clearing  it  away,  so  that 
the  farmer  has  no  trouble  with  it.  Orchards  in 
anything  approaching  a  fruitful  condition  rarely 
realise  less  than  from  £7  to  ,£10  an  acre  ;  if  the 
crop  is  good,  they  even  range  from  £15  to  £20  an 
acre,  and,  beyond  the  cost  of  trees  and  planting, 
there  is  really  very  little  expense  attached  to 
them.  I  therefore  feel  confident  that  during  the 
last  few  years  orchards  have  been  the  most  remu- 
nerative part  of  many  a  farm,  even  under  the 
serious  drawbacks  of  poor  cultivation,  owing  to 
farmers  having  but  little  knowledge  of  fruit  cul- 
ture and  being  hampered  with  restrictive  clauses 
in  their  leases.  Of  late  years  farms  have  changed 
hands  too  frequently  for  the  good  of  the  orchards, 
that,  like  gardens,  are  never  satisfactory  under 
rapidly  changing  management.  The  question  of 
markets  for  the  sale  of  fruit  is  undoubtedly  one 
that  ought  to  be  taken  into  consideration,  seeing 
that  railway  charges  are  far  higher  than  they 
ought  to  be.  It  can  hardly  be  said  that  we  have 
reached  perfection  in  the  way  of  distribution  when 
good  fruit  is  abundant  and  cheap  in  some  counties 
and  at  almost  prohibitive  prices  in  others.  It 
seems  incredible  that  fruit  can  be  brought  across 
the  Atlantic  and  landed  at  our  seaports  at  a  lower 
rate  than  it  can  be  brought  from  one  side  of  this 
country  to  the  other ;  yet  such  is  the  case,  and  our 
seaports  are  supplied  with  it  on  more  advantageous 
terms  than  our  rural  towns,  though  the  latter  are 
surrounded  by  growers  anxious  to  sell,  but  who, 
between  salesmen's  fees,  rail  charges,  and  other 
items,  do  not  get  their  fair  share  of  profit.  Fruit 
is  no  longer  a  luxury,  but  a  necessity,  and  there- 
fore no  obstruction  should  be  placed  on  its  sale. 
Growers  of  it  would  be  well  satisfied  to  allow 
twenty-five  per  cent,  on  their  goods,  but  when 
they  find  over  fifty  per  cent,  put  on  them  be- 
tween the  two  parties  just  named,  they  feel  dis- 
satisfied, and  the  public  are  the  sufferers. 
Goqiort.  J.  Groom. 

PEACHES  AT  BURGHLEY. 

On  taking  charge  here  in  1868,  that  ever-to-be- 
remembered  hot  summer,  I  found  the  Peaches  on 
the  Peach  wall  proper  literally  roasted,  so  much 
so  that  I  felt  convinced  they  would  never  regain 
anything  like  a  healthy  state  ;  I  therefore  stripped 
the  wall  at  once,  and  after  getting  it  repointed 
and  all  put  in  order,  I  commenced  to  trench  the 
border  3  feet  deep,  and  as  the  work  proceeded, 
mixed  with  the  existing  soil  a  large  quantity  of 
chopped  turf  and  burnt  refuse.  This  work  was 
done  early  in  August,  and  the  soil  being  dust  dry, 
it  had  at  least  two  months  to  get  thoroughly 
soaked.  Early  in  October  I  planted  the  following 
Peaches  at  22  feet  apart,  viz ,  Royal  George, 
Grosse  Mignonne,  Princess  of  Wales,  Noblesse, 
and  Violette  H;itive.  They  made  very  good  growth 
the  following  season,  and  the  second  I  allowed 
about  one  dozen  fruit  to  ripen  on  each  tree.  From 
that  time,  year  by  year,  they  continued  to  bear 
and  do  well  up  to  the  ninth  year,  when  they 
hung  out  signals  of  distress. 

Next  autumn,  beginning  in  the  middle  of  Oc- 
tober, I  lifted  them  all.  I  began  at  one  end  and 
lifted  and  replanted  as  we  went  along.  This 
time  I  used  chopped  turf  and  burnt  refuse  wholly. 
We  found  the  roots  in  fairly  good  condition,  but 
deficient  in  fibre.  We  shortened  the  roots  unspar- 
ingly, laid  them  all  straight  out,  and  well  covered 
them  with  the  mixture  just  described.  Next  sea- 
son they  made  what  may  be  termed  short,  but 
fruitful  wood,  and  from  that  time  to  the  present 
we  have  always  had  a  crop  of  Peaches.  I 
owe  my  success   to  two  important  items,  and  I 


fully  believe  that  if  cultivators  of  Peaches  would 
only  take  the  hint  to  keep  the  trees  thin  of  wood 
and  clear  of  insects,  particularly  green  fly.  Peach 
culture  outside  might  yet  prove  satisfactory. 
The  whole  of  the  trees  are  what  are  called  half 
standards  fan-trained.  However  beautiful  a  wall 
of  well-nailed  Peach  trees  may  look,  they  are  to 
me  not  quite  satisfactory,  inasmuch  as  they  take 
too  long  to  entirely  cover  the  wall.  Peaches  being 
here  always  in  demand,  especially  late  varieties,  I 
determined  to  plant  a  wall  130  feet  long  wholly 
with  late  kinds.  This  wall  was  planted  almost 
entirely  on  the  system  so  well  described  by  Mr. 
Simpson.  The  two  varieties  planted  were  Princess 
of  Wales  and  Late  Admirable.  The  trees  planted 
last  season  were  maidens  about  3  feet  high ;  they 
were  spurred  well  in,  and  now  we  are  repaid  with 
an  excellent  promise  for  next  year,  there  being 
from  ten  to  twelve  shoots  on  each  tree  bristling 
with  flower-buds.  We  therefore  hope  to  have  a 
good  crop  the  second  year  after  planting. 

I  may  mention  that  we  live  in  a  locality  famous 
for  its  Peaches.  At  Ketton  HaU,  five  miles  distant, 
I  may  say  the  finest  collection  of  Peaches  in  any 
private  place  in  England  is  grown,  and  under  the 
most  complete  set  of  Peach  houses  it  has  ever 
been  my  good  fortune  to  see.  This  place  is  under 
the  care  of  a  worthy  and  intelligent  man,  and  will 
doubtless  be  heard  of  at  no  distant  date.  Not 
wishing  to  be  behind  in  this  matter,  I  am  just 
now  engaged  in  planting  a  third  wall  with  early 
Peaches,  and  to  make  perfectly  sure  of  having  the 
true  varieties,  I  have  worked  the  trees  myself, 
and  intend  planting  them  when  the  bud  is  dor- 
mant. My  collection  consists  of  the  following 
varieties,  viz.,  Alexandra,  Amsden  (an  imported 
one),  Hale's  Early,  Goshawk,  Waterloo,  and  Early 
Albert.  These  will  all  be  trained  on  the  Wortley 
principle.  E.  Gilbeet. 

EXPERIMENTS  IN  VINE  CULTURE. 

An  additional  fact  or  two  under  this  head  may  be 
useful.  I  have  fruited  two  Muscats  this  year ;  one 
is  worked  on  the  Black  Hamburgh  and  the  other 
on  Foster's  Seedling,  and  I  must  say  that  the  re- 
sults have  given  me  great  satisfaction.  The  one 
on  the  Hamburgh  is  much  the  better  both  in  size  of 
bunch  and  berry  and  also  in  finish ;  in  flavour, 
too,  it  is  everything  that  could  be  desired.  The 
other  on  Foster's  Seedling  is  not  so  good,  but. 
nevertheless,  is  very  satisfactory.  As  a  rule,  we 
do  not  get  good  Muscats  on  their  own  roots  in  our 
late  house.  Why  it  is  difficult  to  say,  as  the  other 
sorts  do  well.  However,  one  thing  I  know ;  the 
border  is  very  deep,  and  most  probably  the  roots 
have  gone  down  out  of  the  reach  of  ordinary  cul- 
tivation, and  at  present  we  cannot  afford  to  risk 
the  loss  of  a  crop  by  lifting  or  replanting.  Mrs. 
I'ince  we  cut  down  two  years  ago.  It  was  not 
good  enough  in  appearance,  though  all  right  in 
flavour.  I  worked  on  the  old  stems,  of  which 
there  were  two — a  Madresfield  Court  and  Gros 
Maroc— and  this  year  fruited  them.  The  Madres- 
field Court  was,  however,  a  signal  failure ;  it  had 
not  one  good  point.  The  berries  cracked  very 
much  in  the  way  in  which  this  variety  so  often 
does,  and  the  bunches  did  not  colour,  but  re- 
tained that  peculiar  unripe  look  so  characteristic 
of  Mrs.  Pince;  the  flavour,  too,  was  inferior  to 
that  of  either  sort.  This,  I  think,  shows  the 
influence  of  the  stock  in  a  very  marked  manner. 
Certainly  it  is  not  a  stock  to  which  one  would  look 
for  the  best  results,  but  it  was  done  for  the  sake 
of  experiment.  I  will,  however,  try  this  Vine 
another  season  and  note  what  happens  once 
more.  Fruit  of  the  Gros  Maroc  I  have  hanging 
on  the  Vine  at  the  present  moment.  It  is 
not  so  well  coloured,  and  the  bunches  are 
not  so  large  as  those  of  one  of  its  own  roots 
growing  clcse  beside  it.  I  have  this  variety 
also  on  the  Gros  Colmar,  but  there  is  hardly  any 
difference  between  the  one  on  this  stock  and  the 
one  on  its  own  roots.  Here  again  the  influence  of 
the  stock  is  perceptible  by  the  way  the  two  varie- 
ties on  Mrs.  Pince  refused  to  colour,  and  having 
the  two  sorts  growing  on  their  own  roots  in  the 
same  vinery  I  had  a  good  opportunity  to  compare 
them  together. 


516 


THE    GARDEN 


[Dec.  20,   1884. 


Gros  Maeoc  is  a  Grape  that  has  had  a  good 
deal  o£  attention  paid   to  it  lately,  but  in  my 
opinion  it  will  never  gain  many  great  victories  in 
the  fruit  world.   It  is,  I  admit,  a  fine-lookin?  Grape 
and  has  very  large  berries,  but  their  flavour  is  in- 
different.    The  finest  bunches  I  have  had  of  it 
were  from  a  Vine  worked  on  an  old  Black  Ham- 
burgh that  was  fifty  years  old  or  more.    These 
were  really  splendid  in  appearance,  far  before  any 
I  have  had  on  own-root  Vines.     The  old  Vine  is 
now,  however,  destroyed,  having  made    a    new 
border  for  young  ones.     Here  was  an  instance  of 
the  way  in  which  Vines  will  recover  after  long 
years  of  service.    We  made  the  new  border  inside, 
leaving  the  old  Vines  outside  until  the  young  ones 
were  ready  to  take  their  place.   Arches  were  made 
in  the  front  wall  to  allow  the  roots  to  get  outside 
when  they  became  established.    Well,   the  old 
Vines  the  first  season  very  soon  found  out  the  new 
soil    and   made    excellent   growth,    strong    and 
luxuriant,  and  last  summer  carried  some  grand 
Grapes.    Now  I  have  no  doubt  that  these  Vines 
would  have  gone  on  for  several  years  in  this  new 
border  and  carried  good  crops  had  they   been 
encouraged  to  do  so.     But  the  die  was  cast,  and 
they  were  uprooted  to  make  room  for  young  ones, 
whose  roots  are  all  inside  at  the  present  time,  and 
I  shall  watch  with  interest  how  long  it  is  before 
they  take  possession  of  the  outside  border. 
Redleaf.  W.  H. 


fruitful   and  in  proper  form   by  pruning  in  the 
usual  way.  J-  MuiR. 


FRUIT  TREES  FOR  NORTH  WALLS. 
We  have  several  north  walls  here  all  of  which  are 
covered  with  trees,  but  some  are  much  more  fruit- 
ful than  others.     Morello  Cherries,  which  some 
might  be  inclined  to  plant  against  north  walls, 
grow  luxuriantly  in  this  position,  but  we  never 
found  them  fruit  so  freely  as  on  a  north-west 
aspect.    This  is  our  favourite  position  for  Morello 
Cherries ;  we  never  had  them  fail  on  it,  but  we 
cannot  say  so  much  about  a  north  aspect.     Goose- 
berries and  Currants  succeed  admirably  on  a  north 
wall ;  indeed,  they  are  the  only  crops  with  which 
we  would  deal  in  such  a  position.     With  us  they 
not  only  grow  freely,  but  fruit  profusely,  and 
very  often  when    the   bushes   are  thin   of  fruit 
in  the  most  favourable  positions,  those   on  our 
north  walls  are   carrying   full  crops,  the  reason 
doubtless  being  that  favourably  situated  bushes 
bloom    early    and    are   often  nipped  by  spring 
frosts;  whereas  those    on  a    cool   north   aspect 
are  late  in  blooming  and  escape.    The  succession 
of  fruit  secured  from  plants  on  a  north  wall  is 
worthy  of  consideration  ;  they  do  not  begin  to 
ripen  until  those  in  our  sunny  quarters  are  matured, 
and  they  remain  sound  and  good  long  after  the 
latter  are  over.     This  is  a  great  advantage,  and 
one  which    would    be    appreciated    everywhere. 
Large  quantities  of  our  main  crop  Gooseberries 
and  Currants  ripen  here  in  July,  and  it  is  only 
the  north  wall  ones  which  we  are  able  to  keep 
sound  until  well  into  September.     Black  Currants, 
Red  and  White  Currants,  and  all  varieties   of 
Gooseberries  succeed  on  north  walls.     In  some 
places  there  may  be  borders  of  good  soil  along 
the  bottom  of  the  walls,  and  in  such  cases  planting 
is  easily  done ;  even  when  places  have  to  be  en- 
tirely prepared  for  the  bushes,  little  difficulty 
need    be    experienced,  as  a  trench  has  only  to 
be  taken  out   and  good  soil  substituted  before 
planting.      A  trench  8  feet  or  4  feet  wide  and 
2  feet  or  so  in  depth  will    hold  sufficient  good 
soil   to  keep    the    plants    going    on   well    for 
many  years.     Where  paths  run  close  to  the  wall 
fill  up  almost  to  the  top,  as  in  other  cases,  plant, 
and  then  re-make  the  walk  as  before.     Some  of 
our  best  north  wall  Currant  bushes  were  treated 
in  this  way  half  a  dozen  years  ago,  and  they  have 
had  no  root  attention  since.     Now,  and  on  until 
the  early  days  of  March,  is  a  suitable  period  to 
plant.     As  to  distances  apart  and  style  of  train- 
ing, we  prefer  putting  the  plants  in  from  2  feet 
to  3  feet  apart,  and    taking  from  three  to  six 
branches  up  from  each,  training  them  at  equal 
distances  asunder,     and     restricting    them     to 
straight   shoots    clothed   with  closely-set  spurs. 
These  come  out  of  their  own  accord,  and  are  kept 


BELGIAN  FRUIT  EXPORTATION. 
M.  RODIGAS  states  in  the  BulMi /id' Arboriculture 
Behje  that  in  eleven  years  the  value  of  fruits  ex- 
ported from  Belgium  has  increased  by  nearly 
i;74,O()0,  and  what  renders  this  the  more  remark- 
able is  that  in  Belgium  within  that  period  the 
most  severe  winter  of  the  century  has  been  expe- 
rienced, viz.,  that  of  1879-1880,  and  yet  the  value 
of  the  exports  in  1882  amounted  tonearlyi;i70,000. 
Notwithstanding  these  facts, however, "  J.  C.  C."  de- 
clares that  in  Somerset  good  Apples  are  practically 
unsaleable,  as  the  price  realised  is  so  low  in  the 
great  markets  as  to  leave  no  margin  for  the  pro- 
ducer when  the  cost  of  transport  some  ten  miles 
across  country  to  the  railway  station  and  from 
thence  to  London  or  elsewhere  is  reckoned  up. 
How  is  this  ?  Does  the  fault  lie  in  the  kinds,  the 
packing,  or  the  culture  /  Perhaps  the  following 
extracts  may  help  to  throw  some  light  upon  these 
matters : — 

Pears.— "All  Pears,"  says  M.Rodigas,  "are  sale- 
able, but  all  are  not  of  equal  market  value.     Ea.rly 
kinds  fetch  good  prices  independent  of  quality, 
and  quickly  find  buyers  for  exportation.      It  suf- 
fices to  mention  the  variety  Koolstok,  of  St.  Trond, 
of  which  there  exist  in  the  vicinity  of  that  town 
and  of  Tongres  and  Laoz  large  fine  trees  that  bear 
regularly  and  abundantly.    The  fruit  from  them 
is  sold  on  the  ground  at  an  average  price  of  24  ?. 
for  2  cwt.,  and  is  sent  away  by  boatloads  for 
exportation  to  England.    It  is  so  highly  esteemed, 
that  the  fruit  merchants  acquire  all  the  produce 
in  advance  sometimes  as  early  as  the  month  of 
May.      The    varieties    Kriekpeer    and  Dyzeling, 
grown  largely  at  Waarschoot  and  Sleidinge,  in 
Western  Flanders,  are  but  little  better  than  the 
Koolstok,   a  fact  which  does  not    hinder    them 
from  being  sold  at  a  high  price,  the  last  named  for 
the  market  of  Ghent,  the  other  for  exportation  to 
London  and  Manchester.     The  keeping  Pears  that 
are  sent  to  St.  Petersburg  must  of  course  be  of 
good  (juality.     The  packing  varies  according   to 
the  kind  and  destination.    In  any  case  the  quan- 
tity of  fruit  grown  should  be  sufficiently  large  to 
bring  buyers  to  the  spot  and  to  justify  incurring 
the   expense  of  exportation.      We    do   not   yet 
possess  those   large    orchards   such   as   that    of 
Surrey,    in    Virginia,    which   contains   38    acres 
in  a  single  piece,  and   consists   of  19,000  trees 
of  Williams'  Pear  and  1000  Clapp's  Favourite,  and 
which  produced  in  1882  £.3000,  or  more  than  the 
half  of  the  capital  engaged  in  the  undertaking. 
What  we  have  said  of  the  Koolstok  Pear  gives 
cause  for  reflection,  and  we  ask  ourselves  why  the 
principal  growers  in  agricultural  centres  do  not 
come  to  some  arrangement  to  grow  the  same  variety 
or  varieties ;  they  would  obtain  an  assured  profit. 
The   fruit    for  e.xportation    is    gathered 
before  it  is  quite  ripe.     The  early  Pears  in  the  St. 
Trond  district  are  packed  in  baskets  rather  wide 
at  top  and  narrow  at  bottom,  so  that  there  should 
be  no  great  weight  on  the  bottom  layers.     At  the 
tiottom  of  the  basket  is  laid  some  fine  dry  Grass, 
the  top  layer  being  also  covered  with  it,  so  that 
the  lid  gently  presses  upon  it.     It   will  not  be 
out    of    place  to    make   a  remark   from  which 
the     agriculturist    may    derive     some     benefit. 
All  these   baskets  are   made   of    peeled   Osiers, 
and    are  sold    in    England    for  household  pur- 
poses.    In  the  fruit  centre   that  we  have   just 
mentioned  the  manufacture  of  these  baskets  has 
acquired  a  real  importance,  a  certain  maker  fur- 
nishing to  the   St.  Trond  dealers  80,000  of  them 
yearly.    The  value  of  the  Osier    grounds  is  of 
course  high  in  proportion.    An  Osier  bed  situated 
on  the  Mouse,  >nd  belonging  to  my  family,  pro- 
duced thirty  years  ago  a  revenue  of  about  £32, 
whilst  now  it  amounts  to   170,  or  more    than 
double.    Autumn  Pears  gathered  in  a  dry  time 
and  well  wiped  are  carefully  sorted.     The  small 
fruits  are  used  at  home,  the  middle  sized  ones  are 
packed  in  baskets,  as  already  mentioned,  and  the 
finest  are  sent  away  in  flat  baskets  or  in  boxes. 
The  pains  taken  in  packing  is  in  accordance  with 


the  value  of  the  goods,  the  hard  kinds  of  easy 
transport  being  simply  laid  in  the  baskets,  whilst 
the  others  are  each  one  wrapped  in  soft  paper 
and  laid  in  layers,  the  foot-stalks  inclined  one 
way,  so  that  they  do  not  injure  one  another.  Each 
row  is  separated  from  the  other  by  a  sheet  of 
paper,  and  there  is  at  the  bottom  some  dry  Moss 
or  cut  chaff.  A  point  not  to  be  forgotten  is  to 
keep  from  the  packing  material  anything  that  is 
likely  to  impair  the  flavour  of  the  fruits,  even  if 
only  momentarily.  Thus  I  one  day  received  a 
small  box  of  splendid  Besi  de  Chaumontel  Pears, 
but  having  a  strange  flavour,  and  on  examination 
I  found  that  the  box  had  contained  perfumed 
soap.  It  is  prudent  to  avoid  the  use  of  boxes  having 
labels  on  them.  With  respect  to  keeping  Pears,  if 
sent  away  before  winter  there  is  nothing  to  pre- 
vent their  being  packed  in  bags  or  baskets,  only 
that  they  require  careful  supervision  to  pre- 
vent bruised  fruits  from  spoiling  the  other?. 
Choice  fruits  sent  to  a  distance  must  be  wrapped 
in  paper.  The  fine  Pears  of  Toumaisis,  which  are 
sold  for  as  much  as  4s.  6d.  at  St.  Petersburg,  are 
packed  a  dozen  together,  in  two  layers  of  six,  in 
thin  wooden  boxes,  lined  inside  with  wadding. 
These  boxes  are  placed  inside  solid  cases,  marked 
on  the  top,  and  fastened  with  screws  to  admit  of 
easy  examination  by  the  Custom  House  officers. 

"Apples.— The  same  rules  apply  to  these  as  to 
Pears,  but  they  offer  the  advantage  of  having  a 
short  foot-stalk,  which  does  not  interfere  with  the 
packing  arrangement.     The  tender-fleshed  kinds 
are  the  least  esteemed,  save  those  that  come  in 
early,  and  they  are  packed  in  exactly  the  same 
manner  as  the  Pears.    Others  which  are  late  in 
ripening  and  are  hard  in  flesh  are  gathered  in 
fine  weather,  and  are  put  in  heaps  under  shelter 
until  a  certain  amount  of  evaporation  has  taken 
place ;  then  they  are  sent  off,  either  loose  in  trucks 
or  in  bags  containing  2  cwt.,  orin  barrels  containing 
two  or  three  times  as  much.     Baskets  should  be 
strong  enough  not  to  bend  easily,  or  the  fruits  at 
the  sides  are  liable  to  become  injured.     In  some 
localities  a  little  straw  is  placed  at  the  bottom, 
round  the  sides,  and  at  top,  although  this  precau- 
tion may  be  considered  as  useless  labour.     Since 
our  fruit  merchants  saw  arrive  in  perfect  condition 
Apples  packed  in  barrels  and  sent  from  Canada 
and  other  parts  of  North  America,  this  kind  of 
packing  has  become  popular  in  our  own  country. 
If  the  barrels  have  not  often  to  be  unshipped, 
they  may  be  constructed  of  light  wood,  only  they 
should  be  strongly  bound  round  ;  the  inside  must 
be  perfectly  clean.     The  fruit  is  carefully  dried 
and  cleaned,  one  kind  at  a  time  being  taken, 
without  small  or  bruised  fruits,  and  is  carefully 
laid  in,  a  few  light,  but  repeated  shakings  filling 
up  empty  spaces  and  making  all  solid.     If  de- 
spatched in  winter,  the  barrel  may  be  enveloped 
in  straw.  Grass,  or  even  in  another  barrel.     We 
would,  however,  observe  that  Apples  touched  by 
frost  come  back  to  their  normal  condition,  pro- 
viding that  the  thaw  takes  place  gradually.    The 
barrels  rather  more  than  full  are  closed  at  the 
top    by  means    of    special   pressure,   and   it   is 
therefore  inevitable  that   some  of   the  topmost 
fruits   get   injured.     We  have  seen  unpacked  at 
Ghent  American  Apples  packed  in  barrels,  and 
which,  after  forty  days'  voyage,  remained  in  excel- 
lent condition,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  which 
had  become  in  a  great  measure  flattened.     The 
fine  dessert  Apples,  and  those  remarkable  for  their 
handsome  appearance,  may  be  sent  either  in  flat 
baskets,  one  or  two  layers  in  each,  or  in  small  cases, 
depending  on  the  quality  or  rather  the  value  of 
the  goods.  Dry  Moss  which  has  been  well  washed, 
or,  better  still,  soft  paper  should  be  used  to  line 
the  sides  and  divide  the  rows  or  layers  of  fruit. 

"Chestnuts. — London  alone  absorbs  12,000 
tons  of  Chestnuts  yearly,  of  which  France  contri- 
butes 5000.  The  method  of  packing  is  simple ;  the 
fruits  are  gathered  up  as  they  fall,  being  shelled 
and  laid  in  sheds  to  dry,  after  which  they  are  put 
in  bags  or  in  baskets  and  sent  away  at  once. 

"  Nuts. — The  commercial  culture  of  the  Nut  is 
very  remunerative  ;  it  is  valued  at  an  average  re- 
turn of  i70  an  acre.  In  the  northern  districts  of 
the  Netherlands,  in  the  fruit  country  of  Streek, 


DF.r.  20.    1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


517 


> 
SI 
!^ 

*n 

o 
S 

H 
W 
W 

O 
Si 

t) 

t2i 


the  average  yield  is  estimated  at 
over  £100.  Nuts  are  gathered  by 
hand,  spread  out  in  a  covered,  airy 
place  until  they  fall  out  of  the 
husks,  and  are  sent  away  either 
fresh  or  quite  dry  in  bags,  baskets, 
or  in  boxes. 

"  Walnuts. — An  eminent  French 
agriculturist,  the  Comte  de  Gaspa- 
rin,  has  declared  that  sixty  Wal- 
nuts on  an  acre  of  ground  are  equal 
in  value  to  the  ground  on  which 
they  stand,  and  are  capable  of 
bringing  in  i'45  per  year.  In  the 
fruit  centres  of  Belgium,  Limbnrg 
Walnuts  are  in  great  demand  when 
half  grown  for  preserving.  They 
are  generally  packed  in  bags 
whilst  still  in  their  green  shells, 
but  in  the  dry  state  and  shucked 
it  little  matters  whether  bags,  bas- 
kets, or  boxes  are  employed,  pro- 
vided the  contents  are  perfectly 
dry."  After  reading  the  above,  one 
cannot  help  coming  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  we  have  much  to  learn 
in  this  country  ere  the  culture  of 
some  hardy  fruits,  notably  the 
Apple,  can  be  made  really  profit- 
able. The  chief  cause  why  foreign 
Apples  and  Pears  sell  so  well  in 
this  country,  and  thus  their  cul- 
ture is  a  profitable  industry,  lies 
in  the  fact  that  certain  kinds 
suitable  to  the  locality  are 
largely  grown  in  certain  districts, 
and  that  such  great  care  is 
taken  in  the  gathering  and 
packing,  that  buyers  know  what 
they  are  going  to  get ;  they 
can  depend  upon  the  sort,  size, 
and  general  condition  of  the 
fruit.  To  such  an  extent  is  con- 
fidence reposed  in  growers  and 
consigners  of  foreign  fruits,  that 
English  fruit  merchants  are  often 
known  to  pay  beforehand  for 
goods  ordered.  It  is  to  be  feared 
that  this  great  care  is  not  too 
frequently  exercised  with  us,  and 
that  the  mixing  of  inferior  fruits 
with  fine  samples,  and  careless 
or  unskilful  packing,  generally 
reduces  the  value  of  many  other- 
wise good  fruits.  In  a  word,  Eng- 
lish growers  generally  do  not  seem 
to  know  how  to  make  the  most 
of  their  goods.  A  large  Covent 
Garden  salesman  one  day  showed 
me  some  excellent  samples  of 
Kentish  Blenheim  Orange  Apple. 
They  were  in  admirable  condition, 
but  would  it  be  believed  that 
the  grower  had  actually  had  the 
folly  to  pretty  liberally  mix  with 
them  some  of  another  totally 
diflterent  and  wholly  inferior 
kind  ?  This  individual  had  sent 
the  same  kind  of  Apple  to  mar- 
ket for  twenty  years,  and  per- 
sisted in  a  practice  calculated  to 
lessen  confidence  and  impair  the 
value  of  his  goods,  and,  said  the 
salesman  referred  to,  "  I  can't  break 
him  of  it."  Everyone  knows  the 
value  of  a  good  name,  and  if  a 
certain  class  of  fruit  coming  from 
a  certain  locality  can  be  depended 
on  to  answer  the  wants  of  buyers 
they  will  gladly  purchase  with- 
out question.  An  instance  of 
this  occurs  in  the  Go£E  Apple, 
which  is  largely  grown  in  some 
parts  of  this  country,  and 
although  consigned  to  London 
fruit  salesmen,  they  pass  but 
little  of  it  through  the  mar- 
kets  there;:  it    is  sent   onwards 


518 


THE     GARDEN 


[Dec.  20,  1884. 


without  examination  to  the  preserve  makers. 
I  cannot  but  think  that  thig  would  be  the  case 
with  any  good  market  kind  carefully  gathered 
and  properly  packed.  J.  Coeniiill. 

Byjicct. 


PRUNING  AND  DRESSING  FRUIT  TREES. 

Apples  and  Pears  require  the  first  attention  in  this 
way ;  the  former,  if  grown  as  standards,  only  re- 
quire thinning,  and  this  should  be  done  annually 
by  removing  any  branches  that  cross  or  crowd  the 
others,  the  object  being  to  give  full  light  and  air 
to  all,  that  the  sun  may  act  on  every  part,  and  so 
colour    and    ripen    the    fruit.     The  best   imple- 
ment for  the  work  is  a  small  fine-toothed  saw,  set 
rather  wide,  as  it  will  then  clear  itself  in  the 
wood  and  cut  easily,  but  to  make  the  wounds 
smooth  it  is  necessary  to  finish  off  with  a  knife, 
the  smooth  surface  being  important  to  the  healing 
over  of  the  bark  and  to  throwing  off  the  wet. 
Besides  the  thinning  out,  to  keep  the  middle  of 
the  trees  open  and  clear,  it  is  sometimes  advisable 
to   shorten   the    leaders,   especially    where    any 
branch  is  extending    itself    in    such    a   way    as 
to    affect    the    symmetry    of     the    head    which 
ought    to    be    kept   regularly   balanced,   or   the 
trees  soon  have    a    very   awkward   appearance. 
Bushes  and  espaliers  require  the  knife  instead  of 
the  saw,  but  in  cases  where  they  are  neglected  or 
old  the  saw  is  needful  for  espaliers,  as  drastic 
measures  have  to  be  resorted  to  to  get  rid  of  the 
old  long  spurs,  which  sometimes  may  be  seen  so 
crowded  as  to  look  like  a  hedge.     When  trees  get 
into  this  state,  the  best  way  is  to  thin  out  rather 
severely  by  taking  off  the  greater  portion  of  the 
spurs  or  shortening  back  to  the  last  eye  or  shoot 
near  the  base,  for  if  they  are  healthy  they  will 
break  again,  and  with  proper  summer  pinching  or 
stopping  soon  form  plenty  of  buds.    The  same  re- 
marks apply  to  Pears,  which  are  even  more  amen- 
able to  this  treatment  than  Apples,  and,  therefore, 
anyone  having  them  sticking  out  far  away  from 
the  wall  need  feel  no  hesitation  in  using  the 
knife   freely,  and  if   they   do    this   yearly    and 
leave  a  fair  sprinkling  of  flower-buds,  the  trees 
may   be    got    in    good    order    without    losing   a 
crop.    This    is    how    we    managed    ours,    and 
though  the  trees    were    more  than    fifty    years 
old  and  had  long  gnarled  spurs,  they  appear  quite 
rejuvenated,  and  are  studded  close  to  the  main 
branches  with  buds.     It  is  the  same   with  the 
pyramids,  which  we  treated  in  like  manner,  thinned, 
and  shortened,  and  not  only  did  we  do  this,  but 
we  removed  many  of  the  branches  so  as  to  throw 
all  the  others  from  18  inches  to  2  feet  apart,  and 
thus  have  them  regular  all  over  the   trees.     To 
keep  these  within  proper  limits  and  make  them 
handier  for  gathering  the  fruit,  the  height  of  all 
was  reduced  to  10  feet,  and  the  result  has  been 
that  the  branches  are  all  stiffer  and  we  get  much 
finer  Pears,  as  before  the  reduction  of  the  spurs 
these  were  in  a  great  measure  starved,  owing  to 
the    check   the    sap  had  in  its  passage   to  feed 
them. 

Stone  fruits. — Apricots  and  dessert  Cherries 
also  bear  shortening  back  well,  and  both  of  these 
should  be  closely  spurred,  as  when  they  project  far 
much  of  the  protection  the  wall  affords  is  lost, 
and  the  blossoms,  standing  out,  get  cut  by  the  frost 
or  perish  through  keen  winds  blowing  on  them  ; 
whereas,  when  nestled  against  the  bricks  they  are 
safe,  and  generally  set  well  in  spite  of  the  wea- 
ther. In  the  management  of  Apricots,  it  is  always 
advisable  to  have  two  strings  to  the  bow  by  laying 
in  some  young  wood  in  all  available  vacant 
places,  but  on  no  account  should  it  be  done  in  a 
way  to  crowd  or  spoil  the  look  of  the  trees.  If 
these  are  of  the  fan  shape,  which  is  the  best  form, 
every  shoot  left  should  be  on  the  upper  side  of  the 
branch,  and  so  nailed  or  tied  when  young  that 
there  is  no  elbow  or  ugly  bend,  as  these  cannot  be 
got  rid  of  after ;  and  the  same  with  Peaches,  each 
twig  of  which  should  be  close  at  the  base  and  run 
out  straight  to  the  point,  keeping  parallel  with 
each  other  and  from  .?  inches  to  6  inches  apart, 
which  is  quite  near  enough  for  the  wood.  Plums 
will  likewise  bear  close  spurring,  but  to  prevent 
any    dying    back  they  must  be  cut  to  a    bud, 


which  can  be  done  and  a  general  thinning  made, 
as  it  is  useless  to  leave  more  than  will  produce 
sufficient  flowers  to  set  for  a  crop.  The  usual 
way  of  treating  Morello  Cherries  is  to  train  after 
the  manner  of  Peaches,  but  much  time  may  be 
saved  and  better  results  secured  by  just  thinning 
out  the  shoots  and  fastening  the  main  branches 
to  studs  driven  into  the  wall,  and  thus  letting  the 
trees  grow  pretty  much  as  they  will  in  the  making 
of  breast-wood,  as  when  the  foliage  is  more  away 
from  the  bricks  it  suffers  less  from  red  spider  or 
fly,  which  are  kept  at  bay  or  washed  off  by  the 
rains. 


Bush  fruits. — Black  Currants  need  but  little 
pruning,  as  all  that  is  requisite  for  them  is  to  keep 
them  from  becoming  too  crowded,  which  may  be 
done  by  timely  thinning  or  cutting  away  in  the 
middle,  and  this  ought  to  be  carried  out  without 
leaving  any  long  snags  or  ends.  Red  and  White 
Currants  do  best  spurred,  as  the  majority  of  the 
fruit  buds  are  formed  around  the  spurs  all  up  the 
main  branches,  which  should  be  about  9  inches 
apart,  and  the  shoot  at  the  top  of  each  shortened, 
or  the  bushes  soon  get  too  high  and  run  bare  at 
the  base.  Gooseberries  ought  to  be  treated  in  a 
similar  manner,  but  with  these  much  depends  on 
whether  the  fruit  is  wanted  for  gathering  green  or 
ripe ;  if  the  former,  the  wood  may  with  advan- 
tage be  left  considerably  thicker,  as  in  that  way 
the  produce  is  much  greater,  and  by  the  shelter 
the  foliage  affords  a  very  heavy  crop  is  often 
secured,  when  on  thinner  bushes  it  is  cut  off  by  the 
frost.  If  the  fruit  is  required  for  dessert,  the  best 
way  is  to  have  all  the  main  branches  wide  apart 
and  to  cutback  the  young  shoots  on  them  to  the  last 
bud,  except  any  that  may  be  wanted  for  filling  up 
and  adding  to  the  size  or  symmetry  of  the  tree. 
Many  defer  the  pruning  of  their  Gooseberries  and 
Currants  on  account  of  the  sparrows  picking  out 
the  buds,  but  there  need  be  no  fear  of  these 
feathered  depredators  if  the  bushes  be  limed, 
which  may  be  done  very  easily  and  quickly  by 
making  a  wash  and  passing  it  through  a  syringe. 
To  do  this,  fresh  quicklime  should  be  got  and 
slaked  in  a  body  of  water,  and  then  strained 
through  a  fine  sieve,  when  not  only  will  the  wash 
so  prepared  stick  tightly  and  keep  off  all  sparrows, 
but  it  will  effectually  rid  the  bushes  of  all  Moss 
and  make  the  bark  healthy  and  clean,  besides 
which  it  prevents  the  breeding  and  spread  of 
caterpillars  now  in  the  ground. 


Moss  AND  Lichen  are  the  ruin  of  Apples  and 
Pears,  but  the  same  remedy  as  that  mentioned 
for  the  Gooseberries  will  cleanse  them,  the  best 
way  of  putting  it  on  being  by  the  aid  of  a  garden 
engine,  by  which  the  wasli  may  be  driven  higher 
and  further  than  anyone  can  force  a  stream 
through  a  syringe.  To  get  the  wash  to  ad- 
here, the  bark  of  the  trees  should  be  a  little 
damp,  and  it  is  likewise  necessary  to  have  a  still 
day  for  the  operation,  or  the  wind  will  carry  the 
wash  away  from  where  it  is  aimed  and  make  the 
work  difficult.  The  dressing  of  trees  on  walls  is 
a  sheer  waste  of  labour,  as  all  insects,  of  whatever 
kind,  may  be  destroyed  by  very  simple  and  cheap 
means,  viz.,  the  burning  of  sulphur,  the  fumes  of 
which,  passing  up  the  surface  of  the  wall,  are  so 
searching,  that  no  parasite  can  live,  as  they  not  only 
kill  the  insects  in  or  on  the  bark,  joints,  or  bricks, 
but  shrivel  up  every  morsel  of  Lichen  or  Moss 
that  may  be  growing  on  either.  The  way  to  carry 
on  this  most  successful  of  all  fumigating  is  to  get 
some  old  cracked  garden  pots,  pans,  or  any  other 
vessels  with  a  charcoal  fire  in  them  and  stand 
them  a  yard  or  so  apart,  when  sulphur  should  be 
thrown  on,  and  after  standing  a  few  minutes,  the 
pots  should  be  moved,  and  carried  on  in  that 
manner  all  round  the  garden  where  the  wind  or 
draught  serves,  a  still,  thick  day  being  the  best 
for  the  purpose.  S.  D. 


old  canes  in  winter,  the  frnit  being  borne  on  the 
extremities  of  the  same  year's  shoots.  Mr.  Bar- 
ber showed  a  grand  dish  of  Belle  de  Fontenay 
from  Hindlip  in  his  premier  collection  of  fruit  at 
Birmingham  a  short  time  ago.  Early  in  October 
I  saw  the  plantation  from  which  these  fruits  were 
gathered,  and  it  was  something  to  remember; 
they  were  growing  on  a  protected  wide  border 
with  an  east  aspect,  and  were  trained  vertically  to 
stout  poles;  the  canes  were  remarkably  strong, and 
their  points  drooping  with  great  clusters  of  large 
richly-coloured  fruits,  the  flavour  of  which  was 
excellent. — A. 

Devonshire  Buckland  ^This  is  an  ex- 
tremely useful  Apple  ;  but  is  "  W.  I.  M."  right  in 
recommending  it  for  a  dessert  fruit  ?  However,  if 
King  of  the  Pippins  is  the  best  flavoured  Apple 
grown,  I  have  no  right  to  express  an  opinion  one 
way  or  the  other.  It  can  hardly  be  for  excess  of 
fertility  that  it  has  obtained  its  premier  position. 
If  trees  on  the  Paradise  stock  are  to  be  the  most 
general  method  of  culture  for  private  gardens,  at 
least  six  dessert  kinds  are  as  prolific,  and  they  in- 
clude Cox's  Orange  Pippin  and  Syke  House  Russet. 
Mr.  Blackmore  once  described  a  Pear,  in  a  letter 
of  his,  as  being  fit  only  for  the  public.  Looking 
through  Mr.  Cheal's  frnit  list,  I  was  somewhat  sur- 
prised at  not  seeing  in  it  the  White  Nonpareil.  It 
is  a  distinct  Apple  from  the  old  Nonpareil,  and  is 
a  most  free-bearing  variety  when  trained  cordon- 
wise  on  a  wall.  In  size,  as  might  be  expected,  it 
is  increased,  and  in  quality  it  is  quite  equal  to 
the  other  Nonpareils. — C.  A.  M.  C. 

Beurre  DIel  Pear.— It  is  pretty  generally 
known  that  soil  influences  the  flavour  of  Pears 
a  good  deal.  I  never  had  this  fact  so  clearly 
demonstrated  as  during  the  present  season, 
when  judging  at  Exeter  st  the  end  of  Oc- 
tober and  at  Taunton  in  November ;  I  then  had 
an  opportunity  of  tasting  several  different  samples 
grown  in  widely  different  places,  and  the  flavour 
of  some  of  the  fruit  was  so  superior  to  that  of 
others,  that  one  could  hardly  believe  that  all  be- 
longed to  the  same  variety.  This  sort  is,  however, 
so  well  known,  that  a  mistake  is  impossible.  In 
the  best  fruit,  which  was  highly  flavoured,  there 
was  an  absence  of  all  grittiness  in  the  flesh  that  is 
so  characteristic  of  this  sort  in  some  soils.  With 
us  it  is  always  hard,  gritty,  and  flavourless.  We, 
therefore,  only  value  it  for  culinary  purposes.  But 
in  a  soil  that  suits  it  it  is  well  deserving  of  culti- 
vation. Being  a  hardy,  free-bearing  sort,  it  may 
be  grown  on  east  or  west  walls,  and  in  some  fa- 
voured places  it  even  does  well  as  a  standard. — 
J.  C.  C. 


Autumn  Raspberries. —  Only  those  who 
force  Strawberries  early  in  spring  can  hope  to  have 
them  abundantly  in  autumn,  bat  autumn-bearing 
Raspberries  can  be  grown  by  all,  provided  they 
procure  the  right  sort.  Give  them  high  cultiva- 
tion, and  in  pruning  cut  down  the  whole  of  the 


SHORT  NOTES.— FR  TUT. 


6284.— Fruit  trees  for  a  north  wall.— "J.  A.  C." 
(p.  4.50)  will  flud  no  difflculty  in  cultivating  either  Gocise- 
berries,  CuiTants,  or  some  of  the  hardier  varieties  of  Mums 
on  a  north  wall,  such  as  Rivers'  Early  Prolific,  llitchel- 
Bon's  Damson,  Denyer's  Victoria,  Pond's  Seedling,  Dia- 
mond, or  BeUe  de  Septembre.— W.  C.  T. 

I  find  Lord  Suffield  Apple  trees  to  do  better  on'a 

north  wall  than  anything  else  I  have  tried  These  with 
me  bear  regularly  very  fine  fiuit,  which  succeeds  that 
sruwu  on  pyramids.  Gooseberry  trees  would  grow  and 
fniit  in  such  a  position,  but  the  latter  would  be  indifferent 
in  flavour. — .T.  C.  C. 

Hoary  Morningr.— Splendid  specimens  of  this  Apple 
have  come  to  us  from  Mr.  Garland,  Killerton,  Exeter  One 
whicli  we  measured  was  4  inches  wide  and  3  inches  high, 
and  unustially  high  colom-ed.  In  shvrt,  it  is  the  hand- 
somest Apple  we  have  seen  this  season. 

Pear  Pltmaston  Duchess.— I  have  met  with  a  lew 

samples  of  this  Pear  this  year,  and  for  the  most  part  they 
have  been  very  fine.  They  have  been  golden  in  colour, 
overlaid  with  insset  spots,  Irat  in  no  case  has  the  flavour 
been  such  as  would  entitle  it  to  be  classed  as  a  first-class 
sort.  Well  grown  samples  are  certainly  very  handsome, 
and  that  is  about  all  that  can  be  said  in  their  favour.- 
J.  C.  0. 

Pear  Madame  Chaudy.-This  was  raised  by  IT. 
Chaudy,  nurseryman,  of  Chaponart,  near  Lyons,  about 
twenty  years  ago,  but  was  only  distributed  in  ISSl.  The  tree 
is  said  by  tlie  raiser  to  be  vig.irous  and  fertile,  in  these  re- 
spects resembling  the  Duchesse  d'Angouleme.  The  frnit  is 
large— sometimes  very  large— in  sliape  like  Bon  C)hr(;tien  ; 
skin  yellow,  a  little  bronzed  sometimes  and  slightly  tinted 
red  on  the  sunny  side  ;  flesh  white,  fine,  very  juicy,  sweet, 
and  perfumed.— J.  Cornhill. 


Dec.  20,   18S4.] 


THE    GARDEN 


519 


A  forgotten  fruit. — The  Service  Tree  (Pyrna 
Sorbus)  was,  we  believe,  once  used  as  a  fruit  some- 
what in  the  same  sense  as  the  Medlar  is.  We  had 
no  experience  of  the  value  of  the  fruit  till  lately, 
when  Mr.  Charles  Leaf  sent  us  some  of  it.  When 
ripe  and  fresh  its  astringency  was  most  marked 
and  unpleasant,  but,  putting  it  by  for  a  week  or 
two  for  the  sake  of  the  seeds,  we  happened  to 
taste  it  again  by  the  time  it  had  bletted  and  got 
quite  brown.  The  flavour  was  excellent,  some- 
what like  that  of  a  Medlar,  but  distinct  and  quite 
superior  to  that  of  the  Medlar.  This  tree  is  not 
only  rare  as  a  fruit-bearing  tree  in  this  country, 
bat  even  planters  caring  for  trees  do  not  know  it 
when  they  see  it.  We  should  say  that  amateurs 
fond  of  curiosities  might  at  least  amuse  them- 
selves and  puzzle  their  friends  with  this  uncommon 
fruit.  It  is  in  condition  in  December,  and  would 
probably  with  care  last  over  Christmas.  Have  any 
of  our  readers  any  experience  of  it  ?  In  shape  it 
is  like  a  little  Pear,  and  some  of  the  specimens 
are  nearly  as  large  as  a  small  Green  Chisel.  With 
care  and  thinning  no  doubt  it  might  be  much 
improved. 

Books. 


APPLE  CONGRESS  REPORT.* 

Mb.  Baeros,  the  director  of  the  Royal  Horticul- 
tural Society  Gardens,  at  Chiswick,  with  his  coad- 
jutors, may  be  congratulated  on  having  brought 
their  labours  to  a  (temporary)  happy  conclusion 
by  the  issue  of  their  report  of  the  Apple  Congress. 
That  they  have  accomplished  no  easy  task  may  be 
gathered  from  the  fact  that  they  had  upwards  of 
10,000  dishes  of  fruit,  grown  on  different  soils  and 
in  different  situations,  to  identify  and  to  assign  to 
them  their  true  names.  Doubtless  their  labours  were 
occasionally  unduly  increased  and  rendered  more 
difficult  by  some  growers,  and  particularly  amateurs, 
not  sending  average  specimens  representing  the 
true  type,  but  in  some  cases  abnormal  examples 
chosen  for  their  size,  or  for  some  peculiarity  ;  this 
we  have  ourselves  observed  at  the  congress,  as  at 
other  shows.  Bydint  of  perseverance  and  attention, 
a  correct  analysis  of  the  best  varieties  has  been 
secured.  Mr.  Barron  has  given  us  a  list  of  1.530 
exhibits  with  their  proper  names  and  synonyms, 
bat  out  of  this  large  number  he  has  selected  only 
120  varieties  possessing  sufficient  merit  to  render 
them  valuable  to  the  cultivator.  Those  rejected 
by  him  were  considered  too  small  for  general  use. 
Thus  amongst  culinary  Apples  the  committee 
ruled,  that  as  so  many  of  large  size  were  in  culti- 
vation, all  under  3  inches  in  diameter  must  be 
discarded,  excepting  a  few  specially  adapted  to 
certain  localities.  Those  particularly  recommended 
for  general  use  are  (at  the  head  of  the  list) 
Lord  Suflield,  Dumelow's  Seedling  (known  in 
London  as  Wellington  and  in  the  north  of 
England  as  Normanton  Wonder),  Keswick  Codlin, 
Warner's  King,  Hawthornden,  Grenadier,  Peas- 
good's  Nonsuch,  and  others,  to  the  number  of 
sixty. 

The  most  popular  dessert  Apples  appear  to 
be  King  of  the  Pippins,  Cox's  Orange,  Ribston 
Pippin,  and  Blenheim  Orange,  with  several  others 
— sixty  in  all.  It  will  henceforth  be  desirable  for 
the  nurserymen  to  keep  only  the  best  sorts, 
and  to  do  away  with  varieties  not  adapted  for 
profitable  general  cultivation.  At  the  same  time 
in  so  doing,  some  kinds  which  have  long  been 
local  favourites,  fjourishing  exceptionally  well  in 
certain  situations,  might  be  needlessly  sacrificed. 
Leaving  profit  out  of  the  question,  there  may  be 
quiet  nooks  still  left  in  old-fashioned  orchards  and 
gardens  where  these  discarded  favourites  (like  de- 
throned sovereigns),  around  whom  pleasant  asso- 
ciations perhaps  cluster,  may  find  a  home  and  cul- 
ture. While  we  are  anxious  to  bring  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  Apple  to  perfection  in  this  country  by 
the  selection  of  the  best  sorts  and  their  proper 
treatment,  we  should  regret  the  utter  destruction 


*  "British  Apples."  Report  of  the  committee  of  the 
National  Apple  Congress  held  at  the  Koyal  Horticultural 
Gardens,  Cliiswiek,  October  .5  and  25.  Prepared  by  Mr. 
.\.  F.  BaiTon..    Macmillan  &  Co. 


of  time-honoured  varieties,  old  friends  of  our  child- 
hood, the  probable  ancestors  of  new  and  more 
showy  favourites.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Apples 
named  by  the  congress  cannot  be  regarded  as 
forming  complete  and  exhaustive  lists  of  the  best 
and  most  desirable  sorts  to  cultivate  in  all  cases. 
Many  kinds  exist  which  are  comparatively  little 
known,  and,  owing  to  the  early  date  of  the  con- 
gress, were  entirely  absent,  or  occupied  much 
lower  places  in  the  lists  than  their  merits  entitled 
them  to  fill,  such  as  Pearson's  Plate,  Melon, 
Grenadier,  Prince  Albert,  Frogmore  Prolific,  Lady 
Henniker,  Golden  Spire,  Schoolmaster,  and  Bram- 
ley's  Seedling.  The  last  named,  a  new  variety 
approved  by  the  committee,  received  a  first-class 
certificate.  As  the  congress  met  so  early  in  the 
season,  and  as  the  arrangements  were  unavoid- 
ably somewhat  hurried,  we  cannot  be  surprised 
that  a  large  percentage  of  the  exhibitors  hailed 
from  the  southern  counties,  while  comparatively 
few  came  from  the  north  or  the  midlands.  Hence 
the  congress  did  not  represent  all  the  best 
Apples  grown  in  this  country,  while  more  than 
half  the  exhibitors  came  from  the  south  of 
England,  and  only  seven  from  Yorkshire,  a 
county  which  produced  the  Ribston  Pippin  un- 
rivalled in  its  way,  a  fruit  which  will  always 
hold  its  own.  It  has  stood  the  test  of  time  and 
competition,  and  has  been  the  progenitor  of  two 
Apples  which  obtained  nearly  the  largest  number 
of  marks  at  the  congress — Cox's  Orange  Pippin 
and  Cox's  Pomona.  These  we  consider  the  best 
Apples  grown  and  the  most  suitable  for  general 
culture.  On  referring  to  the  valuable  literature 
on  the  subject  of  Apples,  we  feel  assured  that 
there  are  other  Apples  in  our  northern  and  midland 
counties  which  might  prove  formidable  rivals  to 
those  we  have  mentioned.  Some  of  these,  grown 
in  the  north  and  in  Scotland,  are  probably  hardier 
in  constitution  and  better  adapted  to  our  change- 
able climate,  and  for  this  reason  might  be  of  great 
service  to  the  cultivator  if  they  were  better  known. 
We  think  that  one  object  of  a  congress  like 
that  we  are  [considering  should  be  to  draw  fruit 
of  merit  from  undeserved  obscurity  and  give 
it  a  place  in  our  lists  of  useful  Apples. 
We  would  suggest  that  another  congress  should 
be  held  on  the  next  favourable  opportunity  in  one 
of  our  northern  cities — York,  Manchester,  or, 
better  still,  Edinburgh.  Let  plenty  of  time  be 
given  and  growers  have  sufficient  notice,  and  let 
the  date  of  the  meeting  be  fixed  late  enough  to 
enable  exhibitors  to  show  their  Apples  in  full 
perfection.  It  would  be  curious  to  observe 
whether  the  committee  would  be  likely  to  modify 
some  of  their  late  decisions.  We  felt  a  pang  at 
the  unfavourable  reception  of  the  Court  of  Wick  (a 
delicious  dessert  Apple),  and  of  one  or  two  others, 
of  which  the  best  specimens  may  not  have  been 
exhibited.  I>et  us  hope,  however,  that  the  work 
of  the  congress  of  1883  (on  the  whole  so  auspi- 
ciously commenced),  may  go  on  and  prosper.  It 
may  be  said  to  mark  an  era  in  the  history  of 
pomology,  but  we  are  only  at  the  beginning  of  the 
end  which  its  promoters  have  set  before  them- 
selves, (.('.,  improvement  in  Apple  culture  and  the 
selection  of  the  best  kinds  for  private  use,  for  the 
purposes  of  commerce,  and  for  the  manufacture 
of  cider.  Among  other  things  the  classification  of 
the  fruit  ought  to  be  more  definite  and  scientific. 
We  think  that  the  one  adopted  might  be  improved 
upon.  Each  fruit  has  its  distinguishing  features 
and  character  with  certain  variations  dependent 
on  soil,  climate,  and  treatment,  but  would  it  not 
be  possible  to  arrange  all  Apples  under  the  dif- 
ferent heads  of  "  Calvilles,"  "  Codlins,"  "  Pippins," 
"|Reinettes,"  and  "  Russets,"  to  which  last  the  French 
give  the  name  of  "  Reinette  Grise "  ?  or  is  the 
great  difficulty  in  this  direction  caused  by  the  fre- 
quent crossings  which  in  some  cases  have  hope- 
lessly confounded  the  different  types  ?  We  may 
here  say  that  we  consider  Calvilles  occupy 
in  France  much  the  same  position  that 
Codlins  do  in  this  country,  and  that  Rei- 
nettes  and  Pippins  are  synonymous  terms. 
This  arrangement  would  much  simplify  matters, 
and  there  seems  no  reason  why  it  should  not  be 
generally  adopted,  taking  care  that  every  devia- 
tion from  the  type  is  carefully  noted.     We  do  not 


entirely  approve  of  the  manner  in  which  the  con- 
gress has  judged  the  Apples  by  awarding  marks 
according  to  the  number  of  exhibits.  We  think 
that  marks  should  be  given  for  the  general  useful- 
ness of  the  tree  and  the  quality  of  its  fruit.  One 
great  object  of  the  congress  is  the  diffusion  of 
accurate  knowledge  as  to  the  best  sorts  of  Apples 
and  those  which  prosper  most  under  the  climatic 
influences  of  different  parts  of  the  country.  For 
instance,  an  Apple  which  would  be  prolific  in 
bearing,  producing  fine  fruit  of  average  size  in  the 
genial  climate  of  Hereford  or  Devon,  might  bear 
but  a  scanty  crop  of  poor  dwarfed,  flavourless 
character  in  the  hardier  orchards  of  Northern 
Britain.  Pomological  knowledge  is  somewhat  ne- 
glected in  England,  though  it  is  receiving  great 
attention  in  France  and  Belgium.  Here  let  us 
offer  a  tribute  to  the  memory  of  the  late  Mr. 
Rivers  and  to  his  eflorts  in  this  direction.  He 
may  be  regarded  as  a  pioneer  in  the  work  of  the 
regeneration  of  orchards.  To  him  we  owe  many 
valuable  varieties  of  different  sorts  of  fruits,  and 
he  may  (as  far  as  practical  knowledge  goes)  be 
considered  to  have  attained  to  the  exalted  posi- 
tion in  this  country  which  Andre  Leroy  occupies 
in  France. 

Perhaps  we  ought,  in  saying  this,  to  take  into 
account  the  very  backward  state  of  pomology 
when  Rivers  began  his  labours ;  whereas  Leroy, 
a  descendant  of  a  family  of  noted  gardeners, 
reared  in  a  school  of  pomological  tradition,  had 
his  materials  ready  to  hand.  Rivers  was  one 
of  the  first  to  point  out  the  necessity  for 
the  careful  planting  of  properly  selected  sorts, 
and  of  assiduous  cultivation  with  regular  and 
scientific  pruning.  He  suggests  that  an  agreeable 
and  eligible  investment  might  be  made  of  an  acre 
of  Cox's  Orange  Pippin,  for  that,  even  in  mode- 
rate seasons,  the  price  paid  for  the  land  might  be 
realised  in  two  or  three  years.  In  passing  through 
the  country,  it  is  painful  to  see  the  neglected,  un- 
cared-for orchards  of  cankered.  Moss-grown  trees  ; 
instead  of  being  well  grown  and  properly  pruned, 
with  their  fruit  thinned,  they  are  left  to  their  own 
devices  to  grow  as  they  like.  To  look  at  them 
you  might  imagine  that  timber,  and  not  fruit,  was 
aimed  at ;  in  many  cases  the  Apples  are  no 
bigger  than  Crabs,  and  really  only  fit  for  pigs. 
The  possessor  of  such  an  orchard  sometimes 
wonders  that  some  years  he  has  no  crop,  or  only 
a  small  one.  He  need  not  wonder;  he  has  allowed 
his  trees  to  exhaust  themselves  in  the  production  of 
an  almost  useless  profusion  of  poor  fruit;  they  have, 
therefore,  no  vitality  left  to  enable  them  to  bear 
fruit  the  following  year.  The  congress  will  doubt- 
less do  much  in  the  way  of  stirring  up  the  energies 
of  fruit  growers,  and  of  giving  increased  interest  to 
their  labours.  We  often  regret  that  instead  of  con- 
tinuing to  re-plant  on  the  old  sites  of  worn-out 
orchards  (as  is  constantly  done),  where  the  soil  is 
actually  tree-sick,  new  spots  are  not  chosen.  It 
has  likewise  often  occurred  to  us  that  in  the 
many  exhibitions  which  are  held  all  over  the 
country  (for  have  not  all  towns  and  many  vil- 
lages their  local  shows  ?)  instead  of  giving  all 
money  awards  for  fruit  and  vegetables,  the  prizes 
should  consist  of  fruit  trees  of  good  sorts.  This 
has  already  been  successfully  done  on  a  small 
scale  by  Mr.  Ingram,  of  Belvoir.  In  this  manner 
a  knowledge  of  the  best  kinds,  so  long  almost 
entirely  confined  to  nurserymen  in  large  towns 
or  to  experienced  high-class  gardeners,  would 
be  disseminated  throughout  the  country.  Every- 
thing is  in  the  grower's  favour.  Nowhere  in 
the  world  are  finer  Apples  produced  than  in  Eng- 
land, where  it  is  allowed  on  all  hands  that  the  soil 
and  climate  are  particularly  suited  to  them.  The 
best  imported  ones  cannot  compete  as  to  appear- 
ance and  value  with  the  specimens  to  be  met  with 
in  our  large  markets  and  on  the  tables  of  the 
wealthy.  When  we  survey  them  and  taste  their 
delicious  flavour,  we  might  almost  believe  they 
came,  like  the  fabled  Apples  of  old,  from 

Fair  clasilc  isles  beyond  the  ench.inted  seas. 
The  fadeless  gardens  of  the  Uespe  rides. 

It  seems  probable  that  the  Romans  introduced 
the  Apple  into  Britain,  as  those  great  civilisers  of 
the  northern  races  possessed  2()  varieties. 


520 


THE    GARDEN 


[Dec.  20,  1884. 


Several  names  of  English  towns  of  Celtic  deri- 
vation originate  from  the  Apple,  such  as  Apple- 
dnrcombe,  Avalon,  and  some  Norse  or  Danish 
names,  as  Appleby,  Applegarth,  Applethwaite. 
We  read  in  an  ancient  chronicle  that  baked 
Apples  formed  part  of  the  ploughman's  food  in 
the  13th  and  14th  centuries.  An  Italian  who 
travelled  in  England  towards  the  close  of  the 
Middle  Ages  speaks  of  it  as  a  paradise  of  gardens 
and  orchards,  and  describes  the  fruit  trees  as 
excellently  cultivated.  8o  much  for  ancient  times. 
Let  us  in  these  modern  days,  with  every  appliance 
and  many  advantages,  do  our  best  to  improve  the 
culture  of  this  excellent  fruit.  One  objection 
urged  against  a  greatly  increased  production  is  the 
difficulty  of  finding  regular  markets.  This  can 
hardly  be  valid  when  we  consider  the  very 
large  quantity  annually  imported.  May  we  not 
hope  that  this  importation  may  in  time  become 
unnecessary,  and  that  Apple  growing  will  become 
entirely  a  native  industry.  It  is  true  that  in 
abundant  seasons  it  has  not  always  been  easy  to 
find  purchasers  for  the  surplus,  but  that  surplus 
often  consists  of  very  inferior  specimens,  while  in 
all  seasons  Lord  Suflaeld,  Bramley's  Seedling, 
Cox's  Orange,  Ribston  Pippin,  and  other  good 
kinds  command  a  ready  sale.  We  would  press 
upon  the  attention  of  the  young  gardener  and  the 
amateur  the  importance  of  the  careful  study  of 
books  devoted  to  pomology.  At  the  head  of  the 
list  (for  students  of  French)  stands  Leroy's  ex- 
haustive work,  a  book  full  of  interest  and  a  mine 
of  intelleotaral  wealth.  It  has  been  said  that  the 
man  who  makes  two  blades  of  Graes  grow  where 
only  one  grew  before  is  a  benefactor  to  his  race, 
and  every  intelligent  pomologist  who  devotes  his 
energies  to  the  production  of  new  sorts  and  to 
the  improvement  of  known  kinds  is  not  less  to  be 
regarded  as  having  conferred  substantial  blessings 
on  the  world.  W.  Newton. 

Hillside,  Nen'arU-on-Trent. 


RECENT  PLANT  PORTRAITS. 

Fritillaria  bucharica  (Regel's  "Garten- 
flora,"  plate  1171).— A  rather  pretty  new  Fritil- 
lary  belonging  to  the  section  of  the  genus  Rhino- 
petalum.  It  is  indigenous  to  the  Khannate  of 
Buchara,  and  is  found  at  elevations  of  from  4000  feet 
to  5000  feet  above  the  sea  level.  It  is  apparently 
a  rather  strong  growing  species,  bearing  terminal 
cymes  of  medium-sized,  pure  white,  round,  cup- 
shaped  flowers,  slightly  shaded  pink  on  outside.  This 
is  altogether  unlike  any  Fritillary  known  to  me, 
except  F.  Karelini,  figured  in  105th  volume  of 
Botanical  Magazine,  tab.  6406,  which  it  somewhat 
resembles,  but  is  much  less  ornamental,  though 
considerably  taller  in  stature,  its  flowers  being 
about  half  the  size  of  the  variety  mentioned  and 
much  paler  in  colour.  , 

EPIPHYLLUM      RUSSELLIANUM    VAR.     GA.ERT- 

NERi  (Regel's  "  Gartenflora,"  plate  1172).— A  very 
bright  and  ornamental  and  apparently  most  free- 
blooming  member  of  the  Cactus  family,  producing 
at  the  point  of  almost  every  leaflet  a  large,  bright 
scarlet  flower,  with  narrow  and  acutely-pointed 
petals,  reminding  one  considerably  of  a  single 
Cactus  Dahlia,  if  such  a  flower  exists. 

Htdrangea  v^riQ-Lkms  {Botanical  Magazine, 
plate  6788).— A  fine  double  plate  of  this  curious 
cliinbing  Hydrangea,  which  is  a  native  of  the  snb- 
alpine  districts  of  Japan,  extending  into  the 
island  of  Sachalin.  It  grows  freely  in  a  cool  con- 
servatory, but  must  be  provided  with  a  support, 
to  which  it  clings  with  a  number  of  air-roots,  like 
an  Ivy  to  a  wall  or  tree.  Its  flower-head  resembles 
that  of  H.  pubescens,  but  the  fertile  blooms  in 
the  centre  of  cyme  are  of  a  much  greener  hue ; 
the  sterile  flowers  round  the  edge  are  pure  white. 
It  is  also  known  under  the  names  of  H.  scandens 
and  H.  cordifolia. 

Allium  maceanthum  {Botanical  Magazine, 
plate  6789).— A  fine  tall  East  Himalayan  member 
of  the  Garlic  family,  which  belongs  to  the  group 
in  which  the  rootstock  Is  scarcely  at  all  bulbous 
It  was  first  brought  home  by  Mr.  Elwes  from  the 
frontiers  of  Sikkim  and  Thibet.  In  habit  of  growth 
It    exactly    resembles  the    Leek,  producing  fine 


large  heads  of  fifty  or  more  bright  manve-purple 
flowers  on  stout,  upright  stems,  from  2  feet  to 
3  feet  high. 

Salvia  paniculata  (Botanical  Magazine, 
plate  6790). — A  pretty  Sage,  which  is  a  native  of 
South  Africa  and  resembles  in  habit  of  growth 
that  of  S.  tricolor.  It  produces  rather  loose 
bunches  of  pale  purplish  lilac  flowers.  It  was  re- 
introduced from  the  Continent  by  Mr.  Lynch,  of 
Cambridge.  It  is  also  known  under  the  synonyms 
of  S.  chamseelasagnea  and  S.  minor. 

DICHOTEICHUM  TERNATEUM  {Botanical  Maga- 
zine, plate  6791). — This  very  handsome  plant  is  a 
native  of  the  Moluccas,  and  is  a  close  ally  of  the 
beautiful  genus  ^iischynanthus.  It  was  introduced 
by  Messrs.  Jakob  Makoy  &  Co.,  of  Li^ge,  who 
sent  a  specimen  to  Kew  in  1882,  where  it  was 
grown  against  a  flat  board  in  the  Begonia  bouse 
and  bloomed  in  September  of  the  following  year. 
It  is  a  tall,  climbing  undershrub,  with  soft,  thick, 
herbaceous  branches,  all  over  softly  pubescent ; 
stem  and  branches  rooting  copiously  into  its  sup- 
ports. From  these  branches  the  long  flowering 
peduncledepends.bearingacandelabra-likecorymb 
of  ascending  flowers  of  a  tubular  shape  and  bright 
rosy  scarlet  colour.    A  strikingly  beautiful  plant. 

Plectranthus  fcetidus  (?)  {Botanical  Maga- 
zine, plate  6792). — This  very  striking  plant  is  a 
native  of  the  eastern  parts  of  Tropical  Australia, 
whence  a  specimen  was  first  brought  by  Sir  Joseph 
Banks.  It  is,  however,  an  exceedingly  rare  plant. 
The  specimen  here  figured  was  raised  in  the  Edin- 
burgh Botanic  Garden,  and  was  sent  to  Kew  in 
1883,  where  it  flowered  in  the  Palm  house  during 
the  spring  months,  forming  a  conspicuous  feature 
from  the  great  length  of  its  racemose  flower- 
spikes  with  their  snowy  coat  of  wool  enlivened  by 
the  beautiful  cobalt-blue  of  the  corolla.  It  is 
difficult  to  understand  why  it  should  have  received 
the  distinctive  appellation  of  fcetidus,  as  it  has 
no  smell  whatever  when  fresh  and  is  far  from 
offensive  when  crushed.  W.  E.  G. 

VITALITY  OF  BURIED  SEEDS. 
It  is  astonishing  how  long  seeds  of  some  indi- 
genous plants  retain  their  germinating  powers 
when  buried  so  deep  in  the  earth  as  to  be  beyond 
the  reach  of  atmospheric  influences.  Last  spring 
we  grubbed  up  a  large  bed  of  common  old  Rho- 
dodendrons, in  order  to  replace  them  with  new 
and  better  sorts.  Previous  to  planting  the  latter, 
the  peatsoil.of  which  the  bed  was  made.wastumed 
over  and  thoroughly  broken  up,  the  bottom  portion 
being  brought  to  the  surface.  That  bed  is  now 
covered  with  a  thick  crop  of  seedling  Foxgloves, 
the  seed  of  which  must  have  been  lying  there  in 
a  state  of  complete  dormancy  for  probably 
half  a  century.  Rhododendrons  do  not  flourish 
here  in  the  natural  soU.  Therefore  they  are 
provided  with  peat  brought  from  the  adjacent 
Mendip  Hills,  where  Foxgloves  grow  wild  in  rich 
profusion  ;  the  present  crop  of  young  plants,  there- 
fore, must  have  sprung  from  seed  brought  and 
buried  in  the  peat  when  the  beds  were  originally 
made.  Another  instance  nearly  as  remarkable 
came  under  our  notice  a  year  or  two  ago,  when, 
consequent  on  the  deep  cultivation  of  a  long- 
neglected  hardy  flower  border,  the  long-buried 
seeds  of  the  Giant  Mullein  (locally  called  Aaron's 
Rod)  germinated  and  grew  in  great  abundance. 
This  plant  sows  itself  and  grows  freely  on  the  top  of 
a  high  old  wall,  where  it  looks  stately,  shooting  up 
amidst  the  wall  covering  of  Ivy.  The  seeds  of 
Gorse,  too,  will,  if  deep  underground,  retain  their 
vital  properties  for  an  indefinite  length  of  time. 
I  am  acquainted  with  a  piece  of  land  in 
Northamptonshire  which  was  converted  from  a 
Furze  fox-cover  to  pasture,  a  state  in  which  it 
remained  for  thirty  years  or  more ;  it  was  then 
deeply  cultivated,  and  the  following  season  a  crop 
of  Gorse  sprung  up  over  the  whole  field.  Doubt- 
less equally  interesting  instances  of  long  buried 
seeds  germinating  are  numerous.  A.  MooBB. 
Crayimore. 

Aubrietia  deltoidea  var.  olymploa.— 

Information  is  asked  for  (p.  432)  respecting  this 
plant.    I  am  unable  to  trace  the  origin  of  the 


name  olympica ;  a  form  of  deltoidea,  however,  is 
found  near  Mount  Olympus,  and  from  specimens 
which  I  have  seen  from  there,  I  conclude  this  to 
be  the  plant.  It  is  distinct  from  A.  purpurea, 
which  flowers  in  spring,  while  A.  olympica  com- 
menced flowering  a  fortnight  or  more  ago,  and 
continues  on  through  the  winter.  It  seems  to  be 
partial  to  limestone,  over  which  it  scrambles  freely, 
and  growing  thus  it  is  seen  to  much  better  advan- 
tage than  on  flat  ground.  No  amount  of  frost  or 
hard  weather  seems  to  hurt  it.  It  may  be  propa- 
gated either  by  cuttings  or  layers.  It  is  at  present 
scarce  in  cultivation,  but  is  undoubtedly  well 
worth  attention. — K. 


Garden  Flora. 


PLATE  471. 
BIGNONIAS. 

(WITH   A    coloured   FIGURE   OF   B.   CHEREEE.*) 

The  Bignonias  are  mostly  tall  climbing  shrubs, 
with  flowers  generally  large  and  ornamental.  The 
genus  comprises  about  120  species,  all  of  which 
are  natives  of  America  ;  one  only  occurs  in  extra- 
tropical  North  America,  several  others  in  extra- 
tropical  Brazil,  all  the  others  inhabiting  the 
tropical  regions.  If  all  the  plants  that  are  called 
Bignonias  in  botanical  as  well  as  in  gardening 
works  were  to  be  included,  the  number  of  species 
would  be  very  largely  increased  beyond  the  figures 
just  given.  In  this  paper  it  is  intended  to  deal 
only  with  true  Bignonias,  and  only  such  of  them 
as  are  of  known  horticultural  worth.  At  the  end 
a  list  is  given  of  plants  which  in  gardens  are 
known  as  Bignonias,  but  which  are  members  of  other 
genera.  Many  of  the  unintroduced  kinds  are  both 
beautiful  and  distinct  enough  to  deserve  bringing 
within  reach  of  English  horticulture.  At  present 
we  possess  hardly  a  dozen  good  sorts  ;  these  will 
be  found  enumerated  and  described  below. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  find  three  more  beautiful 
plants  or  more  available  subjects  for  indoor  gar- 
dening than  B.  Cherere,  B.  venusta,  and  B.  speciosa, 
while  all  the  species  here  described  are  of  first- 
class  merit  as  flowering  plants.  It  may  be  owing 
to  their  somewhat  strong  and  large  growing  habit 
that  comparatively  little  is  done  with  Bignonias 
by  cultivators  at  the  present  time.  In  very  small 
houses  it  is  hardly  possible  to  afford  these  plants 
the  treatment  and  space  they  require  for  their 
full  growth  and  development.  There  are,  how- 
ever, thousands  of  large  glass  structures  where 
Bigonias  would  be  found  to  thrive  and  to  afford  a 
display  of  brilliant  flower  charms  such  as  would 
astonish  those — and  they  are  numerous— whose 
houses  are  embellished  only  with  the  old  stereotyped 
Passion  Flower,  Fuchsia,  and  such  Uke.  That  this 
is  no  exaggeration  will  be  seen  by  the  following 
story :  At  the  exhibition  of  plants  and  flowers 
held  Jane  12,  1883,  in  the  rooms  of  the  Linnean 
Society  at  Burlington  House  in  connection  with 
the  Horticultural  Society,  Captain  Rogers,  of 
River  Hill,  Sevenoaks,  showed  a  basket  of  beauti- 
ful blooms  of  B.  Cherere.  Assembled  at  that 
meeting  were  the  elite  of  metropolitan  horticul- 
ture, and  to  them  of  course  this  basket  of  Big- 
nonia  blooms  was  an  attraction.  There  was  no 
name  with  the  flowers,  and  no  one  present  knew 
what  they  were.  Many  made  guesses,  but  the 
fact  remained  that  amongst  that  company  of  the 
leading  spirits  of  horticulture  there  was  not  one 
to  whom  those  Bignonia  blooms  were  known. 
Someone  suggested  B.  grandiflora.  Finally,  the 
flowers  were  sent  to  Kew  for  identification.    It 


*  Drawn  from  flowers  grown  by  Captain  Rogers,  River 
Hill,  Sevenoaks,  June  13,  1SS3. 


BIGNONIfl  CHERERE, 


Dec.  20,   1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


521 


was  from  a  portion  of  these  flowers  that  the 
accompanying  plate  was  made.  This  proof  of 
how  little  was  known  of  a  plant  whose  introduc- 
tion to  English  gardens  dates  back  some  fifty 
years  will  show  how  easy  it  is  for  a  beautifal, 
distinct,  and  eminently  usefnl  plant  to  fall  into 
neglect  and  be  forgotten.  We  learned  from  Capt. 
Kogers  that  his  plant  of  B.  Chercre  was  growing 
in  a  warm  greenhouse,  and  that  he  had  scores  of 
immense  heads  of  bloom  from  it  every  summer. 
To  grow  Bignonias  the  most  important  points  to 
be  observed  are,  that  they  be  planted  out  in  beds 
of  rich,  loamy,  well-drained  soil,  that  they  be 
freely  watered  both  overhead  and  at  the  root  dur- 
ing their  most  vigorous  growing  period,  that  water 
be  withheld  from  them  as  soon  as  growth  is  about 
completed,  and  that  the  pruning  knife  be  used  as 
little  as  possible.  The  weaker  lateral  shoots  are 
the  flowering  parts  of  these  plants.  From  this  it 
will  be  seen  that  success  is  easiest  attained  when 
the  main  shoots  are  encouraged  to  grow  their  full 
length,  after  which,  by  stopping  them,  lateral 
shoots  are  freely  developed.  As  soon  as  the  plants 
get  old  and  scraggy,  cut  them  down  to  within  a 
few  feet  of  the  base,  and  as  the  new  shoots  push, 
train  them  up  to  form  the  principals  or  leaders 
from  which  the  flowering  branches  are  to  be  ulti- 
mately developed. 

B.  Carolina. — A  greenhouse  climber  of  rapid 
growth  and  graceful  habit ;  leaves  opposite,  com- 
posed of  a  pair  of  slightly  hairy,  cordate,  long 
pointed  leaflets  and  a  long,  forked  tendril ;  flowers 
in  long  terminal  panicles,  snow-white,  except  on 
the  inner  face  of  the  tube,  which  is  streaked  with 
pale  yellow;  tube  about  IJ  inches  long,  limb 
spreading.  Of  this  species  Dr.  Lindley  wrote ; 
"  All  that  we  know  of  this  charming  plant  is  that 
it  flowered  with  the  Earl  of  Ilchester  at  Melbury 
in  1842,  and  that  it  again  blossomed  with  his 
lordship  in  1844."  The  flowers  are  produced  in 
great  abundance  during  the  summer  months,  and 
are  sweet  scented,  a  character  unusual  with  Big- 
nonias. Flowering  plants  were  to  be  seen  in  the 
Palm  house  at  Kew  several  years  ago  {Botaiiical 
Register,  30,  tab.  54). 

B.  CAPREOLATA  (the  Cross  Vine  of  North 
America). — A  handsome  climber  tor  the  cool 
greenhouse.  Leaves  conjugate,  the  pair  of  leaflets 
on  each  being  cordate,  oblong,  smooth,  shining 
green,  tendril  branching  into  several  arms  ;  flowers 
in  axillary  peduncles,  which  are  produced  several 
together  from  each  node,  each  peduncle  bearing 
a  single  flower,  which  is  trumpet  shaped,  2  inches 
long  by  li  inches  wide,  with  spreading  lobes; 
colour  deep  red  splashed  with  orange,  especially 
on  the  corolla  lobes.  In  the  forests  of  the  South- 
western States  of  North  America  this  Bignonia  is 
a  frequent  object,  where,  climbing  over  the  loftiest 
trees,  it  forms  immense  curtains  of  luxuriant  foli- 
age and  numerous  brilliantly  coloured  flowers. 
The  name  Cross  Vine  refers  to  the  wood  of  the 
stem,  which  on  a  transverse  section  presents  the 
form  of  a  cross.  For  its  cultivation  in  this  country 
a  cool  greenhouse  temperature  is  sufficient,  where, 
planted  in  a  bed  of  rich  loamy  soil  and  encouraged 
to  grow  freely,  it  will  make  numerous  long  grace- 
ful branches,  which  if  allowed  to  hang  down  have  a 
handsome  effect,  even  when  not  in  flower.  The 
blooms  are  produced  in  Juneor  July,  the  plant  last- 
ing for  about  a  month  in  flower.  I'runing  should  be 
refrained  from  unless  where  necessary  fortlie  sake 
of  light.  During  winter  water  should  be  withheld 
from  the  roots  and  a  low  temperature  be  main- 
tained, so  that  a  period  of  complete  rest  may  be 
enjoyed  by  the  plant.  In  some  of  the  warmer 
parts  of  England  this  plant  thrives  out-of-doors 
when  planted  against  a  warm  sunny  wall.  There 
are  several  varieties  of  this  species  known,  the 
most  distinct  being  atrosanguinea,  which  has 
longer  leaflets,  a  dark  purple  corolla,  and  lobes 
shorter  and  more  pointed  than  in  the  type.  This 
variety,  when  in  flower,  is  one  of  the  most  striking 


of    the   climbers    in    the  conservatory   at   Kew 
(Botanical  Magazine,  t.  864  and  6501). 

E.  Chbrere  ;(see  accompanying  plate). — A 
stout  climber  with  long,  wiry  shoots,  thinly  clothed 
with  binate,  sometimes  trinate,  leaves ;  the  leaflets 
are  orbicular  or  distinctly  heart-shaped,  varying 
from  this,  their  usual  form,  to  that  of  oblong  and 
pointed  ;  the  cirrhus  or  tendril  between  the  pairs 
of  leaflets  is  .3-forked.  The  flowers  are  produced 
on  the  ends  of  the  young  ripened  shoots ;  they  are 
bell-shaped,  with  five  broadish  recurved  segments, 
and  are  about  ;!  inches  long.  The  plate  herewith 
shows  the  character  of  the  flowers  better  than  any 
description  could  do.  Generally  the  flowers  of 
this  species  are  produced  about  midsummer.  When 
favourably  situated  and  treated  liberally,  as  many 
as  from  eighty  to  a  hundred  flowers  are  produced 
on  the  end  of  a  single  branch.  There  is  a  close 
resemblance  between  these  flowers  and  those  of 
some  of  the  finest  forms  of  Tecoma  radicans ;  in 
fact,  the  flowers  from  which  the  accompanying 
plate  was  prepared  were  called  Bignonia  grandi- 
flora,  a  name  by  which  a  large-flowered  form  of 
Tecoma  radicans  is  known  in  gardens.  An  inter- 
mediate temperature,  or  at  least  that  of  a  warm 
greenhouse,  is  preferable  for  this  plant  to'a  warmer 
or  stove  temperature  ;  in  the  latter  this  Bignonia 
grows  rampantly,  but  seldom  flowers  :  whereas  in 
a  warm  greenhouse  it  makes  sturdier  growth,  and 
if  rested  for  a  short  period  during  early  spring  by 
withholding  water,  seldom  fails  to  bloom  satis- 
factorily. B.  Cherere  is  a  native  of  the  higher 
regions  of  Mexico.  It  is  sometimes  called  B. 
heterophylla  or  B.  buccinatoria.  Cultivated  in  the 
Royal  Horticultural  Society's  Gardens,  at  Chis- 
wick,  in  1834  (Botanical  Register,  15,  t.  1301). 

B.  MAGNIFICA. — A  large-flowered  stove  climber, 
introduced  by  Mr.  Bull  from  Colombia,  and  figured 
in  his  catalogue  for  1879,  from  which  the  follow- 
ing description  is  taken.  A  free-growing  and  ex- 
tremely floriferous  stove  plant,  of  scandent  habit. 
The  flowers,  which  are  produced  in  large  branch- 
ing panicles,  are  of  great  size  (about  3.}  inches 
across)  and  of  an  exceedingly  attractive  colour, 
ranging  from  delicate  mauve  to  rich  purple-crim- 
son, relieved  by  a  conspicuous  throat  of  light 
primrose-colour. 

B.  PURPUREA.-- A  stove  species  with  the  habit 
and  leaf  characters  of  B.  speciosa,  which  it  also 
resembles  in  size  and  principal  colours  of  its 
flowers.  In  the  narrower  corolla-tube  and  in  the 
whiteness  of  the  flowers  internally  we  have,  how- 
ever, good  characters  by  which  this  species  is 
easily  distinguished  from  B.  speciosa  (Botanical 
Magazine,  t.  5800). 

B.  SPECIOSA. — A  handsome  summer-flowering 
species,  and  one  of  the  best  known.  From  the 
older  stems  numerous  axillary  shoots  are  pro- 
duced, which  hang  down  gracefully  to  a  length  of 
about  a  yard.  The  leaves  are  opposite,  and  are 
composed  of  a  pair  of  rather  broad,  undulated, 
elliptical,  shining  green  leaflets  and  a  long  simple 
tendril.  The  flowers  are  borne  on  the  ends  of  these 
depending  shoots,  generally  in  pairs ;  they  are 
large,  the  tube  being  about  3  inches  long,  broad 
mouthed,  with  blunt  reflexed  lobes,  which  are 
deep  lilac  with  broad  veins  of  purple,  the  tube 
itself  being  yellow  and  lilac.  This  species  thrives 
equally  well  in  both  a  stove  and  a  warm  green- 
house, flowering  profusely  whether  the  shoots  are 
long  or  short.  A  native  of  Uruguay  (Botanical 
Magazine,  t.  3888).  The  figures  in  Botanical 
Register,  28,  t.  45,  and  Paxton's  Magazine,  )0, 
t.  125,  and  which  are  called  B.  picta,  represent  B. 
speciosa     Syn.,  B.  Lindleyi. 

B.  TWEEDIANA. — A  greenhouse  species,  with 
leaflets  in  pairs,  lance-shaped,  3  inches  long,  and 
a  short  three-forked  tendril  which  is  hooked  like 
a  bird's  claw.  The  flowers  are  trumpet-shaped, 
2  inches  long,  and  an  inch  wide  at  the  mouth,  with 
spreading  lobes,  the  margins  of  which  are  ciliated. 
Colour  of  flowers  orange-yellow  shaded  with  green 
on  outside  of  corolla-tube.  Buenos  Ayres  (Botani- 
cal Register,  26,  t.  45). 

B.  VENU8TA.— A  stove  species,  flowering  in 
winter.  Stems  extending  often  to  a  length  of  30  feet 
or  more.    Leaves  of  the  form  usual  in  Bignonia ; 


leaflets  deep  green,  smooth ;  flowers  in  large  clusters 
on  ends  of  lateral  shoots  ;  corolla  3  inches  long, 
in  form  like  that  of  Honeysuckle,  but  larger  and 
more  open  at  the  throat ;  limb  composed  of  five 
spreading  reflexed  segments  ;  whole  flower  a  bril- 
liant orange-vermilion,  with  a  narrow  marginal 
line  of  yellow  round  the  corolla  lobes.  The 
strongest  shoots  of  this  plant  often  bear  heads  of 
flowers  numbering  several  hundreds.  In  the  gar- 
dens of  Mr.  H.  T.  Hope,  Dorking,  Surrey,  this 
magnificent  climber  used  to  thrive  very  satisfac- 
torily "  twined  along  a  simple  spar  of  wood  near 
the  back  of  the  stove,  within  a  foot  of  the  roof, 
the  main  stems  extending  to  a  length  of  between 
30  feet  and  40  feet.  From  these  there  were  pro- 
bably about  300  lateral  branches  of  difEerent 
lengths,  depending  at  pretty  regular  intervals,  at 
the  extremities  of  which  clusters  of  flowers  dis- 
played their  truly  golden  glories,  and  created  a 
scene  beyond  measure  enchanting."  Although 
this  plant  had  been  in  bloom  nearly  a  month  when 
the  above  was  written,  it  had  still  in  bud  hundreds 
more  of  flowers.  This  was  in  the  month  of  October. 
The  year  previous  this  plant  had  been  cut  back  to 
within  3  feet  of  the  base,  so  that  all  the  growth 
and  the  marvellous  crop  of  bloom  were  the  pro- 
duce of  a  single  year's  good  cultivation.  It  was 
planted  in  a  bed  of  loamy  soil.  About  half-a- 
dozen  years  ago  this  Bignonia  was  a  most  attrac- 
tive picture  in  the  Palm  house  at  Kew.  An 
alteration  in  the  heating  arrangements  for  this 
house  with  a  view  to  obtaining  a  more  distinctly 
tropical  temperature  for  the  Palms  proved  fatal  to 
the  Bignonia.  At  Syon  House  there  is  a  fine  old 
plant  of  it  in  one  of  the  large  warm  houses,  and 
from  this  a  bunch  of  gorgeous  bloom  annually 
appears  at  the  horticultural  meetings  at  South 
Kensington.  Usually  B.  venusta  flowers  from 
October  to  December.  A  native  of  Rio  Janeiro, 
where,  along  with  Bougainvillea  spectabilis,  it 
forms  a  common  ornament  upon  the  trees  and 
houses  of  that  town.  A  figure  of  this  species  will 
be  found  in  The  Garden,  plate  333. 

B.  PICTA. — The  flowers  of  this  plant  are  un- 
known ;  it  is  cultivated  for  the  sake  of  its  green 
and  yellow  mottled  foliage.  It  is  apparently  a 
true  Bignonia — so  far,  at  least,  as  can  be  deter- 
mined in  the  absence  of  flowers.  Introduced  from 
Brazil  by  M.  Verschaffelt  in  1866  (Illustration 
HorticoU,  1866,  560). 

B.  ARGYRO-viOLACEA  is  a  second  ornamental- 
leaved  kind  of  unknown  floral  character,  but 
pretty  enough  in  its  purple  young  leaves,  the 
nerves  of  which  are  banded  with  grey.  Probably 
a  variety  of  B.  unguis  (Illustration  Horticole, 
1866,  469). 

The  following  list  comprises  those  garden  plants 
which  are  generally  called  Bignonias,  but  which 
really  belong  to  other  genera  : — 

B.  ajquinoctialis  -  Anemopasgma  racemosum 

B.  Chamberlayni ;-  „  „ 

B.  Colei  rr  Colea  mauritiana 

B.  grandiflora      =  Tecoma  radicans  var. 

B.  Pandorea         =        „       australis 

B.  radicans  -        „       radicans 

B.  Sambucina      =        ,,       sp. 

B.  stans  =        „       stans 

B.  TelfairisE  =  Colea  sp. 

B.  uncata  =  Macfadyena  uncinata 

B. 

Large   standard   Rhododendrons.— I 

was  induced  the  other  day  to  measure  a  few 
standard  Rhododendrons  planted  about  thirty-five 
years  ago  at  Lanhydrock,  Cornwall.  Tliey  are 
scarlet  and  crimson  varieties,  and  the  dimensions 
of  the  largest  I  found  to  be  as  follows  :  Height  of 
stem  5  feet,  circumference  of  stem  2  feet  0  inches, 
depth  of  head  10  feet,  circumference  of  head 
48  feet.  Some  of  the  others,  too,  are  nearly  as 
large  ;  they  have  long  ago  pushed  away  into  the 
rather  poor  loam  of  the  locality,  yet  they  still 
retain  their  freshness  and  vigour,  are  annually 
covered  with  bloom,  and  need  only  to  be  seen  to 
be  admired.  More  beautiful  objects  than  standard 
Rhododendrons,  whether  as  single  specimens  on  a 
lawn  or  planted  by  the  side  of  carriage  drives, 
could    scarcely    be    named :  the   dimensions    of 


522 


THE    GARDEN 


[Dec.  20,  1884. 


other  large  specimens  would  at  least  be  interest- 
ing, together  with  any  remarks  that  it  may  be 
deemed  necessary  to  make  regarding  durability  of 
character  or  conditions  of  growth. — J.  H.,  Lan- 

hydrocTi. 

SEASONABLE   WORK. 


FLORAL  DECORATIONS. 
Where  a  considerable  amount  of  dinner-table 
decoration  has  to  be  done,  a  good  supply  of  Ferns 
and  Selaginellas  should  be  kept  up  in  small  pots. 
Of  the  former,  Adiantnm  cuneatum,  Pteris  serru- 
lata,  and  its  crested  variety  will  be  found  service- 
able. Of  the  Selaginellas,  S.  denticulata  (Kraus- 
siana)  and  its  different  forms  are  the  best.  Where 
such  as  these  are  grown,  a  considerable  change 
may  be  made  in  the  mode  of  grouping  and  ar- 
rangement, in  order  to  give  variety  and  avoid 
monotony.  A  good  central  group  may  be  made  in 
the  following  manner;  If  proptr  receptacles  are 
not  at  hand,  a  thick  oval  layer  of  brown  paper  on 
the  cloth  will  answer,  or  perhaps,  what  would  be 
better,  a  large  oval  dish,  with  a  slight  layer  of 
Moss  on  the  bottom.  For  the  outer  edge  select 
somewhat  bold  foliage,  such  as  that  of  the  varie- 
gated forms  of  Begonias  or  Adiantum  farleyense. 
If  Calanthe  vestita  can  be  had  with  well-developed 
spikes,  select  four  or  five  plants  of  it,  turn  them 
out  of  their  pots,  and  arrange  them  on  the  Moss. 
Then,  if  Ferns  are  at  disposal,  they  should  be 
likewise  used  in  sufficient  numbers  to  make  a 
good  groundwork  to  the  whole.  Neither  the  Ca- 
lanthes  nor  Ferns  will  be  injured,  provided  they 
are  well  looked  to  afterwards,  and  they  will  pro- 
dace  sufficient  variety  without  any  additions 
thereto,  unless  it  te  one  or  more  of  the  spikes  of 
Calanthe  A'eitchi  to  furnish  colour.  Still  keeping 
to  the  same  base  as  a  commencement,  a  fringe  of 
rather  bolder  forms  of  Fern  foliage  may  be  first 
arranged  ;  then  fill  up  the  central  part  with  small 
Ferns,  &c  ,  as  aforenamed,  adding  thereto  one 
plant  of  Cyperus  alternitolius  as  a  centre.  Then 
insert  a  few  spikes  of  Eucharis,  or  one  or  two  each 
of  Roman  Hyacinths  or  Paper-white  Narcissus, 
using  as  a  contrast  thereto  some  sprays  of  Eu- 
phorbia jacquiniseflora,  or  two  or  three  rather 
small  bracts  of  Poinsettia.  For  sideboard  deco- 
ration the  Japanese  forms  of  Chrysanthemum 
make  a  bright  and  effective  display,  two  or  three 
colours  being  sufficient  for  one  vase.  We  think 
these  look  best  when  arranged  by  themselves,  as 
do  also  the  large-flowered  incurved  varieties.  As 
these  will  all  soon  be  over,  it  will  be  advisable  to 
make  the  most  of  them  while  they  last. 


INDOOR  PLANTS. 
Violets. — Where  a  continuous  supply  of  these 
is  wanted  through  the  winter,  the  stock  for  the 
purpose  requires  to  be  treated  in  different  ways. 
Daring  the  present  autumn  Violets  have  bloomed 
out-of-doors  freer  than  usual,  and  so  far  have 
saved  the  necessity  of  bringing  them  on  by  other 
means.  Where  plenty  of  leaves  are  at  hand,  so  as 
to  make  up  beds  that  will  give  a  little  heat  to 
stimulate  root  action  and  to  throw  ofl[  enough  top 
warmth  to  keep  the  frames  placed  over  the  plants 
at  a  genial  temperature,  there  are  few  better  de- 
vices by  which  these  sweet-scented  flowers  can  be 
had,  as  under  such  conditions  they  usually  succeed 
well.  Beds  of  this  description  must  not,  however, 
be  made  too  warm  ;  if  too  great  a  body  of  leaves 
Is  used,  they  sometimes  become  over-hot.  They 
should  be  put  together  at  intervals,  putting  on  a 
few  inches  of  soil,  upon  which  set  the  plants,  which 
ought  to  be  taken  up  with  good  balls,  having  as 
many  of  their  roots  intact  as  possible  :  place  them 
as  close  as  the  clumps  will  stand,  and  fill  in  the 
interstices  with  a  little  loose  soil,  after  which 
water  moderately,  and  give  air  daily  propor- 
tionate with  the  warmth  in  the  bed  and  the  con- 
dition of  the  weather.  It  is  an  advantage  to  treat 
them  in  this  way,  so  as  to  draw  ont  the  flower- 
stalks  a  little,  which  makes  them  more  manage- 
able in  arranging,  but  if  kept  ton  warm  or  over- 
much confined,  the  stems  become  too  weak  to  sup- 
port the  flowers  without  drooping  when  exposed. 


AViNTER  FLOWERING  EpACBlSES. — The  ear- 
liest blooming  varieties  of  these  are  frequently 
kept  a  little  warmer  in  autumn  than  ordinary 
greenhouse  stock,  the  result  being  that  they  flower 
earlier,  but  the  warmth  also  has  the  effect  of  ex- 
citing growth ;  and  if  after  they  have  done  flower- 
ing they  are  submitted  to  cooler  treatment,  they, 
like  the  Heaths,  are  liable  to  die  oii.  In  fact,  it 
may  be  taken  as  a  rule  that  any  plant,  however 
hardy  it  may  naturally  be,  that  has  its  growth 
started  in  the  autumn  or  winter  should  afterwards 
be  kept  on  moving  gradually,  or  the  check  will  be 
such  as  to  induce  ill  health.  As  soon  as  the  flower- 
ing is  over  shorten  all  the  shoots  well  in,  and  if 
possible  keep  the  plants  in  a  temperature  similar 
to  that  which  has  induced  them  to  grow.  So  man- 
aged, the  progress  they  will  make  for  the  next  two 
months  will  be  little,  but  the  check  that  so  often 
destroys  them  will  be  avoided. 

Chrtsakthemums.— Cuttings  of  these  may 
either  be  put  in  about  this  time  or  in  February  or 
March ;  in  the  former  case  they  should  be  put  in 
pots  or  pans,  kept  moist,  and  as  close  as  they  will 
bear  without  causing  the  leaves  to  damp  by  cover- 
ing with  hand  or  propagating  glasses,  but  at  the 
same  time  they  should  not  be  kept  warmer  than 
the  temperature  of  an  ordinary  greenhouse.  In 
this  way  they  root  slowly  without  the  tops  getting 
at  all  drawn,  and  as  soon  as  struck  they  should  be 
placed  near  the  glass  and  have  plenty  of  air, 
moving  them  singly  into  small  pots  about  the 
beginning  of  March.  These  early  propagated 
plants  produce  larger  blooms  where  severe  thinning 
is  practised,  and  also  a  greater  number  of  flowers 
where  the  plants  are  grown  for  ordinary  decora- 
tion than  those  struck  later.  In  all  cases  see  that 
the  cuttings  consist  of  short,  stout  shoots,  and  not 
those  that  have  been  drawn  up  through  the  plants 
being  crowded  together  whilst  in  bloom  ;  where 
the  cuttings  are  produced  under  the  latter  con- 
dition the  plants  are  never  so  strong  as  they 
should  be,  and  it  is  impossible  to  keep  their  lower 
leaves  fresh  on  them  through  the  summer.  After 
the  general  stock  has  done  blooming,  all  not  re- 
quired to  furnish  cuttings  may  be  discarded,  or 
they  can  be  planted  against  walls  or  anywhere 
where  there  is  a  chance  of  their  flowering  out-of- 
doors. 

Lapaoeeias.— Plants  of  these  done  flowering, 
if  at  all  affected  with  scale  or  thrips,  should  be 
syringed  freely  with  insecticide  strong  enough 
to  kill  the  insects  now  when  little  or  no  tender 
growth  is  present,  sponging  the  leaves  and  stems 
afterwards,  so  as  to  remove  any  eggs  that  may  re- 
main. Both  the  red  and  white  varieties  are  best 
increased  by  layering  a  few  of  the  strong  mature 
shoots,  which,  when  so  treated,  produce  through 
the  spring  suckers  that  in  the  course  of  the  season 
can  be  taken  off  and  potted  singly.  Supposing  the 
plants  to  be  planted  out,  the  mode  of  procedure 
is  to  get  some  loose  peaty  soil  to  which  has  been 
added  a  little  sand  and  leaf-mould.  This  should 
be  laid  about  4  inches  deep  on  a  portion  of  the 
surface  of  the  bed  in  which  they  are  already 
growing,  and  in  this  layer  the  shoots,  covering 
them  with  the  soil,  so  that  the  whole  of  the  stems 
are  buried  and  about  one-half  of  the  lower  portion 
of  each  leaf,  leaving  the  opposite  end  above  the 
surface.  The  shoots  must  be  pegged  down  with 
hooked  sticks  to  hold  them  in  their  position.  Keep 
the  soil  moderately  moist,  and  when  the  young 
growths  make  their  appearance  above  ground 
each  should  have  a  stick  stuck  in  the  soil  to  sup- 
port it. 

Salvias. — Those  who  grow  a  sufficient  stock 
of  the  free-blooming  S.  Bethelli  and  S.  Pitcheri 
will  find  them  amongst  the  best  plants  for  asso- 
ciating with  Chrysanthemums,  suitable  alike  for 
general  decoration  and  for  cutting,  for  either  of 
which  purposes  they  will  last  longer  than  most 
flowers.  If  to  succeed  these  some  of  the  later 
flowering  varieties,  such  as  S.  gesnerieflora,  are 
grown,  a  good  display  may  be  kept  up  for  a  con- 
siderable time  in  the  new  year,  bat  the  plants  of 
these  late  blooming  sorts  must  not  be  kept  too 
cold,  or  they  will  get  stagnated  in  a  way  that  will 
much  interfere  with  their  flowering.  The  op- 
posite extreme  must  likewise  be  avoided,  or  they 


will  come  in  too  soon.  A  temperature  of  40°  at 
night  will  answer  with  the  latest  of  the  stock,  and 
if  the  pots  are  very  full  of  roots  a  little  manure 
water  should  be  given  every  week. 

Sarracenias.— These  are  extremely  liable  to 
the  attacks  of  brown  scale  and  thrips.  The  latter 
are  almost  sure  to  make  their  appearance  every 
summer,  secreting  themselves  under  the  recurved 
mouth  of  the  pitchers,  and  unless  means  are  taken 
to  destroy  them  as  soon  as  discovered,  they  injure 
the  pitchers  so  much  as  to  cause  their  premature 
decay,  and  even  when  the  mature  insects  are 
killed  there  usually  remains  a  number  of  eggs 
ready  to  start  into  life  as  soon  as  returning 
warmth  brings  them  on.  To  exterminate  these 
all  the  pitchers  should  now  be  carefully  sponged 
with  strong  Tobacco  water,  and  in  like  manner 
wherever  scale  exists  an  effort  should  be  made  to 
completely  eradicate  it,  for  so  exceptionally  fast 
does  it  breed  on  the  young  growths  of  these 
plants,  that  they  are  all  but  sure  to  get  disfigured 
through  the  operations  they  are  necessarily  sub- 
jected to  in  removing  it  when  the  pitchers  are  soft 
and  immature. 


FLOWER  GARDEN. 


A  GENERAL  Survey  should  now  be  made  to  see 
what  improvement  can  be  effected  in  the  way  of 
flower  beds,  as  this  and  other  alterations  that  it 
may  be  desirable  to  carry  out  can  now  be  accom- 
plished with  speed  and  comfort;  and  not  only 
these,  bnt  deciduous  trees  and  shrubs  transplanted 
before  the  new  year  has  far  advanced  stand  a  better 
chance  of  succeeding  than  is  possible  for  them  if 
their  removal  is  deferred  until  the  spring.  Any, 
however,  of  large  size  had  better  be  left  till  next 
autumn,  and  to  prepare  them  for  lifting  then  they 
should  have  a  trench  opened  around  them  now  in 
order  that  their  roots  may  be  cut,  when  by 
filling  in  the  trench  again  with  light  sandy  soil 
the  cut  roots  will  form  fresh  fibres,  which 
will  be  a  great  help  towards  rendering  their 
future  removal  safe,  and  will  assist  materially  in 
getting  them  quickly  established.  In  the  trans- 
planting of  trees  and  shrubs,  the  great  point  is  to 
secure  as  many  roots  as  possible,  and  to  preserve 
each  and  all  from  injury.  Another  thing  that 
militates  greatly  against  the 

Successful  lifting  and  tran.splanting  of 
trees  is  leaving  their  roots  exposed,  through 
which  they  become  dry  and  shrivelled,  and  not 
only  do  they  get  in  this  unsatisfactory  state,  but 
the  bark  of  the  stems  and  branches  contracts,  and 
when  allowed  to  get  in  that  condition  it  is  long 
before  the  sap  vessels  come  into  proper  working 
order  again.  To  prevent  this  shrivelling  it  is  a 
good  plan,  if  the  trees  moved  be  large,  to  bind 
their  main  stems  and  branches  with  Moss,  large 
flaky  pieces  of  which  may  be  quickly  tied  on ; 
the  whole  surface  is  thus  enveloped  by  a  covering 
which  will  preserve  plenty  of  moisture  and  keep 
the  bark  plump.  Where  beds  are  to  be  turfed 
over  it  is  a  very  important  matter  that  they  be 
well  rammed,  for  if  this  is  not  done  there  is  sure 
to  be  a  gradual  subsidence  of  the  earth,  and  this 
sinking  soon  causes  unsightly  hollows  that  cannot 
be  rectified  till  the  autumn.  As  the  soil  of  beds 
is  generally  richer  than  that  on  which  Grass  has 
been  growing,  it  is  always  advisable  when  carrying 
out  alterations  to  remove  a  portion  of  the  surface 
and  replace  it  with  soil  of  a  poorer  character,  or 
the  lawn  will  prove  patchy  for  years.  In  the 
selection  of  turf  the  best  is  that  near  paths  where 
it  has  been  subjected  to  a  good  deal  of  traffic, 
which  makes  it  come  finer,  and  gives  it  altogether 
an  improved  texture  and  quality.  The  handiest 
sized  turves  for  laying  quickly  and  handling  easily 
are  those  which  are  about  2  feet  long  by  !)  inches 
or  10  inches  wide,  and  1  inch  to  li  inches  thick, 
as,  so  long  as  they  will  hold  together,  the  thinner 
they  are  the  better  they  will  roll  and  unroll,  and 
the  more  speedily  can  they  be  beaten  down  level  in 
their  places.  The  beating  down  should  first  of  all 
be  done  during  a  dry  time,  and  then  immediately 
after  rain,  and  if  the  roller  is  afterwards  passed 
over,  a  firm  level  surface  will  be  the  result. 


Dec.  20,  1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


523 


Herbaceous  plants  are  seen  to  the  best  ad- 
vantage in  wide  shrubbery  borders  with  low  ever- 
greens to  back  them  up,  but  these  latter  ought  not 
to  be  of  a  kind  whose  roots  spread  widely,  or  they 
rob  the  plants  and  so  spoil  their  growth.  Khodo- 
dendrons,  Berberis  Darwini,  B.  stenophylla,  and 
such  like  do  not  do  this,  and  therefore  should  be 
largely  made  use  of,  as  they  are  not  only  valuable 
on  this  account,  but  they  are  more  desirable  than 
most  others  on  account  of  their  moderate  habit  of 
growth  and  the  great  beauty  of  their  flowers, 
which  they  bear  so  profusely  in  spring.  For  va- 
riety of  foliage,  Aucubas,  Euonymus,  and  Hollies 
are  the  most  suitable,  and  to  these  may  be  added 
the  variegated  Dogwood  and  Acer  fraxinifolium, 
and  by  way  of  contrast  to  these,  one  or  two  of  the 
dark-coloured  Nut,  which,  with  its  rich  coppery 
leaves,  shows  up  well.  As  most  herbaceous  plants 
are  fond  of  rich  soil,  the  opportunity  afforded  when 
making  a  new  border  of  giving  a  good  dressing  of 
manure  should  not  be  lost.  The  kind  of  manure 
most  suitable  for  the  purpose  is  that  of  a  inild 
nature  and  which  has  been  lying  by  for  sometime 
to  get  well  decomposed.  Such  as  this  is  agree- 
able to  most  plants,  and  may  be  used  freely,  but 
it  is  always  best  to  keep  it  low  down. 


FRUIT. 

Pines. — Endeavour  to  maintain  a  bottom  heat 
of  90°  and  a  minimum  top  heat  of  70°,  with  a  rise 
of  10°  by  day  in  the  fruiting  pit.  Look  over  the 
plants  at  least  once  a  week,  and  water  well  with 
warm  diluted  liquid  or  guano  water  when  feeding 
is  considered  necessary.  Dew  the  plants  over 
with  a  fine  syringe  on  clear,  mild  days,  and 
moisten  every  part  of  the  house  with  weak  liquid 
when  the  house  is  closed  for  the  day.  If  the  fruit 
is  to  be  kept  for  any  length  of  time  after  it  is  ripe 
remove  the  plants  bodily,  or  cut  the  Pines  and 
remove  them  to  a  dry,  warm  atmosphere  as  soon 
as  they  begin  to  change  colour  B^rom  this  date 
the  latter  course  is  perhaps  the  best,  as  the  suckers 
left  on  the  old  stools  will  gain  strength  and  be  in 
the  best  possible  state  for  potting  in  February. 
Where  a  batch  of  promising  Queens  were  selected 
last  month  and  plunged  in  a  bottom  heat  or  90° 
in  a  light  house  they  will  soon  show  to  an  experi- 
enced eye  whether  they  are  likely  to  throw  up  fruit 
without  making  a  growth,  and  when  this  point  has 
been  determined  more  water  may  be  given  to  the 
roots  ;  but  great  care  will  be  needed,  as  the  best 
of  plants  may  soon  be  spoiled  by  overwatering  in 
winter.  Keep  a  moist  growing  atmosphere  by 
damping  all  available  surfaces,  but  defer  overhead 
syringing  for  the  present.  Plants  now  resting 
and  from  which  a  growth  may  be  expected  before 
they  show  fruit,  must  be  kept  cool  and  dry  until 
the  commencement  of  the  new  year,  when  the 
treatment  recommended  for  the  earliest  batch  may 
be  applied.  In  succession  and  sucker  pits  a  general 
reduction  in  top  and  bottom  heats  may  now  be 
made.  When  fire  heat  is  needed  a  minimum  of 
.56°to  60°,  with  a  rise  of  10°  by  day,  will  be  suffi- 
cient. The  bottom  heat  sliould  not  sink  below 
7.")°,  neither  should  it  be  allowed  to  rise  above  80°. 
Pay  particular  attention  to  watering,  as  plants  in 
small  pots  placed  over  hot-water  pipes  soon  be- 
come dry,  and  a  check  produced  by  the  want  of 
water  is  very  likely  to  cause  them  to  start  prema- 
turely when  more  heat  is  applied  in  the  spring. 
Where  fermenting  leaves  or  tan  are  used  for  sup- 
plying bottom  heat  there  is  less  danger  of  the 
plants  becoming  dust-dry,  but  these  should  be 
regularly  examined  and  watered  before  that  stage 
is  reached.  Strong  rooted  suckers  that  were 
potted  into  fruiting  pots  late  in  the  autumn  should 
be  kept  near  the  glass,  in  a  light  span-roofed  house 
where  they  can  have  sufficient  top  and  bottom  heat 
to  keep  them  progressing  through  the  winter. 

Figs. — Although  we  have  not  as  yet  done  more 
than  warm  the  pipes  in  our  early  Fig  house  on 
fine  mornings,  the  application  of  warm  water  to 
the  roots,  aided  by  fermenting  material,  has  set 
the  sap  in  motion,  and  the  yonng  Figs  are  begin- 
ning to  swell.  The  trees  are  now  regularly 
syringed  twice  a  day,  and  the  temperature  is  al- 
lowed to  range  from  50°  on  cold  nights  to  65°  by 


day.  When  the  terminal  buds  get  a  little  more 
advanced  the  night  temperature  will  be  raised  to 
56°,  and  as  this  will  necessitate  more  fire-heat, 
the  daily  syringing  and  watering  will  be  propor- 
tionately increased.  When  young  trees  in  small 
pots  are  forced,  the  most  important  operation  is 
the  supply  of  water  to  the  roots,  as  one  mistake 
in  this  part  of  the  daily  routine  is  almost  sure  to 
prove  fatal  to  the  most  forward,  and,  as  a  matter 
of  course,  the  most  valuable  portion  of  the  crop. 
If  plunged  or  placed  on  a  bed  of  fermenting 
leaves  the  latter  should  be  well  worked  before  they 
are  taken  into  the  pit. 

Cherries — The  early  house  from  which  ripe 
fruit  is  to  be  gathered  in  May  should  be  closed 
about  this  time,  and  pot  trees  which  have  been 
standing  in  the  open  air  may  be  cleansed,  top- 
dressed,  and  placed  upon  shelves  or  borders  where 
they  will  not  be  shaded  by  the  permanent  trees. 
The  old  May  Duke  and  Black  Circassian  are  excel- 
lent kind-i  for  growing  in  pots,  as  they  come  in 
early,  and  being  portable  they  can  be  removed  to 
the  open  air  as  soon  as  the  fruit  is  gathered,  when 
the  liigarreau,  Elton,  and  other  late  varieties 
trained  under  the  roof  can  have  the  house  en- 
tirely to  themselves.  All  preliminaries  having  been 
completed,  the  starting  of  Cherries  is  a  very  simple 
affair,  the  main  point  being  the  maintenance  of  a 
low  temperature  with  plenty  of  air,  say  40°  at 
night  when  artificial  heat  is  needed,  and  45°  to 
50°  when  external  conditions  are  favourable.  If 
old  trees  thickly  set  with  blossom  buds  have  been 
heavily  taxed,  top-dress  with  good  rotten  manure 
at  once  ;  defer  this  operation  where  they  are  young 
and  make  vigorous  growth.  Keep  the  borders  in  a 
healthy  growing  state  by  the  judicious  application 
of  tepid  water,  and  syringe  with  the  same  twice 
every  fine  day.  When  from  artificial  heat  or  mild- 
ness of  the  season  the  temperature  rises  to  55° 
ventilate  freely. 

Vines. — By  this  time  the  buds  in  the  early 
house  will  be  sufficiently  forward  to  admit  of  a 
slight  advance  in  the  day  temperature,  but  no 
alteration  must  be  made  by  night  until  we  have  a 
change  to  more  ordinary  forcing  weather.  Follow 
up  the  daily  syringing  until  the  bunches  are  well 
advanced  and  all  the  buds  are  fairly  on  the  move, 
but  avoid  constant  saturation  of  the  spurs  at  this 
dead  season,  as  too  much  moisture  often  induces 
weak,  elongated  growths  and  loose,  straggling 
bunches  which  rarely  set  properly  or  colour  well, 
while  a  light,  buoyant  atmosphere  with  a  gentle 
circulation  of  air  and  moisture  in  moderation  lead 
to  the  development  of  stout  leathery  foliage 
capable  of  laying  up  plenty  of  colouring  matter 
so  essential  to  the  perfect  finish  of  early  forced 
Grapes.  If  the  inside  borders  have  not  been 
watered  since  the  house  was  closed,  another  nice 
watering  with  diluted  liquid  at  the  maximum 
temperature  of  the  house  may  be  given,  and  the 
borders  may  be  well  mulched  with  fresh  short 
horse  manure,  which  will  exhale  ammonia  when 
gleams  of  sunshine  raise  the  temperature  of  the 
house  External  borders  hitherto  covered  with 
Ferns,  litter,  sheets,  or  shutters  may  now  advan- 
tageously receive  a  good  covering  of  moderately 
dry  fermenting  leaves,  which  will  set  the  surface 
roots  in  action  and  draw  them  into  the  autumn 
surfacing  of  turf  and  bones  ready  for  the  per- 
formance of  their  work  when  the  stoning  and 
colouring  processes  draw  so  heavily  upon  the 
Vines. 

Late  vineries. — Muscats,  Alicantes,  and  other 
thin-skinned  Grapes  will  now  require  cutting,  as 
they  will  keep  better  in  the  Grape  room  than  on 
the  Vines.  When  the  latter  are  cleared,  get  them 
pruned  and  cleansed ;  dress  the  cuts  with  styptic, 
and  throw  the  ventilators  open  in  suitable  weather 
to  give  them  a  month's  rest  before  growth  is  again 
excited.  If  the  internal  borders  are  not  satisfac- 
tory, immediately  after  the  Grapes  are  cut  is  the 
time,  and  the  only  time  to  get  them  put  right. 
Years  ago  many  people  were  afraid  of  disturbing 
the  roots  of  Vines,  but  it  is  now  well  known  that 
external  or  internal  borders  may  be  taken  out  al- 
ternately, and  every  particle  of  the  old  soil  may 
be  replaced  with  new,  not  only  without  endanger- 
ing the  succeeding  crop,  but  with  the  certainty 


that  it  will  be  greatly  improved.  Lady  Downes, 
Mrs.  Pince,  and  that  excellent  Grape,  Black  Mor- 
rocco,  are  keeping  unusually  well,  but  they  had  a 
liberal  share  of  fire-heat  early  in  the  spring,  and 
they  will  hang  for  any  reasonable  length  of  time 
without  shrivelling.  If  the  Vines  are  not  already 
clear  of  foliage,  all  the  leaves  will  be  ripe  enough 
for  removal,  and  the  Grapes  will  be  in  a  fit  condi- 
tion for  cutting  and  bottling  by  the  end  of  the 
month.  When  cutting  Grapes  for  keeping,  always 
remove  every  doubtful  berry,  as  the  smallest  spot 
is  sure  to  end  in  decay.  Choose  a  bright  dry  day 
for  bottling  ;  never  cut  away  any  of  the  wood  be- 
yond the  bunch  without  applying  styptic,  and 
avoid  disturbance  of  the  berries  in  the  removal  of 
the  bunches  to  the  Grape  room.  Growers  who 
have  Mrs.  Pearson  hanging  in  late  houses  will  do 
well  to  give  it  a  fair  trial,  as  it  promises  to  be  a 
good  keeping  Grape,  and  the  quality  being  so 
excellent  it  cannot  be  too  soon  or  too  well  known 
that  we  have  at  last  a  worthy  companion  to  the 
invaluable,  but  often  badly  treated.  Lady  Downes. 

Peaches  AND  Nectarines. — With  a  hazy  kind 
of  atmosphere,  through  which  the  sun  cannot 
penetrate,  the  forcing  of  an  excitable  tree  like 
the  Peach  must  be  carried  on  with  great  care  and 
patience.  In  mild  weather  the  temperature  best 
suited  to  this  valuable  fruit  (45°  at  night  and  55° 
by  day)  can  be  maintained  almost  without  fire- 
heat,  but  under  colder  conditions  5°  lower  will 
be  safer  figures  to  work  upon  until  brighter  days 
set  in  and  the  flower-buds  get  well  advanced,  and 
show  by  their  plump,  robust  appearance  that  the 
most  critical  stage  in  forcing  has  been  safely 
tided  over.  In  proportion  to  the  diminution  in 
the  day  temperature  let  syringing  be  reduced,  as 
too  much  moisture  is  apt  to  injure  the  buds,  but 
keep  the  atmosphere  in  a  nice  growing  state  by 
damping  the  pipes  and  borders,  and  by  turning 
the  fermenting  material  at  short  intervals.  If 
plants  of  any  kind  occupy  the  early  house,  see 
that  they  are  kept  clear  of  the  trees,  and  fumigate 
as  often  as  may  be  needful  to  secure  freedom  from 
aphis  during  the  flowering  period.  Ventilate  the 
house  on  all  favourable  occasions,  and,  if  possible, 
leave  a  chink  of  air  on  all  night,  but  avoid 
draughts  of  cold,  frosty  air,  particularly  when  the 
blossoms  begin  to  unfold  and  the  wood  buds 
burst  into  growth.  Many  people  think  it  is  quite 
unnecessary  to  ventilate  a  Peach  house  until  the 
trees  get  into  growth,  but  when  it  is  borne  in 
mind  that  a  modern  house  is  hermetically  sealed, 
and  that  many  Peach  trees  are  ruined  by  being 
kept  in  too  high  a  temperature,  the  importance  of 
now  doing  for  ourselves  what  the  old  generation 
of  glaziers  so  thoroughly  performed  for  us  must 
no  longer  be  overlooked  or  neglected. 

Peaches  in  pots. — Where  the  number  of  per- 
manently planted  Peach  houses  is  limited,  and 
the  earliest  is,  perhaps,  planted  with  the  good  old 
sorts  which  are  beaten  in  point  of  time  of  ripening 
by  modern  varieties,  but  still  hold  their  own  with 
something  to  spare  in  quality,  it  is  a  good  plan  to 
take  the  first  crop  from  pot  trees  plunged  in  or 
placed  over  fermenting  material  in  light,  effi- 
ciently-ventilated, span-roofed  houses.  To  ensure 
success,  take  kinds  like  Amsden's  June,  Alexander, 
Hales  Early,  Early  Grosse  Mignonne,  and  A  Bee, 
which  ripen  in  the  order  named  ;  Lord  Napier  and 
Advance  Nectarines  should  be  potted  up  and 
grown  into  fruiting  trees  under  glass  before  they 
are  taken  in  for  forcing.  In  many  places  there  are 
houses  well  adapted  for  this  kind  of  work,  as  the 
trees  need  not  be  large,  and  this  being  a  suitable 
time  for  getting  maidens  or  cut-backs,  prepara- 
tion may  still  be  made  for  having  a  good  stock  of 
suitable  trees  for  next  year's  forcing.  Of  the  two 
we  prefer  the  compact  maidens  with  plenty  of  side 
shoots  from  the  union  of  the  bud  upwards,  and  as 
Peaches  are  not  improved  by  being  cut  back,  all 
that  is  needed  is  firm  potting  in  10-inch  pots  and 
pruning  back  all  the  side  shoots  to  a  single  bud 
when  they  begin  to  break  into  growth  in  the 
spring.  It  is  hardly  necessary  for  us  to  say  the 
house  in  which  these  trees  are  prepared  should  be 
moderately  heated,  as  the  pots  should  be  full  of 
roots  and  the  wood  thoroughly  ripe  by  the  end  of 
July.    If  the  side  shelves  or  pits  are  too  low  for 


524 


THE    GARDEN 


[Dec.  20,  1884/ 


I'eaches,  Figs  in  the  bush  form  will  do  well  for  a 
great  number  of  years. 

Hardy  peuit. — The  mild,  damp  weather  which 
has  been  so  favourable  for  pruning  and  nailing 
will  have  held  out  inducements  to  many  to  post- 
pone such  work  as  top-dressing  and  mulching 
until  walks  and  borders  are  in  a  better  state  for 
wheeling  manure  and  compost ;  but  so  important 
an  operation  must  not  be  longer  neglected,  as  the 
timely  application  of  a  good  covering  to  newly- 
planted  or  root-pruned  trees  cannot  be  over-rated. 
Where  Pears  are  grown  on  the  Quince  stock  and 
the  roots  have  not  been  disturbed,  the  annual  top- 
dressing  of  good  rich  manure  may  be  wheeled  out 
on  frosty  mornings  as  soon  as  the  nailing  is 
finished.  It  is  well  known  that  the  successful 
culture  of  Pears  on  the  Quince  stock  greatly  de- 
pends upon  rich  top-dressings,  and  as  the  borders 
in  course  of  time  become  too  high,  old  top-dressing 
and  exhausted  soil  may  be  forked  ofE  and  placed 
on  the  vegetable  quarters  to  make  room  for  the 
new.  After  a  few  years  heavy  cropping  puts  an 
end  to  extension  ;  blossom-buds  only  are  formed, 
and  as  many  people  are  quite  incompetent  to  thin 
their  own  fruit,  the  annual  removal  of  old  spurs 
at  pruning  time  should  not  be  neglected.  Push 
on  the  pruning  and  cleaning  of  all  kinds  of 
fruit  trees,  as  the  time  may  be  at  hand  when  men 
cannot  stand  for  hours  at  a  stretch  against  cold 
brick  walls.  Unfortunately,  the  winter  dressing 
of  hardy  trees  is  much  neglected  ;  many  trouble- 
some insects  are  allowed  to  rest  in  the  bark  and 
in  the  walls,  from  which  they  almost  precede  the 
unfolding  of  the  earliest  buds  in  spring. 


KITCHEN  GARDEN. 


During  the  past  few  weeks  Broccoli,  Lettuces, 
Endive,  and  Borecole  have  grown  rapidly,  and 
should  severe  weather  set  in  suddenly,  it  will  be 
much  more  disastrous  than  if  it  had  been  colder 
and  more  seasonable.  Young  Cauliflowers  for 
spring  planting,  and  likewise  Lettuces  in  frames, 
have  become  somewhat  tender  through  making 
such  rapid  growth.  Therefore  care  must  be  taken 
not  to  expose  them  to  too  much  frost  when  it 
arrives.  A  few  degrees  will,  however,  in  no  wise 
harm  them.  Large  plants  of  Lettuce  and  Endive 
should  be  got  into  frames  or  into  a  cool  house. 
When  the  plants  become  thoroughly  dry,  a  few 
should  occasionally  be  tied  up  to  keep  up  a  suc- 
cession of  good  blanched  salad.  Any  of  the  late 
Cauliflowers  now  just  turning  in  should  be  lifted 
and  placed  in  a  frame  or  shed  where  they  will  be 
partially  protected  from  frost.  The  heads  of  late 
Cauliflowers  thus  treated  will  not  be  large,  but 
will  be  very  acceptable  next  month.  If  early 
Broccoli,  just  beginning  to  button,  be  lifted  now 
and  placed  under  glass  where  a  little  heat  can  be 
given  in  frosty  weather,  and  likewise  abundance 
of  air  when  necessary,  they  will  produce  some 
fair-sized  heads,  and  may  be  useful  should  those 
out-of-doors  be  destroyed  by  frost.  A  deep  frame 
is  the  best  place  for  them.  Plunge  them  in  tj  inches 
or  8  inches  of  good  light  rich  soil,  and  allow  the 
foliage  to  lie  close  to  the  glass.  The  largest  of 
the  winter  Turnips  should  be  lifted  and  stored  in 
a  pit  out  of  doors,  similar  to  Potatoes,  where  they 
will  keep  much  firmer  than  if  stored  in  a  cellar  or 
shed.  This  is  a  good  time  for  breaking  up  old 
plantations  of  Seakale  or  Rhubarb.  From  the 
former  should  be  selected  the  largest  and  strongest 
for  forcing,  reserving  the  small  ones  and  all  the 
roots  for  making  cuttings  for  planting  out  in 
spring.  Rhubarb  may  now  be  divided  and  fresh 
plantations  made  ;  each  piece  should  have  a  good 
crown.  Some  roots  may  be  forced  in  the  open 
ground  by  the  use  of  pots  and  manure,  or  placed 
in  a  frame  or  Slushroom  house,  according  to  cir- 
cumstance. 


Early  Peas.— I  notice  it  stated  tliat  a  certain  new  Pea 
to  be  sent  out  tliis  year  was  fit  to  pick  last  season  ten  days 
before  Day's  Early  Sunrise  ;  but  surely  there  is  nothing 
very  reninrkable  in  that,  seeing  that  Day's  Early  Sunrise  is 
i|Uite  that  much  later  than  Ringleader.  The  fact  is  that  in 
point  of  earliness  we  have  not  gained  a  single  day  in  the 
case  of  any  of  the  new  introductions  for  these  last  thirty 
years.— J.  C.  C. 


WORK  DONE  IN  WEEK  ENDING  DEC.  16, 1884. 

December  10. 
Surface-gravelled  part  of  pleasure  ground 
walks.  This  work  we  always  like  to  do  immediately 
after  there  has  been  suflicient  rain  to  soak  the  old 
gravel,  then  there  is  no  difBculty  to  get  the  new 
gravel  firm  at  once.  The  heavy  rain  of  yesterday 
has  therefore  proved  of  great  benefit  to  us  in  this 
respect.  Of  course,  the  turf  edgings,  verges,  were 
cut  prior  to  the  new  gravel  being  put  on.  More 
leaf  clearing  up  and  carting  away  done,  other 
jobs  being  the  continuation  of  pruning  and  nail- 
ing. Apples  (bush  trees)  and  Apricots  are  the 
kinds  that  were  in  hand  to-day.  The  latter  are 
pruned  on  what  I  shall  call  a  modification  of 
spur  pruning — that  is,  young  shoots  that  start 
near  the  base  of  the  tree,  and  that  seem  likely 
to  make  good  growth,  are  laid  in  each  sea- 
son till  they  are  of  the  desired  length,  at 
which  time  they  are  made  to  take  the 
place  of  branches  on  which  the  spurs  are  get- 
ting long,  and  consequently  that  much  the  more 
out  of  the  line  of  protection  that  the  wall  coping 
afiords.  Some  varieties  bear  very  well  for  many 
years  on  the  old  spurs,  others  not  for  more  than 
four  or  five  years  ;  the  latter  is  about  the  average 
age  that  spurred-in  branches  may  profitably  be 
retained.  Soon  as  nailed,  both  walls  and  trees 
will  have  a  thorough  drenching  with  soapsuds.  It 
is  rarely  that  Apricots  are  attacked  with  insects  ; 
soft  brown  scale  sometimes  gets  on  them,  but  a 
good  winter  dressing  with  soapsuds  and  a  small 
proportion  of  Gishurst  dissolved  with  it  is  a  sure 
preventive.  Tied  late  Peach  trees  to  trellis. 
Turned  over  fermenting  material  in  early  vinery, 
and  stood  on  the  bed  sundry  plants  for  forcing, 
such  as  Spiraeas,  Deutzias,  Lily  of  the  Valley,  and 
the  varieties  of  Chrysanthemums  that  are  shy  in 
producing  cuttings,  in  hope  of  getting  shoots  to 
start  from  the  base. 

December  11. 
The   weather  was  fine  till  noon,  and  then  we 
had  a   regular    downpour    for   the   rest    of  the 
day.     Making  new  walk,  laying  down  turf  verges, 
and  also  planted  a  few  Retinosporas  and  Cupres- 
sus  on  lawn.     Our  soil  is  naturally  suited  for  these 
classes  of  plants,  being  a  sandy  loam  inclining  to 
peat,  but  as  it  is  poor  in  the  extreme,  we  trench 
deeply,  and  into   the   bargain   give  each  tree  a 
couple  of  layers  of  good  manure,  and  it  is  seldom 
we  have  a  plant  fail.     All  hands  were  this  after- 
noon employed  at  the  usual  wet-day  jobs,  seed 
Potatoes  being  laid  out  in  single  file,  and  those 
for  use  picked  over.     A  few   more  sets  of  Myatt's 
Ashleaf  were  put  in  boxes  of  leaf-soil,  and  placed 
in  vinery  to  sprout  preparatory  to  being  planted 
in  frames.     Pot-washing,  making  labels  and  pegs, 
trimming  up  stakes,  picking  the  husks  off  Filberts, 
and   spreading  out  Chestnuts  on    fruit  shelves ; 
mildew  and  sprouting  had  set  in,  owing  to  their 
having  been  laid  too   thickly   together.    Grapes 
were  also  looked  over  to  cut  out  every  trace  of 
decay,     and     the    Grape    room    had    the    heat 
turned  full  on  for  a  couple  of  hours,  the  door  and 
ventilators  being  wide  open  the  while.    In  muggy, 
damp  weather,  such  as   to-day  has    been,  damp 
penetrates  the  driest  room,  and  never  do  we  turn 
the  heat  on  the  Grape  room  till  walls  and  floor  really 
seem  wet.  Early  Muscat  vinery  border  (inside)  had 
another  good  watering  with  tepid  water ;  for  the 
present  the  minimum  night  temperature  will  be 
5.5°  and  the  highest  day   (without  sun)  65°.    I 
fancy  Vines  generally  will  break  much  more  easily 
and  earlier  this  next  forcing  season  than  for  some 
years  past,  owing  to  their  being  so  well  ripened  ; 
and  if  my  surmise  prove  correct,  it  will  perhaps  be 
necessary  to  force  very  gently  after  they   have 
broken,  that  is  supposing  the  Grapes  are  required 
to  be  in  their  prime  at  a  given  date.     On  the  other 
hand.  Vines  that  have  not  hitherto  been  forced 
very  early,  and  yet  are  required  early,  the  present 
will  be  a  good  season  to  make  the  trial. 

December  12. 

Pruning  and  nailing  Apricots,  more  turf  laying, 
and  cutting  Grass  verges  prior  to  surface-gravel- 
ling walks  ;  uneven  parts  of  verges  are,  of  course, 
I  made  even,  either  by  beating  or  rolling  before  the 


edgings  are  cut;  finished  carting  leaves  from 
pleasure  grounds  and  started  shrub  pruning,  the 
straggling  shoots  of  Rhododendrons  growing 
under  the  shade  of  trees  being  the  first  to  be  cut 
away.  Pruned  another  vinery — the  sorts  are 
Hamburgh,  Alicante,  Gros  Colmar,  Mrs.  Pearson, 
and  Golden  Queen.  The  remainder  of  the  fruit 
has  been  put  in  bottles.  When  harvesting  Grapes 
at  this  late  period,  that  is,  at  the  time  when  the 
Vines  are  ready  to  prone,  we  cut  them  with  all 
the  length  of  wood  possible;  first,  because  there  is 
then  no  difficulty  as  to  the  stems  being  of  suffi- 
cient length  to  be  an  inch  or  two  in  the  water ; 
second,  the  bunches  hang  quite  free  of  bottles 
and  racks ;  and  third,  the  greater  the  amount 
of  wood  both  below  and  in  front  of  the 
bunch,  that  much  the  longer  does  the  fruit  retain 
its  plumpness  ;  and  another  very  marked  result  of 
the  retention  of  the  wood  in  front  of  the  bunch  is 
that  the  berries  do  not  crack  when  first  they  are 
put  in  the  bottles.  This  fact  was  brought  home  to 
me  very  forcibly  some  years  ago,  when,  for  the 
sake  of  neatness,  the  wood  in  front  of  the  bunch 
was  cut  quite  away,  and  within  a  week  the  penalty 
paid  for  my  folly  was  the  loss  by  cracking  of  a 
quantity  of  fruit.  Ever  since  then,  in  this  parti- 
cular, neatness  has  had  to  play  second  fiddle,  for 
there  has  been  no  cutting  away  of  wood  and  very 
little  cracking.  Gros  Colmar  is  not  a  good  keeper 
by  the  bottle  plan,  and  in  our  case  will  certainly 
be  worse  than  usual  this  year,  simply  because 
they  are  not  well  ripened.  The  Vines  were  last 
year  partially  lifted  and  root-pruned  with  severity, 
and  this,  I  think,  is  the  reason  of  their  being  so 
unsatisfactory.  Mrs.  Pearson  was  served  exactly 
the  same,  but  the  results  are  reversed.  This  is  a 
grand  Grape,  being  of  good  constitution,  a  free 
bearer,  handsome,  and  delicious  in  flavour,  being 
closely  allied  in  this  last  respect  to  Chasselas 
Musque.  Put  in  cuttings  of  Pelargoniums  and  a 
few  more  Chrysanthemums,  and  placed  in  the 
forcing  pit  another  lot  of  Strawberries. 

December  13. 

Our  work  to-day  has  principally  been  the  clear- 
ing up  of  coach  roads,  weeding  and  rolling  walks 
in  kitchen  garden  and  frame  ground,  cleaning  up 
prunings  of  fruit  trees,  and  pulling  up  the  old 
stumps  of  the  earliest  Broccoli,  the  decayed  leaves 
from  Cabbages ;  in  short,  the  making  of  the 
kitchen  and  fruit  garden  look  as  neat  as  the  time 
of  year  admits  of.  Indoors,  Primulas  and  Pelargo- 
niums were  picked  over  and  turned  about  to  make 
them  look  their  best,  bedding  plants  being  also 
looked  over  with  the  same  intent.  Echeverias  and 
other  succulents  in  frames  were  weeded,  and  such 
as  needed  it  watered ;  they  require  very  little  in- 
deed ;  once  a  week  at  most  is  all  the  watering 
necessary.  Bouvardias  and  Poinsettias  are  now 
taking  the  place  of  Chrysanthemums,  and  to  make 
the  most  of  them  they  have  been  dotted  here  and 
there  about  the  houses,  with  Ferns  as  a  setting. 
P.ouvardia  President  Garfield  is  a  pink  form  of  the 
double  white  Alfred  Neuner.and  is  certainly  a  great 
acquisition  for  bouquet  and  button-hole  work.  Put 
a  few  Roses  in  early  Peach  house  to  force.  Tree 
Carnations  are  also  in  this  house,  not  having  a 
better  place  for  them  ;  syringing  has  to  be  done 
carefully  to  avoid  wetting  the  flowers.  Picked  all 
leaves  from  Lady  Downes  Vines ;  they  came  away 
without  the  least  force,  otherwise  they  would  have 
been  left.  The  fruit  keeps  its  colour  well,  being 
quite  a  blue-black.  Three  or  four  years  ago  the 
Grapes  turned  very  red  after  being  perfectly 
coloured,  and  the  same  undesirable  change  took 
place  till  last  year,  when,  though  they  did  slightly 
change,  it  was  hardly  perceptible  ;  and  this  year, 
as  before  observed,  they  retain  their  perfect  finish. 
And  why  1  Because  we  discontinued  the  use  of 
guano  last  year,  and  this  year  the  Vines  have  got 
entirely  quit  of  it. 

December  15. 

Preparing  ground  for  planting  shrubs,  amongst 
them  being  Yews,  Cupressus,  Retinosporas,  and 
Thujopsis ;  leaf  soil  and  well  rotted  stable  ma- 
nure are  added  to  the  natural  soil  (sandy  loam) 
for  all  of  them  ;  and  in  planting,  each  one  is  well 
i  trodden  down,  and  at  once  secured  to  stakes,  and 


Dec.  20,  1884.] 


THE    GARDEN 


525 


mulched  with  long  litter.  Other  outdoor  work  has 
been  the  same  as  for  several  days  past,  namely, 
cutting  and  laying  down  turf,  where  alterations 
are  being  made  in  the  pleasure  grounds,  and 
pruning  and  nailing  fruit  trees.  Sowed  first 
Melons  ;  preference  is  given  to  sowing  them  singly 
in  small  pots  that  are  only  half  filled  with  soil, 
a  plan  that  a<lmits  of  earthing  up  with  small 
pieces  of  fibrous  turf  as  growth  is  made.  They 
are  for  the  present  plunged  in  a  I'ine  pit  having 
a  bottom  heat  ranging  from  75°  to  80°.  Added  a 
little  fresh  stable  litter  to  bed  of  leaves  in  early 
vinery  to  renew  the  heat,  and  also  put  a  little 
more  on  outside  border,  the  rain  having  beaten 
down  so  flat,  that  there  seemed  barely  sufficient 
bulk  to  prevent  penetration  of  frost.  Put  Vine 
eyes  in  pans  of  sand  and  stood  them  in  a  cold  pit. 


for  their  annual  painting  over  with  soft  soap  and 
Gishurst,  and  this  will  be  done  at  once,  so  that 
we  may  arrange  bedding  plants  under  the  Vines, 
and  this  will  give  room  to  some  that  are  over- 
crowded in  other  houses.  By  way  of  saving 
firing,  and  also  to  keep  the  plants  stocky.  Pine 
pits  are  now  covered  at  night  with  thick  canvas. 
An  undue  amount  of  firing  at  this  dull  season  is 
sure  to  cause  a  flabby  and  drawn  growth. 

Hants. 

Flower  Garden. 

DAISY  CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
A  WELL-KNOWN  Chrysanthemum  grower  in  Jersey 
wrote  to  me  last  year  as  follows :  "  Some  years 
ago  I  tried  the  Chrysanthemum  seeds  advertised 


A  month  hence  they  will  be  planted  separately  in 
small  pots  and  be  put  in  warmth.  The  reason 
they  are  now  put  in  sand  is  that  we  consider  this 
a  better  way  than  the  usual  one  of  heeling  the 
prunings  in  at  full  length  and  risking  injury  from 
frost  and  drying  up  of  wood.  Tying  late  Peaches 
and  preparing  soil  for  top-dressing  the  border. 

Decembek  16. 

Our  outside  work  to-day  has  been  almost  a 
counterpart  of  that  of  yesterday,  namely,  planting, 
turfing,  pruning,  and  nailing.  The  frost  in  the 
early  morning  enabled  us  to  do  a  little  manure 
wheeling  in  kitchen  garden  before  commencing 
the  work  that  had  been  set  out  for  the  day.  House 
duties  have  been  washing  of  lights  inside  and  out 
of  two  vineries  that  have  been  recently  pruned. 
The  walls  have  also  been  limewashed  and  all  the 
paint  well  scrubbed,  and  now  the  Vines  are  ready 


by  different  seedsmen,  but  I  never  conid  obtain 
from  them  a  variety  worth  keeping ;  indeed  they 
resembled  Ox-eye  Daisies  more  than  anything 
else."  This  quotation  is  most  eloquent,  and  shows 
us  how  quickly  public  taste  and  popular  opinion 
may  veer  round,  and  how  the  flowers  of  yesterday, 
thrown  on  the  rubbish  heap  as  "  not  worth  keep- 
ing,' may  become  the  cherished  favourites  of  to- 
day I  Of  course,  florists  or  raisers  have  been  throw- 
ing away  single-flowered  Chrysanthemums  for  the 
past  fifty  years.  It  is  the  old,  old  story  of  "  every 
dog  having  his  day,"  for  he  would  be  a  bold  critic 
who  should  venture  to  say  that  single  Chrysanthe- 
mums are  not  now  popular.  Whether  they  will 
retain  their  hold  or  not  is  a  matter  of  minor  im- 
portance, Sufficient  is  it  for  us  to  know  that  they 
are  welcomed  and  cherished  in  many  good  gar- 
dens at  the  present  time.  Mr.  C.  L  Teesdale,  of 
Chichester,  has  raised  many  pretty  varieties,  and 


Mr.  Cannell  and  other  nurserymen  are  now  quite 
alive  as  to  their  value  in  the  market,  and  I  notice 
that  Mr.  Boyce,  of  Holloway,  makes  quite  a  fore- 
most feature  of  these  Daisy-flowered  kinds 
in  his  catalogue.  Some  of  these  new  single- 
flowered  varieties  are  naturally  dwarf  and 
bushy,  and  produce  their  elegant  blossoms 
iu  clusters  most  profusely.  As  a  class,  single 
Chrysanthemums  deserve  a  place  in  the  schedules 
of  our  Chrysanthemum  societies,  and  at  least  two 
classes  might  be  reserved  for  them — one  for  flowers 
to  be  shown  in  trusses  as  cut  from  the  plant  (say 
three  trusses  of  each  variety),  and  the  other  for 
specimen  plants  as  naturally  grown  for  decorative 
uses. 

Our  illustration  shows  a  pure  white  variety, 
having  a  yellow  disc  or  centre.  It  was  raised  by 
Mr.  Forbes,  Bucoleuch  Nurseries,  Hawick,  and  is 
named  White  Daisy,  being,  as  we  think,  quite  a 
little  beauty  in  its  way.  It  is  very  curious  to 
read  the  criticisms  bestowed  on  this  section  of 
Chrysanthemum  by  the  florists  of  a  bygone  time. 
"  They  are  pretty  !  Oh,  yes ;  some  of  them  will  do 
for  decorative  purposes,  but  they  cannot  last  long  ; 
the  fashion  will  soon  die  out."  Even  "  R.  D. ' 
(p.  471)  does  not  think  "  there  is  a  future  before 
them,"  although  he  says,  "  The  interest  created  in 
these  single  Chrysanthemums  may  perhaps  have  a 
tendency  to  encourage  the  production  of  seedlings 
in  this  country,  not,  of  course,  from  English-saved 
seed,  but  from  seed  obtained  from  the  Continent 
or  the  Channel  Islands."  The  popularity  of  the 
Chrysanthemum  is  now  so  great  and  widely  dif- 
fused, that  the  raising  of  seedlings  is  sure  to  be 
practised ;  and  the  saving  of  seed  in  English 
gardens  is  not  quite  such  a  forlorn  hope  as 
"  R.  D."  seems  to  imagine.  We  have  only  to 
look  into  the  history  of  the  Chrysanthemum  to 
find  out  the  fact  that  seed  has  been  saved  again 
and  again  in  English  gardens  ;  indeed,  it  is  by  no 
means  improbable  that  the  first  Chrysanthemum 
seed  ever  saved  in  Europe  was  that  from  which 
Mr.  Isaac  Wheeler,  of  Oxford,  raised  his  seedling 
varieties  (as  long  ago  as  1830),  to  which  the 
Horticultural  Society  of  London  awarded  a  silver 
Banksian  medal.  Two  other  growers  at  least, 
namely,  Mr.  Short  and  Mr.  Freestone,  raised  seed- 
lings in  Norfolk  a  few  years  later,  and  in  more 
recent  times  (lS(;5)we  have  Dr.  Sharp  and  Mrs. 
Sharp  raised  by  Mr.  Harding,  at  Tunbridge  Wells, 
from  seven  seeds  only  obtained  from  Madame 
Poggi,  and  I  believe  I  am  right  in  saying  that  Mr. 
A.  Forsyth  saved  seed  when  at  Stoke  Newington. 

The  raiser  of  the  first  seedling  Chrysanthemums 
in  the  Channel  Islands  was  a  baker,  the  plants 
being  trained  to  a  wall  behind  his  oven.  A  com- 
mon plan  of  seed-saving  in  the  Channel  Islands  is 
to  train  the  plants  to  a  sunny  wall,  protecting 
them  from  wet  above  by  a  weather  board.  Here 
they  are  left  to  ripen  until  the  end  of  January, 
when  the  old  flower-heads  are  cut  off,  and  the 
seed  separated  and  saved  by  being  rubbed  in 
silver  sand.  Surely,  what  is  so  simple  to  cultiva- 
tors in  Guernsey  and  Jersey  in  the  open  air  may 
be  accomplished  in  a  sunny  greenhouse  in 
England.  What  has  already  been  done  in  this  way 
can  be  repeated,  and  personally  I  am  convinced  that 
in  the  garden  nothing  is  impossible.  There  is  a  tra- 
ditionthat  the  late  Mr.  Salter  sent  his  plant  s  abroad 
to  ripen  seeds ;  some  say  to  Italy,  others  to  Algiers. 
This  may  be  true  or  not,  but  that  he  purchased 
hundreds  of  seedlings  from  Smith  and  others  of 
the  Channel  Island  Chrysanthemum  raisers  is  now 
a  well  known  fact.  I  do  not  say  this  in  any  carp- 
ing spirit,  or  to  detract  in  any  way  from  the  late 
Mr.  Salter's  labours.  Of  course  he  must  always 
be  considered  as  the  foster-parent  of  the  Chrysan- 
themum in  this  country,  and  also  iu  France.  Look- 
ing at  the  new  productions  of  Mr.  Alfred  Salter, 
Mr.  CuUingford,  and  Mr.  Teesdale,  amongst  other 
English  raisers  of  to-day,  let  me  ask  "  R.  D."  if 
their  new  varieties  are  the  produce  of  English- 
saved  seed,  or  whether  they  likewise  obtain  their 
seed  from  abroad  ?  Popular  and  varied  as  is  the 
Chrysanthemum  of  to-day,  we  are  only  beginning 
to  get  a  foretaste  of  its  value  and  variability  as 
a  garden  flower.  We  must  follow  the  lead  of  Con- 
tinental and  American  raisers,  and  learn  to  treat 


526 


THE    GARDEN 


[Dec.  20,  1884. 


our  favourite  flower  as  a  common  annual  plant 
raising  and  blooming  seedlings  every  year  as  a 
matter  of  course.  That  this  is  easily  done,  I  know 
by  my  own  experience  in  a  climate  not  especially, 
noted  for  its  brilliancy  of  sunshine. 

To  return  to  the  single-flowered  race  or  section, 
of  course  it  is  the  "  florist  proper  "  who  will  try 
most  to  influence  people  against  them.  It  was  so 
with  the  Japanese  varieties,  which  very  narrowly 
escaped  oblivion  soon  after  they  first  appeared. 
But  these  single  varieties  have  come  to  us  in  more 
hospitable  times,  and  the  flower-loving  public  will 
welcome  them,  and  those  magicians  of  horticulture, 
the  market  growers,  will  cultivate  them  by  the 
thousand,  and  even  the  thrifty  costermonger  will 
bring  them  in  ass-loads  to  our  very  doors  ! 

Let  us  hope,  as  "  K.  D."  suggests,  that  these 
single  or  Daisy-.lowered  varieties  will  really 
prove  conducive  to  the  rearing  of  seedlings  in 
England.  If  they  do  this  they  will  have  fulfilled 
a  noble  mission  ;  but  the  question  that  will  first 
crop  up  in  the  thoughts  of  amateur  Chrysanthe- 
mum growers  is,  whencu  may  seeds  be  obtained  ? 
Happily,  we  can  make  a  beginning  in  this  matter 
V>y  saying  that  Mr.  W.  Thompson,  of  Tavern 
Street,  Ipswich;  Messrs.  Haage  &  Co.,  of  Erfurt, 
Prussia ;  and  Messrs.  Vilmorin  &  Co.,  Qual  de  la 
Megisserie,  Paris,  each  and  all  offer  seed  of  the 
Chrysanthemum  in  variety,  and  I  have  no  doubt 
that  some  of  our  home  seedsmen  can  also  sup- 
ply it  if  a  demand  should  arise.  There  is  noble 
work  before  the  National  Chrysanthemum  Society 
if  they  will  adopt  a  liberal-conservative  policy. 
In  a  word,  such  a  society  to  merit  its  name  should 
be  the  first  to  encourage  novelty  or  variability  in 
every  way,  while  at  the  same  time  it  should 
select  and  preserve  for  us  the  best  results  of  the 
past.  F.  W.  B. 

DAFFODIL  NOTES. 

Double  Daffodils. — Mr.  Barbidge  states 
that  a  perfectly  double  Daffodil  can  never,  under 
any  circumstances,  bear  seed,  and  he  defines  such 
a  perfect  double  to  be  one  in  which  both  the  style 
and  the  st:imens  are  rendered  abortive  by  being 
transmuted  into  petaloid  organs  (p.  496).  Nobody 
will  dispute  his  conclusion  from  the  above  pre- 
mises. But  I  have  shown  that  the  trumpet  or 
wide  tubed  DafEodils  become  perfect  doubles  with- 
out losing  the  stamens  and  pistils,  and  I  exhibited, 
at  the  Linnean  Society,  a  complete  series  of 
blooms  of  the  pseudo-Narcissus  from  the  single, 
through  the  semi-doubles  to  the  fullest  double, 
and  in  every  case  seed  organs  were  present,  and 
in  two  examples  of  the  most  double  of  all  the 
ovaries  were  filled  with  ovules.  I  also  exhibited 
fresh  flowers  which  Mr.  Baker  cut  through  and 
found  seed  organs  ;  and  as  this  was  done  before 
such  competent  authorities  as  Sir  J.  Hooker,  Sir 
J.  Lubbock,  and  other  well-known  botanists,  there 
can  be  no  doubt  whatever  of  the  facts. 

A  double  trumpet  Daffodil  is  a  double,  treble,  or 
fourfold  flower,  one  within  the  other.  In  good 
examples  you  may  trace  the  folds,  and  even  to  the 
coatings  of  the  ovary  sometimes.  If  it  is  a  perfect 
double  you  will  find  an  active  ovary  and  the  cen- 
tral organs,  and  in  such  a  flower  seed  may  be  pro- 
duced. You  may  frequently  find  the  stamens 
and  pistils  within  the  outer  folds,  and  on 
a  warm  sunny  day  I  have  seen  doubles  thickly 
dusted  over  with  the  ripe  pollen.  Bees  or  insects 
thrust  their  noses  into  such  flowers,  and  under 
proper  conditions  the  styles  get  fertilised,  and 
seeds  are  the  result. 

The  flower  from  which  ripe  seeds  were  gathered 
was  a  full  double  Telamoneus  plenns — one  of  the 
doubles  with  the  tube  unburst — and  there  can  be 
no  doubt  at  all  about  it.  I  shall  have  pleasure  in 
showing  Mr.  Burbidge  aseries  of  examples  in  proof 
of  the  above  at  any  time.  I  do  not  mean  to  say 
that  stamen  and  pistil  are  not  frequently  trans- 
muted into  petaloid  growths.  The  contrary  is  the 
fact.  These  I  call  monstrosities  and  not  perfect 
doubles.  The  narrow-tubed  Narcissi  are  generally 
in  this  state  of  doubling,  but  they  have  also  the 
doubling  and  triplicating  of  the  perianth  and  tube. 
During  the  last  dry  summer  the  double  white 


Narcissus  showed  clearly  this  doubling.  In  several 
flowers  I  traced  the  crimson-edged  cup  between 
the  white  petals,  two,  three,  and  even  four  times, 
and  there  were  also  the  organs  there  converted 
into  irregular  petals,  and  within  all  a  yellow 
centre.  Such  flowers,  which  in  a  wet  season 
would  be  pure  Gardenia-like  blooms,  were  in  a  dry 
season  monstrosities,  and  they  would,  by  a  con- 
tinuance of  such  seasons,  go  back  to  singles,  as  it 
is  well  known  now  that  they  do.  I  also  investi- 
gated the  doubling  of  the  Primrose  during  last 
summer,  and  found  it  to  be  double,  triple,  and 
quadruple  exactly  in  the  same  manner  as  the 
Daffodils,  all  four  forms,  from  single  to  quad- 
ruple, growing  on  one  root.  I  sent  up  a 
set  of  such  blooms  to  Dr.  Masters,  and  a 
note  was  published  in  the  Gardeners'  Chrvniele 
at  the  time  respecting  them.  We  have  one 
clump  of  Trumpet  DaSodils  which  always  has 
the  tube  split  into  segments  like  the  perianth  and 
several  which  come  with  eight  segments  to  the 
perianth,  and  these  we  are  watching  carefully  to 
see  if  they  turn  into  doubles,  as  this  appears  to 
be  the  first  stage  of  doubling,  if  Mr.  WoUey  Dod's 
theory  is  correct. 

I  am  sorry  my  remarks  in  reference  to  the 
Leeds!  seedlings  have  been  misunderstood.  If  any- 
one will  refer  to  the  first  of  these  Daffodil  notes  on 
the  Leedsi  varieties  it  will  be  found  that  I  stated 
quite  clearly  that  the  whole  of  those  selected  by 
jlr.  Leeds  were  sold  by  him  to  the  Kev.  J.  Nelson 
and  Mr.  Barr.  That  was  ten  or  a  dozen  years 
before  my  forays  upon  the  old  garden  took  place. 
There  were  many  seedlings  left,  and  these  I  saved 
as  f;ir  as  practicable.  Wil.  Beockbank. 

Teijniuoutk. 


NOTES  ON  HARD\   PLANTS. 

Trientalis  eueop^ea. — This,  the  Winter- 
green  or  Starflower,  is  variable  as  regards  size 
according  to  surrounding  conditions.  In  some  of 
its  habitats  this  lovely  native  flower  grows  a  foot 
or  more  high,  and  wherever  it  is  seen  in  flower  it 
excites  one's  admiration;  even  matter-of-fact 
botanists  supplement  their  descriptions  of  it  with 
such  adjectives  as  "elegant"  and  "beautiful."  It 
ought  to  be  largely  grown  in  our  gardens,  where  it 
may  be  placed  in  the  semi-shade  of  shrubs,  and  it 
the  soil  is  light  and  moist  it  is  pretty  sure  to 
thrive,  but  to  have  it  in  its  best  form  under  culti- 
vation it  should  have  special,  yet  simple,  treat- 
ment, and  it  should  be  taken  in  hand  now.  In 
order  to  have  fine  growth,  plenty  of  fiowers,  and 
compact  specimens,  the  roots  should  be  kept  in  a 
little  pure  leaf-mould.  A  seed-pan  a  foot  square 
and  6  inches  deep  is  suitable  for  receiving  half  a 
dozen  roots.  It  may  be  placed  in  half-shady 
quarters  or  plunged  in  a  border,  just  covering  the 
edge  of  the  pan.  In  two  years  the  roots  will  be 
matted,  and  the  stoloniferous  tiny  tubers  will 
send  up  a  dense  and  delicate  crop  'of  verdure, 
which  sets  off  charmingly  the  white  starry  flowers. 
This  phint  does  not  like  being  disturbed,  and  yet 
duplicates  may  be  taken  safely  from  it  and  in 
good  numbers.  Now  that  the  little  tubers  are 
both  well  formed  and  pushing,'  two-thirds  of  the 
pan  may  be  cut  into  inch  and  half  squares,  leaving 
the  other  third  in  the  middle  and  across  the  pan. 
These  squares  will  lift  nicely  from  being  matted, 
and  may  be  potted  as  taken  out  one  by  one,  and 
they  will  flower  the  first  season.  The  two  vacant 
ends  of  the  pan  should  then  be  filled  up  with  fresh 
leaf-mould,  into  which  the  established  roots  will 
run  freely  the  same  spring. 

Okobus  kiger. — This,  in  its  present  state,  is 
strikingly  true  to  its  name.  The  erect  stems, 
about  3  feet  high,  are  black  as  ebony,  and  so  are 
the  outer  surfaces  of  the  curled  and  empty  seed- 
pods.  These,  under  the  least  movement,  tinkle 
like  bits  of  tin ;  so  here,  besides  having  one  of  the 
best  of  a  not  over-showy  genus,  we  have  a  plant 
likely  to  interest  those  who  do  not  restrict  their 
observations  to  floral  features  alone. 

Narcissus  (Ajax)  Mabgaeita  and  Dmbeeto  I., 
to  which  I  referred  some  time  ago,  have  duly 
flowered.  I  was  unable  to  send  flowers  to  all 
who  asked  for  them.    I  cannot  think,  however, 


that  anyone  would  miss  much,  for  both  forms  were 
poor.  What  a  curious  and  interesting  proof  we 
have  here  of  the  affinity  of  certain  plants, 
by  the  way  in  which  certain  insects  live  and  pos- 
sibly come  into  existence  on  them.  The  following 
facts  at  least  seem  to  point  in  that  direction. 
The  woolly  aphis  is  well  known  to  infest  the  roots 
and  collars  of  all  kinds  of  Primulas.  Here  some 
sixty  or  seventy  species  and  hybrids  are  grown,  and 
only  such  as  are  annually  shaken  out  and  repotted 
are  free  from  it.  This  may  seem  an  unpleasant 
state  of  things,  but  I  cannot  say  that  the  plants 
suffer  at  all,  and  in  passing  I  may  add  that  I  do 
not  remember  ever  to  have  seen  this  insect  on 
roots  in  the  open,  only  on  those  of  pot  plants,  and 
as  I  find  most  alpine  Piimulas  to  thrive  better 
in  pots  plunged  in  sand  than  elsewhere,  it  enjoys 
a  wide  field  with  me.  But  what  I  set  out 
to  say  was  that  the  woolly  aphis  occurs  on  the 
roots  of  other  plants  of  allied  genera.  In  turning 
out  some  pots  of  Dodecatheon  to-day  it  was  there  ; 
a  week  or  two  ago  I  found  it  on  Cortusa  Matthioli. 
I  have  met  with  it  on  fibrous  parts  of  the  roots 
of  Cyclamen  repandum,  horrid  as  the  taste  of  the 
roots  of  the  Sowbread  is.  In  a  pan  of  Trientalis, 
too,  it  has  been  seen,  and  (though  not  quite  cer- 
tain), I  think,  on  Anagallis  tenella.  In  all  cases  the 
plants  were  under  pot  culture,  but  in  some  cases 
they  were  not  near  each  other.  Whilst  it  has  been 
observed  that  where  Primulas  are  put  near  each 
other  the  insect  gets  a  footing  in  twelve  months, 
pot  plants  plunged  in  a  fresh  part  of  the  garden 
both  of  Primula  and  other  genera  have  been  much 
longer  in  developing  the  pest.  Here  are  two 
curious  facts — first,  that  this  parasite  literally  in- 
fests the  order  Primnlacefe,  and,  second,  that  an 
essential  condition  of  its  existence  is  that  the 
plant  roots  should  not  be  in  the  natural  earth. 
Speaking  of 

Dodecatheons  reminds  me  of  the  diflSculty  of 
npatly  dividing  clumps  of  them,  though  they  are 
all  the  better  for  that,  being  done  every  two  or 
three  years  where  they  grow  as  freely  as  they  are 
capable  of  doing.  The  fasciculated  roots  are  ex- 
tremely brittle,  breaking  off  in  a  wholesale  manner 
just  under  the  crown.  I  have  found  it  the  lesser 
evil  to  dig  up  the  clumps  and  leave  them  for  a  day 
or  two  to  dry,  when  the  succulent  property  leaves 
them  and  the  roots  are  found  to  be  more  stringy 
in  texture  ;  then,  though  care  is  still  required, 
pretty  nearly  all  the  roots  may  be  retained.  Should 
the  stronger  parts  of  the  roots  come  off,  they  ought 
not  to  be  cast  away  if  increase  is  desirable,  for 
each  rootlet,  if  set  in  sand  and  leaf-mould,  will 
make  a  thrifty  plant  in  twelve  months.  To  me  Mr. 
Lynch's  notice  of 

Chrysanthemum  alpinum  (p.  440)  was  most 
useful.  I  have  grown  for  several  years  what  I 
take  to  be  the  true  form,  under  the  name  Leucan- 
themum  or  De  CandoUe's  Pyrethrum.  It  was  one 
of  the  late  Mr.  Niven's  pets,  from  whom  I  had  it. 
I  find  it  to  be  rather  fickle.  Sometimes  it  has 
grown  and  spread  freely ;  this  season  it  has  hardly 
made  any  growth.  Mild  as  last  winter  was,  it  was 
all  but  killed.  What  remained  was  taken  up  and 
nursed,  but  when  put  out  again  last  spring,  as  just 
stated,  it  made  little  or  no  growth;  it  is  now 
potted  again,  and  is  in  a  very  small  compass.  I 
give  this,  my  experience  of  it,  because  possibly 
such  fickleness  may  help  to  explain  its  rarity  in 
cultivation,  a  fact  to  which  I  can  testify.  It  took 
my  fancy  from  seeing  it  as  a  herbarium  specimen  ; 
after  that  it  was  several  years  before  I  met  with  it 
in  the  Hull  gardens.  It  is  a  most  distinct  alpine, 
the  foliage  of  which  is  rather  flat  and  in  rosette 
arrangement.  The  big  white  flowers,  singly  borne 
on  dampy  stalks,  are  not  numerously  produced,  but 
their  long  duration  makes  up  for  that.  I  have  an 
impression  that  our  uneven  winters  (perhaps,  on 
the  whole,  too  warm  for  it)  are  against  it,  but  I 
have  a  stronger  impression  that  in  order  to  keep 
it  at  all  it  should  be  grown  in  loose,  gritty  mate- 
rial. In  turning  over  Miller's  Dictionary  a  few 
days  ago  I  met  with  some  remarks  to  the  effect 
that 

Carnations  are  fond  of  salt.  It  happens  that 
I  have  three  beds  on  what  used  to  be  an  Asparagus 
plot.     There,  without  any  care,  the  Carnations 


Dec.  20,  1884.J 


THE    GARDEN 


527 


yield  immense  crops  of   both  bloom  and  grass. 
The  present  plants  are  now  four  years  old,  yet 
last  summer  the  grass  was  thick,  long,  and  largely 
composed  of  lateral  shoots.     Doubtless  other  than 
the  saline  properties  of  the  site,  as,  for  instance, 
rich  and  deep  tillage,  must  have  some  credit, 
but  I  should  never  think  of  setting  Carnations 
where  the  soil  is  not  deep  and  mellow.    Another 
border  was  made  on  a  former  Celery  plot,  so  that 
as  nearly  as  possible  the  rich  and  deep  tilth  would 
be  identical  with  the  Asparagus    piece.     There, 
however,    no  salt,  to  my  knowledge,   had   ever 
been  used,  but  there  is  no  comparison    in  the 
Carnations  now  on  these  two  plots,  so  1  think 
there  is  something  in  the  salt  theory.     Yet  the 
present  growth  of  the  Carnations,  one  would  think, 
can  hardly  be  directly  affected  by  salt  applied 
four  years  ago.     Can  it  be  that  such  dressings 
periodically  given  have  so  thoroughly  freed  the 
land  from  those  most  destructive  pests  (grubs  and 
wireworm)  to  the  whole  Pink  family  that  on  the 
old  Asparagus  site  the  Carnations  enjoy  an  im- 
munity from  them  ?  I  can  produce  another  simple 
fact  from  Nature  to  support  this  idea.     The  moles 
are  now  working  all  over  the  place,  excepting  in 
two  parts  on  opposite  sides  of  the  garden.     Both 
exceptions  have  been  Asparagus  beds.  I,  therefore, 
think  either  there  is  a  residue  of  salt  not  oared 
for  by  the  moles,  or  that  their  instincts  keep  them 
from  working    an    unprofitable    hunt.     Anyhow, 
there  would  appear  to  be  a  hint  worth  taking,  and 
one  could    hardly    be  doing   wrong  to    give    a 
dressing  of  salt  when  forming  beds  for  Carnations; 
and  where  it  is  preferred  to  not  turn  the  plants 
out  of  their  pots  until  spring,  the  present  time 
would  be  most  opportune  for  such  an  operation. 

Cheiranthus  Maeshalli. — I  have  tried  this 
pretty  WaUliower  from  seed.  In  such  a  case  as  this 
one  should  be  prepared  for  anything,  and  it  would 
be  wise  to  expect  nothing  very  grand  ;  bat,  in  the 
present  instance,  I  have  not  only  a  good  sprinkling 
of  what  I  cannot  distinguish  as  differing  from  the 
parent  plant,  but  the  flowers  now  open,  with  all 
the  freshness  of  spring,  are  more  than  a  reward 
for  so  simple  an  experiment.  The  plants  are  set 
amongst  stones,  broken  small,  such  as  we  repair 
the  larger  walks  with  ;  a  little  manure  and  sand  are 
scattered  on  the  top;  there  Stocks,  too,  did  finely, 
and  the  Wallflowers  are  little  affected  by  frost 
with  their  roots  so  high  and  dry ;  moreover,  they 
fasten  their  roots  amongst  the  stones  securely, 
also  flower  earlier.  In  short,  anything  on  the 
principle  of  a  wall  for  a  Wallflower  seems  in 
every  way  to  harmonise  with  its  requirements. 

Aralia  Sieeoldi  has  always  been  grown  here 
with  herbaceous  plants  on  rockwork  and  in  bor- 
ders ;  in  sandy  loam,  raised,  it  is  perfectly  hardy, 
having  been  out  fully  exposed  seven  or  eight 
years.  In  November  it  showed  numerous  panicles 
of  bloom,  which,  of  course,  is  not  of  much  value  ; 
besides,  the  little  frost  we  had  at  the  latter  end  of 
last  month  caused  it  all  to  fall  prematurely.  As  a 
distinct  dwarf  shrub,  for  enlivening  a  garden 
during  the  dullest  season,  nothing  could  be  named 
to  excel  it.  Even  the  youngest  plants  do  well 
kept  away  from  artificial  heat ;  a  cold  frame  is  as 
much  as  they  require  in  winter,  but  the  pots 
should  be  plunged  in  sand  or  ashes. 

WoodvUlt;  Kirlistall.  J.  Wood. 

CHRYSANTHEMUMS  IN  THE  OPEN  AIR. 
I  AM  delighted  to  find  Mr.  Muir  (p.  4.ji)  advo- 
cating the  growth  of  Chrysanthemums  in  the  open 
air  for  cutting  or  decoration  during  November  and 
December.  I  have  been  recommending  this  both 
in  The  Garden — the  great  champion  of  open-air 
flowers  for  the  million — and  in  several  local  and 
other  metropolitan  journals  for  years,  yet,  I  must 
confess,  the  response  has  not  been  anything  like 
satisfactory,  so  far  as  I  can  ascertain.  Many 
seem  unaccountably  reluctant  to  grow  Chrysan- 
themums, except  under  glass,  and  one  never 
sees,  except  most  casually,  a  line  in  any  of  the  gar- 
dening journals  on  the  matter.  As  a  sequence, 
after  looking  through  dozens  of  schedules  at  the 
various  Chrysanthemum  shows,  there  is  not  a 
prize  in  a  single  instance  for  open-air-grown 
blooms.    Yet  there  is  nothing  insuperable  about 


the  matter;  and  when  thinking  over  it  I  have 
asked  myself,  even  from  a  self-interest  point  of 
view,  why  do  not  large  nursery  growers  like  Mr. 
Caunell  or  others,  who  have  cuttings  and  plants 
to  dispose  of   by  the  thousand,  recommend  their 
growth  to  the  million,  and  thus  extend  their  busi- 
ness ?     If  I  thought  you  were  at  all  sceptical  as 
to  attaining  reasonable  success,  I  could  send  you 
this  morning  blooms  from  at  least  fifty  varieties, 
and  I  hope  to  have  150  next  year,  from  most  of 
which  I  have  been  cutting  daring  the  past  six 
weeks.     These  varieties  are   principally  reflexed 
and  pompones,  with  about  half  a  dozen  Japanese 
and  twice  the  number  of  incurved.     Hitherto  I 
have  been  nursing  the  delusion  that  the  Japanese 
and  incurved  were  impracticable  to  grow  outdoors. 
This  season  disposes  of  that  view.     At  present, 
nailed  to  a  south  wall,  I  am   cutting  fine  blooms 
of  Elaine,  James  Halter,  and  Frangois  Delaux— 
no  harder  or  easier  to  grow  than  any  other  Japa- 
nese—fully 5  inches  in  diameter,  and  this  the  first 
week  in  December.    Though  I  mention  the  size,  I 
attach  much  more  importance  to  quantity  than 
quality,  and  from  this  point  of  view  give  me  the 
reflexed    and  hybrid  pompones.     I  counted  2.J0 
perfect  blooms  on  Golden  Christine  against  a  south 
wall  a  few  days  ago  from  an  old  stool  planted 
and  uncared  for  several  years.     Now,  would  not 
this  make  the  exhibition  grower,  with  his  two  or 
three,  or  even  one  bloom  as  large  as  a  mop    on 
the  top  of  a  10-foot  stalk,   jealous?      I  think  it 
should.  I  am  not  exaggerating,  for  an  enthusiastic 
amateur  from   this  town  visited   a   distinguished 
Liverpool  amateur  recently  and  had  to  put  up  his 
walking-stick  to  turn  the  blooms  aside  so  that  he 
could  look  at  them.     They  were  very  high  indeed. 
Well,  so  long  as  very  large  blooms  must  be  had  to 
win  prizes,  the  cultivator  must  resort  to  feeding, 
forcing,  and  single-stalk  blooms.      But  why  should 
not  every  villa  and  suburban  garden,   with   10 
perches,  10  yards,  or  even  10  feet  of  a  wall,  have 
that  wall  clothed  during  October,  November,  and 
December  with  brilliant  Chrysanthemum  blooms  ? 
I  have  been  through  Lancashire,  and  I  believe  that 
even  there,  not  to  mention  the  sunny  and  genial 
south  of  England  and  all  Ireland,  Chrysanthe- 
mums, especially  the  new  race  of  single  varieties, 
can  be  thus  grown   and    bloomed  successfully. 
For  such  purposes   special  notes  on  propagation 
and  cultivation  may,  with  your  permission,  fitly 
come  later  on  ;  but  for  immediate,  full  and  accu- 
rate information  on  all  points  in  reference  to  the 
Chrysanahemum,  you  may  be  perfectly  safe  in 
commending  Mr.  Burbidge's  new  book  hereon. 
Cloiiinel.  W.  J.  MUEPHY. 


Physalis  Alkekengi.  —  This  has  been 
brighter  with  us  this  year  than  I  ever  remember 
to  have  seen  it  before.  It  is  certainly  [useful  for 
giving  a  bit  of  bright  colour  in  autumn.  It  is  to 
be  regretted  it  is  so  unruly  ;  in  our  mixed  borders 
it  spreads  at  a  very  rapid  pace.  Once  planted 
there  is  no  fear  of  losing  it,  and  I  have  been 
wondering  lately  if  anyone  has  used  its  bright  red 
cups  and  berries  for  dinner-table  decoration.  I 
fancy,  if  tastefully  arranged  on  some  green  Ivy 
leaves,  they  would  have  a  very  pretty  effect. — 
J.  C.  C. 

Greenhouseplants  out-of-doors.— Two 

people  fond  of  gardening,  one  at  Torquay  the 
other  in  Pembrokeshire,  have  written  to  me  asking 
if  Polygala  Dalmaisiana  and  Sparmannia  afrioana 
would  succeed  in  their  gardens,  which  they  state 
are  sheltered  enough  to  grow  many  half-hardy 
plants  and  shrubs.  The  question  in  both  cases 
arose  from  their  having  seen  my  account  of  their 
vigour  in  Scilly.  As  I  have  never  seen  them 
growing  out-of-doors  in  any  other  place,  I  should 
like  to  consult  your  correspondents  in  regard  to 
this  matter.  Taking  into  account  the  season  of 
blooming  of  the  Sparmannia  and  the  floriferous- 
ness  of  the  Polygala,  two  more  attractive  objects 
it  would  be  hard  to  conceive,  and  since  in  this 
cycle  it  is  often  a  case  of  fighting  against  springs, 
and  not  winters,  they  ought  most  decidedly  to  be 
tried.  Polygala  Dalmaisiana  used  to  be  a 
favourite  exhibition  plant  in  the  days  when  hard- 
wooded  plants  and  Heaths  were  in  fashion ;  and 


it  was  probably  from  the  west  country  shows  that 
Mr.  Vallance,  of  Scilly,  first  learned  its  value. 
Whether  he  planted  or  not,  the  snatch  of  hedge  of 
it  in  the  Tresco  Abbey  gardens  is  certainly 
charming. — C.  A.  M.  C. 

Coreopsis  lanceolata — Like  Mr.  Corn- 
hill  (p.  170),  I  am  very  fond  of  this  plant,  but 
somehow  or  other  it  will  not  survive  the  winter 
with  me  here.  Two  years  ago  I  obtained  a  strong 
plant  of  it,  and  every  care  was  bestowed  upon  it. 
It  was  planted  in  a  good  border  of  light  rich 
loam  and  mulched  with  rotten  manure,  but,  alas, 
after  growing  freely  through  the  summer,  it  died 
during  the  winter  months.  Still,  I  mean  to  have 
another  trial,  and  this  time  I  hope  to  succeed 
with  this,  the  loveliest  of  all  the  Coreopsis. — 
R.  Geeenfield,   Warieiok. 

Ficua  repans. — We  have  this  growing  on  a 
wall  in  the  open  air.  The  wall  is  i  feet  high,  and 
faces  the  north-west.  It  is  densely  covered  with 
dark  green  foliage,  which  assumes  a  bronzy  hue 
after  severe  frost.  The  plant  in  question  has 
been  growing  in  its  present  position  for  eight 
years,  during  which  time  we  have  had  some  severe 
frosts,  but  it  holds  its  own  under  all  circumstances. 
I  have  also  got  it  thriving  most  luxuriantly  in  a 
cool  fernery,  where  I  find  it  to  be  most  accommo- 
dating. It  adheres  tenaciously  to  wood,  iron, 
stone,  or  glass. — T.  B.  Field,  Stanley  Hall, 
Bridgnorth. 

Cobasa  scaadens. — In  reply  to  "  Cobaja  " 
(p.  -172)  allow  me  to  say  that  I  fear  he  will  find 
it  diflicult  to  preserve  Cob;ea  scandens  over  the 
winter,  as  the  stem  is  of  a  very  soft  nature  and 
does  not  readily  resist  frost.  However,  this  matters 
little,  as  seed  can  be  readily  obtained,  and  if  sown 
in  a  little  heat  in  January  or  February  and 
planted  out  in  May,  it  will  grow  with  great  vigour 
and  cover  a  large  space  before  autumn.  It  is 
desirable  to  keep  a  plant  or  two  under  glass  so  as 
to  have  a  start  of  the  seedlings.  Seed  is  produced 
freely,  but  seldom  early  enough  on  one-year-old 
plants  to  ripen  thoroughly  in  the  open  air. — 
S.  P.,  Monkstunn. 

Planting  Narcissi. — I  feel  sure  that  an 
examination  of  Narcissi  which  have  remained  in 
the  ground  the  summer  through  would  convince 
the  most  sceptical  that  planting  should  never  be 
deferred  beyond  the  early  part  of  September. 
Having  last  July  a  few  bulbs  of  cernuus,  for  which 
I  had  no  place  at  the  time,  I  laid  them  in  together, 
thinking  it  would  be  better  to  do  so  and  trans- 
plant them,  even  if  they  had  made  roots,  than  to 
leave  them  in  a  dry  state  until  late  autumn  before 
planting.  A  few  days  ago  I  took  them  up,  and 
they  have  made  2  inches  of  growth,  and  formed 
quite  a  thick  network  of  fibrous  roots.  Can  any- 
one, therefore,  doubt  that  bulbs  in  this  condition 
will  flower  more  strongly  than  if  planted  in 
November  ? — .1.  C.  B. 

Anemone-fl.o'wered  Japanese  Chry- 
santhemums.— One  who  has  been  so  fortunate  as 
to  see  most  of  our  great  Chrysanthemum  shows, 
writes  to  me  as  follows  :  "  Every  person  who  has 
seen  this  class,  or  rather  the  few  types  of  the 
class  that  now  exist,  regard  them  as  having  a 
bright  future — in  fact,  one  of  the  good  things  that 
came  to  the  front  this  season. '  Rather  curious 
that  Mr.  Burbidge  in  his  excellent  book  on  the 
Chrysanthemum,  referring  to  this  class,  some  time 
ago,  and  noting  the  variety  Garnet,  says, "  this  seems 
to  be  the  forerunner  of  a  sub-race  of  Japanese 
Anemone-flowered  Chrysanthemums."  So  it  is, 
but  to  my  mind  far  inferior  to  Fabian  de 
Maderanaz,  introduced  last  year,  and  of  that  as  sent 
to  me  from  Swanley,  the  published  portraits  fail 
to  give  anything  like  a  correct  idea— it  is  far  more 
beautiful. — W.  J.  Muephy,  Clonmcl. 

Harpalium  rigidum.  —  This  bright  and 
beautiful  Composite  is  closely  allied  to  the  Helian- 
thus,  to  which  it  bears  a  close  resemblance,  and 
from  which  it  differs  in  habit,  being  dwarfer,  more 
slender,  and  more  graceful  in  outUne.  The  starry 
form  and  the  pecuUar  tone  of  its  golden  flowers 
are  so  striking,  that  the  most  onobservant  cannot 
fail  to  be  arrested  by  its  appearance  when  planted 
either  in  groups  or  as  separate  speciffieus  ia  the 


528 


THE     GARDEN 


[Dec.  20,   1884. 


herbaceous  garden  or  on  the  lawn,  for  either  of 
which  positions  it  is  peculiarly  well  adapted,  while 
as  a  decorative  flower  for  the  drawing-room  it  is 
particularly  valuable,  as  it  possesses  the  brilliant 
colour  of  the  Sunflower  without  inheriting  its 
formality  and  coarseness.  It  is  generally  supposed 
to  be  an  annual,  and  as  it  does  not  perfect  its 
seeds  well  in  this  country,  its  cultivation  is  not  so 
general  as  it  should  be.  It  forms,  however,  small 
tubers  on  its  somewhat  rambling  roots,  which,  if 
carefully  preserved  from  frost  either  by  a  thick 
mulching  of  leaf-mould  or  other  similar  material, 
or  if  taken  up  in  the  autumn  and  treated  the 
Fame  as  Dahlias,  they  will  in  either  case  produce 
an  abundance  of  strong  plants  for  early  flowering 
the  following  year.— W.  C.  T. 

Precocious  blooming     Daffodils.  — 

Through  the  kindness  of  your  frequent  correspond- 
ent, the  well-known  florist  and  successful  cultivator 
of  hardy  border  plants,  Mr.  Wood,  of  Kirkstall, 
near  Leeds,  I  have  had  the  opportunity  of  seeing 
one  of  the  first  blooms  produced  in  the  kingdom 
of  the  new  Italian  variety  of  Ajax  Narcissus  Ee- 
giua  Marguerite,  raised  and  sent  out  by  Messrs. 
Damman,  of  Portici,  near  Naples,  and  alluded  to 
by  the  above-named  grower  on  page  4.^5  of  your 
current  volume.  The  bulbs  were  received  from 
Portici  in  June,  and  were  of  poor  and  inferior  size, 
though  thoroughly  plump  and  well  ripened.  They 
were  planted  in  pots  which  were  left  standing  on 
the  walk  of  the  garden  up  to  the  end  of  October 
and  then  put  into  a  warm  greenhouse,  where  after 
three  weeks  they  came  into  bloom  ;  only,  however, 
three  of  the  above-named  variety  and  one  of  its 
companions, named  E&  Umberto,  bloomed  out  of  the 
small  lot  received  by  Mr.  Wood.  Having  carefully 
compared  the  bloom  sent  to  me  with  its  portrait 
on  plate  1035  of  Kegel's  "Gartenflora,"  I  find  that 
when  due  allowance  is  made  for  the  email-sized 
bulb  from  which  the  flower  was  produced  and  for 
the  somewhat  unnatural  season  of  blooming  it 
sufficiently  nearly  corresponds,  though  not  more 
than  two-thirds  the  size  of  bloom  depicted  on  the 
plate ;  the  colouring  is  as  near  as  possible  the  same. 
The  variety  bears  a  strong  resemblance  to  Mr. 
Barr's  seedling  E.'^quisite;  indeed,  I  have  heard  that 
that  grower  says  they  are  identical,  but  from  what 
I  know  of  the  English  seedling  I  should  say  that 
the  bicolor  marking  of  the  outside  of  the  perianth 
is  much  more  distinctly  marked  in  the  Italian 
seedling.  However,  when  we  see  the  new-comer 
bloom  from  full-sized  bulbs  in  the  open  air  we 
shall  be  able  to  form  a  more  accurate  opinion. — 
W.  E.  G. 

Leeds'  Narcissi. — In  reply  to  the  comment 
on  Leeds'  Narcissi  by  Mr.  F.  W.  Burbidge  in  the 
last  issue  of  The  Garden,  permit  me  to  say  that 
the  Leeds'  collection  was  purchased  by  Mr.  P. 
Barr,  my  friends  the  late  Rev.  John  Nelson  and 
W.B.  Hume,Mr.G.J.  Braikenridge,  and  myself,  Mr. 
Barr  having  half  of  them,  and  we  dividing  the 
others  equally.  The  facts  of  the  case  are  as 
follows  :  Mr.  Leeds  said  that  unless  he  could  get 
i'lOO  for  his  collection,  he  would  dig  them  all  in. 
Mr.  Barr  did  not  feel  disposed  to  find  so  large  a  sum, 
but  remembering  that  the  late  Eev.  John  Nelson 
was  a  lover  of  Narcissi  and  an  enthusiast  in  the 
culture  of  all  bulbs  and  herbaceous  plants,  he  men- 
tioned the  matter  to  him,  and,  I  believe,  both  of 
them  grieved  much  at  the  idea  that  such  a  fine 
collection  should  be  destroyed ;  and  that  the 
hybridisation  of  the  Narcissi  of  a  lifetime 
should  not  be  lost  to  posterity,  it  occurred  to 
Mr.  Nelson  that  if  he  could  get  a  few  others  to 
join  in  the  purchase  this  might  be  avoided,  and 
pursuant  to  this  idea  he  mentioned  the  circum- 
stance to  me,  and  told  me  how  anxious  he  was  to 
secure  them,  and  asked  whether  I  would  take  a 
share.  I  assented,  and  suggested  that  Mr.  W.  B. 
Hume,  his  brother-in-law,  and  our  mutual  friend, 
Mr.  Braikenridge,  would  probably  be  induced  to 
take  a  share  on  his  recommendation.  The  result 
was  that  the  collection  was  purchased  in  1874. 
At  that  time  I  was  residing  at  Chase  Park,  and  on 
our  family  selling  the  property  in  1879  I  moved 
the  bulk  of  my  Narcissi  to  my  present  address, 
but  at  the  same  time  leaving  thousands  of  bulbs 
at  Chase  Park,  now  the  residence  of  Mr.  Jno.  W. 


Ford,  J.  P.  From  the  above  facts  it  is  quite  certain 
that  all  the  Narcissi  did  not  pass  into  the  hands 
of  Mr.  Brockbank,  and  if  any  of  the  choice  seed- 
lings did  do  so,  it  was  at  the  expense  and  loss  of 
the  purchasers,  but  I  think  those  who  know  Mr. 
Barr  would  trust  to  his  being  able  to  take  care  of 
himself  and  friends  and  seeing  that  he  got  what 
he  purchased.— Herbert  J.  Adams,  Rosencuth, 
EiiH.hl,  X. 


AQUATIC  IRISES. 

Iris  K^mpferi,  or  more  properly  I.  Ijevigata,  is 
superior  as  regards  density  of  colour  and  beauty 
of  marking  and  spotting  to  all  others  belonging 
to  this  highly  useful  class  of  spring-flowering 
garden  plants.  Considering  the  short  time  during 
which  the  type  has  been  in  our  hands,  the  number 
of  beautiful  varieties  in  cultivation  is  truly  re- 
markable. The  adaption  of  Iris  Kicmpferi  for 
low,  damp,  but  well-drained  positions  renders  its 
cultivation  comparatively  easy,  even  where  most 
others  would  prove  failures.  Its  cultivation  will 
be  successful  in  almost  any  soil  provided  moisture 
be  unsparingly  given,  that  being  the  chief  essen- 
tial to  its  well-being,  but  in  naturally  dry  loca- 
lities peat  is  best,  as  it  retains  moisture  longer 
than  any  other  mixture,  and  when  well  drained  it 


Iris  tevigata 

also  keeps  the  roots  clean  and  healthy.  Irises  of 
this  class  do  well  near  lakes  or  other  ornamental 
water,  and  the  surprising  way  in  which  their  roots 
make  for  the  water  indicates  their  preference  for 
such  situations.  The  annexed  illustration  is  a 
good  representation  of  the  typical  I.  Ksmpferi,  as 
introduced  in  1857  by  Von  Siebold  from  Japan, 
and  flowered  at  Ghent  in  the  same  year.  It  grows 
from  2  feet  to  ."!  feet  in  height ;  its  leaves,  which 
are  about  the  same  length  and  an  inch  broad, 
taper  to  a  fine  point ;  the  flowers,  which  are  pro- 
duced one  to  three  on  a  scape,  are  rarely  less  than 
6  inches  in  diameter,  and  they  vary  in  colour  from 
deep  to  intense  red-purple.  The  best  and  quickest 
way  to  propagate  this  Iris  and  its  varieties  is  by 
division  of  the  root,  as  seedlings  always  take  two 
or  more  years  to  become  strong  plants.  Amongst 
the  many  varieties  those  most  diversified  in  colour 
and  marking  are  the  following — viz.,  Alexander 
Von  Humboldt,  whiie,  a  free-flowerer;  violacea, 
deep  violet,  furnished  with  six  instead  of  three 
petals,  measuring  nearly  a  span  broad ;  Ruther- 
ford Alcock,  a  pretty  violet-crimson  with  a  golden 
yellow  eye  and  edged  with  white ;  Prince  of 
Wales,  a  handsome  variety,  lilac,  white  and  violet- 
veined,  and  blotched  with  yellow ;  Princess,  white, 
with  just  a  tinge  of  violet ;  Mad.  Legrelle  de  Hania, 
white  with  golden  eye ;  and  Keinwardti,  hand- 
some deep  blue,  with  darker  veins  and  a  clear 
yellow  eye.  Amongst  others  may  be  mentioned 
Duke  of  Teck,  Duke  of  Albany,  Blumei,  A.  Von 
Siebold,  Princess  Mary,  Glymi,  Souvenir,  and 
others.  K. 


Oape  Gladioli.-"  F.W.  B."  (p.471)speaks  of 
the  general  neglect  of  the  Cape  species  of  Gla- 
dioli, of  which  so  many  are  figured  by  Curtis. 
The  cause  of  this  neglect  is  easy  to  find ;  these  bulbs 
cannot  be  procured  for  love  or  money.  I  have 
been  looking  out  for  some  for  twenty  years  or 
more,  and  have  looked  in  vain.  I  have  now  before 
me  tlie  list  of  bulbs  advertised  for  sale  at  the 
Botanic  Gardens,  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  Only  ten 
species  are  offered,  and  only  two  or  three  of  these 
are  of  any  rarity.  Two  other  bulbs  I  have  in  vain 
looked  for  from  that  quarter  (two  Streptantheras) 
the  ofiicials  had  never  heard  of,  and  as  to  Lache- 
nalias,  whose  nursery  is  the  Cape,  I  have  a  far 
better  collection  than  can  be  shown  at  the  gardens 
in  question.  Will  "  F.  W.  B."  tell  us  where  they  (the 
Gladioli)  are  to  be  had,  and  I,  for  one,  will  gladly 
take  them  in  hand  ? — A.  R. 


Indoor   Garden. 

DOUBLE  PRIMULAS  AND  THEIR  CULTURE. 
Op  all  flowers  which  we  cultivate  either  for  the 
embellishment  of  the  conservatory,  the  dinner- 
table,  or  for  making  bouquets,  none  to  me  has  the 
charm  that  belongs  to  the  double  Primula.  As- 
suming that  we  have  good  cuttings  in  May,  we 
proceed  as  follows  :  The  first  thing  is  mixing  the 
soil,  which  consists  of  two  parts  loam,  one  part 
leaf -soil,  and  one  part  sharp  sand.  We  then  crock 
small  2J-inch  pots,  filling  each  to  the  rim  with 
this  compost;  then  we  take  them  to  the  propagat- 
ing house,  set  them  all  level  on  the  floor,  and 
water  them.  When  settled  we  commence  to  put  in 
the  cuttings.  Each  cutting  being  taken  off  with  a 
heel,  we  make  a  hole  in  the  centre  of  the  soil  and 
insert  it,  filling  in  the  hole  with  sharp  sand  and 
making  all  firm.  We  then  tie  up  the  foliage  to  a  small 
stake  very  carefully.  Double  Primulas  are  struck 
here  in  a  bottom  heat  of  from  70°  to  75°.  The  pots 
are  plunged  to  their  rims  in  sawdust.  A  very  great 
point  in  their  propagation  is  never  to  let  a  leaf 
flag  ;  therefore  as  each  cutting  is  potted,  place  it 
in  the  propagating  case  at  once.  When  the  case 
is  filled  give  them  a  slight  watering  and  leave  the 
lid  of  the  case  open  until  the  foliage  is  quite  dry  ; 
then  put  in  two  or  three  dozen  lumps  of  charcoal 
to  suck  up  the  moisture.  Keep  the  cuttings  close 
and  carefully  shaded  from  the  sun.  They  take 
from  five  to  six  weeks  before  one  can  see  the  roots 
at  the  sides  of  the  pots ;  we  then  give  air  and 
gradually  harden  them  off.  When  the  roots,  in 
plenty,  but  not  matted,  can  be  seen,  the  time  for 
repotting  is  at  hand. 

These  cuttings  we  shift  into  4^-inoh  pots — that 
is,  if  for  flowering.  If  for  stock,  we  shift  all 
the  best  plants  into  6-inch  pots,  keeping  them  in 
the  same  house,  if  possible,  until  all  danger  of 
flagging  is  over.  They  are  then  placed  in  ordinary 
three-light  boxes  under  a  north  wall  on  a  good 
bed  of  coal  ashes ;  and  here  I  must  note  they 
should  be  quite  shaded  from  sunshine  and  kept 
close.  I  may  be  told  that  the  sun  seldom  shines 
on  the  north  side  of  a  wall,  but  on  a  hot  day  in 
July,  when  the  sun  is  working  round  to  the  west, 
the  plants  suffer  if  not  duly  shaded.  They  will 
want  but  little  water  for  the  first  week,  but  a 
slight  bedewing  with  the  syringe  is  very  beneficial 
to  them.  The  great  point  in  bringing  these  Pri- 
mulas to  perfection  wholly  and  solely  depends 
upon  the  watering ;  therefore  give  water  to  those 
that  are  dry  only.  By  the  first  week  in  October 
all  these  little  cuttings  will  be  fine  strong  stubby 
plants  throwing  up  flower-spikes.  They  should 
then  be  moved  into  a  light,  airy  house  and  set  on 
shelves.  This  house  should  be  kept  at  from  50° 
to  55^  at  night;  opening  the  top  ventilators  in  fine 
weather  will  enhance  the  colour  of  the  flowers 
and  the  stubbiness  of  the  plants.  About  the  end 
of  November  they  will  be  in  great  beauty,  when 
each  should  have  a  top-dressing  of  sifted,  light, 
sandy  soil,  with  about  2  ounces  of  Beeson's  manure 
added  to  each  peck ;  slightly  ptir  up  the  surface 
and  apply  the  top-dressing.  When  placing  these 
plants  in  their  flowering  pots  we  use  the  following 
compost,  viz, :  Two  parts  good  turfy  loam,  one 
part  charcoal  and  sand,  and  one  part  sifted  manure 


Dec.  20,  1884.] 


THE  GARDEN 


529 


from  an  old  hotbed,  of  which  the  greater  part 
was  leaves.  If  the  old  flowers  and  dead  foliage 
are  kept  well  picked  off,  they  will  look  well  in 
their  respective  positions  until  the  middle  of 
March.  They  are  then  well  cleansed  and  again 
top-dressed  and  placed  near  the  glass  on  shelves, 
when  they  make  fresh  growth,  and  this  growth 
forms  the  cuttings  with  which  we  began  in  May. 
Bnrgldey,  Stamford.  R.  GILBERT. 


Orchids. 


Comte  Brazza's  ■white  Violet— I  have 
just  seen  a  quantity  of  blooms  of  this  new  Violet 
with  which  I  am  very  pleased.  They  were  large, 
fnll  and  doable,  and  deliciously  fragrant,  without 
that  stain  of  colour  which  many  so-called  white 
Violets  possess.  It  the  plants  should  turn  out 
good  growers  and  free  flowerers,  this  Violet  will 
supply  a  want  long  felt,  and  will  be  a  fit  companion 
for  Marie  Louise,  which  is  the  best  double  Violet 
we  have.  Now  is  the  time  to  work  up  a  stock  of 
young  plants,  which  may  be  done  by  planting  the 
old  ones  out  in  a  frame,  taking  off  every  runner 
and  dibbling  them  in  under  handlights  to  root.— 
S.  D. 

Luculia  gratisslma  as  a  wall  plant.— 
Just  outside  the  morning  room  door  which  leads 
into  the  conservatory  at  Bryn  Glas,  near  Newport, 
this  plant  has  been  put  into  a  bed  and  trained 
over  a  large  space  on  the  wall,  and  at  present  it  is 
dotted  over  with  many  fine  trusses  of  lovely  deli- 
cate pink  blossoms,  and  the  delicious  fragrance 
which  they  emit  is  delightful.  There  are  many 
well  grown  and  attractive  plants  in  the  conserva- 
tory just  mentioned,  but  none  so  striking  as  this, 
and  I  am  sure  if  your  readers  could  see  it,  Luculias 
would  be  oftener  met  with  than  they  now  are  in 
conservatories.  They  bloom  naturally  at  this 
time,  and  I  would  place  them  in  the  foremost  rank 
amongst  December  flowering  shrubs.  The  plant 
at  Bryn  Glas  is  growing  in  a  mixture  of  peat,  loam, 
and  sand.  It  required  a  little  extra  attention  to 
establish  it,  but  after  that  it  was  amongst  the 
easiest  cared-for  of  greenhouse  plants. — Cam- 
brian. 

Ohryaanthemums  at  Christmas- 
Daring  the  last  few  years  the  Japanese  varieties 
of  this  useful  flower  have  become  extremely 
popular,  and  I  find  amongst  them  several  that 
have  the  valuable  habit  of  flowering  after  the 
majority  of  other  kinds  are  over.  Therefore  by 
adopting  a  system  of  late  propagation  and  retard- 
ing the  flowering  as  much  as  possible.  Chrysan- 
themums might  be  had  in  bloom  at  Christmas,  or 
even  later,  when,  I  need  hardly  say,  they  would 
be  most  acceptable.  Such  fine  blossoms,  however, 
from  plants  checked  in  growth  need  scarcely  be 
expected  as  from  those  grown  on  uninterruptedly, 
but  this  detracts  little  from  their  value  at  the 
date  mentioned,  when  one  is  glad  of  anything  in 
the  way  of  flowers  for  cutting,  especially  white 
flowers,  and  of  these  there  are  several  excellent 
sorts,  amongst  which  I  may  mention  Ethel  and 
Sarnia.  From  amongst  those  possessing  various 
shades  of  colour  I  pick  out  such  as  show  a 
natural  propensity  for  late  flowering,  and  propa- 
gate them  late  in  the  summer  from  tops  of  the 
flowering  shoots.  I  pat  three  in  a  4-inch  pot; 
they  soon  strike  root  in  a  close  frame,  and  may 
then  be  inured  to  the  open  air  and  grown  on  in 
an  open  sanny  position  until  the  bloom-buds  are 
formed,  when  they  should  be  set  in  the  coolest 
and  shadiest  place  available,  keeping  them  out-of- 
doors  until  danger  from  sharp  frosts  renders  it 
unsafe  to  trust  them  out  longer.  When  placed 
under  glass,  a  house  with  a  north  aspect  is  best 
for  them  ;  there  they  can  expand  gradually,  and 
be  allowed  a  free  circulation  of  air.— J.  G  ,  Hants. 


Ochna  multlflora.— This  handsome  shrub,  hitherto 
so  scarce  on  account  of  the  difficulty  attending  its  propa- 
gation, has  been  succc^isfully  raised  from  seed  in  Mr.  B  S. 
Williams'  nursery.  Tliougli  only  a  few  months  old,  the 
little  seedlings  have  made  sturdy  growth,  and  show  every 
promise  of  growing  rapidly  on  to  a  flowerinor  size.  This  is 
such  a  beautiful  shrub  when  covered  with  large  yellow 
blossoms  and  scarlet  fruit,  that  it  is  satisfactory  to  see  that 
it  will  soon  be  less  common  than  it  hitherto  has  been. 


NOTES  ON  ORCHIDS  IN  FLOWER. 

The  sight  of  Mr.  Ball's  Orchid  houses  at  Chel- 
sea at  the  present  time  makes  one  forget  for  the 
moment  that  we  have  arrived  at  the  lowest  ebb 
of  the  dull  season  for  flowers.  One  could  scarcely 
credit,  on  seeing  the  cool  Orchid  house  for 
instance,  that  so  much  bloom  could  be  had  so  near 
Christmas  time.  The  houseful  of  Odontoglossum 
Alexandria  is  alone  a  fairy  scene,  there  being 
crowds  of  flower-spikes,  numbering  about  15C, 
loaded  with  blossoms  hanging  gracefully  in  all 
directions.  This  abundance  of  winter  flowers  is 
doubtless  the  outcome  of  thoroughly  ripened  bulbs, 
and  in  this  nursery  means  for  attaining  this  end 
have  been  specially  provided  for  in  the  houses 
being  so  constructed  as  to  admit  of  the  maximum 
of  light  to  the  plants  and  abundant  ventilation. 
From  now  onwards  till  May  the  houses  occupied 
by  cool  Odontoglossums  will  furnish  of  themselves 
matchless  displays  of  flower.  Though  the  bulk  of 
the  show  is  made  up  of  O.  orispum  and  Pescatorei, 
there  are  various  others  in  season ;  for  instance, 
the  handsome  pale  form  of  0.  Wilckeanum  called 
pallens  is  in  full  bloom,  as  is  also  the  Almond- 
scented  0.  madrense,  one  of  the  prettiest  in  the 
genus  when  finely  flowered,  as  here,  where  it  is 
successfully  grown  with  the  cri-spums  and  other 
cool  species.  Among  the  endless  forms  of  0. 
crispum  one — the  true  roseum — is  worthy  of 
special  note.  The  broad  sepals  as  well  as  the  lip 
are  almost  entirely  of  a  rich  rose-purple.  The 
cool  house  is  perfumed  delightfully  with  the 
modest  little  Trichosma  suavis  and  the  violet- 
scented  Oncidium  tigrinum  (Barkeri),  which,  by 
the  way,  is  one  of  the  nicest  Orchids  one  can 
grow,  even  in  an  ordinary  greenhouse.  It  is 
showy  and  its  perfume  delicious.  Other  Orchids 
in  bloom  now  include  0.  cucullatum  and  a  variety 
of  it  with  broad  lips  called  giganteum  ;  0.  tigra- 
tum,  a  rare  and  interesting  small  species ;  the 
continuous  flowering  little  O.  cheirophornm,  and 
0.  Forbesi.  Of  the  last  there  are  several  varieties 
in  flower,  one  named  superbum  being  particularly 
richly  marked  and  large.  A  large  number  of 
flowering  plants  of  0.  ornithorhynchum  in  another 
house  makes  quite  a  show  in  itself. 

Dendrochilum  Cobbianum,  a  new  species, 
and  yet  scarce,  is  one  of  the  most  charming 
Orchids  imaginablewith  those  whose  ideaof  beauty 
does  not  stop  with  brilliant  colouring.  Like  the 
two  other  species,  D.  filiforme  and  glumaceum,  it 
is  of  compact  growth,  and  from  the  midst  of  its 
evergreen  foliage  it  sends  up  numerous  erect 
flower-spikes,  which  suddenly  bend  over  in  a  whip- 
like fashion,  the  flower-bearing  portion  being 
thickly  set  with  the  tiniest  flowers  of  bright  orange 
and  pale  yellow.  Both  the  typical  form  is  in 
flower  and  a  variety  of  it  called  giganteum,  so 
named  on  account  of  its  being  larger  in  all  its 
parts  and  altogether  a  stronger  grower.  This 
charming  Orchid  is  one  of  the  most  elegant  of 
the  family. 

CCELOGYNE  BARBATA  AND    GARDNKRIANA   are 

both  in  flower,  the  latter  being  but  seldom  seen. 
It  bears  pare  white  flowers,  thickly  set  on  shortish 
spikes  produced  from  the  base  of  the  bulbs.  C. 
barbata,  though  commoner,  is  much  handsomer, 
and  quite  among  the  select  kinds.  It  carries  its 
flowers  on  tall  spikes  above  the  broad  foliage.  The 
flowers  are  large  and  have  peculiarly  dark  bronzy 
lips,  which  make  a  strong  contrast  with  the 
snowy  white  sepals.  It  is  a  capital  cool  house 
Orchid,  though  not  so  easy  to  many  as  some  of 
the  other  Cielogynes,  such,  for  instance,  as  C. 
cristata.  C.  ocellata  maxima  is  in  bloom,  bat  it 
may  be  considered  as  out  of  season. 

Dendrobium  Fytchianum  is  oneof  the  love- 
liest Orchids  we  have  seen  in  flower  for  a  long  time. 
No  other  flower  can  well  surpass  the  delicacy  and 
elegance  of  its  flowers,  which  are  about  an  inch 
across,  snow-white,  with  just  a  touch  of  rosy  pink 
in  the  centre.  Its  spikes  are  produced  on  the 
old  growths,  and  in  the  case  of  the  plants  in  this 
nursery  the  spikes  bear,  we  should  say,  a  score 
of  flowers.    It  is  particularly  suitable  for  cutting. 


as  it  may  be  regarded  as  pure  white.  •  It  has  been 
in  bloom  for  a  long  time  and  is  still  fresh.  Other 
flowering  Dendrobes  are  formosum  giganteum 
and  D.  flmbriatum  oculatum. 

A  NEW  Calanthb  of  the  vestita  forms  is  in 
flower.     It  is  distinct  from  all  the  rest,  inasmuch 
as  the  centre  is  quite  a  copper  colour  instead  of  a 
yellow  or  red.  It  is  aptly  named  C.  vestita  cuprea 
oculata.  The  scarce  G.  Domini,  one  of  the  earliest, 
if  not  the  very    first,  of   Mr.   Dominy's    hybrid 
Orchids,  is  amongst  the  handsomest  of    winter 
Orchids.     Its  bold  ample  foliage  and  tall  spires  of 
purple  bloom  have  a  telling  effect  in  groups.    Its 
parents,  too,  C.  Masuca  and  C.  veratrifolia,  are 
likewise  in  flower  side  by  side  with  the  progeny. 
Cypripedium    hybridum    and    Dauthiebi, 
two  rare  hybrid  Lady's  Slippers,  are  flowering  side 
by  side  in  company  with  C.  Harrisianum,  so  that 
the  distinctive  features  of  each  may  be  readily 
discerned.     They  are  unquestionably  very  nearly 
related,  so  much  so  that  it  is  diflicult  to  describe 
their  differences,  though  seeing  them  all  together 
they  are  apparent.     They  may  be  ranked  Harrisi- 
anum best,  hybridum  next,  and  then  Dauthieri.  C. 
hybridum  is  one  of  Mr.  Bull's  introductions,  and 
Dauthieri  originated  on  the  Continent.     All  the 
varieties  of  the  old  C.  insigne  may  be  seen  in  this 
nursery  side  by  side.     They  are  five,  viz.,  Maulei, 
Chantini,  violacenm  punctatum,  albo-marginatum, 
and  maximum.  The  two  latter  originated  here.  The 
first  is  aptly  named,  inasmuch  as  the  dorsal  sepnl 
is   marked  with  a  bread  band  of  white    which 
extends  nearly  all  round  it.     It  is  quite  distinct 
from  the  rest  in  this  respect.    The  variety  maxi- 
mum has  the  flowers  much  larger  than  those  of 
the  type,  the  difference  being  particularly  notice- 
able in  the  dorsal  sepal,  which  is  very  broad  and 
marked  with  more  green.     Other  Cypripediumsin 
flower  include  0    Lawrencianum  majus,  the  so- 
called  C.  Schlimi  album,  which  is  not  really  white, 
but  decidedly  pink  ;  the  pretty  Warneri ;  barbatum 
giganteum  nigrum,  with  a  large  black  pouch  ;  and 
C.  Spicerianum,  of  which  there  is  a  variety  named 
nigrescens,   having  unusually   large  flowers  with 
the  pouch  of  a  deep  purplish  green  inclined  to 
black. 

Angr.ecum  Chailluanum,  a  rarity,  even  in 
the  choicest  collections,  is  in  full  bloom.  It  is 
very  handsome,  having  large  quaintly  formed 
flowers,  pure  white  sepals,  terminated  by  the 
characteristic  long  spurs  of  the  Angrfecnms.  We 
thought  it  finer  than  A,  Kllisi,  which  has  been  so 
much  written  about  and  so  highly  priced.  This 
is  one  of  Du  Chaillu's  West  African  species ; 
therefore  is  not  new. 

Cyrtopodutm  Andersoni  is  not  often  seen  in 
flower,  even  by  tho.'ie  who  are  always  about 
among  Orchid  collections.  Mr.  Bull  has  a  very 
fine  plant  of  it  jast  now  in  tloom.  It  bears  a 
large  wide-spreading  panicle  of  showy  flowers  of  a 
bright  canary-yellow.  The  flowers  are  very  last- 
ing on  account  of  their  thick  ^7ax-like  texture. 
An  enthusiastic  Orchid  lover  would,  we  think,  go 
in  Testacies  at  the  sight  of  a  large  houseful  of 
specimens  of  the  lovely  Cymbidiun  Mastersi,  and 
the  noble  flowered  C.  giganteum,  both  of  which 
are  developing  spikes  in  abundance.  The  luxuriant 
grassy  foliage  of  these  Orchids  seen  en  masse  with 
flower-spikes  peeping  out  here  and  there  is  one  of 
the  beautiful  sights  that  Orchids  afford,  and  un- 
common withal.  Mr.  Bull,  we  see,  grows  his 
Cymbidiums  of  this  class  in  a  loamy  soil.  This, 
no  doubt,  accounts  for  their  unsurpassable  vigour. 

Other  Orchids  now  in  bloom  here,  and  which 
may  be  added  to  the  list  of  those  that  afford 
bloom  at  Christmas,  are  Maxillaria  grandiflora 
and  M.  venusta,  both  indispensable  even  in  a 
small  and  choice  collection.  Lielia  autumnalis 
atrorubens,  of  which  there  is  a  grand  mass  in  one 
of  the  houses,  is  a  show  in  itself.  Among  the 
Cattleyas,  which,  by  the  way,  are  bristling  with 
hundreds  of  incipient  flower-sheaths,  is  the  pretty 
C.  luteola,  a  modest-looking  flower  compared  with 
its  gorgeous  congener.^  but  highly  interesting  to 
the  orchidist.  It  is  the  same  as  C.  Holforci. 
Mormodes  pardina,  a  species  with  quaintly  twisted 
flowers,  is  not  brilliant,  but  its  aromatic  perfume 


530 


THE    GARDEN 


[Dec.  20,  1884. 


would  captivate  most  people.  Another  fragrant 
flower  is  PilnmDa  fragrans,  which  for  cutting  for 
dinner-table  decoration  at  Christmastide  is  match- 
less for  chaste  purity  and  sweetness.  The  nobilis 
variety  is  preferable  to  the  original,  and  should 
be  selected  even  if  it  costs  a  little  more.  It  is  al- 
together larger  in  flower.  The  vivid  little  Sophro- 
nitis  grandiflora  sparkles  with  its  scarlet  bloom 
in  several  of  the  houses  both  cool  and  warm. 
Barkeria  elegans,  a  bright  little  Mexican  Orchid,  is 
flowering  admirably  this  season,  owing  to  the  long 
warm  summer.  Among  the  Masdevallias,  the 
several  hundreds  of  M.  tovarensis  form  quite  a 
sheet  of  white  bloom,  a  beautiful  sight,  together 
with  a  few  other  winter-flowering  species. 


ORCHIDS  AT  ELSTEAD. 
Since  my  last  visit  to  Mr.  Ingram's  garden  at 
Elstead,  near  Godalming,  some  twelve  months  ago, 
great  improvement  has  taken  place  both  in  the 
quality  and  quantity  of  the  Orchids  ;  the  number 
of  houses,  too,  has  increased ;  for  instance,  a  span- 
roofed  Cattleya  house  has  recently  been  built  Ci 
feet  by  25  feet ;  in  this  there  are  side  tables  all 
round  and  a  central  path,  thus  forming  two  centre 
stages,  each  centre  stage  being  double-shelved — a 
plan  by  means  of  which  space  is  economised  and 
the  plants  are  easier  to  get  at.  The  arrangement 
for  top  ventilation  is  both  simple  and  effective, 
and  there  is  a  plentiful  supply  of  bottom  venti- 
lators. Sunk  tanks  occur  all  round  the  house,  so 
that  every  drop  of  rain-water  is  secured.  In  this 
house  are  some  large  masses  of  the  following 
varieties,  viz.,  C.  Mossite,  C.  Trianic,  both  the 
Ibague  and  Popayan  kinds ;  C.  gigas,  some  of  them 
being  very  distinct  forms  ;  C.  Percivaliana,  likely 
to  produce  a  fine  show  of  bloom  soon  ;  C.  San- 
deriana,  recently  imported,  but  breaking  freely  ; 
C.  Warneri,  with  very  fine  growths ;  C.  aurea, 
some  sixty  or  seventy  plants,  this  kind  being 
an  especial  favourite  at  Elstead ;  C.  Dowi- 
ana,  0.  GaskeUiana,  some  fine  plants  of  Lsclia 
p  irpurata,  L.  elegans,  and  L.  harpophylla  ;  some 
good  plants  of  Masdevallia  tovarensis  were  in 
flower ;  also  M.  Chimaera,  a  fine  variety  ;  several 
examples  of  Lycaste  Skinneri,  Oncidium  tigrinum, 
Cypripedium  Schlimi  album,  a  charming  plant 
with  flowers  quite  a  third  larger  than  ever  I  saw 
them  before.  Of  Vanda  tricolor  there  was  a  good 
variety,  also  the  true  Oncidium  Weltoni,  Cattleya 
Leopoldi,  with  a  good  bright  and  compact  spike  ; 
Warscewiczella  velata,  a  very  deliciously  scented 
Orchid,  and  Lslia  anceps  with  twenty-three 
spikes.  Of  Odontoglossums  there  are  here  some 
two  thousand  plants.  In  the  principal  house  de- 
voted to  them  are  some  fine  plants  with  bulbs 
made  in  this  country  larger  than  those  on  im- 
ported plants,  and  with  equally  good  flower-spikes, 
many  of  them  branching.  Some  o£  the  best  types 
of  O.  crispum  were  in  flower.  On  0.  Pescatorei 
were  branching  spikes  2  feet  long  ;  0.  constrictum 
was  also  in  flower,  and  although  a  small-flowering 
variety,  yet  at  this  season  of  the  year  the  effect 
produced  by  it  was  most  pleasing.  The  gem  of  the 
house  was,  however,  an  exceedingly  fine  hybrid, 
the  flowers  of  which  measure  over  3  inches  in  dia- 
meter, and  they  are  of  a  beautiful  lively  yellow 
spotted  with  bright  cinnamon-red.  Of  O.  glorio- 
sum  I  noticed  one  of  the  darkest  and  best  forms  I 
have  seen.  The  next  two  houses  are  devoted  to 
semi-established  and  recently-imported  Odonto- 
glossums. My  greatest  surprise  was,  however, 
the  advance  which  the  Phatenopsids  have  made 
in  so  short  a  time,  even  packed  together,  as  they 
are,  awaiting  the  finishing  of  a  new  house  now  in 
course  of  erection.  This  is  span-roofed,  thoroughly 
heated  with  4-inch  pipes,  and  tanks  all  round. 
On  P.  Schilleriana  were  leaves  from  1.5  inches  to 
16  inches  in  length  by  5  inches  and  6  inches 
across ;  P.  Sanderiana,  7  inches  to  8  inches ;  P. 
amabilis  and  P.  grandiflora,  both  good  ;  and  of  P. 
violacea  were  some  fine  plants  of  Mr.  Ingram's 
own  importing.  The  next  house,  devoted  to  mis- 
^'ellaneous  plants,  contained  some  good  exam- 
ples of  Dendrobium  Dalhousianum,  D.  Wardianum, 
'eristeria  elata,  with  some  remarkably  large 
pulbs;  Cypripedium  Spicerianum,  and  Oncidium 
Lanceanum,  a  very  fine  variety.  E.  S. 


NOTES  or  THE  WEEK. 

Gardeners'  Benevolent  Augmentation  Fund. 

— Mr.  Owen  Thomas,;  C'hatsworth,  has  sent  us  a  fourth 
list  of  donations  to  this  fund  amounting  to  £14  7s.  6d. 

National  Horticultural  Society  of  France.— 

Next  year  this  society  will  hold  a  Jirrand  international  flower 
show  in  Paris.  It  will  take  place  in  the  early  part  of  May. 
Further  particulars  will  be  published  in  Jianuary.  M.  Lt^on 
Say,  senateur,  has  been  elected  president  of  the  above 
society  in  place  of  the  late  JI.  A.  LavalWe. 

A  new  society  for  Hammersmith  and  its  district  has 
just  been  formed  under  the  title  of  the  St.  Peter's  Gar- 
deners', Amateurs',  and  Cotta.cers'  Improvement  Society. 
Monthly  meetings  for  reading  papers  and  discussing  sub- 
jects of  gardening  interest  are  to  be  held,  and  it  is  also 
proposed  to  hold  a  Chrysantliemum  show  in  connection 
with  it  next  year.  Mr.  H.  J.  Farrow,  62,  Black  Lion  Lane, 
Hammersmith,  is  the  honorary  secretary. 

Boyal  Botanic  Society. — The  committee 
appointed  to  award  the  silver  and  bronze  medals 
for  boxes  for  carriage  of  cut  flowers  by  Parcels 
Post  report  that  they  advertised  certain  conditions 
to  be  complied  with  in  competition  for  such 
medals.  Bight  manufacturers  submitted  sample 
boxes  of  cardboard,  wood,  and  metal,  both  folding 
and  rigid.  The  committee  awarded  the  silver 
medal  to  Messrs.  K.  Hall  &  Son,  of  Hammet 
Street,  Minories,  for  a  tin  box,  15  x  9  x  6  inches, 
costing  9s.  Gd.  per  dozen,  well  made  and  strong, 
capable  of  holding  about  2  pounds  of  cut  flowers  ; 
and  the  bronze  medal  to  Mr.  J.  W.  Hoffman,  of 
54,  Junction  Road,  for  a  small  tin  box,  with 
lifting  frame,  furnished  with  elastic  bands,  to 
hold  single  flowers  or  sprays,  the  ends  of  the  stalks 
dipping  into  damp  Moss  at  the  bottom  of  the  box. 

The  spring  exhibitions  of  this  society  will 

be  held  next  year,  as  is  usually  the  case,  in  the 
gardens  in  the  Regent's  Park  on  March  25  and 
April  22  next.  At  the  March  show  special 
prizes  for  Amaryllis  will  be  offered  by  an  ama- 
teur who  is  anxious  to  encourage  the  cultivation 
of  these  plants.  There  will  be  three  classes,  all  of 
which  will  be  open.  A. — For  the  best  seedling, 
first  prize,  £2  ;  second,  i'l.  I!. — For  the  best  six 
Amaryllis  named.  Preference  will  be  given  to 
the  collection  that  contains  the  best  proportions  of 
light  and  dark  varieties.  First  prize,  £2  ;  second, 
£1.  C. — For  the  best  variety  selected  from  among 
the  plants  exhibited  in  class  B.  For  the  best  dark 
variety,  £1 ;  second  best,  10s.  For  the  best  light 
variety,  £1  :  second  best,  10s.  Fine  form  and 
substance  are  the  points  especially  aimed  at. 
Colour  will  not  be  regarded  unless  two  flowers 
should,  in  other  points,  be  considered  equal  in 
merit ;  the  better  coloured  of  the  two  would  then 
receive  the  higher  prize. 


Parks  &  Public  Gardens. 


The  Inhabitants  of  Harroiv  are  taking  active  steps 
to  preserve  Harrow  Weald  Common,  its  existence  as  an 
open  space  being  threatened  by  the  Highway  Board,  who 
.ire  desirous  of  selling  it  for  building  pxuT)oses. 

Southwark  Park.  —  The  Metropolitan  Board  of 
Worlis  have,  in  response  to  the  request  of  a  deputation 
from  the  inhabitants  of  South  Bermondsey,  decided  to 
maice  a  wicketgate  entrance  to  this  park  from  Abbeyfield 
Koad,  which  will  be  a  gi'eat  boon  to  the  residents  of  this 
thriving  and  already  populous  neighbourhood. 

A    national    park    for    New    South 

Wales. — The  Government  of  New  South  Wales  has 
reserved  one  of  the  finest  and  most  picturesque 
portions  of  the  colony  for  a  national  park.  It  is 
situated  in  the  Illawarra  district,  and  embraces 
an  area  of  :!6,000  acres,  having  a  frontage  of 
7i  miles  to  the  Pacific  Ocean.  The  park  generally 
may  be  described  as  high  table-land,  from  which, 
at  numerous  places,  excellent  and  extensive  views 
are  obtained  of  the  ocean,  Port  Hacking,  Botany 
Bay,  Sydney,  &c.,  while  at  the  same  time  it  pos- 
sesses deep  gorges  and  rich  flats  covered  with 
beautiful  foliage,  bordering  running  streams  of 
the  purest  fresh  water.  The  high  table-lands  to 
some  extent  consist  of  comparatively  barren  stony 
heath  and  of  fairly  good  land,  the  latter  in  areas 
suitable  for  the  formation  of  recreation,  review, 
and  encampment  grounds,  or  of  plantations  of 
ornamental  trees,  &c.,  situated  at  elevations  of 
from  about  350  feet  to  about  900  feet  above  high- 
■watjr  mark.     This    park    will    be  made  easily 


accessible  from  Sydney  by  the  Illawarra  Railway, 
now  in  course  of  construction. 

^Preservation  of  Highgate  Woods.— 

A  public  meeting  in  support  of  the  movement  now 
being  made  to  secure  the  Highgate  Woods  as  a 
place  of  health-giving  resort  and  recreation  for 
the  people  in  perpetuity  was  held  the  other  even- 
ing at  the  Northfield  Hall,  Highgate.  There  was 
a  numerous  attendance,  and  much  interest  seemed 
to  be  manifested  in  the  object  of  the  meeting. 
Lord  G.  Hamilton,  M.P.,  presided,  and  in  opening 
the  proceedings  said  that  there  was  a  unanimous 
wish  on  the  part  of  the  inhabitants  of  that  vicinity 
to  participate  in  the  preservation  of  those  beauti- 
ful woods.  He  had  been  asked  by  the  Baroness 
Burdett-Coutts  to  express  her  entire  sympathy 
with  the  movement,  and  to  add  that  she  was  doing 
all  in  her  power  to  preserve  for  the  use  of  the 
public.  Parliament  Hill,  Hampstead,  as  an  addition 
to  Hampstead  Heath.  In  dealing  with  this  ques- 
tion of  the  preservation  of  open  spaces,  the  great 
difliculty  was  the  absence  of  a  sufliciently  armed 
local  authority,  and  with  a  view  to  obviate  that 
difticulty  he  was  prepared  to  move  in  the  House 
of  Commons  for  a  Select  Committee  to  inquire 
into  the  best  means  as  to  how  the  open  spaces  of 
the  metropolis  might  be  preserved  for  the  benefit 
and  use  of  the  public  for  ever.  He  bad  a  private 
assurance  that  the  Corporation  of  the  City  of 
London  would  be  prepared  to  find  some  funds  to 
assist  the  movement.  Speeches  in  support  of  the 
object  of  the  meeting  were  made  by  Mr.  H.  R. 
Williams,  Mr.  Daniel  Gr.-int,  M.P.,  Mr.  J.  T.  Bed- 
ford, Mr.  A.  G.  Harvey,  Mr.  J.  Carvell  Williams, 
and  others,  and  the  following  resolution  was 
passed  :  "  That  this  meeting,  viewing  with  alarm 
the  steady  absorption  of  open  spaces  in  the  north 
of  London,  desires  to  express  its  emphatic  opinion 
that  the  enclosure  and  destruction  of  the  High- 
gate  and  other  neighbouring  woods  would  prove 
of  lasting  and  irreparable  injury  to  the  northern 
districts  of  London."  A  committee  was  ap- 
pointed to  take  all  necessary  steps  to  secure  the 
object  in  view. 


Gilbert's  Universal  Savoy.— Mr.  Gilbert, 
of  Burghley,  writes  to  say  that  we  have  omitted 
to  mention  in  "  The  Garden  Annual  "  among  cer- 
tificated vegeta'oles  that  his  new  Universal  Savoy 
was  awarded  a  first-class  certificate  by  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society.  Apropos  of  the  Savoy  we 
might  mention  that  Mr.  Gilbert  has  sent  us 
another  sample  of  his  Chou  de  Burghley,  which 
after  cooking  we  thought  delicious — in  short,  one 
of  the  best  vegetables  we  have  tasted  in  winter. 
It  is  very  succulent,  and  the  flavour  reminds  one 
of  a  combination  of  Asparagus  and  spring 
Cabbage.  The  heads  are  in  the  shape  of  elon- 
gated cones,  and  of  a  pale  green  colour.  It  is  a 
great  gain. 

Some  ■winter  Boses.— Madame  Falcot  is  like  the 
popnbir  performer  who  advertises  a  never-ending  series  of 
"  positively  the  last  appearance." — G.  J. 

*^*  A  beautiful  bunch  of  Roses  came  with  the  above  on 
Decemlier  15  gathered  from  an  open  wall.— ED. 

Chryeanthemum  sport  (A.  J.  r.).-A  very  pretty 
sulpliur-tinted  sport  of  Ethel.  Decidedly  worth  perpe- 
tuating and  naming. 

Naming  fruit. — Readers  ivko  desire  our  kelp  m  naming 
fruit  zuUl  kindly  bear  in  mind  that  several  specimens  of 
dife rent  stages  oj  colour  and  size  of  the  same  kind  greatly 
assist  in  its  determination.  Local  varieties  should  be 
named  bij  local  growers,  and  are  often  only  known  to  them. 
We  can  only  undertake  to  name  four  varieties  at  a  time, 
and  these  only  when  the  above  condition  is  observed.  Un- 
paid parcels  not  received. 

Names  of  fruit— IF.    C.    Waller.— 1,    Hunt's  Deux 

Ans  ;   2,  Flower  of  Kent ;    2,  Sweeney  KonpareU. J. 

Adams.— Cox's  Pomona. H.  M.  J/.— Scarlet  Monpareil. 

— — A.  II.— 1,  Adam's  Pearmain  ;  others  not  known. 

Naming  plants.— i'owr  kinds  of  plants  or  flowers 
wily  can  be  named  at  one  timCy  and  this  only  when  good 
specimens  are  sent. 

Names  of  plants.— i?.  J.  H.—l,  Biota  orientalis ;  2, 
sub  variety  of  No.  1;  Retinospora  plumosa  ;  4.  Juniperua 

Sabina. h.  F.  6.—1,  Daphne  indica  variegata  ;  2,  Pit- 

tosporum  Tobira ;  3.  Aspidistra  lurida  variegata  ;  4,  ap- 
pears to  be  Plumbago  capensis  ;    send  in   flower. Jt. 

youni?.- Lycaste  Skinneri,  a  good  dark  lipped  variety; 
Dendrobium  formosum  (typical  form) ;  Oncidiunj  unguicu- 
latum.    Send  No.  1  again  ;  flowers  were  damaged 


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